(The Arena)
"Thank you everyone for making me the Superstar of this round. I knew I had my hands but I was pleasantly surprised." Cammy thanked. "Even the likes of Ryu and Chun-Li barely got close enough to the top three of their respective sections so it is nice, especially since this is my first Battle of the Luminaries."
"Unfortunately, it can't be helped." Ashley (the host) sighed. "Tinyhammer wanted to focus on the Street Fighter EX games and you weren't in them."
"Yeah, I never understood why you didn't get in, Cammy." Tumble added.
"Yeah, same here. Ah well. Can't be helped." The blonde shrugged.
"All that makes you the first Street Fighter Superstar after TWENTY sections even more impressive!" The Millennium Star offered. "So? Have you decided on what you want?"
Cammy's smile vanished. "Um, yeah, I am sorry to everyone who watched the chaotic rounds but just watching them makes me feel exhausted."
"Yeah, I think we are due for a more 'normal' section anyway." Sailor Jupiter shrugged.
"Yeah, it may-a still be chaotic, but as long as we don't have to worry about stage hazards." Mario nodded.
"Said the two that chose an skating rink and an arena where you could gain gold armour respectively." Ashley snarked.
The two in question sheepishly scratched the back of their heads.
"Regardless, I am still going to make it up to my fans." Cammy offered. "After all, Street Fighter stages aren't known for their hazards but their aesthetics in terms of appearance AND music!"
The crowd immediately perked up at this.
"Millennium Star, make the next stage the Final Destination version of English Manor!" Cammy announced.
The crowd cheered as the Millennium Star nodded his head.
"Ah, even I know that!" The Millennium Star chuckled. "I actually don't need the blueprints for this one, Tumble!"
"Perfect!" The die nodded before looking at the Sound Booth. "Speaking of perfect, if we are solely going with aesthetics, let's go all of the way!"
"Way ahead of you!" Aila offered. "Just need to wait until the Millennium Star changes the stage!"
The silver star nodded again before spinning around while emitting a white light which engulfed the entire arena. When the light cleared, the arena had changed again. It seemed simple enough with the ground looking like a stone bridge turning into a square and the cornerpost looking like mini-castle towers. However, the real selling point was a beautiful aurora going on up above. Everyone couldn't help but look in awe.
Eggman then blinked twice behind his sunglasses. "Aurora Borealis? At this time of year? At this time at night? In this part of the node? Located entirely within your stage?"
Cammy looked down with an exasperated look. "It's fake, Mr. Supposedly 300 IQ."
Eggman did a double-take at this. "Wait, what!?"
"Yeah, of course it is fake. It is an anti-electronics and radio hacking and interference barrier." Cammy explained, rolling her eyes. "Of course we don't have the Northern Lights in England."
Eggman paused. "...That sounds more like damage-control."
"Sorry, Cammy, I am actually with Eggman on this one." Coco frowned.
"Yeah, I mean I get that Capcom doesn't want to bring back the stage WITHOUT the Aurora Borealis, but it sounds like they wanted to have their cake and eat it too." Mechanica nodded.
Several fighters agreed as Cammy's eyebrow twitched.
Alice chuckled nervously. "I-I-In any case, at least we get to fight on a pretty stage."
"Yeah, sure, we are looking up when fighting but still the aurora is enough to make us feel at ease!" Toph grinned.
Alice turned to the earthbender. "Yeah, that is what I am…"
Then, she realised who she was talking to. She slumped her arms as Toph had a big grin on her face.
"...Why are you like this?" Alice asked.
The Millennium Star chuckled nervously. "In any case, Cammy, is this to your liking?"
"It is." The Delta Red soldier nodded. "Thank you."
Tumble nodded as the Millennium Star lowered the platform down to the ground. "Hit it, guys!"
The Sound Booth wasted no time playing a certain song. Cammy's classic theme that went with the stage. The crowd cheered wildly. Tumble nodded before proceeding to announce the next fighters.
"KEN MASTERS!" (SFAS)
People who didn't keep up with the latest fighting games watched with wide eyes. Instead of the cocky, grinning blond man showboating in his bright red gi, instead was a dour man clad in less flashy clothes, had his hair more grungy and he looked like he skipped shaving this morning.
Ken just looked around at the shocked crowd before letting out a deep sigh. As much as he hated to admit, even though he couldn't believe how backwards his life went in 6. He then made his way down the ramp.
(Eliminated Seating)
"Ken Masters!?" Rufus roared in disbelief. "What is HE doing back in this tournament!? He was eliminated all of the way in Section One! I should know! I was eliminated alongside him!"
"Wait, are you SURE that is Ken Masters?"
Rufus turned to see Elmyra Duff sitting inside of a cage to prevent her from harassing the animals.
"Um, duh! The star even said his name!" Rufus said, angry by the turn of events.
Elmyra blinked twice before pointing to the side. "Um, then who is that?"
Rufus raised an eyebrow before turning his head to see… Prince Charming grumpily crossing his arms. Rufus' pupils shrank before looking down at the Entrance Ramp to see Ken before looking back and forth between Ken and Prince Charming a few times with a slack jaw.
"Oh my god… It all makes sense." Rufus said. "All of the different disguises Ken used… Those weren't disguises at all… None of them were Ken at all!"
Everyone's eyes widened at this. Was… Was Rufus finally seeing the truth?
"Because they were all CLONES!"
Everyone collapsed in their seats when they heard this.
"It all makes sense! Ken Masters is too much of a coward to face me head-on so he somehow used his wealth to clone himself!" Rufus said, gripping his head. "That's why his 'disguises' are so varied!"
He then looked around frantically.
"But which one is the REAL Ken Masters? Is it you?" Rufus asked, pointing to various blondes. "Or you!? Or you!? Or you!?"
He then gasped, putting his hands on his cheeks.
"Wait! The most defining feature about Ken is that he is blond and I'M blond!" Rufus exclaimed. "So wait, is everything I know is a lie!? Am I nothing more than a filthy clone!"
He then started to scream bloody murder before running out of the Eliminated Seating with everyone looking at him in disbelief and exasperation.
"...And people wonder why I am the breakout star of IV despite not showing up in the base game?" Juri muttered.
(The Arena)
Ken saw the whole thing and rolled his eyes before making his way inside of the ring. Once in, Cammy frowned before making her way over to him.
"Um, hey." Cammy said.
"Hey." Ken answered.
"How are you feeling?" Cammy asked.
"About Rufus' latest episode or in general?" Ken asked.
Cammy let out a sigh. "In general."
"Could be better but again, could be worse." Ken shrugged. "After all, I am not wanted for my 'crimes' outside of our node."
"Look, I don't know if things will go back to normal, but we WILL bring JP to justice." Cammy offered.
"Yeah, just like how it took Bison down?" Ken asked. "It took FOREVER to get him to lay down for good."
Cammy frowned. "Even still, I will not rest as long as any remnants of Shadaloo are lying around."
"I know… I know that JP won't get away with it." Ken said. "I am just worried that it may be too little, too late to return to Eliza and Mel."
He then looked up at the aurora.
"Hey, Cammy, do you remember all of the times when I made fun of your stage for not being geographically-accurate?" Ken asked.
"Um, yeah?" The Delta Red soldier answered.
"I still stand by that… But at the same time, I realised that despite it being fake, it isn't any less beautiful." Ken noted.
Cammy let out a solemn sigh before looking up at the aurora.
"Yeah…"
"MAI SHIRANUI!" (KoFAS)
The Smashers and Ken winced before looking up to see the scantily red-clad ninja grumpily crossing her arms and tapping her foot against the ground. The crowd, especially the men, went wild, but other than an acknowledging nod, she didn't make it much of a thought as she made her way down the ramp.
Sharp-eyed people were quick to notice that she had a metallic collar around her neck as she stepped into the ring. As if anyone expected everyone else, she alternated between giving Mario, Ganondorf, Ken and Squirtle death glares with said four getting into defensive stances. Alice rolled her eyes before walking over.
"Hey, Mai." Alice muttered.
"Don't you 'hey, Mai', me!" The ninja scolded. "You, scratch that, EVERYONE in the Fatal Fury and Art of Fighting node has a lot of gall to talk to me as if nothing happened!"
"Look, I am sorry that we went too far, Mai, but that is how WE feel about YOU!" Alice shot back.
"Oh, come on! I had my cameo chance robbed!" Mai snapped. "And all because Sakurai thought I was not for 'good boys and girls' when Bayonetta and…"
ZAPPPPPPPPP!
Everyone jumped as Mai was suddenly engulfed in electricity. Noticeably, Alice was the only one unfazed, despite just being one step from being zapped as well. Soon, the electricity stopped, making Mai pant heavily. Soon, she went back to glaring at Alice.
"This is just cruel and inhumane! How could you plant an electric collar around my neck, zapping me whenever I rant about Super Smash Bro…" Mai roared.
Then, the collar activated again, zapping Mai. Alice shook her head in exasperation.
"Look, even ignoring all of the chaos you caused in the Okron Tournament AND Tournament of Kikai, do you really think we can trust you after you wasted time arguing with that aura Pokemon and by extension, Joe…" Alice added. "DESPITE all three of you were trying to fend off freaking SLENDERMAN!?"
"Hey, it is not like we would die for good!?" Mai shot back. "And even if we were alive and suffering, it was only for ten minutes!"
"Oh, Mai…" Alice groaned.
"Well, even if I can't rant about Sup… You-know-what, it isn't going to stop me from taking my revenge against them!" The red-clad woman spat. "The Smashers that are in the arena better count their stars that I already chosen my victim!"
With that, she stomped off to find a spot to sit down and wait. Alice just shook her head in exasperation.
"METAKNIGHT!" (SSB)
The dark masked small swordsman came out to an enormous cheer. He merely took his cape with his free hand and politely bowed to the crowd while holding his trademark sword, Galaxia in the other. He was about to turn said cape into wings before entering the arena.
…That was until he noticed gold sparkles descend in front of him. Looking up, he saw a Mario star floating in front of him. He, along with everyone else, blinked twice in confusion. Suddenly, the star descends downwards towards Metaknight before vanishing into him, covering him in a golden aura.
"Congratulations, Metaknight!"
The swordsman looked up in surprise to see the Millennium Star and Tumble looking happy.
Metaknight blinked twice, speaking in his Spanish accent. "Umm… Congratulations for what?"
"For being the first fighter to not be selected as a Big Guy at the start, but is chosen to be one in the last quarter of the tournament!" The Millennium Star explained.
Metaknight's eyes widened at this.
"Yes, it is a system that Drake put in. After three quarters of the official Big Guy list has been dealt with, if there aren't enough at least three new Big Guys, one or two stars will find and seek out what would be the remaining Big Guys. Or at this moment, one." Tumble explained.
"Good thing too because while you guys definitely made things interesting, there was only ONE three Big Guy round in the ENTIRE third quarter." The Millennium Star lamented. "And with there are a lot of people, we may need even MORE Big Guys."
"Thus here we are! Giving out Bonus Stars to potential Big Guys giving them the status!" Tumble beamed.
Metaknight looked stunned at this. However, he quickly regained his usual stoic compromise before bowing.
"Thank you for this offer." Metaknight said. "Even if it is a last-minute thing, I promise that you will NOT regret this decision."
"I should hope so." Tumble said before his face falling. "Because like I said, it is not OUR decision, it is Drake."
Everyone went silent at this. Metaknight merely nodded his head. The Millennium Star and Tumble then floated up near the Announcer's Booth. Finally, Metaknight turned his cape into wings before flying towards the arena. Obviously, he kept his eye out for Mai, but while the latter DID cast a death glare, she seemed content with him flying past.
Once in, Ganondorf raised an eyebrow before walking over. "Soon, I have to ask. Do you think getting the Big Guy status is based on what qualifies for a Big Guy or pure luck?"
"Well, I assume that it is the former." Metaknight guessed. He then narrowed his eyes. "And why did you ask that?"
"Well, I mean face it. You were NEVER a Big Guy. That status always went to Dedede. And he is not even a Big Guy here!" Ganondorf sneered.
"In case you didn't know, that while not as frequent as Dedede, I was still a constant boss fight for Kirby!" Metaknight reminded.
"Yeah, but you were never a final boss, just the penultimate boss at best!" Ganondorf taunted. "Underworld, I think KIRBY is more worthy of being a Big Guy than you!"
Metaknight paused. "...I do not think that is a fair comparison. Kirby is more worthy of being a Big Guy than ALL of us."
"...Okay, fair enough. But my point still stands." Ganondorf shrugged.
Metaknight then went back to his stern look. "Very well, seeing that you are such an expert on Big Guys, care to demonstrate what it means to be one?"
Ganondorf's smirk just grew bigger before reading his sword. "With pleasure."
"ALLEN SNIDER!" (FEXL)
The hot-blooded red-haired young man clad with his American flag-themed gi gave a cocky grin before doing a few punches and kicks and then chanting to the crowd.
"U! S! A! U! S! A!" Allen chanted.
"U! S! A! U! S! A!" The crowd chanted back.
"Aw, come on! I could forgive the Aurora Borealis one, but the USA chant is MY thing!" Homer Simpson roared from the Eliminated Seating.
Slapping his cheeks together to get him psyched, he made his way down the ramp and leapt in before making a beeline towards Ken and Cammy who was still looking at the aurora.
"Hey, Ken, long time no see!" Allen grinned, getting the blondes' attention.
"Oh, hey, Allen, you're still as hot-blooded as ever." Ken noted, raising an eyebrow.
"Of course! I have been training for this and I think I have grown a lot since then!" Allen offered. "So I am going to prove to you that I am not a tiny fish in a large pond anymore!"
Ken paused. "Um, you DO know that the original Street Fighter crossover storylines aren't canon anymore."
Allen's smirk vanished. "That didn't stop Doctrine Dark."
"...Doctrine Dark is a psychopath. I don't think that is a good example." Ken noted.
"Aw, come on! Look, I know that things changed a lot for you in 6, but come on!" Allen frowned. "You can't spend the entire session moping!"
"...I may not be as cheery as I used to be, but even I know that." Ken muttered. "I am not Remy."
"Then, what are we waiting for!?" Allen offered.
"Come on, Ken. At the very least, it is a decent distraction." Cammy added.
Ken let out a sigh. "Alright, alright, come on. Let's see how far you've come."
Allen smirked. "Glad to hear it."
"AKIHIKO SANADA!" (P4A)
The white-haired boxer came out to a loud cheer, especially from the women. He made it no mind as he smirked before throwing a few practice punches.
"I have mixed feelings about this stage change." Akihiko frowned. "Make no mistake, I do not mind having a normal Superstar stage to fight on, but I kinda liked the possibility for adaptability and quick thinking that is more seen in the chaotic stages. Ah well. Speaking of Superstar…"
With that, he jogged down the ramp before stepping into the ring. He then made his way over to Cammy overlooking the fight between Ken and Allen.
"Hey, Miss White." Akihiko said, getting his nodal companion's attention. "I understand that you are concerned for your nodal companion, but at the same time, this looks like something he has to sort out himself."
"Well, there is no point having a therapy session in the middle of a fighting tournament." Cammy sighed before looking up. "I take it that you want a fight."
"Of course! You are the first Street Fighter Superstar, even doing better than Ryu and Chun-Li." Akihiko smirking, getting into a boxing stance.
Cammy blinked twice. "...Huh. It is weird to fight a black boxer that is not black."
Akihiko's smirk vanished before blinking twice. "Wait… Isn't Ed a boxer?"
"He is but while he is white, he was still raised by a black boxer." Cammy reminded. "I could see the argument that what I said doesn't count, but I don't know."
Akihiko blinked twice.
"NEEMON!"
The yellow rabbit-like Digimon with red pants and permanently closed eyes came out to a mixed reaction. However, he made it no mind as he used his hand as a visor to scan the arena.
"Aww, Greymon and Biyomon aren't here anymore." Neemon lamented. "I guess I have to do my best on my own."
Giving a deep gulp, he made his way down the ramp and stepped into the arena. Once in the arena, he noticed Squirtle. Narrowing his still-closed eyes, he made his way over.
"Hey!" Neemon shouted.
Squirtle blinked twice. "He… Reminds me of Brock."
"I wanted to double-team with Biyomon and you ruined my chance!" Neemon scolded. "Now I have to get some nodal revenge!"
Squirtle just gave a smug smirk before getting into a stance. Neemon then made the first move.
By turning around.
"I Like Beans!"
Squirtle's smirk vanished. "Wait… What?"
Then, he farted which released a cloud of brown noxious gas. Several fighters found themselves coughing while Squirtle ended up falling onto his shell. The latter blinked twice before sitting up to see Neemon in a "fisticuffs" pose.
"You like that!" Neemon taunted. "There is plenty more where that is from!"
Squirtle paused. He then got up before running off.
"Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, so much nope!" Squirtle said with a blank face.
"H-Hey, I actually have him on the ropes!" Neemon smirked. "Better take advantage of this!"
With that, he ran off after Squirtle with everyone else looking on in pure disbelief.
(Eliminated Seating)
Nearly EVERYONE looked at the Digimon who looked shrank in shame. Yes, even Duskmon.
"...But why? Just why…?" Zetterburn muttered.
"Aye, Numemon and Sukamon were right there." Shrek piped up. "I know you didn't have much choice from the fourth Digimon anime but still?"
Everyone then turned their strange glances to Shrek. Bowser looked like he was about to snark at the ogre.
"Ow!"
Bowser's eyes widened before turning around to see Bowser Jr wincing in pain while Cream the Rabbit used her healing magic on her. Peach was also doing the same with Asgore.
"You okay?" Bowser frowned.
"I-I-I'm fine!" Bowser Jr insisted.
"Even still, you shouldn't move around." Cream frowned. "Mr. Link was hospitalised for the entire night."
Link blinked twice. "I was…?"
"Um, I believe she was referring to the Twilight Princess Link." Zelda corrected.
"Oh." Cream said.
Bowser shook his head. "...I am going to kill that Barbatos guy."
"And for once, no one will have any problem with that." Snake offered. "However, if I were you, I'll keep him alive for him to spill everything."
Bowser turned to Snake, confused. "Spill everything about what?"
"Yes, we don't know that the Star Piece that Barbatos has stolen from you is the only one." Rosalina noted.
"Why is he stealing Star Pieces in the first place?" Wade asked, crossing his arms. "I doubt he HATED items."
"I think you just answered your own question." Snake muttered.
"Indeed. Barbatos is stealing Star Pieces so that nobody would use them, regardless of the reason." Rosalina noted.
"Yes, that sounds like him." Shirley Fennes muttered, rolling her eyes.
"Look, if he doesn't like items, that is HIS choice!" Bowser scoffed before growling. "But how DARE he involved Asgore and Junior in this?"
"I am not condemning his actions, but unfortunately hurting Asgore and Junior right in front of you was the easiest way for him to steal your Star Piece." Snake frowned.
Bowser gritted his teeth with his face, turning red.
"So is Barbatos part of Xuan Dou Zhi Wang?" Wolfrun asked.
"Huh…?" Bowser asked.
"I mean, the only way to reach the electrician's office is to use the Star Pieces. So there is anyone who has something to lose, it would be Xuan Dou Zhi Wang." Wolfrun mused.
"I doubt that…"
Everyone turned to see Dhaos floating into the Eliminated Seating.
Rosalina raised an eyebrow. "Dhaos? What do you mean?"
"I wouldn't be surprised if Barbatos didn't even know that the Star Pieces were needed to reach the electrician's office, nor does he care." Dhaos said, rolling his eyes.
"S-So if we ask him…" Lemmy offered.
"...You can NOT be serious. When he found out that there was an item shop in the dome, he dropped everything to try to destroy it." Dhaos said in disbelief.
"So?" Wolfrun asked.
"...That was literally seconds later finding out that Veigue Lungberg was in possession of Soul Calibur." Dhaos muttered.
Everyone winced before looking at each other. Dhaos just sighed.
"...So yeah, I don't think asking would do any good." Dhaos said.
"So you mean that Barbatos is helping Xuan Dou Zhi Wang destroy the tournament by ACCIDENT?" Bowser exclaimed.
"Unless you want me to phrase it another way, yes." Dhaos groaned.
Bowser threw up his hands in frustration. "This is a nightmare!"
Everyone nodded their heads, unaware how accurate Bowser's statement was.
"In any case, I should tell the others about this." Dhaos offered.
Snake paused before narrowing his eyes. "Um, others?"
Dhaos let out a deep sigh. "I… Was again part of a villain plot."
Peach narrowed her eyes. "Of course you were."
"Um, Peach, I am going to be perfectly blunt." Bowser piped up. "You can't pay enough to care about what villainous plans he was doing at the time!"
"Crude as always, but not inaccurate." Rosalina nodded. "It is clear that our main focus should be Xuan Dou Zhi Wang."
"If it is not too much trouble, could you tell me anything that I am missing?" Dhaos asked.
"There isn't much else to explain but a proper full recap is still recommended." Rosalina nodded. "Basically…"
Asgore on the other hand paused before looking around.
"...Um, should I even be here?" Asgore asked.
"Well, Bowser wanted you to get you to a medic as quickly as possible and while Cream and I are not part of the medical team, we are still strong medics." Peach offered.
"Besides, everyone else is so concerned about Xuan Dou Zhi Wang that they probably won't even care." Junior said, waving it off.
"That and in the end, you are just…" Lemmy started.
"SHH!" Bowser, Asgore and Junior scolded.
Lemmy's eyes widened before clamping his hands over his mouth with everyone else just looking confused.
(Dome; Hallway)
"I HOPE THAT THIS MAP WOULD SERVE YOU WELL."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, just get out of my way, you pile of… Woah-woah-WOAH!"
That was the sound of Cruella attempting to kick the Map Bot after she, Jasper and Horace finally realised that the only way to get the robot off of their tails was to accept the map that it was offering.
However, the moment the Map Bot's job was done, it immediately turned around and moved away just as Cruella attempted to kick it, causing her to fall on her rear. Jasper and Horace laughed at Cruella's misfortune. However, the aristocrat immediately glared at the two men, causing them to shut up and scamper over to help Cruella up.
"And don't come back!" Cruella roared.
"Hopefully, as long as we have this map, it doesn't have a reason to come back." Horace sighed.
"It better not!" Jasper spat. "Now Cruella, can you PLEASE read the map so we could escape this circus!"
"Very well. Even I know that what you just said is an insult to circuses!" Cruella said before reading the map.
"Cruella?"
The monochrome-haired woman along with her lackeys, raised their eyebrows before turning to the direction of their voice. Once they did, their eyes widened at who they saw. A tall, green-skinned woman clad in a black robe with a matching spiked helmet and a large, heavyset black-furred cat clad in simple, old-fashioned bright clothing.
"Maleficent! Pete!" Cruella gasped.
"What are you doing here? I thought you were banned from the Battle of the Luminaries." Maleficent asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Ugh, don't remind me! I still can't believe that they have the audacity to ban ME when B.B. Hood and Gnasty Gnorc were allowed in the Okron Tournament and Tournament of Kikai respectively." Cruella muttered.
"...I mean to be fair, THEY didn't try to steal Soul Edge." Pete said, blinking twice.
"Even still, it is unfair how we are banned when Veigue Lungberg, you know the wielder of Soul Calibur and the OTHER half of why the Megamix Dome was destroyed in the first place!" Cruella exclaimed.
"I mean… I supposed it IS unjust seeing that Psycho and Max had the 'brilliant' idea of having Maggery Byrde in a machine and torturing until she turned into an aggressive monster and yet I heard from the grapevine that THEY are going to be on the security team in the fourth Megamix Tournament." Maleficent mused.
Cruella, Jasper and Horace looked disgusted at this.
"WHAT!?" Cruella exclaimed.
"Okay, I NEVER wanted to be here and even I can't help, but feel angry upon hearing that!" Jasper growled.
"Yeah, sure they are not typically villains but what they did was still villainous." Pete frowned.
"Ugh, you know what, whatever. I don't even care anymore." Cruella groaned. She then paused. "...Wait, what are you two doing here?"
"What else?" Maleficent asked. "Contrary to popular belief, I do not mind taking the occasional break from villainy from time to time."
"Yeah, it was fun watching this tournament!" Pete grinned. His face then fell. "Though I really wish they stopped calling the musical numbers M. Bison, Oume Goketsuji and Vega did 'Pulling a Pete'."
"It is your own fault, you oaf." Maleficent scolded. "If you just listened to me properly, you wouldn't have made an even BIGGER fool out of yourself."
"I mean, you are not wrong… But at the same time, after Kingdom Hearts 3, I would take what you said with a grain of salt as well." Jasper piped up.
"Yeah, I don't even remember either of you two doing ANYTHING important in said game." Horace nodded. "I actually keep forgetting that you were in said game a few times."
"See!? Even THEY get it!" Pete exclaimed.
Maleficent growled, igniting her staff in fire. Pete, Jasper and Horace yelped before holding each other while shaking like leaves.
"I am afraid I am forced to agree with those idiots for once, Maleficent. I mean you had Sora, your main downfall in the first game within your grasp and yet you let him live!?" Cruella frowned. "Sure, you and Sora never met each other after said meeting, but it didn't bring you in a positive light, Maleficent."
The fairy glared at Cruella. "And what makes you think I would smite you for your insolence!"
"It is not that you couldn't smite me, it is just that you WOULDN'T smite me." The aristocrat shrugged.
Maleficent continued to glare at Cruella for this. However, despite keeping her scary scowl, she made the flames on her staff vanish.
"...Ugh, friendship is overrated." Maleficent muttered.
"Indeed, it is." Cruella nodded with a small smirk.
The two villainesses then shared a fist bump with each other.
Pete chuckled nervously before stifling a cough. "In any case, you three should probably vamoose. Sure, everyone and their grandma are fully focused on stopping Xuan Dou Zhi Wang, but still it is too dangerous for you guys to wander around."
"Don't need to tell ME twice!" Cruella scoffed before reading the map.
"Can we stop for food first?" Horace asked.
Cruella, Jasper, Maleficent and Pete looked at Horace in disbelief.
"You can NOT be serious… After everything we went through tonight, what could possibly make you want to eat instead of going straight out of this accursed dome?" Cruella challenged.
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!
Everyone paused as they froze in place. They then looked over to Cruella whose face was turning bright red. She then read the map before stomping off.
"...I am going to pig out on food so I could have the energy to murder anyone who speaks about this." Cruella muttered.
The rest just watched on in exasperation. Jasper and Horace just turned towards the two.
"Pardon us, but could you escort us to the restaurant?" Jasper asked.
"Yeah, I'll feel safer with you." Horace nodded.
"...I mean, we wanted to go to the restaurant anyway." Pete shrugged. "And after dealing with Goofy for the entirety of Goof Troop, I dealt with worse acquaintances."
"Thank you." Horace nodded.
With that, he and Jasper walked off with Maleficent and Pete watching them.
"...Is it me or do we have weird friendships?" Pete asked.
"Don't need to tell ME that, oaf." Maleficent scolded. "After all, I never got rid of YOU, didn't I?"
With that, she walked off with Pete following with blinking eyes.
"...I can't tell if I am supposed to feel flattered or insulted."
(The Arena)
"DR NEFARIOUS TROPY!" (CB)
Most people had expected the blue-skinned chronomaster to float outside of the Ready Room while wielding a tuning fork as a weapon. And that was what had happened. However, they were quick to notice something.
Instead of a man like how it was in the first two tournaments, it was a WOMAN. She gave a smug smirk as she floated down the ramp while the crowd gave a huge mixed reaction. Once in the arena, Coco made a beeline towards her.
"Okay, first things first, I HAVE to ask." Coco said, putting her hands on her hips. "Why did YOU get the invite instead of your male counterpart?"
"Well, I obviously wasn't the one who sent the invites so I wouldn't know." N. Tropy shrugged. "Then again, I WAS in Crash on the Run AND Crash Team Rumble. Though in the case of the latter, maybe my male counterpart WOULD have joined eventually if it wasn't for… You know…"
She and Coco then looked to the side with sad looks on their faces. However, they immediately went back to their previous expressions.
"Well, regardless, there is no way I could let you wander around the arena free after what you did!" Coco spat with a surprising amount of venom in her voice.
"I must confess. You and your little ragtag friends had managed to defeat me AND my male counterpart, but I could kill you before and while I am unable to do so, I will MAKE you wish I would kill you." N. Tropy smirked.
"H-Huh?" Coco sputtered. "Oh yeah… That too."
N. Tropy blinked twice at this. She then rolled her eyes.
"Ugh, I swear, a villain shouldn't be telling a HERO this unironically." N. Tropy muttered. "Self-love is very important and me and my male counterpart realise…"
"UGH, STOP!" Coco yelled out in disgust before spinning forward.
"And now, Mystery Fighter… Number… FORTY-FOUR!"
"ROCKET RACCOON!" (GotG)
The small grey-furred raccoon came out to an enormous cheer. He looked around, smirking at the warm reception and he carried a high-tech bazooka as big as he was on his shoulder.
"Heh! It is about that Guardians of the Galaxy got some love for these things and of course, that bloodsucker chose the best person for the rep!" Rocket Raccoon smirked. "Now to give someone the taste of napalm!"
With that, he was about to step down the ramp.
(Now somewhere in the black mining hills of Dakota)
(There lived a young boy named Rocky Raccoon)
Rocket Raccoon froze in his spot with wide eyes.
(And one day, his woman ran off with another guy)
(Hit young Rocky in the eye)
Rocket then looked up at the Sound Booth to the trio laughing at him as Rocky Raccoon from the Beatles played through the speakers.
"...That's two Beatles songs played in a row." Eggman muttered. "At least the Beatles fans would be happy."
(Rocky didn't like that)
(He said, "I'm gonna get that boy")
(So one day, he walked into town)
(Booked himself a room in the local saloon)
Rocket growled. "Oi! You think that just because the tournament is going to pot that means I won't come up there and blast your faces off!"
"Love to see you try!" Astaroth taunted.
"I'll take that bet!" Rocket roared before stomping down the ramp.
Once in, he angrily looked around for a potential target.
"Eeny-meeny-miney-MOE!" Rocket shouted before getting out his bazooka and firing an electric shot.
Sailor Jupiter yelped before barely dodging out of the way before glaring at the guilty party. "What was THAT for!?"
"Look, toots, nothing personal but Dumb, Dumber and Dumbest pissed me off and seeing that I can't go after them immediately, I have to find SOMEONE to take my anger out on!" Rocket shrugged.
"Even still, that is no reason to take it out on random fighters! What kind of hero are you!?" Sailor Jupiter scolded.
Rocket looked in disbelief. "...Toots, have you not seen Guardians of the Galaxy?"
Sailor Jupiter looked like she was about to retort. Suddenly, she paused before looking down at Rocket with a sheepish look.
"...Um, which Guardians of the Galaxy are you referring to?" Sailor Jupiter asked.
Rocket looked at the nearest Lakitu with an exasperated look on his face. "...I'll be more annoyed if beating your enemies to a bloody pulp wasn't the aim of the game."
"PYRA & MYTHRA!" (SSB)
Mai growled before looking up at the Entrance Curtain. Despite it being a duo fighter announcement, only the red-haired, red-clad pyromancer showed up outside of the Ready Room. She smiled as she politely waved to the cheering crowd (where most of them were men).
"It is so nice that you and I would be fighting together!" Pyra beamed.
"For now, anyway." Mythra muttered in the back of Pyra's mind
"Oh, right." Pyra realised. "I never understood why SSBFreak gave us INDIVIDUAL invitations as if we would be separate fighters."
"Hell if I know how that would work." Mythra said. "Maybe they will separate us the same way SSBFreak managed to fully fix the Megamix Dome as if it was nothing."
"Well, in that case, there is no reason to be concerned." Pyra offered. "I am sure that whoever fixed the Megamix Dome must be a trustworthy individual."
"Mm-hmm. Regardless, look alive. It seems that you-know-who has chosen us as her target for this tournament." Mythra warned.
Pyra's smile vanished as she looked down. Indeed, Mai was getting up to her feet while tapping her foot against the ground impatiently. Realising that she needed to make the best of it, she sighed before walking down the ramp and stepping in. Needless to say, Mai stomped over to her.
"Look, I think we all know why I confronted you right now." Mai spat.
Pyra sighed. "Indeed. Look, I am sorry that you didn't get to cameo in Terry Bogard's stage. I assumed Sakurai thought you didn't have that many conservative costumes."
"Except YOU and Mythra didn't have that many conservative costumes instead! You were just as scantily-clad as me!" Mai roared. "And yet he gave you and your sister brand-new outfits to be in Smash when…"
Then, she was engulfed in electricity due to her shock collar, making her cry out in pain and Pyra gasp in shock.
"Ugh, this stupid collar!" Mai spat before glaring at Pyra. "Look, I don't even have to explain how I am mad at you!"
"Look, I know that you wanted to cameo in the biggest video game crossover of all-time, but it is not like not being in Super Smash Bros is that bad." The redhead frowned. "Your crossover list is still big in terms of quality. I even heard that you appeared in a Last of Us spinoff?"
"Doomsday: Last Survivor." Mai corrected before getting into a stance. "Regardless, I will not forgive you for being snubbed by you!"
Pyra let out a sigh. "Mythra, I will go solo from here. I could tank all of her fiery attacks."
"You are just saying that because you think that if you switch to me, I would make things worse." The blonde scoffed.
"Well, I'm sorry, but you would." Pyra frowned.
"ANTHRAX!" (SSS)
(My Little Pony)
(My Little Pony)
Everyone looked confused as the white-furred unicorn happily skipped in place outside of the Entrance Curtain. She then skipped down the ramp while leaving a transparent rainbow behind her before leaping in.
As she did so, Ashley & Red looked in disbelief.
"So much for finally escaping the brony phase." Ashley muttered.
"To be fair, Anthrax may be based on the unicorn from the first movie where she and the other fairy-tale creatures were being carted away by Farquaad's army." Red piped up. "And the person who did so looked like Alice from Alice in Wonderland so Anthrax may be a reference to the second book: Lion and the Unicorn."
"...Who cares?" Ashley asked. "No, really, I am genuinely asking. Why did you fill your mind with such useless trivia?"
By this time, Anthrax skipped over to them. "Yay! Fight time! Fight time!"
"Uh-oh. It looks like she wants to fight us." Red frowned.
"Well, I suppose THAT works out." Ashley spat. "I wanted to cast a not-so-cute spell on her, anyway."
"AXL LOW!" (GG)
(All day today, the same day has come)
(A different day from everyone)
(Whether I will or not, whether I would or not)
(Wow!)
(It's like my Time was)
(Frozen still)
The blond British time-traveller used his hand as a visor while carrying one of his twin sickles that was connected with a chain. He then gave a descending whistle after seeing all of the varied fighters before making his way down the ramp while humming to his theme song.
Once he stepped in, he lashed out one of his sickles which extended to get lengths until it struck N. Trophy in the head. However, the sickle hit her helmet so it didn't directly hurt her but it did make said helmet ring. As Coco looked stunned, N. Trophy held her helmet to stop the ringing. The two Crash Bandicoot women turned to see Axl walking over.
N. Tropy narrowed her eyes. "My, aren't we ballsy today, Mr. Low?"
Axl narrowed his eyes. "If you remembered me, then you should know the reason why I am confronting you."
Coco looked back and forth between the two. "Wait, you two know each other?"
"Well, yeah." Axl said, scratching the back of his head. "We ARE time travellers."
"Though our meeting was the definition of a chance encounter." N. Tropy said before smirking. "In fact, he showed up AFTER I killed my dimension's version of you and your brother."
Coco's eyes bugged out at this. "Wait, what!?"
"Yes, it was when I was taunting Tawna about this and… And get this…" N. Tropy sneered, looking like she was holding back her laughter.
"What?" Coco spat in disgust as Axl glared at her.
"Tawna picked Axl as someone working for me and beat the tar out of him!" N. Tropy said before laughing.
Coco's eyes bugged out as Axl winced from the memory.
"Wait, really?" Coco exclaimed. "But… Tawna never told us about this!"
"To be fair, she figured out that I am not with N. Tropy." Axl offered. "AFTER she beat me to a bloody pulp."
Coco blinked twice before looking up at the Eliminated Seating. Judging by Tawna looking away with an embarrassed look on her face, it seems like she was telling the truth.
"In any case, don't think I don't want you through what you put ME through!" Axl growled.
"Oh, come now." N. Tropy said, rolling her eyes. "Your whole schtick is that you wander from timeline to timeline by accident. It is not like this is the only embarrassing moment you went through."
Axl growled while blushing with anger and embarrassment. "You're ready, kid!"
"H-Huh? Um, yeah." Coco said before pausing. "Time Travel is weird."
"PLATINUM THE TRINITY!" (BB)
The blonde magical girl-esque fighter came out with her long staff and even longer twintails with a cheeky smile on her face.
"I am so glad that Nine isn't part of the hosts anymore." Platinum, or rather Luna, spoke. "I don't want Master Jubei getting distracted by her and her stupid boobies!"
"...But Luna, Miss Nine is Master Jubei's WIFE." Sena, a boy's voice said from Platinum's mouth as well. "Of course he would want to hear her announce him."
"Ugh, you're a boy, Sena, you will NEVER understand." Luna scoffed.
"I mean you are not wrong on the last part." Sena sighed.
Despite the argument between the two souls, Platinum moved down the ramp with a skip before stepping into the ring. However, the moment she stepped in, Pyra skidded backwards on her feet with her sword in a defensive stance. Mai then leapt in to do a double-kick, but Pyra quickly blocked it before the ninja flipped backwards and landed on her feet.
"You're strong." Pyra admitted. "However, it is going to take a lot more than that to take me down!"
"Oh, don't worry, I know how persistent you Smashers can…" Mai taunted before being electrocuted. "Ah, come on! That one was technically a compliment!"
Pyra shook her head. "Well, I know how determined YOU are!"
"Yeah, it won't do anything about those old boobies!"
Mai and Pyra's eyes bugged out before turning to see Platinum.
"Um, OLD?" Mai asked, narrowing her eyes.
"Yeah, I mean just think. You appeared all of the way in 1992. The first Bayonetta game appeared in 2009, nearly TWO decades." Luna explained. "And Xenoblade Chronicles 2 became even MORE later in 2017!"
"Um, so?" Pyra asked.
"So? It is clear that Sakurai likes them young! Or at least not too old!" Luna added. "He probably thinks that boobs from primitive graphics, it was too little, too late to make them fresh in HIS mind!"
Mai growled with her eyebrow twitching.
"Now compare her to Pyra & Mythra. Sure, they are technically covered up, but the outfit is so tight, they might as well be topless." Luna scoffed.
Pyra looked appalled, holding her chest.
"So yeah, I guess the REAL reason that Sakurai didn't let you in is because your boobs are too saggy!" Luna said. "Nothing like Boobzilla-Simulator! I KNOW that most of the women are someone's fetish! Why do you think the basic waifu twins are here and not Rex!?"
Mai growled with her face turning red while Pyra just frowned.
"Look, little girl, I…" Pyra said, sounding like she was about to scold Platinum.
"...Switch." Mythra piped up.
"H-Huh?" Pyra asked, not liking where this was going.
"SWITCH!"
Then, Pyra was engulfed in a bright light and in her place was a white-clad young woman with long, blonde hair.
"Mythra, what are you doing!?" Pyra exclaimed.
"What does it look like I am doing!? I am going to teach this brat a lesson!" Mythra said before turning to Mai. "Truce?"
"Only until this brat is taken down." The ninja spat.
"Uh-oh. I think you did it again, Luna." Sena frowned.
"Pshaw! Give it ten minutes and those booby idiots will be at each other's throats!" Luna said, waving it off.
"...If you say so." Sena said.
"Oh dear…" Pyra lamented.
(Hotel; Bison's Room)
"I don't get it… I just don't get it…" Bison said as he and Ralph sat on the former's bed together.
"What is, Bison?" Ralph asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Like, I keep getting outshined at nearly every tournament after the first Battle of the Luminaries." The dictator sighed.
"You mean like the Soul Swords?" Ralph frowned.
"Well, yes, seeing that it was the beginning of the end for me." Bison sighed. "I had him, Ralph, I had Veigue Lungberg right in the palm of our hands and we somehow let him and his allies not only escape, but with the information about Soul Calibur."
"Yeah… It has gotten bad when you have to go to one of the hero groups OPPOSING you for help." Ralph frowned.
"I have to. Even though I was willing to harass the power of the Soul Swords, I knew how dangerous both were." Bison groaned, holding his head. "Still, to get outshined by someone who is supposed to be a hero and CRUELLA DE VIL!"
"I mean… It could be worse…" Ralph reassured. "You could be Nightmare or Tira."
"Yeah, while everyone agreed to veto their chance to enter this tournament, I strongly doubt that most of them blamed Nightmare and Tira for what happened." Bison lamented. "But what gets me is that apparently PSYCHO AND MAX are getting more attention than me."
"Well, they DID made a poor, jittery woman go into what is basically a torture chamber and turned into… What." Ralph said.
"But they did that by MISTAKE! They were trying to HELP Maggey!" Bison exclaimed.
Ralph blinked twice. "...I know what you are TRYING to say, what with you PURPOSEFULLY having Red Hood and Winter Soldier kidnapped because you believe that they are the source of immortality, but really"
"Still, I would probably give them the same treatment if it wasn't for that blackout!" Bison said before slapping his forehead. "Ugh, I know this is my own fault for expecting the Joker to do… ANYTHING subtle but still… To get overshadowed who became the villains by ACCIDENT! And then there is the Tournament of Kikai?"
Ralph blinked twice. "Wait, the Tournament of Kikai? I thought you took a vacation!"
"I did!" Bison exclaimed. "And hoo boy, thank me I did! I swear that I would have ended up like Xehanort!"
Ralph winced. "Oh… Oh, right…"
"I heard that Xehanort got traumatised from what happened and honestly, I don't blame him!" Bison frowned. "Imagine having this big plan and having it hijacked, your villain group brainwashed and getting KILLED because the hosts are too stupid to figure out the alias of Junk-O Eno-Shi-Mar!"
"Yeah… As someone who is friends with Sora, I shouldn't say this but kinda felt a little bad for Xehanort." Ralph sighed.
"And then there is THIS tournament!" Bison exclaimed. "I didn't even get to PRETEND that I was the Big Bad for ONE full section, Ralph!"
The big-fisted man frowned. "Bison!"
"And now even the Goketsuji twins have been outshined by… By…" The red-clad man exclaimed.
He then turned towards Ralph who just frowned.
"Xuan Dou Zhi Wang." Ralph sighed.
Bison's eyes bugged out. "What!? You are telling me that the main villain here is some node NO ONE has heard of!"
"Fraid so…" Ralph sighed. "And I don't mean to rub salt on the wounds but…"
"...They're doing better than me." Bison said, looking more exasperated than upset.
"Yeah… Because they not only caused the blackout, but have an army of despair clones, some kind of reality warper and that Ditto Fighter from Street Fighter EX3." Ralph lamented.
Bison did a double-take. "Wait… That last part WASN'T part of my drunken memories!"
Ralph let out a sigh. "Long story…"
"I don't doubt it…" Bison frowned.
With that, he collapsed on his bed.
"...And as if that isn't bad enough, I showed up drunk and embarrassed myself in front of the entire multiverse!" Bison muttered. "At least Pete was always a comic relief villain so he doesn't have much of a reputation if at all… But me? There is a reason why I am always the leader at these things! I am the face of fighting game villains! And now, look at me…"
Ralph frowned as he looked down at Bison.
"...Even still, to just allow someone to create a clone of you." Ralph said.
"...What is the point, Ralph? Nothing will change…" Bison said.
Ralph frowned. "Hey, come on…"
"No really. I am canonically dead now. If I appeared in any games, it would be in a non-canon deathmatch!" Bison muttered. "Besides, no one is going to follow me after what happened tonight. According to the Goketsuji twins, their groups think I 'set them up' and the remaining ones abandoned me, save for F.A.N.G. and Vega. And seeing that, I am again dead, there is no reason for Vega to stay!"
"Bison…" Ralph said.
"And why do YOU care? Sure, you are technically a villain in the context of your movie, but you are still the hero!" The dictator scolded.
Ralph paused. "...You're right. I NEVER approve of your actions and I don't mind hearing that they blow up in your face."
He then let out a deep sigh.
"...But you are my friend. I don't want to see you spending the rest of your non-canon life moping." Ralph lamented.
"I really appreciate that, Ralph. I really do…" Bison admitted with his hand over his eyes. "But… I don't know how I will EVER recover from this."
The brown-haired man paused with a frown.
"...Well, who said that you have to recover immediately?" Ralph asked.
Bison paused with his hand still over his eyes. "...Come again?"
"Like, maybe you could start small but showing that you don't let people push you around?" Ralph asked.
Bison then took his hand off of his eyes. "And what does THAT mean?"
"Come on, despite how mentally tired you feel, you can't feel the LEAST bit upset that someone basically tortured you with one half of what you went through after the first Battle of the Luminaries." Ralph noted.
"...It is not that I don't WANT to get revenge." Bison said.
"...Look, you said it yourself. You are the face of fighting game villains. You deserve your spot on the roster." Ralph said.
Bison blinked twice. "Um, what does THAT have to do with anything?"
"Oh, long story, the reason Xuan Dou Zhi Wang are the main villains is basically because one of them was supposed to be a Mystery Fighter in the last Battle of the Luminaries." Ralph said, rolling his eyes.
"...Wait, THAT is their reason?" Bison asked, earning a disgusted nod from Ralph. "And I thought I was petty!"
"Yes, at least YOUR plans are large-scale even if they are generic." Ralph noted.
"Oi… Yes, taking over the world may be 'generic', but so what?" Bison scoffed. "Ever heard of Tears for Fears? Everybody wants to rule the world."
Ralph chuckled nervously. "Sorry, sorry…"
Bison paused for a moment. He then sat up.
"...Do you think F.A.N.G. and Sora are watching the tournament as we speak?" Bison asked.
Ralph blinked twice. "Um, I don't know about F.A.N.G. but considering that Sora looks like he is only helping because you are my friend, there is a strong chance he is watching the tournament to distract himself."
Bison nodded before getting up from his bed and walking towards his door. Before Ralph could call out to him, Bison already put his hand on the knob and turned it.
Suddenly, F.A.N.G. fell forward straight on his face. Ralph jumped at this in contrast to Bison who just rolled their eyes. F.A.N.G. then flailed around like a fish before standing up straight.
"Master Bison, are you alright?" F.A.N.G. asked.
"Well, I definitely have been worse." Bison muttered. "Anyway, were you paying attention to the tournament?"
"Um, kinda…" F.A.N.G. said. "It is the only thing that makes me feel at ease."
"Very well. I heard that Xuan Dou Zhi Wang had also caused the blackout or hijacked the tournament?" Bison asked.
"Well, basically they had managed to kidnap the main host with someone disguising as Psycho Mantis." F.A.N.G. explained.
Bison raised an eyebrow while Ralph's eyes widened.
"Not only that…"
Bison looked to the side to see Sora throwing an Ether to himself without looking at one half of the Four Kings.
"They were the ones behind the garlic attack, Terry Bogard's murder, they even had the fake Psycho Mantis mind-hijack Snoopy while he was in the area." Sora lamented.
"What!?" Ralph gasped, walking over to Bison's side. "Not even JUNKO did that!"
Bison paused. "...And all this because their nodal companion didn't get invited to this tournament."
"That's right, sir." F.A.N.G. nodded.
Ralph gritted his teeth a bit while Bison closed his eyes.
"...It."
Ralph, F.A.N.G and Sora turned to Bison.
"Bison?" Ralph asked.
The Shadaloo leader growled with a purple aura growing around him, startling the three.
"That's it!"
F.A.N.G. jumped at this. "Lord Bison!"
"I could understand being outshined by Cruella because while she sucks as a fighter, she is the perfect vessel for Soul Edge!" Bison said, pacing around. "I could understand being outshined by Psymon and Max because I admit that all I did was kidnap Red Hood and Winter Soldier in comparison to what they did to Maggey!"
He then stomped his foot on the ground.
"But this group!? Some obscure… Obscure…" Bison said before snapping his fingers.
"Fighting game that could be considered a ripoff of King of Fighters, sir!" F.A.N.G said, standing up straight with his hands behind his back."
"Obscure fighting game that could be considered a ripoff of King of Fighters had decided that THEY should be the main villains just because Drake decided 'Hm, maybe these guys wouldn't be the best place to invite'!" Bison snarked. "I mean THESE are the ones threatening the tournament this time!? Really!? At least Cruella is still more or less advancing Soul Edge's agenda! And any chaos Maggey did was done by ACCIDENT!"
He then gripped his fists in Psycho Power.
"But this… THIS is where I draw the line! How DARE they think that could outshine ME by acting like a group of Karens!" Bison growled.
"Y-Yeah…" Ralph said with a weak smile.
"Exactly! How dare they assume that they're better than you!" F.A.N.G. nodded.
Bison then looked at Ralph. "I appreciate the help, but I think I need to go find those Xuan Dou Zhi Wang who had the gall to use MY likeness!"
The brown-haired man smirked before giving a thumbs-up. "That's alright! Go and wreck them!"
Bison smirked and nodded before looking at F.A.N.G. "F.A.N.G., do you think Vega would be awake?"
The assassin shook his head. "I doubt that. Vega may be a skilled assassin but at the end of the day, he is still a mere mortal unlike you."
"True…" Bison said, letting out a deep sigh. "Wouldn't be the first time I would basically be fighting with myself!"
"Don't worry, Lord Bison, while I doubt that you need my assistance, you know that you always have me!" F.A.N.G. grinned.
Ralph and Sora both looked exasperated at this. Bison on the other hand, paused before shrugging.
"Well, waste not, want not." Bison said. "Shall we?"
F.A.N.G. nodded his before he and Bison gave Ralph and Sora one final thanks before walking off. Ralph walked with a smile while Sora looked more neutral.
"...Hey, Sora, can I ask for you a favour?" Ralph asked.
The Keyblade-warrior slumped his arms. "...You want me to go with them, don't you?"
"Sorry, Sora, someone may mistake them for a villain group just like with Vega in the Tournament of Kikai." Ralph frowned. "I WOULD go to your place but…"
"No, no… I know that you could stay here permanently, you would." Sora sighed. "I also know that Bison and F.A.N.G. are from the main villains here."
Ralph smiled, putting his hand on his shoulder. "Thanks, man… I really appreciate it."
"Well, at the end of the day, the friend of a friend is a friend…" Sora said before scratching the back of his head. "And while I am not going to pretend that I am not regretting that saying, I know that YOU would want to help Bison sooo…"
Ralph chuckled. "Thanks, man."
Sora then smiled before the two shared a fist bump with each other. This made Ralph vanish into pixels. However, Sora wasn't fazed as he let out another sigh before running after Bison and F.A.N.G.
"...Hoo boy. Do I have a story to tell Mickey and the others back in the House of Mouse?" Sora muttered.
(Dome; Entrance)
Kyo Kusanagi frowned as he stood outside of the Crossover Dome with his arms while looking around the area. While he was technically with the large group searching for any Xuan Dou Zhi Wang fighters, he also took it upon himself to wait outside for a potential new recruit.
He then noticed someone approaching said dome. He sighed before walking forward towards the dome.
"I am pleasantly surprised." Kyo snarked. "I thought you would take longer to do your hair on such short notice."
"Bold of you to assume that I don't do my hair, even when I thought I wasn't going to go out." Benimaru Nikaido snarked back. "But really, how bad it got. Before I entered the nodal train, apparently the fake Psycho Mantis mind-hijack that poor beagle".
Kyo let out a sigh. "Those sons of bitches did it, they managed to kidnap Drake."
Benimaru's eyes bugged out. "What!?"
"Yeah, the Millennium Star and Tumble are doing the announcements until further notice." Kyo frowned.
Benimaru shook his head in disgust.
"This… This is ridiculous…" Benimaru said, holding his head. "I mean I could get Brazel… And Arashi. But Kaoru? Long? Ciel?"
"Yeah… If you told me about being bitter about not being invited to the third tournament despite having one of their own be invited to the last one, but still." Kyo lamented.
"Like… No matter how I wrap my head around, the less it makes sense." Benimaru said. "I had never heard of the heroes ever becoming the villains!"
"...Well, I WANT to say Max but to be fair, his villainy came from stupidity rather than intentional malice of his and Psymon's parts." Kyo admitted. "Then again, I don't blame anyone who says that it is a distinction without a difference."
Benimaru looked at Kyo in exasperation. "...Really, dude?"
"Sorry." The pyromancer said. "Look, I'll take you to the security team room. Maybe if we are lucky, someone is there and you could talk to Yan directly."
"Hopefully…" Benimaru said, narrowing his eyes, engulfing his fist in electricity.
Kyo nodded his head before turning around to enter the dome. Benimaru was about to follow with his mind full of polarising thoughts about the whole thing.
…Suddenly, he heard a straight noise from above him. Raising an eyebrow, he looked up and once he did, his eyes bugged out.
"What the hell?" Benimaru exclaimed.
Kyo stopped before turning around. "Hm? What is it?"
Suddenly, Benimaru ran to the side to avoid a stream of fire from the sky which startled Kyo.
"The fuck!?" Kyo exclaimed. With that, he ran towards Benimaru before igniting a flame in one hand and glaring up.
Once he did, his eyes bugged out. Flying above the two while descending down slowly was some kind of moth with six wings. However, the most noticeable thing about this moth was that their entire body was black with eerie bug glowing eyes.
Benimaru blinked twice. "All this and Kingdom Hearts Heartless too?"
"Hoo boy… To say that you missed a lot is an understatement." Kyo sighed. "Anyway, let's destroy that thing! I don't know what that thing is supposed to be mimicking but it is clearly a part of Xuan Dou Zhi Wang!"
Benimaru narrowed his eyes before engulfing his hands in electricity and zapping his hair. This made it stand on end before getting into a stance. However, after doing so, he paused.
"Um, Kyo?" Benimaru asked. "Doesn't this thing look familiar?"
The poster boy of KoF raised an eyebrow. "I guess…? Maybe if it didn't have the generic evil shadow clone colour palette, I would tell what it is easily."
"Actually, I was referring to the SIZE." Benimaru frowned.
Kyo's eyes widened before turning his head to see the moth then firing another stream of flames out of his mouth. The two then spoke the creatures' name in surprise.
"VOLCARONA!?"
(The Arena)
"ANNIE HAMILTON!" (PI)
"AOI UMENOKOJI!" (VF)
The brunette animal lover and the traditional Yamato Nadeshiko came out at the same time despite the former looking more animated than the latter. Despite this, they seemed to be talking to each other.
"So YOUR true love is a womaniser too?" Annie grumbled, puffing out her cheeks.
"I wouldn't say TRUE love but otherwise, yes." Aoi sighed. "It is so frustrating to see him flirt with other women."
"Ugh, Keith is like that too." Annie said, rolling her eyes. "Despite going out of my way to throw myself at him, he is still throwing HIMSELF at the girls!"
Aoi blinked twice. "...But aren't you and Keith canon as you had a child that is the main protagonist of…"
Annie chuckled nervously. "First off, we do not talk about Groove-On Fight unless we have to. Secondly, while it is nice to know, you can never be too careful. Especially with rivals of love."
"Agreed… I am worried that MY crush may settle one of my nodal companions." Aoi frowned.
(Dome; Virtua Fighter Locker Room)
Brad Burns blinked twice.
"Wait… Aoi has a crush on one of us? Is it Akira? Or Jacky? I swear if it is Goh, I am going to scream." Brad noted.
Everyone looked at Brad in disbelief.
"...Okay, I am the ruthless, sadistic assassin and even I'M stunned at how dense you are." Goh muttered.
(The Arena)
"Come on! Let's go show our future boyfriends why exactly they should fall for us!" Annie smirked.
Aoi smiled and nodded. "Indeed. Let's go."
With that, the two entered the arena. Once in, Annie grabbed Aoi's hand, startling her.
"Come on! Let's help that mechanic with that mad scientist!" Annie offered. "Not only would that impress the boys hopefully, but I want to beat his face in for what he did to those poor animals!"
"Let's." Aoi said, narrowing her eyes.
Annie nodded before swinging her free arm. "Swanny Clash!"
This created a swan made out of golden energy which literally flew forward towards the fight between Eggman and Mechanica. The swan crashed into Eggman's mech, startling Mechanica and making the two see the young women coming.
"And what… May I ask, is THAT for!?" Eggman demanded.
"For too long you had been turning animals into robots for your selfish goals of world domination!" Aoi said, narrowing her eyes. "It is high time we teach you to pick somebody your own size!"
Eggman's smirk returned. "...I am literally bigger than ALL of the characters, even outside of my machines. That is going to be harder than it looks."
"Shut up!" Annie roared. "We are going to beat you with the power of love!"
Aoi did a double take at this. "Wait, what!?"
"Of course, Aoi! Is that why we are fighting!?" Annie scolded.
Aoi blushed. "...I mean yes… But…"
"Then, what are we waiting for!?" Annie smirked. "Let's scramble this egg!"
Eggman paused. "...Heh. It is weird to face a girl that ISN'T this thirsty and THAT'S Amy."
Annie and Aoi glared at Eggman before pouncing forward. Mechanica just blinked twice.
"Umm… At least I have new allies?" Mechanica asked, scratching the side of her head.
"And now, Mystery Fighter… Number… FORTY-FIVE!"
"CRUSADER!" (Dungeon Fighter Online)
Most of the crowd looked confused as a muscular man with long hair and clad in white robes with a giant golden hammer on his back. He was on one knee kneeling and clasping his hands together in prayer. Once he was done, he stood up straight.
"I do loathe violence, but at the same time, I know I am not only representing not only my node but also the fighting game spinoff that hasn't been doing well recently." Crusader frowned. "At the same time, I have to do my part of making sure that the tournament advances as usual."
Crusader then stepped in and scanned around the arena for potential threats to the fighters. At first, he wanted to help Metaknight with Ganondorf but he knew that the small swordsman usually prefers to fight on his own so he decided on the next best threat and made his way over.
King Dice was minding his own business, looking at a card in his hand. Suddenly, he had a face of disgust on his face as he sniffed a couple of times.
"Eww! Did that disgusting Neemon farted near me or something!?" King Dice said.
As if on cue, Squirtle ran past King Dice with a terrified look on his face with Neemon running after him.
"Come back here! No, really, I spent so much time running from people that I don't know how to chase people!" Neemon roared.
King Dice blinked twice as he watched the two small animals run away. "Okay… NOT the disgusting Digimon."
"If I may, I doubt that the source of the stench isn't based on lack of hygiene but rather an opposing power."
King Dice raised an eyebrow before turning to see the Crusader. At least he was startled (how could he not, the Crusader was built like a truck) but immediately groaned.
"Of COURSE one of the Mystery Fighters has to be someone with holy powers!" King Dice complained.
"Do not misunderstand. I concede that you have no nefarious plans at this tournament and mainly came here on vacation." The Crusader admitted before frowning. "However, I don't feel comfortable leaving someone who hunts innocents' souls for the literal Devil running around."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, been there, done that!" King Dice said, rolling his eyes. "Though even though you may have the elemental advantage, I have the relevance advantage. It is true that the games AND show had ended a long time ago, at least people are STILL talking about it unlike YOUR franchise.
The Crusader frowned further. "...You DO realise that our fighting game spinoff is STILL getting new characters even to this day, right?"
"KAN-RA!" (KI)
The geomancer mummy appeared in a cloud of sand while coming out to a mixed reaction. However, he made it too mind as he eyed the arena with a scary and sinister smirk on his face.
"Ooh, quite the selection of potential test subjects!" Kan-Ra sneered. "However, while any of them would be suitable, I think I chose my perfect target."
With that, he made his way down the ramp. However, as he did so, Toph raised her head suddenly.
"I hear… Sand?" Toph noted. "Another earthbender having the gall to step in the same arena as me."
"Ah, should have known that you had heard me from a mile away. There goes my element of surprise." Kan-Ra said before shrugging. "No matter. My sand will make short work of you, girl!"
"Spare me. I already took down the last earthbender I faced!" Toph reminded.
"Yes, I saw what you did with him." Kan-Ra admitted. "However, here is where we differ."
"What?" Toph asked, sounding more bored.
"That fool is your basic Mighty Glacier!" Kan-Ra boasted.
He then snapped his fingers. This summoned a sand statue of himself between him and Toph.
I, on the other hand, focus more on traps and my long bandages so no matter where you are, you will NEVER feel safe!" Kan-Ra taunted.
Toph paused. "...So you are a lame zoner? Like that would change anything, but thanks for warning me that fighting you will be less fun than usual, I guess."
Kan-Ra's smirk vanished. "Hey!"
"CHAIRPERSON!" (RS)
The dark-haired PE-Uniform-clad Class Representative did a few practice stretches before taking a deep breath and making her way down the ramp.
"If Mr. Hibiki truly is going through a cycle of life-and-death, Sakura and I should try to get eliminations in his name." Chairperson frowned. "I just hope that I can do it."
With that, she stepped in and saw that the only ones that didn't have an opponent were Mario and Alice. Realising that going after the former would be a death sentence, she made her way over to Alice.
Alice saw her coming over. "Oh, hey! Is it true that your name is truly Chairperson?"
"Um, not really, my real name is…" The Asian girl said.
BOOM!
Sailor Jupiter cried out in pain as she crashed on the ground before glaring at Rocket Raccoon.
"...Okay, hero or not, who fired a bazooka point-blank!?" Sailor Jupiter scolded.
"I do." Rocket smirked.
"...But I still want people to call me Chairperson." Chairperson explained as if she never heard the explosion.
Alice blinked twice. "...I mean, weird nickname but I am from a node where there is someone called Duck King so I shouldn't judge."
"Well, regardless, as long as we are here, shall we fight?" Chairperson asked.
"Of course! I always wanted to fight someone from a fighting game that specialises in aerial combat!" Alice grinned.
Chairperson chuckled nervously. "Um, yeah, that is me."
"And now, the final fighter of this section…"
"GEESE HOWARD!" (KoFAS)
The blond crime boss and winner of the third Ultimate Video Rumble came out to a huge mixed reaction (though the cheers were louder). He paid it no mind as he looked at the arena while adjusting the tie of his suit.
"Billy is going to be alright… So I have no excuse or reason to degrade myself anymore than I already have all of this time." Geese frowned. "I need to make up for lost time."
With that, he walked down the ramp before stepping in. It was then that he and Mario noticed that they were the only ones without an opponent. Geese gave a smirk while Mario narrowed his eyes before the two approached each other.
"Mr. Video Game himself." Geese noted. "I admit that you deserve your reputation, but you never faced someone like me."
"Maybe not, but I like to think that I faced enough enemies to know what to deal with." Mario admitted.
"I mean I strongly doubt that it is enough to face me, but I do hope that you could still try." Geese smirked before getting into a stance.
As the fake yet still radiant aurora billows over them, it looks like the fighters will be having a more normal round this time around. However, things were never easy at these things. Especially since we were finally reaching a five Big Guy round.