Enter The Arena As Your Avatar -- The Spinoff!

Vague Tropique

Defense has finally found the base, and when he does the explosions seem to ring off...

Where he can't see them.

He's blown back slightly, and contemplating his next move...

"... He's sending some kind of signal!" concludes Tee. "The explosions are shaking this place enough that they can be heard from outside! That's how the enemy intends to find it!"

"What?!"

"Ex, I need to get out there!"

... But nothing happens.

Goldlewis's clothes are cut into by the axe strike. He remains standing, but oddly doesn't retaliate.

   "The Order of Heroes cannot give our Corrin a Dragonstone. However, he is surrounded by others like him there. Multiple other Corrins, various Manaketes, and versions of Azura. He was lost in this world, completely alone save for the three others, so I only wish to reconnect him with the Order."   

The Hunter sees this as supicious and roll away, anticipating a counter-attack of a sort on their person.

...

Ma'am, erm... Not to be too unfortunate about it, but could we have proof of this? I'm sure you mean well but I'd rather not be tricked into giving away someone who desperately need help.

Corrin step up, clutching his arm. Right. And your initial attack didn't do much in easing us in.

Slicing his way through balloons with a Chaos Katana, Pietro swipes the box from Chaos Balloon Boy and hands it over to Pseudo.

   "If he's right about those explosions, then you might wanna lock this back up. It'd be kinda hard to learn this thing's secrets if some thief has it instead."   

Wanda stares down Balloon Boy and raises a hand, her fingers shimmering with her distinctive scarlet aura.

"The winged monster from the dream world sent you here, didn't he? That's why he interrupted the seance before Springtrip could finish," she says. "What connection does he have with the Assassins? Does Mara have anything to do with him?"

Thor flourishes his axe and hammer.

"Even if the Assassins locate us, they don't have the firepower for a proper siege. As Pseudo said, these fortifications were meant withstand an assault from the likes of Galeem. Not even a bombardment from Thanos' warship would be enough to penetrate its armor."

Loki cracks a grin.

"Besides, I suspect Pseudo has contingency plans in case they do pose a threat to our defenses. We're quite safe from the Assassins here," he says.

Edited by IchigoMontoya on Aug 27th 2021 at 4:59:15 AM

"...Well... Think Ika, but bigger." Josie quietly mutters before continuing to eat her sandwich. At least there's nothing really interrupting the meal at this point, right? Regardless, upon finishing this second sandwich, she obtains a third one.

"So what sorts of stuff does this place do? It's my first time here."

Goldlewis adjusts his tie haughtily. He then sends out another exploding drone before rushing along after it with a dropkick, aiming to deliver a one-two combo with the second part coming too fast to escape if the first part hits!

The Gatekeeper comes back out. "It's true. I was looking for Corrin, too, but you seemed like nice enough folk that I didn't want to disrupt you."

   "Of the group sent out to retrieve the first four, I am the only one of remotely stable mind. The others are respectively: under mind control, consumed by murderous rage, and... Takumi from a timeline where he came to believe Corrin betrayed him. He, especially, should stay out of this conflict."   

"Kraken?" Refia guesses.

"You must have been gilly hungry, de-geso." Ika notes when Josie is eating three whole sandwiches.

She finishes her own.

"I've been here for a bit. When a lot of stuff gets destroyed, it pulls itself back together after a bit. And if you die here, you can come back to life randomly. That's about all I know de-geso."

Ika raises a tentacle.

"But you should still be careful, de-geso! Dying is reel painful, even if you can come back!"

She looks slightly offended when Refia implies that being a kraken would just be 'her but bigger'.

Edited by Rbade on Aug 27th 2021 at 5:06:42 AM

Upon Reifa correctly guessing just what she is, Josie freezes up even more, staring at the two before sighing and nodding. "You got me. I'm a Kraken, or more specifically a Demikraken. This is just a form I take on whenever I want to go on land."

Standing up and walking over to the edge of the Tournament, she looks back and asks "Should I show you all it, as thanks for the information about this place?"

Edited by zbse on Aug 27th 2021 at 5:13:10 AM

The Hunter use the time he spend adjusting his tie drinking... something. It empowers them, seemingly. Enough that when the orb is sent their way, they confidently shoot at it again, waiting for him to be close beforehand.

However, they're fast enough to... vanish their way out of the blast at this point. They're not rolling: Instead, they vanish into mist. And they use that move to come right to the fighter and swing their axe at him thrice, attempting to come at him from his right flank.

...

Corrin looks somber at that part and shut up, having seemingly been convinced. Samsara seems to be weighing her choices.

... With all due respect, I'd expect heroes to be in charge of this. You're describing rather sinister people here;

Chaos Balloon Boy can't really hold onto it, what with him being trapped, and as such he loses his grasp on the box. He glares for a moment, then turns to Wanda.

   "Haha, I don't know nothing about a winged creature. My master is in this world, and is on their way."   

Pseudo then hears what Tee says.

"He is WHAT!?"

He looks at Thor, Loki and Pietro.

"I may have contingency plans, but that does not mean a successful break-in wouldn't be bad for us! Botar, get back to the intercom and tell everyone to gather!"

   "But how long will that take you to pull off?"   , Chaos Balloon Boy suddenly asks, grinning darkly.

"What do you mean?", Pilly asks, confused. But Pseudo immediately understands.

"You didn't try to lose us when you ran. You scattered us across the base so that we wouldn't be able to properly react to an outside attack."

   "Heeheehee..."   

"But... wouldn't Roll have picked up on any outside activity through the monitor?", Pilly asks.

"No... all the cameras are looking to the inside of the base right now..."

"We're blind right now! Roll! Turn the cameras to the outside, fast!"

   "Aha haha... too late."   

Penetrating the strongest defenses

Above the island of Tropique, and thus above Defense as well, The Assassin Satellite Cannon◊ now becomes visible. It was its movements that had kicked up the wind earlier, and now it was floating at the perfect place, cannon aimed down right at the spot Chaos Balloon Boy had signaled them to attack.

   "The honor is all yours, Dr. Snively."   , Hub darkly grins in a room inside of the satellite. Snively◊ walks forward, holding the Chaos Emerald in his hand, and places it in the satellite.

"Now I can finally see what my creation is really capable of! Ahahaha! Ahaaaaah! Fire down, at FULL POWER!"

Snively presses a button, and the Satellite Cannon gathers energy around its cannon. Green lightning runs over the entire structure in response to the Chaos Emerald's energy, its power getting boosted beyond what a machine would normally get from a single emerald.

Enough energy gathers, and...

Upon hearing Chaos Balloon Boy's declaration, Roll switches the cameras to look up, and she sees what's about to happen.

"EVERYBODY, GET AWAY FROM THAT SPOT! THEY'RE ABOUT TO FIRE!" , her voice suddenly blares through the intercom, and while everyone could hear it, it was clearly aimed at the group near Chaos Balloon Boy.

"Get ready!", Botar says, head glowing as he attempts to teleport everyone but Chaos Balloon Boy back to the main monitor room, hoping that they'll be safe from the beam's range there.

Chaos Balloon Boy summons a bunch of Freddy Balloons, keeping them around himself as, similarly to Charlie's ability, they let him phase out in a ghost-like manner. And then...

With a deafening laser sound, the enormous, boosted energy beam is launched downwards from the Assassin Satellite Cannon. Defense would have to scurry away from his spot if he doesn't want to get caught in the crossfire.

The beam strikes the mountain range, easily blasting through it and reaching the outer plating of Pseudo's base. Due to the Chaos Emerald's boosting power, the Satellite Cannon having been designed to fully make use of said emerald power, and the bits of damage Chaos Balloon Boy had done to weaken the structure...

The beam breaks through, destroying the hallway itself in its entirety due to its size and destructive power, and even breaking into parts of the basement area. Ken Tahn is lucky that his cell isn't anywhere near that spot, but the impact of the attack is so powerful that he still feels it, his cell block shaking harshly enough to make him fall over.

"Okay, seriously, what the fuck!?"

Edited by DevilPsyco on Aug 27th 2021 at 2:51:54 PM

"Your confidence was misplaced, blondie!" snarks Tee as he just barely clears out of the way of the Satellite Cannon's beam.

"This is no time for squabbling! What do we do now?!"

Goldlewis is once again knocked back, but remains upright. He grips the coffin by a metal ring on its side and holds it against his arm like a Power Fist.

"Down with the..."

He launches forward with a roar of, "SYYYYYYSTEEEEEEM!" so loud it shatters the glass lens on his glasses as he delivers a simple, ungodly-strong uppercut with the coffin! If it hits the Hunter, they will be launched into the air, where three more of those propeller-drones will fly out, converge and explode on them simultaneously!

   "I admit, it is rather suspicious. However, I have come to believe that the Summoner - he who brought us all together - just has a morbid fascination with the concept. You may come to blows with him in due time, but that need not happen further between you and me. Most of the Order of Heroes mean well."   

"I can vouch for that, too," says MH!Anna. "One of my sisters is the commander of their forces."

Edited by KiriK on Aug 27th 2021 at 7:41:47 AM

Whoah! What kind of weapon's that?! Says Marco, watching in awe as the Satellite ravage the base, even from afar. Whitebeard observes as well, but whereas the other pirates in the crew are surprised, excited or horrified, he simply shrugs.

Not the kind of weapon I'd want turned against my crew. We've got better things to do. He glances down, as he move around while lifting an entire ship on his back. If you see it going our way, I'll throw you out of its path. But as long as it stay where it is, it's not our problem.

BUT IT IS MINE! HAHAHA!

Oden n- Whoever Oden is, he's leapt off the ship and is heading for the blast zone. Whitebeard sighs. ... Soon as we're near water, we're going to fetch him. I'm going to pick up the pace.

... What a guy, hahaha! Laughs Marco.

...

The Hunter is taken off-guard and successfully juggled and blasted into the air. They drop on the ground...

And vanish, having immediately gotten up with a new weapon, a large scythe, in hands. They immediately use it to swing at Goldlewis in a vicious horizontal arc.

...

Well, I'd rather avoid any useless fighting. If you can provide him with the help he needs...Oh, and if he's okay with it too. Let's just ask him at this point, right? It's much easier for us that way, and it's his future at stake after all.

She needs to Anna, barely fazed by it all anymore.

...

A tall man is running from Whitebeard's Ship to Intrigue. His running around uproot trees and kick up a shitton of dust in the process!

I GOTTA GET THERE IN TIME! He huffs and puffs. I'VE GOT YOUR BACKS........... MYSTERIOUS STRANGERS!

Edited by Bolded1 on Aug 27th 2021 at 2:52:16 PM

Def

Pseudo's Base

Defense is pulled out of range by a shadowy claw, awestruck by the destruction.

X sets him down next to him.

Defense: "They're going to destroy all of Tropique if that's what it takes."

X:    "Yes."   

Defense: "That would be very, very bad. If the Soil Beach gets caught in one of those beams, the explosion could wipe out the whole Arena."

X:    "Yes. And we only have one surefire way to stop them."   

Defense sighs.

Defense: "KAZE!"

Once they've been teleported to the monitor room, the four take a moment to process everything that just happened. Eventually, Pietro is the first to speak.

   "When the hell did their satellite start packing that much firepower? This base was supposed to take blasts from Galeem, and one shot just punched right through it,"    he says.    "Pseudo, you have at least one superweapon built into this place, right? Now might be a really good time to break it out!"   

Thor ignores Tee's remark, his eyes glowing a certain electric blue.

"We need to mount a defense and destroy that satellite before it fires again. Leave the latter to me," he says. "Raise any shields, ready the weapons systems, do everything in our power to ensure that the Assassins don't reduce this place to rubble. If they send any ground forces, strike them down before they can make it through the breach."

His gaze flickers to Pseudo.

"And Pseudo? If we manage to repel this invasion, Asgard would be happy to refortify your headquarters."

"I could raise a barrier to help with defenses. Maybe it won't be strong enough to withstand a blast from that cannon, but I'm not going to sit around and let the Assassins destroy this place," Wanda says.

Loki strokes his chin thoughtfully.

"If we're going to be assaulting their cannon, we might want to pinpoint its exact location first. Well, unless Thor wants to fruitlessly search the skies while the Assassins are destroying our arses," he says. "You have technology for that, don't you, Pseudo?"

Edited by IchigoMontoya on Aug 27th 2021 at 6:21:11 AM

KO!

That scythe attack drops Goldlewis, bringing him down for the count.

Fallen Edelgard nods.    "That would be reasonable, yes."   

When Fallen Corrin is brought out, he looks up at Fallen Edelgard. "I... I'm staying," he says, with almost no hesitation.

   "... Very well."    Fallen Edelgard sighs.    "Then I will just tell Kirrey that I have found you, but you wish not to be disturbed."   

Phew... Well, I'm glad this was all solved without bloodshed. Beruka flies in, with caked blood all over her face. Nearly.

Blood grows back. It will not be a worry.

.... Does it? Sakura shakes her head intensely.

Outside

As the Satellite Cannon closes its cannon and raises its shields to recharge, a purple streak of energy now starts coming down from above it. It's a Hub, teleporting downwards.

Then another purple streak shows up.

And another.

And another.

And many, many more. An army of Hub clones is on their way downwards.

As for Chaos Balloon Boy, he turns solid again and holds onto a larger balloon, now letting himself float out of the hole and out into the open.

Meanwhile, on the ground, Defense and X may hear voices coming from nearby.

   "It's about time we got some action."   , Mara says, now in sight of the two as well as she walks forward with a sinister grin.

   "Your puppet doesn't have the gauntlet with him."   , Dark Meta Knight says as he spots Chaos Balloon Boy.

   "Doesn't matter. We got the message across. Now let's play our part."   

She pulls out a sword and points towards the opening.

   "Let's give these heroes of justice a taste of the future that awaits them! Attack!"   

EVERYONE is here!

Alwina◊, Cywina◊ and Edwina◊, all three of them Mara's students, fly into the fray first, all heading into the front lines alongside their master and tutor. Bell◊ hesitantly follows, keeping her younger brother Azathoth◊ close by her.

The Hunter◊ marches onto the battlefield as well, sword drawn.

Jack Frost◊, while looking like he's not up for this at all, seems to not have much of a choice in the matter. As he flies forward, he activates their Einherjar card, summoning the Black Knight◊.

Porter◊, Tyler◊, Tom◊, Andropov◊ (along with his Shadow Alubujem◊) and the Huntress◊ hide out in one of the mountains, with the Huntress grabbing one of her guns.

"You don't seem very eager for this. Why did you come along in the first place?", Tyler asks Porter, who glances at the fairy boy with a neutral expression.

"They said everyone had to come. Not much choice. I'm keeping out of the fighting as much as possible though."

"Suit yourself. Once I start doing my part, they'll be coming in this direction too anyway.", the Huntress says.

In the back lines, Mr L, Schneider◊, General Logi◊, Delphinium and Deathroy◊, and then lastly Cyber await, ready to either fall in if those on the front line have trouble, or to keep their enemies from flanking them from behind.

And last but not least, Hisoka◊ watches from on a different mountain, having no intention of actually joining the fight on either side, but wanting to see how this all plays out.

   "Let's see if they actually stand a chance against the Assassins... I'd hate to be wasting my time if they aren't."   

Multiple Hubs have now landed near the entrance and hop down, entering Pseudo's base. They immediately split up, planning on spreading themselves out as much as possible.

More Hubs are coming down as well. They'll need to act fast before the base gets overrun by Hub clones.

Inside

"There is no way that satellite has the firepower necessary without some kind of boost. I do have a superweapon, but someone will have to activate it from in the basement area."

"What is going on here!?", Helryx says as she and Axonn finally rejoin the group before Pseudo even has a chance to respond to Thor, Wanda or Loki.

"The Assassins have forced an opening into the base. We're under full siege."

"Damnit all. We need to act immediately!", Axonn says.

"Uh, guys, we have a problem." , Roll then speaks up from the screen.

"Another one!?", Pseudo asks.

"The other Assassins are all outside and Hub... well... Hub's clones. They're getting inside the base."

Pseudo's eyes widen for a moment. He balls his fists, seemingly taking a moment to think. And then...

Then he walks up to the intercom and activates it.

"Everyone, listen! This is your commander speaking!", he begins, voice filled with authority.

"The Assassins are attacking our base, and Hub clones have managed to infiltrate the premises! I need warriors on the outside to fight the Assassins off, and I need warriors inside to stop every Hub clone! Do not let a single one get too deep into the base, and no matter what, do not allow any of them to reach any electric appliances! They'll use them to create more clones! Everyone who is unable to properly defend themselves will be evacuated by Botar in a moment. Everyone else, get ready for battle! The ban on fighting within the base walls is officially lifted! We will defend our base and our lives, and I do not want to see any casualties on our end!"

He slams his hand on the desk.

"Do not bother trying to capture the Hub clones! Annihilate them before they annihilate you! Now move out to where you think you will be of most value, and defend our base with everything you've got!"

He stops his broadcast and turns to Helryx.

"Assemble your Vahki and send them out. Be sure to order them not to physically touch any Hub clones, as the Vahki are robots. Make them attack from range. After that, gather your world's allies and venture outside!"

Helryx, genuinely surprised that Pseudo is taking on leadership again, nods. She now moves towards the intercom.

"All Vahki units! Intruders have infiltrated the area. Destroy every Megaman you can find! No mercy, no survivors! Blast them to nothing, but do not engage up close! That is an order!"

As she gives orders to the Vahki, Pseudo turns back to his other allies.

"Pilly, fight on the inside. Destroy every Hub you find."

"Right.", Pilly nods.

"Ninten. Gather all your friends and determine together where you can all be most useful! I have deactivated the warping limiter, you can now use your 4th-D Slip inside the base."

"Right! Charlie, do you want to come with me, or will you hide with Tracey and some others?", Ninten asks her.

"Botar! Bring those unable to fight to safety, then join the fight outside!"

"Yes.", Botar nods, getting ready to warp.

"Locke! Get to the entrance they made and use your powers on it. Let every Hub that tries to enter be destroyed by your corruptive power!"

While unsure about this idea, Locke does nod. He knows that there is no time for arguing.

"Pietro, Wanda, Thor, Loki, join me! I trust that the Hubs inside can be handled. As for us, we will take this fight outside! Everyone else will know of their own what to do! Follow me towards their entrance!"

Pseudo starts moving out, with the others starting to move towards their positions as well.

—

From all around the base, Vahki units activate, ominously standing up as their eyes begin to glow. They then march forward in search of Hubs.

"DESTROY ALL ENEMIES."

The moment they lay eyes on a Hub, their targets are set, and they charge up their blasts in their mouths.

"NO SURRENDER. NO RUNNING. ONLY DESTRUCTION."

—

Meanwhile, in his prison cell, Ken Tahn had overheard the broadcast as well. He just sits there, nervous.

"Under attack!? Shit, shit! If they come down here I'm probably as good as dead!"

Edited by DevilPsyco on Aug 27th 2021 at 4:21:09 PM

"You don't need to show it if it's embarrassing," Refia says calmly.

Kaze was literally there the whole time, standing on a mountaintop overlooking the battle.

A light is emitting from an orb on the side of the brass-like cylinder around Kaze's arm. His visible eye widens.

"It has moved."

The Magun Has Thawed

He draws the Magun's sealed form over his chest as the orb sinks into it, and a drill pops out. "Soil... is my power!"

The drill projects blades like a rotating fan as it spins, then the whole thing breaks apart into an assortment of floating pieces, which reassemble into its true form, a three-barreled handgun attached to Kaze's hand, containing a variety of odd parts◊ including a chamber that pulsates like a living heart.

Just like last time, the first thing he points this at is the biggest, most seemingly untouchable thing around - the Assassin Satellite Cannon. Any Assassins who have spotted him might be amused by this.

"The Magun... has thawed."

—

Charlie looks at Ninten. "I'd like to hide, but..."

The Magun's light reaches her and Tee.

"There's something I need to do. I think I'll be okay, I swear."

"I'm going too. Good luck."

With that, they run out. Charlie turns intangible while Tee holds his chakram, it filling with blue light that turns it into a sphere rather than a disc, as he hurls it at any enemy that blocks their path with enough force to remind Mara of Schezo's reality-breaking barrage!

—

Somewhere Else...

"Goro Majima," says Theodore.

"Huh?"

"Your protege is in grave danger. Come with me, and I will bring you to him."

"Say no more!"

—

And so Majima finds himself warped into the middle of the battlefield. "What the fuck is going on..." he mutters, finding himself at a loss for words for the first time in ages.

Edited by KiriK on Aug 27th 2021 at 9:48:44 AM

Outside

A thick dust of cloud is slowly approaching the battle, making itself clear enough to anyone paying attention that a third party is on its way. Said third party is a tall man wearing japanese clothing, with a fabulous hair and head, brandishing two swords into battle fearlessly.

HAHAHAHAHA KOZUKI ODEN WILL JOIN THIS FIGHT! But how do I know who's the bad guy here? Could be that it's a good guy laser... He glances at the Hub clones and uses his Observation Haki to peer across the battlefield in general, spotting many villainous figures in general. Ah, that's set then!

So which's one the strongest? He says to himself, arriving to the fight with his swords in hands, not attacking anyone for now but wishing anyone would attack him back to save him the troubles of picking.

When Majima appears next to him, he stares at him and nods, utterly nonplussed.

Ah, hello! You've arrived to help, I assume?! Good luck, one-eyed fiend! He look away, searching for enemies, blink, and turns to Majima. ... Did you just appear out of thin air? Whooahhh!

Edited by Bolded1 on Aug 27th 2021 at 4:39:57 PM

Def

Defense sighs as he and X approach Mara. "Why do you gotta assume it's so black and white?"

X:    "I mean, look at me! I'm evil!"   

Speaking of which, if Snively is watching the battle, he might notice the Sonic-shaped abomination present. It's unlikely his own Uncle Ivo ever mentioned it, but there's a certain aura of danger about him... as if he presents a greater threat than anything Robotnik has ever concocted.

Defense: "But I've been itching to throw hands with you for a while anyway, Mara. So let's make this a good one."

Suddenly, a fucking Saitama appears. He's wearing monochrome black-and-white instead of his usual colors, so Mara may realize that it's not the same Saitama she fought before... But she will also realize that he is definitely not an illusion.

However, he just idly waves at her as Defense himself hurtles towards Mara with a Superman punch for the face!

Ika looks at Josie in something like awe.

"A kraken?! You're squiddin' me, that's so cool de-geso!"

She then tilts her head in confusion.

"Show all what?"

William eavesdropped on what Ika said and by extension Josie, His inner voice's laughter heard through his chest whilst he was trying to process the statement about Krakens.

"oOoO Come back to life at random eh? We don't need to do that stupid shit with the bodies and crap now"

He stood there for a moment frozen and shivering. Realizing the voice's intention.

"pleasedontdrownmepleasedontdrownm-"

"relaaaax i ain't gonna do that, probably magic death but not thaaaaat chiill"

Readying Mjolnir and Stormbringer, Thor follows alongside Pseudo.

"Someone get down to the basement and activate that weapon! Chances are very high that we're going to need it," he says to anyone who might be listening. "If we fall, then may our deaths be worthy of a glorious banquet in the halls of Valhalla! Should we win, I will personally treat you all to a victory celebration on Asgard! Now let's make our ancestors proud, face the Assassins, and send them screaming to Hel!"

Bringing his scepter to bare with Nightbane, Loki smirks and walks alongside his brother.

"Did you just now come up with that rousing speech or did you have it written down somewhere?" he muses. "Regardless, I'm going to keep things brief: let's make them regret ever setting foot in this realm."

The Maximoffs begin moving out as well.

   "Can I be honest, Wanda? I'd be a lot more confident about our chances if we had a few Sisters with us. Or at least Neuff,"    Pietro admits.

Wanda offers her brother a reassuring smile.

"We still have each other, Pietro. And believe me, we'll give the Assassins a fight Neuff and the Sisters are going to wish they were here for."

Pietro grins at his sister in return.

Edited by IchigoMontoya on Aug 27th 2021 at 10:32:35 AM

Smiling gently, Josie... yeets herself off the edge, into The Wash below... All of a sudden, an absolutely massive shadow appears in the water as Josie erupts from it and quickly climbs up the side so she's peeking over it, looking much more different.

For starters, she is now tall as hell, with tentacles rising into the air, surrounding her. Oh, and her skin is pink and slick too. Other than that, she's still Josie.

"...so yeah. Kraken form!"

Edited by zbse on Aug 27th 2021 at 8:13:07 AM

Ika drops to her knees. Her face breaks into a massive grin.

"Hahaha! You're clawsome, de-geso!"

Please don't start worshipping her as a god Ika. Or trying to get her to help you conquer the surface world.

"Do you protect the sea? With your super kraken powers de-geso?"