As it turned out, after the KOF 94 tournament ended, Terry and Andy—eager to avenge their adoptive father Jeff—returned to South Town ahead of schedule with Joe Higashi.
They had assumed that the strength they'd honed during the tournament would be enough to confront Geese.
They had severely underestimated how terrifying Geese Howard had become.
The moment they set foot in South Town, they walked straight into Geese's carefully laid trap.
Hundreds of armed gang members surrounded them completely.
And Geese, like an elegant king, emerged alone from the crowd.
"He's changed." Andy's voice trembled slightly. "Both his bearing and his strength are completely different from the Geese we knew before."
"He didn't even... attack us himself. Just by releasing his aura, he pinned all three of us down, unable to move!"
In that moment, the Bogard brothers realized with despair that the gap between themselves and Geese hadn't shrunk—it had grown even wider!
"What kind of... power was that?" Cloud asked with furrowed brows.
"I don't know." Terry took over, his breathing still labored. "The feeling... though he's also awakened a powerful Absolute Domain, it felt completely wrong."
"Yes." Andy added, "His domain was filled with evil, ominous energy. I could sense that power didn't... belong to this world. It was cold, domineering, corrosive. My arm was only grazed by the aftershock of that power, and it nearly got crippled entirely!"
"And Terry—" Andy glanced at his brother, pain flickering in his eyes. "He took a direct Reppuken from Geese to protect me."
Terry smiled bitterly. "That bastard... wasn't even using his full power. He just wanted to test us, to see how much Jeff's orphans had grown. In his eyes, we probably... don't even qualify as opponents yet."
For the proud Bogard brothers, this was the ultimate insult.
"What about Joe?" Mai asked urgently.
At the mention of Joe, both Terry and Andy's faces twisted with pain and self-reproach.
"Joe... saved us." Terry's voice became infinitely heavy. "At the critical moment, he used everything he had to throw a Screw Upper, temporarily blocking Geese's pursuit and creating our chance to escape. But he... was surrounded by Geese's men."
"We don't know if he's alive or dead." Andy closed his eyes in anguish. "By the time we shook off the pursuit and tried to go back for him, there was... no trace of him anywhere."
After hearing the brothers' account, the courtyard fell into deathly silence.
A heavy stone pressed down on everyone's hearts.
Geese Howard.
That name loomed like an insurmountable mountain over everyone present.
Not only was his strength unfathomable, but he was also ruthless and calculating.
Now, all of South Town was in his grasp. To stand against him here was like throwing eggs at a rock.
"So..." Mai looked at Cloud, her eyes full of worry. "That's why Andy asked me to tell you not to come back. South Town isn't something we can handle anymore."
"Yeah, Cloud." Terry lifted his head to look at him earnestly. "You're the King of Fighters now, a world-class fighter. There's no need for you to wade into South Town's mess. Geese's targets are us brothers. Take Mai and Yuri and get out of here."
His words were sincere.
He didn't want to drag his friend into this deadly situation over his personal affairs.
Yet after hearing all this, Cloud simply smiled.
He extended his hand, and a pure Battle God Golden Flame blazing with golden fire slowly rose from his palm.
He gently... pressed that hand against Terry's chest, where the sinister energy coiled.
SIZZLE—!
A piercing sound like melting ice and snow!
Terry felt a warm, domineering, life-filled flame energy surge into his body!
That cold fighting spirit that had been tormenting him like maggots on bone—under the scorching of this golden flame, it let out a shrill "wail" as if meeting its natural nemesis, then was purified, burned, and evaporated inch by inch!
In barely ten seconds, the lethal injury that had plagued Terry for days was casually healed by Cloud!
"What... what is this?!"
Terry shot to his feet, feeling his "Hungry Wolf Spirit" flowing freely once more, his face filled with disbelief!
Andy, Mai, and Yuri were all completely stunned by this miracle-like scene.
"Kusanagi flames?" Andy exclaimed in shock. "No, wait! The aura of these flames... it's even more... pure and miraculous than Kyo Kusanagi's!"
Cloud slowly withdrew his hand, looking at the stunned faces around him, and let a supremely confident, effortlessly cool smile spread across his face.
He didn't explain the source of his power. Instead, he looked at Terry and Andy and spoke word by word:
"First, you're my friends. When friends are in trouble, I can't just stand by."
"Second, South Town is where my dream began. This place holds important memories for me, and my future empire. I'm not about to hand it over to some half-human, half-ghost freak."
"Third, and most importantly—"
Cloud's eyes gleamed with the excited light of a hunter.
"This Geese guy... is interesting."
"That power of his that doesn't belong to this world—I'm very curious about it."
He licked his lips, his gaze like a shark that had caught the scent of blood.
"So, leave?"
"You've got to be kidding me."
"South Town's grandest party is about to begin. How could I, the Original King of Fighters, possibly... miss it?"
...
Get 20+ chapters ahead on - P.a.t.r.e.o.n "RoseWhisky"