Across the Universe

by 23 Enigma

Legends speak of the Contest of Champions, where heroes and villains chosen from across the galaxy compete for its fate. So what does this have to do with the X-Men?

ACROSS THE UNIVERSE

---

Disclaimer: I do not own X-Men: Evolution, the Beatles, or anything else in this story either outright mentioned or parodied. I only say I wrote the story; that's it.

Story: takes place after "Ascension (Part 2)"

Summary: Legends speak of the Contest of Champions, where heroes and villains chosen from across the galaxy compete for its fate. So what does this have to do with the X-Men?

Pairings: Kurt + Kitty, slight Scott + Jean, slight Bobby + Jubilee, slight Remy + Rogue

Rating: PG-13 / T to be safe

---

"You're early," Taneleer stated.

"Mojo did not want to wait," Mojo replied as his mechanical legs moved him toward Taneleer.

Taneleer glanced at the big green fellow, whose saliva freely dribbled off his fangs and onto his portly green stomach. "You'll have to wait. He isn't here yet."

Mojo forced a smile. "Then Taneleer will entertain Mojo in the meantime. Mojo hears Taneleer has recently acquired a rare pick up."

Taneleer grinned and drummed his fingers together, light reflecting off each of his gaudy rings. "It depends on what you've heard…"

Mojo chuckled. "A Corbinite."

"Ah, yes," Taneleer said slowly, enjoying the reveal. "Beta Raybill. The finest Corbinite warrior of his generation. Come see." Taneleer held out a small figurine. It was roughly three inches, the shape of some caped figure wielding a hammer. "You would not believe how long it took Laika to track him down. But it was worth it. Look at the specifications. Look at the attention to detail. Look at the stats and abilities encoded at the bottom. Beautiful. Stunning. Exact."

Mojo rolled his eyes. "Taneleer has strange hobbies."

Taneleer quickly snatched the figurine back. "A hobby that lets you and Uatu play your games."

"For which we are most thankful to you," Uatu said as he walked towards them. "Though I have arrived exactly on time, I see that you have arrived before me. Thus I apologize for the perceived delay."

"Mojo welcomes Uatu," Mojo sneered, clearly sarcastic. "Uatu is ready to begin?"

Uatu nodded, his glowing white eyes never blinking. "No need for further small talk and pleasantries. We shall begin."

Mojo clapped his hands. "Mojo will win. Mojo will win."

Taneleer snapped his fingers, and a table of rock and soil rose up from the ground. It was perfectly flat, which a meticulous grid-like pattern etched on the surface. "Let the 616th Contest of Champions begin!"

White and blue lights focused on Uatu, while black and red lights focused on Mojo. Mojo giggled with anticipation while Uatu looked unperturbed. Taneleer, ever the showman, made the sky above and ground beneath vanish until it looked as if they were playing in the very depths of space itself.

"I know you both know the rules by now, but please let me have my moment." Uatu and Mojo nodded in agreement. "So then, as the victor of the last Contest of Champions, Uatu is placed on the defensive. Mojo gets his choice of the galaxy for the Champion pool, and he is allowed first ban. Uatu will then get to ban twice, and then Mojo will have the last ban. Then you will both be allowed to make your picks," Taneleer stated.

Mojo looked around the room until he eyed a faint glow from behind Taneleer's head. "Mojo chooses that galaxy."

Taneleer stepped aside and turned around. "Ah," he said with an air of amusement. "The Milky Way Galaxy."

"An interesting choice," Uatu said.

"Mojo chooses well," the green creature responded in glee. "Mojo chooses Uatu's favorite galaxy."

"It's quite the gamble then," Uatu responded, his voice still showing no sign of worry. "I could lose my favorite galaxy to your chaos… Or I could forever protect it from you should I win."

"Uatu is funny. Of course Mojo will win. And Mojo wants to see the look on Uatu's face when Uatu's favorite galaxy is taken right from under Uatu's watch."

"Gentlemen," Taneleer interrupted. "Enough with this silly taunting. There are much more important matters to attend to. This may be your game to play, but you must respect your host. If you disagree, I will report you to the One-Above-All and have you banished from Knowhere. Understood?"

Mojo grunted, but complied with Taneleer's rules.

"Most appreciative," Taneleer responded. "Now then, Mojo, you are allowed first ban."

"Mojo will ban the Asgardians," Mojo stated without a moment's thought. "Mojo does not want to see those troublemakers."

Taneleer shook his head. "That includes the All-Father… The God of Thunder… Fairest of the Fair…" He took a deep breath. "Uatu? Your two bans?" he asked as he turned to the figure with the glowing eyes.

"I will ban the Eternals and the Old Ones."

Again, Taneleer shuddered as if Uatu's decisions pained him. "Ah… The Devourer of Worlds… The Mad Titan… The White Phoenix of the Crown… The Unclosing Eye… The Lord of the Dark Dimension… The Living Death that Walks…"

Mojo did not want Taneleer to drone on. He licked his lips as he contemplated his options. "Mojo's last ban will be the Supreme Sorcerers."

Taneleer dropped his head in disappointment, thinking of the Champions that were no longer allowed to participate. "The Master of the Mystic Arts… The High Lama of Agamotto… The Golden Gladiator…"

Mojo chuckled. "Mojo is content with the bans. Uatu cannot choose the strongest heroes."

"Nor can you choose the strongest villains," Uatu countered.

Taneleer recomposed himself. "My apologies, gentlemen. I am ready to return to the game."

Uatu nodded. "I believe it is now time to pick our Champions."

Mojo clapped. "Mojo's turn! Mojo's turn!"

"Of course." Taneleer snapped his fingers again. In an instant, billions and billions of the three-inch figures appeared in flashes of light. Each one glowed as it floated around the two contestants. "As always, I offer you my collection. Now, choose your Champions."

Mojo was about to grab an orange and brown figure with a round helmet, but stopped himself. He glared at Uatu, trying to intimidate him. But Uatu was neutral, as unflinching as he had been all night. "How can Uatu be so calm? Mojo picked Uatu's favorite galaxy. Mojo had first ban. Mojo has first pick. So what makes Uatu so confident?"

Uatu glanced at Mojo. "I simply have faith in my Champions, Mojo."

"Why?" Mojo inquired, baring his sharp teeth.

"Because I have watched them. And they impress me."

"Oh? How so?" Taneleer asked.

"They are incredible," Uatu said. "They are amazing. They are mighty. They are fantastic. They are uncanny. And they will win."

---

"This is an important decision, Kätzchen," Kurt said. "Your decision could jeopardize our entire relationship. Choose wisely."

Kitty took a deep breath and looked her boyfriend straight in the eyes. "I'm playing my Monopoly card. Everyone has to give me all their Wheat."

Bobby, Jubilee, and Kurt all groaned in unison. Bobby handed Kitty two cards, Jubilee handed her one, and Kurt unfortunately handed her four.

"You break my heart, Kätzchen."

"I'm going to use my Wheat Harbor and trade two Wheat for one Wool, and trade in another four Wheat for two Bricks. Then I'll build two Roads over here, which lets me claim Longest Road. And then I'll build my last Settlement by trading in one Brick, Lumber, Wool, and Grain. And that's ten Victory Points, losers!"

Lockheed let out a tiny roar as he saw Kitty's excitement.

Bobby created an icicle, and cracked it into two in frustration. "I would have won if we didn't roll that string of fours."

Jubilee sighed. "And I would have done better if the Robber didn't block me from getting Ore for a dozen turns…"

Kurt shook his head, but was smirking. "I created a monster once I introduced you to The Settlers of Catan…"

"When you play the game of Catan, you live or you die!" Kitty said as she started to collect all of the game pieces. "Best three out of five?"

"Sure," Jubilee responded with a shrug.

"I'm down. I'm not going to go out on a loss," Bobby said.

Kurt waved his hand. "I've got to pass. I've got my session with Rogue."

Kitty nodded slowly. "You're a good brother."

"I try," Kurt said as he stood up. "There aren't too many of us here that really understand what she's going through. So I've got to try and help her if I can."

Kitty grabbed his hand and pulled him to her. She gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "Don't be gone too long. Tonight is Disney movie night, remember? You promised."

Bobby pretended to strangle himself and Jubilee started giggling.

"You can't ditch Disney movie night, Kurt! You promised!" Bobby teased.

"Think of the children!" Jubilee joked.

Kitty stuck her tongue out at them as she pet Lockheed's head. "Ignore them."

Kurt smiled. "I didn't forget. Same place, same time. You know I always look forward to it."

She nodded, happy with his answer.

"I'll be back soon, Kätzchen; I'm not going far." Kurt kissed her on the forehead "Bis Später," he said as he teleported away in a burst of smoke.

"Since when did you guys start teasing Kurt and me?" Kitty asked as she waved away the smoke with her hand.

"Since you two got together," Bobby answered. "Duh."

"Why?" Kitty demanded.

He created a sphere of ice and started to spin it on his index finger. "Yeah, this conversation is super boring… Just let me know when we're all good to play again…"

Kitty rolled her eyes and turned to Jubilee. "Why?" Kitty repeated to her.

"Same reason you used to tease Scott and Jean," Jubilee responded. "You guys are lovey-dovey all the time."

"Hey! Kurt and I are fun! Scott and Jean are, like, the lovey-dovey couple; not us!" Kitty said.

"You and Kurt are totally lovey-dovey," Jubilee said. "We call you two the 'aww couple' because it's both cute and it's aww-fully annoying to watch sometimes."

"No way!"

Jubilee rolled her eyes. "Come on, Kitty. Disney movies, baking cookies, Beatles karaoke, you're always teammates in Danger Room missions… Need I go on?"

"You make it sound like all we do is make out all day."

"No," Jubilee said. "But you're together a lot. A real lot. And you're both very public about it."

Kitty crossed her arms. "Scott and Jean may be like that, but we are definitely not like that…"

Jubilee shook her head. "All couples are like that. And watching other couples PDA-ing is always torture."

"Maybe you're just jealous?" she teased.

"And why would you say that?" Jubilee asked.

Kitty smirked. "Because all single people are like that."

"Very funny," Jubilee said sarcastically.

"Single people like you," Kitty said. "And Bobby…" she quietly added.

Jubilee's eyes widened in panic. "Don't you start this again…"

Kitty glanced at Bobby, who was preoccupied with the spinning ball of ice balancing on his index finger. "Jubilee and Bobby. Bobby and Jubilee. They're the OTP of UST," she teased in a sing-song voice.

"What about the SAT?" Bobby asked nonchalantly. "I don't have to take that again, do I? Sorry, I wasn't paying attention."

"As usual," Jubilee mumbled as she picked up her cell phone. "Whatever. I'm texting Rahne. She should be free to be our fourth player."

"About time!" Bobby said as he tossed the ball into the air. "More board games!"

Kitty said as she placed Lockheed on the table. "If you guys want to play a different game, I totally understand why. After all, I don't think Bobby could stand taking another devastating loss."

"No way, Kitty!" Bobby said as he grabbed the ball of ice in his hands. "You are not going to beat me in Catan again!"

Kitty chuckled. "Big words from the guy who didn't win a single game. Even Kurt and Jubilee each won one."

"She's got a point, Bobby," Jubilee said as she put her phone away. She then pointed to Kitty and Lockheed. "You have as much chance of beating the khaleesi as a white walker."

"You have dishonored House Drake! I will take back the Iron Throne of Catan for myself! You shall not stop the fury of Robert's Rebellion! Winter is coming! Valar Morghulis!"

Kitty pointed her finger. "Dracarys!" Lockheed turned to Bobby and burped a small burst of fire at him.

Bobby blocked the fire with the ice he was holding, but it exploded in his face and caused him to fall backwards out of his chair. Jubilee laughed and applauded Lockheed's actions.

"I am the Mother of Dragons and you will bow before your khaleesi!" Kitty said as she picked up Lockheed and hugged him.

"What was that for?" Bobby asked from the floor.

Jubilee sighed, though she tried to hide her smirk. "You know nothing, Jon Snow."

---

"You're late," Rogue said as she opened the door for him.

"Sorry, meine Schwester. The game went longer than expected," Kurt said. "I come bearing a snickerdoodle as a token of my apologies."

"Where'd you get the cookie?" she asked as Kurt handed it to her. "Kitty didn't bake this, did she?"

Kurt laughed. "Yes, but her cooking skills have improved. You didn't get food poisoning from your birthday cake…"

Rogue eyed him cautiously.

"Also Piotr secretly made some adjustments when I distracted her…"

"Gotcha," she replied as she took a bite. "Give Piotr my thanks, sugar."

Rogue walked over to the couch and grabbed two pillows.

"You know, you don't have to wear her old coat all the time…"

She eyed him but ignored his comment. She tossed the two pillows onto the floor and sat down on one. Kurt sat down on the other and quickly folded his legs Indian style.

She groaned as she tried to match his sitting style. "Bodies were not meant to bend like this…"

"I'm naturally flexible," Kurt said. "And blue."

"Can we just get this over with so you can tell the Professor and Logan I'm improving?"

Kurt grinned. "Cheerful as always, I see. Okay, let's start with some breathing exercises."

Rogue closed her eyes and focused on gathering air into her lungs and then exhaling it slowly.

"Good. Deep breath in. Deep breath out," he said. "Just a tad slower. Match my rhythm."

Rogue's breathing slowed and she was soon in sync with her brother. "Okay."

"Accessing your past life isn't exactly like opening up a book and reading a chapter. It's more like diving into a pool… and trying to capture a fish. The memories and skills you want are all there… but it's a big ocean. It takes time and persistence to grab hold of it."

"You do know I'm not a good swimmer, right?"

"Then good thing for you, Carol was," Kurt responded with a smile. "Now, I want you to recall the first time she used her powers. The first time she realized that she was different, that she was a mutant."

Rogue took another deep breath. "I see… mist…"

"Mist?" Kurt asked.

"I'm… She's… sixteen years old… It's late and I think it's a party… There are a lot of people… And then… an explosion…"

"So not mist…" Kurt said. "Smoke."

"Smoke everywhere… Hard to breathe… Choking me… her… The flames are growing…"

"Keep going, Rogue."

"My friend… Her friend, Nakia… I see her trapped under some debris… I forget about the danger and I just run to her… I need to save her… It's so heavy, too heavy for a young girl… But I focus on my arms, my back, my legs, and then it gets lighter… No… I get stronger…"

Rogue let out a deep breath and wiped her forehead with her arm. "The next week, my other friend Bruno, his cat climbed up a tree… It won't come down… It must be at least fifteen feet off the ground… And I don't know why, but I jump to try to get it… I wish that my legs were just a bit stronger so I could reach… And this time I jump higher… Even higher than the tree itself…"

"Good, good," Kurt said as he nodded. "Let's take a break. I don't want you to overdo it."

Rogue sighed. "Since when did you become the memory guru?"

"Since I've been living with a past life myself," Kurt said. "The Professor helped me sort through my own memories. And I will help you with yours."

"Do you… Forget it; it's stupid," Rogue said as she played with her coat sleeve. It was a nervous tic she had picked up ever since she started wearing Carol's old coat.

"No, go on. Ask."

"Do you… have trouble separating your past you from your present you? Sometimes, I think I'm actually Carol. And then my brain snaps back and I'm normal me again."

Kurt looked Rogue in the eyes. "Not as much as I did at first, but sometimes. Avshalom was a big part of my life. He was me and I was him. After that whole… event… I still kept having thoughts in my head that didn't seem like my own. And there was that totally not awkward moment during my first date with Kitty when I called her 'Tamar'. For a while, I'd just be walking or I'd take a bite of food or something like that, and all of a sudden, I'd think I was with Ishboshet, Ziz, Eleazar, Livyatan, Shammah, and Behemot. And then the moment passes and I'm sitting next to Scott and Bobby again, watching the Mets game."

"Flashback fun…" Rogue added. "It's like I'm living in an episode of Lost or something."

Kurt stood up and offered his hand to her. "Meditation's helped a lot. It happens pretty rarely now. I can confidently say that I'm Kurt and I'm only Avshalom when I want to be. And soon, once you've got the meditation stuff under your belt, you'll be Rogue and only be Carol when you want to be. All in good time. Alles zu seiner Zeit."

Rogue got to her feet and pulled him into an embrace. "Thanks."

"Anytime, Rogue. Wir sind eine Familie, meine Schwester."

She playfully slapped his forehead. "You're still a total dork who needs to speak in English, sugar. You do realize how annoying that is, right?"

Just then, they heard the doorbell ring.

"Who could that be?" Rogue asked.

Kurt shrugged. "Not sure. But I'll get it. It's about time for Disney movie night with Kitty anyway."

"Please don't teleport," Rogue said as she crossed her arms. "I so don't want my clothes to smell like sulfur all day."

Kurt grinned. "No problem."

"I'll come with you," she said as they left the room. "You never know what weirdo knocks on the door of an institute for mutants."

"Come on, Rogue," Kurt said as he walked up to the front door. "I'm pretty sure that whoever is outside that door is way less weird than the people inside."

Kurt opened the door. But he didn't see anyone. "Hello?" he asked as he looked around.

Kurt looked down at his feet and saw a dog. But the dog was wearing a Russian cosmonaut outfit. And on the suit's back was the flag of the Soviet Union and the letters "CCCP COSMO". The dog looked up, and the clear helmet pulled back to reveal its cute face. The dog seemed to smile as it stared back at Kurt and Rogue.

"I take it back," Kurt said. "This is weirder."

"So…" Rogue said as she read the dog's suit. "This is… what? Cosmo the space dog?"

Greetings, the dog spoke telepathically. My name is Laika. I am here on behalf of Taneleer Tivan, the Great Collector of Knowhere. I must say, you have a lovely home.

"Yeah… Definitely weirder…" Rogue added as she shook her head in surprise.

I have invitations to the 616th Contest of Champions for the following individuals located at this institute: Marie D'Ancanto, Logan Howlett, Ororo Munroe, and Kurt Wagner.

"Uh…" both Kurt and Rogue muttered.

Laika sniffed them and then nodded. How fortunate. Marie D'Ancanto and Kurt Wagner are right in front of me and they have accepted their invitations. This saves me so much time. Now, please refrain from moving to prevent any injuries or motion sickness during your transportations. Safe travels.

"Wait, what?" Rogue asked. But Laika barked in response. Suddenly, both Rogue and Kurt started to glow in a bright golden light. And in an instant, they vanished.

Laika entered the institute and sniffed the air.

Jamie walked by, saw the dog in a spacesuit, and froze. "Um… Hi, doggie?"

Laika started wagged her tail. Greetings, human. Could you please take me to Logan Howlett and Ororo Munroe? I have invitations for them.

---

Rogue slowly came to and opened her eyes. She felt nauseous and dizzy, but at least she didn't feel any physical pain. She looked around and saw that she was in some sort of giant white room. It looked both sterile and futuristic, with odd pulsating blue lights and strange orbs and markings on the walls.

She sat up and looked down at herself and saw that she was now wearing her green and black X-Men uniform. She was just wearing her civvies a moment ago, so this must have been a result of whatever that space dog had done.

"Hiya! You look like a goth Sookie Stackhouse!"

Rogue turned her head up and saw a girl standing above her. She had blond hair in ponytail that came down to her shoulders, and she was noticeably quite short and thin. She was younger than Rogue, probably about fourteen. She was wearing a black outfit with yellow stripes, with a pair of goggles hanging around her neck.

"Um… hi…" Rogue said slowly.

"You guys are the new arrivals! Super cool!" she responded. The girl would not stop smiling.

"Who are you?"

The girl jumped over Rogue and landed gracefully in front of her. "I'm Cassie!"

"Rogue," she said as she introduced herself. She then pointed to her unconscious brother lying next to her, now wearing his red and black X-Men outfit. "This is Kurt."

"Nice to meet you both!" Cassie said happily. She then took a closer inspection of Rogue and Kurt's outfits. "Whoa! I recognize those costumes! You guys are the X-Men! Sweet!"

Rogue nodded. "Yeah."

"I'm a huge fan! I read about you guys battling that Sentinel and then stopping those runaway trains! You guys totally inspired me!"

Rogue slowly stood up. "What do you mean?"

Cassie made a fighting pose. "Catching criminals! Fighting for justice! Being awesome heroes!"

"Uh… right…" Rogue said as Kurt started to wake up.

"Only partially awesome; I haven't fought any super-powered baddies like you guys have… But I hope that someday I'll become a real superhero! I want to steal from the rich and give to the needy and be all pow-pow-zoom-zoom!"

Rogue helped Kurt get to his feet. "Uh… What happened? Where are we? Who's she?"

Cassie smiled. "I'm Cassie! I want to be a famous superhero like you guys! Can't tell you much more though; I don't even know where exactly we are!"

Kurt nodded slowly. "Okay… I don't really understand what's going on but okay…"

"Fun times," Rogue said sarcastically.

Kurt groaned. "I think Kitty's gonna be really mad when I don't make it back for Disney movie night…"

Cassie watched Kurt's tail swish back and forth. "Your tail is so funky! Very cool, Ninja Smurf!"

Kurt instinctively froze, but then continued as normal. "Thanks… Um… You're kind of… chatty…"

She grabbed Rogue and Kurt and started to pull them toward the next room. "My friend Kristoff says I'm busy as a bumblebee! Mind and mouth keep on buzzing! Ha! Now come on! I need to introduce you to the Furiosa and Princess Elsa! They'll be happy to meet you!

Kurt glanced at Rogue, who looked like she was doing all she could to keep from strangling Cassie. Kurt thus refrained from smirking.

"Guys! Guys!" Cassie said as they entered the next room. "Meet the new arrivals, Sookie Stackhouse and Ninja Smurf!"

Two people turned their heads to meet them.

One was a young woman in her early twenties. She had long wavy black hair. She wore a black leather jacket with a white skull on the back, and knee-high black leather boots. She also had a chain wrapped across her chest, hanging loosely over her right shoulder.

The other person was female, though not necessarily human. She had nearly white skin, with blue eyes. This person kept her long white hair in a braid that went over her shoulder. She wore a flowing dark violet robe, with a blue book neatly chained to her left hip. She reminded Rogue of someone, but she couldn't recall who.

"Furiosa", as Cassie had called her earlier, walked up to Rogue and offered her hand. "I'm Alej."

"Rogue," she said as she introduced herself and shook Alej's hand.

"I'm Kurt," he said with a slight nod.

Alej turned to Kurt. She immediately rushed at him and grabbed his neck. "Is this your doing, diablo?"

Kurt struggled to pull her off of him, but Rogue was quick to act and knocked Alej away. "What the heck is wrong with you?"

Alej pointed an accusatory finger at Kurt. "I know his kind! He's a devil! He must be the reason we're trapped here!"

Kurt, now happily breathing, waved his hands. "You must have me confused for someone else, meine Freund."

"I recognize the scent of Gehinnom anywhere."

Kurt awkwardly laughed. "There's a reason for that. I'm not a Ba'al. I'm a Shedu. Well, half-Shedu. Same dimension. Different species."

Alej's eyes widened in disbelief. "Wait… Are you… Avshalom?"

Kurt nodded. "Yes, but I go by 'Kurt' now. It's a long story."

Alej quickly shook Kurt's hand. "Lo siento. I apologize for my misunderstanding."

He gave her a thumbs-up. "No problems. Just please don't go choking me again."

As Alej let go, Rogue shook her head in confusion. "Okay, I literally didn't understand a single part of that conversation. What the heck was that about?"

"I thought he was a devil, a Ba'al. But he's actually a demon, a Shedu."

"You remember that whole Azazel Armageddon, Rogue?" Kurt asked. "That was demons. Not devils. Both races are residents of the dimension Gehinnom, but they're very different species."

"Demons are good, at least they are nowadays. And devils are always bad. Very bad," Alej explained.

Rogue slowly nodded. "So…"

"So she won't kill me," Kurt added and then turned to Alej. "And why exactly do you know so much about demons and devils?"

Alej sighed and crossed her arms. "It's complicated… And I don't like talking about it…"

Kurt wanted to inquire further, but Rogue held his shoulder and shook her head.

The other person walked up to them. "Hello. I hope my introduction will be… um… a little less dramatic. I'm Skadi. It's nice to meet you."

Rogue shook her hand. "Nice to meet you. I mean no offense by this, but… are you human? The snow-white skin implies otherwise."

Skadi shook her head, her cheeks turning a shade of light blue. "Uh… No. I'm not human."

"It's cool. I'm not entirely human myself. And cool name. Sounds Norse," Kurt said as he shook her hand.

Rogue took a double-take. "Oh! Ymir!"

Skadi looked confused and worried. "What about him?"

"You kind of look likeYmir!" Rogue said as it dawned on her. "Are you a frost giant?"

Skadi nodded and then looked at them awkwardly. "Yes, a Jotun. But… I really don't think you should compare me to Ymir."

"What do you mean?" Rogue asked.

"I'm not a bloodthirsty monster," Skadi said. "Also… I'm very… uh… tiny… compared to all other Jotnar… frost giants."

"So I shouldn't be afraid of you trying to smash me with an ice club or freeze me with that Casket of Ancient Winters?" Rogue asked.

Skadi shook her head. "No, that's not my style. I'm… more of a bookworm actually…" She glanced at her blue book attached to her hip and kind of shrugged her shoulders.

Kurt turned to Rogue. "So… Ymir and frost giants…?"

"Carol stuff," Rogue said simply. "Ymir was the King of the Frost Giants who attacked the Avengers back during World War II. The good guys won, and thus no Ymir-related Ice Age followed."

Kurt nodded his head slowly. "Okay…"

"Hey, you have your crazy past life stuff and I have mine, sugar," Rogue said.

"Good point," Kurt agreed.

Cassie started clapping. "Yay! I don't understand these things about Ariel's Armored Kitten or the Basket of Awesome Windows, but yay for everyone being friends!"

Alej shook her head. "And this is what she's like without sugar…"

The blue orbs on the wall started to flash. "More new arrivals!" Cassie said as she ran back to the room that Rogue and Kurt came from.

Alej patted Rogue and Kurt on the shoulder. "Let's go meet the others and introduce ourselves. Maybe they'll be a bit less energetic than Cassie."

"And maybe they'll get a warmer reception than attempted murder," Kurt joked quietly.

Alej chuckled. "If I wanted to kill you, you'd know. You haven't seen me fired up yet."

The three of them headed over to the room as Skadi quietly followed them. They saw an unconscious Ororo lying next to a sitting, groggy Logan.

"Well, this is an interesting turn of events…" Kurt said.

"Elf," Logan muttered, "I'm going to politely ask you what the heck is going on."

---

Once Logan and Ororo were both awake and on their feet, Kurt and Rogue introduced them to Cassie, Alej, and Skadi. Cassie's extremely cheerful demeanor seemed to get on Logan's nerves, but Ororo looked genuinely happy to meet her. Alej and Skadi were both mostly quiet, which Logan appreciated. But no one was able to elaborate much more on where they were or why they were all here.

"So, you all know each other?" Skadi asked, awkwardly looking at the X-Men.

Ororo smiled to try to put her at ease. "We've known each other for a few years now."

"Yeah, we're all housemates," Kurt added. "We live in New York."

Rogue pointed at Kurt. "And he's my adopted brother. And Logan is my past life's best friend."

"Past life?" Skadi asked.

Rogue sighed. "It's… complicated…" Kurt and Logan silently nodded in agreement.

"You're all so weird," Alej said. "You all know each other and are best buddies, and Cassie, Skadi, and I are the strangers? Perfect…"

"I'm from San Francisco!" Cassie added.

"Um… Where's San Francisco? Or New York?" Skadi asked quietly.

Ororo interjected. "It's on Earth."

Skadi nodded. "Ah, yes. Midgard. I see.

"Frost giants aren't from Earth?" Logan asked. "Never thought to ask Ymir back then… Granted, I was more concerned with not getting killed…"

"No, Jotnar are from Jotunheim. I've never been to Earth before," Skadi said. "But… um… it's nice to meet you Earthlings."

Cassie laughed. "You totally sound like an alien when you say it that way!"

Skadi's cheeks flushed blue again. "I mean… It's nice to meet you humans."

"Um… Better…" Ororo said with a smirk. Ororo looked at Alej. "Where are you from, Alej? If you don't mind me asking…"

Kurt turned to her as well. "Yeah. Are you from Gehinnom? You are awfully familiar with devils…"

Alej shook her head. "No. Boring old Earth. I'm from the American Southwest. Though lately I've been riding around in California."

"And your relationship with devils…?" Kurt pressed.

"Creepy, interesting, and private," she responded.

"Are you a mutant like the X-Men?" Cassie asked. "Or a mutate like me?"

"No," Alej responded simply.

"You're just a normal human then?" Rogue asked.

"I didn't say that…" Alej answered coyly.

"We can talk about your Facebook statuses another time!" Logan grumpily interrupted. "Elf, can you teleport us out of here?"

Kurt shook his head. "I don't even know where we are. For all I know, if I teleported us out, we'd end up in a wall or in the middle of the ocean or something."

"We might not even be on Earth," Rogue added.

"Fancy!" Cassie added.

Logan grunted in frustration. "Then I want to know how we got here and why!"

"Logan, please calm down," Ororo chided.

Cassie crossed her arms and turned to Skadi. "Grumpy Cat sounds mad!"

Logan groaned. "Leave the nicknames to me, sugar high."

"Oh, I've never heard that before!" Cassie said happily. "I like that one! Sugar high!"

Logan sighed, unhappy that his comment only seemed to spur her on.

"Um… I think it's pretty simple to say 'how'," Skadi said, avoiding looking at Logan. "Laika found us and then brought us here."

"The cosmo dog…?" Logan started.

"Laika," Ororo added.

"This cosmo dog did some thought speak, and then did some glowing barking trick that sent us to this weird… future hospital world?" Logan asked.

"When you put it like that, it just sounds ridiculous," Rogue joked.

"That doesn't make any sense," he said.

Kurt shrugged. "I don't know. It seems to make as much sense as a lot of the weird and crazy things that happen to us."

Cassie raised her hand. "Oh! I remember that Laika mentioned something about invitations! Did she mention that to anyone else?"

"You're right," Ororo said. "The 'Contest of Champions', I believe."

"What's this Contest of Champions?" Kurt asked. "Have any of you heard of this before?"

Everyone shook their heads, except for Skadi. "I may know a little," she said quietly.

"Spill it, Princess Elsa!" Cassie demanded as Alej shook her head in frustration.

Skadi cleared her throat. "Legends say that millennia ago the Great King Laufey of the Frost Giants was summoned in a cosmic battle that determined the fates of the galaxy. He lost in combat to the Asgardian Bor, which thus plunged our planet into an eternal winter." Skadi shrugged her shoulders. "It's what I've read in my books anyway. It's probably just a myth."

"I don't like this Contest of Champions…" Ororo said. "Based on that, it sounds as if it's some giant cosmic battle-to-the-death free-for-all that could result in the destruction of our world."

Rogue sighed and turned to Kurt. "I'm getting tired of the whole 'end of the world' thing… I feel like we deal with this kind of crazy every other week…"

"Actually, Mary Poppins," Cassie said, "I think this is less Hunger Games and more Harry Potter Quidditch!"

"What does that even mean?" Alej asked.

"You know, team-versus-team," Cassie said.

Alej raised an eyebrow. "And what makes you think that?"

Cassie smiled. "I mean, we're all heroes, right? You, Princess Elsa, Ninja Smurf, Sookie Stackhouse, and Mary Poppins! Even Grumpy Cat is a hero! So that means we're all the good guys! So it makes the most sense that we'd be teammates fighting together! The best heroes in the galaxy summoned to fight the biggest villains in the galaxy!"

Ororo looked at the orbs on the wall. "The blue orbs are flickering. Does that mean something?"

"More teammates will be joining us!" Cassie said.

As the light settled and revealed the two figures in front of them, everyone took a step back in shock. No one had anticipated their new arrivals.

"You can't just bark at me and send me halfway to Morag! I was right in the middle of tracking that Judson! You just cost me 40,000 units, you stupid mutt!"

"Okay… Not the teammates I was expecting," Cassie muttered.

"This day just keeps getting weirder and weirder," Rogue said as Alej nodded in agreement.

"Can it, toots," the same figure responded. "If I wanted to hear some broad go yappity-yap-yap, I'd ask my girlfriend Lily to tell me about her day. And believe me, you don't want to do that if you value not having blood pour out of your ears."

"I am Groot."

"I can say whatever I want, you big piece of lumber! She's my girlfriend; if anyone gets to trash talk her, it's me! Ain't nobody gonna hold back the Rocket!"

"I am Groot."

"I'm plenty calm! Go worry about your own blood pressure! Or… I don't know… tree sap pressure!"

Logan shook his head in frustration. "I need a drink…"

---

The shorter newcomer called himself "Rocket". Standing at barely three feet tall, his attitude more than made up for his short stature. He was dressed in a red jump suit, and had two guns strapped to his back, each almost the same size as him. What was most peculiar was that he looked exactly like a raccoon, but he stood on his hind legs and obviously he had the ability to speak.

Rocket's companion, Groot, was gigantic. He towered over everyone else; he was easily at least ten feet tall. Also strange, Groot was essentially a humanoid tree. It wasn't clear if he was more plant than animal, but it was certain he was not a standard life form. Furthermore, it became readily apparent after only a couple of minutes that Groot only spoke one sentence: "I am Groot." It was not clear if this was because it was all Groot could say or if it was the only sentence he liked to say, but regardless it was all he said.

Though even after everyone introduced themselves, Rocket was still quite brash.

"I am Groot."

"Yeah, I don't trust these weirdos either," Rocket muttered. "Especially that grumpy one with the spiky hair. He smells like garbage."

Logan clenched his fists, but Ororo put her hand on his shoulder to calm him.

"Um…" Skadi started to say as she fiddled with her fingers, "Rocket, how exactly do you understand what Groot is saying if he just says the same phrase over and over again?"

Rocket looked at her and then shrugged his shoulders. "He only speaks three words. If there was ever a language to learn, Groot's is the easiest."

"You are so cute!" Cassie said happily as she stared at Rocket.

"Thanks," Rocket answered with a smirk.

"You look just like my Meeko plushie! Can you paint with all the colors of the wind, too?"

"That sentence didn't make a lick of sense," he replied, his face returning to a scowl.

"How are you a talking raccoon?" Kurt asked him.

Rocket cocked his head to the side. "What the heck is a raccoon?"

"How do you not know what a raccoon is?" Kurt inquired.

"How do you not know how to keep your trap shut?" Rocket shot back.

"Can we just think about all this for a minute?" Rogue asked before anyone could say anything else. "We have all been summoned, apparently from across the galaxy, for some Contest of the Champions. And all you guys are doing is arguing."

Rocket crossed his arms. "I wasn't arguing…"

"I am Groot."

"Fine… I'm sorry," Rocket said. "It's not exactly like I'm happy being here. Wherever 'here' is."

"We wish we could tell you, but we don't have many answers ourselves," Ororo said. She turned to Skadi. "In those myths you've read, did it ever mention how we could escape?"

Skadi shook her head. "No. Just that warriors were summoned to battle to decide the fate of the galaxy. And losing meant terrible consequences."

"Great…" Alej said sarcastically.

"Skadi, do you know if there is any way to avoid being a part of this game?" Ororo asked.

"No, I don't believe so…" Skadi replied.

Logan grunted. "I'm getting tired of not knowing what's going on and getting dragged into other people's business…"

Just then, the blue orbs on the walls all started to glow again.

"And I am getting tired of these blue orbs," Logan said.

"I'm sure it means something," Ororo added. "The lights aren't flashing this time."

Kurt nodded. "Yeah. They're remaining glowy."

The doors at the end of the hallway opened and revealed a stairwell going up.

"Should we go?" Skadi asked.

"Do we even have a choice?" Rogue asked.

Kurt sighed. "Probably not…"

"The sooner we get this Contest started, the sooner we'll win it and get to go home," Alej added as she started to walk down the hallway.

"I guess it's decided then," Kurt said as he looked at Rogue.

"Give me a lift, tree-brain," Rocket commanded. Groot lowered his arm so that Rocket could climb onto his hand. Groot then placed Rocket on top of his shoulder. "Let's go see what this Contest of Champions is all about!"

"Party!" Cassie said as she jumped up and down.

---

At the top of the stairs was a spacious round room. It was completely empty, except for a blue crystal in the center. The crystal lit up, and a hologram of a figure appeared in front of them.

"I see you have all arrived safe and sound," the hologram spoke. "My apologies for the inconvenience; Laika doesn't always have the best manners when inviting Champions. I have told Taneleer to provide her with better instructions, but it looks like he did not."

The nine looked at each other but said nothing. The hologram continued to speak. "My name is Uatu, and I have summoned you to compete in the 616th Contest of Champions."

"Why us?" Kurt asked.

Uatu nodded. "Quite simply, you are some of the most impressive heroes in the galaxy. I have watched you all for some time, and you have always prevailed with your wit, strength, and determination."

"You really think that?" Skadi asked, uneasy with his comments.

He nodded as he looked her directly in the eyes. "Yes. I honestly do. And I am sorry for this burden, but I now need you to fight for your galaxy."

"Who are you exactly?" Ororo asked.

"That answer is complicated, and the full answer is something you would not fully comprehend. For now, all you need to know is that I am Uatu, and I represent all that is good and virtuous in the universe: order, peace, and life."

Logan took a step forward. "So maybe you don't need to tell us your whole résumé, but I think we'd like a bit more details on what exactly you need us to do."

"The rules of the Contest of Champions are relatively simple. My opponent, Mojo, and I each pick a team of ten Champions. I pick ten Champions for my team of heroes and Mojo picks ten Champions for his team of villains.

"You will all participate in rounds of battle. Everyone will only have to volunteer once, and no one can volunteer more than that. There will be seven rounds of battles, with the rounds alternating between one-versus-one rounds and two-versus-two rounds. To win the round and get a point for our team, you must defeat your opponents. As it is a best of seven rounds, the first team with four points wins.

"You may notice there are only nine of you here while I just stated that there are ten Champions on each team. The reason for that is the last Champion is selected only if and when the seventh and final round is needed. Furthermore, Mojo and I each do a reverse pick for the last Champion; I will pick a villain to fight for my team and Mojo will pick a hero to fight for his team."

Kurt scratched his head. "This is way more rules than The Settlers of Catan…"

Skadi cleared her throat. "Um… What do you mean by 'defeat your opponents'? Do you mean… we have to kill them?"

Uatu shook his head. "Not necessarily. If you can knock them out or if they admit defeat, then you will win the round. But I must warn you, Mojo's villains will not be merciful. They are the worst beings of this galaxy, and they will most certainly fight to kill."

"It sounds like you're asking us to put our lives on the line for this Contest," Logan said. Uatu nodded in response.

Skadi let out a squeak, and Ororo patted her on the shoulder. "Deep breaths," she said.

Alej then turned to Uatu. "You're demanding a lot. Cassie's only fourteen, and Skadi looks like she's about to have a panic attack! This is messed up."

Uatu bowed his head. "I apologize for the burden I have placed upon all of you. But the stake of the galaxy is at risk. If I lose the Contest, your galaxy will suffer greatly. But our victory can keep the galaxy safe from Mojo."

"Are we just pawns in this game between you and Mojo?" Ororo asked angrily. "Do you have no respect for our lives?"

"You couldn't be farther from the truth," Uatu responded. "You are my reasons for existing. I am constantly amazed and impressed with you all, and I am in your debt for being such beautiful creatures. I cannot represent goodness without people like you, who live it every day. Again, I am sorry for this burden, but I know that you will all meet this challenge."

Rocket yawned. "Enough with the blah-blah-blahs! Let's just get on with the fighting already! I was called to shoot some loser in the face, so let me shoot some loser in the face!"

"I am Groot," Groot added.

"Or the stomach. I'm not picky," Rocket said.

Uatu nodded. "The first round is ready to begin whenever you are. As we will start with a one-versus-one, only one of you will be competing right now. So whoever would like to start, please step forward."

No one said anything for a brief moment, but then Logan stepped forward. "I'll go."

"Logan!" Rogue said.

"What makes you so eager to throw your life away?" Ororo asked him.

"Don't worry so much," he said. "I'm hard to kill. So I'll set a good example for our team by not dying out there."

"Thank you, Logan," Uatu said. "Please touch the blue crystal when you are ready. The rest of you can watch the round through the screens on the wall." The hologram of Uatu then flickered and disappeared.

Ororo hugged Logan. "Just be careful, Logan."

"When am I not?" he joked.

"I'm serious."

"I know," he said as he returned her hug.

Logan let go and then pulled Kurt and Rogue into an embrace. "Don't worry about me. You know your old man Logan is tough."

"Lebe lang und in Frieden," Kurt said simply as he threw out a Vulcan salute. He was trying to lighten the mood the best he could.

Rogue rubbed her nose. "Don't lose," she said. "Carol would never forgive you…"

Logan patted her on the head. "Watch out for each other, you two."

Rogue stepped back and placed her head on Kurt's shoulder. Kurt quietly nodded.

Alej walked up to Logan and shook his hand. "Best of luck, amigo."

"Thanks," he said. "Any advice?"

Alej darkly laughed. "Win."

Cassie jumped and gave Logan a big hug. "I've seen you fight a Sentinel, Grumpy Cat! This should be a piece of cake for you! You'll be awesome!"

Logan chuckled. "That's the spirit, sugar high."

Skadi bowed her head. "Good luck."

He nodded in response. "Don't be worried."

Skadi felt her cheeks flush. "I can't help it. I'm… I'm always worried."

He patted her on the shoulder. "You've got to have faith in yourself, kid."

"I'm… one-thousand nine-hundred seventy years old."

"Okay… Not a kid then…" he said as he faced Groot and Rocket.

"I am Groot," he said as he grabbed Logan and gleefully embraced him.

Rocket growled. "Don't kill him, twig legs! He's still got to win his round!"

"I am Groot," Groot said as he let go of Logan.

Rocket looked at Logan. "You still smell like rotten garbage, but I respect your attitude, sir. Hopefully your attitude implies passable battle skills."

Logan smirked. "Thanks, raccoon."

Rocket stared at Groot. "Why does everyone keep saying that? What's a raccoon?"

"It's time." Logan touched the blue crystal. The screens on the wall flashed and revealed a barren, mountainous wasteland. Logan's body started to glow and then he vanished.

---

Wolverine was facing his opponent. He was humanoid, though he had green skin and yellow eyes. He had pointed ears similar to Kurt, and he had a rather large chin. He wore a black robe with red fringe over his purple suit, black gloves and boots, and black cap.

"Welcome to Round One!" Taneleer's voice boomed throughout the mountains. "He's an unstoppable warrior. His healing factor has kept him alive for decades, letting him survive even the most severe of attacks. His heightened senses let him hear a footstep from a mile away and smell a drop of blood in a field of flowers. And I haven't even mentioned his adamantium skeleton. With that indestructible metal, he uses six razor-sharp claws to cut through anything. Uatu's Champion: Logan Howlett of Earth, but his foes know him as… Wolverine!"

"Yo, bub!" Wolverine said as he unsheathed his adamantium claws. "Let's have some fun!"

"His opponent is the pride and joy of the Skrull Empire," Taneleer's voice announced. "Never before have you seen someone so frightful and fantastic! Simply put, he is a super Skrull. As a child, he was gifted with the powers of the four great Warriors of Old: Dorrek the Reach, Anelle the Veil, Raksor the Torch, and Paibok the Stone. He annihilates all who stand in his way. Mojo's Champion: Kl'rt of Tarnax, and you will tremble before the power of… Tetrarch!"

"You might be a big deal on Earth," Tetrarch stated, "but you're just a waste of time to me!"

"Round One: begin!"

Tetrarch aimed his fist at Wolverine. "Dorrek!" he shouted. Tetrarch's arm stretched like rubber and shot towards Wolverine's face.

Wolverine ducked, but Tetrarch swiftly grabbed Wolverine from behind. He tossed Wolverine away as if he were a ragdoll. Wolverine managed to land on his feet, but Tetrarch launched a rapid-fire volley of jabs as a machine gun. Though Wolverine was able to block most of them, several connected with Wolverine, knocking him in the chest. Grunting with pain, Wolverine managed to grab hold of Tetrarch's arm.

Before Tetrarch could react, Wolverine threw Tetrarch's arm to the ground and stepped on it as hard as he could. The Skrull flinched and swiftly retracted his rubber-like arm.

Wolverine charged at Tetrarch, claws at the ready. But Tetrarch smirked as Wolverine approached him. "Anelle!" he said as his entire body vanished. Wolverine stopped running, unsure of what had just happened. He then felt as if he was hit by a truck; some invisible force collided into Wolverine and sent him flying.

As Wolverine struggled to get to his feet, he felt another invisible force slam into his back. He quickly collapsed again. But now he knew what to expect. He waited until he could hear the faintest movement of compacted air, and he quickly rolled to the side. As he dodged the attack, he saw the dirt where he just was a second ago burst with a massive impact.

Wolverine quickly bounced to his feet. "I might not be able to see ya, but I can still smell ya, bub!" He took a quick sniff and recognized Tetrarch's scent. Wolverine jumped forward and seemingly kneed the air. But instead of an awkward jump, it was clear his knee connected with an invisible person.

Tetrarch screamed in pain. For a split second, his body flickered back into existence. This gave Wolverine enough time to swing his arm at Tetrarch. The Skrull twisted his body, but Wolverine's claws still managed to graze his side.

His body completely reappeared as he held his side in pain. "Raksor!" Tetrarch called out. Tetrarch's body started to smoke and he burst into flames. But instead of crying in pain, he just laughed maniacally. Tetrarch levitated in the air and flew at Wolverine like a rocket. "Flame on!"

This time, Wolverine was ready for him. As Tetrarch aimed to punch him, Wolverine countered by blocking his flaming fist with his claws. Wolverine pushed back with all his might and sliced Tetrarch's shoulder.

Tetrarch doubled back, grunting in pain. "How…?" he muttered as he grabbed his shoulder in pain.

Wolverine smirked and rubbed his nose. "Your flames can't hold a candle to Shiro's!"

Tetrarch's flames started to grow even larger and hotter. He leapt with all his might into the air. When he was at least fifty feet up, Tetrarch shouted "Paibok!" his flames dissipated and he started to fall. As he plummeted to the ground feet first, his entire body started to turn earthen brown and grey. Wolverine had just enough time to avoid Tetrarch's meteor-like attack, but the impact blasted the ground and once again sent Wolverine flying.

As the dust settled, Wolverine felt a tight grip on his neck that pulled him into the air. "It's clobbering time!" Tetrarch shouted as he slammed Wolverine into the ground. Tetrarch laughed as he began to punch Wolverine over and over again.

Tetrarch Picked up Wolverine's body and threw him twenty feet away. "You are weak!"

But Wolverine slowly stood up. "I'm pretty tough, bub. And I've figured out your secret."

"You think your sniffing, healing, and scratching are enough to beat me?"

"Did your brains turn to rocks too?" Wolverine taunted.

Tetrarch's face contorted with frustration. He lunged at Wolverine with his stone arm, but Wolverine neatly sidestepped the attack, letting Tetrarch fall forward. As he caught himself and spun around, Wolverine cut Tetrarch across his chest. Though his stone body deflected most of the assault, it was clear that they still cut deeply.

"You may have four fantastic powers… but you can only use them one at a time," Wolverine said as he kicked Tetrarch to the ground. "When you're rubber, you lack strength. I can still sense you when you're invisible. I've been dealing with stronger fire starters since World War II. And your stone body may be tough, but it's far too slow."

Tetrarch struggled to stand up and immediately fell to one knee, unable to fully support his weight. His rocky skin started to crack and peel off. "You think you have me all figured out, do you…?"

"You fought well, but you should surrender," Wolverine said.

Tetrarch slammed the ground with his fist. "Don't mock me. I will never surrender."

"You can't win. And you've already proved your honor."

Tetrarch darkly laughed. "I'm not proving my honor. I'm proving my power!" He gleefully reached for the sky. "Inferno!" he shouted.

The Skrull's body contorted and twisted into a sphere and started to spin slowly. His skin started to transform into stone again, and then the sphere burst into flames. Finally, an invisible force started to pull Wolverine towards the burning stone sphere.

Wolverine silently cursed at the newest predicament. He pushed the soles of his feet against the ground, but it did nothing to stop him from being pulled in. He punched the invisible wall, trying to shatter it. But again this did nothing.

As Tetrarch's flaming sphere started to glow even hotter, he taunted Wolverine once again. "Are you really the best Earth has to offer?"

"I'm the best there is at what I do…" Wolverine turned to face the sphere. "But what I do best isn't very nice."

He placed his legs on the invisible wall and jumped off with all his strength. He aimed at the sphere, his six adamantium claws pointed at the core. As he felt them slice into the stony layer, the sphere started to rumble. Tetrarch roared in pain. And after a moment, it exploded.

The fiery smoke cleared, revealing a charred Wolverine surrounded by still-burning debris. Tetrarch had all but disappeared. Wolverine slowly sat up; he opened his eyes and saw his side. His adamantium ribcage was exposed, but he was still alive.

Wolverine let out a sigh. "Told you I'm the best."

"Knock out!" Taneleer's voice called out from above. "And the winner is… Wolverine! What a way to start off the Contest, gentlemen! Round One was a clear victory for our favorite adamantium-infused human from Earth! One point for Uatu's team!"

He groaned in pain as he stood up. He pulled out a cigar from his back pocket and lit it on a nearby flaming rock. "Are you not entertained?" he shouted into the sky.

Wolverine's body started to glow and he disappeared from the battlefield.

---

As he stepped back on the floor of the familiar white room, Logan collapsed in pain. His cigar fell to the floor.

"Logan!" Ororo said as she helped him up.

He winced as she placed her hand on his side. "Accelerated healing factor does nothing for the pain…" He looked ready to pass out.

"Good job out there, old man," Alej said. "Can't believe you survived."

"Super-duper impressive!" Cassie added.

Rogue shook her head. "This is insane. And we only just started…" Kurt quietly nodded in response.

The hologram of Uatu reappeared. "You did very well, Logan. I recommend resting in the rooms below while you heal."

"Good idea. You heard the guy!" Rocket stated. Groot walked over to Logan and picked him up. The lumbering giant slowly carried Logan away.

"Ew… So much blood…" Skadi said to herself.

"I am sorry to disturb the mood, but the next round is now ready. As a reminder, this will require two Champions to participate," Uatu stated.

"Why don't you fight?" Rogue asked.

"I cannot. The One-Above-All does not allow Mojo or me to fight. This is the only way we can settle our… dispute," Uatu responded.

"So we're just supposed to ignore that Logan almost died and instead just right away move into Round Two?" Kurt asked.

Uatu nodded. "Unfortunately, yes. Those are the rules of the Contest."

Skadi put her head between her hands. "I don't like this Contest…"

Alej looked around the room. "So… who wants to go?"

Cassie raised her hand. "I volunteer as tribute!"

Everyone looked at her in shock. Rocket started laughing. "I knew you were crazy! You have a death wish!"

"Cassie, you're too young to be risking your life like this," Ororo said.

"I can't let you guys fight these battles for me just because I'm young!" Cassie said with her hands on her hips. "I may not have fought super-powered villains before, but I've had my fair share of dangerous situations fighting crime! And we were all chosen as Champions! That means we're all heroes who can kick major butt! So it's my duty to pull my weight!"

Kurt looked at her. "You really think you can win? You saw that super Skrull; Logan barely held his own. And he's got miracle healing and a metal skeleton."

"Yeah, it's suicide," Rogue said.

"Cassie, please reconsider," Ororo implored.

Cassie looked at them seriously. "My dad was a petty thief. All so he could provide for his family. He was a good man and a good father, but he was caught on the wrong side of the law. And his last gig didn't go so well. He stole from the wrong guy and got betrayed by one of his own teammates, and now he's locked up in prison for the rest of his life.

"My mom and I visit him when we can. But it's not the same as if he were actually free. I hate that he turned to a life of crime, but what I really hate is that he believed that crime was his only option. He became a criminal because he thought it was the only way he could provide for his family. The only way he could care for his daughter.

"I made a promise to myself that I would make the world a better place so that no other family will ever have to go through that. And now I have the opportunity to do just that. Not just catching robbers, but really making a difference. So I will be a Champion so that we can save the galaxy!"

Rocket nudged Skadi's shin with his elbow. "She's even loonier than I first thought. Am I right?"

Skadi shuddered. "Um…"

"I am Groot," the creature said as he returned.

Rocket sighed. "What? I was being friendly! Not my fault if she thinks I'm hitting on her!"

"A child should not be fighting this alone…" Ororo started as she placed her hand on Cassie's shoulder.

But before Ororo could say anything further, she was interrupted. "I'll fight," Rogue said.

"Rogue?" Kurt and Ororo cried out in unison.

Uatu nodded. "Thank you. Please touch the crystal and we can get started." Uatu's hologram faded away.

"I was just about to name myself as Cassie's teammate," Ororo said.

"Rogue, it's dangerous out there!" Kurt said. "Why would you volunteer yourself?"

Rogue half-heartedly smiled. "What can I say? I guess Cassie's story got to me. And if we win, then we're one step closer to getting out of here."

"I can't let you risk your life like that! I'm your brother!"

She placed her hand on his shoulder. "And I'm your sister. Family is a two-way street, Kurt."

"But…" he started to say.

"Hey," she said, "have some faith in me."

Ororo pulled Kurt and Rogue into a hug. "She's right. She's been trained for things like this. Remember. We are X-Men. We are strong. Rogue, you will do great."

"Thanks, Ororo," Rogue responded.

"Be safe," Ororo said. "Logan's nearly invincible; you're not."

Rogue nodded. "Like you said, I'm an X-Man. I'll be okay."

"That's the spirit," Ororo said, holding back a tear. "Remember who you're fighting for."

"Yeah, remember the ace up your sleeve," Kurt said quietly.

"Are you teasing me about Gambit again?" Rogue asked, her cheeks slightly flushed. "I wasn't thinking about Remy!"

"What? No!" Kurt exclaimed. "Who's talking about Remy? Isn't having an ace up your sleeve a common American saying?"

"Oh," she said quietly, trying to hide her embarrassment. "I guess…"

Across the room, the rest of the Champions were talking with Cassie. "Good luck, you little ball of hyperactivity," Rocket said.

"Don't die out there," Alej added. "This isn't a game. Not for us."

"I am Groot," Groot said.

"What he said," Rocket added.

"Believe in me, my friends!" Cassie said. "Just as I believe in you!"

Skadi coughed awkwardly. "Um… Remember that you can always forfeit. It's better to forfeit than to… you know…"

"Die," Rogue finished her sentence as she was listening from the other side of the room.

Alej smirked. "Way to end it on that downer note," she muttered.

"Being depressing is kinda my thing," Rogue answered. Alej chuckled in response.

"It's time!" Cassie announced.

"Wait," Kurt said. "Let me just finish telling Rogue one last bit of advice."

He walked up to her and looked her in the eyes. "Forget what I said about the ace up your sleeve. It's a dumb metaphor anyway. Instead, I want you to remember the ocean."

"The ocean?" Rogue asked.

"Yes, meine Schwester. While you may not be a good swimmer, Carol is."

Rogue smirked. "Oh… Gotcha…"

Skadi turned to Rocket. "I don't get it. Is that a common saying on Earth?"

Rocket yawned. "How should I know? Do I look like I'm from Earth?"

Rogue turned to Cassie. "Okay. Are you ready?"

Cassie smiled and grabbed the goggles around her neck. "I was born ready, Sookie Stackhouse!" she said as she placed them over her eyes.

Rogue and Cassie grabbed hold of the crystal, sending them into Round Two.

---

They were both now in a forest. The trees were spaced in a grid-like pattern, each about twenty feet from the next. And in front they saw their opponents.

The first was clearly female. She had yellowish pale skin, and she wore a metallic light blue suit and headdress with a strange circular pattern. But the most interesting aspect of her was that she had six arms, and all of her limbs were skeletal.

The other was male with blue skin and orange eyes and hair. He wore a grey outfit, a softer material that appeared to allow more movement. He had several unknown weapons and firearms strapped to his person.

"Welcome to Round Two!" Taneleer's voice echoed throughout the forest. "She's the human mutant who defeated the almighty Apocalypse. She has the power to steal another's memories and abilities through a single touch. And just recently, she's permanently gained the powers of Kamala 'Marvel' Khan, which include super strength, super agility, and super durability. Don't underestimate her or else you may end up defeated. Uatu's Champion: Marie D'Ancanto of Earth, but she always goes by… Rogue!"

Rogue cracked her knuckles. "I'll throw you halfway to the moon if you get in my way."

"Her teammate is also human, but she's not a mutant like Rogue. She's a mutate; she's acquired her powers through an external mean. When she was a child, she was doused in Pym particles from a vial stolen from Cross Technologies. She now has the ability to control the structure of atoms, seemingly breaking the laws of physics. She's young, but she packs quite the punch. Uatu's Champion: Cassandra Lang of Earth, the always energetic… Wasp!"

She jumped into the air and gave a peace sign. "Hi! I'm Wasp! And you're about to get stung!"

"They will be fighting a legendary Shi'ar warrior, given the traditional markings on her armor to commemorate her strength. She has been trained since birth to be the ultimate living weapon. In addition to her fighting skills, she has complete cellular control of her skeletal structure. This allows her to grow her bones and limbs in ways that you have never seen. Mojo's Champion: Ri'ta Way'word of Chandilar, also known as… Spiral!"

"Who shall I creatively murder first?" Spiral asked as her six arms pulled out sword-like bones protruding from her back.

"Her teammate is the infamous Kree outlaw. Wanted on several planets for theft and homicide, he has never lost a single duel. Perhaps you've heard of his victories against Vin-Tak and Ard-Con, which cemented his status as one of the most dangerous criminals alive. He is a master of almost every kind of gun imaginable. When coupled with his near-perfect accuracy, you can never outrun his aim. Mojo's Champion: Ar-Thur Cen-Tino of Hala, but his wanted posters list him as… Longshot!"

Longshot pulled out a rifle and pointed it at Rogue and Wasp. "The first shot will be a warning… The second won't miss…"

"Round Two: begin!"

"Just don't get in my way," Spiral announced to Longshot as she brandished a razor-sharp bone.

"Don't get in mine, princess…" Longshot aimed his rifle and fired a volley of lasers at Rogue and Wasp. However, Wasp reacted quickly and put her arms in front of her. A hexagonal structure appeared in front of her and Rogue. It was seemingly made of solid yellow light. Longshot's attacks hit the shield and neatly bounced harmlessly away.

Longshot raised an eyebrow. "Hmm…?"

Wasp punched the air in triumph. "Honey-Comb-Shield to victory!"

Rogue blinked. "Okay, how did you do that?"

"You know, manipulating electrons and their relative distance to the atomic nucleus. Pretty simple stuff."

"Right…" Rogue mumbled.

Spiral ran at them. "That stupid shield won't stop me!" As she approached the Honey-Comb-Shield, Spiral jumped at a nearby tree and leapt off of it. She quickly flipped over the shield and landed behind Rogue and Wasp.

She swung her sword-like bones at Rogue, who she deemed as the bigger threat. Rogue took a step back to avoid the three blades swiping by her, but Spiral leapt forward, using her other three arms to try to cut her. Rogue spun and let the blades harmlessly swing by. She then reached out and grabbed Spiral's bony arm. But she didn't feel a transfer of powers. Spiral smirked at Rogue and knocked her hand away.

"Trying to steal my powers? Guess it only works with skin contact. Pity I'm all bones," Spiral taunted. She then leapt at Rogue, three bone blades slicing through the air.

Rogue quickly dodged Spiral by falling to the ground rolling backwards, watching the three bones stab into the ground where she was just a second ago. Spiral tossed a bone into the air, caught it like a spear, and threw it at Rogue's face. Rogue focused on her fist and deflected the bone with a quick jab.

"I've seen more impressive bone powers before," Rogue responded. "Evan has twice the skill you do."

"Never!" Spiral yelled.

"And twice the brains. I think you forgot you're fighting two opponents."

"Hornet-Blast!" Wasp shouted. Spiral turned to the voice, and was greeted with a spear of yellow light piercing through her shoulder. Spiral fell backwards, screaming in pain.

Wasp took a step forward and immediately felt something hot graze her arm. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Longshot firing at her again. Wasp quickly somersaulted forward and used a nearby tree as cover, hearing the tree get repeatedly hit by shots.

Longshot grunted and put his rifle away in his holster. He reached behind his back and grabbed a new weapon. He flipped it into its full form, revealing it as a bazooka. He pointed it at the tree Wasp was hiding behind. "Now we're talking…"

Wasp ducked to the ground and covered her head. The next thing she heard was the tree exploding into fiery splinters.

Longshot chuckled to himself. He readied himself to fire again, but then saw something fast approaching from above. He was barely able to look up in time as a giant tree branch slammed into his head.

Rogue, who had used her strength to throw the branch some fifteen yards, was now running at Longshot. She knew that while he excelled in long range combat, she would have bet that his close range combat was much weaker. Rogue focused energy into her fist and lunged at him with a punch. Longshot managed to block the blow with his bazooka, but that caused the gun to explode. The impact sent Longshot flying into the air. He collided into a branch, awkwardly flipped over it, and dropped to the ground.

Rogue then heard something behind her. She turned around and saw a razor-sharp bone flying through the air like a boomerang. Rogue quickly twisted her body, but the blade still cut her shoulder.

"Let us finish this, human!" Spiral shouted as she clanged two bones together. "I will make you bleed!"

---

Spiral ran at Rogue. She roared as she leapt at Rogue, with several blades slicing in unison. Rogue jumped to the left and rolled away. She quickly got back on her feet and faced Spiral. "Nice try!"

"Oh? Catch!" Spiral threw a bone at her, spinning as it flew through the air. Rogue focused energy into her hand and punched the bone, deflecting the attack with her fist. Spiral narrowed her eyes in frustration, and pulled out another bone so that she was again fully rearmed. Spiral leered and charged at her opponent again.

But Wasp was now back on her feet now. "Buzzing-Wings!" she shouted, and wings of yellow light sprouted from her back. Wasp shot off like a rocket directly at Spiral. Spiral saw the young hero flying toward her and quickly took a firm stance, her six bony arms ready to counter any attack.

Wasp smirked and then vanished in a yellow flash.

That caught Spiral off guard. "What?" But as soon as she said that, she was launched into the air. It was as if an invisible punch collided into her jaw to send her flying.

Rogue squinted her eyes and saw something tiny buzzing in the air. "You have got to be kidding me…"

Wasp had managed to shrink to the size of an actual wasp. After a few more seconds, she grew back into her normal size.

She gave Rogue a thumbs-up. "That's my Yellow-Jacket-Magic! One hundredth the size but one hundred times more of a punch! Kapow!"

"So you can make constructs out of solid light and you can shrink to the size of a bug?"

"Pretty much!" Wasp said with a smile.

"You are full of surprises!" Rogue said.

The two of them jogged over to Spiral, who was struggling to get back on her feet.

"It's over," Rogue said. "Make this easy and just surrender."

Spiral spat at them. "I will not be defeated by the likes of you!" Her six arms started to grow and reform in shape. After a few seconds, they formed a twisted spear-like shape. It was clear that this was her last resort, as it was her ultimate offensive gamble. She shouted and ran at them.

Rogue closed her eyes and remembered how impressive Marvel was back in her prime. And she remembered how she defeated Ymir all those years ago. Rogue opened her eyes and focused strength into her fist. She put as much energy into her hand as she could concentrate. And at the last moment, she lunged forward with a powerful punch.

Rogue's fist smashed through the skeletal siege weapon, shattering it like glass. Spiral screamed as she was sent flying back. She slammed hard into a tree and slumped to the ground unconscious.

Rogue let out a sigh of relief.

Wasp started clapping. "Yay! We won!"

A deafening bang shattered the silence.

Wasp grabbed her side in pain. "Oh…" She collapsed to the ground.

"No!" Rogue shouted. She then heard another two shots. She leapt to the side, one shot missing her entirely and the other barely grazing her leg. She had so much adrenaline flowing in her body at that point that she didn't even flinch.

She heard Longshot chuckle as he slowly walked toward her. "Your attack from earlier was pretty good… My grip is still a little shaky… That's the only reason I missed hitting your teammate's heart…"

"Rogue…" Wasp said quietly. The immense pain was quickly draining her energy. She was breathing heavily and was having trouble staying awake.

"Say you give up!" Rogue commanded. "You'll be transported back!"

Wasp sadly shook her head. "But… heroes… never… quit…"

"Don't be stupid! Don't die a hero!" Rogue yelled at her. "Live to fight another day! You're still a hero to me!"

Wasp closed her eyes, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I… forfeit…" Her body glowed in a bright light and then she disappeared.

Longshot huffed and held up his sniper rifle. "And now it's just you… The so-called legend who defeated Apocalypse… Whoever that is…"

Rogue saw Spiral on the ground next to her. Rogue scrambled to grab her. "Let's just call this round a draw."

Longshot glared at her. "What's stopping me from winning…?"

Rogue stepped out from behind the tree, with an unconscious Spiral as her cover. "I've got your teammate. You can't kill me without killing her."

Rogue heard a bang and felt something hot pierce through her. "You must take me for a fool if you think I give a care about a Shi'ar…" Longshot said.

Rogue dropped Spiral, who now had a still-smoking hole visible on the right side of the warrior's chest. Rogue coughed up blood and started to feel faint. She collapsed backwards, the world becoming blurry.

"Knock out!" Taneleer's voice called out from above. "And the winners are… Spiral and Longshot! Or maybe I should just say 'the winner is Longshot'! He's the only one left standing! Well, Round Two goes to Mojo!"

The three Champions all disappeared in a flash.

---

"Rogue!" Kurt shouted as his sister reappeared in front of them. He was sweating and his eyes were bloodshot.

"Bring her down to Logan," Ororo said, trying to sound calm. "If she borrows his powers, she'll be able to heal through this."

"I am Groot," the giant tree creature said as he carried Rogue's unconscious body away.

Alej sighed. "Cassie has the time to heal up with her Honey-Cocoon now, so she should be okay… Her injury was pretty bad too."

Rocket shook his head. "This isn't good, folks… We're now tied in points…"

"Points?" Kurt yelled. "You think I care? My sister is dying!"

"You better care!" Rocket shouted back at him. "Points are the only things that win us this stupid game!"

Kurt grabbed Rocket by his collar. "This isn't a game! Rogue is not a chess piece that can just be sacrificed!"

"Well, she just lost! Which means that the bad guys are one step closer to bringing chaos to the entire galaxy! Or have you forgotten that? And if the galaxy goes bye bye, so will she because she lives in it! So get your head straight!"

"Guys!" Skadi pleaded. "Please stop fighting!"

"He started it!" Rocket yelled.

Kurt gritted his teeth and dropped Rocket to the ground. Fortunately, Rocket gracefully landed on his feet.

Ororo placed her hand on Kurt's shoulder. "Kurt, I know you're angry about what happened to Rogue. I understand; Rogue is like a daughter to me. But you have to calm down…"

"I'm gonna kill them!" Kurt said as Uatu's hologram reappeared.

Uatu eyed Kurt cautiously and then spoke. "The next round is ready whenever you are," Uatu responded.

"I'm fighting the next round!" Kurt shouted.

"Are you crazy?" Rocket asked. "In your psychological state, you're just going to get yourself killed!"

Ororo grabbed Kurt's hand but he pulled away. "Kurt! You're not thinking clearly!"

Kurt started walking towards the blue crystal. "I am going to kill them all!"

"Kurt! Stop! Please!" Ororo pleaded.

But it was Alej who acted. She grabbed Kurt's arm. "You heard Ororo. Calm down."

"Let go of me!" he yelled. "I'm fine!"

"You're not," Alej said.

He tried to pull away, but Alej's grip was too strong. "This round is mine. And I will kill whoever is unlucky enough to be my opponent."

"I thought you were a good demon," Alej said. "Avshalom didn't kill."

"Avshalom's love was killed by his father!" he shouted. "Being nice only gets your loved ones killed! I learned that the hard way! So I'm done being nice!"

"Kurt," Alej said slowly. "Listen to me. Sit this round out and calm down."

"Freunde lassen keine Freunde, um zu sterben!" he said as he tried to push her out of his way.

Alej sighed. "Yo no hablo alemán, amigo…" She then headbutted his forehead.

Kurt felt the impact echo throughout his body. And then everything turned black and he collapsed in Alej's arms.

"Alej! What in the Nine Realms did you do?" Skadi asked, doing her best to keep herself from being hysterical.

"He's too emotionally involved right now. He's gotta calm down or else he'll definitely lose his match," Alej said.

Rocket stared at her. "You must have a hard head."

"Thick skull," Alej responded with a smirk.

"I am Groot," Groot said as he walked up the stairs.

Rocket darkly laughed. "You missed everything! Blue boy went bonkers, picked me up like a ragdoll, yelled at all of us, and then Miss Leather over here knocked him out!"

Groot grabbed the unconscious Kurt from Alej's arms. Groot stared at him and frowned in sadness.

"Guys, I'll fight this round," Alej said.

Uatu stared at her. "If you are ready, please touch the crystal to begin the next round." Uatu's hologram then disappeared.

Alej stared at the others. "Well, if you have any words of encouragement, now would be the time."

Ororo pulled her into a hug. "Thank you for stopping Kurt."

Alej nodded. "Sometimes we make dumb decisions when we're emotional."

"You're wise beyond your years," Ororo said as she stepped back. "I wish you luck."

Rocket cocked his head to the side. "Yeah, good luck. Try not to die."

"Thanks," Alej said. "I'll try."

"It's all you can do," he added seriously. "It's all any of us can do…"

"I am Groot," Groot added.

Alej smirked. "Um… Also thanks… I think…"

Skadi awkwardly fidgeted with her fingers. "Do your best. Come back alive."

"Don't tell me the frost giant's ice heart is melting…" Alej said with a smirk.

"No…" Skadi started to say. "I just wanted to say that… you're a good person, Alej. You didn't have to try to talk Kurt out of that… or volunteer to fight this round… But you did anyway."

Alej sighed. "It's just… It was the right thing to do."

Skadi nodded. "You pretend that you're too tough to care about anyone, but I can tell you have a good soul."

"Thanks, Skadi," Alej said as she hugged Skadi, "but you're wrong."

Skadi raised an eyebrow in confusion.

Alej walked over to the blue crystal and bent down. "I sold my soul to the devil a long time ago…" Alej touched it and disappeared in a flash of light.

---

She found herself in a dimly lit cave or cavern. There was a quiet waterfall to her right, and stalagmites and stalactites everywhere. It was surprisingly chilly due to a draft, so she was glad her leather jacket was keeping her warm. But the most surprising thing was her opponent.

Standing across from her was a giant dragon. It was at least thirty feet tall, with two huge leathery wings for arms. It was covered in golden scales that shimmered as if they were metallic. Its claws were razor-sharp. Its tail slowly swayed back and forth and its red eyes glared at her.

"Let's not delay; welcome to Round Three!" Taneleer's voice announced. "She's the latest in Mephistopheles's line of Ghost Riders after she made a Faustian bargain to save her fiancé's life. She now serves as an eternal servant for the Prince of Lies, capturing escaped devils and bringing them back to Gehinnom. She has the ability to become an immortal skeletal soldier of penance, who burns with the intensity of hellfire. Armed with her chains made of orichalcum, she is a sight to behold. Uatu's Champion: Alejandra Reyes of Earth, better known as the bounty hunter… Vengeance!"

Her skin started to smoke. She burst into blue flames as her hair, skin, and muscle burned away. Once all that was left was a skeleton, she grabbed her chain. "The day of judgment is upon you, basura."

"Her opponent is the mighty Neilah Dragon of legend. When he was just a hatchling, he was infected with Midas Pox, turning his skin tough as steel but causing him an insatiable anger. Long ago he awoke and terrorized ancient China, burning entire cities to ashes. A deity to the warriors of the Kunlun, he earned the title of the 'Golden General', as his power is worth more than the combined might of an army of ten thousand men. Though he has since gone back to his centuries-long sleep, we have woken him from his slumber just for this very Contest. His limbs shatter mountains and his back scrapes the sun. Mojo's Champion: From Gehinnom, the Golden General… Jin Jiang Jun!"

The dragon let loose a roar that reverberated throughout the cave. If there was anyone else there to hear it, they would have run away in terror.

"Round Three: begin!"

Jin Jiang Jun faced Vengeance and opened his mouth. A rumbling started in his throat and a stream of fire spewed forth.

"Not good," Vengeance said to herself as she started running to the right. The red-hot flames closely followed her. When the fire impacted with the stone walls, they immediately started to melt into a glowing pool.

Vengeance leapt off the ground with a burst of blue flames, jumping high into the air like a rocket. Vengeance whipped her chain at a stalactite so that it latched on. She swung around Jin Jiang Jun and landed on his back. The dragon stopped spitting fire and instead growled as he wondered where Vengeance had gone.

She raised her arms into the air and blue cinders sparked out of her hands. She aimed her fists at the back of Jin Jiang Jun's neck, and bright blue flames shot forth with intense heat.

Jin Jiang Jun shook his body, trying to get Vengeance to fall off. When that was not enough, he jumped, the impact of the land causing Vengeance to stumble onto her knees. However, Vengeance continued to shoot blue hellfire. The dragon grew even more agitated and stood on his hind legs.

The total shift in position caused Vengeance to slip off and fall to the ground. As she struggled to get up in time, Jin Jiang Jun's tail collided into her left side, sending her skidding across the stony floor at a breakneck speed. Her momentum was only stopped when she crashed into a cluster of stalagmites.

Jin Jiang Jun roared again and spit a huge fireball at her. Vengeance flipped onto her feet and punched the fireball, her fist coated in blue flames. Her attack cut through the dragon fire, but the fireball exploded in her face. Vengeance was again sent flying back. She landed on her side and rolled another ten feet. As she shakily stood up, her skull was facing backwards and her arm was twisted around.

"Okay, I need a new plan…" she mumbled as she twisted her skull back into place and put her left arm back into place.

Jin Jiang Jun growled and charged at her, his giant mouth filled with razor-sharp fangs. Vengeance leapt to the left and somersaulted away, hearing the dragon snap his jaws where she was just a moment ago. She got to her feet and started running. Jin Jiang Jun's head followed her, closely pursuing his prey. Vengeance grabbed her chain and whipped it at Jin Jiang Jun's wing arm. It lashed across the top. The dragon growled and lost his balance, letting his head drop and skid across the ground.

This was the opportunity she was hoping for. Vengeance swung her chain around Jin Jiang Jun's neck, grappling on tightly like a leash. Her blue hellfire erupted from her head as she pulled with all of her strength. Jin Jiang Jun growled as his head was yanked towards her. "Let's see your armor protect you from this!" she yelled. As his head fell towards her, she lunged at his face and hit him in the eye with a blazing kick.

Jin Jiang Jun let out a loud shriek that echoed throughout the cavern. He shook his head wildly in pain. He immediately tried to swipe at her with his claws, which she managed to dodge by quickly sidestepping backwards. Frustrated with his prey, the dragon spread his wings and flapped, rising into the air.

"Oh…" she said as she was pulled upwards, still connected to the dragon by her chain.

Jin Jiang Jun, still flapping wildly, pointed his snout at her and spewed forth hot flames from his mouth. She had little control as she hung onto the chain, so the only way to dodge the dragon fire was to quickly twist her body or move her legs. She barely avoided two fireballs, but the third hit her in the chest. The force of the blast caused her to let go of her chain and fall to the ground. She slammed into the stony floor with a burst of blue flames.

Jin Jiang Jun stared at her from high above and roared in amusement. He spewed forth a hot stream of fire. Vengeance swiftly covered herself in blue fire to try to shield herself. The two flames collided and exploded upon impact.

As the black smoke settled, Vengeance saw Jin Jiang Jun flying straight at her. She quickly scrambled to get away. Jin Jiang Jun slammed into the ground feet-first, the blast knocking her into the air. The dragon slammed his tail onto her, sending her flying until she crashed into the waterfall.

She hit the stones of the waterfall back-first, and was carried to the ground by the falling stream of water. Though the water did nothing to extinguish her flames, it was causing a large amount of steam to surround her.

Vengeance wobbled as she got to her feet. "One last trick…" she said to herself. She faced the dragon and looked him dead in the eyes. "Penance Stare!" The eye sockets in her skull glowed bright blue as intense flames further consumed her body. Jin Jiang Jun was caught in her trance.

Gifted to her by Mephistopheles himself, this skill was normally her last resort against devils, as it subdued them by forcing them to feel the pain of all of their past sins. The more people they had hurt or killed, the more the guilt would burn their souls. It was the ultimate punishment.

But the Penance Stare was meant to be the ultimate weapon against escaped devils; its effectiveness against a creature like Jin Jiang Jun was unknown. At first, Vengeance thought that it was working. Jin Jiang Jun had gotten quiet and stopped moving. It seemed he was about ready to sleep. But after a few moments, he started growling again as his angry soul was fighting back.

The Penance Stare just wasn't strong enough, and she was running out of energy herself. Her blue fires started to sputter and dissipate. There was a reason she only used it her last resort. Using the Penance Stare severely drained her energy. And soon enough, she was left as just a skeleton, her blue fire having completely gone out. Vengeance had no more energy to continue and she was forced broke her stare.

"I've got a bad feeling about this…" she darkly muttered to herself.

Jin Jiang Jun roared as he charged at her. Vengeance saw him coming, but she was too exhausted to avoid the attack. Jin Jiang Jun slammed his head into Vengeance, knocking her high into the air. He then quickly spun around and slammed his tail into her again. Vengeance smashed into the stone wall fifty feet away, this time crashing right through it as if it were made of glass. The rocks around the impact collapsed into dust and rubble. Jin Jiang Jun's throat rumbled again and he blasted the crater with a stream of dragon fire. Jin Jiang Jun snorted cinders and roared in victory.

"Knock out!" Taneleer's voice called out as it echoed throughout the cave. "And the winner is… Jin Jiang Jun! What a fight! And now with two losses in a row, I'm wondering if Uatu is starting to regret his choice of Champions… Nevertheless, the Contest must go on! Round Three goes to Mojo!"

---

"You lost to a lizard!" Rocket yelled at Alej as she reappeared in the round room with the Uatu's Champions. "How could you lose to a lizard? The creature has less on his mind than Groot!"

"I am Groot."

Alej wiped sweat off of her forehead. She now looked like a normal girl again, but it looked like she was about to pass out from exhaustion. "You may have noticed that 'lizard' was a metallic dragon the size of a building."

"All I noticed is that you got your butt handed to you by some dumbo that calls itself 'Fin Fang Foom'!" Rocket said.

"Jin Jiang Jun," Ororo corrected him.

Rocket threw his arms into the air in frustration. "That's not the point and you know it!"

"Please stop yelling at everyone, Rocket" Ororo requested. "Losing your temper does no good."

"Oh, I'm sorry, but if you haven't noticed, we're now down one round to the villains! That means they've only got to win another two rounds to claim the galaxy!"

Skadi helped Alej back to her feet. "How are you feeling?"

Alej managed a weak smile. "Let's just say my bones hurt."

"Are you really immortal?" Skadi inquired.

Alej nodded in response. "Ever since I've been cursed. I can't die and my body doesn't age. Heck, I was born when Lincoln was still president…"

"Impressive," Ororo responded. "I didn't know you were that old."

"Um… Who's Lincoln?" Skadi asked.

Rocket yawned. "He's probably some stupid vampire hunter or something."

"I am Groot," Groot replied.

"Oh, you're right. His name wasn't 'Lincoln'. It was 'Blade'. Or maybe it was 'Stick'. Wait… 'Claw'? I don't remember; it was some silly-sounding weapon name…" Rocket said.

Alej rolled her eyes. "I'm super exhausted, guys… I'm gonna need time to rest."

"You know the routine, branches," Rocket called out.

Groot nodded and picked her up. She responded with a quiet "Gracias." As he had been doing previously after every round, Groot carried her down the stairs so that she could rest in one of the rooms below.

Uatu's hologram reappeared. "A noble effort. She fought well. And I know you all have been trying so hard. I am thankful for all that you are putting on the line. Believe me when I say I appreciate all of you very greatly."

Skadi looked at her feet. "Um… We're not exactly doing very well…"

Ororo turned to face Uatu. "Skadi is right. We've lost more than we've won now."

"Maybe you should have picked some stronger heroes, pal," Rocket said. "You know, Drax or Gamora probably would have been a better pick than the little girl who can only get even littler. Or maybe replace the timid icicle over there with Star-Lord or Nova."

Skadi quietly crossed her arms when she heard Rocket's last comment.

Uatu shook his head. "While I appreciate your candor, I must tell you that I am very happy with my choices. I could never be disappointed in any of you. You are all doing the best that you can. And that's all I ever asked for."

"I'm pretty sure you asked us to win," Rocket added darkly.

Uatu turned to them. "It is time for you to once again perform heroically. The next round will be a team round again, so two of you will need to volunteer. Be brave, my Champions."

The Champions looked at each other in silence. Uatu bowed his head and his hologram disappeared.

"Our numbers have been cut in half…" Rocket said. "This is not looking good."

"We just have to believe in ourselves," Skadi responded.

Rocket chuckled. "No, we have to not get killed. Positive attitudes alone don't win wars, princess."

"Hey!" Skadi said. "You don't have to be so mean!"

"Oh, you want to pick a fight?" Rocket retorted. "No one holds back the Rocket!"

Ororo sighed. "Please calm down, Rocket. Yelling at your team members won't accomplish anything. Don't be a bully."

Rocket's grouchy face softened. He waved his hand. "You're right. I'm sorry, babe. I mean… I'm sorry, Skadi. This whole Contest is driving me crazy."

She nodded. "I understand… And thank you."

Rocket groaned in frustration. "Sometimes I can't control my rage. Honestly, there's a lot of things that you can't control at my age."

"Um… How old are you?" Skadi inquired.

"Four. Well, closer to Four and a half really," Rocket said. "And let me just say, the senior citizen discount at Ego's Planet of Food, while extremely enjoyable, does not make up for the arthritis."

"Anyway," Ororo interrupted as Groot walked back into the room. "Important matters lie before us. Who will be volunteering this round?"

"Okay, so there's four of us," Rocket said.

"I am Groot."

"Yes, Groot. Five, but I'm not counting the knocked out demon boy because he's unconscious and no use in a fight right now. Look, I do not want to have this conversation again," Rocket replied.

"So that means two of us will be fighting," Skadi said. "I'll… I'll be brave and volunteer."

"No," Rocket said quickly.

"What? Why not?" Skadi asked.

"I'm really not trying to sound mean anymore… But you ain't ready for this, kid."

"I'm not a kid! I'm not some… weak little girl who can't fight for herself! I'm one-thousand nine-hundred sixty-eight years older than you!" she said.

"And you ain't ready for this…" Rocket repeated. "Look, I may sound tough, but the stuff that's been happening out there… that's scary stuff. Two of our team members almost died. The only reason they didn't was because of dumb luck. And another team member had to fight a freakin' metal dragon the size of Jormungand. Heck, even the team member that did win his round still hasn't fully recovered from his up close and personal visit with the inside of an inferno."

"I can… I can still fight!" Skadi said.

"You can't even say a full sentence without a nervous breakdown…" Rocket said. "Skadi, I'm being serious here. I like you. I know I sound like a jerk sometimes, but I honestly do like you. You're nice, you're gentle, and you smell like fresh snow. Hmm… Scratch that last part; I don't want to sound too creepy. But what I'm trying to say is, yeah, you probably can fight. But you shouldn't have to find out. You're too nice. And this is not a tournament for nice people."

Skadi awkwardly crossed her arms. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Because we are dealing some really nasty villains. These are the baddest of the bad. And nice people don't mix well with those kinds of monsters. You'd get skinned alive, kid."

Ororo sighed. "He has a point… I know your heart is in the right place, child, but your fighting spirit isn't."

Rocket sighed. "If you fight, you might break under the pressure… This is some serious stuff, and if you're not up for it, you really shouldn't be here."

Skadi started to tear up. "Are you getting rid of me?"

Rocket awkwardly scratched his chin and avoided looking at her. Ororo opened her mouth to try to say something comforting, but couldn't find the right words.

Skadi started crying. "I can't believe you think I'm useless! You're just like all the Jotnar back in Jotunheim!"

"Skadi…" Ororo started, but Skadi had already gone, wailing as she ran down the stairs.

"I am Groot," Groot said.

"Yeah… but it had to be said…" Rocket replied. "I don't want her to die. That'd be blood on my hands if I let her go into battle."

"I should go say something to her," Ororo said.

"No, I need you now to fight this round with me," Rocket said.

"Me? I'd have thought you'd want to be partnered with Groot."

Rocket shook his head. "Groot needs me as his buddy; he most certainly does not need me to help him fight. So I say let the talking tree be the one to calm her down. He's good with words. He only says three."

"Are you sure?" Ororo asked. Rocket just quietly nodded in response. So Ororo turned to Groot. "Groot, please watch over everyone. If Kurt wakes up and is wondering why I'm not here… tell him I'm doing my duty to save Earth."

Rocket walked over to Groot. The giant tree creature picked him up. Rocket hopped off of his hand and onto his shoulder. "Stay strong, buddy. I'll win this round for you, and then you can win the next round for me," he said as he hugged Groot's neck.

Groot smiled. "I am Groot."

"I know. Me too, pal. Me too," Rocket responded softly.

Groot then gently placed Rocket back on the ground. He waved at Ororo. "I am Groot," he said simply as he turned around and headed down the stairs to find Skadi and to check on Kurt.

The remaining two Champions walked to the blue crystal.

"You think you can keep up with me?" Rocket joked, trying to get his mind focused on the forthcoming battle.

Ororo laughed. "Funny. I was about to ask you the same thing."

"There's only one Rocket in the universe, sweetheart. And you're lookin' at him. What makes you and your fancy cape so special?"

"I am Mother Nature herself," she responded with a smirk. "I think I can hold my own, raccoon."

Rocket laughed. "If I live through this, the second thing I'm gonna do is buy an Earth dictionary and look up 'raccoon'!"

She smiled. "Oh, and what's the first thing you'd do?"

Rocket looked serious. "I'm gonna buy the finest Xandarian diamond I can afford and propose to my girlfriend. She does not yet realize how much better she can do than me, so I've really got to step up my game. No more off-the-cuff boyfriend from me. If I survive this crazy cosmic tournament, I'll be the nicest gentleman you'll ever meet, total clean husband material."

"That's very romantic, Rocket," Ororo said.

"Only the best for my Lily." Rocket grinned. "Now let's go bust some heads!"

The two of them touched the crystal and were transported to Round Four.

---

The two of them found that they were now in a desert, with two suns shining bright in the sky. Sand whipped through the air, and the heat was rather intense. Around thirty feet away were their two opponents.

One was a creature about the size of a lion. It looked remarkably like a scorpion, though it was jet black with several zigzagging white stripes along its side. It had two big white eyes and a mouth filled with needle-like teeth and a long drooling tongue.

The other was a human, a boy about Kitty's age. He was covered in purple metallic armor, with a helmet and visor on his head. He was grinning in anticipation.

"We will now start with Round Four!" Taneleer announced from the skies. "Hailed as a goddess in her home town, she can channel bolts of lightning and summon tornados. She was once Apocalypse's Horseman of Famine, serving as one of his four strongest agents. She is nature incarnate, the forces of wind, rain, and snow all wrapped into a single person. Uatu's Champion: Ororo Munroe of Earth, but she brings the thunder as… Storm!"

Sparks of electricity zapped off of her fingers and gusts of wind swirled around her. "I am the mistress of the elements!"

"Her teammate is the most notorious bounty hunter in the galaxy. Kidnapped from Earth, he was one of Doctor Korvac's test subjects in genetic and cybernetic altering. And what a result! From Chitauri to Baluurian, he's caught them all. Though not without getting paid that hefty reward, of course. He's the master of traps, weapons, and cunning. Just hope that if your name is on his hit list, you're worth more to him alive than dead. Uatu's Champion: From Xandar, the self-proclaimed… Rocket!"

Rocket grinned. He pulled out one of the intimidating guns on his back and charged it. "Let's see if you can laugh after five or six good shots in your freakin' face!"

"Their first opponent is actually two creatures, which I must remind you is a special exception to our normal rules. You may think it's the drooling bug that you should fear. But it is in fact the black suit it is wearing that is the true threat. There exists a life form that is the ultimate parasite, feeding off of its host's brainwaves while providing great strengths in return. This symbiotic relationship creates an unstoppable engine of carnage. Beware this monstrosity's poison. Mojo's Champion: a Kaliklak of Klyntar, the host of the Symbiote… Venom!"

Black tendrils shot out of the creature. Venom hissed and danced in place, its spiked tail wagging in the air and its two front claws tapping each other in anticipation.

"Gifted with robotic and electrical engineering from a young age, he was contracted by Trask Industries right out of high school to work on the Sentinel Project. And his pilot program shows much promise. No more a single unit, but now six autonomous smaller robots that can act independently or cohesively to best suit the situation. Mojo's Champion: Webber Torque of Earth, but his screenname is… Arcade!"

"Want to play with my toys?" Arcade laughed and snapped his fingers. Six purple robots of different shapes and models appeared out of nowhere, each one at least five feet tall. "Meet the gang: Noggin, Infester, Moonwalk, Ribcage, Offbeat, and Deadbeat!"

"Round Four: begin!"

Venom hissed and leapt forward, digging into the sand. Rocket chuckled and aimed his weapon in front of him. He then slightly aimed downwards, pointing at the sand. He fired a blast of energy that exploded into the sand dune, launching Venom into the air. The creature shrieked as it landed on the ground twenty feet away.

"Yeah… That little burrowing trick won't work on me!" Rocket gloated.

Storm turned to Arcade. "I know you. You're Kitty's classmate who hacked into Cerebro."

"Guilty as charged!" Arcade stated, still with a cocky grin on his face. "You look unhappy to see a familiar face. Well, then you're gonna be all IdrA rage in the next round. The big guy's been looking to fighting you losers…"

"Why are you here as a villain?" Storm asked as her fists started to spark.

"Duh!" Arcade responded with a smirk. "Working for the bad guys lets me unleash my true genius! I'm not constrained by that 'morality' crap you losers are always going on about."

"If your team of villains wins, you'll doom the entire galaxy, you idiot!" Rocket yelled.

"Who cares? This just proves I'm the best! Way smarter than that goody-goody Hiro Hamada! All I got to do is beat you try-hards in this space Mortal Kombat with my awesome robots and I'll have proved I'm the smartest inventor of all time! So it's about time I show you noobs what my true genius looks like!" Arcade pointed at one of his robots. "Let's start with Noggin!"

Noggin levitated in the air. It was largely a giant oval-shaped metallic droid. It charged at Rocket and Storm and fired lasers from its two purple orbs.

"Avoid those lasers!" Storm yelled to Rocket. The two of them jumped to the side to dodge the blasts. Storm got up and summoned a gale, knocking into Noggin and forcing him to careen off into the ground. "I've seen those Sentinel attacks before. They can incapacitate their targets and even temporarily nullify their abilities."

"You really think you have to tell me to avoid getting shot at?" Rocket sarcastically responded. Rocket fired at Noggin, but the robot swiftly avoided the attacks. "Hey, can you slow him down?"

Storm's eyes glowed, and clouds appeared above the robot. In a moment, it started to hail. While most of the ice harmlessly bounced off the hard metal, several bits fell into the robot's joints. Noggin started to creak as it moved, as it was now noticeably sluggish.

"Much appreciated." Rocket shot Noggin twice, each blow hitting Noggin's laser port and severely damaging it. "And let's not forget about you, trash talker." He then pointed his gun at Arcade and fired a blast of energy.

Arcade quickly moved backwards to avoid the attack, though he ended up losing his balance and falling down. "Impressive!" Arcade said as he stood back up. "But time to level up! Go! Offbeat! Deadbeat! Wombo Combo!" Two more of his robots activated. Each was tall, but Offbeat was thin and sleek while Deadbeat was large and imposing. The two robots charged at them.

"Good, more target practice." Rocket fired three shots at Offbeat, but the robot summoned an energy shield that neatly deflected the attack. "Okay, that was a fancy trick."

"Let's see if it's as impressive as it looks," Storm said as static surrounded her arm. She threw a bolt of lightning at Offbeat's shield. Colliding with the energy construct and dissipating around it. But the attack was enough to cause the shield to shatter. "Apparently not."

Offbeat opened a hatch and fired back with purple lasers, but Storm called forth a gust of wind that rushed into a sand dune in front of Rocket and reshaped it into a wall of sand. The lasers hit the wall and exploded in a burst. Dust filled the air, but Deadbeat ran right through. It aimed for Rocket, trying to take him out with a powerful swing. Rocket jumped over the robot's attack and landed neatly on the sandy ground.

"I got some pretty fancy footwork," Rocket said. "I don't anticipate your southpaw swings to hit me!" Deadbeat seemed to respond to Rocket's taunt by trying got punch him. Rocket quickly back hopped, letting the robot slam into the sand.

Rocket grinned and ran at the robot, leaping up and landing on Deadbeat. Deadbeat wildly thrashed, trying to shake him off. Rocket tried to hold on, but ultimately decided to jump off and land behind a sand dune.

"Don't worry, tin can," Rocket said as he ducked and used the sand dune for cover. "I left you a present!" Rocket pressed a button on the top of a gadget on his left wrist. The sand underneath Deadbeat exploded in a fiery detonation.

---

But there was no time to celebrate, as Rocket was hit on his side by Venom's whip-like tail. Rocket was sent skidding along the sand. He glanced up and saw Venom charging at him. Venom jumped and launched its spiked tail, aiming to impale Rocket through the chest.

"Not going to work!" Storm said as she shot a quick bolt of lightning at Venom. The electrical attack just barely missed Venom's tail, but it did cause the black-suited creature to momentarily withdraw.

A purple laser flew at Storm. She quickly twisted to avoid the shot, but her momentum made her lose her balance. She looked and saw Offbeat preparing to fire again, but Rocket was already there and tossed a small black sphere at the robot. When it was a moment away from hitting Offbeat, it burst open to reveal a giant net of plasma. It wrapped around Offbeat and shocked the robot, overpowering its systems and temporarily immobilizing it.

"No! Not fair!" Arcade said. "Moonwalk, it's your turn to tango!"

The biggest robot sprung to life and rolled toward Venom. The creature seemed to laugh in a high pitched screech, drool dribbling off its long tongue. It leapt onto Moonwalk and the two then zoomed straight for Rocket and Storm.

"I think you might want to conjure up a tornado right about now…" Rocket suggested as he walked up to Storm.

"Good idea," she said as her eyes glowed. She pointed her arms at the sky and the clouds above them started to swirl. A twisting stream of wind descended upon the villains. As the tempest surrounded them, Moonwalk slowly moved forward, the treads on its wheels keeping it from being flown off course. Black tentacles emerged out of Venom's back. The creature leapt off of Moonwalk, landing on the ground with its sharp tentacles digging into the sand. It hissed at Storm and Rocket and swiped its tail at them.

Storm quickly took a step back, though the tail's sting cut her arm. Rocket aimed his gun at Venom and shot an energy blast, hitting Venom and making it lose its balance. Venom swiftly got caught in the tornado and shrieked as it crashed into Moonwalk. Storm pointed her fingers at them and a giant bolt of lightning struck them. Venom's legs gave out from under it, while Moonwalk looked incapacitated entirely.

"You okay?" Rocket asked Storm.

She looked at the cut on her arm. She was starting to feel weak. "I believe that creature may be venomous, as its name suggests…"

Arcade groaned in frustration. "Finish off that Wicked Witch of the West wannabe and that Ranger Rick reject! Go, Ribcage and Infester! Pwn them!"

The two remaining robots launched forward. Ribcage opened up, revealing a giant, hollow body that could easily capture them in. Infester, a giant sphere of coiled wires, released a dozen metallic cables and whipped them in a flurry.

Rocket chuckled. "You think you can contain the Rocket? Fat chance, buddy!" Rocket grabbed a small pair of red orbs and chucked them at the robots. As they flew through the air, they disconnected, revealing a long electrified wire. The orbs spun around the robots and wrapped them up neatly. Ribcage's gaping maw was pulled toward Infester, swallowing and trapping the smaller robot inside. Several of Infester's cables awkwardly twitched as the robot tried to free itself from Ribcage's metal prison. But neither of the two robots were able to escape as Rocket's trap was simply too strong.

"And that's why I'm the best," Rocket gloated. But the sand burst from behind him; Venom leapt out and its left claw stabbed into Rocket's back, who howled in pain.

"Rocket!" Storm yelled. She ran forward and leapt into the air. Storm concentrated a swirling vortex of wind around her fist and punched at Venom. A strong gust of air hit Venom and sent him flying, as she promptly followed up with a quick shot of electricity, hitting Venom just before it crashed into the sand.

"Thanks," Rocket groaned as he got to his feet. He was starting to feel the poison too now, but he kept a straight face and turned to Arcade. "Just you left, dork. It's game over…"

"Oh really? Did you forget about the final boss?" Arcade said with a smirk. "Activate! NIMROD!" All six of the robots started to glow. They then broke apart into smaller metal pieces and flew toward Arcade. They started to attach to his armor, piece by piece. After a few seconds, a fully sized Sentinel was staring them down. "Now this is what I'm talking about! Plus forty offense and defense, priority on all my attacks, and OP frame data! My power level is over 9,000! It's time I school you scrubs! No Johns!"

"This guy needs to shut up!" Rocket grumbled.

Now in his NIMROD armor, Arcade confidently stomped forward. Rocket and Storm jumped out of the way, but the poison from Venom had made their movements sluggish. The giant chest plate opened up. "Nerf this!" Arcade shouted as a concentrated laser blasted at them. Storm quickly called forth gusts of wind and pushed herself away in a burst of air. Rocket meanwhile threw a yellow orb into the air that, when it was hit by the laser, expelled gelatinous foam that coated the area. As Arcade swiped at the foam, Rocket disappeared. "Where did you go, you stupid little raccoon?" he asked himself. He then turned around and saw Rocket standing behind him. "If you want to look like Tanooki Mario, then you better hope you have an extra life saved up!"

"How about instead of trash talking me, you guess what I have in my hand?" Rocket grinned and held up a little metallic orb with two blue prongs sticking out on both ends. "Let's just say I placed one on your stupid robot head and it acts like a big ol' lightning rod. And you know what that means for my teammate!"

Storm pointed her arm at the sky and a terrible thundercloud appeared Arcade. A booming cackle of electricity was heard overhead. "Ah!" Arcade screamed in fear. "GG! No re! I surrender! Send me back!" His body vanished just as a giant lightning bolt slammed into where Arcade's body was a moment ago. His NIMROD armor exploded from the overload of electrical energy.

Rocket and Storm collapsed to the ground. Rocket panted. "I need to take a nap… That Symbiote's poison is really rough on the body…"

Storm wiped her forehead. "Shouldn't we have won by now? I thought we had defeated Venom as well…" But she heard a hissing from behind them. They slowly turned around and saw Venom slowly approaching, its claws snapping in anticipation.

Rocket went to grab another trap grenade, but realized he was all out. And then he realized he had also dropped both of his firearms in the calamity with Arcade. He saw one about ten feet away, but he had no more strength in his legs. "Well, this doesn't look good…"

Storm could feel a fever affecting her and she was struggling to stay conscious. Her fist sparked and she tried to launch another blast of lightning, but the most she could summon was a tiny static charge that didn't faze Venom in the slightest. "I'm afraid I don't have the strength to do anything else either…"

Venom shrieked and launched himself at them. "We forfeit," the two of them sadly said in unison, realizing they could no longer win. The two of them vanished and Venom's claw landed where Rocket's head had been, its long tongue slurping in satisfaction.

"Amazing! Spectacular!" Taneleer's voice called out as it echoed throughout the desert. "And the winner is… Venom and Arcade! Our heroes were close, but it was the villains who emerged victorious! Uatu's team must be feeling the pressure now; they'll have to win the next round just to stay in the competition! It doesn't get more exciting than this! Round Four goes to Mojo!"

---

Kurt groaned and slowly sat up. He felt his forehead, feeling a swelled bump that hurt when he touched it. He recalled Alej knocking him out with a headbutt.

"Lieber ein Ende mit Schmerzen als Schmerzen ohne Ende…" he muttered to himself. He looked around the small white room and saw no one. "Where is everyone?"

"They're all resting," he heard someone say. Kurt immediately turned to the corner behind him and saw Skadi sitting there.

"Skadi? What are you doing here?"

She awkwardly shrugged. "It was quiet here. I needed some time to… think…"

"Why?"

She looked like she was about to say something, but she changed her mind. "How's your head?" she asked instead.

"Still a little hazy, but I'll manage," Kurt said. "No thanks to Alej."

Skadi awkwardly fidgeted with her fingers. "I know it wasn't right of her to hit you… but I think it might have been better that she did. You were… freaking out…"

"Yeah," Kurt said as he slowly got off the bed. "I know… I guess she had a point. If I fought that round, I would have lost. Granted I would have preferred Alej not to give me a concussion."

Skadi smirked. "I guess you could say she has a thick skull…"

"So what happened after Alej knocked me out?" Kurt asked.

Skadi stood up and led him out of the room. "Alej fought the next round. Turns out she's some kind of a Ghost Rider, an immortal devil soldier. She did pretty well, but she still lost. She was up against a giant dragon named Jin Jiang Jun. I really hope you never have to meet that monster… Anyway, Alej is resting in one of these rooms; the fight took a lot out of her."

"Hmm… I'll take note to avoid Jin Jiang Jun at all costs then. So did I miss another round after that?"

"Yes. Rocket and Ororo fought in the next round. Against a venomous Symbiote and a human who can control robots named Arcade."

"Arcade? Really? How did they do?" Kurt asked, hoping to finally hear some good news.

Skadi turned to him. "Um… Well, they lost too… Groot is looking after them now…" She led them down the hallway, and Kurt was able to peer into the rooms where the others were resting.

He saw an unconscious Logan lying on one of the beds. Logan's skin had largely healed, but it was still quite red, meaning it was still fresh skin.

"Logan was right about his healing factor. His body is a lot better now, even after Rogue borrowed his powers," Skadi said. "But he keeps talking about something incoherent."

Kurt glanced in the room and heard Logan muttering in his sleep. "Victor… Kayla… Steve… Stoner… Jonathan… Shiro… Marina… Carol… Duggan… Yuriko… Fury…"

"He's been saying strange stuff like that for the past couple of hours…" Skadi said. "Come on; I'll show you how the others are doing."

Kurt continued walking down the hallway and saw Cassie sleeping in some kind of yellow shield made of light.

"Cassie's Honey-Cocoon powers are healing her," Skadi said. "I think she's getting better too. She woke up for a bit before falling back asleep."

He nodded. "I want to see Rogue," Kurt demanded.

Skadi nodded and they went to the next room. Kurt saw Rogue sleeping; she had a bandage wrapped around her chest. Kurt could see that it was slightly stained red, but Rogue was breathing normally.

"She hasn't woken up yet," Skadi said as she saw how worried Kurt looked. "But borrowing Logan's healing powers helped a lot. She's stopped bleeding. She… she should wake up soon…"

Kurt sighed. "Good…"

Next, Skadi walked them past Alej's room. Unlike the others, Alej was awake, though she was still lying down. She nodded at Kurt when she saw him, but she looked completely exhausted.

Skadi continued down the hall and Kurt saw Ororo sleeping in one room. A strange plant was covering her. "That was Groot's doing," Skadi explained. "I'd guess that it's absorbing the poison out of their bodies." Skadi looked down at her feet. "Ororo and Rocket were both poisoned in their fight against that Symbiote. Rocket said that they'd both be okay though, so long as Groot was there to take care of them."

Kurt heard something in the room next door. He quickly headed over and saw Groot gently placing Rocket on a bed. Groot lightly patted Rocket's head and then held out his hand. A tiny flower bloomed from the center of his palm; Groot plucked it and slowly placed it on Rocket's chest. Thin, spindly roots grew from the plant and wrapped around Rocket's body. Soon Rocket was coated in vines similar to Ororo.

Groot turned and saw Kurt and Skadi standing in the doorway. He lumbered over to them. "I am Groot."

Skadi crossed her arms and closed her eyes. "At least everyone's alive…"

"Yeah…" Kurt said. The blue orbs in the room started to flash. Kurt recognized that this meant that the next round was ready. He sighed. "I'm really sick and tired of this stupid Contest…"

The three of them walked up the stairs and reentered the main room. They were greeted with Uatu's hologram again. "You have all been fighting valiantly. And I am sorry but I must tell you the graveness of the situation. You won the first round, but lost the next three. Thus, you must win all of the next three rounds or else we lose this Contest of Champions."

Skadi shuddered. "This is insane. Do you really think we can win this?"

"I do," Uatu responded. "For you are my heroes, and I have the utmost of faith in you. The next round is ready when you are." And with that, he disappeared.

Kurt sighed. "So… Who wants to go next?"

Skadi looked down at her feet. "Well, you're still recovering, Kurt. I think it'd be best if you sit this round out and have a little more time to heal."

Kurt nodded. "So are you volunteering to go next?"

She shuddered. "I guess…"

"I don't know, Skadi…" Kurt started.

"Everyone thinks I'm this weak little girl. But I'm not."

"Okay…. Have you ever actually fought someone?"

"Well… no… but I've trained…" Skadi started to reply.

Kurt turned to her. "So you've never fought someone for real…"

Skadi turned away from him. "I have a confession… I was hiding in your room earlier because I needed some time alone. The others… they basically told me that I don't belong in this Contest. And I was really sad. Not because they were mean… but because what they said was right…" She unconsciously touched the book on her hip. "I'm nothing special. I'm not like you guys: a prince of the demons, an undead devil soldier of hellfire, a fighter with a metal skeleton… I'm just some Jotun bookworm, disowned by her own people and forced to find sanctuary in a library. I'm afraid I'll just be a disappointment. Like I've always been."

"Look," Kurt said. "I don't care what your stupid ice-hole people said about you. None of that matters because the Skadi I've met is a great person. You have to have faith in yourself. You were chosen to be a Champion for a reason. That means that Uatu believes in you. So you have to start believing in yourself, too."

"Okay," she said quietly. "You're right. I'll try…"

"Good. Then I'll fight this round, and then you and Groot can fight in the next team round together. I think you'll be in a better fighting mood after you watch this round and get inspired."

"But, Kurt, you're still not all better," Skadi said. "You just said a few minutes ago that your head is still hazy."

"It's fine… I'll be okay…" Kurt started to say. "I understand now what Rogue was trying to tell me earlier back when she volunteered to fight. Sometimes we just know when it's our turn to step up, when we're needed to be part of the bigger picture. And now is that time." But then he felt Groot place his hand on Kurt's shoulder. The giant tree creature pulled both Kurt and Skadi into a hug. "Groot," Kurt said, "I wasn't talking about you."

Groot looked at them with great fondness and pride. He gently touched the injury on Kurt's forehead "I am Groot." He then patted Skadi on the back, trying to cheer her up. "I am Groot," he repeated. Groot pushed them aside and headed to the blue crystal.

Skadi turned to him. "You don't have to do this, Groot. Why are you volunteering to fight?"

Groot walked over to the blue crystal and smiled at his friends. He placed his hand over his heart and then extended his hand at them. "I am Groot." He bowed his head and turned around. Groot touched the crystal and then reappeared in Round Five.

---

Groot was in a grassy field. The wind blew swiftly as the light drizzle overhead started to downpour.

"Well, this is surprising. I was expecting one of Charles's X-Losers like Wolverine or Storm, not a giant Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia Pet," his opponent said. "No matter though. Nobody gets in my way."

Groot turned to face his challenger. He was a large muscular man, a human standing at least seven feet tall. He was dressed in an orange and black outfit, with a large orange helmet attached to his shoulders.

"Welcome to Round Five!" Taneleer announced. "Hmm… Interesting… I don't have very much info on our hero. He's a Florossus; the last of his kind. The twenty-third generation seed of his noble sap-line. And… that's it. You are quite the mystery, my friend. I must really have Laika do some more reconnaissance on you. But this is not the time for that; let's finish up this introduction. Uatu's Champion: From Xanth, the one and only… Groot!"

Groot smiled and waved at the skies. "I am Groot."

"Ha! Yes, yes you are! Now then… Groot's opponent is a living engine of destruction. He is the half-brother of the famous Professor X, but he is infamous in his own right. Enhanced by the legendary Gem of Cytorrak, his powers have since advanced to the state where the laws of nature bend to his will as he moves. In fact, once he starts moving, he cannot be stopped. An army, a train, an avalanche, a meteor, it doesn't matter. Nothing can beat him. Mojo's Champion: Cain Marko of Earth, the unstoppable… Juggernaut!"

Juggernaut shouted in anticipation. "Here comes the beating of your life!"

"Round Five: begin!"

Juggernaut started running at Groot. Each step he took rocked the earth, an intimidating sound coupled with the thunder booming in the sky above. Juggernaut came charging with his head aimed forward, attempting to smash Groot to splinters. He yelled as he was a moment from colliding into Groot.

Groot simply sidestepped the assault, letting Juggernaut harmlessly run by. Juggernaut grunted, angry that he missed. He abruptly skidded to a halt. Juggernaut turned around and began running at Groot again.

Groot grinned and his legs quickly grew. Groot was swiftly launched into the air, letting him easily leap over Juggernaut, who just continued to charge across the field. Groot landed on the wet grass quietly. Juggernaut stopped running, and again faced Groot. He grunted in frustration as lightning crackled across the sky. "Stand still, you Kite-Eating Tree!"

Groot stared at Juggernaut. He simply shook his head in response.

Juggernaut flexed his muscles and charged at Groot. "I'll smash you into toothpicks!" he roared.

Groot extended his arm forward, letting it grow until he grabbed onto Juggernaut's helmet. The villain suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. Juggernaut struggled with all his might, but he could no longer move forward. "You… stopped… me?" Juggernaut asked in surprise and worry.

Now with a firm grip on his foe, Groot pulled him into the air and threw him downwards, smashing Juggernaut into the ground. Groot then swung his arm overhead, slamming Juggernaut into the ground again. But he was not done just yet; Groot picked up Juggernaut a third time and dragged his body along the grass until he finally pinned Juggernaut down.

Juggernaut, dazed by the attack, struggled to stand up against the might of Groot's grip. "How? I'm the unstoppable Juggernaut! How can you be beating me? Just what are you?"

Groot grabbed Juggernaut and brought him close to Groot's face. Groot gave an intimidating look, staring Juggernaut right in his eyes. "I am Groot."

The tree creature swung Juggernaut around and around for several moments before flinging Juggernaut into the air at a ridiculous speed. The villain climbed higher and higher, panicking as he approached the raining thunderclouds. At the peak of his ascension, a bolt of lightning flashed across the sky and collided into Juggernaut's chest. He shouted in pain as his body surged with electrical energy. Juggernaut fell, a stream of smoke trailing him. He impacted into the grassy ground, and groaned as he fell unconscious.

"Knock out!" Taneleer shouted from above. "I've never seen such a decisive victory in all six-hundred sixteen Contests. What a quick round! The winner is undoubtedly… Groot! Another point for Uatu! Is Groot the turn of momentum that Uatu's team needed? Let's see if they can continue to have good luck as we enter our next round! Round Five goes to Uatu!"

Groot's body started to glow and then he reappeared in the room. He saw Kurt and Skadi staring at him, their faces both completely in awe.

"I can't believe it…" Kurt said. "He beat Juggernaut… And he made it look easy."

"Groot, you were really impressive," Skadi added.

"I am Groot."

"Dude," Kurt said as he nodded at Groot. "You are the man."

Groot grinned at them. "I am Groot." He hugged them both again.

Uatu reappeared. "Congratulations, my friends. We are now one step closer to winning this Contest."

Kurt turned to face Uatu. "So I take it that means the next round is already ready for us."

"Yes," Uatu responded. "It will be a team round. And since you and Skadi are the only Champions left, you will both have to compete. I wish you both luck." Uatu disappeared and the blue crystal again began to glow.

"I am Groot," Groot said as he turned around and headed down the stairs.

Kurt flexed his arms. "How are you doing, Skadi?"

Skadi nodded. "I'm feeling good."

"Are you sure?" Kurt asked.

"Yes." Skadi covered her mouth with her hand. "I know this sounds a little out of character for me… But you were right. Watching Groot makes me feel like I can do anything as well… I won't let you down."

Kurt chuckled. "Good. And my head's as clear as it's going to get. I'm ready to go, too."

Skadi smiled. "I'm happy that I have a partner. I've sparred against people before, but this will be my first real fight, so I'm glad I don't have to do it alone."

"It's always better to be with your friends." He then snapped his fingers. "Actually, speaking of friends… I don't want to fight empty handed…"

Skadi raised an eyebrow. "Um… What does that mean?"

Kurt held out his right hand. "Warlock!" he shouted. The air in front of Kurt glowed and soon a silver and black robot appeared in a flash.

"Self has returned. What does Avshalom need self's assistance for?" Warlock asked as he took a bow.

"Um… That's a robot…" Skadi said. "You just made a robot appear out of thin air…"

Kurt smirked. "Want to help me kick butt, Warlock? Like the old times?"

"Affirmative." Warlock transformed into the Soul Sword and jumped into Kurt's hand.

"Time to be heroes, meine Freund." Kurt turned to face Skadi, who was looking very confused. "Uh… It's a long story, Skadi…"

"I feel like that's what we've all been saying all day…" Skadi replied.

Kurt chuckled. "What about you then? Are you ready?"

"Yes. I've got all that I'll ever need," she said as she pointed to the book attached to her left hip.

"Your book? What are you going to do? Throw it at someone?"

She shook her head. "No. Don't be silly. Why would I throw it? It's my spellbook."

"Spellbook?" Kurt asked in shock. "What, are you a witch?" When she started to nod, Kurt's mouth dropped open in surprise. "Seriously? I was joking."

"Well, I wouldn't say that exactly…" Skadi said, her cheeks blushing. "I'm… um… more of a witch-in-training…"

"Let me guess… that's also a long story?"

She smirked. "I guess you have your crazy life of demons and robot swords, and I have mine with libraries and spellbooks."

Kurt walked over to the crystal. "Let's swap tales afterwards then. It'll give us an incentive to win. That and, you know, not getting killed."

"Yeah, that's also a really good incentive," she added quietly.

Kurt thought of Kitty. "Ich liebe dich, Kätzchen." He gripped the Soul Sword tight in anticipation.

Skadi took a deep breath. "Self-confidence, self-confidence," she repeated to herself.

They both touched the crystal and disappeared in a flash of light.

---

Snow flew through the air. They were standing in an arctic, frozen tundra. A single bright moon hung high in the sky, illuminating the otherwise dark night. As the wind died down, they saw their two opponents.

The first person was quite tall, around six and a half feet, but what was most interesting was that he was completely white, armor and skin. In fact, it was difficult to distinguish him from the snowy background. He was dressed exactly as a samurai, patiently kneeling in the snow.

The other person was clearly not from Earth, with dark grey skin and pointed ears. He was short and thin, maybe only four and a half feet tall and less than a hundred pounds. His black armor however was massive, much larger than it should be considering his thin frame. It was surprising he could stand at all considering the armor almost certainly weighed more than him. He remained quiet and still, almost as if he were in a trance.

"Welcome to Round Six!" Taneleer's voice blasted through the air. "Once the Shadow Prince Avshalom of Gehinnom, he has since abandoned his old life as Shedu royalty to live among humans. But don't let his playful demeanor fool you; he's a deadly warrior armed with the Soul Sword, a Technarch named Warlock. Furthermore, his demon physique keeps him flexible and speedy, and don't forget about that wicked tail. Lastly, his mutant power lets him teleport across the battlefield, always able to strike when his opponent is least expecting it. Uatu's Champion: Kurt Wagner from Earth, the amazing… Nightcrawler!"

He swung the Soul Sword, gracefully cutting through the air. "Das Glück hilft dem Kühnen!" he said to pump himself up.

"His teammate stands at his side. Born a frost giant runt and thus hated by her people, she was cast out. She was taken in by none other than the Master of the Mystic Arts, who accepted her as an apprentice at the Library of Agamotto. Though not yet a Supreme Sorcerer, her magical prowess is already quite impressive. Her control over the element of ice is a most precious power indeed. Uatu's Champion: From Jotunheim, the Winter Witch… Skadi!"

She grabbed her spellbook and, not exactly knowing what to do next, awkwardly pointed her index finger at her opponents. "Um… You will feel winter's curse…"

"Their first opponent is one of the many Ba'alim who have escaped to Earth. Thought to be a yōkai when he terrorized Tokyo in Feudal Japan, he has since taken up new residence in San Francisco. A skilled warrior, his sword fighting skills are second to none. His katana will give you more than a paper cut. And on that note, it is his devil abilities that make him infamous. His body is composed of paper, which he can scatter in the blink of an eye, like sakura petals drifting in the wind. Mojo's Champion: From Gehinnom, he is the one and only… Origami!"

The white samurai stood up and placed his hand on the handle of his sword, ready to draw it in a moment's notice. "Taikutsu ni yararerukurai nara shinji mau hou ga zutto mashi sa."

"His teammate is the greatest soldier in Dark Elf history. He was born into nothing, but he pushed himself every day to become stronger, better. His perseverance paid off; he became Malekith's right-hand man and was bestowed with the Armor of Valgoth. This enchanted armor permanently bonded to his body and grants him the strength, speed, and stamina of ten soldiers all at once, though it has corrupted his mind. Some say he has gone completely insane, but it is hard to argue with his battle results. Mojo's Champion: Algrim of Svartalheim, the undefeated… Curse!"

He remained motionless, though his red eyes gazed directly at Nightcrawler and Skadi. "Valgoth grows impatient… The skinny Shedu looks weak… The Jotun girl is a temptress…"

"Round Six: begin!"

Nightcrawler immediately teleported, reappearing behind Origami and swinging the Soul Sword. However, Origami swiftly blocked the attack with his own katana and then kicked Nightcrawler. The blow was light, and Nightcrawler only bounced back a few steps.

Curse stared at Nightcrawler, and his armor started to glow. Suddenly, the Dark Elf's body bulked up; he grew to nine feet tall and his arms and legs were now the sizes of tree trunks.

"Valgoth demands your blood!" he shouted as he came barreling at Nightcrawler.

Nightcrawler quickly flipped over Curse, landing behind him. He struck his backside with the Soul Sword, but the blade just bounced off of Curse's armor. Curse then turned around and swept his arm at Nightcrawler, who managed to teleport away at the last instant.

Nightcrawler reappeared next to Skadi. "Okay… this is going to be tough."

"Uh… I got this!" Skadi said as she stepped forward. She opened her spellbook, quickly read a page, and pointed her finger at Origami. "Skytten!" Blue sparks spurted from her fingertip, and an ice arrow appeared and shot forth. Origami couldn't react in time, and the ice arrow pierced straight through his head.

"Whoa," Nightcrawler said. "Nice one."

But Origami's head started to reform until it was back to normal. "Baka yarō! Mudada!" he taunted. His paper body seemed unstoppable.

"Out of Valgoth's way!" Curse shouted as he slammed right into Origami, whose body scattered into thousands of petal-like pieces of paper. Curse ran at Nightcrawler and Skadi, lowering his shoulder as he planned to charge right into them.

"Um…" Skadi said as she quickly flipped through the pages of her spellbook. "Skorpionen!"

Two giant claws of ice grew out of the ground and grabbed onto Curse. They bound him in place, but his strength was allowing him to slowly crack them, meaning he was about to break through any second now.

"Væren!" she shouted as she made a fist. More blue sparks erupted, and soon her fist was coated in ice. She ran at Curse and leapt into the air. Her fist collided with his chest, but all that happened upon impact was her ice mitt shattering.

"The Jotun girl thinks she is a challenge for Valgoth?" He roared in anger and broke out of the ice claws trapping him. He swung his arm and hit Skadi in the side, sending her flying into the air.

Nightcrawler quickly predicted where she was going and teleported into the sky. He caught her as she flew into him. He then swiftly teleported back to the ground, and let her back onto her feet.

Suddenly, a blizzard swirled around the two of them. Nightcrawler felt his left hand get cut by the vortex. He yelped in pain. "It's not snow… It's Origami…" he told her.

Skadi then felt the piece of paper slice her right shoulder. She winced, but was grateful the injury was superficial. "I've got this. Fiskene!" Snow immediately started to spiral around the two in the opposite direction. It soon crystallized into ice and exploded. They heard Origami grunt in pain as his paper storm was repelled.

But they didn't have time to relax. Curse leapt and was falling towards them, his two fists aimed right for their heads.

Skadi hurriedly flipped through the pages of her spellbook until she found one she liked. "Vekten!" she shouted quickly. A pillar of ice erupted from her feet and shot out at Curse. The pillar collided into his shoulder, shattering upon impact but at least knocking him into a different direction. Curse landed just a few feet short of them. "Tyren!" she then said. A huge ice hammer appeared in front of her. She quickly grabbed onto it with her free hand and swung it with all of her might. It knocked Curse square in the jaw as it splintered. He groaned as he lost balance and fell to his knees.

Nightcrawler smirked and swiftly leapt onto Curse. "I hope you enjoy your trip!" He immediately teleported them both two miles high into the air. He kicked off of Curse and then teleported himself safely to the ground, leaving Curse to spend the next few seconds falling to the ground helplessly.

As Skadi watched the plummeting Dark Elf, Origami silently reappeared next to her and drew his katana. "Iai giri!"

Skadi turned to face him and felt the blood rush to her face. Her life flashed before her eyes. "Ah! Tvillingene!" she said right before Origami cut her body in two.

---

"Skadi!" Nightcrawler shouted frantically, watching her top half fall lifelessly to him. For a moment, he was almost overcome with dread and fear. But as he looked at her body more closely, he noticed it looked oddly crystal-like. In fact, it looked like it was made of ice. "What?"

She stuck her head out from the snow just next to him. "That was close… Um… Can you help me up? Please?"

He started laughing. "Of course," he said as he happily touched her head and teleported them both to safety several yards away. "Skadi! I can't believe it! How did you do that?"

"Oh… Ice clone," she responded. She was about to explain more but then heard a giant thud behind her. She turned around and saw that Curse had finally crashed into the ground.

"Tell me later. Go take the big guy," Nightcrawler commanded. "I've got the samurai," he said as he ran at Origami. She nodded and headed to face Curse.

Nightcrawler leapt at Origami with a slash, who blocked the blade with his katana. Nightcrawler quickly attacked again, but Origami blocked that attack as well. They continued the stalemate of sword strikes another three times until Origami feinted attacking left, but then came back around and swung overhead in a chopping motion. Nightcrawler saw the attack and teleported, reappearing ten feet away. Origami laughed. "Taikutsu ni yararerukurai nara shinji mau hou ga zutto mashi sa. Dakarakoso sayonara nanda."

Nightcrawler groaned. "Okay… Now I see why everyone gets annoyed when I speak a language they don't understand…"

"Affirmative," Warlock responded. Nightcrawler rolled his eyes but faced the white samurai, ready for another sword duel.

On the other side of the arctic field, Skadi was running to the crater. She looked down at her feet and remembered a spell. "Vannmannen!" The snow in front of her magically transformed into ice, and she quickly slid to where Curse had landed. She cautiously peered into the crater, but then Curse leapt out.

He grabbed at her. She stepped backwards to avoid the grasp. He missed her body, but he managed to grab hold of the bottom of her robe. He pulled as she struggled to get away. The was a tearing sound as part of her robe ripped off, mostly exposing her right leg but letting her scuttle away from Curse's reach.

Curse tossed away the fabric in frustration, but looked at her bare leg and smirked. "The Jotun girl tempts Valgoth!" he exclaimed. "Very tempting…" He grabbed at her once again.

"Krepsen!" she said as an ice sword materialized in her right hand. She swung it quickly, cutting Curse's hand. He grunted in pain and then punched the blade, shattering it and sending her skidding back along the snow.

"Dirty Jotun tease!" He jumped at her, trying to stomp on her chest. She quickly rolled to the side, avoiding him. But he reacted quickly and kicked at her chest.

"Steinbukken!" she said as an ice shield appeared in front of her. But Curse easily smashed through it and sent her flying. She fortunately landed in a soft pile of snow. But that didn't change the fact that she was pretty sure she had just broken a rib. She touched her side and winced.

Nightcrawler then reappeared next to her. He was grabbing his left arm, and Skadi saw blood streaming from his shoulder down to his fingers. His bottom lip was also slightly bleeding. "So, he's a bit better with the sword than I would hope…"

Skadi huffed as she sat up in pain. She flipped through the pages of her spellbook until she found what she was looking for. Skadi pointed her finger at Nightcrawler's arm. "Jomfruen!" she said. Blue sparks burst from her fingertip and a coating of ice covered Nightcrawler's arm. It crystallized, numbing his pain and stopping the bleeding. At least, temporarily.

"Thanks. That definitely helps," Nightcrawler said. He looked at her and saw that her face was conveying she was also in pain. "What's wrong? Can't you get up?"

"I don't think so…" she answered. "I think I cracked a rib. I'm in a lot of pain just sitting here, so there's no way I'll be able to stand."

"That's bad."

"I have a feeling our battle isn't going very well…"

"Well… I have a last resort, but I was really hoping I wouldn't have to use it," he said as he eyed the Soul Sword. "I can have Warlock open up a dimensional portal that will swallow everything in its vicinity."

"Then why is it a last resort?"

"Um… We'd also be within the portal's vicinity…"

"Oh… Okay… Is there any upside to this last resort?" Skadi worriedly asked.

"Maybe. I'm hoping you have some ice magic that will keep us safe, keep us from getting sucked into the portal."

"Wait, what?" Skadi started flipping through her spellbook. "What kind of spell are we talking about?"

"I'll be honest; I don't exactly know. I was hoping you'd know something miraculous off the top of your head."

"I… I don't know…" she said as she turned page after page, looking for something that would help them. "This is crazy!"

He looked up and saw Curse and Origami heading towards them. "Well, we might not have much of a choice…"

"No more delays!" Curse shouted, now only twenty feet from them and closing the distance fast. "Valgoth demands your deaths!"

"Hora biribiri ikarasu ka? Aooni? Shimo no Kyojin?" Origami taunted, his katana in hand.

Nightcrawler faced them. "It's now or never, Skadi!" He pulled back the Soul Sword as it started to glow. "Ready, Warlock?"

"Affirmative."

Nightcrawler yelled as he swung the Soul Sword in front of them. The blade seemed to cut into the fabric of space itself, ripping open a gateway into another dimension. Immediately, a great gale started to pull everything into the portal. Nightcrawler grabbed onto Skadi and teleported them two miles away. But he knew that wouldn't be enough. Nightcrawler stabbed the ground with the sword, trying his best to keep from being drawn in.

"Ah… ah…" Skadi said in a panic as she felt her body being dragged into the portal. The wind was too much and she dropped her spellbook; it flew out of her hands and dangled at the end of her chain. She was dragged out of the snow, but quickly grabbed onto Nightcrawler's legs.

Their opponents weren't as lucky. Origami tried to run away from the vortex of winds, but his body was being pulled apart piece by piece. "Fukanō! Bakana!" His body slowly disappeared as the petal-like pieces of paper were all sucked into the portal.

The portal next dragged Curse into the air. He tried to grab onto the snow, but the snow wasn't solid enough to keep him grounded. "Malekith! Valgoth cannot fail Malekith!"

"Skadi!" Nightcrawler shouted. "That miracle ice spell right about now would be good!"

"But I didn't have enough time to find a good spell!" she shouted back.

"I believe in you!" he yelled to her as he felt the Soul Sword start to give. They saw Curse shout in anger as he was sucked into the portal, flailing his arms helplessly as he disappeared into nothingness. Nightcrawler swallowed nervously as the Soul Sword came free from the snow. "Improvise!" he shouted as the Soul Sword came loose from the snow and they were both immediately dragged into the air.

Skadi let go of Nightcrawler and pointed her hands at the portal. "Okay… I can do this… Løven!" she shouted. A howling blizzard appeared in front of them. The icy winds blasted forward, colliding into the vacuum waves of the portal. A roaring explosion of air boomed into Nightcrawler and Skadi, sending them both flying away and landing in the snow. The blizzard battled with the portal for another ten seconds, before the portal finally collapsed and the storm settled into a gentle mist of snowflakes.

Nightcrawler groaned as he rolled over. His injured arm had resumed bleeding freely. Likewise, Skadi couldn't even sit up, her broken rib causing her too much pain.

"Are Avshalom and friend Skadi alive?" Warlock's voice called out.

"Skadi?"

"Yeah… I'm here…"

"Viel Wissen macht Kopfweh," Nightcrawler muttered. He glanced at the Soul Sword in his hand and smiled, happy that he hadn't let go of Warlock in the chaos. "That was insane."

Skadi couldn't stop herself from laughing, even though each laugh hurt her side. "I can't believe we're not dead! I thought we'd be in Valhalla right now!"

"Knock out!" Taneleer shouted. "My goodness! What a round! Those two sure did the impossible and made a miracle happen! The winners are… Nightcrawler and Skadi! Another point for Uatu! They've tied it up and it's now three to three! You know what that means: the final round is up next!"

The two of them disappeared in a flash of light as Round Six concluded.

---

"We've got you," Rogue said as Kurt collapsed into her arms. "Good job, baby brother," she said with a smile. A few feet away, Alej and Cassie caught Skadi.

"Rogue," he said happily. "You're okay!"

She laughed, holding back tears. "That's more than I can say about you."

Ororo walked up to Kurt and gave him a hug. "Welcome back. You two were great." Kurt dropped the Soul Sword, and it transformed back into Warlock's humanoid mode. "And I see you've brought your friend."

"Affirmative. Self is Avshalom's friend."

"Ninja Smurf! Princess Elsa! You were so cool!" Cassie said excitedly. "You were all bamf-bamf-abracadabra-whoosh! And I was all whoa-no-yes-yahoo! Super cool!"

Logan sighed, though he was smirking. "You can see sugar high is back to normal too…"

Alej smiled and patted Skadi on the back. "Way to go, hermana!"

"Thanks," Skadi responded, her cheeks slightly flushed. "I finally think I've got that whole self-confidence thing going."

"I'd say so," Alej added.

"I am Groot."

"I agree with the wooden giant," Rocket said atop Groot's shoulder. "You guys were kinda awesome. As in I was 'somewhat in awe' by your performances."

Kurt laughed. "Don't get sentimental on us, Rocket."

Kurt looked around the room and saw that his fellow Champions were all still recovering from their injuries, but their happiness was enough to make them ignore that. Rogue still had a bandage on her chest, but it was a fresh bandage that was no longer blood-stained. Logan was shirtless, showing that his skin had completely healed. Ororo and Rocket both had heavy bags under their eyes and were a little sluggish, but otherwise seemed almost back to normal. Cassie's side had also healed, leaving only a burn hole in her outfit. Alej seemed almost at full energy again, just with the occasional yawning. And Groot, who was never injured in the first place, towered over everyone with a big smile on his face.

Uatu's hologram reappeared. "Well done. I could not be happier."

"Thanks," Kurt responded. "Not to kill the moment, but Skadi and I are still in a considerable amount of pain." His arm was still injured, blood still slowly dripping down to his fingers. And Skadi needed Alej to help her stand, as her broken rib was still causing her too much pain to put any weight on it.

"I am Groot," Groot said as he walked over to Kurt. He placed his hand on Kurt's arm and strings of vines started to grow. They wrapped around Kurt's arm, acting like a makeshift cast. Groot then walked over to Skadi and did the same thing, wrapping her abdomen in vines.

"That should help," Rocket said. "It'll help numb the pain and promote speedy healing."

"Thank you, Groot," Skadi said. Groot smiled and gently nodded in response.

Uatu turned to them. "Because of your valiant efforts, we are now only one round away from claiming victory."

Logan nodded. "So the final round is up next then."

"Does one of us get another shot?" Cassie asked excitedly. "I would gladly like another go. Pew pew!"

Skadi shook her head. "One opportunity a day to perish is enough for me."

Uatu subtly smiled. "No. You are all done fighting. If you recall, the final round will be the tenth member of the team. The member you have not yet met."

"Right…" Alej said. "Didn't you say that we would get a villain and Mojo would get a hero?"

Uatu nodded. "Yes. In fact, Laika is now finding the last two Champions as we speak. They will be entering the final round shortly."

Ororo let out a sigh. "I guess that means we just wait until then?"

"Yes, it shouldn't be long." Uatu looked at them. "Enjoy some time to rest, even if it is brief." And with that, the hologram disappeared.

Cassie quickly sat on the ground. "What do you want to do to pass the time? Truth or Dare?"

"No," Rogue, Logan, and Alej immediately responded in unison.

Warlock looked around the room. "Avshalom has quite the collection of friends."

Kurt chuckled. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Self is happy Avshalom is happy."

"Thanks, Warlock," Kurt said. "You're a true friend."

Warlock bowed his head slightly. "Self may be near or far, but self is always only one wormhole away." Warlock then glowed brightly and disappeared.

Rocket raised an eyebrow. "You're friends with a Technarch? You are so weird…"

"Says the talking raccoon," Alej countered.

Rocket jokingly crossed his arms in frustration. "Don't get on my bad side, missy."

Ororo chuckled. "What happened to the nice guy routine you promised?"

"Lady, ain't nobody nicer than the Rocket," he said with a smile.

"I am Groot," Groot added.

"Yeah, you're okay," Rocket responded as he playfully patted Groot's head.

Logan walked over to Skadi and shook her hand. "I just want to say you really impressed me, kid. I haven't seen ice powers like that since the Forties."

"Yeah, you're way cooler than Bobby," Rogue added with a smirk. "Don't tell him I said that, Logan."

She smiled. "Thank you. That means a lot coming from you two."

"Why?" Logan asked.

"You're Wolverine and you're the incarnation of Marvel, two of the Avengers that defeated Ymir," she said. "You should see the propaganda posters the frost giants have against you guys back in Jotunheim."

"Guys!" Cassie shouted. She was excitedly jumping and pointing to the screens. "Look! Get over here! The round is starting!"

Alej glanced at the screens. "Dios mío. The round is taking place in space."

They all rushed over to look. "Looks like a spaceship graveyard," Rocket added. "Look at all those pieces of metal. Hey, Groot, doesn't that look like the left wing of the Dark Aster?"

"I am Groot."

"Are those asteroids?" Rogue asked in amazement.

"I wonder how the Champions will be fighting," Ororo said. "Is there… air?"

"There has to be," Logan replied. "Or else the match will just boil down to who can hold their breath the longest. It's probably some kind of magic. Like the entire Contest has been."

Rogue pointed at a silver figure on the screen. "Hey, I think that's one of the Champions… Is that a surfboard?"

Cassie started clapping in excitement. "Hang ten! Oh! I know! I'll call him the silver surfer!"

"That's a stupid name," Rocket said atop Groot's shoulder. "He'd be a total loser if he went by that name."

Alej shook her head. "For once, I'll agree with you."

"Can you tell if the silver guy is the hero or the villain?" Skadi asked. "He looks like he's strong. I hope he's on our team."

"He's not on our team; he's definitely the hero," Kurt responded right away.

"What makes you say that?" Rogue asked.

Kurt pointed at the red and black figure on the other side of the screen. "Because that's Magneto."

---

Welcome to Round Seven, the final round! Taneleer's voice cast out to the two Champions telepathically. A survivor of one of the worst human tragedies in history, he has since promised that his people will never suffer like that again. And that means he always fights for mutantkind, no matter who gets in his way. Enhanced by both the Gem of Cytorrak and S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Super Soldier Serum, his powers have evolved beyond a standard mutant's. He can control the magnetic bond in atoms. He can easily manipulate all kinds of metals, but he can even use it to change his body's electrical charge, letting him fly. Some people call him a terrorist; he considers himself a savior. Uatu's Champion: Erik Lehnsherr of Earth, Apocalypse's former Horseman of War… Magneto!

He let his cape flutter behind him as he raised his hand. Magneto closed his fist, and a spaceship part nearby suddenly crushed into a tiny ball of metal shrapnel. "Learn now why they call me the master of magnetism!"

His opponent came from a peaceful planet full of good and kind people. But they were all completely annihilated, their planet lost to the Devourer of Worlds. The lone survivor, the One-Above-All took pity on him and granted him cosmic powers. His body was alchemized into liquid metal: sturdy, shapeable, and immune to all forms of electrical charges. He can also absorb and expel cosmic radiation, becoming a destructive force of energy blasts. But it is his mode of transport that is most fascinating: a board made of the same liquid metal that is psychically linked to the rider. All should beware his might. Mojo's Champion: Norrin Radd of Zenn-La, the universe's great traveler… Herald!

He stared blankly at Magneto. Herald simply bowed his head to show his opponent respect. "There is much hatred in your heart. You let that cloud your judgment."

Round Seven: begin!

As soon as Taneleer finished his sentence, Magneto aimed his hand at a small asteroid floating nearby, felt its metal core by using his magnetic powers, and then launched the asteroid at Herald.

Herald turned to the approaching asteroid and pointed his hand at it. He fired a beam of energy, exploding the asteroid into rubble just feet before it would have hit him. "Trying to attack me before I'm ready, I see."

"That was the plan."

"You should plan smarter perhaps."

Magneto snorted in frustration. He quickly spread out his arms, extending his magnetic control to two huge spaceship pieces on either side of Herald. He clapped his arms together, sending the two metal pieces colliding into each other with an impressive impact. Magneto pulled another spare part to him. He used his powers to shred the metal into tiny slices and started to spin them like saw blades. Magneto pointed both of his arms in front of him and the hundreds of pieces of shrapnel launched forward.

Herald pushed apart the two pieces that had crushed him earlier, only to be greeted with the barrage of metal pieces flying at him. Dozens pierced right through his body. He grunted in pain, though his liquid metal body seemed largely unfazed. He gazed at Magneto and shook his head in disappointment. He grabbed hold of his silver board and shot off at breakneck speeds.

The next thing Magneto knew was that Herald's arm collided into Magneto's head. The blow sent Magneto spinning wildly through space and smashing into an asteroid. Magneto slowly got to his knees, shaking his head to regain his composure.

Herald slowly floated over to Magneto. "You are very eager to fight, but your reason for doing so is misguided."

"I will not be spoken down to like a child. Least of all from some silver alien with a surfboard." He pointed his arm at a spaceship piece and pulled it to him. He again ripped it into tiny pieces, but this time he used his magnetic powers to crush each metal piece into a dense ball. Magneto aimed his index finger at Herald. He shouted in anticipation and launched the metal pieces at Herald like a machine gun firing bullets.

Herald immediately kicked his board up and held it in front of himself like a shield. The metal spheres collided into the board, which held firmly and reflected the shots. When the barrage stopped, Herald let the board fall and hopped on top of it again.

"Your fighting prowess is impressive," Herald said, "but you cannot defeat me." Suddenly a metal spike pierced into Herald's back, stabbing through to the front of his chest.

"I beg to differ," Magneto taunted, having used his powers to spear Herald with a spaceship part from behind.

Herald closed his eyes. In an instant, his torso liquefied. Herald neatly pulled out the spear-like piece of metal and tossed it away. He took a breath, and his body was good as new.

"Hmm… You may be able to heal quickly, but even you cannot be immortal."

"And what would you do if I was?"

Magneto furrowed at the response. He attempted to grab another asteroid with his magnetic powers when he felt something smash into him.

Herald flew into Magneto at sonic speeds, slamming him backwards. He immediately followed up with a quick bash, using his board as a hammer. Magneto plummeted, crashing into a spaceship wing and breaking right through. Herald floated over to him slowly.

"I do not wish for this to continue."

Magneto darkly laughed. "Generally, fights to the death must go on."

"What makes you think this is a fight to the death? The round lasts until one of us is defeated," Herald retorted. "This includes surrender."

"And what makes you think I would surrender to you?" Magneto threw his arms forward and two metal pipes from the nearby spaceship wing flung at Herald.

Herald lazily held his hand out and blasted the pipes into dust. "As I stated earlier, you cannot defeat me. You must have already realized this."

Magneto grew angry, but realized his predicament. "That may be, but I will never surrender. No. I learned that the hard way."

Herald slowly floated over to him. "I understand that you have faced the very darkest of humanity."

"Yes," Magneto responded bitterly. "I suffered at the hands of evil men… and men following their orders. It was because of them I lost so many of my people. My friends and my family…

"I managed to survive that hell, and I promised myself never again. Now I have a new group of brothers and sisters. So I fight for them."

Herald nodded, trying to comprehend Magneto's argument. "But who do you fight for?"

Magneto gritted his teeth in frustration. "Mutants!" he shouted as he clapped his arms together. Suddenly, a dozen spaceship fragments flew at Herald.

Herald merely sighed and spread his arms. A wave of energy rippled from his fingertip, colliding into the metal pieces and disintegrating them into dust. Herald then flew at Magneto again. He positioned his board and pinned Magneto against a nearby asteroid.

"Get off of me!" Magneto yelled at him.

Herald shook his head in sadness. "You are wrong."

"What are you talking about?" Magneto asked as he struggled to get free.

"You believe that mutants are your people. That is wrong. All humans are your people."

Magneto was taken aback for a moment. "What?"

Herald backed off, letting Magneto free. "You heard Taneleer's introduction about me. So you know that I am the last of my kind. Nothing remains of my planet."

"And why should I care?"

"Because my story is your story," Herald responded. "We both lost everything. We are both survivors.

"I impart this wisdom onto you. You think your people are only mutants, those who you consider your family. But everyone on your planet is your people. Even those you hate. You must realize this. You are all one."

Magneto looked Herald in the eyes. "You really believe that?"

Tears welled in Herald's eyes. "I miss them. My wife. My children. My parents. My siblings. My nieces and nephews. My neighbors. My friends. My acquaintances. The celebrities. The politicians. The artists and musicians. The scientists and teachers. The soldiers. The criminals. The murderers. My enemies. They are all gone; I will never see any of them again."

"Why do you care about those you hate? That doesn't make any sense."

"Because all people are my people. And that is the tough reality I deal with now that I am alone."

Magneto crossed his arms. "That is not what I believe."

"I know. And I am here to tell you to change your mind," Herald said.

"I thought you were here to kill me."

"No," Herald responded with a smirk as he wiped the tears out of his eyes. "I want to teach you."

Magneto laughed. "You want to turn me into a hero…"

"You have the potential to be the very best of your people. To be a leader who promotes peace, not war. Do not squander the opportunity. War accomplishes nothing positive. It never has. And deep down, you know that."

Magneto nodded his head slowly. "You sound like Charles…"

"I do not know Charles, but he sounds like a wise man."

"Maybe it's time I start to listen to Charles…" Magneto said.

"I believe in you," Herald said. "And you need to believe in peace. War is never what's best for the world."

"I'll try to remember that if you don't kill me."

Herald smiled. "Good. Then I surrender."

The two Champions vanished in a flash of light as the final round ended.

---

The entire room of Uatu's Champions watched the screens until Rocket broke the silence in an obnoxious laugh.

"Oh man!" he struggled to say in between laughing. "Bucket head wins because chrome dome forfeits! This is hilarious!"

"Rocket…" Ororo said as she shook her head.

"I'm sure Magneto is just as surprised with what happened as we are," Logan said.

Kurt turned to Rogue. "I hope he actually listens to Herald's advice and doesn't get all, you know, grumpy and stuff."

Rogue rolled her eyes. "When is Magneto not grumpy, sugar?"

"So… since Herald surrendered…" Alej said, "does that mean we win?"

Immediately, holograms of Uatu and Mojo appeared.

"Ah!" Cassie said as she hid behind Groot. "Scary green alien!" Skadi unconsciously crossed her arms and took a step back. Mojo's appearance was indeed unsettling.

"An outrage! Uatu cheated!" Mojo shrieked. "Mojo demands another round!"

"I did not cheat. Not in any way," Uatu responded. "You chose your Champion. And your Champion surrendered to mine."

Mojo growled in anger. "Uatu anticipated this outcome all along! Uatu is a cheater!"

Uatu shook his head. "I am innocent of your claims and you know it, Mojo. You are just unhappy you have lost."

Mojo darkly grinned. "Lost? Mojo disagrees. Mojo waits to hear what news Taneleer brings…"

"The green guy looks like a cross between Slimer and the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man…" Cassie whispered to Alej.

Mojo glared at the Champions. "Ah, Uatu's heroes… Mojo is unimpressed…"

Rocket cocked his head. "At least we don't look like we climbed out of the sewers…"

"Mojo would kill you all if it was not against the rules…" Mojo muttered. He then glanced at Skadi and licked his lips. "Mojo sees the frost giant is still suffering from her earlier wardrobe malfunction…"

Skadi let out an audible "eep" as she glanced down at her exposed leg. She then joined Cassie in hiding behind Groot.

"You're disgusting," Ororo said to Mojo.

"You're lucky you're just a hologram or else I'd punch you in your ugly face!" Logan said.

Mojo laughed. "Such weaklings cannot harm Mojo!"

Alej's hand burst into blue hellfire. "Wanna bet, basura?" Even Kurt and Rogue assumed fighting positions.

Mojo slapped his belly. "Mojo does not fear Uatu's Champions."

"I am Groot," Groot grumbled as he stood proud.

Mojo cautiously eyed the tree creature. He looked ready to respond, but kept quiet.

Rocket spat at Mojo. "That shut you up."

Before Mojo could retort, Taneleer's hologram appeared in the room. He looked at Uatu and Mojo and instantly sensed the tense situation. "Gentlemen…"

Both Uatu and Mojo faced Taneleer and nodded. Uatu spoke first. "What was the decision?"

"Yes!" Mojo added quickly. "Was Mojo's demand for another round granted?"

Taneleer cocked his head and furrowed his face. "Well… yes… and no…"

"Mojo demands to know!" he yelled. "What did the One-Above-All say?"

Taneleer took a deep breath. "The One-Above-All agrees that there was no form of cheating involved."

Uatu nodded. "I am happy that my innocence was maintained."

Mojo grimaced. "No! Mojo will not lose like this!"

"You are right," Taneleer said. "However, the One-Above-All has agreed that last round's conclusion was disappointing. And the One-Above-All believes that there must be a clear winner. Thus, and I cannot believe I am saying this, we will be having a Round Eight."

"No!" all of the Champions said in unison. Even Uatu shook his head in disagreement.

Mojo started clapping. "Mojo is overjoyed!"

"However," Taneleer interrupted, "Round Eight will be very different than the rest."

Uatu raised an eyebrow in surprise. "How so?"

Mojo crossed his arms. "Mojo wants to know what the One-Above-All is demanding…"

"One of each of your Champions was already chosen by the One-Above-All to participate. And Round Eight will not be available for anyone else to spectate; the One-Above-All will be the sole audience and judge," Taneleer said.

"Will we still be fighting to the death?" Skadi asked.

Taneleer was taken aback that someone had interrupted the three of them, and when she saw Taneleer look at her in shock, Skadi blushed. But in fact Taneleer was pleasantly surprised at her boldness. "I do not know. It was not my place to question the One-Above-All."

"Who are the chosen Champions?" Uatu asked.

Taneleer smirked. "Kurt Wagner and Jin Jiang Jun."

Skadi let out another "eep" and turned to Kurt. "No…"

"I take it that's bad…" Kurt said. Meanwhile, Mojo was excitedly clapping.

"And the One-Above-All wants Round Eight to start now. No time for delays," Taneleer said as Laika appeared in a flash. "Leave your teammates. They will be fine. But you must go now."

Please come with me, Laika telepathically said to Kurt.

Kurt awkwardly nodded his head. "He's just a giant dragon, right?"

But then he felt Rogue hug him from behind. "Please… don't die…" she whispered to him.

He smiled at her as she let go. He turned to all of his friends and tried to look confident. "Wish me luck…"

Before anyone could respond, Laika barked at Kurt. He saw his body glow. He then felt the very space around him shift as the light vanished. He looked around and saw he was now in a grey throne room, and standing opposite of him was Jin Jiang Jun, in all of his intimidating golden glory. The dragon growled and snapped his jaws.

But neither Champion made a move for each other. Instead they both turned to the giant throne, and the obscured figure watching them. Though neither Kurt nor Jin Jiang Jun could see the figure, they both knew it was the One-Above-All.

Welcome, Champions, to my world! the One-Above-All telepathically said to them. Are you ready to get started with Round Eight?

The throne room grew dark and was cast into shadows as two bright lights focused on the two Champions, illuminating them for the upcoming round.

Don't be nervous… the One-Above-All calmly demanded. Let me explain the rules quickly, and then I will let you two battle for my entertainment!

Kurt swallowed nervously. He could tell the One-Above-All was toying with the both of them. Though honestly he couldn't tell if Jin Jiang Jun was even was paying the slightest bit of attention to the One-Above-All. Most likely, Jin Jiang Jun was simply concentrating on roasting Kurt alive and then devouring him.

Here are the rules, the One-Above-All said. You each have three options and those three options only. There will be no second chances; the option you choose will decide your fate. Your choice versus your opponent's choice.

Kurt took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay," he said to himself quietly. "I'm ready."

Good! Now then, who's ready for Rock-Paper-Scissors?

Kurt blinked, remaining motionless. The last sentence the One-Above-All just said flashed through his mind a few more times. "Wait… Are you serious?"

Oh, I'm dead serious! I want to see the ultimate game of Rock-Paper-Scissors!

---

"Um… Sorry, one more question… Why?"

Hello? Hello? Anybody home? Think, McFly! Think! Ending the Contest of Champions with Rock-Paper-Scissors is perfect! No one expected it, and it is absolutely hilarious! So don't you dare disappoint me, you two! Remember, I am an all-powerful being and I decide the fates of your galaxies! I demand to be entertained, so you will both play Rock-Paper-Scissors for my entertainment!

"Uh… okay…" Kurt said as he turned to face Jin Jiang Jun. He stuck his arms out and rested his right hand on his left palm, ready to start. "This is totally insane. I am going to play Rock-Paper-Scissors for the fate of the galaxy against a dragon while an all-powerful being watches and makes Back to the Future jokes. I am either in the final stages of a medically-induced coma as my brain begins its shutdown… or I have the craziest life imaginable…"

Round Eight: begin! Rock! Paper! Scissors! the One-Above-All announced happily.

"Ah!" Kurt shouted energetically as he threw out Paper. He prayed that decision was the right one. The fate of the galaxy literally depended on it.

Kurt slowly looked up from his right hand in the Paper shape to the giant golden dragon Jin Jiang Jun. The dragon didn't react to the One-Above-All's comment. Though this didn't really surprise Kurt as he wasn't even sure Jin Jiang Jun had hands that were capable forming the shapes necessary for Rock-Paper-Scissors.

Instead, Jin Jiang Jun let out a terrifying roar. The dragon's throat grumbled as his mouth started to glow. Jin Jiang Jun faced Kurt and opened his jaws wide, releasing a blazing stream of flames. Kurt quickly covered his face with his arms, fully expecting to be completely burned alive by the dragon fire. But moments before the flames were going to hit him, they instantly vanished. Jin Jiang Jun growled in confusion, also wondering where his flames disappeared.

What was that? the One-Above-All demanded. Boo! Not cool! Disqualified!

Jin Jiang Jun's eyes widened in shock as his body started to fade away. He roared in fear as his body disappeared in a flash of light. The lighting in the throne room returned to normal, though the One-Above-All remained hidden in perpetual darkness.

Kurt stood up straight. He rubbed his eyes, still completely surprised with the whole situation. "What the heck is going on…?"

I know, right! Jin Jiang Jun didn't even try! Ironic though since I guess you could say he threw 'Fire' and that would beat 'Paper'! Oh, I crack myself up…

Kurt shook his head in confusion. "So… I win?"

Yeah! You played by the rules and I am thoroughly entertained. So you're the winner. Which means Uatu wins. So congratulations on saving your galaxy! the One-Above-All said.

A banner above Kurt unraveled in a grand fashion as confetti and balloons drifted down from the ceiling. The banner read "Congratulations to Uatu's team! Class of Contest 616!" And Kurt could swear "Celebration" by Kool & the Gang was echoing throughout the throne room.

"Thanks…" Kurt said slowly. "I'm happy that my galaxy isn't being destroyed. But I saved it by winning by default in a Rock-Paper-Scissors match?"

A bit anticlimactic, I agree. But what are you gonna do? I am not going through the labor of starting another Contest of Champions. Do you know how much more planning that would take? Forget about it!

"Um… Who exactly are you? Do you have a name other than 'the One-Above-All'? What do you even look like? And why do you suddenly sound like a 'cool dude' from the '90s?"

The shadows surrounding the One-Above-All dissipated, revealing a man. He was taller than Kurt and was noticeably well-built. But what was most interesting was the outfit he was wearing.

"Wow… Okay… I wasn't expecting a guy in a red and black ninja outfit…" Kurt said.

"Says the guy dressed in a red and black ninja outfit," he retorted.

"Okay, good point," Kurt said.

"Dude, this outfit is sexy. Sexy like a G.I. Joe Snake Eyes version of Bea Arthur… I'll give you one-thousand Whose Line Is It Anyway? points if you catch that reference right now…" He waited a moment for Kurt to respond, and took his confused silence as a cue to continue. "Besides, you wouldn't comprehend my true form anyway. Like 'The Age of Aquarius', I'm from the fifth dimension. That's one dimension above Uatu and Mojo, buddy. So I need to look like something your simple brain can understand. Got it?"

"Yeah…" Kurt said as he scratched his head. "So… Mr. One-Above-All…"

"Don't call me that," he responded. "That sounds so stuffy and formal. Hmm… I guess I'll need some 'normal' human name now, too. One that really expresses the gravity of who I am. Let me think…

"So I am an ocean of order and chaos. I am a river of good and bad. I am a pool of life and death. Oh, I like that… Call me 'Deadpool'! Ha, that's totally an in-joke."

"Deadpool?" Kurt asked. "That's… not exactly a real name…"

"Hey! Are you spell check? Are you flagging my name with a red squiggly? Do I need to right-click and add that to your personal dictionary? Or are you a blue demon who's just gonna accept what's happening and tell me I have a really cool name?"

"Uh… I guess the latter…" A moment of awkward silence passed between them before Kurt spoke up again. "You have a really cool name…"

"Sweet chimichangas, my friend! And in case you're wondering, that's my new catchphrase for awesomeness," Deadpool said with a wink.

Kurt pinched his hand. "No, I'm not dreaming. I'm totally awake…"

Deadpool cracked his knuckles and then put his arm around Kurt. "I'm sure you have a lot of questions for me. And while I'm all-knowing, and I could tell you everything, that would be really lame and defeat the whole purpose of your growth as a character. River Song spoilers, dude. You get what I'm saying?"

"No, not really…"

Deadpool laughed loudly. "I like you. You're honest and you make me laugh. So I'm gonna let you ask me three questions, any three questions, and I will give you the cosmic answers that will completely blow your mind. And then I will send you and all you Champions on your merry little way back home."

Kurt nodded. "Okay…"

Deadpool snapped his fingers. A throne grew from the ground under Kurt's feet, until he was sitting in it. Deadpool then jumped backwards into the air thirty feet as he landed gracefully on his own throne. He took a seat, and the two thrones moved along the ground until they faced each other, now only a couple of feet apart. "Ask away!" Deadpool said happily as he pulled a bag of popcorn from behind his throne.

"Sure…" Kurt hesitantly grabbed a handful of popcorn. "Thanks." He popped two pieces into his mouth. "So, why did you start this Contest of Champions thing? If you're some all-powerful being of life and death, what do you need the Contest for?"

Deadpool scratched his chin. "I rule over the universe, but I let the beings living in it decide its fate. I want what happens to their galaxy to be completely up to them. So when Uatu and Mojo presented me with their whole rivalry of good and evil, I jumped at the chance to set this up. And I felt that the best way to do this would be to have beings from across the universe fight for what they believed in. So, yeah, you X-Men got involved, but now you also get exchange business cards with Skrulls, Symbiotes, Jotnar, Dark Elves, Shi'ar, Kree, and what have you. And, by the way, you haven't even gotten to the really weird stuff in the universe yet. You think Rocket the Raccoon is weird? Let me just say three words: Howard the Duck!"

Kurt slowly nodded his head, only comprehending about half of what Deadpool said. Kurt ate another piece of popcorn. "For this Round Eight, why did you pick me to compete?"

"No real reason," Deadpool said. "I think you're cool. So I wanted to get a chance to meet you in person. And I knew you'd enjoy all of this, and more importantly, you'd treat me with the respect and dignity I deserve. I mean, can you imagine if I chose Cassie? She'd be asking me a thousand questions! That girl has more energy than a fusion-powered arc reactor!" Yeah, ain't nobody got time for that!

Kurt wasn't sure if he should be laughing or not. Everything Deadpool was saying sounded half-wise and half-crazy. Deadpool yawned. "Come on. One more question. I hope it's a good one."

Kurt turned to face Deadpool. "Okay…"

Deadpool placed the bag of popcorn down and pointed his index fingers at Kurt. "Shoot!"

"If you're all-knowing, then what does it all mean? You know… life, the universe, everything?"

"Forty-two!" Deadpool immediately joked. "Ha! But in all seriousness, that's something that you'll have to answer for yourself. Your path is your own path; it's up to you to figure out what the point of your life is. So I could say something like you get married, have a daughter named Talia, and they eventually make a movie about you X-Men where they cast the guy from The Good Wife as you before they end up recasting the younger version of you as the guy from ParaNorman. But none of that means anything at all if you don't live it for yourself. Maybe that isn't the answer you're looking for, so I'll say that life simply is what it is. It's not necessarily good, but it's not necessarily bad. It's bittersweet."

Kurt slowly nodded his head again. "That was… kind of poetic… I guess. But I don't think I understood it all."

"You're not supposed to. If you did, then you'd be all-knowing like me and I'd serve no purpose in this story," Deadpool responded. "Hey, look at the time! You've got to go!"

Kurt saw that his body was starting to glow. "Will I ever see you again? Are the rest of the Champions? And what happened to the villains?"

"Dude, you already asked three questions," Deadpool said. "Telling you anything more would be a total spoiler. Speaking of which…" he then started to whisper, "Snape kills Dumbledore!"

"No more answers?"

"No more answers," Deadpool answered.

The lights surrounding Kurt started to shine even brighter. "I guess this is goodbye."

"It is, my friend. It is indeed."

Kurt gave an awkward thumbs-up. "Mein Freund. Bis Später."

Deadpool threw out a Vulcan salute. "Auf Wiedersehen, blau Dämon! Lebe lang und in Frieden." He then started laughing as Kurt began to vanish. "Yo, I'm totally going to end the scene right now!"

---

Kurt opened his eyes and saw that he was back at the Institute again, standing at the front door. He turned to his side and saw Rogue standing next to him, both now wearing their regular clothing again. She looked equally confused as to how exactly she got there.

"Rogue?" he asked cautiously.

She turned to him. "Kurt? You're okay!" Rogue said as she hugged him

"Yeah…" he said slowly. "I am…"

"I guess this means you won and the galaxy wasn't destroyed…" She let out a sigh of relief as their embrace ended. "Thank goodness…"

"Hey, your bandage is gone," Kurt added. "You're all better?"

She touched her chest and was surprised that she was no longer in pain. "No injury anymore. It's completely healed. And so has your arm." She noticed something glimmering pinned to her chest. "What's that?"

"It's a pin," Kurt said as he looked at his own chest and saw one as well. "It says 'Class of Contest 616'. Must be a memento for our participation."

Rogue shook her head in confusion. "This is all so weird…"

Kurt laughed. "You're saying that and you weren't the one who had to deal with Deadpool…"

"Who's Deadpool?" she asked.

Before Kurt could respond, he heard people walking behind him. He turned around to see Logan and Ororo, who also had the same pins on their chests.

"It appears we've all healed. And we're all safe and sound back on Earth," Ororo said.

Logan nodded. "I guess that means we can assume all of the others are all okay now too. Heh, I'm gonna miss that talking raccoon."

"Are you sure they're all okay?" Kurt asked.

Ororo smiled. "Uatu told us we would all return home safe and sound if you won. And thank goodness you did win. How did you manage to defeat Jin Jiang Jun?"

"Oh… Rock-Paper-Scissors," Kurt answered.

"Are you kidding me?" Logan demanded. Kurt smirked and shrugged his shoulders.

"Time out. Can we just take a minute and acknowledge what just happened?" Rogue asked. "I swear, just because I'm an X-Man doesn't mean I enjoy having the weirdest of weird happening to me every other week. What exactly happened to us today? No, seriously. Let me get this straight. Today we met a girl who can shrink to the size of a bumblebee, another girl who can turn into a hellfire skeleton, a winter witch straight out of Norse mythology, and talking trigger-happy raccoon and his giant walking tree buddy. And after Kurt won a battle against a paper craft samurai and an armor-wearing crazy orc by escaping a black hole created by his sword-robot friend from his previous demon life, Kurt then saved the world by defeating a dragon in a game of Rock-Paper-Scissors. That sound about right to everyone?"

"I guess so," Kurt said. "When you put it like that, it sounds farfetched and unbelievable."

"As are many things that we have gone through," Ororo added. "Do you remember when Hank was mistaken for Bigfoot while out camping? Or when we were attacked by Hydra's female clone of Logan? Or when our Caribbean cruise was interrupted by an erupting volcano?"

"Do we ever have a 'normal' weekend?" Logan muttered. He looked at his watch and started laughing. "I don't believe it. It's barely been five minutes. It's like we were never even there."

"Where?"

The four of them turned around and saw Professor Xavier, Scott, and Jean all eying them.

"Are you guys okay?" Jean asked. "You all look like you've just seen something really crazy."

"Yeah," Scott added. "And Jamie said something about a talking dog looking for all of you before it disappeared… So I know something weird is going on."

Logan scratched the back of his neck. "Chuck, we will tell you all about it. But I think right now, we all just want to go decompress for a bit."

Jean crossed her arms in confusion. "Decompress from what?"

Ororo smiled and placed her hand on her shoulder. "Tomorrow, my dear. Tomorrow." Ororo headed towards the gardens.

Logan nodded at Scott. "We'll chat later, slim." He walked off to the garage, most likely so he could work on his motorcycle.

"Um… I'm feeling like we're missing something," Scott said to Jean, who nodded in response.

Professor Xavier just smiled. "Let them go. They'll come to us when they're ready. No need to force them. After all, they're X-Men. It wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if they had a very strange day."

Rogue smiled. "Thanks, Professor."

"Now if you'll excuse me," the Professor said as he headed out of the hallway, "Cerebro has just informed me that Erik is calling. Let's hope he's finally decided to listen to my requests to live a life of peace…"

Rogue turned to her brother. "Hey, I'm gonna go for a walk."

"Do you want me to go with you?" he asked. "It's starting to get late."

She shook her head as she opened the door. "No, that's okay. Besides, you've got your date night with Kitty. And I kinda want to be alone with my thoughts." She fidgeted with her coat sleeves, as she was thinking about something. "I'll be down at Sanctum Cemetery. I feel like visiting Carol right now."

"Okay," Kurt said quietly. "Meine Schwester…"

"Bis Später," she quickly interrupted with a smirk. She waved at Kurt and then closed the door.

---

Kurt turned around to face Scott and Jean, who both looked very confused at why everyone was acting so strange.

"Let me guess," Scott said. "This all involves that talking dog Jamie mentioned."

"Pretty much," he answered.

"And you'll tell us about it tomorrow?" Jean asked. "We're worried about you guys."

"No need to worry, guys. All is good."

"Really?" Scott asked.

Kurt smirked. "It's not the end of the world. At least, not anymore."

Scott and Jean quickly looked at each other and shrugged.

"We will talk more tomorrow. But right now… Disney movie with my girlfriend. So… Lebe lang und in Frieden." He threw out a Vulcan salute and then teleported away.

He reappeared on the roof, where he and Kitty always had their Disney movie night location. He looked around and saw Kitty setting up the Blu-ray player. She heard Kurt's signature "bamf" and turned her head. "Hey! You're back!"

Kurt smiled. "Yeah, I'm back."

She jokingly put her hand on her hips. "Your session with Rogue ended half an hour ago. What took you so long?"

"Oh… I just had to travel across the universe to get here."

Kitty shook her head, but she was smiling. "One day, I'll get your sense of humor."

"I'm sure you will."

"What's with the pin? What's 'Contest 616'?"

"Ah… I'll tell you about it tomorrow, Kätzchen," he said.

Kitty grabbed five movies from the stack of Blu-rays. "Okay, what do you want to watch? Peter Pan, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Frozen, Pocahontas, or WALL-E?"

He started laughing loudly. Kitty raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What's so funny?"

"So… you're suggesting a movie with a tiny flying girl, a skeleton person, a girl with ice magic, a cheeky raccoon and a talking tree, or a friendly robot?"

Kitty looked at the movies she was holding. "Um… That's a really weird way of putting it, Kurt. But, yeah, I guess so…"

Kurt walked over to the stack of Blu-rays and grabbed the movie on top. "How about The Incredibles? I feel like watching a family of superheroes fighting to save the world."

"Sure," she said as she grabbed it from out of his hands and popped it into the Blu-Ray player. She then pulled Kurt over to the two chairs and sat down next to him. She smiled and pulled out a bowl from the snack table. "Popcorn?" she offered.

He blinked awkwardly at the suggestion. He then smirked and grabbed a handful. "Thanks. That means a lot."

She carefully eyed him, not sure why he was acting so weird. "You're acting kinda strange," she said. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah," he said. "It's just… Let's say I think I understand now."

"Understand what?" she asked as she threw two pieces of popcorn into her mouth.

"My purpose."

"In life? That's awfully philosophical…" Kitty said.

"My purpose is to be here. To be with you. Enjoying the path I'm on. All that and forty-two."

She slowly nodded her head. "Okay… So did you, like, smoke something before you got here?"

Kurt just smiled at her. "Ich liebe dich, Kätzchen. I want you to always remember that."

She blushed at his comment.

"Do you need me to translate that?" he joked.

"I know enough German now to know what that means…" she said, her cheeks still red. "Thanks. I love you, too."

The movie started playing and Mr. Incredible appeared on the screen, fumbling with his microphone. "Is this on? I can break through walls; I just can't… get this on…"

Kitty reached over and grabbed a bar of dark chocolate. She broke off a piece and ate some. Kurt raised an eyebrow. Kitty stuck her tongue out. "Don't judge me."

"No. It's just that I just would have guessed you liked milk chocolate," he said. "It's sweeter."

"I actually prefer dark chocolate for that reason. It's not as sweet," she explained. "It's bittersweet."

"Bittersweet," he repeated quietly.

She offered him a piece of dark chocolate. "Come on. I know you want to try the awesomeness that is bittersweet."

Kurt smiled as he grabbed it from her. "Sounds nice."

"Now pipe down!" she joked. "The movie's started already!"

Kurt turned to the movie screen and saw Mr. Incredible. "No matter how many times you save the world, it always manages to get back in jeopardy again. Sometimes I just want it to stay saved for a little bit. I feel like the maid. 'I just cleaned up this mess. Can we keep it clean for ten minutes? Please!' Oh…"

Kurt looked up into the sky. It wasn't quite night yet, but it was starting to dark. As he gazed at the celestial wonders light-years above his head, he saw a shooting star zoom across the sky. Or at least, he thought it was a shooting star. For all he knew, it was a silver surfer, or a golden dragon, or a spaceship piloted by a raccoon and a tree.

Kurt felt the pin that hung proudly on his chest and thought of Cassie, Alej, Skadi, Rocket, Groot, and Warlock. He smiled and closed his eyes as he let the opening music of The Incredibles fill his ears with feelings of heroism and family.