Tekken Fan Fiction ❯ The King of Iron Fist Tournament 6 ❯ Doren vs Asuka: Learning Curve ( Chapter 24 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: Psychoblue
The semifinals of the King of Iron Fist Tournament begin as Doren faces Asuka with the winner facing Jin.

Anime/Manga: Tekken Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Sci-fi / Romance / Martial Arts / Drama / Action / Supernatural | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 04.30.2006 | Pages: 2 | Words: 3.2K | Visits: 526 | Status: Completed

The semifinals of the King of Iron Fist Tournament 6: the fourth day of the tournament would mark the first time that there would be three matches in a day rather than two. Out of the forty competitors, only five were left. Perhaps what was most interesting was that four of those competitors were all related in some way.
“She is the niece of former King of Iron Fist 2 competitor Jun Kazama, and is competing in her second King of Iron Fist tournament. Coming from Japan, at 18 years of age, using Kazama-ryu Jujitsu…Asuka Kazama!”
The familiar guitar riffs of AC/DC's “Thunderstruck” boomed throughout the Tokyo Dome as Asuka ran down the runway in her yellow-and-white school uniform, a plaid blue skirt, and her sapphire fingerless gloves. A bright smile highlighted her face as she gave high-fives to the fans as she approached the ring. She had done something that no one else had done: she had become the youngest semifinalist in the King of Iron Fist Tournament history. The upcoming battle would be the ultimate test of her abilities in self-defense: her opponent used a style that was much like hers, and she was itching to try her skills against his.
“And her opponent this evening: He's been known as `the Calm Before the Storm,' and is a first lieutenant in the Israeli Defense Force. He holds a black belt in Jujitsu and holds the rank of “Grandmaster” in Krav Maga. Coming all the way from Israel to compete in his first King of Iron Fist Tournament, at 28 years of age, using a fighting style of his own design….DOREN SHARON!”
Genesis' “Land of Confusion” blared on the loudspeakers as Doren Sharon came down the runway. He was wearing an olive military garb, black army boots, and a red beret with the Israeli flag on it. He smiled happily as he signed a fan's autograph book on the way to the ring: Doren was living out his dream. Ever since he first watched the King of Iron Fist Tournament 2, he had fantasized about participating in one. Twenty-two years later, he was competing in the semifinals. He had the pleasure of eating breakfast with one of his childhood heroes, Heihachi Mishima, and the thought of facing him in the finals flashed through his mind.
But I shouldn't get ahead of myself, he thought as he entered the ring, in a tournament that includes bears, kangaroos, genetically enhanced raptors, robots, and the occasional living training dummy, anything can happen. Doren looked up and saw Asuka cracking her knuckles, it's remarkable how advanced she is. I was nowhere near her level when I was her age. Truly, I admire her…
“Hey Doren,” Asuka shouted as she tightened her gloves, “Steven Seagal called: he wants his ponytail back!”
“Heh…like I haven't heard that one before,” Doren replied as he put his left hand on his right shoulder and began rolling his arm, “you know Asuka, we're the only two remaining competitors who are not directly related to a Mishima. It kind of makes me feel left out. How about you?”
“Well, I still have a cousin who's competing, but you want to really feel left out? Try considering the fact that you're the only non-Japanese person left in the tournament.”
“…yep, that did the trick. Now I really feel out of place,” Doren looked to his feet and shook his head before getting into a fighting stance, “Well, let's get to it! We'll begin whenever you're ready.”
Asuka got into a fighting stance and prepared to strike…but she paused and remained in a defensive position. She knew, from the second Doren assumed his stance, that he was a martial arts master. There didn't seem to be any sort of opening that would allow her to land a good strike that wouldn't be punishable. The two fighters began sidestepping slowly making a circle around the ring, sizing up the other fighter. We won't be getting anywhere like this, Asuka shouted in her mind, the only way I can find an opening is to make one with a forced attack and strike when he leaves himself open!
Breaking free from the standstill, Asuka charged at Doren at a full run in an attempt for a shoulder tackle. The Israeli soldier managed to sidestep the charge and propel Asuka into the grated wall with a kick to the back. As she came to the wall, Asuka put out her hands and pushed herself back just as she hit the wall, propelling her elbow strike and taking Doren by surprise and sending him screeching on the floor.
Whoa! Doren rolled back onto his feet and rubbed where Asuka had hit him, she completely turned my setup into a counterattack! Not bad for a kid!
Doren grabbed Asuka's fist as she threw a punch and sent her sprawling with a powerful somersault kick that drew applause from the crowd. Landing on her feet, Asuka ducked back down and shot out her arm in a swiping motion, knocking Doren's footing off and causing him to trip and land flat on his buttocks. The Israeli soldier rolled away as his foe came down with a cartwheel kick, and kicked her in the shins with a swiping kick as he got back onto his feet.
Doren sidestepped another punch and countered with a powerful knee in the stomach and brought his fists down in a hammer upon Asuka's back. And he'll follow up with a hook punch…NOW! Asuka thought as she ducked Doren's haymaker.
With her opponent left open, Asuka let loose a powerful leg sweep, her Sacred Blade Kick, and sent Doren spinning to the ground.
Remarkable! Once she has a window, she can utterly devastate her opponent, Doren thought as landed on his feet and looked up at Asuka, and that includes me! I'm going to have to stop relying on my eyes, because she's just too fast. Time to go back to the basics: relying on my natural reflexes.
“If I knew it was going to be this kind of battle,” Doren said out loud as took off his glasses and put them in his chest pocket, “I'd have done this from the beginning!”
“Huh? What are you doing?” Asuka tilted her head slightly as she asked that question.
“I'm getting ready to show you what reading your opponent is all about! Come on and give me all you got!”
“OK, here we go!”
Asuka began spinning towards Doren, the forthcoming of her most powerful attack: the Spinning Heel Drop. If Doren didn't time his dodge correctly, he would be in for a great deal of pain.
Unfortunately for Asuka, he did.
Doren ducked under Asuka's kick at the last second and sent her spinning uncontrollably with a powerful left hook just as her foot whiffed over him, her body landing with a loud thud. What in the-? He moved even faster than my Spinning Heel Drop! How did he do that? Asuka pondered as she rolled away from Doren's incoming fist to the floor.
Asuka got back up and ran towards Doren with renewed vigor and tackled Doren onto the ground. There! Now to lay down the pain! Asuka got hold of Doren's arm and put him in an armlock and began to pull. A successful armlock would result in slight hyperextension of the opponent's arm, doing significant damage and temporarily hindering their fighting capabilities.
Unfortunately for Asuka, Doren positioned his grabbed arm to be able to take hold of Asuka's leg. He gave it a twist, and Asuka gritted her teeth in pain until she let go of Doren's arm and dismounted him. The two fighters quickly scrambled back onto their feet, rubbing where they had been held.
“I'm not doing so good…aren't I?” Asuka said between breaths. “Toying” wouldn't be the word Asuka was looking for: “schooling” was more appropriate to describe what Doren was doing.
“NONSENSE! You're doing very well,” Doren enthusiastically reassured, “you're certainly not like any kid on my block, that's for sure!”
“What was that? DON'T CALL ME A KID!”
Obviously peeved, Asuka began to run towards Doren…something that would prove to be her downfall.
Before Asuka could even lift her leg from the ground for a kick, Doren sent her skyward with a pair of uppercuts that were let loose simultaneously. With his opponent still in the air, Doren juggled Asuka around with a left hook, a powerful uppercut, a backhanded swat, and finally a roundhouse kick that sent Asuka spinning to the ground.
Damn, I so asked for that, Asuka thought as she heard the announcer begin the countdown from where she was laying. She hadn't sustained any serious injuries, but if she learned anything from getting defeated by Feng Wei the previous year, it was learning when to throw in the towel. So much for becoming the youngest finalist in tournament history…
Ten counts passed, and Doren was declared the winner. The fight lasted fairly quick, and it was apparent to anyone how Doren's experience and calm demeanor played a factor in the battle. To the spectator's point of view, it seemed like less of a battle and more like a training session.
“Not bad at all, Asuka. A couple of more years, and you'll have to tournament in the bag,” Doren said as he outstretched his arm and helped up the defeated teenager, “the next time you're in Tel Aviv, be sure to stop by at the base and show some of my students a thing or two,”
“You were playing me for a fool the whole time, weren't you?”
“Hm?”
“You just use those glasses to throw your opponents off guard. All this time I thought you needed them…”
“Um, I hate to break this to you kiddo…but I was fighting you legally blind,” Doren said as he took out his glasses from his chest pocket and handed them to Asuka, “See for yourself.”
Asuka put the glasses on and instantly became disoriented. These were definitely prescription glasses. “So why did you-“
“I was trying to teach you something about self-defense: sometimes you won't be able to clearly see your enemy, so you'll have to rely on your other senses to properly defend yourself.”
“You're starting to sound like my dad,” Asuka said as she handed to glasses back to Doren and the two fighters began walking out of the ring. As Doren was handed a water bottle by one of the ring girls, Asuka noticed Kenichi sitting a front row seat. Doren watched as Asuka waved at him, and Kenichi responded with a simple nod.
“Tell me, Asuka, does that friend of yours ever smile outside of when he's fighting?” Doren said as he tossed Asuka a water bottle and the two fighters took a seat a nearby bench. “And what's the deal with that sword he carries around and doesn't even bother using?”
“Oh that,” Asuka's voice gained a more serious tone, “he carries that around as a good luck charm.”
“So it's simply for aesthetic factor?”
“Sorta. He entered the tournament to find out the truth about his dad's death. They made the sword together, so I think...I'm trying to remember Kenichi's exact words,” Asuka rubbed her chin for a bit before snapping her fingers, “ `what my father did betrayed what he taught me, and until I figure out why he did it, I can't mourn for him. This sword not only serves as a charm, but as a symbol to how I'm still my father's son, despite how much I want to deny that.'”
“That's…pretty morbid, and definitely not something an 18-year-old boy should say,” Doren rubbed the back of his head lightly, “Sounds like what he's basically suffering from is a moral dilemma.”
“Exactly. In any case, he did find out why: Kenichi father used to work for my uncle Kazuya. The only reason he had any criminal ties was because of his loyalty towards his ex-employer. So now that he's finally found out the truth…he's finally starting to show emotion again,” Asuka smiled lightly as she paused in her speaking.
“Sounds like you two are pretty close,” Doren replied as he watched Asuka blush slightly, “He must be a lucky boy to have someone like you on his side.”
“Hey buddy, are you implying something here?” Asuka's face turned beet red as she shouted at Doren. All Doren could do as the lights dimmed for the next battle was throw his arms up in the air and say: “What? ME? NO!”