World Tournament

World Tournament (also referred to as The New Fantendoverse presents... World Tournament) is an event story, taking place in the form of a limited series. The story was written by , starring 23 guest characters in addition to 3 new characters and 8 of the recurring cast in her stories. The story takes place in a fighting tournament, pitting various characters against each other to win the title of World Tournament Champion through either ring-outs, pindowns, or complete annihilation (which is heavily discouraged). The 32 competitors are fighting for a belt, as well as a cash prize, although that's not as important as catching the attention of sponsors.
This story includes a recap of everything that has come before this point to catch up relapsed or new readers, provided by Fan-Tan-Doe and Enemy-Tan-Doe. The tournament will have 16 matches in the first round, 10 in the second round, 6 in the quarter finals, 3 in the semi-finals and 1 in the finals, totaling for 36 fights.
==Recap==
A woman with blue hair is sitting in a blue chair with Unten-like ears on the top. She is reading through a book before staring straight into the camera.
:Woman: Didn't see you there!
The woman closes the book.
:Woman: The name is Fan-Tan-Doe. You must be wondering what the heck a Fantendoverse even is, right? And you probably look at this big book and think jesus, what a ton of stories! There's no way I'm reading all that!
Fan-Tan-Doe laughs.
:Fan-Tan-Doe: Alright, I'll get through the quick summary of the general gist you'll need for this.
She claps her hands.
:Fan-Tan-Doe: The story begins on Zeon. That's Unten's home planet- the blue bear thing. He was parentless and alone until he fell into the Dongorio tribe. There he would meet Mondo, Zerita, and Chief Dongorio. They were a family that took him in, and began his adventures and told him of a procephy of him defeating a great evil.
Enemy-Tan-Doe walks into the room.
:Enemy-Tan-Doe: God, you're doing another recap? How far are you going back?
:Fan-Tan-Doe: From the beginning, basically…
:Enemy-Tan-Doe: Christ. From Fissure onwards?
:Fan-Tan-Doe: Yeah.
:Enemy-Tan-Doe: We don't have time for all that. Doomulus Grime was a bad guy, destroyed Zeon out of spite with a drill, Unten regrets not being able to stop him since there was an opening to stop the drill but it could have taken his life and he decided to escape Zeon instead. Because there was no effective plan for Unten and his friends to stick together, he wound up alone and stranded on Earth.
:Fan-Tan-Doe: Right, but before that, there was two people who thought they applied to the procephy and a gladiator by the name of Kaos that Unten defeated that made him so mad he dedicated himself to taking revenge, even changing his name to Netnu. He also had a family that was being put on the line due to Unten's actions.
:Enemy-Tan-Doe: Anyway, Unten landed on Earth around the same time as another alien, Six landed on Earth. She was there to take over the Earth, causing chaos in her wake. Unten would team up with Rachel and Robyn, two humans. Rachel had tattoos on her arms that told of Unten's arrival and to go find him, which still remain on her arms today. During a climactic showdown, Unten used his inherent Beorn power to descend Six from near-god status to mostly powerless.
:Fan-Tan-Doe: Six was actually sent by an alien god known as The Threat, who owns the universe that the Fantendoverse was built in by two other alien gods known as The Fan and The Enemy. They came from another universe that was shattered by time travel, basically.
:Enemy-Tan-Doe: Unten would meet up with Strafe, a mercenary of sorts from the desert city of Noah, who was also helped out by Leah Needlenam and X-Ray, two doctors who tend to be on the more dark side of morality.
:Fan-Tan-Doe: He also met up with PalmMan, which led to them meeting Sakeena Metals, a muslim girl given the powers of metalbending by the Fan and the Enemy.
:Enemy-Tan-Doe: Meeting back up with Rachel and Leah, they formed a nameless group of sorts and had all sorts of adventures, which involved a variety of adventures that saw them grow as a group and as people. Leah got together with X-Ray, who she was obviously in love with.
:Fan-Tan-Doe: They would later be invited to a remote island that was a sports resort, which was actually a trap by Strafe's aunt White Goddess, who was jealous of Strafe's mother Palutena. She filled the resort with doppelgangers and had them fight for survival, which later turned on her and she was defeated.
:Enemy-Tan-Doe: After that, The Fan and The Enemy saw it fit to train the group at their old academy Boltzmann, where Unten would begin training with Six, who The Fan and The Enemy had captured prior. Unten and Six got more friendly towards each other as their training went on, and Six actually fell in love with Unten. Six also renames herself to Quartz under Unten's suggestion, as well as to distance herself from her creator, the Threat.
:Fan-Tan-Doe: After Boltzmann, Unten would go down a sewer chasing after what he thought was another Beorn. This turned out to be a tunnel leading into a massive underground world filled with Beorns created from the substance of Spewage, meaning they were false Beorns created by somebody.
:Enemy-Tan-Doe: That somebody would turn out to be nobody other than The Fan and The Enemy, who wanted to create new Beorns that could take down the Threat. After Zeon exploded, not only did Beorns become incredibly scarce, but they were also the only known individuals with the ability to Descend gods.
:Fan-Tan-Doe: Wow. How did we get to the event known as Days of Victory already?
:Enemy-Tan-Doe: By shotgunning it. Okay, so Days of Victory sees The Fan and The Enemy recruit Unten and a billion other characters to help take down the Threat by stealing her User Crystal, of which they claim was stolen from them. Leah is "outed" as a traitor by The Fan and The Enemy after she discovers they were lying about the User Crystal situation and they fabricate evidence to have everyone turn on her.
Enemy-Tan-Doe drinks some water.
:Enemy-Tan-Doe: Leah escapes but not before being shot down and presumably killed by Unten- but actually, Leah and her "mother" Susan, who had kidnapped her from a young age and later turned on her own cult when she realized how much she cared for Leah, end up in the Bermuda. There, they meet an old enemy of Leah's known as Alexandria who is part of the Earhart family. Alexandria joins Leah and Susan to escape and they end up in Noah where they meet another crashed alien in Noah known as Obena. They get her ship functional again but Leah turns on Obena and the mostly villianous group residing in her ship by ejecting them out into space. They are rescued by Former Six, a creation of The Threat who was abadonded on Earth but still wants to get back to The Threat. After losing to Six, they're ejected out into space but manage to get back to the heroes and decides to heel turn and changes their name to Makara.
:Fan-Tan-Doe: While all that's happening, Unten is consumed by his guilt of "killing" Leah. He meets back up with the people he thought he lost on Zeon, including his sisters Zerita and Mioda, as well as Sia and Netnu. Boare died sacrificing himself to defeat a Doomuli member on another planet. As this is going on, Unten fights through the forces of the Threat after a ploy by the Threat to swap out The Fan and The Enemy's User Crystals, allowing her to control their domain. They switch the crystals back but not before the Threat attempts to destroy the Earth.
:Enemy-Tan-Doe: Meanwhile, Leah undergoes an a new identity so she doesn't get attacked by her former friends. This identity becomes parasitic and Leah begins to lose control over it. While they're attempting to stop the Threat, a Threat member known as Querius attempts to trap everyone in a void dimension but Leah takes the sacrifice instead. She also decides to "kill" her old Leah personality, as it was formed when she was inducted into Susan's cult known as the Twisted Cross and her original personality as Sarah Auvic, has been repressed since.
:Fan-Tan-Doe: Unten makes his way into The Threat's throne room. Despite all attempts to try to talk her into peace, Unten makes one last ploy that might just work, but the Threat is descended via a Beorn that The Fan and The Enemy create with Unten's sampled blood from all the fighting. Angry, Unten descends both The Fan and The Enemy, leaving all three creator gods having their User Crystals confiscated by the mysterious third sibling of The Fan and The Enemy known as The Other.
:Enemy-Tan-Doe: PalmMan leaves the group and Nycho and Obena join the group instead. Nycho was a helpful man who aided Unten and Rachel to get back to The Fan and The Enemy's planet known as Kolob when they were briefly stranded on Earth while fighting The Threat's forces.
:Fan-Tan-Doe: Nycho buys an old firehouse for the team to use and they eventually call themselves the Fantendo Firehouse. They fight the Doomuli with Unten's old girlfriend Kiva Glaive, stop and recruit a genetically altered woman known as NULL, go to the beach, stop an alien called Liameno from killing major religious figures, and in the midst of all of this, Netnu leaves the group, becoming bitter at Unten's decision making. Unten, Zerita, Kiva, and Quartz begin training from a woman known as Laverne Echo, who teaches them how to use the mystical life energy of Aura to augment their ability and informs them of the World Tournament. Oh, and Quartz and Unten start dating.
:Enemy-Tan-Doe: The group also fights a clone of both The Fan and The Enemy known as The Mistake. The Mistake attempts to establish himself as the new guardian of Earth, with or without Unten's help and accidentally nearly kills a powerless Fan. The group ends up having to work with major enemy The Threat to help take him down, as well as Strafe's cousin Silence, who they met at the Sports Resort and has been settling down to raise a family. The Mistake heals The Fan by sacrificing their arm and becomes the Vagabond, staying away from the events of things for now.
:Fan-Tan-Doe: Sarah Auvic returns from the void dimension, attempting to fit back into a life that has moved on from her. Unten gets a sick new jacket.
Fan-Tan-Doe takes a sip of water.
:Fan-Tan-Doe: You're all caught up on a whole half decade of stories now.
:Enemy-Tan-Doe: We went through it pretty fast, so we recommend reading through the catalog of stories for further context. But the general story's there.
==Prologue==
Rachel runs down the streets of Seattle, taking a minute to stop at a crosswalk.
:Rachel: Come on, come on…
Rachel puts her hands on her knees before the light changes to the white walking man symbol, continuing to run down the streets.
----
A bus pulls up to the Fantendo Firehouse as Unten, Nycho, Quartz, Obena, Sarah, Strafe, Sakeena, Zerita, Sia, and Mioda get on board. The bus driver is a very normal looking F.A.N.T. agent by the name of Normal Nate.
:Quartz: Is there a reason we're taking a bus there?
:Unten: It's a fair amount of distance, Quartz.
:Quartz: Yeah, but do we need a government agent driving it?
:Unten: I don't really make the rules, Quartz.
Quartz crosses her arms.
:Quartz: Where's Rachel? Or NULL for that matter…
:Unten: Well, Guadalupe's coming out now…
Guadalupe gets onto the bus and sits behind Nycho and Obena, her basket of food taking up another seat.
:Quartz: Is she… she like part of the group now?
:Unten: Yeah. Honestly, Sarah was right, we could definitely expand out a bit.
:Quartz: Yeah… but like what is she adding to the group?
:Unten: Food. Outsider's perspective.
:Quartz: Mm. Well, alright then.
Quartz rests her head on Unten's shoulder, purring softly.
:Quartz: Hopefully we don't end up needing to fight. I'm gonna conk out cuz I have been training for this non-stop.
:Unten: Yeah, go ahead.
Quartz rests on Unten's shoulder as NULL gets on the bus.
:NULL: This isn't like, one of those death tournaments, right?
:Unten: No.
:NULL: Ugh, god, lame. I'm staying home.
NULL gets off the bus. Unten just laughs softly. Bang Crimson gets on board the bus, posing dynamically.
:Strafe: Where is Rachel, Bang?
:Bang: Ah, I don't know.
Bang sits down near Strafe.
:Bang: Why, what do you need from her?
:Strafe: Nothing… I just wanted to know because we're friends…?
:Bang: Well, that's valid. She told me she was taking a run but like, it's been two hours, where the hell has she…
Rachel runs onto the bus, breathing hard.
:Rachel: GOD, foot traffic was terrible today.
:Bang: What happened to my outfit I got made for you?
:Rachel: The outfit you made for me? That tacky green suit?
:Bang: Tacky? I thought you liked it…
:Rachel: No, I didn't. You hear what you want to hear irregardless of what's actually been said.
:Sakeena: Damn it, they're fighting again…
Rachel and Bang look over to her.
:Rachel: You got something snappy to say?
:Unten: Hey, hey, let's chill out, no need to raise tempers and waste energy, okay?
Rachel sits down next to Strafe as Bang sits next to Guadalupe, hoisting her basket into her lap.
:Guadalupe: That's mine, I don't want to sit next to you on the bus.
:Bang: Don't worry. Not in the mood to talk. I'll just keep this secure so it doesn't fall out of the seat while the bus is moving.
:Guadalupe: Fine. But I'm gonna sleep if this takes longer than an hour, buses rock me to sleep generally.
:Normal Nate: Hey, I'm gonna get going now.
:Guadalupe: God, alright MR. BUS MAN.
:Normal Nate: Name's Normal Nate!
Sarah lowkey is into Guadalupe's energy, poking her head over the seat.
:Guadalupe: What's up with you?
:Sarah: Where's your other shoe?
:Guadalupe: It's in the basket.
:Sarah: Huh? Why?
:Guadalupe: I didn't feel like wearing it.
The bus pulls out from the Fantendo Firehouse and goes onto the road.
----
A man in a salmon colored dress shirt and brown hair paces back and forth as a woman in red armor and red hair watches.
:Man: God, I am so nervous. This has to be good. There's a lot of eyes on this, there has to be good battles. Who's in the bracket, Sani?
A woman with strawberry blonde hair and glasses, in a dress shirt and pencil skirt, looks over the board. She is the Sani he's talking about.
:Sani: Uh, out of the signups? We got a fairly big girth of responses-
:Man: Please don't use "girth" to describe this.
:Sani: Sorry, sir. We got a fairly big range of responses and sign ups, although admittedly even I don't even know some of these people. Who the hell is Mynis?
:Woman in Red Armor: Mynis is an alternate universe Unten.
The man turns around.
:Man: An alternate universe Unten? You're telling me we got two Untens in this tournament?
:Woman in Red Armor: Three, actually.
:Man: Well, that's one way to hype the masses.
:Sani: Who's the third?
:Woman in Red Armor: Oh, Reten.
:Sani: Huh. Why the wildly different names?
:Woman in Red Armor: It's different universes, Sani. Might as well ask why a Coldplay song sounds so similar to my name.
:Man: Huh, unexpected sass. I like that.
:Woman in Red Armor: Mm.
:Sani: Well, Drago, the Tournament starts in 3 hours, you should get prepared for your speeches.
The man, Drago, looks at Sani.
:Drago: Yeah, you're right. Viven, you coming along?
The woman in the red armor, Viven, looks at the two.
:Viven: I need to open gateways into alternate universes, so I don't think I'll be doing that.
:Drago: Suit yourself.
----
The bus pulls up into a hotel. Unten wakes up Quartz, who groans as she gets up.
:Quartz: God, okay, I'm up.
:Unten: You sure you're suited for this?
:Quartz: Are you kidding? Fighting was all I was built for. Getting to dash it out for once in a non-death situtation is like, my jam.
The group pulls into the hotel.
:Check-In Man: Hello. Do you have a reservation? We're very packed to the gills here.
:Unten: Actually, yes, I do!
Unten puts his hands on the counter.
:Unten: My code was 171218, right?
:Check-In Man: Let me check…
The check-in man looks at the computer, which takes a while because he's using a very ancient computer. Unten taps on the counter in boredom as Obena and Nycho dab in the background to Sarah's annoyance.
:Check-In Man: Yeah, the rooms should be available, here are your room keys.
The Check-In Man takes out some white cards and hands them to Unten, who can barely hold them all. Quartz takes a couple.
:Sarah: Hey, Unten, buddy, you mind giving me a room key?
:Unten: Well, hey, hang on. I got rooms bunched up into twos.
:Sarah: Oh god, I'm gonna have a roommate?
:Unten: Yes… all are gonna have one. Except for Sakeena, I guess. NULL decided to not go.
:Rachel: Wait… that's right. Where is NULL?
:Unten: She's back at the Firehouse. How did you lose track of her? I thought you were like, basically her mom.
:Rachel: I am! I still kinda am. I just figured to leave her alone most of the time, because you know, she's relatively mature now…
:Bang: It's almost like having a kid is not something you can manage on top of everything else and that's why we shouldn't have one.
:Rachel: I'm not having this conversation now. Oh god, she's gonna be alone?
:Unten: Well, she's relatively mature, I'm sure she'll be fine.
:Rachel: You're right, I guess I'm just… hmm.
:Unten: We need to stay focused on what matters. The Tournament begins in two hours and we need to get to the stadium, like now.
:Sarah: Hey, Unten, can you tell me who I'm rooming with?
:Unten: Oh right. I guess you weren't filled in. Me and Quartz are rooming together, Rachel and Bang are rooming together, but I guess that wasn't the best idea in retrospect…
Unten looks worryingly at Rachel, who is sitting on the couch next to Sakeena looking away from Bang.
:Unten: Nycho and Obena are rooming together, Zerita and Mioda are rooming together, Strafe and Sia are rooming together, leaving you and Guadalupe to room together. Unless you wanna go with Sakeena?
:Sarah: Mm… I don't know, actually. I know I shouldn't be rooming alone.
:Unten: Still having void outs?
:Sarah: Yes, of course I'm still blacking out due to my extended stay in the void dimension. I was there longer than both Netnu and you.
:Unten: When we use terminology, we don't we have to recap everything in the following sentence.
:Sarah: I just wanted you to know it's a pretty serious condition because you seemed to be kind of jokey about it.
:Unten: I was not trying to make light of it-
:Sarah: Why did everything have to change…
Sarah flexes her robotic pinkie, growling at it.
:Sarah: Anyway, room card?
Unten hands Sarah the room card and Sarah takes it in a quick swipe-like motion.
:Sarah: Thank youuu.
Sarah stomps over to the elevator.
:Quartz: Why is everyone so on edge lately?
:Unten: Who knows…
----
Drago walks into a room where a man is checking the microphone, tapping it curiously as it makes a loud screech. Drago is smoking a gigantic nicotine cigarette.
:Drago: Marco!
The man, Marco turns around, looking at Drago. Drago pulls out the cigarette in his mouth.
:Drago: You ready to do the announcing and the spectating?
:Marco: Something like that. This microphone is really low quality though, it sounds like I'm speaking through an old radio.
Marco presses against the microphone with his mouth. Static fills the air softly.
:Marco: Testing. Testing.
Marco turns off the microphone and turns to Drago.
:Drago: I dunno, I like it. Sounds old-timey.
:Marco: Is this supposed to be an old-timey thing though?
:Drago: It's got charm. That's what matters.
Marco squints his eyes and then looks back to the microphone.
:Drago: Anyway, you got this all set up?
:Marco: Yeah. Should be ready to go whenever.
:Drago: Good. Good.
Marco takes a long, dramatic sigh as Drago exits the room.
----
Rachel takes the stairs down stairs to the hotel lobby, beating Strafe and Unten out of the elevator. Bang Crimson approaches her.
:Bang: Save some of that energy for the World Tournament, will you?
:Rachel: Gotta go in that little bit more training any way I can!
:Bang: Mm. Well, you don't need to exert more than you should. It'd be a shame if you lost because you didn't think ahead about your energy usage, huh?
:Unten: That reminds me, I should probably grab some apples from the hotel kitchen.
:Rachel: What are you doing down here so early?
:Bang: To meet family.
Bang turns her head as a blue haired woman, a muscular man with red hair, and two men with their arms draped around their shoulders enter through the automatic doors. Bang goes over to hug them each.
:Bang: This is my family, Rachel! That's Dynamo Azure over there, she's my adopted sister.
The blue haired woman, Dynamo Azure waves her hand, showcasing her powers over Blue Energy through her detached sleeves.
:Bang: Over here is Boom Ruby, my adopted brother.
The muscular man with red hair, Boom Ruby, squats down while flexing, Red Energy being released through his belt to cover his muscular body.
:Bang: And over there is my dads, Folami and Imari!
Folami and Imari, the men with their arms around each other giggle.
:Folami: Sorry that we don't have any cool energy devices to show off to your girlfriend, Deka!
:Rachel: Deka?
:Bang: Dads, I thought I told you to use Bang Crimson…
:Imari: Ah, I guess it slipped our minds. Nice to meet you Rachel.
:Folami: Finally, at least. Feels like we've been hearing about you for years as opposed to ever seeing you.
:Rachel: Right… yeah.
Rachel looks to Bang, looking uncomfortable. Bang holds her by the shoulder.
:Dynamo: You two are cute together.
:Bang: I know!
:Rachel: Uhh…. can we talk about this, Bang?
:Bang: No time! We gotta get to the Tournament now. As competitors, we need to arrive like, 30 minutes early.
Unten comes back out, as Quartz exits from the elevator.
:Unten: Got plenty of apples stocked up. How are you doing?
:Quartz: Fine. You ready for the tournament?
:Unten: Boy, am I!
Unten, Quartz, Bang, Strafe, and Rachel leave the hotel as Nycho and Obena arrive from the stairs, out of breath.
:Nycho: Fine, you win… hahh…
Obena does a quick dance as Nycho coughs from exhaustion. Dynamo Azure, Boom Ruby, Folani, and Imari glance over.
:Boom: Heyo!
Obena waves enthusiastically.
:Obena: Hi!
----
Unten, Rachel, Strafe, Quartz, and Bang enter into a locker-room area where the other competitors are. It totals to about 30 characters in the room. Umbra Shader, Millyrain, a Mysterious Cloaked Woman, Riddle, Toso Musuko, Makara, a magical girl, Cardinal, Noora Natsumi, a wrestling girl, Mynis, Spree, Bril Vanae, Eric Riordan & bury a friend, Netnu, Glenn "Navy" Salt, Zambja Eebra, Lucky Veridan, Aero, Hama, a small green girl, Fera, Storm, Silver Zin, Reten, Plum, and Ruby Glaes fill the room, leaving a rather packed space. Sari attempts to squeeze through the large crowd.
:Sari: Hi! My name is Sari Strawberry and I'm the assistant to the host, Mr. Drago Napoleon.
Sari attempts to bow forward but hits her head against Makara, blushing as she backs up.
:Sari: Um, so, in about 10 minutes, we're going to officially start. I have these small booklets containing the full bracket for you to look and strategize.
Sari hands out small booklets to each of the competitors.
:Sari: See you out on the arena!
Sari awkwardly squeezes herself through the crowd.
:Sari: Hopefully…
----
The arena where the World Tournament is packed to the gills with onlookers, with both normal and other super powered beings joining in. Outside the stadium, a Channel 17 van is parked. A woman by the name of Vicky Victorious jumps out of the van with a camera man following her.
:Vicky: We are here, live, at the World Tournament! A big spectacle of both unpowered and powered beings. Staci, you got my coffee?
A red haired woman in a blue dress shirt, Staci, hands Vicky a coffee cup. Vicky drinks from it and spits it out.
:Vicky: This is hot chocolate, Staci.
:Staci: Sorry.
:Vicky: We don't even have hot chocolate packets? How the F*** did you F*** this up?
:Staci: It happens, man.
Staci leans against the news van.
:Vicky: Also, we're in public, you could at least put on some pants…
:Staci: Suck a dick, dumb shit!
Vicky rubs her forehead.
:Vicky: Alright, now we gotta find a way in because our budget did not cover what we needed to get inside. And with five minutes before it starts…
Vicky squints at the ticket booth.
:Vicky: Sounds like we'll have to resort to gorilla tactics.
----
With no more time before the World Tournament, Drago comes out from the center of the stage on a rising platform. Sari hands him a microphone. Drago holds it and looks out to the huge crowd.
:Drago: Welcome to the World Tournament, officially back after it's 30 year hiatus! I am your host, Drago Napoleon. Around my waist is the World Tournament belt, a symbol of status and the prize if any of you are in so much lucky to win this.
:Sani: There's also a cash prize.
:Drago: Right. Hefty cash prize.
:Sani: Big cash prize.
:Drago: Alright, that's enough. Anyway, the rules.
:Sani: Losing conditions are ring-outs, pindowns, and annihilation. Hopefully we don't see any of the latter, because both of you will be marked out if anyone dies.
:Drago: What are ring-outs and pindowns?
:Sani: So glad you asked, in this totally unrehearsed bit! Well, ring-outs are when you manage to hit your opponent out of the tournament ring, causing them to go past the white line! Probably the simplest way to win in most cases.
Sani looks over her flashcards real quick.
:Sani: The pindowns are when you manage to pin an opponent down for 5 seconds on the ground, making them unable to escape your grasp through any means necessary. While not the easiest way to win, it can be beneficial if your opponent is just exhausted and can't fight back.
Sani looks at the huge crowd, gulping.
:Sani: I cannot stress how much I don't want to see death in this tournament today, okay? Please don't kill each other.
:Drago: Please give a warm applause to my assistant, Sani.
The crowd claps in unison as Dragon smirks to himself.
:Drago: Let the fighting… begin!
==1st Round==
===Umbra Shader vs. Millyrain===
:Marco: Our first challengers for this evening, Umbra Shader vs Millyrain!
Umbra Shader steps forward, cockily slamming the scythe into the tournament ground.
:Marco: Umbra Shader, the boy from the future! After being born during a solar eclipse in 1998, he was sent into 7880 before being blast into the past by psychopathic goddess of the stars!
:Umbra: Where did they even get all that info…?
Millyrain jumps up with both arms extended upwards.
:Marco: This is Millyrain, the strangely geometric creature from an unknown reach of space. Seriously, we tried asking her, tried to do a background check… nothing.
:Millyrain: Let's test our skills out, okay?
Umbra glances at Millyrain.
:Umbra: She looks like a lego block…
:Marco: Now, battle!
Umbra picks up his scythe and dashes towards Millyrain, attempting to slash at her with the Shadow Scythe. Darkness slashes across Millyrain, who doesn't even flinch. Umbra keeps attacking, figuring something has to happen…
:Marco: Hey, Umbra, that's not going to work…
Millyrain pulses with electricity, before bursting out in an electrical shockwave that blasts Umbra a bit back, almost towards the ring-out line.
:Umbra: Gah!
:Millyrain: Splurge!
:Marco: Millyrain's unique and unknown properties allow her to use symbols to power herself, giving her powers and giving her immunity to both dark magic and death itself!
:Umbra: How is this fair? What?
Umbra growls as he puts his hand out to attack with a meteor, which doesn't even graze Millyrain as she rolls around effortlessly.
:Umbra: Gah!
Umbra grunts as he shifts his feet around, attempting to face Millyrain head on before outreaching his arm to grab Millyrain and trap her in a gravitational field.
:Umbra: Got you…
Umbra runs with Millyrain in his grip, who turns around uselessly as she's caught in the gravity field. Umbra growls as he runs towards the tournament ring-out line.
:Marco: Uh oh, Millyrain ought to do something or this is going to end in a instant!
Millyrain grunts as she attempts to use a light based attack with her light symbol, but can't inside the vaccum of gravity.
:Millyrain: Ahh!
:'Umbra prepares to fling her outside the tournament grounds before suddenly a large pulse of light covers Millyrain and gets collected inside the gravityless bubble, before being released as almost a light bomb. Millyrain falls almost outside the bounds, barely breathing as they're covered in their own light attack. The symbols on their head have burned off, appearing in a sickly state.
:Marco: Millyrain is glowing hard… Umbra got a huge shockwave from the attack that appears to have knocked the air out of his system. If he can manage to attack just in time…
:'Umbra growls as he drags his scythe towards Millyrain.
:Umbra: I'm gonna end this now, Millyrain.
Umbra breathes heavily as he pulls back on his scythe, before Millyrain grabs Umbra's leg and causes him to trip as his momenteum pulls him forward, causing him to fall over the ring out line.
:Marco: The winner is Millyrain! It was a close match, folks!
Umbra groans in defeat.
:Umbra: So… that's it, huh?
:Millyrain: Hey, you put on a good fight…
:Umbra: Save it.
Millyrain pats her toes as she gets up.
===Mysterious Cloaked Woman vs Riddle===
Marco sits back in his booth seat, waiting for the next challengers to get onto the field. He cranes his neck away from the mic, leaning back.
:Marco: Already off to a weird start it seems…
----
:Marco: Please welcome our next challengers, Mysterious Cloaked Woman vs. Riddle!
The Mysterious Cloaked Woman steps forward, kicking the ground.
:Marco: This is the Mysterious Cloaked Woman… a woman we could not, for the life of us, get any details on.
Riddle jumps into the arena, zipping around.
:Marco: And that's Riddle, who only communicates by shaking his tail. We were able to glean some info though, he's a Doody from Star Heights that rescued his town by using gemstones to stop a villain named Serpentusa.
Riddle shakes his tail excitedly as the Mysterious Cloaked Woman raises up her leg in a combat stance.
:Marco: Yeah, not a talkative bunch. Anyway, let's battle!
Riddle begins with a Star Whip attack with his tail, which the Mysterious Cloaked Woman bats away with her elbow. Riddle rolls and extends out his leg for a sweeping leg kick, nearly knocking over the Mysterious Cloaked Woman.
:Mysterious Cloaked Woman: Hh!
The Mysterious Cloaked Woman jumps into the air and then strikes down with a flying kick. Riddle is slammed into the ground as Gush and Heart gasp from the crowd.
:Gush: Woah, Riddle seemed to take a real hit with that!
:Heart: She's way heavier than she looks… Riddle looks like he's buried in the ground!
:Gush: Riddle, get up!
Mysterious Cloaked Woman slams her foot on top of Riddle's head, intending to go for a ring out.
:Marco: Oh my god, The Mysterious Cloaked Woman has Riddle completely pinned down! Can Riddle get himself out of this in time? 5…
Riddle struggles against the weight of her foot, as if it's made of metal or something.
:Marco: 4...
The Mysterious Cloaked Woman shakes her foot against the head of Riddle, pressing him further against the ground.
:Marco: 3…
Riddle keeps squirming, attempting to blast himself out with star shots, but the Mysterious Cloaked Woman keeps him down.
:Marco: 2…
Desperate to get out, Riddle slams his tail further into the ground and charges it.
:Marco: 1…
Riddle releases a burst of star power, pushing the Mysterious Cloaked Woman off him and launching into the air where he slams an elongated foot into her face.
:Mysterious Cloaked Woman: Agh!
Riddle creates a two fisted hand punch while descending, slamming into the Mysterious Cloaked Woman's face. The Mysterious Cloaked Woman slams her knee into Riddle as he bounces off her, launching him into the air before punting him with thrust of the elbow, throwing him all the way into the arena wall.
:Marco: The Mysterious Cloaked Woman wins! Riddle managed to escape a pindown, but unfortunately was not able to finish the match quite as strongly… and just who is this lady?
Gush and Heart watch from the stands as Riddle gets up and gives a thumbs up as he bounces into the air to sit with his friends.
===Silver Zin vs Unten Bluzen===
Unten sits on the bench, getting up as the fight ends and putting down his booklet at his spot at the bench.
:Unten: Alright, Unten, you got this...
----
:Marco: Please welcome our next set of competitors, Silver Zin vs Unten Bluzen!
Silver Zin floats through the air as he spins the Mind Weaver, clearly goofing off.
:Marco: Silver Zin is a rebellious character from a universe known as the Zaxiverse. As a Herald with Zin blood, Silver has a primarily dark magic moveset with the ability to create portals to other dimensions. For the sake of this tournament, we have barred Silver Zin off from sending Unten to another dimension.
:Silver: This ought to be fun.
Unten emerges with Imperium in his hand, squinting as he looks at Silver.
:Marco: Unten, the savior of Earth! He's the leader of the famed Fantendo Firehouse and has saved the universe from the Threat… I won't try to editorialize too much, but he's done more good than bad, in my opinion.
Unten glances at Silver, trying to put a finger on where he's seen him before.
:Unten: Hey… didn't we go to the beach with you?
:Silver: I've never met you in my life?
:Unten: Huh. Okay, if you say so… I mean, you got those horns now…
:Silver: Are you implying I didn't have these since birth?
:Unten: No! I dunno, maybe you're a different Silver…
Unten laughs nervously.
:Marco: Alright, enough chit chat, you two. Fight!
Unten immediately goes on the defense, as Silver swings his Mind Weaver swiftly and releasing it in the form of three quickly traveling purple waves.
:Silver: NERVE CHOPPER!
Silver swings his Mind Weaver around before bringing it to his lips. Unten manages to block it with Imperium, being pushed back a little.
:Silver: Oh, what, is the great savior of Zeon too scared to fight me?
:Unten: Aura Aero!
Unten spins rapidly with blue aura coming off him, taking off into the air slightly. Silver smirks.
:Silver: Oh, honey boy, I know how to fly too.
Silver matches his placement in the air as Unten flings lightning at him, which misses.
:Silver: It's kind of cute how much you're trying here, but I'm Silver Zin.
Silver inhales the air as Unten holds out Imperium to slam Silver in the stomach, causing him to release his breath out early in weak pink flames as Imperium slams him quite a distance, nearing the ring out line.
:Silver: Gah! Okay, I'm not playing nice anymore.
Silver releases a dark pulse with his Mind Weaver, causing Imperium to retract back as Unten drops to the ground to avoid it.
:Silver: Come here, you lil blue shit!
Silver slams into the ground, creating a shockwave that knocks Unten a bit back. Unten attempts to fight with lightning bolts but Silver grabs him and starts to attack with dark energy pulses.
:Silver: Take that!
Unten grunts in pain as Silver tosses him a fair distance, before slamming his foot onto his stomach.
:Unten: Oof!
:Marco: Looks like Silver's going for a pindown here with his boot! 5...
Silver pulls his Mind Weaver back and bites his lip.
:Silver: Torture Motor!
Silver slams his foot even further against Unten's stomach.
:Marco: 4…
:Unten: (thinking) God, I need to turn this around fast. I had no idea my first opponent would be this intense! Or weird…
Unten pulls from his jacket's subspace storage, grunting as he holds his Hyper Orb with an increasingly huge black blemish on it.
:Marco: 3…
:Unten: It's a bit early to go for this but…
Unten activates the Hyper Orb, before a dark energy pulses around him and blows Silver off him. Silver grunts as Unten gets up, looking very strange.
:Silver: What is this?
Sakeena looks down from the seats of the crowd.
:Sakeena: What is that, indeed… seems like some kind of alternate Hyper Mode form Unten is using by accident…
Unten looks at his hands and body, astonished at the effect.
:Unten: (thinking) What is this? I feel so… weak… this is some kind of Nega Form…
Silver slams into him with a Skullcrusher dash, knocking Nega Form Unten near the edge of the ring out line.
:Silver: I was going to humiliate you with a knockdown, but I guess a ring out will do fine!
Nega Form Unten starts to dash around rather quickly.
:Nega Form Unten: (thinking) God, damn. My jacket is gone, Imperium's gone, where is everything?
Nega Form Unten keeps away from Silver as much as he can as Silver attempts to ram into him with another Skullcrusher dash.
:Silver: You don't think I haven't dealt with enough weirdos at home? You're not even that hot… certainly not my type.
Silver flickers out his tongue as Nega Form Unten continues to try and keep away from him.
:Nega Form Unten: (thinking) Shit, does this guy even have a weakness? I can't take another hit from him in this form, that last one almost cost me the match!
:Marco: It appears that Unten is now attempting to play keep away with Silver… interesting tactic despite the fact Unten appeared to reach some kind of power-up form…
:Sarah: The hell are you doing Unten? Hit him!
:Sakeena: I dunno if that's the best thing for him to do right now…
:Zerita: I've never seen anything like this from him before… He looks like he can't even speak.
:Nega Form Unten: (thinking) God, Silver is getting even more aggressive
Silver pauses, attempting to bait Nega Form Unten into hitting him. As Nega Form Unten stays his distance away from Silver, he squints and pulls a bottle of whiskey from his jacket.
:Silver: If you're just gonna lame it out, you might as well just lose.
Silver swigs down his bottle before throwing it to the side and holding the Mind Weaver to point a bunch of black crystals towards Nega Form Unten.
:Nega Form Unten: Come on, come on, why can't I revert? When does this thing run out of energy?
Silver launches the black crystals at Nega Form Unten like a series of projectile attacks that spiral in the air. Nega Form Unten quickly shadowdashes through all of them, appearing barely coherent in front of Silver's eyes.
:Silver: Kyrios, whatever that form is, it's fucking fast.
:Nega Form Unten: (thinking) He seems genuinely put off, maybe this is the time to put the hurt on him!
Nega Form Unten slams into Silver, slashing away at him with quick weak slashes that actually do a lot of damage to Silver with how fast he's able to do them. Silver releases a energy pulse from his Mind Weaver that blows Nega Form into the air, where a shadowy aura comes off Unten and reverts him back to normal, with jacket and Imperium back into his hands.
:Unten: Finally!
:Marco: It appears that the transformation has worn off… but Silver is still pissed off!
:Silver: Take this!
Silver releases five pulsing waves off his Mind Weaver.
:Silver: Nerve Splitter!
Unten looks down to the ground.
:Unten: Beorn Bolt!
Unten zaps the ground with electricity, catching Silver off guard as Unten quickly uses Aura on Imperium to guard against the damage of Nerve Splitter. The lightning shocks Silver all the way towards the ring out line, of which Unten slams into the ground and pushes Silver past it.
:Marco: Unten wins! Had no idea where that match was going, if I'm being honest…
Silver grunts as he glances at Unten.
:Silver: Well, you won. Good fight, although you could have inflicted a little more pain. I'm not sure how I felt about electrical shocks, but they're okay…
:Unten: Uh… okay…
:Silver: Anyway, you don't seem like my type…
Silver blows a kiss.
:Silver: Aios!
Unten just stares blankly.
===Mindy Starlane vs Cardinal===
Sarah eats a hotdog as she looks at the fights.
:Sarah: Nice, snappy progression they got going on.
:Guadalupe: Seems like they don't really know much about the fighters though…
:Sarah: Yeah, that's weird. Who picked these people?
:Guadalupe: It was a sign up process if I remember correctly. Extended out to a couple multiverses too.
:Sarah: Huh.
:Intercom: Please do not leave the seating area for the foreseeable future. There is a gorilla on the loose.
:Sarah: Huh?
----
:Marco: Please welcome our next set of competitors, Mindy Starlane vs Cardinal!
Mindy spins around, waving her wand before sticking out her tongue.
:Mindy: Ello!
:Marco: Mindy Starlane is a disgraced member of the Galactic Girls squadron, arrested for multiple drug-related arrests! She's clean now and wants to prove her worth to the Galactic Girls squadron so they take her back!
Cardinal just walks up, his arm extending out to show his Aries sign.
:Marco: And over this corner… the strange Cardinal! His powers and past is mostly a mystery, although he is rumored to have accidently killed his parents!
:Mindy: Alright mister, you ready to fight?
Cardinal grunts as he creates a blue flame pillar as a show of power.
:Mindy: Guess you are!
Mindy spins around, blasting a star from her wand to attack Cardinal. Cardinal teleports behind Mindy, causing Mindy to kick him from behind.
:Mindy: Hiya!
Cardinal is blasted away by the kick, digging his fingers and feet into the ground.
:Mindy: I can't get a good read on the guy…
Cardinal grunts.
:Cardinal: That's because you can't. My powers are probability based, even I don't know what I'll do. It's like I can pull from everything from some strange pool of power but have no control over what I actually do.
:Mindy: You can speak?
Cardinal extends out his hand, sending out energy spears that phase through Mindy fairly harmlessly, staggering her back with energy.
:Cardinal: I mostly elect not to, because even I don't know how safe that is. But you've pissed me off enough.
:Mindy: Uh oh…
Mindy does a cartwheel before blasting soundwaves through the center of her forehead, her wand glowing as Mindy seems to shout. Cardinal grunts, falling over.
:Mindy: Hah. Y'know, if you're gonna explain your powers to me, I might as well give you the courtesy to tell you that this is going to turn you into a gumball.
Cardinal transforms into a small ball, his image stretched across it as he rolls around helplessly on the battlefield.
:Mindy: Now's my chance…
Mindy pins down the gumball Cardinal with a single finger, grinning.
:Marco: Mindy's going for the pin! 5…
Cardinal rolls rapidly under her finger, causing Mindy to put her palm against him to keep him better captured under her hand.
:Mindy: You're not getting out of this…
:Marco: 4…!
Cardinal grunts, trying to escape her grip. He rolls back and forth against her hand,
:Marco: 3…!
Mindy gives off a cocky smile.
:Marco: 2…!
Cardinal stops moving, causing Mindy to slip onto the ground due to trying to shift her hand to keep Cardinal down. Cardinal rolls out of her grip and slowly transforms back into his normal human form.
:Cardinal: Hah!
Cardinal points his finger at Mindy and pushes her into the ground.
:Cardinal: Stay!
:Marco: Looks like Cardinal's going for a pin now with a telekinetic hold! Mindy can't even move, it seems, being pushed by psychokinetic force! 5….
:Cardinal: Could have counted sooner, but okay…
:Marco: 4!
:'Mindy grunts as she struggles under the hold. Cardinal's fingers twitch in his hands. Realizing her mouth is still free, she spits in his face, which breaks his concentration and hold on her.
:Marco: Seems like Cardinal lost it!
:Mindy: Damn right you did!
Mindy does a leg sweep against Cardinal, knocking the air out of his stomach with a elbow to the stomach. Mindy then shoots a bunch of stars from her wand, Cardinal grunting as he rolls against the ground. He goes to get up but the whistle sounds.
:Cardinal: Huh?
Cardinal is well past the ring-out line, having not realized he was stepping over it when he got up. Cardinal smirks.
:Marco: Mindy Starlane wins!
===Noora Natsumi vs Asuna===
Drago and Sari watch the fights from above.
:Drago: Hey, nice touch with the lotus flower in the center. Brings something to the fighting arena. You know, some kind of iconic symbol to it.
:Sari: I didn't… add the lotus?
:Drago: Huh, really?
:Sari: Yeah… wasn't in the building plan either.
:Drago: Well, it's flat, doesn't interfere with fights… keep it, I say.
----
:Marco: Please welcome our next set of competitors, Noora Natsumi vs Asuna!
Noora Natsumi teleports in, smoke emerging out from the point she teleported.
:Marco: Noora Natsumi is the host of the powerful spiritual power known as Nightless, hailing from another universe. While a loner by nature, she does have her friends and rivals to keep her company.
Noora looks out to the crowd to see Yami Zu cheering for her, blushing. Asuna appears in a giant fur coat before throwing it off as she steps onto the arena ground.
:Asuna: Let's go!
Asuna poses for the crowd.
:Marco: Asuna, a relative up and newcomer in the American super-wrestling scene, has arrived. She has had an undefeated 23 match streak- can she carry it into here? Let's find out!
Noora readies some kunai, crouching.
:Marco: Let's go!
Noora throws three kunai as she jumps to the left, with Asuna covering her body with her arms. Asuna slams out her arms, the kunai leaping off her and and floating in pink aura.
:Asuna: Is that all you got? Actually, I know it's not… don't hold back!
Noora grunts, getting up as energy flows up her, transforming her into Nightless. Nightless roars as Asuna grins.
:Nightless: Don't think you earned this, I just want this to be done as fast possible.
Nightless winds up and then slams forward into her with her sharp claws.
:Nightless: MOON SLASH!
Asuna jumps back and then hits with a right hook to Nightless' face, only for Nightless to catch and throw her towards the ground.
:Asuna: Got your own special moves, huh?
Nightless goes to step on top of her, Asuna quickly rolling across the floor. Asuna jumps up and hits with a flurry of punches, most of which Nightless guards against. Nightless slams Asuna with a two-handed sledgehammer attack.
:Asuna: Ack!
Asuna falls to the tournament ground as Nightless teleports around her. Nightless then performs a drill kick to knock her towards the ground again. Asuna kicks Nightless in the stomach and jumps towards onto her, attacking with a flurry of punches.
:Nightless: Agh!
Nightless spreads out her arms, kunai spreading out from her as Asuna gets hit by them. Nightless grunts.
:Nightless: Stay down, why don't you…
Asuna flares up with pink and cyan aura energy, grunting.
:Asuna: I'm not going to ever give up! I never have, never will…
Asuna slams into Nightless with a pink-energy fist, causing Nightless to fly back, reverting back into Noora. Noora sends out a chain to stop her forward momenteum to catch herself just inches away from the ring-out line.
:Noora: Hhgh.
Noora watches as Asuna goes towards her with aura-inflamed fists. Noora does a sweep kick to get away from the ring-out line as well as to take Asuna towards the ground. Asuna jumps to avoid the attack. Noora readies two kunai in each of her hands and proceeds to do a slashing attack with teleportation, appearing directly behind Asuna to kick her into the ground.
:Asuna: Ack!
Asuna fires off two shots of Aura that hit Noora in the chest, causing her to grunt as she hits the ground. Asuna tackles Noora on the ground, pinning her.
:Marco: 5! 4!
:Noora: Wait, what?
:Marco: 3! 2!
Yami Zu leans against the railing of the crowd.
:Yami: Noora, get up!
Noora struggles but it's too far late.
:Marco: 1! That was Asuna with our first victory via pindown! Noora just couldn't get up fast in time.
Noora gets up as Asuna waves her off.
:Noora: Something wasn't right… I had no time to get her off me.
===Mynis vs Spree===
Drago watches from his booth, crossing his legs as Sari jots down notes.
:Drago: Who's up next?
:Sari: Mynis. The Unten from another universe, according to Viven La Vida.
:Drago: Oh right! Been hearing all kinds of great stuff from him. Like, apparently he can knock down any competitors with his chain of belts, yeah?
:Sari: That's what he said… yes…
Sari glances at Drago.
:Sari: I'm not sure if he's all he's cracked up to be… seems like he's got a lot of conflicting information...
:Drago: He's an Unten! You saw how well the first one did even at a disadvantage like that…
----
:Marco: Please welcome our next set of competitors, Mynis vs. Spree!
Mynis stumbles and trips onto the arena floor, getting up as he waves his hand.
:Mynis: I'll try and go easy on my competitor here, but I can't make any promises. After all, why hold back on my greatness?
:Marco: Mynis is a Unten from an alternate timeline, and calls himself the greatest Beorn of his galaxy. He farms Blumps in his spare time when he's not lifting planets and fighting evil. He's totally selfless and righteous in his quest to become the greatest hero of all time.
Mynis throws a Blump in the air, intended to catch it as a knife goes through it, before boomeranging back to it's thrower- a orange Beorn by the name of Spree.
:Marco: And this is Spree, a clone of an alternate Unten named Reten, who is in the same tournament! He's also the sage of blades, a mystical title transferred from his master Prim. Not bad for a test tube baby.
Spree looks at Mynis and just laughs.
:Spree: Oh my god. This is gonna be the easiest fight in my life! Why did I bother training so much for this if you were gonna… well, maybe my next opponent proves to be more worth the fight.
:Mynis: Sorry, you're really far away and I can't hear you. Can I have my Blump back? I mean, I got plenty… no, infinite, in this subspace scatf I have totally on me, but you know, it would help if I had that-
Spree immediately throws a knife at Mynis, who reflexively slaps a scarf tail against it, knocking it to the ground.
:Mynis: Hah! You thought you were gonna knife the great Mynis?
:Spree: Honestly, I could scalp you, but this is being broadcast, so I don't think that's a great look for ratings.
Spree runs towards him at a blinding speed, creating a gold and white version of Imperium as Mynis attempts to fight back with Inpeerion, his two daggers, but they snap immediately as Spree's blade hits his. Mynis rolls back, opening up his pack to bite into a Glistening Blump.
:Spree: Oh, going for the Glistening Blump already?
Mynis munches on it noisily as Spree cockily squats next to him, watching him eat it.
:Spree: Hey, tell me when you're ready to battle when you finish lunch, huh?
Mynis angrily chomps down the rest and slams a steel fist into Spree's stomach as he fully transforms into Narcissus Mynis- which does nothing to him, he's armored there, as Mynis stands up.
:Narcissus Mynis: Nobody mocks the great Mynis!
:Spree: I just did, buddy.
Spree creates a katana as he creates a bunch of kunai similar to Noora's- he's been watching the fights previously- and continues to slam kunai into Narcissus Mynis. Narcissus Mynis reflexively puts his hands up in a defensive position as he keeps getting knocked back by the swarm of kunai.
:Spree: Come on, end it here already!
Narcissus Mynis holds out his hands, one of his belt buckles glowing.
:Narcissus Mynis: BUCKLER BEAM!
Spree slides back from the force of the beam as he puts up a plasma shield generated from his robotic hand.
:Spree: Cool beam, but I've seen much better!
Spree generates a huge sword with his Sage of Blades power, similar to Cloud's Buster Sword, grinning as he attempts to hit Narcissus Mynis with it, who quickly uses his scarf to charge it with electricity to magnetically pull a bunch of kunai from the ground. He then grunts, his electricity draining fast. He goes to reach for another Blump from his pack but Spree twists the sword to throw him into the air and then proceeds to bat him with the blunt edge.
:Spree: Nice try with that magnetic trick, but I know the electricity limit, which is why me and Reten don't settle with that weak shit.
Mynis slams against the arena wall, clearly past the ring-out line.
:Marco: Spree took the win from this battle. How tense, to see two Beorns battle like that, huh?
Panning over to the audience…
:Ronnie: Maybe if it wasn't Mynis.
:Rachel Tifft: Hey! He just needs some more training. Don't kick him while he's down, okay?
:Pashibaru: Damn, Spree's so cool.
===Bril Vanae vs Eric Riordan===
Vicky Victorious stands on the steps in the crowd, a cameraman trying to angle the camera.
:Vicky: I'm finally inside the arena and it only took one gorilla to do it! Anyway… uh…
Vicky glances vacantly.
:Vicky: Who's fighting now?
Vicky puts a microphone next to Guadalupe, who bats it away.
:Guadalupe: Get out of here, I don't wanna be on TV.
:Vicky: Hmmph…
An outraged gorilla can be heard in the background as a bunch of police officers chases after it.
----
:Marco: Please welcome our next set of competitors, Bril Vanae vs. Eric Riordan!
Bril Vanae spins as she gets on the arena stage, sticking out her arm outwards as she then points to the crowd.
:Bril: Let me hear you roar!
The crowd gives an enthusiastic cheer as Bril revels in it, smirking.
:Bril: That's what I like to hear.
:Marco: Bril is a cocky Colason conqueress that is looking for opponents worthy of a good fight! Let's hope she finds one here!
A ghostly coffin rises out from the ground and bursts open to reveal Eric Riodrin. We can see his Strand bury a friend, but Bril and the audience in the crowd can't.
:Marco: Eric is a Strand user, which allows him to use the power of an invisible being to create ghostly coffins. This power is known as bury a friend, which also represents his guilt for his boyfriend's death.
:Bril: Tragic…
:Eric: Well, let's fight, huh?
Eric summons a ghostly coffin up from the ground, which Bril dodges with a backwards somersault, landing on her feet.
:Eric: Hmm…
Eric steps forward, a purple aura extruding off him. Bril feels her body tense up for no apparent reason, causing her to pull out her musket and loading it up with elemental bullets. 
:Bril: (thinking to herself) Hm, seems like you have some kind of emotional charge around you… which means I'm gonna have to keep it mostly ranged.
Bril jumps back and fires a freezing bullet that freezes Eric in place. Bril quickly dashes forward, slamming her fist infused with dark energy to throw him back. It shatters the ice but a ghostly coffin captures her.
:Bril: Ah!
Bril's coffin spins around in the space before suddenly releasing her into the air.
:Bril: Woah!
Bril acts quickly, releasing a cloud of ash underneath her which does nothing against Eric due to him wearing shades. She lands on the ground again to see Eric summoning more ghostly coffins around him in a circle.
:Bril: Well, that didn't work, huh?
Bril fires off an earth bullet that hits Eric, encapsulating Eric in a dirt ball. Bril rapidly kicks at the dirt ball, rolling Eric towards the ring out line. Eric squirms, the dirt losening around him, breaking away completely just inches from the ringout line, his aura back in full power. Bril jumps back.
Bril grunts as Eric dashes towards her.
:Eric: You might got more tools, but I got you where I want you now- unsure of what exactly your next move will be.
Bril smirks. Eric attempts to raise a bunch of ghostly coffins from the ground, Bril rolling and dashing across the ground, barely missing them.
:Eric: Come on…
Bril suddenly kicks the air as a ghostly coffin rises from the ground.
:Bril: PREDICTABO!
The ghostly coffin hits Eric, entrapping him in his own coffee. Bril proceeds to kick at the ghostly coffin, causing it to spin past the ring out line from the sheer force of winds. However, Eric isn't out yet…
:Bril: Come on…
:Marco: Eric is this close from losing the match! If he steps out of line or hits the wall, it's over!
Eric emerges from the coffin slowly, having full control over it, of course, jumping just inches away from the ring out line. Bril quickly turns her back to him and then charges dark energy in her hand.
:Bril: DARK PUNCH!
Bril lands a fast Inverted Dark Punch, doubling the power of her original punch, sending Eric flying just past the ring out line.
:Eric: Aw man. Thought I could get a quick reversal there, but you must have seen that coming, huh?
:Bril: Didn't need future vision when you only have one trick. Admittedly, it's a good one… but if you didn't toy with it at first, you absolutely could have gotten me. Come on, I'll get you some scotch for it.
Eric smokes from an e-cigarette.
:Eric: Nah… I don't need more addictions. A pretzel will do fine.
===Ruby Glaes vs Netnu===
Netnu stands by the sidelines, glancing over to Unten, who is resting back.
:Netnu: Cheater.
Netnu growls as he looks at him while Viven La Vida taps him on the shoulder.
:Viven La Vida: Hey, you need to get ready.
:Netnu: Sure. I'll do that.
Netnu looks over to his opponent.
:Netnu: Am I fighting a kid?
----
:Marco: Here comes the next contestants, Ruby Glaes vs Netnu!
Ruby Glaes walks out, her hands nervously wrapped around her ruby scythe.
:Marco: This is Ruby Glaes, a 16 year old girl with the power of a red crystal that allows her to exert in the form of energy. She is a capacitor that can use various crystals to gain powers to attack.
Netnu stomps onto the field, glancing up at Drago Napoleon inside his viewing box. He then looks over to Ruby Glaes.
:Marco: This is Netnu, a Beorn from Zeon, the same place Unten's from. Formerly known as Kaio, he turned his name as a statement against Unten- while they mended a relationship for a while, Netnu has since turned against Unten again after more poor decision making- I don't necessarily support this editorializing, it's just what Netnu gave us as his statement...
:Netnu: I'll try and make this quick for you. I'm only here to fight one person and it ain't you.
Ruby glances at Netnu and readies her scythe.
:Ruby: If you think this is gonna be an easy fight, you thought wrong.
:Netnu: Kid, you're 16. You don't know anything.
Netnu fires off a jet of flame from one of his robotic limbs.
:Netnu: But if you want to dance, be my guest.
Ruby transforms into red mist and moves a short distance before slashing forward with her scythe. Netnu blocks it with his golden arms, pushing her back.
:Ruby: Ugh!
Ruby rolls across the ground as Netnu doesn't even do anything to fight her.
:Netnu: You wanna keep going? Because this will end poorly for you.
Ruby grits her teeth.
:Ruby: Mister, I don't know what your beef with Unten is, but I'm your opponent right now. I wouldn't underestimate me!
Ruby holds out her palm.
:Ruby: Rocket Nova!
Crystalline, ruby rockets shoot off from her hand. Netnu spins upwards with flames surrounding him, causing the rockets to explode early- and the shrapnel being burned in the flames. Netnu lands directly in front of Ruby, walking towards her intimidatingly.
:Netnu: It's probably not a good idea to tell your opponents what you're going to attack with, especially if they've got a screen embedded in their eye that tells them exactly what that move is going to do.
Netnu taps his right eye. Ruby swings her scythe towards him, but he catches it.
:Netnu: I vastly outpower you.
:Ruby: Crystaliser!
Ruby jumps back, her tippie toes barely against the ring out line as a red bomb goes off, freezing Netnu in red crystals. She quickly teleports as red mist, getting behind him as she swings back her scythe. Netnu breaks out from the crystalline prison, growling.
:Netnu: Turns out you did have a plan. Thing is… is that enough?
Netnu fires off an explosive orb from his hand as he runs towards her. A giant flaming sword emerges from one of his hands as he fires off an explosive projectile that drops down to the ground, causing Ruby to be launched into the air. The flaming sword and Ruby's scythe clash against each other.
:Ruby: Sponge Shield!
The flaming sword's flames disappear as a crystalline shield appears around Ruby. Ruby glows with ruby-covered flames, representing the energy she just took from the attack. Ruby jumps up in the air again as a crystal spawns and drops to the ground, exploding into shards.
:Netnu: Agh!
Ruby glides around with ruby wings, before slamming her legs into his face. Netnu growls as he grabs her leg and then proceeds to swing her, throwing her past the ring-out line.
:Ruby: Aw…
Netnu breathes heavily, before calming himself by breathing in and out.
:Marco: Netnu wins the round!
Ruby walks over to Netnu.
:Ruby: So… did I give you a good fight or not?
:Netnu: You did surprise me a bit, so I guess so.
Ruby grins as Netnu retreats back to his seat.
===Strafe vs Glenn===
A woman in black armor with green glowing lines across it rests atop a beam, watching the police chase after a gorilla. A voice rings into her ear piece.
:Voice: Nion. Do you understand what happens if Strafe wins this battle and continues further into the tournament?
:Nion: Yes. Snipe him point-blank range, killing him.
:Voice: Do you understand what will happen if you fail?
:Nion: I think I have an idea, yes.Bunch of your goons come to chop me up.
:Voice: Glad we have an understanding. Now watch closely…
Nion sighs as she does, through the scope of her sniper rifle.
----
:Marco: Up next, Strafe vs. Glenn!
Strafe walks up, unassuming-looking, glancing out at the crowd.
:Marco: Strafe is a former thief and assassin that has since been a major force for change alongside the Fantendo Firehouse. Hailing from Noah, Strafe is technically half god, owing to his mother Palutena.
:Strafe: Mm.
Glenn cracks his knuckles as he gets onto the stage.
:Marco: Glenster 'Navy' Salt, or just Glenn, was born in Bridged, Nexonation, being a reincarnation of a legendary warrior. He and his friends went on a journey to stop the reincarnation of a spirit called Arsis.
:Strafe: Oh, so you've got a legacy you can't escape either?
:Glenn: What does that mean?
:Strafe: Well, I'm born from a god, and you're…
Glenn hits Strafe with a bat, which causes Strafe to stumble over.
:Glenn: Hey next time, remember you're in a fight if you want to chit chat.
Strafe rubs his cheek in pain before performing a spin kick that knocks Glenn down.
:Strafe: I wouldn't get too cocky if I were you.
Glenn fires off an ice bullet from his fingers, grazing Strafe on the side of his hip. Strafe winces as he kicks Glenn away, healing his wounds with light magic.
:Glenn: (to himself) Gotta be mindful of my limit…
Strafe unpins a blue grenade and throws it over to Glenn's area. Glenn uses the ground to create an elevated pillar from under the grenade, causing it to explode harmlessly in a bunch of smoke. Glenn looks around, the air becoming covered in fog as Strafe emerges from a portal of light and kicks Glenn in the back, causing him to fall back.
:Glenn: Ack! You're a cheeky fighter, ain't ya?
Strafe shrugs as he unpins a light green grenade and drops it, walking back away from the battle. Glenn immediately rolls away from the grenade and fires at it with an ice bullet. causing it to not go off, but spit out sticky goo out randomly. Glenn groans as it gets on him, looking disgusted.
:Glenn: Ugh…
Strafe': Power of Spectrum Laser Disruption!
Strafe unleashes a powerful laser from his position, side stepping as it continues from the same point.
:Glenn: Mystical Shield!
Glenn is covered in a large shield made of magic, grunting as it disperses across the shield, but not entering inside due to it's magical nature. Strafe pulls out his Desert Eagle, firing bullets at the shield, which causes Glenn to take half of the damage from the bullets, grunting as his body is starting to get covered in small bruises.
:Glenn: Black hole!
Glenn hoists out his hand, creating a black hole and jumping back, The bullets get sucked into the small black hole, but Strafe doesn't even bother to stop shooting. Glenn is curious as to why, but doesn't question it as the black hole closes and Strafe's crosshairs are still aimed at him.
:Glenn: Feel like a gun shouldn't be legal in this kind of fight!
:Strafe: If projectiles are allowed, why not bullets? Especially if you can take it…
Glenn throws up another mystical shield, grunting as more bruises cover his body.
:Glenn: (to himself) I'm gonna have to keep spending brain power to guard against him… and I don't really think I can afford to do that…
Glenn grunts as he looks at his options, still guarding against attacks against Strafe.
:Glenn: Mystical Angel!
Glenn shatters the Mystical Shield, growing angelic wings as his wounds heal instantly and the bullets have no effect on him. Strafe grins, which confuses Glenn.
:Strafe: It's pretty hot out, isn't it?
:Glenn: What?
Strafe pulls out another gun, this time with a cyan color, and fires at Glenn, freezing him with icy jets of mist.
:Strafe: You might have ice bullets, but I have a Winter Eagle.
Glenn grunts as he struggles to move. Strafe rests his foot atop him as he puts away his two guns.
:Marco: 5…
:Glenn: Damn it! Let me move!
:Marco: 4....
:Strafe: You see, I knew about your weakness.
:Marco: 3…
:Strafe: You're using brain power for your attacks. That comes in a limited supply. And you wouldn't have much to train with, huh?
:Marco: 2…
:Strafe: I noticed you were trying to use your attacks conservatively. I needed you to get out of that mindset.
:Marco: 1…
:Glenn: So… you made me use my special attacks like that to guard against your own.
:Marco: 0! Strafe wins!
:Strafe: Pretty much. I wasn't expecting you to go full angel like that, though.
Glenn breaks out from the ice, sighing as his angel wings fade.
:Glenn: How did you get that many bullets though?
:Strafe: Those are hard light projections from my powerset.
Strafe steps off him.
:Strafe: Truth was, those couldn't kill you.
Glenn sighs.
:Glenn: That's why you could use guns, huh?
:Strafe: Right.
Strafe helps Glenn up, a bullet whizzing just past his head. Strafe touches the back of his head and shrugs as he disappears through a light portal.
===Quartz vs Aero===
Quartz is walking from the stands, passing by Unten.
:Unten: Hey, before you go!
Quartz stops to look at him, causing him to get up and stand on the edge of his feet to kiss her cheek. Quartz blushes and giggles.
:Unten: Good luck!
----
:Marco: Please welcome our next contestants, Quartz vs Aero!
Quartz floats over to the tournament ground, levitating as she spins around with her tail flailing out.
:Marco: Quartz, formerly known as Six, is an alien who you know as the one that fought Unten so many years ago in the Broken Jaw pit. She has since reformed and fought against The Threat, helping put a major stop to her destroying the Earth.
:Quartz: I really should have written my own bio… there's some stuff I'd really like to forget.
Aero descends down, wind pushing against Quartz. Aero folds her arms.
:Marco: Aero is a Misfit with the ability to control the wind. She helped take down the Parasites and the organization known as E.N,D.O with her friend-turned-lover Beam.
Quartz keeps floating, moving from the perimeter of the arena. Aero moves towards the center, wind wrapping around her in a 10 foot radius.
:Quartz: An air shield. Interesting strategy. Keeps the projectiles at bay.
:Aero: Hah, thanks!
Aero sends it out in the form of a vortex, which Quartz dodges with little effort. Quartz dashes towards Aero, causing Aero to put up a wind barrier that barely stops Quartz.
:Quartz: You think wind's gonna stop me?
Quartz laughs to herself as she slams Aero with her tail, putting her into the air. Aero pushes out a huge burst of air to keep herself into the air. Quartz's claws heat up as she spins through the air, hitting Aero multiple times, causing her to fall towards the ground.
:Aero: Ah!
Aero creates a gust of wind to cushion her fall. Quartz fires lasers from her eyes, which Aero diverts the energy from with powerful gusts of wind.
:Aero: You're pretty tough, jeez!
Quartz drops to the ground and attacks with a claw uppercut. Aero winces as she's hit.
:Quartz: Flattery won't get you anywhere.
Aero smirks.
:Aero: But wind…
Aero blasts a huge burst of air, sending Quartz flying far, slamming into the arena wall. She's past the ring-out line, grunting as she pops off from the wall, preparing to strike back.
:Marco: The winner is Aero!
Quartz stops. She takes a long sigh.
:Aero: Sorry Quartz… didn't mean anything by it. Just a competition, that's all!
Quartz nods slowly.
:Quartz: Yeah… just a competition.
===Zambja Eebra vs Lucky Veridan===
Quartz sits back down, kind of disappointed in herself as she sits next to Unten.
:Unten: It's okay…
:Lucky: Just some bad luck, that's all! You let yourself get too close to the ground and you paid the price for it… it's alright.
Lucky scratches his head.
:Lucky: I think I'm up next, hah.
Lucky nervously laughs as Unten hugs Quartz closely.
----
:Marco: Please welcome our next set of fighters, Zambja Eebra vs Lucky Veridan!
Zambja crawls on all fours, glancing at the large crowd. She pokes the lotus flower in the center.
:Marco: Zambja Eebra is a wild woman with the powers of magnesis and the ability to produce elements of ice and fire. She was recruited by the up and coming CHELPRO, an organization dedicated to creating the superheroes of the future. They also happen to be sponsoring the event, just thought I should disclose that…
Lucky nervously steps forward, scratching at his ear.
:Marco: And this is Lucky Veridian, an unlucky… green cat? Kudos on breaking the stereotype, I guess. He has the power of manipulating darkness. He fought against a powerful group of sorcerers known as the Omnis Clan.
:Lucky: Hah, that's me…
Lucky immediately is tackled by Zambja Eebra, grunting as he pushes her off him.
:Lucky: Get off me!
Zambja grins as she slams her hands into the ground, creating a trail of flame and ice from her hands that spreads out. Lucky is caught between two barriers, nervously looking at both.
:Lucky: Ahh…
Lucky looks back and forth- his only way out is through the ring out line or through an increasingly maniac Zambja.
:Zambja: PREY! FIGHT OR FLIGHT!
Lucky covers himself, before snapping to a realization.
:Lucky: Wait…
Lucky sinks into his own shadow and teleports past the flame wall.
:Lucky: Hah!
Lucky runs his claw over his bell, releasing a powerful sound wave that breaks through the ice wall and slams into Zamja, who's knocked back a bit. She gets back on her feet, chasing after Lucky.
:Lucky: Uh oh!
Zambja spreads out her palms, pulling Lucky's bell towards her, with a force that causes him to be dragged alongside him. He chokes slightly at the force, quickly taking off his collar.
:Zambra: BELL…
Zambra plays with it for a bit before throwing it past the ring out line, running on all fours towards Lucky. Lucky jumps up, firing a Sombra Bullet from his chest and into Zambra's back, which slams Zambra into the ground and halts her running.
:Lucky: Here comes a Twisted Dive!
Lucky twists his body as he drills Zambra into the ground with his feet. Zambra is actually stuck in the ground now.
:Marco: 5…
:Zambra: OFF!!!
:Marco: 4…
:Zambra: OFF!!! BEFORE I BITE YOU!!!
Lucky nervously stares at Zambra as the ground flares up with ice and fire on both sides of him.
:Marco: 3!
:Zambra: OFF ME!!!
Lucky releases a blast of inky darkness, keeping Zambra down even longer.
:Marco: 2!
:Lucky: Come on…
:Zambra: GET OFF!!!
Zambra thrashes violently in the black goo as Lucky continues to keep her pinned down.
:Macro: 1!
:Zambra: AGHH!!!
:Marco: 0!
Zambra lays in defeat, grunting as Lucky goes to grab his collar.
:Lucky: Whew…
Myortia leans against the railing in the crowd.
:Myortia: Good job out there, Lucky!
:Lucky: Hah… thanks.
Two people in the crowd shake their heads. It's CHELPRO's two founders, Anatoly and Veronika Morozov.
:Anatoly: Hmm. Perhaps looking for raw power isn't the best recourse to take…
:Veronika: Well, she was barely coherent- almost outright feral.
:Anatoly: Yes, but the raw power should have easily defeated that green cat… not a good look at all.
:Veronika: Well, that's something to take notes from, huh?
===Hama vs Chiamomo===
Unten glances at Mynis, who's biting into a Blump. He looks at Quartz and then gets up.
:Unten: This'll be real quick, I'll be right back.
Quartz nods as Unten walks towards Mynis.
:Unten: Where did you get that?
:Mynis: Get what?
:Unten: The blump.
:Mynis: Oh, this thing? I grow em on my Earth.
:Unten: I don't think I've had these in like, literal years. You mind sparing me one?
:Mynis: Oh, I'll give you a whole seed packet with that too! Anything to help my fellow selves out, you know!
:Unten: Hah, right.
Unten picks up a seed packet and puts it in his subspace storage, holding a Blump fruit in his hand. He bites into it.
:Unten: Huh. Remember it not being as… sweet.
:Mynis: I dunno man, I've been eating Blumps since my Zeon blew up, I think your Blumps are just less tasty because I'm obviously from the prime universe.
:Unten: Mm… that's a problematic concept but alright…
----
Hama steps out onto the arena ground, well before she's supposed to. Marco scrambles to the mic.
:Marco: Please give it up for our next set of competitors, Hama vs Chiamomo!
Hama smirks as Chiamomo hops onto the arena ground.
:Marco: Hama, also known by her full name of Hinata von Brandt, is of Draconian royalty- not that it matters much, since she's also one of the last ones currently alive. A seemingly immortal assassin now, she's unsure of how to move on with her life, even with some things figured out.
Hama bows in an ironic way as Chiamomo stares up at her- being much tinier than her.
:Marco: Chiamomo is a small Dolluhan with the ability to shapeshift her hands and legs into weapons. She is the partner of Mindy Starlane, and apparently can only say the word "Chiamomo". That's also the only thing she wrote on her form, so we had to pull information from other sources…
:Chiamomo: Chiamomo…
:Marco: Anyway, go! You seemed impatient for this… I should stress to future competitors that you should wait for your cue...
Hama spits at that statement before dashing with her draconian wings unfurled. Chiamomo forms her hand into a gatling gun, firing soft bullets that bounce off Hama but still distract her off the path to her opponent.
:Chiamomo: Chiamomo!
:Hama: Shut up!
Hama launches into a flurry of flame infused punches, causing Chiamomo to form a shield with their hands to guard against the attack.
:Chiamomo: Chiamomo… Chiamomo…
:Hama: Goddamn it, shut the hell up!
:Marco: Language, Hama.
:Hama: Oh what, I gotta keep it clean for you? At your corporate sponsored event against a little bitch that can't say anything beyond her own name?
:Marco: Don't make install the language barrier…
:Hama: And what would that be?
Chiamomo strikes Hama with a sword to the rib, causing her to grunt before delivering a grab and throw to Chiamomo, throwing her far away, not close enough to the ring out line but still creating a fair amount of distance away from her and Chiamomo.
:Marco: We put up a bubble shield and play music while your speech and sounds are muted for both the audience at home and here.
:Hama: Hmm… not sure if I'm doing people a favor with shutting this little thing up or doing a disservice to them by making them unable to hear my beautiful voice.
Hama poses sarcastically.
:Hama: I'll keep it clean for you…
Hama throws a small orb projectile at Chiamomo, who is currently running towards her, blowing it up directly into her face and causing her to blow back even further.
:Hama: It's not like this match is really going to go on further!
Hama dashes forward at Chiamomo, who decides to change up their strategy by forming one of their limbs into a giant baseball bat, swinging at Hama, which ends up being pretty effective, slamming her towards the ring out line- only caught by the drag of her wings as she makes an effort to stand up right in the air.
:Chiamomo: Chiamomo!
:Hama: Getting really sick of you!
Hama breathes out a fireball from her mouth as Chiamomo bats it back with her bat hand. This further infuriates Hama, who just keeps throwing projectiles her way.
:Hama: Strike out, you little…
Hama grips the back of her hair, catching herself about to swear.
:Hama: Right, I'm cool. I'm cool…
Lynna watches from the crowd, gripping the railing.
:Lynna: Get a GRIP, girl!
Hama looks back at her girlfriend before focusing back on her opponent, who's shaking their bat hand as if they're ready to hit a home run.
:Chiamomo: Chiamomo… chiamomo….
:Hama: Get a grip… get a grip…
Hama dashes forward towards Chiamomo, dodging her swings by shifting her wings and gripping her by the head with a partially transformed dragonic arm. She quickly punts her into the air and transforms fully into a dragon, breathing a burst of flames before slamming her into the ring-out line with a whipping attack via her tail.
:Draconic Hama: Eat it!
Chiamomo slams out of bounds, causing the bell to whistle as Hama drops down to her human form.
:Marco: Hama wins!
Chiamomo pushes itself up, shaking Hama's hand to the best of it's ability.
:Chiamomo: Chiamomo…
:Hama: Chiamomo to you too, buddy.
===Fera vs Storm===
Fera readies her spear, recollecting herself. Aurora sits next to her, holding her shoulder.
:Fera: Honey, I'm fine.
:Aurora: Yeah, but didn't the Threat's goons do something weird to you?
:Fera: I don't… really remember that?
Fera shrugs.
:Fera: It seemed to be some kind of object inside me, it's not like you don't have weird things on your body. What's the point of the…
Fera taps the device at the side of Aurora's head, before shrugging and kissing Fera on the lips.
:Fera: Hurry back into the audience seats sweetie, I'm gonna fight for you.
Aurora blushes as she runs off, Fera swinging her spear as she prepares for her battle.
----
:Marco: Here comes our next set of competitors, Fera vs. Storm!
Fera hits the ground with her spear tip, readying her shield.
:Marco: Fera is a mysterious woman who isn't quite sure where she's from beyond faint memories, like scars. She uses a spear and shield to fight with, and she has military training of sorts.
:Fera: I just wish I had more to give them…
Fera watches as Storm steps on the opposite side of the arena.
:Marco: Storm is a female cyborg who wanted to stop something known as the KillGames in her universe from it's senseless violence. We assured her that nobody was gonna die, this was for fun, but she is rather serious most of the time.
:Storm: Let's have a good fight, yeah?
:Fera: Yeah!
Fera and Storm dash towards each other. Storm spins rapidly with her arms outstretched, spinning her plasma blades towards Fera. Fera guards and then finds a quick opening to hit Storm with her spear. She then jumps back.
:Fera: Whew!
Storm's plasma swords slam against the plasma tip of Fera's spear, Fera grunting as the bright lights hit her face.
:Fera: Agh!
Storm slams her plasma sword into Fera's feet, causing her to fall over. Storm attempts to do a pin but Fera rolls over and trips Storm with her ion shield. She breathes erratically.
:Fera: Keep it together…
Storm lunges forward with an energy shield appearing before her, which takes Fera by surprise, causing her spear to snap out of her hands and pushing her back towards the ring out line.
:Storm: Hah!
Storm launches Fera off with the shield, causing her to near the ring out line. Storm holds out one of her plasma swords, charging it up. Fera holds her shield as she attempts to dodge any upcoming attack by rolling repeatedly away from the ring out line. Storm launches an energy pulse at Fera, which causes a huge flash of light as it hits Fera's shield. Fera's breathing becomes a lot more erratic.
:Fera: What the…
Fera's arms become covered in orange aura, which glows rapidly as it covers Fera.
:Fera: What's happening...?
Fera bursts out from her original armor and new armor forms over her, becoming sleek and monochromatic. She holds a long naginata in her hand.
:Storm: A transformation?
Fera has become Ultimate Fera, breathing out heavily, unsure of what's happening, attacking Storm with a flurry of flying naginata blades. She slams her shield down to create a large energy shield that pushes forward out, sliding Storm all the way over to the other edge of the arena ground, nearing towards the end of the ring out line.
:Storm: FERA!
Storm puts up a shield against Ultimate Fera's naginata storm. Ultimate Fera barely seems in control, her eyes looking spaced out. Storm fires an energy blast directly into her face, causing her to wince from the bright light.
:Storm: Fera…?
Ultimate Fera falls to her knees, reverting back to her normal form as Storm grabs her, taking a step over the ring out line to do so.
:Marco: Fera wins…? Is she okay?
Fera suddenly snaps awake, Storm helping her up.
:Fera: Whu…?
:Storm: You okay?
:Fera: Yeah, something just… snapped… like I had a ton of "drive" I didn't have before…
:Storm: That was scary… don't do that again…
:Fera: I don't even know how… how I did that…
===Toso Musuko vs Makara===
The Shōri, minus Toso, are gathered near the Fantendo Firehouse group in the crowd, glancing down.
:Obena: Excited to see Tōsō fight?
:Hinata: Not particularly, no…
:Über: Why would I be excited for this jerk?
:Kimi: I mean, he's hot, but he's out of control lately.
Obena sinks back.
:Obena: I would hope my teammates would have my back if I decided to fight…
:Guadalupe: How come I never see you fight then? Like, you're always hanging back with Nycho doing whatever dumb nonssnse adventure you two find each other in for the week…
:Obena: I have different priorities! If push came to shove, I'd throw myself out there. I prefer not to fight… you didn't have a problem with NULL deciding to not fight at all, at least I'm open to it if I'm actually needed.
:Kimi: Tōsō's just… scary out there. I feel like I don't even know him anymore with the training he's put himself through.
Hinata holds Kimi closely.
:Hinata: He just needs to get it out of his system...
----
:Marco: Please welcome our next set of opponents… Tōsō Musuko vs. Makara!
Tōsō grunts as he gets on the stage. His hands are covered in dark magic that bleeds down the popped veins of his hands.
:Marco: Tōsō Musuko is a… former? member of the Japanese mafia known as the Yakuza, having a deep loyalty to whichever group he's apart of. He uses his dark magic and katana in synch with each other, using them to take down cosmic threats that threaten his country.
Tōsō grunts as his opponent floats onto the stage, taking off the cloak covering him in a dramatic way. It's Makara.
:Marco: Makara, formerly known as Bermuda Beast, formerly known as Former Four, is a former member of the Threat's Top 10. He worked with the Misfits in the past, albeit under not the best circumstances. He's changed much like Quartz has, fighting for justice.
Aero squints at Makara from the sidelines.
:Aero: Yeah right…
Tōsō immediately takes off, slamming his fingers into Makara's metallic face. The fact it doesn't even dig that deep doesn't seem to bother Tōsō, as Makara is taken aback a bit and is slammed into the ground, being attacked with dark energy attacks that claw and rip at Makara.
:Makara: What the f-
Makara shrieks in pain as Tōsō pulls at the black segments holding up his arms. Makara bites his neck, kneeing multiple times in the stomach.
:Tōsō: You think you can outpace my pure violence attacks?
Tōsō pulls out his katana, which glows with dark energy.
:Tōsō: This will cut through your metal body like it was nothing.
:Marco: I think I need to remind the opponents that their goal is not to horribly maim their opponents…
Tōsō throws the katana away, slamming down a squirming Makara.
:Tōsō: Pinning! Count it.
:Marco: 5…
Makara makes desperate struggles to move, his body creating a mess of illusions around Tōsō that has no effect on him. Tōsō's palm surges with dark energy.
:Marco: 4…
:Makara: AGHHHHH!!!
Makara screeches mechanically in pain as Tōsō's fingers burn with dark flames, heating up hotly against his skin.
:Marco: 3…
:Tōsō: Rghhh…
:Marco: 2…
Makara manages to finally break free by ripping directly under the ground with his shoulders, gripping his staff to strike Tōsō with electricity.
:Tōsō: Agh!
Makara creates a dozen clones of himself, which rotate around Tōsō. Tōsō growls as he tries to discern the real one.
:Tōsō: Stop hiding behind your mist… FIGHT ME!
Tōsō punches at the illusions, causing them to disperse. The real Makara delivers a swift kick to Tōsō, which sends him flying back. He zaps him with electricity, Tōsō starting to bleed from the mouth.
:Makara: Oh shit, dude... you okay?
Tōsō laughs as he bleeds, slamming his fists into him as his wounds begin to slowly heal with his dark magic. Makara swings his staff directly into his stomach, sending him continually flying back as he keeps running back to fight Makara.
:Makara: Yo… calm down…
Tōsō grips Makara's arms and slams him into the ground, kicking him multiple times.
:Tōsō: I'm going to f***ing end you!
Makara just gets annoyed, slamming his staff into Tōsō's chest, zapping it at full voltage, causing him to fly back. Makara proceeds to kick him near the ring out line, only for Tōsō to grab his leg and slamming him into the ground.
:Makara: Can't say you… don't… have stamina…
Makara coughs as he slams his foot into Tōsō, causing him to stumble over the ring out line. Makara lays over, completely exhausted, rubbing the ident marks that Tōsō burned into him.
:Marco: Makara wins!
:Makara: God… hopefully that's the worst of it…
Tōsō slams his fist into the wall, shattering some of the rock. He goes back to the sidelines.
===Reten vs Plum===
Reten fishes out his old flyer of the World Tournament announcement, before eying Spree and Plum.
:Reten: So, here we are, huh?
Reten grunts as he gets up.
:Reten: And here I come…
Cardinal stares weirdly at him as Reten makes his way to the stage
:Cardinal: Who are you talking to?
----
:Marco: Please welcome our next contestants! Reten vs. Plum!
Reten stretches out as he holds out his guns, making shooty noises with his mouth.
:Reten: Bang! Bang! Don't worry folks, these are rubber. Don't work yourself into a shoot like Glenn did earlier with them hard light bullets.
Glenn glares from the sidelines as Plum gets up, lifting her hammer over her shoulder.
:Marco: Reten is an alternate version of Unten from a universe where he destroyed his whole universe. However, he did take down an arguably greater threat known as The Tragedy. His gung-ho attitude makes him quite the unique version of Unten. In fact, it's hard to find many similarities between the two, but he likes to stand out.
:Plum: Hey Reten, let's see how well you trained…
:Marco: Plum is a Beorn that escaped from Zeon and crashed in New Mexico. She has an optimistic personality and a hammer. She hasn't ever accepted the destruction of Zeonand works for a private military company known as the Launch Kraken Coalition.
Unten looks confusingly at her before just sitting back in his bench.
:Unten: There are way more survivors than I would have given credit for...
Plum slams the hammer into the ground as she twists her body upperwards into the sky, pulling her hammer with her. Reten fires at her from above with the rubber bullets before turning his body intangible with his Galvan Earring.
:Reten: Eheheh! Literally can't touch this, huh?
Reten winces involuntarily as Plum pulls the hammer back, preparing to swing it as Reten fires from his twin guns Sol and Heartbreaker to keep her at a distance before turning himself tangible and spinning up into the air, continuing to fire. Plum kicks the ground, creating a giant rock pillar that slams into Reten from below.
:Reten: Gaddamm!
Reten stumbles from the top of the rock pillar, grunting as he tries not to fall off. Plum kicks the ground under her, creating another rock pillar from the ground and then proceeds to jump with the additional momentum launching her high into the air. She twists while in the air and slams down her hammer onto Reten, crashing him deeply into the rock pillar.
:Reten: Fack!
:Plum: I got you on the rope, huh?
:Reten: What rope, what the hell are you talking about?
:Plum: Language, Reten…
:Reten: Right, my bad…
Reten kicks her in the head, causing her to slam into the rock pillar across from them.
:Reten: Let's kick this up a notch…
Reten taps his Cyrium shoulder plate, causing it to move onto his torso amd arms.
:Cyrium Armor: At 25%.
:Reten: Heh heh.
A loud whirring noise can be heard as the rock pillar starts to shake.
:Reten: What the…
Plum can be seen below, attacking the pillar with holographic drills from her Zeonian Mining Gauntlets.
:Reten: Hey, quit it! I'm gonna fall up here!
:Plum: That's the plan!
Reten growls as he drops down, tapping his armor as it expands across his body and creates pauldrons..
:Cyrium Armor: At 50%.
Reten slams onto Plum on the head, pinning her down.
:Reten: Stay down!
:Plum: That doesn't work, you know!
Plum slams Reten in the face with her elbow, getting up and slashing him with her holographic claws from her Zeonian Digging Gauntlets.
:Reten: Where did you get those things? Not that I want them, I'm just curious.
:Plum: Yeah, you would like to know.
:Reten: What is that supposed to mean?
Reten just fires Sol and Heartbreaker, growling as Plum wall jumps between the two rock pillars.
:Plum: You're getting slower, Reten…
Reten grunts as he tries to move up his heavier arms faster.
:Reten: Luckily for you, I got a form that'll fix that right up!
Reten slashes a X over his Cyrium chestplate, growing larger and glowing a dark blue as his arms transform into blades.
:Cyrium Armor: At 50. Blade Mode EX activated.
:Plum: Oh damn, you're bringing that out?
:Reten: Language, Plum…
Reten smirks like a jackass, before getting hit straight in the face with a rock.
:Plum: Shut up, dummy. Anyway, I dunno why'd you use this form against me…
:Reten: It's faster, stupid!
Reten slams his blades into Plum, causing her to erect rock walls to stop him. She then jumps up with her Zeonian Mining Gauntlet, twisting around as she slashes at Reten, which proves to be surprisingly effective.
:Reten: Ack! What?
Reten groans as he reverts back to regular 50% Cyrium Armor form.
:Cyrium Armor: At 50%.
:Reten: Shut up! I knew adding a voice into this was a bad idea!
Plum slams the head of her hammer into Reten at full force, causing him to crash into the tournament wall.
:Plum: Yah!
Reten groans as he gets up from the wall.
:Reten: How come those Zeonian Mining Gauntlets were so effective, huh?
:Plum: They… they use light to project the claws, Reten. Light is the weakness of EX Energy… did… did you not know that?
:Reten: Well, no need to make me feel stupid.
:Plum: Eh, maybe you can get back through the redemption rounds.
:Reten: Yeah… maybe.
Reten grunts as he gets up.
:Reten: Gonna need to rest a little bit…
===Bang Crimson vs Rachel===
Bang Crimson's Crimson Rings flare up as she tests them.
:Sari: Hey, you're up! Get out there.
:Bang: Yeah, in a second…
Bang twists the knob a bit more, getting to low flame with the Crimson Rings before shutting it off, walking off.
----
:Marco: Please welcome our last set of competitors for Round 1! It's Bang Crimson vs. Rachel Harel!
Bang glances at Rachel as Rachel puts on her Zeonian Shielding Gauntlets.
:Marco: Bang is a motorcycle racer and a fighter, being a stand-out in both of these thrill-seeking sports. She's a dynamic superstar, but her origins are rather humble- she was raised by a couple to fight off invaders and deliver for errands. She is famed for her Dynamo Knuckles, a device that allows her to channel Red Energy into her punches and kicks, and throughout her whole body. Today at the World Tournament however, she is utilizing a new version of the Dynamo Knuckles called the Crimson Rings!
Bang poses dynamically for the audience, flaring up her Crimson Crings. Rachel looks ready to battle.
:Marco: Rachel Harel is a fairly average human, although she has been through a lot due to her close ties with the Beorn known as Unten, rescuing him from the crash in Noah. She has become a fighter in her own right, using motorcycles and her Zeonian Shielding Gauntlets to fight. Once a register woman at the gas station, now a famed hero!
Rachel lets out a large sigh.
:Rachel: Do you wanna do this?
:Bang: What?
:Rachel: I didn't think we would have to fight like this.
:Bang: The bracket is random, Rachel. Even then, what if we won our battles and met each other through that? It's good to get out of the way now…
:Rachel: What, so you can move onto the next thing just as fast?
Rachel takes a step forward.
:Bang: What?
:Rachel: I dunno, it always feels like I'm some fleeting thing for you despite the fact you wanted to get together…
:Marco: You two were a thing? Uh… okay…
:Rachel: Shut up, Marco!
:Marco: Focus on the fight…
Rachel growls as she looks at the announcer box.
:Rachel: Turn on the language barrier.
A bubble shield coats over the arena. Chatter spreads across the audience.
:Bang: Why do you feel like that?
:Rachel: Oh, I dunno. Maybe it's because you left for like a week and only came back for this. Your communication has been like, nothing? You didn't really seem to care for NULL back then or now?
:Bang: She's an adult, Rachel, you need to let her be that-
:Rachel: Where would she even go? It's not like whoever made her wouldn't still be looking for her?
:Bang: She isn't your problem Rachel! You taught her everything you need her to know. You have a hard time letting it go because you want to be a mother.
Rachel snaps, running towards Bang to punch her in the face. Bang grunts as she staggers back.
:Bang: Right, forgot we're supposed to be fighting.
Bang slams Rachel in the stomach. Rachel staggers back a bit before putting up her holographic shields.
:Rachel: I never really got to be a mother. And your voice… you sound so repulsed by it…
:Bang: I don't want to have kids, Rachel.
:Rachel: You come from a family that adopted you and took you in! How can you say that?
Bang slams her fists against the Zeonian Shielding Gauntlets, growling as she tries to break through.
:Bang: I was left by my real mom and dad. I'm not suddenly into having kids because of my background, Rachel. For the longest time, I didn't even want to be born.
Bang slams the shields even more, causing Rachel to fly back as Red Energy bursts from her Crimson Rings. Rachel lands on her feet.
:Rachel: Well… I'm glad you were, at least.
:Bang: Thanks.
Bang sighs as she fixes her hair a little.
:Bang: Look, I thought getting together would be good for both of us because we seemed so similar, doing these fights and races together and it's not like we hadn't done stuff before we got together… but you changed slowly. You wanted stability in your life, you wanted to settle down… and I'm not about that.
:Rachel: Is it so bad to do that on top of what we do?
:Bang: It's a conflicting spirit, Rachel. You can't do one or the other. Eventually you chose.
:Rachel: So, what, you were just putting up with me until then? What are you trying to say?
:Bang: I'm trying to say that if you want to keep going with this whole home life thing, I don't think it's going to work out between us.
:Rachel: I guess you're right in that case…
Rachel just hangs her arms down.
:Rachel: God, I'm sorry you had to put up with me like that. Sure would have been nice to I dunno… get a notice of any kind? Even like, the tiniest indication you were unhappy?
:Bang: Oh, what, you're shifting the blame to me because you can't pick up on what I'm feeling?
Bang creates red energy blades from the tips of her knuckles.
:Bang: We're supposed to be fighting anyway… not like this, but, whatever.
Bang slams her foot into the ground and then makes a run for Rachel, which she blocks with her Zeonian Shielding Gauntlets, causing sparks to fly. She glances down and creates a shield platform under Bang, tilting it, causing her to fall to the floor.
:Rachel: I'm not trying to shift the blame to you.
Rachel pins her down, holding her wrists, causing Bang to writhe as Rachel holds her wrists so hard blood circulation is cut off.
:Rachel: I'm trying to say that maybe you should have…
:Marco: 5…
:Rachel: ...communicated more clearly so you didn't feel you wasted your time with me.
:Marco: 4…
:Bang: Well, I didn't feel like my time was wasted.
:Marco: 3…
:Bang: Do you?
:Marco: 2…
Rachel stays silent.
:Marco: 1…
Bang doesn't even bother to get up.
:Marco: Rachel Harel wins!
The bubble shield collapses as Rachel steps away from her. Bang rubs her wrists.
:Bang: You didn't have to squeeze that hard, but whateve, it's alright, we're both tense.
:Rachel: I think we're over, Bang.
:Marco: Think… think I'm out of the loop on something.
:Rachel: Hopefully you make it up in the redemption round or something. I don't deserve this win.
:Bang: Mm…
Rachel leaves, trying not to cry as Bang leaves, sighing heavily.
:Marco: That does it for the first round! Not sure what was going on there, but we'll be back in a moment after these sponsored messages!
==2nd Round==
===Redemption Free For All 1===
Drago watches as the final round concludes and turns his chair to find the odd-looking alien known as Jasper Jabberwocky twirling around and outstretching his hand.
:Drago: Jasper…
:Jasper: That's my name, don't wear it out!
:Drago: What do you want?
:Jasper: Oh, not much. I was just thinking of observing your little tournament for myself...
:Drago: I don't need you watching over my tournament.
:Jasper: I have to say, where on Earth did you manage to get all of these amazing people together like this?
:Drago: Eh, we sent out invites. It's nothing big. Whoever signed up, we let in. It was a pretty quick process.
:Jasper: Hmm… that seems like it could work, but I want as many different people as possible. Are you saying you just got lucky?
:Drago: Eh, I dunno about that…
:Jasper: Hmm… you don't seem very involved either… yes, this won't do. I'll be going now.
:Drago: Okay…
Jasper teleports out of the viewing box as Sari enters through the door.
:Drago: Where the hell were you? Jasper got in here.
:Sari: He did?
:Drago: Yeah… that charismatic gremlin. Make sure he doesn't get back in here. I think he's trying to spy on us for ideas for something else…
:Sari: That's some paranoid thinking from you, Mr. Napoleon.
:Drago: Yeah, probably…
Drago swings his chair around and rests his feet against the table.
:Drago: I just can't let people watch too closely...
----
:Marco: Welcome to our first redemption round! These redemption rounds feature a free for all featuring 8 of the losers from round 1!
:Umbra: I resent being called a loser, but alright, whatever I guess…
:Marco: Joining us in our first redemption round is Umbra Shader, Riddle, Silver Zin, Cardinal, Noora Natsumi, Mynis, Eric Riordan, and Ruby Glaes! They will all be fighting each other at the same time.
Mynis is munching on a Blump.
:Mynis: Sorry, I was not paying attention at all, what are we doing?
The bell sounds, signifying the fight has started. Umbra Shader elbows Silver Zin in the hip as he clashes against the scythe of Ruby Glaes.
:Umbra: Agh!
The two are propelled back as a release of energy causes them to fly back. Cardinal's open palm is pointed towards them before he closes it to reveal the Aries symbol on his hand.
:Cardinal: Nothing personal.
:Umbra: Yeah, I bet, edgelord.
:Cardinal: You're the one wearing all black and using a scythe…
:Umbra: Shut up!
:Mynis: Are we fighting each other? All at the same time?
Mynis is hit with a kunai to the neck as Noora rolls and then teleports behind Eric to choke him sneakily, as Riddle floats in a ghostly coffin that spins around aimlessly.
:Mynis: Hah!
Mynis pulls out the kunai, revealing it hit his belt.
:Mynis: Can't put out this everlasting flame!
Silver Zin hits Mynis with a Nerve Chopper projectile from the Mind Weaver, causing Mynis to fall to his knees, grunting in pain.
:Mynis: My body feels like it's being shredded from the inside!
:Silver: Yeah, that's why it's called Nerve Chopper, silly. Jeez, you Beorns aren't very bright, huh?
Silver is hit with a beam from Cardinal, transforming him momentarily into a Beorn.
:Silver: Oh cute, whose power is that?
:Cardinal: That's a new one from me, sorry.
Silver points his new stubs to him.
:Silver: You. I like you.
Noora kicks Silver in the head, with his lighter weight causing him to fly past the ring out line. He reverts back to his normal form, pouting.
:Marco: Silver has been eliminated! 7 left!
Noora scans the area, watching as Eric summons three coffins to trap Umbra, Ruby, and Cardinal in ghostly coffins. She watches as Eric moves them across the battlefield to ring them out, as Umbra helpless pounds on the ghostly coffin.
:Umbra: Let me out!
The coffin opens out, releasing Umbra out past the ring out line. Ruby dashes out of the coffin as red mist, managing not get ringed out. She spins her scythe quickly as Cardinal is dumped out past the ring out line.
:Marco: Umbra and Cardinal have been eliminated! 5 left!
Riddle grabs onto Ruby's scythe as Ruby attempts to shake him off, with Riddle slowly glowing red and his hands, feet, and tail glowing on fire.
:Marco: It appears the crystals on Ruby's scythe are close enough to a gemstone Riddle knows and he's become Burning Riddle!
:Eric: Well, no shit.
Noora dashes across the battlefield as Mynis squirms in pain.
:Mynis: Oh! Oh, I'm still in terrible, terrible pain!
Noora kicks him, rolling him past the ring out line.
:Marco: Mynis has been eliminated! 4 left!
Noora, Eric, Burning Riddle, and Ruby Glaes look at each other. Noora grunts as she turns into Nightless. Nightless dashes towards Eric, hitting him multiple times with her huge claws.
:Eric: Gah!
Eric nears the ring out line, summoning a ghost coffin to attempt to trap Nightless. Nightless uses her Night Dash to get free, spinning onto Eric to launch him past the ring-out line.
:Marco: Marco has been eliminated. Final 3!
Ruby and Burning Riddle have been attempting to hit each other while Noora and Eric have been fighting. Ruby swings her scythe at Burning Riddle, but Burning Riddle touches the scythe to heat it up. Ruby drops the scythe as the metal heats up, with Burning Riddle kicking her out from the ring out line.
:Marco: There goes Ruby! It's just Burning Riddle vs Nightless!
Nightless runs towards Burning Riddle and then proceeds to grab him and throws him towards the ring out line, nearing it close as Burning Riddle is buried into the ground. Nightless stands on Burning Riddle's legs as they squirm, Burning Riddle reverting to Riddle. Riddle spins his ears to get out.
:Nightless: Yah!
Nightless kicks Riddle in the face as he exits, slamming him past the ring outline. Nightless reverts back to Noora, cooling off her hands.
:Marco: The winner is Noora Natsumi! She will be continuing to Quarter Finals!
Noora bows as she teleports back to the sidelines. Unten is spooked by her sudden appearance.
:Unten: Jeez, warn a person when you're gonna appear next to them, huh?
:Noora: That defeats the whole point of being a ninja, Unten.
:Unten: Good point...
===Redemption Free For All 2===
Umbra sulks at the eliminated sideline opposite of the other contestants with the other 7 eliminated fighters.
:Umbra: Unbelievable… I can't even win in the past with a whole lifetime in the future? I should be outpacing these people for miles!
:Mynis: I hear ya… ahhh… these people pulled some kind of dirty trick to make my body fight against me… gack…
:Silver: The… the Nerve Chopper isn't supposed to last that long. I think you legit have stomach cramps.
:Ruby Glaes: I could have won if I didn't get so unfocused… it's not like my powers come from my scythe, I guess the recoil just got me that bad…
:Cardinal: Eh, whatever. I'm going to the vending machine. Ya'll want anything?
:Silver: You have money?
:Cardinal: Sure.
:Silver: Get me something to drink.
:Eric: Yeah, I guess Bril was right about my one attack being pretty predictable. I'm surprised two of you managed to escape it so fast though…
:Ruby: Eh, I can avoid a lot of things as red mist…
:Umbra: Whatever… so, what, are we just sticking around until this ends?
:Ruby: Eh, it can't be that much longer. Might as well stick around!
----
:Marco: Welcome to our second redemption round! This round is going to feature Glenn, Quartz, Zambja, Chiamomo, Storm, Toso, Reten, and Bang Crimson!
:Reten: Really. All at once, huh? Well, whatever, I can take ya'll…
The bell sounds, signifying the fight has started. Reten immediately takes out his biggest gun, which is using Hyper Orbs as ammo.
:Reten: Ya'll ain't ready for this!
Reten aims the cannon at Glenn, who looks around confusingly as people fight around them. Reten presses down on the trigger as Glenn crosses his arms.
:Glenn: Mystical Shield!
Glenn is hit by the full force of a Hyper Energy beam from Reten's cannon, Reten grinning as Glenn's feet slides across the ground like it was nothing.
:Marco: Glenn has been eliminated! 7 left!
:Glenn: What? What was I supposed to do about that? God…
Reten grins as he aims to for Chiamomo, but Chiamomo immediately bursts into a bunch of pieces, her arms, legs, torso, and legs flopping to the floor and spreading across the ground.
:Reten: Uhhh…
Reten is hit in the head by Bang Crimson, who releases a Red Energy burst against his head, launching him in the air as she grabs his cannon and throws it off the field.
:Bang: I ain't losing to that cheap thing!
Reten grins as he goes through the air, picking out two small Reten-themed robots and drops them from the sky, who clitter and then explode, causing Tōsō to fly into the air as Storm immediately chops at him in the air, causing strikes to appear across his arms.
:Tōsō: My healing factor will make up for that…
Tōsō releases a powerful burst of energy at Storm, who deflects it with her plasma blades, causing the dark energy to pulse over Quartz.
:Quartz: Agh… god…
Quartz grips the side of her head as she feels her claws extend out, going into her Second Form.
:Quartz: Alright, you wanna mess with me? You're getting me at full force!
Quartz unleashes her Second Form completely, slashing at Tōsō with her heated claws, causing her wombs to cauterize against him. Second Form Quartz glances back and whips Zambja Eebra on the back, causing her to stumble forward towards the ring out line.
:Zambja: Ack!
Storm sees the opportunity to get her out and dashes towards her, only for Zambja to magnetize her armor and then pop her off past the ring out line, crawling on all fours towards the center.
:Marco: Storm has been eliminated! It's looking tight even with 6 people still in!
Bang Crimson with red blades at her knuckles and Reten in 50% Armor Blade mode fight close towards the ring out line, grunting.
:Bang: I'm going to win this.
:Reten: Fat chance. You barely got through your first round it seems.
:Bang: You don't know shit.
Bang twists the blades and throws Reten past the ring out line.
:Marco: Reten has been swifly eliminated, leaving just 5 left…
Reten kicks the ground in anger.
:Reten: Unbelievable!
Bang Crimson quickly goes towards the center, attacking Zambja. Suddenly, Chiamomo's body parts pelt against Bang Crimson.
:Chiamomo: Chiamomo!
Bang Crimson winces and flinches, allowing Zambja to freeze her Crimson Rings, causing them to freeze up. Bang Crimson grunts and kicks Zambja in the stomach, attempting to shake the ice off it.
:Bang: Damn it… these aren't going to work for another 5 minutes…
Bang continues to rush towards Zambja, kicking her hard as Zambja attempts to attack with fire or ice again, before Bang launches her with a sole kick.
:Zambja: NO!
Zambja goes flying past the ring out line, grunting as she hits the ground.
:Marco: Zambja has been eliminated! 4 left…
Chiamomo reassembles herself as Second Form Quartz picks her up and then tosses her past the ring out line.
:Chiamomo: Chiamomo…
:Marco: Chiamomo has been eliminated! 3 left!
Second Form Quartz, Bang Crimson, and Tōsō all glance at each other before Second Form Quartz and Bang Crimson nod at each other, agreeing to fight Tōsō together.
:Tōsō: Hey, you can't gang up on me!
Tōsō is kicked and punched by the two women, throwing him past the ring out line.
:Marco: Quartz and Bang teamed up for a moment there to throw Tōsō past the ring out line! Now it's just them!
:Second Form Quartz: It's just us. How are your Crimson Rings holding up?
Bang Crimson watches as her Crimson Rings flare up.
:Bang: They're fine.
:Second Form Quartz: Good. I wouldn't want you feel cheated out of a second fight.
Bang squints.
:Bang: What do you mean by that?
:Second Form Quartz: I can read lips. I got the jist of what happened.
Bang nods as she takes a combative stance.
:Reten: What is this sportsmanship bullshit? You didn't offer it to me!
:Bang: Man, shut it…
Second Form Quartz dashes towards Bang as Bang creates pulses against Second Form Quartz, throwing her back.
:Second Form Quartz: Here we go!
Bang smirks as she cups her hands together, spreading out her legs.
:Bang: Mad Ghost Blast!
Bang releases a swirling beam at Second Form Quartz, who looks confused as it phases through her, barely burning her.
:Second Form Quartz: Is it.. is it supposed to do that? Eh…
Second Form Quartz takes off into the air as she shoots giant circular lasers out of her eyes through the Gherr Line technique. The lasers break the ground as Bang Crimson rolls and then hits Second Form Quartz with a red crescent projectile from her knuckles.
:Second Form Quartz: Yowch!
Second Form Quartz slams down to the ground and attempts to attack with her tail tendrils, with Bang getting low to the ground and slamming the ground with her knuckles, creating a tectonic blast against the ground, launching Second Form Quartz into the air. She then gets up and kicks her, launching her past the ring out line.
:Bang: Woo!
Second Form Quartz slams against the ground, growling.
:Marco: The winner is Bang Crimson! She will be continuing to Quarter Finals, facing against Noora Natsumi!
Bang Crimson celebrates by blowing a kiss into the camera but then stops as she sees Rachel cross her arms.
:Bang: Mm…
Second Form Quartz pats her shoulder.
:Second Form Quartz: It'll be okay...
===Millyrain vs. Mysterious Cloaked Woman===
Reten growls next to Mynis, crossing his arms.
:Reten: There was SO much cool stuff I wanted to show off. I practiced Power Harmonic techniques, a Tankette… how am I going to get anyone to join my gang now? I bet I look real weak to Spree and Plum too… god.
:Mynis: At least you're not dying on the inside.
Mynis groans as Silver watches on concerningly.
:Reten: I kind of am… emotionally…
:Umbra: I get how you feel… god, I wanted to do better. Guess I can't. Whatever.
Reten sits back in his chair, feeling bored.
----
:Marco: Starting off round 2 is Millyrain vs the Mysterious Cloaked Woman!
Millyrain pops up into the air, arms outstretched as she showcases two new symbols- a snowflake and cherry. The Mysterious Cloaked Woman grunts as she outstretches her arms and legs in a combat pose.
:Mysterious Cloaked Woman: Let's get this over quickly. I'm not here to fight you.
:Millyrain: A-alright…
The bell rings as the Mysterious Cloaked Woman slams the bottom of her foot immediately into the ground, cracking it. Millyrain keeps moving to the side, trying to dodge whatever the Mysterious Cloaked Woman has for her.
:Marco: Despite not showing any particular power, the Mysterious Cloaked Woman has been a dominating force so far… Millyrain looks utterly intimidated and she won a hard battle against Umbra last round.
The Mysterious Cloaked Woman dashes towards Milly rainin, hooking her with her foot and then slamming her into the air to kick her with a flurry of kicks, intending to launch her. However, Millyrain is a tad heavier and doesn't launch far.
:Millyrain: Alright, let's see how you deal with two of me! Cerasus!
Millyrain glows with a red glow as she multiplies into two, spinning around as the two attack with her freezing powers.
:Millyrains: Glaize!
The two Millyrains causes the area around her to become icy and slippery. The Mysterious Cloaked Woman has seemingly no problem with it though, stomping through the thin ice and getting a firm grip through the ground.
:Millyrains: Oh… oh dear…
The Mysterious Cloaked Woman kicks one of them past the ring out line, causing it to vanish in smoke, leaving the original shaking in fear. She kicks Millyrain into the ground, burying her as she sets her foot on her head.
:Marco: 5…
Millyrain squirms.
:Marco: 4…
:Mysterious Cloaked Woman: Hurry up…
:Marco: 3…
Millyrain attempts to create a second Millyrain, but The Mysterious Cloaked Woman slams her hard foot against her head, pushing off her symbols with the tip of her foot. Millyrain is instantly in a near death state.
:Marco: 2…
:Millyrain: Ahh…. ahhh….
:Marco: 1....
The Mysterious Cloaked Woman raises her foot slightly as Millyrain whimpers.
:Mysterious Cloaked Woman: Fun. Now to wait for the next set of rounds.
The crowd watches in stunned silence as Millyrain gets up, grabbing her symbols quickly.
:Sarah: Woah… who the hell is that cold?
:Guadalupe: One bad bitch. In love with that energy!
Sarah stares out blankly before shrugging in agreement.
===Mindy Starlane vs. Unten===
Mindy Starlane squints her eyes as she unscrews the bottom of her wand, sipping out some wine. Unten walks up to her, causing her to immediately hold it upside down so the rest of the wine doesn't slip out.
:Unten: Hey, you ready to fight?
:Mindy: Oh yeah, totally.
Mindy slams the end bit onto the end of her wand, screwing it onto the end.
:Mindy: Ready to kick your ass!
:Unten: Haha, alright! See you out there.
Mindy unscrews it quickly to sip out some more wine before getting up.
:Mindy: I'll show you...
----
:Marco: Please welcome the next competitors, Mindy Starlane vs. Unten Bluzen!
Mindy twirls around, creating reflective swipes that appear glass-like from her wand as Unten walks onto the stage, watching.
:Unten: Alright, you ready to fight?
:Mindy: Oh yeah, 100%. I'll kick your butt!
Mindy points her wand to Unten as she squints her eyes. The bell rings, Unten and Mindy immediately going on the defensive, trying to anticipate an attack from each other as they circle around their ends of the arena. Unten goes for the dash forward, bringing Imperium out from his jacket.
:Unten: Yahhh!
Unten slams the end of Imperium into Mindy's stomach, only for Mindy to grip his head and then jumping over him, causing him to stumble backwards.
:Mindy: Energy Heart Blast Attack!
A set of heart shaped outlines emerge from the wand, which pulse and travel out to hit Unten, dealing a decent amount of damage as he grabs his chest. He aims Imperium shakily like a gun, confusing Mindy.
:Mindy: I'm confused… that's clearly a sword dude.
Unten grins as he fires an apple from Imperium, which slams into Mindy's forehead. He does a legsweep, kicking up a bunch of dust as he pulses his hands with electricity. Mindy grunts as she recovers her balance, lunging forward and charging forward with a dash, rapidly spinning her body with her wand to create reflective, glass-like ribbons from her wand that twirl through the air.
:Unten: Trying to create a reflective defense huh?
:Mindy: That's the idea!
Mindy leaps into the sky as Unten sees the reflective ribbons spiral up with her. He fires off an electrical shot, leaping to the side so he doesn't get hit with his own electricity if it backfires. The electricity bounces between the reflective ribbons, shooting faster between them as they bounce off the mirrored ribbons. Mindy drops the wand, grunting as she glares at Unten, who's running around, cautiously watching his experiment.
:Unten: Yeah, I dunno if swirling ribbons are the best option for that kind of thing…
:Mindy: How about you shut your trap!
The bolt of electricity fires up into the air harmlessly, disappearing. Mindy quickly grabs her wand, retracting the ribbons as she holds the wand again, stumbling.
:Mindy: Let's see how you do with this…
Mindy's forehead releases some energy rings that contract around Unten, transforming him into a gumball. He rolls back and forth.
:Mindy: Let's see how you taste…
Mindy picks the gumball Unten up from the ground and chews on him to deal damage. Unten grunts as Mindy spits him out and he reforms back to normal, with a couple bruises.
:Unten: Gah… a little extreme, don't you think?
:Mindy: I'm high off crack, what do you think?
Mindy grunts as she covers her mouth.
:Unten: Wait, I thought…
:Mindy: I didn't say that.
Unten backs off as Mindy closes in.
:Mindy: I need this.
Unten pushes her back.
:Unten: If you're not clean, then why are you trying to be part of the Galactic Gals again? Because that seems like the kind of thing…
Mindy blasts him with a star projectile.
:Mindy: I don't have anything left.
:Unten: Urrghhh…
Unten grunts as he barely stands up. He then shocks the ground, blasting Mindy from underneath.
:Mindy: Aghhh!!!
Unten walks towards her.
:Unten: Listen, I dunno much about you, but the impression I get from you is that you're good at lying to other people… and yourself.
:Mindy: The hell is that supposed to mean?
Mindy swings her wand up and down as Unten jump and twists to avoid the star shots. She growls and twists off the end of her wand to reveal the wine.
:Mindy: My big secret's out because of you! You think you get to judge me for that? Do I need to meet your purity test?
:Unten: I didn't say anything like that…
:Mindy: Then what were you trying to say? Huh?
Unten tries to keep his guard up, even though he wants to show vulnerability so he can talk to Mindy on a level that feels more personal. He shakes his head.
:Unten: All I'm saying is this road you've taken for yourself? This is bad.
Mindy grinds her teeth as Unten stands there with Imperium in a defensive hold. She glances at the wine before looking back at him, snapping.
:Mindy: Omega Ultima Absurdia Disturbia Rainbow Blast!
A giant rainbow beam bursts from her wand. Unten defends against it, pushing him further and further back, towards the knockout line. Unten notices this.
:Unten: You're just gonna keep lashing out, huh? Nothing's getting through to you…
:Mindy: You might be used to telling people what to do, but deep down all I see is a fucking coward!
The bubble shield wraps around the arena, activating a silence over the viewing audience, who watch closely as Unten gets pushed further back. Unten stands in shock over her words as Mindy shakes intensely.
:Unten: ...what?
:Mindy: Oh, don't think I don't fucking know you. Your cowardance destroyed your home planet, you descended two gods because you didn't agree with the way they were trying to keep everyone safe, and you keep just letting your enemies go. Nothing gets done with you around. You're just lucky things went down the way they did or you'd be exactly like me.
Unten flings Imperium like a needle, causing the wand to fall out of Mindy's hand, Unten just centimeters from the ring out line before he suddenly runs forward, his arms glowing with Aura and electricity.
:Unten: The way things have worked out for me is because I'm willing to listen.
Unten slams his fist into her stomach, causing her to stumble back.
:Unten: Other people are willing to listen.
Unten glances over to Quartz.
:Unten: To change.
Unten releases a powerful blue shockwave, sending Mindy flying back, able to see her skeleton through the shockwaves. She's blasted over the ring out line.
:Mindy: Agh!
Mindy rolls over in pain, the bubble shield coming down.
:Marco: Unten is the decisive victor of that battle… sorry about the bubble shield folks, we're just trying to keep it clean.
Mindy growls as she stares at Unten before picking up her wand and running away. Unten looks extremely regretful.
===Asuna vs. Spree===
Unten sits down next to Rachel, breathing in and out kind of stressed. She pats his back.
:Unten: Is she right? Am I too… I dunno, judgey? I mean, I guess I am a Judge in the technical sense but…
Rachel just rubs his back, the way friends do.
:Rachel: Just consider yourself lucky that you're not the only one who got into a verbal fight like that today.
Rachel groans.
:Rachel: Though, I at least had the sense to put up the bubble shield first before I did.
:Unten: Are you two… over? Like, I didn't get to hear anything. I know Quartz can read lips, but she hasn't told me anything.
:Rachel: It's personal, Unten.
:Unten: Hah, right…
Unten scratches the back of his head.
:Rachel: She's the one who needs to get her shit together. At least you put on the impression you do.
Rachel sighs out stressfully.
:Rachel: Sorry if I'm no good at this whole comforting thing right now, you can probably imagine why.
:Unten: Yeah, no I get it…
----
Drago watches from his viewing box, smoking a cigar. Sari is jotting down nuts as she looks at Twitter on a ipad.
:Drago: We're about halfway through this round, huh?
:Sari: Yeah, the response has been interesting so far.
:Drago: How are we doing, trending wise?
:Sari: Beating out everything so far… although these analytics are hard to tell because they only show relevant trends to whatever algorithm is collecting your data.
:Drago: Right, but there's a way to see unbiased trends, right?
:Sari: No, they removed that in the update to see your feed chronologically, remember?
:Drago: Sari, I don't Twitter.
:Sari: Right, I forgot you're a huge boomer!
Drago growls as Sari giggles to herself.
----
:Marco: Please welcome the next competitors, Asuna vs. Spree Ozzy Prime!
Asuna does a spinning kick onto the arena stage.
:Asuna: Prepare for the future!
A bunch of swords rain onto the stage as Spree lands on the stage, with the swords being ripped from the ground to float around him.
:Spree: It's past your bedtime, girl.
Spree summons his white and gold Imperium.
:Spree: I'll make it real quick so you don't lose much sleep.
The bell rings, signifying the match has started. Asuna immediately teleports via Aura to do a drop kick on Spree. Spree barely has time to respond, but he barely seems phased by it, turning around and throwing his floating swords into her direction. She immediately teleports behind him, grabbing his head and performing a piledriver.
:Spree: When the hell did you learn to teleport? I thought you were like, a wrestler.
Asuna smirks.
:Asuna: Learned it from my daddy. What did you learn from yours?
:Spree: I didn't exactly have a mother or father growing up- guess Plum and Reten fill those roles pretty well…
Spree stands up fully, grinning.
:Spree: To be frank, if there was something I learned from them, it was to not be afraid of going all out!
Spree summons two gigantic blades. One is shaped like a skyscraper, the other has chainsaw functionality built into it, reving. They are coated with gold resin, which launches from his blades as he swings forward, causing them to blind Asuna. Asuna coughs as she tries to get the gold off.
:Spree: Pocket resin!
Asuna stumbles back before closing her eyes entirely, using her Aura to sense Spree on the field.
:Spree: Time to finally go fully out!
Spree swings his blades towards each other like a pair of scissors towards Asuna, who gets low to the ground to avoid them and then proceed to kick with a blue aura-powered foot to the uncovered part of Spree's torso, causing him to fly back. He quickly summons two long swords to grab so he doesn't launch past the ring out zone.
:Spree: The hell was that? You did that blind?
:Asuna: Something like that, sure, if it impresses you.
Asuna does a low leg sweep, but he jumps before she can.
:Spree: Hmm. Maybe I do need to reconsider this armor given how top heavy it is…
Spree grins as he continues stepping back, as Asuna mostly stays close to the ground, practically crawling.
:Spree: Let's amp it up with some javelins!
Spree jumps into the air as he summons some javelins that slam into the ground, crossing his arms back and forth to continually keep summoning them. Asuna becomes a pink and blue blur as she weaves between them with her Aura.
:Spree: Huh.
:Marco: Spree seems to be having a tough time with his opponent despite his cockiness!
:Spree: It would be a massive help if you didn't chime in with your inane commentary, you know?
Spree starts summoning drills from under the arena, intending to hit Asuna from below, but she manages to dodge those too.
:Spree: Hmm… okay…
Spree creates sword pillars from the ground, getting atop of them as Asuna stops for a moment, standing up.
:Spree: It's over Asuna, I have the high ground. Now you can't do your dumb… bullshirt with the Aura dodging.
:Asuna: Yeah, but I could just do this.
Asuna holds her leg up, charging it with pink and blue aura, and then releasing it as one powerful kick that shatters the sword pillar and causes Spree to fall. Spree tries to summon a bunch of icicles but Asuna launches up into the air with something resembling a Shoryuken, launching him further into the air. She creates a platform with pink aura and then jumps up again with axe kick powered by blue aura.
:Spree: Ack!
Spree is slammed into the ground by Asuna's foot, causing him to become buried in the hard rock. Even through his armor he can feel it, grunting.
:Marco: 5! 4! 3!
:Spree: Does… does he always count that fast?
:Marco: 2! 1! 0! Asuna wins this battle!
Spree grunts as he gets up, Asuna lifting her foot off him, offering her hand to him.
:Spree: Hm… something feels off about this.
Spree grabs his hand and stands up. Asuna holds her arm up in victory as Spree walks over to Reten.
:Reten: You lost?
:Spree: No need to rub it in…
:Reten: Well, great. I don't know how we're gonna prevent the calamity at this rate.
Spree justs rubs his head, not really sure if he knows what Reten's talking about.
:Reten: Also, did you call me dad?
:Spree: What? No? I said you were the closest thing to it. Don't read too much into it, boomer.
:Reten: Alright, zoomer.
===Bril Vanae vs. Netnu===
Netnu sits in the hospital bed, grunting as Lucille Graves comes up to him with a clipboard.
:Lucille: I've been monitoring you and I've been noticing something very unusual about you.
:Netnu: And what would that be?
:Lucille: You seem to pass out pretty frequently. Like, I can't explain it. I thought it was from a possible unsecured injury or maybe a bleeding out from what I wasn't seeing- I mean, your fur is like, a dark crimson red…
:Netnu: Mhm.
:Lucille: But, no… you just seem to be passing in and out of consciousness, for no apparent reason. In fact, you were just out. Did you even know that?
:Netnu: No, I didn't.
Lucille nods.
:Netnu: Am I gonna die?
:Lucille: Nah, it doesn't look like it.
Lucille drops a blue jello by his table.
:Lucille: Let me know if I can get you anything else.
----
Bril snaps her fingers at Netnu.
:Bril: Wake up young man, it's time to wake up.
:Nentu: I'm up.
Bril stumbles back a bit.
:Bril: Shit, that scared the fuck outta me. Alright, you ready to fight?
:Netnu: If it means I'm closer to fighting Unten, yeah.
Netnu gets up, glaring at Unten.
:Unten: He must have had a void-out.
:Rachel: He wasn't in the void for that much longer than Leah…
:Unten: Must be an infection, not a phase.
----
:Marco: Please welcome the next competitors, Bril Vanae vs. Netnu!
Bril brushes her hair back as she glances out to the crowd. Netnu just stands there, his emotions unknown. It's not angry… it's not mad, it's not even slightly miffed… just completely neutral.
:Bril: Alright… we doing this?
:Netnu: I'm not going to "pass out", if you were wondering. It's something that happens if I'm let alone with my thoughts for too long.
Bril shrugs.
:Bril: Hey man, I don't want a cheap win. That plays bad with a crowd.
:Netnu: Sure. You want a real fight. I'll give you that. But I think you better just stand out of my way.
Bril smirks.
:Bril: Well, let's get this show on the road!
The bell rings. Netnu immediately blasts flames from his hand like a flame thrower, causing Bril to stay away from him as she assembles her rifle.
:Netnu: Starting with the elemental bullets? Cute.
:Bril: Let's see how you feel about it getting a little frosty on that arm!
Bril fires an ice bullet, Netnu's flamethrowing arm being encased with ice. Bril sweeps forward, kicking forward only for Netnu to grab her foot with the other arm and throwing her away. Bril slams into the ground, rolling.
:Bril: Urgh…
Bril gets up, Netnu just staring at her as she gets up. He fires an energy blast directly into her stomach and then touches his frozen arm, heating it up with flames.
:Netnu: This is enhanced Doomuli tech, do you not know that? Some of the best quality mechanical limbs in the galactic market, made even better and personalized for my own use…
Bril quickly bites an earth bullet before rolling it as it expands out into a giant dirt ball, distracting Netnu. She searches her coat for more. The dirt ball expands across the field as Bril grabs about five more earth bullets, holding them tightly in her hand. She looks at future possibilities as Netnu walks up the expanding dirt ball.
:Netnu: You might have foresight that I don't, but a good plan that you can't account for will beat an uncertain future if you have the hindsight for it.
Netnu fires a bunch of orbs that gravitate towards Bril. Bril throws the bullets into the air, throwing some hot ash into the air as she does a dodge roll into a run, causing all the earth bullets to explode into expanding dirt balls. Netnu is taken a bit aback as Bril runs around the perimeter of the arena, watching as the dirt balls crush Netnu.
:Bril: Woof, didn't see that possibility very clearly, but it paid off!
Bril loads up her musket with some slime bullets.
:Bril: (thinking to herself) Netnu is more of a ranged guy, but if I can keep him down with some slime bullets, I should be able to wail on the dude for a bit, possibly launch him. But, maybe if I have him trapped, I can go for a pin down? Decisions… decisions…
Netnu bursts from the dirt balls, causing dirt to fly through out the arena. The bubble shield is briefly turned on so it doesn't get all over the audience, bouncing from the bubble ceiling down, coating Bril and Netnu with dirt. Bril covers her eyes while Netnu can see clearly with at least one eye.
:Bril: Hah, that was cool.
Netnu roars as he summons a chariot carried from two sphinxes from a magic pentagram, with a cool blue color.
:Netnu: Sphinx Chariot!
Netnu hops into the chariot, his Dark Galvan Artifact on his chest glowing.
:Bril: Using Arcana magic already? Must have you on the ropes if you're doing that!
Netnu just grunts as he fires off a green energy ball. Bril doesn't even bother to dodge because she already knows it's not hitting her.
:Bril: (thinking to herself) The chariot is gonna protect him further damage... those sphinxes though…
Bril stands for a minute while seeing semi-transparent visions of the future- seeing multiple timelines at the same time. She then launches into the air, kicking the two sphinxes in the head at the same time with a ash kick, causing hot ash to hit Netnu in the face. He blasts Bril in the shoulder with a green energy blast as they both fall to the ground. Bril slams inches away from the ring out line as Netnu slams into the ground with both mechanical feet.
:Netnu: End of the line.
Netnu raises his hand up at her as she attempts to get up, releasing his own ash that forms into a king raising a sword and scale, brushing her closer to the line, before being followed up with an explosive flame attack that knocks her way back, her slime bullets reacting by exploding into goopy slime, coating Bril outside of the arena, keeping her trapped.
:Marco: Looks like Bril couldn't see that coming! Netnu wins.
Netnu glances at a helpless Bril before turning away.
:Bril: Jerk…
Bril squirms as Viven La Vida walks up to her, creating a portal that lands her next to Millyrain.
:Bril: Hey kid, you got a symbol that'll help me out of this jam? Well, I guess it's technically ooze...
===Strafe vs. Aero===
Nion Exothermia watches from her spot in the steel beam architecture, loading up her sniper rifle with some bullets.
:Voice: You got a clear shot at Strafe, right?
:Nion: Yeah, juuuust about.
Nion looks through her scope, keeping it at the center of the arena.
:Nion: To be frank, I can't actually line up the shot until the round ends.
:Voice: Well whatever, just don't miss again. If he keeps climbing the bracket, I'm gonna keep losing money.
:Nion: So, this is over a bad bet?
:Voice: Keep your nose out of it.
:Nion: Just asking. Don't think that should bother you too much, I mean, we all gotta vent…
Nion pulls out a chocolate wafer and bites down on it.
:Nion: Now, I gotta watch…
----
Vicky leans against a vending machine, not really sure what to do as the station is on break. More of her production crew has snuck into the halls of the arena.
:Vicky: To be frank, I thought we would have found at least one juicy scoop by now. But with the silencer bubble, the most we've been able to mine is Mindy's addiction problems.
Vicky looks over to the camera man, who stays as silent as ever.
:Vicky: It'd probably help if there was some actual damn danger here. It's mostly just been fights… nothing super newsworthy yet.
:Staci: Well, I'm just an intern and all, but surely Rachel and Bang's fight could be mined for material, right? That was almost entirely silent on our end.
Vicky rolls her eyes.
:Vicky: Nah. Rachel doesn't fit my vendetta- she won through basically no powers, you can't really spin that as a paragon problem.
:Staci: Paragon?
:Vicky: It's a term we're using to refer to these super-powered freaks. Rolls off the tongue better for both me and my audience.
:Staci: Oh hey, we need to roll in 5 seconds.
Vicky hops off the vending machine and walks towards wall with her microphone.
----
:Marco: Please welcome our next two contestants, Strafe vs. Aero!
Strafe jumps out from a portal of light as Aero spins out of a gust of wind. Quick and snappy.
:Strafe: Impressive stuff with just wind.
:Aero: Why, thank you.
Aero tilts her head to the left and then to the right.
:Aero: I wonder what your game plan's gonna be, given you're a mostly ranged guy…
Strafe puts his hands behind his head.
:Strafe: Well, if you think I'm gonna expose my battle plan, you're sorely mistaken…
Strafe claps his hands together.
:Strafe: Let's do this, huh?
The bell rings. Aero begins by grabbing a water bottle, opening it up and putting some water in the lid before holding just the lid. Strafe hits the water bottle with an arrow-like object made of light.
:Strafe: I am curious about this whole water thing… but not enough for you to do it more than once…
Aero smirks as the water in her hand takes pressure from a tight ball of air she generates, creating a cloud. She steps back, the lid falling as she sweeps the entire battlefield with air, spreading out the water across the whole battered field, which slowly forms into clouds.
:Strafe: (thinking to himself) Oh, that's smart. The precipitation alone is gonna make it hard to use my grenades…
Strafe wades through the clouds as Aero blasts him with a wall of air. He manages to keep relatively strong against it, although his speed is a bit impacted.
:Strafe: Gonna need to hit me with something harder, you know.
Strafe produces a light arrow again, firing it into Aero who staggers back, halting her wind wall. Strafe runs towards her, performing a blind leg sweep that slams her into the ground. Strafe gets low to the ground, almost disappearing.
:Aero: Darn it, where did you go?
Aero blindly kicks around in the cloud field as Strafe rolls and squirms so he doesn't get caught.
:Aero: Oh wait, I'm being really stupid, aren't I? I'll just pull you in myself…
Aero focuses almost all her power by creating winds that swirl into a vortex. Strafe grips the ground tightly as he pulls out a lime green grenade, his body twisting from the impact.
:Aero: Eye of the storm… come on…
Strafe holds the pin before letting go of the ground, launching it high into the air so it can ignite properly. The grenade falls as Strafe flies through the air, Aero finally seeing him.
:Aero: Hah!
Strafe constructs a wall of light as she continues the vortex, intending to trap Strafe in the middle to then launch him. The gernade goes off just before it hits the ground, creating a burst of slime that goes out in all directions thanks to the influence of air, slime dripping and expanding on Aero, locking off one of her arms and causing the vortex to die out. Strafe slams onto his feet, pulling out his Winter Eagle.
:Aero: What? I thought the whole point of the clouds was that it'd snuff out your toys.
:Strafe: I launched it up while I was flying. The thing never had the chance to go inert.
Aero grunts as she tries to move her other arm, creating sweeping winds with her free arm. Strafe goes out of his way to avoid them, firing an icy bullet at her that she turns into shards of ice back at Strafe.
:Strafe: Ack!
Strafe grunts as the ice freezes him into place. Aero admittedly, has no idea what to do with Strafe like this, watching him struggle.
:Aero: I guess I'll my deoxygenation against you…
Aero lifts up her hand as her fingers form into claws, a ball of air appearing around Strafe's head.
:Aero: Hey, Marco. Does this count as a pin?
:Marco: I mean, I guess…
Aero creates a vacuum of air around Strafe's head, causing him to not be able to breathe. He struggles in her grip.
:Marco: 5…
Strafe really squirms now. He needs to get out of this ice pronto, which means he's exerting way more energy.
:Marco: 4…
Aero tilts her hand as she does, the grip becoming tighter.
:Marco: 3…
The ice begins to break. Strafe's face is getting red.
:Marco: 2…
Aero holds him as long as she can. Just seconds away from victory…
Strafe breaks completely free, creating a light arrow from his palm that slams into Aero's stomach. She breaks focus, stumbling back.
:Strafe: Power of Spectrum Laser Disruption!
Strafe creates a powerful laser that blasts Aero back, completely catching her off guard, slamming her past the ring out line. She grunts as Strafe closes his palm, cutting off the laser.
:Aero: Good one, man.
Aero gets up, shaking his hand. The two shake hands as we go back to Nion's nest in the steel beams, her scope lining up with his head.
:Nion: 3… 2…
Nion's finger is on the trigger, pulling back on it. It fires, but grazes past Strafe's hair. Strafe feels the top of his head, noticing a bunch of loose hair.
:Strafe: Huh…?
Strafe focuses his attention to a loud thud as the bullet hits the steel wall. Strafe traces the path of the bullet with his finger.
:Aero: Wait, what happened?
:Strafe: There was a bullet…
Nion grunts. What's up with her shots as of late? She takes aim again, but does she want to capture even more attention? She puts down the sniper rifle as her suit cloaks her into the darkness completely.
:Aero: A bullet? Someone's trying to assassinate you?
:Strafe: Not sure. I don't want to halt the tournament though…
Strafe sighs as he holds his head.
:Strafe: I'm gonna talk with Drago in a minute.
Strafe heads back to the sidelines, sitting next to Unten and Rachel.
:Unten: ...was that a bullet?
:Strafe: Yeah. Nicked me in the hair. Thank god my hair's so big, I guess…
Strafe keeps looking in the direction of where the bullet was.
:Rachel: Well, we'll keep an eye out, I suppose.
:Strafe: Thanks.
===Lucky Veridan vs. Hama===
Lucky Veridan rocks back and forth.
:Lucky: What was up with that bullet?
:Hama: What, you can't take a bullet?
:Lucky: You can?
:Hama: Yeah, but only once.
Lucky just squints his eyes, looking at her weirdly.
:Lucky: Only once...?
:Hama: Come on, let's go.
Hama gets up as Lucky just shrugs as he follows her.
----
:Marco: Please welcome our next set of contestants, Lucky Veridan vs. Hama!
Hama flies onto the stage, breathing out some flames.
:Hama: Never considering cooking a cat. Wonder how it tastes…
Lucky feebly gets onto the stage before trying to carry himself more confidently.
:Lucky: Probably pretty bad…
Hama shrugs.
:Lucky: You're… not actually gonna do that, right?
Hama shrugs again.
:Lucky: Guess I better stay out of the crossfire…
The bell rings and the battle begins. Hama immediately transforms one of her arms into a larger, draconian one, giggling.
:Lucky: Oh boy. She's gonna go for the grab game…
Lucky scampers off, running on all fours before doing a cartwheel into standing up. He creates an inky blast of darkness that slams into the ground, allowing him to teleport to its location as he avoids Hama's swing at him with her Draconian arm.
:Hama: Can't run from me forever, kitty.
:Lucky: Sure would like to!
Hama sprouts out her wings, attacking with them. Lucky dodges them by ducking, attacking with a Dusk Claw attack, extending out his claws with his dark magic.
:Hama: Agh!
Lucky spins around, his tail shaking.
:Lucky: Heh… yeah… okay….
Hama slams her Draconian hand to the ground, causing the ground to swell up in erupting flame. Lucky leaps up, and twists his hands around, his shadow unspooling, growing larger and larger.
:Hama: The fuc…
The shadow morphs into a black cat with demonic features, it's features looking twisted and contorted. Lucky breathes heavily before pointing towards Hama.
:Hama': Sending out a shadow clone of yourself, huh? Let's see how it reacts to flame…
Hama creates a flame version of herself.
:Hama: Flame Illusion!
The black cat hits Hama's flame illusion. causing it to burst and stunning the black cat. Lucky also looks stunned a bit, before pulling the black cat towards him by spinning his hands.
:Hama: Here we go!
Hama flies up into the air, releasing a huge burst of flame as she is covered in flames, almost like armor.
:Hama: Flame and darkness don't mix well, do they?
:Lucky: Perhaps…
Lucky is hit by a hard punch from Hinata, who reverts her arms to normal before shifting both to become Dragonic, her body still covered in flames as she throws Lucky towards the ring out line. The black cat, tethered to Lucky, catches him, causing him to feel severe anxiety but he leaps out of his arms, shaking as he rolls his hands, spooling the black cat back into his shadow properly.
:Hama: Meteor kick!
Unbeknownst to Lucky, Hama went into the air after the black cat caught him. Hama slams him against the ring out line, his body going past it.
:Marco: Hama wins this round!
Lucky stands up, looking at Hama.
:Lucky: Good match, Hama.
Lucky extends out his palm, Hama reluctantly shaking it.
:Lucky: It took me a long time to convince myself I wanted to do this- I did want to do this, but it took me a while to get past my feelings about it…
Hama sighs.
:Hama: Well, now I feel bad for beating you.
:Lucky: No reason to! Come on, it's a competition, right?
Lucky stretches his arms and holds them back behind his head.
:Lucky: Besides, it's been a while since I've really been using any magic, I've been mostly focusing on my emotional state.
Lucky stares at his shadow.
:Lucky: My anxiety's always going to be there. But I can cope and adapt with it. Make a tool and friend as opposed to the thing that stops me in my path.
:Hama: Heh. I have the opposite problem, I guess. But hey, it's nice to know you don't have hard feelings over it.
:Lucky: Good luck with the next rounds!
Hama shoots off a finger gun at him, winking.
:Hama: Thanks, Lucky.
===Fera vs. Makara===
Makara looks at Fera, who smiles back.
:Makara: Mm. If only you knew what I did wrong…
Fera looks at him confused.
:Fera: What do you mean?
:Makara: I'm not a good person, Fera. I've done stuff I regret because it led to nothing. It meant nothing and I wasted my time working on it.
:Fera: I don't…
:Makara: There's shit people will never forgive me for. Some of which I never intended but…
Makara lets out a mechanical, raspy laugh.
:Makara: Some people are fueled by anger and it's the only thing they can cling onto.
Fera watches Makara walk off.
----
:Marco: Please welcome our next fighters! Fera vs. Makara!
Fera spins her spear and raises her shield.
:Fera: Hey, Makara, I've been thinking about what you said…
Makara floats in on a meditation position before uncurling and standing across from Fera.
:Makara: Save it. It's not important.
Fera breathes out from her nose before speaking out again.
:Fera: I want to help you.
Makara laughs as the bell rings to signify the round has begun. They circle around the arena, not attacking.
:Makara: You don't have a problem with me. There's nothing you can do to fix this.
Makara points his spear at her before a green energy pulses out from the ground like a tremor. Fera stumbles a bit before rolling to avoid it.
:Makara: I think about the awful shit I do constantly. I thought it would go away, I thought my stomach would stop twisting and turning if I just didn't think about it. But I look at the eyes of someone who recognizes me as a killer. Not through a fault of my own, it's collateral. But it gets to me, every time I look.
Makara looks to Aero from the sidelines before just sighing.
:Makara: I could have avoided all of this. The fighting. The plotting. The planning. If only I had known I didn't matter to my creator anymore.
Quartz clenches her knees.
:Quartz: You can't change the past, Makara. I was part of it too, we didn't question our purpose…
Makara can't hear her. She's too far away.
:Makara: We've done too much talking.
Makara slams into Fera, grabbing her by the face and throwing her towards the center of the ring.
:Fera: You're the one who made even want to help you! What was the point of that whole spiel when I smiled at you?
Fera slams her spear into his hip, grunting as he hits the ground.
:Fera: You're so stubborn!
Makara grips her spear and takes it from her.
:Makara: Stop trying to help me.
Maraka slams both her spear and staff into her, with Fera barely able to block it with her shield.
:Fera: I want to help you. If you're actually willing to change, you don't deserve to suffer so much from something that wasn't even your fault!
Fera grabs her spear and hits Makara in the leg with it, which reveals itself to be an illusion made of mist. Makara slams into her back with a foot, pinning her down.
:Makara: It was my fault. If I wasn't fighting the Misfits for the millionth time that day, someone could have lived.
Fera slams her shield against his leg, bashing it until it's forced off, crawling out from under.
:Fera: Don't you think they regret it too?
Makara grunts.
:Makara: They were just doing their job.
Makara stands tall, creating illusions of Melissa Dust, Aran Lleveretto, Topzy, and Firball that surround Fera. She gets up, holding her shield up.
:Fera: How do you expect to move on if you're so unwilling to talk to her?
Makara sends them after her, with Fera spinning with her spear and then pressing a button to energize the tip of the spear.
:Makara: Even if I did, what should I say? What would I be able to do?
Fera thrusts her spear towards Makara, only for him to catch it.
:Makara: You can't fix what's broken. I was born to kill, and I did it. It's irrational for me to think I could be anything else.
:Fera: You are NOT born to serve a specific purpose! If you want to break from it, then do it!
Fera propels herself upwards, holding onto her spear, lifting herself into the air to kick Makara multiple times in the head.
:Makara: It's not going to happen, ever.
:Fera: You're doing this on camera, man.
Makara grunts as he looks at the cameras which fly around the arena connected to drones. He fires a green energy blast at one, destroying it. 
:Makara: Well, that was pointless, huh? What's already occured has already been recorded, what was the point? It's in my nature, Fera, you can't fix that.
Fera grabs his staff, twisting off him as he holds her spear. Fera spins his spear, creating an electrical pulse that hits the ground that shocks Makara.
:Makara: Aghhh!
Fera slams into him with her shoulder, causing him to fly back near the ring out line.
:Fera: If you actually want to be a better person, you can't keep holding yourself back over this.
Fera slams her spear tip into him, causing him to pass the ring out line.
:Marco: Fera wins with Makara's staff!
Fera hands Makara back his staff. Makara grunts.
:Makara: Well, you won.
Fera is handed back her spear.
:Makara: You won.
Fera just looks at him.
:Fera: Talk to her.
Makara sighs.
:Makara: We'll see.
===Plum vs. Rachel===
Makara sits down on the opposite side of the sidelines, looking at Aero, who's crossed her arms.
:Makara: Aero.
Aero looks over to him.
:Aero: I can tell you feel immense guilt over the death of my father.
:Makara: If I had known-
:Aero: Yeah, you wouldn't have done it. That much is apparent, that much is obvious.
Aero clenches her fist.
:Aero: I cannot forgive you. I can't forgive the killer of my father. Even if it was an accident. You have too much to prove still. You don't get to move on from this. I certainly haven't. If this is what ends up motivating you to be a better person, good.
Makara takes a long sigh.
:Makara: Okay.
Aero stares at him intensely.
:Aero: Don't take it as flattery, but you're the reason I'm here right now. Maybe I'll be able to kick your ass later if the Redemption Rounds favors that match up.
Makara sighs and nods.
----
Rachel taps her boots to reveal roller blades, before tapping back on her feet to conceal them back. Plum gets up, testing her Zeonian Mining Gauntlets, switching between claws and drills.
:Plum: So, where did you get your Zeonian Shielding Gauntlets? You're too pale to be from Zeon…
:Rachel: It was a gift from a friend for Christmas.
Plum looks to Unten, who shrugs.
:Plum: Him, yeah?
:Rachel: That's correct.
:Plum: Hopefully we remaining Beorns can recreate Zeon to some extent and restore it back.
:Unten: Uhh…
Unten tries to say something, but absolutely doesn't want to destroy her spirit.
:Unten: Well, maybe someone will figure it out. It'll be tough, but maybe someone can come up with a plan.
Netnu grunts as he looks at the two.
:Netnu: It's not coming back. I don't see a way it can. You can't lie to yourself and tell me it's possible in this reality.
Plum holds her hands together.
:Plum: I've seen other realities though! I think it's possible!
Netnu groans.
:Netnu: That kind of high in the sky thinking isn't benefiting anyone.
Rachel walks out to the arena, hoping she can actually get through this battle.
----
:Marco: Please welcome our final contestants for this round, Rachel Harel vs Plum!
Rachel gets onto the stage by simply walking up as Plum slams into the ground with her hammer, standing on top of it.
:Rachel: Let's do this…
:Plum: You sound anxious, you alright?
:Rachel: Mhmm…
The bell rings to signify that the battle has begun. Rachel runs towards Plum, jumping and dodging the tremors she creates with her hammer.
:Rachel: Hah!
Rachel does a kick to Plum's head, knocking her back to the side. Rachel pulls back her arm as Plum stumbles to the right, slamming a hook into her stomach.
:Plum: What the… how are you so strong? You're just a human!
Rachel slams her foot into Plum's side with the back end of her foot.
:Rachel: Height and weight advantages.
Plum slams onto the ground, creating a rock pillar under her to avoid further punishment from Rachel. Rachel grabs it as it's created, allowing her to start climbing near the top.
:Rachel: Hike!
Rachel jumps up, slamming her fist into Plum's stomach, only for it to be caught, with Plum doing a loose piledriver to throw her backwards. Rachel constructs some shields with her Zeonian Shielding Gauntlets to catch herself from falling, the sharp ends of the shield slamming into the side of the rock.
:Plum: Damn, you're persistent!
Rachel holds out her hands in a combative stance as she grapples on the top of the pillar again. Plum jumps off the pillar, creating rock pillars to grab her as she falls. Rachel leaps off the rock pillar, landing on each of the rock pillars that Plum creates.
:Plum: Hm.
Plum summons boulders to her fists, sluggishly dropping to the ground before blasting them at the rock pillars. They collapse as Rachel leaps off, kicking Plum in the head. Plum uses a boulder to protect herself, which causes Rachel to wince in pain.
:Rachel: MRGH!
Rachel stumbles back, putting up the shields on her Zeonian Shielding Gauntlets as she guards against Plum's Zeonian Mining Gauntlets, which slash against her shield, creating pure white sparks.
:Plum: I feel bad for doing what I'm about to do…
Plum forms the Zeonian Mining Gauntlets into two pronged spears, running back and running through Rachel's holographic shields.
:Rachel: W-What?
Rachel is pushed back by the force, being flung backwards towards the ring out line. Plum spins and then slams her spears back into Rachel, who is completely ineffective against them.
:Rachel: Gah…
Rachel slams into the ground, past the ring out line.
:Marco: Plum wins, continuing to Quarter Finals!
Rachel grunts as she looks as her Zeonian Shielding Gauntlets.
:Rachel: How… how did that go through?
:Plum: Zeonian tech uses something known as a ZEL Field to construct it's light weapons. The only stuff that can penetrate through a ZEL Field is another ZEL Field… which has to be at an equal or greater counter wavelength in both mass and frequency. Those spears were condensed tightly, making them both heavier in mass and on the same frequency…
Rachel grunts.
:Rachel: I see you've really done your research.
Plum beams.
:Plum: I had no idea these Zeonian Mining Gauntlets would carry me so far!
:Rachel: Mm.
==Quarter Finals==
===Noora vs. Bang Crimson===
Strafe grabs the doorknob to Drago's viewing box, which doesn't turn. Sari runs up to him.
:Sari: Strafe… uh, Drago is not interested in seeing visitors, uninvited or otherwise for now. He wants to focus on the tournament.
:Strafe: Well, I know how much you don't want anyone to die, so why don't I address a very pressing issue about that particular thing right now.
Sari gulps. The door unlocks as Strafe turns it.
:Strafe: Thanks.
Strafe walks up to Drago, who turns his chair- not because it's got the ability to swivel or has wheels, just out of his sheer power physically.
:Drago: I'm aware of the bullet.
:Strafe: What are you doing about it, man? I doubt I'm particularly special here, what are you doing to stop this?
:Drago: I'm looking for the sniper. The bubble shield is going to be put up at the end of all future matches, which should stop the bullet from being able to deal more damage.
Drago pats Strafe's head, where the bullet grazed through his head.
:Drago: It's lucky that you have anime hair like this, because that thing really misdirects the actual shape of your skull from a distance.
:Strafe: It's… a perfectly normal skull, sir.
:Drago: Hah, right. Okay, whatever you say.
Strafe walks back through the door, squinting.
:Strafe: Sari, I have a perfectly normal skull, right?
:Sari: It looks normal to me…
:Strafe: You're not being a yes-woman, right?
:Sari: Why would I do that?
:Strafe: Just checking.
Drago smokes a large cigarette as his focus goes back into the tournament.
:Drago: What a battle… two people cheated out of a proper fight. Let's see how they do.
----
Noora drops down from the roof of the World Tournament building, landing on her feet and hand.
:Noora: Let's get this over with…
Bang Crimson charges into battle with a long jump, doing a leg sweep as the Crimson Rings on her wrists glow.
:Bang: Let's get this show on the road, beautiful!
The bell rings to signify the battle has started. Noora runs towards the left as Bang Crimson immediately goes for a fist slam directly into the ground.
:Bang: Crimson Crash!
The ground glows with red energy as the unstable ground hops up in pieces. Noora jumps on each of the flying pieces and then teleports to Bang, kicking her directly in the head.
:Bang: Gah…
Bang watches as Noora flies back on the stable ground, flaring up her Crimson Rings to create red energy blades across her wrists and elbows. She spins as Noora throws a bunch of kunai, leaping back. The kunai are deflected back.
:Noora: Cute. What else can you do with that?
Bang Crimson adjusts the Crimson Ring on her right hand to flare it out further, creating a long blade made of Red Energy that engulfs her entire hand.
:Bang: I call this the Sanguine Saber!
Bang dashes towards her, the Saguine Saber slashing at the air. Noora is hit by the attack, being blasted back, grunting as she transforms into Nightless.
:Nightless: You might possess the ability to burn and generate light from those, but I snuff out the light…
Nightless' arms stretch out to grab Bang Crimson, causing her to squirm as she gets caught in the grip. She then is slammed into the ground. Nightless retracts her limbs, tilting her head and limbs.
:Bang: A'right, let's go!
Bang draws back her arm as Nightless dashes forward.
:Nightless: Sleep Dash!
Nightless and Bang clash as her claws strike the Sanguine Saber. Nightless extends out her limbs to exert more pressure as Bang continues to hold her ground against the Zonamorph.
:Nightless: Argh!
The two finally separate, flying back from each other. Nightless holds up her claws, transforming into Noora holding three kunai between her fingers.
:Bang: Aw, did I scare your kitty too much?
Noora teleports behind Bang, attacking with slashing attacks before appearing to her left side and attaches a chain to her hip. Bang Crimson winces as Noora spins her around using her strength, tossing her past the ring out line.
:Bang: Ack!
Noora crouches down next to Bang as she collects her chain. The bubble shield goes up.
:Marco: Noora wins! What a comeback!
Noora grabs Bang Crimson's hand and helps her up.
:Noora: Good fight.
:Bang: Same to you!
===Mysterious Cloaked Woman vs. Unten Bluzen===
Unten sits at the bench on the sidelines as the top half of Laverne Echo waves to him with her one arm, floating above him.
:Unten: Oh woah! What the?
:Laverne: Hey, I thought I'd check in with my pupils and see how they're doing!
Unten nervously chuckles.
:Laverne: Oh, this?
Laverne gestures to the rest of her missing body.
:Laverne: I'm using Aura to broadcast the top half of my body, while the lower half of my body remains anchored to the Edge of the Universe. Prin's keeping Teriodin at bay if something goes down… but I doubt it.
:Unten: Oh wow. You can just do that?
:Laverne: It takes some considerable time, Unten.
:Unten: Hah, right.
:Laverne: So where's Zerita? Where's Quartz? Where's Kiva?
:Unten: Me and Quartz were the only ones to make it through the tournament registration process.
:Laverne: Ah, I see. How's Quartz?
:Unten: She got eliminated in round 1.
:Laverne: Oh, she's on the opposite side with everyone else that got eliminated, huh?
:Unten: Yeah. You can talk with her if you want…
:Laverne: I think I will.
----
Laverne teleports over to Quartz.
:Quartz: Oh shit, where did you come from? And why are you missing half of your body?
:Laverne: Unten can fill you in, but I'm using Aura to broadcast my top half. How are you doing?
:Quartz: I dunno, I'm completely out of it, I guess, both emotionally and on a bracket level.
:Laverne: What happened?
:Quartz: I dunno, I guess I'm scared of going too far with any of my opponents.
:Laverne: You're worried about that?
:Quartz: Kinda… I've killed a lot. I'd rather not have any more blood on my hands.
:Laverne: Hmm. I do remember something about your Second Form being able to go out of control, but as far as I remember, you could keep yourself controlled in your first state…
:Quartz: That wasn't enough. I didn't even really use any Aura stuff… I dunno. Maybe we need to train some more.
:Laverne: Yeah, I'll be willing to spend some more time with you if you need it.
:Quartz: Thank you…
Quartz hugs her.
----
Unten watches as the Mysterious Cloaked Woman gets up, looking at the bracket information.
:Unten: Uh oh.
----
The Mysterious Cloaked Woman stomps onto the battlefield. Metal clanks as she gets to her side of the arena. Unten walks towards his end, unsure of what's about to go down.
:Mysterious Cloaked Woman: Do you know who I am, Unten?
:Unten: N-no? Something seems familiar but…
The Mysterious Cloaked Woman chuckles to herself.
:Mysterious Cloaked Woman: Makes sense, we've only met, like twice.
Mysterious Cloaked Woman gestures to him.
:Mysterious Cloaked Woman: How about you ring the bell, Marco?
The bell rings. The Mysterious Cloaked Woman immediately runs towards him, with Unten creating an Aura shield to defend against it. The Mysterious Cloaked Woman attacks with the edge of her foot, curving around the shield as she kicks Unten in the side of the head.
:Unten: Gah!
Unten stumbles to the right, opening himself to another flurry of attacks by the Mysterious Cloaked Woman. He's continually being kicked and knee'd by the woman, getting knocked further and further back towards the ring out line.
:Unten: (thinking) Agh… gotta do something or I'll be squished out like everyone else she's faced!
Unten releases a powerful circle of electricity that shocks and launches the Mysterious Cloaked Woman back.
:Unten: Edison Circle!
The Mysterious Cloaked Woman gets up from the ground, her orange hair popping out from under the hood. She pushes it back as Unten walks away from the ring out line, his arms pulsing with aura and electricity.
:Mysterious Cloaked Woman: Hmm. You released a lot of power just now. Can you keep it up?
:Unten: Probably not, but I'm not gonna collapse here!
Unten throws lightning bolts at the Mysterious Cloaked Woman, who dodges them effortlessly, appearing to teleport across the field before slamming her foot into Unten's chest. Unten grabs her foot and zaps her with electricity, causing her to grunt as she lifts him up into the air, before dashing upwards only to get hit by a bunch of lightning as Unten uses Aura to keep himself in the air.
:Unten: You haven't been paying attention if you thought going into the air was your best option!
Unten spins in the air, electricity pulsing off him as he then punches the air, zipping straight into the Mysterious Cloaked Woman who is pushed near towards the ring out line.
:Mysterious Cloaked Woman: Argh…
The Mysterious Cloaked Woman pulses with orange energy coming off her, four new arms coming out from her body. She starts to attack Unten with a bunch of strikes with her elbows, fists, and fingers. Unten can block some of them but it's become clear she's amped up in energy.
:Unten: You have a Hyper Mode orb?
:Mysterious Cloaked Woman: I found it recently.
The Mysterious Cloaked Woman snatches Unten from the air and slams him directly into the ground. Unten rolls across the ground.
:Unten: Might as well level the playing field… even if it's possible for it to backfire...
Unten pulls his Hyper Mode Orb out, transforming into Hyper Mode Unten. The two clash in their Hyper Mode Forms, pulsing with Hyper Mode energy.
:Marco: This just got amped up to the next level, folks! Both opponents have entered into their Hyper Mode states!
Hyper Mode Unten grunts as he attempts to shock the Mysterious Cloaked Woman, but she manages to counter it, her own firsts pulsing with electricity. She strikes with six furious hands, but Hyper Mode Unten utilizes his speed to catch them.
:Hyper Mode Unten: I can tell this is new for you…
The Mysterious Cloaked Woman grunts as Hyper Mode Unten slams his head into her. He pulls out Imperium, which has become Bleeding Imperium.
:Hyper Mode Unten: Imperium Skewer!
Bleeding Imperium extends out as a skewer, slamming into the Mysterious Cloaked Woman, who punches it, causing it to warp and dent as it pushes her back.
:Mysterious Cloaked Woman: I'm not losing until you prove yourself!
The Mysterious Cloaked Woman kicks, which is transferred into energy that kicks Hyper Mode Unten to the left and right. Hyper Mode Unten howls before letting out a huge electrical circle around himself.
:Hyper Mode Unten: VOLTAIC SPHERE!
The sphere extends across half of the arena, protecting Hyper Mode Unten under a strain. He growls as the Mysterious Cloaked Woman jumps up and lets out a flurry of punches before Hyper Mode Unten crosses his arms and releases it out as a shockwave.
:Hyper Mode Unten: VOLTAIC RELEASE!
The Mysterious Cloaked Woman is flung near the ring out line as Hyper Mode Unten punches forward and zips over there in a powerful release of electricity. 
:Mysterious Cloaked Woman: Unleash everything you got!
Hyper Mode Unten pulls out the Blump he got from Mynis and swallows the rest. Energy surges through out them as they clash for a second time, the Mysterious Cloaked Woman's multiple arms joining together for a triple powered punch as Hyper Mode Unten catches them, a shockwave being released as the two make contact. Hyper Mode Unten slams his head into her's, causing a loud sound as the Mysterious Cloaked Woman stumbles back from the impact.
:Mysterious Cloaked Woman: Everything…
Hyper Mode Unten slams his fists into her, launching her far into the wall of the arena. The bubble shield goes up as the two revert from their Hyper Mode states.
:Marco: Unten wins that intense battle… although he looks like he barely survived that encounter…
Unten breathes hard as he's helped over to the sidelines. The Mysterious Cloaked Woman has seemed to vanish- nobody is sure where she went.
===Asuna vs. Netnu===
Unten rests at the bench as Laverne floats back over to him.
:Unten: Oh, hey.
:Laverne: I mean, that was incredible, but that was also really stupid. How are you gonna build back up the energy to continue further?
:Unten: I don't know… but she kept demanding me to go further and further… what was I supposed to do?
:Laverne: I guess…
:Unten: I'll try and make what I can out of these final battles… not going to lie, I definitely feel like I'm gonna die.
:Laverne: Yeah, no shit.
----
The Mysterious Cloaked Woman appears in front of the stadium. She takes off her hood, revealing herself to be Doomulus Thai.
:Thai: Guess Earth is gonna be okay after all… if he's the protector that is.
Thai looks over to her space craft and quickly runs inside, getting in. Doomulus Rise, at the controls, takes off as she takes off the hood.
:Thai: Hopefully nothing I did was too big of a tell. Last thing I need is more suspicion from Grime.
:Rise: Oh, I'm sure you're fine. I mean, in addition to being fine...
:Thai: Ha. ha. Alright, where are we supposed to be?
:Rise: Budget meeting with Fenrir.
:Thai: Oh. Fun…
Thai rolls her digital eyes.
:Rise: You really went all the way here to fight Unten? That weakling?
:Thai: I gotta make sure that if I'm decommissioned, at least Earth has somebody. That somebody appears to be Unten…
Thai sighs.
:Thai: It's funny… I was doing this to get the sinking feeling out of my stomach, but now it just seems to have grown larger.
----
Netnu growls as he gets up to do his fight with Asuna.
:Netnu: Dumbass exerted himself way too much. How the hell am I gonna get a good fight out of him…
----
Netnu appears out from a blue pentagram on the ground, which magically washes away. Asuna jumps down from the upper railing of the crowd's seating, extending out her fists.
:Netnu: Let's get this over quickly. If Unten's gonna exert himself out that much so stupidly, he might as well get punished for it.
:Asuna: Can't say I'm fan of the attitude that your opponents are just low level obstacles keeping you from a fight with Unten…
:Netnu: Oh, am I making myself too obvious? I'm only here to kick his ass. Prove myself as the better hero here.
:Asuna: Let's see where this goes…
The bell rings to signify the fight has begun. Asuna starts with two punches to the ground, releasing a blue and pink geyser of Aura power that targets Netnu. Netnu brushes them aside with a magic wind attack.
:Netnu: Gonna have to try better than that…
Netnu unleashes huge flame pillars that extend out from the location he hit from, rising and falling. Asuna dodges them, swerving between them as she kicks Netnu square in the face. Netnu grunts as he falls back.
:Netnu: Hermit Insight!
Netnu sees all future paths that Asuna is going to take before closing his eyes, allowing him to see clear again. Asuna attempts to rush him with a Aura powered kick but Netnu grabs her leg and tosses her a fair distance.
:Netnu: Hanged Gallows!
Netnu slams his robotic implants into the ground as the Dark Galvan artifact whirrs, creating ghostly nooses that wrap around Asuna, tying her to the ground.
:Netnu: I got her pinned down, Marco. Why don't you count it out…
:Marco: 5…
Asuna struggles in the ghostly nooses, grunting as they tighten around her wrists, ankles, and neck.
:Marco: 4…
:Netnu: Shame you were in my way…
:Marco: 3…
:Netnu: You seemed to have a really promising career.
:Marco: 2…
:Netnu: But that ends-
Asuna breaks free as Hyper Mode energy pulses off her. Asuna has transformed into Hyper Mode Asuna, standing up in front of Netnu. Netnu is taken aback.
:Netnu: Oh, come ON. You had that on you?
:Hyper Mode Asuna: Where's yours?
:Netnu: Oh don't worry, I brought it in case one of you thought to cheat against me.
Netnu pulses with Hyper Mode energy as he holds his orb, transforming into Hyper Mode Netnu.
:Hyper Mode Netnu: Just to be clear, I think this is a cheat for power. But I might as well level the playing field.
Hyper Mode Asuna goes for a two-aura colored punch on Netnu, which he effortlessly counters by holding her fist before it lands.
:Laverne: Hold on, how is she using two Aura colors?
:Unten: ...I don't know.
:Laverne: What the…
Hyper Mode Netnu hits Hyper Mode Asuna in the stomach, sending her flying. She catches herself, using her cape to glide across the air, bouncing up and down before slamming into the ground to release a huge Aura shockwave of pink and blue, creating quite the spectacle.
:Hyper Mode Netnu: Agh!
Hyper Mode Netnu stumbles back as Hyper Mode Asuna then slams a fist into his stomach, causing him to fly back. Hyper Mode Netnu hits the wall, reverting to normal as Hyper Mode Asuna does so of her own will.
:Marco: Asuna won that round with yet another power battle through Hyper Mode! Surprised to see so many pop up in these Quarter finals…
:Netnu: Me too… ugh.
Asuna sticks out her hand as Netnu peels out from the wall. The bubble shield goes up.
:Asuna: Good fight?
:Netnu: No.
Netnu goes over to the other side of the sidelines as Asuna watches as a blue and pink aura-induced breath leaves her mouth, clutching her stomach.
:Asuna: Mm…
===Strafe vs. Hama===
Logi and Denos come down the steps of the audience seating, holding boxes of shirts. Sarah squints as she looks at them.
:Sarah: What are you two doing?
:Logi: Okay, so you know how like, five years ago we were selling shirts of "Team Unten" and "Team Quartz"? We reprinted those out, we're reselling them, because…
Logi laughs as Denos rubs the top of his head.
:Logi: Like, it's literally the best time to resell them! God, if only we had more time to print out shirts for everyone because you know, we could have cornered the market hard here.
Sarah squints her eyes more.
:Sarah: I guess the more things change…
Sarah rubs the back of her head as she looks around.
:Sarah: The more they stay the same…
:Logi: What? Things are completely different now, jeez. Like, you don't even have a needle finger anymore. Get out of here with that…
Logi shakes his head.
:Logi: Anyway, you wanna buy a shirt?
Sakeena raises her arm.
:Sakeena: Get me a Team Unten shirt, I lost my old one…
Logi grabs his box and shuffles between the crowded seats.
:Logi: Coming!
----
Strafe gets up from his chair as Hama also gets up.
:Strafe: Well, if it isn't Hama. I remember you from our little trip to the beach.
:Hama: Ah, scram with that nonsense. I didn't exactly plan on being there, if you remember.
:Strafe: Yeah, but you still had fun, right?
Hama shrugs.
:Hama: Sure, but don't try and start small talk with me.
Strafe nods.
----
Strafe experiments with his light powers as he walks up to the arena as Hama slams down onto the arena stage in her full Draconic form, unleashing a breath of flame before going to her human form.
:Strafe: You really lean into your dragon blood, huh?
:Hama: It's what I got, don't I? Last of my kind and all that nonsense…
Strafe holds out his hand, which expands with light energy.
:Strafe: Guess I can't really call you out on it for relying so heavily on your mother's gifts.
Strafe smirks as the bell rings. Hama immediately goes for a punch to the ground, causing a pillar of flame to surround her. '
:Hama: I know your game, Strafe.
The fire continues to flow from around her. She presses her hand into the flame to cast out a flame doppelganger, who runs towards Strafe.
:Strafe: Let's see how well you know it then.
Strafe pulls out the Winter Eagle and fires ice bullets at the fire clone. The ice bullets disperse the flaming doppelganger. However, as Strafe was distracted by fighting the fire clone, the real Hama has flown into the air and slams into him with a flaming elbow drop, slamming him into the ground.
:Strafe: Gah!!
Strafe slams into the ground as Hama prepares a flaming kick, slamming into his jaw, sending him rocketing back, flying across the ground. He grunts as he gets up, pulling out his Winter Eagle, firing multiple bullets that don't hit Hama as she burns them away.
:Hama: Ice ain't that deadly to me if I can just burn it away, goddess boy.
:Strafe: You're right, I need to push for new tactics.
Strafe creates a chain of light, whipping it around Hama and then pulling it, spinning her. Hama slams her foot into the ground and sends out a flaming orb, which explodes into Strafe's stomach, blowing him back.
:Strafe: Ah, flame grenade, huh?
:Hama: What? Are how are you hardly phased by any of this?
:Strafe: I'm used to taking these kind of punches…
Strafe stands up, loading up his Desert Eagle with hard light bullets, firing at Hama. Hama is pelted with the bullets she can't do anything about, grunting as they bounce off her skin, which becomes Draconic.
:Hama: Alright, I'm done messing around with you!
Hama's arms extends out fully into Draconic arms, slashing at him, which Strafe guards against with light walls.
:Strafe: I'm finally getting the hang of these powers…
Strafe puts out his palm, grunting.
:Strafe: Auto-Reticle!
A reticle appears over Hama, before Strafe unleashes a bunch of hard light bullets into her. Hama slams backwards, inching closer to the ring out line, grunting.
:Hama: Damn it! No!
Hama's wings flare up as she goes into full Draconian mode, breathing out flames.
:Hama: I'm not going to let you win if I can help it!
Hama slams into Strafe with her full weight, slamming him far back. Strafe stops himself by constructing a reflective barrier of light- transferring his momentum and doubling it as he jumps into the air to kick Hama in the face.
:Hama: Gah!
Hama stumbles back over the ring out line, inching closer and closer to it. She tries to balance before falling back over it. The bubble shield immediately closes over the field.
:Marco: Strafe wins!
Hama gets up in a huff.
:Hama: Bad match-up.
Strafe shrugs.
===Fera vs. Plum===
Fera taps at her spear. nervously glancing at Plum.
:Fera: She's smart… I dunno what exactly she'll be able to do against me but she's been studying everyone intensely…
Plum jots down notes on Strafe, muttering under her breath.
:Plum: Strafe must be tapping into stuff he didn't realize he had… could be a potential danger due to the emergence of new powers I wasn't able to research…
Plum taps the end of her pencil against her cheek.
:Plum: But… they're still all drawing from the basis of light… maybe if I use a mirror I can do some actual damage against him…
Plum is tapped on the shoulder by Sari.
:Sari: Hey, get your nose out of the notebook, you're up.
Plum glances at Fera, who has gotten up already.
:Plum: Ohoho… hehe.
Plum grins. Fera wonders what she could be up to…
----
Plum hoists up her Zeonian Warhammer as she wears her Zeonian Mining Gauntlets, twisting the hammer in her arms to twist the head of the hammer in the air.
:Plum: Let's go!
Fera spins her spear in her arm as she hoists up her shield defensively.
:Fera: I can tell you're excited… I just don't know why.
Plum slams the head of the hammer down as the bell rings, her feet spreading apart to create a rock wall to the left and right of her. She hides behind one of the walls, her back pressed against the wall.
:Plum: Patience…
Fera is taken aback by her approach, trying to figure out what Plum has planned. She shifts the armor's weight mostly to her feet.
:Fera: (thinking) I should probably stay close to the ground… if she launches me suddenly, I don't wanna fly too far…
Plum waits as Fera walks around slowly, before Fera runs over to the best extent she can, weighed down by her armor's shifted weight towards the rock wall. She slams the head of her spear against the rock wall, cracking it.
:Fera: Hmm…
Fera keeps breaking more of the wall as Plum holds the hammer back, preparing to strike. Fera creates a clean break in the wall, before slamming the hammer's head against Fera- who lifts her shield to block it before it connects. Fera breathes heavily as Plum slams a hard light drill against her stomach, which breaks the armor at the torso due to how little of the armor's weight is there.
:Fera: Gah!
Fera lifts her foot up, adrenaline pumping into to her to kick Plum. Plum rolls over, hopping over the rock wall and onto Fera's shield as Fera grips her spear tightly, slashing the tip against Plum's back. Plum falls over, grunting at the scratch.
:Plum: (thinking) I've managed to break her defenses a little, but it doesn't seem to have much effect on her…
Plum creates a small boulder to hit Fera's exposed stomach, but it has no effect on her.
:Fera: Hm?
:'Fera slams her spear into one of Plum's Zeonian Mining Gauntlet, breaking it. Plum looks alarmed as it sparks, Fera immediately turning away from it. Plum rolls across the ground as she slams her hammer into her feet, but again it doesn't really do anything because all the weight is there.
:Fera: What are you trying to do?
Plum is panicking. None of this is working.
:Plum: Uh, you know, it wouldn't be good sportsmanship to tell you!
Plum crawls across the ground before getting up, swinging her hammer into Fera as she keeps blocking it with her shield. She kicks the ground, propelling Fera into the air with a giant rock pillar as she runs back to get some more distance.
:Plum: She must not be human… those abs are made of something harder than steel…
Plum grips her hammer as she discards the broken Zeonian Mining Gauntlet over the ring out line, intending to fix it as soon as she can. Fera hops down from the rock pillar and attempts to strike Plum as Plum hits her spear with her hammer, causing it to dent slightly inwards. Fera looks at it as Plum then hits her with a claw to the stomach, of which Fera holds her head with and throws her towards the ring out line.
:Fera: (grunting to herself) Urgh… that kind of hurt…
Fera taps her exposed stomach as she redistributes some of the armor's mass back onto her torso, able to move slightly faster. She can get Plum out if she keeps attacking her…
:Fera: Alright, this is over…
Fera points her craned spear towards Plum, who's inches from the ring out line. Plum kicks her foot forward, slamming Fera into the rock pillar Plum created earlier. Plum breathes hard. Like Unten, her geokinesis skill also has an impact on her energy.
:Plum: Hah…
Plum grunts as she keeps Fera pinned against the wall.
:Plum: Start counting, ref!
:Marco: 5…
Plum grunts as she tries to keep Fera contained, while Fera's legs push against the pillar.
:Marco: 4…
Fera grunts harder, sweating as she exerts everything she has.
:Marco: 3…
Fera slams hard against the rock pillar, cracking it. Plum grunts as she keeps creating more of it, to keep her pinned against the rock pillar. The end of it is looking kind of jagged- if Fera's not careful, she'll create her own pit of spikes to impale into herself.
:Marco: 2…
Fera goes with a new strategy- ditching the armor. It falls in pieces as she slips to the ground, the rock pillars slamming against each other and breaking from the force. Plum gasps as Fera jumps up in the air in a tight black undersuit, using her spear to hook onto the top of the collapsing pillar.
:Fera: Grah!
Fera throws her shield at Plum, who tries to hit with her hammer but is intead knocked back more, mere centimeters from the line now. Fera delivers a kick to her, putting her past the ring out line.
:Marco: Fera wins!
Plum blinks hard, coughing as she looks at Fera who kneels next to her.
:Plum: How?
:Fera: My armor has the ability to shift its mass and morph. I guess you weren't able to take note of it?
:Plum: I took good notes on you… you don't like flashes of light, it activated that weird form earlier… and with a spear and shield, I thought I could catch you off guard and throw you back.
Fera pulls her up.
:Fera: You did some real damage though! Like dang, look at that.
Fera pokes at her bent spear.
:Plum: I guess, haha.
Fera goes to collect her armor as Plum grabs her broken Zeonian Mining Gauntlet. A wire has been snapped in half.
:Plum: Hrm. Might need to do a lot more repair than I thought…
===Redemption Free For All 3===
:Marco: We are at the final redemption round. Millyrain, Mindy, Spree, Bril, Aero, Lucky, Makara, and Rachel in a final bid to win this thing!
:Mindy: Heh. Maybe if I prove myself anyway, they'll take me back regardless of the flaws they perceive I have.
:Millyrain: Hrm… what should I use for symbols…
:Spree: I know I was cheated out of a win...
:Bril: Alright, 7 v 1… those odds aren't great in this scenario but maybe I can pull something off…
:Lucky: I'm just surprised I made it this far!
Makara and Rachel look at Aero and Bang respectively before sighing. Maybe they weren't supposed to get this far.
:Aero: Hey, Makara, let's do this. I don't care if I win or not, I just want you out.
Makara grunts.
:Makara: Sure.
----
Vicky and her crew are going over the footage so far.
:Vicky: Mm. Something doesn't strike me right about that Asuna lady…
:Staci: And what would that be?
:Vicky: Almost all matches she's won are through the pin down method. Only Strafe and Rachel have been able to get the pin down method, one of which didn't even seem to put up a fight and the other was just outmatched in general.
:Staci: But she did win a match through the ring out method.
:Vicky: Right. One time, in a power-up that was being called a cheat by the other opponent.
:Staci: Hm. The countdown seems way faster on her than anyone else, now that you mention it.
:Vicky: I don't want to look like a fool, as much as my ass hangs out on mistakes every week. But I think there might be something here.
Staci nods.
:Vicky: I'm overlooking the footage. Do we got anyone on backup? I don't think we can afford to miss this fight.
:Staci: No…
:Vicky: Damn it. Alright, jot down what I was talking about so I don't forget about.
:Staci: On it, mam.
----
The eight competitors congregate. Millyrain, Mindy, Spree, Bril, Aero, Lucky, Makara, and Rachel all stand across from each other in a circle.
:Marco: Keep it clean!
The bell rings. Rachel immediately ducks and erects a massive shield with her Zeonian Shielding Gauntlets. Millyrain blows a huge gust of ice towards Aero, who just shatters it with a giant gust of wind that blows back Lucky and Makara a bit. Lucky gets on his hands and feet, crawling low to the ground like a cat as he creates a black shadow trap that traps Bril.
:Bril: Agh!
Bril struggles a bit as Makara shoots thunder out of his staff, but it is hit out of his hands by Spree, who attacks with floating swords around him. Aero blows him back with wind, causing the swords to spiral in the air as she unleashes everything she's got against Makara, who flies back against the wall.
:Marco: Makara has been eliminated!
Makara grunts as he watches Bril grab his staff, shocking Lucky and freeing herself. She throws a bunch of icy bullets into the air and shocks them, causing icicles to rain down from the the sky. Millyrain uses her icy power of the Glaize symbol, causing them to turn into snowballs, which cover the arena. Rachel makes her way through the confusion, kicking Aero in the legs before bouncing her with a distant projected shield further towards the ring out line. Aero growls as she comes close to the line. Mindy attacks with a star projectile from her wand, attempting to go for a cheap win.
:Mindy: Ancient Prehistoric Devil Dinosaur Flame!
A giant T-Rex skull made of flame appears from her wand, but Aero blows it back with wind, causing Mindy to be set aflame. She yells as she rolls across the ground, making it over the ring out line.
:Marco: Mindy has been eliminated!
:Mindy: Wha-?
Aero gets up, being hit with a snow ball from Rachel. Rachel is punched in the stomach by Bril, which sends her flying past the ring out line.
:Marco: Ooh! Rachel has also been eliminated.
Rachel grunts as she gets up. Mindy huffs angrily as she makes her way up to the audience stands- not wanting to meet with Bang again.
:Millyrain: Huff…
Millyrain creates two clones of herself, which Spree is far too happy to hit with swords and eliminate immediately. He hits Millyrain with his white and gold Imperium, which stretches to put her out the ring out line.
:Millyrain: No!
:Marco: Another fast elimination! Millyrain is out!
Spree redirects his attention to Lucky, who attempts to avoid a flying sword attack through falling through a shadowy portal, but Spree summons a sword from the ground that hits Spree, exploding into Golden resin and throwing him past the ring out line.
:Marco: Spree going with the quick double elimination!
Aero blasts Spree with wind, of which makes most of his tools useless at the moment. He attempts to hit her with his white and golden Imperium, but it won't stretch past a certain point.
:Spree: Damn it… she can really nullify just about anything coming towards her…
Bril is all too happy to punch Aero away, unloading a slime bullet to wrap around her hands, making them unusable. Aero attempts to direct air through her feet, but she isn't able to stop herself from flying past the ring out line.
:Spree: Thanks.
:Marco: Aero has been eliminated!
Aero growls as she tries to get the goo off. Bril and Spree look at each other. Spree holds out a blade that looks like a claymore, while Bril loads up her shotgun with some more bullets.
:Bril: You don't bring a sword to a gun fight, idiot.
:Spree: Oh, I don't think it'll matter much here, missy.
Bril begins firing as Spree deflects the bullets with his sword, causing them to harmlessly spin out and fall to the ground. Bril walks forward as she does, unleashing a torrent of ash from her leg as she kicks forward, which is blocked by Spree, but the ash gets in his eyes, causing him to close his eyes blindly.
:Spree: Agh…
Spree spins as his sword transforms into a flaming sword, pointing it towards the ground as a sudden explosion occurs, causing Spree and Bril to fly in the air as slime, earth, and ice appear as shrapnel. The bubble shield is erected as they fly upwards. Bril lands outside of the line as Spree rubs the ash off his eyes.
:Marco: Spree wins the final Redemption Round, allowing him to proceed to the semi final round as Fera's opponent!
:Spree: Hell yeah.
==Semi Finals==
===Noora vs. Unten===
Unten attempts to keep himself awake as his energy has been completely exerted by his battle with the Mysterious Cloaked Woman, who was later revealed to be Doomulus Thai, unbeknownst to anyone at the Tournament. Noora taps him the end of her kunai.
:Unten: H-huwhat?
:Noora: We're up. You seem like you're gonna be easy pickenings.
:Unten: Hahh… we'll see about that.
Unten grunts as he gets up.
----
Rachel sits down next to Sarah.
:Sarah: Hey, aren't you supposed to be sitting out in the other sideline with everyone else that lost?
:Rachel: I don't have the mental fortitude to sit with Bang right now.
:Sarah: Hm.
Sarah sighs.
:Sarah: Yeah, that's fair, I guess.
Obena constructs a plastisteel Unten head with her antenna and holds it up.
:Obena: C'mon Unten, you can do it!
:Sarah: He very probably won't. Jesus, that guy is stumbling.
Sarah sinks her hand into some popcorn.
:Sarah: Surprised we honestly made it this far compared to everyone else.
:Nycho: That's because we're the best!
:Sakeena: I dunno if I feel so sure about that…
----
Unten stands tiredly as Noora slams into the arena floor with just a single foot, posing dynamically with a bunch of kunai.
:Noora: Seriously, are you doing okay?
Unten hits himself in the head.
:Unten: Just gotta… make it through.
Unten chomps on the last end of the Blump and then discards it.
:Unten: Alright, let's do this.
The bell rings. Noora strafes to the left and right before teleporting behind Unten and doing a suplex grab, slamming him over the ring out line.
:Marco: Wow. That ended just like that. Noora wins!
Unten grunts as he gets up.
:Unten: What happened?
Noora kneels down.
:Noora: I kicked your ass, that's what.
===Asuna vs. Strafe===
Strafe looks at his hands, which are glowing with light.
:Strafe: Hm. I haven't relied on my mother's power like that forever…
Asuna wraps her arms around her knees.
:Asuna: Your mother's power?
:Strafe: Well, I'm the son of Palutena.
Strafe glances at her.
:Strafe: Where does your power come from?
Asuna freezes up before turning away.
:Asuna: That's not important.
Asuna stands up and punches the air.
:Asuna: Let's just get on the field and finish this. Everyone's waiting.
Strafe nods.
:Strafe: Got it.
----
Strafe walks up to the arena ground cautiously. He's not really sure what Asuna is capable of, and after their little talk, he's not entirely sure if she knows either. Asuna holds out her hands in a fighting position as they glow with blue and pink aura.
:Strafe: Pretty wild I made it this far… even considering the assassin I have on my back.
Strafe tries to scan the arena, but isn't finding anything.
:Asuna: Well, don't get too cocky…
Asuna points her finger at him, blue aura flowing off her arm.
:Asuna: Some competitors have burned themselves out but me? I'm just getting started!
Strafe smirks as he holds out his Winter Eagle. The bell rings as Strafe attempts to freeze Asuna in place with ice bullets. Asuna dodges them fairly effortlessly as she attempts to sling projectiles at him through aura. Strafe does a sweep, firing a icy round into her stomach that freezes her exposed belly. Strafe does a roll as he changes to his Desert Eagle as Asuna breaks free.
:Asuna: Relying pretty heavily on those guns, huh?
Strafe smirks.
:Asuna: Oh, you're up to something, aren't you?
Asuna goes for a ground slam on Silver, who rolls away revealing a green gernade that explodes into slime.
:Strafe: Auto Reticle…
Strafe fires a bunch of light orbs that home onto Asuna, who's stuck in the sticky slime. The impact keeps Asuna down as Strafe puts his body weight down, pinning her.
:Marco: 5…
:Asuna: Mmfph…
Strafe glances at the announcer box,
:Marco: Foooouuuurr….
:Strafe: Wait a second…
Asuna uses Aura to spread the slime off her, slamming a Aura-powered punch into his stomach which causes him to fly through the air. He slams against the ground. Asuna runs over to him to pin him down with her foot.
:Marco: 5! 4!
Strafe barely has even hit the ground, gripping the floor to sit up.
:Marco: 3!
:Strafe: HOLD-
:Marco: 2! 1!
:Strafe: -UP…
:Marco: 0! Oh whoop, Asuna took that victory quick and fast.
Vicky Victorious runs onto the stage.
:Vicky: HOLD THE F UP!
The audience collectively gasps as she holds the microphone to her face, making herself doubly loud.
:Vicky: I have evidence of cheating!
:Marco: I'm sorry?
:Vicky: You should have gotten an email from victoriousv@channel17news.pizza.
Marco looks through his laptop, shrugging.
:Marco: I mean, okay, I'm looking for it, but I'm not finding it…
:Vicky: Did you try refreshing?
:Marco: Yeah, I'm doing that…
:Vicky: Okay, check spam because sometimes people find it in there.
:Marco: Oh yeah, there we go.
Marco opens the attachment.
:Vicky: Okay, throw it up on the big screens.
:Marco: I can't. I don't know how to change the input channel.
:Vicky: How the f do you not know?
:Marco: Man, I don't know, I'm just an announcer.
:Asuna: Hold up. I am not a cheater.
:Vicky: Yes you are girl, every single match might as well have been rigged.
:Asuna: What?
:Vicky: Marco has been intentionally not been counting right, because he counts way faster on you than anyone else.
:Asuna: Huh?
:Vicky: What, are you stupid?
Asuna breathes out heavily, looking dizzy.
:Asuna: I wouldn't cheat! I wouldn't!
:Marco: Well, she's right. I mean, if it's that obvious…
:Vicky: It is that obvious. Every single person that lost to Asuna should be back in this.
:Marco: Well… actually they are. Except for Netnu, but… he wasn't taken out by the pin method which I was given control over...
Asuna looks like she's on the verge of a panic attack.
:Asuna: I don't understand.
:Vicky: Tell me, Marco, who put you up to this?
:Marco: I guess myself. Someone else will be the announcer.
Asuna looks so confused.
:Marco: I guess this by default means Strafe wins.
Strafe rolls onto his back, feeling weirdly cheated in many different ways.
:Asuna: I'm… I'm not a cheater!
:Vicky: Can't deny the facts, Asuna!
Vicky walks backwards out.
:Vicky: Hell yeah, did I look good doing that?
:Camera Man: You pulled it off pretty well I thought…
:Vicky: Hella. Let's get going.
Strafe gets up, looking at Asuna.
:Asuna: I swear to god, I did not cheat.
:Strafe: It's not my call.
Asuna looks dejected as Strafe pats her back.
:Strafe: We'll figure this out. I've talked to the top brass before and I'll do it again.
----
Nion glances at an unguarded Strafe leaving the arena with Asuna.
:Nion: Damn it… he's made it to finals and I still haven't been able to…
Nion sets her sniper rifle down as her burner phone rings.
:Voice: You are, very, very fucked if Strafe wins this. You are extremely fucked if he doesn't have a bullet in his head before he leaves the stadium.
:Nion: I understand but there is something messing with my aim…
:Voice: Don't you blame shit on this. This is your human error.
:Nion: No, sir, I actually figured it out. Why I've been missing every single time.
:Voice: This better be good.
Nion stares at Lucky the Cat, who is currently between Netnu and Silver. He's trying to open a boxed lunch, unable to do so for a bit before the metal case hits him in the face upon opening it.
:Nion: Just a hunch, but I think an unlucky green cat might be to blame.
:Voice: Make it quick and shoot the green haired son of a bitch not too long after. I'm losing money and you're gonna lose an arm or something worse.
Nion shivers.
:Nion: Understood.
===Fera vs. Spree===
Sakeena pulls out her laptop as Strafe runs up the stairs to the audience.
:Strafe: Tell me everything you can on Asuna.
:Sakeena: I'm way ahead of you. Wikipedia isn't giving much in the way of information right now in terms of her origins, but I do know this isn't her original name.
Strafe looks to Rachel who just waves.
:Rachel: Nice going hotshot, we got a chance to get the finals belt.
:Strafe: Don't give a shit about that.
Rachel looks at him quizzically as Sakeena types like mad on Google.
:Obena: Holy shit, that's a fast WPM.
:Strafe: Shut. Shut shut shut. We need information and we need Sakeena to have her space for that.
:Sakeena: Oh, I found something.
:Strafe: What. What did you find? Let her finish!
:Sakeena: Her original name is Spumoni.
Sakeena looks straight to Strafe's face.
:Sakeena: Spumoni Napoleon.
----
Strafe bursts into Drago Napoleon's office.
:Strafe: Hold the phone.
Drago Napoleon swivels around to look at a very angry, very pissed off Strafe. He's holding his phone in his hand, which he crushes in his hand.
:Drago: What are you doing here? Isn't winning enough for you? Sari will be taking over the announcer role for now.
:Strafe: I know for a goddamn bluff that Marco is just the fall guy for what you tried to pull. You don't think it's incredibly obvious to me what's happening here? The person who keeps getting fucked over by their family?
:Drago: I DIDN'T FUCK HER OVER!
Drago huffs, the phone turning into shrapnel into his hand.
:Strafe: I have a friend who knows how to google. She's really good at it and I'm not good enough for her. But I do know that you are the father of "Asuna", aka real name Spumoni Napoleon.
:Drago: Asuna's her real name.
Drago shakes his head as he looks at Strafe.
:Drago: What are you gonna do? Is Vicky with you?
:Strafe: Just me. I don't much care for her either.
:Drago: At least you have your head on straight.
Drago flicks his cigarette into a trash can.
:Drago: Again, may I ask… what are you gonna do?
:Strafe: I don't fucking know.
:Drago: People don't like cheaters. I can make it up to her later. I just wanted what I thought would be good for her.
:Strafe: To cheat for her?
:Drago: Didn't say that.
:Strafe: I knew this operation was suspect, but I didn't expect the host to be doing this for nepotism.
Strafe growls.
:Strafe: She deserves a real tournament, not this sham you constructed for this lie.
:Drago: What does it matter to you? You won.
Drago pulls out a new cigar from his office.
:Drago: My aura's gone but I'll still kick your fucking ass. Get out of my office. There's nothing I can do for you. I will take care of Asuna. The tournament may not be the best way to impress on you that I'm a good father, but you don't need to be worried about her wellbeing. You have a show to go onto.
Strafe leaves, leaving the door wide open. Drago growls.
:Drago: At least close the door, asshole…
----
Fera looks to Spree, confused.
:Fera: I guess we're up?
:Spree: I knew she was a cheat… what the actual hell. What else has been rigged?
:Fera: Well, I can tell you that I haven't cheated.
:Spree: I sure haven't.
:Fera: Well, let's have a good fight then!
:Spree: Heh, sure.
Spree looks to Reten and Plum, who are cheering him on.
:Reten: Kick her ass!
:Plum: Do it!
:Spree: Let's fucking do this.
----
Strafe watches from afar- not even in the crowd stadium, literally just below Nion Exothermia- out of reach from where she's posisitoned. She becomes as quiet as she can.
:Strafe: I gotta figure out a way to make this right…
Strafe takes a long sigh.
----
Fera hops into the arena as Spree has a bunch of blades spin around him in the air above his head, before popping up like a crown.
:Spree: I'm the king of this tournament and everyone's going to know it.
:Fera: Heh, we'll see about that… we're the last fight before finals.
:Spree: Oh, they'll know.
Spree points his swords to her, releasing them as the bell rings to indicate the fight has begun. Fera guards them with her shield, before lifting off and rushing forward with her spear which has been fixed since her fight with Plum.
:Fera: Rah!
:Sari: What a rush! The match just started and these two are already fighting with such ferocity!
Spree blocks it with the blunt end of a dagger, striking the legs of her armor with his flying blades.
:Spree: The best part of a sword is that's more than just the point!
Fera smirks before ramming his head in with her shield, causing him to stumble over to the left.
:Spree: Alright. you're a lil cheeky huh…
Fera whaps him in the back of the head with the spear as Spree grunts, stabbing her armor in the side with a dagger that continues to thrust and stab at the armor.
:Fera: What is this?
Fera attempts to pull it off her but it continues to stab and thrust out, even though it's not penetrating the armor to any obvious extent.
:Spree: That's the power of the Sage of Blades. Continous force against an unbreakable object- something's gotta give, right?
Fera slams the tip of her blade against his armor plating, getting hit with the stretched end of his gold and white Imperium. Spree spins around, releasing a ton of bladed weapons at her which she tries to block with, her shield getting knocked out of her hand.
:Reten: (from the crowd) You got this! Finish her off!
:Spree: Don't tell me what to do, boomer.
Spree studies Storm and his arms become equipped with plasma blades. He strikes them against each other to create a large flash.
:Fera: Eugh….
:Spree: I want you to give me everything you f'ing got!
Spree releases another large flash.
:Spree: If I'm going to be the Sage of Blades, I might as well prove I absolutely deserve the title even if the winner is rigged?
Fera attempts to shield her eyes with her hand, grunting as her head aches.
:Fera: Stop, light like that…
Spree continues to whack together his Storm-inspired plasma blades before Fera grunts, dropping to the ground as orange drive swirls around her, transforming her into Ultimate Fera. Ultimate Fera stares at Spree with blank orange eyes.
:Spree: Hell yeah, this is what I like to see!
Spree claps together as he unforms the plasma blades, instead going for two gigantic gunblades that roar from their internal engines. Spree can barely hold them, but he's going for flair at this point.
:Plum: Is this kid nuts? I couldn't even get a single hit in, let alone beat her normally…
:Reten: That's because you're a nerd and he's a idiot.
Ultimate Fera strikes her naginata into Spree, who uses the gunblades in a defensive X position and lets them float for him, creating a bunch of kunai to throw at her. Ultimate Fera lets out a large burst of power that shatters the ground completely, cracks spreading across the whole arena.
:Ultimate Fera: You want true power? COME AND GET IT!
:Sari: Oh dear…
Spree launches the kunai at her, spreading out some gold dust as he does as well, although Fera's head cranes to the side to dodge it. Spree's mechanical arms pump out steam as he creates a huge blade to counter Ultimate Fera's naginata attack.
:Spree: Gah!
Ultimate Fera spins the tip of the naginata rapidly to create a drill, with orange Drive pulsing off it. Spree creates a bunch of swords of light while Fera creates her own light naginatas, both launching as the swords and naginatas shred and bounce off each other.
:Spree: I'm gonna give it all you I got!
:Ultimate Fera: You're not much more than hot air- it's literally emitting off your limbs. I think it'll be very entertaining to see you try and push off this charade for any longer.
Spree squints.
:Spree: If you wanna go… I'll gladly accept.
Spree looks at the sky. Time to put up the bubble shield. He sticks up both middle fingers as swords slam against the tip of Ultimate Fera's naginata.
:Spree: This is American style.
Spree places his hands below his chin, spreading them out a bit but laying them flat. The bubble shield closes above them.
:Spree: French style.
Spree sticks up one middle finger as his other hand lays it's pinkie against his chin.
:Spree: Japanese style.
Spree jams his thumb against the side of his head as he points his middle finger to his eye.
:Spree: Italian, specifically Naples style.
Spree releases a bunch of saw blades that shred through Ultimate Fera's wings.
:Spree: The world's fingers for fuck off and fuck you!
Silver watches intently.
:Silver: Gotta take notes from this kid.
Ultimate Fera breaks through the sword, slamming the end of the naginata into his armored chest. Spree smirks as he grabs the length of the naginata and pulls all his weight back, grunting as he's pushed to the ring out line.
:Spree: Just… a little… more…
He manages to lift the wingless Ultimate Fera into the air and completes the suplex through naginata. Ultimate Fera flies past the ring out line.
:Sari: Spree wins against Fera, even in such an uncontrollable and powerful form…
Ultimate Fera reverts to her original armor, looking dazed and confused. Spree chuckles.
:Spree: I won. God… I actually did it!
Spree laughs.
:Spree: I might actually have a chance of winning this whole shebang!
==Finals==
===Noora vs. Strafe vs Spree===
Nion shifts over her sights to Lucky, squinting as she puts her finger near the trigger. She closes her eyes as she suddenly hears something get on the beam she's on.
:Nion: Who's there?
Nion shifts over to find Strafe, which scares the shit out of her. Strafe hits the sniper rifle out of her hands.
:Strafe: You don't do a very good job at keeping yourself a secret. Honestly, I was biding my time until I could hear you move.
:Nion: Today has been a very long, frustrating day. You're why.
Strafe nods as he sits with his legs folded into each other.
:Strafe: Someone's got a hit out on me and you're the means of doing it, huh?
:Nion: Listen, I don't want to kill you. I really don't. I don't know who wants the hit out on you, I don't know why they picked this tournament to do this.
:Strafe: But they're rich, right? What's your debt?
:Nion: Millions. Millions and millions of dollars.
Nion swallows hard.
:Nion: Don't kill me.
:Strafe: I'm not going to. You don't think I don't understand this deep, dark place you're in?
Nion sighs.
:Nion: I don't think you do.
:Strafe: Why don't you tell me then?
:Nion: Mm.
Nion sighs.
:Nion: I'm a dark web assassin for hire, with a debt in the millions.
:Strafe: How'd you rack that all up?
Nion looks uncomfortable.
:Nion: I don't want to get into that with you.
Strafe folds his arms and legs.
:Nion: Nothing bad… just not something I want to talk about.
Nion looks at her sniper rifle on the floor.
:Nion: How did you find me, anyway?
:Strafe: Well, I followed the direction of your bullet.
Strafe glares at her.
:Nion: Mm, yeah, sorry about that.
Nion hangs her head back.
:Nion: Not that you have a real reason to trust me, but I don't really wanna do this anymore. But… I'm not sure what will happen if I don't finish this job.
Strafe leans forward.
:Strafe: Noah was run by a group known as the Thieves Guild. To survive, I had to do whatever terrible acts they told me to do. It made me miserable.
Strafe looks at her.
:Strafe: I see that same misery in you. We'll figure out how to repay your debt. In the meantime… I'll figure out how to keep them off your back long enough for us to figure out a solution.
Nion nods.
:Strafe: And keep that fucking sniper rifle away, alright?
Nion chuckles to herself.
:Nion: Yeah, alright.
:Strafe: No, really, you were about to shoot someone with that.
:Nion: I thought it was a way out! What about the misery you see in me, or whatever?
Strafe hops down, chuckling as he picks up the sniper rifle.
:Strafe: Just having some humor about the situation. Not everyday you confront your assassin, you know?
:Nion: To be frank, I'm not sure if I really deserve your forgiveness just like that… but I suppose you're used to this kind of thing.
:Strafe: Something like that. Listen, you're willing to break from this if you have the chance, right? You don't enjoy this work.
:Nion: Yeah, I don't.
Nion looks to Strafe.
:Nion: I dunno how I'll make it up to you…
Strafe walks off.
:Strafe: Hey, don't worry about that. I used to be in that world too. I know it when I see it.
Strafe sighs as he leaves.
:Strafe: I know it when I see it.
----
Rachel sits with the other Fantendo Firehouse members as Quartz comes carrying Unten's sleeping body.
:Rachel: Oh hey, you brought Unten.
:Quartz: Yeah, he way over-exerted himself way too much.
Quartz stares off in the distance before putting him back down.
:Quartz: I blame whoever that mysterious cloaked woman was…
:Rachel: Yeah, who was that? Why did they let some weird stranger join the tournament like that?
:Quartz: We'll probably never know… well, if I got the permission to track them down anyway, maybe we'd know…
:Rachel: Eh, it's probably good for you to stay close to the ground. Who knows what kind of crazy followers The Threat has left.
Quartz sighs.
:Quartz: Vindozz was known more for making enemies as opposed to allies, but yes, I suppose that wouldn't be the best for me in that case.
Quartz looks to Unten.
:Quartz: Besides, if he's gonna be a dumbass, I should probably be here.
:Rachel: Heh.
:Nycho: So, is the last fight just gonna be the three of them fighting?
:Rachel: That's in the bracket we got, so yes.
:Nycho: What a weird bracket.
:Obena: I mean, it's from outerspace, Nycho.
:Nycho: Right, but it'd make sense to have another redemption round, yeah?
:Obena: Do you want to be stuck here any longer?
:Guadalupe: Admittedly this thing is running a bit long… we've been here for like, eight hours.
:Sakeena: Well, god willing, this ends now…
Sakeena looks at the arena below where Strafe, Spree, and Noora get onto the arena ground together.
----
Strafe stands as Spree readies a combat stance while Noora takes a more meditative one.
:Sari: Here we are, the final round, folks!
We shift our focus quickly over to the observers from the sidelines.
:Reten: C'mon… Spree you can defeat these jokers flat out…
:Plum: Does he have any kind of strategy against these two, though?
:Reten: Sometimes you don't need to think so much to get results…
The focus returns back to Spree, Noora, and Strafe. The bell rings and Strafe stays on the defensive, erecting shields of light that circle around him. This makes him an attractive target for Spree, who immediately starts hurling naginatas at Strafe's shields, which bounce off harmlessly.
:Strafe: Hmm…
Strafe stays close to the ring out line as Noora does a sweep kick against Spree's legs, which knocks him down. Noora teleports atop him on both feet.
:Sari: Oh, uh, 5…
Spree struggles under her, creating swords that generate around him, spinning around Noora. Strafe rolls a green grenade towards Spree.
:Sari: 4…
:Spree: Gah!
Spree sends the blades towards Noora's legs, but she jumps up and lands back on him, the swords flinging towards the wall of the tournament arena.
:Sari: 3…?
:Strafe: (thinking) There has got to be some kind of utter limit to his powers… he can't just summon infinite swords, right?
Spree struggles under the weight of Noora.
:Sari: 2…?
:Spree: GAH!!!
Spree summons a long blade from the center of his torso, creating a small hole in his armor and chest to have the end of the hilt generate from. Noora gets off him as he grabs the sword, grunting hard as he bleeds.
:Spree: MHFFFPH…
Spree hits himself in the wound, grunting as he tries to get a grip on himself.
:Strafe: Why is he hitting himself like that…?
Noora teleports behind him, sliding her legs around him to flip him over into a suplex..
:Noora: It's probably to dull the pain. As ridiculous as it looks, it can help a little…
Noora throws him behind her, teleporting away.
:Noora: Sleeping dragon throw!
Strafe creates a light shield to bounce off and land back in the arena.
:Strafe: I ain't out yet!
Kunai fling towards Strafe in two directions- one from Spree, the other from Noora. Noora glances over to Spree, doing a quick cartwheel before throwing a chain that snatches onto Spree's armor. Spree grips the chain as Noora pulls forward, bringing him close, slashing at him as she teleports behind him.
:Spree: I can't land a damn hit…
Spree creates two katanas, swinging them around as he runs towards Strafe. Strafe's rotating shields are pried off with the blades as Spree then lunges at him. The light shields disappear as Strafe jumps into the air, looking at the green gernade out of the corner of his eye.
:Strafe: Auto reticle!
Strafe focuses on the grenade and throws a light energy blast at it, which causes it to explode in green slime across the center of the battlefield. Strafe lands, suddenly being attacked with Spree's katanas.
:Spree: Get out of here!
Spree slices into his sides, Strafe grunting as Spree kicks him over to the ring out line.
:Spree: There we go…
Spree slams him with the end of knives, pushing Strafe back, and ultimately over the ring out line.
:Sari: Strafe has been eliminated! Just Spree and Noora left!
Strafe laughs to himself.
:Strafe: I think this was convincing enough…
The action shifts back to Spree. Spree turns around to see Nightless, who attacks him with a slashing attack.
:Nightless: Rrgh!
Spree deflects with katanas, grunting as he moves closer to the ring out line.
:Spree: Shit, I was caught off guard…
Spree slides back as Nightless attacks with her claws. He creates two katanas that are flung towards her, but Nightless speeds through them with Sleep Dash. She attacks with her claws in a spinning attack.
:Spree: Gah!
Spree is thrown back by the sheer force of the attack, centimeters from the ring out line. He turns the katanas into Plasma Cutters, which cause Nightless to recoil back in pain as she attempts to attack with her claws.
:Nightless: Nggfff.
Nightless snarls ferally, dashing in multiple directions around Spree, attacking him the side and above, knocking him downwards in a spike attack.
:Spree: Hah!
Spree creates a bunch of kunai and flings them forward into Nightless. Nightless howls with pain but continues to push him as close to the ring out line as possible.
:Sari: This is gonna be tight one, folks!
Spree and Nightless attack each other relentlessly, using every tool they can think of. Nightless shuts her eyes tight as Spree attempts to use gold resin on her, Nightless stretches her arms to exert more force. Finally, something breaks way.
:Nightless: Gah!
Nightless attacks Spree on the feet, throwing him just mere centimeters, but it's enough.
:Sari: Noora has just won the final match, making her the victor of the World Tournament- but wait, what the heck is that?
Sari glances, actually panicked as Asuna limply walks towards the stadium ground with two gigantic wings that feature two figures intertwined with the wings.
:Asuna: I won that match against Strafe… I should be the champion if I beat you two, shouldn't I?
An exhausted Spree and Nightless helplessly watch as Asuna's wings spread out fully, the figures intertwined releasing a barrage of aura missiles that send the two flying back.
:Asuna: And since it's the final match, it won't matter if I have to kill you two to do it!
====???====
The audience watches in shock as Asuna attacks the two relentlessly with her two new wings.
:Zerita: Hey, Laverne, what the hell is this?
:Laverne: I dunno, but I think those figures are… Drago Napoleon and his wife?
:Sakeena: Well, that proves she's the child of Drago, alright…
:Rachel: I mean, we should probably do something… she's probably going to kill them…
Unten slowly wakes up, snorting as he wakes up in cold sweat.
:Unten: Huh? What?
:Quartz: Oh hey, you're up.
Quartz strokes the top of his head as it's a helpless battle, with Asuna slamming both Noora and Spree to the ground head first, burying them.
:Unten: Uhhh… ah shit.
:Rachel: Well, no point in standing around, right?
----
Reten launches from out of his seat as he fires bullets at Asuna's head, which become deflected before they even reach her, just from the sheer Aura energy.
:Reten: What the fuck even is this power?
Millyrain jumps up from her seat as Fera holds her back. Glenn steadies his head.
:Fera: We can't just rush in without a plan.
:Plum: Well, we don't even know what we're up against, but if we don't do anything, they might die!
:Glenn: I don't know if I can offer much, given my brain power isn't much at the moment… but I agree, we can't just sit around.
Silver jumps up, levitating towards the Aura winged Asuna.
:Silver: What are you, some kind of Aura Angel?
Silver spins the Mind Weaver in his hand.
:Silver: I don't really like angels much myself. More a demon.
Silver bares his fangs as he lets out a cutting wave from the Mind Weaver, releasing a powerful burst of dark energy. Aura Angel Asuna barely winces from the attack, but it is somewhat working.
:Unten: Alright, I'm here, I'm somewhat more rested, what's going on?
:Plum: Asuna somehow tapped into a serious Aura power spike! I can't explain it, there's not really any Aura users that can even tell me how this is possible…
Laverne's top half teleports over.
:Laverne: I'm not sure quite how this is happening but drastic Aura changes like this… they don't happen often… Hrm.
Laverne projects a giant Aura shield which Aura Angel Asuna's wings bash across hard. Noora and Spree gather their breath as Fera escorts them to safety.
:Fera: We have to stop her somehow…
:Unten: Without killing her. I'm not sure if everyone is on the same page as me on that.
Silver shrugs as he keeps blasting his dark magic at Aura Angel Asuna. Aura Angel Asuna's eyes open to reveal powerful blue and pink eyes with dark pupils, drooling blue and pink fluid from her mouth.
:Aura Angel Asuna: Ahahaha!
Aura Angel Asuna ferally bashes at the forcefield, looking outright deranged.
:Millyrain: Let me at her, come on!
:Unten: I dunno… you didn't make it super far into round two after all…
:Fera: Unten, don't put her down, you have to give her some power to stand a chance!
Fera opens her palm, tapping deep into her Drive to create a Heroforce Symbol that's embordered on her shield. Unten nods and takes a deep breath as he focuses his palm onto his Aura.
:Unten: Alright, let me try…
Unten creates his Unten head symbol with his Aura, which goes on Millyrain. Millyrain spins around with her two new symbols.
:Millyrain: I feel…
Millyrain spins around with a fused weapon that resembles Fera's spear and Unten's Imperium.
:Millyrain: So powerful!
Millyrain zaps forward, accelerating her momenteum as she jumps over Laverne's aura shield.
:Mindy: Not that I have any point in doing this, but I am still somewhat of a hero at heart so…
Mindy fires star projectiles from her wand before holding it super steady.
:Mindy: Cyperpunk Pineapple Electric Shock Pulse!
A giant metallic pineapple appears behind Aura Angel Asuna, causing her to grunt as energy rings released by the pineapple hits her. Meanwhile, Ruby Glaes and Umbra Shader attack with their scythes, attacking her Aura forcefield.
:Silver: Black and red… such appealing colors.
Silver giggles femininely as Eric Riodran attacks with five ghostly coffins spinning around her, attempting to get through.
:Eric Riodran: Come the hell on!
Makara attacks the forcefield with his electrical staff as Storm slashes it with her plasma cutters.
:Storm: Dang, this thing is enforced!
:Unten: We're almost there, we can do it!
The forcefield expands wider, as Bril Vanae charges up a punch before reversing her direction onto it to hit it as hard as possible. It cracks as Riddle hops on the forcefield with Chiamomo, who's attacking with their bullets.
:Chiamomo: Chiamomo!
Zambra Eebra attacks with ice and fire attacks, growling ferally as Hama backs her up with flame attacks of her own while Toso Musuko attacks with Netnu with their strongest attacks.
:Toso: Come the hell on! Break!
:Netnu: Break! Bash it!
Aero creates a strong, precise wind attack that blows against the forcefield, causing it to wobble violently. She looks to Makara in the sky.
:Aero: Just to be clear, we're still not friends!
:Makara: I get it!
:Bang Crimson: Would you all focus?
:Lucky: Yah!
Lucky thrusts his palms into the ground, creating shadows that attempt to lift the barrier from below.
:Fera: Clever thinking Lucky... we have to attack from all angles after all!
Finally, the forcefield shatters. The combined forces all clash into Aura Angel Asuna, who attempts to hold them back using her wings but can't take their power. Millyrain slams their Imperium Spear into Aura Angel Asuna, which blows her back to the stadium's wall, shattering it.
:Millyrain: Did we do it?
:Aura Angel Asuna: Not quite…
Aura Angel Asuna traps all the people on the field in Aura Bubbles of blue and pink colors, leaving just Mynis, Quartz, Rachel, Strafe, Noora Nasumi, Unten, Spree out.
:Unten: I have a risky plan, but it might work. Mynis, you got any Glistening Blumps on you?
Mynis looks through his bag and hands Unten a Glistening Blump. Unten looks at it and nods.
:Unten: Spree, I need you to pop Reten's bubble. He has the single most powerful attack with that Hyper Orb cannon. Get him to blast that thing and we can probably end this.
Quartz grunts as she transforms into her Second Form.
:Unten: The rest of you need to keep her busy.
Aura Angel Asuna limps over to them, cackling. Second Form Quartz clenches her fists.
:Second Form Quartz: Come over here, you overpowered piece of shit!
Second Form Quartz flies towards her as Mynis runs around the place, Spree grunting as he looks for Reten's bubble.
:Strafe: Auto-Reticle!
Strafe unloads a stream of light energy bullets onto Aura Angel Asuna, a reticle on her so Strafe lines up the shots precisely. Unten bites into the Glistening Blump, becoming Midas Unten for the first time in what feels like five years.
:Midas Unten: Forgot what a power trip this was…
Midas Unten speeds towards Aura Angel Asuna, kicking and punching with all his might. He continually slams into her, dealing damage as Aura Angel Asuna spits out fluid from impact.
:Midas Unten: This isn't going to be enough… Spree please hurry…
Spree uses kunai to pop Reten's aura bubble, pounding it with enough force to make Aura Angel Asuna drop him to the ground. Reten coughs as he pulls up the Hyper Mode Orb cannon, loading it with one of the many stolen Hyper Orbs he has.
:Reten: Open up, asshole!
Everyone steers clear of Reten as he unleashes a powerful beam from the cannon, dealing immense pushback and damage to Aura Angel Asuna, causing her to fly into the tournament's wall. The beam persists, cracking the wall even further. She can't even put up a fight, her aura wings disappearing.
:Asuna: Father… mother…
Asuna faints as the beam finally dies down, laying slumped over. Eric Riodran checks her neck.
:Eric: She's alive.
:Drago: She better be.
Drago folds his arms as he stares at all the contestants.
:Drago: Noora won. I suggest you all need to go home.
Reten looks over to him.
:Reten: Come on, don't I get something for that?
:Drago: I suggest you go home.
Reten rolls his eyes as he packs up the Hyper Mode Orb cannon.
==Epilogue==
Noora lets the belt hang loosely around her waist as she wraps her arm around Yami Zu.
:Yami: That thing is so big, holy cow!
Yami pokes it as Drago puts a cigarette into his mouth.
:Drago: You earned it, it would be unfair to not give it to you.
Drago glances over to Strafe, Unten, Rachel, Quartz, and Sakeena, who all have their arms crossed.
:Sakeena: We have a lot to talk about.
:Strafe: So, you attempted to rig this tournament so your daughter would win?
:Drago: Admittedly a little. I don't think I can really make it up to the people effected.
:Sakeena: So… was it just that Marco was counting faster on just her or were there other things in play? What was that lotus thing?
:Drago: There weren't really any other factors in play. I allowed Hyper Mode orbs to be used because I thought it would give her the best chance at winning. As for the lotus…
Drago lets out a puff of smoke.
:Drago: I frankly have no idea who placed that there, but figured it would be a nice aesthetic design.
:Strafe: You guys run a real tight ship, huh.
:Drago: Well, to be frank, I thought things were gonna turn out a lot different. But, things for next time.
:Strafe: You think there's going to be a next time?
:Drago: Why not? We did great in the ratings and the blame for the whole Asuna thing has a fall guy.
Drago smokes another ring from his cigarette.
:Drago: I don't think you all can understand, but Asuna was not born a strong child. She was born weak out of the womb, and when she grew up, it became obvious to me and my wife that she would not be able to produce Aura on her own.
Drago looks to Unten.
:Drago: I'm sure you can understand how important that might be if you know what it is.
:Unten: Mm, I'm not fully buying the sympathy card here.
:Drago: Both my wife and I gave our Aura ability to her. I wanted her to pave the way for the future that I had helped create the course for. When you sacrifice that much, you don't want any more risk to get in the way.
Drago leans into Unten.
:Drago: You know what sacrifice is, right?
Unten looks uncomfortable as Drago leans back.
:Drago: Tell me when you do. Then we can talk about my actions.
:Sakeena: That's some bullshit, sir.
:Strafe: Dang, when did you start cursing?
:Sakeena: I dunno, a while ago...
:Drago: Well, I'm not trying to say what I did wasn't wrong to some extent. But if this is the worst thing I've done… well, that's saying something, isn't it?
Strafe and Unten let that sit for a while.
:Sakeena: Yeah, but you let the competitors compete on false premises. Not to mention, what happened at the end there? That certainly couldn't have been part of the pan.
:Drago: Well, her Aura wasn't actually her own… she was probably tapping into our expectations for her in a really toxic way.
Unten nods. Makes sense to him.
:Drago: Anyway, show's over. Ya'll should be heading back home.
Strafe sighs.
:Strafe: I just can't stop feeling bad for Asuna…
Drago glances at him.
:Drago: I ain't like your father. She's in good hands. You worry about yourself- this is not your problem.
Strafe nods as the group leaves. Sarah bumps into a purple haired woman in a red lab coat on the way down, causing her to drop files all over the ground.
:Sarah: Here, let me…
Sarah looks up to see Beth, who is still ever intense. She puts down the mouth mask for a second.
:Beth: Sarah Auvic…
Beth collects the files off the floor. Photos of a orange rubber alien, a white haired woman in a white suit, and a blue haired woman in a blue and yellow hunting ranger's outfit litter the ground before she hastily picks them up.
:Sarah: What is all this…?
:Beth: CHELPRO. I was hired by them to do work for them. Potentially good work.
Beth glances over to the stadium before back to her.
:Beth: Are you just wasting your days or do you plan to get back into the working field anytime soon?
:Sarah: Well…
Sarah looks to the Fantendo Firehouse group, who have already begun losing her in the distance. They'd turn back any second, but there was a truth to what Beth was saying- if she wasn't going to be the doctor she used to be, she should find something else.
:Sarah: It's complicated. Tell you what though, I'm not going to wait any more.
Sarah helps her pick up the last of the files.
:Sarah: Thank you for giving me some much needed clarity…
Sarah runs off as Beth stares intensely behind her square frame glasses. She taps into a ear piece.
:Beth: I do not believe subject looked at any valuable intel, or for that matter, would even know what they were looking at.
Veronika taps onto her ear piece.
:Veronika: Keep it that way. Keep a close eye on her, make sure she stays in the unknown.
Veronika sighs.
:Veronika: She brought down gods, she'll sure as hell do the same for us if she gets the chance. Can't run with it.
Beth nods.
----
Reten, Plum, and Spree make their way to the parking lot.
:Reten: How did you manage to lose like that?
:Plum: A lack of a plan, that's what…
:Spree: I made it way further than both of you, so I'm not sure why this is such a big deal…
:Reten: It's a big deal! We needed to make the best impression possible in order to grow that group dedicated to stopping the calamity…
Reten grunts.
:Reten: I can't believe I got out so early…
Reten kicks a rock.
:Plum: Well, shows you that power doesn't always overpower wisdom, heh.
Reten and Spree look to Plum.
:Reten: Man, shut the fuck up you nerd.
:Spree: Yeah, shut the fuck up, you big nerd.
Plum buries herself in her notebook, jotting down notes, grumbling to herself as they make their way to Reten's car.
:Reten: I'm not sure how we'll be able to recruit more people- not a lot of people seemed interested in joining our crew…
:Spree: To be fair, you asked them kind of late into it. I'm not sure many people had the energy to consider it.
:Plum: You were kind of lowkey about it too…
Reten sees a paper tucked under the windshield wiper.
:Reten: Damn it, did I get a ticket?
Reten plucks it off.
:Plum: Ooo, let me read. You're illiterate.
:Reten: I am not… god. Just some words give me trouble sometimes…
Plum grabs it from his hands.
:Plum: Count me in. Bang.
Plum turns it over.
:Plum: Oh, and the Bang part is inscribed with a crimson color.
:Reten: Wait, does that mean Bang Crimson is interested?
Reten, Spree, Plum and look in the distance as Bang Crimson gets on her motorcycle.
----
Bang Crimson gets onto her motorcycle as the rest of the Fantendo Firehouse gather around the bus. She's with the rest of her family, rolling the motorcycle onto the back of a trailer.
:Strafe: So you and Rachel are gonna head back?
:Bang: To be frank, I'm not going back with Rachel. But I can't come back with you guys either. Need to clear my head.
:Rachel: I'm just… bummed out. I think it's healthier if I just went back to Seattle.
Rachel looks over to the group.
:Rachel: Sorry.
:Unten: Take your time if you need it.
:Strafe: How are you gonna get back to Seattle?
:Rachel: uber. I can't stand to be here anymore… I hope you understand.
:Sakeena: Take care of yourself, Rachel.
:Rachel: I'll try…
:Unten: Should someone go with her?
:Sarah: I mean, its her break-up, there's nothing I or anyone else would really be able to help with getting over that… I stayed in a void for months after all…
:Strafe: Right…
:Rachel: I'm off. See you guys tomorrow.
Rachel goes over to the front of the tournament building as Normal Nate opens the doors to the bus.
:Normal Nate: Hop in, we're heading back to the hotel!
----
The group makes their way into the hotel as Sarah spots an Asian man in a green outfit with black hair.
:Sarah: Hey… isn't that… the guy who reformed Xerox…?
He turns around to see her, looking kind of surprised.
:Man: Ah, Sarah Auvic. I've heard a lot about you.
:Sarah: Uh… hopefully good things…
Sarah scratches the side of her face.
:Man: Nah, nah, don't worry about that. It's confidential. I'm not allowed to speak about it with anyone besides the patient.
:Sarah: Uh huh.
:Man: The name is Mingyu Li. I am interested in recruiting you to a new field of medicine so unbelievable it's practically science fiction- but I have managed to get some stuff working with relative success and I think it's about time we put your genius on the board.
:Strafe: Someone just got a job offer, huh?
:Sarah: Shut it…
Mingyu Li outstretches his hand, holding a business card.
:Mingyu: You don't need to make a decision right now, but call me if you are interested.
:Sarah: Will do…
:Unten: Come on Sarah, we can't keep the elevator door running all day…
Obena taps the open door button like her life is on the line for it as Sarah takes another look at Mingyu before hopping into the elevator with her friends.
:Sarah: So begins the new life of Sarah Auvic…
:Strafe: The hell is she talking about…
The elevator goes up.
----
Umbra Shader stands outside of the tournament with his girlfriend Andromeda. He's frustrated.
:Umbra: I was taken out in the first round… even with the redemption round, I didn't get much farther…
Andromeda rubs his shoulders.
:Umbra: Maybe I am destined to be a failure…
:Andromeda: Don't say that… you aren't…
Umbra sighs.
:Umbra: I'm trying not to be too negative here… but look at where we are! Stranded in the past, with no escape, just knowing what's to come!
:Andromeda: But that's not for another 5810 or so years!
:Umbra: God…
Umbra sits down on the sidewalk as Netnu looks at him.
:Netnu: You're disappointed with the outcome too, kid?
:Umbra: It's kind of a broader thing.
:Netnu: Mm.
Netnu sits down next to him.
:Netnu: I wanted to utterly destroy Unten. Let him know that I was far above him in every aspect.
Netnu growls softly.
:Netnu: I didn't even get to face him.
Umbra glances at him, looking offput.
:Umbra: What's your grudge against Unten?
:Andromeda: Isn't he a hero? Aren't you a hero?
:Netnu: Heh… well, not everything about Unten is so peachy. Aren't you kids from the future? Tell me…
:Umbra: I dunno, I didn't exactly spend a ton of time studying this point in time…
:Andromeda: I did! Ooo! I did!
Andromeda raises her hand like she's in class while Netnu gives a cold, blank stare to her.
:Netnu: What happens?
:Andromeda: Something pretty bad happens with Earth. I dunno if I'm allowed to give that much detail… what was the time travel protocol for this kind of thing?
:Umbra: There is no time travel protocol, because we're not even supposed to be here!
:Andromeda: I'll just be cautious and tell you to watch for who takes over the planet.
Netnu's eyes snap open.
:Netnu: Who?
:Andromeda: Well, I can't tell you that!
:Netnu: Hrm...
Netnu gets off and goes on his own path, as usual. Umbra stands up.
:Umbra: We'll figure out a way to get back to the future… somehow…
----
Guadalupe sits on the bed, scrolling through her social media feed before her phone drops from her hand and onto her face, causing her to growl.
:Guadalupe: Sarah, you done peeing?
Sarah enters the room wearing a towel, having long, wet hair.
:Sarah: I was taking a shower.
Sarah looks to Guadalupe.
:Sarah: You can go take a shower now, I'm going to get dressed.
:Guadalupe: You should have brought your clothes to the shower room.
:Sarah: Yeah, well, I didn't, and now we're here now, so can you just go?
:Guadalupe: It's nothing I haven't seen anyway…
:Sarah: What?
Guadalupe sticks out her tongue as she heads down to the bathroom.
:Sarah: Crazy bitch… wonder how everyone else is holding up…
We shift our attention to Strafe's room where Strafe, Sia, and Nion are all gathered together with Sakeena and Unten walking into the room.
:Unten: What did you need my help for?
:Strafe: So, you remember when the president awarded you two with a bunch of money, right?
:Unten: Oh, huh.
Unten scratches the back of his head.
:Strafe: Like, okay, this is gonna sound strange, but this woman over here tried to assassinate me…
:Unten: Woah, what's going on?
Nion laughs nervously as Strafe leans forward at the edge of the bed.
:Sia: Strafe found out some info on her, namely that she's a dark web assassin who's doing this to get out of the deep, deep debt hole, and because he's got a mysterious dark past, he feels obligated to help her out because he sees himself in her. Do I got that right?
Sia crosses her arms as she leans against the wall.
:Strafe: Yeah, that's about right.
:Sia: Anyway, they figured the easiest way to pay it off was to mooch it off you or Rachel because of the money the president gave you when you defeated Quartz and stopped The Threat from further attacking Earth, who is small fries compared to the threats we're facing now…
:Unten: Oh right, Helen gave us both a billion dollars.
:Sakeena: What a more innocent time when the government was just willing to give people billions of dollars…
:Unten: I mean, I do got plenty of that left over…
:Strafe: Oh good!
:Sakeena: I mean, it's hard to spend that much unless you're a governmental branch.
:Unten: Yeah, I just didn't really know what to do with it. I kept it in a bank and spent maybe some of it for the apartment, but that's like… kind of it. Rachel kept us more afloat than anything else…
:Sakeena: And now I do the budgeting.
:Nion: You guys are just sitting on like, 2 billion dollars in shared assets?
:Sakeena: Well, it's not exactly public or charity money. If we're in a jam, this would be used primarily as bail money. It's not like we're holding 100 billion dollars in reserve under the guise of it being for a church. I mean, what kind of crazy religion would just hold 100 billion dollars in holding with the only given excuse being it's for the second coming of Jesus Christ?
:Nion: Wow, you'd have to be a moron to think that should be legal!
:Sakeena: Mmmhmmm. Anyway, it's windfall and given that we're a legally undefined hero group with no real legal precedent, its really up to us how we spend that money… and well, its best used for windfall.
:Nion: A billion could definitely really help the poor though.
:Sakeena: Well, we're still figuring this out. Anyway, about you.
:Nion: Right, right…
Strafe looks to her.
:Strafe: I think she should join the Fantendo Firehouse, work in our ruleset. It'd help repay her debt in a small way, but also it'd help bolster our numbers. For being the premier hero group, we're small, insular, and we haven't branched out much.
Strafe looks to Nion.
:Strafe: Besides, everyone that deserves redemption should be allowed to have it. She's been more open to the idea of moving away from this crap than continuing down this dark road.
:Sakeena: Mmm… not sure this is the best idea, Strafe. She did try to assassinate you and she has potential ties to a lot of bad people.
:Strafe: Paying the debt off would help her move from that, though.
:Sakeena: Can we actually trust her though?
Everyone looks to Nion.
:Nion: Look… I've made my fair share of mistakes. Honestly I don't know why Strafe's gunning for me so hard to join your little group. But… it is an golden opportunity for me to move on and maybe use my talents in other ways.
Nion brushes her hair to the side.
:Nion: Besides, what do any of us have to lose?
:Sakeena: Millions and millions of dollars at stake.
:Unten: Eh, she seems pretty genuine. I'm trying not to make a gut call here, but…
Unten looks to Sakeena.
:Unten: I think Nion should join the team.
Sia glances to Nion.
:Sia: Well, blue man says you're in. Welcome to the Fantendo Firehouse.
----
Dr. Veronika Morozova and Dr. Anatoly Morozov walk down a empty stadium ground, grabbing the lotus from the center of the field.
:Veronika: I hope it's not too damaged. Those fights were… intense, to say the least.
:Anatoly: Yes… the Paragons certainly have a way of breaking themselves to pieces…
Anatoly taps the center of the lotus, which unfolds to reveal holograms of all 32 competitors and their abilities, stats, and analysis information. Form data has also been collected.
:Veronika: Well, we have a large data set to build project DELUXE now, huh?
A sudden clang fills the air as Netnu walks towards them.
:Netnu: And you two are planning to do what exactly with project DELUXE?
:Veronika: I thought everyone had left…
:Anatoly: Ah, Netnu. Nice to see you.
Netnu and Veronika are taken aback by how calm and reserved Anatoly is. Anatoly extends out his hand.
:Anatoly: You did good work out there. It's a shame we couldn't definitely prove you were stronger than Unten, hrm? But… what's the harm in gaining even more power? I can give you that, Netnu.
Netnu looks at his hand as Anatoly hands the lotus to Veronika.
:Anatoly: You deserve to be the leader of the world's leading hero faction. Something that will take the world by storm and redefine everything. You got the chops, the power, the ambition, the experience I'm looking for this role. The guy I have currently in this role doesn't want it. Yet he was the only one I could find that fit my description… until you.
:Netnu: Nice try. Isn't NULL from you guys?
:Anatoly: Oh, not anymore. That's the problem with experiments that go haywire… that's why we need you.
Netnu ponders for a bit.
:Anatoly: You would be leading a new team with your values defining the group. All you would have to say is… yes.
:Netnu: Hrm… well…
Netnu shakes his hand.
:Netnu: Consider me the new leader of your group, then.
:Anatoly: Nice to see you come around to CHELPRO. What do you call yourself, just Netnu?
Netnu ponders for a second.
:Netnu: I suppose if Unten's defining himself with a last name these days, I might as well do it as well…
Netnu looks to Anatoly.
:Netnu: How about Pozhar. The romanized version of your word for fire.
:Anatoly: Netnu Pozhar…
Veronika shrugs.
:Veronika: I like it…
:Anatoly: Welcome to CHELPRO, Netnu Pozhar.
----
Rachel arrives back at the Fantendo Firehouse to see the place swamped with F.A.N.T and military vehicles. She hops out of the car, looking immediately concerned.
:Rachel: Uhh…
Rachel walks towards the front of the Fantendo Firehouse before a woman stops her.
:Rachel: Hey, what's the big idea?
The woman is a redhaired, freckled woman in a specialized F.A.N.T attire.
:Woman: Rachel Harel, I'm with FANT, the name is Kiera O' Sullivan and I'm the leader of squad 690.
Another woman butts in, being an black woman with blue glasses and a giant gunblade with spikes running down it.
:Other woman: Did Kiera try and sell you on the idea she's the leader of this squad? I'm Lynzette Moira, I do most of the work around here.
:Rachel: Cool. What the hell happened here?
Lynzette and Kiera look to each other.
:Kiera: A huge explosion occurred near the station and we believe the threat known as NULL was at the epicenter of it. We captured her about an hour ago, we are looking for ways to neutralize her power before it comes back on.
:Lynzette: Don't worry, everything is being taken care of.
:Rachel: Wait, NULL? That's… that's my daughter…
Rachel pushes her way through the two women and looks at where NULL is, tied up and contained by FANT members, who are carrying her to the back of a large containment vehicle. NULL squirms in her restraints as she spots Rachel.
:NULL: Mom!
NULL for what feels like the first time in a long time, breaks down in a genuine way upon seeing her. Rachel comes close to her, cradling her cheek with her palm.
:Rachel: What happened?
:NULL: CHELPRO sent androids here to raid the place. I held them off, but it required me to use Solar Flare…
NULL coughs as she's weaker than she has been in a long time.
:Rachel: They can't just take you away…
An asian man sips a cup of coffee as they approach her.
:Man: Name's Kenji Ghim, here's my badge…
Kenji boredly holds his shirt up to her.
:Kenji: Overheard a ton of stuff, and well, you're not going to like the answers I'm gonna tell you right now.
Rachel looks at him, confused.
:Kenji: Right. So, NULL has been considered too big of a threat to keep under your watch- we also were never informed you were keeping NULL under your banner, but since NULL never did anything that would have needed our attention, we let it slide. However, this recent incident is making us back track on that. We need to keep NULL in captivity.
Rachel looks at him, a flurry of emotions washing over her. Sadness, anger, and logic, before her anger takes over.
:Rachel: We leave NULL one time and she does a good job of taking out the threats and she's been held in captivity like this?
:Kenji: Well, yeah.
Kenji sips some more coffee.
:Kenji: Anyway, when you're done being mad, we have some other things to talk about in terms of property damage… like, the Firehouse is left without a scratch, but I can't say the same thing about the rest of the block.
Rachel sighs as sadness overtakes her. She takes a look at NULL one last time before the F.A.N.T agents haul NULL away, both crying but refusing to break down for each other.
----
Doomulus Thai and Doomulus Rise arrive off their space ship. Doomulus Rise walks with his hands behind his back, looking weirdly sinister, while Doomulus Thai looks fairly exhausted. They make their way to an elevator.
:Doomulus Thai: Well, I'm absolutely wracked. That fight seriously took a ton out of me.
:Doomulus Rise: You persist on protecting your planet from the Doomuli why exactly? Not to get too deep into this… heaven knows we've talked about this before… but if it was under Doomuli rule, you'd be able to protect it with our resources…
:Doomulus Thai: I wouldn't be protecting it, I'd be ruling it. I don't want that. Earth is best when it's people are… relatively free.
Doomulus Thai sighs as she slumps against the wall of the elevator. The doors open up as Doomulus Tide stares at them.
:Doomulus Tide: Well, just my luck that I run into you, huh? Doomulus Prime wants you two.
Doomulus Rise and Doomulus Thai look at each other as Doomulus Tide enters the elevator with them. She presses the top floor and they stand in silence before the elevator doors open again as Doomulus Thai and Doomulus Rise head down to Doomulus Prime's throne room.
:Doomulus Prime: Ah, just the two Doomuli I wanted to see!
Doomulus Prime holds out a finger before two giant hammers swing into his body, destroying it utterly save for the head. A small, robotic arm takes an orange cube from his head and places it inside a new body that has been standing in the throne the entire time. It features a visible skeleton and looks much sleeker- almost Anubis-like.
:Doomulus Thai: Holy shit…
Doomulus Rise looks at the old body as Doomulus Prime leans his head against his hand.
:Doomulus Prime: These old bodies… well, they've served us well for this far. But I think it's time we finally upgraded these old things anyway. You two are the first to get the roll out.
Doomulus Prime clicks a button as two new bodies for Thai and Rise descend from the ceiling.
:Doomulus Prime: I got plenty of old bodies in storage, I was just messing with you two for presentation. But, these new bodies allow for a stronger connection to the DOOM system- it's almost synthetic skin. I bet you two would like that, hm? You two always seemed to have a longing for something a tad more organic… a return to the old days before your Doomulization.
Doomulus Thai touches the transparent, clear orange skin of her new body.
:Doomulus Thai: Huh…
:Doomulus Prime: You two can chose to get upgraded or not- I'll be busy with my fun run later.
Doomulus Rise looks to Doomulus Thai.
:Doomulus Rise: Well, it's about high time we got some kind of promotion.
THE END
==Cast==
Fan-Tan-DoeX.png|Fan-Tan-Doe
Enemy-Tan-DoePainted.png|Enemy-Tan-Doe
RachelWorldTournamentPainted.png|Rachel Harel
UntenPostZenithJacketPainted.png|Unten Bluzen
NychoWorldTournamentPainted.png|Nycho Invalidez
QuartzNew.png|Quartz
ObenaNewPainted.png|Obena
SarahAuvicDissectionPainted.png|Sarah Auvic
StrafeZenithPainted.png|Strafe
SakeenaKamelDissectedPainted.png|Sakeena Kamel
ZeritaDissectionPainted.png|Zerita
Sia2018.png|Sia
MiodaPostVictory.png|Mioda
NormalNate.png|Normal Nate
GuadalupeNewRelaxedPainted.png|Guadalupe Invalidez
NULLLatePostZenithPainted.png|NULL
BangCrimsonWorldTournamentPainted.png|Bang Crimson
DragoNapoleonPainted.png|Drago Napoleon (debut)
SariStrawberryPainted.png|Sari Strawberry (debut)
VivenLaVidaWT.png|Viven La Vida
MarcoCioccoPainted.png|Marco Ciocco (debut)
DynamoAzurePainted.png|Dynamo Azure (debut)
BoomRubyPainted.png|Boom Ruby (debut)
VickyVictoriousNewPainted.png|Vicky Victorious
StaciStacksPainted.png|Staci Stacks
CameronMannPainted.png|Cameron Mann (unnamed)
UmbraWTPainted.png|Umbra Shader
MillyrainWTPainted.png|Millyrain
RiddleVictory.png|Riddle
MysteriousWomanWorldTournamentPainted.png|Mysterious Cloaked Woman
Gush RPQ.png|Gush (cameo)
Heart RBB.png|Heart (cameo)
SilverZinColdBloodPainted.png|Silver Zin (COLD❄BLOOD)
MindyStarlanePainted.png|Mindy Starlane (debut)
CardinalWTPainted.png|Cardinal
AsunaWorldTournamentPainted.png|Asuna (debut)
NooraExoPainted.png|Noora Natsumi
YamiExoPainted.png|Yami Zu (cameo)
MynisNil.png|Mynis
SpreeSageofBladesWTPainted.png|Spree Ozzy Prime
RonnieVictory.png|Ronnie Pepper (cameo)
RachelTifft.png|Rachel Tifft (cameo)
BrilVanaeNewPainted.png|Bril Vaene
Eric_RiordanWTPainted.png|Eric Riordan
BuryafriendWTPainted.png|bury a friend
NetnuZenithPainted.png|Netnu
RubyGlaesWTPainted.png|Ruby Glaes
NionExothermiaGunpainted.png|Nion Exothermia (debut)
GlennWTPainted.png|Glenster 'Navy' Salt
AeroWTPainted.png|Aero
ZambjaEebraPainted.png|Zambja Eebra
LuckyVeridanWTPainted.png|Lucky Veridian
MyortiaExo.png|Myortia (cameo)
AnatolyMorozovaNewPainted.png|Dr. Anatoly Morozov (cameo)
VeronikaMorozovaNewPainted.png|Dr. Veronika Morozova (cameo)
HamaWTPainted.png|Hama
ChiamomoPainted.png|Chiamomo (debut)
E2_Lynna_Clean.png|Lynna Mercury (cameo)
FeraWTPainted.png|Fera
StormWTPainted.png|Storm
AuroraNewPainted.png|Aurora (cameo)
KimiLeeNewPainted.png|Kimi Lee (cameo)
HinataItoNewPainted.png|Hinata Itō (cameo)
UberNewPainted.png|Über (cameo)
TosoMPainted.png|Tōsō Musuko
FormerFourVictory.png|Makara
RetenWTPainted.png|Reten
PlumWTPainted.png|Plum
JasperJabberwockyWTPainted.png|Jasper Jabberwocky (cameo)
LaverneEchoNewPainted.png|Laverne Echo
LogiNewPainted.png|Logi
DenosZenithPainted.png|Denos
BethOperatinoNewPainted.png|Beth Operatino (cameo)
MingyuLiNewPainted.png|Mingyu Li (cameo)
Andromeda.png|Andromeda (cameo)
KieraOSullivanPainted.png|Kiera O' Sullivan (cameo)
Lynzette MoiraPainted.png|Lynzette Moira (cameo)
Kenji GhimPainted.png|Kenji Ghim (cameo)
DoomulusTide.png|Doomulus Tide (cameo)
DoomulusPrimeMK1.png|Doomulus Prime
===Transformations===
Nightless- character art (Final).png|Nightless
GumballCardinalPainted.png|Gumball Cardinal
NegaFormUnten.png|Nega Form Unten Bluzen
HamaDragonForme.png|Draconic Hama
UltimateFormFeraPainted.png|Ultimate Form Fera
ArmouredReten25%.png|Armored Reten 25%
ArmouredReten50%.png|Armored Reten 50%
ArmouredRetenBladeModeEX.png|Armored Reten Blade Mode EX
QuartzSecondFormVictory.png|Second Form Quartz
Fire-Burning Riddle.png|Burning Riddle
MillyrainWTGlaizeCerasusPainted.png|Millyrain (Glaize and Cerasus symbols)
GumballUntenPainted.png|Gumball Unten Bluzen
HyperModeAsukaPaintedfinal.png|Hyper Mode Asuna
HyperFormNetnu.png|Hyper Form Netnu
DoomulusThaiHyperForm.png|Hyper Form Doomulus Thai
HyperFormUntenVictory.png|Hyper Form Unten Bluzen
AsunaAuraAngelPainted.png|Aura Angel Asuna
UntenPostZenithJacketPaintedMidas.png|Midas Unten
MillyrainWTUntenHeroforcePainted.png|Millyrain (Heroforce and Unten Symbols)
DoomulusPrimeNewPainted.png|Doomulus Prime
DoomulusThaiMK2Painted.png|Doomulus Thai 2.0 (cameo)
DoomulusRiseMK2Painted.png|Doomulus Rise 2.0 (cameo)
==Trivia==
*World Tournament was first teased in the story Truth and Train and later comes up in the end of Dissecting Sarah. It is considered the first major crossover event since Fantendo - Zenith, although more in the style of something like Fantendo Sports Resort where the stakes and setting, as well as story, are far smaller.
*Three new characters were created to be contestants to add a level of grander scale to the tournament as having everyone be a pre-conceived character didn't feel grounded.
Category:What is the New Fantendoverse?
Category:Limited Series
Category:Fan Fiction
Category:Original Fan Fiction
Category:World Tournament
Category:Completed articles