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That evening, everyone gathered to enjoy the feast prepared by Erina Nakiri and Hisako Arato.
As they ate and talked, Emiya gradually became familiar with them.
When Mai Shiranui learned that everyone had registered for the KOF preliminaries in the Tokyo region, she couldn't help but be surprised.
"Did you actually read the competition rules?"
Emiya raised an eyebrow. "Is there a problem?"
Mai Shiranui explained, "The KOF preliminaries are split into two stages. First, each region holds its own selection, where two teams are chosen."
"After that, there's a second selection round. The top two teams from every region gather and compete again."
"In the end, only two teams make it into the main tournament."
Emiya raised both eyebrows this time.
"So you're saying only two teams can advance from the preliminaries?"
Mai Shiranui nodded. "That's what the rules say."
Loki grabbed a piece of fried chicken and spoke casually. "Only two teams? That's troublesome. Looks like we'll need to talk to the organizers and change the rules."
Riveria looked helplessly at her goddess.
She wanted to stop her, but didn't even know where to begin.
Finn spoke first instead. "It's better not to do that, Loki."
"Then we'll just cause trouble during the main tournament," Loki said.
"That's an option," Emiya replied, "but it's not the best one."
"The audience just wants exciting matches. If we cause too much trouble, we might get disqualified before we even enter the main stage."
"That would be annoying."
"I have a better idea."
Loki looked interested. "What idea?"
Emiya turned to Mai Shiranui. "You already received an official invitation, right?"
Mai Shiranui nodded. "Yes. What are you getting at?"
"It's simple," Emiya said. "We hunt fighters."
"Generally speaking, any well-known fighter has received a KOF invitation. Some will participate. Some won't bother."
"What we do is defeat those who already have invitations, take theirs, and then enter the tournament using those invitations."
Loki's eyes lit up. "That's good. I like that."
Hephaestus nodded as well. "That method works."
Hayato FĆ«rinji thought for a moment. "We have five teams. Two can advance through the preliminaries normally."
"That leaves three teams to hunt down fighters."
"How should we assign them?"
Emiya scanned the group.
"In that case, the Nen Ability Team and the Hephaestus Team will go through the official route."
"You're not interested in hunting people down anyway, right?"
Shizuka Hiratsuka nodded. "I'm really not. I'm just not sure about the other two."
Robin spoke calmly. "I'm not interested either. I'm only here to fill a spot."
Mikumo Kushinada added flatly, "This old woman... no. I'm not interested either."
Emiya looked at Hephaestus.
She nodded. "Fine. My team will advance through the normal route."
Emiya smiled.
"Then the remaining three teams will enter by hunting fighters and taking invitations."
He raised his hand.
Several cards appeared on the table, each with a name written on it.
Kyo Kusanagi.
Iori Yagami.
Kim Kaphwan.
Ryo Sakazaki.
Robert Garcia.
Terry Bogard.
Andy Bogard.
Joe Higashi.
Benimaru Nikaido.
And more.
"These are the fighters," Emiya said. "We draw lots. Whoever you draw, you go after that team."
He placed the cards neatly on the table.
Mai Shiranui froze for a second, set down her chopsticks, and stared at Emiya.
"My name isn't in there... right?"
Emiya laughed. "Relax. It's not."
She immediately relaxed. "Then do whatever you want."
Hayato FĆ«rinji reached out and grabbed a card.
"Let's see who I get."
He flipped it over and placed it on the table.
Three words stood out clearly.
Kim Kaphwan.
Emiya commented casually, "Not bad. He's a KOF regular, but his strength is average."
"He's usually near the bottom."
"And his two disciples aren't good people either."
Kim Kaphwan's disciple, Chang Koehan, was serving time for multiple assaults and destruction of public property.
While in prison, he met Choi Bounge.
At this point in time, neither of them had become Kim Kaphwan's disciples yet.
Later, the two would escape together.
Chang smashed through the prison wall using the iron ball meant to restrain him.
They got out.
The authorities then sought help from the taekwondo master Kim Kaphwan.
With his assistance, the two were recaptured.
Instead of punishment, Kim Kaphwan believed in reform.
He convinced the authorities to let him take them away and "educate" them personally.
Fearing another escape, the prison agreed.
So Kim Kaphwan brought them to his dojo.
There, he began his reform program.
Under his harsh training, the two constantly thought about running away.
They even begged to be sent back to prison.
Years later, their violent tendencies did improve.
On the surface, it looked like a success story.
In reality, criminals avoided prison, learned martial arts, and even entered competitions.
To outsiders, it was enviable.
To their victims, it was unfair.
If Kim Kaphwan truly believed in reform, why not wait until their sentences were complete?
Why take them out early?
That alone made Emiya dissatisfied.
So when Hayato drew Kim Kaphwan, Emiya didn't stop him.
He even looked pleased.
He specifically told Apachai to hit Chang Koehan hard.
Preferably hard enough to injure him.
Next, Loki drew a card and placed it on the table.
Emiya glanced at it.
Heidern.
Leader of the Ikari Warriors.
Emiya remembered that in '96, Heidern had withdrawn.
His adopted daughter Leona replaced him, forming the New Ikari Warriors with Clark and Ralf.
He told Loki.
She didn't care.
Whoever it was, her team wouldn't lose.
Emiya joked, "There's a guy named Clark on that team."
"Good thing his name is Clark Steel, not Kent."
"If it were Clark Kent, it'd be better not to participate at all."
Mai Shiranui asked curiously, "Is this Clark Kent really that strong?"
Most people looked interested.
Only Shizuka Hiratsuka, Hayato FĆ«rinji, and Erina Nakiri's group looked awkward.
They knew exactly who Clark Kent was.
Emiya replied, "Clark Kent can blow out the sun with one breath."
Mai Shiranui: ...
Loki: ...
Hephaestus: ...
Riveria paled. "Is that a joke?"
Erina Nakiri hesitated before speaking. "In a sense... it's not."
"That man really can do that."
Shizuka Hiratsuka added with a conflicted expression, "But don't worry. That's only during his strongest era."
"Nonsense," Emiya corrected. "Silver Age Superman is strong, but still weaker than Golden Age Superman."
"And that's not even counting Thought Robot Superman."
Shizuka Hiratsuka: ...
She had to admit it.
Those versions were absolutely beyond the Silver Age.
They were already outside the rules.
CĂș Chulainn finally asked, "So what exactly is that Clark Kent guy?"
Emiya gave them a full explanation of Superman.
His origin.
His power.
And just how unreasonable he was.
By the end, everyone was stunned.
There were too many Supermen.
Golden Age.
Silver Age.
Bronze Age.
Modern Age.
New 52.
Golden Superman.
Thought Robot Superman.
Cosmic Armor Superman.
Magic Superman.
And more.
But they all understood one thing.
Even the weakest Superman was still cheating.
Stronger than most of the people present by far.
"People really aren't equal," Mai Shiranui murmured.
She didn't envy his strength.
She envied the fact that he grew stronger just by basking in the sun.
She had trained since childhood.
Strict.
Relentless.
Never slacking.
And yet someone else could reach world-destroying power just by sunbathing.
Reality was cruel.
Emiya smiled and drew his own card.
The name written on it was-
Geese Howard.
He knew that name well.
Head of the Howard Connection.
Ruler of South Town.
The man who killed Terry Bogard's father.
The sworn enemy of Terry.
And of Andy Bogard.
The reason Andy came to the Shiranui dojo to learn ninjutsu.
The reason Mai Shiranui met him.
And the reason she began a decade-long journey of being avoided when it came to marriage.
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