If Cloud's victory over Kyo Kusanagi at the KOF 94 finals had relied on three parts skill and seven parts "mental gymnastics"...
Then his feat after returning to South Town—punching Geese's top enforcer Billy Kane from Chinatown all the way to the West Coast, and incidentally blasting a "skylight" through the Hundred Herbs Hall's roof—was pure, unadulterated dimensional crushing.
This news was like a depth charge dropped into a septic tank.
It instantly sent massive waves crashing through South Town's underground world—seemingly calm on the surface, but seething with undercurrents beneath!
In an instant, the entire criminal underworld of South Town exploded.
"Holy shit! Is that for real? That psycho Billy got punched into the sky? How far did he fly? Did his landing pose look cool?"
"I heard he got hit in Chinatown and was found at the fish cannery at the docks—stuffed inside a sardine can so tight they couldn't pry him out!"
"Damn—! That brutal? Who did it? Terry? I heard he's back!"
"Not Terry! I heard it was some young guy named Cloud! The same guy who just won KOF 94—the Original King of Fighters!"
"Holy crap! The King of Fighters is in South Town? This is gonna be good! Lord Geese's throne might be getting wobbly!"
All sorts of rumors, embellished with wild "artistic liberties," spread through every corner of South Town like a virus.
Meanwhile, our protagonist Cloud—the man at the eye of this storm—was leisurely lounging in the courtyard of the Hundred Herbs Hall, enjoying a cup of... murderously bitter "health-boosting" goji berry tea that Yuri Sakazaki had personally brewed for him.
"Mm... excellent tea! Excellent!" Cloud took a sip without changing expression, then swallowed it with a look of someone facing death. "Slightly astringent on the palate, sweet in the aftertaste, with a faint hint of... mm... the sour stench of young love. Yuri, your tea skills have improved."
"Really?!" Yuri's eyes curved into happy crescents at the praise. "Then let me brew you another pot!"
"No!" Cloud nearly jumped off the stone stool in fright, quickly stopping her. "Good things shouldn't be overindulged. Too much of a good thing, you know."
Nearby, Terry and Andy watched this scene with schadenfreude written all over their faces.
They had long since experienced Yuri's tea-making skills—practically a "biological weapon"—and wouldn't touch a second cup if you paid them.
Just as this atmosphere full of "sweetness" and "bitterness" filled the air, an unexpected guest quietly arrived.
Elder Li, the sage-like old practitioner, pushed aside the curtain and addressed Cloud in his calm, unruffled voice: "Young friend, there's someone outside claiming to be an old friend of yours. He wishes to see you."
"Old friend?" Cloud blinked.
In South Town, aside from the Bogard brothers and the Kyokugenryu folks, he didn't really have any friends, did he? Unless it was...
"Let him in."
Moments later, a tall, burly Black man in a flashy purple designer suit, sunglasses, with a gleaming bald head and an aura that screamed "I'm not a good guy, but I'm loaded" walked in under Elder Li's guidance.
Behind him followed two equally imposing bodyguards carrying short sticks.
Upon seeing the visitor, Terry and Andy's expressions immediately darkened.
"Mr. Big?!"
The newcomer was none other than Mr. Big—one of the "Three Powers of South Town," standing alongside Geese Howard and Wolfgang Krauser!
This man was the underground world's ultimate "scheming fox"!
Unlike Geese, who pursued absolute domination through force.
Unlike Krauser, who was obsessed with aristocratic glory and destruction.
He was more like a pure, shrewd businessman. To him, everything—including violence—was simply a means to an end: profit.
"Heh heh heh... Everyone, no need to be so tense."
Mr. Big removed his sunglasses, revealing a pair of shrewd, calculating eyes.
He waved his hand, signaling his bodyguards to stay put, then walked alone to the stone table.
His gaze passed right over Terry and Andy, landing on Cloud, who was leisurely sipping tea as if he hadn't noticed a thing.
"This must be the newly crowned Original King of Fighters, the one who punched Billy Kane into a fish can... Mr. Cloud, I presume?"
Mr. Big wore a standard business smile—perfectly fake.
"Your reputation precedes you. Seeing you in person, you truly are a remarkable young talent."
"Too kind." Cloud set down his tea cup and gave him a casual glance. "I don't like beating around the bush. So tell me, Mr. Big—why would a local powerbroker like you risk Geese finding out to come see me?"
"Refreshing!" Mr. Big clapped his hands with a laugh. "I like dealing with smart people."
He pulled over a stone stool, seated himself without ceremony, and got straight to the point: "Mr. Cloud, I'll speak plainly. Right now in South Town, Geese dominates everything. His ambition has long outgrown the mere underground world. What he wants is to become South Town's... true god!"
"And I, along with that stuck-up German Krauser, have become obstacles on his path to supremacy. At this rate, within three months, there'll be no place left in South Town for either of us."
"So?" Cloud raised an eyebrow.
"So, I need an ally." Mr. Big's eyes gleamed with cunning. "An ally powerful enough to stand against Geese. And you, Mr. Cloud, are the perfect candidate."
"Oh?" Cloud smiled. "You want to recruit me to help you deal with Geese? What makes you think I'd agree?"
"Because... we share a common enemy." Mr. Big's smile turned meaningful. "And because... I have intelligence that you'll definitely find interesting."
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