TORMENTED BATTLES
THE STORY OF THE KING OF FIGHTERS TOURNAMENT
(by Kailu Lantis)


	Greetings, and welcome to the cronology of the events that have occured in
the legendary King of Fighters tournament. This document has been recorded up to
April 1, 2002, only months after the conclusion of the seventh tournament that
introduced the team battle mode. This goes way back to the year of 1994, but the
story of the tournament goes way more back than that. However, I shall cover the
events that have occured ever since, and the present situation in the
tournament. The King of Fighters '98 event is not covered, since it has no
official link with the main storyline (as well as the KOF R-1/R-2 games, as they
are basically the retelling of some KOF games), but there are some interesting
features in it, which I will mention in the right moment...
	First, let me state that, behind the glamour and glimmer of the
tournament, lies true carnage and passion. The fights in the event not only
represents advancing, winning positions, and earning a lot of money out of it.
It also involves honor, glory, fame, and even taking care of several grudges,
personal vendettas, or longtime rivalries between families. The warrior must
dedicate their mind, body, soul, even their very lives into perfecting their
skills, to overcome all obstacles and come out a winner at the end. However, if
he/she doesn't rely on their partners, defeat is not only a choice, but a
reality. That is why, as of late, some fighters have decided to enter the
tournament alone, since they feel they have no need for partners to aid them.
However, this is also a proof of true courage, strength, and determination.

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LEGAL DISCLAIMER
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	I haven't had this experience yet, but after watching so many cases
(especially Kao Megura), I want to avoid misinterpretations:
	This FAQ is created for public use, and intends to inform people about the
story of the King of Fighters series. This FAQ is NOT to be sold in any way
possible, nor can it be published in any page or printed media (aka those lazy
bums at EGM and such) without the permission of yours truly. This FAQ does NOT
include gameplay info, so if you're looking for strategies, combos, or the like,
go take a look elsewhere. If these rules are not applied, I will be tempted to
send the messengers of the Orochi down to your quarters, and you'll be wishing
that you had kissed that girl/boy you had this terrible crush, or punch your
chemistry teacher's face, or what not.
	YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!! MWA HA!!!
	The King of Fighters, Fatal Fury, and Art of Fighting series are
registered trademarks of SNK Corporation (for now!). The info contained in this
document contains mostly real data that I've extracted from the SNK sources
(drama CDs, SNK home page) and the endings. Of course, there is also made-up
info made to tie loose ends (which, at the end, always works and can be hardly
denied). Obviously, you can tell where they are (the final battles, for
example). This was put in because some people think I'm making fool out of
people, especially some certain lousy URL whore Brit whose name begins with G
and ends with unsmith. Yeah, that guy actually put in his page that some info on
my FAQ was made up. Look, I'm not ashamed! Wanna pick a fight? >:)

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INDEX
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1.-The Beginning
2.-The Evolution
3.-The Chaos
4.-The Resurrection
5.-The City of Sins
6.-The Downfall
7.-The Fighters of Legend
8.-Credits

	Now, let me begin with has happened before the team battle mode was
introduced back in 1994.

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THE BEGINNING
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	Southtown. A city overflown with industrial activity, and most of all,
well known for it's passionate nightlife, and the interesting fights that take
place in the innards of the small city. Because, basically, that is the
lifestream that feeds the veins of Southtown: Fighting has stopped being a hobby
to become a way of life, a way to survive in a town gone mad. Even if you chose
anotehr path, ultimately, your life will sooner or later head you to the battle
arena. This reflects, in summary, the violent nature of the citizens of
Southtown. However, this has been more evident ever since the arrival of a
mysterious man named Geese Howard.
	Geese Howard soon established himself as the most powerful man in
Southtown, thanks to his illegal operations in gun and drug dealing. His
personal wealth became far beyond anybody could ever imagine, even surpassing
that of the mayor of Southtown. Even though he was not the mayor of the city,
Geese began to insert the flow of corruption and fear in the hearts of
Southtown's policy. It has reached such high levels, that the police barely does
something about it. Not only have they been paid well to keep their mouth shut,
they also fear for their very lives. People in Southtown were no different.
Geese's illegal operations couldn't be stopped in any way. And even if they
tried, they would soon be violently rejected by Geese's forces. But Geese was
not a man who needed personal protection all day. Geese himself is a master in
the Hakkyokuseiken school of martial arts, and his strength is so terrible that
no one had survived while facing him. Wielding an incredible power at his hands.
Geese ruled Southtown with an iron fist, indeed.
	However, to keep himself entretained and to eliminate any possible
opposition, Geese created the "King of Fighters" tournament. The competition
involved having a group of fighters fight among themselves the prove who is
truly the most powerful, and the one with the right to challenge Geese in the
championship match. However, nobody has ever reached him, since Geese placed as
his number one contendant his own personal bodyguard: pole master, Billy Kane,
from England. His ability with the stick was so admirable, he made short work
out of anyone who challenged him. That was why Geese almost never fought
anybody. Until one faithful day...
	On the outbreak of yet another tournament, new contenders came in. It
seemed practically normal, except for one thing: a certain pair of brothers who
came in to make things harder for Geese and his men. And it was quite obvious,
considering that their father, another great Hakkyokuseiken master named Jeff
Bogard, was killed by Geese since Jeff was alywas a better student and stronger
fighter than Geese. That's why Geese eliminated him as any possible threat to
his grip on the city. However, Jeff's two sons, Terry Bogard and Andy Bogard,
along with their friend, Japanese kickboxer Joe Higashi, had come to exact
revenge from Geese, and this time, Geese's championship was put in serious
jepordy, even more notable by their incredible easiness in winning their
battles, and even in smashing Billy Kane. Geese saw in this the perfect
opportunity to squish the worms. However, he was surprised by the incredible
strength of the elder brother, Terry Bogard. He used all the techniques his
father had used, but he had a certain something that separated him from Jeff:
the fact that he actually enjoyed fighting and in defeating stronger opponents.
Geese wasn't expecting so much enthusiasm out of a man, and he was even more
surprised by the fact that he also knew a few more tricks. In his agony of
defeat, Geese was knocked out of the window on the top of his tower where he and
Terry were fighting. Geese was presumed dead afterwards.
	A year later after Geese's defeat, the world was shuddered when a man by
the name of Wolfgang Krauser took the role of the tournament and increased it
from a local stage to a worldwide stage. Krauser was a German noblesman, but his
fighting skills, extracted from the Strolheim boodline, were devastating and
ruthless. His strength was many times more bigger than Geese's, and his skills
were twice as deadly. Krauser began a intensive search of the man who defeated
Geese Howard, but not precisely to take revenge, but to challenge him, as
Krauser enjoyed having a little fun with men inferior to him. So, as the
tournament was taking place in several parts of the world, Krauser himself began
his own streak in smashing reknown fighters around the world, making more and
more evident his power to the world. Once again, the Lonely Wolves (as the trio
formed by Terry Bogard, Andy Bogard, and Joe Higashi was later known as) took on
the challenge of Krauser, but they were no longer alone in their battle. Five
other warriors from around the globe gathered to compete for the right to face
Krauser in the last, fateful battle. Once again, Terry managed to reach the
finals, passing through such tough opponents like the ex-heavyweight boxing
champion Axel Hawk, and Krauser's right-hand man, the Spanish bullfighter
Lawrence Blood.
	Once again, a fatal battle was about to begin. Terry and Krauser engaged
in a legendary battle, indeed. Both had finesse, skills, and the enjoyment of
battle in their souls. It was the clash of two inmense powers. However, Terry
had learned a lot from his previous battles, and gained enough experience, thus
which Krauser did not gain in his previous encounters with other fighters. So
while Krauser was only goofing around, Terry actually learned something from his
previous opponents. Taking a new air, Terry used his ultimate techniques, and
managed to defeat Krauser. Thus, the second King of Fighters tournament ended,
and as last year, it was unknown who would take the tournament in his/her own
hands. Until...

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THE EVOLUTION
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	1994. The modern age is now in it's total fulfillment. The world has
suffered various changes, and technology has advanced as well. However, in the
fighting world, a more dramatic outbreak was to take place...
	This year, the man known as Rugal Bernstein began to make waves in the
world. His reputation as a black market leader and expert in weapon and drug
trafficing were unsurpassed, and known by many as one of the more wealthy men in
the world. Aboard the Blacknoah, his private air carrier, from where he receives
and delivers his stocks, Rugal cruised the seas of the world, without being able
to be stopped by the world governments. And not only was Rugal feared and
respected in the crime world. He was also known to be quite a formidable
fighter, and it is known that anybody who has faced him aboard the Blacknoah,
has not escaped alive.
	Rugal, bored by the lack of competition, had an ominous idea. He ordered
one of his personal secretaries, Mature, to go around the world, and give eight
invitations to certain people around the world. These invitations were enclosed
in white envelopes, with red seals marked the "Rugal" sign. He was to retake the
old King of Fighters tournament, and take it in his own hands. However, he was
going to create some new rules this year. Instead of one-on-one fights, the new
competition system was to include battles between teams of three people. Fights
will take place between these teams, in a tag-team fashion. If one of the
members were to be defeated by one of the other team's members, the next member
will come in to fight the winner, and will go on until all three members of one
team would be defeated. However, before the tournament was to be commenced, a
man stood before Rugal...ready to fight him to the end and finish his stupid
ambition. Of course, Rugal was not the one to be intimidated...
	Days later, the new King of Fighters tournament began. Eight teams had
entered, representing eight different countries. Japan, with the newest breed of
Asian heroes. Italy, having no other than the legendary Lonely Wolves. Mexico,
showing the power of Kyokugenryo Karate. Brazil, represented by Ikari
mercenaries. China, combining both old and new generations. Korea, sporting some
weird combination of justice and crime. England, the only all-female team. USA,
and the three most important country sports. Thus, the battles began. Emotive
encounters took place, and the passion and fury of battle once again raged on,
with more emotion than ever before. So many different fighters, so many
different styles. It was a delight to see so many fighting skills facing one
another, in a battle not presenting hatred, just the satisfaction and honor of
winning. The battles were long and winded, and the winners were only defined by
short instances.
	At the end, it was not the Lonely Wolves, but the Japan Team which came
out the winner. This team had two young fighters and one experienced warrior.
One of the young ones was Kyo Kusanagi, latest descendant of the Kusanagi clan,
reknown for their crimson flames. The other was Benimaru Nikaido, a brash and
arrogant fighter, expert in shooting karate (a variation of Muay Thai
kickboxing), and also having the power of lightning. The experienced one was
Goro Daimon, the large Judo champion, who's impressive strength made the earth
itself tremble. All three were defined by a national martial arts championship
which took place in Japan: Kyo came out on top, beating Benimaru in the finals;
Daimon was third, after being beaten by Kyo in the semifinals.
	Mature, Rugal's personal secretary, invited the Japan Team atop a
helicopter, which was to transfer them to the Blacknoah: their final battle was
about to begin. Rugal saluted the team as they came in the Blacknoah, aside his
pet panther and a glass of wine. He laughed and honestly thought they wouldn't
come this far. Shocked at this statement, the three fighters were paralyzed at
the sight around them: groups and groups of statues of fighters extended
everywhere. With another evil laughter, Rugal admits that all those fighters
were alive once, and that he had defeated them all, and bathed their bodies in
steel so that they would be inmortalized. And the Japan Team was the next in the
eerie collection...
	Rugal fought the three fighters. Benimaru and Daimon fought well, but they
only managed to make Rugal a lot more angrier, obligating him to use his best
techniques. He confesses that he never had to reach to such instances, but the
circumstances so applied for it. Using his full power, Rugal even took the best
techniques of Geese and Krauser, past hosts of the tournament! After defeating
Benimaru and Daimon, Kyo was the last one standing. Although Kyo fought with all
his might, Rugal turned out to be a ruthless fighter, and began to make Kyo feel
the heat of the battle. Almost on his knees, Kyo, with sore eyes, saw a body
lying in a corner of the room. With disbelief, he saw that it was no other than
his own father, Saisyu Kusanagi. He had turned out to face Rugal prior to the
tournament, but had been defeated...perhaps even killed. Kyo couldn't take it
anymore. He bursted in rage, and in sheer fury, attacked Rugal like a crimson
tornado. Unable to avoid the rage of the Kusanagi, Rugal fell in defeat. With
his voice paused by the pain, Rugal silently condemns the Japan Team to a swift
death...crazy of revenge, and a poor loser, Rugal took a strange device, and
pressed the button. The Blacknoah was now to autodestroy itself! Kyo, Benimaru,
and Daimon barely made it out alive, as the Blacknoah, engulfed in flames, sank
to the bottom of the ocean. Thus, the King of Fighters tournament ended yet
again, and as the same as the past two years, nobody was seen to be able to take
hand of the tournament.
	A year passes. It's 1995. All the fighters of the past tournament remember
the competition with fond memories, but now know that now that Rugal is dead,
the tournament would die with him. That was, until seven of the eight teams
began to receive invitations once again...
	This time, the envelopes were signed by some "R" fellow. Who was he, and
what was that he wanted? Nobody knew, and many didn't even care, as the fighting
will take place yet again...in 1995! All the teams gathered again, except
one...the USA team was nowhere to be seen. This year, the teams were no longer
affiliated to no country, but it was strange not to see or hear from them.
However, one team did show up in their place...and, for some of the fighters, it
wasn't a very grateful team at all. The team was formed by: Billy Kane, ex-
champion of the tournament, and with a grundge against the Lonely Wolves. Eiji
Kisaragi, a ruthless ninja with unfinished business with the Sakazaki family.
And, the captain of the team, a lonely, but yet, incredibly strong fighter, whom
used similiar techniques to Kyo, but with the difference that he wielded purple
flames! The mysterious young man was known no other as Iori Yagami, a descendant
of the Yagami family, eternal rivals of the Kusanagi family. Now, the tournament
would be filled of personal interests, giving way to more passionate fights than
last year!
	With this frame of hatred, emotion, and excitement, the battle began once
again. Warriors once again took one another, now with one year of experience,
and some new techniques, making the battles more intriguing and exciting. This
time, the results of the battle were decided in some times in the last fighter
of each team, and the winner was nowhere to be defined. Not even the current
champion, the Japan/Hero Team had an easy path. Revitalized warriors, combined
with the new blood, made this tournament much more emotive and skillful than the
last one.
	As the Hero Team was about to enter one of the last battles, they
concentrated in the locker room. However, all of a sudden, a green smoke began
to surround them. The trio noticed that they were losing their senses, and
suddenly, all became black. Sleeping gas...
	Kyo woke up in a dark place. He could barely see his fainted companions
next to him. He was received with a certain familiar laugh. It was no other than
Rugal! Kyo, Benimaru, and Daimon were skeptical, but it was indeed him! He had
something new about him...besides his cybernetic arm, he had a lot more power
than before! How could this be? It seems that Rugal is also in terrible need of
revenge! Rugal beckoned for the Hero Team, but he had a new partner up his
sleeve...His other secretary, Vice, let way to a familiar man. Benimaru and
Daimon were surprised, but Kyo was speechless...It was Saisyu Kusanagi, his own
father! Kyo was filled with joy and happiness, but was stopped cold when his
father challenged him to a fight. His eyes indicated that he was not himself.
Rugal had brainwashed him, and ordered him to kill his own son! Kyo was so
confused in fighting his own father...but Benimaru and Daimon fought the battle
for him. Saisyu was a formidable opponent, being the father and master of Kyo,
but he couldn't fight at his whole potential, due to his resistance to the
brainwash. He was finally defeated, but both Benimaru and Daimon were exhausted
and couldn't fight anymore. Saisyu regained his senses, and summoned Kyo. He bid
his son to defeat Rugal, and avenge him. Then, Saisyu loses consciousness. Kyo
slowly gets up, and faces Rugal once again. However, facing Kyo's rage, was
Rugal's hatred! He suddenly began to emit a previously undetected aura, and his
power began to rise to unexpected heights! His appearance took a different form,
now with a demon look! It was the fury of Omega Rugal!
	The last battle began in the missile platform of Rugal's hidden
underground base. Even though Kyo fought with the same entusiasm as last year,
the new power acquired by Rugal was far too much for Kyo to handle. His power
and speed had now been doubled, and along with his feelings of hatred and
revenge, things began to become bleak for Kyo. However, at the same time, he was
aided by his friends, Terry, Ryo, Athena, between others. They all gave him
strength to go on. Kyo got up once and once again. However, the tide had began
to turn in Kyo's favor. And to boot, Rugal was beginning to lose control of his
own body. Kyo forced Rugal to go all out, but that was his own downfall: the
power in his body began to go out of control, and his body began to twitch and
begin exploding. During his suffering, a deep voice could be heard in a far
place: "You fool! Only those of the bloodline can control such power! You didn't
have a chance!" Rugal vowed vengeance, and a pillar of light consumed Rugal,
blinding Kyo. When he turned around, both Rugal and Iori had vanished. Taking
Benimaru and Daimon with him, Kyo escapes from the base. Now, even though Rugal
was gone for sure, nobody could tell if the tournament was dead or not.
	And nobody could tell what horror lied behind the power Rugal had...

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THE CHAOS
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	A year passed since the last tournament ended. It is the year of 1996, and
once again, most of the past tournament's teams were invited to the ultimate
fighting tournament. This time, the host was to be unknown, but it was certainly
not Rugal; not just by the fact that the host was known to be a famous business
woman, but also, the tournament broke it's own solemn seal of silence, and
turned into a commercial, worldwide known event. The fights would be broadcasted
by international T.V., and many sponsors would be watching the tournament. Soon,
the King of Fighters tournament got as much attention as the Olympics or the
soccer World Cup.
	As mentioned before, the same teams of last year were invited, but most of
them presented some interesting changes. Some of the more veteran fighters, such
as Heidern and Takuma, retired from the battle scene, leaving their places to
those of the younger generation. Takuma sent his daughter, Yuri, in his place in
the Kyokugenryo Team, and teh Gorgeous Team welcomed Kasumi Todoh as their new
teammate. Heidern gave his place to his student, Leona, a young woman with
mysterious powers. Iori, after severly beating up his old partners, had made an
eerie union with both of Rugal's secretaries: Mature and Vice. But the one team
that got the most attention, was the most evil team: the one leaded by Geese
Howard and Wolfgang Krauser. Both of them showed by themselves that they were
pretty much alive, and ready to claim rights for the tournament. Alongside them,
was one of Geese's lackeys, Mr. Big, who had a very bad grudge against the
Kyokugenryo school. It seems that this year would be filled of passion and honor
as well!
	Before the main event began, Kyo, the fateful warrior that defeated Rugal
twice in the past, was challenged by a mysterious man. Attending the invitation
alone, Kyo faced this ominous man, whom offered Kyo a fight. However, even
before the battle began, Kyo sensed a terrible power behind that man. The same
power that Rugal possesed, and the one that destroyed him at the end. Kyo was
even more anguished by the fact that the man was outrageously strong, making
short work of Kyo in an instance. Kyo winded up in the hospital, forced to
improve his techniques, and to fight him once more.
	As fights took place, everything seemed to go perfectly on the outside:
the battles went on with a more dramatic sense to it, the fighters putting their
own life on the line in order to win, thus, creating much more intense fights to
decide the winner. Personal vendettas, such as the Kyo-Iori, and the Terry-Geese
rivalries, took central stage in the tournament. However, an evil presence
surrounded the tournament. The shadow of Rugal wasn't quite gone from the
tourney, and something even worse was presented to come. Iori and the new Ikari
member, Leona, began to show powers far beyond those of the fighters'
comprehension, and the entrance of Geese was also quite disturbing. What was all
this ominous feeling about? As the life-and-death battles raged on, the sense of
evil power remained more and more resident in the mind of the fighters.
	As the finals drew nearer, the host finally revealed herself: it was no
other than Chizuru Kagura, latest descendant of the Clan of the Yata, the group
in charge of taking care of the seal that was imposed over an evil power.
Chizuru revealed to the competitors that the seal upon this dangerous power was
broken ten years ago, and that now, it has began to run amok, now more than
ever. She now needs the help of the strongest team in order to aid her in her
quest to seal off the power once again. She called for the Hero Team, past
champion of the two tournaments, and they responded. The Hero Team was invited
to a very big stadium, property of the Kagura family. The many people united
there was pretty impressive. Chizuru appeared in front of the Hero Team, and
asked them, if they were worthy, then they should have a battle with her.
However, Chizuru gave more attention to Kyo than any of the other two teammates.
	The Hero Team won the emotive battle against Chizuru, but she stood up to
tell Kyo and his two friends that the power that ultimately vanquished Rugal
was, indeed, the power of the Orochi. Benimaru and Daimon did not understand,
but it did seem to ring a bell in Kyo's head. He had heard from his father that
the Kusanagi was destined to battle the Orochi once again, as they did 1800
years ago in order to seal the power. However, in the present day, the Orochi
power was released by a messanger of Orochi, and that Rugal, in a haste to
control that power, winded up being defeated and his right eye taken, but that
he received the Orochi power anyway, the messanger knowing that it would kill
him sooner or later. As they talked, a strong wind began to blow in the stadium,
and suddenly, a huge gush of wind blew everyone away...
	As the Hero Team got up, the festive and happy background had been morphed
into that of death and destruction. The stadium was a bit less than destroyed,
and a very big power began to surface. Chizuru was barely standing, badly
wounded by the past gust. With her last breath, she tells Kyo to join Iori in
order to seal the Orochi power. Kyo couldn't believe that he had to ally with
his age-old enemy in order to seal the Orochi power. However, a strange voice
emerged from the middle of the wind. Benimaru and Daimon did not know who that
voice was, but Kyo knew for sure, since it was no other than the man who
defeated him prior to the tournament. The surface materialized. The man
introduced himself as Goenitz, and that he was the one would liberate the Orochi
power completly. Kyo stood in front of him, daring Goenitz that he would be the
one to stop him. Goenitz chuckled and warned Kyo the same result as the first
battle. Kyo grinned and tells Goenitz he is not the same man he defeated
earlier. Kyo tells Benimaru and Daimon to stand back, as they would only get
killed by Goenitz subsequently. Soon enough, Kyo and Goenitz began the fight
that would decide the fate of all mankind.
	Kyo fought with every ounce of strength in his body, making a lot more
effort than the battle he lost. However, it was not enough to match the
humongous power of Goenitz, whom, unlike Rugal, did know how to control his
power, and using it in a devastating way. However, even Goenitz had trouble
subduing the brave Kusanagi, and was glad that he had improved. The huge bursts
of power made the wrecked stadium tremble, and both auras were expanded to
unimaginable heights. However, one blow sent Kyo flying away, and Goenitz was
ready to dispose of him once and for all, until he was caught off guard by a
mysterious man. Kyo recovered and saw that it was no other than Iori! He was
surprised that he would help him, but Goenitz looked even more pleased. He
laughed and tells Kyo that he is finished, since Iori himself posseses the power
of Orochi. Not only Iori, but also the young Ikari woman, Leona, was of Orochi
blood as well.  Kyo was shocked. Was that the reason why Iori was able to launch
purple flames? Iori just stood there, motionless. Iori than laughed maniacally.
He tells Goenitz that only he can kill Kyo, and that's that. Goenitz grumbled,
and dared both enemies to take him on. So, two eternal foes forgot their rivalry
for a while, and fought side by side against a common enemy.
	This time, Goenitz payed his overconfidence dearly. Facing both a Kusanagi
and a Yagami was a huge mistake, and he even noticed that Iori was beginning to
launch crimson flames himself! With a weakened Goenitz, Kyo and Iori winded up
for the final blow. A huge crimson blast from both warriors was more than enough
to take Goenitz away. Goenitz gasped. He kneeled down, and was living his final
moments. Suddenly, Chizuru surged behind him. Kagura tells him that both the
Kusanagi and the Yagami were both allies before the war, and both had aided in
sealing the Orochi power 1800 years ago. Chizuru also demands payback, since
Goenitz killed her sister in order to unleash the Orochi power. Goenitz grins,
and tells Chizuru that the battle is far from over. With a gust of wind, Goenitz
vanished in thin air.
	The wind receeded. Chizuru tells both Kyo and Iori that they should become
allies once again, in order to face the inminent danger that would unfold in
front of them. Iori grumbles, and says he has his own intentions. And has he
walks away, Iori finally stops and begins to clutch his chest. He then launches
a blood-curling scream, and spits out blood. Chizuru is surprised, and says Iori
is now passing through the Riot of Blood, process in which the Orochi blood
inside him begins to awaken. Iori begins to terribly freak out, becoming more
monster than human. His teammates, Mature and Vice, try to stop him, but they
pay for their interference by being ripped away by the insane Iori. Kyo now
stands alone, with the danger of Orochi still fresh in his mind and soul.
	One year flew by. Although the last tournament had a tragic ending, the
sponsors were satisfied by the success of the tournament in gathering millions
of spectators worldwide. Thus, many of the more richer men in the world began to
sponsor what would be the fourth tournament, to be taken place in 1997. This
time, though, there would be preelimanry rounds before the definitive matches.
This time, the excitement would build up even before the actual tournament, and
more people would see the battles worldwide.
	This time, most of the teams which have always participated in the last
tournaments won the right to compete yet again.  Chizuru, the past host of the
tournament, teamed up with Mai and King, whom had lost Kasumi. Iori and Kyo's
student, Shingo Yabuki, entered as single entries. Two new teams were
introduced, however. One of them was a team sent out by Geese Howard, whom had
quitted to the tournament, as well as Krauser and Mr. Big. In it was Billy Kane,
Geese's bodyguard, with direct orders to watch over Iori, and investigate about
the Orochi power, despite Billy's hatred towards Iori. Alongside him was Ryuji
Yamazaki, a madman who would kill his own mother for a dime. Yamazaki was
promised double the tournament's prize money if he could win. The third member
was Blue Mary, an agent who was working undercover to investigate Yamazaki, and
even Billy. The other team was unexpected; a last minute entry, to be precise.
The three fellows were known to be members of a music band, but they suddenly
emerged as the new team of the King of Fighters tournament. The team was formed
by Yashiro Nanakase, Shermie, and a little kid named Chris. The three seemed to
be innocent, but lethal fighters...
	Thus, began the tournament once again. This time, the final matches would
take place in six different countries around the globe, always receiving a huge
propaganda, mostly on T.V.. The matches were more intense than ever, but the
danger of the Orochi was covering the competition with it's eerie shadow. What
would happen with Iori and Leona? What does the New Face Team really want?
Nobody dared to ask those questions, as perhaps, the answers would be
catastrophic. The fights were still held on, and the people were satisfied by
the huge amount of competition, mostly since all of the fighters came back with
more and better techniques than ever before. It was unexpected to see who would
win, and the fighters gave all they got in order to keep the heat on. That is,
until the last days of the tournament...
	During the final days, Iori and Leona were reported missing. A frantic
search began for the two Orochi blood members. Also, the New Face Team began to
act a lot more stranger these past days. As if they knew something...
	Finally, Iori and Leona were encountered. However, they were no longer the
same: the Riot of Blood had gained total control of their minds, and since they
were not able to control the power, they became just bloodthirsty monsters,
seeking out to kill as many people as they could. Kyo and the rest of his
friends had a hard time trying to stop the enraged Iori and Leona. Ralf and
Clark, Leona's partners, promised they would stop Leona's rampage, and told Kyo
to do the same with Iori. Thus, the heroic fighters began to fight again. But,
if they went berserk, was that because it was a sign of Orochi being near? They
tried to spare the thought, but as they met and fought the freaked out Iori and
Leona, it became more and more evident...
	Kyo and his friends managed to stop the crazed Iori in his tracks, and
Ralf and Clark finished their mission as well, successful in stopping Leona.
However, this was no more than the beginning... Three figures stood besides
them. The figures were more than familiar. It was the New Face Team! However,
they had certainly changed. Their clothes had a different color, but most of
all, their aura was filled with the evil stench of Orochi. That could only mean
that the New Face Team were of Orochi blood as well! However, they seemed to be
perfectly normal. Yashiro took a step forward, and smickered. He beckons that
they are three of the Four Heavenly Kings of Orochi, the fourth being Goenitz.
Yashiro also tells the surprised competitors that they are out to finish
Goenitz' mission. It seems that although defeated, Goenitz was successful in
gathering enough fighting energy from the fighters, and this time, even more
fighting aura was gathered, and the Orochi was close to being resurrected! Even
so, it was revealed that even the crazy Yamazaki was an Orochi blood member! Kyo
and his friends vowed to the Orochi New Face Team, that they would stop them
before they realize their ambition. Yashiro grins, and clenches his fist,
calling out arrogantly: "You do not have to pray...even if you win, a living
hell will be waiting for you all!"
	Kyo and his justice friends, Benimaru, Terry, Ryo, Daimon, Athena,
Kim...all did their best in fighting against the inmensly powerful Orochi New
Face Team. Their powers were superb, surpassing far more those of Goenitz. Their
powers, however, simulated those of the Hero Team. It seems that they copied
their techniques since they were so useful in the past! However, evil can not
triumph. With a great deal of sacrifice, an all-out battle took place, the age-
old war between good and evil took place once again. Every fighter did their
best effort to stop the three Heavenly Kings, even though most of them were
terribly underpowered. But the human spirit, the need to defend their world
prevailed. The good will always triumph against evil. Thus, the Orochi New Face
Team, after a long and difficult battle, was finally defeated. Few fighters were
left standing, but all glad they were able to protect their world...
	However, the worst part of the battle had not yet come. Yashiro and
Shermie both laughed, and congratulated the fighters. Kyo demanded their real
purpose, and it seemed that they only fought as long as to gather the remaining
energy for the Orochi to awaken! Suddenly, Chris, the innocent kid, began to
float among the other two Orochi kings. And, all of a sudden, Yashiro and
Shermie killed themselves right in front of Chris' eyes! The fighters were
dumbfounded. Chris had began to gather a VERY strong amount of energy. Chris
opened his eyes. He began to talk in an omnipotent voice. He claimed that all
humankind would die at his hands, and that this time, he would finish what began
1800 years ago. Chris then morphed, from becoming an innocent kid, to a young
man, with such a goldike feeling to him. His hair was white, his chest tattoed,
and his eyes gleeming with the scent of death. This time, the moment had
arrived, the time to fight Orochi!
	It didn't take long for Orochi to prove his true power. With no effort at
all, he blew the rest of the fighters away. This was the true power of the
Orochi! Even Kyo fell to the ground, defeated. He began to lose his
consciousness, and everything turned black around him. Suddenly, amidst the
darkness, Kyo could hear voices...faint voices, similiar to those of spirits.
The ghosts told Kyo that they were the spirit of the Yagami, dead ancestors of
Iori. The Yagami pledged Kyo to end the curse that has been imposed on the
Yagami ever since their blood pact with the Orochi 660 years ago. It seems that
the Orochi power was the cause of the Yagami's short lifespan! Kyo then heard
the voices of his friends, and his girlfriend, Yuki. Yuki was one of the eight
Kushinada girls, destined to be sacrificed in order to awaken Orochi. Yuki says
that since she was the only Kushinada to not be sacrificed, she would aid him.
Kyo slowly got up. He found Iori standing right next to him. He had seems to be
able to get back to normal, and smiled at Kyo. "It seems that we will die
together, eh Kusanagi? How ironic that you will not die by my hand...". Kyo just
grinned, and tells Iori that they have a lost job to do. Chizuru calls both from
behind, and tells them they she will take care of the seal once they have
defeated Orochi.
	Kyo and Iori go into battle...a mortal battle, a battle were no one could
live. Somebody was going to die that day, and the one who would live, would take
the world. Kyo and Iori fought with the last amounts of power left in their
tired bodies, but managed to turn Orochi back. They fought with no regrets, no
preoccupations. They would die anyway, so it was better to make the most of it!
Even Chizuru colaborated a bit to fight Orochi, and the battle of 1800 years ago
repeated itself...Kusanagi and Yagami fighting together, Kagura taking care of
the seal.
	At the end of the battle, Orochi grew tired, and used all his power to
input the Riot of Blood on Iori once again. Iori began to go insane again, but
Kyo pledged for him to regain senses. But it was too late...Iori had gone
berserk again. Orochi commanded Iori to attack both Kyo and Chizuru, and kill
them both. However, it was Orochi who was attacked by the powered Iori! Iori
grabs Orochi by the neck, and Chizuru bids Kyo to hurry up and finish him. Kyo
denies, and exclaims he would kill Iori as well. Chizuru says he has no time,
since Iori will hold no longer, since Orochi was using the remaining of his
power to take Iori out of the way. Kyo then gathers all the strength given to
him by Yuki and his friends, and gives a full, crmison blow to Orochi...
	The sky's dark clouds clear. The sun shines again. The world is safe once
more. Everybody still remember the heroic deeds of the tournament fighters.
Orochi sleeps once again, but still, it is yet to be defined who will be the
next...

	KING OF FIGHTERS!!!!!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE RESURRECTION
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
	Two years had passed since the fateful battle against the Orochi clan.
During this period of time, the winds of peace blew again throughout a world
that had suffered the consecuences of the ambition of the Orochi power. Once
having been a fighting stage to the death between the Kusanagi and Yagami clan
against Orochi, the people of the world once again lived with joy and
satsifaction. The fighters of the past tournaments could finally get a rest from
so many years of battle, and decided to only hone their skills in local
tournaments, in order to maintain themselves in practice. Thanks to these
warriors, the human race could live to see the dawn of another day.
	However, unknown was the fate of the two main fighters that fought bravely
against the menace of the Orochi power: Kyo Kusanagi and Iori Yagami. After the
final battle, the two latest descendants of the legendary clans had vanished,
and nobody had heard anything about them. Not even Chizuru Kagura, the
descendant to the Clan of the Yata, protectors of the Orochi seal, knew what was
the fate of the two young warriors. Despite that, all the fighters decided to
take a rest, knowing that now that the Orochi threat was gone, the world would
be at rest, since nobody could attempt the revival of the Orochi power for 100
years. But destiny does not respect personal thoughts....
	All of a sudden, and out of nowhere, invitations were sent out once again
to the most powerful fighters in the world in order to gather around for the
fifth King of Fighters tournament. This time around, the tournament would return
to the shades of secrecy from where it surged, away from the glamour of public
attention and massive communication transmission. The battles would once again
retain its category of honor and glory battles from the bases of the fight.  No
longer was there any business profits among the battles, but just sheer, pure
brawls to the finish. However, that was the least important modification to the
tournament. For the first time in 5 years, the basic rules of the tournament had
changed. This time around, now up to 4 fighters could make up a team: three of
them would act as main fighters of the match, the remaining warrior was only
allowed to participate for a short while in the match, executing any attack they
would prefer, and their appearances would be restricted to a certain number.
This would made the battles a lot more dramatic than ever before, with up to
four fighters dueling at the same time!
	Basically, the main teams of the past four tournaments were to be invited
again to this ultimate brawl, some of them bringing back faces from the past in
order to do battle again, and some of them had new faces among their lineup, for
a shocking new experience. The Lonely Wolves finally accepted the red-haired
female ninja Mai Shiranui in their team (of course, to fight aside her one true
love, Andy Bogard). The students of Kyokugenryo Karate joined their master,
Takuma Sakazaki, once more in order to show the world the might of their martial
art! The Ikari Warriors recruited a new mercenary among their ranks: another
young female soldier, whose name reflected her weapon of choice: Whip. The
Psycho Soldiers introduced a new child with psychic powers called Bao, but with
the Sie Kensou enigma, who had began to lose his own powers himself. Kim
Kaphwan's old training partner, Jhun Hoon, joined the Tae Kwon Do justice
fighters in order to show which way of justice was more adequate (much to Chang
Koehan and Choi Bounge's dismay!). King gathers her Southtown female friends
(Blue Mary, Kasumi Todoh, and newcomer Li Xiangfei) to form a more beautiful and
more lethal gorgeous team! However, the new fighters were to create quite the
mysterious athmosphere in the tournament....
	Benimaru Nikaido, decided to take Kyo's spot as number one fighter, and
Shingo Yabuki, intent of honoring the memory of his master, were teamed with two
enigmatic warriors. Both were silent, but had furious looks in their eyes,
showing no trace of feelings. A gloomy aura and violent fighting techniques soon
awaked the bad feelings of the other participants. Their names, as mysterious as
their lives: K' and Maxima. Nobody knew their real purpose, but many obviously
suspected about them....
	The most incredible thing ever saw was the two new single entries. It was
Kyo Kusanagi...times two! It was unbelievable how the two fighters had such a
striking resemblance to the most powerful fighter that ever graced the King of
Fighters scene. Both clones used the legendary Kusanagi techniques that made Kyo
the legend he was, precise to the drop of a dime. How could they appear? Did
they knew anything about the fate of the real Kyo? Before any questions could be
asked, the tournament was already in progress....
	Despite having been out of activity for two long years, the fighters could
develop new and devastating techniques that were prompt in lighting up the
battle stage in a more brilliant way than ever! It was almost like a new battle
once again...the battle that indicated the beginning of a new millenium! The
four member rule made the fights a lot more strategic than ever before, and the
will of becoming the new champion impulsed the warriors to make their best
effort, more than ever before. With the memory of Kyo in the minds of many
fighters, and the shadow of the Orochi power being only a bad dream, the
contestants could unleash forward their true power with no withdrawl or regrets.
This time around, the sense of vengeance and score-settles were replaced by the
glory and excitement of facing a worthy opponent and fighting with all their
might to become a more complete fighter and hone their skills!
	Taken by the hand by K' and Maxima, Benimaru and Shingo realized their
dream of arriving to the final match, and becoming the new figures of the King
of Fighters scene. The last fight was scheduled at a very rare spot: the sewers.
Not quite the place to fight the last match. While the new Hero team was waiting
for the last team to arrive, the sewer stream suddenly dried out, running
through some shafts below them. They suddenly found themselves standing on a
metal surface. As if it weren't enough, the floor began to move, and sent the
four warriors down! It was no other than a huge elevator platform that was
sending the young fighters underground, to an unkown location....
	Meanwhile, at the Ikari Warriors command room, the commander of the
mercenary squad, Heidern, was monitoring several parts of the world, and
detected a weird signal pattern. Several bizarre radio patterns were being
emitted from many countries worldwide. Heidern ordered the origins of such
signals, and to his surprise, all the signals came from exact replicas of Kyo
Kusanagi! There were Kyos all over the world: among the citizens of the big
cities, hidden in the deepest forests, underwater, in the air...everywhere!
Heidern could present an evil stench at the core of the tournament, and the
source came from the more powerful signal: sector 70599.
	The elevator that was taking Benimaru, Shingo, K', and Maxima finally
stopped in front of a huge metallic door, with the inscription "70599" at the
front. Benimaru and Shingo are confused with the whole situation, but K' and
Maxima don't seem to be altered at the very least. Before Benimaru and Shingo
could realize what was going on, the huge door opened. It was too unexpected.
Suddenly, red lights flashed everywhere, and several computer screens turned on.
Among the whole show, a deep, daring voice invited the team to enter his domain.
The finals would begin as soon as possible. Benimaru and Shingo demanded the man
to show himself. The man who came out was more than intimidating: he was rather
tall, not very well built, but his eyes expressed anger and bloodlust. He weared
a very thick clothing, not revealing anything of his body. Stranger than that,
the fighters could not feel any fighting spirit from him...but his strength
showed otherwise. Benimaru cried out: "What is this all about?!". K' sneered and
said: "I don't know, but it's a challenge that I'm sure we can't decline!".
	The ultimate match began. The bloody fight raged on, with the mystery man
showing no effort in executing devastating moves. The Hero team suspected that
this ravaging warrior wasn't using his whole power, and was merely playing with
them. Sensing something funny going on, they decided to hold back to see his
reaction. However, despite not using their full power, the ominous fighter was
getting the upper hand with his overwhelming, unnatural power. The fight was
certainly getting nowhere, and becoming terribly long. All of a sudden, in a
display of raging outburst, Benimaru attacks the man with his full power. K'
tries to stop him, but strangely enough, Benimaru knocks the man down to the
ground rather easily. Could this be the end of the match...?
	The mysterious man slowly stood up, and began to chuckle eeringly. All of
a sudden, all the computer screens surrounding the whole dark room lighted up,
displaying a bunch of computer data. The whole chamber lighted up, to show an
inmense base, displaying the ultimate technology! Benimaru and Shingo are
puzzled at the size of the facility. The man begins to laugh manically, and
grumbles in a low pitched voice: "You knew, didn't you, K'?". Benimaru and
Shingo turn back to K' looking for an answer, but are met with the cold gaze of
the mysterious warrior. Shingo wants to know who he is and what he wants. The
man introduces himself as Krizalid, and that he brought them here to accomplish
his ultimate purpose. Shingo affirms that what does the King of Fighters
tournament have to do with anything. Krizalid smiles and says he used the King
of Fighters name to call the strongest fighters, so he could bring them to his
facility, and accomplish his goal. Suddenly, all the screens display the same
image: scenes of the Kyo Kusanagi replicas all around the world. Krizalid
accepts that he took the unconsicious body of the original Kyo Kusanagi, worn
out by the effort made in the last battle against the Orochi clan, and took his
DNA to clone him into several clones, two of which entered the King of Fighters
tournament. However, the real Kyo Kusanagi escaped midway through the process,
and his whereabouts unknown. He would input the fighting data that he had
collected through the last battle in order to activate the clones, and create a
unified attack that would take out all the governments of the world, and
surrender to him! Benimaru and Shingo gasp in terror.
	At the Ikari Warriors command room, Heidern orders the deploy of his units
in order to stop the Kyo invasion, and that he would soon follow. However,
before the operation begins, one of the radios manages to capture the dialogue
in the underground base. In it, Benimaru asks how could Krizalid capture the
fighting data. Krizalid informs him that it was sent through his body, and
channeled through the computers. As a matter of fact, Krizalid reveals that K'
is no other than his clone, since Krizalid infused himself with the power of the
Kusanagi through a battle suit, and K' being a clone of himself. However, since
K' had no control over his power like Krizalid could, he was forced to use a
special glove in order to retain the inmense power inside him. K' refuses to
believe this, but when Krizalid asks him about his parents and childhood, K' is
speechless, as he can't remind it. Krizalid reveals that one last data is to be
collected...the killer instinct! And he would do that by killing them all!
Suddenly, Krizalid burns his clothes out, and remains with his battle suit. The
true battle was about to begin....
	The change of pace of the fight soon began to become terribly one-sided.
The power of Krizalid was more than godlike, his inhuman powers just plowing
through Benimaru and Shingo. Using the power of the Kusanagi, Krizalid's violent
attitude was more than anyone could withstand. His speed and strength had no
match. Soon enough, Maxima and K' were alone to fight Krizalid. Despite fighting
with all their might, Krizalid's superior power almost obligates them to kneel
before his advantage. Krizalid laughs, and is impressed by their resistance, but
it would soon end. Suddenly, Maxima nails Krizalid with a power punch from
behind, making Krizalid reel. Maxima shouts out for K', who in an instant, used
his whole power to channel a full-fledged flame blast at Krizalid. The
consequent explosion sends Krizalid flying away. Maxima and K' fall   to the
ground, sure of their victory.
	However, as both help Benimaru and Shingo up, Krizalid still stands behind
them. Maxima and K' are dumbfounded, having no remains of strength. Krizalid is
downright mad, and is about to eliminate the couple of traitors. He just can't
believe that he had lost with his inmense power. Suddenly, a very bright light
shines from above. Everybody is dumbfounded at the shine of it. An omnipotent
voice shouts: "You have failed."  Now fearful and insecure, the once raging
Krizalid begs for his life, as he can still activate the clones with the data he
has collected. However, the clones have already been deactivated, and the data
shall be saved for another time...and all the agents of this project must be
eliminated. Krizalid is paralyzed by the fear, but he does not have any time to
think it over...a huge rock falls from above, burying Krizalid to the ground.
	As Krizalid's prone body lies motionless on the ground, K' and the others
go to check on the man who was behind the complot of NESTS. Suddenly, K' felt
insecure and restless. Maxima knew his partner well, and quickly asked what was
K' up to. But K' just stood there, motionless. Benimaru notices K's odd
reaction, but he too, becomes aware of the power that approaches them. It was
vaguely familiar, but this raging aura came from a man with insane power. Shingo
then spotted a man who was standing beside them, shrouded in the darkness cast
on the room. Benimaru knew it was him. Shingo couldn't hold back his inmense
joy. K' felt that his own power was reflected in that man. Maxima didn't know
what was going on, but it was so obvious now: the figure smiled, and walked
towards the light which once destroyed Krizalid. The figure turned out to be a
revitalized Kyo Kusanagi, back from his trip to rediscover himself and prepare
himself in the battle against the NESTS cartel, although his work seemed very
much cut out for him.
       But while everyone was anxious about Kyo's return, Kyo, enraged, demands
the true intention to the light. The omnipotent voice rings again: "We, the
NESTS cartel, plan to forward the plan for 10 years! But you must be
eliminated!". Kyo laughs, and says arrogantly: "Don't mess with me, pal!".
Suddenly, the base begins to shake, and pieces of scrap begin to fall from
above. The base is beginning to crumble! However, K' is more than intent on
fighting his original. "I've been waiting to fight a powerful opponent...someone
like you, Kyo Kusanagi!", K' growls. However, a door shuts between him and Kyo,
as well as closing Benimaru and Shingo out of the room. Shingo wants to help Kyo
out, but Benimaru warns that their own lives are in danger, and persuades him to
escape from the base.
	Meanwhile, K' and Maxima are ambushed by the unit of the Ikari
Warriors.... and the leader of the unit nears Krizalid's inert body. A female
figure....
	Outside the crumbling NESTS base, a tall figure stands near the edge of a
cliff, watching over the chaos that was unleashed beneath him. He notices
several figures rushing out of the base as fast as they could. The red-haired
man didn't flinch a bit at the sight. He always stayed so cool and precise. His
own eerie aura glowed, and the ground beneath him trembled. The man known as
Iori Yagami had came here in search for answers about the proliferation of Kyo
clones worldwide, hoping to find Kyo himself. But Iori knew he wasn't here...at
least not any longer. He had been following his rival's trail for so long, and
found nothing. Iori just grinded his teeth, clenched his fists, as purple flames
surround his body. As his wild red hair flows in the sheer energy of his aura,
Iori vows: "Just you wait, Kyo! Next time, I won't let anyone stand between us.
Our battle will not end until one of us dies!"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE CITY OF SINS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
	The last King of Fighters tournament signified the appearance of a new
enemy that threatened to break the reigning peace in the world: the NESTS
cartel. It was more than clear that Krizalid was a mere pawn in a game of life
and death, and that the participants of the King of Fighters tournament were
nothing more than actors in a planned stage. However, there were still many
doubts about the ominous NESTS cartel. What was their real purpose? What do they
really intend to do with the fighting energy of the competitors? So many
questions, but little time to answer them, as another year cruises by, and the
dawn of a new millenium approaches in the horizon....
	Despite being a new year, the King of Fighters tournament was in jeopardy.
Now that everyone knew about the evil intentions of the NESTS cartel, it was
doubtful that anybody would dare participate again and colaborate in the
downfall of the world. However, as long as the NESTS cartel remained unpunished,
the threat of world domination was never far behind. The situation reached a
critical peak, until one day....
	Sitting in his office in the Ikari Warriors mercenary squad HQ, Heidern
receives a notice from Ling. Ling was a commander of a fellow mercenary agency,
closely linked to the Ikari Warriors. Ling informed Heidern about a plan to lure
the NESTS cartel out of its' hideout, and take them down. The plan followed as
this: The King of Fighters tournament would be held once again, in the year
2000! This time Ling and his agents would control everything that happened in
the tournament, and track any suspicious characters. The main objective of the
tournament was to attract former NESTS agents, K' and Maxima, who had once
escaped from the Ikari Warriors a year ago. They would surely know about the
NESTS cartel's whereabouts. The plan is accepted by Heidern, who will once again
play an important role in the sidelines.
	And so it begins again. Invitations are sent out once again to the most
powerful fighters of the world in order for them to form their teams of 4
members each, and fight once again in a memorable battle of emotions and
passion! It was made clear that this time, NESTS would be out of any involvement
with the tournament. This clearly relaxed the worries of all the warriors who
feared that their strength would be misused for the wrong intentions of NESTS.
Now, the stage would be set for yet another battle of epic proportions,
involving many different fighting styles, many different stories, but most of
all, many different lives that gathered in one single goal: to become the best
there is, to become the King of Fighters!
	Since the same rules of the past tournament applied here as well, many
teams remained unchanged: Of course, the Ikari Warriors couldn't be left out in
order to seek for the NESTS agents. The Psycho Soldiers will make sure that this
year, no sort of interference will come from the ominous NESTS cartel! Kim
Kaphwan and Jhun Hoon will stage their politics of justice one more time, using
the former convicts Chang Koehan and Choi Bounge as their guinea pigs. Some
other teams suffered slight variations, mostly a change of members: Yuri
Sakazaki, who wishes to pay her debt with Mai Shiranui and team up again for old
times' sake, invite their old friend Kasumi Todoh along, as well as a newfound
friend who hails from a Japanese ladies' school: Hinako Shijou, who also happens
to practice Sumo. Now, it's Terry Bogard's time to cope with his oldtime love
affair: Blue Mary, who has decided to tag along with the Lonely Wolves in hopes
of catching NESTS red-handed. Due to the absence of Yuri, the patriarch of the
Kyokugenryo school of karate, Takuma Sakazaki, decides to recruit his son Ryo's
beloved woman: former-enemy-turned-ally King. Two new teams, however, are the
main attractions of this year's competiton, due mostly to their strange collage
of individuals....
	As previewed, K' and Maxima are back again, more than intent on breaking
their past links with the NESTS cartel. This time, Benimaru Nikaido and Shingo
Yabuki are no longer their teammates: a sexy, yet deadly woman known as Vanessa
and a fancy Mexican wrestler called Ramon shall be their comrades this year.
Meanwhile, Benimaru and Shingo have plans of their own: to not allow last year's
incidents to happen once again. Their new partners, however, are not precisely
the warmest people in the world: an elegant strongman known as Seth, and an
eerie and bizarre ninja called Lin, complement this lively duo with their own
mark of coldness and bitterness. And, of course, the immortal legends of Kyo
Kusanagi and Iori Yagami, who now cast off their cloak of secrecy and deciding
to participate in a all-new no-holds barred match!
	Once again, the battles take place amidst a climate of doubt and danger.
The nasty influence of the NESTS cartel might have vanished, but still the
menace of a new evil arising in the world was more than inminent. However,
during the battles in the tournament, these worries flied away with the greatest
of ease, since the feeling of battle and testing one's own skill against a
strong opponent is stronger than any other negative feeling! After all, there
was no need to worry about exteral problems. What mattered, most of all, was to
increase one's own fighting spirit, concentrating on the battle completely, and
being able to unleash not only their amazing skills, but also deliver their
whole souls for the sake of the fight! After all, the philosophy of the true
fighter is to not allow themselves to be fazed by threats, but to fight to
accomplish their goals in life: to become the best there is!
	All of a sudden, the fights led towards one final location, where weird
things were going on. The most suprising fact was that the place was the city
where the King of Fighters tournament first saw the light of day: Southtown, the
city where fighting was the bloodstream that gave the city life. With Geese
Howard gone, Southtown had fallen into the hands of those who live for the
fight, a lawless pithole. The city had gone far beyond recognition, and
corruption wasn't even existent, because Southtown itself, had become a city
straight out of hell. In short, the whole city became the world's biggest
fighting arena, and the King of Fighters tournament had once again returned to
its' origins.
	During their arrival at Southtown, K', Maxima, Vanessa, and Ramon were
wandering through the docks of Southtown, hiding from the Ikari Warriors'
mercenaries. It seemed likely that the NESTS cartel could be operating in
Southtown. K' and Maxima were deeply concerned about it, but Vanessa wasn't all
that amused (and Ramon ignored all that cartel stuff). Suddenly, a fine, cool
breeze began to blow through the wind. K' sensed something terribly wrong, and
sends Maxima and his friends off. Maxima wants to know why K' is so jumpy, but
K' does not heed reason. Mindful about K's stubborness, Maxima takes Vanessa and
Ramon and heads directly for the factory zone of Southtown, and seek for cover.
Meanwhile, K' stands in the middle of a full-fledged snow storm. The water of
the docks freeze instantly, and the ships hold in place. K' sneers, and greets
his next opponent: a young woman with long blue hair, and lost eyes. She used a
suit very similiar to that K' weared, down to the glove. The figure introduced
herself as Kula. K' shrugs her off, and so begins the eternal fight between the
rival elements: fire and ice.
	Meanwhile, Maxima, Vanessa, and Ramon have managed to take shelter in an
abandoned factory located near downtown Southtown. Maxima wonders about the fate
of his friend, and thinks about the involvement of NESTS in all this. Suddenly,
a noise is heard behind them. When battle seemed unavoidable, it came to a
surprise that it was no other than Benimaru and Shingo, with Lin and Seth along!
It seems that they, too, had been lured into the abandoned factory. Nonetheless,
reunion time is cut short, since Ling's mercenaries have already surrounded the
building. With no other place to run to, Benimaru suggests they should hide in a
huge room nearby. Ramon thinks everybody's crazy, and Shingo protests based on
the fact that they would be trapped there. "It's better than being slaughtered
out here", Benimaru replies. So, the 7 fighters head towards the dark room....
	At the same time, in the Ikari Warriors' command room, Heidern attempts to
contact his best lieutenant, Ralf Jones. Ralf is located far from the designated
location, which disturbs Heidern, since the soldiers are already there, and they
will be needing all the help they can get (after all, K' and Maxima did trash a
whole unit of mercenaries last year). Ling interrupts, and says: "That will no
longer be a problem.". Heidern demands an explanation, and Ling suggests that
the soldiers located at the factory should turn on the elevator, and then
activate the underground generator. Heidern is left with even more doubts, and
Ling continues: "This way, we should be able to activate the Zero Cannon.".
Heidern recalls the name: a satellite that had been launched in order to detect
and destroy the hideouts of the NESTS cartel, done by Ling prior to the mission.
Heidern reminds Ling that their only purpose is to capture K' and Maxima, and
investigate the whereabouts of the NESTS cartel. "Yes, officially", says Ling
with a sinister grin. When Heidern is about to complain, he is instantly held at
gunpoint by Ling's soldiers! "What kind of loony ideas do you have in mind?",
demands Heidern. "You don't have to know anything", Ling laughs. "You're just a
mere spectator, and I...I am the executor!".
	Meanwhile, in the abandoned factory, Maxima wonders why the soldiers have
stopped looking for them. When the tension level has raised to pitch fever
levels, the roof begins to open. Much to the warriors' surprise, they have been
located underground! The floor raises them to ground level, where they find
themselves inside an ancient temple, which, in turn, turns out to be Ling's
command center! The fighters see with disbelief as Heidern and his agents are
held at gunpoint by Ling's soldiers. Suddenly, out of nowhere, an ominous figure
surges in the middle of the room. Seth and Vanessa are quite a bit surprised,
which sparks the attention of their teammates. The mysterious shadow welcomes
the fighters. Vaneesa shouts out: "Commander! What is this all about?!". His
cover blown, the mystery person steps into the light. It is Ling, but dressed in
a more extravagant fashion. Upon further inspection, it turns out to be that
Ling is, simply put, not Ling at all! Heidern demands the fake Ling to spit out
his true name, and the false Ling gives him the expected answer: Zero.
	As it turns out to be, Zero used his cloning abilities to create Ling, and
give him specific orders of gaining the trust of the Ikari Warriors and the
world leaders, before deactivating the clone. Zero was also the man responsible
for Krizalid's elimination last year, as the voice of the ominous light.
Consecuently, it is revealed that Seth and Vanessa are also NESTS' agents, under
the command of Zero. However, they had been duped into bringing the strongest
fighters of the the last King of Fighters tournament, after their separation.
This turns Seth and Vanessa against Zero for having used them as his pawns. But
Seth and Vanessa own Zero a great deal, as they had been infused with Zero's
fighting power enclosed in his DNA. And Zero, no doubt, had a truly fearsome
power: his eerie aura could be felt all around the temple, making the whole
walls shake beneath him!
	Not content with duping the fighters for his own personal ambitions, Zero
has an extra something in store for the daring fighters. He now intends to fight
them so he can extract enough fighting energy in order to charge up the Zero
Cannon! This is achieved via the underground generator, which siphons the energy
released in the main chamber of the temple. The generator will then transmit the
data to the Zero Cannon (of which 20 units were placed, each aimed at strategic
locations around the world) in outer space, and Zero can use it to destroy any
designated point on the face of the earth! "So, this must be the ultimate plan
of NESTS, huh?", mumbles Lin. "NESTS? That was just a gimmick!", growls Zero.
"The future of this world isn't NESTS. It's me!". Seth gestures, and vows: "This
time, you won't get away with your pitiful plans, you filth!".
	Easier said than done, as Zero soon proves to his gullible guests. Ramon
and Shingo are the first two fighters to fall. They stood up bravely against
Zero, but due to his quick movements, they proved to be no match for the crazed
commander. Another upsetting fact was that all the energy of the fight would be
used for the Zero Cannon, so the brave warriors were a bit more than reluctant
about displaying their full strength. Would they be responsible of the downfall
of society as we know it? Everyone had that doubt in mind, as Ramon and Shingo
get blown away by Zero's quick skirt movements.
	Benimaru and Maxima now stand against the confident Zero. They knew that
this battle couldn't be won no matter what, but there was no choice: it was kill
or be killed. Benimaru and Maxima begin to attack Zero with everything they got,
but Zero has some more tricks up his sleeve: he now uses dark shadow arts to
sneak upon the heroes! These sinister tricks soon pay their price, as Benimaru
and Maxima begin to get whacked by invisible figures, and then followed up by
Zero himself. The battle was turning gruesome, until unexpected help came.
	Taking Zero by surprise, Seth and Vanessa jump on their former commander.
Zero begins to feel the incredible pressure of fighting both his enemies AND his
former allies. The noble fighters begin to inflict damage on the pressured Zero,
but Zero attempts one last desperate trick: surrounding himself with magnetic
energy, Zero becomes a huge damage void. Sucking in energy from every living
being in the room, and gathering it in his own aura, Zero makes the finalists
fly through the air. After a few seconds, everyone falls flat. Zero already
brags his victory, until....
	Suddenly, Lin jumps from behind, and stabs Zero in the back with his hand.
Zero quickly makes short work out of Lin, but Lin already gloats about his
victory. Zero doesn't understand what he means, but he soon realizes another
weird fact: someone has just entered the room. Another challenger? Yes, it's K'!
However, K' is weak from his battle against Kula. Zero bursts into laughter, and
taunts K': "How can you ever hope to defeat me in such a battered state? You
can't even deal with your own soul!", brags Zero. But, when Zero is about to
proceed to finish K', he feels his whole body getting weak. What is this all
about? It was Lin's doing: his stab in the back had it's own share of poison,
which had began to make Zero feel the heat. With his remaining strength, K'
gathers the last ounces of his flaming power, keeps it in his gloved hand, and
rushes directly at Zero. The inminent impact makes the whole temple and it's
surroundings to shudder like no tomorrow.
	K' begins to help his partners and former friends. He appears to have
defeated Zero...or so he thinks. In bad shape, a bruised and bittered Zero walks
up to his defeaters. He holds a trigger in hand and a nasty smile on his face.
"You're doomed!", laughs Zero. "Even if you have defeated me, nothing can stop
the Zero Cannon now! Now vanish into the light of a new world!". Things get
worse when the world leaders receive the notice of Zero's "capture"...by Ling. A
decoy notice that will take them by surprise. Zero presses the trigger's button
in order to fry the wounded warriors with the Zero Cannon...but nothing happens.
The generator suddenly shuts down, and Zero is more than confused by it. Out of
the blue, Zero is inmoblized by a strange force around him. Inmediately after,
two women, going by the name of Diana and Foxy, appear by Zero's side.
	The two femme fatales approach Zero. They are beautiful, yet deadly,
women. Diana and Foxy silently seal Zero's fate. Traitors to the NESTS deserve
no less than death. By attempting to destroy his superiors with the Zero Cannon,
Zero himself has signed his own pact of destruction. Diana calls someone via a
radio transmittor. It is Kula, who is located atop the Zero Cannon in outer
space! Kula had reprogrammed the Zero Cannon to not respond to the main controls
(in Zero's possession), and activate it manually instead. Kula fires the Zero
Cannon, which is directly aimed at Zero's position. Zero reels in fear and
agony. The surviving fighters are urged to escape from the inminent impact.
	Meanwhile, inside the temple, where everything was shaking and falling due
to the incoming Zero Cannon shot, Zero lied on the ground, exhausted from
battle, unable to move and condemned to death by his superiors. After all, he
was just a clone for a higher purpose. But he beatryed the trust of his
superiors, and now he would pay for it. As Zero awaits the moment of his death,
a person walks near him...asking for questions....
	Moments later, among all the chaos and all the explosions that the Zero
Cannon had caused, the temple was falling down to ruins. But a lone man still
approached Zero in his agony. The young man noticed a small gray mechancial box
near Zero's fallen body. Something must have been contained there, but no idea
of what it was. Zero smiled when he saw the figure approach him, and just
managed to mutter in his delusions: "Well, well...what a honor to have you as my
final witness to my death, Kyo Kusanagi!". It was indeed the young Kusanagi who
came near Zero, demanding explanations about the experiments conducted on him 2
years ago, and which created the army of Kyo clones. But Zero knew that the army
of Kyo clones was just the final stage of the process. But instead of telling
him everything he knew, and looking at the sheer determination in Kyo's eyes,
Zero smiled and told him: "Dont you think you have one opponent to defeat yet,
Kyo Kusanagi?". Kyo didnt know what he was talking about, but a deep voice
behind him thundered in his eyes...a familiar voice....
       Kyo Kusanagi stands among the chaos around him. He seems confident, as
always. He smiles, closes his eyes, and says: "So, you're still around, eh?".
The mysterious voice approaches Kyo: "You knew that I would come back for
you...". Kyo waves his hand and affirms: "Well, that guy's toast, anyway.
Besides, only those of the bloodline could control such power! He didn't have a
chance!". The figure behinds him laughs, and stands into the light. It's Iori
Yagami, who has returned as well. He smiles and says: "Good memory of
yours...shall we get this show done?". Kyo just shrugs his shoulders and says:
"Really need to ask?".
	The two legendary fighters engage in battle once more. No longer is there
hatred in their eyes. Only the feeling of fighting a worthy opponent, and the
excitement of battle....
	The skies of Southtown emit a blinding light, and suddenly, there is a
huge explosion, the shock effect wiping out everything in its' path, like paper
dolls. The noise is unsurpassed. Metal, wood, glass, and people fly around, as
if swapped by an incredible force. Minutes later, nothing can be heard
anymore...
	As K' and his friends emerge from among the rubble, the sight that unfolds
beyond their eyes couldn't be more desolating. Everything, in shambles. Nothing
remains but a huge pile of ruins and destruction. And with destruction, comes
death. Corpses cover the streets of what was once called as Southtown. After
being controlled by so many years by the NESTS cartel, the city of Southtown has
suffered its' inevitable fate: after having been build upon the history of
fighting, crime, and bloodshed, the city of sins, Southtown, has finally
crumbled down to nothing. A city which once strived upon the fight, has now died
by it.
	All the twenty Zero Cannon units that were flying in outer space were
deactivated and promptly removed from their orbit around Earth to be destroyed
later on. The question about how many innocent people should die is irrelevant,
up until this point. The point now, is that this tragedy should never repeat
itself. And one name remains unpunished:
	NESTS!!!!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE DOWNFALL
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
	The destruction of Southtown and the investigation that began against the
criminal organization NESTS, as the main suspect of the massive catastrophe,
were a couple of events that shaked the whole world, which groveled in its' own
hierachy of corruption and insecurity. The example of Southtown was but a
warning to many countries throughout the world, that NESTS would not stop at
anything to accomplish their evil ambitions, and no country would be safe as
long as they maintained a strong presence in the world of crime.
	Strangely enough, NESTS had maintained a low profile ever since the
destruction of Southtown was confirmed. Having covered up their tracks, NESTS
has retreated to seclusion, even though the Ikari Warriors mercenary agency has
been leading an extensive investigation on the former facilities of NESTS. On
the other hand, those who have abandoned the ranks of NESTS were also doing
their own kind of investigation. These former NESTS agents, led by the
mysterious K', were also trying to keep on NESTS' trail, but both the Ikari
Warriors and K's squad could not find any trace of the activities of NESTS. What
was going on? Did NESTS know that they were being followed? The situation seemed
rather hopeless, until one day, invitations to the greatest fighting tournament
of all time once again reached the hands of those worthy enough to go into
combat, and do battle against the greatest warriors the world has ever known....
	The King of Fighters tournament enters the scene once again...the first
competition of the 21st century!
	But something odd was going on. The invitations were signed by the NESTS
cartel themselves! It was obvious that NESTS was going to sponsor this
tournament directly, and they didn't even seem fazed that several governments
were searching for them the world out. Something seemed terribly wrong, but all
the fighters knew that NESTS was up to no good, as usual. Would NESTS try to
collect fighting data for yet another evil project? Why would they make a public
appearance, hosting such an important event as the King of Fighters tournament,
after leveling a whole city down to a burning heap of rubble? But this time,
everyone knew that NESTS could not get away with this this time around. With the
disaster of Southtown still fresh in their minds, the fighters gather around to
find the best of the best, the ones who could stand up to NESTS and destroy them
once and for all!
	On one side, the main actors stepped on stage. K', his newfound sister
Whip, and their android friend Maxima, all renegade NESTS agents, plan to make
NESTS pay for their crimes, mostly the atrocities that NESTS performed against
their own lives. This time, they would be joined by the enigmatic Hizoku ninja
Lin, who is also after NESTS for personal reasons. The former Hero Team reunites
once again, and this time, Shingo Yabuki gets to realize his golden dream of
fighting alongside his master, the legendary fighter Kyo Kusanagi, in a King of
Fighters tournament. Iori Yagami also finally gets a team to fight in once
again, this time with the help of former NESTS underdogs Seth and Vanessa, along
with goofy Mexican wrestler Ramon. Terry Bogard and the rest of the "Lonely
Wolves" don't plan to remain idle and let the destruction of Southtown be for
nothing! The Sakazaki family now has to help their old friend, Robert Garcia,
who has fallen into a financial crisis due to the huge recession that the world
economy had witnessed. The Ikari Warriors are more than intent on concluding
their investigation on the NESTS cartel by busting them, and this time, Heidern
would finally leave the sidelines and join the battle fray once more! The Psycho
Soldiers dig further down on the whole issue of Sie Kensou and Bao sharing the
same psychic power source. Once again, the Gorgeous Team has a nearly complete
remaking, and this year, Jhun Hoon is forced to be left out of the tournament
due to a street accident, and his place will be taken by a young and
enthusiastic young girl called May Lee, a member of Kim's honorable school of
Tae Kwon Do justice fighters!
	But one team watches the whole development of the events from among the
shadows. Their intentions are not yet known. But leading the team is no other
than Kula Diamond, the anti-K' biological weapon that NESTS ordered to do away
with the traitor Zero. She is closely followed by her superior and close friend,
the swordswoman Foxy. But behind them, are a couple of new faces that will
surely create a new reign of chaos in the tournament. They are new NESTS agents
assigned especially for this tournament. One of them is a slender, yet deadly,
female warrior, whose good looks match her killer moves. Her name is Angel, the
high-spirited and lethal agent. And behind her, is the image of a frail young
man. His physical appearance looks to be majorly deteriorated and incredibly
fragile. But inside him rages the fire and power of a demon. He is the new
biological weapon that NESTS plans to use against the traitors to their cause.
His name...K9999. And he now targets K' and his team of renegades!
	And so, the cry of batle can be heard once more! Now, teams have the
choice of deciding their own lineup. Will one fighter prefer to fight alone,
using his three partners as backup in the battle, or will all four warriors
engage in combat, with no one to support them in the fight? The variety of
strategies and the newcomers make this tournament more than a simple display of
sheer strength and skill, but also requiring a great deal of mind power, of
intelligence, of planning in order to emerge victorious. As the shadow of NESTS
looms over the competitors, everyone tries their best, putting in their best
efforts into battle, in order to find out those who could be worthy enough to
fight against those who have caused so much pain. In the middle of this fight
for revenge and justice, sometimes personal affairs are left aside, but even the
flame that rages within the blood of those who are guided by hatred can't be
easily swayed away. With that in mind, K', Kyo, Iori, and K9999 fight their own
personal battles of resentment and harsh feelings.
	As the final matches approaches, the battles are being monitored to a high
technology base. Three mysterious figures watch the screens as the fights rage
on with the maximum degree of passion ever seen in a fighting tournament.
Throughout the world, the fights that are bound with glory and honor are being
supervised by an ominous old man, cloaked in elegant clothing, sitting on a
majestic throne. He is the very leader of the NESTS cartel, who watches the
tournament as if it were his own show that he staged by himself, and as if the
fighters were his mere puppets. Two persons stand on both his sides. On his
right side, a man with long blond hair and drapped in an eerie black cloth. On
his left side, a beautiful woman with blond hair, the leader's secretary, who
couldn't look more similiar to a Hollywood star. The evil headmaster of NESTS
gloats as his play takes place. But his plan should be wrapped up, so he now
summons the best man for the job. Attending to the leader's call, is a man who
inspires a certain feel of familiarity. His clothing is definetly similiar to
that worn by Zero...but his face was very much different. The man who the leader
of NESTS trusts in accepts the orders given to him, and he sets out to fulfill
the evil plans of his boss.
	Meanwhile, K's team is once again declared the winner of the 2001 King of
Fighters tournament! But as the crowd and the millions of fans following the
tournament through the news rage on, K' and his teammates remain emotionless.
They know that the fight is far from over. As it turns out to be, they are
invited by officials of the tournament to a celebration ceremony that is shaped
out to be pretty unique: atop a floating blimp! K' tries to hide his suspects as
the blimp takes flight. Maxima makes K' weary of the team's worries about this
so-called reception party, but K' assures him that they will get to the bottom
of this. The peculiar team reaches a huge hall, with only a narrow bridge that
crosses above the whole engine room. An impressive woodwork and the advanced
machinery fill the room. But as soon as they get there, the blimp begins to
shake violently! The whole engines begin to work at maximum capacity, as the
blimp splits into half! It is revealed that one half of the blimp hides a rocket
ship, which blasts into the sky at an incredible speed. Whip is shocked at the
unexpected turn of events, but K' places his attention on the other side of the
bridge. A man with white hair and a familiar uniform stands in the door at the
other end. A ferocious black lion lies by his side, sneering and growling at the
team with a beastlike look in its' red eyes. It was the man who was assigned by
the leader of NESTS to do away with the winning team!
	Everyone knows who this man is...he looks vaguely familiar to Zero, the
lunatic NESTS exceutive who tried to use the Zero Cannon against his own
superiors! Indeed, the man admits he is Zero, but the Zero they knew (and his
clone, Ling) who tried to blast them away with the Zero Cannon was in fact his
clones. He accepeted that there was a mistake in his plans, as the clone
developed his own consciousness. But he knew of other clones who must be
disposed of, and pointed out to K'! He had received direct orders to do away
with K' and his band of traitors. But this time, things would be a lot more fair
for them. Zero called forth two of his most trustworthy helpers for a REAL four-
on-four brawl! Another shocking revelation is shown as Krizalid, the advanced
clone of K' who was thought to have died 2 years ago, appears aside the true
Zero. Zero had retrieved the remaining data of the Krizalid project to create
another clone of the late NESTS agent. The other figure was a familiar person
for Lin. It was Ron, who had betrayed the Hizoku cause to join NESTS, and had
been enhanced with NESTS' diobolical genetic technology to become a fearsome
menace! As Zero's pet lion also readied for battle, Zero calls forth for the
battle to end all battles to begin!
	What followed was a cruel fight that would define who would live or die in
this merciless combat. Lin inmediately went after Ron, in a fight of two members
of the Hizoku clan. Maxima and Whip had to deal with Krizalid and Zero's pet
lion, while K' came face-to-face with Zero himself. The intense action made the
whole ship shake from the force of the blows inflicted by each side, but Zero
was the one showing off the greatest amount of power, his incredible strength
creating huge vortexes around him. But everyone was familiar with the style that
the NESTS agents displayed. Lin knew Ron well because they both came from the
same village, and had a repertoire of moves similiar to Lin's. Krizalid was no
secret, having fought him 2 years ago, and Zero made the big mistake of inputing
several of his moves into his clones. True, they all had greater power than what
the group was used with, but their strategy was to wear down their power until
they could finally finish them off. Finally, K' was able to strike down Zero
after a troublesome battle, as well as his assistants. However, Lin could not
capture Ron, who escaped from the battle in a rush.
	However, this time, Zero did not make a big deal out of his defeat. Zero
admits that he was bested by K' and his crew. As Zero says this, K' and the
others feel how the ship rumbles once more. Zero tells the group that they have
just arrived at NESTS' main HQ, and that they should hurry up and find the truth
behind their past. Having said that, the whole ship begins to shake once more,
but this time, it was beginning to fall apart! Wood and metal crashed down one
another, as the ship began to suffer a series of violent explosions. Zero
pointed out the exit for the cast of fighters, but before he could get out of
the ship, K' turned back to look at Zero, who had given his back towards him and
his comrades among the whole chaos in which the ship had turned into. K' smiled,
and continued his path inside the main base of NESTS.
	  K' and the others now find themselves inside a highly advanced base. The
impressive amount of technology was adorned with the details taht one could only
see in European castles. Carpets spread over the floor, and several ornaments
and paintings hung on the walls. As the group stares in awe at the amazing
scene, Maxima calls for K's attention. Maxima is motionless at the sight he
witnesses outside the window. K' and the others go to where Maxima, and the
sight they see is also overwhelming. The entire planet Earth could be seen from
the window! The ship had taken them to an outer space base! But there were more
important matters to attend, as Lin points out a huge door at the end of the
hall.
	As the group enters, they are met with 3 figures standing in the darkness.
Once again, the NESTS leader and his assistants make their star appearance! K'
and Whip know that they must be the upper executives of NESTS, as they ready
themselves for any sort of unpleasant surprises. The old man sits still, as a
loud voice boom towards the foursome. The voice introduces himself as Igniz, the
CEO of NESTS. Igniz congratulates K' and his partners for coming this far, and
for defeating Zero. But he doubts that some worthless products of NESTS could
ever get to topple the cartel! K' sneers, and replies that it is NESTS who
should be worrying about their fate, as they had come here to destroy them once
and for all!
	Meanwhile, back on Earth, Foxy and Kula stare at the star-filled sky at
nighttime. The night sky was so pretty, but they had been too busy following
orders from NESTS to ever notice it. They watch as the remains of Zero's rocket
ship plummets to the ground, engulfed in flames, down to the sea. Kula, who had
gone through a whole deal of experiences of human feelings and life itself
through the last 2 years, smiles. Maybe it was time for her and Foxy to begin a
new life. But as she turns to Foxy, her friend and superior is speared in the
back! Foxy falls to the ground, dead. Kula is in utter shock as Foxy's killer
shows his face. It was K9999, who shapes his glove from a blade back to its'
normal form. Angel smiles, and tells Kula that there are enough capable
assassins in NESTS, and that they didn't need any sort of agents who would turn
against them like K' did. Kula's tears flow freely down her cheeks, but they
freeze before they can even fall down. Kula shouts out that she will never
forget them for killing Foxy. But K9999 just shrugs her off as a biological
defect, and both he and Angel get ready to dispose of Kula, before she can
develop a will of her own!
	Back in the space base, Igniz continues to taunt K' and the others. The
cloning process that they had experimented on Kyo Kusanagi after the Orochi
battle spawned 4 products: K', Krizalid, Kula Diamond, and K9999. Now that the
experiments had proven succesful, their battle experience was already recorded
on NESTS' supercomputers, so they had all the data they needed, data collected
ever since 2 years ago. They had erased K's memories, because clones have no
need of memories in order to fight to their full potential. But as soon as Igniz
finishes his line, the blond man standing at the left of the old man grabs the
NESTS leader by the head! It seems that Igniz was the assistant of the leader of
NESTS, not the old man! In a moment, the old man turns into dust under Igniz'
great power. Igniz stands forward, and claims that he will rid the world of all
those who would stand in his way. That's why NESTS organized the King of
Fighters tournament after all: to find out who was the strongest of the world,
and then eliminate them to vanquish all possible threats to world conquest! And
once he had done that, he would become the god for the new era...the era of
NESTS! Igniz removes his cloak, and beckons for the team to attack him!
	But Igniz was definetly no common underling. Having collected all the
fighting data stored in the NESTS' database from the past 3 KOF tournaments, he
channeled it to his own body, all that sheer fighting potential made quite a mix
inside his organism! His incredible, overwhelming power, had the force of a
deity, a superior being who could take down a whole army by himself! Igniz
shurgged all attacks by Maxima, Whip, Lin...and even K' was like a mere toy to
Igniz. Their attacks could not even faze him. Igniz was too fast, too powerful,
his energy channeled into inhumanly strong explosions, which made the whole base
shudder in its' vast strength. The team fell like paper dolls, and K', although
brave and insistent, soon fell quickly. Igniz laughs at the team's futile
attempts to impress him. But before K' could close his eyes and lose
consciousness, as Igniz looms over with a glowing hand, ready to give him the
final blow, a crimson flame blast shoves Igniz' hand aside!
	Now, Kyo Kusanagi has entered the scene! But not only him...Terry, Athena,
Ryo, Kim, even Iori all stood up to Igniz! Kyo wipes his mouth, and tells Igniz
that NESTS has benefited themselves too much thanks to him. Now, after 2 years
of hunting them down, Kyo would finally exact revenge from those who dared
attempt to ruin his life! Likewise, the other fighters blamed Igniz for his
divine delusions, which have costed the life of many, innocents and even the
people of NESTS themselves! Igniz laughs, and explains that it was all just a
means to an end...and that the end would be the destruction of those who stood
against him! Now, the fight against Igniz would start once again...this time no
one would allow him to realize Igniz' ambition of an utopia!
	All the fighters put in their best effort, their bravest attempt, their
whole energy, their whole souls into the battle. Igniz was still overpowered,
and was too much for all them to handle, but the immortal will to survive and to
keep on living by the rest of the fighters was what led them to keep on trying.
Igniz could not understand why they would prefer to lose their lives than to
accept a new world order! K' was inspired by the bravery of the other fighters,
and stood up to fight once again! K' stands by Kyo's side, and tells Kyo that he
never thought he would fight along him one day. Kyo turns to Iori, smiles, and
tells K' that his quote is all too familiar. Now, the heat was on Igniz!
	With the force of the 3 flames combined, Igniz could no longer stand
strong. His whole numerical data was just that...numbers and statistics. Kyo and
Iori knew what the real deal behind those numbers where, and K', who was a
result of a biological experimient, had also came to realize that as well! Igniz
was soon beginning to falter, until after being worn down by Iori and Kyo's
flames, K' gave him the final blow, a huge flaming explosion which burned all
the machines in the room to a crisp!
	With his last ounce of strength, Igniz drags his battered body to a couple
of pillars which stood in the highest point of the room, above some stairs.
Igniz is surprised and enfuriated that the humans would shun the existence of a
god among them. But, if the humans didn't desire a god, then he would become a
demon! With those words, Igniz placed his hands on the cravings atop the
pillars, and his whole body was surrounded with a beam of light. Not long after,
the whole space station began to tremble violently. K' noticed that Earth had
grown bigger and bigger outside the window. The space station was set on a crash
course to Earth! The rest of the brave heroes tried to stop Igniz from his
suicidal attempt, but a huge door closed the way to where Igniz was standing.
The whole base became a flaming comet upon entrance to the atmosphere, and
headed towards the planet in a quick path to final destruction.
	Meanwhile, down on Earth, Kula tried her best to fight off K9999 and
Angel. She fought bravely, using her freeze powers to her maximum capability.
But two NESTS assassins against a young and confused girl was just too much. And
K9999's violent behavior didn't allow for much, either. When Kula began to
falter and feel weak from the effort, she noticed a bright light coming from the
morning sky. K9999 and Angel also noticed it, and stood there, staring at the
huge flaming sphere shooting down to the ground. The wrecked NESTS space station
made a huge splash in the middle of the ocean, as the disturbed water and the
raging flames shoot up to the sky. Angel wonders if that was the NESTS station,
and if so, what would have happened to the leader of NESTS? But K9999 was
determined to finish his job at any cost. The mere existence of Kula disturbed
him to no end, so K9999 launches himself at Kula to finish her off. As K9999's
hand mutates into a bizarre shape, a crimson flame blast shoves his mutated hand
aside!
	The man who interfered was K'! He was in quite a bad shape, but he could
still stand tall, and face his advanced clone head to head. Now, Kula and K'
stood together as partners for the first time ever, leveling the odds. K9999 was
beginning to get really mad, as his hair waves in the wind, flashing tones of
white. But Angel made to his notice that some helicopters were drawing nearby.
They could be the remaining troops of NESTS looking for them! K9999 decides its'
not time to stay around and play, as they should reunite with what's left of
NESTS and think of a new plan. Angel and K9999 vanished, not before K9999 gives
Kula and K' a final death sentence before he departs!
	Diana, the other NESTS executive, meets with Kula and the others, trying
to talk the situation out. Diana is disappointed that NESTS would have gone this
way, but Whip reassures her that everything will be OK now that the higher ranks
of NESTS have been dealt with, but Whip knows that her past is far from being
resolved. Maxima and Lin watch over the other survivors of this faithful
tournament as they walk away to their places of origin. Another year has flew
by, but this time, a climate of peace and tranquility could be felt roaming in
the air. Maxima is relieved that the nightmare that was once NESTS is finally
over, as he looks over to the sinking NESTS space station, which is no better
than ashes right now. But Lin knows better...Ron is still out there, perhaps
planning a new scheme. Indeed, in a cliff not faraway from where the fighters of
destiny are reunited, Ron and the mysterious NESTS secretary watch the scene of
joy and triumph that overwhelms the warriors of faith. But Ron knows better. He
vows that things won't stay like this for too long, and those who dare to
interfere would have to prepare themselves, as Ron makes plans of his own....
	Walking on the coast line, two similiar figures walk along the humid sand,
as the waves splash against their feet. The sun has already placed itself atop
the middle of the sky, lighting up the heavens...as well as their souls. Kula,
one of the figures, walks in a jolly fashion, kicking away the incoming water.
She turns towards K', who has been walking along her the whole time. With his
shades on, K' can't conceal the marks of his past battle, but his face does
express a certain deal of relief. Kula nears K's side, and as she snucks up to
him, she asks what would be in store for them now that NESTS is done for. K'
seems reluctant to answer at first, but after some more insistence, he takes off
his shades, and smiles at Kula. He knows that a new life, free from slavery and
personal torments, would soon dawn on their lives...just like the morning sun.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE FIGHTERS OF LEGEND
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
	The following is the personal story of each and every of the 64 fighters
that have participated in each of the six tournaments. I have divided them in
alphabetic order, and have developed a list of them all. After this, I will
detail the story of every fighter:

*Andy Bogard
*Angel
*Athena Asamiya
*Bao
*Benimaru Nikaido
*Billy Kane
*Blue Mary
*Brian Battler
*Chang Koehan
*Chin Gentsai
*Chizuru Kagura
*Choi Bounge
*Chris
*Clark Steel
*Eiji Kisaragi
*Foxy
*Geese Howard
*Goenitz
*Goro Daimon
*Heavy D!
*Heidern
*Hinako Shijou
*Igniz
*Iori Yagami
*Jhun Hoon
*Joe Higashi
*K'
*K9999
*Kasumi Todoh
*Kim Kaphwan
*King
*Krizalid
*Kula
*Kyo Kusanagi
*Leona
*Li Xiangfei
*Lin
*Lucky Glauber
*Mai Shiranui
*Mature
*Maxima
*May Lee
*Mr. Big
*Orochi
*Ralf Jones
*Ramon
*Robert Garcia
*Rugal Bernstein
*Ryo Sakazaki
*Ryuji Yamazaki
*Saisyu Kusanagi
*Seth
*Shermie
*Shingo Yabuki
*Sie Kensou
*Takuma Sakazaki
*Terry Bogard
*Vanessa
*Vice
*Whip
*Wolfgang Krauser
*Yashiro Nanakase
*Yuri Sakazaki
*Zero

	Here's the list of the teams, composed by these characters. Notice that I
have divided them in certain sections, depending on their appearances and
changes in each tournament. This way, you will know which fighter pledged
alliance to whom. However, never assure that a team will remain the same every
year!

*Teams which have appeared in every tournament/no changes:
-Japan/Hero Team:
 Kyo Kusanagi-Benimaru Nikaido-Goro Daimon

-Italy/Fatal Fury Team:
 Terry Bogard-Andy Bogard-Joe Higashi

-China/Psycho Soldier Team:
 Athena Asamiya-Sie Kensou-Chin Gentsai

-Korea/Kim Team:
  Kim Kaphwan-Chang Koehan-Choi Bounge

*Team which have appeared in one tournament:
-USA Sports Team:
  Heavy D!-Lucky Glauber-Brian Battler

-Boss Team:
  Geese Howard-Wolfgang Krauser-Mr. Big

-New Face Team:
   Yashiro Nanakase-Shermie-Chris

-'97 Special Team:
   Ryuji Yamazaki-Blue Mary-Billy Kane

*Teams which have changed from tournament to tournament:
-Mexico/Kyokugenryo Team:
  Ryo Sakazaki-Robert Garcia-Takuma Sakazaki (The King of Fighters '94-'95)
  Ryo Sakazaki-Robert Garcia-Yuri Sakazaki (The King of Fighters '96-'97)

-England/Gorgeous Team:
   Mai Shiranui-King-Yuri Sakazaki (The King of Fighters '94-'95)
   Mai Shiranui-King-Kasumi Todoh (The King of Fighters '96)
   Mai Shiranui-King-Chizuru Kagura (The King of Fighters '97)

-Yagami Team:
   Iori Yagami-Eiji Kisaragi-Billy Kane (The King of Fighters '95)
   Iori Yagami-Mature-Vice (The King of Fighters '96)

-Brazil/Ikari Team:
   Heidern-Ralf-Clark (The King of Fighters '94-'95)
   Leona-Ralf-Clark (The King of Fighters '96-'97)

*Single entries:
-Rugal Bernstein (The King of Fighters '94-'95)
-Saisyu Kusanagi (The King of Fighters '95)
-Chizuru Kagura (The King of Fighters '96)
-Goenitz (The King of Fighters '96)
-Shingo Yabuki (The King of Fighters '97)
-Iori Yagami (The King of Fighters '97)
-Orochi (The King of Fighters '97)

*The King of Fighters '98 teams:

-Hero Team (Kyo Kusanagi, Benimaru Nikaido, Goro Daimon)
-Fatal Fury Team (Terry Bogard, Andy Bogard, Joe Higashi)
-Art of Fighting Team (Ryo Sakazaki, Robert Garcia, Yuri Sakazaki)
-Ikari Team (Leona, Ralf Jones, Clark Steel)
-Psycho Soldier Team (Athena Asamiya, Sie Kensou, Chin Gentsai)
-Gorgeous Team (Chizuru Kagura, Mai Shiranui, King)
-Kim Team (Kim Kaphwan, Chang Koehan, Choi Bounge)
-New Face Team (Yashiro Nanakase, Shermie, Chris)
-Special Team (Ryuji Yamazaki, Blue Mary, Billy Kane)
-Yagami Team (Iori Yagami, Mature, Vice)
-Middle Age Team (Heidern, Takuma Sakazaki, Saisyu Kusanagi)
-USA Sports Team (Heavy D!, Lucky Glauber, Brian Battler)
-Rugal Bernstein (single entry)
-Shingo Yabuki (single entry)

*The King of Fighters '99 new teams:

-Hero Team (K', Maxima, Benimaru Nikaido, Shingo Yabuki)
-Fatal Fury Team (Terry Bogard, Andy Bogard, Joe Higashi, Mai Shiranui)
-Art of Fighting Team (Ryo Sakazaki, Robert Garcia, Yuri Sakazaki, Takuma
Sakazaki)
-Ikari Team (Leona, Ralf Jones, Clark Steel, Whip)
-Psycho Soldier Team (Athena Asamiya, Sie Kensou, Chin Gentsai, Bao)
-Gorgeous Team (King, Blue Mary, Kasumi Todoh, Li Xiangfei)
-Kim Team (Kim Kaphwan, Chang Koehan, Choi Bounge, Jhun Hoon)
-Kyo Kusanagi ver.1 (single entry)
-Kyo Kusanagi ver.2 (single entry)
-Shin Kyo Kusanagi (single entry)
-Iori Yagami (single entry)
-Krizalid (tournament host)

*The King of Fighters 2000 teams:

-Hero Team (K', Maxima, Ramon, Vanessa)
-Benimaru Team (Benimaru Nikaido, Shingo Yabuki, Lin, Seth)
-Fatal Fury Team (Terry Bogard, Andy Bogard, Joe Higashi, Blue Mary)
-Art of Fighting Team (Ryo Sakazaki, Robert Garcia, Takuma Sakazaki, King)
-Ikari Team (Leona, Ralf Jones, Clark Steel, Whip)
-Psycho Soldier Team (Athena Asamiya, Sie Kensou, Chin Gentsai, Bao)
-Gorgeous Team (Mai Shiranui, Yuri Sakazaki, Kasumi Todoh, Hinako Shijou)
-Kim Team (Kim Kaphwan, Chang Koehan, Choi Bounge, Jhun Hoon)
-Kyo Kusanagi (single entry)
-Iori Yagami (single entry)
-Kula Diamond (unknown participant)
-Zero (tournament host)

*List of "special" strikers in KOF 2000 (note: This list contains the extra
strikers that can be chosen aside from the regular striker version of your
character, and who have not appeared in past KOF games as playable characters.
Obviously, they don't have any relation with the original KOF timeline.):

-Rocky (Maxima's special striker)
-Duke Edwards (Ramon's special striker)
-Fio (Vanessa's special striker)
-Kyoko (Shingo Yabuki's special striker)
-Duck King (Joe Higashi's special striker)
-Kaede (Ryo Sakazaki's special striker)
-G-Mantle (Ryo Sakazaki's hidden special striker)
-Gai Tendou (Takuma Sakazaki's special striker)
-King Lion (King's special striker)
-Baijang (Chin Gentsai's special striker)
-Kaoru Watabe (Bao's special striker)
-Nakoruru (Yuri Sakazaki's special striker, she also appeared in the Game Boy
version of KOF '95, by the way)
-Unknown (Kasumi Todoh's hidden special striker, who is no other than Ryuhaku
Todoh, Kasumi's father)
-Lilly Kane (Hinako Shijou's special striker)
-Kim Sue-il (Kim Kaphwan's special striker)
-Kim Dong Hwan (Chang Koehan's special striker)
-Kim Jae Hoon (Choi Bounge's special striker)
-Kang Baedal (Jhun Hoon's special striker)
-Syo Kirishima (Kyo Kusanagi's special striker)
-Neo and Geo (Ramon's hidden special striker)

*The King of Fighters 2001 teams:
-Hero Team (K', Maxima, Whip, Lin)
-Japan Team (Kyo Kusanagi, Benimaru Nikaido, Goro Daimon, Shingo Yabuki)
-Yagami Team (Iori Yagami, Seth, Vanessa, Ramon)
-Fatal Fury Team (Terry Bogard, Andy Bogard, Joe Higashi, Blue Mary)
-Art of Fighting Team (Ryo Sakazaki, Robert Garcia, Takuma Sakazaki, Yuri
Sakazaki)
-Ikari Team (Heidern, Leona, Ralf Jones, Clark Steel)
-Psycho Soldier Team (Athena Asamiya, Sie Kensou, Chin Gentsai, Bao)
-Gorgeous Team (King, Mai Shiranui, Hinako Shijou, Li Xiangfei)
-Kim Team (Kim Kaphwan, Chang Koehan, Choi Bounge, May Lee)
-NESTS Team (Kula Diamond, Foxy, K9999, Angel)
-True Zero (middle boss)
-Igniz (tournament host)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FORMAT
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.-Name of character/meaning of name (if applicable)
2.-Bio data
  *Birthplace                             *Birthdate (age as of the end of 1999)
  *Height                                 *Weight
  *Blood type                             *Hobbies
  *Favorite food                          *Favorite sport
  *Most valuable                          *Hates the most
                               *Fighting style

3.-Story
4.-Alternate versions (if applicable)
5.-Fun fact
6.-Cloth changes (if applicable)
7.-Appearances
8.-Other games (if applicable)


	Now, with no more prologues, the stories begin now!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ANDY BOGARD
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Birthplace:    USA
Birthdate:     August 16, 1974 (28 years old)
Height:        1.71 m (5'6")
Weight:        69 kg  (152 lbs)
Blood type:    A
Hobbies:       Practicing martial arts
Favorite food: Spaghetti ala Natto
Favorite sport:  Short track
Most valuable: Picture of him and Hanzo Shiranui
Hates the most: Dogs
Fighting style: Kopo-ken and Shiranui Ninjitsu

*Natto = fermented soy beans

	Andy Bogard is the younger brother of the great fighting legend, Terry
Bogard, champion of the first two King of Fighters tournament. Both are sons of
the great martial artist, Jeff Bogard, whom was killed by his training partner,
Geese Howard. The orphan Andy's heart was crushed when he knew about the death
of his father, whom he respected and saw as his greatest idol. Being a lot more
sentimental, and a lot more brash, Andy vowed revenge against Geese, and
promised to kill him no matter what it takes: even if it cost him his own life.
	Andy, using some of the money inherited to him by his father, traveled to
Japan, in order to train himself in what he had learned to be the most deadly
martial art in close-combat: Kopo-ken. He then went to see the great Hanzo
Shiranui, a very skilled ninja who also happened to be a Kopo-ken master. Andy
pledged for Hanzo to train him, and Hanzo, seeing the dedication and spirit in
his eyes, accepted his offer.
	Andy began to train in the mountains of Japan, amidst the forests and
rivers. He first only thought of Geese, and he was unlucky in learning the
basics due to his stubborness. With the help of constant training and the
advices of his master, Hanzo Shiranui, Andy managed to mildy surpress his
feeling of revenge. Now completly dedicated to his skills, Andy began to make
exceptional progress, and quickly began to learn the more advanced skills of
Kopo-ken.
	During his stance in Japan, Andy met the beautiful grandaughter of Hanzo,
Mai Shiranui. While he managed to completly ignore her for the first couple of
months, Andy began to involve himself more and more with the young red-haired
girl. Although he has developed strong feelings for her, Andy always pretends to
be uninterested, since he thinks of Mai as a foster sister, due to his
admiration towards Hanzo as sort of a paternal figure.
	After the completion of his training period, Andy decided it was time to
go back to Southtown to reunite with his brother, Terry (despite the evident
sadness of Mai). During his trip back, he saw a fight between two Muay Thai
fighters in a secluded area of Japan. Seeing the very impressive skills and
arrogance of one of the Muay Thai fighters, Andy decided to challenge him. Of
course, it wasn't an official bout, but the Muay Thai fighter accepted anyway.
However, his happiness soon ran away as Andy began to show his incredible skill,
and finally, defeated the astounished Muay Thai champion. However, the Muay Thai
warrior just laughed, and shaked Andy's hand. He introduced himself as Joe
Higashi, world Muay Thai champion! Ever since, both have become the best of
friends, although ever since that moment, Andy thinks Joe always talks too
much...
	Andy and Joe agreed to go back together to the United States, and reunite
with Andy's brother, Terry, in order to exact revenge on Geese. Andy then was
informed by Terry upon his return that there was going to be a tournament called
"The King of Fighters", and that the winner of the competition would end up
fighting Geese. Andy's sense of revenge once again grew strong, truly straying
him from the true sense of fight. Although he managed to gain enough road in the
tournament, he couldn't win against the mighty Geese, due to his rashness and
too much emotion. His brother was the one who, in the end, who managed to defeat
Geese. Seeing that revenge blinded him, Andy then began a new journey ever
since: to surpass his brother's skills, and perhaps defeat him in battle.
	Once in a while, Andy travels back to Japan, where he resumes his training
and continues to improve his skill. Of course, he is constantly pestered by Mai,
and although she has grown into quite a woman during the last few years, Andy
still tries to remain focused on his skill improving, and this requires quite
some willpower, because no normal man would ever resist Mai's attributes!
	Andy has always agreed to follow his brother Terry whenever he decided to
enter the new version of the King of Fighters tournament, not as much as helping
him, but just to show who's the best brother around! He was about to not enter
in the King of Fighters '97, despite Joe's pestering, but since his brother
decided to enter as well (to investigate on Geese's involvement in the
tournament), he had no choice but accept as well.
	All seemed to be perfectly normal when Terry received the invitation to
the King of Fighters '99 tournament, since he and Joe would be joining once
again, and he would be glad to show his brother what he had learned the last two
years! However, it seemed they needed a fourth team member. Before Andy could
think about anything, a person requested the fourth position in no time. Andy
was more than surprised that it had been Mai, who didn't lose anytime in taking
advantage of the situation to be close to Andy! Before Andy could object
anything, the tournament was well underway....
	The battles of the Lonely Wolves finally took them to a sewer, where they
had been scheduled for their next battle. Suddenly, the sewer began to tremble,
and began to crumble! Andy dashed right out, but Terry remained for some unknown
reason...Andy tried to save his brother, but the rocks had already falled and
blocked the pass. Andy wonders about the fate of his brother, but deep within,
he knows he just can only train harder for the next time they meet!
	Andy's training would once again be put at test in the year 2000, to prove
his worth against the menace of NESTS. This time around, Mai had left the Lonely
Wolves to join her old friend Yuri Sakazaki. This eased Andy's mind, but not his
soul. He felt a bit guilty for having mistrusted Mai in last year's tournament,
but there was no time to be sorry. Andy should not fail his brother Terry's
trust this year, and so, Andy focuses all his inner strength into finishing the
evil reign of NESTS!
	Ironically, the final battle takes the Lonely Wolves to Southtown: Andy's
city of origin. Andy feels bad about how Southtown keeps degrading itself by the
actions of the crime lords, but he also feels somewhat assured for being at home
again. But since NESTS was around, there was no kicking back. Andy and his
friends are directed to the factory zone of Southtown, where NESTS is suspected
to be hiding out. Andy and Terry know this well, and lead Joe and Mary there. By
the time they reach the factor district, a legion of soldiers are found
surrounding an abandoned factory. Andy wonders that this is odd, but as soon as
they approach the soldiers, they begin to fire! Fighting for their lives, the
Lonely Wolves have to deal with an army of NESTS agents! Andy helps out in order
to knock the corrupt troops down.
	While fighting inside the factory, the troops keep falling like chess
pieces. But more seem to appear everytime they fall. Andy begins to feel
somewhat tired, but has decided to keep on fighting, not allowing his friends
and brother to die. Suddenly, the whole building begins to shake, and the
soldiers freak out instantly. Terry feels something wrong, and with right
reasons: a wounded soldier reports that the Zero Cannon has just been fired, and
that the city is doomed! During the previous shock, the building begins to fall
down at the seams, and Terry is knocked by a falling rock. Andy is shocked and
stops at nothing to help his brother, but Terry pushes him aside, and urges him
to escape. Andy looks at Terry's eyes, and recognizes his brother's determined
look. Andy nods, and leads the others to shelter.
	Minutes later, all is gone. Southtown had crumbled down to nothing. Andy
feels a great deal of pain in his heart, for the city that he has been raised in
has fallen, but he knew it was just a matter of time, as Southtown had always
lived upon the principles of fighting, and it could only lead to destuction.
Suprisingly, Andy knows Terry is alive, because he knew, by his brother's sight,
that he would be determined to come back soon, as stronger as ever. Andy gives a
slient promise that he, too, will keep on fighting, and training to become ever
stronger and not lag behind his legenadary brother. In the meantime, he still
has to cope with one little problem: having to avoid Mai's crazy marriage
attempts for one whole year!
	As the year 2001 looms over the horizon, Andy decides to take a trip back
to Southtown, however, he tries his best to avoid Mai at any costs (he has left
his student, Hokutomaru, to deal with her in the meantime). There, in the middle
of the devastation that rules the city, he finds his brother Terry safe and
sound, lending a helping hand to the orphans in Southtown, who had lost their
parents in the Southtown explosion. Andy watches with joy how Terry overcomes
his sadness, and claims that he will fight to give the orphans a new home! Andy
notices a little kid by Terry's side. His blond hair makes him look like Terry's
disciple, but his inner energy...what was it? Andy can't think about that
anymore, since the next King of Fighters tournament quickly arrives!
	Andy employs his maximum strength against his opponents, as he gets more
and more recognized in his own right. His efforts find a deserved reward: the
destruction of NESTS. However, even after their downfall, Andy still has to make
amends and settle down the raging fury of Mai!
	As explained before, being a sentimental fellow, Andy has very extreme
cases of depression, like when fighting in order to exact revenge. Since the
only thought on his mind was hatred, he was distracted from battle. However,
Andy, when not disturbed, is always a cool and serene guy, a good natured fellow
at heart. He also seems to be very serious around the always-kidding Joe! Ever
since his sttuborness to defeat Geese, Andy has decided to hide his emotions,
even his love for Mai, but from time to time, he shows how much she cares for
her, but he doesn't want to make it too evident!

	REAL BOUT: FATAL FURY 2 ANDY BOGARD (The King of Fighters '98): Alternate
version of Andy based on his Real Bout: Fatal Fury 2 incarnation. He regains his
long-range Hishoken, his Shouryuu Dan has been altered in its' look, loses his
Dam Breaker Punch and the Gen'ei Shiranui (as well as its' follow-ups) and gains
a new DM: the Dan Da Dan (sort of like a quick version of his Flying Meteor Fist
DM, which he loses in this version by the way).

*Fun fact = -If you possess a copy of the PSX version of The King of Fighters
'97 (I don't know if this happens in other home versions), you have two art
galleries featuring SNK official artwork. In Art Gallery I, there is a drawing
of Andy hugging a dog! Hum, wasn't he supposed to HATE dogs? Maybe it's another
display of sheer willpower. ^-^
            -Do you remember Hokutomaru, the little ninja boy who appears in the
latest Fatal Fury game, Garou: Mark of the Wolves? You may have noticed that the
kid has some of Andy's moves (note: the Kuuha Dan), and is well trained in
Shiranui-style Ninjitsu. This is because, well, Andy IS Hokutomaru's master!
Hokutomaru receives a letter from Andy at the end of Garou, congratulating his
student by surpassing his own skills. But don't ask me if Hokutomaru is Andy and
Mai's son...from the likes of it, it doesn't seem likely.
*Cloth changes = In KOF '94 and KOF '95, Andy wears handguards and boots. He
adds more protection on these places (apparently to deliver more devastating
impacts?), more evidently on his legs, where he wears some sort of leg
protectors, by KOF '96. His flame design on the shirt of his uniform from KOF
'94/'95 also disappears, and a red zig-zag pattern appears on his "skirt"
appears instead. By KOF  '98, he loses all this protection, and wears only very
light gloves and shoes. In KOF 2001, Andy loses any trace of flame designs on
his uniform (it's all white now, including the handguards), and with a black
body suit beneath it, that covers all of his upper body skin (the only exposed
skin is the head).

Appearances: The King of Fighters '94, The King of Fighters '95, The King of
Fighters '96, The King of Fighters '97, The King of Fighters '98, The King of
Fighters '99, The King of Fighters 2000, The King of Fighters 2001, The King of
Fighters: Kyo, The King of Fighters EX: Neo Blood
Other games: Fatal Fury, Fatal Fury 2, Fatal Fury Special, Fatal Fury 3: Road to
Final Victory, Real Bout: Fatal Fury, Real Bout: Fatal Fury Special, Real Bout:
Fatal Fury 2, Fatal Fury: Wild Ambition, Real Bout: Dominated Mind, Fatal Fury:
First Contact

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ANGEL
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Birthplace:      Mexico
Birthdate:       March 6, 1982 (20 years old)
Height:          1.68 m (5'5")
Weight:          Unknown (she won't tell)
Blood type:      O
Hobbies:         Going to live concerts
Favorite food:   Sliced cactus, tequila
Favorite sport:  Soccer
Most valuable:   Vintage B-3 and Deck Coat P.D. series clothing
Hates the most:  Gambling
Fighting style:  No style in particular

	One must not be fooled by Angel's slender and well-shaped body, and
neither by her happy-go-luck personality she displays at times. This "femme
fatale" is actually yet another dangerous agent that works for the feared NESTS
cartel. Her bizarre blend of several martial arts make her quite unpredictable,
as her style and moves can change in just a mere instant. After the increasing
shortage of personal over the past few years, thanks to the King of Fighters
tournament, Angel is called forth to defend the pride and honor of the NESTS in
their moment of truth, where they will finally reveal themselves to the world in
the 2001 King of Fighters tournament!
	Being a friendly spirit at heart, Angel tries to seek the most human
traits in her best friend, a friend that she met in NESTS: the heartless
Kusanagi clone, K9999. Ever since they met, Angel had a hard time trying to get
through K9999, since he refused to accept the friendship of anyone, and would
rather live by himself without any trouble. But Angel knew that K9999 deserved
the chance of being happy, and refuses to believe that he was created just to be
a mindless assassin for the NESTS. Slowly, but surely, Angel has managed to gain
herself the trust and friendship of K9999, as she attempts to open the warm
heart within K9999's chest.
	Angel and K9999 are assigned by their superiors to team up with Foxy, a
high-ranked officer of NESTS, and one of their latest biological creations, Kula
Diamond, to enter the next King of Fighters tournament. As usual, K9999 hates it
when he gets ordered around by Foxy and her comrade Diana. Angel tries to cheer
K9999 up by claiming that he is a lot more powerful than Foxy and Diana will
give credit for. But she knows that K9999 won't stand the pressure for too long.
Angel makes it her duty to look over her friend so that Foxy and Kula won't try
anything funny against him, may he attempt to overthrow them.
	During the tournament, Angel does a precise and clean job, carrying out
her duties in the best way possible. She is soon noticed as a superb newcomer,
but Angel knows better. Her skills are no fluke, but instead tries to stay sharp
and precise during the whole fight. Soon, the tournament draws to an end, and
Angel soon receives new orders by the higher commands. He informs them to K9999,
who is instantly pleased and anxious. As the winners are transported to a blimp
to stage their final battle, Foxy and Kula stay behind as they watch the blimp
vanish in the precious star-filled night sky. Foxy wonders what will be NESTS'
next move, but as soon as she says this, she is stabbed in the back by K9999!
Angel stands right behind K9999 as he gloats over the fatally wounded Foxy.
	Angel informs the shocked Kula that NESTS no longer needs so many agents,
so both Foxy and Kula were assigned for swift elimination! Kula vows revenge for
her fallen friend, but both K9999 and Angel are ready to assault the young anti-
K'. Angel teams up with K9999 to attack Kula, who proves to put up quite a
fight, mostly fueled by her anger for Foxy's death. But she is soon put against
the ropes by the two NESTS agents. As Angel anticipates the killing blow,
renegade NESTS agent K' appears and saves Kula from K9999's attack! Angel is
terribly surprised that K' is still alive, and at the same time confused that
NESTS could have been eliminated so easily by their own creations. A helicopter
squad flies over the scene, and Angel assumes that it's the remaining NESTS
troops. Angel suggests K9999 to retreat and regroup for their next plan. K9999
doesn't seem very pleased to leave his business unfinished, but he regretfully
retreats, as Angel wonders when will the moment come and K9999 will go
completely out of control!
	Even if she is a NESTS agent who carries out illegal orders by her
superiors, Angel is not cold-hearted or blood-thirsty as one might suppose by
her status. She is actually quite friendly if not met as an opponent, and acts
in quite a cheerful way, always trying to spice things up. Her blazing fast
speed and limber legs allow her to quickly hit the opponent in many places with
a single stroke. The only known friend to K9999, Angel also begins to doubt the
true purpose of her superiors at NESTS.

*Fun fact = -For your personal information, the way you pronounce the name
"Angel" is the same way you would pronounce it in Spanish: "An-hell".
		-That weird Angel pose (where she points her fingers upwards at the
sides of her head) is actually part of a rather popular dance here in Mexico
that has to do with a cow. Yes, you heard right, a song about a cow (hence, the
"horns"). So, what else is new? We have made up dances about chickens, deers,
worms, horses, even snail soup! O_O;;;

Appearances: The King of Fighters 2001

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ATHENA ASAMIYA
"Athena of the Hemp Shrine"
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Birthplace:    Japan
Birthdate:     March 14, 1979  (23 years old)
Height:        1.63 m (5'3")
Weight:        49 kg (108 lbs)
Blood type:    B
Hobbies:       Astrology
Favorite food: Ichigo-daifuku
Favortie sport:  Lacross
Most valuable: Peter Rabbit teacup set
Hates the most: Grasshoppers
Fighting style: Kung Fu and Psychic Powers

*Ichigo-daifuku = strawberry cakes

	Athena is said to be the present incarnation of the Greek goddess Athena
(Saint Seiya?), the goddess of the earth. However, even if she did held her
divine reputation, Athena always tries to act like a normal girl, doing such
typical stuff for girls such as going to school, shopping, and of course,
listening to music! In fact, Athena likes to sing a lot. Her voice almost lets
out her divine attributes, and Athena seems to put a lot of feeling in it
(although most people think the contrary!).
	Athena has always been concerned of the evil roaming around the world, and
the increasing amount of crime as well. Having been born with a special psychic
power, based on the power of the ressurection bird, the Phoenix, Athena vows to
use her powers in order to protect justice, and make evil recoil! However, even
the job a justice fighter needs some help. While she was traveling back to home
from school, she finds a pair of Chinese fellows fighting against a local tough
guy. One of them was about Athena's age, the other was just an old drunkard!
Both seem to have problems with the big lug, since they don't seem to take the
battle too seriously. Athena, taking away any suspicion, blows the strongman
away, and seeing the skills of both men, asks them if they want to be her
sidekicks. The young boy, later known as Sie Kensou, accepted inmediately, much
in favor thanks to his infinite liking towards Athena, and as for the old man,
soon known as Chin Gentsai, well, he decided to tag along as well...
	Soon enough,