Unmei Force Gaiden: KOF XV Reactions

Chapter 7: Path of the Underdog (Team Ginova)


"Hello everyone, and thank you for tuning in. Im Clemmence Bellamy, here to give you an update on the current progression of King of Fighters XV." Bellamy announced. "So far, many teams, Challenger and Main Contenders, have begun fighting in the Survival Round all over the world. And, already, those specating the tournament have already determined the top team to make the finals and win it all is…Team Strategist! Close behind are Teams Shun'ei and Isla, both garnering impressive wins. All of the teams in attendance this year are popular in their own way. But, well.. However…"

A screen then showed the images of Team Ginova near Bellamy at his desk.

"Opinions about Team Ginova are much more varied. Specifically, the string of controversy surrounding their leader, Hope the Victor. He is a member of the famed Hero Alliance, known throughout many worlds, but… how do I put this…. Many people see him as the one who's just there for attention. Similar to the controversy surrounding Antonov, many people think that Hope the Victor's many victories and events surrounding him are either staged or set up. Most people don't even believe he even came from a Mafia family, and is seen as a walking disaster. That's not even mentioning the negative opinion some of Japan still has about the Ultimate Gymnast, Akane Owari, for being a Remnant of Despair, and of course there is Nu-13, a humanoid superweapon who was an emotionless killing machine, but became sadistic whenever someone mentioned the notorious criminal Ragna the Bloodedge. Further-" he said before the screen of a TV was smashed by Ragna's fist, right as Bellamy showed Ragna's wanted poster.

"Damn… Those news outlets are all over us with this stuff, aren't they?" Akane asked.

Team Ginova and Team Blazblue were hanging out in Flower Town, having met up while fighting their way across the world.

"Nothing but a bunch of bastards bending the truth as they see fit." Ragna said before he became irritated. "And why the hell did they have to show THAT poster? It doesn't even look anything like me!"

"Not your best image, I agree. Lloyd can relate." Hope said.

"Nu…just know that we're here for you, okay?" Noel asked, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Even we know that the three of you don't deserve this slander being spouted, even after all the good you guys did throughout the years while we were gone."

"Nu undertstands." Nu said.

"Still, I don't think Bellamy wanted to say those things. He;s probably being forced to because the info he gathered was from a bunch of fans who are anti-me." Hope said.

"Hmm." Jin said as he folded his arms.

Hope then suddenly smiled. "Well, not that it's anything new. What they're reporting is basically favoring us as Underdogs. And truth be told, I'm not even bothered by the public, it's basically all the stuff I've heard before. This is gonna make other teams come at us harder, but that's just what I prefer. I'm always up for a challenge."

"Wow Hope, you certainly know how to put things in a positive light." Noel said.

"Well, that's our leader for ya." Akane smiled. "I'm in the same boat as him. They wanna regard us as underdogs? No problem. But we're gonna prove 'em all wrong once we clobber every team that comes after us and make the Grand Finals!"

"I'd like that to happen too, Akane. But remember, this isn't like the Unofficial Tournament we took part in. It's the real thing, which means anything can happen before the finals come around, including us not making it." Hope said.

"Not to mention that these are all World Class fighters, and that's putting it mildly for some of them." Ragna said.

"We'll just have to do our best and get as far as we can. We may not make the finals, but we can change the public's minds about us." Hope said. "Well, time we got going. Good luck on your team's progress too, Ragna."

"Yeah, same to you." Ragna said.


"Them's the breaks." Hitomi remarked with a huff of air. "I gotta admit, despite all of the imagery I see about that underdog Hope, or whatever his real name is, I think that he's more than just a glory-hound. Maybe a bit eager to prove himself, but then again, there are far worse attention-whores than him. He's a big-hearted idiot and a lovable one I'll admit."

"I concur to that. He's basically the fine image of a hero who has a lot of heart, which can help at times, but not a lot much else, disregarding how he fights just as well as his fellow leaders." Richard stated. "It's a good quality to have, and I respect him for it."

"But still, why does the people of this world insist on holding such prejudices about Hope, he looks like a puppy that has been kicked hard every time this kind of thing is brought up." Chen remarked. "Not something a good part of us wishes upon him."

"I know that he's no faker!" Popol declared with determination. "Hope the VIctor is definitely a good hero like Richard and Siege!"

"Of course, a good part of us has seen proof of this." Gus stated. "That's the main reason why I chose him, because he's a good underdog figure. He is no slacker compared to the rest of us."


The two teams parted ways, as Team Ginova headed through Flower Town before coming to the ruins of Ginova Mansion.

"So this was…. Your home." Nu said. "Nu's never seen it before."

"Basically I grew up in style. But that wasn't what I wanted." Hope said. "What I'm doing now, is what I want."

Akane grinned at that before sniffing the air. "I smell trouble. Nu, you picking it up?"

"Affirmative. An enemy has been detected and coming this way. It… looks like…" Nu started.

"GRAAAAAAAAH!" a voice roared as something barreled toward them.

"Watch out!" Hope said as they evaded as a giant figure crashed into a wall, revealing itself as K.O.D.

"I knew I smelled something off! It was Tizo-! Er, I mean, Dinosaur!" Akane said.

"And that means the team attacking us is…" Hope said.

"GAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

(Cue: Enter the Venue- KOF XV)

The boisterous laugh brought forth the arrival of Antonov, who was quickly joined by Ramon as he landed next to him off a very impressive and stylish jump.

"A sneak attack, Antonov?" Hope asked. "That's not really something Pro Wrestlers should do."

"Heh! Anything goes in this Survival Round! And because we caught you off guard, you're easy pickings!" Antonov said.

"Oh I get it… you think going after us was the obvious choice from the start because of how we were seen in the tournament." Akane said.

"That's right. You should've kept on your guard and looked out for when we struck!" Ramon said before eyeing Akane as she said that. "What's with you?! You're gorgeous!"

"And now, we're going to give you a taste of Galaxy Anton Wrestling's power!" K.O.D. declared.

Nu's eye glowed red as she suited up for battle. "Targets confirmed, ready to engage combat."

Antonov laughed. "You think a fancy getup like that scares me? All your accolades are just for show! Once we beat you, we'll move up and challenge your friends. Alright boys, let's get to work!"

"You got it, Boss!" Ramon and Dinosaur said as they prepared for battle.


"Wrestlers…" Taiga scoffed. "They show off on the field of battle, trying to make their fights seem like some sort of testament to their strength. Such flashy showmanship for so little battling, it puts me off."

"That's a lot of muscles… But Masha has just as much!" Popol exclaimed, seeing the figures of Team G.A.W.

"Well, time for you to see if your underdogs can hold their first proper fight, eh, Gus?" Richard stated to his close friend.


"I'll deal with Dinosaur." Akane said as Hope squared off with Antonov, Nu and Ramon battling it out as well as Akane faced down the former Mexican Wrestling hero. "Y'know, your new gimmick makes no sense. I get ya wanted to go more dangerous as a heel and all, but wouldn't it be more sensible to change to somethin' that also flies, like a Pteranodon?"

"Hmmm, well, the boss mentioned it, but everyone knows Tyrannosaurus Rexes, so-" K.O.D thought about it before realizing he got lost in thought because of Akane's question. "Wait, what?! I'm the only and one King of Dinosaurs, here to make any other contenders extinct!" he said as he took his stance, Akane shaking her head at Dinosaur's stupidity as she got ready as well.

"Ready…GO!"

And with that, the battle began, Akane met K.O.D. head on as she laid on a barrage of strikes right to his body.

"Zetsumetsu Hurricane!" K.O.D. called, grabbing Akane and spinning her into the air before planting her with an Izuna drop.

Akane recovered off the move and landed a Superkick to Dinosaurs face as he was getting up, before slamming the stunned wrestling hell with a barrage of heavy body shots.

"(Her fists strikes, they have elements of…. boxing?!)" K.O.D. asked as he felt the blows before roaring as he knocked Akane away with his tail. "How dare you use that method of fighting on me! You bear the same ways of combat as the man who ignited my burning spirit of revenge!"

"Can ya blame me? I didn't get a chance to show off the actual fruits of my trainin' during Smash, and this seems like the perfect chance to use em!" Akane said.

"You hid this from the public back then?! A real fighter would show all their skills and not hold back! Just as it said then, you and your leader use whatever means necessary to gain popularity!" K.O.D. said.

"Think whatcha want, but at the end of the day, I'm still gonna beat ya fair and square!" Akane said, delivering a powerful punch to Dinosaur's face.

"So you think!" Dinosaur said, shrugging it off. "SUPER…!" Dinosaur called as he grabbed Akane and spiraled into the air with her again, initiating one of his best moves. "Zetsumetsu Typhoon….MAX!" he slammed Akane against the side of a building before driving her down with a spin kick straight in her gut. While it seemed to do damage, Akane shrugged it off and kicked Dinosaur off him with a backflipping kick into a spinning handstand kick, almost like she was breakdancing. "What the…?!"

"Was that the best you got?!" Akane asked as she leaped into the air from her hands and landed some heavy kicks everywhere on Dinosaur's body before doing a pirouette to gain more speed. "Get…LOST!" she delivered a devastating kick straight to Dinosaurs midsection that took all the wind right out of him.

K.O!

Dinosaur yelled as he was sent flying before he crashed into the side of another building.

"Go back to the Prehistoric." Akane smirked, before she headed over to join her teammates.


"This Ultimate Gymnast sure doesn't mess around!" Sanae whooped. "Now that's exactly the kind of ass-whooping an Ultimate Talent is expected to give."

"Was there any doubt?" Kaguta smugly remarked. "She's flexible enough to shake off the attacks she took, and she socked it to Ramon hard!"

"Either way, that's a deep loss for Team G.A.W., it's going to be a big blow to their pride and ego." Richard stated.


She was just in time as Hope finished off Antonov with a right hook to the face, followed by a full shoulder throw, which completely caved in the road as he was driven to the concrete.

"How…? You're supposed to be a faker…" Antonov said as he lost consciousness.

"You thought wrong." Hope said as the team regrouped. "Everyone good?"

"Never better. I buried Dinosaur like the fossil he was." Akane said.

"What about Ramon, Nu?" Hope asked Nu.

"Incapacitated, but not dead." Nu said.

"Great. We'd better get outta flower town, seeing as how people might look for us here." Hope said.

"Alright, let's catch a flight." Akane said.

Later, on Providence Main Street…

The central street area was lively during the day as Team Ginova made their way to the plaza.

"You sure called it with teams gunning for us cause of our rep." Akane said.

"It's no secret that we're the main targets of people who are in this tournament because they just wanna win." Hope said. "Antonov wants this tournament won because he wants a major comeback in style, and to build up that new Wrestling brand of his. Honestly though, I don't really see him having that much luck with it, winning or not."

"Antonov seems like the person who would throw out any idea, no matter how ridiculous. That's how Nu sees it, anyway." Nu said.

"You ain't the only one." Akane said. "Alright, who's gonna step up to us next?"

"Let's make sure no ones ambushing us first. Nu, would you mind?" Hope asked.

"High psychokinetic energy detected." Nu said.

"That so?" Hope said, sensing something himself as he managed to deflect what was a Psycho Ball, trademark move of none other than the Eternal Psychic Idol herself, Athena Asamiya, who teleported close to them. "Hey, Athena."

"Ugh, dang it! Our ambush failed." A voice said as Yuri came in.

Mai then appeared in a flaming tornado. "I thought for sure it would work, given how Hope isn't too bright."

"Hey, we already got jumped by one team today." Hope said. "So, you girls thought the same thing as G.A.W. huh? Target us because we're singled out as the underdogs?"

"Yes, I'm really sorry about that." Athena said. "It was Mai's idea… Yuri agreed to it."

"Aren't you supposed to be in charge?" Akane asked.

"You know how Mai and Yuri get, Akane. Once they get going, they don't ever listen." Hope said.

"Yeah, these two definitely sound like they have something to prove." Akane said.

"Well of course! Andy turned me down for a team up again!" Mai said. "I'll show him what he's missing out on!"

"You I get because this is your thing, but Yuri, man…" Hope said. "There are other ways to show Ryo you're not what he said you are."

"What would you know? I bet you treat your sisters the same way he does!" Yuri said.

"Hey, that's not me, I'm not a bad brother! Well, maybe I left a bit of a bad impression on Sahara, and I did run away, but I'm nothing like what you think Ryo is now!" Hope said.

"Don't get worked up, Hope. Nu thinks Yuri just wants a rise out of you." Nu said.

"You're probably right. Yuri and Mai are just in this to win for personal Glory, and prove things to Andy and Ryo." Hope said.

"Not the best team in terms of a shared goal, but we can still take em." Akane said. "So, are we gonna fight or what?"

"Oh, you bet! This won't be like before when we faced off in the Unofficial KOF, this time you and your friends are going down!" Mai declared as Yuri stepped up.


"Oh my, this got to be interesting." Richard remarked. "It seems that the Heroines and Underdogs have clashed at last. Wonder who will take the win here."

"I'm sure that Team Ginova will make it through." Gus declared with some confidence to his tone.

Ui remained silent, although she had hopeful eyes to the screen, as if expecting Team Super Heroine to win.


"I call first dibs!" Yuri said.

"Select the Order!"

Akane

Nu

Hope

"Let me take the first go, guys!" Akane said, cracking her knuckles.

"You wanna give Yuri a rematch? You got it!" Hope said as he and Nu took on Athena and Mai to keep them away from Akane and Yuri.

"Tactics aside, it's good to see you again, Akane." Yuri said.

"Yeah, if you were goin' first, this was a no brainer." Akane said. "All things considered, you wanna prove to Ryo that you're not slackin' off, try beating me for starters!"

"You just took the words right out of my mouth!" Yuri said.

Round 1!

Ready…GO!

"Ko-Ou Ken!" Yuri called, launching a wave of orange energy at Akane. She took the blast as she and Yuri then traded blows. Though Yuri's personal take on Kyokygenryu Karate was still on point. Akane could tell that her strikes didn't have as much power as they did before.

Regardless, Akane still pressed on, giving Yuri her best as she employed som strong kicks, before finishing it off with a straight jab, knocking Yuri back.

"I'm not finished yet!" Yuri said as she quickly went back on offense and pummeled Akane with her best hits, finishing off with her Shou upper.

"Still using your own style as always! But, lemme show you some new tricks I've picked up!" Akane said as she leaned and avoided Yuri's follow up, before bringing the pain with some wide sweeping kicks, and acrobatic aerial maneuvers, all combined with her boxing training.

"Whoa, what's this now?!" Yuri asked.

"It's Capoeira! I learned it in the FIght universe!" Akane said. "Not just that, but also…!" she said doing some strikes that incorporated tumbling and somersaults. "Di Dong Quan!"

"Boxing, Capoeira, and Di Dong Quan?!" Athena asked, blasting Hope back. "But the only person who knows all three of those is…!"

"Guess you know who he is, Athena! Nice that you do!" Akane said. "That's right, my trainer was….! The man they called "El Dorado", Purgatory Competitor Carlos Medel!" she declared for the cameras to pick up.

"An A-List Gladiator and one of Purgatory's 13 representatives?!" Mai said in shock.

"Doesn't matter who he is, I'm strong enough to take on whatever he taught you!" Yuri said with confidence. "Take this! Hien Hohou Kyaku!" Yuri said during midair bicycle kicks as she juggled Akane in the air before going for a two handed slam.

"Sorry Yuri, but right now…!" Akane said countering Yuris attack and throwing her to the ground, following up with a series of diving kicks before launching her into the air with a backwards somersault kick, followed by a Rolling uppercut. "I'm on an entirely different level!" she said breakdancing with a few spins before finishing Yuri off with a massive superkick.

K.O!

"(Father, forgive me!)" Yuri cried as she fell to the ground.

"You've still got a long way to go, Yuri." Akane said.

Hope knocked Athena back as Nu made Mai retreat.

"Damn, guess we kinda underestimated Hope's team a little." Mai said. "I didn't expect Akane to drop a bomb as huge as being trained by Carlos Medel."

"We can still win if we give it our all. Let's not give up just yet, Mai!" Athena encouraged.

"Heh, does it sound like I'm giving up? Our super powerful team won't be beat!" Mai said.

"You said almost the exact same thing before you and King faced Mayumi's team." Hope reminded. "And you still lost."

"That may be true, but Mai is right. We are strong, and I'll do my best to support her and Yuri!" Athena said, stepping up.

"Hope, let Nu take over from here." Nu said.

"Sword vs Psychic. I like it." Hope said as new floated up.

"I will not hold back, Athena. Commencing battle." Nu said.

"Neither will I! (Here comes Athena!)" Athena declared.

Round 2!

Ready…GO!

"Psycho Ball!" Athena said, firing off her go-to projectile.

"Go." Nu said, using her Drive Sword Summoner as she sent a sword flying straight as the two attacks collided.

"Here's more!" Athena said, firing more Psycho Balls. Nu was able to fly around them, and get close to Athena so that she could attack her with her blades, relentlessly slashing her. She got off attacks like Spike Chase and a close range Sickle storm, before ending off with one of her special moves.

"Extinction!" Nu said, spinning in place as she called down a giant sword from above before it slammed down on Athena.

Athena took damage, but broke away with a Psychic Burst.

"I may not have intended to compete in KOF originally, but I still won't lose!" Athena said, firing back with her own super. "Crystal Shoot!" she called as two orbs of energy orbited around her before flying to her finger as she held it, the orbs merging into an orb of light as she launched it.

"Destruction!" Nu called, using Legacy Edge as she created a portal in front of her as it fired a barrage of swords. This proved too much for Athena to handle.

K.O!

Athena screamed as she was sent flying.

"If you're not here for the tournament… what were you after?" Nu asked.

In response to Athena being knocked out, Mai used her Shiranui ninjustu to blow everyone back.

"You guys are good, but it's not over until everyones knocked out! You got a taste of Shiranui Ninjustu last time. Now, I'll give you all you can handle." Mai said.

Hope tugged his gloves and brushed his hair up. "Mai's all mine." he said as Nu and Akane backed off. "Every tournament, it's the same thing. You ask Andy to team up, he rejects you, and you form a women's team. You ever gonna get tired of this?"

"I'll never give up. One day for sure he'll team up with me again, as long as I keep showing him what he's missing out on!" Mai said.

"You're one stubborn kunoichi." Hope sighed.

"It's not stubborn, if it's effective!" Mai retorted.

Final Round!

Ready…GO!

Hope started out hard and fast, employing the combat style he had learned in the Fight Universe under the tutelage of his own teacher. With his Baritsu skills, he was able to catch Mai off guard as she flipped out of range.

"Those moves… Baritsu?" Mai asked. "Pretty good, but everything still gets turned to ash by my Shiranui Ninjutsu!"

"Is that right? Then show me." Hope said.

Mai accepted the challenge, and parried a punch from Hope with her fan before going into a combo of fan strikes and aerial moves before finishing it off. "Shiranui Ninpo: Chou Hissatsu Shinobi Baichi!" she called, cartwheeling towards Hope as she cloaked herself in fire before leaping towards him with her elbow pointed out. Hope blocked as best he could, but he still got rammed by Mai and got drenched in flames.

"Hah! That wasn't so-whuh?!" Mai's cockiness was quickly evaporated when she saw that her arm was caught in Hope's grip of the hand by her own.

"A classic bait in to trap your opponents." Hope said twisting Mai's arm down, Old School Jujitsu style. "That's the way of Old School Jujitsu!"

"Ow-ow-ow-OW!" Mai cried before kicking Hope away before he could do more damage. "Okay that's it!" she charged in and dealt more strikes, aiming to finish off with her Secret Technique: Kuzunoha.

But Hope was ready and blocked the attack, kicking Mai away.

"I don't just use Baritsu Normally!" Hope said before he assumed a pose as lightning struck him and the current ran through his fists. "Spectral Style Baritsu: Lighting Kata!"

"What the heck is-?!" was all Mai could get out as Hope punched Mai, going into a combo attack that mostly incorporated attacks fast as lighting with his punches and kicks. Hope then transferred into something new and unexpected.

"Here's a classic!" Hope said transitioning into a quick barrage of electrically charged jabs, before dealing Mai 6 heavy right hooks to her face. "Rolling…Thunder!" he then called finishing Mai off with a devastating uppercut that sent lighting right through her body.

K.O!

"ANDY!" Mai screamed as she was launched into the air and then to the ground. Hope turning his back to her for a brief second as the match was over

"That was a nailbiter! Keep an eye on this matchup!"

Team Ginova: WINNER!

"Andy sure has a lot to deal with." Hope sighed.

The three grouped up, happy with their win as Team Super Heroine was left laying.

"Geez, I kinda feel bad for Athena, being saddled with two overbearing personalities." Akane said.

"Mai and Yuri are… yeah, they're a little high strung, but they don't mean any harm." Hope said. "Anyways, thats a win for us. Great job, you two."

"I'm grateful we won but…Nu still thinks that nothing will change about our views." Nu said.

"Oh, I wouldn't think that, Nu." Akane said, looking at Bellamy's broadcast which just came back on. "Check it out!"

"This just in! Following two impressive victories over Teams G.A.W and Super Heroine, Team Ginova's public opinion seems to have changed." Bellamy said. "While some people still regard them as underdogs and not overall favorites, others see them as shining stars. Look forward to more updates on the tournament at a later time."

Hope smiled. "Heh. Amazing what a little tournament action can do to get support. Still, we've got a long way to go before the finals. Akane, Nu, what say we keep this up and do the best we can?"

"You know I'm up for it!" Akane said.

"Nu's ready, Hope!" Nu said.

"Okay then, let's make the most of this tournament and have a blast!" Hope said.


"Well, all's well ends well, I suppose." Reimu shrugged, seeing the outcome of the 3-round duel between the two teams.

"I'm glad that Hope and the others got their chance to prove themselves worthy underdogs in this tournament. Even if they don't make it to the finals, they definitely left their mark." Gus remarked with satisfaction.

"Aw… I thought that Team Super Heroine would have taken the win. But they fought well, and Team Ginova fought better. In fact, just seeing Hope fight inspired me to do better, because we're both underdogs in a sense!" Ui declared, as the loss of her team did nothing to diminish her mood, instead encouraging her.

"That's the spirit." Richard remarked, giving Ui a few encouraging shoulder-pats. "You'll become something great very soon with that kind of attitude."