Early next morning, Andy was in one of the dojos training by himself with his katana as his instructor, Heishiro Mitsurugi enters wearing his Japanese blue coloured Aikido shirt and gray Hakama.
“Morning, Andy…I see you have come here to the place where we train often.”
“Indeed, sir…I like to practice on the weekend.”
“That’s good…You are one dedicated swordsman.”
“Well, thank you, sir.”
“No sweat.”
Andy then gets an idea that his kendo instructor didn’t just came to praise his skills as he is here for another special reason.
“Sir, I get the feeling you didn’t came to praise me of my skill, right?”
“You are a clever one, Andy…Yes, I have something to um…To tell you.”
“To tell me, sir?” asked Andy looking curious with him giving Mitsurugi the eyebrow.
“Yes, I am grateful to inform you that two students wish to join the kendo club.”
“Two keen students, you say?”
“Yes, eager to learn kendo…You happy?”
“Sure.”
“Yes, two girls.”
“Right, two girls and um…WHAT?!” bellowed Andy all of a sudden as Mitsurugi however was not surprise by Andy’s sudden alarmed reaction. In fact, he had expected to react just like that.
“Yes, Andy?”
“WHAT WAS THAT? Two girls intend to join our um…Our kendo club?”
“Precisely.”
“No, no…Absolutely not. Tell them to go away and find another club activity. They can do anything as long as they are not joining the kendo club.” uttered Andy as he talked at a very fast kind of pace that Mitsurugi had a little trouble catching of what he was actually saying.
“However, Andy…Those girls like this club than all the others.”
“Oh, balderdash…Insignificant little girls.”
Andy grumbled to himself as Mitsurugi stood beside him and gently puts one hand over his shoulder.
“There’s no point in grumbling about it, lad.”
“It’s just that um…”
“What is it, lad? What is it that you really want to get rid off from your chest?”
“Well, sir…There’s one thing I don’t like.”
“What might that be? I have a pretty good idea of what it is?”
“Girls, sir.”
“Girls? How ironic…Considering your master who taught you kendo is a girl herself.”
“I know, sir…But my master is the only girl that I truly respect.”
“And what about your friends’ female classmates? I am sure you have respect for them too?”
“Uh, of course…All those girls in my class are all right.”
“That’s good.”
“To be honest, sir…I don’t want to have girls in the club and is restricted only to boys.”
“Right…I truly understand your opinion but these two girls…”
“What about them, sir?”
“They are ironically…From your class.”
“My class?”
“Yes…Michelle and Ivy Lau. You know them?”
“Not really…The Lau twins, right?”
“Yes.”
“Well, I am against this, sir.”
“Unfortunately, Andy…The school board overruled you.”
“Oh, terrific.” grumbled Andy but he eventually had a solution to this. “But I do have a suggestion, sir.”
“Okay, let’s hear it.”
“If they wish to enter my kendo club then they must beat me in a challenge.”
“A challenge?”
“Yes, a real challenge with the two of them against me.”
“Really? Two against one?”
“I am handle it, sir.”
“Good…When would you like to get started?”
“Um…At noon today.”
“Right…I will go and make the preparations and you…”
“Get started into some serious training.”
“Indeed…The match will take place here.”
“Right.”
Mitsurugi then heads off and once he did Andy himself gets ready by training his swordsmanship.
“Fighting with the Lau twins, Michelle and Ivy…Ha! It will certainly be a walk in the park.”
Meanwhile, at the moment, Sophie was in her dormitory room doing yesterday’s set homework and she eventually finishes the last of it. Her academics were quite high and she always does them by one subject at a time and not have them all bunched together. She eventually yawns and stretches out her arms as she knew that she needs to find something to do relax her from H.S.S, which is ironically called: ‘Homework Stress Syndrome’.
“I need to relax now that I have done all my homework.”
Sophie then turns to see that Shirley was still sound asleep in her bed and was literally talking to herself.
“Date…Date. Oh, Simon…Give me a kiss.”
Sophie smiles as she finds it rather amusing to see Shirley talking in her sleep not to mention she was still asleep at this hour of half past nine in the morning.
“Sleep well, Shirley.”
Sophie eventually gets dressed into something good looking and something that is flexible that would not get in the way of her training. She eventually dons her black long sleeve collar shirt and wear dark blue women jeans and simple black boots. She literally also ties up her hair into a simple short ponytail.
“Okay, up to the roof.”
Sophie heads out of the room and closes the door quietly behind her and heads straight up to the rooftop. She glances out at the wonderful Sydney Harbour and takes a quiet moment to reflect. Once she has done that she then proceeds to get into training her martial art skills. About fifteen minutes later, Ling Xiaoyu heads up to the roof with Alisa and catches sight of Sophie herself.
“Uh…Hello!”
Sophie stops and turns to find two girls still wearing their school uniforms.
“Oh, hello there.”
“Hi…I am um…I am Ling Xiaoyu.”
“Oh, I am Sophie…Sophie Barkman.”
“Nice to meet you, Sophie.”
“Indeed.”
“I am Alisa…Alisa Bosconovitch.”
“Bosconovitch? Hmm…Sounds kind of Russian.”
“Well, yes…I was cre…”
“Ahem.”
“Oh, I was born there.”
“I see.”
“So, you are training, Sophie?”
“Yes. It makes me feel relaxed.”
“Relaxed?”
“In a way.”
“So, mind if we…”
“Join you?”
“Well, certainly.”
Xiaoyu then takes off her jacket and loosens her ribbon as she then gets into her martial art of the Phoenix stance and practices her skills by fighting an imaginable opponent with Alisa sitting down on the edge of the balcony to observe them.
“Say, you style is like that of a phoenix and a mother bird protecting its young.”
“You sure know a lot of things about martial arts, Sophie.”
“Well, as soon as I could walk I learned it.”
“Amazing…I learn it too when I was quite young as well.”
“I see.”
“So, Sophie.”
“Yes?”
“What do you like to do?”
“You mean…”
“As a hobby.”
“I see.”
Sophie stops her practicing and has a think about what Xiaoyu had said to her and she tells her that she likes to knit things.
“I like to um…To Knit things.”
“Knit?”
“Yes.”
“Anything else?”
“Well, reading, window shopping and dancing.”
“Dancing?”
“Yes…I trust you like the dance show from yesterday, Xiaoyu?”
“Of course, of course…It was an outstanding performance. You and the others did spectacularly well.”
“Well, thank you.”
“So, can we…”
“Can we what?”
“Have a friendly spar.”
“Sure.”
Xiaoyu and Sophie then stands within two feet of each other and gets into their martial art stance.
“Okay, you first, Sophie.”
“Very well…Just a word of advice I will only use 10% of my power.”
“10%?”
“Yes.”
“Uh, okay. Hey, Alisa!”
“Yes, Xiaoyu?”
“Care to act as the judge?”
“Of course…Begin!”
Meanwhile, Michelle and Ivy Lau were in their dormitory room having some tea together as they were seiza on the floor around their coffee table as part of a Japanese tea ceremony.
“Um…Sis.”
“Yes, Ivy?”
“I have been thinking.”
“About?”
“I think we should not join the kendo club after all.”
“Why do you say that?” asked Michelle looking bewildered.
“Well, he wouldn’t accept us?”
“Now how would you know that? He hasn’t given his answer yet.”
“I am sorry…Sometimes negative thinking gets the better of me.”
“I know, I do that too sometimes but you must try to look at things positively.”
“Like?”
“Like that maybe Andy would consider it or something.”
“I suppose so.”
“Besides, Ivy…You are probably the toughest swordsman that I have ever dueled.”
“Wow? You mean it?!”
“Of course…Sometimes our match goes on for hours and occasionally it ends in a draw.”
“Yes, I remember…Vaguely.”
“And your jumping ability is much stronger than mine…Be proud of that.”
“I suppose so, sis.”
“Well, let’s drink more tea to keep our spirits up.”
“I will drink to that.”
Both twins drank their tea as then someone knocks gently on their dormitory door.
“Who is it?” asked Ivy.
“It’s your coach in kendo.”
“Oh, just a second, sir!”
“It’s okay, Ivy…I will get it.”
“Thanks, sis.”
Michelle therefore gets up and heads to the door to open it and finds none other than Heishiro Mitsurugi himself with his arms folded and looked quite cool in the face.
“Uh…Morning, sir. How do you do?”
“I am fine, Michelle…How about yourself?”
“Oh, groovy.”
“Groovy?”
“Peachy.”
“Ah, I see…Hey, Ivy.”
“Coach…I mean, sir.”
“Mind if I come in?”
“Of course, sir…Come in.”
“Thank you.”
“Uh, would you like some tea, sir?”
“No thanks...I have um…I have something to inform the two of you.”
“We are listening, sir.” replied Michelle with a cool look on her face.
“Yes, listening intently.” Answered Ivy with her arms folded.
“Well, there’s good news and bad news.”
“Okay, what’s the good news, sir?” asked Michelle as she scoffed knowing that their alpha male type classmate, Andy Zhang did not accept the terms lightly.
“I think I might want to start with the bad news first, Michelle.”
“Understandable, sir…The good news cheers us up after hearing the bad.”
“Yeah, it sounds logical.”
“Okay, what’s the bad news, sir?”
“Well, the bad news is that…Andy hates the idea of having girls in the kendo club.”
“WHAT?”
“That was the exact same way that Andy acted.”
“Right.”
“So, what’s the good news, sir?”
“The good news is that he will allow you to join but only if you both could beat him in a challenge.”
“A challenge? I um…I see.”
“Today at the kendo dojo at noon.”
“At high noon?”
“Precisely…My suggestion to you both is don’t hold back and give Andy a run for his money.”
“You sure about that, coach?”
“I am sure, Ivy.”
“Well, I am not going to hold back.”
“Neither am I…We will fight with all the strength we have.”
“Yes, that’s the kind of spirit I like…But remember Andy is an exceptional and powerful warrior especially with a sword.”
“Point taken.”
“Yes, our master told us.”
“Indeed.”
“Your master? Of course.”
“It was her that told us to further our strength and join in the kendo club.”
“I see.”
“Master told us that once you set your mind to something then you can accomplish it no matter what.”
“That’s correct, Ivy.”
“She also told us that a weapon is just a tool and the true strength of any warrior is here.”
Michelle points to where her heart was as Mitsurugi nods as he too knows this and compliments on Michelle’s knowledge of understanding the path and journey of any warrior.
“You know your knowledge well, Michelle.”
“Thank you, coach.”
“Well, get yourselves ready and I will see you there.”
“We will.”
“Yes, without fail, coach! We are going to show that Andy Zhang that we girls are capable swordsman too!”
“Indeed, Ivy. I couldn’t have said it better myself.”
“Later, coach.”
“Later.”
Sure enough, Heishiro Mitsurugi then heads out and closes the door behind him. Ivy sinks down and sighs as she feels a lot better and confident now.
“I think I might look forward to this.”
“The duel with Andy Zhang, right?”
“Right you are, sis.”
“So, let’s drink once more then we train.”
“Hear, hear.”
It was now noon as Andy was now in his red Aikido shirt and green Hakama where previously he just wore some simple casual clothes. He was doing some meditation on the floor mat as juniors of the club and a few of Andy’s close friends, Michael, Alex, Ken, Kevin, Sean and even Samuel sat at the audience seats as they were all in their smart casual clothing.
“Well, this would certainly be exciting.”
“I hear you, Michael.”
“So, just between us two…Who do you think will win, Alex?”
“I say, Andy.”
“Well, I say Andy too.”
“Right.”
“I think the girls might win.”
“You really think so, Kevin?”
“Well, they both might have a chance at this.”
“I see…Ken, what about you?”
“What?”
“Ken, you seem a little um…A little distracted today.”
“Well, Catalina wants me to take her out for a walk around North Sydney.”
“I see…When does she…”
“Well, Alex…She wants me to go out with her at 1 o’clock sharp today and she will meet me outside the library building.”
“Well, fear not…At least you have forty-five or so minutes to watch some exciting swordsmanship.”
“Thanks for your reassurance, Kevin.”
“Hey, we are all good buddies, right?”
“RIGHT.”
“You know what Joey wants me to do with her later this afternoon?”
“What might that be, Sam?” asked Alex sounding curious.
“Oh, a badminton match with her.”
“I see…Well, have fun with that.”
“Thanks, Alex…Hey, Michael.”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t forget about our boys night out.”
“Holy mackerel…Thanks for reminding me.”
“Don’t tell me that…”
“I have not forgotten, Sam.”
“That’s good to hear.”
“Indeed.”
“Well, Pat and I were going to do a bit of something together.”
“Like?”
“Watch a movie together at the big movie auditorium.”
“Really? Well, I hope you enjoy that.”
“When?”
“I am not sure…My schedule seems a little tight.”
“Fear not…We shall have chow tonight together at 1900 and at least you have seven or so hours of luxury to spend with Patricia.”
“I guess so. Besides, she would come here as well to watch so you will have your chance to tell her probably.”
“Right, Alex…Thanks for the advice.”
“No worries.”
Sure enough, Shirley, Patricia, Kathy, Susan, Jenny and Veronica arrive all dressed in some good-looking, dashing and alluring clothes in particular the outfit that Shirley and Kathy were wearing.
“Look, guys…The girls are here.”
“Yeah…I can see that, Ken.”
“Oh my…Look at the outfit Kathy is wearing.”
“Indeed, Kevin…Not to mention the one Shirley is wearing.” replied Alex who was too quite taken by Shirley’s outfit.
“I concur.”
Kathy was wearing a green polo shirt and a short black shorts with black stockings and some nice gray sneakers. Shirley was literally wearing a black short sleeve collar shirt and a white short mini skirt, black knee high socks and brown girlish shoes.
“They both certainly know how to look good…Wouldn’t you say so, Kevin?”
“I couldn’t agree more, Alex.”
“Look, guys…There’s Mr. Mitsurugi.”
Heishiro Mitsurugi enters and still wears the same outfit earlier but he was wearing a whistle around his neck as he will act as the referee of the so-called friendly match between Andy Zhang and the girl twins, Michelle and Ivy.
“Okay, everyone…I am quite happy to see we have a sizeable audience for this glorious and of course friendly event of the day. Two girls from class 10A decides to join the kendo club but however, the kendo club captain, Andy Zhang wants to challenge them in a friendly match to prove that they would be exceptional swordsmen.”
“Sir!”
“Ah, Alex Choi…”
“YEAH! ALEX CHOI IS HERE!” yelled Miki Hoshii loudly as she was wearing a nice casual pink dress with white penny loafer type of shoes.
“Oh, Miki…Please.”
“Sorry, Amy.”
“Miki! That Alex Choi is mine to take…Not you.” uttered Lili Rochefort sternly.
“He’s mine!”
“No, Lili! He’s mine!”
“Oh, Shut it, Asuka Kazama! You big dumb head!”
“No, you shut it!”
“Girls, please!”
“Sorry, Mr. Mitsurugi.”
“Good…Now let us introduce Andrew ‘Andy’ Zhang…The captain of the kendo club!”
All the students immediately clapped their hands and the boys in particular clapped the loudest to cheer for their good and best friend.
“Go, Andy! Go!”
“You can do it!”
“You are the best!”
“Show what you are capable of!”
Andy was quite touched by Michael, Alex, Ken and Kevin’s compliment of him as Sam himself too cheers Andy on.
“Be confident, Andy!”
“Thanks, Sam! Thank you very much, guys!”
“And now…The challengers. We are proud to have the girl twins of the very same class 10A, Michelle Lau and Ivy Lau!”
“So, it’s Michelle and Ivy after all.”
“You mean you didn’t know, Ken?”
“I had suspicion.”
“Right…I thought you were smart.”
“I am, Kevin.”
“Fine…Whatever.”
Michelle and Ivy were eventually wearing their full girl’s school uniform as their prefer battle attire. They also carry with them their sharp katanas and battle gloves coloured red and green.
“You nervous, Ivy?”
“Yeah, I feel a little nervous.”
“Don’t worry…Have no fear and trust in teach other.”
“Yes…And in myself.”
“Precisely.”
“Hey, girls…Ready to rumble?”
“We are, Andy.”
“By the way, if you wish to back out now you still have the chance.”
“We will not back out, Andrew Zhang and that is final!”
“My, my…Such fire today, Ivy.”
“Indeed…Sis?”
“We are ready for you, Andrew Zhang…Prepare yourself!”
Both girls draw out their katanas and throw their sheath cases aside and swing their weapons around and around probably as a sign to show how strong and flexible are they with a katana.
“On guard!”
“Yeah, come and get some!”
This earned some respect from Andy as his opponents were quite determined to battle and have remarkable courage.
“Well, I have to admit…You girls have guts.”
Andy then casually draws out his own katana as it was quite heavy and had his name initials: ‘A.Z’ imprinted on the handle.
“I shall show you the true aspect of kendo!”
Andy’s fighting spirit begins to rise as Mitsurugi decides to go and announce the official friendly kendo match.
“Okay, everyone…It is time for the friendly match between Andy Zhang and the twins, Michelle and Ivy Lau to begin.”
“YEAH!”
“GO, ANDY!”
“SHOW THEM WHO’S BOSS, SENIOR!”
“WE ARE CHEERING FOR YOU!”
“The match will be over when one side throws in the towel or knocked out…Remember you are to disarm and knock out your opponent. No killing, understood?”
“Understood!”
“Yes, coach!”
“Aye, coach!”
“Good…Begin!”
“Hey, girls! You may have the honor!”
“Thanks, Andy!”
“Yeah, thank you so much.”
“Ivy…Remember Andy is the captain of the kendo club for a reason. We must be cautious.”
“I hear you, sis.”
“We shall take him together.”
“Right.”
“Hey, girls…What are you doing? Come on and attack me!”
“Okay, hold your horses!” bellowed Ivy holding her katana in a downward position.
“Fine.”
“Let’s go, Ivy.”
“Aye, sis.”
Therefore, both Michelle and Ivy lunges forward and attacks Andy almost the exact same time forcing Andy to go on the defensive. Although Andy was able to parry all of the twins’ blows it made him retreat several steps back. Eventually, the girls switched from simple attacks to their advance forms.
“My, my…You two are crafty and not to mention…”
“Cunning?”
“No, Ivy…Clever.”
“Thanks.”
Michelle and Ivy again tag teams against Andy together and both deadlocks their blades against Andy’s own one. Mitsurugi was quite impressed with the twin’s teamwork and skill as Michael and Alex were too impressed themselves at both the twins and Andy.
“Michelle and Ivy really knows how to work in sync.”
“Indeed, Michael.”
“Andy is not even breaking a sweat.”
“Of course…That is his style he is just warming up.”
Andy then goes on the offensive as he then kicks Michelle to the ground and lures Ivy away as she duels with him using fierce and fast speed attacks forcing Andy to block. Michelle decides to go and join back in the fray as she gets up, picks up her weapon and goes to help Ivy. Andy at first was taken by surprise by Michelle but manages to block her second attack without trouble.
“Nice…Nearly caught me off guard there.”
“Ivy…Let us use the ‘Discovering attack’ strategy.”
“Okay, sis.”
“The what?”
“You will see, Andy…Ivy, now!”
“Right!”
Ivy then lunges straight at Andy with her katana delivering fast speed attacks as the girls in the crowd cheered for her.
“Go for it, Ivy!”
“Yeah, go for it!”
“Damn…She’s fast but I am stronger.”
Andy then evades her attacks to get some open space in order to strike back as Ivy then charges straight towards him.
“Don’t run away from me, Andrew Zhang!”
“Coming at me, right? Quite reckless.”
“Not quite.”
“Huh?”
Ivy then leaps out of the way at the last second as Michelle appears from right behind her as during the moment when Andy retreats a few paces back Michelle gets right behind Ivy so Andy could not see them together.
“Prepare yourself!”
Michelle leaps high into the air and strikes an aerial blow at Andy who quickly dodges out of the way and decides to strike back with a powerful blow of his own.
“Rock Slicing Sword!”
The attack was amazingly strong that pushes Michelle back but she was just fine.
“Amazing indeed.”
“My turn!”
Ivy then strikes back with a blow of her own, which was just as powerful.
“Air Cutting Flash!”
Andy blocks the blow but was pushed back a little as Andy was quite curious to see that Ivy knows the move that he could as well.
“How did you learnt that move?”
“What move?”
“Don’t play games with me, Ivy…I know that move. It’s a Shinmei School technique.”
“Well, I guess there’s no point in concealing the truth from you any longer.”
“Who did you learn that from?”
“I can answer that.”
Michelle strolls calmly towards Andy who was still holding his weapon tightly in hand.
“We learnt it from our master…Or shall we our mistress.”
“Mistress…You don’t mean?”
“Master Setsuna Sakurazaki.”
“What? Master taught you as well.”
“We requested it…Didn’t we, sis?”
“Indeed.”
“Okay, just because you are her students too doesn’t mean I will go easy on you.”
“I didn’t think you would, Andy.”
“Yeah, come and get some…Unless you are afraid.”
Ivy mocks Andy as this really make him lose a nerve.
“All right…Time to get serious.”
“On guard!”
Andy lunges forward as he spars with both Michelle and Ivy as the two of them were able to match him with speed and agility but not Andy’s strength as his attacks were a lot stronger than the two of them combined. Andy knew that sparing with them longer could result in him being caught off guard or be disarmed so the only solution was to take down one quickly knowing the two tag team him together is kind of causing a problem for him. Mitsurugi was watching as he was downright impressed with both Andy and the girls as he has never seen such a good swordsman duel in many years.
“Well, Andy…Looks like you may have found some challenging opponents after all.”
“Come on, Andy!”
“You can do it!”
The junior students in the kendo club rooted loudly for their senior and club captain.
“Senior! Senior! Senior!”
“GO FOR IT!”
These words made Andy’s fighting spirit go higher as he pushes off girls back with a powerful ‘Air Cutting Flash’ technique.
“AIR CUTTING FLASH!”
“Look out, Ivy!”
Michelle pushes Ivy out of the way to take the blunt of the blow and it was quite powerful that it knocked her off her feet and lands onto the ground with her head hitting the ground first.
“SIS!”
Ivy rushes to her aid as Andy decides to seize the chance to defeat Ivy as well but this act made Ivy angry as she in a fury of rage unleashes one of her master’s trademark techniques.
“TAKE THIS! 100 FLOWER FUSION!”
Ivy unleashes a wave of white lily pedals at Andy who had to block it with his blade and Ivy then lunges at Andy with her powerful fierce attacks.
“You…Will…PAY!”
“Easy, easy! Gee…I hate it when girls get all hot and cranky.”
“WHAT WAS THAT?”
“HEY, We heard that, Andy Zhang!”
“How dare you disrespect us?!”
“Girls, please…Calm down!” uttered Mitsurugi as Asuka, Lili and Miki calms down and sighs. Michelle meanwhile gets back on her feet as she winces when she touches the back of her head.
“Ow…That really hurt.”
Ivy turns around and sees that his elder sister was all right.
“Sis! You are okay!” shouted Ivy as she turns her head while blocking Andy’s attack.
“I am not going down that easy, Ivy.”
“That’s good.”
“Hey, concentrate on the fight, Ivy…Because if you don’t…”
“Huh?”
Andy in a swift attack disarms Ivy of her weapon and then knocks her down to the ground and then knocks her out by punching her in the face with his ‘Focus Punch’.
“Focus Punch! I did it! It’s knock out!”
“YEAH!”
The boys and Andy’s close friends cheered loudly with the girls all looking a little unhappy and disappointed.
“Damn that Andy Zhang.”
“He defeated Ivy.”
“Well, don’t give up hope yet, girls.”
“That’s right, Miki…There’s still Michelle.”
“Yeah…GO, MICHELLE! GO MICHELLE!”
“GO, MICHELLE! GO, MICHELLE! GO, MICHELLE!”
All the girls rooted loudly for Michelle as the boys knew that Andy better not get too cocky now.
“Don’t get too proud now, Andy.” muttered Alex to himself as he folds his arms together.
“Yeah, Michelle might kick your ass.” said Michael to himself while Ken, Kevin and Sam quietly observed of how things would turn out between Andy and Michelle.
“Here’s the big one.”
“Yes…Elder sister is going to teach Andy a lesson.”
“Fingers crossed then.”
“For whom, Sam?” asked Kevin sounding quite curious.
“Both I guess.”
“Both?”
“For Andy to be careful and not get cocky.”
“Right.”
“And the second?” asked Ken sounding curious like Kevin.
“Pray that Michelle doesn’t get carried away with hurting Andy.”
“I don’t think she would, Sam.”
“Of course…I know she wouldn’t so let’s just see how this plays out.”
“Hear, hear.”
Andy meanwhile smirks at Michelle as he holds his katana in a ready position and then points it directly at Michelle who had her weapon in a lowered position.
“Come on, Michelle…Come and get me unless you are afraid.”
“Hardly.”
“Why don’t you just run back to your cozy dormitory and hide? You can’t defeat me alone.”
“I will die trying.”
“Well, I call it brave and reckless.”
“We shall see.”
Michelle remembers what her master taught her that no matter what your weapon is only a tool and the true weapon is herself.
“Okay, let’s do this.”
Michelle then lunges forward very fast and slams her blade against Andy who was pushed back by the sheer force of the blow.
“Damn…That was some blow.”
“I am not going to go easy on you.”
“Well, either am I.”
Andy then leaps high into the air and performs a powerful Shinmei School sword technique known as the ‘Explosive Destruction’ technique.
“Out of my way, vermin!”
Andy strikes down with awesome power and sheer force that even when Michelle try to block the blow it blasts her away and lands on the ground once more on her back with a quick thud.
“Ugh. Man, he’s strong.”
“Well, well…I executed that blow even better than I had expected.”
“I’ve got to hand it to you, Andy…You are a great swordsman.”
“Appreciate your compliment, Michelle.”
“So…” began Michelle with a casual smile on her face as she gets back on her feet with her katana in hand. “Shall we continue?”
“My pleasure. You may have the honor.”
“Fine with me.”
Andy wastes no time and lunges another ‘Air Cutting Flash’ at Michelle who quickly evades the blow and returns with one of her own.
“100 FLOWER FUSION!”
Michelle unleashes a wave of white lily pedals at Andy exactly like the one that Ivy executed before and Andy again manages to block it with his blade but this time he was knocked to the ground but manages to perform a quick recovery and get back on his feet.
“Well, I must say…Michelle’s attack is stronger than Ivy’s.” said Andy to himself as he was quite inspired of Michelle’s potential power so he must be on guard.
Michelle takes a deep breath and lunges another attack as Andy blocks blow after blow until he pushes her back at the right moment and unleashes his ‘Rock Slicing Sword’ technique.
“ZANGANKEN!”
Andy’s sheer force of power pushes Michelle back a few steps but she remains unhurt with the exception of her clothes a little torn, her long black stockings has one or two holes and a small cut across her face.
“Impressive.”
Michelle then loosens her ribbon and top button as she stuffs her ribbon into her pocket as at that moment, Ivy regains consciousness.
“Uh…Sis?”
“Ivy, you okay?”
“Fine.”
“Worry not…I am not going to go down without a fight.”
“That’s my sister…Here!”
Ivy maybe down but she still has some strength to pick up her katana and she throws it at Michelle who catches it with her left hand. Now Michelle has two katanas that would probably give her an edge advantage over Andy himself.
“Bring it, Andrew Zhang.”
“Oh, I will.”
Michelle then lunges forward at Andy with dual blades as Andy was pushed back slightly and afterwards Michelle continues the attack fighting with double blades. She was able to use both blades to great effect as she trained herself in using two weapons before and this alone was able to make even the mighty Andy Zhang go on the defensive.
“Gee…You are one tough customer.”
“It is time for you to see what I am made of, Andrew Zhang!”
“Please, Michelle…Don’t call me Andrew!”
“My bad.” replied Michelle sounding quite sarcastic.
“Now I am getting…ANGRY!”
Andy’s fighting blood begins to boil as he then unleash a series of powerful attacks.
“COME AND SHOW ME WHAT YOU GOT!”
Andy unleashes one of his other powerful attacks, the ‘1,000 Cherry Blossom Slice’ that was his master’s trademark move. However, his version was not exactly flower blossoms but red rose petals. The impact causes the area around Michelle to fog up making it quite impossible to see what has happened to her.
“How do you like that?”
Andy still sometimes forget that his ‘Cherry Blossom’ Slice is actually ‘Rose Petal’ Slice but he has grown into a habit of calling the default name of the attack.
“Ha! Victory is mine.”
The smoke begins to clear as Michelle was in a kneeling position with both of her blades holding in a cross defensive position. She took some injuries and she literally hangs in there surprising and inspiring Andy himself.
“What the…”
“I am not done yet.”
Michelle stands up still armed with both her and Ivy’s katana in both hands.
“Fine…Let’s Rambo!”
“Rambo it is.”
Both kendo swordsmen continue to fight each other with all they have got for at least fifteen or so minutes with them trading blows backwards and forwards. The boys and girls cheered and roots for both of them while Mitsurugi remains silent and he wonders deep down that someone should win this before it gets too tiring for them both.
“I hope this friendly match would come to a conclusion that someone would win.”
Incidentally, Andy and Michelle were quite tired but both still to have exceptional stamina and in one swift strike Andy disarms Michelle of one of her weapons but paid the price of her striking back with a strong direct kick right into his face.
“Rats! Stop hitting my face, will you?! I mean, you can hit anywhere you like just not on my handsome face.”
The juniors giggled to themselves as Michelle was once again being a little sarcastic of what Andy had just said to her.
“I am sorry…I didn’t get the memo.”
“Whatever.”
Andy grunts as he and Michelle continues to duel as Ivy who was getting back up slightly watches as neither one was gaining the upper hand so she decides to do the sisterly thing to help Michelle in winning the friendly match against Andy Zhang.
“I must help, sis. Ow…I must help her.”
She gets back up while Andy had his back to her and Michelle literally catches sight of her and Ivy gives her elder sister a blink in her right eye and of course Michelle emotionlessly responded back because otherwise Andy may notice something.
“Be ready, Ivy…I am going to lure him right at you.” Said Michelle quietly to herself as Andy has no idea what was coming and continues to press on his offensive strength down upon Michelle.
“There’s no point…Just throw in the towel.”
“Throw in the towel…You must be out of your mind.”
“Balderdash…Looks like I will have to do it for you!”
In a fit of rage, Andy pushes Michelle back as she held her ground as best as she could so she won’t lose her balance and fall to the ground. Afterwards, she pushes forward and right into Ivy as she literally jumps right on top of him, which of course catches him by total surprise.
“What the hell?”
“Got you now, Andrew Zhang!”
“Don’t call me that!”
“My bad.”
Ivy then hits Andy on the top of the head with her fists as Andy cries out in pain as at the same time he roughly complains.
“Hey, you are knocked out? It’s over for you!”
“Not according to the match rules…Not until the two of us is knocked out then you would win.”
“What? Sir! Is that true?”
“Indeed…I said earlier that when one side is knocked out or throws in the towel the other wins, which means…”
“I know, sir. I know.”
“That’s good…Remember always keep your balance up at all times.”
“I remember, coach.”
Michelle then duels with Andy as Andy himself then throws Ivy off his back and just as Ivy gets back on her feet Andy then throws her far away and lands right into the edge of the battle mat with her seeing stars all around her head.
“Ow.”
“Ivy!”
Michelle had her head turned and was preparing to go her aid but in a moment of distraction Andy swiftly disarms Michelle leaving her in awe.
“No.”
“I got you now! ZANKUSSEN!”
Andy strikes at Michelle with his ‘Air Cutting Flash’ technique that blasts Michelle off her feet and lands right down the ground head first with her knocked out for the count.
“YES! I DID IT!”
Andy raises his katana high up as all the juniors including his best friends all rooted loudly and cheerfully for him.
“SENIOR! SENIOR! SENIOR!”
“ANDY! ANDY! ANDY!”
However, the girls were quite disappointed and saddened to hear that both Michelle and Ivy had lost to Andy as it was so close for the two of them especially Michelle.
“Damn! I cannot believe my eyes.”
“Nor can I, Miki.”
“It was so close for them both, Iori.”
“I concur.”
“Yeah, I concur too, Asuka.”
Asuka did not like Lili’s snob-like attitude and literally scolds Lili for her not so caring behaviour and out of respect to both Michelle and Ivy.
“Listen, Lili Rochefort…Show some respect to them. They are great warriors and we should at least be proud of what they did to try.”
“Oh…All right.”
“Well, everyone…” began Mitsurugi clapping his hands together as everyone pays their utmost attention him. “Thank you all for watching and now let us all go and enjoyed the rest of the weekend…Another round of applause to Andy Zhang and to the girls, Michelle and Ivy for putting on a fantastic show.”
Everyone clapped as Michelle felt at ease that the girls who rooted for them still were pleased of their performance but while Michelle can be mature and look at things on a positive side Ivy however looks depressed and miserable and eventually begins to cry.
“How…How could we…”
“Sorry, girls. You were good but you were not good enough so I stand true to my words. I cannot allow you to join the kendo club.”
“We…Understand.” replied Michelle feeling calm and collected.
“Good to know…Later.”
Andy sheaths back his katana and heads off with Alex and the others.
“Hey, nice work there, Andy.”
“Thanks, Mike.”
“You were fantastic.”
“Much appreciated, Kevin.”
“So, shall we all go and enjoy the rest of our day then?”
“Good idea, Sam.”
“Yes, we all have an appointment with our girls…Well, almost.”
“Indeed, Sam.” replied Andy as he doesn’t have a date with a girl.
“Well, I guess tonight at 1900 we will all enjoy a wonderful boy’s dinner night together.”
“Indeed.”
“Let’s go.”
Sure enough, everyone head out of the dojo all except for Michelle, Ivy and Mitsurugi who strolls over to the two girls and asks them if they are okay.
“You two all right?”
“I am fine, coach.”
“You, Ivy?”
“No, coach…I am not.” replied Ivy sobbing in tears.
“Well, try to cheer up…You did quite well.”
“Not good enough, sir.”
“Michelle.”
“Yes, Mr. Mitsurugi?”
“Take care of her, won’t you?”
“Of course, sir.”
“Okay, I will see you later then.”
“Later.”
Mitsurugi therefore heads out of the dojo leaving Michelle to comfort Ivy alone as Michelle suggest that they go out and do something fun to take their mind off their defeat.
“I have an idea, Ivy…Why don’t we go back to our dormitory and watch some television?”
“Perhaps…But I really want is to train harder.”
“Yes, I can see that you may be upset but you are still determined to achieve victory over Andy Zhang.”
“You bet I am, sis.”
“I reckon training harder is essential but I recommend we have some downtime off.”
“Oh, all right.”
“Come, let’s head back to our room.”
“Okay.”
Ivy looks a lot more cheerful as she and Michelle make their way back to their dormitory and eventually they met up with Sophie herself who was accompanied by Ling Xiaoyu and Alisa Bosconovitch.
“Hi, Sophie.”
“Hi there, Michelle…Ivy.”
“Sophie.”
“So, where were you?”
“Training.”
“I see.”
“I know I should have been there for you but…”
“We understand, Sophie.”
“You do?”
“Sure…You often don’t like big crowds and probably needs some private space.”
“Thanks for concerning, Michelle.”
“Anyway, are they your friends?”
“Yes…Xiaoyu, Alisa…Would you care to…”
“Introduce ourselves? No sweat. I am Ling Xiaoyu.”
“Hi…I am Michelle Lau.”
“Hi.” replied Xiaoyu as part of her was a little jealous that Michelle and the girl who looks exactly like her were quite taller than she was.
“And I am Ivy Lau.”
“I see…Twins.”
“You noticed?”
“Of course.”
“Hi, I am Alisa.”
“Hey, Alisa.”
“Say…You reckon we could hang out together some time?”
“I think that might be a good idea, Xiaoyu.”
“I am glad you read my mind, Michelle.”
“Well, I am not sure about that.”
“What do you mean, Ivy?” asked Alisa showing some emotional concern despite being a robot.
“Well, my sister and I were beaten by an arrogant and powerful classmate of ours.”
“Oh, that’s sad to hear.”
“Well, we did do our best.”
“He was quite overconfident and arrogant…Oh, I vow to beat that guy.”
“I will root for you two…No matter what.”
“Thank you, Sophie.”
“Yes, many thanks…You are a good friend, Sophie.”
“We are all friends, girls.”
“Indeed.”
“So, what are you going to do for the rest of the afternoon, Sophie?”
“Well…I think I will do some more…”
“Training?”
“Yes, training it is.”
“Come on, Sophie…Try to have some fun in your life.”
“In my opinion…Training is fun and it helps me keep my body in tip top shape.”
“Figures.”
“So, Xiaoyu.”
“Yes, Ivy…I mean um…Yes, Michelle?”
“Would you like to do something with us for this afternoon?”
“No thanks…Alisa and I are going to see grandpa Heihachi.”
“Oh, I see.”
“Yeah, have a good time.”
“Thank you, Michelle…Sorry. Ivy, is it?”
“That’s right.”
“Man, I hate to get you two mixed up.”
“Well, there’s a way to figure out who is who.”
“What might that be, Sophie?”
“First thing…You see their hair bands on the top of their heads?”
“Right…I see them as clear as day.”
“Michelle wears a green one.”
“A green one.”
“And Ivy wears a red one.”
“A red one…Right, Michelle wears green and Ivy wears red.”
“Yes.”
“And there is a possibly that they will not wear their hair bands.”
“And how do I tell which is which, Sophie?” asked Xiaoyu sounding curious.
“Well, listen to their tone of voice and the way they behave.”
“Right.”
“Michelle is serious and collected and Ivy is…”
“Ivy is what?”
“The opposite.”
“Opposite?”
“Yes.”
“What do you mean by opposite?”
“Well...”
“Perhaps I could tell.”
“Yes, yes…Alisa go and do your scan.”
“Right…Commencing scan.”
Alisa’s eyes flashed green as she scans the whole body of Ivy, which of course made her a little nervous.
“Scan completed.”
“And?” asked Xiaoyu.
“She is emotional, childish and…”
“Cute?”
“Yes, cute is the word.”
“So, that’s you, Ivy?”
“That’s right.”
“Right…I will remember.”
“Anyway, I will head off and do some training…Catch you all later.”
“Later, Sophie.”
“Xiaoyu, Alisa.”
“See you later, Sophie.”
“Yes, catch you later.”
Sophie therefore heads off back to her dormitory while Xiaoyu decides that she should go and see Heihachi.
“So, girls…I will catch you both later.”
“Later.”
“Come on, Alisa.”
“Say, Xiaoyu…You reckon we should change out of this uniform?”
“Not really…I like wearing it.”
“Well, come to think of it…I do as well.”
“That’s great.”
While Xiaoyu and Alisa head off Michelle and Ivy decide to head back to their dormitory room and to change out of their school uniform and get back into something comfy and casual.
“Come on, sis…Let’s go.”
“Of course, Ivy.”
“I think I might need a shower or a nice hot bath.”
“I concur.”
“Man, someday…I will show that Andy Zhang what I am made of.”
“Me too, Ivy…Me too.”
As the twins head back to their dormitory, a shadow figure was observing them from afar and can see the twins have potential.
“Hmm…They have the spirit of a swordsman…I shall do my part and help them.”
At that moment, Heishiro Mitsurugi was on the school building block number one roof and was taking out a cigarette from his pack that he puts in his back pocket. He then takes out a lighter and starts to smoke. Why he does so remains a little unclear as he does so as to calm his nerves from past events that was just too painful for him to take.
“I think it is a lot better here to teach than experience the bad days back in the past.”
Suddenly, he could feel someone was here with him and was right behind him. He however can tell who the person was without looking back.
“So, Yoshimitsu…How have you been?”
“I am fine, old friend…How are you?”
“I am good…So, what fair wind brings you here?”
“Just to check on the students here…I say a lot of them are keen and energized.”
“Indeed…A lot of them know how to fight and train themselves hard.”
“So, Heishiro…You still worry about the past.”
“Yes, I do.”
“Me too…But the past is in the past.”
“Indeed.”
“Say, I saw two of your students in kendo struggle to fight against one solitary student and strong kendo warrior.”
“You saw the match?”
“Indeed.”
“What did you think of it?”
“I say…It is one of the most exciting matches I have seen in my whole life.”
“Well, I would imagine so as well.”
“Just whom were they by the way?”
“The girl twins…Michelle and Ivy Lau.”
“Twins? Well, I must certainly say they work well as a team.”
“Yes…Teamwork is quite crucial when fighting in a tag battle and such.”
“Indeed.”
“So, you are going to help them brighten up their fighting spirits, correct?”
“Ha ha…You read my mind, friend. Yes, I will do what is necessary.”
“Well, all the best to you then.”
“Of course…I, Yoshimitsu, the Second, shall not disappoint you.”
Yoshimitsu spoke like a true dazzling and dashing figure as Mitsurugi himself finds it all rather amusing from his tone of voice.
“You like announcing yourself out loud, yes?”
“Indeed…It’s an old habit of mine.”
“Good.”
“Well, cheerio.”
Yoshimitsu then draws out his katana and makes a rapid spin with it while holding it horizontally and he ascends up much like a helicopter and Mitsurugi watches him leave in style.
“Funny guy that Yoshimitsu…Funny guy.”
Meanwhile, Michelle and Ivy were almost back to their dormitory room located on the 12th floor of block 11 with their dormitory room number: 1202. Both girls decide to take some time off and have fun together when they met up with two of their fellow classmates from the same class.
“Hey, girls.”
“Well…Eunice, Rose. How are you?”
“We are good, Michelle.”
“That’s good to know.”
“Ivy, what about you?”
“Just um…Just preachy, Rose…Thanks for asking.”
“We are quite sorry we didn’t get to be at your match today…I trust it didn’t go well.”
“Well, you are quite the mind reader, Eunice.”
“Yeah, since you are a nun, right?”
“Nun in training to be precise.”
“Of course.”
“So, where are you both off to?”
“Well, to the library.”
“The library, Eunice?”
“Yeah, borrow something to read for the weekend.”
“Oh, what kind of books?” asked Ivy clearly she is quite curious and interested.
“Well, something that relates to Catholic, religion and such.”
“Right.”
“And possibly a DVD on the Bible on something else that like the ‘Ten Commandments’.”
“Oh, you mean the old movie, right? Starred by Charlton Heston, right as Moses.”
“Say, you do know a thing or two about movies, Ivy.”
“Well, I offer watch them and memorize who stars in it.”
“Okay.”
“Well, you two have a good afternoon and weekend then.”
“Thanks…Same to you, Michelle…Ivy.”
“Cheerio, Rose…Eunice.”
“Hey, girls…Chin up. If you need to do some reconciliation then…”
“I will keep that in mind, Eunice.” replied Michelle.”
“Okay.”
Sure enough, Eunice and Rose head off to the elevator as they were going straight to the library while the twins continue on where they finally arrived outside their dormitory room.
“Ah, home sweet home.”
“We should be saying dormitory sweet dormitory, Ivy.”
“HA ha…Such sarcasm, sis.”
“Thanks.”
“So, you have your ID swipe card?”
“I sure do.”
“Well, would you care to…”
“Of course…Wait a moment.”
Michelle then gets out her swipe card and on the card reader and the door to their dormitory unlocks.
“There…After you.”
“No, sis…After you.”
“Thank you.”
Michelle goes in first followed by Ivy as Ivy immediately climbs up on her bunk bed and lies flat on her stomach.
“Ah, I am beat…I think I might rest for a minute and then take a bath or shower.”
“I was suggesting the same thing.”
“Maybe that’s all twins think alike?”
“Perhaps.”
Michelle then heads to the kitchen and finds a talisman stuck to the window.
“What the…”
“Huh? What is it, sis?”
“There’s a talisman message of some kind stuck to our kitchen window.”
“Huh? What did you say?”
“Come down and have a look for yourself.”
“Right.”
Ivy then climbs down from her bunk bed and goes to where Michelle was as she hands her the talisman message.
“What does it say?”
“Have a look.”
Ivy has a look at the talisman message and she reads it aloud unlike her sister.
“Meet at park at midnight underneath the bridge…Bring your katanas. Signed: XXX.”
“Triple X.”
“Yeah…Odd and weird. Wouldn’t you say so, sis?”
“Yes, I would think so.”
“So, what shall we do?”
“We go out to the park underneath the bridge at midnight and see who our mysterious caller is?”
“Well, what if it is a trap?”
“Then we shall spring the trap.”
“Just like that?”
“Just like that.”
“Right…I like the sound of that.”
“Well, I think I shall go and take a shower…What a workout I have today.”
“Hey! I said it first.”
“Well, how about scissors, paper, rock?”
“That old time game?”
“It always works to decide who has the right to make the call to anything.”
“Right…Ready?”
“I am ready when you are, Ivy.”
“Scissors, paper and um…ROCK!”
Michelle shows paper but just plainly holding out her hand and Ivy clutches her fist together and shows none other than a rock.
“Well, I guess I win, Ivy.”
“Darn it.”
“Paper wraps rock.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“So, I will go and take a shower then.”
“And I think I will watch some television…See what is on.”
“Right.”
Michelle then goes to her wardrobe to get some of her other clothes and a new change of underwear while Ivy sits down on the sofa couch and picks up the remote control and presses the red button with an exclamation mark to turn on the television itself. She watches a TV-series known as ‘Two and a Half Men’, which she finds it rather amusing.
“Ha ha…Very funny.”
Whereas the rest of their fellow classmates were enjoying their downtime, Michael and Patricia hangs out together watching a big movie auditorium, Ken and Catalina meet up and make their way out of the school grounds and make the quite the long trek from Milson’s Point to North Sydney. Joey and Samuel were playing badminton in one of the twelve courts located on level 3 of the sports building with them wearing their casual but sporty attires. Kevin and Kathy decide to join them at first by watching and then they join in and Kathy partners with Joey while Kevin pairs with Samuel as the four of them have a more fun badminton match with one another. Andy meanwhile was in his dormitory room polishing his katana as he remembers what his master had said to him.
“Always treasured this weapon with great importance…It maybe a tool but it is your life as a warrior…Yes, master. I remember those words you said to me.”
Ling Xiaoyu and Alisa were hanging out with Heihachi as the three were in the playground waiting as Hilde escorts both Kuma and Panda whom both got into a bit of a fight with scratches and not too serious claw wounds on their bodies.
“Your pets…I mean, your bodyguards, sir.”
“Thank you, Hilde…Carry on.”
“Yes, sir.”
Hilde heads off as Heihachi calls after her.
“Hey, Hilde.”
“Yes, sir?”
“So, out of curiosity…Are you doing something social today?”
“Well…Not really.”
“I see…That is all.”
“Okay.”
Hilde heads off as Xiaoyu informs Heihachi that she wants to go and have fun at Luna Park.
“Grandpa.”
“Yes, Xiaoyu?”
“Can we please go to Luna Park? Please…Pretty please.” uttered Xiaoyu begging Heihachi to go.
“Oh, okay.”
“Good…So, you both are still wearing the school uniform?”
“Uh, yes.”
“Yes, Mr. Mishima.”
“Well, I think afterwards we will go and buy some new clothes…For you two.”
“Really? Where?”
“I will come up with an answer soon enough.”
“Right…Can we go now? Please?” begged Xiaoyu with a childish look on her face.
“Oh, okay…Let’s go.”
“ALL RIGHT!”
“Let’s go.”
Heihachi then takes both Xiaoyu and Alisa as well as Kuma and Panda out of the school grounds as they make their way directly for Luna Park. Sophie meanwhile was back in her dormitory room doing some stretches and exercises in her room while Shirley was out as she was on the rooftop relaxing and looking out at the wonderful Sydney Harbour.
“What a lovely scenery.”
Late that night, Michelle and Ivy were in their rooms just watching a Walt Disney movie that they both adored called: ‘Beauty and the Beast’. They both were just watching the part where the girl Belle and the Beast who was once a selfish prince were starting to like each other after the Beast saved Belle from a pack of wolves.
“Oh, is it lovely?”
“Yes, Ivy…A beast falling in love with a true beautiful girl.”
“Yeah…They are starting to get along well.”
“I would say so.”
“Picture this…the two of us are that girl and the beast is…”
“Andy?”
“Yeah.”
“Isn’t Andy a tough guy like that beast who maybe all rough but has a softer and gentle side on the inside?”
“I was just saying the same thing.”
“Andy is a good man…I like him.”
“Whoa! One moment ago, you deeply dislike him and now you are…”
“He is strong and quite handsome, sis.”
“Yes, I would say so.”
“I am just saying how can we get him to like us like the way we are starting to like him?”
“I don’t know…I can’t work miracles.”
“Okay, that’s true.”
“But I will find a way.”
“Yes, that would be great.”
“Come on, let’s rest up and then get ourselves for the big night.”
“Hear, hear.”
Sure enough, it was five minutes to midnight with both Michelle and Ivy making their way out of the school grounds and into the park area that was located right underneath the Harbor Bridge.
“Man, it’s cold.”
“You don’t say.”
Both girls were wearing their casual clothes with Michelle wearing a long sleeve green T-shirt with black jeans, sneakers and a blue leather jacket and Ivy no doubt was wearing the outfit that was almost identical to the one Michelle was wearing with the exception of Ivy wearing a scarf, a red coloured one around her neck.
“Boy, it is freezing.”
“Perhaps I should wear one too, Ivy.”
“Do you feel cold, sis?”
“Not at all…But if I don’t wear one that would be we are not really twins.”
“It doesn’t matter…You and me are twins even if we sometimes don’t wear the exact same clothing as each other.”
“I am glad you feel that way, Ivy.”
“Indeed I do.”
Sure enough, both girls decide to sit down in a nearby park bench with their katanas held firmly in hand.
“You see anybody around, sis?”
“No…Do you?”
“Me neither…But better keep your eyes open.”
“They are open.”
“Good.”
Sure enough, someone leaps out from the sky and lands two feet in front of them and both Michelle and Ivy draw their katanas at the ready.
“HALT!”
“IDENITFY YOURSELF!”
“I am thy myself, girls.”
Michelle and Ivy were quite astonished to see that the man in front of them was dressed up in full Japanese Samurai armour with a face mask, a katana in hand and a short size flag banner tuck behind his back. The girls especially Ivy was quite taken in to see a true Samurai warrior standing right in front of them.
“Can you believe it, sis?!”
“Not really.”
“Well, I am.”
“So, noble samurai…Who are you?”
“Girls…It is I, Yoshimitsu.”
“Yoshimitsu?” uttered both girls at the same time to which Yoshimitsu himself finds most amusing.
“Yoshimitsu, the Second to be precise.”
“Then it was you that send us that talisman, yes?”
“Indeed…May I have your names?”
“I am Michelle Lau and this is my young twin sister, Ivy Lau.”
“That’s me.”
“Well, a pleasure to meet you both.”
“Indeed…May I ask why are you here, noble warrior?”
“Please...There’s no need to be some formal. You may call me by name if you wish.”
“Okay, sir...Why are you here?”
“I see your match earlier today and I must thy say you both have spirit and courage.”
“You saw our match with that Andy Zhang?”
“Indeed, Ivy Lau…However, you both lack determination and kinetic power.”
“What do you mean by that?” asked Michelle sounding concerned but remains calm and collected.
“The reason you were brought down is you are not using full strength by combining with sword and body together.”
“Combining with sword and body?”
“Indeed…The body is also a weapon and uses it in sync with your katana. A combination of that would prove most useful.”
“I see.”
“Yes, thank you for your hot tip, sir…I mean, Master Yoshimitsu.”
“Indeed…Now I wish to test your skill. Remember don’t hold back and never underestimate your opponent.”
“Okay.”
“Sure.”
Yoshimitsu then holds his katana at the ready just as both Michelle and Ivy were holding theirs in a ready to fight position. The two girls circle around Yoshimitsu who was standing exact where he was and he turns his head and torso with him focusing his eyes on both Michelle and Ivy.
“I see you…Evil or not. I shall fight you.”
“Man, the way he is staring at us…Gives me the creeps.”
“Hmm…Perhaps, Ivy…But that is also something we should take note of.”
“What do you mean, sis?”
“Focusing on your opponent at all times…Watch and anticipate what they would do.”
“Right…A fatal mistake and it will cost you, yes?”
“Indeed.”
“So, shall we begin?”
“My pleasure.”
Michelle and Ivy combats Yoshimitsu as both girls manage to push him back at once before Yoshimitsu himself spins down towards the ground when suddenly he then disappears and appears right on top of them with him wielding his katana and spinning it around and around making him look like a man-handle helicopter.
“Nammmmmmu!”
“Huh?”
“Above us, Ivy!”
“Word of advice…Watch out of this blow.”
“Look out!”
“YAAAAAAH!”
Yoshimitsu demonstrates a powerful and aerial unblockable attack with him striking down with his katana as both Michelle and Ivy manages to get out of the way in time with Yoshimitsu’s strike leaving a small fault line on the grassy area. Ivy could tell that was some blow and knowing that if they had not got out of the way then they may end up as that.
“Man, good thing we got out of the way.”
“Indeed.”
“Nammmmmmu!”
“There he goes again.”
Yoshimitsu spins around and around straight at Michelle who blocks every single one of his blows, which made him compliment Michelle’s defense capability.
“Most impressive defense.”
“Take that as a compliment.”
“Now, your turn, Ivy Lau.”
Yoshimitsu then promptly crouches down and performs his spin kick combo attack as Ivy crouches down too and defends herself but was not able to block Yoshimitsu’s unblockable strong kick as he kicks her high into the air as Michelle calls out to her to use the somersault diving finishing move.
“Use the somersault diving move, Ivy!”
“Right you are, sis!”
Ivy then does the somersault diving move as she was able to perform in mid-air and lands firmly back on her two feet.
“Wow…That was something.”
“Impressive, Ivy Lau.”
“Thank you…Master Yoshimitsu.”
“So, shall we continue?”
“The pleasure is ours.”
Michelle then presses her attack on Yoshimitsu as Ivy does the same with both pushing him back and ironically Yoshimitsu was quite pleased with their offensive capabilities.
“Hmm…Impressive.”
Meanwhile, over on the other side of the Harbour Bridge, in the expensive and fantastic view suburb of Watson’s Bay, In the large mansion that overlook the whole Sydney Harbour, Kazuya Mishima was sitting in the family room lounge drinking the finest red wine with Paul Phoenix and Bryan Fury.
“I say this place is still as great as ever.”
“Thanks, Kazuya.”
“So, Paul…How is business in here?”
“Things are good…Hwoarang sometimes still causes us trouble.”
“Trouble? Well, that matter will be taken care of soon enough.”
“How?”
“You will see, Paul…You will see. I have a plan in motion.”
“Well, we are counting on you, Kazuya…And I am inspired with total confidence that you will get it done.”
“Thank you.”
“So, I trust you didn’t really came all the way for some sightseeing in Sydney?”
“In a way, Bryan…You are correct.”
“What exactly do you mean?”
“Well, one reason I am here is to eliminate a threat…To be precise, a traitor.”
“A traitor?”
“Yes, Bryan…His name is Simon Law and one of my former military officers.”
“I see.”
“What did he do?” asked Paul sounding quite curious to know.
“He deflected and seek refuge in the witness protection program of the Green Interpol force, which is known as the Milson’s Point Grammar Academy’s secret defense force. He spill the beans of my being as the one all-powerful ‘Devil’.”
“So, he is a teacher or a…”
“A student.”
“Right…We will help you find him, Kazuya.”
“Excellent…By the way, do you happen to know that I have a beautiful and dazzling daughter at the same school where Simon Law is?”
“No…This is a new one for us.”
“Well, are you sure? We only thought you only had a son.”
“It’s a long story, my friends…I trust you met her before?”
“Occasionally…Bryan?”
“Same.”
“Well, I am going to see her and see how such a lovely and beautiful girl she is.”
“Of course…We are also keeping tabs on Ling Xiaoyu, Alisa Bosconovitch and last but not least, your old man.”
“Good…Very good, Paul.” replied Kazuya with an evil smile on his face. “Have you made preparations to capture Ling Xiaoyu?”
“Not yet…That place is so defensive.”
“Then we need to lure them out…Divide and conquer.”
“Of course, of course...Shall we get start on that?”
“No…We will be patient, Paul. They are not going anywhere so it can wait.”
“I suppose it can wait.”
“Well, I think we shall rest for the night and then tomorrow the two of you can show me around the eastern suburbs of Sydney.”
“It will be our honor, Kazuya…Won’t it, Bryan?”
“Indeed.”
“I think I will inform our guys too.”
“Do that…So, shall we watch something good on television?”
“I suppose so. Bryan?”
“Sure.”
Bryan picks up the television’s remote control and presses the power button and the flat screen 50-inch television turns on and was on channel 7 HD.
“Hmm…Not really interesting this channel.”
“Bryan, switch to other channels, won’t you?”
“Sure…Which channel, Paul?”
“Oh, 7TWO, 7 Mate, 10, 11, ABC, SBS HD, SBS ONE…So forth and so forth.”
“Channel 9? 90 GEM or 99 GO?”
“Whatever.”
“Right.”
“Any channel is fine…As long as they are playing an action movie.”
“Okay…Bryan?”
“With pleasure.”
