Post by angelofmusic1992 on Jun 4, 2019 23:22:49 GMT
Yang looked up at the building that Aqua had stopped in front of. It looked like all the other seedy-looking buildings in the Garcon Perdu. But Yang, Aqua, and several other cops were all here for a reason. A new craze had been sweeping the underground fighting world, and it was starting to result in more than a few deaths.
Appropriately labeled “Dog Fights” these matches usually involved pitting one fighter against several others, one after the other. Sometimes, he faced only one other opponent. Other times, he faced a small group. It didn’t matter. The main entertainment was seeing how long he could last before he finally collapsed from exhaustion. As the cops soon discovered though, that collapse could result in death from too many injuries or head trauma. And that was why they were cracking down hard as soon as they’d figured out what was going on. Yang and Aqua were here to bust a supposed Dog Fight that was happening inside this building.
Aside from a few cars around the building, there was nothing else in sight. Maybe everyone who was participating figured that they were safe from the cops tonight. They were soon to be proven wrong.
Yang and Aqua got out of the police car, and were soon joined by several other officers. Aqua had experience with busting in on things like this, and Yang herself had been part of underground fights for a number of years while living on the streets. It was the main reason they were chosen to be in charge of this.
“Alright, it doesn’t look like they know we’re here,” Aqua said. “We hit ‘em fast, and we hit ‘em hard. Don’t underestimate them. Some of these guys have probably been doing underground fights for a long time.”
The other officers nodded in agreement. They were ready. Yang’s fists were already glowing a dull amber.
“Okay, go!”
At the sound of Aqua’s command, the group of officers dashed for the front door and rushed inside. Yang took in everything that was in front of her in an instant: the crowd of people gathered in a circle, the small fighting ring that lay in the middle, and the two fighters that were inside it. They were both women, almost young enough to be mistaken for teenagers. One had blonde hair and striking blue eyes. The other seemed to be a werecat of some sort, with sharp claws, pointy ears, and a tail. Both looked worse for wear, and Yang couldn’t figure out who had been fighting longer. But that wasn’t really important right now. What was important was getting as many of these people in cuffs as possible.
“This is the police. Everybody freeze!” Aqua yelled.
Some people actually did freeze, rooted to the spot as they panicked. Everyone else, however, did not react like a deer in the headlights and instantly started scrambling towards doors, windows, any place where they could make a break for it.
Aqua, Yang, and the rest of the officers sprang into action at once. Fists flew, magic spells were cast, and bullets were fired. Yang’s flames proved enough to stun several people at once, which gave the other officers plenty of time to restrain them. If this were any other kind of underground fight, Yang might have felt some pity towards arresting people that she used to be just like once. But she knew that even if she was still on the streets, she’d never participate or condone these Dog Fights. They were inhumane and wrong.
Yang soon came face-to-face with the cat-girl who had been in the ring before. She gave a hiss and charged forward. Yang side-stepped her attack and responded with a fiery kick of her own. She hit the cat-girl square in the back and she fell to the floor. She struggled to get up, but she soon collapsed again. The fight she had been in had taken too much out of her. Yang was about to slap cuffs on her when she heard a voice behind her.
“Yang?”
Yang spun around, and her eyes widened. Right in front of her was someone she never thought she’d see again. Black hair, a matching beard, grey eyes, this was none other than Junior Xiong. The two stared at each other, at a loss for words for a moment. But it didn’t take long for Junior’s face to become angry.
“What happened to you, Yang?” he asked. “You used to be a popular contestant during my fights. And now you’re cracking down on us with the cops?”
“Those days are long behind me and you know it,” Yang retorted. “These aren’t fights, Junior. This is murder. I knew you were all about staging good fights to get cash, but this is low, even for you.”
“You’re a traitor!” Junior shouted. “My fights were the main way you got cash. Without me, you and your brats would have starved to death!”
Yang gritted her teeth. Nobody insulted her kids like that. She took a step towards Junior, but not before he pulled something out of his jacket pocket. Something she recognized in an instant.
“Smoke bomb!” she yelled, but it was too late. Junior threw the bomb against the ground. Instantly, thick dark smoke emerged and spread out across the room. Yang coughed, trying to see through the haze. It took about a minute for a fellow cop who had wind power to blow the smoke away with gusts of air. By that time, several of the fighters and audience members had escaped. Including Junior.
Yang sighed. She’d figured they wouldn’t be able to get every single person here, but the fact that Junior was involved in this left a bad taste in her mouth.
“Hey, you okay?”
Yang looked up. Aqua had spoken to her. Aside from a bruise or two, the fairy looked alright.
“Yeah,” Yang replied. “Didn’t get banged up too much. I’ll be fine.”
“Who was that guy?” Aqua asked. “With the beard. He was yelling at you.”
Yang gave another sigh. “That was Junior. He organized a lot of the fights I was part of, back when I was living on the streets. He liked me, said I brought in a lot of business. Money motivates him more than anything else.” She looked back at where Junior had been standing only a few minutes beforehand. “And it looks like he’s in charge of this Dog Fighting craze. He’s probably organizing as many as he can, trying to get as much cash as possible while people still like it.”
“Well, at least we know who to look for next time we make a move,” Aqua said. “After we get everyone here off to a cell, you should probably give as much info on him as you can. Any little tidbit might help us catch him and stop these Dog Fights before they get anyone else killed.”
Yang nodded. “Right. I’ll get on that.” She turned around and found the cat-girl she’d been fighting earlier. She was still out cold, but none of her injuries looked life-threatening. It looked like this Dog Fight hadn’t killed her. Yang hoped she knew how lucky she was.
A few weeks later, Yang was taking the opportunity to spend some time with Louie and Jenny. Despite busting another Dog Fight, the Others Unit still wasn’t any closer to catching Junior. Yang had been working hard, feeling like this was personal. She wanted another opportunity to face Junior, and she wouldn’t hesitate this time.
“Yang? Hello? Earth to Yang?”
“Huh?”
Yang glanced down. Jenny had been reaching up as high as she could, trying to wave her left hand in front of her face while holding her orange cat with the other.
“You’re spacing out. Are you thinking about the good times?”
“Not exactly,” Yang replied. She glanced back to the Stella Theatre that lay before her. She’d figured she and the kids could take a detour and check on the place, for old times’s sake. So far, it was still abandoned and decrepit-looking, but she couldn’t deny that she still felt a fondness for the place.
“Did you really have to bring your pet cat along?” Louie asked, his hands in his pockets. “I doubt we’re gonna be able to go inside anywhere with him along.”
“Oliver needed some fresh air,” Jenny insisted. “Besides, he didn’t want to be alone in the house all day. Did you, Oliver?” She scratched the cat under his chin, making him purr.
“Maybe we should spend today doing outdoor stuff,” Yang suggested. “We can always go to the park. With Jenny along, I don’t think Oliver can get into too much trouble.”
Jenny smiled at that idea. Louie did too. However, any thoughts about spending the afternoon at the park were cut short when a sinister-sounding voice spoke behind them.
“Finally, Yang. We’ve got you right where we want you.”
Yang spun around, and her heart stopped. It was Junior himself, and he had quite a number of tough-looking thugs with him.
“You don’t know how long I waited for just the right moment to get you,” Junior continued, a smug look on his face. “You’ve been a real thorn in my side these past few weeks. Now, it’s finally my turn to put a stop to it.”
Yang’s hands curled into fists. Of course she should have figured Junior would see this as personal too. One of his star fighters was now hunting him down and destroying his business. She should have known that he’d single her out from the other officers. But that didn’t matter to her now. Flames circled around her fists as she put herself between the kids and Junior.
“Louie, Jenny, you get somewhere safe. Now,” she said. “I’ll handle this.”
“But…Yang…” Jenny’s voice shook as she hugged Oliver closer to her chest.
“I said go!” And with that, Yang charged forwards, fists blazing. Junior’s thugs met her head on. Everything quickly became a blur of fists and flames as Yang tried to take down the men around her. Every time she’d land a hit on one, another would retaliate. It soon became impossible for her to keep track of what was happening outside the fight.
“Freeze Yang, or your kids get it!”
Yang turned at Junior’s yell and instantly came to a halt. Two of Junior’s thugs had Louie and Jenny in their grasp, and no matter how much the kids struggled, they couldn’t break free. Yang’s heart sank. They hadn’t been able to get away fast enough. Jenny’s cat was no where in sight, but that was the least of Yang’s concerns right now. Knowing she had no choice, she raised her hands in surrender.
“Very good,” Junior replied. “Things will go much more smoothly now if you don’t resist.”
One of the thugs came up behind Yang. She felt a sharp pressure at the base of her neck, and then everything went black.
When Yang awoke, she had a major headache. And it didn’t get any better when she realized that she had no idea where she was. The room was bare save for the pole that her hands were chained behind. She gave a half-hearted tug, but they held fast. And she doubted she could melt them off either. Junior had obviously prepared in advance for this.
The door in front of her soon opened, and almost as if he had known she was thinking of him, Junior stepped through, looking very pleased with himself.
“Sorry I couldn’t make your accommodations more comfortable,” he said. “I had to take the necessary precautions.”
“Where are Jenny and Louie?” Yang demanded. “If you hurt them, I swear to God-“
“Relax, your two little munchkins are fine,” Junior replied. “And no harm will come to them, if you do exactly as I say.”
Yang groaned. This was a bad situation. Junior had played her hook, line, and sinker. Of course he’d wait to get back at her once she had at least one kid with her. They were the perfect leverage.
“Okay. What do you want?” she asked.
“There’s a special Dog Fight I’m hosting tonight,” Junior explained. “Quite a lot of people will be participating, and attending as well. And you will be my main contestant. You will be put into the ring and fight until you can’t fight any longer. You will be my main attraction, one last time.”
Yang glared at Junior. She highly doubted he’d stop a match if she just collapsed from exhaustion. He was betting that she’d end up dead just like so many other Dog Fight participants. It was the perfect revenge for him.
“Fine. I’ll do your stupid little fight, on one condition,” she replied. “Whether I live by the end of this or not, you let Louie and Jenny go. Agreed?”
“I thought you’d ask that,” Junior said. “Very well. It’s a deal. I’ll come collect you once the fight is about to start. I hope you give a good show.” He gave a smile before opening the door and shutting it behind him.
Yang let out a slow breath, trying not to panic. Whether she survived or not, Louie and Jenny would still go free. That was the most important thing. As for the fight itself, well, she would give it everything she had. If she was lucky, maybe the Others Unit would find her before she got a life-threatening injury. If not, well, if she was going to go down, then she would go down swinging.
Appropriately labeled “Dog Fights” these matches usually involved pitting one fighter against several others, one after the other. Sometimes, he faced only one other opponent. Other times, he faced a small group. It didn’t matter. The main entertainment was seeing how long he could last before he finally collapsed from exhaustion. As the cops soon discovered though, that collapse could result in death from too many injuries or head trauma. And that was why they were cracking down hard as soon as they’d figured out what was going on. Yang and Aqua were here to bust a supposed Dog Fight that was happening inside this building.
Aside from a few cars around the building, there was nothing else in sight. Maybe everyone who was participating figured that they were safe from the cops tonight. They were soon to be proven wrong.
Yang and Aqua got out of the police car, and were soon joined by several other officers. Aqua had experience with busting in on things like this, and Yang herself had been part of underground fights for a number of years while living on the streets. It was the main reason they were chosen to be in charge of this.
“Alright, it doesn’t look like they know we’re here,” Aqua said. “We hit ‘em fast, and we hit ‘em hard. Don’t underestimate them. Some of these guys have probably been doing underground fights for a long time.”
The other officers nodded in agreement. They were ready. Yang’s fists were already glowing a dull amber.
“Okay, go!”
At the sound of Aqua’s command, the group of officers dashed for the front door and rushed inside. Yang took in everything that was in front of her in an instant: the crowd of people gathered in a circle, the small fighting ring that lay in the middle, and the two fighters that were inside it. They were both women, almost young enough to be mistaken for teenagers. One had blonde hair and striking blue eyes. The other seemed to be a werecat of some sort, with sharp claws, pointy ears, and a tail. Both looked worse for wear, and Yang couldn’t figure out who had been fighting longer. But that wasn’t really important right now. What was important was getting as many of these people in cuffs as possible.
“This is the police. Everybody freeze!” Aqua yelled.
Some people actually did freeze, rooted to the spot as they panicked. Everyone else, however, did not react like a deer in the headlights and instantly started scrambling towards doors, windows, any place where they could make a break for it.
Aqua, Yang, and the rest of the officers sprang into action at once. Fists flew, magic spells were cast, and bullets were fired. Yang’s flames proved enough to stun several people at once, which gave the other officers plenty of time to restrain them. If this were any other kind of underground fight, Yang might have felt some pity towards arresting people that she used to be just like once. But she knew that even if she was still on the streets, she’d never participate or condone these Dog Fights. They were inhumane and wrong.
Yang soon came face-to-face with the cat-girl who had been in the ring before. She gave a hiss and charged forward. Yang side-stepped her attack and responded with a fiery kick of her own. She hit the cat-girl square in the back and she fell to the floor. She struggled to get up, but she soon collapsed again. The fight she had been in had taken too much out of her. Yang was about to slap cuffs on her when she heard a voice behind her.
“Yang?”
Yang spun around, and her eyes widened. Right in front of her was someone she never thought she’d see again. Black hair, a matching beard, grey eyes, this was none other than Junior Xiong. The two stared at each other, at a loss for words for a moment. But it didn’t take long for Junior’s face to become angry.
“What happened to you, Yang?” he asked. “You used to be a popular contestant during my fights. And now you’re cracking down on us with the cops?”
“Those days are long behind me and you know it,” Yang retorted. “These aren’t fights, Junior. This is murder. I knew you were all about staging good fights to get cash, but this is low, even for you.”
“You’re a traitor!” Junior shouted. “My fights were the main way you got cash. Without me, you and your brats would have starved to death!”
Yang gritted her teeth. Nobody insulted her kids like that. She took a step towards Junior, but not before he pulled something out of his jacket pocket. Something she recognized in an instant.
“Smoke bomb!” she yelled, but it was too late. Junior threw the bomb against the ground. Instantly, thick dark smoke emerged and spread out across the room. Yang coughed, trying to see through the haze. It took about a minute for a fellow cop who had wind power to blow the smoke away with gusts of air. By that time, several of the fighters and audience members had escaped. Including Junior.
Yang sighed. She’d figured they wouldn’t be able to get every single person here, but the fact that Junior was involved in this left a bad taste in her mouth.
“Hey, you okay?”
Yang looked up. Aqua had spoken to her. Aside from a bruise or two, the fairy looked alright.
“Yeah,” Yang replied. “Didn’t get banged up too much. I’ll be fine.”
“Who was that guy?” Aqua asked. “With the beard. He was yelling at you.”
Yang gave another sigh. “That was Junior. He organized a lot of the fights I was part of, back when I was living on the streets. He liked me, said I brought in a lot of business. Money motivates him more than anything else.” She looked back at where Junior had been standing only a few minutes beforehand. “And it looks like he’s in charge of this Dog Fighting craze. He’s probably organizing as many as he can, trying to get as much cash as possible while people still like it.”
“Well, at least we know who to look for next time we make a move,” Aqua said. “After we get everyone here off to a cell, you should probably give as much info on him as you can. Any little tidbit might help us catch him and stop these Dog Fights before they get anyone else killed.”
Yang nodded. “Right. I’ll get on that.” She turned around and found the cat-girl she’d been fighting earlier. She was still out cold, but none of her injuries looked life-threatening. It looked like this Dog Fight hadn’t killed her. Yang hoped she knew how lucky she was.
A few weeks later, Yang was taking the opportunity to spend some time with Louie and Jenny. Despite busting another Dog Fight, the Others Unit still wasn’t any closer to catching Junior. Yang had been working hard, feeling like this was personal. She wanted another opportunity to face Junior, and she wouldn’t hesitate this time.
“Yang? Hello? Earth to Yang?”
“Huh?”
Yang glanced down. Jenny had been reaching up as high as she could, trying to wave her left hand in front of her face while holding her orange cat with the other.
“You’re spacing out. Are you thinking about the good times?”
“Not exactly,” Yang replied. She glanced back to the Stella Theatre that lay before her. She’d figured she and the kids could take a detour and check on the place, for old times’s sake. So far, it was still abandoned and decrepit-looking, but she couldn’t deny that she still felt a fondness for the place.
“Did you really have to bring your pet cat along?” Louie asked, his hands in his pockets. “I doubt we’re gonna be able to go inside anywhere with him along.”
“Oliver needed some fresh air,” Jenny insisted. “Besides, he didn’t want to be alone in the house all day. Did you, Oliver?” She scratched the cat under his chin, making him purr.
“Maybe we should spend today doing outdoor stuff,” Yang suggested. “We can always go to the park. With Jenny along, I don’t think Oliver can get into too much trouble.”
Jenny smiled at that idea. Louie did too. However, any thoughts about spending the afternoon at the park were cut short when a sinister-sounding voice spoke behind them.
“Finally, Yang. We’ve got you right where we want you.”
Yang spun around, and her heart stopped. It was Junior himself, and he had quite a number of tough-looking thugs with him.
“You don’t know how long I waited for just the right moment to get you,” Junior continued, a smug look on his face. “You’ve been a real thorn in my side these past few weeks. Now, it’s finally my turn to put a stop to it.”
Yang’s hands curled into fists. Of course she should have figured Junior would see this as personal too. One of his star fighters was now hunting him down and destroying his business. She should have known that he’d single her out from the other officers. But that didn’t matter to her now. Flames circled around her fists as she put herself between the kids and Junior.
“Louie, Jenny, you get somewhere safe. Now,” she said. “I’ll handle this.”
“But…Yang…” Jenny’s voice shook as she hugged Oliver closer to her chest.
“I said go!” And with that, Yang charged forwards, fists blazing. Junior’s thugs met her head on. Everything quickly became a blur of fists and flames as Yang tried to take down the men around her. Every time she’d land a hit on one, another would retaliate. It soon became impossible for her to keep track of what was happening outside the fight.
“Freeze Yang, or your kids get it!”
Yang turned at Junior’s yell and instantly came to a halt. Two of Junior’s thugs had Louie and Jenny in their grasp, and no matter how much the kids struggled, they couldn’t break free. Yang’s heart sank. They hadn’t been able to get away fast enough. Jenny’s cat was no where in sight, but that was the least of Yang’s concerns right now. Knowing she had no choice, she raised her hands in surrender.
“Very good,” Junior replied. “Things will go much more smoothly now if you don’t resist.”
One of the thugs came up behind Yang. She felt a sharp pressure at the base of her neck, and then everything went black.
When Yang awoke, she had a major headache. And it didn’t get any better when she realized that she had no idea where she was. The room was bare save for the pole that her hands were chained behind. She gave a half-hearted tug, but they held fast. And she doubted she could melt them off either. Junior had obviously prepared in advance for this.
The door in front of her soon opened, and almost as if he had known she was thinking of him, Junior stepped through, looking very pleased with himself.
“Sorry I couldn’t make your accommodations more comfortable,” he said. “I had to take the necessary precautions.”
“Where are Jenny and Louie?” Yang demanded. “If you hurt them, I swear to God-“
“Relax, your two little munchkins are fine,” Junior replied. “And no harm will come to them, if you do exactly as I say.”
Yang groaned. This was a bad situation. Junior had played her hook, line, and sinker. Of course he’d wait to get back at her once she had at least one kid with her. They were the perfect leverage.
“Okay. What do you want?” she asked.
“There’s a special Dog Fight I’m hosting tonight,” Junior explained. “Quite a lot of people will be participating, and attending as well. And you will be my main contestant. You will be put into the ring and fight until you can’t fight any longer. You will be my main attraction, one last time.”
Yang glared at Junior. She highly doubted he’d stop a match if she just collapsed from exhaustion. He was betting that she’d end up dead just like so many other Dog Fight participants. It was the perfect revenge for him.
“Fine. I’ll do your stupid little fight, on one condition,” she replied. “Whether I live by the end of this or not, you let Louie and Jenny go. Agreed?”
“I thought you’d ask that,” Junior said. “Very well. It’s a deal. I’ll come collect you once the fight is about to start. I hope you give a good show.” He gave a smile before opening the door and shutting it behind him.
Yang let out a slow breath, trying not to panic. Whether she survived or not, Louie and Jenny would still go free. That was the most important thing. As for the fight itself, well, she would give it everything she had. If she was lucky, maybe the Others Unit would find her before she got a life-threatening injury. If not, well, if she was going to go down, then she would go down swinging.