Zoey Boey

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

JURI HAN

Level 7: 24/70
Location: Esaka -> The Power Games
Word Count: short
Points Gained: 1
New EXP Balance: Level 7: 25/70

---

Invisibility was intoxicating. After landing back down in the outskirts of Esaka, Juri had been on the fringe of just about everyone’s life. A rooftop, a dark alley. A small amount of distance between her and her target, and she was invisible. Sombra’s cloak was some fancy tech. Nothing could detect her.

For a while, she lay on the roof of a closed bar and stared up at the sky. With no eyes on her, she was free to do as she pleased. She could let her face go blank. Then she started people watching. Noticing all their stupid little flaws. The things they thought they could get away with when no one was watching. Their blank-eyed stares. More than anything Galeem could give them.

Juri dropped down on some schmucks who strayed too far from the pack. Galeem’s Curse made them give her the fight she was looking for. They couldn’t back down, couldn’t de-escalate, wouldn’t hold back. It was fun to beat the tar out of them. She could dust them, and no one would care. But she decided to leave them alive so they would remember her beating. Of course, she only went after weak people. Picking on someone her own size would attract undo attention. There would be plenty of time for some full courses later.

In the end, the Seekers broadcasted their meeting point and Juri decided to stalk them. She even saw that idiot Fortune doing the same thing. It almost made her laugh, but that would have blown her cover. She spent the night crashing, well, who cares where. When you didn’t care about the law, or comfort, or actually getting any sleep, it was easy to find a place to bed down.

In the morning, they met up in some crummy restaurant and Juri listened in from across the place. She turned off her invisibility and was just sat with her back against a bench wall. At the very least, the Seekers started speaking her language. Juri would love to see another Consul die. After killing Consul O, dusting Gleaming idiots felt like second-rate action in comparison. (Not that it was bad, or anything…)

Juri would already be at the Power Stone Games before any of the Seekers who decided to show up made their way there.

She appeared basically out of nowhere in the middle of the Power Games Plaza. ”The Power Stone Games, huh?” Juri sneered. ”Is that name trying to hide the fact that it’s a frickin’ kiddie pool tournament?” She set a hand on her hip. When she looked over the dozen or so contestants, she snickered.

”Whose in charge of this playground?” Juri asked, looking around. She went over to a nearby potted plant and started wobbling it with her foot, threatening to knock it over.

Sakura Level 11: 044/110
Location: Hospital - > Pools
Word Count: short
Points Gained: 1
New EXP Balance--- Level 11: 045/110

–

Sakura stepped out of the Ki-Tuning room, and shuddered. That was…unpleasant. At the same time, though, as the sensations of the process faded, new ones began to come in. She felt good! Like it wasn’t even possible for her to catch a cold.

No more time to waste, then. She should get to the other Seekers as fast as possible.

As she was about to head out, or rather, head to the nearest place to grab breakfast, she spotted an older doctor with frizzy white hair and a big mustache struggling to carry one big too many. Before things could get too catastrophic, Sakura swooped in and took the top two boxes of papers and equipment from him. The doctor cleared her throat a few times and nodded, before jerking his head for Sakura to follow him. She ended up following him to one of those places in a hospital regular people like her aren’t usually allowed to go.

Apparently, the doctor noted Sakura’s strength, and when they got to the storage room, he pointed out where to drop off some boxes and then loaded her up with a few more. ”Uh, wait-” Sakura began, but she was already holding three plastic boxes.

”I can’t really-” She tried to explain. The doctor bent down to pick something up, and then clutched his back in agony. Moaning and groaning, he writhed around the room. Something about this performance struck Sakura as deceptive, or at least exaggerated.

”Alright, fine, geez!” Sakura said. The doctor, his pain apparently subsiding, stoop up and nodded, before indicating Sakura should follow him. She ended up doing chores around the place all morning, and in the end, all she got out of it was a lollipop. And maybe some work experience. In another life, she might be able to put something like this on her resume. In the end, she really had to go! So she sped off to her pool matches.

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

Sakura Level 11: 048/110
Location: Esaka’s High Tier (Thursday Night)
Word Count: 3197
Points Gained: 5
New EXP Balance--- Level 11: 053/110

Primrose - Level: 11 - Total EXP: 326/110
Therion - Level: 10 - Total EXP: 383/100

Sakura didn’t have to worry about an awkward trip after the three Seekers departed from the zoo. Even if she got the sense that Therion found some amusement at her expense he was not the type to rub it in, and though Primrose enjoyed some good teasing every now and then she refrained for now, perhaps until she got to know the girl a little better. Instead, they all focused on reading landmarks and street signs as they made their way to their next destination. Although none of them had been to the UN headquarters and were none the wiser if they’d even passed it while traveling the area before, all they had to do to find it was simply read the delivery receipt Sakura had grabbed from Anji before they’d started all this.

Sakura kept her face in the receipt, looking extra stern and serious so that if anyone even thought about teasing her she could remind them to focus on the mission. She studiously checked it against every address they passed by. ”We’re getting closer. Infact–” She did some mental math and looked a few buildings ahead.

”I think that’s it?” She pointed at it.

Of course, when it came to that particular structure, ‘building’ undersold it enough that each Seeker was more than warranted a double take. They now stood within a stone’s throw of the single most massive establishment in the High Tier, if not all of Esaka itself: its biggest (and only) hospital, the Jeon Ryok Residence. With many tears defined by the huge, extravagant red clay giwa tiles of the distinctive Paljakjibung hip-and-gable roofs, and enormous brass ornamentations everywhere, it looked a lot more like a palace than a medical facility. Was this the right place? And even if it was, surely the whole thing wasn’t the UN’s headquarters.

Once the awestruck Seekers entered, handfuls of staff could be seen wearing surgical masks, hats, and turquoise garments somewhere between robes and scrubs, with medical stations and equipment in evidence, like the wheelchairs and gurneys used to transport patients between rooms and operating centers. Still, there were plenty of more traditional and decorative elements on the walls. If most of Esaka embodied elements of either Chinese or Japanese heritage, then perhaps this was the stronghold for Korean culture.

Near the front desk, an incredibly muscular old man with a huge white beard and eyebrows happened to be waiting with his arms crossed, while nearby a strange doctor, emaciated and unnaturally tall with a paper bag on his head, spoke to a blonde nurse toting a massive syringe as tall as she was. A very pixellated woman with red hair and a white dress sat behind the counter.

It was all a little overwhelming, particularly for the more medieval-esque Seekers, whose adventures even within the World of Light had not shown them anything of this blend of aesthetic and modern technology. It certainly didn't look like the headquarters of an organization of international spies either. Could they be in a basement level perhaps, or maybe the office suites at the top?

The Seekers looked at each other. Therion's tail twitched every few seconds as he glanced around, squinty-eyed. This place was totally unlike the sanatorium in the Home of Tears, and yet somehow that mild antiseptic smell and the shady looking doctors (even the yellow haired woman gave off that vibe despite the innocent looking face) reminded him of it. After a few moments to take in the exquisitely decorated exterior and the spacious, clean interior with its patients and staff, Primrose set her eyes upon the desk and its clerk.

At present she didn't think there was any need for theatrics, she approached the angular woman with a small, casual smile and the receipt in tow. Assuming that the package's intended recipient wasn't planning to make them jump through hoops to deliver it, then just asking after the information on where they should go was undoubtedly the best option.

"Good evening," she greeted first, prompting Sakura to show the receipt second. "We're looking for this man, at this address. Are we in the right place?"

“Good evening.” When offered the receipt, the receptionist glanced at it, then turned her attention to someone else. “Kum Haehyun?” As she fluttered the receipt, the huge old man -who had been meditating with uncanny stillness- came to life suddenly, as if jolted with electricity. If the elderly master lacked any composure, though, it was only for a split second. His pupil-less white eyes practically glowed beneath his heavy brow as he turned his head the receptionist’s way. “The deliverers are here to see Mr. Chevalier.”

The man gave a stiff nod, then beckoned to the trio of Seekers to accompany him toward a flight of stairs. “This way.”

”Uhh. Thank you.” Sakura said. Another powerful old man with glowing white eyes. She was almost used to them by now.

She looked back at Primrose and Therion. ”I must’ve been in here before. Not from this side, though. It’s all one giant building… insane.” Sakura said. Then she tapped her chin.

”Still, everything’s a bit smaller looking now that I’ve seen Midgar.” Sakura thought aloud. Now that was the megastructure to end all megastructures.

"I can scarcely imagine a city larger than this one," Primrose said. Esaka's massive bottom layer was already nearly on par with Orsterra's largest cities, but when taking into account its ascending tiers... and this hospital alone could encompass the smaller villages. It was incredible that Sakura had been to even bigger places.

”Yeah, me neither. That place was nuts.” Sakura nodded.

They followed their unlikely guide up the stairs. Ahead of the girls for once, Therion glanced at one of the posted directories as they moved. Using a hospital as a cover for their base... the thief couldn't decide if he found it smart or entirely too reckless.

After a couple minutes of travel, the old giant who plodded ahead of the Seekers cleared his throat. “So, you’re some of our new allies?” He stopped at a set of double doors, then glanced back at the trio, his gaze severe and unblinking. “Mr. Chevalier has already put a great deal of faith in you, to bring you here. Despite your group’s failure to apprehend Lucky Chloe, I might add. Still, if you’ve the strength to take on G-Corp at full strength, it’s a moot point. All that matters is whether you can be trusted.”

When he turned to push open the door, Therion glanced back at Sakura and Primrose with a roll of his eyes. Sakura frowned, confused. None of the three of them had even been part of that Chloe mission, with the girls not even present at the meeting that had outlined the UN's plans. Leave it to a pretentious organization like this to act like they had the high ground. There was a twinkle of mirth in Primrose's eyes as she caught Therion's, but ultimately she understood it wasn't actually the other group's fault for questioning the trust worthiness of the Seekers. They still had wool pulled over all of them.

Inside was a classic operating theater, roughly semicircular, with a multi-layered, curved observers’ gallery that could seat a couple dozen people looking down on an operating table. The Seekers’ entrance opened up to the very top level of this gallery, but even from here they could see that this was no ordinary medical room. Each of the seats featured a country’s flag draped across the back, many of which Sakura -but not the Orsterrans- would recognize. The operating table way down at the bottom was completely bare, and on the opposite side -under the glow of two freestanding surgical lights- was a wheelchair where Mr. Chevalier sat. After following the Seekers in, the old master shut the door behind them.

“Ah, welcome,” the head of the UN greeted the newcomers in perfectly understandable French. “Please forgive the pomp and circumstance. I wanted to offer a somewhat dramatic first impression of our special room. This is the United Nations’ General Assembly Theater. A mere fraction of our former glory, but a testament to our enduring spirit.” Chevalier stood.

The old master tried not to bump into the trio as he shuffled past them. “Mind if I step out for a bit?” he asked, addressing Chevalier with less gruffness than usual. “It’s getting hot in here.”

“Sounds like your AC needs a tune-up,” Chevalier replied with a shadow of a smile. “Of course.”

With a grunt, the giant knelt down, bowing his head as he closed his eyes as if to meditate. Then his chest opened like a cockpit door, revealing a mechanical interior and a teenager seated inside at a set of controls. The girl had wine purple and white hair, a white hanbok outfit, and eyes as pink as the infinity symbol on her garment (beneath Galeem’s red glaze, of course). Wiping her brow, the girl climbed out of her mech and let out a sigh of relief as she fanned herself. “Well, there you have it,” she told the Seekers rather casually. “Allow me to reintroduce myself. Kum Haehyun, agent of the United Nations, seat of Korea. This hospital is my family residence, so…welcome to my home.” With a polite nod, she climbed down the gallery to seat herself at the chair with the Korean flag.

”Uhhh…” Sakura wasn’t sure what was going on anymore. ”Thank you, uh,” She glanced between Kum Haehyun and Mr. Chevallier, but pulled herself away from the bizarre sight and went towards Mr. Chevallier.

At the same time, Primrose was beginning to put things together. The lack of true context had only hampered her a little, but seeing the collection of marked seats and the variety of members (some she'd only heard about from the other Seekers), she now understood that the United Nations was a very literal name despite her earlier skepticism. And if she wasn't mistaken... made up of mostly nations that came from the same world. Was that coincidence, or design? Surely the latter, since Sakura had been familiar with the organization itself. A spy organization, she'd said. That really did seem to be the case, though she got the sense that the group really did have the city's best interest in mind.

Still, it interested her less than the woman stepping down from what turned out to be a very convincing humanoid robot. Both Primrose and Therion looked at Haehyun in surprise before the dancer spoke. "Thank you for having us. Primrose Azelhart. Charmed," she said, returning the dip of her head.

Now the hospital as a base made a little more sense, too.

”I’m hoping there hasn’t been a misunderstanding,” Sakura said with a little nervous giggle. ”We’re here to deliver this food to you?” She extended the package towards Chevalier.

He accepted it gratefully. “Thank you. It was, in part, a pretext to bring a smaller group here so as not to arouse suspicion. Although I am looking forward to trying it. One cannot subsist on French cuisine alone.”

Therion cut a subtle look at Sakura as if to say, it really was food??

Sakura shrugged, grinning.

After setting down the package on the table, Chevalier looked between the assembled Seekers. “Since now we’ve more or less shared a meal, let us formally establish our companionship. Your group and the United Nations can continue working together for the common good, to eliminate the threats posed by G-Corp and the Four Kings, and bring about real change. To that end, this hospital is yours to visit whenever you may need, with reduced charge. Think of it as being insured. In addition to standard healing, the staff here are skilled enough to purge diseases and certain other afflictions. If you’re sick or suffering, the Jeon Ryok Residence is here for you.”

At that point, Haehyun also raised her hand. “By the way. If you or your friends are up for it, I can ‘tune’ you. Tuning your ki will strengthen your body, helping you realize your combat potential and safeguarding you from illness. It’s a…” She paused, putting a hand to her chin as she thought. “‘Rigorous’ process. But if you can take it, you won’t regret it. Just another benefit of being the UN’s friend.” She shrugged. “If you’re fighting in a tournament, it’ll definitely come in handy.”

”I see.” Sakura crossed her arms. ”Well, uh, thank you for the assistance.” She did a little bow. ”Forces of good uniting and all that. Totally cool.”

"We're hardly the representatives of our group," Primrose reminded them, though she didn't seem opposed. Especially after Therion added, "but we already practically agreed to it."

So the dancer folded her arms loosely in front of her, turning her head and making a show of taking in the gallery once more. "And it is a generous offer. Real change is just what we're after."

She smiled disarmingly, though whether it fooled someone like Chevalier didn't really matter. The outcome was the same either way. "Then we'll let everyone else know. And I suppose we'll have to come up with an easier way to keep in touch."

Sakura nodded along to Primrose’s words. Then she considered the latter part of the reward. ”Ki tuning, huh? I guess we’d be a fool not to, right?” Sakura scratched the side of her head. ”Is it like, a permanent upgrade? Or just for the tournament?”

"At least ask for a demonstration first," Therion muttered to her. The girl was so strong that she apparently lacked a sense of self preservation. He had to admit that the group did seem to be what they claimed, a force of good, but that tuning thing seemed a little suspect. Maybe he was still projecting prior experiences, though.

”Uh, right.” Sakura chuckled apologetically. She turned back to the two UN members. ”Also, what is that? And what does it look like?” She projected her voice louder.

Haehyun fielded the questions seriously. “Nothing lasts forever, but it should be a good long while. As for how it looks…” She paused, thinking. “Well, ki is invisible unless it’s being ‘ignited’ for use, but I visualize it as the strings of a musical instrument. Specifically, those of the guqin, a Korean instrument and a favorite of mine. They can be tightened, straightened, cleaned up, and made to sing.”

Sakura hummed thoughtfully, and observed her own outstretched arm as she imagined something happening to it.

Maybe it was easier to visualize for the actual martial artist among the three Seekers. At least the Orsterrans grasped that it was some kind of physical process, especially with Haehyun's mention of it being 'rigorous.' Perhaps... like an intense massage?

Therion didn't look at that convinced, but far be it from him to stop anyone else curious about it to get 'tuned.' Maybe after a few successful procedures he'd be more interested.

"I assume an exacting process like that won't be a quick one, so you'll have to pencil us in for another time," Primrose said. The hour was getting late, after all. Therion's tail flicked and he nodded. This hadn't turned out to be the total waste of time he initially thought it was, but now that they'd found the place and cemented this alliance, he didn't think there was much use in sticking around.

Though one thing did occur to him, and he glanced at Chevalier. "You're gonna let us know when you get some intel on Kazuya?" he asked. The Frenchman had disregarded the bounty reward earlier, but as it sat unclaimed it was still on the thief's radar.

Haehyun nodded at Primrose. “Sure. I could use a meal myself. Do you have phone magic?” To show what she meant, the girl raised her hand to her ear and a magic glyph manifested, similar to Sandalphon’s miracle phone but apparently different.

“I can also offer my own phone number, if you’re more accustomed to conventional communication,” Chevalier added.

At the second offer Primrose shook her head lightly. Only a couple of Seekers had those small, handheld communication devices, and she was not among that number. Instead she looked at Haehyun and said, "we can learn it." Even if the Seekers already had link pearls they could communicate through, giving out too many and in multiple linkshell colors would get complicated - and a handy spell like that seemed like it would be useful to have regardless.

”Also, are we still getting paid for the food thing?” Sakura asked. ”I think if I rent one more hotel room, I’m flat broke.”

With a snap of her fingers, Haehyun got Sakura’s attention. “I can fix that second part. You can just stay here at the hospital. You’re Japanese, right? Just tell the staff you have Ki Overflow Syndrome. Nobody will bat an eye.”

Sakura blinked hard. ”Eh? Really?”

As she spoke, Chevalier had produced a wallet that he began to rifle through. After a few seconds, he pulled out a handful of crisp notes and approached the observation gallery to offer them to the Seekers. Altogether, they amounted to fifty thousand zenny, the equivalent of five hundred dollars. “I always tip generously to those who deliver,” he told them.

Therion still found it hard to tell if the guy was genuine or poking fun. Money was money though, and they had gone through with the food fetch quest. He accepted the payment, quickly and efficiently forking a third over to Sakura.

"Nice doing business with you," he said dryly. Odds were it wouldn't be long before they did business again, too.

”Amazing!” Sakura accepted the money with a big grin, shoving it into some interior pocket of her fancy streetwear jacket. As she did, she looked up. ”Ki Overflow Syndrome, huh? I kinda feel bad about lying to a hospital…” Then she reached inside the pocket with all of her remaining money, and did the mental math as to how much she would go through just for one night at a motel in Esaka.

”Then again..!” Sakura would end up waving goodbye to Therion and Primrose for the night.

Once everything was wrapped up, the Seekers bunking elsewhere got a move on. The encounter from start to finish had been a relatively casual side quest, even including the stop at the zoo where their only real opposition had come in the form of an evil bird (which might even still be out there, somewhere). It hadn't been unpleasant, and was much preferable to the usual life threatening situations the Seekers found themselves in. Coming out of it with a new group and new resources to work with was a boon, too.

Once they reached their resting places the remainder of the night passed without incident, and the next day began with a familiar call for the Seekers of Light to meet up.

Primrose took her time before answering said call, making sure she was presentable to her usual standard after waking. If even her small group had some developments to share, she wouldn't be surprised if the other Seekers had some news as well. "Just say where~"

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

Sakura Level 11: 044/110
Location: Panther Zoo
Word Count: 2,474
Points Gained: 4
New EXP Balance--- Level 11: 048/110

Primrose - Level: 11 - Total EXP: 326/110
Therion - Level: 10 - Total EXP: 383/100

Getting to the zoo itself did not take very long. Chanko House Edomon wasn't far from one of the lifts that connected the Mid and High Tiers of Esaka, and as Primrose had mentioned she knew exactly where the attraction was. When she, Sakura, and Therion split from the group headed to the casino they made a beeline for the zoo, though Primrose's casual strides slowed their pace down from Sakura's earlier eagerness. Soon enough they stood across the street from the establishment. Though the gates were locked the exterior lighting around its perimeter and lamps along pathways the Seekers could see inside remained lit. From where they were standing, shaded by the contrasting shadows cast by the street lights, it might have looked like they were a group that had just missed closing time and were at a loss on what to do now. It was, perhaps, partly true.

"I was hoping to look around a little while we were here…" Primrose said. Her arms were folded in front of her as she glanced between the zoo and her two companions. "but regardless, this is the place."

”Ah, shoot. That’s too bad, I really like the zoo.” Sakura scratched her head. ”Do you think they’ve found it yet? I know what I would do if a fully cooked meal literally fell out of the sky,” Sakura said nervously.

Sakura walked up to the closed gate. ”Hello?” She asked. ”Anyone?” She sighed.

At that point Primrose and Therion joined her, the latter starting a walk around the wall and glancing up every now and then.

"No bell or knocker... not even one of those communication boxes," Primrose observed. "They must not want to be bothered by anyone after closing hours."

And who can blame them? was the silent implication in the upward quirk of the dancer's lips. It had always been a hassle to deal with latecomers and patrons who refused to leave after last call at the tavern.

”Where I come from, if food delivery gets waylaid like this, you just order another one. In fact, it would probably be illegal to deliver this food after not knowing its whereabouts for such an extended period of time. And lost in a zoo of all places?! It could be contaminated in a million ways. There must be something in this order besides food. Maybe a secret message or something.” Sakura said. ”The United Nations is spy stuff, isn’t it?”

Though, when she looked back at her two allies, she realized they might not know the answer to that. ”...I think it is.”

She was right in assuming that the Orsterrans hadn't a clue, though Primrose looked back at her with mild curiosity.

"You're familiar with them?" she asked. Maybe the group had a bigger presence in Esaka than she'd thought.

”Well, yes, a little bit. But in my world the United Nations is like, a place where all the countries on the planet come together and do diplomacy. There’s probably spies there, right?” Sakura reasoned.

The dancer raised an eyebrow as though she found the notion far-fetched.

A moment later and there was a soft click from beyond the gate. It opened slowly just an inch or two, and when there was no squeal of the metal joints it was pulled open fully to reveal Therion on the other side, casually stashing his picking tools away. He had disappeared for what seemed like only a handful of seconds, now standing aside to let the girls in. Sakura blinked her wide eyes, and scratched the back of her head.

"That makes sense," he said of Sakura's hypothesis. She hadn't been at the meeting with the UN earlier, so he went on to explain. "They had a lot of information, agents spread over the city... and a bit of a condescending attitude."

It was hard to tell if he meant that last part as a joke or not. "And you're right, a guy like that? No way he'd want a meal that'd been tossed around in animal pens."

The thought that they were retrieving something more important did alleviate some of Therion's earlier annoyance at this even being asked of them, but they couldn't be sure they weren't just literally fetching lost food until they found it.

"Let's see what we're working with then," Primrose said, waltzing inside. The zoo was quiet, but there still had to be staff members around.

For Sakura, there was something very grounded about breaking into a type of place that she recognized, and she found herself getting a bit nervous. Like she was worried she would get in trouble with her parents. ”Sh-should we just ask?” Sakura asked with a lowered voice, glancing around.

Not far from the entrance there was some kind of staff building with the lights on. Everything was low light, except for the lamps next to all the walk ways. Around them, dark cages hid shifting shadows of creatures. That was creepy, too. An owl hooted, and Sakura flinched.

Sakura scampered a bit towards the staff building. ”Guys?”

"Sure, if you want to explain how you got in and why you're going so far for some noodles," Therion said. He gave a casual shrug, but the mild sarcasm in his voice easily told Sakura what he thought about that plan. Primrose elbowed him lightly in the side.

”Hrmm.” Sakura made a displeased noise.

"We'll say they simply forgot to lock the front gate," Primrose told Sakura, turning to look at the street fighter. She followed Sakura over while waving Therion off over her shoulder. The thief scoffed lightly and dipped around the office, taking off silently to some other place within the zoo. Likely to check the panther enclosure while the girls talked with the staff.

Sakura and Primrose peeked in through one of the windows. Its shade was drawn but the blinds weren't completely closed, so they could see that inside a woman was discussing something with a few of the mii workers. Primrose turned to her fellow Seeker.

"I'd be happy to take the lead, if you like."

”Sure.” Sakura said. This wasn’t going how she thought it would go at all, she thought. But it’s not like she had any money to gamble. While Primrose approached the building, Sakura scooted off to the side. Not too far away was a large pit enclosure. Trees and artificial overhangs hid the animals within. Were there panthers in there?

She would have to get closer to find out. In the meantime, Primrose gave her a nod and then walked right up to the office door. She moved calmly and confidently, at least up until she knocked on it. Between then and when one of the miis came over to answer it, she had adopted a look of curiosity, mixed with a touch of hope and guilt. The very picture of innocence.

"Good evening," she said quietly. "I'm so sorry to disturb you all, it seemed that the zoo was still open and... I've seemed to have lost a delivery in here... would you help me?"

Even her voice had lightened from its usual cadence. The mii tilted her head, leaned out to look at the gate, and then ushered Primrose inside. The dancer's gaze flickered briefly over to where Sakura was hidden and she sent the girl a subtle wink before disappearing into the building.

”Kowai…” Sakura muttered to herself at Primrose’s display. But Primrose’s facade had gotten her inside.

Which left Sakura alone, in the dark, with only pockets of light to help see. Somewhere close a bush rustled. A shadow passed overhead. All very normal things had it been daylight hours. And perhaps that owl seemed to have some grudge against her, because during a stretch of silence it hooted again, louder.

”Eh-?!” Sakura jumped one more time. With a laugh, she shook her fist. ”Fukrou-san! Temee!” The little scare had lifted her spirits.

Suddenly, one of the shadows in the peripheral of her vision actually took shape. From the direction of the panther exhibit, a large, agile beast leapt out from a bundle of decorative foliage. As big as a leopard, the blue, black, and white feline landed right in front of Sakura.

”Kowai.” Sakura wasn’t laughing anymore. Yep, it was back to being scared.

Sakura began to back away, hands raised, staring at the feline. ”Uhhh…nice kitty?” She racked her mind for animal safety tips.

Play dead? No, cats loved messing with things, dead or alive. As fast as she was, she couldn’t outrun a panther. Especially a magic panther like this one.

Maybe..? Sakura grabbed the edges of her jacket and stood on her tippy toes. ”Boo-aaah!” She tried to make herself look as big as possible, coming to an imposing five feet four inches as she stretched.

The cat... looked unimpressed. It stared at her like it had no idea what she was trying to accomplish. For an animal, its thoughts were surprisingly easy to read. After a moment it blinked, and seeming to realize something, showed its teeth in what could be called an amused smirk if one was being generous. But it didn't hiss or roar or jump at her, so that was good.

”...Eh?” Sakura deflated.

One of its ears twitched and it looked beyond Sakura to the zoo's office. It had only been around ten minutes or so, but Primrose emerged with the staff and their other guest in tow.

"...every other series or so. Zoanthropes, animal fighters, we're never the most popular in these sort of things y'know? The events earn some fans - and some funds! To help out engineered Zoanthropes too. Also..."

The woman in white seemed to be talking about some program that her organization planned to put on. Primrose nodded politely, making a vague promise to spread the word. The group made their way to the front gate to let the two visitors out, though just before leaving the dancer spoke up, a little louder than she needed to be to ensure that perhaps someone else nearby would be able to hear her.

"Thank you again for trying to help. So you think a bird really flew off with it?"

"Yes ma'am, like we said there's a real avian jerk that comes around at night. Pretty sure someone saw it with a bag in its claws, but who knows if it's still here in the zoo." One of the miis said.

Once Primrose and the other woman were safely outside, the gate was closed and locked once more. The miis turned to walk a side path, meeting the janitorial staff who'd wrapped up their duties for the night as they took a separate employee-only door out. Not before hitting a switch to kill most of the remaining lights of course, meaning only a few ground lights were still on. Now the zoo was truly empty, and all the spookier for it.

"A bird..." came a voice from behind Sakura.

The feline beast had disappeared, leaving Therion in its place. A familiar set of cat ears twitched atop his head. "There wasn't anything in the enclosure, so I guess it's possible it got snatched if it landed in a tree, or..." He frowned. "Either way, how can we find it now?"

At this point, Sakura had turned away from Therion, her face covered by her hands. It wasn't long at all though before the heckling hooting returned, making the search a non-issue. The culprit came into view following a passing cloud, its silhouette just barely illuminated but its large, yellow, evilish eyes unmissable. The nefarious Hooter looked down from its perch as though it were looking at inferior beings. And sure enough, there was a plastic bag with some container inside of it clutched in its talons like a taunt.

For an opening gambit, Hooter decided to explode into blue light and a cloud of feathers, dropping the bag onto the ground and flying away into the distance. By the time it was twinkling like a distance star, one would have by then put together it had been hit by an energy blast.

The source of that energy blast, Sakura, face beet red, jumped onto Therion’s back and grabbed his head. ”Don’t you think you should tell someone before you turn into a panther at the panther zoo?!”

"Wh-! Hey! Get off!" They flailed around, Therion stumbling at the surprise weight on him. It was hard to keep track of who knew what about each other, but whether Sakura hadn't expected his sudden appearance in beast form, or just hadn't expected the transformation at all, he countered with, "when would there be a better time?! I figured it was an easy assumption!"

”Easy assumption?!” Sakura complained.

"Yes!" Therion complained right back. When it became clear he couldn't rid of himself of Sakura by shifting the blame for her embarrassment back onto her (and the fact that she was just physically stronger than him), he instead stooped suddenly to see if it would throw her off. Sakura let go, rolled off his back and landed on her feet in front of him. She prepared to start kicking at his shoes.

"Alright, alright. I'm sorry if I scared you." He offered an awkward apology.

Though not even a moment later added, "now can we grab the bag and get out of here before any of the actual panthers break out?"

With a huff, Sakura ran over and snatched the bag from the ground. ”Fine. Not that you would care, panther wannabe.” With that epic burn, she ran away and jumped clean over the gate. Once on the ground on the other side she slapped herself on the forehead hard and ran her hand down her face. It’s a good thing she only had about nine more years left to live before her memory got wiped.

Unbeknownst to her, Primrose had seen the little display. After leaving the zoo, the dancer had found a spot to await her companions across the street, in the same sort of shady spot they'd been in when they'd first arrived. Though she didn't know what had gone on in there, she could hazard a guess. She chuckled lightly and gave Sakura the few seconds to compose herself before walking toward her as though she'd only just spotted the girl. A moment later and Therion landed on the ground nearby, having followed the street fighter's lead. Though part of his face was obscured by his bangs, the look of bemusement he sent Sakura was clear.

"Mission accomplished?" Primrose asked, nodding to the bag in Sakura's grasp.

”Huh? Oh, yeah.” Sakura looked down at the ‘food bag’. Some agitated part of her was tempted to rip it open, but instead she hugged it tightly. ”Let’s get outta here. I don't like zoos.”

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

Sakura Level 11: 043/110
Location: Chanko > Towards Panther Zoo
Word Count: short
Points Gained: 1
New EXP Balance--- Level 11: 044/110

–
Sakura ate into her allotted food. She was mostly quiet, taking in the ambience and apparently thinking to herself, or perhaps thinking very little. She was mostly distracted by the Sumo Wrestlers travelling technique.

”I’ve tried so many times to do that technique. The flying sumo headbutt? I think the farthest I’ve ever gotten is three meters.” Sakura commented off-handedly to no one in particular.

Pit gave a sit-rep. Sakura wasn’t too boastful about her own accomplishments as of yet. After all, she hadn’t taken first place. ”I’m four fights in. All going well.” She said, being low key about it. ”Like, y’know, I think I’m gonna win. I also met someone named Ei. Ei-san. She’s nice.” Sakura said, fondly recalling the chance encounter with the noblewoman. Well, she seemed like a noblewoman, anyway.

When Pit reported about Juri, Sakura furrowed her brow. ”Juri-san is a questionable person. If I was being totally honest, I’d probably categorize her as evil.” Sakura said. ”Like, don’t get me wrong, I like fighting too, but I definitely don’t want to end up like her.”

Moving on, there was the disappearance of Terry Bogard. Sakura was sure he wouldn’t be taken down so easily, and thought he must be doing important business elsewhere. Maybe distracted by a quest. Wandering warriors were like that. As for the twins, Sakura supported their involvement. ”Just try your best, okay?” Sakura said. ”And if it gets too tough, pull out. I’m sure we can figure something out if we don’t all win our tournament matches.” Sakura said, though, honestly, she wasn’t sure about that. The best she could figure was just declare all out war on Esaka and hope for the best. That would be messy.

When the meal came to an end, Sakura learned that Big Band was indeed out of money. ”Ahh…I’m such a mooch. The last quest I did paid me in cabbage. Not that it wasn’t an amazing reward all things considered, but, man.” Sakura glanced over at Amaterasu, recalling the memory. The last time Sakura had gotten paid felt like a lifetime ago. Sakura had spent a lot of her earnings on a bicycle. One that was currently sitting uselessly onboard the Avenger. Once upon a time she recalled being in charge of transporting literal wagons full of gold for Princess Peach. Why hadn’t she stolen some coins?!

One ‘opportunity’ for ‘money-making’ presented itself. ”The casino? Are you sure that’s such a good idea? I’m pretty sure those places are all a scam.” Sakura scratched her head.

As they went outside, though, a real opportunity presented itself. A courier job! ”That sounds perfect! Rich people sometimes give big tips for no reason.” Sakura said. Plus, Sakura had been around Esaka long enough that she figured she could find the way. The United Nations?! How cool was that! There probably wouldn’t be any danger at the zoo, right?

While she was about to ask Pit for some advice on where to stay, Sakura wasn’t going to suffer making no income any longer. For too long she had been scared to pony up her last few coins. ”Alright! Let’s go!” Sakura clenched her fist. ”I’ll deliver that food!” Sakura announced her intention, and looked around to see if anyone else wanted to join her instead of going to the casino.

Once that was settled, she took off into a jog that ramped up into a run, heading off towards the Rugal Panther Zoo. She suddenly skid to a stop on her heels, arms flailing, before she turned around back towards Anji. ”We probably need that receipt, right? Heh heh.” Sakura smiled sheepishly. Then, she would head off for real towards the Panther Zoo to get the parcel and hopefully earn some cash. Any little bit helped!

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

Sakura Level 11: 043/110
Location: Chanko House Edomon, Esaka
Word Count: 2,503
Points Gained: 4
New EXP Balance--- Level 11: 047/110
Pit - Level: 8 - Total EXP: 338/80

Sakura had earned some cash, here and there, as she made further and further progress into the tournament. So when she was invited to go out to eat at a restaurant, she figured she might, maybe, possibly, be able to afford something. To be honest, though, she was hoping a party member more flush than she would be able to afford a big dish of communal food she could partake in, if only a smidgen.

If only Karin was here. Then again, accepting gifts and food from Karin was a surefire way to be gloated at. For Kasugano Sakura exclusively, anyway. Karin was a most gracious host to anyone else in the multiverse.

As Sakura approached the meeting spot restaurant, and saw Pit outside it after listening to his direction, she discreetly pumped her fist. Yes! Hot Pot! The perfect party food! Sakura would be eating good today! If everyone pitched in, they could get something great.

”Pit-kun!” She waved over at Pit cheerfully. She jogged over. ”I mean, heh, uh. Hello, Gold Team Lead.” She bowed a little with a grin.

Sakura glanced in through a window at the restaurant, her mind clearly already on food. ”Our meeting spot is…in there, right? Not just outside of it?” She ventured.

Hearing the peppy, familiar voice perked Pit up immediately, and he turned in Sakura's direction with a wide smile and an enthusiastic wave in return. And of course when she changed up her greeting, even just for fun, the angel couldn't help but preen. The Seekers were all pretty individualistic, and the nature of this particular mission meant they couldn't work together much, but Pit still took his nomination to heart.

"Yeah, of course! Just waiting for a few more of us to show up first. Then we can all sit near each other." At least that was the plan. He shot a hopeful look at the hostess, Udon, who smiled serenely back. There had been a brief discussion about it before Sakura had arrived.

"You're the first one! Besides me. I hope everyone else finds it okay..." it was pretty tucked away, but obviously not impossible to find. And hopefully the others would find it soon, because the scent of the steaming broth and cooking meats was really tantalizing. Pit joined Sakura in peeking inside. "Have you been here before?"

”Yes!” Sakura said with a punchy nod. ”With some of my World Warrior and Tekken friends, a while ago. Hot pot…” She put her face against the window.

She blinked, pulling herself back into reality. ”Don’t worry, I’m sure they’ll find it. If it all goes poorly, I could always jump up on the roof and start shooting fireballs into the sky like a flare gun.” Sakura said, not knowing where that sentence was going when she started it. Though to be fair, Pit looked rather keen about that idea.

"That'll work! There's no way they'd miss it!"

He recalled that Sakura mentioned earlier she didn't know how to explain how she shot the fireballs, but seeing her do it up close might give him some hints - then he'd give hadouken a try too. Now he was kind of torn on wanting the rest of the gang to show up sooner or later... though he quickly decided on sooner, because he was getting hungry.

"The big pots of soup smell sooo good, I can hardly wait!"

Sakura nodded, rocking back and forth on her heels with her hands behind her back. She turned her eyes away from the sky and back towards Pit.

”You ever play Janken in Heaven with the other angels, Pit-kun?” She asked. ”Or Red Hands?”

He blinked at her, and it was immediately obvious even before he replied that he had not.

"I've never even heard of them. They're games?" he guessed. Then he furrowed his brow, looking around Sakura like she might have hidden a portable console on her somewhere. "What kind? Red Hands sounds like a fighting game but I have no idea what Janken in Heaven could be! Personally I like platformers and collectathons!"

Sakura raised her hands as if to begin explaining. ”Red hands is- eh?” Sakura looked at Pit and giggled. ”N-no, the game’s name is Janken. I was asking if you played Janken, in Heaven. With the other angels. My bad.”

”Maybe you know it. Janken goes like this: ”Saisho wa guu,” She raised her fist, and then put it down three different times in front of Pit: making a fist, a V sign, and then flattening her hand. ”Ja Ken Po!”
”Rock beats scissors, scissors beats paper, and paper beats rock.” Sakura said.

At first Pit still seemed confused by something she'd said, but it must not have been that important as he just looked at her hands and listened to her explain. By the end of the first game's description, there was some recognition on his face.

"Oh, yeah, I've seen this one before! I never got why paper beats rock though?"

”Paper covers rock.” Sakura continued. ”And Red Hands is where you put your hands out palms down, and the other person puts their hands out palms up underneath them. Then the other person has to try and bring ‘em around and slap the top of your hands before you can pull them back. If you get slapped or flinch and pull away too early, you lose that hand.” Sakura explained.

”Janken is pure strategy and mind games. Red Hands is more execution and reaction, though it has some strategy too.” Sakura nodded sagely.

"Huh, really? Mind games? Strategy? They both seem easy though," Pit said, tilting his head. Unlike Janken (which he knew as simply rock-paper-scissors), Red Hands was completely new to him, but Sakura's explanation was clear and simple so how hard could it be? He glanced up at her, electric green, blue, and gold eyes filled with curious anticipation.

"Do you play them to pass the time or something? I wanna try! Let’s do Janken first!"

”Very well. But just so you know, I don’t hold back.” Sakura said jokingly, though there was something in her eyes that indicated it wasn’t just a joke.

She widened her stance and put her fist into her palm. ”We go on the po in Janken po.” She instructed.

”Saisho wa guu, Janken po!” Sakura cheered, before throwing down a ‘paper’ symbol with gusto. She was guessing that because Pit mentioned he didn’t understand how Paper could win, he would throw down rock due to unconscious bias. Alternatively, he would throw down Scissors due to seeing Paper as weak, but that might be something that someone who liked to pick on the weak would do, and Sakura didn’t think Pit was that kind of person.

This kind of demented thought process is the result of losing at Janken fifteen times in a row to Karin Kanzuki.

It served her well now, because she was right on the money about Pit throwing Rock as soon as she'd shouted the last syllable. He blinked at both of their hands, seemingly surprised by the result, and then squinted at his fist like it had personally betrayed him somehow.

Sakura pumped her fists, very pleased. ”Yes!”

"Okay, but it's like a one in three chance to win, so...!" He pulled his hand back, ready for another round. "Go again! Best two out of three?"

Sakura was eager, but instead she pulled back, rubbing the back of her head and sighing. ”Sorry, Pit-san. We only get to play Janken Po once per lifetime. Rules are rules. We can play again if we both reincarnate as ducks.” She said with a resigned shrug. Waited a beat.

Sakura broke with a giggle. ”Only kidding. Best two out of three! Then someone gets a point.”

She had happened to hit on one of Pit's core flaws, his gullibility, and for a moment he looked almost distressed at the fact that they wouldn't be able to play the simple game again. The reincarnation bit did a lot to dispel that though, and he'd cottoned on as she revealed the truth.

"Alright! The first point's gonna be mine!" he said with a grin.

No way would Pit pick Rock again so soon, Sakura guessed. But he wouldn’t be so obvious as to pick Scissors to beat her Paper, either.

”Saisho wa guu, Janken po!” Sakura said, putting down Scissors to defeat a Paper pick from Pit.

Her V-shaped fingers indeed met Pit's palm. The angel sucked in a breath, though he was less frustrated with the losses and more interested to keep going and figure out her trick.

"Okay, never mind, the first point's yours! You're like a mind reader! Go again!" He waited just long enough for her to get ready before he counted down himself. If I use a Rock to beat the Scissors... but she probably won't use Scissors again, right? But if she thinks that I think she will then... wait, no, if she thinks that I think that then she'd just use Paper! So then I should use Scissors, but then what if she thinks that I think she thinks that I... Agh, I'm getting confused!

"Saisho wagyu, Janken po!"

In the end he ended up just throwing another Rock.

Sakura saw the look on Pit’s face, and figured he would just put the first thing that came to his head. But she thought it would be Scissors, so she put down a Rock, too. ”Tie!” Sakura shouted.

A tie wasn't a win, but it wasn't a loss so it was progress! A short laugh bubbled up out of Pit. For as simple as it was, this game was surprisingly engaging. And he was sort of understanding now what Sakura had meant by the mind games. She probably had been reading him before, but if he didn't think about what he was going with until the last moment then she'd just have to guess! ...which brought it back to just being a random one-in-three chance, but even that was a little exciting.

"How many points do you usually play to?" he asked.

”With Karin? Two hundred.” Sakura said. She looked up at Pit and blinked, because when she said it out loud it sounded insane. ”But, uh, how about, uh, ten?”

The two of them continued their game until the agreed upon point threshold was reached. The nature of Janken meant that because each round took only a few seconds, the whole game only took minutes. Sakura still had a lead for a little while, at least until Pit had really committed to his 'strategy' of having no strategy, after which point it came down to luck for the rest of it - save for a few times when they attempted to psych the other out, with varying degrees of success there before randomness took over again.

In the end, though, Sakura’s early lead carried her through. ”Nice! That’s ten!” She said. ”Hey, you’re pretty good, Pit-kun!” Sakura said.

”But now we’re moving onto the real challenge. You’re pretty fast, right?” Sakura said, locking her fingers together and stretching out her arms.

”Depending on how good you do at this, I should get you into fighting games.”

Pit didn't feel bad about the narrow loss, though his competitiveness did make him want to suggest going for another ten points. But with another game to try Pit let it go, especially if Sakura was more eager for this one.

"I am! I know I'm gonna be good at this one, so start making your list of fighters to play!" he said. He shook out his hands in front of him and then stuck them straight out, both palms facing down. His expression was a blend of confidence and determination. "I'm ready!"

”Back where I’m from, they actually put me in a couple of fighting games. Too bad it didn’t make me rich, though.” Sakura said, putting her hands under his, palms up.

”Okay, let’s go all out! First to ten! Three, two, one, go!” Sakura waited a beat, and then went to bring her hands around and strike out at Pit. Now, this is the battle of speed and reflexes!

Pit's eyes had been open wide, trained on both of their still hands, but as soon as he saw the start of Sakura's movement he pulled his back and watched her slap the open space between them. A life of battle and archery, where spotting, reflex, and speed were necessary, definitely made him better equipped for this kind of game. At least at the start.

"Heheheh!" he grinned at Sakura, cheeky. "Now we swap, right?"

”Hai!” She had already put her hands in the correct position, focused.

With her hands hovering over his, Pit did not wait more than a breath to flip his up and try to tag each of Sakura's.

Sakura pulled hers back against her. ”Both at the same time? A bold strategy.”

Soon the two were locked in battle. Sakura drew first blood against her novice opponent by flinching her elbows but not drawing her hands back, causing Pit to draw his hands back too early. After that, though, the floodgates were open. Sakura said hardly a word, her attention fully locked on the battle. She forgot all about the restaurant and waiting for the other Seekers to show up.

The two picked up in speed and thus intensity of strikes. Sakura drew her hand back, shaking out the pain, before delivering a counter strike of her own. No way was she going to give up. The time between plays grew. The time it took to get from five points to seven points equaled the amount of time it took to go from one point to five points.

"So this is why its called Red Hands," Pit said with a chuckle. Both the tops of his hands and his palms stung from slapping and getting slapped, but it wasn't actually that painful. It was fun, even if the game was just trying to whack each other. Pit fluffed out his wings once (he'd realized that the extra pair of limbs tensed up during this game) before placing his palms out again.

"There aren't any other angels," he mentioned. "You meant the heavens before, right? Like Skyworld? I'm the only one. Sandalphon's the first angel I've ever met besides me."

The Centurions that lived there were a different species entirely, and as an organized army they might play simple games like this amongst themselves (though he'd never witnessed it if they did) but not with their commanding officer.

"So it's my first time playing this kinda stuff." He glanced at Sakura. "So, uh, thanks! It's fun!"

Sakura only hesitated a moment. No other angels in ‘Skyworld’? ”Well, hey, no problem! I’m glad to hear it.” She smiled, refocusing on the game.

In the end, they would probably still be playing by the time someone else showed up. Though Sakura certainly wouldn’t notice.

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

Sakura Level 11: 039/110
Location: Frame Advantage
Word Count: 3188
Points Gained: 4
New EXP Balance--- Level 11: 043/110
Pit - Level: 8 - Total EXP: 332/80

It’d been clear skies all day, and it didn’t look like that was going to change anytime soon as the sun gradually started its descent. It wasn’t quite evening yet; there was still plenty of light left while the angel and demon duo continued their lap around. Ashrah didn’t seem to grow tired of answering any of Pit’s lingering questions about Esaka while they checked out a few of the last matches of the day. She pointed out certain places or things they could see from the tier’s edge, and in return Pit continued to fill her in on the Seekers’ campaign little by little.

Pit was honestly feeling grateful that his chosen tournament happened to be one that allowed for partners, and that the person he’d agreed to team up with on a whim had turned out to be as pleasant as she was. Having been wrapped up in the tournament until recently and with no clue where the Seekers going after G-Corp had actually ended up, if he’d been left to wander Esaka alone he’d have been feeling pretty lonely right about now.

Ashrah tipped the edge of her kasa (which she’d redonned) up as she scanned the people around. It was an informative walk, but learning was not technically their current goal. She’d gotten a glimpse of many of the Seekers that morning, and Pit had provided a description of the few they had volunteered delivery for so she could keep an eye out for them. It would only be a matter of time before Pit resorted to just calling a couple of them to find out where they were instead, though.

”Pit-kun?” Sakura responded over the ‘phone’. ”Hi! Yeah I’m done with my matches for the day. So I’m looking at cameras over at Frame Advantage if you want to join me.” Sakura said. She wanted to buy a cool, durable camera that wasn’t just some sci-fi smart phone that probably still had evil Midgar technology inside or whatever.

"Alright! That's..."

"A level above us, I believe."

"...not too far, I guess! We'll be right there!"

One lift ride later and the kombatants were touring the Mid Tier once more. Specialty shops like Frame Advantage were not places that Ashrah typically visited, but even without knowing the exact location it didn't take too long to find. Pit pressed his face up to the storefront windows, and a moment after spotting Sakura inside, the bell above the door rang to announce the partners' entrance.

"Sakura!" Pit started in greeting, offering the street fighter a high-five as he continued with, "I was looking at everybody's tournament stats - you're doing awesome!"

Their hands smacked together. Sakura went off to the side so she wasn’t in the way of any other potential customers. She grinned wide, setting her fist against her hips and rubbing her nose. ”Hehe, thanks, Captain.” Sakura said.

”Either I win all my matches, or lose the tournament, so, I really only have the one option when you think about it.” She said. ”How have you been doing? And whose your new friend?” Sakura asked Ashrah, hoping they hadn’t already met and Sakura had just forgotten. She meets so many new people these days…

If they had met before, the woman in white gave no indication that she was offended by a lack of recollection. Besides, Pit was all too happy to introduce her whether again or for the first time.

"This is Ashrah! You know how I'm fighting in Mortal Kombat? She's my kameo partner! And she's an MK vet!"

Ashrah tipped her head in greeting, the veil on the back of her hat swaying as she did. "We met by chance, but I believe we've made a good team so far. And Pit has told me about all of you. It is nice to meet you."

Polite, Sakura bowed. ”Thanks for helping my friend, then, Ashrah-san!” Sakura said.

"And we’ve been doing good! Three fights, three wins!" the angel then chirped proudly. Ashrah paused for a moment, a flicker of mild confusion in her black eyes, though it passed when Pit went on.

"Once day one's officially over I wanna check in with everybody, but I'm feeling pretty good about us making it to the bosses." Of course that would mean that eventually the Seekers would be pitted against each other, but they'd just cross that bridge when they got to it. As usual so far in Esaka there were many thoughts in Pit's head fighting to be the next out of his mouth, and though he had a few things he wanted to talk with Sakura about what he ended up saying next was, "Guess you're first on my list, but I kinda figured you'd be training or something - what're you doing here?"

He glanced around the shop interior, the lens and tripods on display. As gung-ho about fighting as she was, he'd expected Sakura to keep at it even after hours to make sure she was ready for the days ahead. Though maybe even an enthusiastic fighter like her wanted a break after so many matches?

Sakura shrugged. ”I love training, but,” Sakura shrugged. ”At this point either I’m ready or I’m not. Training would just wear me down at this point. Of course, I plan on staying warmed up.” She said. She turned away from Pit and Ashrah and looked down an aisle of different cameras.

”I kinda like photography. My first camera broke a while ago while I was still, uh,” She glanced at Ashrah again, to make sure she wasn’t under Galeem’s influence. She wasn’t, so she continued. ”...All Galeemed up. Now that I’m back in town with a good photography store I want to get a new one.” She said.

”I might use a disposable camera, but it’s not easy to get them developed. Especially with all the crazy places we go too.” She spoke casually, running her hand over some cameras.

”And, well, when I saw that photo wall…” Sakura trailed off. Once again, she looked at Ashrah. Self conscious of the second glance, she winced out a giggle and waved at her.

”Um, sorry. It’s just- are you a part of-” She looked to Pit. ”Is she a part of You-Know-What?” She concealed the side of her mouth from Ashrah, though her voice was still easily audible.

Pit had been absorbing Sakura's camera talk, interested in the hobby if only because his friend was. He knew what a camera was of course, but some of the terms she used escaped him. Like what made one disposable and others not, and why did they need developing? But she'd distracted herself, and thus distracted Pit, and he tilted his head in confusion when she not-so-subtly whispered to him.

"What?" he half-whispered back, not picking up on what she was talking about at first. Ashrah let this play out, displaying the patience of, well, a trained martial artist. "Like one of us? I gave her a crash course on everything Seeker-y I could think of."

"You need not worry about me, though I can give you space if you prefer to speak more privately," Ashrah added softly.

”No, no, it’s good.” Sakura reassured her. ”I was just wanted to make sure. I just saw that picture wall and I wanted to take more pictures of people.” Sakura said.

”Unfortunately, I’m strapped for cash like always. My last gig was great, but it mostly paid in lettuce.” Sakura said with a sigh and a smile. ”So I hope I get some cash after this big tourney. And, y’know, we don’t get run out of town after the big battle.”

"Getting paid in lettuce doesn't sound half bad to me. Guess I'd prefer payment in pizza or something though," the angel commented off hand. He also knew that the barter system had fallen far out of fashion in most places, so a bounty of crops was really only useful as actual food. Which was pretty useful to be fair, just not for shopping.

Pit looked over the same photo wall. He hadn't really thought about it before, but it might be nice to have some photos as keepsakes from the Seekers' adventures. At the same time, Ashrah tilted her head up slightly in thought. "Are you native to Esaka, Sakura? Your appearance -and your performance- make you seem like you fit right in. If so, I wouldn't be surprised if you started receiving donations once the Pools matches conclude."

"Oh yeah, from the yokai right? Someone mentioned that before."

"And not only them. It's not that unusual for fighters that start developing fan bases to get gifts sent to them, monetary or otherwise."

Pit looked back at Sakura with wide eyes and a wider smile. "So it'll only be a matter of time 'til you can get a new camera! Then you can take a ton of pictures."

Sakura nodded. ”I’m sure.”

PIt trailed off, wondering aloud when his own fan club would start forming and what they'd call themselves, when he was suddenly reminded of one of the reasons he'd been looking for Sakura in the first place.

"Speaking of gifts, I have one for you! Okay, well, we ran into his giant jolly red guy from my dojo who said he had presents to pass out to people, but he was really busy and asked if I could give you yours. So, uh, here you go!"

He held a small, colorfully wrapped box out to Sakura. It was very clearly a Christmas present, and a little sticker near the bow read "To: Sakura, From: Your Friends on the White Team." Inside of it was a strange looking plush keychain, which had been totally unfamiliar to the Seekers who'd made it (via using a mass produced pre-set pattern while they were still getting used to toy making), but they must have figured she'd get a kick out of the so-ugly-it-was-cute item. Or maybe it was mere coincidence.

Sakura furrowed her brow. ”A gift? A jolly red guy? Santa Claus??” ”What is this?” Sakura asked. She took the gift and looked at Pit, holding the box between her hands. She read over the sticker.

”White Team…got me a Christmas present?” Sakura said. Her eyes shimmered. ”I didn’t get them anything!” She cried.

Still, she tore the present open with abandon in the middle of the photography shop, though she was mindful enough to shove all the debris into her pockets.

”It’s..! Blanka-chan!” Sakura said, eyes wide, shoving the doll into the faces of Pit and Ashrah. ”They got me a Blanka-chan! That’s so funny! How did they even-?! ” With a laugh, she attacked Pit with a hug, spinning him around and setting him back down.

Pit had admittedly been a little put out that this "Santa Claus" guy didn't have a gift for him too, but Sakura's joyful reaction completely wiped that feeling away. He laughed when she picked him up and spun, a broad grin set on his face once he was released.

"I'm glad you like it! No clue how they picked it out or got it over here though!"

”It only makes sense that there could be someone like Santa Claus in the World of Light. This has really made my day. Thank you, Pit-kun. I’ll have to tell White Team in person when I see them again.” Sakura said, looking over the plushie.

The scene brought a smile to Ashrah's face as well. It was this sort of thing that she was fighting so hard for - if she could cleanse her soul and liberate Netherrealm, then its people could experience this. Cheerfulness, generosity, friendship... all of the things that normally seemed so foreign to demons.

She'd also initially blinked when the doll was pressed so close to her, but once it'd been pulled back she seemed to connect the name to the vague resemblance of the plush. "That's a fighter in World Warrior, is it not?" she asked. She didn't know him well, but recalled that she'd once thought that he was a demon himself upon crossing paths with him once in the city, so the meeting had stuck in her memory.

”Yep! It’s Jimmy-san’s toy franchise. Blanka-chan is a jungle spirit who protects nature. And he’s adorable, naturally.” Sakura said with a chuckle. ”I’ve been a little shy to meet up with my old friends since I got here, I admit.” Sakura said.

"Really? But I bet they'd love to see you," Pit said with a confident nod of his head. "Even if they're all gleaming, we can work together to free them too!"

All things considered, it wasn't that long ago that Pit had been really missing the people from his world. Well, one specifically, but he would have taken Pittoo or even Viridi too. He found it hard to imagine not wanting to run right over to meet with friends he hadn't seen in a long time. Being able to reunite with Lady Palutena had alleviated so much of the angel's anxiety, so wouldn't it be similar for everyone else?

On that note, a sparkle of excitement formed in Pit's eyes. "Did you check your bracket, Sakura? He's here in Esaka! And fighting in the tournament!"

”Jimmy-san? I don’t doubt it.” Sakura said with a nod. He would probably do good, too. ”I mean, I can’t deny your point. There’s really no good reason for me not to see them.”

”It’s just…” She shook her head. ”I don’t know. Maybe I just don’t like to see them Gleaming, or something. I ran into Asuka and Lili earlier. They’re so…themselves. But at the same time, Galeem’s influence is so obvious.” She frowns.

”Normally I’d probably try fighting them right away, but I need to conserve my strength for the tournament. So it’s like I’m sitting there with, what’s the saying. An elephant in the room?” Sakura shrugged with a wince.

The turn of phrase had Ashrah pausing to consider that image, while some of Pit's enthusiasm turned to wondering how they could solve that issue.

"I guess I get that..." he said, folding his arms over his chest as he thought more about it. "Plus it's like you wanna free them yourself, but with everything else going on the timing can get weird."

Such as when he'd run into a familiar face the first time passing through the Paved Wilderness, but hadn't quite had the opportunity to de-story them at the time. Even if he had, he honestly wasn't sure if it would have changed anything.

"Ah. Yes, I know that feeling well, especially as recently liberated as I am," Ashrah said after she caught up to what the two of them meant. She gave Sakura a sympathetic look. The disorienting feeling of staring into a comrade's eyes and knowing they lived under some spell was not a pleasant one at all. It was why the demoness had gone out of her way to work through her dojo with those little pink hearts.

There was another reason too, the Consuls' ability to assume control of those still under Galeem's thrall. When taking that into account, Pit was in favor of freeing friends sooner rather than later. But Sakura had a good point about conserving energy. And if she felt awkward about being around red eyed pals, then... maybe he shouldn't tell her about Ryu? Wait, hadn't she mentioned that Ryu was the one that freed her? Was he already destoried, or not?

Well, either way, there was something he knew for sure. "We're just gonna have to win and kick the Four Kings' butts as soon as possible, so everyone in the area will get back to normal all at once!"

Sakura nodded vigorously. ”That’s the plan. It’ll be much easier that way. If we lose,” And here she waves her hand around and mutters the words: “Kuwabara, Kuwabara”. ”Then, y’know, we’ll have to stay in town longer and-...” Sakura rubbed her chin.

”I guess if you ever want to get together and…ambush someone? We can.” Sakura said. ”If I was being generous to myself, my odds of beating the world warriors are 50/50. And what if I won, but missed my match in the tournament or something because of it? But with three or even two of us and the element of surprise, we could probably do it.”

"A sound plan," Ashrah replied, a beat before Pit said, "that's a good idea! We can still help people out one at a time until the whole city's brainwashing breaks."

Clearly Pit did not consider failure to be an option, but in the mean time the more free the merrier, and stronger the team, after all. And it wasn't like the Seekers hadn't been doing that already, just more more spontaneously. So should they put together a hit list of people to keep an eye out for? ...maybe with a different term? Go out at night like vigilantes or meet up during whatever free time the tournaments allotted for them?

All details that could be discussed later if they followed through with it. At the moment the three huddled by one of the shop's walls swapping between excited chatter and half-whispering to each other had drawn some curious looks from the few other photo hobbyists. Eventually the clerk cleared their throat rather loudly, giving the group a polite but pointed look.

”Haha, um, thanks!” Sakura waved at the clerk, feeling foolish. ”I just, uh, really like photography. I’m gonna go fight in the tournament, and, uh, get some cash.” Sakura looked between Ashrah and Pit and hurried out of the establishment.

An awkward chuckle and a considerate tilt of the head later and the other two followed her out. They certainly hadn't meant to make the atmosphere in the store uncomfortable, though if the street fighter returned to make up for it with her patronage later then all was well. Outside they could chat a little more before splitting up again.

The people in the shop were content to get back to browsing, save for one girl who'd been on the other side of the store checking out the heavy duty lens. She hadn't been trying to be sneaky exactly (it wasn't normally her style), but she couldn't help but peek out from behind a display shelf when she heard a somewhat familiar voice joined by other, less familiar ones. When the Seekers left, the school girl stepped out from her impromptu hiding place.

"Wasn't that Kasugano-chan? But what was all that? Gifts, ambushes, cash, elephants..." she murmured aloud. There was no way that she'd just stumbled upon some fight rigging, right? A bribe? A secret plan to jump fighters?! She hadn't thought that Sakura was that kind of girl, but maybe she'd been roped into some elaborate secret society plot! That did tend to happen a lot around here, surprisingly.

The girl hiked her hefty camera up, a smile forming on her face and a glint in her eye. "Whatever it is... sounds like it might be a big scoop!"

Young Justice

The Incorrigible Iceburn!

Pei was dressed up, and, instead of blue, she was beige! And her suit instead of athletic, was sleek. An all red pantsuit. Simple yet stylish. Black shoes and black gloves. Her hair, too, instead of its many myriad colors, was a natural shade of black. Given that her skin color had been altered, it only made sense to go back to the original hair color. At least, to Pei it did.

Pei was excited. She was going to be playing a completely different type of villain to the one she had at the Live Action Roleplay. Cold. Sophisticated. Utterly introverted.

And, it had been agreed, the RICHEST rich brat of them all. Tee-hee-hee! How delightful! This was going to be so much fun!

Pei was wearing this big, stupid grin on her face as she appeared out of the Zeta Tube and into the hangar where they were going to meet Origami. Perhaps she had been too lost in her inner world and imagination, because between the time they teleported from YJ HQ and to this hidden Zeta Tube, the personalities of her friends had completely changed. Everyone had already gotten into character! Pei was surrounded by strangers!

She skipped a step, walking over to give Origami an Iceburn greeting. Pei’s big grin turned a shade confused, given that they were still an airplane flight away from the destination. But she realized she would be totally harshing everyone’s vibes if she didn’t get into character right this second!

Not Pei. Not Pei Not Pei Not Pei.

Meilin Li. I am Meilin Li.

Pei put on a serious face.

Ah, shit. That was still Pei. Man, she wasn’t ready for this at all! Luckily, she has the plane ride over to really get into character.

Pei cleared her throat, and tried to get all the Pei out of her system. She did her classic trick, sliding her gloved hand in front of her face, and became totally serious. Meilin Li. What was the most Meilin Li thing she could do right this very second? Nothing, of course. Not even a snide comment. Let alone a hello. See, saying something, even something smart or sassy or deliberate, was beneath Meilin Li.

“...”

But, okay, seriously, Origami did probably deserve to at least get a GLIMPSE of the ‘real’ Young Justice. Standing at the back, after Origami asked her question, Pei broke character and nodded, giving Origami a thumbs up and then an ‘okay’ sign, mouthing the words ‘yep yep’! And winked. All of those put together should get the secret message through.

Okay now she was Meilin Li. For real this time.

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

Sakura Level 11: 036/110
Location: Pools!
Word Count: 2054
Points Gained: 3
New EXP Balance--- Level 11: 039/110

—
This was it.

Okay, that’s not true, Sakura thought to herself.

This isn’t “it”.

But it was the ‘it’ before the ‘it’. ‘It’ being the Top 8. The ittest it of all the its would be Grand Finals. So it was more of the it before the penultimate it.

Sakura slapped the sides of her head. Focus! This is not helping!

Stepping onto stage, Sakura looked to her final opponent before Top 8. Someone who made it just as far as she had without losing a single battle. Of all the opponents she had faced so far, the one named Arizona would be the toughest and the strangest.

The toughest for obvious reasons. The strangest, because Arizona was a calf.

Standing across from the arena, eyeing Sakura with big emerald eyes, was a calf. As in, all fours, hooves and fur, a red bandana tied around her neck. She swiped her hoof across the stone arena floor like she was raring to go.

“That’s right. Yer lookin’ at the Champ’een of the Plains.” Arizona said proudly. A talking calf. That was…good?

Sakura blinked, cleared her throat, and then bowed. ”Pleased to meet you, Arizona-san.” She said.

“Same to you. Figures a couple’a heifers like us would make it here. Future belongs to the young, don’t it?” Arizona asked.

Sakura scratched her head. ”I guess so. I still feel like I have a long way to go.”

Arizona grinned, big and bold. She was about half of Sakura’s height, but probably several times her weight. Her horn glinted in the afternoon sun. “I reckon so. Me? I’m thinkin’ I’m goin’ all the way today.”

Sakura smiled. ”Haha. Trust me, I intend on winning today, too. I won’t underestimate you one bit, Arizona-san.” Sakura settled into her fighting position.

“On that we’re agreed. Let’s get ready for a throwdown.” Arizona stomped her hoof, and the ring reverberated with the impact. Sakura tried not to gulp too loudly. That was never a good sign. Like how Sakura had been the powerhouse and Rufus the speedster, she had a strong feeling that the roles were being reversed once again.
ROUND ONE.

”Here we go.”

THREE, TWO, ONE, FIGHT!

Sakura juked right, and then stood completely still. Her intuition was right, Arizona charged forward like a raging bull, only to stop short when Sakura did. Arizona made a face at Sakura before both fighters started strafing around the other.

“Hmm.”

”Hmm, yourself.” Sakura said with a grin.

“Alright, missy. Time to introduce you to two of my favorite things. STOMPIN’,” Arizona stomped the ground, causing another resounding boom, “KICKIN’,” Arizona kicked the air with her hind legs. Then she slammed them back on the ground and raised her front hooves. “AND STOMPIN’!” She stomped the ground, and this time the ground cracked, travelling all the way over to Sakura.

It reminded her of C.Viper’s Seismo, only on steroids. Sakura shifted away from the shockwave, but it left her open for Arizona’s approach. And approach she did. Sakura skid backwards as Arizona slammed into her horns first, pushing against her braced forearm. Sakura brought Arizona to a halt, and then rolled over her back, causing Arizona to shoot out from underneath her.

As Sakura landed, she was surprised to see she had landed her ankle inside the noose of a waiting lasso, the base of which was held in Arizona’s clenched teeth. With a yelp, Sakura was tossed over the calf’s head and slammed into the arena floor.

”Oof!”Arizona yanked Sakura back again, though the street fighter had used the impact to slip free.

She wasn’t safe from Arizona yet. As the heifer charged forward, Sakura shot out her foot and kicked Arizona right in the face.

“Drat!” The animal stumbled to the side. Sakura felt a little bad, honestly. She’d never kicked someone so animal-shaped in the face before. Any hesitation she might have had flew out the window as Arizona surged forward again looking to apparently gore Sakura with her horns. Sakura barely shifted her torso out of the way and slapped the horns away from herself, only to have to block two mighty hooves.

Sakura pushed back in, and punched at Arizona with a few quick jabs. Arizona shifted backwards, and when Sakura got too close, she used her horns like twin parrying blades against her fists and then dodged some more. Sakura had to be carefully not to punch the pointy ends.

One thing Sakura had was the range advantage. If she could keep Arizona at arm’s length, no further and no shorter, she could probably win.

So it went for the majority of round one. Kicks, spin kicks, short ranged fireballs. Whenever Arizona ran forward, Sakura retreated, and when Arizona fell back, Sakura pushed forward. Whenever Arizona got too overzealous, Sakura found a way to snipe in.

In the end, a frustrated Arizona swept out with a lasso, only for Sakura to duck as it squeezed around thin air. Sakura rolled forward and kneed Arizona in the face, launching her high up. ”Kurai!” Sakura flashed orange and blitzed into Arizona with three spin kicks, with a final straight kick sending Arizona flying out of the arena.

ROUND ONE: SAKURA WINS!

Arizona rose from where she landed, blowing hair air and stomping her feet.

Sakura crossed her arms and looked away, a stern look on her face. ”I only seek opponents stronger than myself.” She said. She couldn’t maintain character and giggled. ”No, I don’t mean it. You’re strong, though.”

“Hmph! Not bad. But if you think you have my number, you’re in for a big shock.” She trotted up the stairs and back into the arena.

”Oh, I’m sure, Arizona-chan.” Sakura said.

“Now I don’t exactly know what the difference between ‘chan’ and ‘san’ is, but I don’t like it.” Arizona said. “I think I oughta teach you some manners.”

ROUND TWO: FIGHT!

Arizona rushed forward and then stopped dead, slamming her head into the ground. It caught Sakura, who was also running forward to get into the goldilocks zone again, off guard and she faceplanted from the shockwave.

When she looked up, Arizona had the lasso snug around her neck. Sakura’s hands flew to get it loose, and she did, but only mid air, after she was already flying towards the cowgirl with a lot of frustration to vent.

Needless to say, Sakura was kicked around, and just when she thought was going to be tumbling away, Arizona snatched her with her lasso and thumped her once more onto the ground. Now Arizona was right on top of her, bearing down as Sakura tried to fend her off. Horns and gouges, kicks and punches.

Arizona flipped Sakura over, thrust up her back into Sakura’s tailbone to bounce her, ”Bwah!” and then kicked her in the back to send her toppling.

Sakura rolled back to standing and launched a fireball at Arizona, who had to brace herself as it smacked into her. Arizona grabbed her lasso between her teeth again, prompting Sakura to jump pre-emptively, only for Arizona to stomp the ground as Sakura landed. Then Arizona threw her lasso around Sakura’s ankles.

”C’mon!” Sakura complained, only to get double-horned in the stomach one last time.

This time, Arizona put some juice into it, spending her Magic stock she got from lassoing Sakura. Arizona surged forward, leaving behind a trail of cowgirl afterimages. When she skidded to a stop, Sakura kept flying forward, and went clear out of the arena.

“Hoo-yeah!” Arizona cheered.

ROUND TWO: ARIZONA WINS!

Sakura looked up from where she had landed, rubbing her head. Her heart pounded. Crap. If she lost here, it would still be disastrous for her chances. Don’t think about that. Think about Arizona’s weaknesses. There was a way to get around that lasso and get back into the goldilocks zone.

Or, maybe, Sakura could take a different approach.

At round start, she fired off an EX-Fireball and sprinted behind it, using it like a shield. Arizona wasn’t sure how to defend, and didn’t want to leave herself open. There was a big explosion as Arizona blocked the fireball with her horns. The street fighter burst through the smoke to take advantage of her plus frames, and punched Arizona directly in the face.

Only Arizona flashed orange herself, standing firm as Sakura’s hand cracked against her head. Sakura yelped and clutched her wrist. For a moment, she looked at Arizona in surprise. It was like the cowgirl had simply decided not to be hurt by that attack. Arizona smirked and headbutted Sakura away.

Turns out, Arizona wasn’t weak on defensive moves at all. Sakura had to find a hole in her offence to get started.

And she had to do it now, because Arizona’s offence was currently stampeding towards her.
Arizona came flying in with another headbutt, only for Sakura to crouch forward and headbutt Arizona right back! The two young women pushed their heads together, Arizona grinding her hooves into the ground as Sakura’s body swirled with Focus Attack ink. ”Two can play at that game!” Sakura grit her teeth.

“Ain’t no one can suffer my horns!” Arizona shouted, pushing to overpower Sakura’s Focus. Sakura let it happen, falling backwards to drive Arizona into Sakura’s knee. Sakura took the opening, grabbing the heifer by the horns and kicking her away.

Springing from the floor, Sakura met Arizona mid air and punched her back down to the ground. “Gwah!” Arizona shouted.

When Arizona got up, Sakura was jumping again, looking to stomp on her back. Sakura wasn’t sure if a vertical approach would be easier or harder on an opponent who walked on four legs. The answer was easier, as Arizona was flattened into the ground. Sakura did a few grounded spinning top kicks and Arizona slid across the floor, limbs splayed.

With a huff, Arizona got to her feet. “Brace yourself for this!” Arizona’s wild eyes flashed blue and she reared up. Sakura sensed a tremendous energy coming her way.

She yelped and jumped up, and the entire arena cracked below her as Arizona slammed her hooves- and face- into the rocky floor. The power was overwhelming! There was no way Sakura could have blocked it, so she felt lucky that she decided to jump and avoid the earthquake entirely. She wasn’t sure she knew of any fighter who could have tanked that ridiculous power- it was unblockable.

Across broken stones Arizona barreled towards the landing Sakura. Arizona jumped at the last second, going over Sakura’s guard and headbutting her directly in the face. Sakura was flung around by lasso again, and when she landed, blasted upwards with an EX-Shouken.

After that, it was a brutal melee of stomps, kicks, elbows and headbutts, neither girl wanting to back down. In the end they were both left huffing and puffing, standing a few feet away from each other.

Sakura squinted, and Arizona narrowed her eyes. The human opened and flexed her fingers, the cow scraped her hoof across broken tiles.

They were at a standstill. A showdown.

“RAH!” Arizona charged forward, glowing blue as she used a Magic Dash to close the gap.

”Ikuzo!!!” Sakura screamed. Arizona’s eyes widened as she ran face first into Sakura’s most powerful attack. She squeezed her eyes shut as she took a foot to the chin, her big flat teeth clacking together as she was sent skyward. For a moment she was weightless, free floating higher than a cow like her should ever go. When she was done spinning, she saw Sakura had met her in the sky.

”ATTAAACK!” Sakura slammed Arizona on the head, and sent her crashing into the earth. Arizona made an Arizona-shaped crater in the earth, and when she cracked one eye open, she caught a glimpse of Sakura streaking towards her like a meteor, slamming both of her feet into Arizona’s exposed belly. The sound was like a firework had gone off.

KO!!!!

Arizona stuck out her tongue, eyes bulging, before flattening against the broken ground, unconscious.

Sakura hopped back onto solid ground, unsteady on her feet. ”And that’s,” She said to her defeated opponent yet again. ”A wrap.”

SAKURA WINS!

Sakura shot her fist into the air and yelled, and this time, for once, a crowd yelled with her. The contenders for Top 8 Winners side were chosen now, and Sakura would be among them.

”The future does belong to the young. I'll see you on the road ahead, Arizona-san!”

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

Sakura Level 11: 035/110
Location: Pools!
Word Count: short
Points Gained: 1
New EXP Balance--- Level 11: 036/110

—
How many times had Sakura fought Rufus? Not that many. But she recognized him when she saw him. It’s funny how meeting someone from the same world as her made her feel like she was seeing a friendly face, even if she really barely knew the guy. But Rufus was a nice guy, and had an interesting fighting style. When they first met, Sakura was clearly better than he was and beat him rather easily, despite his unique moves. The second time they fought, Sakura won again, and she asked if he could show her how to ride a motorcycle. Since, y’know, motorcycles are awesome, and Rufus was really good at riding his.

They hadn’t fought since then, but she did know that he won a major tournament back in the real world before all this World of Light stuff happened. She knew he was on the fast track to being a really skilled fighter. That all depend on what ‘version’ of Rufus this was, though.

One thing was a constant among all versions of Rufus, though. As Sakura stood here, sizing him up, Rufus hadn’t shut one for even one single second.

“I can see you took my advice, it’s a little ridiculous to be walking around and fighting in a school uniform. Maybe if you were in school I could see it but you seriously couldn’t even find some time to change into something a little more fashionable? Look at me and my cool suit, for example. So I’m glad you took my advice, kid, real glad, because now you look good like me. That’s only going to make our battle real impressive. I know I just called you a kid, but, I don’t like bullying kids. Not that I was ever bullied, of course, with my charisma I ruled the playground. But you’re not a kid, you’re a street fighter like me, so it’s just a tournament, and we’re both just following the rules. Are we clear on that? We’re clear on that. What was your name again?”

Sakura opened her mouth.

“Sakura, right? I’m Rufus. Do you happen to know a guy named Ken Masters? He’s fighting in this tournament, too. I’m gonna beat him in a fight, and in order to do that, I gotta beat you. So it’s nothing personal, I just have to win so I can go to fight Ken Masters. That spoonfed rich boy isn’t the best fighter in America, I am.”

Sakura closed her mouth. Sometimes, when Sakura got nervous or excited, she could be a bit of a chatterbox. But this was on a whole other level.

”...How do you talk so much? Don’t you ever get thirsty?” Sakura asked.

“Hah, you sound like my girl Candy when we first met. God, she’s beautiful. We’re probably the most beautiful couple in America. And I’m a pretty humble guy so you know that’s kind of a serious thing to say. She’s sweet as Candy, too, and it’s not just about looks, though she is gorgeous, but she has a great personality, too. She’s funny, and kind, and likes motorcycles just like me. When I win this tournament I’m gonna go back and sweep her off her feet. You have a boyfriend? If you wanna get a boyfriend, you gotta let ‘em sweep you off your feet. Or sweep him off his feet. Point is, some one has to get swept. And I don’t just mean in the way you’re gonna try to sweep me in this fight. I mean romantic sweeping.”

”...Okay.”

The long and short of it was that Sakura won the battle, two rounds in a row.

That’s the kind of numerical story that doesn’t tell the whole thing. Both rounds were exceptionally close, and Sakura counts her victory in the second round as a spot of luck. She barely secured the ring out via an unfortunate interaction that ended up with a mostly healthy Rufus getting knocked away before he could recover. Spin kick versus dive kick leads to a trade, but the aerial Rufus was sent back much farther. A victorious Sakura collapsed into a sitting position, dizzy as all get out.

”...We take those!” Sakura cheered, raising her hands above her head, before falling onto her back.

Rufus had fought like a whirling madman, striking at Sakura with moves such as the Galactic Tornado, the Messiah Kick, and Spectacle Romance. In the second round Sakura had narrowly survived an encounter with his Super Move, the dazzling Space Opera Symphony. Rufus was fast, faster than Sakura. Despite what one might assume when looking at the rotund Rufus and the slender Sakura, in this match up, he was the speedster and she was the powerhouse. In the end, aggression had to be met with aggression, and it was in close quarters combat that Sakura prevented Rufus from getting the momentum he needed to overwhelm her defences.

“Daaah, crap.” Rufus sat up, scratching his head. “Well, good fight anyway. It’s like my master always says, defeat is the first step towards victory. That’s what a good master would say, anyway. I wouldn’t know, I never really had a master, I’m self taught. If you run into Ken Masters, give him an ass kicking and send him on down to me in losers bracket, okay? I still got a score to settle with that guy. See you around!” With that, Rufus sprinted off into the city.

Propping herself up on her hands, Sakura panted. Her battles had only gotten tougher, and now victory couldn’t be expected by any reasonable metric. But Sakura had to know in her heart she would win, otherwise, she would lose.

”I’m so close..! I have to keep going.”

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

Sakura Level 11: 028/110
Location: Pools!
Word Count: 3,565
Points Gained: 4 +3
New EXP Balance--- Level 11: 035/110

—
Sakura would have challenged Ryu to a battle on the spot, had she not needed to conserve her strength for her next opponent, Arina Makihara. Seeing Ryu here broke her heart. Was it her fault he…died?

No. It was no matter of fault. But it was a matter of responsibility. Sakura wouldn’t let her spirit waver. She had come too far to be burdened by doubt and guilt, now. She would set things right by defeating him. Sakura clenched her fist, her eyes as hard as steel.

She thought about what she said with Ei-san.

Yes. She had to win. And she wanted to win. Sakura would do it. Sakura would try her best, and her best would be good enough. It had to be.

Arina Makihara was a young, energetic brunette, with a self-taught fighting style. She was reading a red jacket, big red shoes, and a blue bodysuit. She reminded Sakura of herself, obviously, with the exception of the big bunny ears poking out from the top of her head. Arina lifted the goggles off her eyes and onto her forehead, and smiled at Sakura confidently.

“Kasugano Sakura, right?” Arina asked.

”Yes.” Sakura said with a bow. ”And so, you must be Arina Makihara.”

“Yeeeh~” Arina said, her voice going into the back of her throat as she pointed at herself with her thumb. “And so, you must be going down!” She turned that same thumb upside down.

Sakura smiled. ”I guess we’ll have to just see, Arina-chan. You remind me of a slightly younger version of myself!” Sakura said.

“And you remind me of a way shorter version of myself!” Arina said back, just as cheerfully.

”Gee, thanks.” Sakura said with a sarcastic laugh, not being offended. Especially since it seemed like Arina didn’t mean it that way. It was true, though. Sakura was just over five feet tall. Meanwhile, Arina was all legs. She must have been just shy of six feet tall.

“I like your outfit.” Arina said, smiling back.

”Thanks! I like yours, too. You look like a mech pilot. Or, I guess, an athlete.”

“Yeaaah, I don’t like mechs. I beat up a mech user to get here. They should work harder on their own bodies instead of relying on trash.”

”Hmm. They really let anyone fight in here. Mechs, robots, weapon users. There’s no limits, really.” Sakura thought aloud. ”But I guess when you’ve worked as hard as we have, your fists and ki will let you take down any opponent. No matter what form they take.”

“Yeah, I guess.” Arina said. “I never really put too much thought into it! Today, all I want to do is win. I’m gonna win the fight, get a whole lot of money, and then…well…I guess that’s none of your business, is it?” Arina said, leaning forward, squinting.

Sakura leaned backwards, even though they were an entire arena’s width apart. ”Uhh…no, I suppose not.”

“Go Arina-chan, go!” Someone shouted from the audience. Sakura glanced over and saw a group of other girls, dressed in a similar color scheme as Arina. All three of them had some form of goggles on their forehead. They must have been friends.

Two P and Blue Suede Goo had somehow found enough time in their time to come and boo against Sakura. At this point though, Sakura just wondered if this counted as having fans, too. At least she had Ei-san cheering for her, in spirit if nothing else.

“Someone’s gotta know how to beat her, right?” Two P asked the crowd. “Maybe the rabbit girl!”

”We could just spar, y’know!” Sakura said.

“Hey, hey, alright! I like that! Still want you to lose, though!” He said. Sakura frowned.

“The sooner you lose, the sooner we go to the movies together, baby!” Blue Suede Goo said. “Hoo- hah- hoo!” He made several poses.

”You’re annoying!” Sakura said outright.

“That’s what all the ladies say.” Blue Suede Goo said, running his hand through his hair suavely.

”Yeah, I bet!”

“Hey, let’s go beat that guy up after this!” Arina offered.

“Can I help?” Two P asked, punching the air.

”I don’t like jumping people.” Sakura scratched her head.

“Trueeee.” Arina said, giving a peace sign. “I’ll leave you to it, then.”

“Hmm, hey, actually, I gotta go, uh, sign a concert. The King has left the building!” Blue Suede Goo said, standing up to shuffle out of the arena.

Sakura sighed, and set her hands on her hips. ”So, are you all mechanics, or something?” Sakura asked, referring to the goggles all of Arina’s friends had.

“Huh? What’s that supposed to mean, huh?! What kinda stupid question is that?! That’s it, I’m gonna kick your butt!” Arina said, setting into a fighting stance.

”H-huh?” Sakura raised her hands placatingly, eyes wide.

“You’re calling me dirty, is that it?!” Arina stomped her foot, and Sakura felt the vibration from where she was standing.

”No, no! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean-!”

“HURRY IT UP, REF! LET’S GET THIS SHOW ON THE ROAD!” Arina looked more geared up to fight than ever. Sakura blanched, a bead of sweat trickling down her forehead.

The Heavenly Principles obliged.

ROUND ONE: FIGHT!

“Toh!” Arina flipped forward, legs straight, her jump taking her a surprising distance. Guess the rabbit ears weren’t just for show! Sakura shifted to the side, and Arina landed early, doing another flipping jump. She came in hot, and before she hit the ground sent an upwards kick towards Sakura's chin, which she just barely avoided.

The two exchanged in a furious melee, in which Sakura was taken off guard by the strength of Arina’s blows. Every hit she blocked was sending her skidding away. At this rate, she was going to get rung out before any one broke a sweat!

“Arinaaa Tornado!” Arina did a series of spin kicks towards Sakura. She ducked under one, and Arina went for a chin buster kick. Sakura met it with one of her own, their ankles crossing high above their heads in a high power clash. Sakura grit her teeth and pushed forward, engaging in close quarters combat by knocking Arina’s upward leg aside and shoving her to the ground.

Arina bounced back up onto her feet but now it was her turn to be taken off guard by how sticky Sakura’s offense was. It was all elbows, knees, and quick snatches towards her shoulder and collar.

“Hey, buzz off!” Arina said. She found an exit and kicked Sakura away.

“Arina Heart!” She struck a back and arm bending pose in the air, before flinging a heart shaped projectile at Sakura.

”Hadoken!” The two projectiles clashed mid air, pink and blue fire bursting forth from the collision.

Arina sprinted full force at Sakura, feinted low, and then plunged her foot into Sakura’s stomach. The street fighters eyes widened, and she took a moment to admire Arina’s ridiculous thigh muscles before Arina brought her other leg around into Sakura’s gut and sent her flying. Sakura skid along the arena floor and managed to catch herself with her hands, her legs coming up almost over her entirely, her shoulders hanging over the edge.

When she flattened herself on the ground, Arina was already falling ontop of her, planting both of her feet harshly into Sakura’s belly. ”Oof!” Sakura grunted, squeezing one eye shut as Arina trampolined off her, backflipping away.

Sakura kicked herself back up to standing. Her opponent was quick in movement, and powerful in force. But she was also very committal. Sakura could figure this out.

Arina wasn’t making it easy, though. She hopped back in, and Sakura jumped over her head. Arina caught her mid air, and punched her upwards. “Ban ban ban!” Then she slammed Sakura back down with an open hand. Sakura thudded into the arena, but at least she wasn’t going to get rung out so quickly.

“Toh! Toh, toh!” Arina was hopping around, well, like a bunny, sprinting in and then hopping away. Sakura let her move around, watching her. Arina jumped in, and Sakura met her mid air with a ”Shouoken!”, her fist taking her high into the air. Instead of catching Arina, though, it caught nothing but air, as Arina had frozen her momentum to charge up a mid-air fireball.

”Uh oh-bwah!” Arina’s heart of ki touched Sakura’s heart, and Sakura ignited into flames before cratering back onto the floor.

Once again, Arina landed and planted both her feet into Sakura’s midsection before bouncing away. That was starting to get annoying. Sakura should copy that move to use on her opponents.

Arina landed and turned. “I think I’m faster than you!” She said, and began throwing a barrage of heart shaped missiles Sakura’s way. They twisted through the air, but always ended up on an upwards trajectory where they popped above the stage like fireworks.

”It’s not over!” Sakura Focused and dashed through one projectile, absorbing it with an inky black ki maneuver. Arina charged up another one only to get roundhouse kicked in the face, which was Sakura’s first real hit of the match.

Undeterred, Arina met Sakura’s offense head on. Sakura stayed close with ”Shunpu!” kicks, but every time Arina had a moment to breath, she used it to shove Sakura away with her knock back.

Sakura tried to buy some space and pressure by charging up a fireball. ”Hadooo…”

Arina lit up, and span forward, a visible tornado surrounding her body. She blasted through Sakura’s fireball and caught her on the chin. Sakura spun around in the air, one arm across her front, the other bent behind her back. She was practically floating in the air.

“Haaa…” Arina crouched down, and then shot upwards. She slammed her fists over and over into Sakura’s body, once in the face, and then did a front flip and kicked her on the top of the head. “YA YA YA YAAAH!”

”Eyaaaah!” Sakura cried out. She slammed into the floor, rolled, and then landed on her back.

“Toh!” Arina dropped from the air and stomped on Sakura’s exposed stomach a third and final time for this round. Sakura puffed, and she lay flat on the ground. ”Bluuugh.”

Arina shoved her hands into her jacket pocket and turned to the small, cheering crowd made up of mostly her friends. “Yeeeeh~” She gave a big thumbs up.

ARINA WINS ROUND ONE!

Sakura caught her breath on the floor, before sitting up. Bad start. Real bad start. But she could turn it around.

”You’re really strong. I can see why you made it this far.” She said as she stood up.

Arina grinned. “You’re not bad either! This is a lot of fun!” It seemed like she wasn’t mad at Sakura anymore. Maybe beating her up made Arina feel better.

ROUND TWO. FIGHT!

Sakura decided if she couldn’t handle Arina’s offense, she wouldn’t play defense. As Arina hopped in, Sakura hopped back, slamming her foot into Arina’s guard. Then she swept her legs out from under her, jumped up in the air, and stomped on the center of Arina’s back.

“Bwah!” Arina flailed her arm and legs around in protest as Sakura trampolined off her.

“Did you copy me?” Arina asked.

”Heh, maybe. I’ve never been good at attacking opponents on the ground. Your techniques gave me a great idea!” Sakura said. While it’s true she could use big stomps to finish off stunned opponents, she’d never managed to do them as quick and as sharp as Arina had taught her to do just now.

“You’re just a cheap- a cheap COPY! I’M THE ORIGINAL!” Arina shouted. Sakura laughed nervously. It looked like Arina was back to being angry. Then again, Sakura was annoyingly prodigious, implementing Arina’s hard-earned techniques after only seeing them a few times. This, combined with her tremendous work ethic and earnest desire to succeed, are what made her a formidable opponent. A formidable opponent Arina intended to vanquish here and now.

“ARINAAAAAAA..!” Arina jumped up into the air and burst into flames. The passion, and apparent rage, in her heart made manifest. She was floating in the air, eyes and mouth wide, staring and pointing at Sakura as her flames grew and grew in intensity.

Panicking, Sakura ran left, and then right, but Arina’s judgemental finger never strayed. ”Crap crap crap!”

“...SPECIAL!!!!” Arina streaked in like a meteorite from heaven, creating a huge explosion. Sakura had no choice but to brace for impact.

”Woooaaaaah!” Sakura yelled out as her guard was shattered. She tumbled and rolled along the arena floor, before coming to a stop, her arm dropping over the edge.

Preemptively, she rolled onto her back and lifted up her feet. Like she predicted, Arina was coming in to stomp on her again. Instead they met sneaker sole to sneaker sole. Sakura grinned up at the angry Arina. The two kicked away from each other. Arina backflipped and landed on the floor.

“I really wish that had knocked you out.” Arina pouted, crossing her arms.

”I’m still awake!” Sakura smirked, shrugging. Even though her own arms were still smoking from the fiery impact. Ouch. It reminded her of Captain Falcon’s Falcon Punch.

“I can fix that!” Arina hopped in with another big kick. This time, Sakura side-stepped, and ducked under the follow up spin kicks before shooting up with a chin buster kick. Arina stumbled backwards, and Sakura kept it tight, striking her several times before she could interrupt.

Arina came back in with another big kick, but Sakura used Focus to absorb it clean, and then jammed her knee into Arina’s ribs. Eyes wide, Arina crumpled to her knees, where Sakura punched her in the gut to lift her in the air.

”Shunpukyaku!” She spun in the air, kicking Arina several times with the same spinning leg, before launching her upwards with a chin buster kick. Before Arina could land, Sakura met her in the air and slammed her down with both her fists.

“Ooh!” Arina landed face down, her ears standing straight up. Before Sakura could land and stomp on her back, Arina rolled out of the way. But Sakura was ready for it. She let her stomping momentum take her into a crouch, before she planted her feet on the floor and then kicked her feet out, catching Arina’s back. “Oooh!”

Sakura held the pose, doing a plank maneuver with only her hands on the ground. Then she stood up.

Arina dusted herself off, but Sakura could see she had the life lead in round two.

Arina threw another heart, but Sakura spent EX meter to send a blazing fireball towards the bunny girl. She side stepped it, but Sakura used that moment to advance and kick her in the side. Blows were exchanged, this time Sakura dodging all that she could. She shifted her head out of the way of two strikes, before popping Arina on the nose and kneeing her in the stomach.

“Oof-!” This, rather anti-climactically, seemed to do the trick. Arina clutched her belly and fell to her knees, then onto her hands. “Hahh…hahh…hahh..” She panted in and out, unable to stand.

Sakura hopped from foot to foot with a giggle, arms swaying. ”I did it that time!”“ She cheered. Arina glared up at her.

SAKURA WINS ROUND TWO!

When Arina stood up, strength regained, she clenched her fists. “I’m going all out! I won’t lose, Sakura-chan!” She said. “Get ready for me!”


”Yooosh! Ikuzo!” That was what Sakura liked to hear! Two fighters, going all out, with everything on the line. Sakura had strength in reserve that she thought might take Arina off guard in the final round.

Arina adapted to Sakura’s dodges by aiming for her lower body. Sakura ended up having to block, and barely managed to hop over a sweep of the legs. ”Shunpu!” She span forward with a hop, kicking out towards Arina. Arina blocked it, and kicked out at Sakura, but it was just out of range. A spacing trap. Sakura swept Arina’s foot out from under her, and blasted a fireball at her while she was on the ground. Arina rolled backwards from the impact, only to have to block another fireball.

Sakura leapt in the air. ”Here I come!”

Arina rose to meet her with her alternating uppercuts, but Sakura flipped mid air and beat Arina at her own game, stopping her momentum and kicking Arina in the face for her trouble.

Arina landed, and summoned a wellspring of energy. “Arina Beam!” She burst into flames and shaped it into a massive heart shaped fireball.

Sakura fired a hadoken at it, but it was swallowed up by the Arina Beam like it wasn’t even there. Blocking the oncoming heart projectile, Sakura skid backwards to maintain her footing, giving Arina the perfect chance. Sakura popped the fireball with her elbow, and Arina used the opportunity to grab Sakura by the shoulders, spring board off of her, and then drive her into the floor, feet to chest like a drill. ”Ack!”

Arina bounced up from the impact, flipped in the air, and then moved slightly down Sakura’s body to stomp on her stomach. ”Oof!” Then Arina did a third and final flip, landing on her feet.

A big, slow, homing fireball like that was going to be hard to get around. Sakura had an idea already, though, as she avoided a regular heart shaped blast that scorched a hole in the floor.

Arina danced forward, throwing more spiralling fire hearts Sakura’s way. Sakura dipped, dodged, and dove out of the way. Arina jumped into the air and alternated hands, blasting more and more at Sakura. She widened her stance, shifted out of the way, and then stood up straight as a fireball zoomed an inch past the tip of her nose.

As Arina prepared another fireball, she was surprised to see Sakura meet her mid air. ”Oops, sorry!” Arina’s fireball went wide as Sakura clambered all over her, before pushing her feet into her back and then kicking her face first into the ground.

Sakura landed, and the two ran at each other full speed. Arina jabbed out, but Sakura kicked her in the ankle, out ranging her, before popping her up into the air with a pistol of a Shouoken strike.

Arina landed, frustrated, rubbing her jaw. She forgot she had to target Sakura’s legs. The two exchanged blocks and dodged, and Arina thought she had Sakura, but the street fighter dropped low and blocked the sweep, before kicking out at Arina and knocking her over.

“No way!” Arina complained.

Sakura grinned, but, when Arina said no way, she apparently meant it. Sakura found herself punched in the face three times, before she was back handed and sent flying. Normally, she liked frustrating an opponent with her own micro mobility and clean movement, but, in this case, Arina’s anger didn’t make her lose a step.

“Arina Beam!” Arina followed up her knock down with another powerful blazing projectile.

Sakura ran forward to meet it head on, causing Arina to flinch and try to catch Sakura out.

”Right there!” Sakura’s aura turned an aquatic blue. Flowing like a river, she back stepped, and severed the invisible cord of ki that the Arina Beam was using to track her down with a smooth motion. Then she rotated around it and kicked Arina away. Her super beam floating harmlessly behind Sakura before it exploded. Sakura’s clothes, headband, and hair all fluttered in the breeze as she stood over the downed Arina.

Gritting her teeth, Arina burst into flames once again as she floated into the air. “ARINAAAA…” She charged up her ultimate move once more.

”Shinku…” Sakura lowered her stance, and brought her hands together at her side, glaring up at Arina. Arina burned a bright orange, her aura bright hot. A warm orb began to circle around in between Sakura’s palms and fingers.

“SPECIAL!!!”

”TENGYO HADOKEN!”

A massive fireball exploded out from Sakura’s hands and Arina punched headlong into it. There was a tremendous burst of flame, orange and blue alike.

When the smoke cleared, the dust settled, and the vibrations came to an end, Sakura stood, stone faced, holding her palms to the sky.

Arina was on the floor a short distance in front of her, on her hands and knees, huffing and puffing. She turned her head up at Sakura, and Sakura expected to see that glare, full of fighting spirit.

Instead, she saw a goofy, confused grin on Arina's face, her eyes crossed. Sakura could practically see the little birdies flying around Arina’s head. ”...You okay, Arina-chan?” Sakura asked reluctantly, already knowing the answer.

“Hoy hoy~..!” Arina answered brightly, before faceplanting. Her bunny ears drooped limply over her head. Arina’s friends winced.

SAKURA WINS!

Sakura punched her fist into the air and grinned big. ”Yattaaaa!” She cheered, panting. These fights were only getting tougher. But once again, Sakura came out on top! Like Golrio, there wasn’t much to say to Arina when she was in this senseless state. Sakura bowed to her, before turning to leave. "I think you and I will both go far. But today, I'm going farther." Sakura said.

There was no answer, of course, so Sakura strolled away, victorious.”What a relief! The longer I can stay in Winners, the better.” Sakura said to herself. Despite how powerful her opponents were, there was still more than half of the tournament left to go. As strong as Arina was, her chances of winning were pretty much nothing now that she had gotten knocked out into the losers bracket. That was just the harsh, exciting nature of bracket tournament fighting. Only one could win…Sakura needed it to be herself!