The Strongest Fighter in the World

by MavGunloc

Surprise! Chapter 12 Uploaded! The sequel to TLWP and KoH. Join Terry, Ryo, and company as they take on the N.E.S.T.S organization once and for all. Takes place during the KoF 2001 Tournament.

10. Chapter 9: King of Fighters Tournament R...

Chapter 9: The King of Fighters Tournament – Round 3

"Good afternoon King of Fighters fans. This is Yumi Sanada here live in the birth place of the King of Fighters tournament bringing you the pre-fight show," says the overly dressed reporter. Yumi stands in front of the old Howard Arena where the first three King of Fighters Tournaments were held. The building, even though it was renovated and spruced up for last year's tournament, still had a look of age as the unused years began to show on the exterior. Nevertheless, even to the dismay of the young reporter, this kind of sap and reflection always brought in the ratings. People always liked to look into the past for just one moment before witnessing the future.

"The second week of the King of Fighters Tournament is since a moment in history. However, that week has proved to be the most astounding and agonizing in this tournament's history," Yumi enthusiastically remarks. The text on the camera can't scroll any faster. The rotting destitute smell of the ever growing sordid South Town wasn't on her list of favored reporting spots. Yumi internally sucked in her mental abhorrence and continued. "We've had teams sucked deeper into the pit of despair and others that have climbed the impossible ladder nearing victory. The competition is as fierce as ever and we've experienced surprise after surprise. This just goes to show you that anything is possible here at the King of Fighters Tournament!"

The screen pans out from a full shot of Yumi and places her in a small square on the upper right hand quarter of the screen. The other large portion of unused space is filled with the words 'King of Fighters – Week 2 Results'. Yumi began to speak as the names of teams and results began to print themselves on the screen. "Teams have gone from almost worst to near first and others have shocked the fighting world as we know it. Here are the results for last week's match ups."

The N.E.S.T.S. Team - 6

Vs.

The Hero Team - 4.5

Winner: The Hero Team - +1

The Psycho Team - 3

Vs.

The Japan Team - 4

Winner: The Japan Team - +1

Team Fatal Fury - 5.5

Vs.

The Yagami Team - 5

Winner: Team Fatal Fury - +1

The Ikari Team - 4

Vs.

Team Kyokugen Karate - 4

Winner: Team Kyokugen Karate - +1

Team Korea - 2

Vs.

Female Fighters Team - 4

Winner: Female Fighters Team - +1

With the viewers eyes locked onto the letters and hopingly high numbers next to their favorite teams, Yumi spoke with the graying Howard Arena in her background. "The most explosive match of the year was surprisingly the first. The N.E.S.T.S. Team and the Hero Team put their strength to the test after their previous match dominant performance. The team captain, K' showed no mercy when punching in the most powerful members of his squad against and equally viscous and ruthless set of competitors from the N.E.S.T.S. Team. Maxima led it off for the Hero Team against the fiery newcomer Angel. The two battled hard almost until the time limit broke but in the end it was the quicker and livelier Angel who came out on top. Going in next for the Heroes, Lin moved in and took on the heavy shoulders of his fallen teammate. Angel proved to be tough competitor but she couldn't pull of the flawless performance she did in her first round. Lin defeated Angel halfway through the fight but the match was far from over. The mysterious Foxy, a shadow during the interruption of a match in last year's tournament took center stage and battled against Lin to an unprecedented and unfortunate double knock out," Yumi stated as the picture on the screen faded from a screen of text to the shot of a defeated Lin and Foxy. The image stayed on the screen for as long as it needed to until it was burned into the memories of every viewer. Yumi continued with the picture still fresh in the viewers mind.

"The fighting square was clear and the stage was set for what was told to be the most grueling match of the new millennium. The authoritarian and enigmatic K'9999 who declared clear and utter dominance from the N.E.S.T.S. Team in this year's tournament was put to the ultimate test. K' had shown limitless strength and tenacity in years past and it looks like he wasn't slowing down here either. K'9999 battle long and hard against K' flame attacks. Las Vegas was on the verge of exploding. In the end of the carnage, it was the Hero team that came out on top with the helpful run in of their striker Whip," Yumi stated. Her silence allowed for the cameras to shift into the final image of K' standing over the fallen K'9999. The audience would suck this in as an amazing feat but the only thing amazing about the shot was the fact that the cameraman didn't get attacked from being so close to the violent K'.

After the violent image left the screen, Yumi appeared again with a new caption on the bottom of the screen. 'The Battle in Japan' was shown in big bold letter and Yumi didn't waste another second with her pretty face on the screen. "The world renowned Japan Team competed in their home field after taking a troubling first loss. The Psycho Soldiers Team was also coming into the second week's match with a loss and both teams desperately needed a win to stay in this competition. Benimaru Nikaido was the first and, needless to say, only competitor for the Japan Team whereas the dynamic pair of Sei Kensou and Athena Asamiya. The electric battle between the fierce young males was ecstatic. Sei proved that he was no small fry showing the same dynamic strength and agility as he did against his previous battle with K'. However, Benimaru's electric moves were too much for the young veteran to handle," Yumi stated as the screen flashed a picture of Kensou laying down after his defeat. Fans of the Japan Team were cheering and on the opposite side of the fence, the Psycho Team fans were shouting in disgust. With this simple television ploy in mind, Yumi continued.

"Sei was eliminated and in his place was the cute but deadly Athena. Although being male, Benimaru put no precedence or mercy on attacking the opposite sex. Even with her arsenal of quick moves and blinding energy attacks, Benimaru proved to be the stronger fighter. Just before the fight's end, Benimaru was caught off guard by one of Athena's famous teleportation dashes. Before the Japan Team's blonde star could react, it was Shingo Yabuki who rushed in to the aid of his exposed teammate and claimed victory for the Japan Team despite numerous protests from the actual competitor Benimaru. Kyo Kusanagi who was ordered second in the match didn't even get a chance to warm up his fists as Benimaru proved that he too had a large place on this team. The Japan Team had earned the victory but in the end, they really didn't look like winners at all," Yumi reported. A picture of the final moments of the match was shown and it wasn't the prettiest on the film. Benimaru was grabbing Shingo by the collar and appeared to be shaking him back and forth while Kyo tried to separate the two from doing any real damage to him. Goro was in the back with his hand on his head as if he were wondering why he even decided to join the team this year.

Yumi's face appeared once again after the Japan Team fans have endured enough humiliation. The text changed to show the third bout of the day and shined on its importance. "The miracle worker Terry Bogard does it again in round two of the King of Fighters Tournament. After coming from his recent victory against their rivals the Japan Team, Terry squared off against the sworn rival of Kyo Kusanagi. Iori Yagami was also coming off of the wings of a victory as the match proved to be the week's most intense. Before the two giants collided, it was Seth and Blue Mary who took the arena's attention. The Commando Sambo techniques of Blue Mary seemed to be very effective against Seth's brute force. However, his stamina was much greater than what Mary could dish out and the blonde bombshell fell in defeat. Terry Bogard, the team's leader was next to compete and compete he did. After dishing out three viscous Burn Knuckles, Seth was finally knocked out after Terry delivered a devastating horseshoe kick."

The screen flashed from Yumi's beautiful figure to another bulky, less attractive looking one. Seth was shown on his back after the final blow was delivered. There have been car wrecks aired on this network that looked more pleasant than the way Seth did at that present day and time. After the gruesome image faded away, Yumi's face returned much to the pleasure of the viewers.

"After Seth's loss, the stage was set for what looked to be the match of the century. Miracle Man Terry Bogard confronts the long time nemesis of Kyo Kusanagi in Iori Yagami. The two have never met before in King of Fighter's history and after coming from a great victory against Iori's rival, Terry was set to prove that he was the strongest fighter in the world. The two battled ferociously in what seemed to be a complete stalemate, that is, until the entrance of Iori's teammate Ramon which was received with a painful welcome. It was Iori himself who nullified his uncalled striker and with the help of his younger brother, Terry was able to deliver the crushing first blow," Yumi enthusiastically stated. Her face was removed and popping on the screen was a picture of Terry's fist smashing against Iori's skull. It was as if the scene was coming alive and the two monolith fighters were dueling it out right in every viewer's living room. The man that took that picture got a nice bonus for his efforts and with that, Yumi continued.

"The two fighters continued after each other taking blow after countless blow. Neither refused to quit and it wasn't until the raging beast inside Terry came out and delivered the final crushing blow in what was called a 'human made natural disaster' by the Italian government. Terry's Power Geyser technique reached new heights and Iori could not stand against that massive wave of energy. The Lone Wolf stood firm in the center of the fighting square and threw his hat up in victory," stated the reporter. A picture of Terry appeared on the screen from what looked to be knee level and captured the victorious fighter just as his cap left his hands. Even will all of his cuts, slashes, and bruises; Terry still looked like a champion. The only thing the cameras failed to capture was his pained expression after the fans had dispersed.

The screen changed from the dramatic victory shot to the freighting image of a man's shadow. It was dark and menacing. The viewers were invited into a pool of terror by the shots that were posted and all for good reason. This was the biggest story to date in this year's tournament. Yumi began to speak as the uniformed fans were hankering to know just what this picture had to do with the King of Fighters. "The battle in Brazil was one that shall never be forgotten in King of Fighter's history. The previously defeated Kyokugen Karate Team was facing the deadly force of the veteran Ikari Team with the return of, what some say, the best hand to hand combatant in existence Heidren. In a move considered brilliant by some, crazy by most, Ryo Sakazaki took the helm as the only competitor for his team against the Ikari's three most deadly members. Ryo in the past has proven his excellent ability but nothing could compare to the weight on his shoulders now. The odds instantly shifted favor giving Ryo the worse end of the stick but those who knew how to be wisely would have come out with a king's ransom," Yumi stopped as the picture shifted from the intimidating shadow to the now colored portrait of an emotionless Ryo Sakazki. His brow was slanted in anger and his lips curled in a defiant frown. Most people who recognized the lovable orange-clad South Town hero were shocked to see their favorite Kyokugen warrior in such a state. Those who watched the fight witnessed something far greater than sorrow.

Yumi knew this is how all of the viewers would see it and continued her report, "The first fighter for Heidren's Ikari Team was the always dangerous Ralf Jones. He showed superior strength and speed in his previous match but his performance against Ryo shattered his once proud fighter's pride," Yumi suddenly stopped and a picture of the fallen Ralf holding his shattered arm while cringing for the god's to stop his pain. If any of the competitors in this tournament were watching, this would be the greatest intimidation. Nothing spoke louder than actions and Ryo's were simply phenomenal. "Ralf did nothing more than scratch the scary new mannerisms of Ryo and in less than thirty seconds, Ralf had fallen in defeat with a completely wasted effort and thirty six fractures and breaks in his right arm," the screen flashed into the video feed from last week's match. Ralf was being picked up and put in a stretcher. The fans watched in horror. Never have they seen someone so viscously beat by a man whose normal nature had been very friendly and kind hearted. These were obviously no actions of a man but of a monster. With that thought dancing in the viewers mind's Yumi continued "Leona was next on the Ikari Team's roster but her match didn't fair as well either. She did, however, did get the first blow against the seemingly unstoppable Ryo making him draw first blood but that only seemed to fuel his rage. He easily tore through all of her defenses and even as Leona went for her trump card by using her earring grenade, Ryo went straight through it and finished her off in an onslaught of kicks and punches that would have destroyed any normal man. Luckily for Leona she had more resilience than an average man but that didn't save her from a mountain of pain. She was taken out of the fighting square after doing nothing more than upsetting an already enraged Kyokugen fighter."

The screen flashed to a picture of Heidren and Ryo seconds before the 'Fight' bell rang. They both seemed to have the same expressions on their faces which frieghtened both spectators and the fans at home. This was a glorious day for the media and that meant big bucks for Yumi Sanada. "The long absent Heidren finally strapped on his combat boots against the freight train that has completely dominated against his two finest soldiers. Heidren showed the fans and Ryo that he wasn't to be taken lightly and proved it in the early moments of the fight. After the first thirty seconds passed, it seemed as if Heidren had the match won. His only mistake was underestimating the boundless rage of Ryo Sakazaki. Not even the experienced hands of Heidren were able to stop the Unbeatable Dragon and, like his subordinate Ralf, his hand was crushed. Ryo stopped Heidren's explosive finishing maneuver with a new one of his own and then sent the commander crashing to the ground broken and defeated," A picture of Ryo appeared on the screen while he was on his hands and knees. The cameras couldn't get any closer than fifteen feet but that wasn't because of any technical difficulty. The camera crew feared for their lives. They faced the consequences of getting too close back in 1995 when Iori Yagami made his first appearance. Ryo gave off that same vibe and they only thing that guaranteed was trouble.

Still, people wondered why the unstoppable Ryo fell to his knees after victory and Yumi was here to give the only explanation her producers allowed her to say. "After what should have been a joyful occasion for the previous down and out Kyokugen Karate Team, Ryo fell to his knees and clenched his body. There is no way to atone for the devastation he committed for that day and the weight of his actions fell down on his body. Ryo Sakazaki was reduced to nothing more than a sad and broken man."

That wasn't Yumi's first choice in analysis but the powers that be wouldn't allow any personal insights on their program. Then again, she wasn't paid to think, only speak thus she continued with the final part of her report. "The last match of the evening was undoubtedly the most important for the day. Two teams on the brink of instant elimination squared off in what proved to be a very invigorating match. Team Korea was already in bad shape earning no points in their first bout and the Female Fighters scored no better with their single point. Both teams needed to earn at least two if they were even going to remain in competition so on the brink of defeat, they brought out their best. The Female Fighters came out strong starting with their young sumo star Hinako Shijou in their three fighter rotation. Team Korea opted to play it safe by only starting two of their fighters and they started with their best. Kim Kaphwan battled hard against the small and quick movements of the tiny sumo wrestler. Hinako proved to be more than Kim could handle and various points during the match but the young newcomer couldn't handle the strong kicks of the Tae Kwon Do master. Kim finished of Hinako with a series of lightning fast kicks but he wasn't fairing as well as he could have. The young sumo nearly wore out Kim and defeat was right around the corner as his next opponent Mai Shiranui stepped into the fighting square. Kim didn't have the full load of steam he did when he started and with a furiously competitive ninjitsu at the top of her game, the future looked bleak for the proud Tea Kwon Do master."

The screen flashed a picture of Mai and Kim seconds before the fight started. Mai's generous assets were in full bloom. Not that her outfit tried to hide any of them much to the displeasure of some of the Shiranui students back in Japan. Kim Kaphwan wasn't taken back by the nice view and kept his fighting stance tight and firm. Yumi continued with this image still fresh in the viewer's mind. "Despite Kim's near exhausted state he came forward, pumping at all cylinders. He threw his kicks with the same intensity as he did in his previous bout that almost threw Mai right off of her game. The two battle hard until the clock nearly hit zero but Kim's stamina fell before the timer did. Mai was able to beat the legendary Tae Kwon Do champion seconds before the bell rang and gave her team a big morale boost." Another picture was shown on the screen with Mai flashing one of her many sexy poses and in the distance were her teammates were trying to get into the shot but the cameraman knew better than that. Photos of Mai were practically gold and the viewers would respond with their televisions at peak settings and their tongues drooling. Either way, the ratings poured in like a flood.

"Team Korea's new star May Lee was the final hope in attaining a shot at a first place finish. Mai was still holding out strong despite the grueling match she had against Kim and didn't let up an inch. The two young stars fought hard but Mai's obvious fatigue was slowing her down significantly. May Lee's series of quick kicks and excellent agility allowed her to overcome the experienced Mai Shiranui and give team Korea one final boost of confidence before the curtain ran down on their tournament standing. Finally, it came down to the last to fighters of the evening. The veteran King versus the newcomer May Lee. Kick boxing versus Tae Kwon Do," Yumi stopped as the last and final picture in the studio's cabinet flashed on the screen. King was standing straight up eyeing down her opponent as she always did. May Lee remained calm but kept a hint of a smile on her lips. There was nothing really beneficial to keep the image up this long since her segment was almost over anyways. Yumi just had a few more lines left and then her job would be over. All this talk about punches and kicks wasn't exactly as thrilling as reality television. Job prospects aside, Yumi finished her report. "Once the final start bell rang, King didn't let a second go to waste. Kick boxing and Tae Kwon Do collided in an intense battle. King came out in full force as did her opponent May Lee. There has never been a more rigorous battle of kicks seen at this level since the tournament's first conception. May Lee's speed advantage almost seemed to claim victory toward the end of the bout but the strong and inexperienced young warrior didn't understand the full capabilities of the kick boxing sport. Namely the punching aspect. In a miraculous turn of events, King finished of May Lee with a viscous haymaker and sealed the victory for the Female Fighters Team."

Yumi ended her segment with a huge smile as instructed from her superiors. They didn't care if it was for the joy of her great job or the fact that said job was over. So long as she kept that great smile on, the viewers would be less inclined to change the channel before she was able to finish up her report. Before the camera's switched to a new anchor, Yumi began to close her report.

"In just a few hours, the King of Fighters Tournament will be entering its third and final week of preliminary matches. Here are the official standings brought to you by those generous people at the SNK Corporation." The screen switched from Yumi's bright demeanor to something the fans really wanted to see. The scoreboard.

Team Fatal Fury - 6.5

The N.E.S.T.S. Team - 6

The Hero Team - 5.5

The Japan Team - 5

Team Kyokugen Karate - 5

The Yagami Team - 5

The Ikari Team - 4

The Female Fighters Team - 4

The Psycho Team - 3

Team Korea - 2

The camera's switched back to Yumi in the single minute she had left on the air. "Team Fatal Fury has climbed the ladder and dethroned the N.E.S.T.S. Team for first place. The Kyokugen Karate Team also made a significant jump from the near last place standing to a three way tie for fourth place. Team Korea has not been officially eliminated from any potential first place finish but they're teetering on the edge. They've got a lot more work to come if they're going to make it in this tournament and with the first and second place teams going up against each other today, anything can happen. Stay tuned for the Round 2 predictions and probabilities with the legendary fight analyst Masami Obari. For News Combo 7, I'm Yumi Sanada signing off and wish everyone the best of luck in Round 3."

"Uggghhh…" Joe said turning off the television. His immortal disgust with this kind of reporting was almost making his stomach curl up and spit out his bodily juices all over their Japanese suite. Joe's attention span was as short as a newborn's shoe laces and quickly turned over to his roommate Andy for a bit of entertainment.

"What the hell are we doing in here anyways?!" Joe cried, "The more we wait, the tenser I get!"

"I don't think going outside is such a good idea Joe," Andy replied. His back remained straight against the wall of their room and his arms were relaxed as they crossed over his chest. He simply took on of his free hands out and pointed his thumb to the window. Joe raised his eyebrow slightly at the gesture but then decided to put two and two together. What he saw was definitely not to his liking.

"Yeesh…" Joe said slapping his nose with his thumb. "I didn't think these guys were sore losers."

All of the fans in attendance brought along their gallons of hatred for the team that dared to defeat their beloved Japan Team. After all of the constant years of losses, this was not the kind of reception Andy and company had expected. Hundreds of signs plastered in front of the hotel entrance screamed their displeasure at Terry Bogard and his pack of wolves. All Andy needed was that one look in the morning while he was doing his routine stretches to know where to stay until the match was over. Joe, unlike his companion, saw this kind of attention as misdirected and unjust. It's not like the South Town fans ever plastered Kyo Kusanagi's face on the body of a chicken but then again Joe wasn't one to hang out in South Town for more than a day. That city was full of surprises and he didn't doubt any or all rumors he heard on the street. Especially ones about Terry.

Joe collapsed on the bed once again. It seems like that was all he was doing for the duration of the tournament. He constantly voiced his disapproval to Terry on the plane rides, in the taxis, and constantly over meals but his fearless leader would never give him a straight answer.

That is, until today. Joe went to go see Terry first thing this morning and the only thing that was spoken between the two was a wink followed by a smile. It was finally Joe's time to shine and his fists were itching for a fight. Now the name Higashi will be as household as Sony and SNK.

Terry gave a slight yelp followed by a deep cringe as the bandage was being removed from his back. He'd kept them on for nearly a week which was all thanks to his performance and opponent during last week's match. Terry was glad, however, that the camera's decided to turn their attention away from the fighting square seconds before he collapsed. All Terry remembered when he woke up was the searing burn of pain retching itself across his body and the mental images that were attached with them.

Mary smiled as she continued to give her handsome lover some more first aid. It was cute watching him squirm like that and there was no way she was going to let him get off without a comment.

"Oh quit whining… You big baby," she said with a smile. That was really pushing it saying something of that extremity to Terry Bogard. Then again, there were certain boundaries she could cross. Sometimes twice a night but not as of recently. Mostly to the addition of their little blonde companion but ever since a few days had passed, Terry had been acting real strange. Mary couldn't put her finger on it but the signs were there. He'd wake up several times in the middle of the night with a cold sweat protruding down his face and he'd give defensive reactions when she touched him in certain areas. The only obvious explanation Mary could think of was Terry was simply stressing out and just left it at that.

For now.

"I can't help it," Terry replied, "It's not like we've hired a professional."

Terry's comment was immediately replied with a slap on the back on his still unhealed cut. He didn't allow Mary the pleasure of hearing him cringe again but taking in the pain with a wholehearted gasp wasn't an easy task. Terry still had to keep a lively attitude even in his time of pain and he spared no comment or phrase while doing it. Either way, the damage had been done and there was no going back on it now.

Still, Mary took that comment to the heart. This wasn't the first time she had to attend to Terry's wounds and every time she prayed that it would be the last. Then again, this was Terry Bogard she was talking about here. It's like his middle name was trouble and his nickname was synonymous with pain and anguish. She'd almost become accustomed to this lifestyle which would scare any normal girl out of this relationship. Terry was lucky to have a devoted and loving woman in his life. The Lonely Wolf moniker was slowly fading away and it was getting harder and harder to let go of it.

Mary stood up from the bedroom and walked over to the kitchen. She still wasn't getting over the luxury of these rooms. The convenience of home all wrapped up and packaged in these quaint rooms were just too good to be true. Instead of waiting thirty minutes for a cup of coffee, she could instantly brew one herself in a fraction of the time. These kinds of little perks make fighting in a world-wide fighting tournament much more bearable.

"Terry," Mary called from the kitchen, "I'm making some coffee. Want a cup?"

There was no way Terry would refuse that offer. Anything that would jump start his blood right now was welcome. He wholeheartedly accepted her offer but his cry of "Yea sure," was silenced by the opening of their hotel room door. Scurrying in from the outside was their other roommate Rock Howard with a large bucket of ice in his tiny hands. He ran over to the kitchen past Terry as if he didn't exist and found Mary in two short blinks of an eye.

"I've got the ice just like you asked," Rock stated. He lifted the grey bucket up slightly as proof of his word and Mary couldn't help but smile at his exuberance.

"Thank you Rock," replied Mary as she bent down and gave him a warm hearted pat on the head. "Now go put it over there on the towel next to Terry and do what I showed you to do before, okay?"

"Alright!" Rock said scampering away from the kitchen and right back to his guardian. Terry was amazed at how well Rock was able to bond with Mary. Before, he really couldn't even look at someone with makeup and now he was treating her as if she was family. Terry was glad to feel this kind of vibration from his companions but the itch of loneliness still plagued at his heart. He wasn't used to this kind of environment. Year after year of solitude would do that to you but being around Mary when she was practically happy-go-lucky and Rock when he wasn't calm and reserved almost made Terry nauseous. It was like the world around him wasn't real anymore and he was trapped in some other kind of world where everything worked out.

This wasn't his home. Terry knew that. Years of living off the South Town streets taught you where your home really was.

Terry's subtle thoughts were shattered when Rock poured the contents of the bucket onto a dry towel. His personal feelings had to be pushed aside as the weight of reality fell upon his shoulders. His time for personal insight had been cut dramatically during the coming weeks and instead of focusing on his ever changing personal life, he decided to concentrate on what really mattered.

The fight.

The icy sting of pain crawled its way up Terry's back. The towel didn't help to contain any of the chills but Terry would have to make due. Rock wasn't exactly an expert on swelling or the consequences of not treating it but he did know how to properly place it on someone's skin. Just because Terry wasn't prepared for the shock didn't place any fragment of fault on Rock's lap.

Terry began to relax his body as the cold sting warmed to a gentle icy touch. His back was still swollen and bruised and even after a week of icing it down it still didn't bring Terry back to one hundred percent. He was still going in today no matter how hard Mary protested. He was on an unbelievable hot streak as of late and there was no way his minor injuries were going to hold him back. Terry has gone up against worse opponents on the brink of death and still made it far enough to be where he is today. Terry knew he his most retaining feature as a fighter and a person was his enormous will. Whatever the situation, Terry was able to do whatever it takes to win.

"Ter – Terry," Rock said while holding the towel of ice in place. Terry didn't turn his head but acknowledged Rock and awaited a question. "Can… Can I ask you… For a favor?"

Terry smiled under the mask of his turned head. He felt somewhat curious on what his little friend had in mind so he nodded and anticipated a response.

"Shoot buddy…" Terry said, "What's on your mind?"

Rock began to feel the swell of blood entering his cheeks. This was the most embarrassing thing he had ever even thought of saying and he was about to say it to the most serious man he has ever known in his life.

"I… I was wondering…" Rock began to choke on the words. This was a lot harder than he thought. "Could… Could you teach me…"

"Teach you what?" Terry said hoping that his interruption would help Rock loosen up and get to the point. This wasn't Terry's most favored position when someone was asking him for a favor. Well, maybe if it was Mary.

"Could you teach me…" Rock said with a little more confidence, "How… To pose?"

A full blown grin crossed Terry's lips. That was probably the funniest thing he has ever heard another person say to him. Normally he would erupt in laughter but he could tell Rock wasn't going to appreciate that. Instead he turned his head and looked at Rock's sincere face with his one showing eye. His thumb came up next to his smiling face and Rock could feel a rush of excitement enter his body.

"No problem."

Rock smiled. He wanted a way to express his feelings but Terry was in no condition to take physical gratitude. Terry always knew how to make everyone around him happy.

Mary walked into the room with a pack of matches in one hand and a still lit flame in the other. Terry still had that gracious charm to put smiles on people's faces even when he's not feeling the same.

"Well," Mary said while interrupted the aura of excitement, "Aren't you just a big softie now Terry?" She said jokingly. Even Rock had to laugh at that one. Terry just remained silent and took the glib remark and rolled with the blow. He turned his head to catch a glimpse of Mary's beautiful smiling face and saw something he wished he could have forgotten.

Terry's eyes were locked on the blue and red flame flickering in Mary's hands. It was calling out to him. It was reminding him about the blinding pain he had experienced with that element. Terry couldn't move. He was frozen. Sweat began to run down his head; a cold sweat that cooled very millimeter that it touched. The room was spinning and red flame grew brighter and brighter until it turned a sickening color purple. Death and decay's stench was nigh and Terry was on the verge of losing it.

Mary shook her hand furiously and thus put the tiny flame down. "That damn kitchen burner igniter isn't working. I told you we should have called house cleaning last night Terry," Mary stated. Terry didn't reply nor did he move which brought about a wave of concern.

"Terry?" Mary said while eying him closer. His pupils had shrunk and his breathing was erratic. It was as if he'd seen a ghost. Terry wasn't one to fear anything but now it looked like he was on his last fragment of sanity. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong.

The smell of burning flesh entered Terry's nostrils. It was a scent he wished he had never been exposed to. He could feel his body rising in temperature. Terry's blood pumped viscously through his body causing a bolt of pain with each and every thrust. His hair was standing on end and that's when the world turned to hell.

Terry was standing in the middle of an alley. The familiar scent of garbage and waste tickled his nose and the icy chill of street air bit at his rough skin. Footsteps began to approach and Terry could make out the shape of a demonic figure. The creature's hand began to glow with a grave purple light and a foul smell that could have melted brick. As the scent approached him the words he feared most were uttered right before his eyes.

DOUSHITA!

"YAAAGGGHHH!" Terry screamed while falling back. The vision in front of him exploded in a cloud of purple smoke and if even a fragment of it touched his skin it would mean certain peril.

"TERRY!" Mary cried rushing to his aid. The world washed away from the dark colors of black and purple and Terry's vision focused on the one thing he knew would never hurt him. Soft and gentle hands wrapped around his neck and back and everything started to revert to normal.

"TERRYYY!" Mary screamed again hoping to bring the man she loved back to his normal state. His body was hot and dry but his head was covered in sweat. Mary rubbed Terry's head and squeezed him tight. She wouldn't let him go. Not ever.

"Terry… Terry…" She repeated, "What's wrong?"

Her question was answered as Terry took his arms and wrapped them around her body. He gave her a good tug and let her know that he was back. Mary pushed herself off of him for just a second to acknowledge his glorious response and was pleasantly rewarded with Terry's most amazing smile.

"What happened to you?" Mary asked before she prepared to give him another hug to console his coming admission of pain or fear. Probably both.

Terry fiddled with the towel behind him and pulled out a cube of ice. He was lucky that in tense situations, he always kept a cool head.

"I… I slipped," Terry responded. Mary pushed herself back further and raised her blonde eyebrow almost straight off her forehead.

"What?" She answered back, "What did you say?"

Terry pulled the piece of ice from behind his back and carried it with two fingers. Mary eyed the frozen cube of water as if it were a jewel found in the rarest regions of the world. There had to be more of an explanation that that. Mary tipped her brow and waited until it came.

"It…" Terry started knowing full well the consequences of his actions, "fell down my back."

*SMACK*

Terry felt his cap being ripped off of his head and slapped right back on. Mary stormed out of the room as if she were being played for a total fool. Before her body completely disappeared she turned her head and hoped to find some sort of evidence that made her actions unjustifiable.

All se saw was that classic Bogard dumbfounded grin.

"Idiot!" She yelled while turning. "How could you get me all worried? And for what?! Nothing!" Mary said talking to herself. The coffee wasn't about to make itself so she thought it would be better just to take her mind of that sudden rush of blood. And especially from that jerk.

Terry smiled as he picked himself back up. His plan worked almost too well. Rock was standing several feet in front of him with a very fearful look on his face. Doing what he does best, Terry destroyed that sad look with another smile and a thumbs up. That was all Rock needed to see to know that everything was alright.

Luckily for Terry, Rock didn't see through people as well as Terry did.

This has got to stop… Terry told himself. These nightmares have been reoccurring more frequently during the passing days. He hadn't had a good night's sleep since they defeated the Japan Team. His head was swollen with thoughts and his body was racked with injurious. If he made it out alive today it would be a miracle.

But that was his calling card.

Mr. Miracle Terry Bogard.

"Hey Rock…" Terry called out. "Let's practice some of those moves."

K'9999 kicked the dirt underneath his feet. If there were pockets in his pants he'd shove his hands in them because they were useless any other way. They've been waiting outside for almost an hour and after the events of last week, pissing him off was not the smartest thing to do.

A small subtle token of pleasure to K'9999 was the fact that the fans were barred from the fighting square. Since the citizens of Japan heavily voiced their displeasure over the loss of their team, they wanted payback. At least this way, K'9999 only had one child to deal with but unfortunately for him, this was the worst one of all.

"Kay Kay!" Nagged the devil K'9999 hoped would stay silent. Her level of tolerance was far lower than any new born child and for some reason only he had to deal with her excessive bitching. "How much longer are we going to have to wait?" She playfully asked. K'9999 was not pleased in the slightest, even with her lighthearted attitude.

"How the hell should I know?!" K'9999 barked back. If she came at him with another stupid, simple minded question like that he would silent her permanently. It wasn't enough that she constantly hounded him every waking moment of his existence; now she has to annoy him at the peak of his frustration. That's inexcusable.

On the more calm and sane side of the N.E.S.T.S. Team, Diana and Kula were briefly going over the data on their opponents. Kula hasn't been back nor has she heard anything from N.E.S.T.S. after their loss. Diana told her the superiors were not happy and that they needed to win today or there was no point in going back. They might as well be fugitives because if N.E.S.T.S. finds them, death would be a welcomed sentence next to the punishment they would receive.

Kula was taking their lost harder than anyone. She wanted to go in and act as K'9999's striker as had been previously planned but he waved her off each and every time.

No, that wasn't the problem. Her problem was with K' himself. She'll never forget what happened in that bunker. Watching Candy be destroyed so mercilessly; it was unforgivable. But that wasn't her real gripe. After they had fought and she was down on her knees, K' didn't kill her off. Instead, just as the bombs blew, he saved her life at the cost of his own. Rubble was falling from every single direction and if he had just walked away, there would be no need for Kula to feel this kind of mental torment because she would have been dead. K' carried her from the battleground and into an escape tunnel just before the final bombs blew. The last thing she saw was K' collapsing as the entrance to her escape route was cut off from him and the rest of the world.

The months passing nearly killed her. She wondered if K' had escaped or died. The anticipation was driving her mad. Finally after nearly six months of silence, Kula got the call that K' had been found and that's precisely when the K'9999 project had begun.

Seeing him in that same blood thirsty state last week brought back a ton of unforgettable and haunting memories. There was no way she could have jumped in that match and fought against him. Not after what he did to help her before. She desperately wanted answers to her year old questions and there was only one way to find out. Her superiors and N.E.S.T.S. forbade it but Kula knew better. She would do whatever it took to solve her problems.

Even if it meant betraying N.E.S.T.S. itself.

Kula eyed Foxy and found that she was remaining stationary and silent like the good soldier that she was. However, Kula couldn't speak for the other female member of their team which happened to be jumping and prancing about K'9999's personal space.

"Hey Kay Kay! Hey Kay Kay!" Angel repeated over and over again with each and every bounce. The synthetically engineered veins in K'9999's head began to grow larger and larger until the point of breakage before the busty bimbo would stop talking. Just one drill. Just one slash is all it would talk to maintain silence. K'9999's patience was just about to explode and with it, Angel's unique charm.

"Hey Kay Kay!" Angel said while landing from a jump. She looked him dead in the eyes and gave him one of the sweetest smiles she could muster. Angel loved to be around K'9999 because quite frankly, the guy really didn't have any other friends and since she was with him, he would never be alone and in turn neither would she. She shouldn't have, however, gotten this close to him. Not today.

And definitely not now.

"WHAT?!" K'9999 screamed back. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT?! ANSWER ME!" He shouted with the flames of rage spinning on each and every word. Diana had never seen such emotion protrude from the 'K' series and pondered whether or not to report it in. She decided to wait and see how much more spit could come from his mouth before his emotions calmed down.

Angel backed off slightly and since she knew that this was the typical reaction she got from him, she felt it was best just to back off and let him cool down. What she didn't realize and estimate was the power and weight of his anger and frustration that he was carrying along with him.

K'9999 didn't let Angel off of the hook yet. He needed to punish her actions and bury that cute and fuzzy personality of hers. "WHY THE HELL ARE YOU ALWAYS BOTHERING ME?!" He snapped. Angel took it as if she was struck by a bolt of lighting but the damage wasn't done yet. K'9999 still had plenty of steam to vent.

"All you ever do is bug and annoy the hell out of me!" He shouted in a much lesser tone because his next words were going to be the most powerful. "GO BOTHER SOMEONE ELSE! I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOUR FACE…! EVER!"

Angel fell to the ground. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. She wanted to look K'9999 straight in the eyes but he wouldn't allow her even that. He turned his head at every instant in which their eyes would have met and it made Angel all the more sad. She calmly picked herself up from K'9999's presence and walked far enough away so that K'9999 wouldn't be troubled by her existence. Angel found a nice wouldn't box to sit on and wrapped her arms over her thighs and underneath her knees. Her head weighed heavy enough to the point where she couldn't help but rest it on her knees. Tears were swimming behind her eyes but they just couldn't find the surface.

Kula and Diana witnessed the whole event but had no idea what to make of it. Kula herself was full of questions and knew the only source to get answers was standing right next to her.

"What is wrong with Angel?" Was the first query from Kula's lips. It wasn't the most well thought out question but it had the most impact. She didn't know a thing about this girl since the day they were introduced and it was all the more reason to find out what secrets their silver-haired powerhouse had buried in her closet.

"Angel was unique enough when we found her," Diana responded. Before she began a long explanation, she waited for the obvious question that was about to be raised by Kula.

"Where did you find her?"

"She was actually discovered in South Town."

"South Town?" Kula replied almost in shock.

"Yes, she was picking through the rubble of the failed Zero experiment when one of our agents took her into custody. She didn't speak a word of protest even inside the deepest chambers of our base. In fact, we assumed that she was mute entirely due to the fact that any normal person would have raised a foul hand or even a question about why they were being taken in. Instead, Igniz demanded that tests be ran on her. He could see that she was no ordinary girl just by looking at her."

"What kind of tests?" Kula asked. If they were anything like her own, they would have to be harsh.

"We did the basic battle ability test and on her first try she scored a four-twenty-two."

"Four-twenty-two?!" Kula responded to the statement. That number was inconceivable. Even K' himself didn't score that high on his first test.

"Yes. We thought the machines were malfunctioning so we put her through some more. Each and every time we added in new and tougher opponents and with every test, her scores kept getting better."

"I see… But that doesn't explain why she acts the way she does."

Diana figured Kula to be smart enough to incite that comment and felt comfortable enough to tell her the truth. "After the physical tests were done there was no question that she was going to join the organization. So after we did the standard mind wipe we ran our more harsh mental ones."

"Mental tests?" Kula couldn't remember being put through any of those so this obviously aroused her interest.

"Yes. We were still uncertain just what kind of person this girl was so we ran a psychological profile on her to assess just what made this girl so powerful. After an entire day of laboring and analysis, we found the one reason why Angel is so obsessed with fighting."

Diana didn't wait for a dramatic pause. She just wanted to look into Kula's eyes to make sure she was paying full attention to what she was saying.

"Unfortunately for the brilliant minds in our laboratory, something slipped passed the mind erasing procedure. A certain memory slipped passed the machines. The scientists told me that it was buried so deep within the recesses of her mind that it the machines swept right over it. Angel's past is a mystery even to us but there was one outstanding factor that just couldn't be deleted. It appears that our Angel runs on the entire notion of strength."

"Strength?" That sounded funny to Kula. Angel sure didn't act like she was a power fiend.

"It is not the kind you have probably pondered. This comes from a deeper route. Angel's main focus on life is the object of strength but it is not in the form of self attainment like some of our other members," Diana spoke referring to the late Zero. "Angel has a very deep infatuation with strength. She seems to draw it out and hunt it as if it were a favorite food of hers. We tested this theory and found that Angel was able to locate some of the strongest fighters in existence. She was even able to find K' and his gang when they resurfaced."

Kula shook her head. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"That's not all. We also found that Angel's mental desire for strength also happened to be physical as well. It was as if she was attracted to those who were strong. That is why she bonds so well with K'9999. Eventually, her attachment to him grew so strong that her mind blocked out her once great passion for strength and her usefulness as a locator faded away."

Diana stopped and looked over at Angel's prone and sad stature. She couldn't help but feel sorry for her. Even if she was a soldier, she had a heart. Diana had to accept that and properly determine whether or not she was of any use to the N.E.S.T.S. organization.

"See that over there," Diana said to Kula while pointing at the silent vixen. "She was just like that every day before K'9999 birth. To be blunt, there really wasn't anyone near her level of strength so she secluded herself in her room for weeks at a time. We didn't really know what to do with her and Igniz ordered that she not be cast away until K'9999 was finished. He knew something about Angel that none of us saw. Once our ultimate fighting weapon had been born, Angel started to change her mannerisms to the way she has them now. Her fighting ability also changed once we had her spar against the prototype fighting machines that were to be used to train K'9999. In fact, her fighting level peaked at nearly five-hundred after K'9999's awakening so the scientists have a theory that Angel's true strength is revealed when she forms a strong bond with someone else."

"Strong bond?" Kula pondered. She tried to find the proper word to use she learned from the data books she was taught and could only come up with one thing.

"Love?"

Diana tipped her head slightly. This girl was better than she thought. "Yes. According to our data, Angel's strong bond with K'9999 brings out a much stronger fighter but the fact that K'9999 doesn't return even a fraction of those feelings keeps her at a leveled off and meager fighting level. And since there is no one else to compare to K'9999's strength, the Angel project remained at a stalemate until it was finally dissolved a few months ago."

"Dissolved? What do you mean?"

"Angel wasn't showing any more progress in her fighting ability. The scientists had no real use for her and since she was only good for testing the K'9999 training programs, they wanted to eliminate her from the organization."

"Then what happened?" Kula asked assuming that since Angel was here and not dead, they didn't decide to eliminate her.

"It was Igniz once again that spared her life. He told everyone that this girl was special. That she was destined to find the strongest fighter in the world. Igniz said her usefulness would end on that day and until then, no one is to touch her."

"I see…" Kula replied. From what she heard, Igniz was as cold as steel and infinitely times as strong.

"From what we gather, Angel developed her unique personality as a retaliation to K'9999 cold attitude. That and the wiping of her memories brought her mind to a clean slate but left in the heart of a child. Thus we have the extremely deadly, yet kind and cuddly Angel."

Kula looked back at Angel one more time and realized that she hadn't moved a step since the topic was brought up. She wondered what could have gone through her mind as she just stood there and took that verbal bashing from K'9999. There was definitely more to the mystery and Kula didn't want to be around if it ever happened to explode.

Diana tapped Kula on the shoulder. She pointed to the entrance of the fighting square where their opponents were just stepping forth. "You know what to do. Don't let us down."

Kula only answered with a short and firm "Yes," and then Diana disappeared right before her eyes. Foxy took her position standing next to Kula. After Candy was destroyed, she was to be the new bodyguard of N.E.S.T.S. investment. K'9999 took his sweet time moving but he got there eventually and that's what really counted in the end anyways.

"Should I call for Angel," Foxy asked. Kula gave one nod and the order was put. Foxy walked over to the sullen Angel and was able to bring her back with minimal effort. It doesn't take much convincing to bring someone as depressed as she was. Angel had gotten used to taking orders from everyone around her. It's not like she could really do anything about it.

The N.E.S.T.S. Team was ready for action. All they had to do was wait for that one bell to ring. The time the bell had to wait was entirely up to Team Fatal Fury and if they new what was good for them, they'd better learn to hurry.

Terry and his companions approached the fighting square as close as they could get before the fists started flying. The atmosphere in this Japanese open-garden theatre was pleasant on the inside; the only thing killing the mood was the temperament outside. The fans hurled tomatoes, cabbages, and all other kinds of vegetables at the approaching limousine. Joe was taking it worst of all. This went straight to his ego.

"You'd think after winning two fights in a row people would learn how to give a little respect," Joe commented as they stopped on their side of the fighting square. He made sure to keep his little snide thoughts buried inside his thoughts until they were well inside the fighting arena.

"What did you expect Joe…?" Mary calmly replied. "It's the first time their team lost… To us." Mary had trouble saying the last part of that phrase. It wasn't because she was ashamed that they had won but rather the fact that she was never on the team when they had lost. Mary never shared the feeling of despair and defeat that Terry and the others had suffered. She felt that she wasn't really entitled to be pleased with their present winning streak. Mary would never dare tell Terry of these feelings. Knowing him, he would probably give some words to relieve her thoughts and that' exactly what she didn't want. Terry didn't have the answers to every problem. In any case, Mary hoped he had most of them.

Joe pumped his fists as he stared down his future opponents. They all had their own unique traits and features but Joe could care less about their attire. His fists were just itching for blood and his wrapped hands were whiter than rice. Joe wanted some action and he was thriving on Terry's word that he was going to get some.

"What the plan Ter…?" Joe asked as if he needed to. He knew all he wanted to know but he wanted to know what else Terry had up his sleeve.

"You know me," Terry said tipping his cap. He took two steps forward and said, "I've always got a plan."

Terry knew what to say to bestow confidence. His words were as powerful as his fists. Whatever he had planned was always the best way to go. Everyone knew that when it came to fighting, Terry was a god.

The referee checked and confirmed Terry's input. Standing to his left was the captain of the other team Kula who was just about finishing her fighting order. This was the first time Kula has stood this close to Terry since that inevitable evening in the South Town bunker. Even throughout it all he remained calm and cool as if it had never happened. Who knows what someone like K'9999 would have done standing in front of someone who tried to kill them. The mystery that was Terry Bogard was impossible to understand. That could be why N.E.S.T.S. was so intrigued with him before.

Before leaving, Kula observed another strange habit of Terry's. He gave his cap a big flick and allowed it to rise an inch. That's when Kula got a straight look in his eyes and a glance at his face.

He was smiling.

It wasn't possible. Kula's eyes must have been showing a lie. There was no way this man who has been on N.E.S.T.S.'s hit list could possibly be smiling now. It was a trick. It had to be. That was the only explanation.

Terry walked back to his teammates while the same manner and strut as he did when he walked away. Joe and the others waited with anticipation since their fearless leader never revealed exactly what he was going to do. Then again, just watching come back and smile gave them the only reassurance they needed. Terry's expression told them everything they wanted to know.

Looking past Terry, something Mary rarely did, she saw something else that caught her eye. That suspicious girl known as Kula just stood there as Terry walked away. Her eyes were locked on his body and her face screamed uncertainty and wonder. Something must have happened and if Mary knew Terry like she knew the back of her hand, it had to be his doing.

"Terry," Mary whispered into his ear. "What did you do to that girl?" She asked while pointing over at the frozen N.E.S.T.S. warrior. Terry tipped his cap down so his grin would be shadowed and answered.

"I didn't say a word."

Andy dismissed the scene before him and concentrated on the computer screen in the distance. The fighting order had been displayed and Andy eyed it carefully. In a move that was of great benefit in their first match, Terry was starting first followed by Joe and finally, Andy himself. This was a unique way to run things seeing as which Terry decided to use the members of Team Fatal Fury back when the fighting roster was only three.

N.E.S.T.S. has also decided on a similar strategy. Their ultimate fighting weapon K'9999 was the first to go in with the beautiful bouncing powerhouse Angel to follow and their captain Kula to end it. Kula wasn't messing around when she set this order. If they lost, the only thing that awaited them was death or seclusion because N.E.S.T.S. wouldn't tolerate another loss. They rigged this schedule so that Kula and her army would be able to deter and damage the most threatening fighters. If they couldn't do their job, then they were worthless.

K'9999 didn't care about Kula's intentions nor her sanity which qualified her as the leader. He didn't really care for orders much less carry them out. Still, he liked the fact that he was going up first. This allowed him to make up for the mess that girl created last week against K' and his cronies. K'9999 decided to clean things up today and he was going to make sure to do a good job of it. The only problem that he was confronted with was motivation.

Ever since that street fight against that scab Ryo Sakazaki, K'9999 lost his once powerful will to challenge Terry Bogard. The only reason he wanted to fight Terry was due to the fact that he thought Terry was the strongest fighter in the world. K'9999 fighting potential was based solely on that factor. He was designed to be able to combat and beat someone of Terry's fighting capacity without breaking a sweat. The fact that he lost to this Ryo Sakazaki character completely changed perspective. He would tear Terry apart, there was no question about that. What K'9999 wanted was revenge.

Mary grabbed at Terry's shirt just before he left the sidelines. "Are you sure you're ready to go?" She calmly asked. It was a fair question. She just finished bandaging up his wounds only an hour ago.

The only thing Terry replied with was another thumbs up and a smile. That has started to become increasingly annoying on Mary's behalf. Terry had been extremely reserved this past week, not to mention the lack of sleep he's been getting. Maybe today just wouldn't be his day. Nonetheless, this is Mr. Miracle we're talking to.

Terry and K'9999 met face to face. The distance between them was short and their mannerisms were calm but in a few seconds all of that would change. Terry noticed the dull grayness of his opponent's hair seconds before K'9999 tucked his cape away and changed his hair color.

"That was a pretty nice trick," Terry joked. K'9999 didn't laugh.

"Kiite mirou... Hai doumo!" K'9999 replied. He was vibrating his displeasure and it was all the more better for Terry. The more he threw K'9999 off of his game, the easier it would be for Terry to win the match.

Terry replied by smile and two quick hops. The blood was rushing back down his legs and straight up to his brain. Terry threw his arms back and gave a quick and straight grunt as he stretched the last of his important muscles. Tension was wearing down and it was now time for the fight to begin.

"FIGHT!" The referee yelled. It didn't take another second for the two fighters to let that word sink in. They were both ready to go.

In a unique surprise, Terry was the first to come out swinging. A fast fierce punch traveled over K'9999's head and into a less deadly region. K'9999 spun around to seek a way of countering Terry's first big mistake and found himself blocking a would be head-knocking uppercut.

K'9999 pushed himself back and skid against the dirt and sand that made up the fighting square. Terry's punch was a lot harder and stronger than he had previously anticipated. The blood in his system was pumping quickly. He could feel the strength radiating from Terry from just a single punch. It was no wonder why this guy was able to beat Zero. He was good.

Every muscle in K'9999's right arm began to tighten. The power within him was starting to build up and his containment straps were barely able to hold him together. Terry Bogard was about to feel the pain of perfection.

Terry knew his first attack was going to fall short but he did that for a reason. Since Terry has never fought this guy before, he had no idea on what he was up against. The only thing Terry needed to know about someone before they fought was their technique. Right now, K'9999 was demonstrating a lot of it seeing as which most people fall short of blocking his strong body blow. This was going to be an intense match.

A quick black fist came at Terry's skull with a powerful velocity. He didn't have time to avoid it. Not this punch. It was launched at a blinding speed and Terry raised his arms in defense. The blow nearly cracked while slapping at his muscle-filled forearms and sent Terry reeling backwards. This, however, served as an advantage to Terry as he used the resulting momentum of his push and swung his leg low trying to sweep the stance from right under K'9999's feet.

No tricks in Terry's book were enough to throw this genetically engineered fighter. K'9999 jumped over the sweep and his foot came down with a bloody vengeance. Terry knew of his missed attack and used the force of his sweep to push him back to avoid the massive stomp. The floor cracked under K'9999's foot kicking a blast of dirt up through his vision. He knew his stomp missed but he wondered what Terry was going to try next. If these simple tactics didn't work, what would?

"BURN KNUCKLE!" Terry cried as his blue charged fist blasted straight through the cloud of dust and right at K'9999's cross blocked arms. The impact sent him back quite a ways away but the N.E.S.T.S. soldier refused to give Terry the benefit of the doubt by moving his legs.

More dust and sand filled the gap between the two fighters. They had barely just begun but it looked as if the fighting square was torn to shreds. Terry took two quick, but deep, breaths and centered his concentration. For a guy he's never fought before, K'9999 was slowly climbing the ladder as some of Terry's toughest opponents. Judging by his first feat of dodges and blocks, he already passed Geese Howard's fighting level when Terry fought him so many years ago.

K'9999 rubbed his wrists. They stung greatly almost as if they were really damaged but he was built far better than to feel anything from those mosquito bites. K'9999 started to wonder about Terry Bogard's reputation; mostly because he had no idea why he was such a world renowned fighter. If this was the best the world had to offer than the world better pull together and say their prayers. Today would be doomsday.

The maniacal right arm of K'9999 began to sharpen forming the ominously deadly drill that was built to tear flesh apart. He charged at Terry with a head of steam and leaned in with his lance thrusting forward. Terry just barely avoided the initial swipe as it nicked a lock of his hair. K'9999 didn't quit after that. The slashes and strikes became more frequent as Terry ducked and swayed from each and every one of them. K'9999 moved fast and it's been a long time since Terry fought someone with a weapon. Especially as unique as K'9999's but the only problem with having a weapon is that most fighters forget they are holding a weapon when they fight and they depend upon it as a crutch.

His plan wasn't working. K'9999 knew a fighter as good as Terry wouldn't have gone down with the first six or seven slashes but the problem started to grow larger once he was maneuvering and evading the next ten without slowing down. Usually an ordinary human or even a high class martial arts master would start to show signs of fatigue after ten but Terry just kept on moving as if it were a part of his daily regiment. This wasn't going the way it should have. K'9999 decided to mix it up by raising his arm and throwing a downward slash. That way, Terry would be forced to take a large step back thus draining a lot of energy and giving K'9999 an opportunity to retaliate with one of his other powerful techniques.

K'9999 started to raise his arm and before he could strike it down he was welcomed with something that was completely uncalculated and unexpected. Terry did the old fashioned method of getting rid of someone by giving them the boot. One seriously strong horseshoe kick struck the exposed K'9999 directly in the chest and sent the N.E.S.T.S. warrior packing. K'9999 slid further down the fighting square on almost the exact location where he had been pushed back earlier. What was killing him even worse was the fact that his strategy completely failed that was seemingly fool proof.

The damaged chest of K'9999 screamed pain from each and every nerve in the surrounding area. He didn't want to give Terry the benefit of the doubt but clutching his chest with both arms but mysteriously on hand found its way up there and began to squeeze the pain into a gentle numbness. K'9999 hadn't remembered pain this badly since the unforgettable day in South Town when he fought that damned Ryo Sakazaki. Memories began to sprout and the anger within K'9999 started to shed light. No matter how much of a brilliant tactician Terry Bogard was on the streets or in the King of Fighters, there was no way he would be able to handle the sheer might of unstoppable brute force.

Sand kicked off the soles of K'9999's feet as he blasted forward. Terry put on a defensive stance but he had no idea where to aim it since this guy's fighting style was still new to Terry. It almost seemed like K'9999 was a monster ready, able, and most likely, willing to tear apart anything in its path. Terry's fist tightened as he prepared for the worst.

K'9999 swung his arms and legs like a maniac. There was no control nor finesse in each one of his attempted strikes but Terry still found himself having trouble avoiding them all. K'9999's fists move as if he were breaking all of the laws in physics. His arms moved from one direction with almost no sign of movement whatsoever. Terry felt the nicks and pricks of a few near hits but there was no telling what the limits were of K'9999.

In an almost immediate flash, K'9999's arm formed his terrifying piercing drill and slashed and Terry's chest. A swell of pain followed by the immediate scent of blood rushed to Terry's senses. K'9999's slash had caught the front of Terry's chest but it got a good clean cut judging by the severity his brain and nerves were telling him. Blood wasn't gushing out much to Terry's luck. He was, however, blessed with a sense of luck as he saw K'9999's strike was still in the process of swinging and the Lone Wolf found an opening he would probably never see again.

"POWER CHARGE!" Terry shouted while smashing his shoulder straight into K'9999's rib cage. The cracking sound of raw bones filled the air in Japan as K'9999 was violently thrown from his once firm stature and down to the cold brown dirt. Tiny pebbles and rocks cut at K'9999's face as he skidded further and further away from his opponent.

An annoying sting pierced at K'9999's side as he picked himself up. That was the first instance Terry had actually put the hurt on his body and he did not want to repeat that feeling. Suddenly the fear of defeat past over K'9999's head. He was already beaten by one of those South Town freaks; there was no way he was going to taste defeat again. Especially since he was created to be five times stronger than him.

As K'9999 stood up, he raised his head and saw the one thing he didn't want to see at that moment. Another fist flying at his face.

"BURN KNUCKLE!"

"KRSHRAAAAAGH!" K'9999 cried as his face was crushed under the massive velocity of Terry's ki filled fist. His body was sent hurdling back to the ground with a tremendously viscous force and the camera's microphone's caught every decibel of it. The fight had barely started but the viewers at home felt like they were watching a war taking place.

K'9999 found his body a lot heavier to pick up. The pain in his ribs was great but it was no where nearing the anguish he was feeling in his face. Terry Bogard had caught him off guard. Twice. This hadn't gone the way K'9999 had thought it to be and that's what upset him most. There was no way in a living hell he would allow this travesty to continue. Terry Bogard was not going to walk away from here the same man he was when he walked in. Even if it cost K'9999 the match, he would see to it that Terry Bogard would suffer the ultimate humiliation.

Blood began to seep down Terry's clean white shirt. He held together as best as he could with a single hand but it wasn't working quite to his liking. Terry's breathing became hard and erratic. He could barely maintain the strength to keep one breath from entering his lungs without any pain. His eye's swelled and his vision became hazy. Terry knew he had been cut and hurt but he hadn't nearly lost enough blood to constitute unconsciousness. This once luminous looking situation was beginning to look grim.

K'9999's body began to shake. He could feel the restraints relaxing as he started to lose control. Terry Bogard had caused this mishap in his perfectly designed system. He created the thunderous monster K'9999 was becoming and now he had to deal with the beast's wrath.

Terry threw up his guard as best as he could muster but K'9999's immediate hustle as he dashed at the Lone Wolf was almost as surprising as it was deadly. A quick fist passed by Terry's dodging skull but the second connect hard against his gut. Terry gagged on his own breath of air but before he could close his mouth another fist came across his face and smacked his jaw with an unbelievably strong velocity forcing Terry to the ground and on his back. This was definitely not in Terry's plan nor did he desire it to be in his future so with a whip of strength and dash of agility, Terry regained his standing stance. The fight was far from over but the way K'9999 approached him, it almost seemed to end in the next few seconds.

A fist sideswiped Terry's right ear but the minor inconvenience was negligible. So long as it wasn't the ear taking the hit, then he has alright. K'9999's constant persistence was begging to become a nuisance and Terry had only one idea to draw him back. All he had to do was wait for a clean opening in his opponent's chest and Terry would be alright. K'9999 was more giving than he had hoped.

K'9999 threw his hands in a back sweeping motion behind his head and flung them downward straight at Terry's shoulders. A double edge chop was amazingly powerful against any type of opponent. The force of the blow would disable clear visibility temporarily and if hit correctly, the opponent would fall to his knees since a key nerve of the spine resided in the connection between the neck and shoulders. K'9999 had been installed with countless data on human anatomy and when it all boiled down to it, Terry was only human.

*SMACK*

"KRAAAAAAGGGHHH!" K'9999 cried as he took an agonizing boot straight in his sternum. His body was launched like a cannonball as he met the ground with an astoundingly painful force. The resulting thud sent a screeching sound of anguish echoing into the darkness of Japan. The onlookers at the site and the millions of fans watching at home had no idea what to think about what just happened.

Exhaustion would be a welcomed feeling compared to what Terry was going through now. He was barely halfway though the time frame left in the fight and it was as if he had fought ten men. This situation was growing tense and his vision was getting worse. The best that he could make out was K'9999 was the orange and black blur. The fighting square limitations had vanished from his sight and furthermore his mind. Terry had a hard time discerning real from imaginary and things weren't looking any better as he saw the orange and black blur begin to move to a straighter and much longer position.

Pain surged through K'9999's body. His ribs, face, and now chest burned at him like a roaring irrepressible forest blaze. His body was not used to taking this kind of punishment but what annoyed K'9999 the most was the fact Terry only hit him three times. The Hungry Wolf, as his nickname dictated, had lived up to his reputation of being a fierce competitor. K'9999 would not let this insulting position stand. His power was reaching uncontrollable heights and it was just waiting to be wasted on the Lone Wolf.

K'9999 stepped hard on the ground and threw his body to the side. "Acchi he itteroo!" He cried as a massive sweep of wind gusted through his body and exploded on the ground below releasing tall blasts of rocks and dirt swimming towards his freely standing opponent. Terry threw a cross block around his chest and tucked his head into his bulky forearms. Soon his vision and then his very being were engulfed in a storm of grey and brown debris. Agony soon filled his senses as his nerves registered numerous cuts and scrapes throughout his body. The sound of blood and the warm sensation of it oozing down his sweaty form was all the more excruciating. Terry had never felt an attack quite like this one but the worst was yet to come. Something was wrong with this feeling. Terry knew nothing could be that powerful without him sensing it before hand. Something was definetly wrong.

A cold chill passed though Terry's skin. He could feel his hair standing up from their relaxed position. Terry hadn't felt that way since he fought the last man that ever gave him a challenge.

ZERO!

Terry's eyes widened. His heart began to pump like an automatic machine gun with an unlimited magazine. There, standing no more than fifteen feet away was the black devil he fought and defeated in South Town exactly one year ago. His hair and features remained unchanged but his bone clad armor was dripping with crimson fluid. Terry didn't have to give it another thought. It was blood.

His blood.

The Lone Wolf took two steps back. Breathing was no longer a normal senseless chore as his heart stung with each and every new inhalation. It was impossible. Terry saw Zero die at his own hands yet here he was living and breathing as if that tragic day had never occurred. Terry's cuts stung with a new passion and intensity. They felt as if Zero was the one who had struck and slashed him in the first place and if the blood was any indication, it was probably true. Terry clutched at his chest and squeezed until he was blinded by his own self inflicted wound. This couldn't be real. This wasn't real. Terry was going to prove it one way or another.

Terry rushed forward. He was powered cheerily by his will of disbelief. Zero was dead. He died at Terry's hands. He beckoned at his legs to go faster because at this current rate, there was no way he could able to pull off the moves he had in mind. Zero was faster, stronger, and tougher than any other opponent Terry had faced. This would take all of Terry's craft and skill just to land a blow. Who know how much further Terry would have to push himself to get a solid connection.

Dust scattered into circular array as Terry kicked himself off the ground as he defied gravity. He didn't bother flipping in the air as flashiness and finesse were beside him at the moment. Terry wanted at Zero and he wanted at him bad. He extended the brunt part of his right leg as far as it could stretch while still maintaining the same power and vigor as any other jump kick. Terry saw Zero's head disappear under the white and red glow of his shoe. The velocity Terry was traveling at completely silenced his senses as the target was growing near. He didn't even notice the black demon's hand filling with an intense red energy.

"WAREROO!"

A surge of heat rushed through Terry's being. He saw his body light up in a uniquely familiar light but before he could investigate the source of his trauma he had to live through the remainder of his torment. Terry's body smacked the ground with an audacious thud that sent a stinging shockwave throughout his entire body. He flung his body to the side and rolled around in the dirt. The flame that encompassed every part of his vision would just not dissipate. It grew stronger and wilder with each and every moment of Terry's resistance. This sensation brought Terry to another sick realization. Another familiar smell tickled his nostrils as the flames disappeared and Terry looked down the demonic gleamor of one of his most deadly opponents.

Ya – YAGAMI!

The man once known as Iori Yagami was not standing in the elegantly dangerous manor as he is usually seen. Now his body was hunched forward with his chin no shorter than a foot from the ground and secreting ounces of white foam through the top of his sickly pointed teeth and over his curled red lips. His body radiated a sickly smelly aura that nearly turned Terry's skin inside out but the worst feature of all was that inhumanly disturbing grin followed by that equally terrifying voice.

"… K… I… L… L…"

Terry scrapped his already cut and bruised arms against the ground as he scurried to a standing position. He's seen Yagami like this once before and the results weren't even on the level of Picasso in terms of beauty. This version of Iori was faster, stronger, and had no sense of conscious which made him the most effective killing machine.

Once on his feet, Terry didn't feel much safer than he did on his back. His breathing didn't help ease his tension nor did it get any better throughout the remainder of the fight. The fighting square was still masked in darkness and the various points of injury all over most of his body were nagging for some attention. Terry ignored his internal pleas as best as he could as his soul felt the presence of a horrible beast approaching and as his blue eyes focused, the demon lingered in.

Iori was airborne before Terry could move his head. The beast slashed with his razor like hand and blood soon followed. Even with Terry's impenetrable defense it still didn't save him from the claw of the uncontrollable beast. Terry pushed back but his energy was wasted as the monster known as Iori Yagami already vanished. The pain still remained but Terry didn't open up any part of his defense. Terry knew the worst was about to occur and he did the only thing he could do to prepare for sheer cruelty that awaited him.

Stay tough.

The beast lunged from the shadows and threw his claw and Terry's head but the only thing he managed to damage was the stitching on Terry's red cap. Terry knew that the best thing you can do when fighting a beast in the mask of darkness is use everything but your eyes. Shutting your eyes allowed the other sense's to work at a higher degree and is a basic martial arts technique used in hundreds of styles all over the world. Terry wasn't all for shutting his eyes but he managed to snag his cap just before it flew out of his reach and snapped it back on his head. The visor was affixed to his nose so there was no way Terry would see even if he wanted to. The task would be difficult but nothing is too hard for Mr. Miracle.

Terry ducked under the first few cuts and swipes but what awaited him was simply an appetizer. What Terry forgot to neglect was the current situation of his stamina. There wasn't an ounce of water left in his body left to cool him down. If Terry had any extra energy, it was being wasted on his rapidly diminishing defense. The world was blind to the man named Terry Bogard and the only thing knocking on his door was pain.

Slash after slash followed and more were hitting than Terry was dodging. His body had already been battered beyond visual repair and now he had to stand and take more of this physical punishment without even throwing a single punch of his own. Iori was a monster and the more Terry tried to resist, the more he got hurt.

Two quick slashes found their marks on both sides of Terry's ribs and left dual crimson scars. Terry quickly cuddled the wounds by tightening his biceps and squeezing them at the point of injury. That left his chest wide open and animals knew all of the weaknesses of their prey.

Another claw swiped down at Terry but surprisingly the only thing it hit was empty space. Terry knew his way around a fighting arena all too well and no matter what situation he was in physically or mentally, he would find a way to take advantage. The feroscious menacing glare of Iori Yagami passed through Terry's vision one last time before it was absorbed by the amazingly powerful fist of the Lone Wolf.

"BURN KNUCKLE!" Terry cried while shoving the might of his reserved energy into Iori's animalistic face. A jaw shattering crack soon followed with the red and black beast flying backwards into the distance. Terry's arm stiffened in place as his muscle's locked up and the Lone Wolf found himself frozen in place. Fainting was his only release and Terry gave no second thought to succumbing to fatigue and collapsing on the ground. His body hit the dirt hard but none of his nerves registered the damage since most of the major ones were attending to some other more important injuries.

Air tasted like little balls of heaven as Terry absorbed them into his lungs. The sky, the ground, and everything around seemed like nothingness. Terry was consumed by darkness and now with the demons defeated he could now get the well earned rest he so desperately sought after. Nothing could bother him. Not even the fight going on in the distance.

Terry found the constant nagging of knuckles cracking against raw flesh to be troublesome during his rest. He tried as hard as he could to lift his head to survey the situation and only found the most horrific memory stabbing him straight in the mind.

Ge – GEESE! Terry shouted in his mind. There he was in his entirety. The king of organized crime in South Town, Geese Howard and he wasn't standing to view Terry's fallen figure. No, this mad had a mission and it meant defeating the only person who could stand in his way.

FA – FA – FATHER! Terry shouted but his words flew with weightless wings. The man who took two abandoned children in was taking the most brutal beating just for being the man he was. Geese didn't spare a pound per square inch on each strike as the atrocious murder of the only parental figure in two abandoned kid's lives continued in front of the helpless son of Jeff Bogard.

I… I can't… I can't do anything! Terry pleaded with himself. His body would not respond to its commands. Blood was flowing but most of it seemed to pour out onto the ground that to vital moving parts. Still Terry resisted the cries of his body and stood to one knee and watched as the brutalization continued.

Geese grabbed Jeff by the throat and lifted from the ground. The martial arts master gasped for air as the supply was being forcefully cut off. Geese kept his grip tight and the neck of his victim began to swell red in color. Jeff kicked his body in resistance but Geese's grip was horribly strong and Terry watched as the Geese prepared for the final blow to kill the only blood heir of the name Bogard.

NOOOOO! Terry screamed as he watched the wicked punch being driven into Jeff's heart. He bounced against the ground as if his body had lost all life and finally stopped with his face kissing the ground and blood beginning to pool from his opened mouth. Terry watched in horror. His ocean blue eyes turned into a sinister black and his mouth as dry as the surface of the sun. He had to watch his father die for a second time.

Geese Howard turned his attention from the fallen martial arts master. His bright glowing eyes turned their attention on the other Bogard in attendance. The one who's sense of revenge burned with a whole new passion. Terry clenched his fist until his fingers pierced the toughness of his skin and more of his blood fell on his black gloved hands.

GEESE! Terry angrily cried as he saw his fist glow with a bright orange light. His arm shook as if it was on the verge of exploding but Terry seemed as if he were controlling it all. This kind of tragedy should never occur to anyone. No one deserves this kind of torture. Especially not twice.

Geese…! I won't let you get away with this again! Terry threw his fist high into the air as the winds of his internal energy swarmed throughout the surrounding zone. Terry's pupils disappeared as his one and only wish in life was about to be vindicated one last time.

"POWERRRR!" Terry shouted as his fist reached its maximum height. He saw Geese's grim face one last time as his horrendous laughter echoed into Terry's skull. That was the most sickening sound he had ever experienced and it was all coming back to him now. This had to end. Terry would give up his life to end it.

"GEYSERRRR!"

The ground exploded in a massive wave of violent orange energy. The fans could do nothing more but watch in terror as the north side of the fighting square erupted in a mass of ground and dust. There have been natural disasters that have come through Japan that haven't been as ghastly as the one passing through the fighting square at this moment. The fans jumped and ducked for cover as the passing debris smashed into the spectator zone causing uncountable damage and hysteria.

Terry kept his fist tucked deep into the ground. His breathing returned to normal out of breath gasps as the world returned to what it once was. Terry felt the weight of existence hit him square in the chest and it was enough to knock him on his back. He was in Japan and this was the King of Fighters tournament. He was once again teaming with his younger brother Andy, old friend Joe Higashi, and his on-off again girlfriend 'Blue' Mary Ryan. Things were settling back to normal. Terry felt a smile touching his lips but it soon diminished after the one thing he forgot to check warned him of his presence.

"GAKKI DOMO…!"

"TERRY WATCH OUT!" Mary shouted while watching the face of her lover explode into sheer agony.

K'9999 pumped five solid shots with his amazingly powerful hand cannon and watched them explode against Terry's unprotected backside. Each shot lifted Terry further and further until Terry's body ignored gravities pull and a new realm of pain entered his body. Terry's brain didn't have time nor the energy to acknowledge it all. He slipped out of consciousness seconds before he smashed against the ground. Terry couldn't hear it but it didn't take a rocket scientist to tell him that he had lost the match.

"K.O.!" The referee shouted almost too scared to say anything else. The entire latter half of the fight had been the most audacious and vile to written history. There would be no written words imaginable to document the horror that has occurred today in this very fighting square. This was the day that two giants collided and one has fallen to a bloody defeat. Looking at both competitors, it was unclear who really was the winner but in a battle where life and death are nothing more than words, anything is possible.

Mary and Rock quickly dashed over to Terry's prone body. She picked up his head and wrapped it around her safe and warm arms. He was still breathing that was a good sign but he's lost so much blood it was impossible to tell how many hours he had left. Luckily the King of Fighters always has a pair of Emergency Medical Technicians on hand for every match and it too them no longer than to shout at Mary to move aside as they picked up the Lone Wolf's body and carted him away to the nearest medical facility. There was no way Mary could sit and watch events like this go by day after day. This wasn't supposed to be a routine. It was turning into a nightmare. Sadly, she clenched Rock close as a single tear appeared under her right eye and fell to the ground in one swift motion.

The feel of another touched Mary's shoulder and almost shocked her out of another reality. She turned and confirmed the presence of Terry's younger brother Andy with a serious and stern look on his face.

"Let's go…" Andy didn't need to say it but his words were welcomed nonetheless. If anyone knew Terry better than Terry it was his estranged younger brother. Though they never really shared much in common or even time together during their later years, Andy always had that one keen sense about his brother that let him know if everything was going to be ok. Mary knew she could trust him in that aspect and put up no defiance in following his lead. There was only one person who could pull everyone out of the slump they were feeling and he was already eagerly awaiting the bell to ring.

The Kick Boxing Champion of the World Joe Higashi entered the fighting square who was, except as of lately, no stranger to a fight. His fists had been dying to taste flesh and since their so called 'Miracle Man' had been defeated, it was up to Joe to pick up the pieces. He saw everyone of this guy's moves and already figured out an excellent strategy to put this guy away with minimal, hopefully and preferably no, damage done to himself. All this would take is a little of the world renowned Higashi finesse.

K'9999 would never admit that he was practically defeated as he stood. Terry Bogard only hit him four times and he took a beating that no mortal man could possibly survive. There was no way he would be willing to go down without a fight and with the head already cut off, the chicken had nothing else to do but squabble and wait for death.

"FIGHT!" The referee called out. The words tingled in Joe's ear as if he were hearing them for the first time in his life. However, he calmly threw down his fighting stance and looked over at the seemingly battered K'9999 with a cocky smirk.

"Hey small fry…" Joe said in a deep tone. He took his thumb and pointed it at his chest as he continued, "It's going to take a lot more that a gun to take down Joe Higashi!" After putting back up his fighting stance, Joe was ready for anything.

The last thing K'9999 wanted to hear was anything about his inferiority. Especially to such a low class fighter like Joe. Kick boxers were ranked almost at the bottom of the fighting chain in N.E.S.T.S. order of strength just above street fighters and right under karate. This would be an effortless task for K'9999 and he was very fortunate since he didn't have much left to spare.

K'9999 exploded out of his stance and dashed towards the kick boxing stance of Joe Higashi. That was one thing he couldn't stand about kick boxers. Their fighting stances were always so imbalanced and mediocre compared to other martial arts. As K'9999 readied his backhand strike, he wondered for a fragment of a second what Joe might to do try and escape the fate of pain.

A sudden bolt of insecurity shot its way down K'9999's body as his fist was stopped dead in its tracks inside of the massive taped palm of his inferior opponent. Joe kept his hand tight and hard against the lighter and more noticeably small hand of his opponent. He felt the blue haired warrior struggle against his strength but there was no way he was going to be able break the strong hold of the world kickboxing champion.

"OSHAAA!" Joe cried while throwing his fist straight into K'9999's open face. A loud cracking sound soon followed and the young N.E.S.T.S. warrior was driven back with an extreme velocity. K'9999's body snapped against the ground as he bounced and rolled desperately trying to slow down the constant bombardment of pain. There was no way K'9999 was feeling this beaten and abused after only taking four single hits. There was just no way.

Spit spewed from K'9999's mouth as he tried to pick himself up. His body wasn't responding the way it was supposed to. One arm remained stiff as the other couldn't stop shaking. Finally, after much struggling and extra work K'9999 was on his feet but he wasn't the same man he was a few minutes ago.

"The… The Power... Is… Lo... Sing… CONTR~OL! UWA – AAGGHH!"

"What's going on?!" Kula asked. The only person that she knew who had the answers wasn't in sight but that was only temporary. Instantly as if the camera had blinked for a moment, Diana appeared and surveyed the situation.

"This is not good…" Diana stated. "K'9999 is out of control!"

"What do you mean?" Kula said while turning to her superior. Diana didn't look down to acknowledge her. Her attention was focused on the now deranged K'9999.

"He must have wasted too much power against Terry Bogard. Get him out of there now! We cannot allow him to continue! He'll destroy himself at this point!" And without another word, Diana vanished. Kula didn't know what to think as she saw her formally stated superior model on the brink of obliteration. Then again, orders were orders.

"What's wrong with Kay Kay?" A voice called in the background. Before Kula could order Foxy to use her striker attack she turned around to acknowledge the question on their young soldier's mind.

Before her very eyes was their lovely warrior Angel looking at the fight as if she were a puppy looking at a car about ready to run her over. There was no way to understand this girl. First she's happy, then sad, and now she acts as if nothing had occurred. Maybe the mind-wipe had an overlapping effect on her. Either way, it was still pretty weird and distracting. As Kula looked into the sincerity of Angel's face, time did continue to flow at a rapid pace and she quickly turned her attention back to the match. What she saw next was almost as unbelievable as what occurred afterwards.

"SLASH KICK!" Joe Higashi cried as he swept his foot forward like a missile aimed at an enemy aircraft. His hardened foot smashed against K'9999's face raising an even louder and sicker crack than the previous attack. Blood spewed forwards all over K'9999's face and Joe's taped foot as the N.E.S.T.S. warrior was driven to the ground for one final time.

The crowd jerked in reaction as they saw K'9999's skull as it smacked against the ground. His small and gentle looking frame keeled over as if he were nothing more than a corpse and his eyes remained tight as he slipped away into unconsciousness. Kula looked over at K'9999 with relief and almost a hint of compassion. There was no telling how much time they had left before his annihilation but luckily Joe Higashi didn't stop doing what he is shown that he does best.

"K.O.!" The referee cried while raising his arms into the air. The fans didn't know what to think of this. First the famous Hungry Wolf Terry Bogard takes a fall and now the man that beat him started to freak out as if he were on a serious drug overdose. Even the officials don't know how to count this one. This new team had a lot more than surprises. K'9999 is living proof.

Foxy and Kula both walked over to K'9999's body and dragged him back to their side of the fighting square. He looked exhausted and his body was badly damaged. It would take some serious work to repair all of his extensive injuries. He should have been so that lucky he was able to walk away from a match with Terry Bogard only in this condition. An N.E.S.T.S. retrieval unit immediately came on the scene before the local ambulance could move a muscle. They were cleverly disguised as an Emergency Medical Technician team so there would be no worries about revealing their true colors.

"My turn!" Angel jumped as she happily skipped towards the fighting square. Kula couldn't help but turn a confused eye as she watched the happy-go-lucky fighter about to go toe to toe with the best kick boxer in the world.

"Don't worry Kay Kay! I'll finish the job!" She turned and winked as she scurried along to the next match. Joe watched with some amazement but a confusing stare soon took over his facial expressions as he opted for a closer look at his stunningly beautiful opponent.

"Hey… Don't I know you from somewhere?" Joe asked while pointing a lone finger. She had that familiar looking face Joe knew he'd seen somewhere. He'd never forget that body but the hair was different. Angel looked back at him with wide and open eyes as she turned from left to right in search for someone other than herself.

"Ummm… Do you mean me?" Angel said while pointing to herself. Joe almost wanted to fall over. There was no one else around. Who else in the world would he be talking to?

"Eeeesh. Never mind," Joe replied. "Let's just get this over with. I didn't get a chance to pose last time but I've still got two opportunities left!"

"Pose?" Angel said angling her head slightly to the right and putting a finger in her mouth. "Is that tasty?"

Joe was really getting frustrated now. There has never been anyone in his fighting career that has been more talkative and annoying than… Than himself. Joe dug deep into the recesses of his personality and knew the only way to fight fire was with an even bigger blaze.

"Hmpf!" Joe said slapping his nose with his thumb. "How does the taste of defeat sound balloon girl?!" Smirked the kick boxing champion while teasing some of her other non-fighting, assets.

Angel cracked a big smile. Finally there was someone who understood her humor. "You're funny mister!" She replied. The referee stepped forward and waited for the fighters to put up their stances.

"Finish him quickly," Kula ordered. Angel found that reason enough to turn her attention and body over towards the N.E.S.T.S. side of the fighting square.

"No problem Koo Koo!" Angel waved. A vein Kula didn't even know she had sprouted in her forehead.

"K – Koo Koo…?" There was no use trying to explain Angel's behavior or choice of nicknames. Angel was an excellent warrior and her mannerisms outside of a fight were just something the N.E.S.T.S. organization was just going to have to deal with.

The referee checked both fighters' stances and deemed it well enough to begin the round. "FIGHT!" He shouted into the air and backed away as quickly as possible and if the last two matches was any indication, that was the wisest and safest decision.

Angel vanished as she dashed ahead. Taking orders were absolutely no problem for her and since her orders were always so fun, it was a win/win situation. Joe was completely blind sighted when she appeared right in front of him and it all the more worked out to her fighting strategy and advantage. She kicked Joe swift and hard straight against his raised knee. Kick boxers tend to use that knee as both an offensive and defensive way of positioning themselves and now the only thing Joe was using it for was absorbing all of the pain that had just been delivered.

A fist quickly smacked against Joe's hard chest and before the pain set in another hard punch came straight across his face. Joe was dazed but not completely out. That was until Angel struck low at Joe's other knee sending another quick bolt of pain through his body. He felt the anxiety of tending to the wound but there were other things to attend to first. Joe's defense was the only thing that needed attention and at the moment it was looking very sloppy. Two more quick hits landed in Joe's abdomen that pushed him back a few steps and now he was reeling. His body tingled all over and his nerves sent signals of pain almost as fast as the speed of light and every ring made it all the more painful. He didn't even have time to see the busty vixen wind her body up for one final hit.

"OORAAA!" Angel screamed while jamming her fist through Joe's hard jaw. The kickboxing champion was driven like nail down to the ground. His heavy bounced with a revolting sound that followed and stopped dead in his tracks flat on his back. Dirt wasn't as kind and forgiving as a canvas but then again Joe never really spent much time on either. Angel relaxed herself as she watched how well her punches and kicks worked. She had finished off Joe quickly just as her superior asked her to and nothing could be sweet than tasting a swig of pure victory. The only problem she had was keeping her attention focused on the problem instead of a would be solution.

Joe Higashi sprung up from his laid out position and snapped himself back on his feet. Nothing on his body showed any distinctive injurious marks but he dusted himself off nonetheless. Too much dirt on the skin wasn't good for a kick boxer who prided in having the toughest and cleanest skin in the world. His body seemed to be working properly and the stings were fading away into nothing more than easily forgettable memories.

The only person who was more shocked than the referees, spectators, and the fans watching at home was Angel herself. She looked at Joe with a puzzling expression. She then looked back at her fist and tapped it a couple of times as if it weren't working. She looked back at Joe as if he shouldn't exist. His presence was like a rip in the time space continuum and he was an answer to an unsolvable math question. Angel looked back down at her fist and examined it thoroughly. It was tight, strong, and hard; just as it was supposed to be. Angel had no idea what she was doing wrong and desperately wanted to find out before her interests and attention moves elsewhere.

Hard knuckles tapped against Joe's abdomen as he tried to prove a serious point. Kick boxers were world renowned for their incredibly shaped bodies and more importantly, their steel abs. Angel had given Joe her best assortment of attacks and he brushed them off like mosquito bites. There had to be something more to this man than data provided. Hell, Angel didn't even bother at looking at the data for the rest of Terry Bogard's team. The only thing she wanted to do what hit Terry back for the time he made her cry and now since that chance was lost, it was back to square one. After this incident, it was safe to say that her confidence level was a bit on the rocky side.

"Yosh!" Joe said slamming his fist into his palm. He could feel the rush of adrenaline surge into his body giving him unbelievably powerful energy. A fighters primal instinct was to keep pushing yourself until victory or death and Joe's passion for combat was symbolized in his pure unadulterated adrenaline rushes. Once Joe got moving, it would take an army to stop him and even N.E.S.T.S. was foolish enough to undermine the abilities of a world kickboxing champion.

Joe moved in fast. It was hard to imagine a kick boxer breaking his stance just like that to move in for an attack. Usually they would play the defensive until they reached melee range and then start an offensive but this would completely throw off the game of any fighter. Kick boxers always had a certain style, flair, and more importantly, routine of fighting. Joe was one hell of an exception and that's what probably made him the man he is today.

The tables had steadily turned from one side to the other as Joe moved in throwing a hurricane of punches. Angel was easily able to maneuver and dodge the first few but as Joe kept on pressing so did Angel's necessity for blocking. A few hard fists smashed against her would be petite forearms and she was noticeably receiving calls of pain from various points on her limbs. Joe was an immovable force and the move Angel tried to block and maneuver to find an opening but Joe would up his assault with each and every moment. Usually some fighters would wear out after throwing no more than ten or fifteen hard punches in succession. Joe ranked on a whole different scale as every second brought its own heart pounding and blood stopping moments.

Angel was completely taken off guard as a fist dug deep within her stomach. Its forceful entry was almost too much for the young soldier to handle but she didn't have to wait long. Another punch slapped her across the face and yet another came up from down below and smacked her head straight up. Joe was annihilating her body with his blinding succession of punches. Before Angel realized that she was actually losing the fight, Joe capped it all of with one swinging roundhouse to the jaw and the bouncing beauty smacked the canvas as if it were her worst enemy.

Deep breaths entered Joe's body as he finally found some time to relax and breath. His body was still shaking after the pounding it took in the first part of the match but there was no way he would lead her to believe anything hurt. Joe's pride took over his basic mental and physical urges. No matter how bad his body got hurt, Joe kept on pushing until there was nothing left to push for.

Staggering, Angel rose to one knee. She hadn't felt this bad since the time in the woods against Terry Bogard and naturally her anger and wrath would begin show signs of life but this time was different. Her head got hit so many times it was hard to tell which way was up. More importantly, her mind wasn't processing the same functions as it used to. It seemed to move fine up until a minute ago and now the normal memory functions seemed to have stopped. It was as if her mind were frozen along the stretch of time and now it was beginning to thaw.

Angel looked up at Joe was she rose to a standing position and everything seemed to come home again that was lost only moments ago. She was standing in the middle of a fighting square and that burly looking guy with the tall hair and ripped body was her opponent. Everything seemed to return to normal. Everything seemed to be fine.

"Ow ow ow wow!" Angel said rubbing her cheek. "That hurt!"

Joe almost wanted to fall over with laughter and shake his head in disgust. It was like he was fighting a child that could hit just as hard as he could. This was turning into a bad comedy routine and Joe knew better than to get himself involved in something that he didn't excel in; which wasn't much in his book. Joe decided to kick this fight up a notch and bring that girl to a whole new world of fighting.

"ORA ORAA!" Joe screamed while leaping into the air. He swung his heel downward with a thunderously wicked force. Joe's kick smashed against Angel's defensive stance and nearly drove her an extra couple of inches into the ground. Angel could feel the ground giving way to the phenomenal force she was trying to contain and she desperately tried do something about it as soon as the opportunity arose which happened to be sooner than she expected.

Angel pushed back against Joe's kick with all of the strength she could muster and it was more than enough. Joe jumped backwards dissipating all of the remaining velocity and landed swiftly on the balls of his feet. Sand shot from under his weight and luckily the white tape wrapped around his foot was useful as a breaking system on all types of terrain. Joe wasn't licked yet nor was he in any position to take the defensive. He saw his opening and went for it like a hungry tiger.

"HURRICANE UPPER!" Joe shouted while throwing a man-sized gust of wind at Angel. She looked at him as if he were the one that was back a few pages. She had a rough time understanding how air could possibly hurt anyone. Especially her.

The impact was a lot more surprising and painful than she could have ever imagined. It was like being hit like an invisible train. Her face felt the rushing sting as the air slashed at her creamy white features and the blast knocked the wind out of her to boot. Angel fell to one knee just to absorb all of the blow but her ears never failed to work as the approaching Joe Higashi had nothing but fighting on his mind even against a half fallen opponent.

A fist whizzed past Angel's head and violently brushed aside some of her silver hair. A moment of pain luckily ended as a close call and an open window for her to exploit. Angel jammed her fist into Joe's ribcage that sent the kickboxing champion back a step and she didn't stop there. She kicked hard at the other side of Joe's chest locking her foot deep into his tough and hard flesh. Her foot came down and just as she prepared for another strike, Joe retaliated with a kick of his own straight against Angel's shoulder. The impact only sent her a few short steps to the side but both of them locked their eyes together and realized they were caught in the worst thing two fighters could engage in.

A test of strength.

Angel struck hard catching Joe with a quick roundhouse punch against the jaw and Joe replied in kind swinging a deadly uppercut right against Angel's cute jaw. The two battled out ferociously as if the world was hanging in the balance. No quips were exchanged; only blows. Their only words were the slaps and cracks of flesh and bone. Each of them had their own understanding on what a punching bag goes through during one of their training sessions but the only problem with these punching bags was the fact that they were both running out of gas at a very dramatic pace.

Joe's head nearly snapped off of his neck was he took a brutal punch straight against his skull but not before nailing a quick roundhouse kick against Angel's abused ribs. Both fighters took their respective steps back and held their position. Their breaths were like fiery stings as they entered and exited the body. Joe had a hard time seeing straight since his head wasn't as good as taking hits as he first thought. Then again, he's never felt anyone hit him this hard. Not even his very first match against Andy brought him down to feeling as bad as this. This girl had something about her that just radiated strength and Joe feared that a repeat performance was in his future.

Angel hissed as she tried to organize her thoughts. She found it a lot harder when she was exhausted and a simple task such as keeping her head straight proved to be a challenge. Her eyes almost seemed to be playing tricks on her. For a while, she would see the staggering presence of the man she was fighting and the next everything would disappear. It was like a bomb went off in the fighting square and in the middle she could almost hear the faint sound of a child crying. Angel didn't like that sound. It made her stomach twist and she anxiously wanted to silence that voice.

As he was just regaining a good normal paced breath, Joe saw the vixen approaching more violent and deadly than ever. She ran to him as if he were the cause of all of life's problems and her facial expression drastically changed. Joe no longer saw the calm and ravishing demeanor of the silver haired vixen. All he could see was the face of rage and a single tear slipping its way down her face.

"GO AWAY!" Angel cried slamming her fist into Joe's face. The kickboxing champion was launched from his simple standing position into what seemed like orbit. Time stood still as the pain burned all over his face and body until the very moment his body fell back onto the earth and introduced a whole new selection. Joe felt his eyes tiptoeing around the corner towards the black end but he fought not to give in. There was no way he was going down this way. Just no way.

Angel clasped her head with one hand and shook it from side to side. The world seemed to balance itself out and everything was returning to the way it should be. This gave Angel that nice warm feeling and she could feel a smile returning to her lips. Her eyes centered around Joe's body as he struggled to pick himself up. Joe got himself to a sitting position but his legs weren't responding to any other commands at the moment. Just as Angel happily trotted over to his position, he could feel the adrenaline rushing into his system for a second wind.

Looking down at Joe, Angel almost felt sorry for the poor guy. Sure her body wasn't looking quite as good as his was at the moment but then again, she was standing and he wasn't so Angel must have done something right. She could feel the hisses of Joe's breath and the patter of his weak heartbeat. He looked so cut just sitting there that way Angel almost felt the urge to pick him up and take him home as a pet.

"Ahhhhh…" Angel said while watching the gloomy Joe sulk in pain. "Is the fight ovah?" She cutely said hoping her words would ease some of his pain but if it didn't, no big deal.

Under the trickle of blood sinking down Joe's face Angel could have sworn she heard the sound of laughter. It almost amazed her that this guy who was about to take a finishing blow to the skull could laugh at a time like this. Joe Higashi was an interesting person and if he happened to survive the match, Angel wanted to study him more. His personality seemed so warm-hearted and uplifting.

Much like her own.

"You know…" Joe weakly said. It instantly caught Angel's attention and she quickly turned her head downward to look into the eyes of one of the bravest guys she's ever heard of.

Joe started to chuckle some more. He choked back a few breaths and continued. "I said… I'd never do this again… But here I am… Heh heh."

Angel turned her head slightly. She had no idea if this guy was for real or just plain crazy.

"But…! But there's no way. There's no way!" Powerful words erupted from Joe's mouth as the burst of adrenaline he was looking for finally hit.

"No… Way…?" Angel asked almost confused. Before her brain could compute the thought, Joe was right back on his feet with a whole new enthusiasm.

"THAT I'LL LOSE TO ANOTHER GIRL!" Joe said as his entire body charged with a new found energy. Angel was so blown away by this display of strength that she didn't even think of forming a block for Joe's newest secret technique.

"TIGER KICKKK!" Joe shouted while driving his knee straight into Angel's open and half exposed chest. The young N.E.S.T.S. vixen felt like a sword with the weight of a sledgehammer pierced through her chest. Her eyes were instantly cut off from the world and all she saw was a pool of black. She didn't even feel her body limply dance around the floor as it hit the ground. Resting was all her body wanted to do now and she had plenty of time to do it.

"K.O.!" The referee declared after watching Angel's lack of movement for almost a full ten seconds. He'd never see two people put a beating on each other quite like that one and he was almost glad that it was over now.

Joe, who was already on his knees desperately clinging for breaths of life supporting air threw his arms up and cheered to the fans in attendance and everyone watching at home.

"YOSHAAA!"

The kickboxing champion rose to his feet after feeling the stretch of exhaustion wear thin. His body had taken a severe beating and he had no idea how much longer he could go. Then again, there was only one opponent left and he knew that if he so desired he could force his body to go into triple overtime to win this match. Joe didn't even get a whole thirty seconds before Angel left the fighting square and the new fighter Kula stepped in. Joe felt another long day ahead of him but he was willing to go the distance to prove that he was no weak-leg in the Fatal Fury Team.

A cold chill swept around the fighting square. It was time for N.E.S.T.S. Anti-K' device to clean up the mess two rookies couldn't handle. Angel's defeat was shocking but Kula kept her head calm. These were some of the strongest fighters in the world and even watching Terry Bogard go down before K'9999 was enough of an amazement to turn Kula's head.

Joe tried to pump himself up but it was hard since he really didn't have much of anything left. His stamina was running short but his determination was on a full high. He took out two of N.E.S.T.S.' legs and with one left his body pleaded for him to quit. Of course Joe chose to ignore that message.

"FIGHT!" The referee called out. Joe kept his stance firm but it wasn't tight. His muscles ached as they flexed. Angel had practically hit him on every part of the body and each strike would leave a serious mark in the morning. Joe had to silence the nerves in his body as the sound of the fight proceeding filled his senses. Before he could even start an initial attack phase he saw Kula lifting her hand up it what appeared to be a yawn and Joe knew the only thing she was tired of was him still standing.

A blast of ice shards spit out of Kula's mouth with an immediate velocity. Joe dashed back barely avoiding the blue shrapnel and watched as the sand at the point were he once stood turned into solid ice.

Moves like that cost Joe a lot more energy than he could spare. If he had missed one single step he would have ended up tripping and causing some more unwanted damage. Kula was as fresh as a daisy and Joe was on the rocks. It would only take one quick move to put Joe down and he promised himself that he wasn't giving up without giving something back.

Joe ran forward. His body had no idea what his mind was thinking but the spirit of the world's greatest kick boxer was driving him to continue. As he approached Kula, Joe spun his body to the side and upon a single complete revolution, his leg reached the desired velocity and he kicked hard at the ice queen. Kula blocked the kick with her forearm and hastily tried to push it back to him but the swinging momentum was a lot more powerful than she expected.

Once his leg finally came down, Joe didn't stop there. He connected with a quick uppercut right below Kula's sternum and followed with a haymaker across her face. The blow sent the blue haired girl down to the ground and gave Joe the precious seconds he needed to regain some of that lost breath.

Pain had been a foreign concept to Kula after the events of last year's tournament. It tried to reintroduce its presence in the form of Joe's attacks and did a fairly good job but if Kula was severely affected by those mediocre strikes than she wasn't a very well designed Anti-K' device. Kula picked herself of forgetting the recent pain and dusted the sand off of her once tidy uniform. Joe was strong, there was no doubt about that, but Kula was stronger and that proclaimed certain victory for this match.

Joe took a step back towards a defensive stance as Kula quickly rushed in. He knew that only a few key hits in crucial areas of his body would be enough to knock the wind out of him and since she had the size and speed to do it, it didn't seem that hard. Two fists came faster than Joe could blink but luckily they were headed in the same direction and a quick head shift sent the fists hitting empty air. Joe knew if he didn't counter quickly he'd miss his chance and found that one solid opening right in that pale white face of hers.

*CRACK*

Kula lunged back after taking Joe's fist square in the nose. The cold refreshing feeling of her once clean body was stained by the warm sticky smell of her own crimson fluid. This feeling was only brought out once before during her second fight with K'. This wasn't good. This wasn't good at all. Joe Higashi had cut her. Even after his near brutal defeat against Angel he still had the energy to put the hurt on her with one single punch. If Joe was allowed to continue he may very well end the match all by himself.

Joe put his stance low as Kula came at him again with an ugly looking crimson stain running down her nose. A couple of hits like that would put Joe right back in the game and he could feel his heart racing with excitement. He was going to win this thing no matter what.

Two gloved arms clasped Joe right where he was standing. He couldn't belive he didn't catch that move coming in but grabs are a lot harder to spot than regular punches. Kula had gained and edge and soon enough it would be multiplied tenfold. Joe could feel the heat his body was generating starting to cool down. This felt bad. This felt real bad. Soon the drops of sweat solidified and formed an outer shell around his body. Every muscle in his body began to condense. This only felt good after a serious long workout but Joe was in the middle of a fight. His entire body had been frozen from the neck down at it just left his openly exposed head right for the picking.

Kula took a few steps back and admired her work. It's not everyday that a person could stop a world renowned fighter cold in his tracks but this was good. If Joe couldn't move, he couldn't fight. If he should so happen to break out of that icy prison than continueing to fight would be useless since his body already cooled down. He wouldn't be the same. Joe would be forced to throw in the towel.

"Eeerrgh… AARRGGHH!" Joe cried while struggling. His body was completely unresponsive. He couldn't do anything but cry and cringe. As his body got colder, it would become inept after he escaped. There would be no way his muscles would have the same strength and stamina as they once had. It was like trying to run a hundred miles after you came home and showered after running your first hundred. This was becoming bad and Joe felt there was only one thing he could do before he would accept defeat.

The icy prison which encompassed Joe began to shake. Joe, trying to think back to his days of school, remembered one key fact that could save him here. Friction among two objects created heat. So long as he could generate enough heat he could break out of this cold hell and be right back in the fight. He could hear the ice cracking under his strength and Joe knew it would take one hard push to release him from this confinement.

"OSHAAA!" Joe cried while shattering the ice that surrounded him into nothing more than particles. He blew away the audience with his stellar performance of strength and even Foxy felt the remaining power of that man to be a major threat. Good thing for her and N.E.S.T.S. that Kula never lost her cool and was amply waiting for Joe to pull of that move so she could finish off the match.

Kula pushed her hands forward and released a blade of ice. Joe wailed into the air as it sliced him right above the shoulder pumping blood from inside of his body outside. He hit the ground hard as he fell but the pain in his back was at the least of his worries. He clasped his wound with his open hand as he tried to stop the blood from leaving his already wounded body. His gloriously white taped hands were stained with his own juices and his eyes were telling him to give up as they sunk away into the sea of unconsciousness.

"K.O.!" The referee declared. After Joe Higashi's valiant effort he had finally succumbed to defeat. The Emergency Medical Technicians arrived on the scene and the world kickboxing champion left the arena in Japan with a standing ovation. His performance was nothing short of amazing. Angel single handedly defeated Team Korea and Joe was able to stay toe to toe with her and win. Nothing could take this day away from Joe. Nothing.

Kula sighed after receiving the victory. After only taking three punches she almost felt fatigued which worried her. Diana must also know something has gone awry. The intelligence network at N.E.S.T.S. must be running backlogs of data and taking new samples after Joe Higashi's performance. There was something about this Fatal Fury team that gave N.E.S.T.S. a bad feeling but with the genius minds working under them, they would figure it out. Sooner or later.

The last fighter scheduled for Team Fatal Fury Andy Bogard stepped into the fighting square. He saw how hard his good friend Joe Higashi fought and worked to give them this edge once their captain was taken down and Andy wasn't about to lay down and give them the victory. He knew it was going to take all of his poise and spirit to win this one. N.E.S.T.S. wasn't going to walk away with a victory. Andy swore to this.

"FIGHT!" The referee yelled hoping to get the final round of the match underway as quickly as possible. After this massacre concluded he wanted to head home and wash away these images with a clean bottle of gin.

Andy and Kula just stared at each other for the time being. They had met only on two other occasions and the first one still rings in Andy's mind. Kula had been looking for Terry at that time and Andy knew better than to give into her demands. Their fight had been cut real short with the oncoming interference of Joe and his would be fiancé Mai but that day still stands out in Andy's mind. What would have happened if they clashed? Would he have won or is Kula really stronger than she looks? These questions plagued at Andy in the last few seconds. Right before Kula began her attack.

A blade of ice zipped past Andy's face and managed to sheer a few locks of hair from his head. The image seemed to slow down before Andy's eyes but he knew better than to believe that. Any second now she would be coming right back with another strike and Andy would be lost in the past. He wouldn't allow that to happen and measured Kula's next actions. Andy parried the slash with a double block but felt an astounding amount of pain as Kula's other hand slashed his wide open ribcage.

Blood began to protrude from the wound as Kula pulled the blade out but she was still to close for Andy's comfort. He had to push her back and with her hands tied to that blade her head was open for a pounding. Andy hit her hard with an open-palmed cross strike. Kula faded back but Andy was far from finished. He spun to the side and stabbed his elbow into Kula's stomach and watched her begin to keel over. After one final turn Andy struck at Kula with a double-fist strike right at her cold heart. Kula was completely stunned after taking that combo of assaults from her adversary. She didn't even see the painfully blinding light that was coming for her.

"HISHOUKEN!" Andy shouted releasing a palm full of ki straight at Kula's chest. The force was enough to knock her away and down to the ground. Kula bounced wickedly against the painful surface and rolled away with the remaining velocity. Andy watched his first sign of good fortune and cringed as the surge of pain rushed back into his body.

Andy screwed up. He knew he did. The blood trickled all over his gi was a constant reminder of his mistake. If he were thinking clearly during the fight instead of past instances this could have been avoided. Now the gift given to him by Master Shiranui had been stained and it was all caught on tape. This fight was meant to be vicious but Andy had no idea it was going to start out that way. He was practically reduced to a fraction of his abilities all with one decisive swipe. The only satisfaction he would get out of it if Kula was feeling the same.

Losing was never an option in Kula's book. The ground never felt so terrible. She had Andy right where she wanted him and in an instant the match went from good to horrific. Kula picked herself up from the ground and found that her wounds had not fully dispersed. There was no doubting that a fresh Andy Bogard hit harder that a tired Joe Higashi but the fact that it hurt this badly was a relatively scary concept. The data on Andy was minimal but he wasn't proved as a threat to N.E.S.T.S. Not as much as his brother anyways. If Andy had improved under the eye of N.E.S.T.S. then failure was creeping around the corner.

Kula couldn't allow this to happen. She picked herself up as hard as it was and charged at Andy. If one cut could slow him down than two more would knock him out. This time she came in low near Andy's midsection to make him dive back while lunging forward leaving his chest and head vulnerable to one wicked uppercut.

A fast swipe came in low near Andy's midsection but his eyes were sharper than novice fighters to not catch that attack in motion. He leaned forward allowing the slash to pass his vital area and get him in breathing distance to Kula to allow another succession of attacks. The opportunity never came as Andy's watchful eye caught Kula jumping for a swinging uppercut. Andy didn't have time to successfully block the attack but he could try and counter it with one of his own. He smashed his palm into Kula's face but the damage had been done. Kula's slash cut Andy right up the chest and sent the Shiranui warrior flat on his back. Kula landed in the same fashion several feet away and both fighters were left to relish in their pain.

Blood began to seep its way through Andy's clothes. It wasn't as bad as the wound on his side but his body didn't differentiate when it came to pain. He tried to stand and found his body wasn't responding like it should have. Andy had only taken two hits. Just two hard hits from this girl and he was as winded as a full training session. This couldn't continue. Andy wasn't going to go down like this and prolong to live in the shadow of his brother. He was stepping above his brother in this moment. Right here and now.

As Kula returned to her feet, several vital parts of her body were stinging for attention. This just wasn't possible. She was a fully developed and functioning fighting machine. Her abilities proved to be far greater than any data on Andy Bogard. There had to be some kind of mistake in the computer. Andy could never have managed this kind of strength overnight. There had to be some kind of explanation. Kula wouldn't be pushed around like this. She was going to push herself to a whole new level. If Andy Bogard thinks he's won, he is about to get a rude awakening.

Andy stood up while clenching is pounding side. The blood eventually decreased in flow but every once and again his hand was coated with another layer of crimson fluid. Suddenly, he felt a cool rush of wind sweep past him and as he looked up he saw a most frightening sight. Kula's hair extended in every direction possible and the air began to take shape. Andy felt like he was back in the Himalayas. It was beginning to snow in the middle of Japan and the source was the willpower of one very pissed off girl. Andy was showered with tiny snowflakes that gently and swiftly turned into a much more painful hail and he found himself wasting a ton of energy just trying to stand on his feet.

Kula dominated the fighting square. Andy had no where to go or nothing to do but stand and absorb all of the punishment. Winter was Kula's playground and it didn't take kindly to strangers. Andy suffered under the pounding change of weather and was, as Kula predicted, stuck in his place. She was preparing to issue the final blow to the younger Bogard brother and Diana knew that her presence was going to be needed.

Memories of training grounds past begin to fill Andy's head. He was facing the same grim situation not more than a year ago and if he was good enough to stand here after that, he was plenty good enough to stand up to this. Hail hurt a lot more than he expected, especially since Kula was creating it herself. His stamina was breaking at an alarming rate and if his muscles got any colder, he might as well hit Kula with a limp fish because that would his harder that his fists would. He couldn't exactly remember how he got out of this situation before but thanks to Master Shiranui he wouldn't have to. All he had to do was wait for an opening.

The hail continued to storm down on Andy and Kula couldn't be anymore pleased. He was resilient, she couldn't deny that, but he was also finished. The hail would soon form to crystals and slash their way down at Andy's being instantly rendering his body for emergency room material just as the other two had left. Diana's presence could be felt and as she materialized to the fighting square, Kula needed her to do one simple thing and it would be over.

Diana dashed at Andy with her sword well in hand. While only inches away Diana swung the skinny blade straight at Andy's midsection while Kula worked up the real storm. What she hit was nothing more than a shadow of what and where Andy once was.

WHAT?! Diana shouted to herself. She turned her head only to find herself in the middle of Kula's ultimate technique.

Kula couldn't immediately stop herself as the icicles rained down on her superior. She was shocked to see her attack fail this badly but more so over the fact that Andy Bogard was no longer in sight. Finally, an unwanted chill ran up her spine. For the first time in her life, Kula didn't like this feeling. The cold was never her enemy. Her real enemy was right behind her charging his elbow like a spear.

"SHYAAA!" Andy cried jamming his elbow deep into the core of Kula's spine. He didn't have time to stop there. He crossed the attack with a palm strike straight against her back and followed with another upside the back of her head. Kula was instantly pushed forward ignoring the call of gravity but Andy hadn't even given her the final kiss. He summoned a massive amount of energy within the core of his body letting out a large his as his hands charged this newly created energy. Kula hadn't moved more than an inch before Andy was ready to let it rip all across her back.

"DAAAASSSS!" Andy shouted blasting away a massive spike of ki at the falling N.E.S.T.S. warrior. A new feeling of anguish rushed over Kula's body just before she reached unconsciousness. Her limp body smacked against the cold ground that she created. She didn't even get the chance to hear the final bell ring.

"K.O.!" The referee shouted. The fans in attendance didn't know what to think. The entire day was filled with events and catastrophes that would boggle the mind of most fiction novelists. Still, even after all of their hard work, the fans cheered for Team Fatal Fury. They had gone through hell and came back with a victory. Anyone, even an enemy of their favored Kyo Kusanagi deserved respect and Andy after being beaten, battered, and nearly frozen stood in the center of the fighting square and smiled.

It was a good day to be alive.

Terry Bogard, the hero of South Town, was laying on the white hospital bed while a respirator controlled his breathing. This had never been the case for the Lone Wolf even after a defeat. His body had been cut in crucial places all over his body, bruises appeared on nearly every appendage and worst of all Terry hadn't regained consciousness since his arrival. Blue Mary sat in the uncomfortable hospital chair in the room next to her lover clutching his hat tightly. She didn't want to look over at him. This was like a bad nightmare coming back to haunt her and there was no escaping it. The only she prayed for was that the young boy sitting next to her didn't have to experience what she was going through. Ever.

"Excuse me Ms. Ryan," the doctor stated while walking into the room. Mary immediately stood up as the new she was waiting for had finally arrived.

"Ye – ss…" Mary stuttered. It was like finding out if the world was going to end. If Terry died, then Mary's world probably would.

"Terry has suffered numerous injuries but I can assure you that he will be just fine."

Mary collapsed back in her chair. The news was fantastic. It was like taking a bulldozer off of her shoulders. Nothing could have been better. All she wanted to do was hear when she would be able to take Terry home with her and Rock. The doctor continued despite Mary's glorious gesture.

"We also ran some tests on his body and discovered it wasn't fatigue as you previously assumed," the doctor said. Mary looked up at him with a slightly raised eyebrow. Something was telling her this wasn't going anywhere good but she go no where else besides forward.

"In accordance with King of Fighters regulations and your speculation we had to perform a Compute Axial Tomography Scan to find out the source of your concerns."

"A CAT scan?" Mary asked. Her voice was low enough in tone to inquire interest and fear at the same time.

"Yes. We didn't find any serious brain trauma and Terry's external wounds should heal within a couple of days. If he chooses, Terry will be able to compete in next week's matches."

Mary sighed. Nothing sounded better than the words coming out of the doctor's mouth. Her words were angelic as if they came from heaven itself. Mary trusted the doctor's diagnosis to every syllable but something still plagued her. Terry's sudden defeat didn't seem as simple as fatigue. There had to be something else and even against her own personal wishes, Mary wanted to find out.

"But doctor…" Mary asked almost being timid. This wasn't like her. She was usually so stern and decisive when confronting people. Something had changed between then and now. Something between her and Terry. "I was wondering –"

"I see your concern," the doctor interrupted. "Let me ask you a few questions about your –"

"B – Boyfriend," Mary responded almost feeling guilty for saying it like that. The doctor could see Mary's concern was much deeper than the simple relationship that she described.

"Alright. Tell me, has he experienced any unwanted pressure recently."

"Well… This is the King of Fighters Tournament. Terry usually stays the same. He never really tells us anything."

"I see…" The doctor replied tapping her finger on her lip. "Well, has he encountered a change of scenery or lifestyle?"

"What?" Mary pulled back. That question hit a little too close to home and Mary was afraid to continue.

"Psychologists have run numerous tests over the years with animals and humans alike and the results have shown that when you pull someone out of their natural environment certain changes can occur. Stress soon follows and if the person doesn't adapt soon it could lead to future psychological problems."

Mary was at a loss for words. This doctor practically told her straight to her face that Terry was sick because he was living in her apartment. There was nothing she could say.

"If Terry has experienced this I would advise that he be brought back into his original way of living. If that means sitting out the King of Fighters tournament than I would restrict him from competing or even attending."

Mary nodded. There was nothing she could say to try to convince herself otherwise. All she got out was "Thank you doctor."

The doctor nodded and left. Mary could definitely use the privacy now but the amorous glare of her young companion had other things in mind.

"Mary…?" Rock asked while looking her dead in the eye. "Is there something wrong with Terry?"

Mary smiled. She had to put on a happy face or else Rock would think something was really wrong.

"No. No, don't worry Rock. Terry is going to be just fine."

Rock shook his head. He had learned a few tricks hanging out with Terry all these months. "Is… Is it because of me?"

Mary couldn't believe it. Rock saw right through her. This kid was definitely something all right. She was starting to see why Terry kept the kid around for so long. The answer to his question, however, was the only thing she could truthfully say.

"No Rock… It's not you."

Rock felt a little bit better. Even though he'd never been around girls all that often he was starting to get real attached to Mary. She made him feel good whenever he was feeling down even if Terry was standing right next to him and had nothing better to say. He didn't like to see her sulking like this. It just didn't look good at all.

Mary turned her head away from Rock. She wanted to be alone with her thoughts. Mary kept telling herself in her mind the same thing she told Rock as if it were different every time she said it.

It's not you Rock… It's me.

The calm and cool environment of Korea was just what the Sakazaki family needed. The nice relaxing scenery let their mood settle down and right now all their family was a little good spirit. Their captain Ryo had sequestered himself again as he did last week but when Yuri caught the occasional glimpse of him he didn't look the same.

This time Ryo was different. He didn't have that angered and vengeful aura circling him like he did before. This time Yuri felt the sorrow in Ryo's looks. He seemed almost remorseful and depressed after what happened last week. Ryo refused to watch the replays of the match no matter how much television and his conscious pleaded him to. He had trouble believing he even fought last week. The blood stains on his hands told him another story.

The entire mood in Yuri's room was almost as sullen as what was going on in Ryo's. She quietly sat on her bed wrapping her arms around her knees and sinking her head hoping that this feeling would go away soon. Yuri constantly worried about Ryo. They really didn't have the traditional brother/sister relationship but then again, growing up with a martial arts background didn't exactly bring a man and a woman closer together. In fact, Yuri wasn't even interested in martial arts until she saw the passion and determination Ryo was giving. Kyokugen Karate was the one thing they could share together and Ryo, like the good big brother he was, always did whatever he could for others first before himself. Now, with the tables turned, Yuri had no idea what she could do for her brother in his time of need.

It almost wanted to make her vomit.

*KNOCK**KNOCK*

Yuri lifted her head up almost completely baffled to hear that noise. She'd been in her room so long the time decided to skip a few minutes. Voluntarily, she answered.

"Come in…" She calmly stated. Usually her enthusiasm and optimism brought the moral of this team to whole new levels. Today, she was just like another person hoping that she would live to see another day.

Takuma Sakazaki took no reserves stepping into his daughter's room. The door was shut promptly and he took his place looking out in front of the window. Takuma never could look in his daughter's eyes while seriously talking to her. Yuri's gentle and kind face reminded him of the soft and pleasing spirit of his departed spouse and even thinking about turning his one and only daughter into a human fighting machine would make him regret even having a girl in the first place. Then again, Yuri had that wonderful personality that made this old man want to wake up in the morning just to hear and see her adorable features.

"I know you have been worrying about Ryo," he started. There he was again, Takuma Sakazaki, master of being blunt. "There are many things you need to know about your brother and many others you've forgotten."

"I didn't know Ryo could act so… So cruel," Yuri interrupted. Takuma knew this would be a good start and continued.

"Of course you knew… You've just forgotten."

Yuri looked up at her father with a raise eyebrow. She had no idea what he was getting at but urged him to continue. If he knew anything about Ryo than she wanted to hear it. That's the only way Yuri would be able to figure out something so that she could finally be a good sister and return the favors her brother has done for her in the past.

"It must have been ages ago Yuri but to me it was a treasured memory incapable of leaving my everyday thought. You were tied up behind the altar and me and your brother battled ferociously until there was only one standing victor."

A gasp filled Yuri's breath. That day was a horrendous day indeed. She watched her father and brother battle it out until the blood of their opponent splattered in excessive amounts. It wasn't until Yuri's interference that Ryo stopped himself from doing the unthinkable and killing his own father. Ryo was a completely different man that day and then it hit her.

He was a completely different man last week to.

"I see that you have come to a realization. That's good," Takuma replied. "Ryo's one driving force… The ultimate push that brings Ryo to levels above and beyond his normal capabilities."

"A – Anger..." Yuri timidly said as if she were guessing.

"Rage. Fury. Emotion. Ryo is driven by his willpower and strength to control his emotions. Once he let's go he's an unstoppable force. He cannot be beaten. Even I would have to succumb to his strength."

"Father… No…"

"I brought Ryo up to be my rival but now I am nothing more than his mediocre. Ryo is transcending above what even I couldn't imagine his strengths to be. I cannot keep up with him at this pace. In my old age –"

"Don't say that!" Yuri interrupted. That caused the Kyokugen master to turn around and witness the sorrow in his youngest child's eyes. There were no words he could use to soften the blow. Takuma wasn't as young as he'd like to be but so long as the karate techniques he developed get passed along through the generations he will die a happy man.

"It is inevitable Yuri."

Yuri buried her face within her knees again. With all of this bad news coming at once it was hard to tell that they even won the match last week or not. Even knowing that elimination was right around the corner didn't really put a dent in her mood. Family came first and right now it was slowly tearing apart. This wasn't a good day to be a Sakazaki.

Despite the mood of his daughter Takuma continued. She needed to hear everything. "I watched with a close eye of Ryo's performance. There are no words to define the amazement of his strength and skills. Ryo needs only to master one final technique before he's ready to take my place."

There was no response from Yuri. That was like putting in a few extra nails in an already sealed coffin. Yuri knew saying that this day couldn't possibly get worse was just bringing on an ironic moment but then again, any changes would be an improvement.

God please… Do something…

Serenity was a concept far from Ryo's grasp. No matter how long he meditated as he's been sincerely trying for the last week he just couldn't calm his mind. There were so many questions that needed to be answered and so many answers that questions alone couldn't handle. Last week was bad enough. Ryo didn't even allow himself to turn on the television and confirm his worst fears. He didn't need any reaffirmation. The look on everyone's face as they stared down at his bloody composure was bad enough. Nothing brought upon a worst feeling than that moment in Brazil.

That was… Until today.

Ryo knew who he was going up against and every time he tried to face it he only found himself running away. Mediation usually brought about a great epiphany or some kind of new knowledge. All Ryo found were barriers and boundaries he didn't dare cross. His thoughts were his worst enemy but in only a few minutes his life would take a U – turn. He was only moments away from confronting the love of his life.

A sweaty palm covered Ryo's face. He didn't think silence could be so intense but that wasn't causing his immediate perspiration. There was no way to hide from it anymore. Alicia wasn't more than a few hundred feet away and he any word he said to her would fall on an empty ear. There just had to be a way to communicate the misunderstanding. Ryo would do anything for just a one on one face to face discussion.

That's when a brilliant idea came to mind.

Inside of her single hotel room, King gazed outside of her window into the view below. The scenery was nothing short of stunning. The citizens paraded around with their exuberance of the oncoming festivities. Buildings were covered in their nation's flag and even though their team was not competing they still showed pride for their country. The streets were filled with decorations accenting the already beautiful city below but it she just felt so magnificent being able to be here and now to experience it all.

King furiously shook her head. She had no idea where those thoughts came from but she assured herself they weren't her own. Being around Ryo all that time had made her softer than she'd ever been. King felt like a real woman.

That was gone now. Ryo was out of her life for good. Well, at least until after today. She'd only have to put up with him for one more day and then its goodbye for good. And on a more positive note, King was feeling rather pumped up for this match. It was because of Ryo that she was standing on this team. He didn't want her to compete and she did it in spite of him.

Who is he to tell me what to do with my life?! King beckoned to herself. A sudden rush of fear swept through her as the only voice of opposition seemed to crawl its way back into her life.

Silence.

King almost wanted to sigh in relief. She never liked arguing. Especially with herself. It was like trying to reason with someone whose beliefs are already set in stone. Then again a little friendly advice didn't hurt every now and then. At times like these, it was like she was missing a part of herself.

*KNOCK**KNOCK*

"Hey King!" The young voice called from behind the door. King easily identified it as their spunky teammate Li Xiangfei. She picked up her handkerchief and tucked it into the breast pocket just before she exited her room. There was a tinkering feeling in her brain that something was missing. The door shut behind her and silenced any other abstract thoughts as she went off with her companions off to their next match.

She's lost without me.

The fans cheered at levels the camera's microphones couldn't handle. They were completely ecstatic over the fact that one of the final King of Fighter's matches was taking place in this very country and there isn't anything else that could bring these people more joy. No matter who was competing and under any circumstances, the Korean nation loved a good fight. Their hero Kim Kaphwan always proved his awesome ability in his country's martial arts and even now he was competing for the sanctity and justice of Tae Kwon Do. Even if it wasn't in his people's presence, they still were grateful to see King of Fighters history take place right here and now.

Ryo Sakazaki stood firm in his position no more than a hundred feet outside the designated fighting arena. That was mostly due to the fact that his body wouldn't allow him to take another step forward. His eyes caught a glimpse of something he shouldn't have seen moments before a fight but he couldn't avert them away from anything else. Alicia stood there flaunting her gorgeous figure almost telepathically telling Ryo that he wouldn't be able to be near her again. The funny thing was that she couldn't even see him but Ryo would make anything up to confirm his queries.

A large breath of air entered Ryo's lungs. This wasn't the time to be thinking about what was lost and what was wanted. His best friend, sister, and more importantly father needed him to go out there without any worries or fears. Ryo was the leader of the team. The new wave for Kyokugen Karate. No matter how his personal life went that shouldn't affect his fighting performance. He was determined to do his best for his family.

No matter what.

"Let's go," ordered the bold Ryo. The others followed close behind him as they entered the fighting arena with a standing ovation from the surrounding audience. It was as if their presence was a shining light upon the crowd and they thrived on every moment as the steps soon turned to feet while they casually entered the fighting square. Ryo would usually keep his head square and focused on his opponents only today he really didn't feel like he was fighting an opponent. He didn't even bother to look up to see if Alicia would look back. Ryo's priorities were changing every second. He barely knew what was going on half of the time. His mind went in one direction and his heart another. Controlling his emotions were going to take up most of his energy. He had no idea how he was going to reserve any for the fights.

King glared over at the other side of the fighting square. Everyone on the Kyokugen Team seemed to look well so she felt a little better knowing that. Ryo wouldn't even cast a look upon her. Typical. He was probably still ashamed over what he had done but there was no way to back track now. Ryo dug his own grave and he'd have to live with his decision.

The referee called for both team captains to come forth and enter their fighting rotation. This meant doomsday for Ryo. This would be the closest he's ever gotten to Alicia since that dreadful night. He didn't know what to say or if it was smart just not to say anything at all. Then again, she might think it weird of he remains silent or she might not want to hear anything he has to say. This was getting hard and usually Ryo would feel that way after the fight had started but he felt more nervous and scared right now than he ever did staring down an opponent. Nevertheless, Ryo proceeded towards the referee with a single goal in mind and nothing was going to change his decision.

Tension was building up as Ryo stood no more than a few feet away from Alicia. He dared not to look over at her and proceeded to put in his team's fighting order with a calm and cool head. King noticed Ryo's professionalism and found it kind of odd that he didn't say anything. This could have just been a simple ploy to get her to notice him and if that's what his game was, it was working.

If Ryo wants to play that game… I'll give him more than he can handle!

Both fighters separated and walked towards their prospective sides. Everyone on the Kyokugen Karate team glared at Ryo with anticipation. He didn't even discuss with them what kind of fighting rotation they would use. Ryo's silence had been a double edged sword for his family and which side it was going to cut was about to be revealed in a few moments.

As the fighting order flashed upon the screen, the Korean fans went nuts. They were about to get the best show in the world. The Female Fighters team opted to use every member in a four fighter rotation against the sole competitor for the Kyokugen Karate Team. Ryo Sakazaki.

King was shocked as were most of her teammates. They knew what Ryo had done last weak in that unbelievable performance against the Ikari team but he was only up against three fighters. Even after the match had ended Ryo looked winded enough to be incapacitated for days. Now here he was taking the horns for his team once again against the four toughest female competitors King of Fighters had to offer.

The anger spewing from Yuri's brain was immeasurable. She couldn't believe her brother had not only taken it upon himself to win this tournament but he singled her out in the process. Yuri understood and showed compassion for what Ryo was going through but this was just insane. There would be no way he'd be able to have enough energy for three of the strongest fighters in world let alone four. Yuri wanted an explanation for this and as Ryo stepped into the fighting square she turned to the only man left capable of answering.

"DAD!" Yuri shouted directly in Ryo's ear. "What the hell is Ryo thinking?!" She barked. Takuma's posture didn't change nor did he even look down to acknowledge the question.

"Ryo is old enough to make his own decisions. He knows what he's doing," Stated the Kyokugen master. The truth was, Takuma had no idea what Ryo had in mind. Sparring with two capable opponents wore Ryo out. He wondered how Ryo was going to fight against four of the best. This would be a very good way to test Ryo's abilities and see if he were truly capable of taking the Kyokugen throne.

A large breath exhaled from Ryo's lips as he took a look at the fighting order once again. He was pretty lucky when he second guessed Alicia's motives but there would be no way he could predict her to use all four of their fighters. She started out small by using Li Xiangfei followed by Hinako Shijou and then gradually moving up to Mai Shiranui with finally Alicia herself. Ryo was about to square off against fighting styles and opponents he's never seen before but he did this for a reason and there's no way he was going to lose without getting what he wanted first.

Xiangfei took center stage ready to lead things off here for her team. It seemed relatively simple enough. All she had to do was defeat one guy and then they'd achieve victory with a special celebration later over Dim Sum. With that in mind, Xangfei was going to be a real hungry competitor as she prepared herself for one hell of a fight.

"Ooh!" Xiangefei cried while dusting off her hands. She immediately then stomped real hard against the ground and stretched her arms out as wide as they could go while screaming "Chotto Matte!" It was her pre-fight ritual and always seemed to give her a little bit of extra pep as the fight started.

Ryo kept his eyes shut. He was trying to divulge any strategy that would come to mind while fighting this girl but nothing could really come to mind. Ryo didn't have much experience fighting those with a Chinese martial arts background and especially against someone who claims they use all kinds. This was going to be a tough predicament for Ryo but he countered the odds by relaxing his mind and thinking about the prize ahead. Ryo opened his eyes and saw the ready Xiangfei with her fighting stance at full gear. He raised his arm and stretched it out with his hand open and was ready to declare the two words that would forever justify this day.

"Ora Ora!"

"FIGHT!" The referee declared. This meant action for Xiangfei and she had no regrets in making the first move. As she looked over Ryo's stance while dashing in, Xiangfei noticed that there were very little holes in his defense. With an open stance, most fighters would assume that he is a grappler and is very weak and distances but after watching him in action that was simply not true. Xiangfei's martial arts had their advantages in situations like these and she was going to prove to Ryo that no one is invincible.

Ryo was blind sighted as Xiangfei connected in a quick rib punch. Her quick hands didn't end there as Ryo ended up taking two more kicks towards his center mass and a double punch straight in the chest. He was so winded that he had to take two steps back but Xiangfei wasn't finished yet. She spun around in almost a blink of an eye and released a large ball of energy straight at the staggering Ryo. It didn't take Ryo long to land on his back and before he knew it he wasn't staring at his opponent. He was staring at the sky.

A loud cheer of exuberance came from Xiangfei as her wildest dream came true. She knew she had the skill to beat Ryo but there was no way she would have done it in the first five seconds. It was almost like putting the Dim Sum in her mouth right where she was standing. Even her teammates shared the same feeling. Well, everyone except King. She almost took it as an insult for Ryo to go down this easily. She wondered if this was the way he acted when fighting women and there was no need to confirm that notion since he already pulled that trick. If he wanted to get her respect this wasn't working.

In almost an immediate second, Ryo was back on his feet. He shook his head quickly as if he was throwing out the past few seconds out of his mind. His hands rubbed against his body and he cracked his neck just to make sure everything was where it should be and felt as it should felt. This drew an almost gasp from Xiangfei as she saw the Dim Sum being carted away from her life. The rest of the Female Fighters were feeling Xiangfei's dilemma but they knew somehow that Ryo wouldn't lose that easily.

Ryo played the strategy card in his first hand and it seemed to pay off. The attacks hurt; there was no doubt about that. Ryo could feel a bruise forming on his ribcage but he had an ulterior motive in mind. Ryo had no idea how Xiangfei was going to fight against him but apparently it was a lot simpler than he had anticipated. The Chinese prided themselves with their faster than lightning moves but the only problem was that if the opponent already knew how to counter, fast moves were useless against strong ones. Ryo knew he was going to have to change his defense around to be able to come away from this one with only a few scratches.

The battlefield was present and Ryo was ready to try Xiangfei's assault once again. If everything went accordingly then Ryo would be the one watching Xiangfei on her back. All he needed her to do was lure her in close for a chance to sample Ryo's melee strength.

Dust kicked off of Xiangfei's feet as she ran after Ryo. So far so good. Ryo kept his stance unchanged. He needed to keep everything as it was when Xiangfei assaulted him earlier. As long as she believes she has a chance then she wouldn't change her attack patterns. That all became invalid once Xiangfei took to the air with a long jump and came back down with her foot aching to smack against Ryo's head.

Ryo quickly swayed away from the attack as the young girl's quick thinking nearly threw him off his guard and game plan. Three quick blows came in a blinding succession and Ryo was forced to block them all as he crossed his arms over his chest. This wasn't going exactly as he planned until he saw Xiangfei wind up for a spin kick that she would soon regret.

The kick slid off of Ryo's backside as he stepped back while winding up his Kohou Shippu Ken. As Xiangfei thought she was in the clear, Ryo exploded out of his crouched position and leveled the young girl with a devastating open palmed blast the pushed her straight on her back. The ground didn't feel as good as Xiangfei once thought but she was still getting over the shock of the blow. Ryo had a perfect opportunity to lay upon and devastating hit but instead he chose to push her away. There was no denying her stomach hurt as much as her back did at the moment but it would have hurt a lot worse if he closed his fist and really let her have it.

"What was that Ryo?!" Robert shouted having a clear view of his friend's held back strike. If Ryo was going to go all out against four opponents that was fine with Robert but the way Ryo was doing it was getting on his nerves. Fighting meant you have to hold nothing back and right now Ryo was putting that on the bottom of his priority list.

Xiangfei sprung to her feet suffering some, but not fight hindering damage. After that attack, she was beginning to realize why Ryo was as strong as they said. This was getting interesting but Xiangfei refused to lose. She was going to beat him one way or another and that was the driving mentality which brought her running forward eager to test the limits of Ryo's abilities.

An onslaught of fast kicks and quick punches flew at Ryo from all sides. He believed he parried two of them and ended up blocking the rest. His previous assumption of quick attacks not being the strongest was easily put to rest after feeling the brunt of these blows. Xiangfei was a pretty powerful girl and Ryo wouldn't let anyone else tell him different.

Ryo cringed against his already bruised ribcage as another kick found its way to his soft spot. He knew he couldn't keep this up for long but as long as she was wasting energy like this then she would wear herself out a lot faster than Ryo would. He had the stamina and experience advantage which was a key part in the formula for victory.

Two punches that Ryo should have blocked smacked him on both sides of his face. This dazed Ryo but he knew better than let his eyes control the fundamentals of his senses. Xiangfei leaned in to deliver her signature chin cracking blow but Ryo swayed as far as his back would allow and let the girl fly into the air like a bird. This gave Ryo a weird hypothesis that he had to test. Xiangfei was almost in the air for a whole two seconds before she came down into Ryo's fierce but welcoming arms and then proceeded on a new airborne adventure all courtesy of Air Sakazaki.

"YAAAAAGGHH!" Xiangfei cried as she almost landed on her feet but her legs hit the ground at the wrong angle and she found herself tumbling all over the fighting square until physics finally had its fun and allowed her to stop flat on her face and into a new world of hurt.

A huge inner grin formed upon Ryo's lips but he didn't dare let Alicia or anyone else see his hidden joy. Everything occurred exactly as Ryo wanted it to and now he had the perfect solution to end the match within the next few moments. All he would need was the eager attitude of one energy filled young lady.

As much as it pained herself to do it, Xiangfei returned to her feet. Her nerves were calling from all parts of her body trying to get her to listen but the feisty young competitor had other things in mind. She wouldn't allow Ryo to get away with her dinner plans; especially if she could get rid of him so easily. It didn't seem that hard. She's connected with those punches and kicks before. All she would need is another set of those to finish him off and with another head of steam, Xiangfei was after Ryo again.

This was exactly what Ryo wanted. With this kind of spunk it would be easier for Ryo to pull off his move. Two hands blew past Ryo's head brushing away his short air and any thoughts of easily conning her into his trap. Another set of strikes followed by a routine compilation of blocks put Ryo back into command but not for long. Ryo found him self doubling over after a quick blast right in his gut. Xiangfei prepared for the finishing blow and Ryo saw the only window of opportunity he would get for the remainder of the match.

Xiangfei's fists shot out at Ryo's skull but were only met by a retaliatory effort. Ryo grabbed her arms with both of his and fell back hard while keeping one good leg right on Xiangfei's stomach. Once Ryo felt the breath of the ground tickle his neck he launched the young girl like a football straight up and into the distance.

"WAAAAAHHH!" Cried the young girl as gravity was on the verge of abusing her. She did a single flip into the air and her gentle body smacked against the unforgiving ground and she rolled and rolled her way to painless salivation. That thought felt so far away but it was that thought which drove her to happiness. Once she got back on her feet, she would get her redemption and when he body stopped moving everyone in the crowd including the watching fighters gasped in disbelief.

The world was spinning around her but Xiangfei finally made it back to her feet. She looked over at Ryo and realized that he was surprisingly very far away. Xiangfei took two steps forward and raised her fists. Ryo was going down no matter what.

"HOLD IT!" A man called standing beside Xiangfei. He held out his arm obstructing her path to Ryo and once she saw the black and white stripped pattern on his arm, she knew it wasn't going to be good.

"RING OUT!" The referee declared. Ryo took a big sigh of relief and thanked the gods above for giving him this one little breather before a whole other storm was coming. He got rid of a difficult competitor and knowing that eased his tension a little bit. His heart rate wasn't doing so well as that young girl nearly wore him out. That would be a bad sign of things to come but Ryo knew he was going to have to bring his game to whole new levels to survive this. He was only one fighter down and there were three more to go. Ryo knew he'd be able to survive this. His heart wouldn't allow him to fail.

Xiangfei painfully walked away from the fighting square and back to her team's side. She was defeated but she didn't even feel winded enough to give up. Ryo beat her the easy way and she felt that it simply wasn't fair. She'd get him back for this though. She knows some good Chinese restaurants around just begging for a new tab to be started by a Mr. Ryo Sakazaki.

After a quick body and heart rate check, Ryo felt up for another competitor. The rules state that there can only be one minute intervals between the end of a fight and the start of a new one. That just wasn't enough time for Ryo to feel fully confident to take on another fighter but there was nothing he could do. Rules were rules and he can only abide by them.

The spunky young Hinako Shijou stepped into the fighting square. Her first appearance in the tournament last year was met with some interesting responses and a female sumo wrestler was just the flavor this King of Fighters needed. She never let anything stop her traditional practices as Hinako pulled out a generous portion of salt and threw it over the fighting square.

"Hinako, Mairi masu!" She stated getting herself pumped up for the match. Ryo liked where this was going. Little did most of the fighters in the surrounding area know that Ryo was an excellent sumo wrester himself. He usually practiced this in solitude or wherever he could find a decent opponent but those became few and far between. Ryo prepared his stance a little differently this time. He kept it close and tight and instead of leaning back he stood straight up. Ryo didn't want to totally give away that he was on the same level as this girl but he had to prepare himself either way. This was going to be one interesting match.

"FIGHT!" The referee shouted. Those words were like a gunshot in Hinako's ear urging her to move forward. Sumo wrestlers were driven on the factor of time and the sooner you brought an opponent down the better.

A pair of slapping hands came flying towards Ryo's chest and although they were no where near Xiangfei's level in speed, it took Ryo a little more than extra effort to defend against them. Instead of simply blocking the blows, Ryo parried each and every one of them by slapping them away at Hinako's elbow. Hinako pressed forward and Ryo stepped back while smacking away the potentially dangerous strikes. His pace was good but Hinako had the look and stride of an experienced sumo and he knew he had to throw off her game.

Ryo took a massive leap into the air and over Hinako. A single flip was all he needed before he landed with grace straight back on his feet and with this nice distance between them Ryo decided to play his extra hand.

"KOUOUKEN!" Ryo shouted while releasing a large blast of ki straight at Hinako. He'd been so proud of himself ever since he mastered the technique it was like being a kid again and playing with a toy that never gets old. His dreams, however, were instantly shattered as Hinako dissipated the blast with a powerful slap of her palm. Seeing that almost made Ryo's confident egotism disappear but he knew better than to think less of himself after that. The fight was far from over and he had tons of more energy just ready to be wasted.

Hinako started her approach again after Ryo. More slaps and thrusts followed and this time Ryo found himself blocking a lot more than he was parrying. Fatigue was settling into his body as the first wave of impressive defense was showing its downfall during the second. The only way he was going to dominate against this sumo was by fighting fire with fire.

Ryo slapped both of Hinako's hands away the moment that they were inches from his chest and came up with two of his own. Hinako back peddled as if stunned and truthfully she was while Ryo followed up with a little of the Kyokugen counter offensive. He ducked down low while Hinako was aiming high and caught her by the wrist leaving his free hand open to attack her defenseless midsection.

"KOUOUKEN!" Shouted the Invincible Dragon as he pumped a short blast of ki right in the breadbasket. Hinako backed off a few steps but Ryo knew better than to let this free chance go to waste. He ran over there and delivered a fierce punch straight in the stomach making sure to add that extra pressure where it counted and while Hinako was still recovering, Ryo knew he would have the opportunity for one more attack before he'd have a chance to rest.

As Ryo raised his hand for a downward chop, he was met with some resistance and then it was his turn to by on the receiving end of pain. Hinako proved she was no pushover as a pair of hands slammed hard against his stomach instantly driving him on the defensive. Hinako pursued with an eager interest and she received no resistance when pounding away at Ryo.

Being assaulted by a sumo wrester was a feeling Ryo was used to but being assaulted by someone who hits two times hard than a sumo; that was different. Ryo had new found respect for his numerous punching bags at home as this was no easy task. Hinako was pushing back almost to the brink of defeat and just as Ryo thought he was going to get so rest by taking a personal seat on the ground Hinako came up with the ultimate surprise.

Ryo felt the girl reach in for his gut but what she grabbed shocked even him until the sweat of reality inched its way forward and he knew what was going to happen next. Hinako, as small as she may look, launched Ryo into the air like a cheap sack of cotton. His body did a complete revolution in the air before it was slammed back down to the ground with an unbelievable force. Ryo coughed in defiance and found out that the air was not entering his body as it should and instantly another shocking realization came to mind.

She had knocked the wind out of him.

Ryo rolled to his knees and began to choke the air into his system and cough it back out. Hinako was ten times stronger than any sumo wrestler he had ever faced and there was probably a lot more left in her to dish out. Ryo had no idea what to expect next but he knew he wasn't going to face it on his knees. As much as his stomach tried to plead for a rest, Ryo stood up and watched as the eager Hinako charged at him again.

More slaps struck Ryo across the body and face as Hinako didn't let up an inch. Sweat was pouring from his head almost blinding his vision and he didn't have much energy left to counter with his own sumo techniques. He had to figure out another way to take this girl out without expending too much of her own energy. One gracious smack across his face was enough to wake him from the daze and give him a hint of an idea.

Ryo quickly took a dash back wasting even more of his precious stamina but he needed the breathing room. With Hinako this far away he would be able to counter some of her open palmed smacks with some of his closed fist punches. As Hinako rushed in Ryo threw a straight fierce punch that would have caught her chest but instead was parried by one of Hinako's strong arms and Ryo knew where this was going next as the sumo code dictated that an opponent should always be reminded of a wasted attempted.

Two hands slammed down the Kyokugen warrior as he got a taste of the ground for the second time in the match were as Hinako hasn't even been to one knee yet. The pain transcending all over his body was just itching for attention but Ryo couldn't find the time to fit it in. His other priorities took over and any aspect of pain or misery would just have to wait in line.

As Ryo picked his heavy body back up, he watched the sweat pour off of his head. It was almost as if he were standing in the showed but it wasn't any old water he was losing; it was his own fluids. Dehydration would soon follow and that would mean instant defeat. Ryo wouldn't allow himself to be defeated like that and he swore he would find a way to win this match.

Hinako was at it again and Ryo decided to try something new. Instead of standing back and trying to defend a lost cause, he would hit a sumo wrestle at their strengths and see how they'd like a taste of the close range mayhem. Hinako was rapidly approaching and Ryo took a roll forward to meet the young girl up close and personal and he was bringing the momentum built up in his fist with him.

Ryo struck Hinako hard in the abdomen and watched the girl back off from the fight. Suddenly the answer hit Ryo harder than Hinako has all day. The difference between her and regular sumo wresters was so simple Ryo wanted to smack himself for being so naïve. Her weight and body size was not even close to an average sumo wrestler which allowed her to increase her muscle mass and strength and give her a slight speed advantage. What she didn't have was the rock hard abs of an experienced sumo and Ryo knew just the move to put an end to this over exhausting workout.

Hinako looked up just in time to see Ryo dash at her. She prepared a palm thrust to meet him but when she threw it Ryo had the time to step to the side and smack her straight in the back with his own. Hinako was dazed but she was far from finished. She immediately turned around but to her surprise Ryo was no longer in sight. It was then she realized that the only place she would find him was under her nose and by the time she looked it was already too late.

Two large arms squeezed themselves around Hinako's body and her weight was lifted from the ground and propped in the able hands of her opponent. Ryo took a running leap in the air and twisted his body so that his body weight would land square on Hinako's weak point. If everything worked out perfectly, Ryo would be halfway down the road to victory.

The impact shook the grounds of the Korean fighting square. Ryo immediately rolled off of the young girl and back to his feet with a half closed stance but there was no need to worry. Hinako was reeling on the ground and her breathing was nothing short of erratic. Ryo's plan had pulled off and she got a taste of what it feels like to have the wind knocked out of her. More importantly, Ryo's eyes were peeled on the referee as his count reached to ten and he could finally breathe the good breath of air as the referee declared the match over.

"K.O.!" The referee shouted. Even though Hinako was not knocked out, under the rules of the King of Fighters tournament any fighter laying on the ground for ten seconds or longer is officially knocked out. Ryo had plenty of experience in the King of Fighters and even if the tournaments change, the rules didn't and that always worked to his advantage.

"What's going on master?!" Robert shouted low enough so that Ryo wouldn't hear him. "Why is Ryo fighting like this?!"

"Ryo is demonstrating the strength of Kyokugen Karate," Takuma boldly answered. That caused an eyebrow to rise from Robert and a slew of more questions.

"What strength master?! He's beating them on technicalities!"

Takuma didn't change his expression. He realized what his son was doing during the middle of the second match and he couldn't be more proud. "Kyokugen Karate is the strongest form of martial arts in the world. Only the shallow minded think of strength as sheer brute force. Ryo is demonstrating the unique and technical abilities of the art. This is one of the final steps in becoming a true master."

Robert was almost taken back by that statement. Everything his master said was true and he could do nothing more than concur. Ryo truly was a great fighter but Robert would never allow himself to admit it other than to himself.

Exhaustion would be a welcomed feeling compared to what Ryo was going through. He was practically soaked in his own juices and his muscles could barely do any work. Not to mention ever other part of his body was a wreck. There were damaged spots everywhere, bruises were forming, and if it wasn't enough Ryo was facing the two strongest members of that team next. If this was torture, he would welcome the lethal injection.

Mai Shiranui readied herself after watching their second teammate go down in defeat. Beating Xiangfei was one thing. Beating Xiangfei and Hinako in the same match was completely different but now he was square off against a King of Fighters legend. Mai has been competing ever since the second tournament and her fighting skills were as lethal as her beauty. As she approached the fighting square she felt a wave of confidence rush over her as the fatigued Ryo was showing his last signs of life.

"Kakatte rasai!" She stated while taunting Ryo with her fan. She threw on her Shiranui fighting stance and awaited the fight bell to ring. Ryo was going to have a lot on his hands if he was going to be able to overcome this obstacle but he was up for anything. Even if his body didn't agree.

"FIGHT!" The referee shouted. Mai decided to start things out fast and strong as she whipped up one of her fans in her and unleashed it at Ryo.

"KACHOUSEN!" She shouted as she watched her seemingly harmless weapon fly at the tired Ryo Sakazaki. He had no energy to try a fancy parry or block so Ryo did the only smart thing and swayed out of the way. There was no point in wasting energy trying to figure out her moves or trying to win this thing in a heart beat. The only way to get to Alicia was by beating Mai and determination was Ryo's only friend at the moment.

In a bold move, it was Ryo who initiated the first moves as he burst forward on the scene. Mai was ready for anything at this moment and after watching Ryo's movement, he probably didn't have the energy to land a decent punch. She would get the chance to see how much energy he had left as Ryo's fist came down with a vengeance and suddenly Mai's assumptions of him started to vanish.

Mai dashed out of the way as Ryo's fist crashed into the ground splitting the ground beneath his fist. She couldn't believe a guy like that in his condition could possibly had that much energy left in reserve. As Ryo pulled his fist out of the ground she prepared her offensive tactics because seeing another sight like that might be too much for her fragile mind to handle. Mai prepared to counter attack with her Ryuu En Bu attack. It was always good at handling close range opponents and perfect for knocking this guy off of his pedestal.

A large blade like object came down and connected against Ryo's shoulder. He cried in agony but knew the pain would only remain if he thought about it. Pushing those thoughts aside he charged ahead with only one though in mind. Victory.

"KACHOUSEN!" Mai shouted while releasing not one but two of her deadly weapons. Ryo was going to be either fast or lucky to walk away from this attack unscathed.

Ryo rolled forward while ducking under a pair of flying fans. He wound up his fist and leveled the unprotected Mai with his Kohou Shippu Ken. Mai shrieked in disgust as the first punch of the match struck her body. The weight of it was more than she ever imaged and she had to fall back just to absorb the entire blow. Ryo had a lot more left in him than he's showing and that was scary enough. Another punch like that and Mai would end up like her companions and that was terrifying.

Opportunity was never wasted in Kyokugen Karate and Ryo had to capitalize fast. His mistake in the first two fights was attacking first and then letting himself be attacked. No. That's not how it was going to go down in this match. He was going to push himself to the brink of death if asked until his hand was raised in victory. Ryo lined up Mai as she was struggling to her feet and found the perfect move to start his attacking spree.

"MOUKO RAIJIN SETSU!" Ryo shouted as he took to the air. His hand came down with a mighty fury but Mai was well out of dodge before he landed. That was too close of a call for her sake but now she had the advantage to capitalize and it may be her only opportunity to turn this match around.

Mai jumped in the air and attempted to drop kick Ryo. He was still to low for Mai to get a good connection and instead he rolled to the side and prepared a counter-offensive to really knock her out of her boots. His fists were just filled with fire and there was only one move he could think of to release their full potential.

"ZAN RETSU KEN!" Ryo shouted while unleashing a fury of fists at Mai. Her intuitive reaction was blocking but as her mind was just coming to realize what was going on it was too late. Fists collided with her silky smooth arms and smashed them almost down to the bone and the worst part was they just kept coming. Mai put up a cross block to defend against them all but it left one vital part of her body wide open and Ryo knew to capitalize on it before his window was sealed.

Mai nearly spit out her morning coffee as a stern punch cracked into her stomach. The force drove her back several feet and she could feel the momentum building as she hit the ground and her body started to roll the remaining velocity away. The punch was bad enough but sliding against the ground and tearing up her skin was a new kind of pain she had never experienced before. It was a sick feeling smelling herself as it mixed in will all of the chemicals and debris from the ground. Mai didn't want this and as she tried to pick herself up from the ground she found it that much harder to do while her whole body was feeling the wreck from her crash.

The quick breather was a nice break but it wasn't nearly what Ryo needed to replenish his strength. All of his reserved energy was wasted on that offensive rush and even though it seemed to do the job, now Ryo had not much of anything left to finish her off. Still, if he was standing that he could continue fighting. He was so close to his goal and he wasn't about to let one woman get in the way of that. A quick blast3 of his reserve adrenaline filled in his legs as he prepared another rush to victory.

Ryo didn't allow Mai the few seconds she needed to fully recover while standing and started his assault. He leaped into the air with one foot swinging forward and cried "HIEN SHIPPU KYAKU!" Mai still had enough energy left in her to dodge a blatant attack like that and Ryo landed close enough to take a few blows Mai was waiting to deliver.

When Ryo turned his head to meet his opponent, it was slapped hard to the side by Mai's fan and before his body could react to the second blow that came down hard against his other untouched shoulder. Ryo let out a cry of anguish during the second hit but it didn't even prepare him for what was coming next. Mai swung her dress around and it began to encompass itself in a smoldering blaze. Ryo could barely sense the heat before it was too late.

"RYUU EN BU!" Mai cried while slapping Ryo with her flame lit dress. The Kyokugen warrior cried in horror as the new found agony engulfed his entire body. He was shot backwards like a cannon after being lit from the fuse and landed hard against his back with the flames still dancing on his gi and his body naturally expelled its remaining energy to extinguish them all. Nothing hurt worse than the pain he was feeling now and as the blackness began to swell around his eyes he almost felt like he really lost.

The referee watched in absolute shock when Ryo hit the ground and he almost forgot to begin his count. Ryo remained completely motionless after he stopped rolling. His arms were spread out and he face was practically kissing the ground. He began the count slowly but his eyes were telling him viscous lies when he got to five because he saw the defeated Ryo Sakazaki rise from his fallen position and bring himself back to his feet.

It was astonishing to see the poise Ryo was showing now. Instead of giving into fatigue and accepting defeat, this man would not be denied. King most of all didn't believe what was happening. He was really determined to win today even at the cost of his own body. Her heart was telling her to stop watching this but her mind was in control at the moment. If this is what Ryo wanted then he was getting exactly what he deserved. Nothing more and nothing less.

Ryo reached his feet when the referee's count hit nine and it couldn't have cut any closer. Mai was not amused by his display of tenacity and even though she was still hurting she was as determined as ever to win this match. Her trump card was lined up and nearly lit up as her three remaining fans accepted the flame and were soon covered in it. Ryo would go down with this move. There would be no way he could stand up to it like that.

"KAAAAA CHOU SANNN!" Mai yelled releasing all three fans in succession. They traveled like a violent bird just waiting to hit its target and Ryo was about to be the unluckiest guy in existence.

The first fan struck Ryo hard in the right shoulder bringing about another shout in torment as the impact nearly twisted his body into new angles. The next came in low hitting his already damaged midsection and sent him doubling over with his hands trying to put pressure on the already damaged area. Ryo could see the last one coming for him and all he could do was close his eyes and accept it. It was going to hurt and it was going to hurt badly but if he could survive this, he could survive anything.

"KRAAAAAAGGGHHH!" Ryo cried taking the fan straight in the temple. He was sent flat on his back as the pain settled into his skull. Parts of his body ached that he needed three mirrors to see but it didn't knock him unconscious. Ryo refused to allow the blackness to swarm around his vision but he found that it was getting harder and harder to fight back. Things were definitely not going his way here as the pressure from his body to lie down and give up was getting harder to resist.

Mai finally took some well deserved breaths of relief. She's never encountered an opponent who resisted as much as he did. He took everything Mai had to throw at him and more and Ryo still wouldn't give up. Maybe now after this harsh lesson it would teach him to know when to hold them and know when to fold them.

The crowd gasped in horror as the Invincible Dragon Ryo Sakazaki was emerging to his feet. It was slow at first but he didn't skip a beat until finally his wrecked body had reached the top. Ryo told himself way before he started this match that he would refuse to give up until this fight was over and much to his body's discontent, it still agreed to go along with the plan. Pain wasn't a foreign concept Ryo and after today it was more like a second language. The fans looked at the beaten down warrior and their cheers for his amazing show of bravery shook the cameras. Mai's eyes were telling her horrible, horrible lies as she witnessed this unthinkable event occurring. The fight wasn't over yet. Not by a long shot.

Ryo had no idea how he was going to win this thing. He practically had nothing left and all of his reserved energy was used to pick his body up. If Mai was going to go down it was going to have to be the hard way and he searched through every corner of his mind to find out how exactly to pull that off. She looked a bit tired and Ryo did give two really good hits but Mai was still packing heat and Ryo couldn't think of anything to put out that blaze.

There was no way Ryo would last much longer. Mai firmly believed in this as she tried to regain as much breath as she could before she was at it again. Running at the weak Kyokugen warrior didn't really exhaust her remaining energy but she was running on a half tank so the only way should be able to win this match it to put Ryo down a third and final time. When she finally reached melee range, Mai spun around and struck Ryo with her heel. Her foot caught the rough flesh of Ryo's beefy forearm but was pushed back to her by Ryo's resistance. The Kyokugen warrior knew he'd only have one shot to wear her down and this was as good as it was going to get.

Hard knuckles cracked against Mai's chest and Ryo smacked her with a massive back fist punch. Mai cringed while clutching at her bruised chest and took steps back to recover from strike but her unprepared body took another big shock as Ryo drove her flat onto the ground with a charging shoulder tackle. Mai's gentle body skid against the unremorseful Korean soil as she rocked and rolled all over the place until the momentum finally allowed her to stop. Her body was ravaged with injury with bruises and scrapes stemming everywhere but the worst part of all was the fact that the floor was doing more damage to Mai's body than Ryo was. As hard as it was to move, Mai picked herself up from the ground despite her arm's defiance and stood square to face Ryo. She was looking almost as bad as Ryo was and her stamina was steadily depleting. There was only one way she could think of to take Ryo down and no one, especially as he was now, could stand up to the Shiranui School's greatest technique.

Ryo backed away a few steps after the painful confrontation and took this time to gather up anything his body would give him which wasn't much. He finally found the strength for one last rush and if he was going to pull this off it had to be flawlessly executed. There was only one window of opportunity left for him today and it was slowly closing. He dashed quickly at the distance Mai and knew this was his only shot of winning this match.

Mai noticed Ryo's quick movement as he launched himself from his staggering position and ran right at her. Her legs responded in kind and soon the two fighters were about to engage in a one hit showdown. The only problem Ryo had was that Mai's oncoming attack was practically unbreakable.

"KYOKUGEN RYU OUGI!" Ryo shouted as his feet left the ground and he was moving at in a direct dash. This was Ryo's last ditch effort in winning the match and as he watched Mail smile as he approached he could tell he was going to have to find a plan B.

Mai tucked and rolled as she shouted, "CHOU HISSATSU SHINOBI BACHI!" When she stood back up all of the forward momentum gave her and extra added step as she held her arms together tightly and flame engulfed her being. Ryo was staring down the face of defeat but he still refused to accept its presence. There was only one thought that came to mind and it wasn't taking that it.

Ryo rolled down breaking Kyokugen Karate's ultimate technique and noticed he still didn't roll fast enough to duck under Mai's attack because she was charging in with a head of steam. From his knees, Ryo kicked his leg hard smacking the airborne Mai right in the kneecap. Her body was thrown completely off course and her face smashed against the ground sliding and skidding her gentle features all over the place. Her body twisted and turned until momentum finally had enough fun with her and allowed her to stop. She could see nothing but black and when moments like these occurred she knew there was only one person she wanted to see before it all went away.

"Annn – Dyyy."

Ryo could barely stand as he found himself inches away from his corner. The referee stepped into the fighting square and Ryo knew that everything was going to be okay once the referee ended the match.

"K.O.!"

The Korean fans cheered for the exuberant Ryo as he collapsed in the arms of anyone who would catch him. Lucky for him Robert was standing right behind him and he instantly absorbed all of the sweat and smell of all three fights.

"EAAGGHH! RYO!" Robert said keeping his friend's balance while trying to negate the smell from his nostrils. He took a bottle of water in their corner and doused the exhausted Kyokugen warrior in it. The cool refreshing feeling of a new liquid coating his skin was just the break he needed in what little time he had left.

Yuri came up next to her brother and started to gently fan him with her hands. "Ryo… Why are you pushing yourself so hard? You don't have to do this!" She pleaded. Yuri has never seen Ryo this beat up and bushed in all of the time they spent together. Throughout the entire tournament Ryo has been everything but himself and Yuri felt like she could do nothing to help him. He was a man driven by a passion and it was as if nothing could get in his way. Not even his health.

"I… Only need… One… More…" Ryo said in a fit of exhaustion. He was tired two fighters ago. Now he was practically sleeping in Robert's arms but he somehow forced himself off and shook away the excess water. There was only one more thing he had left to do and she was waiting for him in the center of the fighting square.

Ryo took the long walk into the fighting square and he refused to look Alicia in the eyes until they were ready to start. This was it. This was his moment. Ryo went through hell and back and now he finally earned his chance. He was going to straighten everything out between them. One way or another.

"I'm warning you," King stated in the same tomboyish cold voice Ryo knew when he had first met her. Those days had been long since past and he had missed the charming and gentle Alicia who filled his life with so much pleasure. Now it was like they were starting all over again and Ryo didn't even have a Kououken in him to finish the job.

"You better not hold anything back."

Ryo didn't even care to look up to her. She didn't even bother using his name. They were just two fighters standing in what was the most important match of the entire day and all of their past was just forgotten history. Ryo didn't want this and he'd do anything in his power to bring it all back to the way it was.

"FIGHT!" The referee declared for the fourth and final time. Even he was surprised to see Ryo last this long but that was neither here nor there. He had to be an impartial party and right now he was just hoping for a quick end to that poor guy's misery.

King didn't even bother setting Ryo up as she moved forward. She threw a massive roundhouse kick that was painfully blocked by Ryo's now sore arms but she wasn't done there. King spun her body around and caught Ryo's elbow and a backspin roundhouse kick that sent him back a few feet. She was surprised that he had the energy to take blows like that and still be standing but Ryo, as she painfully found out, always had a few more surprises left in him than she cared to know.

Something about Ryo's posture made King suspicious as she charged ahead leading another series of kicks that were met with blocked arms and legs. This was almost exactly like the time they were sparring in the dojo when she thought Ryo was acting funny and King didn't like it one bit. He was probably holding back again and there was only one way she knew how to test it.

An un-kick boxer like move slashed at Ryo as King leveled him with an axe kick. He caught the foot with his arm and pushed it straight back at King. This was the only sign she needed to know to give her permission to go all out since Ryo obviously didn't care about her or the fight.

Ryo's face lit up in pain as a hard swinging kick connected against his jaw. The momentum pushed him back a few steps but he would never forgive himself if he fell down now. King hadn't even begun to get started yet as she rushed in to do her favored Mirage Dance attack. Ryo took all three kicks in succession and his body reacted as if it were on the very of exploding. He took more steps back not even realizing that he was only a few feet away from losing this match as King jumped into the air for the final knock out blow.

"TORNADO KICK!" King cried as the first kick successfully missed since Ryo was already far enough back but the second came howling in and her foot needed some attention. Ryo blocked the attack with one good stride and a single arm and he effectively pushed King back with his now depleted strength. It was going to take a miracle for him to win this thing and luck just wasn't at his side right now. To top things off, King wasn't looking as pleased as she once did three kicks ago.

As King landed from her blocked kick she was almost immediately engulfed in a fit of rage. She saw her kick hit and miss and with her midsection wide open Ryo didn't do a thing to counter. She didn't want to believe it at first but Ryo really was holding back and she wasn't going to give him a moment's rest until he explains why.

"Is this your idea of compassion for opponents? Why are you holding back Ryo?!" King said while throwing a pair of crescent kicks. Ryo ducked and swayed dodging both and backed up a step to prepare himself for the moment he had finally wanted. This was his chance to explain himself.

"Are you kidding?" Ryo tiredly said as he blocked another kick aimed at his midsection. He squared himself away and prepared a defense as King charged ahead and prepared to deliver a blockbuster. "Do you think I'd jeopardize both of you?!"

King swung her foot halfheartedly after hearing that remark. "Both of us?" King steadily asked as she prepared another kick. "What are you talking about?! Why won't you hit me?!"

A gust of air traveled over Ryo's back as the kick flew away towards less dangerous zones and as he stood up and put up his guard he dropped the bomb. "Because you're pregnant!"

Everything in King's mind hit a blank. She didn't even know she was in the middle of a straight side kick and barely noticed when Ryo deflected it with his palm. King took a step back to wind up one of her most devastating side kicks as she answered Ryo with the words he desperately needed to hear in a long time.

"What are you saying?! I'm not pregnant!"

The massive force King was building up was finally unleashed as she blasted her mighty kick at Ryo. He caught King's foot in one hand that completely dumbfounded her since he didn't even look like he had the strength or the energy to do so.

"W – What?" Ryo replied. He was almost choking on the air as it entered his body but he'd be damned if he went down before hearing the end of this. These were the answers he needed to end all of his heartache and worried moments. These were the answers for the rest of his life.

"How could you even assume I'm pregnant?!" King replied as she kicked at Ryo. His defenses were down but he didn't even give a second notice when his arm sprang up and caught her front snap kick right before it reached his chin.

"Yuri told me…" Ryo replied, "She said that when you were throwing up that morning it was sign pregnancy."

"Are you insane?!" King angrily replied. It seemed like everything she said was a question and with fury but Ryo wasn't giving her much room to work with and she had to clear up the confusion or else he might end up killing more brain cells. "I was throwing up because your father's soup tasted like garbage!"

Ryo backed away another step easily avoiding another lethal strike as one more confirming question had to be asked. "But you ran out of my house screaming! You told me you were late!"

"I was late for my doctor's appointment, remember?!" King stated while landing a jump kick against Ryo's cross blocked arms. He pushed her back and looked at her with sincere remorse. Ryo had been totally wrong about her. He confused her, infuriated her, and most of all, drove him out of her life. A jackass in the middle of a black tie affair was less embarrassing than how Ryo felt now.

"I'm… I'm sorry…" Ryo said before taking a heavy kick straight up the jaw. He stepped back a few feet and noticed his legs had started to lose the fuel that kept him standing. This was wrong. This was totally wrong. King didn't even try another attack until she cleared Ryo's sympathetic thoughts.

"What…? What are you sorry for?"

Ryo turned away. He couldn't even look at her. His face hurt, his body hurt, but the most painful strike of all was the one to his heart because these words right now meant either the victory or the knock out. "I told you not to fight because I thought that…" Ryo couldn't even finish his words. Exhaustion had taken over his thoughts and everything he said sounded like it came out with a slur.

"Ryo…" King said while slightly dropping her guard. She tried to look in his eyes but they were masked in a shadow. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"I… I tried," Ryo replied. "But by then… It was useless."

"Ryo…!" King replied in a much more familiar and welcoming tone. "How could you even think that – !" King cut herself off as she remembered the events that occurred that night. All of the awful things that were said and the depressing look on his face as she threw the ring back in his face. There was only one thing she could think of to make this all better but it couldn't be done in this fighting square. She would give him one ray of hope for a promising future as she smiled for the first time in a long time and said the only words that would make Ryo feel better now.

"Promise me Ryo… That you won't hold anything back now."

Ryo looked up as if the god's had sent him his eleventh wind. He smiled a genuine, Ryo Sakazaki is back to normal smile and thought of even something that could top King's new found spirit. "This is my apology Alicia," Ryo said while completely dropping his guard, "This is to show you how much I care about you."

King couldn't believe it. Was Ryo really giving her the victory? No. He wouldn't be that naïve but he genuinely looked sincere while doing it. Maybe he was giving her that one good hit she wanted to give him that night in his backyard and when that thought occurred King knew exactly what to do. If Ryo wanted to atone for his sins that badly that she really couldn't refuse. She ran forward holding her fist back for a completely out of character fierce punch but it was the most pleasant kiss she could think of to snap Ryo back to the man she fell in love with.

Surprisingly, King's fist smacked open air as the image of Ryo completely disappeared. She ran so hard that her thrust pushed her forward a few feet after throwing her punch and that's where the trouble started. Ryo smacked King's back with his own in a unique judo defensive move. It was usually used to knock the wind out of foolish opponents but Ryo's motives were much more sinister. That move was much more effective for his purposes if he lightened up on the attack and pushed against and already mobile opponent.

King ran a few feet after taking the brunt of Ryo's attack and was almost completely shocked. She wondered why he would do such a thing and then it finally hit her. He was finally giving her the fighters' respect he didn't back so long ago by fighting her at his best game. King looked over at Ryo as she started to come back to face him and smiled.

He's back!

"HOLD IT!" The referee called out. King was frozen in her tracks. She had no idea what was going on as she only heard those words once before and then a sickening feeling entered the pit of her stomach. Looking down at her shoes she almost fainted when she saw that her feet were over the line of the official fighting square and was almost dumbfounded to hear the referee call the match over.

"RING OUT!" The referee shouted. He ran over towards Ryo and raised his hand towards his side of the fighting square. "WINNER!"

King was confused, shocked, and sad all at the same time. Everything happened so fast that it was almost too amazing to believe. She looked over at Ryo's face and a rush of fear swept over her as she saw her lover give one exhausted smile.

"RYOOOO!"

The ground didn't hurt as much as it Ryo thought it would as his body collapsed. His vision started to blur in mixed colors that would probably give him a seizure if he had the energy left. King ran over to him faster than anyone could blink and cradled his head in her lap. She ran her hands over his burning face and looked at the brow of her drained lover as he finally would get the rest he so rightfully deserved.

It was as if an angel was holding Ryo. It felt so nice and soft that he just wanted to go to sleep and never get up. His vision allowed him to focus for one more brief moment as he saw the only face he wanted to see for a long time.

"A – Alicia… I'm… I'm… Sorry… For – "

"Shhhhh," she replied while putting one hand over his lips. "Don't say anything. Just rest Ryo." She saw the last bit of energy in his body exit as he gave her one last smile.

"I… Lov –" Ryo couldn't even finish his sentence as fatigue and unconsciousness met in a devastating alliance. Peace and tranquility were the only things on his agenda for as long as time would allow. King held on to his head and squeezed her emotions into his body. The Emergency Medical Technitians would have a hard time prying her away but King wasn't reluctant to let Ryo get the treatment he needed.

I love you too, Ryo…

Diana stood in the throne room of her lord and master Igniz. She new it wasn't going to be a pleasant chat since he called for her presence himself. They lost for the second time in a row and more importantly to the team they either had to beat or die trying. Everything was about to be revealed as Igniz appeared from behind his chair and spoke to his lowly subordinate.

"Tell me Diana," the old man ordered, "What happened?"

"Sir!" Diana replied hoping an amble opportunity to defend her position. "The match may have ended as a loss but we successfully defeated Terry Bo – "

"That's not what I asked!" Igniz snapped in a very unfamiliar tone. Diana didn't even know this old man had the strength to sound angered but when he did it didn't sound good. Igniz pulled out a sheet of paper and held in front of Diana. "Explain why Terry Bogard scored these numbers against our ultimate fighting weapon…"

Diana didn't even have a word to reply with. The four digits staring her in the face were enough to silence the world.

"My use for you and everyone else in the K' project has ended."

"WHAT?! KRAAAAGGGHHH!"

A single hand wrapped itself around Diana's throat. She gasped and coughed in resistance but it was to no avail. There was no doubting who was behind her committing this travesty of travesties but there was no way she had the power to fight back.

"I have sent two assassins to destroy the rest of N.E.S.T.S. failures. I trust you'll be seeing them soon," Igniz stated as he turned his back to his soon to be exterminated subordinate.

Diana gagged and chocked until her very last breath of air and finally lay limp in the arms of N.E.S.T.S. strongest warrior. Her last remaining thoughts centered around the waste she called a life and wondered what else she could have done that wouldn't have resulted in this.

*SNAP*

The final lick in Diana's life was just added for good measure; just in case she had become a diligent actor in her free time. Insubordinate and failure in N.E.S.T.S. could only be met with death and Diana died knowing these rules all too well. Igniz wanted to smile but it would be hard finding a replacement that was as obedient and commanding as she was. Then again, they could always clone and upgrade her so Igniz smiled anyways knowing there were always options in life and life was good.

A screen flashed showing a picture of Team Fatal Fury as they claimed victory in their match today. "Ahhh… Things are really jumping. That's why I love King of Fighters."

Another female figure approached Igniz as he sat back down in his chair. She placed an arm on his shoulder to comfort the difficult decision he had to make during the day and hoped that little tokens like these eased his pain. "Other than that failure from Diana, everything is going according to plan. Zero… I believe its time for your presence to be heard."

The murderer of Diana appeared from the shadows and stepped up to face his commander. He was a large man with muscles in places that would take days to reach and his outfit matched that of the man who stole his name one year ago.

"Looks like I'll get a chance to show them my true power."

(Author Notes: Guess who's back… Back again… MavGunloc's back… Tell a friend. Guess who's back… Guess who's back… Guess who's back… Alright I'm not Slim Shady but it's just so good to get the writing juices flowing. Now first of all I'M SORRY I'M SORRY! It's been over six weeks since I last update and I know I may have lost some of you but please forgive me! It's been such a hard month what with my new classes starting and all but I'm happy to report that this is my finest chapter yet stemming from over 40,000+ words and 75 pages! I hope this is enough to put you guys in the mood to reread my fic again because I honestly have to say this is the best stuff I've ever written. I'd like to thank everyone who has stuck with me through the months of silence and I appreciate every one of you for your kind words and honest opinions. You guys make me feel like a rock star and I wouldn't be anywhere without you! Thanks again for the support.

Story Notes:

- Terry's weird fight: Yea I know everybody is probably going 'what the hell?' but don't worry. All will be explained in the next chapter. Actually if anyone read Mallow64's review he had the exact feeling that I wanted everyone else to have. I wrote Terry in his first to matches to seem unbeatable and I wanted you guys to question why. Now that your brains are working I hope it'll give you great incentive to read the oncoming chapters because from here on out it's going to be a war.

Alright Alright I think I owe you guys something to make up for my absence and since today happens to be the Super Bowl I thought it would be fun to do what everyone enjoys and that's some unique shorts that I like to call:

Omake Theater

Enjoy!

Commercials that didn't quite make it into the Super Bowl this year…

N.E.S.T.S. Sewer Base 1999

"You have failed," a voice calls out in the form of a bright light.

"NO!" Krizalid replies. "I can still activate them! Even if they're not ready!"

"It's too late. All of the clones have been neutralized."

"GAH!" Krizalid shouts while watching his plan go up in smoke. Everything seemed to swarm around him after his loss and things just couldn't seem to get worse.

"This mission is abandoned. We appreciate your efforts."

"Wha – What do I do now?!" Krizalid asks with a raised eyebrow.

"You are a failure to N.E.S.T.S. and have no purpose in life. My mission has been accomplished and all operatives will be terminated."

"Wha – What?!"

"But I have good news."

"You're… You're not going to kill me."

"No. I just saved a ton of money on my car insurance."

Geico. Just do it!

Alright enough of that. If I made you laugh great. If not, sigh. Oh well. Things will be kicking up to an unbelievable degree next chapter as a couple returns to each other while another gets torn apart. Be there to witness the final round of the King of Fighters tournament. I hope I haven't lost a lot of you guys. Take it easy and hopefully I'll see you next chapter.)