(VG Central; Megamix Hotel Lobby)
The Megamix Tournament was officially making a comeback. The tournament host had plastered announcements and promo material on what seemed to be every type of social media platform, and it seemed that a lot of talk was being drummed up about the return of something after a decade-long hiatus. People all around the multiverse were looking forward to seeing the Megamix Tournament come back, many of them still riding the excitement highs of similar tournaments like the Battles of the Luminaries, Tournament of Kikai and Okron Tournament, the last of which having been held in the Megamix Dome itself.
The tournament was due to start in a couple weeks time. A familiar blue wolf walked through the front doors of the hotel connected to the Megamix Dome, stepping into the large, open space and laminated tile floors of the hotel lobby. Tinyhammer looked around in what appeared to be amazement as he wandered over to the empty receptionist's desk, only noticing that it was empty once he had gotten to it.
Tinyhammer looked around curiously, as if trying to find someone in the lobby. "Um…Hello?" He asked.
"Oh! Tiny, you're here already!"
Tinyhammer turned to his left and saw SSBFreak entering the lobby through a side door, grinning from ear to ear. He approached his friend as the two greeted each other.
"I never thought I'd see the day where you'd be going back to the Megamix Tournament, SSB!" Tinyhammer laughed.
"Hey, what can I say? You, Orange and Grey doing your respective tournaments gave me a lot of inspiration!" SSBFreak gave a shrug. "I wasn't expecting to make a comeback here either, to be honest."
"I still can't believe that the dome and hotel's back up and running, man! The place is spotless!" Tinyhammer said as he looked around. "Heck, I saw the promo material for the Okron Tournament being held here and I couldn't believe it THEN!"
"I know, Tiny. It's still a little surreal that the dome's up and running again." SSBFreak nodded.
"How did you get it all fixed? There was so much damage done to the dome and hotel that it seemed easier to DEMOLISH the place and rebuild it." Tinyhammer noted. "But you managed to get it back up to snuff in time to rent the place out to Grey!"
SSBFreak rubbed the back of his head and looked away. "Wellll…" He said. "That's…More thanks to my benefactor."
"Benefactor? You got someone to financially invest in the dome?"
"Um…Kinda."
"He means me, doggie!"
Tinyhammer jumped in surprise at the new voice that echoed throughout the lobby. He spun around just in time to see a purple pillar of magic appear out of thin air, dissipating as fast as it showed up. Once the pillar fizzled out, Tinyhammer found himself staring into the eyes of a familiar old man with gray hair, a colourful suit, decorative walking stick and manic grin.
"Ah, the look of surprise when a newcomer meets an insane immortal for the first time! Nothing quite like it!" The old man laughed heavily. "Well, other than drifting off to sleep accompanied by the gentle sounds of screaming rabbits. Good thing I don't sleep. I hate sleep."
SSBFreak sighed. "Tiny, meet my benefactor: Daedric Prince of Madness from the Elder Scrolls, Sheogorath." He said.
"Charmed." Sheogorath winked. "I go by many names: The Mad Star, the Gentleman with a Cane, the Skooma Cat, the Lord of the Creative. But you, my blue, wolfy friend? You can call me 'Ann Marie'. Seriously, go on. I DARE you."
SSBFreak quickly placed a hand on Tinyhammer's shoulder. "Just…It's just 'Sheogorath'." He reminded before realizing that Sheogorath was holding his hand out expectantly for Tinyhammer to shake. "I'd…Also recommend NOT shaking his hand."
"Oh, come on! I need hands for my collection!" Sheogorath insisted but nevertheless dropped his hand.
"Uh…Noted." Tinyhammer said. "So…You rebuilt the dome and hotel and undid all the damage?"
"Quite easily so, as a matter of fact. All for a simple favour of being given a small piece of the action myself." Sheogorath grinned. "Well, I guess the two of us went back and forth a few times with conditions and counter-conditions for about twenty minutes but we all got it sorted out in the end, eh?"
SSBFreak gave a sigh. "Yes, we did. In fact, I'm honestly surprised that you kept up your end of the bargain to stay out of Grey's tournament." He admitted.
"Of course! I'm a man of my word, after all! In fact, I'm a man of many words! Like this one: Fizgig! Like that one? That's mine. Donut steel."
SSBFreak turned to Tinyhammer. "To make a long story short, he rebuilt the dome and hotel in return for, among other things, being a Mystery Fighter in my upcoming tournament and a private booth." He explained.
"Oh, well that seems…Reasonable, I guess?" Tinyhammer scratched his head.
"Ah, it's good to be back in the old stomping grounds!" A new, familiar voice called out.
"I know! Even revitalized by a mad god it still smells like stale corn dogs in here!" A second voice agreed.
Tinyhammer's eyes widened as he turned his head again, seeing five people walking into the lobby with two very-familiar figures leading the way: One human with dreadlocks, a white tank top, ripped jeans and arms covered in tattoos and one short, bipedal rabbity creature with a toothy grin.
"HEYA, TINY!" The human and rabbit said happily as one.
Tinyhammer was quick to shoot SSBFreak a glare. "You invited Psymon and Max to be on the security team AGAIN?!" He asked.
SSBFreak sighed and looked at the ceiling in frustration. "That…Was another of Sheogorath's conditions." He relented.
The mad god in question gave another hearty laugh. "Ah, yes! The heralds of chaos themselves!" Sheogorath greeted. "It'll be good to watch the antics they get up to this time around! I'll have a private booth to it and everything!"
Tinyhammer blinked. "You…Have a private booth for the EVENT. Not for the goings-on behind the scenes." He pointed out.
"Doooon't I?" Sheogorath said with a sly smirk. All Tinyhammer could do in response was blink in confusion.
"So when do we get to bash some skulls in? There's only so long I can stand in one place before my psychotically-violent impulses start acting up." Max, the small rabbit, said casually.
"Guys, the tournament isn't for two weeks." SSBFreak reminded. "You guys are just here to check in and get used to the layout of the place."
"Hey, the building's the same, the hallways are the same. Max and I are right at home already!" Psymon Stark, the dreadlocked human, laughed before turning to a tattoo on his left arm. "No, I'm not saying we're moving here! Why do you take things so literally all the time?!...I know the SSX series hasn't seen any new games in ten years…Yeah, I know I haven't had my dreadlocks since 3 but this is the design everyone likes so we're sticking with it!...No, we're NOT going back to the mohawk!"
"I've…Forgotten how much I DIDN'T miss this…" Tinyhammer shook his head.
SSBFreak cleared his throat. "Um…If I can introduce the security team this time?" He asked.
"Oh! Go right ahead!" Max said. "Psymon and I can't hog ALL the spotlight here!"
"As much as we'd personally love to." Psymon said eagerly as he and Max stepped to either side of the three newcomers and waved jazz hands at them, as if showing them off.
The first person introduced, shown to be the tallest of the five security members, was a tall, muscled woman with braided, blonde hair, dressed in what looked to be a riot vest and a pair of jeans, complete with protective pads over the knees. "This is Estel Aguirre from Streets of Rage." SSBFreak mentioned. "I knew we needed someone with skill on the force for something like this and she's proven to be capable of crushing an entire street gang all by herself."
Estel cracked her knuckles. "Heh. I won't disappoint you. Hopefully the others can keep up with me." She informed. "I take my work VERY seriously, after all."
"Weren't you tricked into fighting the heroes in Streets of Rage 4?" Max teased with a trollish grin. He received a bonk on the top of the head from Estel for his troubles.
The next was a thin, tall, lanky man dressed in a green top, green pants and green shoes. In fact, not only were his clothes green but so was his skin and short hair. A green gas tank was strapped to his back and he held a green flamethrower in his hands. The green man seemed to be giving a smirk, showing off green teeth as he did. "Next we have Scorch, coming from the Army Men franchise." SSBFreak introduced.
"Ah. I guess that explains all the green." Tinyhammer nodded in understanding. "He's made of green plastic."
"That'd be right. Thanks for the job, by the way." Scorch nodded. "Things have been a little dull for the last decade or so since the Army Men franchise kinda died."
Estel lifted an eyebrow. "Wait. You're plastic and wield a flamethrower?" She asked.
"Yyyyyyep." Scorch smirked. "Know anyone you want turned into a campfire?"
"Ohhhhhh, I like that one!" Sheogorath said giddily. He was promptly ignored.
The last of the five was a small girl who looked to be no older than twelve, dressed in a green floor-length dress. She had light brown hair and stood just slightly taller than Max, whom was already the shortest person in the room. "Finally, we have Lucia, one of the adoptive daughters of the Dragonborn from Skyrim." SSBFreak finished.
"Wait. Why one of the Dragonborn's KIDS?" Tinyhammer lifted an eyebrow. "Wouldn't it make more sense to invite the Dragonborn?"
Lucia raised a hand, as if asking permission to speak, and then spoke up when the hosts were looking at her. "Well, mama's real busy back home being the hero of Skyrim and everything." She explained. "Uncle Sheogorath insisted that I be enlisted into the team."
Tinyhammer glanced at the mad god in question. "...'UNCLE' Sheogorath?" He asked.
"What can I say? I've taken a liking to the shouty, hacky dragon-slayer and her kids love it when I pop by for a visit!" Sheogorath laughed. "Don't worry about Lucia, though! She's hard-working and has the same adventurous spunk that her soul-stealing mother does!"
"You bet! I'm so excited to be doing this!" Lucia nodded eagerly. "I won't let you down!"
Tinyhammer blinked and then turned to SSBFreak. "So...Another of Sheogorath's conditions?" He asked.
"Yep." SSBFreak rolled his eyes. "But, anyways, that's all five security team members. Hopefully we can-"
"AaAaAaAaAaAahhhh! I'm a fermented talk-show host!"
SSBFreak froze. Tinyhammer froze. Slowly, the two turned back to the security team and saw a new figure standing with the group that literally hadn't been there a couple seconds prior, standing next to the confused Lucia. The new figure was a strange, armless white being with a massive underbite, wearing a tiny hat on his bald head. The only other clothing the figure appeared to be wearing was a blue shirt with a single word displayed across it in big, white letters...
...'HOMSAR'.
"Uh...Where'd the new guy come from?" Max asked aloud.
"Ooooh-no! Mah Jengaship sprang a leak!" Homsar said randomly as his hat floated above his head for a few seconds before landing gracefully back in place.
SSBFreak paused before stepping forward, shaking his head. "Nope. Nope, I'm drawing the line at Homsar." He said as he grabbed Homsar, carried him over to the front door, opened it, and chucked the white being out the door like a football. "I don't know what you're trying to prove, Sheogorath, but-"
The blonde man stopped himself when he turned around and froze again, seeing Homsar standing in front of him as if the host hadn't just chucked him out of the building. Homsar glanced up at SSBFreak with a blank stare. "Mah flowerbed's covered in turnip seeds..." He said.
SSBFreak glanced at Sheogorath and held his hand out, gesturing at Homsar indignantly. The mad god held up his hands in defence. "Hey, now! That one's not one of mine!" He insisted. "But, hey, since he's here and you obviously can't get rid of him..."
"Homsar is NOT joining the team!" SSBFreak insisted as Homsar silently waddled over to the rest of the security team obliviously.
"Hey, like I said, I ain't responsible for bringing him here, so if you can get rid of him, by all means, be my guest." Sheogorath smirked, seemingly knowing full-well that SSBFreak would never be able to get rid of Homsar.
Lucia giggled as she poked Homsar's cheek. "He's cute! I like him!" She said.
"Eh. He's a solid six out of ten at best." Max shrugged. "I'd have to lower my standards a bit for this one."
"...Welp, that's an image I'm never getting out of my head." Estel said flatly.
Tinyhammer glanced around. "Well, it looks like things are sort of back to normal." He chuckled. "Sorry I can't help you host this tournament, though."
"Eh, it's fine. You've got a lot going on and you're dealing with your own tournament stuff in Fictograph." SSBFreak admitted. "Though, that said, I DO still need to find a co-host that is as capable of dealing with this chaos as the two of us are."
Suddenly, everyone heard a loud sound coming from the doorway that sounded like a portal opening up. They turned and saw a swirling vortex of blue and purple standing in midair near the entrance door to the hotel.
"...aaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAHHHH!" A voice screamed from within the portal, coming closer and clearer by the second, as a figure clad in purple was thrown out of the portal like a ragdoll, landing flat on their face and skidding along the tile flooring for several feet before coming to a screeching halt at SSBFreak's feet.
"...Owwwwwww..."
Slowly, the figure stood up, revealing a humanoid figure in a purple cloak that fully-obscured any trace of his face save for two beady eyes, a belt draped over one shoulder and a green cape that hung down around the backs of his knees. He was using a white-gloved hand to rub his hooded head in pain.
"Ugh...I thought I had met my quota for inter-dimensional portals this month..." The figure muttered, more to himself.
SSBFreak blinked, recognizing the new figure as a particular OC of his. "...KHALL?!" He asked.
The figure turned his head, saw SSBFreak staring at him and gave a friendly wave. "Oh. Heya, boss-man." He replied casually. "Sorry for the unannounced drop-in. I still don't really have a say in when a multiversal portal yanks me from my home dimension and where it decides to drop me." He took a moment to look around for a few seconds. "Uh...Where'd the portal drop me THIS time? Is it time for Artfight again already?"
SSBFreak stared, unsure how to proceed. "Khall, this is VG Central. I'm...Starting up the Megamix Tournament again." He explained.
Khall blinked. "Oh, that old crossover thing you did, like, ten or so years ago? That's kind of a weird thing to go back to." He mentioned. "So...Why am I here then?"
"Uh...What do you mean?"
"I mean, I'm OBVIOUSLY here for something or else the portal would have just left me alone." Khall reminded. "So what is it? You entering me in an OC-fighting tournament again like old times? Getting back to that RPG Maker game you've been putting off for so long?"
SSBFreak glanced at Tinyhammer for support, only to see the blue wolf giving him a knowing glance. "...NO." He said flatly.
"Hey, Orange and I gave the responsibility of hosting our tournaments to OUR OCs." Tinyhammer shrugged.
"YOUR OCs aren't time-and-space-hopping ninjas with short attention spans and the IQ of a sack of potatoes." SSBFreak retorted.
Tinyhammer gave a shrug. "You DID just say that you needed a co-host." He mentioned.
"But it's KHALL!"
"At least if he's co-hosting with you then you'll be able to keep your eyes on him." Tinyhammer pointed out. "That's quite frankly better than NOT knowing where in the dome or hotel he is."
SSBFreak opened his mouth to retort again only to close it when he realized that his friend had a point. After a few seconds he groaned and turned to the purple-clad ninja again. "Khall, I need a co-host for the tournament. Can you do it?" He asked.
Khall stood in silence for a few seconds, blinked a couple of times...And shrugged. "Innuh." He said.
SSBFreak sighed. "Good enough." He admitted.
Tinyhammer paused for a moment, scratching his head. "Well, now that that's...Uh...Out of the way..." He mentioned. "Is there anything about the roster that you changed up this time around?"
"Yeah, the biggest thing was that, since Smash's roster was getting to be...Pretty big, I ended up splitting up the reps and giving them their own nodes." SSBFreak shrugged. "The Mario characters get their own node, as do the Pokemon, while the Zelda reps are entering with the Hyrule Warriors node and the...I guess Sony-like characters like Snake and Cloud are entering with the Playstation crew."
"Makes sense." Tinyhammer shrugged. "I also saw that there are a few less nodes on the list than what you mentioned to me earlier?"
SSBFreak sighed. "Yeah, that's my fault. I didn't realize I had that many prospective nodes and fighters until I compiled my list so I had to make a few regrettable cuts to make way for some of the new nodes." He rolled his eyes.
"Splintering the Smash fighters into SIX different nodes couldn't have helped much."
"Yeah, I guess I just didn't want the Smash roster to overwhelm everything else with their roster of almost a hundred fighters." SSBFreak shook his head. "But, other than that? I think things are pretty much ready. Invitations were sent out not long ago so I think the only thing to do is wait the two weeks until the event."
"Two weeks?" Khall blinked before sighing. "Welp, I guess I'm sleeping here."
"Uh...Says who?" SSBFreak asked.
"Hey, I didn't exactly ASK for the inter-dimensional portal to yank me out of my home universe, boss-man." Khall said flatly. "So unless another one just magically appears to take me back, then I-"
All of a sudden, a swirling vortex of blue and purple appeared above Khall, surprising most of the people gathered (Sheogorath appeared to be taking notes while Max looked up at the colours in awe). Khall glanced upwards at the portal and stood in silence for a few seconds. "Oh. Nevermind. There it is." He said casually. "I guess I'll see you in a couple weeks for the tourney, boss-man."
Khall was suddenly pulled into the vortex cape-first and the ninja vanished into the abyss with another shout. Khall's screams echoed through the lobby as the vortex closed up again.
Estel blinked a few times before breaking the silence. "Are...We just going to pretend like that didn't happen?" She asked.
SSBFreak, Tinyhammer, Sheogorath and the rest of the security team stood in silence (or floated around aimlessly, in Homsar's case), looking at each other for a few seconds. "Eh." Almost everyone responded with a casual shrug.
"Well, if that's everything, I feel I must go and prepare for the tournament myself." Sheogorath said as he stepped forward. "I mean, I need to make sure my private booth is up to snuff and all that."
"You were the one who PUT IT IN when you rebuilt the dome." SSBFreak mentioned.
"Yeah, but I have a tendency to change my mind here and there. It's quite maddening, you see." Sheogorath laughed as he cleared his throat. "Heeeeere, Haskie, Haskie, Haskie!"
Another pillar of energy erupted in the air and dissipated a couple of seconds after it appeared, revealing a portly, balding man in a suit with a bored, dying-on-the-inside expression. The newcomer gave a sigh. "I hope I didn't keep you waiting, sir. It's a bit of a hassle travelling between dimensions." He said dryly.
Sheogorath laughed. "Punctual as ever, Haskill!" He said. "Be a dear and go make sure my private booth is properly furnished for the tournament, will you? Oh, and make sure that the room is stocked with the finest Breton cheese that you can find! Remember: BRETON. Not any of that rubbish Nordic cheese."
Haskill cleared his throat. "If I may, my lord, the tournament isn't for another two weeks." He reminded. "Any cheese I put out will surely expire during that time."
"Ah! Good point! Better make it the Ancient Daedric stuff then. That stuff keeps longer." Sheogorath said. "Oh, right! Make sure you remember the 'you-know-what'."
"The 'you-know-what', sir?"
"Yeah, Haskie! You know! The 'you-know-what'!"
"Yes, sir. I know the 'you-know-what'. I'm just checking to make sure you KNOW you want the 'you-know-what'."
"Of COURSE I want the 'you-know-what'! You know I wouldn't have said I wanted you to remember the 'you-know-what' if I didn't MEAN I wanted you to remember the 'you-know-what'!"
"Very good, sir." Haskill sighed. "I'll be sure to remember to pick it up."
"Good boy. Off you go, then!"
Another pillar of energy enveloped Haskill, making Sheogorath's chamberlain disappear from the lobby. Once Haskill was gone, Sheogorath turned to see SSBFreak glaring at him. "...What? Is my beard slipping again?" He asked.
"...What are you planning?" SSBFreak asked suspiciously.
"Nothing that concerns you, believe me!" Sheogorath laughed. "Don't worry; it's not going to disrupt your tournament."
"You're LITERALLY the god of MADNESS."
"Just believe me! It's nothing you need to worry about!"
SSBFreak held his head. "Just the fact that it's YOU saying that it's nothing I need to worry about is MORE THAN ENOUGH reason for me to worry about it!" He exclaimed.
"Hey, am I the type to scheme about something behind your back like that?" Sheogorath asked innocently before pausing a few seconds, as if going over what he had just said. "...Don't answer that."
Without giving anyone time to respond, Sheogorath tapped the end of his walking stick into the floor, summoning another pillar of magic, engulfing the mad god and teleporting him away, leaving the lobby one less person. Homsar floated by where Sheogorath had been standing a second before. "AaAaAaAaAah! Mah kidney stones are fluttering, Geraldo!" He said randomly.
Tinyhammer blinked. "Wow. You...Really have your hands full here." He admitted.
SSBFreak sighed. "...Yeah."
(Unknown Location; Shadaloo Lair)
M. Bison was not in a good mood.
The evil dictator glanced down at the invitation in his hands, looking it over and over again to make sure he was reading it right. But, try as he may, there was no changing the letters on the invitation; it was indeed a personal invite to the Megamix Tournament, something he had actually been enjoying not getting for the past number of years now.
Bison had a complicated history with these multi-dimensional fighting tournaments, to say the absolute least, starting all the way back in the original run of the UVR tournaments. Bison had attempted plots of his own in all three of the prior Megamix Tournaments, the Battle of the Luminaries and even the recent Okron Tournament, but had been handed defeat after defeat in every instance, each of his plans left it tatters at the tournament's conclusion. He didn't even get to see his plan in the third Megamix to completion because of the mass power outage (that, in all fairness, his allies had been the direct cause of).
And now, here he was, looking over an invitation to yet another tournament. Bison, at this point, was feeling burned out. He knew that almost every person he had ever wronged in all of the previous tournaments would likely be there. Was there even a point to trying to pull something off? He had more than enough ideas for the kinds of things he and potential allies could do in the multiversal setting of the Megamix Tournament, but he also knew that the chances of him actually being able to pull anything off were slim to none, especially since he had tried so many times in the past and failed each time.
"Oh, this is amazing, Lord Bison! We'll strike at these people right under their noses!"
...And then there was F.A.N.G...
Bison noticed that, in recent years, he had a distinct lack of support. The dolls were all freed of his mind control, Sagat had left the organization years ago, Birdie up and quit Shadaloo and Bison suspected both Balrog and Vega of having possible secret agendas when before the two could easily be convinced to fight for him if given enough coin. The only undoubtedly loyal minion Bison had left was F.A.N.G., someone whom, while easily manipulated into submission by the dictator, was nowhere near as reliable as many of Bison's former subordinates.
F.A.N.G. was gleefully thinking at the kind of chaos Bison could reap at the tournaments, seemingly oblivious to the dictator's sour expression. "Just think, sir! You could have the powers of the multiverse in the palm of your hands!" He said excitedly. "Or maybe you can finally achieve immortality by utilizing the powers of some of the other fighters there that already have it! Oh, I can't wait! Soon EVERYONE will be fearing the name of-"
"No."
F.A.N.G. paused. "Um...I'm sorry, Lord Bison?" He asked.
"I said no. I will be conducting no such planning or plotting at this tournament." Bison informed plainly. "I have tried and failed FAR too many times. Nothing is worth the amount of headaches these tournaments bring, and that's something I should have realized at least two tournaments ago..."
"But...B-But if you don't try to plan something then you're leaving the door open for some OTHER mastermind to take all the glory you rightfully deserve!" F.A.N.G. half-pleaded.
"Good. Let THEM try and plan something. They'll see how impossible it is to do anything in a tournament dome filled with hundreds of potential annoying pests that will do everything they can to stop them." Bison retorted. "Let someone ELSE deal with the humiliating defeat and loss for a change. I'll have NO PART in it, and I expect you to do the same."
"H-Huh?"
"If YOU try assisting a plot in some form, then some pest will surely link you to ME." Bison replied simply. "I intend to go, take part in the tournament and then simply retire to my room."
"O-Of course, Lord Bison." F.A.N.G. nodded hastily. "You...You deserve all the downtime in the world! You've had to go through so much in all of these past tournaments, after all..."
Bison sighed and sat back in his chair. He had a feeling he was going to regret this...
(Southtown; Pao Pao Cafe)
"Hey, Bob! Another round for the table!" Terry Bogard called out, resulting in a huge round of cheers.
K' grumbled as he looked around the crowded cafe, seeing the likes of the Bogards, Joe Higashi, Kyo and his friends and even some of the Ikari Warriors all gathered for the evening. It seemed that receiving an invitation to another multiversal fighting tournament was a cause for a celebration and it attracted the attention of what must have been everyone in his node that received an invite.
And, as such, K' hated it. He hated people; he hated crowded places; he hated being out and about and being expected to mingle with people he hated. The only reason he was even IN this cafe tonight was the fact that Maxima had roped him into coming when Kula expressed interest in going. The three unlikely friends sat at a booth to the side of the cafe, keeping to themselves, although Kula was looking around curiously at the people filling in the place and looking hungrily at every dessert that one of the waiters walked by with before going to the menu and trying to see if she could find it for herself.
K' sulked and folded his arms. "Why are we even here?" He muttered as he glanced over to Maxima.
Maxima couldn't help but chuckle. "Because sometimes you need to get out more." He informed. "Plus, Whip mentioned that she may have some intel for us."
"Why did you even agree to that? You know I hate relying on those army people." K' grumbled.
"I know you do, but for the moment we're allies." Maxima reminded. "Plus, any info we get on someone we need to keep our eyes open for is appreciated."
"By YOU, maybe."
"I was wondering which corner of the cafe I'd find you sulking in." A new voice suddenly mentioned.
K' looked up and saw a familiar-looking brunette woman approaching his booth, dressed in military garb. She had a sly smirk on her face as she came over. Kula, seeing the newcomer, lit up. "Whippy!" She exclaimed. "Hi!"
"Find anything off the menu you wanted yet, Kula?" Whip joked as she sat down beside the blue-haired girl.
"I don't know! Everything looks so good!" Kula replied.
"She's spent the whole time looking at the dessert menu, by the way." Maxima smirked.
"I figured as such. Find something you like and I'll treat you to it, Kula." Whip mentioned. Kula's eyes lit up as she quickly went back to the menu before Whip turned back to K' and Maxima. "The commander had some research done. It appears that both Krohnen and Angel will be expected to show up at the tournament."
Kula pouted. "I don't like those two..." She muttered to herself.
K' scoffed. "I figured it would only be a matter of time before they showed up again." He shrugged. "It's kind of stupid that they'd do so on such a grand stage, though."
"I know. That's what the commander thinks is so strange." Whip nodded. "Ralf, Clark, Leona and I are instructed to keep our eyes on them at all times during the tournament to make sure they're not trying anything, and I want to make sure you three are up to speed on things regarding them as well."
Maxima nodded. "Thanks for the info, Whip." He mentioned. "Hopefully we won't have too much trouble with them."
"There's more. We're told that there have been rumours that an invite has been sent to Rugal Berenstein." Whip explained. "He may have been involved in things long before any of us entered a KOF tournament but, from what I've heard from the commander, he's responsible for and capable of a LOT of suffering."
K' shrugged. "He's entered these tournaments before just like the rest of us. I doubt he's going to be much of an issue." He mused.
"DON'T get cocky, K'." Whip scolded.
"You should know that K' doesn't have an off switch for that, Whippy." Maxima joked.
K' grumbled and sat back again as Whip and Maxima laughed.
(Smash Bros. Mansion)
"Are we reading this right?" Link asked aloud as he inspected his invite. "We're...NOT entering as a Smash node as a whole?"
Mario looked over the invite in his hands, noticing that it was slightly-different from the one in Link's. "It appears that a-way." He noted. "But...Neither of a-us are entering as a-Smash fighters?"
The two heroes noticed a shadow fall over them and looked up to see Master Hand floating down towards them. "It appears that the host of this tournament decided that the Smash roster would be far too-big to enter as one node this time around." The hand's booming voice echoed through the large chamber where all the Smash fighters had gathered. "So, to cut back and make the Smash roster a little more spread-out, some splinter nodes were created. The Mario and Pokemon characters will, for one, be entering as their own nodes along with fellow reps from their respective franchises..."
"Oh! That sounds like it could be fun!" Peach noted. "Maybe it'll give some of our other friends a chance to fight as well!"
Mewtwo gave a sigh as he floated nearby. "Now I wonder which other Pokemon in our roster of almost nine hundred were selected." He muttered.
"Pika!" Pikachu said in agreement.
Master Hand continued on, seemingly ignoring the fighters' comments. "As for the Zelda reps, they're apparently entering with other Zelda reps to form a node for Hyrule Warriors." He mentioned.
"So this means we have to deal with Ghirahim and Zant as well." Link sighed as he rolled his eyes. "Great."
"And finally, some of the fighters on the roster than could be associated with Sony in some form are joining with the Playstation roster." Master Hand finished.
Snake gave a shrug. "Eh, makes sense." He mentioned. "Though, I guess that leaves me to babysit THOSE two on the ride over?"
The fighters glanced over at where Snake was pointing and saw Cloud and Sephiroth, each holding a Sony-rep invite, glaring daggers at each other. "Um...I guess so? Sorry, Snake." Peach shrugged.
"Hey, it's no problem! I'm gonna be with him too, you know!" Sora said eagerly, stepping forward.
Peach and Snake glanced at Sora for a few seconds before turning back to each other. "Just...Try to make sure they get to the dome without killing each other?" Peach suggested. "I know you can do that."
"I'll try." Snake shrugged. Sora pouted.
Meanwhile, Fox and Falco were standing by a window that looked outside, towards the smaller house for Assist Trophies next to the Smash mansion. Isabelle came wandering over to see what the two space pilots were looking at. "Um...What's so interesting, guys?" She asked.
"Our guess is that Waluigi got an invite to join the tournament with the Mario reps." Fox mentioned, gesturing outside.
Isabelle glanced out the window and looked down at the ground, seeing a laughing, cheering, taunting Waluigi standing outside the Assist Trophy house, repeatedly crotch-chopping said Assist Trophy house with an invite in his hands. "How...How long has he been doing that?" She asked.
"Eh...About twenty minutes now." Falco shrugged.
"...He...Knows that the Hyrule Warriors are being repped as well, right? That means both Ghirahim AND Skull Kid will be going?" Isabelle checked.
"I...Don't think that part's dawned on him, yet." Fox shook his head.
"...Are any of us going to tell him?"
"Hey, he ain't entering with OUR node." Falco shrugged.
"...Fair point."
(Valhalla)
The halls of Valhalla were bustling with life and energy, which was quite ironic since this was a place history's finest warriors went to after dying in battle. Warriors from across time and space, of all different species, filled the halls of Valhalla, and regularly held fighting competitions of their own to test their mettle against their fellow legendaries.
The mead halls, on this day, were where the majority of the life and energy was coming from as the gathered warriors seemed to be celebrating joyously in their own ways, though not from the results of a recently-finished fighting competition but rather a tournament that had yet to happen. To them, it was a joy to be invited to a multidimensional fighting tournament in the first place, let alone one that would be sure to host legendary warriors that each fighter in Valhalla would be honoured to fight against.
A bearded Viking man laugh heartily as he slammed a large, empty mead mug onto the large, long table he was sitting at. "Two weeks! I can barely wait!" Bodvar laughed. "There will be so many potential opponents to fight there!"
An elven woman dressed in green robes sitting near the Viking gave a laugh and shook her head. "Always obsessed with fighting new opponents, Bodvar." Ember admitted. "When are you going to see that there's more to existence than just fighting?"
A scraggly-looking caveman sitting across from Ember gave a grunt. "Don't bother. Remember that Bodvar never actually DIED." Gnash muttered. "He kicked the door to Valhalla open and just let himself in."
"Oh, right. I keep forgetting."
"To us!" Bodvar continued obliviously, raising his mug that, inexplicably, was filled with mead again. "May our experience in this tournament be fruitful and filled with a lifetime of grand battles! To Valhalla!"
"To Valhalla!" Most of the rest of the table cheered.
Down the long table, a dark-skinned human dressed like a sixties superhero glanced across the table. "I've been thinking. This is going to be the first time in a LONG time any of us have fought someone not dead." Sentinel mentioned.
A muscled, bearded orc gnawed on a large drumstick and looked back at Sentinel. "Yeah? So what? We're all here because we're the greatest warriors in history, aren't we?" Xull grunted. "What do you have to worry about?"
"I'm not saying that I'm worried." Sentinel shrugged. "I'm just saying it's going to be a bit surreal. We've all been here for so long that we've forgotten what it's like to be mortal."
"Hey, are you guys forgetting something?"
Sentinel and Xull looked up and saw a familiar limbless being of indeterminate species floating downwards using his hair as a helicopter. The newcomer landed on top of the table, revealing a floating body with disconnected hands, feet and head, though that didn't seem to pose a problem for him.
"I'm not technically a resident here. I never died." Rayman laughed.
"I still don't know why you're allowed to compete in our competitions, though." Xull muttered. "I could have sworn you needed to reside here in order to enter."
Rayman could only shrug. "Video game logic?" He asked.
Xull stared flatly. "What does that even MEAN?" He asked.
"Honestly, I'm just glad I'm getting some action again." Rayman admitted as he stepped off the table and sat down. "It's been a long time since I had an adventure of my own."
"You're talking in riddles again, vegetable." Xull accused.
"I thought we determined that Rayman was a 'thingamajig'." Sentinel lifted an eyebrow.
"You and I both know I can't say that word!"
(VG Central; Megamix Hotel Lobby)
"Well, I appreciate you coming to check in on how things are coming along, Tiny." SSBFreak admitted as he and Tinyhammer walked back towards the doors to the hotel. The security team had gone long ago, and the two friends had just wrapped up a tour of the renovated dome and hotel. "I've still got a lot of stuff to do, but I think things are coming along...Well, pretty nicely, all things considered."
"...Even with Homsar showing up randomly, the fact that you have a mad god breathing down your neck and you apparently sharing hosting duties with KHALL?" Tinyhammer asked with a smirk.
"That's why I said 'all things considered'." SSBFreak reminded. "Even still, hopefully I'll have all the kinks ironed out before the tournament rolls around. I've been promoting the heck out of the tournament and I really hope the interest in Megamix is still there after all these years."
"Hey, I think you'll be fine." Tinyhammer supplied. "I was thinking the same thing when I was restarting the Battle of the Luminaries and it proved to be successful."
"I know. I know. I just hope I'm not getting too far in over my head." SSBFreak admitted. "I can deal with the occasional surprise or two; I just don't want something catastrophic to happen and throw things into chaos."
"You DO realize that tournaments like these tend to attract just that, right?" Tinyhammer queried. "I'd be more-surprised if everything DID go off without a hitch."
SSBFreak sighed. "I know. I guess it's too late to back out now, though. Things are all set, the invites are sent and I've spent a lot of time and money doing to promotional stuff for the tournament." He said. "If I had second thoughts about anything...Well, I guess there isn't anything I can do about it now."
"It'll be fine, dude. We always find a way to get through things like these and I know you'll be able to weather it out." Tinyhammer assured.
"Thanks. I hope you're right..."
