LINK TO SECTION BELOW

The camera went back to Drake and Ashley, who both looked excited. Arguably more so than usual.

"Welcome back!" Ashley smiled.

"You came just in time, we finally learned what Donkey's and by extension, Mushu's decision is!" Drake grinned.

"Turns out, he chose the "King of Smashers" envelope!" Ashley explained.

"You know what that means?" Drake asked. "Instead of thirty fighters entering the ring, we have FORTY!"

"That's right! Turns out that because King of Fighters and Super Smash Bros have more characters than everyone else, the hosts made this decision to subtract the numbers." Ashley nodded.

"So along with ten extra fighters, we will get more King of Fighters and Super Smash Bros fighters!" Drake grinned.

Ashley paused. "I have to wonder… Would that option come back up again in later sections?"

"Maybe not in the later sections, but let's not delve into that right now." Drake said, waving it off. "We got forty characters to go through!"

Ashley smiled and nodded.

BIG THE CAT

NODE: SONIC THE HEDGEHOG

ENTERED IN: Section 1; Number 4

OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 3

BIG GUY ALERT!

"Man, I knew that Big was not someone to be messed with, but he really surprised us in the last section!" Drake grinned.

"Yes, he has successfully eliminated Don Octavio from Sly Cooper, his nodal companion, Jet and Falco Lombardi from Super Smash Bros!" Ashley beamed. "The latter two eliminations were done in the last section despite his slow start and not only is he one of the two last remaining fighters of Section 1, but he still has a Smash Ball!"

STITCH

NODE: KINGDOM HEARTS/LILO AND STITCH

ENTERED IN: Section 1; Number 22

OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 3

"And here is the other Survivor of Section 1!" Ashley smiled. "Experiment 626 aka Stitch!"

"He has eliminated Gourmand from Power Stone 2, Arthur from Super Ghouls n' Ghosts and now Cody Travers from Street Fighter V!" Drake grinned. "And now that we know that summon powers from 3 is allowed, the sky's the limit for this little koala alien!"

AGENT 9

NODE: SPYRO THE DRAGON

ENTERED IN: Section 2; Number 31

OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 2

"Agent 9 may have more than a few screws loose, but he is definitely unpredictable as a result!" Drake grinned.

"Indeed, Spike from Ape Escape and Luigi from Super Smash Bros learned that the hard way." Ashley nodded before shuddering. "That and he also got a Smash Ball too. I am absolutely scared at what his Final Smash may be."

MARLUXIA

NODE: KINGDOM HEARTS

ENTERED IN: Section 2; Number 37

OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 1

BIG GUY ALERT!

"Marluxia has definitely why he was the final boss of Chain Memories and showing why he is the Graceful Assassin!" Ashley noted. "Grim from Cartoon Network: Punch-Time Explosion heard this the hard way!"

"Yeah, but now that there aren't that many undead fighters in the ring, he can't rely on his doom spell to get him out of a pinch." Drake mused.

AKANE OWARI

NODE: SUPER DANGANRONPA 2

ENTERED IN: Section 2; Number 39

OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 1

"And Akane has proven that you should never mess with an Ultimate who has a talent that could be used for combat!" Drake grinned.

"Indeed, she used her skills as the Ultimate Gymnast when Street Fighter V's Karin Kanzuki bad luck had forced both women on the ropes." Ashley added. "Literally!"

MUSHU

NODE: KINGDOM HEARTS/MULAN

ENTERED IN: Section 2; Number 41

OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 2

DONKEY

NODE: SHREK

ENTERED IN: Section 2; Number 42

OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 3

"Again, we can't have one without the other!" Drake grinned. "Because these two are proving to be major threats!"

"Indeed!" Ashley nodded. "Donkey is the first person in UVR-history to get a TRIPLE elimination, getting rid of Rashid from Street Fighter, ROB from Super Smash Bros AND Dimitri from Sly Cooper!"

"Mushu's own record is nothing to sneeze at either." Drake added. "He personally took care of Megaman from Servbot and King Dedede from Super Smash Bros!"

BLOSSOM

NODE: CARTOON NETWORK: PUNCH TIME EXPLOSION/POWERPUFF GIRLS

ENTERED IN: Section 2; Number 43

OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 1

"A slow start, but still Blossom's time in the ring is nothing to scoff at." Ashley noted.

"Yeah, Napalm Man from Megaman learned the hard way how ruthless a Powerpuff Girl could be when pushed." Drake smirked.

AMY ROSE

NODE: SONIC THE HEDGEHOG

ENTERED IN: Section 2; Number 47

OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 1

"Another slow bloomer, but you know what they say?" Drake warned with a smirk. "Every rose has its thorns."

"Indeed. She has eliminated Cammy White from Street Fighter V." Ashley added. "Keep in mind though that Cammy has gotten TWO eliminations in her debut section."

GOOFY

NODE: KINGDOM HEARTS/CLASSIC DISNEY SHORTS

ENTERED IN: Section 2; Number 50

OVERALL ELIMINATIONS: 2

Ashley scratched the back of his head. "Well… What could be said about Goofy?"

"Well, for starters, he knows that a free-for-all tournament like this is no place to deal with your problems." Drake mused. "So when he tried to be the mediator and failed, he eliminated both Kim Kaphwan and Chang Koehan, both from King of Fighters XIV. Not the most traditional way to get two eliminations, but so far, this tournament has been anything, BUT traditional."

"Do you think he will continue to get… Unorthodox eliminations?" Ashley asked.

"Maybe if he was forced to fight just like Big was." Drake shrugged. He then brightened up. "Well, that is it for the survivors of the last section. Now it is time for the next set of fighters!"

SAGAT

NODE: STREET FIGHTER

BIG GUY ALERT!

"And here we have the final boss of the original Street Fighter." Drake grinned.

Ashley paused. "That game is considered canon…?"

Drake looked at Ashley in disbelief. "Um, yeah? Yes, it has aged like cheese, but it STILL where people like Ryu and Ken made their debut."

Ashley scratched the back of his head. "Fair… So Sagat is a Shoto?"

"Yeah, his Tiger Shot and Tiger Uppercut could be considered counterparts for Hadoken and Shoryuken." Drake shrugged. "The only thing that DOESN'T define him as a Shoto is his Tiger Knee as his Hurricane Kick and even that is debatable."

Ashley blinked twice. "He… Really likes tigers doesn't he?"

"Oh, yeah, especially since he fits his rivalry with Ryu, who is associated with the dragon!" Drake pointed out.

"Fair enough." Ashley mused.

MR. GAME & WATCH

NODE: SUPER SMASH BROS/GAME & WATCH

Ashley blinked twice. "...He isn't the first time see Mr. Game & Watch nor is he the weirdest character I ever seen, but even now I just can't help looking at him and just be stunned."

"Hey, yeah, Mr. Game & Watch may be the WTF character of Melee, but his appearance isn't COMPLETELY out there." Drake scolded before looking to the side. "Right, Wally?"

The camera then turned to a grinning Wally. "Right, Drake! Mr. Game & Watch was actually the oldest character in the entire roster of Super Smash Bros. Even predating PACMAN!"

"Yes and it kinda shows." Catherine muttered.

Wally glared at Catherine. "Don't be like that. Sure, NOW it is nothing impressive, but at the time, he was revolutionary."

"Fair enough." The pink-haired woman shrugged. "Anyway, Game & Watch was actually Nintendo's first ever handheld system. It was simple yet effective."

"Aye, it uses calculator-like graphics and the games were just as simple." Wally explained. "Like flipping sausages in a frying pan, saving people from a burning building and getting treasure while avoiding an octopus."

"While nothing spectacular, it is worth noting that if it wasn't for the series, we probably wouldn't get Metroid, Dr. Mario and Fire Emblem." Catherine nodded. She then rolled her eyes. "On the OTHER hand, it DID create the Virtual Boy."

"Hey, not ALL gaming steps has to be a homerun." Wally nervously chuckled. "Anyway, Game & Watch is a staple of Nintendo history and while he is arguably a WTF character, he definitely deserves his spot on this roster."

Drake clapped his hands as the camera went back to him. "Beautiful, mate!"

"Indeed…" Ashley mused. "So Mr. Game & Watch's fighting strategy… Is to be random."

"Pretty much. Not only is it rare to use the same action for an attack, but he is prepared for any kind of strategy." Drake explained. "He is hard to telegraph due to his limited movements, it is tough to dodge his barrage of sausages and last, but certainly not least, there is his Judge move. His most deadly move."

"Yes, if he gets a 9. The move is completely random!" Ashley reminded. "If he gets an 1, not only would he do pitiful damage, but he would damage HIMSELF!"

Drake just shrugged. "Mr. Game & Watch probably knew that and decided that it is worth the risk."

KNUCKLES THE ECHIDNA

NODE: SONIC THE HEDGEHOG

"Here he comes! Rougher than the rest of them! The best of them! Tougher than the others!" Drake rapped.

"NO." Ashley said.

Drake rolled his eyes. "Joykill. So like Amy, Knuckles is a Sonic staple. Being Sonic's rival before Shadow the Hedgehog."

"So along with being fast, Knuckles is also strong." Ashley mused.

"Yeah, and he is a great close-range fighter, using a somewhat of a boxing style." Drake explained. "He should be a huge threat."

The two then paused.

"...How long do you think his gullibility would get him in trouble?" Ashley asked.

"Immediately. What I'M concerned about is if it would result in his elimination." Drake muttered.

PIKACHU

NODE: SUPER SMASH BROS/POKEMON

Drake's eyes lit up. "Hey! The original winner of the Battle of the Luminaries is here!"

"With the draw he got, I doubt he would win this tournament, but hey, he should last a long time!" Ashley smiled.

"No doubt!" Drake grinned. "Catherine, I KNOW you are dying to talk about him!"

The camera came to a grinning Catherine. "Oh my god, you know me TOO well! Where do I even begin?"

Wally just chuckled. "Well, ya could start with the main series."

Catherine finally nodded her head. "Pokemon is about an adorable game full of these cute creatures that you could put into a ball."

"Ya could make friends with them, but also have them battle other Pokemon." Wally explained. "The system is simple. Ya find a team of six Pokemon and have them battle other trainers until ya are the champion of yer region."

"This formula had gone on for eight regions. Though the Alola region had spiced things up." Catherine pointed out. "Oh, and there are eighteen types for the Pokemon which are basically elements. Sure, you get your usual like fire and water, but there is also steel, psychic and fairy!"

"As ya could expect, this spawned a bunch of well-known Pokemon in the world like Charizard, Lucario and of course, Pikachu!" Wally grinned.

"Oh, it also spawned various spin-offs!" Catherine beamed. "Like Stadium, Mystery Dungeon, Pokken Tournament and much more!"

"Pokemon is the most financially successful franchise in the world, beat only by Hello Kitty!" Wally grinned.

"You can NOT think about Nintendo without thinking about Pokemon!" Catherine grinned.

The camera went back to Drake. "Thanks, Cat. I knew we could trust you on this."

"Now this goes without saying, but Pikachu is an electric type." Ashley explained. "Combined that with being fast."

"Also, he knows Iron Tail which is good with clashing with weapons!" Drake pointed out.

Ashley blinked twice. "But he doesn't know that in the games."

"But he DOES know it in PokePark and is considered one of his signature moves." Drake pointed out. "Remember, everyone doesn't have to be limited to their Super Smash Bros moveset.

GENERAL TSAO

NODE: SLY COOPER

Drake and Ashley immediately grunted in disgust.

"And here we have the charmer of ALL women everywhere." Drake muttered.

Ashley shook his head. "Now, now, let's be professional about this."

"Yeah, you're right." Drake said. He then sighed. "Tsao is actually a tough boss the first time you fight him if you don't know what you are doing. Not only is he strong AND fast, but he also has a shield that is not only good at defense, but also turns into a buzzsaw."

"Also, he knows black magic where he could send out fireballs and summon swarms of zombie hands and dragon spirits." Ashley explained. "Also, he is a brilliant strategist. Being one of the only villains the Cooper gang didn't defeat and Carmelita did that off-screen."

The two then paused.

"...He is going to crash and burn hard, isn't he?" Ashley asked.

"BIG TIME." Drake agreed. "He may be strong, but his horrible attitude is going to get him eliminated out of anger."

SQUIRTLE

NODE: SUPER SMASH BROS/SQUIRTLE

Ashley raised an eyebrow. "Heh. Another Pokemon this soon?"

"Yeah, and this time, it was one of the three Pokemon of the trainer, Red." Drake noted.

"Wait… The Pokemon trainer has a canon name?" Ashley asked.

"Yeah, it is stated in other games." Drake agreed. "Anyway, just like Pikachu, Squirtle is a little speedy little buddy. However, while Pikachu is more balanced in offense and evasion, Squirtle is more evasive."

"Not surprisingly, because he is a Water-type Pokemon." Ashley mused. "The element of water tends to be more defensive."

"Yeah, well, Squirtle definitely wants to go on the offensive here now that he figured out Stitch's weakness!" Drake warned with a smirk. "Well, if Stitch needs to prove himself that he is willing to take on any and all enemies, this was it."

RALF JONES

NODE: KING OF FIGHTERS/IKARI WARRIORS

Drake raised an eyebrow. "Huh. Clark's other half is here this already?"

"Looks like it. It seems that several King of Fighters had been showing up with people that are usually their teammates." Ashley mused. "First, Kim, Chang & Luong, next, Athena & Kensou and now these two."

Drake just shrugged. "Anyway, if Clark is the grappler, then Ralf is the rushdown guy."

"Even I could tell that by the way he punches like a machine gun." Ashley noted. He then paused. "Um, how does his punches explode like grenades?"

"Experience with both punches and explosives gave him an advantage?" Drake suggested. "I don't know."

MUI MUI

NODE: KING OF FIGHTERS XIV/DRAGON GAL

Ashley blinked his eyes. "I knew that we will be getting a bunch of King of Fighters characters this section, but you would think that at least one fighter from another node would come between Ralf and Mui Mui."

"Eh?" Drake shrugged. "Anyway, Mui Mui is a character that not only appeared in another game, but she never actually appeared on a console or handheld. She was from a Pachislot machine!"

"...You know. All I know about Pachislots is that "they ruined Konami" or something like that." Ashley said.

"Honestly, same." Drake sighed. He then turned off-screen. "Yo, Catherine, came to help explain."

The camera focused on Catherine rolling her eyes. "Okay, first off, Pachislots have already been around, long before Konami has gone down the toilet."

"Okay, so what is a Pachislot?" Wally asked.

"Well, Wally, at first, it seems like a Western slot machine, but there are several differences." Catherine pointed out. "For starters, instead of regular coins, you get specific coins. Albeit you have to pay for them first. Another is that you could stop the slots individually."

The kangaroo's eyes lit up at this. "Really? But wait, does that mean someone with extreme hand-and-eye coordination could possibly win."

"Yeah. While luck is still a major factor, there is also skill." Catherine said. "Also, instead of winning MORE money, you just win chances to get prizes."

"Oh, so like a mature ticket exchange?" Wally asked.

Catherine giggled. "Yes, I guess you could say that. Anyway, Dragon Gal is one of the many SNK-brand Pachislots."

"Apparently it is about a girl from Ancient China who is super-cute, but super-tough and going around beating up bad guys, depending on how the slots literally roll." Wally said, scratching the back of his head.

"Yes. It is also worth noting that Mui Mui has a lot of skills that she doesn't use in King of Fighters." Catherine pointed out. "Like she likes to whack her foes away with a frying pan. And she could summon a nimbus cloud."

Wally's eyes lit up. "Just like in Dragonball?"

"Considering that Mui Mui has a Super Saiyan Form, yes." Catherine said.

"No lie! Woah!" Wally grinned. "Suddenly, Ah am interested in Dragon Gal."

"Yes, well, considering how popular said Pachislot is, it's got a couple of "sequels"." Catherine shrugged. "Anyway, guys, back to you."

The camera went back to Ashley. "Thank you, Catherine. That was more than insightful."

"Anyway, even though Mui Mui doesn't have all of her abilities from her debut… Game, she is still a powerful martial artist in her own right, topped only by her love of Meat Buns!" Drake grinned.

Ashley blinked twice. "Isn't that just Li Xiangfei?"

Drake just paused. "Yeah, I noticed that too. But at the same time, she was created separately from King of Fighters so I guess she could get away with it?"

BAYMAX

NODE: KINGDOM HEARTS/BIG HERO 6

Drake's eyes lit up. "Dude, it is Baymax!"

Ashley frowned. "But isn't he a Healthcare robot AND a pacifist?"

"Yeah, but he is also a superhero." Drake reminded.

"That fight villains. And even with human ones, he tries to do so in the least violent way possible!" Ashley paused.

Drake rolled his eyes. "Look, we would continue this conversation later, but for now, let's go to Wally and Catherine."

The camera went to a nodding Wally. "Big Hero 6 is a Disney superhero movie. However, it was based on the Marvel comics of the same day."

"Having Marvel under their thumb really helps." Catherine noted.

Wally chuckled nervously. "Yeah, the city takes place in San Fransokyo! A city that is… Well, San Franchiso and Tokyo combined."

"Basically the creators clearly had writer's block on where the comic-turned-movie would turn place and took the lazy way out and said "Why not both"?" Catherine shrugged. "Anyway, as the name suggests, the story is about a superhero team of six, but it focuses on two main characters: Hiro Hamada and Baymax."

"Hiro, in question, is a child prodigy, graduating high school at 14. He was set to attend this super university where he could use his powers to his fullest." Wally explained. His smile then vanished. "But his older brother and idol died in a fire at said university."

"It drove him into a big set of grief. Until he found out that someone is using his invention for evil." Catherine explained. "So with Baymax, his late brother's greatest invention and his four friends, they decided to stop whoever was behind this."

"The movie dealt with heavy stuff like grief and revenge." Wally frowned. He then brightened up. "Fortunately, it is balanced by the best sidekick you could ask for!"

"I know, right? Baymax is absolutely adorable! Then again, he is made to be friendly!" Catherine beamed. "The movie was a success and even got its own series after that! Back to you, guys!"

The camera went back to Ashley nodding his head. "Thank you, guys. Now about Baymax."

"Again, I doubt Hiro would let Baymax enter a FIGHTING tournament if he didn't tell him the basics." Drake reminded. "That and he doesn't have to hurt him, he just has to get them out of the ring."

"Yes, but he is spending his time healing Big instead of fighting!" Ashley scolded.

"...I mean GOOFY got a double elimination despite doing the LEAST amount of fighting." Drake pointed out.

Ashley paused before sighing. "Touche."

Then, the alarm started to go off.

"Woah-oh! It is Mystery Fighter Time!" Drake grinned. "Who is it THIS time?"

LUCCA

NODE: CHRONO TRIGGER

Drake raised an eyebrow. "Her picture makes her look like she is from Dragonball."

"She should. The people who did for Chrono Trigger also did the same for that anime." Ashley reminded. "Same with Dragon Quest."

Drake paused before smirking. "You should know."

Ashley chuckled. "I could go on for ten minutes, but not only do we not have that kind of time, but I do not want to steal Wally and Catherine's screentime. Speaking of which…"

The camera went to a nodding Wally. "Chrono Trigger is a Square-Enix game so thankfully it is easy to think that it is a Final Fantasy spin-off, but it is much more than that."

"For starters, the gameplay. At first, it seems the same as Final Fantasy, just with the characters spread out then in a line." Catherine said. "But the characters could use "Techs" move that works best if their enemies are in a specific position for more damage."

"Speaking of the characters, they are all from different timelines. That's right. This game is about Time Travel!" Wally smirked.

"On paper, this sounds like a recipe for disaster. However, the story does a decent job telling you the implications of messing with time and the risks the heroes have when trying to fix what is right." Catherine nodded.

"The game became a cult classic and spawned two sequels!" Wally grinned. He then faltered. "However, one of them was Radical Dreamers, a visual novel that no one heard of before."

"And the other one was Chrono Cross. A game that tried to be Suikoden and failed." Catherine nodded. "Regardless, it is one of the best-known JRPGs of its time. Back to you, guys."

The camera went back to a nodding Drake. "Thanks, guys. Now, about Lucca's fighting style."

"Well, she has a gun for long-range and a hammer for short-range, but their attack output is quite low. So is her defense." Ashley mused. "But that is fine because she is more of a "mage."

"Ah, I think I heard before that Orange DID like his mages." Drake noted.

"Anyway, every character is assigned a single "element". Lucca's own is fire." Ashley explained. "So not only can she cast fire magic, but she has special weapons that deal fire damage like flamethrowers and grenades. She could also hypnotize people to sleep and raise her or one of her allies' defense."

Drake let out a descending whistle. "She definitely sounds like a mage."

"Yes, well, the trick is keeping her opponents away from her." Ashley mused. "Oh, she has to watch out for Squirtle because she could take extra damage by water attacks."

"Right. Normally, we would continue, but because of the sudden increase of fighters, we have to take a break." Drake said.

Ashley nodded his head. "Indeed. We will be right back!"

archiveofourown / works/ 25531129 / chapters / 63967162