KOF: Rise of the King of Fighters

Yan Yue walked briskly to the barbecue restaurant. His eyes were drawn to a large billboard standing at the entrance, which prominently displayed the three characters "Extreme Flow" along with some cool graphics and slogans.

"This must be Robert's idea, a way to promote the Extreme Flow, right?" Yan Yue looked at it with some curiosity, then went inside.

As soon as she pushed open the door, a rich aroma of roasted meat wafted out, making her mouth water. Yan Yue looked closely and saw Robert sitting leisurely behind the counter, reading a newspaper with great interest.

"Hey Robert, how's business at the store lately?" Yan Yue greeted Robert with a smile.

Upon hearing the familiar voice, Robert abruptly looked up, his eyes lighting up. He quickly put down the newspaper he was holding, stood up, and exclaimed with delight, "It's Yan Yue!"

Just then, a figure emerged from the kitchen—it was Terry. He spotted Yan Yue immediately and rushed over, asking with concern, "Junior Brother, how are your injuries? Are you feeling better?"

Yan Yue smiled and replied, "I still have some external injuries, but they're basically nothing serious. It just hurts a little when I move around occasionally, hahaha."

Robert frowned, the image of Yan Yue covered in wounds flashing through his mind. He couldn't help but sigh deeply and mutter to himself, "Thinking back on it now, that guy named Lucar was simply a demon! If it weren't for good luck, you two would probably be dead by now."

Upon hearing this, Terry, who was standing to the side, showed a worried look on his face. He asked anxiously, "Junior brother, even you and Kyo, who are both fighters, couldn't completely defeat him. Just how strong is this Rugal?"

Yan Yue's gaze turned serious, as if he were back in that thrilling battle. He slowly said, "To be honest, I think he's much stronger than Geese... When we faced him, the pressure was almost suffocating. If you hadn't arrived in time to support us, the consequences would have been unimaginable; we might have been stuck there forever."

Recalling her duel with Rugal, Yan Yue still felt lingering fear. She was almost cut in half by the [Genocide Slash], especially the [Caesar Emperor Wave] that Rugal used, whose power was truly astonishing and breathtaking.

Then, remembering that Rugal was not dead and was plotting a mad revenge against him and Kyo Kusanagi, Yan Yue felt a strong sense of vigilance rising in her heart.

It seems that after dealing with the Valley Sisters' matter in South Town, I need to prepare for Rugal's revenge as soon as possible.

After chatting with Terry and Robert for a while, Yan Yue returned to her home.

When Yan Yue pushed open the door and saw the room neat and spotless, with freshly washed clothes hanging on the balcony, she smiled slightly, her heart filled with satisfaction. "The clothes hanging on the balcony are Locke's. It seems Locke has settled in here. He's truly capable; he does a great job with housework."

However, Yan Yue didn't see Locke at home; it seemed he had gone out to play by himself.

……

A month later, Konoe Tanima had successfully signed a contract with the company, released a new song, and earned new income. Meanwhile, Kikuri Tanima was receiving treatment at the hospital in South Town, her health had improved, and the timing of her surgery had been postponed. This made the Tanima sisters even more grateful to Engetsu.

Meanwhile, Yan Yue's injuries gradually healed. Besides helping out at the barbecue restaurant, he would usually go to the Kyokugenryu Dojo to practice his taijutsu. Although Yan Yue's body was not suitable for practicing Kyokugenryu's taijutsu, he was still able to improve the technique of the "Water Flow Rock Smashing Fist" through sparring with Ryo Sakazaki and others.

Meanwhile, Yan Yue would occasionally help Terry and Angelina mentor Locke, teaching him some basic fighting techniques.

Although Locke was adopted by Terry and Angelina, with Terry being Locke's adoptive father, Angelina was also Locke's older sister. This meant Locke could only call her by her first name, not by any of the titles reserved for their elders.

Previously, Locke called King and Yuri Sakazaki "auntie," which resulted in him being "punished" by the two beauties, making Locke even more hesitant to address everyone as their elders.

……

One afternoon, Yan Yue bustled about in the barbecue restaurant, skillfully turning the slices of meat on the grill to ensure each piece was cooked perfectly. As time went by, the number of customers gradually decreased, and the staff began to leave one after another.

After the last group of customers left satisfied, Yan Yue finally breathed a sigh of relief. He quickly cleaned the table and kitchen, and neatly arranged all the tools.

After finishing all this, Yan Yue wearily took off her greasy chef's coat, washed it clean, and hung it on a well-ventilated hanger.

Just as Yan Yue was about to step out of the store and end this long and fulfilling day, a figure suddenly rushed past the door.

Just then, a young girl seemed to sense something, abruptly stopping and turning to look at Yan Yue. Her gaze instantly sharpened. Then, she shouted loudly, "Stop! Limitless Flow!"

The sudden shout startled Yan Yue, who instinctively turned his head and met the girl's gaze.

The girl had long, smooth, lustrous dark blue hair, the color of a ripe chestnut, radiating a faint sheen. She wore a white and red headband, and a few strands of hair fell from either side of her forehead, swaying gently with her movements.

She was slender yet agile, dressed in traditional Japanese attire. Her upper body was a loose white top with a red belt around her waist; her lower body was paired with blue Japanese fighting pants, and she wore arm guards. She exuded a unique charm, possessing both the innocence and liveliness of a young girl and the imposing aura of a fighter.

Looking at the unfamiliar yet somewhat familiar girl of the same age in front of her, Yan Yue asked with a face full of suspicion, "Are you calling me? But I'm not a disciple of the Limitless Style."

Upon hearing Yan Yue's answer, the girl's expression changed slightly. She looked somewhat angry and pointed her finger directly at the conspicuous "Kyokugenryu" sign next to her: "You dare to argue! Look here, this is clearly the Kyokugenryu dojo!"

Yan Yue looked in the direction the girl pointed and couldn't help but laugh when he saw the huge billboard. He shook his head helplessly and explained, "Girl, you've misunderstood. This is a barbecue restaurant, and that 'Extreme Flow' sign is just for advertising."

"Huh?" The girl snapped back to reality, instantly realizing the situation before her, and the whole scene became extremely awkward. Her face flushed bright red.

"It's alright, it's alright. It's normal for eyesight to be bad sometimes... haha..." Yan Yue suppressed his laughter, saying this, but the slight upturn of his lips betrayed his true thoughts. Seeing the girl's embarrassed and shy appearance was truly amusing.

However, the girl wasn't so easily fooled. Frustrated and angry, she pointed a finger at Yan Yue's clothes and said coquettishly, "You rascal! You're clearly doing this on purpose, trying to trick me!"

Yan Yue then looked down at his clothes and realized he was still wearing the fighting uniform he had worn that morning at the Kyokugenryu Dojo. No wonder the girl had misunderstood. He quickly waved his hand and explained, "Don't be so hasty. It is indeed the Kyokugenryu Dojo uniform, but I'm really not a member of Kyokugenryu!"

But the girl wouldn't listen to his explanations. She put her hands on her hips, raised her eyebrows, and said angrily, "Hmph! Stop with the sweet talk! I won't believe your nonsense! Since that's the case, let's stop wasting words and fight!"

Before she finished speaking, the girl had already assumed a ready-to-fight stance, as if she was prepared to make a move at any moment.

Seeing the girl's serious expression, Yan Yue also prepared to get into position and practice with her.

A clear and loud cry came from the girl's abdomen, a sound as melodious and persistent as a long steam whistle. Standing some distance away, Yan Yue could clearly hear the hungry cry.

"Are you hungry?" Yan Yue raised an eyebrow, a faint smile playing on her lips, her gaze falling on the girl with interest.

The girl's cheeks instantly flushed bright red, like ripe apples. She bit her lip and shouted angrily, "Damn it!"

But then, forcing herself to remain calm, she said, "Let's continue the duel..."

However, Yan Yue seemed not to hear the girl's words. He turned around leisurely and walked into the shop on his own, saying without turning his head, "Come in, there are still some ingredients in the shop, we can make you something to eat to fill your stomach."

Upon hearing this, the girl felt a struggle within her. On one hand, hunger surged like a tidal wave; on the other hand, as her opponent, she simply couldn't bring herself to accept their kindness. So, she stubbornly stood her ground, defiantly declaring, "How could I possibly eat your Kyokugenryu's food..."

Soon, Yan Yue emerged from the kitchen carrying a plate of fragrant, golden-brown fried meat patties and gently placed it on the table. The enticing aroma seemed to possess a magical power, penetrating directly into the girl's nostrils and causing her initially resolute will to begin to waver.

In the end, the girl could not resist the temptation of the food. After hesitating for a moment, she rushed to the table, picked up her chopsticks without hesitation, and put a meat pie into her mouth.

In an instant, the aroma of meat and the perfect blend of various seasonings filled her mouth, making her unable to help but show a satisfied expression.

Yan Yue sat leisurely across the table, her gaze fixed on the girl before her. She had a pretty face, exuding a sense of innocence and playfulness, but at this moment, her appearance was somewhat comical—her mouth was stuffed full of meat patties, and her cheeks were bulging like a squirrel's.

Yan Yue had a rough idea of ​​her identity. He smiled slightly, intending to tease her, and asked, "Opponent, quickly state your name."

Upon hearing Yan Yue's words, the girl's previously confused gaze instantly focused on him. While diligently chewing her food, she blinked her large eyes, staring at the handsome black-haired man before her with a face full of doubt, and mumbled, "Toudou Kasumi..."