OG: Interlude: Meanwhile, With the Other Champions VII

Tanaka Yumi had been having an. . .interesting past few months. Honestly, she was surprised at how quickly her organization had grown after dealing with the last attempts by the Daybreak Gang, Lake Angels, and Iron Horse Bandits to put an end to her stealing. Those three, smaller organizations had practically fallen apart under constant pressure from the Aerugonian Mafia, Xing Lan Triad, and Drachma Bratva. She'd managed to scoop up the remnants of those gangs in the aftermath to create her own organization, even as she plundered the remaining Daybreak Gang, Lake Angels, and Iron Horse Bandits storehouses. By the time a month had passed, she now commanded around fifty minions in an organization of her own. Fortunately, her base had also recently transformed. She now had an extradimensional Village, complete with a small pond and forest area.

Of course, the bigger issue was always going to be training and equipment. Her minions had come to her from gangs that could be considered the dregs of the local underworld. The Daybreak Gang, Lake Angels, and Iron Horse Bandits weren't exactly a crack team of specialists or anything. Fortunately, Yumi had a solution for that. Not only could she train her minions to be a crack team in Marowak's Dojo, but she could also teach them how to channel their Chi and equip them with enchanted gear and various potions. It took about a month and a half to do, but when she was finished, her organization, which she was choosing to call the Smoke Falcons Gang, was not only a crack team of combatants, but every one of them could channel their Chi and was equipped with various enchanted items and potions. After those six weeks, Yumi and the Smoke Falcons moved to attack the Xing Lan Triad.

The Xing Lan Triad was run by a guy named Lei Wu, who was supposed to be good with Alkahestry. His second in command, Huo Yifun, was also supposed to have some capability with Amestrian Alchemy in addition to Alkahestry. Apparently, the middle ranks of their Triad were all students of either Alkahestry, Amestrian Alchemy, or both. Either way, it didn't matter. Most of them could only manage small feats, and only Lei Wu and Huo Yifun could use either Alkahestry or Amestrian Alchemy in combat in any meaningful way without ganging up. He'll, the overwhelming majority of the hundred or so members of the Xing Lan Triad couldn't use either Alkahestry or Amestrian Alchemy at all. They had been kept from learning either by their superiors, who wanted to keep the cool powers all for themselves, ensuring they kept their spots in the top ranks of the organization.

That had been a mistake, as Yumi and the Smoke Falcons had taken just three weeks to carve a bloody swathe through Xingtown and the Xing Lan Triad's forces as well. In the end, she had been confronted by both Lei Wu and Huo Yifun, the Twin Dragons of the Xing Lan Triad, during an underworld battle in the Xingtown Fishmarket after dark. Huo Yifun had transmuted fog out of the moisture in the air to cover their attack, and Lei Wu had tried to use the Dragon Pulse to keep tabs on Yumi and allow the pair to target her while she was blind. Unfortunately, Yumi likewise was capable of using the Dragon Pulse to keep track of targets and between attacks with Kagetsuki, her Chi-enhanced physical abilities, and her flame charge Alchemy, the Twin Dragons of the Xing Lan Triad had been outclassed.

In the end, she used a flame charge bomb to destroy a shield of ice that Huo Yifun had transmuted to defend against an attack. The resulting shattered ice fragments had wound up braining Huo Yifun, and Yumi had cut down Lei Wu when he moved to try and aid her with Medical Alkahestry. On seeing both of their leaders fall, the remaining twenty-four members of the Xing Land Triad had two different reactions. Twelve of them were enraged, moving to try and cut down as many of Yumi's Smoke Falcons as possible. They failed to do much and were slain. The other twelve surrendered and immediately pledged allegiance to the Smoke Falcons. Because they had some skills with Martial Arts, Stealth, and Acrobatics already, Yumi dubbed these twelve her Shadow Falcons and would train them like Shinobi.

In the aftermath of the destruction of the Xing Lan Triad, Yumi had spent roughly two months training and equipping them. This wasn't just in things like Chi Channeling or in Marowak's Dojo, either. Much to Yumi's surprise, some of them were able to pick up Alkahestry and Amestrian Alchemy and would even be capable of learning Potterverse Potioneering thanks to their souls counting as magical enough because of Alkahestry. By the time she emerged, the Smoke and Shadow Falcons would be ready to push on the Devil's Nest and deal with not just the Chimera there, but also the Mysterious Greed. At least that was what Yumi had thought. In actuality, Greed had emerged from the Devil's Nest to ruthlessly destroy both the Aerugonian Mafia and the Drachma Bratva while Yumi had been training her various Falcons up.

That had necessitated a completely new angle of attack. She wasn't sure if she could simply walk into the Devil's Nest and deal with Greed and his Chimera anymore. She was obviously dealing with someone who was at the very least able to be certified as a State Alchemist with the Amestrian Army. Possibly, she was dealing with something even more powerful. Some of her research in her library had turned up information on something called a Homunculus, an artificial person formed by Alchemy. Then, her knowledge of Amestrian Alchemy had filled in some important gaps about the local variety of Homunculi, and Yumi understood that she would need to know exactly what she was up against before moving to attack. Fortunately, she had Shinobi for that. She sent off her Shadow Falcons to watch the Devil's Nest.

That had led to her current predicament, where she had been forced to move on the Devil's Nest thanks to information that had been gathered about the Amestrian Military Forces that were about to attack the Devil's Nest. She had been in her Alchemist's Lab, finishing up bottling a batch of Felix Felicis, when one of her Shadow Falcons, a Shinobi named Zou Gang, burst in on her to inform her that the Military was attacking the Devil's Nest. Worse was exactly which part of the Amestrian Military was attacking the Devil's Nest. That had been a surprise when Zou Gang had blurted it out.

"It's Fuhrer King Bradley's Personal Guards!" Exclaimed Zou Gang.

"Damn. I suppose I'm not going to be able to loot the place in the aftermath if I don't intervene, huh?" Questioned Yumi, grumbling.

"Ma'm?" Queried Zou Gang.

"If these are Fuhrer King Bradley's Crack troops from the Capital, they'll cordon the whole area off after the raid. I was just going to let them fight it out between themselves so we could slip in afterward and steal everything that isn't nailed down, but we won't be able to do that with these troops. They'll probably bulldoze the place and put up a statue to Der Fuhrer's magnificent victory or something. I want any info Greed has about making Chimera, so that's not an option." Explained Yumi.

"Ma'am? You're not thinking what I think you are, are you?" Asked Zou Gang.

"Get everyone together, we've got a King to topple." Nodded Yumi as she bottled the remaining Felix Felicis.

With a groan, Zou Gang had complied, which was what led to Yumi's current situation. Honestly, King Bradley's troops had been easy to deal with. Her Smoke Falcons could handle them now, and between the Chi Powers and Enchanted Gear, Yumi would put five of Fuhrer King Bradley's Crack Troops against any one of her Smoke Falcons and give her forces an even chance at victory. Her Shadow Falcons were even more capable than that. Yumi would put one of them up against a full squad of King Bradley's Troops and give even odds of Victory. The Tank had been a bit of a problem for them, of course, but Yumi had managed to blow the thing sky high with a flamecharge bomb shoved into the viewport at super-speed that caused the tank to brew up and the turret to be blown off. Of course, as her Falcons secured the Devil's Nest, Yumi had descended into the sewers, following the trail of Greed and his Chimera, as well as of Fuhrer King Bradley.

That led to where she was now, facing off against Fuhrer King Bradley down in the sewers as Greed lay on the cobblestones, desperately trying to regenerate his arm, which had been carved off by Fuhrer King Bradley's blades, an animated suit of armor with the voice of a child was nearby, and Yumi would love to know how that had been done. That would come later, though. Now she had a King to kill. She hefted Kagetsuki in a Kenjutsu Stance. The Fuhrer frowned at Yumi, as if puzzled. He'd removed his eyepatch to reveal his left pupil had taken the shape of an Ouroboros, which Yumi found odd. She was just as puzzled about how he could see with that thing as he apparently was about her. It defied logic that a pupil like that could take in enough light to see, but then, this was an anime world. Yumi supposed she shouldn't question it.

"What are you supposed to be?" Questioned King Bradley.

"Me? I'm the woman who's going to kill you, finish him off, and then loot the Devil's Nest down to the bedrock." Answered Yumi.

"Is that so?" Queried King Bradley.

"Yeah. Unless you feel like stepping aside right now?" Asked Yumi.

"No. I don't think so. You think you can threaten me, and I'll just step aside? I am the Fuhrer of Amestris. It will take more than Bravado to do that!" Scowled King Bradley.

As he said that, he lunged for Yumi, his twin Cavalry Sabres lashing out in arcing motions. Yumi summoned her Chi and kicked away, leaving a small flamecharge bomb in her wake. King Bradley cut the flamecharge bomb apart with one blade, destabilizing it and forcing it to detonate prematurely into a relatively pathetic blast of flame that King Bradley parted with his other blade, continuing his advance on Yumi unimpeded. He lashed out with both weapons in a cross-cut, Yumi parrying one and dodging the other. King Bradley pressed his attack, binding up Kagetsuki in a blade lock with one blade and cutting for Yumi's neck with the other. Yumi ducked the cutting blade, kicking out with her leg in an attempt to sweep King Bradley's out from underneath him. Unfortunately, King Bradley jumped over the kicking leg, but the sudden lack of binding pressure on Kagetsuki allowed Yumi to retreat again.

As King Bradley landed, he nodded at Yumi, saluting with his right-hand Sabre like an Olympic Fencer would salute an opponent. Yumi nodded back at him and retook her guard, preparing for the next attack to come her way.

"You're good, I'll give you that. You aren't good enough to evade my Ultimate Eye, however." Intoned King Bradley.

"You haven't seen anything yet! Drown them in darkness, Kagetsuki!" Yumi called out, invoking her Shikai.

As she did that, King Bradley's Eyes widened as Yumi stepped into the shadows and used Kagetsuki's Shikai Power to teleport behind King Bradley using the shadows of the Sewers and cut out for his back. He stumbled forward, a red line appearing on his back as he tumbled into a forward roll to avoid being cut in half. As he turned about, Yumi faded back into the shadows, teleporting away. King Bradley took up a guard of his own, shifting about as he tried to pinpoint where Shadow Yumi would pop out of next. The lighting flickered suddenly as a breeze blew down the corridor, allowing Yumi to step out of a shadow a bit closer toward King Bradley than he had wanted. Only a last-minute cross-parry saved him this time, and as he tried to bind her blade, Yumi sent a Muay Thai-style Push Kick into his chest with Chi-Enhanced power behind it. King Bradley went flying backward, plunging his right-hand Sabre into the floor to slow his flight and avoid crashing into the wall.

"That's a neat trick. I have no earthly idea how you're managing to avoid my Ultimate Eye with that, but I don't care. Do you really think you can just kill me and walk away? I'm the Fuhrer of Amestris! You will be hunted down like a dog for the rest of your days!" Snarled King Bradley.

As he did so, however, Yumi emerged from a shadow behind him, cutting out for his back, only for King Bradley to whirl about and snap off a textbook parry with his right-hand Sabre. His riposte was parried by Yumi, but King Bradley was already withdrawing back away from her potential counter. Yumi was forced to press forward, cutting out in a combination of cuts to the neck, arm, and leg that King Bradley ducked, parried, and slipped aside from. His riposte landed on Yumi's thigh as she backpedaled, drawing a line of blood across the meat of her left thigh. Grinning wolfishly, King Bradley pressed his advantage, cutting out with both blades in a series of whirling arcs that pressed Yumi back toward the filthy water of the sewer channel. As she dodged and parried, King Bradley's grin only widened further.

"You need to get some new techniques! My Ultimate Eye has analyzed your fighting style. You won't be able to land another blow on me so easily!" Growled King Bradley.

"Maybe, but I still have one card left to play!" Insisted Yumi.

She did at that, she had recently gained a second speed boost she could apply to herself. The only problem was that she needed a moment to use it. That moment was gained by jumping away from King Bradley. True, that put her out over the filthy water, where her leg wound could get infected if she splashed down and which would hamper her movement fatally. King Bradley waited at the Edge of the Channel to take advantage of just that thing. However, Yumi pulled a vial out from her coat pocket that King Bradley saw. His eyes widened again as his Eye analyzed the Freezing Philter. He leaped for her two late, as she activated her second speed boost, hitting the now frozen-over filth water channel and rocketing forward, sliding underneath King Bradley's jumping cut and cutting out at his legs. Kagetsuki found King Bradley's right leg, carving through toughened flesh like normal and lopping it off at the knee.

King Bradley fell as Yumi stood, and both cut out at each other at the same time. For the first time in his life, however, thanks to the Extra Speed Boost that Yumi had gained from her powers, King Bradley just wasn't fast enough. Kagetsuki split his head from his neck, decapitating him. The Fuhrer of Amestris, Father's Wrath, was no more. Yumi didn't have time to celebrate, however, because the Dragon Pulse alerted her to Greed attacking her from behind. He had used up the souls he had stored during his battle with King Bradley and was down to his last one after healing his arm. Accordingly, Greed had to resort to sneak attacks. Unfortunately, thanks to the Dragon Pulse's Warning, Yumi was able to turn about and parry the claw strike, aiming to impale her from behind. As she did, she shoved a micro flamecharge bomb into Greed's un-defended face before stepping into a shadow to teleport away.

The resulting explosion was equivalent to over two-hundred-seventy pounds of TNT going off right in Greed's Face, with all that power directed forward like a shaped charge. Even with his graphene skin, Greed couldn't tank that. Normally, he would just regenerate to stay in the fight, but after being so badly hacked apart and cut up by King Bradley earlier, he couldn't do that, having used up too much power healing from that affair. Greed died moments after Wrath did. In the end, it was the Sin he was named for that did him in. Unwilling to allow the Devil's Nest to be looted, he attacked instead of running away. His greed for his accumulated wealth and knowledge had gotten the best of him. The worst part was that he couldn't even have prevented that if he hadn't just been killed. Yumi's Falcons were already looting the place.

Unfortunately, the Animated Armor with the Child's Voice was gone. It must have fled down one of the various branching sewer tunnels while she had been fighting the Fuhrer. Also, unfortunately, there was nothing in the accumulated collection of books that would allow Yumi to create Chimera either, though she did find information on Automail Engineering, which might come in useful at some point. Mostly, though, it was stupid stuff. Either stuff specific to the world she was in, science stuff that was outdated by her time on her original Earth, or stuff she already knew, like Alkahestry books. Other than that, Greed seemed to have a lot of cash lying around. Bills that would be useless when she left this world, mostly, but also a cache of gold bullion and gems, which would stay useful. Oh, and a cache of military-grade weapons from the Amestrian Army that she supposed she could always enchant to be better later.

In the end, though, she wound up taking everything she felt would be useful, then booking it before the Crack Company of King Bradley's Troops were checked in on. Thankfully, she could just open a portal on any surface to enter her Extradimensional Village because the City of Dublith was crawling with troops. Yumi and her Falcons had just barely avoided being caught up in a second wave of attacks on the Devil's Nest. In the end, though, it didn't much matter. When she next exited her Extradimensional Village, she found that she had jumped out of that world while she and her Falcons had been waiting for the heat to die down in the Extradimensional Village. Now, instead of a weird, fantasy anime parody of nineteen-thirties Germany, they were now in a space opera, one that Yumi only recognized by Cultural Osmosis.

After all, Yumi may not have been a nerd, but everyone recognized Star Wars, nerd or not. The only problem was that this didn't look like anywhere from any of the movie scenes she was familiar with. It would take a while for Yumi to learn what was what about where she had wound up, a place called Nar Shaddaa, which was home to various crime lords, syndicates, and gangs.

In short, this was Yumi's sort of place, and she was determined to make her mark here. . .

XXXX

AN: All right, so here's the next Interlude. Yumi did damn well for herself in Fullmetal Alchemist World. She managed to not only get an actual organization to use, but also gained enough power to deal with Greed and Wrath while only taking one wound. Both of those will serve her well on Nar Shaddaa, because, though she doesn't know it yet, she's in the KOTOR Era and the Smuggler's Moon is about to be paid a visit by Meetra Surik during the events of KOTOR Two. Unfortunately, Yumi is only familiar with the movies, and even then, mostly by cultural osmosis. She doesn't know her way around at all, accordingly, which should be interesting.

At any rate, the next Interlude will be with Kiera Rangi, Champion of Whiro, and how she's fared in Dragonlance. Then we'll get an Interlude from Eric Dahl, Champion of Loki and the MC's primary antagonist, while in Warhammer Fantasy. Then I'll have character sheet updates for everyone after all that, before going back to the MC.

Stay tuned. . .