A/N: This fic serves two purposes: one, it's a "sort of" prequel to I Want You Bad, in that it's set in the same universe/timeline, and it fills in some of the gaps of my other UM fics. And two, according to the UM manga, Kevin Mask is Robin Mask's eldest son, meaning he has at least one younger brother.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this chapter except Edward.

Chapter 1 – Mine's is Bigger Than Yours!

Kevin Mask felt a rush of adrenaline course through his chest as he strode through the underground network of caves, passing Chojins whose names were as infamous as they were legendary. Kevin was unsure if the rush of adrenaline he felt had been induced by excitement, pride or anticipation; or perhaps even all three.

What would the high and mighty Sir Robin Mask say if he could see his eldest son now? All those years Robin had invested in his sons, and he had failed them both miserably. Robin had always put Kevin down, always told him that "good enough is never good enough", and yet he had told his friends and fellow Muscle League Legends that Kevin would grow up to be the IWF's biggest star.

How wrong he was.

Kevin smirked to himself as he took in his surroundings. All around him he could see the very men his father had spent years keeping him away from: Doomsmane, Skulldozer and Sunshine, to name but a few. Kevin stole a quick glance at the logo on the black T-shirt he wore, his smirk widening. Kevin Mask, the eldest son of Muscle League Legend Robin Mask, was officially a member of the DMP.

"Where are we going?" Dial Bolic asked, as he walked along behind Kevin.

"I got something I gotta take care of," Pumpinator replied, without turning round or slowing down.

Pumpinator continued to lead the way, walking on through the endless warren of underground caves that made up the DMP headquarters. Kevin continued to follow him, with Dial Bolic at the rear. Neither Kevin nor Dial Bolic knew where Pumpinator was taking them or why; but he had insisted they go, and he had insisted that it was a matter of some urgency.

Kevin suspected it was some sort of induction ceremony to welcome him to the DMP. Or perhaps it was some sort of test or trial to decide if he was suitable to become a fully-fledged Devil Chojin. His father had told him often enough about the Hercules Factory that all Muscle League wrestlers had to graduate from, and Robin Mask had also told his son that the DMP had a similar training facility for new recruits, known simply as "The Academy".

Whatever it was, Kevin was not in the least fazed by it. The torturous physical and mental training his father had put him through all his life had, in his opinion at least, prepared him for anything that life could possibly throw his way. There was no training schedule too intense, no opponent too strong, no situation too complex, and no enemy too devious. Kevin Mask could handle them all.

Pumpinator finally turned off the main tunnel they had been walking down, marching into a room that opened out onto the face of the mountainside. Unlike the other caves and the tunnel they had just left, this room was not lit by any lanterns, and was not warmed by a fire. The only light in the cave came from the full moon, which shone a cool, pale blue light over the craggy interior of the cave. Kevin hesitated, causing Dial Bolic to almost walk right into his back. Something seemed very odd about this cave. The entire area was… Glowing.

Puminator had stopped walking, and he appeared to be staring at something by the mouth of the cave. Dial Bolic hung back by the tunnel, but Kevin walked up to Pumpinator's side, wafting a hand through the air, which he realised was glowing because there was some sort of smoke lining the air, which was dancing in the blue moonlight, distorting the images and shadows around them.

"Hey scarface, you owe me," Pumpinator called out.

Kevin wafted at the hazy air again, squinting at the mouth of the cave as he noticed the silhouette of someone sitting there.

"Look what I found!" Pumpinator continued. "The son of Robin Mask!"

The figure stood up, walking slowly towards them. As the light of the moon was behind him, Kevin could not make out the approaching man's features, other than the fact that his head seemed to come to a sharp point.

"Huh?" the man asked.

"This is Kevin Mask," Pumpinator said proudly, holding out his hands towards Kevin. "Robin Mask's eldest son!"

The other man began to walk around Kevin, looking him over critically as he went. Kevin turned his head to watch the other man, his eyes widening as he stepped into the light.

He was obviously a Devil Chojin, Kevin thought to himself, and he was obviously a high-ranking and well thought of Devil Chojin. He carried himself with an air of confidence that even the Pumpinator failed to match. He was dressed in a pink and red wrestling outfit, with a large red headdress, mounted onto which was a gold visor. Under each of his eyes he had a deep scar that ran over his cheekbones. Over his chest was the image of a black bat, over which the DMP logo was printed in yellow.

One hand hung loosely at his side as he walked around Kevin, and the other hovered by his face, supporting a homemade cigarette between his forefinger and index finger. He stopped next to Pumpinator, tilting his head as he met Kevin's eyes. Kevin straightened his back, trying to look taller and larger as he watched the Devil Chojin move his cigarette to his mouth and draw deeply on it.

"Kevin Mask, huh?" he asked, before blowing the smoke out sharply through his nostrils.

Kevin sniffed cautiously at the air, suppressing a cough as the sweet and sickly taste of the smoke caught at the back of his throat.

"Is that…?" he began, pointing at the cigarette in the other man's hand.

"Weed, yeah," he casually replied.

"Kevin's with me, Mars!" Pumpinator interrupted them. "I found him, and I brought him here, to the DMP!"

Mars turned to the Pumpinator, shrugging his shoulders casually.

"What do you want, a chocolate bone?" Mars asked sarcastically. "So you brought Kevin Mask to da DMP? Who cares?"

"You should!" Pumpinator retorted. "I brought Kevin here. The eldest son of Robin Mask."

"Uh-huh?" Mars echoed, waving a hand in the air to indicate Pumpinator should continue his explanation.

"Well, Kevin is Robin's eldest son!" Pumpinator continued. "He's twenty-one years old, he's a grown man!"

"So?" Mars asked, glancing at Kevin before turning back to Pumpinator.

"So mine's is bigger than yours, asshole!" Pumpinator sneered, leaning over Mars.

Mars stared blankly at Pumpinator for a few seconds, before spinning his cigarette around between his fingers and then lifting it up towards Pumpinator's face. Dial Bolic yelped and even Kevin Mask gasped as Mars pressed the lit end of the cigarette into Pumpinator's cheek, slowly twisting it back and forth, grinding it into the side of Pumpinator's face, causing it to hiss viciously.

Pumpinator clenched his teeth tightly together, his entire body stiffening as he fought the urge to cry out in pain. Mars grinned up at him, his fangs glinting in the moonlight. He opened his fingers, the stubbed out cigarette falling to the ground at their feet.

"Just count yourself lucky I'm in a good mood tonight, shoeboy!" Mars told him. "Cause you understand dat if I hadn't been in such a good mood, I'da made you eat dat."

Mars pointed down at the remains of his cigarette, causing an image of Pumpinator eating the ashen remains to briefly flit through Kevin's mind. Pumpinator touched a hand to the burn on his cheek, growling down at Mars.

"Get outta here, before I kick your ass!" Mars warned him.

"Come on, boys!" Pumpinator said, marching towards the exit. "Let's go!"

Dial Bolic gladly left the cave first, followed by the Pumpinator. Kevin began to follow after them, but Mars dropped a hand heavily onto Kevin's shoulder, gripping his fingers into Kevin's skin to halt his progress.

"You stay here wid me," Mars ordered.

Pumpinator paused in the doorway, looking back at Kevin and Mars.

"I thought I told you to get outta here, shoeboy!" Mars yelled at him.

Pumpinator muttered something indecipherable under his breath before disappearing from sight. Mars then walked around to stand in front of Kevin, lifting his hand from Kevin's shoulder.

"So you decided to join da DMP too, huh?" Mars asked him.

"Yes, that's right," Kevin replied, nodding his head.

"So what's your plan?" Mars asked, folding his arms over his chest. "Find da boy, den call your little Muscle League buddies to come rescue you?"

"What?" Kevin echoed.

"Y'know Mask, unlike shoeboy, I ain't stupid," Mars said darkly. "I know you're here for da kid. But lemme just tell you dis: if you want da kid, you gotta get past me first, capisce?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Mars," Kevin said firmly. "I swear."

Mars paused, studying Kevin carefully.

"I'm talking about da time you ran away from home when you was fifteen," Mars began slowly.

"How do you know about that?" Kevin asked. "I don't remember the DMP being there."

"Dey wasn't," Mars replied. "It was just me. I went back to da Mask Estate while you and your dad and your robot was all gone."

"You went back to…"

Kevin slowly pieced together the information he had just been given.

"That was the same night my brother was kidnapped," he said quietly. "You…"

Mars grinned, shrugging his shoulders.

"Little bastard has been da bane of my life da last six years, but dere's somethin' so sweet about knowin' I turned a Muscle League Legend's little boy into a Devil Chojin," he said.

"Edward?" Kevin asked. "You kidnapped Edward?"

Mars nodded his head, his grin still present.

"And you took him here, to the DMP headquarters?" Kevin asked.

Again, Mars nodded his agreement.

"And you have turned him into a Devil Chojin?" Kevin asked.

"Yeah, why don't you go have yourself a little family reunion, huh?" Mars offered.

"A reunion? Edward is here? Now?"

Mars nodded his head again.

"Come on, I'll take you to him," Mars offered.

Kevin followed after Mars, who walked far too slow for his liking. His mind was racing; for six years, he had been convinced that Edward had been killed. He had always believed that if anyone had kidnapped Sir Robin Mask's youngest son, they would surely hold the boy for a ransom.

But to learn that Edward was still alive, and a member of the DMP, no less!

"How old is he now?" Kevin asked, as Mars slowly sauntered down the corridor.

"You don't even know how old your own brother is?" Mars asked, smirking at Kevin.

"I can't remember…" Kevin replied breathlessly. "He was… He was six years younger than me, so he must be fifteen, right?"

"Yeah, I guess dat sounds about right," Mars agreed.

"The same age I was when I ran away…" Kevin added quietly.

"In here, Mask," Mars said, turning into a small cave and beckoning for Kevin to follow him.

Inside the cave was a small wrestling ring, the sight of which made Kevin glad he wore an iron mask, for he had turned whiter than a ghost. The canvas mat of the ring had been replaced with a carpet of steel wool, and the rings ropes had been substituted with barbed wire. The steel corners of the ring and the ringposts were unpadded, exposing the cruel metal joins.

Inside the ring were four wrestlers, all dressed in nothing more than a pair of wrestling shorts. Their bare feet were ripped open from the ring mat, and their bare bodies were torn, bloodied and layered in sweat. To Kevin's horror, one of the men inside the ring was little more than a tall, lanky adolescent boy, dressed in a pair of dark blue wrestling shorts and a black iron mask.

"Edward…" Kevin whispered, taking another step towards the ring.

Kevin watched as his younger brother fought against the other three wrestlers, who all appeared to be attacking only Edward himself. Despite being much lighter and younger than his opponents, Edward seemed to be easily as strong as them and a much wiser tactician than they were. Kevin felt his bottom jaw drop as he watched his brother fight so viciously, even Robin Mask would have been forced to avert his eyes.

Edward grabbed two of his opponents by their hair, smacking their heads together. He then grabbed his third opponent by the hair, pulling him over to the barbed wire ring ropes. Kevin winced as Edward slammed the man's head down against the top line of barbed wire, and then dragged him all the way along to the corner.

Edward then released the man, turning to start another assault on the remaining two wrestlers.

"Hey, Eddie!" Mars called to him.

"Scarface!" Edward responded, spinning around to face him. "How many times must I tell you? My name is Edward!"

Edward marched over to the ring ropes, grabbing onto the top one and hoisting himself over it, landing outside of the ring. He wiped his bloodied hands on his bare thighs, seeming not to care that he had just intentionally torn open the skin on his palms.

"What do you want, scarface?" Edward sneered.

"I gotta present for ya, Eddie," Mars replied, pointing over his shoulder with his thumb.

Edwards turned his head to Kevin, leaping back in shock.

"Kevin?" he spat.

"Edward?" Kevin said, stepping towards him.

Edward's green eyes dropped to the DMP logo over his brother's chest.

"You joined the DMP?" he asked quietly.

"Yes," Kevin confirmed. "Edward, I had no idea you were here all this time!"

"No, and nor did you care that I have been here all this time!" Edward haughtily replied.

Kevin could not think of a suitable response, and so remained silent, looking his brother up and down repeatedly in disbelief.

"Yeah, all dis love is beautiful, but it's startin' to make me feel sick," Mars drawled. "Do you guys know whose bike dat is parked outside?"

"That's mine," Kevin replied.

"Really?" Mars asked. "Oh good. Den you can take in into town. I got some business I gotta take care of."

"Alright," Kevin agreed.

"What?" Edward echoed, glancing back and forth between Kevin and Mars. "Wait just a minute, you can't steal Mars from me too!"

Kevin shifted his eyes to Mars questioningly.

"Not now, Eddie," Mars warned the younger Mask.

"This isn't bloody fair!" Edward yelled. "All my life he took everything from me! Mars is my friend, you can't have him!"

Mars turned to Kevin, rolling his eyes and shaking his head in exasperation.

"Hey Eddie?" Mars said, turning back to Edward.

"What?" Edward asked.

"Shut-up!"

Mars lunged forwards, driving a fist into Edward's gut. Edward doubled over and staggered back, clutching at his abdomen. Mars straightened up, shaking his head at Edward before turning back to Kevin.

"Come on Mask, let's go," he said, slapping Kevin on the shoulder.

Kevin watched Mars leave the room before turning back to his brother. He watched Edward writhe in pain a little longer, before trying to look dignified as he spotted his older brother watching him.

"He was just messing about with me!" Edward called to Kevin in a choked voice. "He does it all the time! We're the best of mates! Unlike dad, Mars prefers me to you!"

"Hm," Kevin said thoughtfully. "And I thought I had issues."

Kevin turned his back on his younger brother and started after Mars, ignoring Edward as he shouted a string of insults after him.

Next Chapter: Mars gives Kevin a crash course in how to behave like a Devil Chojin. Chapter 2 – Welcome to the DMP.