Chapter 4 – New Friends

Three years passed.

It was in the later part of February. Jin was nearing the end of his junior year at Mishima High School. Spring break was coming in March, and April would mark the beginning of his senior year.

Jin had trained diligently under Heihachi’s supervision and was developing into a strong fighter, just as he wanted, and Heihachi had planned.

Heihachi told Jin after one of their training sessions, “You’ve made some excellent progress, boy. In fact, I think you will be ready by the time you hit 19 this December.”

Jin paused as he soaked in what Heihachi said before asking with utmost seriousness in his voice, “Really?”

“Yes,” Heihachi revealed. “I’ve got just the ticket. Here’s what we’re going to do. The Mishima Zaibatsu shall host another tournament, The King of Iron Fist Tournament 3 to be precise. The gathering of that many strong fighters will lure out Ogre. We’ll begin the tournament on your birthday. My present to you, hmm?” Heihachi leaned in spoke in a low voice to Jin. “Now, once we have Ogre out, we must wait for when the moment is ripe for you to make your move. I’ll help you know when that crucial moment is. It cannot be too soon or too late. Got it?”

Jin carefully considered his grandfather’s words before nodding in understanding. Pleased, Heihachi took a few steps back. Jin’s blood began to tingle with excitement. He adjusted the glove on his right hand, and a purple aura emitted from him as he put forth a practice punch as he yelled, “Dah!” Heihachi took a concerned mental note of the purple aura.

The next day, Heihachi made the official announcement to the rest of the world that The King of Iron Fist Tournament 3 was to commence on December 2nd and that the final opponent was intended to be the creature, Ogre.

A month later, while Jin’s spring break was nearing its end, he made his way to the dining room for dinner, and heard Heihachi’s roaring, hearty laugh as he entered the room.

The dining room was very large with a considerably long table where Heihachi sat at the head. To his grandfather’s right, Jin saw a cute young Chinese girl with pigtails. She was small in her stature, and her feet dangled just above the ground from her chair. She was smiling at Heihachi and turned her head in Jin’s direction as she sensed his approach.

Her cheerful smile remained on her face as she set her eyes on Jin. Heihachi saw that her attention had diverted, followed its direction, and then said, “Xiaoyu, this is my grandson, Jin Kazama. Jin, this is Ling Xiaoyu.”

Xiaoyu stood up from her chair. “Nice to meet you,” she said happily and bowed.

“Nice to meet you too,” Jin returned and bowed as well.

He then took a seat opposite hers and to Heihachi’s left. Heihachi explained to Jin with a smile, “Xiaoyu’s a little stowaway. This crazy little thing got on one of my yachts in Hong Kong. And then you won’t believe what she did! She beat up my Tekken Force that was on the yacht. Unconscious bodies strewn everywhere. Simply unbelievable!” Heihachi declared.

Jin raised his eyebrows but said nothing, figuring Heihachi was not done with the story.

“She threatened to go berserk again if I did not accept her challenge,” Heihachi chuckled. “But instead, we’ve made an alternate agreement.”

“Grandpa Heihachi’s going to give me the amusement park of my dreams if I win the tournament!” Xiaoyu proclaimed enthusiastically and dreamily.

Heihachi laughed heartily again. “That’s correct!” he exclaimed with equal enthusiasm.

Jin blinked in bewilderment with a faint smile of amusement at them both.

Heihachi then went on to say, “We’ll be taking her in. She’s to be a ward of the Mishima Zaibatsu. I’m having her enrolled at Mishima High School as a freshman. You’ll be schoolmates.”

“You go to Mishima High too?” Xiaoyu asked, her voice full of hope.

Jin nodded. “Yes,” he said quietly.

“Oh, I’m so glad! I’ll have a friend there,” she was clearly quite relieved.

A friend? They had only just met, but Jin wasn’t going to argue that point. It wasn’t like he was adamantly against making friends with her.

The two began their school term not long after. It briefly crossed Jin’s mind that Xiaoyu was essentially the same age as he was when he had first come into the care of the Mishima Zaibatsu. Whenever they crossed paths at school, she would be sure to call out to Jin with high spirits, and he would in turn lightly nod without a word in her direction to acknowledge her. Occasionally, she’d walk up to Jin and chat with him briefly. He often didn’t say much, but he didn’t completely ignore her either. She was happy that he had taken to calling her “Xiao” as she had asked him to and that he didn’t mind that she addressed him by his first name.

At the end of one afternoon, Jin walked with his school bag slung over his left shoulder, and his right hand on his hip. He had just left one of the buildings. Xiaoyu ran up to him with higher spirits than usual. “Hi Jin,” she said as she walked backwards to face him while they talked.

He nodded but said nothing, waiting for her to say more.

“Guess what?” she urged.

“What?” he asked plainly.

“Look behind you,” she said with a smile.

He paused in his walk, bringing his bag down from his shoulder and holding at his side, and looked behind him. A panda was walking toward them on all fours. “A panda?” he said with subdued surprise.

Xiaoyu nodded. “Yup. In fact, that’s her name,” Xiaoyu said gleefully. “Panda, this is Jin. Jin, this is Panda.”

By now, Panda had reached the two and stopped right in front of them. She looked up at Jin with a smile and nodded in approval.

“Grandpa Heihachi told me about her yesterday,” said Xiaoyu. “She’s going to be cared for here at the school, but she’s also going to be my bodyguard. Right, Panda?”

Panda turned her head back to Xiaoyu and nodded in agreement.

To Xiaoyu’s shock, Jin chuckled very lightly and then said, “What would you need a bodyguard for? You’re the one who goes berserk and beats up others.”

She giggled and said, “I was only defending myself. Still…Panda’s going to my bodyguard. And then I won’t have to go berserk,” she said with a knowing nod.

Panda nodded in agreement.

Xiaoyu leaned in and whispered to Jin, “Kuma has a crush on her.”

“Xiaoyu!” another girl’s voice called. Xiaoyu and Jin turned to the voice and were met with the sight of a camera being held by Miharu Hirano, a new best friend Xiaoyu had made very quickly at the beginning of the school term. They heard the subtle click of their picture being taken.

“Take another!” Xiaoyu urged. “Come on, Jin. You, me, and Panda.”

“No, that’s quite alright,” he began to slowly walk away.

Xiaoyu grabbed his left arm, “Aw, come on,” she pleaded. With a look of reluctance as he was about to begin his protest, they both heard the next click from the camera. Too late.

Xiaoyu let go. “Alright! Got it!” she said victorious. “Be sure to give us all copies,” she told Miharu.

“Of course,” Miharu said.

“Well, I’m going,” Jin slung his bag over his shoulder again and began to walk away.

“Bye Jin!” Xiaoyu said to him with cheerful enthusiasm.

“Bye Xiao,” he called back to her coolly without turning his head.

When he reached the gate, Jin looked to his left and saw Kuma on one knee, holding a bouquet. Kuma immediately hid it from Jin by putting it behind his back and pretended to be looking anywhere but Jin’s direction nonchalantly.

Jin gazed back in the direction of Xiaoyu and Panda for a moment and then at Kuma again. He continued his walk past Kuma, and Kuma was not sure if he was imagining it or not when, after Jin was several steps away, Kuma heard a low, “Hang in there,” fall on his ears.