Alex decided to stay close to Chun-Li and Cammy to watch another fight between Ryu and Ken. As usual, the two were trying to figure out who was stronger. What interested Alex the most was what kind of new move Ryu had learned, considering he'd once again challenged Ken to a fight just to show it off.
With genuine curiosity, Alex watched as Ryu and Ken exchanged blows. He even started guessing what kind of technique it could be. The settlement had no shortage of truly strong fighters who often trained together, sharing experience, techniques, and combat tricks. Not to mention the presence of masters like Hayato and the elder of the Sun-Woo clan — Kwon Jae-Gyu.
Both were incredibly strong and possessed vast combat experience. Alex respected the two of them and considered them incredibly powerful — at least by mortal standards. He had even discussed their strength with Brunhilde, and they ultimately agreed that if the two participated in Ragnarok, they could easily be worthy candidates to fight against the gods. Alex had even admitted to himself that he would love to see that.
Lost in thought, Alex stared blankly at the arena. Meanwhile, Ryu and Ken, grabbing each other by the collars, began punching each other in the face, completely forgetting about techniques or tactics. The fight had basically devolved into a brawl.
Anya, sitting in his arms, quickly noticed that her father had once again "drifted off" and, to bring him back to reality, pulled on his cheeks. Alex felt the tug and looked down, meeting the gaze of his daughter, who was beaming with a mischievous smile and pointing toward the arena, where the two "warriors" were still knocking the life out of each other.
Alex blinked, looked up, and involuntarily twitched his cheek. He saw Ryu and Ken, having forgotten the whole world, just trading punches to the face. He even started to suspect that the "new move" Ryu had talked about was this idiotic slugfest in the style of "who can take more hits." Alex turned to Chun-Li.
"Is this his new move?" he asked suspiciously.
Chun-Li tried to hold back her laughter, but her lips betrayed her, twitching slightly, and her face showed clear effort not to burst out laughing. Alex, looking at her, simply sighed. Once again, he was convinced — Ryu and Ken were absolute idiots who just loved to fight. Still, for everyone else watching, it was great entertainment: everyone on the training field was cheering for their favorite fighter, enjoying the show.
Alex looked at the arena and, with tired certainty, thought that after this beatdown, Ryu and Ken would definitely end up in the infirmary — and fall under the heavy hand of Mari, who would give them a long, boring lecture.
Meanwhile, the fight continued. Another blow — and both fighters' heads snapped back simultaneously. Their grips loosened, and Ryu and Ken jumped back at the same time. Slightly bloodied noses, drops of blood on their lips — yet both were grinning, eyes burning, ready to continue the fight.
Ryu wiped his nose, smirked, and rushed forward again. Ken, not wanting to fall behind, followed him. Another exchange of blows began, but now their fists started clashing mid-air, like two opposing streams. Soon, they pushed off each other again.
Alex was starting to lose his patience. Ryu's new move still hadn't shown up, and he was increasingly tempted to step into the arena and make them both "feel the fist of love" his way. But he held back — because he finally saw Ryu take the stance for a Hadouken.
Alex squinted, trying to figure out what Ryu was planning. Ken, noticing this, shifted into a stance as well.
"Now you'll see my new move, Ken. This is... Mega Hadouken!" Ryu declared with a triumphant grin.
"Go on then, show me your 'mega' Hadouken," Ken replied, charging a regular one.
Alex's eye twitched. He simply couldn't believe what he was hearing. A new move? Seriously? Mega Hadouken?
Disappointment washed over him like a wave. And he wasn't the only one — the entire audience, holding their breath in anticipation of something impressive, suddenly fell into dead silence. The looks on their faces shifted — from eager excitement to sheer disappointment.
Alex sighed heavily, closed his eyes, and began massaging his forehead with his free hand, trying to contain his irritation.
Still, he decided to see this performance through. Ryu and Ken launched their Hadoukens simultaneously. Ryu's "Mega Hadouken" was indeed bigger and denser than a regular one. The energy blasts collided in the center of the arena. Unsurprisingly, Ryu's projectile overpowered Ken's and continued flying toward him. Ken quickly fired off a few more Hadoukens until the mega one dissipated.
Alex stared blankly at the arena. He couldn't take it anymore. One more minute and he was going to lose it. Apparently, he wasn't alone — the crowd began to whistle and boo the fight. Everyone had expected something new, something unusual — but instead, they got a slightly stronger, slightly larger... ordinary Hadouken. And Ryu had even proudly called it a Mega Hadouken.
Alex just shook his head.
"These two idiots will never change..."
Shaking his head at the ridiculous display and ignoring the outraged shouts from the crowd booing Ryu and Ken, Alex decided it was time to focus on the real reason he had come to the training field. He needed to deliver some special gifts — ninja kits — to his three young students.
After saying goodbye to Cammy and Chun-Li, he, still holding Anya in his arms, headed toward a group of teenage girls. They had stayed away from the fight from the very beginning, preferring to train in private, undisturbed by the commotion.
Alex skirted around the still-grumbling crowd and approached the girls.
"Yo. How's training going?" he said as he got closer.
"Alex? When did you get here? Didn't you say you'd be stuck in the workshop all day?" Renka exclaimed in surprise as she ran up and hugged him.
"You promised you'd spend the whole day working," Rei added, confirming Renka's words.
"Finished earlier than expected. So I thought I'd deliver some gifts," Alex replied with a slight smile.
The girls' eyes lit up. They knew that "gifts" from Alex weren't just random souvenirs — they were handcrafted with care and skill. But he didn't explain further — he decided to show them instead.
Handing Anya over to Saeko's watchful arms, Alex walked over to Alice, Honoka, and Malka. The girls immediately understood that the gifts were meant for them. They eagerly waited to see what he had brought.
Not keeping them in suspense, Alex pulled out three neatly wrapped sets of shurikens and kunai from under his coat and handed them to the girls. They accepted the gifts carefully, as if afraid they might be dreaming.
"Big brother, are you really giving these to us?" Alice asked, hugging the box to her chest.
"Of course. I made them especially for you. Or did you really think I didn't notice you sneaking shurikens from Shigure to train with?" Alex raised an eyebrow as he looked at them.
"And here I was wondering where you girls kept disappearing to... Turns out you were running to Shigure!" Rei muttered, realizing the girls had been lying to her this whole time.
Alice, Honoka, and Malka lowered their eyes in embarrassment. They realized Alex had known everything from the start — he had just chosen not to make a fuss. In response, he simply gave them a soft smile and gently patted each of them on the head. Alice let out a sigh of relief — her big brother wasn't angry.
Now that they had their own sets, they wouldn't need to secretly ask Shigure for weapons anymore.
Once he finished patting their heads, Alex stepped back slightly.
"Alright, girls. Show me how your training's coming along," he suggested.
The three young ninjas nodded eagerly. The other girls were curious too — just how good were they at throwing weapons?
Freeing up some space, Alex stepped back closer to Miu and Saeko. Anya immediately climbed back into his arms, wanting to watch too. Alex gave the signal—it was time to begin.
But the moment Alice, Honoka, and Malka found themselves in the spotlight, nervousness washed over them.
"Don't worry," Alex said calmly. "Just relax and throw. I want to see what you're really capable of."
"Alex is right. Just breathe. Imagine you're alone, and let it fly," Miu added with a warm smile.
Alex didn't rush them, giving the girls time to focus. He had no reason to hurry—the day was free, and he could afford to give his students his full attention.
At last, the girls calmed down, pulled out their shuriken, and began throwing them at the trees. Alex watched every throw closely, silently acknowledging how effective Shigure's training had been. The three girls were accurate and confident—far better than before.
He even started thinking about sending them to a real shinobi academy—in the world of Naruto. With his abilities, that wouldn't be a problem. But he knew that doing so would mean getting involved in that world—with all its dark sides and villains trying to impose their own "ideal" reality.
Still, he pulled a small notebook from his inner pocket, stood in thought for a moment, then scribbled a note: "Possible trip," circling the words.
The action didn't go unnoticed. Saeko and Miu glanced at the notebook, immediately grasping what it meant. They already knew Alex could travel between worlds, so the idea of a ninja world didn't surprise them. But the thought of sending Alice, Honoka, and Malka there—that was intriguing.
Renka and Rei, noticing their expressions, stepped closer and peeked at the notebook too. Their curiosity about the mysterious shinobi world and academy only grew.
"Big brother, how did we do?" Alice asked, beaming with joy.
"You did great. Now you just need to learn how to channel chakra into your weapons before throwing. And also how to control chakra like threads. That'll take better control," Alex replied, tucking the notebook back into his pocket.
"Maybe you should show us how it's done? Or are you all talk?" Jinie teased, eyeing him with a smirk.
Alex raised a brow at Jinie, then gave a playful shrug. He didn't mind giving a demonstration—especially if it would help Honoka, Alice, and Malka understand the principles better.
He gently placed Anya on his shoulders so she could watch everything from the "front row." Then he took a couple of shuriken from Alice, preparing to demonstrate.
He tossed one up onto his fingertip and blew on it gently. The shuriken began spinning rapidly, hovering on the tip of his finger like some mesmerizing spell.
"What I just did was infuse the shuriken with wind chakra. That's what makes it spin like this. But that's not all," Alex said as the shuriken spun faster and faster.
With a slight nudge, he sent the spinning shuriken flying forward. It shot toward a tree with a loud hum, piercing through the trunk effortlessly, then tore through several more trees without slowing down. With a small flick of his finger, Alex altered its course midair. The shuriken curved around, slicing through two more trees before gliding back to him. It landed softly in his palm—just as the trees it had passed through began to creak and crash to the ground, sending up clouds of dust.
Alice, Honoka, and Malka watched in awe. Anya, perched on her father's shoulders, clapped her hands excitedly:
"Papa, that was awesome!"
Rei, Renka, Miu, and Saeko didn't look particularly surprised. They had seen more than once what Alex was capable of when he got serious. But the other girls were somewhat amazed—not so much by the power itself, but by the subtlety of his chakra control. Before, they had only seen him as a force of destruction.
"So, how did you like my demonstration, Jinie?" Alex asked with a smirk, spinning the shuriken between his fingers. "Want me to show you something else?"
"Show-off," Jinie muttered, turning away.
"You asked me to show you how it works, and now you're calling me a show-off. You're breaking my heart, Jinie…" Alex said dramatically, clutching his chest.
He put on such a tragic expression, as if he'd just received a mortal wound. His face was almost Shakespearean. Saeko, Rei, Miu, and Renka couldn't hold back—they burst out laughing at the theatrical scene.
Jinie's eye started twitching. Her patience snapped—she suddenly lunged at Alex. He instantly stopped acting and nimbly dodged the strike, hiding behind the laughing girls.
"Don't hide behind them!" Jinie hissed through gritted teeth.
"Nope. If I stop, you'll attack me. And I'd rather not have to spank you just because you can't control your emotions," Alex replied calmly, wagging a finger with a grin.
Jinie's anger only grew—especially since the girls kept laughing. Even Seol couldn't hold back a quiet giggle, covering her mouth with her hand. Alex could already hear Jinie grinding her teeth and knew well that girls like her could chase down an offender for centuries.
Alex definitely didn't want to become her target, so he seized the moment to ask Miu and Renka to help calm her down while he turned to explain things to the beginners. They stopped laughing and approached Jinie to cool her off a bit. They knew well—though Jinie was quick-tempered, she cooled down fast, even if she could sulk for a while.
Once he saw that Miu and Renka were handling it, Alex walked over to Alice, Malka, and Honoka.
"Now — the lesson."
He stomped his foot, and stone platforms rose from the ground. Sitting on one of them, he placed Anya on his lap and invited the other girls to sit as well. When everyone was settled, Alex began to carefully explain how to infuse a shuriken with wind chakra and throw it so that it would return.
He didn't just explain but showed the process step by step, making the shuriken float around him so the students could see the end result. The attentive faces of Alice, Honoka, and Malka clearly showed they were trying to remember every detail.
After repeating the explanation several times, Alex stood up and gave the girls time to digest the information. After all, even the strongest weapon is useless if you don't understand how to use it.
As soon as Alex stepped away, he heard Alice, Honoka, and Malka excitedly discussing how to repeat the technique he had just shown them. He smiled warmly, watching how his three young students not only competed to improve but also shared their experiences, helping each other grow. It pleased him that a true spirit of camaraderie was forming among them. Because only by training together could they reach real heights.
Alex decided to stay and watch the other girls. Sitting a little aside, he gently tapped his foot — and a wooden stump rose from the ground, which he settled on. He softly stroked Anya's hair as he observed the training.
"Anya, dear, maybe you want to become a kunoichi too? Or perhaps something else?" he asked, gently caressing her cheek.
"Hmmm… I want to be like Dad!" the girl answered enthusiastically, her eyes shining. "Be cool, defeat bad guys, and hit them with a stick!"
Alex immediately choked on his surprise.
"Ahem, ahem… Who told you about the stick?" he asked with difficulty, staring at his daughter.
"Mommy Rebecca! She said you like to hit bad guys with a stick. And GIR, and MIMI, and Stitch do it too when they defeat evil demons. They showed me everything!" Anya replied confidently, nodding as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
Alex's eye twitched. He had clearly underestimated those three troublemakers. They had already started reaching out their paws to his sweet, innocent daughter, trying to turn her into a little gremlin like themselves. He tried to think of a way to stop it… but somewhere deep down, he knew the outcome was already decided. Sooner or later, his sweet Anya would become a little rebel with a stick.
"Well then… When you grow up, I'll give you a real stick so you can hit the villains. But for now, stay my little, sweet potato," Alex said, squeezing his daughter's cheeks.
"I'm already grown-up! Look how tall I am!" Anya said, kneeling on his legs, showing off her "height."
Alex couldn't hold back a smile watching his little girl trying to prove how big she was. He couldn't resist — and started tickling her. Anya immediately giggled and laughed loudly, attracting the attention of the girls training nearby.
They turned and saw Alex with a soft smile on his face tickling his daughter, while she squealed with laughter, trying to get away. The sight brought smiles to all the girls. In their hearts, their conviction was reinforced once again: Alex would be a wonderful father.
And that only strengthened their desire to have his children, especially during their nightly… efforts. Of course, they understood they had to try harder, considering who he really was and that getting pregnant by him wouldn't be easy. But they also knew—it was definitely possible.
Alex kept tickling Anya until she, trying to escape, started pulling his face, trying to distract him from the tickling. But could a father ignore such an attack? In response, he began squeezing her cheeks, making funny faces out of her face. Anya quickly caught on to the rules of the new game and, laughing, began making funny faces out of her father's face. So the two of them, father and daughter, sat there fooling around, forgetting everything else.
"Who would have thought you had such a sweet side. You're truly the most caring father," a female voice sounded behind him.
Alex turned around and saw Sherry, Claire, and Jill. The girls were barely holding back their laughter as they looked at how ridiculous his face looked right now.
"I'm not cute at all. I'm a real villain… a villainous villain," Alex grumbled, while Anya kept squeezing his cheeks, making his face look even funnier.
"Pffft! Sure you're a villain," Claire laughed. "A real villain who led people across half the world, saving everyone he could, and always fought on the front lines. Yeah, a classic villain's image for sure!"
"My dad is the Demon King! He doesn't like heroes! Heroes are fools!" Anya declared seriously, proudly raising her chin.
"Ha ha ha! Whatever you say, sweetheart. But the fact remains — your dad helped a lot of people," Jill smirked.
"Because my dad is cool! He can defeat any villain!" Anya said, giving a thumbs-up.
"A true daddy's girl," Sherry added, barely holding back her laughter.
The three girls watched Anya with fondness as she proudly talked about how awesome her dad was. Alex couldn't help but smile again and gently stroked his daughter's hair, glad at how sweet she was.
"So, what are you all doing just hanging around? Or just out for a walk?" he asked with a good-natured smile.
"Rebecca is busy in her lab right now," Claire answered. "So we decided to take a walk. And we just happened to see you playing with Anya."
Alex nodded, smirking slightly. He knew very well what Recca was up to in her lab… and he was pretty sure she hadn't told her friends yet about the kiss they shared.
He lightly tapped his foot on the ground, and three neat stumps immediately rose up—one each for Sherry, Jill, and Claire. The girls exchanged surprised glances: they clearly liked such a convenient ability.
"Well, spill it," Claire said, sitting down next to him. "Is that why Rebecca locked herself away?"
"Who knows," Alex shrugged with an innocent smile. "Better ask Recca herself. You're her friends, after all. Maybe she'll tell you… or maybe not."
"Oh, you call her 'Recca'? Then there was definitely something between you! Come on, don't hide it!" Jill smirked, not looking away.
Alex sighed deeply, once again reminded that no matter what world he ended up in, girls always loved gossip. Even the goddesses in Orario were no exception — all it took was one time inviting Hestia out on a date, and then they both had to run from a whole crowd of goddesses who just wanted to "watch."
But even now, Alex wasn't going to give in to the trio's curiosity. Let Recca deal with it herself — after all, she was friends with them.
Fortunately, his rescue didn't keep him waiting.
"Alex! We've got a problem!" came Itami's shout as he ran from the direction of the settlement, his face panicked.
Everyone — the girls and those training nearby — turned toward the voice. Alex stood up, frowning, and faced the approaching Itami.
"What happened?" he asked, watching as Itami tried to catch his breath.
"You'd better see it for yourself…" Itami exhaled heavily. Apparently, he had run all through the settlement to find Alex.
Alex frowned even deeper and stood up from the stump. He lifted Anya onto his shoulders and briskly followed Itami. The others, drawn by the unfolding events, trailed behind, forgetting about their training.
When they reached the defensive post at the settlement's exit, Alex saw familiar faces: Melnik's group, Lehm's squad, Price, Ghost, and Soap. They all silently stared in the same direction.
Alex jumped onto the wall, growing increasingly uneasy. The others began climbing up as well, eager to find out what had happened.
"What's going on?" he asked.
"See for yourself," Ghost replied shortly, handing him binoculars.
Alex shook his head, indicating he didn't need binoculars. Ghost understood without words, nodded, and pointed toward where Alex should look. Following his gesture, Alex spotted a line of helicopters on the horizon, flying toward the settlement. Squinting to catch details, he soon noticed an emblem on one of them — the Shadaloo symbol.
Alex's face instantly darkened.
"Shit…" he muttered under his breath. "Shadaloo…"
He couldn't understand how those bastards had found them — especially in such a remote place. But what worried him most was that Shadaloo still existed. After the bloody massacre between demons and necromorphs, he was sure nothing was left of them.
"Alex, what did you see?" Chun-Li asked, patting him on the shoulder.
"That's Shadaloo," he answered, frowning.
"How did they find us? And why are they still alive?" Cammy clenched her fists, her face expressing not just concern, but rage.
"I don't know... But I suspect someone sent them here on purpose. They have no reason to come here. Bison should be busy trying to carve out a piece of the world in the chaos. So someone is playing against us." Alex fell into thought, his frown deepening.
Hearing the familiar name, the others started whispering among themselves. Those who didn't know who Shadaloo was moved closer. Alex's squad girls also gathered, hearing that something serious was happening. Brunhilda began explaining to the newcomers who Shadaloo were, while Chun-Li, Cammy, and other veterans shared information with those standing on the wall.
Alex kept thinking, staring toward the approaching helicopters. Everything happening seemed too... convenient. Too precise.
"Sherry, when we were in Anchorage, did you contact Simmons?" Alex asked, turning to the girl.
"Yes... I wanted to report on the mission's progress," she nodded, her face paling.
"Why do you ask?" Jill inquired, glancing at Alex.
"Because Sherry just confirmed that Simmons is a rat. I sent a message saying our settlement was safe, far from demons and the undead, but that shouldn't have made us a target for Shadaloo," Alex replied grimly.
Sherry lowered her eyes, feeling guilty. But Alex placed a hand on her shoulder and shook his head — he didn't blame her. This was their common enemy, not her mistake. Simmons simply turned out to be someone who decided to play on the side of those dreaming of carving up a dying world.
"So what now? What's the plan?" Soap asked, turning to Alex.
"As always," Alex smirked, the corners of his lips curling to reveal sharp teeth.
"How's that?" Barry chuckled, crossing his arms.
"We kill every bastard who dares come at us," Rebecca said with a predatory grin.
"Exactly," Alex confirmed. "They're just a bunch of mercenaries with guns. And our guns are way stronger. The most dangerous of them is Bison. The rest are just meat. So grab your gear and get ready. We have a couple of minutes until they arrive. Let's greet our 'guests' with a smile... and give them an explosive welcome."
"Ha-ha, that's more like it!" Soap laughed. "You heard it, guys! Grab your guns — tonight we put on a little concert!"
Privates and fighters laughed, realizing the fight was near. But it looked more like a slaughter than a battle. Their technology and weapons far outmatched anything Shadaloo could offer.
Alex jumped down from the wall and handed Anya into Yuriko's arms, quickly moving to organize the defense. Everyone not fighting was to shelter inside houses. Yuriko and Saya handled evacuation, while Brunhilda and Coco took on coordinating the fighters.
Alex watched as everyone hurried, preparing their gear. He knew—the victory would be theirs. All he had to do was deal with Bison. The rest he would leave to his people.
As the message about the approaching enemy spread through the settlement, everyone rushed to their weapons. GIR, MIMI, and Stitch heard it too. They burst into the house, grabbed their gear, and already with wild grins rushed toward the wall, anticipating the fight — a fight where heretics would be drowned in blood.
To be continued...
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