Catching the meaning behind Gen’s words, Dorai also turned toward Chun-Li at his side and said: “In that case, Chun-Li, why don’t you have a sparring match with Yang.” “Eh?
Me?” At those words, Chun-Li was taken aback, pointing at herself a little blankly before scratching her head and saying, “For my part…
I don’t really have any objection.
What about you, Yang?” “But of course—there’s absolutely no problem whatsoever!” Hearing everyone’s words, an earnest smile brimming with aggression and fighting spirit spread across Yang’s face.
Although moments ago Yang had mostly been watching from the sidelines without saying much, in truth he had been continuously recalling everything he knew about Chun-Li.
In fact, as far back as three years ago, Yang had already realized that he had transmigrated into the world of Street Fighter.
But soon after, Yang also discovered that the world he had come to seemed to be more than just Street Fighter alone.
Especially after Yang saw, for the first time on the national news broadcast (Xinwen Lianbo), so many characters and distinctive organizations such as the Emperor of Muay Thai, Katahara Metsudo, the Mishima Zaibatsu, and a branch of the Orochi-style Shinshinkai dojo.
Only then did Yang realize that he was in a fighting world fused together from a vast number of action games and manga…
and perhaps not just fighting ones?
And as a lover of action games and fighting anime, as well as a hardcore martial arts enthusiast, Yang understood very well that this world was extraordinarily dangerous.
Never mind the endlessly emerging apocalypses…
just take the matter of fighting games alone.
First, explain this to me properly—does Bleach VS Naruto count as a fighting game?
And, do the Hong Kong comics’ Street Fighter and King of Fighters count as fighting-game worldviews?
And rumor has it, Akuma’s Thousand Strikes in an Instant?
As an ordinary person, the slightest carelessness could plunge one into all manner of dangers and lethal threats.
Yet in the face of this unsettling reality and future, beyond his trembling, what Yang felt more than anything was an inexplicable excitement.
No—rather than excitement, perhaps it was a kind of yearning?
An instinct?
An innate craving for violence, a violent instinct rooted in every living creature!
At the very thought of being able to watch these mighty experts slaughter one another in world-shaking battles, Yang felt so excited he could practically raise a flag!
To witness such ultimate, earth-shattering battles with his own eyes—even death would be worth it!
As for the people of this world— It was a little shameful to admit, but although he was a fan of fighting games, in truth, Yang knew only a limited amount about the personal backstories of some of the characters.
The main reason for this was that Yang strongly agreed with the gaming-development legend Carmack’s view on shooter games.
A shooter game is like a porn flick; the plot is merely decoration.
Fighting games were the same…
compared to their backstories, Yang cared far more about the performance of their fists and feet.
But even so, Chun-Li was still a character Yang knew like the back of his hand— The world’s number one female fighter, the future strongest woman in the world!
To have the chance to engage in a thrilling, fist-meets-flesh exchange with such a woman—just imagining it made countless battle, battle, battles surge through Yang’s mind!
Fortunately, after these years of cultivating his temperament, Yang had mellowed considerably, and even in a state of extreme excitement he was able to calmly follow everyone to the sponge-padded training room at the back of the restaurant.
The two of them entered together, one on the left and one on the right.
Thanks to the fact that life cuisine could be directly converted into nutrients and absorbed once eaten, Chun-Li didn’t have to worry that vigorous exercise right after a meal would upset her stomach.
After a simple warm-up, Chun-Li drew a deep breath, then gazed at Yang and assumed her stance.
Her upper body erect, her right arm clenched into a fist, the heart of the fist facing down and held horizontally to guard her chest, while her other hand opened toward Yang, palm up and elbow slightly bent.
Her lower limbs were slightly bent, one foot forward and one back—her left leg in front, heel raised, instep taut, the toes gripping the ground; her right leg served as the supporting leg, its sole fully in contact with the floor, providing a stable base.
Seeing Chun-Li’s stance, Yang nodded with satisfaction.
It seemed that the Chun-Li of this point in time had already found her own style.
The stance looked simple, but it was the best embodiment of a person’s style.
Different stances represented different styles—close-range infighting, open-handed counters, kick attacks…
Different combat styles were represented by different stances.
And depending on the differences of the human body, a good martial artist would often make adjustments according to their own habits and the trajectory of their strength, rather than simply copying everything wholesale after taking a teacher.
And as for Chun-Li…
Taking the feet as the standard, focusing on the instant of combat, using the support formed between the legs and the earth as the core of battle, thereby supporting and propelling the body to launch attacks or defenses—although her attack-defense inclination did not obviously lean toward a balanced middle ground, the stance itself was clearly specialized for kick attacks!
It seemed like a long deliberation, but in reality it was only a single instant of thought.
After that, Yang too unfolded his stance, assuming the square horse stance, his body turned sideways to face his opponent, one hand bent and extended forward, the other clenched into a fist drawn back at his waist.
And as the stance unfurled, a surging aura wreathed Yang’s entire body—though hard to see with the naked eye, that blazing, flame-like will could be clearly felt.
Fight!
Feeling Yang’s fighting spirit, Chun-Li, beyond her surprise, also felt a wave of curiosity about his stance.
Square horse stance?…
Isn’t this different from Grandpa Gen’s Sou and Ki?
Having trained under Grandpa Gen in her childhood, Chun-Li considered herself fairly knowledgeable about his martial techniques, and according to what her father had said, the Sou and Ki that Grandpa Gen practiced were a branch of Ansatsuken techniques that should have long since been lost to history.
And as Grandpa Gen’s disciple, Yang’s current stance…
a stance perfectly steady and composed yet with an aura blazing like fire—it bore absolutely no relation to the bizarre and deadly Sou and Ki her father had described!
Or perhaps…
he had already forged his own path?
Just as Chun-Li was still pondering, off to the side, Dorai spoke up: “Take your positions, ready—begin!” At Dorai’s words, Yang and Chun-Li swiftly cast aside all stray thoughts and entered combat mode.
For any martial artist, regardless of who the opponent was, fighting with full strength was the most basic form of respect.
And as Dorai’s voice fell, within Chun-Li’s field of vision, Yang’s center of gravity suddenly dropped low, and then, accompanied by a vibration of the blood and qi throughout his body, his entire form transformed into an afterimage rushing toward Chun-Li.
Fighting aura erupted!
“Swoosh—!!” Even though she had been prepared, in that instant Chun-Li still couldn’t help but exclaim inwardly, ‘So fast!’ No probing, no circling—Yang was like a ferocious cannonball, rushing toward Chun-Li at an astonishing speed amid his bursting fighting aura.
Overwhelming force exploded from his entire body, and in that moment of violent eruption, even the air was torn apart by his sturdy legs, letting out a shrieking whistle.
At the moment of contact, Yang’s right fist, like the fangs of a savage beast, struck straight upward at Chun-Li’s flank from below!
Feeling Yang’s violence and speed, Chun-Li did not choose to take it head-on.
Her supporting leg stood unmoving, while her other leg rose to her side at an astonishing speed.
The blow landed squarely—and though she had anticipated it, at the moment of contact, accompanied by a muffled sound, a trace of gravity still showed in the depths of Chun-Li’s eyes.
So heavy.
Unlike the martial-arts style that Gen had displayed in Chun-Li’s memory, Yang showed no particularly profound or exquisite technique.
It was simply, purely—immense power!
Just as in this moment, his first strike thwarted, Yang showed not the slightest discouragement.
Because in the very next instant, as the blood and qi throughout his body surged once more, Yang’s second and third punches followed in quick succession, aimed straight at her jaw and her midsection.
Meeting each move as it came, Chun-Li too sank her waist and channeled her qi, blocking and batting aside Yang’s two punches one after another.
Although she defended successfully, that fierce, raw force still left both her arms throbbing with a swollen ache.
But this pain did not disturb Chun-Li’s thoughts.
Instead, she sidestepped to dodge a follow-up punch from Yang, and in the instant when Yang’s old force was spent and his new force not yet born, she landed a side kick squarely against his waist!