Shikkoku Kiyoshi does not own The King of Fighters.
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The King of Fighters: New Blood
Act 1: Arrival
By Shikkoku Kiyoshi
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"Let me get this straight. A huge pop star, her friend, a young Chinese boy with psychic powers, and a old man is our next opponents?!"
The SSC had landed in the new location and arrived at the hotel with no trouble (much to Irena's pleasure). Their representative had just announced the next match, and Raven and Krysten wasn't too happy with their next opponents, the Psycho Soldiers.
The older Kirishima slapped a hand on his face in frustration. "Of all the fighters you have competing in this damn tournament, we have to face THEM?!"
Krysten just sighed. "Hopefully if we win, they'll put us against some real fighters."
Xion, as usual, didn't really care.
Zyon stared at the picture of the team, and inwardly shuddered. Having to fight Athena Asamiya wasn't exactly something he was looking forward to.
Irena shut her laptop. "Don't underestimate the Psycho Soldiers. They will take you out quick if you get too cocky."
"Even if we do beat them, the massive wave of angry Athena fans will eat us alive." Krysten acknowledged. Raven just sat in a chair and started mumbling about not getting taken seriously enough.
Zyon decided to go get something to eat, so he left the Irena, Xion and the stewing Kirishimas alone in the room as he went downstairs. Once he found the dining hall, he arrived to see Athena herself mulling on the various dinner options at the buffet.
The young blond boy ducked behind one of the booths and sighed. He did not need to see her right now. Especially since Athena now knew that she would be fighting against him.
"She's probably wondering what I'm doing here." He mused. "Then again, she wasn't there when I put my name in the hat for this thing."
Zyon knew that he couldn't stay there for the rest of his life, so he got out and started assaulting the buffet, doing his best to stay away from the young girl. The food wasn't as good as the other place, so he only found about two or three things that looked really good.
After he was done, he decided it would be better for his sanity if he ate by himself. In a table far in the back, he sat himself down. Zyon couldn't even smoke in this room, so he was feeling terrible.
Zyon hadn't gotten halfway through his food before he felt something cold press against his head, and he knew who was on the other end of that.
"Sweetheart," Zyon faked a kind tone. "One of these days, the gun is going to go off and you are going to be in big trouble."
Whip put her desert eagle back in her holster. "It wasn't loaded anyway, weenie."
"What do you want?"
"Well, I wanted to get something to eat before our match today, when I saw you." She smiled. "Can I sit with you?"
Zyon thought about it for a second. "Where's your other members?"
"They're out. That's all I can say."
"In that case, go on ahead." Whip sat in the seat in front of him. "What's with the sudden interest in me?"
"I just figured that us newcomers should stick together. Besides, like I said, you're kinda cute."
Zyon gave a big grin. "Well I can't blame you for wanting to be with a boy like me."
Whip only rolled her eyes and took pieces of food out of the various plates. "So who are you fighting next?"
Zyon motioned towards Athena with his head.
"I see." Whip retorted. "And you're hiding from her?"
"NO!" Zyon whispered. "I just don't want to see her before the fight."
"Why?"
"It's hard to explain. If I see Athena, then when it's time to fight her, I'll end up hesitating. Truthfully, I would be a striker in this match if Xio-kun wasn't too injured to fight."
The two ate for a little bit, making small chat about the hotel. Before he asked, "How old are you anyway?"
Whip munched on a sweet roll. "Sixteen."
It took a few moments for Zyon to process it through his head, which was good, since it prevented him from making a big scene. "Sixteen?! What kinda organization hires kids to fight for the military?" Zyon said, even though he knew a lot of them.
Whip on the other hand, glared knives and daggers at the teen. "I am NOT a kid. You have no idea how false that statement is."
Zyon smiled. "I seem to have hit a nerve. I apologize. You're not a kid, you're a annoying young woman with a BDSM fetish who thinks that she can win a tournament with a pop gun and a sex toy."
Whip slapped him.
Zyon got up and looked at her. "Oooh. Ouch." He rubbed his face, but smiled.. "I might have hit another sensitive spot."
Whip's anger died down a bit. "I'm sorry about that, but I really don't like it when someone insults my precious Voodoo. But truthfully, If I really wanted to, I could kill you right now with this whip."
"Then you and me are more alike than you think. I guess I'm sort of an hypocrite for saying that you're a kid, since I'm only one year older than you. But still, If you do face me in this tournament, I don't really care if you're sixteen or a girl, I'm not holding back." Zyon got up close to Whip till his nose almost touched hers. "Push me, and I can't promise that I will not kill you."
Zyon smiled while he grabbed his plates. "But I hope I don't hurt you too bad. You're intriguing, to say the least."
Whip just watched his retreating form as he went upstairs, thinking about what he just said.
"Intriguing?" She smiled to herself. "That's a rather nice way of putting it…"
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A few hours later, everyone was out like a light except for Raven. He was on the balcony, staring out at the sparse amount of people walking about in this time of night.
"Yo Raven." Irena said quietly. "What's going on?"
"I just can't sleep right now." He said. "The anxiety is getting to me again."
"I see. If the match has got you that much in knots, don't think about it. Even if you lose, I'll have your back."
"That's sweet of you, but I'm confident that we will win this match. I'm just not sure about the one after this one…"
Irena knocked him in the head. "Silly Raven." A thought occurred to her. "Is Raven your real name?"
Raven eyes dulled. "It's not, but I'm so attached to this name that it's pretty hard to go by any others."
Irena smiled and got up. "It suits you." She opened the door. "I don't know why, it just suits you."
Raven sighed as he heard the door close. It was going to be one hell of a bout. He just hoped his team was up to it.
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"So, how are you doing…" A voice asked over the phone.
Irena was on sitting Indian-style on her bed. The lights were off, leaving only the open window.
The girl shrugged her shoulder lightly. "I'm okay. The SSC are a dream to work with."
"That's good to hear." The voice sounded pleased. "Our plan is going ahead smoothly. Keep an eye out for our little experiment."
"Will do. Bye." She hung up the phone, and flopped back in her bed with a sigh.
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"Okay, here we are!"
The next day, the team set out for their next match. Irena drove for about fifteen minutes before they arrived at a park. It was a sunny day wit a few clouds gathering a distance back. Some kids were busy playing ball, a man was feeding some birds under the awning, and a few men where cleaning the litter that spotted some parts of the otherwise green lawn.
Zyon stretched. "Now that's more like it." He said. "Well, sort of."
"Do these people even know that a savage fight is about to occur?" Krysten asked.
"They'll leave when the other team arrives." Irena took out her laptop and started fiddling around.
Xion yawned. "Well in that case," he spoke as he laid down on a nearby bench. "I'm going to take a little nap."
"Xion, you've been sleeping for most of this tournament!" Raven glared. "We need you active for your duty as a striker."
"Keh. I suppose your right." Xion sat up. "So what is the order for this match?"
"Me, Zyon, Krysten."
Zyon nodded absent-mindedly. His thoughts were on Athena, and the very real chance that he would have to fight her. "I guess I have no choice." He said to himself. "Even if she is Athena Asamiya, the most beautiful pop star in the world, she's my opponent. I'll beat her, and once this thing is over, we'll be as right as rain again."
They all wandered around for an hour, and by time the Psycho Soldiers arrived, the SSC were playing a game of soccer with a empty can.
"Huh? Crap, it's the team!" Raven shouted, and Zyon and Krysten stopped playing and joined him at the fighting grounds.
Athena took a good look at the contestants. "Hello you guys!" She waved happily, trying to see if they were okay to talk to. Krysten smiled and copied her motion which made Raven shake his head in shame. Zyon tried all his effort to stand quietly and not shrink behind the younger Kirishima like a scared cat. All seemed to be going well until Athena walked up to him and grabbed both of his hands.
"Zyon, I'm so glad to see you're in the tournament!" she said, giving him a warm smile that made his pulse increase. "I know you'll do great!"
Zyon retuned the sentiments, somewhat relieved. "Thank you, Athena."
"Uh, Zyon?" Krysten spoke. "Do you know her personally?"
"That's none of your damn business." Zyon glared at him, his eyes turning a orange-red hue.
Irena cleared her throat. "Okay, social hour's over. It's time to get ready. Athena, go to the other side so I can do the introductions."
Athena gave Zyon a wink before going to her team's side. Zyon nearly melted on the spot.
"Okay, This is the next match in the King of Fighters 1999. My name is Irena Toryu, and along with being a representative, I will also be officiating this match. This is the second round match up between the Shin Sekai Chitsujo on the left, and the Psycho Soldiers on the right. I want a clean match, and for goodness sake, don't kill anybody. Would the first fighters please step forward?"
Raven walked forward. In his view, a small, smiling boy wearing orange clothing.
Bao gave a small bow. "It is very nice to meet you!"
The blond teen resisted the urge to sigh.
"Round 1: Raven vs. Bao!"
Raven untied the black and red bandana around his neck and tied it around his head. "Your life is in my hands now."
Bao was unaware of the ominous words spouted by his opponent. "Go easy on me!"
Fight!
"Psycho Ball!" Bao threw a blue ball of energy at him immediately. Raven easily avoided it, but it bounced off the wall and came back, smacking him on the head. It didn't hurt much, but it threw the boy off his game enough that Bao was able to hit him with a Psycho Ball: Crush.
Krysten slapped his head. "My brother is about to lose to a twelve year old!" he thought. "Come on!"
Raven got up, and tried to reassess the situation. He wasn't about to go full strength against a boy. He had to defeat him quickly.
Dashing forward, he thrust his elbow out into the young boy's stomach, then smashed his upper chest with a palm. Raven took a step back, before performing a spinning sweep. Bao jumped over the foot and sent another Psycho Ball towards his opponent, but it missed him by a few inches and bounced high in the air, hitting a bird in the process.
"Oh dear!" Bao rubbed his head and gave a meek grin. "I didn't mean to do that."
Raven just shook his head and got back into stance. "Ha!" He tossed a fireball on his own, and again Bao jumped over it, but Raven smacked a fist into his palm and the ball exploded, the wave hitting the twelve-year old out of the sky.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk." Raven waved his finger a bit. Bao got up and performed another Psycho Ball: Crush, plowing himself into Raven's stomach. He kicked him off, and started to form a Kiren'eki. Bao noticed it and answered by charging a Psycho Ball Attack: MAX.
Now if you seen the Psycho Ball Attack: Max, you would know that it is a BIG ball of energy. The Kiren'eki is a thin blade of energy that is noticeably smaller, even when it's charged up fully. It should be also known that the Bao's move charges way faster than Raven's, so it was thrown before Raven could put in the amount of energy for the attack.
Raven, who had no intention of going full power with the Kiren'eki, released it as soon as he thought the Psycho Ball was coming towards him. The projectile (which was dark red this time as opposed to purple in the last match) flew towards the large energy ball, and instead of colliding with it and canceling each other out, the Kiren'eki cut it in half. The two halves flew out of control, one nearly hit Irena, the other crashed into a nearby window.
As for the Kiren'eki, it kept going till it hit Bao hard. The boy rolled a bit before stopping in front of a concerned Kensou. He wasn't getting back up.
"Bao is knocked out, so Raven wins the round." Irena announced.
Raven brushed the black bangs out of his hair. "Not a chance." His confidence was going up, and he was getting into this.
Kensou, seeing how easily he dispatched Bao, wasn't feeling as sure of himself. If he couldn't beat him, what could he do? Especially without any powers?
"Kensou…" Chin said from behind him. "Don't let him intimidate you with his powers. I know that it may seem hopeless, but know that we have your back no matter what." He gave a cheesy smile. "Besides, if things get tough, just call striker."
"Yeah!" Athena cheered. "I believe in you! Go on and win!"
Kensou suddenly felt rejuvenated. "Alright, I'll do my best." He rushed towards the ring.
Round 2: Raven vs. Kensou!
Kensou took out a meatbun and devoured it. Raven just sweatdropped.
Fight!
Kensou used his kung fu skills in good form, hitting Raven with several hand attacks. The blond teen shoved him out of the way, and performed another spinning sweep that knocked him down. Raven tried to kick him in the head, but Kensou rolled away.
"Don't make me have to get serious." Raven said.
"You mean you're not serious now?" Kensou taunted. "You're in a battle, you always have to be serious, unless this whole thing is a big joke to you."
Raven growled and threw another fireball at him, which hit him in the leg. He was starting to get angry. Kensou pushed himself up with one hand and kicked him in the jaw. Raven was launched into the air. The psychic boy followed up with a Ryuu Renga: Tenryuu, sending Raven up even higher. The blond recovered, however, and got his wits about him enough to form a plan.
"XION!" Raven called, shoving Kensou into the striker's direction.
Xion got up from his seat, dashed forward and started punching Kensou rapidly. Xion counted about thirty-eight times before he kicked him back to Raven, who launched a Kiren'eki into his back. Kensou collapsed in pain.
"Kensou…" Athena was worried for her dear friend.
Raven chuckled. "Now do you see?" he taunted. "I'm deadly serious about this."
Kensou could be heard laughing. "I was wrong about you. You are serious about this fight. But…" He jumped back to his feet. "I want this MORE!"
Before Raven could react, Kensou executed his signature Shinryuu Seiou Rekkyaku technique. Raven felt the full force of every blow, and his body was unable to respond to his commands.
"Damn it." He said weakly, but he knew he had to stop. Looking at Irena, he told her that he couldn't continue. The girl sighed.
"Raven cannot continue, so Kensou wins the match."
Kensou waved his finger at the fallen teen. "You need to train some more."
Zyon took a deep breath and stepped up for his turn, while Krysten helped his brother to his side of the fighting area. He grabbed the charm around his neck and took a deep breath. Kensou noticed the sky was starting to go grey, and whatever people was there had started to seek shelter.
Round 3: Zyon vs. Kensou!
Zyon jumped a couple of times before running a hand through his hair. "Let's see how long you last."
Fight!
Zyon knew he couldn't use flames right now, and he couldn't use his other technique either at the moment, because it would drain him of too much energy, so for now, he had to use his normal style for now. He grabbed Kensou by the collar and dashed over to his teams side. Signaling for his teammates to move out of the way, he smashed Kensou into the wall. He backed off a few steps, then launched a flying kick towards him that hit him in the stomach.
Kensou stumbled back into the ring, slowly trying to regain his focus. Jumping up in the air, he tried to do a Ryuu Sougeki, but Zyon countered by grabbing his outstretched wrist and chucking him into the lawn. It was about that time that it started raining. Zyon threw a small dark blue projectile that skittered across the floor and hit Kensou, who was on his belly in the grass, across the face. He still was able to get up and perform a five-hit rush on Zyon, but the psychic boy was exhausted. Rather than attempting a flashy finish, Zyon just punched him in the stomach, and Kensou fell like a rock.
"Kensou has been knocked out, so Zyon is the winner." Irena announced.
Athena rushed to help her fallen friend. Zyon let out a heavy breath and shook his wet hair. "He'll be okay." He said quietly. "He's just too tired to fight." She nodded and took him out of the rain before rushing back.
Round 4: Zyon vs. Athena!
Athena raised her hand. "Athena, Ikimasu!"
FIGHT!
Zyon pushed all his nervousness aside and started to fight. He threw another blue projectile, and watched as Athena threw a Psycho Ball that gobbled it up and hit him in the chest. It felt white hot, and Zyon was surprised that it didn't burn his clothes. He lifted his foot in the air and brought it down on Athena's own foot, which caused her to jump around on one leg for a bit. "Ow, ow, ow!"
Zyon shrugged a shoulder. "Hey, come on."
Athena stopped hopping and teleported behind him. "PSYCHO SHOOT!"
Zyon flew a few feet before his head hit one of the rocks on the ground. It wasn't bad, but it left a gash on his head. Zyon got up slowly, his back to Athena.
"Uh, Zyon?" Athena asked. "Are you okay?"
Zyon just looked back at her, blood running down his face. "Yeah, I'm fine." Turning around, he closed his eyes. His hair started to turn a bright white. Athena just looked on in wonder.
"Okay." Zyon said, opening his eyes, whose irises have turned green. "I'm done."
Athena ran forward and did a Psycho Sword, but it didn't hit anything. When she landed, Zyon was gone.
"Huh?"
"I'm over here." Zyon was three feet behind her. Athena was surprised, and threw a Psycho Ball. Zyon disappeared again, and the attack hit Xion instead.
"Ah! Gomen!" Athena bowed.
"Ahhhhh…You hurt Xio-Xio!" Zyon said from….somewhere.
"Cram it." Xion muttered, rubbing his head.
Athena looked wildly for the blond fighter. A lightning bolt crackled behind her, scaring the girl out of her wits.
"STOP THAT!" she screeched.
"Up here!"
Athena found Zyon sitting on the awing, right above her team. He disappeared again and reappeared right in front of her. He struck her with a kick, which she blocked, but a sudden bout of pain shot through her arm. Athena looked at him, and Zyon was standing there with electricity sparking from his body.
"You look worried." Zyon tilted his head. "This electricity won't kill you, but it does hurt." He did a beautiful somersault kick, hitting Athena in the chin and sending a weak jolt through her body.
Zyon landed on his feet. He patiently waited for Athena to get up, and when she did, he dashed past her. Athena stood there for a minute, before searing pain racked her body. She almost collapsed, but her will to fight made her continue. Zyon noticed it, and prepared to attack again, but as soon as he got close, Athena performed the Shining Crystal Bit, and Zyon got launched.
Flipping over, he landed on his feet. Zyon noticed that Athena was in desperation mode, so Zyon, out of kindness (or mercy to some people) closed his eyes, and his hair and powers returned to normal. He didn't need electricity to finish this match.
He still has enough speed to grab Athena and launch her in the air.
"XION!" Zyon shouted. His black-haired friend got up again. "Ready?"
"Ready."
At that point, they both used all their energy and kicked Athena, who was still in the air, at the same time. The psychic girl dropped like a brick. Zyon was worried, but somewhat happy too, now that he redeemed himself.
"Athena is knocked out, so Zyon is the winner." Irena resisted the urge to grin. "The Shin Sekai Chitsujo have won the match, and will go to the quarterfinals."
Zyon wanted to collapse in relief, but instead helped Athena up to her feet. Despite what she went through, she still had a smile on her face.
"I didn't know that you would be that strong." She said. "Congratulations, I'm glad that I got to fight you at last."
Zyon smiled, but was confused. "You wanted to fight me? I didn't know if you would be happy about me entering this tournament without notice."
"Well, I was a little surprised, but I figured that either you were bored or you were goaded into this by your teammates."
"You could say it was the latter." Zyon glanced at Raven and Krysten. "But it was mostly the former. Now go help your teammates."
Athena nodded and rushed off. Zyon drug his body back to his side of the team.
"Way to go, Zyon!" Krysten cheered.
"Thanks a bunch." Zyon gave a big grin. Whatever stress he had earlier that day was gone, and now he could finally relax and enjoy the ride. "How about we go celebrate?"
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Shikkoku: I'm very sorry for the wait, but it took a while to get my groove with this chapter, and even then, I got distracted with real life stuff, playing Naruto Ultimate Ninja 2, GameFaqs, and just using the internet in general. I don't know about the next chapter, as I have other stories that need to be updated desperately.
Notes:
Well, you just saw Zyon's second power, lightning. Call it overkill if you must, but everything will be explained next chapter, and while he has better control over this than fire, it's still a work in progress. I promise you he's not going to be in constant god mode.
The fight was shorter than the last one, I know, but it was still pretty long.
I'm still working on move lists. The SSC don't call out their attacks anyway, so it's not a big deal but…
Here's the second Bio for the SSC:
KRYSTEN KIRISHIMA
Fighting Style: His own unique style.
Birthdate: Doesn't Know.
Age: 15
Birthplace: Doesn't know.
Blood Type: A
Height: 5'7
Weight: 136 lb
Hobbies: Playing video games, riding his motorcycle, sleeping.
Best Sport: Motorbike Racing
Most Important: His older brother and his adopted family that took him in.
Dislikes: Crashing his bikes. (It happens every now and then.)
Raven Kirishima's younger brother, Krysten was found by him before confirmation of his relation to Raven was known. A shy, polite young man, he enters the tournament to support his brother. Though he is friendly, he has a tendency to become mute when around people he doesn't know. His fighting style was developed from experience with studying chi.
Shikkoku: Well, that's it for now. As soon as I update Tsurugi no Kirokusuru, I'll post the next chapter of Kurai Tenshi and then this. As always, tell me what you think.
Until next time.