While the rest of the Hero Alliance are being escorted by Shuichi down a secret passageway, one certain group stayed behind to settle a little unfinished business before catching up with them.
"Sorry that this was dragged out for so long. But… Given how things ended at the last KOF tournament, I think it would be much more appropriate to do the match here. After all, everyone that tuned in would've wanted to know what would've happened." Cra Ne said.
"No worries, Cra Ne." Terry said. "I still owe these guys a match from the tournament before that Haxorus came stomping around."
"I'm glad you agreed to giving us this match." Captain Cold said. "Let's get this done quick though, we've got someplace to be."
"Yes, yes. They may need you. So, let's get introductions out of the way right now." Cra Ne said as she cleared her throat. "On one side of the arena, these three were on the dark side of an interdimensional invasion, but swiped left first chance they got, and since then, started their own group of…what's essentially anti-heroes. Here they are, the champions! Cheetah, Captain Cold and Poison Ivy! Team Reformed Society!"
"Let the Hunt Begin." Cheetah said.
"It's all for the Green." Poison Ivy said.
"Let's put you on ice." Captain cold said.
"And in the other corner… he is the Legendary Hungry Wolf! South Town's Defender, the Man who defeated Geese Howard! He is the Leader of Team Fatal Fury! Let's welcome the man himself! TERRY…BOGARD!" Cra Ne said.
Terry adjusted his hat before turning to the three Society Members. "Hey, cmon!" he gestured.
"Alright, Reformed Society. Send out your first fighter." Cra Ne said.
"I hope you don't mind having a little dance with me first." Poison Ivy said.
"I don't mind a bit. Show me whatcha got!" Terry said.
(Cue- Ride the Big Wave!- King of Fighters XV)
"Okay. Round 1! Terry Bogard vs Poison Ivy!" Cra Ne said. "Ready….GO!"
Poison Ivy starts things off by sprouting plants from the ground that come at Terry like whips.
"Power Wave!" Terry called, firing off his signature projectile that hit the plants dead on, making them retreat.
"Not bad." Poison Ivy said as a vine-drill sprouts from the ground under him.
"Whoa!" Terry said as he dodged the attacks, jumping in the air before hitting a Crack Shoot to Poison ivy. He then intiacted a big combo on her that sent her back.
Poison Ivy begins to sprout more plants that shoot thorns right at Terry.
"Burn Knuckle!" Terry said charging forth as he broke through the thorns and hit Ivy directly. "You're mine!" he then followed up with a powerful punch to the ground, followed by another that erupted with power. "Power….GEYSER!" he called, sending Ivy flying.
K.O!
"And Terry wins the first round!" Cra Ne said.
"Okay! Who's next?!" Terry asked.
"I guess that's me." Captain Cold said.
"Let's see if you can cool me down, Cold." Terry said.
"Heh. That was actually a good one." Captain Cold said.
"Let's pick up the pace! Round 2!" Cra Ne said. "Ready…GO!"
Captain Cold took a more ranged approach, using his Cold Gun to try and stop Terry good for a close up attack. But Terry smashed through with his power, using Burn Knuckle to break through. After a combo he lept into the air.
"Power Dunk!" Terry called, diving for a fist attack, but Cold rolled out of the way.
"Not good enough!" Captain Cold said, firing a cold beam straight at him.
"Are you okay?!" Terry asked, powering through the Beam and coming into contact with Cold. "Buster Wolf!" he blasted Cold away in a fiery explosion.
K.O!
"And Terry belts another one!" Cra Ne said.
"Now it's just down to you and me, Cheetah." Terry said.
"So it would seem." Cheetah said. "I've been looking forward to this. But can the Legendary Wolf stand up to the Cheetah?"
Terry smirked as he pounds his fists. "I guess that's what we're here to find out!"
"This is it! It's all or nothing now!" Cra Ne said. "Final Round! Ready…GO!"
Cheetah was coming in fast as she dealt rapid slashes with her claws at Terry. The two engaged in a fierce flurry of claws and fists.
"Whew… You're not bad. This is definitely worth the wait!" Terry said.
"Yes. It feels good to have my blood flowing again." Cheetah said.
"Well, here's a little something to help it boil! Time to show my new move. Hope you like it!" Terry said as he strikes Cheetah's abdomen before his fist lights on fire. "Buster…Ignition!" he said as a spiral of flames shot out of his fist, encasing Cheetah. Despite the high-powered blow, she was barely able to survive.
"That…was very impressive." Cheetah said.
"You like that? I came up with this one not too long ago." Terry said. "I gave my best, now let's see yours!"
"With pleasure!" Cheetah said as she charged at Terry, dealing a sequence of claw strikes, before doing a backflip kick, sending him to the air, before she leapt for the barrier, lunging herself at Terry, claws crossed, before slicing for an X-Slash, sending him tumbling for the ground.
(end song)
"And… It looks like it's over! The winners of this match are…Team Reformed Society!" Cra Ne announced, to the crowd's excitement.
"Heh… Looks like I lose this time. I tell you, you and your partners are amazing." Terry said.
"You're not so bad yourself. I can see why you upheld such a reputation." Cheetah said.
"It's gonna get pretty hairy out there. But if you manage to survive…I'll be seeing you at the next King of Fighters tournament. You better show up this time." Terry said.
"Oh, believe me. I wouldn't miss it for the world." Cheetah said.
"Glad to hear. Be seeing you!" Terry said as he soon departed.
"That guy is a great man, I'd say." Yangus said.
"You said it. This guy has a very fiery spirit. I don't think a lot of us would be able to defeat him." Agursu said. "Aoesia, what's the status on the assassins?"
"The other Smashers are confronting them while the Alliance is making their escape. If we hurry and follow the path Shuichi suggested, we might be able to escape while they're distracted." Aoesia said.
"Quite. Let's go." Belladonna said.
"We hope to see you all again sometime soon." Cra Ne said as they began to make their escape.
"So, what's the plan? Should we go after the Alliance and back them up against the assassins?" Rayleigh asked.
"...No, that may not be a good idea. At least, not right now." Cheetah said.
"Huh? Why not? Didn't we say that we would–" Rayleigh started.
"We know, and we will. But… Think about it for a minute and consider the facts." Nesma said. "These assassins seem to have a certain priority to their targets. And as long as we don't fit any of those criteria they have, they have no direct obligation to kill us at this point. And besides, from what we know, even if we do somehow get involved, they wouldn't try to go for them in highly populated areas without drawing too much attention to themselves."
"That's simply how assassins work. They sneak from the shadows and make their kill where no one would notice a thing." Cheetah said.
"And considering your alias, Barbara, they might even confuse you for one of them and try to rope you in that way." Rhatla said.
"So, our suggestion is this… We will lay low until the Olympics in Beijing, and the new King of Fighters tournament. By that point, it will be too crowded for them to make a move without throwing suspicion." Zamazenta said.
"That sounds like a good plan there, Wolfy." Yangus said. "So, ow'd it feel finally getting your match with Ol' Terry and winning?" he asked the three Society members.
"We can see why he's the Legendary Wolf of Southtown. His punches really spoke for themselves." Poison Ivy said.
"Yeah. That guy's got a spirit made of pure fire. It was difficult just to land a hit on him." Captain Cold said.
"Facing him was quite a rush. I could feel both of our bloodstreams heat up from the bout. His energy was simply unparalleled." Cheetah said.
"Even compared to that little blond chap of yours?" Rosalie said.
"Well, there are some connections to Ishihara, but… i feel like Terry is more firey." Cheetah said. "I'm very fortunate to have fought him."
"More literal, from what we've seen." Guy said as they shared a bit of a chuckle at this.
"Well then, shall we be going?" Cheetah asked.
"Yes. Let us move. Let's escape while they're distracted." Agursu said.
And so, the Reformed Society left the Arena as the other Smash fighters distracted Dragonfly and his troops through Shuichi's escape tunnel, going their separate ways from the Hero Alliance. With their battle with Terry under their belts, who knows where and when the Reformed Society will show up next.