20 Registration
It's time, today is the day I leave the village, and man, the one who took it worst was Ayane, like, she really took it poorly, crying and begging, likely terrified that we won't see each other again, and she will be back at square one before meeting me
I spent the whole night soothing her, so now I am very sleepy…hell, I actually patted her head and she then began demanding that I did it until it was dawn…
I already said all my goodbyes yesterday, and much to my surprise nearly all the village is here to wave farewell to me!
Ryu gave me a nod and that was all I needed to understand what he meant, we will meet again anyways, that I know
-Eric
-Master Jô
-You have done a lot for our clan, and you have fought side by side with my son as if you were really brothers, it is sad to see you go
-Not like I will be gone forever! You guys can't get rid of me that easily! I will come visit
-Ha! As usual, maintaining a serious atmosphere is impossible when you are around!
-Of course! Come on Master Jô, I already said my farewells, making it such a huge occasion is a bit overwhelming
-Then I will keep it short, this village is your home too, come back whenever you please, we will always welcome you
-…Thank you
"Jô Hayabusa"
"120 (An honorary family member)"
-No problem Eric, go, and hope we meet again soon
-Same, thank you everyone! Bye!!
I jumped and using minimap, I quickly left
…
Finally! Civilization! Jesus! How long have I been running?! I left at 7am! [What time is it?!]
-It's 3pm master
-Gah!
I am glad I don't feel tired but come on! How much distance did I travel?! Anyways, there is a city nearby, my phone is out of battery but I can charge it with electric magic, I gotta call everyone but…wouldn't feel right ya know?
I wanna see them face to face again now that I am back…I also gotta enlist for the KoF…
I charged my phone and saw an ungodly amount of missed calls, it read "999+" so yeah…I have been called for 5 years now
I sent a message to everyone which simply read
(I'll see you all at KoF, I want to meet face to face, so let's meet there ok? I have so much to tell you all)
And…sent, hopefully everyone gets it, judging by my relations, everyone still remembers me since not a single one has gone down
-Umm…master?
-Yes Monica?
-You are overlooking something
-That is?
-Doesn't KoF require a team of 3?
....................................
OH FU-
No, no! Calm down, let me look it up…uh…
-…Today is the last day for joining in…and you do in fact need a team of 3
-…FUUUUUUUUUU-
I gotta get in the KoF! There are a lot of legends I gotta meet! And also kick Rugal's ass! Those fucking Genocide Cutters are still clear in my mind as trauma from my past life! I gotta repay the favor in this life!
I rushed down to the city, this place is…Renoa City, conveniently it has a KoF registration spot, lucky me! When I get there I just gotta find the first 2 people who lack a team and join in with them, I will just hard carry anyways!
I got there and saw a lot of teams, no legends around, these must be the fodders to fill the tournament, at least Rugal is trying…hold up! Those outfits!
I noticed 2 women, one wearing a blue qipao, revealing her legs, the other one was wearing a skin tight green leotard, almost like a swimsuit, she had a red beret while the woman in the blue qipao had spiky bracelet
-No fucking way right?
"Interpol legend: Chun-Li"
"Killer Bee: Cammy White"
Yeah, Street Fighter, the original female fighter, kicks of death, Chun Li, and former Shadaloo puppet who broke free, Cammy…I did find 2 legends, and they also seem free, this should work
I got close
-Excuse me!
Both turned to look at me
-You here to join KoF?
-Ah, yes, but we are missing a member
-…Huh, he looks strong
-Eh?
I smiled
-I happen to need a team, may I please join yours?
Both looked at me, Cammy seemed on board with the idea but Chun Li seemed to have some hesitation
-Hmm…I mean…
-If you are worried I will drag you down, I am willing to show you my skills, if you desire
-…Sorry, it's just that a bunch of weaklings have been trying to join us and…
-Yeah I get it, isn't it obvious? 2 gorgeous girls where a team of 3 is needed, they obviously would try their luck, but judging by the fact it's still you 2, they were all weak right?
-Aren't you smooth? In that case, shall we test you?
-Lead the way
I am very excited to fight these 2, I know what to expect, so I should have a bit of an edge
-So, what martial art do you train?
-Mixed, I know basic fighting styles and some ninja styles of combat
-Ninja?
-Hayabusa and Shiranui style, plus Koppoken
-Koppoken?
-You know it?
-Yeah, I guess I am a bit surprised though, you look quite young to know those 3 styles
-How old do I look?
-18?
-Hah, cool
-Are we wrong?
-I'll tell ya later, also, please forgive my lack of manners, my name is Eric, a pleasure
-Oh, my bad, my name is Chun Li
-I am Cammy
-A pleasure
As we got to the arena, I jumped in
-So, who first?
-Chun Li, may I?
-Go ahead, this one is actually polite so don't be too rough ok?
She nodded and jumped in, smiling at me before assuming her stance, I copied her
-All right, I will serve as referee, whenever you are ready
Analyze!
"Cammy"
"Rank: B+"
"Age: 19"
"Strength: B+"
"Agility: A"
"Magic: D"
"Endurance: B+"
"Charisma: SSS+"
"Luck: A-"
"Perception: S"
Yeah, what about Chun Li?
"Chun-Li"
"Rank: A-"
"Age: 21"
"Strength: A-"
"Agility: A-"
"Magic: D"
"Endurance: A"
"Charisma: SSS+"
"Luck: B-"
"Perception: S"
Yeah, not surprised both are incredibly strong, I should be able to handle them still, also, that Charisma is so obvious because of how beautiful they are but…if that's SSS, what is Z and Ex?
-Those are saved for those who transcend mortality and thus break the limits of mortals
-Such beauty would be irresistible right?
-Indeed, but focus on the fight
-Ok
-Remember,magic is heavily restricted in the KoF, so rely on martial arts
-I know
I smiled
-Ready
-Ready!
-Begin!
In that instant, Cammy jumped and dove downward, that was the Cannon Strike, so I did what any crazy bastard would do, and I grabbed her leg to then smash her against the arena, she recovered quickly and managed to land a Spiral Arrow on my legs, making me trip and fall on my face, she followed up by attempting to Cannon Strike me again, so I rolled to the side to dodge
I got up and rushed her but to my dismay, she was ready for that one too and greeted me with a Cannon Spike aimed at my chin, I barely dodged by leaning to the left, and countered with a roundhouse kick, after landing it, I rushed and used an uppercut on her, sending her flying again but she did a flip mid air and fell perfectly
-You are good! Way better than everyone else!
-Thanks! But I still think it's too early to say that, shall we continue?
-Hm!
The next few minutes were spent trading hits, I hit and I got hit, we dodged, we clashed, however, I couldn't help but notice that the more we fought, the better she got
Minutes passed and eventually I decided it was time to end it
-Well, that was very fun!
-I agree! You sure are strong! If you join our team, I have no objections!
-Me neither! You have proven it without a doubt
-I am delighted, but I ain't settling for a tie! Shall we finish this?
-Absolutely!
I rushed at her
-Here's a present for you!
OH SHIT!
I jumped above her much to her surprise and landed a kick to the back of her head, throwing her off the arena and knocking her out for a second
-It's over! Eric wins!
So, if you don't know why I freaked out, Cammy always says that when she is about to use her Ultimate, which is a counter, had I thrown a punch, my neck would have been totaled
So I jumped, preventing her Ulti, CQC from hitting me, landing me the victory since I kicked her nape the second I had the chance, knocking her out
I breathed a sigh of relief and went to Cammy, she was out cold so I lifted her and jumped to Chun Li
-Sorry, I might have overdone it
-It's fine, Cammy is tough, still, those were some cat like reflexes, dodging her counter attack
-It scared me half to death, let me tell ya, anyways, I know some magic so I can heal her
-Oh? Then please
I healed Cammy and when she woke up, she exclaimed
-I lost?! How did you see through my technique?!
-I didn't, I just felt ungodly danger so I jumped and then improvised
-Huh…
-Still! That was fun
-Yeah! You are amazing!
"Cammy"
"50 (He gives me a good feeling)"
"Chun-Li"
"30 (Strong!)"
A good start as usual!
-Honestly, you are lighting in a bottle, I am surprised you can always get people to feel good about you
[Maybe I am that charming?]
-Maybe you are…
[Eh…that was the part where you told me to quit dreaming]
-Eh? Why would I say that?
[Isn't that how the bit goes?]
-…Master, sorry, but I don't quite grasp your sense of humor
Eh, ok then
-Regardless, come on, let's go register
-Right!
-Sounds good
We went to the receptionist and I noticed who it was
"The Speedy Cruel Beauty: Mature"
Tch, her huh? Fuck my luck…
-Master?
[Mature is evil, she and Vice are 2 evil bi-]
-Does it have to be that way?
[What?]
-Shermie adores you, it's unlikely that she will be your enemy, why not Mature too?
[Cause she and Vice are fucked in the head! Shermie isn't!]
-But you can fix that! Why allow these 2 to belong to Orochi?! Steal them from him!
[They are evil!]
-Then make them good master!
[Why are you so insistent?!]
-Don't you trust me?
[...….That's unfair Monica]
I know that Mature barely cares about Orochi but, she is still a ruthless and evil person by choice, how could I trust someone like that? She uses her charm to lull the enemy into a false sense of security and then torment them! She enjoys their agony!
Hell, she and Vice are supposed to die when Iori goes through his Blood Riot!
-But you can save them can't you?
[Why would I save evil?!]
-Master…please…trust me…
Her voice sounded so pitiful that I immediately imagined a hug for her
-!
[…I trust you Monica…]
-…Master❤️
I sighed
-We wanna sign up for KoF!
-Hm? Oh, you 2 finally got a teammate it seems…a pretty boy huh? Not the best idea for a fighting tournament
Can you at least pretend?
-What's your team name?
-Eh? (X2)
Both Cammy and Chun Li were caught off guard so I quickly said
-Street Fighters
-Huh…that actually sounds rather cool…
"Mature"
"10 (Perhaps there is more to him?)"
…
-Master…
[I trust you, so let's get this done]
We were registered and Mature told us
-Perform well and you may get an invitation for next year's KoF
-It's yearly?
-We want it to be, the prize money will be around 30 millions, 10 for each member of the team, not bad right?
-Indeed, so do tell us lady, when does it start, where do we have to be, and how is the format?
-Did you not read any of the promotional material?
-I…kinda was off the grid training myself to my limits when I heard of this event, so I kinda skipped it
"Mature"
"20 (Rugal will like this one)"
-Ok, let me explain
We paid attention, all 3 it seems since these 2 look kinda lost
-The event will take place in multiple cities, this being one of them, this is merely the preliminaries, where only the best teams are selected to participate in the main tournament, which will take place in the city of Renotia, we wanted to use Afetor, since that is where the Council is, they didn't like the idea
-And once in Renotia, we will be given specific dates and teams to fight?
-Precisely
-But for that to happen, we gotta win
-Yup, you seem to have grasped it
-When do we start?
-The tournament starts tomorrow, the main event begins next week, we shall provide transportation and accommodations for the ones in Renotia
-Ok, where, what time tomorrow?
-Center of town, 8am, don't be late or you will be disqualified
-Aight, thanks miss
-No problem…
She looked at the paper and then her eyes went wide
"Mature"
"40 (So he is the one who opposes Orochi huh? I thought he was dead…interesting)"
Cat's out of the bag already?
-Still, she seems to like it
[As a psycho like Vice, pretty sure all she respects is strength]
-Can't you use that to your advantage?
[…Dunno]
She then smiled and looked at me
-Eric? Forgive me for asking, but are you the same Eric from SAE?
Both Chun Li and Cammy reacted, I asked back
-What gives you that idea?
-Those purple eyes and handsome face are a dead give away
-…
-Besides, now that I pay attention, that is definitely the voice of that boy…a lot more manly now though~
I felt a chill, something gave me a bad feeling
-…I am
-Oh? I thought you had died against a demon
-Rumors of my dead were greatly exaggerated
-Wait! It's really you?
-Yeah, but I had to go in an involuntary retirement for a couple of years
-So he is the author of those themes you showed me?
-He is! Gotta say, I am a big fan
-Eh, glad to know, but we are getting side tracked, anything else we need to know?
-Oh, no, that would be all, good luck tomorrow, I will be rooting for you "Street Fighters"
-Thanks, come on you 2, let's go
I wanted to get away as quick as possible
"Mature"
"50 (How cute…)"
"Chun-Li"
"60 (THE Eric from SAE huh?)"
"Cammy"
"70 (Knew he gave me a good feeling)"
We walked out and Chun Li started
-So, you really are that Eric? The young musical genius?
-Wut? Listen, Chun Li, I have been gone for 5 years due to the Demon incident so I have no clue about anything lately, care to catch me up?
-Oh, I have a lot to show you
-Think he will be surprised?
-I am certain
They were giggling while I was left a bit surprised
-Is it that bad?
-Maybe…
-Monica?
-You'll see
I followed them and once we rented 2 rooms in the nearby hotel, one for them and one for me, they joined me in my room to show me a lot of things on Chun-Li's phone
"Musical Genius Eric!"
"The greatest musician in this century!"
"The youngest genius of the generation!"
"Taken too soon, genius musician Eric dies heroically saving a family from demons!"
I wanted to cringe, then I called the records agency
-Hello, Red Disk records?
-Let me talk to Lee!
-Mr. Lee is busy right now who is calling?
-The so called Musical genius of the fucking Century! Seriously what the fuck?!
-Eric is dead, you are not the first one to try-
-Show me how to lie, you're getting better all the time
-?!
-And turning all against the one, it's an art that's hard to teach-
I stopped
-Need I go on? Get Lee, now
-At once sir!!
Thankfully what Mature said is right, my voice apparently is unmistakable
A few seconds later, the same man who I spoke to to sign that contract, the one who I contacted to provide a new song, he picked up
-ERIC?!
-Yup! What the fuck is up with all that publicity and Genius of the century?! Hype me up why don't ya?!
-How are you alive?! Didn't you die?!
-Almost! I ALMOST died, the demon fucked me up and sent me somewhere I won't disclose, but the people there took care of me and thanks to them I still live, retract that bullshit of me being dead, and also that whole, Genius of the Century Bs, understood?!
-Yes! Also, my secretary told me about a new song! Could you-
-Lee, get shit done and we can talk business, if the contract still applies
-Where are you right now?
-Renoa city, the…Slumbering Goron inn
-I'll be there in 20 minutes
-Huh?
He hung up…
-20 minutes huh?
-Didn't think you would be angry at how you were called…
-It's embarrassing ok? Calling me a genius when so many exist, its awkward
-There are more?
-Yup, I am doing that for fun, my true calling is fighting, to be a warrior
-Aren't you wasting your musical talent though? Why go for the danger of the gates?
-Cause I can, and I have to! To ensure no one else goes through what I had to…sides, the damn gates nearly took a lot of friends from me, I won't let it happen anymore
-…I see, then, may I ask, what did you lose?
-…Both my parents died when an irregular gate opened 9 years ago, city hall, Renotia
-I heard of that…so your parents were among the warriors who perished…
-I won't let it happen to anyone else, I swore it on their funeral
-…
-…
-Enough of that, I don't wanna bring down the mood so how about we talk about something else?
-Oh! Right! Why are you entering KoF then Eric? You don't seem to lack money
-I don't, I just wanna improve my skills fighting strong enemies like you girls
-Spoken like a true warrior!
-What about you 2?
-I am looking for clues of my past
-Past?
-I just woke up one day completely confused and unable to remember everything, all I had were these clothes, and my fighting abilities, Chun Li found me and after getting to know each other, I joined her since she would participate in the KoF, maybe someone who knows me will see us and contact me
-What about you?
-…I am looking for someone, and I believe he is related to the organizer of the KoF
-Who?
-Vega
Claws?!
-Master, Vega is Bison, remember? Translation issues?
[Ah! Right, shit I had called them, Claw, Boxer, Dictator for too long I forgot their fucking names…]
-Vega is the one you are after? And he is related to…
-Rugal Bernstein, I believe both are cooperating and in order to see how, we need to win
-Quite heavy, are they a danger?
-Yes, Vega is the leader of a terrorist organization called "Shadaloo", their objective is to control the world
-What are they cartoon villains?
-More like power crazed psychos…
-And how do you know all that?
-I work for Interpol, you know of them right?
-Right, international police, you guys work all over the world on high value targets, well isn't this a nice bonus? I get to train and help the good guys!
-Thank you, your cooperation os appreciated
-It is my pleasure, so the men of interest are Rugal and Vega then?
-Indeed, they are also well known warriors, so expect them to put heavy resistance if we fight them
-I am all in for that, Cammy?
-I already said I would help, but its nice to see you so excited Eric
-Hehe…
-So! What was that you sang on the phone?
-Just proof that it's me
-Could you sing it to us?
-You 2 like rock?
-I don't mind it
-I like it
-All right, here
I pulled out a guitar from inventory, both seemed surprised but didn't ask questions since this magic must be well known
-Ah! Actually!
-Hm?
Cammy suddenly seemed excited
-Why not sing in the main hall?
-Why?
-Humor me Eric, please
-…Ok?
-Cammy…
-It'll be fine! Let's go!
Chun Li and I reluctantly followed her and once at the hall of the hotel, we asked the Goron if I could play, he asked me if I was good and I said I was, so he allowed it, but if he deemed it to be bad, he would cancel the whole thing, I accepted
-Any reason why Cammy?
-Just a whim, now play!
-Sheesh…
I then started the song, You're Gonna go Far Kid, another song I know for a fact, doesn't exist here
-Close your eyes and relax master
[Got it]
