Disclaimer: I don't own KOF. I own my original characters. Whatever here is edited is edited. I am not going to follow every single plotline because I like Mature and Shermie and SNK decided to kill them off at 96 and 97 respectively… Oh so sad, though Mature was rumored to be alive. I like Chizuru too but she was mind-controlled. I like Goenitz and he was the last boss and died also. I like Foxy too but she never appeared again after her first appearance. Oops. Out of topic.

Anyway… A lot of characters will be OOC. Just a heads up.

Chapter 1: The New Replacement

It was a beautiful day. It really was. Blue skies, white clouds and the occasional birds flying around. Everything was perfect, not to mentioned the occasional cool breeze. It was satisfying for those who walked on the street, indeed.

A young man walked on the many streets in the housing area, wearing a blue hat and carrying a large bag on his back. He was wearing a white T-shirt under a dark green slipover. His jeans' colors were nearly washed away, and his pair of black shoes was covered with dusts. He looked at the paper on his hand as he looked around, slightly muttering to himself.

"It is supposed to be around here… Did Master Gentsai trick me again?" He looked around, to his left, and then to his right. Brick walls and more brick walls.

"Well. Better get going before the day's over… Master Gentsai really needs to polish his drawing technique." After that, quickly turning his attention back to the paper and the map drawn on it, although in his opinion it looks more like a scribble than a map. However, the address was written just under it, but the hand-writing was no matter than the drawing itself…

The long-haired young woman looked at it intensely. Her psycho energy fully concentrated in her hand. It was her biggest challenge yet. She had never felt the kind of sensation since her last fight. Even now she could recall her defeat. The pain. The humiliation. No more! She would never yield! Putting on her white apron with a smiling face of a panda drawn on the front and equipped with the spatula, she began her battle as she turned on the fire, lighting up the stove…

Just as she was about to start the action, she was interrupted. The door bell could be heard as it echoed throughout the small hallway…

"I'll get it!" The young man in the blue jacket immediately jumped on and ran towards the door. The last time something like this happened, she nearly Psycho Balled the mailman. Jobs were getting harder these days. As he opened the door, he was greeted with a guest. An unusual guest… When he looked closer…

"Sie ge ge! How long has it been?" The boy in front of him said with a smile. He looked at the boy again, so familiar… Those round black eyes, that silky black hair and that smirk… And he remembered. He remembered those moments dodging the wind blades, becoming an aerial sandbag and trying to catch a little brat who keeps dodging…

"Ke Ling! What are you doing here?!" His voice could be heard from the kitchen. The boy merely grinned at the older male. Yup, that was Kensou alright.

"Here's a 'formal' letter from the master," He took out a folded envelope from his pocket and gave it directly to Kensou. Kensou quickly unfolded the envelope and retrieved the letter inside. He read it… and he had not a single idea what it was writing about.

"The master's writing is one of the worst ones I've seen. Okay. Under statement. It IS the worst. What is it talking about?"

"I'm joining you people in this year's King of Fighters competition."

Dead silence.

"You're kidding, right?"

Another period of silence.

"This is not funny, Ke Ling. We have enough people anyway. Now, why don't you go home and…"

"Did I tell you that I am replacing Master Gentsai?"

Kensou became green and Ke Ling grinned harder.

"Kensou? Who's there?" Athena raised up her voice as she battled in the kitchen against evil tomatoes, meats and seasonings. Kensou merely sighed, surrendering himself to his Fate.

"Athena, I think we have a new teammate."

Everyone was sitting on the tatami in the living room. Athena just had a nice hot bath after the final battle and she was now comfortably in her T-shirt and blue trousers. Kensou was there too, legs crossed and biting at his meat bun. Both looked at the new comer as he too, sat crossed legs. He no longer wears his hat, and his black hair freely flowed down, reaching half his ears and his collar at the black.

"So you are that Ke Ling I occasionally heard from Master Gentsai. You looked much younger than I expected." Athena smiled as he greeted the guess. "I am Athena Asamiya and this is my home. You are welcomed to stay here for as long as you like."

"Master Gentsai had told me a lot about you, Miss Asamiya. You certainly looked more beautiful than from a TV set. I sincerely accept your offer." The boy thanked her. "Let me reintroduce myself. I am Leong Ke Ling, but I too have an English name. Call me Selwyn."

"Then don't call me Miss Asamiya. Call me Athena, like Master Gentsai and Kensou."

After all the formalities, all three of them began chatting. Selwyn had become Master Gentsai's student when he was traveling with Gentsai around the Asian regions by chance. He was taught some basic martial arts by Gentsai and sparred with Kensou, and he kicked Kensou's 'buttock' almost every time. Kensou's face immediately turned red and complaint it wasn't fair even at the beginning.

"Why?" Athena asked as Selwyn tried his best not to burst out in laughter and Kensou's face slowly showing streaks of red.

"I'm not telling." As hard as a rock...

"Fine then. I'll ask Selwyn instead!"

"A- Athena!" Becoming softer…

"You're not telling me anyway. Why should I waste my time on you when there's obviously someone else who knows the answer?"

"But, but… Athena... please don't ask…" And reduced into a pile of 'begging' dust…

"Oh alright. I won't ask." Athena looked at Kensou who cried out in joy and probably singing praises to God deep within his heart. "But you have to promise that you will tell me one day."

And the heart broke into a million pieces.

Selwyn finally couldn't take it any more and laugh out.

Selwyn slept on the soft bed which used to be Kensou's (he is sleeping on the couch tonight) and he looked at the ceiling. He wondered how things would go from now on. He certainly couldn't believe his eyes when Master Gentsai appeared in his home one day and told him to join the tournament as a member of the Psycho Soldier.

Almost every young men and women's heart were set on fire with the previous tournaments with the fighter's dashing spirit and show of strength. 'Cool' would be the word. Before the old master left, he even helped him refined his Crow Strike special move, making it much more precise and practical in real battles.

He turned his attention from the blank ceiling to the night sky outside the window. He wondered how well he would fare in the tournament. Although he used to be able to beat Kensou, he had no idea if he could do it now. After all, that was about three, four years ago. For one thing, his mother even encouraged him to join the tournament after a certain someone accidentally slipped words to her.

He took a deep breath, and closed his eyes, relaxing every muscle in his body as he would in his meditation exercises. He could feel the flow, the 'ki' within his body circulating.

After yesterday's dinner, Selwyn volunteered to cook for the whole team. Let's just say that Athena's and Kensou's cooking skills weren't as good as their fighting skills. After a short and refreshing breakfast, all three of them are now standing in the clearing next to Athena's house.

"Selwyn, we need to see how good you are in battle." Athena started as she looked at Kensou, who merely nodded. "I know Kenou said you're good, but I have to see it for myself."

"Does that mean we have to fight, right now?" The boy asked 'innocently,' but his heart and spirit were already burning…

"Yes. We'll start now. Let's go!" And the next thing both male saw was Athena's school clothing started to tear off, pieces by pieces, slowly revealing… her battle clothes inside! She quickly back stepped and quickly formed her battle stance.

"Go get him!" Kensou yelled from behind the scene.

Still in the same clothing as yesterday (except changing into a black T-shirt), Selwyn also back stepped and stood there, his right hand extended towards Athena. "Get ready… Here I come."

The girl quickly shoots out a psycho ball. The red energy ball charged towards the boy. Just before it would hit him, with a wave of his hand, the psycho ball was deflected away and darted back towards Athena, who was no longer there. But he could catch a blur of images as he quickly darted away.

Psychic Sword, Phoenix Arrow, Psycho Ball. All three special moves had been executed in a graceful flow, Selwyn had been hit by the Phoenix Arrow but he could still manage as he returned the Psycho Ball towards Athena again. But this time, both Athena and Kensou could see the ripple of air as he changed the direction of the energy attack towards the fighter, who managed to dodge just in time.

"My turn." Selwyn almost seemingly disappeared into thin air. No, not seemingly. Completely. Athena quickly guarded the punch that came without warning from her right, and the one from her left. Suddenly, she could catch the motion of the boy rushing towards her.

"Psycho Reflector!"

"Counter Shield!"

Both shields crashed together and disappeared in red and green as Selwyn darted away just in time as Athena executed another Phoenix Sword. He grinned, and Kensou started to get worry.

Before Athena land on the ground, Selwyn managed to connect a punch to her stomach. She managed to stand the sudden pain, but that was just an appetizer. Selwyn jumped onto the air, and an upper cut followed with a slam on her back. She thought she could see white arcs around the boy as she nearly fell onto the ground and quickly flipped over into her fighting stance. Selwyn smiled as his Crow Strike special move had become more practical in terms of usage. At least he hit her.

Selwyn on the other hand, was already on the ground, waiting for her attack.

"Athena, are you alright?!" Kensou shouted again. "Why didn't you ask either I'm alright or not?" Selwyn mumbled to himself.

"I'm alright. This is going to be interesting." Psycho Ball, Psycho Ball, Psycho Ball.

The boy looked at the energy balls, two were slow and one was fast. But when they reached him all three balls nearly overlapped each other. "Counter Shield!" He reflected the first ball and that ate away the second one. He blocked the third one with his arms simply it was too late to do anything else.

"Psycho Sword!"

And he was now flying into mid air. The searing pain on his back almost knocked him out. He quickly recovered in mid air and darted away as the air under his feet rippled away. Athena looked at amazement as he landed on the ground. Things are not going well for both of them.

Kensou started sweating while both the fighters just locked their eyes on each other…

She jumped into the air and Selwyn runs towards her.

"Phoenix Arrow!"

"Crow Strike!"

A meteorite versus an uppercut reinforced with energy…

Kensou looked as the two forces of nature clashed…

A bright light.

And both fighters lay on the ground. Athena performed a quick flip, but she was no where at full vitality as she was before. Selwyn was better, as he sat right up and merely sighed. He still needed to improve a lot before he could 'own' Master Gentsai it would seem, since he never really used his full power at the tournament.

"You are great!" Athena exclaimed as she stood up and brushing her face with her glove, trying to get rid of the dust. "Much better than I expected!"

"You are good too. The only time I had to bite the dust like that was fighting with the Master or my mother."

"You fought your own mother?" Kensou asked a stupid question.

"My mother is an old acquaintance of Master Gentsai. She was a capable fighter in her own right." Selwyn explained to him and Athena, who nodded in agreement. But she still couldn't understand one thing…

"Why would Kensou fear you so much? I mean, he is just as good as me in terms of battle skills."

Kensou looked at Athena, with tears streaming out. She merely slapped at her own forehead. Selwyn continued to burst out laughing.

"Old story." Selwyn told Athena. "And quite long too. You sure you want to listen?"

Kensou quickly changed into his own battle stance and launched a Psycho Ball of his own at Selwyn, who reflected back the energy ball to Kensou with a grin that was obviously saying "Beg me" as the energy blasted Kensou.

"Alright you two. Welcome to the Psycho Soldiers, Selwyn! You'll be a great help to us!" Athena extended her hand, and Selwyn accepted it.

"This time, we'll try to get as far as we can, won't we?" Athena looked at Kensou, who merely nodded shyly.

ge ge means Older Brother in Chinese. Equivalent to Onii-san in Japanese.

Author's Note:

Hope you guys like the first chapter. I am probably going to update once a week, so check back next Wednesday or if I become more hardworking, Sunday. I welcome any comments and reviews. Suggestions are more than welcome.