"Whatever. The deal's already done, so there's no point dwelling on it."
Ryuji casually curled his lips and continued reading. Then his phone rang, and judging by the caller ID, it was Douglas.
He answered immediately, only to hear Douglas's somewhat bewildered voice coming through the line.
"Is this Mr. Ryuji?"
"Yes. What's up?"
"Do you happen to have any connection with M. Bison?"
Douglas's question left Ryuji somewhat confused.
He knew that Bison existed in this world, and was a widely recognized dictator and a dangerous figure. Although he possessed tremendous fame and even a certain degree of international standing, the moment he stepped outside his own territory, countless people would be eager to surround him with armies and kill him on the spot.
"No. In a sense, we're enemies."
That answer only made Douglas even more confused.
Looking at the unusually generous cooperation terms that Bison had sent over, along with the request that he personally be allowed to participate in the tournament, Douglas couldn't help but think of how Rugal had also insisted on entering the competition himself. He scratched his head.
Ryuji wanting to participate in the World Martial Arts Tournament made sense to him. Ryuji was a transcendent expert who stood apart from worldly affairs. Whatever he chose to do was understandable.
But since when had it become fashionable for dictators and major capitalists to enter martial arts tournaments?
Aren't these two afraid of getting beaten to death in the ring?
Is there really a need to participate personally?
I know they are strong, but was it really necessary to compete against martial artists who possessed nothing but their skills?
He simply couldn't understand it.
Douglas felt somewhat bewildered. It was as if he had only been dead for a few days, yet the world had somehow become completely incomprehensible.
"Oh... he really asked for that?"
Even Ryuji was somewhat surprised.
Rugal entering the tournament was one thing. But if Bison entered as well, and if Goenitz and himself were added to the mix, that would already make four bosses. And if Akuma decided to participate because of him, then the World Martial Arts Tournament would truly live up to its name.
Though it certainly wouldn't be very friendly toward the spectators.
If he fought at full power, the audience surrounding the arena would probably suffer heavy casualties.
"Yes, that was indeed his request."
Douglas still couldn't understand it, but he was certain the order had come directly from General Bison himself. He had even personally called to verify it and spoken with Bison directly before confirming the matter.
After all, they had once been business partners.
As for why DOATEC and M. Bison had business dealings?
Although Bison was crude in his methods and showed absolutely no respect to the United States, he also need to sell the mines and various assets under his control. Likewise, he needed to purchase machinery and other necessities. So, cooperation between them was perfectly normal.
So while the American government remained firmly committed to eliminating Bison, Douglas understood very well that even the people most eager to kill him were still doing business with him.
After all, wanting to kill someone didn't mean you couldn't make money with them first.
Ryuji thought about it for a moment before making his decision.
As for Bison, Ryuji was practically worried there wouldn't be enough strong opponents. Killing Bison wouldn't make much difference. If the man was plotting something, then Ryuji would just kill him directly.
So, he chose the response that would put Douglas at ease.
"Sounds like there's a lot of scheming involved. You can ask for a lot more from them. There's nothing wrong with agreeing, but make sure to keep yourself out of the center of whatever he's planning."
Douglas nodded. DOATEC was perfectly capable of handling that much.
If this hadn't been something Ryuji personally wanted to do, he would have made the exact same decision himself.
"Then I'll handle it that way. When the World Martial Arts Tournament begins, we'll meet again, Mr. Ryuji. And by then, you'll be able to see Helena again as well."
He casually said something that was basically equivalent to selling his daughter, exchanged a few more pleasantries with Ryuji, and then ended the call.
Ryuji didn't pay it much attention and simply continued on his journey of challenging dojos.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, after exchanging a few polite words with Douglas, Bison hung up the phone and looked toward Goenitz, who was standing nearby.
"DOATEC has already agreed to hand over part of the tournament organization to us. Now where's the thing you promised me?"
Bison looked at the priest before him with considerable interest. Bison wasn't particularly wary of Goenitz, but the astonishing regenerative abilities Goenitz had displayed, along with a piece of technology similar to his Psycho Drive system, had made Bison very interested in cooperating with him.
After all, the Psycho Drive was directly connected to his plans.
The so-called Psycho Drive was an artificial machine that can enhance its user's power while simultaneously analyzing the surrounding environment and an opponent's movements during battle.
Developing it required a great deal of practical testing.
Yet this priest named Goenitz had brought a similar product. Although it couldn't enhance power, its data-analysis capabilities were no worse than his Psycho Drive. According to Goenitz, it was a product developed by Rugal's organization.
Goenitz chuckled.
As long as Bison was willing to participate in the tournament, he would inevitably set his sights on Ryuji. For someone like Bison, Ryuji's body was unquestionably far superior to his own.
The immense power contained within that body was enough to make even Goenitz uneasy.
~~~~~~~~~~
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