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Chapter Text

It has been an agonisingly long time. The Death Colosseum hasn’t seen a drop of blood for many months and while it hasn’t been a year since the last fight it felt like an eternity since the two space titans clashed. Hope for the series’ continuation was falling and many combatants returned to their home series, having accepted the fact that Death Battle was not going to return. Only a few remained and held onto hope. Hope that would soon be rewarded.

July 30 2024, Nolan Grayson, better known as Omni-Man and one of the combatants who stayed, received a Return Letter in the mail in front of his room at the DB accommodations. The Viltrumite was shocked at this revelation as it meant two things. For one, it meant the DB team wanted him back in the arena, despite his debut on the show only being 2 years ago, and second, it meant that Death Battle was coming back.

News of Nolan’s letter soon spread to the other worlds and the Death Colosseum soon saw every single combatant that had ever fought in it gathered inside. Excitement was at an all time high. However, the reveal of Nolan’s opponent as Bardock, the father of Son Goku, left most of the combatants with a mixed expression. A few of the more versatile and highly skilled fighters saw the Saiyans as simple brutes with little variety to how they fought. Even some of the Dragon Ball combatants were mixed upon Bardock’s reveal. Goku, one of two Saiyans who held onto hope for DB’s return, was already on the edge of his seat for the fights to continue and the announcement of his father’s debut sent his excitement to the edge of Universe 7 faster than those shockwaves could ever travel. Vegeta, who had left, was more disappointed due to Bardock’s status as a low-class Saiyan and coming from an era when not even Super Saiyan existed. Trunks, the other Saiyan who stayed alongside Goku, was happy to see another Dragon Ball fighter but couldn’t help but be a little let down at it being another Saiyan warrior and was hoping for a bit of variety. Broly, while not knowing who Bardock is, at least identified him as a Saiyan and looked forward to the destruction the fight would cause. Frieza nearly walked out of the Colosseum upon seeing Goku’s father, only being halted by Superman grabbing his tail.

“Let go of me.”

“Not a chance Frieza. This is a time for all of us to celebrate Death Battle’s return. Even if you don’t like what this fight has to offer, at least stick around.”

“And why would I want to watch another fight between a caped crusader and a monkey?”

Superman half-frowned at the idea of him and Kakarot being compared to two conquerors. Luckily, his train of thought was interrupted.

“If it’s any consolation, you might see this Saiyan die again. Unlike how you killed him, in a fiery ball of destruction where he was simply vaporised, this time we might get to see a more brutal and bloody death. I’m sure you’d at least like to see that right?

Frieza turned to the corner of the room where the voice came from. There stood the ever mysterious Doctor, prim and proper as always but never quite as clean when it came to the knowledge and wisdom he held. Frieza let out an exasperated sigh.

“Fine, I’ll stick around.”

“Ah man, thanks Frieza!”

Suddenly the “orange monkey” grabs Frieza into a bear hug while chuckling at the Emperor’s current predicament.

“LET GO OF ME!”

As much as the reaction from the combatant is mixed due to the two flying bricks they’re about to watch fight, the fact that is Death Battle’s return was enough to make them at least interested in this fight.

The day of Omnidock was here.

Combatants of all shapes and sizes began filling up the seats of the arena. Heroes, villains and everyone in between didn’t waste any time getting ready for Death Battle’s return. The arena section of the Colosseum was massive. The seats were arranged in a semi-circle that faced a massive screen. Entrances to the seats were organised like a stadium. The ceiling was a window into space that let anyone peak into the vastness of outer space whenever they looked up. This design is not purely for aesthetics though as the two planet sized titans took their place, hovering above the bleachers to watch the upcoming fight. Galactus and Unicron have the brilliance of the Doctor, Rick, Tony and Batman to thank for giving them the opportunity to spectate along with the rest of the combatants. And at the center top of the stadium two VIP seats were reserved for Death Battle’s proudest warriors; the Earth bound Saiyan and Kryptonian.

“Ohoho I can’t wait for the fight to start!” grabs a fistful of popcorn from the giant popcorn bucket in front of them

“Same here. Do you think your dad’s gonna win this?”

Chewing while talking “I don’t know. Nolan is pretty strong but my father is no slouch either.”

“What transformations does he have?”

“None actually, I was the first to ever go Super Saiyan in a long time.”

“Really? Well, you Saiyans are pretty powerful even without power ups. Perhaps Bardock doesn't need one.”

Meanwhile, all the way down near the front of the seats was someone who frowned at the news his super hearing was picking up. Bardock not having any transformations didn’t sit too well with a certain capped “hero” whose cape donned the design of the most influential country in the world. His blue eyes stared intensely at the screen all while his face made a pathetic attempt to hide his mix of excitement and anxiety. Homelander didn’t want to come back to see Omni-Man fight even if it was Death Battle’s return; not after they pitted him against him in a one-sided beatdown they didn’t even bother to sugar coat. But upon hearing that he was going to fight a Saiyan his interest was piqued at the idea of watching the Viltrumite have his grave be dug and covered in his blood by a warrior race with the power to destroy a planet in excess. And now his super hearing was picking up contradictory statements.

Vegeta: Bardock was a low-class Saiyan warrior. He doesn’t even have a transformation. So why did Death Battle think he was worth bringing to the arena?

Trunks: Maybe they saw something in him that we don’t.

Vegeta: Hmmph, a measly power level is nothing to take note of. (Author’s note: To my knowledge Vegeta has no idea Bardock’s power-level rivaled King Vegeta’s. He only knows him as a low-class Saiyan so he probably thinks his power-level is just as low as other low-class Saiyans) Still, it should be far greater than that of a Viltrumite.

Now that was music to Homelander’s ears. Not sitting too far from the Egomaniac was Lord Frieza. Who sat and waited in disinterest at the fight and only looked forward to Bardock’s beating. Silently hoping that Omni-Man had what it took to defeat the Saiyan.

The Colosseum had two entrances. One is situated behind the seats and splits into many halls that lead to the various entrances to said seats and the other on the opposite side behind the large screen that leads into the battle simulator. This entrance actually splits into two separate hallways. The procedure involved in entering this place is meticulously designed to ensure the two combatants have zero interaction with each other leading up to the battle simulator. The hallways are dark and the open door that leads into the fight is even darker. Nolan stood in front of his door, the darkness and mystery of his opponent’s capabilities stared back. While he had overheard some conversations about Bardock’s capabilities from the Saiyan Prince that all won’t matter once he steps through the door as all memory and information about his opponent will be erased once he’s inside. He takes a deep breath and floats into the fight.

[Now playing: Solid State Invincible]
The screen comes to life to show Thraxa, peacefully floating in space. Then, an Attack Ball streaks by and crash lands onto the planet’s surface. The crater made by the impact is littered with blood and bodies of Thraxans and the pod opens up to reveal Bardock, who proceeds to inspect his surroundings.

“Great. Another gross bug planet.”

He flies up to scan the area with his scouter and behind him Omni-Man flies in to deliver a welcoming punch. Bardock notices Omni-Man’s presence at the last second and barely dodges his fist. Having missed his attack Nolan swings around and clashes with Bardock. All of a sudden, an all too familiar word burst onto the screen.

FIGHT

The stadium erupts in cheers. Death Battle is back. The cheers were so loud it almost drowned out Omni-Man’s voice.

“This planet isn’t anyone’s to conquer.”

Omni-Man wins the clash and takes a quick trip around the planet to deliver a blow to Bardock’s chest. The Saiyan quickly recuperates and reciprocates with anger.

“Don’t underestimate me!”

With a hook, Bardock sends Omni-Man flying and charges up before pursuing him for some aerial combat. The two trade blows in the air until Bardock is able to blitz Omni-Man and send him back down to the ground. Omni-Man is far from bothered and continues to battle it out with Bardock while insulting his skills.

“Just like my son; sticking his nose in places he’s not ready for!”

He lands a blow on Bardock’s face, drawing blood from his nose and knocking his scouter off. Bardock simply wipes the blood away before charging up a KI blast.

“Heh. My sons would kick his ass!”

He flings the Ki ball at Omni-Man, who blocks the attack but is knocked back into a building. He flies out of the building unscathed and watches a flurry of Ki blasts fly at him. Omni-Man launches forward, dodging every blast but there’s too many and he struggles to close the distance. Hoping to cause a distraction he grabs Bardock’s Attack Pod and throws it at him. Bardock, not wanting to lose his only way home, catches his pod but leaves himself wide open to a devastating punch from Omni-Man. The punch not only destroyed the pod but sent Bardock into the ground, cratering it.

The combatants watched in anticipation as Omni-Man stood on top of Bardock’s body. For the past weeks, Vegeta and Goku were making it very clear that Bardock had no Super transformations and that Goku was the first Super Saiyan in a long time. So they were all wondering how Bardock was going to get out of this situation.

Omni-Man’s foot crushed the armour under it, causing Bardock to cough up blood.

“Whatever you are, you’re an embarrassment.”

Behind him, the clouds scatter to reveal the light of a full moon. At that moment, a key memory clicked inside of both Goku and Vegeta.

“Oh wait! I remember now!”

“No way! He still has his tail!”

Superman turned to Goku.

“What do you mean?”

“With his tail he can transform into the Oozaro!”

“Ooza-what?”

“Wait ‘til you see… the real power… of a Saiyan!”

Nobody needed to wait long for an answer. Bardock’s pupils went blood red before disappearing. His chest began to thump heavily and the sound of his heartbeat could be felt throughout the stadium. Then, his eyes began to turn orange.

Omni-Man quickly flies out of the crater as a giant fury hand reaches out and slams the ground. Omni-Man turns back and the screen turns with him to reveal the Oozaru transformation in all its glory. Various combatants were impressed by this unknown transformation. It had been so long since Goku and Vegeta had tails that they nearly forgot about this transformation. A few other combatants found the idea of a Saiyan transformation being a literal giant monkey to be amusing and immediately understood Frieza’s insults. Meanwhile, Omni-Man was far from impressed by the display.

“Am I supposed to be impressed?”

If he wasn’t the rest of the combatants watching definitely were. You don’t expect something so big to move so fast it can barely be registered by the eye. Yet here they were, watching Omni-Man get speedblitz by a kaiju. The Great Ape gave the Viltrumite no rest as he began a relentless combo after catching him with a Super Rebellion Cannon. Omni-Man gets his bearings back and begins searching for the Great Ape, only for it to appear behind him and sandwich him in its grasp. Omni-Man struggled but eventually he broke free, much to the Ape’s surprise, and knocked him back only to be knocked back as well by its tail. Recognising a weakness Omni-Man grabs the Oozaru’s tail with the purpose of throwing him into the sky. What he wasn’t expecting was for the tail to come loose  before he could properly let go. Bardock was sent flying while Omni-Man stared at the decapitated limb before turning to where he launched Bardock. The only thing going through his mind was extreme confusion and disgust. Meanwhile, Bardock spiralled through the sky. He manages to come to a stop and realises he was no longer in his Great Ape form. Suddenly, the visage of his giant tail appears behind him in a swinging motion and upon seeing this most of the combatants burst into laughter. Even Vegeta couldn’t help but chuckle at how amusing the situation was. Bardock didn’t see the situation as amusing though.

“Shit.”

Clubbed out of orbit by his own tail, Omni-Man gave chase. Spearing Bardock with a punch to the face before grabbing his neck and flying to a nearby blue star. The bloodied Saiyan began to choke at the lack of air as Omni-Man simply waited for him to suffocate.

Back at the stadium Frieza watched with a small smile. I suppose suffocation is enough of an entertaining slow death he thought. Meanwhile, Homelander was fuming. No no no no no no no no not like this not like this come on you really don’t have any transformations?! . The rest of the combatants were at the edge of their seats. The music score was clearly not over but Bardock was already at his limit. Even Goku and Vegeta were unsure what was going to happen.

“No… my sons… need… me!”

Suddenly, the camera pans to Bardock’s eyes. They start to flicker. A familiar flicker. One that every Saiyan, and Frieza, immediately recognised alongside the glowing golden aura that began to emit from his hair.

Goku: “Wait a minute! Is he going…”

Vegeta: “Impossible!”

Frieza: “I don’t believe it!”

Trunks: “It’s happening! He’s-”

Broly: “Going Super.”

The combatants barely had time to register that information before Bardock’s body burst into a flame of golden energy. Omni-Man was knocked back from the release and shielded his eyes from the immense light.

“I won’t let you take me FROM MY WOOOOOORLD!!!”

A golden light streaks across the screen multiple times as Bardock blitzes Omni-Man. The Viltrumite, unable to react suffers multiple injuries in the short span of time, Bardock even finds the opportunity to land a kick on Omni-Man’s leg, snapping the bone inside. Now bloodied too, the Viltrumite notices Bardock behind him and tries to punch him, only for the Super Saiyan to effortlessly dodge his attack. The screen hangs onto this frame for a while, giving the audience a view of the full glory of Super Saiyan Bardock. Goku and Vegeta were speechless, the rest of the combatants were in awe, Frieza was left grumbling. Meanwhile, Homelander let out a celebratory shout. One so loud that it would’ve deafened the other combatants had Discord not intervene and create an invisible barrier around Homelander, where can shout and cheer to his heart’s content.

“FUCK YEAH! Kick his ass! Kick his ass! Fuck him up!”

Bardock unleashed a 3-hit combo on Omni-Man before firing a Full Power Energy Wave at him. Nolan recovers just in time to see the beam approaching him and at the last second catches it with his hands. He yells out in pain as his smart atoms adjust, allowing him to throw the attack away before charging at Bardock, who does the same. As the screen shows the two charging at each other the combatants began cheering for their preferred combatant to win. Of course, Goku and the other Dragon Ball fighters were rooting for Bardock but so was Superman, Thor, Naruto, Ichigo, the Paladins and of course Homelander. Meanwhile, Optimus Prime, Kratos, Sonic, Bowser, the Rangers and of course Frieza were rooting for Nolan.

The two warriors clash fists again, the screen shakes from the impact, Bardock grabs Nolan’s shoulders and delivers a headbutt to the face which Nolan reciprocates. The back and forth headbutting goes on for a while as blood begins to spill into the vastness of space. One last headbutt clash sends both flying away before they begin to charge at each other again, with Bardock’s back facing the blue sun. As they charge Nolan lets out a battle cry.

“YOUR TIME IS UP... SAIYAAAAANNN!!!”

The two clash fists one last time and the shockwave sends ripples throughout the arena. The camera closes in on the two fists struggling before Bardock’s begins to give way. In a split second, Nolan’s fist punches straight through the Super Saiyan’s arm, cleaving it open and blasting it off Bardock’s body. The punch was so strong it even carved a hole through Bardock’s right chest. The Saiyan yells in pain as half his upper body is blown away and he is knocked out of Super Saiyan.

The music begins to go silent and the crowd watches in disbelief. Bardock, knowing he’s been defeated, gives Omni-Man a warning before his body falls into the sun.

“(coughs) You said... "Saiyan"... remember it…”

As Bardock falls into the sun the screen pans to Nolan, bloodied and broken after killing another family man like himself. He was tired and it took every fiber in his being to not fall into the star with Bardock. Lost for words, he can only utter one in a state of confliction.

“...Fuck…”

The screen goes black and two familiar letters burst onto the screen.

KO

[Music stops]

As the letters began to disappear from the screen the arena was filled with thunderous applause. When the letters disappeared they were replaced with a victory card of Nolan. The applause died down and was replaced with conversation. The combatants found the fight to be exhilarating and began sharing their thoughts on it with each other, even for those whose preferred one didn’t win they still found the fight to be entertaining. Discord still kept the barrier around Homelander as he began unleashing a tantrum. Frieza let out a sigh from the unexpected adrenaline rush he experienced from watching the fight. Back at the top, Goku and Superman were discussing the fight amongst themselves.

“That was awesome! I’m a little sad that my father lost but that was so cool that I can’t help but say I enjoyed it.”

“Same here. I wasn’t expecting Nolan to pull through at the end and I wasn’t expecting your father to pull off Super Saiyan either.”

“Yeah! That surprised me too. I guess if Frieza gave him a bit more time he would’ve achieved Super Saiyan and saved our planet.”

Below the screen two doors began to materialise and Bardock and Nolan walked out of them. Bardock looked at stadium seats with awe at how many fighters there were. He was taken aback even more when he looked up and saw Galactus and Unicron staring down at him, one with a look of amusement and another a look of disinterest. Nolan snapped him out of his gawking.

“You ok?”

Bardock turned to him and scratched the back of his head.

“Yeah, just a lot to take in. How close was I to killing you?”

“Pretty close, you put up a good fight.”

“Heh, when do we get to do this again?”

“Hmm, not now. Maybe some other time.”

Before Bardock could respond he was caught off guard by his son materialising in front of him with Instant Transmission.

“Dad! It’s so good to see you here!”

“Son! You’re here too?”

It didn’t take him long to snap out of his amazement at seeing his son all grown up.

“Are you ok! You’re all grown up! How are you? What is this place? Who did you fight?”

“Hehe, it’s a long story. Come with me, I’ll explain everything.”

The two walked by Superman, who flew down to talk to Nolan.

“Are you ok?”

“I’m feeling fine thank you.”

The two continued to talk as they made their way to the other combatants.

“Just fine? I would’ve thought you’d feel better after being put up against a more worthy foe.”

“I guess. I just didn’t think my emotions would get so strong back there.”

Superman places a hand on Nolan’s shoulder.

“Happens to the best of us. Emotions are what drive us and so they’re the ones that push us beyond our limits. To reach for victory. I’m sure every combatant here felt that emotional drive when fighting in their Death Battles. It may be a bit embarrassing at first to have it be televised but no moment is more honourable to witness than watching someone give it their all for the people they love and the ideals they stand for.”

Nolan stopped walking and turned to look at Superman before smiling.

“Thanks Superman.”

The screen began to glow again, causing the two caped fighters to turn around. The rest of the combatants began clapping and cheering again as the next announcement was about to start.

“What’s going on?”

Bardock asked.

“They’re about to announce the next fight!”

Boomstick’s voice emitted from the screen’s speakers, announcing the next fight.

“Next time on Death Battle.”

The screen quickly showed various scenes from two different medias back to back. Small hints on the serieses that these combatants were from. Finally, a black screen was pulled away to reveal it to be a part of the leader of the Phantom Thieves and rainbow colours streaked across the screen to reveal the golden hair leader of Passione and his equally golden Stand. A flash of light then revealed four silhouettes standing opposite of each other before giant text came on to reveal the names of the next combatants.

Joker from Persona vs Giorno from Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure.

The crowd gave a positive reception. It had been a while since another Persona character got on the show and Jojo had enough variety in their stand abilities that even the most stingy combatants couldn’t help but look forward to the fight.

Joker (DC): Hey! Why was I never told I was going to fight again?

Mitsuru: Finally, another Persona user.

Jonathan: Another one from our world! I don’t recognise him though.

Jotaro: You’ve got to be kidding me.

Dio: What’s the matter, Jotaro? Is it someone you don’t like?

Jotaro: That’s not the problem Dio. Don’t you know? That’s your son.

Chapter Text

The wait for Joker vs Gionro has been an interesting one. Jotaro is the only one who knows who Giorno is and his knowledge extends to only knowing he’s Dio’s son and he has a Stand. Mitsuru doesn’t even know who Joker is despite coming from the same series. This combined knowledge of close to zero meant there was a lot of speculation during the lead up to the fight.

Spider Man: So, do you think he has vampire powers because he’s the son of a vampire?

Alucard: Is that why you chose to talk to me?

Spider Man: That came off as insensitive, I’m sorry.

Alucard: I’m pulling your leg kid. Though I don’t see how me being a vampire makes you think I would have more knowledge than Jotaro does.

Spider Man: I’m just speculating here. You're the only nice and friendly vampire we can talk to here so I figured I’d ask for your opinion.

Alucard: My opinion? He’s the son of a vampire. Whether or not he inherits his powers is not of my concern. I’m going to have problems with him either way.

—

Joker: So who is this, other Joker hmmmm?

Mitsuru: I’ve told you already. I have no idea who he is.

Joker: Really? Are you sure you’re not hiding anything from us? Maybe he’s someone special to you?

Mitsuru: I shouldn’t be expected to know who everyone from my world is. Though, if I had to guess, he’s definitely a better Joker than you.

Joker: gasp WHAT?!… you don’t think I’m funny? Oh I’ll show you a good laugh!”

Mitsuru was ready to pull her blade on the Clown before suddenly.

Joker: ARGUEGHEHUHHH

Joker’s body was engulfed in electricity before it collapsed in front of Mitsuru. She looked ahead to see the Thunder God and Earthrealm’s Protector standing with an arm outstretched, lighting crackling between his fingers.

Raiden: Are you alright Mrs?

Mitsuru: I’m fine, thank you.

Raiden: Let me guess, he was asking about the other Joker?

Mitsuru: Yeah he was. I really honestly do not know anything about him. Sorry for not being able to give any information on him despite being from the same world.

Raiden: You should not fault yourself for not having that knowledge. Instead, you should look forward to meeting him after his fight. Then, you can get to know him better.

Mitsuru nodded before looking back down at Joker’s unconscious body.

Raiden: I will take him to Batman. You go on with your day.

—

Frank West: So, I think we can connect the dots here. Giorno is the son of a vampire who also has a Stand. That Stand has the ability to stop time. It would make sense if he had the ability to do something similar. Maybe not stop time itself but do something to mess with it, like slow it down or speed it up.

Michelangelo: Meanwhile, he would have Dio’s vampire abilities like the blood sucking and the laser eyes and the ice powers!

Frank West: Exactly! Now, as for the other guy, well, Mitsuru said she doesn’t know anything about him but they do share a similar power in being able to bring out a Persona.

Michelangelo: Mitsuru’s Persona is all about freezing things. So maybe Personas are tied to elements.

Frank West: Right, though, from the silhouettes, it looked like that guy was holding a gun.

Donatello: Maybe he has a gun because it’s thematic. You know? Firepower.

Raphael: in the middle of playing on an arcade machine shut up Donnie!

—

In the meantime, Nolan took it upon himself to tour the new Saiyan around. Goku got a bit side tracked with showcasing all the fights Death Battle has had in its history, focusing only on the DB hall of fame and archives that at the end of the day he forgot to give Bardock a proper tour, resulting in the man getting lost trying to find his room. Nolan was fortunately in the area to help him and decided to give Bardock a proper tour of the place the following day.

“So you know where the dorms are now, right?”

“Yeah. Are we required to live here?”

“Not really. We have the ability to go back to our own worlds anytime we want. Though, most combatants who are already dead in their world tend to just stay here.”

Bardock glanced back at the door of his room. It wasn’t the worst place to stay but it was also very lonely. He remembered his son and how he was all grown up now. Maybe he could go home with his son every few days to spend time with him. If that was even possible. What if he just gets brought back to the time before he died. Maybe the planet wouldn’t have been destroyed yet but it would be living on a limited time. Maybe he could give it a try and push himself to use Super Saiyan again to change the future. He shook his head. These were thoughts for another time. He turned back to Nolan.

“What else does this place have?”

“Follow me.”

“This is the cafeteria.”

Boom

“What was that?”

“There’s a fight going on inside. That tends to happen a few times a week. When you get a peaceful moment to eat, you need to savour it.”

Nolan opens the doors to the cafeteria, which were the size of buildings. Bardock wondered why the doors were so big until he saw his answer lying on the side of the room. A purple ball of energy the size of a car flew by the center of the cafeteria, making its way to the other end. Lots of combatants were quick to jump out of the way before it was halted mid-air, inches away from a black gloved hand. A hand that belonged to Darth Vader. At the opposite side of the cafeteria was the one responsible for firing the blast. With a massive metallic body and one third the reason why the doors and rooms everywhere were so big. Megatron looked like he had just been thrown against the wall and fired that blast before asking questions.

“What’s your problem tin head?”

Vader kept the energy blast in place while responding with anger laced in his voice.

“You ruined my cake.”

“Hah, not my fault you didn’t look where you were going.”

In that instant Vader sent Megatron’s blast back at him. Megatron blocks it by activating his force field before firing more shots at Vader from his arm cannon. Vader ignites his lightsaber and leaps through the air at the Decepticon, dodging every blast sent his way.

Bardock was shocked at how unruly the situation was while Nolan simply let out a sigh of annoyance.

“Let’s come back later when they’ve finished fighting.”

They left to the sounds of explosions and debris being crushed as combatants began to both flee from the cafeteria or defuse the situation.

Nolan continued to show Bardock around to the various other rooms the Death Colosseum had. From the outside it looked like the Colosseum in Rome except vastly upsized, not ruined, and of course tailored for everyday living. The ground floor held the cafeteria as well as the offices for Death Battle. Combatants were not allowed there though. The 2nd floor had a multitude of workshops. Whether the combatant relied on technology or magic this was the place they would go to finetune their techniques and abilities. The floor above was the gym. The reason it almost takes up the entire third floor is because of the amount of space needed to accommodate all the combatants. This is also the floor that held the bath house where you would see showers, spas, saunas and steam rooms. There is also a laundry room on this floor. Just outside the third floor was a massive rainbow road that formed a ring around the Death Colosseum. The ring was a few times wider than the Colosseum itself though it could be adjusted to be bigger. This is where the speeders usually raced. The next floor is the entertainment room. Here, combatants get to chill and hang out while eating snacks and playing games. From board games, card games and of course, video games. The place had arcade machines, PC stations, every generation of Nintendo, Sony, Xbox and Sega consoles and even phones designed for the best mobile gaming experience. In the event any of the combatants want to play the games some of them came from. There were multiple theaters that could stream a variety of TV shows and movies. This is the floor that draws the most shocked reactions from new combatants. Being able to see your own adventures from a variety of different mediums is a surreal experience and only a rare few don’t think much about it. One more floor up is the library. Don’t think I need to explain what it is. The remaining floors from here on out are the dormitories, with each floor being dedicated to a season. As of now there are 11 floors since Season 24 and Season 25 are to be housed together since Season 24’s pool of new combatants is too small to merit its own floor. And at the top of the Colosseum is the Death Arena. Where combatants go to watch the fights.

As Nolan and Bardock rode the elevator from the top floor back to the cafeteria Nolan briefed Bardock on the rules this place has.

“Number one rule here is we’re not allowed to kill each other.”

“What happens if we do?”

“We die, obviously. I don’t know what Death Battle’s plan was when they put this many strong fighters in the same place and expected them to follow this rule. It has almost been broken many times in the past.”

“Why hasn’t it been broken yet?”

“We can thank Superman for that. Rule number two, do not enter the offices on the bottom floor. Rule number three do not take any fights outside the Colosseum or into the arena without proper permission. Rule number four, don’t bring anyone else who isn’t a Death Battle combatant here. You got that?”

Bardock simply nodded. His stomach began to growl.

“Right, you have Saiyan hunger. Don’t worry, the cafeteria has enough food for another Saiyan.”

The two fathers entered the cafeteria again, where things seemed to have calmed down. Vader’s legs were encased in ice and he was being held back by the combined might of Dimitri, Guts and the Dragonborn while the Chosen Undead stood in front of Vader with his shield up just in case Vader managed to throw out another attack. On the other side of the room, Optiums had managed to hold Megatron down with help from the Gundam while .EXE and Star Force floated in front of Megatron with their respective shields to block any attacks. And in the middle of the room stood Satoru Gojo, who had expanded Limitless to encompass the middle of the cafeteria to act as a wall between the two tyrants. In the meantime, he was eating a slice of cake. Bardock couldn’t comprehend the absurdity of the situation until Nolan placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it. Come one, let’s get a table at the back.”

“Are you going to root for your son?”

“What do you think, Jotaro?”

“I’d imagine you’d at least care for your own blood.”

“I don’t even remember ever having a child so I don’t see why I should start caring now with this knowledge. He’ll earn my respect when he wins.”

The day of Gioker is here. The seats fill up and the combatants wait for the fight to start. Mitsuru is looking forward to seeing what Joker has to offer in this fight. Jonathan looked forward to Giorno’s performance despite his relationship to Dio. Dio has clearly shown he has no idea he had a son so his influence on him is next to nothing so Jonathan has decided to judge him independently from his status as Dio’s son. Speaking of Dio he watched the blank screen with disinterest. Whatever his son had in store it would not match the power he held. Jotaro sat between his great, great grandfather and immortal rival. He used to sit next to Spider Man as he found the quips he would make during fights funny but after Jonathan arrived he needed to make sure the two weren’t at each other’s throats. The reason Dio and Jonathan sat so close to each other is because they wanted to keep an idea on each other, so the only way Jotaro could make sure they don’t start causing a scene is by sitting in between them. Similar to his relative, he was rooting for Giorno, confident that he didn’t inherit any of Dio’s traits.

Due to Superman and Goku sitting in VIP seats Bardock couldn’t sit close to his son. So he decided the next best thing was to find Nolan and take a seat next to him. He sat down next to Nolan, who didn’t comment on his presence. However, the person who originally sat on that seat did have something to say to him.

“Excuse me sir. That’s my seat.”

Bardock turned to the person whose seat he was on originally belonged to. He found himself looking into bright, yellow eyes with red rings around the pupils, which complemented her red hair.

“Oh, sorry. I don’t know where my seat is.”

“A new seat appears every time we get a new combatant. Your seat is at the very front at the corner.”

Just before Bardock stood up Nolan spoke up.

“We don’t have designated seats, we sit where we want. How about you go take that seat Makima.”

“Hmm… if you insist, Viltrumite.”

Makima began to walk away.

“Who was that?”

“Someone you should keep your guard up around. She’s not physically strong but she has other ways to overpower you.”

Bardock vaguely remembered a red haired freak in the DB hall of fame that Goku showed to him. If he remembered correctly, she could control anyone she deemed inferior to herself. Which was quite the absurd concept to Bardock given that she was only human. Not that strong and she thinks she’s better than me? Heh, she’ll have to do better if she wants to control my mind.

The screen began humming to life, though it still displayed a black screen. Then, the words ‘Take Your Time’ appeared on the bottom right corner of the screen and began spinning around like a loading symbol. On the top right Giorno’s picture was shown with a 100% security level displayed beneath it.

Miles Morales: Hey cool. It’s like a video game loading screen.

Then, two voices cut through the darkness.

[Now playing: Requiem for a Thief]
“Gold Experience!”
“Go! Arsène!”

The black screen immediately cuts to the inside of a giant palace as Giorno’s Stand and Joker’s Persona clash at the center of the screen, sparks flying from their arms colliding.

FIGHT

The two send each other back, with GE taking a stance in front of Giorno who sat atop a golden throne while Arsène lands in front of Joker.

“Giorno Giovanna, your heart is twisted! It is ours to take…”

GE and Arsène charge at each other again and Arsène unleashes Cleave at the enemy Stand. GE barely dodges the attack, causing it to slice the top half of Giorno’s throne off, also narrowly missing the Stand User. Though, he isn’t bothered as he casually tosses aside the Calling Card he had been given.

“Sciocci fantasmi! My dreams aren't yours to take.”

Jotaro: He doesn’t seem malicious at first glance. Though, he is definitely not clean either. What’s his deal?

Joker pulls out his gun and fires at Giorno but GE parries each bullet by punching them and turning them into bees which fly off. Joker then commands Arsène to cast another spell and the word ‘Maeigon’ pops up in a box at the top left corner of the screen.

“Persona!”

A pillar of fire erupts from the ground and consumes GE. The camera pans to Giorno as the fire engulfs him too.

Michelangelo to Frank West: We were right! He does have fire abilities.

“Heh, he’ll never see it coming.”

Arsène rushes forward at GE and baits out a punch from it, which it blocks. As Arsène rushed forward Joker grappled to the ceiling to close the distance with Giorno. As Maeigon’s effects began to wear off Joker landed in front of Giorno with his gun aimed at his face.

“Checkmate.”

He fires, but the bullets have no effect on Giorno. Joker was confused, until he suddenly started having an out of body experience. He turned around to see his actual body standing still as one of his bullet-turned-bees flies past it.

Frank West: Uhhh, what’s happening?

Jotaro: I think I understand. He boosted the speed of Joker’s consciousness, causing it to outpace his physical body. He thinks he’s moving when in actuality, he’s not.

Frank West: I’d say that’s close enough to timey wimey bullshit.

“Mudamudamudamudamudamudamuda MUDA!”

GE releases a flurry of punches at Arsène, causing him to break. Joker’s consciousness is immediately pulled back into his body as he recoils from the damage of Arsène being defeated. Giorno gets up from his throne and rushes at Joker with GE at his side. When he reaches Joker he delivers a backhanded blow at the Phantom Thief while GE punches him into his arms. Giorno then holds Joker from behind while GE releases a flurry of kicks on Joker before Giorno knocks him away.

Mitsuru: His Persona is already broken? That’s not what I was expecting. Either Giorno’s Stand is incredibly powerful or Arsène is a weak Persona.

As Joker falls back he quickly fires his grappling hook into the ceiling and barely dodges a punch from GE in the process. The camera zooms into his face as he places his hand on his mask and blue flames emit from underneath it. Joker pulls his mask off and the blue fire forms a visage of his mask on his face as he yells out-

“Alice!”

A little girl appears floating next to Joker with a very ghostly appearance. She looks down at Giorno and GE chasing after Joker on foot before pointing at them. Another pop up box at the top right corner of the screen echoes what she says.

“Die for Me!”

Frank West: Wait a minute.

Michelangelo: Uhhh, what?

Mitsuru: A second Persona…

“Impossible! A second Stand…”

Giorno is suddenly surrounded by human-sized teddy bears with bombs strapped to their chest. The toys started running at Giorno and while GE did its best to fend them off there were too many. One slipped through and knocked Giorno into GE with its explosion, causing the rest to dogpile on the two before detonating.

Dio: Defeated by teddy bears…

The two leap out of the explosion cloud and GE punches the ground just before they land. Giant beanstalks began growing from the ground, skewering the bears until there was none left.

Jotaro: So his Stand is all about life. Both creating and manipulating it.

Joker swings through the now dense jungle in the palace, searching for his opponent down below.  He abruptly freezes mid swing and looks up to see GE holding the other end of his grappling hook.

“laughs You never took the time to understand my Gold Experience.”

Joker’s grappling hook suddenly turns into a snake, which causes Joker to let go of it and fire his gun at it. Only for the bullets to have no effect on the snake. Joker suddenly feels stinging pain in his chest. As if he was the one shot by bullets. As he falls he notices Giorno sitting atop of a beanstalk leaf and takes aim. The screen zooms in to Giorno’s face as he reveals the true strength of Gold Experience.

“All objects given life by Gold Experience desire to return home.”

All of a sudden, the bees that have been aimlessly flying around the palace begin to funnel back into Joker’s gun. The amount of them entering at once causes the gun to break. GE flies toward the falling Thief before releasing another flurry of punches on him.

“Mudamudamudamudamudamudamuda MUDA!”

GE finishes its attack with a powerful kick, sending Joker flying through multiple beanstalks before crashing on the ground. He tries to get up, only to fall on one knee due to his injuries.

“Nnff… ” his Persona… creates life… I’ve got to nullify that!

Joker reaches for his mask again as blue flames burst from his face.

“Jack Frost! Ice Age!”

A small, white bodied demon with a round shape and blue jester get-up is summoned behind Joker.

“Hee-hohoho!”

The palace is engulfed in a blizzard that freezes the beanstalks. As Giorno and GE land on the ground they are encased in ice. However, more perceptive combatants noticed Giorno looked like he was trying to stab GE before they were frozen. Suddenly, the icey prison they were held in exploded in a great light. Joker shields his eyes from the brightness before looking back with a surprised gasp. The screen turns as well to reveal Giorno’s evolved Stand; Gold Experience Requiem.

Jotaro's eyes widened with shock at the display of this new ability. The ability to empower a Stand far beyond what it was capable of before. Even Dio leaned forward in his chair, now intrigue. Gold Experience Requiem’s reveal alone was so powerful that it sent a chill out of the screen and shot up the spines of every combatant. Resulting in a collective shock and awe at the mighty display.

Joker steeled himself and began running at Giorno.

So this is the endgame? Then let’s finish this! “Satanael! Begone! Begone! Begone! Begone!”

Joker stopped at the sound of his voice echoing. He sees past versions of himself for every second that has passed. He turns only to see more of himself until he comes face to face with GER, reading another flurry.

“This, sciocco fantasma, is justice! This is Requiem!”

The screen pans out a bit for a change of pace, now displaying the fight in manga format. The pages begin to flip to show GER unleashing a barrage of punches at Joker. The pages continued to flip on and on and on and on with each one being an image of GER beating down Joker in a 7 page long muda.

“Muda muda muda muda mudamudamudamudamudamuda mudamudamudamudamudamudamudamudamudamudamudamuda mudamudamudamudamudamudamudamudamudamudamudamuda mudamudamudamudamudamudamudamudamudamudamudamuda mudamudamudamudamudamudamudamudamudamudamudamuda mudamudamudamudamudamudamudamudamudamudamudamuda MUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDAMUDA! MUDA!!!”

The final punch sends a bloodied Joker flying back into the wall of the palace as the screen goes back to video display. Joker craters the wall as a UI display on the bottom left corner displays his health gauge as depleted. His body slides down to the ground, leaving a trail of blood behind. The music starts to die down as the screen follows suit, going dark.

It stayed like this for a while, causing most of the combatants to have assumed the fight was over.

Mitsuru: Not a bad display. So many Personas, and yet it still wasn’t enough.

Jotaro: Yare yare daze. That was intense.

Dio: Hmmm, I suppose that was not bad.

But only most of the combatants thought the fight was over. A few were able to hear faint voices throughout the arena.

“Hey, are you okay?”

“Joker?”

“I won’t allow it! Joker!”

“Keep fighting! You can do it!”

“Snap out of it!”

“If you die now, I…”

“Joker, no!”

“Joker’s got it!”

“Joker!”

“...I’ll kill you again myself!”

Goku: Man, that was an intense fight!

Superman: Do you hear that?

Goku: Hm? Hear what?

Bill Cipher: Ugh, what’s that noise?

The Doctor: Oh, very interesting.

Luke Skywalker: Master, do you hear them?

Yoda: Mmm, yes. I do.

Discord: Ohoho. I don’t think the fight is over yet!

A blue butterfly suddenly flew by the screen followed by an explosion of blue fire that covered the entire screen. Joker’s voice could be heard, shouting one name.

“SATANAEL!!!”

The screen came back to life and the music exploded, revealing the body of an archangel, whose size reached the palace’s ceiling. Its wings extended over the frozen beanstalks and golden throne as it dispersed the flames and roar caused the screen to vibrate. A whisper could be heard by all the combatants.

“I am thou, thou art I.”

Many were shocked at this turn around and those who had heard the voices of Joker’s friends were amazed at the display.

Joker points his gun at Giorno one last time, a move that Satanael mimics with its own.

“Maybe you didn’t hear me before. Checkmate.”

He pulls the trigger and the words ‘Sinful Shell’ pop up at the top left corner of the screen. The gun held by Satanael fires a massive bullet coated in blue energy at Giorno. GER immediately rushes at it with a flurry of blows to stop it in its tracks. The screen zooms into the struggle between Return to Zero and Sinful Shell. GER screams as it tries to stop the bullet as cracks on the screen start appearing, causing the combatants to panic as sparks of electricity begin seeping through the cracks on the screen. Finally, one of GER’s punches causes its arm to explode. Requiem is then obliterated by the bullet, with Giorno following suit as the bullet tears apart his body. Leaving only his head to be burnt away by blue flames. The bullet hits the ground and causes a massive explosion that destroys the golden throne. A golden arrowhead flies out of the explosion, which Joker catches before leaving the palace. A results screen shows up, showing Joker’s performance in the fight.

[Music stops]

The screen then changes to show an airport. The combatants continue to watch the best they can through the cracks on the screen. They are then shown a close up of a plane ticket to Florida with the words ‘Speedwagon Foundation Airlines’ printed on. Giorno’s voice is heard.

“I feel weirdly compelled to go over to Florida… Very strange…”

Suddenly his eyes go white and he starts bleeding a black liquid from them. GER appears next to him and quickly prevents him from having a mental shutdown. Not only that, it also fixes all the cracks on the screen at the same time.

“I now suddenly want to restructure Passione…”

Giorno turns around to exit the airport while tossing his plane ticket away.

“It won’t be the end of the world if I miss this flight…”

The screen goes black one last time.

KO

A victory card of Joker appears as the crowd cheers and applauds. They were quite satisfied and left with a lot of burning questions on the nature of Gold Experience and Joker’s Personas.

Frank West: Guess we were wrong about a lot of our predictions.

Michelangelo: Yeah, that’s a bummer.

Spider Man: That was incredible! I could barely keep up with Giorno’s abilities. I wonder what that out of body experience would feel like…

Miles Morales: Would you like to ask him to try it on you later?

Spider Man: pondering

Static Shock: Why would you want that?

Spider Man: I’m just curious.

Joker: Well that wasn’t very funny.

Bane: Neither are you.

Joker: Hmmm? Did you say something, big guy?

Alucard: Well, I guess he isn’t so bad.

Rocket: I gotta get myself whatever gun that big guy had.

Mitsuru: I wonder how he has access to so many Personas. I’ll have to have a chat with him later.

Jonathan: What a hard fought battle with many twists. Giorno held out till the end. I admire his grit.

Jotaro: Yeah, it was pretty good. Right, Dio?

Dio: Hmmm, I thought it wasn’t so bad when he started breaking the screen. Then he lost…

Jotaro: You seriously can’t spare a bit of pride for him?

Dio: What do you take me for Jotaro?

The exit doors below the screen materialised and the representatives from each series got up to go meet the newcomers. Joker and Giorno walked out into the arena, both amazed at the architecture, the space view and the seats lined with over a hundred combatants. Some of them even began clapping and cheering for the newcomers.

“This looks incredible.”

“I have to agree, fantasmi.”

“Hey, you were great back there. You forced my hand. I never expected anyone to be able to get me to bring Satanael out like that.”

Joker extended a hand to Giorno who happily reciprocated with a handshake.

“You fought well too. I never knew anyone could have so many Stands.”

“Oh, you call them Stands? Those were my Personas.”

“Personas? They seem different from Stands. You have to tell me more later. Until then, it looks like we have company.”

Mitsuru, Jotaro, Jonathan and Dio had made their way over and gave the two a warm welcome.

“Welcome to the Death Colosseum, Joker.”

“That's quite the name huh. My name is Ren. Amamiya Ren.”

“Hello Ren, I am Kirijo Mitsuru but you can call me Mitsuru.”

“Have I heard of you before?”

“No, so we have a lot to discuss.”

Ren looked around before looking back at Mitsuru.

“Why were you the only one who came to greet me?”

“I am the only one from the series you come from. I’ll explain more later over dinner.”

“I had my doubts but I’d say your performance up there cleared most of them Giorno. You did well.”

“Thank you sir.”

“Call me Jotaro. This is Jonathan and this is Dio.”

Jonathan was excited to meet Giorno in person but Dio could care less. Only coming down because Jotaro pulled him along.

“It is an honour to meet you Mr Giovanna. I admire your skills and prowess. I wish for us to be able to train together to get stronger.”

“Do you have anything you want to say Dio?”

“Hmph, we can talk later. Let’s go back, the next announcement is about to start.”

As the six of them made it back to the seats the screen began to play the next time announcement.

Next time on Death Battle

The screen flickered before giving a side shot of a fleet of Bowser’s airships and the Egg Fleet. The likeness of Bower and Eggman flickered on and off as images of Bowser’s Kingdom and Eggman Land for screen space. More moments displaying the glory of the two villains were shown before ending on a scene of both villains laughing. The next fight had been set.

Bowser from Super Mario Bros and Dr. Eggman from Sonic the Hedgehog.

Not even half a second after the announcement was over Bowser stood up from his chair to let out a loud roar and Eggman got up too with a laugh of glee.

“About time!”

“I’ve been waiting to scramble you and serve you a loss, Eggy!”

“Your shell will crack before this egg boils, Spikey!”

Among the commotion Mario and Sonic, who are sitting next to each other, exchanged looks of amusement.

“Get ready for two weeks of these goofball's non-stop gloating.”

“Mama Mia…”

Chapter Text

Bardock had become quite accustomed to living in the Colosseum by now. It was confirmed by Superman that if he tried to return to his world he would return to the moment before Planet Vegeta was destroyed. He initially was planning to train in the Colosseum to become stronger so he could defeat Frieza but decided against it after realising that his son wouldn’t become the warrior he is now without the Emperor’s actions. That didn’t stop him from spending time with Goku every time Goku came back to visit the Colosseum. Most combatants visit the Colosseum occasionally or when it’s time for a Death Battle. Only the dead ones truly stay, so Bardock spent most of his time decorating his dorm to be more cozy and getting along with the other dead combatants who couldn’t return to their world. He could normally be seen hanging out with either Darth Vader or Jiraiya and spends most of his time in either the cafeteria or the gym.

Mitsuru’s work back in her world meant she was too busy to tour Joker around beyond the day he arrived at the Colosseum so she asked for Weiss’ help to tour him for her. Ren’s kind-hearted, quiet and polite personality made him an easy target to bully for the more mean-spirited combatants, like Reverse Flash and Starscream. Though, this meant he was easy to get along with and got on friendly terms with a lot of the combatants, even some villains were chill around him. Given his reputation back at home it would come as no surprise that he tried to hit on Weiss a bit during the tour and she did take a bit of a liking to him. In fact, Ren became very close to the other members of team RWBY. A fact that Mitsuru would only respond with a face palm upon learning about this from Discord. Ren claims he got into team RWBY’s good graces by being kind to the team, Discord tells Mitsuru that he is secretly flirting with each member behind their backs. Which one is the truth? *shrugs*

Giorno didn’t like the fact that his father was not a very good person and became more proud of his achievement at restructuring Passione more after learning what kind of heritage he came from. Speaking of Passione, his Death Battle with Joker seemed to have left some unintended side effects as he wouldn’t spend a lot of time in the Colosseum. Opting to modify Passione into a better than ever organisation back in his world and only choosing to visit the Colosseum on the last week leading up to a fight to catch up on everything he missed. While in the Colosseum he would stick close to Jotaro and Jonathan and spend most of his time reading through the Death Battle archives. Curious with every detail that happened in the fights that came before him.

While these three got comfortable in the Colosseum the cafeteria went from its traditional battleground to a campaign rally. Bowser and Eggman frequently gloated about their accomplishments to others but this time around they began glazing themselves so much that an infinite stockpile of honey was about to suffer a shortage. They would brag about their feats of strength-

“Even my weakest mechs are capable of destroying entire mountains!”

“Mountains are weak. I punched a castle into space! Your mechs will crumble beneath my hands.”

“Did you not hear me say my weakest mechs? My strongest can alter space and time!”

“You need a mech for that?! BWAHAHAHA! How pathetic. I, King Bowser, don't need to rely on anything to shatter the fabric of reality.”

Tony: Yeah, and so do like a dozen other people in this room.

“Shut it, Nerd!”

- and their magical abilities.

“Of course, it will be my turn to use the Chaos Emeralds in this fight but those aren’t the only power sources I have. pulls out the Phantom Ruby I have access to the Phantom Ruby! With its power I can mold reality however I want. GET A LOAD OF THIS!”

Eggman uses the Ruby to turn everyone’s food into cardboard cutouts of said food, impressing some, surprising some, and annoying many who were just trying to eat.

Zatanna: Not bad but this is nothing more than mere illusions. Niaga devres si rennid!

With that everyone’s food goes back to normal and Eggman is left standing on his table with a perplexed look on his face. Bowser (not standing on a table because he would destroy it) laughed at Eggman.

“You call that molding reality?! Watch this.”

With a snap of his fingers he turns everyone’s food into cake. The combatants aren’t sure how to react… except for Goku and Stitch.

Goku: Nice! Desert time!

Stitch: starts gobbling his cake like a madman

These campaign attempts weren’t just restricted to the cafeteria, they also happened in every other room these two could muster a decent sized crowd in. While it was certainly annoying, the combatants kept coming back due to nearly every rally being interrupted by a member of their world’s cast poking fun at the two villains.

“Eggy thinks he’s so smart right? Well, my IQ of 9,800 has him beat. Whatever he can build I can build too.”

Peach: Are you sure about that? I haven’t seen Eggman building any buttons that activate a falling axe onto the platform you and Mario fight on, causing it to fall and sending you falling into the pit of lava below.

“My mechs can keep up with the likes of that Blue Hedgehog, especially my Egg Dragoon. Designed to match him in speed!”

Sonic: Then how come I was able to tear that thing apart in my waaaayyyyy slower Werehog form Eggman?

“With my magic, reality can be whatever I want!”

Wario: Then how come you haven’t made yourself win against Mario huh?

“Bowser’s an idiot. Even though he may hold some advantages, my superior intellect will result in my victory!”

Shadow: Sonic is no genius either. So tell me, Doctor, how is it that you keep losing to him?

“With my Dream Stone I can wish Eggy away! He’s got nothing that can resist that.”

Meanwhile Donkey Kong has snuck up behind Bowser and is silently holding an L-shaped hand above his head while smugly smiling.

“I have Chaos Emeralds, the Master Emerald, the Time Stones, the Sol Emeral- OOFF”

Knuckles: You are not taking the Master Emerald!

Knuckles punches Eggman into a wall, creating a small crater on the wall. Even when on the ground Eggman still tries to boast about himself.

“I’m also well above human-level! cough I can punch trucks.”

Bowser casually walks by Eggman on the floor.

“And I can punch a castle into space.”

Eggman angrily gets up and glares as Bowser walks by him. Even though these two have been doing this non-stop for three whole weeks it was definitely a rather fun, or at the very least interesting, three weeks for the combatants. For Mario and Sonic this was a great opportunity to kick back and relax in their own world as both worlds were left without their villains for the coming weeks.

The day for Bowser vs Eggman has arrived and the combatants begin making their way to the top floor. Sonic is walking alongside Mega Man, X and Zero to the elevator. When they exit on the top floor X catches a glimpse of the Goomba and Koopa heading down the hallway meant for the fighters.

X: Hey, you’re not allowed there!

Mega Man and Sonic turn their attention to where X is looking and spot the two as well.

Mega Man: Maybe they’re going to wish their king good luck?

Sonic: You know, I tend to forget those guys exist. I imagine they’re gonna be cheering hard for Bowser lat- ARGH! Huh?

Metal shoulder bumps the Blue Blur as he walks past the group and down the same hallway the Goomba and Koopa were seen walking down.

Sonic: Aww, Metal, you wanna wish your maker good luck too?

Metal only gives Sonic a quick stare before continuing to walk down the hallway. Suddenly, the doors leading to it begin to close. This signifies that the fight is about to start but our group of 3/4 blue and 1/4 red is more concerned about the three minions being where they’re not meant to be.

Sonic: Hey wait!

Sonic runs past Metal into the hallway to try and retrieve the Goomba and Koopa and Zero takes it upon himself to pull Metal out of the hallway before the doors close. Unfortunately, Metal kicks Zero away as he approaches. Rock checks up on Zero’s condition while X runs toward Metal.

X: What do you think you’re doing! Get out of there.

Metal watches X’s futile attempt to reach him as a magical force from the hallway knocks Sonic out before the doors close.

X: We need to alert someone and let them know they’re in there.

Sonic: Relax. They won’t be able to enter the door leading to the simulator as it would’ve closed after Bowser and Eggman entered. This just means they won’t be able to see the fight. C’mon, let’s go! The fight is about to start!

As the group make their way to their seats Zero can’t help but feel that something is off about Metal. In the past weeks after the announcement of Bowser vs Eggman Metal Sonic has been acting very strange. Metal would normally be seen in the workshop next to his creator but in the past weeks he would be found in the rainbow race track around the arena. Constantly flying around it over and over. Most decided not to take note of it but the look Metal gave Zero when he kicked him away gave him the impression Metal was being very serious about something.

Zero: What is it that he’s so worked up about? I thought it was about the fight but now I’m not sure because he can’t watch it anymore .

It was a thought he couldn’t dwell on as the screen began to come to life.

The screen opens to World Bowser from Super Mario 3D World, where it appears that a wedding is happening. In attendance are various members of the Koopa Troop including Goomboss, King Bob-omb, Kamek, the Koopa General and a bored as hell King Boo. Bowser is seen in his white tuxedo and top hat looking happily at his bride-to-be, waiting for the officiate to begin the sermon.

Already the crowd is laughing at what they’re seeing. Bowser makes no attempts to hide his feelings toward Princess Toadstool but the concept of him in his own wedding is still an absurd thing to witness. Though, a few are a little sympathetic about it all.

Peach: I don’t know if I should start feeling bad or not for him.

Zelda: That is quite the unhealthy obsession.

Ganondorf: Hmph, how pathetic.

Goku: Aww, how sweet.

Superman: He really needs to get some help.

Kakashi: Hehe, of course it starts like that.

Jiraiya: Hahaha, in his dreams.

Stitch: falls off his chair in a fit of laughter

Dante: Awww, I bet wishes that were real.

Shadow: Huh?

Tails: Hahahaha

Sonic: Man, he just can’t have a wedding without some red man with a stache interrupting it, am I right?

Mario: nods

Suddenly, the entire wedding setup falls apart. “Princess Peach” falls on the ground, revealing it to be a cardboard cutout while the officiate throws off his clothes to reveal a laughinh Orbot and Cubot in disguise.

“Huh?!”

“Hahahaha!”

The words ‘OPERATION CATFISH WAS SUCCESSFUL’ flashes above the robot duo before Orbot projects a holographic video of Dr. Robotnik above him.

“I've come to make an announcement! This territory is now the base for my upcoming Eggmanland 2.”

Bowser, angry at being tricked, tears his tux off as Orbot and Cubot start running away and Bowser Jr. runs up to his father’s side.

“What a joke!”

Dr. Wily: What an idiot.

Eggman simply laughs as his holographic visage fades. Only for the screen to pan up to reveal the Egg Fleet, bursting through the clouds along with Eggman’s voice over a broadcast speaker. Any and all goofiness that the set-up had was immediately erased as tons of robots began falling and flying down from the sky.

“I am Doctor Eggman, your new genius overlord.”

His army of badniks hit the ground, alongside Eggman himself in his Egg Dragoon.

“GET A LOAD OF THIS!”

[Now playing: Game Over]

The camera jumps to a side of view of the battlefield, revealing the Koopa Troop had rallied behind their King. In the skies above, the Egg Fleet comes face to face with a fleet of Bowser’s Airships and various minions riding Koopa Clown Cars. Hovering above the battlefield various Paratroopers, Boos and King Boo himself, who now looked like he was ready to kill, mirrored the horde of Buzz Bombers, Eggrobos and Drones (from the movies) floating above their ground forces. And on the ground was everyone else. Jr. had taken his place next to his father while Kamek had taken position just behind his king. King Bob-omb and Goomboss stood at the flanks and an innumerable amount of Goombas, Koopas, Hammer Bros, Shy Guys, Bob-ombs, Spinys, Dry Bones, Chargin’ Chucks and Chain Chomps quickly gathered around and behind their king. On Eggman’s frontlines stood Egg Fighters with their shields raised with Eggrobos behind them carrying lances. Littered below the Dragoon was an ungodly amount of Eggrobos, Moto Bugs, Crabmeats, Slicers, Caterkillers and Egg Hammers.

Eggman stared down at Bowser from his Egg Dragoon while Bowser glowered at him from below. Those weeks of campaigning were about to pay off, one way or another.

Fight

The combatants cheered on as Bowser commanded his army forward before leaping ahead while Eggman rushed forward in the Dragoon while his forces opened fire.

It should be mentioned, that even though their armies were present, nobody actually knew this was going to be a proper army fight like Eggman vs Wily was. They were thinking along the lines of Ultron vs Sigma, in which, despite their armies being present, the fight was mainly between the two combatants. Little did anyone know, this was part of a carefully crafted plan.

[flashback]

Bowser waited patiently outside the Death Battle offices. Combatants were not allowed in but that didn’t mean they couldn’t interact with the staff on the other side. Next to him was a phone combatants could use to communicate with anyone they wanted inside the office and Eggman was currently using it.

“It would be nice if you could consider our suggestions. Mmhm… yeah… alright!”

“So?”

“They said yesssss.”

Eggman and Bowser began cackling together. Despite being long time rivals if there's anything they share in common is their love of showmanship. Bowser had come from a rather underwhelming performance with his fight with Ganondorf years ago and wanted to redeem himself while Eggman wanted to make his return since Season 1 a bang.

“Those chums really think they can have us tussle without us including our empires.”

“We’ll show them a good Death Battle.”

[flashback over]

Suffice to say, the combatants were expecting the armies to fight each other independently from their leaders.

Jr. leaped forward to crush a Moto Bug with a ground pound. Another Moto Bug tried to attack him while he was getting up only to be swiped off the ground by Roy, who chucked him away before falling back on a Caterkiller to crush it with his shell. Wendy leaped onto a platform to crush a Crabmeat, only for the Crabmeat to knock her off as it revealed itself to be the Heavy Magician, who quickly disappeared into his hat. Lemmy bounced onto the battlefield on his ball before conjuring another bouncy ball with his wand to toss forward, only for the Heavy Rider to catch a ride on the ball and use it to knock Lemmy away. He was then knocked back by an energy blast from Ludwig. Ludwig then fired multiple energy balls forward at a trio of Badniks but before they could land the Heavy Shinobi landed in front of the Badniks and sliced the attack away.

Bowser drop kicks an Egg Hammer, tosses two fire orbs at some Badniks and spits out three meteors at Heavy Shinobi, who fails to deflect the attack and is destroyed along with the Badniks behind it. The Egg Dragoon then flies down and fires a volley of bullets at Bowser while Eggman laughs maniacally. Bowser rushes toward the Dragoon, dodging a few shots before retreating into his shell and spinning towards it while the bullets harmlessly bounce off him.

“Shut up, Nerd!”

Bowser launches himself up to the Dragoon and performs a spinning shell attack which Eggman blocks with the Dragoon’s gatling gun, only for the gun to be destroyed. In response, Eggman fires the Dragoon’s drill missiles at Bowser. Bowser is hit but shrugs off the missile's electrocution and leaps off of it to catch another missile in midair to throw back at the Egg Dragoon. The missile pierces the Dragoon, splitting its upper body from its tail. Bowser stomps on the ground as he lands to conjure up spikes from the ground which impale the cockpit and seemingly Eggman as well.

But the camera zooms into the impaled Doctor to reveal it was actually D3-COY, as its mechanical head springs out of the supposed Doctor’s body while playing his maniacal laugh on loop. However, Bowser seems to have thought D3-COY is the real deal and begins taunting Robotnik's corpse.

“You call these toys an invasion force? punches an Egg Fighter trying to ambush him into smithereens I’ve seen Toads do better.”

Eggman’s voice is suddenly broadcasted from above, seemingly shocked at his opponent’s lack of intelligence to the point where he accidentally gave away a strategic advantage of his, that being he was still alive. Most of the combatants weren’t too surprised to see Eggman die without the fight ending as his decoy has been used a couple times to fool some of them for his own benefit in the Colosseum. What they were more surprised in was how quickly he had used it, now wondering what the rest of the fight had to offer after what was previously a trump card against Wily was used so willy-nilly.

“That’s a decoy, you idiot! Infinite!”

Infinite warps onto the battlefield in front of Bowser mid-air.

“This power is without peer. It is the ultimate strength!”

With the Phantom Ruby’s power Infinite increases the gravity on the battlefield, making quick work of the Koopa General, Goomboss, King Bob-omb and many other members of the Koopa Troop while also downing a lot of Paratroopers.

Sonic: Hey wait a minute!

Silver: That’s cheating!

Tails: That’s not fair!

Sonic: Why is Infinite there?

Knuckles: That’s outside help! Eggman should be disqualified.

A commotion began to rise among the combatants of Eggman potentially breaking the rules of Death Battle.

Bowser uses his magic to protect his army using barriers though they are still susceptible to members of Eggman’s army attacking them. As Bowser struggles to keep his army alive the camera pans over to King Boo, who laughs at Bowser’s predicament before turning his attention to the Jackal. While Infinite was distracted, taking out as many of Bowser’s troops as he could, King Boo uses his magic to summon a Thwomp above Infinite. The increased gravity causes it to fall at tremendous speeds, faster than Infinite could react. The Thwomp crushes him into the ground, causing his mask and the Phantom Ruby to fly off of him.

“URGH!”

Luigi: Wait, so they both get outside help?

Dr. Wily: No, they aren’t breaking the rules. It’s like when I fought Ivo. This is no Death Battle, this is a proper war.

Ultron: They got a war and I didn’t?!

Sigma: Preposterous!

This fact was made more clear to the combatants when the Phantom Ruby landed on the ground before the camera panned out to reveal it lying in the middle of the two armies. The Koopa Troop, recognising it as something important, and the Eggman Empire, desperate to get their super weapon back, begin charging at it to retrieve it. A Goomba and Buzz Bomer reach the Ruby first but due to their inability to grab it they just stare at it. A Chargin’ Chuck runs by and grabs it before charging through a Moto Bug. He then trips from a Burrobot launching up from the ground beneath him, causing the Ruby to fly back into the air. It is quickly caught by a Lakitu before the Lakitu is then killed by a rocket fired from the Heavy Gunner, who tries to fly down and grab the Ruby but is smashed away by Morton and his hammer. Morton picks up the Ruby before barely blocks an incoming spin dash from Mecha Sonic MK I with his hammer. He kicks Mecha away before giving chase but as he runs to give Mecha a beat down Orbot and Cubot appear from behind and manage to snatch the Ruby away. They aren’t uncontested as the Elite Trio jump into the battle and start brawling with the duo, forming a cartoon dust cloud in the process.

Zero: Wait a minute, if this fight is meant to include every member from their army. Then that means-

The Ruby is launched up again and Metal Sonic dashes by the screen, quickly grabbing the Ruby and making a run for it. Seeing this, Bowser calls down purple lighting to follow Metal. A bunch of Paratroopers start giving chase and Hammer Bros and Bullet Bills begin targeting the Fake Sonic. But Metal is too fast. He manages to dodge all of their attempts to stop him and even takes the time to catch Morton, who had already destroyed Mecha Sonic MK I, Roy and Lemmy off guard. Bowser throws Broggy at Metal’s direction before Kamek appears next to his king to summon three slots above them.

Metal continues his rampage. He grabs a nearby Chain Chomp by the chain and throws it at Boggy to throw him off his tail. He dodges some fireballs fired from King Boo before flicking the King’s crown off of his head, causing him to become bashful and effectively eliminating him from the fight. The remaining Koopalings try to jump Metal in a last ditch attempt to stop him but he powers though with V. Maximum Overdrive. Eventually, he reaches a far and safe place to power up. But before he could achieve his Giga form the screen flies up to show the words ‘Chance Time!’ before focusing back on Metal, who then realised that the Phantom Ruby is no longer in his grasps. He frantically looks around, even twisting his head 360 degrees before locking his gaze on Bowser, the Koopa King now laughing at him while holding the Phantom Ruby.

Luigi: laughs and points

Wario: Haha! Unlucky.

Metal then crashes out. He summons the Green Chaos Emerald to him and uses it to transform into Neo Metal Sonic. He slowly walks out of the cloud of energy behind him, his demeanor alone demanding silence and reverence from the audience.

“It’s too late!”

He rockets forward, Bowser crushes the Phantom Ruby but notices too late that Metal is coming at him and is immediately kicked away by Neo Metal with so much force that he is sent flying face-first into the ground, with the kick being accompanied by a red background and two black silhouettes in the form of a dive kicking Metal and a kicked-in-the-chest Bowser. As Bowser lies unconscious Neo flies away. Jr. takes notice of his dad’s state before hesitantly manifesting black paint on his paint brush. A type of paint only Mario knows about. The Plumber’s eyes widen at the simple sight of Jr.’s black paint and starts feeling uneasy.

Meanwhile, the real Eggman enters the battle. He drops down inside his Egg Emperor, stabbing its lance into the ground as he makes his entrance.

“All according to plan!”

Despite being an old mech it was refurbished to be ready to fight again, courtesy of a Badnik who’s more than just a simple minion.

“You lost the battle before it had begun.”

Sage slowly descends next to her father’s mech, which pulls its lance from the ground before floating above the battlefield. Neo Metal flies up to his place on the other side of the Egg Emperor.

Sonic: Even Sage is here… Eggman is really pulling out all the stops.

Peach: Now it looks to be a proper fight between Bowser and Eggman.

“Excellent work as always Metal!”

“Hmph. gives thumbs up”

“Ready to wrap this up Sage?”

“As you command.”

“You know what they say: The more the merrier! Hahahahahaha!”

As Eggman laughs at his presumed victory Jr. splashes his black paint on his father. The paint completely covers him and opens up a vortex of darkness beneath him that slowly swallows him, with Jr. jumping in to follow his father. Aside from Mario, the rest of the Mario cast aren’t aware of what this is. Since Bowser and Eggman did their best to hide the fact that they were having a full-scale war Bowser made sure not to bring up his Fury form at all since that requires his son’s assistance in activating it. The camera follows the Koopa King and Prince into the void and within the darkness a pair of white eyes open with flaming orange eyes brows burning above them, staring back into the screen. Luigi was terrified at the sight of the white eyes. Yoshi reacted in shock and fear. Wario was confused. Peach displayed a look of concern on her face before turning to Mario. Mario was gripping the armrest of his chair tightly and sweat began to trickle down from underneath Cappy.

Peach: Mario?

Sonic: Mario are you okay? What is this form?

Many more combatants were confused as well, wondering if Bowser left out some information regarding himself (Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury wasn’t a popular game in the entertainment room). Regardless of how they felt, Bowser’s Fury only needed one introduction to get them to know him.

“Showtime!”

Fury Bowser rises from the ground and reveals himself for all to witness. As he falls he readies a punch at the Egg Emperor but despite its faster speed compared to his other mechs it was still too slow to move out of the way in time. Neo Metal intervenes, kicking the Egg Emperor away and activating his Black Shield, only for Fury Bowser’s punch to smash right through, sending a now crippled Metal flying away. Sage teleports away and Fury Bowser begins to charge at the Egg Emperor. Being completely outmatched in size, Eggman attempted to make some distance between them, firing energy beams from his lance while flying backwards.

“Take this!”

But Fury Bowser simply ran through each attack without flinching. He caught up to the Egg Emperor and slashed down at it, which was blocked by the Egg Emperor’s shield but the attack destroyed the shield and nearly crippled the mech. In a panic, Eggman pilots the mech into the air and fires all of the missiles at Fury Bowser, who leaps in the air after him, tanking all the missiles before grabbing the Egg Emperor with both claws. Eggman immediately ejects just as the Egg Emperor is crushed and flees in his Egg Mobile. As he retreats, Sage teleports back into the battle and begins pulling out a squad of mass-produced Death Egg Robots from Cyberspace. But this is merely a distraction. Fury Bowser shows no hesitation as he charges forward. His army below ran out of his way, in fear of being crushed by the mad king. Eggman’s army is spared no mercy as Fury Bowser tramples on them while tearing apart the first Death Egg Robot he comes across. Sage rendezvous back with her father.

“By my calculations, he’s too strong for any of our mechs to take on one on one.”

The camera cuts to Fury Bowser grabbing two Death Egg Robots by the head and smashing them into each other.

“Our best hope to defeat him right now is with this.”

Sage then pulls out the Master Emerald from Cyberspace. An act that instantly pisses off one of the combatants.

“WHEN DID HE GET THAT!”

Knuckles destroys the armrests on his chair as his fists and teeth clench in rage and his friends try to calm him down.

Sonic: Woah calm down buddy! It’s just for the fight.

Tails: Knuckles it’s not the real Master Emerald remember?

Silver was ready to encase Knuckles in his psychokinesis in the event he went ballistic but he managed to calm down somewhat.

Knuckles: Fine, it’s not the real one. Just a simulated one for the fight.

The remaining Death Egg Robots fire their lasers at Fury Bowser and all that accomplished was pushing his head back a bit. He lets out a Fury Blast to sweep across the battlefield, instantly destroying the remaining Death Egg Robots. But the destruction of these mass-produced models was all part of Sage’s plan. Behind the smoke, Sage was holding up a shield to protect Eggman from Bowser’s fire breath. Eggman began harnessing the power of the Master Emerald to pull all the wreckage of the Death Egg Robots to himself in a tornado of parts. When the tornado settled a new, improved and live-action version of the Death Egg Robot stepped out. Sage teleports away again as Eggman in his new Death Egg Robot and Fury Bowser begin charging at each other. The two titans stop just in front of each other to make their stance. The camera pans to a wide shot of both titans reading a punch while lighting strikes in the background.

The two connect their punches at the same time, knocking each other back and sending a shockwave throughout the battlefield. Fury Bowser is quicker to recover and begins biting one of the Death Egg Robot’s arms. Eggman struggles to pry him off with his other arm and resorts to kicking Fury Bowser back. The Death Egg Robot grabs Fury Bowser’s sides in an attempt to throw him into the ground but Fury Bowser breaks his hold by expelling a large amount of fire from his mouth to push the Death Egg Robot back. Fury Bowser then grabs the Death Egg Robot by the shoulders and lifts it over his head before tearing both arms off, grabbing its sides and smashing it into the ground in front of him. Before Fury Bowser is able to step on the de-armed mech it flies back with the jet booster on its back and manages to stand back up. Green electricity sparks from the arm holes as more wreckage from the surrounding war is brought up to the Death Egg Robot to make new arms for it, this time more in line with the design of the arms from the Generations Death Egg Robot.

“Haha! How do you like that, you crazy animal.”

Eggman was floating at the center inside the Death Egg Robot, empowered by the Master Emerald and controlling the mech with his own motions. But as he begins running the green electricity around the room disappears and he suddenly falls face-first on the floor of his mech’s interior.

“What?”

He looks up to see three slots above him. The one on the left had a picture of him, the one in the middle had a picture of the Master Emerald with an arrow below pointing right and the slot on the right had the face of a certain red echidna. Back at the arena seats the Master Emerald suddenly materialised above Knuckles, which then proceeded to smush him and his chair. The people surrounding him were taken aback but Knuckles reassured them all with a thumbs up from under the Emerald.

Kamek’s laugh could be heard from inside the Death Egg Robot. Eggman angrily began running to his Egg Mobile cockpit, which was a few floors above him, leaving the Death Egg Robot vulnerable. Fury Bowser let out his N64 roar as he delivered a devastating blow to the Death Egg Robot’s face, burning off half of it. Eggman takes back control of the mech as it stumbles back and launches an arm attack at Fury Bowser. Fury Bowser jumps high in the air and goes back into his shell before firing multiple red spikes down at the struggling mech. Sage appears again to protect her father with an above-head shield but Fury Bowser follows up with a down-air attack. He strikes Sage’s shield with the force of a meteor and shatters it but is halted from falling by a small golden light.

“Huh?”

A perplexed Eggman, who braced for impact, looks up to see the black coated Koopa King being lifted by his greatest creation, being empowered by one of his most prized valuables. In the time Eggman and Fury Bowser fought, Sage searched for Neo’s body and repaired it with the seven Chaos Emeralds. The camera pans to reveal Super Neo Metal holding Fury Bowser up.

“I’ll crush you!”

A reveal that drew quite distasteful reactions from some of the combatants.

Vegeta: That cheap knock off form again.

Ryuko: Great, I should've expected this.

Trunks: Well, I think the victor is set in stone now.

Sonic Super forms is a rather controversial topic among the combatants. Unlike forms such as Superman’s sun-dipping, which require an external energy source to activate, or Ultra Instinct, which still has its limits regardless of how strong Goku becomes with it, the Sonic Super forms have a notorious history of being invincible to all physical damage. Vegeta, Ryuko and Mewtwo weren’t able to hurt Super Shadow, Mario had to use his own invincible power-ups to counter the form and Trunks had to resort to trying to manipulate Silver’s time to force him out of Super. No one has yet to be able to properly contend with a Super Hedgehog so seeing Metal go Super made a lot of combatants throw in the towel. But the fight wasn’t over yet.

Super Neo Metal launches Fury Bowser into the air to deal a heavy combo on him before kicking him to the ground. As Fury Bowser recovers Sage attempts to follow up and keep him down, collecting as many Badniks as she could with her telekinesis before tossing them at the Koopa King but Kamek reappears in front of Fury Bowser and uses his magic to summon a bunch of warp pipes that suck in all the Badniks before throwing them back out the way they came. The flying Badnik horde was disintegrated by a charging Super Neo, who blasts through Kamek’s pipe defense to deliver a punch at the Magikoopa’s face, blasting him off to the horizon as Fury Bowser takes notice of his advisor being defeated.

Super Neo rushes at Fury Bowser who braces himself with a block. Only for his son in his Shadow Mario form to leap in front of his father and paint an X-shaped paint shield in front of them. Seeing Jr. take a stance in front of Super Neo made Peach horrified. Even though she may not be his mother she can’t help but feel a sense of empathy toward him in a way a mother only could. She couldn’t watch as she closed her eyes shut as Super Neo rolled into a ball to break through the shield before dishing out a painful spin dash attack on Shadow Mario, knocking him into the ground.

Behold the king

Fury Bowser watches as Shadow Mario hits the ground hard, detransforming back into Bowser Jr. who now laid motionless on the ground. Bowser had mentioned he had a son a few times to some of the combatants and it was very evident from the way he talked about him that the two were very close. A wave of sympathy began washing over some of the combatants. Sonic looked on with horror, being intimately familiar with Metal’s ruthlessness. Superman, who is particularly against kids being in Death Battle, had to control his anger. Goku watched in terror. Tony looked at the screen in silence, lost for words. Batman sympathetically tilted his head down. Steven looked like he was at the brink of tears. Vader felt conflicted. Kratos, Nolan and Bardock gazed at the scene with sorrow. Even though it was just a simulation, at times the events that happen in a Death Battle can feel real.

Annihilating everything in a sea of flames

Bowser’s emotions spiralled out of control. His rage skyrocketed but not only that, the sight of his son on the brink of death snapped him out of the Fury form’s directionless rage. The rage he had now is controlled and he aimed to focus all of that on one being.

With these machines

As Super Neo tries to attack Bowser he swats him away with a backhand.

“How dare you! Keep you hands-”

Out of thin air Bowser summons a Grand Star. The star falls on him, powering him up and surrounding him in a rainbow aura.

“OFF”

Fabricate a new reality

“MY… SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!!!”

Bowser unleashes a multi-coloured, Grand Star amped, Fury Blast at Super Neo Metal. The act of firing the blast itself sent shockwaves out of the screen, shaking the arena. His aura of giving it his best for his son was inspiring and many combatants who were on Bowser’s side began cheering. Now that Kamek was out of the picture Metal could finally fight at his full potential-

“Bowser Bio-data: Successfully copied”

And fired Bowser’s own Fury Blast back at him.

In resemblance of me

The two beams clash but Metal’s beam is instantly overpowered. As Bowser’s blast approaches Metal the Chaos Emeralds get overpowered and leave him. Much to Sonic, his friends and everyone else’s surprise. Metal comes face to face with Bowser’s Fury and is vaporised. More combatants began to cheer and even some of Eggman supporters had begun switching sides, either from witnessing Jr. get injured or seeing Bowser overpower the Chaos Emeralds.

Vegeta: What?!

Ryuko: Wha- WOOOO! Let’s go!

Trunks: I can’t believe it. Come one Bowser you got this!

“No!”

Sage is distraught. Her calculations were perfect. She got Kamek out of the picture, she got Metal to go Super, it was a 3v1 they could’ve won. She didn’t account for Jr. foolishly jumping in with a futile attempt to save his father. Nor could she account for the rise in Bowser’s power after the fact. Bowser’s blast creates a black hole at the back lines of Eggman’s army, pulling in and destroying the Egg Fleet and nearly the entire army down below while leaving the Koopa Troop unscathed. Even parts of the Death Egg Robot began succumbing to the black hole’s pull. Sage ran as many calculations in her head but there was too much going on. With each lost Badnik, Hard Boiled Heavy and ship lost she had to recalculate their odds of winning. With so much resources being lost at once she had trouble keeping up. There had to be a way to stop this. There had to be a way to win. No odds doesn’t mean a loss, it just means a winning factor may not have been considered yet. Sonic proved as much when they fought The End. There had to be something. But as good of a computer Sage was, she was first and foremost Eggman’s daughter. And every good child listens to and obeys their parent’s words.

“Sage!”

The Death Egg Robot was now hanging on by a single arm on the ground and its jet boosters.

“The Death Egg! MAX POWER!”

Two kings killing for the crown

Sage teleports away with the Chaos Emeralds and the camera shows the black hole dissipating before panning up to show the moon and the flash of seven glowing gems surrounding it while a pair of green eyes come to life at the moon’s center. The Death Egg moves out of the moon’s outline, orienting itself to aim at Earth.

Vader: Hmmm.

Its eyes flash with light as Sage charges its Final Egg Blaster with the Chaos Emeralds. Even with all the adventures Sonic had been through with the Doctor, this scene left him stunned and speechless.

Sonic: I guess watching Eggman fight instead of fighting him gives a new perspective on how dangerous he actually is .

The Final Egg Blaster fires but some are quick to point out that its trajectory is a bit off.

Dr. Wily: What is she doing? That completely misses Bowser!

Lex Luthor: Perhaps a miscalculation in the midst of stress.

Dimitri: No, that’s not it! Look! The blast is aimed at his army.

Two kings killing for the crown

As the beam gets closer to the battlefield the Koopa Troop can only watch in fear of their impending doom while the remains of the Eggman Empire flee, with the exception of Orbot and Cubot. While they were still entangled with the Elite Trio their lack of motion is attributed to their disbelief of Eggman’s willingness to sacrifice them.

To stake their claim

Bowser looks up at the approaching beam. The camera gives a close-up shot of his foot as he jumps before cutting to Eggman laughing maniacally while escaping in the Egg Mobile.

They will tear every world down

Bowser lands in front of his army and catches the beam with his bare hands. The camera pans behind him, to look up at him from behind along with the rest of the Koopa Troop. Witnessing their king protecting them with his life. A sight that almost felt unreal. Here was Bowser, the proud, brash, goofy, clumsy, easy to trick, easy to irritate, easy to make fun of turtle that most of the combatants saw him as, now standing before his army and laying down his life for them.

Behold the king let it be known

Bowser did his best but the beam was too powerful. Eventually he is overwhelmed and the beam fully engulfs him, and all he can do is scream in pain as his skin and flesh is torn from his skeleton before that too falls to pieces under the might of the Death Egg.

Who sits upon the throne

The smoke clears to reveal a crater. It was a feat that impressed the Sonic cast. To tank enough energy to turn the solar system destroying Final Egg Blaster into a simple crater maker was something to be respected. Some of the newcomers thought this is it. That Bowser was dead. But more experienced combatants had seen enough to know what a fake out looked like.

Eggman is shown to have survived, despite being outside his Eggmobile, the Eggmobile being severely damaged and both being inside the crater. He starts walking back to his ride, thinking he won…

…A beam of magic shoots from the side of the screen, turning the Egg Mobile into stone. The camera turns with Eggman’s shocked reaction to reveal the spell came from Bowser Jr., with a bloody nose and holding Kamek’s wand. He glares at Eggman as his father resembles his skeleton behind him. Dry Bowser stares down Eggman with his skeletal smile as the Koopa Troop begin to descend around them. Goombas, Koopas, Hammer Bros, Shy Guys, Bob-ombs, Spinys, Dry Bones, Chargin’ Chucks and Chain Chomps surround the two tyrants. Paratroopers hover above them and even parts of Bowser’s Airship fleet survived and can be seen flying above in the sky. The Koopalings, with various levels of severe injuries, were lined up behind Bowser.

The crowd went wild. Not since Superman and Goku’s final clash had the arena seen the combatants so worked up. They cheered for Bowser and his army. Peach let out a sigh of relief for Jr.’s survival and both Mario and Sonic and their friends began rooting for Bowser.

Behold the king

Jr. fires the wand again at Eggman, who dodges it.

Long live the king

“Curses! Sage! Fire it agai— Wuh-huh?!”

Eggman turns around and is met with the sight of the Death Egg being turned into a giant Question Mark Block. Even Mario and his friends were shocked by this. Hell, most of the magic-based combatants were shocked at this magical potency that Bowser apparently had. Sonic had just remembered that Sage was in the Death Egg and worried for her.

“Wait…!”

It was bad enough his orbital base was made moot but Eggman was more concerned and worried for Sage. But Bowser didn’t give him time to worry about her.

Behold the king

Bowser began sucking Eggman toward him with his Vacuum Breath. The camera showed a front view of Eggman desperately trying to claw his way to escape while it was Bowser’s turn to maniacally laugh. His skeleton form enhanced the dread that came with his laughter. At this moment Mario disregarded his first ever encounter with Fury Bowser. This easily beats that as the most terrifying he’s seen Bowser ever be.

Mario: I never-a knew watching someone else fight Bowser would be more terrifying than fighting him myself.

Long live the king

Eggman activates his jetpack, only for it to be sucked away, leaving him running for his life. In a last ditch effort to do something, he takes out his ray gun and charges it up while aiming at Bowser, only for Jr. to shoot it with his want and turn it into a cardboard cutout for Eggman to look at with despair.

Discord: Live by the cardboard, die by the cardboard. Oh I like this poetry.

Eggman can only watch as he is forced closer to Bowser. To Koopa King deciding to throw out a line form his own red-stached rival at Eggman.

“Gah-hah-hah-HAH! So long, Doctor!”

With all his might and fury, Dry Bowser delivers a devastating blow into Eggman’s chest. Sending him flying to the Question Mark Block in the sky.

“WOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!!”

Bowser watches as Eggman crashes into the block, causing it to explode. Killing him and sending hundreds of coins raining down. Bowser gives a triumphant laugh as Kamek, Jr. and the rest of the Koopa Troop gather around him to celebrate too. The raining coins supply them all with numerous extra lives. At the corner of the screen, Orbot and Cubot look sheepishly at the camera. The screen cuts to black and the music stops.

[Music stops]

KO

The crowd goes wild as a victory card of not only Bowser but the Koopa Troop appears on the screen.

Dimitri: Seems you had more honour that I thought you did King Bowser.

Tony: Can’t believe I actually thought the kid died there.

Batman: Were you about to cry?

Tony: Cry? Heh- no… of course not…

Batman:...I found it quite intense too.

Superman: Even though it’s just a simulation I’m glad to know Bowser Jr. is okay.

Goku: Yeah, same here. I had no idea Bowser was that strong! I mean, not even the Ki Sword was able to beat a Super form!

King Dedede: I always knew you had that sense of duty in you. You just know when the time calls for that attitude.

Ren: That almost felt real! Are all Death Battles like this?

Mitsuru: Not all. Even though many are good, few are capable of being great. This is a rare great one.

Giorno: I really thought Eggman had it in the bag there. Even though I was rooting for Bowser it looked like Eggman had everything he needed for this fight.

Jonathan: Emotions are a powerful thing that can drive us to accomplish great things.

Dr. Wily: He’s built so much. As much as it pains me to say, Ivo’s brilliance is impressive. My work has been lacking! I must find a way to catch up.

Ganondorf: …

The doors below the screen open and the two villains walk out to a round of applause. Bowser and Eggman begin basking in the glory of their fight.

Eggman: They love it!

Bowser: Told you we’d kill it!

Eggman: I never doubted us for one second. You were not half-bad back there. Though, I would like to apologise on Metal’s behalf for injuring your son.

Bowser: Bah, don’t sweat it.

The two are then greeted by their rivals as Sonic dashes down and Mario leaps off the stadium onto the ground level to meet them.

Sonic: Look at you two looking all smug and proud. Don’t tell me you secretly planned this war.

Eggman: Hohoho, a real genius doesn’t give away his secrets so easily Sonic.

Sonic: By the way, is that why Metal, Goomba and Koopa entered the simulator?

The two villains nodded and as they did the doors behind them began to open again. The Goomba and Koopa happily bounced out, followed by Metal Sonic. Which was to be expected but then a few more figures started coming out too. The first was Kamek, who flew out of the door and took his place above his king before giving his iconic laugh.

Mega Man: Of course! looks back at Bass who’s sitting next to Dr. Wily The army battle means their generals also get to join us.

Orbot and Cubot were next, running out of the door and waving at the crowd before accidentally bumping into Metal. Bowser Jr. came out next, laughing gleefully, followed by Sage, who looked around with wonder, Infinite, who stared at the floor with his arms crossed and finally, King Boo. The moment King Boo entered the arena he scanned the audience and immediately locked eyes with Luigi. Causing the Green Plumber to recoil in fear while the ghostly king simply laughed.

Sonic: Sage! Long time no see. And Infinite! Didn’t expect you to appear. What about Zavok or Starline Eggman?

Eggman: I only chose those who were loyal to me without question! Those two traitors can forget about being a part of the Eggman Empire.

Sonic: If you say so. Well, c’mon guys! The next fight is about to be announced.

The group head back as the victor title card began to fade away.

Next time on Death Battle

The screen showed a desert hill. It didn’t show anything else for a while. Then, a crown began to rise from behind the hill, taking up the entire screen, as the start-up sound for a certain mystery-style game played. Montages of both the Imposter and Fall Guy were then shown. The red bean doing its usual killing and the pink bean doing its usual obstacle course running. The montage ended with the introduction of two new franchises.

Imposter from Among Us vs Fall Guy from Fall Guys.

Goku: No way! More new fighters.

Superman: And new serieses as well.

The Doctor: Oh hey. I recognise one of them.

Rick: We’re gonna watch beans fight next?

Kirby: Poyo!

Chapter Text

When it comes to content being added to both the library and entertainment room they are usually restricted to the pieces of media that a combatant is a part of. Star Wars has a lot of content ranging from movies, tv shows, games, novels, comics, etc. However, the only Star Wars content available in both rooms are the ones that revolve around Boba Fett, Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda. So while games like the Fallen Order series are present in the entertainment room games such as Knights of the Old Republic are absent. Prior to Joker’s arrival a few weeks ago the only Persona games were Persona 3 and Persona 3 Reload. New media is only added when a new combatant with new content revolving around them joins the Colosseum. That doesn’t mean more media requires a new combatant to join. Those who have been around for a long time get their media regularly updated whenever they have a new adventure For example, even though no Mario character was asked to fight in Season 10, Mario Wonder was automatically added to the entertainment room. Information on Bardock was sparse because while he does share pieces of content with Frieza and Broly his Super Saiyan form was mainly locked behind episode Bardock, which was only added after his arrival. Everything related to Persona 5 was added after Joker joined and ditto with Giorno and Jojo Part 5. With this knowledge it should be obvious that the video games Among Us and Fall Guys are not available in the Colosseum. So the lead up to this fight was the combatants just going about their days.

—

Giorno was getting ready to leave the library, having just finished reading through the first Harry Potter book. As he made his way to the exit he passed by the game manual section, where his eye caught a large portion of the shelves to be empty. Noticing a trail of littered books on the ground he followed them to one of the reading corners. There he saw Infinite, thoroughly reading through all the manuals, guides and comic books Sonic has had in his history. His mask laid on the floor next to the bean bag he was sitting on as he flipped through the pages of an IDW issue. His Phantom Ruby was tucked away under his mask to avoid it being potentially stolen. Curious, Giorno approached the Jackal.

Giorno: Hey, you’re that Jackal from the last fight with the red powers right? Infinite, was it? My name is Giorno Giovanna but you can call me Giorno. My fight was before yours so your fight was the first I got to witness.

Giorno extends a hand to Infinite, who chooses to ignore it but acknowledges the man’s presence.

Infinite: Hmpf, did you win your fight?

Giorno: No, I lost. I underestimated his capabilities and was overwhelmed by his strength.

Infinite: Weak and pathetic.

Giorno: Ouch, that’s harsh. Feeling moody after your loss?

Infinite: I don’t care about the Doctor’s defeat to that turtle.

Giorno: Then what’s bothering you?

Infinite: …both Sonic and Shadow are here.

Giorno looked down again to see just how many books Infinite had taken that relate to the Blue Blur and his Anti Hero Shadow.

Giorno: I take it that you are enemies with them.

Infinite: Yes, we are. picks up his mask to reveal the Phantom Ruby underneath With this artefact I was promised great power. The Doctor said we could rule the world together. I really thought I was going somewhere. That I was destined for greatness. Then those hedgehogs showed up and proceeded to treat me like a joke!

Giorno: Careful, you might ruin the comic. Others may want to read that.

Infinite: Does this place have records about the capabilities of the combatants here?

Giorno: Yeah, it does. The archives are down the hall after the DB hall of fame. Though, don’t try to get funny ideas.

Infinite didn’t say anything after that and went back to reading his comics. Giorno decided to wave off Infinite’s behaviour as a sore loss that was taken way too personally.

Giorno: Hopefully he doesn’t try to stir up trouble here .

—

The DB hall of fame contains framed photos of some of the most prestigious fighters in Death Battle’s catalog. It records important pieces of Death Battle’s history and some of its members serve as inspirations for those who want to better themselves or become stronger. There used to be a janitor that came up every few weeks to clean the frames but eventually quit after he was getting harassed by the combatants, so to make up for that some of the combatants volunteered to help fill in his janitorial duties. Today, Luigi was the one responsible for making sure the frames were squeaky clean and dust free. As he worked he would always mumble the short descriptions underneath each combatant to keep his mind busy.

Luigi: Boba Fett, the galaxy’s best bounty hunter. Cloned from the legendary bounty hunter Jango Fett, Boba grew up as Jango’s son and quickly learned the traits needed to become a bounty hunter. He would succeed his father’s legacy and become infamous throughout the galaxy, working for people as powerful as the crime lord Jabba the Hutt and even the Empire’s right hand man, Darth Vader. Record, 1-2.

Samus Aran, the metroid hunter. At a young age she was adopted by the bird-like species Chozo after her parents were killed by space pirates and was injected with their DNA to make her stronger and faster. She became even more powerful when she donned her trademark Power Suit and would work in the Galactic Federation for a while before leaving to become a bounty hunter. Liberating planets and fighting against pirates. Record, 2-0.

Mario, my brother, the Jumpman Superstar. A humble plumber with a knack for adventure. Always ready to save the Princess whenever she gets kidnapped by Bowser. A crying shame he can’t save himself from being kidnapped too- wait wait wait wha?

Luigi has tended to these pictures enough to have memorised what each description says and he noticed the text underneath his brother’s photo had been changed when he was going to clean the plaque. Confused, he looked back up at the picture of his brother, only the notice that his eyes in the picture were squinting. As they were trying to get a closer look at him. Luigi started to become scared as she began backing away from the picture before the entire photo of the red plumber leaped onto the frame as if he was trying to escape it. Luigi screamed and ran down the hall away from the spooky photo. Only for it to revert back to normal as King Boo phases out of the frame, laughing at his nemesis’ cowardice.

—

The magic workshop is always filled with a series of bright colours and explosions as different magic users test out new abilities or refine existing ones. Kamek flies around the place, curiously observing each magical ability and how it works. Despite his showcase of abilities in Bowser vs Eggman not a lot of combatants took notice of his magic potential, partially due to how silly his get up was. Not that the koopa wizard minded. He was content with watching the different magical abilities in action, hoping to find something interesting in order to learn for himself that could assist in helping his king.

???: You there.

Kamek turned around to sound a female voice coming from behind. It was Makima, wearing her usual smile.

Makima: You’re that wizard from Bowser’s army aren’t you? I have to say, your magic is impressive. Being able to steal items like that is an incredibly useful ability.

Kamek simply nodded along. Despite Bowser telling him that most of the combatants are chill he didn’t quite trust the concept of being under the same roof as so many fighters. Especially if a good portion of them are bad guys like them. No matter how chill they are.

Makima: I think you’re pretty cool. How about you show me that item stealing ability again. Here, takes out her sword use it to take my sword.

Curious but cautious Kamek brings out his chance time slots. One with a picture of himself, another with a picture of Makima and the middle one with a picture of a sword and an arrow pointing away from Makima. In an instant the sword disappeared from Makima’s hands and reappeared floating above Kamek.

Makima: Interesting. Why don’t we head to the seats over there. We could get to know each other. I could tell you about myself and you could tell me about you.

It was at this moment when Kamek sneered at her.

Kamek: My magic is nothing to you. There is nothing about it you need to know.

Makima: Oh come one. Please? I’ll do something for you in return.

Kamek: I’ve dealt with enough people like you in my time working with the king.

And with that Kamek teleports out of the workshop, dropping Makima’s sword on the ground and leaving the red head. Makima doesn't say a word as she picks up her sword and leaves. She heads down the hall leading away from the workshop. As she leaves she doesn’t realise she’s being watched as Gojo hides around the corner of the hall that leads to the workshop.

Gojo: Another failed attempt, good. Though not enough to tie with the successes.

—

It’s time for AmongGuys. The combatants took to their seats and waited for the fight to start.

Superman: What are you expecting?

Goku: mouth full of corn dog I don’t know. Based on what I remember from the sneak peak one of them looks like some sort of monster.

Superman: The red one with the tongue right?

Goku: Yeah that one.

Superman: Yeah, I expect some aggressive behaviour from that one. Apparently the Doctor is quite familiar with the pink one but he didn’t really tell me much when I asked about him. He just said ‘You’ll have to wait for the fight.’

Goku: That guy is so confusing. Why won’t he tell us if knows about them like the other combatants?

Superman: In his words it’s so that we don’t get spoiled. Honestly, even with prior knowledge of the fighters it doesn’t diminish the experience of the fight. Just look at the last fight.

Goku: Yep! Ah I wish we could fight each other here. I’ve been itching to challenge Bowser after seeing his performance.

[Now playing: Sussy Beans]

The screen goes black before showing a group of cyan, blue, white, brown and purple Crewmates facing a group of pink, yellow, orange, green and purple Fall Guys. Both were positioned on opposite sides of the screen as two texts ominously appeared between them.

Crewmate

There are Imposters among us

The screen then shows the cafeteria of the Skeld before the alarms went off, indicating a sabotage. Most of the Fall Guys panicked while the Crewmates began acting accordingly to the situation at hand. It didn’t take a genius for anyone to gather from this that the environment they were in is more familiar to the Crewmates than to the Fall Guys. The rowdy scene passed quickly though the combatants were at least able to pick up the Cyan Crewmate giving a ‘hush’ sign to the camera, immediately bringing suspicion upon him. Though couple combatants did notice something was off about another being in the cafeteria.

Scout: chewing popcorn Was that delayed reaction from purple a fluke? Might wanna keep an eye on him.

Batman: A delayed reaction. Possibly meaning he’s observing his surroundings to get a better idea of how to act.

The Brown Crewmate makes his way to the reactor room to fix the meltdown, cautiously checking around to make sure he’s not being followed. As he enters the reactor room he hears the sound of a vent closing in the dark. He turns around but is too late as the Cyan Crewmate rushes at him with his monstrous smile. The Among Us kill screen plays as Cyan pierces Brown’s visor with its tongue before ducking away into the vents. Not a particularly scary sight though scary enough that both Scooby and Courage hid under their seats after witnessing that kill.

Static: Woah hold on. I thought they were on the same team?

Wally West: Yeah me too.

Johnny Cage: Did you guys not read what it said at the beginning? It said imposters. That means he’s not one of them.

Orange Fall Guy walks into the reactor room and sees Brown’s dead body. He immediately freezes up in fear as the reactor meltdown counts down to zero.

Deku: So this fight is going to be some sort of murder mystery where the two combatants have to find each other amidst distrust from their teams.

The counter reaches zero and the screen fades to black. It then shows the remaining Crewmates and Fall Guys being ejected into space before landing in the Blunderdome as another countdown begins.

1

2

3

GO!

The Fall Guys begin racing down the obstacle course as the Crewmates follow in confusion. Pink Fall Guy falls behind though as Orange Fall Guy grabs him from behind to stun him.

Deku: …or not?

The Doctor: Well that was pretty quick. I don’t quite like that pacing.

A montage is now shown as the beans going through the obstacle course, with eliminations happening back to back. First it was the Green Fall Guy, falling in the Hex-A-Gone, then it was the White Crewmate, being chopped in half by a spinning fan blade and shocking the other Fall Guys as to how fragile these new competitors are. Cyan pushes Yellow Fall Guy into a rotating beam, knocking him out of the game and the Purple Crewmate is sent flying away by a Pendulum. The screen cuts to a game of Perfect Match, where the Pink and Orange Fall Guys, Blue Crewmate, and Cyan are all seen jumping to the tile the Purple Fall Guy is on. As the rest of the platforms disappear Cyan twerks in victory, causing the other beans to look at him confused while the Pink Fall Guy focuses on the match.

Rick: What kind of a fight is this? This is pretty cringe. takes a swig from his flask

A few combatants silently agreed with Rick’s statement. While some fights in the past had their own gimmicks this one felt like it was going on for quite a while and they started feeling both bored and uninterested. Not to say this feeling was shared among all the combatants. A few found it all to be rather silly and harmless fun.

They are next seen racing to the crown in the final obstacle course, a giant ball is seen rolling downhill until it hits the Orange Fall Guy, knocking them out of the race. Blue Crewmates takes the lead and starts trying to chart the best path to take to the crown, only for Pink to run up behind him with a wind-up box and activate its punch, killing Blue, much to Pink’s brief shock.

Sonic: This race is getting pretty close now. Who’s gonna reach the crown first?

Dante: looks over to Ken 5 bucks says Pink takes the win.

Ken: I’m not betting with you. But yeah I agree Pink will win this.

Dr. Doom: This is ridiculous. When are they going to start fighting?!

Joker (DC): Oh so much death is such a short time. This is exhilarating!

Beerus: yawns Let’s get on with the fighting now please.

Pink sees Purple is almost at the crown and prepares to leap at it. Little did he know that Cyan was preparing to attack Pink with his knife from behind. As Cyan leaps at Pink, Pink leaps away, causing Cyan to miss and resulting in him getting smacked into the wall into a bloody paste by a rotating hammer. Pink rolls into a ball and bounces at the crown and reaches just before Purple does at the last second. The screen then shows Pink celebrating with the crown on top of a pedestal.

The Doctor: What a great show.

Sonic: Nice, he won! But what about Purple?

Right on cue, Purple climbs on top of the pedestal and reveals himself as the Red Imposter. Bringing out his knife he lunges toward Pink.

Dr. Doom: There we go! Now we’re getting some action.

Edward: Finally! I was dying from boredom.

Rick: That’s more like it. Fuck ‘em up!

Pink evades the first two stabs but succumbs to his fear and freezes up as Red stabs into his body… only for the knife to harmlessly bounce off of him. Confused, Red tries multiple stabs before taking his knife and stabbing his own hand to test for its sharpness. Red stabs his hand, causing the knife to go straight through it, and he runs away screaming in pain as Pink watches in confusion.

Superman: Huh, it’s not often you get a fight where the strength difference is astronomical.

(Author’s note: Since the combatants have no idea what each other’s stats are the best they get at gauging each other’s strength is through their fights. So even if a fight is a stomp if the animation makes it look close then that’s what they are going to perceive it as.)

Red stops at the edge of the podium before letting out a guttural roar. He turns with his mouth wide open as he aims his gun at Pink. He fires a bullet but the bullet bounces off Pink and launches back at Red, launching him into the stretchy walls of the pedestal before he is bounced back. Pink takes this opportunity to beat Red up. While there is no blood it is still a rather brutal beat up that hasn’t been seen on screen since Omni-Man vs Homelander. The two slaps Pink delivers at the end manages to elicit a few winces from the combatants. Pink pushes Red away, who gets up and pushes a button on a trigger he was holding. Pink looks behind him to see a banana, that must’ve been laid there during the scuffle, that begins ticking down like a bomb. 3…2…1… OOOH BANANA-

A massive explosion covers the entire pedestal, pushing both Pink and Red into the void as the crown falls off Pink's head. Pink stretches to reach for the crown, thinking Red is trying to get it too. But Red is not concerned with the crown. He’s concerned with killing Pink. Taking out the teleporter he teleports in front of Pink and the two go tumbling down past the qualification boxes, where the other Fall Guys and the ghosts of the crewmates were hanging out. Upon seeing the crown fall though, they immediately jumped down to chase after it too. They then happen to fall into space as the Yellow Fall Guy tries to grab the crown but is blocked when Brown uses their Guardian Angel powers to protect it with a shield. Brown is then immediately chomped on by the Orange Fall Guy, who turns into Pac-Man and the shield around the crown drops. As the crown drifts in space the Green Fall Guy attempts to get it themself before getting hit by the Yellow Fall Guy's Hadoken, who tries once more to grab it again before being vaporized by a laser being fired from Red's gun. Red laughs as he swings his gun around, destroying the green Fall Guy and the background planets in the process.

Ryu: Those guys know my techniques… how?

Mega Man: What’s going on?

Zelda: There’s so much happening.

Rocket: His gun can do that?! Impressive.

Dr. Doom: What the hell is happening?

Eggman: Some sort of shenanigans by the looks of it.

Deadpool: Oh that’s a lot of references. Hey, how many can you count buddy? shoulder bumps Wolverine

Wolverine: What the fuck am I looking at?

Pink bumps into the Tardis and gets into it to escape from Red’s laser as Red kills the Pac-man Fall Guy just as he eliminates Cyan’s ghost.

Rick: Hey dipshit! When did you give him your fucking box?

The Doctor: I didn’t give him anything. He just has it.

Goku: Wait, how?

Superman: Must be one of those characters who rely a lot on crossovers.

As Red continues firing his laser around, Pink positions the Tardis to reappear behind him before leaping out and calling down He-Man’s sword while chanting ‘I have the power’ in his language.

She-Ra: Is that?

He-Man: He has my sword? But how?

Pink slashes Red’s gun in two and Red responds by pulling out the Magic Pencil and drawing his own sword. The two engage in a space duel as sparks of electricity radiate off their clashes. Unironically, the combatants began getting drawn in now that the fight has kicked it up a notch. Going from 0 to 100 really fast but surprisingly not in a way that felt rushed. The two beans locked their blades and struggled against each other’s strength. Suddenly, the crown slowly floated down next to Pink, causing him to abandon the fight and give chase to the crown, leaving Red perplexed but not for long as he too began chasing Pink through the asteroid field. As they reach the end of the field Pink makes a desperate lunge for the crown while Red manifests two giant hands to catapult himself using two asteroids as the camera zooms into its horrendous mouth, teeth and elongated tongue. Oh, and Scooby and Courage return back to cowering under the seats.

Pink almost reaches the crown before he is pulled back by Red’s tongue. As he begins being pulled into Red’s mouth he sees the Imposter’s reflection on the ground and the screen begins to show what’s happening in his mind. Pink imagines a future where the Imposter wins the crown and receives praise from all of Fall Guy society. He lives a long life with the crown while Pink falls into obscurity, becoming homeless and forgotten. A rather humorous set of scenarios that the combatants had trouble taking seriously. But one combatant did not take this future lightly.

Pink’s eyes narrow with anger as he reaches forward with all his stretch to grab the crown before using it to smash into the Imposter’s mouth as he’s pulled in. The screen is covered in a splash of blood, taking the combatants aback with the sudden whiplash of going from a lighthearted fun fight to gore, as the screen shows Pink’s perspective. Pink opens his eyes to see he is back at the pedestal. The ground is littered with the blood and guts from the Imposter. He sees that his hands are covered in that same blood. His hands and pupils begin to shake.

The Doctor: Oh no. These little guys have never had the need to kill anyone in their lives before. And now they are being forced to kill and face the consequence of taking a life. Not just any life, the life of a monster .

But before Pink falls into a full-blown panic attack he picks up the crown from the ground and puts it on his head. His expression goes back to normal and he celebrates his victory with the Fortnite default dance. Another wave of cringe washes over a lot of the combatants, despite not even knowing what Fornite is. Well, except for one guy.

Deadpool: Urgh, really?! You had to celebrate with that. Come on be more original like me with our third movie puts an arm around Wolverine

[Music stops]

KO

The fight ends with an Among Us victory screen, where Pink is seen pointing finger guns at the screen. Behind him Brown and White appear annoyed, Green is confused, Yellow cheerfully holds onto an annoyed Blue with an equally annoyed Orange next to them, Purple applauds Pink and Cyan is seen in the corner comforting Red with their loss. The screen then fades into a victory card for the Fall Guy.

While certainly not a traditional Death Battle it was interesting to say the least. Though opinions on it were still mixed.

Superman: I actually liked this one. It was lighthearted and fun while not completely ignoring the fight part.

Goku: I guess. I still would’ve liked to see them fight more. It looked like both had a lot to offer but they didn’t fight long enough to make that happen.

Dr. Doom: Hmph, an average fight. Nothing special except that it tried something different. Though I shouldn’t commend it for that fact alone.

The Doctor: Oh come one guys. It was something unique. How often do you get Death Battles like this?

Rick: Yeah that’s why we normally don’t get Death Battles like this.

Sonic: Well that was pretty good. Didn’t expect the obstacle course but now I wish we saw a full version of that before they reached the crown.

Scout: I knew something was up with Purple one. Not bad I guess.

Tracer: Not bad? I thought that was pretty fun.

Scout: You find everything fun.

Kirby: Poyo!

King Dedede: Ehhh, it was alright for me little guy.

Johnny Cage: You know, if they just went all in for that obstacle course and murder mystery case for the whole fight I might have actually thought it was pretty good.

Shang Tsung: I almost slept through that.

Raiden (MK): Not every fight needs to be the same. Each fight offers a different experiences and has their own strengths.

Shang Tsung: And this one barely had any.

Nolan: Well, that was, something.

Bardock: That sword fight was sorta cool. Not really sure what to say about everything else.

Deadpool: I’d say like an honest 6 or 7 outta 10. Lotta of references. Looks like we're gonna get another reference guy in here. Oh, look! The doors are opening.

Two white doors materialise under the screen and the Fall Guy and Imposter walked out to around half the combatants cheering for them. The Fall Guy waved happily at the audience while the Imposter carefully studied the crowd. His killer instincts began to grow but he had to suppress them. Not now but perhaps soon.

When both combatants are new and are from new series, Goku and Superman are tasked with helping them get accustomed to the place. Goku, due to his passion for fighting, can get nearly anyone at least intrigued at the concept of Death Battle as a whole, and Superman, with his more level-headed sense of duty, tours them around the facilities.

Goku: Hey you two! I’m Goku, and this is Superman. Nice to meet you.

Superman: We’re always excited to get new fighters here. Come one, the show’s not over yet. But when it is, we'll give you both a tour of the place.

The Fall Guy happily claps at them while the Imposter simply nods. When they get back to the seats the screen gives a special announcement.

Death Battle: Season 2025 begins

The crowd gives a round of applause for the future fights to come. An opportunity to fight again or meet new people.

Next time on Death Battle

The sneak peak opens to a raging Kratos and a raging newcomer. It begins to show both of them mercilessly killing the deities of their pantheon in showers of blood before showing Kratos sitting on his throne and the newcomer standing amidst a fire with burning anger in his eyes.

Kratos vs Asura

God of War vs Asura’s Wrath

Nolan: Congratulations Kratos, you’re going again.

Goku: OH NO WAY! Finally we get to see the God of War in action again!

Sonic: Oh it’s been too long.

Mario: Let's-a-go!

Samus: About time.

Boba Fett: We better get a good show.

Akuma: Finally, a battle between great warriors!

Thor: Yes! This is going to be legendary.

Spawn: Well, let’s see how much you’ve grown.

The Season 1 combatants were especially hyped for this fight. While some of them had been given new matches many of them were still left with their only fight being more than a decade ago. So when any of them got something new they were always willing to give them their best encouragement. But even if Kratos received the backing from everyone in the crowd he did not feel certain about this fight. Ever since his first appearance in Death Battle a lot has happened in his life. He lost another loved one but gained many more. He has a family to protect now and people who look at him without fear. He even learned to accept and move on from his past with the help of Týr. He is far from the same raging monster he once was. Now, as the preview screen began to fade, he was looking at a Kratos who had not yet controlled his anger. Not only that, his opponent looked to be someone driven by the same rage that once consumed him. But he faced his past-self before. If this Asura is anything like how he once was then could he talk him down, right? No, that is not an option. He’ll need to kill him. Kill another being consumed by his emotions. But not fear like his father was or envy like Odin was. This time it’s anger, the emotion that once shackled him.

Chapter Text

The elevator to the entertainment floor opens and out walks the Phantom Ruby user, Infinite. Infinite held his mask in his left hand, letting the white scar above his right eye be seen. Not that anyone around cared to ask him about it, or anything about himself as a matter of fact. He had established himself as a loner, who only sat with Eggman at the cafeteria, dismissed Sonic’s attempts to bridge a friendship and spent all of his time reading in the library. Well, he had now gone over every written piece of Sonic media he could find there. From manuals stretching from 1991 to the IDW issues released today. He even dabbled a bit in the Archie Comics before abandoning that front as he quickly realised that that Sonic was a completely different one than the one he had set his eyes on. Now it was time to venture into the world that started Sonic’s whole adventure; video games.

Infinite didn’t know how to play video games and he found the noise and lights of the entertainment floor to be too rowdy for his tastes. So he held off trying Sonic’s games until he could properly gather his thoughts. Now on the entertainment floor he walked over to a shelf that displayed all of Sonic’s games. Attached to the shelf was a note that Tails had written. It was a sort of guide for people who wanted to try Sonic’s games for the first time but didn’t know where to start. Two games were suggested for newcomers, the first ever Sonic game, released in 1991, and the newest release, ‘Sonic X Shadow Generations’, that celebrated Sonic’s rich history up until the mid-2010s. The game was described as a good starting point due to its incorporation of both 2D and 3D elements as well as giving new players a glimpse at past Sonic events, which may entice them to want to try the games of those events later. Both the original and Shadow version of Generations were recommended equally but Infinite decided on trying Shadow Generations as he viewed both Sonic and Shadow as his arch-nemeses and wanted to prove himself to both of them that he was not weak. That he was not just some run-of-the-mill villain of the week. One that could be left alone after a beat down with the hopes he would’ve “learned his lesson” and not come back. He was the user of the Phantom Ruby for crying out loud. How can such a power be treated like a joke?

Infinite grabbed a PS5 disc for the game and began making his way over to the main gaming area. However, before he left the shelves his eyes caught the cover for the game ‘Sonic Forces’. Seeing himself on the cover for the game Infinite starred at it for a while before continuing on his way. Infinite walked into the rowdy room and even though the place was only half-filled the interior design made it feel like it was noisier than it actually was. The floor was carpeted with a black background and colourful loops and spirals, the walls were plastered with patterns of space and the ceiling had patterns of stars and galaxies. The adjustable lighting was currently set to spin around the room like a disco ball. Infinite placed his mask on his head in irritation and made his way over to the consoles… only to find out all of them were taken.

Infinite: Huh?! What is going on here?

With the introduction of the Imposter and Fall Guy into the Colosseum came the introduction of the games ‘Among Us’ and ‘Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout’ too. And right now it looked like a Fall Guys tournament was happening.

Wally West: Hey! Who’s grabbing me? Knock it off!

Miles: Not a chance. I'm gonna win this.

Miles’ Fall Guy pulls Wally’s Fall Guy back to get a leg up over him. Up ahead Goku Black holds the lead over the competition.

Goku Black: You foolish mortals really think you can win against a god like me?

As Black’s Fall Guy attempts to make the final jump he is grabbed and his momentum is killed, causing him to fall off the stage.

Goku Black: What! Who did that?!

Reverse Flash: Oh how tragic. Who would do such a blasphemous act? Maybe Barry?

Barry Allen: Real funny Thawne. Huh, I guess second place isn’t so bad.

Static: It’s not just about who reaches there first is about getting qualified- hey let go of me! both proceed to then get hit off the map by a punching glove

Spider-Man: Aww man, I thought I could squeeze through if I was fast enough.

Rick: You all suck at this game.

The Doctor: Whew, barely qualified there.

Deku: Come on, there's one spot left. I can make it!

Orbot: Not if we make it first! Qualified!

Cubot: Great job Orbot!

Deku: UUUuurggghhhhh.

Shoto: If it’s any consolation, I didn’t qualify either.

Black: How did I barely make it? points at Reverse Flash Grab me like that one more time and I’ll-

Reverse Flash: You’ll what? Kill me? We both know how that’ll go.

Goku Black: Grrrrrrrr! You will not qualify for this next round!

Infinite had no interest in watching them play and so he began searching for a free PC instead. He found one right next to the Resident Evil Super Cop, Leon S. Kennedy, who laid back on his chair watching the game he was playing go on without him. Infinite walks up to the cop.

Infinite: Hey.

Leon turns to face the Jackal, who is now holding up the disc case of his game.

Infinite: Do you know how to play this on here?

Infinite points at the PC next to Leon’s.

Leon: Yeah. Do you need help installing it?

Infinite: I do not know how these video games work.

Leon: Alright, I’ll help you.

Leon moves his chair over in front of Infinite’s PC and begins to boot it up for him. Infinite watches as the Cop scrolls through the steam library until he reaches ‘Sonic X Shadow Generations’. It is currently not installed so Leon hits the install button before moving back to his PC.

Leon: Just wait for it to finish downloading. If you want a controller to play with there’s some lying back there.

Infinite doesn’t respond and simply places the disc case down next to the keyboard before grabbing a PS5 controller from a nearby shelf. As he familiarises himself with the controller’s layout he can’t help but overhear the game Leon’s playing. The Cop didn’t bother to put headphones on since he didn’t think his session would overpower the volume of the nearby Fall Guys tournament but Infinite could hear very clearly what was happening in his game.

Leon was playing ‘Among Us’. He got roped in by Frank West, who insisted he not spend all of his time in the Colosseum “brooding alone”. Frankly (get it), West always misunderstood his intentions of being in the Colosseum. They both came from worlds dominated by infection but while Frank viewed his whole debacle as an adventure waiting to be explored, for Leon it was work. Work that had begun to consume his life to the point where he couldn’t even escape it in his own home. It was a chaos that wouldn’t leave him alone. And while the Colosseum is far from the least chaotic place in the world he still preferred dealing with the oddball restless combatant than another zombie. At least there was more variety here. And he was far from a loner. If he was, he wouldn’t be accepting the various invitations he gets from Frank, Tracer, Scout and Nathan to hang out. Right now, he is a ghost. Sitting in a call, with everyone else using PCs far from each other, and floating in the center of the Skeld’s cafeteria waiting for his killer to be found or for the killer to win. But he isn’t the only one waiting as a ghost.

Bond: Well, what’s your story Kennedy?

Leon: I was killed in the cockpit. Not even a minute had passed and she had already killed me.

Bond: Yes she is quite eccentric. And she wonders why she isn’t up to par with the missions I take on. She killed me in the electric room not long after I fixed the lights. It shouldn’t be too long until she’s caught now.

Leon: Why do you say that?

Bond: You’ll see.

Emergency Meeting

Tracer: Soooooooo… I found James’ body in Electrical-

Scout: Yeah Tracer did it.

Tracer: Hey! You’re not gonna let me finish?

Frank: Woah slow down! We haven’t even gathered our evidence together yet-

Tracer: I didn’t do anything.

Wick: Where were you coming from?

Tracer: I was coming from Storage.

Scout: Yeah that ain’t true. You were in the MedBay with me when the lights were out. You went to get scanned, I left and suddenly James’ body is found in Electrical.

Tracer: You only know he’s down in Electrical because I told you. Maybe it’s you that’s the imposter since you seem to know where he was before he died.

Scout: Who was the imposter last round? Me! I know where that vent goes.

Wick: It checks out. I was in the Storage when the lights were out and was going to fix them when I was done with my task. I didn’t see Tracer at all while I was there.

Tracer: That’s how lights work!

Frank: Oh I think I get it now. What you’re saying is that Tracer cut the lights so she could vent to Electrical and kill anyone who was down there to fix it.

Tracer: That’s not true.

Frank: What’s your alibi then?

Tracer: After I did my scan in MedBay I went down through Storage to fix the lights. I didn’t see John because it was dark.

Frank: Mr Wick, what task were you doing down at Storage?

Wick: I was collecting fuel.

Frank: Uh-huh. That task is not far from the hallway leading to Electrical.

Tracer: Do you not realise how little you can see when the lights are out.

Frank: I was finishing my tasks in the Upper Engine so we can clear my name. This means Tracer is the imposter.

Scout: Heh, what an idiot.

Tracer: I don’t see you talking Jeremy.

Scout: Not a smart move. 

Tracer: Smarter than yours.

Scout: I beg to differ.

The Teufort Merc, Former Assassin and Photojournalist all vote Tracer out while the Overwatch Agent votes Scout out of spite. She is ejected and not long afterward the crewmates are deemed victorious and Tracer groans in defeat. Bond and Leon soon join them in the start-up lobby.

Frank: So what’s the ranking?

Leon: Well I think we can all agree that Tracer is the worst imposter and having Mr Bond as the imposter is a nightmare.

Bond: It’s not all about being good at video games. It’s about deception.

Wick: Would be nice if you actually did your tasks instead of waiting around for the imposter to slip up.

Tracer: By the way has anyone seen Sam or Snake yet?

Wick: Snake said he wasn’t coming.

Leon: Sam said he would but he hasn’t shown up. Maybe something needed his attention.

Tracer: Oh well, who’s up for another round?

Frank: I’m down.

Scout: If I get to see you ejected again, sure thing.

Leon: If you’re the imposter again try not to kill me so quickly. I want to actually play this game.

Infinite silently watched Leon’s screen. He left no comment on the state of the game but simply observed. Watching as a small smile began to creep its way up the Super Cop’s mouth as a new round was starting. Infinite turned back to his monitor and noticed that his game had finished installing. He clicked play, ready to learn more about his arch-nemeses.

—

Somewhere in the Colosseum someone was being stalked. A knife had been sharpened and was ready to take a life. The eyes of a stalker pierced through the darkness of the corridor, eying and ready to claim its next victim. The Imposter seldom used his shape-shifting ability in the Colosseum. The more times he uses it the less of a surprise it would be, at least that’s what he thought. He had also not yet gained enough knowledge of the people around him to properly act like them. So whenever he had a chance he would hide in the vents and stalk certain combatants that he deemed would be useful if he had their complete disguise. Goody two shoes and revered individuals were good targets but also people who didn’t raise a lot of attention whenever they were in a room. Right now, the Imposter had one such person on their sights. Sam Fisher appeared to be aimlessly wandering around the Colosseum. He mainly kept to himself and only really opened up to a few combatants, mainly Snake, Leon, Bond and Wick. All were also good targets for the Imposter but right now he was focused on the one in front of him.

He watched as Sam continued to walk. He turned down some hallways and continued to walk, ignoring any other combatant he passed by. The Imposter followed through the vents, taking notes on his behaviour. A loner who didn’t spark any attention and who wasn’t feared is the perfect disguise to don. Sam made his way up the stairs and the Imposter leapt out of the vents to quietly follow him. He walked up past the Season 1 floor, past the Season 2 floor, past the Season 3 floor and climbed up all the way to the Death Battle floor without a hint of being aware of his surroundings. The Imposter felt this was all a little too odd. From previous secret night time trips around the Colosseum he knew Sam lived on the Season 2 floor and that no one went to the Death Battle floor except when there was a Death Battle going on. When he finally caught up to Sam he saw the soldier standing at the center of the massive room that acted as a foyer, connecting the stairwell and elevators to the stands. The Imposter looked around to check if anyone else was with them… only to look back at the center to see that Sam was gone.

The Imposter ran to the center of the room. He looked around, confused and a little on edge. Suddenly, he heard a voice that prompted him to draw his knife out.

???: Hmmm, you’re not so strong are you? But you are special. That shape-shifting ability you demonstrated in your fight. That’s an incredibly useful ability.

The Imposter didn’t say anything. Instead he pulled out his gun with his other hand and began aiming… somewhere. He couldn’t pinpoint where the voice came from. All he knew is that it was in the same room as him.

???: Put your weapons down. Let’s have a talk. I think you and I have a lot to benefit from one another.

The Imposter didn’t listen. It continued to wave its gun and knife around to ward off the voice.

???: Come on, put your weapons down.

The Imposter could feel his hands shaking. Without his command they began lowering down, dropping his guard in the process. Suddenly, he heard footsteps behind him. He immediately turned around and backed off, weapons back on guard as the source of the voice knelt down to meet his eye-level.

Makima: Put your weapons down.

As if compelled by a force beyond his own comprehension, the Imposter found himself dropping his gun and knife on the ground. The weapons clattered on the carpeted floor. His hands still shook until Makima got closer. The Imposter froze as he made eye contact with the Red Head. She smiled at him.

Makima: Hehe, good boy. Aren’t you a cutie? Pick your weapons back up.

The Imposter picked up his knife and gun from the floor without hesitation.

Makima: Good. Go about your day. I’m sure there are plenty of useful disguises for you to copy. And if you need any help just meet me here. I can give you a list of useful people to shape-shift into.

The Imposter nodded and made his way back to the stairwell, leaving Makima standing alone in the foyer of the Death Battle floor.

Chapter Text

2013 [Side Note: Just to make sure no one has this image in their head anymore, Justin Bieber and Rebecca Black are not here. I am writing a fanfiction about fictional characters, not real people. We’ll pretend their fight never existed here.]

Thor walked into the training room looking for someone. Being a god meant that there weren’t many individuals out there that could properly challenge him. Even Raiden seldom made him feel the need to put effort into their fight despite his flurry of attacks. He had arm wrestled Superman in the cafeteria, which destroyed the table and shook the entire Colosseum, resulting in the Man of Steel not willing to try testing their strength on each other again. A couple of times Goku had asked to spar with Thor but even with Goku’s best attempts Thor failed to feel real thrill (Remember, this is pre-Super Goku). He had thought being in a place where fighters from different worlds could meet would mean he would find worthy opponents to challenge but the roster so far was very disappointing in that regard. The God of Thunder still had two more options though, before resigning himself to the boring future of needing to wait for strong new combatants to join them.

The first was the ex-assassin now Hellspawn, Spawn. Whose biggest claim to fame was killing both God and Satan. Thor had found him lying in a makeshift hammock made from his cape in the library reading some novels. He approached the Hellspawn with little mind of his personal space, placing a hand on one of Spawn’s shoulders.

Thor: Good morrow Spawn! Nice book thy got there. I must ask, is it really true thee killed both God and Satan?

Spawn: Let go of me you pretentious carpenter.

Thor: Carpenter? Oh it’s because of my hammer right? Haha, good one. Look, I just want to know how strong thee are.

Spawn and his cape hammock teleported a few feet away from Thor.

Spawn: Leave me alone. You want to take on someone with godly powers? Go find that Ghost that I fought against.

Thor: Ye mean Kratos? Well, he’s only a demi-god. A strong one at that but Ares’ is not the ruler of the heav-

Spawn: As far as I’m concerned he’s worth a god. Wanna talk strength? I simply banished my god while he murdered his entire pantheon.

Thor was taken aback by this revelation. When Superman gathered everyone in the cafeteria to play some ice breakers Kratos primarily kept to himself. He had only shared that he is the God of War in his world and that his world is ruled by the Greek pantheon. Thor could sense that Kratos was no god, yet when he tried exposing Kratos the Ghost of Sparta simply stated he earned his title through killing Ares. When Superman asked why he killed Ares, Kratos only responded with “He wanted to make me a great warrior. He succeeded.” A boast that drew shock from the likes of Superman, Raiden, Zelda and Batman, and awe from the likes of the TMNT, Starscream and Goku. Thor, while impressed, didn’t think too much of it at the time. But thinking back at it now, perhaps the death of a god would elicit panic in the rest of the pantheon. And so to prevent being schemed against, Kratos killed the rest of them.

Thor: How could he murder all the gods?

Spawn: Beats me. But if you wanna fight someone, go fight him. I believe he’s in the training room right now.

Murdering the entire Greek pantheon would include killing Zeus, the strongest of the Greek gods. Thor realised that Kratos’ strength might be more than meets the eye. Which brings us to the present. Thor had expected to see Kratos doing some strength or maybe weapons training when he arrived but instead he saw the Ghost of Sparta sandwiching his chains underneath Superman's bench press. The same one that could simulate the weight of the Earth. Kratos had set the machine at its maximum weight before leaving the Blades of Chaos behind. Thor was confused. Before Kratos could leave he stopped him in his tracks.

Kratos: Move! Unless you wish to be moved.

Thor: Ho there, mighty warrior! I was actually looking for thee.

Kratos: Hmph, I will not take another request from a god.

Thor: Not even a sparring match?

Kratos: Do you have a death wish?

Thor: I bet I can give thou a better fight than Zeus and the other gods did.

Kratos didn’t respond. He simply walked out of the training room, elbowing Thor out of the way. While it didn’t hurt Thor certainly felt it. Thor wasn’t going to let Kratos just walk away, not if this was to be his last chance of finding a worthy foe to fight. As Kratos made his way to the stairs Mjölnir flew by, brushing his head, before stopping just in front of the starwell. Kratos, enraged, turned to face Thor but instead of engaging in battle he simply shouted at the God of Thunder.

Kratos: Leave me alone!

Thor was stunned by this behaviour. The same guy who took over the throne of Ares and defeated Zeus and his brothers was refusing to fight. Before Thor could make a move a voice spoke from above the both of them.

Superman: What’s going on here?

Superman floated down to stand in between Thor and Kratos.

Kratos: Tell him to scram.

Thor: There’s no need to be that harsh.

Superman: Thor, if Kratos doesn’t want to fight you then you shouldn’t force him to.

Thor: Fine. Have it your way.

Thor rolled his eyes in response and summoned Mjölnir back to him. The three then parted ways, with Thor heading to the elevator, Kratos heading down the stairs to the ground floor to go back to his world, and Superman walking into the gym. Kal-El approached his machine to get ready for a workout session and noticed the settings were tampered with. He was confused but didn’t put much thought into it as he began resetting the machine. All evidence that pointed to Kratos has since vanished as the Blades of Chaos had magically disappeared from beneath the machine and had reappeared back in the hands of its wielder the moment he returned to his world.

2015 September

[Incident 39]

Despite the large number of combatants the library is consistently the most peaceful place in the Colosseum. On this particular day it had turned into the most violent place in the building. It all started when an apprentice, despite  death, still wished to return to his world with an apprentice of his own to try again at an overthrow of his master. He had failed to recruit his son so now he had turned to potential candidates in the Colosseum. However, only a few were worth turning to the dark side and he had only one chance to make this work. And today, when Superman, Goku, Thor and the other powerhouses were not in the Colosseum he chose to act. He had chosen to manipulate the anger of someone who had lost his family like himself and was forced to serve as a result of his crimes. But he made the mistake of thinking he could manipulate his anger.

Vader’s body was flung through multiple bookshelves before eventually crashing into a large bookshelf on one of the walls. Pushing himself off of the debris he reignited his lightsaber to quickly parry away two flaming chained blades flying in his direction. The blades were pulled back to their owner who then continued a relentless long-range assault with them. Whipping away at the Sith with no regards to the surrounding environment as he let his control slip and his rage took over. Vader blocked each and every attack but the barrage was only getting faster. Tapping into his own rage, Vader let out a cry that echoed throughout the floor, shattering glass and machinery but also launching the Blades of Chaos away, lodging them into opposing walls. With this opening he used Force Speed to rush at Kratos, who pulled his blades back just in time to block a thrust attack from Vader’s lightsaber. The two exchanged clashes at various ranges, with Vader using the Force to close the distance with Kratos who would then kick him away and try to keep him at a distance with his blades.

Eventually, Vader manages to parry both blades into the ground, with him standing between them. He faces his right palm down, while holding onto his lightsaber, and uses two fingers to command the Force to hold the Blades of Chaos in the ground. As Kratos tries to pry them up Vader extends his left hand toward the Spartan and brings him down to his knees.

Vader: Your anger is incredible. With the right training you could harness it to become stronger.

Kratos didn’t say anything but continued to fight against Vader’s hold on him.

Vader: You continue to resist? I am giving you a chance to seize a power beyond your comprehension.

Kratos yelled in pain as Vader began probing through his mind. Memories began flowing past his vision, almost too fast for him to register them. But Kratos needed only a glance to know what memories of his were being sifted through. His appointment as Ares’ dog, the death of his wife and daughter, the death of his mother, the death of his brother and the choice he made to leave Calliope behind rather than stay by her side forever. It was a necessary sacrifice but one he had not forgiven himself on. Memories of being together continued to flash by. Then, he was confronted with memories tainted by blood. The innocents he murdered on his crusade. Helpless and defenceless men and women. All laying on the floor as he continued to fulfill his vengeance. The memories of regret began playing alongside memories of his family until he found himself back at the village where he slaughtered his wife and child. When the sorrow of realising who they were hit him.

Vader: Your actions back then fuel your anger now. An anger that has led you to great power and can lead to even greater power. I have shown only a fraction of what that power looks like. Join me, and I will show you how to obtain it in its full glory.

Kratos: SHUT UP!

Kratos’ eyes shot wide open with rage. In one swift motion he stood back up, overpowering Vader’s hold over him and yanked him weapons from the ground.

Vader: What?

Kratos roared as his Spartan Rage took over and charged straight at Vader. Vader blocked in time but was overpowered by Kratos’ might. He was flung to the far side of the library, bashing through shelves and pillars as went. When he crashed he cratered the wall and was almost knocked out by the sheer force of the attack. Sensing incoming danger Vader quickly got on his feet, ready to parry the incoming Blades of Chaos. The two blades struck his lightsaber at the same time and Vader lost his grip on it. The Sith’s weapon flew out of his hand and hit the ground but before Vader could react Kratos launched himself forward to grab Vader by the neck and slam him into the ground. He continuously slammed Vader over and over into the floor, shaking the library in the process. The Dark Lord could do nothing as any attempt to use the force on Kratos was quickly overpowered by Kratos’ unadulterated rage. Vader’s helmet was slowly breaking, piece by piece as he was slammed down on the ground. Finally, Kratos let go of the Sith and brought both hands above him for a finishing overhead strike.

Now, one of the rules of the Colosseum is that combatants aren’t allowed to kill each other but with the kinds of characters Death Battle attracts that sort of rule is impossible to enforce through trust alone. Without any current explanation, the Colosseum is able to emit a sort of aura within it that dials back all the combatant’s bloodlust. And while this has prevented deaths it has not prevented the combatants from beating each other to an inch of their life. As long as they’re alive but still suffering it technically is not a violation of the rule.

Kratos intended to leave Vader crippled and disfigured, more than he already is. He brought his fists down at lightning fast speeds but just before they impacted Vader’s face they were suddenly stopped. Kratos struggles against this invisible force, not caring what it is, as long as he can break through it and get to Vader’s face.

???: Kratos, stop it!

Kratos’ efforts yield upon hearing his name. Looking up he sees the Jedi Master, Luke Skywalker, with his right arm holding out toward him, stopping his attack with a Force Barrier. His left arm supports his right while his knees are on the ground from dealing with the weight of Kratos’ attack.

Luke: You need to let go! This isn’t who you are.

With Luke’s words Kratos’ rage began to subside. Once he could see clearly again he looked down at his hands, scarred and bloodied, below them a barely conscious Vader, and around his wrists the Blades of Chaos glowed brightly from their recent use. Kratos’ breathing grew heavier and faster by the second. Before Luke could approach him he took off. Running out of the library and down to the ground floor. To get out of this place. Before he hurt anyone else. This incident would be the last time anyone would see Kratos for a long time.

2018 July

After the intense fight that was Samurai Jack vs Afro Samurai the TMNT wished to train under the legendary  to learn how to better their skills. However, they couldn’t agree on who to train under, resulting in Jack and Afro taking up different Turtles as new students. Leo, ever the responsible and sensible leader, learned under both of them to gain a wider range of knowledge. Raph learned under Afro while Donnie and Mickey both learned under Jack. After one particular training session Mickey asked Jack if he could join him in the entertainment room to show him some games he enjoyed and Jack agreed. After securing a TV Mickey set up the Playstation.

Michelangelo: Okay there we go! Now, while I turn this on could you go get the games for us?

Jack: Oh, sure. What are they called?

Michelangelo: Okay so we’re gonna play three games today. The first is called ‘Devil May Cry’, the second game is ‘Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex’ and the third is ‘God of War’. You’ll find them on those shelves over there.

Jack nodded and headed over to the Playstation games. As he searched around he found the disk covers for ‘Devil May Cry’ and the Crash Bandicoot game fairly easily. A few seconds later he found the game title ‘God of War’. after gathering all the games he returned to Mickey. Mickey took the games but realised something was wrong with the ‘God of War’ copy.

Michelangelo: Huh? This isn’t the right game. Wait a minute, this is a new game!

Jack: A new game? I heard that new stuff comes in here anytime someone goes on a new adventure.

Michelangelo: Yeah! This means Kratos was gone on another journey. Maybe that’s why he hasn’t been here for years. He’s busy making new games for us.

Meanwhile down at the cafeteria a certain someone was drawing a lot of eyes on him. It had been 3 years since Kratos came to the Colosseum, to the point where many of the veterans tend to forget to mention him when talking about past seasons to newcomers. As such, to many newcomers, he just appeared out of the blue. His appearance was equally shocking to the older combatants. There were obvious differences, his new attire, the new weapons on his back, the beard that he grew but most importantly many of the older combatants could see that Kratos’ eyes looked… tired. Kratos ordered a meal before heading to a secluded area to eat alone but thinking he could pull that off is wistful thinking. Soon, a small crowd began gathering around him.

Thor: Oh ho, well well. Look who thou is.

Iron Man: Wasn’t expecting to see you here so suddenly. You come to show off the spoils of your latest fights?

Goku: Kratos, you’re back! Oh it’s so good to see you again.

Boba Fett: Been a long time since we’ve seen your face. What kept you busy?

Raph: Woah Kratos you’re back! What happened to you? You look like a hobo.

Sonic: Hey hey! Fancy seeing you here again. Why’d you leave us hanging all those years ago?

Sora: Woah! So you’re the legendary Kratos.

Android 18: Hmm, I thought you would’ve been bigger.

Black Ranger: So you’re Kratos. Yeah I think I’m lookin’ at a god.

Pink Ranger: Oh my gosh it’s so cool to be able to finally meet you!

Spawn: Thought you could ghost us?

Seeing that eating in the cafeteria in peace wasn’t an option Kratos banged his utensils on the table before picking up his plate and walking away, with the intention to eat in his old room.

Spawn: So you only came here for the food?

Superman: That’s enough everyone!

The crowd turned to Superman, who stood behind them all.

Superman: Let’s give Kratos his space. I’m sure he has a good reason as to why he hasn’t been back in a while and it’s obvious he doesn’t feel like talking about it right now. Let him be until he’s ready to open up.

Thor: Sigh, Kal-El. Ever the sensible killjoy.

When Kratos entered his room he was taken aback by how Greek it was. It had been a long time since he had seen his homeland and to see a portion of it preserved in the Colosseum filled him with a sense of nostalgia and sorrow. He sat down at his desk and began eating. Later, he would try to open up to his old friends.

2020 - 2024

Beerus: So you’re a mortal who became a god after killing another god?

Kratos: Hmm.

Beerus: Interesting. How ‘bout I ask for your time later to test your strength.

Kratos: …I have no interest in meaningless fights.

Beerus: Suit yourself. I’ll just go get more pizza instead.

—

Goku Black: If I could I would kill you right now.

Kratos: That is not a fight you would want.

Goku Black: Tsk, and why not? You really think you can beat me? Once a mortal always a mortal. Your godly status is an insult to us gods.

Kratos: That is why you would lose to me.

Goku Black: Huh?

Kratos: A god who thinks he is above everyone will isolate himself from those he is meant to protect. The strongest drives to fight come from those we seek to shield from danger.

Goku Black: Urgh, forget I said anything. Just know if I get the chance to kill someone here you’ll be one of the first.

—

Heracles: So I heard you killed me in your world, alongside the rest of the gods.

Kratos: ...

Heracles: Will you kill me again?

Kratos: Only if you give me a reason to.

Heracles: Hmm, fair enough. Why did you kill the gods anyways?

Kratos: It was their karma for their arrogance.

Heracles: I guess that's fair. None of us are perfect despite our divinity. I would know. Living among mortals gives you a better perspective of the divine.

Kratos: Hmm.

Heracles: Say, how about we test our strength against each other one day. I want to see if your Heracles is as great as me.

Kratos: ...As long as it causes no destruction.

—

Wukong: So you're Kratos. The one everyone's calling the god killer. And yet you are a god yourself. Tell me, how does it feel killing fellow gods?

Kratos: Empty.

Wukong: Oh really? How philosophical of you. Don't you at least get a kick out of the fights?

Kratos: Maybe I did before. Now, I fight only when I need to.

Wukong: Oh so I can't ask for a sparring match with you?

Kratos: ...I can allow it as long as it causes no destruction.

Wukong: Oooh okay! When are you free to do it? You see, I have other matches lined up that I gotta get through first like the two Gods of Thunder, this guy who somehow has the same name as me, the super boy, the talking cat, someone named after vegetables-

Kratos: Put me at the end and call me when it's my time.

Wukong: If you say so. Oh I can't wait!

—

Thor: Something’s different about you. I still sense that pain in you but something’s different with your anger.

Kratos: Hmm… What of it?

Thor: It’s still there yet it’s oddly quiet. What happened to our rage-filled god of war?

Kratos: …He is a god of war no longer.

Thor: Oh, you changed jobs? Well I guess I can’t blame you. All that bloodlust can’t be healthy anyways. So what role did you apply for this time?

Kratos: Hope.

—

2025, 6pm, The day before Kratos vs Asura

Kratos was sitting in his room in the middle of the floor, meditating. While his journey through Valhalla had helped him greatly in reigning in his anger and helping him come to terms with his past he wasn’t free of his sins. The ashes of his loved ones still stained his skin and the Blades of Chaos were still by his side. Nevertheless, Kratos didn’t let these painful reminders of the past hold him back. He worked on further controlling his anger but also gathering his thoughts. In particular, the upcoming fight had him distressed.

The preview he had seen at the end of Imposter vs Fall Guy focused a lot on his moments of rage. Moments that were paralleled by Asura, who very much reminded Kratos of his younger self. All he could see in Asura’s eyes was blinding rage and the thought of having to fight an opponent like his older self shook him to the core. He had avoided a violent confrontation with his past self in Valhalla when he came to his senses and while Asura is no Kratos in regards to his looks and fighting style Kratos could see the same burning anger inside both of them. He needed to meditate to calm his mind. However, he had been meditating for an hour and he felt like nothing had changed. Trying to get his mind off the fight and empty it is proving to be a fruitless endeavor. What didn’t help were the boasts of a fellow Season 1 combatant early that week.

The wait for Kratos vs Asura was a long one so the combatants couldn’t spend that entire time talking about the fight. Conversations regarding it only picked up in the final week leading up to it. During that week both Akuma and Ryu had claimed to have fought Asura. The gist is that while Ryu simply stated that Asura is a powerful fighter Akuma brought attention to Asura’s cosmic strength. Stating how he had the strength to “shatter stars” and whatnot. Though these claims were met with skepticism since Akuma himself is nowhere near that strong it didn’t help Kratos’ case at all. The gods of his world were strong but he has learned that there are some combatants from other worlds that are simply stronger. If Asura is one of those combatants then he could face defeat at the hands of the anger that he once held. Kratos opened his eyes, unable to keep up the meditation. He figured all that was left to do now was go down to have dinner and then get an early night’s sle-

Kratos felt a familiar presence outside his door. A presence that blew out all the candles in his room, which still had some Greek aesthetics in it but also included features from his home back in the Norse world. This presence, while it once filled him with unspeakable rage, now gave him an odd sense of comfort. Though, it took a few years for him to feel that around him. Getting up from the floor Kratos walked over and opened the door. On the other side stood a tall warrior with a black cape and a black mask.

Kratos: What do you want?

Vader: Nolan asks for your presence.

Kratos: Why?

Vader: I suspect he has a surprise for you.

Kratos closed the door behind him before he and Vader walked up to the Season 9 floor together.

Kratos: How is your son?

Vader: Continuing to bring light to the galaxy.

Kratos: Even in death?

Vader: In death we grow stronger than ever.

Kratos: Hmm. How about you?

Vader: …

Kratos: Still conflicted.

Vader: You are fortunate enough to have lived through your redemption before coming here. Combatants are unfortunately forced into their most battle-ready form while here. So while I am a Force Spirit in my world I am still consumed by darkness here.

Kratos: Then why do you come back here?

Vader: Because my son comes here… The best we can do for our children, Kratos, is try. Even when we fail it is better to fail trying.

Kratos: Hmm.

Vader: How is the boy?

Kratos: He’s… ready to head out on his own.

Vader: Do not hold him back but do not forget your attachment to him.

The two arrived in front of Nolan’s room and Vader rang the doorbell to signal their arrival. The door opened and Nolan, dressed in a more casual attire opened the door.

Nolan: Ah, you’re here. Come on in Kratos. I wanted to host something special for you before your big fight tomorrow.

Kratos walked into Nolan’s room, followed by Darth Vader. Nolan’s room looked similar to his house back on Earth, if all the rooms were squeezed into one. On the dining table sat a buffet’s worth of food and another guest who had been waiting for them to arrive so they could start eating.

Bardock: Finally, you’re here. We can eat.

Kratos was never the social type but that didn’t mean he didn’t have those that he held close to him. He sat down at the table and began feasting with the others. They ate and talked (Mostly Kratos, Nolan and Bardock. Vader is at the table too but he’s mainly staying silent while eating with the feeding tubes in his helmet.) about many things. Their adventures, friends, fights and enemies. And just like that, the anxiety Kratos had felt earlier had been washed away. His mind too busy focusing on those around him to focus on that. Even when Bardock asked Kratos about his fight tomorrow Kratos could think of one response.

Kratos: I’ll be ready.

The night went on to be a pleasant one and Kratos would go to bed calm and content. Ready for the fight tomorrow.

Chapter Text

The seats at the arena were being filled up as Kratos vs Asura was about to begin. Expectations were not commonly shared as Kratos behaviour in the Colosseum has changed drastically between 2015 and 2018. Those who were there before his major departure remember him as the wrathful deity who was quick to anger and difficult to subdue. Those who came after heard only stories of his rage and wanted to either see that rage in action or are glad they came at a time when he mellowed out. As a result, some combatants are expecting this fight to bring out the old God of War while others are curious as to how this new God of War will approach a battle to the death.

Goku: Even though he’s calmed down, that doesn’t mean he’s lost his touch. I’m sure Kratos will still put up a great fight!

Superman: nods his head in agreement What I’m curious about is how his Spartan Rage will come into play. You think it’s still going to be as violent as it was back then?

Goku: Not sure. Honestly, I hope he saves it till the end for a grand last stand to show everyone how much of a fierce warrior he once was.

Superman: Didn’t you just say he’s still a capable fighter?

Goku: Huh? Well yeah, I mean the attitude difference. This is a Kratos who is less mad so obviously the only times he would get violent is through the Spartan Rage right?

Superman: It’s a valid theory. Though, he’s never used it here ever since his fight with Darth Vader.

—

Sun Wukong: Wait, did he ever follow up on that promise he made to you about testing your strength?

Heracles: Nope. Not yet.

Sun Wukong: Damn, same here. I guess this will be our first introduction to his strength.

Heracles: I am starting to have doubts though.

Sun Wukong: Hmmm? Why’s that?

Heracles: They say he holds back a lot to not hurt those here. But when is he holding back and when is he actually struggling? He barely could get the upperhand in that scuffle he had with Starscream last year. So I'm not sure how godly Kratos’ strength really is.

Sun Wukong: Hmmm.

Heracles: By the way, did you know we have a god named Cratus. Pronounced the exact same way as Kratos’ name.

Sun Wukong: Oh really? But that’s not your god of war.

Heracles: Indeed, he is our god of strength.

—

Michelangelo: I wanna see him use Posidon’s Trident and the Claws of Hades and the Head of Helios and the Head of Medusa- OH! And the Nemean Cestus too, those are so cool! What do you wanna see in this fight?

Raphael: I wanna see him get mad.

—

Raiden (MK): While he is only a demigod his power rivals that of true gods.

Beerus: Tell me about it. If only he would show it to us.

Raiden (MK): I’m sure we will see it in this fight soon.

Beerus: Hopefully, everyone who's been here for more than 10 years keeps saying how impressive of a warrior he is but he doesn’t want to show it to us.

Raiden (MK): He is a god who has learned humility. A lesson you can perhaps learn from him.

Beerus: yawn whatever chews on popcorn

—

Goku Black: I don’t get what the fuss is all about.

Vegeta: Underestimating him will be your last mistake.

Goku Black: Heh, when I finally get to act on my killer instincts we’ll see whose head will be dislodged from their body.

Thor: Why do you have to be such a pessimist Black? You make Batman look like a positive guy.

Goku Black: crosses arms and looks away The pride of the gods has suffered enough. How can there be mere mortals who can match us in power? And how can there be so many? This Asura, the one that Akuma has been touting as being a demigod worthy of being a god. We’ve had one-sided fights before, maybe this is one of them. Maybe one of them is a fraud. Maybe Kratos’ strength is not what everyone says it is.

The lights in the arena go dark and the screen begins to power up.

[Now playing: Reiði]

Kratos’ house fades into existence. For he had seldom invited anyone into his room; no one knew how his living conditions changed after his journey from the Greek world to the Norse world. The crude, rural cabin, lit by candle and fire light and withered as if the logs and planks themselves were tired, was an abode that one could describe as the last thing a god would live in. Not a throne nor chair sat in front of the fireplace for Kratos to rest on, having settled contently on the floor instead. The common fighters who had seen their fellow godly combatants as divine beings above them were confused on how a god would confine himself to such lowly living space.

Bowser: Hrmph, what is this place? It's not even fit for a trooper.

Deku: Huh? This isn’t very… godly? Is this really his house?

Naruto: Not what I was expecting.

Rick: That’s it? Even after 2022 you didn’t at least give it a second room?

The fighters who were friends of gods in their own worlds were a mixed bag. For those who had gods who were proud and boastful, seeing one so humble and low was a refreshing site, while those who had gods that knew their limits were shocked at how low this one was willing to put himself.

Goku: That’s his house? I was expecting a bit more.

Superman: Quite a cozy looking cabin.

Spider Man: Oh man, didn’t think a god would struggle to pay rent.  

Johnny Cage: Oh I think that may be a bit too humble Raiden.

For fellow gods the bag was even more mixed.

Thor: Huh When you said you were at a low point I didn’t think you meant this low.

Heracles: So much for being a god in the first place. Where’s your godly pride?

Goku Black: Pathetic…

Raiden (MK): It seems Kratos’ struggles were greater than he let on.

And for those who remember him as the angry god back since Season 1 there was a mix of reminiscence and sympathy.

Spawn: You've lost a lot of your spunk since the last time you fought here. But the attitude is only half the equation. Let’s see if your weapons can still do the talking.

The screen displayed more and more of Kratos’ house before finally reaching the Ghost of Sparta himself, sitting on the floor in front of a fire, the Blades of Chaos surrounding him and his Leviathan Axe to his right. His name is displayed for all to see.

Kratos The God Of War

As Kratos’ face was being shown it became clear, from the shaking of his hand, that he felt troubled. However, the combatants could only guess as to what was causing the trouble as the source of it could only be heard by Kratos himself.

“Kratos, my son. Kratos… Kratos, you bring nothing but suffering. Look around at what you have done! -Kratos-  Taking pity on you has been my greatest mistake. -Kratos- Just as taking pity on this thing -Kratos- will prove to be your greatest mistake. -it was you!- Your affection -hurry- for Pandora is just one more failure -hurry Kratos!- in a miserable lifetime of failures. -AAAHHHHH- Your pathetic attempt for atonement from the family you slaughtered -ARRGGHH!- has caused nothing but havoc on Olympus. -ARRRGGGHHH!- Once in your pathetic life, don’t fail. Don’t fail her -RRRAAAAAAAAAA- like you failed your family… Kratos. -AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!”

The simulation that emulates the fights must create scenarios in which the combatants would naturally feel inclined to battle to the death. Unfortunately, this has resulted in hiccups in the past regarding its influence over the combatants. You could say what is happening now is one such instance. The Ghost of Sparta, despite having been a god of war, avoids conflict as much as possible unless necessary. The same could be said for his opponent. In an attempt to refuel that anger he had quelled the machine saw it fit to reignite the memories of rage and suffering that had brought him on this journey. But the Ghost of Sparta subconsciously fought back. Even if he wasn’t meant to know he was in a world where he was forced to fight he fought back against the machine’s influences on his mind. Fine then… time for plan B.

The door to his cabin opens to reveal Asura’s figure, cloaked and bathed in fire. Kratos gets up to face the intruder only for him to seemingly disappear amongst the snowy drift. A golden light begins to glow beneath Kratos and before he can react it engulfs him. He opens his eyes to find himself standing in a temple. No longer in the Norse lands he finds himself on Gaea. Feeling weight on his body he notices he is now wearing his gear, the Blades of Chaos, the Leviathan Axe, the Draupnir Spear and the Guardian Shield.

He turns around and finds himself face to face with a little girl dressed in ceremonial attire. Before he can say anything he hears a noise behind him and turns to see a group of soldiers from the Shinkoku Army. Identifying him as an intruder they attack. The screen cuts to show a figure running toward the temple. The figure is revealed to be Asura when he arrives at the temple, just in time to see Kratos standing amongst the bodies of the soldiers with his axe embedded in one of them.

Asura: It’s true then, the God of War is on Gaea. But… not for long.

Wrathful Deity Asura

The markings on Asura’s body glow with Mantra as he clenches his fist. Kratos, sensing a fight that could potentially be resolved through calmer and more reasonable methods, summons the Leviathan Axe back to his hand before responding.

Kratos: You do not want this fight.

Asura yells and charges at Kratos with a punch, to which the Spartan blocks with his shield.

Fight

Asura: Run!

Superman: Why does there need to be another kid?

At the command of her father Mithra flees the temple. Kratos swings at Asura twice but Asura dodges. Kratos then throws his axe at Asura who leaps over it. Asura flies down toward Kratos with another punch but Kratos blocks it with his shield. Kratos counters with an uppercut and then a downward shield bash. He attempts an overhead strike but Asura retaliates quicker with two strikes to the chest. He follows up with 2 more strikes before Kratos catches the third. Kratos locks both of Asura’s hands above both of them before directing both of them down to disorient Asura before kicking him away on the chest.

Asura skids along the temple floor and stops right next to the Leviathan Axe. The axe glows as Kratos calls it back to him and seeing this Asura goes Unlimited Mode and races the axe to Kratos. Asura beats the axe and delivers a devastating blow to Kratos’ face, sending him to the other side of the temple. Kratos stops himself and is forced to block a flurry of blows from the enraged Demigod. With a wish to match his rage with his own Kratos unleashes his Spartan Rage, the aura alone being enough to knock Asura away. The two race toward each other and clash at the center of the temple, engaging in a clinch hold that tears the ground apart. As the two struggle the screen focuses on Kratos’ face, consumed with anger but not at the intensity it once was many years ago.

Suddenly, a button prompt appears right on Kratos’ face.

BURST

And he is sent flying back from a blow by the additional arms of Asura’s new form.

Six Armed Vajra Asura

Michalengelo: Oh ho, cool! It’s like in his games! The quick time event buttons.

Kratos impacts a pillar, causing it to fall over. As the Six-Armed Deity charges at him again the Ghost of Sparta grabs the marble structure and swings it at Asura like a bat and knocks the Demigod into the ceiling of the temple. Asura quickly recovers and appears to fly toward Kratos before disappearing. A confused Kratos is caught off guard when Asura reappears behind him and delivers him a three-armed uppercut, sending him into the sky. The flying Demigod unleashes a flying combo on the Kratos, flying and knocking him around the clouds without respite. Eventually, Kratos predicts Asura’s pattern and manages to punch him back down to the temple. Asura retaliates from the ground with a barrage of energy blasts, which Kratos blocks with his shield as he falls back down. But the shield only protected him from the initial impact as the force of the blasts sent him flying down into the temple walls. As he fell, the wall fell around him.

From underneath the rubble Kratos spoke.

Kratos: You let your wrath consume you. I have been down that road before.

What the screen shows and what Kratos sees was entirely different. The combatants saw an older Kratos standing amidst a ruined Greece. Rain poured down from the dark sky above and the only light came from the lightning and sun which struggled to spill its light through the clouds. Behind him was a younger Kratos, one that the earlier combatants recognise without fault. He turns to look back at his older self and while his face may not show it his eyes contained that raw anger and hate that young Kratos was well known for. Asura had said something in response. It was short and dismissive but not overly hostile. Of course, a demigod from Gaea hearing only about the deeds of the Ghost of Sparta from word of mouth would not have the best picture of him in mind. Perhaps it was a part of the spider’s plan all along. Afterall, while the two were experienced with controlling their anger it didn’t take much effort to enrage them all the same. Stuck under the rubble while he monologues, Kratos could barely hear Asura’s response. Only catching the words-

Asura: Shut up!

Resigning himself fully to combat, Kratos responds.

Kratos: Very well.

The Blades of Chaos shoot out from the rubble and into Asura’s chest. Kratos leaps out and pulls Asura around, dragging his body along the temple walls before slamming him down on the ground across the chasm they made. Kratos tries to pull the blades back but is halted as Asura grabs the chains and pulls back. They engage in a tug of war which rocks the ruined temple and destroys whatever resemblance of a building left of it. Using his remaining arms Asura fires more energy blasts at Kratos, who strikes a burning attack to travel along the chains before reaching the Blades of Chaos. The force knocks Asura off the blades allowing Kratos to retrieve them and use them to fling the dead bodies of the soldiers he fought earlier at Asura. Asura rushes at the Spartan Captain, batting each body away, before slamming Kratos’ head into the ground and flinging him across the floor.

Kratos quickly recovers and summons the Draupnir Spear to knock Asura away. He keeps the Ex-General back by swinging multiple blasts in his direction. Asura fires another volley of energy at Kratos, who absorbs it through the Draupnir’s Gale Force and flings it back at Asura. Asura flies up into the air and sprouts more arms from his body. And then more arms. Totalling around a thousand arms.

Sun Wukong: Woah! Normally they stop at six arms. There’s gotta be a thousand of them there.

Spider Man: Doc Ock’s gonna be given a run for his money.

Machamp: nods in approval Machamp!

Goro: awkwardly rubs his own arms

The Thousand-Armed Deity now fires a relentless volley of energy at the God of War. The volley was so overwhelming that Kratos was forced to drop Draupnir and block the attack. The energy did not relent but neither did Kratos as his rage came through again, allowing him to fight through the pain and launch several copies of Draupnir at the Thousand-Arm Deity. With each spear in place Kratos slams the original Draupnir Spear on the ground, detonating all copies and siphoning Asura of his Mantra. The now Armless Deity falls down on the floor and grabs one of the soldier’s swords with his mouth in an attempt to continue fighting but Kratos quickly disarms him with the Leviathan Axe and strikes at the floor to enlarge the chasm they created with their initial clash to make Asura fall into it. The music quiets down with his supposed demise but the fight is far from over. As Asura falls he catches a glimpse of his daughter watching from above. She reaches out and cries for him in agony, tears falling down her face. Asura’s eyes light up and as Kratos approaches the edge of the chasm he is met with a blinding light from below. The rays of light burst out of the chasm and cause an explosion as a golden light races into the sky.

Berserker Asura, now holding Kratos, yells at him while charging up an energy blast right on his face.

Asura: YOU MADE HER CRY!

He unleashes a blast onto Kratos and the resulting explosion rips a hole in space-time. The two fall onto an asteroid in a void and Kratos is the first to recover. He strains himself to stand, after having to receive a blast like that at point-blank range. Behind him he hears Asura land, now in his Wrath form. Kratos quickly takes out the Leviathan Axe and freezes Wrath Asura in his place. However, the fiery Wrathful Deity breaks out of his icey prison and charges at Kratos. Wishing to end the fight Kratos wills forth his Spartan Rage and lets out a roar before delivering a punch to Wrath Asura’s face, sending him flying off the asteroid. Off-screen a powerful blinding light emits from Asura’s location and the Demigod makes his last stand.

Asura: THIS IS NOT MY END!!!

The light is so strong that not only is Kratos forced to shield his eyes but the combatants watching are forced to avert their eyes from the fight too. When the light dissipates, Kratos looks up in shock to see Asura’s final form. A planet-sized being, next to him the asteroid he stood on was a mere ant.

Asura The Destructor

Kaiju battles aren’t the most common in Death Battle and those who like them take whatever they can get from brief moments of gigantism (like with the Nine Tails or Way Big) but this was beyond Kaiju proportions. It left all the combatants in awe. From the viewing space above Galactus’ attempted to gain a closer look to better admire the Destructor’s full scale and behind him the robotic planet Unicron, chained and restrained through a combination of Marvel and Whoniverse technology, kept his eyes focused on Asura.

Not giving him time to react, Asura the Destructor rears back one of his moon-sized fists and launches it at Kratos (no don’t think of that Wyzen scene, think of this one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gyfy2mtMeYo&t=5m15s ). His fist impacts the asteroid with magnificent force and the shockwaves could be felt throughout the void. Even the seats at the Colosseum shook from the blow. But the asteroid remained undamaged. Kratos holds up the fist with all his might, his arms struggling to hold the weight of the Destructor. Suddenly, the weight is relieved and Kratos looks up to see Asura rearing up for another blow. He punches at the asteroid again, and again, and again, and again. The Planet-sized Deity’s six arms punch down at Kratos over and over and each blow Kratos is forced to hold it back. With each blow he is forced on his knees. With each blow he feels himself getting angrier and angrier. Finally, he snaps. His Spartan Rage is unleashed one last time and he stands up to catch one of Asura’s fists before reeling back his own fist and punches back. For as miniscule as he is in comparison to the giant, Kratos' godly might still pulls through and Asura the Destructor is knocked back.

Goku: Woah. So cool!

Thor: That’s more like it!

Beerus: Huh, okay then…

Heracles: Now that’s a god of strength if I ever saw one.

Sun Wukong: You have.

Heracles: Shush, primate!

Spawn: So you haven’t completely lost touch. Not bad.

Kratos: Death has not earned me yet, titan!

Summoning back the Draupnir Spear he spins it around for a bit before planting a foot on the ground, with enough force to crack it, before hurling it at supersonic speeds at the Asura. The spear impales Asura in the chest, almost knocking him over, while above him Kratos casts the largest Artillery of the Ancients spell he ever cast in his life. Raining down enough spears to turn the Planet-sized Deity into a porcupine. Kratos brings out the Blades of Chaos once more.

Kratos: But you deserve a worthy end!

And throws them into two off-screen asteroids, using them to fling himself over to another asteroid. He leaps onto another rock in the void before leaping between giant Draupnir Spears as a bolt of lightning before stopping at a small asteroid just above Asura’s face. Next to him, in his hands, the Blade of Olympus makes its appearance. While Reiði is still playing the combatants who’ve known him for a long time now thought they could discern the faint melody of Rage of Sparta. Kratos leaps off the asteroid and plunges the Blade of Olympus deep into Asura’s forehead. The divine blade begins sapping whatever bit of Mantra is left inside of him after the spears have their work and the Wrathful Deity screams in pain as the screen goes white.

The camera goes back to the temple and a white light is seen falling from the rift in the sky down to the ground. The screen then shows Kratos kneeling next to an armless Asura and holding the Blade of Olympus, lodged in Asura’s chest.

Kratos: You… are a monster no longer.

Kratos lets go of his grip on the blade as Asura opens his eyes one last time and glances over at Kratos.

Asura: I never was…

With that Asura's Mantra dissipates as his orange markings dim, and his eyes close. Kratos silently mourns Asura's death before standing up with an expression of indifference on his face. Walking away, Kratos looks back one more time and sees Mithra mourning for her father. While the scene may not mean anything to the combatants, other than another Death Battle that ends on a sorrowful note, the scene reminds Kratos of the mural he saw, depicting his own son cradling his dead body. The Spartan pauses for a moment to reflect on the memory before finally leaving, leaving the girl alone.

[Music stops]

KO

A victory card of Kratos is displayed, showing a time not from his journey through the Greek world but from his journey through the Norse. The crowd cheers and those who underestimated him felt a sudden wave of relief that they’ve never made Kratos angry at them.

Nolan: Atta boy!

Bardock: Haha, told you there was nothing to worry about.

Darth Vader: claps in silence

Michelangelo: Awww, what happened to his other weapons!

Raphael: He didn’t get nearly as mad as I wanted him to.

Heracles: Now I must press him to have us test our strength.

Goku Black: Unbelievable! Both of them are god killers.

Thor: You may have lost your rage Kratos but you haven’t lost your strength.

Spawn: Not bad, not bad.

The exit doors below the screen materialise and the two demigods walk out. Kratos looks around at the pleased crowd but he himself doesn’t feel satisfied. He hopes that Death Battle is now done with him and that he does not need to participate in any more fruitless fights. Next to him Asura looks around with caution. His face wore his iconic angry eyebrows but he was not angry, rather he was on edge for seeing so many new and unfamiliar people. All of which are capable fighters in their own right. Some he could beat, some he couldn’t and it would only take one wrong move to get on their bad sides. Kratos looked at Asura unsure what to say. It’s been too long since he first arrived at the Colosseum that he had no idea how to ease someone in. Luckily for him, Superman and Goku were already making their way to meet Asura. Asura is taken aback by Goku’s instant transmission directly in front of him and he even takes a fighting stance but the Saiyan is quick to calm him down.

Goku: Hi there! My name is Goku. And you must be Asura. It’s so nice to be able to meet more strong folks.

The Saiyan extends a hand and the Demigod hesitantly shakes it. Superman flies down next to them.

Superman: We’ll make sure you’ll be comfortable here. In a while we’ll give you a tour but for now let's head back to the seats. Oh, I’m Superman but call me Kal-El. C’mon, let’s go.

Superman shakes hands with Asura as well before gesturing to both him and Kratos to return. When everyone has settled the screen begins to announce the next fight.

Next time on Death Battle

Fire, chains and undead beings are flashed on the screen but it doesn’t take long though for the fiery skull of Zarathos’ slave and the green aura of Malebogia’s bitch to come on screen.

Ghost Rider from Marvel vs Spawn from Image.

Spawn turns to Kratos’ direction.

Spawn: Looks I’ve taken your title for the longest wait for a return fight.

Across the seats a pillar of flame bursts into the ceiling, scarring many combatants away from it as it is no normal fire but hellfire. The pillar dissipates and in its place, where Johnny Blaze once sat, now stood the Ghost Rider.

Ghost Rider: I’ve wanted to test you against your sins for a long time Al Simmons.

Spawn: I look forward to it skull fuck.

—

It’s 6pm, and a bell rang across the Colosseum to signal that it was dinner time. Asura walked out of his room thinking to himself. Like all new combatants he was unsure what to think of the place. He had been told about the situation regarding dead combatants by Superman and how things will be if he goes back to his world. He looks at his arms, knowing they came from a time he had to fight his former allies. But if he went back he knew he would be someone else. Reincarnated as someone who knew nothing about the war against the Gohma or his beloved wife and daughter. As he contemplated this he sensed a familiar presence at the entrance to the stairs, it was Kratos.

Asura: The hell do you want?

Kratos: I… wanted to invite you to sit with us for dinner.

Asura cocked an eyebrow up in confusion.

Asura: I don’t need your pity. You won, I lost. It's as simple as that.

Kratos: That’s not why I’m here. I believe there’s been a misunderstanding.

Asura: How so?

Kratos: When I mentioned my past it was only because you reminded me of a time when I was more angry and reckless. But upon reflection it appears I may have misjudged you. You were saying something but I couldn’t properly hear it. The others have said that I was rather rude with my response so I want to hear it again from you.

Asura: Tch, all I said was that a bastard with sins like yours shouldn’t lecture me about my sins and that you should shut up. I may be wrathful but I am no perpetrator of genocide.

Kratos: Hmmm, I’m sorry for the misunderstanding.

Asura waves Kratos off.

Asura: Whatever, I’m hungry. You were offering a seat?

Kratos: nods

Asura: Alright, let’s go. You can talk more later if you want.

Chapter Text

Being a newcomer to the Colosseum isn’t easy, especially when you’re the first from your world. Coming out from the white doors and being greeted by a mix of heroes, villains, antiheroes, scum, humans, humanoids, monsters, gods, devils and everything in between, all sitting together, only held back by whatever magical or mechanical atmosphere the Colosseum wields that just barely contains each of their bloodlust and killing instinct. But while the threat of death may not be present the nastiness, sadism and psychoticism of some of the combatants are still free to display their true colours. Thankfully, the warm welcomes by the Man of Steel and Super Saiyan always make sure a newcomer’s first contact is not hostile. With luck and time, most get comfortably assimilated into the environment. Making new friends they probably couldn’t make back in their world. Usually, one of these first friends tends to be their opponent but this does vary between fights. Not all heroes see eye to eye and pairings of villains rarely get anywhere friendly but that’s not to say two combatants can never click. Whether it’d be through a shared interest, world view or suffering. These relationships are very beneficial when at least one of the combatants is already familiar with the Colosseum. Because at least the other has someone to go to whenever they face unfamiliar challenges.

———

Kratos was leaving his dorm intending to go back to his world, as he is one of the combatants who only comes around when there’s a fight he feels like watching, when he was stopped at the stairs by Asura who had come looking for him.

Asura: What do you know about a man named Bruce?

Kratos: Hmm? You refer to the scientist, Bruce Banner. Correct?

Asura: Yes, he’s been asking me permission to experiment on me and he’s annoyingly persistent about it.

Asura’s voice grovels and his teeth clench as he speaks. Kratos gives the Wrathful Deity a sympathetic look, having been asked to be examined by Bruce before, albeit he only came around to Bruce’s persistence after his long absence from the Colosseum. Still, despite knowing the uncomfortable feeling of being under examination, Kratos decided to urge Asura to listen to him.

Kratos: Bruce is just curious. He means no harm. I suggest you take him up on his offer. You may find you have a lot in common.

Asura raises an eyebrow at the God of War, who walks past him down the stairs. The next day, he finds himself walking through the massive laboratory on the second floor following a mild mannered scientist to his workshop.

Bruce: Thanks for finally coming. I promise this won’t cause any extreme harm. As long as you listen to what I say and we cooperate well.

Bruce today was wearing a simple lab get up, a purple shirt, black tie, white cloak, black pants and a pair of glasses. Asura didn’t say a thing, simply looking around at the various other workshops dedicated to different combatants. One workshop displayed various armours that looked to be made of some sort of gold with red highlights on them. Another looked like some sort of garage, with a plethora of gadgets, tools and hip flasks literated inside. One displayed a workbench that was covered in weapons. Another looked like it had a bunch of toys scattered on its desks. Asura could tell this place was volatile. All it would take is one mistake and the whole place could explode. Of course, each person who owns a spot here knows that and has set up force fields around their respective areas to prevent such accidents from spreading beyond ground zero. Bruce’s spot in the far corner looked no different from your standard bio-lab, other than the few human-sized vats, radiation analysis equipment and a bunch of other things he uses to examine what makes up each combatant on the biological level.

Bruce: So, uhh, if you don’t mind the mess. Just take a seat over there while I get things sorted.

Bruce pointed to what looked like a modified surgical chair with limb braces containing sleeper agents meant to hold patients down, if they were being unruly, and wires attached to various computer screens around it. Asura hesitantly took a seat and waited for Bruce. While he waited he began feeling a heavy aura in the air. The kind you would feel when faced with a formidable foe. Looking around he spotted a towering man with fiery red hair, wearing a blue-grey gi and prayer beads around his neck. The man glared at Asura as he walked toward him and Asura met his glare with his own. Pretty soon the man was standing right in front of Asura.

Asura: You!

Akuma: So you recognise me?

Asura: I had a dream where I fought a warrior like you.

Akuma: So did I. A very vivid dream that I still to this day question if it really was just a dream.

Asura: What do you want?

Akuma: To make that dream a reality.

The two warriors stared at each other with faces of wrath but before things could escalate they were interrupted.

Bruce: Hey Akuma! I’m busy here with Asura, okay. If you wanna fight him you need to wait.

The Great Demon had no intentions of listening though. He turned to the Mild Mannered Man and stood before him and placed a hand on his shoulder. Akuma then shoved Bruce back with enough force to crash through a desk containing several vials, test tubes and flasks before coming to a crashing stop at a glass cupboard on the wall. Asura sat up in alarm at Akuma’s aggression toward the innocent man, who now laid unconscious on the ground covered in broken glass. The crash also alerted the other combatants who were in the lab at that time. From around the corner near the entrance Batman came running, from inside his workshop out came Lex Luthor conjuring up his warsuit around him and from inside the pile of weapons that covered that desk Rocket Raccoon peaked his head out in confusion.

Rocket: Hey! Cut the racket will you!

Lex: What’s going on here?

Batman eyed Asura’s face, which slowly began being contorted with wrath. In his hand he held a small communication device. He pressed a button on it three times before carefully disappearing back to where he came from, knowing full well that neither Akuma or Asura were going to be the main threat to worry about.

Akuma: That should knock him down long enough. As long as we take this fight some-

Press B to shut Akuma up

Asura slams a fist into Akuma’s face and sends him flying across the room. Akuma skids on the ground before coming to a stop near the entrance. He then charges forward at Asura, who begins charging at him as well. When their fists meet they release a shockwave that shakes the lab and would’ve destroyed everything inside had it not been for each workshop having their own protective measures. Lex began dematerialising his warsuit and went back to work, uninterested in the brawl that was happening, while Rocket began cheering them on.

Rocket: Yeah! Kick his ass!

Akuma and Asura began exchanging blows. Blocking, parrying, kicking, punching and headbutting each other but the fight never escalated to anything more destructive. Asura fought in his base, not wanting to be the one who would promote the need for more destruction. Akuma wasn’t having any of that though. He feigns a strike to Asura’s chest, forcing Asura to block there, in order to land a blow on his head.

Akuma: Where’s that form you fought the god with?

Asura slides across the floor back to Bruce’s workshop. However, he has little time to recover as Akuma quickly closes the distance and begins pummeling him with a flurry of punches, forcing Asura to block.

Akuma: Show me your true power! Show me what a god like yourself can do!

Asura yells as an aura of Mantra pushes Akuma back to the center of the room. The mantra solidifies around Asura and four extra arms grow from his back. Akuma smirks in response to Asura’s restraints being lifted and he prepares himself for another round. Asura does the same. Then, just as the two warriors fly at each other with mach speeds, their punches both collide with a forcefield leaving both confused. Standing in the center of the forcefield was a man wearing a suit of armour that looked similar to the red and gold ones Asura had seen earlier but this one was all grey.

War Machine: Sorry gentlemen but this fight is over.

[Now playing: The Cyborg Fight]

Akuma felt a metallic hand grab him from behind. He was then flung back before being blasted by a beam of fire. The source of the fire moved too quickly for the Akuma to register who it was and before he knew it he was pinned against the wall with a hand around his neck. Staring back at him was the Demon Cyborg, Genos. Even with Akuma supposedly subdued Asura was still on his guard. Whether or not his last fight with the Great Demon was real didn’t concern him. He remembered vividly a form that was consumed in blue flames that stared down at him with red eyes. Perhaps if he rushed at Akuma now and knocked him out he could prevent him from transforming into that… thing. He began rearing himself up for another charge but was stopped by Rhodes.

War Machine: Hey hey hey hey hey hey! activates and aims his missiles and guns toward Asura There’s no need for that, alright. It’s all under control.

Boom

War Machine turns around to the sound of the explosion and is greeted by Genos’ damaged body slamming into him with an immense force.

[Music stops]

Asura’s eyes widen as the two fly into him, sending them crashing into the forcefield around Burce’s workshop. Asura pushes both War Machine and Genos off of him and glances back at Bruce, his body still lying unconscious on the floor. Asura tried to reach out to him but his attention was stolen by the Oni now standing before them. Only 30 feet away from them, blue skin and muscles even larger than before with hair that not only glowed but flowed like fire. Blue flames contrasting the red eyes that pierced his gaze. Asura tried to scramble onto his feet to prepare himself for the fight as the Oni began charging toward him while letting out a guttural battle cry. But just before the Oni was able to land a punch on the unprepared Deity a massive green fist, half the size of the Oni’s body, crashed into him and sent him flying across the lab and cratering the wall, sending a vibration out that not only shook the lab but the entire floor. Asura now looked up in shock at the green-skinned behemoth in front of him. This monster let out his own roar and began charging at the Oni at full speed. As Asura stared in disbelief, War Machine and Genos began to slowly recover.

War Machine: Great. cough That’s an even bigger problem.

As Asura watched the Green Giant run he noticed he was wearing a pair of black pants and pieces of purple and white cloth were flying from his body. A sudden realisation hit him and he turned back to where Bruce’s body once was, only to find him gone. The Oni recovered from the attack and raced forward to face the Incredible Hulk head on. Unfortunately for him, the Hulk was way out of his league. The two clashed fists but the Oni was immediately overpowered and was slammed into the floor by his opponent. Hulk then grabs the Oni’s legs and begins flailing him around while slamming him into the ground. Eventually, he grabs the Oni with both hands and slams him into the ground one last time before lifting both fists into the air and smashing them down.

Hulk: Hulk smash!

The attack shook the floor again and began causing a commotion around the Colosseum. Just next door in the room that contained the magic workshops combatants were gathering outside the entrance to see what was happening. They were joined by a few others from other floors who were curious enough to investigate the cause of the pseudo-earthquake. Rocket had left his pile of weapons and began wielding his ‘Thanos Buster’, aiming it at Hulk in case he decides to hulk out on anyone else. Lex had decided that the noise was too much for him and had actually left the lab back when Genos had Akuma pinned down. Hulk released his hold on the down mortal Akuma, who lay in the cratered floor unconscious. The Hulk began growling and coughing as his body began to shrink. His arms began thinning out and his green complexion faded into a more pale one. Soon, Bruce Banner was kneeling in front of the crater he had made. Gasping for air and hanging his head down in exhaustion. It took a lot of energy to keep the Hulk at bay when was unconscious and even more so to keep his anger focused on Akuma once he transformed. Now that the source of the Hulk’s rage was gone Banner was able to take back control and bring himself back down to Earth. War Machine quickly got up to help Bruce while Genos ran over to deal with Akuma.

From a concealed spot in the lab, Batman watched the whole thing go down. He had been the one to call Genos and War Machine to break up the initial fight between Asura and Akuma but he knew they weren’t going to be enough to hold back the Hulk. Next to him stood the Purple-Clad Trick Shooter, Hawkeye, armed with a special arrow given to him by the Bats that can drain radiation from its targets. For those wondering why Green Arrow wasn’t called, it’s because Batman figured that if the Hulk spotted them the presence of his own teammate would dull his anger just enough for them to escape. Batman had intended for Hawkeye to fire it at Bruce once he transformed but the Bats halted that order when he began fighting the Oni. He had almost given Clint the order to fire when the fight was over but Banner managing to gain back control over the beast meant there was no need for this plan to be put in action.

Hawkeye: Well, that’s a relief.

Hawkeye comments as he turns to Batman. Batman nods in response.

Batman: The damage is not as bad as I thought it would be but the clean up will still take time.

Hawkeye: Well, good luck with that.

The Archer waves a goodbye at the Caped Crusader and takes his leave.

As this was all happening, Asura still sat on the floor in front of Bruce’s workshop. Snapping himself out of his daze he picked himself up by his six arms and made his way over to Bruce, who was being helped up by War Machine. However, he was denied the ability to help.

War Machine: It’s okay, we got this. Just try not to break anything else.

War Machine brought Bruce back to his workshop and had him sit down on an examination table. Meanwhile, Genos carried Akuma out of the lab and back to his room.

———

It was dinner time and Asura, now back in base, grabs a tray of food and heads over to the table Bardock and Vader were sitting at. He sits down and the three eat (drink in Vader’s case) peacefully for a while before Bardock brings up the incident from earlier.

Bardock: So I heard you were involved in the fight that happened in the labs today. What happened?

Asura: Just some brute who couldn’t mind his own business.

Bardock: So you didn’t start the fight?

Asura shook his head.

Vader: You were lucky you were not the aggressor. Lest you draw the ire of the Hulk.

Asura: So that’s what that thing’s name is?

Bardock: I’ve heard of that. What is he? They say he’s a big, green monster but I haven’t seen anyone like that around here yet.

Vader: He is a manifestation of Bruce’s anger. If his anger overwhelms him he turns into a beast capable of unfathomable destruction.

Bardock: So, if you want to fight him you need to make him angry.

Vader: It would be your grave.

Bardock: But he can’t kill me.

Vader: You will be wishing he could.

Asura pondered on that fact for a moment. Having held the mantra of wrath for most of his life he would know better than anyone the unadulterated power it holds when wielded. Even when wielded incorrectly, wrath is a force to be reckoned with. From what he saw, Bruce seemed to have a decent hold over his wrath.

———

A few days later, after the craters in the lab were fixed, Asura was back in Bruce’s workshop. He was lying back on a surgical chair with his chest open. Wires attracted to the Mantra Reactor inside of him.

Bruce: I didn’t expect you to come back after what had happened. I promise this will be worth your time.

Asura said nothing as Bruce examined a computer screen that was collecting data from the Mantra Reactor.

Bruce: The energy readings are off the chart. So you’re saying that this thing channels spiritual energy, called Mantra, that powers you and keeps you alive? How is this energy formed?

Asura: It comes from emotions.

Bruce: Oh yeah, that makes sense. You are the Wrath Deity, right? So your anger is what strengthens you.

Asura nodded before asking a question of his own.

Asura: Anger strengthens you too, does it not?

Bruce: Well, I wouldn’t say it’s the same but there are some parallels. Both of us get stronger the angrier we get but the foundation of your strength is this Mantra energy while mine is radiation.

Asura cocked an eyebrow in curiosity.

Asura: What is that?

Bruce: Well, specifically you could say I’m powered by gamma radiation. It’s a type of electromagnetic radiation that can penetrate the human body and cause ionising reactions inside that damage cells and DNA. I shouldn’t really be alive but I am.

Asura, given his  background, understood none of what Bruce had said.

Asura: So what does that green thing have to do with you?

Bruce: It’s what happens when I get really angry. I hulk out and destroy everything around me. Takes a lot to control the big guy. What about you? Since you’re all about anger I’m sure you know how hard it can be to control it.

Asura thought back to his early days as a general of the Eight Guardian Generals. As far back as he could remember he could always properly direct his wrath toward his foes. Of course, there were cases when his wrath may have taken more control, like in his Berserker and Wrath forms, but more often than not he never let his anger be a tool of indiscriminate destruction.

Asura: I always had control over my wrath.

Bruce: Really? I guess the simulator was acting up again. I’ll take your word for it though. I’m sorry you had to see me like that. All angry and destructive. If I ever hulk out again here, please promise me one thing.

Bruce’s face went from neutral to a mix of fearful and pleading when he turned to Asura.

Bruce: Don’t fight me.

Asura was left confused again. Though after Bruce’s explanation he understood where he was going.

Bruce: I get stronger the angrier I get, you get stronger the angrier you get. At what point will either of us stop being angry? We’ll just keep getting stronger and stronger in an endless cycle of wrath. What devastation could be caused by that?

Chapter Text

With new friends in the Colosseum, Tracer’s Christmas schedule became even more packed. Not only did she have to buy gifts for her friends back in her world but she also had to buy gifts for her friends in the Colosseum. Of course, she doesn’t have to do this. Most combatants who can go home without returning to the afterlife don’t really think about the Colosseum when it’s Christmas season but Tracer, ever the cheerful and kind-hearted soul she is, felt it necessary to give them gifts too. After spending Christmas and the following day with her friends at Overwatch, Tracer would head to the Colosseum and bring gifts to those she considers her friends there.

She has gifted Frank West antique cameras, Leon and Wick with new clothes for them to wear specifically in the Colosseum, Bond has been consistently given random trinkets she would find in her travels, both Sam Fisher and Snake have been gifted snow globes and ornaments and Scout… ah, well. Jeremy has always been Tracer’s number one prank target. So it should come as no surprise that her Christmas gifts to him tend to be light-hearted pranks. Things like a necklace with customisable words that you can put on the string, with Tracer having assembled the word ‘tosser’ (a British slang to describe a foolish person) on it before gifting it to Scout or a ceremonial baton decorated in pink hearts. They are still gifts of value, they just always carry a little bit of something that pulls Scout’s ego down as he receives them. And his reactions everytime when he tries to play it off always crack the Overwatch Agent up. Further, encouraging her to get more gifts of the like for the Boston Basher.

2024

The 25th of December had come and gone and the 26th had been spent trying to craft the perfect gifts to give to her fellow combatants. On the 27th, Tracer came back to the Colosseum to drop off her gifts. One by one, she gave each of her friends their presents. One by one, she made her way over to Scout’s room, saving the best for last. But as she arrived in front of the old 1970s-style wooden door her knock was received with silence.

Tracer: That’s weird.

Tracer knocked again and once again, nothing.

Tracer: He should be back by now. He normally only spends one day celebrating Christmas in his world. What’s going on?

Being the douchebag he is, not many of Scout’s teammates want to spend the holidays with him. He would usually just spend it with his mom and then go to work the next day before coming to the Colosseum on the same day Tracer does.

Tracer: Maybe he’s late.

Deciding to wait it out, Tracer opened the door to her room, which is right next to Scout’s, and settled down for the day. The morning went by, then noon came and went, and finally the evening sky began to set to give way to the darkness of night. Tracer sat on her bed while staring at the clock. Her feet rapidly and impatiently tapped on the floor. She looked over at the present she had for Scout, which lay dormant on her desk. She let out a sigh and rested her chin on her hands before looking back at the clock.

Tracer: Did something happen to him? Maybe something dire happened in his work and now he’s stuck somewhere and can’t make it. Maybe he’s just tired from mercenary work and wants more time to himself? Or maybe he got some friends and is spending time with them instead. Did he die? If he did then would have no problem coming here. Is he… tired of my gifts?

Her eyes rested on the gift she had prepared for him. Wrapped in festive paper was a jack in the box that, when wound up, would cause a replica doll of a Mini Sentry to pop out. The doll was sowed by her own hands based on Scout’s vile descriptions of the miniature contraption. She found his disdain for such a small device hilarious, so of course she made it into a gift for him.

Tracer laid back on her bed and stared up at the ceiling for a while before eventually deciding to go to sleep.

Tracer: Maybe he’ll come tomorrow.

He didn’t and his absence dragged on to the point she had to go back to her world to celebrate New Years.

———

Time worked in weird ways in the Colosseum. It obviously had its own day and night cycle but when you consider all the worlds it tethers together, it’s a complex mess. Years can go by in some worlds and mere days in others while the Colosseum’s calendar is unaffected by this. Decades worth of comics can be trivialized into a few passing years and a week’s worth of adventure can take months to register in the Colosseum’s calendars. It’s how the place handles all the different worlds and media advancing at different paces. (In other words the Colosseum just moves at the same pace as our world. If an anime takes 2 years to complete itself then it will take 2 years for it to finish in the Colosseum too.) It’s how so much can happen for a character and how they can accumulate more stories and information for the Colosseum to analyse and procure. On December 20th, 5 days before Christmas, the library PCs received an update on a story that has been left untouched for a long time. But given the sparse population during the holiday season, no one really found out about it. Until the main man himself came back.

It was January 7, a week after New Years. Jeremy had finally found some free time to go back to the Colosseum. While his absence had only lasted a few weeks, to him it had been 7 years. 7 long years of joy, sadness, court rulings and liveliness. For perhaps the first time in his life, Scout was able to give life rather than take it. This year’s Smissmas had been the best one he had ever had in his life and it was all thanks to the mercs he can call friends. Speaking of friends, he had brought with him gifts to give to those he considers friends in the Colosseum. Well, they’re less friends and more friends of a friend, as they are far more amiable to Tracer than they are to him. They only tolerate his presence due to Tracer keeping his ego in check. She was really the only person who would actively seek him out in the Colosseum. Looking back at all those times he tried to impress her, only to fall flat on his face, made him chuckle in embarrassment.

When he arrived at the Colosseum he was once again wearing his old merc attire. He took a moment to admire it. All pristine and ironed out, as opposed to how they actually are back at home, tucked away and withering. As he walked by the cafeteria he bumped into Frank West.

Frank: Scout, is that you? Where have you been?

Scout: Oh, you know. Celebratin’ Christmas, spendin’ time with people and all that stuff.

Frank: You made friends? Now that’s a Christmas miracle.

Scout: Aww, shucks. There’s no need for that Frank. Oh, by the way. I got you something.

Scout never gave any gifts for Christmas. The most he ever gave was one of his baubles, batted at a combatant during a past incident that didn’t involve him. He was just trying to help break up the fight in a festive manner. This gift came with no violent intent.

Frank: Woah, a frame! It looks beautiful. Where’d you buy this?

Scout: Well, I just got it from the shop nearby. I couldn’t find any of the vintage stuff that Tracer usually gets you so it may not be up to snuff.

Frank: Scout, anything from your world is vintage.

Scout suddenly remembers that Frank is from the future. Not as far into it as Tracer is but from the future no-less.

Frank: Wasn’t expecting this. What made you go soft?

Scout: Heh, well it’s a long story.

Frank: Save it. Oh, if you can make time go find Lena. She’s been lookin’ for you since Christmas and hasn’t been the same since.

With that, they parted ways. Scout proceeded to give out gifts to Tracer’s other friends. He gave Leon a comb, Wick a tie, Bond a bow tie, Sam a bookmark and Snake a new headband coloured in a red and blue pattern. Lastly, he made his way over to Tracer’s room. He knocks on the door but gets no response. He decides to wait for her in his room and begins unlocking his door. As Scout fiddles with his key, Tracer comes up the stairs. Upon seeing Scout, her face lit up. Without warning, she activates her Blink and tackles Scout to the ground. The two slide along the floor for a bit as Tracer pins Scout down by his shoulders.

Scout: Oww! What th-

Tracer: Where have you been!

Scout: Woah, woah, slow down Tracer. I-it’s nice to see you again.

Tracer was almost taken aback. Scout never called her Tracer, he either called her doll, beauty, girlie and at times he even threw back her ‘love’ phrase at her.

Tracer: Yeah, it’s nice to see you too but where have you been?!

Tracer was practically shoving Scout on the floor at this point and the Boston Basher was forced to push her off of him.

Scout: I just had a lot going on ok? Wasn’t able to make it here for Christmas.

Tracer: What were you doing?

Scout: scratches the back of his head Well, it’s a long story.

———

By now the conversation had moved to Tracer’s room. She invited Scout in, something she has never done before. In the past, such an invite would be a privilege for the Red Flanker. He always saw himself as a ladies’ man so his loss to Tracer in their Death Battle didn’t hamper his efforts in wanting to get to know her. Quite the opposite in fact, her competitive nature, one that rivaled his own, bolstered his efforts. He wanted to prove himself her equal. Of course, beyond speed, there was much more to this comparison. Tracer is proud, Scout is egotistical, she is charming, he lacks charisma, she helps those in need, he helps whenever it benefits him. Of course, he has his fair share of traits that are blatantly superior to Tracer’s. He’s stronger, tougher and a lot more stubborn. But these traits did nothing in trying to earn her favour. Nor did it do anything to earn the favour of fellow combatants. Tracer’s other friends tolerate his presence at best and even then he nearly went blind a couple times whenever Frank would shut him up with a flash to the face. Heroes viewed him as scum and villains saw him as pathetic. Few like Tracer indulged his boasting but none really saw him as someone you could call ‘friend’... except for Tracer.

For she knew that there was more behind that cockiness of his. She was never sure if it was a mask or a genuine side of his but Tracer came to realise that Scout can be more than a selfish mercenary. Of course, this realisation wouldn’t have come had it not been for Scout’s constant pestering. With time, she was able to see that this nagging was not him trying to purposely annoy her but rather trying to get to know her. So she entertained his brashness. Eventually, it led to a competitive spark that created a bond unique to the two. They would play together, make jabs at each other, “bully” each other all in good fun. But he still wanted to play the casanova so Tracer would keep him at a certain distance to make sure their friendship never crossed a line it could never come back from. That included not hanging out in either of their rooms alone.

Now, Scout was in a place his younger self would kill to be in. But instead of revelling in this fact he thought nothing of it. Instead, he simply sat down on a chair while Tracer sat on her bed, as he told her what’s been keeping him busy in the past weeks. At least, in terms of Colosseum time. Tracer was shocked to hear that Scout experienced years in those weeks he was gone. She was equally shocked to hear that he was no longer a mercenary, having left that job years ago when his boss died before his eyes, melting into a disheveled puddle while cradling in her arms the man she held great anger toward. But probably the greatest cause of shock was the fact that he had settled down and started a family.

Tracer: Waitwaitwaitwaitwait hold the phone! You have kids?

Scout: Yep, four of ‘em. Quite a handful but they’re a good bunch.

Tracer: Wait, so does this mean you’re married now?

Scout: Pfft, nah. Good for nothing deadbeats they are. I’m raisin’ them on my own.

Tracer: Oh, so how are you supporting them?

Scout: I sued the City of Teufort. They owe for all the injuries I suffered when I worked there.

Tracer: That’s… not how suing works.

Scout: Working so far. Anyways, yeah, so that’s what’s been happening. Haven’t been able to come here for Christmas cause I was having my own Christmas party. Has it really been just a few weeks? Time is weird here.

Tracer stared at the man sitting in front of her with a face of uncertainty. Before her was once a man who would’ve tried to make up a Christmas story to disguise the fact that he had to celebrate alone but the lie was always obvious because his descriptions were always too extravagant. Now, she found herself sitting in front of an entirely different man. One who didn’t need to lie about his life experiences. Who just told a story with no exaggeration, just an honest and authentic one. She could still see hints of the prideful bastard he once was but never once, in meeting him again, has he shown it. It felt surreal. No hiding of anything, no playing anything up for looks, he was just being him.

Scout: Oh, I almost forgot. I got you somethin’. I know it’s kinda overdue since I never gave you a gift before but I was kinda short on time and I never got the chance to properly ask what you would want for Christmas.

Scout presented his gift to Tracer, which snapped her out of her trance, causing her to hastily grab the gift from him. She put it next to her ear while shaking it, trying to deduce what it was. Placing it down on her lap she began opening it. Inside was an orange scarf decorated with yellow peace symbols. Tracer held the scarf in her hands, her mouth hanging open in surprise.

Scout: Yeah, I wasn’t able to get very good gifts for everyone. I promise next year I’ll get something bet-

Scout was suddenly pulled up from his chair and into a bear hug. Tracer squeezed him so tightly that he began losing air. Sometimes he forgets how strong she can be.

Scout: Okay… I get, you like it.

Tracer let go of Scout to allow him to breathe again.

Tracer: Like it? I love it! Now I just feel embarrassed about my gift.

Scout: Huh? Whatcha get me?

Tracer: Well, it’s supposed to be a surprise but given that you just gave me a really good gift I feel really bad about my gift for you now.

Scout: Aww c’mon, don’t be like that. Let me guess, it’s another one of your pranks?

Tracer: eyes drop to the side …yeah

Scout: Then let me see it. It’s still a gift.

With hesitation, Tracer placed the scarf down before reaching under her bed to fetch the box. She gave it to Scout who immediately began opening it.

Scout: Oh hey, it’s one of those windy thinggys.

Tracer: Yep, crank the lever and see what’s inside.

Scout began cranking the lever and the tune ‘Pop Goes the Weasel!’ began playing. After a while the box sprung open to reveal the Mini-Sentry plush. While not totally terrified Scout was still startled by the plushy.

Scout: Oh ho good one, good one. You wanted me to scream like a girl huh?

Tracer: You always do.

Scout: Alright I’ll let you have that one.

Tracer: What happened to you? Did a family life really beat that ego out of you?

Scout: Ha, I didn’t go soft just cause I got kids to raise now. I still keep in touch with the others. I’d be laughed at non-stop if I really went cushy.

Tracer: Hehe, I see.

Tracer sits back down on her bed.

Tracer: So you’re still the same guy.

Scout places his gift on her desk before taking a seat next to her. Tracer didn’t protest.

Scout: Mostly, but I like to think I definitely changed.

Tracer: For the better or for the worse?

Scout: I dunno. For one, I like being with my kids. On the other hand, I can’t chase people like you anymore.

Tracer: Who said you had to stop?

Scout: I mean scratches the back of his head , I don’t know if you liked it when I said all that stuff before.

Tracer: Scout, it’s fine really. I enjoyed every second we spent here. Especially the times I get to beat you.

Scout: Oh look who’s calling who cocky. We’ll see about that. Just cause I’m a family man now doesn’t mean I lost my edge. The scoreboards will still put my name above yours Tracer.

Tracer pondered for a second before answering.

Tracer: You know, you can call me Lena.

Scout: Since when?

Tracer: Starting now.

Scout: Oh now I get permission, huh?

Tracer: Well you’re not as annoying as you used to be.

Scout: Alright, fair enough love.

Tracer: No you still can’t call me that.

Scout: Why not?

Tracer: At least tell me what your name is.

Scout: I’ve never told you?

Tracer: No.

Scout: The name’s Jeremy.

Tracer: That’s a nice name.

Rivalries are spawned from the clashing of blades and it’s from these clashes that sparks are formed. From these sparks, new life is created. Where respect grows with rivalry. Overtime, and with luck, as the blades continue to strike each other their rivalry strengthens but not as much their friendship. A friendship born from the fires of passion and can withstand even the coldest winds. They may be at each other’s throats most of the time but when the chips are down they’re each other’s best back-up. While they may not know what goes on outside their worlds, whatever blood is drawn from those outside conflicts will never seep into their hearts.

Scout and Tracer would continue to talk into the night, losing their sense of time. Not that it mattered, there’s plenty of time to go around to share new stories. And definitely plenty of time to make new ones.

Chapter Text

What is a hero? It’s a being that stands for righteousness. What is a villain? It’s a person who performs evil for their own selfish goals. But what happens when someone lies in between?
What are your thoughts on someone who has sinned in the past but has also done a lot of good.

What are your thoughts on Spawn?

Superman: He wears his sins on his sleeve but tries to wear his virtues at the same time.

Captain America: A soldier from Hell trying to do God’s work.

Batman: He’s a friend.

Spider Man: A sad man.

Goku: A powerful fighter.

All Might: Someone who’s not letting his past define who he is now.

Deku: Someone striving to be better.

Mario: A scary man.

Sonic: Someone who does the best he can.

Raiden (MK): A devil is a devil.

Robocop: Acts of good do not detract from a criminal past.

Tracer: I get goosebumps just being near him.

Pinkie Pie: He’s got such a moody face all the time. Wonder what cheers him up?

Luke: The dark side in him is overwhelming but I can sense a faint light among all that darkness.

Optimus Prime: Perhaps there is good inside of him but I have yet to see it.

Shao Kahn: An annoying Hellspawn.

Goku Black: A lackey who overstepped his boundaries.

Bowser: He’s such a bore.

Eggman: I thought Chaos magic was the most fascinating thing out there but his Hell magic gives it a run for its money.

Lex Luthor: Another goon to take advantage of.

Dr. Doom: What is there to say; other than that his power is beneath mine.

Vader: A walking pile of darkness.

Ganondorf: A man of inferior power.

Shredder: I don’t care about him.

Thanos: He claims to be righteous but what does his opinion matter against the opinions of the masses?

Darkseid: An obstacle if he gets in my way.

Madara: A miserable man who cannot be controlled.

Homelander: He’s just brooder, what else is there to it?

Sauron: A bug to squash.

Dio: Hmm, a sad man and not the last one I’ll see that’s for sure.

Despite being one of the oldest combatants, Spawn seldom spends time with others. To him, Death Battle is a sport and should be enjoyed as one. Nothing more, nothing less. He has never used his room and only comes on days when there’s a fight and leaves before night settles. As such, many combatants don’t know much about him. Even those who’ve been around as long as he has barely know more than those who joined a few years ago. Al Simmons prefers to keep to himself. His duty lies in his world afterall, he shouldn’t bother with what happens in other worlds when that’s someone else’s responsibility and he sure won’t bother with a world that’s sole purpose is to connect other worlds. That’s not to say he hates the other fighters.

He gets along with most of the veterans and he does get a kick out of watching newcomers tremble in fear upon first meeting him. He’s got into a few fights but he tries to end each one quickly, as he prefers to keep his cards close to his chest. Ultimately, he doesn’t spend enough time in the Colosseum for others to form a proper opinion on him and so they only have his appearance and attitude to go off of, which tends to lead to many villainising him. Not that he cares. Of course, those who bother to read his comics know better but not everyone is curious enough to read about him. But to say he’s always seen in a bad light is disingenuous. Afterall, Spawn is far from the most morally conflicted combatant here and he’s not the only one who can’t stick to a side. What are your thoughts on Spawn?

Cole: He killed a lord of hell, he can’t be that bad.

Boba Fett: He’s a murderer with a halo.

Deadpool: He’s like if you gave Batman superpowers.

(A/N: Maybe I should’ve asked someone else.)

———

Post Ghost Rider vs Lobo

A man who made a deal with the Devil and had his soul fused with the Spirit of Vengeance. Despite all the evil that looms over his shoulders, villain is the last thing you can use to describe him.

What are your thoughts on the Ghost Rider?

Superman: A man who was backed into a corner with no hope to reach out to.

Captain America: A hero when it counts.

Batman: Just another hero.

Spider Man: He’s a friend.

Goku: A powerful fighter.

All Might: He’s got the Devil looking over his shoulder and still does what’s right.

Deku: He’s a hero, if not a bit of a scary looking one.

Mario: A nice guy.

Sonic: I dig the flaming head.

Raiden (MK): His morality is questionable but he’s ultimately righteous.

Robocop: Hero or not he has crimes he must answer for.

Tracer: He’s so cool!

Pinkie Pie: I don’t like it when that other guy takes over but Johnny himself is a fun guy! I got him to make a cake with Deadpool and I one time and he used his Hellfire to help bake it. It ended up being a spicy cake.

Luke: Someone who needs to get that spiritual influence off his back.

Optimus Prime: Despite appearances he’s a good person.

Shao Kahn: Someone who can’t mind his own business!

Goku Black: A mortal unworthy of wielding divine power!

Bowser: A rad dude!

Eggman: I try to keep my distance ever since I heard all it takes is a stare for him to make you suffer all your sins.

Lex Luthor: A messy man.

Dr. Doom: Depending on the man behind the fire, he’s either a challenge or a cockroach.

Vader: The light is strong with him but so is the dark.

Ganondorf: A weak man who relies on someone else for power.

Shredder: Do I look like I care about who he is?

Thanos: A weakling.

Darkseid: An obstacle if he gets in my way.

Madara: An angel of death.

Homelander: Overrated in my opinion!

Sauron: A bug to squash.

Dio: I’ll admit, he’s kind of cool.

Johnny Blaze was enthralled by the Colosseum when he first got there. A room full of powerful fighters would normally be intimidating but Mr Blaze has seen worse and it helped that there were plenty of familiar and friendly faces for him to see as well. The thought of being able to meet new people from different worlds and watch them fight got Johnny’s blood pumping but such thoughts were put to a halt. On the day of Ghost Rider vs Lobo, there were three individuals who walked out of the white doors, The Main Man, Johnny himself and the Spirit of Vengeance tethered to his soul, Zarathos. As a spirit of vengeance it’s in Zarathos’ nature to seek out and punish sinners and there are many sinners that walk within the halls of the Colosseum.

Not long into his introductory tour did the Spirit try to take over Johnny’s body and deliver punishment to those he deemed to have committed heinous acts. But luckily, Johnny resisted and kept Zarathos at bay. Due to this, for the safety of everyone in the Colosseum, he decided to only come in once a week to see the fights and interact with people. He’s been very careful on who he chooses to hang out with. Obviously, fellow marvelous individuals are safe bets, as long as they’re not evil, but the other combatants that Johnny chooses to mingle with are mainly good guys. The less evil they emit, the easier it is to make sure Zarathos doesn’t try to enact vengeance.

Johnny Blaze: This isn’t the place for us to do this! Even the gods from other worlds follow the rules here so our role does not make us special.

Zarathos: They must suffer! If we cannot kill them then we will make them wish we could.

Johnny Blaze: Like that’s any better? Yeah, not a chance. Good thing I’ve got you underwraps most of the time. It’s long enough for me to enjoy some time here.

Of course, he can’t always be Johnny. Most of the time, it’s the Ghost Rider hanging out in the Colosseum, meaning most newcomers’ first impressions of him are that of alarm, or indifference depending on if he’s one of the first combatants they get to see up close. He’s far from the most freaky looking combatant that’s for sure. But it usually takes a drink and a conversation for them to realise that he’s not that bad, he just got dealt a bad hand.

———

Present day morning

Spawn enters the ground floor of the Colosseum. Today is the day he fights the Ghost Rider. For the most part, he isn’t sure what to expect. There are only three things he knows about the Ghost Rider. First, his immense strength.

Spawn: His strength is praised by Thor, who in turn matched Superman during that arm wrestling competition. Thor beat Kratos in that contest, so I’m fighting someone who can hit in a higher weight class than me. Hmm, not the first time I had to deal with that.

The second thing to note is his Hellfire.

Spawn: It burns the soul. My soul is pretty messed up as it is. How much more can he mess it up?

Finally, his most infamous ability, the Penance Stare.

Spawn: A stare that makes you suffer all of your sins. That’s not new.

As Spawn was considering his chances of winning he felt a hand on his right shoulder. He was suddenly pulled in by a large, muscular man with grey complexion and wild hair. The man, without asking, began whispering into Spawn’s ear.

Lobo: Listen here, punk. I want you to crush that pipsqueak until he’s a pile of demon dust. You hear me?

Spawn: Since when do I listen to you?

Lobo: Just asking for a favour here, ok? I totally had that fight and I can say for myself that he’s nothing until the big red guy comes out to play. While you were gone everyone up ‘till now kept talking about how cool Casper the Rider is and only that orange turtle and wimp with the green hair has bothered to read your comics.

Spawn: Have you read my stories?

Lobo: Nah, too busy for that. But you gotta shut everyone up and give that pale man a taste of his own medicine up his ass!

By now Lobo was no longer whispering but shouting. Shouting into Spawn’s ear. Something that annoyed him and he was about to do something about it too before they got interrupted.

Johnny Blaze: Didn’t think I touched that many nerves on you.

Spawn and Lobo turned to see Johnny Blaze enter the Colosseum.

Lobo: Get ready to be fed an L later bozo.

Johnny Blaze: I look forward to it, bastich.

Upon hearing his own insult turned against him Lobo began angrily approaching Johnny Blaze, who in return, transformed into the Ghost Rider to meet him eye to eye.

Lobo: Listen here you little shit. You’re nothing without that fragging soul overlookin' ya.

Ghost Rider: You think I enjoy having him with me? That’s a funny story.

Before things can escalate, Spawn teleports in between them to break them up.

Spawn: That’s enough. looks at Lobo I’ll see you in the audience looks at Ghost Rider and I’ll see you in Hell.

Ghost Rider nods at Spawn while Lobo grumpily walks away. As the two demonic beings part ways for now Johnny begins thinking about what to expect from the fight.

Johnny Blaze: There’s not much I know about him and apparently Spidey and Thor don’t much either. Maybe I can watch his old fight to get an idea of what to expect. Wait, no that won’t work. I won’t even remember what he’ll do in that fight later.

Ghost Rider: Guess I have no choice but to fight like hell.

Zarathos: No other choice but to make him suffer.

Chapter Text

As the hour of the battle drew closer and the seats at the arena were being filled up, an excited chatter was rising among marvelous heroes and villains. Naturally, since Ghost Rider comes from their world, they want to cheer him on.

Deadpool: talking with his mouth full of popcorn Ah I can’t wait. elbows Wolverine Hey, what do you wanna see happen? I wanna see Ghost Rider Penance Stare him to just an inch of his life then finish him off with his boner. Haha mouths down a handful of popcorn You get it? Boner.

Wolverine: …

The Adamantium X-Man tries to look over to his fellow X-Men across the arena for help but they simply laugh at his unfortunate predicament.

Wolverine: Why couldn’t Peter be the one to sit next to him this time?

—

Tony: ‘Xcuse me.

Rhodes: Tony why do you need so many snacks? This fight won’t last 5 minutes.

Tony: Yeah, so I’m making the most out of these 5 minutes. Hey check this out.

Tony taps some buttons on his watch before displaying a list of bullet points on a small hologram spreadsheet.

Rhodes: What is this?

Tony: So before the fight I scanned the library and asked Jarvis to compile their abilities and strengths to see who would have the better chance of winning.

Rhodes: So you were just too lazy to read?

Tony: Hey, I was busy and you didn’t read either. So from what I got here it seems like it’s going to be a close fight. If Ghost Rider just focuses on his strength he should win but the moment he tries going for his stare things are going to start tilting the other way.

Rhodes: And why’s that?

Tony: No spoilers, you’ll see. smiles, then takes a bite from a hotdog

Rhodes: Hehe, listen. I don’t care what data you gathered. I’m still rooting for our guy.

Tony: talking while chewing Fair enough.

—

Miles: So who do you think is gonna win this?

Spider Man: I think Ghost Rider should win. He can probably take on Galactus and be fine. Plus that stare will mess up Spawn. He used to work in the military so he’s got a lot on his plate.

Miles: Mhmm, I actually think Spawn’s got a good chance here.

Gwen: What makes you think that?

Miles: Well, I came across Deku yesterday in the library and he was just absorbed in those comics. I asked him who he thinks will win and he told me that Spawn’s got a lot to throw at Ghost Rider, more so than Ghost Rider can throw at Spawn, and apparently he’s got something similar to the Penance Stare. Not sure if it’s exactly the same but Johnny told us he is vulnerable to his own stare.

Gwen: So is the winner going to come down to who wins the staring contest?

Miles: Maybe.

Spider Man: Even if he does have more to throw out, Ghost Rider should be able to power through all that.

Miles: Who’s stronger? You or the Green Goblin?

Spider Man: Uhh, me.

Miles: So why does he still kick your butt every now and then?

Spider Man: Well, because he flies and has bombs?

Miles: Yeah and that’s my point. Strength isn’t everything. Look at me, I got more than just the normal Spider Man powers and that makes me more dangerous.

Spider Man: Uh huh, so why did you lose your battle?

Miles: …that was due to my opponent having the perfect counters against me. In fact, my loss is a perfect way to prove my point because I’m stronger than Static.

(A/N: I know DB gave Static the power advantage but they did mention Miles is physically stronger.)

For all we know, Spawn might have secret abilities that make him the perfect Ghost Rider counter.

Off to the side both Gwen and Static laugh at Miles’ self-deprecation to prove his point to Peter.

—

Doom sits quietly at his seat with his arms crossed. Business in Latveria prevented him from doing his own research on this fight and while he normally wouldn’t bother with knowing combatants beforehand if those working behind this facility saw Spawn to be a worthy contender for the Ghost Rider then he must be something special. In his eyes, anyone from other worlds with power to rival theirs is worthy to be researched. If it’s a power he can obtain then he will find a way to take it. So far, worthy combatants have been in short supply. Over the past year he watched as Atom, Martian Manhunter and Unicron lose to the people from his world. The only one from that year to pique his interest was Raven, due to her overpowering the Phoenix Force. A feat that left him, and the entire Marvel cast, speechless. To this day, he researches her power in his workshop. If Spawn can do something similar to Ghost Rider then it will be of great interest to him.

Dr Doom: Blaze is not one of the weaklings, he should put up a good fight. Spawn has been very elusive with his powers in the past but against such a formidable foe being secretive about his power is no longer in the cards.

—

Thor: This better be a good fight.

Captain Marvel: You know Al used to be military right? Ghost Rider better watch himself if they get into cqc.

Thor: Ha! A little fisticuff will not hinder Zarathos’ power.

—

Sonic (Archie): Man, I just realised that there’s no one here to cheer for Spawn.

Silver (Archie): What do you mean? We’re cheering for him.

Sonic (Archie): I meant that no one from Spawn’s world is here for him.

Silver (Archie): Oh yeah. But didn’t he have a crossover with Omni-Man?

Sonic (Archie): I don’t think they met.

Silver (Archie): Wait, really?

Sonic (Archie): Yeah, Spawn met Omni-Man’s son.

Silver (Archie): Oh, I had no idea.

—

Kratos: Let’s see how far you’ve come since our last fight.

Asura: So how do these fights go?

Kratos: They fight to the death. Like what we did.

Asura: …Who are you rooting for?

Kratos: Hmm… Spawn.

Asura: Didn’t you lose to him?

Kratos: Yes. Which is why I’m rooting for him.

Asura: Alright, I’ll take the other guy then.

—

Lobo: C’mon Slimey, show that punk his place!

The lights in the arena go dark and the screen begins to power up.

[Now playing: Hell’s Angels]

The scene opens to a city shrouded in darkness and rain. On a city block stands a chapel, as tall as a tower, and perched on its spire is Spawn. He looks out onto the city, letting the rain fall on him from above. Soon, the droplets grow warm and sparks begin to rise from below him.

Spawn: Nights like these drive men insane. Brimstone in the air… something’s coming.

As he muses a trail of flame is shown climbing the building, followed by the roar of an engine.

Spawn: If it wants a piece of me, there’ll be hell to pay.

The flame rises above Spawn’s perch and lands on the roof of the chapel. Spawn turns to face it, his green eyes piercing through the night sky, as the flame comes to a screeching halt to reveal the Ghost Rider, sitting upon his flaming bike.

Ghost Rider: Go back to the pit you squirmed from, Hellspawn.

Miles: Well that sounded racist.

A flash of lightning strikes in the sky behind Spawn as he leaps from the spire onto the roof. He lands with a burst of Necroplasm and his meter, shown at the top left, begins counting down. Despite his limited amount on Earth, using a small amount of Necroplasm to make an entrance seemed trivial to the Hellspawn

Spawn: Make me.

…mortality

Mikey (cuz I’m tired of writing the Turtle’s full names): He’s so cool!

Fight

Ghost Rider charges forward with his bike as Spawn pulls out a pair of machine guns and begins unloading his ammunition at Ghost Rider. But the bullets don’t faze him and he rams his bike into the Hellspawn, driving the both of them off the chapel and breaking the spire in the process. The Hell Cycle continues to drive on Spawn by riding down the side of the building until a bunch of chains wrap around the Cycle and its Rider from below, ensnaring them and forcing the Ghost Rider to combust the Hell Cycle to free himself, which frees Spawn in the process.

Spawn slides down the side of the building before coming to a stop as Ghost Rider reforms his body at a higher position than him, causing the rain to filter through his Hellfire and making it appear to Spawn that its raining tongues of flame. Both combatants are now standing on the side of the church.

Ghost Rider: If you care, it’s nothing personal. Vengeance calls.

Spawn’s chains launch toward the Flaming Skeleton, who blasts them away with his shotgun. As he loads another shot Spawn takes the opportunity to close the distance and knees the weapon away before blasting Ghost Rider up the building with a beam of Necroplasm. Ghost Rider counters with his own beam of Hellfire. The beam clash ends in an explosion that obscures Ghost Rider’s view with smoke. As he searches for his opponent, Spawn leaps over the smoke cloud with his Agony Axe in hand and attempts to strike Johnny.

Deku/Spider Man/Miles/Static/Tony: That’s… not how physics works.

(A/N: Physics be damned if it looks cool!)

The Ghost Rider dodges and attempts to counter attack but Spawn is able to weave and counter most of his blows with his axe and chains and Al takes the time to note his opponent’s combatant skill.

Spawn: Sloppy. You fight like a bum.

In the stands, Captain Marvel shoots a smirk and a side eye at Thor.

Eventually, Ghost Rider lands a lucky hit and decks Al in the head, causing him to drop his Axe (fun fact: you can actually see the axe fall down the building in the background) and giving Johnny the opportunity to wrap him up in chains.

Now Thor gives Carol the smirk and side eye.

With Spawn immobilised, Ghost Rider takes a step closer and gazes into his eyes to give him the Damnation Stare.

Ghost Rider: You’ve earned your damnation.

Lobo: Wait already?!

Mikey: No, that’s not the Penance Stare, that’s the Damnation Stare.

Leo: What does it do?

Mikey: It sends you to Hell.

Spawn screams in pain as his skin is burnt away and his Necroplasm meter drops to zero. Behind/below him a portal to Hell opens and he is dragged through it. Screams of suffering can be heard coming from Hell through the portal and all sounds are silenced as the portal closes and the screen turns black. Now, anyone would be forgiven for thinking the fight ends there, especially Ghost Rider. From his point of view, a perspective fabricated by the simulation, his mission was to get rid of the Hellspawn and what easier way to do that than to send him back to Hell. No one can blame him for not knowing what this Hellspawn is capable of.

Deku: He… sent Spawn to Hell…

Mikey: Ooo, not a smart move.

BRINGS ME BACK!

The sound of church bells rings through the stadium as Spawn’s Necroplasm meter flashes back on screen, displaying an infinitely charged meter. Back at the church, a giant portal to Hell opens up from the ground in front of it and Spawn’s giant hand reaches out to grab Ghost Rider from the chapel wall to drag him down with him. As he brings down Ghost Rider the portal collects some collateral damage, including a semi-truck that was parked in front of the church, before it closes.

Burning, enslaving, it’s all in the name. I’m a ghost spawned…from the darkest black!

Spawn grips Ghost Rider as they fall down Hell and gives him a greeting to the place.

Spawn: Welcome to Hell, motherfucker.

In response, Ghost Rider releases a burst of flame that knocks both of them away. Ghost Rider cackles as he tumbles through the air and crashes into the windshield of the falling trunk. He infuses it with Hellfire to take control of it and begins driving through the air, honking wildly, to crash into Spawn again. Just before the truck hits Spawn he stops time and fills the vehicle with Necroplasm.

Kratos: He can stop time?

Goku: Woah, when did he have that ability?

Superman: I believe… Spawn volume 1 #116.

Goku: Wait, you know that?

Superman: Yep. I guess you didn’t think you needed that for your fight with Kratos.

When time resumes the truck explodes, sending Spawn crashing into the ground below. As he gets up he watches Ghost Rider’s skull fall to the ground before being engulfed in a pillar of fire. The fire changes from orange to blue and the skull begins to turn red as it floats to a higher position.

Spawn: I’ll be damned.

Ghost Rider’s body is reformed into a larger form below the red skull. The new body glowers at Spawn menacingly. From its voice Johnny no longer can be heard, instead Zarathos’ voice thunders through Hell.

Zarathos: Yes… you will.

Lobo: Grrr, here we go…

Zarathos throws out multiple flaming chains at Spawn, who dodges the first two but is caught and reigned in by the third one.

Zarathos: Get over here!

No reaction from Scorpion, this wouldn’t be the first time he heard someone use his lines. Not like he could do anything about it. There’s a reaction from Lobo though.

Lobo: Shit, shit, shit. Can he handle him?

The chains engulf Spawn in Hellfire as Zarathos flings him around and slams him against the terrain twice before spinning him around like a lasso behind him and slinging him away. As Spawn skids against the floor of Hell, Zarathos unleashes a beam of blue Hellfire from his mouth at him. Spawn tries to protect himself with his cape but is soon overwhelmed and just as the Hellfire covers the entire screen a flash of golden light erupts from his body, forcing Zarathos to shield his eyes. When Zarathos looks up at the source of the light he is greeted by Spawn floating above him as the Kingdom of Heaven shines behind him. Spawn unfurls two angelic wings, allowing everyone to witness his Divine form. A sight that amazes many…

Kratos: Such power… Did he gain this after our fight or before. And if he had it before, was I really not strong enough to push him to his limits?

Asura: Impressive…

Deku: Woah, he looks even more divine now that I get to see him in action.

Mikey: Oh my god he’s so awesome!

Ralph: Stop screaming.

Sonic (Archie): Hell yeah! Go get him buster.

Thor: Since when could a hellspawn obtain divinity?

Rhodes: Was that part of your bullet points?

Tony: I’m not sure but this is getting good.

Deadpool: Oh so he’s allowed to be portrayed as holy and good but despite both of us being anti-heroes I’m not allowed to be portrayed like that?

Lobo: Ohohoho, now we’re talking. Kick his ass!

…except Zarathos. Zarathos is not pleased by this sight.

How can a man damned to Hell, who then worked for a lord of Hell, who has killed hundreds of people in both his life and afterlife, who has taken rule over a circle of Hell, who has bested both the Fathers of Good and Evil, be worth the grace of divinity? Afterall, when you’re damned to Hell there’s no going back from that. Evil is evil and good is good.

Zarathos: The vestments of the holy cannot disguise your wickedness!

Hellfire rises from Zarathos in a fit of rage. But Malebolgia’s schemes were not perfect. To make Al his perfect slave he made the mistake of letting him keep some of his humanity and humanity is not perfect. Humanity can do good but it can also do evil. Humans can atone for their sins or choose to succumb to even more temptations. Ultimately, while angels and demons are clear cut, humans are nuanced. Place a human in the role of a Hellspawn and you’ll see he still has humanity’s desire for penance. Afterall, humanity isn’t truly evil. So who's to say that even when given an evil role that a human will stay evil. But the path to atonement is a difficult one and it requires not ignoring your sins but acknowledging them. Something Spawn has no issue with.

But I’m not ashamed. NO, I’M NOT ASHAMED!

I’m engulfed in the flame…

Spawn: God forbid.

Killing and saving,

Two sides of the same thing

Zarathos and Divine Spawn clash, with the borders of Heaven and Hell following suit. Each strike warps reality and the border between Heaven and Hell shifts depending on who has the upperhand. Heaven paints across the screen as Spawn blitzes Zarathos with multiple hit-and-run strikes.

It's always the same pain that brings me back

Hell tears Heaven away as Zarathos’ Hellfire burns from his mouth and fires a beam to follow Divine Spawn. Only for Heaven to explode back into the background as Spawn lands an upward kick at Zarathos’ gut, sending him flying.

(BRINGS ME BACK!)

When Spawn tries to follow, Zarathos drop kicks him down and Hell falls into the background with him, only for Heaven to rise back up as Spawn flies above Zarathos while charging a beam of light.

Burning, enslaving,

It's all in the name

I'm a ghost spawned...

Divine Spawn fires the beam down at Zarathos, vaporising his body and leaving only his skull.

From the darkest black!

Through this skull, Zarathos fires a bunch of chains from his mouth. The chains pierce through the beam and bind Spawn and his wings. The chains begin tearing his wings off and Spawn screams in pain as his wings are ripped off his body. More chains begin ensnaring him and they start pulling him away from Heaven back into Hell, closer to Zarathos, whose body has reformed.

Zarathos: AL SIMMONS! YOUR SINS ARE INNUMERABLE!!

Lobo: GOD FUCKING DAMMIT! ALL YOU HAD TO DO WAS KEEP MOVING! YOU HAD IT! YOU FUCKING HAD IT!

The Doctor: Could you shut up!

Zarathos grabs Spawn by the neck. Spawn tries to look away but Zarathos forces him to meet his gaze as he initiates his Penance Stare.

Zarathos: I AM HERE TO WREAK VENGEANCE UPON YOUR SOOOOOUUUUL!!!

Spider Man: Here it comes!

Thor: And… it’s over.

Rhodes: There we go. Game over.

Lobo: I’m fuckin’ tired of hearing all your yappin’ about this skull fuck.

Thor: Mayhaps you should bring some holy weapons next time, Lobo?

Deadpool: Uhh, guys. Nothing’s happening.

The scene looked almost frozen with how Zarathos simply held Spawn up with neither giving a reaction. Suddenly, Zarathos’ skull becomes wrapped in chains as the sockets in his eyes begin to glow green. Spawn grabs his face and pulls it closer to him. His angel wings have regenerated and the borders of Heaven begin to encroach from behind. Now it’s Spawn's turn to force Zarathos to meet his gaze.

Spawn: I eat sin for breakfast. Have a taste of your own goddamn medicine.

The screen zooms in on Spawn’s face as he begins to enact his own Penance Stare, an ability no one knew he had. Switching over to Zarathos, the fallen angel begins to whimper as he is forced to suffer the pain he inflicted on others.

…from the darkest black!

A vision is shown of another fallen angel, Emmael, just moments before he was given the Penance Stare.

Emmael: He lies! He is the prince of lies! Wait! I'm an innocent!

As the vision of Ghost Rider gives him the Penance Stare, Zarathos feels the effects of the stare too. The Penance Stare’s ability to reflect all of a person’s inflicted suffering back onto them is felt by Zarathos and unfortunately for him, Emmael wasn’t his only victim. More visions of Zarathos' many Penance Stare victims begin to flash by in rapid succession. Every soul that he and Johnny gazed into, from the lowest of crooks to Galactus himself. Their screams of terror are emitted as he feels each of their pain. Hundreds, thousands, millions, billions, billions of victims suffering from the suffering they caused, Zarathos feels all of it.

The screen exits his mind, showing him helplessly screaming in agony as Spawn holds him in place. In the background Heaven takes over.

Zarathos: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!

As Zarathos suffers, Spawn rips his soul out of Johnny, killing the latter in the process. Shaking his head, Spawn drops the lifeless Johnny through a rift back to Hell, his body burning into cinders as it enters the Devil’s realm. Al begins to infuse Zarathos’ skull with Necroplasm…

Spawn: It’s like you said, nothing personal, asshole.

Before crushing it into nothing. Church bells ring as the Spirit of Vengeance is destroyed. Behind him, Heaven glows brighter than ever, before the light takes over the screen to then reveal his victory card. A visage of him perched atop a cross on the roof of a church with red lightning streaking through the black sky and his green eyes piercing through the night.

[Music stops]

KO

There’s a stunned silence in the audience, and then…

Lobo: YESSSS! FUCK YEAH! WHAT DID I SAY! GIVE THAT BASTICH A PIECE OF HIS OWN GODDAMN MEDICINE! HAHA! holds up two middle fingers to the sky Shit, he can do that shit too? Now I gotta watch out for both of them.

—

Deadpool: You know what, I’m not mad at the loss. I’m mad I didn’t get to see Ghost Rider take a piss in the middle of the fight.

Wolverine: Why are you like this?

—

Rhodes: I can’t believe it.

Tony: Told you.

Rhodes: Told me what? You just said he had a chance of winning.

Tony: And that chance would come if he used the stare. Wasn’t expecting him to have his own stare though.

Rhodes: Or for him to be vulnerable to a similar ability of his.

—

Spider Man: Holy moly!

Gwen: That was wild!

Miles: Ha! What did I tell you?

Spider Man: Alright you won. I was sure Ghost Rider was going to win that.

Gwen: But didn’t you technically cheat? You got your opinion from Midoriya.

Miles: How’s that cheating? It was his best guess and he’s a bigger nerd than me so it’s an educated assumption to say he’s probably right.

—

Dr Doom: Marvelous. All those powers seem to stem from him. In order to understand it better I’ll need to understand the man himself.

…

And to resist the Penance Stare… He must be feeling pain on a level or worse than what the stare can inflict. Whatever that pain is, he does a good job hiding it.

—

Thor: Now I feel like sparring Spawn even more.

Captain Marvel: You’ve never fought him?

Spawn: He doesn’t fight anyone here. Unless they get in his way.

Captain Marvel: Hmm, then you know how to get his attention.

—

Silver (Archie): Woohoo!

Sonic (Archie): Good work Spawn!

—

Asura: That was a short fight. Are they all like this?

Kratos: Not always. Some can be long but years ago fights used to last much longer.

Asura: Hmph, I’ll have to check the archives then. Congrats on your guy winning.

Kratos: Hmm… Such power, and you chose not to use it on me all those years ago. But I’ve grown stronger. Maybe we should have a rematch to see how far both of us have really gone.

The white doors open and the two combatants walk out into an applauding audience. The Spider Men, Thor, Captain Marvel, Strange, Wanda, Rogue, Jean Gray and Storm all came down to greet Ghost Rider, who is holding his flaming skull. Evidently feeling some form of a headache after experiencing the stare.

Storm: You fought well.

Thor: Indeed. In fact, I’d say you kept him on the backfoot more times than not.

Captain Marvel: That’s right. Besides, I don’t think any of us were expecting Spawn to be able to use your stare.

Ghost Rider: Frankly, turns to face Spawn I’m shocked at how well you resisted the Penance turns back the heroes and how many of you are coming to greet me. Where’s this warm welcome whenever I ride onto the scene? Where are the screams and looks of terror now?

Spider Man: Hey man, we’re just here to congratulate you.

???: An exceptional performance, Al Simmons.

A booming voice rang throughout the arena. The voice came from above, from the window into space on the ceiling. The world eater Galactus gazed down at all of them but his eyes were fixed on the Hellspawn.

Galactus: I’ve never seen anyone resist the Penance Stare. You must suffer great pain everyday if such suffering brought on you is nothing.

Silver Surfer: I agree. I feel nothing but pity for you now.

Spawn: shrugs All in a day’s work.

Galactus’ and the Surfer’s words sparked conversation among the combatants. How much does Spawn suffer on a daily basis if he can tank the Penance Stare without worry. Inside him, Johnny felt Zarathos’ influence waning a bit. Was he feeling scared?

Ghost Rider: He better be scared. Maybe I should hang around him more so that he’ll shut up for good while I’m here.

The screen began to glow back to life, as the next fight was about to be announced.

Spider Man: C’mon, let’s get back. Oh this is my favourite part! I love being surprised on who’s next to fight.

Next time on Death Battle

Already in the first few seconds, the combatants are greeted with a rear view of a caped man with white hair holding another man’s neck as he’s turned into dust. The music is dreadful. In the seats, Izuku Midoriya’s smile is wiped off his face. Maybe he judged too early? With so many potential worlds out there, there’s definitely others that may look like him and share his abilities. So maybe it’s not him. His shoulders relax a bit as the next clip shows a man suffering. Then the next clip sends his brain to full alert. Stars and Stripes, America’s number 1 hero, comes on screen, with the sole purpose of having the star of the show grab her face with all of his 5 fingers. The next clip shows a girl being grabbed around the face as well. A few seats away, underneath his mask, the greatest sorcerer, Satoru Gojo, furrows his brow. There’s only being out there that he knows can do that. It doesn’t help that he recognises the girl as his own student.

Finally, the faces of the next combatants are revealed. Shigaraki’s ugly maw smiles at the screen as the ground of Deika City crumbles beneath him. Mahito’s awful appearance displays not only his horrid looks but the hands that bring you to his domain. Their faces are put on screen again, giving the combatants an opportunity to really see how terrible they look. That look, that smile, that’s the kind of face that can only belong to a villain who revels in what he does.

Now this isn’t the first time in Death Battle history that had an all villain fight, nor is it the first time in their return season. Bowser, Eggman, the Imposter and even Omni-Man and Bardock to a lesser degree. But Bowser and Eggman are seen as tame and the Imposter has been pretty harmless since his Death Battle. The looks given by these two make it clear to everyone that they may pose a problem when it’s their time to join. Villains who are really evil and live for that evil are always the hardest to pin down whenever they arrive and now here’s another batch of two.

Shigaraki vs Mahito

Deadpool: Finally, some good bloodshed. Villain vs villain are the best fights for unrestricted killing.

Batman: Looks like more extreme contingencies will be needed.

Discord: Oh, this looks like it will be fun.

The Doctor: Another brutal one.

Rick: Finally, about time. takes a swig of his liquor

Spider Man: Oooh, this is going to be rough. I mean, we’ve handled evil gods. I’m sure we can handle these guys.

In his seat, Deku began sinking deeper and deeper. His eyes wide in shock. His hands trembled with sweat. His breath hitched. His heart was pounding. Anxiety began growing bigger and bigger. Bigger than the two world eaters above them.

Deku: No… it can’t be. He’s coming back. He’s coming here. He’s going to turn this place into hell.

Next to him, All Might sat with his arms crossed. His face was solemn but his thoughts were a mess. They’ve dealt with villains in the past but this would be the first time he had to deal with a villain from his world. And knowing the relationship he and Midoriya had, things might get complicated. On the other side of Deku, Shoto Todoroki wore a determined face. His eyes narrowed with a mix of fear and anger. Next to Todoroki, a friend he made in the Colosseum became concerned about his reaction.

Zuko: You good there, buddy?

Shoto: That villain… is from my world.

Gojo sat by himself, contemplating what it meant for Mahito to come here. No sooner than he started thinking did his signature smile return to his face.

Gojo: Well, guess he’ll have to follow the rules or risk banishment.

Chapter Text

Post Deku vs Asta

The shock of coming into the Colosseum for the first time was like being hit by a flash bang (something Midoriya isn’t that unfamiliar with thanks to a certain other hero). The moment Midoriya stepped out of the white door and into the stadium he was greeted by applause and loud greetings from various figures in the stands. The suddenness of it all stunned the Young Hero, only his eyes could move and they gazed across the stands. He was surprised to be able to recognise some of the figures. Wolverine, Spider Man, Superman, it was a room full of heroes. The feeling was surreal but also overwhelming. He felt like a lost soul who shouldn’t belong. And it’s the duty of heroes to guide lost souls.

All Might: Don’t worry young Midoriya.

A booming voice cuts through the crowd. One that he had heard for nearly his entire life. His figure, hidden in the crowd, leaped into the air and landed with a crash in front of him. He stood up tall and proud, and brandished a smile that saved millions.

All Might: I am here!

His awe inspiring presence commanded attention and Midoriya was quick to attend.

Deku: A-All Might! W-What are you doing here?! Where are we?

The Young Hero inquired with eagerness and confusion at his idol’s presence in this strange environment. The Symbol of Peace gave him a hearty laugh before responding.

All Might: We’re in a place full of great people. There’s a lot to explain so for now you’ll have to wait. Come, someone else is waiting for you.

Deku nodded at his Hero but quickly caught a glance at his opponent a few feet away. He was conversing with Superman and an individual dressed in an orange gi and bore spiky hair. They appeared to be greeting him, not too dissimilar to how All Might came to greet him.

All Might: Midoriya?

All Might called from a distance.

Deku: Oh, coming!

—

All Might and Izuku made their way back to the stands, where the Young Hero was being greeted as a newcomer by those around them. Their welcomings felt a bit too much for him, especially given that he felt like his loss that resulted in his death shouldn’t warrant such a warm reception.

Deku: I’m sure I died back then. I’ll have to ask All Might how I’m still alive. Did he get into a fight as well to come here? I wonder who he fought… and if he won.

As he walked through the crowd he began feeling like he was being watched. A lot of eyes were on him but these gazes felt different. They felt cold, apathetic and hateful. Quickly scouring the crowd his eyes landed on various people who, despite their different appearances, all gave him the same gaze. A bald man in a suit rested his head against his fist while looking at him, behind a metallic mask someone glared at him with a piercing feeling of disinterest, the one-eyed gaze from a cracked face met his, and another’s gaze hid beneath a skull helmet that made his eyes glow red.

These were villains, and there were more than Midoriya realised. Mixed in with the crowd of heroes and nobody seemed to bat an eye at their presence. As he swapped between each villain’s stare with a slowly growing anxiety, he absentmindedly made his way over to where All Might and one of his friends were staying, accidentally bumping into his leg in the process.

Shoto: You ok Midoriya?

Deku: Todoroki! You’re here too?!

Shoto gave his friend a nod. He was acting very nonchalant about the whole thing, which didn’t help Deku’s understanding of where they are and why. On the seat left of Shoto, someone leaned forward to get a better look at  Deku. He had a scar on his face, very reminiscent of Shoto’s scar.

Zuko: So you’re Deku, the upcoming symbol of peace?

Deku: Uhh, yeah.

Deku replied in shock at how this mysterious person knew about him and his special role.

Zuko: It’s nice to meet you. I’m Zuko, the Fire Lord.

Aang: And I’m Aang and this is Toph. Welcome!

Next to Zuko a young, bald boy with an arrow tattoo on his head interjected and extended an eager hand to Midoriya, who gladly took it and shook it while his own hand shook with nervousness.

Deku: Uhhh, t-thanks. Ummm…

Izuku was nearly lost for words but luckily his mentor brought him back to Earth.

All Might: Midroiya, sit down. The show isn’t over yet.

Deku: Oh- right!

—

Deku: So, this is a place where people fight for fun… to the death?

All Might: Correct.

Deku: But why?

All Might: To test your limits of course! And everyone likes to watch a good fight too. Just think of this as a more… brutal version of what you see in the Sports Festival.

Shoto: Though, you don’t really get to choose who you fight to the death.

Deku: Really? What’s the selection process like?

Shoto: We don’t know but those who’ve been here longer suspect it has to do with personalities and abilities. The more similar your powers and personalities are, the higher chance you’ll be paired in a fight.

Deku: So when’s my next fight?

Shoto: I don’t know. All Might’s last fight was apparently 3 years ago and mine was 2. We haven’t had another one since.

Deku: Huh? Are they that stingy on who they let fight?

All Might: Well, there’s apparently a vast world out there with tons of people. Heroes, villains and everyone in between that this place brings in to fight. I’d consider us lucky if we can get more people from our home to join us. Bonus points if they win of course.

Deku: O-Of course. Wow so, am I going to just keep this loss record on me until they bring me back in to fight?

Shoto: Yep. Don’t worry, some people here have worse records than that.

Deku: What about you, Todoroki?

Shoto: I won my fight against Zuko but All Might lost his.

Deku: W-WHAT! You lost?!

The Young Hero was baffled at the concept of his hero losing a fight. Not because he can’t imagine that happening but because he could recognise that All Might’s body looked a lot like how he was in his prime. To be able to defeat the world’s Number One Hero at his best would require a terrifying amount of power.

Deku: But you look like how you were when you were in your prime!

All Might: I am in my prime body! starts flexing It feels great to be in this body again. Which only made the fight that much better. Don’t worry Midoriya, I had the greatest time in my life during that fight. If you want to watch it yourself you can go check it out in the archives. Maybe find some time to get to know him as well. He has a student of his own and I think the two of you could learn a lot from each other.

Shoto: There’s no need to be so tense. I’ve seen the fight, he doesn’t die a brutal death if that’s what you’re worried about.

Deku: Oh, ok I see.

Later that night, Deku entered his new dorm. It was an exact one-to-one recreation of his dorm room back in UA. All Might figures decorated the walls and he made a silent note to not invite anyone into his room. Midoriya settled down and began changing out of his hero outfit and into some sleeping attire. All Might suggested he spend a few days here before going back home, which left Deku unsure of what he wanted to do. His goal is to follow in his hero’s footsteps and become the next symbol of peace, so he thought that he could maybe continue his hero training here in the meantime. Perhaps he can even ask some of the other heroes to mentor him like how the heroes in his world mentor aspiring heroes through agency internships. He decided to ask All Might if such a thing is possible in the morning.

—

Deku: I don’t understand. Why won’t they help train me?

All Might: It’s not that they’re not willing to. Many people here are willing to lend a hand to each other in times of need but to be someone’s mentor requires time and dedication. Something they may not have to spare with their responsibilities back in their worlds.

Shoto: You could ask them to be your sparring partners instead.

The Half-Cold Half-Hot Hero interjected with.

Deku: What do you mean?

Shoto: I mean you can ask people here to fight you for fun. Most won’t turn it down, especially since no one can kill anyone here. You can start with the guy you just fought or you can check out the library and gaming room. If you're short on time, you can quickly look at them in action through the archives.

The One For All Prodigy gave his friend’s words some thought. While fighting Asta again would probably lead to the same outcome, there were plenty of other fighters here who could potentially be a better match for him. And so Deku would spend most of his Colosseum days reviewing the archives as well as reading, watching and playing anything he could get his hands on in the Colosseum to research potential sparring partners. In his room, he documented various combatant’s strengths and abilities and how they could potentially interact with him. He would weigh his chances of victory and if the fight was overwhelming in either his or his opponent's favour then he would discard the idea of fighting with them. Afterall, he wants a fight that will put him to the test.

After months of research he found many promising rivals and he would visit these combatants time and time again to ask for a fight. While some were hesitant at first, they quickly came around as time went on.

Of course, despite how many people he found the opportunity to spar with, the Young Hero obviously has his favourites.

Mega Man

Getting the Classic Fighting Robot to agree to a sparring match was not easy. Despite being a walking arsenal, Rock was a pacifist at heart and wasn’t interested in needless violence even if it was on friendly terms, something Deku could sympathize with but he still wanted to fight him regardless. After all, he’s got so many different quirks and he’s got so many different weapons, it’ll be a battleground of constant adaptation and quick thinking. The perfect training for dealing with unsuspecting and tricky foes.

Deku: Please! I’ll find a healer for us after the fight too, I promise. Please!

Deku was almost begging for Rock on his knees. It made for an awkward scene in the cafeteria, to see a supposed hero pleading to another hero to fight him.

Mega Man: I-I don’t know. I just don’t feel like it’s necessary.

Deku: But it could benefit both of us. I’m a close-quarters fighter and you’re a strictly ranged fighter. We could both learn how to better handle these kinds of enemies if we trained together.

Mega Man: I’ve never really met a close-combat robot who I couldn’t defeat.

X: Are you forgetting about me?

Astro Boy: Me too.

Rock waved off his friend’s comment. While Deku does have a point, Mega Man’s catalogue of villains who’ve traditionally utilised melee weapons is rather small as range is a powerful tool in his world. And so he doesn’t see himself needing to subject himself to this sort of violence for the training if he may not need it.

Mega Man: Sorry but I don’t want to fight you.

Astro Boy: Such a stickler to peace.

Mega Man: And that’s a problem?

Astro Boy: No, but what’s wrong with a good ‘ole fashioned sparring match.

X: I agree, there really is no downside to this Rock. None of you can die and it’s pretty easy to fix you up with a few energy tanks.

Mega Man: But what about you Deku. Won’t you get hurt?

Deku: Oh, I hurt myself all the time. You don’t need to worry about me.

The 6 robots, Rock, X, EXE, Star Force, Zero and Astro Boy, all look at each other with concern on their faces. The only one who doesn’t seem to be that worried is Volnutt, who is the only one in the table to have read the entire MHA manga (up to this point in 2022) due to not having anything better to do (F-you Capcom).

Rock takes a deep breath before asking one last time.

Mega Man: Are you sure you want to do this?

Deku: Yes I do!

Mega Man: Okay… because I’m more worried about hurting you than anything else.

Deku: That’s ok. The pain is part of the learning. I just need to learn to adapt to it.

Zero: This kid’s something else.

Astro Boy: Seems too eager to be a symbol of peace to me.

X: Well, he is still growing.

Deku: That’s right. And as a result I still have a lot to learn.

Mega Man thought about it one more time before conceding.

Mega Man: Alright, I’ll fight you.

Deku perked up at hearing Rock agree. His bright eyes and big smile embarrassing Rock with second hand embarrassment.

Deku: Thank you so much! I promise this will be worth your time.

—

Despite its name, the rainbow road that surrounds the Colosseum doesn’t really see that many races. Most of the speedsters are too busy being in other places to regularly use it and so it has been used as an unofficial arena. For some reason, the Colosseum has no dedicated arena for friendly spars (Boomstick: That’s quite the oversight Wiz.) and so combatants have taken to using the rainbow road as a substitute. Its adjustable size means the width of the track can be made as wide as needed to compensate for a fight and the settings computer at the entrance to it allows for combatants to customise the road itself, from a range of rocky mountains to a ruined city. These settings existed to spice up the locations for racing but it had the unintended side effect of allowing for fights to take place in almost any kind of environment the combatants wanted.

Mega Man: What environment do you prefer to fight in?

Deku: Hmmm… a city. Preferably one with no people.

Mega Man: This thing can’t make people. Don’t worry.

Rock gets to work, working the settings of the track. Deku watched in awe from the window as the rainbow road stretched beyond the horizon and concrete roads and buildings began to rise from the ground. He had not been specific as to what city he wanted so Rock just decided to simulate Tokyo. After he was done he told Deku to follow him onto the road. Midoriya was fascinated by how well the city had been created. It looked identical to real life Tokyo. The pair walked for a bit before stopping in front of the Tokyo Tower.

Deku: Woah, all of this just for a race track?

Mega Man: Yeah, we don’t know what went wrong in the heads of the people who made this place. You’d have to have a few screws loose to put so much effort into a racetrack but neglecting an arena for this place.

Deku: So… is this where we’ll fight?

Mega Man: Yeah. Do you want to start now?

Deku: Hold on, let’s get some distance. You stay here.

And with that, Izuku ran down the road until he was 100 feet away from where Mega Man stood. Cupping both hands in front of his mouth, he shouted.

Deku: Ok, ready!

[Now playing: Data Charge]

Mega Man nodded and began transforming his left hand into his Mega Buster. Meanwhile, Deku began charging One For All throughout his entire body.

Deku: One For All, Full Cowling!

From where he stood, Rock could see green electricity sparking from Deku’s body. Pointing his Mega Buster at him, Rock began charging his shots.

Deku charges forward and gets about 50 feet before leaping to the side. He lands on the side of a nearby building before leaping off of it and bounces between the buildings surrounding the Tokyo Tower. Rock tries to keep track of Deku’s movements but is having trouble following his trajectory. Eventually, he fires his charged shot at one of the buildings, having correctly guessed Deku would land on it. But just before the shot hits-

Deku: Transmission

Deku uses Gearshift and rushes in front of Rock, much to the Robot’s surprise.

Deku: Second Gear! Third Gear! Top Gear!

Landing three successive punches on him, each punch connecting faster than the last, he launches Rock into the sky. Utilising the energy he had built up from his jumps, Deku uses Fa Jin to catch up to Rock and appears just above him, ready to punch him down. But before he could land his punch he notices Mega Man looked different. Instead of his traditional blue armour and helmet, his armour was white with hues of purple. Suddenly, Deku was knocked higher into the air by blizzard winds.

Tundra Storm

As Deku flails through the sky, Mega Man lands and switches to his Dive Missiles and fires them into the sky. Deku uses the air pressure generated from his kicks to dodge around and destroy the missiles. He uses a powerful kick to send himself diving toward the ground but Mega Man dodges the landing and fires a Flame Blast at Deku, which explodes into a pillar of flame. Undeterred by the heat, Deku launches a Blackwhip at Mega Man and ensnares the Mega Buster. He pulls him in for a powerful attack.

Deku: Detroit Smash!

The smash sends Rock flying through one of the nearby buildings. Emerging from the other side, Rock slides on the floor for a moment and finds himself in a small courtyard. He looks up and sees Deku about to charge through the hole he came from. Deku leaps forward and dives through the hole just as Mega Man fires a Drill Bomb through it.

Deku: Low Gear!

Lowering his velocity, Deku uses Float to get around the attack- Danger Sense suddenly flashes through his head and an explosion rings behind him as Mega Man detonates the Drill Bomb manually. Deku flies straight into Rock, who flashes red while connecting an uppercut into his chin.

Mega Man: Power Gear!

The enhanced uppercut sends Deku crashing into the upper floor of the building. Using Smokescreen, he periodically covers his position.

Deku: He’s stronger than I thought. Overwhelming him with speed seemed to work. Need to stay on his flanks and avoid staying above him for too long.

With that he leaps out and begins leaping between the buildings in the courtyard in an attempt to overwhelm Mega Man with speed. Rock fires multiple shots but Deku uses Smokescreen in combination with his jumps to cover the sides of the buildings with smoke to conceal his landing and take-off trajectories. With this, he’s able to land multiple strikes against the Blue Bomber.

Mega Man: He’s almost as fast as Quick Man! Well, two can play that game.

Switching to Gemini Lasers, Mega Man fires a barrage of them around him. The lasers bounce off the walls and floors, making navigating harder for the Young Hero.

Deku: He’s countering with this? I expected him to use his Speed Gear to counter my speed.

Three lasers hit Deku from different angles, killing his momentum. Before he’s able to take-off again he’s hit by a Spark Shot. Taking advantage of his opponent’s immobilised state, Rock fires a Blazing Torch shot, which flies up before arcing down and pinning Deku on the ground with its impact. As Deku crawls out of the small crater he is quickly forced to dodge a Charge Kick but fails to dodge the follow up Top Spin attack.

Mega Man: Speed Gear!

Scratch that; he fails to dodge the follow up, Speed Gear enhanced, Top Spin attack. The flurry of blows knocks Izuku away and even manages to draw some blood too.

Deku: Need to get some distance. St. Louis Smash Air Force!

Deku releases a massive amount of compressed air through his kick, the wide area of effect of it preventing Rock from dodging, causing him to fly out of the courtyard and onto the roof of a far away apartment.

Mega Man: Does this kid have as many special attacks as states in the US or something?

Deku leaps up from the courtyard and begins jumping across buildings to get to Rock. Activating Speed Gear again, Mega Man starts firing multiple charged shots at Deku. Deku dodges a few of the shots before activating Gear Shift again and rockets forward. Mega Man tries to tag him with Hornet Chasers but Deku is too fast for them to catch up with. He fires a Blackwhip at the building Rock is on and begins swinging himself around it, using his centripetal force to increase the strength of his next attack.

Deku: Gotta knock him out now before he can use any more weapons. One For All- 45%!

With Speed Gear running low, Rock quickly switches to Power Gear and fires an Atomic Fire shot at Deku-

Deku: Faux 100%

Only for him to burst straight through it-

Deku: Manchester Smash!

And into Mega Man’s chest. The impact sends Mega Man flying through the air but Deku isn’t done yet.

Deku: He can still use other weapons in this state. I need to finish him off before he can utilise any of his time stopping abilities.

Combining both Gearshift and Fa Jin, he catches up to Mega Man’s body and positions himself above him for the finishing blow. As Deku readies his next attack, Mega Man’s colour scheme switches to a reddish-purple.

Deku: Time to end this! OVERDRIVE!

Deku prepares his 120% attack and he extends his arm to connect the punch. But the punch doesn’t connect, his fist stops 5cm away from Rock’s body, which just leaves the air pressure to launch the Blue Bomber into the ground. Deku was confused, until he felt he was suddenly yanked into the air by an invisible force.

Gravity Hold

Mega Man hits the ground with a crash. As he struggles to get up he disables Gravity Hold and looks up to see a bunch of cars, benches and rubble have also been shot into the sky alongside Deku. Deku uses these props to get a footing before diving toward Rock as fast as he can. But just before he can reach him, his colours change again to a dark purple.

Time Stopper

[Music pauses]

Mega Man activates Time Stopper just as Deku is a few centimeters away from connecting his fist with him. Taking this moment to breathe, he drops some Hyper Bombs down and places them on the soon-to-be impact zone. Rock starts walking away. After a while, he turns back around and counts down the remaining seconds of Time Stopper while charging up one last charged shot.

Mega Man: 3  2  1

[Music resumes]

Time resumes, Mega Man fires, and Deku finds himself punching a bile of bombs with all his might. The explosion reaches 3/4s the height of the Tokyo Tower and rings throughout the makeshift city.

[Music stops]

Despite being caught in the blast radius, he was on the outer edge of it so Rock only took minor damage from it, on top of the major damage already taken from Deku. Reverting back to his iconic blue hue, Rock makes his way over to Deku, who lays face first on the ground in the crater made from the explosion.

Mega Man: Deku! Are you ok?!

Rock races down to help the Young Hero up, who groans in pain.

Deku: You have… too many weapons to keep track of…

Despite his injured state, Rock found Deku’s comment amusing.

Mega Man: Hehe, well I don’t usually carry this many weapons around at once.

Deku: You’re telling me… Let me lie down here for a bit.

Mega Man carefully laid Deku on his back before collapsing on the ground next to him. The two laid together in a comfortable silence for a while.

Deku: You’re incredibly strong. With a hero like you, I’m sure your world has found its peace.

Mega Man pondered for a moment, thinking if he should reveal to Deku how things really are in his world.

Mega Man: I guess you could say that… I’m sure your world will be doing great too once you become the next symbol of peace.

Deku: Hopefully…

They continued to lay there for a few more minutes until Mega Man helped Deku back to the Colosseum.

Deku: That was a good fight. Let’s do this again sometime.

Rock Lee

As part of his research, Deku watched both his mentor’s fight against Might Guy and Might Guy’s student’s fight against Sanji. He could see where All Might was coming from when he told him it was one of the greatest fights he’s ever had. However, watching Sanji vs Rock Lee left Deku confused. Rock Lee didn’t really show much martial prowess in the fight. His rushed transformations gave Midoriya the impression that he was a brash fighter who relied more on raw power than actual combat skill. A stark contrast to Might Guy, who proved to be able to match All Might’s strength with his skill alone before using any transformations.

Wanting to know more, Deku headed over to the library to learn about Rock Lee. Turns out, this ninja student has a lot in common with him. Just like him, he started out with aspirations to be a greater person. Just like him, he lacked what it took to reach those aspirations. Just like him, he met a mentor who trained him to become the person he aspired to be. The main difference Deku noticed was that Rock Lee wasn’t given any special powers by Might Guy. There was no need to inherit anything, just hard work and training.

Deku: That kind of strain would kill a quirkless person. I guess the human limitation is different over there than it is for us. If only we had that high limit. I could’ve achieved my dreams of becoming a hero in a different way… but then I wouldn’t have taken after All Might’s role. Hmm…

It’s food for thought but not something the Young Hero is interested in at the moment.

—

Deku wanders through the Colosseum, hoping to be able to find Rock Lee and ask him for a sparring match. As he searches, he runs into Rock Lee’s master, Might Guy.

Might Guy: Oh hey! You’re All Might’s star student right? Izuku Midoriya, Deku, next in line to be the world’s symbol of peace! It’s nice to see you around here.

Deku: Oh, it’s nice to see you too sir.

Might Guy: Please, just call me Guy. What are you doing out here?

Deku: Actually, I was looking for your student.

Might Guy: Oh, Lee. I think he might be in the gym. Come on, let’s go meet him together.

Deku: A-Alright, sure.

The two green heroes make their way to the gym. As per Guy’s prediction, Lee was there, putting away some weights. The weights were labelled at 10,000 tons each.

Guy: Lee! Didja have a good workout session?

Lee: G-Guy Sensei! Yep, I managed to surpass my last record.

Guy: That’s the spirit!

The Old Master and his Student embraced each other in a hug. Meanwhile, Deku stood to the side unsure of what to think of what he was seeing. While he would say he and All Might have a close bond he wouldn’t go as far as to say it’s this close. Lee and Guy even seemed to be tearing up as they hugged, which made Deku feel awkward for being here. Like he's intruding on something he shouldn’t be seeing. Truth to be told, neither Lee or Guy mind.

Might Guy: By the way, you remember Deku right?

Guy asked his student before thumb pointing in Deku’s direction.

Rock Lee: Of course. faces Deku You’re All Might’s student. It’s great to finally see you in person.

Lee extends a hand to Deku, who shakes it in earnesty.

Deku: It’s nice to meet you too. All Might has told me great things about you too. Um, I was actually wondering if you and I could have a sparring match?

Upon hearing this request, Lee’s smile grew bigger.

Rock Lee: Of course! When do you want it?

Deku: Oh, is later today ok?

Lee gives Deku a thumbs up.

Rock Lee: Sure thing. We’ll meet at the rainbow road.

—

2023

Rock Lee was waiting at the rainbow road for Deku to arrive. They’ve been going at it for a year and have managed to find a flow that allows Deku to learn something from their fights. During their first few matches, they both learned very quickly that Deku’s immense mobility and arsenal of quirks made it very difficult for Lee to keep up, even with the 7th Gate.

So to keep things fair and interesting, and for the sake of Izuku learning something, they decided to limit what Deku can do during their sparring sessions. Deku can only use One For All to empower himself. No usage of Blackwhip, Float, Smokescreen, Fa Jin or Gearshift. Danger Sense can’t really be turned off so it gets a pass. No usage of smash attacks as well. The goal in these fights is for Deku to rely more on his hand-to-hand skills in combat to defeat Lee. 

Due to not needing the immense speed of Gearshift and Fa Jin, the makeshift arena is allowed to be flatter. Lee usually just sets the track to a forest and then clears an area himself.

Lee dusts off his hands after throwing away the last tree to make a 100 foot by 100 foot long arena. Hearing rustling behind him, he turns and sees Deku emerging from the trees. Wasting no time, Lee initiates the fight.

[Now playing: Unlimited Percent]

Lee: You ready?

Deku takes a deep breath and charges One For All throughout his entire body.

Deku: Ready!

The two lock eyes before charging at each other.

Lee opens with a flying kick, not dissimilar to his master’s dynamic entry. Deku blocks the kick with both arms before grabbing his leg and swinging him around. Deku then tosses Lee away, who easily recovers and leaps into the air. He attempts to land a falling strike but Deku dodges his landing. Deku attempts to throw a punch at Lee to keep him down but Lee uses the smokescreen generated from his landing to conceal his movements and reveals that he has winded up a kick aimed at Deku’s head.

Lee kicks Deku in the head, stunning him, and allowing Lee to unleash a flurry of punches and kicks at him. Throughout the onslaught, Deku perseveres, and manages to catch both of Lee’s fists heading toward his head. Using his smaller stature as leverage he pulls himself up to dropkick Lee in the chest, sending the Youthful Beast flying backwards.

Deku uses this opportunity to rush at Lee. Lee side steps Deku’s charge but Deku plants a hand on the ground and uses it to pivot around and swing a kick at Lee. Lee dodges with a backflip. The two get back on their feet and begin trading blows. Punching, blocking and parrying, with Lee getting the upper hand in the end. He manages to punch Deku away and immediately follows up with an uppercut to the face.

Lee: Come one! Remember what I taught you?

As Deku tries to get his bearings, Danger Sense rings through his head, allowing him to dodge another punch from Lee. Deku then counters by elbowing Lee in the gut before following up with his own uppercut. Deku leaps to Lee’s eye level to deliver a kick, knocking Lee back. When Lee gets back up, Deku attempts to follow up with more attacks but Lee skillfully blocks and deflects each one. Eventually, Deku lands a somersault kick, which knocks Lee off-balance. Using this opening, he leaps over Lee and delivers a powerful drop kick, knocking Lee down again and cratering the ground.

Deku jumps back to get a breather while Lee gets up. Still in the crater, he smiles while wiping the dirt off his face.

Lee: Now we’re getting somewhere. First Gate, open!

Lee’s mind clears itself of its inhibitions, allowing him to take on Deku with more clarity but not with too much power yet.

Lee: This is only a training match. You’ll earn the other gates when you’ve pushed me with your skills.

Lee takes a stance, gesturing to Deku to continue with the fight.

Deku runs back in and tries to punch Lee but Lee diverts Deku’s punch, causing him to trip behind Lee. When he turns around, Lee kicks Deku in the chin, smacking him out of the crater. Deku then tries to land more hits but Lee is able to deflect each blow, knocking Deku off balance each time, though he doesn’t follow up. Each time Deku is knocked off balance he tries to carry that momentum into another attack but Lee simply diverts his strikes again. Eventually, Deku lands a kick on Lee’s face by amping up his usage of One For All for a short burst of power. He tries to follow up with a gut blow with his elbow but Lee deflects it down. Undeterred, Deku tries to continue his assault with a roundhouse kick but Lee dodges back to avoid the attack.

Deku: Crap

Lee: Trying Sensei’s moves huh? I’ll show you how it’s done.

Lee kicks Deku in the head before getting on the ground and performing a handstand spin into the same break dance sweep kick Might Guy used against All Might, knocking Deku off balance before finishing it with a somersault kick to the face.

Lee: Not a bad try.

Lee begins charging up a powerful punch.

Lee: But still not good enough.

Lee punches but Deku catches his fist, surprising the Taijutsu Master. Electricity begins pouring out of Deku’s body.

Deku: Not good enough? I’ll show you what I’ve learned.

Deku shoves Lee back and charges into him, leaving a trail of green lightning behind. The impact causes Lee to roll around on the floor. When he finds his footing, Deku rushes up behind him and punches him in the back. He then performs a roundhouse kick on Lee’s side to turn him around before pivoting the leg he used to kick onto the ground, using the remaining energy in it to launch himself up to Lee’s eye level and perform a series of spinning jump kicks. When he lands he dashes away, leaving Lee dazed and searching around for Deku’s position. Unable to find him, he looks up to see Deku preparing a falling strike. Lee jumps out of the way of Deku’s crash, and out of the way of his slide kick but is too slow to dodge Deku’s next attack, where he punches Lee in the gut before balancing himself on one foot and spinning himself around to deliver multiple hits at once, like a top spin (hmm…). The ending attack launches Lee back and he barely manages to catch a charging Deku by the arm and tosses him back.

Lee: Sixth Gate of View, open!

A green aura engulfs Lee’s body and his skin turns brown.

Lee: Hidden Lotus!

The two green warriors begin dashing around the arena at immense speeds. Their clashes create shockwaves that blow the leaves off of the surrounding trees. At one point during these clashes, Lee manages to swipe Deku’s legs off the ground. He kicks him into the air and leaps up behind him to prepare his Front Lotus attack. He successfully wraps Deku up and begins spinning him around as they fall. Panicked, Deku taps into a bit more of One For All’s power and breaks out of the wraps, much to Lee’s shock, and delivers a powerful kick to Lee’s chest. The kick sends Lee flying out of the tree clearing and into the forest. When Deku lands, he immediately calls out for him.

Deku: Lee, are you ok?! I didn’t mean to hit you that hard! Aww crap, I lost a bit of control of One For All back there.

From across the trees, he could hear Lee shout back.

Lee: I’m fine! But now that you’ve won…

Deku: Not really how I’m meant to win this.

But before Deku could dwell on how he accidentally took Lee out with strength rather than his skill, the aura of the Sixth Gate cuts through the forest and makes a new clearing that stretches between him and Lee.

Lee: You’ve got me curious. You’ve grown a lot since you got here, so why don’t you show me what the next symbol of peace has to offer. Seventh Gate of Wonder, open!

The white aura of the Seventh Gate engulfs Lee. Recognising this as his most powerful state, Deku immediately understood what Lee wanted from him at that moment. Steeling himself, he began channeling One For All throughout his body again to an even greater degree then before.

Deku: One For All- 45%!

Seeing Deku’s body exude even more power than before, Lee releases the Seventh Gate’s ultimate attack.

Lee: Daytime Tiger!

Air pressure resembling a tiger rockets forward from Lee and toward Deku. A moment flashes before Deku’s eyes and he catches the blast by the teeth. He struggles against it before finally halting its momentum.

Deku: You want my best? Here it is!

As he says this he leaps through the Daytime Tiger and dissipates it. For just this once, they can break the rules they made, and so he begins charging his own special move.

Deku: DETROIT SMASH!

Lee charges forward to meet Deku’s smash with a flying kick. The two yell at the top of their lungs as their attacks clash, creating a shockwave that knocks over all the trees in a 150m radius. 

[Music stop]

When the smoke clears, Deku is revealed to be triumphant over his opponent. Lee laid on the ground tired, his leg broken but he was too exhausted to care. Deku’s arm also took a serious injury from the clash and he held it in pain as he sat on the ground. The two basked in their pained silence for a few minutes.

Lee: Hehe, you’re really going places kid.

Deku: O-Oh, thanks.

Deku replied bashfully. He then sighed.

Deku: I was hoping I would’ve been able to beat you fair and square this time though.

Lee merely smiled at Deku’s lamentation.

Lee: Don’t sweat it. I think you’re doing well for the role you’re filling in.

Deku returned the smile. They continued to sit together in silence before Deku helped Lee up with his uninjured arm.

Miles Morales

Miles was not one of the combatants Deku initially considered fighting with. While he found a lot of things about the Young Hero to be impressive, he didn’t think he would be able to keep up with him in a fight. When Miles heard that Deku was going around asking people to fight him, he was eager to join the fun.

Miles: Come on. Are you worried that I won’t be able to keep up?

Deku: Sort of, yeah.

Miles: Well there’s no need to worry. A spider man is all about holding back. I’m a lot stronger than you think.

Deku: I know you guys hold back. But I don’t think even without those restrictions you can face me head on.

Miles: Come on, give me a chance here. I’ll prove that I’m a worthy challenger for you. Just you wait.

Eventually, Deku relented and the two got into a sparring match. In the end, Deku won but it wasn’t as easy of a win as he thought it would be. While Miles was demonstrably weaker than One For All’s power, he was a surprising match in speed and quick thinking. His web slinging skills outmatched his utilisation of Blackwhip and his greater familiarity with his spider sense made him a slippery target compared to his own usage of Danger Sense. His invisibility made him hard to track and he even used it to turn Deku’s own Smokescreen against him. And while he was weaker, his Venom Strike packed a punch. So despite his loss, Deku gained a new respect for Miles.

From there, they continued to spar and while Miles has pretty much never won he has come close many times. Which has turned into his measurement of winning, the closer he can get to beating Deku the more he considers the fight a win.

—

2024, not long after MHA’s last chapter

It was time for another fight and Deku had already assembled the rainbow road to take the appearance of New York City. Right now, he was sitting at the edge of an apartment complex, looking up into the sky above the Colosseum while he waited for Miles. He stared into space and the stars in the sky while absently fidgeting with his old hero costume, Costume Zeta.

Behind him, Miles slowly descended down from a taller building, with a piece of a sandwich in his mouth. He walked up to Deku and took a seat next to him.

Miles: You know, apparently those two constellations have been fighting for almost 10 years now.

Deku: Really? I had no idea…

The two sat together, staring up into space for a while.

Miles: By the way, congrats on becoming a teacher.

Deku: Oh, thanks.

Miles: I know it probably isn’t the job you wanted as a kid but at least you’ll be a hero in a different way.

Deku gave Miles a confused look. If he knew he had become a teacher then he must’ve already known that he had an armored suit as well to continue doing hero work.

Deku: Well, I haven’t completely left the hero's life behind.

Miles: mid bite of his sandwich What do you mean?

Deku: Have you been reading my story?

Miles blinks at Deku a few times before pulling the bread from his mouth to respond.

Miles: Alright I’ll admit. I only got the cliff notes of what happened to you after your final fight.

Deku: Hehe, well, to avoid spoilers, I still have a way to fight villains if I need to.

Miles: I gotta get around to finishing your comics.

The two continued staring up into space for a while. Admiring the stars, the constellations, Unicron’s prison, etc. Eventually, Deku stood up.

Deku: Well, are you ready? It’s been a long time since I’ve used these powers. This is the only time I’ll be able to relive using them.

[Now playing: Only One True Hero]

Deku clenches his fist and it crackles with green lightning. He turns to Miles and uncharacteristically gives him a mischievous smirk.

Deku: Are you ready for another loss?

Miles shoves his food down his mouth before standing up and pulling his mask down.

Miles: Just you wait.

He leaps to the other side of the roof.

Miles: I’ll show you just how much I’ve gotten better at kicking your butt.

With that he fires two webs on either side of Deku and pulls himself to launch a kick at him. Deku smiles and blocks the kick while stepping back, allowing both of them to fall off the building. As they fall Deku grabs a hold of Miles’ foot while placing his other hand in front of Miles’ chest.

Miles: Huh?

Deku: Delaware Smash!

With a flick of his finger he launches Miles away. Miles tumbles through the air before coming to a stop at an elevated rail line. Deku stops his fall with Float and uses Blackwhip to ensnare the upper floors of the building they were on. Grabbing the whip with both hands he pulls, fracturing the upper floors of the building, before swinging around to sling the chunks of debris at Miles.

Deku: Nice thing about this place is that there’s no need to worry about collateral damage.

Miles jumps and weaves between the chunks of debris. He leaps through the window sill of a chunk of what used to be a bedroom and webs it afterward before swinging it back at Deku.

Miles: This yours? You got some nice sheets!

Deku gathers One For All into his fist and punches the chunk to bits. He moves to float above Miles before crashing down. Miles dodges the landing and tries to punch Deku but Danger Sense warns him of the attack. Deku dodges back, causing Miles to miss, and allowing Deku to follow up with a punch of his own. The two trade hand-to-hand blows before Miles grabs both of Deku’s arms and rolls on his back to kick Izuku a few blocks down the rail line. As Deku skids along the tracks Miles fires a beam lightning from his hands, forcing Deku to block.

Miles: Come on, we don’t wanna be late for the train do we?

Behind him, Deku could hear the sound of a subway train approaching. The Venom Beam stops, leaving Deku surprised and open to a web grenade that pins him to the front of the train.

Deku: No, we don’t. One For All- 30%

Deku bursts out of Miles' webbing and flips onto the top of the train car. Miles leaps into the air as the train approaches and attempts to land a flying kick on Deku, who dodges. Miles lands on the train just as it enters a tunnel. Though it’s hard to see, Deku could tell Miles went invisible to try and conceal his movements. Deciding to test their senses, he pushes Smokescreen to its limits so that both of them are invisible to each other. Within the cloud of darkness, their Spider and Danger Senses alert them to each other. They swing into the darkness, missing, hitting and clashing with each other. Eventually, Deku is able to grab a punch from Miles and smash him down into the train car.

Miles hits the floor with a crash and his invisibility falters. But as Deku tries to follow, Miles goes invisible again. Deku’s eyes search the car frantically but Danger Sense is not picking him up. Finally, it procs and Deku barely dodges an electric infused web shot flying past his head. Another one flies past the other side of his head and then he realises Miles is going to drop kick him in the face into the wall. Acting based on instinct, he charges forward with One For All and collides with Miles before he can attack, stripping him of his invisibility. They crash out of the front window and out of the tunnel. The surroundings have gone from a city to an industrial zone. Deku punches Miles down the track and Miles tosses a web grenade as he flails through the air. Deku dodges to the side and the train passes by. Deku assumes Miles was on the other side of the train and takes a moment to breathe, intending on waiting for the train to pass before continuing to fight. But the train cars are suddenly shoved violently into him from the other side by Miles. Deku falls off the rails and uses Blackwhip to swing through the factories. Miles follows suit with his own web swinging.

The two fly through the air, trading blows as they go. Deku alternates between swinging with Blackwhip and leaping around to build up energy for Fa Jin. Miles swings between and into factories, pulling up debris to throw at Deku, who begins controlling their trajectory using Blackwhip and Gearshift. Deku then surrounds himself with all the debris Miles has swung at him and uses Gearshift to accelerate all of them in Miles' direction. Seeing this, Miles activates Reverse Flux.

Miles: Hey, those were my gifts for you.

Using his bio-electricity to attract all the debris to him before blasting it away. Deku uses this opening to charge in with a punch but Miles reacts just in time for their fists to clash midair, electricity spewing from their bodies.

Midoriya wins the clash and knocks Miles back but Miles webs Deku’s chest and pulls him down with him. The two crash into separate buildings. Deku recovers first and runs out of his building, only to turn and see Miles had picked his building up and is carrying it above his head. Miles throws the building at Deku, who destroys it with a smash.

Deku: Smash!

As Deku destroys the building, Miles rushes in and punches Deku into the air with a Venom infused punch, before catching him with his webs and slamming him into the ground. As Deku tries to get back up Miles begins pummeling him with multiple Venom punches.

Miles: Stay down!

Deku fights through the blows and retaliates with his own punch, which Miles dodges and prepares for a Venom Smash.

Deku: Transmission

But before he can land it Deku retreats with Gearshift. As Miles misses, Deku comes back to deliver his three gear punches, launching Miles high into the air. As Miles flies up he fires a web with his left hand down at Deku. Deku fires a Blackwhip up with his left hand. The two threads meet, then their eyes meet, and they begin charging up for the final clash.

Deku and Miles rear back their right arms.

Deku: One For All- 45%!

Miles shoots a pulse of electricity through his web and through the Blackwhip to interrupt Deku’s attack.

Deku: Argh!

Miles pulls up with all his might. Deku pulls down with all his might. Green and blue electricity fill the air.

Deku: SMASH!

Their fists clash one more time and the resulting shockwave of air pressure and electricity shuts down the industrial zone.

[Music stops]

In the end Deku wins the clash, breaking Miles’ arm and launching him back up into the sky. Both of Deku’s arms are fried. The right one is exhausted from being pushed while the left one is literally fried from the powerful pulse of Venom that Miles sent into it. Deku couldn’t help but think.

Deku: If we weren’t restricted in any way, could he produce enough electricity to kill me? That blast really hurt. Maybe if we weren’t held back he would’ve won that clash.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Deku floats up to Miles and catches him by his suit with his teeth. Miles, barely conscious, holds his right arm in pain.

Miles: So you’ve incorporated that smile of yours into your moveset?

Deku floats back down to the ground before letting Miles go.

Deku: No, it’s just that both my arms are fried.

Miles: Ha, only one of my arms is cooked.

Deku: Is that a win for you?

Miles: I’ll take it as one.

The two sit comfortably in silence for a while.

Miles: Hopefully one day, we’ll get a Death Battle. Then we’ll see who’s truly stronger without our restrictions.

Deku gave Miles a smile and a nod as a response.

Deku: That would be fun. Even better if it gets set up like All Might’s fight.

Miles: Yeah, it’d be pretty awkward if it started like how mine did.

Both of them stand up and begin walking back to the Colosseum.

Miles: Why doesn’t this place have a dedicated hospital again?

Deku: Maybe they just trust the fact someone with healing powers will be around.

Miles: Man the guys who made this place are stupid.

Chapter Text

The world’s most powerful sorcerer, Satoru Gojo, once spent his days kicking ass, teaching his beloved students the ways of jujutsu and basking in the glory that was his status as the world’s strongest. Now he spends his days lazing about. Whether it’d be the peace and quiet of his world’s afterlife or the buzzing commotion of the Colosseum, he never found a moment to be boring. If he grew tired of one place he’d just travel to the other. Alternating between peace and madness whenever either scratched an itch of his.

Right now, there was plenty of madness. With both Yuji and Deku’s tales completed, the full story of Jujutsu Kaisen and My Hero Academia were ready to be experienced in full. From start to finish, everything anyone needed to know about the heroes and villains of these stories were now readily available and complete. This is especially important, given the events that are soon to transpire.

In a few days, Shigaraki vs Mahito will begin. The penultimate final boss vs a mid game boss. Gojo was not impressed with this line-up. He believed that someone of Shigaraki’s caliber should face someone with equal status and he would not consider Mahito to be the threat just beneath Sukuna, like Shiggy is to his own master. He had such a disinterest in this fight that he forgot it was even happening until the last week leading up to it. Deciding that he had nothing better to do in death’s empty void, he made himself comfortable on one of the library beanbags. With him was a drink, as well as the final few chapters of MHA. This was one of the few stories he liked to follow, even if the only reason is because Deku’s kind-hearted soul reminds him a lot of Yuji.

Yuji, one of his favourite pupils. Alongside him there was Nobara and Megumi too. He had seen where their adventures had led to after his death. Sometimes he likes to wonder what would happen if he stook around and sometimes he felt envious of those like All Might, Might Guy and Batman. Being able to see their proteges grow up and surpass them.

Gojo: Must be a nice feeling.

The Sorcerer mused to himself, before burying his head back into the manga he was reading. Next to him was a large bookshelf that extended for a few tens of feet down the side. On the other side, he could hear what sounded like a large pile of books being dropped onto a table. Initially, he paid no mind to it. Perhaps it was just someone who was about to binge read a series. Soon though, he could hear conversation. Conversation that started to grow louder. He could pick up four distinct voices.

???: He shouldn’t be able to hurt him. They aren’t the same.

???: Every world shares some similarities. I believe these can count as the same.

???: But they’re not worded the same. This one says they’re spirits and this one calls them vestiges.

???: Ehh, tomato tomato. I’ve seen this before. The news always likes to write about two things in different ways, as if they’re that much different. If they act the same then why can’t they be the same?

This went on for some time, until Gojo decided that he should go somewhere else. He enjoyed the debate but he wanted to read and needed peace for that. Before that, he wanted to see the debate in action. Just a peak would satiate his curiosity. Picking up his drink and books, he began making his way past the long bookshelf to the otherside. When he finally made it to the end he turned to his right- and bumped into Makima.

Gojo: Oh, sorry about that. Didn’t see you there.

Makima: It’s quite alright. I haven’t seen you around here in a while. Where’ve you been?

Gojo: Oh, you know. Relaxing in death’s cold embrace.

Makima: You make it sound enticing.

Gojo: Well, sometimes living can be hard. Being able to die whenever you want and come back when you have motivation is a nice change of pace. You should try it. Or, are you already trying it?

Makima: I’m the control devil. I’m not satisfied when I’ve got nothing to do.

Gojo: Makes sense. You devils fulfill your sadistic urges as naturally as we need to breathe.

Makima hums in agreement.

Makima: I would’ve guessed that you would’ve stayed around longer, since this next fight involves someone from your world.

Gojo: Yeah well, I can tell you he’s not winning that fight.

Makima: tilts her head in confusion Oh, why do you say that?

Gojo: In a while I’m going to look for Deku. Ask what he thinks about the fight, and then hear from his mouth that Shigaraki is going to win. takes a sip from his drink

Makima: Such confidence. And what if he says otherwise?

Gojo: He would’ve acted like this Shiggy fellow had no chance if that was the case. He’s been very indifferent about this fight. Just as much as me, believe it or not.

Makima: Really? I thought he was rather spooked during the reveal.

Gojo: Probably just the initial shock. I’m sure you’d feel the same if your rival was suddenly coming here without warning.

Makima: And who would that rival of mine be?

Gojo: Mmm, wasn’t it your own student that killed you?

Makima: Denji is not my student nor my rival, he’s my pet.

Gojo: Right…

Makima: And I’m not worried about him if he does come here. He killed me, he can’t kill me here.

Gojo: And I guess you’ll have no problem controlling him if he can’t kill you right?

Makima smiled in response.

Gojo: You know, the no kill rule is really benefiting you. At least half of the people you control would’ve never fallen under your seductions had they not been stripped of their ability to defend themselves.

Makima: By defend, you mean kill me?

Gojo: Permanently, or enough that you would give up. Still, Aang, Weiss, Zelda. Under normal circumstances you should not have been able to take control over them had they been able to kill you.

Makima: Then why don’t you stop me? You know what I do yet choose not to do anything about it.

Gojo: Because-

Gojo leans closer to Makima’s face.

Gojo: I enjoy watching you fail.

Makima: It will take more than a few failures to dissuade me. Like you said, I can’t help it if it’s in my nature.

Gojo: I know, I’m just keeping tabs on you.

Makima: Only you?

Gojo: Sure, with others around I doubt I’m the only one watching you but I assure them that there’s nothing to worry about and that I can handle you just fine.

Makima: Just because you won our fight you think you can handle all of me?

Gojo: Of course! Superman, Thor, Yoda, I’m sure they can all take you but they don’t need to. You wanna know why?

Gojo began getting real close to Makima’s face. She didn’t react though, it was an intimidation tactic and she knew it.

Gojo: Because powerful men like them shouldn’t need to worry about a weakling like you. A powerful man like me needs only the slightest bit of effort to contain you.

Makima kept her smile. She stared into Gojo’s eyes, or what she assumed where his eyes would be past his blindfold, and Gojo stared back. The two didn’t move, they didn’t speak, they didn’t flinch. They just smiled at each other. A sinister force could be felt around them and Gojo knew he had hit a nerve. Makima’s control powers depend on her perception of others. Those she deems beneath her, she can control. As long as he makes her think she can’t take on certain fighters then that should limit her ability to control others. At least, that’s Gojo’s thought process.

Though, to think it would slow down the Control Devil’s efforts is his first mistake. The Control Devil cannot stop its want to control. There’s nothing stopping her. Gojo’s mistake is thinking that she’s prideful. But would someone with so much pride admit that she needed to beat the Chainsaw Man to control him?

Gojo backed away from Makima’s face.

Gojo: Well, good talk. See you around.

Makima nodded in response and walked away. Continuing on his walk around the bookshelf he finally caught the sight of Asta, Giorno, Mikey and Frank standing around a table with books and pieces of paper and pens.

Asta: How can you be sure that they’re the same? A sword and a spear can both kill but a spear isn’t a sword.

Giorno: A valid comparison but not quite the same as in this case. A knife and a dagger are two names for the same thing. A spirit and a vestige have enough evidence to prove that they are similar enough for Mahito to manipulate and Shigaraki to defend against.

Mikey: Then why don’t they just call it spirits then?

Frank: Why do they call Ki something different in all the Japanese comics here? It’s the same thing, just worded differently.

Mikey: You know, it feels weird choosing a bad guy to root for.

Frank: Haven’t you been doing this the longest out of all of us?

Mikey: Yeah but it still feels weird.

Giorno: Well, I for one have chosen to side with the more human of the two. Shigaraki is a broken soul. That doesn’t excuse his actions but it at least explains why he does what he does.

Asta: Well, they’re both villains at the end of the day. I wouldn’t care if either of them won or lost. Maybe they should both kill each other and we get a nice draw.

Frank: Nah, where’s the fun in that? This ain’t a dog fight.

Mikey: Hey look, it’s Gojo!

The group turn to where Mikey is pointing at and they see Gojo. Who is taking a long sip of his drink while staring back at the group.

Frank: Hey Mr. Gojo! Nice to see ya here. Are you looking forward to the next fight?

Gojo: Only if Mahito loses.

Giorno: Rooting against your own villain? I can understand that.

Gojo: Well, there’s not much for me to say. Have fun with your debate.

Asta: Wait, Gojo!

Gojo: Hmm?

Asta: Who do you think will win?

Gojo: Mmm, what’s the verdict of the debate you were having.

Frank: Still up in the air.

Asta: We’re undecided.

Gojo: Alright, give me your arguments.

Giorno: Before we begin, we’re all in agreement that Shigaraki should be able to see Mahito using the Search Quirk, right?

The other three nodded in agreement.

Giorno: Alright. Vestiges and spirits have enough reason to be considered the same. Tampering in the vestige world causes the physical body to react, similar to Mahito’s Idle Transfiguration. This means that if Mahito tries Idle Transfiguration on Shigaraki, the many vestiges inside of him can act as a spiritual defense against Mahito.

Asta: Since that argument is going nowhere with us I’ll take a different approach. Even if that were the case, Mahito can burn through all the vestiges until he reaches Shigaraki’s. Shigaraki has a limited amount of vestiges while Mahito’s cursed energy is plentiful. Should be enough for him to outlast Shiggy.

Mikey: Yeah, and his regeneration is instant!

Frank: Not like that can’t run out too. Something like Decay should be able to fully destroy his body. Nothing to regenerate from anymore after that.

Mikey: All Mahito would have to do is to stay out of Shiggy’s range.

Frank: Oh yeah good luck with that. We read the same comic didn’t we? He decayed a whole city in seconds and I have yet to see Mahito break the sound barrier like Shigaraki did.

Giorno: To be fair, pulling off a Black Flash like Mahito does requires timing in the microsecond. He should be a lot faster than he lets on.

Frank: Oh yeah, my camera flash is light speed so I can definitely fight at that speed. If I could, maybe I would’ve won against Leon.

Giorno: Fair point. Reaction is not the same as movement and Shigaraki has the edge in both types of speeds.

Mikey: What if we made Deku and Gojo race? We may be able to get a better sense of who’s faster with that.

Gojo: Pffft. Nah, I’d lose. Though, I do have one question. You said Decay could destroy his entire body but you need to target the spirit itself to kill a curse. Cursed energy already targets the spirit, does Shigarki have anything that can do that?

Giorno: Like I said, Decay works on vestiges and this has an impact on the physical body. Therefore-

Gojo: And you said vestiges and spirits have enough similarities to be the same?

Giorno: Correct.

Mikey: However-

Gojo: Alright! That’s all I need to hear. Catch you all later, I’ve got places to be.

And with that, Saturo Gojo took his leave. Nevermind the confused faces on the group he left behind.

—

Gojo: If I’m not wrong he should be out here.

Gojo walks out onto the rainbow road. It has been configured to take the appearance of a city. Right now, it was a city in ruin. Nearly totally destroyed by the result of a fierce battle taking place. Gojo could see green lighting shooting through the sky, indicating Deku’s presence. Leaning against a ruined sign post, he decides to wait for the fight to finish before he can talk to him.

—

The fight finished not long after. Out of the ruins walks a battle damaged pair of school boys, discussing the fight they just had.

Gojo: Midoriya! Do you have a moment?

Hearing his name called out, Deku turned to look in front of him to see Gojo amongst the ruined city.

Deku: Oh, Gojo. I’ll see you some other time Mob. Bye!

Deku rushes ahead to meet up with Gojo as Mob makes his way back into the Colosseum.

Gojo: Having fun?

Deku: Uhh, yeah. I guess you could say that. It’s nice being able to fight someone on your level.

Gojo: Pretty sure you’re about to get someone else on your level to spar with.

Gojo's response was witty but he hadn’t anticipated the silence that followed. Mentioning Shigaraki put Deku into thinking mode and he began silently pondering what it would mean for Tomura to be here. The Symbol of Fear, the antithesis to what he stood for. A hero for the villains and a figure for them to look up to, like heroes did to All Might. But Deku knew that Shiggy’s hatred didn’t come from nowhere. It came from a place of darkness that he didn’t ask for. The universe just played him a bad hand and he was forced to live with it. They say your past defines who you are in the present and Deku sometimes can’t help but think, would he have acted the same if he were in Tomura’s situation? They both loved heroes growing up. Growing up, heroes never thought much about them. Then fate gave them their set paths, by introducing Midoriya to the greatest hero in the world, and Tomura to Satan's greatest soldier. He hadn’t realised that he was so caught up in his thoughts and that Gojo was trying to get his attention again.

Gojo kept waving his hand in front of Deku’s face but the boy didn’t respond. Looking forward, he decided to stop waving and let the wall Deku was about to walk into snap him out of his thoughts. Danger Sense didn’t pick this one up. Without warning, Deku walked face first into a wall.

Deku: Ow!

Gojo: You okay?

Deku: Y-Yeah I’m fine…

Gojo: Good, because I wanted to ask. Who do you think is going to win in this next fight? I noticed you weren’t at the usual debate tables so I figured you already made up your mind.

Deku’s eyes wandered onto the floor for a while before answering Gojo’s question.

Deku: I have made up my mind. There's a good chance of Tomura winning this fight. He’s stronger, faster, has ways to see Mahito and is well-defended against IT and his Domain Expansion. Maybe the only thing he’s outmatched in is his regeneration but Decay will make quick work of Mahito’s body and soul.

Gojo placed his hands behind his head in a relaxing posture.

Gojo: Well that’s a relief.

Deku: Huh? You’re not rooting for your own villain?

Gojo: Who does that?

Deku: Well, I don’t know. I thought familiarity would’ve made you want to root for him.

Gojo: Haha, nah. I want to see him die. More importantly, I want his death to be humiliating.

Deku: I… see.

Gojo: After what he’s done to my students, it’s the only fate he deserves.

Deku and Gojo continued their walk through the Colosseum for a bit in silence. This wouldn’t be the first time Death Battle had villains fight each other and it isn’t the first time in their comeback season either. Still, Bowser and Eggman can hardly be compared to the likes of Shigaraki and Mahito in terms of their cruelty. While the Koopa King and Hard Boiled Genius are both capable of being cruel, the act of cruelty itself is never personal to Mario or Sonic. The stuff that Shigaraki and Mahito have done has made it personal with the heroes of their world. Gojo wants nothing more than to see Mahito lose. Deku is worried about letting loose someone with such extreme ideals into the arena. But at the same time, being able to see Tomura again is making him think.

Deku: Could I… save him this time?

The chances are low but Shiggy’s arrival does present itself as a second chance for Deku to save the young boy. If he could dispel the monster that All For One had cultivated and focus solely on the sad kid then he could reach out to Shiggy’s heart. He could save him. Even if he were to return to the afterlife in his world, he could do so with a renewed peace in his soul. Sensing that Izuku is thinking about something serious, Gojo decides it’s time to part ways. He places a hand on Deku’s shoulder.

Gojo: Well, it was nice talking to you. I gotta go now. I still have some preparations to make.

Deku: Oh ok. See you Gojo. What preparations?

Gojo: Alright, time to rehearse our greeting party. I’m afraid your humiliation won’t end after the fight is over. You need to know your place here. Now that I think about it, the Colosseum is the perfect place for you. It’s a dog eat dog world here too but you are definitely no wolf.

Chapter Text

It was time for another Death Battle. As the seats were being filled and the sound of commotion rang around him, Deku sat lost in thought. Truthfully, he wasn’t that concerned about the verdict. Whether or not Shigaraki won didn’t affect the fact that he was coming. Shigaraki would not be the first villain to come to the Colosseum but he would be Deku’s first villain. But unlike other villains he’s fought like Wolfram, Nine, Flect and Dark Might, Shigarki was different. Shigaraki has been with him since he first arrived at UA. For most of his life, he never realised just how similar they were. They both trained to become the next in line for their master’s rivalry. Like him, Shigaraki had been groomed into his role by All For One while he had followed All Might’s teachings. They have both grown into powerful people and even surpassed their mentor’s expectations. They both strived to be symbols for people feeling hopeless to look up to. The main difference is that they went down different paths. In their final confrontation, after all they have been through, Deku could no longer see the cruel, murderous and fear mongering Shigaraki without also seeing the sad, lonely and desperate Tomura. He had tried to save him before but he refused his hand. Would things be different now?

Would a Shigaraki with the memories of his death be able to change? Would he want to change? All these were questions that ran through Deku’s mind.

To his right sat his mentor, All Might. All Might may not share his student’s personal connection with Shigaraki but he can understand wanting to save him. Still, with all the manipulation that All For One had done on the poor boy, All Might figured that if there was a chance to make him change it would be slim. Too slim to be a likely probability.

But he knew that wouldn’t stop Deku from trying. He’d support Deku the best he can but held onto caution in the more likely event he failed.

To Deku’s left sat a friend and former classmate of his, Shoto Todoroki. Unlike Deku, Shoto didn’t view Shigaraki like the sad boy he did. Initially, Deku wasn’t sure whether he should share what happened in Tomura’s last moments to him. Though, he figured he would’ve found out himself through their complete documented story. Shoto did know after reading through the final chapters, though it didn’t change his thoughts on the Symbol of Fear. He himself had a cruel past too and yet he was a hero. To Todoroki, Shigaraki’s past may explain his actions but it doesn’t excuse them. He knows Deku feels the same way, the only thing they disagree on is that Shoto would not try to save Shigaraki.

Whatever happens after the fight between the two symbols, Shoto will protect his friend.

As it stands, Deku displays indifference though silently roots for Tomrua. All Might demonstrates good sportsmanship and admits to rooting for Shigaraki. Shoto has stated he would not root for Shigaraki though that does not mean he is rooting for Mahito.

The opposite sentiment is held just a few rows away.

—

Gojo watched the black screen patiently. Soon, the fight would begin. He was ready to see how Mahito would die. He was ready to root against him. He didn’t care if Shiggy won. He just wants to see a Curse Spirit, who has caused enough destruction, suffer. He was nearly satisfied when he got to see Yuji stamp him out but was robbed of that satisfaction when Kenjaku absorbed Mahito’s essence.

This time, someone had to die and he was hoping it would be Mahito. Knowing how ruthless Shigaraki can be from his time reading, he knew Mahito would be in for a brutal end.

—

Ever the paranoid prepper, Bruce Wayne had already prepared a device that would allow him to see Mahito the moment he walks out of the white doors. He has a hunch of what is going to happen after the fight. He had been approached a few days ago by Gojo to help with a plan to “put the Cursed Spirit in his place” but he refused to take part. Instead, he opted to simply observe.

Afterall, by his own calculations, there would be no need for a plan to make Mahito submit.

The screen began to hum to life. The battle has begun.

—

The scene opens in an underground train station in Japan. People are going about their daily business until suddenly- [Now playing: Skin Deep] a man’s head explodes in a bloody display of gore.

The lady standing next to him falls onto the floor in shock. A few seconds later, her head explodes too. Spraying brain and skull pieces on the station floor. By now, the place was in a panic. People were running for the exit as more and more innocent civilians began losing their heads to this unknown phenomenon.

Raiden (MK): Such evil.

Madara: There’s not even a point to this madness.

Discord: …Surely there are better ways to sow chaos.

The screen eventually pans to a figure with white hair wearing a red hood. A flash of yellow light passes by the screen, indicating the activation of the Danger Sense Quirk, and a hand grows from the hooded figure’s face to protect him from being grabbed by the invisible force. This force grabs the newly grown hand and begins to destroy it. As it does, the hand detaches from the hooded figure, launching him back, while in the background the vestige of Hikage Shinomori is annihilated.

Deku: Jeez, thankfully he’s still alive in my head. So he’ll have no precognition going into this fight.

The knock back from the attack knocks the hood off of the figure’s head, revealing Shigaraki. Hearing a maniacal laughter Shigaraki activates the Search Quirk, to find the one responsible for all the deaths. In front of him, an outline showcased a humanoid form. Soon after, the outline solidified to reveal Mahito, now visible for all to see.

Shigaraki: I'd heard of a powerful villain stalking these parts. My organization is going to tear this putrid world down around us. We could use a freak of your talents.

Shigaraki states, as he gestures to the surrounding world with his arm.

Mahito: Lil' 'ol me? Do I wanna be king of the social rejects? How about I bring them your head instead?

Mahito coyly replies before turning one of his arms into a blade, pointing it at Shigaraki to challenge him.

Shigaraki: Fine by me… takes out his phone Let’s call this your audition.

With a snap of his fingers two portals begin to open up behind Mahito.

Shigaraki: Sic ‘em.

Mahito: Hm?

Fight

From the portals two Nomus rush out, one lets out a roar before charging at Mahito.

Deku: His Nomus! I didn’t think they’d come into play in this fight. Though, I doubt they’ll be of much help.

Mahito dodges a punch from one Nomu and tosses the other over his head. The Nomu flies by Shigaraki, who nonchalantly dodges his head out of the way while staring at his screen. The Nomu circles back and lunges at Mahito, who dodges. Mahito then turns both his arms into blades as he begins weaving between the Nomu’s attacks while slashing at them. He leaps over one of the Nomus while slashing it and baits it into punching the wall before ducking away. The Nomu turns back and launches another punch at Mahito, who ducks down to reveal that the other Nomu was also throwing its own punch.

Mahito: Whoop!

The two Nomu’s end up punching each other in the head and Mahito grabs both of them, deforms them with Idle Transfiguration and uses them to fire Soul Multiplicity at Shigaraki. Seeing the torrent of flesh approaching him, Shigaraki drops his phone and fires his own ‘beam’ of flesh, using Quirk Singularity on his left arm.

The collision of liquid and mutating flesh was a repulsive sight and some combatants began to gag and look away from the screen. Even those accustomed to gory sights found this to be excessive. To many, it was a testament of the disgusting nature of both of these fear mongers. Being used to seeing them, Deku and Gojo weren’t that fazed by the putrid display but they still found the sight to be unpleasant.

Shigaraki raises his right arm…

Shigaraki: Game over.

…and fires a combination of his Air Cannon, Radio Waves and Heavy Payload Quirk at Mahito. The blast overpowers Soul Multiplicity and Mahito screams as he is consumed by the attack. The smoke clears and Shigaraki laughs upon seeing his opponent’s body charred on the floor. His smirk quickly turns into a frown, though, when the remaining eye in the supposed husk begins to move, staring him down from the floor.

Mahito: Did you actually just say that?

Mahito’s body stands back up and regenerates from all the damage dealt on him as he vomits out a few transfigured human souls that he then molds into a giant worm-like creature that he fires at Shigaraki. All while mocking his opponent’s vocabulary.

Mahito: God, how lame!

The worm creature opens its mouth to reveal Mahito, who rushes forward and puckers his lips for a kiss, even stretching them out at Shiggy.

Another gross display of power that caused some weak stomachs to look away, lest they risk making a mess. Though many were disgusted, nearly just as many continued to watch. They have seen a lot on their adventures and so a 3-4 minute fight like this wasn’t going to completely turn them away, even if they saw it to be disgusting.

Shigaraki also saw this to be disgusting and dodges the kiss and lands a punch on Mahito’s face, sending him crashing into the walls of the subway tunnel. Unbeknownst to him, that was a clone. The original Mahito snuck up behind him and kicked him down onto the railroad tracks.

Shigaraki growls but has little time to recover. The clone rushes in and kicks him in the chin. The original Mahito comes from behind and decks him in the face. With each hit, the Mahitos target a random vestige in Shiggy’s body and destroy it. With each hit, they revel in the beat down. With each hit, Shigaraki grows more and more irritated. After receiving an uppercut from the clone, Shigaraki fires his Air Cannon blasts at him to knock him back. He fires again at the original Mahito behind him after he gets another punch. To his annoyance, the clone returns, having regenerated, with a gut punch and the original slashes at his back with a bladed arm, drawing blood. Shigaraki turns to blow Mahito back with another Payload blast beforing turning his ire at the clone. Grabbing him by the face with all five fingers and Decaying him.

Shigaraki turns back to face the real Mahito and adjusts his cloak. Annoyance painted visibly on his face.

Shigaraki: Audition over.

Mahito gleefully licks the blood off his blade arm as the light of a subway train approaches from behind him.

Mahito: Did I get the part?

He replies mockingly. He’s enjoying this fight. Though that’s not the sentiment Shigaraki shares.

Springlike Limbs

Utilising this Quirk, Shigaraki launches himself at Mahito at supersonic speeds…

Mahito: Oh~!

…who leaps backwards and causes the two of them to break into the train, causing a small explosion as they enter forcefully from the front.

Shigaraki attempts to touch Mahito…

Shigaraki: Decay!

…but misses as Mahito dodges back. Multiple elongated hands begin approaching Shigaraki from behind and the Symbol of Fear steps out of their way before activating Rivet Stabs to target and destroy each hand.

Deku: This isn’t the ideal place for Shigaraki to fight in. It’s too enclosed for him to make use of most of his Quirks.

As if proving his point, Mahito lunges forward through the smoke, charging up a Black Flash. The battle slows down as his fist, engulfed in cursed energy, approaches Shigaraki’s face.

Mahito slams his fist into Shigaraki’s face, destroying multiple vestiges in the process. Shigaraki lets out a loud grunt as he slides across the floor. Still standing, still alive but now royally pissed. In fact, Shigaraki is more mad than he is hurt. Mahito, now intoxicated with ecstasy and sensing the rage from Shigaraki, decides to kick the fight up into high gear.

Mahito: What a rush!

He morphs his body into a hideous and horrifying wall of flesh, eyes and teeth before the lights in the subway flicker and out of the darkness stood his ultimate form; the Instant Spirit Body of Distorted Killing. Mahito chuckles. Shigaraki’s body begins to morph too. Additional layers of flesh grow out of his skin and extra hands and fingers form a defensive armour to create his Absolute Defense Form.

Another gross sight.

Shigaraki rushes at Mahito and Mahito backs away from his punch. Mahito leaps above an arm swing from Shigaraki’s mammoth limbs. He kicks the arm that missed him and quickly slices off the other with his arm blade before it can punch him. Mahito gets down on the ground and sweeps Shigaraki’s leg. Shigaraki is knocked off balance and throws another punch but Mahito is quicker and connects another Black Flash first. Mahito has destroyed both of Shigaraki’s arms. Shigaraki quickly grows back his right arm and grabs the left side of Mahito’s face armour. Mahito’s face armour is partially Decayed and he retaliates with another Black Flash to Shigaraki’s face. Mahito leaps into the air and delivers a Black Flash kick to Shigaraki’s chest to send him flying down the train aisle. Mahito rushes to the other side of the train and charges up another Black Flash. Shigaraki orients his body and connects Mahito’s fist with his left arm stump. Shigaraki regenerates his left arm to grow around Mahito’s arm and grabs it with all five fingers. Shigaraki spits out a taunt at Mahito.

Shigaraki: That all you got?

He begins to Decay Mahito’s body until suddenly… the screen cuts to Mahito’s face. His mouth open and hands inside of it making certain mudras. The music goes quiet… and then goes dark.

Mahito: Domain Expansion:

Gojo: There it is…

A dark barrier closes around Mahito and Shigaraki. Shigaraki backs away as various arms and hands shoot out from the floor, walls and ceiling, trying to wall Shiggy in. Using Quirk Singularity, Shigaraki grows two giant arms from his back to catch two arms trying to pin him down. A large formation consisting of multiple hand symbols form behind Mahito. As all this is happening, his sinister voice echoes through this dark world.

Mahito: Self-Embodiment of Perfection.

The arms from the Domain Expansion begin slowly pushing back against Shiggy’s arms and the vestiges clinging onto them begin to perish. All the while, Mahito taunts Shiggy.

Mahito: I can read your soul. You're just a scared little boy whose daddy was mean…

Shigaraki’s left large arm is destroyed.

Mahito: …and wants to make it everyone else's problem.

Shigaraki’s right large arm is destroyed.

Mahito: Grow up.

Shigaraki snarls at Mahito as the Cursed Spirit begins to manically cackle at the seemingly hopeless situation his adversary is in. Confident in his victory, Mahito tries to manipulate Shigaraki’s soul… only to get pulled into his Mental World, where his soul, and the many others from the many Quirks he has, lies.

It’s at this moment Deku remembered a critical piece of information regarding Shigaraki.

Deku: Crap!

Those sitting around him jolt in surprise.

Shoto: What’s wrong?

Deku: There’s no way he’s here…

Mahito looks around confused and worried before his eyes lock onto a figure sitting atop of a floating throne above him; All For One.

Deku’s face contorts in shock while All Might’s face contorts in anger.

All For One looks down at the Cursed Spirit, displeased and annoyed by his presence. His plan wasn’t done yet and he wasn’t going to let some random fool ruin his goals.

All For One: Hands off my masterpiece.

Extending a hand forward, All For One fires a beam of light with the Impure Beam Quirk at Mahito. Against the second most powerful villain in the world, Mahito stood no chance. His Instant Spirit Body armour is destroyed, leaving him stunned and confused but still conscious enough to watch as the number one most powerful villain in the world begins to Decay the borders of his Domain Expansion. The Domain cracks then bursts. Shigaraki proceeds to Decay the train they are on too, causing it to derail and explode. Mahito can only watch in disbelief and fear. Both of his trump cards have been destroyed.

Out of the smoke, Shigaraki stands with two giant arms behind his back. No longer playing, the two hands touch the ground with all five fingers. The tunnel around them begins to Decay at a rapid pace.

Shigaraki: I felt your soul too. You only hate humanity because you were born that way.

Mahito’s face, which once wore expressions of glee throughout the fight, now expressed fear. He turned and ran down the tunnel as fast as he could as Decay slowly crept up behind him. A smile began to creep up Gojo’s face.

Shigaraki: Totally random. I hate them for a reason.

The Decaying floor reaches Mahito’s foot and crumbles it away. Desperate to escape, Mahito morphs his arms into wings but the Decay has already climbed up his body. In a last ditch attempt to escape, he disengages his head from his body, grows limbs from it and tries to run away again. All while whimpering in fear. But it’s no use. A large, stretched out arm from Shigaraki reaches out and grabs Mahito’s head by two fingers and picks him up before dropping him into the grasps of Shigaraki, who holds Mahito’s face and stares into his eyes and taunts his weakness with venom and spite.

Shigaraki: You grow up!

Mahito screams one last time as his head is Decayed and crushed by the Symbol of Fear. His soul and body were annihilated and reduced to nothing. The screen lingers on Shigaraki’s figure in the tunnel for a few more seconds. His flowing hair and clock, accompanied by the guitar riff in the background, would’ve made a nice hero image- if not for the burning and crumbled tunnel surrounding him and the blood dripping from his face.

[Music stops]

KO

The fire in the background engulfs the screen and acts as the screen transition into Shigaraki’s victory card. Showcasing him with a smile while he reaches his hand out toward the screen, almost as if he’s trying to reach out to the people on the other side.

Deku: He won, phew! Was worried there for a second.

All Might: Okay, now I’m not so sure he’ll be well-behaved here if he can take control at any time.

Shoto: A shame.

Gojo: chuckles to himself Very good. That was a very good fight.

The doors beneath the screen open up and out walk a confused Shigaraki and Mahito. They both stare up at the colossal amount of people in the stands who begin applauding their fight. Shigaraki takes a step back while Mahito starts smiling at the sight of so many people in one place to mess with.

It is at this moment when Mahito notices Shigaraki at his side and his face immediately morphs into one of shock. Danger Sense flashes through Shigaraki’s head and he turns to his side too with Search and sees Mahito, reciprocating his shocked expression. The two immediately leap back away from each other, with Shigaraki yelling at the Cursed Spirit.

Shigaraki: I thought I killed you!

He uses his Quirk Singularity to launch a massive arm at Mahito, who dodges and begins running while screaming.

Mahito: And you won’t get a second chance! Get me out of here!

Deku: Shigaraki, wait!

Shigaraki's eyes widened upon hearing that familiar voice. He looks up just as Deku lands in front of him.

Deku: Hey, it’s good to see you again Tomura.

Shigaraki stares at Deku with a look of bewilderment. He cuts his large arm off, allowing his regular arm to regenerate back.

Shigaraki: What are you doing here? Where am I? I thought I was meant to be dead.

Deku: It’s a lot to explain. If you’re willing to listen, I can tell what’s up.

Shigaraki narrowed his eyes at Deku.

Shigaraki: Fine… but if you bore me then I might kill you.

Deku: gives a thumbs up with both hands while smiling Understood! Please, come with me for the moment. We’ll talk after this is over.

He says while pointing at the screen above him that displayed his image with the word ‘winner’ below it. Shigaraki stared at the screen for a while. The memories of the Death Battle started coming back to him. Was the fight visible from that screen? Did Deku see him fight? Did he hear what that bastard villain said about him toward the end…

Realising he had stopped attacking Mahito he began frantically searching around the room for the Spirit. Eventually, he found him… sneaking up behind Deku.

Shigaraki: Watch out!

Extending his hand forward, he fires his Air Cannon Quirk while Deku’s Danger Sense alerts him to the fact that he’s about to get sandwiched between Mahito and Shigaraki’s attacks. Unable to react in time he decides to tank Shigaraki’s blast and turns to punch at where he thinks Mahito is. But before Mahito and Deku can clash fists they are stopped by an invisible barrier. The impact surprised Izuku. He was then launched face first into the barrier by Shigaraki’s Air Cannon.

Gojo: Careful kid! It’s dangerous to come down alone.

Gojo quips as he appears standing in front of Deku. He had used his Limitless technique to shield him from Mahito’s attacks. Behind him, Mahito looked and saw a familiar aura. The aura that belonged to the reason he and other powerful cursed spirits exist in the first place. Gojo turns around and faces Patch Face.

Gojo: Out of all the Cursed Spirits that I would’ve liked to come here, you would not have been my first choice.

Acting on instinct, and still shaken up from his encounter with Shigaraki, Mahito leaps back from Gojo. Only for the Sorcerer to blitz him and grab him from behind.

Gojo: Now you’re going to behave until I can explain what’s going on.

Neither Deku nor Gojo returned to their seats. They simply accompanied (in Gojo’s case dragged) their handsy villains to the exit of the stadium. There, they stood and waited for the reveal. The screen went dark, readying to display the preview.

Next time on Death Battle

But no preview came, it stayed dark. Then, a bunch of text began coming up on screen. The text read.

Unsatisfied with your fight? Are you itching for a rematch?

Rematch requests are now open.

In the next three days, you may send a letter to the office asking for a rematch to any fight you have participated in. However, the request must have the consent of all the combatants involved in the fight. You may send a request on someone else’s behalf if they are unable to on their own but you may not send a request without that person’s and their opponent’s consent.

We will decide which request shall be granted for the next fight. Stay tuned!

With that the screen went dark.

Immediately, the room erupted in yelling and shouting.

Goku: No way!

Superman: No, we are not doing this again.

Goku: Come on! Please!

Superman: sigh

—

Vegeta: I demand a rematch Prince of Asgard!

Thor: You want a second beating? Wanna feel my hammer against your face this time?

Vegeta angrily growled at Thor.

Thor: Hahaha. Very well. If that’s what you wish for. Though, I do have another matter to settle as well.

Thor turns to look at Diana’s direction as he says this. Sensing his gaze, she simply smiles and shrugs.

Wonder Woman: Why not. It'd be fun to go again.

—

Green Lantern was minding his own business among the chaos when his relative peace was interrupted.

Ben: Hey! Up for a-

Green Lantern: Sorry kid, I’m not interested.

Ben: Oh come on. Why not?

Green Lantern: I prefer watching these fights as opposed to being in them, you know.

Ben: Gosh you’re so lame.

—

Eggman: Hey! Think we can go again?

Bowser: Haha, let’s try it!

Dr. Wily: Oh no you don’t! I challenge you Dr. Ivo Robotnik to a rematch!

Eggman: Meh, my skills are better spent on someone other than you.

—

Sonic: Hmm, how ‘bout it?

Mario extends a fist bump to Sonic.

Mario: Let’s a go.

Sonic gives Mario the fist bump.

Sonic: You’re on!

—

X: Wow, I did not think so many of them would want to fight again.

Zero: I mean, I guess it makes sense. After growing stronger wouldn’t you want to test your limits again?

X: Maybe but not this time. EXE and Geo’s programming are too advanced for me. What about you?

Zero: Oh, I think I’m good-

Sensing a presence behind him, Zero turns around to see Metal Sonic floating at his eye level. Glaring at him. Zero backs away in shock while X assumes a defensive stance.

Zero: Woah woah, there’s no need for that. I wouldn’t want to fight you again. Our last bout was a pretty close one so I think it’s safe to say we both share an equal chance of winning.

Metal didn’t say anything but just continued to stare at Zero.

—

18 was just about to get up and leave when her path was blocked by Carol Danvers.

Captain Marvel: Hey!

18: Hey.

Captain Marvel: So, how about it?

18: Why not go for the kid?

Captain Marvel: He doesn’t have the fighting spirit. He’s strong but that’s about it. You’re far more interesting to fight.

18: Hmm, I’ll think about it.

—

Bardock: Hey! Wanna go again?

Omni-Man: Hmm, you know what, sure. Though I doubt it’ll be accepted given how recent our fight was.

—

Tracer: Hey luv, wanna run it back?

Scout: Oho you are so on!

—

Ragna and Sol meet eyes and smile.

Madara and Aizen meet eyes and glower.

Tony tries to look at Batman, who pays him no mind and begins to leave.

Captain America: Say, Bruce. Would you be-

Batman: Sorry Captain, not interested.

—

Dio looks around with a rather smug smile.

Dio: So many people, desperate for validation. They are hopeless if they think a victory will solve that.

Suddenly, a hand grabs Dio by the neck. Before he realises it, the Vampire finds himself under a hypnosis spell. Without any way to resist it, he is at the complete mercy of the man in front of him.

Alucard: Let’s go again shall we? I assure you that this time I won’t be so careless.

The Vampire Hunter says with a grin on his face. He’s not desperate for validation. He just wants Dio’s blood.

—

Goku Black looks around for a bit before attempting to Instant Transmission away. Before he can do that, Thawn appears in front of him.

Reverse Flash: Soooooooooo?

Goku Black: What would be the point?! You just want to see me suffer again.

Reverse Flash: I mean, you’re not wrong.

Goku Black: Screw you!

And with that, Zamasu disappears.

—

Deku: Umm, I think I’ll sit this one out.

Gojo: Nope, not interested. Doubt she’d be too.

—

There was a general chaos happening in the stadiums now, with many combatants wanting a second chance to even the scores. Though many are met with refusals, some are met with reciprocated vigour. As for Deku and Gojo, they have more important matters to attend to.

It was taking a while for the chaos to die down and during that time Deku explained to Shigaraki where he was. Since they were standing right next to them, Gojo forced Mahito to listen to Deku so he wouldn’t have to explain himself. After at least half an hour, the noise died down and everyone began to go back to their own lives.

Deku showed Shigaraki where his room was but Shiggy showed little interest in it. He was rather pent up, looking around while scratching his neck. Noticing his lack of attention, Deku turned to address him.

Deku: Tomura, are you okay?

Shigaraki: You said we can’t kill people here, right?

Deku: That’s right.

Shigaraki: What about destroy?

Deku: This place is built to be durable enough to resist heroes and villains stronger than us. I don’t think you could destroy this place even if you tried. Even then, most damage gets repaired overnight when none of us are looking.

With a burning curiosity, Shigaraki turned to face the wall opposite to his room’s door. Placing all five fingers against it, it began to crumble and decay. An area of 5x5 feet was soon instantly reduced into nothing. Though the destruction was easy, it felt empty. Shigaraki had decayed a lot of things in his life. From humans, buildings and even cities, and every time he did so he felt a purpose behind each thing he destroyed. Like each speck of decayed dust was building to the very reason of his existence. Now, he was dead, with no way to return to the living world apart from this limbo space. And yet this limbo strips him of his desire to kill and destroy. He can still destroy all he wants but it won’t matter. He would no longer destroy for a purpose. What would the point be of total destruction if it meant nothing.

Shigaraki: Where is the exit to this place?

Deku: Huh… Are you leaving?

Shigaraki: Yes.

Deku: But why? There’s no need to if you can live here.

Shigaraki: Why would why? This is not my world. I can’t cultivate my ideals here. It’s better I stay dead. That way, those who looked up to me can still be inspired. I would still have a purpose.

Deku: There’s no reason to go back to continue being a villain.

Shigaraki: I won’t. I’m dead, remember?

Deku: I know, but I want you to be able to find peace. There’s no need to let the past bog you down. Here, your past doesn't matter. What matters is just who you are now and you can change that.

Deku extends a hand to Shigaraki.

Deku: Let me help you.

Shigaraki: Tell me… did you tell Spinner what I told you to say to him.

Deku was silent for a few seconds.

Deku: Yes, I did.

Shigaraki: That’s good enough of a peace for me. All Might will always be remembered as the Symbol of Peace. Let me be remembered as the Symbol of Fear.

Deku: Tomura there’s no need to act like this! Why do you want to remain a heartless destroyer?

Shigaraki: Because there’s no use to the broken, angry, crying little boy I am deep inside.

Shigaraki holds a hand to his chest.

Shigaraki: He’s pitiful. He was too weak to fend for himself. At least I can stand for something. I’d rather be an inspiration to the villains, even if it means I’m damned.

With that he walked away, refusing to let Deku continue to talk to him. Deku tried desperately to get Shigaraki’s attention, yelling at him, grabbing him and even trying to stand in his way but each time Shigaraki simply pushed him away.

Here was a hero trying to save him but he knew he couldn’t change. He had done too much to change now. Using his Quirk Singularity, he barricaded the entrance to the exits. With Deku unable to reach him now, he made his way over to what he assumed was to be his way home. His way back to death’s embrace. Just before he stepped through the rift, a voice called out to him from behind.

???: Tomura, mind if I have a word with you?

Annoyed, Shigaraki turned around and saw a man standing behind him. The man wore a blue spandex and a red cape. On his chest, was a stylised letter S coloured in red and yellow.

???: I just want to congratulate you on your battle earlier. It seemed pretty tough but it’s clear you’ve been through enough to take on that challenge.

Shigaraki side-eyed this person. Suspicious of his motives for being here.

Shigaraki: Who are you?

Superman: Oh! Where are my manners? Call me Superman. No need for a handshake, I know very well what those hands of yours can do. Quite a powerful ability I must say. I imagine it must be difficult to control.

Shigaraki: As long as I don’t touch anything with all five fingers, I don’t see what the problem is.

Superman: I guess that’s true. You know, for a villain, I’d say you're pretty reasonable.

Shigaraki raised an eyebrow at Superman.

Shigaraki: What makes you think that?

Superman: Deku has told me your story. I think it’s a shame that in a world with a hero society, nobody bothered to reach out to a wandering child. Hero’s are meant to protect and save others. It’s a selfless deed but when you monetise it it becomes a selfish one. I’ve seen what can happen when heroes care more about their image than they do saving others.

He gestures to another rift nearby.

Superman: One of these worlds has a hero society too. Yet, their heroes are consumed by greed and fame. They care more about saving others if it means they can benefit from it. It sickens me. And it sickens me to know that you’re only like this because of such negligence.

Shigaraki scoffs at Superman’s words.

Shigaraki: What’s in the past is the past and pity will get you nowhere.

Superman: Don’t get me wrong Tomura. Just because I sympathise with your plight doesn’t mean I support it. You’re a villain and I know you like being seen like that. But ever since you were child you always wanted this, yet you were denied it. Here, Deku is offering his hand. A chance to escape from that life long, nihilistic tantrum you’ve suffered from for so long. There’s no reason to not take it. Shigaraki and his ideals can still live on in your world. But here, perhaps you can give Tomura a chance. Just behind that wall of flesh is a hero trying to save you. I’m not forcing you to make this decision but at least think about it. Give that anger inside you a chance to find peace.
You don’t need to take it now. Deku’s hand will always be open to you. If you ever choose to come back, he’ll be waiting.

Shigaraki’s gaze shifted from Superman to the portal, then back to him.

Superman: Take your time. And if you want a more physical way to release your anger, there’s a place here where you can fight to release your frustrations. Trust me, it helps a lot. Well, it was nice talking to you, Tomura. I hope to see you again here soon.

Superman smiles before walking back toward the wall of flesh. By vibrating his atoms, he phases through the wall, now leaving Shigaraki alone with new thoughts to ponder. He decides that it would be best to ponder this in Hell. Some time without the body that he used to destroy might be nice. Maybe, it will give him more time to get used to being that boy again. Maybe one day, he’ll come back and accept that open hand. Accept the hero who tried to save him.

—

Mahito: Will you let go of me already?

Gojo: Hold on, nearly there.

Gojo had toured Mahito around the Colosseum by dragging him against the floor by his skin. He knew he couldn’t leave the Cursed Spirit out of his sight, not until he could enact his plan. After dragging him into an empty hallway he lets go, causing Mahito to fall on the floor.

Gojo: Wait here, I’ll be back.

And with that, Gojo disappears around the corner. He knew that order would mean nothing to Mahito. If he turned back around he knew Mahito wouldn’t be where he left him. But that was the point. He needed Mahito to see how the people here worked.

Patch Face aimlessly observed his surroundings. Letting him be in a place with so many human souls to play with is one of the worst ideas out there and Mahito knew it. Yet, he was having trouble feeling that sense of enthusiasm. The same one he feels whenever he has plenty of human souls to play with. He had passed by many people during the tour and yet not once did he feel the urge to break free and let loose some chaos. And he had no clue why. He was alive again, with the opportunity to mess with so many souls yet the urge wasn’t there. Suddenly, he heard a conversation taking place just down the hallway.

Curious, he approached, not caring for any stealth since he could not be seen. He found what looked to be a boy with spiky hair wearing nothing but a black underwear with a green waistband and red boots. The boy was talking to a taller male, who wore a red shirt, brown pants, a grey cap with a yellow headset and a grey duffle bag. As he slowly crept up on them, he began to feel himself getting excited. That desire to kill was coming back.

Mahito: What are you boys talking about? Mind if I join in on the conversation?

Without a second thought he rushed forward at the taller figure and placed a hand behind his back. To his surprise, nothing happened.

Mahito: Hmm?

Scout began reaching behind him upon feeling Mahito touch him but he didn't feel anything. He turns around and sees nothing.

Astro boy: What’s wrong.

Scout: Thought I felt something. Must’ve been the wind.

Mahito: What’s going on?

Mahito begins touching as many places on Scout’s body as he could. His back, his arms, his legs, his butt, his neck, his head, but all of them gave no response… Well, not the response Mahito was looking for. Scout began freaking out when he began feeling a ghostly presence touch him all over. He began panicking and jumping around like he was on fire.

Scout: Ah! There’s a ghost on me! Ah!

Astro: Scout! Get out of the way!

Astro Boy leaps forward and pushes Scout aside. Once cleared, he punches but hits nothing. Meanwhile, as Astro Boy’s body flies past Mahito, he tries to touch the robotic boy too only to be met with the same response as Scout.

Mahito: What is this?

Feeling frustrated, he begins charging up a Black Flash. Astro Boy floats in midair as he searches around for a target he didn’t hit. Suddenly, he felt a tremendous amount of force being pressed against his face, causing him to be launched into the wall, cratering it. Seeing this, Scout began to flee down the hall. Despite not being able to transfigure him, the sight of a defenseless human running for their life fueled Mahito with a twisted sense of fervour.

Mahito: Where are you going, pretty boy?

Even if he couldn’t manipulate his soul, he could still beat him up. As they ran down the hall they came across an intersection. Just to his right, Mahtio could feel the presence of another human soul. A malleable one. One he could control. He smiled and stretched out his right arm to grab this person and began morphing them into a ball. Holding this ball up with both hands, Mahito was ready to throw it at Scout… But then the ball formed a fist and punched him in the face, causing him to drop it.

Mahito: Oww! Huh?

The ball fell on the floor and grew a mouth. Its hand stuck a thumb into the mouth and the mouth began to blow, causing the ball to inflate and morph back to its original form.

Popeye: That how ya treat your neighbors from where ya from? Put ‘em up ya freaky palooka!

Mahito: Uhhh…

Unsure on how to respond, Mahito ends up getting punched in the face again by the Sailor.

Popeye: Ya gots a face I likes to punch.

Popeye places a hand on Mahito’s head and squishes him down flat like a pancake. He then picks him up and starts molding him into a ball.

Mahito: What are you doing?! Let go of me!

???: Hey, Popeye! Over here.

Popeye drops Mahito’s ball form on the ground and begins kicking him down the hall like a soccer ball. All the while Mahito yells and curses at the Sailor. Down the hall, a soccer goal was set up and in front of it stood the part-time ghost hunter, Danny Fenton. He is currently in his human form.

Danny: Come one. Give me your best shot!

Popeye winds up his leg and kicks forward with all his might. The Mahito ball flies through the air and Danny blocks him with both of his hands. Mahito hits the ground and Danny kicks him back to Popeye.

Popeye: (incomprehensive mumbling)- I’ll show yoo.

Popeye puts both of his hands on his waist and begins twisting his upper body around like a screw. After a few twists he lets go of his waist to allow his legs to spin around at high speeds. He kicks the Mahito ball back at Danny but with the speed his legs were spinning at, Mahito ended up flying way too fast for an ordinary human to react to. Realising this, Danny transforms into his ghost form and punches the Mahito ball as hard as he can. The ball flies over Popeye’s head and down the hall, where it eventually falls and rolls around on the floor for a while. Eventually, Mahito is able to untangle himself.

Mahito: So disrespectful.

He says while patting the dust off of his clothes. Suddenly, he began feeling more souls to transfigure coming up from behind him. Two people. Ordinary humans as far as he could tell. The first guy had white skin, blonde hair and wore a black biker jacket. The second guy had black skin, black hair and wore plain clothes.

???: What’s all the noise here?

The blonde guy asked. Danny flies up in front of Mahito, with Popeye, the Scout and Astro Boy in tow.

Danny: Just having a little game of soccer. Care to join?

???: Sure, why not.

The black guy responded. Sensing he was about to be targeted again, Mahito decided to go on the offensive.

Mahito: Hey, what about me?

Danny: What about you?

Mahito: Don’t you know what a rotation is? You got to play goalie in this first round now someone else should play it. Since I played ball last time someone else should play that role. I nominate these two to be the ball!

As he says this he leaps back and places a hand on each of the two strangers behind him. But just before he could transfigure them he felt immense heat coming from behind. Bringing both hands in front of his face, he could see that both of them had been burnt off, with the main difference being that the right one still had some lingering orange flames while the left one had some weird green substance on it. He turned around and was suddenly face to face with two demonic-looking entities.

Ghost Rider: You know it’s rude to touch others without their consent right?

Spawn: Lust is a very dangerous sin. binds Mahito's limbs with chains And so is pride. Let's play a new game. I call it, “Kick the Mahito”.

Faced with two powerful entities, who he could not hope to match either physically or spiritually, Mojito found himself at their complete mercy. He felt powerless, just like he did at the end of his fight against Shigaraki. He began hearing the sound of footsteps approaching from behind. Turning his head 180 degrees he saw Popeye, Danny, the Scout and Astro Boy coming closer. Popeye was cracking his knuckles, Danny was manifesting ectoplasm from his hands, Scout had his bat out and was tapping it against his hand, and Astro Boy began transforming his left arm into an arm cannon. While this combination of combatants may look a little goofy, to Mahito it looked pretty nightmarish.

(Author’s note: You all know that one scene from Indie Cross where the OG animatronics approach Frisk menacingly after Scrap Baby throws him against a wall? Yeah imagine that for this.)

—

It had been roughly 10 minutes since Gojo had left Mahito alone. During that time, he decided to take a walk. Well, the walk was over and now he was looking around for where Mahito could be. Suddenly, he heard a scream. Recognising it as Mahito’s voice, he began to follow the sounds of it. When he arrived at the source, what greeted him was not what he was expecting. Mahito was being held up by his limbs. Ghost Rider and Spawn held his arms while Danny and Popeye held his legs. His legs were spread wide as per Scout’s request.

Scout: Alright so his crotch is somewhere here right?

Ghost Rider: Yes.

Scout: Ok just making sure.

Scout began winding up his bat, preparing for a home run strike on Mahito’s pelvic region. He didn’t know if Cursed Spirits had testicles but if there was a way to find out this would be one such way. But before Scout could swing his bat, Mahito transfigured his soul by creating a fist that punched out from his crotch. The fist knocked Scout on the chin, causing him to reel back and Mahito forcefully tore his own limbs off before shifting into a cat to run away. The rest of them watched as cat Mahito tried to retreat before he was stopped by Limitless. When Mahito looked up at Gojo, Gojo saw a face filled with fear. He knew that fear had not come solely because of him. Whatever the others did to him surely did a number on his esteem. Everything that they had done, up until Ghost Rider and Spawn showed up, was all due to his planning. Everything after Ghost Rider and Spawn showed up, he told them to do whatever they wanted because he knew whatever they did from there would successfully put the fear of God into Mahito. And he was right.

Gojo: Hey there! I see you’ve already met some of my friends. How was it?

Mahito slowly regenerated his body.

Mahito: This- This place is sick…

Gojo: I know right. Pretty cool. Anyway, if you ever feel like playing with some of the other combatants let us know. We’d love to join in on the fun.

In front of him was the most powerful sorcerer from his world and behind him were two Hell creatures, a ghost, a robot, a man who couldn’t even see him yet could still interact with him and a weirdo with a pipe. Mahito would never have imagined this scenario happening in even his worst nightmares. Gojo suddenly got closer to Mahito’s face.

Gojo: As long as you behave, there’s nothing for you to worry about.

—

Him? Behave? The same guy who once treated humans like toys?

Mahito: Fat chance. Not with that attitude.

Mahito mused to himself while aimlessly blowing bubbles from under the water. He was now in the Colosseum’s hot tubs, submerging himself until only his eyes were visible. Now one else was there so he had the place to himself. Not that it mattered, no one would be able to see him… no one should be able to see him and yet this place has proven otherwise. Mahito knew that if he were to survive, he’d need help. As if answering his call, he began hearing footsteps approaching the hot tubs.

A woman began approaching the hot tubs and stood just in front of the water’s edge. She began taking off her shoes and pulling her pants up to knee height so she could dip her feet in the water. The woman sat like that for a few seconds, staring in Mahito’s direction. The Cursed Spirit wasn’t sure if she was looking at him or past him. Eventually, he decided to test if she could see him.

Mahito: You know this is the male’s hot tub, right? I’ve already been beaten up for nothing, I’d rather not be beaten up for being called a pervert.

Makima: Don’t worry, I know. I just wanted to see you. I think you’re very interesting.

Mahito: Oh? And what makes you say that?

Makima: For starters, I can’t see you. I can hear and smell you but not see you. Most ghostly beings that come here can at least make themselves visible but you would be the first who is completely invisible to all but a few. I think that makes you unique.

Mahito: I’m flattered darling but I’m afraid I’m off limits.

Makima: giggles You’re funny, you know that?

Mahito: Why yes, I can be a bit of a goof. But if life doesn’t have any special meaning to it then why bother caring much about what we do? I’d rather live in the moment and enjoy what happens in the present.

Makima: Even if the present is killing you?

Mahito: Hm?

Makima: I know your past. All that talk, all that gleeful nihilism, just turns out to be a bitter hypocrisy in the end. You’re used to being the top dog in a dog-eat-dog world. That was until a bigger wolf came along and made you run away like a bitch.

Mahito was speechless.

Makima: That happened back then and it’s happening now again. The difference is that you can’t die and so you must suffer through the torture and humiliation all by yourself. That is of course, unless you get help.

Makima extends a hand to Mahito.

Makima: Let me help you. This place was not very kind to me so it’s only fair I help you find your place here too.

Makima gives Mahito a smile. Mahito could tell something was up but with how things went down, he figured what harm could there be in accepting this offer. Afterall, if all went to shit, he could just run away like a bitch again. Getting up from the water, Mahito began to approach Makima.

Mahito: Other than helping me navigate this Hell, what else do you have to offer?

Makima: I can give you some pointers to people you can play with who won’t easily retaliate against you. You can even do it to me if you want.

Curious, Mahito touched Makima’s hand and tried to transfigure her. Sure enough, her head exploded but soon after it began to regenerate back.

Makima: See. Come on, I’ve got plenty of friends who I’m sure will be willing to let you play with them. They can’t die, so you can mess with them to your heart’s content.

Mahito eyed Makima’s hand one last time. A grin began forming on his face.

Mahito: You’ve got a deal!

He exclaims joyfully while shaking her hand. Makima reciprocates the handshake with a smile of her own. But deep down, she’s smiling for a different reason. She has a new plaything to control.

Chapter Text

Outside the Colosseum, the rainbow road had been configured to take the appearance of a desert wasteland. Other than a few large rocks and cliffs, there was nothing of note on this artificial battlefield. It was very empty but for the fighters it entertained it was more than enough. In fact, it evoked a feeling of familiarity for one of them. Two golden lights streaked through the air, weaving through the desert and clashing into each other on occasion. They were the father-son Saiyan pair, Kakarot- better known now as Son Goku, and his dad Bardock. Having unlocked the Super Saiyan form, Goku couldn’t wait to test out his father’s skills in combat. He knew that, despite his father’s status as a low-class Saiyan, he was still a powerful and prideful warrior. Bardock may not be as strong as Goku himself but Kakarot knew how to control his strength in order to still have a good fight with him. And with enough battles, he could potentially reach his level of power too or maybe even unlock higher forms.

The two Saiyans traded blows with each other as they rocketed around the Colosseum. After a clash Bardock flew down a canyon to fly beneath some rocks out of Goku’s line of sight. Goku searched the canyon from the skies before barely dodging a Ki beam fired from the bottom of the canyon. Several balls of Ki followed the beam and Goku dodges a couple before using his own Ki to engulf some of the blasts before throwing them back down. These stronger blasts detonate the canyon, leaving a smoking mess. After a moment of rest, Bardock launches out of the smoke, letting out a battle cry as he charges at Goku. Goku takes a stance and redirects Bardock’s punch before kicking him away. As he was kicked, Bardock fired another blast of Ki at Goku and Goku, who did not expect a desperate attack, was forced to block the blast. Using the blast as a smoke screen, Bardock got behind Goku and shoulder bashed his back. While an attack like this would’ve been devastating if he was fighting someone like Vegeta or Frieza, with Bardock’s level of strength Goku could’ve easily no-sold this attempt at a surprise attack. But if he did that, there wouldn’t be any fun so he let Bardock do his thing. After being launched forward by the shoulder bash, Bardock rushed in front of Goku to back kick him higher, then flew up to him again to kick him even higher before flying back down and charging his Final Spirit Cannon.

Bardock fires the powerful beam at Goku, resulting in a massive explosion in the air. After expending most of his energy Bardock is struggling to maintain his Super form. His hair begins to flicker between black and gold and so Bardock steels himself to keep up the golden form as long as possible. The smoke from his attack clears and he sees his son, with his arms up in front having blocked the attack at the last minute. The low-class Saiyan stares up at his son in shock before shaking his head and getting ready for another attack- only for his son to rocket down and end the fight with a single punch to the gut. The gut punch sent Bardock crashing onto the ground, leaving behind a massive crater. As the smoke cleared his Super form dissipated and he was left utterly exhausted. He laid on the ground to catch his breath while Goku flew down to take a seat next to him, turning off his own Super form in the process.

Goku: Hey, good job! You lasted longer this time around.

Bardock turned to look at his son. Despite his loss, Kakarot gave him a proud smile. Isn’t he meant to be the one giving that smile to his own son and not the other way around? The Saiyan father thought to himself. That’s what he gets for being so much weaker than him.

Bardock: I don’t understand. How do you keep up the form for so long?

Goku: Well, it wasn’t easy. Being able to maintain Super Saiyan requires a lot of concentration and stamina. We trained hard in order to be able to use the form regularly. But Vegeta told me that since you still have your tail you should be able to control the form much easier than we did when we first obtained it.

Bardock: And yet you can still hold on to it longer than me.

Goku: Hehe, well I guess I did have years of training to perfect it. With time and patience, you’ll be able to master it in no time too.

Bardock: And then what?

Goku: Huh?

Bardock: slowly sits up We Saiyans spent our whole lives believing that the Super Saiyan was the pinnacle of Saiyan potential and now I find out that there’s more to it than that. After this, should I perfect the second and third forms too? How about those god forms?

Goku: Oh, you don’t need to worry about those just yet. It’s better to take things one step at a time.

Bardock huffed in response. The two sat together in silence, appreciating each other’s company, something they could never do back home. Unless Goku were to look for him in hell but he’s currently too busy on another adventure to do that.

Bardock: Son, why do you want to get stronger?

Goku: Huh? Oh, well…

Goku took a moment before answering.

Goku: Because I want to become stronger. I want to see how strong I can really get and so I’m always looking for strong people to fight so I can push myself further and further. And besides, we seem to encounter stronger enemies each year so it doesn’t hurt to be prepared too. What about you, dad? Why do you want to get stronger?

Bardock pondered this question of his. Saiyans always prided themselves as being the strongest species in the universe. They could never dream of having to face a foe stronger than them. So when King Cold showed up and forced them into submission without so much as raising a finger, they were absolutely terrified. In their society, if you were born with a low power-level that just meant tough luck. So being met with a species that dwarfed them in strength meant that they couldn’t do anything about it. And by the time someone tried to do something about it it was too late. Bardock never imagined needing to train to get stronger. The society that he knew wouldn’t bother with such an arduous task. And yet such a task is something his son takes in stride and that has turned him into the greatest warrior of their kind.

This strange place has given him the chance to spend time with his son but that didn’t mean he was completely satisfied. He had no planet and no people to protect. All he could do was fight his son and the oddball combatant who chose to pick on the wrong guy. His son enjoyed fighting so he would naturally fight him but Goku has vastly surpassed his own level of power. Unlike the Prince or the exiled Saiyan, he couldn’t offer the same enjoyment his son felt in a fight as they did. And if he couldn’t do that, would he continue to enjoy spending time with him?

Bardock was never a good parent, all he could do was try his best, even if that ‘best’ isn’t enough. And in his mind, that meant getting stronger so he could give his son a good fight. There are more ways to enjoy spending time with your kid but for a man who spent his entire life fighting, this was the only solution he could think of. And with how supportive his son was being right now, it wasn’t a completely terrible solution. Bardock gave a small smile before answering.

Bardock: So that one day I’ll be the one to kick your ass.

Goku was slightly taken aback by this statement but a sense of pride quickly washed over him. He returned his father’s smile.

Goku: I’ll hold you to it.

He then stood up to stretch.

Goku: Man, I’m hungry. Come on, let’s go get a bite.

As Goku says this, Bardock’s stomach begins to growl too and he follows his son back inside. Maybe there are more things that they can bond over besides fighting.

——————————————————————————————————————————

It was a quiet afternoon for Ren back at his home in Japan. He planned on having a peaceful day without anyone to bother him at the moment. However, when he got home he found a letter on the floor that had been slid through the bottom of the door. Picking it up, he opened it and began reading its contents. The letter’s origins come from the infamous Shadow Operatives. He’s heard of them before but has never met any of their members in person, that is until his fight with a certain gang leader that led him to a world where he met many new faces, including the leader of this organisation. Speaking of their leader, just by the wording alone he could tell it was her who wrote the letter to him. The message was short but clear.

“I have some free time.

Meet me in my room.”

—

Entering the Colosseum was always a daunting thing. Its size and splendor are only matched by the aura of the combatants that walk through its halls. Though, right now, Ren was not going to be bringing much attention to himself as instead of his Phantom Thief mask he donned his glasses. Ren was dressed in a white shirt, black jacket and blue jeans. Looking at the letter Mitsuru sent him again, he made his way over to the archives to check which floor her room is on. After confirming the floor, he began making his way up the stairs. The Colosseum was its usual buzz today but no one seemed to pay him any attention, yet.

While climbing the stairs he got distracted by Rocket Raccoon running down the stairs with one of Bomberman’s bombs in his mouth while the owner of the bomb chased after him. As a result, he ended up bumping into the other Joker.

Ren: I’m sorry, I didn’t see you there.

Joker: Oh no, I should be the one who is sorry. After all, you weren’t looking while I was.

The Joker twirls his right arm around for a bit before extending it forward in a handshake gesture.

Joker: You’re the Joker, right? Nice to meet you. I also happen to be a Joker! Maybe we can get along.

The Joker’s wide grin made Ren feel uneasy. He could tell there was a more sinister man hiding behind this facade of happiness yet he wasn’t sure if refusing the handshake would provoke the man to do something worse than if he took it.

Rocket: Don’t shake his hand kid! He’s got a buzzer in his palm.

From the bottom of the stairs Rocket’s yelling pulled Ren’s attention away as he and Bomberman played tug-of-war with the bomb. Ren looked back at the Joker, who still held out his hand.

Joker: Oh isn’t he just so funny. You don’t get to see talking animals often do you?

As the Joker says this he turns his palm to face upwards to reveal the electric buzzer that rested snuggly in his palm. With a playful pinch he picked it up with his other hand and threw it away before presenting his hand to Ren again.

Joker: Let’s try that again shall we?

With great hesitation, Ren slowly took the Joker’s hand and began to shake it.

Ren: It’s nice to meet you… Mr?

Joker: Oh just call me the Joker!

After retracting his hand, the Joker took a moment to examine Ren’s appearance.

Joker: You are a fine young man you know. Do you have an eye problem?

Ren: What?

The Joker tapped the side of his face as a gesture at Ren’s glasses.

Ren: Oh yeah, I can’t see very well without them.

That was a lie. Ren doesn’t need glasses to see, he uses them as an accessory. Joker seemed to have seen right through this lie as he continues to acknowledge Ren as if the glasses aren’t functional.

Joker: Oh, I see. So this, get up of yours is your disguise when you’re not playing hero. Right?

Ren almost thought about lying again before remembering that everyone has seen his fight against Giorno.

Ren: Yeah, you could say that.

Joker: I see. So, what’s your story then? puts a hand on Ren’s shoulder Why do you feel the need to play the hero? Some injustice that you think you can reverse by beating some poor fools before throwing them into jail.

That was way too specific for it to be a general threat so Ren figured this guy had been around the block. He needed to be careful with his words.

1) They deserved it for what they did.

2) I’m just a hero for fun.

3) I was given the opportunity to help and so I took it.

Ren: I was given the opportunity to help and so I took it.

Joker: And has, uhh, that solved the problem that led you to take action in the first place?

Ren: It did. We changed the hearts of many people.

Joker: giggles that eventually turn into a light laughter Really? You think people can change so easily? You think you can walk into their minds and give them a stern talking and suddenly they get a change of heart? No, what you really did was just reveal their true colours.

Ren: That’s not how that works. These people were corrupt. Now, they are different.

Joker: You didn’t change anything kid. Tell me, what would you do if one of your friends decided to rob a bank one day and, maybe along the way, kill a few people here and there and they enjoyed the bloodshed and violence. Let’s say you actually changed their heart. What makes you think they won’t do the crime again? What’s stopping them from just… going all out and having a good time?

Ren: pushes Joker’s hand off his shoulder I would continue to help them become a better person. We’re not perfect and so it’s up to our friends to help us when we fall down a dark path.

Joker: Let me tell you something. You’re not the first person who has tried to give others a second chance. To think that there’s no need to put down the rabid dogs and that they can become good boys with the proper time and care. Only to discover time and time again that there’s no cure for rabies. What if that friend of yours can’t be helped? If they continue to kill no matter how many times you change their heart, what will you do? Should you continue your fruitless struggle or just end it quickly?

With a split second action, the Joker reached for his gun and aimed it at his own head. He didn’t fire it, he just held it there while keeping a smile on his face.

Joker: Word of advice. You might just want to end it.

Ren knew this was an intimidation attempt, and a very good one at that. He was scared but he didn’t falter and chose not to indulge the clown any further.

Ren: I’d love to help you with your problems if I have the chance but I have somewhere to be now.

Ren tries to walk past Joker but the Clown Prince simply grabs him by the back of his collar to hold him back.

Joker: Where are you off to? We were having a fun discussion about heroism. How about we continue this conversation with this friend of yours? Maybe he or she might have a change of heart too.

Ren: That’s none of your business.

Joker: If I had to guess… are you meeting up with that other girl from your world? Oh she’s not a very fun person. You’ll have a better time with me I promise.

Joker grabs Ren’s shoulders to turn him around and make him face him. He begins gripping the younger man’s shoulders tightly.

Joker: Come on! I want to see you “change” my heart. You can help me realise how much of a fun person I really am.

The Joker stared into Ren’s eyes with immense intensity. Not a hint of sanity could be deduced from his pupils. Ren felt like he was staring into a demon for a second. Meanwhile, the Joker began laughing. He loomed over the Phantom Thief as he laughed into his face. At the bottom of the stairs, Bomberman noticed Ren’s predicament but couldn’t help since he was still fighting Rocket for his bomb back. He gestured his head to the direction of the two Joker’s to Rocket in an attempt to communicate with him.

Rocket: What? I’m not screwing with that clown. You can help if you could just let go!

Luckily for the Bomber, a yellow figure walked past them and began making her way up the stairs to the two Jokers. Before Ren could decide on what to do, a fist collided into the side of Joker’s face and sent him crashing into the wall. The hit knocked Ren onto his butt and he shielded his face from the smoke with his arms. When the smoke cleared he looked up and saw the fiery huntress from Team RWBY looking down at him while carrying an unconscious Joker over her shoulder.

Yang: Hey Ren! Great to see you again.

Ren: Yang! Thanks for the help.

With her free arm, Yang helped Ren back on his feet.

Yang: You need to be more careful when walking around these parts. Some of these folks respond better to a fist than they do with words.

Ren: Well, I’m not looking for trouble.

Yang: Suit yourself. If you ever need protection around here though, you know where to find me.

Ren: Thanks Yang. I know I can count on you. I’ll have to treat you next time for saving me.

Yang: Oh, please. Don’t be like that.

Ren: Don’t worry, I insist. You can bring Blake along too if you want.

Yang: Umm, sure…

Yang looks away as she responds to hide a blush. Ren has spent a lot of time hanging out with Team RWBY in the past and they’ve all come to respect him. However, one problem emerged. Ren knows how to spoil a girl and he’s done many favours for the three of them on many occasions already. As a result, the three of them have developed quite the admiration for him. An admiration that can, at times, cross a line it shouldn’t be crossing in the first place. Everything he does for them has his earnest love poured into it and whether it’s intentional or not its effects can’t be ignored. For Yang, it’s worse in her case since she’s already committed to Blake and yet whenever Ren treats her she can’t help but feel like she should give back some of the love he gives to her. It definitely doesn’t help that she can see that Blake feels the same about Ren too.

Yang: Well, I’m sure you’re busy so you should probably get going. I’ll see you around.

Ren: Yep, goodbye Yang.

Ren walks up the stairs as Yang walks down to find Batman so she can drop the Joker off at him. As she walks away, she can’t help but think if their leader, if she were to ever come here, would fall for his charms as well. As the two are out of sight from the foot of the stairs the tug of war between Rocket and Bombarman ends as Bomberman drops his head in frustration and simply detonates the bomb he and Rocket were fighting over.

—

Ren arrives at Mitsuru’s door and knocks twice. From inside, he can hear a muffled voice.

Mitsuru: Come in!

Realising the door is unlocked, Ren opens it and helps himself in.

Mitsuru’s room is fairly simple; it has a bed, a closet, a nightstand, a desk and a small table in the middle of the room with two chairs. Mitsuru was currently seated upon the chair that faced the door. She was wearing a beige sweater and blue jeans. On the table was a tea set and a plate of karumeyaki (Japanese honeycomb candy). She was already taking a bite of the snacks when Ren walked in.

Mitsuru: Please, take a seat.

Ren helped himself to the free chair but when he sat down he suddenly felt himself tense up.

Ren: Why am I suddenly so nervous? Is it because of who she is? She’s a Persona-user with more experience and status than me. But I saved the world, I should be able to see eye-to-eye with her.

Mitsuru: Are you okay? You’re very tense.

Ren: Uh!

Mitsuru: Am I that scary?

Ren had to choose his next words carefully.

1) Not at all, I think you’re pretty cool.

2) Sorta. I feel a little out of my depth.

3) Scary? You’re beautiful!

Ren: I’ve only recently heard of the Shadow Operatives. I don’t want to get on their bad side so I need to look good.

Not at all, I think you’re pretty cool.

Mitsuru curiously raised an eyebrow.

Mitsuru: Really? What about me do you find impressive?

Ren: I’m impressed by your combat skills. I never thought to fight alongside my Personas that much, yet when I watched your Death Battle you fought alongside Artemesia with such grace and skill.

Mitsuru smiles at Ren.

Mitsuru: You’re not bad yourself, for a kid.

Ren: Weren’t you in the same age range as me when you went on your adventure?

Mitsuru: True but each person has their own strengths to rely on. I rely on my sword while you rely on your tricks. Besides, I don’t think I can come close to what you’ve accomplished against the god of control. You’re impressive too in your own right.

Ren felt his confidence coming back.

Ren: Well, it wasn’t easy but we pulled through. Though, I couldn’t have done it without my friends.

Mitsuru: That’s a given, even the greatest men in the world can’t accomplish greatness on their own. And when they do, it comes at a high cost.

Ren sensed a hint of sorrow in Mitsuru’s voice. While he was afraid to touch on sensitive subjects, he decided to brave forward and ask her what was wrong.

Ren: Do you know someone like that?

Mitsuru gave Ren a somber look.

Mitsuru: I knew someone like that. He was brave, kind and always willing to stand up to injustice. In many ways he was just like you. He could control different Personas and never seemed to let fate take the reigns for him. In the end, he gave up his life to save everyone. There was nothing we could do to help him. Sometimes… I think back to that moment and wonder if there could have been anything we could’ve done to change his fate.

Ren watched as Mitsuru unknowingly got herself to re-live a painful memory. With a desire to console her he reached out and held her hand in his. The act surprised Mitsuru and caused her to refocus her attention back to Ren.

Ren: You said he defied fate, right? Perhaps, this was the path he wanted to take. Maybe there was a path where you could’ve all gone down but instead he chose the path that allowed you to have a fulfilling life. Even if it meant at the cost of his own.

Mitsuru’s face tilted down in deep thought. She thought back at the moment one last time before meeting Ren’s eyes again.

Mitsuru: I never thought about it that way. It does sound like something he would do. Thanks Ren. I’ll remember what you said whenever I think of him again.

Ren smiled at her as he removed his hands from her’s. When he did that, Mitsuru began fondling her own hands.

Mitsuru: giggles Has anyone ever told you the effect you have on women?

Ren’s eyes shot wide open in surprise upon hearing that.

Ren: Where did you get that from?

Mitsuru: Look, I’m the head of the Shadow Operatives but I don’t need the level of intelligence and wit that that position requires to see what you do around girls. Nevermind the disastrous valentines day that was no fault but your own.

Ren: How do you know that?!

Mitsuru: I played your game. It’s good to get an idea of someone before you meet them. It’s where I learned that you’re a brave and kind person and you’ve proven yourself as such so far. But you’re also a bit of a freak when it comes to love. I hope those girls didn’t have to go through too much of a heartbreak.

Wanting to regain some control of the situation, Ren shot back.

Ren: Well, I’m sure you know how it feels to love right?

Mitsuru: Of course but I never loved someone behind a committed partner’s back.

Ren: Well, that was in the past. I’m more careful in expressing my feelings now.

After saying this Mitsuru couldn’t help but laugh at him.

Mitsuru: You’re just as naive as he was. You really have no idea what you can do to a girl. Have you been paying attention to Team RWBY?

Ren: Umm, yes? They’re very kind and caring.

Mitsuru: Then maybe you should pay closer attention to them.

——————————————————————————————————————————

Giorno had a schedule for visiting the Colosseum. In the last week leading up to a fight he will stay over for that week. With the way time works in the Colosseum, it’s not like he’s gone for long in his world. Sometimes he’ll just disappear for a few hours or at most a day. Enough time to balance the responsibilities he has as the leader of the Passione and satiate his curiosity of the worlds beyond his.

During his first week in the Colosseum he learned a lot of things. How warriors can come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, how each world functions on its own set of rules and that his father is  a prick. Dio showed very little interest in his own spawn at first, though he did end up developing a slight curiosity for Giorno’s Stand. Though, after learning about his story his disinterest came back quick. After all, it didn’t sit right with him that this supposed son of his is also a part of the Joestar lineage, which makes him his sworn enemy.

Giorno despised Dio too. One of the first things Giorno did in the Colosseum was read through the other Joestar stories. He learned of the struggles his fellow bizarre adventurers endured and how they overcame them with grit and perseverance. He also learned about the cruel acts Dio had committed. When he first laid eyes on the Vampire, he could tell something sinister hid beneath his flamboyant appearance. As such, he treated him like a villain whenever they crossed paths. It was only during an incident that Dio let it slip that he was Giorno’s father.

—

Alucard: pointing his guns at two different targets Now how about we all just get along and kill each other? How about it?

Dio: standing combat ready with The World behind him You think you can still take me on? How pathetic, all of you!