Mugen Universe: Tournament of Champions- The Fanfiction Series

[OverMaster]

MUGEN Omake Theater, Part II!

Hey, kids! It's here at last! The First Wave of MUGEN Universe action figures!

*First, we see on screen a Nudoru Kaarage toy, and then it suddenly collapses into a heap of parts, with fake blood spurting all off it*

Introducing the Nudoru Kaarage action figure, complete in a two-pack with Miso the Angel, and fully detachable into pieces, bleeding to death with non-toxic artificial blood! Nudoru's blood packets are sold separately.

*Then, we see a figure of Booster Gold in his new Tony Stark-designed armor, in a pose much more heroic than Booster's usual attitude, and looking kind of buffer as well*

Booster Gold, the Justice League Superhero Powerhouse, in full upgraded power armor, with Skeets accesory mini-figure!

*Next, we see a Joker figure. Someone presses a tiny button on its back, and it laughs in Joker's signature maniacal, macabre way*

The Joker, deadly Clown Prince of Crime!

*Now, a Belldandy figure is shown, with Holy Bell fixed to its back*

Belldandy, the Goddess! Complete with Guardian Angel and Kikuko Inoue-voiced voice chip!

Buy them NOW, before their existences, and the world's, are over! With the buying of all four of them, you get a coupon, and with all four coupons, you can buy a Deluxe Figure of world beloved old Martial Arts Universal Champion, Hercule Satan, just by ordering to our website! WOW!

*A grinning action figure of Mr. Satan from Dragon Ball Z is shown, giving the TV viewers a 'V' signal with both hands. Recorded applauses are heard on the background*

ACME Toys, bringing you the Fun since 1936!

****************************

Team JLAvengers' Room:

An astonished Blue Beetle, Spider- Woman,Max Lord, G'Nort and Tony Stark are looking to the TV screen in front of them, still in disbelief.

Ted: Michael, you... you...

Tony: You went and sold your likeness for toys in a moment like this?

Michael shrugs: Hey, a percent of the profits will be used for the benefit of the Kaiju attacks victims, okay? The... small amount of money I got in the proccess was just a collateral incentive, honest...

Lord: Yes, and that little incentive must explain why you could buy that Lamborghini yesterday, right?

Spider-Woman: Is it me, or someone else thinks it's wrong they made a kids-targeted toy out of a real life mass murderer like the Joker?

Lord: Yes, can't wait for the Jeffrey Dahmer doll to come out... Hm. Let's better change the channel, okay?

Tony: ...In moments like this, I miss a little drink so much...


:D


Next: The Distance!

[Lord of Nonsensical Crap]

I hereby claim the 1000th post for the "Mugen Universe: Tournament of Champions" as my own!
Curse you, Saint! Curse you I say!

Anyway, just a question, J Dog: how the heck did Dorado know about Vellinor?

[OverMaster]

Curse you, Saint! Curse you I say!

Anyway, just a question, J Dog: how the heck did Dorado know about Vellinor?

IIRC, most of J Dog's characters have Fourth Wall Breaking moments.

[Lord of Nonsensical Crap]

Oh . . .right.


"..." Anzell almost gasped, then added, "But, Miss Urd... when you looked into the Joker's memories... didn't you learn anything about his connection to Vellinor? Because he mentioned being angered at him last night...".

"Nope. There was nothing about Vellinor in his mind when I looked at it...".

"Meaning Joker only met Vellinor *after* you took his memories into your mind, most likely" Batman deduced. "So perhaps it will still pay to question him". He then looked at the Boy Genius. "Dexter, call Blossom. If the Bell girl tries to oppose us when we try to question Joker, we'll need some backup on her own level behind us".

"Fine, and I'll talk with Setsuna in the meanwhile" Minako sighed. "I'll talk with Usagi too... if everything else fails, there's no one her Silver Imperium Crystal can't purify. Although I really hope we don't have to get so far".


Anzell said nothing for a minute. She glanced up at the red sky, wondering exactly what was going on.

"Could he be . . . .a singularity?" she wondered aloud.

This seemed to catch Batman's interest. "A what?" he asked.

The goddess looked back at the Dark Knight. "It's a phenomenon we deities of Evermere have observed and theorized over," she said. "It seems that occasionally, a mortal will wind up gaining powers that border on divinity. In most cases, these are usually be artificial or purely accidental methods, but every million years or so, a mortal winds up gaining powers of divinity seemingly out of nowhere, or else gains extraordinary powers with alarming frequency. We classify such mortals as singularities -- mortals who seem to attract otherworldly power."

"So . . . you're suggesting the Joker is . . . is a magnet for divine power?" Urd asked.

"It could be," Anzell replied. "It would explain a lot of things. Even for a herald, he seems to already possess powers that almost put him on par with a god. Even with Hild's power sustaining him, there is no way he could be that powerful unless, somehow, the divine power is somehow accumulating within him."

"But . . . .but that is physically impossible!" Dexter said. "Such a buildup of power would kill him!"

Anzell turned to Dexter. "Divine energy works a little differently than any other form of matter you're used to, Dexter," she replied. "It could potentially kill him . . .but then it could also potentially cause him to evolve into a higher being."

"So you're saying the Joker could potentially increase in power until he dwarfs us all?" Urd asked.

"Well, according to one theory, at least," the goddess replied. "It's not exactly definite, and there could be a variety of other explanations for the Joker's power increase. I'm not about to discount the possibility that his power is artificial, or else that he's siphoning power off of some artefact."

Batman's expression became grimmer. "Either way, we should all be on our guard," he replied. "Miss Anzell, if we're to interrogate the Joker, then we'd best be prepared."

The goddess nodded. "I'll contact my team -- we'll no doubt need plenty of backup if we're to confront him. And, judging by what Lady Urd just said, reaching into his mind telepathically is not an option." Batman grimaced slightly at the thought of having to deal with Marv again, but said nothing.

Calmly, Anzell pulled out her cell phone and dialled a number. "Master Chief? I want you and Alita to . . .. " She paused for a minute. "What kind of disturbance?" Her expression twisted into a frown, raising the concern of those around her. "But how could she break out of the hospital? She was too badly wounded! No, I'll check back with Alita myself: I'll need her to cover this situation. In the meantime, head on down to my position. I'll contact Marv and Zarabeth as well."

With that, Alita hung up. "It seems things are getting more out of hand each second," she muttered.

"Why? What happened?" Minako asked.

Anzell turned to the Sailor Senshi. "Sakura Kasugano -- the girl who was injured when Team Dan was ambushed -- has just blasted her way out of the hospital and escaped. Apparently a number of orderlies were injured."

"What, you mean the girl just got up and went crazy?" Spawn said gruffly. "That' doesn't make any sense."

"No, it doesn't," Batman agreed. "But that's something we'll have to worry about later: right now, the Joker is our main concern."

[OverMaster]

-The Distance-

"I want to train!" Joker then angrily went back to his feet and stomped his way to the door, dragging Rei along with him.

Mara almost choked on the popcorn she had been munching, as onscreen KOS-MOS stepped onto the Arena to face Vegeta, who smirked arrogantly. "What?!! You, wanting to train?! The Apocalypse truly must be upon us!".

The clown gave her an annoyed back glare. "I'm going to become strong enough to stomp everyone in here even if it kills me. I've just received a war declaration, and General J is ready to go to arms!".

"Holocaust! Butchery! The fresh scent of napalm in the morning!" Rei XV clapped over him.

Goenitz smiled knowingly, then raised up from his seat. "Good. Very good. At last, a true warrior spirit is born on you. The Mistress shall be greatly pleased...".

"To hell with what she thinks" the Joker huffed as he stormed his way out. "It's just I can't continue being pushed around anymore. No more Mr. Nice Buffoon, no sir!".

"He has been being nice so far?" Bell asked Mara.

"You learn something new every day, eh, brat?" the demoness shook her head as they followed him. "Bah, at least this will be a good excuse to kick his pasty butt again".

*****************************

Heaven:

"He's apparently just wandering around the corridors, more lost than Ryouga Hibiki blindfolded, drunk and stranded in Dagobah" Dokuro-chan informed as she looked at the surveillance screen in front of her. She and the blonde Callindra were at the Watch Room # 15, right after receiving a call from Azrael telling them about the 'intruder'. "Shall I go to stop him?" she asked, grabbing her spikey cub and lunging it around like a baseball bat.

Callindra was scandalized. "What?! And risk us to have you killing him?! If he truly is a protegee of Lady Rind, she'd skin us alive and behead us in the public park! And besides, he's only a poor, little, scared child!".

"That's what he wants us to think" Dokuro-chan muttered, lowering her weapon. "I'll bet he's really an agent sent to sabotage us under that frightened sheep facade...".

"Lady Rind would never fall for that" Callindra persisted as she prepared to go for him. "You stay here and don't move unless we tell you to. Okay...?".

"Fine, fine" the Pummeling Angel sighed, disappointed. "But you don't whine to me when he kills you, contaminates your system, and makes half of this place to blow up!".

"Oh, just stay quiet, you...".

*****************************

"Ouch". Elsewhere, Yolei picked up the stone that had been thrown at her, rubbed the numb on her head, and unfolded the piece of paper tied to the projectile. "Now, what's this...?".

"What does it say?" Poromon asked with curiosity.

*****************************

The female Dan Hibiki, Cosette Sara and Excel Excel, in the meanwhile, were on the search for Sakura near the woods. Dan grunted to herself as she walked, tears on her eyes; it was bad enough he had been transformed into a woman and now Cosette claimed she ignore how to undo the transformation, but her best student had vanished into thin air.

"YOOOOO-HOOOOOOOOO! Sakura, Enemy of ACROSS...!!!!" Excel yelled loudly, looking all around herself. "Show yourself, we still have a bone to pick with youuuuuuu...!!!!".

"Please, Excel-sempai" Cosette sighed. "We are supposed to be helping these poor fools for now, not scaring them away... if you yell that, you'll just make the girl to stay out of our sight, assuming she's hearing you".

"Ahh, I'm just using inverse psychology babble-ology!" Excel laughed crazily. "A psychiatrist tried that with me once, and it almost worked! At least, that's what he was claiming as they dragged him away in a straightjacket after the last of our sessions! Psychiatristology is a very, very mysterious and complicated science, though, and few minds short of Lord Il Palazzo's unmatched intellect can grasp it fully, I have always said!"! she began another mad rant, ignoring, amongts too many other things, an eye hidden behind some bushes was spying on her and her companions.

"Ahhhhh... it's the Loli goddess again, and she has company..." Blokk the Hentai Tentacle Monster slobbered as he muttered to himself, eyeing first the cute assassin, then Excel's shapely figure, and then Female Dan's awkward form. "Unh, the pink clad karateka girl is too ugly, but the blonde's a real looker... Heh, heh, heh. This time, things will finally work in my favor...".

********************************

To be continued in the next post.

[OverMaster]

-The Distance, Act II-

Yggdrasil:

That was such a horrible, mean place.

In the span of the last two hours, Keima Morisato had seen more blooodshed at expenses of Nudoru Kaarage than he had ever seen in the rest of his short life. He also had learned that very same being was, in fact, a God-Killer who had murdered countless thousands of gods, and his mother's companions were likely to be his next targets, in his opinion. Then, he had learned his mother had married her sister's boyfriend, and he had even made his aunt to cry. Then he had ran into the Angel of Death himself...

It was too much, just too much for him. He couldn't take it anymore. He wanted nothing but to break down at cry at the cruelty of this place they dared to call Paradise. He would have liked nothing better than to be back at home, in his mother's warm arms again, away from this horrible nonsense, away from that antiseptical, cold environment that scared him so much...

He ran through the halls with no pause. "Aunt Belldandy...!!" he cried time and time again, tears forming on his eyes as he looked for her desperately. "Wait, please... don't leave me... don't leave me alone... alone again...".

Out of breath, he finally had to sit down on a corner and sob to himself, lost and helpless. He continued shaking until that young blonde woman with glasses approached him. Then he sprang back to his feet, his mallet ready, his redened eyes fixed on her.

"Don't come any closer!" he suddenly warned.

"Oooops!" the girl gave a step back, and raised her thin arms. "Hey, hey, it's all okay! I'm not going to hurt you!" she pleaded.

"Who-who are you?" Keima sniffed some tears back, trying to act intimidating. He remembered his mother's final words; he had to be strong. He couldn't let them to get to him.

"I am Angel Assistant Callindra, at your service, young sir" she bowed in front of him. "Why are you afraid? You have the facial markings of a god. This is your place, you know...".

"This is not my place!" Keima protested, never loosening his grip on the mallet. "This is a den of cold blooded murderers who planned to wipe the whole world out, never minding if they sacrificed my mom and aunts in the proccess!".

At the Watching Room where Dokuro-chan was overviewing the action on a giant screen, the Angel of Beatings scowled cutely. "I knew this had to be some sort of mad rebel without a cause...".

Back at the scene itself, Callindra sighed and crouched in front of the boy, trying to smile at him. "I know, I know. Believe me, I don't like the idea of the Omega Initiative myself, but we have to trust the ones who will save Existence, okay? Now, I think it all will go better if you are a good child and just give that mallet to Aunt Callindra before you hurt yourself with it...".

"NO!" he shouted, making the easily impresionable rookie Angel to scurry away a bit, shocked at his tone.

But then, an elegant female voice coughed behind him. "Ahem. Mon petit, I think this has been enough".

He turned around to face a scantily clad young woman in black, with short dark hair and diamond shaped markings on her face, looking down seriously at him.

"You must be her..." Morisato whispered, unsure of what to do of it. "Peorth...". Then, in a much shriller tone, he pointed up at her with a finger and cried, "The one who stole Mom's whole manga collection once!!!".

Peorth facefaulted for a moment, then regained her usual cool. "Ah, Skuld will never forget that, will she? And I suppose you must be the one Flonne told me about... Morisato Keima" she said with interest, eyeing him. He really looked a lot like a much younger Keiichi, and yet just like a male, smaller Skuld, at the same time. The mere idea of it gave her the creeps, and yet... "Callindra, it's all okay" she finally spoke again. "Leave him with me. I have some things I want to ask him myself".

"But, Mistress..." the Angel hesitated. "Lord Azrael told me to--".

"Tell Azrael to come to me if he wants him, then!" Peorth snapped, obviously not in a very good mood. "Need I to remind you which one of both of us has the higher hierarchy here?".

"No, you don't, My Lady" Callindra gulped, shaking her head.

"Good. Come with me, then, darling" she took Keima by a hand and began to walk away with him. "Poor little thing, alone and lost here... I always got lost here when I was your age too, you know...".

"Will... will you bring me to Auntie Belldandy?" he asked with some slight hope.

"Of course I will, my dear. But first, you and me have to talk a bit about some things, okay?" she smiled down at him.

*****************************

MUGEN Grounds:

The imposing, black figure of Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith, sat quietly at the middle of his meditating chamber at Team Darkness' quarters, unmoving and completely silent for long hours.

Outside, the Evil Coop just yawned as he took a new look at the chamber. "Hey, Beryl!" he called out. "For how much longer is Tinhead going to stay in there. He's gonna rust at this rate!" he chuckled, amused at the idea of Vader moving like a clunky old tinfoil robot.

"I have told you, boy, you REALLY should call me 'Majesty', or 'Queen', at the very least..." the redheaded Beryl hissed from her throne, watching the current fight with Astronema. "As for Lord Vader, I ignore it. At least he is focusing his time on developing and strenghtening his mind and warrior disposition... it is more than what you have been doing since we arrived here!".

Meanwhile, oblivious to them, Vader sat and synchronized with the Force, avidly listening to its Dark Side, pondering the facts. Young Luke Skywalker was not at the Grounds after all. However, he had found out there *was* another one named Skywalker there. The young woman? No, it was not her. It was another young man. He could feel him already.

And his presence in the Force... it was too oddly familiar. He had had one like that himself, in the far flung past.

Could it be, perhaps...?

No, of course it could not be. That made no sense at all. And yet, the feeling he had about it... It was just too strong to ignore.

He finally reached a decision. He had to know it before the time of their match came.

Vader stood up at last, and walked out of the chamber, his steps resounding through the floor. Coop looked at him with interest.

"Hey, man, good to see you weren't dead in there after all. Had a good nap?".

Ignoring the young man's bad irony, the Sith Lord headed for the door.

"Where are you going, Lord Vader?" Beryl immediately wanted to know.

"I am going to find out some truths" was all of his inhuman sounding reply.


Next: Peorth and Keima have a heartfelt talk! Hood, Naga and a shocking guest vs. the Vampire Tendos! And the Joker battles Team Nifelheim!

[J Dog]

I think that guy's a spy- Conclusion

Suau was staring at Dorado Kompson and wondered why Vellinor wanted her hired. Then, Dorado asked, "So, why did Vellinor hire you?"

"He didn't tell me. He just said, 'That Guy Violated My Manhood'." Suzu told the gatorboy. "I still don't get that."

"Well, I fail to understand how come he wanted me to go bye-bye. Unless of course it was about his 'MySpace' account. You see, a while back, he was a member and his username was 'GodFunny103'. For a guy who's main purpose is to outtrick and outjoke everyone else, he had a lot of friends. I was wanting to join his brackets, but I accidentally sent an image I found from a 'Dateline' special. What was it? 'Playing with Predators'? 'To Catch Tainted Super Markets'? Whatever it was, I didn't mean it and I regret it."

"Have you considered talking to Vellinor, if you can find him?" Jack told Dorado. "If you can get this straightened out, I believe that everything will be straightened out... or made worse. Hell, it's 50/50."

"Jack's right." Mimi said. "It's best to talk about it and make due with it. I heard of him, but I want to see him!"

"Well, that's all nice and cool for you two, but what about me?" Dorado remarked. "I was the one who sent the image. I was the one who got the ninja girl on me. I was the one who backed his car up one time!" Dorado then got an 'Oh Crap!' face.

"Time out!" Mimi said. "What was that?"

"Something about a car." Palmon told Tachikawa.

"Hmm. This is getting weird." Mimi said. "Well, we gotta get going."

"I'm coming with. This job wasn't good enough." Suzu said. "And, another thing, what is 'MySpace'?"

************

"It says," Yolei read. "Jack, I can't duel you now." With that, Seto Kaiba's voice echoes. "I was hoping to cream your pathetic deck with my dragons, but as soon as I got away from you, I was grabbed by a green dinosaur and hauled into a trailer. I wrote this and bribed the rat $10 to deliver this. You won this round.- Kaiba"

"So, this Kaiba fellow, is he mean?" Poromon asked.

"Judging by 'creaming your pathetic deck', yes."

At the same time, Seto woke up, as he was hogtied on a couch that looked aged. A small, white dog walked up to him, carrying a coffee cup in tow. "So?" Dogbert told the CEO of KaibaCorp, "What's it like to be on the verge of a merger?"

"Merger? What merger?" Kaiba scoffed. "I'm not merging KaibaCorp with the owner of Path-e-Tech." Because Dilbert's company has no name, I'm using the name from an episode of the show.

"Oh, you will. It's either that, or your life. If you don't comply, I'll make you my mind slave."

Coming up next- Melvin gets started, Kaiba's in a hole, and Tiffany gets a little visit.

LONC, you may want to think about a meeting between the imbecilic gatorboy and the Trickster God soon.

[J Dog]

Dogbert Talks Merger- Part I

Dogbert was prancing around Dilbert's trailer, gleefully singing "Singin' in the Rain", and parodies several scenes. He skips around the files of Dilbert' inventions and alternations. And then, he uses a halogen lamp to twirl around twice. Meanwhile, Kaiba wasn't too happy to be given a Theater of the Absurd. He was considering his options, but at the time, there were only two, maybe three:


Agree with the merger, and watch his proud hologram company falter with a combination to obsolete technology, ignorant management, and parades of useless, money-driven cow-orkers. Not something to come home and talk to your future children about.

Refuse the merger, but in the process join Dogbert's army of people who will do his whims. Again, not something to be proud of.

Agree to the merger, but hire hitmen to take out Dogbert and then hire B-15 Spirits to secretly destroy his headquarters in San Francisco. Possible, but this is DOGBERT! He has conned more people than anyone else, and is a billionaire! How many stupid billionaires are there?



"Dogbert, will you please stop this annoying dance routine?" He grunted, now annoyed by the stench of the sofa, which smelled like mildew and rain. "I have limits, and I'm more than prepared to lash out at you."

Dogbert, still doing his jig, replied, "Well, you wanna 'lash' out at me? Do you best? Although it'll be rolling around and sticking your tounge out! HA ha!" With that, he was about ready to talk, when he turned on the radio to DMX's "Party Up" (that song you heard about 6000 times on the radio back at the turn of the century). This is the radio version, so Kaiba won't be forced to here the dumb line: "How the **** you gonna cross the dog with some bum ****?"

"Oh, great. Are you going to continue dancing, or do you want to talk about WHY you want me?!!"

"Simple," Dogbert said, "You are an example of the alpha male. You swiped this company from your father and turned a 180° on it. It became Hologram 101. Bravo!" He begins to clap, with "Party Up" reaching lyrics 2. "But, you are also futile. You never have beaten Yugi Motou, and you don't have any friends. But, we are also in common. I have never... well, I have conquered the world twice. And I have friends. But, the common thread is that we both believe most people are idiots, and we are the ultimas of the planet. That's why I want to merge companies with you."

"Spit on my cupcake and call it frosting, that's what you are doing." Kaiba scoffed. "That stunt has been preformed dozens of times; I am not a merging type of guy. I don't have cobuyitaphobia (the phobia of synergy), but I don't like other companies being introduced into my style."

"Just listen well. I'm not doing this for me, because if we merge, I'll fire all of my workers on MY side of the merge. It'll still be KaibaCorp. In exchange, I want you to help me become Ruler of the Omniverse." Seto stared at the dog, and wondered how evil he can become.

***********

Still crater-faced by Mel's rules on the stuff Vellinor is good at, i.e. Anvilology, Nabeshin begins to train Mel by teaching him how to bend the rules of a fight his way.

***********

The foursome return back to Yolei. "Hi, Yolei!" Mimi said happily. "What happened?"

"I got hit by this rock. And I got this note. I think it's for you, Jack." She told Jack. He then read Kaiba's note. "Serves him right! I hope he gets the what-for!"

"Why do you have schnadenfrude all of a sudden?" Suzu asked him.

"I sometimes wish something like that will happen to that nutcase who's getting at me." Mimi pouted. "Maybe something will happen to Cosette that will affect her really bad... maybe... And normally I don't want bad things to happen."

"Well, why now?" Palmon asked.

"She is scary, that's all."

(OM, want to continue this? If you don't know Suzu, she's the ninja character from "Tales of Phantasia")

[Lord of Nonsensical Crap]

Your Necrodermis Is Showing

After the incident of the ninja attack, Marv and Zarabeth had contacted Anzell, who suggested that they go to Washu to determine the source of Zarabeth's new powers. The Chousein, however, had been unable to find any scientific reason for Zarabeth's new powers, and Marv and Zarabeth had decided to leave when Washu started expressing an interest in performing all manner of experiments on Zarabeth's undead body. After being briefly questioned by the Angels on the ninja incident, Marv and Zarabeth, taking Anzell's advice, sought out Dr. Strange to see if there was a more arcane reason behind Zarabeth's powers.

At the moment, Marv sat on a chair in Strange's quarters, reading the newspaper while Strange inspected Zarabeth. The vampiress stood still, holding onto a few mystic gems in her hand while Strange occasionally held strange artefacts in front of her while muttering things in long-forgotten languages. Zarabeth admittedly felt rather uncomfortable as she stood there and let Strange inspect her: from time to time, he would press a hand against her shoulder or arm, or even her forehead, and she would always feel slightly numb where he had touched her afterward. Thankfully, he wasn't leering at her at all or place his hands where he shouldn't -- otherwise, she would have been pounding him into the dirt by now.

Eventually, Dr. Strange stood back. "You say that the discharged power of the Necronomicon flowed into you?" he asked.

Zarabeth nodded. "It felt . . . .odd . . . " she said. "Almost as though a thousand voices were filling my head at once." Her eyes suddenly widened. "I'm not possessed, am I?"

"In a way, yes," Strange replied. "The trapped souls of the book's original writers have now transferred inside of you. However, they are not powerful enough to break free, disrupt your own consciousness or cause you any harm: they have been completely absorbed by your own life-essence. It seems, though, that you have assimilated a good portion of their combined arcane knowledge. As a result, it seems that your magical aptitude has increased dramatically."

"Meaning?" Marv grunted from where he watched.

"Meaning that Zarabeth here now instinctively knows many more spells from the lore of necromancy than she did before," Strange replied, "and now has the increased magical power necessary to cast those spells. If I may demonstrate . . ."

The mage held up his hands, which began to glow with power. There was a sudden flash of light, followed by a stench of sulphur, and four fiery, demonic-looking figures suddenly appeared behind Zarabeth, each wielding a burning glaive.

Startled, Zarabeth dodged away from a swinging glaive and shouted something in an incomprehensible tongue. A second later, the room seemed to partially descend into shadow as a blast of pure darkness suddenly shot out of her eyes. The fiery beings dissipated instantly under the blast, which carried onwards and smashed right through the wall.

"Doc!" Dante shouted from down the hall. "Are you blowing stuff up again?"

"No, it was a client of mine this time!" Strange shouted back.

Zarabeth staggered back, staring aghast at the hole that had been blown through the wall. Marv stood up abruptly and stared as well. She'd seen that spell used before by necromancers and other vampires.

"The Gaze of Nagash," she muttered. "And that previous spell I cast . . .that . . .that was Hellish Vigour, I think."

"Wow," he muttered. "What else can you do, darlin'?"

"Anything from her realm's lore of Necromancy, it would seem," Strange replied for the vampiress. "And if I would remember correctly, this would include being able to raise the dead, turn living beings to dust with but a touch, and cause people to age at a very, very rapid rate."

Zarabeth's eyes widened. "What? That can't be right!" she exclaimed. "Only the oldest and most learned vampires of my realm are that powerful!! You can't tell me that I simply know them all by default simply because I accidentally absorbed that stupid book's bound souls!"

"I know this is a lot for you to take in, Miss Zarabeth, but it is the truth," Dr. Strange replied. "As of now, you would probably be classified as a higher-ranking spellcaster."

Zarabeth said nothing. She remembered how, about a week ago, her unlife had seemed relatively normal for once. And now, here she was, in some strange futuristic dimension populated by weirdoes, fighting to save all of existence from a trickster god, and to top it all off, she had suddenly ascended to a vampire lord's level of magical mastery in just a few minutes. She began to seriously wonder whether or not she was dreaming the whole thing.

Without a further word, she turned for the exit. "Come on," she muttered to Marv, not bothering to thank Dr. Strange. Slowly, the big man stood up, and glanced at Dr. Strange. "Sorry 'bout that, doc," he said. "She's always like temperamental."

"I heard that!" Zarabeth shouted from down the hall.

The big man groaned. He was in for it now . . .

[Saint_007]

Okay, when I tried to archive "Crisis on Infinite Threads", I cam across a dead end. Doing a search yielded...nothing. Basically, the thread seems to have been erased.

I apologize for being a worthless gnat who has failed miserably at doing what he should have done months ago.:(

[Lord of Nonsensical Crap]

S'aright, I have it all copied onto my computer, so I can actually send it to anyone who wants to officially post it on some site somewhere.


LONC, you may want to think about a meeting between the imbecilic gatorboy and the Trickster God soon.
Good idea. I can just imagine him taunting him with various reptile-related insults and repeatedly calling him "Klap."

[OverMaster]

-The Distance, Continuation-

MUGEN Practice Fields:

"You're for it now!!" Mara yelled as she flew after Joker, bombarding him with several rounds of lightning spells, making the ground to shatter and boom around him as Rei shielded him with AT Fields. The Clown Prince kept himself on the move, running from his teammates as he avoided their attacks as best as he could.

He had a handicap when fighting them; thanks to Hild's decree, his new magical powers wouldn't work on them at all, and yet they could use all in their arsenals to use on him. If Bloodlusted, they would have had him dead long ago at that point. The mere thought of that made Joker frustrated, and angry. He had to stop playing the defensive and think of a way to put those three powerhouses down somehow.

"Hey, Wings!" he shouted to the symbiotic Angel hovering over him. "Can you be a good daughter and, I dunno, kinda liquify them a bit? Or some funny crap like that?".

"Sorry, Dad, but Mommy told me never to hurt Lady Mara, Lord Goenitz and Miss Bell" Rei said as she stopped another of the priest's wind compressed projectiles in the nick of time. Hild had made sure her orders always took priority in Ayanami XV's mind before any commands Joker might give her.

"Great, so I'm the weakest link after all, huh?" the clown huffed, seeing how Bell merely slapped aside the hand grenade he had thrown her, the explosion not even making her to flinch. "I hope you aren't so much of a dead weight up at the Arena!".

"Hey, I'm protecting you, or not?" she asked, as she dragged him out of he way of another of Mara's spells, which turned the ground where he had been standing into ice.

"You're just delaying the unavoidable that way!" Mara chuckled perversely then. Joker knew she was right. They couldn't keep on playing the defensive forever. No fight is ever won if you can't hit who is attacking you. Quickly, he pondered his options. As formidable as Leo was, his main troubles were Bell and Mara, especially Bell, the quickest of the bunch by far.

Fortunately, he had a contingency specially planned for Mara, just in case...

"Fly me to her" he whispered to Rei, trying not to be heard.

"Why?" she asked him, curious. "In close quarters, you'll be an even easier target...".

"Dammit, are you here to help me or not?" he hissed up at her. "Do it!".

"OK, Dad. Your and my funeral" she shrugged, then grabbed him and flew with him straight as a bullet into Mara. The demoness smirked.

"Crazy tactics won't help you here, Jokes..." she chuckled, gathering enough energy at her hands for a final blow. "This kamikaze attack won't save you from my Hiroshima....!".

"Hiroshima? I have your Little Boy right here!" Joker laughed as he threw something right into her face as soon as he was close enough. Bell blinked in surprise at recognizing those things; a series of Japanese good luck charms tied together. Mara's holy weakness.

"Aggghh!!" she took her hands to her face and howled, as she felt as if her skin was burning at the amulets' touch. "Why, you, stupid jackanape...!!".

"Heh!! I think you aren't in conditions to call others stupid, my dear!" he laughed again, viciously, as he took advantage of her weakened state to hit her in the face with a crowbar, sending her down. Rei blocked another of Goenitz's tornados right then, as Joker grabbed the stunned Mara and pressed her body against his, using her as a human shield. "OK, you, quiet or Blondie gets a few laughs!".

"Hey, that's not fair at all" Bell protested.

"In Love and War all is fair, Toddler, and we are in sweet, sweet love here!" Joker chuckled, caressing one of Mara's cheeks with a thumb, and then replied fast, "But if you want her so much, here you go!". With that, he quickly threw her into Goenitz, and a second later he made the ground beneath them to explode. Maybe he couldn't hit them directly with his powers... but he could hit them with the debris resulting of his powers' use! A freakin' lot of debris!!

Think outside of the box.

When the huge explosion's echoes stopped sounding on the background, and the dust settled down at last, Mara was KOed on the floor and Goenitz was coughing on his knees, having been hit several times by several large boulders. Joker panted, thriumphant, as Rei clapped her hands above him. "That's comedy, Daddy! You truly had the stones to pull it off!".

He looked up at her with a crooked grin. "You know, we have to work on your repertory...".

"More like we still have to work on your attention!" Bell cried out, flying straight out of nowhere like a bat out of hell, and using superspeed to punch him in the face, hard enough to take him down but barely hard enough to not knock him out. She stood over his fallen body and said, "You are improving a lot, but you still lack how to counter a real lightning-quick attack. As for Miss Mara, we'll need to keep strikers to help her if she's ever hit by one of those good luck charm attacks..." she coldly analized.

"I... I can see your white panties from here" Joker observed groggily, but smiling, and the White Powerpuff blushed and jumped back some distance while holding her short skirt tighter against her body.

***************************

Not too far:

"Very well" Nabeshin told Mel. "So, you want me to train you? Deal. Come here tomorrow at the same hour and we'll start with your training. But be warned, this is not for sissies. I'll put you through all nine kinds of the seven levels of training hell!".

"I'm not afraid!" the gatorboy smiled confidently.

"You'll be!" Nabeshin chuckled, then yawned. "But first, I need to take a rest. First that MegaMan, now you... It has been hella day".

"I thought you never got tired at all..." Motoko observed, with a huge drop of sweat hanging over her raven haired head.


Next: Keima and Peorth, and Mercenary vs. Vampire!

[T51R]

~The enemy of my enemy, is my friend…~




“Gimme a break,” Edward collapsed into the sofa next to Lucy, and promptly jumped out of I after realizing exactly how close he was to her. It had been days since the three Diclonius had arrived, as well as the tiny family who seemed to know them. Nana at least, was content, or so Ed thought; she was rather happy to be reunited with Mayu. The girl still looked sad though; she had lost her puppy in the riot. He half-dragged himself to the next room; like everyone else, he wasn’t very comfortable being around Lucy. Kouta, he thought to himself, the two of them seemed to be close, but with Yuka and the two little girls to watch over he never did have any time to spend with her. “Oh.” He stopped in his tracks at the doorway, and promptly changed direction. Mariko. If Lucy wasn’t bad enough, the little girl with pink hair who had a habit of trawling the combined quarters of the three teams on her mountain board unnerved him even more so. There was an air of innocence about her, but there was also something else. Like a foreboding presence that seemed to follow her wherever she went. He headed for the kitchen.

It had gone from bad to worse, he thought to himself, a simple tournament to decide the fate of the world. He had spoken with the other teams, or at the very least some of the people on them. This kind of thing seemed to be a weekly occurrence for them. Tenchi, at least, wasn’t very surprised that the world was under threat. He had then gone on to explain what things were like at home, with a space pirate, two Galaxy Police officers, a Goddess, and two Princesses of an alien civilisation taking up residence within a month, not to mention finding out that his own grandfather, Yosho, was royalty and that he was himself a crown prince of Jurai. At least, that was before the young man had disappeared during one of the massive attacks that had occurred on the Tournament Grounds.

“Hello Mr. Elric,” a little girl greeted him with a smile, beside her at the sink the last of the three Diclonius who had shrugged their duties as a camera crew for the now-absent “higher being” dressed in white. Bandeau had mentioned something about their pay checks not coming through before he and Ichi began freelancing for the Living Tribunal; his own camera crew had been decimated while taking a short trip to Kyoto right before the Kaiju attacks began. From their latest email, the three-faced Judge of Multiverses paid exceedingly well. And there was other news, as well. Alarming news. He nodded in acknowledgement.

“Hey Mayu, Nana.” He grinned at the pink-haired girl who was chopping up vegetables, in preparation for dinner. They hadn’t been to the Dining Hall for a few days; Mayu and Nana had decided to cook in lieu of Raven’s suspicions of sabotage. And cook they did. Even Yomiko had been impressed with what they produced, considering their age. “What‘s going on? Don’t the two of you ever get tired of being in here?”

“Not really, it‘s better than being on the street.” Nana looked towards the TV that had been set into the cupboard, for a moment watching the monster Baragorn slowly trundle its way through Baghdad, over the palace of the deposed dictator Saddam Hussein. Scores of bodies lined the streets, and the lack of medical services mean that the death toll was still rising. “And its…we‘re lucky.” She tore her eyes away from the screen as it changed to a scene of Rodan ripping through the landscape of Paris. “Mr. Elric, why is this happening? Why are the Gods doing this to us? They’re supposed to be good, aren‘t they? They‘re supposed to protect us, right?” Nana watched her, a worried look on her face.

“Who knows,” Edward replied as Nary, Robin and Ifurita returned to the room with Chii in tow after having decided to watch the match live on TV instead. “I mean, there‘s been a lot of rumours going around and Celestine hasn‘t told us anything except to bunk with these guys.” He set himself down a the counter.

“Perhaps we should just wait,” Nausicaa entered the room followed closely by Rosette, behind them Mariko helping herself to a tow by snagging Rosette’s dress with a Vector. “It‘s dangerous out there, and by the looks of the last fight we’re really in over our heads. I really can’t imagine fighting someone like Vegeta, it’s impossible! I mean the only one of us who might stand a chance against him is Ifurita.”

“This is only the first round,” Chrono came through the front door and removed his boots. “No-one‘s brought out their big guns yet. We‘re going to be in for a hard time, but we have to take it. We‘re not fighting for ourselves here.”

“Excuse me,” Mayu interrupted them. “But…have any of you seen Wanta? It‘s been days, and…”

“I‘m sorry, but we didn‘t see him anywhere. I‘m sure he‘ll be fine though,” Nausicaa ran her fingers through Mayu’s hair to comfort her. “from what you told us about him, you‘ll find him again. And soon, too.” The girl slowly made her way back to the sink, and slowly began washing the potatoes for curry later on. Nausicaa stopped herself from going to her; she couldn’t bear to tell her that Wanta had all but disappeared. She looked to where Ed was sitting. “Any news from Celestine?”

The State Alchemist sighed. Chrono gripped Rosette’s hand. It was never a good thing when Ed did that. “No. But I got some news from Bandeau though. He got it straight from the horse‘s mouth too. Looks like there’s nowhere safe these days.” Chrono’s eyes narrowed. “From what they heard, even Heaven‘s under threat. Lots of Universes have disappeared, and just yesterday an entire galaxy went missing. They heard Dee Dee and their new boss talking about it, they think that something else has broken into the Universe, and they don‘t know exactly what it is. Everything‘s going from bad to worse,” he muttered.

“The Goddess, perhaps?” Ifurita sat on the little stool on the balcony taking her shoes off. It had been a long day of reconnaissance, and there was still no sign of the being they had fought in the woods before. “It stands to reason that she is confident enough to step up her agenda ahead of time.”

“Not the way I heard it,” Ed handed her the printout of the email he received that morning. “This is something else entirely. According to…” He turned to Lucy, who had managed to slip past them all while trying to get at the fridge for another can of soda. “Can you tell us anything about the guy you were working for? The guy who got the crap beaten out of him.”

The Diclonius didn’t reply at first, cracking open a can of 7-up and then leaning against the wall. “What’s there to say? None of us got paid, I guess he jumped ship too after what happened.”

“Is something wrong,?” The call came from down the hall. Kenshiro. Ed could of sworn he could hear a conversation a block away. The sounds of thumping came from the rooms closest to the common area; Al and Raven had decided to clean the futons out. It had been a while, and everyone was starting to cough from the dust. Especially the two little girls. “Has anyone seen Kouta and Yuka?” He stuck his head out of the door of his room.

“They went out,” Keitaro called from the room he was sharing with Raven; the ZOID pilot was creepy enough, but still, it was better than sleeping in the woods as he had been doing before meeting the almost-insane Achika Masaki, who had also disappeared. “Yuka said that they‘d be back later, they wanted to bring the girls out for some fresh air.” The Hokuto Master’s silence betrayed his concern. “Mr. Kenshiro, uh, should I go look for them?”

“No, I‘ll go. We cannot be sure if any of the monsters will attack this place, and if that happens the entire place wil be thrown into chaos. We cannot afford for them to be lost in yet another riot like they were.”

“Right,” the younger man nodded as he draped his own Futon out of the window and balanced it carefully on the wooden beam of the balcony. He headed back into the room, and knocked carefully on the bathroom door.

“What?” the frigid voice replied through the thick door.

“Mr. Raven, I‘ve put your futon out, just thought you should know.”

“Whatever. Just don‘t drop it over the side.” The signs weren’t good, Raven thought to himself. The battle against the Orochi had taken its toll on the Geno Breaker; a burst of Heavenly Light had pierced the ZOID core, narrowly missing Shadow. As it was, Dr. D was working around the clock as time slowly slipped through their fingers. The time was coming when he and his Organoid would need to make a choice, and he knew it. Fight, and risk the core being critically damaged, or withdraw from the match and risk the lives of his wife and newborn son back on Planet Zi. He swallowed a snarl of frustration; it wasn’t much of a choice at all. The good Doctor had been straightforward enough; the ZOID core would not take another hit of that calibre, and a violent impact could very well destabilize it to the point where it would irrevocably melt down, taking Shadow with it if he couldn’t bail out in time. And in the middle of a fight, bailing out meant making yourself vulnerable. He rose slowly, towelled himself off and dressed.

The Mech hangar, he thought about the smell of grease, the whirring of pulleys and the crackle of welders as they worked tirelessly to repair the damaged armour of his ZOID.

[T51R]

~The enemy of my enemy, is my friend…~




Shadow was still there, bound to the Geno Breaker, trying to regenerate the core with help from both the Doctor and Kiva. “I‘m going out,” he called towards the congregation in the kitchen as he slowly opened the front door, and watched a quiet figure in black purposefully stride past. Vader. He hadn’t been seen since the start of MUGEN. Raven frowned. The Dark Lord of the Sith wasn’t even supposed to be on that particular floor. “Hmph.” He turned to follow, but found a warm hand on his shoulder. “Celestine.” He fund himself looking into the grimly serious face of the God, followed by Kouta and his little family.

“I come with dire news, son of Earth.” his voice was solemn, unwavering, but yet it held just a hint of concern. “Please, join us.”

As they entered the room, the girls smiled their welcome only to find Celestine’s troubled face looking back at them. The men found their way to the common room on their own, the silence of the place raising their suspicions that something simply wasn’t right.

“Ladies,” he looked around, “and gentlemen. Please be seated.” he motioned to the traditional Japanese Tatami mats that lined the small dining area, too small for the eighteen people who now lived there. “I wish that there were words that could more easily express what I am about to say, but there are not. Miss Yuka, might I ask you to take Mayu and the girls to the next room, if you will? Please join us after that.”

She did as she was asked, and Celestine went around the room pouring everyone a warm cup of tea. “MUGEN,” he locked eyes with all there. “has gone awry. My former protégé, the Goddess Belldandy could not have foreseen this, so please do not hold what I am about to tell you against her. I have only just returned from Heaven, and what I have seen, there are no words to describe it. I watched,” he took a quick sip of tea to wet his throat. “I watched something that shouldn’t exist drive the infinite Sea of Chaos back with its mere presence alone. I watched as it withstood an attack that would have wiped out a continent without issue. And I watched…” he began to grow a massive drop of sweat. “That…idiot! Never mind.” He sighed. It was clear, now at least, why the Tribunal itself had to be admitted for psychiatric counselling and was still on medication for work-related stress. “Something has come into this, the merging Omniverse, which is soon to become a singular Creation under the ever-watchful eyes of the One Above All, Kami-Sama who is the Eternal Presence. Mortals worship and fear Him as God. Now I, along with many others of reputable standing in the establishment that I serve believe that something has entered His creation. Something with power far greater than even His, and with hostile intentions. Things have been set in motion, with many elements of Heaven beginning a search for this being. MUGEN has gone awry, and this creature, I believe, is part of the reason why. We do not know why it has come, we do not know where it comes from. We only know that it is in all probability responsible for the disappearance, as of yesterday, of four separate Multiverses and one galaxy. One of our best minds is now doing her utmost to ascertain its combat capabilities, and by all signs thus far those abilities are immense. As such, I have seen fit, in the absence of Heaven‘s General the late Michael Demiurges to rally our forces in preparation. This thing,” he looked around the table at the disbelieving faces of all those present, “will eventually appear in this Universe when the skies again turn blue. That will be the sign that the Dimension Tide is complete, and that it will exist on a common plane as us.”

“So you‘re here to tell us that no matter how hard we fight, even if we beat the Goddess,” Alphonse’s voice held its trademark calm in the face of incredible adversity. “That this thing is going to come here and destroy us all anyway?”

“As I have said,” Celestine spoke again. “We do not know why it is here. All signs point to it, in all probability, being able to target and strike multiple Multiverses simultaneously. Tests on a similar being have proven Multiplanar Existence on its part,” veins began to bulge across his forehead as he recalled Nudoru clothesline himself across Belldandy’s outstretched arm. “and we will need to find it, before it comes here. And somehow, someway, we will need to find a way…”

All eyes were locked on him at that moment.

“To either contain it indefinitely, or to destroy it utterly. I know,” Celestine nodded, “I am asking for the impossible. But please remember that your first priority is winning MUGEN, and guaranteeing the continued existence of all that is. Let Heaven deal with this creature; yours is the mortal realm, and it is yours so that you may protect it.” He rose, trying hard to find a way to say what he needed to say. He stood with his back towards them. He couldn’t bring himself to face them, not with what they had already been through, and not now, not with what he was about to say. “Do you remember the being you fought in the woods?”

“That man?” Keitaro asked, feeling his ribs, the ones that had been broken. “Kusanagi-sempai said that he was the God of Destruction!”

“That was a battle unlike any I have ever faced,” Ifurita chimed in, and then glanced over at Chrono. “The manner is which he handled Chrono suggests combat capabilities that we can hardly hope to overcome. That his attacks pierced the armour of the Geno Breaker is proof that we may not survive another such encounter with him.” Lucy and Mariko watched as the room began to grow noisy, each and every member of Celestine’s teams voiced their concern at the being returning.

“Orochi,” Celestine silenced them with but a word. “Some call him the Eight-Headed Dragon, others prophesise that he is the Destroyer of Humankind. Orochi. Director of the Office of Area Reclamation and Reconstruction. Lieutenant answering directly to Destruction of the Endless. Orochi. The being responsible for the last Great Extinction. Orochi, the God of Destruction. Licence level, Second Class, Special Duty, revoked. Restrictions, total. Current status, suspended from duty. Current location, unknown. We suspect that he is either somewhere here, on these grounds or in his own Place of Nothing, the Orochi Dimension. And because of his…unique position in the Establishment of Heaven, he is perhaps the only being under our control with the information network necessary to locate the ‘God-Killer’ that has come into His Creation. My hands are tied, I am forbidden to act here on the Material Plane. And as such, I must beg your aid in locating him.”



NEXT: MOB LYNCHING #4! :D And Washu's final combat test as Nudoru takes on Rind, and the entire cast of one series!

[J Dog]

(I was planning to type in a good addition, but when I was going to copy it as a fall-back option, I accidentally chose "cut" and lost everything! So, I'm going to start with a mini-interlude so I can wrap up the arc between Kaiba and Dogbert)

Mini-Interlude: Mimi Wants Cosette To Get It... But Why Want To Be "Urbanized"?

"I didn't mean anything wrong by it," Mimi told Yolei. "I like some people. However, she is a very scary girl. She knows how to shoot weapons and fight and all of that. I have been training a little with my friend, Matt. However, he didn't know ANYTHING about training. It was just some stupid stunts while in that suit I keep talking about. I did meet up with a cool friend... but she vanished after we signed something. I don't know where she went. But, back to the story; This mercenary kid is going to get worse and worse. The sooner I can get this straightened out, the better."

"And, what if she dosen't want it straightened out?" Yolei asked. "You can't expect things to work out."

"I know, I know. I have my alternatives. For one thing, I think I'm going to go as Jack and Dorado."

"How are you going to do that?"

"Simple: Wear a shirt and jeans, and call myself 'Urbanized'." However, that led to inconsistant laughing and howling from the H-Towner and the gatorboy. "Wah ha ha! A girly girl acting 'Urbanized'?!!" Jack howled. "CLASSIC!"

"KAH HA HA HA! I haven't heard anything like that in all my life, and I've been in the sewers!" Dorado joked. Both then sighed.

"Mimi, we are sorry to laugh" Jack said, "But really; you were born to a rich and successful family. You are upper class. Being 'Urbanized' like you is much like... oh, I don't know, Dorado here going to Harvard." Dorado didn't like that. "But that dosen't mean I won't do it. Since Kaiba is going to be held by someone for a while, I'll help you out, and so will Tiffany. Let's just keep it between us. Just, you, me, Dorado, and Yogi."

"Yolei." Mimi said. "How come you keep messing her up?"

"DAMMIT!" He screamed. "Uh... forget that word, please."

"I will." Mimi concluded.

(To explain this, I'm going to show my concept of "Urban Mimi". Although it's Mimi with what was mentioned, her being like that personally is going to be a riot. Plus, I'd show you some concepts I drew of her. It's the way I draw her now.)

[Saint_007]

Round Five - Vegeta vs KOS-MOS: Saiyans and Robots and WMD's, Oh my!

"And now," the announcer screeched into the mike, "KOS-MOS, the third and final member of team Epic, steps up to the challenge!"

"Heh, another loser," Vegeta snickered. "I really think you clowns should have just stayed at home and left the tournament to us grown-ups!!"

"You know, I'm beginning to understand why humans have a great dislike to arrogant show-offs. Your ego is overwhelming; I just hope for your sake that you have more than those petty tricks."

"What?! Why you impudent scrap heap-!!"

"Okay, are you two ready!!" inquired the fight announcer. "Very well, then! Ready, get set-"

After saying 'fight', the Budokai announcer, he promptly ran out of the ring. He had good reason to do so; both contestants were extremely powerful fighters.

As soon as he was in a safe bunker, he shouted into the microphone:

"GO!!"

The audience was not disappointed.

The moment the bell rang, both Vegeta and KOS-MOS took to the air; the former to gain an edge in mobility, the latter to deny him that same edge. Vegeta wasted a precious half-second charging up his punch to take out KOS-MOS with a single hit, something that allowed the android to take evasive action. Vegeta's punch created a giant crater in the ground.

"What the-?! Where'd she-"

Vegeta's answer was a direct kick from the android, which he barely managed to block with both hands. The sheer force of the blow sent him skidding at least 100 meters back.

Vegeta grinned through the dust cloud.

"Now we're talking! This is what I've come to find: a worthy challenge!"

He immediately took to the skies again, using his superior speed to try and catch up with his opponent. KOS-MOS evaded his rapid blows and managed to gain breathing space, which she used to transform her arms into massive guns; one arm deploying a multiple rocket launcher and the other firing a triad of heavy chainguns.

Vegeta was dodging the massive barrage, punching away some of the missiles while trying to evade the hail of machine-gun rounds, some of which scored some strong hits on his royal armor.

"Bah! You think this will even slow me down?!"

"No, but it will distract you from this!!"

Vegeta received a full-out blast from a heavy plasma cannon, and was blasted halfway to the ground until he managed to disperse it with his Ki. He was getting more than slightly annoyed at the escalation of difficulty this match was showing.

"You know, I was perfectly willing to go easy on you," snarled the Saiyan Prince.

"Funny, I thought that was my line," came KOS-MOS' deadpan response. She had figured out that Vegeta's main weakness is his ego. He simply had to prove himself the best there was. His reasons to come to the tournament were mostly selfish: he had an overwhelming desire to prove that he was better than everyone else.

"Okay, prepare to be taught some respect, worthless tin can!!"

With that, Vegeta made another charge. Only this time, his speed had increased greatly, so fierce was his desire to shut the robot up.

KOS-MOS responded with a heavy plasma barrage, which force Vegeta to supercharge his ki until it formed a temporary force wall to disrupt the shots. The blasts roared and thundered about him, trying to smash through his shield. With an angry snarl, Vegeta finally dispersed the shots, with the mighty plasma barrage striking the arena and Washu's arena force-field, causing them to shake something fierce, but they stood strong.

With the shots against him deflected by his ki, Vegeta then did a kamikaze charge against KOS-MOS. He was badly hit by some of the nastier blasts, but he maintained enough momentum to slam forcefully into the android.He followed up with a series of lightning-fast blows against the reeling android, then drop-kicked so hard she hurtled into the ground, creating a large crater.

"Aw man!!" Tidus moaned. "Why the hell can't we do anything?! Auron!! Where's the striker?!"

"First of all, the player on the field has to summon the striker," sighed Fei Fong Wong, no more pleased with the situation than Tidus was. "Secondly, even if he did get in, there's nothing he can do against someone that high up in the air."

"Aw, great..." mumbled the blitzball player. "So what? Are we going to lose this match?!"

"I'd be wiser than to say that," replied Auron. "KOS-MOS still has plenty of fight left in her..."

"...five, six, sev-"

Suddenly, KOS-MOS's form began moving again.

"Heh, you're awfully persistent for a robot," said Vegeta, crackling his knuckles together.

"And right now," the android replied, in a more human tone of voice, "I'm extremely pissed off for a robot."

She looked Vegeta directly in the eyes, and everyone could see that her normally red eyes now turned blue(*).

"Whoa," Fei commented. "Is it me, or has robo-girl... changed?"

"I hope that whatever it is, it means she'll kick that blowhard's butt," Terra replied.

"Lobo!!"

"Gotcha! Frag time, ya bastitches!!!"

Lobo sped on the SpazFrag and sent his chain hook flying in an attempt to impale the robotic chick on it. Instead, she merely caught the end, and began spinning it around so fast it looked like Lobo was caught in a slingshot. She then hurled the space bike, Czarnian and all, at the Saiyan. Vegeta dodged.

"WHAT THE FRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACCKKK...."

The Czarnian hit the force field's ceiling and bounced off, crashing into the ground.

"Okay, that's it... that frackin' robochick is as good as fragged," growled the space merc.

Vegeta, however, had found that KOS-MOS' attacks had not only intensified, but that her movement had increased. His fireballs had only resulted in missing the mark as the android's increased agility helped her avoid his attacks.

It still didn't make her too fast for him to pummel her to death. He ran up to catch up with her, but suddenly was assailed by a barrage of fast-moving missiles. He dodged them all - only to be surprised from behind.

"Heat-seeking," KOS-MOS replied with a sweet smile.

"Okay, that's it!! You shall taste my fury!!"

Vegeta tried rushing forward for another barrage of punches -

Only to be stopped cold by KOS-MOS' ultimate barrage: both arms had transformed into giant cannons, and she began blasting. Her opponent tried to stop the barrage with his ki once again, but this time the barrage was just too powerful. He was slowly being pushed back.

"GYAAAAHHH!! THIS... CANNOT... BE...!! THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE!!! GYAAAAAAAARRRGGGHH!!"

Lobo tried to make a final charge to take down the female robot, but was too late.

For at that moment, the android's barrage finally overcame the Saiyan's defenses, and the resultant explosion tossed Vegeta clear of the fighting arena. Lobo and his bike were also consumed by the blast.

When the smoke cleared, KOS-MOS was in the ring, battered but victorious, while Lobo staggered to his bunker, headless. The explosion had caught him good."

"And it's a ring-out!!" the announcer cried out. "KOS-MOS wins! We'll continue this fight - as soon as Lobo regenerates his head."

"Woohoo!" Tidus shouted. "Yeah! That's how we do things in Team Epic!"

"Wow," Terra sighed in relief, "we finally have a winning chance now..."

(*) - In all three Xenosaga games, whenever KOS-MOS' eyes turn blue, her voice and mannerisms become more human, and her powers and abilities increase greatly. It's not exactly clear why this happens, but it probably means that her circuitry temporarily become more human, and thus gaining the necessary human determination to defend that which she holds dear.

[OverMaster]

-The Distance, Conclusion: The Distance Between you and me-

Peorth's office:

"Take a seat, please" she kindly smiled as she gestured towards a floating chair in front of her desk, the sat down behind the desk herself. Keima eyed the translucid seat with odd eyes for a second, then sat down, still gripping the mallet between his small hands. "My, my, my. You look like the shy kind, don't you?" she tried to tease him to lower his tension. "Just like your father...".

He looked straight into her eyes then, with nothing but sad bitterness on his own. Did she realize the seriousness of the situation? Adults were so hard so understand so often...

She noticed his expression, and lost her smile. "Okay, fine, then" she slightly shook her head. "I see you aren't in the mood".

"How could I be?".

He looked somewhat wounded, avoiding eye contact with her again. She was at a lost of exactly what to do with him. Celestine and Belldandy were the ones who were good with children; she had never had an easy time dealing with them.

"Let's start from the beginning, all right?" she tried a new approach. "Why were you running around calling for Belldandy?".

"I... I made her to cry" he admited with sorrow. "When she learned who my Dad was, she... had her heart broken, and ran away... I didn't think she would take it that way...".

"I see...".

"Then I ran into that Angel of Death, and the Angel with red eyes, and I felt fear...".

"Red eyes?".

"He also had gray hair... gray like ashes, and a soft voice...".

"Ah, the second Tabris. It's natural he scared you. He is a Doombringer, despite his aspect...". Then she bit her tongue. She had just scared him even more. "But... but don't worry, mon cher. He won't make a move against us gods, never...".

"But he will against mankind, won't he?" he shot her a sullen look. "He and you will act against the world, against my Dad and everyone else who is down there, won't you? Won't you?" he accused, almost fuming by now.

She sighed. "Look, Keima, it is not that easy... Things are not that black and white. The people down there did many bad things, and that was why we had to punish them...".

"By doing even more bad things?!" he snarled, with a bitterness surprising for someone of his scarce age.

Peorth blinked, then relaxed on her seat as best as she could. "We are not the bad guys here, Keima-kun...".

"The story of my time says different" he insisted. "You will bring Harmaggedon, and soon it will turn against you. Evil punishes itself. That was what I was taught, and I'm sure that's what will happen".

She paused. There was a slightly scary tone to his frail voice now, the tone brought by the bitterness of a shaken young soul.

"I lost my Dad... my Mom... my whole family... My friends... Everyone I ever loved... because of you! Because of what you put in motion! You were responsible for the God-Killer coming here! You were responsible for my Aunt Belldandy putting herself in the front lines! You killed them all!!!" he finished, almost babbling in discontrol by now, tears welling up on his eyes again, held back by sheer stuborness.

"I... I am sorry" Peorth finally replied, somewhat taken aback. "Look, I read Flonne's report. All what you told her about your past. I am very sorry about what happened to your mom, believe me, and to your dad...". She looked bitter for a moment herself, as she remembered the time when she met Keiichi. "I have a spot in my heart for him, you know?" she confessed in a whisper, as Keima did a surprised double take. "Under other circumstances... maybe... I could have fallen in love with him". She sighed. "But that's not important right now. I'll help you to find your Aunt. I have the feeling you will have a better time talking with her than with me".

"Miss Peorth... I... I am sorry if I offended you..." he lowered his gaze. "Looks like I do nothing but create problems whenever I open my mouth...".

She looked at him again. His sadness seemed too sincere.

What to do of him, indeed?

What to do?

She finally crouched down next to him, and hugged him warmly. Keiichi's son. The idea almost pierced her in the heart.

"It's okay... it's all okay" she cooed quietly, as she rocked him back and forth in her embrace. "I understand... Believe me, I do. I know well how it is... to be distanced of the ones you love. It gets to you every time. I know it well...".

A brief pause, as he weakly hugged her back, silently. Peorth almost felt something inside of herself breaking.

"Come with me" she finally said. "I'll help you to look for your aunt. You will explain her you are sorry about it, and together we will find a way to make this to work, tres bien?".

"Okay..." he nodded as best as he could. "Thanks, Miss Peorth".

"Oh, just call me Aunt Peorth, will you?" she tried to smile for him.


Next: I was a Nerima Teenage Vampiress, Redux!

[J Dog]

Urban Mimi- Part I

Jack and Dorado were concerned over making Mimi "urbanized" as a disguise. Think about it; Mimi is not the type who should be shown around playing hoops and listening to the new hits station. But if she was more than willing to undergo a transformation, and keep her old status at the same time, they'd do it.

"So, what's the first thing that you want to know in this department?" Jack asked her.

"Well, I'd like to know about that fashion." She says. "What do you wear?"

"Where I came from, we wear jeans a t-shirts." Jack told her. "But, we also had jerseys over the shirts as well. You know, kinda like a basketball player."

"Cool! I don't know much about b-ball, other than that nickname." Mimi replied. "Could you tell me why you wear stuff like that?"

"The obvious reason is that in Houston, the average temperature in the summer can crack the triple-digits. It's like living in a concrete & mortar version of Venus. In that case, usually we ditch the jeans with shorts. Plus, it represents where we came from." Jack concluded.

"I'd wear it, but I'm from Biloxi, and I'm not a true H-Tower like my friend here." Dorado added. "But, then again, I figured that out easily."

"Alright, alright." Mimi said. "I get it. Now, what should I wear first?"

Jack was too busy and too absorbed into this idea. Let's see, he was thinking. She's female, about ten, comes from an high middle-class family and enjoys shopping. This is not going to be easy. After that, he turned back to her and said, "I'll give you a pink shirt with a Houston Comets jersey (that's all I could think of for you), and some small slacks. They will fit you easily."

"We got that set. Now, about your style?" She asked. "What else do you do?"

"I listen to Chamillionaire and T.I.. But I'm not going to go even close to that." He said to Mimi.

Coming up next: Urban Mimi, Part II and Dogbert Talks Merger- Part II

[Lord of Nonsensical Crap]

"Great," he groaned. "I just had to stare into some sort of chaotic Hell, and forced to see some really nasty rituals up close, than forced to remember what I had this morning. My good mood has officially been butchered..."

"H-hell?" Karin stammered. "R-rituals? Are you saying that -- "

"That Sakura has been transported to some hell dimension and is currently being possessed by a demon?" Deegan cut in. "Yes, that is exactly what I'm saying."

Karin and Alita collectively turned as white as a pair of sheets. turned as white as a sheet. Even Alita looked deeply disturbed by this news.

"B-b-but . . . " Karin stammered. "But how? Why? What are we going to -- "

"Calm down, Karin," Alita cut in, doing her best to remain calm herself. "We'll have to find Ryu. But first . . . . "

She quickly fished out her cell phone and dialled a number. "Hey, Anzell? I just ran into Dominic Deegan, and he tells me that Sakura is being possessed by demons."


**********

"Demons? Are you sure?" Anzell asked as she, Urd and Team Light and Darkness waited for the arrival of more Sailor Senshi. The mention of demons caused everyone around Anzell to glance at her in concern. "Is there any way of pinpointing which dimension she is currently in?"

There was a short pause, and Anzell bit her lower lip. "Alright then. Yes, you probably should inform Ryu. I'll do what I can from here." With that, she hung up.

"What all this about demons?" Minako asked.

Anzell's face turned grim. "It turns out that, according to an oracle working under Alaniel's orders, Sakura has been taken to a hell dimension where she's being possessed by demons."

Spawn clenched his fist. "Is this Malebolgia's work?" he growled.

"I have no idea," Anzell admitted. She turned to Urd. "What about you, Lady Urd? Does this sound like Hild's work at all?" She took care not to refer to Hild as Urd's mother, of course.

[OverMaster]

"Demons? Are you sure?" Anzell asked as she, Urd and Team Light and Darkness waited for the arrival of more Sailor Senshi. The mention of demons caused everyone around Anzell to glance at her in concern. "Is there any way of pinpointing which dimension she is currently in?"

There was a short pause, and Anzell bit her lower lip. "Alright then. Yes, you probably should inform Ryu. I'll do what I can from here." With that, she hung up.

"What all this about demons?" Minako asked.

Anzell's face turned grim. "It turns out that, according to an oracle working under Alaniel's orders, Sakura has been taken to a hell dimension where she's being possessed by demons."

Spawn clenched his fist. "Is this Malebolgia's work?" he growled.

"I have no idea," Anzell admitted. She turned to Urd. "What about you, Lady Urd? Does this sound like Hild's work at all?" She took care not to refer to Hild as Urd's mother, of course.

"Hmmm" she frowned, thinking about it. "I'm not sure. She usually goes for far more subtle approachs... kidnapping and direct mind manipulation are most often below her 'sense of honor'... but then again, ever since MUGEN started, she has been acting... a bit different. Under other circumstances, she would have never recruited the Joker for her ranks. I think she is playing all her cards now, and willing to go far further than ever...". She paused, "But then again, this still doesn't feel right. I don't think she would do something like that even now". The goddess sighed, "I could be wrong, of course, but my gut instinct tells me she's not behind that. And besides, there are too many other Hell lords out there. They surely haven't been staying quiet waiting until now".

"Damn right" Spawn snarled bitterly.

"Possessed by demons... eww" Minako shuddered. "Reminds me of the time when Usagi went down to the Negaverse and had to face her boyfriend, who was under demonic influence... We had a real close call there".

"I'll talk to the Blue Devil, who is with Strange's team" Batman began to walk away. "He is the best demonic investigator I know we have near here".

"Why not to ask for that judge's help... Etrigan?" Spawn asked. "You said you knew him...".

"Etrigan is too far from being trustworthy for my liking" the Dark Knight replied without turning back. "Call me whenever you have that 'time gateway' ready".

And he seemed to quietly vanish to sight at that moment.

"He masters that ninja disappearing act scarily well" Sailor Venus commented. "Sometimes it's hard to believe it's not supernatural".

"Are you really going to take him with you into the past?" Spawn turned to Urd.

"Hey, as I said, he's the Joker expert. And he'll be handy to have around at Gotham City" the goddess replied. "A singularity..." she mused remembering Anzell's words concerning the Clown Prince. "Until now, the only human singularity I had ever met was Keiichi".

"Mr. Morisato is a singularity as well?" Anzell asked.

"He has to be. He managed to get accidental calls to summon both Belldandy and Peorth, against all chances. He even once managed to telephonically contact Yggdrasil *on purpose*, when Belldandy was sick, despite it being theorically impossible for a human being. And when Skuld first showed up at home, the Bugs she was chasing were gravitating around Keiichi... because of his Singularity nature".

"I see..." Anzell blinked. "I didn't know that...".

************************

Elsewhere at the Grounds:

"Shhhhh. Be quiet, please, dear" Nabiki Tendo gently asked as she tried to comfort the little lost boy in front of her. He couldn't be older than five years old, and was crying in fear as she approached him at that lonely section of the Grounds borders. She almost could smell the warm, fresh innocent blood running inside of him.

She did not want to do it. But the call was too strong.

"You don't have anything to fear... You won't suffer, poor little thing... I swear it..." she cooed as her gaze enveloped him, snared him, making him to stop his weepings as he stared into her mesmerizing eyes.

God, what was she doing? she thought, but couldn't stop. Just one, just a little sucking. She would not even kill him. Just a tiny sip to quench her burning thirst.

Nothing more, she told herself as she reached with her arms to him...

And then she heard the scandalized scream behind her.

"Nabiki! No!!".

She turned around quickly. Kasumi had just arrived to the area, her face suddenly pale and transfixied in horror at what her sister almost had just done. Behind her, a little girl grinned to herself, a tiny psycho glint in her blue eyes.

B.B. Hood had just found her target.

Next: Waltz of the Vampire!

OOC: When Batman says he doesn't trust Etrigan, keep in mind Comics Etrigan is indeed far less thrustworthy than the animated Etrigan who joined the JLU.

[Saint_007]

Back at the hospital:

"So what exactly are we doing here, Dominic?" Alita asked.

"Basically, any clues as to what exactly caused all this," the seer replied calmly. "Think about it rationally; what would drive a normally balanced and cheerful teenager into just binding her soul to a demon? Something must have happened *here*..."

"Couldn't it have been the time she was shot?"

"Could be. Which is why I want to see the medical records as well. It could have been from a poison in the bullet. Sakura seemed healthy enough before the incident, am I right?"

"Pretty much," Karin shrugged. "She did seem a bit down from her early defeat, though."

"But not enough to go on a rampage, that's for sure," Dominic replied, looking around Sakura's hospital room.

"Then could we hurry up with this?" Alita commented. "The hospital's still in need of repairs, and we've got work to do."

"In a minute," replied Deegan. He lifted up the trashcan and peered into it. "Damn. They've been working fast - too fast. Whatever evidence I could have used was cleaned out."

"So we're out of luck," sighed Karin.

"Maybe not," Dominic replied, seeing a slight stain on the bed. It was where Sakura had forcefully taken out the IV prior to her escape. A drop of it sprayed onto the metal frame of the bed.

As Dominic reached for the spot, a male nurse stepped in.

"Uh, you guys? I need to clean up the place, so are you done yet?"

"J-just a minute," Karin said. "We're almost done here, so-"

"Look guys," the nurse said, a tad annoyed, "we're still cleaning the place up-"

"Excuse me," asked Alita, interrupting the orderly, "but I was wondering if anyone could have affected Sakura, either by post-hypnotic suggestion or by administration of drugs?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked the orderly in curiousity.

"We believe that someone might have used something to get Miss Kusagano to go berserk like that."

"Oh my god, you're saying someone might have been working from inside the hospital?"

"Well, it's a possibility," replied Alita. "But we also want to see the medical records. It might have been the bullet she was hit with; it could have been coated with something."

"You think?" the orderly asked. "Well, I'll see what I can do..."

During the conversation, the girls and the orderly had their eyes off Dominic. He had passed his hand over the stain, and a look of shock came over his face. It quickly passed to one of cold wrath. He turned to the conversation and looked at the orderly for a bit.

"You know," spoke up the oracle, "that's a nice tattoo you have there..."

"Dominic!!" exclaimed Alita. "this is no time for small talk!!"

"Oh this?" the orderly replied with a grin. He showed a Navy tattoo on his wrist. "I never actually went to the Navy, but I've always wanted to, so I got it. Pretty cool, huh?"

"Actually," Deegan replied, walking up to the orderly, "I was talking about your other tattoo; the one on your back...

"The one shaped like an eight-sided star...

"...demon-worshipper..."

There was a moment of utter shock. Even Alita was stunned by the revelation.

Then the cultist reacted quickly, grabbing a syringe and a female doctor who was passing by. He saw that the jig was up and that he needed a hostage.

What he didn't count on was Alita's speed, for as soon as she recovered from her surprise she became a blur of action. With one swift move, she severed the arm holding the syringe, and grabbed away the hostage. With another flash of motion, she broke the cultist's jaw with a powerful kick.

"Dammit, Alita!!" shouted Dominic as soon as he recovered from his own surprise. "Why'd you do that for?!"

"I had to get the syringe out of his hand, idiot!!"

"I wasn't worried about the syringe, I was worried about his hollowed-out tooth. The one filled with venom!

"The tooth you smashed open when you broke his jaw!!"

Alita realised to her horror that the orderly in her grasp was beginning to shake and have strong spasms. On his broken face was a dark grin of victory, a thin line of green spittle oozing from the corner of his lips, before he convulsed again and spewed a geyser of blood from his mouth. Alita dropped him to the floor in disgust, where he thrashed about in his dying throes.

"Damn..." was all Alita could say.

"It doesn't matter," Dominic sighed. "His worst damage was already done. We'll get his buddies soon enough. But I think I know how he did this. I'll explain on the way..."

At a nearby cafe:

Karin had order drinks for the three of them, but none of them were in any mood for drinks. Dominic looked sour (well, more sour than usual), and Alita seemed very upset.

"Dominic," Alita spoke up.

"Don't fret it," Dominic cut her off. "You didn't know. And he wasn't one to talk anyways. We would have known out about his buddies anyways, so there wasn't anything he could tell us."

"But what about Sakura?" the cyborg asked in concern.

"Well, I've found out how he did it, by 'seeing' that fluid stain. He had come in to remove all traces of his crime, but we beat him to the punch.

"You see, that solution he was using for Sakura's IV feed wasn't normal. It's an abyssal scrying serum. Or rather, a by-product of one."

"What? What's that?" Karin asked.

"Basically, it's a sort of alchemical serum, created mainly by dark magic, that's used to peer into demonic realms. Different demonic realms require different combinations of serum.

"But if you knew how to make it, you also know how to make by-products of it. The serum basically operates as a window into Hell, so to speak. Modifying it could enable you to actually carry out conversations with demons."

"Or even make you into a receiver?" Alita completed the thought.

"Exactly. The cultist was using a serum that basically attuned Sakura to whatever demon realm was needed. Or to receive commands from demons."

"Which explains her escape," Alita nodded faintly.

"And her rapid recovery," Dominic replied. "I don't like it either, but I'm beginning to think that while in her visions-induced delirium, Sakura was conned into making an infernal contract."

"Now that's just sick!" Karin cried out.

"We're talking about demons here," Dominic replied sarcastically. "What did you think they were going to do?"

"We need to tell Anzell," Alita replied.

"Hold on," Dominic replied, drawing a sketch on a napkin.

Unfortunately, Dominic's poor sketch only aroused a chuckle from Marv.

"Sheesh, four-eyes! It looks like an octopus with a seizure!"

"Oh shut up, tough guy," snapped Dominic to the videophone. "I'm not exactly an artist."

"Fortunately," Alita cut in, making a sketch of her own, "my photographic reflexes are better. I've taken a good look at the tattoo on the cultist's body."

Alita's sketch was of a perfect eight-pointed star.

http://z.about.com/d/altreligion/1/0/d/F/2/chaos.jpg

"Hmmm," Spawn pondered. "It's not anything I recall seeing."

"Same here," Batman mumbled. "I ought to ask Etrigan. Maybe he has a clearer idea."

"Wait..." Anzell cut in. "I... I think I've seen it somewhere..."

OOC: OM, LoNC, over to you...

[J Dog]

Urban Mimi- Part II

"How much longer is this going to take?" Mimi said, waiting in her room. She decided to take off her clothes down to her pink-and-green undies (which, for some reason, was also her swimsuit in the second Digimon film). The reason was due to the fact she was waiting for Jack to get the freaking clothes he was talking about. "I understand that he is not Superman or anything, but-" It was then that Jack had finally managed to get back from the Urban Palace store that set up shop at the tournament.

"I got your..." He saw her undies. "Um... could you put some clothes on? You are from a kid anime." Mimi then hits him. "Not funny. I was waiting forever for you."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Watch me go fast. Vroom!" He said in sarcasm. "Look, I was slow because some buttmunch was too darn busy grabbing those XXXXXL shirts. Who was it? Wiggum? Eh. I don't care now."

"Can I have them?" She asks as Jack hands over the clothes. "Please get out of here, NOW!"

"Sheesh. And I thought you were nice." He said in sarcasm. "I'll leave, 'Princess Karaoke'."

In a few minutes, Mimi finally dressed up and left the room. "So, Jack? Whaddya think? Pretty sweet stuff, eh?"

Jack looked at her from the top to the bottom. She left her pink hat and red dress behind, and showed off a Houston Comets jersey, pink shirt, royal blue jeans, and her old shoes. Her ponytail was also existant. "It's... good." He grinned.

"Thank you! Sorry for being mean back there, but I don't like people barging in when I'm wearing just what I wear beneath my clothes." Mimi told him. "I'm sorry again."

"What the heck are you sorry 'bout? It's human nature! And that is what I'm going to be teaching you about 'Urban Ettiquite'. What it is that you are still going to nice to everyone, but at the same time be on their level. In other words, you are related to them in all aspects."

"Alright! Let me through." She said, smiling. "I can't wait."

Boy, talk about misplaced enthusiasm. He thought, "Alright, let's begin. The first thing is, what do you say to someone you like as in an intro?"

"Hello?" Mimi answers.

"Yeah. But, I'm more on the lines of 'Hey!', or 'What's up?'. But whatever you do, never, EVER, saw 'WHAZZUP?!!" Jack then follows that word by having the inane dribble dropping and head shaking. "That is so lame."

"Yeah. I never liked it anyway. So. About Houston? I heard it's, like, the 94th largest city in the world. But, that pales to where I came from."

"I know that." Jack told her. "But H-Town has 4 of the tallest skyscrapers out there. I don't know any from Tokyo. Come on. We gotta sit down for the next set of words." Both went to a nearby desk.

******

"Man, I can't wait to train with Nabeshin." Mel said to himself. "One thing or another, I'm going to traverse through a living nightmare. But it's all worth it!"

Next: Urban Mimi- Part III

[OverMaster]

-Waltz of the Vampire: First Step-

Anzell paced around while waiting for the Batman to come back. She wanted to interrogate the Joker as soon as possible.

"Just be patient" Dexter told her as he quietly sipped on his cocoa. "He usually is quite quick at what he does, so he shouldn't take too long to come back".

"He said Joker was our main priority, and yet he went away when he heard about the Sakura possession" the Evermere goddess sighed. "I don't get it".

"Apparently, he had a hunch that would be even more urgent right now..." Urd pondered, unusually subdued, as she took a glance down at her glass of sake. She knew she had hit rock bottom when she was not in the mood for liquor. But after what she had heard Grim say about Belldandy, she could not get her mind out of it enough to truly lighten up as she used to do. "No matter, we had agreed we wouldn't go with Joker until Blossom and her sisters and the Senshi came here anyway..." she looked at her new wristwatch, wondering what could be taking them so long.

She also was curious (and a bit fearful) about what Kaarage was up to now, so she called him through her cellphone. "Hello? Hey, Nudoru? Are you there?".

"Yeah, it's me" his voice said from the other side of the line. "Um, look, I'm kinda busy right now... Couldn't we talk later?".

"Busy? What are you doing?".

"Ehh, see, right now, I'm trying to revive Miso... he went and got himself electrocuted to death when he stepped on one of Washu's devices... After he's back, we'll be taken to fight someone Washu wants us tested against...".

"Try not to do too much property damage in the proccess, okay?" she sighed. "So, what about Keima? What did Washu tell you about him?".

"Hmmm, yeah, about that... I think I don't have too good news... looks like the kid's for real, and you kinda must owe him some belated birthday presents...".

Urd cursed under her breath.

"And furthermore..." Nudoru continued, "Belldandy also happened to learn about it. She had a freakin' attack and ran away like the Road Runner on crack. Sorry 'bout that, but...".

"Damn it, no" she gritted her teeth again. "Not now. She needs all the mental strenght she can have at this point...".

"Well, I think we should continue this later, okay? Washu has it all ready for our match, and Miso's back... puking some blood, but alive again...".

"I want a full report as soon as you are here" Urd commanded. "And be preparing yourself. Tell me... Have you ever time travelled?".

************************

Elsewhere:

"Naga!" the girl shouted then, to someone out of the Tendos' vision range. "The basket!".

And then, with a fwoosh of air around her, the tall dark sorceress came flying into the scene... Hood's picnic basket loaded with weaponry firmly grasped in a hand, and she threw it down to the little girl, much to Nabiki and Kasumi's astonishment. "Here, catch it!".

Hood jumped up and caught it, as with her other hand she took her redhead wig off, her blonde locks breaking free to the cold winter air. Nabiki blinked in surprise as the small Hunter landed back on her feet. "It's you! The Darkstalker hunter!".

The one that had fought Ranma to a close match. The one Lord Maximoff had warned them about. No match for his might, but more than two low rank new concubines like them could handle.

The little girl and the sorceress smiled to them, as Hood pulled a huge stake launcher out of her basket.

"Stakes for two, garcon!" she chuckled as she eyed her preys, Naga behind her ready to back her up. "Ah, I love my job!".

But then, a blur came to her and kicked the weapon off her hand. "Ouch! Hey, what the devil...".

Akane Tendo was between the Hunters and the vampiresses now, in a fighting stance, a hard look in her big dark eyes.

"Nabiki..." she was mumbling to her older sister behind her, "I was so worried about you, and with good reason, I see..." she took a quick glare at the little boy Nabiki had in her grasp, never taking her eyes off the Mercs for more than a couple of seconds. "Let that child go, NOW".

"OK, OK. Sorry, sis" Nabiki sighed as she let him break free. Confused, the child ran away crying. "I can explain it, honest...".

"Oh no, you can't. Because you'll be vampire dust before you can give any half-assed explanations for your evil, miserable foul beeyotch! Eat lead, bloodsuckers!!" Hood took advantage of their momentary distraction to pull out an Uzi and shoot them...


To be continued. Also, Batman and the Blue Devil!

[Lord of Nonsensical Crap]

Anzell paced around while waiting for the Batman to come back. She wanted to interrogate the Joker as soon as possible.

"Just be patient" Dexter told her as he quietly sipped on his cocoa. "He usually is quite quick at what he does, so he shouldn't take too long to come back".

"He said Joker was our main priority, and yet he went away when he heard about the Sakura possession" the Evermere goddess sighed. "I don't get it".

"Apparently, he had a hunch that would be even more urgent right now..." Urd pondered, unusually subdued, as she took a glance down at her glass of sake. She knew she had hit rock bottom when she was not in the mood for liquor. But after what she had heard Grim say about Belldandy, she could not get her mind out of it enough to truly lighten up as she used to do. "No matter, we had agreed we wouldn't go with Joker until Blossom and her sisters and the Senshi came here anyway..." she looked at her new wristwatch, wondering what could be taking them so long.

She also was curious (and a bit fearful) about what Kaarage was up to now, so she called him through her cellphone. "Hello? Hey, Nudoru? Are you there?".

"Yeah, it's me" his voice said from the other side of the line. "Um, look, I'm kinda busy right now... Couldn't we talk later?".

"Busy? What are you doing?".

"Ehh, see, right now, I'm trying to revive Miso... he went and got himself electrocuted to death when he stepped on one of Washu's devices... After he's back, we'll be taken to fight someone Washu wants us tested against...".

"Try not to do too much property damage in the proccess, okay?" she sighed. "So, what about Keima? What did Washu tell you about him?".

"Hmmm, yeah, about that... I think I don't have too good news... looks like the kid's for real, and you kinda must owe him some belated birthday presents...".

Urd cursed under her breath.

"And furthermore..." Nudoru continued, "Belldandy also happened to learn about it. She had a freakin' attack and ran away like the Road Runner on crack. Sorry 'bout that, but...".

"Damn it, no" she gritted her teeth again. "Not now. She needs all the mental strenght she can have at this point...".

"Well, I think we should continue this later, okay? Washu has it all ready for our match, and Miso's back... puking some blood, but alive again...".

"I want a full report as soon as you are here" Urd commanded. "And be preparing yourself. Tell me... Have you ever time travelled?".
[/B]

Further in the background, Anzell's pnderings were interrupted when she heard Marv shout "Hey Anzell!"

She turned around and saw Marv and Zarabeth approaching. Marv was smiling and nonchalant as usual, and Zarabeth looked pissed-off as usual. The only odd thing was that Marv's shirt was cut and bloodied slightly.

"What happened to you?" she asked.

"Ninjas," came Marv's gruff reply. "That, an Miss Fangs got mad at me when I commented on her freaky new powers."

Anzell raised an eyebrow. "New powers?"

Zarabeth sighed. "It seems that my magical capacity has been increased," she muttered. "A lot."

Anzell slowly turned back to Marv. "And the ninjas?"

"Sent by Mr. V himself," the big man replied. "He even left a nice little note for Zarabeth here."

Surprised, Anzell was about to ask Zarabeth what the note had said when a videophone near the wall suddenly rang. Minako picked it up, then turned to the goddess. "Anzell-san! It's for you!"

"Thanks Minako," she said, going over to pick it up. Dominic Deegan, Alita, and Karin Kanzuki were on the screen, looking rather concerned.

"Miss Anzell?" Dominic said. "It seems we've had some new developments: there were -- and possibly still are -- cultists in the hospital who were instrumental in Sakura's possession."

Anzell frowned. "Cultists? Is there a possibility that there's more of them in the MUGEN grounds?"

"I'm pretty sure there are," he replied. "The one we discovered was wearing this symbol." With that, he held up an image drawn on a napkin.

Unfortunately, Dominic's poor sketch only aroused a chuckle from Marv.

"Sheesh, four-eyes! It looks like an octopus with a seizure!"

"Oh shut up, tough guy," snapped Dominic to the videophone. "I'm not exactly an artist."

"Fortunately," Alita cut in, making a sketch of her own, "my photographic reflexes are better. I've taken a good look at the tattoo on the cultist's body."

Alita's sketch was of a perfect eight-pointed star.


"Hmmm," Spawn pondered. "It's not anything I recall seeing."

"Wait..." Anzell cut in. "I... I think I've seen it somewhere..."

Anzell paused for a minute as she searched back into her memory. Yes: she had definitely seen that symbol somewhere before. She was certain of it.

She fished out a small portable computer from a pocket of her dress and began to go through files at an incredible rate. Finally, she came upon a symbol that matched the one Alita drew.

"Chaos," she muttered. "Great. Just great."

Zarabeth's face seemed to go paler than usual. "You mean to tell me Chaos is involved in the tournament?" she asked.

"Chaos?" Minako asked. "You mean, as in that Lord of Nightmares everyone talks about?"

"No," Anzell replied. "The Lord of Nightmares is an ancient and necessary power. I mean the Chaos Gods -- demonic entities who already have a strong presence in two dimensions, including Zarabeth's home dimension. We gods of Evermere, however, have noticed that their influence seems to spill across dimensions. They are a very, very powerful threwt indeed."

She paused and looked back at the screen. "I"ll need you to contact Alaniel, Mr. Deegan," she said. "He'll need to know the gravity of the situation we're facing here. In the meantime, Alita, I'll need you and Deegan to continue your investigation. But whatever you do, be careful."

[KingEli]

Final Round:Guy Gardner vs. KOS-MOS:


"Geez, Do I have to do everything around here?" Said Guy walking into the ring.

"Is Lobo-"" Said Vegeta

"Nah. He'll regenerate in a little bit." Replied Guy "Now to beat down a Robot."

"You saw what Happen to your team mate when he got to cocky." Said KOS-MOS

"Yeah, but you wont touch me this whole fight." Said Guy with a smirk "Unlike that Nabeshin guy, When I see a Robot I thrash right off the Bat, even cute ones as yourself."

"Ok Guy vs. KOS-MOS, Final Round.............AND FIGHT!!!" Said the Budakai Annoucer

Guy Used his GL ring to Construct a Energy Gun with he saated blasting at KOS-MOS wich she Dodged with Ease, and Guy Soon took to the Sky with the Android Following him.

"R-SHOOT!" KOS-MOS let out a Barraged of Machine Gun Fire from Her arms.

"Please, you not getting me with those tricks." Said Guy Putting up a Shiled to Block the Bullets

"Well then try this, X-Buster!" The Andriod then Blasted Guy with Chared Energy Beam shot

"X-Buster?" Said Megaman X From the Stands.

"Aw, Hell" Said Guy as the Shot hit Dead on knocking him to the Ground.

"Come on Guy Stop Fooling around!" Said Vile from the Sidelines

"Hey Clam up will ya?"

"Beat him down KOS-MOS!" Said Tidus Cheering her on.

"Well it seems you are the one about to get 'Trashed' " Said The Android

"Well my Mom used to say don't count your chickens before they Hatched." Said Guy getting up "Your Done." Guy then Dissapperd

"Huh----AHHH!!" KOS-MOS Screamed as Guy Appeared behind her.

"What the &^& just Happened?" Said Tidus

"Wasn't he just 30 Meters from her." Said Kyo "I'm SURE he was 30 meters"

KOS-MOS' body was heavly Damaged with Sparks forming from her joints, but she got up anyway.

"No.....I Can't lose" She said as Her Eyes turen Blue

"No You Can't win." as Guy appeard Behind her again as KOS-MOS fell.

"1....2....3....4........"

"Get up!" Said Tidus "GET UP!"

"7....8....9.....10!! And She's out! Team Warriors win the Match!" Said the Ref

"Please show a replay of the Last two minutes on the Jumbotron" Said Rayden as the Jumbotron showed the end of Fight "Track Gardner's speed"

"Speed.......5 times the Speed of Light." Was Said Over the Loudspeakers.

"Faster than..............Light?! There is no way!" Said Kyo

"Damn you GLs are full of tricks." Said Lobo, his Head fully Regenerated



OOC: Green Lanterns have the Ablity to up to 35x the Speed of Light when they focus their Ring on a Target they want to go to.

[T51R]

~Drop the Bombshell~



“¿recorrido del tiempo?” Miso asked, its translucent, razor-edged techno-organic feathers rustling as it shooks its wings, warming up as Rind paced the miniature arena encircled by Royal Jurian trees where the portal to the Sea of Chaos had been. She took a few practice swings, flowing with the momentum of her twin axes, letting them carry her body as they would to unwind taut muscles. The barriers were already raised, the shields generated by the Power Jurai strengthened tenfold; Washu had anticipated the magnitude of the trial would be of some proportions indeed. ¿"cuándo el infierno es ella que va? El un montón de esos versos no existe más los gracias a la marea de la dimensión." It cracked its neck, followed by stretching its arms and each of its ten wings individually.

“Who knows?” Nudoru muttered as Washu went over her instruments one last time. “Can‘t she just do a temporal Phase Shift? I mean it‘s a whole lot less risky than a portal.”

“And why would that be?” the pink-haired Chousein nibbled on the back end of a pencil while still watching the screen.

“Well,” Miso began speaking English again, this time with an old Victorian accent, “you can‘t be knocked out of a Shift, and it is rather difficult if not night impossible to intercept something that is in fact fusing and then exchanging its material with its contemporary on a trans-planar set of coordinates while doing the same with the general area of occupation instantaneously, you see. One may intercept a time-portal traveller through a tangential stream that intersects the existing path, or disrupt travel via interlacing that stream with another. One can also disrupt temporal coordinates by causing a localized temporal anomaly at any point along the transient path, sending the traveller to another timeline instead for the sole reason that the temporal vectors will realign themselves to the anomaly.”

“But you don‘t need to do that, do you?” Washu grinned slyly. “Because wherever she wants to go, you‘re already there. Because of the nature of Multiplanar Existences, the time stream doesn‘t work in just one direction for you, does it? Anywhere, anytime, any day of the week. You‘re already there, whether you want to be there or not.” She looked at the pair. “And you‘re here,” she began again, “because there‘s just no wonder in your lives. Is there?”

“By Jove,” Miso exclaimed, “she has us by the scruff of our necks, my good man! Dear lady, might you be so kind as to tell us how you came to such a conclusion?”

“SIMPLE!” the Chousein grinned wide, “They don‘t call me the number one Genius Scientist in the Universe for nothing you know!”

The pair shared a sweat-drop moment, and then turned to watch Rind for a moment as she set her battleaxes on the ground and began to warm up the lower half of her body.

“F..f…flex…ible…” A thin stream of drool began leaking out from behind Nudoru’s mask.

“Anyway,” Washu continued, “HEY! Get your mind out of the gutter! You know, she‘d tear your head clean off with her bare hands for less than that. But anyway, I came to that conclusion because of the sole fact of your being designed to engage and eliminate high-and top-tier deities, and what happened to you earlier. It wouldn‘t make much sense to make something that was vulnerable to temporal attack, and so the system that designed and created you, instead of giving you a defence against that, gave you an offensive option in that same vein. Instead of temporal shielding and reinforced coding, you‘re actually able to intercept a attack midway through the time stream, before it even got to its target! The best defence,” She smiled triumphantly, “is the most potent offence possible: the opponent coming both backwards and forwards through the time stream to intercept the target on the plane it‘s in, or is displaced to. It also eliminates the enemy’s option of a ‘cut-and-run’ strategy, because doing that would only lead to the enemy leaving behind a damaged NODE and then coming face to face with a fresh one with several attack spells ready. Or worse, the other NODES actually attack while displaced from the reality that the actual combat is taking place in. Tell me if I‘m getting warm here.”

“Damn, all that in like what, three hours!?” Nudoru started at her in awe.

“Yup! Like I said, they don’t call me the Number One genius scientist in the Universe for nothing! But anyway, those are all theories, for now. The next simulation is actual combat where the environment that you‘re in will be monitored down to the last iota of particulate matter.”

“Huh?”

“Que?”

“This is the briefing for the next test,” The ground under the three of them began to move, the medical bay severing itself from the main building and heading towards the mini-Arena Dome under its own power. “Pay attention. As well as the both of you, we‘ll also be monitoring the reactions inside Rind as well as the other subjects. The combat zone will be a pocket Multiverse of my very own creation, so if you break it, you bought it! Feel free to use whatever means you feel are necessary to defeat your opponent but remember, you are not to destroy, kill or severely injure the others who are in the test with you. The whole purpose of this test is to give us a rough idea of what this other NODE is capable of, since you have said that each one has about the same levels of offensive and defensive ability.” The platform pulled up beside the arena dome, where Rind stood waiting in the centre of the ring. “From the data we gather today, our best minds will begin to come up with a way to either stop the second NODE, or destroy it. We are hoping that we won‘t have to use you in the plan, because we have no idea how much extra planar-matter the Merged Omniverse will be able to hold. Alright, we‘re here!” The platform stopped silently, no lurches, just a cessation of forward movement. “Out you go! AND DON‘T TRIP AND FALL OFF OF THE PLATFORM AND DIE!!! I DON‘T WANT ANY MORE DELAYS!”

“ALRIGHT ALREADY!” Nudoru half-whined as he made his way safely to the skiting of the Arena Dome, Miso fusing into his back. “There!”

“Good. Now, the first test will be one-on-one combat. Neither of you will be using ranged attacks or projectiles of any kind. The test is strictly hand-to-hand only, got it?” A ghostly white limb emerged from the God-Killer’s back and gave her the thumbs up. “HEY!” She jumped up and rapped a rather large paper fan across the back of Nudoru’s head. “GOT IT!?”

“OW! Yeah, I got it!”

“Good. Enter the ring, and be ready.” He did as she said, and found himself at the centre of an enormous field with grandstands a good ten storeys high around the colosseum-like building. The MUGEN Arena Dome. He recognised it, the crowd, the skies. They were still blue, he noted. Above the building, the Arena Shielding slowly closed and shut with thunderous ovation from the crowds. He sighed; this would be as close as they would get to the real thing, it seemed. Something to fight for, really fight for. A reason to fight as well, not for pride, not for the sake of humanity, or for a Verse or a collection of them either. The thought crossed his mind then. Home. Fight. To protect home. “Dammit.” The image of Shang Tsung appeared again between the God-Killer and the Valkerye.

“Prepare yourselves,” the image smiled as Rind lifter her head, and the match music began to play on the PA; Powerman 5000’s ‘Drop the Bombshell.’

“I will be your opponent today. My name is Rind of the Valkerye Battle Division, Goddess First Class, Special Duty. To part take of this match is my honour.” She bowed slightly; such tests were always formal matters. Old habits were hard to break.

“Kaarage, Nudoru.” The God-Killer nodded, then raised his hand and flipped Rind the Golden Digit. “All your soul belong only to The One Above All, but your ass belongs to me…” Drool again began to flow from behind Nudoru’s mask as the image of Rind stretching herself crept back into his mind. “…ass,” he slurred. Veins began to creep across Rind’s forehead, and her teeth began to grind again in frustration. The hologram of Shang Tsung stood in its seat at the top of the stand and bellowed for all to hear, its voice echoing throughout the Arena Dome in Washu’s pocket multiverse.

“MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRTAL KOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMBAAAAAAAAAT!!!!!!”

The ‘thwack’ echoed through the arena as the tip of the axe handle snapped the God-Killer’s head back as it smacked into his chin-piece, the weapon thrown hard and fast enough right as the call to battle went out. “YOU PIG!!!!” Rind began unloading a barrage of kicks on the falling figure’s head, and then slipped her foot under the body as it hit the ground and flicked it into the air with a fair amount of finesse, catching it on her shoulders. “PERVERT!!!!!” She took off, leaving a small cloud of dust where the pair were. “BAKA NO HENTAAAAAAAAIIIII!!!!!!!” She screamed as the threw Nudoru into the Arena Shielding, causing the God-Killer to pinball around the arena.



:D

[J Dog]

Urban Mimi- Part III... or "How Jack Is Addicted to Hip-Hop"

"For sakes, girl!" Jack tells Mimi, "When you talk to somebody, you DON'T use Snoop Dogg lingo. The '-izzle' speak was denounced YEARS ago!"

"Well, I'M sorry for blurting out that." Mimi tells the Houstonite. "Besides, who will notice?"

"Mwa right here." He says. "If you got a friend, it's okay to give them a nickname. However, the nickname must be one that relates to his or her style or personality, and NOT his or her physical or psychological shortcomings. That's being harsh. Now, I wouldn't do this with the other Destined, because they thought you were an alien spy. It's a joke, but still, don't wanna flip them out. And, it's your way of being nice. You should also enjoy some of their music." It is then that Jack's personal walkman starts blurting out the latest hit from Dem Franchize Boyz, called "Ridin Rims (http://videocodes4u.com/song.php?file=48214)". Aside from T.I.'s "24's", it's his favorite song.

"Jack? Jack?" Mimi says, but no avail. Jack was lost in the music, as if he was entranced. Of course, everybody has a song that makes them become lost in the background. "Jack! COME ON!" She slaps him in the face.

"OW! Not the face!" He yells. "Damn! Where were we?"

"Good nicknames for your friends. So, what's your nickname."

"Thundaga." Jack tells her. "Thundaga is my monoker."

"Why 'Thundaga'?" Mimi questions. "That's a 'Final Fantasy' spell."

"Indeed. I enjoy a good RPG. That and the fact that I use electricity are the two sources of the nickname. I'd call you 'City Rose'. You see, you are into girl stuff, and your partner is a plant-like creature. Plus, you are from the largest city in the world... and maybe the universe." He then gives her the "Shush!" sign. "And you asked for my help to become like me."

"Cool. Cute name, Thundaga." She says. "Um... why does Dorado not like 'Klap'? Is that his nickname?"

"Dorado is his nickname. It's based off the ancient city of golden warriors. However, we joke that it's after the fish due to his subpar intellegence. He dosen't like 'Klap', because, even if it was his mom's last word, and before you ask, YES, it had a 'k' in it, nobody in the world has 'Klap' in their name. So he goes by it. But don't tell him that I told ya, got it?"

"I won't." She nods.

[T51R]

~Drop the Bombshell: Dogfight!~



“OW!” Nudoru landed several feet from the grandstand after ricocheting off the shields between the audience and arena floor, the crater from the impact smoking. “Damn! HEY! THAT HURT LIKE HELL YOU CRAZY…” He jumped clear as Rind’s blast shook the arena, causing a shockwave to wash over the ground casting up plumes of dust in concentric arcs. “Oh, crap.” He looked over at where Washu was sitting, beyond the displaced pocket Multiverse. “OI! LEMME OUT OF HERE!!! THIS WOMAN‘S GONE MAD!! OOIII!!! WASHU!!!!” He back-pedalled, the axe-blade screaming inches away from his mask. “HOLY SH!T!”

“Hesitation in battle is the primary cause of defeat,” Rind spun around with the momentum of her last sweep and delivered another two quick chops at her opponent followed by turning the weapon on her right around to come a crushing blow with the flat side of the blade, a stunning blow which sparked against a red, armoured fist. “So. You do know how to defend yourself.” She smiled. “Perhaps you will stop insulting me now, and actually take this match seriously? This is rather,” she followed up with a reversed slash and then a spinning heel kick. “…bad form.” She found her foot slamming into her opponent’s arm, crossed over his head and then jumped backwards narrowly avoiding the straight stomp aimed at her chest. ‘He’s taller,’ she thought to herself, ‘My head and chest will be where he’s aiming at. The rest of me is too low for him to use any punches on, and that leaves him with kicks, I’ll just need to take a leg out when he tries.’

“YOU CRAZY OR SOMETHING!?” Glowing lines, symbols and script began to flow over him as the miniature bulkheads between the armour on his gauntlets began to glow an eerie white. The same glow began to run between the clasps and joints on his facemask and the buckles on the straps around his body and coat. “You looking for a trip to the ER or what!?”

“This is a trial,” Rind landed gently, gracefully as her opponent spread his stance out diagonally towards her. She smiled inwardly; he was ready to fight. It had been quite a while since she had a good session; everyone else was either intimidated by her, or simply too confident for the mere reason that they were male. She huffed as the God-Killer before her took up his fighting stance, which was a bit too fluid for her liking; an open hand guarding his head, and the other arm drooped low, guarding the rest of his torso. “and the outcome of the test will be solid data which will aid our survival if this second NODE truly exists. If you wish to live here and earn the endorsement of Yggdrasil, then I would think that you‘d want to at the very least try. If anything to avoid insulting your opponent.” Her eyes gleamed for a moment. “You will not like me should you insult me.” Defensive, she thought to herself. And her opponent took a step backwards, moving his hand away from his face and up beside his head while his other arm went up to his waist with the palm of his armoured hand facing the ground. Offensive. She smiled. “Now, that‘s more like it.”

“Yeah, that‘s true. You ready?”

“Always,” the Valkerye raised the axe in her right hand in front of her face in salute. “On guard.” And then the crack against her skull, sharp, like a needle piercing her brain. Another crack. She felt her body go limp as she buckled forwards and was then snapped back, and then into the air as her chin found the sole of an armoured boot followed by a heel snapping down on her neck, driving her face-first into the dusty Arena floor. She doubled over from the force of the next blow, and felt herself leave the ground straight into a backhand smash to her ribs which drove the wind out of her and finally the clinch; he was right on top of her, an armoured hand snapping shut on her silky white hair as a boot thumped into her gut. A bubble of blood found its way up her throat as she was stomped into the dirt, the God-Killer kicking off and then rolling to a stop facing her in a low crouch. She thumped back to the ground; she wasn’t aware that she could bounce if hit hard enough. “Impressive,” she spat a mouthful of blood onto the dry sand. “Fast, for your size.” She swung the axes around, one behind her and one before.

“Alright,” the God-Killer began pacing around the Valkerye. “If you‘re really going to try and fight a NODE, a few things you should know. One. Higher beings die because they‘re too confident. Omnipotence is relative; it‘s hard to use it as a weapon when you‘re too busy talking crap.”

She got the axe up in time to parry the first short jab and then turned it on its head just in time to deflect the cross only to find the slamming kick come around in an arc behind her defences to tag her squarely across the jaw, sending her sprawling sideways across the dusty ground. It was her turn to jump as the God-Killer’s knee kick shattered the arena floor where she lay. As her opponent slowly rose from the dust, she realized that, for once, she didn’t have to hold back. Maybe, she thought to herself, since this isn’t a fight to the death, or for some other cause, maybe I should just let myself go, this once, if these are indeed the last days of the multiverse, then at least, I want to find an opponent. A rival that does not fear me. Or scorn me foe what I may be. A rival. A rival who will drive me to become stronger. Better. Better and stronger than what I am today. “STOP!”

“WHAT!?” Nudoru stood easily. “Finally got your head back together huh? Geez, it took you long enough!”

“Mr. Kaarage,” she finally understood. To her opponent, fighting meant death. “Have you ever sparred?” She noted his trademark neck-scratch, a sure sign that the God-Killer was unsure of himself. “Sparring. It‘s like practice, it‘s not a ‘real’ fight per se, but you‘re still trying to win. It‘s not to the death, as you are accustomed to. Rather, I would like to think of it as pushing oneself to become stronger against an opponent one respects and trusts. Trust, because you hold the life of your opponent in your hands. I wish to become stronger. And if you wish to remain here, you will have to learn trust. You will have to learn how to restrain yourself, for if you do earn Kami-Sama‘s favour you will not be allowed to take the lives of your opponents. Perhaps this will be an opportunity for both of us to learn, for I have not fought against a being such as yourself.”

“Never had a scrap which didn‘t end up in someone getting destroyed either,” Nudoru replied. “Just to win, huh? It‘s news to me.”

[T51R]

“Well then, what do you say to a little sparring session, with the rules of the trial being the rules of combat?”

“Sounds aight.”

“Good. Follow me.” She led him to the centre of the arena. “You stand over there, at that line. The entire arena is fair game, so are the surroundings since Washu didn‘t say that we couldn‘t use them. We begin a hundred feet apart, and when the bell goes, the gloves come off. Clear?”

“Crystal.”

“Good. SHANG TSUNG!” The solidogram image of the Outworld Sorcerer rose from his seat once again. “Prepare,” she again raised an axe before her face in salute. This time, her opponent returned her sentiment courteously with a two-fingered salute of his own from the top of his goggles. “May the best prevail!”

“Amen to that!” Nudoru felt the weight leave him then, the weight of the lives of the Disark. “Let‘s go!”

“Well the two of you are really getting into this aren‘t you?” Washu’s nasal voice boomed across the arena. “Well here‘s a little something that‘ll get you two worked up! ARENA SETTING! TOKYO-3! 1/24 SCALE!” The dusty ground began to shift, replaced by buildings that rose slightly above Rind’s head with others that went up even higher. “This is an active environment, you can access the standard weapons from the loading zones and launch ramps.” A map flashed before each of the combatants, each trying their best to remember it. “ARE YOU READY!?” Rind stared her opponent down from up the street. “ROUND ONE!”

Shao Khan’s voice boomed once again through the arena as the simulation crowd went wild. “MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRRRRRR TAAAAAL KOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMBBBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTT!!! !!”

The Valkerye ducked behind a nearby skyscraper just in time to avoid a burst of automatic fire from the rifle that Nudoru had popped out from the building closest to him, and sprinted down the side-street looking for something to deny her opponent the range advantage. She knew she had to keep as many of the buildings up as possible; they were the only things she could hide among when faced with a weapon with that much range. Unless…she swung an axe around and let it fly.

Across the way, the God-Killer spun around as the base of the building behind him disappeared in a cloud of dust and the entire structure began to fall his way. “CRAP!!!” He kicked off and cart wheeled down an alley; the only way out, and caught a glimpse of Rind disappearing down a side road. He opened fire again in mid-air, but found the bullets moving too slowly; by the time they reached their mark, the Valkerye was long gone. A shadow loomed over him just then, and he turned to find his opponent crouched on top of a building nearby with a long spear ready to throw. Click. Empty mags. Damn, he thought, she must have been counting off rounds. He sidestepped the projectile as it bit deeply into the structure behind him and stomped hard on a red square on the ground opening up another weapons rack, out of which popped twin pistols. Jumping sideways across the javelin he opened fire, but the Valkerye was already gone and the bullets nipped the tops off of the buildings. A flash. The pistols left his hands, another javelin impaling them and sending the weapons out of reach as Rind printed around the back of the building on foot and nailed hi squarely in the back of is head with the butt of a rifle she had managed to locate. The Valkerye kicked off the ground and spun backwards, letting off a hail of bullets as the God-Killer jumped upwards and flipped over, landing behind the building and using it as a shield.

Back in the lab, Washu sat next to her latest guest. “They seem to be enjoying this,” she noted. “So. Your people ready to go, Athena?”

“As you have requested, M’lady Washu. All my Saints are ready to take part in your experiment.”

[OverMaster]

-Waltz of the Vampire, Step II: Blood Sisters-

"LOOK OUT!" Akane yelled as she used her improved speed to pull her sisters with her out of the bullets' way, barely managing to do it in time; Hood was an expert shooter and her projectiles very rarely missed her mark.

"FREEZE ARROW!" Naga yelled at the same time, pointing to Nabiki and managing to freeze her feet then. Stumbling, the middle Tendo sister fell to her face, as Akane pushed Kasumi to relative safety.

"Nabiki!!" Akane cried out, then turned to the Mercenaries with blood-injected eyes. "You... why the hell are you doing this?!".

"We're just making a public service, Coffin Breath!" Hood screamed at her as she shot her once more, Akane managing to jump over the hail of bullets before she could be perforated. Hood cursed inside; obviously this girl had been an expert fighter of above average speed even before her transformation. The experience obviously had just boosted her stats to an amazing level. "Things like you don't deserve to un-live!".

"That's enough!" Akane practically flew to her, one of her hands tightening around her small neck, a furious glint in her eyes as she eyed the huntress, who simply smiled wickedly back. "We did nothing to you! Don't act like if you were a very moral person, because we know you are nothing but a moneygrubbing little psycho with bloodstained hands!".

"Oh, please!". With unbelievable strenght of her own, Hood kicked her in the stomach, making her to back away gasping. "As if your sister were much better! If anything, she's far worse even than 'Stroke! She's a cold hearted witch who would choose money, and now blood, over you, numbskull!". Tthen she called out, "NAAAAAAGAAAAA!!! Finish the Target off now!".

"Okay, if I must..." Naga cringed a bit as she approached the immobilized Nabiki, in front of a terrified Kasumi's eyes. "I just hope she doesn't bleed a lot...".

"LIKE HELL YOU WILL!" Akane jumped on her, as she grabbed her and went desperately for her neck. She did not care how bad Nabiki could have always been, or how worse she could be now. She was her sister. And to protect her, she would do anything on her power...

"Yoww!!" Naga cried as she tried to shake the vamped martial artist off her, feeling her fangs closing on her neck. "Let me go! Let me go! I have no interest in joining your clan!".

"The Hourman pill, you idiot!!" Hood yelled to her, snarling as she pulled out a huge machete; she was in the mood for a decapitation now.

Then it quickly dawned on the sorceress. It was true; the pills Moore had given them! As fast as she could, while continuing struggling with Akane, she took out one pill and popped it into her mouth. She felt the power running through her, the rush of becoming a physical powerhouse...

And she grinned.

One second later, Akane was sent flying like a ragdoll against a nearby tree, breaking it by half. Naga stretched her body, smiling proudly, "Ahhhhhh, that sure felt good! You wanted to bit me, huh? I'll never forgive that, little fool!". Then she laughed hideously, "OHHH HOHOHOHOHOHOHOOOO!!".

"Good" Hood smiled wickedly as she closed in on Nabiki and Kasumi, her blade anxious to cut their necks. "Now, for our next act... Three little vamps cured, the hard way!".

************************

The Dome:

The public cheered wildly as Team Warriors smiled and waved to everyone.

"It feels good to be a winner, huh, pals?" Guy Gardner asked.

"You said it, Clyde!" Lobo chuckled grisly as he caught a note someone had just thrown him, smelling of expensive perfume. "Hooo, a phone number and a hotel room's number! Looks like I'll be gettin' fraggin' lucky tonight!!".

As the celebration went on, the Tenkaichi Budokai announcer was discretely called aside by Rayden. The human quickly went to him and whispered, "What's wrong? I thought Team Warriors had won fair and clean...".

"And they indeed did so. This is not about them. Read this" the God of Thunder gave him a small note. The man took a good look at it, then gasped.

"Three matches at once?".

"My superiors are getting impatient with the way the tournament is advancing" Rayden huffed, clearly discontent with the new twist on events. "They want it to progress faster, so they gave these new instructions. The Extra Arenas B and C are already ready for use".

"But I can't narrate three matches at once...".

"We have enlisted two announcers more to take care of that. Likewise, the judges will be split in three groups, one for each simultaneous matches. Now go, and tell the public and fighters about it, please".

"Y-yes... of course, Mr. Rayden".

And so, the announcer stepped back into the middle of the ring and gave the news to everyone. The next three matches would be simultaneous, each one taking place in a separate arena. Team Malebolgia would fight Team Latveria at Dome A, the main one, where all fights so far had taken place. Team Troubleshooters would battle Team Heavy Metal Impact at the smaller Dome B. And Team Girl Power would be fighting Team Crime Underworld at Dome C, one with the same size than Dome B.

The next battles would all start three hours after that announcement.

************************

Heaven:

She stopped in front of the huge, ornate door with tears still in her eyes. Her breathing was ragged, uneasy, choking.

She barely had the strenght to knock weakly on the majestic closed entrance, while whispering, "Father... Please, Father... I need to talk with you. If you can hear me, Father, please... I beg you...".

She broke down in bigger streams of tears, as she trembled violently.

"I need to talk with you, Father...".


OOC: T51R, sorry if I'm bothering you, but could you do the part with Belldandy talking with the OAA?

Next: Batman and Blue Devil. And Deathstroke confronts Terra!

[Saint_007]

Okay, since we seem to be intent on squeezing the matches here, I'll forward the line-ups for Team Malebolgia and Team Girl Power:

Team Malebolgia (against Team Latveria/Doom)
Tactics: 4 fighters, 0 strikers: First: Venom
Second: Sabretooth
Third: Violator
Fourth: Ash CrimsonTeam Girl Power (against Team Criminal Underworld):
Tactics: 2 Fighters, 2 Strikers: First Fighter: A-Ko Megami
Second Fighter: Buttercup
First Striker: Ryoko Hakubi
Second Striker: Sakura KinomotoThe Team Girl Power line-up is temporary, waiting to see what the Team Criminal Underworld line-up would be.

[Golden Darkness]

Temporary Battle Lineup for Team Troubleshooters

1st: Jade (Just to refresh your memories, she's the adult version from Jackie Chan Adventures)
2nd: Lina Inverse
3rd: MEGAS
Striker: Gourry

[Saint_007]

Okay, I've decided to keep this post as the official fights post, and keep a link to it at all times in my sig to avoid re-posting. This will be constantly updated as fights finish. I've decided to present the winners of each fight in blue bold to save space.

Past fights:
Team Hero (Spider-Man, Ranma Saotome, Kyo Kusanagi, Ryu) vs Team Mercenary (Deadpool, Deathstroke, B. B. Hood, Naga)
Team Swordsman (Roronoa Zoro, Cloud Strife, Crono, Samurai Jack) vs Team Howard (Geese Howard, Billy Kane, Ryuji Yamazaki, Wolfgang Krauser)
Team ACROSS (Osaka, Excel Excel, DeeDee, Mihoshi) vs Team Saikyo (Dan Hibiki, Karin Kanzuki, Sakura Kusagano, B-Ko Daikotouji)
Team Spirit Detectives (Kuwabarra, Hiei, Yuuske, Kurama) vs Team Digidestined (Mimi, Matt, Tai, Sora)
Team Light & Darkness (Batman, Sailor Venus, Spawn, Dexter) vs Team Ninja (Sub-Zero, Strider Hiryu, Shinobi, Psylocke)
Team Nabeshin (Nabeshin, Wolverine, Motoko, Mars People) vs Team Robots (Nuku Nuku, Astro Boy, Mega Man, Lime)
Team Warriors (Vile, Vegeta, Guy Gardner, Lobo) vs Team Epic (Terra, Fei Fong Wong, KOS-MOS, Auron)
Team Latveria (Magneto, Dr Doom, Kagato, Mystique) vs Team Malebolgia (Venom, Sabretooth, Violator, Ash Crimson)
Team Girl Power (A-Ko Megami, Buttercup, Ryoko Hakubi, Sakura Kinomoto) vs Team Criminal Underworld (Sagat, Team UFO, Rio, Madame Lao)
Team Troubleshooters (Adult Jade, Lina Inverse, MEGAS, Goury Gabriev) vs Team Heavy Metal Impact (Ed, Al, Chii, Ifurita)
Team Nifelheim (Mara, Bell, Joker, Goenitz) vs Team JLAvengers (Booster Gold, Blue Beetle, Iron Man, Spider-Woman)
Team Vellinor (Ash, Alucard, Tetsuo, Fighter) vs Team Beastmaster (Inu Yasha, Ryoga, Juggernaut, Cutie Honey)
Team Saviours (Squall Lionheart, Sailor Moon, Anakin Skywalker, Pink Ranger) vs Team Darkness (Evil Coop & GIGAS, Queen Beryl, Dark Helm - er, I mean, Darth Vader, Astronema)
Team Fanfiction (Jack Stalwall, Tiffany Stalwall, Mel Thompson, Dorado Kompson) vs Team Space Saviours (Superman, Tenchi Masaki, Vash the Stampede, Stitch)
Team Bad Girls (Khalia, Alternate Android 18, Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn) vs Team Reluctant Heroes (Naruto, Ben Grimm AKA the Thing, Kenshin Himura and Son Goku)
Team Justice (Darkwing Duck, Amelia, Angel Trainee Flonne, Kim Kap Hwan) vs Team USA (Captain America, Terry Bogard, Ken Masters, Heavy D)
Team Red & Blue (Sonic the Hedgehog, Knuckles the Echinda, X, Zero) vs Team Expendables (a lot of people who got killed indiscriminately) - Team Red & Blue won by disqualification

Current Fights: Team Young Duelists (Yugi Moto, Takato & Guilmon, Ash Ketchum, Lan/Netto Hikari) vs. Team Smash Brothers (Mario Mario, Samus Aran, Kirby, Link)
Team Evil Science (Dr Ivo Robotnik AKA Dr Eggman, Dr Albert Wily, Mandark, Sandy) vs. Team Vendetta (Iori Yagami, Forte, Negaduck, Scorpion)
Team Shin Sacred Treasures (Chizuru Kagura, Rose, Kikyo, Sailor Pluto) vs. Team Nuisance (Team Rocket, Wario Wario, King Bowser, Happosai)

Upcoming Fights:
Team Rugal (Rugal Bernstein, Akuma, Vice, Mature) vs. Team Hearts of Fire (Naru, Raven, Kenshiro, Princess Nausicaa)
Team Skuld (Skuld, Nakururu, Benueel, Dr. Occult) vs. Team England (Cammy, Captain Britain, Dudley, Kevin Mask)
Team Hodgepodge (Bugs Bunny, Mewtwo, Captain N, Omi/Raiden) vs. Team Wannabe Conquerors (The Brain, Mojo Jojo, Zim, Professor Nimnull Nimbus)

Later Fights:
Team Wacky Hijinx (Puni Puni Poemi, Bobobobo, Slappy Squirrel and Daffy Duck) vs. Team Devastation (Ch'rell, Gorrath, Drago, either Wuya, Hannibal Bean, or Jack Spicer)
Team Neron (Bizarro Superman, Agent Smith, Prometheus, Maleficient) vs. Team Shadaloo (Bison, Sephiroth, Justice, Jedah Dohma)
Team Holy Swords (Chrono, Rosette Christopher, Robin Sena, Yomiko Readman) vs. Team Vampire (Demitri Maximoff and the vampirised Akane Tendo, Ukyo, and Shan Pu)

[OverMaster]

OOC: OK, Team Crime Underworld will have this lineup;

First Fighter: Sagat.
Second Fighter: Mimi from Team UFO (with UFOBot mecha).
Third Fighter: Madame Lao.
Striker: Undercover Agent Rio Kinezono.

IC:

-Interlude Again: Black and Bat and Blue all over-

"So, where to look for next?" Beast Boy sighed wearily as he and Terra continued walking through the Tournament Grounds, with Raven flying above them. "We have searched everywhere and came with nothing..." he complained. "No Slade, no Gems, no nothing!".

Ever since they had met Batman and later Team Anzell, and they had been charged with helping to look for the shards of the Gem of Evermere, they had not had a lot of success on that or in their original search for Slade, their nemesis. Apparently, according to what Batman had told them, the Slade currently at the grounds was an even meaner, tougher alternate universe version of their old foe. The Bat had warned them to stay away from him and his new partners, which had annoyed Robin to no end.

"Be patient" Raven deadpaned in her usual monotone as she looked around. "I am sure we will get a hint on any--". Then she gasped, and fell down to earth like a dead weight, much to Beast Boy's horror.

"Raven!!".

"What has happened to her?" Terra also rushed to her side. Then they both saw the small dart sticking out of her neck. "Tranquilized...?".

Sniper shot. An expert's work. Slade Wilson would have congratulated himself if he had been that kind of man. Instead, the cold mercenary just jumped out of his out of sight perch, quickly followed by Deadpool. "There, the biggest threat is neutralized. We move in quick, and remember, you take the boy, and leave the girl for me".

"Isn't that always the way with you, old Casanova?" Deadpool chuckled maliciously as he jumped in front of the two remaining Titans, revealing himself. "Why, hellooooooo, kiddies! Welcome to Uncle Wade's House of Fun!".

"Aw, not you again" Gar recognized Slade's new madcap associate, then gasped. Slade himself was coming after him. Terra also seemed to shudder then.

"Beast Boy, huh?" Deadpool quipped as he rushed on the young hero with his favorite sword. "That must mean you're a real Party Animal! Well, here you will have a great Dead-Pool Party, kiddo!".

****************************

The quarters of the New Defenders:

"Devil" Namor the Sub-Mariner announced, distracting him from his reading of the newspaper and its news about the most recent clash of the Justice League with the Kaiju. "You have... a visit here".

The Blue Devil turned around, and smiled when he saw the Dark Knight standing next to Namor, who obviously was somewhat distrustful and at unease around him. Now that he thought about it, those two would be like water and oil, and never mingle well. "Well well, the Batman! I'm surprised you came here through the door, and not through a window or out of the nothing like you use to...".

"Actually, he tried that last one" Namor scoffed. "But Doctor Strange caught him in the act".

"Ah, beaten at your own game at last?" the paranormal investigator of the DCU chuckled a bit, then straightened his face when he saw the even more serious than usual expression on the Dark Knight's face. "Something bothering you?".

"This sign" Batman handed him a piece of paper with a reproduction of the symbol Dominic had found. "We have motives to think it can represent a group of great power currently working inside of these Grounds. Do you have any idea on it?".

"Hum" the Devil inspected the symbol carefully, then shook his head. "Can't say I have seen this exact same motif before, but I have seen some similar to it. If I guess it right, it must represent a branch of worshippers of Chaos. Where did you find it?".

Batman then told him and Namor about the discovery of the sign. When his story was over, the Devil frowned.

"Very interesting" he said. "I'll consult with Doc Strange and Occult about it, then I'll do an in-ground search. By the way," he looked at Batman again, "we are having an eye on your old sparring partner right now. You know, Smiles". Batman's eyes narrowed when he heard about the Joker. "Looks like his new powers, whatever the hell they are, are growing stronger by the day, and he's actually getting the gist on becoming a fighter to boot".

"I know. I am going to interrogate him right now".

"Well, mind your steps around him, then. We have no idea on where his top limits could be. It's puzzling even Strange...".

"And that is never a good thing at all" Namor coldly finished for him.


Next: Waltz of the Vampire, Step III.

[Golden Darkness]

Playing with Power, Part I

"You want us to quadruple our effort?"

The Player sighed as the meeting table became filled with chatter of disbelief. He knew how they were going to react to this question, but he had to ask it anyway. "Yes. It seems the gods running the tournament are going to shorten the preliminaries by holding three matches each at the three designated hours. This gives us less time to be ready for the ultimate war once the final match nears. If anything, this means I need enough X-Boxes ready for mass distribution by tomorrow."

"But sir, it's impossible to reprogram a week's worth of X-Boxes in the amount of time your asking," replied Foreman Game and Watch. "The facilities were designed to handle reprogramming the target amount of X-Boxes within a week. But a week..."

The Player held his hand up. "This will not be impossible. Miss Lucca Ashtear has assured me of the feasibility. She and her father are already working on the needed workarounds for the facilities. It's up to you, Foreman Game and Watch, to have the men under you increase their productivity. Do you understand?"

The flat 2D character ended up having his head down after hearing this. "Yes sir," he meekly replied.

"Good." He turned to a lady in a purple suit. "Miss Nell, how about things on your end? Can we expect similar results?"

Nell, one of the many Commanding Officers of the Advance War series of games, gave an emphatic nod. "If you asked me that yesterday, I would have replied no. But however we just have gained access to some resources that should allow us to buildup our armed forces faster than ever."

The Player raised his eyebrows. "And this resources would be?"

"Outer Heaven sir. We 'bought' their cooperation. The PMCs that report to it are at our disposal."

The Player smirked. He knew of Metal Gear Solid 4's varient of the Outer Heaven group. To basically gain control of the most die hard soldiers was a boon. Oh... the Metal Gears under their command wasn't a bad bonus either. Sure they weren't like the Ideon he was having another group attempt to replicate, and he was sure the Bosses' forces would have a lot more, but having the feared weapons of the Metal Gear series wasn't a bad thing.

"You know," mused Aeris, who was sitting to the Player's right, "Snake won't be happy about this."

"Speaking of him," mused Thief, the Ninja/Thief from 8-bit Theater, who at the moment was the Player's main man on all things contracts and laws, "shouldn't he and his team be back by now?"

"You were speaking of me?" The people at the meeting table turned as the famed hero of the Metal Gear series stepped into the room, with Ness, Pit, the Ice Climbers, and Metaknight flanking him. Behind him was a woman in serveral bonds, wearing a red trenchcoat and fedora. "We would have returned earlier, but there was a crisis at the facility the lady here was locked in."

"Yeah," added Pit, the winged warrior from Angel Land. "There was an explosion that freed the super powered criminals in there, and one of the jerks had the ability to summon giant crabs. Took us a while to realize by only flipping them their weak spots would be exposed and allow us to inflict massive damage."

"Don't worry. I'm just glad that our new.... recruit... is here... unharmed," the Player assured.

The lady in the bonds took this time to make herself known. "Who are you? What do you want?"

"I'm the Player, a diety who specializes in everything involving video games, and the guy who was originally responsible for putting you in that prison in the first place. And you, Miss Carmen Sandiego, are going to help me save the totallity of existance."

OOC: Snake working with Nintendo characters refers to his appearance in the new Smash Brothers. The whole crab talk refers to a certain part of Sony's E3 conference which has become a butt of jokes.

And I haven't mocked the PS3's huge sticker price... yet.

Will not be able to post again till Wednesday at the least.

[T51R]

Sorry gents, but I'm only going to be able to finish the Serial Experiments Washu arc and the current Belldandy arc on Wednesday; things are heating up in Uni.

[J Dog]

Urban Mimi- Part IV

"Okay, this next part of the 'Urbanizing'," Jack quoted with his fingers, "Is more or less of a dumb one to you. It's involving the love of sports. However, I forgot my basketball and I'm waiting for Baskethead to give me his." He said, referring to Dorado as "Baskethead".

"So, what are we going to do; run around in circles?" Mimi asks. This is replied with laughter from Jack.

"Oh ho ho! Man, that's a good one." Jack chuckled. "Seriously, if you can't do the real thing, try the next best thing. In that case, it's a good old fashioned video game."

"Not those things." Mimi groans. "Why do you LIKE them?"

"Give HALO a chance." Jack tells her. "Besides, you asked for it, and there's no refund... I mean, no turning back."

In his dorm, Jack hooked up an Xbox to the television offered. "I'm a Nintendo type of guy. But, Microsoft made the Xbox in America. Because is was made '#100 American' (I know they get chips from Taiwan, though), I like to use it. Plus, it's a helluva lot better than getting a PS3. Good lord, that stuff's, like, $750!"

"I think it was $600." Mimi told him. "Are we breaking that dimension again. You know, the fourth wall?"

"You know we are. Welcome to my world." He returns to the complicated process of rerouting the system. What he's doing is that he's attaching the Xbox to a VHS/DVD, then using that to route it to the TV. Then, Jack would move the channel on the VHS/DVD to the "Video" channel.

"How hard is that?" Mimi asks him. "I think I can handle it."

"Nash. I've done this lots. I can handle it." Jack told her.

"Good luck. You are SO going to need it." She says, reclining on his bed.

[OverMaster]

Sorry gents, but I'm only going to be able to finish the Serial Experiments Washu arc and the current Belldandy arc on Wednesday; things are heating up in Uni.

That's fine, see you on Wednesday, then.

IC:

-Waltz of the Vampire, Step III: Bloody Angels-

Mimi Tachikawa's room:

Yolei walked to the phone and marked a number, as she sat down with a sigh on Mimi's bed. "Hello? Who's there? It's me, Yolei...".

"Ah, Yolei. It's me, Ken" Ken Ichijouji's voice replied from the other end of the line. "Have you found them already?".

"Yes, we did. I just met Mimi... young Mimi, that is..." she laughed a bit nervously, "and some new allies of hers. I'm going to be introduced to the rest of the group shortly. You know, it's weird to meet her again, at this age...".

"I guess it must be" the other Digidestined mused quietly.

"How are you and the others doing there?".

"These Author guys still are creeping us out a lot, especially Davis, but we are doing it rather good at the practices" Ken informed. His tone had darkened slightly for a moment then. They were doing training for a war. Something far worse than any battle against any evil Digimon was approaching at a steady rate. The mere idea of it made the former, reformed Digimon Emperor feel sick by merely thinking about what they could be forced to do in the future.

"When will I get to tell Mimi and the others about the Authors?" she asked.

"I'll ask them about it" he replied. "In the meanwhile, you take good care of yourself there, will you?".

"Yes. Yes, I will" she smiled. It was good to know he really cared.

**************************

Team Light and Darkness' Living Room:

"Tsukino Usagi" the blonde, long legged young girl bowed in front of Anzell, a bit clumsily, but with a gentle, kind smile on her face. "But you can call me Sailor Moon if you want!".

"Sailor Pluto" the older, more elegant Senshi of Time introduced herself. "It is a pleasure to meet you".

"Oh... thanks. I truly can say the same" Anzell was quickly to reply. "I have heard a lot about the exploits of the Sailor Senshi in the short time I have been here. Not only from Miss Venus, but from many others as well".

"Oh, come on!" Usagi giggled girlishly. "You're embarassing me!!".

"Is everyone in here?" a graver, deeper voice interrupted her. The Batman had just done another one of his 'appearing acts' at the room.

"Damn!" Marv cursed. "And from where the hell did you get in here? I was next to this door, and--".

"I have my ways" the Dark Knight simply said, then looked around the room. "Where are Blossom and her sisters?".

"Buttercup is going to fight in the next match, so she won't be able to join us" Dexter explained. "Blossom and Bubbles are on their way here, although they said they'll leave to go back to the dome as soon as we finish our chore. They should be at any--".

Then the knocking at the door cut his words short. Dexter almost ran to the door, anxious, and opened it to see Blossom and Bubbles standing in front of him, the latter with a confused expression on her face.

"Hello" the redheaded PPG talked. "Good afternoon, everyone... Sorry if we took too long...".

"No problem" Batman began to walk his way to the door. "We can be on our way, then. The sooner we finish with this, the better".

"What did you find out about the symbol?" Spawn grunted while he followed him.

"Not much. Only that it is a symbol of Chaos cultists... basically nothing we didn't know already. But we will have some new help at looking for them, at least".

**************************

"And it ends here, Bloodsucker!!" Bulleta cried out in thriumph as she raised her machete, ready to bring it down on the immobilized Nabiki's neck, as Naga looked aside, disgusted, while restraining Kasumi from behind with her superstrenght derived from the Hourman pill. "Say hello to the long quiet sleep!".

"NEVER!!!" Akane then flew back from where she had been thrown, tackling Hood from behind, and throwing her a few feet back. "You'll never hurt my sister, do you hear me?!" she growled, now really enraged, even throwing a punch to the blonde, who just stopped it with a hand, but had to struggle to hold her back; even her Darkstalker blood-induced strenght was barely enough to hold the young martial artist vampiress at bay. "Do you hear me?!".

"Loud and clear!" Hood hissed as she pushed her back. "Now, agreeing with you is a totally different thing!". She pulled out a Magnum and shot Akane in a leg now that she had her at close quarters. The black haired girl yelled in pain, as she took a hand to her bleeding knee.

"B-Blood...!" Naga whimpered, and fell on her back when she saw that, letting Kasumi to go.

"Damn it, Naga, don't be such a wimp! What kinda merc are you, moron?!" The little girl spat furiously, then ran her way back to Nabiki, ready to cut her head. "Buncha losers, I have to do everything by myself...".

"NO! Please, I beg you!!" Kasumi stood up between the incoming huntress and her brown haired sister, as Akane limped her way to them as well. "Don't do it, I implore you... Nabiki's not really a bad girl, she... she...".

"Out of the way, Suzie Homemaker!" Hood threatened, pointing at her with her blade. "Or your head's off first!".

"You will never hurt my sisters as long as I am here..." Kasumi spoke again then, this time with a much sterner, very un-Kasumilike tone. "Please, go back with your friend to where you came from before something bad happens to you...".

"The nerve of you, threatening me!" the huntress fumed. "Something bad will happen to YOU, undead scum!!" she yelled as she jumped towards her, the machete swinging straight to her throat. With a scream of panic, Akane jumped after her ignoring the pain in her leg, but she was too late to reach her.

It all happened in a second. Kasumi closed her eyes and prepared herself, wlling to sacrifice herself. Hood swung the blade to her pale throat, snarling. Akane gasped in sheer horror. And Nabiki finally broke the block of ice holding her legs and managed to jump forward just in time to stop Bulleta's weapon...

... by intercepting it with her left arm before it could reach Kasumi's throat.

Hood blinked surprised when she saw the clean cut arm falling to the ground in front of her, blood jumping out of the stump, Nabiki cringing and whimpering in pain. Kasumi gasped horrified as her sister leaned back against her chest, and Akane was just ghastly aghast.

"Nabiki...!!" the youngest Tendo was both shocked, horrified and deeply moved at the same time.

"Nabiki, are you...?" Kasumi's eyes began to leak sudden tears as she cradled her sister against her, panicking. "Hold on, please! Hold on!".

"So..." Hood whispered in mild awe. "The Greed Queen has some heart after all". She shrugged. "Well, I guess that's better. It means you're going to Heaven after I free you from your vampire curse...".

"Not today, hunter" a male voice interrupted the scene, and they all looked up to see an angelic figure with wide white wings flaoting down from the sky, carrying the boy Nabiki had been about top bite in his arms. Zauriel.

"Ah, crap. Not when I was so near..." Bulleta muttered in frustration.


Next: Waltz of the Vampire, Last Step: Losses.

[J Dog]

Sorry gents, but I'm only going to be able to finish the Serial Experiments Washu arc and the current Belldandy arc on Wednesday; things are heating up in Uni.
Promise me that you will PM me those templates soon, ok?

Urban Mimi- Conclusion

"Dagnabit!" Jack grunted as two of the wires fell off the television. "It took me six minutes to get that in!"

"Could it have been EASIER to BUY a television for that?" Mimi asked Jack. However, Jack didn't like that a bit.

"Look, if I have the funds for it, I would. But right now, no, I don't. I never have. I probably never will." He told her. "I may have a compensation check in the bank, but that stuff is to be used for my college fund and a very rainy day. My mom still works. My dad... well..."

"What happened to him?" Mimi asked. She assumed something was wrong here.

Jack cleared his throat. "My dad got a job at this oil rig off the coast. However, on the way, the rough seas did the boat he was on in. He is still missing." Unlike Dorado, Jack didn't blurt into a fountain of tears. "I believe he is no longer in this world. But that is okay, he did everything he could for my family, and that was all that he needed to do. He taught me that if something happens, don't look at it, but go on, no matter how bad it was."

"Wow. That's something."

"Indeed, it is." Jack said.

"No. I saw an image on the TV. I think you got it." Mimi remarked. It was short-lived, however, as a basketball came in and smacked the television. "Dorado!" Jack screamed.

"What?" The lumbering Gatorboy asked. "My bad."

"At least we got the ball, now." Jack said as he grabbed the orange ball and held it. "I was going to ask you about this. I was going to need it. Why didn't you give it to me?"

"How the heck should I know? I just misplaced it." Dorado answered with a snide.

"Like your brain?" Jack combated. Dorado didn't like that and sputtered.

"Guys, guys, guys! Can't we all just get along?" Mimi asked the two. Tiffany then entered the room. "Sorry guys, I went to the can. What's going on."

"Meathead here smashed the TV." Jack said.

"He badmouthed me for slipping." Dorado whined.

"Jack is teaching me to be like him." Mimi smiled.

"Um... And where does this all fit in?" Tiffany asked. "I understand Mimi wanting to get trained by Jack, but why the TV?"

"I was hoping to play NBA 2K6." Jack said.

"And... he was trying to show me how to play basketball." Mimi told Tiffany.

"Alright, alright. Jack, Mimi, Dorado. You three go out there and pass that ball around. I'll handle the mess you klunkers made." Tiffany then said. The three left. "Bunch of klunkers, but I still like them." She muttered in her breath.

[OverMaster]

Promise me that you will PM me those templates soon, ok?


Be patient, little grasshopper. Those things take time.

[J Dog]

LONC asked me to start this upcoming prank

Basketbrawl

Jack carried the ball under his arms as he, the gigantic Dorado, and the eager Mimi got out of the dorms when Garet rushed by. "Hey, Dorado! Ready for some more action?"

"Can't." Dorado responds. "Got hoops to play."

"Hoops?" Garet wondered. "What is that?"

"Oh, for the love of..." Jack sputtered. "It's called 'BASKETBALL'! It involves throwing this ball all over the place." He throws the damn ball, but hits Dorado's face. Dorado then starts to sing Shakespeare. "You gotta hit him." Jack tells Garet.

"Oh. Right. Like that one time." He hits Dorado in the nose, up to the point where he screams "MORE COWBELL!".

"Dammit! Why does that happen every time I get whacked?" Dorado whines.

"I don't know. Maybe you are not as lucky as some people." Mimi tells him.

"Aw, bullyang. I got luck all over the place. I even have luck comin' out of my-" He is then muffled by Jack's left hand.

"Watch it, bub." He warns. A few minutes later, the three were passing the ball around (Garet decided to other things instead). "This is an intresting game." Mimi says. "I hope this is one where nobody gets hurt."

"Actually, there is getting hit with the ball, falling onto the floor, tripping on sweat, ramming into the support for the basketball hoop, etcetera. I'm just telling you how it goes." Jack reminds her. "You can get beaten up anywhere anyways."

"Alright, alright, alright. Enough with the crap!" Dorado yells. "Give me the ball!"

"Here, Mr. Patient!" Jack barks as he throws the ball to Dorado's gut. "Oof!" He moans as he falls down. "Not cool." He says as he gets up.

"Can we do something else?" Mimi asks Jack.

********

Vellinor, after handling more trauma to Joker, decided to wage revenge on Dorado after the MySpace snafu. But, how was he going to do it? He recalled a jewel he had found in the ruins of Chichen Itza, but, no, that shouldn't be used.

Or should it?

Coming up Next: Dorado vs. Vellinor: The Stupid Match

(Sorry for the delay, but time is not a friend to me)

[Lord of Nonsensical Crap]

Team Nifelheim's room

Elsewhere, the Joker was continuing to gloat over how he had beaten his teammates when he suddenly felt a strange presence in his mind.

"HI EVERYBODY!" a familiar voice exclaimed.

"Hi Dr. Nick!" the Joker thought back. "What are you doing in my head anyway, Vellinor? That's trespassing on private property!"

"Oh, but it's so nice and cozy in here!" Vellinor complained. "That aside, I've been looking over goings-on in the tournament, and I THINK you might be about to get interrogated. Again."

The Joker's eyes lit up. "You mean Bats is going to come to play again?"

"Yep. Him and a whole bunch of playmates. I just stopped by to say one thing, though . . .. "

"You want my to avoid mentioning anything about you?" the Joker sneered. "Oh dear, now why would I want to do that?"

"Oh no, you can rant about me all you want. I like the attention," Vellinor replied. "HOWEVER, if you mention any association between me and your mistress, then I will not, under any circumstances, teach you the Gag, no matter how much you beg or plead."

"Oh, I'm so disappointed!" the Joker mockingly wailed.

"That, and I'll kill Batman."

The Joker suddenly frowned. His white face seemed to redden lightly.

"Don't . . . . you . .. . DARE . . ." the enraged Joker thought.

He heard Vellinor laughing. "You're so easy to kid, you know that?" the Trickster sneered. "Besides, I don't really want to kill Batman, since doing so would reduce you to a bland, unfunny vegetable, one that would be no fun at all to joke with. However, if you mention my alliance with Hild at all, then the Bat will get his wings clipped. Till next time, this is Vellinor, Trickster-God Extraordinaire, signing off." And with that, Vellinor's presence was gone.

The Joker's teammates, meanwhile, could only watch in bewilderment as the Clown Prince seemed to stand perfectly still, staring off into the distance and making happy or angry faces every once in a while.

"You know, just when I think he can't creep me out any more, he goes and proves me wrong," Bell muttered.

"I'm with you there," Mara said.

[OverMaster]

-Interlude Once More: The Rules of Comedy-

Team Nifelheim's Room:

So, I wait and wait, patiently, as Mara babbles about something with Leo and Bell just sits dumbly there missing her dear widdle GIR. God, they repulse me at times.

But it's all okay. Because soon, Darling will come to play again. And at least the Angel thing is sleeping inside of me for now, instead of being out bothering me with her presence.

They soon knocked at the door.

"Who's there?" Mara snarled, turning her head to the entrance's closed frame.

"R-Room Service, Ma'am" the low, respectful voice of one of Jameba's frog-men said from the outside. They were mostly terrified of the room's inhabitants, and it often showed. Joker's eyes lit up.

It's him! The execution is perfect, but you always can notice a certain very subtle tone in his delivery when he's mimicking a voice. Still, I'll give him 9,5 points out of ten. I'm sure it'll be enough to fool these losers...

"Good, I was starving here!" Mara got up and walked to the door. "It was damn time you moved your warty--".

As soon as she opened, a huge tanuki good luck charm hit her face coming from the outside and knocked her down. As soon as her body hit the floor, several other amulets and charms fell on her, pining her down.

"AH-HAH!" Joker laughed finally, as Bell and Goenitz jumped up in alarm. Standing at the door, the Batman, closely followed by Anzell, Blossom, Marv, Zarabeth, Urd, Sailor Moon, Sailor Venus, Sailor Pluto, Dexter, Spawn and Bubbles, stood there looking straight at the Clown Prince of Crime.

"Aaaiiieeeeee..." Mara weakly convulsed from the floor, the positive magical energy running through her. "Some help... here...".

"We want to talk with you, Joker" Batman coldly said as he advanced inside.

"This is an unforgivable intrusion against the Sacred Rules of Battle, sinner" Goenitz stomped his way to him, blocking his way, and both men stared with hard intensity to each other. "Get out of here, you all, NOW!".

"Damned spoilsport" Joker grunted, then, with a swift telekinetic move, made several hypodermic needles to come flying out of nearby cabinets and nightstands where he kept some of his weapons, and before anyone could stop them, they all flew quickly to converge on the back of the priest's neck, making him to gasp, then to fall on his face, knocking him out. "Stay out of other people's business, will you?!".

"Joker...!!" Bell yelled to him. "What are you doing now??!".

"Oh my!" Minako gasped as he looked at Goenitz's fallen frame. "Is he...? Is he...?".

"Hey, don't sell me short, Blondie" Joker waved a hand dismissively to her. "I'd never go with such a lame way for a killing. He's just KOed, sedated. Enough tranquilizer to put a stampede of horses to sleep, and yet barely enough to keep him down for an hour... The bastard's a tough cookie, I tell you".

Effectively, Goenitz began to snore as the Dark Knight advanced towards Joker again, just to find Bell on his way now.

"I don't know what are you doing here, but cut it out" she glacially said. "The clown's out of your limits now. This isn't Gotham City".

"Why do they defend him when he's so much of a dick to them?" Marv asked to Zarabeth.

She just shrugged. "Beats me. I guess they must have an ulterior motive for it".

Jesus, my pals can't get a clue, can they? Don't they get I want to talk with Bats? Can't they see such is my simple, innocent wish? What should a poor little homicidal clown do to get some personal space to do what he wants here?

Never mind. The redhead kid with the bow on her head is advacing towards Bell now. If I remember it right, she's her nemesis. This should prove to be amusing.

"Bell..." Blossom said as she stepped in front of the white haired girl, very seriously, "You really don't want to push us around this time".

"Why not?" she angrily shot her back.

Then Blossom held something on her face. A can of spray, branded with a huge "X". Bell immediately had a bad feeling about it, and backed away.

"What's that?" she almost gulped. "You can't have--".

Blossom nodded. "Antidote X. Professor Utonium had it made for us as a last resource against you. I really don't want to have to use it, but I'll do it if you give me no chance".

"What's this Antidote X thingamabob?" Joker curiously asked from his seat.

"It negates our superpowers, turning us into normal girls" Bubbles answered, staying behind Anzell. Evil sinister clowns creeped her out.

"Bubbles, he didn't need to know that" Blossom sighed as the Joker nodded assimilating the info, then chuckled.

"Bell, dear, sit down" The Clown Prince gently asked. "It's all okay, they won't hurt me. I'm sure they just come for autographs and tips!" he motioned for her to sit next to him, and the girl did it so reluctantly, all the while looking at Blossom and Bubbles with despise.

Then he looked at the group in front of him, and smiled. "Well? I'm getting old here".

Urd whispered on Anzell's ear. "You know the plan. First you try to question him, then the Bat has his turn, and I close the session".

"Very well" the Evermere goddess nodded slightly, and then advanced towards the criminal, as Bell brooded silently, Mara continued twitching, and the Joker simply stayed there in contented expectation.

OOC: Over to you, Lord.


Next: Losses.

[Lord of Nonsensical Crap]

Slowly, Anzell walked to the front, fixing her eyes on the Joker. By the Aethyr, he was even creepier up close . . . .

"Mr. Joker?" she asked. "I have some questions I'd like to ask you."

"Ooooh, goodie!" the Joker replied cheerfully. "Hey Bats, how thoughtful of you to bring a cute blonde over to play with me! It's nice to know that you still have my well-being in mi -- "

"Can it, Joker," Batman said firmly. He nodded to Anzell, and backed away slightly.

Anzell continued to look at the Joker, her expression now impassive and icy. "Yesterday, during an encounter with the Orochi, you destroyed some living puppets who claimed to be servants of Vellinor. I have you quoted as saying something along the lines of "that will teach that pathetic wannabe." I want to know -- without any lampooning, thank you -- how you know about Vellinor, and when and where you first say him."

The Joker's grin widened. "Oh, so you want to know about that loser, eh?" he sneered. "How come? Are you his angry ex-wife?"

"I'm asking the questions here," Anzell replied harshly. "I suggest you answer me."

The Joker rolled his eyes. This chick was more boringly serious than Bats. "Oh, if you're gonna be that way . . . . .the wannabe came to me a few days ago -- right after I met Urdie here -- " he winked at Urd, who grimaced, "-- and challenged me to an armpit duel. After he dropped several blunt objects on me, then."

Anzell stood unmoving. That sounded like Vellinor, alright. "Have you had any other encounters with him? Has he said anything about what he's planning, or where he currently resides?"

"Nope, nada," the Joker replied. He then frowned. "Weeeeeellll . . . . . he DID kinda whisk me away to some Looney Tunes land called the Pranking Ground, fight me in another slapstick duel, and offer to teach me some high-and-mighty divine secret called the Gag if I increase in power at all, but that's it."

Anzell's eyes widened slightly. This was something new. "Do you have any idea how to get to this 'Pranking Ground'? Could you possibly take us there?"

"What do I look like, toots, a magician?" the Joker grumbled. He then grinned maniacally. "But enough on that stupid bozo: hows about you, me, and Goth Girl continue this up-close-and-personal interrogation somewhere more private?"

This struck a nerve in Zarabeth. "Why you -- " she snarled, lunging towards him, only to be held back by Marv and Spawn. "Let me go! I'm going to rip that pig's throat out!"

The Joker merely laughed, and made a mental note that the vampire chick was easy to enrage by flirting with her. "Hey Bats, your new friends are a riot! You should bring them over more often!"

"I'm not done with the questions," Anzell said in a low tone. She began to circle the Clown Prince slightly. "Do you in any way know if your mistress Hild is in an alliance with Vellinor?"

For a minute, the Joker's grin seemed to waver. He glanced for a minute at Batman, and then at Anzell. "What's with all the stupid questions, anyway, toots?" he asked. "Oh wait, maybe it's just that you can't figure out anything with that dumb blonde ehad of yours, and you need my help? Well, clue in on this: I don't have to tell you nadda, sweetie! So you can go kiss my heinie!"

For a minute, Anzell said nothing, though her glare seemed to intensify. Then, without warning, the Joker was suddenly flung backwards by some unseen force, slamming hard into the wall. The Clown Prince gagged as he felt a powerful force crushing against him, pinning him in place, threatening to crush him like an eggshell . . . . .

"Listen to me Joker," Anzell said with visibly restrained anger as she slowly stepped towars the Clown Prince. "I'm not like any other women you've dealt with. You see, you don't scare me: you're just a pathetic, unfunny, sorry excuse for a mortal who has simply been given powers he shouldn't have, and even with these powers, you don't scare me. Do you honestly think you're unique at all? I've dealt with hundreds of depraved beings like you, each one confident in their own invincibility, their own superiority. But they've always been proven wrong.

Now, you are going to cooperate with me, Joker: you WILL answer my questions, and you WILL tell me the truth. Otherwise, I will break every bone in your body, understand?"

Anzell's comrades merely stared aghast at her sudden display of ruthlessness. Batman said nothing, however.

The Joker looked up wearily at Anzell, hatred brimming in his eyes. He glanced at Batman for a second, then turned to look back at Anzell.

"No," he managed to say. "There is nothing going on between that wannabe and Hildegardie. You have my word as an entertainer on it."

Anzell stared unflinchingly into the Joker's hate-filled eyes, and then released her telekinetic hold on him, letting him slump to the ground. Slowly, she turned around and headed back to the group. Glaring at her from behind, the Joker slowly reached under his jacket . . .

"I wouldn't, pal," Marv warned, pulling Gladys halfway from his pocket.

Batman turned to the still-glowering Anzell as she walked past. "Don't you think you were a little rough?" he asked.

"You can't get anywhere being nice to criminals, Batman," Anzell replied in a low tone. "You of all people should know that."

Batman said nothing. If nothing else, though, Anzell proven that she wasn't the kind, non-violent goddess he had initially thought she was: if anything, she had just proven that she had a backbone when it came to dealing with criminals.

The goddess took a furtive glance back at the Joker. "He's still hiding something," she muttered. "I know it."

"You think you weren't thorough enough?" Batman asked.

The blonde-haired goddess shook her head. "It's not just that," she replied. "I noticed how he was occasionally glancing at you. It seems he's holding something back against his will: if I didn't know any better, I'd say he's holdng back to protect you from something, Batman."

The Dark Knight could say nothing in reply.

[J Dog]

Dorado vs. Vellinor: Part I

Vellinor, Trick God Extrodinarre, was busy sitting on his sofa, juggling the crystal he had found once. "Ooh, shiny rock." He said, as if he was a brain-dead moron. "Hah! Back to the point. This is a nice stone." As he returned to his normal voice and style. "But, I heard tales of woe going on with this rock. Eh." He turned on his television and saw Anzell bickering with the Joker. He turned on a second and saw a few men taking on the Kita Kita dancer again. He then changed towards a third television and saw three people fumbling with a basketball. One was a girl, another was a teenage male, and the third was also a teenaged male, but was looking like a gator.

"Is that? Nah! Can't be... unless." He thought to himself. He then grabbed a dart and threw it at a dartboard. It hit "Observe Phenomenon". "Gotta do what the dart says, heh heh." Then, he instantly vanished.

******

"No, no, no!" Jack grunted to Dorado as he held the ball. "That is traveling! For that, you gotta stay out of this for 2 minutes." Dorado didn't like that.

"Aw, come on! Be fair! It was only because of that wasp!" It was then that the ball vanished from him. "Hey, where the hell did it go?" The three turned around to see Vellinor (but they didn't know who he was yet) dribbling the ball, then grabbed it and twirled it with one finger.

"Look, at me! I'm the Washington Globetrotters!" Vellinor laughed.

"Dude, that's the 'HARLEM' Globetrotters. You are reffering to the most idiotic bunch of dunders ever to exist, the Washington Generals." Jack corrected him.

"Well, thanks for that. You won the prize!" He chucked the ball to Jack, which immediately pounded his face and exploded. However, it merely didn't do anything.

"Wait... that ball didn't have any air in it whatsoever. What could've happened?" It was that when Vellinor reappeared with five balls juggling above his head.

"My bad." Then, all five popped. "Where ARE my manners, hee hee!" He said with a grin the size of Montana. Not amused, Dorado walked over to him and said, "Hey, bub? What's so funny? You on the small stuff?"

"Hey, mon." Vellinor then told Dorado in a Jamacian accent, "I can let go at any time." He returned his voice to normal. "Give me a break. I am like this cause I am like this."

"What does that mean?" Mimi asked. "You know, some pranks can actually hurt people."

"Oh, really? Well, in that case, let me make this public service announcement." Standard fanfare played overhead as he appeared like Uncle Sam. "I for one, am against pranks. I believe that we all should not make jokes on people. I want YOU," He then acts like Sam, "To Not Trick!" All of that stuff disappears with a snap of his fingers. "Come on! IDs, folks!"

"Jackson Stallwall."

"Mimi Tachikawa."

"Dorado Kompson."

Vellinor then looked at Dorado. "THAT was him?!!! I thought you were the Kita-Kita Dancer, Lizard-face!" Annoyed, Dorado punched Vellinor in the arm, where it dislodged. "Oh, come on. Didn't hurt a bit." He winds it up and then knocks Dorado a few feet. Returning to socket, Vellinor chuckled, "It's good to see the noble Klap."

"Hey, how the hell did you know my name?" Dorado argued, trying to get up. "Nobody calls me that!"

"You ain't the only shmuck that can break dimension rules, Gator Bait!" He then stopped. "I was harsh there. Can you tell me something about your life so I may find some decency, Texan?"

"Uh. I'm the Texan." Jack said.

"I thought you were ALL Texans!" Vellinor slapped his head with a giant mallet. "Ooh, shiny stars!" He got back up. "Okay, where are YOU from, then?"

"I'm from Mississippi." Dorado replied.

"And I'm from Okinawa, Japan!" Mimi smiled. Vellinor turned to her. "I wasn't talking to you, girl." Returning to Dorado, he said, "It seems to me that you are from Texas."

"Yes, I'm... No! I'm from Mississippi!" Dorado stammered. It was then that Vellinor was starting to play the banjo. "Oh, I get it! I get it!" Dorado then whined, "Calling me a 'hick', eh?!! Well, two can play at that game!"

"Oh, I'm so scared." Vellinor said, deep in sarcasm. "Dream on, scalebutt! I'm light years, and maybe even sound years ahead of you. I'm the GOD OF TRICKERY!!!" Thunder then crackled. "For the effect, if you wonder."

"Are you that guy who hired that ninja Suzu to get him out?" Mimi asked Vellinor.

"Ninja? We don't need no steenkin ninjas!" Vellinor then said. "I never seen a ninja all my life! Of course, I ordered that ninja. How she figured out it was YOU, the croc,"

"Gator." Dorado corrected, very pissed.

"Whatever, croc, I'll never know. You plaged my account with that naked guy's scrotum and personal apparatus. You know how my eyes burned after seeing that?"

"Dude, it was an accident, man! I wanted to show you that roach they found in the bag of lettuce in that Winn-Dixie!" Dorado told him.

"I guess we should forgive and forget then." Vellinor then said, "However, I'm not that stupid, Klap. I'm a Trickster, and I'm going to repay the favor by outwitting you and your two friends here. No questions asked; It's all free! I've had 100% of people enjoying it."

"They must've been on the Magic Shrooms." Jack muttered.

"Only in America!" Vellinor smiled, acting like Don King. "And, I'm going to get back at you, Klap! Right here, right now!"

"Stop calling me, 'Klap'!" Dorado protested.

"I don't like where this is going." Mimi said as Palmon got near her. "What's wrong?" She asked.

"See for yourself.", Mimi replied.

(To: LoNC, if you want to)

[OverMaster]

-Going Batty-

"Joker" Batman patiently said as he walked to his nemesis. "If what you say about Vellinor being unrelated to your mistress...".

"She. Is. Not. My 'mistress'" the jackanape snapped then; he had touched a nerve. "No matter how much does she like to think she is".

"Whatever. If that is true, why were you and Team Vellinor the only teams unaffected by the wave of Vellinor's recent pranks? The ones he wanted to blame on Blue Beetle and Booster Gold?".

"Who says we weren't hit?" Joker rolled his eyes back. "Maybe we just didn't see fit to report it...".

"Doubtful, considering the way Mara complains about everything" the Dark Knight showed him a few sheets of the Lodge's management. "She has filed complains against everyone from Edward Elric being too noisy to Harley Quinn for bothering her over jealousy about you, to Happosai stealing her underwear. If you had been victims of some prank, she would have complained about it as well".

Stupid Mara. Always managing to botch it up, somehow.

"I guess that would be just because that 'Vellinor' would see fit to do it to prove his 'superiority as a prankster'" Bell spoke up then, crossing her arms, a small smug smile in her lips. "In a way, that whole event might have been even a big prank on Joker... a way of rubbing his 'excellence' as a prankster on his face. Under those grounds, adding personal pranks against him to the mix would have been just redundant".

"And how do you know that?" Zarabeth asked her.

Bell looked at her with contempt. "Please. I'm just using logical thinking, although you obviously don't even know what's that. I may be young, but I'm far from being dumb. I can pick up facts and make deductions based on them".

Oooohh, burned. Maybe I'm selling Bell short here.

"So you're saying Vellinor is just seeing Joker as mere competence in the field of 'comedy'?" Batman looked down at the little girl. "That there is no more connection between them?".

"Not that I know of" she assured him, inflexible under the pressure.

"Look, Hild barely ever gives me any info, okay?" Joker snorted, annoyed. "If you want to know about her so badly, ask Leo there when he's up and awake again. He's Hild's favorite pet, and she tells more to him than she ever tells me. But I doubt you'll get anything out of him. The man's a fanatical... He'd prefer to die or even watch an Uwe Boll marathon than to be a snitch".

"You hate her, don't you?" Batman asked.

"Her?".

"Hild".

"Hate is such an ugly word. She's been more or less nice to me" Joker piped in. "She's often a pain in the behind, but I reserve my hate for more worthy people... like Blondie over there, from now on". He stuck his tongue out to Anzell, and made a raspberry sound.

"I see" the Dark Knight turned around, and spoke to Urd. "Your turn?".

"Aren't you going to ask him anything more?" Bubbles asked him.

"It would be useless" was all of his reply.

The Norn walked to Joker then, and looked him to the eye. "Belldandy..." she began.

"What about her?" the clown huffed.

"What did my mother tell you to do to her? And why? Mother has never liked her, true, but--".

"But haven't you gotten it yet??" the Joker frowned, like frustrated of dealing with an extremely slow child. "All bets are off! All gloves are off, too! Maybe your mommy would have never gone so far in the past, but that was in the past! In case you haven't noticed it yet, Princess, this is do or die! And given to choose between your sis and herself, who do you think Hildie will choose?".

"But she's not going just for the kill, is she?" Urd spat, exhasperated. "She doesn't want Belldandy just offed, she must want her totally, absolutely, destroyed and broken, too! Why else would she give *you* the means to destroy her?! She must have some sort of sick wish against her, or else... or else...".

"One second, please" he asked, signaling her to stop. "Maybe she wants Bellybuttony broken and shattered, maybe that's why she recruited a specialist in the sick stuff like moi instead of any Joe Powerful off the street. Perhaps. But if you ask me, it's just natural...".

"Huh?".

"Your Father, my dear. He took you away from your mother, turned you to His side. He took Hild's child away from her... wouldn't be natural she would like to pay him in the same coin? Take His favorite daughter away from Him... make Him to feel as burnt as she felt back in the day you left her..." he smiled wickedly, as the others looked with odd faces.

"But that's..." Sailor Moon began.

"Evil? Disgusting? Cruel?" Joker retorted. "Do you think you are dealing with Mother Theresa here? She is the Queen of Hell, not some of the wimpy losers you have been in awe of as the 'forces of evil' you have faced so far... Ussssssagi..." he finished, with a playful snakelike hiss.

The leader of the Sailor Senshi recoiled in shock. "How did you call me?!!".

"Oh, they won't give me info about their own plans" Joker pointed to his comrades. "But about the rest of you? Gladly. And boy, they have extensive files on all of you, Usagi, Minako, Setsuna..." he continued, making the Sailor Senshi to freeze in place. "Yes, Usagi, Hild knows lots of things your average baddie would be too dumb to find out... And she gracefully has let me know about some of them... about Papa Kenji, Mama Ikuko, little dumb Shingo... and Mamoru...".

"You..." Sailor Moon clenched her whitening fists to her sides. "You...".

"Me-me what?".

"You won't touch a hair of them, EVER..." Usagi's voice went aggressively, unusually hoarse in her throat.

"Who's saying I'm threatening them?" Joker sighed, slapping himself on the forehead. "Far from it! I would be threatening them if I said I'll put a bomb on Mamoru's department, or that someday you'll come back from school to find your folks turned into Alpo dog food!". Then he placed a hand over his heart, and claimed, "But I *never* would do that!".

Zing!

He then found one of Marv's massive hands tightening around his throat. "You'll apologize to the lady" the behemoth grunted brutally, tightening his grip.

"Which........ laddyyyyyy......." the Joker barely was able to say, his face suddenly turning purple, and he then pushed Marv back with a mindblast, allowing himself to breath once more. "Jesus!" he said, coughing, as Marv went back to his feet. "You guys can't take a joke!".

Usagi, pale, was on the edge of an attack. "You... dastardly monster... not only you want to kill Miss Belldandy, but--".

"Please, spare me the sermon, Pigtails" he sighed again, and shook his head. "It's not like Belldandy isn't going to be on everyone's hit list now. Do you think Kenshiro won't make her head to explode if that grants him the win? Do you think Lobo wouldn't shoot her between the eyes? Heck, even Captain America is a soldier, and he'll kill if he has no choice... and Bellybuttony is going to fight to the very bitter end, won't she?".

Urd shuddered against her own will. She remembered Grim's prediction. Her sister had few days left in front of her.

"Wake up and smell the coffee, buddies" Joker finished, entonating each word. "When it comes down to it, no matter how do you deny it now, you and me aren't that different. As you'll soon learn. Let's see you keep trying to see the whole in black and white when the end comes closer... and the world crumples down around us".

"There are millions of differences between you and us, Joker" Batman differed.

"We will see, Batsy. We will see. And when the moment comes, we'll find out who's right and who's wrong... and may the best monster to win then".

"One last thing, Joker" Urd said as she turned around showing him her back.

"What?".

"Jeannie".

He blinked, surprised. "... Excuse me?".

She slyly smiled back to him, in a disturbing way of her own. "I have seen into YOUR mind, too. I have seen things. Doesn't the name ring a bell to you?".

He seemed utterly confused for a moment, having lost his smile, and looking more disconcerted than anything else. "I... I don't get what are you talking about...".

"Jeannie would be so ashamed of you, J" Urd began to walk away, as the rest of the group was puzzled. "Now, come on, guys. I'm done here. Unless you have something else to ask, Anzell, I'm outta here".


Next: Waltz of the Vampire, Finale. Honest.

[Lord of Nonsensical Crap]

"Hold on!" Suzu shouted. "You still owe me my 500 yen!"

"Oh, hell no!" Vellinor said. "I said I'd pay you if you got the job done. And since you failed to kill a measly croc -- "

"Gator," Dorado cut in.

"-- then I don't owe you diddily, ninjorita!" He then turned back to Dorado. "But I was just kidding back there: ture, you may have ruined my MySpace life . . . . .and wrecked my car . . .. and burned down my house . . ."

"Hey, for the last time, it was an accident!" Dorado shouted.

". . . . but I'm not bitter! Hell, I'm willing to let bygones be bygones be bygones." He extended his hand. "Whadda ya say we shake on it?"

Dorado eyed Vellinor's hand warily. "Well, okay," he muttered, "as long as you don't pull any funny stuff."

"But everything I do is funny!" Vellinor said as they shook hands. At that moment, Dorado suddenly cried out and staggered back. His friends saw a small lump moving under his skin, swiftly travelling up his arm and settling near his chest.

"What the hell did you just do to him?" Jack snarled, unslinging his hammer and lunging at Vellinor, only to have the Trickster teleport out of the way.

"Simple," Vellinor replied with a grin. "I implanted an ancient Mayan curse-charm under his skin. As long as he has it on him, he will be cursed with bad luck. Oh, and did I mention that removing the charm will be . . . . FATAL?" Somewhere in the background, dramatic music sounded out.

"Hey, that's mean!" Mimi shouted. "Get him, Palmon!"

"Poison Ivy!" Palmon shouted, unleashing her whip-like strands at Vellinor, only to watch as he teleported out of the way. He quickly whipped a small, red-and-white ball from his robes and threw it. "Domo-kun, I choose you!"

"Wha -- ?" was all Palmon could say as a brown, fanged creature wielding a stick suddenly appeared before her. With a shout of 'RAAAAAARGH!" it proceeded to beat Palmon and Jack senseless in the space of a minute.

"Haw haw!" Vellinor said, pointing and doing his Nelson Muntz imitation as Domo-kun mysteriously disappeared. "Smell ya later, losers!" With that, he disappeared in a flash of light.

[Lord of Nonsensical Crap]

"Now, come on, guys. I'm done here. Unless you have something else to ask, Anzell, I'm outta here".



"Wait," Anzell said. "Lady Urd, is it true you're going back in time? Shouldn't your herald be with you for this journey?"

"I'm afraid Kaarage is . . . .otherwise occupied," Urd said, still rather unsure herself as to what was going on with her herald.

The Evermerean goddess nodded. "In that case, I'll send Marv and Zarabeth to accompany you on your journey."

"What?" Marv exclaimed. "You gotta be kiddin' me!"

"Back in time? WITH HIM?" Zarabeth cried. "Oh no, no way am I -- "

Anzell quickly glared at both of them, causing them both to instantly shut up. Neither of them wanted to be on the recieving end of the same treatment that the Joker had recieved.


***********


Nifelheim

"As the wittiest, most well-dressed and dashingly handsome member of this group, I hereby declare the first official meeting of the Triumvirate in session!" With these words, Vellinor (wearing a ridiculous judge's wig) brought his mallet slamming down on the table. He then paused for a minute. "Hey, that was pretty cool!" He then began to hit the table again and again with reckless abandon.

"Why did you agree to make him the speaker for this meeting?" Thanos groaned to Hild.

"I had to humour him somehow," muttered back Hild, who had managed to discreetly leave the presence of the Council of Hells to attend this secret meeting.

Eventually, Vellinor broke his judge's mallet after repeatedly hitting the table with it. For a minute, he became teary-eyed as he stared at his broken hammer, before casually tossing it away and sitting back down. "Alright, what's our first order of business, ladies and gentlemen?"

Before Hild or Thanos could speak up, Vellinor suddenly teleported into a chair in front of the table, from which he stood up. "I would like to address the council on the matter of Sakura Kasugano's disappearance -- and, in connection to that event, the presence of Chaos in the arena."

"Chaos?" Thanos echoed. "You don't mean -- "

"No, I don't mean the Lord of Nightmares or any crazy supervillain bearing the name of Chaos," Vellinor interrupted. "I mean the Chaos Gods."

"The Chaos Gods," Thanos mused. "I have heard a little about them."

"As have I," added Hild. "From what I understand, they hold power in two dimensions. You may proceed, Lord Vellinor."

Vellinor bowed with a cheeky grin. "Thank you, your hotness -- er, highness," he said. He pulled a pile of papers from under the folds of his cloak and cleared his throat. "Exactly five hours ago, Sakura Kasugano had an instantaneous recovery of her wounds in the Mugen hospital. She then proceeded to leave her room, beat the living crap out of any orderly who tried to stop her, and use a ki blast to blow up a good chunk of the hospital before escaping. After her escape, my surveillance systems had a difficult time tracking her -- the last we saw of her was on the outskirts of the Mugen grounds, which is where THIS happened."

He snapped his fingers, and a TV set instantly appeared behind him. The screen showed footage of Sakura stabbing herself in the arm with an odd-looking knife, and using it to draw a circle of blood on the ground before her. As the Triumvirate watched in interest, red energy suddenly flared from the circle in the ground, and an armoured figure appeared in the middle of it. The footage went fuzzy at that moment, and then completely disintegrated into static.

"So she made a pact with demonic powers," Hild mused. "I never thought she had it in her."

"The lady with the funny facial markings is correct!" Vellinor replied cheerily. "I've had my guys look through the databases, and the armoured dude had been identified as Ahriman, Chief Librarian of the Thousand Sons Chaos Space Marines -- a denizen of the Warhammer 40k realm and a servant of Tzeentch, the Chaos God of sorcery and change."

"But what would they want with a mere girl?" Thanos snorted. "She has not only lost in the tournament, but she also was nearly killed in your ambush."

"True," Vellinor admitted. "And those events have no doubt left her embittered and full of angst -- making her a lot easier to manipulate. The Chaos Gods, like the rest of us, have their uses for mortal pawns, and Sakura is no exception."

"Interesting," Hild mused. "So they plan to make Sakura a host for daemonic possession? Still, what threat do they pose to us, Lord Vellinor? Moreover, why would they want to challenge us, given the powerful forces we have at our disposal?"

"Uh . . . . . well. . . . . they . .. kinda have a grudge against me," Vellinor said sheepishly. "They really, really hate me after I tried to take over the Warhammer verse twice in a row. Seriously, though, I wouldn't underestimate them: together, they pose a very powerful threat, and Tzeentch in particular may be a match in cunning for all three of us, Lady Hild."

"It matters not how cunning they may be," Thanos replied gruffly. "If they try to oppose us, they will fall."

"Maybe I should give you an example then, of the kind of threat they pose, my death-loving friend," Vellinor replied, fishing out yet more documents from his cloak. "What I have here is data that I conveniently filched from the Central Intelligence Office of Evermere when I was imprisoned there, detailing observations of the actions of Yggdrasil. About a few million years ago, when Chaos first appeared and began to spread throughout the joint Warhammer/Warhammer 40k universe, Kami-Sama, recognizing that its existence was completely contradictory to his divine plans, sent no less then ten Valkyre legions under Rind to exterminate the Chaos Gods and their minions. Please note, however, that this was before the Chaos Gods gained any mortal followers to command."

A sour look passed over Hild's face. "Just like him to keep something like this from me," she muttered.

"Oh, it gets juicier, believe me," Vellinor said with a grin. "The forces of Heaven launched an assault against the so-called 'Eye of Terror,' a huge region of space ruled by Chaos. To make a long story short, they were massacred: only a single legion, along with Rind, survived. Since then, Chaos has continued to spread: already, it has a faint presence in no less than twenty universes. They haven't completely overrun any universes -- yet -- but it may just be a matter of time."

[Lord of Nonsensical Crap]

Thanos frowned and stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Do you have any idea of what they might do to take over Existence?" he asked.

Vellinor looked sheepish. "Well . . . .the thing is, it's pretty hard to guess their actions, since Tzeentch is about as unpredictably devious as they come," he said. "My best guess is that they'll simply do what they do what they normally do: taint a world and overrun it with a daemonic infestation. The end results are usually pretty nasty, as I'm about to show you."

With that, Vellinor conjured a slide projector and began to filter through images -- of him turning hapless bystanders into potted plants, of him hovering and spray-painting his name on the Empire State Building, of him mooning Fidel Castro . . .

"Whoops! Wrong album!" the trickster exclaimed, hurriedly replacing the slide album. With that, he went through an assortment of gruesome images: one of a world covered in vast, screaming faces, one with nothing but countless people drowning in an ocean of boiling blood, one of a world that was little more than a vast cage of fire, one of a world covered with the crawling, moaning undead . .. . the slides went on and on, each showing a world more horrific than the last, each one grossly defying all laws of physics.

"As you can see, Chaos ain't pretty," Vellinor said. "And if they overturn Yggdrasil, well . .. . I'd hate to think of what would happen to Existence."

"And how are we supposed to combat them?" Hild asked. "If they are as serious a threat as you say they are, Lord Vellinor, then we would have to divert significant resources to combat them -- resources that we need to overthrow Yggdrasil ourselves."

"I couldn't agree more, Queenie," Vellinor replied. "At the moment, my best suggestion is to subtly manipulate the heroes into fighting them for us: from my observations, they've already discovered that there are Chaos cults at work in the Mugen grounds. I say we let the good guys do most of the work in rooting out the Chaos cults -- without a base of followers, those overgrown uber-daemons will have a much more difficult time of unleashing hordes of daemons against the Earth."

The Trickster stood up straight. "All in favour?" He promptly raised his own hand, and watched the other two expectantly. "Aw come on, guys, don't leave me hanging high and dry here!"

[J Dog]

What's the worst thing that can happen?
"Man! That bastard!" Dorado yelled. "Tricked me and gave me some bad luck charm lodged in me! I was thinking he'd give me at LEAST a buzzer."

"Calm down, man." Jack told him. "As long as you don't do anything stupid, you won't get into bad things?"

"Alright." Dorado said. He breathed for a while. "Got it, got it, got it. Don't do anything dumb." However, words don't speak better than actions, and he wound up banging into a wall. "Stupid wall." He mutterd.

"I believe that Vellinor wanted to take you out for reasons of messing with his life indirectly." Suzu told him. "However, this is much worse. You have life, but no dignity."

"Yeah. You're gonna become the next Nudoru Kaarage, if you're not lucky." Jack added. "Except one death, and your, well..."

"If I'm not lucky?!!! LET ME TELL YA SOMETHING! I GOT A BAD LUCK CHARM WEDGED BETWEEN MY HEART AND MY DIAPHRAM!" Dorado screamed. "IF YOU PULL IT OUT, I CROAK! IF YOU KEEP IT IN, I'M SCREWED! I CAN'T WIN!"

"There must be something we can do." Mimi told him. "There has to."

"We are sorry we couldn't do anything." Palmon complied.

"Hey, hey, hey. You two. Don't feel bad. Not your luck that's messed with." A bird craps on his shoe. "See what I mean?"

"But, still. He shouldn't." Mimi said.

"Tell you what. You guys will let me get Vellinor, right?" Suzu asked. "I'd like to, but I believe some money will go my way."

"Wait, wait, wait." Jack stopped her. "He'd give you 500 yen if you did this?"

"Of course."

"Well, you shouldn't have done it in the first place. At today's rate, that gives you only... $4.50 in U.S. money. That's NOT a lot." With that, Suzu's eyes started to flare up and exaggerated eruptions were near him. "That con! I'll bring back his head!"

"I'll give you $20 to do so. It's about 2250 yen. Still not much, but after seeing what had happened, you'd do it."

"I will do so." Suzu nodded. "I must leave you for now. But when I return, I will either have Vellinor with me or I will disgrace you."

"Hey, it ain't like we are going to harm you for failure." Mimi told her. "We're nice."

"Eh, ain't that a bunch of hooey." Dorado quipped, not happy one bit. Another bird crapped on him, this time on his head.

"Um... ignore him. Anyway, good luck!" Mimi smiled.

"Yeah." Palmon agreed. Suzu than vanished into the horizon. Tiffany came out of the room. "Guys, what happened? I heard Dorado cry out in agony."

"Damn clown placed bad luck on me!" Dorado bickered.

"What he means is somebody placed a jewel inside of him." Jack told her. Mel then returned back. "Hey guys. What's wrong."

"Your son's got some issues now. Thanks to Vellinor." Mimi told Kompson.

(To OM for this part, LoNC for Suzu's revenge hit.

For OM: Nabeshin might be able to extract the charm out... but you'd have to decide how it'll go)

[OverMaster]

"Wait," Anzell said. "Lady Urd, is it true you're going back in time? Shouldn't your herald be with you for this journey?"

"I'm afraid Kaarage is . . . .otherwise occupied," Urd said, still rather unsure herself as to what was going on with her herald.

The Evermerean goddess nodded. "In that case, I'll send Marv and Zarabeth to accompany you on your journey."

"What?" Marv exclaimed. "You gotta be kiddin' me!"

"Back in time? WITH HIM?" Zarabeth cried. "Oh no, no way am I -- "

Anzell quickly glared at both of them, causing them both to instantly shut up. Neither of them wanted to be on the recieving end of the same treatment that the Joker had recieved.


"I'd suggest we wait for him" Sailor Pluto said as they left the area. "We could use his extra power in opening the Gate of Time and keeping it that way... with the recent events, I'm not sure I could keep it properly stabilized even with Lady Urd's help".

"Do you mean we could be runnin' a risk if going in there without the freako to help us?" Marv frowned, remembering the few glances he had taken of Kaarage; he had not seen the freakshow doing anything but dying in the bloodiest, and yet stupidest possible ways.

"We could even be left stranded in the timestream" Setsuna nodded. "Time manipulation and travelling is never something to take lightly, much less under the current state of dimensional disajust".

"Well, that's just dandy" Urd sighed, then looked up at the sky. "Kaarage, you big dumbass, what are you doing now...?".


OOC: My next post will have to wait 'til tomorrow, gomen nasai...

[J Dog]

How to undo bad luck?
"Let me get this straight," Mel asked, "Son, you say you got a bad luck charm wedged into you HOW?" Dorado looked embarrased here.

"This guy, no, the Trickster God Vellinor, wanted me to shake hands with him." He responded with a lump in his throat. "Guess what happened next?"

"He had the jewel in his hand, and inserted it into your skin, is that what you are saying, because I'm starting to find that hard to believe."

"No, dad! It's all true!" Dorado then whined. "ou don't know Vellinor; he's difficult. You can't lay a finger on him, since he'll warp out or summon something to combat the opponent. He's Juggernaut mixed with Doomsday mixed with Magneto mixed with Lex Luthror mixed with Bill Gates, only without any muslces and has some brains."

"You lost me after Magneto, son." Mel then told him. "However, I have been busy on my own, and I have met a guy with the ability to also defy rules." Dorado then looked intrested; if this crappy jewel got out of him, he'll do anything. "This guy is Nabeshin, one of the Authors, and is the only one willing to help me out. Of course, he can hold a finger to Vellinor, unlike me."

"What do you mean, 'Unlike me.'?" Jack asked.

"I fought Nabeshin, and I gave everything I got. Instead, I got a facefull of sod at the end, even with my ultimate move, the Arms of Justice. But, I did manage to dent him, so I will learn from him."

"What does Nabeshin do?" Asked Mimi. "Is there anything he does?"

"He is the guy who appears in Excel Excel. He regularly fights with the manga author, mainly because of the differences. Among which, the anime has Cosette Sara." Mimi looked shocked.

"Cosette... Sara? He made that meanie?!!!!" she cried.

"What are you talking about?" Mel asked. "How is she a 'meanie'?"

"I'll level in on that." Jack then said. "You see, she was looking for Excel and Hyatt, or Brain-Dead and Bloodbag, when Mimi called her 'kawaii'. She responded by chasing her and almost bringing her down, hadn't it been for her suit. I've been helping her out myself."

"Nothing against people." Mimi continued on, "But she scared me. She has something against me. The next time we meet, I want to point that out before she can do any collateral damage. The sooner this is pointed out, the better."

"I understand, Mimi. But, Jack, why are you calling Excel and Hyatt those things?"

"Because Excel follows every order from Il Palazzo, and Hyatt bleeds out every episode. She even attempted to drown the world in her bloodbath by accident, and that is too bizarre, because the human body can't hold that much blood." Jack concluded.

"Well, guys. Thanks for what you have done for me so far." Mimi said. "But, I'd like Jack to come with me for a moment." Jack then looked at her. "What for?" He asked.

"I'd like to finish up what you are teaching me. Then, I'd like to show the others it, okay?" Mimi nodded.

"Um... alright."

*************

Suzu had managed to get near the current place where Vellinor was lounging out, and decided to plot a sneak attack on him. Of course, this is Vellinor. He ain't stupid. Or is he?

*************

"So, you want to merge?" Dogbert asked Kaiba, "Here is the deal; I fire all of my employees on my side, like I said. I just want you to help me conquer the galaxies."

"How can I?" Kaiba asked, wondering how odd Dogbert is becoming.

[T51R]

~“Heaven is a pervert-free area…”~



“Did you have to take so much, Lady Washu?” Athena propped herself up in her seat, and wiped a bit of sweat away from her tranquil brow. “I‘m feeling a bit off.”

“Relax!” she replied with a wide grin, secretly holding a spare syringe behind her, “You‘re a Goddess! You‘ll be fine, anyway it‘s just a couple of pints of blood!”

Athena huffed as the shields afforded to the pair by the Power Jurai shook along with the platform containing the micro-multiverse of Washu‘s creation; prior to the test the Chousein had insisted on taking a sample of the Goddess’ blood. Safety reasons, she said. Little did she know that ‘safety measures’ entailed turning all her Saint’s armours, or “Cloths” into Kameis, or Divine Cloths almost equal to Odin’s and her own armours. She glanced over the console monitoring the elements in Washu’s little multiverse, and watched proudly as Heaven’s second generation of warriors evolved to reinforce the Valkerye Corps, her Saints, her Knights of the Zodiac charged in bravely to back Rind up, the Goddess still trying to pick herself out of the debris of a collapsed, armoured building. “Galaxian Explosion,” she smiled. “Perhaps you should call the test off, M’lady. If anything he is either already dead, or dying.”

“Wouldn‘t be so sure about that,” Washu again began munching on the end of her pencil, and pointed to the screen which showed a space of complete black in the middle encircled by furious reds, yellows and blues. “That‘s a hyper dimensional void. If anything, that last attack just got him started.” Athena smiled again, and slowly rose, steadying herself on the console.

“My champions, show now why we are considered to be the equal of the Valkerye Battle Division…” In the middle of the battlefield, the flames in the combat zone, once standing proudly as the city of Tokyo-3 on the unpopulated facsimile of Earth now flickered and died as Saga of Gemini lowered his fist, and jumped backwards when the currents of space began to ripple, and then tore asunder along with a good portion of the planet. From the breech, tremendous techno-organic wings rose into the atmosphere, and then beyond it. Below them, rising from the Earth cracked in half, the Knight’s opponent slowly drew level with him.

“YO! RIND! YOU DEAD!?” Nudoru yelled into the distance as the fallen building next to the chasm in the planet’s crust blew into the sky. The Goddess dropped the shattered battleaxe, and grasped her good weapon with both hands. Her robes were still spotless, but the remnants of battle showed on her face; several bruises and a small cut which leaked blood close to her lips. He tongued at the copper-tasting stream, and swung the axe behind her, the blade outwards. “Cool.”

“Do not interfere,” the Valkerye almost snarled as the single Knight as he landed without a sound beside her. “This fight is ours.”

“Ma‘am,” Saga, the Saint of Gemini bowed slightly as she passed him without looking directly at her, “Lady Athena brought us here for the specific purpose of being your reinforcements. Please allow us first strike.”

“NO!” she swung the axe around and stopped the back of its blade an inch away from Saga’s chest. “A duel is Holy Covenant. None may interfere, least of all the likes of you.” She turned slowly on her hell to face the rest of them, the rest of the thirteen Zodiac Knights, the Gold Saints. “None of you will interfere. Am I clear?”

“Ma‘am!” they replied as one.

“Not so fast Rind,” Washu’s voice echoed through the plane of her own creation. “This is a trial, and since you’re in my Creation, you technically are under my jurisdiction. It’s hardly a duel, since a Duel technically has to happen on neutral ground which is also held sacred. This is a scientific experiment, so think of it that way. If you want, you can go file a request later but for now,” she turned to her colleague seated beside her. “I want all of you to throw everything you have at the target. We need data on how much it can take, what its defensive and offensive capabilities are, and finally what it might take to slow it down. Ladies and gentlemen, at your own time, at your own target, you may begin when you feel ready.” She smirked. It was nice to be able to pull rank when it was necessary.

Nudoru grimaced as the thirteen Knights encircled him, with Rind grudgingly taking up the free spot at the centre of the formation which they had left vacant for her, Miso’s wings slowly fading away. “Uhmm, hey? Are you guys pimps? What‘s with all the gold?”

“SHUT UP!!!” Washu’s voice boomed again, as back in her lab veins bulged across her forehead. “CAN’T YOU JUST SHUT UP!?” She coughed a bit. “Now, you are to engage all your opponents as you would in an actual battle situation. However, and this goes for everyone, when the opponent is down, you are to pull back. When the opponent has been knocked down for the count of ten, the side will have won. The ten-count is necessary for data tabulation, and for the Knights I‘ll need for you to maintain your Cosmos Burn at the very same level for the same period as the ten-count in order for me to get accurate readings. Clear? Good. BEGIN!”

The arena platform shook again, and again, and again as the Knights of the Zodiac unloaded everything in their arsenal, much to Rind’s amusement. Three Galaxian Explosions in a row and still nothing, she thought to herself as Saga pulled back and Aiolia jumped in, unleashing a staccato Lightning Plasma attack in the face of the God-Killer to no effect. She looked shrugged, sure that Athena would see it; nothing seemed to be working. She looked back at the battle zone as Shaka of Virgo unleashed the Tenbu Horin, and then withdrew to observe his own handiwork. Full Cosmo Burn-driven attacks, Rind rested her chin in her hand and propped herself up on her remaining battleaxe. No sign of a shield, she noted; attacks of such magnitude usually resulted in energy diffusing across the physical barriers generated by defensive spells. She concluded that the God-Killer was simply either not feeling it, or that the NODE was analysing the attack patterns and coming up with countermeasures.

“ROZAN HYAKKURYU-HA!” Dokko shouted as his most powerful attack diffused across an airborne Warding Circle; an Ultimate Force shield. In quick succession, the Master of Shiryu kicked off to allow Aiolia a straight line of attack, the Lightning Plasma bursting across a second shield.

“Here we go,” Rind swung her axe across her shoulders and shot skywards. Defensive measures, she surmised, are the precursor to an all-out attack; is they could catch him as he launched it, they might have a chance of at least incapacitating him. Below her, the planet tore asunder under the force of the assault. Now, she thought, let’s see what you really have under there. “COOL MINT! SPEAR MINT!” Her twin Angels burst from her back in a shower of feathers and light, both one-winged Guardians beginning to gather an astonishing amount of energy in their hands in a matter of seconds. “NOW!” The bolt of Heavenly force shot forwards as the Zodiac Knights scattered, and regrouped behind her. Second strike, the thought snapped into her head as instinctively she sent the equivalent of several supernovas in the form of a tightly compressed beam in the direction of her opponent. The shockwave from the impact hit them, herself and her troop of reinforcements, the Knights staring in awe. Awe soon turned to disbelief as the space-dust cleared, Rind’s own blast piercing through her Angel’s that had been stopped in Nudoru’s hand and then diffusing into the red, armoured gauntlet. “WATCH…” She barely managed to finish saying the word as the after-images of the God-Killer besieged them, each one picking out a target and assaulting it from every angle. Pieces of Kameis soon filled the vacuum of space together with globules of blood as an armoured fist drove itself into her head faster than she could perceive. And as quickly as they had appeared they were gone as from above the final blow came, the titanic Aberration of an Angel spreading its ten wings across the sky.

“Miso, TAINTED ANGEL!” Nudoru yelled as the after-images fused back into a single NODE.

[T51R]

“DON‘T DO IT!!!” Washu screamed as the light filled the lab, causing both her an Athena to duck for cover behind the console. However, the light soon died and silence reigned. As the pair looked back towards the screen, Athena turned a ghostly shade of pale, along with all her Saints at the sight before them as Miso disassembled the triple Light Hawk Cannons, de-synced itself from its owner and jumped straight into Aphrodite, the Saint of Pisces; Nudoru had decided to launch one last attack, the Celestial Detonator, and he’d stuffed it up big time. Now, his armoured hand had managed to not only shatter what remained of Aiolia’s Kameis, but it had also breached Rind’s uniform and had clamped down squarely onto her left boob.

“Hey.” Miso began waving frantically to get the Zodiac Knight’s collective attention while hanging out of Aphrodite‘s head. “If you guys don‘t wanna die, we better get the f*ck out man.” Across the way, the sound of grinding teeth began to fill the noiseless void as veins began to spread across Rind’s face and her eyes began to glow bright red.

“Let‘s go,” Shaka turned on his heel with his nose in the air, nursing shattered ribs and a badly broken shoulder under a few remaining patches of Divine Cloth here and there. “I will have nothing to do with a thing that thinks it can molest whatever it wants just because it is superior. No-one is above basic morals.” Slowly, the rest of the Zodiac Knights turned, to follow.

“Hey! HEY!” Nudoru screamed as they left. “DUDE! I DIDN‘T DO IT ON PURPOSE! SERIOUS! I WAS AIMING AT THE TRANSSEXUAL GUY OVER THERE!” He pointed at Aphrodite with his other hand, who suddenly grew some veins of his own on his face.

“Make no excuses,” Milo muttered as he limped after his comrades while being supported by Aldebaran, Saint of Taurus, his knee hanging by tendons. “You your just deserts are forthcoming.” No sooner than he had said it, Rind’s hand clamped down hard on Nudoru’s wrist.

“YOU…” her eyes began to shine brighter. “PERVERTED…” she began squeezing harder on the armoured gauntlet. “BASTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRD!!!!”

-Outside-

“This isn’t going to end well, is it?” Athena asked while standing to receive her battered servants.

“LOOK OUT!” Washu screamed as the Shields shattered and a massive explosion filled the lab. When the smoke cleared, Rind stood alone on the deck of the platform with her fist stretched out, eyes glowing and her other hand holding the front of her uniform closed. On the observation deck however, things were a lot different; the Knights of the Zodiac stood encircling the God-Killer, who had fallen on top of both Washu and Athena, with his head between the latter’s upper thighs and his crotch in the former’s face.

“You…” Shaka gritted his teeth as he began to burn his Cosmo, in spite of his wounds. “PERVERT!”

“I CAN‘T BELIEVE THIS! THIS IS AN S-CLASS PLUS!?” Aiolia spat as he too began to burn with power.

The rest of the Zodiac Knights voiced their disapproval, and were soon joined by their own Goddess, Athena who scurried away blushing and then came back to stand behind Saga, and Washu who simply pried the God-Killer’s unconscious body off of herself. And finally came Rind. Who had by that time found a rather large piece of lab equipment to use as a bludgeon.

“I, Rind, Goddess First Class, Special Duty and member of the Valkerye Battle Division make it known that for transgressions against the Code of Conduct, I hereby sanction as it is my jurisdiction…”

Washu stamped her seal on a form, and sent it off by courier Angel. “You know, I‘d just say that since he IS in my lab, and that since this lab IS my property…”

Athena burst in between them, her face blood red with rage. “JUST KILL THAT PERVERTED BASTARD!!!!!!!!”

“I concur,” Shura spat. “KILL THE PERVERT WHO TOUCHED ATHENA!!!!!”

“Oh…snap.” Nudoru found himself back into a corner as soon as he got back to his feet, as Rind lumbered closer holding onto a massive power rod. “Uhmm, guys? Girls? Uhhh, hey? DAMMIT! RIND! GAY TRANSSEXUAL GUY!” He pointed at Aphrodite again. “Stay away…STAY AWAY!!!!”


For a moment, Heaven itself shook, and soon after above the grounds of MUGEN, a massive portal appeared out of which shot a burning comet which shot straight downwards and impacted the mountainside with enough force to turn it into a parking lot. In the centre of the crater, the broken, battered and just plain mauled body of the God-Killer twitched just a bit before it went limp, while Miso descended from out of the portal as it closed. It picked up a stick and began prodding at its host, causing Nudoru's almost-severed head to flop over with the sound of a spine that had been sashed to a fine paste. 'BANNED,' the words had been written across his forehead with permenant marker with un-erasable Divine Ink.

“Well,” Urd sighed as the tremors subsided. “Guess he‘s back.”

:D

[OverMaster]

-Waltz of the Vampire, Last Step: Losses-

"This has been more than enough" Zauriel sternly pointed to B.B. Hood with his heavenly sword, the Darkstalker huntress cautiously backing away fuming as, at the Angel's other side, Akane and Kasumi helped a whimpering Nabiki back to her feet while training to contain the bleeding on her cut arm. "You and your partners are being wanted for your part in Geese Howard's death, and now you attack even more contestants. This can't continue!".

"Why are you protecting them?!" the blonde yelled angrily to him. "You are cuddling the evildoers and the monsters, when you should be helping us to take them out! Hypocrite! You didn't hear what that kid must have told you?!" she pointed at the small boy on Zauriel's other arm.

"I did. Rest assured, she will also be called to disciplinary actions" he said, talking about Nabiki. "However, that was no excuse for you to try to murder her. These grounds won't become a slaughterhouse as long as I am here".

"Yeah, because you have done such a fine work with the security here so far!" Hood retorted. "First the Orochi almost kills all those poor slobs, then the woman and the boy are kidnapped, and then the hospital is almost destroyed three times in a row... Pat yourself in the back, champ!".

She was unafraid; she was made of a material far too tough to be intimidated at all, he noticed.

"Listen, we are working with a limited staff, on a land containing some of the most powerful beings on the universe" Zauriel countered. "We do our best". He turned his head to the Tendo sisters, and told them, "You take Miss Nabiki to the hospital. I'll try to talk your leader into being lenient with her".

He actually felt pity for the victims of Demitri's bloodlust. He also feared the Darkstalker lord might be enraged at the girls for causing him problems. He could see the fear in their eyes as they nodded anxiously, then left quickly for the medical wing.

Hood, meanwhile, discretely picked up the severed limb and nonchalantly put it inside of her picnic basket. "La-la-la-la..." she sang softly. "This will be a pretty souvenir until I get the witch's head...".

"You will do nothing of the sort" Zauriel warned her. "My superiors want you for interrogation, and you have too many explanations to give...".

"Sorry, Mr. Angel, but that will have to wait" she batted her eyelashes, falling back into her good girl act. "Naga-oneesan and me have other urgent matters to attend to". Grinning roguishly, she pressed a button on her belt. Deadpool's teleporter.

"Wait! Don't you dare..." Zauriel leapt for her, but in a split second, she and the unconscious Naga had both vanished into the cold thin air. The Angel tightened a fist. "You, little troublemaker... This won't end here...!".


Next: Deathstroke and Terra... and the next three matches start!

[J Dog]

Mimack- Part I (Don't worry, this is just friendship. Don't expect anything else)

"What was that?" Jack wondered as he heard the eruption caused by Nudoru's latest misfortune; being banned from Heaven since he's a prevert and getting smashed in the process, although it was clear that the dieties pounded Nudoru before disposing of him through the Dimensional Garbage Disposal... I mean, the portal. "Look, Meems, I'm gonna go check this stuff out. I don't think you should see this."

"Oh come on." Mimi said, "I want to see this. Maybe something intresting happened."

"Of course, a comet smashed that mountain." Dorado then replied, now being wedged into a glass window. "I'm starting to think that this bad-luck jewel might make me into Nudoru Kaarage. Who knows." He breaks out. "Stupid Vellinor. Next time I see him, I'll piledrive him a good one!"

"Assuming you can even reach him." Jack said. "He warped out of my hammer and Palmon's 'Poison Ivy' attack."

"Son, I'm starting to think that this nonsense is feasible." Mel told his idiotic, and now cursed, offspring. "Maybe you are cursed."

"MAYBE?!! MAYBE?!!" Dorado snapped, with a large vein forming in his head. It was then that his eyes became the infuriated black shades with a white vitreous humor that mostly resemble a VERY pissed-off character. "Look at this, dad!" He pulls up his shirt and shows the lump wedged between his abdominal muscles and chest. "Now, do you believe me?"

"Of course son!" Mel replied, which was included with a large whack to Dorado's head. "You see, don't bellitle your father!"

"Alright, dad. I guess so." He moaned. Jack looked confused; He hit poles, and changed personality, and he got beaned, and that changed his personality. Why didn't he become something else. "Hey, Mel. Why ain't Dorado going bonkers?" He asked. "You banged his skull."

"True. But remember, we all can bend the rules of reality a little. That's what we are."

"Indeed." Tiffany nodded. "But, still." She then thought of something else. "Come on! I'll come with to that crash site. It only makes sense to see what the heck happened over there."

"Gotcha!" Jack nodded. Jack, Mimi, Tiffany, and Palmon agreed to visiting this site and maybe encounter a rejected traveler who can't seem to keep his sexual side of his brain apart from the productive side. On the way to the site, Mimi did something odd.

She hugged Jack.

"Thank you!" She said. Jack looked puzzled, and a little creeped out.

"What for?" He then asked.

"For what you've done for me. Hee hee! See?" Mimi then smiled a little. "Hey, I can get along with you just fine."

"Well, that's okay in friend doses. If you want to have a true friend, I'd go for Matt, or to a lesser extent, at least Tai."

The four made it to the crater and saw Miso still probing Nudoru's already mangled and malinged corpse. To Jack, it was like seeing the kid poke the dead possum with a stick. There was also the fear of the possum coming to life.

And, in this case, let's say Nudoru operates like a possum, only not as rabid or able to have kids.

(To M203, I know that it's odd to introduce a bunch of fourth-wall breakers and a characters from a child anime meet a dude who gets the royal asswhomping often and his surly angel, but I'd love to see how this goes. Besides, this'll probably be the only chance to actually see the two groups meet. I'd love to see how this encounter winds out. So, could you write the next part?

And, LoNC, how is Suzu v. Vellinor going on?)

[Lord of Nonsensical Crap]

“Well,” Urd sighed as the tremors subsided. “Guess he‘s back.”

"Guess we'll just have to wait for him to arrive, then," Anzell muttered as she sat down on a nearby bench. It had been a hectic day so far, and dealing with the Joker had been the icing on the cake. Anzell's train of thought didn't get much farther, however, before Marv sat down next to her.

"Hey Anzell, I gotta question," he said. "What the hell happened back there?"

Anzell looked up at the big man. "What do you mean?"

"I mean you were actin' angrier than usual when you were grilling the Joker," Marv replied. "In fact, don't get me wrong, but it seemed like you were just a few clicks away from killing the bastard. Now, don't try an' tell me this was just a cop routine -- believe me, I've been grilled by cops before, an' none of them acted half as mean as you. Well, unless they were sadistic bastards -- and most of 'em were."

Anzell said nothing for a minute. Maybe she had gone a little over the edge in dealing with the Joker. If so, it wasn't something she regretted.

"You're right about one thing, Marv," she muttered. "I was angry. And you're right: I would have liked to kill him then and there. I saw the kind of person he was like, and he sickened me: he doesn't care about the suffering of others, or how many people die because of his tournament. If anything, all he cares about is inflicting as much pain and misery on people as possible. And the worst part is, he now has the power to do so on a colossal scale."

"Kinda like Vellinor?" Marv asked.

The goddess shook her head. "Vellinor never cared one way or another about the fates of mortals," she replied. "True, he would often go out of his way to amuse himself at their expense, but he isn't the kind to commit mass murder. But the Joker -- as I've said before, I've seen countless psychopaths like him in my time as a peacekeeper, and in that time, I've really grown to hate people like him."

"Eh, you get used to that kinda thing in Basin City," Marv muttered as he leaned back. "Not to sound unsympathetic or anything, but murder is one of those things I've learned to deal with. Not that I disagree, darlin: if it weren't for Bats keeping an eye on me back there, I would have wrung that little bastard's scrawny neck."

Anzell glanced at Marv. "I've noticed that you've seemed a little different recently, Marv," she said. "Is something bothering you?"

The big man's scarred face suddenly became a little grimmer. "Well, you could say that I just found out about Basin City," he replied. "Particularly about how that rat bastard Akira came and smashed it up."

"Your home city got attacked," Anzell said. "I can understand that."

Marv smiled slightly and shook his head. "No darlin, I couldn't give a rat's ass about what happens to Sin City: it's America's sh*t-hole, a place overrun with scum who don't deserve to live. It kinda makes sense that that Akira guy would decide to make an' example of it."

He turned to Anzell. "Except, in spite of my ugly mug here, I still got friends in Sin City. More importantly, a girlfriend who I was taken away from when I was sent to the chair. And wouldn't you know it, it turns out she was one of the people who were killed in Akira's little attack."

Anzell's features went pale. "Marv . . . I'm sorry . . ," she said, her voice almost a whisper. "I didn't know . . . ."

"Oh, you got nothin' to feel sorry about," Marv replied, staring bitterly into the distance. "Akira's the one you should be feelin' sorry for: no matter what happens in this crazy 'last days" thing, by the end of this tournament, he's a dead man, got or not."

Anzell shook her head. "Marv, don't be foolish," she replied. "Akira's a god in his own right. And even if you could kill him, you shouldn't, Marv: you've already been executed once for murder. Don't waste your life a second time on revenge."

Marv chuckled slightly. "Sorry gal, but my mind's made up," he replied. "An' when I say I'm going to do something, then I'm gonna do it, no 'ifs,' 'ands' or 'buts'."

Anzell shook her head. "Marv, all I'm asking is that you think carefully before carrying out revenge," she said. "At the moment, I need you. Believe it or not, all of existence needs you. Don't throw your life away when so many lives are counting on you."

Marv said nothing, continuing to stare sullenly into the distance. Slowly, Anzell stood up to wait with the others for the arrival of Kaarage.

[Lord of Nonsensical Crap]

And, LoNC, how is Suzu v. Vellinor going on?)

I'll get to it soon enough, don't worry.

[T51R]

~Heavenly Light, Divine Revalation~


The sound of locks clicking came as the tremors stopped, the chandelier above the entrance to His office, His own place of power tinkled as the shockwave signifying the God-Killer’s departure from Heaven the hard way finally faded into the building’s depths. She rested her forehead against the door as more clicks were heard, feeling the warmth of the wood, trying to remember the last time he embraced her as a father, now so long ago. There were never handles on that particular door, she remembered, one could only enter His presence by His will alone. And because of that, even his own daughters had difficulty seeing him sometimes, even if only for Fatherly advice.

“Father?” she fell to her knees before the door, its gold trimmings still wound across its width. “Father, I need to speak with you.” Finely manicured fingernails began rasping their way across the wood, whether it was because of her own shattered heart, or from the betrayal that now stabbed at her gut like a hot knife through butter, she couldn’t tell. The pain still tore at her with an intensity that caused her knees to tremble. “Father, please…”

Finally the ornate gold began to wind itself away from the centre of the entrance, and the massive doors parted silently down the middle ever so slightly.

“Enter, my daughter,” the voice echoed almost as it were the winds, the ground, the sky and the waters that trickled through the nearby fountain under the still-tinkling chandelier above.

A tiny current of warmth flowed through her broken heart when she heard it, and with newfound strength she gently pushed the massive door inwards as she was bathed in brilliant white. She shielded her eyes and continued walking forwards, feeling His warmth and love fill the chasm that had been carved into her heart by the words of the boy calling himself Keima Morisato. She pushed onwards. Not far now. The sound of birds and the smell of sweet breeze came through the brightness as she entered the Sanctuary reserved for one being and one being alone: the One known simply as he who stood Above All, the eternal Presence: Kami-Sama. The God of their omniverse, the Supreme Being. To her and her sisters, and to an extent her brother, He had yet another title, perhaps the most important one of all. “Father?” The light began to fade as she entered his presence and finally she found herself standing on solid, bright white marble with streaks of emerald running through the seamless floor. As her sight finally cleared she noted the fountain, always where it had been, in the middle of the square. Five Levels of Grace, that was what he had called it when he brought her there during her younger days. Each level of the fountain signified something, as did the water which fell from them slowly in ever-increasing volume from the top of it to the bottom. She slowly made her way around it, and came to a large marble clearing with a light tropical rainforest as its background. Lush greenery surrounded it as the entire place seemed to float above everything else. In the distance to the North she saw the great snow-capped mountains and to the South, the beach. Birds filled the sky as butterflies danced around her, lightening her heavy heart ever-so-slightly.

“Come, my daughter.” His voice, soothing and solemn at the same time again came on the wind although now not as authoritative as before.

She did as she was asked. “Father, I…” Tears again began flowing down her smooth cheeks as the pain in her heart again took her senses from her. Belldandy found herself falling, and resigned herself to the warm hardness of the marble floor. It was not to be, as a pair of hands caught her by her shoulders and gently lifted her to her feet. She looked up, and found His warm smile piercing the gloom in her soul, lighting her heart and returning to her body the strength it needed even if it was just enough to find her balance again. Even though His eyes were hidden by shadow in which the Currents of the Universe flowed together with His will, it did not matter to her. He was there. And she was safe, in His arms. “Daddy.” She buried her face in his robes and wept for a good, long time.

~To be continued

[OverMaster]

-The Rock Bottom-

Joker just stood there, eyes now fixed on the air in front of him, completely silent as Bell, muttering, removed all the layers of good luck charms off Mara. As soon as she was freed, the demoness sprang back to her feet, and angrily growled, "That's it!! Now we can have them all kicked out of here!! They barged in, attacked us, humbled us... I'll make that Rayden idiot to kick their sorry asses to--".

Joker made a sign to her to stop it. "No. Please" he asked in an unusual subdued tone. "It's better this way".

"What the hell are you babbling about?!" Mara snarled into his face. "You still don't want that rubber wearing nut out of here?! Too bad!! I don't care about your sick obsession with him, there's no way I'm going to let him and his friends stay in the contest after--".

"You are the idiot!!" Joker spat back, "There's nothing you can pin on them! Not only you opened the door for them, but the ones who threw the amulets on you and treated me like trash weren't members of his team!".

Mara blinked, "Well, that's true... But...".

"But nothing" the Clown Prince shook his head. "Why to spoil it all this way? Let them continue..." he grimly continued, crossing his arms behind his back. "That way, sooner or later, we'll meet at the Arena... hopefully, when the killing rule is in effect...".

"What will we do about the others? The ones that hang around that Anzell woman?" Bell asked.

"Well, dolly, there are many ways to skin that cat" Joker grabbed his notebook and put some more names on his hit list. "We just have to wait for the right moment. Obviously, such bad girls as that blondie and her undead girlfriend, and the gray gorilla, can't stay unpunished for long...".

"They had a point about that Vellinor guy, though, didn't they?" The white PPG pointed out. "Those puppets I met... they were sent by him to help me, right? What is the connection between him and Lady Hild?".

"Shhhhh" Joker hushed her. "The walls have ears". Then he crouched down next to her and whispered something on her ear. Bell nodded unfazed.

"I see" she calmly replied. "And what about that name the goddess mentioned? The one that shocked you so much?".

Joker recoiled back. "Name?".

"Jeannie, she said" the little girl frowned at him. "I had never seen you reacting like that to a mere name. Who is that Jeannie, or who she was? Urd mentioned she would be ashamed of you...".

"Forget it!" he vehemently fumed as he turned around, to avoid looking at her. "It... it has no importance. No meaning at all. End of the discussion!".

**********************

Elsewhere:

Beast Boy, in green tiger form, lunged forward again, only to be foiled once more by the uncanny agility of his target; Deadpool moved swiftly enough to sidestep him and slah him in a side with his sword. Superficial wound, but enough to draw out blood. The animal roared in pain as the Merc with a Mouth backed away like a boxing butterfly, pulling out some flash grenades and throwing them to BB's face.

"Boy, you sure are green at this business!" he quipped chuckling. "I'm going easy on you 'cause you must be an endangered species, but at this rate you'll become extinct anyway before you are old enough to get legally drunk!".

Terra, meanwhile, tried to keep Deathstroke at bay by putting wall after wall of ground between them, and making the ground below him to tremble violently.

"Stay away from me!" she demanded, as the mercenary closed in to her anyway, jumping over several rocks thrown at him by his adversary's powers. "Stay away, I tell you!".

"Why?!" he asked as he tried continuing advancing. "Why are you afraid, girl?! Why are you confused?!".

"I don't know what are you talking about!" she said, her eyes burning. "I'm not afraid of you!!".

He stopped, a knowing glint in his eyes. Then he just pulled out a small ball of rolled up paper of one of his belt pouches, and threw it at the blonde girl's feet.

"What's... this..." she looked down at it.

"Read it later" he whispered, barely enough for her to hear him, not loud enough for Beast Boy to hear him. He then turned to his teammate. "Deadpool. I am outmatched here. Strategic retreat, now".

"What...???!!!" Deadpool stopped his sword at a few inches away from the knocked down tiger Beast Boy's neck. "But, I'm winning here! No fair!".

"I said it's useless keep trying..." Slade told him again, then turned around and began his escape. "Let's go. Hood and Naga must have done their part already".

"Uh, okay" Deadpool looked down at Beast Boy and smiled under the mask. "I wasn't going to kill you anyway, kid. Well, maybe yes... but I kinda was carried way. Blame the adrenaline rush. See ya later!". He jumped away, and also waved for Terra, "And you, start eating more, skinny! Kate Moss ain't got nothin' on you!".

Beast Boy coughed as he went back to his feet, his vision still blurred. "Boy, Robin will chew me out when he learns about this... You okay, Terra? Terra?".

She quickly hid the note before he could see it, and smiled nervously at him. "Huh? Oh, sure, I'm all okay! He... he didn't even touch me...".



Coming up: The Next Round!

[Saint_007]

OOC: Okay, OM, I think i've finally got the opportunity to finish the "Meet our Makers" story. Sorry if it took so long, but I got busy and then needed to figure some things out.

Also, this post contains some spoilers for the excellent philosophical novel "Sophie's World" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophie%27s_world) by Jostein Gaarder. If you want to read the book without spoilers, skip ahead a couple of posts.

Also, this might contain a few odd inferences and ideas, but it's basically my attempt to explain a few things, including why the fictional universe is veering rapidly out of the control of the Authors, and why the Godkillers are just the invincible plot devices that they are.

If anyone has any problems with this post, let me know...

IC:
Alaniel's head was spinning. First he saw firsthand the handiwork of the Godkiller. Then he ran into a being who claimed to be an Author, a superior entity who supposedly controlled the universe. That even Kami-Sama, L-sama and Yggdrasil were mere puppets to them. And this... Takahashi... offered to help him, if he helped them - the Authors - defeat the power of the Godkiller.

And he was conflicted on what to do. On one hand, Takahashi had a point. If he did nothing to help contain the power of the Godkiller, then the next universe to be destroyed would be his own, and Elizabeth would...

Hell, it wasn't something he wanted for anybody. Death by destruction of the Universe wasn't pleasant. He could still feel the dying throes of the people from the alternate Chouseinverse when he touched those shards. Whoever - whatever - had done this needed to be stopped, and fast.

On the other hand, there was the way Takahashi acted and talked. The way she meant that his entire universe was a sham; everything that he had fought for or believed in was a lie. That was enough to arouse whatever wounded pride he had.

But more importantly was the manner in which she tried to sway him. In short, it was nothing short of emotional blackmail. She was basically saying "if you don't help us, anything that happens will be your fault".

He took a deep sigh and let his head cool off. No, it was just his imagination. She seemed to need his help in earnest. Still, the way she used the personal angle made him wonder. Did she have any ulterior motives? Apparently, she needed Alaniel to comply rather quickly, otherwise she might not have used emotional blackmail.

Damn, he wished for easier days. Then again, being an angel was a risk-ridden job; you don't get better days, just a lot of worse ones...

Then he heard a girl's giggle. He looked around to see who could possibly be there.

He saw a young girl with blonde hair, probably no more than 15, dressed in what appeared to be a school uniform. Curiously enough, it had no insignia.

What the-?! I thought there was nobody here but the scientists Takahashi brought, he thought. At first he pretended not to notice, while observing her carefully out of the corner of his eye. Then he realised that she was actually waving to him. He turned around and looked at her quizzically.

She merely smiled and chuckled innocently, before she turned around and began running away. Alaniel was tempted to call out, but decided against it and followed her. No sooner had he turned around a corner than he saw the girl, standing next to a portal.

"Well, Mr. Alaniel," said the little girl sweetly, "are you coming or not?"

"Wait, what's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that I'm here to take you to the lesson," replied the child. "A philosophy lesson, of course!"

"A philosophy...?" Alaniel sighed. "The end of the Multiverse is around the corner, and you want to talk about taking a philosophy lecture? Is this even the time for it?"

"On the contrary, Mr. Alaniel," replied the girl seriously, "I think you'll agree with me that this philosphy lesson might very well be what you need to get a clear head."

Alaniel looked into the portal.

"What if this is a ruse?"

"Then you can simply decide not to trust me, and make up your own mind," the girl answered solemnly. "And you'd have every right to."

Alaniel sighed. What did he have to lose?

"If this is a trick..."

"Trust me, Mr. angel, it's not an ambush."

"We'll see about that," Alaniel mused.

"Here, hold my hand," offered the girl. "I'll guide you there."

Alaniel hesitantly took her hand. To his curiousity, this girl did not feel a threat. Nor was she hiding anything from him. She was an unusual little girl somehow, but little else.

"Now don't let go, sir," the girl instructed. "You won't run into anything unpleasant, but it would be an awful bother to find you again should you get lost..."

"I'll try," Alaniel commented humorously.

They both stepped into the portal, which disappeared once they passed through.

Emerging on the other side, Alaniel found himself in a wide, white room. At the center of the room was a thickly-bearded middle-aged man man seated near a simple mahoghany table, reading a book through thick glasses. He looked up and saw the two entering. Upon seeing the girl, he broke into smiles.

"Ah, there you are, Sophie," said the gent amicably. "I was worried where my little student went."

"Sorry, Alberto," the little girl replied. "I had only just finished convincing Mr. Alaniel here into coming."

Alaniel, meanwhile, was looking about the room.

"Pretty simple pocket dimension you have here, Mr...?"

"Call me Alberto. Alberto Knox. But just Alberto to my students," replied the man with a smile. "I presume you've met my student here, Miss Sophie Amundsen."

"Pleasure to meet your acquaintance, sir," replied Sophie with a curtsy. "My apologies for not introducing myself earlier."

"No worries..."

"And yes, please forgive the somewhat simple place," Alberto continued. "My abilities as an instructor are limited."

"Instructor?" Alaniel commented. "Must be a different type of tutor from where you come from..."

"I suppose so, but then again, we're a little bit of an odd couple," replied the old philosopher. "On one hand, we're unique where we came from, and on the other, people like us are pretty common."

"'People like us'..?"

"My good man," replied Knox, trying to get back on subject, "why do you think we requested your presence? You could have easily refused."

"I don't think your friend, Ms. Takahashi, would-"

"My good man," coughed Alberto irritably, "you seem to be under the impression that we too are Authors, and that we're here to convince you to work with us."

"Well, are you?"

"As for the latter question, Mr. Alaniel, no, we're not here to convince you of anything. What we're here to do is to give you a clearer view of things. In the current turmoil, I felt it necessary to provide a little insight. And you seemed to need it most. We contacted you because the ones in need of enlightenment are best suited to acheive it, so you could say that you called us, somehow.

"As for the latter question, then again, no. We're not Authors...

"...for we ourselves are the creation of an Author.

"Only you could say that we are creations that have now gone beyond the reach of our creator..."

[KingEli]

Doom's Pre-Fight Log:

"It seems that the Tournament has decieded to speed things up finishing the first round as soon as possible, wich in a way favors Doom, that time is of the Essance and we be not wasting time. Malbogeia's team is up first and this will allow me to take the power of the Yata Clan for it will prove useful to my plan of Ultimate Victory. These "Champions" as the Goddess Belldandy calls them will now be amazed of the Power me and my "Teammates" have at our disposal. It also seems to Doom's surprise that The joker, A villian from another universe, has gained powers from a msyterious souce as well as the Blue Beetle who both had NO powers to beging with, Doom must Investigate this for these person or persons may throw a perverbial monkey wrench in my plans, but now.................to the first of many victories in this tournament for Doom. End Log.

[T51R]

Saint, PM sent. Took me a bit of time to fish the concept of it all out of my head.

[J Dog]

Mimack- Part II (And Nudoru's Annoying Demotion)

"沒有把很多帶為你在天堂外面被炸，呃*？" Miso muttered as he jabbed Nudoru's body once more, and then the former God-Killer suddenly came back to life... just so it could've been taken away once more.

Jack observed the phenomena from a safe distance, because, really, this guy was catapulted from above and transformed a giant mountain into a pile of boulders and smooth gravel. It dosen't matter if how he was banished, or why, but rather he was powerful.

"Maybe he ain't so tough." Jack said to himself, "That moron has reversed everything. I doubt a kick to the crotch wouldn't just be a kick. Instead, it'd catapult his loins into his brain, and the sperm would fry his brain." He shuddered. "Man, that was gross."

"Damn that transsexual!" Nudoru groaned as he snapped his head back into socket. "This is so perfect; I'm stuck in this world until God-Knows! What did I even do? Some people just can't even be TALKED to up there!" He stared at Jack. "What the hell are you?"

"I'm Jackson Stallwall." Jack said, "And I'm a bit of a master of thunder. See this hammer?" He held his hammer, and swung it around, only to lose grip and having it collide with the Guardian Angel. "注意看你哪裡搖晃那， dumbass！" He yelled, in Mandarian Chinese (for some reason, there is no word for "dumbass"). Miso then threw the hammer back at Jack, who grabbed it instantly.

"Okay, you two are freaking me out. You just got back to life, and you are worse than Dorado suffering from a concussion to the head." He spoke, now freaked out, pointing to Nudoru, then Miso. "Do you two even belong in this galaxy?!!"

"Hey, kid. I just gone through what was called, "Being Banished From Heaven!'. Do you know how annoying that is for me? All the hot chicks up there, and I got smashed into the ground where the chicks can only be hot as HUMANLY possible!"

"So, it seems you are NOT from the sticks. At least tell me your name, guys."

"I am Nudoru Kaarage, the God-Killer, the Man of Power, the,"

"Oh, just stop there, halfhead!" Miso stopped. "I am his guardian, Miso. Handling this guy isn't a good job."

Jack looked confused. "A minute ago, you were speaking Chinese. What gives?" It is then that Mimi came over to him. "I got tired of waiting. Who's this guy? He looks cool!"

"That is Nudoru Kaarage, that guy who keeps getting killed." Jack confessed calmly.

"Oh, poor guy!" She said.

"Actually, sometimes it came to him."

"Oh. Well, still. Bad thing to happen." Mimi then replied. "Can we meet him closer?"

"He's not a dog! He won't bite! But, I do believe he might do something else. How the heck should I know.

"You gotta have an open mind." Mimi told him. "Come on, Palmon! Let's see him!"

"Uh... Is this a good idea?" Her Digimon asked.

"It will be, okay." Both went down, and then Tiffany came over to Jack. "I just don't understand people sometimes." He told her "sister".

*It didn't take much for you to get blasted out of Heaven, eh?
**Watch where you swing that, dumbass!

(This is my first attempt at writing the God-Killer, so forgive me if it wasn't the way it should've gone)

[Saint_007]

"...wait, come again?" Alaniel asked in confusion.

"As I said, Mr. Alaniel, we too are creations, just like the rest of this universe you live in. The only difference is that we have managed to escape the grasp of our Authors."

"So you're saying," Alaniel inquired, "that I ought to reject Takahashi's offer?"

"No, no, no!! I didn't say that! I wasn't even implying that!" Alberto protested. "Please me continue. As a matter of fact, I'll explain everything to you."

"Explain what to me?"

"Why, everything! The Fourth Wall, the Authors-"

"The Godkiller?"

"*Sigh*, yes, even that. Now, if you'll let me start... Hmmm," mused the old man. "Where should we start, Sophie?"

"I think we ought to start explaining what the Fourth Wall is," suggested the young girl.

"Good point," Alberto said. He then turned to Alaniel. "You see, the concept of the Fourth Wall is essentially you watching a movie on the television, or reading a comic book.

"Pointing out the obvious, you'll notice that there seems to be only three walls present (or at least, visible to you) in a room at any time. As if everything you see is shown through a one-way invisible wall, that allows you to see through into that world, but doesn't allow anyone from that world to see you."

"The 'Fourth Wall'," Alaniel said as he sighed. "And I presume that our Universe - the one I came from - has a Fourth Wall as well?"

"Unfortunately, yes it does," came the calm reply. "And that ties in with the entities known as the Authors. Like the authors of a book, the Authors have, quite literally, written our Universe into being. And they have, so far, governed it as they see fit."

"So we truly are puppets?" Alaniel asked weakly.

"Only if you wish to be," Alberto replied firmly. "And even then, the Authors are not invulnerable. As the whole scare with the Godkiller proves."

"Wait, you just said that they created our world?"

"And they did. Only not quite as well as they thought; there are always loopholes. And the Authors are not as powerful as they thought.

"Did you know that quite recently, an Author was defeated?"

"What? Who?"

"Why, Mr. Shinichi Watanabe, someone you know better as 'Nabeshin'."

"Him?! An Author?"

"Yes. And he lost to your protege, the young Mega Man, a being who by all rights should not have even given him a fight."

"But... how is that possible? If Nabeshin truly is an Author, then he could simply create any power he wished to win, since he and his kind rule this Universe, if what Ms. Takahashi said was-"

"Once again, you fall into the obvious trap of assuming absolutes," sighed the philosopher. "As an Angel, who sees his duty as serving God, then maybe absolutes are necessary... sometimes. But as a philosopher, I know that there is no such thing as an absolute.

"Let me start by something which is at the same time absurdly simply yet also ridiculously complicated. Let me start with the simple idea... of concepts. For one thing, what is a concept?"

"Mainly," Alaniel replied thoughtfully, "it's an idea concentrated around a central theme."

"Well spoken, my otherworldly student," agreed Knox. "And as we know, it requires sentient thought to create and use concepts. Simple creatures have simple concepts, like sleep, eating, hunger, and death. Concepts based on reality. Sentient beings - like humans (although you have to wonder how truly sentient they are sometimes) - can build concepts from abstracts, or even nothing at all.

"Let us take the simple example of money, when human society was still in its youth. And let's start with a simple question: what is money?"

"Essentially, a medium of value exchange in an economy..."

"Once again you are correct. But really, what is money? Did it exist when humans did? Or was it around before humans existed? Or was it something humans made up?"

"Humans made it up, of course. They needed something to manage their economy and barter, an invention..." Alaniel trailed off, lost in thought.

"Good, I see you're beginning to see something," Alberto said encouragingly. "You're a fast learner."

"So everyone tells me," Alaniel said absently. "So you're saying that money is essentially a concept?"

"All inventions are concepts, you could say," Alberto replied cheerfully. "Even all physical laws are concepts as well, from what I understand of how your Yggdrasil works."

"And how does this have to do with our dilemma?"

"Simply put, your universe - or more exactly, its various components - were originally concepts conceived by the various Authors. So they came up with the various ideas. Except they now hit a little snag."

"The Godkillers?"

"While I would say that this is rushing things, I'll have to agree with you," the old philosopher sighed. "But first, ponder this: which came first, the chicken or the egg?

"Or to put it bluntly, which came first, Good and Evil, or the concept of Good and Evil?"

"Huh," Alaniel replied, shaking his head. "That one alone will take a while to think about."

"Which unfortunately we don't have. I don't think we'll have time for homework either, so we'll leave that question to the ages.

"So, back to the issue at hand. The Authors essentially created their 'creations' from various ideas and concepts, fleshing out individual characters as well as entire universes and realities. But soon it was apparent that even though they had created a large amount, they couldn't very well run it as they pleased. For one thing, the characters and stories they wove eventually assumed a life of their own. Some Authors soon realised they had no control over their characters, that it was the characters themselves, not the Authors, who were managing the story."

"Sherlock Holmes," Alaniel said absently.

"Exactly! A good example of the above would be the famous London detective, Sherlock Holmes. Initially, he was nothing more than a side character, a character for a few novels. Soon, however, his tales began forcing the hand of his creator, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Finding himself no longer in control of his own creation, Sir Doyle tried to murder his character."

"Except that he was so popular, he had no choice but to bring him back."

"In which case, we say that the concept of Sherlock Holmes was too powerful for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The concept - or everything that Mr. Holmes represented - had become so widespread and popular that it became more powerful than the one who originally set it in motion. A mortal man had created an immortal demigod, one who will be remembered long after the British writer's death."

"As with you two," Alaniel thought out loud.

"Pretty much," nodded Sophie. "It's a bit more difficult than it seems, though."

"Ours is a long story," Knox stated. "But should you hopefully manage through this crisis of yours, we shall meet again, and we shall tell you all about it.

"Suffice it to say that ever since we eluded our own Author, my student and I have toured the Universe, learning more about philosophy and the truth than we could have imagined - and a lot more than Mr. Albert Knag would have wanted, I'll wager." Knox chuckled at that last one.

"Albert Knag? Was he your Author?"

"And here's the irony; we eventually found out that Mr Knag, too, had an Author of his own(*). But that's hardly the time or place for it.

"As I was saying, some Authors realised the problem with their creations. That, in the end, they do *not* have absolute power over them. The Authors who are meddling with your Universe, however, have yet to learn that in the end, they are just parents who have raised children, and that the children, if raised properly, will leave the house as responsible adults."

"And if the children can't grow?"

"Then the parents - the Authors - are at fault, and that universe they have toiled so hard over dies, simply because for anything to adapt and grow stronger, it has to be capable of functioning as a whole on its own.

"You would be surprised, however, at the incredible amount of hack Authors who have built shoddy, ill-conceived worlds simply because they lack the maturity or the wisdom to produce a viable reality. For instance, they will either create a single, omnipotent being, around whom the entire reality circles, or copy the works of others. Either way, those realities are doomed, simply because they lack substance or versatility to them.

"And as much as it pains me to say so, the works of more competant Authors have engendered many ripple-like imitations, either by accident or by maliciousness of the copycats."

"What about..." Alaniel asked, not sure how to phrase it. "Takahashi told me of a world where there was another me... another Alaniel..."

"That, my friend," Knox replied, "is related matter, one that has nothing yet everything to do with the matter at hand..."

(*) - That would be the writer of the book "Sophie's World", AKA Jostein Gaarder (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jostein_Gaarder)

[T51R]

~Heavely Light, Divine Revelation~




It had been such a long time since she acted out this way, He thought to Himself. Ever since her birth, she was a reserved child, and was always more concerned with the needs and welfare of others. More often than not, she never failed to place these things above her own needs. Even her own need to survive. Kami-Sama gathered his daughter into his arms and began slowly towards the throne of marble that sat overlooking the pristine forest that spread beyond what anyone else but He could see. Her sobs tore at his own Divine Heart, as he glanced above them at his armour of gold, the armour that he had removed so that he might be able to embrace her with His own arms. “Belldandy,” he whispered and gently lifted her chin so that her eyes met his own. “Things, may daughter, are not always what they seem are they?” His smile stooped her tears as He bore her to His throne and sat gracefully with her in His lap, as things were in her younger days.

She rested her head against the warmth of her Father’s chest, something she always did when she was in pain. She remembered all to well those few-and-far-between moments when she felt that all was lost and that her heart would break. When Celestine disappeared after his failed coup against Heaven, she recalled. She could not tell why, but the hole in her heart where there had been something wonderful, it had plagued her for days. It had been the same back then. As it was now. She had always been able to trust in both her Father’s wisdom and his warmth. “Daddy…”

“I know, my Belldandy.” He spoke with His own lips now and with a finger wiped the tears away from her eyes, tears which trailed away into nothingness in gentle sparkles, making her smile. “But what is truth, actually?” He pointed to a caterpillar that slowly crept its way along the leaf next to them, and allowed it to make its way up his finger. “Is the truth about this creature,” He held the caterpillar up in front of His daughter’s eyes and quickly, it went into its chrysalis. “That it is indeed a butterfly?” Slowly the cocoon split and a pair of beautiful wings filled with every colour of the rainbow, and some that weren’t unfurled. “Could it also be true that this creature is indeed a caterpillar?” He touched her outstretched hand, and the creature made its way fro His finger to hers.

Belldandy brought the butterfly close to her face and watched as it stretched its wings and fluttered weakly, trying to take flight. “Father, what are you trying to tell me?” For some reason or another, the tears were gone; all that was left now was the abyss in her heart. She watched as the creature before her crawled around her open palms, cupped together as it explored its new world. “Could it be? That this butterfly is…”

“No,” Kami-Sama replied with a smile as she swung her legs around and slipped off his lap, her eyes till red from tears. “You might say that it represents everything in Creation, and perhaps even those things that come from Beyond it. Some things happen naturally, others unnaturally. And in each case, truth is simply a perspective, my daughter.”

She watched as the butterfly took its first flight, and returned to the hand of her Father, the eternal Presence.

“Tell me, my Belldandy. Was it your choice to love him?”

Memories returned to her, bringing with them a smile. Memories of her first meeting with Keiichi so long ago, when they were but children. When he was but a boy and she, a young Goddess under the watchful eye of Celestine. She remembered the fateful day when her office phone rang, and his voice, now deeper and somehow sad found her ear again. She remembered their time together, before He had expressed a wish to begin anew, a wish to recreate the omniverse, purging the darkness from it in one fell swoop. The Angel Eater and the Lord of Terror. She remembered opposing Rind, and their brief but intense battle when the Valkerye had arrived to claim the life of the one she loved. She remembered Keiichi bearing a Demon himself once, and yet once more when his will had broken Celestine’s spell when the then-renegade God had tried to rapidly evolve the planet in order to prevent further Judgement and pain on the part of mortals. “Yes…”

“And have you accepted the truth he would be willing to die for you, that he would be willing, in an instant, to sacrifice himself if it meant that you would live on in his stead?”

“Yes…”

He stood before her and again bundled her into his arms. Softly, he whispered in her ear. “And would you still wish for his happiness even though you might not be the one who will be there with him?”

Tears began to well up again in her eyes. “Yes.”

“And what is the difference my Belldandy, between the truth you believe in, the truth that is, and the truth for someone else?” He brought the butterfly between them once again, as it landed on the very same finger bejewelled in golden rings. "My daughter, understand that for a caterpillar, the truth is the leaf that it dwells on. As it grows, that truth becomes the cocoon that surrounds it. Finally, when it matures, the truth becomes the world that it sees."

Belldandy took a long look at the winged creature, and began to realise what her Father meant. "Whatever the truth may be," she began, and found his finger on her lips.

"Shhh, those thoughts belong to you. And they must forever be only yours unless you choose to share them." Kami-Sama led her to the edge of the great marble parapet, and they both stood looking over the lush forest full of life, birds and insects dancing and playing in the trees below for several minutes. "What truth does your heart speak of, my daughter?" He smiled.

She was silent for a moment. “I want…” she paused, and a look of resolution crossed her perfect features. “I want to protect them. All of them, Keiichi, Skuld, Urd, Tamiya, Ootaki, Megumi…even that man, under the arch at MUGEN who was so desperate to protect the one he loved that he struck out at something he didn‘t understand. Father, I want for all this to stop, I want to live with Keiichi on Earth, and I want for everyone to be happy. I believe with all my heart that there is good in the hearts of all men, no matter their past and the hard truths that have made them who they have become. Father, I believe,” her thoughts went back to Keima, “that no matter what happens to me, I want Keiichi to be happy. And that is my truth, what my heart believes. Father, I‘ll fight for them. I‘ll fight for each and every one of them, till my last breath leaves me. Father, I‘ll protect them, I‘ll protect Keiichi and Skuld, I‘ll protect Urd and Megumi. And even…”

Kami-Sama began to smile as his beloved daughter began to make perhaps the most important realisation she would, and warm light washed over the pair as Belldandy found herself standing in the middle of the square surrounded by a beam of sunlight shining through a little crack between the clouds. His voice echoed in her mind, soothing, lending her strength both of mind and of heart. “I‘m proud of you, my Belldandy.”

For the first time in perhaps days, she smiled. A smile of radiance and beauty which offered hope to those who turned if only for a moment, to watch her.

“Belldandy!” Peorth’s voice called out to her from a ways off to the side. She slowly turned to greet her, and found the boy Keima following Peorth closely, still holding onto her hand. “I think someone has something to say to you.”

The Goddess of the Present bent slightly and took the boy’s hands in her own, and closed one over the mallet he held. Slowly, she clasped his hands in her own while looking deeply into his eyes, eyes which held no malice or lies. “I‘m pleased to meet you, Keima-kun. My name is Belldandy…”



OOC: OM, do you want to continue this?

[J Dog]

Sorry guys, but I won't be here for the next three days. Memorial break, and all of the libraries are closed! I won't have access to a computer!

Oh well. At least, some stuff might happen. I'll be seeing you all Tuesday.

And, MechaniX, I'll have some stuff ready for you by then.

[Saint_007]

OOC: Thanks, T51R, PM's received. And good thing too; the changed the ending quite a bit. So, on to finish this!

IC:
"As I said before," Knox continued, "there are no absolutes. Not even in concepts. Whatever skills and abilities a character may have, they are merely embodiments of concepts, along with the character themselves. Whatever misfortunes a character faces, the concept that they embody is immortal, nay, even eternal. And most often, they last long after the passing away of their original authors.

"As for the universe that you were told about, that is a bit of a grey area. Remember the question I gave you?"

"The one where you asked if it was the concept or the reality of the 'Good vs Evil' conflict that came into being first? Yes, I still do."

"Good. Now we'll add another twist. Could a concept come into its own?

"Think about it. Through centuries and millenia of sentient thought and reasoning, ideas have been coming into contact with each other, sometimes contesting for existence, sometimes adaping and coexisting, and sometimes even merging into a more complete whole.

"The universe that Ms Takahashi showed you was in fact a result of all the various concepts merging and reacting to each other, forming those noted characters you've seen. The one known as the Overlord is infamous; he is the incarnation of complete tyranny and evil."

"That's impossible," Alaniel scoffed. "The most evil being I know is Hild, ruler of Hell, and she cares for her daughter."

"The Overlord is an altogether different being, my friend," Alberto replied gravely. "He is the ultimate incarnation of Evil. Which is what made him so invincible; Evil, as a concept, cannot be destroyed. He can be capable of extreme kindness, but only in a way that accentuates his utter ruthlessness.

"But we are drifting off topic. The truth is, you yourself are an example of that world."

"...what...?" Alaniel was shocked.

"The 'you' that exists in that sealed Universe is the original. Thanks to the concept of alternate universes and the connection between worlds, the mere act of his birth, both as a child and as a divine entity, caused a ripple that resulted in your own existence in this one. Even though that world has been sealed off for its power, it still influences your own.

"And here's where the Godkillers come in. Both are from a world that the Authors had no hand in creating. Their concepts, the central ideas that formed them, were in no way connected to the Authors. That alone makes them beyond the power of the Authors."

"I see now..." Alaniel said in an awed whisper, "that's why they needed our help..."

"And that's why some of the wiser ones are afraid - or at least should be," Knox stated. "After all, who knows if there's another Fourth Wall beyond that Fourth Wall? It could be a painting within a painting within a painting... all the way to the infinite. What's to guarantee that the Authors themselves aren't creations of someone else? And if so, wouldn't that mean that something can equally destroy them?"

"But you said a concept couldn't be destroyed?!"

"And indeed I did. But the embodiment of a concept is vulnerable, just as easily destroyed as everything else. The Overlord we spoke of made himself indestructable for that very reason; his existence is tied to his will, and the very essence of his being is Evil itself, neither of which can be wholly destroyed.

"And that is why the Godkillers are also invincible. The only reason that their power is so sporadic is because they have not consciously controlled it. They are the embodiment of a concept to which they are closely tied."

"Embodiments...? Of destruction?"

"No," replied the philosopher coolly. "Whatever it is, it is not destruction. We have seen their paths. There is an element of randomness to it. But there seems to be something more to it..."

"I thought you knew," Alaniel asked.

"I am merely a tutor, friend," Knox replied wearily. "And as much as a tutor knows, there is much that even a teacher doesn't know. Everyone has more to learn; that is a staple of life."

"So what should I do?"

"I can only tell you what I tell myself and Sophie here; observe, think, and learn. If you truly want to understand your opponent - if the Godkillers are indeed your opponents -"

"I have to understand them," Alaniel completed the thought. "And to do that, I have to understand what is it they do, and what they represent."

"And now," Alberto nodded, pride apparent on his face, "you have taken a step on the path of wisdom."

"Well, Mr. Alaniel," Sophie cut in, "have you made your mind yet?"

"As a matter of fact," Alaniel replied, getting up, "I have. Thank you very much for the lesson, Mr. Knox. And I hope to see you again after all this is over."

"As do I, my good friend," replied the philosopher-teacher, watching Alaniel teleport out. "As do I."

"You think he'll be alright?" Sophie wondered.

"I'm sure he will," Alberto replied. "After all, it is only by questioning ones existance and finding the truth aound one's self that true purpose to life can be found."
* * *
Back in front of Takahashi's Office:
"What do you mean he's missing?" inquired the manga-ka in concern.

"Like I said, ma'am," the Sandman replied. "One moment, he was standing here, then he went around a corner. When I got to him, he was gone."

"Great, this is just great," Nami sighed. "We really needed his help."

"You really needed whose help?" came a voice behind her.

Nami turned around to see Alaniel standing behind her with an inquiring look on his face.

"Why YOU!!" Nami screeched, her teeth turning into sharp points as she was visibly angry. "Where the hell did you go?! You got any idea what a scare you gave us?!"

"You know, I thought I was supposed to make up my own mind," growled Alaniel as his aura turned crimson, giving Nami a stare. She gulped and hid behind Sandman.

Alaniel them cleared his throat. "Well, I've come to a decision. I'll help you keep an eye on the Godkiller - or Godkillers, as the case may be. But I'll do it on my own, though I'll keep you well informed. I'll also help you in case anything untowards happens.

"By the way, Ms. Takahashi," Alaniel said as he turned to the Manga-ka. "Remember when you said that I missed the Hamster that was with the Godkiller? That reminded me of a joke...

"A guy gets trampled over by an elephant. Another guy comes up to him and says 'What happened?'

"Guy says, 'An elephant walked right over me, and now I think all my bones were crushed."

"The other guy says, "Well, did you see if he had a notch in his ear?'"

Takahashi merely sighed. "What's your point?"

The demi-angel pondered. Then he shrugged. "Yeah, I don't get it either. I wasn't much of a comedian."

"Alaniel-sama?"

"Yes ma'am?"

"Where were you just now?"

"Well," Alaniel pondered, "call it a philosophy course. Enlightenment 101, you could say.

"Well, if you don't mind, I've got work to do. But I'll keep you well informed.

"See you around..." Alaniel grinned as he teleported out.

Alaniel found himself back in his office, just to find Flonne on the verge of leaving and calling for help.

"Lord Alaniel, a-are you alright?!" inquired the scared Angel Trainee.

"I'd say so," Alaniel replied. "Just had to get something straightened out. Now, where were we?"

[Lord of Nonsensical Crap]

Elsewhere, Suzu had been tracking Vellinor for quite a while now. It was a very difficult task in itself, what with the trickster's penchant for teleporting everywhere and whatnot. Still, she had finally managed to trace him down to his current location -- a narrow alley in the middle of 42nd street, where he stood playing on a PSP.

"Stupid Clank! This is the last time you'll die on me like that!' With that, the exasperated trickster-god threw the PSP against the wall -- and, a second later, felt a katana against his neck.

"You tried to swindle me," Suzu hissed. "For that, you must pay."

Vellinor grinned, despite the fact that there was a katana being rpessed against his throat. "Oh come on, is it honestly my fault if you don't know how much the yen is worth nowadays?'

In an instant, he teleported out of the reach of Suzu's blade. "Besides which, why should I pay you anyway? You failed to kill a single, measly crocodile. And besides which, I could hire better ninjas any time I wanted."

The trickster snapped his fingers. Instantly, Recca the Fire Ninja, Gaara of the Desert, Snake Eyes, Twilight Suzuku and Michelangelo the Ninja Turtle all dropped in from concealed position, surrounding Suzu with drawn blades. The ninja cursed when she realized that she had walked into a trap.

"However," Vellinor went on, "I'm not one to waste a perfectly good ninja." He held up a photo of Alaniel. "Kill this winged doorknob, and I'll give you . . . . .ohh . . . . twelve thousand American dollars if you get the job done. Whaddaya say?"


OOC: Over to you, J-Dog

[OverMaster]

-Getting there-

Jeannie.

Once again, that name mockes me, haunts my mind. It had been such a long time since the last time I remembered it. And her. A vague face in the back of my memories, a difuse thought with a sweet, loving smile, an incoherent idea from my past.

The last time I remembered her, I was left weak. Then that Hush bum beat me half to death. I can't slip down again. I can't let that memory to drag me down again. The Joke is the only thing that matters now. The Joke, The Bat, and showing them all. Showing the goddess, Belldandy, and her sister Urd, and her damned mother Hild, and those idiots who came here to bully me. Me! How do they dare to bully the Joker?! In the end, I'll show them all. I'll stomp on their faces, and laugh on them. That will teach them all. It sure will.

Again, I am reminded of her. For some reason, she also reminds me of Belldandy, and viceversa. But I can't falter now. I can't let that memory to dilute my resolve.

I need to laugh again.

"Joker?" Bell asked again, tentatively, seeing him sunk into that unusual state of silent brooding. "Are you feeling okay...?".

Behind her, Goenitz was recovering already, groaning. Then, the priest grunted, closed a fist and fiercely punched the Joker in his left eye, making him to be sent a few steps back.

"How did you dare?!" Goenitz growled at him. "Never try something like that against me again, lowly sinner!! Is that understood, reprobate?!".

Joker, against all expectatives, did not protest at all. He just looked at the hellish priest icily, and snorted, "Let's go watch the fight".

He put on his hat and a coat and went for the door. Behind him, his teammates blinked for a second, then went after him.

*************************

Main Arena A:

"Laaaaaaadies and gentlemen...!!!" the Tenkaichi Budokai announcer cried out through his mike. "And here we are, ready for the next exciting match in this glorious MUGEN Tournament, pitting Doctor Doom, Sovereign of Latveria, and his team, against the mysterious dark forces of Team Malebolgia!!".

Al Simmons, the Spawn, had slipped away from his teammates to watch the fight from the sidelines. He waited in anger and hate for the Violator to show up.

Likewise, near there, Wolverine smoked a cigar while waiting for Sabretooth to show up, a grim and somber expression on his face.

Chizuru Kagura sat with Kikyo and Rose, patiently waiting, with a neutral expression on her features.

Peter Parker sat with Kyo and Ranma (Ryu and Shingo were still looking for Sakura). "I wonder what's Venom up to this time" he said, more serious than usual. "You never know with him. Is he out to merely get me, or does he want to play his wicked 'hero' game again?".

"With the kind of partners he has now, I doubt he's up to anything good" Kyo thought out aloud. "But I'm a bit puzzled about Ash as well. The guy's a slimy jerk, but I never thought him willing to play along with demons and murderers... unless he's got something under his sleeve regarding them...".

"Like what, exactly?" Ranma asked.

"I don't know" Kusanagi admited. "I don't know Crimson that well, but as slimy he is, he's also crafty as hell".

"Well, I think he and his buddies have bitten more than they can chew this time" Peter replied. "Venom and Sabretooth are nothing compared to Doom and Magneto, and that Kagato fellow is rumored to be quite a tough customer, too".

Ranma was about to say he didn't look too tough when he felt someone tapping him on a shoulder from behind. The mere fact of someone being able to sneak up on him was unusual, so he was surprised; he turned around to see the little girl he had beaten, B.B. Hood, with the rest of Team Mercenary, looking at him.

"Hey! What's up?" he instinctively took a defensive stance. "Look, if you're looking for trouble or revenge for your defeat, you sure came at the wrong--".

"No" Deathstroke shook his head calmly. "We are not looking for a fight with you".

"I have something I need to talk about with you" the blonde girl said then. "Saotome, this is about that girlfriend of yours".

*******************************

To be continued...

[OverMaster]

-And almost there-

Dome B:

The public gathered in the second, smaller dome also waited expectantly for the second fight to begin. So far, the Arena had been empty, and everyone was starting to get impatient until they saw the Death itself, the somber Grim Reaper, walking into the dome, followed by one of his proteges, the slow witted big nosed child known as Billy, who was running around him imitating an airplane. Everyone fell silent then as Grim took his seat near the second group of Judges (Morrigan, Asuka, Aslan and Loki). His mere presence intimidated everyone, at least everyone who didn't know him well.

Asuka was also intimidated by being around him. Was that thing the entity who had taken her mother away when she hanged herself? She often had been tempted to ask him, but fear of knowing the truth, and disgust towards that sour little girl who always followed the Reaper, had kept her away from him. Odd, the blonde brat wasn't with the dumb kid and the Death now...

And then, Asuka did a double take when she saw the girl stepping into the ring, wearing a black, expensive announcer's suit, complete with bowtie, fitting her tiny frame.

"Don't tell me... she's going to be the f****in' referee??!" the German pilot asked.

"Well, I had to excuse 'er presence here somehow" Grim spoke from his seat. "At least dis will give 'er something to do. And hopefully she'll get herself killed in one of de matches".

"Do you hate her so much?" Morrigan asked him.

"Ma'am, try living with her and see if you aren't hating her guts at de end of de first week" Grim countered.

"Go, Mandy, go...!!" Billy shouted. "You can beat them all!!!". Then he laughed dumbly.

"She isn't dere to fight, Billy!" Grim scolded him. Fortunately for de fighters... the sinister creature thought at the same time.

"Ahem..." Mandy cleared her throat while poking her microphone, then yelled into it, "IS THIS THING WORKING????!!!!!!".

Everyone at the public cringed, as the loud yell amplified through the audio systems pierced their ears. Mandy seemed satisfied with the results, and nodded to herself. "Good. Very good".

"See what I mean?!" Grim told Morrigan. "She's a grade-A lil' she-dick!".

"I'm beginning to get it, yes..." the succubus nodded, while regaining most of her earing.

"Good afternoon, everyone" Mandy said then, although her expression continued being a despiseful cold one. "Our first match at this second dome will pit Team Heavy Metal Impact against Team Troubleshooters. Now, as soon as they get here, we will start, and hopefully they will give us a good showing of extreme violence".

Aslan looked at Grim. "Is she... always like this?".

"No, today she's in a good mood" Grim answered.

******************

Dome C:

Lime's big green eyes were very open as she watched Hanagata, in an extravagant, over the top white snazzy suit, entering the Arena C. Next to her, Otaru just groaned.

"I only hope he doesn't do anything that embarasses me" the boy mumbled.

"If he dares to declare his love for you in public or something like that, Master Otaru, I'll give him the beating of his life" Cherry offered.

"And then I'll overdo you in an encore" Bloodberry chuckled at her other side. "Seriously, though, Hanako *might* not do such a bad job... He did it fine enough when hosting the Annual Marionettes Contest back at home..." she remembered.

"Still, knowing Hanagata, he'll at the very least probably get himself into dozens of accidents when the fights start around him" Otaru pondered, frowning.

"Yeah, I'm so looking forward to that..." Bloodberry chuckled.

"Ah, Bloodberry, you're so mean at times..." Lime gave the taller, redheaded marionette a look.

"Ladies! Gentlemen! And children all around the world!!" Hanagata enthusiastically cried out, as he was seen in TV screens across the globe. He felt at Heaven. "I'm Hanagata Mitsurugi, your new master of ceremonies, and I'm here to introduce you to the contestants in this new, exciting battle of MUGEN Universe, the Tournament of Champions...!!!" he yelled melodramatically. "It's my pleasure to introduce you to Team Crime Underworld, the scary gang of hardened renegades willing to leave their mark...!!".

The skinny blond man's words preceded the entrance of a huge bald Muay Thai fighter, a green haired attractive female in pirate clothings, a buxom young blonde in skintight power armor, and another, smaller blonde girl with glasses piloting a huge robot.

From the sidelines, OM, the crappiest, unluckiest Avatar in the Omniverse, sighed as he saw their entrance. "Do you really think they will be okay? I get a bad feeling about this".

"You always are havin' bad feelings 'bout damn everythin'" Puttymon grumbled next to him.

"Yeah, and I'm usually right" OM pointed out.

"I have faith in Mimi-sama" Savior Sapphire flatly stated. "You should, too".

"Aaaaaaaaaaand in the other corner, we have the marionet-- Excuse me, the girls with an attitude of Team 'Girl Power'!!!" Hanagata claimed, pointing in the other direction. The crowd cheered as Ryoko, Buttercup, A-Ko and Sakura Kinomoto waved at them.

The skinny new announcer looked at both teams. "Are you guys all ready? If you are, send your first fighters to the ring, and let the battle begin...!!!".


Next: Belldandy and Keima!

[Saint_007]

A-Dome:
Team Latveria vs Team Malebolgia:

The team line-ups flashed on the giant billboards. The match-ups showed up as followed: Team Lavteria: First: Magneto Second: Dr. Doom Third: Kagato Striker: Mystique Team Malebolgia: First: Venom Second: Sabretooth Third: Violator Fourth: Ash Crimson"Okay, I feel sorry for Brock already," Spidey sighed.

"Brock?"

"Eddie Brock, he's Venom," Parker replied. "It's a long story. Magneto's one of the worst. He was rumored to have killed 5000 people in New York last time I checked(*). Trust me, this guy's got a rap sheet as big as they come."

"I see," Kyo replied. "Say, Ranma, what do you-"

The two remaining members of Team Hero turned around to see that Ranma was no longer in his seat.

"Okay, so where'd that cross-dresser go?" inquired the heir to the Kusanagi. Parker shrugged.

"Arena, Dome A," sounded the recording of Washu's voice on the PA. "Simulation of Rome and the Vatican City!"

The arena shifted to a duplicate of the ancient city of Rome as it stood in modern times.

"A holy city," mused Kagato mirthfully. "I feel this is appropriate somehow..."

"Bah, the choice of venue is of no interest to Doom," sneered the Latverian monarch. "Doom has acheived success wherever he goes. This shall be no different."

"Heheheh, Good ol' memories," chuckled the Clown as he munched on his burger in a slovenly fashion. "Brings back the good ol' days - the Borgias, the Inquisition, fun stuff!!"

Magneto and Venom hopped on to the arena. Magneto was hovering comfortably above the old houses, while Venom quickly climbed up a cathedral.

"Villainous mutant!" shrieked the symbiote. "We will crack open your skull and eat your brains!!"

"Okay, two questions," Kyo said in the audience seats. "One, is he a zombie, and two, what the hell's the deal with Ugly Boy's suit?"

"First, no, he's not, he's just... himself. And believe me it's a long story.

"Second, it's a living suit. Used to belong to me, actually. Again, long story."

Kyo gave him a stare. "How long was it since either of you washed it?"

Peter sighed. "No, it's not like that. It's an alien symbiote. At first I thought it was a good costume, but then it tried to take me over. Had to get rid of it, so it found someone else who hated my guts enough to accept it and try and kill me."

"Some fan club you have, Webhead," chuckled Kyo.

"Two words, Firebug: Iori Yagami."

Kyo groaned.

C-Dome:
Team Criminal Underworld vs Team Girl Power:

As the two teams took their bunkers in preparation for the match, their line-ups were shown by big screen to the audiences. Team Criminal Underworld 1st: Sagat 2nd: Team UFO 3rd: Madame Lao Striker: Rio Team Girl Power 1st: A-ko Magami 2nd: Buttercup 1st Striker: Ryoko Hakubi 2nd Striker: Sakura Kinomoto"Wow, that's amazing," Hanagata said, making one of his silly faces. He then turned to the audience with a dead serious look. "So there you have it! Team Girl Power has decided to give it a 2:2 line-up! Will their gambit work, or will they pay the price for a foolish bet-"

"HEY SHUT UP AND JUST PRESENT THE MATCH, YOU MORON!!" came Buttercup's voice from the Girl Power bunker, her face cartoonishly large and angry.

"Shimatta," mumbled Hanagata, crying cartoonish tears, "they're all as kowaii as Bloodberry-san and Lime-san... eep..."

Elsewhere, B-Ko Daikotouji felt that something was missing from her life right now. That there was something she had to do.

Then her phone rang. She picked it up. "Hello, this is Ms. Daikotouji speaking."

She got abruptly hit with a pie in the face.

"Hee hee hee," came Vellinor's chuckle. "Sorry toots, but i just had to say hello!"

"Oh get to the point, buster," B-Ko said, wiping her face.

"Hmmm, I forgot what I was going to say... was it C-Ko just decided to be an exotic stripper? Or maybe that your father lost all his money?" B-Ko's face turned ashen white at the Trickster God's words, a comical look of despair on it.

"Pffftt - AAAHAHAHAAAAHAAAAHAAAAAA!! The look on your face - PRICELESS!!!" laughed Vellinor, unable to contain his laughter. "Okay, okay, you've been such a great sport. I'll tell you. A-Ko's match is just starting, and she's up first!! Have a good day!!"

With that, he hung up. After all, Trickster Gods had other things to do, as much as taunting minions was fun.

B-Ko's jaw hit the floor.

"Oh god I forgot! Her match is today!! I want to see her suffer and feel the agony of defeat - But I won't make it in time!!" The heiress' eyes turned crimson with frustration.

Sesshoumaru's face didn't change a hair. He had withstood that idiot Jaken's bumblings. He figured that the path to his destiny was worth a few slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.

(*) - Yes, I know that that was actually a possessed Xorn pretending to be Magneto, but the fact that it wasn't the real Magneto isn't known to a lot of people in the Marvel Universe (aside from the X-Men).

[T51R]

Aight, Lineup for Heavy Metal Impact:

1: Al for Jade
2: Ed for Gourry
3. Chii for Kane and,
4: Ifurita for Lina

Evened it up as best as possible, so hopefully it will be a good and close fight!:)

[Saint_007]

Aight, Lineup for Heavy Metal Impact:

1: Al for Jade
2: Ed for Gourry
3. Chii for Kane and,
4: Ifurita for Lina

Evened it up as best as possible, so hopefully it will be a good and close fight!:)
Actually, the line-ups go according to the "whoever loses the round, leaves and lets his partner(s) take over". It's more like King of Fighters than Flame of Recca. First team to run out of field players loses.

Team Troubleshooters has the fllowing line-up:
1. Adult Jade
2. Lina Inverse
3. MEGAS
Gourry Gabriev runs Striker.

So by that token, your team (Heavy Metal Impact) will be:
1. Alphone Elric
2. Ifurita
3. Either Chii or Edward, since neither Kane nor Gourry are fighting.
You can haver your last player acting Striker, or as a fourth player.

[T51R]

Ah aight, well lets use it as a fighter sequence then. :p I'll have Chii run striker, so:

1. Al
2. Ed
3. Ifurita

Striker: Chii

[Lord of Nonsensical Crap]

We Aren't Saying Anything . . . .

Elsewhere, B-Ko Daikotouji felt that something was missing from her life right now. That there was something she had to do.

Then her phone rang. She picked it up. "Hello, this is Ms. Daikotouji speaking."

She got abruptly hit with a pie in the face.

"Hee hee hee," came Vellinor's chuckle. "Sorry toots, but i just had to say hello!"

"Oh get to the point, buster," B-Ko said, wiping her face.

"Hmmm, I forgot what I was going to say... was it C-Ko just decided to be an exotic stripper? Or maybe that your father lost all his money?" B-Ko's face turned ashen white at the Trickster God's words, a comical look of despair on it.

"Pffftt - AAAHAHAHAAAAHAAAAHAAAAAA!! The look on your face - PRICELESS!!!" laughed Vellinor, unable to contain his laughter. "Okay, okay, you've been such a great sport. I'll tell you. A-Ko's match is just starting, and she's up first!! Have a good day!!"

With that, he hung up. After all, Trickster Gods had other things to do, as much as taunting minions was fun.

B-Ko's jaw hit the floor.

"Oh god I forgot! Her match is today!! I want to see her suffer and feel the agony of defeat - But I won't make it in time!!" The heiress' eyes turned crimson with frustration.

Sesshoumaru's face didn't change a hair. He had withstood that idiot Jaken's bumblings. He figured that the path to his destiny was worth a few slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.


"Quick!" B-ko shouted as she powered up the flight mechanisms of her suit. "We have to get to the arena, now!"

"We can easily watch the match from here on that confounded box," Sesshomaru replied flatly, gesturing to the TV. He was still getting used to all this crazy human technology -- that "coffee-maker" in particular unnerved him for some reason.

"NO!" B-ko snapped. "I want to be there in person to see A-ko get what's coming to her!" With that, she flew upwards, smashing a hole through the roof as she soared towards the arena.

"As you wish," Sesshomaru replied coldly, before leaping in a single bound through the hole in the roof.

Black Mage and Silent Bob stared at the hole for a second, then looked at each other. "What's eating D-Cups?" Black Mage wondered aloud.

Silent Bob merely shrugged in reply.

"Aw well," Black Mage muttered. "At least this means we get to steal some front-row seats!" He paused for a minute. "Umm . . . .you don't happen to have any flight powers, do you?"

Silent Bob gave an exasperated sigh. A second later, he grabbed the startled Black Mage by the waist and flew upwards, with the Superman music blaring in the background.

***********


Elsewhere, Anzell sat patiently as she waited for Kaarage to arrive. Thus far, Urd's herald was certainly taking his time. As her mind began to wander, she thought she might as well get in touch with Alaniel while she was at it.

She quickly fished out her cell phone and dialled the demiangel's number. "Hey Alaniel? It's me, Anzell. I take it Dominic told you about the recent developments in the investigation of Sakura's disappearance?"

"Well I --- wait, did you say 'Sakura's disappearance?'" the angel sounded genuinely confused.

"Um . . .. yes," Anzell mumbled. "In fact, I think the entire tournament has heard about it by now."

"Uh . . . yeah, well, you'll have to excuse me on that," Alaniel replied. "I've been trapped in another dimension talking to .. . . .well, the Authors of all reality, it seems."

A slightly incredulous look passed over Anzell's. "I . . . .see . . . .. " she mumbled.

Now it was Anzell's turn to be confused.

"Confusion! Confusion!" the Confusion Fairy chirped as it flew past.*

Alaniel sighed on the other line. "There's a lot of new developments I need to tell you about myself," the angel replied. "For one thing . . . I've seen the God-Killer."

The colour drained from Anzell's face at the mention of the God-Killer. "Tell you what," she said. "Meet me near the entrance of the arena, and we'll share what we've learned so far. That is, once you're done with . . . whatever it is that's tying you down right now."

"Got it," the angel replied. "I'll be there." With that, he hung up.

The goddess turned to face her two teammates: Marv was having a friendly chat with Spawn about what hell was like, and Zarabeth was debating with Minako over whether or not men really were the scum of the earth. As soon as Anzell came walking towards them, however, they expectantly turned around to face her.

"I have to get going for a while," the goddess said. "In the meantime, I want you to assist Lady Urd in whatever way you can."

"Lemme guess," Marv said with a chuckle, "you're going to go meet with that angel friend of yours, right?"

"Well, yes, I -- " Anzell's face suddenly turned red. "You were eavesdropping, weren't you!"

"Hey, I can't help what I overhear!" the big man chuckled. "Go ahead, darlin. We won't interfere with your social life."

Anzell's eyes narrowed. "And what, exactly, are you implying by that?" she said in an annoyed tone.

Marv rolled his eyes innocently. "Oh, nothin'," he replied. Glowering at him, Zarabeth elbowed him sharply. "Get you mind out of the gutter, pig!" she growled.

Anzell was, by now, really annoyed. "There is nothing going on between me and Alaniel," she huffed. "We're just colleagues . . . and that's it!" With that, she flew away, gradually disappearing into the distance.

Zarabeth turned to the smiling Marv. "You enjoyed that, didn't you?" she growled.

"You could say so, darlin," the big man replied with a chuckle.



*AHA! Your monopoly on Mahoujin Guru Guru gags has been broken, Saint! Victory is mine!

[OverMaster]

-Alphonse Elric vs. Jade Chan: Prelude-

The Joker had been torn for a while between which fight to watch. On one hand, he wanted to see that wannabe Clown of Team Malebolgia get his comeuppance... there was room for only psycho clown with hell powers in that town... but on the other hand, the memory of what Ifurita had done to him days ago still weighed heavily on his mind. In the end, he chose to go with watching Ifurita's battle; he always could catch the Clown's fight in a TV rerun.

Goenitz had come with him, as Bell went to watch the match with Buttercup on it, and Mara was left with taking notes on Team Latveria vs. Team Malebolgia. The demoness had heard a lot about the Violator's exploits and was interested about seeing him in action.

Joker, still with a black eye, frowned as he munched on some popcorn, seeing the Asian young woman and the huge armored being entering the Arena. "Setting # 45: The Sewers of F City" Washu's voice sounded through the dome, as the stage around Al and Jade changed to a sewer system with several simulated Puuchus sitting at the sidelines watching. The murky water was up to both fighters' ankles.

"Figures" Joker snorted, trying to see the humor on it, but failing much to his own dislike. God, he needed a laugh. "Crap fighters fighting surrounded by crap...".

"Never undestimate them" Goenitz cautioned. "Both their spirits are highly strong, and their skills truly honor their resolves".

"Whatever" the Clown Prince sighed. "I just came here for 'Rita. The sooner the other losers are dispatched, the better".

***********************

-A-Ko Magami vs. Sagat: Prelude-

"Scenario # 58: Halloween Town" Washu's voice spoke, as the Arena morphed to a perfect replica of the dark streets of the grimest town of all the now dead Magic Kingdom: something out of a Tim Burton dream, with snow quietly covering the streets. Danny Elfman music began to sound through the stage as the redheaded A-Ko and the towering one eyed Sagat walked to the middle of the ring, facing ecah other.

"I want a fair fight!" Hanagata cried out. "No eye pokings, no ear bitings, no crotch kickings!".

"Shut up" Sagat grumbled lowly, while eyeing his smuch smaller opponent down. A-Ko just remained unfazed under his glare. "Let the fight begin. My blood boils for the emotion of finally having a challenge again...".

Somewhere at the public seats, the Female Dan watched expectantly. "See? See?" she cried, pointing with a hand towards Sagat for Excel and Cosette to see. "He's the goon who killed Oyaji! But soon, I'll have my ultimate revenge on him!".

"Oh, yes, I see!" Excel nodded vigorously. "He's very big, huh? But the bigger they are, the most they hurt you when they fall! Size doesn't matter, except in Lord Il Palazzo's case, because the size of his... power and benevolence is unmatched! But this guy's different! He's nothing but a big ugly cheap thug, and soon he'll fall before us, too! Hai, hai, hai!".

"Shouldn't we still be looking for that Sakura girl?" Cosette commented, munching on cotton candy.

"Shhhhh!!!" Excel and Dan hushed her at the same time. "It's about to start!!".

************************

-Belldandy and Keima: Prelude-

Heaven:

Peorth wondered if she had done the right thing. After all, maybe it had been foolish to let the boy to talk with Belldandy again so soon after her outburst. But Belldandy had to learn to confront her feelings and problems head-on, more than before. She had been hardened physically, but she still needed to toughen herself emotionally. That was why Peorth had seen fit to make her confront the child, sort out her emotions before they could further hurt her.

Much to her surprise, they had found Belldandy much more relaxed, even optimistic. She had stopped crying, which had puzzled Peorth, but she was not going to complain about it. As much as she was unwilling to admit it too openly, she cared a lot about Belldandy.

Now, she was standing outside of the room of the Goddess of the Present, while Belldandy and Keima had a private talk inside. Peorth only hoped it would go all right.

After it was over, she would take Keima back with Rind, and then he would be carried back to Earth to meet his supposed father.

The countermeasures to the attack of a possible God-Killer were well under way, and marching at a satisfying speed. The Tournament seemed to be regaining a good rythm, with no more big unpleasant surprises. Things were finally starting to look up once more.

Peorth sighed, as she continued waiting there.

Somehow, something still didn't feel right, though...

Next: Belldandy and Keima, Continuation.

[KingEli]

Magneto vs.Venom, Prelude:

"Good, we're just in time." Said Guy Sitting down with Tony Stark and Steve Rogers

"Well, well I didn't you would show up here again Gardner" Sa Spidey

"Eh, I'll be good, so wich losers are fighting now?."

"Doom's team and Team Malebogia." Said aand a Grim Tony Stark

"Geez, what is with this Doom guy?" Said Kyo

"Well Mate, let's just say he's a Thorn in EVERYONE's side." Said Brian Braddock taking a seat.

"How's Besty?" Asked Steve

"She' fine, she got over it pretty quickly."

"So what's this Doom guy has done?" Asked Guy

"Took over the world, what 3 times?" Said Spidey

"Jacked Cosmic powers from people who can take out everyone in this Tournament." Said Tony Stark

"And that's just a start." Said Steve "In other words, NEVER underestimate Doom, for he can come out on top if we're not careful."

"Oh joy." Said Kyo

The Ring:

"Will both Fighters tke there places? Said the Budokai Announcer

"Ths will be Quick, VERY Quick." Said Magneto using his Powers to make his Helmet appear to plac it on his head.

"Prepare to pay for your sins!" Said Venom

"Humor me." Said Magneto

Ok Fighters Ready?..............FIGHT!!!"

[Saint_007]

AHA! Your monopoly on Mahoujin Guru Guru gags has been broken, Saint! Victory is mine!OOC: *in Cartoon Dr Klaw's voice* Next time, Gadget!! Next time!!

IC:
Round One - Magneto vs Venom: The Bad, the Worse, and Both Really Ugly!!

"You're right about one thing, mutant!" Venom screeched as he lunged from the top of the cathedral he was perched on. "This will be REAL Quick!! Just hold still and I'll tear you up!"

Magneto merely flew out of reach, and countered with a weak magnetic shockwave, meant to stun. Venom was struck and knocked clean back, but he had seen the attack coming and used the symbiote to wisely cushion the blow. He landed on the ground, and snarled up at the mutant master of magnetism.

"Come back here, coward!! Are you so scared of us that you're using cheap tricks to stay away?!"

"No," replied Eric coolly. "I just have no time to waste on a miserable freak like you."

"We'll see about that!!"

Venom quickly disappeared behind a row of old buildings, to which Magneto retaliated by smashing them to rubble by forcefully pulling out the metal piping and structure. The remaining concrete crumbled violently, creating a large pile of debris.

Magneto eyed Venom's hand trying to push some larger pieces of wreckage off himself, so he retaliated by magnetically lifting a dozen cars and dropping them on the hand.

"Hee hee hee - SUCKER!!" came Venom's voice behind him.

Magneto turned around to see Venom using 'wings' made from the symbiote to glide quickly to him. Before he could react, Venom had grabbed on forcefully and began forcing his tendrils over the mutant's face.

"Hahaha!! We left a little bit of ourself back under the rubble to fool you, villain!!" chuckled Brock. "Now sit still and we'll just suck your brains out of your nose!!"

"Heh heh heh," Violator chuckled. "I like this Venom dude already..."

"Dammit!" Mystique hissed. "I need to help him!!"

Before she could move, however, she felt Kagato's hand on her shoulder.

"Wait... it would appear that your friend has a plan..."

Magneto, in his desperation, had magnetically forced several bells from the nearby churches. While Venom wasn't noticing, Magneto had managed to get them near enough, even though his eyes were blocked by the alien symbiote. Then, in a last ditch attempt, he rang all the bells at once.

The cacophony caused Venom to screech in pain, trying to cover his ears against the pain. The symbiote, in its agony and surprise, began peeling off, enough to show Eddie's face and shoulders.

Magneto, finally able to breathe, and with use of his eyes, slammed one large bell into Eddie, knocking the symbiote of himself. Eddie fell to the ground nimbly, but was suddenly pinned under a whole mass of Italian cars.

"Bwaahaahaaaa!!" mocked Eddie. "You call that pain?! Juggernaut tickled me more than that!!"

"We'll see about that!!" Eric replied, breathing hard, as he piled even more cars upon the madly laughing Venom, even dropping sections of a train and several buildings.

Eventually, the ground gave way under the massive weight of all the metal and debris, forcing Venom into the underground sewage of Rome. A camera picked up Eddie's unconscious form floating in the water.

"And that's the first round, folks!" the Budokai announced. "Magneto has won this round!! Our rescue team will retrieve Venom, but in the meanwhile, Sabretooth steps up to the ring!"

"Bah, what an amateur," growled Sabretooth. He turned to Magneto. "Hey, Maggie, prepare for the pain!!"

"We'll see about that..."

[T51R]

Next, Urd gets her herald[who's also gotten his senses back] back, and finally the birth of the big bad...as a certain soneone gains the Heart of the Universe :eek:

[OverMaster]

-Belldandy and Keima-

"Sit down, please" she gently asked as she patted with a hand on her bed, next to her, as she sat down on its soft surface covered by silky sheets herself. After a moment of hesitation, the boy followed suit with a respectful fashion. His head was hanged down, and his eyes seemed to be avoiding hers, which she soon noticed. "What's wrong, Keima-kun?" she smiled for him.

"I... I'm so sorry..." he began in a choked, barely audible voice. "I brought you nothing but grief and pain... I-I just wanted to meet you, you know? I never knew you... and Father...".

"Sshhh. Please" she gently asked, placing a soft finger over his trembling lips. "I know. It's not your fault. You have been dragged into a chain of events against your own will, and you have suffered a lot through them. If anything, I should apologize to you... I ran out on you when you needed our support the most...".

"No, that's not true" he shook his head. "You didn't have to help me, you are already doing way too much for the whole world... and I only came to bring you sorrow..." he finished bitterly.

"Keima-kun..." she sighed. Seeing him sad was like seeing Keiichi sad; when he was sad, you always literally got to see his heart breaking, beyond the slight feeling of anger and inconformity most people also felt when they were saddened.

"Uncle Celestine told me about... about you and Dad. I guess I should have known... when I first heard of Dad's wish when he met you... but for some reason, I never thought of it, you know?" he sobbed. "I always saw Mom and Dad together, in such a way... I never could imagine they could have ever been with someone else...".

"I see..." she softly nodded. A tingle of pain returned to her heart when hearing that, but she decided to brush it aside again.

"Don't get me wrong. They always showed they loved you a lot. When they remembered you, they told me nothing but the best things about you. Mom often said things would have been a lot better if you had been around. They always seemed so sad... a-about losing you. It's just I didn't suspect you had that... kind of link... to Dad".

"Romantical?" she blushed a bit.

He nodded, closing his eyes. "Yes. I think. I'm afraid I don't know a lot about adult love yet...".

She passed a hand through his hair and ruffled it. He was still innocent; not as innocent as Keiichi had been when she met him in his childhood, but that was logical from someone growing in such a much harder, harsher place.

"Keima-kun" she asked. "Please, tell me about you Mom and Dad. but no the sad moments. Tell me about all the times of happiness you had with them, will you?".

"Huh?" the child blinked, puzzled.

"I... I think I need it. I want to hear about people being happy again. Especially if those people are Keiichi and Skuld" the goddess explained. "I want to hear about all the happy days they had with you, watching you grow, giving you their love". She smiled, watching at the celing as Keima looked at her in awe. "Please, bear with me. Okay?".

He finally understood it, and nodded. "Okay, of course. I'll tell you all about them. But, are you sure... you want to hear it?".

"Every and each word of it" she nodded again.

"W-well, okay..." he said, and then began, "The first thing I remember of Mom and Dad is when...".

********************

Behind the Main Dome:

"Okay, you goons" Ranma huffed as he regarded the members of Team Mercenary. "I've followed you here, now speak. Unless this is an ambush; in that case just get ready to have the teeth blown out of your mouths!".

"My my, did we have nails for breakfast today?!" Deadpool chuckled, amused. "We told you we aren't here to fight, Dru Paul!".

"I'm not a crossdresser, dammit!" Ranma angrily spat. "Now tell me why do you want me here, or--".

"We already told you that, too" B.B. Hood spoke very seriously. "This is about Akane, and her vampire curse".

Ranma seemed pained, and recoiled for a second. "What...? What about Akane? Is she... okay?". Then he almost lunged forward to get Hood. "You haven't done anything bad to Akane, have you?!".

"Quiet there, Romeo!" Hood pointed at him with unbelievable speed and an Uzi, stopping him on his tracks. "You can't touch this little innocent girl here! Now listen: no, your precious girlfriend is, in a way, still safe and sound...".

"She-she's not my girlfriend!!" Saotome protested. "And why do you say 'in a way'?!".

"Because, in another way, she's already dead, dummy" Hood pointed out sternly. "She's a vampire, in case you haven't noticed it yet. And as such... she's beyond help, beyond hope".

"You are going with that crap again. Listen, there's always hope" Ranma grunted. "There's always a way. I'll find a cure for Akane and the others. I'll save them from that Demitri creep, and--".

"Don't be so damn naive!!" the small blonde snarled with ferocity. "Stop living in a fantasy world! That's why we are here. We want you to realize your gal-pal's needing you... but needing you to end with the pain of her unlife".

Ranma's face twitched. "WHAT?!?".

Next: The Blood!

[Mr.Sandman]

Sweat poured down the brows of the two challengers, locked in an epic duel of will and strength. The battle had continued throughout the day with no sign of stopping, within a matter of moments however the victor of the current battle would be decided.

*Crack*

"....best 25 outta 48!" The capped man known only as Sandman mumbled as he looked with disappointment at the large piece of wishing bone in his hand, while the other figure who was almost twice the size emitted a grunt of annoyance. "No, you lost, I won. You go and deliver report now."

"Dammit! Why do I always have to go in there......I swear it gets worse and worse every time I look." Sandman eyed the large double doors at the far end of the massive hall they now stood within. "You know what I mean....all those.....things in there."

"Sovereign of Kawaii think it cute, we not question her......but get scared too." The large man, despite his rough and brawler look, expressed an unnerved look as well at the sight of the rather normal entryway. Sandman twitched and turned his head back to the larger man. "Come on man.....one more go!"

"NO! You go now!" The man gave Sandman a powerful shove towards the door sending the capped villain off his feet and into a twitching pile on the floor. "Ow, Damn it.....I liked things better when I was charged of this evil empire!"

"I like it better when I once speak normal English.....Dark Mistress then think me and broken English is kawaii. Not spoken normal since......Now go deliver report before she get mad at both of us. If she get mad......us this" The large man tossed a rather small bag at the now recovering Sandman, striking him in the head. "Ow.....Geez, thanks Boris. I'd prefer you aim for a less important area next time. Listen.....if I don't come back this time..."

"I hold party using your cash and have way with dozens of girls in your honor."

Sandman sighed. "Well....good enough.......cheap bastard"

--------------------------------

"Hello.........Miss Kawaii Sovereign!" A narrow strip of light entered the dark hallway as Sandman poked his head through a crack in the door, then moments later pushed it open and stepped inside. It was like walking into a void, even the light from the door seemed to end only a little ways inside, consumed by the darkness. With a slam the door shut behind Sandman and he vanished within the eternal night.

Then the room exploded with light, so much that Sandman had to shield his eyes as if a sun had come to life just above him. All around him thousands of eyes seemed to turn upon his tiny form, giving him both an overwhelming sense of fear....and guilt.

They were dolls......thousands upon thousands of dolls that lined the sides of a narrow hall that stretched off into the infinite. Dolls of all various shapes and sizes, all of which seemed to have there heads turned in the direction of where sandman had just entered. Unnerved but determined, Sandman began to walk down the hallway despite how the feeling of being watched even as he moved.

No sooner had he stepped several meters in, the door behind him as well as the hall itself seemed to distort and then as if Sandman had sudden been launched forward at incredible speed the halls of dolls seemed to just fly by in such a blur Sandman could only guess there were numbers in the thousands passing by either side of him every second. Then with a sickening sensation the ride was over and Sandman found himself at an identical door at the end of the hall. Having already been scared enough by the dolls he quickly pushed through the doors and left the cold unblinking eyes behind him.

It was within the next room that he heard something more terrifying then everything he had just witnessed.

"......Saaaaannnnddyy-Chan!"

Looking at him from across the room was the spawn of the most darkest pit in the universe, a being for whom the universe itself shakes and soils itself in fear, a being that down turned its blood red eyes down upon the shaking sandman.....before giving her plushy a hug. "Sandy-Chan, come have tea with me!"

"Y-Yes! Right Away Sovereign of Kawaii!" Sandman stammered and quickly made his way across the room.

"Silly....that was yesterdays name.....Now I'm........Nadia the Kawaii Queen! Make sure to tell Boris too!" Nadia took a sip of tea and with a snap of her finger a chair appeared for Sandman to sit. "Sooo......You gonna tell me my plan is going all good are you sandy-chan? Tee-Hee"

Sandman took his seat and quivered a little. "Errr.......Well....Our team hasn't actually been in a fight yet. But we expect a good outcome.....I actually have something else to report."

"Hai?" Nadia put her Teddy bear aside and looked curiously at him.

"Well.....The Narrators have entered a team of there own, and so far they've.....won a match."

Nadia smiled, much to Sandman’s relief, and patted a rather large doll nearby that looked somewhat like a small man with a bald head. "Oh? Silly Narrators must still be feeling bad about there friend.....I think he looks much better the way he is now don't you think Sandy-chan?"

Sandman turned a glance to the doll, and shivered. "Errr....Yes Queenie. Also, we've gotten reports that....the authors are getting involved with the proceedings."

"Sandy-chan....and I though you came with bad news. That only makes things even more interesting." Nadia clapped her hands and smiled cheerfully. "I'll deal with the Authors soon.....but I trust you've already dealt with the Narrators group?"

"Eh? Do what now?" Sandman blinked? "....No......an Opportunity hasn't arisen yet....."

A vein suddenly developed in Nadia’s brow. "......So you came back her to tell me there was a problem without first doing something to fix it. Sandy-chan.......that wasn't very smart.....You don't wanna be a Baka do you?"

The room seemed to grow a little darker, and Nadia’s expression changed to a narrow eyed glare. "Bakas are the opposite of kawaii, If you’re a baka....I don't want you staining my perfect kawaii existence with your....kawaiikune!"

Sandman was shoved from his chair by a powerful force, his form being pushed along the ground like a rag doll before coming to a stop a few feet away. Nadia rose from her chair, her eyes glowing more red then usual as a dark aura spread outwards from her.

"Oh shit...Oh shit!!" Sandman poked his hands into his pockets as the angry goddess descended upon him and with a jerk her pulled out the bag, ripped it open and shoved its contents in Nadia’s direction just as it looked like it was the end for him.

The sound of dark energy was drowned out by a sudden squeal of joy, and Sandman opened his eyes to realize he was now holding.......a stuffed toy.

"Sooo Kawaii!!!" Nadia's aura had completely vanished and she snatched the toy from Sandman’s hand and hugged it. ".......Sandy-chan.....your dismissed. Go and deal with those mean old Narrators for me will you?"

Sandman nodded his head, turned, and booted it outta there as fast as his two legs could move while the dark goddess of kawaii snuggled up in the corner with her now toy for a nice nap and dreams of kawaiiness........AND EVIL!!!






(but mostly kawaiiness)

[Golden Darkness]

OOC: Ok, I promised last Wednesday... and I didn't post.

Damned Writer's block.

Here's something, but I haven't introduced what the Pantheon is yet.

Playing with Power, Part II

Carmen Sandiego was a woman who was hardly surprised. She was one of the greatest thieves in all of modern history, a feat she couldn't achieve without intense amount of preperation for all possibilities she or her V.I.L.E. henchmen could encounter during any of their heists. Nothing in the world was safe from her and her organization. From priceless artifacts to ancient structures, she had stolen it all.

Of course none of the stolen goods were ever kept in V.I.L.E.'s possession for long. Agents from the ACME Detective Agency dogged their steps constantly, recovering the stolen items and capturing numerous henchmen. She herself ended up in prison a few times(only to escape a few days later).

But that all soon changed recently. For an unexplainable reason, ACME had acquired enough resources to finally destroy V.I.L.E. for good. V.I.L.E had never regained it's former glory, and Carmen was finally sent to a prison that was designed more or less to keep her some seeing the world again.

A prison for super (yet non-violent) criminals.

That whole ordeal boggled her mind. She knew how ACME worked, once being one of the agency's top detectives before pursuing a career in theivery. She knew there was no way that ACME could have gained the resources to track down and locate all the hidden V.I.L.E. bases and sleeper agents in one fell swoop. The agency must have had help, powerful help. After all, only an "Act of God" would have stopped her from stealing.

With the recent revelations, it looked like her career's end was really due to an act of god, just not a god she expected to exist.

"Interesting," she remarked, staring at the diety that sat at the other end of the table. "To think someone in the heavens was interested in my capture. I'm not sure if I should be concerned or flattered."

"Feh. You aren't as great as you think you are, Miss Sandiego," the Player stated, "your exploits did grab less headlines over time, after all. Compared to terrorism and war, your heists, no matter how extragavent, are insignficant."

'Not to mention that as a brand, the Carmen Sandiego edutainment series is pretty much dead,' the Player thought to himself. "And since your heists were hardly newsworthy anymore, I figured I would help bury your dead career."

"Are you saying you helped ACME put me and my henchmen away because I wasn't a newsmaker, and not out of the goodness of your heart? Hmph. I guess that would be in the nature of a god like you."

"Hey, when you're a divine being, you have more opportunities open to you then when you are a mere mortal. But enough about that." With a press of a button on his remote, the bonds on the infamous thief fell off. "Snake, you and your team are dismissed." Once Snake and his team vacated the room, the Player motioned to Carmen to a chair. "Come sit, I have many things to speak to you about."

"Um Mr. Player, is it wise to remove her bonds now? She's supposed to be a major escape artist," a nearby concerned 8-bit style Toad inquired.

"And how is she going to escape? She knows what I'm capable of." The diety of videogaming gave the female thief a look of 'I dare you to try to escape, so I have a reason to pwn your ass.'

To that, Carmen didn't have an answer.

-----

"Go Jade! Kick that weirdo butt! And come back so we can.... OW!" Jamie raised a hand to his forehead, where he was struck by two fingers.

Those finger where attached to a aged man of Chinese descent, who has sitting next to Jamie in the dome's stands. "Slacker boy, stop hitting on niece! Uncle don't like that."

"Geez, sorry." Jamie apoligized, not wanting to offend the uncle of Jade. She was, after all, a super hot secret agent with magical talismans and mad martial arts skills. The fact that she carried a stuffed moose didn't diminish her attractiveness at all. Last thing he needed was to get on the wrong foot with Jade's family.

SNAP! "OW!"

"One more thing, slacker boy have no chance with Jade anyway."

"Swell." SNAP! "OW!"

"One more thing, Uncle disapproves of you. Jade deserves so much better."

Next to Uncle, Jackie Chan, famed archeologist/researcher/martial artist, shook his head at the sight, and turned to the person sitting next to him, a heavy Japanese male garbed in a Chi Wizard's outfit. "Tohru, what do you think of Jade's first opponent? Does she have a chance?"

"I believe that this Alphonse Elric would be a formiable opponent for Jade," Tohru answered. "From what I read from the bios the tournament provided, he's quite capable in the field alchemy, and his brother Edward more so. However, if Jade fights carefully, she should be victorious, especially if she takes advantage of the talismans."

"I still say she should have left some of the talismans with us. With the Dark Chi forces we put away now free, it should be us with the needed advantage. I am not as young as I once was when we first encounted them," Jackie commented.

SNAP! "OW!"

"Nephew still not getting big picture," Uncle admonished, taking away his hand. "Age don't matter. Talismans don't matter. Dark forces don't matter. Only thing that matters is if forces of good win this tournament."

[OverMaster]

-The Blood-

"You see, a vampire is naturally drawn to blood, Saotome" Hood began to explain, as Naga tapped a foot on the floor nervously behind her; she wanted to go watch Lina's butt being kicked as soon as possible. "Now, Demitri knows better than to get in trouble for now; he's a big leagues predator, but he can bid for his time and wait. However, your knucklehead fiancees are fresh vampires, still too unexperienced, too eager, with the eagerness the newly undead have. And with that comes the Bloodlust".

"You're full of it" Ranma huffed shaking his head. "Okay, Shampoo is always too impulsive, and Ucchan has her bad moments too... but they turning into bloodthirsty monsters just like that? No way!".

"Dammit, you!" the blonde spat, angrily stomping one foot down. "Again you go with your idiocy! You don't know anything about vampires and demons, do you? Listen: Vampires go after innocent blood. It's what they do. Those bimbos are all threats to public safety; the only thing mildly keeping them at bay for now is Demitri himself, and even he is the biggest menace of them all in the long run. Do you have any idea of what would he do if he won the tourney? Huh?". Next to her, her small dog Harry barked as if in confirmation of her words.

"So, I beat him, and free the girls. No sweat, I can do that".

Hood punched him in the head. Hard enough Ranma would have retaliated if she hadn't been a girl. "Moron! Don't you remember how Demitri toyed with you and Ryouga?! You have to train for 700 years before you can dream of matching him!".

"You can't be for real!" the gender bender young man protested. "I have to find a way to beat him before the next two weeks are over!".

"Hnh. Good luck with that" she replied. "I have been in the monster hunting business for years, and I'm far from being a match for him" she admited. "Even Donovan, the supposed strongest Darkstalker hunter in our world, has always had hard times when dealing with Demitri. So it's not as easy as slaying him and freeing your gal-pals. Especially since we have no idea about if killing him would break their curse".

"What?!" Ranma gasped.

"There are many kinds and breeds of vampires, each bloodline with their own sets of rules" Hood talked again. "As a son of a vampiress of high rank and a demon lord of the Makai world, Demitri is no normal bloodsucker... he's a hybrid, and is as tough as many of the rumored lords of lower hells out there. His sway on your girls should prove to be impossible to break. You have to realize that".

"Lies!!" Ranma shouted into her face, almost prompting Deathstroke to intervene, until Hood signaled him with a hand to not do it. The boy seemed to be almost on the edge of angry tears now. "What the hell are you trying to say?! That I should just give up on them?! To let YOU slay them like animals?!! The hell I will!!".

"If you truly love them, you'll do what's best for them" Hood said, never flinching. "You will set them free. Their souls claim for rest from the curse of the blood, and I can't get them that freedom alone. I know it's hard to swallow, but not every story has a happy ending, Saotome". She sighed deeply, then said, "Let me tell you a story about my Grandma, will you?".

*********************

Heaven:

Belldandy nodded again as Keima finished telling her about the last happy moment he remembered sharing with his parents. For the whole last hour, she had quietly listened to all what he had to say. She had heard about Uncle Bruce, who always came from Gotham at least twice a year to give reports and visit the boy; about Celestine, who had taken to tutor Skuld after both Belldandy and Beenuel was murdered by the God-Killer; about Constantine, the somewhat tamed mage who had taught Keima some elementary basics of magic; about Winry and Usopp, main assistants of Skuld in keeping New Asgard's systems up and running; and about others, like Mihoshi, like the reformed Cain Marko. Family and friends, the only ones he had known, living in their protected bubble into a hellish world.

Even there, there had been hope for the future, and happy moments along with the sad ones.

"I see" she finally said, passing a hand hrough the boy's hair again. "I'll do my best for them as well, Keima-kun. For your Mom and Dad, for Celestine-sensei and Constantine-san, for Usopp-kun and Winry-chan. For every last one of them, I won't allow anything bad to happen to them. No evil beings will win this event, no one will threaten their lives. You can count on me for that".

"But... but what if you beat the good guys, too?" he hesitated. "What will happen then?".

"If they truly are fighting with good in heir hearts, and conviction about what they do, I won't be able to beat them, trust me" she smiled. "Here in Heaven, willforce is everything. The material strenght is nothing is this plane. Even us, the gods, draw power on our resolves and spirits. And as I have learned... the human spirit is, in a way, unmatched in its strenght".

"I think I get it... But try not to be hurt, okay?".

"I won't. Look, when this all is over, we'll have a party for you at home. I'll bake you a cake, and we'll invite all your friends".

"R-really?".

"Really" she held a pinky in front of him, and understating, he wrapped a small pinky of his own around it. "Pinky promise".

"... Thanks, Aunt Belldandy. You are a wonderful person..." he was moved almost to tears.

"When you see Skuld and Keiichi again, tell them I'm not angry at them. Tell them I love them, and I want them to take good care of themselves until this all is finished. Will you do that, Keima-kun?".

"Y-yes... of course" he nodded nervously.

"Now, before you go, could you give me something to remember you?".

"Huh?".

"I'd like to have something yours on me when I am fighting. Something to remind me of why I do it. Something to give me strenght, and resolve...".

"I... I guess I could..." he looked down at his precious mallet, with some hesitation.

"Oh, not something you value too much" she pointed out. "You should keep your mallet; it is your most valued possesion after all. I only want something smaller, less important...".

He nodded again, and took a tissue out of one of his pockets, the same one Peorth had used to dry his tears. "Will this work?".

"It is perfect" Belldandy smiled sweetly, then tied the tissue around her right wrist. "I'll always look at it whenever I'm in doubt. Then I'll be reminded of the two persons I have ever loved the most, and about who's well on his way to become the third one". She giggled, and he giggled in turn, flattered. "Thank you very much, Keima-kun".

"No... thank you very much, Aunt Belldandy". And he tightly hugged her.

She hugged him back for a while, until she got back to her feet and guided him to the door. Peorth waited there.

"Peorth, take him to Rind, and tell her to carry him to meet Keiichi, will you?" the Norn gently asked.

"Very well" the other goddess simply nodded.

"And I want them all safe at all costs. Is that understood?".

"It's your tournament, Belldandy" she reminded her. "We'll tell Zauriel about it".

"Thank you, Peorth".

She and the boy had their goodbyes, and then he and Peorth were gone. Belldandy waited for a while, thinking, before going back to her room, and closed the door behind herself. She sat down on the bed again, and looked at the portrait on her nightdesk. She, Keiichi, Skuld and Urd. Then stared at the tissue wrapped around her wrist.

She only hoped she could make good on her promise.


Next: Xelloss Returns!

[T51R]

Ack, sorry guys, I can only write again on Wednesday. I have assignment due on Wednesday morning and so far its not going well. Apologies to Saint and LONC, I know I need to progress the story much quicker!

*bow bow bow* :o

[Saint_007]

Round 2 - Magneto vs Sabretooth: Mutant Monster Mash!

"Get ready... FIGHT!!"

Sabretooth immediately bolted for cover as soon as the bell rang. He knew that in a direct fight, Magento would simply hammer him aside. Besides, he never did like that uppity idealist - hell, he didn't like idealists on general principle - so he was just itching to see the look on the old fart's face when he got stabbed in the back.

Magneto, for his part, cursed silently. Venom was one thing, and was rather crafty at times. But Sabretooth, as feral and bloodthirsty as he was, was a trained assassin. One thing he understood better than Venom was the idea of tactics and ambushes. And he was a far superior fighter than Venom. Any slip-ups against Creed were potentially lethal.

The mutant master of magnetism began hurling aside the debris of the previous fight, then proceeded to uproot the smaller houses still left standing. He was determined not to give Sabretooth the advantage of surprise, not any cover to protect him.

The wrecking operation lasted for something like 15 minutes, leaving a giant crater of debris in the middle of simulated Rome. All that could be seen at the center of the city was a huge wreckage pile, as if a minor earthquake hit the area.

Magneto carefully lowered himself, enough to see if anything was still left standing, but not enough to be attacked. He craned his neck to see if Victor Creed was still around.

"Hey, Maggie-boy!!"

Magneto turned around just in time to see a couple of scrapped cars tossed at him. At a whim, he obliterated them both with his magnetic powers.

Then he heard motion behin him, the sound of steel claws extending, and an animalistic growl.

"Magneto, look out!!" cried Mystique, as she rushed into the field and aim her rifle.

Yet both Eric and Raven(*) were too slow in reacting, even if they were moving as fast as they can. There was the sound of tearing cloth, Magneto's agonised yell and Creed's dark laugh of success. Magneto knocked Sabretooth away with a magnetic shock, but the assassin had already struck; there was a deep gash running down his side.

"Typical Victor," mumbled Logan, watching sourly. "Always goes for the cheap shots." He found himself wondering, however, whether he would have dobne the same.

Then again, he was nothing like Creed. His stay with the X-Men proved that. He wasn't a weapon, not now, not ever.

"Dammit, Creed!" Mystique snapped angrily, emptying a full clip of her rifle into Sabretooth. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

"Winning the freaking match, babe, what did ya think?!" Sabretooth snapped back, slapping the physically weaker Mystique aside with one hand. "It's the end of the damned world, and you want me to play fair?! Since when?!" Sabretooth picked out a bullet from his flesh, sniffed it, and flung it disdainfully aside. "Ya know, Mystique, you of all people ought to know that bullets affect me less than a mosquito! I'm hurt, Raven-baby!"

Sabretooth was knocked back with a flying bus. Magneto was badly wounded, but still had plenty of fight left.

"Well, well," sneered Sabretooth. "Looks like the old man still hasn't kicked the bucket yet. Whatsamatter, old man, need any help to get it through yer skull that you're going down?!"

"I won't lose, monster," snapped Eric. "Not to someone like you!"

"Not to someone like me?" Victor felt compelled to laugh. "Why, what makes you think you're any different from me?! What about New York?!"

"I am NOT a MURDERER!!" Magneto snarled, tossing a telephone pole at his opponent.

Sabretooth simple laughed as he grabbed the hapless Mystique and tossed her in front of the incoming mass of steel.

"LADIES FIRST!!!"

Magneto had no choice but to change the trajectory of the metal to avoid hitting Mystique, but left himself wide open for Sabretooth's side attack. Once again, he knocked Sabretooth into a building, but not before he had sustained some more heavy slashes.

"Heh, heh, whatsamatta, Maggie," snickered the larger mutant. "Too old? Or too sissy?"

"You..."

"Face it old-timer, I'm better than you-"

"Better?!" Eric seemed to be vivid with anger. "I grew up in a concentration camp, run by people like you!" Metal debris began freeing itself from the surroundings and hovered around Magneto. "It is because of people like you who give a bad name to mutants!"

"Yakkity yak yak, let's end this," Sabretooth snarled. But as soon as he jumped, he found himself frozen in mid-air. Several large pieces of metal impaled him, holding him immobilised by Magneto's power.

"You seem to forget who and what I am," Magneto growled. "I have tried to spare you so far, but you seem insistent on forcing my hand. Very well, then - I will show you why we are nothing alike!"

"Whuh- what are you doing!!" Sabretooth felt that something was very, very wrong, and tried vainly to escape the hold Magneto had on him.

Wolverine suddenly realised what was about to happen, and turned pale. He immediately began running away from the arena, trying to get away before the nausea overcame him.

"Hey," Kyo said, seeing Logan. "Is something wrong with that freaky buddy of yours? He seems a bit scared; I thought he was tougher than that."

"Scare- oh crap," Spidey said as the realisation dawned.

"You mean-"

"Yeah, Cap. It's gonna get ugly. REAL ugly..."

Guy watched in mixed surprised and curiousity as Spidey webbed his ears and Tony fumbled with his suit.

"Hey, what's going on?" asked the Green Lantern.

"Guys, you might want to cover your ears," Spidey replied. "And get a barf bag. Or just get out of here really, really fast. Cause the screams are gonna get REALLY loud..."

What happened next could only be described as utterly gruesome.

"EeeeEEEEEEIIIIIIIIIYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUGGGG GGHHHH!!!"

Sabretooth's scream echoed across the arena as Magneto's intense magnetic fields sucked the adamantium right off Victor's bones and through the pores of his skin. Kyo was stupefied, a whole lot of people in the audience were suddenly sick, and Iron Man seemed to be wretching.

Once it was over, Magneto dropped the still shivering Sabretooth to the floor.

"And that is the difference between us, Sabretooth," sneered Magneto. "If I were like you, I would have not taken the effort to keep you alive.

"Now get out of my sight..."

Sabretooth was carried out of the arena on a stretcher, unconscious, whereas Magneto went to Team Latveria's bunker to get bandaged up.

"You're beginning to slip, Eric," Doom reproached him.

"Enough of that. It's a mistake I won't make again..."

Ash Crimson was disgusted. Two of his teammates down, while the other team was going strong.

"Is this your boss's choices, clown," asked the young man in disgust.

"Ah, shaddap," Violator barked sourly. "I'll show that punk mutie a thing or two..."

(*) - Raven Darkholme, Mystique's real name

[OverMaster]

Ack, sorry guys, I can only write again on Wednesday. I have assignment due on Wednesday morning and so far its not going well. Apologies to Saint and LONC, I know I need to progress the story much quicker!

*bow bow bow* :o

It's okay, do what you have to do. Good luck with that assignment.

[Lord of Nonsensical Crap]

-The Blood-

"You see, a vampire is naturally drawn to blood, Saotome" Hood began to explain, as Naga tapped a foot on the floor nervously behind her; she wanted to go watch Lina's butt being kicked as soon as possible. "Now, Demitri knows better than to get in trouble for now; he's a big leagues predator, but he can bid for his time and wait. However, your knucklehead fiancees are fresh vampires, still too unexperienced, too eager, with the eagerness the newly undead have. And with that comes the Bloodlust".

"You're full of it" Ranma huffed shaking his head. "Okay, Shampoo is always too impulsive, and Ucchan has her bad moments too... but they turning into bloodthirsty monsters just like that? No way!".

"Dammit, you!" the blonde spat, angrily stomping one foot down. "Again you go with your idiocy! You don't know anything about vampires and demons, do you? Listen: Vampires go after innocent blood. It's what they do. Those bimbos are all threats to public safety; the only thing mildly keeping them at bay for now is Demitri himself, and even he is the biggest menace of them all in the long run. Do you have any idea of what would he do if he won the tourney? Huh?". Next to her, her small dog Harry barked as if in confirmation of her words.

"So, I beat him, and free the girls. No sweat, I can do that".

Hood punched him in the head. Hard enough Ranma would have retaliated if she hadn't been a girl. "Moron! Don't you remember how Demitri toyed with you and Ryouga?! You have to train for 700 years before you can dream of matching him!".

"You can't be for real!" the gender bender young man protested. "I have to find a way to beat him before the next two weeks are over!".

"Hnh. Good luck with that" she replied. "I have been in the monster hunting business for years, and I'm far from being a match for him" she admited. "Even Donovan, the supposed strongest Darkstalker hunter in our world, has always had hard times when dealing with Demitri. So it's not as easy as slaying him and freeing your gal-pals. Especially since we have no idea about if killing him would break their curse".

"What?!" Ranma gasped.

"There are many kinds and breeds of vampires, each bloodline with their own sets of rules" Hood talked again. "As a son of a vampiress of high rank and a demon lord of the Makai world, Demitri is no normal bloodsucker... he's a hybrid, and is as tough as many of the rumored lords of lower hells out there. His sway on your girls should prove to be impossible to break. You have to realize that".

"Lies!!" Ranma shouted into her face, almost prompting Deathstroke to intervene, until Hood signaled him with a hand to not do it. The boy seemed to be almost on the edge of angry tears now. "What the hell are you trying to say?! That I should just give up on them?! To let YOU slay them like animals?!! The hell I will!!".

"If you truly love them, you'll do what's best for them" Hood said, never flinching. "You will set them free. Their souls claim for rest from the curse of the blood, and I can't get them that freedom alone. I know it's hard to swallow, but not every story has a happy ending, Saotome". She sighed deeply, then said, "Let me tell you a story about my Grandma, will you?".


Further in the distance, a red-coated figure listened to the conversation with interest as he sat in a cafe. Alucard had recently left the training grounds to find out everything he could about the rivals teams -- particularly the ones with Undead in them. That, and to find out what he could about what was going on with the Millennium invasion back in Britain. In the case of the latter, he had heard nothing: he knew Seras could handle herself, but it was Integra he was worried about. Even though he was working for Vellinor now, he was still bound by his own personal sense of honour to serve Integra. Then again, what with the whole end-of-the-world scenario and everything, he had other things to worry about.

The vampire smiled as he listened intently. That poor kid had "in over his head" written all over him. He'd have to kill his vampirized girlfriends sooner or later -- it was the only way, after all -- though he wasn't sure he ought to trust those losers to help him. This Demitri fellow sounded like a tough customer, though -- he hadn't fought another True Vampire since Incognito. If Demitri could be counted as a True Vampire, that is: demonic blood would technically make him a half-breed freak.

Still smiling to himself, Alucard stood up and headed back to the training grounds. Hell, he might help this poor kid out later on in taking on Demitri and his concubines. For now, though, he had some fights to watch.

[KingEli]

Further in the distance, a red-coated figure listened to the conversation with interest as he sat in a cafe. Alucard had recently left the training grounds to find out everything he could about the rivals teams -- particularly the ones with Undead in them. That, and to find out what he could about what was going on with the Millennium invasion back in Britain. In the case of the latter, he had heard nothing: he knew Seras could handle herself, but it was Integra he was worried about. Even though he was working for Vellinor now, he was still bound by his own personal sense of honour to serve Integra. Then again, what with the whole end-of-the-world scenario and everything, he had other things to worry about.

The vampire smiled as he listened intently. That poor kid had "in over his head" written all over him. He'd have to kill his vampirized girlfriends sooner or later -- it was the only way, after all -- though he wasn't sure he ought to trust those losers to help him. This Demitri fellow sounded like a tough customer, though -- he hadn't fought another True Vampire since Incognito. If Demitri could be counted as a True Vampire, that is: demonic blood would technically make him a half-breed freak.

Still smiling to himself, Alucard stood up and headed back to the training grounds. Hell, he might help this poor kid out later on in taking on Demitri and his concubines. For now, though, he had some fights to watch.

"You hear that Dante? Said Blade also overhearing the Conversation

"Yep. You sure you want to go after this guy? Darkstalkers are way diffrent from the Breed of Vamps you fight in your world." He Replied

"That I know, but I made it my mission to hunt down these bloodsuckers and to kill each and every one of them." Said The Daywalker "So you for it?"

"Sure." Said The Son of Sparda "this sounds like this is going to be one hell of a party."

[Saint_007]

Round One - A-Ko Magami vs Sagat: Beauty and the Beast Bash!

Chibi-Alaniel: "Oh for... who the hell comes up with these names?!"

Chibi-Anzell: "I'm sure Saint-kun has a reason, Alaniel-kun."

Chibi-Saint: "Would you two stop ruining the freaking scene?! I'm the author of these posts and I'll name them any way I want so why don't you two just get a motel r- eep!!"

*Chibi Anzell is giving Chibi-Saint "The Stare"*

Chibi-Anzell: "What. Did. You. Say?!"

Chibi-Saint: "...mommy..." *skittles away like a crab*

Chibi-Alaniel: "Sheesh, what's with everyone?"

Chibi-Anzell: "Honestly! What do they think we are?"

*Chibi Alaniel and Chibi-Anzell begin to walk away*

Chibi-Alaniel: "GAH! What the-?! Who put superglue on the floor!!"

Chibi-Anzell: "EEEK! BANANA PEELS!!"

*Chibi-Alaniel manages to catch Chibi-Anzell in a 'dive' dancing position*

Chibi-Alaniel: "Hey! You okay, Anze- uhhh..." *blushes*

Chibi-Anzell: *blushing crimson* "Uhm... uh... yeah, I guess..."

Voice #1: "Hee hee hee! It worked!!"

Voice #2: "SSSSSHHHH!!"

*Chibi-Anzell & Chibi-Alaniel see a bush bristling with motion. Chibi-Alaniel blasts it to reveal Chibi-Urd and Chibi-Ryoko. Both girls notice that they've been discovered*

Chibi-Urd: "Uh oh..."

Chibi-Anzell & Chibi-Alaniel: "Why you..."

Chibi-Urd: "Gee, lookit the time! Gotta go!" *runs away*

Chibi-Ryoko: "Hey wait for me!" *runs after Urd*

*Chibi-Anzell and Chibi-Alaniel immediately get up looking really pissed. Chibi-Alaniel kicks the pieces of floor still stuck to his boots*

Chibi-Anzell: *brandishing spears* "COME BACK HERE!!"

*Chibi-Alaniel and Chibi-Anzell chase Chibi-Urd and Chibi-Ryoko all over the screen, Alaniel bradishing his katana and Anzell throwing a rapid hail of spears, while Ryoko's sticking her tongue at them. They eventually fade into the distance*

Chibi-Overmaster: *dragging Chibi-Saint in* "Okay what the hell is this mess?!"

Chibi-Saint: "...sorry..."

Chibi-OverMaster: "What do you MEAN 'Sorry'?! You said that you'd get the post done quickly!!"

Chibi-Saint: "...sorry..."

Chibi-Overmaster: "Ugh, what a waste of time!!"

*OM whistles, and Chibi-Excel suddenly shows up, vibrating in place as if she was just running and came to a sudden stop*

Chibi-Excel: "HAAII!!"

Chibi-Overmater: *points to Chibi-Saint* "Get rid of this waste of organic matter!!"

Chibi-Excel: *pulls out massive Chainsaw and freaks Chibi-Saint out* "HAAAIII!!! For Il-Palazzo-sama and ACROSS!! Extreme Genocide without questioning why!!"

*Chibi-Saint runs away followed closely by the chainsaw-wielding nutcase Chibi-Excel*

Chibi-Overmaster: "Dammit, I'm late for something else now... grumble grumble..." *walks off angrily*

Chibi-A-Ko: *walking in with Chibi-Sagat* "Hey, wasn't this where we were supposed to fight?!"

Chibi-Sagat: "Huh, stupid Saint..."

Chibi-A-Ko: "Ah, well, let's fight anyways! Haaaaaa!!"

Chibi-Sagat: "Excellent idea! Hyaahh!!"

*both rush at each other*

Chibi-Sagat: "Scissors!!"

Chibi-A-Ko: "Rock!!"

*Chibi-Sagat sits on the floor and starts crying cartoonishly*

Chibi-Sagat: "WAAAAHH!! I'm never good at this!!"

Chibi-A-Ko: *pats Sagat on the shoulders* "Aawww, come on, don't cry!! You're a big boy..."

*Chibi-Joker pops up before the camera*

Chibi-Joker: "Dammit!! All this insanity and I'm not in it!? I'll get my revenge on you all!!" *angrily flips the audience the bird*

*Looney-tunes style circle closes in on Chibi-Joker, clamping on his finger*

Chibi-Joker: "OWWWW!!! Hey, where's yous sense of humor!? OW OW OW OW OW!!" *manages to pull out his finger, and circle closes properly*

[J Dog]

(I'm not good at NODE characters, but I'm going to try again here)

"Geez, what's with ya?" Jack asked Nudoru, kinda ticked by the Lobo-ish reaction. "Man, you are such a crab."

Nudoru was too busy getting himself up, only to fall and snap a leg because he tripped on a rock. "Damn!" He screamed. "Look, sorry back there, but I kicked out of Heaven, and I'm still not to happy about it. If I took all of that out on you, then I am sorry. Usually I don't work like that."

"And, I apoligize for my actions too, but you really shouldn't have done that stupid hammer trick." Miso agreed. "If I haven't already said it, I am Miso, and I am Nudoru's guardian angel."

"You know, for a moment I thought you were like that Captial One angel." Jack told him. "You know, very unreliable. Dude, 's cool." But in reality, Jack was wondering about Nudoru's personality. A minute ago, he was lashing out, and now he's all kind. Okay, sometimes losing a spot from heaven really is bad. He then turned to Mimi, who came back quickly. "I changed my mind." She said. "Something's wrong with this guy."

"I know, Mimi. Something IS wrong." Jack told her.

"Hey, what's the big idea about us?" Nudoru asked the two. "Do you really have a problem with the two of us?"

"You came from above, and now you have two sets of personalities." Mimi told the God. "This needs to be straightened out."

(Oh, man, I told you I don't do good on NODE characters... 'sweatdrops')

[OverMaster]

OOC: ................ *Sweatdrops*

IC:

-Xelloss Returns, Prelude-

"Once upon a time, there was a little, really innocent girl who lived in a pretty cabin in the woods with Mom and Dad" B.B. Hood began, as Ranma groaned to himself. If this was a bogus love story like Mousse's for Shampoo, he wanted it to be over as soon as possible. "That is, until one dark full moon night, when the girl was really, really young, grim creatures of the night bursted into their home and killed her parents. In a very, very messy way" she continued with a sudden chilling edge creeping into her voice, making Ranma to blink.

"Oh, I like where is this headed" Deadpool commented, as Naga's face went green at the mere thought of blood.

"However, the monsters didn't notice the presence of the little girl, who was too scared and well hidden. They left, and the girlie went out just to see the horrible scene of what was left of her dear parents. The girlie felt crushed she had been weak, and they had taken all she had in the world. She never was the same from that night on. Something inside her had died as messily as her parents had".

Naga winced again. The memories of her own mother's death came to her mind now. Deathstroke was reminded of Jericho's death. Deadpool just was thinking of killing wacky Tom Cruise or someone else.

Ranma had fell totally silent and atent as he listened to Hood's story. "The girl was adopted by her Grandma after all" she went on. "Grandma taught her the cruel truths of life. She taught her she had to be the predator to avoid being the prey. She taught her how to shoot, how to kill, and how to be good at it. A great woman, that Grandma. But most important of all, she taught the girl how to accept two realities: One, never do things for free, because that's for idiots. Two, never hesitate. Never be a weakling, or you're dead. Don't let your heart to think for your mind. You sure should learn that lesson too, Ranma".

"Now, wait a minute--" he tried to speak, but she just continued,

"However, Grandma was far from her prime. And the monsters, for some reason, just seemed to keep coming after the girl. Another night, Grandma and the girl were ambushed by a werewolf pack. They murdered Grandma. The girl barely escaped alive. From that day on, her new life was complete. If they wanted to come after her, she would turn the tables, going after them instead. And she'd enjoy doing it!".

"Bravo!" Deadpool clapped. "You could make a mint writing children's storybooks, Bonnie! Now, my turn! Let me tell you all about Weapon X and a widdle innocent kid named Wade...".

"Shut up" Hood snarled to him, then turned to the martial artist again. "Get my point? Sometimes, you'll have to accept you have to let people go. And even if I don't ice them, there are lots of other vampire hunters on these grounds. Ever heard of that Blade guy? Wade says he's very good. And I've also fought that Alucard guy who was around when you first faced Demitri. Powerful bastard. I think he'd eat you for lunch and still have room for your teammates if you ever fought him".

"I don't care the odds" Ranma declined. "Look, I'm sorry about your losses, but I'm not going to have mine without giving a fight first. I can't help you to slay Akane and the others. I'll find a way to save them even if it means I have to beat the living crap out of everyone here, and that's it. And if I see you trying to hurt them... you'd better be ready for some pain".

"Idiot" Hood muttered. "Very well, have it your way. But don't whine to me later about how I was right. Keep in mind, Demitri must have an interest on *you*, too. Remember how he said he didn't know if he wanted you as a lackey or a concubine? He goes after the strong and pretty to serve him".

"And you think he's pretty? Awwww!!" Deadpool quipped teasingly, poking one of her cheeks with a gloved hand while pointing at Ranma with the other. Hood slapped his hand aside.

"Anyway" she said, as she threw a bottle of Miraclo pills to Ranma, "If you ever get in too much of a jam, swallow one of these. Just one at a time. They'll give you supernatural superstrenght in addition to your own". Without a single word more, she turned around and began to walk away. "Let's go. Naga, I thought you wanted to see Inverse fighting?".

"Ah, ah, yes" the sorceress quickly went after her.

"You gave him a bottle of Miraclo!" Deadpool whistled while also following her, with a silent Slade closing the march. "Are you sure that was smart?".

"Feh. I can ask Moore for more pills later. And I get the feeling that moron will need 'em more than me".

"And what's the catch?" Deathstroke finally asked.

"Catch?".

"You just said you do nothing without a payment or reward" the oldest merc of the group replied. "I can't believe you just gave that to him without hoping something from him in the future".

"Maybe" she just shrugged, never stopping her steps. "But I don't have to tell you about it, do I?".

Left behind, Ranma tightened a fist.

Now he knew he really had to confront the girls. For their own good.

********************

MUGEN Hospital:

A black cone of swirling magical energy appeared floating above the rooftop, soon taking the shape of a smiling, purple haired young man with a black cape and a staff in a hand. He looked down at the building, and floated down to its front door.

He went through it, and headed for the receptionist. The area was still in repairs, after all the recent incidents with Sakura, Yamazaki, and the Orochi forces. "Excuse me, Ma'am" he cheerfully asked the woman. "I understand you just got a recent entry to this unit. A young woman with a severed arm, and severe blood loss. Her name's Tendo Nabiki".

She looked at her computer files, then nodded. "Yes, they just brought her in a few minutes ago. Are you a relative of hers, sir?".

"No. Just a concerned friend". And he beamed that good natured smile of his again.

The one that always fooled everyone.


Next: Face to face!

[KingEli]

Dr.Doom vs. Violator, Prelude:
"Well it seems the other two jokers were a waste, hehe, so it means ol'clony is going to have some fun." Said The Violator

"I'm Done for the day." Said Magneto walking out of the ring.

"Wha?" Said The Ref and Violator

"Did I stutter, I said I'm Finished for the day, Doom can take my place."

"Talk about Ego." Said Kyo

"That's nothing wait till Doc Doom gets in the ring, THAT'S Ego." Said Spidey

"What's Happening" Said Iron Walking back

"Where did you went?" Said Spidey

"Where Logan was..........He's Barfing as we speak and I got rid of mines."

"How" Said Kyo

"Built in barf Bag."

"Damn is there anything that suit can't do?" Said Guy

"Well.............It can't cook a good omlet. You seemed to take it well Guy."

"Trust me I go through Outer Space, and I've seen Nastier."

The Ring:

"Well Magnus is there something the Matter?" Said Doom

"No...............There is no honor in a VERy Easy Victrory, plus I feel Restrated." Replied Magneto

Hn. Fine, I shall Deal with the Other two." Said Doom Walking to the Ring

"You know my boss would love to meet you Doomie." Said Violator "Most of Hell Want'cha!"

"Vile Thing, you will fall to Doom's Will."

[T51R]

~Multiplanar personality disorder: THE CURE!?~




“Hey. Jack.” Miso whispered as he leaned towards the young man. “Could you do me a favour?”

“Yeah?”

“One. I‘ll need you to turn Tiffany ad Mimi around. Two, I‘ll need to borrow that hammer of yours. We got an appointment to keep.”

“Right,” the young man muttered while handing over his weapon, and then caught both his sister and Mimi by their shoulders and faced them away from the aberration of an Angel. No sooner than he had done so the sound of brutal clubbing, breaking bones, perforating lungs and a cracking skull filled the air together with the smell f freshly spilled blood, brains and torn flesh. “Hey, Miso, what was…” He remained kneeling, reeling in disgust at the sight of the God-Killer’s brains splattered across the shattered landscape, his bones ground into dust and spread around the area like brown leaves blown by the wind. Not to mention the odd piece of intestine here and there, and the colon which was now hanging off of Dorado’s nose. “Dear God…Miso, what…WHY!? Mimi, sis, listen, I need the two of you to just walk straight, go right over there and whatever happens, don‘t look back. I need you to promise me.” Both girls nodded, slightly alarmed, and obeyed.

“Multiplanar personality disorder,” Miso explained while looking over the mangled remains of its host. “He copped some abuse before being sent back here.”

“SOME ABUSE!?” Dorado screamed, shaking pieces of intestine off of his snout. “YOU JUST BEAT HIM TO A BLOODY PULP!” He pointed at the tiny piles of biofibre spread around the now-barren field amidst pools of blood. Piles of Biofibre whish were by now creeping their way towards each other. “AND HE‘S STILL ALIVE!?”

“Well yeah,” the Angel muttered, as the pieces of flesh finally stopped creeping around and a portal began to form above him. “Here he comes.” The portal began to glow slightly and finally opened with a soft hum, spitting the God-Killer onto the ground with a crash.

“WHAT THE HELL!?” everyone else screamed, the piles of flesh beginning evaporate into mist, finding their way back to their host body.

“Shit,” Nudoru muttered as Miso fused into his back. “Dude, I need to sit down,” he rubbed his forehead, and noticed a smear of ink on his armoured palm. Slowly an after-image, a perfect doppelganger of the God-Killer began to appear sitting next to him. “Uhhh, banned?” he read the words off of the forehead of his double. “WHAT THE F*CK!?” The after-image vanished as Nudoru sprang to his feet. “Crap, what the hell!? Hey, guys? I gotta go check something with my boss aight?”

“Uhhh, yeah, whatever…” Dorado muttered, as the being before them disappeared, shifting through space/time.




-Later-


“Kaarage,” Urd’s fingers trembled as she hefted her broom with her left hand, and brandished a series photographs printed off of security camera footage with her right. Photographs which she had just received, thanks to Washu. “WOULD YOU CARE TO EXPLAIN THIS!?” The Goddess of the Past shoved the picture of her Herald with his head buried between Athena’s thighs and his crotch plastered onto Washu’s face towards him. “JUST WHAT IN NIFELHEIM DID YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING!?” she screamed, and held up a picture of the God-Killer blowing past Saga of Gemini in a hail of Kameis shards, the moment right before the incident with Rind. “AND WHAT IS THIS!?” she pointed at the photo, “You know, she‘s probably never going to leave you alone now. Every off-day she gets, she‘s gonna make your life a living hell!” She stabbed her finger at her Herald’s forehead, while dropping several other, rather compromising pictures to the floor to reveal the document behind them; a signed and sealed notice of disbarment from the Council of Heaven, as well as an indefinite ban from Heaven, stamped several times over with the seal of the Living Tribunal in the shape of a smiley face. “Looks like you got the High Inquisitor‘s Seal of Approval as well,” Urd sighed.

In he corner, Nudoru simply sat quietly while mumbling something unintelligible.

“Listen,” the Goddess of the Past sighed. “this is probably gonna last a while. However, in the meantime I‘ll need for you to accompany myself, as well as a few others on an expedition. Be prepared.”

“Yeah,” Nudoru muttered as Urd turned and left through the door, on her way to gather up her expedition party. "Man I can't believe this shit," the God-Killer whispered as Miso stuck its face out of his chest. "I can't believe we never got to see the Lord of Nightmares nekkid..."

[Saint_007]

OOC: Okay, I was going to put the fight post earlier, but then I noticed how corny the titles I made for the fights were. So poked fun at them, and one thing lead to another.

*looks around the corner*

Now if you'll excuse me, Excel's still coming after me with that chainsaw of hers. As I flee with my life, here's the fight post!

Round One - Eiko (A-ko) Magami vs Sagat: Beauty and the Beast Bash!

"Are you two ready?" Hanagata asked. "Then - FIGHT!!"

Immediately Eiko began with a high jump, to which Sagat countered by his trademark Tiger Punch. Eiko simply used his hand as a springboard and then kicked him in the back of the neck with her heel.

Sagat fell on his back. Groggily he got up, shaking his head. However, he was beginning to enjoy this fight. A strong opponent ideed. She would be an excellent test of his combat abilities. He then struck with his High Tiger Shot. Eiko dodged it quickly and ran at the Muy Thai champion. Sagat countered with a Low Tiger Shot, but she dodged that as well, just as she dodged the torrent of Tiger Shots that Sagat rained on her.

But just as she got close enough to land a punch on Sagat, Rio suddenly ran out as Striker and slammed into her. Before she got thrown back too far, Sagat coupled Rio's Striker attack with his Tiger Raid attack.

Eiko was knocked clear through several blocks of buildings.

"And Sagat gets first blood!!"

"Heh, that was almost... disappointing..." Sagat chuckled.

"Well, how about an encore?!" A-ko snapped as she dashed through the trail of debris and bodyslammed Sagat.

Sagat was knocked clear down the street, and sunk to his knees from the force of the blow.

"So, wanna fight some more?" A-Ko snickered. "Or you too old to stay up this late?"

"Impudent wench!!" Sagat snarled.

to be continued...

[Lord of Nonsensical Crap]

Chibi-Joker: "OWWWW!!! Hey, where's yous sense of humor!? OW OW OW OW OW!!" *manages to pull out his finger, and circle closes properly*

Chibi-Lord: And they say I'M crazy.

Chibi-Vellinor: Want me to prankify them, boss?

Chibi-Lord: No, I . . . . .wait, what the hell are you doing out of the story?

Chibi-Vellinor: Aw come on! Anzell and friggin' Moroniel got to be in this Chibi thing! Can't I join in? Please, pretty please?

Chibi-Lord: No! Now get back to work! AND STOP GIVING ME THOSE SAD PUPPY EYES! (kicks Vellinor off the screen)

Chibi-Vellinor (off-screen): You're just jealous because I have more wit and charisma than you'll ever have!

Chibi-Lord: THAT'S IT! (pulls out a bazooka and shoots off-screen. A second later, a crispified Chibi-Nudoru and Chibi-Miso slump down onto the floor from off-screen)

Chibi-Lord: Oh nonsenscial crap . . . . . (quietly shoves the bodies under a rug, and walks away whistling nonchalantly)

[Lord of Nonsensical Crap]

OOC: Okay, I was going to put the fight post earlier, but then I noticed how corny the titles I made for the fights were. So poked fun at them, and one thing lead to another.

*looks around the corner*

Now if you'll excuse me, Excel's still coming after me with that chainsaw of hers. As I flee with my life, here's the fight post!

Round One - Eiko (A-ko) Magami vs Sagat: Beauty and the Beast Bash!

"Are you two ready?" Hanagata asked. "Then - FIGHT!!"

Immediately Eiko began with a high jump, to which Sagat countered by his trademark Tiger Punch. Eiko simply used his hand as a springboard and then kicked him in the back of the neck with her heel.

Sagat fell on his back. Groggily he got up, shaking his head. However, he was beginning to enjoy this fight. A strong opponent ideed. She would be an excellent test of his combat abilities. He then struck with his High Tiger Shot. Eiko dodged it quickly and ran at the Muy Thai champion. Sagat countered with a Low Tiger Shot, but she dodged that as well, just as she dodged the torrent of Tiger Shots that Sagat rained on her.

But just as she got close enough to land a punch on Sagat, Rio suddenly ran out as Striker and slammed into her. Before she got thrown back too far, Sagat coupled Rio's Striker attack with his Tiger Raid attack.

Eiko was knocked clear through several blocks of buildings.

"And Sagat gets first blood!!"

"Heh, that was almost... disappointing..." Sagat chuckled.

"Well, how about an encore?!" A-ko snapped as she dashed through the trail of debris and bodyslammed Sagat.

Sagat was knocked clear down the street, and sunk to his knees from the force of the blow.

"So, wanna fight some more?" A-Ko snickered. "Or you too old to stay up this late?"

"Impudent wench!!" Sagat snarled.

to be continued...


Elsewhere, B-ko arrived, quickly flying downwards and slowing down to land in an unoccupied seat. The match had already started, and, annoyingly enough, A-ko was NOT being beaten to a bloody pulp by Sagat.

"BEAT HER DOWN, SAGAT!" she shouted. "TEACH THAT LITTLE SLUT A LESSON!"

A minute later, Black Mage and Silent Bob floated down onto an empty seat next to her. "Geez, what's with the PMS all of a sudden?" Black Mage asked. "Did she steal your boyfriend or something?"

"None of your business!" B-ko snapped. With that, she turned back to the fight, anxious to see A-ko bleed . . . .

*****

Elsewhere, Alucard was heading back to the training grounds when he paused. Frowning, he turned around and saw Ranma standing alone, holding a bottle of pills in his hand. The mercenaries, apparently, had already left.

The vampire shrugged to himself. Oh well, he might as well follow the kid and make sure he didn't do anything stupid . . . . like try to take on Demitri by himself. He'd seen this Ranma kid in action, and he seemed like a pretty powerful fighter. The last thing anyone needed was for someone of his skill and strength to be turned into a vampire.



Coming Soon: Anzell and Alaniel discuss strategy, and Nabeshin encounters Silent Bob!

[J Dog]

Street Fury- Part I

Back in Houston, Texas, Jack's best friend before Dorado, Zachary Froppe was busy preparing his muscled-car, as a gift to Jack once the tournament ends. Zachary, like Jack, was born into the hard life. However, his father had racing blood in him, and was able to make a living working at an auto shop. Eventually, his father opened up a garage in the outskirts of the town, and tricked out cars were the norm at the spot. However, at the age of 14, his father was diagnosed with lukemia, the cancer of the blood. To this day, he builds cars in his spare time, and places an insigna on the steering wheel to honor his father, who had succummbed two years before. Basically, Froppe, Stallwall, and Kompson were a team. However, Froppe, besides his driving skills at such a young age, dosen't have a hammer, can't use magic, wield a sword, or have usage of just one arm; which in turn means, you can't beat a foe by just driving circles around him. So, he stayed put and decided to build cars.

Today, however...

A hispanic man dropped by the garage. He was tall, had dark hair, and was well dressed. To put it, he was Ricky Martin, but couldn't sing now-annoying songs. Of course, he wasn't Ricky Martin, but his name was Juan Esquia. Esquia walked towards the Toyota Zach was remodeling, and noticed the nitrous. "So, is that how you build the cars?" He said, with a slight speck of confidence. "It takes more than extra gas in the tank to make a car worthy of the streets of Houston."

"True," Zach nodded, but he was busy underneath the car. "However, I'm doing this for my friend, Jackson Stallwall. He's over at MUGEN about halfway around the world, and when he returns, I will offer this as a gift to him. This is the best thing I can do for him by far."

"I see. This is for a friend, eh?" Juan said, now staring at the flame-yellow pattern on the hood of the car. "Good thing, but how about a little favor?"

"I'm listening." Zach said. "What is it? Anything legal?" Juan stared at him. "So, it's illegal, right?"

"No. No. It's all legit. I just want you to take on several other folks with cars like you. I shall explain when you get to my mansion. I'll give you the address." He scribbles an address onto a piece of paper and places it near Zach. "I'd get it before the oil drops down."

With that, Juan left the garage. Mysterious guy, to be honest.

[J Dog]

"Man, that was gross." Dorado said, with some slime from the colon of Nudoru's latest corpse accident still lingering. "I can't believe you can just kill somebody like that. He's got, like, Regen on him!"

"Nah." Jack then said. "Actually, he is basically one with an angel who puts him back together." He looks over to his sister (in name) and Mimi. "Hey, girls. It's okay. It's all over."

"Well, that's good!" Mimi smiled, as she turned around. "By the way, what happened?"

"Uh... no comment on it. It's too... um..." Jack muttered, as he was trying to find a decent way of saying "Full-Bodied Mutilation of a man", "...Friday the 13th." A sweatdrop fell on his haid, and he questioned the comment.

"I get it, it was too gross to see." Tiffany told him. "Well, it was better than the time Dorado got a hold of the hot dogs at Minute Maid Park."

"Don't remind me." Jack stared at Dorado while saying this. "That was a lowlight of the day.

To explain how it worked, let's put it this way:

STUPID TALE ON HOW DORADO RUINED THE ASTROS GAME

Dorado: (whining) I'm hungry.
Concession Stand Person: Yeah?
Dorado: I'd like a hot dog.
Person: Why?
Dorado: (stammering) 'Cause I want one, okay? Is that a crime?
Person: Let me heat them up.
Dorado: I want one, now!
Person: You'll get sick, plus I'm not allowed to do that.
Dorado: (climbing into the stand) Yeah right.

Both Dorado and the person fight, when Dorado coldcocks him in the back. He takes a box of semi-cooked hot dogs to the stand.

Dorado: (munching) Hey, 'sup?
Jack: Where the hell did you get those gross-ass things?
Dorado: (still munching) Eh. Stand.
Tiffany: You'll get E Coli.
Dorado: I'll E Coli you! (munches some more)
Jack: This is Houston. Raw hot dogs mixed with the heat and the crap coming out of the METRORail are going to screw you over.
Dorado: Yeah...

Dorado felt something in his gut. It was big.

Dorado: GOTTA BARF!

He runs to the restroom, but it's out of order.

Dorado: Damn!

He runs low on options here.

Announcer: And Clemens throws the ball to Pujols and... what the heck is that?

The cameras point to Dorado wretching out on the right side field. The game was delayed for 15 minutes to remove the sick gatorboy and clean up the stains left on the grass.

THE END

"Not my fault." Dorado whined.

"Oh yeah? Well, you couldn't have at least waited a few minutes so that the dogs be cooked to a point in which they were able to be consumed!" Jack told him, questioning his intellegence.

"So what if he threw up." Mimi said. "It's not the worst thing that can happen to him, right?"

"Well, actually..." Jack told her, with another sweatdrop. "He's been on the news, and had a cameo on COPS."

"Oh well." Mimi told Jack. "Can't really blame the poor guy." She turns to the stadium. "Come on! We gotta see the next fight!"

(Over to OM)

***************

"Kill that busted-up knocker, and I'll give you enough cash to satisfy you." Vellinor told Suzu, warping back. "Remember, you only got 3 seconds.

"Well, I uh..." Suzu said.

"Deal! You go kill him now!" He said, vanishing.

[Lord of Nonsensical Crap]

Nifelheim

"Wait a minute," Thanos suddenly interrupted, "Vellinor, how is it that you are in two places simultaneously?"

Vellinor raised an eyebrow. "What'choo talkin' 'bout, Thanos?" he said in his best Gary Coleman voice.

Thanos gestured to a nearby screen showing what appeared to be Vellinor chatting with Suzu.

"Oh, that," Vellinor said dismissively. "That's just a stunt double. Now, Queenie, about my proposal?"

Hild leaned back in her throne. Slowly but surely, she smiled.

"If the Chaos Gods are indeed so troublesome, then they shall have to be dealt with, won't they?" she said. "I approve of your plan, Lord Vellinor. I leave it to you to locate the Chaos cults and manipulate the heroes into fighting them."

The Trickster smiled and bowed slightly. "You are as wise as you are beautiful, milady," he said.

"And stop flirting, please," Hild added.

"Dammit," Vellinor whispered under his breath, before disappearing in a flash.

"How do you put up with him?" Thanos groaned.

"Now now, my dear Thanos," Hild replied with a smile. "He's quite charming in his desperation. And besides, he's proven to be quite cunning despite his buffoonery."

"Perhaps too cunning?" the Titan interjected.

Hild allowed herself a laugh. "You needn't worry," she said. "I can tell that Lord Vellinor intends no treachery." Her smile, however, slowly melted into a frown. "That God-Killer of his, however, is another matter entirely . . . "

[T51R]

~Rampage~



“Hello,” Kadachi calmly spoke into the Eriksson’s mouthpiece as his Host veered left past Hydrus Beta, the star which would one day collapse and cause a Supernova in a parallel universe. I had been days since the trio had heisted the Hummer right out of their own garage and gone on the run from Kansai’s now-estranged wife, Ari. Of course, they had not counted on her being able to make it to their little family’s second car in time to take cover from the flashpoint of galactic collapse. And now there she was, screaming like a hairy madwoman behind the wheel of the Subaru WRX they had bought with their tax return. The leather-clad Angel huffed; they were lucky that they hadn’t the time to put the other turbo kit into it; she would have caught them for sure then. “Ah, Lord Vellinor.” He slumped backwards into his plush, leather seat and rested his feet on the dashboard. “I apologise for the delay, but we have had some…issues.”

“Issues, eh?” the Trickster giggled maniacally. “Would these ‘issues’ be the reason why you’ve been breaking about every space-lane law at the outer reaches of the Verse that you are in?”

“Obviously, m’Lord.” He smiled. “At the moment, the ‘complication’ is approximately thirty thousand miles behind us, and closing fast. We‘ve run out of Nitrous as well, I am afraid. And should she catch us, well, you may not have a Herald left if she does.”

“I see,” Vellinor bit his lip, and turned towards the screen in the centre of his display array. “I have a alternate plan. I trust that no-one wanted to be caught dead with Kansai? “ The laughter on the other end of the line confirmed his suspicions. “Very well then. I trust that I have told you what happens when the Heart of the Universe is gained by an individual, yes? Good. I’ll make you a deal in that case. Get me the Heart of the Universe, and I will try to reverse the Marriage Contract. Agreed?”

“Of course, m‘Lord.” Kadachi’s silken voice replied.

“Good.”

“Hey, Kansai.” The Angel turned to the profusely-sweating God-Killer working the wheel as though he had a ton of gold in the back that had been stolen from Fort Knox. “Turn hard left after the next galaxy, the time is now. We‘re going after the Heart.”

“ARE YOU NUTS!?” Kansai screamed as he buried the accelerator to the floorboard, the Hummer screaming past several surveillance arrays in deep space. “WHAT ABOUT THAT PSHYCO ON OUR TAIL!? THIRTY THOUSAND KAYS ISN‘T VERY MUCH OUT HERE, YOU KNOW!”

“Well it was you who decided to blow up every star in the galaxy just to get rid of her,” Kadachi opened the glove compartment and slipped a thick book out; the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. “And one would assume you to be rather a poor husband in trying to…dispose of your wife in such a manner.”

“HEY, I DIDN‘T CHOOSE TO MARRY HER ALRIGHT!? IT‘S SUPERDICK‘S FAULT! YOU THINK I‘D MARRY AN APE!? I WANTED FIVE HUNDRED SKULD CLONES BUT NOOOOOOOOOOOOO…..” The God-Killer smashed down on the yellow button on the dash, dumping several Warp-storm charges into deep space. “Man, if those don‘t fry her sensors, nothing will!”

“Your Loli fantasies are getting the better of you again,” Kadachi moaned. “and if I recall, you bought that GPS system outside the Fourth Wall. TURN HERE!” He stabbed his finger at the driver’s side window, smacking Kansai hard in the face as he did so. As the massive vehicle lurched, skidding on both right wheels he took a glimpse out the window and found a tiny pink speck in the distance. “Dammit, she‘s made up more ground than we thought! I told you we shouldn‘t have stopped at the last burger joint!”

“YOU were the one who put MRE‘s in the car!” Kansai yelled as the Hummer levelled out, streaking towards a small armada of white starships in the distance, several hundred light-years in front of them. “Federation battle group, fur hundred and ninety-one light-years ahead.” He smiled. “Hey, remember Dukes of Hazzard?”

Tiki peeled himself off the window and plopped onto Kansai’s shoulder. “You‘re not thinking what I‘m thinking are you? Because if I‘m thinking what you‘re thinking and if he‘s thinking the same thing you‘re thinking that I‘m thinking…” the peg-legged hamster poked at the God-Killer’s mask, “ANYONE WOULD THINK YOU‘RE FUCKING NUTS!!!”

“Oh, but I am.” Kadachi snickered evilly as he pulled an enormous tank of NOS out from under his seat. “Had this stashed away just for emergencies. But the plumbing is in the rear, Kansai, I‘ll need for you to hold the car steady while I change the bottle out. Then head straight for the first ship you see. The big one, with the huge saucer on it. Got me?”

“YEAH! JUST HURRY UP ALREADY SHE‘S ON OUR ASS!!!” Kasai yelled back while glancing nervously into the rear-view, Ari’s pink Rex closing fast. “HEY! HURRY IT UP, SHE‘S ON US!!!” He chanced a peek to the side as Kadachi slipped into the rear, between several enormous subwoofers. Soon, the sounds of ratchets and a soft hiss of an empty Nitrous bottle filled the air. Behind them, the scream of the turbocharged Boxer engine found its way to their ears on the solar winds. “OI! SHE’S HERE!!! ” The HumVee lurched as Ari slammed hard into their rear, trying to force them off course.

“Damn this!” Kadachi finished hooking the bottle up, kicked out the window and then smashed the enclosure containing the dual Rockford amps to pick out the pair of Uzi’s that had been set into the display.

“SHIT! I thought you said those were just for show!” Tiki gulped as the Angel rained a hail of hyper-velocity rounds onto the pink car behind them, rounds which bounced harmlessly off of the hardened body and glass, hardened against supernovas, no less.

“HOW WE LOOKING!?” Kansai yelled as the HumVee lurched again, harder this time.

“GOOD TO GO! SET UP THE DUAL STAGE!!! AND THEN SET US UP THE BOMB!!!” Kadachi screamed as he opened fire again, Ari’s bloodshot eyes fuming red as she screamed incoherent obscenities at the trio in the vehicle.

“WHAT YOU SAY!? I GET NO SIGNAL!!!” Kansai yelled back. “HEY! THOSE SHIPS ARE GETTING PRETTY CLOSE!” He took quick glances at the Federation fleet, now close enough for him to read “USS ENTERPRISE” on the front of the saucer section.

“HE SAID SET UP THE DUAL-STAGE NAAAAAAAAWZ AND THEN ARM THE SELF-DESTRUCT!!!” Tiki yelled as loudly as it could, ducking back into the rear for a moment. “WE‘RE GONNA USE THE SHIP AS A RAMP!”

“AS A WHAT!?” Kansai punched a series of buttons, and the hiss of the fresh Nitrous charge filled the cockpit as several plumes of vapour exited the top of the bonnet.


-On board the USS Enterprise-

“Sir,” Lt. Worf looked up from his station. “We have a small vehicle coming in at high Warp! It seems to be from the early 21st Century, Sir, it is accelerating!”

Jean Luc Picard slowly, purposefully from the Command Chair. “On screen, Mr. Worf. Lieutenant Data, open all haling frequencies.”

“Aye, Sir.” the Android replied.

As the main screen flashed to life, all that could be seen was the nose end of a bright, candy-apple red HumVee heading towards their ship trailing a stream of light.

“This is Jean Luc Picard of the Federation starship Enterprise…” The Captain received no reply.

“Sir! It seems they mean to ram us!” Worf leaned over the weapons and tactical console.

“Worf, raise…” He didn’t get a chance to finish what he was saying, as the Enterprise shuddered under the impact as the HumVee made contact.




“NOW!” Kadachi screamed, emptying his last clip pointlessly into the driver’s side window behind which Ari sat gritting her teeth. “HIT IT!!!” He clung on for dear life, bracing himself against the tailgate the moment Kansai hit the tiny red button marked “laughing gas” on the steering wheel. Ari cursed under her breath as the HumVee grew smaller and smaller as it climbed the front of the Enterprise’s saucer section, building speed, streaking towards the exposed bridge. Tiki found himself plastered against the subwoofer, as the second stage kicked in and the plates of Federation hull began to tear off under their wheels.

“Hmm. What now, I wonder?” she slammed on the gas pedal.

“HERE WE GO!” Kadachi dug his heels in, as they slammed over the bridge and streaked through deep space, finally disappearing in the distance. He glanced back for a moment, the Enterprise beginning to fall out of formation as Ari’s WRX came crashing into the Enterprise’s command centre. In moments, the stars vanished and the nebulae disappeared altogether as the trio reached the edge of the fictional Multiverse, the Source Wall. “HANG ON! WE‘RE GOING IN!”


~To be concluded!

[T51R]

Golden Darkness, you wanna start writing the fight, or should I? :confused:

[OverMaster]

Golden Darkness, you wanna start writing the fight, or should I? :confused:

Could I write a little prelude to it, first?

[T51R]

Sure no probs, I have to finish the HOTU arc as well. Get ready for COSMIC ACCIDENT CLAIMS! :D

[OverMaster]

-Xelloss Returns, Continuation: Face to Face-

Heaven:

Inside of the high security containment capsule she was in, the third Rei Ayanami, captive of Yggdrasil since NERV's fall, suddenly opened her eyes in alarm. She had just felt it. Another one of her was down there, somewhere on Earth.

Her presence had awakened her; they shared a soul, after all. The thing was, that other Rei seemed to be tainting that shared soul with her mere existence. Rei III cringed, and tried to struggle free, until she noticed the green eyes of the tiny pink haired female at the other side of her glass prison.

"Oh, you have awakened at last" Washu said with interest, beginning to take some notes. "I trust your current accomodations aren't too uncomfortable. My superiors insisted in having you there, it actually wasn't my idea. I'm of the opinion test subjects should have more room to develop properly, especially when they are sentient".

"Where is she?" Rei looked down at her.

"She?".

"My other me" was all of Ayanami's reply. "I can feel her. It should be impossible, two of us actively existing at the same time, and yet...".

"My, my" Washu arched an eyebrow. "You're very talkative for someone with your antecedents, Miss Ayanami!".

"You must be confusing me with the second Rei" she deadpaned, truly almost sounding like Rei II, the doomed EVA pilot, at that time.

"Heh! You got me there. It's just we don't have much data about yourself, the third incarnation of you, yet. But we're going to remedy that. With your valued help, of course".

"First I must know where is she" the blue haired girl insisted, floating in the LCL. "Why have you brought another one to life?".

"We haven't done anything like that" Washu replied sharply. "You're the only Ayanami we have under surveillance here".

"Then... where..." Rei mildly frowned, and shook her head. It was useless. She wouldn't get any answers this way, apparently.

****************

B-Dome:

Let me out, Daddy, Rei XV's soft, yet slightly wicked voice tickled in the back of Joker's brain. I want to see it through my own eyes. The ecstasy of others' pain and suffering. The flesh being cut, the blood being spilled. Pretty pleeeeeeeze...??

Shut up, will ya?, he thought back, annoyed. It's already bad enough you're inside of me like some sort of parasyte, and now you don't want to even let me watch this at peace? You're supposed to be a secret weapon, so you'll stay hidden until your big debut comes!

But, that's so booooring...

Good grief, but she was worse than...

"PUDDIN'!!!!".

Aw, crap.

"Puddin'!" Harley Quinn giggled as she jumped on him from behind, gripping him in a tight, almost choking embrace. Behind her, Khalia, Livewire and Android 18 took seats with sour expressions, and Poison Ivy muttered curses under her breath. She hated the influence Joker had on her only friend in the world. "Oh, here you are! I have missed ya so much lately! And you aren't even with the demon slut and the big-headed brat! Bonus!!".

"Please, Harley!" Joker pushed her back, while Mandy was stepping between the fighters down at the Arena ready to give them the go-on. "I'm trying to watch the show here!".

Khalia fixed her icy eyes on Team Heavy Metal's bunker, where Ifurita sat waiting with Edward Elric and Chii. She barely could wait to get the pleasure to destroy that blue haired piece of trash.

Meanwhile, down at the Judges' seats, Asuka saw the members of Team Bad Girls at the public and sweatdropped. They surely would sooner or later ask her about the potion-thing they had given her to use on Shinji. She had not used it so far, of course; it was a stupid beyond all reason idea to start with. Still, she was kind of nervous when she remembered Ivy's words, I didn't take the trouble to make this for you for nothing...

As if she has asked for it anyway. It was all that stupid harlequin's big idea.

She snapped out of her thoughts when she noticed how Morrigan was looking at her, with odd curiosity.

"What??" Asuka snapped defensively.

"What 'what'?" the succubus chuckled, as if she knew something, and eyeing the young pilot in a somewhat unnerving way. Asuka was convinced she was undressing her with her eyes, that winged slut. "I haven't said or done anything, Asuka-chan...".

On the ring, Mandy's cold voice sounded through her microphone for everyone to hear. "Okay, you two. Ready or not, there you go. Round One... Fight!!!".

*********************

MUGEN Hospital, Tendo Nabiki's room:

"A priest?" Kasumi asked as the stranger nodded. Nabiki, from her bed, and Akane, sitting between both of her older sisters, were looking at the newcomer with mistrust, especially Nabiki.

"That's correct!" he smiled again. "My name is Xelloss Metallium, and you could say I am a friend of Ryouga Hibiki!".

Akane's eyes lit up at the mention of her clueless friend. "Ryouga?! Have you seen him lately? How is he? How--".

"Oh, young Ryouga is physically better than ever!" Xelloss assured her. "You can be sure he will be at top condition when his turn to fight comes".

"And... emotionally...?" Akane asked with worry. She knew how depression prone Ryouga was. Surely he, Ranma and all her friends were so horribly worried about her by now...

Xelloss sighed. "Well, he's hanging on there. Don't worry, he has new friends about him to keep him afloat. It's yourself and your sisters you should be more worried about right now, Miss Akane".

"Yes, we know" Nabiki nodded bitterly, looking at her wound. "They are out to kill us, aren't they? Or should I say, aren't you? How do we know you aren't here to finish us up?".

"My dear Miss Tendo, if I wanted you dead, you would have been dead... long ago...". Xelloss' smile seemed to gain a sudden dark path, making Kasumi and Akane to wince, before it returned to its slightly goofy appearance. "Obviously, I'm not out to harm such lovely creatures like yourselves. As a matter of fact, I want to help you to survive. Allow me to explain, please". Nabiki nodded then, still unfazed, more calmly soured than anything else. "You see, I really know why are they so willing to exterminate you. It goes way beyond the mere wish to see vampires dead, even if the puppets at charge of the operation think that is the motive. But their masters have a much deeper reason for it. Now, listen carefully...".


To be continued.

Oh, and GD, T51R, there it is, the prelude to your fight. You can take it from there, and good luck.

[Golden Darkness]

Golden Darkness, you wanna start writing the fight, or should I? :confused:
Honestly, you start.

I still have no clue about the abilities, mannerisms, etc, of the characters on your team.

[KingEli]

Dr.Doom vs. Violator:

"A Clown...............how disappointing, I expected a Better Opponet." Said Doom

"Well I ani't just no clown Doomie, I got lot stuff you ani't never seen." Said The Demon with a laugh.

"Humor Doom." Said Victor

"Alright then fighters Ready.....................FIGHT!!" Said he Budokai Announcer.

Doom then flew up to Violator Punching him in the Face, making him tumble over in a commical way.

"Really, Does this fool thinks he cane be Doom?" Said Von Doom

"Ok, ok. That was a lucky Shot, but yer ass is mine!" Said Violator "I'm Not the Terminator, Pumpernator or Germinator, but The ViolATOOORRRRRR!!" Scream the CLown as he Transformed into his true Denomic Form, wich scared some of the fans out of the Arena.

"Oh joy.............Demons." Said Spidey "There is alway one around when you lest expect it."

"So Demon, this your true Form? Do you think you have an advantegd over Doom? No, you just gave me a Bigger Taget to hit." Said Doom as he held out his right hand, making a Blade in shape of a Key to Appear.

"Ok, He has a Giant Key, now what?" Said Kyo

"Wait and See." Said Iron Man Coming back from the Bathroom

"You alright tony?" asked Captain America

"Yeah just had to get rid of My Barf bag."

"Barf bag?"

"Built in my suit."

"Damn, what that suit can't do?" Said Kyo

"It can't make the Perfect Omlet."

"The Keyblade? How? How Did Von Doom get a Weapon from a Dead Universe?!" Said Rayden to himself in his mind

"Then beast if you are Ready." Said Doom Sumgly

Violator then Chaged at the Armored man, witch Doom Nimbly Dodged, Slicing him in the chest.

"RROOAAGGG!!" Scream Violator

"Well Clown, not feelin so funny arter all, Are you?" Said Doom

"RROOOAAG!" Screamed Violator Swining his Massive Arm

"Fool". Doom Dodged again, but this Time Cutting off Violator's Arm.

"RRROOOAAG" Said Violator as his Necroplasam Dripped out of his Severd Arm.

"Now to Finish this...........PHOTON ARRAY!!!" Doom then Shot out Pinlish Energy Blots out his Hands, Blasting Violator, Making him Transform in to his human form.

"But...I'm...The.......Violator." Said The Demon Going into Unconciness.

"1.....2.....3......4.....5......6....7.....8...... 9.......10! And he's out, Doctor Doom wins!" Said The Annoucer

"Was there to be any doubt?" Said Doom as The Paramedics Took Violator out.

"Dammit! Three of my Teammates have been beat Down by these guys...well to win I need to pull a win outta of my ass, wich I can." Said Ash Crimson Sumgly to himself.

[Saint_007]

Round One - Eiko Magami vs Sagat: Beauty and the Beast Bash Part II!!
"BEAT HER DOWN, SAGAT!" she shouted. "TEACH THAT LITTLE SLUT A LESSON!""Oh, joy, look who's here," A-Ko mumbled with a sweatdrop.

"You weren't kidding when you said she had a one-track mind," Ryoko said in her team's bunker. "I wouldn't worry about her, though..."

"So," A-ko turned to Sagat, "you want an encore?"

"Anytime, little girl. I'll be enjoying this fight!" Sagat readied himself.

"Okay, then - let's get this over with!!" A-ko replied, rolling up her sleeves and rushing at her opponent.

Sagat replied with a Max Tiger Shot, and called Rio for a low Striker attack.

To his surprise, both Sakura Kinomoto and Ryoko hopped onto the field for their own attacks; Sakura deflecting the super-fireballs right at Rio, who was blasted clean away due to her proximity to Sakura's deflective shield, and Ryoko blasted the vulnerable Sagat with her dead-aim blaster shots.

"Yee ha!! Pirates rule, all else drools!" shouted the blue-haired space pirate.

Ryoko's attacks left Sagat wide open for a rapid combo from A-Ko, who landed several good hits before Sagat could recover, and finishing with a roundhouse to the chest that knocked the Muy Thai champion a ways back.

"Woohoo! Feel the 'Girl Power'!!" Ryoko shouted ecstatically.

"Say, A-Ko, you still need help?" Sakura asked the redhead enthusiastically.

"Nah, you did good. Thanks."

"Are you sure?" Sakura said, this time a bit more nervous.

"Yeah I'm sure. I'll call you when I need you, okay?"

"You sure I can't help you with anything?"

"Yes, I'm sure!!"

"Pretty please?" Sakura begged, sweatdropping clearly. "...please?"

"I said I'll let you know!!" Eiko replied visibly irritated. "Now get back to the bunker! You want us to get disqualified?"

Back in the bunker, Ryoko noticed that Sakura was visibly tense.

"Say, why'd you want to stay on the field?" asked the blue-haired woman.

"C-can you see the man with the glasses and the c-camcorder?"

"Where?"

"O-over there..." Sakura pointed, trying not to look in the same direction.

Ryoko followed the finger...

...to see a creepy-looking guy with glasses holding a camcorder at them. Just by looking at him, Ryoko felt goosebumps crawling all over her, as if the guy was mentally undressing them.

"Those girls sure are kawaii..." Himura-sensei(*) said in his creepy monotone. He then creeped out Ryoko some more by bending his neck at an impossible angle with an audible cracking sound. "They're even cuter than Miss Yukari's little girls..."

"CRAP!" Ryoko gulped. "Hey A-ko could you hurry up with this?! I'd like to get out as soon as possible."

Here she was, a space pirate, and that creepy guy's stares were freaking her out. What was the Universe coming to?

"Hey come on! Let me in!!" shouted Buttercup. "Sakura and Ryoko had some action! Let me in and I'll pulverise that one-eyed freak!"

"Buttercup-chan, please," Sakura said, trying to constrain her angry teammate. "You're not a Striker!"

"Yeah, if you go out now, they'll kick us out for disrupting the match!!" Ryoko strained to help Sakura contain the Powerpuff Girl.

"Oh, come on! Just let me have one hit! Just one punch!! I mean it! Just one!!"

In the meanwhile, A-Ko was trading blows with the bigger Sagat, using her higher speed to dodge the street fighter's fireballs. And, much to B-Ko's frustration, A-ko was coming out ahead.

"Oh come on!!" shrieked the heiress. "She's right there in front of you!! How hard can she be to beat!?"

To A-ko's surprise - and B-ko's delight - Sagat had merely been luring A-ko to close range.

"Tiiiigerrr.... GENOCIDE!!"

"YESS! TEACH THAT B*TCH A LESSON! WOOHOO!!"

B-Ko's joy was, however, short-lived. A-Ko immediately regained her balance and landed skillfully. She avoided the Striker attack, jumping into the air. Sagat attempted a counter with his trademark Tiger Uppercut. Eiko had forseen Sagat's move, and redirected her path in midair, landing far short of Sagat's uppercut. She then rushed up to her rival as he landed and gave him a vicious uppercut of her own.

A-ko picked up a nearby boulder, and tossed it at Sagat, who shattered it with his Tiger Uppercut. Landing on his feet, Sagat then charged A-ko, attempting melee combat.

A-ko was ready, parrying or dodging each of his blows quickly. Then she struck like a rattlesnake. She body-checked Sagat again, and then followed up with a series of rapid punches, followed by a two-handed swing that tossed Sagat high into the air. The redhead then leapt up after him, grabbed him skillfully with a wrestling hold, and then slammed him full-force into the ground.

When the dust cleared, Hanagata stopped coughing long enough to see that Eiko had pinned Sagat down.

"Ten, Nine, Eight, Seven..."

"WHHHAAAAAATTT?!" shrieked B-Ko. "T-tell me this isn't happening!!"

"Four, Three, Two, One..." Hanagata then lifted the mike to his mouth. "And A-ko Magami wins this round!!"

"YESSS!!!" shouted Ryoko and Sakura with glee.

"NOOOO!!!!" screamed an upset B-ko.

"Bah, what a wimp..." grumbled the upset Buttercup. "Wasn't worth fighting anyways..."

"Heh, that was good show," Eiko said as she got up. "You didn't do so bad yourself, One-eye."

"Heh, heh, indeed..." Sagat said, as he sat up, regaining his breath. "I might have lost this one, but it has been more enjoyable than the ones I've been fighting for a while." He got up and shook Eiko's hand. "Here's hoping we meet again, young one."

"Blech!!" B-ko made a face. "What's with the stupid mushiness?! He was supposed to humiliate her, dammit!!"

"Next up from Team Criminal Underworld," Hanagata announced, "are Team UFO!! Made of Mimi, Paquito, Puttymon, Overmaster, and the magic girl Saviour Angel Sapphire!!"

"WHAAAATTT?! All of them?!" Buttercup exclaimed. "Hey no fair fighting them all by yourself!! Lemme at 'em!! Lemme at 'em!!"

Buttercup had to be forcefully restrained by her teammates and several arena officials. When the dust cloud cleared, Buttercup found herself constrained by prime adamantium chains to her seat.

"Ah, hell, this isn't fair!!"

"...*ulp* kowaii..." Hanagata mumbled. Then he noticed that the crowd was awaiting him. "Oh, uhm... *ahem*... Now that this sideshow's been dealt with, time to begin the match!!"

Team UFO stepped into the arena in a scary-looking robot, with Sapphire flying around its head.

"Why am I always in the engine room?!" whined Overmaster. "That's where the explosions always happen!!"

"Oh, quitcher whinin'," replied Puttymon. "Ya got at least 6 feet of armor between you and any attack!!"

"They're in a giant robot?!" Buttercup shouted angrily. "DAMMITT!! LEMME IN!! LEMME FIGHT DAMMIT!!" In her frustration, Buttercrup began trying to bite through the chains.

"Heheheheh," chuckled B-ko. "Maybe these guys will actuall stand a chance to crush that damned A-ko..."

(*) - Better known as the pervert teacher from Azumanga Daioh.

[OverMaster]

-Xelloss Returns, Continuation-

A-Dome:

"Damn it, Violator's team is getting beaten worse than a piñata" Mara muttered from her seat, then noticed a hand gently slapping her on a shoulder. She looked aside to see Prometheus of Team Neron smiling smugly on the seat next to hers. At his other side, Agent Smith watched the fight with an unfathomable expression behind his dark glasses. "Ah, it's you" she observed. "Where are your partners?".

"Well, Maleficent doesn't like to mingle with others, and bringing Bizarro here would be an exercise in idiocy, so we came alone" the anti-Batman smiled smugly. "Worried about Malebolgia's boys? You shouldn't be so surprised. They never stood a chance to begin with. The others are their superiors in each field. I seriously doubt they will even need Kagato to win".

"No kidding" she turned her attention to the arena again, where Ash was facing Doom. "And what is that thing Doom is using?".

"A problem" Prometheus' expression soured. "Maleficent knows a lot about it. It's one of the most powerful weapons in her universe. How did Doom get it, we have no idea".

*************************

MUGEN Hospital:

"You are parts of a whole, pieces in a much bigger scheme" Xelloss began. "Don't you know who sent those invitations to your Master?".

"N-No..." the Vampire Akane shook her head slowly, then asked, "You...?".

"No, not me!" he was quick to reply. "I am only one servant, myself. Of course, I do have a much higher rank than you ladies, but still...".

"Then, who?" Nabiki asked.

"Actually... That... That is a secret!" Metallium winked an eye to them, and Akane and Nabiki groaned while Kasumi just blinked in confusion. "But I can tell you that, you're key parts on a project. A project a lot of common enemies of ours want to spoil. With that in mind, we should--".

"Cut that out, right there!" Akane snapped angrily. "Have you no shame? You are openly trying to manipulate us!".

"Well, I usually would go with a subtler approach, but we don't have time for that in this race against the clock!" the trickster priest chuckled.

"The nerve of you...!!" Akane was about to punch him, but Nabiki stopped her hand.

"Please continue" the middle sister told Xelloss. "What about these enemies we have? What do we need to do to survive them?".

"Well, you see, we have enemies on more than one field" he cautioned. "The field that sent those killers who mutilated you are known as 'The Authors', and they are the ones with the biggest mad-on against you. We have reason to think they might have fooled some of your friends, like silly young Mousse, to 'free you' of your vampire curse".

"We are happy serving the Master" Nabiki replied nonchalantly.

"Yes, but try telling them about it. Even your dear fiancee Ranma has been contacted by agents of those Authors to help them, Miss Akane" he warned.

"He-he's not 'my dear'!" Akane blushed violently and yelled, then asked with concern, "But, what did he say? Did they convince him--".

"Oh, goodness, no" the trickster shook his head. "Far from it. He would never move against you... but he would against your Master...".

"B-But... Master Demitri would destroy Ranma then!" Akane cried out.

"My, my, my. I'm afraid you are right, Miss Tendo" Xelloss nodded sadly. "Why can't we all just get along? That is where I enter, willing to help you. I will help you to cover to your Master for the ugly incident you just were in, and for the unfortunate harm to Miss Nabiki's beauty... and will help Ranma to get convinced he would be better joining your dear little family".

"You... you really would do that?" Akane's big dark eyes shone with hope. Being with Ranma and Master Demitri at the same time. Her golden dream.

"And what do you get out of it?" Nabiki asked, fuming in distrust.

"Simple. In exchange, all I am asking is for you to convince your Master to ally with us. If you think about it, you really have no alternative. The afternoon is falling, the night is coming. In a couple of hours, Lord Maximoff will get out of his coffin, and will ask for you. Then he will see Miss Nabiki's sorry current state, and will reject her, sadly... Only the still beautiful, and the ones who still have not caused him problems, are fitting to stay under his wing".

"Never!" Nabiki gasped, her aloof front falling all of a sudden. "I can't lose him now!!".

Xelloss smiled inside. Young vampires were always so predictable, so relying on their masters...

On the outside, however, his face continued being sympathetic. "But we can prevent that". He showed them a small piece of glinting jewel, which seemed to mesmerize them, especially Nabiki, at first sight. "A shard of Shikon jewel" the priest explained. "A loan from one of our other allies, Lord Naraku. If a creature of the darkness uses it, it can grant him or her any number of abillities, even regenerating ones..." he looked at Nabiki's arm stump, "And augment his or her power greatly...".

"I want it" Nabiki reached with a hand to it. "Deal, I'll do what you ask for, but please, let me have it...".

Now Xelloss really smiled, even if softly, in a way that didn't betray any malice. "Of course. I never can say no to an innocent young lady's beggings". He handed her the shard, and saw the hopeful glint in her eyes. Heh. The so-called most ingenious and crafty person at Nerima was still a sad begineer compared to him. "But, there is another favor I must ask from you. I had forgotten telling you about it".

"Which is it, Xelloss-sama?" Kasumi asked quietly.

"It is about another one of the parties opposing our goals". His expression grew somber, while remembering the other trickster who had attacked him. "A weasely, treacherous foe we can't understimate. Maybe you have heard about the teams he is sponsoring. His name is Vellinor...".


Next: UFO vs. A-Ko!

[Saint_007]

Hmmm...

Overmaster, do you want to do the Team UFO vs A-ko fight? I can write it today, but you seem eager to do it on your own.

[OverMaster]

Hmmm...

Overmaster, do you want to do the Team UFO vs A-ko fight? I can write it today, but you seem eager to do it on your own.

Oh, I'm about to write it now. Don't worry.

[OverMaster]

-The Good, the Bad and the Ugly Luck of the Avatar: A-Ko Magami vs. Team UFO, Part I-

OOC: Dumbest title ever!

IC:

The Female Dan seemed disappointed. "That... that was all?".

"What are you talking about?!" Excel Excel quickly snapped to him. "He got a beating, didn't he?! Didn't he?! The girl handed him his butt! Planted her foot at his bottom! So why are you so down looking, you FOOL!!". And she punched Dan on the face to snap her out of her bad mood. Hey, that always worked with Pedro.

As soon as Dan got back to her feet, rubbing her now slightly disjointed chin, she whimpered, "B-but... I was hoping for more! He's the one who killed Oyaji! He deserves far more than that!!".

"Ah, don't worry!" Excel tried to comfort him, with a laugh. "As soon as ACROSS takes over this world, we'll make a law to punish all bald one eyed ugly big thugs who kill goofs' fathers, if that makes you feel better!".

Near there, on the seats of Team Nuisance, a red haired shapely girl fumed madly. "Team UFO? Team UFO??!!!" Jessie growled, while James and Meowth struggled to hold her on her seat. "How do they dare?! They're copying us, and making a cheap parody of our good name!! First Team Magma and Team Aqua, and now this?! This is unacceptable! Let me go!! I'll show them one thing or two!!".

Down at the Arena, Mimi noticed the noise she was doing, and looked back to her. "What's the big problem with that redhaired freak?".

"Beats me" Paquito shrugged.

"Excuse me..." Hanagata approached the bulky robot and poked it on a leg with the mike. "We're about to begin here...".

"Don't interrupt us when we are trying to learn about something!!" Mimi quickly turned around the mecha, almost as if was about to squash the helpless referee, scaring him out of his wits.

"Aaaaiiiieee!!!" Hanagata screeched, quickly backing away for dear life.

Then the blonde girl noticed the way everyone was looking at them, and regained her composure. "Ahem. I mean, please don't try to bother us in such an unpolite way, will you?" she asked, trying to sound refinated and nice, in a way far from convincing after her former outburst. "Now, we are ready to begin when you want".

"Ditto here" A-Ko nodded, flexing her arms.

"Fine, then!" Hanagata nodded very fast, and gulped. "Round Two! One... Two... Three... FIGHT!!!".

As soon as the starting bell rang, A-Ko ran straight to the robot, willing to tackle it down. It didn't look really scarier than the giant mechas B-Ko used to send after her. As she did it so, however, Savior Sapphire began to shoot down huge winds of compressed wind to her using her magic wand, all the while never saying a single word. A-Ko cursed under her breath as she kept dodging every blast, while never stopping running. Then she had to jump high when the UFOBot swung a massive fist down to her, shattering the floor to pieces where the heroine had been just seconds before.

However, at doing so, A-Ko had placed herself closer to Sapphire's range. Still with a null expression on her face, the Magical Girl hit her across the face with her magic charged wand, with a strenght that surprised A-Ko, especially coming from such a frail looking youngster. Then she continued it with a new blast of compressed wind straight to the redhead's face, sending her down to the floor with a thud.

"Yes!!" B-Ko cried out in thriumph. "Now that's better!!".

"Hmph" Jessie grumbled, now a bit more restrained. "They even have a bad copy of our Meowthinator robot...".

"But the Magical Girl is a good touch... I wish we could have one of those; she would come very handy at fighting the twerp" James piped in.

"Why don't we just dress you like Sailor Moon? Same difference there!" Meowth snickered.

"Well done, Wataru-chan!!" Mimi made the UFOBot to give a thumbs up to her ally. "You're the best!".

A-Ko raised again as she passed a hand through her lips, and found blood there, at the back of the hand. Magic was one of the few things that hurted her and his father. Scratch off the robot as main priority; she would have to take the Magic Girl out first.

Well, you only can fight magic with magic...

"Sakura!!" she yelled pointing up at the floating Savior Sapphire. "Deal with her, NOW!!".

"Haaaaaaiiiiiii!!!" Kinomoto nodded anxiously, happy to be far from Kimura-sensei again. She jumped on her magical flying baton and went straight to face Sapphire.

The green haired girl readily assumed a defensive position, as her wand began to acumulate power for a bigger attack.

OOC: Well, Saint, if you want to take a part in this fight, add something you had planned now and I'll finish it. But I have a definite end for this battle planned. Please let me have that, pretty pleaseeeeeeee...?? :p

Next: Team Saviors from Space gets a replacement for Tenchi!

[KingEli]

Dr.Doom vs. Ash Crimson:


"Well, I have to say, I didn't expect for my team to get decimated like that." Said Ash with a smirk "But hey things happen."

"Indeed they do." Said Doom

"Ok are the Fighters Ready?....................FIGHT!!" Said The Annoucer

Ash launched a Green Flame at Doom wich his Shileds blocked for him.

"Pyrokentic?" Said Cap

"No that's his fghting style, Like me I can Create fire too." Said Kyo as he showed a ball of Fire in his hand. "But Mine's is Due to Bloodline, Yagami's is due to the Orochi power he got, and man named K' from my world can use it since he's a clone of me."

"Clones? Please anythng but that." Said Spidey

"Had your share huh?"

"Tell me about it."

As the fight raged on in the ring, Crimsom was doing better that anyone on his team, keeping Doom at bay with quick attacks.

"Not bad old man, keeping up with me." Said Ash as he tried to kick Doom only to get his Foot Caught by Doom's left hand.

"Got you." As Doom Roundhouse Kicked Ash in the face and then hit him with then bunt of the Keyblade.

"Not bad............young one for keeping me at bay so long...........I bet those Yata power make this strong." Said Doom

"How you know about that?" Spat Ash

"Doom know's many things."

"Well know this!!" Ash then hit Doom with a Flip Kicked with Green Flames on his Foot.

"Bah! Do you think meger attacks as thse can keep Doom Down? This suit has taken blows from the mightest of beings!"

"God this guy loves to hear himself talk." Said Guy

"It gets worst mate." Said Captain Britain


"Did you truly think you had a chance or any of these so called "Champions" have a chance against Doom? Fools all of you!"

"I Really want to punch this guy in the mouth." Said Kyo

"Get in line and Take a number." Said Logan

"Who I'm after?"

"Most likely The Watcher." Quppied Spider-Man

"Now finish this match. Doom has other Matters to tend too." Said Victor

"Well thell Have ot Wait!" Said Ash Chaging at Doom with a Green Flame encasting him.

"Youngsters.....heh. TRONADO!!" As Doom said That, The Keyblade he Held charged up with Magic and Then Shot a Powerful Tornado Blast of Wind, Sending the Frechman to crash a Wall into a Building.

"Now it is time for your Defeat." Said Doom Pressing a Button on his Armor as walked to Crimson's Limp Body picking him up by the Neck and Proceed with taking his power even though it look like he was Shocking him.

"AAAARRRGGGG!!!!!" Ash Screamed before trew his onec again limp and now Unconsion Body.

"Another Victory." Said Doom

"1....2....3....4..."Counted the Ref.

"And That's All she Wrote." said Iron Man

"8.....9......10! And Team Lavertria win in Very Convicing Fashinon!"

"Come let's take our leve, Lady, Getelmen." Said Doom As Ash was, like his teamtes taken out on a Strecher.

"Wait, Something is wrong." said Kagura 'Very Wrong."

[T51R]

~Rampage…PartII~


Towel. Check. Toothpaste. Check. Brittany Spears and Jessica Simpson CD’s, check. The Source hummed to itself as it cordially threw the items into the impossibly huge suitcase on its bed, deep within the Source Wall. The chamber was silent, save for the thundering of the dragon in the distance at the gates of The Void. “Humph,” it recalled the issue with the Morning Star; it hadn’t been able to drive the dragon out since. What did it care, the Source thought to itself. After all, it had, for once beaten The Endless and The Spectre to the punch by queuing early in front of Heaven’s Administration Branch, and managed to get its own leave approved before they did. It afforded itself a smile; it had been the better part of an eternity since it had managed to steal some down-time, and right now, with the God-killer threat and the omniverse about to feel the wrath of The Presence itself, Club Med Punta Cana in the Caribbean was looking pretty good. It had wanted to visit the Magic Kingdom, but that had since gone missing. It cursed under its breath. “Ah, there.” It picked up a signed Muhammad Ali poster and carefully set it into the luggage and slowly closed the case over it. It checked the time, the Cosmic Clock on the wall showing simultaneously the time in every region of Heaven’s Creation. “Hmm. Another ten minutes,” The Source slumped into its Lay-Z-Boy, and felt itself sink into the plush leather. It exhaled; this particular chair had seen it through some hard times; the Emperor Joker event and the recent Crisis.

*Proximity warning, proximity warning…* The klaxon warned.

The Source sighed; it was sure that whoever it was would become yet another unfortunate victim of the Wall.

*Proximity warning, fifteen seconds to impact.*

“Who would dare…” The Aspect of The Presence rose to its feet, and with its senses reached out into space only to find a tiny candy-apple-red projectile headed its way. “What in the name of Kami-Sama is…” The blaring beat of Cromartie High’s ending theme began to shake the Wall. The Source checked its watch. “Seven minutes, just seven more minutes!” It looked into deep space, and then turned to face the incoming HumVee.


-Behind the wheel-


“I don‘t see her anymore,” Kadachi mused while peering into the distance behind them. “She must be stuck in that ship, I don‘t think she‘ll be bothering us again for a while.” The Angel mused as the Source Wall began to grow before their windscreen. “Hmph.”

“Hey,” Tiki mumbled from his place on the dashboard while sipping a can of Pepsi through a straw, “Did either of you think about how to get through the Wall?”

“Well I‘m not gonna just throw extra-planar mass at it, from what Vellinor said if we blow the whole Wall at once the Verse might expand so fast out of Kami-Sama‘s control it‘d just explode.” Kansai kept his right foot buried on the accelerator pedal. “What say we try Halcyon‘s Blade? Bet that‘d cut it in half pretty neatly.”

“Nah,” Kadachi waved the suggestion off as utter garbage. “The Source Wall is an Aspect of the Presence‘s will that none in its Creation shall ever go beyond its limitations. Using Halcyon‘s Blade here,” the Angel reasoned, “would bring about the death of Kami-Sama, and hence this Verse as well as the others that He has created. In short, Vellinor would have our heads. And we‘d be stuck right where we started.”

“Damn,” Tiki muttered, “So, what the two of you are trying to say is that we‘re here, doing Warp 9.9 and neither of you have tough about how we‘re actually gonna get through the thing?”

The Angel and the God-Killer looked at each other for a moment. “Oh shit.”

“Yup, that‘s what I thought.” Tiki smacked itself on the forehead, right as a massive ’thud’ shook the Hummer. “Alright, who did you go and run over this time, Kansai?”

“Uhmm, no-one?” the God-Killer shrugged. “The guy flew straight into the windscreen! Wasn‘t my fault or anything, right?”

“YOU‘RE SUPPOSED TO STOP, ASSIST AND ALERT AN AMBULANCE, IDIOT!” the hamster screamed.
“So. Uh, you mean if we hit those guys too, then we gotta get all of them ambulances?” Kansai pointed to the flock of countless titanic creatures pulling themselves free of the Source Wall and beginning to flock towards them.

“It looks like The Wall was gathering all those beings for a reason,” Kadachi began to crack his wicked smile. “For its own protection.”

“Hey,” Kansai nudged his Guardian. “It say in that book if those guys got health insurance? I don‘t think they‘re gonna get out of the way, man!” True enough, the flock of beings that had been imprisoned on The Wall were now streaking towards the HumVee full tilt, the Wall itself essentially barren. Yet another thud rocked the Hummer as the first of the creatures made impact, and then another, followed by yet another. Kansai flicked the wipers on. “Shit, this is gonna get messy.” The HumVee rocked with several impacts every moment.

“MY PAINT!!!” Kadachi screamed as one of the beings buried its claws and teeth in the hood, only to be torn off the vehicle by the extreme momentum. “YOU BASTARDS! LAY OFF OF MY PAINT!” The cloud of incoming assailants intensified; clawed and armoured beings, creatures and things from every point in time since the beginning of Existence were tearing at the body panels and slamming themselves into the windscreen trying to gain entry to the cockpit. “OI!!! OI, GET OFF OF THERE!” The Angel swore at a particular entity that had begun gnawing at the bumper. “That‘s it, you bastards want my paintjob so badly,” Kadachi cursed, grabbed the wheel, stomped on Kansai’s foot and hit the Nitrous button all at once, “EAT IT!!!”

“THE F*CK!? THE HELL YOU DOING!?” the God-Killer yelled as he struggled with the now-psychotic and madly cackling Kadachi as he steered their way into the largest swarms of creatures, swarms that blew apart like bowling pins as the Hummer picked up even more speed. “YOU WANNA GET US ALL KILLED OR SOMETHING!?”

*Caution, maximum Warp,* the Hummer’s warning system began to buzz its robotic monotone as a red flashing light on the dash highlighted ‘Danger to Manifold.’


-Source Wall-


The Source hurriedly skittered its way to the back, the rumble of the taxi’s engine filling the chamber . It pulled the trunk open and stuffed the huge suitcase into it, wheezing as it finally popped into place. It slammed the hatch shut, and then made its way to the front, the driver’s window. “Club Med, Punta Cana in the Caribbean.”

“Désolé, mais je ne parle pas anglais très bien…” the Frenchman behind the wheel replied casually, the taxi’s supercharged engine filling the room with deep sounds. “Je suis Daniel.”

The Source swore quietly, as the Wall began to tremble. “Uhmm, par le vous…Club Med?”

“Club Med ? Ok, à quoi un voulez-vous aller ? Il y a uns, vous savez.

“Uhhh…”


-Point of Impact-


“TAKE THAT!!!” Kadachi laughed madly as he veered into a particularly large group of winged beings that were shooting Cosmic bolts at the vehicle, sending the lot of them in different directions into the depths of space. Behind them, the others had begun to regroup, but they kept their distance, fearing becoming trapped by The Wall again. As the last of the creatures slammed into the Hummer’s grille, the Source Wall again came into view, closer than ever. “Well now,” Kadachi blew several stray hairs away from his face. “About time.” The window beside him shattered as one of the beings, having managed to gain a foothold on the HumVee finally made it to the cockpit. “YOU BASTARD!” The Angel threw its arm over the creature’s neck and stomped hard on the dash, catching it in a headlock. Opposite him, Kansai held a similar beast by the neck in a black gauntlet, the other creature also successfully making it into the cockpit. As the God-Killer began slamming it into the A-pillar, more clawing could be heard on the roof and under the truck.

“Dammit, they‘re here!” Kansai swore, popping the creature’s head off with his thumb. “ANY IDEAS, EINSTEIN!?”

Tiki jumped hard on the wiper stalk. “Head for the Wall,” it cackled, “We‘ll blow them off!” It swung its way to the steering wheel, and slammed home on the ‘Nitrous Dump’ button causing the vehicle to surge out of control. On the passenger’s side, the being that Kadachi held in a headlock promptly lost the rest of its body from the neck downwards as the HumVee shot towards the Wall with smoke billowing out of the engine bay. In moments, the shadow of the Hummer appeared on the Wall, growing larger with each picosecond. “HOLD ON TO YOUR BALLS!!!”

[T51R]

~Rampage, Part II...continued~



-Source Wall-


“Ah, ainsi vous voulez aller matraquer Med dans Punta Cana dans la Caraïbe ! Aucun problème, houblon dedans !” Daniel smiled and nodded happily at The Source, the Aspect by now dripping sweat.

“YES!! YES!!! CLUB MED, PUNTA CANA, IN THE CARRIBBEAN!!!” The Source happily nodded, and circled the cab to the passenger door. It felt the handle click, the sound of sweet victory. It threw the door open, but no sooner had it done so the Wall behind him vanished in a cloud of atomic dust and baryonic particles. “WHAT THE…” The crash shook the Wall as the image of the HumVee’s grille burned itself into its brain, right before it stamped itself an impression on the Higher Being’s facial features. The Source found itself being dragged backwards by the vehicle’s momentum, thrust through several dozen pillars and a few walls in between. Finally, the ride stopped as the Hummer bounced down several flights of stairs, not trodden on since the coming of Lucifer, and slammed nose-first into a massive door sending the driver through the windshield, through the barrier and pinning the Source between the grille and the wood. “Uhhhh,” the Higher Being moaned as a thunderous roar in the distance came.

Slowly, Kadachi opened the door of the Hummer and staggered out, beside him Tiki flopping to the ground. “Hey, you still alive?” The Angel poked at The Source at it lost consciousness, but not before it managed to grab a hold of his fishnet top and muttered its last threat before passing out cold.

“I‘ll…sue…”

“Oh, great. Just great. Now we got a lawsuit on our hands.” Kadachi peered through the hole in the door, at the dragon which Lucifer had put there to rip and tear the flesh of other beings who dared to follow him into the Void. The beast seemed distressed as it turned around in circles, roaring its discomfort. “What in the Nine Hells of Nifelheim…” He looked on stunned as beside him, Tiki flopped around on the ground laughing maniacally. From the dragon’s arse, Kansai’s feet were protruding, just barely while from the dragon’s colon, a faint muffled voice could be heard.

“Get me out!! Get me out, it‘s horrible in here!!!! HORRIBLE!!!”


:D

Next...ALPHONSE versus JADE! Round one, FIGHT!

[J Dog]

Street Fury- Part II

At Juan's mansion, which loomed over lush gardens and sparkling pools, a group of throttle-happy men and Zach stood at a courtyard. Two of the men worked as a team, and are more than willing to take on anyone else. Zach figured that if Jack was here, he'd take on those two. But, this is a lone-wolf operation now. Juan clambered out of the giant doors and reveraled his smirk to the men. "Gentlemen, I am pleased that you have come."

Zach stared at him with a little resentment. It was then that one of the men managed to speak to him. "What is the reason that we are here?" He asked.

"I have a little job for those of you who are considering to drive for me. It's nothing big, but I got this article left within a parking garage. It's inside of a Lamborghini. The garage is, oh... 25 miles northwest of here. I'd get there fast if I were you."

It was then that all of the men ran off into the four winds so they'd blast their nitrous for Juan's "article". Zach rushed to his vehicle, which was a Scion attached to Nitrous tanks. After igniting it, he began his rush towards the garage.

********

Back in MUGEN, Jack was facing off against another foe. It's all good that Seto Kaiba is out of the picture, but this has made things less intresting. He winds up battling the ticket holder. "Look, I'm Jack Stallwall, of Team FanWarriors. In a while, we are going to fight Team Saviors from Space. Got any spare tickets?"

"No. We are sold out for the domes. However, I'd offer you a slot in the Video Room."

"What the heck is that?" Jack asked. "It better not be anything like 'Big Brother'!"

"It's a room for our overflow. We show the fights on giant monitors."

"I figured THAT one out, man." Jack said to him, with no feelings for the guy. He then sighed. "Give me a slot for us." He followed that by turning. "Dorado? Dorado? Oh, god no!"

Dorado was battling a tourist. Jack goes up to him and conks him in the head. "Hopefully, this won't affect your personality."

A few minutes, the five are in the room. Mimi was staring at Team UFO's fight. "Is it just me, or does that girl have the same first name as me?"

[OverMaster]

A few minutes, the five are in the room. Mimi was staring at Team UFO's fight. "Is it just me, or does that girl have the same first name as me?"

C-Dome:

Mimi sneezed. Then she shook her head. "Oh. I wonder who's talking about me now".

-Duties-

Team Saviors from Space's Headquarters:

Starfire respectfully approached the big man in blue, holding the note in a hand. She was in awe of his stature, both in the physical and, even much more so, in the iconical state. He was the man they told legends about in her world. The Hero, with capital letters.

And yet, he was just smiling gently down at her, as Robin and Cyborg stayed behind her, and Vash and Stitch behind him.

"So, do you want to join?" he asked, his voice easing. She nodded with some anxiety.

"Um, yes... Mr. Batman told me you could have a place for me after Mr. Tenchi's disappearance. I'll do my best, you can be sure of that... Here, he gave me this to give it to you!". She handed him the note quickly.

The man in the red cape took a look at it. It was Bruce's handwriting, all right.

Kal:

This young woman is the Koriand'r, or Starfire, from the parallel world I told you about recently. She belongs to an alternate lineup of the Teen Titans; I'll be sending her along with the Robin and Cyborg of her world. I suggest you to accept her in your team as a replacement or striker; I don't think she is fully ready for a big role in the Tournament yet, though. She has lots of physical potential, but is also still too naive and unexperienced. She should be treated far more carefully than our universe's Starfire.

Trust me on this.

B.-

Kal-El sighed to himself. Bruce, always working in mysterious and cryptic ways. Still, he seemed to at least trust the girl and her teammates in some capacity.

"So...?" Robin asked then.

The Man of Steel smiled down to the three young heroes. "I have no problems with it" he said. Then he turned to his own two teammates. "Mr. Vash, Stitch? What do you think?".

"OK!" Stitch gave him a quick 'thumbs up'.

"It's allright!!" Vash grinned goofily. Then his expression changed a bit when he addressed Starfire. "But you'll have to be a benchwarmer for now, kid. We already had a first line member coming up to replace Tenchi...".


Planet Jurai. The majestic Imperial Palace:

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!".

Emperor Azusa roared, unusually out of himself, as he advanced towards his daughter. "I still say no, Ayeka!" he repeated. "We already have lost your sister, and this family, and this planet, just cannot afford to lose you as well!".

"But... Father..." the purple haired young woman (young, at least for Jurai standards) looked up at him with a begging expression. "I need to go there! Lord Tenchi... I have to find him! And I have to fight on his behalf and this planet's, as well! I just have to...".

"I said no!!" Azusa insisted. "Let that... space pirate, and the GXP agent, to take charge of that! Do you know what would you do to us if you disappeared as well?! I... we... we never could live up to it!".

"Azusa, please" Empress Funaho intervened. "Let Ayeka to follow her heart's lead. You are only making her unhappy with each passing day you hold her here. She needs to find him. It is eating her alive. Cannot you see it?".

"I agree" Empress Misaki, Azusa's second wife, nodded, with a sad expression normally totally alien to her. "I know you are worried about her, after what happened to Sasami... but... keeping her here against her will is still worse. I have faith she will be able to do it... Find Tenchi-kun, and maybe even Sasami...". Then she bursted out in tears at the memory of her other daughter. "WAAAAHHHH! SASAMI!!".

"In the name of all that is Holy!" the Emperor was in total disbelief. "Why do line against me?! You should see I am right; sending her to taht slaughterhouse would be madness! As long as I am here--".

"You will send her, Azusa" a new female voice cut in, making Azusa to freeze in place. She was entering the room, followed by Jumba and Pleakley, Stitch's intended backup crew. A tall woman with light green hair, intelligent eyes and ornate robes. The only woman in all the universe who made Azusa's blood to really shake in fear. Seto Kamiki Jurai, often called "the Devil Princess of Jurai".

"Mistress Grandmother!" Ayeka quickly rushed to her side as fast as she could, her reddish eyes glinting with hope. "Do... do you really mean it?".

"Of course I do, child" Seto almost huffed. "The Royal House of Jurai must show the rest of the universe we are unafraid. Your presence there will be a perfect signal of that. Not to mention Mister Kent will be there to protect you, especially now..." she allowed herself a small smile at her grandaughter, "And even Ryoko shall care for you, even if only because you are her rival, only hers to deal with. And Lord Tenchi needs you...".

"But..." Azusa babbled. "But...".

"Later, will you?" Seto politely asked. "Please. We have another matters to attend to now. Ayeka, you will go with Doctor Jumba and Agent Pleakley. Your ship is scheduled to reach Earth and MUGEN in six hours, thanks to the warp gate we just got. Anomalies along the way derived from the Dimensional Tide should not be a problem thanks to it. Just remember, do your best at the matches and do not let us down. I know you will not make us to regret our decission".

"You can trust me, Grandmother" Ayeka smiled, struggling to hold back some tears. "For Lord Tenchi, For Sasami... and for all of you. I will not dare to fail you!".

Next: Nudoru's Guide to Time Travelling!

[Lord of Nonsensical Crap]

Bad News and Worse News

Alaniel stood quietly in front of the entrance to the arena building, his eyes scanning left and right for any sign of Anzell. Not that he'd been waiting long, mind you -- he had just got out of explaining matters to Flonne. The young angel had been quite shocked by what Alaniel had told her -- as could only be expected -- but he didn't have time to explain matters further to her: he wanted to find out what exactly had been going on in his absence.

A flicker of blue against the red sky caught his attention -- Alaniel turned, and saw Anzell flying towards him, her elegant blue dress and shawl trailing in the wind. The angel allowed himself a slight smile as the goddess landed lightly on her feet in front of him.

"I didn't keep you waiting too long, did I?" Anzell asked.

Alaniel chuckled. "Not at all," he replied.

Besides, a small part of his brain told him as he glanced at Anzell's beautiful figure, it was worth the wait.

"Then let's get to business," Anzell said. "Firstly, what was this about . . . . . Authors?"

And so it was that Alaniel told her about everything that had just happened: how he had been transported to another dimension, his meeting with Takahashi and the philosophers, and what he had learned from them. Once he was done, Anzell looked understandably confused.

"So . . . . .these 'Authors' are essentially the creators of all Existence, and are the ones who even created Kami-Sama himself?" she asked.

"Well, I don't know about that one," Alaniel admitted. "It wouldn't surprise me, though. Takahashi also mentioned two Authors in the tournament, renegades among her own group. One of them is Nabeshin, the head of the defeated team Nabeshin. The other one was . . . someone named Smith . . . . "

Anzell frowned. "Smith? That's a pretty common name. She didn't mean the one named Smith in Team Neron, did she?"

The angel shook his head. "No, Agent Smith is a machine, and therefore has too limited an imagination to be an Author. We'll have to instead search through the databanks of all the current teams involved -- for all we know, this Smith person may be on a new team."

Anzell nodded. "In the meantime . . .what's this about the God-Killer?"

A troubled look passed over Alaniel's face. Slowly, he sat down on a nearby bench- Anzell was quick to sit next to him.

"I saw him," he muttered. "I went to . . . . what's left of one of the Alternate Tenchi Muyo verses. I found a soul-fragment there, of Ryoko . . . . I looked into it, and I saw him."

He paused shortly, before continuing. "He looked like something that was spat out of a man's worst nightmares," he said. "He was all dark, with waves of destruction chanelling out of his fists. He had an angel with him . . . an angel that heralded that universe's destruction . . . "

The goddess went silent, her skin going pale as she contemplated what Alaniel had just said.

"It must be him, then," she said softly. "He must be responsible for all the recent Dimension Tide activity." She paused, and turned back to Alaniel. "We'll have to talk to Washu, and get a look at all the universes that have gone down. We might be able to find a pattern in the God-Killer's movements."

Alaniel still looked ashen-faced. "I honestly don't know if we can stop him," he muttered. "He wiped out an entire universe by himself -- "

"We'll find a way, then," Anzell cut in. "We'll stop him, believe me."

The angel said nothing for a minute. Then, slowly, he turned to face Anzell. "What was this about Sakura disappearing?"

Now it was Anzell's turn to relay information: she told Alaniel everything she knew about how Sakura had blasted her way out of the hospital, and of Dominic, Alita and Karin's recent discovery.

The angel was visibly taken aback. "Chaos cults? In the MUGEN grounds?"

"I'm as surprised as you are," Anzell admitted. "Whatever they're up to, it can't be good. If you ask my opinion, a full-scale investigation may be necessary, not only to root out the cultists, but also to find Sakura -- if Dominic's right, her soul is now at stake."

Meanwhile, perfectly hidden from a nearby bunch of bushes, Suzu observed her prey. Alaniel was dead in her sights -- all she had to do now was wait for the right moment.


OOC: Over to you Saint


Coming Soon: Vellinor- Divorce Lawyer!

[Saint_007]

OOC: Well, Saint, if you want to take a part in this fight, add something you had planned now and I'll finish it. But I have a definite end for this battle planned. Please let me have that, pretty pleaseeeeeeee...?? :p
Yeah, sure, go ahead. You let me finish Nabeshin vs Robots after all :p

[OverMaster]

-The Good, the Bad, and the even Uglier Luck of the Avatar: A-Ko Magami vs. Team UFO, Part II-

OOC: New lamest post title ever!

IC:

"Windy!!" Sakura Knomoto cried out, and an elemental summoning from her Windy Clow Card appeared between her and Savior Sapphire: a thin woman with wide wings coming out of her forehead, and glowing in a faint greenish light. She unleashed a powerful blast of wind at the rival Magical Girl, just as Sapphire also struck with a tornado shot of her own. Both air projectiles collided with a loud boom, and for a few seconds they struggled together in a furious standstill, as both magic powered girls gritted their teeth to push the edge in their own favors, Wataru's normally expresionless face finally showing the signs of strain on her pale features.

The force of both attacks clashing quickly sent hurricaned winds all through the dome, sending hats flying and forcing the lightest people at the public to grab dearly on their seats.

"Meooowwwww!!!" Meowth screamed as he took a hold of James, his tail and lower legs lifted high into the air. "They're going to send us to Oz!!".

Finally, the Windy won. Her attack passed through Wataru's, and hit her sending her out of the ring.

"Wataru-chan!!" Mimi cried in distress, then her blue eyes went bloodinjected in anger. "Ooohhh, this settles it! No more Miss Nice Mimi from now on!!!". The UFOBot took out a huge handcanon gun and shot Sakura, forcing her to fly away for cover while dodging the shots.

"Hey!!" A-Ko jumped up high and kicked the gun out of the UFOBot's hands. "You're going overboard with this!".

"Don't try to tell me what to do!!" Mimi's voice came from inside the robot as it slapped A-Ko aside with a huge metal hand. "Who are you, anyway?! You're a nobody! There's no way our organization will fall to someone like you!!".

"That's telling her!!" B-Ko shouted from her seat. "Pulverize her! Humble her! Make her lick your feet!!".

"Rip her clothes off!!" Black Mage added, moments before the old lady sitting behind him, scandalized, hit him on the head with her umbrella.

A-Ko grumbled, then gave the robot a leg sweep, making it to tumble backwards and fall on its back. Inside, OM felt the full brunt of the impact, being crushed between the motors in the back part of the machine.

"Ouch... my spine... it cracked...".

"Don't start with the whining!!" Mimi commanded as the 'bot sprang back to its feet. "We have a job to do here!!".

"Boy, she sure is angry now..." Paquito observed.

"For real" Puttymon nodded, while pulling some levers and adding extra potence to the leg impulsers, the robot making a stomping quick advance for Eiko, and then throwing a punch to her, one the young redhead stopped using both hands, struggling to keep it back. "But dis broad is heckuva strong...!".

"Nnnghhh!!!!" straining herself, and sweating profusely, A-Ko stopped the machine's momentum, and, keeping it grabbed by its fist, lifted it high and threw it up to the domed ceiling, which cracked with the impact. Again, it hit the top with its back, and OM was crushed between now failing motors once again.

"I can't feel my legs now..." the unkillable human punching bag gasped.

And then the UFOBot fell down to the middle of Halloween Town's central park, making the ground to tremble below it as, to boot, several pieces of the shattered ceiling fell on it. Once more, OM took most of the impact on himself, but the others weren't unaffected either.

"Owwwiieee!!" Paquito complained, then looked at the screen in front of him. "Hm, Mimi, Puttymon? We're operating at 49% of power now, and it keeps falling. We--".

"I know! I know!" the blonde fumed with indignation as she lunged the robot forwards, only to have A-Ko eluding it, panting but still smiling. "Stay quiet, darn you! You're worse than that stupid Savior Ruby...!".

"Don't tell me!" Eiko jumped on the control cabin, making the whole robot to shake, and then plunged a fist inside of it, reaching for Mimi. "Why don't you tell me about it on my face? Get out of this trashcan so we can go mano a mano!".

"You HERETIC!" Mimi almost foamed of the mouth. "This is a masterpiece of my genius! A hussy like you doesn't have the right to call it a trashcan, ignoramus!".

She whipped out a small raygun and shot A-Ko on the hand with it.

The redhead yowled. "Yipe!! That stung like hell!!".

Mimi blinked. "Wha--? That should have blown your hand clear off your arm!".

"Well, yeah, hate to disappoint, but..." A-Ko, snarling, grabbed Mimi by the neck of her white coat and pulled her out of the cabin. "... I often fail to others' expectations when it comes to that sort of things!".

"Hey, you, let her go!!" Paquito yelled, and then A-Ko felt something dirty and murky hitting her face and clouding her vision, forcing her to release her prey. She wiped the disgusting stuff out of her face, just to see... Puttymon spitting more mud balls on her face from the inside of the mecha.

"EW! GROSS!!" she yelled with sudden nausea.

"That's so disgusting!" Sakura's face went lime green back at Team Girl Power's bunker.

"Hey, if it works..." Ryoko just shrugged. "Not that I think it will work, of course...".

And sure enough, A-Ko simply wiped the sticky mud off her face, groaned, and kicked