"King of Fighters Tournament?!" Yun Ying's eyes were practically shooting sparks with excitement as she waved her spear around, nearly knocking down the hotel's crystal chandelier.
"That sounds so fun! Are there lots of really strong opponents? Can I fight to my heart's content? Let me tell you, my 'Chasing Stars Through Clouds' has been dying for action! Within six feet, I'm invincible!"
She circled Cloud twice, sizing him up with the eyes of someone evaluating an opponent.
"Your name's Cloud, right? You look pretty strong. Don't worry! From today on, you're under my protection! The three of us team up, we'll definitely crush everyone and take that King of Fighters title! When we win, we'll split the prize money seventy-thirty—I get seventy, you get thirty, and she..." She glanced at Nakoruru. "She's so cute, she doesn't need a share!"
Nakoruru: "...?"
Cloud: "...Thanks, truly generous of you."
He pressed his palm to his forehead, feeling like he hadn't summoned two teammates but rather invited two ancestors to serve.
One was an "introvert ceiling" who needed to be carefully nurtured lest she be frightened; the other was an "extrovert nuclear bomb" with enough energy to punch through actual ceilings.
"Alright, since you've both agreed, our team is officially formed." Cloud clapped his hands, forcibly steering the conversation back on track. "Now, let me explain the most important rule of this tournament."
He pointed above his head, then used energy to simulate a green bar.
"See this? It's called a health bar—the key to winning or losing in this tournament. Everyone has one above their head. Getting hit makes it decrease; when it empties, you lose."
Yun Ying curiously poked at the energy bar, finding that her finger passed right through.
"Health bar? What kind of new spell is this? You can actually quantify someone's life force? This is so cool!" she exclaimed excitedly.
"Can this bar change colors? I like red—it looks way more imposing! And will there be critical hit notifications? Every time I hit someone's weak point, if a big red number could pop up, that would feel amazing!"
Cloud: "...Theoretically, Mr. Norton might actually consider adding those features for the next tournament."
Nakoruru also tilted her small face upward, gazing at the virtual health bar, her pure eyes filled with incomprehension. "Turning life... into a line... such a strange feeling. It's like... carving a tree's growth rings into the sky."
Her words, full of poetry and philosophy, made even the boisterous Yun Ying fall silent for a moment.
"Alright, we can study the rules more on the way." Cloud looked at these two teammates with their wildly different vibes, his heart a complicated mix of emotions.
Although the process had been absurd and the results unexpected, at least the teammate problem was solved.
And these two—their strength was absolutely beyond question.
One was a warrior who charged into battle with her spear blazing like fire.
One was a light-footed assassin who communed with nature—well, jungler in gaming terms... no wait, assassin!
Add in his own versatile, overpowered existence.
This team composition... actually seemed pretty scientific?
"Oh right, we need a team name!" Yun Ying suddenly slapped her thigh, proposing enthusiastically. "How about... 'Beauty and the Beast Team'? The two of us are the beauties, and Cloud is the..."
"Stop!" Cloud decisively cut off her dangerous train of thought. "I'll come up with the name. Let's call it... 'Otherworld Visitors Team.' Simple and clear."
"Boring! Too plain!" Yun Ying immediately vetoed.
Nakoruru quietly suggested from the side: "...Could we call it 'Friends of Nature'?"
"Too artsy!" Yun Ying vetoed again.
She stood with hands on hips, thinking for a while, then her eyes suddenly lit up. She pointed her spear at Cloud: "Got it! You're 'Lingyun,' I'm 'Yunying'—we both have 'yun' in our names! And she..." She pointed at Nakoruru. "She's like a little fairy from the sky, so she's basically cloud-adjacent too! Our team name will be—"
She cleared her throat and announced with the gravitas of declaring it to the world:
"The Three Clouds Ensemble! Officially debuting today! Our goal—the peak of KOF! Charge!"
Cloud: "..."
Nakoruru: "..."
Looking at this energetic girl who had unilaterally declared their debut and was now practicing her "victory pose," then at the pure priestess beside her clutching her falcon with a bewildered expression—
Cloud let out a long sigh.
KOF 97 was shaping up to be... far more lively than he'd imagined.
...
The opening ceremony of KOF 97 could be summed up in one word: "obscenely extravagant."
Main organizer Mr. Norton—this tech tycoon who had "money is no object" written all over his shiny forehead—had rented out the entire Tokyo Dome and transformed it into a cyberpunk-styled fighting temple.
The stadium's dome featured the world's largest holographic projection canopy, displaying stunning particle effects in real-time.
The central arena was constructed from modular alloy plates that could rise and lower, surrounded by blue energy force fields—pure futurism.
But the most eye-catching feature was the "HP Health Bar Display System" formed by a matrix of drones hovering above the arena.
That night, Tokyo Dome was packed to capacity, with hundreds of millions of viewers worldwide witnessing this annual fighting world spectacular via livestream.
"Are you ready?"
Mr. Norton, wearing a reflective silver suit, descended from above like a rock star holding a microphone, igniting the crowd's excitement.
"Let's welcome our fighters!"
Accompanied by pumping BGM and the announcer's adrenaline-fueled screaming, legendary teams made their dazzling entrances one by one.
"First up—Kyo Kusanagi! Benimaru Nikaido! Goro Daimon! Look, folks—Kyo's skin seems to have darkened a few shades since last year. Could he have undergone some unspeakable hellish training?"
"Next, the Fatal Fury Team! The eternal Legendary Wolf, Terry Bogard! Andy! And Joe Higashi! A reminder to Mr. Terry—please stop throwing your hat into the audience. Our security budget overran last year because of that!"
"Ohhh! The Kyokugenryu Karate representatives! Here they come! Look at those pristine white gis—apparently each one is hand-sewn by Italian master tailors, courtesy of Mr. Robert Garcia's generous sponsorship! Poverty truly limits our imagination!"
...
Team after team paraded through, each wave of excitement crashing higher than the last.
Cloud sat with his two "otherworld blind box" teammates in the VIP spectator section reserved for competitors, feeling like an old father taking two kids to a concert.
"Wow! That guy with the broom-head hairdo—how unique! How much hair gel does it take to defy gravity like that?" Yun Ying pointed at Benimaru Nikaido on the screen, making a fuss.
"That blonde guy with the hat looks so sunny—he must be a good person!" Nakoruru gazed at Terry, quietly issuing her "nice guy card" verdict.
"Nakoruru!" Cloud corrected her. "In the fighting world, the sunny-looking ones often hit the hardest. See that one punch of his? It can crack open the ground."
Just then, the atmosphere in the venue suddenly shifted.
"Up next is a brand new combination! A team personally invited by the mysterious Mr. Norton to handle security for this tournament—the '97 Special Team!"
Where the spotlight focused, three figures slowly emerged.
At the front was none other than that unhinged lunatic Ryuji Yamazaki, who even walked like a snake.
Today he'd actually put on a black suit, though it hung open to reveal a gaudy Hawaiian shirt underneath. His face wore that neurotic grin as he stuck out his abnormally long tongue at the cameras, eliciting screams from the female audience—half from excitement, half from terror.
Cloud saw through it immediately. This guy was definitely here on a "company-sponsored business trip," using the opportunity to "recruit" and "scout" for his underworld empire.
Look at those eyes—he wasn't sizing up opponents. He was clearly evaluating "can this guy fight," "does that one qualify to be my underling," and "that guy's moves might be useful for demolition work."
Beside him stood Blue Mary in her practical jacket, hands in pockets, chewing gum, wearing an expression that said "don't bother me, I'm just here for the paycheck."
At the rear of the formation was Billy Kane. The former captain of Geese's personal guard now looked somewhat... down on his luck.
He gripped his staff tightly, his eyes lacking their former arrogance, replaced by the weariness of someone struggling to make ends meet.
"Billy..." Cloud narrowed his eyes. He knew that after Geese's death, Billy's life hadn't been easy.
Especially since he still had a sickly younger sister, Lilly, who needed care.
That guy is totally here for the prize money, Cloud thought. For his sister's medical bills, the mighty Staff King has to moonlight as security. Adult life has no easy mode—only KPIs.
Immediately after, another team caused a sensation.
"Oh my! Look at the big screen! The Women Fighters Team has welcomed a heavyweight member! She is the guardian of the Three Sacred Treasures clans—Miss Chizuru Kagura!"
When Chizuru Kagura appeared on the giant screen in her classic shrine maiden attire, radiating an elegant, almost celestial presence, the entire venue erupted.
"Wow—! Lady Chizuru!" Mai Shiranui instantly transformed into a fangirl, gazing at Chizuru beside her with starry eyes. "You're my absolute idol! Look at my new fan—I even had your likeness printed on it!"
Nearby, King pressed her palm to her forehead, feeling like their team's image was rapidly shifting from "sexy fighters" to "massive fan meeting."
Chizuru Kagura merely smiled, politely acknowledging Mai's enthusiasm.
But her gaze passed through the crowd, meeting Cloud's eyes in the distance for a brief moment, and she nodded slightly.
Cloud understood—this was her signal: everything was proceeding smoothly.
Through Cloud's behind-the-scenes maneuvering, Chizuru had successfully joined the Women's Team.
Her purpose was simple: Orochi.
And speaking of Orochi...
BOOM—!!!
With a heavy metal rock intro, the stage lights suddenly turned eerie.
Yashiro Nanakase, Shermie, and Chris took the stage in spectacular fashion as "The Hell Band (C.Y.S)."
They weren't wearing traditional fighting attire, but visual-kei band costumes, looking like they were about to hold a concert right there.
Yashiro carried a bass, his face wearing an arrogant, unrestrained smile; Chris held a microphone, his smile innocent yet somehow chilling; and Shermie stood between them, blowing a kiss at the cameras that set the whole venue ablaze.
"Those three... are strange." Nakoruru sensed something keenly. Mamahaha in her arms also raised its feathers, letting out a warning cry. "I can feel it—they carry an aura that makes nature... grieve."
"Exactly. They're our main targets this time." Cloud spoke in a low voice, and in that moment, his gaze crossed paths with Shermie's for a split second.
Shermie playfully winked her right eye at him—a signal only the two of them understood.
Cloud nodded to himself in understanding.
Just as all the teams had been introduced and Norton was about to announce the start of the tournament, he suddenly cleared his throat and spoke in an extremely theatrical voice: "Everyone! I have one more special announcement!"
"Given that our esteemed, three-time consecutive KOF champion, the legend of our era—Mr. Cloud—has power that far exceeds the conventional competitor level! To ensure fairness and entertainment value, after unanimous decision by the entire organizing committee..."
Norton dragged out his words, milking the suspense for all it was worth.
"We have decided! To grant Mr. Cloud and his Three Clouds Team a special Champion's Privilege!"
...
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