The tournament was over, but the event itself was not.  After he had helped the other two, they wwere met by an older woman who looked to be in excellent shape, despite the age, the way Michael Miocic did.  She was there to congratulate them, introducing herself as the granddaughter of Mr. Satan, a man who Niko's father had said that 'He was suppose to have destroyed a very powerful enemy to the Earth after becoming World Champion.'.  Many records of that time were lost or - Niko suspected - classified, as those times reflected a bizarre chaos that was difficult to explain.  Still, one thing that IS known was that Mr. Satan was indeed World Martial Arts Champion for a while, and that's about all Niko knew because he'd seen a commercial on TV of a curiously afro'd strongman who looked a bit silly to him as a kid.

Out of respect for the aging martial artist, Niko refrained from commenting on this, and instead just greeted her normally.  Because now...in a funny way...they were equals.  It was a difficult thing to wrap around his head, this crazy kind of prestige in the martial artist's world.  He wasn't sure he was ready for it.  He was a low rank in the army, just a Corporal, but here...  He felt the need to humble it, to not make it a big fuss.  He couldn't allow this to color him.  Maybe if he had become Champion, he'd settle into the role, but he had made mistakes along the way and Angela had really proven himself in his eyes, Bakuto too.  These were good people, and perhaps he'd see them later and-

[color=92278f][i]Wait, what?[/i][/color]

A festival?  Fancy dress?  Fans from all over the-  [i]No[/i] no no no no no no...  He wasn't ready for that.  Lee had left because he had no reason to stay and no-doubt didn't like occasions like this to begin with - a very serious man, him - but Niko felt intimidated by the whole affair.  He wasn't the finalist.  He wasn't ready for the limelight.  He couldn't do that.  This power and skill may be impressive, but...that wasn't his purpose here, merely a side-effect.  He shook his head at the elder lady.

[color=92278f]"I'm sorry, Miss Satan, but...I can't.  A long-anticipated anxiety has reared its ugly head, and I must retreat for now.  Thank you for having me, and I'll do better next time."[/color]

He turned to Bakuto and Angela.

[color=92278f]"Live it up, you two.  You earned it.  If you ever wanna talk or fight, I'm in the army database [i]somewhere[/i]."[/color]

And with that, he left.  However, he did so at walking speed until he was out of their respective sights.  Pan, who probably had senses beyond that of normal people, probably felt him speed up [i]after[/i] he turned a corner.  He wasn't kidding about that anxiety.  He had to go, get out of all of this, get away...  Niko ran and jumped and did not stop until he was out on the beach somewhere, trying to calm himself.  He stood under a full moon, now, watching the waves come up the sands.  It helped, a little.  He wanted to call Athena, who would probably reassure him while in a mellow sort of mood from a few beers.  His teacher was capable of great things, and after seeing what people [i]here[/i] were capable of, he wondered about enemies with that kind of ability.  The foe that his father mentioned, the rumored victory of Mr. Satan...  What was it?  Maybe he would ask her some time, but...not tonight.

Tonight, he felt both over-and-underwhelmed by the whole situation.  He was a little disappointed in his own performance against Angela, but then Angela proved to be very hearty an opponent, able to stand up to Bakuto's relentless assault.  They were all different from each other, and they had beaten all the other competition.  Huh...  That's weird.  Why was he thinking of them as a trio?  Lee was just as good as any of them, having beaten the [i]former[/i] Champion and fought Bakuto himself.  Maybe it was because the solitary warrior was only ever close, it seemed, to Rica...who might've been trying to kill him.  That was a very near thing.  Some apparently take these alot more seriously than others.  In any case, he was both proud of his accomplishment, but also...strangely nervous of what that all meant.  The implications of being able to tear apart solid stone or kill people with his bare hands was a bit much.

[i][color=92278f]I need better control of myself, more careful precision in my actions.  As a sniper, I have immaculate control of a gun, but this is far different.  I have this level of ability now, and it will probably grow like it did with Athena, and I need to be ready for it if I'm ever to use it against the MMC.  Even if didn't win, I have a goal and an opportunity.  I have a chance...but I need to have the courage to seize it and the will to control it![/color][/i]

Here, Niko decided that he should [i]at least[/i] get in contact with his brother, but strangely...he couldn't reach him.  That's odd...