Disclaimer: I don't own the King of Fighters, but I can dream…
A/N: Greetings. Thank you for reading, and I hope you like it. First off, to answer a particular reviewer's question: yes, there is another entry in the series coming up, with much more serious conflicts to come… But, that's for later. Right now, we have the combined endings for two teams and their settling of a feud. And here … we … go:
The King of Fighters XV
Kyokugen and Anti-Kyokugen
Out in front of the Kyokugen Southtown dojo, the public match between two rival teams was shaking and rocking an outdoor fighting platform. All of Southtown had either shown up to watch in person or on local television, a fortunate thing considering what was happening on the other side of town…
Entrenched in battle, Malin and Yuri's fight had started the match and raged on for close to ten minutes, an eternity in fight time. Suddenly, Yuri saw Malin produce a huge pink-and-white hammer, going for 'Smashing Salamander'! Yuri quickly back-flipped into the air … while forming a pink-and-orange volleyball-sized sphere of energy in her hands…
"Yuri's special super technique!" her voice echoed as she glowed briefly.
Executing her MAX Danger Move, 'Thunderbolt Spike', Yuri appropriately spiked the volleyball of energy right at Malin's feet. The attack exploded upward into a column, carrying Malin all the way. The girl operative let a gasp of pain as she hit the ground…
Kasumi faced the still-struggling Yuri, who was much worse for the wear. Despite having finished a furious fight only moments later, Yuri continued to battle, retaliating and resisting the best she could. Kasumi however took advantage, and started to counter her opponent when she sensed Yuri starting to fade…
Trying to catch up, Yuri reared back and fired a huge wave of ki forward, proclaiming, "Conquering … Crunch!"
Kasumi quickly responded, sending a wave of energy blades along the ground, stating, "Ultimate … Ecstasy Crunch!"
Both energy waves offset, but in the collision's wake, Yuri tried to surprise her opponent and rush forward for a 'Slipstream Slap'. Kasumi had planned ahead however, blocked the attack, and trapped Yuri in her 'Shiranui' attack. Lifting Yuri's arm up, Kasumi delivered a ki-enhanced, forceful and concentrated palm thrust right to Yuri's liver. The precise placement and condensed power of the strike was a knockout blow for Kyokugen's Flying Sparrow.
"Father, forgive me." Yuri coughed out as she fell to her knees and to the ground.
The bout between Kasumi and Robert was an altogether back and forth contest. Kasumi was at a disadvantage from having fought already, but her counters gave her a way to stay in contention. Robert soon gained ground with his rapid-fire kicks, and quickly pressured Kasumi into an uneven series of trading combos. Eventually, the Raging Tiger ripped off a long combo, sent his opponent into the air with 'Shrike Gale', and punctuated it with a 'Furious Fandango', letting loose a stream of heavy blows ending with a flying kick. Kasumi groaned in pain as she flew backward…
Eiji and Robert's battle wasn't as close as the last. Not wasting time or holding back, Eiji started the bout, rushing forward and peppering Robert with slashing blows, a 'Steel Mantis Punch', and Robert didn't really catch up after that. Eventually, Robert struggled against his speeding enemy with a 'Whiplash Kick', but it had no effect on the outcome. Eiji got past the attack, and went for the finishing blow with 'Shadow Hunter': he grabbed Robert and disappeared into the air with him. There were only glimpses of what happened in mid-air with Eiji seemingly slashing away at his captured enemy. Finally, the ninja brought him back down with one more crossing slash while landing on him. Robert yelled out in pain from the attack…
The real battle of the entire match was Eiji versus Ryo. It was an intense push-and-pull contest that resembled as a game of one-upmanship at first but soon evolved to a deadlock of attacks. 'Tiger Flash Bash' and 'Spirit Blast' collided in the middle. The multiple hits of 'Whiplash Bash' and 'Stallion Kick' each connected and pushed against each other. 'Thunder God Thrash' rained down through 'Shadow Slash', and 'Tiger Blast' was brought down with a 'Mist Slash'. The striking kick of 'Shrike Gale' clashed with the piercing slice of 'Bone Cutter'. Even their respective waves of 'Conquering Crunch' and 'Steel Wave Slasher' crashed and destroyed each other.
After some vicious brawling, both fighters rushed forward and met in the middle with a respective 'Steel Mantis Punch' and 'Furious Fandango': The two matched severely powerful blows… the impact of the collision resonated like the thumps of a bass drum… Sparks flew from their striking limbs as their ki clashed… Soon, Ryo 'Tiger Blasted' through Eiji's last attack, connected with his own last attack, and then canceled the chain into his exclamation point….
As he reared back, Ryo proclaimed, "One-hit … instant kill!"
The Invincible Dragon stepped forward and delivered a devastating straight punch to the defenseless Eiji, a 'Conqueror's Blast', hitting with the strength of a point-blank shotgun blast. Eiji groaned in pain as he flew backward…
The announcer's voice loudly resonated, "KO! Ryo Sakazaki wins! Kyokugen-ryu is victorious!"
The crowd cheered loudly and lively for the victors, and Ryo, Robert, and Yuri happily acknowledged the applause and adoration, realizing they may have finally gained the popularity they strived to achieve. Meanwhile, Malin and Kasumi helped Eiji to his feet, and the trio could only look at the celebrating Kyokugen with disappointment and dissatisfaction… Nevertheless, they had given the best they had in them, and with that thought, they slowly turned to make their exit.
Ryo, Yuri, and Robert noticed their rivals leaving and, at that moment, they recognized something… They may not like these people that much, but they did in fact respect them, and in a sort of roundabout way, they appreciated them. Quickly, the Dragon, Tiger, and Sparrow ran behind and caught Malin, Kasumi, and Eiji before they could leave the platform. They then led their rivals back into the middle of the ring, and motioned for the audience to show appreciation for their opponents while they themselves applauded as well.
Responding positively to the show of sportsmanship, the crowd greatly praised the Anti-Kyokugen team as well. Eiji, Kasumi, and Malin were understandably taken aback and confused at the positive crowd response and the sight of their 'sworn enemies' smiling and clapping for them. Ultimately, the trio quite awkwardly acknowledged the audience and accepted their praise. After it died down, Robert gave Yuri a slight nudge in the back…
As prompted, Yuri self-consciously offered, "Hey, Malin… Listen, uh… I just wanted to … apologize for what I said. It wasn't right to insult you, and I'm sorry."
Malin replied with surprise, "You're … sorry? Really?"
Yuri continued in a friendlier tone, "Yeah, well… It was pretty mean, and then when I fought, I almost couldn't beat you, so I owed you an apology. Plus, I should know how you feel; some people don't take my fighting style seriously either."
Giving a hint, Yuri pointed behind herself at Ryo while keeping her body in front so he couldn't see her implication…
Malin nodded in understanding, "I get it. That must really get on your nerves."
"Tell me about it… Anyway, I really am sorry, Malin. Will you forgive me?"
"Well… Okay. I'll let you slide this time."
Malin, as a sign of amity, offered her hand for a handshake, but Yuri took the liberty and embraced her with a friendly hug. Despite being completely uncomfortable, Malin nonetheless accepted the sign of friendship… Meanwhile, Ryo noticed something, and tapped Robert to bring it to his attention. Robert's eyes grew wide for a moment once he saw.
Quietly, Robert said, "Hey, Kasumi. You're still looking for your father, right?"
Kasumi instantly cheered up and asked, "Of course. Do you know where he is?"
Robert kept his head straight to avoid any alert, and replied, "Yeah. He's in the crowd, near the subway exit to your left… But you might want to go slow or else…"
Kasumi, not waiting to hear the rest, looked, and once she saw him, instantly took off running. Ryuhaku was immediately startled by his daughter shooting for him, and took off into the subway with Kasumi on his tail…
"Father!" Kasumi called out as she sprinted after him, "Father, wait!"
Robert needlessly finished his sentence out of exasperation, "You might scare him away."
By this time, Eiji was far away, having walked away during the talks, and had wandered into the nearby park. Suddenly, he felt a presence close by and turned to see a boy in his late teens stumbling out of a bush. The young man was wearing similar attire to Eiji with the same symbol on his back, but his clothes were torn in places, and he was noticeably battered, sporting a pronounced limp. Eiji was considerable shocked and devastated to see this particular teen hurt, and quickly caught the boy as he finally fell in front of Eiji…
His heart and mind wrapped in a mix of anger, dejection, surprise, and worry, Eiji held up the teen's upper body, saying, "Kenshin… my son. What … what happened to you?"
Kenshin, his voice labored and wavering, slightly rambled, "I'm … I'm sorry, Dad. I tried to stop him… He was … too strong, like a madman… I'm so sorry."
Eiji spoke in a calming voice as he tried to make sense of it, "It's alright, son. Just tell me: who did this to you?"
Kenshin continued to struggle through his pain and answered, "Jin… Jin Fu-Ha… He attacked the village. He … He hurt Mom pretty bad and … took off with the family scrolls… I tried to stop him, but he was insane. I came as fast as I could to get you… but it's my fault he got away."
Eiji resolutely said with some obvious regret, "No, son; it's my fault. He was after me, and I wasn't there. But I'll get him for this; I'll make him pay dearly for this. First, though, I have to take care of your mother and you."
The Kisaragi leader scooped up his injured son into his arms, and sprinted off like the wind into the night… Meanwhile, Malin had noticed Eiji leave, and watched Kasumi take off, leading her to believe it was her time to depart as well.
As Malin started walking away, Yuri called out, "See ya later, Malin. Come back and see us some time."
Malin turned and responded while backpedaling, "Sure thing. Take care of yourself, Yuri; I expect a rematch next time."
"You're on!" Yuri cheerfully exclaimed.
Eventually, Malin found herself walking down an eerily quiet street … when she suddenly got the feeling she was being followed. Several times she stopped and looked all about her out of suspicion, searching for any reason for her unease. After a third compelled stop, she slowly took hold of her weaponized yo-yo as she stared at one particularly odd-feeling street light. Finally, she forced herself to calm and turned back when she got a sudden phone call. Malin took one quick look at the number and quickly answered it.
"This is Agent Malin. Ready for duty, HQ." She said in formal tone.
"Turn back around."
Malin remembered this voice, and spun around to a personally chilling sight. A very familiar person was now standing under the same streetlight. It was a tall woman in a black red-pinstripe suit, black gloves, and a black fedora with a 'Queen of Hearts' card under the red band. She had distinct blue eyes and black hair with red streaks throughout it. This was the 'Karnoffel Queen of Hearts' Sharon…
"No!" Malin said in panic and shock as she tossed a razor yo-yo, "Not you!"
Sharon easily sliced the yo-yo in half with a card and said, "Calm down, girl. I'm not here to thrash you. I'm here on a job…" Sharon approached while reaching into her blouse, and pulled out an envelope, continuing "I was hired to give you this…"
Malin took the envelope and eyed it in suspicion. Eventually, though, she saw the agency logo on the seal … when she noticed Sharon still looking at her…
Out of anxiety, Malin insisted, "Well, I got the message. Why don't you leave me alone?"
Sharon shook her head in the negative, and explained, "Nope. First condition of the job says I have to watch you read it."
Now, Malin looked at the sealed message with even more anxiety that before. Slowly, she opened the envelope and read the message inside, mumbling as she read and raising her voice at the striking parts…
She read on, "Agent Malin… behind on your mission quota… Aware of your extracurricular pursuits… lack of solid communication… suggests insubordination? … Must report immediately… Or face termination?"
As the young operative looked up at her, Sharon explained, "Yep. Second condition of the job is for me to escort you back to your HQ. So, the question is: are you coming or not?"
Malin quickly said, "Of course I'm going. I'm heading in right now."
"That's good. Because the third condition of the job… let's just say, it wouldn't have been pretty if you refused."
With that stuck in Malin's head, she gave her escort an anxious look, and both leap up into the air on their way… Back at the fighting platform, Ryo, Robert, and Yuri still had unfinished business. Most of the onlookers had left, but there was still a small crowd of admirers gathered around the ring, all of them girls. Ryo and Robert eagerly waved them up…
Ryo said to Robert as the group got up on the platform, "Get your signature ready. Here comes a lot of autograph requests…"
Robert responded as the group rushed forward, "Yeah, but most of them are probably for me."
Then came a surprise. The crowd of girls rushed right by Ryo and Robert, and crowded around Yuri! This cadre of young women of all ages, shapes, sizes, and creeds continued cheering and praising the Flying Sparrow.
One girl excitedly said, "You were so amazing, Yuri!"
A second girl continued the praise, "You're great, Yuri! I wish I could do everything you do!"
A third girl eagerly suggested, "Would you teach me everything, Yuri? Will you teach all of us to fight like you, Yuri?"
Blushing and flattered, Yuri asked, "Wow! You all really want to learn my fighting style?"
All the girls enthusiastically answered in striking unison, "Yes; train us, Yuri-sensei!"
Ryo and Robert's jaws dropped almost cartoonishly and their eyes grew wide, for good reason. Yuri had basically almost tripled the dojo's yearly student intake in just a few minutes. It was even more surprising because neither they nor Takuma had even considered a women's self-defense class before. The new popularity of Yuri just struck them by surprise and then some because they'd never thought of it before.
Yuri happily and excitedly said, "Girls, you are on; of course, I'll train you all. And I promise I'll be the best teacher you've ever had! I need a day to get ready, but I'll see you all in the morning two days from now right here, 'kay?"
The girls all agreed with a shout of excitement, and Yuri proceeded to celebrate with her host of new students…
End Chapter
A/N: That's it. Thank you for reading, and I hope you liked the wrap-up. Next time, we'll visit another pair of teams with a decidedly more dangerous outcome. Thank you again for reading, I hope you liked it, and I hope you come back to read more. Please R&R, and as always, Rant, Rave, and Review.