Issue 16: Smoldering Resistance

Valm Harbor

With Dr. Octopus forced to retreat after the destruction of the Valmese fleet, nothing stood in the Ylisseans way for a safe venture to Valm. Soon enough, they arrived at its harbor, boarding the docks when they see no one's guarding the area at the moment, which makes it safe to exit the ships.

"At last, Valm Harbor-." Chrom was calmly walking down the ramp of the Sea Typhoon, taking in the air, but was blitz off the platform by an extremely grateful Sonic not having to be contained in a large ship surrounded by water.

"Father!" Lucina went to check on her injured father.

"LAND! Glorious land! Oh how I love you! I don't even care if I get bad traction! It's land!" Sonic happily kissed the dry sands of the harbor as his friends casually walk pass him, and Chrom giving the careless hedgehog the evil eye.

"Whoa. What happened here?" Sun asked when they noticed they are standing in a mechanized harbor town, polluted with heavily-armed troops and a dark sky. "Is this really Valm? This is horrible."

"This entire town…It's current state reminds me of my dark future…And I fear we haven't encountered the bleakest yet…" Lucina observed with a worried tone.

"This place has Eggman's stench all over." Sonic remarked the mechanical "enhancements" to the town, along with the disturbing Eggman Insignia plastered on the walls.

"And Doc Ock's," growled Spider-Man, "I'll make sure they'll pay for what they've done, if it's the last thing I do."

"Guys! Look!" Hummingbird points everyone to a female swordsman being chased down by two enhanced Valmese armored knights, who are accompanied by two large Egg Hammer super-badniks.

"An altercation? That woman-the Valmese dogs are running her down." Frederick observed.

BGM-Fire Emblem Awakening OST-Destiny

"Any enemy of theirs is a friend of ours. Come on!" Chrom starts commanding his forces to take battle against the Valmese guarding the town. The mechanized town's defensives lit up with laser machine guns, decimating a good portion of the Ylisseans, but with the speedy reflexes of Sonic and Ruby, as well as the web-shooting abilities the Parker Brothers possess, they automated defensives prove no match for them.

The female swordsman takes a quick stop to catch her breath, panting heavily after being chased down like a dog until she heard the sounds of fighting at the harbor. "Who is that?" She turns to see the Shepherds and D-Avengers beating the butts of the Valmese. "The Ylissean League, as well as the Spider's Avengers! So they have finally landed!"

Not far from her position, the Valmese that were chasing her have caught up. "Over 'ere! We have 'er cornered!"

"Confound these wretched imperials!" She resumes her escape from the Valmese.

"Don't let 'er get away!" The Valmese continue chasing her down, cornering the worried woman at a wall.

Chrom was able to spot the swordswoman trapped while fighting an enhanced Valmese knight. "Our first priority is to hurry and save that woman. If possible, we should also visit the homes here to see how the people fare. Spider-Man! Take a small band to perform each task!" He commanded the co-commander.

"Sure thing, Chromster. Sun! Cherche! Knuckles! With me!" Spidey and his merry band hurry to the swordswoman's aid with great haste. As the knights were about to skewer her with their lightning lances, Spider-Man reels them and their owners with his webbing towards Sun's staff for a smacking knockout. The Egg Hammers would've finished the job for their human counterparts and would've smashes the woman with their hammers, but a quick distraction from Cherche's speedy wyvern allows Knuckles to grab one of the mallets and pummel the bots with their own weapon.

"Sun. Knuckles. Check to see if the villagers are safe." Spidey ordered.

Sun nodded, "Sure thing." And went with Knuckles while Spidey and Cherche have a chat with the woman they saved.

"Are you alright?" Spider-Man asked the female swordsman.

"Aye. The Legendary Spider-Man of the Outrealm Avengers! You have my gratitude!" She thanked her spider-savior.

"I really am famous in this world," Spidey chuckled, stroking his bloated ego ever further. "You know why we're here?"

"Of course! I would speak with you more, but first, perhaps…"

As they were talking, Spider-Man senses another swarm of robots teleporting from out of nowhere into the mechanized town, forcing them to oppose these metal menaces. "Where did they come from?" Cherche asked while cutting the legs of an octobot.

The female swordsman points them to a large factory next to the harbor. "From that factory! That's where they're being manufactured!"

"Chrom! You heard that?" Spidey asked over their ear comms.

'Loud and clear. I'm leading a portion of us to the factory as we speak.' Chrom replied.

"Good. We'll keep the robot parade occupied until you tear it down." Spidey said while taking on the robots and Valmese with his fellow united allies.

BGM End


Valm Harbor Factory

A small portion of Ylisseans led by Chrom, Ruby, Scarlet Spider, Tails, and Amy smashed through enemy lines guarding the factory. Steaming with metallic steel, the Ylisseans destroy anything that dares get in their way of dismantling this robot factory.

"How are we gonna shut this place down?" Chrom questioned while slicing an Valmese-inspired Egg Pawn into two.

"Find the control center so I can deactivate the factory. That should also shut off the mechs attacking the harbor." Tails replied, spin-attacking an Valmese swordsman.

"I rather we blow this place up." Scarlet recommended.

"That works too." Tails responded.

BGM-Sonic Heroes OST-Egg Albatross

Not too long after, they've arrived at the heart of the base, the control center of the machines, confronting the vulture Egg Boss of the Eggman Empire standing guard, the winged Nephtys the Vulture.

"Bird lady! We're gonna ask this once! Get out of our way!" Ruby threatened with her scythe in hand.

"You fools have no idea what you've gotten yourself into." Nephtys assembles her men to attack the Ylisseans while she personally fights Ruby, Amy, and Scarlet, tackling them with her huge wings.

"Tails! You know what to do." Chrom said to the fox.

"Got it." Tails runs up to deactivate the control center, leaving Chrom to protect him while he sets this place to self-destruct.

Meanwhile, Team Rose and Scarlet Spider have their hands full fighting an airborne enemy. "You're only making things worse for us all, you know." Nephthys flies up so she could dive bomb the intruders.

"Enlighten us." Amy pounds the dive-bombing vulture with her hammer.

"Your constant fighting, antagonizing Eggman and his allies, only serves to make them react more viciously." The winged mobian said while swerving through Ruby's rapid-gun pellets.

"You want us to give up and let them win? If we don't stop them, all our worlds are in danger." Ruby barely scratches the speeding Nephthys with her large scythe.

"They CAN'T be stopped. We either LIVE in their empire, or DIE in the fallout of your feud." She responded with a dive-kick, but Scarlet was able to grab and throw her to a wall to be pounded on.

"OR we can kick their asses and live peacefully. I prefer that option." Kaine webs up her wings, leaving the vulture vulnerable to ground-based assaults, mainly from Ruby Rose and Amy Rose, who were strong enough together to beat her flying out of the factory while shouting, "YOU'VE DOOMED US ALL!"

BGM End

"No one cares, screeching Nevermore." Ruby replied.

"A what?" Kaine asked, not knowing about that winged Grimm from her world.

"It's a-." Ruby would've answered Kaine's question if Tails didn't finish setting the whole base to blow up.

"Mission accomplished! Let's get out of here, everyone!" Chrom commanded his entire forces to hurry out of the burning factory with great haste, with some taking a quick glance back to see the factory blown to smithereens, down to sunder along with its robots. Without the control center, the remaining bots attacking the harbor immediately shuts down, liberating the villagers from Walhart's clutches for the time being.


Later at the Valm Harbor

The united heroes meet up with the female swordsman they saved earlier, who is eternally grateful for their efforts in freeing this town from enemy hands. "Mercy, friends! The tales of your strength were no exaggeration…I am called Say'ri, and I fight with the Resistance." Say'ri kindly introduced herself to the heroes.

"The Resistance? So your part of a Freedom Fighting group?" Sonic asked the lady as he knows a thing or two about fighting for freedom, since he is part of a similar group from Mobius.

"Aye, of sorts. Several groups formed to seek liberty for the states of Valm." Say'ri answered.

"I thought the emperor had stamped out all dissenters…" Chrom said.

"He tries, but we Resistance are a slippery lot. We strike hard and then vanish again into the dark of night. Even now rebels ride to the banner of dynasts across the continent. United, we could pose a veritable threat to Walhart. And so, for some time I have struggled to bring us together." Say'ri replied.

"What's stopping you?" Spider-Man asked in which she answers.

"Greed. Jealousy. Sloth. All the old weaknesses of man. The dynasts all would have freedom, but on their own terms. Some refuse to take up arms unless their territory is threatened. Others thrive under the Conqueror's heel and will not join unless there is profit in it. Liberty is a fine word, aye, but not always enough to rouse men from foolishness." She explained.

"I take it you're looking for a more convincing argument, then?" Flavia questioned.

"Just so, although my efforts thus far have met with meager success. I fear many distrust me because my brother fights for Walhart." Say'ri replied.

"Why does your brother work for these clowns?" Kaine asked.

"Would that I knew, good sir. Yen'fay was a good man once, but he is my brother no more! If we meet on the battlefield, I would cut him down, same as any other imperial. Walhart is said to command a million men now thanks to who you call "Dr. Eggman and Dr. Octopus." Perhaps more. Sooner or later he will stamp out the Resistance entirely, if we do not unite." Say'ri said.

Lissa gets worried. "Um, Chrom? Did she just say he has a MILLION soldiers?"

"Just more goons for me to punch through." Yang said cockily.

"Ha! You are right! What are one million men against the Ylissean dogs of war?!" Say'ri questioned with a cocky smirk. "You stopped a thousand of their ships, did you not? Blown their airships out of the sky? Battled a metal monster of the sea singlehandedly? Your daring strategy has awoken and inspired people across all of Valm. Together I know we can yet unite the Resistance and break Walhart's grip! Help me, Prince Chrom! Sir Spider! I beg of you!"

"Milord?" Frederick turned to his prince and the Hero-Spider.

"Do we have a choice? Our bad guys are here controlling an entire country looking for gems to conquer the world. It's our responsibility to take them out." Spider-Man determinedly answered, agreeing to help Say'ri save her country from the unified villains' grasp.

"This is no easy thing you ask of us. We have our own causes: a halidom to save and a future to win," Chrom said, which definitely got her future daughter's quiet attention. "I know a great battle has been foretold, but is this it? How to know? Still, I admire your courage... Perhaps your mission is the best way to achieve mine. So yes, Say'ri. We will join your cause with our own. And if I'm wrong, it's my life on the line. ...As it should be. Now. What will it take to unite your people?" The prince whole-heartedly agreed to assist Say'ri in her troubles, granting her a good boost in hope they can save her kingdom.

"Well, I do have one idea…" Say'ri starts pondering for a moment to think of one person that could help them unite her people. "Since ancient times, many of our people have worshipped Naga. More precisely, we worship the divine dragon's oracle, Lady Tiki. Though most know her only as the Voice. The Voice is trapped in her temple as Walhart's prisoner. But if she were freed..."

"The Resistance could unite around her." Robin understood her idea.

"Where is this Voice being held?" Weiss asked Say'ri.

"There is a shrine built in the branches of the divine Mila Tree. She is confined there." Say'ri points them to the direction where they should be headed.

"Sounds like a good start. We should get going. And if we run into any more robot factories along the way, let's shut them too." Sonic advised.

"Alright! Let's get to it!" Spidey said as they begin their long trek to the Mila Tree to save the Voice.


Plegia

BGM-Breath of Fire III OST-Dragon Slayer

Wandering the calm desert close to the castle, Dr. Doom is tracking down the Genesis Stone's current location with the help of Salem and Validar, but ever with their assistance they seem to be having loads of trouble figuring out where in the world it's mystical powers sit.

"Where is that blasted Exo Stone?! I thought you said it is here!" Validar impatiently asked the leader of the Masters of Evil.

"It WAS here, but it disappeared again." Salem calmly replied.

"How can that be?" Validar questioned.

"In its unstable form, the Genesis Stone is sporadically traveling between the different time periods of this world, leaving small time distortions which indicates its previous destination until it disappeared in time again, making it difficult to pinpoint its exact location." Doom explained to the Plegian King.

"Isn't there a way to lure the stone to us?" Validar asked, which got Doom thinking for a moment.

"…I believe there is a way. Lure it to a world that's rich with temporal anomalies, trapping it there, making it easier to collect. And if Eggman is correct, "that" world should have made its annual appearance once again. Give me space."

Salem and Validar back away from the Latverian King as he prepares a powerful magic spell he's only used so few times before. Chanting an ancient incantation, Dr. Doom charges up his hands with a red mystical energy, and once he's done, he blasts his power to the sky above, opening a huge hole in the clouds, weakening the mystical barrier between this dimension and Mobius. "Now, come to me." Using all his might, Doom pulls through a small satellite that looks like Earth into this dimensional plane, leaving it to hover over an ancient altar next to Plegia Castle.

"Impossible. What did he do?" Validar asked in shock that Dr. Doom's magical powers greatly surpasses his own.

"He weakened the barrier between this world and Mobius to call forth Little Planet." Salem answered.

"Little Planet?" Validar repeated, having not heard of such a small world. Moments later, the three sorcerers noticed a gleaming white light approaching Little Planet, landing somewhere on the planet. "Is that…?"

"Yes. Now it'll be easier collecting that stone. Come. Let us continue our scavenger hunt." Doom commanded, leading his team to Little Planet to locate the Genesis Stone, and quite possibly take over the satellite in the meantime too.

BGM End


BGM-Rockman. EXE Beast OST-Next Episode Preview

Spider-Man: Sup. It's your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. Whoa. Is that really the Mila Tree? The place is HUGE. And crawling with walking, annoying fungus led by the mustached Baron Mordo. He may not be Doc Strange, but we still have to be careful. I call dibs on making fun of him first!

Next time on D-Avengers: The Fell Awakening:

Naga's Voice

Spider-Man: Just how tall is this tree?