"Hello and good morning, viewers!" Said a voice in the air. "This is Dedenne broadcasting all of your sports filled action all through the airwaves!"

The crowd cheered upon hearing this.

"The crowd is really pumped up for this, huh?" Ace asked. "They must really enjoy these Furious Events."

"Of course they do. These people have gathered from all over the universes. They're the biggest competitions ever known." Sectonia said.

"Now today...we start things off with some Basketball. The game is simple. The first to 10 points wins. And of course all the events will be in bracket form. Our first bouts have been decided. Dimensional Heroes vs Spirit Force! Shining Hope Squad vs Spectra Force! Brave Adventurers vs Neo Dimensional Heroes! And Wanderers vs Freedom Seekers!" Dedenne said.

"I hope we have a good match today, Jexi." Ace said holding his hand out to shake. "Jexi?"

"Uh...he's up there." Indigo said pointing to the stands with some of the members.

"He isn't competing in the sports. He isn't the best when it comes to sports, unless it involves fighting." Sunset said.

"Now….our first battle. From the Dimensional Heroes we have Indigo Zap and Monkey D. Luffy! And for Spirit Force….Orchid Black and Rutee Katrea!"

"Let's have a good match, alright?" Rutee asked holding out a fist.

"We're gonna ta destroy ya! Yeah!" Indigo said.

"I don't really get it but Yeah!" Luffy said.

"Let's just try to have a good time, alright? No hard feelings if either team loses, ok?" Orchid asked.

"And that's enough sportsmanship. The battle shall now begin!" Dedenne said pressing a button as the four warped to a court that was in the middle of an eerie looking city. "To make things interesting, we will hold the competitions on different courts. First is the Undead City in the Undead Universe."

"Which undead city do you think that is, Hope?" Ace asked.

"I dunno. Maybe it's a central hub city in the Undead Universe." Hope replied.

"A soldier and lens hunter against a highschool student and rubber man. This will be interesting." Spade said.

"I wonder which undead will be watching. Maybe we'll see some familiar faces." David asked.

"Like who, David?" Stoj asked.

"The guys from the IG-3. We don't know a lot of others from the Undead Universe." David said.

"There's us, David." Kagura said.

"Okay, I get the message." David said annoyed.

"Now...let's...get the show started!" Dedenne said as a ghost referee tossed the ball into the air.

"Here we go!" Indigo said lunging at the ball as she started dribbling with it.

"Yoink! I'll take that." Rutee said as she grabbed the ball and started dribbling it. "Orchid, heads up!" She yelled as she tossed the ball to her.

Just then a ghost flew between them and grabbed it.

"I should warn you...some of the ghosts in this city are a bit tricky." Dedenne said. "But no pressure."

"Get back here!" Rutee said chasing after it.

"Gum gum...Pistol!" Luffy shouted punching through the ghost and grabbing the ball. "Okay! Here it goes!" he said before kicking the ball out of the court and into an iron maiden, destroying it.

"Sigh...here's another ball and remember...you do not kick in Basketball." The ref said sending down a new ball.

"No one scored yet and Luffy has already committed a foul." David said.

"I'm not liking his chances in this thing. Any more infractions, and he'll end up disqualifying himself and Indigo." Fulgore said.

"Let's just hope he'll pay attention after that." Al said.

"Okay….second chance and…" Indigo said snatching the ball as she moved past Orchid and Rutee. "I'm smooth like silk. She sees the basket and…" Indigo said tossing it in. "Nothing but net!"

2-0

"Not bad, Indigo." Rutee said before grabbing the ball as it reappeared and started dribbling it. "Here's what I call a slam dunk. Orchid!" She said tossing the ball to her as she started dribbling towards the net and jumped into the air, tossing it in.

2-2

"Luffy, you got this. This time, don't kick it." Indigo said.

"Got it. So I toss it like this?" Luffy said before hurling it at a pole.

"We're done." Indigo groaned before the ball bounced off it, onto the ground, off the rails and then into the basket.

5-2

"Okay...that will never happen again ever. That was an extreme rare bit of luck." Indigo said.

"Wait...is that allowed?" Rutee asked.

"Seeing this is an extreme form of basketball, the use of powers are allowed in these sports." Dedenne said.

"I see. Rutee, hop on!" Orchid said as she shifted into her energy tiger form as Rutee jumped on and started dribbling the ball towards the basket.

"Jackpot!" Rutee yelled as she jumped off Orchid and slam dunking the ball into the basket.

5-4

"You two having a good time?" Orchid asked.

"I am...you just dropped your guard." Indigo said jumping past them as she grabbed the ball before jumping over them once again, dribbling to the basket.

"Snipe Roar!" Rutee yelled as she zig zagged across the field and grabbed the ball. "Thank you." She said doing a two finger salute and dribbling to the opposite end of the field.

"Gear Second!" a voice said as Luffy intercepted her and grabbed the ball before vanishing. Reappearing at the basket and dunking it.

7-4

"Alright...no more games!" Orchid said as she went into Instinct mode and tossed the ball, causing it to bounce off the poles and into the basket.

7-7

"Seriously? That happened twice?" Indigo said before running and grabbing the ball. "Okay...only way to stop this is an off court ball. All or nothing." She said dribbling with it.

"Here goes!" Orchid said as she shifted into panther form as she pounced on Indigo who then dropped the ball before a proper toss. "No!"

"I got it!" Luffy shouted running in as he grabbed the ball. "Now...Gum...Gum….SHOOT!" he shouted firing the ball as it was circling the goal, everyone on edge.

"Robber Item!" Rutee said before a whistle blew.

"The use of items is illegal." the ref said.

"Technically I was trying to steal the ball as it flew in midair." Rutee said.

"Not really a point since it's circling the basket...and it just went in. So...game over! Winner...Dimensional Heroes!" The ref said.

"Oh well, a loss is a loss. Great game you two." Rutee said as she shrugged and held her hand out to shake.

"Please, as if I would fail. I'm a basketball champion. And hopefully can make it through with Luffy." Indigo said.

"And with that over, next match here is about to begin." Dedenne said before the four vanished and were replaced. "Next up we have Shining Hope Squad vs Spectra Force. For Spectra Force, it's Cobra and Tatsumi. For Shining Hope Squad… It's Gemini and Aqua! Talk about a battle of sexes!"

"I think Hope wanted us to do this for a reason. Remember that Fruit Ball game with the Kappa?" Gemini asked stretching.

"But that was more volleyball than basketball." Aqua said.

"Oh right. We would have dominated in that." Gemini said.

"Okay….ball up." the ref said tossing the ball.

"Here goes!" Tatsumi said donning his armor as he attacked the ball.

"Is that legal?" Gemini asked.

"Imperial Arms like Soma are technically part of the user so they are allowed." the ref said.

"Oh… so i guess my sword doesn't count." Gemini said tossing it aside but running for tatsumi after he passed the ball. A ghost caught it, flew around with it mischievously, then threw it back into the court.

"This is mine!" Gemini called leaping into the air and catching it, sidestepping Tatsumi and rolling around Cobra before throwing it to Aqua. "Dunk it, Aqua!"

"Okay." Aqua said jumping and tossing it from out of court as it went inside.

3-0

"Yeah! Three points!" Gemini called.

"You let em Score, Tatsumi. Can't you block the basket better?" Cobra asked.

"Just be ready for the next one." Tatsumi said as Gemini grabbed the ball.

"Hmm." Cobra said closing his eyes before he charged at the girl and swiped the ball. "Tatsumi!" He said passing it as Tatsumi grabbed it and dunked it.

3-2

"How'd he do that?" Papelne asked.

"He likely heard what Gemini was gonna do. He's got two types of Magic, his Dragon Slayer magic and Sound Magic, which lets him hear his opponents thoughts." Alisa said.

"Quite interesting magic." Philia said as she cleaned her glasses.

"We gotta get back in there." Gemini said.

"Right. Balloonza!" Aqua said as thousands of balloons filled the court.

"Fourth tier magic?" Tatsumi said before hitting one as it exploded causing a chain reaction as Gemini grabbed the ball and dunked it.

5-2

"Go Gemini!" Aya and Kagura cheered from the stands.

"Heh….let's go." Cobra said going and grabbing the ball and tossing it in the air. "Poison Dragon's Iron Fist!" Cobra said punching the ball into the basket from off court.

5-5

"And here's the follow up." Tatsumi grabbing the ball the moment it feel as he jumped and dunked it.

5-7

"Dang it." Gemini said.

"This doesn't look good. We need to turn this around, and fast!" Aqua said.

"I can't use my sword, either. It's not allowed." Gemini said. "If only this was Fruit Ball." she said before getting an idea. "Wait… maybe it CAN be like Fruit Ball!"

"Gemini, I know you're trying to put a positive spin on this but...I don't see us winning." Aqua said.

"No...but we go out giving it our all." Gemini said as she quickly made a snag from Cobra who just grabbed it. "Okay...you can do it."

"Sound Wall!" Cobra said as a loud sound of Gemini's voice played on a very high pitch as Gemini covered her ears. He grabbed the ball. "Sorry ladies...but you gave it your all." he said tossing it behind him as it landed in the basket.

5-10

"And the winners are...Spectra Force!" Dedenne said.

"Great game, you two." Gemini said holding her hand out. "Ow… my ears…"

"Yeah...good game." Tatsumi said.

"Doesn't matter. You still lost." Cobra said as the four vanished.

"Okay, next up is Wanderers vs Freedom Seekers." Dedenne said. "For the Wanderers, we have Niles and Owain vs Solana and Luna! The Day and Night Duo!"

"Hark! The Envoys of the Sun and the Moon join us on the court of the dead for this glorious battle of the baskets! My Sword Hand trembles in anticipation!" Owain said.

"*sigh* Why are Solana and Luna with them?" David asked as he has a depression cloud on his head.

"That's our theme. The Freedom Seekers are a group made up of all women and color fighters." Skyler said.

"David was only asking because those two are his ace duo in his Buddyfight deck." Hope said.

"Don't you remember? Those two are the color fighters from the Promotion Trials." Gemina said. "The Day and Night Duo."

"Day and Night Duo?" Rachel asked.

"Yep. Solana uses the Solar Style and Luna uses the Lunar Style. Hence the name." Skyler said.

"Sorry. I got them mixed up with someone else." David said.

Back on the court…

"Come, my teammate, let us go into glorious battle with the Envoys before us!" Owain said ready.

"I was right back then… you really do remind me of him.. But I'm not going to let you take all the glory, Owain." Niles smirked. "Shall we begin, ladies?"

"With the fiery passion of the sun…" Solana said.

"And the calm nature of the moon…" Luna said.

"We're going to defeat you!" They both said posing.

"Come on then…let's give em something to talk about!" Niles said.

"I've seen the future of this match…!" Owain said posing. "And you two didn't make the cut! Yeah, nailed it…!"

"Begin!" the ref called as the ball was launched into the air.

"Moon Walk!" Luna said as she started running into the air as she grabbed the ball but not before Niles took it.

"Thank you, love." He said leaping over her as he shot it from afar as it landed in the basket.

3-0

"Excellent work, comrade! Allow me to follow up on that!" Owain said running for the ball and grabbing it with his sword hand, jumping into the air. "Here it comes! SLAM DUNK OF THE RADIANT DAWN!"

"What the heck?" Solana said as Owain dunked.

5-0

"Okay, bigots goings down. It's still daytime here so I'm the stronger one." Solana said as her hair flowed with energy. "Solar boost!" she shouted as her aura surged.

"What's that Sword hand? That technique boosted her power and speed? Niles, be ready! The Sun Envoy is going on the offensive!" Owain called.

"I can tell by the look on her eyes." Niles said as Solana ran past them.

"Hell ya, ya bunch of newbies." Solana said as she spun in the air before dunking.

5-2

"Blast! We need to neutralize her somehow!" Owain said.

"Hmmm…" Niles said. "I may have a way to do that. Follow my lead, Owain."

"Here I come again you…" Solana said before the two blocked her and faked her out before snatching the ball and tossing it into the basket.

8-2

"Wow, they got one over her!" Gemini said.

"Because Solana was the one with the advantage during the day, Niles and Owain double teamed her instead of focusing on Luna and Solana individually. After that, all it took was a fake out, and thats three more points for them. Impressive." Spectra said.

"Now….for the final strike! Grand Freethrow of...Fate!" Owain said tossing the ball as it sunk into the basket.

"Wow. Our shortest match today. Winners are the Wanderers!" Dedenne said.

"Over already? You two should've paced yourselves." Niles said.

"You see that, competitors? Then beware… the Dread Power of Owain Dark!" Owain said.

"Hard to believe he's Lissa's future son." Leonora said.

"So it was for us too." Natsu said.

"We'll rise again another day!" Solana said. "For the sun…"

"And the moon…" Luna said.

"Always rise!" they both said posing.

"Hope, what species are the Freedom Seekers?" Mari asked.

"They're all human, Mari. Just Color Fighters like me, David and Jexi." Hope said.

"Yet they have wings like angels." Stoj said.

"Those are being created through their aura. Color Fighting uses aura manipulation and other techniques. Like Skyler, she has no wings yet can fly." Jexi said.

"Huh. My pact with Bahamut allows me to fly as well, even without my wings." Ace said.

"That's completely different!" Skyler said. "My Sky Style allows me to fly without wings. I've never touched the ground once since gaining the style."

"Alright, no need to shout." Ace said.

"Okay...next match is set! Brave Adventurers vs Neo Dimensional Heroes. For Neo Dimensional Heroes...we have Psychic and Dark! From Brave Adventurers… Jude Mathis and Chalcedony Akerman!" Dedenne called as the two teams took the field.

"Jude Mathis...doctor, arte user...you shall be defeated." Psychic said.

"I am sorry if things end badly. You will have my condolences." Dark said.

"Just like their leader. Acting like they've already won." Jude said.

"Don't let them discourage you. With your Snap Pivot skill and my Soma, we may have a chance." Chalcedony said.

"Easy for you to say. You have played this before, have you?" Jude asked.

"Believe me. My comrades and I didn't become Crystal Knight through combat prowess alone." Chalcedony said. "Plus, you're the faster of the two of us on the ground, so you have better coverage."

"Okay...let's start the game!" The ref said tossing the ball as Psychic grabbed with using her psychic abilities.

"Psyshock!" she shouted firing the ball at the basket.

"Not so fast!" Chalcedony said as he blocked the shot and passed the ball to Jude.

"I got it!" Jude said as he slips past Psychic and Dark and shoots from the outside. The ball sailed to the backboard, bounced off and into the net.

3-0

"Seems we have to be cautious after all." Dark said as he grabbed the ball. As he ran, he sank into a dark shadow on the court as he traveled under the shadows.

"He sank into the court. He could be anywhere." Jude said.

"Not anywhere." Chalcedony said as darkness began to emerge near the basket with the ball on top. "Right there!" He said as he went to block it.

"Foul Play!" Dark said as Dark emerged and fended off the knight as the ball went in.

3-2

"I guess I walked right into that one." Chalcedony said.

"It's okay, Chalcedony. We're still in this." Jude said as he grabbed the ball. He saw Chalcedony rise up the basket and Jude tosses the ball to him, causing Chalcedony to dunk it in.

5-2

"Okay. Let's try this again...Psychic!" Psychic said grabbing the ball with her mind as she fired it at the basket from afar.

"This trick again." Chalcedony said as he caught the ball and fired it at the opposing basket, although Chalcedony was pushed back a bit from the force. The ball bounces a bit before it goes in.

8-2

"Alright! One more and victory is ours!" Jude said.

"Here it comes." Dark said snatching the ball and passing it to Psychic as she then passed it back. " Dark Pulse!" he said attacking the ball as it was sent high into the sky and it landed in the basket. "Yes."

"Yeah it would be good...if you didn't get in your own goal. I'm afraid it's points to the Brave Adventurers." the ref said.

"I see. I apologize for the death of our team in the running." Dark said.

10-2

"Jude and Chalcedony of the Brave Adventurers win the match!" Dedenne said. "And like that, we have four semifinalists. Dimensional Heroes, Spectra Force, Wanderers and Brave Adventurers. Now we move to a new court!"

Soon Indigo, Luffy, Cobra and Tatsumi appeared in a jungle like setting. "We now come live from the Jungle of Beasts here in the Nature Universe for the semifinals." Dedenne said.

"It's a shame that we didn't really advance in the first round, but at least we gave it our all." Hope said.

"You are in quite the jam though. You can't use the same team on each sport event. And Gemini and Aqua would've been much better in Volleyball. I'd say you messed up there." Leviathan said.

"Can you blame me? I picked random teams. Whether or not we actually win is all on luck." Hope said.

"These are athletic competitions, Hope. Luck isn't really a reliable factor here." Twilight said.

Chalcedony was starting to shiver a bit at the sight of the field.

"Oh great. I just remembered that Chalcedony is uncomfortable around insects." David said.

"Yeah, when we were working in that pub, Chal completely freaked." Al said.

"What a bad place for a basketball game then." Jude said. "Because of Chalcedony's uncomfortability, we have a disadvantage here."

"We have time to think it over. Right now...we just watch the match between the Dimensional Heroes and Spectra Force." Ciel said.

"Okay...I think I know how to win this." Indigo said as a chimp tossed the ball. "Luffy, you shoot!" Indigo said passing it.

"Okay." Luffy said dribbling.

"Damn it. I can't hear a damn thought in that idiot's head." Cobra growled.

"Indigo's smart. If Luffy takes the ball, then Cobra can't hear anything Luffy thinks. That is to say, Luffy doesn't really think at all." Nami said ending with a sigh.

"That does give them the advantage at least." Rutee said.

"Right. If Cobra can't read Luffy's mind, he can't predict his movements." Tapu Fini said.

"Not that Luffy was predictable to begin with." Tapu Koko said.

"Yeah. Here comes the pitch!" Luffy said firing the ball into the basket.

"Technically that's baseball but we still scored." Indigo said.

3-0

"Looks like we have our work cut out for us. Get ready." Tatsumi said.

"Right." Cobra said smirking. "Poison Dragon's Roar!" he shouted unleashing a roar of poison as the two of them jumped as Tatsumi rushed into Indigo who had caught the ball.

"Sorry...but we're in it to win it!" Tatsumi said firing the ball into the basket.

3-3

"Three for Three, this is close!" Rose called.

"Come on Indigo, get your head in the game!" Lemon shouted.

"Luffy, looks like we're gonna have to keep our game up." Indigo said. "And so am I." she said running at Tatsumi. "Here comes the jump." she said jumping towards Tatsumi and snatching the ball from his arms. "Here comes the heat!" she said slam dunking it.

5-3

"Luffy!" Indigo said as Luffy caught the ball as it fell.

"Gum Gum...shoot!" Luffy said firing from out of court.

8-3

"They're upping their teamwork." Cobra growled.

"Then we have to go all out!" Tatsumi said as both sides charged in after the ball.

"We won't lose!" Luffy shouted biting his thumb. "Gear Third!" he said inflating his arm into a large first. "Gum Gum….Giant….Shoot!" he shouted as he punched the ball and the two knocking them away as the ball was sent flying. Indigo jumped at it as she dunked it.

10-3

"And that is game! Advancing to the finals...Team Dimensional Heroes!" Dedenne said.

"Your teammates are pretty good, Jexi." Simon said.

"I wouldn't expect less. There was no way...that my friends wouldn't give it their all." Jexi said. "I'd always put my faith in them."

"Now...next match!" Dedenne said swapping contestants. "Next...Owain and Niles of the Wanderers vs Jude and Chalcedony of the Brave Adventurers!"

"Now, Chalcedony. I know that bugs freak you out. So I'll need you to stay on defense while I do all the offensive work." Jude said.

"But… You'll be doing the work for both of us. Are you sure you can handle it?" Chalcedony asked.

"Like you said, my Snap Pivot ability allows me to slip around them and practically the whole field. It might not be the best strategy, but it's better than nothing." Jude said.

"Well...seems we've already got an advantage. Best not to waste it, Owain." Niles smirked.

"Yes. Now marks the second legend of the swordsman of darkness...Owain Dark." Owain said.

"I wonder who he gets that dramatic flair from." Roy said.

"Blonde hair, eccentric personality… 20 bucks says Vaike is the father." Indigo said.

"I believe Henry is his father." Reflet said. "He was, on my version of Ylisse. Guess we'll find out sooner or later." She said as she read the book of Naga.

"Let the game begin." The ref said tossing the ball.

"The first strike." Niles said lunging at the ball as he grabbed it.

"Think again!" Jude said using his Snap Pivot to swipe the ball and shoot from the outside.

"Well...seems you have some bite after all." Niles said.

0-3

"But no luck for them this time." Owain said grabbing the ball. "Now...the shot of legends. Awakening of...the far shot!" Owain said shooting from afar.

"I don't think so!" Chalcedony said as he went to block it. He was able to tap it, but the ball still went in. "Curses. My apologies."

"Just relax, Chalcedony. It's going to be alright." Jude said.

3-3

"Yes. My shots cannot be stopped as they are guided by the evil spirits within the very earth itself." Owain said.

"Owain's eccentric personality aside, Chalcedony will have to time his blocks perfectly in order to get the drop on him." Jude said as he grabbed the ball and made his way to the inside for a shot.

"Nice dribble. Mind if I cut in?" Niles said swiping the ball from Jude.

"What the…? Here he comes!" Jude said.

"You sure you wish to do so? You have something crawling up your back." Niles said.

"What? What is it?" Chalcedony said as Niles slipped by.

"My mistake...was only a leaf." he said dunking.

3-5

"To think I'd fall for such a trick…" Chalcedony said.

"Just relax. He's just messing with you." Jude said. "This isn't good. He's using the fact that we're in a jungle field to mess with Chalcedony. Looks like I'll have to work for the both of us after all." Jude thought as he made his way again. He manages to slip past the two and dunk it in.

5-5

"Alas...we appear to be in an endless tie." Owain said.

"Indeed. But...fortune tends to be very fickle." Niles said as Jude attempted to dunk once more. " Like this for example." he said jumping up and stealing from Jude as he shot into the basket from afar. "Owain...now is our chance." Niles said.

5-8

"Darn. One more successful shot and we lose. Come on, Chalcedony. Get your head back in this." Jude said as he shot from the outside again.

8-8

"Eight to eight now. The next successful shot will decide the match." Dedenne said.

"Well...this should be simple." Owain said taking the ball. "The final shot! Free throw….of Shadow Dragons!" he said shooting it from afar.

Chalcedony was looking at the shot. "Sir Mathis, everyone… My deepest apologies. Our loss is because of my blunders." Chalcedony thought.

"Chal! Don't give up!" Kor shouted.

"Kor?" Chalcedony thought. "That's right. I'm not alone in this. As long as my Spiria connects with others, I'm never alone!" Chalcedony said as he blocks the shot and shoots. "Jude!"

"Right!" Jude said as he made his way to the basket.

"Niles!" Owain shouted.

"I'm on it." Niles said trying to go for the ball only for Jude to fire the shot as it soared through the air. "No way!

The ball manages to make it in.

10-8

"Jude and Chalcedony win the match and move on to the finals!" Dedenne said.

Kor, Kohaku, Hisui, and the Crystal Knight duo cheered loudly as their friends have advanced to the finals.

"Blast. It seems our ride to glory….falls short." Owain said.

"I think I may need to lie down. I got too...excited." Niles said.

"My apologies, Jude. My blunders almost costed us the match." Chalcedony said.

"But you pulled through in the end because everyone believed in you. That's the strength of your Spiria. The bonds you share with your comrades." Jude said.

"And now...we move onto the finals!" Dedenne said as Jude, Chalcedony, Luffy and Indigo appeared on a court in a familiar school. "Now we go to the finals, held in the gymnasium of CHS in the Equestria Universe."

"Ah yeah. Home turf. Universe wise I mean." Indigo said.

"Try not to go overboard. It's OUR gym, after all." Sunset called over a communicator.

"I'll be fine. It's Luffy who might wreck the place." Indigo said. "Don't go overboard, Luffy. This is school property."

"What, Natsu wrecked it and he's remembered." Luffy said pointing to a sign with Natsu's face that said Banned for Life.

"Trust me, that isn't something good." Indigo said.

"Guess we should be careful too. We don't want to end up on that list." Jude said.

"How...much destruction has he caused?" Chalcedony asked.

"You don't want to know." The others said.

"Okay...play ball." the ref said tossing the ball up as Indigo went and grabbed it.

"Too bad you two are playing against a B ball champ." Indigo said quickly dunking it.

2-0

"No jungle, no bugs… now I can play." Chalcedony said.

"Let's get to it, then. We're already behind." Jude said. "And Indigo obviously isn't going to make winning easy."

"Of course not. I got street cred to protect." Indigo said.

"I wasn't much of a jock in my school days, but here goes." Jude said as he slips past Luffy and takes the shot.

2-2

"Luffy...you gotta get into the game. Pull out a gear." Indigo said.

"Here's something new. Gear...Fourth!" Luffy said blowing into his muscles only inflating them some and looking normal. "Snake Man!"

"Looks like he's pulling the big guns already. This won't be easy to get past." Jude said.

"Wow...that's different from the usual." Indigo said.

"Gum gum...Jet Culverin!" Luffy said sending a fist out as Jude dodged. "Python!" he shouted as it changed direction in midair as it continued to do so until grabbing the ball.

"Wow, that's awesome, Luffy!" Indigo said.

"Chalcedony!" Jude said.

"I'm on it!" Chalcedony said.

"Gum Gum…" Luffy said compressing his arms. "Black Mamba!" he shouted as they shot out and moved in different directions confusing them as Luffy made the shot.

5-2

"Didn't think he'd pull something like that." Jude said.

"Clearly this Snake Man form is based upon unpredictability." Chalcedony said.

"Everything about him is unpredictable." Jude said.

"Just when I thought they had us...you pull a fast one." Indigo smirked. "Now's our chance to win this." Indigo said.

"Looks like our usual strategies aren't going to work this time. We're going to need a new approach." Jude said.

"Right." Chalcedony said. "Three...two...one...split!" they said splitting up as soon as they took the ball.

"Gum gum…" Luffy said compressing his arms. "King Cobra!" he said firing two enlarged fists at the two.

"Jump!" Chalcedony said as they jumped but not before tossing the ball as it soared into the basket.

5-5

"Huh?! They managed to get past it?!" Luffy asked.

"As expected of Chalcedony Akerman of the Crystal Knights. Your intuition is very impressive." Jude said.

"I figured...when facing serpents...fight unpredictability with unpredictability." Chalcedony said.

"Gotta take notes of that." David said.

"Still, it's all tied up now. This could go either way." Fulgore said.

"Let's go!" Indigo said taking the ball. "No way...I'm letting you win!" she said before Jude knocked it out of her hands.

"Of course you'd say that." Jude said. "But the same goes for me." Jude said dunking.

5-7

"Alright! All Jude and Chalcedony need is a three pointer and it's game set and match for Brave Adventurers in Basketball!" Leia said.

"But that means Indigo's going to do everything she can to prevent that. She still has her pride. Trust me, I know." David said.

"Okay….All or nothing." Indigo said grabbing the ball as she shot from afar. "Come on…" she said before Chalcedony grabbed it.

"Nice try." Chalcedony said as he made a shot of his own.

"No way…" Indigo said as the ball sunk into the basket.

"Game over! Winners of day 1….Brave Adventurers!" Dedenne said as the crowds cheered.

"Alright, Chal!" Kor cheered.

"W-What? We lost? Aw, man!" Luffy said reverting to normal.

"Look on the bright side, Jude and Chalcedony aren't from CHS. And I'm from Crystal Prep, so I'm still my school's best player. We gave it our all, and that's what matters most. Sides, i had fun, didn't you, Luffy?" Indigo asked.

"Yeah...it was fun knocking those balls in for a touchdown." Luffy said.

"Uh….good enough." Indigo said.

"Someone really needs to get Luffy's sports straight." Dan said.

"Yeah, so tomorrow's Volleyball huh?" Kohaku asked.

"I swear, if they make me and the other girls play in a bikini, someone's getting a kick in the face." Akane said.

"You and the others don't seem to mind seeing Kagura and Aya in their swimsuits all the time." Al said.

"Wait, you two wear bikinis all the time?" Hope asked.

"That's how it usually works in our respectful clans while our younger sisters wear school uniforms. But Saki is wearing a dress this time around." Aya said.

"Seriously, whoever came up with that system is sick in the head." Peridot said.

"We don't even know ourselves, our leader Camilla wore a battle dress." Kagura said. "But rules are rules in our clans either way."

"Okay, wardrobe malfunctions aside, that was still a great tournament today. I never thought that people play sports the way these guys do." David said.

"Yeah, I had fun today, what about you Orchid?" Rutee asked.

"It felt nice to relax from being a resistance leader, it was quite interesting." Orchid said.

"Especially these two. I can't believe how good they actually were." Mayumi said referring to Jude and Chalcedony.

"That's Chal for ya, he doesn't try, he does, and he does it with style." Kor said.

"Isn't that YOUR motto, Kor?" Sectonia asked with a giggle.

"Yeah but still. He and I are comrades despite being on different teams." Kor said.

"And then there's Jude. I didn't know he was this good. He spends most of his time with his head buried in books when we were in school." Leia said.

"And that's why you copy off my answers the morning before class most of the time." Jude said.

"J-Jude! No one needs to know that!" Leia said in embarrassment.

"Well, I'm going to town and explore for a bit. I'll see you guys later." Ace said as he left.

"Maybe I should to. I didn't get a good look at Central City when I was here before with the Hobbyists and all." David said as he left.

"So how are you feeling, David?" Ace asked as they walked through the city with Luna in front.

"Feeling good. I'm glad that Jude and Chalcedony pulled through and managed to win the championship, but… I'm still a little at unease." David said.

"Oh yeah, tennis. Well, just do your best and I'm sure you'll win." Ace said.

"Thanks. Though, it's not just that. There's also the thing with the Titans. As the wielder of the Masakado, I'm the only thing standing between them and whatever their goal is. That's a lot of responsibility, don't you agree?" David asked.

"Yeah, but just know that...you're not alone. And while I was with Sectonia on Organica, I saw clearer images in my vision that may give us the edge we need to help you. But I'll wait to tell you, Hope, and Jexi when Furious Sports is over." Ace said. "And that Titan, Grimoire, disgusts me. I can't forgive him for when he uses his ability to resurrect the dead."

"Yeah. It makes me wonder what other former enemies he'll send at us." David said.

"But we'll manage some…" Ace started before Luna jumped to them.

"He's right. Don't forget you still have your companions." Luna said.

"Thanks. Although, when I heard about that breakout that Flux incited. It makes me think about...her." David said.

"Yes...he was an idiot." a voice said as Skyler floated their way.

"How did he get them out anyway?" David asked.

"According to what I heard from the Universal Police, the stupid government panicked over the Ultron incident and moved the most dangerous prisoners to a new prison. They were warned that was a bad idea by the Universal Police, but they didn't listen." Skyler said.

"What a bunch of idiots. Never let the police do a dangerous job." Ace said as he crossed his arms.

"One of the main reason why I don't trust the government." David said.

"Ditto." Ace replied.

"It was just a powder keg waiting to explode, especially considering Flux is the chief of the Universal Police's son." Skyler said.

"And then there's the Wonder Woman from the Regime dimension. Before she was shipped, she swore she'd kill me when we next meet. If Cheetah finds out that she's out, she'll spare no expense in hunting her down too. Ugh… What a mess." David said.

"It's stupid. Some people just don't learn their lesson after a beatdown, huh?" Ace asked.

"Does Flux learn anything, ever?" David asked.

"From my first encounter with him, no." Ace said.

"You know, the reason I'm in my rookie form is to not draw any attention to the titans. So they don't track us down." Luna explained. "Ohhhh, I just hope Corona and the others are okay."

"The Olympos XII may be the only things to get us out of this mess. We will find them...I hope." David said.