Battle Of The Luminaries 3

by Tinyhammer

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

39. Section Eighteen

(The Arena)

Everyone looked in shock at the reveal of who hijacked the screens and lights. Someone who was actually in the Tournament of Kikai as a standalone fighter.

"P-P-Psycho Mantis! What are YOU doing here!?" Drake roared.

"What does it look like I am doing?" The psychic sneered. "I am going to fill the role of Junko Enoshima."

"W-What!?" Drake gasped.

"I admit that this is a little out of the blue so I will try my best to explain." Psycho Mantis said. "You see, I think this goes without saying but Junko was a major part of the Tournament of Kikai."

"Because Xero was a total idiot! He had at least ONE chance to prevent or at least delay Junko's plans!" Ashley roared.

"That may be true but it is hard to imagine that tournament without her." Psycho Mantis said. "So I waited patiently to see who would fill that role in THIS tournament. I thought I had a potential replacement in Nine the Phantom. But so far, she has been disappointing me."

Nine narrowed her eyes. "Fuck you. I am only here to make sure that these two make sure that my sister comes back safely."

"Even still, I expected more spectacle. All you did was roast all of the fighters. Which by the way, most, if not all were pretty fun but still." Psycho Mantis admitted before shrugging. "But MAN do we need some kind of spice for this tournament."

"The tournament is plenty more chaotic WITHOUT you!" Ashley scolded.

"Aw, come now! I am sure the audience would love to see my masked mug!" Psycho Mantis said. "Right, y'all!"

The audience then started to go wild. The people in the ring looked exasperated.

"See what did I…"

"SHUT YOUR FUCKING MOUTHS!"

Psycho Mantis (and by extension, EVERYONE) jumped before turning to see Drake with his face turning red.

"Even after Junko almost engulfed the entire multiverse with despair, you are STILL willing to cheer like babies who had keys jingle in front of them whenever a blatant powerful yet brutal villain takes over!?" Drake roared. "Are you THAT bored with your lives that you are willing to risk your lives just like the people of Danganronpa V3!?"

The audience winced as everyone stared at Drake with wide eyes and slack jaws. Even Psycho Mantis seemed thunderstruck for a moment.

Psycho Mantis then spoke.

"...How arrogant are you?"

Drake turned towards the largest screen with Psycho Mantis' face. "E-Excuse me?"

"Do you really think it made any difference who is put in charge of tournaments like these?" Psycho Mantis asked. "Why should WE care what YOU have to say?"

"W-Why should…" Drake said before growling. "I am the motherfucking MAIN host! I sorted the roster! I hand-picked most of the Mystery Fighters! Everything!"

"Ooh, what do you want? A cookie?" Psycho Mantis sneered. "If anything, you hosts make everything WORSE!"

"...You know, I may dunk on Drake a few times but even I know that he is not Xero-bad. Mostly." Nine muttered.

Drake glared at Nine. "Gee, thanks, Nine. Real assuring."

"Oh? Did you NOT prevent a Junko plot just like Xero did?" Psycho Mantis asked.

"H-Huh?" Drake asked.

"Let's review. Someone has gotten killed and had their spot replaced with an imposter." Psycho Mantis said.

Everyone's eyes bugged out at this.

"Oops, did I just spoil that Terry Bogard was killed?" Psycho Mantis asked. "So sorry!"

"That… That explains what happened to him when Ace took his place." Snoopy frowned.

"They are not the only ones. Several OTHER people are dead. Including Billy Kane, Dan Hibiki and Pichu." Psycho Mantis explained.

Everyone jumped at this.

"W-What…?" Drake asked.

"You heard me! Sure, it is a mystery why the little rodent is sucking so much in the last section but after hearing this, it is not that surprising!" Psycho Mantis pointed out.

Pikachu winced as Samus cast Psycho Mantis a dark glare.

"S-Samus… Is he right?" Link asked, stunned.

The armoured woman let out a sigh. "Unfortunately… Technically, they are not dead. 100%. But arguably makes things worse."

Everyone looked at each other in horror.

"In the Tournament of Kikai, only Xehanort and Marie died." Psycho Mantis continued. "And yet a whopping SEVEN people are dead!"

"S-S-Seven!" Ashley gasped.

Psycho Mantis then glared at the Announcer's Booth. "Do you really think you could say anything when all of this was happening under your nose!? Hell, six of those people literally died in Junko's old hideout!"

Drake's eyes bugged out. "WHAT!?"

"That's right! The hideout that was literally right UNDER the Announcer's Booth!" Psycho Mantis reminded.

Nine looked at Drake in disbelief. "You… You DIDN'T had Junko's old hideout taken down."

"There… There wasn't a reason to… I thought most if not all of her tools were moved to the tower between the dome and the hotel!" The vampire insisted.

"So that is what I am calling you. Arrogant." Psycho Mantis sneered. "I have no choice but to punish you."

Drake jumped. "P-P-Punish?"

"Yes, for disrespecting me, I have no choice but to take over as this section's Superstar." Psycho Mantis said.

The Millennium Star, who was floating stunned, narrowed his eyes. "You don't get to decide that!"

"Oh, yeah? And who's going to stop me?" Psycho Mantis asked.

"ME! I am the one who makes the arena changes!" The Millennium Star said. "I know for a fact that not even YOU could do that!"

"Hmm… I suppose that is true." Psycho Mantis mused. "I guess I have to make due with what I have."

"W-What do you intend to do?" Scooby asked with a gulp.

"Well, seeing that Pikachu is the Superstar before I take over, I suppose I should base the next stage change around him in some way." Psycho Mantis noted, rubbing his chin.

He then snapped his fingers.

"Ooh, I just remembered! People always talk about the tragedy at the second Battle of the Luminaries! However, they don't talk about the one in the third Megamix Tournament!" Psycho Mantis realised.

Everyone's pupils shrank.

"W-W-What do you mean?" Drake asked.

"Let's have a blackout just like that!" Psycho Mantis grinned.

Everyone jumped at this.

"W-W-What!? No! If there is a blackout, we would have to shut down the tournament just like the last time!" Drake insisted.

Psycho Mantis paused before staring at Drake for a moment.

"...Good."

Drake's pupils shrank as Psycho Mantis spread his arms.

"And now, kiddies! Say it with me!" Psycho Mantis sneered. "BLACKOUT!"

"NOOOOOOOOO!"

And just like that, all of the electricity in the arena, in the dome, in the hotel…. Have turned off, sending everyone into pitch darkness. Except for one screen which had Psycho Mantis overlooking everything.

(Dome; Electrician's Office)

"Andddddd we did it." "Psycho Mantis" said, dusting his hands together while sitting on top of the despair clone of Geese Howard who was on his hands and knees.

The people of Xuan Dou Zhi Wang that were in the office started to cheer while high-fiving each other.

"Nice work, Freddy!" Ell Blue grinned, giving a thumbs up.

"Yeah, thanks. I must admit that I wished I could have dragged it out a little longer." Freddy admitted.

"Yes, same here. But that's fine." Ell Blue said, crossing his arms. "As long as Drake is suffering for not inviting Yan to this tournament."

Freddy nodded before looking back at the camera. Suddenly, he paused.

"Umm, I am going to put the arena on the screen. Y'all may wanna see this." Freddy said.

Everyone looked confused at this. Then, Freddy used his powers to turn on a screen to show the arena.

However, it was actually lit. Not as much as it would with arena lights but still decently lit. At first, everyone was confused. Then, they noticed that yellow stars with black, beady eyes were floating around the arena.

Ell Blue blinked twice before narrowing his eyes.

"Sooo… They are fighting back, eh?"

(The Arena)

"...So you had an emergency light supply all of this time?" Psycho Mantis asked.

"But of course! I am a STAR! Star produces LIGHT!" The Millennium Star proudly as the stars floated in place while slowly turning around.

Psycho Mantis merely scoffed. "Bah. So you managed to light up the arena. You see, I have the entire dome and hotel to worry about."

"Then, I will send stars to every part of the dome and hotel to help people navigate." The Millennium Star offered.

"But how about the facilities like the restaurant and the bar. They would have to close down." Psycho Mantis challenged.

"The staff have backup coolers so while the menus are several limited now, they could still work." The Millennium Star reassured.

"Oh, how about the Sound Booth? Are you going to put THEM out of a job?" Psycho Mantis asked.

"What about them? They are literally RIGHT there. I am providing the power for them AND look after the arena." The Millennium Star offered.

Psycho Mantis paused before crossing his arms.

"Alright… I'll humour you. For now."

Everyone then started to cheer as the Millennium Star and Tumble sighed in relief.

"Tch… Fine… I will leave you alone for one section. Then, we will see how this tournament will run without the main power being out." Psycho Mantis scoffed.

"We will take your challenge!" Tumble boasted. "Right, Drake?"

All Tumble got was silence.

"Um, Drake?" Tumble asked.

Everyone turned towards the Announcer's Booth to see just Nine with a frown on her face.

"Umm… I think Drake is having a cardiac arrest at the moment. Ashley is trying to help him." Nine said.

"Wait, is he legit having a heart attack?" Psycho Mantis asked in disbelief before laughing. "WOW. How pathetic can you get!?"

Everyone glared up at the Millennium Star before they started to boo him.

"Your boos mean nothing to me!" Psycho Mantis shouted in an exaggerated voice of Rick Sanchez. "I've seen what made you people cheer!"

(Announcer's Booth)

Indeed, Drake was on one knee while gripping his chest with one hand and having his other hand on the control panel for support. Ashley was on his knees, looking concerned. Then, the Millennium Star and Tumble flew over.

"By the Star Spirits, you ARE having a heart attack." The Millennium Star gasped.

"I-I-I'm fine…" Drake offered.

"No, you are not…" Ashley frowned.

"S-S-Still if I don't fight through this, then Psycho will… Psycho…" Drake winced.

"Even still, you can't announce the fighters like this." Ashley said. "I think we should let go of Nine solo on this."

The witch frowned. "...Yes. About that."

Ashley looked at Nine worried. "N-Nine?"

"Look, if Psycho Mantis could turn off all of the electricity to the dome, who knows what else he could do." Nine frowned. "Especially to the elimination node."

Drake and Ashley's eyes bugged out in realisation at this.

"Even now, I am still mad at you for what happened to Celica, but Psycho Mantis hasn't stopped, there may be a chance that my sister will be stuck wandering elimination nodes forever." Nine offered.

"S-She's not wrong." Drake winced while still gripping his heart.

"B-But who is going to do the announcements?" Ashley asked.

Drake paused. "...Tumble."

The silver star raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"After Pikachu asks for his stage change, I want you to do the announcements for us." Drake asked.

The die's eyes widened at this. "EHHHH!?"

"Hey, that is a good idea. You don't have much of a role outside of translating for the Superstars that can't talk and giving the Millennium Star information about the stage change." Nine nodded.

"But… But… But… What if the recap team has a question and they need me to answer it?" Tumble asked.

"We have the notes written down next to the announcement list." Ashley offered. "Besides, Carver and the others are cool people. I am sure that they are willing to do their best."

"But…" Tumble said.

"Tumble… PLEASE." Drake pleaded.

The die paused for a moment. He then sighed.

"Alright… I'll do it." Tumble offered.

"Don't worry, I announced solo for a couple of sections and I did fine." Ashley offered.

"Indeed. They chose YOU alongside me for a reason." The Millennium Star reassured.

Tumble paused before nodding before the two went back to the arena. With that, Nine got up.

"I don't know if I will be back or not but Psycho Mantis is stopped, I have no choice." Nine offered.

"Okay, thanks, Nine…" Ashley said.

"I know you are only here for Celica…" Drake said before giving a weak smile. "You have been an awesome third host."

Nine paused. "...Well, you already know that I didn't do it for you or this tournament but I would be lying if I said that I DIDN'T have a bit of fun. Regardless, I wish you the best of luck. Though it is more to wish Psycho Mantis the WORST of luck."

"100% understandable." Ashley said, sternly.

Nine nodded her head before walking out of the Announcer's Booth. When she closed the door behind her, Drake's smile vanished.

"...Seven people are dead?" Drake asked.

"It is not your fault, Drake." Ashley reassured. "Nobody would expect Psycho Mantis would interfere with the tournament."

"Y-Yeah… But why here? And why now?" The mayor asked.

(The Arena)

The Millennium Star and Tumble floated out of the Announcer's Booth.

"Okay, so I will be the solo announcer for this section." Tumble said before gulping nervously. "Ashley is helping Drake and Nine go out to try to find out what is going on. So we are going to try to continue the tournament."

"You're kidding! Just like that?" Garfield asked in disbelief.

Tumble glared down at Garfield. "If we don't, Psycho Mantis will win."

Garfield sighed. "Okay, fair enough…"

Tumble nodded before looking at Pikachu. "...Pikachu, I know that you are going through a lot but it would be really nice if we could hear your stage change from you."

The Pokemon paused at this. He then looked around at the audience. They were either scared, confused or both. Finally, Pikachu narrowed his eyes and nodded his head before turning to Tumble and speaking.

The die nodded at this. "Uh-huh. Uh-huh. That is good."

"What does Pikachu want, Tumble?" The Millennium Star asked.

"He is taking a page out of Mewtwo's book. Having the arena playing out like a Special Smash." The die offered. "Only instead of Franklin Badges, he specifically requested…"

Tumble then smiled.

"Pokeballs."

The audience went wild at this as the fighters looked at each other.

"Hey, that is actually a fun gimmick!" Sora smiled. "Pokeballs are so fun to play around with!"

"Yeah, until your opponent gets a good one or you get Goldeen." Samus muttered.

"Still, it would be enough, ignoring the fact that it would be great for my livestream, us ARMS fighters are so jealous of Min Min having all of the fun!" Kid Cobra nodded.

Pikachu suddenly frowned before speaking up, getting Tumble's attention.

"Uh-huh?" The die asked. "Sure, that isn't a problem."

"What is it?" The Millennium Star asked.

"He specifically asked for the Pokeballs to appear AFTER the final fighter is announced." Tumble said. "He still needs to recover."

The Millennium Star gave an unseen frown "I think we all need to. Just send the Pokeball list."

"Alright. I will send the one for Ultimate." Tumble said, typing into his phone. "Anddddd done!"

The Millennium Star nodded his head before spinning around while emitting his bright light. When the light cleared, the arena went back to normal.

"Aww, I am going to miss this stage." Spongebob frowned. He then brightened up. "But at least I get to be a Pokemon trainer!"

Pikachu's platform then went down with the mouse stepping off with several people looking at him.

"...Hey, is the little guy going to be alright?" Donkey asked. "If what Psycho Mantis says is true, then he is reacting to his friend dying."

"I am not sure." Scooby frowned.

Tumble paused before looking at the Millennium Star. The latter then gave a reassuring nod. Tumble returned the gesture before getting out a microphone.

"WAVE THE SWALLOW!" (StH)

The purple-feathered mechanic of the Babylon Rogues came out to a mixed reaction. However, she was more focused on the Announcer's Booth with a frown.

"...I had a feeling that if I didn't get roasted by Nine, then the finger of a monkey's paw would be turned." Wave frowned.

She then let out a deep sigh.

"Hey, Psycho Mantis, can I ask you a question?" Wave asked.

The psychic (who was surprisingly quiet the entire time) crossed his arms. "Yessssss!"

"Are you going to reveal your co-conspirators or are you saving it for a grand reveal?" Wave asked.

Everyone looked confused.

"...I fail to see what you are talking about." Psycho Mantis lied.

"Oh yeah? Playing dumb, huh? Well, that is the WORST type of game to play with ME!" Wave spat before looking around. "Everyone, I know who was behind the garlic attack, Terry Bogard's murder AND the knockout gas attack in the Recovery Room."

Sadira raised an eyebrow. "Wait? Even the RECOVERY ROOM is attacked? Damn, whoever is behind all of this is playing for keeps."

"W-W-Who is it?" The Millennium Star asked.

Wave narrowed her eyes. "The cast of Xuan Dou Zhi Wang."

Everyone immediately went silent at this.

"Um, who?" Tumble asked, scratching the back of his head.

"Yeah, I don't get it either. Apparently one of their fighters was supposed to be a Mystery Fighter in the second Battle of the Luminaries." Wave said before frowning. "You know before all of THAT happened."

Everyone looked at each other in confusion.

"Look, it is a long story and I don't think I will say it here." Wave explained before looking at Psycho Mantis. "Well?"

The gas-mask-wearing man paused. He then looked to the side.

"Well?"

A few seconds later, a blue-haired man joined Psycho Mantis.

"...Well, so much for the element of surprise." Ell Blue muttered. Despite this, he smiled. "Hello, I am Ell Blue and I am the main character of Xuan Dou Zhi Wang."

Wave paused. "...So it IS true."

"Yeah, it is a long story short but one of us was supposed to enter the arena and yet he wasn't in the tournament." Ell Blue said. "So we decided to have a little revenge for what happened."

"Wait… Are you telling me that you did all of that horrible stuff, INCLUDING killing Terry, just to enter a tournament!" Samus gasped.

Ell Blue's smirk vanished. "...Just a tournament? HOW DARE YOU! It is a place where even washed-out nobodies have a chance to shine! Would people even know what Kizuna Encounter is before this tournament!? Or Waku Waku 7!?"

"So THAT is your reasoning?" The Millennium Star asked in disgust.

"Of course! We owe this spot just as much as the others who have been snuffed in the second tournament!" Ell Blue scoffed.

Donkey suddenly looked surprisingly angry. "Maybe because you are a bunch of entitled asses! And coming from a donkey, that is some insult!"

"Yeah, I had a feeling that a Shrek character would be the most vocal about it." Ell Blue muttered, rolling his eyes. "I am surprised the spider-themed assassin didn't speak up."

"...What is there to speak about? My node is here. You are not." Sadira said, matter-of-factly. "At least not through the easy way."

For once, Sadira got a standing ovation as everyone laughed. Ell Blue growled.

"Fuck you! Don't take this as easy! First, the garlic attack was botched because there were so many aeromancers! Which took a lot of working, even when tricking Terry to have us enter the Super Smash Bros locker room!" Ell Blue snapped. "Next, we had to kill Terry in case he would use what he knew against us! Next, Ace did a horrible Tsugumi impression so we had to do a knockout attack to save him while shifting the heat to Dingodile and Komodo Joe!"

"I had my suspicions when Dingodile was the main suspect behind the garlic attack and Terry's murder." Sora mused.

"All in all, we deserve to be here! Not Power Instinct! Not Rival Schools! US!" Ell Blue shouted.

Everyone started to boo Ell Blue.

"Like Psycho Mantis said, your boos mean nothing to me!" The electromancer roared. "I saw what made you cheer!"

"So yeah, we came together by chance and when I found out what they were doing, I loved it!" Psycho Mantis said, sneering through his mask. "So yeah, this tournament is going to be REAL interesting from now on."

The audience continued to boo them as Wave blinked twice.

"...Is this what caused US to get brainwashed in the first Battle of the Luminaries?" She asked.

She then shook her head before making her way down the ramp and stepping into the ring.

(Announcer's Booth)

"I can't believe it! They are willing to do all of this horrible stuff JUST because they didn't get in!" Ashley said in disgust.

Drake on the other hand stared in shock.

"...All of this… Happened… Because I didn't invite Yan…?"

(The Arena)

"WARIO!" (SSB)

The yellow-and-purple-clad heavyset man came out to an enormous cheer. Normally, he could play to said crowd but he had a surprisingly serious look on his face. He then looked at the screen that had Ell Blue and Psycho Mantis. Wario then pointed at the screen before making a slitting gesture with his hand. Ell Blue sneered as he and Psycho Mantis waved to him.

Wario growled and stomped down the ramp before stepping in as the theme to Wario World played through the speakers. Once in, he looked at everyone.

"Okey-dokey! So what's the plan?" Wario asked.

Sora merely shrugged. "I don't know… Wait for potential opponents?"

"...So basically what we have always been doing." Sadira muttered.

"I mean, fair but I think this is more… Important here." Sora noted.

"Indeed. Their attempt was to stop the tournament so logic dictates that we have to continue on." Es nodded.

"Yeah, it is one thing to steal the spotlight for someone else's show but to try to shut it down altogether!" Kid Cobra roared. "NOT COOL."

"Well, the security team, my team and many others know who the true culprits are." Wave said before frowning. "However, we DIDN'T know they made an alliance with PSYCHO MANTIS."

"It gets worse." Samus frowned. "They may potentially have more allies!"

Link's eyes widened. "MORE? Who?

Samus gritted her teeth. "I will explain later… For now, we have to focus on keeping the tournament going."

Everyone looked at each other in worry.

"DANNY PHANTOM!" (NASB)

(He's gonna catch me all)

(Cuz he's Danny Phantom)

(Gotta catch them all)

(Cuz he's Danny Phantom)

(Gotta catch them all cuz he's…)

(Danny Phantom!)

The dark-haired ghost superhero came out to a mixed reaction. The positive reaction was because he was one of the better action cartoons on not only Nickelodeon but all of the cartoons as a whole. The negative reaction was because… Of his creator. If you know, you know. He looked around at the negative part with a frown.

"Thanks, Butch." Danny muttered. He then sighed before slapping his cheeks. "I'M GOING GHOST!

With that, he transformed in a flash of light turning into his superhero form with dark attire, snow white hair and glowing green eyes. The positive side of the audience went wild. He smirked at this before going to fly into the arena.

Then, a smooth-sounding soul played through the speakers.

(Feels so natural)

(Feels so natural)

(More than physical)

(More than physical)

(Spiritual love)

Danny immediately froze in his spot when Spiritual Love from Urban Species played through the speakers. He blinked twice before looking up at the Sound Booth to see Shadow smirking. However, he also noticed that Astaroth and Aila were looking confused. He then looked around at the audience and everyone was just as confused as he was. Danny frowned before deciding to float into the ring.

Once in, Spongebob stepped over, scratching the side of his head.

"Um, what's with the song change?" Spongebob asked.

Danny looked at Spongebob. "How should I know? It seems that only Shadow knows! Which makes me worried because I saw what happened to that technopath fairy!"

"Oof…" The sponge frowned. He then brightened up. "But hey, at least Shadow isn't letting what is going on get him down."

"That's ONE way of looking at it." Danny muttered before rolling his eyes. He then gave a small smile. "But yeah, with Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl getting a sequel, we can't afford to slack off. Especially since they would be more villains."

"Don't worry! With you here on the start and Jimmy showing up in the sequel as one of the earliest characters revealed, I KNOW we will win as always!" Spongebob offered. His smile vanished. "...Now if we could get around that hurdle of having Timmy in."

"Yeah, I don't get it either seeing that we had Timmy in Extreme Tennis." Danny noted.

"So for now? What's the plan?" Spongebob asked.

"Um, pretty much the same as everyone else?" Danny asked, scratching the back of his head. "I don't know who to fight."

"And now, Mystery Fighter… Number… THIRTY-SIX!"

"JAKE LONG!" (American Dragon: Jake Long)

Danny's eyes bugged out before looking up. "For real?"

(American Dragon!)

(Dragon up!)

(American Dragon!)

(Whoa-whoa-whoa-waahhhh!)

(He's the American Dragon)

(Freestyle with the dragon!)

The Chinese-American teenage boy came out at an enormous cheer. He smirked before looking around while crossing his arms together before pumping his fists into the air.

"DRAGON UP!"

Jake was then engulfed in a burst of flames and when said flames vanished, he changed into his red-scaled dragon form that had the same hair. The crowd went even wilder, especially since the dragon form was the first Season 1.

"That's right, y'all! Even though my Season 2 form is my 'default' dragon form in Disney Heroes Battle Mode, that doesn't mean I can't appeal to the classic, baby!" Jake smirked as he flew up into the air and flexed for the crowd.

(His skills getting faster)

(With Grandpa the master)

(His destiny will walk up streets)

(It's showtime, baby, for the legacy)

(American Dragon!)

Jake then started to freestyle.

(From the J to the A to the K to the E!)

(I'm the Mack Daddy Dragon of the NYC, ya heard!?)

Once he was done, he flew into the arena. Needless to say, he made his way over to Danny and Spongebob, particularly Danny.

"That's right! We have our obligatory Death Battle reunion with Danny Phantom and Jake Long reuniting!" Tumble announced.

"Well, well, well, I knew that there would be a good chance that I would run into you again when I got invited to this tournament." Jake smirked, crossing his arms. "But to be the EXACT reason why I am invited."

"Yeah, same here." Danny said before rolling his eyes. "Then again, I saw dumber reasons to get invited."

"So you are going to have a rematch with Jake?" Spongebob asked.

"Yeah, might as well." Danny shrugged.

Spongebob's face fell. "Aww… I wanted to team up with you just like in the old Nicktoons Unite days."

Danny frowned before putting his hand on Spongebob's head. "Aw, dear, dear, I beat him before and I should beat him again."

Jake's eyes widened as Spongebob looked up.

"Really?" Spongebob asked.

"Really. Just stay alive for a little while, alright?" Danny offered. "Besides, you still got Garfield."

The orange cat, standing a good distance away, did a double take. "...Huh?"

"Yeah, I should probably team up with Garfield OUTSIDE of kart races and platform battles." Spongebob nodded. "See you later."

With that, he walked off. Danny then turned around to see Jake glaring unto the former's eyes.

"...Looks like someone has gotten a big head since our last meeting." Jake said, darkly. "Maybe I should deflate it."

Danny then smirked. "Yeah, just try it!"

"LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD!" (SSS)

"...However, despite representing Shrek Super Slam, this one is actually from the video game adaptation of Shrek 2!" Tumble explained.

Ell Blue blinked twice. "Wait… They chose a random Little Red Little Hood instead of the canon one?"

"To be fair, when you see one Little Red Riding Hood character, you see them all." Psycho Mantis shrugged.

Ell Blue glared at Psycho Mantis. "Whose side are you on?"

"Mine!" The psychic said, jovially, missing a beat.

Indeed, instead of a blond, innocent-looking young girl, instead it was a brunette with a more tomboyish and confident look. She smirked as she looked around at the decent cheer she was getting when Tumble made the announcement. It wasn't as enormous as Shrek, Donkey and Puss but it was still enough to make her feel good.

After waving to the crowd, she skipped down the ramp before leaping in without a single thought. Donkey grinned before walking over.

"Heyyyyy, look at you, representing something other than the 'canon' character!" Donkey complimented.

"The same could be said for you outlasting Shrek and Puss without a single movie under their name." Lil' Red smirked before crossing her arms.

"Yeah, it sure feels REAL good even though I am still technically not the MVP." Donkey chuckled. "Hey, as long as we are here, wanna double-team just like in said video game."

Lil' Red gave a warm smile. "Aw, Donkey, that is very sweet…"

Suddenly, her face turned nasty.

"...Considering you and the others ditched me after I helped your butts when you were put in prison!" Lil' Red snapped.

Donkey yelped before wincing. "H-Hey, come on, Lil' Red. You know how important Gingy's role in the original Shrek 2 movie, not having Puss is simply out of the question and Huff N' Wolf still needs a couple of more levels to be playable in!"

"It's funny how you would say that about the latter when FAIRY only appeared in said prison break level save for that one bonus level!" The brunette scolded.

"...Oh, right. I actually forgot that she was playable at all." Donkey said in awe. "Which is really weird because I was also in the same bonus level she is. Like… Was there a single time where her levitation magic is mandatory? Or useful?"

"Um, Donkey?" Lil' Red frowned. She then suddenly shouted. "THAT'S NOT HELPING YOUR CASE!"

"CHARLIE NASH!" (SFAS)

Normally, the blond, spectacular ex-soldier with the Frankenstein's Monster-esque body would be standing outside of the Ready Room with a determined and blood-thirsty look on his face. However, he seemed conflicted as he walked down the ramp.

"Bison… The one who killed me… Not only got usurped in literally the first section but spent most of his time getting himself drunk and ENTER THE ARENA drunk." Nash frowned, gripping his head. "Is THAT why Capcom kept killing me and gave my chance for revenge to RYU just because he is the face of Street Fighter? Because no matter what, my revenge would be meaningless? What is the point of my existence? What is the point of ANYONE'S existence that is directly involved with the Shadaloo arc?"

With that, he started to step into the ring while still muttering to himself,

Suddenly, his eyes widened before suddenly vanishing. Just in time to avoid a slash from an arm bracer. Nash then reappeared behind Sadira and kicked her in the back. Despite stumbling forward in pain, she stopped before looking back with a smirk.

"...I suppose I deserve that. I thought I would get an easy elimination." Sadira admitted.

Nash narrowed his eyes. "...I am still trying to find my existence in life. But I won't be easily taken down by scum like you."

"Life? What life? You are canonically dead. Like, for real this time." Sadira taunted. "Sure, it would technically be Darwinism at work if my plan succeeded but considering how much Capcom disrespects you, nobody can 100% blame you for it."

Nash growled before storming over.

(Eliminated Seating)

"Donkey, Lil' Red! You all better give it your all!" Shrek shouted, cupping his hands to his mouth.

"Show those entitled assholes why YOU'RE here and THEY'RE not, Charlie!" Guile added.

"I don't know what is going on…" Patrick frowned before narrowing his eyes. "But kick their butts, Spongebob!"

Needless to say, the people in the Elimination Seating were cheering for the people in the ring. Mostly just to spite Psycho Mantis and the node of Xuan Dou Zhi Wang as they were furious by their actions in trying to stop the tournament along with other things.

A major contrast to the Smashers who were mostly quiet for various reasons. Some of them were worried about Pikachu and Pichu after hearing that the latter had died some time after his outrage in the arena. However, some were worried for a different reason.

They all looked at Rosalina who was sitting in her seat with her uncovered eye closed the entire time Psycho Mantis took over.

"Rosalina…" Peach said, softly.

The light blue-clad woman paused. The Luma just floated next to her with a worried look on her face. Snake frowned before getting up and walking over to Rosalina before crouching down.

"...Rosalina, I don't know if this would make you feel any better but…" Snake started.

"...But that is NOT Psycho Mantis. Yes, I have figured it out."

Everyone jumped at this as Rosalina responded what Snake's statement would be without opening her eyes. Snake was just as stunned. He then narrowed his eyes.

"...THAT obvious is?" Snake noted.

"Indeed. For better or for worse, I would still remember Psycho Mantis' words before I got brainwashed by him." Rosalina said. "And that is NOT him."

Zelda paused. "...Now that I think about it. The way Psycho Mantis is acting here is quite different from the way he was acting in the Tournament of Kikai."

"Yeah, his words, his manner-of-speaking, his mannerisms. All are vastly different from the Psycho Mantis I know." Snake frowned.

"You mean Psycho Mantis is just Ace? AGAIN?" Kazooie asked in disbelief. "Why would those idiots know that he sucks at cosplay?"

"Furthermore, why imitate someone like Psycho Mantis?" Banjo asked. "Terry I could understand because he was the only one who could ID the real culprits but what does Psycho Mantis have to do with it?"

"Absolutely nothing." Rosalina explained.

Before finally opening her eye.

"EXCEPT he had a personal interaction with Drake." Rosalina said, sternly.

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow. "Personal interaction? This is the first I heard of it."

Rosalina turned towards Sephiroth. "Oh, you don't watch the recap show for the Tournament of Kikai?"

"Not really." The white-haired man asked, shrugging his shoulders. "Why? What happened?"

"Oh, nothing." Wolf said before narrowing his good eye. "Only Psycho Mantis managed to take over Drake's mind while the former was in the ARENA."

Even something like this took Sephiroth off-guard. "Wait… Don't the recap shows usually take place in a completely different node?"

"You shouldn't be too surprised, Sephiroth." Snake scolded. "Not even the fourth wall is safe from him. You had to unplug your controller and put it in the OTHER slot to beat him."

"Hmm… Now I feel bad for skipping out on it. I would have treated him to a drink for a big flex." Sephiroth frowned, rubbing his chin.

Everyone glared at Sephiroth looks of anger, disgust and exasperation.

"...I can't believe I am saying this but you need a god, man." Dark Pit muttered.

"So wait, the reason they are posing as Psycho Mantis just to mess with Drake?" Peach gasped. "That's horrible."

"This is somehow worse than trying to kill him with the garlic attack." Chrom said in disgust.

"Well, just like their blackout attempt, we are going to nip their scheme in the bud!" Snake said, getting out a phone and pushing a number.

A few seconds later however, an automatic message could be heard.

"I am sorry but the number you are trying to reach is out of order."

Snake blinked twice. "Um, how? The Announcer's Booth is RIGHT THERE."

Shulk frowned. "Um, Kazooie, it seems that they learned their lesson more than you thought."

"Mewtwo, do you think you could use your telepathy to tell Drake and Ashley what is really going on?" Corrin asked.

The feline-like Pokemon's face lit up. "What a splendid idea! Allow me to show you a demonstration to show EXACTLY it would happen!"

With that, he spread his hand with shadow energy which created three tiny silhouettes. The first one was Mewtwo, the second one with Drake still having a cardiac arrest and the third one was Ashley trying to comfort him. The Mewtwo silhouette then used his telepathy to send waves from his head to Drake's own.

Only for Drake to scream, startling both Mewtwo and Ashley. Then, Drake exploded, engulfing the latter two, completely erasing Mewtwo's display.

"Do you really think going into the minds of someone who had a traumatic experience with a psychic taking over their brains is a wise idea?" Mewtwo scolded. "Even if they would now know the truth, it would still inadvertently HELP the cast of Xuan Dou Zhi Wang."

"Now what?" Olimar frowned.

Snake narrowed his eyes before getting up. "Well, if we can't reach them by phone, we should go there the long way."

Rosalina stood up. "I will accompany you."

Snake looked stunned. "Are you sure?"

"If I hide in fear, I may inadvertently be sending the message that Drake should do the same thing." Rosalina said, sternly.

Snake paused before nodding. "Come on… Let's go."

"Indeed, let's go, Little One." Rosalina said before looking at Luma.

The yellow star looked determined before nodding their heads. With that, they got up and exited the Elimination Seating, leaving the Smashers watching them with worry.

Olimar then sighed.

"...Remember when all we had to worry about was Bison?" Olimar muttered.

Unknown to everyone, two certain people were watching them from afar. Suddenly, one of them noticed something on the stairs and they were running on.

"Oh, I think they dropped something."

With that, they got up from their seats and walked over to what they saw. They then crouched down and picked it up to see that it is a Star Piece. His eyes lit up.

"Hot dawg! It is one of those fancy-schmancy Star Pieces!" Wade Hixton grinned.

"You mean the same one from the Paper Mario games?" Wolfrun asked from his seat.

"Yeah, it seems that the star lady forgot it when exiting the Eliminated Seating." Wade shrugged. "I am going to go over to return it to her."

"How do you know it is hers?" Wolfrun asked.

Wade blinked twice. "Um, it is a STAR Piece? And Rosalina's entire motif is STARS. It HAS to be hers."

With that, he left the Eliminated Seating. Wolfrun frowned before getting up and running after him.

"Heroism isn't my strong point but if someone doesn't stop him from putting his foot in his mouth, NOBODY will get anything done." He muttered before leaving as well.

(Dome; Security Team Room)

"Really? I see. Good. Just try to hang in there and we will try to find out the cause." Carmelita offered while speaking on the phone. "Yeah, see you later, Mama."

With that, she hung up before turning to everyone who was looking with worried faces. Except for Yan who was handcuffed. Despite this, he looked more bored than upset.

"Okay, the restaurant is still going to continue, so is the bar though King is going to be stricter with the alcohol, the arcade, gym and pool are closed and the Mario Brothers are going to see what they would do about the water situation." Carmelita explained.

"And the lights?" Pepper asked.

Carmelita frowned before shaking her head. "I can't get Cole's line for the death of me."

Storm's eyes widened in horror. "Wait, you don't think…"

"I don't want to think so but considering what happened to Terry." Gabe frowned.

Everyone looked at each other in worry. They then glared at Yan.

"YOU! You will tell us everything!" Carmelita snapped.

"Don't know." Yan said, matter-of-factly.

"DON'T LIE! We ALL know that you were responsible for everything that happened!" Carmelita roared.

"Yeah, but I don't know anything AFTER that." Yan said.

"What kind of bluff is THAT?!" Jet challenged.

"It is no bluff. Think about it. My fight with Joe happened in Section Fifteen. Which means I was absent from my node's plans after that." Yan reminded. "I am genuinely just as shocked as you guys when I saw that they not only managed to hijack the tournament but also recruited PSYCHO MANTIS!"

"He… DOES have a point." Horkeukamui said, rubbing his chin. "If they had Psycho Mantis on their side BEFORE Section Fifteen, they wouldn't have wasted time."

"Yeah, so technically speaking, I am innocent this time." Yan retorted. He then smirked. "Though I wouldn't mind being guilty!"

"How dare you!?" Benimaru roared from the tablet. "Terry most likely went with your plan because 100% trusted him! And you literally stabbed him in the back!"

"Come on, man, be reasonable. We would let him live if we thought there would be a chance that he would stay silent for us." Yan shrugged.

"Is THIS the fucking part where we just forgive what you done!?" Ralf roared.

"Well, I don't really care and I could assure you, neither does anyone else." Yan scoffed.

"What… What happened to you guys!? You were NEVER like this!" Benimaru sputtered. "Hell, some of you are HEROES!"

"So? It is like the Golden Pixie said. If villains could do heroic things, we could do villainous things." Yan shrugged.

"I thought we were friends!" Benimaru roared.

"Oh, Benimaru, don't misunderstand, we do appreciate you and Terry being our guest nodal companions but you guys just went on and forgot about us!" Yan scoffed. "Don't act like what we had was anything meaningful!"

"What… What…" Benimaru sputtered.

"WOW, I admit that my opinions on you were low but Jesus Christ." Kyo said in disgust.

"If Terry and Benimaru's friendships with you wasn't anything meaningful than Terry wouldn't had helped you with stealing Wario's garlic and Benimaru wouldn't had went out of his way to go to bat for you!" Lloyd scolded.

"Well, what do you want, a cookie!?" Yan snapped.

"...Wow, ya're… Ya're a really piece of shit." Dingodile said as everyone agreed.

Yan just looked away while everyone glared at this.

"Sooo…"

Everyone looked at Moe.

"What now?" Moe asked.

Carmelita paused. "Sure, Dingodile, Joe and Athena were innocent by what they did but at the end of the day, Joe did actively help a villain group aiding Bison and Dingodile and Athena were obstructing justice."

Everyone's eyes bugged out.

"However…"

Carmelita then sighed.

"I acknowledge that our main focus should be Xuan Dou Zhi Wang and Psycho Mantis AND the villain groups actually NEED power to carry out their crimes." Carmelita confessed. "If they didn't then Bison wouldn't give up on his plans in the third Megamix Tournament. Plus, if ALL of the members of the Xuan Dou Zhi Wang cast are involved, then this cage wouldn't be big enough."

Moe's eyes lit up in hope. "SSSSSo that means…"

Carmelita looked defeated.

"...Due to the complications of the current situation, I decided that we should pardon everyone." She sighed.

Otane's group looked excited at this as well as Dingodile, Athena, Horkeukamui and Pepper. Carmelita then walked over to Dingodile, Joe and Athena proceeded to unlock their cuffs one by one. The three sighed in relief while rubbing his chin. Suddenly, Tiny ran over and wrapped his arms around Dingodile in a mighty bearhug.

"Oh, Tiny is SOOO happy that Dingodile and Joe are innocent!" Tiny grinned.

Dingodile winced from the pain, despite having a weak smile. "Aye, Tiny, ya can put me down now!"

Meanwhile, Moe did his own bearhug to Joe, though not as tightly, startling the latter.

"H-Hey, get off!" Joe demanded.

"Not a chance!" Moe scolded with a big grin. "You have NO idea how worried I wassss about you."

Joe paused for a moment. He then returned the hug with teary eyes.

"Sorry…" Joe apologised.

"It's fine… It's fine." Moe reassured.

Athena smiled at the interactions. She then felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning her head, she saw Carmelita giving her a stern glare.

"O-O-Oh, Carmelita." Athena sputtered.

"Athena, don't misunderstand, I am still mad at you for going around my back and inadvertently helping a villain plot." The vixen scolded.

She then sighed.

"But I am far too relieved that you are actually yourself and not a mole." She admitted.

Athena gave a frown. "I am sorry for lying to you, Carmelita, but I know for a fact if I told you, you would be too focused on trying to take them down."

"Well, would you blame me? They were actively helping Bison!" Carmelita scolded. "How could I just ignore that?"

"To be fair, they were never actively helping Bison." Kula suddenly piped up.

Everyone turned the cryomancer with mixed reactions. Especially those who were too preoccupied with the mystery to figure out what happened.

"Umm… What?" Joe asked.

"Um, I will explain later. I think we have bigger things to worry about." Moe said, sheepishly.

"Indeed, even though we know who the true culprits are, we don't know where they are and even if we do, they have Psycho Mantis backing them up." Gabe said as he opened the cage to let everyone inside leave.

"ISN'T IT OBVIOUS THAT THE FIRST PLACE TO INVESTIGATE IS THE ELECTRICIAN'S OFFICE?" ARIA asked as she exited the cage. "MACGRATH'S LACK OF RESPONSE SHOULD BE EVIDENT OF THAT."

"Indeed, their first action after taking over was to cause a blackout." Maxima nodded.

"Okay, let's figure out our next plan." Carmelita explained. "Ignoring the fact that they have PSYCHO MANTIS on their side, one of them managed to beat Gabe so they are not too underestimated."

Everyone nodded their heads.

"We also have to worry about getting the antidote." Reptile piped up.

Again, everyone who was involved with the mystery was confused by this.

"Um, what antidote?" Pepper

Krizalid then looked over at Whip.

Kanji merely frowned. "...Look, on one hand we can't afford to waste any time, but on the other hand, if we don't have the full information, we would be wandering around like blind bulls."

Everyone nodded their heads. Krizalid then walked over to Whip.

"Whip?" Krizalid asked.

The Ikari Warrior turned her head. "Yes, Krizalid?"

"Thanks for helping us… It would have been trickier to explain things to Carmelita without you." The dark-skinned man said.

Whip paused before nodding.

"It is more than alright…"

(Realm; Trade District)

Four champions from the node of Paladins watched everything that was currently happening in the tournament through a portal. Needless to say, they were all stunned by what was going on.

"Oh, rustbuckets, to say that things are really escalating is an understatement." Barik winced while speaking in his Scottish accent.

"I do hope that Pepper will be alright." Talus frowned.

"Relax! She IS the alternate version of me so she is as tough as me!" Pip smirked, waving it off.

"Alternate version of you?"

The champions turned to see Celica and her friends looking at Pip in confusion.

"Oh yeah, our game has Echo Fighters! Technically, any skin that changes our voice lines is considered an Echo Fighter but only a few that got an official status!" Talus said, brightly.

Pip grumpily crossed his arms. "Official status or not, I STILL can't believe that Pepper has gotten chosen to be a part of the security team and not ME."

"To be fair, laddie, despite your… extroverted personality, your outfit IS a little drab." Barik admitted before grabbing part of Pip's outfit with his finger.

The Vulpin angrily swatted his hand away. "I don't need to hear that from YOU!"

Leon laughed at this. "What a colourful bunch you are! Maybe someday you guys will join an UVR tournament!"

Talus' eyes lit up. "Really? That would be awesome!"

"But WOULD we be invited?" Barik asked. "We ARE from a shooting genre and I don't think people would be that excited to see us shooting at people from afar."

"If a Slice-of-life character could win a tournament, a Hero Shooter could get their own node." Linkie offered.

"Besides, I could count the people that could pass for 'generic Call of Duty gunners' with one hand." Pip added. "We could make it work."

Talus' smile vanished. "But what about other Hero Shooters?"

"What about OTHER Hero Shooters?" Barik asked. "Even though we are considered an Overwatch clone, WE still managed to outlast them and BOTH of their games."

"Even though you are still considering a blond, Scottish Torsborn." Pip smirked.

"Oi…" Barik muttered.

"But we also have to worry about Team Fortress 2." Talus frowned.

"Aye, I would LIKE to say that we still have a decent chance seeing that our game is seeing more work than them." Barik said before frowning. "But unlike Overwatch, THEIR community is still going strong."

"Even still, I still think we got a chance. Sure, a TF2 mercenary was part of the security team before us but if an ECHO FIGHTER could be a security team member then at least one of us could be a Mystery Fighter." Pip offered.

"Well, don't give up hope. I am sure that someday, someone will see your worth." Azusa offered with a smile.

Leon's Charizard smiled and nodded. Barik, Pip and Talus all looked happy at this.

"I suppose that I wouldn't MIND getting an invite but what's in it for ME?"

Everyone's eyes widened before turning their heads to see Yagorath, the giant space worm.

"After all, the UVR tournaments are no-killing tournaments which translate to no-eating tournaments." Yagorath reminded in her booming voice. "Now I suppose that I CAN feel privileged in getting an invitation to one but if I am not allowed to eat anyone, what is the point? Sure, I am able to control my hunger to get objectives done but again, while there is no downside to entering, there is also no benefit."

Everyone just stared at Yagorath with varying negative reactions of shock, disgust, anger or just plain exasperation.

"...Remind me how we keep ending up on the same team as the one who literally tried to eat our Realm?" Barik asked.

"Don't ask ME! I just go whoever pays me the most at the time!" Pip insisted. "At least I have an excuse."

Barik glared at Pip. "...And this is why nobody respects you."

Before anyone could say anything else, they all heard a door opening. Turning their heads, they saw Drogoz entering while rubbing his head.

"THERE you are, Drogoz!" Barik said, crossing his arms.

"To say that you missed a lot in the last few minutes is an understatement." Talus nodded.

The wyrin turned towards his current team to see Celica's group. However, upon seeing Leon's Charizard, his eyes widened before narrowing. Wasting no time, he ran over to him and attempted to strangle him, much to everyone's shock.

"YOU! How DARE you ruin my Moji kill! Do you know that you get more gold if you deal killing blows!" Drogoz roared with his hands on Charizard's neck.

"H-Hey, get off of him!" Leon scolded, wrapping his arms around Drogoz's torso in an attempt to get him off of Charizard.

"I don't know what you are doing but that is no reason to be a violent brute!" Linkle scolded, helping Leon by grabbing Drogoz's tail.

"Yeah, you always were a bully but even for you, this is too much!" Talus added, leaping on Drogoz's back.

Pip blinked twice. "...I think the eliminated fighter they are sharing the elimination node with is the Charizard from Super Smash Bros."

"Makes sense. The purple-haired lad's Charizard was with US the entire time." Barik shrugged.

With that, they, Yagorath and Azusa just watched as Leon, Linkle and Talus continued to try to get Drogoz off of Charizard. Normally, Celica would also be watching and even going to help but she was too busy looking at the portal.

"...Oh dear, I hope that vampire will be alright." Celica frowned.

(The Arena)

"CLOUD STRIFE!" (SSB)

The blond, spiky-haired ex-soldier came out to an enormous cheer, especially from the fangirls. However, he paid it no mind while his large Buster sword over his shoulder as if it was made out of paper. He then made his way down the ramp with a stoic look on his face.

However, once in and seeing Sora smiling and waving at him, Cloud gave a small smile before making his way over.

"Hey, Sora, how are you enjoying your first UVR tournament as a Smasher?" Cloud asked.

"Oh, it is so cool! I thought I wouldn't have as much fun as I would in the Tournament of Kikai but the Superstar gimmick is SO fun!" The Keyblade-wielder grinned.

"Yeah, I had a feeling you would love that out of everyone." Cloud chuckled. "Hey, Sora, is it okay that we would not double-team for a while?"

"Um, why, you already have an opponent in mind?" The brown-haired boy asked, earning a nod with Cloud. "Well, it can't be helped. I am fine going solo at the moment."

Cloud nodded his head before going off towards his target. However, once Sora saw who it was, he immediately got nervous.

"Uh-oh." Sora frowned.

Es looked up to see Cloud approaching her with a stern glare.

"I assume that you wish to have a fight?" Es asked.

"You bet I wish to have a fight!" Cloud snapped. "I admit that you have proven yourself to be a skilled swordswoman by eliminating an UVR champion but don't let that get cocky!"

"I do not detect anything in my words or mannerisms that would qualify as cocky." Es said. "Regardless, I will demonstrate to you with actions."

With that, she readied her broadsword. However, seeing this made Cloud's entire face literally turn green as his eyebrow twitched. Meanwhile, Sora watches from afar with an exasperated face.

"...Dude, I know you are the poster boy for oversized swords but you gotta stop feeling threatened whenever you have a sword that is just as big as yours." Sora muttered.

"HODAN!" (RoA)

The white-furred ape let out a big grin with his large, blue bath towel around his shoulders. He then drank an entire glass bottle of milk. Once he had completely drowned the contents, he wiped the milk from his mouth with a satisfied sigh.

"It is a shame that Zetterburn and Forsburn had so much mental trouble in the arena but not too surprising." Hodan sighed. "Those boys take things WAY too seriously. Looks like it is up to see who shows what they did wrong."

Meanwhile, Snoopy and Scooby were watching Donkey, Lil' Red, Spongebob and Garfield doing stretches. Needless to say though, Garfield was not looking happy.

"I should warn y'all that I was a softball pitcher so I know how to throw balls!" Lil' Red taunted while stretching.

"Yeah and while I literally don't have a throwing arm, I could buck a ball just as good as a pitch!" Donkey added.

"Well, I was in Nicktoons MLB where I played against PROFESSIONAL baseball players!" Spongebob smirked. "Garfield may have not joined us for that but seeing that he was in Extreme Tennis, he has experience with sports."

Garfield slumped his arms. "What is WITH me and getting involved with pseudo-sports 2-on-2s?"

Snoopy blinked twice. "I am STILL stunned that it is ME watching Garfield interacting with Nicktoons instead of the other way around."

Scooby looked at Snoopy. "Oh, right, your show used to run on Nickelodeon for a while, didn't it?"

Before the beagle could answer, he and Scooby felt burly, furry arms wrap around them. Looking up, they saw the grinning face of Hodan.

"Hello, boys! You both seemed to be deceptively strong and managed to have fun at the same time!" Hodan noted. "Care to fight me?"

While startled, Snoopy smirked. "Gladly, we will waste no time taking you on!"

"WE? You are the world-famous monarch now?" Scooby snarked before sighing. "Alright, let's get this over with. Just tell me what kind of mancer you are?"

"Oh, I am technically an aquamancer but I actually have a little of everything." Hodan answered.

Scooby gulped nervously. "R-Really?"

"While I fight with water, because it is hot springs water, it is actually a mixture of aquamancy AND pyromancy." Hodan explained.

Snoopy and Scooby blinked twice at this.

"...Huh?" Scooby asked.

"Yes, that is the same for my steam attacks. And I also weaponise my own sweat!" Hodan grinned. "Oh, and I am also a geomancer since I could fight with mud!"

Snoopy and Scooby paused before looking at each other.

"...So let me get this straight. The closest thing Rivals of Aether has to a 'Nickelodeon Avatar' is THIS guy?" Snoopy muttered.

Scooby does his trademark laugh with a sheepish look on his face. "Well, at least I am not too scared about fighting HIM."

"I don't think that is a good thing." Snoopy frowned.

(It's like two hearts, two minds, two bodies, two souls)

Everyone's eyes widened before looking at the Sound Booth as Spiritual Love started to play again. They then looked at Danny, who had a nervous look on his face.

(Making one whole, now it's gotta be told)

(That what we have is more than just physical)

(Don't be so cynical, we got a spiritual love)

"And now, Mystery Fighter… Number… THIRTY-SEVEN!"

Jake looked at Danny with a raised eyebrow. "Looks like you have the privilege of having TWO Mystery Fighters invited because of you."

"Great.. Who is it? Is it Sam? Or Valerie?" The white-haired boy groaned. He then scowled. "If it is Ember, I am going to Ghastly Wail."

"JUNIPER LEE!" (The Life and Times of Juniper Lee)

Danny's pupils shrank.

(Feels so natural)

(Feels so natural)

(More than physical)

(More than physical)

(Spiritual love)

The eleven-year-old Chinese-American stood outside of the Ready Room. However, instead of looking excited, she crossed her arms and tapped her foot against the ramp with a grumpy look on her face. The crowd were in a hurricane of negative reactions. Though none of them were booing. Instead they were either laughing or cringing with the rest just looking confused.

(Eliminated Seating)

Rashid blinked twice before looking at the Nicktoons. "Um, what is going on?"

"We don't want to talk about it…" The Nicktoons (Yes, even Patrick and Stimpy) muttered.

(The Arena)

Danny slumped his arms in disbelief. "...You gotta be kidding me."

Jake smirked before jabbing Danny in the side. "Aww, not in the mood to meet your ex?"

"She's eleven years old, you sicko!" The ghost scolded while slapping Jake's elbow away. He then glared up at the Sound Booth. "Same to you, Shadow! Turn that crap off!"

"Alright, alright!" The hedgehog said, waving his hands in a surrendering fashion. "Give me a moment."

(Go! Go! Go! Go! Go! Go!)

(You can't stop the girl!)

(Go! Go! Go! Go! Go! Go!)

(You can't stop the girl!)

Juniper Lee or June sighed before walking down the ramp, still feeling grumpy. Though she did smile as when she saw people either bop their heads or even chant along to her theme song. She waved to them as she continued to walk down the ramp.

Once in, she made her way over to Danny and Jake with the former boy still rubbing his temples.

"...Well, THIS is awkward." June muttered.

"Tell me about it…" Danny sighed. "In an attempt to try to change the subject, how did you leave Orchid Bay?"

"Oh yeah, aren't you and your descendants not only to leave the town as long as you are the current Te-Xuan-Ze?" Jake asked.

"Oh, it is rather simple. Have you heard of FusionFall?" June asked.

"That major Cartoon Network online game, yeah, I remembered that." Danny said.

"Well, in that case, the reason I am able to leave it is because Grim, the one from Billy & Mandy, made a pact with me so I could leave." June explained. "Though it is not permanent, as long as Grim comes over to renew the pact, I could actually leave Orchid Bay any time."

"Well, that is great! I love NY but I don't know what I would do if I am stuck in it for the rest of my life." Jake frowned.

"Yeah, same here." June said. She then paused. "Well, even though I was clearly invited for a stupid reason…"

"And how." Danny asked, rolling his eyes.

"I think this is a blessing in disguise." June said. "A supernatural young hero from Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon and Disney each facing off against each other. Sure, I wasn't in a Death Battle but like heck I am missing an opportunity like this."

Jake raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you are able to keep up with us?"

"Hey, I may not see work like Danny in Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl or even you in Disney Heroes Battle Mode but hey, I could still fight!" June smirked,

With that, she punched the canvas. This actually made the entire arena shake except for Danny and Jake who were flying at the time. They then looked at each other. They then smirked.

"Alright, let's give the Battle of the Luminaries a classic Nickelodeon/Disney/Cartoon Network three-way that not even the Tournament of Kikai could give." Danny noted.

"ASH CRIMSON!" (KoFAS)

The white-haired red-clad Frenchman came out to a mixed reaction. Though the boos were slightly louder than the cheers. Despite this, he looked around while focusing on the cheers which he rarely got if ever.

"Huh. It looks like my appearance in XV was more well-liked than I thought." Ash mused. "Then again, having an arc wrap around itself all over you IS kinda overrated, anyway sooo…"

With that, he made his way down the ramp while clad in his new winter gear before stepping in. Once in, he put his finger on his lips.

"Hmm… Maybe I should play it safe and go after an unpopular character." Ash mused. "At first, I thought the swallow would be an easy pick but she seems to be directly helping with whatever is happening backstage. That makes her more of a threat because that is what happened to Shoma Sawamura and SETH of all people."

"TOHRU ADACHI!" (P4A)

Ash's eyes lit up as he looked up at the Entrance Curtain. There was the dark-haired ex-cop coming out to a huge mixed reaction. He just smirked as he tapped his pistol (which was never loaded ironically) while looking at the Announcer's Booth.

"It seems that you have to have a below-room temperature IQ to be a main OC host. Did they really make the prison break me out just to enter this one-night tournament?" Adachi asked in disbelief. "Then again, he is performing for the same people who are cheering for Junko Enoshima and Psycho Mantis? Man, and I thought I was bored."

He then swaggered down the ramp before stepping into the ring. Once in, Ash strutted his way over.

"I am sorry, monsieur, but as of the ending of the Tournament of Kikai, there are no limits to who you can invite to a fighting tournament." Ash said.

Adachi raised an eyebrow. "Come again?"

"No one wants to deal with a misanthropic, serial killer cop pushing their own agendas on others." Ash smirked, igniting his hand in a green flame. "I have no choice but to exile you from the arena."

"Well, well, well, look who has gotten a big head since they are not the most hated person in the tournament anymore." Adachi smirked. "Look, kid, you may not be as bad as you were in your arc but you are still an arrogant little shit who sticks his foot into shit that is way deeper than you could ever know!"

"Oh, come on. I AM facing YOU. I can't be THAT over my head." Ash taunted.

"Ugh, and to think I was relieved that Yukiko was eliminated in the last section. I would actually prefer to fight HER over you." Adachi sneered, tapping his pistol against his shoulder. "At least SHE more or less has skill. Oh well. Looks like I have to be the one to keep your ego in check at these things this time around!"

(Dome; Hallway)

Ragna and Bang frowned as they watched what was going on through a floating star. Due to the power going back, the Millennium Star had to send Power Stars not only to illuminate the dome and hotel but also showcase what was going on in the arena.

"Ugh, this is a disaster!" Ragna groaned.

"Indeed. I know evil never sleeps but it is like every time we let our guard down for even a second, something villainous appears!" Bang growled, gritting his teeth while clenching his fist. "Now we have Oume AND Psycho Mantis AND the traitorous node of Xuan Dou Zhi Wang!"

Ragna threw up his hands in frustration. "What is going to happen NEXT!?"

"We went to Crowd Entrance A three times already! Let ME take the lead!"

"Oh, really? Well, I seem to recall when I let YOU take the lead, we went to Crowd Entrance Z FOUR times!"

Ragna and Bang paused before looking in the direction of the voices. Only for their eyes to bug out when they saw who they were.

Jasper and Horace were arguing with each other while Cruella followed with an annoyed look on her face.

"Seriously, you kept mistaking that the Crossover Dome and the Megamix Dome are the same thing!" Jasper scolded.

"They ARE both the same thing!" They all have restaurants, bars, arcades and even a nearby hotel!" Horace shot back. "Excuse me for assuming the inner structure would be the same!"

"Well, I know I would have a better chance finding the exit if the power didn't go out." Jasper spat.

"Don't even try it! These stars are enough to light up the dome well enough to see where we are going!" Horace shot back. "At least I have an excuse for being lost!"

"Well, at least I am TRYING to think outside of the box!" Jasper scolded.

"Well, you better be TRYING to get me out of here!" Cruella snapped.

As the three argued, Ragna and Bang blinked twice.

Ragna then slumped his arms. "...That's it. I am telling myself not to be surprised when Junko Enoshima and the two soul swords return."

Bang on the other hand growled before stomping over. "HEY!"

Cruella, Jasper and Horace jumped before turning to see Bang stomping over.

"How DARE you set foot in this sacred dome after all of the damage you did to the Megamix Dome!" Bang roared. "You truly have no shame, do you?"

"Yeah, do you think ANYONE that was at the second Battle of the Luminaries would want to see you again after what happened." Ragna nodded, joining them.

Cruella winced. "Um, well, you see…"

Suddenly, her eyes widened when she noticed someone walking over.

"She did it!"

Ragna and Bang raised an eyebrow before turning their heads.

To see a confused Otane.

"SHE was the one who let us into the Crossover Dome!" Cruella exclaimed, pointing at Otane.

"Yeah, we were actually stuck on the roof unable to get in but then SHE opened the door and let us come in!" Jasper agreed, pointing at Otane.

"We never even set foot inside of the Crossover Dome before she came along!" Horace insisted. He then paused. "...Well, we DID set foot on TOP of the Crossover Dome."

"Horace!" Cruella and Jasper scolded.

The heavyset man winced. "But we never went IN the Crossover Dome."

"That is no excuse for you being here!" Bang scolded. "Especially since we have bigger things to worry about! I should…"

"Wait a minute, are you sure SHE is the one who let you inside?" Ragna asked, pointing at Otane.

"Of course! This happened BEFORE the blackout so we couldn't be wrong!" Jasper admitted.

"I don't even want revenge for being banned from the Crossover Dome, anyway!" Cruella insisted. "We are just looking for a map to get out of here!"

Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Her eyes widened before growling.

"What? I am in a bad mood and…" Cruella started before turning around.

Only to see a terrifying pair of soulless eyes.

"HI. TAKE THIS MAP."

Cruella, Jasper and Horace screamed at the top of their lungs before turning around and running off as if their rears were on fire. The Map Bot then chased after them while holding out his map.

"PLEASE TAKE THIS MAP."

Ragna, Bang and Otane watched the whole thing with wide eyes.

"...Well, THAT happened." Ragna muttered.

Bang narrowed his eyes. "Come on, we gotta go after them!"

Ragna put a hand on Bang's shoulder to prevent him from speeding off. "Now, now, I have a feeling that the Map Bot should more or less keep an eye on them."

"Besides, assuming they aren't just trying to pass the blame on the first person they see, they may have pointed us to Oume." Otane piped up.

Ragna and Bang looked down at Otane with wide eyes.

"Wait, really?" Ragna asked.

"Yeah, I definitely had no memory of meeting Cruella and her cronies, let alone letting him inside of the dome so it has to be Oume." Otane pointed out.

"Wait a minute… That doesn't make any sense. The roof is where part of Bison's original plan was going to take place." Bang frowned. "Whip, Claude and Hibiki went to investigate it and yet they didn't say anything about Cruella."

"...I think that was intentional." Ragna muttered before shaking his head. "Come on before we lose her again!"

"Well said, Ragna!" Bang nodded. He then looked down at Otane. "Otane, normally I would be more hesitant seeing that you were spearheading a villain plot but desperate times call for desperate measures. May I ask for your assistance in reining in your sister?"

The elderly woman frowned. "Um, a part of me wants to but…"

Suddenly, they heard a phone go off. Then, Otane took one out.

"Mine!" Otane exclaimed.

She then proceeded to watch it. Suddenly, she saw something that made her eyes widened.

Before making her smile. She then looked up at Ragna and Bang.

"On second thought, I think I can come with you." Otane offered.

Ragna and Bang looked at each other in confusion.

"Um, okay, I won't ask anything because we wasted enough time as it is." Ragna said.

Bang nodded his head as he, Ragna and Otane ran towards the direction of the stairs leading up to the roof.

(Dome; Bison's Roof)

Ever since F.A.N.G. had left to enter the arena, Bison was somehow able to sleep quite soundly. Even with Vega humming to himself while admiring his reflection in the mirror or F.A.N.G going to fetch the narcissist to escort him to the arena. Bison was too exhausted to even stir in his sleep.

KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.

Of course it couldn't last forever. He winced as he woke up from his sleep, gripping his head.

"Not so loud!" Bison scolded. "I am still hung over!"

He then reached to pull on the cord of his lamp to turn it on. …Only for nothing to turn on. Bison blinked twice before pulling on the cord a couple more times only to get nothing.

"...Is there a blackout?" Bison asked.

KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.

Bison winced. "Alright, alright, I'm coming!"

He then engulfed his fist with Psycho Energy to illuminate his way to the door while grumbling under his breath. Once he finally reached it, he opened the door.

"Yes, who is it? I am trying to sleep!" Bison snapped.

"Bisonnnnn…"

The dictator's eyes bugged out before slowly making his head downwards.

To see the despair clone of Oume Goketsuji.

Bison shrieked after seeing one half of his biggest fear, completely covered in darkness with yellow eyes.

"Bison… You tricked me…" Oume said.

The dictator staggered backwards into his room before falling onto his rear with Oume slowly following.

"I gave you my heart and yet you broke it into pieces…" Oume said, darkly.

"S-Stay back!" Bison pleaded while retreating towards the wall.

"I worked so hard to appeal to you! I have done things that not even YOU could imagine. FOR YOU!" Oume roared.

Bison's eyebrow twitched in fear but also… Something else.

Suddenly, he let out a deep shout while engulfing himself in Psycho Energy. The clone of Oume was not expecting this and was sent onto her rear.

"Look, I do NOT love you! How COULD I love you and your sister!? After all of the crap you gave me after the first Battle of the Luminaries, I am absolutely SCARED to go ANYWHERE near Power Instinct!" Bison roared.

Oume merely paused.

"Furthermore, you COMPLETELY ruined my plans! I had arguably the plan for these things! I even managed to impress Ganondorf and yet YOU and your annoying sister completely ruined everything by taking away two thirds of the people needed to carry it out!" Bison roared.

Oume then got up.

"Is this karma? Perhaps. But if that is the case, I don't give a crap!" Bison snapped. "I have reached rock bottom and there is no way to go but up!"

With that, he engulfed his hands with Psycho Energy with a scowl.

"You want my revenge? Come and get it! Just know you are not blameless here!" Bison boasted. "I always wanted to do this ever since you two trapped me!"

Oume paused before getting into a stance.

"Very well. Give me all of your negative feelings."

Unknown to Bison, he was being watched by Ray and Panda who were watching everyone with smirks.

"This outta be good." Ray smirked.

Panda eagerly nodded his head.

(The Arena)

"MEGAMAN!" (SSB)

(Electrical Communication!)

(Tearing through imagination!)

(I won't let anyone stand in my way!)

The blue robot came out to an enormous cheer. He scratched his head in embarrassment before waving to the crowd, appreciating that he was still loved after all of these years.

(Sparking Rock Action!)

(Break the meditation!)

(Escape this crazy present!)

As Electrical Communication, the theme from Megaman 8 played through the speakers, he nodded his head before turning his hand into his iconic Mega Buster. He then walked down the ramp before stepping into the ring.

However, he didn't have a chance to breathe (or the equivalent to what robots do) as he saw Wave making her way over to him.

Megaman gave an annoyed look. "Oh, let me guess. You want to taunt me for being more of a Super Smash Brothers character than the protagonist of my own series nowadays."

"Nah, that status belongs to Captain Falcon." Wave said, matter-of-factly.

Megaman rolled his eyes. "You are SO lucky that he isn't coming out for a while."

Suddenly, he felt his Mega Buster being held. Looking down, he saw that Wave was holding Megaman's arm cannon with an intrigued look on her robot. The Blue Bomber was a little taken back.

"I am always interested in Dr. Light's tech. Being able to absorb other robot's special abilities isn't anything new but if I am correct, when he programmed you to be a combat robot, it was literally a last-minute thing." Wave admitted.

"Um, yeah, in hindsight, I am impressed that he manages to do so on such short notice." Megaman said while trying to gently take his arm cannon out of Wave's hands.

"Well, show me. I actually play Megaman so I actually saw ALL of the Robot Master weapons but sometimes you have to see the real thing in person." Wave smirked.

Megaman paused before shrugging. "If that is what you want."

"KUKRI!" (KoFAS)

(Get your hands off my hips)

(Or I'll punch you in the lips)

(Stop your staring at my… HEY!)

(Take a hint!)

(Take a hint)

The hooded geomancer came out to a huge mixed reaction. The positive reaction was because of his cool design and powers, funny one-liners, over-exaggerated actions and surprisingly dark past. The negative reaction was because… He was the reason SNK Heroines existed.

(No, I can't buy you a drink!)

(Let me tell you what I think)

(I think you could use a mint!)

(Take a hint!)

(Take a hint!)

He paused as "Take A Hint" from Victorious played through the speakers. He then looked up at the Sound Booth to see Aila glaring down at him while tapping her bow against her shoulder. Kukri rolled his eyes before making his way down.

Once in, he looked around to see… Everyone stepped away with looks of fear and disgust on their faces. The only ones who didn't manage to do so were Ash and Adachi. Kukri blinked twice before slapping his forehead.

"You kidnap a bunch of women, force them into over-the-top costumes and make them fight each other ONE time and you'll play for it the rest of your life!" Kukri muttered. "Furthermore, why the fuck are the MEN backing away!"

"Maybe it is the fact that you pulled a Midnight Bliss on Terry Bogard, Iori Yagami and Skullomania." Ash smirked, getting Kukri's attention. "Just a thought."

The geomancer growled behind the darkness in his hood. "You think I actually WANT them here!? It was an accident! I only transformed them AFTER that when they appeared so they wouldn't ruin the aesthetic of my plan!"

"Brilliant defence, kid. Phoenix Wright is quaking in his boots." Adachi snarked.

"I don't need to hear that from NEITHER of you!" Kukri shot back.

"Perhaps. Hey, as long as nobody else wanna be near you besides us, wanna double-team against this ex-cop?" Ash asked.

"And what makes you think I would wish to do that! Just because we're on the same team, you are just a means to an end! In fact, I have no reason to be here except drowning people I hate in sand!" Kukri said in a super fast tone. "Give me one reason why I should help you!"

"Oh, come on! You are almost as unpopular as ME during the pre-resurgence era." Ash frowned.

"Though I can't really blame you for being an incel." Adachi admitted before smirking. "Must be tough getting turned down by women just because you keep putting sand in their vaginas!"

Everyone immediately looked at Adachi in disbelief and disgust. Except for Kukri who blinked his eyes through the darkness of his hood. He then narrowed them.

"...Ash?" Kukri asked.

"Oui?" The Frenchman asked.

"I now have a reason to double-team with you." Kukri growled.

"POTEMKIN!" (GG)

Sora looked up at the Entrance Curtain for a second before looking away. Only to do a double take. He wasn't the only one. For those who were unfamiliar with Guilty Gear and watched the first Battle of the Luminaries, they were surprised to see that the giant mountain of muscle looked completely different, completely clad in green military uniform with a metallic helmet covering his face, save for his eyes.

Despite the bewilderment from the audience, he paid it no mind as he lumbered down the ramp while making heavy footsteps before stepping in. Once in, he saw Sora running over.

"Oh, I assume that…" Potemkin started.

"I can't believe it!" Sora exclaimed.

Potemkin jumped. "W-What?"

"It is bad enough that Terry got killed and replaced and the tournament is being hijacked, but now Xehanort and his cronies are here turning innocent fighters in Heartless!" Sora exclaimed.

Potemkin blinked twice before pointing to himself. "Um, I think this must be some kind of misunderstanding. I am not a Heartless."

"Yeah, right! I watched the first Battle of the Luminaries, including the final section where Potemkin was in!" Sora shot back. "Sure, you may have the same build but you are still different as night and day!"

Potemkin waved his hands in front of him. "W-Wait, please take a deep breath and…"

"Don't worry, I have been a Heartless before too and I turned out fine! I promise that I will do the same to you!" Sora said, getting out his Keyblade. "I won't let your time in the arena be wasted just like Terry's!"

Potemkin let out a sigh of defeat.

(House of Mouse)

Mickey Mouse watched the whole thing with wide eyes and a slack jaw. In contrast to Donald who had a calm yet annoyed look on his face. The two then looked at each other, still keeping their respective expressions.

Donald then held out his hand. "You owe me a twenty."

(The Arena)

"CHRONOS!" (ToAS)

Meredy and Quickie's eyes widened in horror before looking up. Indeed, the white-haired, dark-skinned chronomancer came out to a mixed reaction. However, he paid it no mind as he looked at the arena with a bored look.

"Tchs so not even the timeline is safe from these accursed tournaments?" Chronos asked in disbelief. "And even if I tell them these foolish humans, they would cheer. This whole thing disgusts me!"

He then floated down the ramp. Meredy almost immediately ran towards Link, who was going over to correct Sora about his assumption of Potemkin. However, she grabbed Link's arm, making the latter look down.

"Hmm… What's wrong, Miss?" Link asked.

Meredy then pointed to Chronos who had finally entered the arena. The latter looked around for a moment.

"...Might as well start by ridding the arena of the Frenchman, geomancer and ex-cop in my fell swoop." Chronos mused.

With that, he started to cast a spell. Suddenly, he felt an arrow bounce off of his shoulder. Raising an eyebrow, he saw Link lowering his bow with Meredy and Quickie behind him.

"Oh, yes, the so-called 'Hero of Time'." Chronos noted. "In terms of humans in nodes that committed crimes against time and space, I suppose Hyrule is… Passable so please ignore me and I will pretend you didn't foolishly try to strike me."

"No can do." Link said, narrowing his eyes. "My knowledge of you is quite limited but I know a huge boss when I saw one and how dangerous you are."

"Baiba! No one is trying to do anything to YOUR world or this. They just wanted to have a good time!" Meredy insisted.

"Have a good time? How many times has the multiverse been in danger just because people wanted to have a good time?" Chronos shot back. "As much as I loathe Xuan Dou Zhi Wang like everyone else, I think having them ruin the tournament is a blessing in disguise."

"...You are not wrong to a certain extent. But if you think the solution is to stop UVR as a whole, then I am sorry, I cannot let you stay in this arena!" Link said, sternly.

"Yeah, nobody likes the Fun Police!" Meredy agreed.

"HAYATE!" (FEXL)

Just like Potemkin, those who watched the tournaments in the pre-resurgence era were stunned. Instead of a traditional samurai, it was a younger man with a more modern outfit and glowing, pink energy sword. He frowned while tapping his shoulder.

"Everyone from my node seems shocked that Ace would join Xuan Dou Zhi Wang like this." He noted, making his way down the ramp. "Was he always holding in such resentment and anger?"

He then made his way into the ring. Kid Cobra raised an unseen eyebrow. He then gestured to the camera drone to follow him as he made his way over. He then got Hayate's attention with a descending whistle.

"I knew that the Fighting EX Layer cast had their outfits changed from the SSSSStreet Fighter days but you are on a whole nother level!" Kid Cobra said.

Hayate frowned before scratching the back of his head with his free hand. "Um, that's because I am technically NOT the Hayate from the Street Fighter days."

"You mean like an alternate reality?" Kid Cobra asked.

"No, like the Hayate you know from Street Fighter EX is dead and serving for Garuda." Hayate frowned.

"Garuda? Is THAT'S why the spikes that poke out of his body look like swords?" Kid Cobra asked.

"Pretty much. So I am his descendant so technically, I am the only new character unless you count Terry." Hayate explained.

Kid Cobra frowned through his helmet. "Well, THAT'S not confusing."

"You think THAT'S confusing. Wait until you hear about Sanane's family issues." Hayate sighed.

"Well, regardless, I am not usually interested in the 'traditional' fighters, but I AM curious to sssssee how the modern take on said tradition." Kid Cobra noted.

Hayate smirked. "So you are blessing me by being your next livestream partner?"

"Pretty much. Show me AND my sssssserpents what you can do!" Kid Cobra said, getting into his stance.

Wario watched as the two got ready to fight each other. He then smirked while nodding to himself before walking over to Pikachu and Samus.

"Hey, Samus, seeing that-a we have gone past the point of nodal loyalty, how about you and me have a duel?" Wario offered.

The bounty hunter paused before gesturing to Pikachu. "Umm, excuse me, I still need to double-team with Pikachu!"

"Don't worry, don't worry!" Wario smirked, waving it off. "I checked before entering the arena and the last fighter should be there for the little rat in your place"

Samus blinked twice behind her helmet. "...What do you..? HEY!"

Then, Wario picked up Samus and placed her over his shoulder before walking away, startling Pikachu.

"Come on, even though I know that we need our own space!" Wario laughed.

Samus glared at Wario. "...I swear the only reason you are still alive is because everyone is focused on way bigger threats than you."

Pikachu just blinked twice, wondering what Wario meant before looking up at the Entrance Curtain.

"And now… The final fighter for this section…"

"AGUMON!" (DRA)

Pikachu's eyes widened as the yellow dinosaur-like Digimon stood outside of the Ready Room while the crowd erupted in cheers. Agumon gave a small smile before waving to the audience. After he was done, he made his way down the ramp.

Needless to say, once in, he walked over to Pikachu. When the former finally reached his rival, the two then paused.

"...So Pichu is going in and out of death." Agumon said, solemnly.

Pikachu's eyes bugged out at this.

"Veemon told me everything. He practically sprinted so he could catch up to me before entering the Ready Room." Agumon explained.

Pikachu paused before looking down.

"...Look, I am not even going to pretend like you know what you are going through but at the same time, I know Pichu for a fact would want you to keep fighting." Agumon frowned. "Just like the first Battle of the Luminaries."

Pikachu looked up sadly. "I don't think I can. Despite being the Superstar, it was Samus who did most of the work."

Agumon didn't understand what Pikachu was saying but he did sense his hesitation.

"Look, Veemon only told me tidbits but at the moment, the hero AND villain are looking for Oume for that antidote." Agumon offered. "She will be found and Pichu and the other victims WILL be saved. I can't ask you to give me a 100% like we usually do but I STILL want you to try. For Pichu."

Pikachu paused.

"I was always inspired to be you, Pikachu! Even before you won the first Battle of the Luminaries! To have the best champion elimination streak next to Haohmaru himself, I have to be stronger! I have to defeat everyone! Even you!"

Pikachu then looked up at Agumon and nodded. The Digimon gave a small smile.

"Good, let's start…" Agumon said.

Then, the two heard a familiar noise. Turning their heads, they saw a Pokeball landing on the ground. Looking around, several Pokeballs were scattering around the arena. Everyone paused before looking at each other. Then, it was a mad rush for the Pokeballs. Sure, things may seem grim with the appearance of "Psycho Mantis" and the cast of Xuan Dou Zhi Wang. But the fighters didn't let things get them down before and they weren't going to start.