Before any announced competition came to pass, it was quite common for the gym in Smash Mansion to have a good number of occupants. If they were to do their best when placed against other fighters on a real stage, it was always smart for them to get themselves prepared for such a scenario.
Today was no exception, as the gym in the great mansion was pretty much as its maximum capacity. From the treadmills to the exercise bikes to the weight lifting area, the room was bustling with fighters that were getting in their training or workout. The sounds of all of the exercise machines running at once mixed with the sounds of upbeat music coming over speakers placed on the far side of the open space.
Captain Falcon walked casually into the gym, making his way over to the dumbbells on the right corner of the room. If he didn't keep up with his weight lifting routine, he might run the risk of no longer being the consecutive champion of the competition like he had been for awhile now. And now was not the time to make such an error. Not while he was doing such an excellent job at defeating his fellow Smashers in combat.
As he made his way over to the spot he always used, just as Bowser was dropping the heavy dumbbell he had been doing rows with, he noticed the facial expressions on a couple of the people in the room. Maybe it was just him, but it seemed like there was an evident hint of trepidation that was visible on their faces. It was actually quite strange; normally the other Smashers had more determination written on their faces before the fights, but this was not the case today.
I wonder why, he thought.
Captain Falcon decided to pause on his regular routine for the moment, making his way over to a nearby punching bag. This particular spot was currently occupied by Little Mac, who was extremely focused on landing a series of punches against it. The boxer's teeth were gritted as he picked up the speed and practiced his jabs even harder than he already was.
Little Mac stopped for a few brief seconds to wipe the sweat running down his forehead, turning around to realize that someone was standing near him. "Oh," he said, "Captain Falcon."
"The one and only," Captain Falcon responded proudly.
"Didn't see you there until just now," the boxer admitted, the look on his face an implication that something was greatly on his mind at the moment. "Going to do your daily weight lifting regimen, I presume?"
"I was," the F-Zero pilot standing in front of him replied, "but I was noticing something different about everybody today."
"What do you mean by that, Falcon?"
"It seems as if everybody's anxious about something, including yourself. I don't know what it is, though."
Little Mac wasn't the type to openly admit to something, even if the fact that he was experiencing some anxiety alongside some of the others was the truth. He turned to face the still punching bag once again and went back to practicing. "As much as I would love to shoot the breeze," he said nervously, "I have some practicing to do." Under his breath, he added, "Can't let the newest fighter beat me."
Overhearing the boxer's muttered words, Captain Falcon realized what it was that was only his mind, but on the mind of everyone else in the room. Considering that the mansion just welcomed its newest addition to the tournament, he was surprised he didn't put that into consideration sooner. With how quiet and out of the other Smashers' way he had been since arriving, he almost forgot that it all just happened not too long ago.
With this realization, Falcon laugh heartily. "Is that what has everybody on their high horse?" he asked.
"Yes, it is," Little Mac answered upon pausing once again. "Where he comes from, he's quite the martial artist."
Captain Falcon cockily let out another good chuckle. "I'm sure he's not so tough," he said, full of himself.
"Not so tough?" the other fighters training in the room echoed all at once.
Upon hearing his remark, Wii Fit Trainer, who was on the other side of theorem doing her yoga regimen, stopped what she was doing and came over to him. "Not so tough?" she said alongside everybody else, Falcon's denial of the newest fighter's power being unbelievable to her. "Is that really what you believe?"
Falcon nodded his head. "I've faced Ryu and Ken in a match before, and they were both martial artists. What's so different about this guy's fighting style that's so concerning?"
"It's not just the way that he fights," Little Mac responded. "He has quite a dark side."
The F-Zero pilot grew curious with those words and said, "Tell me more."
"From what I heard," the boxer informed, "his father threw him down a cliff years ago, and he seeks revenge on him for doing it."
"And not only that," Wii Fit Trainer added, "but I heard that he has something called the Devil Gene."
"This is definitely true," Lady Palutena, who was just passing through, chimed in. "Because he has this, he's able to turn into a big demonic being."
"You see, Falcon," Little Mac said afterwards, "that's why we're all nervous right now about stepping up our game. Hell, even Sephiroth's been a little silent since the guy stepped into the mansion for the first time. That should tell you something on its own."
Falcon was silent for a moment, only to disregard the information he had been given about the martial artist. "I could take him on without a doubt," he said egotistically. "There's no way he could overpower the great Captain Falcon himself."
The Next Day...
Even if this was the moment in time that he was supposed to be stripped of his consecutive winning score, he wanted to at least ensure that he lost while giving it his all. He didn't want to have to admit it right now, but Little Mac and the others weren't wrong for possessing at least a small amount of fear of this newest fighter. Based on what happened during the last two minutes, as well as the fact that he was unable to land as many attacks as he normally did, this Kazuya Mishima guy was a force to be reckoned with.
That didn't mean, however, that he was going to throw in the towel because he was off to a rocky start. No, that wasn't something he would be up to doing by a long shot. If he were to do that, after all, he would be passing up the opportunity to potentially be the one to win against the newest member of the Smashers.
Captain Falcon quickly leaped into the air and provided himself with some security by jumping onto the levitating platform above the stage. Directly below him he saw the rest of this battle continuing to unfold. He saw Banjo-Kazooie trying to sneak up on Kazuya by surprise, ready to strike him with his signature claw swipe. This, however, didn't go as planned when the new martial artist turned around and delivered a series strong and quick punches.
With that, the bear and bird duo were sent unexpectedly flying off the stage. Up next to try and take on was Lucario, who tried to emit a blast of Aura in an effort to strike at Kazuya. This move turned out to be successful, actually managing to hit the new fighter. The Pokemon darted forward to his opponent and tried to deliver a flying kick. Lucario's fighting style had a mixture of martial arts incorporated into it, and him being in this battle against the new Smasher made for a good match.
Things, however, didn't go too well for Lucario either. Just when he thought he was doing better, Kazuya turned around and grabbed the Home-Run Bat that just appeared behind him. As he as he got his hands on it and gave it a swing, the bipedal Pokemon, his eyes widened with shock, was knocked off the stage.
"Well," Captain Falcon said to himself, "I guess it's only me who's left to take him on!"
He then got back down to where Kazuya was standing. However, before he could even land his classic Falco Punch on him, the martial artist furiously sent a jab in his direction. With a sharp kick that came shortly afterwards, Captain Falcon flew backwards into the air and landed onto the unforgiving ground of the arena, not even a few measly inches away from falling off the platform altogether.
He was starting to lose a bit of his stamina, whether he liked that it was happening or not. He picked his head up a bit and noticed Kazuya stepping closer towards him. His opponent chuckled under his breath and looked down at him, raising a spiky eyebrow. It was then and there that Captain Falcon noticed the look of the fighter hovering above him starting to change. Behind Kazuya's back emerged a pair of large purple wings, and Falcon now saw a set of thick horns on the newest fighter's forehead.
This had to be what Palutena was trying to warn him about before. This was Mishima's Devil gene.
Upon seeing his new form standing above him, Captain Falcon gulped anxiously. "Okay," he admitted, "perhaps I've underestimated this guy's power."
Author's Note: Woot woot! Kazuya is now in Smash Bros! Being a Tekken player myself, hearing this was some pretty exciting news. :D
Shortly after I heard the announcement a couple days ago, I started to come up with a story idea that could include Kazuya Mishima. It was kinda written in a quick fashion, so I'll admit that it's not exactly the best thing I could've come up with. I hope, however, that it was still an enjoyable read.
As always, your thoughts on this little story of mine, whether good or bad, are always gladly appreciated.
'Til next time, everybody! :)