The explosive, conclusive final battle of the Twilight Tournament raged on, now with new faces to spectate. Faces long-gone, long-missed... with personal ties to each of the finalists, who expressed their reactions in their own unique ways.
Regardless, it had uncanny effects on the two; it fueled their aggression more, and birthed a second wind... for Kula's desire to triumph in the face of her reunited friends, and Iori to not be humbled in front of the man he swore to defeat.
The sidelines were still out-of-their-minds ecstatic; they barely had time to even be startled by the appearance of these forgotten figures, as the action on the battlefield had picked back up, faster, harder, more brutal than before.
"GOOOOOO KULAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
"TAKE HIM DOWN, ICE GIRL!"
"DOUSE THAT GRUMPY ASSHOLE ONCE AND FOR ALL!"
"YOU GOT THiS IORI!"
"DON'T HOLD BACK JUST 'CAUSE SHE'S A GIRL!"
They shared a valiant scream as their motivations drove their bodies together, the two going airborne at the apex of their meet; purple and blue traded, and crossed with a beautiful X shape in mid-air, as Iori's Oniyaki and Kula's Crow Bite passed through, neither scoring a clean hit. They landed back on their feet, now inverted from their original sides.
Kula came in swinging, and caught him with two hard punches; Iori made no effort to block them, and he responded with a much more powerful body punch, stunning her into a follow up leg kick. He didn't allow the buckled girl to hit the ground before finishing his combo... simply pressing into her forehead, and shoving the girl backwards off her feet with a "pie face". Kula stumbled a great distance backwards before falling on her butt. She didn't stay down long, using her hands as crutches to help herself up to shaky feet...
... But Iori was still coming at her. Drawing his forearm back, he had no reservations about letting it fly forward, batting her in the face with a wicked backhanded lariat that knocked her right back down.
"DISTANCE, KULA! DISTANCE! LIKE I TAUGHT YOU!" Whip, perhaps the most range-oriented fighter there was, coached.
Kula's ice powers activated beneath her, forming a makeshift bobsled that she used to rocket herself backwards. Springing to her feet with momentum, she played the long game, sending a volley of icicles at the fiery Yagami. Iori could have easily toasted them... but he took personal pride in using his hands instead. A flurry of slashes destroyed any projectiles in his immediate path, but several were still getting through and riddling his body. He didn't slow down one step.
"Dammit, Iori... you're as graceful as a coke fiend." Kyo shook his head and muttered.
"HRRRAHHHHHHHH!" He leaped at Kula with a Superman punch: she jettisoned to the left and countered his whiff with a kick...but Iori caught her foot, and once again demonstrated the IMMENSE strength deficit between them... picking her up by her leg and holding her up, dangling her upside down like an older brother bullying his sibling.
"P-put me down, jerky! Put m-eeeAAAHHHHH!"
Iori obliged: drawing his arm back, he chucked her a great few yards. Kula squealed as she soared through the air...but she was still composed, and knew how to use her powers defensively. Spraying a steady stream of frost beneath her, her hands acted as pseudo afterburners, slowing... controlling her descent...until she was able to land safely.
Iori scoffed, looking down at the aftereffect of her slowing frost; she'd left a trail of inches-tall ice from the point he threw her, all the way to where she landed. With a sadistic smile, he charged her again... dragging his fingers down low, he raked his claws across the ice trail, grinding it to pieces with every sprinting footstep forward, until the ice was gone and he was in her face again with a massive horizontal swipe from that same hand.
Kula ducked hard, but didn't give him that one for free; pressing her hand to his chest, she began to freeze... but she only formed a small structure, before overfilling it and detonating it against his chest, essentially the same as a shotgun blast.
"Urrgh! Damn...!" Iori was blown backwards in a harsh stumble...but he spun with the momentum to control his footing, and came back around, flinging two retaliatory fireballs. "HAAH, RRAHH!"
They flew too fast, too accurate...Kula had no choice but to shell up and tank the blasts. Her ice shield did the best it could, but the second one destroyed her defense and sent her reeling to the ground.
"Iori's starting to get the advantage again." Jenet pointed out.
"Man, what's it take to bring this guy down?!" Xiangfei grumbled. "Kula's hit him with everything she's got, and he's still walking..."
"Tch..." Benimaru scoffed at that fool notion. "Obviously you don't know the guy well enough. You might as well face the reality right now... nothing can stop Iori Yagami. Nothing. Trust me, I've been down that rabbit hole enough times to count on two hands and two feet."
"He's still only a man." Robert reminded.
"Tch... hardly."
"HaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAH!"
"HrrraaaaaaaaaaaaAUUUHHHH!"
Their next clash was grandiose: Iori's flaming hand went forward, matched by the ferocity of Kula's ice hand... their strikes collided, and purple met blue in a huge explosion of chi.
...Ultimately, Kula lost the exchange, as the ice girl's body was rocketed backwards in an uncomfortable tumble, skidding a great few yards away from the Yagami, who stood firm and triumphant.
"Damn! Iori's really gonna get her..." Mary grit her teeth.
"This looks like the end..." Terry shook his head.
Even now, her reunited posse tried their best to get them fired up.
"CMON KULA! DON'T QUIT!" Whip cheered. "KU-LA! KU-LA! KU-LA! KU-LA! KU-LA! KU-LA!"
"KU-LA! KU-LA! KU-LA! KU-LA!" Maxima joined in. He looked over at his grumpy counterpart, and elbowed him. "Cmon man, cheer!"
"Yeah... not happening." K' dismissed.
On the battlefield, a battered Kula returned to shaky feet. Her nerves and muscles begged her to quit...but the moment had become far too important. She COULDN'T quit now. She had to win. For Seirah. For Maxima. For...
"KULA! KULA! KULA! KULA! KULA! KULAAA!"
She looked over at the sidelines; Seirah was leading them all in chant. They all joined in...Diana, Foxy, Maxima...of course K' and Gato didn't, but the rest who supported her yelled for her victory in unison.
Even...
"KULA-CHAN! KULA-CHAN! KULA-CHAN! KULA-CHAN!"
It was enough to bring a small tear to her eye...but was quickly wiped away, and she turned to face her fearsome adversary again. She wouldn't let him see her cry again.
Even after taking some hellacious hits, a shirtless, frazzled Iori still stood firm and aggressive, either sporting endless cardio or just being too stubborn to lose. Having Kyo on the sidelines worked wonders...he wouldn't DARE go down to anybody else while he was standing there.
"Cmon Iori! Don't let them get in your head!" Athena encouraged.
"Screw all them! No mercy on Lollipops!" Malin demanded, pumping her fist.
"You're close to winning... don't let up!" Chizuru smiled.
It was nice to have some support of his own...but Iori largely overlooked them, in favor of that one smirking douchebag to the left. As long as his eyes were on this fight, that was all that mattered.
"Pay attention, Kusanagi..." Iori muttered softly. "This'll be you soon enough."
He turned to his opponent. "Hey, ice brat! GOT ANYMORE MOVES TO SHOW ME?!"
The response wasn't what he expected...even now, after such beatings... a coy smile spread on her lips.
"I have one."
Iori wondered what she meant, but his curiosity was sated quickly when he saw her left hand reach towards the right... and anyone who knew the nature of what was on her hands, knew that was not a good sign.
"What is she doing?" Vanessa panicked. "What is she doing?! Is she...?"
"Oh no..." Seth grit his teeth hard.
Iori's eyebrow raised and he slightly tensed up...when he saw the fingers peel back the black and gold glove residing there... revealing the fair skin of her bare hand.
The glove hit the floor.
"KULA! NOOO!" Diana cried. She instinctively took a step forward... but the intensity of the moment and the stakes involved caused her to hesitate, and freeze in place. Foxy was of a similar uncertainty.
Kula didn't stop there. The now bare hand reached over to the other, still gloved... in one quick motion, that too was shed.
"It's about to get very, very cold in here." Mary warned.
"She's gonna freeze us all...!" Joe whined, thankfully not as unclothed as he usually was.
Kula's eyes glowed red, so bright that the whites disappeared altogether. Her hands, in their pure, unrestrained state, rose upwards...
...And a terrifying power unleashed.
WHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHH!
Before Iori could utter a one-syllable curse, a wind so powerful, so slicing cold, crashed into him in waves, uprooting his feet and blowing his powerless body into the first hard structure that could stop it: the concrete of the stadium.
"Iori!"
"She blew him away like a leaf!"
"This is her raw... uninhibited power...I'm not sure she can even control it."
"We uh... Might wanna invest in an escape plan?"
Iori had to strain himself just to stand on two feet. He looked ahead; her smaller body exuded such a force, the ground around her feet was icing up, slowly spanning a larger and larger radius... and around her, seemingly naturally, ice structures began to take solid shape, forming a beautiful and terrifying monument in the Stadium...the NESTS weapon, the living work of art.
"S-so...f***in...cold..." Iori grumbled, summoning his own aura just to provide comfort. But as a field of fire surrounded his body, the most peculiar thing happened...it was snuffing out around him!
"Wh-what the... urrghhh..." Iori tried to summon his flames again, putting a bit more aggression into it... but his body only glowed for a few solid seconds, before the brutalizing blizzard put it out again. This power... it truly was the bane of fire users. Even the cursed Yagami flames couldn't stand against it.
"It's so cold... we're gonna freeze to death just sitting here."
"There's just no beating this... it's so cold, even a fire would ice over. She hits Iori one time with this power, he's done."
"I don't know about that. If anyone can get hot enough to melt anything, it's Yagami. Those flames of his aren't exactly... normal."
Quit was hardly ever a word in Iori's dictionary...but somehow, this ice brat, that he'd just been chatting with a day earlier, had produced the most miserable fight he could recall in recent memory. Adelheid was an adrenaline fueled barn burner... but this? Such a cold, unfeeling, oppressive power blowing against him... just by standing there, her very aura kept him pinned against the wall, chilling him... tormenting him into submission. Collapsing right now and not getting back up would free him from this, and at long last, grant him sweet, blissful rest.
... But his own body had other plans.
"URRKK...!"
TH-THUMP.
His next heartbeat felt like a hammer pounding against wood, enough to produce a gurgle. The cold suddenly became an afterthought, as he felt the blood in his vessels rage, nearly bursting... his insides started to heat up, and he felt his lungs burn so fiercely, he wanted to cough, but he was afraid he'd expel his insides.
And finally...that voice spoke. The voice of temptation. The voice of the Devil.
"YOU'VE BEEN A BAD SERVANT, YAGAMI... YOU'RE A DISGRACE TO YOUR LINEAGE. THE FLAMES ARE WASTED ON YOU."
"GURRRGH... GUUURRHhhhkkk?!" Iori felt something bubble in his throat, and he didn't know if it was bile or blood. His limbs spasmed, his body seemingly trying to move... on its own...
"BUT NOW'S YOUR CHANCE TO MAKE THINGS RIGHT. YOU CAN DO IT RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW... SUCCUMB TO YOUR DARK DESIRES. LET ULTIMATE POWER TAKE YOU. WILL YOU LET ONE INSIGNIFICANT LITTLE GIRL DISGRACE YOU IN FRONT OF EVERYBODY? WELCOME MY INFINITE POWER INTO YOUR HEART, AND STRIKE HER DOWN! TURN HER PRETTY BLUE INTO RED, ALL OVER THESE WALLS!"
Anyone who knew Iori, and the legend, knew the signs. Chizuru, Saisyu, Benimaru, Shingo and Kyo were IMMEDIATELY on high alert.
"Oh my GOD..." Chizuru worried. "He's...!"
"Iori, nooooo... not here, not now!" Benimaru joined in fret. He looked over at Shingo, and those protective instincts kicked in again...
Saisyu stepped forward. "KYO! Son, we have to stop... arrrgh!" But his advance was short-lived... his wounds told on him, as the Kusanagi elder was in no shape to step in and stop a Yagami on the cusp of rampage.
Kyo, meanwhile, was in perfect shape, and his hands were already spawning flames. He took a step forward... but was hesitant. He bit his lip, and muttered a small plea. "Iori... please fight it... I know you can."
The rest of the sidelines weren't blind to the signs either. Several of them, who had experienced the macabre and menace of '97, had reason to be worried.
"That's...not good." Mary noted. "When Iori looks like that, bad things happen."
"Maybe now, we REALLY need to start running." Terry already had a hand on her arm.
"Andy, I hate to be a cliche and hop in your arms but... it'd be easier to stay together that way." Mai was making preparations of her own.
"King, stay behind me!" Ryo protected, earning an eyeroll from the kickboxer.
"Robbie, stay behind me!" Yuri jumped in front of her boyfriend, earning a cocked eyebrow.
"Jenet... GET IN FRONT OF ME!" Malin sang a contrasting tune.
"G...gu...gughh..." Iori felt his own muscles pulling against him, his body tightening up, like he was wrapped in wet carpet... it didn't feel like a battle his physical self could win. No control of his own body... his actions... it came so abruptly, that damned Orochi... always watching, waiting for the opportune moment to pounce... and now here it was.
"ONE BY ONE...YOU CAN EVEN TAKE YOUR TIME IF YOU WANT. BUT SAVE HIM FOR LAST...MAKE KUSANAGI FEAR YOU. MAKE HIM HATE AND CURSE YOU AND BEG FOR MERCY TO HIS LAST BREATH. THAT'S WHAT YOU WANT MORE THAN ANYTHING, RIGHT? I CAN MAKE YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE, RIGHT NOW! JUST DO IT... KILL...KILL...KILL...KILL THEM ALLLLLLLLLLL!"
While his eyes were still his own, he looked out and saw him... Kyo was standing there, a fierce look, both hands ablaze. The Kusanagi was watching him... judging him... no doubt belittling him for slipping. He probably couldn't resist the urge to jump in and attack... self-righteous prick! What right does he have to judge...?!
...His eyes looked the other way. At Chizuru. She was so worried... so scared... probably thought he was a freak. A danger to society. Better off dead. Maybe he was, if he slipped away now... a life where Chizuru looked at him with that face, wasn't a life worth living.
"YES... I CAN FEEL YOU LETTING ME IN... LET GO IORI... LET GO... JUST CLOSE YOUR EYES AND I'LL MAKE EVERYTHING OKAY. I'LL MAKE YOU THE KING OF THIS HOPELESS ROCK..."
"Iori...!" Chizuru's eyes trailed tears. "Please... don't..."
Kyo took another step forward dangerously close to charging in. "Dammit Iori! Don't make me come down there...!"
NO. NOT THIS TIME. He was tired of it. Tired of wondering if Chizuru was scared of him. Tired of wondering if Kyo looked down on him. It was exhausting, living with it all the time... they could tell him no a million times, but that torturous uncertainty would always be there...
...He decided that wasn't going to be the narrative. He wanted Kyo's respect. He wanted to no longer push Chizuru away. And so, right here, on the final day plus one of the Twilight Tournament... he took the narrative into his own hands.
"G...GRRR...GUUUGHH...RIOT... HOW MANY... URGH... TIMES..." Blood drizzled down Iori's lips with how hard he mustered his words. "DO... I HAVE TO TELL YOU..."
...One last roar, and blood flew from his mouth. "TO SHUT THE FUCK UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!"
Everything went eerily silent... combatants and spectators alike. Kula's natural aura still chilled the atmosphere, but things had oddly started to warm up a little, as if the power radiating from her had weakened...or something was pushing back against it.
"Look!"
"Iori, he's...!"
No longer pinned against the wall, Iori was just... standing there. His body was hunched, arms hanging low, and harsh, ragged breaths exhaled with such a force, his mouth gave off literal steam...but he no longer seemed bothered by the massive potency of Kula's uninhibited ice aura.
His head finally lifted, and anyone could see it, plain as day...the absence of color in his eyes.
At this point, they didn't know what to think; Kyo and Chizuru's legs had given up the dilemma whether to intervene or not, and as such were just stuck in a limbo, faces agape. Iori had Rioted...but it felt different. It didn't even feel... scary.
"Guuuh...guuuh.. gurrrh..."
He gave off the usual unintelligible grunts, which was always a concern, but... then, something extraordinary happened.
"I... I'm in...cuhh... control."
Everyone who had seen the terrible, uncontrollable rage of Riot Iori in the past, were at a loss for words. The man before them stood hunched, darkened skin, his claws flexing with a thirst for blood, just like those horrific memories... but the words were his own.
"Oh..."
"My..."
"God..."
"HRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
He slammed a fist into the ground, producing such a tremendous shockwave, it cracked the ground at their feet in a radius that spanned all the way to his opponent. Kula felt the foundation beneath her become shaky, and she lost her balance, and thus, her concentration; with a slight yelp, she stumbled and fell, no longer able to focus her blizzard aura against him.
Kyo hadn't come here prepared to be surprised... but Iori had shook him to the core. He expected the Yagami to win, but... not like THIS... he wasn't expecting today, another day in their LONG-tenured history... for the redhead to show him something new.
"HAAHHH...HAAA...HAAAHH..." Iori skulked forward with no urgency, looking less a man than a hungry zombie. His lack of urgency allowed Kula ample recovery time, and the ice girl demonstrated just how exponentially her power had grown. Eyes piercing red, she extended her palms forward and a humongous blue energy shot out and took form, in the shape of an ice fist that could have belonged to a Greek statue.
It soared forward from her hands, with speed and mass overwhelming, on a crash course to the Yagami, who seemed ill prepared to defend it...
...But he was better off than anyone thought. Opening his arms wide, he allowed the fist to crash into him with all it's destructive might... and his arms wrapped around it, securing it tight, like it was a mere soccer ball.
"Hnngh... strength...such amazing strength...in me...HRRRRRNNNGHHHHHHHH!"
He squeezed...and squeezed...and the ice structure, easily five times his size, shattered to pieces as easy as prop glass.
"HOLY... LOOK AT THAT!" Joe screeched. "THAT'S RIDICULOUS!"
"It's not ridiculous... it's Iori." King pointed.
Kula was vexed, but continued. Her palms formed another structure, this one spherical...it easily grew to a size beyond human survivability, and she added spikes for extra stoppage power, before launching it forward like a projectile. The gigantic spiked ball soared towards Iori, sure to hit its mark...
...But Iori again did the unthinkable, drawing his fist back and letting it fly, to punch the enormous wrecking ball as it came at him...as his knuckles impacted, an ecosystem of cracks littered it, before it too exploded, into harmless particles.
"D-DAMMNNNNNNN!"
The entire Stadium was in a chorus of gasps as ice bits rained down all over Iori... each one vaporizing to steam as it touched his body.
Iori's confidence finally kicked in, and he put his legs in full motion, running at her with every intent to unleash. Kula still had plenty of energy to expel herself, and she planted her hands on the ground, sending a TIDAL WAVE of ice sailing towards him, easily enough to crush a normal man.
Iori's eyes glowed purple. His body followed suit, and his hands lashed out with a stream of Yagami flames...bigger than anything he had conjured with such little effort in the past. The flames were so pure, they almost had no violet hue...more blue in appearance than any other color.
"I... f-feel... so fast... so strong..." He hissed out in inner monologue, as he witnessed his flames melt Kula's impressive repelling wave to nothing. He finally got close enough to strike, and he flew at her with a dive-bombing fist, striking the ground so fiercely, it left a crater the size of a swimming pool. Going airborne was Kula's only saving grace; using her palms as afterburners, she jettisoned herself to safety, the frost she left behind taking solid shape behind her.
Where she had used ice to slow her landing, an impressive glacier was left behind. Placing her hand on it, she deconstructed it piece by piece, sending a machine gun volley of projectiles at the still charging opponent.
...But even as they impacted against him, hit, after hit, after stopping hit...he just kept coming, like he felt nothing.
"Ultimate...power... burning inside me...it's so hot...but it burns...GOOD...!"
Kula planted her hands and unleashed more of her seemingly unlimited power; a stream of stalagmites came at him, each one as tall as an aged oak... Iori's fingers flexed, and he let his hands fly.
SLASLASLASLASLASLASLASLASLASLASH!
He lost count of how many he cleaved through...they just kept coming, but they all fell. He felt strong enough to level an entire forest.
"Nothing can hurt me... nothing can stop me...I'm... INVINCIBLE..."
"This is... I can't believe this is happening right now." Chizuru's legs wobbled. "I feel like... falling over."
"The Yagami whelp has certainly surprised me." Saisyu put a hand to his chin. "I had heard the horror stories, but never witnessed it personally... and now this..."
"Could he really be in control?" Benimaru wondered.
"Well look at him!" Shingo pointed. "Anyone with eyes can see it... that's the real deal. That's Iori Yagami." The boy, who had once suffered horrific injuries against him, now looked upon Riot Iori with no fear.
"RRAAGH!" he finally got close enough to touch her, and he grabbed her, throwing her with as little effort as tossing a pebble...but her body flew fast and hit hard, crashing well into the concrete of the Stadium, leaving a Kula-shaped hole.
"KULA! Oh god, I can't watch this anymore...!" Diana cried as she buried herself into Foxy's arms.
"This is better than pay per view~" Angel, meanwhile, wished she had popcorn.
Kula was more than rattled, but she acted fast. Her hands along the ground, she spawned her next trickery: a flat plane beneath his feet became ice, then in front, behind, to the left and right... their purpose was finally revealed when the four flat slabs surrounding him suddenly became animated, rising all around him...until they closed, effectively locking him in an ice box.
The ice girl's trick didn't end there. "HAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The very air around her began taking solid shape, forming sharp, sword like structures... and they flew forward, skewering the box, a homage to a classic magic act... but with REAL intent behind it.
"JESUS, SHE RAN HIM THROUGH!"
"She's trying to kill him!"
From the looks of what she'd created- an ice prison, now riddled with blades in every pore- it seemed impossible to think that her opponent could still continue, much less stay breathing.
...But against all logic, the "magic box" was enveloped in blue violet, and an explosion obliterated her creation, leaving only a shirtless, howling mad lunatic.
"But...but HOW?!"
At this point, it was a plausible theory Iori Yagami had truly become invincible.
"Alright Iori, you've shown off enough!" Kyo yelled out to his rival. "FINISH IT!"
This time, he made sure she couldn't run; spawning a ring around her, the flames stood too tall, too hot to dare crossing...she was trapped.
Or so he thought. The ice girl still had fight left in her, eyes glowing bright and her frigid aura exploding all around her...what seemed unthinkable actually happened, as the towering flames around her became solid ice, and Kula turned the tables once again.
...Not. As quickly as she had frozen his flames, Iori already sent out more, and it became a glorified tit-for-tat match, as the Yagami enveloped her ring ice in yet another perimeter of blue violet flames... bringing her right back to square one: trapped, with an aggressive Yagami running at her.
She was down to one card. She was cut off, but he had narrowed the field down to one linear path, and he was running directly at her. The only move she had left to make was to hit him right down the middle, with something so big, so mighty, it'd put him down...
Raising her hand high, she began to gather energy again...a LOT of it, so much that her body visibly shook and twitched with the strain of the massive influx. The accumulation in her palm began to expand, stretch and mold, into a specific shape, a long horizontal rod-like object, and it only grew bigger...bigger...BIGGER...
"Holy...what is she making?"
"Some kind of weapon."
"It's...!"
Kula was full on screaming now, with the force of the energy she was exerting into this craft. The long, slender object in her hand had grown to at least 30 feet in length, and finally revealed it's intention, when a sharp, jagged tip appeared on the end of it...
"It's a javelin. The biggest I've ever seen."
"It's as big as a... telephone pole!"
"If she throws that thing at Iori... he's dead. Destroyed. No man can survive that."
"That thing in the ring...is not a man. He's a perfect engine of destruction."
The throwing weapon had grown to at least 50 feet in her hand...even the base was too big for a human hand to grip. She either had assured faith in Iori's ability to survive such a force, or she simply didn't care.
Regardless, an unstoppable force was moving at her...and she had every intent to stop it, by any means.
Kula couldn't physically throw it, but all she had to do was extend her palms forward, unleash the final ounces of contained power within her...and the devastating missile, that could probably punch a hole through a building, fired at Iori right down the middle...the only way he could possibly dodge it was to break off his forward motion and go left or right.
"Oh my god she threw it!"
"It's going right for him!"
...But Iori stayed his course. Looking death in the face, the Rioted Yagami either knew exactly what was coming at him, or his mind was too gone to notice.
"IORIIIIIII!" Chizuru squealed. "DODGE IIIIIIIIIIIITTTTTTTT!"
"HRRRAHHHHHHHH!" Blue violet flared all around Iori, and his body became a living ball of flame. He still maintained his course, running directly at her, even as the javelin crashed headlong into him.
"HOLY...!"
Kula looked closely to measure the extent of the damage...and her eyes widened when she saw there was none.
Like a pencil being shoved into a sharpener, Iori's flame aura chewed it down...foot...by foot...by foot.. until the entire field was engulfed in a cloud of steamy aftereffects, blinding everyone to what was assuredly about to be the final move of the fight.
Kula too was affected by the steam, unable to see anything in front of her nose. She had to blow it away... quickly...!
...But her short window expired abruptly, as did her chances of victory.
A figure popped out of the steam, and next thing she knew, her opponent was in her face, having not been slowed down a bit. He snatched her with one hand and threw her to the ground, as his terrifying eyes glowed purple, and he raised his hands...
"HrrrrrrrrRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
He slammed his hands into the ground at their feet...and the ring of fire surrounding them EXPLODED with life, shooting high enough into the sky that one could swear it reached the clouds.
If anyone had ever lived to tell about Hell...this is probably what it felt like. Surrounded by purple, as far as the eye could see, the rest of the world shut out around her. A heat so agonizing, so tortuously crippling, she felt the moisture in her body evaporate like a puff of a cigarette. Her skin cried out in pain, like she was burning alive... but the flesh still remained on her bones. He was going easy on her... EVEN NOW...?
She felt her consciousness slip away, and she did the only thing she could: raise a single hand in defiance and attempt to fight back fate. But as she tried to manifest her ice powers...only a harmless sputter came out. These flames...had drained her completely.
Her last thought before everything became a blur was... how heavenly a milkshake would be right now.
For everyone's sake, the flames subsided. The field was at last clear, as was the sight before them...a sight that struck everybody silent.
Iori was himself again. His body shook, like a swaying ship, as the extent of what he had unleashed left him nearly out on his feet. Nonetheless...he was the one standing. That was more than what could be said for Kula, who was on the ground, passed out, but thankfully breathing. Her ice powers were actively rescuing her from dehydration, as unconscious mechanical functions absorbed the atmosphere's moisture back into her body...but only enough to stay alive. Her ability to fight was out of the question.
The winner was official. After 48 warriors put everything on the line for this second chance... only one still stood among them.
WINNER OF THE TWILIGHT TOURNAMENT... IORI YAGAMI!
Regardless of who was on whose side, the spectators all rushed the field in one big stampede, to flank the victor and defeated alike.
"Iori!"
His posse ran out there to him quickly, honestly more concerned about his well-being at the moment than congratulating him on winning. Shingo tried to get in closer, but Benimaru jumped in front of him, natural protective instincts kicking in. Saisyu stood on guard, ready to repel at a moment's notice...
Chizuru was the only one who approached without fear. "Iori?"
She inched closer, to where he now sat crouched, hands and head hanging downwards, visible hard breaths panting in his animated lungs. She finally got close enough to touch him...
"Iori...are you okay? Iori? Please speak to m-MMMM?"
Everyone tensed up when Iori's body went into motion, snatching up the Kagura maiden in his arms... Chizuru didn't know what to expect, and she SURE was caught off guard when Iori's lips instantaneously crashed into hers, dipping her torso over like it was the climax of some sappy flick. Before she had a second to collect herself, Iori brought her back up and pulled away with a loud smooch, leaving her standing there, mouth agape, as well as everyone else who had witnessed it.
After that... startling occurrence... Iori, whose lucidity was still in question, eyeballed them all with that classic look of infinite snark, still holding a bewildered Chizuru.
"The f*** are you looking at?"
Shingo finally broke the mold with the first clap: Benimaru joined in, followed by Athena, followed by Jenet and Malin...finally, most everybody, even the ones who were rooting for Kula, had joined in with a celebratory applause for the victor of a hard fought battle.
"WOOOOOOOO YAGAMI!" Shingo whooped.
"YOU DID IT~!" Athena cheered.
"Never doubted it for a second." Benimaru scoffed.
Even after earning the most prestigious title in combat sports, Iori still wore a poker face like no other, not allowing himself a smile after a roaring reception, after cheers and chants alike, after being crowned King of Fighters. The only thing that lightened his expression was when Chizuru threw her arms around him, and her cheek met his.
"Im proud of you, Iori." she praised. "You never quit. You never gave up."
"No..." Iori corrected her. His hand reached upwards, to gently stroke that smooth, raven hair. "You didn't give up on me, when any sensible person would. So thanks..."
"Oh Iori..."
Their rather tender moment was interrupted by someone else who wanted in; Athena crashed into his left side with a glomp, and Iori suddenly found himself with women in both arms.
"Good job Iori! You were so awesome out there!" Athena gushed. "A little scary...but awesome~!"
Iori gave a menacing smirk. "Heh, what's to be scared of? I'd never hurt a fly...hmhmhmhm..."
From a distance, a steamed Kensou watched the sight of Iori, hands full, with great envy. "He thinks he's so cool... what do girls see in a rude, shortspoken, pompous, arrogant jerk like him... stupid perpetuating stereotypes..."
His bemoaning monologue was broken up by a pair of hands on his shoulder. "Kensou-nii, control yourself."
Another tiny pair of hands flanked the other side. "At least you have us~"
Kensou's expression towards Bao and Momoko deadened. "Yeeah great, just what a grown man needs...two little runts-OWWW!"
A fierce hand slapped his back, but the weirdest part was...little cartoon stars floating out upon impact. That could only mean...
"There are other fish in the sea, Kensou! Athena's overrated anyway. Mignon is pretty sure I'd win in a cuteness contest. She might beat Mignon in singing...but that's a hard maybe~!"
At this point, Kensou was begging for the company of an old drunkard more than anything.
Iori's victory circle was finally interrupted by a familiar voice: one he'd not been graced with all week, almost to the extent of withdrawal symptoms.
"Do I get a kiss too?"
Iori locked eyes with him one good time, and all the familiar feelings came rushing back... he'd almost forgotten, how easily the SIGHT of him could get his blood pumping, much less hearing his voice.
Iori was almost a man possessed, breaking up his congratulatory recession to stomp towards that insufferable face, that already had his hand twitching with anticipation... before he knew it, that hand had balled into a fist.
"No... you get a different one." Iori muttered menacingly.
Kyo's eyebrow cocked. "What are you talking ab-"
KAPOW!
To everyone's surprise...or perhaps NO surprise, an interaction between the Kusanagi and Yagami heir ended with one of them hitting the ground. In this case, it was Kyo, now nursing a sore cheek which would no doubt start swelling soon.
"Hey what the hell, man?!" Kyo was quick lash, jumping to his feet and meeting Iori with a two-handed shove. "What was that for?!"
Iori barely recoiled. "You're a selfish prick, that's what!"
Kyo snarled, immediately knowing what this was about. "Oh don't even start this crap with me, Yagami-"
"No I AM gonna start with you!"
Refusing to see himself as the prosecuted, Kyo fired back. "I don't care if you think I shirked my duties...I wanted a break, and I think I'm entitled to one."
Iori wasn't having it. "Look, I didn't even want to enter this tournament. Chizuru did. But I still came, didn't I?"
"Well, that was your choice. If you had wanted to sit this year out, I wouldn't have said a damn thing about it!"
"We don't GET to sit one out, DUMBASS!" Iori exploded emphasis with his words.
Kyo only took a step closer, getting in his face...until their noses touched.
"Well guess what...I just did."
Silence. Tension that even slashing hands would struggle to cut. Chizuru was dangerously close to stepping in, but when things went silent like they did, she was compelled to stop...and wait.
Thankfully, the fire did cease, as Iori simply backed away, but not yet turning away. He took one last shot.
"You might be a better fighter than me...but I'm a better man than you."
Kyo had no response. Iori at last turned his back and walked away, leaving Chizuru to step in with damage control.
"Well...that could have gone better."
Kyo scratched the back of his head. "Ahh... it went about as expected. You probably feel the same way... don't you?"
Having been put on the spot, Chizuru looked awkwardly around, then down at her feet, then back at Kyo. "I...am just grateful we were able to handle it. Iori, your father and me. The hypotheticals don't exist, so there's no point wondering what could have been."
Kyo gave a half chuckle, his foot kicking up a wisp of dirt. "There's no way I can get away with this a second time, eh?"
Chizuru smirked. "No there is not."
The Kagura maiden walked away, leaving Kyo in solitude for only a second, before perhaps the only person on his side comforted him with a hand on the shoulder.
"Good to see you, son." his father smiled. Kyo smiled back in part.
"He clocked me pretty good."
Saisyu grinned. "You'll get him back."
Kyo laughed. "Of course I will."
"How's Mom?"
"She's fine. Her and Yuki are having girl time back at the house."
On Kula's end, her dearest companions surrounded her to comfort her in defeat. Kula was really pleased; as bad as she wanted to win the fight...this moment now, being able to crash into Seriah's arms, and feel her gloved hand stroke her hair...that was priceless.
Diana and Foxy opted to keep their distance, to let Kula enjoy a proper reunion...one that was a long time coming.
"Seirah! Sniff sniff...Seirah..." Kula held back no tears. "I...sniff...missed...sniff...you...sniff...so muuuuuuch!"
"I know you did, sweetie." Whip soothed. "And I'm so sorry. But we're together again...ALL of us."
"MAXIMAAAAAA!"
The only incentive to break out of Whip's arms was only to crash against Maxima's tank-like frame, and be embraced by the closest thing she had to a father.
"Seriah's right." He smiled. "I wouldn't dream of leaving my princess alone a second time."
...And then there was him. Encased in a bubble of love and warmth and comfort, he was the odd man out. The variable. The factor. Kula looked past them to see him standing there, hands partially in pockets, just as ordinary as the last time she'd saw him. As if he had never gone missing out of the blue, and turned her world inside out.
"Will you excuse me for a second?" Kula squeezed through the barrier of Diana, Foxy, Candy, Whip and Maxima and approached him, without fear, even as he shot that usual glare that would intimidate or provoke anyone else.
Her entire half of the cast went silent with anticipation, as most everyone knew the power of this reunion... when her feet finally stopped, right before his, and their eyes met...all throats stopped swallowing.
Surprisingly, K' was the first to break the silence, and he opened with his typical deadpan bluntness. "You should've won that."
Kula's response was unexpected to say the least. She said nothing... simply drew back her foot, and let it fly into his shin.
"OWWWW!" the perpetual cool guy was instantly reduced to decomposition and rage. "What the f*** you little turd?!"
Kula's aura could have been confused for fire, the way her face reddened and complimented her auburn locks. Her eyes began to flood with wetness as she barked in response. "Don't cuss at me you...you...SHIT FACE!"
"KULA, LANG... actually I'll let that one slide." Diana shrugged.
Kula was full on guns blazing. "YOU LEFT! YOU LEFT ME! YOU DIDNT SAY A WORD AND YOU LEFT ME HERE LIKE I'M NOTHING! AND THEN SEIRAH AND MAXIMA LEFT TO GO FIND YOUR WORTHLESS ASS AND IVE BEEN ALONE...sniff... I've been so alone..."
K' could feel his shell cracking fast. He looked around; everyone's eyes bore down on him, and they all looked like they wanted to go at him with pitchforks. His teeth bared as his body language visibly shook with awkwardness. Being put on the spot like this was NOT his strong point...and his response demonstrated as such, not helping his case.
"D-d-dammit Kula, I had... my reasons! Personal reasons! A-and I don't have to justify myself to anyone, especially a runny-nosed, blubbering little shit like you!"
Kula balled up her fist at him, and he visibly recoiled...
... But it never came. At this point, everybody was quiet, even Iori's side. They all watched the tension unfold, as Kula looked... surprisingly calm in the eve of such an insult. Her tears strangely stopped flowing, and instead of more sniffles... just a weary sigh.
"You're a stupid jerk."
She put her fist down, and crashed into his torso, her arms wrapping tight around his neck. "But you're my jerk."
In their own special, unorthodox way, the fire and ice weapons, opposites in nature, had turned this into a tender moment, enough to elicit "awwwwwwwww"s from the spectators. For better or worse, awkward or hostile... their group was finally whole again. She was complete.
... Except for one little lingering corner piece.
"...You guys did a number on the place."
That voice belonged to Adelheid, who had finally finished his public obligations, and thus limped out of the eye of the media to come witness the final outcome. Rose was behind him...but understandably meek, and she clung behind him, not making her presence felt (a rarity for her).
"So who won?"
He addressed the crowd, who all turned their eyes in the same direction: Iori, not the boastful type, said nothing, just stood there with his arms folded.
Adelheid smiled slightly. "That doesn't surprise me one bit."
He looked down at his left hand, still containing the shimmering gold KOF trophy, which was to be presented to the winner. Hoisting it upwards, he approached Iori, and held it out. "This belongs to you, not me."
Despite the ultimate prize being held in front of his face, Iori's arms remained right where they were. "Keep it. For appearances."
Adelheid nodded, retracting his offer. He then motioned to Rose; she seemed reluctant, but a facial expression from him urged her on, and she sighed, pulling out a checkbook from her dress. She took out the pen inside and put it to paper.
"Unfortunately, I don't have the cash prize to give you. I guess we can thank Mr. Big for that. So...2.5 million enough?"
Iori's eyes only rested on the checkbook for a passing second, before he turned and focused elsewhere... on the girl he just beat. Surrounded by her loved ones, all holding her up, smiling, laughing as she told them story after story... so different from him. One big happy family.
With a sharp shoulder shrug, and a dismissing click of his teeth, he gestured in that direction with his head. "Give it to her."
Those were his last words at the proceedings, as he departed abruptly, without warning. Everyone started to notice, but nobody could muster the words to stop him, as his feet gathered more and more distance... until he was no longer a presence. Nobody understood, but... nobody had to. That was Iori's style, to a tee.
"Kula! Kula Diamond!"
Kula's overdue reunion was interrupted by Rose calling out to her. They all turned in that direction, where the hostess approached the group, and, in her hand...
The ice girl's eyes widened with wonder when she saw the tiny rectangular slip of paper presented to her.
"This is yours."
She didn't know what to think, or what move to make next. The excitement bubbled in her like a pot boiling over; all she could do was look around at everyone else, and they urged her on with reassuring smiles. She turned back to it, still being held by Rose... and she extended a shaky hand, accepting it, holding it up high, like it was some priceless jewel, shimmering in the sun.
2.5 million dollars. It was all hers. It was THEIRS.
There was all manner of emotions, and outbursts she could have made at that moment... but it was a surprisingly solemn transaction, for Kula had already made up her mind what her course of action was. Rather than let the prize money linger on her, she instead walked across the way, past the crowd, to where two Japanese figures stood: one tall, with broad shoulders... the other, shorter, reserved, with a fuzzy yellow animal by her neck.
Kula swallowed nervously, approaching the blue-haired girl, and the whole Stadium fell silent, respecting the tension of the moment. Hotaru looked back at her, with no malice or ill-will in her eyes.
The ice girl cleared her throat, and stopped in front of her. "Hotaru... will you share this money with me? You and your brother?"
A heavy silence dragged on, the Japanese girl struck quiet by the spot she was just put in. It seemed like a minute passed, that the two girls, earlier friends, now dicey, just stood... and stared... one carefully planning the words to say, and one tortured by the unknown.
Finally, the moment everyone had been waiting for... Hotaru Futaba responded, with a voice not raised, or critical... but soft, and heartfelt.
"Kula-chan... I don't need the money." She turned to her brother, pressing herself against him. Itokatsu crawled over to his shoulder, nuzzling his cheek. "I have all the prize I need right here."
Kula retracted her hand, which was holding the check. Her head hung low. "Hotaru, I... I don't know how to make it right. Every time I think I have the answer, I..."
She gasped, nearly jumping when she felt contact. She looked down; the girl had taken her hand.
"Kula-chan... you don't have to." Hotaru smiled sweetly at her. "I'm happy for you. I'm happy you got the people you love back. I'm happy you can feel the warmth, the completion, that I feel now. That's all that matters."
Kula felt a sniffle coming on. "S-so... we're...?"
Hotaru leaned in, and gently kissed her forehead. "Kula-chan, all I ask from you is one thing. One thing only."
Gripping her hand tight, she motioned the ice girl back in the other direction... back towards her family, who all stood there, waving, smiling. (Except K' of course)
"...Hold them tight, and never let them go."
Kula spun back towards her, and her eyes finally lost the battle, pouring tears. "HOTARUUUUUU!"
The ice girl crashed into the blue-haired girl, and their arms captured each other in a mutual hug that was a long, arduous time coming. All the eggshells, the tension, the odds between them over the passing days, melted away... because there was no need for it. They both found they what they were looking for. The goal that had bound them together that first day... they found the people that completed them.
The final day at Allianz Arena ended with a chorus of "d'awwwwww"s, as spectators watched on, with warmth in their hearts... and in the background, a victorious Iori Yagami, the bona fide King of Fighters, slipped away at his own pace.
And with that, you finally have your winner. I think I made a good choice, since Iori seems to be... possibly the most popular character? I just know everybody I know loves Iori so... yeah LOL. I wanted to give him KOF gold, since he's never lucked into that spot in the games. I feel like the man was overdue.
So there you have it. BUT we're not done yet! There's a couple more little loose ends to tie up, including a chapter I've been promising you guys. Plus, I have a special surprise for you all near the end. There's a bit more to read, so stay tuned!
NEXT CHAPTER: The Last Supper at Krauser's isn't the most thrilling party in the world, but it gives way to some much-needed dirty laundry aired out. Reunions, drama, closure, and words are shared! STAY TUNED!
