Back inside the Mishima Zaibatsu…
Electricity crackled violently through the air as Jin and Kazuya clashed once again, their fists and feet moving in a blur. The thunderous sounds of their blows echoed through the crumbling compound, lighting flickering overhead with every impact. Their movements were nearly impossible to follow. Even Lars, who had been watching from the edge of the battlefield, narrowed his eyes, struggling to keep up.
"Tch… They're faster than ever," Lars muttered under his breath.
Jin ducked low, weaving beneath a vicious right hook and countering with a sharp uppercut to Kazuya's jaw. He followed up with a spinning roundhouse that caught his father clean across the face, sending Kazuya stumbling backwards several feet.
Crackles of red lightning arced around Jin's fists, his crimson eyes glowing brighter as he prepared his next move.
Kazuya straightened, blood trickling from his lip. But instead of rage, a grin spread across his face.
"Hmph… Finally fighting like a real Mishima," he said, brushing the blood from his mouth. "Let's see how long that lasts."
Suddenly, the pounding of boots echoed from the ruined corridors. Mishima Zaibatsu soldiers flooded into the chamber, their rifles raised and trained on Kazuya.
"Target acquired!" one of them shouted. "Engage and protect the heir!"
Kazuya turned slowly towards them, the smirk never leaving his face.
"More toys to break," he said darkly.
Lightning flared in his eyes.
Lars rushed towards Jin. "This is our chance!" he barked. "We need to fall back now, before—"
"I'm not leaving until he's finished!" Jin snarled, stepping forward, rage consuming his voice. "He won't stop. He'll never stop unless I end it here."
"Don't be a fool!" Lars shouted. "You're already half-devil as it is—you keep fighting, and you'll lose yourself completely!"
Jin hesitated—but not enough.
With a grimace, Lars made a snap decision. He moved like lightning, striking Jin hard in the side of the neck. Jin's eyes widened in surprise before rolling back as he collapsed into Lars' arms, unconscious.
"Sorry, Jin," Lars muttered, hoisting Jin onto his shoulder. "You'll thank me later."
Gunfire erupted behind them as the soldiers opened fire. Kazuya didn't flinch. With a roar that shook the very foundation of the building, his Devil power surged, wings tearing free from his back in a blaze of violet and red energy.
He launched forward.
Soldiers screamed.
The last thing Lars heard as he retreated down the corridor, Jin slung over his shoulder, was the chilling sound of Kazuya's maniacal laughter echoing through the halls.
"Run, run while you can…" Kazuya taunted behind them, his voice laced with malice. "You'll only delay the inevitable."
Elsewhere on the Mishima Zaibatsu compound…
A sleek metallic corridor shook as distant explosions rocked the foundations. Fluorescent lights flickered overhead, casting eerie shadows against the walls.
Lee Chaolan adjusted his silver cuffs with a calm, almost theatrical flair as he backed down the hallway. His violet coat flared behind him with every step, stained from earlier skirmishes but still somehow immaculate.
Across from him, Nina Williams moved like a panther—silent, precise, and absolutely lethal. Clad in her iconic combat gear, pistols holstered at her sides, she stalked forward with cold, calculating eyes.
"You always did enjoy being dramatic, Lee," she said coolly, drawing a combat knife and twirling it in her gloved fingers.
Lee smirked. "And you always enjoyed crashing a party, Nina. Can't say I missed that lovely perfume of yours—what is that? Cordite and murder?"
Without a word, Nina lunged.
Lee barely sidestepped in time, her blade slicing cleanly through the air where his neck had been. He twisted, delivering a swift backhand strike, but Nina caught his arm and flipped him over her shoulder with brutal efficiency.
Lee hit the ground hard, rolling to his feet just in time to block a knee strike aimed at his ribs.
"Tsk, aggressive as ever," he muttered, shaking off the impact.
Nina didn't answer—she never needed to. Her fists did the talking.
They exchanged a rapid flurry of blows, fists and feet moving in perfect rhythm. Lee landed a clean jab, followed by a rising kick that staggered her. But Nina recovered instantly, ducking low and sweeping his legs out from under him.
Lee crashed down again, skidding across the floor. Blood trickled from his lip, but his smile remained intact.
"You're making me work for this, darling," he chuckled as he stood. "Almost like you don't want me to stall you."
Nina's eyes narrowed slightly.
He knew she was catching on.
"You're buying time," she said flatly.
Lee gave her a mock bow. "Bravo. Took you long enough."
With a hiss of annoyance, Nina lunged again—but this time, Lee was ready. He parried her strike with surprising precision, spinning and delivering a stunning kick to her abdomen. She stumbled back, visibly surprised.
"Oh, you can fight seriously," she said, regaining her stance.
Lee's eyes narrowed, the smirk fading just a little. "Let's just say I've had motivation lately. I've got people to protect. You wouldn't understand."
Nina's blade flashed again as she surged forward—but Lee grabbed a nearby pipe, deflecting the blow. Sparks flew as metal clashed against metal.
Their battle continued down the corridor, a ballet of brutality and precision. But Lee wasn't trying to win.
He was trying to hold the line.
And he could only hope Lars and Jin were making the most of the time he was bleeding for.
Meanwhile, deep inside Ash's subconscious…
A low, pained groan escaped Ash's lips as he slowly came to. The air around him was cold and heavy, thick like fog but darker—unnaturally dark. He opened his eyes only to find pitch-black nothingness stretching endlessly in all directions.
Clink… clink… clink…
The sound of rattling chains echoed around him, bouncing off unseen walls. He looked down—and froze.
His legs were bound in thick, blackened iron shackles, bolted into the floor. His arms hung limply at his sides, too weak to move. His shirt was gone, and faint markings, almost like tribal runes, glowed a soft red across his chest and shoulders.
"What… What is this place?" he whispered, voice trembling.
He tried to move, but the chains pulled taut, biting into his skin. Panic set in as the rattling grew louder, like something ancient and angry was waking up nearby.
Then, without warning—laughter.
A cold, maniacal cackle reverberated through the void, sending a chill down Ash's spine.
"Who's there?!" Ash called out, his voice echoing back at him—mocking.
Footsteps rang out through the darkness, slow and deliberate. Each step brought a strange echo, as if the ground itself recoiled in fear.
And then he saw it—a figure emerging from the void.
At first, it looked like a mirror—Ash, standing tall. But something was wrong.
The doppelgänger's skin had a slight grayish hue, almost lifeless. His hair was a shade darker, wild and unkempt. And his eyes… they glowed a deep, piercing red like molten coals.
The copy grinned, revealing slightly jagged teeth. It was a smile too wide. Too sinister.
"Finally awake… Ashy-boy," the dopplegänger purred mockingly, arms spread wide.
Ash's jaw clenched. "Who the hell are you?"
The figure chuckled, stepping closer, his boots making no sound now.
"Me? I'm the part of you that you've spent your whole life pretending didn't exist."
He tapped his own chest.
"I'm you, Ash. Or rather… the part of you that's always been there. Watching. Waiting."
Ash shook his head. "No… No, this is some kind of trick. Reina must've done something to me—this isn't real."
The devilish Ash laughed louder now, the sound growing deeper and more distorted.
"Oh, it's real, alright. And Reina? She didn't create me."
"She just finally gave me the opportunity… to say hello."
Ash strained against the chains, every muscle screaming.
"You're lying! I'm not some… monster!"
The figure's eyes gleamed.
"Then why do you feel it?""That rage when someone hurts your friends. That power surging up your spine when you're pushed too far. The spark when Pikachu's thunder flies…"
"That's me."
Ash's breath caught in his throat.
The devilish copy crouched down to Ash's level, his red eyes burning inches from his face.
"And I'm tired of hiding in the dark. So here's the deal…" he whispered.
"You're either going to accept me—or I'll take control myself."
A surge of black lightning crackled behind the doppelgänger, lighting up the void briefly with twisted, monstrous shadows.
Ash's heart pounded in his chest as he realized:
This wasn't just a dream.
This was a fight for his soul.
Back to reality…
The wind howled through the Mishima compound. Smoke curled up from distant wreckage, and the scent of burning metal and scorched earth hung in the air. A bloodied maid dangled limply, held up by her throat in Reina's grip, her body twitching, breath shallow.
Reina, still smirking, was amused by the ease of her dominance.
"Such loyalty," she muttered with mock sympathy, tilting her head. "And for what? A boy who doesn't even know what he is?"
She was about to finish the job—until it hit her.
A pulse. Deep and low like a thunderclap in the soul. A pressure so dense it almost bent the air.
Her smile faltered.
Her eyes turned.
And there, just a few feet away… Ash was standing.
He shouldn't have been able to.
And yet, there he was—his figure wreathed in shimmering tendrils of black and crimson aura, flickering like embers on a dying flame. The shadows clung to his form like they were afraid to leave him. His head hung low, obscured by shadow, but there was something primal—inhuman—about the way he stood.
Reina dropped the maid like a broken doll and slowly turned to face him, the first sliver of caution creeping into her voice.
"Well, well. Look who decided to wake up," she said, keeping her tone light. "Did your little nap help you grow a spine?"
No answer.
Ash didn't move.
Didn't blink.
Reina scoffed, though her fingers subtly flexed, readying herself. "Silent treatment, huh? That's fine. I prefer screams anyway."
With a fierce cry, Reina lunged, fist cocked back, moving at a speed fast enough to shatter bone on impact.
But then—impact never came.
Ash's arm shot up faster than the eye could track and caught Reina's fist in mid-air.
Effortlessly.
Like swatting a leaf.
Reina's eyes went wide. "What—?!"
She barely had time to react before Ash gently lowered her fist, pushing it to the side like it was a child's tantrum.
Then his head lifted.
And one glowing, piercing crimson eye met hers from the shadows.
The story is still not dead yet XD.