Battle Of The Luminaries 3

by Tinyhammer

Votefic. UVR Spinoff. Cross-Pasted On ArchiveOfOurOwn. After at least a decade when the second tournament was unfortunately been cancelled, the Battle of the Luminaries is finally back with its largest roster yet. Who will win? YOU DECIDE! Also, I WILL NOT TAKE MYSTERY FIGHTER REQUESTS!

15. Section Six

(The Arena)

"Well, Leonardo, it is your turn to be the Superstar!" The Millennium Star offered. "I also heard you have a few ideas. Care to share what they are?"

"Well, kinda. I have been thinking about it and I just realised something." The twin swordsman mused.

"And that is?" The Millennium Star asked, raising an eyebrow.

"The arena doesn't nearly show the full potential of a ninja." Leonardo noted. "Sure, it can show how we can fight, but only on a flat surface."

"Uh-huh, uh-huh. And what do you suggest?" The Millennium Star nodded.

"Well, I thought of some things, but I think this one will get the point across!" Leonardo said. "I want the entire arena to be covered by a giant jungle gym!"

Tumble blinked twice. "A jungle gym?"

"Yes, one of those classic ones that look like a construction framework." Leonardo nodded.

"I think I know what you are talking about…" Tumble mused, fiddling with his phone. He then floated over to Leonardo and held it out. "Like this?"

The blue-masked turtle's eyes lit up. "Yeah, exactly like that!"

"Alright, let's input the data and…" Tumble started, pushing a few buttons.

The Millennium Star nodded. "Alright. Got it! One arena-sized jungle gym, coming up!"

With that, he started to spin around and engulf the entire arena with a bright light. When the light cleared, the electric ropes were gone, but in their place was a giant traditional jungle gym that covered the entire section.

"Hey! I already love this!" Rashid grinned.

"Indeed. I admit that I never fought on a giant jungle gym before, but all of the battles fighting on high towers should be more than enough practice!" Simon grinned.

"I don't think I would be climbing up it to fight, but eh." Shulk shrugged. "I am sure that even the more ground-based fighter will find SOME use for it."

Everyone seemed content with it. Except for two people.

(Announcer's Booth)

"...Danglars and Tybalt are going to complain about the lack of work we are not giving Olmec recently." Drake whispered with a frown.

Ashley looked in disbelief. "You make it sound like WE asked for that particular segment."

(The Arena)

"NESS!" (SSB)

The dark-haired psychic boy tapped his bat against his shoulder a few times before politely waving to the cheering crowd. He then made his way down the ramp.

Suddenly, a song came up. A familiar tune that everyone recognised in the first three seconds. Ness' beady eyes bugged out in horror while everyone immediately started to laugh. Ness growled before glaring up at the Sound Booth to see that Astaroth was still running it alone.

"Megalovania!? Really!?" He asked in disbelief.

"Hey, it is a theory!" Astaroth laughed with an unseen smirk. "A Game Theory!"

Ness rolled his eyes before making his way down the ramp, grumbling the entire time. He then looked around to see Simon, Shulk and Wolf all snickering at him. He then growled.

"So much for me wanting to double-team with my nodal companions…" He muttered.

He then made his way towards Saizo.

"Pardon me, sir, but I am looking for a fight to distract me from knowing that people are reminded of that ridiculous theory." Ness said. "May you be my opponent."

Saizo paused. "...Very well. I will fight you."

Ness frowned. "You know… This IS a fighting tournament so you don't have to force to face your sociophobia unless you really want to?"

Saizo's eyes bugged out at this. "How did you…?"

Ness just chuckled. "Being a psychic helps with understanding people."

"REPTAR!" (NASB)

Korra winced. "Hoo boy. Here we go."

The green-scaled dinosaur came out to a loud cheer. In fact, the only people who WEREN'T cheering were the terrified people near the ramp. Reptar let out a deafening roar before making his way down the ramp.

(They call me Reptar!)

Reptar immediately froze in his spot with wide eyes.

(I'm the freshing dinosaur)

(Green skin, blue spikes)

(With a real big roar)

Reptar looked up to the Sound Booth to see Astaroth laughing and pointing at him as the former's rap played through the speakers. (Yes, apparently even Reptar has a rap.)

(Reptar!)

(And I'm coming through your town)

(And I'm smashing up your cars)

(Knocking all of your building down)

Reptar looked around to see everyone laughing at him. Even the people near him were snickering. He growled before roaring, breathing out fire and making everyone near him duck. He then stomped down the ramp.

Once in, he immediately grabbed one of the poles of the jungle gym and started to shake it violently. Much to everyone's surprise and horror, he was making it shake.

"H-Hey! What is he attempting to do!?" Simon exclaimed.

"He is trying to destroy the jungle gym." Korra muttered, matter-of-factly.

"Then, stop him!" Rashid scolded. "He is going to destroy this section's gimmick before it even begins!"

Korra looked at Rashid in disbelief. "Do you know how hard it is to get Reptar to behave in a good mood, let alone a bad one!"

"Don't worry, everyone!" Antonov piped up, getting everyone's attention. "If I counted right, there should be one person coming out of this section who is able to keep up with him!"

"Oh yeah?" Wolf asked, raising an eyebrow.

Antonov smirked. "Yeah! And he will not hesitate one second to fight that beast!"

"KING OF DINO…!"

"WHY AM I ON THE ASH SAGA TEAM!?"

Antonov looked up at the Entrance Ramp, still not dropping his smirk.

"AFTER he is finished arguing with the hosts…"

"Sigh… KING OF DINOSAURS!" (KoFAS)

"Seriously!? I debuted in XIV!" The red-clad dinosaur-themed wrestler angrily roared and ignored the cheers he was getting.

"Mm-hmm. Sure, you keep telling yourself that." Ashley muttered with a bored look.

Drake elbowed him in the side. "Sorry, man! It is a mistake on my part! Like how I didn't have the new characters of Samurai Shodown in the roster!"

Ashley looked at Drake in disbelief. "Seriously?"

"How could you make a blunder like THAT!?" King of Dinosaurs scolded. "Do I need to remind everyone how long the timeframe of XIII and XIV were!?"

Drake chuckled nervously. "Sorry, KoD, but it is TOO late to change it. That would involve calling up one of the Verse Saga team fighters and telling them that they can't enter! Not alone finding a replacement for the Ash Saga out of thin air!"

"You shouldn't have made that blunder in the first place!" King of Dinosaurs roared. "And why am I the victim of YOUR stupidity!? Did you remember seeing ANY form of a dinosaur in the Ash saga!? I sure didn't! I…"

With that, he proceeded to rant. Antonov let out a deep sigh. He then walked over to Vector and Simon and signalled them to follow him before walking towards the ramp. The detective and vampire hunter looked at each other before shrugging and following him. They then made their way up the ramp and walked over to King of Dinosaurs before grabbing him and dragging him down the ramp. Despite this, he was STILL ranting.

"At least Xero had the excuse of the Kingdom Hearts node having so many characters and while the King of Fighters could arguably have the same problem, you specifically divided it into teams. You have no such excuse!" King of Dinosaurs ranted.

"...He said he promised that he will not make a scene like this." Antonov muttered.

Vector looked at Antonov in disbelief. "And you believed him!?"

Finally, Antonov, Vector and Simon dragged King of Dinosaurs into the ring. And yes, he was STILL ranting. Finally, even someone like Antonov had his patience and grumpily slapped him in the face.

The dinosaur-themed wrestler glared at his boss. "WHAT!?"

Antonov merely pointed at Reptar (who for better or for worse was too distracted by the King of Dinosaurs' tantrum to continue his rampage). "Fellow dinosaur. Destined battle. GO!"

King of Dinosaurs paused for a moment. He then glared at the Announcer's Booth one final time before making his way over to Reptar. King of Dinosaurs roared at him. Reptar blinked twice.

"...You could understand me?" Reptar asked.

"Of course I could understand you, you idiot!" King of Dinosaurs scolded. "We are dinosaurs! We speak the same language!"

Reptar narrowed his eyes. "YOU? A dinosaur? You have a better time fooling everyone by masquerading as a bird!"

"I'LL MAKE YOU EAT THOSE WORDS!" King of Dinosaurs roared, lunging forward.

Velvet then spoke up. "Well, THAT was an attack on everyone's IQ points…"

"Ahem… And now, Mystery Fighter… Number… ELEVEN!"

"VIVIAN!" (Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door)

The pink-haired purple Shadow Siren came out to an enormous cheer. She giggled as she put one hand on her cheek while waving with the other one. She then made her way down the ramp, blowing a couple of kisses with her "tail" connecting to the ground.

"It is so nice to be back at one of these things!" She smiled. "I so missed these tournaments!"

She then finally made her way into the arena. However, the moment she did so, she slowly fell into the canvas with a small shadowy dot in its place. Truth be told, she realised that she had not one, but TWO potential allies in the Ready Room and she wanted to wait until one of them were in the ring.

"SHOMA SAWAMURA!" (RS)

"Let's play ball!" The white-clad baseball player shouted, punching his fist into his palm with an excited grin on his face. He then made his way down the ramp.

(Hello?)

(I wish I was a little bit taller)

(I wish I was a baller)

(I wish I had a girl that was cute)

(I would call her)

Shoma froze in his spot as Skee-Lo's I Wish played through the speakers with a look of horror.

(If I had a rabbit in a hat)

(With a bat)

(And a 6'4 Impala)

Once again, the audience erupted with laughs. Shoma gritted his teeth with his skin turning an impossible shade of red before glaring up at the Sound Booth to see Astaroth crossing his arms with an unseen smirk.

"What the hell, man!?" Shoma angrily roared. "We were on the same team at the first Battle of the Luminaries!"

"Sorry, couldn't resist! Astaroth laughed.

Shoma growled before stomping down the ramp.

(Sound Booth)

"Dude, slow down!" Aila scolded. She then smirked. "You are making Shadow and me look bad!"

"Oh, trust me. When you unleash your project, I would look like the weak link in comparison regardless of what I do!" Astaroth winked. "I have to TRY to catch up to you!"

(The Arena)

Once Shoma angrily entered the arena, he stormed over to the nearest large fighter he could find. Which was Antonov.

"You. Me. Fight. NOW!" Shoma roared.

Antonov frowned. "You don't like people talking about your height, do you?"

"Oh gee, what could have given you THAT idea!?" Shoma snarked.

"Hey, don't let what that golem says get you down!" Antonov offered before smiling. "Big things come in small packages!"

"What!? So you think that I am a little brightly-dressed present given to someone as a little pet with a collar around my neck!?" Shoma roared.

Antonov's smile vanished as he jumped. "What!? When did I say ANYTHING like that!?"

"You were implying it!" Shoma roared, getting out his bat. "Well, I am going to turn YOU into a present! For the medical team!"

Antonov's face fell. "Oh boy…"

"IRIA ANIMI!" (ToAS)

The red-haired gunslinger gave a mischievous grin as she spun her twin revolvers in her hands. She had a good idea on what she wanted to do first so she ran down the ramp and leapt in with a single thought.

"Freeze Lancer!" Iria shouted before aiming her guns towards Vector.

This created a blue ring that sent icicles to fly at him. However, Vector heard it coming and yelped before jumping out of the way.

"Hey, watch it!" Vector scolded, angrily. "I am cold-blooded, remember!?"

"That is the idea, genius!" Iria smirked. "Seriously, it is YOUR fault for entering a free-for-all fighting tournament where they may be cryomancers!"

Shulk frowned before walking over. "I am sorry to tell you this, but you should employ your strategy somewhere else. I am already fighting him!"

"Okay, first off, that turtle could easily deflect my bullets back at me and even if my bullets could go further than a ten-inch pole, I am NOT touching that dinosaur fight!" Iria scolded. She then gave an evil grin. "Secondly, seeing how well you two did in the last section, can you really blame me for not thinking you were serious about fighting each other?"

Shulk paused. "On second hand, maybe you are right. Maybe we would have better luck fighting together than each other, what do you think, Vector?"

Vector growled as he cracked his knuckles. "I am more than willing to try!"

(Dome; Crowd Entrance A)

"Do you think that it is a good idea to leave Horkeukamui guarding Dingodile on his own?" Pepper frowned as the security team minus the wolf-in-question came their way to the crime.

"It can't be helped. We may need all of the hands we could get in." Carmelita sighed. "And leaving Dingodile on his own is simply out of the question."

She then growled before glaring at Athena.

"MAYBE we could afford to leave him with TWO security team members if SOMEBODY inadvertently turned our team of six into five!" Carmelita growled.

Athena sighed before glaring back.

"I owe you and especially Gabe a huge apology for what happened, but at the same time. It can't be helped. Wave was 100% right." She scolded. "I don't trust Jet's story and I definitely don't trust the Babylon Rogues' future investigation findings to be unbiased after they got all angry. Sure, they could afford to be more diplomatic, but they have every right to get Gabe to join them as a conclusive witness."

"Besides, between them and Wario, SOMEONE has to be the babysitter so they don't cause more harm than good." Naesala said, waving it off. "They NEED someone like Gabe."

"I guess…" Carmelita muttered, crossing her arms. "I still think we are wasting our time that is better used elsewhere in the dome or hotel."

"Then, let's not dilly-dally." Athena nodded.

"Yeah, you say that, but we don't even know what we are looking for." Pepper frowned.

"It should be obvious. Anything that looks out of the ordinary." Athena pointed out. "Anything that wouldn't look out-of-place."

"Um, that may be a little hard right now." Naesala said, jerking his thumb to the side.

Everyone turned their heads to see the crime scene… Was being cleaned by a bunch of Broom Hatters from Kirby. Athena's jaw dropped when she realised what was happening.

"They're… They're contaminating the crime scene." Athena sputtered.

"What do you expect, Athena?" Carmelita asked in disbelief. "They HAVE to clean this place up to get rid of the stench of garlic so more vampires don't end up in the Recovery Room."

"And as far as THEY know, the one behind the garlic attack is already locked up!" Naesala added.

The yellow-clad defence attorney slumped her arms in disbelief. She couldn't believe what was happening. Now what was she going to do?

"Oh, there you are."

A young-looking woman with silver hair dressed in a dark blue maid outfit walking over in a proper maid fashion.

"Ah, Sakuya Izayoi." Carmelita nodded.

"I was told that I may return here sooner or later." The woman explained.

The security team blinked twice at this.

"Um, yes. We would." Athena nodded.

"And I suppose that it is to investigate the scene of the crime." Sakuya asked.

"Pretty much." Naesala shrugged.

Sakuya nodded her head before pulling out a pocket watch.

"Very well." She instructed. "Please all grab onto it."

Pepper blinked twice. "Huh."

"I understand that you are sceptical, but I promise that I will have a good reason for this." Sakuya insisted.

The four looked at each other.

"Sure, why not?" Athena asked. "What we got to lose."

With that, she put her hand on the pocket watch. One by one, the others slowly followed suit. Sakuya nodded her head.

"Very well. Let's begin." Sakuya said.

Then, the pocket watch glowed a bit. Suddenly, a monochrome wave went across the entire area, dissolving everything of its colour. Even the Broom Hatters froze in their spots. The only ones that still had their colour were Sakuya and the security team. Needless to say, the security team were thunderstruck.

"W-W-What the!?" Athena exclaimed.

"Who added the Ancient TV Filter!?" Pepper added.

"Do not worry. Time has just frozen." Sakuya reassured.

"Well, that is an odd mixture of sentences." Carmelita muttered.

"Fear not. Everyone is alright." Sakuya offered. "They cannot move, but they cannot see or hear us."

"Um, okay, fair enough." Carmelita said, blinking twice. "What is it you wish to show off?"

"Nothing right now." Sakuya said before fiddling with her stopwatch. "I just have to remember the exact time and adjust accordingly andddddd…"

Then, the monochromatic wave appeared again. However, this time, something has changed. The Broom Hatters have decided and were replaced by other people. They recognised a few of them, but what caught their eyes were some of them were Jet, Wave and… Sakuya.

"Hey, is that…?" Pepper asked.

"Yes and no. It is me in the past." Sakuya explained.

Carmelita's eyes widened at this. "The past, but…"

"Allow me to explain. I think it is a little obvious now, but I am a Chronomancer." Sakuya reminded.

"We know. I watched your One-Minute Melee against that Dio guy." Pepper nodded.

"Ugh, don't remind me. Because of that stupid fight, I was off my schedule!" Sakuya groaned, rolling her eyes. "But otherwise, yes. However, I can't turn back time. I CAN go back to previous scenes I was in."

"Wait, you can?" Athena asked. "Then, that means…"

Sakuya shook her head. "I know what you are saying, but no. I can't see if Dingodile truly was the one behind the garlic attack or not. All I could do is go back to situations that I previously was in."

"Oh, that makes sense." Athena frowned. "If you did, we wouldn't even be here."

"But still, that is pretty sweet!" Pepper grinned. "It is basically a super photographic memory!"

Athena brightened up."Yeah, this is going to be more than helpful!"

Everyone then looked around. The people there were trying to clear up the garlic clouds, anywhere.

Naesala frowned. "Damn… I heard it was bad, but not THIS bad."

"Indeed. Which brings me to what I wanted to show you." Sakuya explained. "The location of the stink bombs."

Carmelita blinked twice. "Um, okay, sure, we need to investigate everything thoroughly, anyway, but… Why?"

Sakuya paused. "Follow me. Oh, and don't worry about going through the garlic cloud. You can't smell in frozen time.

To demonstrate this, Sakuya walked through the garlic cloud and pushed it away as if it was stationary cotton floating in midair. Everyone looked at each other and shrugged before following her. Soon, they were around a corner.

"Now, one of the stinkbombs were here." Sakuya reminded.

"Uh-huh. Cole and Wave already told me, Carmelita and Gabe." Naesala asked, blinking twice. "Why?"

"Wait…"

Everyone turned to see Carmelita walking forward over to the and crouched down next to the corner. She then looked at Sakuya.

"...You said that Cole and Wave found one of the stinkbombs around the corner, right?" Carmelita asked.

"That is correct." Sakuya nodded.

"And you may be able to redo this particular situation as many times as you want, right?" Carmelita asked.

"Again, that is correct." Sakuya confirmed.

Carmelita paused for a moment.

"If THAT is the case, why did the garlic cloud go in the direction of the Announcer's Booth, but not the OTHER way?" She asked.

Naesala, Athena and Pepper's eyes widened in realisation. Sakuya, on the other hand, was composed the entire time.

"I do hope that it is what you want."

(Hotel; Lounge)

"Billy got kidnapped!?" Hinako gasped, putting one hand to her mouth.

"Yes… And apparently it happened when he thought that I was hurt in an explosion." Lilly said, sadly.

R. Mika narrowed her eyes. "How low can they go!?"

"So THAT is why you are looking for Goombas." Magilou noted.

"Okay, okay, fair." R. Mika mused. "If you would find the one Goomba that tricked Geese and Billy, we would find his kidnapper. What I DON'T understand though…"

She then glared at Yamazaki.

"Why are you investigating with THIS guy!?" R. Mika muttered.

"Yeah, heart ya too!" Yamazaki winked.

Lilly let out a deep sigh. "We needed all of the help we could get and seeing that Hein was not with us at the moment, Mr. Howard paid Yamazaki to help with the search.

"I know how much Geese cares for Billy, but how desperate can you get?" R. Mika asked in disbelief.

"I mean, to be fair, while it IS rare for Yamazaki to do heroism, it is more because villains are most likely to hire him than heroes." Magilou shrugged.

"Exactly! He even paid me extra not to mess with Lilly!" Yamazaki laughed. "Seriously, why can't most people do that if they want to deal with me!"

The four women rolled their eyes before they were finally entering the lounge.

"Hopefully, we are with Ripper and Hopper also so we have some sanity to balance it out." Lilly reassured.

"I am telling you that I am NOT the one who you are talking about!"

"Then, why didn't you try to explain where you were until now!?"

The group's eyes widened before looking ahead to see Ripper and Hopper, holding up two Goombas and threatening them with their respective weapons, a knife and gun respectively.

"What are you doing!?" Lilly exclaimed, gripping her head and getting their attention.

"Oh, Miss Kane! Forgive us, but we need to interrogate any and all Goomba." Ripper said.

"Then, why are you interrogating a GLOOMBA!?" Lilly scolded.

Ripper blinked twice behind his shades. "...A what?"

With that, he looked down at the Goomba he had. He looked like a regular Goomba. Except he was pale blue.

"If the Goomba that tricked Billy and Mr. Howard was blue, don't you think he would have told you!?" Lilly scolded.

Ripper's eyes widened in realisation. "Oh…"

"Seriously, that is what I was telling him! Goombas aren't blue, they are brown!" Hopper scolded.

"The same could be said for you with that Galoomba!" Lilly added.

"Galoomwhatnnow?" Hopper asked before looking down.

Indeed, while this Goomba looked more accurate to a normal Goomba's colour, his shape and mouth were clearing different.

"...I was about to say on how incompetent you two are, but wow. Just wow." Yamazaki muttered.

Both Ripper and Hopper's faces turn red before they sheepishly put down the Gloomba and Galoomba respectively.

"Ah ha ha… Sorry." Ripper apologised.

"No hard feelings, right?" Hopper asked.

The Gloomba and Galoomba glared up at their respective attackers. They then kicked them in the shins before stomping off as both men hopped on one foot. The others blinked twice.

"...We are in trouble." Magilou muttered.

The Gloomba and Galoomba were about to leave the lounge from the opposite side. However, they were both stopped when someone stood in their way.

"Hey!" Galoomba yelled, angrily. "Do you mind!?"

Suddenly, the two paused.

"Okay, is this some kind of sick joker!?" The Gloomba asked, annoyed. "Billy is RIGHT here!"

Everyone's eyes widened before looking in the direction of the Gloomba. Indeed, there was Billy standing in the door frame with his head down with his bandana covering his eyes.

"Billy!" Lilly gasped with her eyes lighting up.

"Lilly…" The older Kane sibling said.

Yamazaki and Magilou's eyes widened.

"Billy, I am so glad to see that you…" Lilly smiled before she was about to run over.

Then, Yamazaki ran in front of Lilly, startling everyone.

"H-Hey!" Lilly gasped before narrowing her eyes.

"What he is paid to do." Magilou said, looking surprisingly serious.

"Lilly… Where is Lilly?" Billy asked with his head still down.

"H-Huh?" The younger Kane sibling asked. "I am right here…"

Billy then finally raised his head to reveal a crazed look in his eyes.

"WHERE IS MY SISTER!?" Billy asked. He then slammed his staff on the ground.

This resulted in a burst of fire that sent the Gloomba and Galoomba flying back, screaming at the top of their lungs and making everyone jump.

"B-Billy!? I am here! I am safe! There is no reason to act like this!" Lilly pleaded.

"Forget it." Yamazaki said, narrowing his eyes. "It is clear that whoever kidnapped Billy also brainwashed him!"

"T-T-Then, let me face him!" Lilly pleaded. "Maybe I could…"

However, Ripper and Hopper grabbed her and forced her back.

"H-Hey, let me go!" Lilly demanded.

"Forgive me, Miss Kane, but if we let you face him and you get hurt, Mr. Howard will have our heads!" Ripper pointed out.

"And I won't get paid!" Yamazaki nodded before glaring at Billy. "Leave this guy to me!"

R. Mika immediately ran to Yamazaki's side. "I just let you fight Billy alone, he may not come out unscatched! Let me fight with you and…"

"ORAAAAAAAAA!"

Everyone's pupils shrank as a blur leapt from the entrance that Billy had entered and rolled forward before getting into a stance. R. Mika gasped with her face turning pale. Lilly and Hinako also gasped, putting their hands to their mouths.

On the other hand, Yamazaki, Magilou, Ripper, Hopper, the Gloomba and the Galoomba all blinked twice. Then, the Gloomba said what was on everyone's minds.

"...Dan Hibiki? Really?"

"Saikyo-Style is the best style!" Dan shouted.

"D-Dan? They got you too…" R. Mika gasped in pure horror.

"Mika!" Hinako gasped, running over to the wrestler's side and helping her up.

Magilou shook her head before walking forward while Hinako helped her to get to safety.

"I don't know if this was planned from the start or they targeted Dan just to mess with Mika." Magilou muttered while holding up a rectangular piece of paper. "Regardless, I don't think she will have her head in the game right now! We got this!"

"Please! Don't hurt them!" Lilly begged.

Yamazaki let out a mirthless laugh. "Spare me! Not only am I paid to bring Billy back SAFELY, but how could they have DAN HIBIKI ironically fight us as if he was a threat!"

"...Well, I can't confirm it is related. Pichu almost caused a power outage." Magilou reminded.

Yamazaki's face fell. "Oh, right…"

(The Arena)

"MIGNON BEART!" (KoFAS)

The pink-haired practitioner of white magic excitedly waved to the crowd while jumping up (and making weird squeaky noises when her shoes touched the ground).

"Thank you, everyone!" She cheered. "For the third time, Mignon has appeared in the Battle of the Luminaries! And just like before, she is going to work harder to gain world peace!"

With that, she skipped down the ramp. By this time, Vivian has finally appeared from the ground. Mignon's eyes lit up before running down the ramp.

"Vivian! Vivian! You are actually here!" Mignon cheered. "I am sooo happyyyyy!"

With that, she crashed into the arena. Vivian gasped before floating over.

"Mignon, are you alright!?" Vivian asked.

"Yes… Why do I always crash whenever I enter the arena?" Mignon groaned.

"It is because you always run headfirst without doubt." Vivian sighed as she helped Mignon (Which looked comical because Mignon was taller). "I thought I told you to be careful…"

"Aw, I can't help it! Colette actually got a really, really late draw this time so Mignon can't double-team with her just like last time!" Mignon groaned. She then brightened up. "Which is why I am so happy that I get to enter the same section as you!"

Vivian giggled. "Indeed, Mignon. Also, there is a potential second ally for us!"

The white magician's eyes lit up before putting her hands together. "Oh? Who is it?"

"Don't worry, we will know when she comes out." Vivian offered.

"ROUGE THE BAT!" (StH)

(Fly in the freedom)

(Time never stop and wait for me)

(Show the way)

(Looking for answers and looking for the clue)

(Fly in the freedom)

The white-furred bat came out to a loud cheer from the men in the cast. She smirked before waving and even giving a few winks, making them cheer louder.

Despite this, there was something going around inside of her mind and it was driving a little crazy. Deciding to find out what was going on, she flapped her wings and flew up.

…Over to the Sound Booth. However, Astaroth immediately used his large frame to block the view.

"And where do you think YOU'RE going?" Astaroth challenged, crossing his arms.

"I just want to see what Shadow is doing all of this time." Rouge frowned.

"Sorry, no can do." Astaroth said, shaking his head.

Rouge narrowed her eyes. "Aw, come on! We are friends, aren't we? Well, friends of virtue of being friends with Shadow. And DEFINITELY friends of virtue of being friends with Omega. But still."

"Sorry, Sound Booth team business." Astaroth scolded. "I promise you that it will be worth the wait, but for now, I think you are risking your time in the ring just by talking to me!"

Rouge paused before looking at the Announcer's Booth to see Ashley glaring at Rouge and angrily tapping his non-existent watch. The bat rolled her eyes before finally flying into the ring.

Once in, she saw Leonardo and smirked before flying.

"Why, hello, boyo." Rouge greeted.

"Um, hey." Leonardo answered.

"Those eliminations of that mercenary and that electromancer are quite impressive." Rouge noted. "Perhaps you would do better against someone like me."

Leonardo paused.

"Lady, don't take this the wrong way, but our closest human friend is April O'Neil." He scolded, narrowing his eyes. "If you think that you could use your looks to distract me, you have another thing coming."

Rouge's smirk vanished as she growled. "How dare you!? All she wore most of the time was a bright yellow jumpsuit! How could that POSSIBLY prepare you for people like ME!?"

"April and Master Splinter wouldn't tell us. Irma tried to tell us about some kind of rule." Leonardo said before looking to the side. "I forgot its number, but I think it was in the thirties."

Rogue blinked twice before slumping her arms. "Talk about ping-pong naivete…"

"GABUMON!" (DRA)

The fur-clad yellow-scaled lizard put both of his hands on chest before breathing in and out. He then looked up at the crowd to see the Digimon cast cheering for him. Matt gave a small smile and nodded his head. Gabumon brightened up before returning the gesture. He then made his way down the ramp.

Vivian saw him coming in and raised an unseen eyebrow. "Huh. Three for three."

Mignon looked down at Vivian. "Huh? Three for three on what."

"At every Battle of the Luminaries, you and Gabumon showed up in the same section." The Shadow Siren explained.

Mignon's eyes widened. "Mignon and Gabumon were in the same section together in the second tournament?"

Vivian paused. "Um, yes. You even approached him."

"Mignon would have remembered if she met a wolf-lizard-unicorn Digimon." Mignon frowned. "Mignon DID approach a wolf, but I don't think it is the same thing."

Vivian blinked twice underneath her hat before raising a finger to try to explain, but sighed and shook her head. By this time, Gabumon finally approached the edge of the ramp.

King of Dinosaurs saw him come in and his eyes lit up at this. "Ah, Gabumon! It is so nice to see you enter the arena in high spirits!"

"Ah, thank you, Ti… Um, King of Dinosaurs, was it?" The horned lizard asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, I am. I am the Dino King Burning For Revenge against the one who gave me this scar!" The wrestler boasted. He then growled. "But for now, I am burning for revenge against the one who put me on the Ash Saga team…"

"Um, right…" Gabumon said, scratching the back of his head.

"Regardless, it is nice to see you fighting the good fight after what happened at the second Battle of the Luminaries!" King of Dinosaurs smiled.

Gabumon blinked twice. "Um, but you said you showed up in the Verse Saga. How did YOU know what happened there?"

King of Dinosaurs' eyes bugged out before shifting his eyes from left to right. "Um, well… Because it is because… Oh, right! I am attracted to the tears of disappointed children! And that incident attracted a lot of tears!"

Gabumon (and Reptar who was being surprisingly patient) looked on in disbelief.

"Um, right… It IS hard to ignore what happened there, no matter where you are." Gabumon said.

"Dude, I live for destroying cities discriminately and even I have more control over my emotions than you." Reptar muttered

King of Dinosaurs growled before glaring at Reptar. "Shut the hell up!"

With that, he pounced on him, continuing the dinosaur fight. Gabumon blinked twice before shrugging.

"Wrestlers are weird…"

"And now, Mystery Fighter… Number… TWELVE!"

"ASHE!" (League of Legends)

The aptly-nicknamed Frost Archer stood outside of the Ready Room while wielding her bow of True Ice with a serious look on her face. She then nodded her head at the decent cheer she was getting.

"I shall dedicate not just my time in the arena to my homeland, Freljord, but also the Netflix show, Arcane and the upcoming fighting game, giving our game more time in the limelight." She said in a stoic yet grandiose manner. "And of course, the Green Scorpion, also known as Oscar Duarte for introducing Tinyhammer and by extension, Drake to the home of League of Legends. I do not know if I will win, but I will NOT let the people I mentioned down."

Everyone looked in awe at the over-the-top yet still dignified announcement. Ashe didn't pay it any mind (or at least notice) as she made her way down with her hands behind her back. Once in the ring, she made her way over to Simon.

"Simon Belmont, I have heard of you." Ashe greeted, getting his attention.

The vampire hunter's eyes lit up at this. "Ah! So my reputation as a vampire hunter reached your lands!"

Ashe paused. "I mean, yes… But I was also referring to your fighting style."

Simon's face fell as he slumped his shoulders. "Oh…"

"Don't misunderstand, unlike most people, I actually consider that as a compliment because I am… Well, in their words, a zoner as well." Ashe explained. "In fact, I want to see which one of our long-range fighting styles will win."

Simon immediately perked up. "Heh. In THAT case, very well. The only people of darkness in the ring are that pink-haired shadow and the woman with torn clothing. And at worst, the latter is not a good person to have a conversation with."

(Sound Booth)

"Well, this is it." Astaroth noted, reading a list. "That cryomancer was the final one before who-know-who."

Aila looked at Shadow. "Well, are you ready?"

The black-furred hedgehog let out a deep sigh. "No… But it is way too late to back out now."

Aila smirked. "Good."

(The Arena)

"PRINCESS PEACH TOADSTOOL!" (SSB)

The pink-clad blonde princess came out to a loud cheer. She smiled before looking around and blowing kisses to the crowd. She then daintily walked down the ramp. Vivian smiled and waved to her. Peach returned the wave before she continued down.

Suddenly, the entire arena went pitch-black, startling everyone.

"Ladies and gentleman! Boys and girls! And non-binaries!" Aila's voice announced. "We interrupt your tournament to bring you the singing talent of… SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG!"

Then, a spotlight shined on the Sound Booth to see Shadow wearing a red suit with a black dress shirt, a white tie and a black fedora. Most people quickly realised that he was dressed like one of Pauline's musicians from Super Mario Odyssey. Shadow took a deep breath before singing into a mic.

(Let me tell you)

(About a)

(Girl I know)

Peach's pupils shrank in realisation when she heard the lyrics.

(She's a)

(Princess)

(Anddddd a hoe)

Shadow then held up a hoe with a Peach wig on it.

(The obnoxious)

(Dream girl)

(Of Mario)

(Being around her)

(Only causes)

(Anger to grow)

Then, a spotlight shined on Peach, making her jump.

(It's Princess Peach)

(She's Mario's leech)

(That stupid bleep)

(She gives me the creeps)

(I don't know why)

(It's worth wasting lives)

(Just for some cake)

(It's a real mistake)

By this time, EVERYONE in the audience was laughing at Shadow's rendition of SlimKirby's An Ode of Hatred For a Blonde-Haired Pink-Dressed Princess. To the jazzy tune of the Five Last Turns version of Peach's Birthday Cake from Mario Party Superstars.

The Millennium Star and Tumble were on top of the Announcer's Booth laughing their non-existent butts off. So was Drake with Ashley covering his face in shame, knowing he could have prevented this. Of course, Astaroth and Aila were in hysterics.

By this time, Peach was breathing in and out heavily surrounded by a flaming aura. She was NOT happy about this.

(Back in the day, she was all right)

(She could throw bombs and had the power of flight)

(Now it seems, she's played us for fools.)

(She can't even keep that…)

BAM!

Shadow's singing was stopped abruptly when a turnip flew into his head and knocked him down, startling Astaroth and Aila. However, it was too little, too late. Everyone was still in hysterics. Even half of the fighters were laughing.

"Shadow the Hedgehog, everyone!" Drake grinned. "Wasn't he wonderful?"

The crowd cheered, causing Shadow to hold up a thumbs up after getting knocked down. The lights then went back on. Peach then stomped down the ramp with her flaming aura still around her. She then stepped in and stormed over to the nearest turnbuckle to sit down and rant.

Rouge was on her knees, fanning herself and trying to stop the tears in her eyes.

"R-Rouge, please!" Leonardo pleaded. "Your mascara is getting all over your face!"

"I know… I know… I am trying, but…" Rouge said before laughing. "I can't help it! That… Was… BRILLIANT!"

"...Wow. I knew that Shadow loves trolling people via the Sound Booth, but I didn't think he would go THAT far." Shulk said in awe.

"You would THINK." Vector asked, rolling his eyes.

"Um, was that the second ally you were talking about, Vivian?" Mignon asked, scratching her head.

"Yes…" The pink-haired pyromancer sighed. "Unfortunately, I don't think even MARIO would be able to talk to her right now."

"Ugh, these three are SO mean." Mignon said, grumpily. "NOW what?"

"NINE THE PHANTOM!" (BB)

The purple-clad, pink-clad witch and sister of Celica A. Mercury came out to a warm reception from the men. However, she paid this little mind as she walked down the ramp with a frown on her face.

"Hmm… Why am I feeling so angry right now? Is it because of I have to enter this stupid tournament? Hm. No. At worst, I feel disinterested." She mused. "Is it because of that idioitic song? Hmm, no. I must confess, it WAS kinda funny. I just KNOW that the answer is on the tip of my tongue and I just have to look in the right direction."

Unknown to her, Drake and Ashley were holding onto each other while shaking in fear. However, she is blissfully unaware of this. So far. Once she stepped into the ring., she saw Mignon staring at her.

"And what are YOU looking at?" Nine asked, narrowing her eyes.

Mignon returned the expression. "Are you… A sorceress of evil?"

"M-Mignon, don't be rude!" Vivian scolded.

Nine paused. "Well, I am certainly not a sorceress of good."

Mignon crossed her arms. "As someone who will bring world peace, Mignon will spite you with the yin-yang magic of her and Vivian!"

Vivian paused. "Yin-yang magic?"

"Of course! White magic…" Mignon said, pointing to herself before pointing at Vivian. "And black magic!"

"I… Guess that's not wrong." The Shadow Siren admitted.

"You know what… Fine. I may not know what is pissing me off or this would even help me calm down." Nine said before narrowing her eyes and summoning a flame in her hand. "But you two are my victims."

"REALA!" (ToAS)

The pink-clad brunette mage held her staff with one hand while putting her other hand on her chest before breathing in to calm herself down. Once she focused herself, she ran down the ramp without a second thought before jumping in.

Once in, she started to cast a spell, knowing what to do first. "Aqua Spiral!"

With that, a blue ring appeared in front of her before sending a spiralling water projectile to Shulk and striking him multiple times.

"Not done yet!" Reala shouted. "FREEZE LANCER!"

She then sent out three small blades of ice at Vector. The crocodile grunted in pain before being knocked down.

"Ugh… What is WITH the Freeze Lancers tonight?" Vector muttered.

"You should know by now that is one of our most common spells!" Iria smirked as Reala ran to her side. "Thanks for the help!"

"It is more than alright." Reala reassured before frowning. "Though when I said that you will go on ahead and find a fight for us, I didn't think you would start one before I entered!"

"Relax! I could outrange those two!" Iria reassured. "And as you could see, I am doing just fine by myself so far!"

Reala merely sighed. "They could potentially catch up to us if given the chance."

"Then, we WON'T give them the chance! Duh!"

(Dome; Super Smash Bros Locker Room)

Storm the Albatross let out a deep sigh before making his way to the Super Smash Bros locker room.

"I don't know what Jet and Wave are up to, but at least I hope it is something that will distract me from my poor performance." He muttered.

Suddenly, he realised that the closer that he got to the locker room, the more he heard laughing. Then, the door opened up and Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, Bowser, Bowser Jr., Rosalina, Luma and Daisy angrily stomped out.

"You are-a all disgusting!" Mario scolded.

Then, the group noticed Storm was blinking twice.

"Oh, great. It is the third half of the hyena birds." Bowser Jr. muttered.

This immediately annoyed Storm. "What was that?"

"Junior, forget about it." Rosalina said, shaking her head. "If you are looking for your friends, they are inside. …More or less bonding with our nodal companions."

"Good thing we decided to leave." Bowser nodded, sternly. "If we don't need ANOTHER member from the peanut gallery!"

"Yeah, the very nerve!" Daisy agreed, angrily.

With that, the group of Mario characters stormed off and passed the confused Storm. The latter scratched his head before walking over to the locker room and peeking in.

"Ello?" Storm asked.

"Storm, THERE you are!" Wave scolded. "Where were you?"

The Albatross winced at this. "I was so focused on trying to catch up to you that I didn't notice your text until I came to the security team room and that wolf told me that you are long gone."

Wave slapped her forehead. "Really, Storm? Get in your head in the game."

"You were laughing your tail feathers off along with mostly everyone here at Shadow's 'Ode to Peach'." Gabe muttered.

Wave winced before glaring at Gabe while blushing. "S-Shut up!"

"Wait, the security team is here too?" Storm asked in disbelief.

"Nooo… Just him. He is-a our credible witness!" Wario grinned.

"Credible witness?" Storm asked in disbelief. "Guys, what is going on?"

"It is a long story…" Jet sighed.

"Even though it should have been an open-and-shut case." Wave muttered. "Perhaps the garlic used for the attack? It was mostly, if not all, Wario's."

Storm blinked twice. "Huh… That makes sense."

"We are trying to find out if Dingodile from Crash Bandicoot was the culprit." Wave explained.

"The hybrid? In that case, any luck?" Storm asked.

"Yes and no. The good news is we know there is still a possibility that Dingodile stole the garlic." Wave frowned. She then growled before glaring at Wario. "But the bad news is that EVERYONE and their grandma could potentially be the suspect! Seriously, who leaves their locker unlocked at ALL times?"

Wario growled. "Hey, maybe for-a most people, but I didn't need to! I left-a my locker open one time by accident and nothing got stolen! So I think I-a could afford to leave the door unlocked!"

"He DOES have a point." Falco muttered.

"So wait… Are you saying… Literally more than FIFTY people could have taken the garlic?" Storm asked.

"Unfortunately, yes." Wario frowned. "The garlic wasn't in-a my locker room for that long. It shouldn't have been able to let out its stench yet."

"Great…" Wave muttered.

"Wait, even if Dingodile would be able to go into Wario's locker easily, wouldn't he still have to enter the locker room?" Storm asked.

"The locker rooms are unlocked." Gabe said, matter-of-factly.

Storm's eyes widened at this. "What!?"

"It is true. There is no reason to keep them locked. Most of us. MOST." Palutena said, putting emphasis on most and making Wario growl. "I can't say that Dingodile wasn't the one to be able to take the garlic, but I can also not say he wasn't the only person to do so."

Storm blinked twice. "Okay… But wouldn't at least one person would have seen him. Super Smash Bros IS usually the biggest node at these things?"

"Normally, yes. When everyone is in their beds. No." Jet said, shaking his head.

"Ugh, I don't believe this!" Wave groaned. "I thought coming here would give some solid evidence to put that hybrid in the slammer and face it into that defence attorney!"

With that, she kicked over a wastebasket and several things started to pour out like energy drinks cans and tissues. However, there was one thing that caught everyone's attention.

"Um, what is that?" Jet asked.

"It looks like…" Wave said before gasping. "A burned lock!"

"A burned lock?" Storm asked.

"Yes!" Wave said before running over to the lock and picking it up. "Yo, Wario, is THIS yours?"

The game company owner blinked twice before walking over and examining the lock.

"Umm, it is hard to-a say. They all look the same." Wario admitted.

"Yeah, but is your lock missing?" Wave asked.

Wario paused before his eyes bugged out. "Yes! Yes, it-a was!"

Gabe blinked twice. "You DIDN'T notice that your lock was gone when investigating a theft of YOUR property!"

"Hey, like-a I told you, I didn't NEED to lock it!" Wario scolded. "As far as I am concerned, it is nothing more than an ornament!"

"Yes, but WE didn't know that. So clearly the culprit didn't!" Wave pointed out.

"Wait, are you saying that the culprit BURNED the lock off?" Jet asked.

"Most definitely." Wave nodded.

"But… Dingodile doesn't fight with fire anymore." Jet frowned. "Trust me. I would have noticed if he did."

"Oh, right. You were unconscious at the time." Gabe piped up.

"That's right. Apparently, Dingodile had Coco adjust his vacuum back." Wave nodded. "He had it so it has a hidden flamethrower pack!"

Wario's eyes bugged before narrowing them. "Ah, now I get-a it!"

"N-Now hold on!" Isabelle frowned. "Sure, that means Dingodile is still not in the clear, but he is not the only pyromancer in the tournament!"

"Seriously…" Nana muttered. Ivysaur grumpily agreed.

"You're right, he isn't!" Wave said. "But considering he was the ONLY one that uses fire at the scene of the crime, that doesn't paint a good look for him."

"...Do you really think that Athena is going to accept that so easily?" Gabe muttered.

"Oh, don't you worry, I know fully well that. I am just warming up!" Wave spat, throwing the lock to herself.. "Next location, Cole's office!"

Jet and Gabe pumped their fist in the air. "Yeah!"

"Um, yeah?" Storm asked, weakly doing the same.

Wave nodded her head. She then glared at Gabe.

"I can't hear you!" Wave groaned.

"...What? Me too?" Gabe asked, blinking twice in disbelief.

Wave crossed her arms. "Of course!"

Gabe rolled his eyes before weakly pumping his fist in the air. "Yay…"

"...You'll learn." Wave said, narrowing her eyes. "Let's go."

With that, she, Jet, Wario, Storm and Gabe. Though the latter was slumping his arms, muttering to himself.

"...I can't believe I came all of the way here just to get bossed around by someone from a RACING SPINOFF." Gabe complained.

He then closed the door behind him, leaving just the Smashers.

"It is going to be a complete disaster, isn't it?" Chrom groaned.

"What do YOU think?" Cloud muttered.

(Hotel; Arcade)

Mickey McFist has faced a lot of trials in his sole game of Black & Bruised, but this was one of his toughest. He shrank down with sweat running down his face at the mercy of his opponent.

Genjuro Kibagami gave a dark grin, having Mickey right where he wanted him.

"N-No, please…" Mickey pleaded. "Have mercy…"

"Mercy?" Genjuro asked before letting out a mirthless laugh. "I do not know the meaning of the word."

With that, he gave the final blow.

"Five Hikari!"

Mickey groaned as he collapsed his head on the table they were playing on, making a few Hanafuda cards fly up.

"That would be… Twenty points." Genjuro smirked.

Tiny (Also from Black & Bruised) gave a descending whistle. "No matter you guys were being so extra about it, eh?"

"Indeed. Especially since we are betting based on how many points we could get on each other… Hmm, that is a LOT of money to fork over." Genjuro mused, loving every second of it.

"Nooo…" Mickey groaned with tears in his eyes.

"Oh, don't worry. The game is still young. We are still playing and MAYBE you would minimise the damage." Genjuro chuckled.

"Wow, you suck at this game, Mickey." Tiny noted.

Mickey growled. "Shut up, laddie!"

Genjuro laughed as he crossed his arms. He did get some weird looks from the other patrons, but otherwise, they tried to ignore him. However, a dark-haired middle-aged dark-clad man and an adolescent blond boy continued to stare at him.

"...Hey, Vic?" The boy asked.

"Yeah, Jan the Man?" The man replied.

"Is gambling allowed around here?" Jan (King's little brother) asked.

"Nnnnnope." Vic Vector said without missing a beat.

"Then, why are you allowing this?" Jan questioned.

"Because I am too afraid to say no to Genjuro, duh." Vic said, matter-of-factly.

Jan let out a deep sigh. "Okay, you made your point."

"Real talk though, the only things Genjuro likes almost as much as killing is gambling and drinking." Vic added. "It isn't THAT much of a stretch that playing Koi-Koi would make him civil."

"I guess…" Jan said before letting out a deep sigh. "Thanks for letting me stay here, man."

"Hey, no probs, your sister, King is really cool! So when one of the female faces of SNK asked me to look after you, I wouldn't hesitate!" Vic grinned. His grin then vanished.

Jan chuckled. "Yeah, true.

Needless to say, when King was forced to serve Bison, Vega and F.A.N.G., the bartender made sure that Jan didn't go anywhere near the bar because of what happened to him at the first Megamix Tournament and asked Vic Vector to look after him.

Even with the presence of a social darwinist assassin in the arcade, things were going pretty smoothly. Everyone was having a great time. Vic smiled at this.

Then, a young woman entered the arcade. She looked around for a moment before making her way over to the table that Genjuro and Mickey were playing on.

"Um, excuse me?" The woman asked, getting their attention.

Mickey immediately grinned. "Oh, hey, lass! What can I do for you?"

"For you? Nothing." The woman said without missing a beat.

Mickey's grin vanished before collapsing his head on the table. Genjuro and Tiny chuckled at this.

"Normally, I would ask you to buzz off, but I am actually in a good mood right now so I will humour you." Genjuro nodded.

The woman nodded her head before taking a deep breath.

"I have come to challenge you."

Mickey and Tiny jumped at this and even Genjuro blinked twice.

"...What?" Genjuro asked.

"Indeed. I have been observing your rivalry with Haohmaru. I do not like it. It is supposed to be based only on your mutual lust for bloodlust, but while you two DO have similarities, you couldn't be more different as night and day." The woman said in a quick manner. "Haohmaru fights for the thrill of it, but he respects people and acknowledges their strength. YOU on the other hand have no respect for ANYONE and when you are not killing people, you are either gambling or drinking. In most other worlds, that would give you the mark of a loser."

By this time, everyone in the arcade watched the whole scene with wide eyes and slack jaws at what had happened. All of their faces paled. Genjuro blinked twice.

Genjuro then narrowed his eyes. "You wish to die, don't you?"

"No, I do not. However, I AM willing to enter a battle to the death where I could potentially die in hopes of killing and that Haohmaru will go back to having that nice boy, Ukyo as a rival just like the first game." The woman explained. "I worry not about him. I do with you."

Genjuro growled before he was about to speak up. Suddenly, his eyes widened in realisation.

"Wait… Are you… Shizu?" He asked.

"That is correct. I am Shizu, also known as Oshizu by my beloved, your nodal companion, even though this is clearly the first time we met." The young woman said, narrowing her eyes. "I will slay you in the name of Haohmaru."

Genjuro blinked twice. He then let out a mirthless laugh.

"First off, are you having some kind of 'I am not good enough for him' crisis right now?" Genjuro asked. "Seriously, you are trying WAY too hard to copy his coffee-induced mannerisms."

Tiny blinked twice. "But didn't YOU used to talk like that at the Ultimate Video Rumble?"

"SHH!" Mickey scolded, putting his gloved finger to his mouth. Thankfully, Genjuro ignored the Canadian.

"Secondly, how are you going to fight?" Genjuro asked. "A watered-down version of your boy…"

"CYCLONE SLASH!"

Suddenly, Genjuro was sent flying into the air by a tornado before crashing onto the table. (With Mickey diving out of the way in time) Everyone looked in awe as Shizu stood in her place with a katana in her hands. In the same stance as Haohmaru.

"A watered-down version of my love? I must confess that it is not inaccurate. However, my love for Haohmaru will make up for the lack of experience he will have!" Shizu said, narrowing her eyes. "Now rise on your feet! Unlike you, I am willing to let my opponents fight to the best of their ability."

Genjuro just blinked twice as he laid on his back. "Okay, there is DEFINITELY something going on behind the scenes."

He then growled before getting up and getting out his own blade.

"But my urge to kill has risen too much for me to care."

(The Arena)

"AREA!" (FEXL)

(Five… Five…) (Five)

(Four… Four…) (Four)

(Three… Three..) (Three)

(Two… Two…) (Two)

(One)

The blonde purple-clad young girl eagerly held the hand of her giant mechanical fist, Cancer, as a visor as Colress' theme from Pokemon Black & White 2 played through the speakers.

"Oh, wow! There are even MORE impressive test subjects than the last two Battle of the Luminaries and the Okron Tournament!" Area smiled. "Ooh, where to start? Where to start?"

With that, she skated down the ramp on her rollerblades before leaping in without a second. She then made her way over to Rashid and Korra.

Rashid saw her skating over and frowned. "Oh boy…"

"Um, hey." Korra greeted.

"Hey, I was watching your aeromancy fight earlier and I am intrigued by it! While I don't dabble in meteorology that much, I am interested in how you use your wind to your advantage!" Area grinned. "As such, I will now enter your fight so I could study your aeromancy more thoroughly."

Korra's eyes bugged before narrowing them. "Do you honestly think that you will just…"

Then, Rashid rushed over to Korra's side and whispered in her ear.

"Um, I may not have met Area, but the other Street Fighters from the EX games told me that once she got her mind set, there is no changing it. Let me handle it." Rashid offered. "Um, yeah, sure, we could fight. But there is one issue, though."

"Oh, and what is that?" Area asked.

"We want to use the jungle gym after the final fighter comes out." Rashid smiled.

"H-Huh? Oh yeah!" Korra nodded before noticing Area's skates.. "After all, what is the point of being an airbender if you are landlocked."

Area frowned. "Oh dear… It is not that I don't disagree with that logic. In fact, I implore it, but this actually changes up my battle plan drastically."

Rashid and Korra looked at each other with smirks on their faces before bumping fists together. Suddenly, they heard a loud noise. Turning their heads, their eyes bugged out when they saw Area separating her giant arm from her body and leaving it floating in place through its thruster. Area then got up on the mechanical arm and struggled to balance on it.

"This definitely would take some time to get used to, but it is still doable." Area mused. She then grinned and gave a thumbs-up. "Alright, I am ready for the aeromancer battle!"

Rashid and Korra continued to look in disbelief. Korra then glared at Rashid.

"Let YOU handle it, huh?" Korra asked..

Rashid chuckled nervously before shrugging. "How was I supposed to do that animations in win poses were viable?"

"DUDLEY!" (SFAS)

The crowd cheered for the dark-skinned, British boxer as he stood outside of the Ready Room with his hands behind his back as his theme played. Putting one hand out, he got a rose out of nowhere, gave a smell and threw it into the audience. Several people started to fight over it.

He then put his hand behind his back before walking down the ramp. Once he stepped in, he made his way over to Peach, much to a few people's horror (Because yes, she STILL had a flaming aura around her.)

Peach saw him coming over and growled. "Beat it. I am in a bad mood!"

"I could see that and you have every right to feel that way." Dudley frowned before looking stern. "However, you are still a princess and you mustn't conduct yourself in an unseemingly manner."

"Oh yeah? Then, what are YOU going to do about it?" Peach challenged.

Dudley narrowed his eyes. "This."

With that, he finally brought both hands from behind his back to reveal that he had a secret weapon. Peach's eyes widened in realisation as her flaming aura vanished.

"English Milk Tea!" Peach gasped before taking a cup of tea and saucer. "I haven't had a cup of these in ages!"

Dudley chuckled. "Perhaps it IS too lack of a better word 'normal' for the palette of the Mushroom Kingdom."

"Perhaps, but you can't go wrong with the classics." Peach smiled. "Thank you! I SO needed this after what happened earlier!"

"It is quite alright." Dudley frowned. "I do not support what they did to you just now. This went way beyond childish yet inoffensive to downright disrespectful. And no offence to that SlimKirby fellow, but is he even relevant anymore?"

"That is one of the many questions that was running through my mind." Peach said, rolling her eyes before taking a sip of her tea.

As they talked, Ness looked in awe. "Wow, talk about role reversal."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Saizo asked, confused.

"It is usually PEACH who offers tea to stop someone from going violent." Ness added. "Good thing that boxer showed up in the same section as her, right?"

Saizo blinked twice. "I am just confused why he had that tea prepared. He clearly didn't know what was going to happen with Peach just now."

"KOMODO JOE!" (CB)

The slimmer Komodo Dragon ran his finger against his Scimitar with a serious look on his face, eyeing the crowd.

"That broad better do what I asssssked her to do." He hissed. "The only reasssson I made it on time wasssss becaussssse I had a late entry in thisssss sssssection."

With that, he made his way down the ramp before stepping in. He looked around for a potential opponent. He then saw Gabumon and walked over.

The Digimon saw him coming and narrowed his eyes. "Yes, what is it?"

"Oh, I never got the chance to tell you, but I consssssider you a fake lizard." Joe spat.

Gabumon's eyes widened at this. "A fake lizard?"

"Yesssss, not only do you hide behind wolf fur, but you Digivolve into wolves!" Joe added. "What's the point of ssssstarting out as a lizard if you are not going to commit to it?"

Gabumon narrowed his eyes again before crossing his arms. "Welcome to Digivolution, buster. Seriously, look at Patamon and Gatomon and tell me they could become attractive angels."

"NO EXCUSESSSSS!" Joe roared before pouncing forward.

"IROHA!" (SS)

The dark-haired scantily-clad maid came out to another loud cheer from the men. However, all she did was politely bow at the loud reception. She then made her way down the ramp while holding her butterfly swords.

However, when she walked near a Lakitu cameraman, she smiled before waving to the camera.

"Master, please vote for me!" She said, cheerfully. "I promise that I will try to make things interesting to watch in the ring!"

With that, she continued to walk down the ramp, leaving several people confused by this. Once in, Velvet raised an eyebrow before walking over.

"Um, is THAT what you wear why you work?" Velvet asked in disbelief. "Seriously?"

Iroha narrowed her eyes. "Well, THAT'S not a hypocritical thing to say."

"Hey, at least I am the Lord of Calamity. In other words, the opposite of a demure maid." Velvet pointed out.

A glint appeared in Iroha's eye. "Oh? So what is YOUR excuse for YOUR maid outfit?"

Velvet winced at this before glaring at Iroha with a deep blush. "That is literally an extra outfit! Half of the Tales games have a maid outfit!"

"Mm-hmm…" The maid said, not impressed.

"WOLF HAWKFIELD!" (VF)

Wolf O'Donnell's good eye bugged out before looking up at the Entrance Ramp. "What Hawkfield!?"

The red-haired Canadian wrestler cupped his hands to his mouth before giving a loud howl. After playing to the crowd a bit, he made his way down the ramp.

"Hmm, the King of Dinosaurs is fighting that actual dinosaur and the Russian seems to be in a match with that baseball player for better or for worse." He mused. "Looks like I have to fight non-wrestlers for the moment."

With that, he stepped in. However, Wolf O'Donnell immediately walked over to him.

"WOLF Hawkfield, huh?" Wolf O'Donnell asked, crossing his arms. "You have a lot of nerve calling yourself a wolf when there are several actual wolves in the tournament."

Wolf Hawkfield raised an eyebrow. "Terry has a wolf motif and you don't see people complaining about HIM."

"Um, yes, about Terry. He is actually a world-wide legend." Wolf O'Donnell pointed out before smirking. "You, on the other hand. It is already quite rare for Virtua Fighter to get cameos outside of their game. But at least I heard the likes of Akira, Pai and Jacky. You? The only thing you got going for you is your name. Which you stole from cooler animals!"

Wolf growled before running forward. "I'll make you eat your words!"

"And now, the final fighter of this section…"

"YURI LOWELL!" (ToAS)

The dark-clad long-haired swordsman came out to a loud cheer. He smirked before looking around while carrying his sword over his shoulder before waving at the crowd a bit. He then looked down at the ring.

"Hmm… Iria and Reala are double-teaming against the seer and crocodile." He mused. "They seemed to be doing well at the moment and even though I am worried about Reala being alone with Iria, they should be fine. And Velvet is being Velvet. I think I could afford to go solo for a while."

He then entered the ring before walking over to the one person that wasn't preoccupied.

Baiken raised an eyebrow. "What a casual way to wield a sword."

"Yeah, my friend, Flynn, always gets on my case about it." Yuri admitted before shrugging. "But hey, it worked out for me so far."

"I could guess how loud your cheer was." Baiken mused. "Wanna show me your swordplay in action?"

"Gladly." Yuri smirked.

"Alright! That was the final fighter!" Area announced, cheerfully. "Let's take this to the air!"

With that, she rode her fist upwards. Rashid and Korra looked at each other with frowns.

"If you got a Plan B, I would love to hear it." Korra muttered.

"I am thinking, I am thinking!" Rashid insisted.

Regardless, they, along with several other fighters, climbed up the jungle gym. It looks like we may be having more aerial fights than usual, thanks to it.