//------------------------------//
// Streaks of Rain 
// Story: The Wandering Warrior 
// by Onomonopia 
//------------------------------//

Rain pounded upon the top of the carriage like the raining of bullets, while the crackling of lightning above made the inhabitants glance out the window every few seconds. The scene sounded like a battlefield, causing those caught within the battle to appreciate the warm fire and the fact that the roof had no holes in it. 

Filthy Rich was reading a magazine about what new fashions were in Equestria, while Tiara sat upon his lap and occasionally pointed out an outfit that she might like. Spoiled was sipping on a warm cup of tea, though she occasionally cast a nasty glance at the six ponies that were crowded around the fire, the same ponies that they had hired to pull the carriage.

"You know that this carriage is supposed to be for our family, right?" she reminded her husband for the fifth time in under an hour, but this time Filthy didn't even look at his wife. "We should not be allowing commoners into this place! Think of all the filth that they have on them from constantly working out there!"

"Dear, to leave them out there would be simply cruel. Besides, after the double knockout Ryu scored against Zangief, we have more money than even I know what to do with," Filthy reminded her before pointing to an outfit in the magazine, only for Tiara to shake her head. "I'm sure that we can clean whatever "filth" that they bring in. Besides, you seem to be the only one complaining about them being in here. Isn't that right, gents?"

The carriage pullers responded by all lifting their glasses in a toast to Filthy before they went back to their conversations. Spoiled sighed in defeat as she turned her gaze to the rest of the carriage, raising an eyebrow in surprise when she saw Ryu's bag laying in the corner, but the warrior was not resting against the wall like he usually was.

"Tiara, where is our fighter?" she asked Tiara.

"Where do you think, mom? He's out there training," Tiara replied before pointing to another outfit, one that made Filthy tilt his head in confusion. "And before you ask, no. I'm not going out there to get him. It's crazy out there. Only crazy ponies would go out in this weather."

"Well what if something happens to him out there? Like he catches a cold or he gets struck by lightning?" Spoiled asked, causing both Tiara and Filthy to look at her with some surprise with the level of concern she was showing. "Because if we lose him, then all of that promotion and our share of ticket sales will be gone! Imagine what would happen to our name if ponies came to see the rematch between him and the champion and we don't deliver. I would never be able to show my face in public again!"

Tiara and Filthy nodded to each other with relieved smiles, both glad that Spoiled sounded more like herself. Lightning crashed overhead with a boom loud enough to shake the entire carriage, causing all nine ponies to glance up at the sky with some concern.

"Maybe we should go check on him, just to be safe," Filthy agreed.

"Sure. Go right ahead. I'm not budging," Tiara stated as she snuggled into the couch.

"But dear, I thought you personally made yourself his trainer? And what kind of trainer would you be if you didn't check up on him?" Spoiled reminded her daughter, who gave her mother a nasty glare before she sighed in defeat and rose off of the couch. 

"Dear, I can do it for you," Filthy tried to step in, but Diamond Tiara shook her head as she grabbed a coat off of the rack by the door. 

"No dad, as much as I hate to admit mom is right, I am his trainer. I should probably go make sure he isn't doing something stupid," Tiara cut him off, before opening to door to the carriage to see a wall of rain blocking her rain. "Doesn't mean I have to like myself for doing this."

"Close the door! You're letting in water!"

Tiara stuck her tongue out at the carriage pullers before taking in a deep breath, gathering as much courage as she could before hurling herself into the storm. The rain beat down on her like she was a drum, but she forced herself to move into the blinding storm. She called out for Ryu, but quickly found that between the sounds of the rain and the thunder, her voice could barely be heard. She half considered just going back in for a moment before she saw a blast of blue energy fire into the sky.

'Of course Ryu would be practicing in these kind of conditions,' she thought to herself before she pushed herself onward into the storm. It took a few minutes of searching and two more hadoukens before she was finally able to locate the warrior among the rain. He was drenched to the core and he had removed the upper half of his gi, which she found in a puddle beside her hooves. His hair was in his eyes and with the intensity of the rain she couldn't see his face, but she was certain that it was the same stoic expression he always had.

"RYU! We need to get back inside!" she screamed at him, yet her voice was lost among the rain and thunder. She kicked Ryu in the leg to try to get his attention, yet if he noticed her he made no indication that he did. Instead he remained perfectly still, almost as if he was waiting for something. The sky then unleashed a bolt of lightning that came screaming down towards them. As soon as the bolt hit near them Ryu leapt back while moving one of his arms into the position Tiara had seen him perform many times.

"Hadouken!" Ryu roared over the rain and the thunder as he hurled his hadouken, but whatever he was aiming at was long gone before the attack had even left his hands. Tiara heard him growl in frustration as the attack sailed off into the rain, illuminating the clouds overhead for a brief moment. Yet the frustration left a moment later and he closed his eye once more, resuming his stance. 

Diamond Tiara, who had been drenched to her very soul, had enough of waiting around in the rain, leapt up to Ryu and practically tackled his leg. She caught him in the back of the knee and caused the warrior to buckle slightly, finally gaining his attention. He glanced down at her and said something, but his voice was lost over the thunder that decimated the sky above them. Ryu's head snapped up towards the clouds once more and he brought back his arms, waiting a moment before firing another hadouken into the sky. A flash of lightning followed a few seconds after he threw the fireball, but another look of annoyance crossed his face.

"RYU! FOR THE LOVE OF FAUST COME INSIDE!" Tiara screamed at Ryu, who seemed to hear her words this time. He knelt down next to her and tilted his head so that an ear was facing her, causing an evil smile to cross Tiara's face as she took in a deep breath. But before she could roar into Ryu's ear the warrior scooped her up and dove to the side with her, getting her to scream as a bolt of lightning came down and decimated the spot where they had been standing.

'T-that was close,' she realized as she and Ryu both covered their ears, gritting their teeth as an earth shaking boom washed over them. "HOW DID YOU KNOW THAT THE BOLT WAS COMING?!" she screamed up at him. By the look of confusion that crossed Ryu's face, Tiara assumed that she didn't know either. Tiara gave up at that point and decided to head back to the carriage, but once more Ryu scooped her up into his arms.

"What's the matter?! Another bolt?!" she screamed as she turned her head to face him, but this time she saw that he was looking straight ahead into the rain storm. She followed his gaze but aside from the sheer volume of rain she couldn't see anything. Ryu slowly placed her down beside him, motion for her to stay there as he took up a fighting stance. Tiara was about to ask him what he was doing before something struck Ryu in the side of the head and sent him tumbling into the water below. 

'What was that?!' Ryu thought as he rolled up to his feet, spinning around as he narrowed his eyes and stared into the rain for any sign of who had attacked him. Another blow stuck him in the back of the head and caused him to stagger, but this time he spun around and hurled a kick towards the spot where he had been attacked. He felt his toes brush against something that wasn't water, but whatever it was had gotten away from him before he could hit it.

'There's something in the rain. Something that I can't see,' Ryu figured as he kept his guard up, quickly glancing in all directions while also turning towards wherever he felt an attack would be coming from. He felt another strike catch him in the back of the leg, but this time he was ready for it. He forced himself to remaining standing before swinging a massive right hook into whatever had hit him. This time he only scored a glancing blow, but a small smile crossed his face as he felt his knuckles hit something solid.

'I'm figuring out where they are by where they strike me. A few more blows and I should be able to catch one of them with a real hit,' he deduced, tightening his muscles as he braced himself for the next blow to come. A blow like a hammer struck him in the back, but Ryu spun around the moment he felt the impact and drove his knee into whatever had been standing there. He felt the point of his knee hit home and whatever he had struck came crashing down into the water around his feet a second later.

"Got you," Ryu said before dashing forward and driving his fist down towards where the invisible foe had splashed. Yet his fist on struck water and rock, telling him that his foe had gotten up quicker than he had thought. Ryu resumed his fighters stance and waited for the next blow, but that next attack fell in a place that he was no ready for.

Ryu faintly heard a scream over the rain and thunder, causing him to turn to see that Tiara was being lifted up by the invisible foe. Ryu let out a cry before racing over towards her, only to be caught in the face by what felt like a fist. As he staggered back he felt another blow catch him in the shoulder, nearly knocking him to his knees. 

'There are more than one of them,' he realized before a foot caught him in the nose, snapping his head back. Ryu then heard Tiara cry for help again before another fist slammed into the side of his head, blurring his vision. 'No, they're...going to take her. But why? Why would they-' Another kick to the head derailed that train of thought. 'It doesn't matter why. They want her and I have to stop them. But I can't see them...'

Ryu then glanced down at his own hand, seeing how the rain from the sky was bouncing off of it and causing a small outline around his hand. His brain began to move faster than ever before as he stood up once more, taking a deep breath as he forced himself to focus far harder than he had in a long time.

'I need to focus. I nee to focus far harder than I ever have in my life,' he thought, forcing himself to concentrate with a focus he had not yet mastered. He pierced the torrent of rain with his eyes, making himself look for any indicator of where his foes were. He stared at Tiara and the area around her, finding the faintest out line of something standing there.

"Got you," Ryu said before hurling himself forward, planting his fist right under the area that he hoped to be the creatures head.

"SHORYUKEN!" Ryu roared as he uppercutted with all of his might, blasting Tiara free of whatever was holding her while sending whatever had taken her flying into the sky. The creature splashed down a moment later, before slowly fading into reality and revealing a fish like creature with arms and legs. "So that is what took her," Ryu muttered before holding out a hand to catch Tiara.

Ryu then turned his gaze towards the other two invisible beings, now able to find them even in the torrents of rain. He saw their heads glance towards each other before they stepped back into the storm, vanishing from even Ryu's gaze after a few moments. Ryu stood silently in the rain, waiting for their sneak attack. But when it never came, he figured that they were gone.

"Do not worry, you are safe," he said to the filly, who clutched at his chest with fear. 'But I have never concentrated so hard in my life. But because she was in danger, I was forced to go beyond what I had learned from training...but how...she is safe. That is what is important.'

Ryu then walked over to his gi and picked up the soggy piece of cloth, figuring that it would do for washing the clothing. He slung it over his back before heading off towards where the carriage was parked, before casting one last glance at the fish creature he had knocked out. It was gone. Ryu pierced through the storm one last time before walking back towards the carriage, counting the day as a win.

"Those fish monsters!" Filthy roared with a rage Ryu didn't know he had within him after he and Tiara had returned to the carriage, explaining what had happened to her father and mother. "Those fish are know as petty thieves that hide alongside the coasts and cliffs, but to think that they would try to make off with MY daughter!"

"You did a good job of stopping them, Ryu," one of the carriage pullers said to Ryu, who was sitting next to the fire along with a Tiara wrapped in three layers of blankets. "Those Scalers as they're called are invisible in the water, even to pony magic. Finding them, let alone beating them, shows just how skilled you are."

Ryu nodded in reply, but he was far too lost in his own mind to answer. 'I was unable to find them with my own skill. Yet when I saw that Tiara was in danger I was finally able to see them. Could there be a connection...or did I break through one of my barriers due to being in a stressful situation?' Ryu was so far gone in his mind he didn't hear how filthy wanted to erect a statue in Ryu's honor or how even Spoiled said that he wasn't such a waste of space.

'But I have advanced. For the first time in what feels like years,' Ryu thought as he glanced down at his clenched fist, the tinniest of smiles crossing his face. 'It seems that the hermit was right. This land can help me become the warrior that I wish to become. Today was the first step. Now to take the next one.'