|
|
|
King of Fighters II
|
|
King of Fighters '99
An early afternoon in Southtown.
The city dwellers have had it with this year's sweltering heat.
With the heat bouncing off the asphalt, there's one shop that people rushing to get out of inferno naturally stop.
The name of that establishment is "Bar-Illusion."
It's a shop with a refreshing and relaxed atmosphere.
Cling, cling rings the bell at the entryway and a lone woman enters the bar.
"Welcome. Oh?! Why if it isn't Mary?!"
The bartender who receives her seems to be an acquaintance.
"Have you come here on another investigation? Nose to the grindstone, eh...?
"The bartender's name is King.
She's the well-known woman fighter who's so famous in Southtown that everyone knows her name.
"Yeah, I guess. It's my job, you know?"
Mary mutters this as she takes a seat at the counter.
"Well, yeah, I suppose. So, how's tricks?"
"Ah, the usual end of the world stuffÑregional conflicts, refugees, famine."
"Yeah, there's not a lot of happy news these days, is there? So, do you have any business with me? You're not the type of person who'd come here on a social call now, are you?"
"A most acute observation. Take a gander at this."
Mary flips her laptop computer open.
"Well, take a look at this."
"What is that?!"
King seems surprised when she sees the message.
Displayed on the screen is an invitation to this year's King of Fighters tournament.
"I knew there'd be another competition this year, but in spite of that there doesn't seem to be any advertisements for it...."
"Yeah, that does seem fishy, doesn't it...And the invitations have been individually sent in all types of formats...."
"And that's what's fishy, is it...?"
"So, you've probably got one then, haven't you?"
"What? Are you telling me to enter with you?"
"What are you talking about? You've got this invitation, haven't you?"
"Whoa, you are quite the investigator, aren't you? You never change...."
"So, are you going to enter?"
"Well, I guess I could. But we can't get enough members this year, can we? It says we'll need four fighters on a team. This time around Mai's teaming up with Andy. And I'm sure Chizuru won't be entering...."
"You don't need to worry about that: I've got some other teammates in mind..."
"You've prepared everything, have you?"
As her words leave her lips, King hopes that this year won't be as "exciting" as previous ones.
The scene changes to the hustling and bustling of Southtown's Chinatown.
"Yah!"
"Doh!"
A pair of vigorous voice echoes on the streets. Gapers gather as if summoned by the voices.
"Go! XiangFei!"
"Hang in there, Kimono lady!"
It seems that the passers-by are enjoying a little rumble between a waitress from a Chinese restaurant and a young woman dressed in a hakama, a type of Japanese skirt for formal occasions.
"Run away without paying your bill, will you! I'll make you pay!"
"I'm telling you I didn't eat and run! I'm just going to the bank to withdraw some money!!!"
"Do you expect me to swallow a crock like that?! You may not believe it looking at me, but I've never let anyone leave my restaurant without paying, deadbeat!"XiangFei.
She's a part-time waitress/bodyguard who happens to be on the job at her Chinese restaurant today.
She's usually able to subdue offenders in two or three minutes, but today, for some reason, she has her hands full.
Today's deadbeat has been able to defend herself against whatever attack Xiang makes.
It appears that this opponent is one tough customer.
"Huff, puff...now just...come quietly with me...."
"W-Who...I didn't do anything wrong..."
The battle between these two seems to be locked in a stalemate.
"Oh, it's over there."
People are gathered haphazardly in front of the place that Mary points out.
"There? It looks awfully crowded over there."
Mary has pulled King out of her shop for a while and the two have just arrived here in Chinatown. Although it's a part of Southtown, Chinatown seems like the other side of the world. And there among the gathered throng...just what is going on?
She goes to check it out with her own eyes.
"Uh, excuse me."
King tugs Mary along with her and they elbow people aside, making their way to the center of the crowd.
They're slightly taken aback when they see the cause of the commotion.
The face of the woman dressed in the hakama looks familiar.
"Kasumi! Just what do you think you're doing?!!!"
"Oh, King! Fancy meeting you here!"
"Now's my chance!"
XiangFei sees her chance and makes a move to striker her opponent.
Her attack seems destined to strike Kasumi. But then...
"Ah..."
Mary grabs XiangFei's hand the second before she hits Kasumi.
"OK. That's enough. I'll pay the bill, XiangFei. More important, we've come to recruit you for our team. How about it?"
"Huh? Do you mean the King of Fighters?"
XiangFei shoots a surprised look at Mary.
"Yup, that's what I'm talking about. You should have gotten an invitation delivered to your place."
"Yeah, but Grandfather Pai stopped me from entering."
"I'll talk to your grandfather. How about it? Will you enter with me?"
"Uh, sure! Yeah, I'll do it! I love a good fight!"
"OK! Then it's decided. And...you, too, Kasumi. You got one, didn't you? An invitation."
"Huh? You'll let me join your team? I-I have just happened to be looking for some fellow fighters who would allow me to join their team in the tournament! I'm so happy!"
"Of course! How could we ignore such experienced talent if we plan to enter the tournament?"
"Huh...? You mean this eat-and-run deadbeat, too...?"
XiangFei purses her lips as she makes her chiding comment.
"Look, I told you I'm not a deadbeat!"
"Ah, I've got a bad feeling about this...!"
Just thinking about what's about to unfold is beginning to give King a migraine.
|
|
|
|
King of Fighters '01
"Yes! This year I'm entering for sure!"
A lone girl mutters this with a touch of excitement as she squeezes the KOF invitation in her hand.
Her expression brims with her enthusiasm towards entering the tournament.
Now we're in Southtown's Chinatown. The young woman works here part-time in her Grandfather Bai's Chinese restaurant.
Her name is Li Xiang Fei. Ever since she can remember she has loved a good fight and works as this shop's bodyguard as well as one of its waitresses.
"Last year was a real letdown. Even though I got an invitation, Mary and King ended up entering on other teams, and Mai's team was already decided...."
Xiang Fei still stings with the regrets of being unable to find team members for the previous tournament, but this time, for sure, she's determined to enter KOF.
"OK! This year for sure I'm absolutely going to gather together some teammates and quickly form my team!!!"
Once she makes up her mind, Xiang Fei's quick to act. She bursts out of the early morning mist that shrouds Chinatown.
Meanwhile, inside Andy's gym in the middle of Southtown, Mai's voice echoes through the structure to no avail.
"That Andy. I'll never forgive him! This is the second time in a row he's left me in the lurch, and I won't forget it! Come on! Show yourself, Andy, you bleach-blond girlie-man!!!"
With almost perfect timing and no prior notification, in pops Xiang Fei, right in front of a truly peeved Mai.
"Hey, Mai! I thought you'd be here!"
"Say what?! You're Xiang Fei, right?! What're you doing here?!"
"Eh, heh, heh. I heard Andy had opened a gym, so I came to check it out. And just as I expected, here you are Mai!"
"Well, yeah. I don't mind about Andy opening a gym here, but...Nuts! The loser's not here! It's just getting to be more and more of a chore trying to find out where that pretty-boy is! Uh, anyway...do you have something you want to ask me?"
"Yeah! I thought I could convince you to be on a team with me this year!"
"Huh?"
Xiang Fei tells Mai relates her experience with last year's tournament.
"Hmm...the dickens you say...Well, all right! I understand. Let's kick some but, Xiang Fei! And I want to make Andy scream ÔUncle.'!"
"...Y-Yeah, that sounds nice. So let's do it together! (It's not the way I pictured it, but it'll have to do...)."
"Hmm, looks like the whole world's on the skids these days...."
A solitary woman sits inside a bar that boasts a reserved atmosphere.
She looks over the newspaper spread out on the table and sighs.
Meet King. Along with being the owner of the bar "Illusion," she is an figure well-known among fight fans.
There is still a while before she's set to open her shop. King takes her eyes off the newspaper and shoots a glance at the envelope placed casually atop the thick oak counter. It's an invitation to King of Fighters.
"...It's come uninvited once again this year...ah, whatever...."
And just at that instant, "bing, bong" rings the doorbell.
"I'm sorry, we're not open yet."
King answers melancholically with her back to the door.
"Is that...King? Long time no see!"
"!! Xiang Fei?! And Mai, too. Hmph...."
The instant King saw their two faces, she knew it was another invitation to enter KOF. But this year she has not intention in the least of entering the tournament. So that's why she would tell the two the real reason and get them to leave. But as a result of Xiang Fei and Mai's persistent pleadings, King's chance to give these two the boot never arises. King eventually gives in.
"All right. All right already! I'll enter on your team, so enough of this whining!"
"Really?! All right!!!"
The two go wild with joy.
"But what are you going to do about the fourth team member? You can't join with a team of three members."
"Uh, I forgot about that...What'll we do? ...Kasumi said she saw her father in the last tournament so she set out to find him and can't be reached...and Yuri has already joined up with the Kyokugen Karate team...."
"Mai, uh, what about that sumo chick that entered last year. Won't she do?"
"Ah, you mean Hinako? She has school to worry about now...."
"That's not a problem. I'll convince here!"
Xiang Fei confidently comes to a credible conclusion.
"Nice to meet you. My name is Hinako Shijo."
It didn't take especially long for Hinako to show up at the bar "Illusion." What a coincidence that she shows up on a trip to Southtown at this very moment! It looks like the final pieces have fallen into place, so Mai's beside herself.
"So you're that sumo fanatic, Hinako, are you? Well, today everything's on the house so eat up!"
"!!!"
King stops wiping the glasses momentarily and takes a deep breath. She resigns herself that there's nothing she can do, today's just not her day. Not her day, and not her month: accounts this month will surely register in the red.
"Oh really? Thank you very much. I oblige myself of your kind hospitality."
"...So, Hinako, won't you enter KOF with us? With you on our team, I know we can win for sure."
"Oh, really-eeee? I'm truly honored to hear that. And if you provide me with another opportunity to enter...I'll be able to get more sumo club members, and...yeah, can I bring my sumo club teammates to the event?"
"Uh, yeah, the more the merrier, right?! It would be nice to have our own cheering section!"
"U-Uh, that's fine with me. Well, anyway, we have all of our members lined up, eh? Oh, good grief...."
"And in the event of our victory, I'll be happy to treat you and all your friends to a dinner party here at my place."
"Huh?!!! Really?! All right! Now I feel more psyched than ever. We're really going to bust some heads!"
And so, with Xiang Fei's passion, Mai's rage, and King's tolerance (?), the new Women Fighters team came into being.
|