The fights continued with no interruption, despite the hostess's departure, thanks to the timely stepping-in of a former King of Fighters host himself: Lord Wolfgang Krauser Von Stronheim.

The regal authority figure was now perched in Rose's VIP booth face propped on fist, where the man could at last have some time alone with his thoughts... the fire of treachery still burned within him, though it glowed fainter with the time that had passed. That girl... somehow she escaped his clutches again! Someone must have tampered with the lineup! But who? And more importantly... did it even matter at this point? He had already well established himself as a superior above her... what use would crushing her in a rematch accomplish? It'd be naught but self-gratification, not the solidifying of a truth like he claimed it would be. People KNEW he was the best. Anyone with eyes could see Athena was a fluke... right?!

He sucked air in sharply through his nostrils, closed his eyes... he remembered the little "talk" he had with Rose after it happened. Yes... it was enough to put a menacing smile back on his face. Just thinking about it made him giddy! What really WAS the point in defeating some stupid pop singer, when he still had a much larger goal in sight? Defeating the girl would be a small, insignificant personal pleasure... THIS ambition was much more valuable, with tremendous gain to be had.

Krauser snapped out of his thoughts and looked up: his eyes widened for only a moment when he saw the names on the tv, before his brow slowly sank back to its resting position... and indifference overcame him.

"Hey. You." he called out to the man at his side, a seasoned and calloused veteran of martial arts, a sadistic bone-breaker named Silber.

Silber cut his head to the side for a moment, made no response, and looked back the other way. His arms remained folded.

"You on the clock?"

Still no response.

"Why don't you go get me a warm lager. Don't spill it."

...At that derogatory command, Silber's shell broke, and the man dropped his arms and turned to face Krauser. "Don't think you can boss me around like your bitch Laurence. I didn't sign up for it."

Krauser's response to that comeback was a haughty grin. "How come you never joined me back then, Silber? You know I'd rather have had you as my Number 1 instead of Laurence."

Silber let out a grunting chuckle. "Be grateful you have him. Laurence was built for the job... raised and bred to take orders. You wanna command me? You know the price."

Krauser let out a half-scoff, half laugh. "Hmph. Yeah I know the price... three of my ribs learned that day too. But it was still a draw."

An insulting snort. "If you say so."

OPENING ROUND FIGHT #16: RYO SAKAZAKI VS ATHENA ASAMIYA

The big question as to who else was affected by Malin's infamous sabotage was finally revealed: Bonne Jenet's original opponent, now slated to do combat with a veteran almost as tenured as himself, although Ryo had a bit more luster to his legacy, being the champion of the very first King of Fighters. This merit gave Ryo a bit of a godlike aura about him, and he definitely had the skills to boot... but to Athena Asamiya, he was merely old news. A fellow acquaintance of several years of the tournament, there was nothing Ryo presented that she hadn't seen out of him before.

Of course, the same could be said for her too.

FIGHT!

She came forward like nothing else mattered; the purest fighting temper, shutting out anything... everything... whatever clouded her. The final solution to psychic balance, to harness and control her potential as both sword and shield.

His Karate was unmatched, unparalleled, sound mind and body, powerful root and fearsome weapons. No turmoil could cloud him... not even the fate of his sister, Yuri. The fight was everything... at this moment, he became more than a human being. He was a culture, a symbol... he was the living embodiment of Karate.

His side kick tested the limits of her defense, rocking her body despite arms absorbing it. She stumbled backwards several steps, while he planted a foot forward in advance and let loose his fist with a telegraphed motion; judging from the loudness of his kiai, this punch was meant to fell opponents with a single blow. Rather than let it hit her, Athena juked and let her chi-fuled left palm swat the punch aside, redirecting his body so she could punish in return with a high right. Mere inches from his nose, he bobbed his head back and demonstrated the swiftness of his footwork, short hopping back to the range his kicks dominated.

And kick he did. His right leg cut a beautiful swath, arcing through the air in reverse to catch Athena from the opposite side of her face. Although she was wise to it and ducked... she wasn't prepared when he planted that foot on the ground, and sent it back up the proper way with a traditional roundhouse. This time, he struck her face proper, dropping her to a knee with a blunt impact on her jaw.

Cobwebs distorted her... but she could see two black, blurry sticks: his legs. Taking advantage of her low position, she kicked outwards and clipped his calf, albeit low on power. Luckily, it did trip him up long enough for her to work her way back up... and work her way up his body. A palm mid to his stomach jolted him, and she was back up to normal, throwing a high right behind it. His head was clear, so he was able to easily bring his arm up and parry her strike with the smoothest curve of his wrist, so keen in execution that it sent her into a stumble from her whiff.

"HIYAAAAH!" Ryo's next punch showed no mercy... Athena's fresh skirt offered no protection to her backside as she skidded across hot dirt, blasted in reverse from a massive fist to her stomach that too-easily felled her.

"YOU WON'T WIN THE STRIKING, ATHENA!" Chin Gentsai mustered his lungs from the stands. "ESTABLISH THE LINK! MAKE HIM MISS!"

Athena had to cough it out... for all her powers, she couldn't command wind back into her body. One benefit of Ryo hitting her so hard, she WAS at a favorable distance: one that she could do exactly as Chin instructed.

Back up to her feet, dusting her skirt off, she closed her eyes, extended her hand... her power manifested all around her, her body awash in a sparkling shower of pink and purple... she opened her eyes, and the world, the very fabric, rippled around her... in this state, she could measure the mettle of a man, see their spiritual makeup, their luminous fortitude. She could see weaknesses, imperfections, exploit them to her ends. This was how she made up for her flaws. This was how she stood up to the bigger, the stronger, the meaner.

Her illuminated eyes peered into Ryo's aura... it... can't be! It was... perfect. All around him, his body rippled, sending out uncolored waves... ideal balance, enveloping his being. Through her supernatural sense, she saw his eyes in a different field... they bore no color, his emotions so attuned, she couldn't even see the subtle verve of pigmented irises.

He was so different than Shen Woo. He was so... zen. Even after what happened to his sister. A flawless architect of martial arts discipline. Why couldn't she be like that?

Ryo came forward, and she knew her chance to influence him was gone. She had no choice but to continue, hand to hand, chi against chi... his world.

His fingers straightened out, as he painted the air towards her with a deep horizontal chop, the same cutting motion that could sever the heads of a dozen aligned beer bottles. So overcome by the speed and acuteness of that stroke, Athena flung her head back in evasion, leaving her body wide open to his mix-up, a high left front kick that flew upwards with zero tell, and buffeted her breast, freezing any further chances of a counterattack, and putting her in a precarious state of punishment.

Barely a chance to breathe, before he let her have it again. The first fist met her liver, and that alone nearly put her down, but the second fist to her jaw somehow kept her standing. His punches didn't loop at all, shooting forward in a straight line and traumatizing their targets with full brunt.

"REGAIN YOURSELF, YOU FOOL!" Chin bellowed. "DISTANCE! DISTANCE!"

His legs came after, right foot cutting from the right side to cave in her ribs. She felt her entire right half lock up, head to toe... she wasn't sure how she managed to dodge the left that followed, but some modicum of instinct allowed her to backflip twice, safely away from the left kick, that forced his body to loop completely around upon missing.

Ryo spun around and regained his stance, and immediately started pumping out Koukens: two fast ones came out, courtesy of a 1-2 that boxed the air. Athena at least had an answer for that: her Psycho Reflector would never allow a fireball to hurt her, and the orange projectiles were batted into the clouds.

She didn't dare let him launch a third. "PHOENIX ARROW!"

She took to the skies, enveloping herself in a protective, weaponized cocoon of Psycho Power, becoming a crimson meteor of fury that descended upon Ryo: her trademark move, one which had gotten her out of so many binds in the past.

Instead of letting her come down, Ryo boldy leaped up to meet her, power with power: orange chi blazed in his fist as he unleashed his classic Deep Uppercut, the golden standard of all anti-airs, performed by so many Karate masters across multiple universes. Their chi collided in a great explosion of red and orange, sending both backwards... Ryo skidded along his feet and remained standing.

Athena, meanwhile, had another trick up her sleeve: she took a risky move, chaining specials one after the other, using her teleporting ability in mid-air to create distance and stabilize at the same time. And as she did so...

"PSYCHO BALLLLL!" a third chained special! With no protective barrier of his own, Ryo simply put his arms up and tried to block the projectile best he could... it exploded against him, and dropped the Karate master for the first time in the fight.

"That's the way, Athena..." Chin monologued, his voice hoarse from too much screaming. "Believe in your Psycho Power, but use it in conjunction with your human weapons... be a complete fighter."

Ryo spring-kicked back up, and a zealous Athena was already racing to meet him. She threw a double front kick with great agility, going left, then leaping up with the right in succession. Ryo's formidable forearms absorbed the hits, but a straight palm came after and clipped the side of his chin. She was surprised at how he actually took a step back; she came forward and pumped a light jab with that same hand... but she was masking a much greater left strike, one in which a swirling ball of Psycho Power had manifested.

"HYAAA!" Athena let it loose, and a torrent of energy blew Ryo backwards, once again blazing his heels across the dirt with two skid marks. He didn't go down... but she could see the slightest grimace. Was he hurt? Losing steam? Didn't matter anyway. She knew how to win now. She'd been saving one more trick...

Ryo came sprinting in. "HIEN SHINPUU KYAKUUU!" a flying double kick soared towards her like a missile... and she phase shifted through it.

"Missed~" Athena teased with a wink and a two-finger salute.

Ryo spun around, and with it came a massive 180 roundhouse, just barely missing Athena as she backpedaled, and awaited his advance.

Advance he did. He did just what she wanted, planting his feet and throwing a straight punch with all his power... typical Karate tactics. Break a board with one powerful blow, but sacrifice any defense.

Athena disappeared in a pink flash, and in an instant, she was behind Ryo with a fist to the back of the head.

"Ng!" Ryo grunted as he stumbled forward several steps... that must have been the most damning hit yet!

He tried to spin back around, but Athena phase-shifted again: this time, though, she only closed the distance and appeared right in front of him, which he was not prepared for. The sharp tip of her elbow crashed across his cheek, stumbling him back more... and a high kick followed behind it. As badly as she wanted to catch him with it, Ryo unfortunately still had his senses about him, enough to catch her foot and drive a leg forward to knock her stationary one out from under her, planting her on her butt.

She didn't mind too much. Before he could do any major damage, she had already rolled backwards, took to the skies, and was once again a crimson ball of raining fury, via Phoenix Arrow. Ryo just barely managed to roll to the side, and avoid her wrath.

The two returned to their feet... Athena tried to close her mouth, but it just hung open with hard pants. She was overdoing it... to keep up with Ryo's technique, her Psycho Power had been running overtime. She HAD to wonder, as he stood there, solid as a tree, eyes cutting into her composure with their ferocity, if he himself was as tired and hurt. She could only pray to her ancestor that he was.

This was it. Time for the kill.

"HaaaaaaaAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Sacrificing the rest of her Psycho reserves, she summoned two Crystal Bits and came running at Ryo full speed. He stood there, firm, anticipating...

She fired the first one. It zoomed towards him, and he drew his hand back... a Kouken cancelled the Bit out, and left him free of harm.

She ran at him...ran at him... TELEPORT!

...But something didn't feel right. Why... why did she feel limp all of a sudden? No... no, this wasn't right at all. She was behind him! All she had to do was teleport behind him, and shove that Crystal Bit right up his...!

...But he was facing her. His fist was knuckles-deep into her liver. She groaned: there's no way he actually spun around and... timed her?!

As Athena's wobbled legs defied her... Ryo's finest combination yet manifested. A side kick planted into her stomach, and as fast as that leg came back down, he stepped forward with a 1-2 punch, folding her at the gut, bobbling her head. A cherry on top was one last whipping roundhouse, crashing right above her ear and managing to rattle her temple at the same time.

Just to add insult to that disgustingly perfect 4-hit combo... a fifth hit came, as he swiveled his left foot low to knock her legs out at the shins. Athena felt the carpet pulled out from underneath her... and her dazed vision was next met with the infinite blue of the sky above.

WINNER: RYO SAKAZAKI

Athena stared at the clouds... an ironic chuckle. Everything felt so simple at moments like these. It was just a fight... at the end, that's all it was. Kensou's tampering, Krauser's wrath, the annoyance of Mignon... all just a means to this moment. Nothing else mattered when it was all said and done. This was as far as it had to go. She was laying here, staring at the beautiful big blue... the story was told. She didn't owe anybody anything now. For that reason...maybe she was grateful for her defeat.

"Here. Take my hand." Ryo honorably extended to her, a true sign of sportsmanship. Athena groaned weakly, but managed to rise up and take it, as the blonde easily lifted her back up with one-arm strength.

"Whooa!" Athena laughed as she was stood back up.

"It was a good match. You fought well." Ryo smiled warmly, giving a firm and respectful Japanese bow.

Athena returned the favor too. "You as well, Mr. Sakazaki. I sensed your... overwhelming calmness... even after what happened to Yuri. It's admirable."

"I just believe my sister will be okay." Ryo replied. "There's nothing I can do for her now, but fight hard and dedicate my wins to her recovery. For that reason, I can stay focused. Until next time, Miss Asamiya."

With another smaller bow between them, Ryo was left to go and celebrate with Robert. Meanwhile, Chin had finally joined Athena down below.

"Athena!" his voice reprimanding. "You silly girl. You fought clouded! Between you and Kensou, I don't know what I..."

"It's okay... master." Athena soothed. "To be honest, I... I'm relieved. Ehehehe."

"Relieved?!" Chin gasped. "You were a quarterfinalist... with double the numbers! And yet now you go down in Round 1. How can you be content?!"

A small, sheepish shrug. "Maybe this was meant to be Kensou's year."

With that, and a cute grin, Athena strutted away, truly feeling a clean slate at this moment. Chin was just left standing there, irritated and puzzled at the realization that their chips now fell on the bun boy himself.

The final person to have an opinion on the matter was the current de facto host, Krauser himself. He watched as Athena exited, his arms folded, a look following her movements not of scorn, not of hate... but of disparage.

"Hmph. So the girl is eliminated. A just and fitting end! It matters no longer to me... my eyes are on a bigger prize. Enjoy your freedom, Athena Asamiya."

OPENING ROUND FIGHT #17: JOE HIGASHI VS GATO

Joe came to battle the way he was best known: a smug smile, his Muay Thai stance bouncing eagerly with his dominant foot light and his fists high. Almost visible to the naked eye was the pure... vigor brimming from him. This was the confidence of a man who knew he was the world Muay Thai champion. Nobody, NOBODY, knew the art better than him. What Ryo was to Karate, so too was he to the vicious striking art of elbows and knees.

Gato was clearly the opposite of the equator. A master of Kenpo, or "God Fist", the impenetrable man had his own ideas about how to achieve victory: an immovable stature, an intense posture... and the very switch King spoke of: the one that shut off his emotions, as efficient as removing a plug. Nobody, not even his own sister, could drill through the crusty, unyielding layer that exuded around him, a repellant to the brash and boastful and foolhardy.

"Cmon, Gato!' Joe heckled at his own risk, showing off some elbows for exhibition. "Cmon big man! You may have these others spooked by your doom n' gloom, but I ain't scared! I'm Joe Higashi up in this bitch! I'm walking, talking kickass!"

Gato's face didn't change... but at this point, he couldn't look more displeased than he already was. His face bore such a sourness to it, probably enough to make babies cry, as those daunting eyes looked directly at Joe, but seemed to look PAST his tomfoolery.

"...Does he really think that's a good idea?" Terry, who had been ringside for the entire round, warned.

Mary, also the fact, half-laughed. "Since when has Joe ever been smart?"

FIGHT!

Joe inched forward just enough to get into the preferred range of any Thai fighter: one where their kicks called the shots. For Higashi, his gameplan never changed: break the roots, soften the midsection, establish the clinch, and finally... finish off with a big move.

Instead of start with the kick, Joe surprised Gato by closing in and firing a right jab; Gato's arm was there to block it... and Joe officially got to work on those roots, pivoting his leg out to blast Gato below the inside knee.

...But something didn't feel right. Joe felt it IMMEDIATELY, as his face winced with pain and his body instinctively retreated. There were two things wrong with this picture: one, Joe shouldn't be feeling the pain of the leg kick HE himself threw!

Secondly... Gato hadn't budged an inch from it. That alone puzzled Joe more than the pain; he has dug into Gato's leg meat with the cleanest kick possible, and yet the man's roots remained firmly planted! Was he an oak tree in human skin?!

Gato sensed Joe was completely thrown off, and he capitalized on it, taking a deep step forward. There was one noticeable thing about how Gato advanced... mainly how he STOMPED the earth with each step, so powerful in his foot placement that he could shake the ground around him, kick up dust in omni directions.

Joe's turn came to receive a taste of his opponent's power... his stomach took a deep palm strike so gnarly, his proud Thai stance was broken, as his feet flew out and his entire being was sent rocketing in reverse.

Gato held that stance with a guttural grunt, feet spread wide, his palm still extended from where he unleashed the truest might of his body.

"GATO ONII-SAMAAAAAAA~!' Hotaru squealed out his name with praise, both hands cupping her mouth to emphasize the loudness and make sure he heard it. Upon seeing Gato's eyes cut towards her in the slightest, she immediately sat back down, her face crimson from forehead to chin.

"Damn, Gato's here to slay." Terry pointed out.

"You think Joe can get back up from that one?!" Shingo, who still had not gone to the hospital, and was STILL wearing nothing but his blue flaming boxers, asked aloud.

"You think you're gonna put on some clothes soon?" Benimaru appropriately jabbed.

"Nah, I'm good." Shingo grinned goofily.

Soldiering through it, Joe was back up and pressing forward; he knew he had ground to make up. He came in firing a front kick, heel-first, which bounced off of Gato's forearm, but he kept pressing forward and got in close with a nasty right hook. Gato kept his hand close to his head, but that punch still broke through and sent him back in the slightest. Joe's fluidity continued, as he launched a second kick to follow up that punch. Unlike Ryo, who preferred to lead with the foot, Joe's power came from shinbone... and he bludgeoned Gato's side with it, as it sank inches-deep into his ribcage.

He tried to come up Gato's solar plexus with a knee, but Gato was ready to fight back. He closed in deep and demonstrated a true knack of hand speed, as well as unexpected power generated from short punches, as he peppered Joe's midsection with a left and right, before going high to the nose with the third left... his unorthodox style, where he led with his knuckles protruded, made his punches only that much sharper and painful, even at a range where the arms couldn't extend all the way.

Joe was rattled, sent backwards by that short three-punch combo... he backed right into range of Gato's legs, where the Kenpo fighter sent him on his way with a lunging side kick to the stomach; no longer having to worry about stifled range, he extended his foot all the way and hit Joe with maximum power.

Although still on his feet, the smile was far gone at this point from Joe. He came back forward firing a 1-2, his right crashing into Gato's guard, but the left looping around and catching Gato's ear. Gato took a step back, and Joe went high with his best roundhouse: although Gato's arm remained present, Joe's foot managed to wrap itself around... and catch Gato on the side of the head.

"Attaboy, Joe!" Andy rooted for his closest friend. "Heavy volume!"

Feeling the advantage, Joe came forward with a kick... stupid. His fundamentals got the best of him, and he tried to kick low again, on the outside of Gato's leg. Still proving impossible to uproot, Gato checked the kick and put Joe back on shaky feet. He slipped up... and Gato made him pay for it.

Unfortunately for Joe, an unbreakable stance didn't go both ways: Gato gave HIM one in return, an inside leg kick, that clipped just below his right knee... Joe yelped as his foot literally left the ground, and had him balancing on one side.

Gato spun around with his momentum, and smoothly went low... as he came around, his other foot cut a perfect radius through the dirt, with a sweep kick that took Joe's other leg out and put the Thai fighter in mid-air.

Finally... the piece de resistance. While Joe was still up, Gato still had time to take another of those ground-shaking stomps forward, BOTH hands protruded... and he gave Joe his best double-palm strike. The juggle sent Joe way back, like a volleyball being slapped to the other side of the court. It's a miracle he finally hit the ground and skidded to a stop.

"DAMN IT JOE, GET IT TOGETHER!" Andy berated. "STAY AT RANGE! HE'S TOO DANGEROUS UP CLOSE!"

Bonne Jenet, on the other hand, had nothing but praises to sing. "Keep going, Gato! You're doing sexy, baby! SEXYYYY!"

Gato approached fast, but a Hurricane Upper tore across the ground and forced him to evade. Joe officially had the momentum advantage; they were both approaching, but Joe was coming in faster as a result of Gato being forced into that dodge.

Gato leaped in with a flying kick; Joe met him at the same speed, with his patented Slash Kick! The two collided... Joe's attack rang true, as his was faster, stronger, more fueled by chi. Gato took it to the chest, and was finally sent tumbling to the ground for the first time. A huge morale boost for Joe, needless to say...

"Gato!" Hotaru squealed. The blue haired girl tried to stay sitting, but her feet sprang up.

Although greatly disturbed by the hit, Gato did get back up, dusting himself off. He narrowed his eyes and met Joe once again: he got a leaping start and flew at Joe with extended knuckles, but the Thai fighter blocked it and the two bodies pressed close.

At that moment, Joe unleashed his final solution. "GOTCHA!" He was all too ecstatic to see that he'd managed to interlace his fingers behind Gato's head, securing the Plum Clinch he so desperately needed.

"He's got him tied up!" Andy gasped.

Bonne Jenet, sitting nearby, just chuckled. "Tee hee hee hee... oh Andy. You're so cute, but such a fool. Do you really think my man can be held down by a stupid Thai Clinch? Puhleeeeeeze."

Joe quickly discovered that Gato was... extremely difficult to control in the clinch. The equivalent of trying to pull something out of the ground that had been sealed with cement. The man simply could NOT be controlled. Even as Joe pressed against him, vainly trying to wrench the man in any given direction, Gato's face showed no signs of the slightest falter or discomfort. It was disheartening... and Joe's arms were so tired...

It looked like the end, when Gato took a mighty stomp, shrugged his arms fiercely, and broke Joe away. Before the stumbled man could regain himself, a check from Gato's thick, broad shoulders busted him in the face, and put the man on roller skates.

Gato knew he had the time... and he took it. Eyes closed, a deep inhale... his chi manifested all around him, in blazing pink light, sprouting from the ground and engulfing his feet, to his very hair. He could afford to use it all... this last attack would end the fight, and grant him rest.

"Hnnnnnghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh... HRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

Gato took his best lunge, his body like a piston, as he propelled his closed fist and burrowed deep into Joe's stomach, so hard that the Thai fighter literally folded inwards, nearly wrapping around the man's arm like plastic.

"G...ghhkkk...ghaaaahkkkkk..." Joe's eyes rolled backwards, cracked choking sounds rasping, as his body tensed up all at once around Gato's fist... and then released, going limp all over. A final THUD rang out, as his body hit the dirt. Gato held that impeccable pose, as the dust cleared from his extreme attack.

WINNER: GATO

Gato, no worse for wear, dusted himself off and turned away, only stopping to cut his head towards the fallen Joe to hear his lamenting.

"Agghh... dammitdammitdammit... I made it to Round 3 last time... cough cough! And now I get canned... so soon... it's not fair!" Joe whined, as he pounded the dirt beside him.

Gato closed his eyes and looked away. "Your focus on cosmetic victories is worthless. A fight is a fight, and you either continue winning... or you lose and start over."

With that simple philosophy, Gato turned his back and walked away from his soundly defeated opponent.

The inhospitable man didn't make it very far before a roadblock halted his retreat. He stopped, looked down slightly: a blushing, stammering young girl with blue hair was standing in front of him, her hands curled into tiny fists, nestled tight against her chin in a reserved stature... she could barely look at the man as she tried to squeak out the words:

"O-onii s...G-G-G...Gato... y... you d-did... g-"

"YOU DID GREAT!"

Hotaru squealed as she was knocked out of the picture by Bonne Jenet's well-rounded tuchus. Having stolen the spotlight, the blonde threw herself against the stone man and nuzzled his cheek. "Hey, after Tizoc cleans up, let's all get a drink and celebrate!"

Crushingly, for Jenet... the blonde's hype was shut down, as she was ejected from Gato's body, and the man kept walking.

"...What's there to celebrate? It was only one victory." his voice was cruel and piercing. "Besides... you cowered and ran away. Any victory celebration with you would be tainted."

Bonne Jenet could almost feel her skin grow frigid from the harsh words spat towards her. Her cheer officially gone, she hung her head low and stood dejected, as the man's footsteps carried him to a solitude he so desired.

"Sigh... that was cold, bruv. Very cold."

OPENING ROUND FIGHT #18: KIM KAPHWAN VS TIZOC

In many ways, Kim felt like a free man.

No disciples left to manage, no rivals left to squash... he was the last of the "Korean" clique, and Round 1 hadn't even concluded. It was a liberating feeling: so often, the priorities got mixed up, amidst all the politics and tensions. But this was all that mattered: the fight. Right here, right now. He fought for only one thing... no, not himself of course. He fought for the glory of Korea, nothing else. To win gold in King of Fighters was to bring it home to his beloved nation.

A roaring reception welcomed Korea's national hero to the ring, as he waved to the crowd with a smile. In his hands he held two wooden boards... in a flash, he flung them to the skies above, and leaped up to join them.

"WATAAAAAH!" he kia'd as he threw a double flying kick, right foot following the left, shattering the two boards in succession and reducing them to wood chips, before landing back on his feet with a bow. The crowd loved it, as the volume amped up two-fold.

"Kim's looking pretty good out there, all things considered." Terry complimented.

"I figured he'd be a little down in the dumps, after what happened to Bear, Jai, May Lee, Chang, Choi... well, does he even care about Chang and Choi?" Andy pondered.

"Ah, he cares." Terry smiled. "Even about Jhun, stubborn bastard though that guy is."

"You think those two will ever not fight?"

"...I ship them."

Those words were from neither Terry nor Andy, but the two brothers surely jumped out of their seats when they heard them, courtesy of a snickering Blue Mary.

"M-MARY!" they yelled in unison.

"What?" she winked. "I think they're cute."

"HE HAS A WIFE!"

"...Swingers?"

As Kim awaited patiently inside the combat zone, the audience noise slowly died down... they were awaiting the blue corner. The wait was suffocating... the hungry audience craved action, violence, bloodshed, sportsmanship. After two awesome fights, the momentum had to keep going.

And that's when they saw it... the big TV abruptly switched to some kind of promo vid. A gigantic hawk face plastered on the screen, followed by a huge, piercing, majestic noise:

SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECH!

The powerful cry of a hawk's lungs echoed, and amped up hard rock music kicked in. Pyrotechics exploded from the blue corner, followed by exotic, fiery Spanish lyrics.

The audience once again amped up the volume: they knew a great and respected athlete was about to step into the ring.

"TIZOC! TIZOC! TIZOC! TIZOC! TIZOC! TIZOC! TIZOC! TIZOC!"

Kim steeled himself when the figure emerged... there he was, in all his seven-foot glory. Clad in tight red spandex, his incomparable oak tree legs carried him with a commanding posture as he waved to the crowd around him, flexing his muscles in all directions. He made it about halfway to the ring before he stopped... he brought his fists up, drew his head back... and gave his best screech.

"Jeez!" Shingo whined, plugging his ears. "I can barely hear a dadgum thing in this Stadium!"

"What?" Benimaru appropriately asked after.

"Tizoc's certainly the king of the walkout." Terry grinned.

"Pro Wrestling 101." Mary seconded.

Tizoc at last made his way into the combat zone... Kim was already perturbed about how he had to look up just to see the guy and his blasted beak. Second year in a row, stuck fighting some pro wrestler... to a striker like him, it was the worst luck.

"KIM KAWPHWAN!" Tizoc boomed his name loud and assertive, thrusting a finger. "I WANT YOU! Your Tae Kwon Do is highly regarded in the martial arts world! You are a true symbol of discipline and honor in sports! You have my utmost respect!"

Kim, although flattered by the words, did not break his stance. "Uhhh... thanks. I've always admired you too, Tizoc."

"AS YOU SHOULD!" Tizoc continued, striking a pose with his arm outstretched diagonally, and his other arm flexing. "I am the last great hero of the wrestling frontier! I have honed my serratus antierior to be a mighty shield, to protect my body from the forces of dark heel organizations! My biceps brachii are the tools of justice, to lift up the fallen, to cradle the meek, to condemn the dishonorable! My tibialis anterior helps to propel me to new heights, to stand tall and proud under the banner of good, to hoist my colors and pridefully pronounce my creed! My impenetrable occipitofrontalis protects my head from the treachery of folding chairs and cheap shots! I AM THE GRIFFON MASK! EVIL COWERS BEFORE ME, CHILDREN ADORE ME, AND WOMEN LUST FOR ME!"

Kim winced physically, just from the sheer force of his sound waves. "Argh! Tizoc, you are a respectable person... but you could certainly be less of a windbag! That arrogance is a real stain on your moral fiber!"

Tizoc, though his facial expression was hidden, showed his response to that comeback with a huge flexing of muscles. "HA! I have earned the right to be arrogant! Nobody compares to my greatness! I will fight! AND WIN! Make no mistake... the prize money does not matter to me, Kim Kaphwan! When I win this tournament, that money will go to the impoverished children of Mexico! But to pursue glory, to see one's name up on big screens, celebrated... THAT IS NO RIGHTEOUS BLEMISH! Heroes deserve to be praised, and there's nothing wrong with relishing it!"

Kim stood his ground. "Glory should be for your homeland! Not for yourself! I fight only to bring Korea greatness! Nevermind if it's my name or the name of another sportsman! As long as our country is recognized, I've done my duty! That's a true hero!"

Having finally heard enough, Tizoc tossed his cape aside. "VERY WELL THEN, KOREAN HERO! Let our ideals... and our bodies... CLASH!"

I just... I couldn't do it, ladies and gents. I could not manage three fights in one chapter. I've tried. Lord knows, you guys know, I've TRIED... and it just hasn't worked out up to 15 chaps in this bad boy. And now, even worse, this throws off my schedule for the rest of Round 1. Now I'm going to have to take an extra chapter to do Kim vs freaking Tizoc, and it feels too much like I'm padding this damn fic, which I am NOT trying to do.

Ugh. I'm aggravated that I couldn't pull it off. I'm sorry guys. I really am sorry. Round 1 just is not cooperating.

NEXT CHAP: well, two more exciting fights were going to happen, but I'm just gonna dedicate next chapter to Kim and Tizoc. Maybe some interesting behind-the-scenes drama will unfold. I dunno. I'm grumpy.

Until next time!