MULTI_MEDIA_MAN

World of Light: the Endless Now (The Ultimate Videogame Crossover)

Geralt of Rivia

Frozen Highlands- The Midnight Walk
Lvl 15 Geralt (260/140) -> (262/140) 280% OL Charged (Lvl 1)
Word count: 958 words

After his return to the stagecoach, Mokou was next to exit and perform reconnaissance, encountering and engaging a massive aquatic creature that she was content to float out of reach of, peppering it with fireballs. Unfortunately, the monster had a much longer reach than was immediately apparent, and it dragged her under the waves. Roxas and Ganondorf were quick to leap to her aid, and with the three of them distracting the monster (and doing a terrible job of it before realizing that the stagecoach was a bad place to bait attacks out from), the group was able to escape the encounter and reach safety after a short sprint from the Reindrix.

Before them lay Spire 04, the location of the space elevator that Adam and Eve had mentioned when they first met. How an elevator was meant to go so high without collapsing on itself was beyond Geralt, but the kinds of materials he’d seen in this world were also far beyond him and his knowledge. As they got closer, Heismay called out that the bridge was out, forcing the stagecoach to a halt. Luckily, he also quickly spotted a dam that the stagecoach could use to cross the gap, and they quickly made their way towards it.

After Sandalphon and Adam’s drone detected groups of machine-fused lifeforms, the Naytiba that Adama and Eve were familiar with, Geralt began looking them over. They weren’t terribly novel in form, though the latest presentation was a grotesque combination of flesh and metal that made Geralt’s brow furrow and his nose scrunch. They looked almost like men trying to hold in their entrails as they died.

After Heismay and Eve broke off from the group, Geralt took a position ahead of the stagecoach but not too far into the field of enemies, calling out to the others. “We ought to provoke them in waves, so as not to draw too much attention our way and risk being overwhelmed.” He cast Quen to protect himself in its shimmering shield, then bounded forward towards a group of the humanoid Naytiba, a pair of swordsman with a third also carrying a shield. Before getting too close, however, he watched their movement patterns and avoided getting breaching their patrol area.

Once he was ready, the drain of casting a Sign recovered, he drew his steel sword and began casting a spell. “Come forth, sacred spirits!” His shout drew the attention of the Naytiba, which turned his way and began running towards him. “Luminant Scythe!” Too late for them, however, as Geralt cast the holy spell at one of the regular droids. Rings of holy energy surrounded it as balls of light energy crashed into it one after another, each dealing a chunk of damage. It wasn’t enough to defeat the creature, but it was a significant enough blow to stagger it somewhat and break their formation. As the first Naytiba reached him, Geralt deftly parried a swing of its blade, the heat from its weapon drawing a bead of sweat from his brow, and cut through its exposed flesh, severing a great number of tendrils, which flopped to the floor.

The Naytiba did not react as its fellows joined it, forcing Geralt to back up and avoid being surrounded. He did not let them take the offensive, however, and made for the one that he’d hit with Luminant Scythe, attacking its sword arm to force it on the defensive. Rather than preserve its own life, however, it also attacked Geralt, its superheated blade smashing into the protective barrier of Quen. He grunted and forced the attack, shoulder-checking the robot and stabbing it through the torso. Pulling his sword out, he cut across its body several times before pirouetting around a slash from the first Naytiba he had reached, backing off as they closed ranks.

A shot from Sandalphon finished off the Naytiba he’d wounded with Luminant Scythe, earning him some much-needed breathing room. He expanded that breathing room with a blast from Aard, stumbling the shieldless Naytiba, while the shielded heavy droid resisted the force of the blast, dissipating against its bulwark. It rushed him, shield forward while its blade loomed threateningly overhead, and had to skid to a stop as geralt danced around its shield and cut at one of its legs. It shoved its shield forward to make room while the other Naytiba rushed Geralt, and the Witcher took a step to try and force one Naytiba between himself and the other.

They immediately spread out, however, and Geralt had to sigh. They had decent enough teamwork, but they lacked the aggression to make use of that. Quickly drawing his hand crossbow, Geralt shot the Naytiba without a shield and pounced at it, hacking off a leg with a pair of savage blows and pushing it back with a kick. He turned his attention to the heavy droid and waited for it to attack, which the corrupted machine was more than willing to oblige. As its sword arm sailed past him, Geralt grabbed the limb with one arm and drove his sword into its torso, leaving the blade within while he pulled the droid’s arm to drag it off-balance. He drove a kick into the back of its knee, leaning over it to draw his sword again and dismember the heavy droid by removing its arm. The other droid was trying to drag itself towards him, giving him enough time to finish off the heavy droid.

He approached the remaining Naytiba and waited out an incredibly easily avoided slash from the ground, stepping on its sword arm and driving his sword into the droid’s head, ending it. He grabbed the three Spirits left by the destroyed droids, bottling them for later crushing.

World of Light: the Endless Now (The Ultimate Videogame Crossover)

Nightime Debrief

Zenkichi Hasegawa & Sandalphon
Banishing Flats/Frozen Highlands
Word count: 2,159 (+3 XP/Rapport)

Band's commiseration had, perhaps paradoxically, bolstered Zenkichi's spirits a little. Awkward interactions around the table with Nadia aside, it was heartening to be reminded that he had kindred spirits within the Seekers. Nadia was fun, Geralt was a consummate professional with a reluctant heroic streak, and Sakura was a pure ray of sunshine, but he and Band had a lot of shared feelings and ideals that helped remind the eldest Phantom Thief that he wasn't alone here, even as far from the other Thieves as he was.

As they returned to Banishing Flats, Zenkichi bid Band a good night before making his way into the small park that the other detective-turned-Skullgirl Hunter had played in, finding a bench to sit upon. Looking out at the dwindling foot traffic, he smiled before bringing his finger to his ear and speaking. ”Hey, Sands. How are things going over on your team's end? We actually managed to locate the Guardian in Esaka…well, the Guardians, apparently. The Four Kings are more than just in charge of the martial arts tournaments it seems.”

“Interesting,” Sandalphon’s voice replied. “Progress in the Frozen Highlands is good. We decided this morning that drawing the Guardian to us would be more prudent than attempting to chase him down, and are bound for a suitable destination. I estimate our expedition to be approximately fifty percent of the way to the goal.” The archangel spoke as if delivering a mission report, clinical and deadpan. “Although two of our number were forced to retreat, we have not suffered any casualties. In fact, we have gained several new recruits.” Only after a few moments did Sandalphon consider that Zenkichi might want more from her than a succinct status update. Nevertheless, as the Seekers’ elected leader she could not shirk her own responsibilities, so she returned the detective’s question. “Does your team have a plan in mind for the deposition of these Four Kings?”

”I'm glad nobody's been hurt, then.” Zenkichi replied first, nodding at the information Sandalphon was reporting. ”I'd have hated to hear anybody was lost. We've picked up a few new recruits on our end, as well. Harry found his partner from his world, and we recruited a local fighter named Terry. We're planning to join the tournaments to fight through the ranks and earn an audience and chance to fight each of the Kings, and take them down all at once so they don't have a chance to come back. On that note, there is something strange about Esaka. It seems like killed fighters are returning to life extremely quickly, so much so that there's a tournament where the losers are, quite literally executed publicly, but are fine in a day or two. The locals are chalking it up to spectacle, but from what Sakura and Terry have said…I don't think its just special effects. I think Moebius is manipulating the system to bring people back quickly enough to hide that they're actually dying.”

The call was quiet for a brief moment as Sandalphon thought. “If this seemed like the most viable solution, the odds are highly stacked against Gold Team. The failure of even one person could render the entire endeavor moot, and if your foes catch on to your intentions, you may not get a second chance.” It sounded like victory in Esaka involved a much more difficult set of conditions than in Midgar. Sandalphon found herself hesitant to ask for the specifics of the upcoming tournaments, lest she actually become able to calculate his abysmal the Seekers’ chances were. Instead, she tried to pivot toward the other matter Zenkichi mentioned. “It stands to reason that the prolonged existence of Moebius would drive its members to seek as efficient a system as possible for the slaughter and harvest of their livestock. If Esaka’s Flame Clock runs not on the flames of other colonies, but instead cannibalizes itself like a serpent eating its own tail, such an endless source of sustenance and entertainment may very well represent a ‘perfect example’ of what Moebius desires. They won’t part with it lightly.”

Zenkichi couldn't bring himself to disagree with Sandalphon's assessment of their odds. ”Yeah, it's…not ideal, to say the least. I think some of the others just want to get involved in the tournament for the sake of the fight, but there is a legitimate snag in any attempts to attack them directly: The city is apparently protected by a sort of metaphysical spirit of fair play, at least as far as the tournaments go. And if the Four Kings are really the Guardian like the Organization XIII member said they are…well, there's no reason they or Moebius couldn't take advantage of that. I fully expect the Consuls to try and ambush us the night before our fights with the Kings, assuming we all get that far.” Cynical, perhaps, but they'd directly stood in their way against the Gravemind and against the Guardians of Midgar and apparently the Under. It would be foolish not to prepare. ”Speaking of Organization XIII, I asked them about the ten-year limit, to see if they had any knowledge about getting around it. They just said that beating Galeem is the only way around it if you're already in the system. So, nothing there yet. I'm not sure if using a Guardian Spirit does anything on that front either, but it apparently being split among four people is so strange that I don't even know what form it might take.”

“It seems like it would be inconvenient for Moebius and Galeem if their Guardians expired every ten years,” Sandalphon remarked. She could extrapolate that the matter that really interested Zenkichi wasn’t Guardian longevity, though, but the newly revealed conundrum that now troubled them both. In theory the archangel had good news on that front, but she wasn’t sure how much she wanted to tell Zenkichi. There was no guarantee that her plan would work, after all. “I inquired with several others about various methods of cheating death in other worlds,” she told him. “No definitive answer yet. One individual I met, Mokou, claims to be ageless and immortal thanks to an irreplaceable tonic called the Hourai Elixir, but there is every indication that the ten-year limit has claimed her life in the past. Extending one’s lifespan is not the solution, since one’s lifespan has no relevance to the limit. Such an end is more like erasure than death; the product of an external ‘off switch’ than anything biological.”

Sandalphon paused briefly. “I was fortunate enough, though, to have discovered one possible lead. I am taking steps to investigate further.”

Zenkichi took a long, slow breath, reminding himself not to get ahead of himself. A lead was just that: a lead. It was good that she'd made better progress on that front than he had, though. ”That's good to hear. I hope it goes somewhere, but I'll be keeping my eye out and see if I find anything. I figure Nadia's sort of immortality deal would work just like that Mokou girl, good for avoiding being killed outright, but no help against the time limit.” What happened to Band wouldn't be of help here, either, he figured, as he'd only had much of his body replaced by machinery. More like getting a bunch of prosthetic parts than an actual body transfer or life extension. And it wasn't like she could go and join Moebius. Consul S was still alive onboard the Avenger, and from what happened to Peach, it seemed like one had to die to join Moebius. That was, for obvious reasons, a risk he wasn't willing to ask her to take, nor did he believe Sandalphon would want to take it.

”There…was one other specific thing I wanted to talk to you about. Unrelated to the campaign. It's been weighing on me for a while now, and today really made it hit home. In my world, on Earth, there were a lot of different video game series. Pretty popular, and Japan made a lot of them, some of the earliest and most famous series. Things like Super Mario Bros, where a pair of red and green wearing plumbers saved Princess Peach from the evil Bowser, or Pokemon, where trainers would collect and battle each other with fantastical creatures that they captured in Poke Balls. Like…what Geralt and Roxas have. Here, in the World of Light. And I know for a fact that at least two of the tournaments here are named the exact same thing as the most famous arcade games from my world: Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat. I know, not exactly original names, but spelling Kombat with a K isn't the first thing you'd come up with. And for a while there, I was freaking out because somehow I wound up in a world with fictional characters? And that got me thinking all sorts of crazy things about what that means for my existence, all of our existences here…” Zenkichi paused to take a breath and re-center himself. ”But…I decided that it doesn't really matter how that came to be. We're all here. We're all part of this world now, we all live, breathe, fight, hope, eat, sleep, dream, we fall in love, have families…it's all real, no matter where we came from. Sorry if that was really weird and out of nowhere, but like I said, it was weighing on me a lot, and I needed to get it off my chest. And I feel like I needed to hear myself say it, too.”

The two experienced a brief lull in the conversation before Sandalphon responded, her tone as officious as ever. “As far as I’m concerned, the existence of the World of Light is strong evidence for what’s commonly referred to as the ‘multiverse theory’, which states that reality exists in the form of infinite alternate universes. If this theory is true, it means that any variation is possible in some universe or another. Perhaps, in some universes, you and I only exist in games. Maybe others are just stories in ours. I have heard of other Sandalphons in the World of Light, for instance, several of them male. Nations called the United States and Japan existed in the world of Senator Armstrong and the Winds of Destruction, just as in yours, but I doubt you’ve heard of the Patriots, or they of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts.”

Before she could get too side-tracked with examples, she focused on Zenkichi’s endpoint. “So yes, there is no need to apologize. I am in agreement with your conclusion. Whatever our origins, we are here now, alive, and no less real than anyone else.” She paused briefly, her voice hardening. “Never bow before nihility, Zenkichi. Not even Moebius, who treat all lives as their playthings, truly believe in nihility. They are merely the most selfish and afraid, each believing that out of everything, only their lives matter. Our rebellion against nihility is choosing to believe that everything matters. I know you care a great deal, and I am glad. As long as we care, anything is possible.” She inhaled as her voice dropped. “At the same time, though, we must defy Moebius, the fear of loss that swindles us out of our futures. If my research does not pan out, you may have to let me go.”

Zenkichi nodded to himself as Sandalphon replied about the various worlds. It wasn't an absurd theory, and Geralt had mentioned something about multiple worlds colliding in his world's last, so there had to be something to it. Her stark warning earned a smile from Zenkichi. Her words sounded so grave, but he felt, or maybe imagined, the care they belied. ”Never again.” He promised. ”I wasted enough time hiding and waiting. Enough time wondering what the point was. And…if it doesn't work out…I promise I won't give up again. We both deserve better than that.” Despite the painful subject, Zenkichi couldn't help but smile. ”I'm glad you care, Sandalphon. It means so much.” He replied, softly.

“Of course,” the archangel replied. “And rest assured, while I have no intention of embodying Moebius, I will not give up my life easily. Our bond means a great deal to me as well. I…” She paused briefly, her tone slightly awkward for the first time, as if she were having trouble finding the right words. “...Stay safe, Zenkichi. Though we are far apart right now, we must hold one another together.”

”You, too, Sands. I can't wait to see you again, once we've dealt with these Guardians.”

“Likewise.” Zenkichi could hear the sound of her inhale, then exhale before she spoke again. “Good night.”

”Goodnight, Sandalphon.” Zenkichi replied, pulling his hand from his ear with a small smile. He felt much better after that talk, and he could let the others know in the morning that White Team had been making good progress in their own Guardian hunt.

World of Light: the Endless Now (The Ultimate Videogame Crossover)

Geralt of Rivia

Frozen Highlands- The Midnight Walk
Lvl 15 Geralt (258/140) -> (260/140) 280% OL Charged (Lvl 1)
Word count: 778 words

While the other Seekers spread out to explore the small village they’d stumbled upon, Geralt stayed in the stagecoach with Tirn, the pair silently sitting upon the bench. The witcher was deep in thought, while his pokemon companion was simply content to curl up and rest beside its trainer. Among the myriad new weapons he’d developed the ability to summon and use, Geralt was having trouble keeping track of those he needed the most practice with. Tartaglia’s hydrobaldes were something he was becoming accustomed to, while Ishmael’s various Identities all had their own combat styles and weapons that he had to adjust to on the fly, and often midfight.

The strange harpoon-like pile bunker was the weapon most unlike anything Geralt had used before. It extended his punching range, but also allowed for dagger-like slashing attacks. Even though the pistol of the LCCB Assistant Manager Identity was centuries ahead of Geralt’s hand crossbow, the same principles applied. Their projectile velocity might have been worlds apart, but at the range he was accustomed to using his hand crossbow, the compensations were mostly simple.

As long as he kept practicing with each, he’d grow more comfortable with them, and being dragged around like in the fight against Markiona would be less likely to happen. What a frustrating battle that had proved to be…

Tenna’s presence was, to a degree, somewhat refreshing to Geralt, as the strangely-headed man had some of Dandelion’s bombast, and thankfully (so far) appeared to lack the Bard’s womanizing nature. How many problems that man had gotten himself into chasing a woman surpassed even Geralt’s own count, which was…significant. Ace had given him some advice on the ice organs he’d received from the Chillet, as well, which went appreciated, and he transported the item to the Avenger’s armory using Edward’s spell.

As they advanced, different people disembarked the stagecoach to deal with the various threats and opportunities that arose. Heismay scouted ahead and reported what they’d likely be dealing with, and Edward was quick to disembark to investigate the shipwrecked vessels as they entered the first area. The strange, soul-chilling feeling that spread among the Seekers felt more than just an illusion to Geralt, but he knew better than to ruin their morale by mentioning it.

Sectonia was quick to break off from their path and gather a veritable horde of minions to gather ore for the group, and for a short while Geralt hopped from the back of the stagecoach to help them load their haul, hastening the process just a little. The freezing water chilled his legs even through his armor, though he was able to withstand the discomfort for a few minutes while Ace, Tenna, and Remattra prepared their counter-ambush against the Somnacanths that Edward had managed to put to sleep using their own powders. Ironic, that. As they began their attack, Geralt climbed back into the stagecoach and held a small flame from Igni in his hands to help dry his boots and banish the chill from his bones.

As the stagecoach barrelled on, away from the battle, Geralt climbed to the front and hung out to get a look at what they were coming up on. When nothing immediately revealed itself, he tapped Edward on the shoulder. “Let me check this out. If anything happens, get clear and send Blazermate out for support.” The Medabot, aside from Ace, was the member of the Seekers he had the most experience fighting alongside, and her healing abilities were second perhaps only to Sandalphon in potency, but far surpassed hers in their ability to sustain a single fighter.

As he climbed out the rear of the coach, Heismay appeared. "If there are no monsters here, twould be a fine spot for fishing." The Eugief produced a tacklebox and fishing rod, looking out into the open reaches of this section of canyon.. "Might as well try my luck, for however long time permits."

Nodding to the diminutive man, Geralt drew his bow and stalked out, eyes scanning his surroundings and preparing to fire on anything hostile that reared its head. After a short while, however, nothing did, even as he paced through the shallower areas of water. He could see some movement in the deeper waters, but it was subtle and inconsistent. He turned back to the stagecoach and waved, prompting Heismay to burst from it and launch himself to the nearest cliff face, from which he scurried about to find a safe place to fish from.

Trudging through the water back to the stagecoach, he climbed back inside and called out to Edward ahead. “Should be clear for a while. Within this area, at least.”

World of Light: the Endless Now (The Ultimate Videogame Crossover)

Zenkichi Hasegawa

Esaka, The Tiered City
Lvl 9 Zenkichi (75/90) +4 Collab XP -> Lvl 9 (81/90)
Word count: 933 words

As the pair wandered the High Tier, Zenkichi couldn’t help but be reminded of Tokyo and Kyoto. The blend of Japanese aesthetic and more modern styles was exactly what he remembered from the cities, and it helped him feel just a little more at home, though that was a strange feeling mixed with a tinge of melancholy as well. When they finally came upon a food truck (something the pair could both afford in the ritzy High Tier), they stopped to get some grub.

As Band picked a hot dog, classic American fare, Zenkichi went for more familiar chicken skewers. While they weren’t quite Yakitori, they still hit the detective with the same kind of nostalgia that he’d been feeling all day. Things like this, lean meats with a nice sauce to build their flavor profile, were a godsend when he was out all day and didn’t have time to sit down at a restaurant. When Band mentioned that he wasn’t technically a detective anymore and began explaining his story. How he became a cyborg, why he was a hero. Swallowing the last piece from one of his skewers and tossing the stick into a nearby trash can, Zenkichi told his own tale.

”Huh, we’re not too different, then. I mean, I didn’t get…basically killed by my fellow cops, and to be fair, they were literally brainwashed, but I got the absolute crap kicked out of me for standing up for the kids. Uh, the Phantom Thieves. Joker, Skull, Panther, Queen, them. They were the prime suspects in a wave of Change of Heart cases, a sort of…you could call it a brainwashing-induced mental breakdown, that had been sweeping across the country. They were a vigilante group that helped take down a corrupt politician not long before that, and Public Security figured they’d finally turned their powers to evil, not that they had any idea how they were doing it.”

”But I wasn’t convinced. I was ordered to tail them, but I cut a deal with Joker instead: they work with me to find whoever or whatever was behind this new wave, and I’d protect them from the people looking to arrest them. I, uh…ended up biting off more than I could chew. Orders came down from on high and they sent a tactical team to arrest them. I warned them in time for them to run, but…police in Japan aren’t known for being kind to criminals. And since I’d just helped some get away…yeah.” He sighed at the memory before shaking his head.

”But, to try to make a long story short, they ended up helping me uncover a pretty big conspiracy, and it went a lot further than just the brainwashing case. You see, my wife was killed in a drunk driving accident a few years before all this…and the driver was an influential politician. He covered up her death and threatened my daughter’s life if I kept looking into it. So, I stopped. I buried my head in the sand and convinced myself that I was doing the right thing in protecting her.” The shame on Zenkichi’s face was painfully evident, but he didn’t shy away from telling the story.

”Meanwhile, he was working with a technology company to slowly take control of the country, though he was only ever a tool for the real mastermind. That man, Konoe, was planning to brainwash the entire world through the use of a phone app. We ended up fighting him and taking him down. I put him in handcuffs personally. And Galeem, sick sense of humor that he has, put him right in my path again. Only this time, one of the Consuls, C, used some kind of illusion powers when we fought him in Midgar. And we ended up killing him. Konoe wasn’t…he wasn’t evil, not truly. He had a warped sense of justice, and he believed that if he could rid people of evil desires, that he could create a utopia. He didn’t deserve to die. Knowing what we do now, he’s just…going to be stuck in an endless loop of despair. Trapped inside his own mind, his own twisted jail of pain and self-assurance that he knows what’s right, and that only he can make the world a better place.”

Shaking his head, Zenkichi looked around them. ”That’s part of why Galeem bothers me so much, why this place drives me crazy. It robbed everybody of their growth. Their ability to change. Sure, people can still change here, to a degree, but…with just ten years, they get sent right back to the way they were before. When they were taken. And me? I was some weird, screwed-up fusion of how I was before I met the Phantom Thieves, but with power I didn’t deserve. Valjean isn’t just some power-up, it’s a psychic representation of the commitment to justice that I had abandoned before I met the kids. They, and my daughter, helped remind me that seeking justice is dangerous. It’s always going to be, but that’s just the risk that comes with the job. Evil doesn’t stop because we bury our heads in the sand, and just accepting that it’s always going to exist only lets it grow.” He looked up towards the Top Tier, once again looking at the Four Towers, or at least the ones he could see.

”That’s my story. I’m just a guy trying to do the right thing. To make up for all the time I wasted hiding from the painful truth. I got lucky and made some great friends along the way, too.”

World of Light: the Endless Now (The Ultimate Videogame Crossover)

Detective Duel

Big Band & Zenkichi Hasegawa
Word Count: 3,488

Zenkichi decided that he’d take Band up on the sparring offer, and said as much to the man. ”Not sure which way the beating’s gonna go, but I’m down to give a fellow cop a couple of rounds.” Standing up as the others started to get moving, he waited by the door for the cyborg detective. ”Lead the way.”

“I appreciate it.” As more people began to splinter off from the large gathering in Banishing Flats’ lobby, which really hadn’t been built with so many people in mind anyway, the two detectives trooped down the right-hand hallway in the direction of one of the courtyard doors that Band had seen earlier. On the way, he tried to establish some expectations. “Now, I’m guessin’ we both know we ain’t exactly spring chickens anymore. Can’t afford to go breakin’ bones and tearin’ muscles the night before we actually gotta fight for real, ‘specially seein’ as this team’s light on healers. I don’t mean to go too easy, mind ya, but I figure we oughta pull our punches a li’l bit, at least.”

He chuckled dryly, keeping his voice down as he passed by a number of motel rooms. “Either way, this is fixin’ to expose the fact that I ain’t got much in the way of actual fightin’ skill. I can throw my weight around, sure, and I got a couple tricks up my sleeve, but I’m a big, slow target. If my opponents ain’t liable to get bullied, ‘specially speedy or long-reachin’ types, I end up strugglin’. Feels like tryin’ to slap mosquitoes.”

Zenkichi chuckled along with Band as they walked. ”When it comes to a lot of this sword and magic stuff, I'm kind of the same way. Valjean gives me some basic skills with the stuff I can summon, but I'm hardly a master swordsman or marksman. Though I'm no slouch when it comes to hand-to-hand, either. That matters a lot more when it comes to policing in Japan.” He added after a beat.

“Sounds like we both got some stuff to work on. We only got a short time to iron out our weaknesses, but a li’l practice is better than none.” When he reached the hallway door, he gingerly deployed a little mechanical pincer and opened it, then pushed through, his massive frame scraping both sides.

In front of him stood the courtyard with its wrestling rings, a little wetter than before but none the worse for wear after the rain. As the detectives walked in, four spotlights kicked on to illuminate the area, one in each corner of the courtyard. It was still drizzling, but thanks to his hat and enormous trench coat Band barely even registered the odd raindrop. The rings, dented by numerous heavy impacts, were uneven enough that small pools of water could be found on their surfaces, but Band’s sheer weight and low center of gravity would make it much harder for him to slip. Hopefully Zenkichi wouldn’t fall afoul of those puddles, either.

Rather than try and push through the ring ropes, Band jumped, then double-jumped by releasing a downward burst of sound energy to clear the barrier and land with a loud thump inside the nearest arena. He turned toward Zenkichi, then walked backward to give his prospective sparring partner some room. He popped open each pair of keys on his sides in ascending order to vent steam, which seemed to be the cyborg’s equivalent of stretching, then bent his knees and leaned forward in an unorthodox fighting stance. Without any means of inflicting harm or protecting himself on display, he might look defenseless, but if Zenkichi hadn’t already seen Big Band fight he would soon learn what his pneumatic body was capable of. “Ready when you are.”

Zenkichi hadn't made much time to get to know Band or his fighting style, so he was ready for a surprise, but as he climbed into the ring and transformed into his Phantom Thief attire, he at least got his comically-large hat to keep the water out of his eyes. Summoning his original Claymore, Zenkichi matched Band's gaze and sprung forward, closing in on Band with a heavy overhead swing perfectly positioned to fall just shy of the detective to bait out a response.

After mentally adjusting to his opponent’s rather drastic costume change, Band stood firm with narrowed eyes as Zenkichi moved in. Though no master of visual calculus, he did have pretty good instincts, so when the overhead slash descended he stood tall, ready to block. Instead the slice whiffed, but rather than step forward to close distance and counterattack, the cyborg stepped backward. If Zenkichi wasn’t one for fast close-quarters combat, that suited Band just find; the midrange was where he thrived. He deployed a huge drum pedal to slam the ring with a heavy Giant Step, a slow but massively disjointed attack. It would knock Zenkichi down and bring him closer on hit, but even if he avoided it, he’d be in for a surprise as the ensuing unblockable shockwave knocked him down anyway, albeit without doing any damage.

As Band stepped backwards, Zenkichi stepped in to close the distance and follow up with a diagonal slash. The pedal appearing gave him pause, but he was too committed to his own slow slash to cancel now. He was caught at the end of his slash, knocked down, and dragged forward. He recovered fairly quickly compared to his attacks, scooting backwards on hands and knees before pushing himself up to draw his revolvers. He let off a quick burst of gunfire to keep Band back before summoning the larger, heavier Greatsword.

“Whoa!” At the sight of Zenkichi’s sidearms, Band quickly deployed two sheet music racks to block with, reducing the gunfire to manageable chip damage. He stepped back for a second as he caught his breath, and as he did he looked around at all the potentially inhabited motel rooms within earshot. “Where I’m from, bullets kill people, hotshot. You lucky I’m made of sterner stuff.” That same fortitude meant he’d come out okay from the trade earlier, and he was about to put it to the test again. A giant mechanical arm appeared as he charged forward with a hit of armor, able to shrug off any one attack as he delivered a Brass Knuckle punch, carefully dialed back to a sustainable strength. “Gimme a hit!”

Zenkichi balked a little at Band's comment, then let out a breath. He knew Band was a cyborg, and he'd seen almost every Seeker shrug off what would be lethal damage to a normal human, so to say that he was a little surprised was an understatement. ”I've seen a schoolgirl shoot fireballs out of her hands here, gauging appropriate force is…kind of impossible in this world. But I'll keep the guns away for this.” As Band charged forward, Zenkichi stood firm and blocked by holding the Greatsword before himself like a shield, the Brass Knuckle crashing into it with a cacophony of noise. Zenkichi groaned from the hit, taking a decent amount even through the chip, before going right back at Band with his sword, taking several swings at the cyborg, keeping the pressure up.

With a medium Brass Knuckle’s disadvantage on block, Band had to salvage the situation as best he could. His opponent landed a couple sword swings as he tried to find his footing and strike back, but while their damage was not insignificant on their own, none led to a series of follow-up hits. Band put up his defenses at the first opportunity, one eyebrow raised beneath the brim of his hat. Does this guy not know combos? After warding off a couple blows, Band countered the next one with Beat Extend, becoming briefly strike invulnerable as he grabbed Zenkichi in a tambourine clash. An extra shake of his instrument inflicted Sound Stun to keep his opponent dizzy, and while Band could have launched into a full combo from there, he stuck with a simple double horn honk as Zenkichi fell followed by an organ pipe sweep to knock his fellow detective down.

From there Band waited a brief moment, then slid forward as Zenkichi rose. What started as a bell ringer turned out to be a fake-out as he canceled it into what looked like another Brass Knuckles. This time, though, it was a light Take the A Train, a true command grab that would beat Zenkichi’s block at the cost of vulnerability to strike or jump.

Zenkichi found himself well and truly at Band's mercy. The Phantom Thief had no more than a basic slash combo to his name, with some improvised switch-ups he could fall back on, but with the cyborg's brass body, he was wary of going into fisticuffs, and he'd promised to keep his pistols stashed for the rest of their bout. All he could do as he rose was try again. While he wasn't a fighter by nature, he could tell when he was being bluffed. When Band slid forward to fake-out with Bell Ringer, Zenkichi put it all on the line, activating Fury. His energy blasts were fairly short-ranged and wouldn't destroy the hotel around them, and he needed some kind of edge on Band, though from the punishment he'd already taken he had the feeling this would be a case of mitigating just how badly he ended up losing.

With speed unlike his previous attacks, Zenkichi launched into an offensive as Band charged forward, the Phantom Thief swinging in a simple three-part combo. Diagonal, horizontal, diagonal. If the sudden rush caught the cyborg off guard, the moment Zenkichi took to reset and draw in a deep, ragged-sounding breath would give him time to re-center.

Surprised by his opponent’s sudden power-up and interrupted by the ensuing onslaught, Band instinctively dashed backward as soon as he could, though that amounted to little more than a hop. He worried that his somewhat panicked response might have been too predictable, but when Zenkichi didn’t take advantage, Band paused as well. He gave a brief nod of respect for Zenkichi’s instincts, and the timbre of the other man’s breathing did not escape him.

“You holdin’ out okay?” he asked, straightening up. “I’m well aware that even with me pullin’ my punches, I got a whole lot o’ weight on you. I don’t think the tournaments distinguish by weight class, but still.” He cracked his next first to one side, then the other, flexing some of the few muscles left to him. “Your swings ain’t half bad, but don’t be afraid to show off your combos. Ain’t gonna get far without ‘em.”

Pulling himself to full height and letting out a long sigh, Zenkichi nodded. ”I'm hanging in there, though I'm starting to realize just how out of my depth I am with this kind of fighting. I don't really have combos or much actual skill with this thing. Shadows were never too much of a hassle to just wail on. I've relied a lot on just powering through and sheer strength for the most part. I've got a lot more skill with hand to hand, but punching a guy half made of metal…probably not too good for me.”

“No combos?” Band’s eyebrows went up. “Well, there’s your problem! Even a novice like me knows that’s where your damage is. They ain’t easy, of course, but if you can figure out somethin’ that works and get the execution down, pilin’ on the damage becomes the easy part.” He let out a rueful chuckle. “Findin’ an openin’s the tough part. But nevermind all that for now. Since it’s been a long day, how ‘bout we pivot and figure out a combo for ya?”

He looked around, hoping to find something that the detectives could use as a training dummy. At the same time, Band explained as best he could. “See, a combo’s when you put together a chain of moves that flow into each other, leavin’ the other guy staggered just long enough for you to hit ‘em again before they can fight back or start blockin’. I ‘specially like launchin’ ‘em way up high, then whackin’ ‘em in the air. Jugglin’ fools like a clown juggles balls. Or, you could use moves that leave ‘em reelin’ for a while. See this?” He used Beat Extend again, his giant tambourine halves clapping shut with nothing but air between them. “If I hit someone with this, I can play ‘em a li’l tune to stun ‘em with the sound, givin’ me a nice an’ easy follow-up. Lets me combo off hits I couldn’t otherwise, but it only works once per combo.”

Band paused his explanation to narrow his eyes at Zenkichi. “Course…might be that you just ain’t built for this kind o’ fightin’. If that’s the case, ya might wanna consider fusin’ with someone who can, pronto. It ain’t pretty, but we gotta do what we gotta do.”

Zenkichi took in the impromptu fighting game lesson from Band carefully, trying to figure out a way he could apply it to his fighting style. He managed a decent mix-up against Kyanta, but that involved shooting them in the face before unleashing a full-power Eruption by catching them off guard with its hyperarmor. In a friendly spar, that was hardly sporting conduct. ”That…sounds good. I was probably going to push myself a little too far, to be frank.” When the idea that he wasn’t built for tournament fighting came up, he gave a noncommittal half-shrug. ”You might have a point there, but finding a…Spirit this late in the game? Might be tough. And no guarantee I’d get something I meshed with.”

Left unsaid was the moral implication of killing somebody to fuse with them for the tournament. They might be after the Guardians, but he already wasn’t terribly fond of killing people and fusing with them. The battlefield from the day before was a bit of a different matter, those being an actual horde of soldiers trying to murder everything in sight, but Esaka was filled with people just trying to get by. Going to the outskirts could have yielded more…unsavory folks, but that brought with it the ramifications of fusing with that kind of person.

”I think I’ll stick with trying to come up with a combo.” He finished, simply.

Band nodded “Alright. Hold up a sec.” The cyborg left and went inside, giving his comrade a chance to take a break as he searched for a Mecha-Zangief. A couple minutes later, he returned carrying a spare model without any AI set, little more than a giant-size action figure. Human-shaped and movable but unable to fight back, it would be the perfect training dummy. After getting it into the ring, which turned out to be pretty tricky given the Mecha-Zangief’s bulk, Band stood him up and faced him toward Zenkichi.

“Go on, try out whatever comes to mind,” Band said. “Just remember, the longer and more complicated a combo is, the harder it’ll be to pull it off without droppin’. Chances are, the second you let the other guy slip free, he’s gonna dodge away, start blockin’, or catch you off guard with a jab or somethin’ and start a combo of his own. Ya dig?”

With a few minutes to catch his breath and recover some of his energy, Zenkichi was ready to get to work when Band returned with the Mecha-Zangief. Summoning Ragnell and putting himself close to the robot, he thought about it. He typically started with an upward diagonal slash, which left his sword on his left side. Thinking on how he’d seen Geralt fight before, the only frame of reference for a similar blade, he got an idea.

He started with the typical diagonal slash, but instead of transitioning to a horizontal slash from the left, he hit the motionless robot with the pommel of his sword, then took a quarter-step back and slammed his sword down, taking the Zangief to the floor with it. ”Hmm. I don’t hate that one.”

The pair lifted the bot back to its feet, and Zenkichi circled around it. Throwing it around would be a little tough with its weight, but he had an idea. He summoned Valjean and boosted his strength with Tarukaja. It didn’t seem like this would work in the tournament, thanks to the Heavenly Principles doing their best to keep fighters on a roughly level playing field when it came to their abilities, but it would let him throw this thing around more like a regular-weight person.

When he wasn’t fighting with a greatsword, Zenkichi’s style changed drastically. He eschewed power for speed and control, all the better to use his less-than-huge Japanese frame. Sure, he was plenty tall for a Japanese man after his fusions, but he was no sumo. His leg bent behind the Zangief’s knee as he grabbed its left arm with his right hand and pulled it across his body, while the other hand pushed into its shoulder with a practiced burst of force, sending it to the ground as its legs disappeared from underneath its torso, blocked behind Zenkichi’s own leg. ”And a simple throw. Could stomp its chest from there, or get down and grapple, though without any handcuffs or anything I don’t think tussling on the ground will be my best plan. Could also follow up with some sword attacks.” He mused.

“Time it right, and even throws can lead to a combo. The trick is to keep poppin’ ‘em back up and not let ‘em touch the ground. Check this out.” Band stepped forward to take center stage against the hapless Mecha Zangief. He deployed two halves of a giant bell that slammed shut around the robot, then rang it, albeit as quietly as he could. When the Mecha Zangief slumped down afterward, he used a medium-strength Giant Step. Deploying the drop pedal caused it to pop up beneath his target, then knock him closer to Band, which allowed him to follow up with the soundblasts of Bass Drop and a saxophone uppercut. From there he jumped up into the air after his target, belted out a middle and then high lateral soundblast, then send Mecha Zangief flying with a five thousand pound dropkick. As he landed on his back, then teched forward off the ground, his opponent bounced off the ring’s ropes and back toward him. Since Band wasn’t really trying to show off, he cut the combo short there with an unceremonious horn honk.

After his makeshift training dummy toppled, Band relaxed and took a deep breath. “See what I mean? Oh, one other thing.” He deployed two small mechanical arms, one with a little mallet and another with a cymbal. “Just in case you ain’t in the know, the game works like this. Block beats strike.” He struck the tiny cymbal, then changed the mallet out for a pincer. “Throw beats block.” After grabbing the cymbal and twisting it sideways, he traded the cymbal for a mallet. When the pincer tried to take hold of the mallet, it struck back before it could be grabbed. “And strike beats throw. So if you run into folks who like hunkerin’ down, you best be layin’ on hands. And if someone gets grab-happy, give ‘em a good slap. Sound good?”

Zenkichi nodded. ”Block beats strike, strike beats grab, and grab beats block.” He repeated to help commit it to memory. ”Got it.” Seeing what Band could pull off got Zenkichi thinking. He didn’t have ‘moves’ per se, but he got the jist. Summoning Ragnell again, he got to brainstorming and whaling on the Mecha-Zangief, trying out different combinations of attacks and grabs to see what could work out for him in the upcoming tournament.

Though by no means an expert combat instructor, Band offered pointers where he could, and when his words failed him he stepped in to try out some moves for himself and attempt to explain via demonstration. His own combos could use some work; he had a few routes committed to muscle memory, but he wasn’t very flexible, and when it came to converting stray hits into full combos he had a tougher time. Unfortunately, between his efforts and Zenkichi’s, the Mecha-Zangief could take only so much punishment. After losing one limb after another, its body finally fell to pieces, which spelled the end for the detectives’ training session. Given their labored breathing, it was probably for the best, as well. Still, both had made some progress, and they had a lot to think about. In the aftermath, Band gave his comrade a pat on the back with a giant mechanical arm. “Wanna grab a bite to eat?”

Zenkichi, tired as he was, had to catch himself from going tumbling, but he laughed and gave the larger man a nod. ”Yeah, that sounds good. I could use a good dinner.”

World of Light: the Endless Now (The Ultimate Videogame Crossover)

Zenkichi Hasegawa

Esaka, The Tiered City
Lvl 9 Zenkichi (74/90) -> Lvl 9 (75/90)
Word count: 608 words

Stepping back into Banished Flats after having heard from Harry on his way back, Zenkichi was a little surprised to see that a few more Seekers had already shown up, including Band. He was one of the last to arrive, though it seemed that Nadia was keen to take that crown for herself. A little wet, he approached the counter to pay for a room for himself, receiving and jokingly hefting his own championship belt/room key as if he’d won a great tournament. Just practice for when he did win, he told himself reassuringly.

Joining the others, he sat down and tried not to get too much water everywhere. When Nadia did arrive, and promptly showed off her frankly ludicrous amount of cash (for a single day’s “work”, no less) and explained where it was from, he was immediately put off. Terry, though, was the one to respond and air the thoughts that he was sure a few of them had. Though, the more specific knowledge of the victim, for some reason, made a part of Zenkichi relax at the fact that Nadia had basically Robin Hood’d a literal devil-man.

Well, one of those Spirits he fused with was basically, if not literally, an angel, so that actually made sense. ”So, looks like we’ll have a mini-boss to deal with at some point, too then…” he sighed. He hoped the guy wouldn’t be too huge a pain in the ass to deal with. Terry went on to give a couple of food recommendations and then ask about whether they could discuss the elephant in the room. When he brought that up, Zenkichi addressed him, his voice dropping.

”So, if you’ve noticed other people’s eyes looking a lot more red than usual, that means they’re still under Galeem-the big bad guy-’s curse. It also means they can’t stop a fight till they’re beaten, one way or another. Knockouts work, but it means starting a fight now is a lot riskier that you know the risks. It also means that if we start talking about the more specific parts of Galeem and what we’re calling the World of Light, they kinda…gloss over it mentally. You’ll sound like you’re talking about some technobabble or some kind of intricate thing they can’t wrap their head around. The only problem is if you go blabbing too much, you might catch the attention of our enemies, who are in the know, and immune to the whole system anyway.”

He paused to take a breath and wipe off a little water from his outfit. ”Mobius. An organization made up of twenty-six incredibly powerful people, watch with a unique power that can turn the tide of a battle in an instant.” Thinking back to the fight with the Gravemind and what happened to Midna and Goldlewis, he pushed on even as his mood dropped noticeably. ”The good news is, we’ve beaten a few of them before. The bad news is, two of them are supposed to guard each of the Guardians, and with seven of those Guardians already defeated…we’re in trouble already. Last time we ran into them, three had joined up and killed two of our own. We got two of them in return, but the third just took off after we took out the Guardian. They typically wear very distinctive armor, so as long as you’re with one of us, we’ll probably be able to tell. Me, Band, Nadia, Sakura, Pit, Captain Falcon, Junior, Juri, Rika, Therion and Primrose have all fought a Consul before, so we should be able to recognize the armor. Basically everybody except Amaterasu, now that I think about it.”

World of Light: the Endless Now (The Ultimate Videogame Crossover)

Geralt of Rivia

Frozen Highlands- The Midnight Walk
Lvl 15 Geralt (255/140) -> (258/140) 280% OL Charged (Lvl 1)
Word count: 1,252 words

As the stagecoach trundled on, Geralt’s stamina recovered remarkably well. It wasn’t long before he was just about fully recovered from his exhaustion from the fight with Markiona. “Going to go on a hunt, stretch my legs, if we’re lucky, find some meat.” He told the others as he hopped down from their transport.

Confirming that his equipment was all in good shape, he took note of the stagecoach’s trajectory and committed it to memory, turning about forty-five degrees from its path of travel and setting off at a decent jog that, to a normal human, would be a dead sprint. After a few minutes he slowed his pace, content that he’d be ahead of the stagecoach by a good distance, and started searching for signs of wildlife that he could hunt, or have Tirn fight. The latter would require a solo subject of likely lesser power, though he could always heal his Shieldon if things started to get hairy, or intervene himself.

After passing a few groups of animals and Pals, he encountered a lone Chillet, skulking through the field in search of food. He took a good look around to make sure it was truly alone, and once he was confident it was, he drew his hand crossbow and fired a bolt, striking the Pal and sending it into a Gleaming fury. As it turned to charge him, Geralt withdrew Tirn’s ball and sent out the Shieldon. “Tirn, iron defense!” The Shieldon took a sturdy stance, its body gleaming like a polished blade as the Chillet began to gather strength and launched itself forward to attack. It slammed into Tirn, but between the Pokemon’s steel typing and its defensive buffs, the attack did little.

“Now, take down!” Without a moment’s hesitation, the Shieldon threw itself forward and crashed into the frozen ferret, knocking it back with a visible look of pain. Undeterred and unable to retreat, it fired back with a blast of draconic energy, which crashed into Tirn before he could react. The special attack avoided both the Shieldon’s enhanced defense as well as its buff, but the Pokemon’s typing still protected it from the worst of the damage. “Alright, try a swagger, confuse it!” Geralt called, and Tirn chirped in response.

Doing a mocking little dance and taunting the Chillet, Tirn succeeded in enraging the creature, which promptly attempted to attack and failed, harming itself greatly in the process. The Chillet was starting to look a little worn down, so Geralt had Tirn attack again with Take Down, getting close to the Pal himself and drawing his knife. As the Shieldon struck its target, Geralt joined in, slicing a few tufts of fur from its body as the Pal wobbled and collapsed, defeated. After a moment, it began dissolving into ash, leaving behind its Spirit which Geralt collected.

Taking a moment to heal Tirn and check on the Pokemon, Geralt gave him a scratch on the top of its plated head, earning a happy chirping from the Shieldon. “Alright, let’s get going.” He told his companion, leaving Tirn out of its ball so he could also stretch his legs. They crept along through the field, using rocks and snowdrifts as cover from potential prey.

The next target that Geralt chose was a strange one, covered in wrinkled skin with coarse whiskers around its face, which had a trio of great tusks protruding outward from it. Its body was squat but long, much like a four-legged animal, though its limbs were clearly meant for traversing the water. “Think they said you don’t want to be hit by water. Sorry, Tirn.” Geralt consoled his Pokemon, returning the Shieldon to his ball.

Finding a clear vantage point and drawing Oddysseus’s Bow, Geralt carefully studied the beast, trying to map its body with what he knew of both sea and land life. If a creature so obviously adapted for the water could also walk upon the land, albeit awkwardly with its fins and tail, it stood to reason that its internal organs would have to support breathing air. Whether its lungs, or whatever equivalent it might have, would be located in the same area was another matter entirely, but he only had so much to go on.

Waiting a few minutes while the horker shuffled around and found a good spot to bask, Geralt nocked an arrow and lined his shot up, aiming for near the ‘armpit’ of the walrus-like creature. He could tell that it had rather thick skin, but hoped that the bow would manage to pierce through it nonetheless. Loosing the arrow, Geralt bit back a curse as the horker began bellowing and turned to where the arrow had come from, rushing forward in a surprising display of speed.

Stowing the bow, he drew his steel sword and ran forward to meet the beast head-on, casting Quen on himself. Those tusks looked nasty, though he was certain he could handle it. As the pair came upon one another, the horker lunged forwards to gore Geralt with its tusks, who sidestepped and pivoted, carving a deep furrow into its neck with his sword before launching a step kick into its head, earning another bellow of pain.

It lunged again, swinging its head side to side, and Geralt wasted no time in taking advantage of the opening. His sword sliced across the thrashing face, using its own momentum against it to carve even deeper into its flesh. From there, he quickly hopped towards the back of the creature, cutting into it and weakening the horker enough that it collapsed, defeated and dying. It roared at him in pain, Glaeem’s curse finally broken and allowing it to control itself once more, any ability to fight, or even move, removed as it bled out on the ice. Sighing, Geralt drew his hand crossbow and put the poor creature out of its misery, taking its Spirit and heading back to the stagecoach, his mood rather spoiled by the bloody and unpleasant kill.

He never took pleasure from hunting aside from satisfaction at a job done well, but that was simply a miserable experience. Following the trajectory he recalled, he was able to return around the time the stagecoach was changing course to evade the Bloons and Monkeys, which earned a confused look before he shrugged and climbed back aboard. “Didn’t get too much before I figured I’d need to get back, but I did take down a few creatures.”

He took the offered berries from Roxas, thanking the Nobody but deciding to wait until they were well and truly clear from the Bloons battlefield to bring the Shieldon out and feed him. After Tirn was fed and happy, he pulled out the two Spirits he’d collected and crushed them.

Items Obtained

Ice Organ x2
Material obtainable from Ice Pals. Usable in various technologies, structures, and equipments that require a source of cold or ice energy

Horker Meat x4
Heavy, dense, fatty meat. Can be cookled into Horker Loaf using salt, Horker Stew using lavendar, garlic, and tomato, or Horker and Yam Stew using garlic and yam

The strange, condensed orb of ice energy was entirely foreign to him, and he showed it to the others to see if they had any ideas for how they could use it, whereas the meat was much more obviously useful. “Could definitely make that stew a lot heartier for a couple days. Could send some back to the Avenger, as well, help them out, though it’s not too much.”

World of Light: the Endless Now (The Ultimate Videogame Crossover)

Zenkichi Hasegawa

Esaka, The Tiered City
Lvl 9 Zenkichi (72/90) -> Lvl 9 (74/90)
Word count: 767 words

Splitting off from Azuma, Zenkichi began to wander the Mid Tier again, though this time he sought out not rumors or information, but the Banishing Flats motel. It took asking a few locals for directions, but after about three or four people he had his bearings and made his way to the motel. It bordered a park, from which Zenkichi could hear some live music being played. Taking a quick detour, he was bemused to find Big Band and much younger girl playing together, the former with his saxophone and the latter with a viola. He also caught sight of Harry and Kim dancing alongside the pair, flailing about like madman.

Leaving the group with a chuckle and a wave, he made his way into the motel. The moderately-sized waiting area was adorned with a variety of wrestling-themed decor, from obvious replica championship belts to a tacky sign about ”Wrestling Life Lessons” that was mostly just general life advice. At the reception was a robotic fighter that felt vaguely familiar to Zenkichi, and out of the corner of his eye he saw another walk into a door into an employees-only area in the back.

Approaching the reception desk, Zenkichi smiled at the Mecha-Zangief working the desk. ”Good Afternoon, I was just wondering what it would cost for a room for the night?”

The robot stared impassively at the detective before answering. “One night’s stay at the banishing Flats motel is 6,000 Zenny. Will you be staying with us tonight?” Zenkichi blanched at the response, patting his pockets with a sigh.

”Uhhh, I’m gonna need to get back to you on that one. Insufficient funds at the moment.” He sighed, though the Mecha-Zangief seemed nonplussed.

“Understandable. Have an excellent day. We hope to see you at a time when you have sufficient funds to stay at the magnificent banishing Flats. Goodbye.” Without emotion are derision, what would normally have been an embarrassingly acerbic comment slid off Zenkichi like water off a duck’s back. He made his way outside before touching his linkpearl.

”Hey everybody, this is Zenkichi. I just checked out the Banishing Flats. It’s not super expensive, but you’re gonna want to get some cash. It’s about 6,000 Zenny a night. A little much for me right now, so I’m gonna try to sell a couple of things and head back. Good luck, everybody.”

So, it was with a bit more information-gathering and wandering that Zenkichi found himself at the workshop of one Doctor Bosconovitch. The eccentric man was elbow-deep in what looked to be a robotics project when Zenkichi entered, and he waited for the man to find a moment of pause before interrupting. ”Excuse me?”

Doctor Bosconovitch jumped a little, whipping around to see a tall, dark man wearing a tunic in his shop. “Hmm. I don’t recognize you. Not many people come here that I do not know. What is it?” Straight to business, then, Zenkichi thought.

”I had some materials that I was looking to sell, and I heard that you’d be interested in them.” Producing the three machine cores that he’d been holding on to since Midgar, Zenkichi explained. ”These are from the Machines that attacked Midgar. Since you work in robotics, they should be of some use to you.”

Taking the machine cores and beginning a preliminary examination of them, Doctor Bosconovitch quickly became hyper-focused, tapping them with various tools and looking at one under a magnifying glass, making sure to check as many angles as he could. After a few minutes of looking them over, he nodded to himself and quickly shuffled behind a door secured by a biometric lock and a keypad.

Moments later, he came out with a small bag of Zenny, pressing it into Zenkichi’s hands. “Seven thousand and five hundred Zenny. Feel free to count it. I trust that you find this fair compensation? They are not unique materials, but from the Machines of Midgar…yes, I am certain I will find a way to make use of them.” Zenkichi gave the bag a quick look, but didn’t bother to count. It was close enough that a couple hundred Zenny wouldn’t matter. He had what he needed for the night, and then a bit more.

”Thank you.” He said to bid the doctor farewell, receiving a somewhat dismissive wave. Not taking any offense, Zenkichi left the doctor’s workshop and tapped his pearl again. ”Zenkichi again. Got some cash, I’m headed back to banishing Flats now.” And with that, he made his way back to the wrestling-themed motel as the sky began to darken and fill with rainclouds.

World of Light: the Endless Now (The Ultimate Videogame Crossover)

Geralt of Rivia

Frozen Highlands- The Midnight Walk
Lvl 15 Geralt (207/140) +7 Collab XP +40 Tale Reward XP -> (255/140) 280% OL Charged (Lvl 1)
Word count: 744 words

The promise of food served to stir Geralt’s form far sooner than any other offer might have. He still took a good while to rise, but he did so eventually, recovering mostly by the time they reached the stagecoach. Pulling himself into the carriage, he collapsed into the bench seating with a heavy sigh, leaning against the wall.

He was off his game today. Hunting the Reindrix had gone quite smooth, but after that, he felt as if he’d done very little in the way of productivity. He hunted a few mutated wolves to keep them from ambushing the group from behind, and then he promptly got eaten alive by an oversized lizard. Once that was over, he got his ass handed to him tactically and physically by the self-proclaimed ‘Puppeteer of Death’ (though he’d gotten his own hand up on her).

Nonetheless, he took a healthy (if bordering on greedy) portion of stew from the pot, hungrily chowing down. He thought back on the fights with Tom and Markiona, and each time his undoing had come from rushing in blindly without properly assessing the situation, which was rather unlike him typically. The influence of the Spirits he’d fused with was likely the cause, though it was hard to pinpoint any one. The Orphan made him more prone to fits of rage, while Ishmael helped temper his attitude. Karen Tarvers had likely made him more rigid and perhaps a bit desperate to achieve his goals, so it was a fair guess that it was the cause of at least some of his issues. Flynn and Tartaglia had been absorbed at the same time, so he couldn’t pin any real personality changes to either, but he’d felt more optimistic since then, and more comfortable if reckless in a fight.

As he ate, Sandalphon revealed that her investigation had shown that it was a combination of disease and the elixir that had caused the animals in the zoo to transform. “Hmm. Matches with what Eryk said, at least. He got worse only after consuming the so-called miracle cure. Hopefully he remembers to stay away from the stuff now.” The request to gather everybody’s collected Ergo came as a surprise to the Witcher, and he wasn’t afraid to show it. “Why do you need the Ergo?”

Sandalphon's pupils betrayed nothing. "In Markiona's penthouse laboratory, I found some research material suggesting that ergo has some sort of spiritual power that may be used to enhance our abilities," she answered truthfully. "Thus, I believe it has more worth in its current material state than it has in monetary value." After a brief pause, her pupils became dollar signs. "If you desire recompense, I regret that I cannot compensate you currently, but I will memorize the amount owed so that I can reimburse you as soon as I'm able. If my word is an insufficient guarantor...I understand, and you need not comply with my request."

Geralt nodded, his own pupils staring into Sandalphon’s. She was, when she wanted to be, utterly inscrutable. In some ways, she reminded him of Yennefer. In others, they were polar opposites. “Sure.” He said, rising partially to reach across the stagecoach and hand her the bag he’d been given, replete with Ergo crystals. “Don’t worry too much about paying me back. If we can use that for other purposes, I don’t mind spending on the cause. We’re all better off if we can all benefit from it.” He had no designs on Markiona’s spirit either, so her request for it went quietly unchallenged.

As the stagecoach traveled through the valley, they passed through a standoff between two groups, each seeming to create strange creatures via the use of impossible devices that materialized them from coal. As some of the others went to investigate, Geralt remained within the stagecoach, sitting in meditative silence. He contemplated how they would make use of the mistletoe on Baldur. Would it be as simple as smashing the berries onto his skin? Did they have to force-feed the immortal, which would prove as much a challenge as battle? They could make a tincture and apply it to their weapons akin to his blade oils, hoping to envenomate the Guardian.

He supposed they could try each of the methods, depending on how much they managed to grow in those strange devices that Roxas and Ganondorf had found. When they had the plant in hand they could broach the topic further, as well.

World of Light: the Endless Now (The Ultimate Videogame Crossover)

Zenkichi Hasegawa

Esaka, The Tiered City
Lvl 9 Zenkichi (69/90) -> Lvl 9 (72/90)
Word count: 1,894 words

While the group continued wandering around the city, Zenkichi had been keeping up his casual collection of vibes and intel. The general attitude he’d picked up hadn’t changed much, people were fighting in one way or another: either in tournaments or to keep a roof above their heads and food in their bellies. It was…remarkably similar to Japan in that aspect. Just working yourself to the bone and not worrying about one, two, five, ten years down the line. Maybe in the vague sense, like making savings, but never about how much their joints would hurt if they kept this pace up. How their eyes would strain to watch their favorite movies. How much of their daughter’s life they were missing.

He’d been a really terrible father, hadn’t he? Yes, Akane had her grandparents, and sure he had to make money to keep them fed and housed, but…he’d been caught in the rat race like everybody else, PubSec or no. And it wasn’t like he enjoyed being away from her so long, but…

At some point, it had become easier. They fought a lot, so…they just avoided each other sometimes. Or, she avoided him and he tried not to anger her more. Or she avoided him because she got annoyed at something he’d done.

At least they were trying to close that gap now, to some degree. Much like with the Phantom Thieves, developing a closer bond would improve things for them. It would take effort to bridge the gap that had grown between them, but he had faith they could make it work.

Coming back to his present surroundings, Zenkichi caught sight of InvestiGator Azuma, and pulled off from the group with a short warning. ”Hey, guys, I’m gonna go see if Azuma’s got anything going on he needs a hand with. Maybe find something out or get some cash.” With that said, he approached their original tour guide. ”Azuma! How are you? Just out on a patrol?” He greeted the alligator-man.

“Ah, Zenkichi! Good to see you again, not that it’s been very long since we last saw one another.” He replied, continuing on the path he’d been walking. “Something like that. Esaka is a rather high-strung place, with so many fighters gathered in one place. People can take losses in a fight rather hard, especially if somebody uses an unconventional tactic like our dojo is known for, or if a fight is a total shutout. The spirit of fair competition is vital in Esaka, even when not officially enforced by the Heavenly Principles.” He explained as they walked.

Zenkichi thought back to some of the arguments he’d seen in arcades, nodding with a light chuckle. ”Oh, I can imagine.” Zenkichi added. People could get pretty wild when sports were involved. ”So just walking around, looking for problems to solve?” It was like what Big Band was doing, just good old community policing. A bit out of his usual work in Japan, but it was hard to forget the basics: do your best to be fair, to keep things from escalating into a fight (not that he was above throwing fools around), and to be firm.

As they walked around, chatting and swapping a few stories, Azuma brought up a current situation that he thought he might be able to use a second pair of eyes on, concerning a fight from a dojo challenge a few days prior. “We’ll head to a neutral third place to review the videos, again, and hopefully an outside perspective can give us some ideas on whether the fight was fought fairly. Fighters and the Yokai can get aggravated quickly if they feel like a strategy is too inescapable, or especially if they think somebody is sandbagging. It’s a despicable practice. Some matchups are just plain bad for one fighter, though, and then they get frustrated that they got hard-countered and throw out an accusation of sandbagging, which is a frustration all its own.”

Zenkichi was trying to follow the conversation, and most of the lingo he caught, but that last one flew right over his head. ”Hard countered?” Azuma nodded, probably reminding himself that Zenkichi was, in fact, an outsider despite his quick recovery and ability to adjust his fighting style against Kyanta.

“It’s when a fighter is so utterly incompatible against their opponent that it’s barely worth having the fight in the first place. If you stuck with that sword, I’d argue you could be easily hard-countered by a quicker fighter who could bleed you down with rapid attacks and back out of your range before you retaliate, but I saw that you can switch your fighting style up when necessary. Anybody who fought like you with a more rigid attachment to your sword might be less lucky, though most fighters have one or two tricks up their sleeve that they can level the playing field with.” It was a bit of a long explanation, but it sufficed to give Zenkichi a good idea of what he meant.

”Gotcha. Man, the fighting scene here is a bit complicated. Might just be me, though. Old dogs and new tricks, as you know.” Azuma gave a commiserative chuckle as the two followed on to a small but nice-looking restaurant. They joined a
Luchador and a dark-skinned man in a pinstripe suit sitting around a table, along with one of the robots he’d seen earlier at the registration.

“Gentlemen.” Azuma greeted, grabbing their attention and gesturing to Zenkichi. “This is Zenkichi Hasegawa, a colleague I’ve brought along to give a new perspective on your fight and to hopefully put this matter to a rest. Zenkichi, the gentleman in the mask is El Blaze, and this is Zack.”

The Luchador nodded, gesturing for the pair to take a seat. “I look forward to vindication.” Zack rolled his eyes, giving Zenkichi a look that screamed ‘get a load of this guy.’

“You lack wall game, to answer your question from when I beat you.” He replied, which earned a scoff, but Azuma cut them off.

“Gentlemen!” Waiting for the pair to cool off, he continued. “Zenkichi will be reviewing the video of your fight and we will discuss what happened, and what he thinks, if anything, should be done. Until then, let the man work.” The pair seemed a bit unimpressed, but Azuma countered their unspoken words. “You may not know him, but I’ve seen him fight, and he helped deal with a Seethe that broke out in a neighboring village. He has my trust.” Begrudgingly, the pair agreed to submit to Zenkichi’s ultimate judgment. The robot placed a tablet onto the table before them, Azuma hitting play on the video that was queued.

As the video of the fight began, Zenkichi already found a bit of trouble following the action. Both fighters were very quick, with Zack taking the edge in range and El Blaze eking out a small advantage in being able to duck Zack’s attacks easier. The fight was fairly balanced for the first few seconds, before El Blaze managed to land a devastating grab and throw which he quickly combo’d into a series of hooks before finishing with a series of acrobatic kicks to knock Zack into the dojo’s wall.

The larger fighter quickly sprung to his feet, blocked a punch, and grabbed El Blaze before slamming him into the wall, crashing his knee into the smaller man’s gut several times. As El blaze stood, Zack capitalized on his recovery time, launching a step kick into a low jab, which he brought into a rising uppercut which launched El Blaze into the air, defeated.

“See? Robbery!” The Luchador pointed at the screen, “I had him on the ropes, I took control of the fight in a few seconds, but then he puts out that ridiculous grab and finish combo. I thought with our speed matchup it’d be a legitimate bout, but how is a person supposed to counter that?”

“By not putting me against a wall. Like I said, you lack wall game. You can ring out for days, El Blaze, but against me you just can’t let yourself get backed into a corner. Just because you got yourself caught in a knockout spiral, doesn’t mean my combos are ridiculous, or that you got properly robbed. It was a matter of a strategic error is all. Whether you’d have kept the momentum without that mistake, I don’t know, but I do know that I beat you fair and square.” Zack retorted.

Rewinding the video and playing it back one more time, Zenkichi paused it right as Zack grabbed El Blaze. ”Here.” he added, rewinding a second, and turning the tablet around so the others could look, before replaying in .25x slow-mo. ”El Blaze, you had an opportunity to disengage and retake the fight on your terms, but you missed it. It was short, but based on your size and acrobatic style, you could have slipped around his kick and past his guard right…there.” He pointed to the moment, letting it slowly tick by as they watched Zack’s kick connect.

El Blaze watched, his face falling as he slumped. “I…I see it. I could have gotten that fight, if I had been just that little bit quicker.” Sighing, he buried his face in his hands. Zack, magnanimously, slapped his hand onto El Blaze’s shoulder and gave him a solemn nod.

“El Blaze, my Luchador friend, let’s squash this beef, eh? What’s one bout between fighters? It’s not like you got shut out, either, you landed a pretty nasty combo on me to kick things off.” He reminded his former combatant, trying to bolster his spirits.

Zenkichi nodded, rewinding back to show Zack getting launched by the acrobatic kick combo to accentuate the point. ”And it’s clear neither of you were sandbagging. Just make sure to work on your evasion.” Pausing the video and handing the tablet back to the robot, Zenkichi stood up. ”So, I think we can all agree now, there was no robbery here.Just a good combo.” Both fighters nodded, standing up with a handshake.

Azuma gave them all a toothy smile, standing up with Zenkichi and giving him a slap on the back. “Excellent work there, Zenkichi! And good eye, I don’t think anybody else would have caught that so easily.” As the pair got up to leave the restaurant, he continued. “You and your friends are going to be a good thing for this city, I’m sure.” Zenkichi kept his poker face as best he could, thinking about the havoc left in the wake of the Seekers’ actions in Midgar.

”No pressure, huh?” He laughed, a little nervously, before looking up to the Top Tier. ”We’re definitely looking to make an impression, that’s for sure…” The underlying meaning of his message was missed by Azuma, who looked up with him.

“Lofty goal for a bunch of newcomers, but that’s no reason to try and rain on your parade. I wish you all luck. I’m sure we’ll see each other more, but for now I’ll let you get back to your friends. It was a pleasure working with you.” He stopped, turning to offer his hand, which Zenkichi grabbed and gave a professional shake.

”Likewise, Azuma. It was nice to get a little work in. Let me know if you need a hand again.”