"Well, Yuri, you are the Superstar of the third section! And you know what that means?" The Millennium Star offered. "You get to choose the next stage!"
Yuri's smirk vanished when she heard this. "Oh, wow… This is awkward, but I was so busy kicking butt and causing mischief that it never occured that I would be the Superstar!"
"That is quite alright." The Millennium Star chuckled. "Remember, it doesn't have to be a full-on stage like the previous one. It could be something like the ones at the Megamix Tournament."
Yuri paused before putting her hand on her chin. "Well, I don't want to fight on ANOTHER somewhat complicated stage, but I don't want to look anti-climatic by choosing a somewhat basic stage."
She then looked down.
"Yo, Tiffany. What would you do if you had the choice?" Yuri asked.
"Um, well, I don't know. Maybe an amusement park stage?" The blonde frowned, scratching the top of her head.
Yuri frowned at this. "Not that it wouldn't suck, but it somehow sounds MORE complicated than the Tower Salvation! I…"
Suddenly, her eyes bugged out.
"Wait… Amusement park." Yuri muttered.
She then started to count her fingers. Everyone looked at each other, wondering what she was thinking of.
"I think I got it!" Yuri grinned before turning to the Millennium Star. "MS?"
"Yes?" The silver star nodded.
"Could you make a layout similar to Carol Stanzack's stage?" Yuri asked.
Millennium Star raised a non-existent eyebrow. "Oh dear.. I definitely heard her name before."
"She should. She was at the third Megamix Tournament and the Okron Tournament." Tumble explained, fiddling with his phone. "She was in Kizuna Encounter. Or to be specific, Savage Reign."
"That's right!" Yuri grinned. "So you know what I am talking about right!?"
"Kinda. Just give me a moment to input the data." Tumble offered before pushing a few buttons.
"Ah, I think I see what you mean now." Millennium Star nodded.
With that, he engulfed the entire arena with another bright light and when the light cleared, the arena went back to one that was at the first section.
Same for one major change. There were rollercoaster tracks a good distance away from the ground in a circular fashion. There was even a single rollercoaster cart going around the arena with a Sandbag from Super Smash Bros on it.
Huff N Puff Wolf blinked twice. "Uh-huh, uh-huh. Cool. So let's pretend I know what this means."
"Well, it is similar to Savage Reign. In that game, you could jump up and down on floors of varying heights." Maxima explained. "It… Wasn't that well-implemented."
"However, Carol's stage made it different by having a rollercoaster go past every while, meaning it is dangerous to be up there for too long." Yuri offered.
"That's right!" The Millennium Star agreed. "You have a higher platform to fight on, but don't stay on for too long."
Snake nodded his head. "Heh. Simple, but still something to keep us on our toes."
"Would that suffice?" The Millennium Star asked.
Yuri happily nodded her head. "Yeah, thanks for this!"
The Millennium Star nodded his head before lowering Yuri to the ground. Everyone looked at the car circling the track above them.
"PI…"
"CHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!"
Everyone jumped before looking at the direction of the noise to a familiar tiny Pokemon standing outside of the curtain with electricity surging through his body.
"Um… PICHU?" (SSB)
Everyone looked on in bewilderment at the baby mouse Pokemon emitting sparks all over himself. Instead of a cute look on his face, he had a nasty glare as he looked down at the ring. Pichu made his way down the ramp slowly before stepping in.
Snake, Olimar and Steve looked at each other before slowly approaching Pichu.
"Hey, little guy." Snake said, slowly.
"Pichu… Is something wrong?"
The electromancer just continued to growl.
"CHUUUUUUUUU!" Pichu roared.
He then caused a giant electric surge that covered the entire arena. All of the fighters cried out in pain before collapsing on their knees.
"Pichu, what's gotten into you!?" Snake scolded.
The mouse glared at Snake before he was about to shoot out more electricity.
"GET AWAY FROM HIM!"
Korra then got up and ran over and held her hands out . This managed to stop a good chunk of the electricity.
"Is this a regular thing!?" Korra yelled, looking at the three Smashers.
Said trio shook their heads.
"Great… I don't know what is going on with this little guy, but leave him to me!" Korra offered.
Everyone looked at each other, not liking where this was going. It seemed that despite the stage being more normal to the previous sections, said section will be anything, BUT normal.
Cortex on the other hand, blinked twice. "I don't believe it…"
He then gave a dark grin.
"It is WORKING."
"EMIL CASTAGNIER!" (KoFAS)
The blond swordsman came out to a mixed reaction. However, he was too busy concerned about what was happening to notice. He made his way down the ramp before stepping in. Lloyd then made his way over.
"Emil, the hell is going on?" Lloyd asked.
"I don't know!" The green-eyed boy insisted. "I was in the Ready Room the entire time! I think Pichu entered it much later! I saw him, but he was disturbingly quiet! And the moment he was called up to enter the arena… It is like he had his own Ratatosk mode!"
"And you didn't meet any other Smashers in the room?" Lloyd questioned.
"Only one. However, he tried to speak with Pichu, but to no avail." Emil frowned "Kept saying how strange it is for him to act like this."
Lloyd rolled his eyes. "Oh great… It is like what happened with Caius all over again."
Emil gulped nervously. "What should we do…?"
Lloyd let out a sigh. "I don't know. None of us could go near him safely and even then, his nodal companions are better suited for helping him."
"I can't deny that logic…" Emil frowned before looking at Snake and Olimar's face. "But I think they are just as stumped as we are."
"SHERMIE!" (KoFAS)
The French redhead came out to a loud cheer from the male cast. Normally, she would take this chance to play to the crowd. However, she had a serious look on his face. She then looked up at the Announcer's Booth.
"You there, Millennium Star." Shermie said, pointing her finger.
"Um, me?" The silver being said, raised an eyebrow.
"Yes. I require a mic." Shermie said.
"Um, you should have requested to do so before entering the arena, but alright." The Millennium Star said.
With that, he wiggled his moustache and made a microphone appear. Shermie nodded her head before taking it.
"Now you look here, you inferior peasants. You use the world as one big bloody battlefield." Shermie said. "Well, no more! We, three of the Four Heavenly Kings of Orochi will win the status of Superstar and turn this pitiful arena into the Orochi's realm so he will smite all of you!"
Everyone's eyes bugged out at this before looking at each other in horror. Then, Tumble flew over to Shermie.
"Um, Miss Shermie, you DO realise that we can't exactly turn the arena into an actual thing, right?" Tumble asked.
Shermie turned her head towards Tumble. "...What insanity is this?"
"It is not insanity. The Millennium Star could only make a perfect replica. Good enough to fight on, but not much outside of it." The die elaborated. "Like Yggdrasill and the cows, they are just AI."
"...So we won't be able to revive Orochi here?" Shermie asked.
"No. We CAN create the AI for him. However, I don't think Drake will allow him to smite the audience." Tumble explained.
Shermie paused. "I see…"
Suddenly, she brightened up, throwing the microphone into the startled Tumble's hands, who stumbled with it a few times.
"Sorry, everyone! False alarm!" Shermie said, cheerfully. "No one is going to be smited! We now return to your daily, everyday tournament!"
With that, she skipped happily down the ramp while humming a jovial tune. Once in, Chun-Li immediately stomped over, not looking pleased in the slightest.
"So you think you are cute, scaring everyone like that?" Chun-Li spat.
"I mean the crowd sure thinks that I am cute!" Shermie smirked.
"This is the same crowd that thought that having JUNKO ENOSHIMA as the third host at the Tournament of Kikai was a GOOD idea!" Chun-Li countered.
Shermie paused. "It is a good thing that you have Thicc legs, Because you probably wouldn't be as possible with such a boring personality."
"Hey!" Chun-Li roared before rushing over.
(Hotel; Yashiro's Room)
Yashiro and Chris watched the whole thing with smirks on their faces.
"I have to ask. Did Shermie generally think she would revive Orochi there and then or was she just trolling the entire time?" Yashiro asked.
"Beats me. You could never tell with that girl." Chris shrugged.
"CINDER!" (KI)
(Burn, burn, burn the wood, burn)
(The rhythm's hard to ignore)
(Yeah, yeah, yeah)
(Set off in me, fire)
(I just don't care anymore)
The literally-flaming man let out a laugh as he threw fireballs in the air, making makeshift fireworks. The crowd cheered at this as Burnin The Floor from Dance Dance Revolution played through the speakers.
"That's right! You love me!" Cinder boasted, flying a few feet off of their ground. "I'll high-five y'all, but I don't wanna burn your hands off! I rather do that to people who DON'T get me!"
With that, he floated into the ring. Suddenly, a ray struck him in the head. Turning in the direction of the projectile, Cortex angrily stomped over.
"Hey, Human Torch! It's you and me!" Cortex roared.
Cinder raised a non-existent eyebrow as he crossed his arms. "Really? The Human Torch? THAT is the best insult you could give me? Hell, I don't think Johnny boy was even the first one to fight with his entire body on fire. What gave HIM superiority!?"
"Quiet! As long as you stand with Brio and Otane, you are my enemy!" Cortex snapped.
Cinder gave a descending whistle. "Really? You are THAT salty about losing five people that rarely got you results? Does it make me a hypocrite if I tell you that you need to chill out? Do I have the right!?"
"You have the right to shut the heck up!" Cortex roared before lunging forward.
Unknown to everyone, bits of stardust were coming up from the ground and into Cinder.
"PURA!" (CB)
The tiger kitten did a cute stretch, making the audience go "Aww" at him. Wagging his tail excitedly, he bounced down the ramp before leaping in without a second thought.
Normally, he would go after Cortex for obvious reasons, but seeing that he was already fighting Cinder and he didn't hear that many flattering stories about Cinder (at least in the reboot).
Truth be told, he was actually GLAD that was the case. He may have wanted to attack Cortex, but he already had someone in mind and he couldn't afford to fight someone else. So he laid down and looked up at the Entrance Curtain, hoping that they would come out soon.
"SANDBERT!" (RoA)
Everyone paused when they saw one big punching bag with a determined look on their face, standing outside of the Entrance Curtain. They looked at each other… And shrugged.
"...Why not? We already had Bonus-Kun as the last two Battles of the Luminaries." Snake muttered.
Maxima raised an eyebrow before using his sensors to scan Sandbert as he hopped down the ramp.
Then, his pupils shrank. "What the…!? What are these Dragonball Z Meme power levels!?"
Yuri raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, Maxima?"
Maxima looked at Yuri with a worried look on her face. "Well, how do you put it nicely? It is the same power level as ARMOUR RALF!"
Immediately, the colour drained from Yuri's face. Tiffany noticed this and looked worried.
"W-What's wrong?" Tiffany asked. "What does Ralf wearing armour have to do with anything?"
"Let me put it like this." Yuri said. "He was so broken that he is the ONLY character that didn't make it into Regulation A!"
When Sandbert stepped into the ring, he hopped next to Pura.
"I assume that this is the 'I Am Waiting To Fight Someone Who Has A Later Draw Than Me' spot?" Sandbert asked.
Pura raised an eyebrow before nodding his head.
"Very well. Let's wait for our targets together." Sandbert nodded.
(Hotel; Laundry Room)
Geese rushed down the halls as fast as he could. He couldn't even imagine the pain that Lilly was going through. Or how Billy felt. Was Lilly still alive? No, it can't be. She can't be. Still, the way the Goomba described it was really bad.
…So imagine his confusion when he found the entrance to said laundry room looked completely fine. Geese blinked twice before rushing through the door.
…Only to see Lilly Kane, along with his other bodyguards, Ripper and Hopper doing laundry together. The latter two don't look that enthusiastic about doing it.
"Only the first batch should be finally done!" Lilly cheerfully offered. "Now we have to put them in the dryer!"
Ripper frowned. "Ugh, Miss Kane, please! There is an entire cleanup crew that could take care of it!"
The blonde glared at Ripper. "Come on, Ripper! You saw how many people got involved in the garlic attack! Those people need garlic-free clothes or they will be wearing hospital gowns for the rest of the night! And I thought Drake thought ahead for something like this!"
"Okay, fair, but do WE have to be dragged into it?" Hopper asked.
"Of course!" Lilly scolded, putting her hands on her hips. "Sure, like I said, the cleanup crew needed all the help they could get! Besides, I know my brother will want to help as well so you have no excuse!"
"Yes, ma'am." Ripper & Hopper groaned.
Geese blinked twice. "Lilly?"
The three turned to see Geese.
"Ah, Mr. Howard!" Lilly smiled.
"What is it, sir?" Ripper asked.
Geese looked around, confused. His pupils shrank in realisation before asking a question.
"...Where is Billy?" He asked, finally.
Hopper blinked twice behind his shades. "...We thought he was with YOU."
"He was… But a Goomba told us that there was apparently an explosion here and Lilly got horribly injured." Geese explained, looking worried with each second. "Billy went ahead and I followed him, but…"
Lilly, Ripper and Hopper all looked on in shock and horror at this. Geese finally had enough and got out his phone. He quickly dialled a number on his phone before putting it to his ear.
"Come on… Come on…" Geese muttered.
Finally, someone answered it.
"Billy?" Geese asked.
"Shh! Billy is asleep!"
Geese's eyes widened at this. "What!? Who is this!?"
"That is no concern. What you need to know is that we will be keeping Billy for a while. Don't bother calling back."
Geese pupils shrank as the person on the other line hung up on him. Ripper and Hopper looked worried while tears came to Lilly's eyes.
"Mr. Howard…? Where is Billy?" Lilly asked.
Geese didn't say anything. He just gritted his teeth while angrily looking at his phone. Finally, he let out his feelings.
"AAAAAAUUUUUUGGGGGGHHHHHH!"
(Dome; Security Team Room)
Naesala winced. "Could you be any louder? I don't think people on the moon could hear us!"
Carmelita ignored Naesala as she glared at Athena. "Why would you do this!?"
"Um, it is my JOB?" The yellow-clad woman said, matter-of-factly. "I may be selected as a security team member, but I am a defence attorney first."
"Yes, of INNOCENT people!" Carmelita scolded.
"You don't know for sure that Dingodile is the culprit!" Athena countered.
Everyone, but Horkeukamui and Pepper looked on in disbelief.
"We don't know…" Carmelita sputtered before narrowing her eyes. "Did the others tell you NOTHING?"
"All they told us is that Dingodile refused to say anything about what he was doing at the time of the attack." Athena explained.
"Um, isn't that enough?" Cole asked.
"No, it is not!" Athena scolded. "There are clearly a lot of holes in this case!"
"Well, you can blame Dingodile for that." Naesala shrugged. "He wouldn't tell us ANYTHING!"
"I know and that is not up to debate." Athena nodded.
"Um, what IS up for debate?" Horkeukamui asked.
"Well, for starters, all we have is decisive evidence is Jet the Hawk's testimony." Athena explained.
"Woah, woah, woah!" Wave said, stepping forward. "Are you calling Jet a liar!?"
"No, I am calling him an exaggerator." Athena said, narrowing her eyes.
Jet's eyes bugged out at this. "What!?"
"Hoo boy…" Pepper winced.
"You said it yourself, Jet. You immediately went on the offensive the moment you saw Dingodile." Athena corrected.
"Because he shouldn't have been there!" The hawk retorted.
"No, there are no rules that say he shouldn't be there." Athena reminded.
"Listen to yourself! This is the same bull he tried to feed us!" Jet scolded.
"Even still, the point still stands that not only did you badger him, but also attacked him!" Athena pointed out. "If anything, YOU should be the ones being locked up."
Jet and Wave's beaks dropped when they heard this.
"Are y'all hearing this!?" Wave snapped.
"Athena, I admit that we don't have any evidence, but that is mainly because Dingodile won't cooperate with us." Gabe frowned.
"No, I think that Athena is right." Cole mused, rubbing his chin.
Everyone, even Athena, looked surprised by this.
"Wait, she is?" Carmelita asked.
"At the Okron Tournament, Ichigo Momomiya was accused of murdering Marie from Skullgirls and Xehanort from Kingdom Hearts." Cole explained. "There were several bits of evidence against her, but all it took was one piece to put the entire case on its head."
"But I know what I saw!" Jet insisted.
"Yes, but that isn't enough." Cole reminded.
Athena gave a small smile "Cole…"
"Well, I don't care. What Dingodile did is too suspicious and you would have to be Knuckles to think that he is not the culprit." Wave spat.
Athena narrowed her eyes. "You know, for a so-called technician, you are extremely narrow-minded."
Wave's pupils shrink when she hears this. Jet looked at her in concern.
Before anyone could say anything else though, they heard a loud knocking at the door. Horkeukamui raised an eyebrow before walking over.
"Alright, alright, I am coming!" The wolf scolded.
He then turned the knob. However, the moment he did so, he was slammed against the wall, making everyone wince. In the doorway was a short, heavyset man clad in yellow and purple.
"Wario!?" Pepper asked in disbelief.
"Where is-a he!?" The greedy man asked, through gritted teeth.
"Um, where is who?" Gabe asked.
"I heard that-a the one behind the garlic attack was here!" Wario elaborated . "I want to beat him into the ground!"
"Um, why?" Jet asked.
"Because earlier, all of-a MY garlic had been stolen!" Wario explained.
Everyone's eyes bugged out at this.
"There is-a no way that my missing garlic and the garlic attack was a coincidence!" Wario explained before cracking his knuckles. "So let be-a at him!"
"Now hold on! Guilty or not, you can't just barge in and expect to beat up someone!" Carmelita scolded.
"Oh yeah! Like I would-a trust the security team to get justice down THIS quickly!" Wario roared.
Pepper slapped her forehead. "Ugh, THIS crap again?"
"Okay, we got your game!" Athena said, narrowing her eyes before turning to Carmelita. "Deal with this, Carmelita!"
Everyone, even Wario, jumped at this.
"Wait, what?!" Carmelita exclaimed.
"If what he says is true, then his testimony is invaluable!" Athena explained. "However, it is clear that he won't listen to anyone who he thinks is incompetent!"
"Dang right, I would-a not listen to anyone I think is incompetent!" Wario roared.
"Have you forgotten that we are supposed to STOP fights?" Gabe exclaimed.
"That may be true, but we have no time to be diplomatic!" Athena frowned.
"Unfortunately, Athena is right. We already got enough on our plate!" Carmelita sighed. She then glared at Wario. "Fine. I will fight you! But I win, you have to disclose any and all information about your garlic!"
"Fine by-a me!" Wario said, punching his palm.
With that, Carmelita and Wario stepped outside. The door then closed to reveal a dazed Horkeukamui sitting on the ground after being slammed.
"Oh, look at the flying heroes…"
(The Arena)
(She'll make you take your clothes off)
(And go dancing in the rain)
(She'll make you live her crazy life)
(But she'll take away your pain)
(Like a bullet to your brain)
(Come on!)
"PUSS IN BOOTS!" (SSS)
Pura's eyes lit up as he looked up at the Entrance Curtain. Sandbert raised an eyebrow.
"So HE is your target?" Sandbert asked, making Pura happily nod. The former just shrugged (somehow) "Very well. Don't let me stop you."
(Upside, inside out)
(She's livin' la vida loca)
(She'll push and pull you down)
(Livin' la vida loca)
(Her lips are devil red)
(And her skin's the colour mocha)
(She will wear you out)
(Livin' la vida loca)
The Spanish orange-furred tabby cat came out to an enormous cheer. He smiled before taking off his cavalier's hat and did a couple of bows.
"Oh, thank you, my fans!" Puss smiled before putting back on his head. "I will make my foes beg for mercy from Puss… In Boots!"
The crowd cheered louder. Puss smirked before getting out his rapier and walking down while blowing kisses to the crowd. He stepped in the ring and was about to check up on Huff N Puff Wolf.
Until Pura pounced in his way, startling him.
"Oh, hey there." Puss greeted. "Apologies, but I prefer you are better off fighting someone el…"
That was when a rapier was pointed at his neck. Puss blinked twice before looking up to see Pura was now standing up on his hind legs while dressed like a Musketeer. He smirked as he had his rapier on Puss.
"...Ah, now I see." Puss mused. He then narrowed his eyes. "Very well, I will take you on!"
"KROHNEN McDOUGALL!" (KoFAS)
Maxima's eyes bugged out before looking up at the Entrance Curtain. "Oh, you gotta be kidding me…"
The blue-haired ex-NESTS member came out to a loud cheer. However, he also came out to a certain song of chimes.. He, along with a few others in the audience, recognised the song and immediately glared up at the Sound Booth where the trio were snickering.
"Okay, I could take being a part of the NESTS Saga Team, but THIS is where I draw the fucking line!" Krohnen shouted, angrily. "Turn that shit off!"
"Alright, alright." Shadow chuckled before turning off the song.
Krohnen rolled his eyes before stomping down the ramp. Once in, he immediately walked over to Maxima, who couldn't help, but smirk at the scene.
"Still worried about the lawyers, eh, K9999?" The cyborg smirked.
"Shut up! Not only do I not need to hear that by some lackey of that reject, but like YOU'RE original!" Krohnen roared. "Mr. Fallen Angel!"
"Heh. Well, I'll be. You actually DO research." Maxima noted, crossing his arms. "I thought for sure that Angel was doing all of the work!"
"I said shut the fuck up!" Krohnen roared before turning his hand into a gun.
"SHULK!" (SSB)
The blond red-clad wielding of the Monado came out to a loud cheer and the battle theme "You Will Know Our Names". Normally, he would wave to the crowd and acknowledge them, but he was too busy focusing on Korra still trying to control Pichu.
"Pichu… Who did this to you?" He frowned.
Then, his eyes widened as they flashed blue.
(Shulk's Vision)
Korra winced as he struggled to keep Pichu's electricity under control.
"Aw, come on! You are a BABY Pokemon!" Korra complained. "How are you THIS strong!?"
Pichu growled. "Pi… Pi… CHUUUUUUU!"
Then, Pichu sent out a giant electric surge, not only blasted away Korra and several fighters standing closeby, but went on to the entire dome and immediately destroyed all of the lights.
(Current Time)
Shulk snapped back to reality. Immediately, he rushed down the ramp and leapt in before making his way to Korra.
"Hello, Miss Korra?" Shulk asked.
"Stay back! I don't know how, but this little guy is packing more juice than we thought!" The Avatar warned while swerving her head to avoid a bolt of electricity.
"That is what I wanted to warn you about!" Shulk frowned. "I had a vision and unless we find a way to subdue Pichu, he will cause an electric surge which will make a blackout just like at the third Megamix Tournament!"
Korra's eyes bugged out at this. "What!? He is THAT strong! Well, I am trying to eliminate him, but it is easier said than done!"
Suddenly, a bolt of electricity zapped from behind the Entrance Curtain and onto Pichu. The mouse Pokemon cried out in pain, but unlike before, he was being put in place. Shulk and Korra looked in awe before turning to the direction of the bolt
"And now, Mystery Fighter… Number… SEVEN!"
"STATIC SHOCK!" (Static Shock)
(Gotta get up, gotta go, yeah!)
(Gotta get up, gotta go, yeah!)
(Gotta get up, gotta go, yeah!)
(Gotta get up, gotta go, yeah!)
Virgil Ovid Hawkins came out to a loud cheer and his cartoon's first theme song. Normally, he would take this chance to play to the crowd, but he knew that he had a job to do. So getting out his hover disc, he got on and used his electromancy to ride it over to Pichu.
"An electromancer superhero!" Shulk said in relief. "Oh, what luck!"
Korra pouted. "I am technically an electromancer superhero too…"
"Technically, but while you are a master with all elements, I am more specialised." Static smirked.
"Regardless, you guys gotta keep Pichu under control!" Shulk explained. "If you don't, the entire tournament will be ruined!"
"So no pressure?" Static asked, raising an eyebrow before looking at Pichu with a worried look. "Hang in there, little guy, I promise to make this quick!"
"JADE CURTISS!" (ToAS)
The long-haired bespectacled man came out to a loud cheer. However, all he did was an acknowledging smile before making his way down the ramp while adjusting said glasses.
Upon stepping in, he walked over to Snake, who was looking at Pichu in confusion and concern.
"Pardon me, good sir." Jade said, getting Snake's attention. "I understand that you are worried for your nodal companion, but I couldn't resist facing a fellow soldier."
The mercenary scanned Jade up and down. "That is a soldier uniform? It looked more like a rejected ballroom outfit."
"Well, at least it lets me keep my dignity and doesn't bring attention to my posterior." Jade retorted.
Snake narrowed his eyes. "At least I could blend into the environment! You stick out like a sore thumb!"
"Perhaps, but at least people could recognise my design and not see it as 'Generic Action Hero #12'." Jade added.
The two paused.
"Do you wish to get drinks after this?" Jade asked.
"Duh?" Snake asked.
"MARGARET!" (P4A)
The beautiful white-haired blue-clad attendant of the Velvet Room walked out of the Ready Room. Everyone looked in awe as she gracefully floated down the ramp with blue sparkles around her while carrying her Persona Compendium.
"I could see why Elizabeth is excited to be back here, but I prefer to watch all of the fates intertwined with each other in the Velvet Room." She mused. She then shrugged. "Ah, well, I should have accepted this the moment I became a playable character."
She then floated her way down the ramp before "jumping in". Once in, Sandbert hopped over to her.
"Ah, Miss, I have been waiting for you." Sandbert said.
"Oh yes, I heard tales about you, Sandbert." Margaret mused.
"Oh, so you heard of me!" The sandbag said, impressed.
"Of course. We Velvet Room Attendants like to keep track of powerful beings." Margaret noted. "However, I must warn you that it is going to take a lot more than that to stop ME."
"Oh, I know. Just realise that it is vice versa." Sandbert smirked.
A few people stepped away from them.
"The power reading is just as strong with this one!" Maxima exclaimed. "I haven't seen numbers like these for a long time!"
"STORM THE ALBATROSS!" (StH)
Normally, the white-feathered muscle of the Babylon Rogues would be more vocal about the lukewarm reception he was getting. However, he was too busy reading his latest text.
"Huh. I wonder why Wave wants me to go to the security team room after I am done with this tournament." He mused. "Especially since she had a lot of negative things to say about them."
Giving a shrug, he put away his phone and got on his board before riding down the ramp and getting in.
"Okay, fine, someone who you KNOW you can beat." Storm mused.
His eyes then lit up when he saw Emil, looking around nervous.
"Bingo!" He beamed before riding over. "Yo, bud!"
Emil jumped at this. "W-What!?"
"This is a fighting tournament!" Storm pointed out. "Can't go around and stay back! You gotta get into the fray and I am dragging you in it!"
Lloyd then walked over to Storm. "Um, where were you at the first Battle of the Luminaries?"
The Albatross turned to Lloyd confused. "H-Huh? I was. But I got kidnapped in the third section and got hypnotised by that Kurow creep for nearly the entire tournament."
Lloyd winced. "Ouch…"
"Yeah, I was REALLY looking forward to helping the other beat down that punk for doing that to me and my team!" Storm growled. He then paused. "Um, why did you ask me that though?"
Then, Storm heard a whistle. Turning his head, he saw that Emil's eyes turned red and he had a dark grin on his face.
"Well? Shall we?" Emil smirked. "Aren't you going to drag me into the fray or do I have to do it myself?"
Storm's face fell. "Oh…"
"Yeah, you can't forget Emil's Ratatosk mode after seeing it once." Lloyd sighed.
(Hotel; Bison's Room)
Komodo Moe and Mukai sat in front of Bison's room with their chins on his hands. Then, Komodo Joe walked over to them.
"Ah, you are ssssstill here." Joe noted.
Moe and Mukai gave Joe dark glares, making the slimmer Komodo Dragon wince.
"W-What isssss with the evil eye?" Joe asked.
"You are kidding me, right?" Moe asked. "You been gone from all of the way in SSSSSection One and when you finally came here, you jussssst act like nothing happened?"
"That'sssss becaussssse nothing DID happen!" Joe insisted.
"Oh, really? Then, why did it take you thisssss long to return?" Moe challenged.
"Hey, I got here, didn't I?" Joe scolded. "What'sssss with the third degree?"
Mukai narrowed his eyes. "Joe, your brother has been worried sick about you. The least you could do is mutter something around the lines of 'I am sorry I am late'."
Joe paused for a moment at Mukai's words, actually thinking about the last part.
"I COULD say that, but I am not." The Komodo Dragon said, matter-of-factly.
Moe growled while Mukai shook his head.
"Alright, alright, I'll tell you!" Joe muttered. "I wassssss… Gathering intel on something that could be potentially ruined not just OTANE'S plan, but also Oume and Bison's too."
Mukai's eyes widened. "Wait, a hero group is forming THAT soon."
"No. Arguably worse, because the heroes WANT to protect the tournament." Joe explained.
"H-huh?" Moe asked, blinking twice.
"Never mind. We could walk and talk with each other." Joe explained. "We are wasssssting time."
Moe rolled his eyes. "SSSSSorry to keep you waiting."
With that, he and a sighing Mukai walked off. Unknown to them, Whip, Ralf and Kula were watching them from around the corner.
"So the garlic attack IS unrelated to what Bison is planning." Whip mused.
"More than that, it turns out there are actually THREE evil plots going on." Ralf groaned.
"Ugh, I knew that going into this that this would be complicated, but THIS?" Whip asked.
"But if that is the case, then which evil plot is Krizalid in?" Kula asked.
"Well, I can't say for certain, but seeing how the thinner Komodo Dragon said Otane's name first means that he is with Otane." Whip explained.
"Ah, got it." Kula nodded.
"Well, shall we, ladies?" Ralf asked.
Whip and Kula nodded her head before making her way around the corner before walking towards the door.
Unknown to them, they were being watched. They gave a dark grin before running towards the three. Ralf ended up looking back to see someone running towards them with two sharp swords and a dark grin on his face.
Ralf's eyes bugged out at this. "LOOK OUT!"
With that, he dove at Whip and Kula, knocking them down out of the way of a downward slash with one katana. Ralf growled before glaring at the guilty party.
Sho Minazuki grinned. "Welcome to the Sho!"
Ralf rolled his eyes. "Ugh, that is the cheesiest line ever!"
Whip narrowed her eyes. "You're the redhead from the Persona 4 Arena node!"
"Damn straight, Sho Minazuki!" Sho confirmed. "And I am going to whip you all into shape for interfering with our plans!"
Ralf and Whip glared at Sho while getting into their stances. Kula on the other hand, blinked twice while still on the ground.
"Wait, which team are you on?" Kula asked.
Sho's grin vanished. "Huh?"
"There are supposed to be three teams. Team Bison, Team Otane and Team Oume." Kula explained. "Which team are you on?"
Sho paused before grinning. "Team Oume."
"Oh, so that means you are useless to us." Kula said, matter-of-factly.
Once again, Sho's grin vanished. This time, it wasn't because of confusion, but pure shock.
"You WHAT!?" Sho roared.
"The main reason that we came here is to help Krizalid from joining Bison and from what we learned he is on Team Otane." Kula explained, narrowing her eyes. "Of course, we can't ignore the Big Bad, which is Team Bison. Which means you are just fodder."
"Fod… Fod… Fod…" Sho sputtered.
"Oh, so you have any information on the other two teams?" Kula asked.
"N-No, but…" Sho started.
"Then, get out of our way. You're just wasting everyone's time!" Kula scolded.
Ralf had a big grin on his face while Whip also struggled not to laugh.
Then, they heard a large laugh. Everyone's eyes widened before looking to the side to see Elliana piloting her steampunk mecha towards the group.
"Boy, she sure got YOUR number!" The snake sneered.
Sho gritted his teeth. "What the fuck are you doing here!?"
"I was going to my room to get some last minute-adjustments for my mecha, but then I literally walked upon THIS." Elliana said.
Kula narrowed her eyes. "Are you with him!?"
"More or less. I am on Team Otane." Elliana explained.
"So that means you know where Krizalid is!" Kula exclaimed. "Tell me where Krizalid is!"
Elliana let out a mirthless laugh. "Like I am going to tell YOU!"
"Now wait, hold on!" Sho pointed out. "What is so important about Krizalid?"
"He is important to Whip and vice versa." Elliana explained. "As far as I care, that is all you need to know."
"I agree with the snake!" Kula nodded.
"That's bullshit!" Sho growled. "OUR plan is more grander-scale than yours!"
"Oh yeah, then why are they not flocking to YOU?" Elliana taunted.
"THAT'S IT!" Sho roared before glaring at the trio. "You don't think I am worth your time? Well, maybe you would change your tune if I tear this hunk of junk into pieces!"
Elliana let out a mirthless laugh. "You are free to try it! Our plan is going the 'Slowly, but surely' route so we have a lot of free time!"
Sho's eyebrow twitched. "And they wanted to know about YOUR sucky team over OURS!?"
Elliana's smirk vanished before looking at the trio. "Sorry, I promise I will humour you when I finish teaching this nobody his place here!"
"That's MY line!" Sho roared.
With that, the two lunged at each other. Whip, Ralf and Kula all blinked twice at this, completely bewildered by this.
Whip narrowed her eyes. "Kula, Ralf, let's go. I think we may have a decent chance of going into Bison's room without being detected."
Ralf grinned. "Just a moment. I wanna see how this turns out."
Without missing a beat, Whip grabbed Ralf by the ear and dragged him away.
"Ow! Ow! Ow!" Ralf grunted in pain. "This is insubordination!"
"You are the insubordinate one..." Whip muttered.
Kula looked back and forth between Whip dragging Ralf away and Sho and Elliana having their fight. She then shook her head in disgust before walking after the former duo.
(The Arena)
"IMPMON!" (DRA)
The small black imp Digimon gave a mischievous grin as he rubbed his hands together. He walked down the ramp, but when he reached the bottom, he didn't step in.
"Hmm… Which one should I tick off first?" He mused. "Aw, so many good candidates."
He then covered his eyes with one hand while summoning a fireball on a finger with the other.
"Bada-Boom!" Impmon shouted before throwing said fireball in the ring.
Said projectile then flew until he lit Olimar's antennas. Said astronaut shrieked before running around in pain and fear with the Pikmin looking just as worried. Impmon saw who his target was and smirked.
"Perfect." Impmon said before finally stepping into the ring.
He then walked over just as Olimar finally managed to get the flame out by having some red Pikmin gather around it.
Olimar sighed in relief before looking up to see Impmon walking over. "You! You were the one who sent that fireball at me, didn't you!?"
"Yyyyyyep!" The Digimon grinned.
"Why?" Olimar demanded, angrily.
Impmon just shrugged. "Sorry, not sorry. I literally threw that fireball at random and it hit you! So you are my first target!"
Olimar narrowed his eyes. "You can't just choose your targets like this!"
"Why not? Dude, have you NOT seen the previous tournaments?" Impmon asked.
"MAKOTO NANAYA!" (BB)
The orange-clad squirrel Beastkin came out to a loud cheer, especially from the male part of the audience. Said girl gleefully waved her hands to the crowd.
"Thank you! Thank you! Heart y'all too!" She grinned. She then made her way down the ramp.
"Sucks about Kurow. Really wanted to show what I exactly thought of what he did to Tsubaki at the first Battle of the Luminaries." She lamented. She then giggled. "Aw, well. As long as he had a humiliating fall."
She then stepped into the ring. Suddenly, Tiffany ran over to her with sparkling eyes.
"Oh my god! It's Squirrel Girl!" Tiffany gasped.
Makoto blinked twice. "Huh?"
"Oh, wow! I read so many of your comics!" Tiffany beamed. "I never thought that I would face you seeing that Marvel is not on the roster."
"Um… You know that just because I am a squirrel girl, that doesn't mean I am THE Squirrel…" Makoto started, raising a finger.
"Please! Give me the chance to fight you!" Tiffany pleaded. "I may have as many titles under my belt as you, but I am still strong in my own right!"
Makoto blinked twice before shrugging and getting into a stance. "Eh. Why not? I seen weirder reasons to get into a fight at these things."
"And now, Mystery Fighter… Number… EIGHT!"
"CLAUDE VON RIEGAN!" (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)
The tan-skinned archer and leader of the Golden Deer came out to a loud cheer as he tapped his bow against his shoulder while having his sword by his side. He smirked at the warm reception before giving a few waves.
"Heh. It is nice to see that Three Houses is still popular after all of these years." He noted. "Then again, our new Warriors game coming around the corner also helped."
He then got ready to make his way down the ramp.
(I don't know why-I-I)
(But dreaming's all I do)
Claude's eyes bugged out before looking up at the Sound Booth to see Shadow, Astaraoth and Aila laughing at them. He looked around to see that everyone who was cheering was not laughing.
(I won't get by-I-I)
(On mere imagination)
Claude hung his head, looking completely humiliated and defeated.
Suddenly, he ran forward before jumping up. Then, a trapeze appeared out of nowhere just as Claude flipped onto it and hung from it upside-down.
(Upside down)
(Bouncing off the ceiling)
(Inside Out)
(Stranger to the feeling)
The trapeze then flew around the dome with the laughter turning back into cheers as A-Teens' Upside-Down played through the speakers.
(Got no clue)
(What I should do)
(But I'll go crazy)
(If I can't get next to you!)
Finally, the trapeze flew back to the Sound Booth with the trio looking stunned. Claude just gave them a grin before the trapeze went to the arena.
"...I'm not even." Shadow piped up.
"Yeah, that was totally badass!" Astaroth added.
"Mm-hmm." Aila nodded.
When the trapeze finally went into the arena, Claude got up before landing on his feet. Then, the trapeze then disappeared in sparkles. He smirked before looking at the Announcer's Booth.
"Yo, thanks, MS!" Claude grinned.
The moustached star nodded his head. Shulk then walked over to Claude.
"Wow, you are just as quick on your feet as Byleth said." Shulk said, getting Claude's attention.
"Ah, so Teach talked about me." The tan-skinned man smirked.
"He talked about a lot of the students back home, but he definitely talked about the leader of the three houses a lot." Shulk chuckled.
"It is nice to hear that." Claude nodded. "Truth be told, I always wanted to face the same opponents that Teach faced."
"And I wanted to know more about the friends of my nodal companions." Shulk added. "Well, shall we?"
"Let's!" Claude nodded.
Meanwhile, Huff N Puff Wolf saw Lloyd, Steve and Yuri walking towards each other to have a three-way between Superstars.
"Welp, looks like everyone is taken and Puss looks like he wants to face that tiger cub by himself." Huff N Puff mused before shrugging. "Eh. I'll just take whoever is up next."
With that, he looked up the Entrance Curtain to see who was coming out.
"BASARA!" (SS)
Huff N Puff Wolf's face fell as the blue-haired, grey-skinned zombie stood outside of the Ready Room as people near the ramp screamed in fear. His spirit lover, Kagaribi, floated right next to her with a stoic look on her face.
"Gwa ha ha ha!" He laughed. "Otane told me to appeal to people by fighting people! This should be a piece of cake because I have been killing people just to appeal to you, Kagaribi! I may give you what you actually need!"
Kagaribi didn't say anything before vanishing. Basara readied his giant shuriken connected to a chain before slowly descending in a black pool. Then, said pool appeared in front of Huff N Puff Wolf startling him.
"Ah yes, the Big Bad Wolf! The infamous person who is the source of terror and despair for little girls with red hoods and grandmother!" Basara noted. "However, I think OUR darkness is even better! Let's see which darkness is better!"
Huff N Puff Wolf blinked twice before looking at the nearest Lakitu. "What do you say to THIS!?"
"SAGAT!" (SFAS)
The bald, one-eyed Muay Thai practitioner came out to a loud cheer. However, he paid it no mind as he stood on the top of the Entrance Ramp with his arms crossed and sternly scanning the ring.
"It seems that everyone else is taken." Sagat mused before shrugging "Eh. I suppose that works out. Out of everyone in the Ready Room, she struck my interest the most. Outside of the white-haired woman in blue and ironically the sandbag, but that goes with saying."
With that, he walked down the ramp before stepping in. He then turned around and crossed his arms, glaring up the Entrance Curtain.
"And now, the final fighter of this section…"
"VELVET CROWE!" (ToAS)
The dark-haired anti-hero came out to a loud cheer, especially from the men. However, she came to them no mind as she glared down at Sagat who returned the glare. She then slowly made her way down the ramp.
"I swear if Bison and cronies tried to do anything to me just like the Okron Tournament, then so help me…" She growled.
Finally, she stepped in. "I take it that you wish to fight me?"
"Yes, not only are you the only one available, but I think you are one of the strongest people in the arena right now." Sagat explained.
"Eh, fair enough." Velvet shrugged. "Just don't come all weepy if I give you another scar."
"I could assure you that besides the fact I have no intention of letting that happen, I have grown weary about worrying about my scar." Sagat scoffed.
Velvet paused before chuckling.
Sagat narrowed his good eye. "Is what I said humorous to you?"
"No, it is just that… I am the same way." Velvet admitted.
Sagat paused before smirking. However, the two turned serious before getting into their stances.
As the sole rollercoaster rides around above the arena uninterrupted, the layout is much easier to navigate around. Regardless, the fighters will intend to make things interesting.