Description: Sagat has finally returned to Thailand after being treated by NATO medics. Even though he is injured he seems set on helping his people rebuild. It also seems that Adon has found out the location of the large fighter and goes to pick a fight. What he encounters is not the Sagat he once knew, but one that has fought through many trials to regain redemption. A calmer Sagat that does not fall for Adon's bait this time.
When the NATO medics finally got ahold of Sagat and treated his injuries they told him to try not and move around much for a few weeks. The next day he was traveling on foot back to Thailand. Vega may at least for now be taken care of, but the war has left his country in a state of absolute disaster. There is so much rebuilding to do and he plans on helping where he can. Various thoughts ran through his head during his travels. Where to go first? Would he run into Hunter again?
Despite all the thoughts there actually is one that doesn't go through his head. What Adon might be doing. He hasn't even had time to think about his ex student after all this time. He was busy putting his life on the line for his country and many more and more than likely Adon himself was holed up with his favorite underage girl of the day waiting for things to blow over. Afterall he had links to Shadaloo so it probably would have been smooth sailing for him if Thailand remained occupied. Instead Sagat helped liberate with the help of other fighters like Rust and Quon and kept it safe all the way until Sagat found it to be the perfect time to strike at Vega himself.
He has been back in Thailand for a few days now. He has mostly been helping the rebuilding efforts of several smaller villiages given the fact the army is busy with larger cities and the like. This has also meant he hasn't really had access to television or a certain appearance by Adon as well. In fact given where he has been the locals haven't even seen that broadcast to tell him of it.
The day is starting to roll towards dinner time. Children are out playing while those old enough to help are working with the adults to repair the various buildings in the small village that Sagat is currently in. He himself is carrying large loads of lumber about despite still showing signs of his injuries from both the nuclear blast and his encounter with Vega. Even so knowing he is helping his people seem to be giving him the strength to keep moving in that state.
Amongst the playing children, someone emerges. A small boy, garbed only in a loincloth, runs through the working men, running up to the big and burly Sagat. Full of energy before, he seems to shy away at the large, imposing man. "..S..S.." He stammers, the mostly naked child staring at his feet. ".... S-s-sagat... there.... th-there is...." The boy whimpers, still averting his eyes. He had seen something while playing, something important to warn. But Sagat may be able to gather what was coming, as the rest of the workers cease their labor as they turn towards the lone road leading to the village, the sound rising over the village.
The roar of trucks.
Someone was coming.
A load of lumber is set down when the young boy comes running up the large warrior. He leans down so not to be so imposing as he goes to a knee. "What is it?" he asks while trying to calm the child. Of course he isn't exactly the best person to try and do so given his appearance. Even so it looks like he would still have his answer soon when he hears the sound of trucks approaching in the distance. Was it military? No, something like that wouldn't worry a child like this. A few other villagers seem to be curious about it all too and they sort of gather about to watch.
He can only hope it isn't remnants of Shadaloo or the like. If that is the case he isn't sure the child would have even made it here. He gently leads the young child to a woman to have her take him somewhere to be calmed down. Sagat himself stands back up to his imposing full height and looks to the others. "We'll go back to work. If there is trouble I will take care of it." he tells them. There is some nodding, but even as they get back to work people are busy rubbernecking to see who could be coming through their tiny village.
A pack of a half-dozen halftracks, all scavenged from the various military, paramilitary, and Shadaloo forces, come roaring down the road, loaded with various construction supplies, as well as tough-looking men, armed with guns and machetes. The trucks roar into the village, not stopping for the men, women, and children in its path. The locals, shouting and screaming, clear the path of the oncoming cadre. As the trucks all reach the heart of the village, they stop in a makeshift circle. The thugs begin to unload themselves, with their leader making themselves quite clear. R
"SO! The RUMORS are TRUE!"
Adon emerges from the first truck, dropping out from the passenger side. Swaggering forward, the Emperor leers at Sagat, primarily those injuries. Those wounds. Adon would not have showed his face if he didn't believe the Tiger of Muay Thai was weakened. A weakened tiger would be no match for a Jaguar at full strength. Putting on his biggest grin, he struts towards Sagat, as if they were old friends. KYA HA HA! WELCOME, my FORMER, -FALLEN- SAGAT! I am SURPRISED to see you HERE, providing HUMANE AID just like the TRUE EMPEROR HIMSELF! Is this village not BEAUTIFUL and WELL SUITED to FURTHER the CAUSE of MUAY THAI!?" Adon winks at Sagat, sneering joyfully.
Now the people start to get worried. Some are scrambling to safety and a few try to be brave and continue to work alongside Sagat. It is turning into a very small group at that. Afterall this is a rather large force of scumbags and mercenaries probably looking to feed off the scraps of a country that has been ravaged by war. Even worse is when Adon starts to talk loudly after making his presence known. Surely this would put Sagat into a fit of rage upon seeing him. It would make him act rashly like he did so many years ago when he was wounded by Ryu and let himself be defeated by his former student.
Adon can wait for a response it would seem. And wait some more. Even as he speaks when approaching Sagat he actually is walked around by the larger fighter so he can move back to the pile of wood and pick more up. Once he has a load hefted up he moves to walk right back around Adon and towards where they are setting up repairs on another house. Those that have stayed behind just kinda stare. Isn't Sagat even going to acknowledge the man? If he is it looks like he is taking his sweet time since he is now just setting the lumber down and then looking at the damage to the house to see if he needs to get more or not.
Before, Adon would have sought to hide away from the man. To live in the shadows of Muay Thai. To lurk away from the shame of Sagat losing to Ryu, the shame of Adon losing to Ryu, the shame of all of Muay Thai losing to Ryu. Bitterness hit at the heart of Adon, but the fear of losing all he had gotten from the former Emperor kept him in line. Sagat striking out against Adon would only incite him, let Adon hit back and win over the weakened tiger. There were many terrible ways that Sagat could have reacted.
But what Sagat was doing was the worst he could have done.
Adon keeps up his grin as Sagat just walks by him, only twitching slightly. As he moves past, the Emperor shadows his former master, trying to keep pressure on him. "Perhaps YOU! SAGAT! The FALLEN EMPEROR! Would like to know of the plans of I! ADON! THE TRUE EMPEROR OF MUAY THAI!?" Adon motions at the mercenaries, who begin to drag out additional construction supplies. "This VILLAGE is a PRIME LOCATION for IMPORTANT RECONSTRUCTION SUPPLIES! And REBUILDING this VILLAGE is of course something that I! ADON! THE TRUE EMPEROR of MUAY THAI! Must undertake for the GOOD of his HOMELAND! So I! ADON! The EMPEROR of MUAY THAI! Will GRACE this VILLAGE by REBUILDING IT into a FIGHTING PIT for MUAY THAI! These people will be BROUGHT into the MUAY THAI family! Is that not WONDERFUL, SAGAT?"
Adon waits for a response from Sagat, looking more and more intense.
There is more talking and even much so people can feel how tense the situation is getting. Adon is just shouting loudly at Sagat and the villagers and mercenaries alike aren't sure what to make of this. Is angering someone like Sagat a good idea? The smaller fighter will have to follow Sagat back to the wood pile again and once another load is hefted it seems that he finally gets Sagat to spare him a look. More than that Sagat turns to face him and look down. "You are here to rebuild?" he asks. It is kind of eerie how calm his tone is right now. Is this even the same Sagat that Adon has known for years?
Before he knows it the large pile of lumber is being unloaded into his arms. The weight of it should give Adon a good idea that even when injured Sagat certainly has alot of strength because all that stuff is HEAVY. "Good, then get to work. We can perhaps finish this up before the end of tomorrow if that is the case." Even worse is now there are snickers to be heard. Some laughter even too. Where is it coming from? Some of the villagers for sure, but even a mercenary or two might have just gotten a chuckle. "Try not to get in the way if you don't know what you are doing."
Adon is growing more and more furious within, and Sagat likely senses it. The entire village likely senses it. Adon wanted to embarrass Sagat. He wanted a RISE out of him. He wanted to still be MEANING in Sagat's life. And yet, Sagat was unphased by the Emperor. Adon begins to grow more and more animated, the rage building. When finally, the Tiger of Muay Thai reacts... by dumping the heavy wooden load into the Emperor's hands. Adon struggles under the weight, barely keeping it up, and very much being unable to move. But the evidence of Sagat's strength was meaningless to what was happening around him. The laughter. The giggles.
Sagat was making a fool of him.
Hurling the lumber to the ground, he screams, charging after the Sagat, only just stopping himself from attacking his former master. "WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH YOU? Is this the WAY of the FALLEN EMPEROR? You have INSULTED ME! So I demand you FIGHT ME! FIGHT ME SAGAT! I DEMAND IT! FOR MY HONOR! I KNEW YOU RETURNED TO THAILAND TO CHALLENGE ME! YOU ARE JEALOUS OF MY STRENGTH!"
The Emperor of screeching now, burning red in the face, every motion swinging with the utmost rage. "So come on SAGAT! Or did your LOSS make you weak? IS THAT WHAT IT IS? Is the great TIGER of MUAY THAI -AFRAID- of me?!"
Adon holds up a fist at Sagat. Would Sagat take the bait yet?
The laughing seems to be stifled by the rage that Adon shows. Isn't it supposed to be the other way around? Wasn't Sagat supposed to be so easily annoyed by the words of someone like Adon and fly into a fury? Really even if he was thrown into that rage is it a good idea? Adon has gotten lucky against Sagat. In a weird way maybe he does have the much larger fighter's number when it comes to combat. Is that why he had Juri beat on Adon when they all found out about being teamed up for King of Fighters?
He finally turns back to Adon once more and he just regards the other fighter. "You said you came here to rebuild. Now you want to fight? You do these people no good trying to stroke your ego. That won't give them shelter. That won't feed them." he tells the other fighter. Maybe it will be Sagat that goads Adon into striking him? If only Sagat knew of the recent exploits of his former student at that. He then does something he rarely does. He smiles. It is kind of unsettling too to be honest. "Afraid? If you want to think that be my guest." he says and moves to gather the wood that Adon threw down. Yeah, the laughter is coming back.
Adon winds back a fist, ready to unleash it onto the back of the fallen Emperor. But despite the rage, despite the laughter.... He can't bring himself. This was wrong. Sagat was supposed to be easily insulted. He should have gotten a rise by now. If Adon attacked him first, then Adon would have lost this fight before it even began. This wasn't about fighting, no.
It was about humiliation.
His limbs begin to flail about, the Emperor going into full tantrum mode. He hurls a fist at a nearby tree, shattering the trunk in a single blow. His screams somehow grow louder, more high-pitched, the Emperor's grin faded as Sagat gives his own smile. "DON'T TURN YOUR BACK ON ME SAGAT! I AM THE STRONGEST! I BEAT YOU!!! DON'T TURN YOUR BACK ON ME! DON'T YOU SMILE! YOU DON'T DESERVE TO HELP THESE PEOPLE! YOU BETRAYED THIS COUNTRY WHEN YOU FLED! YOU BETRAYED MUAY THAI WHEN YOU LOST TO THAT.... TO THAT.... FOREIGNER!
"TELL ME, SAGAT! TELLLLLL MEEEEE!"
The wood being gathered is gently set back down. He finally turns back to Adon and folds his arms over his massive chest. He regards the other fighter as that single eye narrows and gives him a rather intimidating gaze. No matter how loud it seems Adon gets it has not yet seemed to hit a nerve with Sagat. It is strange what a few years could do to a man that realized the error of his ways. A man that has been striving for redemption. He doesn't speak for a good long while. He seems more than fine watching Adon burn with anger.
"Tell you what? That I was bested by a better fighter in Ryu? I will get my rematch one day and I will just defeat him then. He is a true challenge unlike you." he tells him in that calm tone he has been using. "I don't remember seeing you anywhere when Shadaloo was invading by the way. Find a nice comfy hole?" he asks and he starts to grin. He leans forward some getting rather close to the point where he is almost goading Adon to punch him right in the face. "Go and defeat him them come back and find me. Then I might reconsider taking time to accept your challenge."
And with that, Adon has lost.
The Emperor seeths, fumes, rages, and squirms. Clutching his head, his tantrum only compounds. The calm that Sagat holds only shows the utter weakness of Adon. That while Adon cannot help but hold on to the past, Sagat had moved past it. Now, there was only one weak link in the entire World Warrior saga.
Adon.
"You DARE make me fight RYU? You think I AM NOT STRONG ENOUGH? I do not need to PROVE MYSELF! I am the STRONGEST! I AM ADON! THE EMPEROR OF MUAY THAI! I will PROVE to you that I AM THE STRONGEST! I WILL... I WILL...... I WILL SEEK OUT RYU! YES! I WILL FIND HIM! AND I! ADON! THE EMPEROR OF MUAY THAI! WILL DEFEAT THE SO CALLED WORLD WARRIOR! AND PROVE ONCE AND FOR ALL THAT YOU! SAGAT! THE COWARD OF MUAY THAI! AM WEAK! AND THAT I AM STRONG!"
And Adon breaks away.
Charging back to the trucks, the mercenaries seem taken aback. "Are we... are we not-" Adon screams, unleashing his rage on one of the hired guns. The mercenaries, panicking, begin to turn on the Emperor, but it is for naught. Adon, blinded by his fury, begins to tear apart his own men. Seething, Boiling.
But keeping his rage away from Sagat, and the people of the village.
The mercenaries are getting brutalized. Something Sagat should step in and stop, but this is not his battle. Those men took the deal with a snake like Adon when they shold have known better. He can't save everyone and not everyone is worth saving. He is coming to realize that after going through so many events the past few years. The villagers just kinda watch on in utter shock at Adon's reaction to the whole thing while Sagat starts to turn his attention back to the repairs. He makes sure Adon does not move to hurt anyone beyond his own men, but he has a feeling the younger fighter knows much better than to do that. If an angry Sagat was so dangerous he can probably only imagine what a calm Sagat in battle would be like.
Part of him hopes that Adon will indeed meet with Ryu and get brought down a peg. At the same time he doubts Adon will be rushing to find the World Warrior. "Ryu....perhaps it is time we fought again." he murmurs to himself and he grins. Once he heals a bit more and the rebuilding is done. Will he lose or win? He really doesn't know. He can only find out by actually attempting it. And when it is all said and done.....he could care less about the outcome. It is about the competition of the fight with a man like that. Something Sagat wish he realized all those years ago before his downward spiral.
"Come on now. Let us get back to work. It will be dark in a few hours." he tells those gathered around. Others are starting to come out of hiding as well and they seem all smiles as they start to get back to work.
Adon hammers the last of the mercenaries, he lifts him up by his collar, the rage waning. As the anger subsides, the Emperor's grin returns. Taking a deep breath, he turns to glare at Sagat, hurling his victim to the ground. "SAGAT! Sagat." He calls out, looking at his former master. "You can KEEP my CONSTRUCTION supplies, so you can rebuild this village. But KNOW THIS. I will RETURN to DEFEAT YOU, once I DESTROY RYU, and TRULY RETURN the HONOR of MUAY THAI that you had LOST so long ago. This is not meaningless BLUSTER." The Emperor turns around, beginning to leave the village on foot. Before he hits the road, he stops, leaving one last word.
"That is a VOW."
Log created on 19:58:32 03/18/2012 by Sagat, and last modified on 22:10:42 03/18/2012.