She rushed past the principal and out of the double doors. As she entered the schoolyard, she was greeted with a familiar sight. Rocky's red Jeep was parked right out front. Rocky De Santos, waving for her to hurry, was really letting the horn blare, cutting into the silence of the surrounding neighborhood.
"Rocky!" Aisha exclaimed. A sigh of relief escaped her body because this saved her the trip of finding another way to the center.
"Hurry it up, Aisha!" Rocky shouted, "They're about to start the competition! We'll miss the first few demonstrations!"
She jumped into the vehicle. Before she got situated in the vehicle properly, it was already speeding away from the school.
After a ten minute exhibition, he landed softly on the mat. Bowing again to the judges, Tommy walked over to his table where his friends were applauding wildly. Grabbing a nearby towel, he wiped his brow of sweat and cracked one of his infamous grins.
"Thanks, guys," he said.
"You were great, Tommy," Kimberly Hart said, still clapping.
"An excellent display of martial artistic form and balance," Billy Cranston interjected.
Adam Park looked about in puzzlement. "Where's Rocky and Aisha? I thought they were looking forward to this."
"They are," Kimberly explained, "You see, Aisha had a book report due. She had to stay over and check her final grades with Ms. Appleby. Rocky went to pick her up. They should be...Oh, here they are now."
Just then, Rocky and Aisha pulled into the parking lot. They hopped out and practically ran towards the group.
"How much did we miss?" Aisha asked.
"You missed Tommy's demonstration and a few others," Kimberly said.
"Well, who's next?" Rocky asked.
Adam shuffled around a bit. "Well, there's someone before me. Some new guy - Sean Morissette."
"Yes, I've heard of him," Billy interjected. "He's from Arlington Falls. Some kind of master of a new martial art."
Tommy stood up from his stool. "A martial art that has never been seen before in the world: Kiba no Hooku."
A smile curled on the lips of Aisha. "Kiba no Hooku? What's that?"
"Roughly translated from the Japanese, it means 'Way of the Fang'," a voice behind them answered.
The Rangers were somewhat startled by his booming voice. Turning around, they were amazed that a man of his girth and stature could move about so quietly. He had snuck up on them, eavesdropped on their conversation, and interjected without so much as a rustling of cloth. Somehow they knew this was Sean Morissette.
Sean circled them to finally stop in front of them. He was dressed in a black outfit, that seemed to be trimmed everywhere with gold. A gold stylized dragon and tiger, each seemingly chasing other, was emblazoned on it, right over his heart. The Japanese characters for sensei, or "Honored Teacher", were also scripted on his lapel. The uniform seemed to cover his large body quite well. Tommy guessed his weight to be close to three hundred pounds which he showed no weakness in movement.
The man eyed each one with a cold glare that hid an equally frigid intelligence. Suddenly, his gaze fell upon Aisha. He blinked a few times as if dumbstruck. For a moment, the briefest of moments, his eyes were a soft glow. The faintest hint of a smile edged its way across his face.
But just as quickly as it came, it faded. After a few seconds, he turned and strode towards the demonstration area.
Kimberly shivered. She turned to Aisha. "Man, that was creepy. What was that all about?"
Aisha didn't know what to say. She shrugged and said, "I don't know, but whatever it was, it was...weird."
"Look, they're about to begin," Rocky said and grabbed a chair.
Aisha grabbed a chair as well, wondering why she felt the sudden interest in this strange man.
"I am Sean Morissette, sensei of the Morissette Dojo in Arlington Falls. In my nineteen years of life, I have mastered seven different martial art forms, notable among them are jeet kune do, taekwondo, juijitsu, and the Twelve Disciplines of the Dragon. I am also a master of a martial art which has been kept secret for nearly four hundred years.
"Kiba no hooku is translated into the modern English as 'Way of the Fang.' It involves moves, attacks, counters, defensive measures which directly manipulate the chi, or life force, of your opponent."
A murmur echoed through the crowd. Such an art was powerful indeed. Sean allowed his words to settle in before he continued. "With Kiba no hooku, I can stun or paralyze a man." His voice faltered slightly. "I can even kill with one touch."
The Rangers eyebrows shot up. His revelation meant that he could take someone's life without even trying. A power that could corrupt someone. He was worth watching...which was exactly what Aisha was doing.
Somehow his words didn't make her feel uncomfortable. She had gazed into his eyes, even for a small time. And somehow...she knew he could never take anyone's life. He had too much...honor. Of course, she could be wrong. She had been wrong in the past, but this time was different. Aisha trusted her instincts on this one.
"Today, I will demonstrate this forbidden art to you. It is forbidden for the same reason as I previously stated. It is deadly. In this world today, only three people know the Way of the Fang: my sensei, his daughter, and myself. We have all vowed not to instruct anyone on this art. When we leave this world, so does the art of Kiba no Hooku.
"Paramedics and EMT units are on standby should anything go wrong. I selected my top students to assist me in my demonstrations. They know of the risk. Thank you for your attention."
He handed the mike back to the emcee and walked into the middle of the demo area.
Tommy and the rest sat back in their seats. They were deeply interested in this new style Sean Morissette had brought back with him from Japan. He was a virtual unknown in the martial art world, recently bursting on the scene a few weeks ago to participate in this event. Tommy wanted to see what he was capable of.
Aisha took a cool, objective look at Sean. His look was what intrigued her. It was one that she had never received before until now. A bit intriguing to say the least, but it was something more. Perhaps she was reading too much into it, but she could feel that there was...something...there. She could not explain it, but it was there.
Sean's previous glare gave them such a chill, that Kimberly actually shuddered. They had felt such a chill once before and once was enough. It was when Zordon, their interdimensional mentor, told them about Lord Zedd, the evil master of destruction, and his plans for universal domination. The sheer thought of someone bent on taking over the universe and enslaving its inhabitants was beyond the scope of their imagination.
The scenes began to unfold on the demo pad. One of the students lunged for Sean. Sean sidestepped and caught the man's arm in an armbar type maneuver. Using his right middle finger and thumb, Sean pressed into his student's arm. He screamed in pain as he submitted to his sensei.
Aisha watched.
Thinking her sensei distracted, another student entered the fray. She launched herself into the air and rammed a barefoot into his kidney area. Sean rolled with the kick and was on his feet instantly. Moving quickly, she thrust kicked towards his chest, but he grabbed her leg underneath his right armpit. Grabbing hold of her leg, he performed a dragonscrew legwhip and brought her down. She winced in pain but did not cry out.
Aisha watched.
Sean tipped up onto his feet and introduced his third student to a well placed side kick to the sternum. This student followed her sensei's movements and rolled with the kick to lessen the blow. Spinning on her heel, she sweeped for his feet. He jumped out of the way. In that same movement, she straightened up and tried a tornado kick. Anticipating what his student was attempting to do, the sensei grabber her leg with his left hand in a powerful grip that caused her to lose her balance. A palm to the solar plexus, and the student was unconscious.
Aisha watched.
The crowd began to murmur among themselves. Was this a part of the demo or had Sean hit the students too hard? Those were the questions Tommy asked himself as he jumped to his feet. The rest followed, except for Aisha. Somehow she knew he was going to be all right. Kimberly made her way over to Tommy's side.
"Um, do you think they are okay?" she asked.
Tommy looked deeper into the scene on the pad.
"I don't know," he said.
"Look," Aisha said.
The Rangers gazed amazingly at the demo pad as Sean went to his third downed student and pressed his fingers into the back of her neck. He closed his eyes and slightly twisted her neck. In seconds, she opened her eyes and was helped up by Sean. Sean repeated the action with the two remaining students and turned towards the judges. All four bowed deeply.
"Just as the venom of the viper can kill, so too can it heal," he explained.
The judges looked at each other with a bit of amazement. Their hands scribbled down notes, while each of them nodded their heads with approval. The crowd was silent for what seemed like an eternity. The silence was then broken by a staccato of clapping and whistling as Sean left the demo area. The Rangers were especially generous with their applause for this newcomer.
"Ladies and gentlemen," the announcer shouted over the din of the chattering crowd, "I have the judges' decisions."
An excited hush fell over the assembly.
"Our third place winner," he continued, "is Frederick Thomas of the Li Dojo of Jujitsu."
The crowd applauded as a man in standard white uniform strode onto the pad. A female judge presented a silver trophy fringed with gold to the awaiting Frederick Thomas.
"Our second place winner," he continued, "is Tommy Oliver of Angel Grove with his demonstration of taekwondo."
Bowing with the applause, Tommy took the gold trophy from the same female judge as she shook his hand.
"And now the winner of the Regional Martial Arts Tournament...," the judge paused.
The silence screamed in Aisha's ears. She had a feeling who would win first place. If Tommy hadn't got it, only one other impressed the crowd as much as Tommy did.
"...Sean Morissette of the Morissette Dojo in Arlington Falls."
The same judge presented Sean with a huge gold and silver championship belt. Sean Morissette stood absolutely still by his cheering group, a smile the size of Alaska plastered across his face. The judge kissed him on the cheek and shook his hand. Sean, embarrassed slightly, walked into the center of the demo pad and bowed in every direction the applause came from. Gesturing to his students, they came onto the pad and bowed with their sensei.
Sean emerged from the room, his demeanor still lit up over all the attention he was receiving. He began to make his way across the room towards the door, all the while answering questions and signing papers.
"Sean!" a voice cried. That particular voice seemed to catch his attention more than the others.
"Sean! Hey, wait up!" it rang out again. He stopped and looked about for the source of the voice.
They seemed to materialize out of the audience. It was the same six he had given the staredown today to. His eyes fell on the Black girl as they approached him, despite the pushes from the milling crowd.
"You were great!" Adam exclaimed.
"Terrific demonstration!" Rocky said.
"Prodigious!" Billy added.
"It was a unique experience," Aisha said.
"Thank you," Sean managed to get out. "Listen, this place is a bit too crowded for me. Let's step outside" He turned to one of his students, a large Hispanic man that looked about twenty. "Keep these people inside. If they wish to sign up, get the necessary information. Classes will start early next week and last until Saturday. Understood?"
"Hai, sensei," the man returned.
They slipped through a side door while the crowd loomed behind them. After finding someplace to sit, they sat back and enjoyed the cool evening air.
"We'd like to introduce ourselves," Tommy began. "I'm Tommy."
"Adam."
"Rocky."
"Kimberly."
"Billy."
"And I'm Aisha," Aisha said with a smile.
"A pleasure," Sean returned shaking each one of their hands, taking an extra long time letting go of Aisha's.
"What made you want to develop something like Kiba no Hooku?" Kimberly asked.
Sean leaned back in his chair. "I never developed Kiba no Hooku," he explained. "I brought it back with me from my travels to Japan. What you saw today has never been seen before in the U.S.
"Kiba no Hooku was developed over 400 years ago by a master warrior working for the emperor at the time. He had unlocked the key to directly manipulating the chi energy of another. This in itself was dangerous to begin with. By unlocking that secret, he became the most dangerous man in the known world."
"But a lot of martial arts manipulate chi energy, don’t they?" Rocky asked.
"True, however, they do not manipulate it to the extent that Kiba no Hooku does," Sean answered.
"That's really something," Aisha began, "So, what are you going to do now?"
He turned towards her, eyes gleaming. "Come to think about I think I'll open up a juijitsu dojo here in. I believe I saw an empty space downtown that would be perfect for one."
"I'm sure Angel Grove would welcome another dojo." Tommy said as he glanced at his watch. "Uh oh, guys. I've got to go. Big day tomorrow."
He stood up. "Sean, glad to meet you man. Congratulations again." He shook Sean's hand. "Catch you later." They all said their good-byes to Tommy as he walked towards the parking lot.
Sean also got up and placed his bag on his shoulder. "Tommy's got the right idea. It is rather late, and I must go."
"It was great meeting you," Kimberly said.
"Do you think you could come by Ernie's tomorrow and show us some of your moves?" Billy asked . "It is a small eating and workout establishment near the civic center."
Sean looked around at them. "Sure. Why not?"
Aisha walked towards him. "It was nice meeting you." She extended her hand.
"The pleasure was all mine, Aisha," and he took her hand. The attraction was obvious. Kimberly giggled lightly under her breath and walked towards Rocky's vehicle.
The group dispersed, each going to their respective homes. Sean met up with his students, who were finishing up loading the van. He momentarily glanced over his shoulder to catch a fleeting glimpse of Aisha as she got into Rocky's Jeep. He smiled. Even though he knew that it was too early to tell, he had a feeling that he would not see the last of those teens. Or Aisha.
"Fascinating...," was all he said as he got behind the wheel of his gold and black Lambourghini and pulled away from the curb.