BGM-Shadow the Hedgehog OST-Story
Shadow: I'm Shadow the Hedgehog. The one and only ultimate life form. I was called in by Tiki to assist Scarlet Spider in overcoming his past and controlling his Ghost Rider powers. I fought him with my evolved Chaos Powers and was left impressed when he managed to rival them. If he truly wants to move forward, he must confront the man that created him: The Jackal. Considering our similarities, I wonder if someone else was involved in his re-creation.
BGM End
Volume 1 Issue 21: Training for Love
Kamar-Taj Academy, Unified World. (5 Days Since the Convergence)
BGM-Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness OST-An Interesting Question
At the Nepal-like region of this unified world is the new school born from the merger between Kamar-Taj and Haven Academy. Kamar-Taj Academy. Home to the Huntsmen of the Mystic Arts. While ordinary huntsmen protect the world from physical dangers, these mystic-powered warriors safeguard it against more mystical threats. A lot of Haven students received magic from the Convergence and all of them were clueless how to use it before the sorcerers of Earth decided to teach them the ways like regular teachers. Scarlet Witch teaches students how to perceive realms. Doctor Voodoo introduces several to the undead and time travel. Magik trains huntsmen how to best defend yourself against vampires. And Man-Thing teaches the interested in caring for magical plants. A strange school for strange sorcerers.
"You cannot beat a river into submission. You have to surrender to its current, and use its power as your own." said Doctor Strange, lecturing Team ABRN, dressed in white robes, in how to master their new Sling Rings at a courtyard.
"We control it by surrendering control? That doesn't make any sense." Team Leader Arslan Altan replied, struggling to open a portal like her teammates.
"Not everything does. Not everything has to. Surrender. Silence your ego and your power will rise." Strange advised. It took a moment and after some sparks, Arslan was the first of her team to unlock her magical potential by opening a portal to Beacon Academy. And it wasn't long after when the rest of Team ABRN follow her example. "Good. Keep it up." Strange complimented his students, right before noticing Team Kazama approaching him.
"You seem to be enjoying yourself, Headmaster Supreme." Angel teased, sharing a handshake with the sorcerer.
"Wholeheartedly. With Lionheart dead and Kamar-Taj in this unique state, I had to take up the mantle. It's refreshing training an order of sorcerers to protect the world from mystical threats. I'm inspired to maintain this in the event our worlds are separated." Strange said, explaining how he came to establish this Huntsmen of the Mystic Arts.
"Is it too late to apply for the summer program?" The smiling Xiaoyu asked.
"Adding you to the waitlist." Strange quipped, magically adding her name to a list before switching to a serious topic, "So, what brings you three to Kamar-Taj Academy?"
BGM End
Jin Kazama steps forward, grimly requesting his aid, "I need your help, Doctor. My Devil Gene is growing rampant and I hear your Life Seed can destroy it."
"Ah, I see. Because of the Anti-Convergium? I have another patient that's suffering a similar illness and I've been looking for a solution." Strange responded, referencing Scarlet Spider. "In your case, the Life Seed could be your salvation. Be warned that a Life Seed can be unpredictable when used on living beings. It is an artifact of rebirth that will kill the old you and replace him with a new one. A whole new mind. New personality. New powers. All possibilities." He warned the devil mutant.
"You're saying Jin might forget who he is? Who his friends are?" Xiaoyu frowned, worrying for her friend and thinking this plan is a bad idea.
Jin, however, doesn't care. Not showing it in the slightest. For years he has been fighting the Devil inside him that is getting stronger every day and has longed to extinguish it once and for all. Once his mind is set, it is immensely difficult to get him to change. And now an opportunity has presented itself to him. "I'll take it." He said readily to the mystic doctor.
Stern silence is how Strange acknowledges his resolve. With just a portal for his hand, the Sorcerer Supreme reaches for the item at the other side and pulls it into this realm. "Here it is." Strange revealed, showing his friends the alien-looking seed emitting a cosmic blue glow known as the Life Seed.
"That's the Seed that can regrow whole planets? It looks so…tiny." Xiaoyu comments in amazement, until her expressions shift to worry for her friend that's reaching for it, "Jin…"
BGM-Tekken Tag Tournament OST-Unknown
Just before Jin could obtain the hope of the Life Seed, despair is sensed by him. A large slimy claw is suddenly constructed from the floor to swipe the heroes away, forcing Strange to drop the Life Seed. "The Life Seed!" Strange exclaimed.
The Life Seed is picked up by a mysterious woman clad in an ominous liquid with eyes that bear into their target like a wolf tracking its prey. Jin doesn't care who this Unknown is. She has the Life Seed and is already rushing to take it back. But not only does this woman possess a strange unhuman power, she is countering Jin's attack with techniques reminiscent of a very old fighting style. She parries Kazama with a ground-shaking palm strike, before knocking him down with the White Heron Lower Dance combo. "Kazama Style…?" The stunned Jin recognized. Then he feels a weird grunting sensation in his body that causes him to contemplate Unknown, 'The cursed blood in my body is reacting to her?! I don't understand…Who is she?'
"Pay attention! We have more strange things attacking!" Angel shouted at Jin, warning him of Ogre Clones invading Kamar-Taj Academy.
Sorcerers and Huntsmen fight back to protect their home and are fending them off quite well. Some struggle and are defeated, costing their souls to be absorbed by the Ogres. "What are they doing to them?" Angel scowled, rushing at Ogres to kill them with flying spinning wing slashes.
"Haven't I seen this guy somewhere before?" Xiaoyu said, recognizing the Ogres while beating them down with the high-speed hand strikes of her Chinese fighting style.
"Ogre!? From the 3rd Iron Fist Tournament!? The one that…killed my mother!?" Jin exclaimed in shock, recalling the loss of his mother and destroying Ogre in the past. Those painful memories trigger his possession by the Devil Gene, manifesting the third eye on his forehead that he's struggling to seal.
"Control yourself, Jin! Do not lose yourself to anger!" Doctor Strange shouted, blasting back Ogre Clones with magic.
Took a moment for Jin to regain his senses, saying, "…I'm alright.", while reuniting with his friends, "I don't know why there are so many Ogres, but I intend to send them all to hell! And you…" His glare confronts Unknown, the one seemingly leading this attack on the academy. She doesn't spout a word or shows any emotion whatsoever. She just stands there like the enigmatic character that she is. Staring at the heroes that intend to oppose her mysterious agenda. "Whoever you are, you have something that belongs to me. Give it. Or I'll make you." He threatens her, coldly, before the heroes and demons engage in another round.
BGM End
A Long Time Ago…
BGM-Marvel Future Fight OST-A.I.M. Resistance
A.I.M. Soldiers are patrolling their high-tech base for any sign of superheroes that typically wants to ruin their plans to take over the world. No intruders so far, prompting one soldier to touch his ear comm and report to his superiors, "Area secure. No sign of-."
Right on cue, an intruder surprises him by smashing down the door that he and a fellow guard was guarding and causing it to fall atop of them. Two other guards aim their guns at the red-and-blue intruder hanging upside down on his webline. It's Spider-Man but not. He is the Scarlet Spider, secretly known as Ben Reilly, the hoodie-wearing clone of Spider-Man. Here to shut down AIM's operations in New York City. He swings into action, dodging firepower to punch down a guard before webbing the other one to a wall. His Spider-Sense warns him of two security turrets about to fire at him, prompting him to dodge and quip, "Come on! Is that any way to welcome a guest?", before blowing them up with Impact Webbing.
"Last base of the A.I.M. gang to shut down. Weapons lab's somewhere around here. But where's my new temp partner-against-crime?" Reilly said to himself.
"REILLY!"
Surprising Scarlet Spider is his evil clone brother wearing his Regeneration Suit, Kaine. The unstable spider lunges at his rival with raging speeds too fast for Reilly to avoid and slams him to the ground, pinning him down by the throat while his other fist tries pummeling him to death. "Wasn't referring to you, Kaine…" Ben struggled to joke, yet manages to blind his brother with webbing. "Seems you were hired as AIM's new sidekick." He continues babbling whilst freeing himself with a stylish sweepkick. "How's that working out for you, having so many nerds bully you to do their bidding?" He asked, striking him multiple times with blitzing, web-zipping maneuvers.
"Keep mouthing off. It'll make killing you easier." Kaine scowled, catching his blitzing arm in order to throw him away.
This sibling rivalry has been going on for some time and shows no sign of calming down. Kaine will do anything to kill Reilly, going as far as to web-throw AIM reinforcements to smack his brother with before he retreats to the air. "For god's sake, man, there's no reason for us to fight! Anyone can see that you're in terrible pain! Please, let me help you!" Reilly pleaded, web-throwing explosive equipment that barely pushes back his murderous stalker.
"You can help by dying!" Kaine refuses to listen to reason, instead insisted at web-yanking his brother into a devastating uppercut that knocks him across the room.
Kaine rushes to kill his little brother, who's a little dazed yet still has the strength to quip out a warning, "Sorry, my date wouldn't like that." Just before Kaine delivers the finishing smash, he is ambushed by a mysterious icy force that freezes him solid. "There she is. Took you a minute, Seol." Reilly jokes at the late arrival and his partner for this mission.
BGM End
BGM-Marvel Future Fight OST- LUNA SNOW ᐸTonightᐳ (Instrumental)
The late arrival is a beautiful woman around his age with heterochromia. She walks into the room with an icy aura enveloping her body, wearing trendy jeans and a long-sleeve crop top as well as snowflake headphones worn around her neck. Her long hair has two sides, one black, one white. Making her one of the coolest new superheroes around.
"It's Luna Snow! I know I'm still new to superheroing, but you gotta respect the secret identity." snarked by Seol Hee, aka Luna Snow. The Icy Pop Star Heroine of South Korea.
"You're a famous K-Pop star. You threw that rule out the window day one." Reilly quipped, crouching by her side.
"투셰." Luna responded in her native tongue. "Is that gonna hold him?" She then asked about the frozen Kaine.
"Nah. Kaine's too hot-tempered for your ice powers." Reilly quipped.
As expected, Kaine's rage helped him burst free from his icy imprisonment. He shoots a mean glare at the pop star, threatening her, "…That was cold, rookie.", just as more AIM Soldiers arrive to assist and hopefully won't be used as makeshift weapons again.
"It's about to get colder." Luna grins with confidence, producing light ice from one hand and dark ice from the other.
"Take A.I.M. and ACTION!" Reilly shouted, swinging back into his duel with Kaine while Luna combines her ice to unleash a multi-colored blizzard that takes on AIM's forces.
BGM End
Present Day…At the Arc House.
That memory of fighting Ben Reilly and Luna Snow made Kaine flinch with anger during his morning meditation. The grim spider-clone is at the backyard of the Arc House, his temporary home since the Convergence kicked him out of the hotel he was living in, training to master Spirit Control in order to master his Spirit of Vengeance. The likes of Tiki, Dark Pit, Noel Vermillion are overseeing his training alongside another friend of Kaine's. Wally Layton, a Houston police officer that has acted as a father figure to the unfriendly spider.
"Kaine's focused. Both he and Aracely. Kid's getting better." Layton commented, watching Aracely sparring with Knuckles in martial arts.
"Indeed. She is ripening to be an excellent crimefighter." Tiki remarked.
"Helps that she's psychic." Layton said.
"You said you and Kaine saved her from traffickers?" Noel questioned the divine dragon about Aracely's origins.
"Yes. Though her origins are unknown to us, with every training session we learn the depths of her mystical potential." Tiki responded.
"She does reek of the stuff." Dark Pit commented, sensing magic from the young psychic.
Aracely rushes at the echidna warrior with quick strikes that pushes back his defenses, impressing Knuckles as he smiles, "Alright! Hit me with that new move you've been working on!"
"Okay." Aracely grinned, confidently gathering her psychic energy for that she throws out as a sphere.
Her psychic ball hits Knuckles and while it doesn't affect his physical body, it hurt his mind pretty good. "Not bad. Gave me a slight headache." Knuckles complimented, rubbing his aching head.
"Well you are thickheaded." Aracely said innocently.
"What was that?!" Knuckles angrily retorted, much to Aracely's embarrassment.
"Better grow strong enough to give 'im a major migraine." Kaine told his sidekick, opening his eyes from his meditation.
"Think I can do it?" Aracely asked.
"Long as you never give up. That's what makes a true hero." Kaine advises her.
"Like you!" Aracely retorted happily.
"Hmph." Kaine scoffed, brushing off her belief of him being a true hero.
BGM-Dragon Ball FighterZ OST-Spirit
"That's enough meditation. Show us the progress of your Spirit Control. Remember: Harmonize the wild energies and emotions burning within you, and focus them." Tiki lectured her spider-mentee, being stern for his success.
Kaine stands up to begin the next step of his spiritual training. He calms his mind by taking a deep breath, then claps his hands together to focus his energies. He then opens his hands that surround a small azure, web-like energy sphere crackling electricity. This is his Spirit Control. Already growing unstable unless he keeps his focus. Which too is wavering from the rage he's feeling at the memories of The Jackal, Norman Osborn, Adam Taurus, and his brothers, Peter and Ben. His negative emotions destroy his concentration on his Spirit Control, causing it to explode in his face and force him to collapse in pain and anger. "Dammit!" Kaine scowled, punching the ground.
"No, no, I thought you did good." Layton retorted, rushing to cheer him up.
"The power to control life and destiny. True focus will never come unless you balance rage with serenity." Tiki criticized her boyfriend.
"This would be easier if you had something like a Chaos Emerald to focus on. Shadow can do Chaos Control without one 'cause he already mastered his innate energy. Know some Pearls that'll do the trick." Knuckles smiles his advice at his spider-friend.
"Later. I'm exhausted." Kaine replied, brushing him off.
"Alright. Just note this prayer that's helped me tap into the Master Emerald's power." Knuckles suggested.
"What's that?" Kaine questioned.
"The servers are the seven Chaos. Chaos is power, power is enriched by the heart. The controller is the one that unifies the Chaos." Knuckles recited his ancestral prayer. "Your chaos is the emotions you're battling with. The only way to enrich and control them is with your heart. Without heart, strength means nothing." He wisely advised his friend.
'Heart? Does a clone like me have that?' Kaine thought, somberly doubting his soul.
Kaine's doubts are sensed by Dark Pit, who scoffs at him with an apathetic, "Idiot." Noel notices this too and becomes more concerned than ever. She knows what Kaine is going through all too well. Doubts about your feelings and identity. If she can just find the time to tell him her past, she hopes that'll help him secure his future.
"Breakfast is ready!" Shouted by the kindhearted owner of this house. Saphron Cotta-Arc, the big sister of Jaune. And in her arm is her adorable baby son, Adrian, who is waving happily at Kaine.
"I'll see you guys later. Heading back to Wakanda Island to make sure Shuri isn't experimenting with the Master Emerald." Knuckles smiled, waving goodbye to his friends.
"Give her hell." Kaine smiles back, watching the echidna jump out of the backyard.
BGM End
BGM-Dragon Ball FighterZ OST-Conversation
Shortly after, Kaine's group is in the living room enjoying the sandwiches Saphron made. Aracely especially is chowing down on her food as she usually does, being so hungry that she shamelessly tries to steal from Dark Pit. "That's my plate!" He shouted, acting like children as they struggle for the sandwich.
"Don't be greedy. I made enough for everyone." Saphron chided.
"Doubtful when you're feeding Aracely. Most of my money went to her stomach." Kaine snarks before taking a bite from his breakfast.
"Terra's still busy fixing the CCTs?" Layton asked about her wife.
"Yeah. Thankfully this world has satellites so hopefully she'll come home more often." Saphron smiled.
"Wish Donald is as lucky. Survivors from destroyed dimensions means working overtime at the hospital." Layton remarked, talking about his husband.
"Get yourself hurt and have some fun with him there." Saphron quipped, earning a laugh from her new Houston friend.
Amidst his eating, Kaine feels someone climbing onto his lap. It's baby Adrian reaching for the grumpy hero. "Get this thing off of me." He snarled.
"Adrian's just likes you, you big old spider-grump." Saphron smiled, complying by carrying Adrian away from him.
"Feeling's not mutual. I'm no role model. Babies should be taught at birth not to like monsters." Kaine expressed how he feels about himself.
"Can't wait for the baby shower you and Tiki will have." Saphron teased, embarrassing the couple to the point of Kaine rushing water to Tiki when she starts choking on her food. Saphron giggles, "You two are so cute.", which lights a fire in Kaine's rage.
"I am going to kick your ass, Jaune's sister or not!" Kaine snapped.
"Manners, Kaine! You're a guest in her home." Layton scolded him.
"You're not my dad, Wally." Kaine retorted.
"I'm the cop that'll step up if you don't behave yourself." Layton glared, putting the grumbling clone in his place and eliciting a sheepish laugh from Noel.
BGM End
BGM-Marvel Future Fight OST- LUNA SNOW ᐸTonightᐳ
Topics are changed as soon as Dark Pit heard singing from Saphron's new StarkTV. He looks to find the singer being Luna Snow, singing and dancing while showing off her astonishing ice powers. "Who's singing?" The curious Pittoo asked.
"It's Luna Snow!" Tiki gasped in instant, starry-eyed excitement.
"Who?" Dark Pit questioned.
"She was the most famous K-Pop superhero idol on Earth! I've become a huge fan! She's become an inspiration toward my popstar hobby!" Tiki happily revealed to her friends.
"Didn't know." Dark Pit noted, never knowing her dream of becoming a popstar.
"Bet none of you knew she'll be hosting a concert at Houston tonight." Layton smiled, much to everyone's surprise.
"Seriously?!" Aracely retorted.
"With the world as it is, she's touring the planet as a musical diplomat to cool tensions. Houston's her next stop. Was assigned by the department to provide her security." Layton explained.
"You have to get us tickets! Please, Wally! I never attended a concert before!" Tiki pleads with him like a child.
"I thought you have with Annabelle." Layton remarked.
"As a singer, not an attendee. Ours were church size compared to Luna's." Tiki retorted, revealing to have hosted small public concerts.
"Now I'm interested to go." Noel said.
BGM End
"We're not going to the concert!" Kaine declared sternly.
"Awww, why not?" Tiki whines at him.
"I have a demon inside me that wants to destroy the world, in case you forgot. I need to settle things with Jackal fast. He's out there plotting something. I just know it." Kaine scowled, more focused on revenge.
"That's why you'll never master Spirit Control. You don't know fun." Tiki snarked in annoyance.
"Oh shut up. Never been a fan of Luna anyway." Kaine retorted, hiding the fact they were enemies in the past.
BGM-Dragon Ball Xenoverse OST-Cutscene: Tokitoki
"Did someone mention Luna Snow?!" shouted Jaune Arc, excitedly barging into the house alongside the rest of Team JNPR.
'God kill me…' Kaine thought, exasperating amidst a deadpan sweatdrop.
"We love her! Remember going to her concert when we visited South Korea." Nora grinned, revealing that Team JNPR have also become fans of Luna Snow.
"No fair. Why didn't you invite me?" Tiki complained.
"We only had enough money for our tickets. Sorry." Nora apologized sheepishly, earning the dragon's cheek puff of rage.
"We are NOT going to her concert! Have you idiots learned NOTHING from the World Unity Festival?" Kaine exclaimed, furiously reminding them of their worlds dying the last time they went to have fun.
"Besides you being a shy grump?" Nora quipped, earning her mouth being webbed by Kaine. The clone smirks all smug at her, angering the huntress into tackling him into a childish fight.
"Kaine has a point. We should focus our energies in saving the world." Pyrrha said. She turns to her team leader, telling him, "We'll have fun later, okay?", with a subtle flirty smile.
"Uh, y-yeah, sure." Jaune responded awkwardly.
"Take care, Kaine." Pyrrha kindly waves at him.
"Get outta here!" Kaine retorted with anger, before being punched by Nora.
"Why do I even bother…?" Pyrrha sighed, getting tiresome of his unfriendly attitude.
After watching the redhead leave the house, Jaune suddenly appears before Ren and Dark Pit saying, "Guys, we need to talk!". With that, amid both their single cries of surprise, he pulls them away. Then does the same to Kaine amid his growling brawl with Nora, "You too!"
"Someone has a crush." Saphron smugingly teases her little brother.
"Shut up!" Jaune exclaimed.
BGM End
The boys move to a bedroom upstairs to relax and listen to what Jaune has to say. Both Kaine and Dark Pit are disinterested in whatever he'll talk about, the former leaning against the wall cross-armed and the latter sitting on a bed next to Jaune. Only Ren seems concerned about this meeting, staring at his team leader as he awkwardly tries to start the conversation.
"Guys…I don't remember saying it. You three are some of my best friends. These past few months, I feel like we've really bonded, even though you don't say much…" Jaune glances at Ren. "You like to be too grumpy…" He then glances at the growling Kaine. "And you…" He finally looks at the apathetic Dark Pit, "To be perfectly honest, I don't know that much about you."
"We just met five days ago." Dark Pit snarked.
"Right right, but darnit, I consider you guys to be the brothers I never had!" Jaune admitted.
"And we you." The smiling Ren nods, followed up by Kaine's scoff of denial.
"Which is why I wanted to get your advice on…girls." Jaune announced.
"Girls?" Ren remarked with surprise, alongside Pittoo facepalming his shaking head.
"I just…don't know…how to…girls. Um, I-I guess what I'm asking is…Well, how did you and Nora…y'know…" Jaune said, nervously trying to find the right words for help.
"Uhhhh…" Ren uttered awkwardly, trying to deny any attraction he might have for his energetic partner.
"Oh Christ. This is about Nikos, isn't it?" Kaine interrupted, rudely wanting him to get to the point.
"Exactly! You and Amy were right. I think she likes me, likes me. And I…feel the same way. She's not only cool, but she's also incredible. She's smart, and graceful, and talented, and has been an awesome teacher to me. I wouldn't be half the warrior that I am now without her. I just…don't know how to be honest about it." Jaune frowned, admitting both his feelings for Pyrrha and his anxiety of revealing those feelings to her face.
Both Ren and Pittoo are clearly uncomfortable about this as neither have any experience in romance. Out of everyone in the room, only Kaine was lucky enough to find a girlfriend and he's still unsure how he landed someone as beautiful and powerful like Tiki. Love will never be his forte, but seeing Jaune sad sparks a fire that wants to help regardless. Maintaining his poker face, Kaine walks past his friend, slapping his shoulder to get his attention, "…Follow me."
"For what?" Jaune questioned, rubbing his aching shoulder from that light slap.
"I'm gonna beat some self-confidence into you." Kaine answered with a cold glare.
Later at Houston…
BGM-Dragon Ball Fusions OST-Goku's Training
"What's this place?" Jaune asked, having arrived at an abandoned shipyard.
"This is where I like to practice my skateboarding and Extreme Gear." Kaine answered, now in his Scarlet Spider costume standing across from his friend as if they're about to engage in a sparring match.
"Never took you for a skateboarder." Jaune smiled.
"I blame you punks for getting me interested in sports." Scarlet snarked. "But forget about me. This is about you and Nikos. From what I know of her, that brat is a popular warrior that wants to be normal with a self-righteous attitude that'll get herself killed one of these days. If you really love that woman, then you must protect her with everything you got!" He said, believing their fight will help Jaune find the courage to ask her out.
With a confident glare, Jaune brandishes both his sword and shield for battle. "I'm ready!" He proclaimed whilst striking a fighting stance.
This will be unlike any other sparring match as Scarlet Spider plans to fight him full-force. From an intimidating flex, he taps into his Semblance and transforms into his Tarantula form that unsheathes a frightening roar. "Now, just try and kill me." Scarlet Tarantula taunted his friend.
Ren and Dark Pit are the spectators for this match. They watch from the sidelines, eager to see how Jaune will measure up against such an overwhelming force. Jaune makes the first move by dashing headfirst at Scarlet Tarantula, who immediately retaliates with a fire fist blast. Jaune counters this with his smarts, intentionally goading his opponent in order to roll around both him and his blast and then strike with a back slice, only for Scarlet to swiftly catch his blade with an erupting spider-arm. The two friends go at it for a bit, with Jaune's relentless slashes being deflected so easily by Kaine's spider-limbs that he folds his normal arms in boredom. "Worthless!" Kaine exclaimed, throwing a sudden punch that disrupts his combo, then Jaune launches a spinning slash that the spider retreats from for more taunting, "Heard you were bolder with the Schnee girl. Has the crap Nikos been teaching you made you soft?" Scarlet flips across the arena while angering Jaune into pursuing him with lesser acrobatics. The spider-clone bounces off a ship to land a claw swipe that, while blocked by Jaune's shield, still knocks him back far. The huntsman leader recovers swiftly to find Scarlet gone and predict he'll strike from his blindspot. Which he does, prompting Jaune to duck under his spider-arms and land an uppercutting slash that didn't hurt Kaine at all. Only entice him into unsheathing his wrist stingers for a brief clash of blades that he quickly overcomes with unrivaled speed and power. "Training is about confronting your body's limits, and surpassing them! There's no meaning otherwise." Kaine proclaims, landing powerful slashes that soon blow Jaune away. "No Semblance, no Cross Art, you'll remain a weakling forever if you don't try harder." He then lands a punch so devastating that it leaves a massive dent on Jaune's shield. "SHOW ME OR DIE!" Kaine pressured him by crushing him with an Ultimate Web Throw.
"Fine! I'll show you!" Jaune retorted with a tactic in mind to counter Kaine's overwhelming strength.
Jaune rushes at him again, this time sweeping the ground with his sword to blind his multiple eyes with dust. The Spider-Senseless Kaine succumbs to his friend's full strength, a blindingly-fast set of slashes that disables his extra limbs before culminating in a huge final blow in the form of a spin attack that sends the body flying. He pursues him to try and drop a boat on him, prompting Kaine to burst flames that stun him and exclaim, "Don't get cocky cuz you got a hit in.", and land a jaw-cracking kick that pushes back the weaker warrior, "If that's really your best, then I'm more than disappointed…"
"There you guys are." said Noel Vermillion, joining the spectators at the sidelines.
"Hey, Noel. You were looking for us?" Ren greeted.
"Yeah. Was worried about Kaine. Been meaning to talk to him about something." Noel smiled.
"That you're not real?" Dark Pit sassed, aware of her true nature.
"H-How did you know?" The shocked Noel retorted.
"I'm observant like that." Dark Pit snarked.
"I noticed you've been worried about him too." Noel claimed with a smile.
"Keep dreaming." Dark Pit retorted, scoffing in denial.
"Talk to him in a minute. Looks like they're almost done." Ren said, noticing the sparring match is almost over.
"Spirit Control!" Scarlet Tarantula thrust out his hand enveloped in red mystical energy that still does nothing, leaving himself wide open for Jaune to land a decent strike. "Dammit! Still can't do it." Annoyed, he wastes no time ending this match by disarming Jaune of both his weapons with webbing and grabbing him by the head to annihilate his Aura with one brutal punch to the gut.
BGM End
Jaune let out a pained cough from that last attack before he is tossed aside like common trash. Scarlet returns to his human form, his back turned in disappointment of his friend's current limit. "So that's your limit." He muttered. But before walking away, he hears grunts that are pushing someone to stand up again. He turns around to find Jaune, struggling to stand yet glaring at him with sheer determination to continue sparring, which he acknowledges with cold intrigue, "Your soul's not a coward at least…" Surprisingly, staring at Jaune reminds him of Ben Reilly. His spirit being as unbreakable as his deceased brother, which ticks him off with jealously for a brief moment. "…Yet your Semblance is a mystery. Sure you never got a taste of it?" He asked him.
"I think there was a time…When Cardin tried to hurt me after threatening my friends." Jaune panted, recalling his field trip to Forever Fall from months ago.
"Like this?" Scarlet remarked by callously firing a huge fireball at the frightened spectators.
"NO!" Jaune shouted in a fright, rushing to save his friends by taking the explosive blast head-on. Kaine just gives an emotionless side-eye at the huge smoke, waiting for the results of his little experiment. As the smoke clears, he and the others find Jaune alive. His Aura back to full strength and beyond, as if he amplified it somehow to block the attack.
"Interesting. It's like Parker's. Only active when a loved one's in danger. That won't do." Kaine muttered about his uncontrollable Semblance.
BGM-Tekken 4 OST-Fetus
"Are you crazy?! You could've killed them!" Jaune shouted, berating Kaine for his callous move.
"What would you do about it if I did? Or if someone else got to them first? Are you gonna let guilt bully you around?" Scarlet questioned him. Testing him.
"That'll never happen. I'll never give up. Let's keep training. I've got to protect everyone." Jaune argued, reclaiming his weapons for another fight with a determined glare.
However, Scarlet isn't interested in another fight. Not one bit. He just glares at Jaune. Analyzing him. Then proceeds to close his eyes that dumbfounds the blonde leader. "I see nothing but overeagerness." Kaine stated, shocking Jaune to the point of observing himself. "You won't get anything done like that. Training is pointless, much less getting stronger." He reopens his stern eyes to proclaim, "If you can't tap into your true power, all the motivation in the WORLD won't be enough to protect Nikos and your team!", which stuns his friend into a gasp. "It's true, the desire to protect can give you strength. But, desiring too much can be dangerous. Take a look at Spider-Man. His sense of responsibility can be borderline martyrdom. Always complaining about running late to a date because of a crime that could EASILY be handled by the police. You want your emotions to COMPLEMENT your strength, NOT shackle it! If you're too desperate for heroism, if love makes you afraid, you won't be able to move forward! You'll misunderstand the problem and FAIL!" He advised him with a harsh tone, basically telling him to calm down and think clearer.
"He should really listen to his own advice." Dark Pit snarked from the smirky sidelines.
"So that's it…That's what I've been doing wrong…" Jaune grunted in shame for not realizing his weakness sooner.
Flaunting an arm aside, Kaine brutally tells him, "Nothing is assured in life! Whether Nikos is too afraid to love you back or we lose against the Obsidian King, your future is lost! You must accept that fact and come to terms with it! Only then can you prevail!"
"Alright!" Jaune acknowledged with newfound resolve in his face.
Letting out a proud grunt, Scarlet turns his back to him saying, "Don't worry. You can do it. I'm the one telling you this. Man up."
"Kaine…I won't let you down." Jaune beamed, extremely happy to hear from the aloof Kaine himself that he believes in him.
"Gonna be hard to build confidence with your shield like that." Ren said, pointing out Jaune's damaged shield thanks to Kaine.
"Guess I did go a little overboard." Scarlet admitted, rubbing his head in slight embarrassment. He then strikes a thinking posture for a moment before telling the huntsman leader, "…Alright. Follow me to Roxxon. Gonna steal you some upgrades."
"Steal? From the evil megacorporation that controls all of Houston?" Jaune retorted, calling out his insane plane.
"Yes. Are you coming or not? Doubt Nikos loves wimps." Scarlet sassed, goading him while walking away.
"What does Tiki see in a maniac like you?" Jaune scowled, with him and everyone else following Kaine.
"Hell if I know." Scarlet snarked, leading the group to invade Roxxon.
BGM End
At Argus Emerald City…
"…Just ask him out already. You two are taking forever." Nora said, amidst a conversation with Pyrrha, Tiki, and Aracely as all four girls tour the fused city on foot.
"I don't really know how to." Pyrrha responded, feeling shy about admitting her love to Jaune.
"Just be blunt. Works for me." Nora advised.
"Yet you refuse to admit your own feelings to Ren." Tiki said with a teasing smile.
"Oh I'm not interested in becoming 'together-together' with him…" The flustered Nora retorted.
"You feel head on heels for him." Aracely sensed.
"It OVER heels, and I don't know what you're talking about!" Nora retorted with an annoyed look at the child psychic.
"But I just read-."
"PRIVACY!" Nora shuts her up, eliciting some laughs from her friends.
"Let's save the romance for later. Our work as huntsmen come first. Once the world is at peace, I'll…talk to Jaune." Pyrrha claimed.
"You take your responsibilities way too seriously." Nora shakes her head in disappointment, just as the girls near the space needle.
"More seriously than Kaine." Pyrrha scowls, which gets an awkward chuckle from Tiki while admitting to her, "No offense, Tiki, but I do not like him. And I know he doesn't like me."
"Which is funny considering his brothers' fondness for redheads." Nora quipped.
"I dunno. He's fine with Annabelle and Severa." Aracely said.
"Severa, seriously?" Nora responded nonchalantly.
Ignoring them, Pyrrha continues expressing her dislike of Kaine, "Trauma and inferiority complex aside, he is way too rude to his friends and way too violent with his enemies. Not to mention his foul-mouth…"
Tiki smiles, "Not everyone can be as nice as you, Pyrrha. Sure both his heroism and attitude need work, but he has his moments. He has been a great caretaker for Aracely and very supportive of my popstar hobby."
"Hobby? Thought you were making a career out of it." Nora curiously noticed.
"I wasn't going to live in Houston forever, and Valm doesn't have that internet magic nor the equipment to continue as a VSinger, let alone become a full-fledged idol. It's the whole reason I had Kaine craft a Uta-loid as my farewell gift." Tiki said, revealing her naïve thinking toward a popstar career.
"If he's smart enough to do that, he's smart enough to add Wi-Fi in the Mila Tree. You're the Voice that really loves to sing. Your songs are awesome. You have fans both here and in Valm. Don't let borders stop you. That's why we have the internet. Show some dedication to the things you love so every world can get along." Nora advised the divine dragon.
"You may be right. Hosting a concert at the Divine Dragon Grounds does sound pleasing." Tiki grunted with an acknowledging smile.
Not long after, they meet a familiar redheaded friend checking out the fruit of a market center. "Hey Annabelle. How's it going?" Aracely greeted Annabelle Adams, a friend of Team Scarlet that works at the Four Seasons Hotel as a singer.
"Not good. Are you guys going to Luna Snow's concert tonight?" Annabelle asked them.
"No. Shy Spider forbid us." Nora quipped.
"He must've been onto something, cuz she disappeared." Annabelle revealed, surprising the girls.
"Luna's gone missing?!" Tiki exclaimed, quickly prompting Anna to shush her up before people notice her.
"Walked past her people mentioning she missed her morning rehearsal. I'm a big fan so I know that's not like her. If people knew she's missing, there would be a panic." Annabelle explained.
"Right. Sorry." Tiki apologized for her earlier behavior.
"Maybe she's crimefighting somewhere. She's a superhero too, remember." Pyrrha believed, expressing little worry.
"Hope she's alright. Where could she be?" Aracely wondered, looking more worried about her favorite K-Pop heroine.
At a Secret Roxxon Laboratory…
BGM-Spider-Man (2002 Game) OST-Stealth 2
Seven Roxxon Security Guards are patrolling down a corridor, armed with advanced weaponry and red armor that can drive out almost all threats to their operations. Roxxon is an energy corporation and a shady one at that. All they care about is increasing their profits by any means necessary, including blatant violent crimes. They practically own Houston, which puts them at the top of Scarlet Spider's hitlist.
Amidst their patrol of the hidden laboratory, one Guard is targeted by Lie Ren from the shadows. He moves swiftly for a silent takedown, sneaking up behind him and knocking him unconscious. Dark Pit strikes next, blitzing three guards in rapid succession that causes a bit of noise and alerts the remaining goons. "Who the-?!" One Roxxon Guard turns around to not see the menacing silhouette of Scarlet Spider glaring at them from the ceiling. He web-pulls two guards onto the ceiling to be immobilized before dropping down to crush the last distracted minion with his feet.
"We're clear." Scarlet Spider announced, finding himself reunited with the rest of his group that includes Jaune Arc and Noel Vermillion.
"Man, I would love to be as stealthy as you guys." Jaune said, amazed by his friends' stealth tactics.
"You can if you shut up. Follow my lead." Scarlet whispered, sticking to the ceiling in order to lead his friends carefully through the Roxxon lab.
"This place is giving me the creeps. What upgrades are we looking for that we can't get from STRIKE?" Noel grunted in both disgust and fear of this evil facility.
"Vibranium and Adamantium." Scarlet replied.
"The strongest metals on Earth?! You're giving me those?!" Jaune exclaimed in surprise.
"Ssh!" Scarlet shuts him up after spotting a guard around the corner. He web-pulls him to be knocked out by Dark Pit's kick before responding to the huntsman leader, "Better in your hands than Roxxon's. But the biggest reason I'm here is to shut down their cold fusion energy reactor. Got a tip from an old underworld contact that this is where they're hiding it. Experimental, very dangerous, don't want it freezing all of Houston."
"You have criminal contacts?" Jaune questioned.
"I WAS a supervillain. Nothing wrong using foul resources for the greater good." Scarlet lectured. "First your upgrades, then we shut this lab down." He declared.
"Sounds like a plan." Jaune nodded sternly.
"A rarity for me." Scarlet quipped.
Noel decides to help with the search by using her Eye of the Azure. She's seeing through walls as if she has x-ray vision, looking around for a bit until she spots a clear view of what appears to be an innocent strapped to a lab table and surrounded by both Roxxon scientists and guards. "Over there! Looks like someone's in trouble!" Noel announced.
Everyone rushes to follow her lead to the victim. Leaving behind a furious Scarlet shouting, "Hey, you're supposed to…Aaaarrrgh! Why do I have friends?"
BGM End
"Data transferred. She's no longer useful to us." A Mobian Scientist cryptically said in the hidden room.
"Does this mean I can go home now? My manager's gonna be angry at me for missing rehearsal." A joke coming from a certain female superstar that has become a prisoner of Roxxon, wearing leg warmers and a cropped leather jacket and sports short hair divided by white and black coloring.
"Kill her." The Mobian Scientist ordered his security.
"You sure? Really wanted to go to her concert." A Guard commented.
"Become a Mina Mongoose fan. Eliminate her." The Scientist retorted.
BGM-Sonic Forces OST-Action on the Rails
Just as the Mobian Scientist opens the door for his exit, he is kicked down in an instant by Dark Pit. The Roxxon Guards come under fire by the heroes' surprise intervention led by the dual guns of Ren and Noel. One Guard focuses his firing power at the Jaune/Pittoo duo. The huntsman leader charges through the bullets with his damaged shield that swiftly allows Pittoo to cleave his weapon in two. Both warriors then combine their power for one finishing strike, launching a twin slash that knocks out the final guard while Noel frees their captive.
BGM End
"Are you okay, Miss?" Noel asked, freeing the mystery woman from her restraints.
"감사합니다." The smiling Popstar said in Korean, "I'm fine. But you don't have to call me miss. My name is-."
"Luna Snow?!" Jaune exclaimed after a surprise gasp. "Y-Y-Y-You're THE Luna Snow!" He, alongside a stunned Ren, recognizes her as the famous singing icy heroine.
"The one and only." Luna Snow grinned.
"The K-Pop singer from TV?" Noel recalled.
"We're big fans of your work." Ren smiled respectfully in the presence of his favorite Earth singer.
"HUGE fans." Jaune added, acting a bit more like a fanboy.
"They don't speak for me." Dark Pit snarked, having knew nothing about her until this morning.
"Yeah, you look like a guy that would love flamenco music." Luna quipped. "Thanks for coming to the rescue. I'm assuming you guys work for STRIKE." She casually recognizes them as multiversal heroes.
"Wasn't our mission to save you." Dark Pit stated.
BGM-Tekken 5 OST-Neonatal
Immediately after, Scarlet Spider finally catches up to his friends after they left him to be reckless, "There you punks are. What's going on here?"
A surprise gasp escapes from Luna's mouth upon his arrival. As if she seems to know him beyond his reputation. "It's you…" She uttered with a shocked look on her face.
Exchanging stares with the singer, Kaine's own face shifts into threatening as he snarls, "You…What the hell are you doing here?"
"I was going to rehearse for my concert tonight, but then Roxxon kidnapped me." Luna sassed, acting as if she's familiar with Kaine's attitude. To the point of confronting him face-to-face with a fearless smile and says, "I knew I was gonna run into you one day. The All-New Scarlet Spider: the Hero of Houston that raced awesome in the Multiversal Grand Prix. And I'm assuming behind the mask is Kaine: the man who once spread chaos across New York.", revealing her surprising knowledge of his secret identity and earning a threatening glare from the silent arachnid.
"Studied me on TV, huh?" Scarlet assumed.
"Hard to ignore your beat of attitude." Luna snarked.
"You two know each other?" Ren questioned.
"A lifetime ago." Scarlet retorted. "I see you're still a rookie if you let idiots like Roxxon capture you." He then snarks at his old enemy.
"They caught me by surprise." Luna claimed, before asking, "So, what happened to Ben?", which also reveals that she was good friends with the original Scarlet Spider to the point of knowing his secret identity.
"He's dead." Kaine answered bluntly.
"I see…" Luna frowned, taking a moment to mourn for her dead friend. "You didn't kill him, did you?" She confronted Kaine about.
"No." Scarlet denied.
"But I remember you tried so hard to, and me." Luna scowled.
"You were a nuisance. Still are. Don't get in my way again. You'll find I'm a lot more hot-tempered than last time." Scarlet threatened, igniting his hand with his Ghost Rider powers.
"I can still cool you off if you get out of line." Luna quipped, threatening him with icy energy enveloping her own hand.
BGM End
But before the elemental rivals go at it, Ren senses trouble approaching. "Incoming!" He shouted whilst readying his guns for battle.
BGM-Shadow the Hedgehog OST-Prison Island
A squadron of Roxxon Guards quickly swarm the room and point their weapons at the heroic targets, all for the sole purpose to destroy the intruders. "It's Scarlet Spider! Eliminate his party!" A Roxxon Guard announced, commanding his forces to fire their guns that force the heroes to take cover.
"Put aside your differences, you two! We need to work together to get outta here!" Jaune shouted, ordering both Scarlet and Luna to form a temporary truce.
"I'm game. Let me be lead dancer." Luna smiled, excited to cut loose against her kidnappers.
The Pop Star Heroine dances her way through gunfire to show her chilling fighting style. Her punches and kicks are infused by her ice that slows down Roxxon Guards one by one before pummeling a crowd with a frostier attack in the form of a freezing heel kick, leading to freezing some goons with a palming strike. Another gun fires at Luna as quickly her dodging and clogging the gun with an icicle. A swipe from an electric baton almost struck her before she flipped to the air for another ardent performance, firing a volley of dark ice shards that knocks away more assailants before she lands on the ground in style.
"Cool!" Noel happily compliments her powers with an unintentional pun.
"Dark ice? Never seen that before." Dark Pit noted curiously.
"Dark ice for fighting and light ice for healing. Both awesome for making cooler concerts." Luna retorted, smirking whilst firing a cyclonic ice blast made of light and dark that freezes more enemies.
"You balance them quite well. You can learn something from her." Ren said, suggesting Kaine that Luna can help him control his own elemental power.
"Like hell!" Scarlet's hatred for Luna causes him to briefly lose control of his Ghost Rider power, charging flames in his rear hand and throws them out in a big wave that smashes the remaining troops through the metallic wall.
"Wild." Luna compliments her former enemy's power. "Still can't trust you yet, you know." She stated to him.
"I don't expect forgiveness…" Scarlet retorted coldly, before taking command of the group, "The spiders are telling me where the upgrades are. Let's move!"
Roxxon is now on full alert and throwing everything they got at Team Scarlet in tremendous vain. A security crowd is smashed through by Dark Pit's Electroshock Arm that clears a corridor for his friends to travel through. One of the flunged guards is caught by Kaine's Web-Strike Crush and is used as his skateboard to grind on the floor and barrel through his fellow guards, all while Luna ice-skates around him. Turrets and Ren's guns go head-to-head while Noel's transforming Bolverk fires a rocket that blows back all pursuers.
"Always wondered, Luna. How did you get your powers?" Jaune asked the superstar.
"Long story short, AIM crashed a Stark Industries party that I had my opening performance at. My reward for defending the partygoers was being trapped in the company's experimental cold fusion reactor. Tried to escape, accidently caused it to malfunction, got ice powers, beat up AIM, and became an overnight sensation as both a popstar and a superhero." Luna summarized her origins while clearing their path with icicles.
"Must've been tough balancing the two." Jaune commented.
"Big time. A month after I got my powers I hosted a concert at New York City. Thought I practice by doing some crimefighting. That's when I met the original Scarlet Spider. He was a good friend of mine. Taught me the ropes while we were stopping AIM from selling weapons to the local gangs. They wanted to start a gang war just to gather test data." Luna continued, recalling her first meeting with Ben Reilly and their short but memorable adventures together.
"Assuming AIM wasn't too happy about that. That's when they decided to hire Kaine to get rid of you." Dark Pit realized, cutting down guards with his Silver Bow blades.
"Yup. Guy would sink to any low just to kill Ben. Even crashed my concert after we beat him up at the AIM Base. Luckily, we turned his little temper tantrum into an act for the show. Became a huge hit." Luna said, recalling her and Ben's determined attempts to defeat Kaine.
"So that's why you don't like her. She embarrassed you on live television." Dark Pit teased his spider-rival.
"Shut up! I was practically doing the world a favor by trying to destroy her crappy music!" Scarlet retorted, angrily throwing his makeshift skateboard at more guards.
"Crappy?! You wouldn't know good music if it hit you in the face!" The annoyed Luna snapped, freezing a floor that causes guards to slide and crash into a wall.
"Good thing I don't care for any music!" Scarlet bantered.
"As stubborn as ever to give things a try." Luna sassed.
"Wait, you mentioned you got your powers from a cold fusion reactor. Roxxon's been trying to build their own. Is the reason they kidnapped you was to acquire your DNA to complete the project?" Ren realized, sliding under a shield-wielding guard to spinkick him down from behind.
"That would make a lot of sense." Luna remarked.
"You stupid bastard! You made my job harder cuz you wanted to sing your shit in my city!" Scarlet scowled, furiously blaming Luna for putting Houston in danger.
"Hey, I'm trying to help the world with the careers YOU tried to kill! All for what? Some petty revenge quest?" Luna argued, venting out her contempt for the former villain.
"It wasn't for revenge." Scarlet claimed.
"Oh yeah? Then what was your excuse for sacrificing hundreds of lives?" Luna questioned his past motives.
Kaine doesn't immediately answer. Just takes a moment to realize Luna is a victim from his monstrous past and that he has hurt countless others like her just to satisfy his twisted ego. This hurts him deep but is too proud to express it, hiding his true feelings by coldly saying, "…You humans will never understand my strife.", which worries his friends. Especially Noel and Dark Pit as they know they must do something to pacify his inner darkness.
BGM End
Shortly after, the party escaped their pursuers in time to arrive at the weapons room. Roxxon Scientists are seen using Convergium Crystals to experiment with Vibranium and other mystic ore they illegally acquired to create new weapons that prompts Luna to freeze just before they take notice of the heroes. "In here." Scarlet announced stoically.
"The adamantium and vibranium?" Dark Pit questioned.
"And the tech to upgrade Arc's weapons." Scarlet added.
"Ren, keep a lookout." Jaune ordered, not wanting security to interrupt them.
Scarlet walks toward a computer console that controls the process of infusing the metals into weapons, interacting with it and tasking Jaune to, "Put your weapons in those machines. This will take a bit.", whilst pointing him to two convergium machines that will get the job done.
Jaune does what he was told and places his sword in one device and his damaged shield into another. "So was this your idea?" Luna asked the huntsman leader.
"Not at all. Scarlet was the one that planned this. He's been training me to protect my friends. And to, um…get me a girlfriend." Jaune replied awkwardly.
"Aw, that's sweet." Luna grinned.
"Scarlet is no longer the man he once was. He's trying to do better with the legacy he inherited." Ren assured the icy heroine, trying to convince her to see Kaine in a new light.
"That's what bothers me. I don't know if he has what it takes." Luna admitted. "The Kaine I know was a monster that cared for nothing but destruction and opened my eyes to the horrors of heroism. Made me question if I should quit the role and just be a full-time popstar. I certainly had trouble controlling my power back then." The frowning Luna energizes her right hand with dark ice while telling her new huntsmen friends, "This dark ice can only be used for destruction when all I wanted was to create music that would make my grandmother and my fans happy. It was Ben that taught me the way for all my talents, light and dark, can co-exist and be beneficial."
"With great power comes great responsibility." Jaune deduced.
"How'd you know?" The surprised Luna retorted.
"We have a friend that's just like him." Jaune quipped with a smile, thinking of Spider-Man. "And like all heroes, it's our responsibility to ensure that everyone gets the chance at redemption." He advised her.
"Even murderers? Even Kaine?" Luna commented, glancing at him minding his own business.
"Light and darkness exist in everyone, either as ice or fire. Those who recognizes their mistakes and are willing to atone will turn out to be someone amazing. Without that hope, we may never achieve lasting peace." Jaune said wisely, prompting the popstar to shoot a sombering look at her former enemy that has shown his potential for good.
Meanwhile, Kaine has activated the machines that are upgrading Jaune's weapons. Vibranium is being coated and refined on the sword part of Crocea Mors, with the Adamantium doing the same to the shield part. Dark Pit oversees the machinery since he has nothing better to do. Noel, however, is left so impressed by the procedure that she walks to praise Kaine about it. "You know, you're doing a very nice thing helping Jaune. You should be happy." Noel smiles at him.
"My feelings are irrelevant. Only doing this so he'd stop bothering me about Nikos." Kaine claimed with apathy, more focused in finishing the upgrades.
"How long are you going to keep denying yourself beyond rage and hatred? It's no wonder you haven't mastered Spirit Control yet." Noel said.
"I'm a clone. I was never a human being to begin with. I was told I must have a heart to control my power, but what does that even mean? Why embrace it when I've seen that love is a lie and that life is nothing but pain? From my body to my soul, everything about me is fake. Manufactured…To be a tool that ruins other people's lives." Kaine responded, shooting a remorseful glance at Luna Snow, his victim.
Noel stays silent. Just stares at the guilt-ridden clone with those sympathetic eyes of hers that has had enough of his self-loathing. "…That's what I am too." She admitted to him.
"Hm?" Scarlet uttered, left both shocked and curious by her words that he stops typing to focus on her.
BGM-BlazBlue OST-Stardust Memory
Noel looks back to her past. To when she descended from a Cauldron in a mechanized form that hungered for destruction, "I'm not human. Never was. I am a Murakumo Unit, a doll known as Mu-12 that was created by a man named Relius Clover who is basically the Jackal of my world. When I found out about my past, I despaired. I struggled with the sadness and the pain…It made me want to run from it all. I tried to destroy the world in vengeance for hating me. For denying me a normal life." Then she recalls fighting a man in red, a Grim Reaper, that challenged her fate, "But a friend of mine sympathized with me and reminded me of the good I saw. Told me that no matter what, as a human being, as a person, that I should keep fighting. He sacrificed a part of himself to teach me that lesson. That I should keep fighting for the people that are dear to me. As Noel Vermillion, until the very end." She revealed, recalling the memory of finding peace with her dark side.
"Sacrifice…? Never realized how much I hate that word. A lot of people died for my own selfish goals that ended in failure and I still don't know how to make it up to them." Kaine commented.
"That's okay. The fact you feel guilt proves you have a heart. And it's not just that feeling. Your love for Tiki, your brothership with Ben and Spider-Man, and your friendship with Aracely, Knuckles and Team JNPR. Lie to yourself all you want, but your actions then and now is evidence that you're not a mindless machine. Those strong feelings you have for others is definitive proof that your soul is not artificial." Noel argued.
"Are you saying that I'm as real as every dirtbag on this planet?" Kaine questioned.
"If you recognize yourself as Kaine, then why does it matter if you're 'real' or 'fake'? Whether something is real or fake…depends on how they perceive it! And I perceive you as a real friend." Noel proclaimed, holding his raised hand with an encouraging smile.
Still somewhat unconvinced, Kaine turns to Dark Pit, who has been eavesdropping on the conversation. "…Punk Pit, do you side with this?" He asked him for his advice.
"More or less." Pittoo expressed jokingly. "The only problem I have with being a reflection of Pit is that are fates are intertwined. You're more independent than I am. Take advantage of that already. Reject all the pity and expectations. You don't own anyone that." He advised his fellow clone.
"Fight in defiance of expectations…As me…?" Kaine muttered, treasuring their advice deep in his heart. He glances at his fellow clones saying, "I'll keep that in mind. Thanks." But he gives a special grateful attention to Noel, "And Noel. Thank you for sharing your past with me. That was brave."
"You're welcome. Just like helping out my friends." Noel giggled from his gratitude.
"Though I find it hard to believe a clumsy girl like you can destroy the world." Dark Pit smirkingly teased her.
"Hey…I can be strong when it counts." Noel frowned shyly.
"He's just teasing. I know you can kick his ass without trouble." Scarlet assured her.
"I can do the same to you!" Pittoo retorted, furiously butting heads with him.
"Try it, Emo the Cupid!" Scarlet snapped, their bickering eliciting an adorable giggle from Noel.
BGM End
BGM-Mega Man X8 OST-Hunter Base - Going to the Front
Bonds have strengthened between heroes just in time for them to come together and bear witness to the upgraded Crocea Mors. The machines finished fusing it with the chosen metals and unveils them before Jaune, who is more than excited to take them out, "It's finished!" He holds onto his Vibranium shield to feel that it's lighter yet stronger than ever before, "Wow, it feels so light." Then he touches his Adamantium sword that is just as indestructible as it is dangerous, resulting in him accidently hurting himself, "Ow! And this feels so sharp."
"Congratulations. You've become Captain America lite with a Wolverine sword." Scarlet Spider snarked.
"Thanks, Scarlet." Jaune smiled gratefully.
"Don't mention it. Come on. We still have a problem that this idiot help complete." Scarlet reminded, sassing about the popstar standing next to him.
"By accident. Lead the way, Candlebug." Luna quipped, ready to shut down the lab's cold fusion reactor.
BGM End
Team Scarlet soon enters a massive technological chamber where they find their primary objective. It is the Cold Fusion Reactor, resembling a large dome-shaped device that is radiating a sinister chilling breeze. "There it is! The fusion reactor!" Luna Snow points out while the heroes rush to deactivate it somehow.
BGM-Shadow the Hedgehog OST-Shadow Incoming
Suddenly, the reactor retracts into the floor to protect itself from what's about to fly down. A giant, four-legged armored tank that is armed to the brim with Roxxon-based weaponry. All of the heroes, most of them gasping in surprise except for Kaine, who scoffs and shields his friends with a hand gesture. "This is the Armiger reporting to Roxxon Security. Primary target and his party have been located. Acquiring targets. En route to intercept and destroy!" said the Roxxon Guard piloting one of the company's most powerful weapons. A Roxxon Armiger.
"What the…!" Noel uttered in shock and fear of this imposing death machine.
Unintimidated, the cocky Dark Pit scoffs, "As if this tin can with legs can stop us!"
"You corporate scum! Get out of my way!" Scarlet Spider threatened furiously, readying himself for the showdown.
BGM End
BGM-Shadow the Hedgehog OST-Heavy Dog
Scarlet Spider makes a fearsome dash for the Roxxon Armiger that is preparing to counterattack. "This is the Armiger. Scarlet Spider has been sighted: proceeding to engage and neutralize." The walking tank activates its multiple guns, firing numerous bullets that are all targeting the acrobatic arachnid that is dodging them all before striking the giant mech with a raging hurricane kick, knocking it aback a bit. It retaliates with missiles that Kaine easily swings away from, only for his reckless lack of Spider-Sense getting him struck in the back when they are revealed to be homing missiles, prompting him to be saved by Jaune.
"You fought these types before?" Jaune asked, allowing his shield to be used by Scarlet to bounce back into the fight.
"At least once a week." Scarlet retorted, dodging lasers in midair before webbing one of the armaments. "Target its weapons then I'll finish the rest!" He shouted, web-zipping to stinger-slash the webbed weapon.
"Luna, keep that thing still while Scarlet distracts it! Rest of us, destroy those weapons!" Jaune commanded his friends.
His friends comply starting with Luna freezing one of the Armiger's legs, immobilizing it for a moment while the midair Scarlet shouts, "HELLWEB SHOT!", and showers the machine with fireballs. Its armor is tough but the Armiger becomes annoyed with both Scarlet and Luna focuses its firepower on them, leaving its weapons wide open for a bullet-flying assault from the trio of Ren, Noel, and Dark Pit. One of the missiles target Ren only for Jaune to intercept with his new Vibranium shield, blocking the explosive blow quite easily.
"Let's see if I am Captain America lite." Jaune channels his inner Steve Rogers as he throws his mighty shield at the Armiger. The indestructible force strikes one armament, then another, and another, ricocheting between all three of them until they are critically damaged. The shield bounces back to Jaune's hands, who barely caught it with a look of utter amazement at his latest feat, "That was cooler than I thought! Never knew throwing shields can be so much fun! You rock for this, Scarlet!"
"That's just the tip of the iceberg, punk!" Scarlet teases his new shield has more capabilities, all while tricking missiles to strike the Armiger itself.
"Armiger to HQ, come in! Requesting emergency assistance in eliminating targets!" The Roxxon Pilot ordered urgently, freeing his mech from the ice trap.
A Roxxon Security Squadron answers the call and ambushes the heroes, starting with Luna Snow by showering her with bullets that her ice can't keep up with. Kaine sees her in trouble and expresses genuine concern for her by exclaiming, "Snow!", before web-zipping to her rescue. He swings her to safety, much to her surprise since they used to be enemies, and becomes concerned for him when he is knocked down by a bullet to the back.
"Kaine!" The shocked Luna shouted.
Jaune rushes to his friends' defense with his new Adamantium sword that is making quick work of the Guards, cutting through their advanced weaponry like a hot knife through butter. He shield-bashes a guard twice before slashing him down, but it gets better. The adrenaline gets him deploying an energy blade on the pointy end of his shield and uses the enhancement in delivering a two-hit slashing combo with valor. "A shield blade too? I am LOVING vibranium!" Jaune excitedly noticed.
It's taking a moment for Scarlet to recover from his bullet wound. Thankfully, much to his confusion, he finds himself being healed by Luna's light ice energy. "You're healing me…?" Scarlet commented.
"You saved me." Luna reminded him.
"Don't take it personally…" Scarlet grunted, standing back up with his strength restored. "It's only because you're Reilly's friend…I went the wrong way about it to protect him. The least I can do is protect his friends from more of my messes." He admitted his terrible excuse for hunting his brother in the past.
"That's why…" Luna muttered, finally realizing that Kaine is not pure evil and does have a genuine desire to make up for his past crimes. "Then let's honor him together by taking this thing down!" She declared, finally deciding to trust the new Scarlet Spider.
"Just don't freeze me again when I'm not looking, rookie." Scarlet snarked, accepting her proposal.
Fire and Ice come together for the final assault on the Roxxon Armiger. Most of its weapons are destroyed though some laser cannons are still functional and firing nonstop at the elemental duo. Scarlet pulls Luna away so she can hang onto him amidst his web-swinging. He focuses on evading attacks while she focuses her ice in freezing two of its legs. A laser cuts the webline and they fall, prompting Luna to create a slick icy rollercoaster for the duo to slide on while Scarlet webs the remaining legs to submission, completely restraining the giant mech.
"Weapons are down!" Noel said, destroying the remaining armament.
"Bring the reactor back up! Gonna smash right into it!" Scarlet ordered the popstar.
"Sure thing!" Luna acknowledged.
Both jump off the ice slide, with Scarlet appearing above the Armiger for the final attack and Luna landing below to use her powers to link with the cold fusion reactor hiding underneath them. Within erupting dual-colored ice spikes that pierce the Armiger, the reactor emerges. Afterwards, Scarlet finish charging up his fiery fist for the finishing web-zipping blow. "HELLWEB EXPLOSION!" He roared, letting out a mighty battle cry as he smashes through the mech and obliterates the cold fusion reactor. Fire and ice collide, causing a massive elemental explosion that is both destroying the Armiger and tearing apart the entire Roxxon facility.
"Critical damage taken to fuselage! We're losing…aaaaaargh!" The Roxxon Pilot screamed in defeat, caught in the exploding Roxxon Armiger that all the heroes fled from in the nick of time.
BGM End
Later at Downtown Houston…
"That should put Roxxon behind schedule." Dark Pit snarked, hanging out with his group atop a rooftop after foiling Roxxon's plans.
"Thanks for helping us, Luna." Jaune expresses his gratitude to the popstar.
"Call me Seol. Thanks again for saving me. Haven't had a teamup that fun in a while. We should do it again sometime." Luna smiled, enjoying her time with her newfound friends.
"Sure thing." Jaune nodded.
BGM-Spider-Man 3 (Film) OST-Peter Gives Aunt May the Ring Back
Beside them stands Scarlet Spider, brooding in his typical cross-armed position. He has learned a bit from today's events and wonders just how it'll benefit his goal of controlling his Spirit of Vengeance. He shoots a stoic glance at Luna Snow, then recalls what Blake Belladonna advised him back at Fort Stryker, 'Just beating up the bad guys as a superhero won't bring you closure. You have to make amends with your victims along the way. You have to go to them and be of service.' It was too late for Kaine to make amends with Sienna Kahn before her death. But now he has another chance to make things right with another victim of his villainous past.
"…Luna." Scarlet calls for her attention. With a stern stare accompanied by a sincere tone in his voice, Kaine tells her, "I want to…apologize for my behavior when we last met. I did you wrong. No matter what excuse I give won't change the fact that I hurt you and countless others. I'm sorry."
Surprisingly, Luna smiles amidst her reply, "Apology accepted. And I should apologize for back then too. Ben always told me there is good in you. I was just too much of a rookie to give you a chance."
"We were both rookies. I was too stubborn, and perhaps too arrogant, to accept anyone's help. Ben was, in every way, a better version of me. No matter how far I had fallen, he did see the good in me. Even when I didn't." Kaine admitted somberly.
"Thanks to him, we have a second chance to grow and get along." Luna starts giving advice by first conjuring light ice in one hand and dark ice in the other, "Light and darkness is interconnected within all of us and can only be managed by what we love. That is what Ben taught me." She then combines both ice types to create a small statue of the original Scarlet Spider, "Just open your heart. Everything will be alright. Attitude aside, you're a pretty alright Scarlet Spider." Luna smiled while handing him the small ice sculpture as a way to express their newfound friendship. Two things that Kaine accept with a grateful nod.
BGM End
BGM-Project X Zone 2 OST- The Dragon Soars, The Turtle Gallops
Flying through the sky is Tiki in her dragon form carrying the likes of Hummingbird, Nora Valkyrie, and Pyrrha Nikos. All four girls have been searching for Luna Snow since they heard her gone missing from Annabelle, and thanks to Hummingbird's telepathy, they find her hanging out with Kaine's group. "There she is!" Hummingbird pointed out.
"Looks like Jaune found her." Pyrrha noted, just before Tiki flies them toward the rooftop where Kaine's group notices their descent.
"Friends of yours?" Luna questions Kaine.
"That's what they think." Scarlet snarked stoically.
"Very funny, Shy Spider." Nora sassed, right as the girls dismount from Dragon Tiki's back, "Why didn't you invite us to the Luna Snow rescue mission?"
"Because we didn't know she was in danger. We went to Roxxon to upgrade my weapons." Jaune answered, showing off his upgraded Crocea Mors.
"Nice. Can't wait to spar against them." Pyrrha smiled, making her love interest happy. "I'm assuming this was your idea." She then faces Scarlet.
"Blame your self-righteous ass." Scarlet snarked, rudely implying to her that he only helped Jaune to impress her.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Pyrrha snaps at him just as quickly brushing aside his aloof attitude, "Ah, forget it."
Immediately after, Tiki transforms to her human form, much to Luna's gasping amazement. "T-That's the Jade Dragon! The Voice from Youtube!" Luna exclaimed, recognizing the interdimensional popstar that's less popular than her.
"Correct. An honor to meet you, Luna Snow. I am a big fan of your work." Tiki smiled respectfully.
"Same here." Luna nodded, happily revealing to be a big fan of Tiki's career as well.
"What?" Tiki reacted in shock at this.
"Oh yeah, I'm a big follower of your channel. Listened to all your songs and love using your Uta-loid to create new music." Luna said.
"I…never noticed. Then again, technology likes to confound me. I leave that realm to my boyfriend Kaine." Tiki replied, still a bit stunned to have her favorite pop singer as a fan.
"You're dating The Voice?" Luna expresses her surprise at Scarlet.
"You know Luna?!" Tiki expresses her own surprise of his history with Luna Snow.
"Yes and unfortunately yes. Can we go home already?" Kaine sassed.
"Not yet. Just got a great idea. How about you all come to my concert tonight? You can watch me and Jade Dragon sing. Can even get you backstage passes. Think of it as thanks for saving me from Roxxon." Luna smiled excitedly at her own plan.
"Whoa, for real?!" Noel exclaimed, sharing her enthusiasm with all of her friends that are totally eager to attend the concert.
"I don't know…" Tiki frowned unsurely, wanting to help Kaine resolve his demon issues first.
"We'll go." Scarlet decided for her with a comforting shoulder-touch, much to her surprise.
"What?! But, what about the Jackal?" Tiki questioned him.
"He can wait one night." Kaine assured her, putting love first before revenge. "'Sides, I know you can sing better than this Snowflake." He then said to tease Luna.
"Just don't ruin my concert like last time." Luna sasses him back.
"Last time?" Tiki glares at her boyfriend, realizing that Kaine's history with Luna is a complicated one like with other people from his vengeful past.
"Uh…I'll…try." Scarlet promised, albeit with great embarrassment.
BGM End
At Kamar-Taj Academy…
BGM-Super Dragon Ball Heroes OST-Inevitable Asura
The demonic battle at the mystical school is reaching an incredible climax. Huntsmen are losing their souls to the Ogre Clones as they are losing their lives to the sorcerers led by Doctor Strange. His arcane knowledge invokes the monstrous entity, Farallah, who assists Xiaoyu in defeating several demonic fighters with its sorcerous maw. At the same time, Jin Kazama is in the midst of dueling with the alleged leader of this attack, Unknown. He backs away from a palm strike and blocks a kick before retaliating with a punch that is countered by a sweepkick that he jumps over in time, leading him to be struck by her leaping elbow. Her familiar fighting style continues to confound Jin as he throws several attacks that are parried perfectly by this mysterious woman. His confusion reaches its apex when Unknown launches another Kazama technique at him. The Dragon Wheel Kick. It is only thanks to the intervention of Angel's energy blast that Unknown is pushed away from the flabbergasted warrior.
"Get your head in the game, Jin!" X-Men's Angel said.
"Sorry." Jin apologized, regaining his stern composure against their mystery enemy.
Unknown decides not to make another move. Her enigmatic eyes glancing at the remaining Ogres that are retreating from battle. She stares back at Jin in silence, yet the Zaibatsu Leader can't help but feel like she's trying to tell him something. "What? What are you trying to say? What do you want with me?" Jin demanded.
Unknown says nothing. Her only response is retreating through the same ominous liquid on the floor that clads her naked skin. "She got away with the Life Seed!" Angel scowled, noting that she also fled with a dangerous source of cosmic power.
BGM End
"And the Ogres with many sorcerer souls." Doctor Strange added, upon her and Xiaoyu regrouping with their two friends, "That is most ominous. We must track them down starting with that woman. I sense a demonic plot brewing."
"Who was she anyway? A demon?" Xiaoyu wondered.
"No. Similar, but not the same…An Unknown." Strange decided to name her that. "Whatever she may be, leaving the Life Seed in her possession is too dangerous. We must retrieve it or else this entire unified world will grow into complete chaos." He declared.
BGM-Shadow the Hedgehog OST-Doom's Eye
"Yeah…" Jin said, looking unusually gloomy.
"What's wrong, Jin?" The concerned Xiaoyu asked.
"It's nothing. Let's hurry up and find her and rid myself of this curse." Jin replied. Right after his friends leave to begin their investigations, the Kazama heir stays behind for a moment to brood about Unknown. 'Her fighting style, and that face…She looks just like her. But that can't be. She's…' He interrupts himself when a memory of his mother pops in his head. His mother who was killed by the real Ogre years ago. Jun Kazama. Shaking his head to rid himself of those painful memories, Jin tightens his fist as he vows to himself, 'I'll discover the truth to all this. I swear. If the world has to suffer in the meantime, then so be it.'
BGM End
BGM-Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 OST-Gallery
KFX Here: I have GOT to get better at pacing these chapters. Can't believe it's almost been a month since I uploaded something. Hopefully that'll change soon. Anyway, thought I give Jaune a unique upgrade in contrast to others getting Cross Arts. His sword is now infused with Adamantium while his shield gets a Vibranium upgrade (based on Captain America's shield from the 2016 comic book run, Captain America: Steve Rogers). Stick around, as things are about to get really juicy with this Scarlet Spider subplot.
Merged Locations:
- Kamar-Taj Academy: Kamar-Taj (Marvel) + Haven Academy (RWBY)
Next Time: Demonic Disaster at the Concert! The Raging Awakening of the Ghost Tarantula!
Please leave a review that'll tell me what you thought of this chapter! What did you like? What didn't you like? Would really appreciate the feedback.
Feel free to check out my TV Tropes Page titled "Fanfic/United Heroes". Some fans of mine created it and I am thankful to them. You are welcome to edit the page.
Remember: I have a forum page! Link can be found on my homepage or search for the "United Heroes" forums!
BGM End