Bayonetta IV

Chapter 2 - Unlikely Companions

Luka sighed as he walked through the city streets, looking around every corner.
"Ya know, it'd probably help if I knew where these Dragon Balls were..." Luka mumbled to himself. "Mr. Franklin never told me where they were gonna be, so I just gotta look everywhere, I guess." Luka continued to aimlessly wander the street, turning his head every which way to see if he could spot one of the Dragon Balls. He eventually sat down at a bench, sighing and shaking his head.
"Jeez... finding the Dragon Balls is a hard job." Luka sighed. He was just about to get up and keep looking when he heard a thud, and a very angry sentence in Spanish.
"Huh?" Luka said as he looked up at what happened in front of him. There, on the ground, was a man with a map. Luka stood up and walked over to the man.
"Yo, you good man?" Luka asked. "Ya look a little... flat."
"Si, estoy bién. Sólo tuve una pequeña caída." The man said as he grabbed a large paper.
"Huh? What's that ya got there?" Luka inquired.
"Es un mapa que muestra la ubicación de las siete Dragon Balls." The man said, showing Luka the map. Luka's face lit up.
"Woah, this is exactly what I need!" Luka said. "I need to find the Dragon Balls before Vegeta does. Say, you wanna help me?"
"Seguro. No tengo nada mejor que hacer. Mi nombre es Sr. Game and Watch." The man said as he stood up.
"Awesome!" Luka exclaimed. "Name's Luka Redgrave. Nice to meet you, Mr. Game and Watch." The two shook hands, and began to follow the map towards the first Dragon Ball.
"So, Mr. Game and Watch, do you know how to fight?" Luka asked, turning to look down at Mr. Game and Watch.
"Sí. En un momento estuve en un torneo de lucha llamado 'Super Smash Brothers', o algo así." Mr. Game and Watch said. "Luché contra muchos enemigos, incluida una rata eléctrica, un hombre de pelo puntiagudo con una espada grande, un adolescente que podía invocar demonios y más."
"Woah, that sounds awesome!" Luka said, excitedly. "I'm kinda jealous you got invited to that fighting tournament. Y'know, I heard Bayonetta was invited to that tournament a good few years ago. Did ya see her there?"
"Sí, vi a Bayonetta allí." Mr. Game and Watch said. "Era una luchadora muy buena. Ella luchó contra muchos enemigos, incluyendo a alguien que había luchado antes en otro torneo, llamado el 'King of Fighters'."
"That's so cool..." Luka said. "I wish I could fight like that. Maybe I'd have been invited to that fighting tournament."
"¡Luka, mira!" Mr. Game and Watch suddenly exclaimed. Luka looked ahead, and his jaw dropped.
"That's... one of the Dragon Balls!" Luka said, excitedly. "We've found one!" He and Mr. Game and Watch ran up to the first Dragon Ball, and reached out to grab it. Luka had almost grabbed it, when they heard a slash, and a quick force pushed them back.
"I will not allow you to take this Dragon Ball." A mysterious voice said.
"Oh yeah?" Luka taunted. "Who're you to stop us?" As the man descended onto the ground, Luka's eyes widened, and his face went pale as he recognized the man's long silver hair and his large, one black wing.
"Allow me to introduce myself." The man said. "I  am Sephiroth, Prince Vegeta's knight. I heard from Prince Vegeta that there were heroes trying to take the Dragon Balls before he could. Though, looking at you now... I can hardly call you heroes in the conventional sense."
"Hey!" Luka retorted. "We're heroes! I was sent on this mission by Benjamin Franklin himself!"
"Oh? Is that so?" Sephiroth said, grinning maliciously. "Well then, I'll have to send you back to him early. You'll have to tell him that you failed." A rage was building up in Luka. He wanted desperately to just clock Sephiroth in the face as hard as he could, but he knew that wouldn't be possible.
"I hear no objections. I take it that means you two have accepted your fate, and are ready to die. Very well." Sephiroth said as he raised his sword into a battle stance. Luka looked down to Mr. Game and Watch for some support, but he was cowering as well. Sephiroth began to quickly move towards the two.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Franklin..." Luka uttered as he closed his eyes, accepting his fate. As the quick footsteps grew nearer, Luka shut his eyes tighter. Eventually, Sephiroth swung his massive blade. There was a slash.
And a clash.
Luka kept his eyes shut for a moment, but then slowly opened them. He was... alive? He saw Sephiroth's face, shock all over it. He looked down in front of him, and saw a most peculiar sight. A blue hedgehog, standing on two legs, wearing red and white shoes, and holding a large sword with a golden hilt in a hand donning a small gold and silver gauntlet.
"W-what the hell...?" Sephiroth said, flabbergasted. "Who... the hell... are you?!"
"Me?" The blue hedgehog said. "Name's Sonic. Sonic The Hedgehog. And I'm here to protect my old man."
"Old... man?" Luka said as he tilted his head, puzzled.
"Is that so?" Sephiroth remarked, smugly. "Well then, allow me to cut your quest short." He raised his sword yet again. Sonic stood in a battle stance, parallel to Sephiroth. Eventually, the two charged at each other. Sparks flew as swords clashed loudly. Luka and Mr. Game and Watch could only watch, mesmerized by the sheer excitement of watching these two fight. Eventually, the clashing ceased. Sonic jumped back towards Luka and Mr. Game and Watch, and as he landed, he brushed off his shoulder, unfazed.
"Had enough yet?" Sonic taunted. "Or should I beat you up some more?" Sephiroth landed on his feet, though he looked clearly more worn and fazed than Sonic.
"You may have bested me this time, but you won't be so lucky by the next time we meet." Sephiroth said, breathing heavily. "Mark my words, you will never collect all seven Dragon Balls." Sephiroth then suddenly ascended, taking to the skies with his one wing. Sonic then turned around to face Mr. Game and Watch and Luka.
"You guys alright?" Sonic asked, looking up at Luka.
"Yeah, we're fine." Luka said. "That was some impressive sword skills you have there."
"Thanks." Sonic said. "If you can believe it, I taught myself. Kinda." Luka was amazed.
"Woah, that's awesome." Luka said, admiringly. "So, you're Sonic the Hedgehog, right?"
"Sure am." Sonic said. Luka pondered for a second, then spoke.
"Before you started fighting Sephiroth, you said 'I'm here to protect my old man.'" Luka said. Sonic sighed.
"I guess I should explain myself." Sonic said. "I'm not from this time."
"You're... not from this time?" Luka said, inquisitively.
"I'm from the future." Sonic explained. "In the future, or, at least the future I'm from, you died on your quest to save the world from Vegeta and Sephiroth."
"I died?!" Luka exclaimed. "How... how did I die?"
"When you were collecting the seventh Dragon Ball, a Sephiroth from a much further future came back and struck you by surprise from behind, stabbing you hard through the chest... which lead to your death." Sonic continued.
"So, you came back to protect me?" Luka asked.
"That's right." Sonic said. "I came back from the future to make sure you don't die."
"Okay, that explains why you're here." Luka said. "But you still haven't explained why you called me old man."
"In the future that took place before future Sephiroth killed you, you succeeded in your journey, and you settled back at home, eventually taking me in as a sort of son." Sonic explained. "But, because of your success, Vegeta banished Sephiroth. A deep, vitriolic hatred for you burned within Sephiroth, and he swore he would kill you by any means necessary. He then, somehow, managed to figure out how to travel back in time to the time when you were still on your quest, and he killed you, resulting in Vegeta being able to take over the world, and saved Sephiroth from banishment. But, since you were dead, I was left alone, never to have a home... or a father. That's why I came back in time. So I could save you from your fate." Luka was speechless. There was no way for him to put into words how... insane it sounded.
"I know it may be hard to believe." Sonic said. "But you have to believe me. This really happened. I saw it with my own eyes."
"For real...? You've gotta be joking..." Luka said, dismayed. He looked at Sonic, hoping he would reaffirm Luka's thoughts. But Sonic simply replied by shaking his head.
"I'm sorry, Luka." Sonic said. "As much as I want to tell you that I'm joking or lying to you... I can't. I'd be lying to you if I did." Luka was at a complete loss for words. Even Mr. Game and Watch was speechless. A couple awkward, silent minutes were spent between the three. Then, Luka spoke.
"You're here to change my fate, right?" Luka said. "To save me from getting killed at the hands... er, blade of Sephiroth?"
"That's right." Sonic said. "I came back in time to save you." Luka grinned.
"Then, if you know of my fate, and how to change it..." Luka said. "...then what do we have to worry about?"
"What do you mean 'what do we have to worry about'?" Sonic said, inquisitively.
"You know how to change my fate." Luka said. "There's pretty much no way for me to die." Sonic's eyes widened.
"I... I never considered that." Sonic admitted. "But, you're right. I know the exact moment you die in the future. So, that means I know exactly when to prevent it."
"See? Basically invincible!" Luka exclaimed. "We'll basically be on autopilot for the rest of this quest."
"Qué conveniente." Mr. Game and Watch said. Sonic looked down at Mr. Game and Watch.
"Hey, do I recognize you from somewhere?" Sonic asked.
"Me reconocerás del torneo de lucha 'Super Smash Brothers'." Mr. Game and Watch said.
"Oh, that's right!" Sonic said. "You were in that fighting tournament! Do you remember fighting that blonde guy with the huge sword?"
"Sí, sí. Era duro. Un luchador muy hábil." Mr. Game and Watch said. "Pero, ¿quién crees que ganaría, el rubio con la enorme espada o el gran dragón espacial morado?"
"That's a tough question." Sonic said. "On one hand, that guy did have a huge sword, but on the other hand, huge purple space dragons are formidable foes."
"Hey... can we reminisce another time?" Luka said. "We've still got six Dragon Balls to find."
"Right, right." Sonic said. "We'll have to talk about that fighting tournament another time then, Mr. Game and Watch."
"Sí, lo haremos." Mr. Game and Watch said. "Por ahora, sin embargo, debemos centrarnos en nuestro viaje."
"Of course." Sonic said. "Luka, you've got the map. Lead the way to the second Dragon Ball." Luka nodded and the three went off to find the second Dragon Ball. As they left, a figure stepped out of the shadows of a nearby alleyway.
"So... the blue hedgehog wants to foil my plans..." The figure said. "Employing the same tactic as me... coming from the future to change fate. This will prove to be an interesting journey, indeed. But I needn't worry. If worst comes to worst, I can always take a page out of the book of the hedgehog's greatest adversary, and team up with my past self. Everything will go according to plan... I'll make sure of it." The figure slinked back into the shadows, and began to slowly follow Luka, Sonic, and Mr. Game and Watch from a distance, hiding in the darkness and watching from afar as they journeyed to find the second Dragon Ball.