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[b]Word Count:[/b] 1,625
[b]Level 3 Captain Falcon:[/b] 28/30
[b]Exp Gained:[/b] +3
[b]NEW EXP Balance---[/b] 31/30

[H3]Mafia Town - The Pier[/h3][/center]

In almost no time at all, the pier for the harbor area had erupted into chaos. Wrestlers from the Battle Royal Rumble had dropped here in relatively fewer numbers compared to other parts of Mafia Town, allowing the pier to avoid a lot of the mess it created. But now it became the epicenter of a literal sea monster attack. Half great white shark, half giant octopus - Lusca rampaged across the pier. It swung and writhed its massive tentacles, occasionally fired blasts of colorful ink, all in the hopes of catching what it considered to be prey in order to devour them.

And then there was Tianyou Zhao and Captain Falcon. Having bolted out of Mabuchi’s storehouse mere moments after the monster came exploding out from it - the intrepid pair found themselves on a mad dash toward the inland of Mafia Town. If they could get far enough from the water, then Lusca wouldn’t be able to keep chasing them. And chase them, it did. In fact, even as a variety of [url=https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_XZ4EyheVQvS32kDQ9Al_ofBKBKGeQFGf9lqdjhfOt-upr9j0qqNC1zvH-qpwL2JtBlM_v8Q4_8dW6ZJiPkEwqVpIURa-XL16tiyIW3U6694ayaXdr1eXGB3fojdUUsgofahZ_zm3j2U/s1600/sot1.png]pirates[/url] - who had been milling around loading and unloading their vessels up to now - drew weapons and employed their various seafaring tactics to bring down the beast, the beast in question still largely kept its focus on the fleeing pair that was Zhao and Falcon. A more perceptive sort of observer might even suspect that this was deliberate, as if someone had literally sicced the monster on them like the owner of a pit bull siccing their dog on intruders. Of course, nobody in this situation had the time to really observe such a thing, given the frantic chaos playing out right now.

Unfortunately, the actions of the pirates did little to expedite Falcon’s and Zhao’s retreat. If anything, them now having to dodge and weave through pirates charging back toward the sea monster made it harder for them to keep up their sprint, instead forcing them both to slow their pace slightly so they could keep themselves from barrelling straight into people. And there were also occasions where Lusca managed to get close enough to enclose its tentacles around their front, forcing them to briefly join the fight long enough to get the tentacles out of the way and resume their hectic retreat. There wasn’t much Falcon’s fists could really do in these situations, as simply punching and kicking the tentacles didn’t seem particularly effective. Zhao at least had a curved broadsword called a dao that he had brought with him, and that at least was somewhat effective at slicing at the tentacles obstructing their escape.

But with one more fiery strike, Cap was at least able to land a Falcon Punch on Lusca’s body causing it to stagger backward briefly like it had inside the storehouse. And just like before, he and Zhao wasted no time in using that opportunity to resume their dash toward the pier’s exit. And this time they were in luck, thanks to there being a crowd of pirates also choosing to capitalize on the opportunity to wail on the sea monster with everything they had. But the duo just kept running until they were off the pier and back onto the main streets of Mafia Town, choosing not to stick around to see if the pirates were successful.

[color=1f66b2]”I’m… hah… sure they’ve got it handled. Right?”[/color] Captain Falcon managed to comment between deep inhalations for breath. Meanwhile, Zhao was equally out of breath.

“Y-yeah.” he agreed between raspy breaths, “They’ve totally got it covered.” Then he added, “Besides, we’ve got our own fish to- HOLY SHIT!” He suddenly shouted at the end, pointing up toward the disc that he knew served as the Mafia’s HQ.

Zhao’s interrupting shout caught Falcon by surprise and he jerked his gaze toward where the ex-mafia boss was pointing. For just a moment, he caught a glimpse of something plummeting down from the disc above and it made him wonder. [color=1f66b2]”Was that…?”[/color]

“A person?” Zhao finished the thought. “Hard to tell, could’ve been. If there’s fighting going on up there then I guess it’s possible someone might’ve been thrown off.”

[color=1f66b2]”If it is a person, maybe they can give us some answers about Mabuchi?”[/color]

“Yeah, my thoughts exactly. Let’s go after ‘em, Falcon-kun” And with this, both took off on another sprint, this time toward where they saw the figure plummeting down from the disc.

[center][H3]Mafia Town - Swimming Pool[/h3][@DisturbedSpec][/center]

It was an indoor swimming pool that the figure had fallen down onto. At least, Zhao was pretty sure of it anyway. He and Captain Falcon came sprinting toward the building, where already a crowd was beginning to gather because of the commotion caused by the figure’s fall. And as the two of them got a bit closer, they spotted a familiar figure in a white suit, subdued by a stranger in military clothes with a gun. Zhao had no idea who this was, and just assumed it was someone working for the Mafia of Cooks. Maybe if he explained who Mabuchi was to him, they’d let him question his old right hand man.

“Wait!” Zhao shouted once they were both in earshot. “Whatever this guy’s trying to pull on you, let me be the one to deal with him.”

Mabuchi’s skin whitened like a ghost when he heard the familiar voice of his former boss and friend. “Z-Zhao?” He sounded like he wasn’t sure if he should be relieved or afraid.

“Yeah, you dipshit.” Zhao spat, “Did you really think you were gonna pull something like this and I wouldn’t find out about it?”

“Grr.” Mabuchi growled, “What would YOU know about it?”

But the stranger looked strikingly familiar to Falcon. Had [i]he[/i] really been here in town all this time without him realizing it? He supposed it wouldn’t be too shocking, given the man’s specialty in stealth and staying unseen. [color=1f66b2]”We know plenty.”[/color] Falcon said in response to Mabuchi, holding up the ledger that he and Zhao found in the desk at the storehouse.

“Where did you get that?” Mabuchi demanded.

“From your hideout.” Zhao said. “Yokohama Trading Company? Really? The same exact shit you pulled back in Ijincho? Seriously, Mabuchi, how stupid do you think I am?”

[color=1f66b2]”We can tell you about his little scheme.”[/color] Falcon assured Snake, [color=1f66b2]”He’s been contacting someone called Consul 𝙸 - they’re the ones that sent that cargo ship.”[/color]

“Right, and he was just about to explain the details.” Zhao said before shooting a cold and threatening glare at Mabuch, “Weren’t you, Mabuchi-kun?”

Mabuchi scowled, but after some hesitation decided to talk. “It started with the attacks on Limsa Lominscuttle Town.” He said. “I observed them and thought I could take over the cargo ship myself, so I led a boarding party. How hard could it be to take on some wrestlers? Or so we thought. But they had someone calling the shots. Called herself Consul 𝙸 - I never learned her real name. She basically beats us single-handed, but instead of killing me, I got an offer instead. She let me redirect the Battle Royale Rumble’s next destination, and I picked Mafia Town.”

“And let me guess.” Zhao cut in. “You figured you could use the chaos to take out the boss and take over his operations? Well, doesn’t [i]that[/i] sound familiar…?”

“At least I’m [i]trying[/i] to make a name for myself!” Mabuchi snapped back, “Look at you, Zhao! You used to be one of the most feared men in the underworld, and now you’re what, some lowlife chef?”

“You just don’t get it do you?” Zhao asked. “Do you even know why I exiled you instead of lopping your head off on the spot back then? It’s because I was hoping you’d realize there could be more to life than all this crap. [i]He[/i] helped me figure that out, so I thought I could help you figure it out too.”

“What?” Mabuchi asked, “You mean that worthless bum of a Yakuza? You really did let him make you get soft, didn’t you?”

“What can I say?” Zhao answered with a shrug, “He has that effect on people, I guess.”

Falcon had stayed quiet. Instead he stole occasional glances at the Mercenary. The more the bounty hunter looked at him, the more convinced he was that this had to be the same man he knew. The real question was how to get him to agree to leave with the Seekers? Telling him about Galeem wasn’t going to work. If he’d been working for the Mafia here, then maybe Falcon could frame it as a job offer?

[color=1f66b2]”Snake?”[/color] Falcon suddenly asked him, knowing that it would look odd that a stranger knew his name without asking for it. [color=1f66b2]”As you just heard, this guy’s just a pawn of someone much bigger and badder.”[/color] said Cap in reference to the Consul. [color=1f66b2]”She’s part of a larger organization called Moebius. The organization I work with has been trying to put a stop to their schemes and operations, and well… we could certainly use someone with expertise like yours.”[/color] Falcon explained, while intentionally keeping quiet about subjects like Galeem.

[color=1f66b2]”Our team here in Mafia Town was laying low and looking for new leads. But it’s pretty obvious we’re going to have to go back on the move again. And yes, I know your name. And if you agree to come with us, I can promise you I’ll make it make sense for you once we’ve been picked up by our ship. What do you say?”[/color] Falcon asked, holding out his hand expecting the deal to be sealed with a handshake.