Black Bull roared with the fury of the crowd as he lunged towards Ryu, horns aimed at his foes chest. Ryu watched the bull get closer and closer, before stepping to the side and ducking under the horns. When he realized that his foe had gotten out of the way, Black Bull skidded to a halt and spun around to face Ryu, whose face hadn't changed from a stern stare.
"What's the matter, too afraid to throw a punch?" Black Bull asked Ryu, snorting as he pawed the ground. With another burst of speed he closed the gap between him and Ryu, extending his arms this time so that Ryu wouldn't be able to duck underneath of him. Yet as he barreled down onto Ryu, the warrior simply jumped into the air over the bull and watched as he sailed right by underneath of him.
"Stop dodging!" Black Bull roared as he skidded to a halt once more. The crowd began to boo at the display and some even began to chant "boring". "What kind of fighter are you that all you do is dodge? Are you really that afraid throw a single punch?!" Ryu's response was to exhale slightly before sliding his feet apart, crouching down while extending one of his arms outwards.
"Because you have yet to prove to me that I should fight you," Ryu said in a calm tone, yet his words caused the bull to see red. The Black Bull bellowed as he lunged towards Ryu, throwing lefts and rights and occasionally throwing out headbutts in an effort to strike Ryu.
Yet even against the onslaught of attacks, Ryu did not give up an inch of ground. He blocked the punches with his arms, swatting away the bull's strongest attacks. When Black Bull tried to headbutt him, Ryu simply raised a hand and pushed the bulls head to the side, causing the bull to stager to the side as he tried to regain his balance.
"You punches are strong, but lack technique," Ryu informed the Black Bull in a strict tone as he turned to face the Bull, who seethed with fury at Ryu's words. "You do not spend time practicing your moves. You rely too much on your strength to win you battles. But even the strongest of gales cannot move the mountain they rage against."
"You spitting some kung-fu crap?" Black Bull asked Ryu as he attacked again, charging towards the human in a rage. The moment he got within range, Ryu wrapped his hands around the bulls spandex and put a foot to his chest. Ryu then rolled back and used the Black Bulls momentum to hurl the bull over his head, where he crashed down into the floor.
"What is going on?" Greed wondered allowed as Black Bull snapped back to his hooves with a roar of fury. "Black Bull is the second physically strongest fighter in the WWP! He should not be losing to this pajama wearing fool!"
"Dad, what's going on?" Diamond asked her father, leaning against the railing to watch the battle. When Filthy didn't answer her, she looked up to see both confusion and hope on her father's face.
Black Bull slapped himself in the face to get himself pumped up before glaring at Ryu once more, wondering what hold he should put the guy in to humiliate him. But then as he glanced around at the crowd and saw the bored expressions on their faces, he threw both of his arms into the air.
"I came here expecting to see a battle, but instead it seems that all I'm going to get is disappointment! But don't you worry, fans across the nation! Because I promise all of you that you will go home with your jaws on the floor!" Black Bull promised the crowd as he pointed to each and every one of them. "Because you are about to see a move so impressive, so powerful that it will be burned into the minds of your children. Your grandchildren! Prepare yourselves for...the stampede!"
The crowd roared with excitement at the Black Bull's words, all of them starting to chant stampede. Ryu did not budge from the boasting of his foe. All he did was close his eyes and exhale, bringing both of his hands down by his side. Black Bull roared as he slammed down onto all fours, veins sticking out across his entire body as he focused his power into his muscles.
"I hope you're ready, kung-fu kid. Because this battle is over!" Black Bull roared before he hurled himself forward, tearing up concrete with his ferocity.
"Yes. I suppose it is," Ryu agreed as his eyes lazily opened. Black Bull leapt into the air and charged down upon Ryu. But in a flash Ryu extended both of his hands towards Black Bull, white and blue energy erupting from them as the warrior yelled,
"HADOUKEN!"
The blue energy ball struck Black Bull square in the chest and sent him hurtling backwards, where the sound of his screaming was quickly drowned out when he was hurled through the concrete wall. The stone shattered under the impact and left the bull embedded in the wall. The crowd went deathly silent with shock and all eyes turned towards Ryu. Ryu exhaled slightly before he looked down at his hand, which he then tightened into a fist before he turned to leave the arena.
"If you spent as much time training as you did boasting, then this battle may have gone differently," Ryu informed Bull as he departed, not caring when he heard the arena erupt into cheers behind him. 'That was not the fight that I came here to find. Perhaps my quest lies elsewhere.'
"How?" Golden Greed managed to choke out from where he sat, forced to watch through stunned eyes as the trainers started trying to pull Black Bull out of the wall. He heard a pony clear there throat and when he turned his head to the side he saw Filthy standing next to him with a large smile on his face.
"I believe that my fighter won, Greed. Now pay up, as we agreed." Golden Greed spat out a few words that forced Tiara's mother to cover her child's ears, but after a moment he reached into his jacket and pulled out a large bag of bits. He threw the bits down at Filthy's hooves before waving his family over to him, the group leaving their seats. "We must do this again some time. This has been a most lucrative day for me!"
Filthy picked up the bag and placed it inside of his own jacket, but his mirth was shut down when he glanced over to see his wife staring at him. "And just what do you think you're doing, holding onto those bits?" she asked him. "No, don't answer that. You're going to give them to me, before you blow them all on another stupid BET!"
Filthy hung his head as he hoofed the bits over to his wife, before letting out a sigh and glancing at Tiara. Diamond Tiara was still glancing down at the emptying arena, where the trainers still had yet to pull the bull out of the wall.
"Hey honey, what are you thinking about?" he asked his daughter, who glanced up at him with a thoughtful expression.
"Hey dad, how strong was our fighter that was supposed to fight the Black Bull? Was he stronger than the Bull?" she asked him. Filthy placed a hoof under his chin as he thought about what she had asked for a moment.
"Well, I don't know about stronger, but he was supposed to be pretty tough. Guess he was afraid of large crowds, though," Filthy muttered under his breath before glancing down at his girl again. "Why do you ask?"
"Because that fighter wasn't as strong as Black Bull, yet you backed him. But now you're just standing around here talking when there's a fighter in the back who one shot the Black Bull," Diamond Tiara reminded her father, whose eyes lit up when he realized what she was telling him. "If I were you, I'd go get him before he's gone."
Filthy Rich took the hint and raced off towards the back, knowing that he had to have that fighter no matter how much he had to pay to get him on their side.
→↓↘ + P
The locker tried its best to prevent Ryu from reclaiming his possessions, but with a little bit more effort Ryu ripped the locker off of its hinges. He reached inside and pulled out his torn and battered bag from within, slinging it over his shoulder before placing the locker door back in its spot.
'That was not the fight that I had been expecting. I had hoped that the beings in this land would be stronger than that,' Ryu thought with disappointment as he turned and walked out of the locker room, ignoring how the other fighters in the back eyed him with uncertain glares. 'The hermit that I found told me that this land was full of fighters and foes that I would never have dreamed of. The talking unicorns and pegasi I would never have dreamed of, but so far none of the fighters seem strong. I must keep searching.'
Ryu walked out of the locker room and headed towards the stadium exit, but upon reaching the doors he found his path blocked by a tan stallion with bags of money on his flank. The stallion's eyes seemed to light up at Ryu's arrival and he waved Ryu over. Ryu raised an eyebrow at the gesture, but then tried to walk past the stallion without upsetting him. The stallion then ran over and placed himself between Ryu and the door.
"Can I help you?" Ryu asked with a sigh.
"Um, yes. It is so nice to meet you. I'm Filthy Rich," the stallion introduced himself as he held out a hoof. Ryu raised another eyebrow at the hoof, but after a moment extended his hand and shook the pony's hoof. "I just saw your fight with the Black Bull and I must say that you are quite impressive. Taking down Black Bull is no easy feat and aside from one other, no one has managed to do so in such a fast manner. You must be quite strong."
"He was sloppy and played to the crowd. There was no challenge," Ryu corrected the pony before nodding to him, trying to slip by him once more. The stallion once again placed himself between Ryu and the exit, irritating the fighter slightly. "Excuse me, but I must be on my way. I have a long road to travel and cannot waste any time."
"That's exactly what I want to talk to you about. See, my fighter, the Winged Weapon, was supposed to show up for this fight but they didn't. Can't believe I ever thought to back such a chicken," Filthy muttered to himself before smiling back up at Ryu. "So I need a new fighter and after seeing what you can do, I feel that you're the right pony...er, person for the job. So how about it, want to come fight for me? Thanks for you, I have plenty of money."
"Keep your money," Ryu responded as he pushed past the stallion and walked out the doors, sighing once more as he heard the pony's hoofsteps run up behind him. "I appreciate the offer, but I do not like to fight for money or sport. The fight itself is all I live for. Farewell." Worry crossed Filthy Rich's face as Ryu started to walk away from him, knowing that he had to say something to get him to join him.
"What about food or shelter? I promise you that my wife and I can get you anything you need as long as you are here!" he offered Ryu as he raced alongside him, but Ryu shook his head once more.
"I can sleep almost anywhere and eat almost anything. Thank you once more, but I have no need of your offer," Ryu stated firmly once again.
"Then how about transportation?! We have the finest mobile home on the planet and we can more than-"
"I prefer to walk. Goodbye." Filthy Rich bit down on his lower lip as Ryu walked further and further away, knowing that he was letting go of a once in a lifetime fighter. He then let out a sigh, knowing that he would have to throw his pride out the window if he wanted to get this fighter on his side.
"Look...I made a big bet on that match. Nearly everything I had," Filthy Rich began, the defeated tone in his voice getting Ryu to stop. "And then my fighter didn't show up. I thought I was done. I thought I wasn't going to be able to provide for my wife or daughter anymore. But you appeared and fought that match. You saved our family fortune. So please, even if you don't want to be sponsored by me, can my family at least thank the person that helped them?"
Ryu's face narrowed slightly as he thought about what the pony was saying. He truly wished to move on, to find the next fight and further strengthen his skills. But when Ryu glanced over his shoulder and saw how the stallion's eyes pleaded, he found himself sighing.
"Very well, I shall meet them. But then I must go."
The stallion's eyes lit up at Ryu's words and he raced ahead, motioning for Ryu to follow him. Ryu shook his head slightly as he walked after the horse, on guard for any ploys that the pony might use on him. The two eventually came to a stop next to a large carriage that looked like a small house, where a pink mare with an upturned nose was taking to a pink filly with a tiara on her head. Both of them stopped talking and hazed at the fighter with awe as he approached, Ryu towering over the two of them.
"Spoiled. Diamond. Allow me to introduce the two of you to the fighter that saved our fortune. This is...um..."
"Ryu."
"Well Mr. Ryu, you truly do seem like quite the fighter," Spoiled acknowledged with an disapproving nod as she glanced up his exposed feet. "Though it seems that you do not know the meaning of fashion or common sense. Why do you wear those rags?"
"Because they are important to me," Ryu responded curtly with a hint of heat. He then nodded to Filthy and Diamond before turning slightly. "It was...nice to meet you, but I must be going."
"Wait, you aren't going to fight for us?" Spoiled asked him before shooting Filthy a nasty look.
"No, I prefer to travel alone. Now I must go."
"Where to?" Diamond Tiara asked.
"To the next fight. I must get stronger," Ryu replied, but his words got a smirk out of Diamond.
"No, I mean where? It's clear that you're not from around here. I also talked to the pony that set you up for the match and he said that you showed up late. You just stumbled onto this place, didn't you?" she asked, her smile widening when Ryu nodded. "See, you have no idea where you're going. And the next big tourney is a week away in a city that's pretty far from here. You probably won't make it in time."
"But if you come with us, we can take you right to the fight and you won't have to worry about getting lost. Not only that, but you'll have a roof over your head and some...relatively nice company. Not to mention that you'll be able to train in the house without having to stop. If you ask me, it's a pretty good deal. So what do you say?" she asked Ryu with a large smile.
Ryu crossed his arms and lowered his chin onto his head, thinking about her offer. 'She is right in saying that I know nothing about this land. And I did stumble upon this fight by accident. I would most likely not make it to the next one in time. And I can't afford to miss any worthy foes.' Ryu then let out a sigh as he gazed down at the filly, who smiled back up at him.
"You have a way of getting others to do what you want. Do you know that?" he asked her.
"Can I take that as a yes, Mr. Wandering Warrior?"