(The Arena)
Everyone looked in awe as the two new figures appeared out of nowhere. Except for Drake. Ashley, Shadow, Astaroth and Aila who were all looking excited for this.
"Now I must admit that you may not recognise us, Lloyd, but…" The star started.
"Wait a minute… I think I recognise you two now!" The twin swordsman realised.
The die's eyes lit up while the star gave an unseen proud smirk.
"You two are those living ornaments at the Christmas section of the Tournament of Kikai!" Lloyd pointed out.
The star and the die nearly fell out of the air before recovering and looking upset.
"No!" The star roared before realising what he said. "I mean, yes, but we had identities before that!"
"I MUST CONFESS, I, THE LEGENDARY HAOHMARU ALWAYS FOUND IT STRANGE THAT XERO HAS DECIDED TO HAVE THOSE TWO ARE A CAMEO FOR THE CHRISTMAS SECTION." Haohmaru noted. "XERO ALWAYS LIKED TO DO BIZARRE SITUATIONS, BUT EVEN FOR HIM, THAT JUST SEEMS RANDOM!"
"I just assumed that they lost a bet." Yamazaki piped up, crossing his arms while shrugging his shoulders.
"No. We were in the announcer's booth in the section BEFORE the Christmas one and in all fairness, while Xero was on board, it wasn't him who asked, it was MAURICE." The die sighed.
"Maurice!? Isn't he the SANE one!?" Kanji exclaimed in disbelief.
"When standing next to Xero." Sticks muttered. "Dude literally invited a dancing cow to the tournament."
"Pardon me, but I am going to tell to rerail this tournament back on track!" Ashley piped up from the Announcer's Booth. "First off, introduce yourself, you guys."
"OKAY!" The die cheered. "I am Tumble from Mario Party 3!"
"I am the Millennium Star, also from the game!" The star said, proudly.
Everyone blinked twice at this. They then looked at the announcer's booth with unimpressed looks.
"W-What?" Drake frowned.
"Um, guys, make no mistake, he is a huge step-up from Junko Enoshima." Lloyd admitted before narrowing his eyes. "Did you really have a con man helping you?"
The Millennium Star winced while Tumble narrowed his eyes.
"Hey, the Millennium Star isn't a con man, he is a fraud!" Tumble scolded. "There is a BIG difference!"
"Thanks, Tumble…" The Millennium Star muttered.
"And besides, while he isn't the "current" Millennium Star, he is still powerful enough to help me with this tournament's main gimmick!" Drake added.
Everyone winced before looking at each other, remembering the wheel from the Tournament of Kikai.
"Sooo…" Ren said before taking a deep gulp. "What is the gimmick?"
"Well, it is actually a mixture of two gimmicks. One from the first Megamix Tournament and the second from the Okron Tournament." Drake explained.
Elmyra tilted her head to the side. "I think I remembered the second one, but I don't remember the first Megamix Tournament having a gimmick."
"Well, that's because the first Megamix Tournament didn't have a gimmick that went all of…" Rimururu started. Her eyes then bugged out in realisation.
"Figured it out, eh, Rimururu?" Drake smirked. "Well, even if it is obvious for some of you, I will still explain. You remember how at the end of every round at the Tournament of Kikai, one random person gets to affect the next section?"
"Not that they already get to do so, but eh?" Sticks muttered.
Drake chuckled nervously. "True dat. But I actually like that concept so I decided to have my spin on it. But instead of having one random person, I will have the person who has the most support from the audience."
Everyone's bugged out at this.
"Wait… So are you saying…?" Lloyd started.
"Yeah, the audience is the most hyped for YOU, Lloyd!" Ashley smiled.
"Let me repeat what the Millennium Star said!" Drake grinned. "You are the superstar!"
The crowd cheered for the twin swordsman as he looked around stunned as the rest of the fighters looked jealous.
"So I'M the least hype? Me?" Duck King asked, looking hurt.
"Furthermore, FIVE of us couldn't get enough hype, but SHE does?" Yamazaki asked, pointing to Elmyra who stuck out her tongue at him.
"Sorry about that. We don't make the rules." Ashley shrugged.
"W-Wow… I knew I had my fanbase, but to get me this honour…" Lloyd said, scratching the back of his head. He then smiled before looking around. "Thanks for all of your support! I hope for your sake, I didn't disappoint you!"
The audience's cheers grew wilder as Lloyd's smile grew bigger.
"Now, Lloyd, do you wish to know what you have won?" The Millennium Star asked.
"Oh, yes, please!" The red-clad young man grinned, clenching his fist together.
"Well, it is simple on paper, but its practice depends on the user." The Millennium Star explained. "You asked for the arena to change and I will change it."
"It could be anything small like adding a giant hole in the middle, creating floating platforms or even making it snow all section." Tumble added. "Or it could be large."
Lloyd blinked twice. "Large?"
"Basically, turn the stage into a place from a node." The Millennium Star nodded.
Everyone's eyes widened at this.
"That's right! If there is a location from a fictional node, there is a chance that I should be able to recreate it. As long as I have the details." The Millennium Star offered. "So for the next section, regardless if you managed to do well twice in a row or become a flash in the pan. The arena will be of YOUR choosing."
Tumble looked down at the others. "Is that worth fighting for!?"
All of the fighters cheered at this.
"Glad to hear it!" Tumble smiled before looking at Lloyd. "Now, what would be your choice?"
The red-clad youth frowned. "Wow… I really appreciate the offer, but I don't know… I wouldn't do what would give me the advantage."
"Well, it doesn't have to give you a major advantage. Just an advantage of familiarity." Tumble offered. "Or something you wish to visit or go back to."
"Something to go back to?" Lloyd asked. His eyes then bugged out. "Mr. Millennium Star!"
The star jumped at this. "Y-Yes!?"
"Do you know locations from flash games!?" Lloyd exclaimed.
The Millennium Star winced at this before shifting his eyes. "Um, well?"
Suddenly, Tumble floated forward. "Yes, he does!"
The Millennium Star blinked twice. "I do?"
"Yes!" Tumble said.
Lloyd paused. "Um, don't take this the wrong way, but you guys are not off to a great start."
"Oh, don't worry. It will all work out!" Tumble offered. With that, his top opened up and a star-themed smartphone came out of it before the die grabbed it. "Now what is the location you had in mind?"
"Um, yeah." Lloyd said before taking a deep breath. "The Tower of Salvation from Super Smash Flash 2!"
Those who played that flash game back in the game started to cheer. Tumble just typed onto his phone.
"Ooh, because you were in that game!" Tumble noted.
"Yeah, having a Mii costume in Ultimate is fine, but I still liked being in the action!" Lloyd smiled.
"Okay, just give me a few and…" Tumble said, pushing a few buttons. "Anddddd NOW!"
Suddenly, the Millennium Star's eyes flashed white for a moment.
"AH, now it is coming together!" The star exclaimed. "Everyone, cover your eyes!"
With that, he started to spin around while dropping stardust all over the arena. He then emitted a large, white light that forced everyone to cover their eyes. When the light cleared, everyone opened their eyes and once they did, they gaped.
As the Millennium Star and Tumble explained. The arena completely changed. The canvas was completely messy-green with stone paths on it. At one edge of the arena where a turnbuckle should be, there was another floor with four pillars and a stone tablet that could only be accessed (unless somebody could fly and just jump really high) by a green staircase to the side. Finally, there was a black floating platform on each side and the ropes were replaced by vines.
"Woah!" Tawna gasped.
"This is amazing!" Twintelle said in awe.
"Well, would that suffice?" The Millennium Star asked with an unseen smirk.
"Yeah… It is actually how I remembered it!" Lloyd grinned. He then frowned. "But… How could Tumble be able to figure it out, but not you?"
The Millennium Star just sighed. "Even though I am more than a millennium old, that doesn't mean I know everything. Especially since I haven't seen work for a long time."
"While you could argue the same for me, same for my appearance in Mario Party Advance, I try to keep up with the current stuff." Tumble added before holding up his smartphone. "So the Millennium Star created this phone for me that could input any info about locations into him!"
"Think of Tumble as my personal Wally & Catherine or Danglars & Tybalt." The Millennium Star offered. "Now do you have any more questions?"
Lloyd shook his head. "No, thank you for everything."
"It is quite alright." The Millennium Star offered. "Now we held up this tournament for too long so get out there and use this stage to your heart's content!"
Lloyd nodded his head with a grin as the star platform started to descend. When he got near the bottom, he got off and looked around in awe as they did everyone else. The Millennium Star and Tumble smiled before floating over to the announcer's booth and resting on top of it.
"AH HA HA! THIS IS TRULY A GRAND GIMMICK THAT THE HOSTS HAVE BESTOWED UPON US! THE ARENA WILL SHALL CHANGE EVERY SECTIONS, MAKING THINGS FRESH!" Haohmaru grinned.
"For once, I agree with Motor Mouth!" Rimururu smiled. "It should make for more interesting battles!"
"AND remember when the person who gets to pick is the one who gets the most hype!" Kanji added. "So we are not just fighting to survive, we are fighting for an advantage!"
Orcane happily barked.
Everyone nodded their heads. It seems that this new gimmick was already going well.
(Announcer's Booth)
"Sorry for taking so long to explain, but considering how much of a big deal this time will be, it needs some time." Drake apologised before looking at the camera. "But hey, now you may or may not have a new reason to vote for certain people now with this! And now, back to the regular new fighter introduction!"
(The Arena)
(Is that all you got in you?)
(All this time you belittled us)
(Now you realised that a new era is coming)
(But it's too late, my friend)
(Too late…)
"ISLA!" (KoFAS)
The Chilean graffiti artist came out to an enormous cheer and her team's theme song, which was impressive because her debut game literally just came out recently. With her hands in her pocket, she grinned at the warm reception before getting out a spray can and shaking it.
"Meet and greet time, Amanda!" She shouted, spraying above her.
This had summoned two floating, purple hands. As Isla made her way down the ramp with her hands in her pocket, the two hands then went on opposite sides, shaking hands with the audience and making them cheer louder.
(You're an artefact of the past)
(We are here to bring the contrast)
(The colourful generation has arisen)
(You live in a world of disillusion)
(All that's left for you… )
(OBLIVION)
"Heh. I thought this tournament was going to be a snorefest, but already these weirdos are more or less making it fun!" Isla smirked. "And that is not even getting into that new gimmick! Speaking of which…"
When she finally reached the bottom of the ramp, she whistled. This made Amanda stop shaking hands and fly towards Isla before putting her hands together in front of her. Isla then stepped onto Amanda as the latter gave her a boost fly into the air.
When she was over the ring, she did a diving kick towards Lloyd. The latter yelped before jumping to the side.
"You don't like to hesitate, do you?" Lloyd asked, narrowing his eyes.
"Hey, it is not in my nature to hold back!" Isla admitted, shrugging her shoulders. "That and I kinda wanna take ya down!"
Lloyd paused. "...Why? You don't like my arena pick?"
"Can't say that it would be MY first choice, but for the first arena change of the tournament, it more than gets the job done." Isla noted. "But that's the problem."
"Hm?" Lloyd asked, raising his eyebrow.
"This stage change! The possibilities are endless! You could do so much with it!" Isla exclaimed, taking her hands out of her pockets to spread them out. "The arena is literally one big canvas! And I want in on it!"
Lloyd paused, putting two and two together. "Ohhh, but to do that, you have to get to become the next section Superstar!"
"Exactly! And as the previous Superstar, you are the biggest threat to my goal!" Isla added. "So yeah, it is nothing personal, but I am going to grind your head into your own home advantage stage!"
Lloyd narrowed his eyes before getting into a stance. "Yeah, just try it!"
All of the fighters watched this exchange before looking at each other. Sure, this stage change twist is a huge benefit, but it could easily be their downfall if they are not careful.
"DR. NEO CORTEX!" (CB)
Normally, the yellow-skinned mad scientist would be one of the few fighters to revel in the mixed reaction they were getting. However, he was still furious over losing nearly half of his minions to notice.
"Of all the ungrateful, fickle, weak-hearted…" Cortex growled, stomping down the ramp. "No wonder Oume and her mother treat Otane like dirt! That is all she is!"
When he finally stepped in the ring, he looked around for a moment. Only to see a familiar she-bandicoot making her way towards him.
Cortex threw up his hands in frustration. "Of course! Why not have me in the same section as a bandicoot?"
"Heh, you know fully well that us bandicoots will never get out of your hair! Or what's left of it!" Tawna smirked, darkly before cracking her knuckles. "Now ready your laser! Crash and Coco may have already kicked your butt for betraying us, but I still want to show you how I felt!"
Cortex growled before getting out his ray gun. "Tch! Whatever! I need a training dummy to take out my frustration on!"
He then paused before looking to the side to see Haohmaru, still playing to the ground.
"That and there isn't much I could do NOW even if you WEREN'T in my way."
"ELENA!" (SFAS)
(Beats, beats, beats)
(Beats, beats, beats)
(Beats, beats, beats)
(Beats in my head!)
The Kenyan capoeirista came out to a loud cheer and she was just as ecstatic, if not then, as the crowd, grinning from ear to ear while waving to the crowd and shaking hands with them as her earworm theme from III.
When she finally reached the ramp, she made her way over to Duck King. The street dancer jumped because of how tall she was.
"Damn… Someone's been drinking their milk." Duck King noted.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Elena frowned.
"H-Huh? What do you mean?" Duck King asked.
"You are known for having a great rhythm and yet I could feel that it is off right now." Elena said.
Duck King frowned, scratching the back of his head. "That obvious, huh? Sorry for not giving my A-game. Just a bit bummed that I am actually the least hype right now."
P-Chan sadly chirped.
Elena tilted her head to the side. "Least hype?"
"Yeah, didn't you hear the explanation just now?" Duck King asked.
"I did. I think you are looking at it the wrong way." Elena frowned.
Duck King blinked twice behind his shades. "Huh?"
"If you didn't have any hype with the crowd, you wouldn't have survived." Elena explained, putting her hands on her chest.
Duck King paused. "You really think so?"
"I KNOW so! The problem is you don't have any hype, but the problem is that you are competing with a lot of different people who give large amounts of hype!" Elena explained. "You didn't rank twelfth out of twelve! You ranked twelfth out of thirty!"
Duck King stayed silent for a moment before smiling. "Well, twelfth out of thirty isn't bad!"
"Of course not! But if you are still feeling down…" Elena said before flipping and getting into a stance. "Let's fight! I always wanted to know how you groove!"
Duck King smirked before getting into a stance. "Oh, girlie, you will NOT be disappointed!"
"Oh, yay!" Elena beamed.
Everyone looked at the scene with bewilderment except for Stimpy and Elmyra who were watching with sparkling eyes.
"...Um, what was she talking about just now?" Lloyd asked.
"Whatever it was, I don't think it was English." Isla added.
"And now, Mystery Fighter… Number… THREE!"
"TECNA!" (Winx Club)
The magenta-haired Fairy of Technology came out wearing her Season 1 design, much to the relief of the audience. She put her hands on her chest and breathed in and out.
"Okay, Tecna, no pressure. You just have to show everyone why they should be interested in the incoming reboot." She said in her heavy British accent. "The problem is how I am going to get them hyped…"
With that, she got ready to transform into her fairy form.
(God, keep my head above water…)
Then, a record scratch could be heard on Avril Lavigne's Head Above Water.
"Excuse me!?"
Tecna froze in her spot as her pupils shrank.
(Hatrið mun sigra)
Another record scratch on HATARI'S Hatrið mun sigra.
"Yo, what!?"
Tecna slumped her arms. "You can NOT be serious right now!"
(Smoke weed everyday)
Three for three, Not even Snoop Dogg was safe.
"What the…!?"
Tecna looked up at the Sound Booth to see Shadow with a big smirk on his face. She also noticed that Astaroth and Aila… Were looking confused.
(My wrist, stop watching)
(My neck)
And again for Ariana Grande's 7 Rings.
"She could transform!?"
Suddenly, Tecna heard a noise in front of her. Turning her head, she saw her friend, Bloom, standing there smiling. She also saw the Millennium Star behind her.
"Forgive me, Miss, but Shadow ASKED me to do this." The star admitted with an unseen frown.
Tecna then looked around. While they were a good chunk of people understandingly bewildered, there were also a good chunk of people chanting "Do it! Do it!". She groaned before rolling her eyes.
"Alright, alright, you win!" She muttered.
"Okay, counting you in in three… Two… One…" Shadow started..
Tecna then narrowed her eyes before sending her palm into Bloom, knocking her away.
(Fly me away now)
(Fly me away now)
(Fly away)
Several smaller versions of Bloom appeared, but Tecna swatted them all away to Fly Away from the anime, Panty & Stocking.
(Fly me away now)
(Fly me away now)
(Fly away)
Finally, Tecna started her transformation sequence, showing her in her Fairy form, which looks less like a fairy and more sci-fi. The UK flag then appeared behind her as a cup of tea appeared in her hand.
(Fly away)
When the transformation was done, Tecna's cup vanished (as it was created by the Millennium Star) as she growled before flying up (instead of fairy wings, it was a neon-green grid in the shape of a paper aeroplane) to the Sound Booth where Shadow had a smug grin on his face.
"I did NOT want my franchise to be known for our Abridged series!" Tecna snapped.
"What's the big deal? Your transformation scene from that series was without a doubt the best!" Shadow smirked. "Seriously? Does that sound like a mocking crowd for you?"
Tecna then turned around to see that a good chunk of the crowd were now cheering her on. A major contrast to the modest cheer she got. Duck King, Elena, Elmyra, Stimpy and even Isla were applauding her.
"Y-Yes, I suppose that it DOES help get the audience's favour at the moment, but…" Tecna said.
She then growled before she flew off, ignoring all of the weird stares she was getting from the other fighters before she sat on the higher floor, clearly too frustrated to deal with anyone right now.
"Umm, don't get me wrong, Shadow, you got her good, but… How did you know about the Abridged series?" Astaroth asked.
"Yeah, I literally just heard of the series when I saw her on the list." Aila added.
Shadow just sighed. "When your fandom is as… Big as Sonic the Hedgehog, you learned about so many things for better or for worse."
"EUGENE GALLARDO!" (ToAS)
The panther Gajuma warrior came out while scratching the back of his head with one hand and holding his spear with the other.
"I have forgotten how… Mischievous the Megamix Tournament Sound Booth trio could be." He mused, looking up at said booth. "Should I be lucky that there are not that many songs revolving around panthers."
Shaking his head, he stepped into the ring. His first instinct was actually not to get into a fight right now. There was something he felt like he needed to do first.
"Ooooh, kitty-kat!"
Eugene's eyes widened before looking to the side to see Elmyra skipping forward.
"Ooh, I wanna stroke you and pet you and dress you so nicely in pretty ribbons!" She sang.
Eugene paused. "Hmm… On one hand, she may be a valuable ally. If I play to her strength, she could easily be one of my best hopes you take down that."
He then turned around.
"But on the other hand… RUN!"
"JIGGLYPUFF!" (SSB)
(Anytime, anyplace, anywhere)
(With trouble brewing and laughter in the air)
(With a smile, with a sigh, with all the right stuff)
(There are many times when a song is just enough)
The pink balloon Pokemon came out to a decent cheer. She literally puffed her up proudly at the crowd before waddling down the ramp.
(Magical powers)
(In the lush grass in the shade of Mt. Moon)
(Make the song…)
(Soothe you)
(The power the melody moves you)
When Jigglypuff finally entered the ramp, he saw Kanji rushing towards her. Getting into a stance, she got ready to attack him.
"Oh my god! It is a Jigglypuff!" Kanji exclaimed.
The Fairy-type Pokemon jumped at this. She didn't expect a reaction like THAT from someone like HIM.
Kanji grinned as he crouched down before fishing into his pocket. "You are in my top 10 favourite Pokemon! Which is saying a lot because there are a lot of Pokemon I love! Look!"
With that, he pulled out some tiny plushies of Pokemon. One of them was, of course, Jigglypuff.
"I spent an entire night trying to perfect this!" Kanji grinned. "You would think that someone so round would be easy, but no…"
Jigglypuff's eyes sparkled at this.
"So yeah, I am SO psyched that I get to enter the same section as you!" Kanji grinned. "Can we double-team for a bit? Please, please, please!"
Jigglypuff proudly puffed herself up. "Well, I must say that for a brute, you have excellent taste! Very well! I will accompany you! I should be alone for the majority of the section, anyway!"
Orcane and P-Chan watched the entire thing in exasperation before shifting their eyes towards each other.
"Pink animals…"
(Hotel; Otane's Room)
"Okay, is everyone here?" Otane asked. "Besides Mukai and the Komodo brothers, of course."
Everyone nodded their heads.
"Great! Then, let's get into the plans!" Otane grinned.
"S-S-Splendid! So what do you have in mind?" Brio asked, looking excited.
"Well, it is easy. I thought of this plan to get as many MacGuffins, power source and other powerful weapons together!" Otane explained.
Everyone looked on in interest.
"And I completely abandoned it!" Otane grinned.
Everyone's face fell.
"Old Lady Simp said what!?" Cinder exclaimed.
"Why would you do that?" Elliana roared.
"...Because what would be the point?" Otane asked.
Everyone blinked twice in confusion.
"Um, what?" Krizalid asked.
"I mean, what would be the point? From what I researched, that is all Bison tries to do at these things." Otane explained. "Whether it be kidnapping children, using the Master Emerald or Triforce pieces, trying to gain immortality, even taking advantage of people that aren't appreciated. It all comes down to one thing. Gaining power."
"Um, Tiny is confused?" Tiny piped up. "Isn't that what Better Old Lady needs to impress Bison?"
"I know and let me rephrase. Every attempt to gain power is trying to exploit power in some way or form." Otane explained. "And it usually backfires. Dare I bring up the two soul swords?"
"Ugh, please don't…" Dhaos groaned, holding his forehead. "That was the only one literally EVERYONE had in common."
The Crash Bandicoot characters shuddered.
"So yes, we need to harass a different type of power." Otane explained.
"Okay, fair enough. And what kind of power is that?" Krizalid asked.
"The power… Of popularity!" Otane grinned.
Everyone blinked twice at this.
"...Huh?" Basara asked.
"I suppose that most of you didn't see the start of the second section." Otane mused.
"Um, affirmative. The Millennium Star and Tumble from Mario Party 3 will reward the fighter with the most popularity with the chance to change the stage." ARIA explained.
"And from what I saw, how the Millennium Star gauges said popularity is through his stardust." Otane added.
"Uh-huh." Brio mused, rubbing his chin.
"So first things first, we take some of the Millennium Star's stardust." Otane said.
Elliana blinked twice. "...I think I see where you are going now. Because your philosophy of forming bonds fits perfectly with that."
"Exactly!" Otane grinned, snapping her fingers.
"Um, just one thing. In case, you didn't notice…" Krizalid said before angrily shouting. "THE MILLENNIUM STAR IS GOING TO BE IN FRONT OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE THE ENTIRE TIME!"
Everyone jumped while Otane paused.
"...I know. Which means we have many chances to make our move." She explained.
Krizalid blinked twice. "Wait, what?"
"Think about it. The arena HAS to be FULL of stardust!" Otane explained. "And considering that there are literally fourteen of us, we should have more chances to do so!"
Cinder paused. "So let me get this straight? You want us to scavenge stardust in front of everyone?"
"Not if you are going to have the subtlety of your flames I do!" Otane snapped.
"For once, I must agree with Cinder's vulgar comments." ARIA piped up. "After all, most, if not all of us are villains and villains are usually targeted by heroes. If we get a few minutes of breathing room, we would be lucky."
Otane, who was actually taking everyone's complaints in stride thus far, actually winced at this.
"Um, well…" Otane started.
"HA HA HA!"
Everyone turned to see Ripper Roo writing down something on a notepad. ARIA looked over it out of curiosity for a moment.
"...Huh. It seems that this one has managed to find a way to fill in the final holes of your plan for you, Otane." ARIA mused.
The younger Goketsuji sister's eyes widened at this "Wait, really?"
With that, she ran over to Ripper Roo's side and looked over his shoulder. After a few seconds, her eyes widened in realisation before smirking.
"Heh. I knew it was a smart move for me to convince you to switch sides, but damn!" Otane smirked.
Ripper Roo just laughed.
"Okay, I am willing to admit that I didn't think of the way to the end. However, we should be going smoothly if this goes to plan." Otane explained. "Just one issue."
Krizalid raised an eyebrow. "And that is?"
"It is one thing for my sister's team or a potential hero team to spot us…" Otane explained.
She then gave a grim face.
"If Barbatos Goetia catches us, we're doomed!"
Everyone looked at each other with worried looks. Especially Tiny who shuddered.
(Dome; Unknown Location)
Komodo Joe groaned as he slowly fluttered his eyes. The last thing he remembered was Whip's namesake weapon turned into a GUN and then darkness. Soon, he finally started to regain consciousness.
To see a familiar set of yellow eyes and a smug grin.
"Morning, sunshine!"
"H-Huh? Dingodile?" Joe asked.
"In the fur and scales!" The dingo-crocodile hybrid grinned.
Joe paused. It was then he realised something. Dingodile was cradling him in his arms.
"H-Hey!" The Komodo Dragon roared before skidding back away from him.
Despite this, Dingodile just let out a hearty laugh. "Ha ha ha! Ah knew that ya would react that way and yet it is STILL funny!"
Joe growled with his face turning beet red. "Well, it is not funny to ME!"
"Of course, ya are a humour vacuum!" Dingodile said while laughing.
Joe growled before he was about to yell at Dingodile, until he realised something in the location where they were in.
"Um, where are we?" Joe asked, looking around.
"The hallway leading up ta the Announcer's Booth." Dingodile explained.
Joe's eyes bugged at this. "What!?"
"Oi, it was either that or risk Whippy and her friends or the security team finding us." Dingodile scolded.
Joe's eyes widened in realisation. "Oh, that's right… Wait… Are you sssssayinh that you SSSSSAVED?"
"Aye…" Dingodile nodded.
Joe blinked twice. "But… Why? You are officially retired. You have no reassssson to help me."
"Eh, ya're right. Ah don't." Dingodile said, putting his hands behind his back. "Especially since YA got into that fight on yer own accord!"
"Hey, if you watched the whole thing, you would have known that Krizalid and that whip-wielder had a ssssstrained relationssssship!" Joe scolded.
Dingodile looked in awe. "So wait? Ya stepped in fer Krizalid's sake? That's… Surprisingly noble of ya."
Joe just scoffed. "I jussssst wanted to ressssspect my new bossss' orderssssss."
"Aye, well…" Dingodile said before realising something. "Wait, NEW boss? So these orders DIDN'T come from Cortex OR Bison?"
Joe shook his head. "No, Brio and Otane Goketssssssuji."
Dingodile's eyes widened in realisation. "Oh, right. Yer were created by Brio first, didn't ya?"
"Yeah, as much as a crazy old coot Otane issssss, ssssssshe brought up a good point about joining Brio's ssssside." Joe explained. "Why ssssshould I follow ssssssomeone who isssss the enemy of my creator?"
"Yeah… Why DID ya join the Cortex Commandos in the first place?" Dingodile asked.
Joe shook his head. "I do NOT have the foggiessssst. I guesssss part of the reassssson is that Brio has been seen much after Cortex Strikes Back."
Dingodile frowned. "Aye, and ta say that his appearances were inconsistent is an understatement."
"But yeah, Brio finally knowsssss what he wantsssss to do and so does me, my brother, Ripper Roo and Tiny." Joe explained.
Dingodile's eyes lit up at this. "Tiny is abandoning Cortex!?"
"Yesssss, but to be fair, I doubt that he would had done ssssso if Brio didn't ssssshowed him that Cortex was planning to create sssssomeone akin to the Tiny from Crasssssh of the Titansssss." Joe said.
Dingodile winced. "Ah am surprised Cortex didn't enter the arena all bruised up."
"Yesssss, sssssame here." Joe said, rolling his eyes. "So yeah, there are three teamssss. The one led by Otane, the one led by her ssssssister, Oume and of courssssse, the team led by Bissssson."
"Ya seemed ta be doing good fer yerself!" Dingodile offered with a grin. "Any boss change from Cortex and Bison is a good one in MAH books."
"Yeah, Brio and Otane are already looking better in comparissssson." Joe mused. "Even if the latter have the worsssssse tassssste in men."
Dingodile's smirk vanished. "Wait, what?"
"Trussssst me, you do NOT want to know." Joe said before realising something. "Oh, that'ssssss remindsssss me. Even though I am technically not working on Bissssson's team, I sssssstill have to report to his room."
"Well, don't let me keep ya waiting." Dingodile said, smirking. "Ah want ta see Tawna trounce Cortex in the ground."
Joe chuckled before getting up. "Ssssso we are cool about you never knowing about all of thisssss?"
Dingodile let out a hearty laugh. "Mate! If Ah wanted ta leave ya stuck out high ta dry, Ah would leave ya ta Whippy!"
"Yeah, true…" Joe said, scratching the back of his head. "Anyway, later."
With that, he proceeded to walk off.
"...And thank you."
Dingodile nodded his head with a grin before leaning against the wall and looking up at the monitors.
Unknown to him, someone was watching the entire conversation with a dark grin on their face.
"Heh. I was hoping to get a scapegoat in case this goes south, but to think that I would find the perfect one."
"Ooh, nice suplex, Tawna!" Dingodile grinned.
Suddenly, his nose picked up something. Raising an eyebrow, he looked to the side.
To see Jet the Hawk holding one of his leaf fans and riding his Extreme Gear board. He growled before turning around and waving said leaf fans.
"Of all the…" Jet muttered. "How does it even spread THAT fast!?"
He then turned around and his eyes bugged out when he found Dingodile. Jet's eyes widened before narrowing them.
"Hey!" Jet snapped.
Dingodile jumped. "W-What!?"
"What are you doing here!?" Jet demanded.
"Um, is it a free building?" Dingodile asked, blinking twice.
"Then, why are you on the path leading towards the announcer's booth?" Jet challenged.
"Um, what is the big deal?" Dingodile asked, crossing his arms. "Ah am not bothering them! If anything, yer loud mouth is more of a disturbance than Ah am."
Jet growled. "Oh? So you are not going to tell me what you are doing here?"
"Last time Ah checked, it wasn't against the rules ta be here." Dingodile said, narrowing his eyes.
"Alright, that's it!" Jet said, getting onto his board. "I ain't no hero, but even the Babylon Rogues know how messed up to try to kill the announcers during the tournament!"
As he rode forward, Dingodile's eyes bugged out.
"Wait, WHAT!?"
(The Arena)
"EDNA!" (ToAS)
(When the sun shines, we'll shine together)
(Told you I'll be here forever)
(Said I'll always be a friend)
(Took an oath, I'm a stick it out till the end)
The vertically-challenged blonde Earth Seraph came out to a loud cheer while carrying her weapon, thus why the Sound Booth was playing Rihanna's Umbrella. Despite the warm reception she was getting, she just rolled her eyes.
"I swear humans can be so easily pleased by violence." She muttered. "It's a miracle that there is no hint of malevolence in the audience."
(Now that it's raining more than ever)
(Know that we'll still have each other)
(You can stand under my umbrella)
(You can stand under my umbrella)
The moment Edna stepped into the ring, Eugene immediately ran over while still trying to get away from Edna.
"Edna, help!" Eugene pleaded.
The geomancer raised an eyebrow with a small smirk. "Aww, the big kitty is having trouble with a LITTLE girl!"
"You know, fully well that she is NOT a normal little girl!" Eugene roared before turning around. "Roaring Spear!"
With that, he slammed his spear into the floor, creating a series of stalagmites. Elmyra ended up running into them before collapsing on the ground.
"Ooh, look at the pretty birdies!" Elmyra said, dazed.
Eugene let out a sigh in relief. "I just want you to distract her for a while until HE comes."
"Oh right, you've been eyeing him ever since we entered the Ready Room together." Edna mused. She then rolled her eyes. "Alright, alright, let the lady do the big man's dirty work."
"Oi…"
"WU-RUIXIANG!" (SS)
The Chinese wielder of Feng Shui and one of the three new original characters to the latest game nervously adjusted her glasses before nervously making her way down the ramp while carrying her giant compass.
The audience blinked twice before looking at their pamphlets.
"Umm… everyone, I have a confession to make." Drake announced, sheepishly. "When counting the Samurai Shodown characters, despite entering three of them, I have forgotten to write down Wu-Ruixiang, Darli Dagger and Yashamaru Kurama."
The audience reacted in disbelief and Ashley rolled his eyes.
"I know! I know! I'm sorry!" Drake pleaded. "I will send out free updated pamphlets!"
The audience groaned as Ruixiang paused as she continued walking down the ramp.
"In all fairness, I didn't notice myself." Ruixiang admitted. "It is still nice of him tooo… WAH!"
When she tried to enter the ring, she ended up slipping and falling right to the ground. Rimururu shook her head before making her way over to Ruixiang.
"You okay there, Ruixiang?" Rimururu asked, offering a hand.
"Um, yes, thank you, Rimururu." The dark-haired woman, taking the cryomancer's hand. "Hey, if it is alright, can I double-team with you for a bit?"
"Oh, don't worry. I know that all of this is crazy. Even without the new stage choice, it will all start to make sense." Rimururu reassured.
"But… Haohmaru is acting NOTHING like how he usually acts." Ruixiang frowned.
Rimururu rolled her eyes. "That's different. He is just being an idiot."
"METAL SONIC!" (StH)
The robotic clone of Sonic the Hedgehog scratched his head, still trying to figure out what the hell just happened back in Bison's room.
"Well, it looks like we are having Villain Vacation Part 2 for better or for worse." He muttered. He then shook his head. "Eh. Probably for the best. Give me more time to show Sonic who is the true superior here!"
With that, he stepped into the ring. However, a boomerang clashed across his head. Looking at the guilty party, he saw the weapon fly back to a stern Sticks.
Metal Sonic narrowed his red eyes. "Your Sonic is not, for lack of a better phrasing, MY Sonic. There is no need for you to attack me."
"My Sonic may not be your Sonic, but I would be a fool if I let you stay in this arena long enough to try to kill him!" Sticks scolded. "Even if YOUR Sonic has gross flesh arms and is kinda short."
Metal Sonic blinked twice before shaking his head in hopelessness. "...You can't talk to an alternate dimension person about these things."
"LUISE MEYRINK!" (KoFAS)
(Ai Yai Yai)
(I'm your little butterfly)
(Green, black and blue)
(Make the colours in the sky)
Floating a couple of feet off the ground with blue sparkles emitting from her, the white-haired German woman did a bow as the crowd looked at her in awe as Butterfly from DDR played. Already deciding on her opponent, she floated up into the air and made her way over the arena.
"Jivatma and by extension, Nagase are not involved with the other villains this time around." Luise mused. "While I don't have to worry about advancing his plans, I know that this may be the start of something big."
She then made her way over to Tecna with a frown. "You know… I understand your frustration, but it is disrespectful to everyone else to just sit back."
"I understand… I just needed to vent out some steam" Tecna sighed. She then looked up. "Oh, by the by, are you a fairy?"
"I am not a fairy. As it is not magic." Luise said, shaking her head. She then gave a small smirk. "Then again, what do I know about magic, seeing that your magic seems more technical."
"Is it really THAT rare for technology and magic to go together?" Tecna asked.
"In most places, yes, though I do not doubt that there is somewhere that is possible." Luise mused. "How about I give you a taste of my power?"
Tecna gave a small smile. "Sure, I would love to show you my power too."
"SHIN HISAKO!" (KI)
Those familiar with the latest Killer Instinct game were confused to see the naginata-wielding Kami spirit version of Hisako, either of the katana-wielding Onryo that was considered the "default" form.
"I know, I know… How would I have the 'alternate' version of Hisako?" Drake piped up. "Well, this form happens BECAUSE of character development so it is only fitting that she gets to be in this form."
Shin Hisako looked up to the announcer's booth with a grateful smile (Though it came off as a creepy smile) before making her way down the ramp and into the ring. She then made her way towards Yamazaki.
The Yakuza raised an eyebrow before letting out a hearty laugh. "Do you really think you scare me!? I once fought Vice and Mature in XIV and they were ghosts in that game!"
Then, his grin vanished.
"...I think."
"You are a dangerous man…" Shin Hisako said, darkly. "I cannot allow you to stay in the ring with less lethal fighters here…"
Yamazaki laughed heartily while scratching the back of his head. "Aww, I wasn't expected to be complimented by a creepy, ghost girl, but here we are!"
"I long stop fighting with rage and hatred…" Shin Hisako explained before narrowing her eyes. "But I WILL fight with contempt and disgust."
"CELICA A. MERCURY!" (BB)
The brunette healer looked around the arena with a frown as she looked up at her monochrome red-eyed robot friend, Minerva.
"Aww, Ragna and Bang didn't make the next round." She lamented. "I suppose that we have to go solo for a while, huh Minerva."
The robot nodded her head as the mismatched duo made her way down the ramp. Twintelle blinked twice before walking over to the two.
"Pardon me if I sound disrespectful, but having ONE white mage in this tournament is one thing, but TWO?" Twintelle asked.
"I admit that I don't know why I was invited either." Celica admitted, sheepishly. "Minerva is the true fighter here. I only accepted because I didn't want to be rude."
"Um, that's enough." Twintelle admitted. "To be fair, I faced a robot cop that fought alongside a robot dog!"
Celica's eyes lit up before clasping her hands together. "Oh, that sounds adorable!"
Twintelle chuckled. "Indeed, it is once the shock wears down. Say, shall we have la lutte as long as we are here?"
"Um, sure, I mean we came this far." Celica admitted. "Let's go, Minerva!"
(Dome; Restaurant)
"What do you mean you didn't feel like you needed to call us!?" Carmelita roared.
Mama winced a bit at the loud voice, but quickly composed herself. "It is as I said. We didn't feel the need to tell you."
"Someone was using the restaurant as a battleground!" Carmelita asked in disbelief. "That's a pretty big need for me!
The security team has received a call that someone was starting a fight near the restaurant and immediately rushed over. However, not only were the two people involved long gone, but the person who called wasn't one of the staff and if it wasn't for them, the staff wouldn't have called at all.
"If I may, Miss Fox, your issue was that someone was using the restaurant as a battleground." Gino piped up. "Do you see any broken chairs? Broken tables?"
"Y-Yes, but…" Gabe frowned.
"If there are no broken chairs or tables, then everyone could sit and eat my world-famous pizza in peace!" Gino said before dramatically spinning around.
"And regardless of who started it, both were courteous enough not to fight inside." Jill added.
"Well, somebody started it for a reason!" Carmelita roared.
"Well, whatever it was, it is too late now." Mama shrugged.
"And whose fault is that!?" Carmelita challenged.
"Carmelita, I could understand your frustration, but yelling at the staff will get you nowhere." Horkeukamui frowned before looking at the restaurant staff. "If it is not much asking, who were the two people fighting?"
"Well, I DO know that one of the people fighting is that Komodo Joe fellow from Crash Bandicoot, but we didn't see the other opponent." Mama said, putting her finger to her face.
Gabe blinked twice. "...So let me get this straight. Not one of you peeked out of the restaurant to see who was fighting?"
"We couldn't afford to look out! We are too busy preparing our world-famous pizza, world-famous cakes and world-famous anything!" Gino insisted.
Naesala paused. "You know what that sounds like… A load of BS."
"For once, I agree with you, Naesala." Carmelita said, narrowing her eyes.
This resulted in an awkward stare-off between the security team and restaurant staff.
"Hey!"
Everyone's eyes widened to see a seven-year-old with red hair tied in a ponytail and matching clothes in her eyes.
"Are you the security team!?" The little girl asked.
"Y-Yes, we are." Carmelita said.
"What's wrong?" Mama asked with a sympathetic look.
"Mina, please don't run off on your own…"
Everyone turned to see a classic-looking vampire with light blue skin waddling over.
"I apologise in advance for Mina's outburst." The Count said with a weak chuckle. "She seems to think that I am ill."
Pepper frowned. "Well, you don't exactly look as fit as a fiddle the way you are wandering like that."
"It is fine…" The Count reassured, looking worse every second. "I just… I just…"
Suddenly, the Count collapsed forward. Everyone gasped as Mina cried out in horror. Horkeukamui and Athena went to catch him, but Naesala beat them to the punch and caught him before he could hit the floor.
"Count!" Mina shrieked with tears forming in her eyes.
Mama immediately ran over to poor Mina and wrapped her arms around her as she started to cry.
It was then Naesala and Mama's eyes widened in realisation.
"Um, Mama, this may not be the best time to ask, but…" Naesala started.
"Yes, I smell it too." The cooking teacher frowned.
"Hey, as long as you're helping those, could you help OUR vampire, man!?"
Everyone turned to see the Misfits class of Gravedale High with their resident vampire, Vinnie Stoker, limp as he was carried by Max Schneider and Gill Waterman.
"Ehh… I am just fine, yo." Vinnie said, weakly. "Just stop rocking me so much."
"Umm… We are not doing anything, man." Gill frowned.
"Please also help my wife!"
Everyone looked to see Bernard from Ok KO! Carrying his unconscious wife, Wilhamena, in his arms. Enid was behind him, trying to comfort her little brothers, Icky and Boris.
Gabe looked around. "...It seems that whatever is happening is affecting the vampires."
"Yeah, garlic would do that." Naesala piped up.
"H-Huh? Garlic?" Athena asked.
"Yeah, it is all over this count." Naesala said, gesturing his head towards the Count. "Pretty strong, too."
"Garlic!? But how?" Gabe asked.
"Heck if we know, man!" Frankentyke snapped. "All we know minding our business and then the hallway was full with this large cloud of garlic!"
"Poor Vinnie was choking the entire time." Reggie frowned.
"Wait… Which hallway?" Horkeukamui asked.
"Umm… I think it was the one with the poster of the UVR winners on it." Enid mused.
The security team and the restaurant team's eyes bugged at this.
"But that's…" Jill gasped.
Carmelita growled. "Horkeukamui, Pepper, Athena, escort the vampires and their friends to the Recovery Room! Gabe, Naesala! You're with me!"
"But how about the fight here earlier?" Pepper asked.
"I can't believe I am saying this, but we have to ignore them for now!" Carmelita countered.
"R-Right…" Athena said before running over to Mama and Mina. "We are going to take you and your friend to the Recovery Room. That's the room of doctors."
Mina took a break from her crying to look at Naesala gently handing the Count over to Horkeukamui.
"Okay…" Mina said, gently taking Athena's hand.
With that, everyone, but the restaurant staff ran off in their respective directions.
"As much as I hate to admit it, but trying to go after the ruffians who started a fight may be a lost cause at this point, anyway." Carmelita thought. "They are probably long gone, anyway."
A Swatchling who was watching the whole scene from inside of the restaurant sighed before making his way over to the counter.
"Alright, they are gone." He said.
That was when Whip, Ralf and Kula poked their heads from said counter with blank looks on their faces.
"...Leave it to these tournaments to give you a convenient distraction when you desperately need one." Whip muttered.
Meanwhile, Komodo Joe watched with wide eyes as he hid around a corner as Carmelita, Gabe and Naesala ran past him.
"The hallway with the possssster of the previousssss UVR tournament winnerssss? But that'sssss…" Joe said before shaking his head. "Nah, it couldn't be."
(Dome; Bar)
"And that's why… SNK and Drake & Ashley have made the tournament more dangerous by not inviting ME." Kim Kaphwan said while giving a drunk hiccup.
"Mm-hmm…" King (of Art of Fighting) said with a bored look as she cleaned a glass behind the counter.
"I mean, I have been to every canon King of Fighters tournament AND every UVR tournament." Kim explained.
"Well, I hate to add salt on the wounds, but you are actually wrong." King added. "You weren't at the first Maximum Impact tournament, remember?"
"Wait, that series is canon?"
King turned her head to a young woman with blonde hair tied in two pigtails with an over-the-top blue and white wrestling outfit.
"Well, not canon canon, but canon at THIS tournament as the Maximum Impact series was the main King of Fighters node for the last two tournaments." King explained.
"Ah, makes sense." Rainbow Mika Nanakawa admitted.
"I concede that I wasn't at the first Maximum Impact game!" Kim added. "However, my discipline to share my love of justice and my moves was more than a suitable replacement! But XV… The third Battle of the Luminaries… The closest thing we have as a member of my team is Luong! And she is arguably more of a freelance member If that makes sense!"
"To be fair, I heard rumours that you may be seen as a potential DLC for the SECOND year of XV." King offered.
"But I shouldn't have to wait that long!" Kim whined. "I am a major part of the KoF! I've been in so many crossovers!"
He then collapsed his chin on the counter. King just shook her head.
"Oy vey…" King muttered.
"To be fair, I could kinda see where he was coming from." R. Mika mused. "I mean, sure, he was never the most popular fighter at these things, but still…"
"No, I totally get where he is coming from. I am still stunned that they left him out, even though they looked like they were setting up something with him and Xanadu." King mused. "And as for being left out of THIS tournament? It can't be helped unfortunately. Considering that 94 already had a lot of iconic characters, the cut was always going to be tough."
"So that is why you are taking it so calmly?" R. Mika asked, raising an eyebrow.
"More or less. That and unlike Kim, the fact that I was NEVER in a single Maximum Impact game doesn't help." King mused, shrugging her shoulders. "But eh. At least I got SOMETHING to do. Drake was even nice enough to remind people that Sally and Elizabeth exist."
With that, she and R. Mika turned to see two blonde twin waitresses going around and serving several patrons.
"What about you?" King asked, getting R. Mika's attention. "Are YOU upset?"
"I mean I would be lying if I said that I wasn't." The wrestler frowned. "But it can't be helped. I was up against a lot of tough competition. Guy and Sakura are both UVR winners, Nash and Cody had major changes happen to them and Karin is the unofficial Big Good of the story mode of V."
King smirked. "And of course, we can't forget Dan."
R. Mika sighed while shaking her head. "I still can't believe it… When Dan is finally invited back to one of these things, I get the cut. And I know how petty that sounds. Especially since Blanka is feeling the same way."
"Yeahhhhh, about that. Nothing personal, but I am still stunned that you two got together." King mused.
R. Mika chuckled. "Yeah, well, I can't say I know the answer myself. I thought the obvious answer was because he saved my life from the Toad from Marvel, but… It just happened."
"Well, most romances happen like that." King chuckled. "Anyway…"
"Stay where you are, villain!"
King and R. Mika's eyes widened before they saw Kim drunkenly making his way towards the exit.
"Ugh, this idiot…" King groaned, rolling her eyes.
"I'll get him." R. Mika said, shaking her head.
She then got up and ran over to Kim just as he exited the bar. She was being watched by one particular patron drinking some soda.
Finally, Rainbow Mika reached Kim and grabbed him by his arm.
"Hey! You can't just wander off on your own drunk!" R. Mika scolded.
"But evil can NOT be forgivable and I will NOT forgive THEM!" Kim roared, pointing ahead.
R. Mika's eyes widened and once she did, her eyes widened when she saw the Shredder and King K. Rool who turned to see them.
"Okay, WOW. Rude much?" K. Rool said, crossing his arms.
"Yeah, we were just making our way past the bar." The Shredder agreed.
R. Mika raised an eyebrow. "And that's it?"
"Of course!" K. Rool nodded.
"Okay, if your intentions are so pure and not for evil, then why are you hanging out with someone who despite being a crocodile, looks like a turtle!?" Kim snapped.
"Oh, don't be stupid! The reason that I am hanging out with K. Rool, even though he reminds of those accused turtles is because…" The Shredder started.
With that, his, K. Rool and R. Mika's eyes bugged out in realisation of Kim's accusation… Had logic to it.
"Um, well, the reason I am doing so WITHOUT being forced to do so without having dark intentions is because he is my… We are going to…" The Shredder started. He then gave a nervous smile behind his mask. "Pass?"
K. Rool groaned as he slapped his forehead while R. Mika narrowed her eyes.
"Are you two going to be involved in a dark plot?" R. Mika demanded.
"Maybe…" K. Rool said, sheepishly.
R. Mika punched her fist into her palm. "I don't know what you are planning, but I know enough not to stand idly and watch you do whatever you want."
"Well said, Miss Mika, and I will help you!" Kim offered.
"No, you won't."
Everyone turned their heads to see a teenaged blonde clad in a purple school uniform making her way towards Kim.
"Please don't take this the wrong way. On any other day, I would trust you to fight on your own, however, you are too drunk to do so." The purple-clad girl offered.
"H-Hinako…" Kim said.
"Exactly what I am thinking!" King said, grabbing Kim's arm before looking at the two women. "Sorry to leave you ladies hanging, but SOMEONE has to play babysitter to Mr. Justice!"
"Oh, don't worry, Miss King!" Hinako offered. "Just us should be more than enough!"
King nodded before dragging the reluctant Kim back inside of the bar.
"Okay, I'll bite. What variant of the tired old trope are you?" The Shredder asked.
Hinako blinked twice. "Um, what tired old trope?"
"You know! The petite harmless-looking girl that is more powerful than she looks. Been there, done that. Hardly surprised anymore." K. Rool said, rolling his eyes. "So what is it? Ninjitsu, kung-fu, aikido?"
Hinako just narrowed her eyes before doing a squat. She then lifted her leg up and slammed it down on the ground hard, making a tremor that shook everyone for a minute.
The Shredder and K. Rool blinked twice at this as R. Mika's eyes lit up.
"Sumo?" R. Mika said, excitedly.
"Sumo!" Hinako said, proudly.
They then looked back at their enemies.
K. Rool then raised a finger. "Okay… I admit it."
"I did NOT see that coming." The Shredder added.
(The Arena)
"REAPERMON!" (DRA)
Eugene narrowed his eyes before looking up at the Entrance ramp. "Right on cue."
The gold Grim Reaper-like Digimon came out to a huge mixed reaction, but unlike Cortex, took the chance to revel in both sides of the audience with a dark chuckle before making him down the ramp.
"To say that I was waiting for this day to come is an understatement!" He noted. "My first tournament was great! Even though I was the first one eliminated in the Final 10, it was still enough for me to get drafted in the Grim Reapers!"
The moment he stepped down the ramp and got into the ring, almost immediately, Haohmaru, Eugene, Luise, Tecna, Kanji and Jigglypuff made their way over to him.
"Aww, is it my birthday?" Reapermon said with an unseen sneer.
Eugene just pointed his spear at the Digimon. "I admit that I underestimated you at the first Battle of the Luminaries and my loss was mostly on me, but I refuse to make the same mistake twice!"
"Indeed. By the time, everyone realised how dangerous you were, it was the Final 10 and we were too busy trying to win to worry about you!" Luise agreed, sternly.
"So you don't have the element of surprise on your side!" Kanji added, punching his fist.
"INDEED, NOW THE HORRIBLE SPAM-LOOP IS RINGING THROUGH OUR EARS FOR ETERNITY!" Haohmaru said with a surprisingly serious face. "BUT I, THE LEGENDARY HAOHMARU, WILL TURN THAT PAIN INTO STRENGTH AND WILL INVOKE KARMA FOR ALL OF THE INNOCENT CHILDREN YOU TRAUMATISED WHILE PLAYING THE FIRST DIGIMON RUMBLE ARENA!"
"Aww, quit flattering me, you guys!" Reapermon said with a dark tone before getting into a stance. "Grim Reapers are not supposed to cry!"
"And now, Mystery Fighter… Number… FOUR!"
"SUEZO!" (Monster Rancher)
(I was transported to a faraway land)
(To a world where monsters rule)
(I played the game like an ace, now I'm in this place)
(To save the monsters from the evil Moo)
The yellow one-eyed monster and mascot of the Monster Rancher series grinned from non-existent ear to non-existent as he looked around the crowd.
"Thank you! Thank you!" He grinned, bowing towards the crowd. "I would also love to thank Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania! If it wasn't for that game, there would be a slimmer chance for me to even be here!"
With that, he hopped on his one leg down the ramp and when he reached the bottom of it, he hopped in.
"Alright! My friends are counting on me so it is up to me!" Suezo smirked. "Who is my last victim!?"
"How about the first person in front of you?"
Suezo raised a non-existent eyebrow before looking up to see Reapermon looking down at him.
Then, Suezo smirked.
"...Oh, better yet. How about NO?"
With that, he teleported in a flash, startling Reapermon and his current opponents. Suezo then reappeared in a different part of the arena, panting heavily.
"Okay, Suezo. Calm down. It is not like you could help that the person who went after you is that… Scary thing." The one-eyed monster said. "Just try looking for someone who would rather play than fight."
Suddenly, a blue-and-white blur tackled him to the ground. After being dazed for a moment, he looked up to see Orcane pinning him to the ground. Despite the hard tackle, he had a playful look on his face before licking Suezo.
Suezo spat out some saliva after being licked with an annoyed look on his face. "Very funny."
"STAHN AILERON!" (ToAS)
The blonde hot-blooded swordsman let out a loud, excited shout as the old-school Tales fans cheered him on. He then rushed down the ramp before leaping in without a single thought.
Stahn then started to cast a spell. "Fire Ball!"
With that, he sent out a fireball forwards at Rimururu and Ruixiang. The two girls yelped before the latter raised her compass in front of her. Not only did it stop the attack, but it also sent the fireball back at Stahn who jumped out of the way.
"Hey, what was THAT for!?" Rimururu snapped, angrily.
"Nothing personal, girls, but you two have been standing around doing nothing ever since the Chinese woman entered the ring!" Stahn scolded.
"It is called being strategic, you idiot!" Dymlos, Stahn's Swordian scolded. "Unlike you, they have enough common sense to realise that you can't just attack any fighter at will!"
Stahn ignored his living weapon. "It is a free-for-all battle! You can't be picky with your fighters! Now, come on! ORA!"
Ruixiang blinked twice. "...I never wondered what Kazuki would look like a "traditional" swordsman, but here we are."
"So it isn't just me…" Rimururu muttered.
"TIFFANY LORDS!" (RS)
The blonde bombshell clad in her cheerleader outfit and boxing gloves came out to a loud cheer from the male part of the audience. She smiled at the warm reception before blowing kisses to everyone.
"Thank you, everyone!" She cheered during kisses
She then skipped down the ramp before jumping into the ring. She then made her way over to the one person that wasn't in a fight. Or in this case, two people.
"Howdy!" Tiffany said, cheerfully.
"Hi!" Stimpy smiled, waving his arm as if it was on fire.
"Hey…" Ren muttered.
Tiffany frowned at this. "Ah, what's wrong?"
"Ren is just upset that nobody approached us to fight yet." Stimpy shrugged.
"I mean, you ARE pretty gross. Weaponizing hairballs and all." Tiffany shrugged as if talking in an everyday conversation.
Ren's eyebrow twitched. "Oh yeah! Then, why are YOU approaching us?"
"Oh, I don't know. Being hit by hairballs sucks." Tiffany frowned. "But if I don't approach, I have to wait until somebody is free and that is boring! And boring sucks too!"
"I hate boring! Boring is one of the only things I could say that DOESN'T bring me joy!" Stimpy said, giddily.
"You would THINK I would agree with you, but nah. I would rather take boring." Ren muttered.
(Announcer's Booth)
"Ashley." Drake said.
The purple-haired man raised an eyebrow. "Yes, Drake?"
"...As you are my co-host, I apologise for the crap I am about to drag you into." The vampire frowned. "But…I can't let a chance like this get away."
Ashley gasped, putting his hands to his mouth. "You wouldn't…"
"I HAVE to. If not me, who?" Drake sighed.
Ashley frowned before putting a hand on Drake's shoulder. "Godspeed, Drake."
"Thank you…"
(The Arena)
"CAPTAIN OLIMAR!" (SSB)
Normally, the Hocotatian astronaut would come out with a nervous disposition. However, he looked surprisingly relaxed as he stretched his arms.
"Well, another tournament, another crazy adventure I will get into." He said. "At least THIS one won't be as crazy as in the Tournament of Kikai seeing that the tournament is under somehow with a strong head on his shoulders."
With that, he looked at his Pikmin friends.
"Well, shall we?" Olimar offered.
The Pikmon nodded their heads. Olimar smiled before he made his way down the ramp with his Pikmin following.
"And now, the final fighter of this section…"
Olimar froze in mid-step. "What the… I didn't even make it halfway down the ramp!"
Then, his closed eyes bugged out, remembering who was the final fighter of the section.
"No… No… Fate can't hate me THIS much!"
"The greatest hero to ever live in the history of ever…"
Olimar slapped his helmet in a poor attempt to do a facepalm. "It DOES!"
"He is your Lord and Saviour, and the greatest icon since gaming history…"
Everyone stopped what they were doing to look on in disbelief.
"He couldn't…" Metal Sonic said, with his red eyes widening.
"He wouldn't…" Sticks said, shaking her head.
"He did…" Haohmaru muttered, actually sounding like his normal self for once.
"Please welcome… The final fighter of Section Two!"
"STEVE!" (SSB)
(And then a hero comes along)
(With the strength to carry on)
(And you cast your fears aside)
(And you know you can survive)
The dark-skinned blocky man came out to a mixed reaction. And by mixed reaction, I mean a mixture of cheers, groans, laughter and just plain bewilderment. He looked around.
Millennium Star and Tumble were revolving around Steve with the former sending down stardust and Tumblr popping confetti out of the top of his head. Shadow, Astaraoth and Aila were waving glow sticks slowly as they played Mariah Carey's Hero. And a banner unfolded on the announcer's booth saying "WELCOME TO THE BEST TROOPER IN THE WORLD!"
(So when you feel like hope is gone)
(Look inside you and be strong)
(And you'll finally see the truth)
(That a hero lies in you!)
Yamazaki laughed hysterically while holding his sides. "Oh my god! He did it! He actually did it! And I thought I was crazy!"
Shin Hisako blinked twice. "Bruh…"
"Anddddd suddenly I don't feel bad about MY introduction anymore." Tecna muttered.
"I have to ask. Are you referring to Olimar's introduction or Steve's?" Luise asked.
"BOTH."
Elmyra blinked twice before perking up. "Hey, between that cute bunny and the man with the fluffy wings, does that mean I have a chance of being a tournament host?"
"...Normally, this would be the part where I would say 'Maotelus forbid'." Edna muttered. "But the more I think about it, the more this may be the most intelligent thing you ever said."
Finally, Steve made his way down the ramp where Olimar was waiting with crossed arms and an exasperated face.
"...Considering your featureless face and limited movement, I have to ask. Are you going, for lack of a better term, going 'WTF' right now?" Olimar asked.
Steve nodded his head.
"Yeah, I thought so. All I could tell you is welcome to the circus aka the world of modern Ultimate Video Rumble." Olimar sighed before jerking his thumb behind his head. "Hey, as long as we are here together, wanna double-team?"
Steve again nodded his head.
"Good." Olimar said, returning the nod before looking at his Pikmin. "Well, shall we?"
The Pikmin slowly nodded with a red one giving out a small sigh.
(Announcer's Booth)
Drake was grinning like an idiot while Ashley was on his back in uncontrollable laughter while kicking up his feet. Suddenly, the former's phone rang. Nodding his head, he answered it.
"Ello, Xero?" He answered.
"GOD… DAMN… YOU!"
At first, Drake winced at the loud noise, but then retained his grin.
"...And so it begins."
Unknown to the two, the Millennium Star and Tumble were talking on top of the Announcer's Booth.
"So wait, you DIDN'T leave that part out?" Tumble frowned.
"I was merely following the blueprints YOU gave me!" The Millennium Star countered with a worried glance.
"Yeah, but I didn't think you would make a perfect PERFECT recreation!" Tumble added.
"Oh dear… Okay, this may be a bit of an oversight." The Millennium Star admitted. "But think of it this way. He DID say that he always wanted to be in Super Smash Bros!"
"Casual Smash or Competitive?" Tumble sighed.
The Millennium Star winced as he and Tumble looked in the arena in concern. For better or for worse, this next section will not be boring.