One More Strom Approaches.
At the hero base, things were mostly calm. Most of the heroes were either patrolling the surrounding areas, resting up in case an unexpected attack comes, or training so they can pass the time. Two of those people were Asuka and Tifa, who had grown pretty close since they met. It wasn't that unexpected, Tifa saved Asuka's life and was true friend Asuka made from the other worlds, so naturally Asuka would develop some attachment to her. Tifa didn't mind at all, since she was quite fond of hanging out with the younger fighter. Right now they were resting after several sparring matches. Both were impressed by the other's strength and skills, but Tifa had to be the one to end the spar so they don't overdo it.
"Man, I'm getting a better work out from one sparring match with you than I ever did back home. You sure know how to push me to my limits" Asuka said as she dranks some water.
Tifa smiles at her "I enjoy our work outs too. Your technique that allows you to turn your opponents' strength against them really is an effective counter to my normal fighting style. I need to rely less on my strength against you and get more creative".
"You don't need to sugar coat it anymore, Tifa. I have accepted the fact that you are much stronger than me" Asuka said, but didn't sound upset about it at all "There are opponents I simply can not beat".
"Asuka, the strength gap between us is not as massive as you make it sound. Sure I can agree that in terms of raw strength, I am stronger. But I mean what I said before. You can turn my own strength against me, which makes overpowering you a lot trickier. So even though I am stronger and have been fighting longer, I honestly believe you have the superior fighting style" Tifa said.
Asuka smiled in pride "Kazama Style Traditional Martial Arts. It's been part of my family line for years. I hope that one day I can show the world that our style should never be underestimated".
"Well you will have plenty of time for that once you return home when all this is finally over" Tifa said.
"Once this is all over... So, does that mean we won't see each other again?" Asuka asked, sounding sad.
Tifa looked sad as well "I'm afraid so. The whole reason why we are even working together with so many other people is because we all share the same goal: Defeat Maestro and return home. Once that is done, the world should go back to normal and everyone will go back to ther own lives".
Asuka looked down "I see...".
Tifa put her hand on Asuka's shoulder "Hey now, don't look so sad. You are cuter when you smile".
"Don't call me cute" Asuka said, only half annoyed.
Tifa giggled "Oh I will keep calling you that, whenever I feel like it".
"I will punch you" Asuka warned.
"Worth it. I must say Asuka, you've become like a little sister to me, despite the short time we've know each other" Tifa said.
Asuka blushed a little "Well, I don't mind having an older sister... but the closer we get, the harder it will be when we have to say goodbye".
"Yeah... it will be. But we will still have our memories. And I can promise I will never forget you Asuka. No matter how far apart we will be" Tifa said with a smile.
Asuka smiled back "Well I can promise the same. You would be very hard to forget".
Tifa giggled and pulled Asuka in to a hug "You are so cute!".
Asuka blushed bright red as her face ended up in Tifa's large breasts "T-Tifa! Your breasts!".
"Deal with it. I will hug you as much as I can, so we can have as many happy memories as possible" Tifa declared as she refused to let go of her young friend.
"Tifa!" Asuka almost yelled as her face was trapped against Tifa's breasts.
But Tifa still refused to let Asuka go. She really did see Asuka as a little sister now, and she was serious about making sure their memories of each other would be as happy as possible. So they could look back at those memories and smile. And since they had no idea of how much time they had left together, Tifa was going to make every moment count. And Asuka had no other choice but to accept her situation... and honestly, it wasn't that bad.
Meanwhile Raiden was standing outside the base. He needed a little time for himself. Meeting heroes from around the multiverse was quite the exhausting experience, even for a cyborg. He opened his eyes when he sensed someone approaching. He almost reached for his sword out of instinct, but stopped himself when he noticed who it was.
"Snake" He said calmly as Solid Snake himself walked up next to him.
Snake lit a cigarett as she stood next to his cyborg friend "A lot on your mind?".
"You could say that. We've both been through some deep shit in the past, but this is god damn insane" Raiden said.
"Story of our lives. Each mission is more crazy than the one before" Snake said before he puffed some smoke "So what's really bugging you kid?".
"Kid? Been a while since I was last called that. But if you most know... I've been wondering. That Stark guy said this Battlerealm has pulled people from across time and space. Including people that should be long dead... It makes me wonder if He is here..." Raiden said.
"Solidus" Snake guessed earning a nod from the cyborg "Well I heard Grey Fox and Big Boss' predecessor is out there somewhere. So anything is possible".
"If he is here, that means I will have to kill him again... and I'm not sure I wan't to... for all the things he did, he was still the only father I ever knew. I should hate him for what he did to me, the things he made me do... So how come I don't?" Raiden asked, sound frustrated.
Snake sighs "Fathers can be a real pain, can't they? My own father went from being history's greatest soldier to a traitor. That should've been reason enough for me to hate him, I even stopped using CQC. And yet what I feel fro him is not hatred, just disappointment. I guess these feelings are just to complicated, even for us".
"Especially for us. We never had a normal life, so we don't know the normal way to deal with these feelings. Only thing I can think of is just finding Solidus and hope for something" Raiden said.
"Then do just that. In the end, it's up to you to decide how you want to handle your problems. Just make sure that you decisions are your own, and not something others tell you" Snake said.
"I know... I learned a lot from you. In the timeline I'm from, you are long dead. But you taught me a lot. And I never forgot it" Raiden said.
Snake looks at "Oh? And what did I tell you?".
Raiden smiled "You will know, once you tell me yourself back in your time".
"Smartass" Snake said, earning a chuckle from Raiden.
After that, they just stood in silence. Enjoying the calm before the storm.
Elshwere, Spider-Man had been looking around for something he could use. But this was not Peter Parker. This was Miguel O'Hara, an engineer who worked for Alchemax in the year 2099. He was a genius in the field of genetics, but was reluctant when pressured by his higher-ups to imprint foreign genetic codes onto human physiology. And after a test resulting in the hideous transformation and then horrible death of the test subject, Miguel attempted to resign from his position as Alechemax's corruption became impossible to ignore. However he had a drink laced with a drug that bonds to the victim's DNA. To counteract the drug, he used a procedure to save himself, splicing his DNA with that of a spider, granting him enhanced senses and abilities, making him the Spider-Man of 2099.
Just like everyone else, Miguel had been dragged here against his will and like many out there, he had been stuck wandering this strange realm. And unlucky for him, he was dangerously close to the villains' main base. And worst yet, Maestro had allowed a certain mass murderer to go out and hunt for someone to kill, since he was growing restless from all the waiting around. And when he found Miguel, his evil eyes lit up. Different suit but he's certain it was Spider-Man. So leaps out of hiding.
Another thing that set Miguel apart from Peter is the fact Miguel doesn't have a Spider Sense, so he had nothing to warn him from being tackled at blinding speed by non other than the symbiote serial killer, Carnage "What the shock!?".
"Oh, this shouldn't be a shocker, Spider! You know better than most that I would always jump at the chance to kill you! I haven't seen you in so long, so let's spend some time catching up!" Carnage said like the maniac he is.
Miguel kicks him of and leaps away "I don't know what your deal is. But you better get the shock out of my way before you get hurt".
"Oh, I like the sound of that" Carnage said darkly before he sent some red tentacles from his fingers.
Miguel quickly dodged them. Symbiotes, he was familiar with those creatures thanks to facing both the Venom of his time and even the Venom from Peter's era. And looks like this one is no different... in fact, he is even worse. As Miguel dodged Carnage's range attacks, he closed the distance and kicked Carnage in the face with enough force to knock the symbiote killer down. However, Carnage quickly retaliated by using his tentacles to tie Miguel up before slamming him in to the ground, keeping him pinned as he slowly turned his free hand in to a blade.
"What's the matter, Spider? To scared to make any of your jokes? I admit, I'm going to miss them" Carnage said darkly.
"News flash you red faced patsy... I am not the Spider-Man you are familiar with" Miguel said before taking out the talons on his left hand, and used them to slice Carnage's face.
The talons cut through Carnage's symbiote and exposed parts of his real face. Carnage cried out surprise and minor pain, allowing Miguel to deliver a powerful kick to Carnage's jaw, sending him flying a short distance. As Carnage stood back up, Miguel was already on him, delivering a powerful punch to Carnage's face, following up with an uppercut to Carnage's jaw, and another hard blow to his chest. Miguel continued hitting Carnage over and over again, he couldn't let up for even a second. He needs to keep the pressure on, and not given Carnage the chance to fight back. However, despite his best effort, Carnage wasn't like Venom, and had a few tricks that Venom rarely showed. And without a Spider Sense to warn him, Miguel wasn't able to avoid the spikes that came out of Carnage's chest.
Miguel cried out in pain as the spikes stabbed in to his shoulder, and pushing him in to a nearby boulder. Carnage smirked as he pulled his fist back and punched Miguel square in the chest, sending him clean through the boulder. Had it not been for his suit and super human durability, that punch would've gone right through him.
"So you are not my Spider-Man. No matter, I am happy to kill any Spider-Man. You see, even the name Spider-Man makes me very angry. He always ruins my fun with his annoying morality crap. He refuses to accept that life is a lie and Carnage is the only truth. And now, you will learn it too. Don't worry, I will make sure to send my Spider-Man to keep you company!" Carnage said as he got ready to kill the future Spider-Man.
"Not today, you shocking vermin!" Miguel declared as he threw a large boulder at Carnage.
Carnage shattered the boulder, but it distracted him long enough for Miguel to use his talons to slice open Carnage's throat. And he didn't stop there as he sliced open Carnage's eyes, and then used his webbing to throw Carnage a great distance away. He had a feeling that wouldn't keep Carnage away for long, so he took the chance to leave. Only an idiot would risk a prolonged fight against a deadly enemy in the middle of unfamiliar territory.
As for Carnage, he healed up quickly enough, but his victim was long gone now... making Carnage roar in rage. Once again he had been denied a kill.
Meanwhile Maestro stood in front of the machine that helped him bring all the worlds together. It seems like it had enough power to either make the opening to one of the universes bigger and thereby let in even more new faces. Or he could crack up an opening to another new world. He smiles, decisions decisions. What should it be?
"Just one more storm" Maestro said evilly.
Just one more...
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This will likely be the last chapter until the final Smash character is revealed. Once that is done, this story can finally move forward and some big stuff will happen.
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Tell me what you think.