Chapter 6: Majestic vs Ryu
Amy called the others. I woke up five minutes later in the garage with everyone there, including Cameron. Lana was still knocked out and seeing her like that…it pulled on my heartstrings.
“How do you feel man?” Ken asked me.
“Amy told us what happened.” Renny noted.
“I guess there’s more to you than meets the eye.” Ryu said with his arms crossed.
“There is.” I told him.
Cameron stepped forward with that sky blue hair of hers. “I’m sorry, Majestic. I didn’t want to come between you and Lana like that. I just really like you.”
I winced with pain in my back as I stood up and looked her in her eyes. “Don’t worry. Lana and I had nothing to do with you. If you want to go out with me, I’m all for it.”
Her face lit up with a beaming smile. We hugged. It hurt more than I thought it would, so I playfully nudged her back.
Ken sighed as he approached and brushed against my shoulder. “You know, you guys going out won’t exactly ease the tension between you and Lana.”
“Lana doesn’t love me, Ken. The only reason why she hated me so much is because I beat her in a fight before.”
Renny rolled her eyes. “That’s all fine and dandy, but would you mind explaining the lightning incident?
I shrugged.
“No one can just catch a bolt of lightning and throw it back, Majestic. It’s impossible. Even the Masters of the Universe can’t.” She said.
I shook my head. “I can’t explain it.”
“I can.” Amy spoke up to say. “As I watched the fight, I noticed Majestic has the ability to raise his power level.”
“What?” Ryu said in shock and anger. “No way. That’s impossible!”
“As I was saying, Majestic has the ability to raise his power level. That’s the reason he hurts so much right now. Must be his first time in a real battle. And…I don’t think he caught the lightning. He more or less absorbed it and generated his own.”
As Amy was telling us this, Ryu kept shaking his head in disbelief. “This is ridiculous. He’s just a normal human being.” He grumbled.
“He’s more than human.” Chris said. “He’s the son of a Master of the Universe.”
All eyes were on Chris. And so, Chris told them everything he told me the day he showed me his powers. He showed them.
“So you have the power to freeze things. That only leads to another question. What are you?” Ryu asked him.
Chris said he didn’t know. When I asked what a Master of the Universe was, Renny scoffed and said, “Don’t worry about it, Majestic. I seriously doubt that you’re the son of one. If you were, you’d be living in Avalon right now.”
I rolled my eyes. “Alright, so once again. What’s a Master of the Universe?”
“There are twelve Masters, Majestic. Each control an aspect of the Universe. Sort of like the Greek gods. One has the power of water, another fire, and so on. Don’t get me wrong, their power pales in comparison to the one true God. No one worships the Masters, but nonetheless, they are immortal.” Amy explained.
“Isn’t a Master of the Universe’s heart…it’s not really a heart, right?” Chris asked.
Mina nodded. “That’s true, Chris! Instead of an actual heart that pumps blood, they’re heart is made up of…”
“A diamond?” Chris asked.
“That’s right!” Mina said.
“Well then. We’re looking at a son of the Master of the Universe.” Chris said, patting me on the back.
“Whatever, Chris. Yeah, like we’re just going to believe all that over a dream. You guys have a good night. It’s been real.” Ryu said, all cold and dismissive as he walked off towards the limo.
Ken followed. “I have to tell ya, boys. It does sound crazy.”
“Yeah, well just remember!” Chris shouted. “When Majestic does all sorts of amazing things, just remember!”
Ken smirked, put his arm around Serena, and walked off.
The rain was gone by then. The sun was going down. In the cold sky, all you could see was gray stretched cotton balls that seem to flow from the sun. Lana was still knocked out, breathing in short breaths. As everyone branched off with their own discussions, I put the back of my hand to Lana’s head. It was hot.
“Chris.” I called over. “She’s hot bro. Do you think you can cool her down?”
“Hang on!” Rei stressed. “Have you mastered your abilities yet? I don’t want you to turn her head into a popsicle!”
“Relax!” Chris smiled. “I got this.”
“Oh man! I forgot. What are we going to do about our last scene? I doubt Lana will want to kiss me after to day.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Mina smirked. “We’ll just dye Cameron’s hair brown and have her stand in for the kiss.”
Cameron blushed. And Chris was so into Mina that he forgot what he was doing. Lana’s eyes shot wide open as she cringed from the pain, slapping at Chris’s hand. “Ow!” she groaned.
“Oh! My bad.” Chris apologized.
Lana sat up and looked at me with those beautiful brown eyes. “You won Majestic. Fair in square.”
The limo Ken and Ryu were in backed up to come into view for us in the garage. It was their passive aggressive way of saying they were ready to leave. The girls helped up Lana and ushered her to the car. But she stopped to say, “Just because you beat me, doesn’t mean we’re going to be friends all the sudden. But I’ll work on it. Merry Christmas, guys.”
“Merry Christmas,” Chris and I said.
With that, G-Force left in the stretch limo and down the road. The streetlights turned on. Chris and I leaned against out dad’s car, staring up at the lights.
“Man, what a day. First you had to go to work on Christmas day. Met a fine ass girl who just so happens to be another cousin to the girl of your dreams. Get in a fight with the girl of your dreams. Get blasted in the back. And you still have to go to work tomorrow. On a Saturday.”
I smirked. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“Man, this was the best Christmas ever! Let’s go in.”
…
The next day, we finished the movie. We had a big party in our backyard and everyone was invited. As it turned out, Cameron was my date and Chris didn’t have the guts to ask Mina. But he did dance with her. The following morning before we went to Sunday school, Chris and I had to clean the yard…what a drag.
…
Over the next few days, us Backstreet Boys and the Sailor Scouts, the collective group known as G-Force…we went on vacation. Our friendship grew with each experience. Cameron and I agreed to be boyfriend and girlfriends, but the truth was, I didn’t even see her after we finished our scenes. And with Lana always there, I kinda just lost interest.
We went to Myrtle Beach and Charleston to see some of the old dungeons where pirates were hanged. And of course, Chris had to pull a few pranks on the other tourists before he could say with confidence that he enjoyed his vacation.
Then came New Years Eve. Mom and Dad wanted us to be home to pop fireworks and stuff. We rode in the day before and dad told us that Ms. B was in town. Mr. B wanted to meet with us Backstreet Boys at ten the following morning in the school gym.
Chris and I showed up on time, very excited to see what the big producer had in store. Ken and Ryu showed up late, probably just to spite Mr. B. When they showed up, we all sat in chairs around a desk that Mr. B set up.
“Backstreet Boys, I’ve been talking to the board members of Revolution studios. They heard your son and they said it was rockin, man. Rockin!”
“Awesome!” Chris cheered.
“That’s great!” I mused.
“That’s not all,” Ben said. “They want to sign you to a five year contract to produce five albums. We’re talkin’ award shows, television, and of course movies. And they’re offering, check this out, twenty million a year for each of you. You’re going to be big! The most famous teens on the planet!”
Chris and I looked at each other and started screaming like little girls. It was incredible. We jumped up and hugged, literally bouncing in circles. Ken looked at his father with pride. He clapped his hand and embraced Mr. B with a hug.
“Uh…Mr. B., I was wondering if I could speak to the group in private.” Ryu said.
Chris and I calmed down and Ken frowned. Ryu was the only one who didn’t seem to pleased at the news.
“Uh, yeah. Sure! Hey, that’s what being in a group’s about. Communication! I’ll be back in an hour. Talk it out, boys! We’re going to do big things. Big things!”
Mr. B left the gym with his staff, leaving the gym to four twelve-year-old boys with our whole futures ahead of us.
“What’s wrong, Ryu?” Ken grumbled.
“Guys, it’s been real, knowing you and all. But there’s no way I’m about to be in a group with you. I’m sorry.” Ryu said.
I balled up my fist and glared at him.
“What?! That’s bullshit man!” Ken shouted.
“I’m sorry but…”
“You sorry?” Chris said, getting teary-eyed. “You’re not sorry. You’re just selfish! A bunch of low life Georgia boys are going to make as much money as you and you can’t take it.”
“Look, I made my decision.” Ryu said, glaring Chris down.
“And I made mine.” Ken declared. “Ryu, we’re gonna have a street fight. If I win, they stay.”
“Bring it on, punk!” Ryu sniped back, pushing Ken in his chest.
“No Ken!” I said getting between the boys. “This is our future on the line. This is our fight. I’ll fight him.”
Ryu chuckled, almost spitting in my face with his ridicule. “Fine! It’s settled then. Let’s do this.” He said, whipping off his jacket and throwing it to the corner.
Ken stared at me in disbelief as I put on my red fighting gloves and let the focus charge through my body.
“Dude, are you insane? Don’t get cocky just because you beat Jupiter. The girls rely on their magic and stuff. This is a Street Fight. Ryu is practically an expert.”
“He’s just a twelve-year-old kid, Ken. Same as me.”
“Dog, I know I taught you a lot and you’re the determined type. But as your teacher, I must say, you’re going to lose.”
“Thanks.” I said bluntly.
Chris took my jacket as Ken explained, “Here are the rules. Anything goes. If a man’s down with closed eyes, you cannot attack. If you’re down for ten seconds, you lose. Let’s begin.”
Ryu was wearing a white Reebok tee shirt tucked in black jeans. He also had a pair of red sparring gloves. I wore a gray Nike shirt, tucked into baggy blue jeans. Chris helped me stretch. Meanwhile, Ryu sat on the ground Indian style and looked as if he was meditating. When he stood up, he stretched out a red headband and tied it around his forehead.
We got into the same karate stance. Except, his hands were opened, his fingers relaxed. My fists were closed but my grip was loose. We stood away from each other at a distance.
Ryu threw the first punch and it smacked me hard in the face. He was quick. But Lana’s punches were stronger. Back to back punches, he threw. I had to keep moving my feet to dodge him. I was so focused on my defense that I had no time to think about going on the offensive. This was Ryu’s style. Ruthless. Relentless.
He kept throwing an array of punches until my back away against the wall under one of the basketball goals. Finally, I caught one of his arms and slung him against the wall. As soon as he bounced off the cinderblock, I slugged in him in his left eye. But that bastard…He simply spun with my hook and side-kicked me in the ribs to send me sliding back to the free throw line.
I stayed up right, but he was back at it. This time, instead of trying to evade the attacks, I tried to block and parry his punches. I had to be quick. But I wasn’t quick enough. He threw two punches at my face and finished it off with a spinning heel kick to the jaw. I spun in midair before hitting the ground. Ryu’s techniques were flawless. Ken wasn’t lying. He was a martial arts master.
I got up to my knees and clenched my jaw from the pain. I felt it. My energy was starting to grow. Ryu squinted his eyes before executing a series of back hand-springs to create distance between us.
“He’s getting ready for another attack, Majestic!” Chris shouted.
As Ryu was springing backwards, I raced for him. As soon as he stopped, I ran, jumped, and kicked him in his chest to send him flying back against the wall. He bounced off the cement and dropped to his knees, looking up at me with an incredulous look on his face.
“No way. How is he this strong?” Ryu said under his breath.
He hit the wall hard, so I was legitimately concerned. “Ryu! Are you alright?” I asked, noticing the blood from his lip.
“Alright, punk. Get ready for my hurricane kick!” Ryu shouted.
“Oh shit. That’s not good.” Ken mumbled.
“What? What’s a hurricane kick?” Chris asked. “
“A very powerful move. He jumps up and kicks his right leg around so fast that it literally looks like he’s gliding in a hurricane.” Ken explained.
Ryu did the hurricane kick. Man it was so fast. His foot must have slapped me about three times in the face before I could cover up. And with each hit, my energy grew. I felt myself getting stronger. By time the sixth one hit me, I grabbed his leg in midair and swung him across the floor. Ken’s jaw dropped in astonishment.
“See…remember what I told you.” Chris told him.
Ryu got back to his feet. “Alright. You’ve had it punk!”
Ryu put his wrists together and bent his arms as if he was about to throw something at me. And there, I saw sparks. I felt the heat of his energy rising as a ball of light formed within his hands.
“HADO-KEN!”
A massive ball of energy came shooting from his hands and blasted me hard in the chest. I went from the middle of the gym to the wall in less than two seconds. The impact left a crater in the wall and I fell on my stomach.
“Whoa! What the fuck was that!?” Chris shouted.
“The hado-ken.” Ken said in dismay. He began his count to ten.
My body should have had an out of order sign taped to the back of my shirt.
“Three!” Ken shouted.
My face was flat on the floor. I couldn’t move. I was scared.
“Five!”
I had to get up. Me and Chris’s future was on the line. Twenty million dollars was on the line. Chris’s life was on the line. Chris still needed all four of us to defeat his brothers. Our relationship could not end there. So when Ken counted to seven, I willed myself up. I was back on my feet before Ken could count to ten.
Man, Ryu was so pissed. You should have seen the look in his eyes. It’s like he was about to explode.
“I don’t believe it.” Ken whispered. “he’s the first person to ever get up in a street fight after the Hado-Ken.”
“Remember what I…”
“Shut up, Chris.” Ken barked.
“Fine.” Ryu huffed. “I didn’t want to do this. My Dragon Punch leaves people crippled for weeks.”
“No one’s making you do anything!” As I shouted this, a spark of electricity flashed around my leg. It happened so quick that I wasn’t sure what I saw.
“GET READY!” Ryu shouted.
He ran at me full speed. I felt my energy rising. All the same symptoms followed from before, the time I caught Jupiter’s lightning. But this time, I saw tiny volts of electricity swarm all around me. I clenched my jaw. The pain swiftly came over my body. Everything slowed down at that moment, Ryu’s running in stride, Chris’s shouting for me, Ken pointing for me to pay attention, everything was happening in slow motion.
Then I saw it. A small, almost microscopic diamond floating in midair. I don’t know why, but almost instinctively, I reached out and grabbed it. Suddenly, it felt like my body was on fire.
Everything went back to normal speed. Ryu came fast and strong, but before he got too close, I dashed for him and slammed both of my fists into his chest and stomach. As he was shoved back, a massive bolt of lightning flowed from my arms and finger tips, streaming into Ryu’s body, electrocuting him, tearing his clothes to shreds. Ryu soared across the gym and hit the ground.
I heard Chris cheering for me but I was fixated on my hands, trying to figure out what happened. Ken began his countdown. Ryu was defeated. I walked over to see if Ryu needed some help. Within the minute, Ryu was sitting up. Still, spite remained in his eyes.
“Alright, Majestic. You’ve won. Ken, go ahead and tell you’re old man that we accept.”
“That’s very mature of you, Ryu.” Ken said as he approached.
Ryu laid back down and covered his face, waving Ken away. “Yeah, whatever. Just go get him.” He said.
As Ken hurried off to get his dad, Ryu issued a strong warning while he was laying there on the basketball court.
“Majestic, this might sound strange but it’s true. If you think I’m the stuck up Hollywood prep type, I’m not. Not only am I a talented entertainer, I’m a dedicated Street Fighter. Ken’s won the last few martial arts competitions but none of us has ever won a Street Fighter tournament.”
Then he sat up and squinted his eyes as me. “There’s only one other person who’s ever beaten Sailor Jupiter and it isn’t me. I tried and lost to her. But you won. Twice! That’s why I pushed you to the limits. So you could give me your best in a fight. I’m sorry, man. I hope you can forgive me.”
I gave him the stink eye. “Are you serious? You were acting like a douche because you wanted a fight?”
Ryu chuckled with a nod.
Chris and I smirked. “Anytime.” I told him.
Ken came back in with his dad just as we were helping Ryu off the floor.
“Oh my god! Is everyone alright?” Mr. B asked.
Ryu tugged as his shredded and burned shirt. “Oh, it’s alright.”
“Dad has some bad news.” Ken said.
“It’s not bad news, son. Look, in order for you guys to be on the Revolution Studios label, you have to change your name to G-Force.”
This was the first time I almost seen Chris turn red. Ryu and I looked at Ken’s dad in disbelief.
“Look, the review board saw the movie and thought you and the girls have good chemistry. They want to keep you all together. A co-ed group. They want all of you to fall under the umbrella of G-Force. And look, they knew you guys would be disappointed. So they said whenever the girls get paid, you get paid. And vice versa. You guys get to be in their music videos and they’ll be in yours. Those are the conditions. Take it or leave it.”
Reluctantly, we agreed.
Stage In The Sky 