King Of Fighters EX - Strategy Guide (Page 01)
Below are the cheat codes, hints and help for King Of Fighters EX - Strategy Guide (Page 01).
The King of Fighters EX Neo Blood Mini FAQ
ver 0.7
"Hurried release"; By hurried; I mean I will upload this version;
because there it may noy be updates for a while.
20/01/2002
Unpiblished work by Toxic
el_baron_toxico@hotmail.com
What is different from version 0.4:
-Minnor spelling corrections.
-Yamazaki unlocked as another striker by Sushiguy; updated by Shushiguy.
-Minnor update in the notes of Ralf, Clark, Leona, Geese and Moe
* these are minnor fixes mistakes produced by tiredness *.
-Added simple combos; not too many because I have no much time now.
Note that this Mini FAQ can be found on:
www.gamefaqs.com
www.neoseeker.com
www.cheatcc.com
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Legal Issues:
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This guide is meant for the Game Boy Advance KoF release; by all
means, no person may use this information without giving any credit to
the autor(s) and/or use any profitable business without the
concentiment of the writter...
This guide is mainly to instruct about the the differences and
similarities of the game if we put it along any other MVS KoF title...
note that this game has been developed by Artoon and produced by MMV
(Marvelous Entertainment Inc.), licensed by SNK; now -out of the
record- can't they do better??... it would appear that is their first
game... I will be more toughtful because of that.
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What can you find in this Guide?:
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I mostly construct my FAQs under the "Perfect Guide" title... they are
not quite perfect, but I put much effort on them... the reason of why
this FAQ will not or will not currently be called Perfect Guide is
because it pretends to cover all the basics assets of the game and give
a some raws impresion about gameplay and the game itself... and that is
not what a perfect guide is about.
In this Mini FAQ you will discover:
- Small review of KoF EX NB for the GBA.
- Basic game play features.
- Explanaton of the Handicap system present on the game.
- Character's basic move list and background.
- Notes on moves changed and Striker descriptions.
- Game history and any other info available on this game web page.
- How to unlock secrets on the game.
- Some of options available on the game.
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Game System and FAQ features:
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This game incorporates a game system very much symilar to the one of
the KoF 2000; so veteran KoF players may not have to look at this; the
only few changes are on the striker system "propierties" and in the fact
that counter mode and armor mode have different secuences.
As usual; moving the pad foward or back will make your character walk
foward or back; moving the pad down will make you crouch and up makes
you jump; as in any other KoF; you can use back or down back to block
high or low.
Far: Far Standing
cls: Close Standing
cr: Crouching
fwd: Foward
dn: Down
bk: Back
A: Weak Kick (WK)
B: Weak Punch (WP)
LS: Strong Kick (SK)
RS: Strong Punch (SP)
Select: Taunt
Start: Menu
Run: Press the pad foward twice quickly.
Back Hop: Press the pad Backwards twice quickly.
Jump: Pressing the pad up makes you jump; if you press up fwd or up bk
the jump will be directed towards the direction you pressed.
Pressing the pad briefly makes a short jump; holding the pad
makes a high jump; pressing down and up quickly makes your
character give a quicker jump; this quicker jump may be high or
short... Note that short jumps are way shorter than any other KoF
game.
Throw: Press foward or back plus SP or SK near the enemy.
Throw Escape: Press foward or back plus SP or SK as you are being
throw... note that are some throws that are unescapable;
they are usually the ones that requires taping the pad
and the buttons to recover (like Choi's C throw)
Roll: Press WK + WP... rolling will make your character evade non throw
attacks, as always rolling may be performed foward or backwards;
you can also use the roll to make a "safe landing" from being
knocked down.
Heavy Attack: Press SP + SK... this attack knocks down the enemy and can
be performed on air.
Striker Summon: Press LS + A sumultaneosly... this action calls another
character to help you; but it uses a "striker bomb"
when you are using your first character you have 3
striker bombs, when you are using your second you have
4 striker bombs and your last character have 5 striker
bombs.
Defense Cancel 1 = Roll: While blocking; press Foward or Back + WK + WK;
using this; you may cancel your guard with a
front roll or a back roll; this action wastes a
power bar.
Defense Cancel 2 = Heavy Attack: Using this will make you knock down the enemy
canceling your defense; this action wastes a
power bar and does no damage.
Power Bar: Whenever your character attacks or recieve hits a small bar
with the "POW" word under your character life bar fills;
once it filled it becomes a stock; you can store up to 3
stocks, note that there are moves that use one power stock
(Striker Recovery, Desperation Moves) and moves that use 3
power stocks (Max Desperation Moves).
Counter Mode: Activate while MAX; press WP; SP; SK... using this you may be
able to cancel some of your special moves into desperation moves.
This mode last while the word "counter mode" is replacing your
power bar; in this mode Desperation Moves will have different speeds;
ones being faster; other being slower... in this move you have
no access to the Defense Cancel moves; in this mode your character
deals more damage... you can identify this mode because the character
flashs red during this mode.
Armor Mode: Activate while MAX; press WK; SP; SK... in this mode your character
deals more damage; also, you have partial inmunity to some normal
attacks -you still endure the damage-; like standar fireballs;
some multi - hitting moves can knock you out of this; also note
that you recieve no tick damage by blocking special moves or DMs;
these properties are not valid while you are jumping... your character
flashes yellow during this mode; that last as long as the "armor mode"
words are under your life bar.
Striker Recovery: Perform a taunt when your character has spent one or
more striker bombs, note that this use a power stock
and, such as KoF 2000; you may not cancel the taunt.
Active Striker System: Such as KoF 2000; you may call strikers on any
time; but unlike 2000; they have not the
posibility of juggling the enemy or hitting them
on the floor, striker may only hit from some
special attacks that leave the enemy vulnerable
(Such as Ryo's Upc + A) the "Bonus Striker
Action" (that happened when you throw a enemy or
you escape a throw and then call a striker) have
been abolished.
Guard Crush: Blocking too much or blocking certain attacks will break
your guard for a moment.
Handicap System: when you attack a enemy, handicap is engaged; note
that are some attacks that are inmune to Handicap;
such has Terry's High Angle Geyser, and other
attacks that are useless due to handicap (Ryo's
MAX Haoh Sho Ko Ken).
Qcf: Quarter Circle Foward, that's down, down foward, foward or 236 as
you may prefer.
Qcb: Quarter Circle Back, that's down, down back, back or 214.
Hcf: Half Circle Foward, that's back, down back, down, down foward,
foward or 41236.
Hcb: Half Circle Back, that's down, down back, back or 63214.
Upc: Standar uppercut motion; that's foward, down, down foward or 623.
Rup: Reverse standar uppercut motion; that's back, down, down back or
421.
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History:
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* The COMMENT boxes are my own comments about the history. *
Main History:
Months have now passed since the battle with Orochi, a fearsome power of Gaia which
seeks to eliminate the pestilence known as humankind from the face of the earth. Once
more, invitations to the King of Fighters Tournament have been sent to the legendary
fighters of the day by an unknown host. Despite their suspicions of an evil scheme brewing
behind the event, the fighters are ready to enter the arena… prepared to determine who
the true King of Fighters will be.
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Hero Team Prologue
"The Hero Team is led by Kyo Kusanagi, heir to the Kusanagi style of ancient martial
arts and bane of humankind’s enemy, Orochi. Along with Kyo’s friend and rival, the
stylish super-shooter, Benimaru Nikaido, and the young Moe Habana, consummate master
of the Way of the Slicing Fist, the reborn Hero Team stands ready for new battles!"
A cloudy sky draped an ailing and grubby city. Sitting before a broken window frame,
Kyo Kusanagi looked vacantly at the streets below. Suddenly, energetic footsteps were
heard coming up the stairs.
"Hey! You alive in there?" called a female voice through the door.
Into the apartment walked a young girl who looked like Kyo. She was wearing a big
smile and dyed hair. Glancing at her, Kyo gave a chiding remark.
"Don't you knock before entering a person's house? Huh?"
"Don't cop an attitude with me, eh?" the girl fumed. "I went to the trouble to
bring you some food. And I'm the one who got this room for you, aren't I?"
Kyo screwed up his face as if smelling something bad and closed his mouth.
"Surly as ever, I see," she frowned. Sighing and shrugging her shoulders, the
girl noticed a white envelope on the table next to the groceries and picked
it up casually.
"What's this?"
"Hey! Wait. Stop it!" ordered Kyo.
Ignoring his request, the girl ripped open the envelope without permission and
began reading through the message. Shortly after, she looked up, appearing excited.
"This isn't an invitation to KOF is it?" she asked.
"Well, yeah," Kyo nodded grudgingly. "How do they always find out where I am anyway?
Time after time these accursed envelopes always reach me."
"Whatever. Stop whining. This'll get us in, won't it? Woohoo! Lucky!" The girl
began to dance around the room, ignoring Kyo's grim face. He sighed heavily and
brushed up his bangs.
"You said that stuff before," he complained, "but this time are you really
intending on entering KOF?"
"Of course!" she squealed. "The ultimate tournament of fighting styles, King of
Fighters! I've always wanted to enter. And since this invitation has come to you,
I have no intention to let this opportunity go by!"
"KOF is not the picnic you envision it to be, you know."
"I know that," she said, stomping her foot in defiance. "You want to see what I'm
really capable of, don't you?"
"No, I don't. But I'm sure you can handle yourself."
"Don't hide your feelings. Anyway, we need one or two more members, so let's blow
this popsicle stand!"
"Who put you in charge?" Kyo mixed his sigh with a painful smirk on his face. He
knew he wouldn't be able to turn down her request. Earning money through street
fighting, this girl—Moe Habana—had managed to find this apartment for him to live
in and looked after his every need. Even though she had the petulance of a young girl,
Kyo was obligated to honor her wishes.
"Kyo, I guess I can't leave you alone," she smiled demurely.
"What do you mean by that? Can't resist me, eh? I'll say this, though, as far as
Japan's…"
"Get serious, jerk."
A hot dog from the lunch Moe had bought was suddenly headed for Kyo's face. Kyo
caught it, took a hungry bite, and then stared at the tame expression on Moe's face.
"True. The first time I met you, I did feel a shock of excitement," she admitted.
"But not anymore."
"Not anymore... Hmm."
Kyo had that same feeling. At the time, he'd thought it had resulted from meeting a
kindred soul in a foreign land. If he had met Moe before, he would not have been able
to forget this slightly self-centered, cheerful young woman. In a brief instant,
after the two fell silent, a voice of a young man came from the door.
"Well, well. Look's like I'm intruding, am I?" the visitor called out.
"Benimaru!" cried Kyo.
"Looking good, Kyo," Benimaru grinned.
Leaning against the opened door, Benimaru Nikaido, the genius shooter who had fought
his way through many a KOF tournament with Kyo on the same team, gave his old teammate
a friendly wink.
"Benimaru. Your timing's impeccable as always," replied Kyo.
"Timing, shmiming. It's one thing to summon a person, but you should have at least
picked me up at the train station. Thanks to you, I had to mix things up with an
irate taxi driver."
"Sounds right. You can't expect to meet a friendly taxi driver in this part of town."
As if assessing each other's abilities, Kyo and Benimaru lightly butted their fists
together in place of a handshake. Staring at the two out of the corner of her eyes,
Moe cleared her throat loudly to call attention to herself.
"Kyo, aren't you going to introduce me?" she inquired. "We are teammates, after all."
"Teammates?" asked Benimaru. Hearing this, Benimaru casually pushed his long lost pal
Kyo aside and flashed his most handsome smile while making his way toward Moe. "I've
heard our third team member was not decided on yet, but... you intent to join us?
Really?"
"Do you doubt my abilities?" asked Moe.
"Quite the contrary. Only a fool would assume a woman to be weak on account of her sex.
I welcome all beautiful women. And if you're strong, too, well, welcome to the team.
Benimaru Nikaido, at your service."
"I'm Moe Habana. I'm Japanese, by birth. The pleasure's all yours."
"Moe, eh? I'm looking forward to KOF this year," smiled Benimaru.
"You never change, do you?" sighed Kyo.
Watching the ladykiller do his dirty work, Kyo felt disgust for Benimaru. But with
Benimaru by his side, the realization that KOF was about to begin was becoming more
concrete. His period of avoiding his real battle was drawing to a close. This brought
about a slight feeling of tension… and an even more palpable feeling of elation. Along
with this, Kyo knew that his nemesis would most certainly be waiting for him at KOF.
Regardless of proof, Kyo felt it for sure in his gut.
"If I'm alive here, he, too, will not have died so easily," mumbled Kyo under his breath.
As Moe and Benimaru continued talking together as if they were old acquaintances, Kyo
stared vacantly at the cheerful couple and felt very alone.
"When I first met her, I knew I felt it," he thought. "Something was there. I knew we've
met before."
COMMENT: NESTS seems not to exist; Moe was the one who "captured" Kyo after '97.
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Fatal Fury Team Prologue
Terry Bogard arrived at Southtown International Airport to meet his younger brother, Andy.
He was surprised to see Mai Shiranui happily clinging to his exhausted brother's arm.
"What gives, Andy?" asked Terry
"Well, uh...," Andy stammered.
"What's Mai doing here? Where's Joe? Didn't you say you'd meet up with him in Thailand
before coming here?" Terry seemed upset.
The opening of King of Fighters (nothing new for Terry and the gang, but still a reason
to get pumped up) was rapidly approaching. The white envelopes had already been delivered
to Terry, Andy, Joe, and the world's most fearsome fighters. Because Terry intended not
only to enter, but to win this tournament, he planned to team up with Andy and Joe to ensure
victory. But the backbone of the team, or, as he might say, the leader of the team, Joe, was
no where to be found.
"Joe's not coming," announced Andy. "He had to participate in a special match at the sudden
behest of the king of Thailand, so he can't join KOF this year."
"What?! R-really, Andy?" Terry asked, completely confused.
"I'm afraid so. I went to Thailand to link up with Joe and that's what happened," explained
Andy. "And then I met Mai there, who just happened to be traveling on a guided tour."
That explained the extremely tired look on Andy's face—having been dragged around in the
relentless sun of the southern land by Mai. Surmising such, Terry pushed down the brim of his
cap and let out a long sigh.
"Geez. So now whatta we do? We can't enter KOF without Joe," Terry said.
"Hey, what am I, Terry? Chopped liver?" complained Mai. "I'm here, aren't I? Me! Mai, the
mighty pinch hitter!" Mai slapped her chest and looked up at the dazed Terry. "I'm here to
take Joe's place. You're lucky I showed up!"
"Are you joking?" Terry asked angrily. "I bet you planned this all out!"
"Just what are you implying? You gotta problem with my showing up with Andy. Andy, don't you
have something to say? You should get rid of this wandering weenie!" howled Mai.
"Hold on there, Mai," warned Terry. "How can you be so fickle?! You belong with King and Yuri,
don't you?"
"Well, Yuri's got the mumps and can't compete. And King's, well, King. Because she's joined
the Kyokugen Team, I'm out of luck. So why don't I link up with you guys?" Mai shrugged her
shoulders dramatically and sighed. But her mouth deceived her supposed dejectedness with a
small smile. Whatever the circumstances, the prospect of fighting on the same team as her
beloved Andy gladdened her to no end. "Come on. Que sera, sera. With me on the same tag team
as Andy, there's nothing to fear! You can count on me 100%, Terry."
Patting the shoulders of the overconfident and rashly boastful Mai, Andy let out a sigh.
"The King of Fighters is not a tag-team match. It's a team effort," Andy explained.
"Same difference, isn't it?" asked Mai. "Anyway, what we should do first is drop by the Pao
Pao Café and celebrate!" Mai quickly foisted her luggage onto Terry, dragging the resigned
guy from the airport lobby.
"Well, she's got the ability, but when Joe hears what we've done, he's going to go nuts!"
thought Terry. He couldn't help laughing wryly at Joe's previous complaint: "You Bogard's
steal all the glory. How about giving me, the kick-boxing genius, a shot at the limelight!"
"Terry! If you don't get it in gear, we'll leave without you!" called Mai.
Chasing after the two, Terry left the lobby and squinted in the sunshine of Southtown at
the rising buildings of the Southtown skyline on the horizon. Lest he forget, King of
Fighters originally began because of the efforts of the resident of one of the tallest
towers in that skyline.
"Big bro. Something the matter?" Andy asked in a low voice, as if reading the unease in
his brother's chest. For all KOF fighters, King of Fighters is a special tournament, but
for these two brothers, it had a particular significance.
"Perhaps this KOF, too... " mused Terry.
"We'll find out soon enough… if we win," answered Andy.
Pulling the brim of his cap up, a smile as warm as sunshine crossed Terry's face. A smile
warm enough to chase away anyone's chill of unease.
COMMENT: Nothing weird; I should say.
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Art of Fighting Team Prologue
"Well, what do we do now, Ryo?" asked Robert.
"How should I know?" Ryo replied.
Sitting cross-legged in the center of a deserted karate gym, Ryo Sakazaki and Robert
Garcia, the so-called "Invincible Dragon" and the "Mighty Tiger" of Kyokugen Karate,
looked perplexed and exchanged groans.
"Who'd have thought Yuri'd collapse right before the King of Fighters?" Robert sighed.
Takuma Sakazaki, leader of Kyokugen Karate, had left the States to inspect his karate gym
in Mexico. During his absence, invitations to the King of Fighters tournament were
delivered.
Unfortunately, since their team member Yuri had fallen ill suddenly, the Kyokugen's
prospects for entering the tournament were grim. Incidentally, Yuri's illness was known
as an acute contagious infection of the paratid gland—in layman's terms, "the mumps."
"I know it's unkind to Yuri, but getting the mumps at her age! Isn't that a kid's disease?"
asked Ryo. "At any rate, we can't enter KOF by ourselves. We don't have much time until the
deadline comes. All we can do is wait for Pop to return."
"But whenever you, me, and the Master enter, we get zapped, right? I don't like this," said
Robert.
"But we can't expect to enter Yuri, can we? She thinks she can do it, but it's impossible.
When I saw her all feverish for the first time, I thought she was pigging out on something.
Her cheeks were out to here!"
Actually, when Yuri was feverish and groaning in her room, Ryo wasn't even aware of it.
However, even Robert, who'd prefer Yuri to Takuma anytime, was well aware that Yuri was in
no position to enter KOF.
"Well, what can we do? I guess we'll have to settle for the Master," said Robert.
"Hey. I'd can the 'settle' talk if I were you. My father would flatten you if he heard
that."
"If you keep quiet, he won't know. Anyway, shouldn't we get in touch with your father?"
"Yeah. I guess so. We'll have to have him fix his itinerary and get back in time for KOF."
As Ryo got up, a figure appeared in the entrance of the gym.
"Well, what's up? Both disciples of Kyokugen Karate standing together with such droopy
faces?" the visitor asked.
"Oh, hi, King. To what do we owe the pleasure?" inquired Robert.
There aren't many women who look more womanly in men's clothes than King. Robert, seeing
King in her gallant ensemble, also noticed the bouquet of flowers in her hand and giggled.
"What's that? Shouldn't it be the other way around? Ryo should be handing flowers to you,
shouldn't he?"
"Your powers of deduction depress me," smirked King. "These aren't for Ryo, pinhead. I
heard Yuri was sick in bed and I came to check in on her."
In gratitude, Ryo bowed politely to King. As he did so, Robert got a flash of inspiration
and slapped Ryo on the shoulder.
"That's it, Ryo!" hollered Robert.
"Huh? What're you talking about?" Ryo asked.
"This! It's the answer to our prayers! Right when Yuri's sick and can't enter KOF, here
comes King, right? Talk about timing! Even a fool like you can put two and two together!"
"Who are you calling a fool? I oughta... oh! Yeah! I get it!" screamed Ryo.
"What? What are you two getting all worked up about?" King asked.
Unable to contain their glee, Ryo and Robert tried to broach the subject diplomatically.
King heard them out.
"You want me to join your team in KOF? You two and me?" King queried. Her eyes almost
popped out of her head in surprise.
"Yup," said Ryo. "As the team in the top rank of KOF up till now, we'd like to keep up the
Kyokugen tradition in the tournament. Yuri's sick. My father's in Mexico inspecting his gym
there, and probably won't be able to make it back in time."
"So, King," began Robert, "if you could help us out, we'd be in your debt. How about it?
Yuri even said you're the only one who could take her place." The delirious rantings of
Yuri were Robert's idea of a joke, but, certainly, if Yuri's replacement was to possess
the same ability as Ryo and Robert, a second-rate replacement wouldn't do. In this respect,
King was the only choice. But if King refused...
King sighed deeply and a pained smile appeared on her face,"Very well. If that's the
situation, then I'll be happy to serve as Yuri's replacement."
"R-really, King?" the Tiger and Dragon pleaded.
"Yes. I was going to enter KOF with Yuri anyway. If she can't get out of bed, then I guess
I'd be in a pickle, right? But you'll pay big when we split the prize money. Agreed?"
With this condition set, King gave the two a knee-buckling wink.
COMMENT: Always recall that Ryo is the Tiger and Robert is the Dragon; it does not matter
what SNK says... they are messed up.
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The Ikari Team Prologue
When I thought of what to do while "on leave" the next day, I became as excited as a
little kid and realized it was one in the morning. I hummed while polishing my gun.
Suddenly, an emergency summons arrived from my C.O. It looked like I would have to put
off my leave. I didn't ask for details. I pretty much knew what was coming. Twenty minutes
passed. Putting my affairs in order, I appeared at the briefing room. Seeing my comrades in
arms all gathered as I predicted, I almost burst out laughing.
"What's so funny, Clark?" one of them asked.
"Get off my case! And who are you calling a kid, huh?!" I snapped back.
"Just complimenting you on getting in touch with your inner child," replied my colonel, Ralf
Jones.
Ralf often chides me for being a middle-aged man trapped in a young man's body, but after
years with this man-child, I've had to become the adult even if I don't want to. It's the
only way to strike any harmony. Regardless, in combat, Ralf's the best of the best. That I
can confidently say.
This ultimate partner must have been really P.O.'d about having his long-awaited leave
canceled. The way he was angrily grinding his teeth gave that away. Watching him out of the
corner of my eye, I put on my trademark sunglasses.
"Having your leave canceled is nothing special. Leona's never complained about her leave
being canceled, so don't you think you're overreacting a bit?" I asked.
Even though I intended the comment to be for Ralf, Leona glanced briefly over at us. Of
course, Leona's one who rarely opens her mouth. Even when the Colonel and I are jabbering
away—or arguing together—Leona keeps wearing her mask of indifference. That's just Leona.
The Colonel placed his hand on Leona's head playfully, and while frizzing up her blue hair,
he bellowed:
"Don't compare me with this chick whose idea of a holiday is touring munition factories!"
"And I suppose your time off is spent so much more significantly, eh, Colonel?" quipped
Leona.
Timed almost perfectly to Leona's outburst, Heidern strode into the briefing room. Ralf's
mouth snapped shut. Even a colonel wouldn't take on an instructing officer. And as for me,
Heidern's one man I don't want to cross.
"Sorry for canceling your leaves," Heidern growled. "A sudden duty has arisen that I cannot
entrust to anyone else. If you want something to be upset about, direct your anger at your
own inflated sense of superiority."
"Enough of the sarcasm, my captain. What's the mission?"
Heidern, sitting down at his mahogany desk, tossed an envelope in our direction. Even the
stone-faced Leona raised her eyebrows in astonishment.
"Not King of Fighters?!" exclaimed Ralf.
"Well, looks like a few ne'er-do-wells are planning some festivities again, eh?" Heidern
mused.
"So you're telling us to join the tournament again?" Leona queried.
"Sad to say it, but we haven't been invited this time. It looks like this year's organizer
doesn't want us to around."
"Huh? Then what's this invitation?" Ralf asked, bemused.
"Let's just say it's something that came into our hands."
I have to point out, the agents in our organization are excellent. A feat like coming back
with a KOF invite from one of the teams—regardless of the methods—is a walk in the park for
us. At any rate, I sure wonder who'd want to exclude the team who keeps breaking the records
for attendance.
"Another group holding a large-scale gambling pool scam, maybe?" I asked.
"We're not sure yet," replied Heidern. "We've seen no indication that any crime syndicate is
involved in such activity. But trouble is KOF's middle name. It won't be easy, but I want
you to enter KOF as contestants and determine what this is all about. We'll back you up from
here as much as possible, but I can't guarantee that something won't go wrong. If anything
happens, you're to act on your own. Dismissed."
In short, nothing new. Something foul is bound to happen. We'll get through it, I'm sure.
After receiving the indifferent orders from our C.O., we saluted as always and left the
briefing room.
Walking down the cool, sterile halls, the Colonel abruptly looked into Leona's face and
confronted her.
"What is it, Leona? Something nagging at you?" Ralf asked.
"It's nothing. I just have a bad feeling about this," she answered.
"Bad feeling? About the mission?"
"No. It's just a feeling. But it's okay. It's our mission." Leona then saluted us and
entered her quarters.
"Wow. That was... unusual." I offered.
"Yup. I used to think I was always talking to a robot, or something," Ralf replied.
"Looks like Leona's trying to get in touch with her inner child, too. And she owes it all
to you. It seems that you're going to have to mentor Leona more than ever."
"Who are you calling a mentor?" Ralf inquired. "You always start that sad third-wheel act
when I have any interaction with Leona."
"Well, Colonel. Gotta get ready. Sir!" I chirped.
Ralf's reaction was just as I imagined it would be. I managed to deflect his rage with my
usual skill. The disappointment of my canceled leave was still fresh, but I looked forward
to battling it out with my compatriots again. In fact, this was becoming second nature to
me.
COMMENT: Unusual... Clark is the soldier of more range in the Ikari team... more mistakes.
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Psycho Soldier Team Prologue
Sitting in front of scenery that looked as if it was taken from a Chinese landscape
painting, Kensu let out a heavy sigh.
"Why has this happened to me?"
Recently, Kensu had been spending more time alone. Gone was the cheerful smile he used to
show to Athena and the others. Now he was no more than a brooding youth. Those who knew the
light-hearted Kensu would be shocked to see the troubled soul he had become. But because he
was Kensu, his self-imposed exile made sense—especially to Athena.
Is that the reason that when he was alone, Kensu was able to let out his sighs that were so
unlike him? What was to be done? He once had the same power as Athena. He once continued his
training, believing that he alone was the real reason that Athena and he could fight together.
But the one thing he believed in, his psychic powers, for some unknown reason, had begun to
fade away day by day. No, perhaps it was best to say that they had disappeared.
"What'll I do? If my powers don't come back, how will I protect Athena?" he asked himself.
The tiny voice of a little boy wafted up from seemingly nowhere into Kensu's ears: "Kensu…"
"Yah?!" Kensu called out. How many times had this boy heard his sighs? Emerging from his
Zen position on top of a rock and looking behind him, Kensu saw a boy wearing a big hat
gazing up at him.
"How long have you been there, Bao?" inquired Kensu. "You scared me!"
"I'm sorry. I called you more than once, you know."
"Huh? Really? Sorry about that." Smiling with embarassment and scratching his head, ashamed
that his mutterings had been overheard, Kensu dismounted from the giant rock. Regardless of
his loss of psychic powers, Kensu still had the moves.
"So, what's up, Bao? You need me for something?"
"Yup. I wanted you to do me the honor of training with me."
And with that, Bao assumed a one-legged stance, taking a position he had just learned.
Although not exactly a novice, his stance seemed unsteady and unreliable. Kensu took Bao's
hand and righted the boy while grumbling.
"Hmm. Since my psychic powers have been in a slump, I haven't been able to teach you some
things... but I can still teach you a thing or two about balance. OK. I'll help you out."
The beaming and bowing Bao had no doubt alighted on this scheme as a childish way to cheer
up Kensu. Realizing this himself, Kensu patted Bao on the head and laughed a little more
cheerfully. Athena, too, witnessed this exchange from the shadows.
Athena understood Kensu's agony. And that was exactly why she had kept quiet about it. If
she were to try to cheer him up awkwardly, Kensu may have become even more dejected.
Suddenly, from behind Athena came the kind call of a familiar voice.
"Athena," the voice beckoned.
"Master!" she answered.
Until Athena heard his voice, there would have been no way to detect the presence of the
Master. In spite of being well over 80, Chin Genzai was Athena's and the others' martial
arts instructor. Although he appeared to be nonchalant, no one could match him in power.
"I've come to give you this," he announced. Opening the white envelope given to her by
the Master, a look of surprise seized Athena's face.
"It's being held again. The King of Fighters," she whispered. "Are we going to enter
again?"
"As for this year, I'm going to sit this one out. So you, Kensu and Bao must go it alone."
"Huh? Us three? Alone?"
"Exactly. You should try it once in a while. KOF is for the young, you know," smiled Chin.
"Why this all of a sudden?"
Chin refused to answer Athena's question and fixed his gaze on the sparring Kensu and Bao.
Chin's expression was masked by his white eyebrows and beard, giving no indication of what
he was thinking. Athena remained clueless as to the Master's intentions.
"Recently I've come to believe that if Kensu's power doesn't return, then so be it," Chin
said. "Of course, I know that Kensu is devastated by the loss of his psychic powers, but
Kensu is still able to hold is own in battle, right?"
"Yes," she nodded.
"Kensu is trying to compensate for the loss of his psychic powers by making up for it in
other ways. He's recently become more serious in facing his training. He's trying to develop
himself further mentally. Thinking about that, his current condition may not be a negative."
Chin turned to Athena with a look of confidence. "KOF will show us just what our little
Kensu's capable of. Things as they are, you, of course, will have to keep the team together.
Your burden will be great. How about it? Are you up to the challenge?"
"I am prepared, Master." Seeing the look of resolve in her master's eyes, Athena bowed to
acknowledge his expectations. "I will not let you down, Master. I, too, have loved ones to
protect. In that, Kensu and I are equally determined."
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