While it's disheartening to think that Satomi is likely to lose the finals, there's a possible silver lining. Since Yuka isn't competing for the prize money, she can give it to Satomi which would still allow her to pay for her brother's treatment.
Yuka and Satomi share another similarity to Ryu and Ken, besides the best friend/rival dynamic: there's a fair amount of Homoerotic Subtext in both of their anime adaptations.
Street Fighter II V has a scene where Ken invites Ryu to go skinny-dipping with him, during their hotel stay in Barcelona. The scene cuts away right as Ryu dives in and begins horse wrestling with Ken. Their flashback in The Animated Movie (about how Ryu got his iconic red headband) has also been interpreted by some as being homoerotic. Mostly due to the affectionate manner in which Ken lets down his hair to unfasten his ponytail, before tying his hair ribbon around Ryu's foreheadnote It was Ken's way of apologizing for accidentally injuring him.
Likewise, Yuka and Satomi have their own share of Les Yay subtext in the OVA. Such as Yuka reacting to Satomi's farewell letter as if Satomi had dumped her. In the Japanese version, Jun even asks if it means they've "broken up" to which Yuka dejectedly replies, "Yes". And, in the final episode of the English dub, Kaori speaks of Satomi as though she's Yuka's girlfriend.
The series ends on a cliff-hanger, right at the start of the final bout which is a default level-1 match. It's intended to leave the outcome in question, except Yuka is said to have already defeated Satomi every time they've competed. This time, it'll be broadcast across the globe on live television and the internet. Meaning, billions will watch as Satomi has to humiliate herself, for all the world to see.
Even if she manages to defeat Yuka, she'll still have to watch her best friend suffer the penalty instead. Either way, one of them is going to be used as fap material for the billions of viewers who are only tuning in for the "aftershow".
