Private/Closed Bootleg Brothers 6

[Shen: King of Digimon]

Rinku


Craaaaash!

The sound of shattered plates and broken dreams filled the little restaurant as Beam practically flipped the table upon getting up, bits of grease covered foods hitting the floor and fragments of cups and plates littering the ground.

"RACE YOU!"

The Chad shark then darted out, a potted plant on the right side of the diner tilting and falling down in the process. Subtle as a freight train, that one. Still, the thought of a game within a game...that was something the little demon simply couldn't refuse. A cracking smile spread across his face as his childish intensity returned to him.

"Let's do it!"

Bounding out of the diner in a flash, napkins flew everywhere. Launching off the wall of the diner, he curled his limbs in like a cannonball, the reduced air resistance sending him further along. As he passed beam, he uncurled himself, facing toward him, sticking his tongue out and pulling down an eyelid. A second later, a ripple signified his entry into the portal.

Inside, he cartwheeled through the air, landing and clinging to the undercarriage of the AI meant to choose a map. Rinku elected to wait till Beam chose first...after all, it makes it all the easier to choose something more beneficial as a counter pick.



Rex Raptor


"UAAAAH!"

Rex recoiled as a massive shark dude and some other flying thing quickly rushed past him. Jumping back a foot from the gate, the dust kicked up by the pair enough to make the shaggy headed beanie wearer cough several times.

"...Ack! Too many freaks here! At least one of them will beat the other so I don't gotta see 'em again..."

 

[Fraseandchico]

Axe
​

After the match, Axe found himself groaning, Even with the healing, the explosion still stung greatly. He was thankful he had only gone unconscious instead of died, he didn't want his friends to see that kind of thing happen to him. Still, he had probably disappointed them...
He was shaken out of his stupor, however, when Magolor talked.
"Oh, um...yeah, no hard feelings. Sorry for anything I said that might've been harsh, was just trying to get my body into a rush." He added, accepting the hand-shake and looking rather bewildered at the coupon for a second. "Good luck with your other matches!" He offered, before turning to Grazie. "Well...anything you wanna do before-" He was cut off by the announcement of round 2... And him against Grazie. He winced realising this, but decided not to appear silly or weak.

"You know what? Yeah, I can handle it!" He told Grazie, huffing. "Besides, I got stakes this time, I won't look weak or anything in front of my friends, you know!" He added, taking a glance to the stands to look at them for a moment.

Audrey
​

"Yeesh, you also got stuck with a loser? Feels bad, kid." She shrugged, feeling a very vain form of misplaced sympathy. Then she turned to hear the announcement and felt her heart flutter slightly in joy! Those brats were gonna pay for mocking her! She chose to ignore their laughing, knowing she could tear them apart in just a few swings...well, she figured. But Weevil spoke up, offering her an edge - A card. At first, she wanted to snicker, assuming it was mockery or a good luck, but recalled something about summoning monsters.
That made her tempted to take it, but paused in hesitation. Last time she accepted help from someone else she didn't know fully or didn't seem important, she ended up nearly losing her sword for good...

Well, it wasn't like this was a potion. It was a weird card and a weird monster, she might not even need it!
"Alright, thanks, Kid." She smirked, accepting it and taking it in hand. "Don't suppose you could tell me how to use it, or is it a 'learn on the spot' thing?" Yeah, she was very clearly not finding out it's effect until too late.

Masaru
​

Masaru paused as he heard Master Hand's announcement, stopping in surprise.
"Well, I should've seen that coming..." He joked, shaking his head as Taskmaster offered to get started on the fight now (At least, Masaru viewed it as an offer), sounds like he was in a rush. "Alright, yeah." As the strongest warrior of his world, he felt a responsibility to not turn him down. Instead, he shrugged and walked towards the gate, stopping to let groups of people go by before going through.
"Please pick a stage." The voice asked again. This time, Masaru decided to pick somewhere - More for the feeling than any advantage.
"The area outside Sensei Seishi Moribe's dojo." He asked, letting the voice decide how to use that.

The Warlock
​

The Warlock had to stop himself from laughing seeing the next matches. Finally, he didn't have to work with a foolish human (The hybrid appeared rather impatient in this regard)!

"Hmph. I'll admit," He chuckled, a plan formatted in his head at this point. "I'm quite excited for this." He stated bluntly, chosing not to race his foe, instead turning to him at the gate. "I read your mind before, when we were the same side - You thought of a hometown with family," He seemed rather annoyed mentioning the last word, "You wished to show your skill to them, yes? I recommend picking that for your part." He offered, before facing forward into the inside of the gate, letting it's AI speak it's words of questioning after he slowly entered. One word left his mouth.

"Shanghai." A slightly murderous chuckle entered his voice at that. What was he planning?

 

[comic]

DART​

What was the Mindripper getting at? Was he implying the mercenary should pick Seles as his choice? Maybe the big old lug just wanted to see the place where Dart had grown up (for the most part, considering Neet had been obliterated by the Black Monster, aka Rose, in his youth). The place where he intended to raise his son. There were many other, much cooler places to fight in. Various kingdoms, old ruins, deadly lairs, floating fortresses... but oh well, Dart didn't mind showing off home a little bit.

Warlock's pick was a "Shanghai," which the dragoon assumed to be the Elder's Greatest Champion's own home. So it seemed they'd be mixing them up together. A little odd, but quaint! "For my pick - Seles, a humble home with great memories!" Dart grinned, and the white void around them began to take shape, forming their new arena.

Dart's smile faltered when a green filter hazed over the land, and great buildings extended into the sky. Seles, he could recognize in this primarily unfamiliar land. This version of Seles, from some of the razed buildings that he could recognize, and the cobbled streets, he realized appeared more like they had after Emperor Doel's men had seized Shana, burning down the village just for the fun of it. Why would it take such an appearance? Why was Shanghai so foggy, and densely shrouded in a sickly filament? The mercenary's gaze fell on the Warlock for answers.​

 

[Fraseandchico]

The Warlock
​

As the world and city formed around the pair, Dhar-Hur Mordenna was quick to notice Dart's confusion, stepping forward and slowly walking away.
"Before we fight, allow me to give you a history lesson; Shanghai was one of the most populated cities on the planet earth in my world. When my masters arrived to spread their righteousness to mankind, we found a simple way to draw them out of their poorly made cities." He gestured to what appeared to be a grey pod in the middle of the street, a crater surrounding it with green tendrils and frozen bodies. "But they had consequences unforseen. Though they succeeded, they left these cities unhabitable. Those who stayed, and those who foolishly stayed away from improved civilisation, they were transformed by our science." He chuckled. "And that includes enough people that we haven't made a dent in the numbers of across 20 years." His voice boomed. Then, he jumped up, landing with a thump at the highest point of a building's escape, kicking the ladder away. "Behold, the City of the Lost!" He boasted.

"Have fun." A cruel laughter surged as, suddenly, a small horde of 5 grey zombie-like creatures turned a corner of what looked like a former fashion store, immeadiately darting towards Dart on sight (One of which being noticeably faster than the others), unable to reach the Warlock from the ground.

LOST NUMBERS INCREASE: 4 POSTS AWAY (No explosive modifier)

 

[ArmedBlue]

Kirin
​

"Hehe, thanks," Kirin giggled as Bakura complimented her performance, even though she had lost. "Neph looks pretty tricky to take down. All that psychic stuff and cunning is gonna make it difficult. But if I keep the pressure up, I'll have way better chances at winning."

Her mind flashed back to the potion she got from Spamton. If things went south, she supposed she could give it a try...

"Speaking of, I guess I should head to my fight now. Master Hand might not be too happy if everyone sits around for too long," she commented, head swiveling towards the gateway Neph had gone through moments ago. "Well, good luck on your fight!"

She sprinted through the portal, appearing in a white void, Neph opposite of her. The machine from earlier was there once again, prompting the fighters to select a stage once again. Given how tough of an opponent the Pokémon would be, it'd probably be best to pick somewhere that would give her a little advantage...

"Hmm... how about that abandoned Sumeragi oil refinery?"​

Cayman
​

"A production yard, eh? Sounds good to me!"

The world around them began to take shape, Cayman agreeing to Chai's pick. A plethora of different machines popped up around the two fighters, a massive factory-like complex coming together before their eyes. Some of them were massive, the closest one labeled as Unit 8, spewing out plasma-like energy at the bottom. A few forklifts moved throughout the area frantically, and despite the workplace feel to the production yard, it seemed lacking in safety measures, several large gaps in between each massive platform with no real guardrails to them. One wrong step and it'd be quite the fall...

"Nice choice, Chai! I'm going to enjoy this Duel!"

A flash of crimson enveloped Cayman, the Adept's body being covered in armor in an instant, large, head-like crimson gloves on his hands. Only the Duelist's face was exposed, his now yellow eyes glaring into Chai's own, a smirk creeping onto his face. He started off with a stomp, unleashing a wave of explosions that quickly moved in a line towards Chai's position!​

Pit
​

Pit couldn't help but applaud the nord as he concluded his song---and then the large man dropped to the ground. The angel worried for a moment that something bad happened to him, before a loud snore rumbled from his throat. Must've been all those drinks.

"Looks like he's out cold."

"Oh man, gimme a sec." He told Blue and the blue haired girl that had just approached, getting up from his seat and crouching down to grab Fjorrd's arms, taking note of just how large they were. Pit proceeded to pull with all his might, feet slipping a little as he attempted to lift the man or at least drag him out of the restaurant, but he barely budged. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of Pit's face as he chuckled awkwardly, looking up at the fit-looking Dagr next to him.

"Uhh... a little help, please?"​

Grazie
​

"Ooh, thank ya," Grazie replied to the magician, taking both cards from Miracle. She kept the one with the cane before handing the other one to Axe, thinking the former card to be cooler. "I'll try an' catch yer magic shows sometime. All those tricks were right impressive!"

Axe then brought up wanting to impress his friends that were watching the tournament, to which Grazie paused. Could some of her pals be in the stands too? Her orange eyes scanned the stands for a few seconds before she spotted a familiar man with red hair, accompanied by three women.

"Mister Zeddy! Sistinie, Serpentine and Prado too! I didn't know y'all were watchin' me!" She exclaimed, now feeling a whole lot more invigorated to do her best. The leader of ATEMS and the rest of the Knights were watching, after all. "I gotta try even harder this time! See ya at the arena, Axey!"

She left for the gateway just then, heading on through. The same voice as before asked for her selection, making the Adept think for a moment.

"I'm pickin' Sunrise Palace this time!"

One of the lights on the device above her lit up green.​

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

Chai


Conveyors slowly raised boxes and other freight to platforms, railways ferrying crates and machinery at high speeds across the vast production yard. Welding arms assembling robots on convert or belts that stamped, melded, and painted the cybernetics. Chai whistled, noting how familiar it all seemed.

Striking the ground with his guitar before the match began, a metal noise resounded through the echo of the facility. A vibration felt up and down Chai's body. Something stirring within him. The device in his chest beat like a heart, a new sound resounding.

"Alright, big guy." Chai locked eyes with the now powered up Cayman. "Let's rock."

- YouTube

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The previously steady machines instantly reacted. With every other beat, it seemed the conveyors jolted to it. The welders and mashers every four beats taking turns finishing each other's jobs. A music bar could be seen digitally on many signs scattered across the zone as they bounded up and down, signifying the music levels. It seemed...almost as if the whole world was suddenly bound by a musical law.

♫♩ Yeah...Yeah. ♪♫

His opponent was the first to make a move, creating an oncoming wave of explosions that raced across the ground. 1. 2. 3. 4. The beat of explosions came. Throwing his arm to the left, he cast a coil that magnetized to a nearby elevator, grappling him up and to it, narrowly evading the explosions that threatened him, the destruction totaling a nearby forklift. 1. 2. The elevator platform raised. Leaping off of it, he compressed soundwaves around the 'axe' of the guitar, two beats later, he dropped down like a weight, coming with a compressor slam to try and crack open Cayman's defenses.

♫♩ Yeah...Yeah. ♪♫

 

[ArmedBlue]

Cayman
​

"Haha, smooth moves!"

Chai was quick to evade, leaping off an elevator platform to crash down on the Duelist, who performed another, more powerful stomp. When his foot reached the ground, a massive explosion burst upwards, perfect for knocking his opponent out of the air! Should it connect, Cayman would follow up with a rising uppercut, leaving afterimages behind him as he aimed to punch Chai even further away.​

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

Chai


♬♪ Standin' in the streets
the sun is in the east."♫♩


Thankfully, the compressed soundwaves were enough the blow away a lot of the explosive part of the attack, leaving the impact itself, which threw Chai up instead of the downward direction he intended. Blown off course, he defensively put his guitar in front of himself. Cayman flew up after him, his fist ready to punch Chai up and out!

TWANG!

The guitar was struck head on, exploding into dozens of scrap fragments. Chai, as a result, was flung skyward like a limp noodle, front flipping with his arms flailing.

"Waaaaaaah!!"


♪♫ Calling out the beast
The tiger underneath ♪♫


His robotic arm gripped a metal pole propping a sign up, magnetizing it, as it swung the rest of Chai's body around it a couple times before he swung to a stop, suspended by the sign, above the bustling production facility.

"That was way too hectic..." The dizzied Chai regained his bearings.

"Hang in there Chai!" Peppermint called from 808, who flew out next to him. "You have to recover from this."

"Ugh...how am I gonna get close to him. He's a Goliath!"

Looking around for something he could use, he noticed the conveyor belts, varying heavy boxes full of raw metal alloy to be processed and carved. That looked heavy. An idea formed in his head.


♬♪ Startin' to believe
The world is at my feet."♫♩


"That'll work!"

Raising the stick that remained of his guitar, he began to draw in gears, pieces of metal debris...and the screws that were keeping the conveyor stable. The screws shot out of the conveyor, building up his new guitar as the platform grew rickety, the heavy weight being too much for the unstable belt to hold.

CRASH!

The part of the structure crumbled, the box and it's super weighted contents crashing down below. New guitar in hand, Chai wiped a bead of sweat before jumping on the falling box, riding it like it were a bull!

"C'mon Chai plan unoooooooo!"


♫♩I'm ready for the feast
It's all within my reach
(it's all within my reach)♪♫

 

[ArmedBlue]

Cayman
​

♫♩I'm going all the way
I'm going, yeah, my blood is rebel♪♫

The incredibly heavy box was headed right for Cayman. It looked too tough to punch through, forcing the Adept to leap to the side, barely avoiding it due to its incredible speed. Once the box and Chai reached the ground, Cayman was enveloped in a literal fiery aura, letting out a roar as he leapt in his opponent's direction.

"Get a load of this! Hraaaaaagh!"

The Iron Delinquent held his fists out in front of him, the head-like attachments connected to the ring around his neck also moving in front of his body. They all made one giant flaming fist together, one that sped towards Chai at high speeds!
​

♫♩I'm going all the way
I'm going to another level♪♫

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

Chai


The beat was about to drop. The connected attachments Cayman assembled about to unleash a devastating move. Freezing up, Chai grit his teeth together as he stared wide eyed in what was about to hit him. As his face flew from the upcoming light, 808 transformed from drone to cat form, grabbing Chai by the back of his collar and tipping him off balance, forcing him to fall backwards off of the steel box and onto the ground, right as the beat dropped. This made the flaming fist of death soar right over him, blasting apart any bit that remained of the the iron box that contained the alloy.

"Watch it, you can't freeze up!" Peppermint hissed, the cat slapping Chai back to his senses.

Adrenaline rushing through the guitarist, his eyes darted to all the box fragments on the ground, then back at the steel box. A perfect chance! Holding his guitar out, electricity began to shoot out from the center as the fragments of the box and parts of the broken conveyor belt were magnetized to the guitar...or rather than massive club that formed from the sheer amount of scrap. It was now three times Chai's size! Struggling to keep such a large weapon raised, the snarky boy had time for one more quip.

"Get a load of this? Nah, I rather...play ball!"

♪♫ To another level! ♫♩

BOOOOSH!

The club smashed against the metal brick, firing it forward with velocity that would seem impossible for how heavy the object was. Shrapnel flew everywhere as Chai's guitar exploded all the gained components out, blasting Chai on his butt as the chaos of an attack was unleashed forward!

 

[comic]

DART​

The warrior's brow knit more tightly together as he stuck out an arm, Heat Blade materializing in his hand with a flash of fire. What game was the Warlock playing at? This talk of Lost, powerful masters, and transformations... and then these decaying creatures rounded a corner, catching sight of Dart, and began stumbling his way with gasps and growls of eager instinct.

Then it clicked.

"Hah!" Dart placed his free hand on his hip, showing no worry as the zombies drew ever-closer. "I shoulda known - you wanna see what I can do! Well, alright, but don't take too long to jump into the fray, okay? It's you and me that're supposed to be fighting anyway!"

Shedding any worries or cares (for now), the mercenary leapt forward with a speed and agility his bulky armor shouldn't allow, bringing the sword down with an overhead strike, splitting the blade down the lead zombie's middle, its upper half twisting in different directions as the blade stopped at its gut, before a stream of flames spat out from the sword's length as he slid it from the cavity it had created. He swiped at three of the other approaching undead, his strength and blade's piercing accompanied by a forceful gush of fire that barreled into the zeds, knocking them back as flames encircled their forms, setting them alight.

For the fifth zombie, having closed the distance and ready to pounce, Dart thrust his blade forward, driving it through the chest of the zed, up to the hilt. Its arms reached for him as its jaws snapped with hunger, but despite this, the mercenary grinned. "VOLCANO!" He shouted, a blazing blast ripping through the ribcage of the zombie - and erupting it from the inside out, sending various parts of its body flying in every direction.
​

NEPHTHYS​

Alas, Kirin arrived. Neph kept herself from making the easy bite of "took you long enough," electing to instead maintain momentary silence as the priestess made a selection: an oil refinery. Oil... it didn't require a look inside of Kirin's mind for the gardevoir to deduce the logic behind this selection. Kirin sought an advantage.

Now it was Neph's turn to choose, and possibly apply an advantage. Kirin fought best at close range, and had many tools to close any distance the Pokémon would try to create. Fighting in a familiar, open space wouldn't be the best selection possible. Fighting in claustrophobic, enclosed spaces would be even worse, however. There had to be a better alternative, a method of maintaining a semblance of an environmental advantage.

A realization dawned.

After a moment's pause, Neph finally landed on her choice.

< I choose the heart of Mt. Chimney. >

Kirin wanted oil. She'd get a powderkeg.​

 

[Captain Cardboard]

Jeice

Jeice couldn't care less about what battle area MODOK picked. He was fully confident that whatever one was picked, it wouldn't matter. He would crush this freak in the end.
"Right then! Ha!" Jeice exclaimed. The red alien threw out his arms, turning in place. "Face the might of-"
MODOK's lasers struck Jeice, sending the member of the Ginyu Force flying. Jeice was blasted through a ruined wall as the missiles struck all around him. The ceilings and walls of the ruined lab collapsed on Jeice, and for a moment everything went silent.

"Why... you... I'll..." Jeice's muffled voice spoke up from beneath the pile of rubble. There was an explosion of red energy from the pile of rubble, sending the debris everywhere.
"I'll destroy you!" Jeice exclaimed, jumping to his feet. He flew towards MODOK, looking to quickly close the distance and engage the mastermind in melee combat!


Weevil Underwood

The insect duelist grinned as Audrey accepted the card. He was soooo good at this. He didn't particularly care if Audrey won or not, the 'hero' was floundering about in the loser's bracket. But it might be easier facing her, rather then the strange pair she had been partnered with. And now, she had one of his Parasite Paracide cards.
"Well, I'm sure a mighty hero like you would be able to figure it out in no time." Weevil said, laying down some flattery. "But I suppose I could give you a hint. You could just summon it out, and have it fight for you or take an enemy's attack. But, if you wanted to bring out it's true strength... I would suggest you summon it in secret, and then have it reveal itself to you opponents without them destroying it."

Weevil's smile grew.
"If you do that, well... Let's just say it'll really 'bug' your enemies! Heheh!" Weevil said. He began to walk away, waving cheerfully at Audrey. "I've gotta go. Good luck on your battle! Not that you'll need it!"

What a chump.

Raptor was waiting at the arena gate.
"Well, well. So impatient to lose again, Raptor?" Weevil called out to Rex.


Dagr

The warrior pulled a Lute from his bag and began to play. How he had been able to fit the instrument in his bag, Dagr wasn't quite sure. Although he was clearly intoxicated, he still played and sang rather well. Dagr tapped her foot to the beat and moved her head to the music. Was this man a warrior bard? Those were always fun to be around.

And then the man passed out. Dagr shook her head an tutted. The fairy boy tried his best to move the mountain of a man, but it was clear the man was far too heavy. Pit's attempts, while very adorable, were resulting in nothing. He then asked for her help.
"Sure thing." Dagr said to Pit. She threw one of the warrior's arms over her shoulder and lifted him that way. He was... surprisingly heavy. Dagr looked to Fjorrd with surprise, adjusting her grip on the man before nodding at Pit.
"Always a shame to see a man that can't handle his mead." Dagr said, giving Pit a wink. Dagr laid Fjorrd on a nearby booth, putting him on his side.

Dagr turned back towards Pit.
"Your friend's pretty talented." Dagr said, looking down at the angel boy. She tilted her head. "Say, kiddo. This might seem out of nowhere, but I'm curious. Are you a fairy?"


Bakura

"Ah, wait! Could you-" But the girl was already gone. Bakura lowered his hand, looking into the portal Kirin had disappeared into. He had hoped that Kirin might be able to help him, but that wouldn't be happening now. The teen rubbed his hands nervously.
"Good luck." He said quietly.

The fights were beginning. Already, Bakura could see the competitors attacking each other. Sending each other flying, striking with weapons... What was he doing here?! He couldn't do this. Surely, this had to be some mistake! Going off to a Duel Monsters tournament and not remembering why was one thing, but this was a tournament where his life could be on the line! Everyone had gotten healed, but it looked like they still got hurt during their fights. No, this wasn't worth-


Yami Bakura

For a moment, the Millennium Ring Bakura wore glowed. Or had it simply caught the lights of the plaza for a moment? Bakura straightened up, taking a breath and smiling. His host's whining and whimpering was becoming too much to bear. He wouldn't be useful in this duel, this tournament anyway. A chance to unleash his powers, and perhaps even acquire powerful items from other worlds? Perhaps even a chance to acquire the other Millennium Items? It was a chance Yami Bakura could not pass up.

The evil spirit maintained the innocent appearance of his host for the moment, finding and approaching Kragg.
"Hello there!" Yami Bakura said, still using his host's voice. He smiled politely at the massive creature. The insect/rock creature dwarved the short teen, making Bakura's skinny frame look even smaller. "I'm Bakura. I suppose we are opponents now? I saw your battle, you are quite strong. I hope you won't go too hard on me?"

 

[comic]

M.O.D.O.K.​

HAH! This fool had taken immediate damage. Their conflict would be over quickly in the Man-Mind's favor, Tarleton sneered, before Jeice burst from the rubble with a speed and prejudice to rival the likes of Adam Warlock. Upon the debris falling upon Jeice, M.O.D.O.K. had ceased firing, and that left his lasers on cooldown for a moment. Jeice was closing the distance fast - but the Mechanized Organism's mind raced at a greater speed, and he quickly realized a presented opportunity. In a state of heightened emotional vulnerability, surely Jeice would be more susceptible to basic tactics. He believed himself physically unstoppable, after all. He wouldn't mind any additional damage, M.O.D.O.K. figured.

The bottom of the Doomsday Chair opened up, revealing another gun - the Death Laser. This great tool had melted through Iron Man's armor, had broken the energy shield of Dr. Doom - it was a very useful tool. And now it was aimed at the bee-lining Jeice, a heavy red laser bursting from the head of the weapon in a controlled, and sustained manner, creating a beam of energy that made the Doomsday Chair shudder.

M.O.D.O.K. however, was not willing to let that be all. He had to match Jeice's energy with his own power at his disposal. Like before, Tarleton ensured he had two attacks moving together, as opposed to leaving it at just one. Jeice clearly wasn't an intellectual being, so strategy would not be his strongest suit, M.O.D.O.K. believed. Out-strategizing him, overpowering, and overwhelming would claim victory - even if the Man-Mind was hesitant on the idea of allowing Jeice to close the distance. This red alien had proven before that he was primarily a physical melee combat creature. The A.I.M. leader didn't need him to get into the grove of his fighting.

And so, out of his forehead, a blitzing red beam of energy fired to accompany the Death Laser. The psychic beam honed in on Jeice, attempting to strike his mind a flash of imagery, mind-ripping pain, and physical damage to stunlock him into taking the Death Laser head-on, M.O.D.O.K. expected.

"FUTILE. IT IS I WHO WILL DESTROY YOU, JUICE WRLD!"

If everything went according to plan, this battle would be over before Jeice would even break through a barrier. If M.O.D.O.K. wasn't busy keeping his systems in check and prepped, he'd absolutely be evilly tapping his fingers together over his lap.​

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

Rex Raptor



He wasn't going to fall for this one so fast. The antagonistic nerd spouting his usual spiel about beating him in the regional championship. Instead of shouting back, he just grinned, tilting his head cockily at the green haired dweeb.

"Funny, I remember being the last one standing that last match!" He laughed mockingly. "Tell me, bug bait, who was the one who was eliminated first? And by who? Nyeh heh heh!!"

 

[Psymallard]

Taskmaster
"Oscorp Tower."

The mercenary offered his stage selection plainly, before he turned to Masaru.

"You were holding back last fight. You'd better give me everything you've got."

Taskmaster cracked his knuckles as the stage took shape around them. The stone slab arena of Masaru's choice remained mostly unchanged. However, the area around it was changed rather drastically. Cracked concrete was the only window into the grass in front of the dojo, and the dojo itself was a horrific mess. The porch was the least odd, replaced by a concrete platform, yet retained a wooden railing. The actual building was twisted into a fusion of the dojo and a radio tower. Crisscrossed steel beams were scantily clad in dark oak planks that gave a rough approximation of Moribe's Dojo. The entire thing creaked threats of toppling over. One door leading into the center was made of elegantly crafted paper, and the other was a mass-produced steel panel. Between the arena and the dojo were two clusters of air conditioning units with large bonsai trees growing from the center of each. Yet, beyond the dojo was even more interesting. It was open air. Beneath them, which held up the dojo and the arena, was a skyscraper. It held them high above New York's streets, adding a bit more tension to the battlefield.

"Your move, Masaru."

Beam
Rinku flew overhead, taunting Beam. Out of pure reactive instinct, the shark fiend shot out from the ground and snapped at the smaller demon, but his jaws only bit air. The devilman tumbled into the portal alongside Rinku, albeit less gracefully. In no time, Beam was back upon his feet with a roar of excitement. The robot demanded his attention, and, more importantly, a stage selection. In the sharkman's frenzy, he had no interest in strategical advantage. The first thing that came to mind was the stage from last fight; that was pretty fun!

"BEACH! BEACH! KYAHAHAHAHA!!!"

The concrete structures were pretty cool, so he wanted those back as well, despite his lack of vocabulary.

Kragg
The big bug figured he'd go look for his opponent, but he'd hardly gone two steps before his opponent found him.

"I'm Bakura. I suppose we are opponents now? I saw your battle, you are quite strong. I hope you won't go too hard on me?"

Kragg furrowed his brow. He may have been a dull one, but he did understand that this was a tournament of able warriors. The kid looked innocent enough, but there had to be a reason he was here. Besides, the Earth's Bastion wasn't one to pull his punches, no matter the obstacle. He was, however, bluntly honest.

"Kragg not hold back."

Regular Cashier
"Well, I don't own the audience, that's the big gloved guy's department. But... I don't see why not. Knock yourself out."

After he was done speaking, he tilted his head to the side to look at the Gratitude Pokémon behind her. If she wasn't already on her way by then, he would awkwardly glance back and forth between Kassandra and Shaymin, giving a nonverbal, passive-aggressive goodbye.

 

[comic]

KASSANDRA​

Well, the answer was simple enough. It wasn't that Kassandra didn't think she could speak with their gloved host, Master Hand - it was that she didn't want to. She hadn't been a fan of Generic Host, and while the Hand had offered her this opportunity, her outlook of him followed a near-identical vein as the last tournament host she'd met, who coincidentally was present in this place. Annoyingly so.

She gave a light shrug before she turned and moved off. The misthios had been looking for directions more than anything, but she obviously hadn't been clear enough. She'd need to find her own way up, and those walls looked too slick to climb conventionally, not to mention trying to scale them would draw unnecessary and unwanted attention toward her. She just needed to see the monkey.

Her eyes scanned the lobby, looking between the cracks of the various shops, seeking something - anything out that could prove useful. Her gaze halted upon a gray metal door in the wall, with a small red light above it. Unlike everything else, this one had no labels, nothing denoting the purpose of what lay within. Seemed like the only option to her. This futuristic stuff was all so confusing.

Humanity's Keeper managed to get through the door with little issue, finding a staircase leading up - likely toward the stands. The warrior-poet who had dropped in from the stands earlier, the same man she'd fought to gain entry into this tournament, was likely supposed to use this passage as opposed to the method of travel he'd opted to take. An ascension followed as the misthios made her way up and up, before another door impeded her. A simple push, and the crowd was at her disposal.

From the lobby, the audience didn't seem all that big. Just a few rows of people, staring down and cheering on their favorite contestants (or booing the ones they didn't like, which was a treatment the large-headed mechanical man with baby arms got). From this vantage point, however, Kassandra could see much, much more. The initial ring of audience members that surrounded the lobby from above were exponentially and infinitely dwarfed by a sea of color that extended for as far as Kassandra could see. Millions - no, perhaps billions of spectators had gathered here to watch. So many people, she never though such a gathering could have been conceivable, let alone possible. The mass of individuals could see into the lobby through gigantic screens floating in the air. The distant roaring could be heard clearly from up here.

The stands appeared separated. The ones she'd stepped onto, consisting of five ring rows, holding at least a few hundred people, were clearly VIP. Noblemen, or perhaps just prior contestants, people who knew the other contestants, that sort of thing. She nearly bumped into a large and round man with an unkempt, very large and unattractive mustache, a small girl and a small robot that appeared similar to the hedgehog contestant at either side of him - not who she was looking for.

The outer rings was separated from the VIP stands by a great moat around the stands and lobby, and when Kassandra peered down, she could see it was practically a city - people were bustling about, being catered to by hundreds of apparitions of the Regular Shopkeeper. This was undoubtedly how the outer audience (and probably the inner circle) were able to get refreshments. Kass couldn't see very far, given the state of things, but she figured there were several other moats of city-like rings separated more stands, so that the people in the back wouldn't have to make a full-fledged quest to this spot just for a drink, or a snack.

It was unquestionably breath-taking. Fortunately, the comparatively smaller crowd she found herself in would be easier to search for Specter in. However, if he happened to be elsewhere in the more distant crowds (a more likely scenario) she'd be very out of luck in discreetly reuniting with her past opponent.

"Hey, good fighting out there!" Kassandra's thoughts were momentarily interrupted when a blue-scaled fish-like creature with scarlet hair gave the misthios a pat on the back, grinning widely, displaying great yellow fangs. "Maybe we should spar sometime!"

"Maybe," Kassandra replied, stepping away from the fish monster and scanning the crowd.​

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

????


"Well, look who it is. I must say, you put on quite the show there. And a quick one too if I might add."

Kassandra heard the familiar British voice, belonging to an albino haired saru. The genius behind the voice was floating atop a chair nearby, a wine glass in hand and some sort of digital pad he was typing into with the other. It was Specter.

"Come now, you didn't think I would skip an opportunity to collect this much data? So many fighters, so little time." Specter shook his head. "But alas, Kassandra, we meet again."

Specter halted his chair after he reached eye level with her, the smirking simian raised a glass, acknowledging her making it past the first round with relative ease.




Rinku



A beach. Again? Well didn't say sharks were known for their creativity. Rinku shook his head, both in pity and amusement. Maybe this one would be a bit predictable, but maybe the demon's vigor and battle lust would counter balance that somewhat. Either way. Rinku dropped down from the AI, sticking his hands in his pockets as he hit the ground.

"Why don't we spice it up? Let's throw in some urban punk stuff in there."

Turns out, Beam and Rinku were on similar wavelengths. As the AI took their requests, a beautiful beachside appeared, overlooking a large body of dark blue water. More inward, it seemed as if street life vomited all over the map. Skate parks, random walls littered with graffiti, and random cement blocks that looked like they were placed without rhyme or reason were peppered throughout. In the center, a big soundstage was placed, alongside a seaside bar, rows of chairs, and several cans of spray paint and soda.

"Looks like we are here big guy." Rinku mused. "Go on then. I know you wanna start."

Rinku had his back facing the shark, smirking to himself. Preparing a movement with his arm out of field of view of his opponent, he had already begun his strategy.

 

[comic]

KASSANDRA​

And there he was.

...He looked smaller than she remembered.

Oh well, a lot can change in 300 years.

"Specter," the misthios greeted in return, folding her arms across her chest. "It's good to see you, I was looking for you. We didn't get to speak much after our fight in the last tournament. I... need your opinion on something. Specifically yours, you have unique outlook, and it may help me make a very dangerous decision."

Formalities didn't appear to linger very long with Kassandra.​

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

Specter


"Ah, yes. There's that straight to the point attitude that I recall. Seeking my help, are you? I must say, you seemed the type to be resolved to solve problems on your own. So this is a surprise."

Putting the wine glass down on his right arm rest, a mechanical system lowered it into the chair and covered it back up with the texture of the exterior of the chair. Resting his elbow on it, he leaned in curiously.

"So tell me. What ever could have you in such turmoil to seek my expertise?"

 

[comic]

KASSANDRA​

"I'm not sure how long it's been for you, but for me, that tournament was three hundred years ago," the misthios led with. "A lot can happen in that time. I've seen conquerors come and go, empires rise and fall, and if I'm not mistaken, I still have two thousands years to go until I catch up with the technology of your time."

Had she not been part of that tournament, Kassandra probably would have blindly followed her purpose as Keeper of Humanity. Pursued her ultimate fate of just being a vessel, to carry the Staff of Hermes toward the one destined to save the world. Someone named "Layla" whose distant ancestors weren't even a twinkle in the eye of time. That tournament had taught Kassandra several key things, chief among them being thinking for herself. Understanding that fate and destiny weren't absolute. That you could change it.

"Last time, I told you I was destined for something. My pendant and burden, this Staff of Hermes," Kassandra tugged the necklace from around her neck, and it transformed into the staff that had allowed her to edge back into fighting fit against Jevil. "I am meant to do nothing more than hold onto this for the next two thousand years, and hand it off to someone else. You made me realize that things may not go the way I've been told they should. What if I hand this thing off, and the other person can't handle it? What if they fail, whereas I would have not, but instead I sacrificed my life to deliver this to someone who barely understands it."

The Keeper paused again, before she sighed. "First, I ask your advice. And second... I ask for something else. My mind, and the staff, are linked. The staff can see into the future of my world, and see its end. I can't look into it, but you? If you entered my mind, and tapped into the staff? Maybe you could tell me what truths the future holds - and if it's worth it, or not."​

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

Specter


Yes, I presumed you looked more mature than we last met. Time dilation in these dimensions are rather severe, more than I anticipated. Still, three hundred years...hmm...wonder if I could install a research facility there and garner years worth of development within hours.

While background pondering that last thought, his crimson eyes met with the Staff of Hermes. Specter's resting his cheek on his fist as Kassandra asked her question.

"Oh, that's simple. Groom a successor." Specter mentioned. "If you find the sample size lackluster, will the perfect one into existence by chiseling them from someone else. Once your teachings are imparted, then you will see. Don't just hand something like that out Indiscriminately. As for the staff itself..."

He focused on it. How peculiar. It was almost as if a perception filter was ingrained into its foundation, like his psychic powers naturally wanted to reel away from it. How interesting. Looking over to Kassandra, he paused for a moment.

"Careful. Don't treat this as some infallible truth. The only truth you should consider is the one you can create yourself. Don't rely on something's prophetical nature. The future doesn't exist yet, and it's founded with the actions we take today. So instead of worrying about the future, build a way to do something about it."

 

[comic]

KASSANDRA​

She'd mostly expected that last part - it was what he'd preached originally. The misthios found herself a little unsatisfied, however. She would not be able to groom any notable successors. At least not an individual. She would outlive any and all. They would wither and die while she remained unchanged - for only one could possess the staff.

But... well, it wasn't too long of a shot, but if she applied that mentality to something less individual. More so toward a brotherhood - a creed. Her descendents had done something similar, like Aya of Alexandra and Bayek of Siwa forming "The Hidden Ones." Kassandra could expand on that idea. Groom a cult, over one person. It was still a bit of a long shot, however. The world was a rapidly changing place, there was no guarantee a creed like that could remain attractive to men and women for two thousand years.

Specter appeared cautious when he'd looked at the staff. It wasn't an obvious look, he certainly didn't show it well, but she could tell he was wary of the staff. At this, Kassandra wasn't surprised either. It was certainly a powerful tool, one she didn't fully understand.

"That's what I'm supposed to be doing," Kassandra replied. "This was cursed to me for the purpose of stopping the end of all things. It's hard not to worry about what that may be, and if I even can do something about it. This staff can see across time, it has told me it knows the future. But I don't trust what it says, not anymore. I just need you to confirm if it lies, or speaks truth."​

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

Specter


"If you want it simple. It's speaks lies." Specter responded. "If you want the complex answer, then it at most sees possible futures. Which one could argue is even worse. As obsessing about stopping said futures would probably cause them, or a more disastrous consequence. I suggest you throw away the delusions that a future is set in stone. If it were, after all, my confirming that wouldn't change the flow of time. In either case of truth, it's our choices that ring out."

Breaking it down logically, it made no difference if they staff spoke truth or lies. If it spoke lies, there was nothing to worry about. If it spoke truth, then there wouldn't be any way to prevent it. Which that hopelessness would only mean abandoning the dimension to apocalypse.

 

[Captain Cardboard]

Jeice

The bottom of MODOK's chair opened, revealing something Jeice instantly recognized. While he didn't know what exactly it was, the mutant could recognize a laser weapon when he saw it. He abruptly changed course, dodging to the side. The Death Laser fired, and even with Jeice's evasion attempt the beam struck the shoulder pauldron of his battle armor. The powerful attack shattered the pauldron, sending Jeice spinning through the air. The warrior hit the ground in a roll and was back on his feet, running to dodge the psychic beam. He fired a barrage of ki blasts at MODOK as he ran, diving behind another ruined wall of rubble.

Jeice glanced at the broken pauldron. Damn. An attack right off the bat that could break the battle armor?! He had to take these fights seriously, or else it would end up a repeat of his fight against King Minos. The broken armor was a staggering reminder of what levels of enemies he was up against. These armor could take beatings from warriors who's power level was over 100,000, and this floating freak had a weapon that could shatter it so easily. The second warrior that the scouter had been off about. It was clear that what had happened last battle was no fluke. Something about this place was throwing off the power level readings of the scouter. So Jeice would just have to make do. After all, he wasn't the second in command of the Ginyu Force for nothing...

While his scouter couldn't tell Jeice the exact power level of his opponent, it could still tell the Powered Ranger where his opponent was.
"The name's Jeice! I'll pound my name into that thick skull of yours! Take this!" Jeice exclaimed. The red warrior unleased a powerful ki blast into the wall he was using for cover, launching not only a powerful energy attack at MODOK but also a massive shower of debris and shrapnel!



Weevil Underwood

And of course, Raptor would bring up how Weevil was eliminated first. Earlier, that would have gotten on the insect duelist's nerves. But not now.
"Oh yes, Raptor. Because following the advice of your opponent is an amazing plan. You're soooo smart." Weevil said, his voice dripping with false praise as he gave Raptor a mocking grin. "I should have filled my deck with women monsters, since you just do whatever they want!"

Weevil snickered.
"It's been pure luck that you got so far in regionals, and pure luck that you won the last match. But your luck's just ran out, Raptor!" Weevil pointed to the duelist. "It's time to crush you like the annoying gnat you are!"

Weevil once again shoulder-checked Rex as he walked into the gate. Standing in the white void, he looked up to the AI. He'd keep pressing this to his advantage... So he looked back to Raptor.
"Well? Am I crushing you in the regional arena again?" He asked Raptor.


Yami Bakura

The white haired teen's eyes widened at Kragg's declaration, and he took a step back. He looked down, his white hair covering his eyes. Even against this innocent-looking teen, this creature wouldn't hold back. Yami Bakura grinned sinisterly. When he looked back up, the teen had appeared to change slightly. His hair had become fuller, and his features sharper. He even seemed to grow a few inches, and an invisible dark aura could be felt around the teen. While just a moment ago Bakura had presented as a small, innocent boy, now he was something else. Something... darker.

"Well then..." Yami Bakura spoke. Even his voice was different, a little deeper. A little raspier. More confident. "At least you're upfront about it."
The possessed teen gestured towards the arena.
"Shall we?"

 

[DevVoid]

It seems once that strange human was gone, whoever was running this joint was finally able to pick up on his order! Shaymin was almost about to bark it up again when he stopped to consider something. He knew only few creatures here spoke the universal language that Pokémon did, and this guy certainly did not look the part.. could he even understand him if he yapped it out again? Well, he supposed there was always that trusty telepathy he could count on! At least, that was if the shopkeep didn't understand him normally.

" Shay shay, shaymin! "

' One Big Apple, please! '

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

Rex Raptor



"I- uh...."

Well that took the wind out of his sails instantly. Technically it was true that he basically just fell for his opponent's plan. His clever comeback never left his mouth as Weevil condescendingly shoulder checked him and proceeded into the gateway. A blood vessel nearly popped out the side of his head as he growled, gritting his teeth and balling his fists.

Oh yeah?? I'll crush you just like I crushed every single person in the last match! If I can take a 3v1, a 1v1 should be no sweat!!!

Entering the arena after Weevil, Rex confidently stomped on the ground, casting a hand to the side.

"Laugh it up, mothball, we are gonna set the books straight! Regional Champs? I can't think of a better place! Can't wait to personally eliminate you from this tournament and laugh at your sniveling face!!"

It seemed the pair were in full agreement. The AI had no troubles projecting a full scale replica of the duel dome, a full crowd and camera crew ready for the whole thing. A flat, digital field appearing all around them, with oversized slots for spells, traps, and monsters. Everything felt right to the letter! Well, save the fact that they had duel disks now and didn't need such an expensive field anymore.

"C'mon, fleabag. It's Dino feeding time!"

 

[Captain Cardboard]

Weevil Underwood

Weevil grinned. He threw back his head, laughing.
"As you wish!!!!" Weevil exclaimed. As the duel dome appeared around the duelists, it quickly changed to something different. Trees and plants began to sprout up all around, with parts of the arena quickly becoming overgrown. The digital field changed as well, with Rex's side becoming painted red and Weevil's side painted blue. The holograms of field activated, showing a virtual forest on the playing field. For some reason, Weevil hadn't picked the Regional Championship arena like he had been speaking about. Weevil scampered over to the duel tower, climbing on and drawing his cards.

"It's such a shame that your loss here won't eliminate you from the tournament. But at least now I won't have you pulling at my side and dragging me down!" Weevil said.

"Now let's get this started, so I can crush you in front of my adoring fans. I summon Gokibore!" Weevil said. In a blast of light, a monster appeared on the field. It was a massive, spherical roach that chittered loudly.

Heheheh! Little does Raptor realized, I picked the Duelist Kingdom Forest Area. Swiping that Duelist Kingdom rulebook ahead of time certainly has its perks! Pegasus added a secret rule, the field power bonus. Thanks to the Forest area, all his insect monsters would gain a 30% boost to their attack and defense points. It would be an ugly surprise for Raptor, that was for sure. With these new rules, destroying him would be a cinch!

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

Rex Raptor

Rex looked around the arena as it began to shift from its original shape. It was covered in greenery...a forest. This was Weevil's doing! He growled, shaking his fist at the green haired geek.

"You runt! Thought we were picking the same stage!"

Tch. Whatever. What are some leaves gonna help him with? Hiding? Hide as many bugs as you want in the brush. Not gonna help you with the whole forest gets trampled!

Drawing his cards until he reached six, due to Weevil playing his monster, he laughed audibly looking at the unopposing insect.

"What do you think that little roach is gonna do? Fill my dinos up so they ain't hungry enough for you? Ha! Let's teach ya how survival of the fittest works! Sabersaurus!"

Playing the plant eater, an incredibly angry triceratops emerged, stomping in place and snorting. The redish monster howled a hollow howl that resonated through it's beak and bone structure.

"And I'll give it a carnivorous companion! Gilosaurus! He can bring himself out for the hunt, as long as it lets you get something back from the graveyard. Can't say you got any squashed bugs out yet, eh? Nyeh heh heh!"

A small raptor appeared alongside Sabersaurus bouncing and moving their feet rapidly like they were ready to sprint at any time.

"I like my meat MASHED not stirred, Ha! Sabersaurus, trample 'em! Gilo, hunt me down a nerd!"

"Goroooooooo!"

The triceratops lashed forward swinging its head back and forth like a bashing shield as he made a bee line towards the sphere shaped insect. It would bash it down with the shield shaped bones on its head before trampling it to death. All the while Gilosaurus made a half circle around the brawl, leaping up with hooked foot talons to hook into the dweeb!

 

[Fraseandchico]

Audrey Redheart
​

"Hm....Alright, thanks kid." Audrey smugly thanked Weevil, waving him off, with her offhand of course. "Good luck to you too." She added, before turning to the gate, shoving the card into her pocket and raising her blade to rest it across the shoulder, not even sparing her glare towards her now-foes, only speaking in cocky and loose terms. "Ready to get crushed, losers?" She mocked, before turning out into the void, speaking over the voice.
"The area between the sunscape and the moonscape. Preferably how it was when I beat up that annoying witch." She requested. A small area, and relatively simple, just what she needed.

Axe
​

As Grazie called out to her pals, Axe felt a twinge of regret, realising he just invigorated his foe. Still, he looked up to his allies.
"Not gonna mess up like that in front of you guys, not again. I'll stay strong enough to protect you guys, I swear!" He promised under his breath, before following Grazie to the gate.
She relies on sand a lot, so I need somewhere that sand can't really stick easily... especially since she's picking some place called a 'palace'... Ah, I got it!
"The bridge between the rest of the town and the mines. Specifically the bridge, nothin else!" He told the voice, letting the device tick green.

As the area formed around the pair, the first to appear was a swirling sandstorm, covering an area resembling the UTU Media Tower of Grazie's world, but formed as part of a mountain side. But they were inside the palace, and on the inside showed a different story from what Grazie could expect, the pair appearing on a stone bridge with train tracks and a minecart at the end, filled with coal and a couple shiny rocks. Off the edges of the rather small bridge, surprising, was not covered, and sand could be seen falling into an endless abyss below, obscured by fog-inducing clouds. Still, the amount of sand from the side of the building, though slowly falling apart, was enough that it wasn't going to fall apart anytime soon.

Axe smirked, quickly walking towards the other end of the bridge. "Well, let's get this done!" He told Grazie, drawing his shield and readying.

Masaru
​

Masaru couldn't help but whistle out of intrigue one the arena formed, pressing down the stone slabs at his feet a little to test them for sturdiness. Taskmaster interupted his thoughts, making the warrior hold his breath for a moment. He turned back to Taskmaster, and took his combat stance.
"Yeah, I'm ready." He nodded, before leaping forward to start fighting, throwing his fist towards Taskmaster mid-air to slam his foe's face into the ground!

The Warlock
​

The Mindripper growled at Dart's hearty response, before pausing to watch. He formed planning in his head, and as Dart destroyed the last, he laughed slowly.
"Not bad, not bad...But do you honestly think the lost are done with you?" He mocked, waving his hand. Three psionic zombies appeared not far from Dart's back, indicated from a stream of psionic energy. One pulled a finger across it's neck, beginning to glow slowly, ready to blow up, the other two rushing Dart!
Boom!
The one that was about to explode did so...outside of a distance that would actually reach Dart. How odd...?
Ah, and then the groans and growls of lost slowly yet loudly increased. At the same time, the Warlock was taking the time to mentally note down how Dart fought up close, attempting to devise a strategy.

LOST NUMBERS INCREASE: 1 POST AWAY (1 EXPLOSIVE MODIFIER)

​

 

[Captain Cardboard]

Weevil Underwood

Sabersaurus absolutely crushed Gokibore. The massive beetle let out a pained screech as it was trampled, exploding into pixels. On the side of Weevil's duel tower, the life points displayed dropped from 2000 to 1660. But more worryingly was Raptor's Gilosaurus. It charged at Weevil, leaping towards the duel tower. Weevil was once again reminded that these were no holograms! That was a real dinosaur, looking to tear him to pieces!

"Whaaaugh!" Weevil screamed, jumping off the side of the dueling tower and just narrowly avoiding Gilosaurus' talons. Bushes and vines broke his fall, and Weevil quickly drew a card from his deck. This was entirely different from Duel Monsters, but he couldn't let Raptor see him beginning to freak out.

"Typical Raptor, trying to smash everything in your path. Well, try smashing this! Go, my Hercules Beetle!" Weevil declared. A massive purple rhinoceros beetle appeared before Weevil, one that was even larger than Rex's Sabersaurus. While its stats read 1500 ATK and 2000 DEF, Weevil knew its stats would grow from the field power bonus. Even strong enough to take down that Sabersaurus. But first, that annoying small fry. And a good chunk of Raptor's Life Points!

"Now! Attaaaack!" Weevil said, pointing at Gilosaurus. The Hercules Beetle raised itself up, the underside of its armor glowing white. Blades of white energy shot out from the armor, looking to slash Gilosaurus to ribbons!

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

Rex Raptor




"Only 200 life point damage if hit? Ha! Getting desperate aren't ya, termite?? You know my sabersaurus is gonna walk all over that beetle and do over double the damage back at you!"

Gilosaurus attempted to dodge to homing crescents, leaping off of the the duel tower before being cut down by the homing blades. The Dino screeched at it shattered into a million polygons. To Rex's surprise, his life points dropped down to 1450!

"Wha- 550 damage?! How?! That beetle is totally weaker than my sabersaurus! That measly 1500 shouldn't have such a dent!"

 

[Captain Cardboard]

Weevil Underwood

"I'm surprised, Raptor! I thought a brain-dead dino like yourself wouldn't have noticed a change like that." Weevil said with a grin. Regaining his composure, Weevil climbed back onto the duel tower. He pushed his glasses back up his face, smirking at Rex. The Hercules Beetle lumbered back onto the field, and let out a low roar.

Weevil gestured to the arena around them.
"You didn't think I picked this arena because of its aesthetics, did you?" Weevil asked Rex. "I picked the Duelist Kingdom Forest Area. And I guess you weren't paying attention on the boat when I mentioned there were many new secret rules added into the Duelist Kingdom tournament. It looked like a few were translated here!"

Weevil chuckled.
"They didn't work last match. It didn't have a dueling arena! But since you were oh so helpful in choosing the Regional Championship dueling arena, it seems like the secret rules of Duelist Kingdom transferred over to this arena!" Weevil exclaimed. "Behold, the field power bonus! Thanks to the forest terrain, all of my beautiful insects gain a 30% power boost! Among... other things."

Weevil's grin grew, and he pointed at Raptor.
"You flew right into my spiderweb, just as I planned! I've been arranging this whole thing all along! Kyahaha!" Weevil laughed. "Now make your pathetic move, Raptor! The crowd is waiting!"

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

Rex Raptor


Tch! I hate secret rules. That hack was holding that from me this whole time! Well whatever. That's the worst of it. If that's all he's got, then I can break through it with enough Dino-might to make him squeal! I just need a monster with tough enough attack to bring that beetle down.

Drawing a card, he grimaced at what he got. The weakest monster in his deck. Not a terrific time for draws. That means he'd have to break out his backup plan.

"Your beetle might have that slimy attack bonus, but we got a bastion of beefy beasts! I summon Megazowler! Defense position!"

The familiar orange Dino appeared on the field, throwing itself in between Hercules Beetle and Sabersaurus.

"Something you wouldn't know is that these two are a part of the same herd, and can defend themselves against carnivores. In this case, that pair of scissors with legs can't penetrate through it's armor! C'mon, try and break 'em!"

 

[Captain Cardboard]

Weevil Underwood

"Hiding behind your monsters so quickly? Just as expected Raptor, you're all talk and no bite." Weevil said. The duelist drew another card. Taking a look at it, he began to laugh.

"It looks like this duel will be over quicker than I thought! Behold, my Larvae Moth!"

Once again, the small caterpillar monster appeared on the field. It took a defensive position behind the Hercules Beetle, mirroring the set up of Raptor's Sabersaurus and Megazowler.

"And with it on the field, I can equip my adorable little Larvae Moth with this! The Cocoon of Evolution!"

Just like in the last round, the Larvae Moth began to emit a strange pink. It quickly surrounding the insect, transforming it into a massive sturdy cocoon.
"You saw what happened last battle, Raptor. In just five turns, my Larvae Moth will undergo a powerful transformation! It'll become a monster more powerful than even the mighty Blue-Eyes White Dragon! And this time, you don't have your little girlfriend to bail you out!" Weevil said.

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

Rex Raptor


"Yeah yeah, keep talking...!"

Drat, that thing was a tough customer in that last match we had. And I don't got a megamorph to deal with it like last time. Better get something to deal with it and fast before that thing hatches a bundle of bad news!

Drawing a card, his eyes fluxed somewhat.

This won't help with the cocoon, but I bet it'll make quick work of that moth!

"I discard destroyersaurus from my hand! Fossilizing this Dino brings forth a new era, the Jurassic era! Letting me play Jurassic World directly from my deck! This card juices up all my prehistoric pets by 300 Attack and defense!"

The card was placed, causing Rex's side of the field to go under a drastic transformation. Prehistoric shrubbery, tar pits, steaming geysers, and thick foliage from ancient trees covered the land. In the back, a semi active volcano appeared, a smoke trail steadily coming up from it.

"Well how about that, Weevil? You ain't the only one with a nifty field, and this one required skill!" Rex mocked the crafty insect duelist. "And now, with a tasty 2200 Attack, Sabersaurus can rock your only powerhouse! Walk right over him! Beserker Trample!!"

Sabersaurus ran up and leaped over Megazowler, split flying from its mouth as it ferociously landed down toward the beetle. It would crash and smother the insect into nothing but shards of insect pod carapace!

 

[Captain Cardboard]

Weevil Underwood

Weevil shielded himself as Hercules Beetle was blown to bits, and his life points fell to 1410. And like that, Raptor took the lead again. A narrow lead, but a lead nonetheless. Weevil scowled, drawing a card.
"Okay, Raptor. You may have won that battle, but this duel is far from over!" Weevil said.

A face-down monster card appeared on the field, with another face-down card appearing the spell and trap card zone.
"Two cards, face down. And another turn closer to my moth's perfectly ultimate form!" Weevil exclaimed.

 

[Shen: King of Digimon]

Rex Raptor


"Yeah, I know. I can count!" Rex hissed. "That bug will take forever to come out, so don't count your eggs before they hatch!"

Drawing a card, Rex pondered the result, his sharp eyes sliding back towards the field at play.

"Your facedown cards don't scare me! Not when I double my dinos with double summon! I can bring out two of my Jurassic giants with one card! Say hello to my pal Trakadon and his little pal Tomozaurus!"

Just like that, three cards were played. Two monsters emerged. The tiger striped speed demon of a raptor Trakadon, and the petite but shockingly relentless Tomozaurus. They moved up alongside Sabersaurus and Megazowler. It was a whole pack of dinosaurs!

"You feel all my dueling dinos breathing down your neck? They are looking for insect chow! Let's try that facedown first! Dinner time, Trakadon!"

Didn't need to tell it twice. The raptor shot down the main drag, feet barley touching the floor with every step. The 1600 Attack monster racing through the Jurassic mud, it sprang with it snapping teeth to dig into the facedown monster!

 

[comic]

IRNANE​

Well, the answer was certainly more dramatic than any vampire Irnane had heard of. He spoke of a deity she was unsurprisingly unfamiliar with. A single god - a monotheistic religion. A rarity, if Irnane was certain.

Resurrection and reincarnation, however, weren’t as unfamiliar of concepts. The Nerevarine herself was the reincarnation of a powerful and ancient nobleman called Nerevar, coupled with a destiny empowered by the Daedric Prince Azura as her chosen champion. The big difference with Dracula, however, was the fact that he knew his past lives, and he was always himself. Irnane, meanwhile, was quintessentially an entirely different person altogether from Nerevar in everything but soul.

“I see,” Irnane replied with. He had much to fight for - and yet, very little left to lose. Was that how NiGHTS had overcome him? Dracula didn’t seem the type to let himself fall easily, and admittedly, it had taken a lot of effort (and plenty of on-the-fly planning) to get the edge over NiGHTS and Sonic both. Whatever Dracula’s case was, he was no simple creature to bring down. Irnane felt bad about standing in the way of his dream and goal - but she had to remind herself of the simple truth that her purpose was of a nobler cause, and had more lives at stake. He would refuse to fail.

And so would she.

“Then let us not delay, for both of our sakes.”
​

KASSANDRA​

She found herself... further unsatisfied. While he hid it well enough, and wasn't one to betray his deeper thoughts, Kassandra could tell he didn't want to stick his mind near the Staff of Hermes. So he gave her verbal advice; half of her request. She found herself mostly in disbelief. On one hand, because Specter refused to try and glimpse at the truth of the future that the misthios knew awaited her world. And on the other hand, because he was essentially reaffirming Kassandra's own thoughts. It shouldn't have annoyed her, but it did, at least a bit. She'd been hoping for a stronger hold of the truth, a greater understanding, and a revelation of the future. She was right back to square one, with essentially nothing to show for it.

She couldn't get, nor stay mad, at Specter though. He'd done as he thought was best, and she did appreciate his willingness to cooperate. She knew how he felt about humans. Their civil, even friendly interactions was a testament to their outlook of one another, having fought to a near stand-still once upon a time. They held a degree of respect and recognition for the other, Kassandra probably more so for Specter than he for her. Three hundred years ago, the concept of treating others differently based on who they were born as was as foreign to Kassandra as the otherworldly beings she'd been meeting in these tournaments. Now, she did understand it, at least somewhat. While she wasn't one to participate, she'd watched the Greek people subjugate the Egyptians and other Africans, and in turn, they would be subjugated, as would the Greeks, by the rising Roman Republic. "Egyptian" was oftentimes used as something of a slur among the people she belonged to. It upset her, sometimes, considering she had a fair amount of Egyptian descendants - but since they didn't look Greek enough, they weren't considered Greek. It was pointless and sad, in the mercenary's opinion. She didn't understand Specter's own racism to subject him to her opinion, however. He was an ape who hated humanity - there had to be more to it than what she saw from the Greeks and Romans concerning the Egyptians.

"Well, thank you Specter," Kassandra bowed her head, a show of respect, before she returned to a more limber stature as she rotated her shoulder blades. "You may have helped me make a crucial choice. If we meet again, I'll let you know how it went."
​

M.O.D.O.K.​

This fool will be no problem at all! Why, if it had been myself facing the dead pacifist king, it would have been a breeze!

M.O.D.O.K. cackled with this thought in mind as ki blasts pummeled against the energy barrier, dispersing over its translucent surface. He kept an eye on the shield integrity, satisfied to see that it was barely being affected - the energy of the ki blasts was practically being absorbed by the shield.

"YOU WILL FAIL, MY THICK SKULL CANNOT BE PENETRATED!" M.O.D.O.K. shot back as a wall was shattered, but the A.I.M. leader was quick to react, grinning widely as he raised an arm. The shrapnel and debris launched toward the Man-Mind was caught by an invisible wave, quickly sending it all toppling back upon Jeice as more ki blasts dissipated against the shield. Integrity remained over 90%, for now, a fact M.O.D.O.K. was content with.

"NOW PERISH UNDER THE SUPERIOR MIGHT OF M.O.D.O.K.! OF SCIENCE!!!"

With the laser cannons off of their modular cooldown, they were quick to rev up again. Much like Jeice, Tarleton had a way of seeing others with more than eyes. He was a psychic after all, and while some of his senses weren't as tuned as somebody like Specter, the Man-Mind was far from incapable from honing in on brain waves. While Jeice was momentarily concealed within the debris, M.O.D.O.K. had a rough idea of where he was - and where he was headed upon opening fire, more red lasers spraying about in an attempt to beat down the Ginyu Force member.

Once again, M.O.D.O.K. was sure to use an accompanying attack. He'd used the Death Laser, now it was the Death Missile's turn, and it shot out of the back of the Doomsday Chair, spiraling up. It easily dwarfed the prior rockets in size, and obviously in power. Partnered with its own miniature forcefield to protect it, at least for a short time (and to prevent it from being blown up in the Man-Mind's face), the missile honed in on Jeice's position, tracking his heat, his movement, and the technological output of his tracker.

"HAHAHAHAHA! YOU WILL FALL, OBLIGATORY J NAME!"
​

DART​

Warlock hadn't used this strategy against Lucario... what was different about this? Did he deem Dart a non-threat? Or was he thoroughly threatened by the Red Warrior? The former felt more likely. He'd just have to prove his worth then. When the explosion took place, a sudden burst of sound reached the dragoon's ears - likely a LOT more of these undead creatures. He'd need to step up his game. The two survivors of this, shambling deadites attempting to rush Dart, were more rapidly dispatched than the other five. Not only was there only two, but the mercenary from Seles, not unlike the Warlock, studied his opponents in combat. He was faster and stronger than these zombies, even without his dragoon, but more importantly; they were predictable in their movements and attacks.

Three slashes. The first removed four outstretched arms from two corpses. The second removed their legs from the knees down. The third left a pair of heads rolling away before the de-limbed bodies had even hit the ground. Now the horde was approaching. That would be a good way to prove his worth to the Warlock.

"Alright, send in the other guys!" The Red Warrior called to his opponent. "Once I deal with them, it's you and me! No backing out!"​

 

[Captain Cardboard]

Weevil Underwood

"My face down cards don't scare you? Well, they should! Say hello to Kiseitai!" Weevil exclaimed. The face-down monster card flipped up, summoning a strange worm creature to the field. It deftly dodged Trakadon, attaching itself to the dinosaur's neck and wrapping itself around its body. But instead of constricting or choking the dino, there it remained.

"My parasitic monster will heal me with your own monster's strength. And you're still not any closer to taking down my cocoon." Weevil smirked. "Is that all you got, Raptor? It's not much of a bite!"


Jeice

Jeice took off, flying around the lab to evade the lasers and continuing to fire Ki blasts at MODOK. The mastermind had an energy shield of some sort, rather annoying. He just had to get close enough to smash it with his fists.

Another missile blasted MODOK, this one much bigger than the last. This wacko practically had a whole galactic armada in that chair! The missile followed after Jeice as he flew across the arena, a homing rocket. Like he didn't have enough to worry about.
"Missiles and lasers. So what?! I've seen tougher things in training practices!" Jeice called out, firing a trio of ki blasts at the missile. The red mutant abruptly changed directions, flying directly towards MODOK once again. One of MODOK's lasers struck the alien, but Jeice quickly tanked the hit and moved out of its way, closing the distance and hopefully (while unintentionally) causing one of the laser attacks to hit the Death Missile as well.

 

[comic]

M.O.D.O.K.​

The jumpy Jeice jettisoned himself every which way to promote further survivability. It was enough to make the Man-Mind's already wicked grin seem to curl and twist as he kept the lasers focusing fire on the red mutant. The ki blasts dispersed across the forcefield of the Death Missile - the same energy as M.O.D.O.K.s own shield. However, Jeice's original goal faced an abrupt interruption when, just as the Death Missile was sailing overhead - it erupted in a brilliant and quite sporadic flash of fire, molten shrapnel, and vague comic book energy, as the word-
​

BOOOOOM!!​

-was erected in a burst of angry red letters in the background, an almost dramatic film of smoke filling the immediate battlefield around the two from the magnitude of the Death Missile's eruption. Tarleton ceased his laser cannons.

M.O.D.O.K. spun, shooting upward into the air with a laugh. "IT'S A WONDER YOU EVER SURVIVED TRAINING, THEN! I AM M.O.D.O.K.! I AM GENIUS UNPARALLELED! I CRUSHED THE ANGEL, I CRUSHED THE KING, AND NOW I'LL CRUSH A MUTANT!"

He placed his right hand at his temple, his left dancing over the console controls. His rockets had just gone off their cooldown module - but he would spare their use for now, instead opting to divert the Doomsday Chair's power into the shielding for the moment, taking its focus off of his tech weaponry. "With my superior intellect, I can predict that Juice will emerge from the smoke with the ultimate goal of engaging in hand-to-hand combat, so by countering with my psychic abilities, I can throw him off the trail, confuse him, and start landing more hits - oh, I am a genius!" M.O.D.O.K. muttered this under his breath as well over a dozen of the Man-Mind appeared - psychic projections. They were no mere optical illusions, as they were of a higher caliber, capable of taking attacks, and enacting their own - though at a far less impressive scale than the A.I.M. leader himself.

With around fifteen different M.O.D.O.K.s now hovering about, they collectively pulled out a small high-tech pistol from inside their arm chairs, each aiming at a different portion of the smoke, eagerly anticipating the counter-attack from the Ginyu Force member.​