Hoo boy. What a chapter this is. I told you it was a two-fight finale and I meant it! Both of these fights are main event worthy. Enjoy.

Author's Pick: LOL

Another round was in the books. 80 contestants had entered... and now, only two spots remained for what would be the beginning of the end. 8 fighters had already booked their ticket to the quarterfinals... and now, the remaining 4 would feel a heightened sense of urgency to stay in the competition. Their fight would be harder, more important than ever before...

"Just look at them all, Krauser. Look at them, cheering... waiting for their champion."

Geese and Krauser stood side-by-side on the sidelines, arms folded, as they awaited the start of what would be the penultimate fight. They were taking this minute to have a shockingly solemn moment between them. Well... as solemn as two hated siblings could have.

"They're not cheering for you. Don't delude yourself." Krauser jabbed.

Geese took it in good spirit, returning with an arrogant chuckle. "Heh heh heh... don't be jealous."

"You forget yourself, young man." Krauser taunted. "You know I was always your superior."

"Times have changed. There was a time when I was scared shitless of you." Geese reminisced. "But that time is long gone now. I know what I'm capable of. Winning this tournament is my destiny. This is how I go out. I swear, I'll f***ing die out there before I let anyone else win."

Krauser grinned a twisted grin after hearing that. "If you face me... you just might."

Geese scoffed. "Think you can get past one little girl?"

Krauser folded his arms. "Wait for me in the finals, brother. Unless the Lone Wolf chews you up first."

With that last jab, Krauser walked away and towards the combat zone. Athena had just emerged from the other end.

ROUND 3 FIGHT #9: WOLFGANG KRAUSER VS ATHENA ASAMIYA

"Accursed ill luck!" Chin cursed. "To face that barbarian once again...!"

"Yeah... I'm still feeling it from our scrap. Ouch!" Kensou didn't help matters much with his bellyaching.

"M-master Chin... Athena can do it, can't she? Huh? Can't she?" Bao persisted, perhaps naively clinging to hope for the girl he adored. Thankfully, Chin had a similar mindset.

"Of course she can, you fool! Athena is our champion. She's the foundation of our culture, our way of life. Athena represents everything we stand for... that's why she won't fail here. Her faith is too strong."

In the combat zone, there was no more time to waste. Krauser was already there, and his towering frame sent a very chilling reminder to any who dared stand in front of him: he was a bad dude. This was the man that Geese Howard once feared... The Emperor of Darkness.

"Um... excuse me... M-Mr. Krauser?"

The man raised an eyebrow as he was addressed by the idol herself, who was back in her natural purple-haired form. Today, she had opted for the classic white and blue schoolgirl outfit: comfy and versatile, but with all the embarassing upskirt shots the audience could dream of.

"If you have something to say, talk quickly, girl. You're about to have the showdown of your life!" Krauser intimidated.

Athena scratched her head, managing a nervous smile. "Uhh heheh... you may have beaten Kensou, but he's an idiot. I'll probably do better... I th-think..."

Krauser's lips widened with malicious glee. "You're going to need more certainty than that to match wits with me, girl. You may have a supernatural gift, but I've trained my mind and body from childhood to be the ultimate weapon. Just look at me. I have no flaws. Not a single variable of imperfection. Not a shred of deficiency or limitation that you can exploit. It's my destiny to rise again and step over my pathetic brother's battered carcass. This tournament is my rebirth."

Athena nodded, now understanding Krauser's ambition. She shook aside her meekness, cast away her hesitation... and took a step forward.

"You have a strong will, Mr. Krauser! But so do I! My destiny is to bring glory to the Psycho Soldiers! I'm the only one who can! The world needs to know who we are... to know that we are the dispellers of evil! We're the ones who can answer the call when darkness rises! I'm going to win this tournament, and put the name Psycho Soldiers back on the map!

Her pious, unwavering stature suddenly dissolved... and she fiddled with her hair, cracking a goofy smile.

"A-and I guess... winning would help my publicity a little... ehehehehe~"

Krauser tilted his head back. "Ha ha ha ha ha! Ah, you're still just a little girl. You know nothing of TRUE ambition. Allow me to show you what it means to be chosen by fate!"

FIGHT!

The fight started quick, and brutal. Krauser rushed in, throwing a huge overhand left, and an overhand right behind it. His punches were so wide, so overexerting, his fists nearly touched the ground with how tremendous he was swinging.

Athena was reduced to a jumping flea, dodging each blow as it came at her with enough force to crush boulders. Krauser stepped forward with no fear, throwing his muscular arms towards her face with swings that could put a bull to sleep. She felt her legs trembling beneath her, genuine fear at the thought of being hit by the man...

But wait: Kensou got hit by him. Kensou is still alive, isn't he? Maybe... she can take it too. She can do this! Krauser is no god. He's just a man... a very big, physically perfect man with beautiful purple hair and a badass mustache.

Krauser's fist soared wide from the left, attempting to knock her head from her shoulders; Athena ducked it and countered with an uppercut palm to his chin. His head budged only slightly upwards, his body not even retreating upon feeling the attack.

Athena, on the other hand, was already feeling her hand flare up just from striking him. Damn, she probably got the worst of that...!

Not impressed, Krauser fired back with a straight-up torpedo of a fist to her chest.

"Ah!" Athena yelped as she brought her forearms close to block it... and the punch didn't care. Despite it not hitting clean, Athena flew backwards all the same, her feet no longer underneath her, her arms and legs folded inwards as she learned what it felt like to be a baseball struck by a bat.

Athena seemed to fly backwards for several seconds before her butt finally touched down and skidded across the ground. Wearing a skirt felt like MURDER now, as she was now dreaming of sitting down in a cool pond to quell her burning biscuits.

"Jesus, one punch... one punch, and she's halfway across the arena." Kensou cursed. "I can't let this happen to Athena! I..."

"Calm yourself, boy." Chin stopped him. "If you interfere now, it'll only quicken her defeat."

Athena was on her feet in no time, rushing forward to try and close the huge valley between them. Since she was so far away she might as well try...

"PSYCHO BAAAAAALL!"

"BLITZ BALL!"

...Well, that worked out perfectly. The two projectiles met mid-field and exploded, cancelling each other out. It did provide a nice smokescreen, however... and Athena took that moment to teleport up close.

As soon as Krauser looked down, he was met with a mess of sparkles and a purple-haired girl throwing a kick to his gut. Krauser didn't seem to mind, but Athena wasn't done there; using his stomach for leverage, she pushed off and went airborne, clobbering him in the jaw with a hooking palm. As Krauser recoiled, Athena gracefully landed on her feet and spun around with a slapping chop to his abdomen. That one... was a mistake. His rock-hard abs felt like smacking a brick wall.

To finish her combo on a high note, Athena balanced herself on one hand and thrust her foot outward, connecting on Krauser's groin, then a follow-up kick higher to his stomach. She then backflipped stylishly to a safe distance, returning to stance.

"Grrr! Annoying little bug!" Krauser lashed out at her, perhaps bearing a bit of a grudge for that low blow. Athena wasn't ashamed; she had to get her licks in where she could.

Krauser was on her again, arm drawn back, attempting a massive lariat. Athena phase-shifted backwards. He pressed forward in similar fashion; another teleport. Athena kicked him from behind, and Krauser swung around with a spinning clothesline. Athena barrel-rolled between his legs and emerged unscathed on the other side. By the time the baffled Krauser spun back around, she checked his jaw with a diagonal elbow thrust.

"So elusive! Like a little FLY!" Krauser boomed as he drew back and unleashed a Blitz Ball out of anger. However, this would only serve to add to his grief, as he learned that Athena was not the right person to take potshots at.

The purple haired girl quickly spread her arms, creating a wide barrier of Psycho Power that happily received Krauser's fireball.. and sent it back at him.

"Wha...? Damnation! RRAH!" Krauser bellowed. Before his own Blitz Ball could hit him, he effortlessly swung through the fireball with his gauntlet, reducing it to vanishing embers.

Athena felt her confidence rising. Kensou had hit him multiple times before getting beaten down. She had barely taken a hit. She had already exceeded Kensou's attempt!

"LEG TOMAHAWWWK!"

Krauser threw her off with this surprisingly swift attack: taking to the skies and coming down on Athena with a heel drop of terrifying proportions. Athena managed to backpedal and dodge the hit... but her retreat was still a failure. Just the mere SHOCKWAVE of Krauser's boot smashing the Earth was enough to blast Athena into a stumble.

Krauser saw her unaligned feet, and smiled.

"BLITZ BALL!"

Athena panicked. Things were moving too fast. She lifted her hands to create a Psycho Reflector, but didn't concentrate hard enough; the projectile slammed into her shoddy shield and exploded.

She couldn't see clearly. Her feet were god knows where. All around her... confusion. No! She had to get her head back in this...!

...But she looked forward, and reality came crashing back.

The collective stomachs of the entire Coliseum dropped when they saw Krauser drive his forearm into Athena's face, then just as brutally slam a follow-up fist into her gut. The girl was bodied just like that, unable to withstand the insane power of Krauser's crushing strikes.

"Ungh... ahh... aghhhh..." Athena groaned weakly as she lay there, vainly trying to recover from the 300-pound gorilla that punched her with glee. It took a series of coughs, and a lot of painful, raspy breaths... before she managed to roll over and spring back upwards.

Krauser wasn't nearly done with her.

Athena felt the cold metal of Krauser's gauntlet once again as he backhanded her in the face. She wobbled to the left, but stayed upright and tried to return with a flying kick. She connected clean... but Krauser laughed and dusted off his pectoral where her foot landed.

"Oh... shit." the otherwise modest girl cursed.

Krauser raised his arm and brought a crushing hammer fist down on her dome, laying her out face-first. But the relentless man didn't stop there; he lifted her back up by her shirt, and continued the onslaught with a series of vicious elbows, knocking her face left and right, before finally sending her back in the dirt with a sobat. Thankfully, the force of that kick knocked Athena a good length away and allowed her some merciful distance.

"Cough cough... ugh... ah... my face..." Athena wailed upon bringing her fingers up to feel the swelling, the cuts, the blood. "I'll have to go on hiatus..."

"Heh heh! Ha ha ha! It'll take more than makeup to fix your face, girly!" Krauser sneered. "Do yourself a favor and stay down. Preserve your beauty."

That wasn't the answer she wanted to hear; Athena got back up, wiping the blood from her lip, and returned to stance.

"I'm a fighter! Never forget that!" she defiantly exclaimed.

Krauser snarled as he approached. "Then your foolishness will bring you more pain!"

Athena stumbled forward and took a straight punch to the chin for her troubles. She tried to counter with a body punch... but her fist merely bounced off of Krauser's abdomen, having lost a lot of her strength.

"IS THIS ALL YOU'VE GOT?!" Krauser taunted as he obliterated her face with a rising knee.

"YOU DARE STAND BEFORE ME?!" Krauser spun around and sent his forearm crashing into her stomach.

"I AM DESTINED TO STAND ABOVE YOU TWERPS!" he lifted his giant boot and sent Athena tumbling with an effortless push kick.

"Ah... hah... ugh.. P... Psycho... Ball..." Athena weakly uttered as she tried to mount some form of offense with a projectile.

The projectile soared... and bounced off of Krauser's shoulder, disappearing as the man smiled.

"You have no more strength in your attacks. Face it: a tiny girl like you could never beat someone like me, a perfect physical specimen. I'm too big, too strong, too glorious for you to even stand in my shadow. YOU'RE FINISHED!"

In the stands, Shen Woo shook his head. "Man, that sucks for Athena. Let's face it: Krauser's a huge-ass guy. She can dodge his punches all day, but eventually one was going to hit her and mess her up. I mean seriously, these two are UNIVERSES apart in weight class. It should be against the f***ing rules for a slender girl to fight someone that big!"

Duo Lon narrowed his eyes. "You may be right... but that girl is no mere mortal. She has psychic powers beyond our comprehension. Even now, she could turn the fight around..."

Athena was back up, and she teleported forward to close distance. If she was going out, she was going out swinging. A left hand tried to connect, but Krauser's arm pushed it aside and he countered with another brutal knee. Athena reeled back, but concentrated and took to the skies as Krauser tried to come forward...

"PHOENIX ARROW!"

Her body curled into a ball, shrouded by a sphere of Psycho Power, she flew downwards and struck Kaiser in the face like a dodgeball. That served to be a CRUCIAL mistake... as Athena found herself feeling more like a fly in a web than she ever had. Before she could proceed to the final phase of her attack, Krauser had snatched her up in mid-air and gave her the least-affectionate hug in history.

"Ngh! Ngah! Oh god... his arms are so big.. nghhhhhhaaaaah!"

Krauser had her in a back-breaking bear hug. The audience was starting to get worried now; he could LITERALLY break her like a candy cane within his massively bloated muscles.

"Does it hurt, girl? You brought this on yourself!" Krauser berated.

Athena was in serious pain. Her eyeballs felt close to popping out. Her spine could snap at any minute. She had to focus... close her eyes.. and focus...

"Ngh! Ah! Gh! GhhhAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Exploding with strength she seldom ever used, Athena teleported out of his murderous grip and distanced herself big time. She needed a moment after that one... if nothing else than to drop to her knees and kiss the ground.

"ATHENA! STOOOOOOOP! PLEASE!" Kensou wailed.

Athena looked up at Kensou: he was almost in tears, his face pleading to see her harmed no further. Since she had no mirror, she could only imagine what Kensou was looking at right now: her right eye was so swollen, she could see naught but a tiny crack of light shining through. The swelling on her left side was thankfully underneath the eye, but was puffing up so rapidly that darkness was creeping in from below. Her lip was split on both the top and bottom, giving the appearance of a nasty vertical gash through both ends.

She shot a glance up once again; Kensou was on the edge of his seat, hand squeezing his lap, his foot tapping uncontrollably against the ground, as if he was doing everything within his rights to not leap out of his seat and rescue her-

Wait. This was familiar. SHE had given him the same treatment when he himself fought Krauser. Did be back down? Not for one second.

"I'm sorry Kensou... but I'm not going to quit." Athena silently muttered. "You fought on to your last breath, and so will I. So look away... if you must..."

Athena started to walk forward, the fires of her zeal once again beginning to roar. She was about to go back over there and mix it up with Krauser again, even at the expense of her beautiful face and Kensou's nerves.

But as she took one step forward... something froze her in her tracks. A voice... one that she knew all too well. Because it was... HER.

"Athena, STOP!"

"E-eh?!"

Athena's eyes widened as she saw the figure now standing before her: a luminous being, incapable of being seen by other eyes. Long, flowing purple hair, armed with a sword and shield of righteousness, an aura glowing, PULSING with the divine power of justice... and a sexy-ass red bikini to boot.

"Y-you... you... you... YOU'RE my... ancestor!"

Goddess Athena nodded. "Listen to me Athena... you have a choice to make."

Athena stammered. "I-I d-do?!"

"Yes. I can grant you the power to strike down Krauser... but continuing on from here can bring you even greater hardship."

Athena's eyes widened. "So what are you saying? I can win?!"

"You may. But listen carefully, Athena, because I'm about to reveal your future... if you beat Krauser here, you will face a boy. He wields the power of green fire, and his waggish demeanor belies his sinister intentions. If you lose to him, the results could be... catastrophic. You could experience greater loss: a piece of yourself, ripped from you. And in turn, the world could be in danger from what the boy acquires."

"I don't understand... Ash wants to take something from me?" Athena inquired.

"Yes. He wants your power."

"Ah! No!"

"The boy has become corrupt. His quest to steal the Sacred Treasures, to destroy his ancestor... he lost himself along that road. Saiki's influence still rests in the recesses of his mind, whetting his hunger... intensifying his greed, his lust for power."

"Th-that's terrible!" Athena squealed. "Poor Ash..."

"Ha! Not "poor Ash". The boy has the power to resist it, these lingering oddments of a being no longer in existence. If he wanted to, he could live his life never allowing these insignificant leavings to govern his psyche. It's mostly the boy's own disposition that drives him to seek power and shun his childhood friend. How sad."

Athena put a hand to her chin. "So what should I do?"

"Well, you do have a choice. You could lose here. Krauser wins, the threat of Ash taking your power is no more. Or... you could win. Advance in the contest, face Ash, and risk losing your powers to his avarice."

Athena looked down, biting her lip (and tasting copper). It WAS a dilemma: she could lose right now, and the world could be safe from the potential threat of Ash having her Psycho Power. All she had to do was...

...But wait! She could WIN too. She could beat Krauser, beat Ash, win this contest! Her name up in lights, honor brought to the Psycho Soldiers... gaaah! But why did that feel so much like vanity?! Was that her righteousness speaking, or was that the pop idol in her, seeking the fame and glory?

"I...I... I don't know!" Athena wailed. "If I lose, I'm safe, but if I win, I could... I could stop Ash!"

Goddess Athena folded her arms. "Uh huh. But that's a pretty big gamble. Krauser's messed you up pretty bad, and Ash has little more than a scratch."

"B-but wait!" Athena argued. "You can help me beat Krauser, doesn't that mean you can help me defeat Ash?!"

Goddess Athena frowned. "Look, you only get one of these okay? This is my only day off from Heaven. I could have spent it getting a bikini wax, maybe a pedicure, but no I decided to come help out my goofy descendant. So just be thankful and make a choice already!"

Athena shut her eyes and thought hard, wrinkles forming on her forehead from the intensity of her straining. Audible groans leaked from her mouth as she pondered... pondered...

"Guhhhhhhh... hmmmmmmmm... grrrrrrrr... GAAAH! I'M NOT JUST GONNA GIVE UP! I CAN STILL WIN IT ALL! THE RISK DOESN'T MATTER IF I CAN JUST BEAT ASH! AND I WILL! ASH CRIMSON IS GOING DOWN!"

Athena thrust a finger, addressing her ancestor. "Goddess Athena... GRANT ME YOUR POWER!"

"...Is she pointing at me?" Krauser scratched his head.

Goddess Athena rolled her eyes. "Very well then. I grant you my sword and shield and yadda yadda yadda. Let's do this already. Krauser is starting to look at you weird."

The man in question was indeed quite confused as to why Athena was talking to herself this whole time. He decided to chalk it up to hitting her head just a few times too many.

"You're starting to concern me, talking to yourself. Perhaps I should put you to sleep already!"

Krauser ran towards her, determined to strike the final blow. He had no fear, no concern for retaliation. To him, Athena was less a threat than a defenseless baby: he could knock her aside with one swing, advance to the semifinals. Maybe face his younger brother. Maybe face the man who actually ended his reign of Southtown years ago. Either one would be sweet.

He spun around, preparing to unleash the granddaddy of sobats to the girl's weary body... but his attack would never connect.

"Whaa, ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

He was blinded. From Athena's body emerged an aura so pure, so unbendingly divine... his body couldn't even stand up to it. As he tried to get up, he felt his body working against him, as if a holy power was keeping him on his knees, subjugating him.

"Agh! What... is... this... power?!"

Athena approached him, her body pulsing with bright red energy, a distinct form engulfing her, in the shape of a phoenix's wings. In one hand, the sword of her heavenly ancestor. In the other hand, the heart-shaped shield itself.

"Krauser! You're done!' Athena bellowed. Even her voice... so mystical, so godlike... was she even human?!

"Ngh! You... won't... make me... KNEEL!"

Through the most sheer, impossible willpower of his own, Krauser forced himself back up and ran towards her with no hesitation. He unleashed a kick towards her head, but his attack bounced off of her buckler and shook him so fiercely, the metal on his boots vibrated.

"Ngh! LEG TOMAHAWK!"

Krauser went high, coming down on her head with his vicious aerial attack. His foot attempted to bombard her head, but her shield once again was there to halt him. Athena pushed him back, and he skidded several yards albeit still on his feet.

"Grrrr... KAISERRRRRRRRR WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAVE!"

There it was: the final solution, the ultimate resort when the man wanted something completely obliterated. From his hands flew the brightest purple, crescent-shaped, all-powerful smiting wave of energy. To any normal man, this would blow them away... but not a deity.

Athena's shield held true, as her body was lost in an ocean of purple that burned all around her. In spite of the raging hellstorm of Krauser's wrath, a lone girl shape could still be seen in the purple inferno, clinging to that shield for dear life.

At last, the Kaiser Wave subsided... and Athena was still standing.

"NO! IT'S NOT POSSIBLE!" Krauser denied. "You're not... human...!"

"Y-yeah... you're right. Sorry! Ehehehehe..." Athena awkwardly chuckled.

"You... you..." Krauser panted, exhaustion starting to catch up to him finally. "You were... granted... bestowed more... power... dishonorable..."

"I'm sorry for this, Mr. Krauser. Really I am." Athena humbly replied. "But I wanted to win. And now... I MUST win."

Athena raised her holy sword of justice high above her head, as her body pulsed with that same crimson energy. Her eyes glowed bright, her voice supernatural as she needed utter only one word:

"Psycho."

With a ferocious swing of her sword, a ray of energy shot outwards and pelted Krauser head-on, the force so unstoppable it sent him flying straight into the foundation of the Coliseum. His body impacted against solid concrete, leaving a Krauser-shaped imprint in the wall as he fell to the ground.

All at once, the power faded from Athena. She felt the goddess's influence leave her... and she was a mere Psycho Soldier popstar once again.

WINNER: ATHENA ASAMIYA

"Athena... she did it..." Bao exclaimed.

"But how..." Chin muttered.

"It doesn't matter how! She did it! SHE DID IT!" Kensou yelled like a broken record. He was on his feet, the boy close to flying from the stands to meet his victorious partner.

"She doesn't look very happy about it." Momoko observed.

"Yes. Something feels amiss here..." Chin pondered.

Kensou was the only one failing to notice. "Hey hey, what is wrong with you guys? Why aren't you cheering? ATHENA BEAT KRAUSER!"

Chin sighed. "Nevermind, Sie. Nevermind."

ROUND 3 FIGHT #10: TERRY BOGARD VS GEESE HOWARD

Terry ditched his retro look today, opting for his brown jacket over a white t-shirt instead of his classic red. Furthermore, his red cap was abandoned, allowing people to get a better glimpse of his golden hair which rested just below his shoulders. To complete his updated look was a pair of sturdy brown shoes replacing his red sneakers.

...Geese on the other hand, ironically, had abandoned his modern clothing to go with a timeless throwback: orange hakama, white socks... and his classic white gi with the American flag emblazoned on the back.

The Coliseum grew deathly silent as these two stood before each other. Everyone and their mother knew of the history here: the "mysterious disappearance" of Jeff Bogard, and then, many years later... a young man named Bogard winning King of Fighters... and Geese Howard taking an unpleasant plunge out of the top of his compound.

"Andy, baby? Are you okay?" Mai whispered softly to her lover, who was rocking restlessly where he sat. His eyes couldn't be torn away from the combat zone.

"I'm fine... f-fine." Andy muttered.

"You're sweating..." Mai whispered as she leaned over and dabbed at his temple.

"Do you blame me?" Andy sighed.

"Not one bit."

In the combat zone, Terry and Geese were having a staring match for the ages. They had both done this song and dance before. Many, many times... many, many unpleasant circumstances. It was always a deathmatch between them: one walking away cherishing life, one usually making a crater in the streets below.

Terry would have to get used to this not being the case. It was just... difficult. It was so strange to look in the eyes of Geese Howard, the murderer, and not see what he usually sees. Those weren't the eyes of Jeff Bogard's killer. They weren't the eyes of a crime-dealing kingpin. Those eyes belonged to a true martial artist: one who had bore his soul to his sworn enemy in a hospital room just one afternoon ago. Only a man who wanted to taste sweet victory with every fiber of his being could have such eyes.

"...I want this, Bogard." Geese addressed him. "I want this more than any man ever wanted anything. You're not gonna defeat me this time."

Terry actually cracked a smile. "Oh? Why is that, duck?"

Geese clenched his fists. "Because this isn't your usual story. You're not the knight in shining armor slaying the big bad monster. For the first time, we're equals. No... no we're NOT actually. No. I want this more than you do. That makes me more worthy! You don't give a shit about this, Bogard! I DO!"

Terry's face turned serious again. "Don't presume to know what I'm feeling, Geese. Because I feel a HELL of a lot anytime I'm standing in front of you. I don't care how badly you want to win. I have wants too: I want to beat your face bloody for all eternity."

Geese extended a hand, making a beckoning gesture. "Then let this be the next chapter of us. COME ON!"

FIGHT!

Terry shot forward like a rocket, fist blazing blue, not even bothering to announce Burn Knuckle as he flew towards Geese with a vengeance. He had the element of surprise: no way Geese could defend this out of the blue. He was almost there... he could feel the hit already connecting!

...Geese caught his wrist, knuckles inches away from touching his face.

"Predictable."

Without time to mutter a profanity, Terry went flying over Geese's head, courtesy of a perfect counter-throw. He landed uncomfortably on his shoulder; a great start to the fight already.

Adrenaline drowned out the painful landing; Terry sprang up and was back on Geese in seconds. He started pummeling Geese's body with left and right hooks, not conserving of his energy at all. Geese had his arms close to absorb them... but he knew better than anyone how hard Terry could hit. He couldn't keep taking punches like this... he had to catch one... just one... THERE!

Geese timed the arrival of a left hand and seized Terry's whole arm. Taking advantage of that split moment of shock, he controlled Terry by dragging him forward, sticking a foot out to trip him... then sent Terry for a ride over his shoulder and to the ground for the second time.

Terry's body flared up once again as it thudded against the ground. He clenched his teeth... pure grit would help him play through the pain. He couldn't give Geese many more of those...

Still holding Terry's arm, Geese tried to rain a fist on his downed opponent. However, upon only using one arm to hold Terry down, Bogard was able to muscle back to his feet. Geese only managed to catch him with a couple of short punches to the face, none of them really doing any major damage. Terry on the other hand... he liked where he was at.

Up close and personal, he cracked Geese's chin with an uppercut. A body blow followed behind, and Geese doubled over in pain and started retreating. Naturally, as Geese backed into Terry's kicking range, Bogard tried to throw a roundhouse...

Terry quickly learned that he had to throw kicks with caution. Geese caught his ankle, locked his foot tight, twisted, and brought Bogard crashing to the ground once again. But Geese didn't stop there; he had a special present for his nemesis, who had landed on his stomach.

The next thing Terry felt was his calf bending inwards, smooshing hard against his own leg meat, and an ungodly pressure pressing down on it. Geese was on top of his leg, putting him in a calf slicer. But this wasn't a friendly one; he probably wasn't going to stop, even if Terry tapped. He wanted the older Bogard brother's lower leg as a TROPHY.

Terry quickly figure out Geese wasn't going to stop. He had to move NOW, or he would seriously lose his leg. He crawled forward like his life depending on it, using one foot to press against Geese, and desperately trying to slip his captured leg out of Geese's monstrous grip.

"HAHAHAHAHA! I'M GOING TO BREAK YOU!" Geese really got the fight going with some classic banter.

"NGH! RAAAGH! NOT TODAY, GOOSE!" Terry fired back as he finally pulled free of Geese's crushing submission.

Content to allow Terry to escape, Geese stood back up and prepared himself for hand-to-hand again. Terry happily obliged, rushing forward and clocking Geese with a clean right hand. The next one bounced off of Geese's shoulder, and the hated enemy returned with a smashing left to Terry's stomach.

After all this time, Geese could still hit like the devil; Terry felt his wind shoot out, escaping before he could suck it back into his lungs. He wanted to fall to his knees right then; it was only his burning hatred of days' past that drove him to keep standing and clobber Geese again.

Terry threw a high kick, Geese brought his arms close and shrugged it off his bicep. He returned with a thrusting palm to Terry's stomach, giving the younger man an even greater pain to his already aching body. The pain would only get worse, as he followed up with:

"DOUBLE REPPUKEN!"

This wasn't the long range one; Geese slashed Terry up close with his modified Reppuken, designed for close encounters. Both hits struck Terry flush, sending Bogard through the air and down to the ground with a hard landing.

"Shit, Geese is wearing him down!" Joe cried.

"Relax. It's always like this." Andy reassured. "This is pretty much following the script. Geese gets some good shots in, and Terry turns thing around..."

Terry struggled up to his feet slightly, but was still game. As Geese stood there, grin on his face... round 2 of the banter continued.

"You can feel it, can't you Bogard? That this time will be different? I'm fighting for a noble cause this time; that's why you're not gonna be the big hero like always."

Terry put up his fists and smiled. "I bet the crowd will cheer just the same when I knock you out. CRACK SHOT!"

Geese tensed up, recoiling; he wasn't expecting that one so abruptly! Terry somersaulted forward, his heel smashing Geese's crowd with a nasty aerial strike. Damn... he wasn't even monologuing, and Terry caught him.

Geese was down on one knee after that one. But Terry snatched him by the shirt and stood him back up. He drew his fist back... and he smashed Geese's face in.

The crowd did indeed explode with positive reception as the kingpin toppled like a Jenga tower. He lay flat on the ground, his face wearing a dazed expression... along with some swelling.

"BOSS! Don't go out like this!" Billy pleaded.

Geese got up, still wobbly. He couldn't see the next punch in time to dodge it, and it collided with his temple. His legs buckled for the slightest moment... but he returned to normal a second later.

"Geese is out on his feet, bro! FINISH HIM!" Andy cheered.

Geese rolled the next punch off his forearm, and countered Terry with a short elbow. Terry took it flush, blinking a few times; it must have rattled him. Geese sensed this and wisely went back to Terry's body with a knee, aware that he had hit Terry there multiple times already.

"Ugggghk!"

Terry gave him just the reaction he wanted: hunching over, clutching his stomach in pain, legs rapidly retreating. Geese was more than happy to pursue his wounded prey.

"DOUBLE REPPUKEN"

This was a long range one... but something was odd. Geese went through the motions, swinging his left arm upwards followed by his right, producing his blue chi... but only one Reppuken went forward. It LOOKED different; almost like it was even bigger than a normal one. In fact, one could say that it was... two Reppukens in one!

"Did you see what he did there, Joe?" Andy asked.

"Huh? What? I'm paying attention!" Joe mumbled between bites of his meatball mozerella sub.

"He chained two Reppukens together to fire one big blast. Very crafty."

"You think Terry could do the same?" Mai inquired.

"In theory. I think Terry would rather punch him, though."

Terry got up, panting hard. His stomach felt like it had been punched clean through. He found himself struggling to take a single step forward without having to hunch over. But there was still one saving grace: Geese looked like he didn't know where he was right now. Terry had caught him with some huge bombs; maybe, just maybe he could approach Geese without fear of getting countered.

First, time to close distance.

"BURN KNUCKLE!"

Terry didn't go forward enough to actually connect; he just wanted to stop within range of Geese's attacks and bait his nemesis. Geese TOOK the bait; taking a huge swing at Terry which he was able to duck easily.

"POWAH DUNK!"

Terry countered with one of his more creative and dangerous techniques, setting Geese up in the air with a flying knee that lifted him high... and spiking him down with a chi-fueled power punch. Both hits connected with 100% success, and Terry was one step closer to sealing this fight.

As nice as it would've been to see Geese stay down, the kingpin barrel rolled backwards and retaliated with a Reppuken.

The blue wave sailed towards Terry, as it had done many times in their jagged past. Terry was so far beyond this now.

"POWAH WAVE!"

Slamming his fist downwards, a yellow wave of chi went out to meet the blue one. The two colors collided in the middle, cancelling each other out with a short explosion.

This momentary projectile gave them enough time to get back up, and they were on each other like two MANIACS. Terry struck him hard in the body, following up with a left hook high. Geese's forearm blocked the headshot, and he struck Terry between the eyes with a rigid palm. Terry waned, but his feet stayed planted. He fired a knee upwards; Geese's knee also lifted at that same moment, and their legs awkwardly collided and pushed them backwards.

Terry charged and swung at Geese; Geese swayed his head and caught Terry's jaw with a short left. He followed up, ripping Terry to the body once again with a straight right. Terry let out an extremely audible grunt, but his fury drove him forward and he knocked Geese's face north with an uppercut. As Geese stumbled back, Terry fired a kick to the midsection, shin cleaving into stomach and giving Geese's internal organs a shockwave.

Geese parried Terry's impending three-hit combination punch and fired back with a sharp jab to his nose. A trickle of blood started to flow; Terry merely flicked it from his nostril and lunged in with a DEEP overhand right. Geese had to sidestep this, lest it take his head clean off.

Taking advantage of Terry's massive whiff, the Bogard hunched over, his feet awry... Geese lifted his elbow high and rained it down on Terry's back, knocking him facefirst to the ground.

"NOOOO! GET UP! GET UP!" Andy urged.

Terry hit his forehead on the ground, and he felt it when he stood back up: the tickling sensation of blood drizzling. Thankfully, it trailed between his eyes and down the bridge of his nose, no danger of it getting in his eyes.

Terry threw a kick high; Geese caught his leg, tucked it under his forearm, and forcefully extended a hand to press on Terry's chest. With one leg to stand on, Terry was unable to sustain himself and was taken down.

As soon as they hit the ground, Geese fluidly transitioned to full mount. Before Terry even had time to put his arms up, the fists started raining down on him.

Leff to the eye. Right underneath the eye. Left to his temple. Right to the cheek. Terry's vision grew spotty, as the punches kept coming... kept coming... pretty soon he would go to sleep...

"F*** YOU!"

Terry wasn't just going to lie down. Despite being on the bottom, he recklessly swung at Geese and caught his hated nemesis clean across the cheek.

"Wh-wha..?!" Geese stammered.

Terry started swinging. He didn't care. Screw defense, screw position, screw everything else. Geese's face was right in front of him!

"F*** YOU F*** YOU F*** YOU F*** YOU F*** YOU F*** YOUUUUUU!"

The fight had turned to pure chaos. This was no longer a martial arts competition; it was two guys laying in the dirt, punching each other sloppily. Geese was on top, raining absolute hell from above... and Terry was happy to lay there and swing at Geese from the bottom. They were both getting lit up, neither one focused on projecting their facial features.

"Holy... god. I never expected this to happen." Andy exclaimed, his eyes wide, unable to look away.

"Heh heh. That's right, boys. Let it all out." Mary snickered.

They stopped punching, and Terry just snatched Geese's shirt and dragged him downward. They started rolling around on the ground, like two wild animals fighting for scraps. Were they even aware of what they were doing? Were they fueled by mindless, predatory instinct?

It didn't even matter. For two combat-hardened sworn enemies like these two... this was the ultimate therapy.

Finally, in some miraculous twist of fate, both men ended up back to their feet. Terry's t-shirt was completely ripped open; Geese's white gi was hanging around his waist.

The punches came once again. Terry lunged and decked Geese in the cheek; Geese took a step back, then came forward and gave Terry a proper thank you. Terry responded with a gift of his own; an uppercut to Geese's loose chin. Geese wobbled big time, but he managed to turn it into aggression with a spinning backfist that smacked Terry across the eye socket.

Both men thought the other was stunned; they both tried to come forward at the same time, with a right cross... and both took a clean shot to their respective faces.

This simultaneous hit allowed them a little... respite... as each trudged backwards to a safe distance to clear their heads and gaze upon each others' bloody mugs. It was more than a damage report; it was a moment of revelation for the both of them. Up to this point, Terry had only heard Geese speak of his newfound ambition... but now, he had seen it firsthand. Geese had made a believer out of him. Terry could feel it in his soul: this fight between them was like no other. It wasn't a fight to the death, it wasn't revenge... it was a man who wanted to win one last time, and the "hero" who stood in his way.

"Huff... huff... huff... how many more you got in you, Geese?!" Terry taunted, his body wrought with exhaustion.

"Huff... huff... heh heh... hehehehehehe... probably one. And it'll be all I need to crush you!" Geese reassured his rival.

Terry stood up straight, taking in all the remaining air his lungs could muster. "Then give me your best shot, and I'll give mine!"

And Geese obliged. He stepped forward, throwing his arm upwards with a blue trail of chi, as if preparing a Reppuken...

...But the Reppuken stayed dormant. Geese thrust his arm again...and again... and AGAIN...

"Ha ha! HAHAHAH! 2,3,4, FIVE, SIX...!"

Terry's eyes, the collective eyes of the entire Coliseum widened at the marvel of what Geese was producing.

"SEVEN, EIGHT, NINE, TEN! TWELVE! FOURTEEN!"

It was growing larger and larger, almost uncontrollably blazing where it stood. And Geese kept going, until finally...

"TWENTY!"

He had chained 20 Reppukens together into one. And there it stood before him, a monument to Geese's rage, his pure, unwavering courage, his limitless ambition. A huge, hulking, fear-inducing azure firestorm that roared and rampaged in all directions.

"OH..."

"MY..."

"GOD..."

Andy, Mai and Joe successively uttered those amazed words as they witnessed the truly catastrophic gathering of energy blazing in front of Geese.

"Oh hell no. TERRY, GET OUT OF THERE NOW!" Mary barked.

...But Terry stood still. He was well aware of the inferno of destruction before him. He knew it could probably wipe him from existence. But he had done this one too many times. There weren't many things Terry carried with faith in this twisted world, but he did have one creed he lived by:

As long as he lived, he would never. Ever. EVER. EVER BACK DOWN FROM GEESE.

"REPPUKEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEN!"

Geese sent that blazing terror forward, the chi literally destroying the foundation of the Earth as it trailed towards Terry. The Bogard brother closed his eyes, smiling as if to accept his fate...

And he was swallowed whole.

"TERRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!" the cry of their beloved brother and friend echoed on the lips of Terry's closest people, their screams so loud they could even be heard over that monstrous energy wreaking havoc on him.

"Oh god... oh god... I can't breathe..." Mary clutched her heart. She was hyperventilating. She collapsed backwards, thankfully managing to land on the stands. Her head slumped over, buried in her grasp, as she struggled back the tears... it was happening all over again...

In the combat zone... Geese's heart was in his throat. His mouth was wide open, hot breaths forcefully ejecting. His body felt like it was being microwaved from the inside... the feeling of disbelief. But why... why was he feeling this? Why is it such a surprise for Geese Howard to feel victory? He couldn't deny why... because the man he just beat was fated to always defeat him. It was a philosophy, a law, one that might as well have been engraved in stone: Geese was SUPPOSED to fall to Terry.

But if that was the case... could he breathe right now? Could he allow his muscles to loosen, allow the tension to fade? It this what victory against Terry Bogard felt like?

...No. He didn't know what it felt like. Because it was always fated to never happen.

"ARE YOU OKAY?!"

Those words followed a meteor shooting out from the smoke and smashing into Geese's stomach. He almost couldn't believe it... almost.

"BUSTER WOLF!"

Terry grinned as he raised a fist and brought it downward, unleashing all the chi left in his body in one last ferocious geyser of power to blow Geese away.

"TERRY! HE'S OKAY!" Andy screamed.

"He's... okay... hahaha..." the words were barely audible as they quietly passed Mary's trembling lips. If she ever needed a trial from God, that was it. That was all the assurance she needed to know her and Terry would be different...

"Mary? You crying?" Mai asked.

"Sniff... n-no. Shut up."

In the combat zone... everything had fallen silent. No more punches would be thrown, no more superpowered chi attacks unleashed. They had both spent EVERYTHING: every last molecule of offense their beings could muster. Their only fate was to sit there, on adjacent sides, full weight on their knees as their hands struggled to keep their bodies upright.

Terry's clothing was completely singed, save for his boxers. His hair was messed up. His face was swollen to hell, skin lightly toasted. And he was tired... so tired. Getting up would be an ordeal in itself... and he had to in order to be declared the winner.

Geese was in the same pickle. Although his clothing and appearance was mostly spared... his body was weighed down with two tons: one of pain and one of fatigue. He had nothing, not even the energy to pick his head up. It remained slumped over, his eyes forced to watch only the dirt at his knees.

"Huff... huff... huff... hufffff..."

This was the only noise, the only banter left these two could trade. The rest of the Coliseum went silent with them... perhaps as a sign of respect to these two warriors giving it everything they possibly had.

They waited... waited... waited... waited for the one who would rise up and be declared victorious.

"...That's all I had, Bogard. I'm done. I can't do anything else." Geese panted.

"Huff... yeah... join the club..." Terry replied.

At last, a sign of progress: they both managed to at least pick their heads up, and look into each others' eyes...

Terry nearly winced at the sight of Geese, staring at him... his eyes full of desperation. Geese looked so pathetic. He looked like a whimpering dog. He... he really wanted this.

"Geese. I swore I'd never lose to you." Terry growled.

"I swore I wouldn't lose this competition." Geese shot back. "I guess that puts us at an impasse."

"You're right... I guess it's up to who's tired enough to break their promise."

Geese grinned. "I'm probably there. How about you?"

Terry smirked. "Yeah. I'm pretty promise-breaking tired."

The jokes ended after that. Terry watched as Geese's face once again twisted, reverting back to that pained expression once again. He was so... ugh! So damn pathetic! He wasn't cocky, malicious, greedy, bloodthirsty, full of himself... he was just genuine. Disgustingly genuine.

"Bogard..." Geese softly muttered. "I have to win. I have to. This tournament... is all I have left. It's everything to me. EVERYTHING."

"...Then stand up."

A gasp rang out across the Coliseum as Terry hung his head low... and Geese struggled back up to his feet. When at last, he stood upright... Geese thrust his fist upwards in victory.

WINNER: GEESE HOWARD

"Ha... ha ha ha... HAAA! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Geese cackled. "I WON! I DEFEATED TERRY BOGARD! AHHHHHH! I'M GOING TO WIN THIS TOURNAMENT! I SWEAR TO GOD I'LL BREAK ANYONE'S NECK WHO TRIES TO STOP ME! THIS IS MY TOURNAMENT! MINE!"

The Coliseum's reaction to Geese beating Terry was powerful: a generous mixture of cheers, boos, and screams of genuine shock. If one was asked to measure which one was most prominent... it'd be an impossible feat.

As Terry sat there, slumped over on the ground, his body spent... he allowed a little grin to manifest. Could he have won? Yes. Did he allow Geese to win? No. But that didn't mean he couldn't smile about it. He was, after all, rooting for Geese.

Oh jesus, I'm tired. I hope my writing quality isn't reflected in my fatigue. Whew! That... was... a doozy. Okay, let the feedback begin. Love me. Hate me. Curse me. Praise me. I want to hear it all. ALL!

YOUR FINAL 10 CONTESTANTS:

1. Kyo

2. Iori

3. Ash

4. K'

5. Athena

6. Leona

7. Dio

8. Hanzo

9. Yuki

10. Geese

Next Chapter: Attack of the Clones! A montage to end all montages! This is where things really pick up!