Las Vegas Strip. 1 minute before teams are transported into the city…
"When are you idiots gonna learn? The Strip's no place for a bunch of glorified witch hunters." a man smoking a cigar with his left hand, his right holding a futuristic tommy gun, said. At his sides, multiple men dressed in black-and-neon colored suits holding futuristic weapons stared down their opposition. "Now, why don't you run back to your world before we have to escort you back?"
"Your threats will not sway us, Crypto Company." replied a person in religious-looking robes, with their face hidden behind an iron mask, with others dressed like them standing alongside them. "Though our leader may be defeated, Humarise endures. From this city, we will rebuild ourselves, then return home to cleanse it of the infected."
"Is that what they're calling Quirk users now? 'Infected'? Ha, I'd laugh if I didn't want to throw up." the smoking man claimed. "The only infection I'm seeing is the one that's dressed for the Crusades and trying to come onto my turf. Still, I'm a reasonable man; you all start working for me, and I'll consider not selling your corpses on the Dark Web."
"Stand aside, Banker." the leader of the Humarise faction said. "Though you may be pure, we will eliminate you if we must."
"Oh, don't worry. You won't get a chance." The Banker smirked as he and his men took aim at the cult members. "Get ready to cash them out, boys."
The two groups stood ready, each one silently daring the other to make the first move…
…Before a burst of light occurred between them, depositing Team Pisces in the middle of the Strip.
"What in the-?!" The Banker gawked, before he looked at a golden watch on his wrist. "Wait, shoot…the Warzone's started!"
"Whoo! We're here to swim and make friends!" Luffy called out with a laugh.
"Ugh, again, we're just named after fish, we're not actual fish." Kendo said.
"Hm? Oh, sorry. It looks like we're in the middle of a dispute. Listen, this place is about to become a disaster area. You should step aside when you can." David said.
"Wait a minute…Hey!" One of the Humarise members shouted, pointing an accusing finger at Bakugo. "That's one of those UA students from our New York!"
"Huh? Are we supposed to know you side characters?" Bakugo asked.
"Kill him! For the salvation of humanity!" The Humarise leader declared as they charged at Team Pisces.
"Hang on. I got this." David said as he dealt a few swift kicks at them. "I get it now… Those guys are just a bunch of normies that hate Superpeople. Gah… I feel like we see these all the damn time now…"
"Outta my way, spotlight hog!" Bakugo said, pushing David aside. "They were picking a fight with me!" Bakugo said, aiming right at them. "AP Shot!" he said, blasting them high into the air.
"Huh…I think I remember these people. Humarise. They were a cult from our world who believed in the Quirk Doomsday Theory." Kendo said. "I heard you, Shoto, and Deku stopped them from causing a terrorist attack in New York."
"Oh yeah. I remember now. Guess they survived." Bakugo said.
"Uh…boss?" one of the Crypto Company mooks spoke up. "Should we…?"
"Boys, sometimes you gotta know when to quit while you're ahead." Banker stated. "Back to the cars! Let's book it!"
The C.C. then ran off, getting into two sleek black cars and driving off as if the Devil himself were on their heels.
"Well, that just happened." David said. "But still… If these guys were here. Does that mean that there are others too?"
"Most likely, and some might've been a bit too salty about being rejected and taking matters into their own hands." Kendo said.
"Well, they call this place Sin City for a reason." David said.
"You know, now that I think about it, it's a large city. Meaning…lots of places for anyone who hates us to hide." Kendo said.
"Yeah… That's the scary part." David said.
"Please. These guys were wimps. We can take these enemy spawns easy." Bakugo said.
"Do not misunderstand the weight of this. If people like them were able to slip through the cracks, who knows who else might've, you guys know what I'm saying?" David asked.
"All the rejected fighters who were leaving the arena…" Gunvolt said.
"Yeah. Just as Kendo said, they might take matters into their own hands." David said.
"I get it now. That bastard running all this set it up so that anyone can join the fun." Bakugo said.
"Johan Petrovic… He really is even craftier than I have heard." David said as more Humarise soldiers were coming at them.
"Of course…the rule has a loophole." Kendo said. "And I'm sure some of the others figured it out too." she said as a few figures joined the fray. These being Eijiro, Tetsutetsu and Robin.
"If criminals and rejected fighters can join in the fights, why can't we?" Eijiro said.
"And since these guys don't count as fighters, that means we can rough them up as much as we want." Tetsutetsu said.
"So don't worry about us. We'll be sure to keep these men off your backs." Robin said.
"I'm glad to see we won't be the only ones having a blast out here… Some of them, quite literally." David said.
"At least we won't have to worry about being distracted by the ones not joining the teams." Gunvolt said. "Though the hostile ones can get really annoying. I wonder if Major Himeko took notice of this problem?"
"Someone mentioned my name?"
Gunvolt blinked and turned around, noticing the blood-red haired woman with amber eyes, wearing a brown and white uniform with a red jacket on top, short black pants with a brown and gold belt around it, black gloves, long grey socks and brown combat boots. She's also resting her claymore, Prototype Archaic, over her shoulder. "Don't worry, GV. Me and the other valkyries got this one covered." Himeko assured. "You guys have fun with the other teams."
"Thanks, Himeko." Gunvolt replied.
"Would be nice if you could give us any hints of their whereabouts." Joule said.
"Oh no. That's for you to figure out." Himeko winked. "Besides, you've fought alongside them before so you should know their strengths and weaknesses by now."
"Speaking of the other teams, I wonder who we'll be going up against first…" David said.
"Who knows. Anything can happen in this tournament." Himeko replied and turned around. "Well, I gotta continue my work. Best of luck out there." She added before walking away.
"We'll be pretty safe knowing the others will have our backs when they discover the loophole in the rules." Kendo nodded.
"That, and they could use the exercise if they get bored of watching." Gunvolt added.
"I think I know a good place to start." David said as he headed towards the Motor Speedway.
Inside the Las Vegas Motor Speedway….
"The Motor Speedway?" Kendo asked as they made their way inside.
"Well, if we're gonna duke it out, it may as well be somewhere expansive, right?" David asked.
"Oh, I get it. This place might be indoors, but there's plenty of space for us to fight without holding anything back." Kendo said. "It's too bad we'll be messing up the racetrack if a fight breaks out."
The group's musings were cut short by the sound of roaring engines as they looked to the racetrack, where several cars were speeding around the track, several people hanging on the sides of the cars, whooping and hollering.
"Woo hoo! Ain't this the best?!" one of them laughed. "With all the cops and heroes gone, Las Vegas is our personal playground now!"
"Oh, oh, lookie!" one of the people inside of the car pointed ahead of them, where Esmerelda stood. "Alright, looks like we got our next contestant!"
"Aw yeah, we're getting ourselves a snow leopard rug!" the driver cackled as he stepped on the gas. "Here we go!"
The crazed roadhogs howled with laughter as they sped towards the snow leopard Beastman, who merely looked annoyed.
Esmeralda scoffed. "Oh, please." she said before swifty dashing at the lead car, before giving the driver a kick to his head so hard, he was forced into a spinout. He and his cohorts shortly screamed (some of them still laughing despite the danger) as they crashed right into the rail and landed on the other side.
"Holy mother-!" one of the racers reacted in shock once they saw the lead car crash as everyone hit the brakes, stopping inches before Esmeraelda. "She's so strong… I-I am at a loss for words."
"H-Hold on a minute… that's Esmeralda! From Reformed Society!" one of the mooks recognized her.
"Seriously? Oh, we're totally screwed, are we?" one of the other racers asked.
"And for the record… I'm a White Tigress, Glacius is the Snow Leopard. Honestly… How can you get us mixed up?" Esmeralda asked with a sigh.
"Hey, look! Five more guys!" another mook said, seeing Team Pisces at the entrance way.. "Aren't they… oh crap!"
"Clear the track, clear the track, run! Let's get outta here!" one of them cried as they reversed full throttle, crashing through walls to get away from the track. Even the criminals on the sidelines bailed.
"Ice head, I think we can leave that walking rug to you. So don't screw it up." Bakugo said.
"She has a name, you know." David muttered. "I see you scared those guys off before we even got here."
"Well, what did you expect? The White Tigress is a very fearsome animal." Esmeralda said. "All the same though… I can't help but feel at peace in this city."
"Yeah, I mean… Aren't White Tigers considered an exotic species? They are a part of a few shows in the big name casinos." Kendo said.
"While I do not appreciate that… It feels nice to walk among my kind without being seen as some kind of monster." Esmeralda said. "All the same, though… I'm glad you are the one to fight me first, David. Do you remember back in Tokyo, when I tried to assassinate you?"
"Vaguely, yes. But you were hesitant to do that and held back at the last minute, right?" David asked.
"Back then, I was trying to avenge a master who wasn't even dead and wasn't even the real master." Esmeralda said.
"You already knew from the beginning, did you?" David asked.
"Not at first, but… Once the pieces started coming together, I couldn't help but feel like such a fool." Esmeralda said.
"By the way… I noticed you eyeing that Marek guy before. Did you…know him, or something?" David asked.
"A little bit. This combined with how chummy you saw me with Aslana, and… I think you can put the pieces together." Esmeralda said.
"Yeah… I think I can. For a time… You were a member of Dark Forest, were you?" David asked.
"Not just any member. I was one of the sub-leaders until a few years ago when I took up the offer to be a contract assassin. And well… You and everyone else who knew the story knows how that turned out." Esmeralda said.
"Yeah… Not exactly the best career change, a lot of people would say." David said. "But you have left that life behind now, right? Or…do the memories still plague you?"
"Sometimes they do. But I don't dwell on them as much as I do anymore. The past is in the past. What matters now is the present. And right here and now…" Esmeralda said as the rest of Team Gemini appeared. "We must fight here in the now."
"Couldn't have said it better myself." David said. "Bakugo made the call. I'll take Esmeralda. You guys deal with the others as you see fit."
"Dang, why does he always drag us into personal drama?" Kendo said as the rest of the teams dispersed across the raceway.
"Hey, can't blame him for having a sort of savior streak. But…won't matter when we beat ya." Theo said as he and Ethox stood together.
"That won't be happening." Kendo said standing with Luffy.
"Well…guess that means…" Bakugo said, looking to Glacius. "You're about to go hairless, drain clog."
"As always, your creative nicknames are quite humorous." Glacius said sarcastically.
With four matchups set, that only left Gunvolt and Aether to face each other in the first XDR member showdown.
"Well, here we are, our first fight together that's not a sparring session." Gunvolt said to Aether.
"You better not let Joule use her Septima to cheat." Aether smirked.
"Don't worry, I'm not doing it here. Gotta be fair to everyone, after all." Joule assured. "You may have multiple elements on your side, but fighting GV is not gonna be easy."
"I'll be the judge of that!" Aether replied, rushing towards Gunvolt as he glowed in Geo. He was about to deliver the first punch, but instead, it was phased through. "Huh?!"
Gunvolt smirked and countered with an electro punch that sent the Traveler crashing to a wall. "Looks like you forgot about my Prevasion skill, Traveler."
"Ugh…" Aether shook his head. "Forgot about that. Okay, let's try this!" He punched the ground, summoning rock spikes from below as they approached Gunvolt.
Gunvolt then rushed ahead and leaped onto one of the spikes without a second thought then unleashed a storm of Crashbolts, causing Aether to dodge using his Anemo element to boost his speed. "Oh, so we're playing tag now, huh?" He smirked before going after Aether with a lightning dash.
"Wow, Aether's pretty tough." Kaibara said.
"First time we've seen him fight, if I can be honest. He looks like some sort of Elementalist." Kokonoe said.
"My brother and I are on a journey to travel to the seven nations of Teyvat and gather the elements by praying at the Statue of the Seven." Lumine explained. "It might be our only clue to get our original powers back after that Unknown God took them away from us."
"So… Aether and Lumine are basically the Avatars of Teyvat." Paimon added. "Unfortunately, the Cryo element is the last one they'll obtain because well… enemy territory. The Fatui."
"Well that sounds familiar…" Gemini reminisced about Aang's journey.
Gunvolt and Aether continued to clash as they dashed across the speedway without slowing down until one collided blow pushed both of them at opposite sides. Aether then generated a vortex sphere from his hand while Gunvolt generated an electro sphere. They both roared as the two attacks clashed with each other, causing electrical and windy shockwaves to occur around them.
"Whoa! Those two are really going all out!" Paimon remarked. "But Paimon thinks Aether's gonna win!"
"I wouldn't be so sure about that."
Lumine and Paimon turned around and saw Copen approaching.
"Oh, hey Ix." Lumine greeted. "You're here to see the tournament?"
"Shouldn't you be busy with your sciency stuff?" Paimon asked.
"Sucrose and Einstein can take care of that in my absence." Copen replied.
"That, and he could really use some fresh air after working." Lola spoke from Copen's relic necklace.
"So you're rooting for GV?" Lumine asked.
"He did beat me a few times before back in my world." Copen replied. "He's not an easy adept to beat."
"Plus, he's learned some pretty nifty tricks from watching anime and playing video games." Lola added.
"Isn't he also an alternate version of Megaman? His style of fighting is way different from Rock and X." Bow said.
"Hmm… I wonder about that." Copen mused. "He's basically a bit of X and Zero. For me though, it's mostly X's style because I copy the abilities of defeated Adepts. I even have some of Gunvolt's Septima."
"So Aether and GV are totally different, but both are really strong. A battle between them could go either way." Krillin said.
"According to the rules, members of a team are eliminated if they are knocked out or captured. It'll be interesting to see how they work to do that to each other." Sonia said.
"I agree." Copen nodded as he continued to watch the battle between Aether and Gunvolt. "However, there's one difference between these two. Gunvolt defeated the original Azure Striker, Asimov. Aether is strong, don't get me wrong, but with only a few elements, he's not at his full strength."
"I hate to say it, but you're right." Lumine agreed. "Same for me too."
"Don't worry, you and Aether will get your powers back eventually. Just take it one step at a time." Lola said.
"Thanks, Lola." Lumine smiled.
Back to the clash, Gunvolt and Aether are still even with neither of them slowing down. Aether then decided to summon another vortex sphere from his hand and plunged it with his current one. Gunvolt quickly noticed his actions and did the same thing using another electro sphere and plunged it with the current one. The two attacks caused even stronger shockwaves in the area that somehow affected the other fighters.
"Those two are really going at it…" Kendo said.
"Their strength is incredible. The Rebellion has been no doubt holding out on us." Glacius said, fighting Bakugo hand to hand and avoiding his explosions.
"Wow! So cool!" Luffy said as he was dodging Theo and Ethox's attacks while watching.
"Sorry about this, Aether. But you gotta go!" Gunvolt said as his Septima aura surged. "Oversurge, Azure Striker! Astrasphere Mandala!" He then unleashed a large electro sphere on himself with small spheres circling around him, causing Aether to lose ground. Then Gunvolt launched the large sphere, breaking the power struggle as Aether was sent flying to a wall in a massive impact with electricity crackling the area. With no strength left, Aether fell to the ground unconscious. "You put up a good fight, Traveler. But unfortunately, it's not enough." Gunvolt said, panting a bit.
"Aether of Team Gemini has been knocked out! It's 4-5 in favor of Team Pisces!" Magenta said.
"You okay, Gunvolt?" Kendo asked.
"Gimme a moment… to breathe first." Gunvolt replied.
"That last attack must've left you drained. Need me to watch your back so you don't get caught?" Kendo asked.
"That'd be great, thanks." Gunvolt smiled. "I'll take cover and heal for a bit. I'm leaving the rest to you guys."
"Alright, we'll take it from here." Kendo replied as Gunvolt retreated to a hiding spot to heal.
"Well that's too bad. Aether lost." Paimon remarked.
"At least my brother put up a good fight." Lumine added.
"There's still room for improvement though." Copen remarked. "You and Aether have much to learn."
"Yeah. I'm gonna go bring Aether back here to rest since he's out." Lumine replied, using her Zikan Phone Blaster to summon a wormhole which led to Aether's location, plunged her hands in and pulled out the Traveler before the wormhole vanished. "You did great out there, brother. Get some rest." She smiled, patting her brother's head.
Lola then appeared beside Aether and used her Septima to heal the Traveler. "This will speed things up."
"Thanks for the help, Lola." Paimon said. "Now Paimon wonders where GV is?"
"Probably looking for a place to heal without any distractions before he can rejoin the fight." Copen replied. "It's better to take a short break instead of going for a marathon of fights. But knowing the Azure Striker, it won't take long."
(Cue- SUSANOOH- Blazblue: Calamity Trigger)
"Alright. I think we've beat around the bush long enough. It's time to get serious, don't you think?" David asked.
"I agree." Esmeralda said as she drew her claws as they became coated in ice.
David drew Soul Calibur Replica as it coated in ice as well as the two started clashing. "Guardian Liondog!" he said as he started swinging a flurry of slashes.
"Ice Slashes!" Esmeralda said as she cleaved right through them.
"Let's try this, then. Yatagarasu!" David said as he switched to a dagger and started attacking.'
Esmeralda evaded each slash of David's dagger as she observed. "Those new Warmaster skills of yours are very impressive. I'd say you've become quite the weapon master."
"Well, I can't just stick to swords all the time. That would make things a little too predictable." David said. "Our adventures in Solistia taught me that, along with the Emblem House Leaders. I may have been playing a little too safe with the abilities I have grown attached to. If I don't expand my horizons, I won't grow as a fighter, and as a wandering adventurer."
"Well, it's obvious I will be losing this battle." Esmerelda said. "But if I'm going down, let me see more of your new powers' extent." she said, releasing more icy claw slashes.
"Very well. I shall grant your request. Phoenix Storm!" David said as he switched to a bow, releasing several arrows into the air as they flew down at Esmeralda.
Esmeralda was clawing at the arrows although three of them pinned down her feet and tail.
"Now for the finishing touch! Qilin's Horn!" David said as he switches to a lance and charged at Esmeralda.
"Careful now, David! In this tournament, I'm very sure there's no killing." Esmerelda quipped.
David swung his lance, the force of which caused the arrows to fly off the ground as Esmeralda was sent flying towards a fence, barely a scratch but clearly worn out of energy.
(Song End)
"Ah…but I suppose there was no need to tell you that. Since you don't kill without having a reason to." Esmerelda said.
"Heh. I wouldn't have done that if I didn't think you'd take it." David said.
"You win again, David… not that I'd be a match for you now anyway." Esmerelda said.
"Ah, don't be so glum about it. You're still plenty strong in your own way. No one is going to take that away from you." David said. "Besides, I had to rely on my weapons to win. When it comes to ice, I think you still got me beat there. It's just as Connor said, everyone is strong in their own way."
"Hmm…" Esmeralda said. "I think…I should go to safety to recover until the match is over." she said, walking away.
"Yeah… Considering who else is still up, that's probably a good idea." David said as he looked around the track. "Still, this is a very sturdy track. Not a single blemish from the fighting or anything."
An explosion was soon heard as both looked up to see Glacius being sent flying as Bakugo was continuing after her.
"He's…really in top form today…" Esmeralda said.
"Well, it's Bakugo. What did you expect?" David asked. "At this point, I stopped questioning it a long time ago."
"No doubt from the start he was aiming for a perfect victory. I suspect Glacius won't last long." Esmerelda said.
"Perhaps not. But she looks like she's pushing it regardless. It doesn't look like she plans on just handing it to him." David said.
Esmeralda chuckled. "How do you and the others put up with his explosive personality all the time?"
"Lots of patience…and restraint." David said.
With Glacius and Bakugo, the two of them were matching each other…well…almost.
"Haaa….haaa…" Glacius panted.
"Okay…let's end it." Bakugo said. "This isn't as fun as I thought."
"Well, you please some people, and you don't others. That's how it works." Glacius said as she went for a strike only for Bakugo to grab her arm.
"I'm not the same…as I was awhile back." Bakugo said, pointing his arm out. "Explode-a-pult!" he said using his explosion to propel himself as they were sent spinning in the air before he went and slammed Glacius into the wall, taking her down with a clean hit.
"And with that, both cats have been downed for the count. Looks like it's all on the Keyblade adventurers now." Magenta said.
"We're the only ones left? Well that sucks." Theo said. "Be honest bro, not liking our odds right now."
"That doesn't mean we can't try!" Ethox said, holding firm. "We're gonna do our best with what we've got, right?!"
"Yeah." Theo said.
"Well…we don't have to beat you so…" Kendo said, enlarging her fists as she grabbed onto both of them.
"You really think grabbing us both in your giant hands is enough to take us down?" Ethox siad.
"Yeah…wait…where did…" Theo said as two hands grabbed both of their heads.
"Gum Gum…" Luffy said before bashing them together. "Double Bell!" he said, bashing them together, knocking them both out.
"Nice one, Luffy." Kendo smiled.
"And Team Pisces knocks out Team Gemini with a Perfect no loss victory!" Magenta said.
"Gah… We got crushed out there. But… It was still fun, not gonna lie." Glacius said.
"Don't worry, Glacius. It was fun, and you guys put up a great fight." Kendo said.
"Yeah…same." Theo said, rubbing his head. "Really didn't see that last move coming."
"Now…could the defeated Team Gemini please proceed to the following tunnel for a thorough medical examination!" the intercom called out as a tunnel arose from the ground.
"Well, see you guys." Glacius said. "And don't stop until you reach the end."
The five of them departed down the tunnel as Team Pisces left the raceway.
Down below, as Aether, Theo and Ethox continued ahead, Esmeralda kept herself and Glacius in the rear to not be seen.
"Es…what are…" Glacius asked.
"So…how long are you all going to continue to stalk us?" Esmeralda asked as Glacius turned around in shock to see numerous men in black behind them.
"Apologies, ladies. But you have to come with us now." said their leader.
"And what exactly do you want from us?" Esmeralda asked. "You were spying on me and Glacius throughout the match and you even had trained snipers."
"Only if you decided to act out. You did well. I think we owe you an explanation." the leader said as a few grunts presented a phone as they handed it to them.
"Uh…hello?" both of them said.
"One decaf with a squeeze of lemon. A mocha latte with cream." said a distorted voice.
"Huh? What are…." Glacius said as Esmeralda was stunned.
"Those are…our drink orders from when we first met….so that would make you…" Esmeralda said.
"I…am Thomas Flux." they said. "If you could remember that, I'm surprised trained professionals like you would deviate from your job because someone supposedly died."
"We had good reason. And we're not assassins anymore." Esmerelda said.
"That does not concern me." Thomas said. "The fact is, you two were mercenaries in my employ. And you left and ignored any chances to contact you. I'm not sure what you call that…but I call it bad workmanship from bad employees."
"Are you here to kill us?" Glacius asked.
"I'm not like Theodore. I don't dispose of things. That would be a waste since it could have been done so easily during your little game." Thomas said.
"Then what do you want?" Esmerelda asked.
"Must I really spell it out? You abandoned your jobs. We need to handle proper dismissal from your posts." Thomas said.
"I suppose we did leave without giving you our resignation." Glacius said. "Fine then. We'll comply."
"Good. I'm glad you decided not to fight." Thomas said as the men took hold of the beastwomen before knocking them out. "Get them in the car and bring them to the desert lab at once."
"Of course, sir." the leader said.
"Sorry about this, ladies. This hurts me more than it would hurt you. Well, not really. But I promise, you will be returned before you are missed. But…I must continue…to keep my existence secret to the world. And you two…cannot continue to carry that classified info." Thomas said.
