Before we start on this chapter, a little clarification for JojoDO. In the flashback, the Zero Misty was talking to was Clone Zero, the traitorous piece of shit of KOF 2000, not the noble warrior of the subsequent year. The bits about the "original self" and the "raging inferiority complex" were an allusion to this, since it wouldn't make much sense for people in-universe to refer to him as a clone. I suppose I could've conveyed that better.

L.A. SEWER SYSTEM

The air was filled with the most revolting stench imaginable, in this place where only the most desperate would ever seeks refuge. On the other hand, if one were capable of ignoring the less than ideal atmosphere, this was one of the better hideouts Los Angeles could offer. Between these labyrinthine, lurid walls, one of the most notorious groups of the criminal underworld was in the middle of a very tight spot, with one of their members still suffering from the injuries received the night before. A young, bespectacled girl, wearing a simple sleeveless white shirt, blue shorts with a huge sword holster attached to it and black sneakers was trying her best to ease his pain, with others all around him keeping him from squirming too much.

"Jeez, It's a good thing you brought him here so quickly. What would've happened if mom didn't teach me some nursing stuff?" She was just about done cleaning the burned area, but without proper medical equipment, there wasn't much more that could be done.

"That bastard...he will s-suffer!" The pain caused by Jyazu's chi slash left Chat in inconsolable tears for hours, his face and right arm looked like they aged of about sixty years, with his skin still filled up with godawful bubbles.

"Say, if you can't be an Hizoku assassin anymore, you could try your hand at horror movie star, kehehe." An incredibly slender figure with a massive stitch decorating his chest cackled, summoning the ire of the other original Hizoku.

"Magaki, you are not helping with your acid comments." Ron towered above everyone present, being multiple spans higher. "Domino, he will come back from this, isn't he?"

"Not without a gauze and some painkillers, he won't, and that's the bare minimum." Domino answered dejected.

"D-don't feel pity for me, Master. This is the mark of shame I deserve for being so careless. I will bear this pain forever if necessary." Chat declared with gritted teeth.

As the others were still around Chat to support him, the most unwanted person metaphorically walked through door. Big's presence caused the air to become even more unbearable, the shit he pulled still being very vivid in the memories of those present during the last recruitment session.

"You've got some fucking nerve, showing your face here like you didn't left Chat to die just last night." Luan accused.

"And what exactly did you expect me to do against those brickhouses? Sorry if I thought you had it handled, I guess."

"You...I should carve your head into a lantern, you spineless maggot." Chat hissed, trying his best not to behead Big right then and there. "These were supposed to be your scars, not mine. We are the one who worked to the bone to help the New Hizoku flourish-"

"Oh my god, get off your high horse, would you? Some "flourishing" you've made, failing to convince anyone to join this merry gang of incompetents. While Toothpick and Four-eyes over there have been nothing but glorified freeloaders, I've found some office cubicles to move into so we're not stuck in this stinking hole anymore. But sure, rant and rave all day about how you worked your ass off-"

Being utterly fed up with his tirade, Magaki dashed to Big and slammed him in the nearby wall, assuming his real form, his body turning fuchsia with blue alien lines running up his body.

"Let me gift you with a reality check, Big." Magaki's bulging eyes weren't making this experience any more pleasant. "The main operatives here are some of the deadliest assassins this blue rock has ever seen, I can move them around every corner of the world in seconds and hell, even that other worthless human at least can swing a metal stick around. You, with all your immense resources and lackeys at your beck and call, still amount to less than nothing in comparison to us. You're not special, on the contrary, you are the most replaceable living being this planet's womb has ever had the displeasure of birthing out. So you either recognize your place in our totem pole or I'll make sure this will be the last time you'll be mouthing off to anyone, understand?"

The Southtown don couldn't exactly answer, as his throat was getting crushed like a rotten fruit and none of the others were in any rush to help him out. He proved himself to be the weak link of the group in less than twelve hours, they probably felt like karma was at work here...or getting some kind of twisted enjoyment out of it. Luckily, Ron decided to intervene to prevent a senseless murder to occur.

"That's quite enough, Magaki. He got the message." He quietly commanded.

"Yeah, we can smell his piss from here. Don't wanna add the aroma of a fresh corpse too." Luan lamented.

Disappointed, Magaki obeyed and let Big's body flop to the ground as he gasped for air. For someone so thin, the former member of Those From the Past had ridiculous strength in those arms.

"Please, never do that again. He already went to such lengths to provide us with a better base of operations...and what happened at the helipad was out of his control." Making the case for someone like Big? Normally, that would see your street cred plummeting through the floor, but the rest of the organization, besides Magaki, had such unwavering loyalty towards him that they were willing to listen.

"Besides, he raised a valid point. It's because of my reputation that the New Hizoku is not as large as it should be."

"Yeah, because that really makes me feel better." Big lamented in-between coughs.

Reluctantly, Luan helped the don getting his dumb ass back up. In her mind, that worm should only be grateful for the bottomless kindness in Ron's heart.

"Now that we are all clear-headed, we better focus on our transfer, as well as your individual missions for tonight."

The New Hizoku immediately formed a line in front of their master, like the most expert of military squads.

"An orderly operation is a successful one, so forgive me if I feel the need to overlook even the smallest detail. I'll start by trying to recruit Yagami personally, as soon as the sun goes down." Ron proclaimed, causing mild confusion between his "ranks".

"Far from me to doubt you, Master, but the Magatama didn't seem...all that willing to join our cause." Chat objected.

"Not to worry, I will find a way through his stubbornness. Magaki?"

"Take the Dragon's Spirit fragment out of whoever Psycho brat has it in this period. Got the easiest job of the bunch, it seems." He responded, already eager to get his hands bloody.

"Luan?"

"Corner the other Sacred Treasures and kill them discretely."

"Mr. Big?"

"Yeah, yeah, got the truck ready to transport that creepy-ass chi-conversing gizmo you've made or...whatever that shit is."

"Domino?"

"I've already agreed on the meeting place with my contact. Some asshole called Gato, got the shortest fuse ever. You guys do your thing, don't want to be deadweight in your far more important stuff."

"Excellent. While those MIST Directive fools waste themselves in their decadent luxuries, we will strike first, strike hard and gain the upper hand. Stay vigilant, my New Hizoku. For the glory of our new world!"

"FOR THE GLORY OF OUR NEW WORLD!"

For those wondering who Domino is, she's the original edit character that comes with KOF WING and I hate her. So. Much. Not just because she's a tryhard Vergil wannabe, but she has one of THE cheapest A.I. I've ever seen in the history of Mugen. It makes Magaki and Igniz look perfectly fair and balanced in comparison. However, I won't let my hatred spill into the story or ruin the purpose I have for her, so rest assured.

Speaking of Magaki, he's always been a personal favourite of mine among the KOF bosses and the Tales Of Ash saga characters in general, which I know is a sentiment practically no one shares, so I've waited until the moment the New Hizoku was introduced in its entirety to reveal him as Ron's right hand. After all, I'm a sucker for freakish, extremely lean body types and movesets so broken that they turn around into becoming hilarious. Plus, he's canonically an unabashed asshole so...cherry on top for me.

NEXT TIME: Waiting for the match of her brother, Xiao Lon waits on the stands until Vanessa finds her in order to propose an alliance.