The Fight Begins! Hanami vs. Viper!! (107)

Akira was the first to notice. A look of concern appeared over his face.

Koi looked at him. "Something up?"

Akira was sweating a little from nervousness. "Anzu's here."

Both Koji and Koi looked alarmed. "Anzu?!!!"

Fumiko was grinning. She was rather happy actually. "Oh, Sister's coming? How fun!"

Anzu suddenly appeared in the sky. She dropped down to the ground and walked up to Akira and stood with her hand on her hip. "Where's the prince? No excuses, just tell me where he is."

Akira said nothing. He pointed behind him to Sara's house.

Anzu walked past him and opened up the door.

Aimi was fast asleep, but Sara was still awake. She jolted at the sight of Anzu. "Why are you here?!" she exclaimed.

Anzu turned her head to see the injured Akasan laying down on the floor. She walked over to him. She rested both of her hands on her hips as she examined him. She frowned and started moving him with her foot. "Hey, get up."

Akasan groaned as his face twitched and opened his eyes. He looked up at Anzu. He sat up and leaned against the wall. "What do you want?"

Anzu grinned. "Fight me."

Akasan stared at her for a second. "No."

Sara nearly fainted.

Anzu scowled. "No?! What do you mean no?!"

Akasan crossed his arms. "I was disqualified wasn't I? There's no reason to fight anymore. I'm going to see this Shogun or whatever."

Anzu tapped her foot impatiently. "I'm not here to kill you, I just want to fight. Plain and simple!! Don't reject me!!"

Sara whispered to Akasan. "Psst!! Hey, Akasan!!"

Akasan looked over to her.

"That's Anzu!! She's the strongest Bloodhound!! Don't make her mad!!"

Akasan frowned. "Eh? Why? I don't really care how strong she is. I have more important stuff to do."

Anzu laughed out loud. "You're bold, I like you!! But you're gonna fight me anyway."

Akasan sighed. "If I fight you, I have two conditions."

Anzu stopped tapping her foot. "Sure, anything."

Akasan pointed at her. "If we fight it'll be a Saisho no Tatakai. If I win, you help me fight the Shogun."

Anzu closed her eyes, thinking. "Saisho no Tatakai... okay. But just so you know, Hanami already went to go see Don Viper."

Akasan's eyes widened. "What?! Now?! No way!!"

Anzu smiled. "Now that we've made that clear, come on already!"

Akasan didn't budge. "Sure, but I can't really fight right now. I'm starving."

Sara stood up. "But your injuries!"

Akasan patted his chest. "I'm fine. I heal fast."

Anzu narrowed her eyes. "So if I bring you food, you'll fight me?"

Akasan nodded.

Anzu ran out the door and flew away.

Sara gave Akasan a sharp look. "Are you insane?!!!"

Akasan laid back down. "Maybe."

Sara nearly tore her hair out from frustration. "What made you think to fight her!!"

Akasan looked at her. "I thought you wanted me to."

"No!! I wanted you to be *respectful*."

Akasan looked back at the ceiling. "Oh, I don't really care about that. I say want I want. Besides, at second glance, she looked fun." He started laughing to himself.

Sara gave up and slid down the wall. "Oh forget it... you really are just a big idiot..."

--

Hanami, Hikaru, and Kosuke were flying through the air at high speed.

Hikaru, sitting up perfectly on his scythe mid-air, meditated as they closed in on their destination. He opened one eye. "We're here."

Kosuke looked down. There certainly was a building there in the middle of what seemed to be a town. It was rather large. The main colors seemed to be green and light gray. It was three stories going up, and it had a considerable amount of land going around all four sides.

Hanami dropped down.

The other two followed.

They walked straight up to the entrance.

Hanami's fists clenched. *"He's here... he's here!!"*

She slid open the front door.

There he was, in the flesh.

Don Viper.

He smiled, still smoking on a cigar. "You had me waiting long enough."

Hanami glared at him. "The time is now! You're stepping down from your position as Shogun!!"

Don looked at the other two with Hanami. Kosuke had his hand resting on the sword on his back, and Hikaru was crouched on the ground with his scythe resting on the front of his shoulder.

Don let out a deep chuckle as he knocked the ash off his cigar. "So it's a three against one is it? I thought you would have more pride about yourselves!"

Hanami's eyes turned to a matte black with a red tint. "And what about your pride? You sit in here living lavish at the cost of other's lives!!"

Don's face grew serious. "Is that what it looks like? Maybe it's true. But I worked hard for everything I have now. If it hurts others, so be it. There's always an opportunity. Everyone doesn't know how to seize it."

Hanami brought a giant tree root from behind her and sent it at Don. "Don't give me that!!!"

Don lowered his eyebrows and grunted. Smoke exploded everywhere, pushing Hanami and the others back.

Hikaru swung his scythe.

The wind swirled around and blew most of it away.

Don walked out of the smoke casually. He took his hands out of his pockets.

Hanami raised both of her hands in the air.

Thirty enormous pillars of wood extended from the ground.

One of them came from underneath Don and pushed him into the air along with it.

The other twenty nine pillars bent and went to crush him.

Viper jumped up to avoid them.

Hanami flew up with him. She made a large block of wood in mid air that floated on the outside of her forearm. She aimed it at Viper. "Hammer!"

Viper caught it with his left hand. Hanami grit her teeth as she struggled to continue moving it. Don's fingers dug into the wood and crushed it, as if it were a foam block. He then punched her back to the ground with a large fist made of smoke.

Kosuke and Hikaru were next to attack.

Kosuke's body became engulfed in blue fire.

Hikaru and Kosuke cut through Viper together, but there was no resistance.

They'd only cut through smoke.

Viper smirked. "Surprised?" He held one hand over each of them.

Two explosions blew them out of the sky and to the ground.

Viper landed on top of the wooden pillar that was still standing after the others collided and fell to the ground.

Hikaru swung his blade. A slice of wind quickly cut the pillar at a diagonal angle and split it.

Kosuke blew out a large blue fireball.

Hanami clapped her hands. A giant vine grew out of the ground behind her.

A sky blue rose blossomed out of it.

"Moon Flower: Rose!!" The rose pointed at Viper and shot out a massive beam of energy.

Viper jumped off of the wooden pillar as it was falling. A massive shot of energy and blue fire was coming his way. He held one of his hands in front of him. "Yin: White Palm!!"

All of the attacks being thrown at him dispersed into nothingness as it came within a few inches of his hand.

Hanami, Hikaru and Kosuke were in shock as Viper landed on the ground with a crash.

The ground trembled from the vibrations.

Don blew out a cloud of smoke. "You all are still inexperienced. Hanami. The two you've brought with you use Yang-based power. Your power is Yin-based but you attacked me with another Yang power. You're making this too easy for me."

Kosuke frowned. "Yin? Yang? What is he talking about?"

Hanami thought about it. "He has mastery over energy control. He can likely negate energy if it's opposite his. If we attack with negative powers, he can negate it by emitting positive energy. That's what happened."

Hanami became shrouded in black aura. So did Hikaru and Kosuke.

Hikaru had a neutral expression on his face. "Then we'll find a way to hit him up close."

They all rushed him at once.

Don's eyes darted left to right as blurs and streaks of black flashed all around him.

They landed various hits on him, but they all just passed through smoke.

Hanami smacked the cigar out of his mouth. It fell to the ground.

Viper looked down at his cigar as the other three constantly passed through his body, attempting to hit him. He again paid attention to the streaks of black. His fists started smoking. "Ignorance, I can stand." He turned around and threw a punch.

It hit Kosuke in the face. "But insolence I cannot!!"

Viper's fist glowed red with heat as Kosuke was sent into the building. The crash of wooden structures falling was heard.

Hanami and Hikaru stopped attacking. They slid back on the ground.

Viper rubbed his fist. "My hands can split mountains in two. I'd be impressed if that brat got back up."

Hikaru looked at Hanami. "His abilities are troublesome. What do we do?"

Hanami thought for a moment. Then she looked at him. "I have an idea. Keep Viper busy."

Hikaru nodded. He spun his scythe around in his hands and ran at Viper. He fought on even ground with him, dodging his attacks, but he couldn't hit his own. All of his swings were only touching smoke.

Viper glanced downward for a moment. Grass was growing out from the rock. *"What's that girl planning?"* he thought. He continued fighting Hikaru. *"This kid's actually top of the line at close combat. But it's all useless if he can't hit me, I have nothing to worry about."*

Then Viper noticed something was wrong. He caught on quickly. His hand grabbed Hikaru's scythe. Both he and Hikaru thought the same thing: *"It didn't pass through!"*

Viper looked at the grass below him. "So you're taking my energy? Giga Drain right? Clever girl." He pulled on the scythe in order to draw in Hikaru.

Hikaru quickly let go of it and jumped back. Viper tossed the weapon behind him. He crossed his arms and casually stomped his right foot once.

The ground cracked open all over the place as smoke suddenly rose from the earth like trapped steam.

A flash of fire spread over the ground like a shockwave and burned the grass instantly.

Hikaru lunged forward once again. He narrowed his eyes. "What's your power?"

Viper once again could not be hit by normal attacks. He grinned. "Wanna know?"

Don took a deep breath in, then blew out at Hikaru.

Dark gray plumes of smoke came out of Viper's mouth. "Toxic Ash!!"

Hanami quickly covered her face. "It's poison!" She jumped back.

When the smoke dissipated, Hikaru was unconscious.

Viper smirked. He tilted his head up and blew out an eruption of smoke. "The answer is volcano!!"

Hikaru fell back and didn't move.

Hanami was in trouble and she knew it. She'd started a fight that she wasn't sure she could finish.

She didn't think that Don Viper was this strong.

She knew he was powerful to an extent, but this, this was too much.

Kosuke and Hikaru weren't weak by any means. In fact, they were near Akira's level in terms of skill. And yet Viper took out them both.

Hanami glared. She clapped her hands together. "This is something only I can do. Viper!! I'm bringing you down at any cost!!"