Chapter 4: Outlandish & Ominous Olympic Onslaught Part 2
Guardians:
Ruby (Pokémon Adventures): The Charmer
Junko Konno (Zombie Land Saga): The Showa (Zombie) Idol
Linhardt von Hevring (Fire Emblem: Three Houses): The Sleepy Crest Scholar
Bucky Barnes (Marvel Cinematic Universe): The Veteran Sergeant
Blaze The Cat (Sonic The Hedgehog): The Fire Princess
Yamcha (Dragon Ball): The Wolf Fang Fist
Komaru Naegi (Danganronpa): The Hopeful Heart
Sapphire Birch (Pokémon Adventures): The Conqueror
Michiru Kagemori (BNA: Brand New Animal): The Shapeshifting Beast Girl
Masaomi Kida (Durarara!): The Casanova
Scott Lang/Ant-Man (Marvel Cinematic Universe): The Ex-Thief
Ponzu (Hunter X Hunter): The Queen Bee
Ashe (Fire Emblem: Three Houses): The Arrow of Justice
!
?
?
Zetsubou Members:
Monaca Towa (Danganronpa): The Li'l Ultimate Homeroom
Ultron (Marvel Cinematic Universe): The Rogue A.I.
General Tao (Dragon Ball): The Mercenary
Agatha (Pokémon Adventures): The Elder
Dr. Eggman Nega (Sonic The Hedgehog): The Mad Scientist
Big Bad Pete, Petetronic, Small Pete, & Pete Pan (Disney's Epic Mickey): The Brutes
?
Third-Person POV
The next day, unbeknownst to the two groups who were already here, one more duo came out of the projector portal to Paris. The (probably forever) 4th-grade couple from South Park, Colorado got spat out by the dimensional wormhole into the City of Lights.
"Ow… I feel like shit after that. Wait, Wendy?" Stan/Toolshed turned to his left and saw his girlfriend right next to him.
Wendy/Call Girl was not 100% either, "Ugh, Stan? I'm glad you're safe!"
The kids hug before they check out their new surroundings.
"Where the hell are we?" Stan readjusted his safety goggles.
"It looks like Paris! I've always wanted to go, but… it feels different than what I saw in pictures or in videos online." Wendy says as she sees some Flickies fly by above her.
"Weird-ass looking birds. Wait, are those the little mushroom guys from Mario?!"
Stan points out the Toads having a nice cup of coffee at a cafe, right before he begins to get nauseous.
Wendy catches on quickly, "What's wrong, Stan?!"
"Going through that portal thing… oh Jesus Christ… HRGH!" He holds his hand in front of his mouth before running to a nearby trash can and vomits.
Wendy sighs, "And I thought he stopped having to throw up around me—AGH!"
(Phantom Ruby sound effect plays)
She hunched over in the middle of the sidewalk, holding her head as a heavy migraine affected it. It seems as though that particular projector screen happened to have some… strange side effects. Stan and Wendy end up fainting due to these effects, but luckily a few good people came by and saw the kids lying on the ground.
A young rabbit girl in a vermillion dress gasped with her hands right in front of her mouth, fidgeting worriedly.
"Oh my! They look positively awful, Mr. Toad! We need to get them a doctor, fast!"
The Toad with a blue vest got a bright idea, "I know just the guy! C'mon Cream, let's take 'em to the stadium!"
Toad picks up Wendy, while Stan is carried by Cream who is flapping her ears to fly through the air. The two of them rush over to the Stade de France, hoping to get them looked at and recovered.
"So after protecting the glass girl girl, Vidro I think, she just up and proposed to me! Like, I had no idea how to even respond to that!"
Yamcha was in a track uniform chatting it up with Scott and Bucky, right before the 4x100m relay race.
"Yeah, right…" Bucky shrugged off his story.
Yamcha got defensive, "No, it's true! It really did happen! She called me 'darling' a lot, so I'm still thinking if I should accept another relationship. It's been so long since my last GOOD one and I don't know if it'll work out…"
Scott gave him his own advice, "I'd say go for it! After my divorce I thought I'd never find love again, but I ended up finding Hope, literally! Now I have another thing besides my daughter to fight for, so don't just let this glass girl pass you by! You just should never ANT-icipate that you only have one shot at love."
"Wow… that's actually a good point!" Yamcha was impressed at the bug-themed hero's words of wisdom.
Scott smiled back, "Right? I should put that in the sequel to the book I wrote! Still workshopping the title, I'm thinking either… Size Matters or Heroes Come in All Shapes & Sizes! I'll be sure to send you a copy of it, as well as the first book!"
"Thanks, man! Can't wait to read it cover to cover. Oooh, what about The Best Things Come in Small Packages!" Yamcha suggests.
Scott liked that idea, "Good one! Or I Shrink Therefore I Am?"
"Oh brother, now I've got to look after two idiots. Right after I got done carrying the Sleepy Kid around too." Bucky mumbled to himself.
Soon the 4-man team huddled up: Bucky, Scott, Yamcha, and Sonic, the team leader. On the other side of the track the other teams were also planning out their strategy. Though Wario was busy sneakily inserting something into a duffel bag.
"With this, Wario will win ALL THE GOLD! Wa-ha-ha-ha…"
"Hey! Hurry up already, slowpoke!" Bowser roared at the garlic munching gasshole with fire flowing from his cheeks.
Back with our heroes, Sonic was giving his team the details, "Ok, I'm gonna start this thing off with a bang, so you three need to keep my momentum going. It's all about teamwork here, you got that?"
"Easy peasy!" Yamcha began stretching his legs out before he got to his position as the 3rd runner.
"I don't really run that much aside from going jogging sometimes. And since I can't summon a flying ant, don't be surprised if I'm not very… fast." Scott warns him.
Bucky grunts as he makes his way to his 4th runner position, "So it's the suit doing the heavy lifting, huh?"
"Hey, it's what's inside the suit that counts. Which is me." Scott replied as he made his way to the 2nd runner position.
To recap: Sonic goes first, Scott is second, third is Yamcha, and Bucky finishes as fourth. The opposing teams got into their lanes on the track as well. Knuckles, Amy, Metal Sonic, and Eggman in lane 2, Luigi, Daisy, Yoshi, and Toadette in lane 3, and Bowser, Bowser Jr., Wario, and Waluigi in lane 4. Waluigi stared daggers at the assassin with a metal arm, much to his confusion as he raised a single eyebrow.
"Heh heh heh… Waluigi's gonna beat you, you lousy loser!" Waluigi taunts.
Bucky just ignores him, much to the mustachioed man's annoyance.
"On your mark!" The announcer begins as everyone gets prepared to sprint.
"Get set… GO!"
Insert Song: That's The Way I Like It/Metal Harbor (Sonic Adventure 2)
The starting gun is fired and we're off, and obviously Sonic is in the lead. Despite him not going as quickly as he usually goes, even his "jogging speed" is no joke either. Knuckles was close behind him though, almost neck and neck with the red & blue rivals as Luigi & Bowser tried to keep up.
"Not flooring it, eh Sonic? That's probably gonna come back and bite ya, y'know?" Knux told him as he caught up.
"Can't make it too easy, Knucklehead. Gotta give the new guys a chance to shine, speaking of… go for it Lang!" Sonic calls out to the former Baskin-Robbins employee.
"Huh? Now? Um, okay!" He tries to refocus as he prepares to grab the baton.
Scott waits for the handoff and… it was bad timing as the other athletes on the track begin to pass him by. Despite this, the World's Greatest Grandma wasn't giving up so easily.
"C'mon, c'mon, pick up the pace!" Yamcha urges on his new buddy as he tries to at least overtake Amy.
"Yahoo! We've got this, get going Yoshi!" Daisy manages to hand off her baton to the green dino as the team in lane one is currently last.
"Huff… huff… grab it…" Scott pants as soon as he reaches Yamcha's position.
The former desert bandit takes it and begins a mad dash, passing by Wario easily and is right on the tail of both Yoshi and Metal Sonic. He smirks as he sees Bucky already raring to go, but just Yamcha was about to reach him…
"Alright, time to finish this thing! Wait what is—WHOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAA! OOF!"
A random banana peel was left on the track, directly in front of the lane Yamcha was running in. The martial artist slips on and falls as soon as he catches a glimpse of it.
"Wah heh heh heh, have a nice slip and see you next fall! Here we go!" Waluigi chuckled as he ate another banana and threw away the peel in another direction.
The purple cheat gets handed his baton by Wario and begins sprinting as hard as he can with those skinny legs of his. Yamcha picks himself up after the incident and tries to regain his momentum, giving one last boost before passing on to Bucky.
"That purple bastard must've done it, when I get my hands on him…"
Bucky put a hand on his shoulder, "Don't let him get to you, we'll pay him back by winning."
Waluigi could see the finish line approaching, Toadette and Dr. Eggman were coming up short against the lanky trickster and he couldn't help but laugh even more. Well, up until he saw the speed of a super soldier on full display.
"On your left."
Bucly manages to catch up to him in no time, which shocked his sneaky rival to the point where he couldn't say a thing to him. He tried all he could to get in front of the White Wolf, even using his ability to swim through the air, but he wasn't as quick and he was running on fumes.
"Huff… huff… Waaaa…." He uttered as he slumped over the finish line right after Barnes crossed it, leaving him 2nd place on the podium.
"Hmph, if you didn't waste time cheating you wouldn't have cost your team. Or maybe it wouldn't have mattered anyways with how you couldn't even stay in the lead for more than a few seconds." Bucky told Waluigi as he walked off towards his team.
"Wa… Waluigi get you next time… Eh?" Waluigi then looks up to find an angry DK, clearly miffed when a few of his bananas had ended up missing.
The sound of him screaming echoes through the crowd as he is sent flying after a large fist collided with his body, embedding him in the stadium wall.
Yamcha enjoyed watching that very much, "You deserve that, pal! Thanks for showing him up, Buck."
"Don't mention it." Barnes shrugs it off.
Sonic walked up to the two of them, clapping along with the audience in attendance for their performance.
"Not bad, all of you." He then turned to Scott who's laying down on a bench all sweaty and exhausted, "Yes, even you, Lang! You gave it your all, even if you weren't very speedy. I'll get you more orange slices in a second, buddy!"
Scott gives him a thumbs up before his arm flops back down.
Insert Song: Aquarium Park Act 1 (Sonic Colors)
A few hours later, the 100m Freestyle Swimming event was about to begin. Michiru and Blaze were wearing appropriate attire to enter the water with. The two of them walked on over to their starting positions near the pool, but Michiru was curious about something she found odd.
"Why are you wearing gymnastic flats when we're about to go swimming? Isn't it better to just go barefoot instead?" The tanuki girl whispered to the cat girl.
"It's quite a complicated circumstance, so to put my answer into more simpler terms we—"
Before Blaze could say another word, the announcer fired the starting pistol and they had to dive in to begin the race. Everyone had their own style of swimming, with Blaze doing a Butterfly Style and Michiru doing the Breaststroke Style. They were all moving through the water as gracefully as dolphins do in the sea, while also being sure to control the pace and keep their stamina up.
"Wa-ha-ha! Too easy, yeah!" Waluigi was about halfway to the end of the pool.
From the crowd, the boys were busy watching the competition as they rested from the relay race.
"Jeez, what is that guy's problem? Just want to make things miserable for everyone here." Scott pointed out as he ate an orange slice and drank some water.
Masaomi was already in a soccer/football uniform for his match in a few hours, "Probably just wants attention. All that showing off will probably cost him in 5… 4… 3…"
"Owie!" Waluigi cried out as he bumped his head on the edge of the pool wall and began to sink down to the bottom.
"Huh, I was off by a few seconds." Masaomi states.
Michiru gasped when she witnessed it right in front of her. "Oh no! I'll go save him!"
Holding her breath, she dived deeper and crossed the lanes to reach him. This meant she would be disqualified, but she did what she could to help the wily schemer, who was legitimately knocked unconscious. On top of the pain he was already feeling from getting knocked around by a gorilla, it was pretty crazy of him to try doing this event after that.
Blaze managed to get first place, though she was focused on the rescue that the beast girl was attempting.
"The poor dears, I hope they're both okay…" Peach says as she finishes in 2nd.
Vector finishes 3rd using his Gator Style swimming, "Didn't expect a guy that skinny to sink like a stone to be honest."
"Don't be insensitive, Vector." Blaze scolded the croc.
"Sorry, ma'am." The scaly detective sulked in the water.
A minute later, they see bubbles coming up to the pool's surface and both Michiru and Waluigi pop up from beneath it.
"I got you, sir. Just hold on…" Michiru tells him as a stream of water is coughed up by him.
They both make it to shore and a crowd forms around the two of them. Waluigi's eyes reopen as he continues to spit out the pool water.
Wario laughed at his "friend's" misfortune, "Wa-ha-ha! Waluigi needed to be fished out by a little girl, what a loser!"
In response, Michiru's fist enlarged to gorilla size in order to threaten the fat yellow bastard. Blaze also lit up her fists with flames, which prompted Wario to run like a coward.
"You… rescued me?" He uttered as he was catching his breath.
Michiru nodded, "Of course I did. You may be a dirty cheater, but I wouldn't want you to drown!"
The taller man's eyes were wide with surprise at the act of kindness shown by her, but due to his stubborn attitude he stormed off without thanking her. Pushing his way through the crowd as he mumbled something to himself as Michiru stood there watching him leave.
"He could at least have been grateful for you saving his life. Seems as though he's too proud to even do that." Blaze shook her head and sighed.
The tanuki girl however looked like she figured something else out about him.
"True, but… something tells me that he doesn't seem all that bad."
Blaze nodded along as she listened to Michiru's statement, "Hm… in all the years I've been coming to these events, he comes across as a troublemaker who follows that disgusting cretin Wario around. Have not put in any more thought than that, but perhaps there could be a reason for his rudeness… as of right now however, that remains a mystery."
Yamcha, Bucky, and Sonic looked on as Dr. Mario was observing Stan and Wendy in their current condition, the two kids still not awake and laying down on the benches in the locker room.
"Kids must have hopped through a portal, trying to play hero from the looks of their outfits too." Bucky states.
"They're gonna be okay, right Doc?" Sonic asked Mario, but he honestly shrugged as an answer.
"Mama mia…" Mario uttered in frustration.
Yamcha felt angry after seeing the two kids like this, "Damn it, those Zetsubou assholes are pissing me off! How could they do this to innocent grade-school kids, even if they didn't do this themselves it's their fault for causing all of it! Murdering people, destroying homes, hurting children, ugh!"
The martial artist punched a locker with his fist, leaving a small dent in it and his hand beginning to glow red.
"Calm down, I'm mad too, but don't get all punchy right now!" Sonic tells Yamcha.
"Agh… huh? What the… Wendy, wake up!" Stan tells his girlfriend as the two of them finally arose.
Looks like that noise managed to awaken them.
"Mm… Stan? Who are… wait…" Wendy wakes up to see familiar characters all standing in front of the two of them.
"Mario… and Sonic the Hedgehog?" Stan asks.
"It's-a-me!" Mario greeted them.
"Bingo, kid! How ya doin'?" Sonic asked after shaking his finger in his familiar pose.
Stan was busy trying to contemplate what he was seeing, "... I'm thinking that I spent too much time on the weed farm, because I'm starting to see that Winter Soldier Guy and that dude who instantly died in DBZ…"
Bucky raised an eyebrow, "What kind of kids are allowed to go near a weed farm?".
"H-Hey, I'm still alive! And what the hell is DBZ?" Yamcha was confused as well.
Wendy pinches Stan on the arm after doing the same to herself, "Ow, what was that for?!"
"That hurt, so… this is all real?" The young girl asked and everyone nodded, "Oh my god…"
Dr. Mario then walked forward and put his hands on both of their shoulders.
"Don't-a-worry, everything's going to be—"
(Phantom Ruby sound effect plays)
Suddenly a shockwave knocks Mario back a few feet as it looks as though reality was briefly warping around them. Multiple colors were flashing as everyone in the room briefly levitated in the air before landing back down. In that moment, Sonic heard a familiar sound during that sequence that he audibly gasped.
"DUDE, HOLY SHIT! DID THAT JUST COME OUT OF US?!" Stan was unsurprisingly frightened after the room went back to normal.
"What… was that?" Wendy uttered as she held her hand close to her mouth.
Sonic tapped Bucky's shoulder to ask him something, "You said that these portal projectors have been taking you to other worlds, right?"
Bucky answers with a quick nod.
Sonic scratches his quills before crossing his arms, "Well now I think I've figured out what powers those things, as well as what that group of baddies have at their disposal: The Phantom Ruby."
"Upgraded Monokuma Units, check! Jetpack, check! Eggkuma…"
Eggman Nega powered on his newest creation, a battle armor themed around Monokuma.
The window that housed the cockpit was in the shape of Monkuma's sharp red eye, it had the familiar half black and half white color scheme, large laser turrets on both arms that also feature sharp claws on its "paws", a large mouth on its belly that can open and snap shut like a bear trap, shoulder spikes that shoot out bladed missiles, and to top it all off a pair of angel-like wings for flight that have a large golden gavel hanging on it…. Y'know for smashing things.
"Check. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!" The mad doctor cackles.
Then a whistle of an impressed individual is heard as Eggman Nega has some visitors.
"You've outdone yourself, doc! Can I take this puppy out for a spin sometime?"
Big Bad Pete, leader of the four Petes in the Cartoon Wasteland. Can be recognized by his peg leg, bowler hat, and big gut in blue overalls. A big bully who wishes to be on top more than anything else. The ways he treats others can range from petty to outright cruel.
Alongside Pete are Agatha and Tao, the generals under the leadership of Team Zetsubou are together once more.
The doc pushes up his sunglasses, "Ahhh! My lovely compatriots, what brings you to my quarters? I'm just about to depart on my mission to attack Paris, France."
"Oh, we're just admiring your work. I'm sure that you'll do quite the damage to both the city and those multiversal miscreants. Although there is another reason…" Agatha gave a sinister smirk as she looked up at the Eggkuma.
Eggman Nega immediately knows what she's talking about.
"Oh, our separate operation that we are about to undertake… I have indeed done my part, implementing a weakness inside Ultron's new body. Neither him or Ms. Monaca will find out about it, especially since Ultron is 'sleeping' inside of the new body right now!"
"Excellent, Doctor Nega! We'll be the ones in control soon enough, many worlds under our command, the riches we'll gather…" Tao begins to imagine the possibilities.
Agatha was not letting him finish, "Keep it down, you moron. One of them might overhear it…"
"Too late, I have. Don't worry about it though, I won't tell them a thing."
The man with the black coat with the hood over his face was back, a smile on his face clearly seen despite that.
"In fact, this may make things a lot more interesting than how it would have gone originally! This is exactly why I agreed to be a part of this experience, seeing people from different realities mingling together is just so entertaining."
Big Bad Pete sees him and groans, "Oh boy, it's that weirdo who talks all about how he LOVES people. I'm gettin' outta here…"
"Indeed… I feel uncomfortable being in the same room as you, cretin." Tao told him as he and Pete exited.
The hooded man then looked right at Eggman Nega, to the latter's dismay.
"Hmph! How have those implants I had given you been? Much more efficient than using a wheelchair, right?"
He simply put his hands on his hips, "I would have preferred it if you didn't treat my wounds, it was a punishment for my past missteps. Although it's a small price to pay to witness a spectacle such as this. Anyways, make sure to bring me a crêpe when you get back, good luck on your trip to Paris, Doctor."
Eggman Nega scowled at the man before he opened up a large gateway for all of the things he needed for the attack. Only Agatha and the hood man remained.
Agatha decided to ask him a question, "FHave you finalized the plans for your killing game? How long until you will be ready to start?"
He put his arms behind his head and sighed, "About a month after Sird's game concludes, I wouldn't want to overdo things. Give some time to breathe until the excitement of the previous game fizzles out. I have finished picking my roster however… would you like to see?"
He hands her an e-Handbook with all his participants, the elder woman was impressed with the selection.
"Sixteen wonderful guests at the destination of my choosing, the wait will be oh so worth it. I have a good feeling about six of them in particular, especially…"
Nope, not revealing who that is just yet. It's a LONG LONG road until then, about a few more Guardians adventures and an ENTIRE killing game before we see where that goes. Mayyyybe I'll give some kind of preview in the future. Can I also say wow… a lot of stuff is definitely happening on AO3's end, hopefully I can make it out unscathed by the end of it. Hope that wherever you read this story, you have a good time doing so! Don't be afraid to leave a comment, no matter how long And now we get the official confirmation that the Phantom Ruby is playing a key part, not just in this story but in every single one in the Fictional Saga! Sonic fans may be familiar with it, as well as a certain individual who has said ruby embedded in his chest (that may have shown up at the end of Fictional Nexus). A gem, other than the Chaos Emeralds, that can warp reality in a story about traveling to other worlds can cause serious problems in the vast multiverse. Including doing something to those poor kids from that quaint little mountain town, we'll see what other effects going through that messed up projector did to them soon. I just wish that I could use the link to the sound effect instead of just saying the sound effect. Show don't tell, as they say, but alas I can't have links to videos on all websites I post these to unfortunately. Anyways, see y'all next time! (I also commissioned a great artist for an art piece centered around a future event in the story, hopefully I can share it with you peeps on AO3 at least.)