Private/Closed Bootleg Bros 4

[comic]

Leon S. Kennedy
Grimacing, Leon lowered his weapon, locking his jaw. That had been unfortunate--but it was done. Tucking away Matilda, the agent glanced toward the smoldering undead lying nearby, a fanfare playing from an unseen location. He was moving on to the next round, and he wasn't sure what to expect next, even as the world began to fade around him.
Leon approached the spot where Audrey had poofed away from, noting the strands of multi-colored hair, whatever that was about. With a frown, he knelt down and collected the items.

The gateway appeared behind him as two of the five original zombies started to return to their feet, gurgling out their mindless growls. He'd had enough of this place again, even if it was interesting to see the strange palette it had been turned into.
Stepping through the gateway, Leon emerged back in the lobby, noting that multiple fights had concluded as well. A glance at the screens seemed to indicate that the rest were close to wrapping up. A pit of anxiety sat within him as he realized that there was undoubtedly more eliminations this round. Where was Chun-Li...

Kassandra
"Well, that was completely warranted and in-character." Kassandra sighed as she slid her spear behind her while Alexios scoffed. "Coward. You better bring me back again, big sister. Whatever magic you used to bring me here has waned."
That much was true. She could only have him summoned for so long, and that time had been spent. "I will. Allow me to do all the work now, no?"
"Ha! You malakas, you couldn't last a minute without me." With that, Alexios vanished. She looked up- only to see a massive ball of iron descending upon her.

BOOM

It crashed into the ground, cracking the rock and leaving very little room for anything to survive between. As the archers appeared, they couldn't see anything to fire upon. The blademasters were finding themselves in a similar situation, and Kohga's words fell on no ears.
The boulder continued to be needlessly pushed into the earth, the master so preoccupied with this he might not have noticed one of his archers disappearing in a poof, notifying their death.
Kassandra had been formulating a plan, and she was not oblivious to the concept of magnetism. It had been demonstrated to her on occasion, as one might expect when she spends so much time around philosophers and scholars just as much as warriors and mercenaries.

Having jammed piece after piece of twisted metal into the rock behind Kohga, the wall standing far taller than he hovered, Kassandra had formed a line of them about, cracking the wall along that line with the intention of possibly attracting Kohga's magnetic power in their direction at some point, and forcing him to bring the entire wall down on himself. It was perfectly placed, as even the audience hadn't claimed it.

Once accomplished in a short time, she'd dispatched one of the archers in quick work, taken his bow, and used his own arrows, sending a storm flying toward the Blademasters and the other archer--this would undoubtedly be noticed by Kohga. The arrows removed the other archer and severely wounded the Blademasters, who now turned in her direction as a dozen arrows stuck out of them each.
"For a trickster," Kassandra called to Kohga, "you're fairly easy to trick, yourself! Not to mention you're more than predictable." She casually rubbed at her finger as she stood on the spot, the Blademasters still a ways off. "You might be wondering why I'm not a flatcake under that globe? Well, a better trickster doesn't spill her secrets." In truth, she'd used the Shadow of Nyx and narrowly avoided the boulder, expending one of her charges, but it had been well worth it.
With rapid speed, alongside agility, she pulled out the spear and scaled the wall of rock, getting as close to her trap as she could, and well out of range of the Blademasters even if they used their little hole in the ground shtick. "This whole time you had magnetism and you never used them on me?" she laughed, "One of my lungs is made from iron! You could have used that the whole time!" A fib, but hopefully any attempts to do something about this "iron lung" would result in the now weakened wall reaching its critical point and collapsing on the master. "Sadly for you, now you die. Bet you didn't know my brother could fly like you, did you? You should turn around." Once more, a trick--but regardless if Kohga did something about this "lung", or turned around, she would burst from the wall at her usual impressive speed, once more making an attempt at putting her spear through one end of Kohga's body, and pulling it out of the other.

 

[Psymallard]

Daruk
Daruk figured out what Rebellio was trying to do moderately quickly, not too quick, but also not late either. As fast as his little legs would take him, he ran for the last opening, battering away a boulder into smaller chunks. But, he was still caught by the first thread before he could truly escape. And then the next. And the next. The brute was stuck in the red web, and had no defense against Rebellio's drill attack as it burrowed into his gut as his beady eyes went wide and pupils shrunk in surprise. Much Goron blood was spilt.

Vicotory: Rebellio!

And thus, the story of Daruk has come to its end.
@ArmedBlue

Master Kohga... or is it?
Kohga was glad that Alexios was gone, now it was easier! ...But as he was about to celebrate, his Blademasters were injured. What?! So there wasn't a Kass pancake underneath his Ancient Technique Metal Yiga Boulder, but she was around here somewhere. Luckily for him, Magnesis didn't effect the metal lodged in the wall, as it was a technique that only effected a single object. It also helped him sense metal- to see that Kassandra didn't in fact have a metal lung, but was speeding towards him with a spear! What a stinkin' liar! He instead used Magnesis to pull his Demon Carver from his belt into his hand, and took a step back. Kassandra's spear went through something, but it wasn't Kohga! It was the ring of the Demon Carver, which the Master twisted to lock in place.

"You're the good guy, you're not supposed to lie like that!"

With that scolding, he pulled on the spear, and threw out a deceptively powerful side kick towards Kassandra's midsection!
@comic

 

[ArmedBlue]

Rebellio

The fight came to an end as Rebellio pierced through Daruk, landing behind him. Or what was left of him, anyway. The world began to fade away as the Adept's injuries magically healing themselves, bringing him back to his regular form, Falcon Quill pinned to his jacket once again. Rebellio turned to face his former opponent's remains, grimacing. He was no stranger to ending lives to preserve his own, yet this time felt... different. Just like him, Daruk had been forced to participate in this tournament, always at risk of being killed off once he was brought into the loser's bracket. This was the end of the road for him. At least now he could rest in peace...

"I'm sorry it had to be this way." Rebellio spoke, sighing as he walked through a newly opened gateway, bringing him back to the plaza, healing his injuries and also bringing him back to his regular form, interestingly enough. The Falcon immediately looked up at the tournament bracket, Daruk's name and picture being crossed out. At least Chief had made it to the next round. Waving at the Spartan, he began looking around at those whose fights had already finished. He had to find allies to fight back against the Host, and it was likely some of the contestants standing around were willing to join him and Chief in this resistance. Too bad Daruk had been eliminated. The Goron would have been a great first pick.

 

[comic]

Kassandra
"You're under the impression I'm the good guy," Kassandra replied, feeling his tug and tugging back with equal force, locking them as he shot a kick toward her.
The misthios had a simple response, that being eating into her second to last charge, summoning in something she'd been holding back on.

Her body seemed to emblazon, engulfed in a fiery scarlet light, a roar seeming to shout down from the heavens itself.
The War Cry of Ares.
The kick landed, with all of its deceptive force--but Kassandra didn't budge. She raised a brow at Kohga, cocking her head slightly to the side. "I'm not the good guy because I kill for spare change, and I'm very good at it."
With her free hand, she grasped the Demon Carver, and made to snap it in half. "You're slippery, Kohga... but you're weak. Any more tricks you have to pull out of your ass? You might as well use them all now. Might delay your death a bit."

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

???


"Hey...you."

Beside Rebellio, a familiar small, white figure stood. A solemn presence was felt as they held their head low. This figure, Kumamon, gripped their blaster with a shaky yet emotionally charged resolve.

"I know if you gave up that match, you would die. I don't hold that against you but..."

Looking up at him, Kumamon was seen with icy tears rolling down his face and a mouth, twisted in anguish.

"W-What made your life more valuable than his, huh?! ANSWER ME!!"

 

[ArmedBlue]

Rebellio

Looking down at Kumamon, Rebellio's expression saddened. The icy bear was clearly upset about Daruk's elimination. He knew how it felt to lose people one cared for.

"...My life wasn't more valuable than his, nor was it the other way around." Rebellio told the icy bear, crouching as to be at eye level with him. "You said it yourself: if anyone gives up their match, they die. No one has a choice but to fight to the death in this tournament, and I despise it just as much as you do."

Sticking an open hand out in front of him, Rebellio offered a soft smile. "You and Daruk were friends, right? I understand if you're upset about what I've done..." He paused for a moment. "But I want to make things right. I'm trying to help gather a resistance of sorts to prevent any more deaths. Stop this tournament and maybe even take that Host down." His voice was lower now, trying to avoid getting unnecessary attention. He didn't know if the Generic Host could hear them from where he stood, but he wasn't taking any chances.

"Will you join me? Let's not let Daruk's death be in vain."

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

"I...I..."

Kumamon's words choked on his tears, refusing to give him any room to speak. The icy bear paused, in both inner reflection and hesitation. Collecting his thoughts and his feelings, he fought back his frozen cold teardrops, looking away from Rebellio.

"I...don't think I can do that. Not with you. If you had a plan, you wouldn't have had to-" He started, catching himself before he spoke the words. "...Do what you did. Daruk was the kindest one out of all of us, if anyone was to find a way to get us out, it was HIM. And you took him from us. I'll fight against this in my way. I only tried to eliminate those that were EVIL, the ones that would try to kill everyone. But you...you eliminated him to stay alive. I can't trust you to get us out of this when you want to kill anyone that got in your way..."

He contemplated attacking him here and now. Eliminating them both from this game by breaking the rules. A Kamikaze strike. Dual eliminations. He shakily gripped his gun. Pulling it out for it to be seen, he looked at it, pondering his next course of action.

"...One way or another, Daruk will be avenged. I promise that."

 

[DarkHydraT]

Gemini Spark listened to Tethi, who apparently was not a human. Not that he would know, every incapable race blended together too easily to try and remember them. That did explain as to why the Rocket Fist hurt him more than he wanted to admit, anything plant-like did more damage to him. As a crossbow bolt was shot at Gemini White, he merely changed his Rocket Fist to an electric sword as the bolt pierced through his chest, though Gemini White did not even flinch.

Gemini Black on the other hand had used his large Rocket Fist as a shield, whilst Gemini White went on the offensive and slashed at Tethi. That sword looked plant-like, and Wood Element attacks did doubke damage to him. He would have to use White as a shield for now, until this...this thing was eradicated.

@Fraseandchico

 

[Psymallard]

Spirit of Daruk
"Kumamon..." Daruk's spirit materialized beside the Digimon, and put an incorporeal hand on the ice bear's shoulder. "It's okay, little guy. He beat me fair and square. I'm kinda jealous of what he could do." The champion scratched the back of his head with an embarrassed grin, ruffling his ghostly mane in the process. "I think you should help Rebellio, it's that Host guy that really killed me. But that choice is up to you, and I'll protect you either way." With that, Daruk stood up and took a step back. "My special ability, coming right up!" He slammed his fists together one final time, and then thrust both hands out, sending out a red orb that disappeared inside Kumamon. "That's Daruk's Protection, whenever you need me I'll be there to protect ya." His head swiveled towards Rebellio, and the smile of a good sportsman flashed across his face. "Good luck on your rebellion, and while you're at it, you should watch out for a guy named Darth Revan. Anyways, it's my time. See ya, little guys!" The jolly Goron waved with his bright smile, and then strolled away, and into nothingness.
@Shen: King of Digimon @ArmedBlue

Master Kohga
"Dang it, how many trump cards do you have? Grrrrrrr-EEEP!" The Yiga flinched as his weapon broke, and so he retreated with a backflip. A random Yiga in the crowd tossed him a new Demon Carver though, and he was reequipped just like that. "I DO have a couple tricks up my sleeve still, thanks for asking!" Upon the last syllable of his quip, the Ancient Technique Metal Yiga Boulder poofed, leaving Kassandra in midair. He punched the ground again, and the hole in the ground sped underneath the woman's position. Then, Kohga spun through the air, but this time with his Demon Carver outstretched to turn himself into a flying beyblade of death speeding towards the falling Greek as the earth was about to erupt beneath her!
@comic

 

[comic]

Kassandra
His words went by sluggishly as she hung/fell in the air. "Ugh, you talk too much." She replied, time running by at a crawl for her as she watched. With a deft land, she watched the earth opening up again as Kohga began to rapidly spin, outstretching his latest weapon. The misthios walked toward him, side-stepping the approaching hole. While Kohga spun toward her, she rotated her neck, feeling the effects of the War Cry beginning to wear off. Using the last of it, she swung the spear deftly through the air as she came to a stop in front of the spinning Kohga, making to shatter his Demon Carver before reaching out with her free arm and grasping him by the throat. "Now, see, when I try to stab someone..." she began, and from the underside of her wrist, a blade thrust outward, intending to plunge through Kohga's neck. "It's fatal."
With that, the world returned to normal as her aura faded.

 

[Captain Pokémon]

Machamp
Wait, Machamp had seen this before! The other hand began to shake and overload, just like an Electrode! Knowing what was coming next due to…experience, Machamp activated protect, a half-dome appearing above his body, which was currently hugging the hand. This protected him, but not the hand he was hugging. However, while he did block a lot of it, he wasn’t quite fast enough and some of the explosion got in and grazed him, causing the superpower pokémon to inhale sharply in pain. However, the mech’s hand took the brunt of the blast, and Machamp had mostly guarded himself with Protect, so it wasn’t too devastating.

After this, Machamp continued to remain stubborn, hugging the mech’s hand. However, he also began to apply crushing force, turning it from a normal grab to a deadly bear hug. The mech’s metal began to creak as it started to crush under Machamp’s incredible strength.
@ArmedBlue

Metal Sonic
After Punk leapt through a window, Metal cancelled the V.Maximum Overdrive attack, deciding following him wasn’t worth the energy exhaustion. Light smoke rose from his body as he stood surpassingly still. He had to vent for a moment after an attack like that, but not for as long of a time as it would have been if he saw it through.

Then, the three spiked softballs zoomed into the room, bouncing around like crazy, not unlike Sonic would on occasion. Fortunately, Metal was well prepared and had the means to counter an attack like this. Metal observed the spiked softballs as they bounced around the room, his glowing red eyes moving at the exact right speed to track them properly. Then, as one zoomed towards him to hit him in the head, he reached out at blinding speeds and grabbed it right out of the air. The spikes impaled his hand, but he didn’t much care since he lacked the ability to feel pain. As another one came at him, he threw this softball he held in his hand, intercepting the other one perfectly. Then, for the final one, he stepped to the side, causing it to bounce around some more until eventually flying out of the window.

As expected.

Metal then jet out of the room through the window, hovering in the air as he looked at Punk,, staring at him for intimidation for a moment, before jetting forward abruptly, likely surprising the delinquent. He flew close to the rooftop(assuming they’re on top of one) and dragged his hand across it before lifting it up, causing the roof tiles to fly in front of him, obstructing Punk’s view. He then rolled up into a deadly spiky ball and zoomed towards Punk, intending to end this.
@Psymallard

Monkees
Benjamin looked at Psyduck with intrigue as the pokémon dodged the lightning bolt and latched onto the bridge. It was faster than he thought, at least in water. As The Duck propelled towards the monkey mage, the wizard thought of a simple solution. He turned towards Psyduck and fired another bolt of lightning directly at him, intending to stop him in his tracks and fry him at the same time!
@Psymallard

Jevil
The darkener raised an partly closed one of his eyes to mimic the ‘raised eyebrow’ expression as Axe revealed a new winged form. How strange, why was he hiding this the whole time? As the little ‘hero’ charged at Jevil, the jester grinned and a devilsknife manifested in his hand.

Right as Axe came in contact with him, Jevil parried the attack with his scythe, likely causing Axe to stumble/falter forward. Jevil, now behind Axe, launched many diamonds towards the winged hero, hoping to hit him in his moment of weakness.
@Fraseandchico

 

[Fraseandchico]

Axe

As Axe stumbled forward from the parry, caught offguard at first, heard something behind him. He turned, but as he did, a few diamonds pierced into his arms, causing small grunts. Soon, he lifted his shield, the shockingly fragile projectiles still using all that speed to slam into the shield hard, pushing Axe back slightly, who responded by digging his wings into the ground to stabilise himself.

"You are fast, I'll give ya that. But I think its time I draw you to a close." Axe blankly stated as he held himself in place. Suddenly, he used his wings to give him a moment from the projectiles, spinning out of the way and to the side of the projectiles, completing two full circles, or pirouettes, in the process. He flew up into the air with the wings, before diving back down and slamming the pointy end of the pickaxe into the ground in front of Jevil, spouting up a large fountain of flame, right at the Jester. It was as hot as it was deadly, and quick as the wind. All the while, that smirk barely shifted from Axe, his blank tone even keeping it, but it was clear this form wasn't the most comfortable.

Tethi

"You talk of bonds like that, but hide behind each other, surely that means something!" Tethi yelped out she narrowly parried Gemini White's blade to the side with her own, shuddering with the mere feeling of the electricity near her, almost reaching her hand before she managed to push it to the left. Meanwhile, Khepri, her beetle who is still here, moved off her back and attempted to sneak around Gemini White, as if aiming to get to Gemini Black for a distraction. Possibly to do with biting his right leg, while Tethi rolled to the side of Gemini White going for an upper slash.

 

[Captain Pokémon]

Jevil
The jester giggled as Axe was hit by the diamond projectiles, clearly not intimidated by his new form. As Axe dived up and zoomed towards him, Jevil teleported back several meters, predicting what would happen next.

While he was partly right, there was a part that he didn’t expect. Flames emerged from where Axe slammed into the ground, flying towards Jevil. However, since the darkener had flow back from where he originally was, the flames didn’t quite reach, just licking at his arm a little. The effect from the pirouette then kicked in…!
Uh oh! JEVIL’S upcoming move got powered up!
The jester grinned mischievously, before raising his arm up, then bringing it down. Many bombs appeared above Axe, different labels on all of them, before they all fell. “This is it, ‘hero’! See ya!”

Dozens upon dozens of bombs fell down towards Axe’s general location, the explosions alone being dangerous enough to take him out if he didn’t move or something. Then, once they exploded, different projectiles would emerge depending on the label. Spade-labeled bombs would cause a circle of spades to appear, moving outwards to cover a wide area. Heart-labeled bombs would release a square of four hearts that would rotate towards Axe. Diamond-labeled bombs would cause several diamonds to go towards Axe in a fast-moving line. Club-labeled bombs would send three clubs towards Axe, moving outward. Because there were so many bombs, there was a ludicrous amount of projectiles on the field, all of them deadly.
@Fraseandchico

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

Kumamon


Kumamon was close to shooting at Rebellio, committing a double elimination for them both. So close. Just a trigger pull and that was retribution. He was about to follow through with it before a voice spoke out for him to stop. A familiar voice. The spirit of his lost friend.

"Daruk?!"

They explain in great detail how he should move on, even team up with the one who killed him. This was a lot to process, but this feeling of spidery thoughts and moral confusion melted away as soon as Daruk shot some kind of a red orb into him, his body vibrating with the presence of his friend.

"That's Daruk's Protection, whenever you need me I'll be there to protect ya." His friend beamed.

"Daruk..." Kumamon gave a sorrowful smile.

That's when Daruk began to disappear into the distance, his form fading into the background. Kumamon reached out to him, but his lungs grew silent. He stopped himself. Was Daruk...gone?

In a way...Daruk was living on through him? And if he was, he better give him the respect he deserved with every action he took in the future. Looking at his blaster, his finger on the trigger, he looked upon it with shame. What was he doing? Daruk wouldn't want this. He needed to make sure that nobody else lost their Daruks. Nobody had to lose their loved ones. Never again.

"...You really want to help people, huh...?" Kumamon asked Rebellio, staring at his blaster. "I'll help you. Only because Daruk said so. No. Because WE say so!"

Attempting to flex his 'muscles' to imitate Daruk to channel his inner Daruk, he pointed at Rebellio with a certain boldness around him.

"I WILL join you! As long as you remain true!"

 

[comic]

Master Chief
A fight looked about to break out in the lobby, and against Rebellio. The Spartan was quick to move, walking toward the commotion. He slowed when he saw a transparent version of Rebellio's last opponent appear, as though a phantom, and ease the situation with the small, sentient bear. By the time Daruk had faded away, John now stood near Rebellio as Kumamon expressed his allegiance to their cause. It seemed the whole commotion had to do with Rebellio's victory, as the loser had been a friend to the bear.
Chief's eyes glanced toward the Host to find he'd been watching the exchange, though his smile faded as the situation diffused, and the Host rolled his eyes before turning to a screen.
They needed to keep in mind that he was constantly watching.

"We need all the help we can get," the Spartan told Kumamon, towering over both individuals present. "This tournament isn't the real fight."
"The cyborg is correct," a voice intruded upon their conversation, a voice that made Kumamon notably bristle. Chief turned his gaze to look upon the cloaked man who had just as many wins under his belt, his face obscured behind an intimidating mask, a strange unseeable aura flowing off of him.
He seemed to notice Kumamon's discomfort as well, raising a calm hand to silently tell the bear to wait. "The Host is not the one in control here. Somebody pulls his strings, somebody far more dangerous. Our true enemy is not each other, but the figure behind the scenes."

"Of course!" Kalmiya spoke through Chief's helmet, prompting the Spartan to hold up his arm, palm-up, Kalmiya's form appearing over his hand, her gaze toward Revan. "After all," she continued, "a host needs a producer, right? If there's somebody higher than the Host, manipulating everything, then he is... definitely somebody to worry about," Kalmiya grimaced, looked toward Kumamon, then toward Rebellio. "Should we... should we name our team? It's gotta be a cool name though."
"Whatever it is, we must prepare accordingly," Revan replied, reaching up a hand and grasping his mask- before he removed it from his face, revealing the sallow face of a bearded man, tired eyes gazing back at them. "I have experience with being used as a puppet. Only recently has my mind been cleared, no longer clouded in his influence... there may be a chance the Host is being unwillingly controlled, as I was."
"Or he's a program," Chief countered, "acting malicious on free will."
"We have experience with that," Kalmiya stated, before she turned her gaze upon Rebellio and Kumamon. "What do you guys think?"

Meanwhile, a certain Leon was staring at the group from afar, debating on crashing their party with another surprise member.

 

[DarkHydraT]

"It is easier to work together with my own body than with some buffoon." Gemini White said as his side got slashed open by Tethi, though the wound quickly healed and the white suit repaired itself as Gemini White started to emit intensely bright light and went in for another slash.

Gemini Black meanwhile was about to declare an attack, only for his right leg to get bitten. "Ow! You little pest!" Gemini Black attempted to pick Khepri up with his rocket fist and squash the bug before grabbing a battle card, absorbing it in his golden fist. "Plasma Gun!" Gemini Black's hand turned into a glass ball filled with electricity attached to a gun as he fired, two-pronged attacks were always so fun to work with.

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

Kumamon


"You..."

Kumamon may have out Rebellio out of mind for hostilities, but Revan? Never. He solidified his resolve, vowing to the Daruk part of him that he wouldn't be afraid.

"You will still try to kill every last one of us without remorse, Don't pretend like you won't!" Kumamon growled. "I know that hatred, I was made to snuff it out! If we want a future, it's one that you aren't in!"

"He-he, don't blame him, little man. He simply knows the rules."

Kumamon stopped barking his ideals when a new voice entered the fray. An Albino monkey sitting atop a floating chair casually approached them, an air of superiority around him.

"Our Dark colored friend here knows that the only true rule is to win. Sure, you may try to find the holes in the wall of this tournament facade, but will that stop it? Would it not be easier to simply play along? Surely if you value your power, it would be but a trifle, would it not?"

Specter eyed the members of this 'team'. It wasn't much else than a band of misfits. It reminded him of something from back home. Glancing at Metal Sonic's fight on the screen, he smirked, knowing full well that his 'team' would be the alphas of this tournament.

"I suggest quitting while you are ahead. Save your energy for your future fights so that you may have a sliver of hope of winning this." The cultured simian continued. "Power is usually the answer to every equation. Easy and effective, wouldn't you say?"

 

[Fraseandchico]

Tethi

"Woah- Khepri, look out!" Tethi was shocked by Gemini White healing from the wounds, only to turn her head and see Khepri almost get squashed. Now wanting to lose her friend (Let alone her only possible way of contacting home now), she ran, rolling under Gemini White's slash and diving, snatching Khepri from Gemini Black's hand just in time, barely catching her momentum.
"You okay little buddy?" She coughed out, having got sand in her mouth during the dive, but worried for Khepri, who gave a happy chipper, though was noticeably struggling more with the always-carried water orb. However, Tethi didn't turn her head in time, and suddenly Plasma Gun struck, hitting her back and sending her flying. She managed to catch herself by...hitting some scrap with a grunt. Khepri flew over in worry, but Tethi got up.
"I'm fine, don't worry about me." She insisted with a smile. "I lost once, but I'm not going to lose again. Not yet, especially against someone like this guy, I promise." She assured, much to the relief of Khepri.

"If you think I'm done, you've got another thing coming!" She yelled over to Gemini, having been forced to clear space by that hit. She switched to her wand, sending out a spell that seemed to consist of two shots of energy right at Gemini White, followed by a curved, stealthy, shot at Gemini Black. She then switched to the crossbow, sending a shot at Gemini Black to help hide the magic, and finally switched to a Bolas, sending it flying out in an arc to hit the two. Finally, she drew her leafblade, and charged, ready to slash whoever got in range first.

Axe

Axe's survival instincts kicked in, his wings forcing him to maneuver between the explosions, using his shield to block the last one midair, sending him flying back.
"Gah!" He yelped.
Come on, I can do this, I need to focus...!
However, before Axe could think, more and more projectiles began to come right at him. Without much ability to focus on one at a time, Axe, tried to avoid them, going to ground level, as more and more came down. Having no other options left, his wings surrounding his body in a makeshift shield, taking the full brunt of the following projectiles and shuddering Axe with each hit.

"Can't...hold...on!" He whimpered out.
I have to win this... I can't die here, if I do, everyone will...everyone could...Matock, Nelz, Pasmina...Mom!

The wings shrieked and fell, disappearing a poof, at this thought, the markings falling.
I need to concentrate...cause a commotion...Stay steadfast and brave...and hit with the Hardest hit I've got! But to do that, I need to live!
The nearest green stone shone, which was luckily near. Axe grabbed just before the next deadly projectiles could hit, still taking a few sharp hits and wincing but staying steadfast, refusing to let his weakening body ache. He was soon teleported in a bright flash.
Red Stone, give me all ya got! Let's hit as hard as Torren!
Axe soon reappeared under Jevil, jumping up.
"When I said it was over, here it is!" He said, grabbing Jevil. Every attack delayed him just enough for Jevil to avoid and teleport, but if he had Jevil grabbed, maybe that wouldn't work! At least, that was the plan. The red stone shone brighter and brighter, the black stone having been dropped in favour of green. With Jevil (presumably, honestly Axe just had his eyes shut at this point.) grabbed, Axe went to slam his shield hard in Jevil's face, the shield end specifically.
Now!
He shook some kind of sand, from the cave mines in his village where Axe used to work and he still needs to venture to get new stones, off the Green Stone, flicking it into Jevil's eyes and attempting another slam, before leaping off Jevil by the chest and feeling faint. He put a lot of energy into that attack. His current red stone stopped glowing, as if starting to weaken.

 

[ArmedBlue]

Merak

"Bah, that barrier's sooo OP..."

Protect had saved Machamp from a fiery death, though it seemed like it wasn't fully effective when it came to blocking the incoming blast. Good. It was about time the brute took some damage. Fortunately for Merak, Machamp's barrier had protected about half of the fist he was latched onto, keeping it from taking heavy damage.

It wouldn't stay unharmed for long, as the Pokémon decided to add extra force to his hug in an attempt to crush the hand. The Adept's Armed Chair began to shake and whirr, though it wasn't due to the force Machamp was exerting on its limb. "Lame..." The boy muttered, rolling his eyes. "How 'bout I just end you?"

Light whose fell pillars leave rifts in the wider world and lead it towards ruin!

"Lazy Laser!"

The mech's mouth finally opened, unleashing a giant, yellow laser that headed straight for Machamp. Should it miss its mark or come close to striking the remaining fist, a wormhole would open up in its path, the beam shooting out of another wormhole to try and hit Machamp again. It would keep reappearing no matter how many times its target moved out of the way, trying to create a situation where the attack was unavoidable!

Rebellio

Things had thankfully calmed down just as quickly as they escalated, with Daruk's words helping Kumamon relax and reconsider Rebellio's offer. The Goron also told him to watch out for some 'Darth Revan'. Wasn't that the guy that defeated Daruk during his first match? Either way, the situation had been defused, much to Rebellio's relief.

Master Chief was quick to show up, and shortly after him arrived a man cloaked in black. A quick glance at the tournament bracket confirmed the man's identity: it was the very 'Darth Revan' Daruk had told him to watch out for. At least he didn't seem very aggressive, though Kumamon's reaction suggested otherwise. Kalmiya eventually asked him and the bear a question, one that the Adept pondered for a moment before answering.

"I think it might be some kind of program. Maybe whoever or whatever created him programmed him to act this way, so he's not free to do whatever he wants." Rebellio spoke, though he wasn't totally confident in his theory. He kind of felt like something was missing.

One more face decided to join them: a simian on a highly advanced floating chair, whose intellect seemed to match his tech. He expressed his thoughts on the idea of a rebellion, deeming it useless in the grand scheme of things. Rebellio said nothing in return. He'd rather cling on to the hope that those that remained in this tournament could be saved from death.

Surely this all can't be for naught...

 

[Captain Pokémon]

Jevil
The jester laughed maniacally as his attack enveloped Axe, his head twitching and his pupils appearing once again as he did so. However, his laughing was interrupted as the hero grabbed his foot, now back to normal form apparently. Odd. Jevil’s pupils disappeared, but his grin didn’t falter as he stared directly at the little hero, unwavering.

When Axe attempted to hit him with the shield, Jevil manifested a scythe in his hand and his grin widened, before he brought the scythe down onto the shield, countering the attack. The scythe’s pointed end dug into the shield, binding the weapons together. Jevil, taking advantage of this, held his arm at an angle so that the shield was above Axe’s body, preventing him from striking and blocking. Jevil, with his free hand, then summoned several spades behind him before shooting them at Axe, point blank.
@Fraseandchico

Machamp
As Merak charged up some sort of attack and the mech began to shake, Machamp took the opportunity to fully crush the hand, leaving it looking like a crushed soda can. However, the Pokémon’s problems were far from over, apparently. The mech fired a beam at him, which was a bit worrying. Wait, this thing had to have some sort of limit, right? It couldn’t fire the beam forever, it’d overheat! So Machamp just had to stall.

And that’s just what the four-armed brute did. He crossed his arms, causing a dome to enclose him, protecting him from the beam. The mech’s attack was strong, but the shield held fast. Machamp grinned, this should work.
@ArmedBlue

 

[Fraseandchico]

Axe

The boy grimaced seeing the scythe, but managed to smirk anyway, even as the spades appeared. Suddenly, his weight and pulling yanked the pair down to the ground, avoiding the spades narrowly, slicing a few hairs off of Axe. Last chance, he knew.

Alright, let's do this!

Suddenly he tilted his shield slightly, and quick spark was heard. A firecracker on top of his shield. Axe figured Jevil would force it up to work with his momentum and to keep him from blocking. He tried not to giggle at this plan, but managed to focus.
Alright, I'll just use my hand then, just gotta be brave and ignore the pain! After all, there's no use to cowering now, not when I can do this!
The red stone dropped from his shield hand into his other hand, which dropped the green stone. He slammed his hand into the ground between him and Jevil, letting go of the shield to make upward momentum from the firecracker into Jevil's face, and...!
SLAM!
Axe punched into the ground as hard as he could, wincing, before grabbing Jevil by the chest. Not a moment later, a large chorus of flames came blasting out of the ground into Jevil, just before the firecracker exploded with a comical whiz.
All the while Axe simply hoped. If he died here, if he died here...
Well, his Mom had already lost Axe's dad, he didn't want her to lose her son too. Also dying sucks.

 

[Captain Pokémon]

Jevil
As Axe brought the two down to the ground, Jevil’s expression remained happy, but quizzical. What was happening? However, that was all revealed rather quickly. Axe unleashed a powerful attack, flames combined with a firecracker, grabbing Jevil in the process. The jester looked Axe directly in the eye, smile unwavering, before the flames went towards him and the firecracker exploded, causing the area to fill with smoke.

Jevil flew back from the force, catching himself by levitating. When the smoke cleared, it was revealed that Jevil survived the attack, his head bouncing off of his body by a spring, while he laughed all the while. His cape was charred and the frill around his neck was tattered, but Jevil didn’t seem to care, he was enjoying himself!
“Hee hee! Did you really think that would be enough to get rid of me? Sorry, but this jester is not lackluster! Now, say ‘bye bye’, lightener!”
Suddenly, dozens of scythes appeared in the air as a massive square of spades boxed Axe in, keeping him in a limited area and separating him from the green stone discreetly. The knives then began to fall one by one in quick succession, covering the whole area. When the knives hit the ground, a large white blast would emerge upward from the area of contact, effectively making a double-hitting projectile. The scythes would get faster and faster as they fell. If Axe survived all of this, the wall of spades would disperse, but a massive scythe would fall down to finish him off, not giving him much time to think or escape!
@Fraseandchico

 

[ArmedBlue]

Merak

The remaining hand had been crushed, slowly retracting towards the mech's main body, the wormholes that it had once gone through closing. Merak knew it would happen one way or another, so he'd decided to just launch his Lazy Laser as soon as possible. Speaking of which, Machamp was trying to block it with his barrier. That sucks...

The beam was large enough to completely engulf the Pokémon, the laser heading through one wormhole and popping out of another one, striking the barrier from above before heading through another wormhole. Soon enough, the beam completely covered the area Machamp stood on from many different angles, the barrier under incredible pressure. Yet it miraculously survived the onslaught.

"You've gotta be kiddin' me." The genius groaned. After a few more seconds of blasting Machamp and his shield, the mech's attack finally ended, the mouth closing again as it began collecting energy again. He had tons of energy to spend for his Special Skill, though his mech needed a little bit of time to prepare the attack. Merak and his Armed Chair hovered high up in the air, yellow energy particles swirling around his mech as he awaited another chance to fire.

 

[comic]

Master Chief
"Unless there's a counter-balance in effect, negating said power," Kalmiya replied to the simian with a grin, her hands placed behind her back. "Political power, social power, mental power, physical power, all can be effectively usurped and replaced by a wide margin of theoreticals. Like- take the colonial Americans in the late 18th century, for example. They were just some pioneers up against the greatest military might in the world at the time- and they won, through tenacity, and strategy, daring bravery... and hope," she smiled. "No matter the odds of any situation, there is always an outcome for either side. No conflict is entirely one-sided. Any tyrant can fall, and any empire can crumble."

"The simian's words remain true," Revan intruded, "a terrestrial conflict is one thing. We have been plucked from time and space by a being far beyond us. What chance would we have?"

"We have hope," John answered simply, "it's enough."

 

[Fraseandchico]

Axe

"Maybe not...but it at least hurt." He coughed out, at least a little peeved that Jevil had withstood the attack so easily. He caught the shield as it fell back down after the explosion, not slightly bent but sharper than ever because of it. "I don't know what a Lightner is...but bye to you, Jevil!" He managed to retort, before he yelped at the wall. He heard something above him and looked, only for his eyes to widen.
"Uh oh." Axe narrowly avoided the first one to come right on top of him, huffing and panting with a roll to the side, only to immediately scramble to the side to avoid another. After some more of this, he started to realise the patterns.
Patterns...they follow logic, at least, unlike this guy... there's gotta be something.
Using the patterns, he managed to avoid the remaining ones, raising his shield to block the last one right in the middle, a blast of light reflecting right off it while it tilted and fell out of Axe's hands. He puffed and stumbled, but looked at Jevil.
"That all? I-I'm not done yet!" He managed to call. The wall dispersed and he let out a sigh of relief only to look up and see the massive scythe. In a panic, he looked around and spotted, though almost missed, the green stone. Right near where the tip of the scythe would hit.
It's so close! Alright, now or never!
He dove for the rock, and began silently begging it.
Just as the scythe almost hit, seemingly leaving a slight cut on his clothes from behind, the flash of light enveloped Axe, teleporting him just in time. Covered in cuts and bruises, Axe reappeared seconds later, red and green stones clutched tightly in hand.
"Last chance...s-stand down..." He coughed out to Jevil, trying to hide his lack of stamina.
This is it...All I have left is one more attack in me, I can feel it.
Please, this has to work.
With a silent prayer, and if Jevil refused to stand down, Axe would use his remaining energy to launch himself at Jevil, attempting to use the full, maximum power, of the red stone to punch right into Jevil's gut, to push him down to the ground and launch an explosion inside of his gut.

 

[Captain Pokémon]

Jevil
The darkener cocked his head to the side as Axe claimed he didn’t know what a Lightener was. How ignorant was he to not be aware of his own kind’s name? No matter, Jevil would show him how insignificant he was in the grand scheme of things, one way or another! When Axe survived his chaos using the green stone, Jevil turned around, being met with Axe, who stated this was the jester’s ‘last chance’. Jevil remained still, touching down onto the ground.

The two gazed at each other for a moment, the crumbling of debris being heard in the background as the wrecked carousel began to settle. The candles of the broken lanterns began to go out from the wind caused by the wreckage. Jevil’s grin remained plastered across his face, contrasting Axe’s determined frown. Then, Axe charged, aiming for one final attack. A desperate last resort.

Only to be blocked by a wall of spades that appeared in front of Jevil. The spades took the attack, dissipating afterwards from the force of the move, but it was blocked regardless, and Axe’s momentum was lost. Utilizing this, Jevil aimed for one last critical blow, several diamonds descending from the air above Axe, aiming to finish him off!
@Fraseandchico

 

[Fraseandchico]

Axe

Axe closed his eyes as his attack failed.

Mom...Pasmina...everyone...I'm sorry, I couldn't win...I'm done. I can't fight anymore.

He fell to his knees... the diamonds began to move. Axe's determined frown faded into a sad one, knowing of his failure...


--
In the small town where Axe lives, there hides an ancient manuscript. Though its mostly decrepit due to years of neglect, it still holds a page on the stones, mainly red and green.

Green's reads 'The Power of the Earth. This Stone can take you wherever, whenever, when you are in danger.'

One chosen one. Axe. Only he can use it. Whenever, wherever.

---
Wherever...

Axe's thoughts blasted in his head.
Wherever I can win from...!
The Green Stone took its sweet time ramping up its final teleport, and by the time Axe disappeared into light, the first diamonds struck. He was barely alive.

And falling. The Stone had brought him up higher and higher, just out of view. That's how high, and small, he was.
Here, huh? Alright, last chance for me, too...gotta make this count!
Struggling to move his hands to his pockets, Axe took out his last 4 firecrackers. With groans of pain, he managed to light them against his steel toe cap and threw them around to the ground, boxing Jevil in unless he wanted to be struck by explosion. Then he used the last of the Red Stone's energy in his palm, barrelling down to the ground at higher and higher speed, sweating and panicking as he felt himself heating up at terminal velocity as he was finally in sight of Jevil, and moving too quick. Assuming Jevil had avoided getting exploded and got boxed in, Axe closed his eyes as he was right on top of his foe, his fist pointing down on Jevil as the Red Stone struggled to keep its glow. Him or Jevil, this was it.

 

[Captain Pokémon]

Jevil
As the diamonds were brought down on Axe, the boy disappeared. Thinking he killed him, Jevil walked over to check. Strangely, there was no corpse in sight. How odd—

The firecrackers then surrounded Jevil, and he understood what had happened. The boy had teleported again. The jester looked up, seeing a small speck who he assumed to be the little hero. Jevil shielded himself from the blasts by making a small square of spades around him, which took the blasts.

At this point, Axe was easily visible as he zoomed towards Jevil, fist extended in a classic ‘superhero pose’. How cheesy. Jevil grinned up at the hero, who was taking this considerably more seriously than the jester was. As Axe neared him, Jevil sent spades at him to hurt him/slow him down. Then, he summoned four scythes around Axe, which enclosed in on him like before.
@Fraseandchico

 

[Fraseandchico]

Axe

Axe heard the spades moving and opened his eyes again, seeing how close he was now. There was the issue of the Spades, though.
Not sure how to handle them, Axe decided he needed to improvise.
Improvise an idea, that's all I can do...! Stay upbeat, keep a heavy guard, try to make a boom!
As Axe gave himself newer and newer options, he stuck his hand back to his chest, instead using the Red Stone to make his body itself stronger, using this to crash through the spades with little delay, quickly regaining speed thanks to gravity but hiding his whimpers, staying optimistic about himself in that regard. Of course, with how momentum and injury works, he couldn't very well switch back to punching, so his best hope was to crash into Jevil like a cannonball, like the ones he used back in the town. Man, he should've made the battle happen there, those cannons and exploding barrels and chickens would be real helpful right now.
At any rate, Axe couldn't focus on that, not when spotted the scythes. No amount of curling up in a ball and hoping the red stone would empower your whole body could help with that, and it wasn't like the Green stone would really help since He'd just be in a cycle and he wasn't sure if teleporting carried momentum. Also, last time he used the green stone while falling a high height, he went back in time to the day he was born (not that he knew that), an experience he was keen not to relive. So, how to deal with the scythes? Axe's tired mind ached to find a solution. Trying to barrel through them like the spades wouldn't work, since he they were much much sharper than those spades. Plus, he really didn't want to die to scythes, given what happened to ol dad...
That settled it. Only one thing left he could do; Find some ridiculous solution. He took out the monster perfume bottle. There was almost nothing left, but he was barely able to shake it and drop it while pressing the button. Maybe if Jevil couldn't see and was repelled by the perfume, the scythes would at least weaken... at any rate, he kept barrelling on down, and hoped for the best as he saw the bottle land surprisingly safely. Luck is a fickle thing, it could be said...

 

[Captain Pokémon]

Jevil
As the perfume bottle fell down, the gas from inside it emerged. Not that there was much in it to begin with, though. Because of this, it didn’t bother Jevil all too much. He wasn’t a fan of it and still took a few steps back, but it wasn’t enough to make the scythes dissipate. So, they kept on coming.

Additionally, Jevil decided to crank it up a notch, a red, larger scythe also appearing in front of Axe, zooming forward to slice right through him. This game was fun, but it was clear it was time to end this match.
@Fraseandchico

 

[Fraseandchico]

Axe

Okay, nevermind, Green Stone, if you have a better idea, I'd love to hear it...!

Axe was panicked, to say the least. All his plans, they weren't working, he was screwed, and he wasn't sure if the Green Stone even had a charge left. It didn't, so Axe poured all his energy into the red stone. His last chance was to move past the scythes and somehow not die to the big one.
I'll rush it, as hard as I can!
Axe managed to tilt himself just barely to increase his momentum, hoping to succeed. He narrowly avoided the scythes. Even he wasn't sure how lucky was getting. Now, the big red one. It was going for a slice, not a spin. Was Jevil taking him more seriously? Nah, it'd slice him in an instant if that was the case.
He'll pay for that, I have to hope...! Stay positive, and just keeping Rushing!
Axe's last second tilt proved useful once more as his body swung just under swing, with the scythe's handle moving with the scythe giving him just enough room to fall past it. And right on top of Jevil. In that moment, he felt his heart beating. Not as hard as his fight with Torren, but that was different, since everyone was in danger. Here? It was just him. And everyone else if another monster showed up- doesn't matter. Just him. And Jevil.

 

[Captain Pokémon]

Jevil
As Axe flew past the red scythe, Jevil’s grin faltered slightly. This was getting slightly annoying, but no matter! Jevil stared Axe down as he started to come down on top of him, aiming to slam into him like a cannonball!

But Jevil didn’t like that idea.

As soon as Axe was close enough to him, Jevil morphed into a scythe with a laugh. The blade part of the scythe was pointing upwards. If all went as planned, Axe would slam right down onto the blade and get cut in half!
@Fraseandchico

 

[Psymallard]

Kohga...?
The Demon Carver shattered, making a sound similar to shattering glass as sparks and shards of metal alike went flying. This slowed Kohga's momentum, and the Master squeaked out an "EEP!" before he was grabbed by the throat. There was nothing else to say before a blade slid into his throat.

Vicotory: Kassandra! (fer realsies this time)

The Top Banana reappeared in the lobby, but he hadn't realized what happened yet. And so, he turned towards the board. HE LOST?!!! "WHAAAAAT?!!! She- she cheated! She absolutely cheated!!" Kohga continued on shouting in denial, stamping his foot like a toddler. "The Great Master Kohga doesn't lose to little girls! GAH!"

Turner
The lone rabbitperson stood on the outskirts of the lobby, arms crossed and staring out at whatever was happening outside the floating prison. Unorthodox prison, sure, but these powers that brought him here Turner didn't think he could escape. He could try to pray to Priya, like that's ever helped him before. He would've turned to Khyo at this point, if it weren't for the creeping doubt in the evil god's help as well.
There was only one option: make it to the top. He did it last time he was in a situation like this and he could do it again. It was a 1v1 tournament this time around, which the rabbit normally scoffed at. But the people here were... different. They displayed power that no rabbit has ever dreamed of. His next opponent in particular was a man that could move things with his mind and had two swords made from light, Darth Revan. A feat, to be sure, but a rabbit killing a wolf used to be thought impossible. Turner had lost count of how many wolves he'd killed, Revan was just the next step up.
Then, his ear twitched. He picked up talk of rebellion. Was rebellion possible? It must be, and even if it wasn't, then Turner still wouldn't be known as a coward. He slowly made his way over to the group, several of which looked alien- they had no hair. One was clad in full armor, one looked sort of like a white bulldog except smaller than a rat, and one was Revan. He would have to kill the grey jedi in his next battle, but other allies wouldn't hurt.
"Hey. I couldn't help but overhear about your rebellion, and I wanted to let you know that I'm in. I have experience in rebellions, including in a tournament environment." He looked around at the group as he made his entrance with his large, beady eyes. He had never seen such a weird group in his life, this even topped the first time he had encountered rats and dogs for the first time.
@ArmedBlue @comic @Shen: King of Digimon

Psyduck
The lightning did not in fact counter, but clashed with the psychic energy of the Zen Headbutt. The result was a huge explosion, filling the vicinity with smoke. Neither knew where the other was until the smoke cleared... and Psyduck was back on the bridge! Now, the wizard blocked one Hydro Pump, but how about rapid fire? The Duck released short bursts of water in quick succession, not unlike a machine gun. Some aimed at the wizard, others at Benjamin. This onslaught continued until further notice.

Punk

...Fuck again.

Those were the only two words that raced through the Roof Rager's head as the spiky ball rocketed out of the roof tile smokescreen. But he wasn't done yet, he was a speedy P.O.S. too, and lifted his bat like he was about bunt to meet Metal's attack. But this contained some unexpected force behind it, differing from the earlier attacks that Metal didn't fully commit to. Punk's unpreparedness was his downfall, as he rocketed headfirst into the next building over headfirst.
His head hit the wall and instantly cracked it, but his body kept going. It continued with a sickening KRRT, and the delinquent's neck was bent at a 90 degree angle, then his body continued into the stonework. His legs stuck out, limp.

Vicotory: Metal! (who coulda guessed.)

Punk reappeared in the lobby, he'd lost. Damn. There was nothing to do about it now besides shove his hands in his pockets and kick a clump of grass.
@Captain Pokémon

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

Specter


"Oh? Quoting history? I assume that's what you mean by 'any tyrant can fall', no?" Specter questioned, taking a wine glass that rose up from his armrest. "It is true that numbers often overwhelm a tyrannical ruler, I have experience in that degree myself. However, we have a few differences here..."

Specter's chair extended a small nozzle, filling the glass up with red fluid. Specter swished it's around with swirls of his wrists, the crimson eyed ape staring intently at the fluid as well as his own reflection.

"Ambition, power. These are what rebellions are built on. Without either, rebellions would fall into disorder and defeat. However, to achieve any victory, weather it be on the political sphere or battlefield, requires these aspects of life. Take for instance..."

Specter gestured with his head toward the screen, glancing at it and back to the squad.

"My dear friend Metal here. He, just like myself, wields power and potential beyond imagination. Wars can be avoided simply by playing the game of politics. The greater hand you have, the more cards you have to deal with your opponents. Playing the game. If you control enough cards in the game..."

A buzzer was heard, Punk's name being struck from the list and Metal's name advancing on to the next round.

"...Then you win. And I plan on playing this game to the end, for I have a rather...fortunate hand already accumulated...he-he." Specter chuckled. "So rather than fight it, play it. Win. Let your own ambitions prosper, and let the greatest ambitions use the lessers as stepping stones to their true destiny."

 

[comic]

Master Chief
"I noticed a few discrepancies in your well-delivered villain monologue," Kalmiya replied without missing a beat, her expression making it clear she was enjoying the debate. "Not that it was bad or anything, the timing was impeccable, it was pretty captivating!" she added quickly with a thumbs up before returning her hands behind her back.
"Ambition and power aren't the only building blocks for an insurgent movement- not always. Sometimes you don't even need either of them! From my world, a rogue AI assumed control of the entire galaxy and ruled with an iron fist, snuffing out any life that opposed her in the slightest, yet one ship without a full crew, alongside my friend here," she gestured at Chief, "managed to evade her eye for years, gathering strength before formulating the perfect counterattack. It wasn't ambition or power that inspired them; but hope! Like Chief said, hope is enough!"

Kalmiya paused as another buzzer sounded, a fight coming to an end, in which the loser materialized nearby, throwing a tantrum as the victor strode from a gateway, wearing a satisfied grin. She returned her attention to Specter. "You're intelligent, that much is obvious. It'd be silly of me to say otherwise, but I think you don't want to see the bigger picture here. You weren't always evil, were you? At some point, you had to have reasonable morals, and... a less egoistic take on life."

Leon S. Kennedy
"I agree with little rabbit dude," the agent spoke, coming to a stop beside the rabbitperson, glancing at him before at the others. The tall armored one was looking at them as the small blue hologram seemed locked in conversation with a monkey in a floating chair, making her oblivious to her surroundings. "You guys talk pretty loud about rebellion. But yeah, if there is one, I'm in. Just tell me what I need to do and it's done."

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

Specter


The overlord analyzed the AI from his throne, both with his eyes and with his chair. They seemed more intelligent than the standard AI's he had dealt with in years past. As they had begun to tell their story of hope, standing triumphant over another AI, Specter crossed his legs, leaning back in his seat.

"How Interesting, quite the story! Surely those involved in this event had some ambition to take such a threat on. But I wouldn't qualify hope to that, rather a sufficient impulse thruster, brains, and someone who had to invent an AI such as yourself. And those assets could be seen as a power of sorts...after all..."

He spoke, looking John 117 up and down.

"I don't think those armors and weapons aren't meant for seizing power."

Specter sighed, pondering his response over a sip of his exquisite wine. There was so much to think about over that last comment. Too many. He had to abridge it.

"Evil...? Tell me...what makes one evil? I created a rebellion against those that enslaved me, used me for entertainment on a stage. I was granted knowledge to free my brethren from our shameful position, and claim our liberation. What, pray tell, is the nefarious quality of such an act?"

 

[comic]

Kalmiya
She paused, raising a finger with a counter-point, but retracted it. "Okay, granted, I had no idea about your backstory. That's my bad," Kalmiya admitted. "I don't intend to come off as offensive, but considering you mentioned having experience being a tyrant (I could totally be reading into that wrong and making my entire argument null, but...), I'm gonna assume your rebellion wasn't only successful, but you subjugated those who had once done the same to you, right?"

She glanced back at Chief to see he was dividing his attention between her debate and some newcomers in silence. Looking back at Specter, she regained her composure after having wrung her hands. "Maybe it's a situation where evil begot evil. I'm not going to tell you your eye-for-an-eye mentality is wrong of you, but from a moral standpoint when discussing what dictates "good" and "evil"... your actions would only make you as evil as those who once controlled you, right? From my world, humanity hasn't always been the greatest. Subjugating others was a common practice before interstellar travel, but became a distant memory. My friend here was created to fight for the idea of freedom and unity--but not everybody would agree with it. It's okay to defend yourself against an aggressor, and Chief has done plenty of that. He's gone on to annihilate entire militias of advanced alien empires, destroyed a multi-galactic parasite hell-bent on consuming all life, and even after all that, I've seen him care about every life under his command. I might not be a living being, but even he has inspired me with hope, and..." she paused, taking a deep breath. "Sorry, I might have gotten carried away, there's a LOT to unpack," she gave an awkward giggle.

"Anyway, I guess what I'm trying to say is... if you have the ability to show enlightenment to those who wronged you, you should take the opportunity. If they refuse to understand and accept you- then the best thing you can do is prove you have the right to live just as much as they do. Not through violence, if at all possible, but through a show of trust and respect. It wouldn't be easy, but it'd be right... if you get what I mean, I'm not sure if I'm being totally clear."

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

Specter


"Rebellion, my dear. Success at Rebellion." Specter clarified. "I consider myself to be a rather benevolent ruler, especially to those that previously subjugated me."

Hearing her long explanation about the story of her and chief and what they had been through, he began to understand her point. Enlighten instead of subjugate, eh?

"How very interesting...you preach these platitudes, yet I ask a counter question: What good is a student that does not listen to one's teacher? To a human, a monkey is a primitive that is seen as lesser, no one would come to class. However, in situations like that, attendance is...forced, again, through a usage of power."

He chuckled as he did a little loop with his finger, resting his head on the palm of his hand.

"Do you not see? It all comes back to that. The power to force enlightenment. Through my genius, I managed to create marvels in less than a week, while humanity has stagnated for decades. Why wouldn't I be superior to the weak humans? It is but a fact, my dear AI. A child shall not disobey their mother, and the human race shall not disobey me. It is out of love, not out of hatred that a mother takes care of their children. As do I take care of the ill willed humans. They are simply too under developed to grasp my benevolence! Meanwhile your foes..."

Glancing to chief and back to the weapon, Specter couldn't help but smirk.

"...Something tells me there's been more fighting than enlightening, no?"

 

[comic]

Kalmiya
"Well, I mean, yeah, but that's beside the point," Kalmiya replied. "You make a good argument, there's gonna be those who refuse to listen. Refuse to be enlightened--but that doesn't mean you shouldn't try!" her altruistic behavior was clear as day in the moment. "I was created for the sole purpose of shutting down the rogue AI, in which I would be deleted. Master Chief spared me, and over time, we grew to trust each other!" Kalmiya smiled brightly. "Not everyone will listen, but sometimes you just need one to do that! After Cortana went rogue, AI was seen as pretty... untrustworthy. Thanks to Chief, I'm restoring the trust placed in others like me! You can't enlighten the masses alone, you need somebody they love to let them know it's okay to be accepting of others!"

"Unless they're enlightened by the wrong person," Chief finally spoke.
"Oh come on, don't side with him," Kalmiya pouted. "You're supposed to be on my side,"
"That's the point. There's always a side," the Spartan stated. "We can try our best, but there'll always be a fight, no matter how hard we try to finish it."
"You're both just nihilistic," the AI folded her arms.
"Or, we're trying to enlighten you," John suggested.

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

Specter


"Heh, if only it worked like that my brilliantly naive friend." Specter shook his head with a smile on his face. "You have a big heart, so long as it is in the right place, I respect that. Perhaps when this is all over, I can spare you from a terrible death and bring your chip with me."

This offer was followed by Specter looking to chief, a unknowing look on his face. Examining the armor, the alloy was surely something beyond simple human design. Yet he appeared greatly similar to them. The two of them seemed to share this close bond, something that made him briefly chuckle.

"Soldier." Specter referred to him, almost sternly. "If I may be so bold, to what race to you herald from? I need confirmation to an ongoing theory..."