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[h3]Fengjian Teahouse, Esaka’s Low Tier[/h3]

[b]Word Count:[/b] 3847 (+4)
[b]Level 5 Captain Falcon:[/b] 85/50
[b]Level 9 Terry Bogard:[/b] 55/90
[b]Level 8 Amaterasu:[/b] 75/80
[b]Level 11 Sakura Kasugano:[/b] 15/110
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Amtarasu padded through the center of their little section of the tea house brawl, which had been the worst looking right up until Nadia took out one of the walls via being hurled through it. She paused for a half moment, ears pivoting towards the hole. Then continued her steps when she didn’t hear the telltale sound of a body turning to ash, and instead heard Miss Fortune’s voice talking to someone.

Still, despite the hole, their spot was definitely runner up in terms of damage. Given the amount of fireballs and punches being thrown around several bits were on fire, while the center of it had been blown to smitharines by hers truly.

She briefly wondered if this was normal, or if they were really racking up the repair bill here, but dismissed the thought. She still had a man to free from the blinders of a false sun. A man who could still take a bit more of a beating she judged.

[color=1E90FF]“Gotta admit, you’re tough enough, Ammy,”[/color] Terry complimented, despite the quippy tone in his voice, his drilling lower limb continuing to corner Amaterasu. [color=1E90FF]“Too bad, you’re gonna be the second god whose ass I’m gonna whoop next.”[/color]

He might’ve been a little too bold by making such a statement because those would be the last words that came out of his mouth before swallowing the impact of the detonating cherry bombs. Loud rounds of [b][i]booms[/i][/b] entered his ears, as he found himself blasting towards the already wrecked wall behind, his back harshly colliding with the enormous decoration displaying the Chinese hanzi for ‘tea.’

[b][i]THUD![/i][/b]

[color=1E90FF][b]“Gwahhh–!!”[/b][/color]

The brawny blonde bounced forth, reeling across the severely fractured floor before halting on his front. One by one, he could feel miniscule wooden shrapnels pouring over his head, flinching in response. 

[color=1E90FF]“Ouch, ouch, ouch!”[/color]

Initially striving, he managed to pick himself up after a while, obtaining [color=lightgreen][b]a gauge stock[/b][/color] in the process. His standing form faltered and wobbled after the impact, every fiber of his muscles straining. To make things worse, those wretched voices came to haunt him again, ringing aloud within his head. 

[color=lightgray][b][i]Terry…[/i][/b][/color]

[color=1E90FF]“Gwah..!!”[/color]

He instantly dropped down, knee nearly grazing against the ligneous floor beneath his boots. The stinging headache struck again, the sensation close to that of a piercing blade through the brain. Gone were the quips and funny remarks; he could no longer think straight. Gnashing his teeth, Terry placed both hands over the golden crown of his head, gripping and squeezing it as though it would’ve helped him calm the voices and the headache. Ready stance was no longer assumed, allowing an opening for his opponent to strike. 

Unseen to all but the Yokai, Amatarasu’s devout beads formed up around her neck in a ring which began to spin rapidly for half a second, before all six beads were fired off in rapid succession when their rotation brought them between her ears.

[color=lightgray][b][i]What are you doing, Terry? Don’t just stand there!

You’re going to get us killed![/i][/b][/color]

[color=1E90FF][b]“Ungh–!!”[/b][/color]

It was difficult to remain focused when the voices from the distant past continued to play by the back of his head. The six beads easily connected, each one of them covering every inch of Terry’s faltered frame before the final one rammed against his nose with a loud… 

[b][i]SMACK![/i][/b]

His head was knocked back, fresh crimson liquid flying out of his nostrils to taint the deity’s clear, white fur. The former KOF champion staggered back, his gloved hands reaching out to the crown of his aching head.

[color=1E90FF][b]“S– STOP!”[/b][/color]

Instead of towards Amaterasu, the urging word was more directed towards himself. He couldn’t tell where all these influx of long, suppressed memories came from, but they’d started to overwhelm him. The internally echoing voices… They were too dreadful and agonizing. The deafening screams and the noises of loud pounding fists, they were too much for him to bear.

[color=1E90FF][b][i]Just get outta here and save yourself! We’ll meet again…[/i][/b]

“No, no, no…”[/color] Terry weakly mumbled, his head faintly shaking. [color=1E90FF]“Just… [b]stop![/b] Please!”[/color]

She was hot on their heels, rushing in to try and deliver a blow before he could recover from the unseen barrage, swiping with her sun-disk swipe before carrying the momentum of her charge into headbutt him in the chest in an attempt to stagger him. 

Then she’d crane her neck around, grab the handle of her oversized sword Tsumugari (which she’d swapped out to float at her side) in her jaws, tensing as she charged a strike and then delivering  a titanic side swipe with the flat of the blade. 

[b][i][color=lightgray]Will you be alright, Terry?[/color]

[color=1E90FF]I can promise you.[/color][/i][/b]

[b][i]POW![/i][/b]

[b][i]THUD![/i][/b]

[b][i]SMACK![/i][/b]

Terry was still practically defenseless when each of the subsequent attacks managed to reach out to him, bashing his wobbling form from one attack to another. He was stunned, but yet to collapse. He could feel his heart pounding heavily yet gradually, almost as though it was close to bursting out under his chest. Absently, his boots teetered back, as he tried to assume a fighting stance but failed. He cried a plea—once again, to himself.

[color=1E90FF]“Agh! Please…”[/color]

She then hopped back, switched equipment up again, and delivered rapid fire whips with her devout beads to keep him off balance as she reached a paw towards her chest, struggling with the motion due to her quadrupedal stance.

Odds were, she’d not get it out in time, and so had to resort to pausing time and dabbing two spots of ink onto his legs that’d result in a pair of inkbullets kneecapping the fighter. Then she gripped the friend heart in her jaws, lunged forward, and slapped him in the face with it (wolves weren't exactly known for their throwing capabilities), freeing him from Galeem’s influence (and undoing all the damage he’d taken, including the mess she’d make of his knees, in the process).

[b][i][color=lightgray]I should’ve known letting a son lose his father was a mistake. The concept of the King of Fighters revolves around you. A son found his father, separated through death, and the Legendary Wolf is made. I’ve seen it clearly now. If it wasn’t for you, these so-called ‘heroes’ wouldn’t have been inspired…[/color]

SNAP!

[color=lightgray]...And the sacred will of Gaia would have never been disrupted.[/color]

FWOOSH…[/i][/b]

The echoing voice turned louder and deeper, as Terry received each and every fiery whip grazing against his bruised form. Once again, his vision flickered red and white, as he found himself cornered to the partly obliterated wall behind. The roar of the crowd and the rowdy sight of Nadia dueling with Asher and Yayama were completely ignored, replaced by internal exchanges of words occupying his mind—ones that emulated his voice and a certain other he found to be familiar.

[b][i][color=1E90FF]Y– You bastard…[/color]

[color=lightgray]You see, Terry, you’re the root of all the problems surrounding this place. Branches of realities were created, the cycle of violence and vengeance repeated, all because you sent a madman deep into the depths of hell. Perhaps, I’d been too fixated on the three ‘Sacred Treasures’ to realize that they weren’t even the main obstacles. I won’t repeat the same mistake.[/color]

BLAM! 

BLAM! 

THUMP![/i][/b]

And Terry was brought to his knees, his lower limbs freely receiving the inkbullets that Amaterasu had summoned. He was severely injured, practically immobilized, yet he seemed to be a bit more pained by the headache and the internal dialogues he’d been striving to break out of. It was made worse when the friend heart managed to bash him in the face. 

[b][i]TAP![/i][/b]

Once freed from Galeem’s mind control, the flood of distant memories became even clearer than a cacophony of wretched voices. A gasp left his mouth, and his eyes opened wide. A series of horrifying mental pictures began to course into his mind, depicting the horrors of the slaughter that took place just moments before his original story had come to a halt. Three particular pictures caught his attention the most, two of which depicted [url=https://imgur.com/a/fyFG0Rf]Andy dying in his arms[/url] and [url=https://rq87.flyingomelette.com/RQ/C/FF2/4/7.jpg]Joe clinging to a fractured wall unresponsively[/url]. Following both internal sights was [url=https://imgur.com/a/9xdr3W4]the silhouette of a man staring down at Terry with an eerie red eye[/url] and… what was that [url=https://imgur.com/a/yi9YPaT]abstract entity[/url] over there? A shining figure with multiple wings? Isn’t that supposed to be a creature from a century-long scripture? Regardless, it was a surreal view to grasp, and he couldn’t handle the influx of information anymore. 

[color=1E90FF]“T– This is too much. I can’t take it anymore!”[/color]

Frightened, Terry wobbled around with hands still around the aching head, managing to stand on his feet after the furred deity had fixed his knees. A groan of agony left his mouth, and layers of translucent energy began to take shape around his gloved hands. Many of the visitors began to worry about his well-being, as he was still yet to retaliate.

“Oh, God… Is Terry-san okay?” asked the school girl, folding her hands hopefully.

[i]Hrmm… This one isn’t good,[/i] remarked the mother bear, her munching fangs slowing down.

“But Mojumbo thinks this is delicious!” the Haitian man chimed, objecting to the mother bear.

“Yeah, right, it looks like we’ve found somebody more broken than the blonde fighter. I always knew all those cheap strikes he did were just a bunch of gimmicks. Nothing burgers, to be precise,” the geeky smark gave his two cents, fixing his stylishly glimmering glasses. “That wolf and the jacked redhead definitely need to be nerfed. Even the cat girl over there. A lot of these fighters are insanely unbalanced! It appears it will take a long while until my strive for a balanced Esaka comes to a conclusion…”

As for Terry, he didn’t quite mind all the words spoken by the visitors—both the good and the bad. His mind had already been occupied by the retrieved memories as we speak, trying to process each and every part of them. He dropped on his knees again, but not before having his back stumbling upon the fractured wall behind. An agonizing groan escaped his mouth, his gripped head hurling back. That same voice spoke to him again, emulating that of the red-eyed man moments before the merging of the worlds.

[color=lightgray][b][i]Rest well, little wolf! It starts with you, and it ends with you…[/i][/b][/color]

[color=1E90FF]“No, no, no… Shut up! [b]Shut up!![/b]”[/color] he exclaimed, layers of energy surrounding his hands brightening. [color=1E90FF]“G– Get out… Get out… of my… [b]head!![/b]”[/color]

[h3][b][i]KA–BOOM![/i][/b][/h3]

[url=https://fightersgeneration.com/np7/char/gifs/terry/attacks/terry-xi-super.gif]An explosive dome[/url] was constructed, surrounding Terry the moment he crushed the wooden floor with his fists. A crater was formed across the surface beneath, and every visitor within the proximity was hurled aback, though none of them was seriously injured. Moments after, the dome transformed into an enormous beam shooting through the roof, creating a noticeable cavity at the center. Wooden shrapnels began to shower the interior, though barely any of them escaped the eroding scorch exuded by Terry’s Power Stream. In the process, he’d accidentally used the [color=lightgreen][b]only gauge stock[/b][/color] in his possession. 

Once it was all over, or at least the current outburst was, Amatarasu poked her head up from behind a table, and then glanced up at the teahouse’s new skylight. 

That was, she thought, just a little bit more dramatic than what she’d gone through, and could only wonder what Galeem had been suppressing memories wise that would result in, well, that. Nothing pleasant, certainly, which made her feel a little bad about bringing them back.

She waited a few heartbeats to see if there was going to be anything else, then used a freshly refilled inkpot to fill in the hole in the ceiling. It would hardly do to have the damage dealt cascade into the whole place coming crashing down on them after all.

Then she glanced to check on the others.

	Sakura had been exchanging blows with Captain Falcon, and was now struggling to put him into a headlock. Seeing Terry’s outburst, she exchanged glances with Falcon and disentangled herself from him. 

	[color=f49ac2]”Terry-san!”[/color] She ran over.  [color=f49ac2]”Terry-san, are you alright!”[/color] Sakura set a hand on his shoulder. [color=f49ac2]”I know it can be a lot to take in but- what’s wrong?”[/color]

Then, the beam dissipated into miniscule particles, ceasing the detonation completely. Terry dropped atop the floor, his knees managing to hold the weight of his toned frame. He seemed physically and mentally exhausted, energy draining and the headache losing its initial sting. Tears began to well up his eyes, as he lifted his weary gaze, the gleaming pair of crimson shades waning away to reveal their natural blue hue.

[color=1E90FF]“I– I remember everything…”[/color]

The brawny blonde kept his lips parted, tongue stifling and words hanging in the air, unsure on how to describe each and every single one of the flooding memories coursing into his mind through the aid of the friend heart. Even now, he still failed to digest the brutality of the scenarios played by the back of his head. His gaze leaped between Sakura, Amaterasu, and the Captain before capturing the view of the nearby visitors striving to get back on their feet. The Power Stream must’ve been so awful, he thought, that it left quite a sizable clutter surrounding him.

[color=1f66b2]”Everything?”[/color] Falcon asked, having joined Sakura in her concern for Terry - albeit more calmly and stoically. Did Terry actually remember Alcamoth? The Captain always assumed it was impossible to remember past iterations of oneself since he’d never seen that happen before. And if the bruiser actually [i]did[/i] remember… The thought of remembering those kinds of events gave the bounty hunter a chill that ran through his blood.

	Amaterasu had approached as well and, after a moment of thought, moved to sit down beside him, in the crater he’d created. She could fix that later, for now the best she could do was be close, rubbing the side of her head against his other shoulder as she placed a paw on his knee, and do what she could to help this emotionally wounded man.

	[color=f49ac2]”You, uh…”[/color] Sakura wasn’t sure where to start. But she figured someone had to. [color=f49ac2]”You’re in the World of Light now, Terry-san. The Seekers are trying to stop Galeem, the thing that trapped us all here in this strange world. It’s why we’re here in Esaka. Y-you don’t have to, uh, join us, though. If you don’t want.”[/color]  She said, concern in her voice. [color=f49ac2]”It can be a lot to handle.”[/color]

Terry drew a deep, deep breath, trying to compose himself. Thankfully, his allies’ reassuring gestures helped him soothe the tension slightly. After moments of hesitation, he finally revealed what he remembered. [color=1E90FF]“R– Rugal… H– He set us up,”[/color] he initiated, referring to ‘us’ as in himself and the rest of the KOF roster. [color=1E90FF]“I was supposed to be in the KOF finals with Kyo and Ryo, facing that bastard and two of our foes. B– But then, a massacre happened. He summoned all the previous sponsors who got revived during the fourteenth tournament. We were helped by the other teams when things took a turn for the worse, but even then, we were still outnumbered. I fought and fought till I realized… I was the only one standing. Even the guys I told to run away, they… didn’t make it. They were caught, died trying, then piled on top of each other. I was bitter, furious, and shattered, but I couldn’t do a damn thing. Rugal was just stronger than I was. He crushed my bones, tore every fiber of my muscles, then told me that I was the problem. That KOF had to start with me and end with me. And then…”[/color] 

The brawny blonde stifled again, too overwhelmed to recall the destruction of the world he once knew. Even he couldn’t believe the kind of nightmare he’d stepped into, partly preferring to keep the memories buried than resurfaced as the sights of his dying friends were too much for him to handle. He sniffled, fighting the tears by the lower corners of his eyes.

[color=1E90FF]“And then… There was a blinding light showing right behind him, like he was about to finish me off in a blast. I thought I was about to die that day, but my mind refused to. Not after all the nasty stuff he’d done to all the people I loved and cared for. I think I weakly got up, staring him in the eye, pretending like I still had the slightest bit of strength left to retaliate. But it wasn’t just Rugal that I saw at that moment. No, no, no, there was something else. Something like… a Biblically accurate angel, I think. I wish I could get a better look at that thing, but man… the light was getting brighter and hotter that I couldn’t see anything past the ruffling wings. And the next thing I knew… I was here. With all the good folks I thought I would’ve never seen again,”[/color] Terry continued to elaborate, a moment of disbelief as he quizzically peered down. [color=1E90FF]“And we all just kinda… moved on, like the massacre never happened. All that we were told was that we had to start over in this [i]new[/i] town because South Town was, apparently, wiped outta the map due to some… ‘Earth-shattering’ catastrophe or something. But wait…”[/color] A newfound realization dawned on him, and his eyes went wide, gaze shifting up. [color=1E90FF]“There’s no South Town here…”[/color]

The former KOF champion gasped, gloved hands covering the parting lips. He was devastated, betrayed, his heart shredding into pieces. The city that he grew up, defended, and resided in his entire life—the same one that helped launch his illustrious career in the fighting business—was never there to begin with, reduced to a mere fabrication meant solely to give this world’s KOF a richer history. There was no way he’d been living a lie this whole time, wasn’t it? He frowned, moving the now clenched hands away to reveal the gnashing teeth.

[color=1E90FF]“I knew it! I knew that something felt off, but no one listened!”[/color] he exclaimed, his voice one of desperation. [color=1E90FF]“They sold every story they were told, but I didn’t. When I started questioning stuff, they turned their backs on me, making it seem like I was a spoke on the wheels to the KOF dojo. And now, the only peeps that matter to me the most? My teammates and best friends? They’re… gone. Taken away from me like they had to pay for it!”[/color]

Huffing, Terry clumsily picked himself up, trying to keep himself steady on the fractured floor. The exhaustion was partly intact, his cheeks flushing in fury. [color=1E90FF]“God, I hate my new life. Always knew I had to trust my gut,”[/color] he protested, smoothing his gaudy red jacket. [color=1E90FF]“Now, y’all have to tell me everything that you know. Who’s Galeem? Why did he send us to this place called the ‘World of Light’? And… was I really ever meant to be one of you guys?”[/color]

Amaterasu took a relieved step backwards as the man stood himself up, and then a few more to give him and the two who could actually explain some space. Unfortunately, before they could, there came shouts from the upper floor of the teahouse, as the spectators erupted into an uproar.

“Why’d you stop fighting! I’ve got so much money riding on this bet!”one shotgun weilding bionic [url=https://i.imgur.com/iHpAHYA.jpeg]bear[/url] roared over the general hubbub, which was more or less along the same lines as the others he was shouting over.

One strange exception to this was a rather sage looking [url=https://i.imgur.com/INrm2t8.jpeg]figure[/url] from nearby Shinjuku, who stood up a few moments after then general uproar began to demand the quartet “Tell me how you stopped fighting! That should not be possible!”

A pair of reploids flanked him on either side, one with a [url=https://i.imgur.com/FOKescX.jpeg]scyth[/url] the other with a [url=https://i.imgur.com/wQb3iFd.png]mace[/url], both of whom looked like they were about to ‘insist’ that the seekers answer their master’s question.

A moment later however the Yokai’s simple chant of “Rigged!” took over everything, and several people made for the stairs to take personal issue with the fight stopping by, functionally, forcibly restarting it.

Sakura lifted up her hands placatingly, a bead of sweat running down the side of her face as she stood straight up having listened to Terry’s story. She hadn’t expected Terry to be so sad about his uncovered memories, so this did throw a wrench into the works. Maybe it was naive of her, but Friend Hearting Terry and keeping up with the 2v2 at the same time was how she imagined it going down! [color=f49ac2]”S-sorry! We were gonna keep fighting, I promise!”[/color] 

That was enough to slow the angry betters, but with the Yokai still chanting rigged (more or less for the fun of it now at this point) Amaterasu glanced towards the nearby hole in the wall and thought that maybe they should just get out of here. It wasn’t like [i]they[/i] had anything riding on this fight.

Whatever they chose, they'd have to chose it fast.