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King of Fighters XI
At the direction of their leader, B. Jenet, the Rilian Knights, a self-professed noble band of thieves, the decision was made to participate in the always-mysterious KOF, in hopes of being awarded the considerable cash prize for the victor.
Jenet herself was the sole daughter of the current generation of the Bahns, one of the world's richest families. She was not content, however, to play the role of the pampered daughter and stay locked away in seclusion. True to her upbringing, she made her decision on KOF quickly, and already knew of two available members: a wandering master of Chinese martial arts, and a professional wrestler.
***
"Hi, there!" Jenet said cheerfully. "You're Gato, right?"
The object of her attention looked at her silently for a long moment, then eventually answered, "And if I am?" He was a Chinese man called Gato, whom people tended to cross the street to avoid when they saw the strength in his entire bearing. Those who gazed into his piercing eyes tended to be left only with the impression that a sword had been aimed to pierce their skulls. ...Or so the average person would say.
Jenet, being anything but average, continued without a hint of fear. "I was thinking that you should join up with me to participate in KOF this year!"
When Gato did not respond, she went on. "I figured we'd split the proceeds 60-20-20... more for me, you know, to cover all the added expenses and for being the organizer. We can meet on the Rilian Knights' submarine."
More stony silence. "Oh, all right," she sighed. "We can split the money evenly. That should be that!"
"Get out of my way, girl," Gato said.
Those passing by watched the exchange nervously, and felt some anxious concern for possibly massive changes in Jenet's well-being in the next few minutes. Just from the looks of things, there appeared to be no way that this could possibly end peacefully.
Jenet gave a slight pout. "Aww, still not interested? Well..."
Gato brushed forcibly by her, but she kept her pace even.
"Maybe some information about your father, then?" she called to him.
Gato froze in his tracks. "...What are you trying to say? How much do you know about me?"
She grinned. "The Rilian Knights are no slouches when it comes to gathering intel!" Despite her confident look, however, she was at least halfway bluffing. She knew that Gato was searching for his father to settle a grudge, but that was about the extent of it.
Truth be told, anyone who knew even a little about this man would know that much. It was finding out anything more that was the problem, and that's why she was banking on her bluff working.
"Are you familiar with the Kyokugen school of karate?" she asked.
It was a foolish question, of course. The name was well-known among anyone with even the slightest interested in weaponless martial arts. It was an orthodox school which was largely picked as a favorite to win the KOF tournament any time it was held. One of its oldest masters, Takuma Sakazaki, was well past the age of fifty, and showed no signs of his age even beginning to slow him down. In light of that, when he was attacked by thugs and put in the hospital in critical condition, word spread quickly throughout the whole of Southtown.
"Just from hearing the name alone, I can't believe it," came Gato's curt reply.
Jenet shrugged and said, "I don't know all the facts myself, but if you help me out, I think we can get to the bottom of this."
Gato gave no reply.
"So how does this sound?" she asked. "Proceeds split 40-30-30, and info on your father. What do you say?"
***
"So you see the kind of predicament I'm in," Jenet said through her tears. "That man has basically forced me into participating in KOF... there's no telling what he might do if I don't agree."
"Hmmm," said the big man in front of her. "That sounds pretty serious, yeah. So what do you want me to do?"
This all transpired in the wrestlers' waiting room, right after a major bout had been concluded. Even though the room was fairly spacious, the big man was none other than Tizoc the Griffon, and his 7' tall form made the place feel like a broom closet. Normally, spectators wouldn't even be allowed in here, but she found it childishly simple to slip in, just by carrying a big bouquet of roses and pretending to be a big fan. Well, and the judicious use of her ability to shed tears at will.
"I know a little bit of martial arts and stuff myself," she sniffed. "But..."
She further elaborated that in her condition, it was going to be difficult to even get past the first round, but having to fight on the same team as Gato was causing severe anxiety. For the last several days, in fact, she had been unable to eat or get a decent night's sleep.
Tizoc nodded. "That kind of behavior is despicable indeed. One should always fight for the childr--" He then cut himself off. "Never mind. Your story has moved me. I will do what I can to help."
He folded his tree-trunk-like arms together, and nodded firmly, reiterating, "Yes, I understand what's going on. I'll join you."
"Huh?" Jenet replied with a puzzled look. "That's all it takes?"
"Did you say something?" he asked distractedly.
"Oh, uh, nothing."
He shrugged. "I also know that there's a substantial cash prize for the victors of the KOF tournament. I've been wanting to allow children to watch my matches without having to pay for them for some time. I can use the money to have special Griffon Seats made for them. "
He failed to notice her expression, which had shifted from simple puzzlement to near stupefaction. "I-I see... well, the prize is getting split 60-20-20."
He gave another nod of his massive head. "Money isn't the issue. Spirit is."
Jenet nodded in return, in full agreement. Absolutely.
"On the other hand, if my share were increased, I could put it toward an orphanage I know that's going through some tough times."
This time, it was Jenet who was left to return stony silence.
"No, don't worry about it," said Tizoc at her look. "I'll find some other way of helping them manage their expenses."
She sighed. "...Okay, okay. I get it. We'll split it 40-30-30. That's the best I can do."
***
"Welcome back, Captain!" came the call from one of her crew. "How did it go? Did you get Gato and Tizoc to join you?"
For once, Jenet had no answer.
"What's the matter? They refuse to join or something?"
"No, no, that's all taken care of," she said. "It's just..."
"Just what?"
Jenet took a moment, then gave a calm, collected reply. "Life can be a little rough sometimes." She gave a small laugh.
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