Chapter 30: Higashi's Signature Taunt

When Su Ye first saw the young man with the broom-shaped hair, his immediate reaction was: Friend, how much hair gel did you use? Isn’t it heavy? Won’t it attract flies? Isn’t it a hassle to style every morning? And isn’t it uncomfortable to have it so stiff?

But then, as he looked closer at the man’s face and age, the corner of Su Ye’s mouth couldn’t help but twitch. Why did this person seem oddly familiar?

“Are you the owner of this dojo? Shiranui-ryu Dojo, so are you Japanese as well?”

Su Ye shook his head. “I’m from Longguo, but that doesn’t stop me from running this dojo. Today is our grand opening, and to be honest, it’s rather rude to challenge the dojo on its first day.”

“Still, since we’re open for business, whether you’re here to learn or to challenge me, all are welcome. This way, please.”

With that, Su Ye didn’t waste any more words and simply led the way toward the training hall. The broom-haired youth followed, a hint of amusement on his face.

“You’re not bad. You didn’t try to brush me off with empty words—I like your attitude. Once I’ve beaten you, I might just honor your opening with a celebratory drink.”

Nearby, Shunying sidled up to Mai Shiranui and whispered, “Sister-in-law, is this guy an idiot? He wants to stay for drinks after defeating Brother Su? Isn’t that shameless?”

Mai Shiranui shot him a glare. “You’re missing the point, little brother. Do you really think your Brother Su could lose?”

“Oh, right!” Shunying scratched his head, caught Mai’s disapproving look, and quickly turned to shout, “Go, Brother Su! Beat that broom-head! Show him what you’re made of!”

In the training hall, the guests who had come to witness the ceremony had already gathered in a circle, eager to see what skills the new dojo master possessed, and what abilities the challenger had.

On the floor, Su Ye and the broom-haired youth took their places, bowing to each other in salute.

“Su Ye, heir of the Shiranui-ryu, master of the Shiranui Dojo!”

Opposite him, the broom-haired youth yanked off his tracksuit, leaving only a pair of running shorts, exposing a muscular, toned torso.

“Joe Higashi, Muay Thai! Ora ora!”

With that, instead of returning the salute, he performed a bizarre move—he spun around, pulled down his shorts in front of Su Ye, and broke into a wiggling dance.

In that instant, every single spectator felt as if a herd of a thousand wild horses was stampeding through their minds.

What the hell!

In all their lives, they’d never seen someone challenge a dojo and do this as their opening act. Was this what young people were up to now?

Regardless of the match’s outcome, this Muay Thai fighter Joe’s name would be seared into everyone’s memory, as if carved with a chisel—never to be forgotten.

It was simply blinding.

Su Ye covered his forehead, feeling a headache coming on.

Joe’s pants-dropping move was a signature taunt in the early King of Fighters games, but as the games’ resolution improved, it was eventually removed. Maybe the developers were worried the higher resolution would reveal he had…well, never mind!

Too unexpected! Why did I have to be Spider-Man, with such sharp eyesight? Why did I instinctively glance at that? I wish I could gouge out my own eyes!

Su Ye was utterly exasperated.

Joe was the third member of the Hungry Wolf Team, alongside the Bogard brothers, and Andy’s closest friend. Whenever Mai Shiranui’s appearance would advance the story, Joe was sure to show up.

Previously, Gwen hadn’t found any clues about Southtown, so Su Ye hadn’t been prepared—and he never imagined Joe would pull such an indecent stunt in front of a crowd.

I let my guard down!

While everyone was still reeling from Joe’s taunt, Joe himself seemed proud of his antics, a sly grin spreading across his face. Without missing a beat, he yanked his shorts back up, took a quick step, and charged at Su Ye, knee aimed straight at Su Ye’s chin with a gust of wind.

Though Su Ye’s face was still covered, his spider sense warned him of the attack just in time; he slid backward and dodged Joe’s blow.

Joe, undeterred, pressed forward again. As a Muay Thai fighter, he excelled at kicks and his attacks were blindingly fast—like the wind itself.

Moreover, in the King of Fighters world, each move carried mysterious power. If a technique landed, it could stun, juggle, or lock the opponent into a combo. If you got caught up close, you could easily be beaten down in a single relentless assault.

Su Ye had triggered similar effects when fighting the Green Goblin before. Of course, these effects didn’t activate automatically; you had to hit specific points, so it was possible to dodge in advance. Even if the effect was triggered, its duration was short, and if the difference in strength was too great, it might not trigger at all.

If Joe tried this on the Infinity Gauntlet version of Thanos, Thanos would just brush it off, immune to every effect, and Joe’s attacks would be as harmless as a tickle.

But Su Ye and Joe were about the same size and strength, so if Su Ye did get hit, the effect would be real.

However, after dodging Joe’s flying knee with a backward slide, Su Ye didn’t evade further; instead, he surged forward, closing the gap between them.

Su Ye’s Bone Fist style was also meant for close combat, and together with his superhuman strength and reflexes, he could interweave hardness and flexibility. Even when fighting up close, he could use his superhuman reactions to dodge Joe’s strikes before they landed, preventing the combo effects from triggering.

In close quarters, Joe immediately felt the pressure. This guy looked pale and delicate, yet his strength was astonishing. Joe had trained in Muay Thai since childhood, and his legs were strong enough to snap iron rods, but now they were going numb from the impact.

What’s more, his opponent’s reactions were quick, and his endurance was impressive. Joe couldn’t even land a decent combo, and if this kept up, he’d collapse from exhaustion even if his legs stayed intact.

The most infuriating part was that Su Ye hadn’t attacked once. Just through defense, he made all of Joe’s attacks completely ineffective.

So frustrating!

Joe wanted to end the fight quickly, but without a combo, he couldn’t deal serious damage. His ultimate moves were too destructive—if he used them, he might blow the dojo’s roof off.

He’d just wanted a good fight and maybe a free meal, not to become lifelong enemies.

But if he did nothing, wouldn’t he look like an idiot?

In a moment of reckless abandon, Joe clenched his fists and charged in again.