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Private/Closed Bootleg Bros 4

Psymallard

Previously mallard
A food fight
Psyduck gawked at the counterattack, he hadn't expected consequences to his actions! He managed to duck the projectile, which hit the back of the chair hard enough to nearly topple it. Cursing under his breath, The Duck hopped up onto the table, grabbing a huge slab of meat almost his size, then he spun around to fling the t-bone in a lazy arc towards Hareta!
As the food left his hands, Psyduck finally tuned into the monkey's conversation with the blue lady, talking about how much humanity sucked. Gee, Psyduck always missed out on the good stuff. Wiping out humanity? Was that even possible? By Psyduck's calculations, there were at least one gajillion and sixty-seven humans, and at least a zillion had a Pokémon partner(s).
He was so distracted by this conversation, or more accurately the topic, that he totally forgot to pay attention to whatever Hareta was doing.
 

comic

Previously turnt3chGodh34d

Master Chief

"I'm sure you're aware," was Kalmiya's initial response---Specter had attempted to now reverse the corner, attack her lack of knowledge on him. While that was mostly the case, the AI had compiled a dossier in the time it took Specter to say "your" and "eyes", detailing every instance in which he'd made some sort of jab at humanity, implied his superiority over them, or outright admitted to subjecting humanity to a "fate" worse than he'd suffered at their hands.

Sometimes it was better for action opposed to words, so the Weapon raised her hand, palm facing upward, and several transparent screens appeared around her, each taken from Chief's HUD recording, or taken from the streaming screens of which had depicting the battles, a platitude of over a dozen screens, each playing one after the other, spitting out each relevant line Specter had spoken, including the bit Lola had just attributed to the conversation.

At the conclusion, Kalmiya lowered her hand, and the screens faded. "As you can see, I don't have the specifics, but through the process of deduction, there's about a 93% chance that, using my moral viewpoint, you have done exactly as I've said... Unless you wish to defend or explain your position?"

To: AI.AS.Lola
From: AI.ONI.Kalmiya

/// I can think of several alternatives, but that depends on the potential of you helping Chief and I out or not, if it comes to taking down Specter. He's the kinda guy that Chief takes out for a living, and from what I've learned, Copen and Chief are a lot alike, so I'm sure you understand. By the way, as a precaution, purge your message log after we're done here, lessen the likelihood of Specter catching wind.




Chief, as he paid attention to the debate taking place nearby, noticed the ping on his HUD in the bottom right corner, a message log. A quick scan over revealed a conversation between Kalmiya and Lola. She was trying to secure an alliance. Risky, given Specter's disposition and tech, but if it could be pulled off, John wouldn't mind the additional advantage, not out of fear of losing, but out of the need to keep Specter from achieving his goal. Whatever it was, it wouldn't be good for anybody but him.

The Spartan wasn't ignorant to the splatter of food and whatnot nearby, Hareta and the Psyduck (both from the same universe) had begun a food fight. For a moment, John could almost picture his old friend, Samuel, standing up in the Spartan mess hall, calling out to Soren a few seats away, before tossing a glob of mashed potatoes into Soren's face. The first and only food fight John had participated in, he'd been almost seven at the time. They were all still getting used to their new lives under the Spartan program, and Sam was, of course, the one who had the most fun in the beginning, when everyone else had been miserable. He'd been a good friend, and an even better soldier.

Master Chief was pulled from his thoughts as he noticed the flicker of light, and the following appearance of the Host as he returned, snapping his fingers the moment he did. All of the food that went uneaten or tossed disappeared in an instant, even cleaned away from any surface they'd landed on, Hareta and Psyduck included.

"Cute pow wow, but we need to progress," the Host began, his usual flamboyant nature seeming shaken. In fact, his smile seemed far more forced, and his eyes appeared more alert. He was clearly agitated about something. "Blue fairy, head back to Link, we're on a tight schedule," he shoo'd his hand at Kalmiya, who pursed her lips, before her hologram faded.

"Two things to get out of the way. First; each other," the Host began. Even his tone was more serious, lacking the awkward pauses. He was really irritated. "Some of you have already chatted, wow, good, hooray, but do you know one another? Didn't think so. How about we start with the generic shonen protagonist, eh?" Host leaned slightly toward Hareta. "That's you," he added as a whisper.

The darkness of the room shifted in gradience, slowly turning grey, then white, almost like a light was turned on, and slowly powered up. "In turn, each of you will describe your life accomplishments, try to intimidate or impress those here at the table. As you talk, the room will take the form of what your mind sees, so as you tell your story, it will visually manifest with each word you speak, think of it like canned narration. Go ahead."​
 

Shen: King of Digimon

Previously Shen: King of the Mist
Specter


"Heh, in none of those examples did I ever state treating them harshly." Specter chuckled. "I know my own words, dear. We monkeys are simply offering to rule over the poor defenseless humans who simply cannot look after themselves."

After this little verbal bout, the tone took a shift upon the host's return, forcing the conversation at hand. How absurd. Specter shook his head as a rather forced topic was thrust before them. Peacocking and showboating was hardly a good replacement for an actual debate.

"How pedestrian..." Specter murmured to himself as he took a sip from his drink.



Hareta


The slab of meat sailed through the air, slapping Hareta upside the face with a wet meaty Whack!. This threw Hareta off balance before suddenly the food disappeared from his freshly hit cheek. Suddenly, the spotlight was shifted to him and he was to tell a story about him.

"Uh...me? Dunno there's not much to tell." The confused boy scratched his cheek sheepishly. "I just wanna fight!"
 

Gamingfan

Previously Gamingfan2
Weavile
As she hung around, Weavile studied Rebellio. Whatever he was, he seemed to like strings, and had quite a few tricks with them too. Like his newest creation, what looks like an EVEN BIGGER gun.
Oh cmon! First Leon, now this! She started to miss the dinky pistol Leon had.
Weavile pulled her legs up, kicking off the ceiling towards Rebellio. However, she split into multiple clones upon doing so, with the middle ones vanishing at a disturbing speed. No matter, a ring of Weavile managed to land around Rebellio, each sending a sizable icicle cluster towards the Adept, though only one should hurt.

Amaterasu
Ammy looked at Death in contemplation. Though she knew this "Metal Sonic" fellow was doing rather well, she wasn't aware of the threat the held. Besides, she was supposed to be Mother of All, and she didn't like to play favorites.
Besides, this was all in the spirit of the competition.
Having decided, Amaterasu simply shook her head solemnly. Surely whoever this was playing fair themselves, it would be rude to gang up on them.
Also, she wasn't sure how comfortable she was working with a creature of darkness. They looked dignified enough, but they were no Tobi.
 

ArmedBlue

Previously Manu456Alola
Rebellio

"Well, that's a new one..."

The clones closed in, many of them being shot down by Rebellio before they managed to land around him, quickly sending several icicle clusters his way. The Adept braced for impact, using his Gatling gun as a shield---but he was surprised to find most of the projectiles dissipated on contact, dealing no damage, though one soon slammed into his back, sending him stumbling forward for a moment.

So is the real one the only one who actually does damage?

Turning around to face where the real icicle came from, Rebellio was quick to unleash another barrage of string bullets, choosing to focus on that group of Weaviles. If his theory was right, then he wouldn't need to worry about the other clones. They were nothing but distractions.
 

comic

Previously turnt3chGodh34d

Master Chief

"Look, kid, it's not an option, the folks back at home are watching."

Host's words were presumably only a half truth, though he was aware of the alleged "publicity" of this tournament, and that aspect gave this boasting session more understanding, though John still didn't fully comprehend why it was necessary. Was it to bide time? Build tension?

"If you don't, I'll just pop you and we'll move on," the Host winked, a wink that was far more hostile than winks should normally be.​
 

Shen: King of Digimon

Previously Shen: King of the Mist
Hareta


His greatest weakness was upon him: Public Speaking. In the wild, he never really needed to make speeches, especially about nothing at all. So when he was told rather forcefully to make one on the spot, he began to sweat.

"Uh...okay...lemme see..." He rattled his brain. "I'm Hareta, and I wanna see all there is! At first I wanted to meet Dialga, then Giritina. Now? I wanna meet even more bigger and badder people, and challenge 'em to battles!"
 

comic

Previously turnt3chGodh34d

Master Chief

As per the Host's words, the white void around them did indeed shift as Hareta began to speak, first seemingly transporting all of them into a small village, cottages doting the rolling green hills around them---Hareta's home, Chief presumed. As Hareta continued, mentioning a "Dialga", a towering quadrupedal creature manifested a dozen feet away from the table to Chief's left, the blue and silver creature standing over five meters tall is it glared down upon them.

The mention of "Giratina" from Hareta manifested a second creature, this one about a meter shorter than Dialga, but still a massive beast to behold, black, crumpled wings shooting out of its bag, three pairs of trunk-like legs on either side of its serpentine body. It took, glared down upon them as Hareta concluded his sentence.

"Did you get to meet both of them?"

It was Kalmiya who spoke, who avatar appearing on the table in her small form, directing her question toward Hareta as John looked between the creatures for another moment.​
 

Shen: King of Digimon

Previously Shen: King of the Mist
Hareta


"Woaaah...that's awesome...!"

Hareta looked back and forth between the visuals that had manifested, which he just figured out near the end of his last sentence. Guess this host guy wasn't playing around with that.

"Did you get to meet the both of them?"

Hareta looked back at the friendly AI who helped humor him and his story he was being forced to tell. With the interaction, Hareta grinned, nodding his head eagerly.

"Oh yeah, Giritina? A big softie actually! He just is a really lonely guy. Though I think Dialga is still a bit upset about me ramming him with his buddy Palkia..."

This sentence was followed up by Dialga's image in the back becoming bewildered as an image of a vibrant purple creature topple into him, a small Hareta dangling atop Palkia's point on his head as all three became a tumbling mess.
 

ArmedBlue

Previously Manu456Alola
Rebellio

Weavile approached from above, Rebellio ceasing his attack and allowing his weapon to take the hits, the Pokémon's claws piercing through the top crimson weapon, a couple sections turning a deep purple. That probably wasn't good.

With a grunt of exertion, the Falcon pushed back against Weavile, throwing his Gatling upward to get the creature off him, the weapon disassembling moments after leaving his hands. Immediately after letting go of the gat, a single crimson thread would shoot toward Weavile like a bullet, aiming to completely ensnare her if it hit. If successful, Rebellio would then take the chance to deliver a heavy slash at her while she was vulnerable.
 

Gamingfan

Previously Gamingfan2
Weavile
She landed a few good blows, but only against the giga-gun. Rebellio pushed back, sending the pint-powerhouse in the air. As he counterattacked, Weavile created a small ice shard in her palm. With impressive skill, she grabbed the string outright. The ice shard in her palm cracked, freezing the string before it could get the chance to immobilize her. Ice froze even further down the string and to Rebellio as Weavile dived down, claws out.
 

ArmedBlue

Previously Manu456Alola
Rebellio

Not only was this thing speedy, it was quite crafty as well. Detaching the rapidly-freezing string before it could reach him, Rebellio used his scythe to block Weavile's attack, claws clashing against thread as the two slid backwards due to the ice. Several threads suddenly burst from the Falcon's arms, aiming to grab the Pokémon in a similar manner to his earlier fight with Kassandra. Should the threads do as intended, Rebellio would slam Weavile into the ground, quickly following up with several quick slashes of his scythe.
 
Metal Sonic
After Specter and the rest left the area to go to a dinner party or something of the sort, Metal turned his head at a rather unnatural angle to observe the bracket once more. Apparently, he was participating in a three-way free for all.

He found his opponents’ images, a wolf and a skeleton in a dark cloak. He turned his head once more to locate them, finding them near thee center of the plaza. They seemed to be conversing.

Metal squinted as he noticed this. We’re they plotting against him? He flew over to them, arriving in about half a second, and looked back and forth between them, talking his foot as he did so. Once they seemed to be finished talking he beeped to get their attention then jabbed his thumb towards an archway.
@Gamingfan @DevVoid
 

Gamingfan

Previously Gamingfan2
Weavile
Weavile glared at Rebellio as they clashed. Seeing as staying in place would be a bad idea, Weavile flipped over, using the underside of the scythe as a platform as she kicked off it and slid between Rebellio's legs, slashing at one as she did so. If her claw connected, she would take the opportunity to cancel her momentum with her other claw, using the whiplash to backpedal and kick Rebellio's back.

Amaterasu
The sun god looked at the new arrival in confusion. Well, it certainly looked to be made of metal, although she had never seen anything like it. Even the Moon Tribe, never made something like this. She didn't like it.
But. she remained cordial, nodding and turning to the gateway. As she entered, she wondered what area she would choose. Well, how about...Laochi Lake
 
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ArmedBlue

Previously Manu456Alola
Rebellio

Weavile had slid beneath the Falcon just before the threads could reach her, her claw digging into his armor. The threads emerging from his arms circled around as the creature aimed to keep up the attack, attempting to ensnare her once more. Simultaneously, a large, crimson spike suddenly jutted out of Rebellio's back right as Weavile closed in, aiming to stab the Pokémon.
 

Gamingfan

Previously Gamingfan2
Weavile
As Weavile went for the next strike, the strings circled around. It seemed like Weavile was going to be caught...until the spike stabbed forward. Just before it could hit Weavile, she gained a burst of speed, narrowly dashing past it and releasing a sucker punch on Rebellio's head in a flash. Weavile huffed as she landed again. That was a mess, and it almost went south. She'd have to be careful, it wasn't likely he'd fall for the same trick twice
 

comic

Previously turnt3chGodh34d

Master Chief

"Nice, ha haaa..." the Host chuckled vacantly, staring off into the distance for a moment, before his eyes suddenly flicked toward Hareta. "See, that wasn't so hard, was it? Trust me, it's all for good cause. Now," the Host snapped his fingers, and everything returned to white around them. "There's no language barriers to this thing, so headache fowl, your time to shine, start yelling your name," he nodded to Psyduck, before adding under his breath (just audible enough for everyone to hear); "Since that's all you're good for."

"What do you think the reason for this is?" Kalmiya's voice privately asked the Spartan inside of his helmet. He'd already deduced the more obvious attention of the flashy showbiz routine, to make a spectacle out of something. Close to the end as they were getting, things would no doubt get stale to some, potentially. There needed to be something unique to capture intrigue and build hype. Aside from that, John felt that this room was where they would be fighting very soon, with no time to prepare outside of this small down-time here. He wasn't positive, so chose to simply send a ping to Kalmiya in request for her to pay attention. They could discuss details later.​
 

Psymallard

Previously mallard
Psyduck's Presentation Time!
The Duck made a point to yawn at Hareta's feats, though it wasn't really necessary to establish his hatred of the kid any further. Soon enough, it was Psyduck's turn. The bird cleared his throat, oblivious to the Host's comment, and leapt up onto the table. He began his tale that only Hareta would understand, but with an overly dramatic tone to exaggerate the feats. Psyduck first began by introducing himself as Psyduck, hailing from Unova, and the self-proclaimed guardian of Root-Tree Pond as well as the surrounding wood. He spoke of his greatest battles, such as against the fire-eyed rodent-beast, shown to be a measly Patrat in the image behind him, or the volcanic hog from Hell, a Tepig. He won these fair and square, neglecting to mention his much more common defeats.
He saved the best for last: the time he battled a gargantuan worm with venomous spikes and solid armor. The image behind him showed the visage of a terrifying Scolipede, an actual formidable foe. The Duck was unable to beat it in the display, though, he only caused it to turn back. The image then showed what he was protecting: an injured Bidoof and a Corphish.
"Psyduck psyduck duck. Psyduck psyduck psyduck psyduck psyduck psyduck psyduck psyduck! Psyduck Psyduck psyduck... psyduck psyduck psyduck psy! [I fight for my friends. I'm gonna be strong enough to protect my friends from anything! Be it mean Pokémon or... humans that kidnap them!]"
He spoke that last part with increasing anger, pointing towards Hareta as his expression turned to that of pure hatred as he reminded himself of his past.
 

ArmedBlue

Previously Manu456Alola
Rebellio

The Pokémon avoided the attacks with a seemingly impossible maneuver, delivering a quick bonk to Rebellio’s head. His fluffy hair certainly did a lot to soften the bow, but getting hit like that felt sort of… humiliating. He’d dealt with guns, clubs, bats, and blades, yet here he was, getting his head bopped by this tiny little creature.

“Seems like you don’t mess around.” Rebellio commented, manifesting a set of throwing knives in his left hand, still grasping his scythe with his right. With a flick of his wrist, the Adept launched the sharp projectiles in Weavile’s direction, closing the gap immediately after throwing them. Scythe at the ready, the Falcon’s right arm reared back—- a feint, as Rebellio stepped to the side, waiting a brief moment before slashing with his scythe, anticipating some sort of move from Weavile.
 
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Shen: King of Digimon

Previously Shen: King of the Mist
Hareta


Listening to the story intently, Hareta was enthralled...until he began to pick up a few things. Negative twinges, cold shoulders, and now a glare. Didn't think this was about a food fight anymore.

Huh? Is he mad...with me?

Looked like Psyduck revealed that they didn't trust humans as far as he could throw them due to evil ones trying to exploit him and his fiends. This made Specter chuckle in a knowing way in the back of the table.

"Uh...hey duck. You know I'm not like those guys, right?" Hareta asked.
 

Psymallard

Previously mallard
Psyduck!
"Uh...hey duck. You know I'm not like those guys, right?" Hareta asked, to which The Duck replied, "Psyduck! Psyduck psyduck, psyduck?! Psyduck psyduck psyduck psyduck! [Liar! You're a trainer, aren't you?! You jerks are the worst of the worst!]

He looked around the room to monitor others' reactions, finding a smidge of understanding from the monkey. This gave the Pokémon the confidence to continue:

"Psyduck, Psyduck psyduck psyduck psyduck duck psyduck psyduck psyduck psyduck psy Psyduck psyduck psyduck! [One day, I'll stop you all from capturing and making any Pokémon fight ever again!]"
 

comic

Previously turnt3chGodh34d

Master Chief

There was no actual "language" for Kalmiya to translate, though even after Chief had told her this, she still diligently tried to prove him wrong. "Hareta can understand him," she'd said, "so that means there's a language to decipher!"

So John let her work as he observed, fully aware she just wanted an excuse to be productive---she'd never admit it to him, but the Spartan had been aided by Kalmiya long enough now to recognize that she was beginning to feel like a burden on the Chief during this tournament more than an advantage. She wanted to feel useful. So he let her make herself feel useful over a useless endeavor, assuming that it'd make her feel a bit better, even if it was fruitless.

The duck's imagery to support its words did help, adding context to it just shouting its name. Hareta, as noted by Kalmiya, reacted to the fowl with mildly defensive sympathy in understanding its words. It appeared Psyduck had a prejudice against "trainers", which John assumed was what Hareta and those like him were called in his world. Specter's audible interjections made it clear he thought the duck was on some equal moral victimization standpoint as the simian, though Chief noted the use of the word "trainer" opposed to "human". Recalling the glimpses of fights he'd observed through their screens, he couldn't recall the duck acting in such a hostile manner toward other humans. Hareta, and his status as a trainer, was what angered the creature. That could be seen by the armored creature that had turned casually and left, had returned to a trainer's side. In the live-action illustration, the duck was protecting other small woodland creatures.

It wasn't hard to gather the reason of this prejudice, though Hareta seemed determined to break this trend from the duck's perspective.

The Host didn't seem quite as enthused to allow it all to continue for now, however, as he snapped his fingers and the white blanket returned. Psyduck's story, it seemed, was over. "Round of applause, the little yellow square-less sponge isn't just spouting nonsense," he chuckled absently, staring up at the sky as though he were staring at something in the vaguest sense. "Uh, now, we have everyone's favorite (or least favorite) albino monkey. Let's not go bananas, regardless of your ah... disposition..." he ceased his rambling to allow Specter's limelight, though John was slightly preoccupied. The Host seemed to have genuinely believed that the Psyduck was incapable of actual communication through its words. Another flaw to pick apart, another reason to deduce that the Host was not as omniscient as he wanted them to perceive him as. Kalmiya seemed to pick up on this too, pinging Chief with a recording of that line of dialogue a second later. He pinged back in acknowledgement.​
 

Shen: King of Digimon

Previously Shen: King of the Mist
Dinner Party


"Hey wait a minute, don't think I'm-"

Before Hareta could make a reasonable counter argument, the host interrupted the conversation. Hareta didn't want to risk being exploded just to prove a point, but he wasn't just gonna let this go like that. Not yet.

The limelight passed to Specter, who appeared to not appreciate the racially charged comment about his kind. Adjusting himself, he placed his alcoholic beverage down to the table.

"Excuse me, but my speech will not be intended to brag. I give not for braggarts. No. My speech will show you my ambition, and you can choose for yourself if it is the right thing to continue this tournament with this in mind."

Specter looked about the room, standing up off his given chair. Almost like reading his mind, the area around began to fill in with watercolors. Specter inhaled before he started.

"It began while I was a simple mon. I was raised to do a simple task: preform for humans at an amusement park. Not everyone in the world is born equal. Preforming for treats to live by making a fool of oneself for the superior race's amusement."

Behind him shown a small white monkey. Much younger than the specter in front of them. A crowd of flashing cameras around him and belligerent grins. Peanuts all about the ground as the monkey had nothing but a pair of red shorts to his name.

"Then one day...a helmet had found itself into my cage. A experimental one meant to enhance the human mind to higher limitations. Little did they know it would work not only on them...but their primate cousins."

That's when the curious monkey took a shaky hand and reached for the helmet, examining it up and down. After messing with it for a few seconds, it slowly placed it on it's head. That's when it began to shake and hold his throbbing skull.

"Life is never fair. But that is why you must take the reigns of life into your own hands and bring about your own destiny."

The monkey then flashed up a singular red eye. That's when the color of the background began to melt and swirl alongside the other colors, re-arranging itself into a new image of specter with a new, albeit more primitive throne than what he had now alongside a new hairdo.

"And so I steeled myself to free my brethren that weren't so lucky to receive a gift of knowledge like myself. Monkeys had suffered long enough as the lower race. It was time that we ascended. And so I gathered my monkeys and we lead an rebellion that severed our bonds. We would be oppressed no longer!"

Suddenly a massive army of monkeys appeared behind him. Past Specter raised a hand as the crowd of chimps cheered for him. He then pointed toward a device at the other end of the room. Next to it, an older man and a younger girl sat tied to a pillar.

"I tracked down the professor that made my helmet and shifted through his files. And I perfected his older designs as well as my helmet, fashioning a makeshift time machine! So I sent my apes throughout time to rewrite history as us being the victors!"

Younger Specter's laughter was seen as the landscape of earth changed into a massive metropolis filled with his empire. Warships filled the sky as Specter sat atop a floating fortress in the sky.

"But, the professor did not forget about me. He sent a young prodigy, Spike, to surgically alter the points in time I had tainted. And one by one my options began to limit. So I placed failsafes across time. Stockholds that would be undetected. Ships buried under a surface here, a lab there. Soon enough, I had a secret stockpile to make an empire from scratch. And as their prodigy faces off with me, I laughed. I knew this would not be the end. For I guaranteed my own return."

The image in the back showed an orange haired boy leaping toward Specter, a shining blue energy blade in hand as they fought in an elaborate throne room. Young Specter's laughs faded the entirety of the zone to black until they were inside a new battle cruiser, Specter now looking more like he did today looked off into the distance earth.

"And so, I returned with the element of surprise. They had no idea how I regained my intellect nor my Arsenal. But since they destroyed their time travel blueprints they could no longer halt my advance so easy. But I would come with a softer hand. I would simply offer to rule as a guiding voice to their people."

Suddenly, everything shifted to a lab where a past Specter looked a gasp at test tubes where specimen lie in suspended animation.

"That's when I discovered humans had been preforming terrible experiments on my kind. Many had died, and only four survived. Code named: "Pipotrons." I took them in as my own, and I vowed that humanity would pay for this."

The background swirled once more, The specter currently in the room looking down on a globe that manifested in front of him. He raised his glass so it fit the earth in the glass.

"And so I took it upon myself to be the shepard of the earth. The one to bring equality, liberation, and power to our planet. To unlock our true potential and reach heights we wouldn't have before despite our chains oppression. The age of apes is neigh."

Specter looked up from the globe onto everyone else in the room. Their ambitions: Loyalty. Pride. Fun. None of them could measure to the weight of an entire race depending on his leadership to lead them to prosperity.

"So choose wisely if fighting the liberator for the new age, Lord of new earth is the foe you should be fighting. Measure our goals. You will find it in your heart who's ambitions must be allowed to survive past this."
 

comic

Previously turnt3chGodh34d

Master Chief

A spectacle, a more cohesive an structured narrative. A platform for Specter to preach his ideals and beliefs, utilizing psychology techniques of sympathy, empathy, and inspiration all at the same time (whether he knew it or not) to construct his own moral and physical "superiority" over others present.

Specter chose his words carefully, trying to conclude in an ambiguous, though ominous tone. He constructed his presence her, and his assumed future victory, on the steps of "fate", even if he didn't outright claim that it was. The simian seemed satisfied as he returned to his seat. Kalmiya's avatar, still present on the table before the Spartan, pursed her lips. The Host had yet to move onto them, leaving her to assume that, as had been briefly done for Hareta and Psyduck, they would be allowed a few comments regarding this presentation.

"I'm sorry about what happened to you," she spoke, "but our mission outweighs your ambition. We won't back down from a fancy speech."​
 

Shen: King of Digimon

Previously Shen: King of the Mist
Specter


"My dear, your mission is pointless." Specter spoke without pulling punches. "You fight for something and someone who don't deserve to be fought for."

Shaking his head as he took his seat, Specter whipped his hair back, giving a single laugh. He crossed his arms while looking away in the corner of his eye.

"But if you find comfort preforming in your circus, then who am I to get in the way of that. If you need any proof of the futility of your own actions, listen to the speech of your own master."

Knowing exactly that he was a brainwashed dog sicked on people by the military, Specter knew Chief's free whip had been crushed a long time ago. He was a tool for a larger power. Nothing more, thing less. Leave it to humans to not have enough satisfactions destroying the free will of other races, but to start doing it to their own.
 

comic

Previously turnt3chGodh34d

Master Chief

Kalmiya stiffened at Specter's arrogance. John could recognize her exerted body language as annoyance, mixed with hurt pride. Not at Specter's dismissal of her words, but at Specter's dismissal of the Spartan. She held him in such high regard, especially after they'd learned to work together much better, that John was almost surprised at her juxtaposition between forced politeness and the obvious need to prove the simian wrong.

"May we go?" Kalmiya asked the Host, her voice slightly shriller than usual.

"By all means, little lady..." the Host blinked absently back.

"Master Chief Petty Officer, John-117 was born on Eridanus II," Kalmiya began, an air of blatant defiance to her tone as she glared daggers at Specter---almost as though she'd taken his words as a personal threat. John had to assume that her frustration had been building up since her first conversation with Specter. As her words left her avatar, the scenery around them shifted into space, twinkling stars glittering about them, and a continental planet was before them, with wispy clouds, blue oceans, and green pastoral continents.

"At the age of 6, John was conscripted into the classified ONI ORION Project, Codename: SPARTAN-II."

Again with her words, the scene shifted to show a small child that would have barely come up to Chief's waist being scooped out of his bed by a figure cloaked in black garments, another behind him holding the body of a purely identical child, who was placed where the real John had been. At the mention of "Spartan-II", the scene altered once more to show a circular room, where over 70 children sat on bleachers, listening to a beautiful and striking woman on a stage speak to them. Dr. Catherine Halsey.

"At the age of 14, John, like the other Spartans, received biological augmentations, making him faster, stronger, and smarter than any human."

The next scene depicted a teenage Chief wearing only underwear as he laid upon a gurney, his eyes focused in front of him as a machine began to impale him from all angles with different needles, injecting different mixtures into him. The boy flinched on the gurney, but even as one plunged through the sides of his skull, he didn't so much as blink. As she continued, the scene shifted to show a glimpse of a bonesaw shattering against a Spartan's arm, barely cutting through the skin, but the bone had instead broken the bonesaw. Another shift to display the still young John slamming a simple, educated punch into a much larger, burly man's chest. His sternum collapsed on what looked to be a regular punch, and he went flying back as two other men closed in on John, one getting his skull caved in, and the other his spine severed, all in the blink of an eye.

"Not long after, an enemy arrived. An alliance of alien species, united under a banner of religion, called the Covenant. Then they started to purge."

The scenery shifted into space once more, depicting Eridanus II once again, this time with a Covenant carrier hovering near them, its size alone enough to put Specter's warships to shame. With her third sentence in this scene, Eridanus II began to glow brightly, its surface turned to molten glass, the planet destroyed, left uninhabitable.

John allowed Kalmiya to continue, despite his thoughts of how unnecessary this was. His only true worry here would be if Kalmiya revealed too much about him. He wasn't too interested in his past being used against him. Been there, done that. Wasn't fun.

"For 27 years, Master Chief led his Spartans against the Covenant. But so few Spartans wasn't enough, as world after world after world fell to the might of the Covenant."

A series of three-dimensional images around them depicting dozens of worlds, once vibrant, then turned into burning ash, whizzing by them.

"Until... Chief stumbled on Halo."

Now the scene shifted, displaying the Pillar of Autumn as it drifted toward a ring-shaped object orbiting a gas giant, the Halo's diameter the same as Earth's.

"There, he almost singlehandedly stopped an entire Covenant armada, neutralized an adaptive parasitic lifeform, and with his previous AI, outwitted an ancient artificial construct."

A few flashes of Chief laying waste to Covenant groups, through a wooded area, then a desert canyon, in a snowy tundra, before there was a flash of the Flood, their mangled bodies leaping for him, Chief desperately firing rounds into them, bullets plunging into their flesh, actions that the Flood didn't react to as they closed in... then a glimpse of 343 Guilty Spark, zapped to the ground by Cortana, who appeared on the console of Halo's control center, and finally...

"Halo was a weapon designed to wipe out all sentient life on a galactic scale. So Chief destroyed it."

The next scene was from the cockpit of the longsword Chief had escaped on, the Spartan watching through the viewport as a portion of the Halo ring erupted in a brilliant flash of light, so violently that it flung a part of the ring clear into the other side, further shattering the Halo apart.

"He returned to Earth, where he helped fight back an invasion of Covenant."

The next scene depicted the massive battle taking place over Earth, and showed Chief with a Covenant anti-matter bomb flying through the thick of it, falling down toward the planet, headed right for an incoming Covenant ship.

"That's enough," Chief interrupted Kalmiya as he watched his younger self activate the anti-matter bomb and kick off to let the Covenant ship go up in a flash of light.

"But, we haven't even gotten to me, yet," Kalmiya argued, turning around.

"It's enough," Chief said again, this time more firmly. Kalmiya stared back at him for a moment, before she nodded, pursing her lips.

"And that was only the half of it," she shrugged with a forced smile on her face, her eyes still glaring daggers in Specter's direction. "Genocidal space empires, galaxy-destroying superweapons, none of it could stop the Master Chief. Our mission is to stop people like you," she told Specter this part directly. "And now you have perspective on how inconsequential your accomplishments truly are."

John felt she was being extremely petty, so he raised in his seat. "Enough!" he ordered, simultaneously releasing a ping to Kalmiya to cut out her hologram. Begrudgingly, she obeyed, and Kalmiya vanished. The last thing the Chief needed was for her to get worked up past her core logic, and making their enemies have even more of a reason to try and snuff him out. John was less dismissive of Specter's tale than Kalmiya appeared to be, however. The scale was undoubtedly smaller, sure, but his accomplishments and his power couldn't be underestimated, and that was the last thing he needed his AI companion to be doing.​
 

Shen: King of Digimon

Previously Shen: King of the Mist
Specter

Given the overlord didn't quite expect the surprising feats present, his resolve remained strong. He shook his head in...pity?

"All that scale, and even then you don't have the most precious thing one could have."

His eyes briefly narrowed not unlike a cats as he peered at the AI.

"Freedom." He spoke firmly. "Call me inconsequential if you wish, but my free will guides me and my kind to a bright future where we can find happiness, and I have no regrets. You and your Spartan? You have just showcased anything but. Don't believe me? Let me ask this question:"

He adjusted himself, peering into the golden sheen coking from Master Chief's visor.

"Are you happy?"
 

comic

Previously turnt3chGodh34d

Master Chief

It wasn't a question he could answer. Not without a long-winded explanation. Kalmiya was upset right now, and until her core logic smoothed out her attitude, he had to isolate her in time out (of course, she could come out if she pleased. The only thing stopping her was her respect for Chief and his authority). If Specter was asking Kalmiya, she'd get intellectual about it, should she be in the right mood. Ask what happiness was, and how one could achieve it, and possibly ask why Specter assumed happiness applied to simians in the same way it applied to humans and AI. But she didn't answer.

Instead, Chief thought about it. The short answer was "no", but then again, Chief had never known the idealized "happiness" he'd been described before. It was an unfamiliar emotion. So to take it at face value would be a fool's errand. No, instead, he had to look at it from his unique perspective. Was he happy... with what? His life? There was nothing to be "happy" about, it was one fight after another. The fight was all he knew, and no matter how many times he finished it... there was always another to take its place. So was he happy with being able to excel at something he already excelled at? Sure. He was happy with it. He was happy to save the men and women of the UNSC, he was happy to defend humanity, he was happy to serve.

Only a few seconds had gone by since Specter's question, and John's answer was simple.

"Affirmative."

And he took his seat.​
 
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Shen: King of Digimon

Previously Shen: King of the Mist
Specter


"Heh, it is fine to keep one's thoughts to themselves in front of a foe. But you should know that in order to conquer anyone, you must conquer the self."

Specter seemed to change the tone to an almost concerning, self-help manner as he leaned back on his chair.

"It doesn't take a genius to know you suffered a multitude of trauma as a child and you have had no outlet in your entire life. Perhaps you experienced happiness when you were very young, or perhaps not at all."

Specter folded his hands together. His helmet had worked out his emotions and feelings a long time ago. It not only accelerated his knowledge growth, but inner growth as well. He knew the struggle for happiness, and he had found his solution. Others however, were not given a helmet to have this self reflection, and had to come about these revelations in a much longer manner.

"But what I know is this: After the war, after the battles, there is going to be a hole in your chest. A hole that can't be patched up in a medical facility." He sighed. "That is because you've devoted yourself to duty for so long you've neglected the self. They've robbed that from you, and until you reclaim it with your own two hands, you might never feel true happiness. This is the truth, human."
 

comic

Previously turnt3chGodh34d

Master Chief

"I lost someone close to me," John replied with the blunt simplicity he usually displayed. "Everyone, really. That hole won't come, because the fight never ends. I don't fight because someone told me to. I fight because it's what I need to do. It's instinct. Ambition. The only path I know in earning the world I envision for the people I protect. I'm sure you're smart enough to find the parallels."

"Well, how entertaining!" the Host spoke, intentionally speaking loudly over Specter if he replied or not. "Adorable, adorable, really it is, you're like an old married couple talking about the need to go to church so early in the morning... but uh... the showboating is only half of why we're here, if you remember. The other reason? I'm going to tell you exactly what "great honor" of a prize you're fighting for. Yeah... I see your attention is piqued... outstanding... hah..."​
 

DevVoid

Previously Deathstalker62
Death
So it shall be, then. His pact went unsuccessful, as the reaper had already predicted it would go. After all, why would a deity of the light agree with an entity of darkness like himself? Well, there were other ways of victory, so he supposed that it was not a problem. The third party would soon arrive and motion them to the gateway, to which Death just nodded and floated on over, heading on through to the arena. His choice of a stage? Well, the Mine of Judgment should do. @Gamingfan @Captain Pokémon
 

ArmedBlue

Previously Manu456Alola
Lola

The A.I. stood silent for a little bit as the others gave their life stories, contemplating her potential alliance with Chief and Kalmiya. On one hand, she'd essentially be betraying the one who saved her from oblivion at the Host's hands. On the other hand, she'd be helping the ones who fought to protect humanity, just like Copen did. Still, she felt a little guilty for doing Specter like that, and his tale didn't make choosing any easier...

Then, Specter decided to belittle the Spartan and the A.I's mission. Kalmiya shot back with a thorough explanation of Chief's backstory, missions, and feats. It was clear she wouldn't tolerate any sort of disrespect for her partner. Lola could see herself in her. She knew what it was like to have someone she cared for being treated that way. And she knew what it was like to lose the person she trusted most.

She wouldn't let that happen again.

To: AI.ONI.Kalmiya
From: AI.AS.Lola

/// I'll help you two out. Something tells me Specter's goal goes WAY further than the equality he speaks of, and I don't wanna go around helping the one who wants to wipe out the humanity Copen and you guys fight so hard to protect. So we gotta take Specter down before his plans come to fruition. I'll aid you however I can. Just say the word.


The Host then revealed that part of the reason they'd been brought here was to tell everyone what the 'greatest honor' they fought for truly was. The holographic man's comments were proven right, Lola hovering right out of her seat in curiosity.

"Yeah, what exactly is the prize supposed to be?"
 
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Axe

As the stage, admittedly very slowly due the highly conflicting options, began to morph, Axe took his time to think on any possible strategies based on his pick.

Unfortunately, a lot of that went out the window upon the reveal of Outer Centre (The system that named this felt surprisingly proud of this). Surrounded by water, the stage was mainly notable by huge hexagonal platforms of an odd mix of a smoky charcoal titanium and hard earth, though each platform was connected by whitened wooden walkways, the many clear repairs on them, unhidden, showing age and the ferocity of the water beneath. On most of these platforms, which were separated by groups - A small set of 1, another of 3, and another of 4 -, several small and seemingly abandoned stores stuck, most notably an armoury with plenty of swords, shields, hammers, and more on display and ripe for the taken, and a tavern. On the exact center platform, in the middle of the group of 3, however, was a huge tower with a platform at the top, high enough it was in the clouds, and a ladder right at the bottom, both light brown wooden and charcoal grey titanium in colour. Like previous stages, cannons and barrels were around...as well as plenty of boxes, while the cannons appeared much more modern in design than before

With the fighters being left on this center area, Axe immeadiantly searched his surroundings, before raising his shield to Snake in a defensive stance, trying to decide whether or not to make the first move...
 

Psymallard

Previously mallard
Duck
The Host cut off the argument, moving on to Specter. The Duck sunk back into his seat, pouting as he half-listened to the monkey's speech. The whole not liking humans thing was a win, but he was way too much of a tryhard. Taking over humanity? Really? That's way more work than necessary, Psyduck just wanted to keep him and his friends away from the humans, and to kick the ass of the trainers that wanted to cross that line. He didn't say anything though, he was much too focused on pouting still.
When the green giant's turn came, Psyduck's bill dropped. That thing was a human? He thought it was a robot or some giant bug type! But again, he was too aghast to say anything before Generic Host interrupted again.
The prize. Psyduck rubbed his hands together, this was what he was doing this whole song and dance for. He wanted that wish, and he wasn't gonna let any monkeys, humans, nor giant brutes take that away from him. He'd kick everyone's butt so that he could kick even more butt with the power of a wish like that!
 

Gamingfan

Previously Gamingfan2
Weavile
The dark/ice pokemon crouched in anticipation as Rebellio released a wave of knives. Weavile smirked, before putting her thieving skills to use as she snatched each knife with careful precision, before leaping back and splitting off into another army of clones. The Weavile army leapt up, and tossed out an uncountable number of knives above Rebellio
 

ArmedBlue

Previously Manu456Alola
Rebellio

Oh boy...

The knives multiplied alongside Weavile, making for a massive amount of knives being thrown at the Falcon. Rebellio's crimson halo extended down in the blink of an eye, converting him into thread, causing the Adept to vanish from sight. A couple moments passed before Rebellio rematerialized above the army of Weaviles, standing on top of a massive guillotine blade that quickly crashed down on top of the Pokémon, striking the icy ground with enough force to send ice shards flying everywhere, increasing the attack's range and lethality.
 

Shen: King of Digimon

Previously Shen: King of the Mist
Dinner Table



"Aha, you see, little munsters..."

The host synthesized a golden cane from thin air. Gripping it, he began to walk across the room, the glittery instrument helping him along.

"The 'Great Honor' is actually uh... a bit on the nose. No-ho, really, it is. Like sunscreen..."

A long pause followed as the Host grinned at them, his eyelids fluttering, before he finally continued; "My boss, the big man upstairs, would reward you personally for your... ah, 'amazing' efforts. Emphasize on the air quotes. Oh, and little ol' me? Ah, well, think of me as a uh... a sorta middleman, if you will."

Specter nodded his head upon hearing this, seeming to confirm his previous suspicions.

"As charming and dashing and extraordinarily charismatic as I am, I'm not omnipotent. Shocking, yes I know. Otherwise I would have just fixed that whole trippy sky thingy... but that's a bit beyond my power. The big daddy up there is the only one who could fix that..."

Again, a long pause filled with the Host awkwardly standing there, his eyes seeming to be glued to Psyduck, the grin on the Host mischievous. "Where was I? Oh, yes, that's right, the bossman will give you a handsome reward (not as handsome as me, of course) for your lonesome. Since uh...the previous guy had the bright idea to uh... wish for everybody. Hah hah..."

Gunvolt. Specter thought, remembering the incident from the previous tourney he took part in. So whomever runs this was greatly disturbed by those events...and wants to screen the one who comes in alone. They must be fairly cautious, borderline paranoid...
 

comic

Previously turnt3chGodh34d

Solid Snake

However, Axe raised his shield to nobody. Snake had already disappeared, and all that was in his place was a quiet prelude of coming combat---but for now, only the sounds of exotic birds calling as they perched upon buildings or flew their way toward Outer Heaven could be heard. As peaceful as it was... there was a foreboding air about.

Axe might have appeared alone, but there was the undeniable sensation of being watched...

Master Chief

"Your silences are, uh, gratifying, really, you guys are a real uh... a real showstopper, eh? Now that goals are reoriented and past traumas are revealed, there's only one thing left to do: fight," the Host's grin curled even wider as he looked at each of them like a kid would stare at a row of lollipops in a candy store. "Those little backstory reveals were more than just a chance to show off, little scoundrels, more than just a bit of visual eye candy for the folks back home, they were you picking your stage. And since so many locations were, uh, selected..."

He paused, snapping his fingers, and the automated voice they'd grown accustomed to could be heard. "Locations isolated. Loading Castle Frightmare - Striaton City - Oreburgh - Cairo Station," her voice echoed, and the world erupted around them.

Their table and chairs remained as they were surrounded by a dome of thick glass. Inside of this spherical dome was a mild desert canyon, though pine trees were unnaturally growing all around, creating a unique landscape. The canyon rose on two sides of the dome, the middle filled with a town that was quite clearly mashed together. Residential skyscrapers rose around them, but so did industrial rigs and mining stations. The path from one end of the dome to the other was clear. On the side that extended in Chief's direction was an opening that led onto a futuristic battle station, a massive gun extending upward on the other side of the glass, almost the size of the entire dome itself.

On the other end of the canyon was a similar entrance, though this one opened up to a castle, with decaying stone and a mysterious fog, though light, hanging about its entrance. While Castle Frightmare was tucked into and against the dome, Cairo Station at the other end was only partially in the dome, the rest of it hanging outside, as what the rest of the dome was protecting against became clear---open space lay beyond the dome, undoubtedly a side effect of Cairo Station's unique placement in Earth's orbit. Should the glass break, there would be no protection from the vacuum of emptiness outside.

"Your stage selections were made for you, ah-hah... Now, one more thing before we get started," Host coughed into his fist politely. "Your opponents remain the same, but if you harm any other fighters that you're not yet scheduled to fight, even if it's accidentally... you will be disqualified by default, and your opponent will get an automatic win, so keep on eye on your stray shots. And don't blame your opponent if you deflect their attack into someone else---that was your deflection, making it your fault. Also, also also, just because you step into someone's attack doesn't disqualify them. Now go wild, boys and... well, boys. Yes I am assuming gender. No I am not changing my biased perception. Toodaloo!"

And he vanished.

To: AI.AS.Lola
From: AI.ONI.Kalmiya

/// You will? Aw, thanks! It's always so nice to not be alone in risky matters like these, it means a lot! Anyway, do you think there's a way to possibly use the Host's current rules for this match to our advantage?


The moment the Host had vanished, the Master Chief had stood up in a flash. Before the human eye could so much as blink, he'd aimed his pistol directly at Hareta, and began to fire rounds off, his arm tracking the boy. Should he duck under the table, the Spartan would bring up his leg and slam it into the metal, sending the table flying and wasting no time in continuing his barrage of bullets.

If he could, he'd make it as quick and painless as possible---but he wasn't taking any chances anymore. Wrong as this entire situation was, one life didn't matter more than countless others. If Hareta had to fall so that billions could be spared?

So be it.​
 

Shen: King of Digimon

Previously Shen: King of the Mist
Hareta


"Woah woah woah! Take it easy!" Hareta hastily said as he raised foot after foot, trying to stop his legs from being shot.

Seeing as it wasn't gonna let up, he kicked one of the deceptively dense chairs from the table directly toward Chief helping sponge some of the bullets.

Right as this happened, he jogged in place, almost as if revving up before-

Fleeeeeeee

Hareta sprinted away, a dust cloud kicking up as his scarf clapped behind him. He hadn't expected Chief to take the hostile approach so fast. Heck, even that metal guy had a few moments to banter with! Geez!

He found a concept belt coming up from nearby. He recognized it as a part of the coal conveyor system from oreburgh! Leaping onto it, he hunkered down, taking a sigh of relief as he tried to dig for a pokeball.

"Should be safe for now anyway..."



Specter


"Hmph, how dramatic." Specter shook his head, glancing at Psyduck in the corner of his eye through the ghastly fog that encroached from castle frightmare. "Surely you know this is fruitless. So why don't cede the match and we can watch this in relative peace?"
 
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