[center] [img][/img] [img]https://imgur.com/ykNX8MZ.png[/img] [img]https://imgur.com/raUhAKE.png[/img] [h3]Fengjian Teahouse, Esaka’s Low Tier[/h3] [b]Word Count:[/b] 8734 (+9) [b]Level 5 Captain Falcon:[/b] 81/50 [b]Level 9 Terry Bogard:[/b] 51/90 [b]Level 8 Amaterasu:[/b] 71/80 [b]Level 11 Sakura Kasugano:[/b] 11/110 [/center] [center] [hider=Prologue: How About a Sparring Match?] [img][/img] [img]https://imgur.com/ijoa76t.png[/img] ▶︎• ၊၊||၊|။||||။‌‌‌၊|• 1:08 [sub][url=https://youtu.be/hPdJZVxvVkc?si=xPpFHIRqAWcKl38B]Haiboku – Fatal Fury 2: The New Battle[/url] [color=lightgray]Pao Pao Resort, South Town, USA | 12:28 AM[/color] [/sub] [img][/img] “And then, I told the Sakazaki girl, ‘hey, babe, you look kinda cute, though. Wanna spend a night with the rising star that is the legendary Higashi Joe? Just you and me, and nobody else~’” And there he went, doing what he did best, and that was being a showboating goofball of the trio. Ever since they parted ways with their usual hangout spot, Joe had been reiterating each and every moment he spent chattering with the all-female Team England, mostly boasting about his ability in attracting women. Both Terry and Andy were fully aware that Joe had always been a ladies man—or so he claimed to be. Nevertheless, they’d started to look overwhelmed by the endless rambling of their friend, as they assisted him with walking, their collective strides gently drawing back towards their hotel room. It really couldn’t help when Joe was awfully drunk, unable to think straight nor reconsider some of the stuff that’d come out of his mouth unfiltered. “But then—this is what really broke my heart, by the way—she slapped me in the face. I was stunned, shocked, and flabbergasted. But she didn’t stop there. She slapped my other cheek, and the other one, and another one, only to then tell me that ‘I’m proudly taken, you perv!’” Joe recalled, elaborating the cause of the warm red handprints on both of his already flushing cheeks. “And can’t you boys tell? I was even more surprised! Like, my heart was about to stop beating right there and then when the gorgeous, oh-so-lovely Yuri Sakazaki turned down my proposal like that. Still, I refused to give up, though. And so, I asked her, ‘Who took you away from me, cutie pie?’ And from that moment on, it became crystal clear to me that I’ve been outraced by one of those scummy Kyokugen dweebs. That Robert Garcia… I swear to God, if I see him in the next tournament, I’m sooo gonna beat the living crap outta that spoiled punk!” “Joe,” Andy warned, his voice exasperated yet composed, “please, just… stop, okay? We saw it, and we knew it.” [color=1E90FF]“Hey, hey, Joey, no offense, but you were trying to force a kiss, weren’t you?”[/color] Terry asked, his concerned eyes glancing sidelong at the drunken Joe. [color=1E90FF]“I mean, if I was Yuri, I would’ve broken your nose, too.”[/color] He snickered, as the quip freely left his mouth. “Aww, man…” Joe sighed, cheeks puffing and brow furrowing. “I thought you boys got my back. She couldn’t just treat this pretty face like that.” [color=1E90FF]“Oh, we got your back, alright,”[/color] Terry reassured, exchanging glances and amused smirks with his brother. [color=1E90FF]“After all, who’s gonna bring you back to the hotel room if it ain’t us?”[/color] Eventually, the trio arrived right in front of Room 92. Opening the door, the Bogard brothers entered with the assisted Joe awkwardly teetering between them, carefully seating their friend on the king-sized bed right across where their strides halted. He immediately collapsed, legs still dangling down the edge of the bed, as he spread his arms wide. “God, I hate you two!” the Muay Thai champion muttered, then belched, still under the strong influence of alcohol. “Should’ve known I entered KOF ’94 by myself…” “If you really want to test your luck,” the Shiranui ninja chimed, colliding his knuckles in a quiet [b][i]thud![/i][/b] [color=1E90FF]“Guess that’s what a big bottle of Yamazaki Whisky does to a guy, amirite?”[/color] the hat-wearing bruiser quipped, then snatched his gaudy red jacket out of his torso, loading it over his shoulder. Suddenly, he felt like something miniscule had flown out of the pocket of his jacket. His sky-blue gaze quickly fell upon the floor, finding [url=https://imgur.com/a/kKRneS0]a shriveled picture of a young, verdant-haired lady sporting a glamorous white dress and a dark hairband[/url]. The memories of [url=https://snk.fandom.com/wiki/Lily_McGuire]her[/url] flooded his mind once more. [color=1E90FF]“Lily…”[/color] Flawlessly hurling his jacket towards the coat rack nearby, Terry sat by the edge of the bed’s footboard, his shimmering eyes pensively fixating on the picture in his grasp. Andy, who’d been leaning his back against the wall across from him, took interest in what his older brother had been staring at the whole time. He seemed to understand that the charming lady in the picture meant to Terry just as much as their late father meant to them. “Still thinking about her, brother?” Andy asked, glancing at him with a glint of sympathy. Terry nodded. [color=1E90FF]“Every single day, man,”[/color] he simply answered. [color=1E90FF]“She was my first love. The girl of my dreams…”[/color] “Ah…” Andy responded, eyebrows arching and arms crossing. “You… still talk to her in your dreams?” [color=1E90FF]“Sometimes,”[/color] Terry answered, then sighed, closing his eyes, [color=1E90FF]“and all those times we talked, she always told me to… to move on, but…”[/color] Andy’s face softened, taking notice of the barest hint of vulnerability that his older brother rarely showed. He drew out of the wall, then placed a reassuring hand over Terry’s shoulder, closing the distance between them. “I– I’m sorry, brother,” Andy said with a hint of sorrow, almost as though he, too, had just lost a partner in Mai. He sighed along. “But, look, you’ve tried your best, okay? It wasn’t your fault that—” [color=1E90FF]“It was my fault!”[/color] Terry interrupted, then opened his eyes, his voice raised yet shaky. [color=1E90FF]“I could’ve prevented her from falling, but I didn’t. I was too weak. Too slow. Too dumb to let her take such a risk. And all of that was to make sure that we were safe. Safe from Geese, safe from his champs, safe from… from anybody who’d been shooting Joe out cold that night.”[/color] It was still vivid in his mind how the tragedy unfolded. The way Lily insisted on Terry and his comrades climbing down the ladder she’d provided for them first from the top of the KOF Stadium and even down to the derogatory terms that Geese used to scoff his first love when he caught her redhanded, it still felt as though it took place yesterday, instead of three years ago. But that was far from the worst part. Just when he shouted her name from below, the window shattered, and the figure of a woman was caught flying out of the top floor, absorbing the impact of a slicing projectile that left her critically scarred. A sound of a breaking skull erupted, a rough landing made, and fresh crimson fluid spilled all over the concrete ground. Lily was just laying there, drowning in her own pool of blood, though refusing to black out. The harsh descent happened rather abruptly that not even Terry was given a chance to catch her fragile frame. The reigning KOF champion could still picture his horrors and tensions at the spine-chilling sight that night, as they blended into a singular concoction. He still remembered rushing towards the dying Lily, keeping her in his arms as if it would’ve done anything to keep her conscious much longer. He even managed to memorize her final words one by one, down to all the remorse and blame she pointed to herself for her indirect involvement in his father’s assassination. And then, those two words came across his mind. [color=1E90FF][i]I wish…[/i][/color] [i]I wish.[/i] Terry’s inward reiteration sounded eerily rehearsed, as though those two words still haunted him to this day. Even worse since those were the last words that Lily had ever told him seconds before she ran out of breath. The words still hung in the air, and he had to live with the fact that his late lover would’ve never given him a proper farewell. And now? All that was left for him was to guess and complete what could’ve been said that night. [color=1E90FF]“I wish…”[/color] he finally spoke the words out, a sigh subsequently stifling. [color=1E90FF]“God, I wish life wasn’t such a pain in the ass. It’s funny, don’t you think? Just when I was about to move on from Lily, I lost [url=https://fatalfury.fandom.com/wiki/Sulia]Sulia[/url] just months ago under similar circumstances. Even worse because I never even got to bury her. All the girls I’ve ever cared for, and they went away just like that, just because I needed protecting. No, [b]we[/b] needed protecting. And hell, they thought I was invincible, like I was some kinda a ‘god of fighting’ or something. But in reality? Yeah, we both know I’ve always been the one losing out. ‘Legendary Wolf’? Heh. ‘Legendary Wolf,’ my ass. I’m just a chump, a loser, and… and a weakling who always puts his closed ones in danger.”[/color] Andy took a moment of silence, trying to absorb both the sorrow and frustration vented by his older brother. There was a reason why he suggested they went on a vacation trip to Italy right after helping Sulia find every piece of the Armor of Mars. All those traumas and heartbreak, it must’ve been too heavy for the reigning KOF champion to recover from, especially when both incidents took place back-to-back in just a span of three years. Attempting to comfort Terry, he patted his shoulder. “Terry, listen, you’re never a loser, let alone a weakling. To me, you’re the strongest rival and the best brother anybody could’ve ever asked for. You always got my back, and you never shied away from helping others. Sucks that you had to lose a girlfriend twice. I don’t think you deserved it,” Andy told his brother. “Lily was right, after all. No matter what you do, you can never bring her back, just like we’ll never bring father back after Geese was defeated. You have to move on, big brother. You don’t want to make them feel bad about themselves, do you?” [color=1E90FF]“I… guess,”[/color] Terry halfheartedly agreed with a stuttering voice, visibly fighting back the tears welling up his eyes, [color=1E90FF]“but… the guilt, lil’ bro. The guilt. I still haven’t gotten rid of that. It’s like I’ve been cursed to live the life of a lone wolf, and that every woman I’m close with, they’re destined to die. It’s always been my mistakes one way or another. I knew I shouldn’t have met them in the first place. Maybe, just maybe, they would’ve still been alive today.”[/color] There was that brief moment of silence again before Andy continued. “No, you’re wrong, brother,” he objected. “You’re not cursed. Nobody’s cursed. Just because you ran across bad luck once, doesn’t mean you’re bound to have the same fate for the rest of your life. If anything, I think you kind of saved them. Think about it, if Lily never met you, you think her life would’ve been any better with her having to do errands for Geese? Then, what about Sulia? You know how it was between her and [url=https://snk.fandom.com/wiki/Laocorn_Gaudeamus]her brother[/url], and heck, if it wasn’t for you, who would’ve knocked some sense into him?” Terry clicked his tongue, tightening his grip around the shriveled picture. [color=1E90FF]“Saved them? By what? Freeing them outta this Earth?”[/color] he questioned with a stern voice. [color=1E90FF]“Still, two innocent people lost their lives within three years, Andy, all because they fell for me. And I’m supposed to, what, sleep well, knowing that they’re in a ‘better place’ now?”[/color] He sighed. [color=1E90FF]“I’d like to believe it’s meant to happen differently. But, I dunno, maybe life’s just toying at me the whole time. Like… like I’m some kinda action figure they like to pick and tear.”[/color] “And what makes you think their lives would’ve been any better if they never met you? They suffered from fate worse than death, Terry!” “Oi, lighten up, you two!” Joe exclaimed, barely recovering from his drunken state. He rested an arm over his forehead, still laying on his back atop the bed. “Again, you worry too much, Terry. People die all the time. And I bet they’re just happy to see us still intact after all the stuff that’s been going on since our first KOF. ’Least you boys managed to get some girls by the end of the day, while me? Heh. Who wants to be with Higashi Joe?” Gradually, Joe sat out of his prior position, slightly tidying his disheveled flat top. He rubbed his eyes, yawned, then dramatically smacked his flushing cheeks with both of his palms. “Man… I’m so upset. It should’ve been me, not that Garcia dude,” he grumbled, still hurt by Yuri’s rejection. He hopped out of the fluffy mattress, his standing form clumsy and unsteady. “I wanna fight somebody. Anybody. How about we have some sparring matches? You boys think you’re up for the challenge?” “A sparring match??” Andy asked, taken aback not because of the offer, but due to the fact that Joe didn’t seem to be in a condition to fight. “But, Joe…” Joe quickly shushed. “Yeah, I get it. I might be drunk, but I still can fight like a champ. Learned some stuff from my boy, [url=https://snk.fandom.com/wiki/Hwa_Jai]Hwa Jai[/url], mind you,” he reassured. “And besides, we gotta cheer the other [i]wolf[/i] up, don’t we?” His thumb gestured at Terry, referring to him. [color=1E90FF]“Welp…”[/color] Terry scratched his cheek, his eyes glancing elsewhere. He shrugged nonchalantly. [color=1E90FF]“Since you asked so, sure... In all honesty, I have no prob fighting both of you right now. Gotta make sure that my team’s ready for KOF ’94, but, um…”[/color] He scanned the vicinity, noticing just how cramped their hotel room was. [color=1E90FF]“Let’s just find somewhere more… spacious, should we? How about the basketball court nearby? Sounds cool, right?”[/color] [img][/img] [/hider] [/center] [color=1E90FF]“See you around, Richard,”[/color] Terry said his farewell, as he gave the owner of Pao Pao Café a big wave. [color=1E90FF]“And… your welcome, Pit! Hope you enjoy the meals.”[/color] And he didn’t forget to bid a farewell to the detective squad before they went their separate ways. [color=1E90FF]“And you guys, best of luck with the investigation. Just contact me through the earpiece if you still have anything to ask, alright?”[/color] Carrying his duffle bag over his shoulder, the hat-wearing bruiser pushed the front door open, parting ways with his favorite hangout spot alongside the crew. His teammates followed along. As he and Sakura had promised, they might like to show the remaining Seekers some of the underground fighting pits around the block. Being somebody who’d always craved for bouts, Terry was well informed about some of the places where the dark matches were regularly held, and it wasn’t long until they arrived by a far secluded spot just fifteen minutes away from Pao Pao Café 7. [img][/img] [center] [img]https://imgur.com/sXFAw2f.jpg[/img] ▶︎• ၊၊||၊|။||||။‌‌‌၊|• 4:53 [sub][url=https://youtu.be/KGTDOCfyIU0?si=3dujlLElVkd_Odfu]The Tea House BGM – Mortal Kombat 1[/url][/sub] [/center] [color=1E90FF]“Yo, you guys, see that teahouse over there?”[/color] Terry asked, his finger gesturing at the Chinese-styled restaurant deemed to be the heart and soul of the rural area. [color=1E90FF]“It’s Fengjian Teahouse. Don’t let the cozy exterior fool you, though. This place hosts some of the most extreme bouts around this side of the city, kinda close to those of a Mortal Kombat tournament. Ever heard of the shaolin duo named Liu Kang and Kung Lao? Yeah, right, they often go here to test themselves.”[/color] Sakura stopped and spun on her heel. [color=f49ac2]”Woah, really?”[/color] Sakura asked, eyes wide. She had been walking at a quickened pace, leading the group to what she thought was the closest Local. Learning from Terry that there was another secret spot was an exciting development. Amaterasu meanwhile cocked her head and perked her ears in response to them being described as ‘Mortal Kombat Like’ because she didn’t exactly want to have to worry about accidentally ending any mortal’s lives. She could only hope that was something of an exaggeration. [color=1f66b2]”Huh, yep.”[/color] Captain Falcon said with a small nod, [color=1f66b2]”Just like we were discussing earlier. Every sporting competition has its underbelly.”[/color] [color=1E90FF]“Damn right!”[/color] Terry answered all three of them, nodding back. He noticed Amaterasu’s concern, trying to reassure her and the rest of the crew. [color=1E90FF]“But hey, take it easy, alright? When I said it’s close to the Mortal Kombat tournament, I didn’t say that you had to finish your opponent by the end of the bout. No, no, no, that’s just gross. Because what I meant is that it can be as brutal as it gets. You’re free to beat up your opponent real badly, though no killing’s allowed.”[/color] From the first glance, the Fengjian Teahouse looked similar to one of those traditional restaurants normally found in Chinatown. It was built with bamboo and decked with a number of crimson lanterns and potted verdant plants from one corner to another. At the far back of the interior was displayed an enormous Chinese hanzi meaning ‘tea,’ as if to emphasize the restaurant’s specialty. If it wasn’t for some of the ferocious customers, barely anybody would’ve suspected such a place to be a breeding ground for unregulated competitions. [color=1E90FF]“Been here a couple of times before. I know the owner of this place. She’s a friendly old lady, mind you, and, um… oh, there she is!”[/color] As Madam Bo welcomed the Seekers to her place, Terry bowed his shoulders down, snatching and gracefully keeping his cap close to his torso. A bright expression was plastered all over his face. [color=1E90FF]“Good afternoon, Madam Bo, how do you do?”[/color] the brawny blonde asked, sporting the cap back around his head. [color=1E90FF]“Just figured I’d like to introduce you to my new friends. Told me they’re looking for one of those [i]fatali-tea[/i] combos you got to offer during the ‘Happy Hour.’”[/color] While it might seem like Terry was asking for the restaurant’s limited offers, he was, in fact, referring to something else that only he, Madam Bo, and some of the hardcore visitors understood. A secret code for something much more [i]radical[/i] if you will. When Madam Bo asked whether they’d like to sit upstairs or down, Nadia asked the crew quizzically, and Terry tried to reassure, having visited the teahouse a handful of times in the past. [color=1E90FF]“Well…”[/color] he initiated, his sky-blue eyes traveling towards the gathering spectators overhead. [color=1E90FF]“It’s usually more crowded upstairs. We don’t wanna hurt random peeps by accident, do we?”[/color] Sakura had thought she was in on the secret lingo, being that downstairs was for fighters and upstairs was for betting, but now she was having trouble parsing who was speaking duplicitously and who was being genuine. She scratched the side of her head and shrugged, figuring when the punches started flying it’d be obvious. As the decision was made and a table was shown, Terry complimented Nadia, giving her a thumbs up. [color=1E90FF]“Good choice, cat! Now, watch and learn,”[/color] he told Nadia, slammed his duffle bag across the ligneous floor, then gave both Sakura and his teammates a gesturing glance before stepping forth to issue an open challenge. After all, he had a sparring match planned between the Captain, Amaterasu, and himself earlier. He clapped his hands, then whistled aloud to attract the attention of every rowdy visitor within the teahouse. [color=1E90FF]“Alright, I got nothin’ to lose!”[/color] he exclaimed, every desperate eye falling upon his standing form at the heart of the bottom floor. Beckoningly, we waved a hand at the crew for a show, while resting the other over his hip. [color=1E90FF]“C’mon, people, are we gonna fight or what? We don’t have all day! Jeez…”[/color] A gesturing wink was shot, and an abrupt cough followed, the scent of Madam Bo’s cigar piercing into his nostrils. He waved a gloved hand over his nose, trying to get rid of the trail of smoke emitted by the cigar. It appeared that the elder proprietress was oblivious to the fact that Terry had been allergic to such scent since he was little. Nevertheless, he was still exhilarated for the friendly bout ahead, believing that the Seekers could give him a run for his money. Sakura smiled and clapped her hands together. Giving herself an encouraging double handed slap upside the head, she galloped over to meet Terry in combat. Obviously, it was important that they Friend Hearted him. But as a fighter, it had to be fair. Just jumping him in a back alley with everyone was an effective but anti-climactic last resort. [color=f49ac2]”Is this a team battle? Or a free for all?”[/color] Sakura asked. She and Terry probably weren’t doing a good job of maintaining cover that this was supposed to be a common bar brawl. The divine wolf padded over at a more leisurely pace. She wasn’t some battle nut like these two, indeed after wolfing down all the late arriving food what she really wanted was to go take a nap, but she was onboard if it meant getting Terry free as soon as possible. Plus, she was interested to test their mettle, and to practice fighting against people who couldn’t see her attacks coming. Her past life had been about fighting Yokai, the one Galeem had written her into had been about fighting demons, both of whom could see her strikes coming. These mortals would not have that luxury. Which is why she’d be keeping her sword firmly stored away, the wolf instead equipping her sun disk and devout beads instead. So armed she padded to stand beside Sakura, making her position on the matter quite clear of who’d be fighting who (or so she hoped). Thankfully for Sakura and Terry, Falcon was a little quicker on the uptake about what this fight was supposed to be. Didn’t stop him from rolling his shoulders and cracking his knuckles in anticipation. [color=1f66b2]”Well, if that’s how it works here then I guess I won’t question it.”[/color] He said. Spotting Amaterasu taking a position next to Sakura, Cap could probably hazard a guess as to what she was trying to say. [color=1f66b2]”So [i]that’s[/i] how we’re doing this?”[/color] He took a couple of heavy-booted steps over to where Terry stood and took up a position next to him, hitting his own fighting stance while giving a ‘come here’ gesture with his gloved hand. [color=1f66b2]”Show me your moves!”[/color] Sakura grinned, hopping back and forth from front leg to back leg. She gave the big wolf next to her an encouraging hefty pat from the side. [color=f49ac2]”Okay, two on two! Terry-san and Captain-san against me and Amaterasu-sama! Let’s do it!”[/color] She said. [color=f49ac2]”Ready?”[/color] Sakura asked. The divine wolf barked once for yes, and then hunched down into a combat stance, paws spread for stability, back arched as her unseen sun disk hovered above it, ready to be swung. This, she thought, would be interesting. Terry grinned from ear to ear, peering over Cap then shifting his attention towards both Sakura and Amaterasu ahead. [color=1E90FF]“Ha ha… Alright! Sounds fair enough. Just know that we ain’t some pushovers,”[/color] he approved, then took a couple of hops for a warm-up. He didn’t forget to strike his [url=https://fightersgeneration.com/nf8/char2/terry-kof14-taunt.gif]iconic taunting pose[/url], readjusting his cap then waving his palm up and down one final time. [color=1E90FF][b]“Hey, c’mon, c’mon!”[/b][/color] The three-time KOF champion could hear the roar of the crowd echoing across the room, the noises so deafening they managed to make their way towards the upper floor. Supports were shown and bets were placed, each visitor rooting for each team. It seemed that the deafening roar managed to attract outsiders within the remote area, as more curious, battle-hungry maniacs flocked to the teahouse to watch the dark match unfold. Among those newcomers were [url=https://imgur.com/a/uXxBtB0]a silver-haired Southeast Asian man sporting a traditional crimson mask[/url], [url=https://www.giantbomb.com/a/uploads/scale_small/16/164924/3483994-6128508818-mojum.jpg]a red-eyed Haitian man resembling Dhalsim of the Street Fighter dojo[/url], [url=https://imgur.com/a/xWNJQJX]a ferocious mother bear with a cigar[/url], and… [url=https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/i/2fea277d-540b-42af-b152-782940dc49ef/ddxaeag-981833cd-5c66-4b9b-b4ff-7ad435b9a520.png]a regular school girl[/url]? Really? It was beyond him how a high schooler was even allowed to enter such a dangerous place to begin with. Was school over already? Regardless, if there was anything that the rowdy visitors on the sidelines had in common with Terry, they were still living under Galeem’s influence, yet to break free from their unfortunate gleaming state. Unbeknownst to any of them—Terry included—this seemingly friendly bout actually held a greater purpose than what appeared from the outside, and that was to free the former KOF champion out of the malice’s mind control. In their eyes, Terry might’ve looked perfectly fine, but in the eyes of those who’d been broken free… [img][/img] [center][img]https://imgur.com/IENWngD.jpg[/img][/center] Terry’s eyes were fiery red, scorching just as hot as his reignited fighting spirit. This was one of the clear signs that a person was still under Galeem’s influence. With his resolve now renewed, has his fatigue finally worn down? Only one way to find out… Believing that all three of his allies were ready, Terry wasted no chance. Fighting stance assumed, fists swinging close to his temples, the brawny blonde drew a sizable portion of energy into his hands. He flailed the floor strongly, a brief spark flaring upon the collision between the charged fist and the solid surface as the energy was channeled into a [url=https://imgur.com/a/D5LiOQ9]crawling shockwave[/url]. [b][i]POW![/i][/b] [color=1E90FF][b]“POWER WAVE!!”[/b][/color] Thankfully, barely a single fracture was formed across the floor, despite the arduous impact. The shockwave traveled forth, heading in the direction of both female Seekers. Speaking of knocking down two birds with one stone here… [color=1E90FF]“Hey, Cap, you’re the one leading, right?”[/color] Terry asked his comrade, despite knowing the answer. [color=1E90FF]“What’s the strategy? Because mine’s simply goin’ all out on both of these ladies.”[/color] Amaterasu wasn’t about to sit by and let them talk strategy. Or, at least, she was gonna make it tricky for Terry to focus on Cap’s idea. She hopped to the side to avoid the power wave, and then, when she landed, launched her devout beads forward in a rapid fire barrage of six football sized golden charms. Then she started to close in, claws digging into the wooden floor as she put on an impressive burst of speed, sun disk at the ready. Indeed, Sakura wasn’t too worried about strategy, either, even if she could coordinate anything with a non-talking magic wolf. [color=f49ac2][i]”Shunpu!”[/i][/color] As for her, she did a quick spinning kick over the Power Wave to gain ground and cover any offensive afterward. Shooting fireballs along the ground like that had pros and cons! As Amaterasu lunged forward, Sakura covered her and began to lob blue fireballs into the fray, looking to knock into her opponents from a distance. [color=f49ac2][i]”Hadoken! Hadoken! Hadoken!”[/i][/color] And so was shooting rounds of fireballs that traveled above the ground. This wouldn’t be the first time Terry fought somebody who shared the special move, after all. Ryo, Ryu, and Ken were some of the most notable instances, being your typical Shotos and all. In fact, he didn’t have to spam Power Waves just to tackle some regular fireballs. [color=1E90FF][i]Because all it takes is just one bigger Power Wave against three smaller fireballs, Terry. Do it![/i][/color] And so, Terry drew a bigger portion of energy into his fist, all while awaiting Cap’s word of advice. As for the Captain, he was about to suggest a strategy when the two ladies decided to go on the attack immediately. Well, have it their way then. Cap felt something invisible striking him but didn’t flinch from it at all. [color=1E90FF][i]Oh, shoot![/i][/color] And the bounty hunter was ambushed by some kind of an invisible force. Big deal. It made Terry wonder if there was a spectral figure secretly assisting the opposing duo in the bout, though it could’ve just been Amaterasu showcasing her mystical prowess—one that he hadn’t quite gotten a grasp of just yet. Regardless, he had to act fast. The barrages of Hadoukens were nigh. With that in mind, he dropped a fiery flail, the motion stiffer than the prior attack. [color=1E90FF][b]“ROUND—”[/b][/color] A single [url=https://imgur.com/a/n2EAwON]Rounded Wave[/url] was unleashed to eliminate all three fireballs simultaneously. Or so, it was? In reality, Terry stifled his fist, his knuckles merely close to grazing against the wooden floor beneath. The fiery layer engulfing his fist faded. What could’ve been holding him back? As it turned out… In addition, when Sakura started hurling her Hadokens, Cap used his superior speed to quickly put himself in their path and tanked them all. And yet, he took no damage at all. Indeed, the bounty hunter’s body gave a shiny gleam as the only subtle indication that one of his boons had been active this whole time - Mint Condition - granting him invulnerability for the next several seconds. [color=1f66b2]”I’m afraid you’ll have to hit harder than that!”[/color] The Captain informed his opponents before he started focusing chi in his arms and legs, hurling fire discs of his own in their direction that alternated between being high-aimed and low-aimed. [color=1f66b2]”Ryuugeki Sen! Ryuugeki Sen! Ryuugeki Sen!”[/color] Sakura traded fireballs with Captain Falcon, both of them shouting at each other, a glint in her eye. Did he somehow have Sclerokinesis, too? He wasn’t even flinching! She was familiar with this kind of technique at this point, but the specifics were always a mystery. [color=f49ac2]”You have immunity, Captain-san?”[/color] She said aloud, for her teammates' benefit as well. [color=1f66b2]”Ha, not quite!”[/color] Cap answered like the good sport he was. [color=1f66b2]”Just a little something I picked up from our mission in the Dead Zone. 9 seconds of invincibility at the start of any fight I enter into.”[/color] [color=f49ac2]”Nine seconds!”[/color] Sakura exclaimed. Sakura didn’t want Amaterasu going in alone against an invulnerable opponent and Terry as well, so she Focused, absorbing the impact of one of Falcon’s fire discs and hopped over a low aimed fire disc before doing a more dramatic leap, looking to land closer to Falcon. Though she performed no attack as of yet. Little did the Street Fighter know that getting closer was exactly Falcon’s plan. He was planning to use a Falcon Kick to rapidly close the distance but then Sakura’s leap made that unnecessary. Falcon’s eyes glinted beneath the visor of his helmet as he launched an opening kick that would lead into a blindingly fast barrage of standing kicks if the opening move connected. [color=1f66b2]”Gen’ei Kyaku!”[/color] The Captain announced, using yet another of Terry’s friend’s moves pretty much flawlessly. Sakura landed as fast as possible, taking the hit against her shoulder and forearm, she slid backwards, defending against the kicks. She would just have to play defensively until the nine seconds were up. [color=1E90FF]“Woahhh…”[/color] Terry was frozen, eyes wide at the rapid exchange of projectiles. He wasn’t just astonished by both the sight and his partner’s invincibility, but moreover, Cap’s display of the oddly familiar move. Truth be revealed, Ryuugeki Sen was a signature technique belonging to one of his acquaintances from the KOF dojo. And to think that Cap could execute the special move immaculately like one of those Kyokugenryu practitioners… [color=1E90FF]“Oh, shit! It’s…”[/color] No time to talk, he thought. Terry might’ve had a lot of questions to ask Cap later on, but more importantly, he’d like to thank him for covering him earlier. Now that Cap had the Ryu girl under control, he shifted his attention towards Amaterasu, ready stance reassumed as he gave her a focused glare. The divine wolf, her body low, simply ran under the high fireballs, while for the low ones, she paused time and got to drawing. In the blink of an eye two streams of alcohol leapt up from a single glass of beer who’s contents did not diminish one bit. These snaked through the air and doused the fire disks, freeing the wolf to continue her charge in towards Terry, preparing to deliver a rightsided swing of her sundisk. Obviously, Terry hadn’t a clue that the furred deity had been carrying a sundisk alongside her charging form. All he knew was that there was a white wolf simply trying to lunge in the direction of a bigger man that he was. Trying to test whose charging move was stronger, the three-time KOF champion lunged in the deity’s path with [url=https://imgur.com/a/UEfRHbh]a hard-hitting shoulder tackle[/url], swiftly closing the distance between them. [color=1E90FF][b]“POWER CHARGE!!”[/b][/color] The wolf’s eyes went wide as he lunged past her strike, the disk hitting him in the side doing little to stop his oncoming momentum. Once connected, he’d turn his cap backwards, then ride his knee towards her smaller frame, sending Amaterasu leaping with him. In mid-air, he’d flail the deity down with a fiery fist, [url=https://imgur.com/a/rZCK6kd]dunking her back across the wooden floor[/url] like a basketball into the hoop. [color=1E90FF][b]“POWER DUNK!!”[/b][/color] he exclaimed moments before his boots touched the ground again. The brawny blonde turned his cap forth, its gaudy red brim casting a shadow over his gleaming crimson eyes. [color=1E90FF]“Whew… Sorry, Ammy, didn’t mean to hurt you.”[/color] The divine wolf’s eyes were dizzy spirals for a few more moments, the shocking combo of blows having stunned her (but, thanks to her now spent charges of godhood, not harmed her) before she blinked them and then paused time. Within this paused time she had time to reflect that she had definitely underestimated her opponent as she scrolled her view around the paper world. As such, her initial instinctual retort of just ink bulleting him in the face was dismissed and she tried to be smarter about this. She needed a distraction, and with this thought her detached vision fell upon the hat he so loved to play with. Yes, that would do. She swirled her brush and then let time resume, prompting a powerful gust of wind to blow towards Tery, perfectly angled to catch the brim of his cap and to blow it right off his head. She used however long she had to flip herself upright and onto her feet, before switching out her armaments. The devoid beads chained together and lashed out like a whip, the wolf now keeping her distance rather than trying to charge in, baiting him to do the same so she could try and parry her with her divine disk when he did. Meanwhile, Sakura was counting the seconds in her head until Cap no longer had his invincibility. [color=f49ac2]”The longer a fight goes on, the more power I can tap into.”[/color] She said, looking to duck and block any strikes coming her way. Since Captain Falcon was being a good sport about explaining his power, she would give him hints, too. Though to be honest, she didn’t have any tricks as specific or as powerful as that one. [color=1f66b2]”I’m more or less the same.”[/color] Falcon replied after Sakura had blocked a triple spinning wheel kick he launched at her. [color=1f66b2]”And fair warning, whenever I use any of my super moves? It restores a bit of the damage I’ve taken previously.”[/color] He added, more or less giving her a fair explanation for how his Power Gauge worked in addition to warning her about the healing effect of his Vesicle boon. A moment later, the subtle gleam around Cap’s body flickered away and was gone. [color=1f66b2]”Looks like my nine seconds are up.”[/color] Falcon said, tightening his fighting stance. [color=1f66b2]”Ready to start the match [i]for real[/i]?”[/color] He didn’t wait for an answer. Instead he just launched forward along the ground in a blazing slide kick. [color=1f66b2]”FALCON KICK!”[/color] [color=f49ac2]”Woah!”[/color] Sakura crouched and met the move head on. Letting the power of the kick work in her favor, she diverted the force with a lean and shot out her own leg with a quick medium kick to punish him. She snapped her leading leg back in and swept out her other one to knock Falcon down to the ground. If that worked, she would hop up and be on him as fast as possible before he could get up all the way and knock into him with elbows and fists. The Captain was indeed punished for what was admittedly an overextension. But he didn’t panic. Rather than try to stand upright, the bounty hunter instead scrambled to a crouching position. Then he put up his arms and generated his Shield to absorb what was intended to be Sakura’s followup before performing a quick dodge roll past her to try and reset their positions from one another. [color=1f66b2]”Not bad, Ms. Kasugano!”[/color] He complimented as he whirled around to face her. Then he lunged himself forward in a dive. [color=1f66b2]”RAPTOR BOOST”[/color] Cap shouted as he attempted to connect a fiery upward punch against Sakura. She’d be launched straight up a short distance if it went through. [color=f49ac2]”I try!”[/color] She said back. As Captain Falcon came in with an upward punch, Sakura put out a stop sign of a kick. Leaning backwards horizontally as she twisted her torso and shot out her heel to stuff Cap’s approach. She planted her foot and began to strafe around, galloping with a gliding grace. There was power in the way she navigated the field, and while her eyes were alight with passion there was no smile on her face, as she tried her hardest to win. Now back to the scuffling wolves. The time might’ve paused for a moment, but oddly enough, Terry didn’t feel a thing. It was as though the time never froze for him to begin with. One thing for sure, though, Amaterasu had blown away the cap he so dearly held around his head, distracting him from the sight of her switching weapons and readying to retaliate. [color=1E90FF][b]”Hey!”[/b][/color] The brawny blonde raised his gloved hands, trying to catch the gaudy red cap but failing. It seemed that the arduous wind gust had completely carried the cap elsewhere, and when it did halt, it was already in the gloved hands of the prior school girl standing by the sidelines. She hugged the cap tightly, her excitement lingering in the air. “Aww... Love you, Terry-san!” the school girl thanked him with a high pitched voice. “You’re too kind~” And when Terry took notice of the sight, he played along with her, pretending as though he did toss the cap towards the crowd deliberately. [color=1E90FF]“Uh... Yeah, sure! No prob! Nice catch, though,”[/color] he reciprocated, hesitantly nodding and smiling at the amused high schooler before refocusing back at his opponent. However, when he did shift his attention towards the furred deity… [b][i]SNAP![/i][/b] [color=1E90FF][b]“Youch–!!”[/b][/color] Her devoid chain of beads connected with his temple. Quite stiffly, in fact, and he wasn’t quite expecting it. The former KOF champion immediately launched backwards, then reeled across the wooden floor. Thankfully, once his reeling form halted, he was still able to pick himself up in no time despite the impact. However, when he was merely close to standing on his feet.. [color=1E90FF][b]“Ungh–!!”[/b][/color] He was dragged down again, knee gluing to the floor, as a strong headache struck him. Alternately, the vicinity turned red and white in his blurry vision, and the voices from the long abandoned past began to echo within his mind—some belonging to him and some belonging to his friends. [b][color=1E90FF][i]Kyo? Ryo? What’s going on here??[/i][/color] [i]S– See you… on the other side… T– Terry…[/i] [color=1E90FF][i]No, no, no… Andy, Joe, don’t go![/i][/color] [i]T– Terry… I’m… hurt…[/i] [color=1E90FF][i]Mary, stay with me, okay? Stay with me.[/i][/color][/b] Gritting his teeth, he tried to suppress the headache with his hand firmly gripping his forehead, but to no avail. The voices refused to go away, their stinging echoes louder and clearer each time. The tensions. The dreadful cries. The agonizing shrieks. He thought to himself, what is this all about? Why did they sound so distant yet… eerily familiar? He’d rather not be distracted by the abrupt occurrence—not when there was an opponent ahead to deal with. He shook his head rigorously, trying as best as he could to shrug away the flood of wretched inner noises. His eyes blinked a couple of times, shifting from red to blue to gleaming red again. [color=1E90FF]“N– Nice try, Ammy... I saw what you did back there. You sure got plenty of magic tricks up your sleeves, huh?”[/color] the brawny blonde asked with a dropped voice, then carefully stood, keeping his upright form steady. It seemed that he’d started to take a grasp of her mystical capabilities. [color=1E90FF]“Guess Cap and Chizuru were right about you. You’re a goddess in disguise.”[/color] From what he could perceive, Amaterasu seemed to be capable of making nature bow down to her will. At least, in a cosmic sort of way, hers was one and the same with the will of Gaia. On the side note, he’d like to believe that all those invisible forces bombarding Cap had something to do with one of Amaterasu’s capabilities, not realizing that they were part of her devoid arsenal. Thankfully for Terry, his instincts were keen, and he could always borrow a portion of energy from beneath Mother Earth. If anything, Amaterasu had savored the latter firsthand. [color=1E90FF]“Yo, Ammy, want me to give you [i]another[/i] taste of Mother Earth’s power?”[/color] Still, he knew he needed to be careful and trust his instincts, given that an invisible force could ambush him at any given time again. The brawny blonde circled his opponent, pensively sizing her up. Initially, he considered utilizing the [url=https://snk.fandom.com/wiki/Burn_Knuckle]Burning Knuckle[/url] against the furred deity, but given the stark difference between their heights, he opted for something more [i]approachable[/i]. And so, he closed the distance with [url=https://imgur.com/a/fnQnKvC]a sliding kick[/url], slipping it under her unseen guard and faltering Amaterasu’s upright stance. As a follow up, instead of executing the usual high kick, he launched the deity with [url=https://themagicrain.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/10_SF6_Terry_SS-1024x576.png]a medium roundhouse kick[/url]. [color=1E90FF][b]“FIRE KICK!!”[/b][/color] Terry sent himself skywards, trying to catch up with Amaterasu’s levitating form. He spun himself upside down for [url=https://imgur.com/a/cRfDSdo]a drilling kick[/url], clenching hands spreading and a lower limb folding close to the leading one. He might want to corner his opponent farther and farther towards the bamboo ceilings. [color=1E90FF][b]“RISING TACKLE!!”[/b][/color] It appeared that it could take a while for the match, possibly when one managed to break out of either the physical or the projectile exchanges. While battling Amaterasu, Terry could hear loud and clear the voices of the prospective challengers and betting yokais opining about the match in spite of the noisy colliding attacks in his proximity. A number of yokais witnessing his prior scuffle with Mondu and his champions were also present, chiming confidently. “And thanks to ya boy Terry, I’m proud to say that I’m the richest yokai in the spirit realm after winning the last bet,” one yokai bragged with a smug grin. “And y’know what, my choice for this match is obvious.” “So ya picked Terry,” the other yokai responded, preparing a bag full of silver coins for the betting game. “I gotta say, he does show promise. His offenses are sick, but that wolf thingy over there? Man… her attacks look so outta this realm! I think I’m going all in with her and the Ryu fangirl.” “But dude! You gotta check out who Terry has as his partner,” another yokai pointed out, gesturing a finger towards the helmeted bounty hunter. “The visor guy over there? No cap, but I saw him take that girl’s fireballs and shrug ’em off like they were nothin’.” “Gee… I wonder if it came with the helmet or something,” a yokai responded to the third one, his tone pensive. “But still, as a long-time Shoto main, I can’t go wrong with Sakura. She trained with the best Street Fighter boy, after all, so she must’ve shared his strength. On top of that, she’s got the speed to keep up with the rest.” “Well, yeah, but wait,” the boastful yokai chimed, eyes widening in realization, “I thought Terry was a Shoto, too, nope?” Meanwhile, downstairs, the crimson masked man carefully observed each of the fighter’s movements. He clenched a fist. “These combatants… All those years I spent mastering the ‘Inner Force,’ yet I have not seen ones so powerful and destructive before theirs,” he calmly opined, then echoed a reverberating laughter. “Very well... I, the ‘Village Champion,’ shall challenge one of these combatants soon. One of them shall make an ideal instructor for my ‘Defenders of the Motherland’ dojo.” [i]Hrmm… This one looks good,[/i] the skunky mother bear chimed with incomprehensible bestial noises, chewing the cigar between her teeth. The school girl cheered aloud, her brown head decked by the prior hat given to her by Terry. “Ooh… this is grreattt–!!” she exclaimed, her eyes sparkling in exhilaration. “When I graduate from Seifuku Academy, I wanna be just like Terry-san and Kasugano-san.” The gnarly Haitian man grunted. “Grr… Mojumbo doesn’t care. Mojumbo is hungry. Hungry for fights. Hungry for fl—” [url=https://imgur.com/a/x0YXWft]An out-of-place geeky man[/url] shushed, frowning at Mojumbo. He crossed his hands as though playing with an imaginary arcade stick cross-handed, speaking like an obnoxious yet resourceful fighting game developer. “Psst… Please, good sir, you’re disturbing the peace. I need to analyze this match,” he reprimanded Mojumbo before opining: “I think that blonde fighter is ridiculously unbalanced. His moves are too basic and cheap. No wonder he rarely moves past the middle tier in his dojo’s rankings. If we were to add him to the next ‘Divekick’ patch, definitely he would’ve been one of the fighters needed to be nerfed. And what’s with the helmet man having [i]invincibility frames[/i]? Was that supposed to be a [i]glitch[/i]?” Mojumbo gave the geeky man a puzzled look, overwhelmed by the flood of alien terms. “Mojumbo doesn’t understand. Mojumbo doesn’t play puny video games,” he said obliviously before—in a surprisingly eerie tone—admitting: “but Mojumbo thinks video games sound [i]delicious[/i]...” “Ugh. Useless!” The geeky man sighed, shaking his head. Despite his commentary, Terry didn’t seem to mind him at all, as he focused solely on winning the match. Back with the other match, Falcon grinned as he drank in the growing cheers from their audience. Although from what little he was able to make out between exchanging kicks with Sakura, it sounded like they were favoring her over himself. Well, that was fine by him. Anyone was free to be a fan of whoever inspired them the most. And if that happened to be Terry and Sakura right now? Well, more power to them. Cap was nothing if not a good sport about everything. [color=1f66b2]”You’ve got some fans up there, Ms. Kasugano.”[/color] Cap said during a brief pause. [color=1f66b2]”Bet they’ll be asking you for autographs when we’re done. Now then…”[/color] He brought his arms back to channel chi and expended a Power Gauge stock he’d built up. [color=1f66b2]”Let’s really turn up the heat!”[/color] He quickly shot his palms forward and launched another fire attack similar to his previous Ryuugeki Sen. But this one was bigger and more powerful. [color=1f66b2]”HAOH SHOUKOU KEN!”[/color] Sakura jerked her head to the side and raised her eyebrows in a quick, acknowledging ‘shrug’ to Falcon's words. Right now, she was focused on his capabilities as a fighter more than anything else in the world. Even freeing Terry had slipped her mind. Sakura was about to let loose a fireball of her own, but it was too late to channel any of her own EX Meter into it on reaction to the blast that shot her way. Bracing for impact she crossed her arms in front of herself and let the fireball slam into her block. Her sneakers skid backwards on the wooden floor. As the smoke from the fireball was still clearing, Cap smiled and clenched his right fist, beginning to charge it with a combination of flame and lightning as he launched forward with his most iconic technique. [color=1f66b2]”FALCON…”[/color] He shouted as he made the leap to commit to the wind up of his attack. [color=1f66b2]”PUUUUUUNCH!”[/color] Sakura lowered her crossed arms, peaking through her guard. Through the smoke, she glimpsed the good Captain coming down on her like a meteor. Too late! [color=f49ac2][i]”Yabai.”[/i][/color] She said, and shifted to the right. Sakura diverted some of the strike and span out, tumbling through the air and over the ground. She bounced once and recovered mid-air, flailing her arms around as she tried to stop sliding. Eventually she stopped herself on a support pillar for the balcony overhead. [color=f49ac2][i]”Itai…”[/i][/color] She complained ruefully, shaking out her left arm. A moment later flames flickering on the floor leapt upwards in a stream towards a cherrybomb the size of a person. Said bomb had appeared out of nowhere behind Terry as he moved to corner Amatarasu, and it detonated just as fast. The resulting blast that launched Terry backwards (and a shower of confetti everywhere) was accompanied by a blinding flash and a dephaning boom for the slightest moments put to pause the battle. The first thing to be heard afterwards? A Yokai yelling “Janky hitboxes and zero counter bulshit! Nerf plz!”