A Matter of Trust

by

RobertCop3

So, I keep getting ideas for my AU Timeline (first introduced in "Sliding Doors"). This is inspired by something I've found interesting. King and Yuri are obviously very good friends in the timeline of the games, but King also used to work for the man who kidnapped Yuri. I don't know if the two of them have ever had to confront this fact, but I think it would make for an interesting story, which serves as the inspiration for this. This is a sequel to "And King Makes Three," and takes place about a month later, after the King of Fighters tournament is underway.

All characters are the property of SNK/Playmore. I don't own them, the video games, or the anime.

South Town Pavilion – August 1997

After a lengthy hiatus following the return and subsequent "second death" of Geese Howard, the King of Fighters tournament was back, and more exciting than ever. And both spectators and competing fighters were psyched. The stands at the pavilion were packed, every person focused intently on the fighting ring that had been set up in the center. Down in the front rows, which were reserved for fighters, friends and teammates Mai Shiranui and Yuri Sakazaki exchanged a worried glance with one another as they too watched the action.

It was only the preliminary round, but so far, the Women Fighters Team seemed off to a shaky start. They were up against the Justice Team, and their third teammate, King, was clearly struggling against the other team's captain, Kim Kaphwan.

The blond kickboxer tried a low sweep, which the Korean Tae-Kwon-Do master dodged by jumping up high, and then countered by diving down with his Hishou Kyaku. King attempted to counter with her Trap Shot, but her timing was off. She delivered it too early, allowing Kim to strike her in the stomach with both feet. King flew backwards into the ropes, trying to catch her breath. But Kim did not appear to be giving her that chance. He came at her with a high roundhouse kick that King barely managed to duck.

"Focus, King!" Mai shouted from the sidelines. "Keep watching his feet!"

"Man, what's with her?" Yuri said to Mai. "Every single time we practiced together in the weeks before the tournament, her form was flawless. The King we sparred with should be eating this guy for breakfast."

"I know," Mai nodded grimly, then winced as she watched her friend take another hit that King should have been able to avoid.

"You think it might be stage fright?"

Mai shook her head. "She said she's competed in tournaments before. No, it has to be something else. She was fine when she first stepped into the ring, and now... this."

"I hope she can get it together," said Yuri.

Sadly, that was not the case. A few minutes later, King was down for the count and Kim Kaphwan was declared the winner of the match. After the announcement, Mai and Yuri both went into the ring to help their fallen teammate to her feet.

"I'm sorry, girls," King said as she looked down at the ground. "I... don't know what happened out there. I knew... what to do... but... everything just seemed 'off.'"

"It's okay, King," Mai said, holding her hand out to the kickboxer. "I'll handle him. You go recover. You'll need your strength for the next round."

"Right," King said with a nod. "Good luck." She slapped the palm of her hand against Mai's, and then allowed Yuri to guide her out of the ring.

As Mai walked to her corner, she saw several flashbulbs going off from the stands. Many of the spectators who had been present at the 1995 tournament clearly remembered her, and had been hoping she would show up again. Mai took a moment to turn to the stands and pose for them. She then heard the announcer speaking from the center of the ring: "And next up for the Women Fighters, we have Mai Shiranui, a citizen of both Japan and the USA! If this fight goes as well for her as it did for her teammate, then maybe the Women Fighters Team should start practicing more in the kitchen!"

This was met with mixed responses from the crowds, some of it laughter, some of it boos. He was about to go on when suddenly the microphone was snatched from his hand.

"Hi, everyone!" Mai cheerfully addressed the crowd, bouncing lightly up and down on the balls of her feet. "Quick show of hands: do we have any students from the Garou and Moeru Hana ninjitsu school with us today?"

A few hands shot up. Mai went on: "Well, then I have just one thing to say. Thanks for coming, and I hope you enjoy the show!" She winked, dropped the microphone at the announcer's feet, and went back to her side of the ring.

The crowd started to go wild, some of them cheering, others trying to take more pictures. Mai briefly locked eyes with her fiance, Andy Bogard, who was also sitting in the front rows. Andy smiled and gave her a nod. Mai giggled and blew him a kiss.

Shortly after the fight started, Mai made the announcer eat his words. She took down Kim in less than five minutes, and had enough energy after that fight to take on one of Kim's teammates, the hulking ex-convict Chang Koehan.

This fight was a bit more harrowing. Mai knew that Chang had her outclassed in size and physical strength, so she used her speed and agility to their peak advantage. Shortly after the match began, she got Chang to lose his temper with a series of taunts, goading him into swinging at her repeatedly with his massive ball and chain, while she continued to dodge the attacks. She would need to avoid him until Chang got exhausted from swinging, then she could knock him down easily.

It was risky, however, and Mai knew it. All it would take was one misstep, one lapse in her concentration, for the tables to turn, and if Chang got in a single hit, not only would the fight be over, but Mai could be seriously injured. So she blocked out the noise of the crowds, and everything else in the room, focusing only on her opponent, his weapon, and the ring.

"Come on, beardy!" Mai shouted at Chang as she ducked another swing. "You're not even trying!"

Out in the crowds, Terry Bogard said to his teammates: "It's a smart strategy Mai's using. Chang looks like he's starting to lose steam."

"It's risky, though," said Joe Higashi. "All it will take is one wrong move, and then whoever is giving Mai away will have to wheel her down the aisle in a body cast."

Terry punched Joe on the arm. "Not the time, Joe!" He then nodded in the direction of his brother.

Andy Bogard was so tense, he was almost sitting on the edge of his seat, his hands gripping his knees so hard his knuckles were bleached. Joe gave Andy a pat on the shoulder. "I wouldn't worry, dude. Mai's game has improved a lot since I first met her. I think she can keep this up."

Andy ignored him and continued to stare unblinking at the ring. "Don't lose your focus, Mai," he whispered.

Finally, after several tense minutes had dragged by, Chang took a shaky step forward, tried to raise his arm again... but it fell limply to his side. Mai immediately switched to the offensive, flinging two fans that struck Chang at pressure points on his right arm, causing him to drop the ball and chain. She then did a cartwheel and launched into her Chou Hissatsu Shinobi Bachi attack, her body enveloped in chi flames. She hit her opponent dead center, knocking him from the ring and ending the bout.

The crowd went insane, and for several seconds their cheering drowned out the announcer. Mai smiled for the audience and went into her famous "Nippon ichi!" win pose, but it was clear that she was shaky on her feet. Her strategy had worked, but having to dodge Chang for so long (and maintain her level of concentration) had sapped her energy. She remained standing long enough to hear her name announced as the winner, then she sank to her knees, every muscle aching with fatigue.

King and Yuri were at her side in seconds. "I've got nothing left, girls," Mai panted as King helped her to her feet.

"You did great, Mai," Yuri said, and held her hand out to the kunoichi. "Let me take it from here."

"Right," Mai nodded, and then tagged her teammate in. "You've got this, Yuri. Kick ass like I know you can."

King nodded as well. "Take us to the next round, girl." She then started to help Mai out of the ring, the ninja girl's arm draped across her shoulders. "Come on, Mai. Let's get you a snack and some water."

It was now the deciding match. The third member of Team Justice vs. the third member of Team Women Fighters. Yuri took up her position on one side of the ring and faced her opponent: another ex-convict named Choi Bounge, short in stature but looking extremely dangerous, sporting a pair of leather gloves with knives sewn into the fingers.

Out in the stands, a fighter with short, spiky blond hair wearing an orange gi was nervously biting his fingernails. "We have to stop this match!" Ryo Sakazaki said to his two teammates. "He's gonna cut her to ribbons!"

Sitting to the right of Ryo, his father Takuma Sakazaki was not looking at the ring, but rather he seemed to be intently studying the floor. "If you step in that ring, you disqualify her whole team," he said quietly. "We abide by the rules of the tournament."

Ryo turned to the older man in shock. "How can you just sit there and..."

"Ryo..." To Ryo's left, Robert Garcia placed a hand on his friend's arm. "Just stay calm. I have a feeling that Yuri might surprise you."

Down in the ring, Choi gave a small, high-pitched cackle. Yuri had the feeling that under his shades, he was sizing her up. "Don't worry, little girl," he said. "I'll go easy on you."

"Yeah, you wouldn't want to get bruised too badly, would you?" Yuri shot back, and assumed her stance.

A few seconds later, the announcer yelled "FIGHT!" and Yuri approached cautiously, forearms raised to protect her face. She got halfway across the ring when Choi somersaulted forward suddenly along the ground with blinding speed, closing the distance between them in about a second, springing up suddenly and then lashing out with his gloved hands. Yuri saw it coming and did a quick flip backwards to avoid getting slashed.

Choi quickly followed this by doing a jab with his metal talons outstretched. Yuri was just coming out of her flip and barely had time to dodge that strike, but she pivoted her body at the last second. Seeing an opening, Yuri lashed out with her right leg, the sole of her sneaker striking Choi's midsection.

Choi then tried to slice to the left with his outstretched hand, but Yuri ducked both that and the other claw that followed it. Seeing another opening, she launched into an uppercut, her fist connecting solidly with the right side of her opponent's face and knocking Choi backwards several paces.

Yuri took a cautious step forward, her forearms raised defensively again. Choi surprised her by lunging more quickly than she expected. He spun rapidly towards her with his arms outstretched, like a deadly windmill of razor-sharp steel. It took all of Yuri's concentration to avoid the attacks, but she was too slow on one of her jumps backwards, and Choi's claws raked across her right forearm, leaving three bleeding gashes in their wake.

Yuri grunted and faltered for a moment, barely avoiding Choi's follow-up as he sliced upwards with both hands. She countered with a hard knee to his gut, and an elbow check to the face, slowing him down enough to let her get a safe distance away.

"It just occurred to me how arbitrary this fight selection is," King remarked from the sidelines. "Your guy was in a completely different weight class. This guy is using deadly weapons against an unarmed opponent."

Next to her, Mai was watching the fight while eating a bowl of orange slices. "She's got this," the kunoichi assured her teammate. "She just needs to stop fighting him on his terms." She swallowed her orange and then shouted to the ring: "Go high, Yuri!"

Inside the ring, Yuri heard this and nodded in understanding. Choi began to roll across the ground towards her again. This time Yuri maintained her position, waiting until her opponent was in just the right spot, then she jumped straight up, tucking in her legs and extending her arms down at a forty-five degree angle.

"Rai Oh Ken!" She shouted. Choi finished his roll and jumped up... only to have a bright pink chi fireball slam into him at almost point-blank range, knocking him back down against the ground. While still airborne, Yuri shifted position and streaked back towards the ground with her leg outstretched, her foot catching Choi in the jaw and knocking him flat.

No sooner had Choi gotten back up from that than Yuri was on him again with another airborne attack, her feet a blur as she pummeled his face and chest with her Hien Hou'ou Kyaku. She finished with a somersault kick to her opponent's jaw. The attack sent Choi back to the ground, and this time he did not get up before the count was finished.

"Winner: Yuri Sakazaki!" The announcer shouted over the din of the cheering crowd. Yuri grinned and flashed the spectators a thumbs-up. "And Team Women Fighters advance to the next round!"

"Yes!" Both Mai and King were on their feet to cheer their teammate, Mai having gotten her second wind thanks to a burst of euphoria.

Yuri gave them a thumbs-up as well, then walked over to the announcer and snatched away his microphone. "Oh, and let's keep the kitchen jokes to a minimum from now on, shall we?" She spoke into it. This was met with even more cheering from the stands, and Yuri dropped the mike at the announcer's feet and left the ring to rejoin her friends in the front row.

"You did it!" King shouted, and gave her teammate a hug.

"I knew you had it in you, Yuri!" Mai said as she joined the hug.

"Thanks, girls," Yuri said to them. "I gotta admit: that felt great! I see why people enjoy competing. It's kind of addictive."

Their celebration was interrupted a few moments later by a man dressed in white. "Excuse me, ladies," he said. "I hate to interrupt, but I just wanted to take Ms. Sakazaki back to the infirmary to have her arm looked at."

"I nearly forgot about that," Yuri said with a laugh. She'd been so high on the win, she hadn't been feeling the sting of the wounds Choi had inflicted. Now she was feeling it again, so she allowed the man to lead her back towards the medical facilities. "Come look for me in a bit!" She called back to King and Mai.

The two women killed time for as long as they could while the ring was getting prepared for the next set of bouts. Mai bought another snack, and then they felt they had waited long enough, so they started back towards the infirmary. On their way, they ran to a familiar face with a blond bob-cut and green bomber jacket.

Mary Ryan saw them approaching, and gave a nod. "Mai... King... congratulations on your win this round."

"Thanks, Mary!" Mai exclaimed, and gave her friend a hug.

"My teammates did all the work," King said almost forlornly.

"It's just the preliminaries, King," Mary offered. "You've got plenty of time to find your groove. So, what are you girls up to?"

"Oh, we're just on our way back to the infirmary to check on Yuri," King explained.

"Mind if I tag along?" Mary asked them. "I need to lay low, I'm having an altercation with my teammates."

"What's wrong?" Mai inquired.

"Well, Yamazaki pulled his knife and threatened to turn my jacket into a short-sleeve. So I kicked him in the nuts. More than once. Billy's trying to calm him down."

"Ah," Mai said with a nod. She still had no idea why Mary's mystery client was paying her to be on the same team as two career criminals, but he was paying well, and Mary clearly knew how to handle herself. "Yeah, you'd better come with us."

So the three women walked through the arena over to the large, multi-chambered infirmary tent that had been erected back in a fairly quiet corner of the pavilion. They found out which flap Yuri was behind, and made their way there. Once inside, they saw that Ryo Sakazaki and Robert Garcia had already beaten them to it, though it was clear from the way that Robert was holding his friend's arm that he was there more for Ryo than for Yuri. The karate girl was seated on an exam table while the doctor, a matriarchal-looking woman of about forty-five, was tending to her.

Yuri's eyes lit up when she saw Mai, Mary and King standing in the entryway. "Come on in, girls! They're almost done here." The doctor was putting the finishing touches on a dressing to Yuri's arm. The three women entered the tent and moved behind the exam table.

"Everything looks good," the doctor said. "He broke the upper layers of the skin, but it didn't get too deep. You won't need stitches. Just keep it covered for the next few days, and it should heal nicely on its own."

"I sure will," said Yuri. "Thanks!"

"And that's it?" Ryo looked like he was ready to grab a needle and start trying to stitch Yuri himself.

"Yes, that's it," the doctor said brusquely.

"What if it gets infected?"

"I cleaned it with peroxide. As long as she keeps it covered, it will be fine."

"But... maybe we should get a second opinion."

"Ryo," Robert Garcia said calmly. "This woman is an MD. If she says it's only a scratch, then that's all it is."

"Thank you," the doctor said to Robert with a heavy sigh of relief. Then she turned to Yuri. "Take care of yourself out there."

"Oh, don't worry about me," Yuri said with a laugh.

"I can see I don't have to," the doctor said with a laugh of her own. "Good day." Then she left.

As soon as she was gone, Ryo started up again. "What were you thinking?" He asked his sister.

"I'm thinking I beat that guy," Yuri said to her brother, looking extremely annoyed.

"But he nearly killed you! Are you trying to give dad a heart attack?"

Yuri rolled her eyes: "Um, first of all, he didn't nearly kill me. He's probably in worse shape than me right now. And second, if dad is that concerned about me, he can come see me himself."

"Yuri, he's still not speaking to you. You know why."

"Yeah, I know why. Because he's a giant baby."

"No, it's because you told him you've been going behind his back for several years, reading things you were forbidden to read. You're lucky he's still letting you live at the dojo. I at least managed to convince him to let you stay."

"And am I supposed to bow down and kiss your feet for saving the day yet again?"

Ryo was about to ready another retort when Robert cleared his throat. "Ryo, we're being rude. We haven't met Yuri's friends yet."

Mai, King, and Mary had been standing there awkwardly the entire time, feeling like flies on the wall. "Sorry," Yuri told them. "I forgot my manners. Mai, King, Mary... this is... my brother Ryo, and my... um, friend, Robert Garcia."

"Nice to meet you all," Robert said as he shook each of their hands. Ryo said nothing, but he followed suit.

"Um... yeah, right," King said somewhat awkwardly when he came to her. "Nice to... meet you. Too." Mai couldn't help but notice that King blushed a little as she shook Ryo's hand.

Mary sensed that the tension in the room was becoming palpable, so she tried to change the subject. "So, Yuri, I was just telling Mai and King outside: good job on your win this round."

"Thanks," said Yuri. "I'm looking forward to seeing you fight, Mary. Mai's told me all about you."

"Well, maybe in a later round you'll get to do more than just watch me fight."

Yuri laughed. "I hope so. That sounds like fun."

"Wait, wait, wait," Ryo raised his hands. "You're still competing, Yuri?"

"Well, yeah," Yuri said as if the question made no sense. "My team needs me. We're going to the next round. There has to be three people to a team. If I leave, we forfeit."

Ryo shook his head. "Yuri, whatever point you were trying to prove to me and dad, I think you've proven it. But don't you think this joke of your's has gone far enough?"

"This is not a joke!" Yuri snapped. "It never was! I'm a member of Team Women Fighters, and I'm in this until we win or get eliminated, preferably the former!"

King, Mai, and Mary had been exchanging awkward glances the whole time, as they were all hesitant to jump into what felt like a family matter. Before anyone could say anything else, the flap leading into the room opened.

Billy Kane stepped in and gave a small nod when he saw Mary. "Ah, there ya are, Blue. The doc said I might find ya in here." Billy then gave another nod to Mai. "Nice to see ya again, cutie. Congrats on the upcoming nuptials. Andy's a lucky bloke."

"Thanks, I guess," Mai grumbled. Even though Billy had helped them during the incident with the Jin Scrolls, Mai still had no love for the English bojutsu expert.

"So, anyway," Billy said, turning back to his teammate. "I wanted to let ya know I calmed Ryuji down. He's actually laughin' about the whole thing now."

"I hope he's not expecting an apology," Mary grumbled.

Billy shrugged. "Didn't seem like it to me." As his blue eyes swept the room, it was then he noticed another familiar face. "Oh, hey, King! Almost didn't see ya there. Been a while, hasn't it?"

The eyes of the other women turned and noticed that King had been trying to duck behind the exam table to get out of Billy's sight, but apparently had been too slow. "Um, hi, Billy," King said, though she was staring at the ground. "I guess... it has been a while."

"Wait, you know each other?" Mai asked King.

"Sure," Billy jumped in before King could answer. "My ould boss did business with her ould boss all the time, so we ran into each other a lot. Musta been what... six years ago that you left that gang?"

"Billy, maybe you should leave," Ryo snapped at the lanky fighter.

"Wait, what old boss?" Yuri asked, ignoring her brother.

"Mr. Big," Billy answered her. "She never told ya she worked fer him?"

"She failed to mention this to me," said Yuri, her voice starting to rise. She jumped up from the table and turned to face her teammate, who was trying to melt into the corner. Mai was looking at King as if the kickboxer had sprouted extra arms.

Ryo took a step towards Billy, his fists clenched. "Billy, she doesn't need to know this."

Yuri whirled back at Ryo, giving him a glare that could have cut diamonds. "Wait, what don't I need to know? Do you know something I don't? Have you and King been hiding something from me?"

Billy cleared his throat and took a moment to straighten his bandanna. "Right, well, I think we need to go, Ryan. Our team is gonna be up soon."

Mary looked to Billy, and then back to Yuri. "Yuri, are you gonna be alright?"

Yuri waved a hand at her. "Yeah. Just go. Your team needs you. I'll see you at dinner tonight."

"Right." With that, Mary and Billy took their leave.

"Mai, maybe you should go with them," Yuri then said to the kunoichi.

Mai gave a slow nod, realizing this appeared to be getting a little too personal. "Yeah, I should go find Andy. I haven't had a chance to talk to him since my match ended. I'll look for you later, Yuri." Mai then left as well.

Once Yuri was alone with King, her brother, and Robert, she snapped: "Okay, someone start talking! What don't I need to know?"

Ryo raised his hands. "Yuri, it's..."

"Oh, no!" Yuri took a step towards him. "I am sick of you and dad always trying to protect me, and treat me like a kid. It ends now! TALK!"

Ryo took a step back from her, while Robert stood there and tried to figure out who he should side with. King then spoke timidly: "Yuri, leave Ryo alone. He's not going to tell you anything. Because... I am."

"King...?" Ryo took a cautious step towards the kickboxer.

King raised a hand at him. "It's okay." She then blew out a weary sigh. "Yes, Yuri, I used to work for Mr. Big. The night you and I met... that was the reason I excused myself after I recognized your last name. It was... also the reason that Kim beat me so easily today. I was fine when I got into the ring, and then I saw Billy, and he gave me a nod, so I knew he remembered me. And then I saw your brother, and Robert, and they also know me. And that... threw me off my game."

Yuri turned towards King. "Did you play a part in my kidnapping?"

King turned her gaze towards the ground, unable to look her friend in the eyes. "Yes... and no. I wasn't one of the people who actually kidnapped you. But I watched over you for a few hours, under Big's orders. Then, when it was clear that Ryo was converging on our location, they moved you. And they told me to stay, and try to slow Ryo down."

"That's why you seemed familiar," Yuri said grimly. "My kidnappers drugged me, so... I never got a clear look at anyone's face. But... when we met at La Illusion last month, I recognized your voice. But I just couldn't remember where it was from. Now... thinking back to that night six years ago... it was you. And you've known ever since we met... and you never told me. Why?"

King raised her hands almost pleadingly. "It's.. complicated. It was a different time of my life, I needed money badly, and working for Big seemed like the best way to get it."

"What possible excuse could you have for working for a scumbag like him?" Yuri snapped.

"My brother... was sick. I needed money for an operation to give him his life back!"

"Have you told Mai any of this?"

"I haven't told either of you anything about my connections to Big. Or about my brother."

Yuri shook her head, her eyes starting to shine with tears she was trying to hold back. "So in all the times this past month that we've gotten together for practice, for dinner, drinks, gossip... you've only told us what you think we should hear about you. I expect my family to keep secrets from me, but... I thought you were different. Is this how you treat all your friends? By hiding the truth from them?"

"I just... don't like to talk about my past," King said.

"And that makes what you did okay?" Yuri snapped at her.

"Yuri, calm down..." Ryo started to say.

At hearing his voice, Yuri suddenly whirled on her brother. "And you! King said that you three already know each other! Is that true?"

Ryo's eyes flicked briefly over to King, who gave him a nod. "It's true," he said. "The night you were kidnapped, she and I fought. I didn't see her again until a few years later, in 1994, when the Art of Fighting Tournament was organized due to King of Fighters being on temporary hiatus. King entered the tournament that year, hoping that she could use the prize money for her brother's operation. She lost, but... Garcia here paid for her brother to have the operation anyway."

Yuri looked to her brother, then to Robert, then back to Ryo. "And you kept this from me, too? I told you and dad who my teammates were after I came clean. So you knew who King was. And you just decided to keep quiet about that little fact."

"We had reasons..." Ryo started to explain.

"I don't give a shit about your reasons!" Yuri cut him off, her voice rising as she spoke. "I am sick of people lying to me, and keeping their secrets to protect me from the truth, like I won't be able to handle it! Well, no more, do you hear me?" Tears started to slip from her eyes as she screamed: "I AM NOT A FUCKING CHILD ANYMORE, AND I DON'T NEED ANYONE PROTECTING ME!" With that, she turned and ran out of the infirmary.

"Yuri..." Ryo called after her, but she did not look back. King was gripping the edge of the exam table with both hands, her head bent down, also looking like she was about to lose it.

"Yuri... what have I done?" The kickboxer whispered to herself.

Ryo made his way over to her and cautiously reached out a hand. "It's okay, King..."

King's head came up suddenly. "Okay?" She snapped. "How is it okay? I may have just lost one of my only friends. I've lost them both, if Yuri and Mai are a package! And why? Because I was too fucking cowardly to just tell her the truth back when I first met her! Now, I may have ruined one of the best things I have in my life!" King then ran out of the room as well.

"Yuri's right, you know," Robert Garcia said to Ryo after King had left. "She's not a child anymore. I think we saw that today."

"Who side are you on?" Ryo growled at him.

"Whatever side I think is right, you idiot," Robert answered. "Ryo, you're my bro, but that doesn't mean I'm always going to agree with you. When I see bullshit, I'm gonna call you on it, and today, I saw your bullshit. You need to find your sister, and you need to talk to her."

Ryo looked at him for a moment, then laughed nervously and shook his head. "Yeah, I guess I do. Wish me luck."

"Good luck," Robert said with a nod as Ryo also left. The Kyokugen student stood there alone for another minute, then he also started towards the door. "You're gonna need it," he said to himself.

ADDITIONAL NOTES

And this seems like a good spot for a chapter break, since it's gotten a little wordy and is only going to get wordier.

A few things to point out: as you know, my stories are a continuation of the anime timeline, and Fatal Fury: TMP came out in 1994. No one in the movie mentioned KoF, so I'm assuming that in the anime timeline, there was no KoF tournament that year. So I worked in AoF to further try and tie those two storylines together.

And Mary knows who Mai's teammates are because obviously Mai introduced King and Yuri to her circle of friends in the weeks leading up to the tournament.

Thanks for reading so far. Next: the conclusion.