He had done it at last. He had won. After all these years, after that horrible betrayal when he was just a child. After the death of his mother. Fueled with rage, he struck down the man he once called "father" and ended their squabble by casting him into the fiery depths of hell, just as the man once did to him so long ago. A fitting end to the man who destroyed his own family… but he pushed back the thoughts that would follow.
The world had declared him dead before, but he had returned. What if, by some impossible means, he resurfaced again to haunt his spawn and call him a monster thanks to the dark power within him? Would he never be rid of him?
No. If he returned, he would send him back to hell just as he did now. It didn't matter what he did now, that man was meaningless to him. If he returned, he would find a way to kill him for good. And he would. For, after all…
"A fight is about who's left standing. Nothing else."
To destroy one's enemy was the true law of combat, whatever means necessary to do so rested solely in the individual. He had surpassed those means and delivered punishment to the man who wronged him… but there was still work to be done.
As the heat lapped at his skin and the fires burst around him, he turned and walked away from the cliff overlooking the molten stream below. His father was dealt with, but there was still another to face: his son.
It would not be as easy as the old man. The son may have plunged the world into war, but that was the least of his concerns. No, his focus was dedicated to the fact that the son possessed the same power that flowed through his veins. The blood of a demon. But he was young. Inexperienced. Before his demise, he would show the son the true power of the Devil Gene.
Then came the beast with wrath and fury unlike the Devil Gene to face him a second time. If his words were to be believed, the devil had been sent to kill him… by his own mother, no less. It was true that his family had a desire for the blood of their own kin. Again, the hellscape around them flared with ferocity as if to mimic the combatant's unrelenting power. He fought without mercy to grant his opponent's request for a duel to the death, both of them unleashing contrasting dark powers within them…
…but before a victor could be decided, something unexplainable happened before his eyes. In an instant, he felt as if he had blackened out. And when he awoke, he was somewhere else. His surroundings matched his previous one, and yet the world around him seemed unfamiliar. The beast, on the other hand, was nowhere to be found. He clenched a hand in frustration: such a worthy foe had escaped death. No doubt the beast was wondering similar thoughts, wherever he was now.
A voice cut him off, but the words failed to reach him. He glanced over his shoulder, where a man dressed in black approached with a cape flowing behind him. He appeared annoyed, just like he was. His silence wasn't taken well, either, as the stranger repeated himself in a louder tone. He could feel a dark power within the stranger, not unlike his own. But the man was making a mistake.
Perhaps another worthy foe would take the beast's place.
The man neared him and he spun, throwing a fist into his gut. Seizing his new opponent by the leg, he slammed the stranger onto the rocky ground beneath him. He rose a leg above his head, moving to land an axe kick… and the stranger unleashed the dark energy he had sensed, sending him sliding along the ground.
The man spoke something else. By his tone, he believed the stranger was berating him for attacking. If anything, he should be the one being berated for wasting his time. But his lust for battle was overtaking him now, and it was a fury that would not be calmed unless the opponent lay broken and battered at his feet.
The man charged at him with a furious roar. Sidestepping a downward punch, he grabbed the stranger and landed a forceful headbutt, knocking him down with a fierce tornado kick. The stranger quickly recovered and blasted a punch of dark energy at him. He weaved away and landed a strong uppercut, dodging the sudden greatsword swing after the weapon appeared out of nowhere.
It mattered not. Weapon or otherwise, this man would not defeat him. It was time he learned his lesson about challenging a Mishima…
…
"I hope the other teams are having more luck than we are," sighed Mega Man. "We're no closer to finding the puppets' main base, but we do know it's nowhere we've been so far, thanks to Shulk's intel."
"Well, that narrows it down," Ken said sarcastically. "They could be anywhere on the planet. Good thing Samus sent Fox and the rest of his crew out in that ship of theirs… but the only problem is that it could be hidden." Beside his friend, Ryu placed a hand on his shoulder in comfort. "Have faith, Ken. There are only so many places they can hide."
"And on the bright side," Terry added, rising to his feet as the soul of a human riding a small dragon flew away. "We can thin their ranks even further! The less of them left to face us, the better!" Pac-Man gave a thumbs-up of agreement, which Ken smiled at. "Yeah, thanks for that. But what's really got me worried is what they have planned. I can't stop thinking about where they-"
Thunder rumbled in the dark sky above, stopping the street fighter's sentence. Curious, Mega Man switched on his long-range sensors and swept for anything unusual. Before long, the robot froze in uncertainty. "Uh, guys… something strange is going on at the volcano. I'm getting these readings of some weird energy."
"What kind of energy?" Ryu asked. The Blue Bomber just shook his head. "I-I don't know. But it's strong. And if my readings are right… highly corruptible. Like a parasite that takes full control."
Ryu fell silent. "...like the Satsui no Hado."
"I guess so. Should we check it out?"
"I don't know…" Ken muttered. "Didn't Captain Falcon say he was checking out the volcano with his squad?" Terry nodded. "Yeah, that's right, but if what Mega Man is saying is right, then they could use the backup. Plus, think of it as a distraction that'll take your mind off things, Ken! You could use it!"
"Thanks, I guess," Ken said to the fellow fighter. "So, the volcano it is, then?"
Ryu nodded. "Let's go investigate."
…
The trek from the Beachside Town to the Raging Volcano was a lengthy one, but the ominous skies overhead accompanied by the occasional lightning provided enough motivation for the team to push on. The molten mountain appeared to be even more precarious than it usually was, its lava streams casting everything in a bright orange glow. The group neared the base of the volcano and Mega Man's optics turned to the peak of the mountain.
"I'm narrowing down the energy's source… so far, it looks like the source is at the top of the volcano." The robot reported. "And… I think it's-"
"Hold on," Ken butted in, his eyes glued to the lava stream. "What's that?" The street fighter kneeled along the bank, and everyone else followed his gaze… where a golden statue bobbed up and down in the red sea. Ryu moved to get a closer look, and the warrior's eyes went wide when he realized the figure's face.
"Captain Falcon?"
Something splashed into the lava and sent the red-hot liquid spraying everywhere. A second passed before the peak of the mountain erupted with purple waves, followed by a deep demonic roar. Mega Man backtracked with a startled gasp. "Guys! The power level is spiking! I-I can barely keep up with it!" Pac-Man reached out to the lava, a pixelated tractor beam spreading from his outstretched hand. The trophy of the F-Zero racer floated into his grip, allowing the round yellow hero to set it down on the rocks. He was about to rest his hand on the base when something else bobbed into sight: a trophy of Pit, followed by one of Marth, Min Min, and Ganondorf.
"Wha… what did this to them?" Mega Man wondered in shock while Pac-Man set to work on retrieving them from the lava. Once they were out of the boiling-hot river, Terry and Ken tapped the trophies' bases, restoring them to their normal selves. And each of them looked worse for wear.
An enraged Ganondorf struggled to stand, collapsing on one knee. "What… what power is this? This… darkness?"
"Guys?" Terry asked with bewilderment in his eyes. "What happened to you? What's going on?" Pit was the one to answer that, using his bow to support himself. "W… we got word of a disturbance on the volcano. We went to check it out but… I haven't seen darkness like that since Hades."
"Darkness in who?" Ken asked. Captain Falcon groaned as he rolled onto his side, allowing everyone to see a crack on one of his lenses. "Someone… fast. Someone strong… he… he must've hit me ten times before… before…" He was on the edge of blacking out again, but Ryu safely caught him. "Easy, Falcon. Mega Man, can you call for evac?"
"Already on it," the robot replied, raising a hand to the side of his helmet. "Mega Man to Base. We've got injured fighters by the Molten Volcano. Requesting medevac ASAP!" There was a pause before the robot turned back to the team. "The Great Fox is already en route. In the meantime, we should go up there… and see what this disturbance is."
"Wait!" Marth managed to cry out. "He… he's too strong for us." Terry turned to the downed prince. "Who is?" The swordsman couldn't find the proper word to respond with… but a quiet groan from Min Min followed by a weak word gave Ryu all he needed.
"What did she say?" Terry asked. Ryu was silent for a moment before he replied. It was as if he was trying to process it as well, all with a familiar look in his normally-calm eyes.
"Móguǐ. It's Chinese… for 'devil'."
"D-devil?" Mega Man echoed. "That sounds… bad."
"That dark energy…" muttered Ken. "Ryu, do you think that's the Satsui no Hado?" His fellow warrior shook his head as soon as the name was spoken. "No. I know the Satsui no Hado. I know how it feels. I know its evil, its malice, and its hatred. But this… this isn't it. And yet… something about it feels familiar."
Ken paused, turning his eyes back to the volcano's peak. "Yeah… now that you say it, I am getting a weird sense of deja vu."
"Hold on, you know whatever's up there?" Terry inquired. Ryu just gave him a skeptical look. "I don't know… but I will for sure when we see the source of that dark power. Follow me."
"But we gotta be careful," Ken added. "Whatever it is up there beat five fighters almost effortlessly. We can't afford to let our guards down. This thing won't be going down without a fight."
"I'm usually not a fan of lethal force…" Mega Man sighed, his hand already configured into his Mega Buster. "But if this thing is as dangerous as you say, holding back isn't an option. Lead the way!"
Ryu ascended the molten mountain with everyone else lined up behind him. As he climbed, the heat wasn't the only thing he felt: the dark, malicious energy made itself known. And it was getting stronger the higher they climbed. Only when they finally reached the top did the source of the energy make itself known; the dark power at its peak. The fighters expected to see a hideous beast or a demonic entity, but what they saw instead was a man with red gloves, white pants with flame decals, and a scarred body. Despite not turning to face them, he seemed aware of the Smashers' presence.
He spoke, but not in a dialect the Smashers understood… Well, most of them. As soon as the words reached them, Mega Man's translation systems kicked in and Ryu stepped forth with an expression of understanding. The man seemed familiar, and the voice was further proof of that.
"More of you incompetent fools?" The man spoke in what Ryu recognized as Japanese. "Hmph. Perhaps a further demonstration of my skill is…" He stopped mid-sentence and he remained still. Almost curiously, he turned… and revealed a face with one eye glowing red. He showed no surprise as his face clenched with a mixture of fury and determination. His eyes, almost evil in nature, bore into the eyes of another.
"You…"
Ryu stared back at the man in equal silence… before he responded in Japanese. "Out of all the warriors I expected to see in this world… I must admit, you were not one of them."
Ken was staring at the stranger in shock while Terry and Pac-Man had looks of confusion. Mega Man was just as curious. "Wait… you know this guy?"
"Kazuya Mishima," Ryu answered in English, his eyes never leaving the other man just meters away. "He's the son of a sadistic man who wants to rule the world with the power of a corporation. He's out to kill his father… and his own son, too."
"He's got the worst family feud in the history of family feuds," Ken added. "Plus, he's got a literal demon inside him and he can channel its power." The street fighter turned to Kazuya and spoke harshly in Japanese.
"If you want my friend again, you're gonna have to go through me! I don't know if you've caught up, but things have changed since the Pandora incident! Speaking of, where's your little lady friend?"
Kazuya sneered at Ken. "I have no need for Nina's assistance. I already bested five of you, and I can do the same to five more." He then turned his eyes to Ryu. "But even I have to agree with your friend's words, Ryu. A lot has transpired since we last met. It would be… disappointing if your skills have weakened during this time."
Ryu narrowed his eyes. "Not a chance." He put up his fists and got into his traditional fighting stance, prompting Kazuya to respond with his own stance. Ryu motioned for everyone to stand back, and they did so without further warning. Thunder rumbled above, as did the mountain beneath their feet. It was as if the world- a living, breathing environment- was responding to the imminent clash to come. The combatants held eye contact for a full five seconds…
…and they broke into a charge, rushing towards each other with outstretched fists. Both limbs hit their respective target in the cheek, staggering the warriors for a moment. The first to recover was Kazuya, who lunged at the world warrior with a series of punches and kicks that Ryu expertly blocked. Ducking beneath a swinging hook, Ryu seized Kazuya with both arms only to receive a hard headbutt and a strong elbow that sent him stumbling. Ryu quickly dodged the following punches, but a strong spinning kick broke his defenses.
Ryu barely managed to block another punch before retaliating with his own and finishing his combo with a Tastumaki Senpukyaku. Kazuya hit the ground on his back, but vaulted away from a stomp and landed a flying kick to Ryu's gut. Leaping into the air, Kayuza smashed the ground with his fist, right where Ryu's head lay as the street fighter rolled away. He jumped over a sweep attack and blocked a punch, leaving himself vulnerable to a side kick from Kazuya. The world warrior managed to block another punch and defended himself from more close-range blows until he managed to parry another strike and stagger Kazuya.
"HADOKEN!"
The close-range ki blast blew the martial artist back, who dug his feet into the rocky ground to keep himself from botching his landing. He locked eyes with Ryu with a furious snarl on his face. He sidestepped away from a jumping kick, dodged a swing, and blocked two more punches from Ryu before the world warrior landed a quick kick to Kazuya's head and took the opportunity to land two more blows.
"TATSUMAKI SENPUKYAKU!" Catching Kazuya in a fast-spinning kick, Ryu landed several blows in a few seconds. Upon the move's climax, Kazuya broke free with a yell and threw five more punches at Ryu. Dodging and blocking them with ease, Ryu caught one hand with his left fist… and targeted Kazuya's chin with his right in a rising uppercut.
"SHORYUKEN!" The strong blow launched both fighters into the air, but Kazuya recovered quicker than Ryu expected. Seizing him by the gi, Kazuya hurled Ryu to the rocky ground with a roar, where the world warrior landed hard on his front. Touching down perfectly, Kazuya clenched his fist and marched over to Ryu, stomping down on his head to keep him pinned.
"I am displeased," he spoke in Japanese. "The raging beast put up more of a challenge than you. Were you to tap into the powerful force he possessed, you may have-"
"Power Wave!" A racing shockwave sped through the earth and forced Kazuya to abandon his position, releasing Ryu as he avoided the tremor. Spinning in the quake's direction in his ready stance, he laid eyes on a man unfamiliar to him: one in street garb and wearing a red baseball hat. A foolish move, on his part. Kazuya easily dodged his blows and leaned away from an uppercut, striking him twice with his left fist and finishing with a stronger blow from his right. Then, Kazuya swung at the man's leg with a low kick to down him. After that, all it took to dispose of him was an aerial somersault and a downward swing of his leg, the Demon Scissors knocking the wind out of the man.
Another whirlwind of kicks knocked him away from the stranger, and Kazuya prepared to face off against Ken. The fighter swung at Kazuya with an axe kick, which he blocked and threw skyward, sending Ken tumbling through the air. He landed on his feet and brought his palms together, focusing his energy while Kazuya ran for him.
"HADOKEN!" Kazuya easily sidestepped the blue fireball, the heat brushing against his face. Closing the distance quickly, electricity charged in his fist before Ken realized what was happening. The blow was enough to send Ken reeling, where Kazuya's Demon God Fist and a spinning tornado kick caused him to collapse in near unconsciousness.
Now back on his feet, the unfamiliar man adjusted his hat before engaging with Kazuya again. He jabbed at Kazuya and threw a short straight punch, following up with a side kick to the martial artist's sternum. Kazuya managed to block a knife-hand strike and step away from a spinning back kick, countering with a kick to the face and a heel strike. However, the man blocked his next punch and launched a spinning heel kick, calling out "Crack Shoot!" as he did so. Spinning away from the strike, Kazuya hit him with a high roundhouse kick to the face before transitioning into three spinning kicks. The man fell, his hat falling from his head. Kazuya raised a fist to finish him…
…and something bright slammed into his body, stunning him. Flashing open his eyes, Kazuya saw two more opponents coming his way. One of them was an all-too-familiar sentient sphere that was running toward Kazuya while another was a figure in blue armor that laid down suppressive fire for his ally. Pushing through the blasts and blocking some, Kazuya leaped at the sphere and connected two small uppercuts to stagger it. The sphere, whose name he now remembered as Pac-Man, threw two jabs and a flip kick that Kazuya dodged before flashing a pixelated red ghost at him. The ghost nearly sent Kazuya sliding back, but the warrior pressed on and seized the sphere, nailing Pac-Man in the face with a fist.
"There is no wooden suit to save you now!"
Two left-hand punches, a right-handed blow, a backhand strike, an upward kick, a right axe kick, a low sweeping kick, a left low kick, an electric punch to cripple the opponent, and a final bursting uppercut were all it took to send the sphere sailing. Pac-Man landed flat on his face with comedic swirls in his eyes. In his place, the blue figure tossed two metal discs at Kazuya, who leaped over them before the blades could sink into his flesh. As the projectiles collided with each other and fell, Kazuya dove at the target with an outstretched leg. The figure quickly fired its arm cannon, nailing Kazuya in the face with a solar pellet.
It jumped to land a blow from a flaming sword-like weapon, but Kazuya seized his opponent by the neck with his ankles and took them both to the ground, kicking up the rock from the impact. Undeterred, the figure raised its arm cannon again… only for Kazuya to stomp on his arm and pin the weapon. The blue figure let out a cry of pain, and Kazuya narrowed his eyes in realization.
"Mega Man…"
"You… you know who I am?" He sounded surprised as he replied in Kazuya's language, which did not sit well with the warrior. With a disappointed grunt, Kazuya grabbed the Blue Bomber's head and lifted him up before slamming him to the ground and throwing him into a rock that exploded into pebbles on contact.
"You're even more pathetic than I remember."
One of the fighters rose to his feet, prompting Kazuya to turn to his old rival, Ryu. He appeared undeterred and focused as he stared Kazuya down. "You've gotten stronger… but so have I. I've faced my demons, Kazuya, and now I'm ready for yours."
"You request my full strength, Ryu?" he repeated. "Very well… but know that it will be the last thing you will ever see!" Kazuya called upon his inner strength, a dark aura surrounding his body. Everyone else circled around him, ready for whatever stunt he had up his nonexistent sleeve…
GRRAAAAAAAAAR! In a dark flash, Kazuya transformed into a horned, winged demon that bellowed out in rage, the excess energy of the Devil Gene nearly breaking up the fighters' positions. Fighting to remain focused, the group charged towards Kazuya, who beckoned them forth with another bellow.
"This will be your burial ground!" he roared in Japanese before lunging for Ryu fist-first. The street fighter weaved away from the straight punch and connected an uppercut to his opponent's jaw, following up with a spinning tornado kick. Despite reeling from the blow, Kazuya seized Ryu's leg and slammed him face first into the rock below with a roar. The unfamiliar man came at him next, airborne and ready to bring a fist down.
"Power Du-uhk!" A raging uppercut from Kazuya sent him flying and he hit the ground hard enough for his hat to fall off. Kirby and Pac-Man moved in to take his place, but a downward knife-hand strike from Kazuya was enough to drive them back.
"Hado-gah!" Ken's ranged attack was interrupted when Kazuya fired a quick laser from his forehead, the beam striking the martial artist in the torso. Pinning Ryu beneath him with one foot, the transformed Mishima grabbed his rival by the back of his head.
"You fail because you do not embrace your true potential," he taunted with a demonic snarl. "Even numbers are not enough to grant you victory. And yet you still cling on to the false hope that you can-" A barrage of solar pellets struck the demon's body; not strong enough to hurt him yet not insignificant enough to escape his notice. Mega Man was putting up a more valiant defense than Kazuya had expected, given his utterly useless performance during the Pandora incident. Whatever he had done to improve would not be enough, though.
Kazuya absorbed the next few shots with a raised arm before retaliating with a projectile of his own: another beam of his Devil Blaster. The blue-armored gunner broke into a run and slid under the beam, launching something small and circular from his cannon. With superhuman reflexes, Kazuya caught the projectile and crushed it in his palm, a puff of smoke rising from its remains. An explosive. How quaint.
The demon lunged forward and plowed through Mega Man, halting him in his tracks and bringing him to his knees. Kazuya stood over him and prepared to drive a fist through his body until somebody tackled him from the side. With barely any hint of faltering, Kazuya tossed his attacker away: the stranger, who had no idea of the foolish error he had made.
"Burn Knuckle!" he roared, charging for Kazuya with an outstretched fist. The Mishima martial artist simply spread open a pair of wings and snagged the man by the face, carrying him upward. He then dropped into a dive and slammed the man against the rocky surface, close to knocking him out cold. His rage building up within him, Kazuya lifted into the air and fired another beam with a raging bellow, sweeping the area around him to down anyone who was still standing.
That was when everything stopped. Kazuya felt his rage retreat as the smoke around him rose into the air. Beyond it lie the beaten opponents that believed they could best him. They had barely managed to deal significant damage, and Kazuya told himself it was best to kill them now and end their wasted potential. And yet… there was something wrong.
When they last fought, Kazuya had sensed dark energy lying dormant within Ryu; an energy much like the beast. Now, that energy was seemingly gone. Was it just another futile attempt at denying his only chance of victory? Or had he found some impossible means of banishing it from his body? Either way, Kazuya was disappointed. Without the force that could match the Devil Gene, Ryu was no longer a worthy foe for Kazuya… and that meant he was not worth finishing off.
All of this was a waste of time.
"Challenge me again, Ryu…" he growled. "And I will make your death a slow one." He marched past the downed fighters without giving any of them a second glance, his evil eyes staring out into the distance. With those fools having learned their lesson, he could turn his attention to where he was. And how he could get back. And where to find-
Wait… what was that? Something was rising past the rocky hills; some kind of… aircraft, he had to guess. It moved through the air with mysterious passengers onboard. The vehicle was too far away for Kazuya to identify the figures aboard…
But something suddenly stood out to him. A near-bald head with two spikes of hair jutting out from both sides of the face. The figure's arms were crossed as it stood near two figures dressed as a bear and a cat. Something began burning in Kazuya's body, and he clenched his transformed fist while dark energy swirled around him.
He knew it. Heihachi Mishima lives.
Pure instinct took over for Kazuya, a single motive flaring in his mind as he stepped off the cliff and took flight. Silently, he tailed the strange aircraft from a safe distance, his eyes fuming with undeniable fury all the while. First, he would see where this thing would go. Next, he would strike before they knew what hit them. And finally, he would kill Heihachi Mishima and whoever he had chosen to ally himself with.
It was as he had pondered before: the damn fool was haunting him.
…
"Guys, we just got something from Red," Mac reported in the Eastern Town. "A transport's coming this way. It should be landing right near our position. Should we engage?" At his side, Incineroar sneered with anticipation and cracked his knuckles. The Mii Brawler held up a hand to stop the Pokémon from getting any more ideas. "Let's see what we're up against first. Rushing in is always a bad call."
"Agreed," replied Lucario. "An enemy is desperate when its numbers are low, but any cornered foe is willing to give their all." Luigi nodded… before turning his eyes skyward and pointing up with an alarming cry. On cue, the aerial skiff hovered over the town and came to a stop over the main square, descending into the buildings. On the Brawler's cue, everyone poured out of the alley to follow the ship. They understood that the puppets relied on these for transporting captured spirits for new soldiers, believing that keeping up the manufacture was the key to their success. As much as the Smashers could easily overpower any fake, they needed to stop the reproduction and eliminate the last of the puppets to end this war for good. But it wasn't as simple as it sounded.
The transport had surprisingly small numbers and no trapped spirits with it. From his hiding spot behind a corner, Lucario spied a Mii Brawler resembling a human he did not recognize and another Brawler and a Gunner beside him, both of them in animal decorum. Two clones of Ken and Fox disembarked from the skiff, followed by a Mii Swordfighter with a bionic mask and a black ninja suit. The latter drew a Killing Edge, the blade glinting in the sunlight.
"That… doesn't look like a lot," Mac noted, the boxer watching the puppets look around the area. "Are they waiting for somebody?" The Mii Brawler beside him decided to agree. "Probably for more. And they must be late. Which means if we get the drop on-"
The martial artist didn't get the chance to finish his sentence before a yellow laser swept through the street and obscured the puppets from view. All the Smashers saw when they looked back was a rising cloud of smoke and something vanishing into it from above. Shouts from the puppets rang out, as did the sounds of fists pounding into bodies with brute force. The Ken and Fox puppets were both thrown out of the cloud, landing hard on the street. Blasts of light indicated the Mii Gunner opening fire on the unseen assailant before the shots were abruptly cut off… and a flash of light followed it. Another pained cry later, a combined spirit of a bear and a cat flew away from the cloud. Lastly, the Killing Edge clattered to the ground. The smoke dissipated to reveal an ominous-looking man pinning the Mii Swordfighter beneath one foot and his hand around the struggling Brawler's look.
And he didn't appear to be happy.
"Korehanandesuka?! Anata wa Heihachide wa arimasen!"
"Uh… what did he just say?" the Brawler muttered. Little Mac just had a frown on his face while Incineroar was scratching his head. "I don't know."
"You don't know? Didn't you fight a Japanese boxer?"
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I can speak it!"
The bare-chested man furiously threw the Brawler to the ground and crushed the Swordfighter's throat at the same time, eliminating the latter. The fake Brawler quickly recovered and attacked the stranger with a series of fast punches and kicks. The stranger effortlessly blocked them before retaliating with vicious blows of his own that shattered his opponent's defense. He landed a high kick with his left leg to the Brawler's head, then a quick jab from his left fist. Next came a low kick from his right leg and another straight punch that hit the Brawler's gut. The fake Mii tried throwing a straight kick only for the stranger to catch the leg and flip the puppet head-over-heels. When it hit the ground, the man growled in irritation.
"Awarena," he spat as he approached. "Honmono no Heihachi wa sore yori mo umaku yareru." Grabbing the Brawler with both hands, the man glared into the puppet's eyes. "Anata wa nante shitsubō shite imasu ka." Before the puppet could respond in any way, the man headbutted it and landed a strong tornado kick before finishing with a forward straight punch, sending the puppet flying into a wall. It exploded on impact and the captive spirit within it flew away.
"Um… thanks for the assist?" The man silently turned to face the Mii Brawler, who sheepishly held up a hand in appreciation. Both Pokémon stared at the stranger in protective stances while Luigi shivered from behind them. Little Mac had his fists up just in case, but uncertainty crossed his face. "Who is this guy? And better yet… Do we thank him or fight him?"
The man made no reply unless intense staring that prompted unease counted as a response. Neither the stranger nor the group made any move at first… but the Ken and Fox puppets did it for them when they rushed the man from both sides. The man whirled to face them with frightening speed, blocking both a punch from the Ken puppet and a high kick from the Fox clone. Pushing the fake pilot away, the man jumped over a low kick and landed one of his own on the fake Ken's face. The Fox puppet quickly drew its blaster, but the man rushed up, grabbed the weapon in one hand, and crushed it before tossing it away and grappling the false Fox to the ground. Once downed, the man bent it back over his knee and kicked the puppet away.
The fake Ken ran in and threw an uppercut that the man leaned away from, countering with a lunging kick that sent the puppet sprawling. The Fox puppet moved to take its place, but the man threw a strong combo of three flash-like punches that downed it. The stranger flipped into the air and landed a leg on the puppet, the blow hard enough to finish it off. Without missing a beat, the man dodged a hook to the jaw and countered with an uppercut to the chin of the Ken puppet. With his opponent staggered, the man thrust an elbow into the puppet's ribcage and landed a strong straight punch that blew the puppet into a nearby building, shattering the wall.
Not too long after, the entire structure collapsed in on itself and kicked up dust. Among the rubble, a spirit flew free. The man seemed disappointed about his opponent, which was unsurprising, given his stature. Little Mac had to guess that this man, whoever he was, had faced stronger opponents just like Mac had done. Compared to them, these puppets were a cakewalk.
But would he look for more opponents and turn his attention to the Smashers? He was outnumbered, which meant the group had a chance to take him… but given his strength, could they be overpowered by whatever skill the stranger possessed? The man began to move towards them with a stern look on his face, prompting Lucario to drop into a ready stance… but before the man could take a step further, a bolt of yellow electricity struck him in the shoulder and forced the man to a knee.
He appeared to resist the bolt's effects, growling in rage as both his eye and his body lit up in a red aura. He spun his head down one of the streets to see a Zero Suit Samus puppet shout orders to two Mi Gunners in tactical special forces gear, the soldiers spreading out and moving on the man's position. From a nearby rooftop, two Incineroar clones leaped to the street with bared teeth and flexed claws, growling as they did so.
A female Mii Brawler with an orange uniform turned down a corner with a Mii Gunner in tow: this one similar to the cat Gunner the man had defeated not too long ago. Five fake Donkey Kongs charged down another street, one of them smashing a barrel aside before they poured into the square. Lastly, a Wii Fit Trainer puppet jogged down from an alleyway, flanked by two puppets that resembled the stranger. The puppets must have wasted no time in attempting to mimic the man's shape and power… but Mac already knew it would not be enough.
RAAAAAAAARGH! With an explosion of dark energy, the man transformed into a winged, horned beast before the Smashers' shocked eyes and broke free of the Paralyzer's effects. He immediately lunged for the Zero Suit Samus puppet, tanking all incoming fire from it and the Gunners as the projectiles pinged harmlessly off him. Seizing the fake woman by the face, the demon launched into the air and came back down with the force of a meteor, smashing the puppet's head into the street. The Gunners advanced and continued to fire, but a yellow laser beam from the devil's head easily cut them down. Vaulting back to its feet, the Zero Suit Samus puppet leaped over a sweeping leg and thrust her leg at the demon's face.
While the beast continued to battle, the rest of the puppets took notice of the Smashers who stood ready to face them. Some of them moved to engage while the rest attempted to reinforce the ones attacking the monster. Mac charged at the copies of the stranger, meeting them in a flurry of blows while sidestepping their attack. One of them successfully landed a kick to Mac's midsection, but an Aura-amplified strike from Lucario sent it sailing. Utilizing his Double Team technique to give chase, Lucario reappeared from behind the airborne clone and launched it in the other direction. After the following strike, Lucario teleported close to the copy and smashed it into the ground, where it tumbled away from the rubble of the impact zone.
Luigi engaged the two Miis with green fireballs and constant jumps, the Brawler watching his back by keeping some of the Donkey Kongs at bay. Incineroar grabbed one of his duplicates and suplexed it to the ground before catching the other one and slamming it with a piledriver. However, the fiery feline was left wide open to a Donkey Kong puppet, who jumped above Incineroar to slam both fists into him…
"HADOKEN!" A blue fireball blasted it out of the air. The nearby puppets spun in the direction of the attack, where a new group was approaching. Mega Man blasted the Wii Fit Trainer copy and interrupted its deep breathing while Terry and Ken tag-teamed another Donkey Kong clone. Pac-Man dove and munched away at the Miis to give Luigi some breathing room, and Ryu grabbed an Incineroar clone and threw it over his shoulder before addressing Little Mac.
"I see you've met our guest of honor," he said, gesturing to the man who was now back in his human form and slamming the second Incineroar clone to the ground. "That's Kazuya, a real demon in battle. Long story short, Ken and I had a run-in with him long ago. He's not the friendliest face around, but as long as he's got something to fight…"
"You think he can help us?" Mac asked. "Wh-what happens when he runs out of puppets to beat down?"
"He's not fond of opponents who can't match him, and he's even less fond of mercy," Ryu added. "Knowing him, he'd want to exterminate every last one of these so-called weaklings. I think we can use that to our advantage."
"Okay… I trust you, Ryu!" Mac called out before taking off. The boxer managed to roll away from a sliding straight punch from one of the stranger's- Kazuya's- clones and drove a haymaker into its back. The blow knocked it towards the real Kazuya, who grabbed his clone by the neck while struggling to hold back the other copy. Upon seeing his own face, the man growled.
"Kachinonai repurika!" he roared, slamming the copies together and knocking both of them down with a jumping split kick. A roar from the sky drew the fighter's attention, spotting a Mii Swordfighter in dragon-scale armor riding atop a snarling Charizard clone with flames billowing in its mouth. It roared at Kazuya and blasted a fireball at the man, who rolled away from the blast and responded with a roar of his own. Transforming into his devil state and spreading his wings, Kazuya soared skyward and seized the dragon Pokémon by the throat. With incredible strength, he threw the clone towards the ground, the Mii struggling to stay on. Leaping off its mount, the Mii lunged at Kazuya in a rolling motion to deliver a single slash. Easily avoiding the attack, the airborne beast simply swatted the Mii away and dove for the recovering Charizard clone, driving a beastly foot into its torso and sending them both crashing to the street.
When the dust settled, Kazuya held the false Charizard over his body like it was nothing and hurled it at two Donkey Kong puppets. When his three enemies toppled to the ground, he flew forth at dangerous speeds to follow up with a flurry of ferocious strikes. Close by, the female Mii Brawler swiftly evaded blows from the real deal and countered with equally-fast strikes, forcing her opponent to be just as quick and unpredictable. Catching a punch and throwing her to the ground, the Brawler moved to slam a foot down on her head only for his opponent to roll away and leap over him. Before the Smasher could react, his enemy landed a diving kick that staggered him. All the while, Luigi kept the Gunner from targeting his ally by landing punches and kicks.
Ignoring the other fights happening in the vicinity, Kazuya was becoming frustrated at these duplicates and their lack of definition of true strength. Speaking of which, he could feel such power building within him as he continued to battle, whether it was from landing hits on his enemies or them getting lucky shots on him. One of the big apes drove a fist into his gut, which his Devil State barely managed to absorb. Headbutting the brute away, he seized a bulky arm and threw it at another primate that was currently engaged with Ken. The street fighter hopped away from a fist that smashed the street before Kazuya's enemy collided with Ken's and collapsed both apes.
It was then that Kazuya noticed that most of the duplicates were nearly lined up with one another in the center of the square. And just in time, too, as the mysterious energy within Kazuya had reached its maximum and surrounded him in rainbow light. Calling forth his newfound power, Kazuya fired a beam from his forehead that punctured through one of the apes front-to-back. Upon successful contact, the Devil Gene surged to full power and Kazuya roared at his enemies.
"Koko ga kisama no hakaba da!" Several powerful lasers shot out from Kazuya's chest and wings in a wide pattern, cutting through the assembled foes in seconds. The wing beams altered their angles to slice any who managed to evade the larger beam, ensuring none were safe from the assault. Finally, all beams converged into a wide blast that obliterated a majority of the puppets. Those that remained were quickly mopped up by the Smashers while Kazuya reverted to his human form.
"Worthless imbeciles…" he snarled in Japanese. "They dare mock my appearance and imitate the strength that is reserved for me alone?! They will pay for that!"
"Yes, they shall," said Ryu, earning Kazuya's attention. "If there is one thing I admire about you, Kazuya, it is your tenacity and drive for battle. I respect a worthy foe, and a mere imitation that doesn't compare to one or meet my standards is anything but a worthy adversary. If you seek a proper challenge as well, then mimicry is something neither of us agrees with."
Kazuya was silent for a moment before uttering his response. "That is true. But I require no assistance in ratting the rest of those annoyances and annihilating them. I will destroy them all, and then I shall return home and continue my search for Jin."
"It won't be as easy a task as you think, Kazuya," Ryu objected. "I've been fighting those duplicates longer than you have, and I've learned not to underestimate them. They are mere copies, yes, and they also possess the power of the real deal. Their strength may be meaningless one-on-one, but we have been outnumbered and overpowered by them before. And you saw the copies of yourself; if they fully harnessed the Devil Gene, what do you think that would mean?"
"Little," Kazuya replied sternly. "Jin carries the Devil Gene as well, and I am more than capable of defeating him."
"The way I see it, the two of you are evenly matched. Any fight you have with him is bound to go both ways," Ryu continued. "You may defeat him or he may defeat you; it all comes down to the acquired skill of both combatants. And these clones learn at a fast rate, which means they can become more skilled over time… and powerful enough to defeat the real template."
"Nonsense!" Kazuya snarled. "The thought of me losing to an inferior duplicate is laughable…!" He paused and closed his eyes, clenching his hands into fists before staring at Ryu. "Very well. If ensuring that no copy- of myself or otherwise- will ever defeat me is to ally myself with you, so be it. Hmm… there were rumors that my father encountered warriors from beyond my world; rumors I dismissed. Whether you are those warriors or not, I do not know."
"So, you will aid us in eliminating our shared enemy?"
"For now. But once they are wiped out, I will return home… and this does not change things between us, Ryu. You will do well to remember that."
The world warrior nodded as Kazuya started walking out of the town, the Smashers behind him. "Believe me… I will." The Mii Brawler let out a shaky breath and Luigi nervously swallowed. "Why can't we get more nice guys on the team?"
...
"I thought it impossible... but we've done it. We've managed to break the barrier! On the other side of it, our chance at victory awaits!"
"Incredible. There are whole new worlds within a single universe for us to travel to, each with its own heroes and villains... so many souls ripe for capture. We'll be able to restore our forces to the number Master Galeem intended."
"Any idea as to where we should go first?"
"Hmm... it appears that there is a central world that connects to all others. Send a scouting party there. Have them seek out its best warriors and bring their souls back here. With them, we can end this war, finish the Super Smash Brothers for good... and avenge our master."
"And what if any resist? Try to stop us?"
"They can't. They've never seen anything like us. They'll be unprepared. You can believe me when I say this: nothing can stop us now!"