Before we even start this mess of a chapter, I want to apologize for several reasons. One, for taking so long. Two, for having to change plans, because this chapter just did NOT go the way I wanted it to. And third... I want to apologize if the quality of this chapter seems lower compared to others. It was just a rough chapter. I'll have to "offend you all" next chapter instead lol. Sorry!

Midway point... a good time for taking inventory. 48 complex or otherwise utterly simple souls, now 36, and the battles were only to be more brutal from this point onwards. Eliminated or not, their stories were far from yet told, as the epic of this long-running legacy had trodden but a few pages, though it felt like an eternity of emotional tension had transpired.

A group of six, longing to bring about the destruction of mankind. A splintered band of good souls, still blinded by ignorance. A fallen Kingpin, making his own schemes to rekindle his dark influence. A boy who betrayed the trust of his partner. The spawn of once evil, looking to carve his own identity, and a grudge-driven elder who threatens him. Old Wolves still sharpening fresh fangs. A long-respected culture still being fought to maintain prominence. Lost souls, seeking to find. The blind, looking to see.

What bound them all together was a thick layer of millenia-old blood; the fate of combatants to become one, and let their destinies play out in unison, as their fists created new pages and birthed new climaxes, until the cycle reset once more.

What more can be said? The story continues.


OPENING ROUND FIGHT #13: BAO VS SAISYU KUSANAGI

At this point, the most logical assumption was that Momoko and Bao, the adorable Psycho Juniors... drew the appropriately short straws.

Momoko, great a time as she had, was no match for the magnificence and elegance of Chizuru Kagura. And now Bao, her partner in cute, was forced to face a man who was feared and respected by Kyo Kusanagi himself... the man whose genes spawned the aforementioned King of Fighters champion.

To say Bao was intimidated was an understatement: the small guy was quaking where he stood, before the fearsome stature of Saisyu Kusanagi, who stood there with his arms folded, one hand slid upwards to grasp his stubbled chin.

"Hate to rain on your parade, little one," Saisyu spoke to the boy. "But I'm a man on a mission. I can't lose here."

As for Bao... he was having a very "Kensou" moment. He abruptly turned his back to Saisyu, in which he proceeded to remove the dough-shaped hat from his head... and bury his face in it.

"AHHHHH GEEEEEEZ... of all the luck. Momo-chan got sweet, lovable Chizuru as her opponent, and I got Mr. Gruffy Mc... GruffBeard! Geez. Geez geez geez. GEE WILLIKERS!"

Saisyu tilted his head, curiously fascinated by the outburst, but he remained silent. Finally, Bao turned back around... and the boy had on this utterly adorable mean-mug.

"GRRRRR. I got news for you too, Pops-sama! I'm on a mission too; to win, impress my Athena-nee and Kensou-nii, and have a good time! SO PUT EM UP!"

Saisyu stared blankly at him, his hand slowly trailing down his brown stubble... and then he tilted his head back with a good-natured laugh.

"Ha ha ha ha! Ah, kid... you belong here more than I do."

FIGHT!

The fight started... but naturally, Bao wasn't sure how to even approach the aggressive stance of Saisyu, who stood with his feet firmly spread, one hand balled in a fist, the other straightened out... and his BREATHING. Good lord, it was terrifying... his breaths were so intense, his hands would shake with every exhale. Saisyu had mastered the art of breathing, for maximum cardio and energy... or maybe he was just a heavy smoker? Nah.

As Bao stood there rather timid, the Psycho Team had gathered back on the bench in support of him.

"Does Bao-chan have any chance of winning this?" Momoko asked to her older sister figure.

Athena gave a warm smile, gently ruffling her hair. "Everyone has a chance to win, Momo-chan. You just have to believe in yours-"

"ARE YOU CRAZY?!" Kensou lamented. "That is Saisyu Freaking Kusanagi! The man probably has spanked Kyo's ass before! Literally! He could turn the four of us into ash trays-"

CONK!

"Shut up, Kensou."

"...Sorry." Kensou grumbled, rubbing the fresh knot on his dome.

Meanwhile, in the ring, things were finally underway... kinda. Bao was running through every possible scenario in which he could maybe win... the first step was obviously to try and swing on him.

"All right... hoohf, hoohf, hoohf... here I go!"

Bao charged at Saisyu and threw a solid straight right, before fluidly spinning around with a left backfist; both strikes could only reach the man's midsection, but it mattered little, as Saisyu's hand movements parried the strikes easily.

Bao went airborne for the third strike, spinning around to gain momentum and unleash a leaping kick that managed to reach his head, but failed to impact, as Kusanagi brought his forearm up as a shield. Saiysu gave a sharp push backwards against his foot, but the agile Bao somersaulted in mid-air and stuck the landing.

"You're fast." Saisyu complimented.

"Thanks~!" Bao accepted, before leaping towards Saisyu with another kick, upon which the older man crossed his forearms like an X and easily took the full brunt. The man's feet didn't budge.

Saisyu responded, swinging downwards with a swift openhanded chop; Bao easily barrel rolled out of the way and tried to come upside Saiysu's head with a double-handed slap, but Saisyu was wise to keep a free arm close to his body, and he blocked Bao's offense once more.

...Deciding to play to his strengths, Bao focused low. He twisted and fired a clipping low kick; Saisyu presented his foot and snared Bao's kick mid-flight, stumbling the boy. Bao regained himself, and went a little higher, to the shin; Saisyu once again stuck his foot out, and poor Bao's tiny kick was stopped stiff.

...Screw it. Bao tried to kick him in the groin.

Saisyu got a LITTLE uptight about that particular one, as he valued his precious Kusanagi jewels. His movements looked the slightest bit sloppy as he recoiled, and quickly extended an open hand to catch Bao's foot before it arrived. Luckily he succeeded, and Bao was left hopping on one foot, the other one snagged in Saisyu's grasp. With an annoyed grunt, Saisyu flicked his foot away, putting the young boy on his backside.

Bao got back up, straightening his hat. Okay... so obviously going hand-to-hand wouldn't work. Time to kick it up a notch...

"Alright, ready for level 2? I'm gonna show you some neat tricks now!" Bao declared, cracking his little knuckles.

...That little challenge earned a presentation of Saisyu's pearly whites. He lifted his hands, brought them close together... and the Kusanagi flame blazed between his palms.

"Entertain me then, boy."

On the sidelines, Chizuru stood with arms folded, eyes intently watching. "Oh take it easy on him, Saisyu-sama..."

Bao unleashed his hand, glowing with blue energy. "Ready? PSYCHO BALL!"

A smaller, baseball-sized version of Athena's patented move traveled towards Saisyu, the speed increased thanks to its portable form.

"Not a chance!" Saisyu boomed as he swung his flaming hand, smacking the projectile to oblivion like it was a tetherball. There was no trace remaining.

Bao wasn't discouraged; he took it more as a challenge. Bigger... he needed a bigger one...

"Psycho BALLLLLLLLL!"

Bao put more spirit into this one, producing an impressive globe-sized one, which he was able to hold in his hand. As for how to deliver it to his opponent? He had an idea.

Bao amusingly dribbled his Psycho Ball on the soft ground, the spherical projectile afforded more freedom of mobility in grass and dirt than a conventional sports ball. He got a good dribble going, gaining speed and power... and he reared back and KICKED it towards Saisyu at high speed. He'd had plenty of kickball games with his Psycho family to have a nice, powerful punt.

That one actually raised Saisyu's eyes a bit. "Impressive!" he shouted as he quickly created a flame barrier to protect his face from the fast-moving ball. The projectile impacted, and then vaporized, once again not powerful enough to overcome Saisyu's fire.

But as Saisyu put his hands back down... he was treated to a surprise. A SECOND ball was coming, this one far faster and far more solid.

"Wha- arrrrgh...!" Saisyu realized too late what it was, as the charging ball known as Bao, his body engulfed in his own Psycho Power, plowed into the older man's chest and sent him stumbling backwards several footsteps.

Athena and Momoko were off the bench.

"Did you see that?!" Momoko squealed. "Bao-chan landed a hit on Saisyu!"

"He sure did!" Athena seconded, her eyes wide.

"Wow... he did better than I ever expected him to-"

CONK!

"Alright, alright! Sheesh, you're gonna make me sprout an antenna."

In the ring, Saisyu was gently rubbing his chest, having regained himself from that surprise hit. Through it all, the man did not curse or scowl at his enemy... he instead smiled, acknowledging the fairness of the hit.

"You got me pretty good there, ha ha ha! I haven't been hit like that since my boy saved me from brainwashing!" Saisyu chuckled.

Bao smiled wide, his fighting stance carrying new confidence. "I wasn't around for that, dude! Now then... are you ready to taste defeat?!"

Saisyu smiled wider in response. "I'm eager to see what you do next!"

For this next attack, Bao put on his most serious face; a sign of something tremendous to come. Saisyu grew slightly concerned, tensing as he returned to stance...

Everyone in the audience leaned in as Bao reached atop his head, grabbed his ridiculous hat... and threw it aside. For Bao, he knew there was only one ace in the hole, one chance at winning this... he couldn't match Saisyu's fists, he couldn't match his chi... so he had to just unleash it all and lay it on the line.

"ALRIGHT! Time to show you what I've REALLY got! Athena and Kensou-nii have always told me I've got hidden potential, I just have to awaken it. Well here's some breaking news for you... human beings are known to rise to an occasion when it calls for it! What better occasion than here, the awesomest King of Fighters tourney ever?!"

Saisyu's face grew more serious. "What is he...?"

Bao took one step forward, looked at the sky, brought his fists to his sides... and he howled to the clouds above.

"Haaaaaaaaaaaah... PSYCHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Saisyu was blinded by a spectacular blue light, engulfing Bao completely and shooting upwards into the sky with its brilliance. "This kid!"

Athena and Momoko were knocked back onto their backsides from the awesome resonation of his Psycho energy, coinciding with their own. "WOWEE!"

Bao could be faintly seen within the blue aura, his eye sockets bleeding light, every hair follicle standing up his very mouth spouting energy from his great bellow.

In the sidelines, the Psycho Team were all feeling it.

"Agh... wh-what's happening, Athena-nee?!"

"It's... Bao's unleashing some kind of... great energy!"

"It's pretty amazing, right Kensou-nii?"

"...Kensou? Uh... Kensou?"

The two of them looked over; Kensou was no longer upright and intently watching, but slumped over in a sudden, onset state.

"I... I feel weak..."

In the audience, even the usually-composed Chin Gentsai was eyes wide, the precious wine from his jug dribbling down his lips in disbelief.

"Incredible... I should have known there was more to...!"

In the combat zone, Bao's power at reached its apex, upon Kensou's slip into unconsciousness. He didn't notice; he was too overcome by energy and his combative instinct compelled him to only look forward... and attack.

"THIS IS IT! SUPER...SPECIAL...ULTRA...PSYCHO BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALL!"

The enormity of it surpassed both Bao, Saisyu, even a man of Krauser's size. All three of them put together still couldn't match its mass. This humongous sphere of energy, originating from Bao's tiny body, traveled towards Saisyu, sure to demolish him upon impact.

Saisyu was visibly shaken; he hadn't prepared for this! This boy had pulled the ace to trump all aces... he had no choice...

"Hope this doesn't hurt you, kid!" Saisyu boomed as his palms grew hot. "BUT I'M NOT LOSING HERE!"

Instead of retreat, Saisyu ADVANCED... his body awash with a freshly ignited flame, so hot his eyes grew amber, embers spewing from every orifice. He brought his hands together, as he gathered his energy, to unleash one deadly strike... and he unleashed all at once!

"OROCHINAGI! DORYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Saisyu met power with power, whipping his arms out as the ferocious Kusanagi Serpent Wave burned against the Psycho Power, two exponential field of energy colliding!

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The explosion was breathtaking, the smokescreen anxiety-inducing. Nobody knew who was upright, facedown, floating in Heaven, buried in the Earth's core... all they could do was wait until it cleared...

"Is he okay?" Athena squealed.

"W-well... he's snoozing." Momoko replied.

"I was talking about Bao-chan."

"Oh. Well, I sure hope so! That explosion was HUUUUUUGE...!"

Thankfully, the smoke finally did clear: the results were to be expected, disappointing to the ones who were hoping for a crazy outcome, satisfying to those who didn't want logic (and their easy bets) to be defied.

Saisyu was standing firm, no worse for wear, though he did have a bit of a pant going on. Bao, on the other hand, was absolutely tuckered out: he was slumped onto his knees, his hands drooping by his sides, body rising and falling with exhausted breaths. He had nothing left.

WINNER: SAISYU KUSANAGI


"Hufff.. huff... hufff... can't... get up... hufffffff..."

Saisyu dusted himself off, straightened his clothes, smoothed out his facial hair, before finally approaching his fallen opponent. When at last the big man hovered over him, there were no taunting words, no shameful boasting of victory... he merely grabbed the boy's arm and helped him back up.

"Hufff... huff... I blew it..." Bao mumbled between pants. "I gave it... my all... and I blew it... huffff..."

"Sorry, kiddo." Saisyu comforted him in his own gruff way. "You got the skills, technique, heart, but you just don't have the developmental advantages to deal with a guy like me. You're too little. Got no meat on your bones. Age too tender."

"So what you're saying is... I'm a little kid?" Bao pouted.

Saisyu grinned. "Yup."

"Aww nuts."

On that depressing note, Bao could do nothing else but slump away... Saisyu was rather remorseful upon seeing this, the poor boy looking utterly stomped and disappointed with himself. Thus, the older man salvaged the situation.

"Hey, kid!"

Bao slowly turned back around; his eyes brightened when Saisyu picked the boy's hat off the ground and gently placed it back on his head.

"Give it another five years or so." Saisyu smiled. "You'll be champ for sure."

The boy's cheeks grew flushed with awe... to hear such a heralded fighter tell him that?! How could this possibly be a defeat? No... he was looking at it all wrong! Everything's clearer now! He didn't just lose... if he lost, he wouldn't feel like a soaring dragon right now! This was a VICTORY!

"Th...th... THANK YOU, MR. SAISYU!" Bao squeaked with joy. The young kid ran excitedly back to Athena and friends, laughing all the way, feeling 100% better about himself.

As Saisyu watched the boy scamper away, chuckling softly, Chizuru quietly made her way to his side. He didn't notice her presence until a soft hand touched his shoulder.

"You fought well, Saisyu-sama." she complimented.

"Thanks." Saisyu smirked. "You weren't so bad yourself."

"I'm just glad you didn't hurt the kid." Chizuru awkwardly joked.

"What, did you think I would?!" Saisyu playfully jabbed at her. The two stopped for a moment to watch Bao, full of pep, returning to the embrace of Athena and Momoko... and the man had a moment of sentiment. "Ahh... I remember when Kyo was that young."

"You'll have to tell me some stories sometime." Chizuru snickered.

"Oh I have a million of em. In fact, one time, when Kyo was just three years old..."


Back on the sidelines, the glow of Bao's fight finally dimmed back to normal, and the three found themselves focused on the current predicament.

"So, uh... Kensou-nii just fell over?" Bao questioned.

"Yeah... right after you unleashed that awesome Psycho Ball." Athena explained. "I'm thinking maybe you..."

"...Siphoned energy off him again?" Bao groaned. "Ugggggh! Why does this keep happening to us? It's so annoying! First I take the Dragon Spirit from Kensou-nii, and now this...!"

Athena quickly silenced that with a hand on his shoulder. "Please, Bao... don't put that on you, okay? It's not your fault."

"Sniffle... okay..." the boy tried to maintain a straight face, but was fighting sniffles.

"In any case, we should probably think about getting Kensou-nii to the hospital." Momoko wisely spoke up. "I know he wanted to stick around for your fight, but his leg needs proper treatment."

"You're correct, Momo-chan." Athena replied. "But I don't have time to take him, not with my fight coming up any moment. And you two can't carry him..."

"WHY ARE YOU KEEPING MIGNON WAITING?!"

Great...just when she was starting to remember the peace and tranquility of that voice's absence. With annoyed eyes, Athena turned around and was nearly smothered by pink as her persistent rival locked foreheads with her.

"I know what you're doing. You're trying to stall in here until your fight, that way Mignon can't challenge you for your entry card!" Mignon accused. The pink-haired girl then took a moment to break away and smile, pleased with herself and her astute conclusion.

"Mignon's too smart to fall for it~!" she bragged. "So now... it's time for us to rumble! We'll go right here, right now, in the Stadium! Mignon won't hold anything ba-"

"Can you take Kensou to the hospital?"

"...WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA- ah, Mignon spit a little."

The three of them were treated to the amusing and kinda disgusting sight of Mignon trying to pinch off a string of drool, from where her explosive reaction had triggered spittle as well as an outburst of floating question and exclamation marks, some flying so far Bao had to duck to avoid getting hit by one.

After regaining herself, Mignon pointed with ferocity. "Have you FORGOTTEN that Mignon is your sworn enemy? It's like you're in a different world or something, Asamiya! You just keep on with this and that and, and, and the other! You're not taking Mignon seriously and I'M SICK OF IT! SICK SICK SICK SICK SICK!"

Great... another stomping tantrum. She was flailing her fists, pounding her feet, kicking up multicolored dust clouds that made them cough. No... Mignon wasn't the one who was "sick". The purple haired girl had felt that way long before.

"ALRIGHT!" Athena shouted. "I'll make you a deal... you take the kids and help get Kensou to the hospital, and I will fight you."

Upon hearing that, she ceased her tantrum and straightened up. "R-really? You'll fight Mignon?!"

"Yes."

"But wait a minute... how do I know you won't fight while I'm g-"

"The longer you spend sitting here, you're wasting time! HURRY!"

"A-ahhh! You're right! Mignon is going now!"

Mignon turned to the kids. "Alright sprouts! Both of you grab a foot! We're dragging this doofus to a cab!"

Bao and Momoko were... understandably reluctant. They hadn't had much interaction with Mignon, and only knew her as a temporary intruder in Athena's personal life. Now, to have to follow her...?

They both turned to Athena, who nodded with consent. "Go on, you guys."

Bao was the first to oblige, as he felt personally responsible for Kensou's plight. "Cmon, Momo-chan! Kensou-nii would do the same for us!"

Momoko shook out of her confusion and followed suit. "Right! We'll follow the pink witch!"

..That triggered another explosive response. "Ah, I-I-I I AM NOT A WITCH! Mignon is a White Wizard! MIGNON THE WHITE!"

"...Doesn't have a good ring to it."

"MARCH!"


OPENING ROUND FIGHT #14: KASUMI TODOH VS KING

As many women had comprised the Women's Team over the years, it was no surprise that, once again, two of them were selected to stand on opposing sides of each other. In this awkward instance, the long-heralded leader figure of the Women's Team was facing off against a one-time member... who just so happened to be the sworn rival of her main squeeze.

This left Chizuru and Yuri in a strange place: who did they root for? Yuri didn't want to show bias, but King was like a sister to her, and, well... Kasumi had it out for her brother. Chizuru was a neutral party in this altogether, bearing no unusual circumstances towards either of them.

Thus, the only acceptable outcome was that no matter who wins, everyone would be happy. In the end, that mattered most. That being said, though... Kasumi was young and cute, and King was known to be a bitch at times. Perhaps that tipped the scales a LITTLE.

In the locker rooms, both King and Yuri were present, as Yuri's fight was coming up soon as well. This allowed the two a final moment to be together, before they could potentially see the other in the hospital next.

"Do you know who your opponent is?" King asked.

Yuri shook her head. "No... I wasn't paying attention to who got up when I did. How about you?"

"Yeah... I saw Todoh when she got her notice. Same time as me."

"Todoh eh? She uh... she's pretty fired up." Yuri giggled nervously.

"Well, I'm me." King winked. "I like Todoh and all, but I'm about to epically ruin her day."

Yuri always got a laugh out of King's depraved humor. "Heeheeheehee! Take it easy, Kingy! Remember, she's one of us."

"Ah, you wouldn't mind if I whooped her. Be nice to have one less target on your backs for a while~" King continued to poke fun with a grin.

"T-Todoh doesn't REALLY...eheheheeee!"

"Ah, just can it and gimme a hug."

The two longtime friends, former teammates, pioneers of the Women's Team, validated their eternal bond just as well as they always did: with a tight, warm, solidifying embrace, an accumulation of the years and years these two had spent together, the highs and lows, the drama, and the peacetime. Through it all, nothing would ever break what these two had.

"Love you, Kingy." Yuri mumbled into her chest.

"You're my girl, Yuri." King stroked her brown hair. "Root for me out there, and I'll see you on the other side."

"Let's kick ass and look sexy." Yuri winked as they broke away.

King smiled as she made her way to the exit. "24/7."


At last, the moment of truth had come. King walked out to a relative mix of cheers and boos, and the woman found herself starting to contemplate whether they were favoring Kasumi over her or not. Not that it really mattered... personal bias didn't enhance someone's fighting ability. And thus, King addressed the haters and supporters as well as she always did: blowing a kiss to one half of the Stadium, and flipping off the other.

When at last she arrived in the ring, Kasumi was already present: the girl was humbly knelt on one knee, eyes closed, perhaps in a silent prayer. When she heard King arrive, she did not yet get up; a few more moments passed before she opened her eyes, rose to her feet... and made sure her headband was fastened tight.

"Long time no see, Todoh." King greeted with a wave. "How you been? Stalking my dude lately?"

Kasumi did not reciprocate the playful banter, instead getting into stance with a serious face. "King-sama... it's an honor to face you. This will be another great test for me. I already defeated a Kyokugen master to get here, and now I'm going to defeat you... the woman who inspires young girls and ladies all over the globe. The woman I look up to. The woman who made us all what we are now."

King felt a slight blush coming on. "Awwwww I didn't do much... I've just been around a few blocks, haha. Anyways, thanks for saying that, but I still have to beat you for trying to go all Predator on my man. Ryo's all mine, and I'm not sharing him~"

Kasumi shook her head. "This isn't just about Ryo anymore, King-sama! I... I have other reasons... but I'll let my fists do the talking, and I suggest you do the same. I'm NOT going to lose here! I whooped Butt to get here, and I can beat you too!"

"Hey, I slayed plenty of ass to get here too."

"No, I mean I LITERALLY... oh nevermind."

FIGHT!

King came out aggressive, launching a ballista of a roundhouse, that crashed into Kasumi's shoulder and sent her stumbling back... the blue haired girl used her momentum to slingshot back forward and throw a kick of her own, aiming her tabi-clad foot into King's chest, but getting partially blocked by the blonde's forearm. King fired back with another kick, going mid and drilling into the side of Kasumi's hip. The bluenette winced... King could see her body contort as the blow struck, literally bending at an obtuse angle... that one must have really hurt.

Kasumi didn't go down, though. She came back forward firing a front kick towards the midsection, but King lifted her shin up to check it, and the attack was blocked. Taking advantage of the recoil, King rolled with the attack, leaped up, and came around with a massive spinning roundhouse, crashing into Kasumi's cheek and dropping the blue-haired girl for the first time already.

"Kasumi can't play kicks with King. That's like standing on an open road with a schoolbus." Ryo noted.

"Todoh's behaving a... little weird... don't you think, man?" Robert pondered.

"Yeah... something's off about her."

Kasumi recovered from the hit, finally back up, and slapped her cheeks a few times. She needed that... to get hit one time. It woke her up. Brought her into reality.

"Wanna rethink your plan, sugar?" King winked.

Kasumi tugged at her headband. "It's not nearly over, King-sama!"

King returned to her traditional Thai stance, and Kasumi slowly approached with her openhanded style. In this scenario, King had the superior range, as Kasumi was just far away enough into her kicking territory...

...King recognized this, and gave her a leg kick for her troubles.

"Nngh!" Kasumi's left knee buckled, when King's shinbone collided with it. She nearly fell down, but managed to spring back up at the last second.

Joe was pleased with that one. "Hooooooo dayum! Did you see that sexy kick? That was alllll me, baby."

Andy let out an unamused puff. "What are you talking about, Joe?"

"Did I tell you? King came to Thailand over the summer, just to train with me. Said she needed to brush up on the fundamentals. Yeeeeep, judging from the looks of her, I'd say my tutelage was the best thing to ever happen to her. Yeeep yep yep!"

"...Get your head out of your ass." Gato jabbed, a rare moment of animation for the still guy.

In the ring, King was still giving Kasumi punishing kicks. Another one struck low, on that same knee, and King brought her weapon back only a second before bringing it heel-first to the stomach of Kasumi, for a THIRD unanswered kick. At this range, King was, well... queen.

"What are you doing, dummy!" Malin boomed from the sidelines. "Cross the border and get in her ass!"

Hearing Malin's surprising support gave Kasumi a slight confidence boost... she was right. Kasumi was too timid. Had to get in... had to pressure!

Kasumi timed the next kick, bounced it off her forearm, and rushed forward! This time she put King on the defense, throwing several knifehand strikes in combination, forcing King to turtle up, backing her away far enough that Kasumi was able to blast her midsection with a parting kick.

That one got King riled up... and her next level came out.

"TRIPLE STRIKE!"

King showed off the true extent of her kicking mastery, as well as an impressive display of agility, as she unleashed an evolved form of her patented Venom Strike: she kicked low, launching the first one, using that momentum to swing around with a reverse kick, that launched the second one, and finally... leaping high and throwing a wide left that launched the third one.

Three fireballs, blazing pink, charged at Kasumi from all levels of height... but the blue haired girl merely closed her eyes.

"Huh?!"

Little did King know, Kasumi was ever-ready. Taking a Kendo stance, Kasumi lunged and threw an upwards swing, manifesting her chi and slicing the low fireball. She took a second lunge; this time she swing horizontally, and the mid fireball too was vaporized.

Finally, the coup de grace... she took one last lunge, delivering a mighty kiai, and threw a picture-perfect overhead swing, powerful enough that a real samurai could have bisected a tree with it.

Not only did the third fireball get obliterated... Kasumi's chi spanned far enough that it actually caught King in its path. The audience could tell when it happened, as King let out a yelp, followed by a sharp ripping noise, as pieces of white long-sleeved shirt fluttered into the breeze, and the blonde woman went down.

"Dang! She caught King!" Li Xiangfei bellowed.

"I hope she's not bleeding..." Hotaru meekly added.

"Ha! You projectile-spamming idiots just got some Kasumi 101." Malin mocked. "My girl's been training her butt off, making sure she can destroy any fireball of any shape, size and quantity that comes towards her. If King tries that again, she's f***ed."

When King arose, she had to do a quick... check. Her favorite white shirt was indeed ruined, split right down the middle, but thankfully it didn't go all the way through the bottom. There was no blood, which was also a good thing... and most importantly, her bra was still intact. Thank god she wore her extra-durable underwire one.

"Ghgh... that was... impressive." King grunted, clutching her midsection. "But did you have to go and ruin my top?"

Kasumi bowed respectfully. "Forgive me, King-sama, that was not my intention. However... now you know your fireballs won't work on me. I've mastered my Kendo for this purpose."

King's lips curled into an aggressive grin. "So it seems. But don't go marking a tally on your blackboard just yet, girlfriend. You may have nullified a big part of my game, but that's not ALL I am."

King illustrated her point, with a rhythmic slapping of her joints. "Hands, feet, elbows, knees. Count em, baby. It's called Art of the Eight Limbs, bitch. I got eight different ways to drop you."

Kasumi nodded, returning to her combat stance. "Very well then. If you present your limbs to me... they will be severed."

I don't know HOW this managed to happen in both Kumite and now the sequel, but I'm cutting a fight involving King off midway LOL. Seriously, it was totally unplanned this time! I just had to get this thing out already, because it's been two weeks!

NEXT CHAPTER: I don't know how else to say this... SHIT GOES DOWN. Plus, a very big reveal happening as well. Hopefully, this next chapter will make up for all the frustrations of this chapter, that you as well as I probably felt. Welp, until next time!