So weird posting these one right after the other...

Anyway, this chapter is some basic meetings and setting up where fusion'll be done. Next chapter'll feature the non-SNES meetings and the like!

Enjoy!

Kazuya, Yuka, and company had been walking along the streets of what looked like a pre-Apocalyptic Tokyo for what felt like hours. Takeshi had, at one point, tried to walk out of the localized block area, only to end up walking right back up to them. It seemed like they were totally stuck…

Which told Kazuya that they were not only trapped, but that they were trapped in a place that just rubbed salt in the nuclear destruction wounds. Being trapped pointed to this not being actual Tokyo, after all…

"Kazuya!" Yuka grabbed his sleeve and pointed towards a figure walking past a corner. "There are others here too. We should talk to them."

"You're right… Let's do that." He gave a small nod as he started for the corner the figure disappeared behind.

"Be careful about this, there's no guarantee they won't just be an enemy." Takeshi spoke up and, well, Kazuya knew he was right. They didn't know what sort of trick had landed them here, after all…

"If they turn out to be friendly, though, this could be helpful. More heads to put together, the faster we can figure out what's going on, don't you think?" Yuji gave a smile as the group caught up with Kazuya.

"Yeah… We'll be careful, but hopefully we can all work together." Kazuya gave a smile to his friends. Hopefully everyone would be okay with that… Because he wasn't sure what else he could really suggest.

Takeshi and Yuji didn't raise any argument, so he guessed it was going to work out. Good, arguing or discussing it for too long would leave too much time for whoever it was to get away. The last thing they needed right now.

Kazuya picked up his pace when Pascal went darting forward, excited at the sudden movement and pace of the humans. He couldn't let his dog go too far ahead if there was a chance this was dangerous!

Soon enough, they'd rounded the corner and standing there were five people. Four of them were dressed in outfits that looked totally ridiculous in an average Tokyo setting (though they seemed like they would fit fairly well among outfits from Yuka's time). Despite that, the one who seemed to stand out most was the white man with the group, wearing a perfectly normal suit…

And that man seemed to the be the first to notice them, before Pascal could even let out a bark to signal their arrival in the area… Though when he did bark, the other four also turned to look at them.

"Ah, others-" The man that seemed to be the leader of the group blinked a few times as he stared at Kazuya. "You're the Hero…!"

"The…" Kazuya blinked a few times, brow furrowing in confusion. "I'm sorry, I don't think I know what you mean."

"He looks different than that statue in Valhalla…" A blonde woman spoke up with a hum. "Odd, the other statues seemed accurate from the champions I'd seen in the Center…'

"Less battle hardened, though Aleph only took me to see the statues once…" The other woman with the group spoke up. "...When he was frustrated after Holy Town and wanted a reprieve before reporting back."

"...I don't think I'm really following any of this." Yuji shook his head with a frown. "Maybe we should try asking if they're lost too, before they get too caught up in whatever they're talking about."

Kazuya gave a nod before turning back to the group and clearing his throat. "Are you all stuck in this, uh, probably fake Tokyo too?"

"We are." The man leading the group paused for a moment. "Ah, my apologies. I haven't even introduced myself. I'm Aleph, this is Beth… Hiroko and that's Zayin… And…"

"I'm Louis Cyphre, it's nice to meet you!" The white man who stood out among the group the most gave a smile as he cut in. "Looks like we're not the only ones, then… Interesting."

"If that's the case…" The man named Zayin looked Kazuya and his friends over. "Perhaps working together to escape would be in our best interests."

"Agreed." Aleph smiled at Kazuya. "Would you be willing to help us get to the bottom of this?"

"We have to figure out how to get out ourselves, so… More help could only be useful, right?" Kazuya returned the smile. "I say we go for it."

Tamaki was pretty sure her and her classmates' wandering around was getting them nowhere. Maybe it was time for them to try and go into a building or something. It could end up being a big mistake, but it could also lead to them getting somewhere…!

"Come on guys, let's go in here!" She walked up to the closest door with a smile. "Walking around isn't leading us anywhere, so…"

"We might finally make progress if we go in somewhere…" Charlie let out a relieved sigh. "I thought we were gonna end up wandering until we died or something."

"Alright, but be careful. Just barging in could get us hurt or something, you know." Yumi put a hand on her hip as Tamaki prepared to open the door.

"I agree, speeding into things could end badly for us…" Reiko sighed. "But then again, we do need to find out something, anything about this place…"

"Then let's get to it, okay?" Walking around any longer wasn't gonna get them results, after all. She'd rather they have a small mess up of some sort and bounce back than just sit around and do nothing, at the very least.

With a sharp inhale, she pushed open the door, walking in and doing her best to stand tall. The other three followed her in after a moment and, well, she was lucky with the door she picked to go into. A familiar face and the familiar sight of fusion equipment…

That told her there were sure to be demons running amok, if nothing else. That or it was to use the few demons she had (all weaker than the ones she'd had on her before they got here, curiously enough)... Might be a good idea, she wouldn't want to go back with only a Pixie and Heeho-kun at her side.

"Tamaki…" Reiko frowned and pointed at two figures she hadn't quite noticed at first. "Is that another student from our school and… Miyamoto-kun, but furry?"

"That's definitely Miyamoto, but he looks like a demon…!" Charlie shivered a bit. "What happened to him?"

"I'm not sure. I'm more confused about the other guy, anyway. If weird things happen to students we know, it's kinda expected with what we're going through, right? But… I never saw him at school before and… Is it just me or does he kind of look like Tamaki, but a guy…?" Yumi squinted.

"Me but a guy…?" Tamaki blinked a few times as she looked at him. He was pretty far away so it was hard to tell, but… She could see where Yumi was coming from with that. "Should we… Talk to them?"

"I'm not sure." Reiko shook her head. "They could be helpful, but… Miyamoto, he, ah…"

"Hey, Nobu." They all looked over, being met by Akira's stare. "...Others from Karukozaka."

"Huh?" The boy, apparently Nobu, looked over. "Oh… I know those guys. Not that one, though."

Tamaki straightened a bit when she was pointed at. "I could say the same about you… I know who Miyamoto-kun is, but not you!"

Akira frowned. "Who are you…?"

"You say you know Akira but then he doesn't recognize you…" Nobu snorted. "I think you're the stranger here."

"Nah, not exactly…" Charlie rubbed his neck. "Us four all don't know who the hell you are, so…"

"What?" Nobu grimaced. "That makes no sense!"

"But me knowing Miyamoto-kun while he doesn't know me makes perfect sense?" Tamaki frowned. "Come on!"

"None of this makes sense!" Yumi stepped between the two of them. "It's like…"

"Alternate timelines." Akira crossed his arms. "That's the only thing that I could think of to make any sense of it."

"Does that mean I'm a dude in an alternate timeline…?" Tamaki hummed and looked Nobu up and down. "I'm not sure how I feel about that, if I'm being honest with you."

"Tell me about it… Not to mention the fact you seem… Cheerier than I'd ever be…" Nobu huffed. "I think it's more than just our gender that's different…"

"Huh…"

Charlie rubbed the back of his neck as the two fell silent. "Guess we're gonna have time to figure it out while all here, at least?"

Yumi shrugged. "Guess so…"