A Ranma ½ King of Fighters crossover fanfiction
Disclaimer: I don't own Ranma ½ and King of Fighters characters. Especially some macho chick! That's built like a stick! Dumb as a brick! Thighs are too thick! Can't even kick! *WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!* Ugh… shutting up now… oi…
Flames of Destiny
By Insane Blight
Chapter 9: The Beginning of the End
Osaka, Japan
A lone figure walked towards the Osaka stadium, he has blonde hair that was tied in a loose ponytail and his eyes were being covered by his hat. He smiled when he heard several familiar voices calling out his name.
"Yo Terry! Over here!"
"Bro! You finally arrived!"
He waved at the two men. "Hey guys, it's good to see you two again, Joe, Andy."
After their reunion, they sobered up and talked about last year's disastrous tournament along with the appearance of the Orochi clan. Terry frowned slightly when he heard from Andy that Geese might return this year along with his half-brother Krauser, perhaps for this Orochi power that has been acting up as of late.
"It doesn't matter whether they'd join this year or not. We'll just give our all in the fights." Terry said to the two.
Andy nodded. "Yes, though I hope that Mai hasn't done anything stupid."
Terry and Joe laughed and teased Andy about his on and off relationship with the bouncy kunoichi. Well, Joe did most of the teasing; Terry just smiled at the two as they fought it out with their fists.
King fumed, she just received a phone call that her supposed third member Kasumi Todoh can't join them because she wanted to search for her father. King understood the girl's actions but now she doesn't have a third member to enter the tournament, it's only her and the bouncy red-head kunoichi Mai Shiranui.
"Ne, King…? What will we do? Without a third member, we'll be automatically disqualified for the tournament!" the red-head whined. 'And I wanted to teach Andy a lesson too!'
The blonde's eyebrow twitched. "I know that! I thought that the team was ready so I never really anticipated this kind of problem early on." she responded.
"Maybe I can be of some assistance…" a voice echoed through the entire area.
Mai and King turned around and saw a dark-haired woman in a casual business suit. King studied the woman for a long time as if trying to gauge her fighting prowlice. Mai on the other hand, recognized the woman in front of her almost immediately.
"Hey, you're Chizuru Kagura right? The main host for this year's King of Fighters tournament… what are you doing here?" Mai asked.
Chizuru bowed. "Yes, I am Chizuru Kagura. I heard that you are in need of a member, I would like to volunteer for that spot if it's alright with the two of you."
Mai and King blinked at the proposal, they looked at each other and smiled.
"Welcome to the Women's Team Ms. Kagura!"
Osaka Hotel Rooms
Leona leaned against the wall with her arms crossed; she stares expressionlessly at the computer monitor together with her teammates for the tournament.
"I want you three to observe the two Orochi clan members Mature and Vice, I do not want a repeat of last time where that bastard named Goenitz destroyed the arena, causing thousands of innocent bystanders to be killed. Mature and Vice worked with that man so they must be up to something this time. Keep a close eye on the two and the persons they are with, that is all."
The three of them saluted the man on the screen before they turned the monitor off.
"Well, we have our orders so let's do it right this time." Clark started.
Ralph responded by grinning while Leona simply nodded to their team leader. Clark turned to Leona with a serious expression. "Leona, are you sure you're all right? You can sit this one out if you want, I can tell from the look on your face that you're having some doubts in this mission."
Leona stood up straight. "I wish to proceed with the mission, my personal feelings is of no concern."
Clark nodded. "That's good to hear. Come on, we still have to come up with a plan in regards to the two Orochi clan members."
Chris was panting heavily as he lay on the bed. Shermie was by his side, trying to see if the blue-eyed boy was alright. Yashiro was going through the King of Fighters invitations that Chris gave him.
"Of all the stupid… why didn't you tell me that you were going to steal these invitations in the first place?! I could've done it instead of you!" he yelled.
The brown-haired boy sat up. "Yes you could and be arrested in the process. You're not exactly the fast type Yashi-kun." He teased.
Yashiro's ire was building. "What… did… you… call… me…?"
"Yashi-kun! I think it suits you fine!" Chris said, smiling innocently at the irate blonde.
"I think so too! It's perfect for you, Yashi-kun!" Shermie added in.
The blonde dejectedly backed down. 'Nope… not crossing her… definitely not crossing her.' He thought while recalling the first time he ever crossed Shermie in one of her tantrums.
Attention all King of fighters participants, please assemble at the Osaka stadium for the official opening of the tournament. I repeat, please assemble at the Osaka stadium for the official opening of the tournament. Attention all single entries, all single entries are asked to gather at the Hotel lobby for a few last minute announcements. That is all, thank you for your time.
Shermie smiled. "Well, I guess we should get going."
"Yeah but we should take the backdoor, we don't know if those guys gave up or not." Chris suggested.
Yashiro nodded as he opened the door. "Well, let's go. We'll show that bastard a thing or two."
????
Geese smiled as the announcer informed the fighters to gather inside the stadium. Krauser was by his side, shaking his head at his half-brother's antics.
"You surprise me yet again, Geese. You couldn't claim your title as the host so you settled to being a sponsor for this year's tournament. May I ask what made you do such a thing?" he inquired.
Geese chuckled. "I found out that being a sponsor has its advantages as well. For example… we can 'control' our matches in any way we want, those fools are so easy to manipulate."
Krauser nodded. "Yes, we came here to see this… Ranma Saotome in action. If your underlings' reports were true, then I cannot wait to try him out myself. By the way, I couldn't help but notice that we are short one person, what happened to that Mr. Big anyway?" he calmly asked.
The blonde man sobered up. "That bald fool? We do not need such weaklings so it's just the two of us for the Boss Team. Don't worry, that's why I implemented the two man group for this tournament."
Krauser looked at Geese as if he has lost his mind. "Worried? Me? What ever gave you that idea brother? I can defeat those weaklings by myself if need be."
Geese just smiled. "You'll get your chance… we both will." He cryptically replied.
Hotel Lobby
Ranma watched as a few teams made their way outside the hotel and onto the stadium, he blinked as he noticed that Leona was staring at him with an expressionless face. He nods to her and she responded with a nod of her own before she joined her teammates. 'I remember her now… Leona-chan. I don't know why but I can recall all of my memories since childhood very clearly after that incident.'
The ponytailed boy froze when he sensed a very familiar aura, an aura full of hatred and anger towards a specific person, an aura that belongs to a man he has yet to beat. True enough, a red-haired man stepped into view. The man paused as his eyes met Ranma's; he smirked as he slowly approached the Orochi half-breed.
"You…" Ranma started.
"I want to finish our fight." Iori said bluntly.
Ranma nodded. "Same here… I have improved a lot since the first time we met."
The red-haired man smiled. "So have I."
No words were said after that 'greeting', both of them immediately went into their own fighting stances as they distance themselves from one another. The hotel manager fainted when he thought about the property damage this would cause while the rest of the staff urged the two warriors to fight it out then and there. The two of them called out their purple flames from their right hand but Iori noticed that something was off, Ranma's flame was slowly encircling his arm, like some sort of flaming snake. Iori smiled, things really have changed since their last meeting.
"My, my, my, you two really can't wait to rip each other's heads off."
Both fighters clasped their right hands to snuff out the flames; they then turned towards the source of the voice. Ranma's cold stare softened as he saw Vice and Mature. Iori on the other hand, scoffed at the two for ruining the fight.
Mature walked up to Ranma and studied him a bit. 'No doubt about it… that flame he has is of the Orochi clan, the sacred flame… so he's really one of us…' She blinked when she noticed Ranma's scrutinizing gaze towards them.
"Anything we can do for you, ladies?" Ranma asked tightly.
Vice shrugged. "Nothing much, this IS the place where all single entries were supposed to meet you know." she nonchalantly said to the two, somewhat pissed Orochi warriors.
"Che… what a nuisance." Iori retorted.
Mature tapped Ranma lightly on the shoulders. "Haven't seen you in weeks but I can see that you have… changed, especially that flame of yours."
Ranma caught on. "We'll talk about it later. Hey, I thought that you'd have your own team by now."
Vice and Mature shrugged in perfect sync. "We don't have a third member so we decided to enter as single entries as well. I wonder what the sponsors are up to this time. Gathering all single entries in one area could be… trouble, like the two of you… Ranma and Iori."
Both men scoffed at that remark. The two women would have said more if they hadn't noticed a man walking towards them.
"Ah… good! You're all here! Good, that would make my job easier."
The man gulped as he noticed the looks on their faces, he saw the four Orochi warriors motioned for him to proceed with the announcement.
"I was sent here to tell all of you that single entries are not allowed anymore in the tournament." He paused and waited for their reaction, he raised an eyebrow at the calm and collective attitude of the four. "Ahem, you were asked to gather here because you must form a group between the four of you."
"WHAT?!" The four shouted angrily.
The man held his hands up. "Please calm down! That's why you were gathered here, you are required to group yourselves either by three's or two's. It's all up to all of you."
Ranma was clenching his fists, Iori was mumbling curses while Vice and Mature took a quick glance towards one another before nodding in agreement.
"Ja… I'll go with Iori then…" Vice casually said.
Mature clung onto Ranma's arm. "I guess I'm on Ranma's team."
"Fine! Just stay out of my way!!!" Iori growled out before walking away.
"Sigh… I guess I have no choice…" Ranma answered dejectedly.
Osaka Stadium
A huge crowd was gathered around the stadium, each one of them cheering for their favorite fighters and the noise they were making was deafening. Every fighter thought that it would take an army to quiet this crowd down but they were proven wrong when a teenage dark-haired girl went up the stage and held her arm up for a few minutes, the crowd went silent afterwards.
"A Yata technique…" Mature said through clenched teeth.
"Welcome everyone to the King of Fighters '97, I am here on behalf of the main host of the tournament, my name is Reiko Iwasaki. We thank you for your continuous support, the tournament is now being broadcast worldwide and it's all thanks to you. The fights will take place at various locations all over the world: America, England, Korea and China to name a few."
The crowd whispered amongst themselves while the fighters stayed at their specific places at the back of the stadium.
"Ladies and gentlemen, there has been a change in the rules of the tournament. It was required that three people were needed for a team to enter the King of Fighters, it was also required that all team members must be present before their match starts or else their team is disqualified and finally, the fights take place in a one on one matches where interference from a member shall result to a disqualification.
These rules are gone now, the new rules state that a team may consist of a minimum of two members; single entries are not allowed in the tournament from now on. As for the fights themselves, they will not be a one on one match. Instead, they will be a simultaneous match, in which all fighters from opposing sides will duke it out at the same time in the arena. It may be a three on three match, a three on two match or a two on two tag team match. The match will start even if the team is missing a member.
The only way to advance in the tournament is when all of the opposing team members either gives up, be rendered unconscious or incapacitated. I repeat, all of the opposing team members must either admit defeat or be seriously injured in order to win the bout."
The crowds gasped in shock, then cheered like crazy at the announcement while most of the fighters looked at their teammates before contemplating on what they've heard… simultaneous team vs. team instead of a one on one best of three match. Terry, Andy and Joe all tensed, if the one responsible for those new rules was the one they're thinking of…
Reiko noticed the tension in the air so she focused her powers once more to try and subdue any riots that might take place. "Furthermore, there may be some other rule changes as the tournament progresses so please keep that in mind. We thank you for bearing with us. Moving on, we would like to proceed with the introduction of the fighters for the 1997 King of Fighters Tournament!"
"Ladies and gentlemen please welcome, the Art of Fighting Team! Team leader Ryo Sakazaki and his members, Robert Garcia and Yuri Sakazaki!"
A couple of fans cheered them on but most of the crowd blatantly ignored the group.
"Coming all the way from Korea… the fighters of justice? The Korea Team! Team leader Kim Kaphan and his two members, Choi Bounge and Chang Koehan!"
A collection of boos and cheers welcomed the three fighters. Kim just shrugged at the audience, Chang just picked his nose and Choi simply played with his claws.
"One of the members of this team is well known in the music business, ladies and gentlemen… the Psycho Soldier Team! Team leader Chin Gentsai and his two members, Sie Kensou and your very own… Athena Asamiya!"
The fans of Athena roared. The sound was so deafening that everyone thought that the building might collapse at any minute. Kyo whistled at the applause Athena was getting while Ranma had a puzzled look on his face. 'What's so special about a teenage girl?'
"From their base at Brazil, may I present to you the Ikari Team! Their team leader Clark Steel along with his members, Ralf Jones and Leona Heidern!"
The three Ikari mercenaries stepped into view; Ralf and Clark were talking to themselves while Leona had a distant look in her eyes as if she was trying to recall more memories from the past.
Reiko coughed. "This team has been around for years, they are the Lonely Wolves Team! The famous kick boxer, Joe Higashi! The younger of the two Bogard siblings… Andy Bogard! And their team leader: Terry Bogard!"
A nice round of applause welcomed the three legends, Joe hollered at the crowd in a most embarrassing fashion, Andy got a sinking feeling that Mai was watching him somewhere and Terry just smiled under his hat.
"Here is the first of a number of new teams this year. Give a round of applause to the Special Team!"
Andy frowned as the Special Team was introduced. "They're working for Geese."
Terry glanced at his brother for a minute before focusing back to the Special Team. 'Billy's there so that's a no brainer, Ryuji Yamazaki and Blue Mary… I hope I can get a chance to face them.'
Yamazaki was grinning ear to ear as he played with his knife. Blue Mary had her arms crossed and she had a somewhat thoughtful look while she was being introduced.
"Yamazaki… Yamazaki… where have I heard that name before…?" Ranma asked himself. Then it hit him…
//Flash//
"No, we don't know any Genma Saotome. We've come here on orders from our boss." A goon said.
"Oh? And who may I ask is this 'boss' of yours?" the ponytailed boy asked.
Another goon stepped up. "Our boss is none other than Yamazaki, and we are from his gang."
//Flash//
Ranma's face hardened. "That's Yamazaki huh? I'd like to have a very long talk with him soon."
"The next team needs no introduction; they have won the last three King of Fighters Tournaments in spectacular fashion. Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you the Hero Team!"
The crowd roared louder than ever before, some of the fighters had to cover their ears from the thunderous cheers from the fans.
"Goro Daimon!"
"Benimaru Nikaido!"
"And last but not the least. The team leader of the group, Kyo Kusanagi!"
Goro smiled and waved at the crowd, Benimaru brushed his hair and pointed towards the audience while Kyo had an arrogant smirk on as he looked at his fans from the stage.
Iori had his head down as Kyo was being introduced; he suddenly starts to laugh quietly. His chilling laughter got louder and louder until it caught the attention of those people around him. They all backed away from the red-haired man in fear of what happened last time around, even his unwanted partner Vice.
Vice gulped. "Um, Iori…? Are you alright? No… Riot of Blood forming yet?"
"Hmm… hmm… hmm… couldn't be better. Kusanagi… I will end your life here…" he muttered aloud, making everyone that heard that statement cringe.
"Uh… yeah, you do that…" Vice said to the preoccupied Orochi warrior.
"The next team had a last minute member change, may I present to you the Women's Team! Team leader King and her two members, Mai Shiranui and the main host for this year's tournament, Chizuru Kagura!"
The men went ballistic and almost tore down the barricades around the stage. Most of the female fans frowned for different reasons: for making their boyfriends ignore them and for having much better looking bodies than them. The team's reaction varied. King just crossed her arms, Mai waved at the crowd causing her breast to sway as well while Chizuru stood ramrod straight with her eyes closed, searching for people with Orochi blood in the area.
Ranma glanced at his partner, who was glaring at the Kagura priestess as if she was the most horrible living thing that ever walked the face of the earth. Sighing, Ranma placed a hand on the enraged blonde's shoulder, making her calm down for the time being. "I don't know what went on between you two but you should have better control over yourself Mature." He calmly said to the blonde.
Mature nodded but the glare was still there. Ranma just shrugged at the scene. 'Oh well, at least I tried.'
Reiko looked at the piece of paper in her hands and couldn't help but wonder. 'Chris, Yashiro… and Shermie? Ah! It's the music band I saw on TV once! Why would they join a fighting tournament?' She got back into reality when one of the sponsors tapped her back and motioned for her to continue.
"Oh, pardon me… next to be introduced is another new team this year, the New Face Team!"
The crowd looked at one another, not knowing what to make of this.
"The Team leader: Yashiro Nanakase! His team members, Chris and Shermie!"
The crowd had mixed reactions during the team's introduction. The male half whistled, screamed and cheered the twin ponytailed woman while the female half was divided; some were cheering for Yashiro while the rest were commenting on how cute Chris was which, of course, caused the brown-haired boy to give the death glare to them.
'So those idiots were serious after all.' Iori thought with a smile. "Looks like I'm going to enjoy myself this time… Kusanagi… and Saotome… hmm, hmm, hmm…" he mumbled to himself.
"What the hell is he doing here?!"
Everyone in the back, which were Iori and Vice along with Mature all looked at the shocked Orochi half-breed with raised eyebrows. Ranma was too busy glaring at the brown-haired boy that was standing on the stage to notice these reactions.
Mature decided to take the initiative. "Ara? Do you know them Ranma?"
Ranma's hand twitched. "Yes, he is… sort of… my, err… student."
Vice was about to ask more but she stopped when Iori's manic laughter acted up once more. Mature just frowns in disgust while Ranma was starting to wonder if Iori had a few screws loose after all. "What's so funny Yagami?" the three asked in chorus.
The red-haired man just grinned. "Your student Saotome? If I'd have known you were the one that taught that brat how to fight then I would've challenged him the first time we met. I thrashed one of them a while back, a total weakling so I ignored him and the other one."
Ranma's face hardened. "So you're saying that you were the one responsible for him being here?" he asked tightly, clenching his fists in the process.
Iori understood the tone the ponytailed man used. He smiled and summoned his purple magatama. "So what if I am? What are you going to do about it Saotome?" he taunted.
The Orochi half-breed's eyes flashed as he summoned his sacred flame, the flames took the form of a serpent before it encircled his right arm. Mature was too busy observing the sacred flame to stop the two so Vice decided to step in.
"Boys…" Vice started. "… you can settle your disputes later. Iori, were up!"
Reiko took one glance at the paper and shook her head in disbelief. 'Oh dear… it's like what lady Chizuru said.' "The next team is composed of only two members… they are… oh dear… the Yagami Team!"
The crowd all froze, the incident last year was still fresh in their minds. Reiko was in awe that a single name can do what her powers cannot fully perform, which is to shut the crowd up to the last fan.
"Returning from last year's tournament… Vice!"
The crowd got out of their stupor and cheered the Orochi Hakketsu Shuu member, Vice complied with a seductive wink and smile to the audience that caused them to be riled up even more.
"And also from this same team, Iori Yagami!"
The people of Osaka started to boo the red-haired warrior, mostly because of the incident involving his first fight with Ranma, which destroyed a lot of buildings due to their flames combined with Ranma's Hiryu Shoten Ha. The others were still trying to get the image of Riot of Blood Iori out of their minds.
Iori and Kyo locked gazes as the red-haired man walked up to the stage. The Kusanagi heir glared at the somewhat tolerable smirk that was plastered on Iori's face. On the Women's Team, Chizuru watched with a frown as former Shingi Trioca members fought it out in a stare down.
"Oh… Mr. Ranma…?" she whispered to herself, a faint blush formed on her face. "The second to the last team to be introduced, another new team for this year's tournament… ladies and gentlemen please welcome the Hakkeshu Team!"
Ranma turned towards his partner. "Hakkeshu Team?"
Mature shrugged. "You did say to leave the team name up to me. I did it because that's what you are right? You're from our clan… our Orochi clan. Isn't that right, Ranma?"
Silence was Ranma's answer to that question.
"Coming back from last year's tournament, former Yagami Team member… Mature!"
The male half of the crowd cheered (1) for the beautiful blonde while the female half were staring at the hunk next to her. Mature ignored the praises and kept her eyes on Chizuru, who was busy staring at both Kusanagi and Yagami.
"A new fighter coming from Tokyo, Ranma Saotome!"
There was a mixed reaction from the crowd. A few were silent, not really knowing who Ranma is, the females cheered him on while the others started to boo Ranma when they recognized the other one who leveled a very large business area right here in Osaka. The Orochi-half breed took the taunts and insults in stride while Mature looked amused at the whole thing.
"My, aren't we popular?"
"Feh…"
"Ahhhhhhhhh!!!"
Yashiro and Shermie blinked at the sudden outburst of their teammate. Chris was currently on the floor, frantically pointing to his sensei. He gulped when he noticed the cold stare Ranma was giving him; he knew then and there that he's not going to get out of this one without some bodily harm. Meanwhile, Mature noticed that Chizuru looked like she was eyeing the two of them cautiously so she responded with a vicious glare towards the priestess.
Chizuru didn't even flinch at the glare the Orochi Hakketsu Shuu member made. 'I know your plan is to revive the eight headed demon just like Goenitz but the seal isn't here so why are the two of you still in this tournament? Saotome, are you working with them as well…?'
"And now the last team to enter the tournament, they are also one of the sponsors for this year… um… ladies and gentlemen, the Boss Team!"
The audience shut up, some were afraid to boo while the rest doesn't have the courage to do anything at the moment.
"They are… Wolfgang Krauser and Geese Howard!"
Terry and Andy quickly turned to the lighted area and soon enough, a blonde wearing a hakama and a tall, blue-haired man wearing a unique armor stepped into the area.
"Geese…" Terry muttered under his breath.
Both brothers looked at the blonde man, only to find out that Geese wasn't staring back at them like he usually does. Instead, he was staring at the new kid, Saotome Ranma with a smirk. Krauser was also looking at the Orochi half-breed; interest can be seen in his eyes.
Ranma's eyes narrowed at the stares he was getting from the two. He could tell that they're powerful, perhaps even more so when they are trying so hard to mask their aura like that.
Terry was curious as to what was so interesting in the new kid so he decided to study the ponytailed boy. His eyes widened as he got a good look at the boy's aura. 'It's huge but… unfocused (2). I don't think he knows how to control half of this power yet but when he does…' The ponytailed blonde left the thought unfinished; he was more concerned whether or not he can match Ranma when the boy reaches his full potential.
Up above the stadium
"Yes… the targets are in sight. Understood… my mission is clear: to monitor the targets named Kyo Kusanagi and Iori Yagami throughout the tournament. Yes… over and out." the figure replied through the radio.
Said figure stepped into a lighted area and it was revealed to be a woman, with long, curly dark hair. She was wearing a skin tight black suit and was carrying a small sidearm. "Our time shall come soon."
Just across the woman's position, a young man with white hair that covers half of his face was watching the proceedings with a smirk. He was wearing a custom made red suit and baggy red pants. He took one glance at the only other person atop the stadium before chuckling to himself.
"I did not expect this turn of events… hmm… no matter, I will still trust that woman's so-called prophecy… hahaha…" he said to himself. He held out his left hand and soon something green can be seen flickering from it.
The white-haired boy grinned as he clasped his hand. "This tournament just got interesting."
(1) - The crowd doesn't know anything about Orochi or his Hakketsu Shuu yet except for what they saw at last year's tournament.
(2) - Ranma's power is chaotic and unfocused after his supposed awakening, he has to train hard once more to gain more control over that power of his… especially the abilities of the sacred flame.
# # #
AN: Well, this is merely an introduction of the characters and their teams along with the 'watchers'. If you figured out who they are, then all the better.
As for the tournament rules, I used the KOF 2003 tag system with a couple of tweaks here and there. I did this because the typical KOF one on one fights have been done to death (Mostly by Rippen and Red Priest) and if I do that as well, it will become boring as the tourney advances (especially if the matches have been done before). I thought that a team match would create a number of possibilities during each of the fights, making a team work together certainly removes the mismatch of some fights in single competition, I just hope I can correctly pull it off.
*There will still be one on one matches, it's just not that often now (I got several hardcore, old school KOF fans breathing down my neck already for doing this ^^;). Don't expect the fighters to stick with their '97 moves for long considering a few fighters have already made some… improvements in their techniques.
Please tell me what you think of this, thanks. 'till next time, ja ne!
Next Chapter Blue Eyes Blues
Yagami Team vs. Psycho Soldier Team; Hero Team vs. Korea Team. Iori finally gets to demonstrate his new skills, Chris is up to his old tricks again, which annoys Ranma to no end and Shermie finally meets our favorite Orochi half-breed.