The final match of the day was ushered in as a certain phrase was sounded throughout the arena….
"Get ready for the Next Battle!"
"You heard it folks! This signals the last battle of the day and we got a good one prepped. Making his entrance, the man who bears the infamous Devil Gene! He slayed his own father, lost the trust of his only son, even lost his own wife. He stands alone against the world with nothing but his fists and power. He is The Iron Fist of Darkness. He is here! Kazuya…Mishima!" Chi Ta said as Kazuya slowly entered the arena.
"It's finally his turn, huh?" Catra asked. "Well, we knew this was coming."
"And considering he's missing now, I think he was already getting ready." Vashyron mentioned. "Though I guess it doesn't matter to Kazuya who he fights in the end."
"I've never felt such corrupt Aether like this since the Umbral Eras." Y'shtola said.
"Given who he is, it shouldn't be surprising you sense it." Piccolo said.
"And now, it's time to reveal who his opponent will be!" Chi Ta called.
(Cue Entrance Music: Falling Down by SHO from My First Story- Theme of Cosmo Imai)
"He comes from not so humble beginnings. Since as a kid, he's done nothing but admire heroes! But today, he has become one and is playing angel to Kazuya's devil! He is the Shining Beacon of Hope! He is…Hope…the…Victor!" Chi Ta said as Hope entered the ring.
He walked out in the midst of the smoke as he used his switch comb to brush up his air a bit before putting it away, then stretching his arms and hands, as he was received by a mixed reaction of cheers and jeers.
"Okay… it's go time." Hope said to himself as he approached Kazuya as the two met face to face.
"So it's you." Kazuya said as he crossed his arms. "Come again to talk of useless battle tournaments and fighters?"
"Nah…I'm just here to beat you." Hope said. "The time for talking is over. I'll just show you how different I am from back then."
"Hmph… foolish. You'll regret choosing me as your opponent for this tournament." Kazuya said.
"We'll see. To borrow a phrase from a good friend….just shut up and fight." Hope said, assuming an actual fighting stance, which was surprising to some in the audience.
"Very well. Although you'll regret having to face me." Kazuya said.
"And the location is…the Mishima Dojo!" Chi Ta said as they appeared inside said dojo. "Let the fight…begin!"
(Cue Fight Music: Abandoned Temple Full Mix- Tekken 7)
Without any second thoughts, both fighters lunged at each other, planting their feet, and threw their first punches, which closed in slowly before they barely missed the others heads, causing a massive shockwave that rocked the entire dojo.
The two stared at each other for a moment before going back into the fray. Hope dodged a jab from Kazuya before countering with a stiff elbow jab to his face, followed by a few body blows, and then a low kick to his left side. Kazuya answered with a high kick of his very own, grazing Hope a bit as he backpedaled a bit before he landed a straight punch to Kazuya's Stomach.
"This is tiresome…. You think you can beat me using simple fisticuffs?" Kazuya asked, slightly irritated as he went on the attack and executed his signature 10-hit combo attack as he and Hope exchanged blows in that instant, but all of Kazuya's hits connected. He then grabbed the stunned Hope by the shoulder and pulled back a punch. "You're just as pathetic as ever!"
Kazuya then threw a strong punch that crackled with lightning that connected seemingly with a strong impact. Kazuya thought he got a good blow on Hope's face, but then he felt a strong grip on the hand he used to punch Hope with, as he questioned what was going on before looking at his left hand.
"Hey, Look at that!" Michiru said as the cameras showed Hope and Kazuya's hands interlocked in a tight grip favoring Hope.
"Well, that's surprising. Hope is using Old School Jiu Jitsu?" Twilight asked.
"Zan and Ranma weren't the only ones who were training in this universe the past two weeks." Sakura said.
Hope then twisted Kazuya's arm downward as he put him in even more pain.
"This is pretty effective, isn't it?" Hope asked. "Y'know, a big difference between modern and classic styles of martial arts are the finger joints. They're constantly used in a fight, and the act of destroying them can be considered a victory."
"Hmph. I don't know where you learned how to use this technique…." Kazuya said, reversing the hold. "But you forget. You're facing a Mishima."
"Yeah… I didn't think that would work on you for long." Hope said.
The fight resumed as Kazuya connected with a Headbutt, breaking the hold as the both of them started exchanging blows again before Kazuya gained the upper hand with a kick that knocked Hope back before connecting with a strong Dragon Uppercut that knocked him against the wall.
"Now go flying out of this relic of a memory!" Kazuya said, going for the Devil Fist as he showed his Devil form for a second…
But then as soon as Kazuya got close, Hope connected in that instance with a short uppercut that blew back Kazuya as his fist missed, punching a hole in the wall.
"(What was that? That attack wasn't within the repertoire of old school martial arts.)" Kazuya thought with grit teeth, trying to regain his balance and press his attack, but then he saw Hope swerving to him swiftly. "(His footwork is…)" He was then hit with a combination of lightning fast jabs and strikes. "(Boxing, just like the match before the last one?!)" Kazuya blocked the hits, but then Hope grabbed his right arm and connected with a spin kick. "(What is this?! He's never fought like this at all before!)"
"You guys are seeing it too, right? The combat style that Hope's using is…." Ichiro said hope left Kazuya stunned as he was in an unusual boxing stance. "Baritsu."
"Baritsu? I see, so he's learned it from Mokichi Robinson." Spade said. "It's an eclectic martial art made of a combination of classical Japanese martial arts, jiu-jitsu, and bare-knuckle boxing, founded by his ancestor Kotoura Shigenosuke in the 19th century. But Mokichi is now its last surviving practitioner, until Hope that is it seems. And there's also the ultimate technique of Baritsu…the Two-Finger."
"Of course! That's how Hope was able to know that hold!" DJ said.
"Yeah, Hope got really inspired from seeing all the fights in this arena with the Kengan and Purgatory competitors during the Dungeon Odyssey." Alice said. "So he spent the down time battling a number of them and learning from their techniques."
"But the one he wanted to receive actual training from after all that fighting was Mokichi Robinson, the Exterminating Vicar." Ichiro said.
"I've heard about him. Isn't he supposed to be a reverse importee to England from Japan?" Kazuma asked.
"He is originally from Japan, believe it or not besides being a Kengan Fighter for Sentory Life Support, he is also a priest." Spade said. "As a child he held great hatred for his father when he taught him Baritsu, and left at the age of 14 to use his Baritsu skills in the Criminal Underworld to commit all kinds of vices, until he discovered he had a younger half-sister left in his care, which led to him becoming a priest and a better person."
"Once we met him, Hope immediately hit it off with him." Bow said. "And after their battle, well…. You can see for yourself how well the training went."
"It is quite impressive. As well as considering how protective Mokichi is of his sister." Spade said. "Which reminds me… none of you made any moves on her, did you?"
"Nope. There was no way we were gonna incur the wrath of a holy man." Vashryon said.
Spade nodded. "Still… Hope getting tutelage from Mokichi Robinson is no small feat. Mokichi must've seen great potential in him."
"Well of course he did. After all, they share similar pasts." Ichiro said.
Hope continued his pressed assault on Kazuya as he hit his leg with a low kick before following up with a strong punch to the face, then the stomach area, before finally finishing off with a one handed Full Shoulder throw that plowed Kazuya straight through the floor.
"He drove him straight through the floor!" G. Aqua gawked.
"Little brat…" Kazuya said as he slowly stood up, a purple aura surrounding him as he transformed into his Devil Gene first form, bursting back up through the floor as he huffed staring at Hope. "How…. how did you improve this much?!"
"I trained for two weeks straight." Hope said.
"Oh, you think you're being cute?!" Kazuya asked, taking a big step forward.
"Bitch…." Hope said, assuming his stance once more. "I'm adorable."
"RAAAAAAAH!" Kazuya roared, firing his Devil Blaster. Hope avoided the laser as the two of them exchanged furious blows. Hope connected with a few strong hits as he pushed Kazuya back but the Mishima struck back with a strong hit to the face, grabbed him by the neck, then flew into the air with him and slammed him down into the ground with Heaven's Door.
Kazuya smirked, thinking he shut Hope up, but then he saw him glow blue and jumped back as he transformed into Azure God Mode: The Heroic.
"I think it's about time we stopped holding back." Hope said.
"Hmph. On that we agree." Kazuya said as he became Devil Kazuya. "This will be your burial ground!" he said unleashing his Final Blaster, firing three lasers each from both wings and one from his chest.
Hope countered with a few laser blasts of his own, clashing with Kazuya's before he was pushed back. Hope then jumped up into the air as the lasers followed him, cutting through the dojo before it started falling apart, the entire foundation collapsing.
(Music Shift: Fight Like a Devil (second Half- 2:15)- Death Battle Soundtrack)
Hope landed on a falling piece of the rubble as he leaped from piece to piece as he climbed higher and higher, avoiding the lacers and burning wood. Kazuya was flying above as he saw Hope coming towards him as he dived down to meet him.
As Kazuya landed on the ground, both fighters charged at each other. Kazuya missed with a Devil Fist as hope struck back with a few Ki infused aura blasts, as he then dodged another Devil Blaster that scraped the ground, missing an axe kick that Kazuya sidestepped. The two then clashed fists with perfectly matched blows, before Hope got Kazuya with a high kick and then sent him flying into one of the walls.
"You're mine!" Hope called, charging right at Kazuya.
Kazuya charged right back at Hope. "Begone!"
The two collided their fists in an explosive shockwave that blew away most of the rubble. Knocking them both back as they landed on the ground. But Kazuya came away with less damage as Hope returned to normal, struggling to get up.
"Oh no, Hope's down!" Gemini said.
"Get up, man!" Akane said.
Kazuya walked over to Hope's position a bit limberly as his wings flapped. "I'll admit…. You gave me a fight I was not expecting out of you." He said as he grabbed Hope by the head. "But I've mastered the power of the devil. I defeated and killed Heihachi Mishima. At the end of it all, no one is a match for me. And you are nothing! Be erased completely!" Kazuya yelled, firing a Devil Blaster point blank straight into Hope's head as he cried out in pain.
Just then, in that instant when everyone thought the match was over, something bursted out from Hope, turning the area completely black as Kazuya's laser was canceled out.
Kazuya gasped. "What?!" He then saw Hope going limp, but his clothes and hair were turning completely white as a new Lantern corps symbol appeared on his chest.
"That's….!" Adora saw it.
Mark smirked. "Ohohohoho, Kazuya's in trouble now. Jexi, David, Ace, you guys are gonna love this."
Kazuya stared at Hope as he pulled his head down and opened his eyes, to which they were glowing purely white.
In a swift instant, Hope then grabbed the arm Kazuya was choking with and pulled it off him. He then used his other hand to grab Kazuya's face in an Iron Claw grip, before Kazuya was overwhelmed in a blinding flash of light that enveloped his body as he let out a loud scream.
The flash of light overwhelmed the entire arena for a minute or two before dying down, seeing Hope and Kazuya back in the arena, with Kazuya knocked out cold and reverted to normal, flat on his stomach. Hope was down on one knee, out of breath for a second.
He then raised his left hand and gripped it. "Ask yourself if that was nothing…the power of an unbreakable conviction, and bonds between friends and family."
(End song)
The crowd was silent.
"Oh, man! That fight was unbelievable!" Chi Ta announced. "And the winner is…Hope the Victor!" she said as the crowd was in a stunned silence before going into a frenzy.
"Oh, man, listen to them! They're going nuts for him!" Flamberge said.
Hope made his way back up the stands as everyone greeted him.
"Well? Not bad for the main event of the day, right?" Hope said.
"That was very impressive. First the teachings of Mokichi Robinson." Spade said. "And now the power of the White Lantern of Life."
"That… wasn't exactly the power of the White Lantern." Hope said. "See, while we were separated from each other during the time Ehto was around… I fought Skeletor, and discovered I can use the Light Style of Color Fighting."
"It's true, we were there to see it." Mark spoke up. "We aren't exactly sure how it's possible, though. This is only the second time he's used it."
"I see, I only assumed since the symbols looked similar." Spade said.
"I think you might be reaching a bit of a breakthrough there." Cheetah said.
"What do you mean?" Spade asked.
"Think about it. It's not a White Lantern power, but it's quite similar. And, from what I understand, there was another Color Fighter that is a practitioner of the Light Style, correct?" Cheetah asked.
"You're talking about Illuma, right? But we barely saw her since the World of Light. I can barely see how she fits into this." Francisca said.
"It's one of the three secrets of Color Fighting. Color Fighters can learn more than one style." Jexi said.
"Ah, yes. We've been told about that back in New World when we went to see Zexi and Harumi." Genis said.
"Illuma said I obtained the use of the Light Style because of my convictions, and never giving up on being a hero." Hope said. "But she never really told me the secret outright because I'd probably end up spilling it. I'm still trying to control the Light Style's power, since Illuma's mentioned time after time how destructive it is. That's another reason why I did some training here in the Fight Universe. If I had a proper way to fight, then it would be a good step in the right direction to mastering my extra style. So that's what led me to fighting some Kengan fighters, and eventually meeting Mokichi Robinson."
"Well, you've certainly shown how strong you've become." Mirror Match said. "I doubt anyone will think less of you after seeing that performance."
"Nah, some people still will. But… I kind of like being underestimated." Hope said.
"So that way the other guy will be pleasantly surprised when you show your real stuff." David said.
"Yup." Hope said. "Now that I'm stronger, I'll be the person you knew before, David. I can keep up with you and Jexi, and be more challenging for Zexi. And Mark?" Hope asked, looking to him. "Let's keep getting better as underdogs, together."
Mark grinned at that statement. "Hell yeah, now you're talking." he chuckled, throwing up a salute. "I can get behind that."