= Steam Room – The Makai Spa =

Stepping into the steam room, Victoria started to wonder if her sources were even accurate. She would have expected a high branch of a tall sturdy tree, some cave in the cliffs, a cardboard box in the warehouse or a tool shed in one of the various gardens of the Makai or other hotels. But of all places, Iwa is right here in the steam room.

"Taking on another burden?" There was sarcasm in Iwa's tone. She lay there on the bench not making space for Victoria. Sitting on the other bench Victoria finds her former friend so unfamiliar to her even with the Essence's link.

"Why are you working for him?"

"Why not? Master pays well."

"I doubt money motivates you that much. He's just using you!" Victoria tried to distract Iwa with conversation as she probes the edges of her mind. As long as Iwa allows her to probe she just might be able to find the hold Bison has on her.

"At least the Master is willing to teach. Unlike a certain hissy fit throwing lunk."

So it does have something to do with Ryu... Victoria felt a hint of resentment. What are the odds that Ryu's rejection of Iwa had allowed Bison to fill in the position of mentor?

"Do you even know what you're saying!!" Victoria shouted.

Cold eyes looked back at her. She felt tendrils of Psycho. Could six months with Bison totally change Iwa? Or did it have something to do with the fact that Bison had worked on her over ten years ago? There was something gnawing at the edge of Victoria's mind but she brushed it aside.

"Do you even know what you're doing to the people who cared for you? The Masters', your friends?"

"It gets the job done. Master is pleased with the results." She smiled in a manner that sent a shiver down Victoria's spine.

"What happened that day!? Tell me. Let us help you sort things out."

"What? Now you say this? None of you bothered about me when it happens and now you're all playing saviors. Oy... just like the Ookami trying to play the knight." Iwa laughed bitterly.

"Tell me what happened!? I'm your friend, dammit!"

"Ask him. His memory of the event is clearer than mine. He left me to die but Master deems it otherwise."

"I want to hear it from you!"

"What?! That I'm actually undercover? And you put my life at risk if you guys or I stopped the antagonizing. Perhaps Master would then doubt my loyalty and have me killed? Or maybe just maybe Master has a vision of world peace that I can agree with and that people are just being stupid in opposing a New World Order?"

It was obvious to Victoria that Iwa can't or won't remember! Bison did affect her memories somehow. It didn't make sense that Iwa wouldn't question her own fuzzy memory.

Did Ryu disappoint her that badly? It must have since the trio was somewhat likened to an oddball family unit even though Iwa has her own biological family. There must be a way to fix this.

"Master was right. An empath like you would make a highly valuable lead Doll. High empathic abilities couple with psionics. A little training from the Master and you'll rival even Rose. Now get out of my head." Iwa retrieved the earpiece by the wall and clipped it onto her ear.

"I will not submit to that madman!" Victoria answered back. So it was a trap to test her abilities.

"You will come to worship the Master eventually. You all will." She stood up and left the room.

"Iwa!! Wait!!" Victoria called out but the other woman had already walked off.
 

= Several miles east of the Makai =

"I'll have your order right up, sir," the waiter said, taking the menu.

Once the waiter left, Riq surveyed the restaurant. As convenient as free meals were for tournament participants at the Makai, it was nice to actually see what was beyond hotel grounds. There was a very relaxed atmosphere on this side of Oahu, very different compared to downtown Honolulu. Rising to his feet, he headed to the men's room and spotted a familiar face come from the ladies' room. She was wearing a black cotton dress that ended a few inches above her knees, held up by thin straps that tied at the tops of her shoulders. A pair of black and cork-looking sandals gave her a taller appearance.

"You again." He stared in surprise. What was she doing here?

The dark-haired woman blinked, obviously not recognizing him. "I'm...sorry, have we...?"

"You're the woman who nearly got run over by a skateboarder in Diamond Head," Riq stated.

The blank look still was in her eyes.

A brief frown came across his features. He couldn't have mistaken her for someone else. Her hair...her height...It was the same woman...right?

"I'm sorry...you must be confused..."

Riq's frown deepened, knowing he was right. Something caught her attention and she looked over his shoulder. Riq glanced in the direction she had focused on, spotting a tall, Chinese man fifty feet away enter the restaurant. The man pushed his black Ray-ban sunglasses to the top of his head, taking a quick look around the restaurant before turning to the door, pulling his cell phone from its holder attached to his hip. Riq turned back to the woman again as a ringing sound came into the air. She quickly reached into her small purse dangling in the crook of her arm and pulled out a cell phone.

"Excuse me..." she turned away, holding the phone to her ear. "Hello?" Riq could tell by the muffled pitch of the voice that her caller was a male. He glanced back to the entrance again, seeing the Chinese man just outside with his back towards them, phone held to his ear. "Yes...No, I got us a table in the back it's against the window...Yes. Okay. I'll see you in a few."

The man came back inside, making his way into the dining room.

The dark-haired woman turned to Riq with a brief smile. "Well...it was nice...meeting you. Enjoy your meal..."

Riq reached out, grasping her forearm for a few moments before releasing it. "Listen, you seem like a nice girl, and I'm sure you can make another living besides as an...exotic dancer."

She stared at him in shock. "Excuse me?"

"Who cares if you get a lot in tips, you could do better."

"Really."

Normally, any average person would take the defensive side, but this woman seemed...amused? He cringed inwardly. Maybe she was already so far gone into her 'career' that any arguments against it just made her laugh.

"Yeah. You're young...you could start over."

"Sometimes it seems like I've started over too many times..." she mused aloud.

He nodded his head once in the direction of the dining area. "And I'm sure he seems like a nice guy to you, probably could take good care of you, but that's not something you need right now."

"You don't say..." She tipped her head slightly to gaze at him. "What's your name?"

"Enrique," he said after a moment.

"Well...Enrique...do you make it a habit of telling strange women what you think is in their best interests?"

"I-" Wait a minute...something in her eyes...was she laughing at him?

She grinned before saying, "If there ever comes a time when I think I could do better with my life, I'll remember what you said."

"Fine," he conceded. "But I meant it...don't sell yourself short for a good life." First a stripper now someone's mistress...he'd seen a couple young girls during his job in law enforcement that went through the same thing. It was really kind of sad...

"I won't..." she promised before walking away.
 

= Peru =

"Looks to be about six of them," Juli noted aloud, looking through binoculars.

"Are you sure?" Pablo asked.

Juli frowned, having watched the group for the last few minutes. "I think so..."

It was already in the afternoon, and they had slept in, occasionally watching the excavation site.

"There could be more currently in the temple," Pablo suggested.

Juli, kneeling on the ground, looked over her shoulder to see Pablo squat beside her, hand outstretched to reach for the binoculars.

Their guide said something in Spanish. Pablo chuckled, responding to his comment. Juli glared at her partner, for both men's eyes had strayed to her rear end. Perverts. She shoved the binoculars in Pablo's hands.

"So what exactly are we looking for?" Juli asked. "A statue? Jewelry?"

Their guide spoke again. Juli was about to sock him for another lecherous look at her body, but his eyes were focused on the temple.

"He said that no one knows what lies inside the Temple of the Virgins of the Sun," Pablo translated.

"This temple is for women?" Juli asked incredulously.

"Women who were sacrificed to the sun god," Pablo clarified.

"Sounds like something you'd be interested in... And how does he know what this temple is?"

Pablo asked a question in Spanish, and their guide responded. Pablo shrugged and told his partner, "For the past month, this team has been in and out of the village. He's heard rumors in the village of this place and assumed that someone would eventually come for personal gain."

"He better be worth the money if he made himself available for this..." Juli warned, glaring at their guide.
 

= The Makai =

Leaving the spa, Victoria caught sight of Chun Li and hurry up to her.

"Chun Li!" she called out stopping the woman in her tracks. Pleasantries were exchanged and Victoria got to the task at hand.

"I need to know more. Please." She pleaded with the older woman.

Reluctance was in the air as Chun Li sucked in a breath to consider her words

"You have the right to know. Come with me," She sighed and led the way. "I can't promise you how much he'll let on though." Chun Li broke the uncomfortable silence.

"I thought you knew what happened?"

"Mostly what he told me. He's the one involved that day. I was hoping to play mediator but..." Chun Li trailed off. Victoria caught a hint of sadness and did not pry deeper.

Reaching the garden café, Chun Li led her into the deeper, more private dining area. There, Ryu was seated at table piled high with various dishes. Ken and Guile were there too. Were they interrogating him? And considering the way Ryu kept shoving food into his mouth it was like he was trying to avoid answering. Either that or he had a major eating disorder.

Ryu stopped eating when he caught sight of Victoria. His angry glare shot from Chun Li to her and back again.

"She has the right to know." Chun Li said firmly.

"Yeah Ryu we already lost one kid and I don't intend to lose another. Blood or not." Guile said. It provokes Ryu to pull himself to his full height even if not eye to eye with Guile.

"I did not lose her." he said in that stern voice of his. "She chose to go back."

There was silence all around but it didn't make sense to Victoria. If Iwa had chosen to go back, why did she resent Ryu that much?

"And you just let her?" Ken asked in disbelief.

"What are you? Crazy?! You know full well what Bison would do to one of those kids?!" Guile roared at him.

"It was a trap to begin with." Sensing no challenge he continued. "She wasn't satisfied with what we had taught her and wanted to know more. The Satsui no Hadou nearly killed her. Who knows what the Psycho Power would do."

"Charlie nearly got killed in getting her back and you just let her go?!"

"She wanted to go back. She refuses to listen to me and even argued with me on this. I headed into the village to calm down. Would it surprise anybody that Bison showed up no sooner?"

"Then why did Iwa fight back?! Why did he take her knowing that you're not around?" Victoria butted in. The versions given by Iwa and Ryu conflict each other so much. Something was definitely very, very wrong.

"Maybe he intended me to go after her and into his clutches. Who knows what he's scheming." There was paranoia in his voice.

"But he offered you a chance to take her back and in fair play and in front of public eyes at a place and time of your choosing!" Victoria almost screamed.

"It was a setup from the start! Sending Iwa in to gain my trust and expecting me to come! If Chun Li hadn't told me about a programming I would have gone!"

All eyes now shot to Chun Li.

"It was a partial file I came across during my infiltration of Shadowlaw. I was not able to save it as they discovered me. Bison was working on some kind of Type 3 Doll programming, enough self-awareness, not enough free will and absolute loyalty. Iwa was his prototype......" It obviously pains Chun Li to reveal that much.

"Then why didn't you report this to me?!"

"I was hoping we could overcome it..." Chun Li swallowed.

"And now you see her true colors." Ryu growled and walks away.

"Ryu!" Chun Li chased after him.

Confusion was in Victoria's mind as she considered the words of both parties. Somehow it does not add up. At least one of them or maybe all three were lying to protect the others. Somehow she had to beat some sense into Iwa when their match comes.
 

= Several miles east of the Makai =

Somewhat amused at the conversation by the ladies' room, Meliza walked through the dining area and to the back of the restaurant before sliding into the seat next to Locke. "Guess what? I ran into someone who thinks I'm a stripper."

Locke immediately set his drink of water down halfway in the act of taking a drink, coughing slightly. "What?"

Meliza glanced towards the dining area, leaning to her boyfriend. "Don't turn your head...but at our three o'clock coming from that hallway...dark hair, wearing black shirt..."

Locke's eyes shifted to his right, and he met her gaze. "Isn't that...?"

"Victoria's friend," she answered. "In the tournament, too..."

"And he thought you were a stripper?" Locke asked incredulously. Immediately, onyx-colored eyes narrowed at her suspiciously. "What did you do to give him that idea?"

Meliza blinked. "Nothing."

She immediately recognized the look in his eyes as he gave her a once-over.

"Well...that would explain your late hours the past few days..."

Meliza glared at him before picking up her menu, elbowing him in the process. Then she got up and sat in the chair perpendicular to him.

"Sorry," he murmured. "Bad joke." A half-smile crossed his features, and he leaned forward. "What's the name of the establishment again? I have a lot of single bills to get rid of-"

Before he could continue, his chair had fallen backwards and he had ended up on his back, his head just missing the wall by a few inches on his way down. He scowled and looked up at the table to see Meliza calmly take a sip of her water before glancing down at him.

"Oops." She fought back a smile, shrugging one shoulder.

He slowly got up, avoiding the stares of nearby patrons and righted his chair. One thought was loud and clear in his mind that it took barely any probing for her to hear. Damn you and damn that Essence for giving you some abilities...
 

= Peru =

"I can't believe you're still trying to pursue that."

"At least I'm doing something with my life."

"Pursuing some legend. As if that is worth pursuing! With your knowledge, universities around the world would easily offer tenures. You'd have a job, stability, a-"

"I don't want your life, Dad."

"This is all your grandfather's fault. If he never told you about those relics..."

"There was a time you believed in what he said," came the argument. "Grandpa only believed in discovering the truth."

"There is no truth. It's only a myth!"

"How do you know that?"

"How do you know your grandfather's stories were true?"

He adjusted his sunglasses before pulling out a GPS tracking device from his backpack. On display was a map of the terrain and a blinking light. His target was two hours walk north. He pushed the device back into the mesh netting of his backpack, using his other hand to push his wheat-colored bangs away from his forehead, frowning as he recalled the conversation he had with his father just before he got here.

His lips twisted in a bitter smile. His grandfather and his studies were always a sore subject between him and his father. His father believed that the story behind the eight ancient relics were just myths...his grandfather believed them to be true. His father once believed in the legend. To this day, he didn't understand what had caused his father to change his mind. He only remembered that it happened shortly after his grandfather died a little over a year ago. Ever since then, he and his father could barely be in the same room. Conversations were usually less than five minutes.

Although he followed in his grandfather's and his father's educational footsteps, and shared their passion for ancient history, that was as far as it went. He didn't want his father's life. Dean of anthropology at one of the top universities in the United States...constant invitations as a guest speaker all around the world...he much preferred traveling, living in different countries and learning about different cultures. He made his living writing books about the locations and cultures he had visited – for educational and tourism purposes – not stuck behind a desk dealing with university politics.

In fact, a casual visit to an old friend abroad convinced him to come out here...

"She's going to need assistance," his friend declared.

He picked up the photo she had placed between them on the table of the café.

"Do you know her? Scholars of ancient civilizations form a small network..." she asked.

He shrugged. "My father knows her. He invited her to do a lecture about two years ago...he and my grandfather were impressed. I think I was in France at the time..." He placed the photo back on the table. "What does she need help with?"

"She's trying to find the very same things your grandfather had stories of."

He froze. "What? Why?"

"Someone else is trying to find them...and use them for their own personal gain. A friend of hers passed away while trying to retrieve an item..."

"So you need someone to make sure that the others aren't found for 'personal gain'."

"Yes. She can't do this alone. Just like her friend shouldn't have had to bear this alone..." She arranged her yellow scarf carefully around her shoulders, brief sadness coming to her violet eyes. "The man hunting for those items is very dangerous. You must be careful..."

The day after his conversation with her, he had gone to visit his father to collect any information his grandfather might have left behind. Their interaction hadn't been pleasant. Then again, it rarely was.

Thanks to the tip Rose gave him about a certain tracking device...it made finding them so much easier. No doubt they were close to a temple, tomb, or something.

He looked up as he began to climb. It was going to be a long two hours.

==

She was sitting in Devon's 'study tent', pouring over her notes. It seemed like ever since Ming's phone call not too long ago, Esperanza spent her free time studying up on ancient sites.

Devon was sitting a few feet away, documenting the day's finds so far in his journal. It was well after lunch, and his staff had taken turns in the temple since she arrived, mapping out the tunnels.

She hadn't wanted to leave the temple. Esperanza and Devon must have spent hours inside, with her going over the walls in awe. They hadn't found any chambers, but the team was optimistic. As was she. It might give her a better understanding of what Ming had been trying to find.

"Professor!" one of Devon's assistants hurried into the tent, breathing hard, perspiration glowing on his forehead. "We think we found something!"

==

"I love this part of a dig..." Pablo murmured, watching as activity increased around the site.

Judging by the hurried pace of some of the members who emerged from the temple, they looked like they had found something.

"It's like watching a woman while she's clima-"

"You're disgusting," Juli interrupted.

Pablo chuckled at the sight of a familiar face at the campsite. "Well, well...we meet again, senorita..."

"What are you talking about?" Juli grumbled, peering through the binoculars Pablo handed her. "Hey...isn't that...what's her name...from Mexico?"

"Esperanza."

"What the hell is she doing here?"

"We'll find out soon enough..." Pablo rose to his feet. "Time to see what our friends found..."
 

= COF Arena =

"C'mon, what's the hold up?" Sakura questions aloud from amongst the crowd, in regards to the current activity - or rather, a lack of - happening below. "Both of them are here, so let's get the match started already."

Next to her, Elena gives a small smile. Even though only five minutes had passed since the scheduled match start time, to a raucous crowd eager to witness the sounds of fists colliding with flesh, it seemed like five hours instead. While the Kenyan herself didn't share such a level of restlessness as the current audience, she could understand Sakura's point.

"Well, at least if Mien turns up now she won't have missed anything," Elena says. Sometime last night Mien had called and spoken to Sakura, with the both of them agreeing to meet up for today's scheduled bout on top of possibly catching up on things. With Mien's current absence, such a meeting seemed unlikely once again, yet Elena wasn't willing to lose her optimism so easily. After all, again, it had only been five minutes...

"Hey guys, sorry I'm late," said a voice from behind the pair, turning out to belong to Natalie as she edges through the crowd aisle towards them. "I miss anything?"

"Hey Mien, glad you came," Elena answers, promptly removing her denim jacket from the empty seat next to her so that Natalie can sit down. "And no, we're still waiting for this match to start."

Sakura gives what appears to be an exasperated sigh. "Feels like it's been an hour already..."

"Ah, okay." Natalie grins slightly, but doesn't speak any further than that. In reality, she was still on duty... sort of. It wasn't like she had to be here to fulfill her latest assignment, but at least she could spend time with her friends at the same time.

Glancing down at the two fighters at the centre of the stadium, the Federal agent scopes out Makoto on the left, decked out in a traditional white karate dogi with a long, flowing yellow scarf tied around her neck. Upon witnessing her fighting style, the best conclusion Natalie felt fitting for it was, as one article put it, "no wasted motion", the idea that every move she executed - whether it was a simple punch, kick, or some form of movement - made in a fight were always straightforward, clear-cut, and designed to strike hard. It was somewhat of a contrast to her opponent, Sean Matsuda, who often gave way to an element of style and flair in his moves, not unlike his mentor Ken Masters.

"Looks like the match's about to start now," Elena points out, coinciding with the sound of the voice announcer and the excited roars of the crowd.

"Finally!" Sakura exclaims.

Natalie turns back to the two fighters below, just in time to see Makoto immediately kick things off, closing in on Sean with a straight punch.
 

= Peru =

Esperanza and Devon stared at the small room located deep in the tunnels of the site. It was only fifteen feet wide. The walls were painted with vibrant colors with slivers of gold. Along the four corners of the chamber, skeletons leaned against the walls, as if they had been placed in a kneeling position. Each skeleton was adorned with elaborate silver and gold jewelry – necklaces, brooches, bracelets – as well as being wrapped with tunics made of fine, soft material.

"Look!" Devon gestured to a groove in the wall, shaped like a circle.

Esperanza studied it, shining her flashlight against the wall. "It looks like a keyhole."

Devon swung his flashlight to survey the room. "Maybe one of these...?" He carefully moved over to one skeleton before studying another. "They don't look to be holding anything...No boxes to hold anything secure..."

As she shifted her weight, she felt some rubble at the bottom of her boots. Esperanza knelt on the stone floor, picking up a jagged piece of rock, turning it over to see black and orange paint on the other side. She shined her flashlight on the floor, turning one more piece over. The entire floor was scattered with them along with various jewelry, pottery, and other belongings.

A puzzle...? Esperanza quickly began to assemble the pieces together. Having spotted her diligently working, Devon moved over to look past her shoulder.

"Inti..." he said quietly, studying the image she had put together. Devon looked at the groove in the wall before looking back down at the puzzle. "Esperanza...try putting that in here..."

She rose to her feet, placing the mini-puzzle in the hole in the wall. And waited.

Devon cautiously surveyed the room, his flashlight going over all sides of the room.

Even he couldn't hold back his shout of surprise as the floor disappeared beneath them, dropping them into darkness.
 

= COF Arena =

Aggressive, is the only clear thought Sean's able to materialise as he slips and darts away from the continuous slew of hand and leg strikes aimed at him, which appear to increase in speed and intensity. Beginning to feel pressured, Sean reacts quickly with an almost desperate hook to no avail as Makoto dashes forward with her head ducked, completely avoiding the attack and leaving him wide open.

In a smooth motion, Makoto kicks Sean's legs out from under him whilst using the momentum to throw him to the ground. Quicker than this is the fist she drives into his gut a half-second later to finalise the technique. Despite the pain in his midsection, Matsuda throws his body into a roll to separate himself from his opponent. By the time he's back on his feet Makoto has already closed the gap once more, launching out another leg strike, albeit a faintly slower one compared to the others. A flash of his sparring session with Victoria flickers through Sean's mind as he initiates his counterattack.

Allowing Makoto's foot to pass him, the Brazilian swiftly latches one arm around her ankle in a vice-like grip before she has time to withdraw her leg. Wasting no time, Sean swings his right leg forward to empty his foot into Makoto's solar plexus once, then twice, before releasing the hold. Makoto yelps out in agony as she stumbles and fights to keep herself standing, but Sean ensures that she's brought down with a Sean Tackle, making sure his two punches further any damage to her midsection. The young fighter leaps away from the prone Makoto, and then homes back in on her position with a Ryuubi Kyaku, but fails to make any contact as Makoto rolls away to the side and onto her feet at the last possible moment.

For a moment, Makoto's stern exterior gives way to a look of pain in her eyes as she resists the urge to wrap an arm around her hurt midsection. Sean, who is already back to his feet at this point, closes in on Makoto once more in an attempt to keep her on the defensive, where he hopes she isn't as dangerous. Now it's the karate expert's turn to fend herself against Matsuda's slew of hand and leg strikes, at the growing expense of her forearms. She lowers her guard just as Sean throws out a high knee poised at her midsection, but just before the strike hits he suddenly withdraws his leg and edges back.

The manoeuvre is not lost on Makoto, who immediately deduces the tactic to be a trap to draw her into offence, and right into whatever attack he has planned. She promptly takes the bait, however, seeking to turn the trap against him as she steps forward with a feint. Her suspicions are soon confirmed as the young Brazilian reacts to counter the strike that doesn't come, throwing out a high wheel kick aimed at her side. With a small, almost uncaring grin Makoto slams her elbow directly onto Sean's ankle, cutting the attack short whilst deflecting the blow. A surprised Sean yelps in pain as he instinctively pulls his leg back, but Makoto makes it clear she's far from finished.

Uttering a loud kiai, Makoto propels into her Hayate technique, driving her fist directly into the gut of Ken's student. The karate master follows up with her Karakusa choke-grab, a chop to the side of her now-stunned opponent's neck, and then a second, far stronger Hayate to complete the short combination that sends Sean flying.

Any coherent thought the young student tries to gather is lost in a tumult of pain as his body crashes onto the arena floor. He throws himself back to his feet just as Makoto's fist slips past his raised guard and into his face. Makoto rains more punches on him, closing it with another chop to the neck and a right cross so strong that it whips Sean around. Makoto darts at his exposed back, and Sean, knowing he's on the losing end of the battle, reaches deep down into himself to retaliate, if only out of pure desperation.

"Tornado!" Sean yells as he snaps his body into a quick spin to let out two revolving kicks, the first catching Makoto across the face and the second kick aiming slightly lower to the chest. The moment his feet touches the ground Sean goes right into his Dragon Smash. While unorthodox-looking, his variation of the famous Dragon Punch proves itself to be effective, regardless, as the rising uppercut buries itself into Makoto's hurt midsection and carries both fighters upwards. Sean is the first to land, promptly ignoring the pain in his ankle just as Makoto lands on her back a second later. The latter shakily works her way back into a standing position, with her arms favouring her midsection.

Realising a chance to end the fight, Sean gathers his ki as he bursts forward towards the still slightly-shaken Makoto, going into his all-out move: the Hyper Tornado. Every hit finds its mark, as Sean explodes into a deadly blitz of attacks to the stomach, chest and face before carrying himself and Makoto diagonally into the air with a Tornado followed instantly by a Ryuubi Kyaku that slams her back to the ground with a bodily thump, drawing a huge pop from the crowd.

Sean forces the growing pain in his leg to the recesses of his mind as he falls through the air, with a drawn back fist poised for Makoto's face, but for the second time in this match she rolls away at the last possible moment. Upon regaining her footing, Makoto launches her body forward into another Hayate. Sean reacts to this by neither blocking nor evading the move but by leaping into the air to counter with the Ryuubi Kyaku, aiming his heel at her head. Instead of following through with the Hayate however, Makoto cancels the attack just as she ends up under Sean's arcing descent, where she punches directly upwards with as much force as she musters, directly at the ankle she struck earlier.

Makoto watches with what appears to be indifference as Sean is blown back into the air from the Fukiage, clutching his ankle as he collides with the ground quite a distance away. This indifference turns to a small degree of surprise as Sean rolls over onto his stomach, presses his left knee into the ground, and eventually uses his left leg to push himself to his feet, much to the crowd's delight. For the moment he refrains from attacking, which is something that Makoto is silently thankful for as she sucks in deep, laboured breaths. It doesn't come without a price as each breath forces her lungs to press against her hurt ribs, causing discomfort in result.

Sean gingerly places his right leg on the ground, trying to put as little weight on it as possible. His ankle, while not broken, was still in a bad way, damaged enough to slow him down somewhat for the remainder of the match. The Hyper Tornado, that was my trump card, he thinks. But I still got one option left...

"Alright," Sean says to himself, making his thoughts known as he clenches one fist. "Let's go."

Sean bursts into a quick dash soon after, throwing out a series of jabs, then a series of body blows that Makoto dances away from, eventually returning the exchange with a roundhouse kick. Sean raises his arms in front of his upper body to block the blow, but the force of the strike causes him to stumble two steps back, unintentionally exerting more pressure on his ankle that causes him to wince in pain.

Makoto's eyes flash as the opportunity presents itself. Instantly she wades in, reaching for and grabbing Sean's throat with both hands as she lifts him off the ground to initiate another Karakusa. It's not successful this time, however, for Sean manages to drive one knee, and then another, into Makoto's exposed abdomen at the last moment. The hold now broken, and with the breath forcibly drawn out of her lungs instead, Sean performs a head butt to the sternum to send her reeling while he falls back down into a crouch, with his right fist cocked back and glowing, bringing an end to the fight. "SHORYU CANNON!!"

Except Makoto isn't there to meet his rising fist, for the karate expert, with just inches to spare, whether by luck or skill, has rolled backwards to avoid the attack. She rises back up into her stance in time to see Sean sail into the air, completely missing his finisher, and a renewed smile falls onto her face, briefly using her right hand to capture Sean in her sights as she brings the other to waist-level, drawn back into a tight fist as she bursts forward.

The stadium crowd falls into a hushed silence, sensing a final conclusion to the battle.

Makoto barely lets her opponent touch the ground as she pistons her left arm forward, catching Sean so hard in his stomach that his body curls over her fist. The subsequent three punches are just as powerful, striking the Brazilian in his chest and ribcage, spraying out several globs of blood from his mouth onto her dogi sleeve before unleashing a final, departing blow to the chin to complete the Seichuusen Godanzuki as she yells out the technique's namesake. The last blow echoes across the arena with a thunderous clap as Sean's head is whipped back violently, carrying his body airborne along with it.

For a split second, Sean seems to feel his body float through the air as his world turns into a slow-motion haze of clouds and overhead blue sky against a backdrop of pain. Gravity soon kicks in roughly, bringing him back onto the ground just as harshly. The referee, along with the crowd, immediately begins a ten-count, but Matsuda still remains where he lies, unmoving.

"KO! The winner is... Makoto!" the voice yells over the crowd, who erupts in response at having seen such an intense match. Makoto, who had turned her head away during the ten-count, now glances back over at her still-comatose opponent and bows, turning to walk away as a pair of paramedics rush over towards Sean's position, thoughts journeying towards who her next challenge would be.
 

= Peru =

The floor had dropped them onto a slide, causing them to tumble a good fifteen feet down. Devon reached for his flashlight, miraculously not lost during the fall.

"Professor? Are you here?" Cesar, a young grad student who had pulled them from the tent and into the temple, poked his head into the hole where they had fallen through.

Devon bent slightly to peer up at an angle. "Cesar!"

"Are you all right?"

"Yes...can you get a rope so Ms. Rios and I can climb back up?"

"Devon..." Esperanza said in a hushed whisper.

"I'll be right back, Professor!"

"Devon."

"Be careful," Devon warned his assistant.

"Devon, look!" Esperanza pointed to another doorway, thirty feet away, surrounded by ancient paintings embellished with gold.

Completely forgetting their situation, the two walked through the thin doorway to see another wall with large paintings of...female figures? And from a very thin crack high on the wall, a beam of sunlight shone into the chamber, to the golden scepter object decorated with various precious stones placed on a pedestal next to the wall of the painted women.

Devon slowly made his way towards it, studying the intricate patterns etched onto it.

"It looks like writing," Esperanza observed after a moment.

"It must be...I've never seen anything like this..."

"Beautiful, isn't it? And worth all the attention and effort," a male voice interjected.

Devon turned to see a man several feet away, a small handgun pointed in their direction.

Esperanza's eyes widened in recognition. "Pablo? What...What are you doing here?" To say she was surprised to see him was an understatement.

"You remember me." A sly smile crossed his features. "I'm flattered..." His eyes shifted over her form before he continued, "It's good to see you again. But as...pleasant as our last encounter was, this is business, senorita, so if you'd be so kind to hand that over..." He wiggled his gun hand slightly. "Or we could try it the hard way..."

"You're...stealing?!" Esperanza gasped.

"What the hell is going on?" Devon looked wildly between her and the man.

Pablo shook his head, his smile still in place. "You're not very clever, are you?" He sighed. "Your entire team is conveniently out of the way, Professor. No one is here to stop me from stealing that item."

Esperanza bit her lip. "Your...colleague...Juli. She...she's the one who dealt with...?" She glanced at Devon before turning back.

The freelancer chuckled. "Well, I'm not quite sure. Killing them or knocking them out was her choice."

"Whoever's paying you for this can't be using it for good," Devon reasoned. "If you just-" He stopped as Pablo fired a shot at a spot above his head.

"I think you've been away from civilization for too long, Professor..." Pablo warned, with a stern edge to his voice.

Esperanza covered her mouth with both hands to prevent the scream that threatened to surface. This can't be happening...

"Senorita?" Pablo prompted, his lips turned up in a cold smile.

Esperanza looked at the item just a foot away.

"Don't do it," Devon whispered.

She swallowed. If they didn't, they'd be shot. If they did, they'd still be shot. What difference did it make?

Pablo then said in Spanish, "I'm losing patience. Be a good girl and give that to me."

"And if you take it? You'll still kill us?" she responded in the same language.

Pablo merely grinned. "Beautiful and smart. There was a reason why I found you attractive..."

"You're a monster..." Esperanza whispered in horror.

"That's not what you said back in Mexico..." he mused in his native language before pointing to the stone pedestal. "Give me that."

Pablo frowned, sensing something wasn't right. The professor had gone very quiet. In fact, he was staring past him. Just as he was about to turn, Pablo felt something prod the small of his back.

"I don't think that's a good idea." A male voice spoke up in Spanish.

Pablo glanced over his shoulder to see a tall man dressed in dark clothing, the brim of his hat shielding his eyes from view.

"Don't assume she's the only one who can understand you," the man continued in English this time. "Put your gun down."

Pablo merely smiled. "You underestimate me."

"Your partners are down," the man responded. "Your boss called the woman a few times wondering what's going on and why I answered. I told him you're busy."

The room was filled with tense silence for many long moments. Until Pablo lowered his gun hand.

"It seems you have a guardian angel," Pablo said to Devon and Esperanza. "Perhaps we should try this again some other time...without interruptions."

Recklessly, he pivoted with his fist aiming for the stranger's head, who managed to jump out of the way. Pablo dashed for the exit slide, laughing, firing his handgun as the three ducked away as far as they could from the chamber's doorway and any stray bullets. Pablo then jumped on the slide and grabbed a part of the rope, pushing a button that activated the pulling mechanism, allowing him to easily ascend the same way he entered.

"Esperanza, are you all right?" Devon asked, helping her to her feet. At her nod and after looking her over himself, he turned to their rescuer. "Who are you?"

The stranger was currently brushing dust off his black pants, a scowl on his features.

"Dammit..." He pulled his hat off, smoothing his hair back, blowing out a breath. His eyes settled on them. "Professor Childers and Miss Rios, I'm guessing."

"You...look familiar," Esperanza blurted aloud. "Have we met before?"

"I think I'd remember if we did," he said with a faint grin. He reached into another pocket, frowning. "Where the hell is my rope?"

Esperanza and Devon exchanged glances before looking back at the stranger.

"Um...excuse me..." Esperanza spoke tentatively. "But...who are you?"

"Oh. Jacob Turner," he shook her hand before he began to search his other pockets.

"But...how do you know us and..." Esperanza trailed off.

"There's time for that later," the stranger responded, apparently noticing that Devon was now examining the walls. "Right now, we need to hide that and find a way out of here."

"Hide it?" Devon echoed. "Why?"

Jacob nodded his head in the direction that Pablo had disappeared. "You heard him. He wants that artifact and he's not going to leave without it."

"I've been working on this discovery for almost two months," Devon insisted. "I'm not going to let some grave or temple robber change-"

"With all due respect, Professor, you have no idea what he's capable of and who he's working for."

"Do you know?" Esperanza asked. "Who he's working for?"

Instead of answering, Jacob added, "You can't expect to take it with you, he'd be after you in a heartbeat."

"It would be in a museum, with-"

"Somehow I don't think that would stop him," Jacob responded.

"I've worked for this. He doesn't scare me," Devon insisted.

Esperanza glanced at their rescuer, who merely shook his head.

"This isn't the first place he's been through," Jacob muttered. He moved to another side of the room, studying the paintings, trying to push against the walls to see if there were any other ways out.

Biting her lip, she moved towards him, hesitantly touching his shoulder. "You...you know who he works for, don't you?"

Jacob glanced away, then glanced at Devon, who was engrossed with the content on the walls.

"You said he's been through other places," she said softly. "What is he after and why?"

"I think you already know the answer to that," their rescuer responded after a moment.

"I don't understand."

Jacob smiled. "Let's get out of here first before we discuss the relics, okay?"

Esperanza blinked, wondering if she misheard him. "What?"

"And I also have a proposition for you," he continued.

"I think I found something!" Devon announced before Esperanza could say anything else.

A huge stone began to give way, revealing a dark, narrow tunnel that seemed to lead up. There were slight grooves along the bottom, almost like stairs.

Jacob pushed away from the wall, flashing her another smile. "Time to go, Miss Rios."
 

= Several miles away from the Makai =

"Makoto finished the fight with a surprising move," the anchorman droned on before Sean turned off the TV with a push of the button on his remote.

"Cheer up, you did fine," Ken spoke up before adding, "But I wouldn't have lost against her at your age."

Sean grinned, shaking his head. "She was tough."

"No kidding." From his position leaning against the hospital wall, Ken picked up the chart by the door, opening it, squinting at the letters. "The people responsible for saving lives have the worst handwriting in the world..."

"Bruised ribs, sprained ankle..." Sean went down a small list of his injuries. Not that it was really necessary. His elevated foot, and several bandages taped to his face were telling enough signs. And it hurt a little to breathe. His torso had been wrapped tight. At least the x-rays hadn't shown any fractures. He was pretty lucky.

Deep down, he was a little disappointed. He'd been hoping to win this particular match.

"Sean!" Mel's bright voice practically shouted from the doorway. Eliza stood just behind her son.

Mel rushed into the room, apparently needing confirmation that he was all right. "I saw your fight on TV...it looked like it hurt..."

"I'm all right," Sean assured the boy.

Eliza greeted her husband with a kiss before facing Sean. "When are you going to be released from the hospital?"

"Probably tomorrow..." Sean sighed. "The doctor said he'll bring some crutches and show me how to use them...She doesn't look like it, but Makoto can sure hit hard..." He gazed sadly at his wrapped leg.

"Can I sign it?" Mel suddenly asked, glancing at his leg.

Sean laughed. "I don't think so...it doesn't look like it'll hold your writing, kid."

"Oh." Mel frowned slightly. "So...when do you think you can go swimming again?"

Sean shook his head, grinning.
 

= Peru =

It didn't take him long to spot her in the bar of their hotel. There were very few patrons left, and judging by the time on his watch, the place was probably closing soon.

Jacob made his way towards her, noting that there were several shot glasses lined on the table.

"It's late, Esperanza," he announced.

"I know," she responded, her eyes still focused on the last shot glass, still filled with liquid. "I'll be leaving soon."

He settled in the seat across from her before reaching for one of the empty glasses. A small sniff and he could easily smell the alcohol. His new partner sure liked the strong stuff. But she looked like she had never had a sip of alcohol in her entire life. He found the contradiction amusing.

"Is that all you've had?" he asked, gesturing to the glasses on the table.

"No," she answered flatly. "They took another four earlier."

"Four?" he repeated.

They sat in silence until she spoke up.

"So your grandfather knew about the eight relics around the world?"

When they had escaped from the temple, he took her aside and explained to her in private what he knew. He sure had a lot to share. Along with a proposition to help her find the remaining items and keep them away from anyone hoping to use them. Much to Devon's chagrin, Jacob had taken the item from the temple's large chamber, planning on placing it in a bank vault once they got to the larger cities. Devon had numerous protests, but Esperanza volunteered to make sure that item was in safe keeping. She hadn't told Devon the reason why it should be in hiding, but she recommended that it should be kept away until the mess with Veracruz was straightened out. And so, she, her guide, and Jacob had made their way back to the villages. Jacob had arranged earlier for a pilot to meet them and they had flown out to the next metropolitan city fairly late in the day.

While her experience with Pablo taught her to be cautious of good-looking strangers, she and Jacob's father, Dr. Noah Turner, were good acquaintances, and a quick call to his father confirmed Jacob's intentions. Dr. Turner seemed somewhat cold when referring to his son's goals, and surprised that she was pursuing the same thing. It briefly made her wonder the relationship between father and son.

"He spent years researching them," Jacob admitted, slightly surprised at her turn of the small talk. Hadn't they covered all this earlier? He cleared his throat. "So...are you going to be okay with this assignment? Looks like you and the temple robber have a little history."

"We slept together for one night," she said, unable to stop herself.

Jacob's eyes widened at the statement.

"He came to Mexico a while back..." Esperanza listlessly began playing with her braid. "Veracruz came to find Yaxkin's tomb, pretending to work for this museum in Europe that needed the artifacts for their grand opening...after we found what he and his partner were looking for, later that night, he asked me to spend the night with him."

"Can't fault his taste in women," Jacob murmured wryly.

She bowed her head. "Stop trying to make me feel better."

He grinned. "So it's working?"

Esperanza began to draw moist circles on the table with her shot glass. "You should limit your smiles to only twice a day." When her answer was only a wider grin, her cheeks turned pink and she looked down at her glass. "I should have known something was wrong when his partner first called me asking for my assistance. Now that I recall our conversations...they were so vague." She blew out a breath. Her brown eyes met his across the table. "You told me that your grandfather had reason to believe that when gathered together, these items could harness some...great power. If anyone were to get their hands on all of them...I...I need to finish this. I feel as if a part of this is my fault..."

"You didn't know," he shrugged. "So you need to move on." He leaned forward. "I need you sober and not feeling sorry for yourself."

"I know," she admitted. "I'm just...angry at myself for being so...naïve."

"Well, stop it," he said, the edge taken off his words by a wry smile. "Consider it a life lesson learned."
 

= Several miles off the coast of Oahu =

"Working late today, huh?"

"Just looking at some footage of the remaining participants. Trying to do some prelim research. Anytime a sample is brought in it can get crazy around here..."

"No kidding..."+