SMSTSS 25: Avengers Next Unification! – By DS Wynne
Disclaimer: SM, R1/2, Marvel Comics and other properties belong to their respective owners.
Note: This is a multi-genre, three-part story.
Part 1
Our world's about to break,
Tormented and upset.
Lost from when we wake,
With no way to go back.
I'm standing on my own,
But now I'm not alone.
Avengers Assemble!
Always we will fight as one,
'Til the battles won.
With evil on the run,
We never come undone.
Assembled we are strong,
Forever fight as one.
Assembled we are strong,
Forever fight as one .
It was a normal day in the City of Tokyo…unfortunately.
BOING!
The Delightful Hulkusagi was bouncing her way back to her home Japan from yet another misadventure overseas.
"Weeeeeeee!" Hullkusagi said, as she sailed through the air wearing nothing more than her tattered clothes. Inwardly, she liked the fact that as a Gammazon, she was thoroughly liberated, and didn't care if anyone cared.
Big mistake…
"General Tenaka, we have a sighting of the creature," said an airman.
"Good," said General Noriko Tenaka, commander of the JSDF's "Special Tactical Unit" (STU), a unit that was dedicated towards containing monsters that either threaten or, in the case of the Hulkusagi, embarrass the people of Japan. "I may have promised to the creature's mate to not kill or sterilize her, but that doesn't mean I cannot put the creature in her place."
Pause.
"Launch the counter-measures."
"Yes, ma'am!" said the airman. "Launching missiles-!"
As the Hulkusagi reached the next apex of her latest jump, the missiles from a cloaked battle fortress hits its mark.
"Eh?" Hulkusagi said, just as the missiles struck.
BOOM!
A short time later at the Tsukino residence…
"Where is Usagi?" Kenji Tsukino asked, as he lowers his newspaper. "Wasn't she was supposed to be here for lunch?"
"Oh, that reminds me," Ikuko said, as she stops her dusting. "She was coming back from Australia, from an Air Show she was participating in for the Americans, but ran into one of her friends there. So, she's going to be delayed a bit."
"Who did Usagi run into?"
"I believe her name is Florence Sharples?"
"I don't recall."
"She was in Usagi class back at Juuban High School?"
"Wasn't she the one calling herself the Abominatrix?"
"Yes, that's the one."
"Humph. In my day, girls acted like girls, and not brawlers," Kenji complained. "And shouldn't Usagi be home watching our grandchildren or something?"
"Now, now, husband," Ikuko said, as sat on the arm rest of the chair, while hugging her husband. "This is a different age, now, and Usagi's parenting style is between Usagi and her husband."
"Humph."
Just then, the couple noticed a disturbance in the ether…
"Husband, what's that?" Ikuko said.
Suddenly, a man in a red cloak bursts into Tsukino residence. His eyes were not seen, but they crackled with power. On his right hand was some sort of guantlet
"Who are you, and how dare you intrude upon my home?" Kenji demanded.
"I am looking for Sailor Moon, and I smelled her scent from this place," the stranger said, as he balls his fist. Kenji and Ikuko noticed that nature seemed to bend around him, with the focus on his…gauntlet.
"Our daughter is not here," Ikuko said defiantly. "You are not invited to be here."
"And we take umbrage to this intrusion, fiend," Kenji said. "I suggest that you leave at once."
"I see," the man said, as he cracked his knuckles. "Then, I shall leave a message for the Moon Princess, then…"
A short time later…
"See you next time!" Hulkusagi said, as she waved General Tenaka good-bye, as she took off for home.
General Tenaka looked at her broken machines and other weapons systems.
"Back to the drawing board, ma'am?" said an aide.
"Back to the drawing board," Tenaka said. "I swear, I didn't even know the monster could manipulate energy…"
Elsewhere, Hulkusagi was in good spirits for surviving yet another round with the head of the STU. The only reason why she was in her present state was due to the fact that her gamma-radiated cells were more potent than ever. As a consequence, Usagi is constantly absorbing ambient gamma radiation from her environment, forcing her to be in her Gammazon form in order to bleed out the energy. Otherwise, she risks being permanently stuck in her Gammazon…
"Hulkusagi loves to play with Noriko-chan," Hulkusagi said with a bubbly expression, referring to General Noriko Tenaka, the head of STU. Unfortunately, her mood quickly changed when she saw her parents' wrecked house.
"Oh, no," Hulkusagi said, as she landed with a thunderous roar. "Mommy! Daddy-!"
"Uhhhhhh," said a voice from underneath the rumble.
Hulkusagi shifts what was left of the house to where his parents were lying.
"Mommy…Daddy!" Hulkusagi said, as she cradled her parents in her arms. "Be alright…"
Just then, Kenji opens his eyes. He then sits up.
"Magnificent!" Kenji said, as he stretched his arms. "It's been many cycles of Ragnorak since I faced such a power…"
He then turns towards Hulkusagi.
"I thought I told you not to run around in this form?" Kenji said. "You're a princess, not a beast."
"Daddy, you're okay," Hulkusagi said with a smile, as she hugged her father, who was really a retired Sky Father Odin, father of Thordis, the All-Mother of Asgard.
"Of course I am. No mortal, no matter the trinket, can humble the scion of Asgard," Kenji said. "Now, dear, no one is suggesting otherwise," Ikuko said.
"I was just saying the obvious."
"Oh, husband…"
"Who attacked you, Daddy?" Hulkusagi said, as she began to shrink in size. Being Hulkusagi tends to lower her intelligence, which is why she needed to be her normal self.
"A man calling himself 'The Hood' attacked us with a gauntlet that had six gems etched in it…"
"Dad, were these the Infinity Gems?" Usagi wondered in fear.
"I'm afraid so, pumpkin," Kenji said grimly. "Nevertheless, the Hood came here to take Ego Infinity Gem, and even went into your vault down stairs to find it."
"That's because it's not down in my vault, Dad," Usagi said, as she stood up and mulled over her thoughts. "When I and the other members of the Illuminati acquired the Infinity Gems, each of us had the responsibility to keep the gems safe. Obviously, the Hood learned of the Infinity Gems, and is now going around looking for them."
"Where is your gem now?" Ikuko asked.
"I placed it in the care of Ranma, since he could care less about the gem's significance-"
Suddenly, there was a thunderous roar in the distance.
"Oh, my," Ikuko said.
"Isn't that sound coming from the Tendo Compound?" Kenji asked.
"It is," Usagi said, as she fists the air. "And I will stop this…Hood person."
With that, Usagi takes off into the skies, bound for Nerima Ward…
"Excuse me?" Ikuko said, with an admonishing look.
"Yes, Mother?" Usagi replied.
"You're dressed in rags, and everyone can see your business. That's not lady like.
"Ah, sorry," Usagi said, as she blushed. "I didn't have my unstable garb on with the Abominatrix attacked me…"
Pause.
"I better look presentable. Cosmic Power Make-Up!"
A flash of light later, and Usagi is in her stronger Sailor Senshi form: Sailor Cosmos.
"See you in a bit," Sailor Cosmos said, as she hopped on her Cosmic Moon Staff like a broom stick. She didn't need it to fly, but she did like flying in style.
"I'm off…"
With that, Sailor Cosmos took to the skies…
Meanwhile, at the Tendo Residence…
"Damn it," Ranma Saotome said, as he gets up unto his feet. The last time he felt like crap was when he went through a few rounds with an alien known simply as "The Champion", one of the greatest spar masters in the Universe. The Champion was among the oldest beings in the Universe, being billions of years old. In fact, he was a member of a society of ancient beings known as "The Elders of the Universe", with each elder specializing in mastering a discipline to the nth degree. Each Elder had the ability to create a solidified essence of their discipline in the form of Infinity Gems. Thanks to the trickery of an alien dark god named Thanos, seven of these gems were allowed to roam free amongst lesser races, based upon Thanos' theory that the gems' presence would provide entertainment to the Elders, many of whom were billions of years old. Of course, the initial reason was to please Death herself by wiping out all lesser races, until it turned out that Death loved Ranma more than Thanos, which is why Thanos has always hated the martial artist…
Nevertheless, once Thanos lost his bid at killing everyone in the Universe, the gems went on to other owners, including the so-called "Infinity Watch", before coming into the possession of Earth's Illuminati, whose membership included Sailor Moon, Mister Fantastic, Dr. Strange, Professor X, Namor, Iron Man and Black Bolt. After the betrayal of Iron Man and Mr. Fantastic, and after the death of the Skrull who impersonated the inhuman Black Bolt, the Illuminati broke up. The imposter's gem was given to the African prince-turned-superhero Black Panther, who had rejected initial membership into the Illuminati anyway, while the remaining members went their separate ways. Unfortunately, the criminal known as "The Hood", the avatar of the dreaded Dormammu managed to learn of the existence of the Infinity Gems, and has been after them ever since, with the Ego Infinity Gem being the last in the collection to complete. If that happens, then the Hood will become the most powerful being in the Universe…
…Unless a certain martial artist and a certain magical girl have anything to say otherwise.
"Give me the gem," said the Hood, as he flexed his power. "Otherwise, I will hurt you."
"What do you think you're trying to do to me now?" Ranma said with a smirk, as he dusts himself off.
"These are the preliminaries."
"Ah. Well, Hood, or whatever the avatar of Dormammu is calling himself, I'm not going to cooperate."
"Then, I'm going to enjoy doing this," Hood said, as he dispelled a wave of energy that was powerful enough to flatten buildings instantly.
Ranma grunts, as he crosses his arms together, allowing his arm bracers to absorb the blasts. The bracers were made from promethium, the only alloy that had both indestructible properties that were magically enhanced. Unfortunately, the potency of the Infinite Gems surpassed even the sturdiness of Ranma's bracers, as they shattered from the impact of the Hood's attack.
"Gah!" Ranma yelled, as he was flung back.
"I don't know how you're able to withstand my mental and spiritual assaults, but my physical assaults should make up the difference," the Hood said, as he uses the Time Infinity Gem to freeze the time stream in the immediate area.
Ranma felt a noticeable shift in the flow of Time.
'Humph,' Ranma thought for a moment. 'That guy is trying to freeze me in place long enough to blast me. Thankfully, he doesn't know that I'm quite familiar with Time, either because of my training as a Temporal Warrior, because of my time with the Time Lord, the Doctor, or because of my interests in the works of Dr. Barry Allen, aka 'The Flash', and his related colleagues…'
Pause.
'3X2(9YZ)4A' Ranma thought, as he mentally recited the late super-speedstar Johnny Quick's "speed formula". The formula opens the minds of those who recite the formula to an extra-dimensional field known as "The Speed Force", the field that allows an ordinary person to become one of the fastest persons alive…and then some. In this particular case, by reciting the speed formula, Ranma was able to move within a temporal stasis field…
Just as the Hood was about to pound Ranma into the ground, Ranma leaps out of the way. Instead, the Hood created a small crater in his wake. He looks up to see Ranma on approach, as Ranma stomps on the Hood's head like a hammer to a nail, driving the supervillain into the ground.
"Humph," Ranma said to himself, while he somersaults backwards to give him some breathing room. Just then Sailor Cosmos arrives.
"Ranma," Sailor Cosmos said, as she hops off her Cosmic Healing Staff and lands by her husband's side. "You're okay."
"Why wouldn't I be?" Ranma said with a shrug. "By the way, is this your doing?"
"No, it's not," Sailor Moon said, as she converts her staff into her Cosmic Sword of Sealing. "And by the way, I've informed Steve about this, so you better change."
"Right," Ranma said, as he pulls away his clothes to reveal his costumed identity: Ronin, the Masked Avenger. In this garb, Ranma (aka Ronin), looks like a cross between a commando and a shinobi.
"So, I assume the Hood is not done?" Sailor Cosmos said.
Suddenly, the Hood bursts out of the ground, madder than ever.
"No one does that to the Hood, and live!" the Hood yelled, as he increased his battle aura (for lack of a better description). "I'm not some punk who will be kicked around by ANY Avenger!"
"Wait, now I remember something," Sailor Cosmos said with realization, as she turns to face Ronin. "Remember what happened when you and your apprentice, Nico Minoru of the Runaways, defeated the Hood?"
"Yeah, I demonstrated to that girl how to perform a sealing justu, by using it on this guy," Ronin replied. "If I recalled, the effect locked Dormammu within him, but rendered the Hood powerless…"
Pause.
"It's like what we did when we sealed the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox within our son, Naruto, and when we sealed the Zero-Tailed Demon Worm within Renata, both for safe-keeping."
"Right. Well, apparently, some of the student, who had a run-in with the Hood before, learned of the Hood's powerless state, and decided to humiliate the Hood by putting the boot to the Hood, while filming it for release on the internet."
"Man," Ronin said. "I'd be pissed off if that happened to me, before I get even with those who humiliated me- oh."
"Precisely," the Hood said. "I'm never going to let anyone humiliate me like that again, and in order to do so, I need the Infinity Gem…"
Pause.
"And the Ego Infinity Gem is all that I need. RRRARGH-!"
At the split second, a blazing Hood rushes over to tackle the couple.
"Sailor Defense!" Sailor Cosmos yelled, as she brought up her sword. A wall of energy suddenly appears, preventing the Hood from moving forward, although the impact was already taxing her reserves.
"Ronin-!"
"Already on it," Ronin said, as he focused his thoughts. "You leave me no choice but to us my true power…"
Ronin closes his eyes for a moment. He then opened them activate his bloodline trait: the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. They were now red and decorative, and possessed none of the side-effects of the standard Mangekyo Sharingan, save for one: the bloodlust for revenge. This bloodlust was a curse that was placed on all those who had the Sharingan bloodline trait, which can occur once the basic level of the Sharingan has been achieved. For Ronin, his mastery over the Soul of Ice (a discipline that allowed the practitioner to always keep cool under pressure) helped to keep the burning of his blood from overwhelming his judgment.
On another note, his wife Sailor Cosmos sometime gets Ronin angry on purpose, in order to have passionate "relations", which Ronin considers weird…
"Let's see if you can deal with that power," Ronin said, as his battle aura turned dark.
Meanwhile, the Hood uses the Mind and Soul Infinity Gems to examine what was going on with his opponent Ronin, and nearly gasped.
'How is that even possible?' the Hood thought to himself. To the Hood's senses, he saw Ronin, but he also saw some cat-like monster that was coiled to strike. He can practically feel the evil emanating from this dark aura, and he thought he was a supervillain of ill-repute.
Taking advantage of the Hood's distraction, Sailor Comos decided to send the villain to a more secluded arena of sorts. She didn't want Tokyo to be destroyed during her fight, although it was used to such things due to the seasonal monster attacks…
"Sailor Beam Surprise!" Sailor Cosmos said, as a concentrated energy beam left her eyes, and slammed into the Hood's chest.
"Arrrgh!" the Hood said, as he sailed away…
"Aw, I wanted to be the one to finish him off," Ronin complained.
"You'll still get that chance, Ranma," Sailor Cosmos replied. "I just sent him to a place where the Japan and her people won't be harmed."
"That's good to know," said a voice from behind.
Ronin and Sailor Cosmos both turned to see an angry Akane Saotome, a bemused Nabiki Kuno, and a concerned Kasumi Ono.
"Oh, my," Kasumi said, as she looks around her destroyed family. "I came back home from the clinic to see what was the commotion and all…"
"I apologize for this," Ronin said bashfully. "I'll get it fixed."
"You better, or I'll sue you in court," Nabiki said with a smirk.
"You don't even live here!"
"Perhaps I should sue on the basis of 'emotional suffering'?"
"…"
"I'll show someone some REAL suffering!" Akane said, as she takes out "Mallet-sama".
"Wait, it's not my fault!"
"Akane, please," Sailor Cosmos said, as she stood between Ronin and Akane. "This matter is not Ranma's fault."
"It's not?"
"No, Mrs. Saotome, it is not," said a voice from behind.
Everyone turns to see some of the Avengers standing there, with General Steve Rogers (aka "Commander America") taking point.
"Commander America," Sailor Cosmos said.
"Sailor Cosmos," Commander America replied. "Are we too late?"
"No, the Ego Infinity Gem is safe," Sailor Cosmos replied. "But we have to hurry…"
Sailor Cosmos then turns towards Ronin.
"Love, do you know where my gem is at the moment?"
"I do," Ronin said. "But you better get your cold weather gear together, because where we have to go will be mighty cold."
"Did you HAVE to pick some place cold to hide my gem?" Sailor Cosmos complained.
"Yes, yes I did."
"…"
Tbc.