Tom crouched behind a small merchant stand, one of many dotting the winding streets of Kiru City. He peeked one eye around the side, scanning the terrain for any sign of Kaz. The long, winding street lead towards the market, and, towering above it and the rest of the city, Maxxor's palace. Tom set his eye on the top room, where the extra Mugician made its home. If he could just get there…

Tom summoned his Liquilizer and ran out from behind his cover, leaping to the roof of a near-by building. The architecture of Perim never made much sense to him. After all, if Creatures could manufacture metal laser-weapons, it didn't make sense that they didn't use said material in their buildings. The only place he'd ever seen extensive use of metal were Ulmar's lab and Iron Pillar. The most likely reason was the face that Creatures respected the land too much to pollute it. However, thanks to the M'arillians, those efforts were fast becoming futile.

Tom was snapped out his interior rant on Perim's architecture by a blast of fire that knocked him off the roof and onto the street below. He shook off the dizziness and leapt to his feet, just as Kaz turned the corner, astride his Vile Driver. Kaz smirked; an ugly sight with Chaor's yellowed fangs, and pushed the joysticks forward, speeding his vehicle towards Tom.

"Granite Balls!" Tom bellowed, firing a swarm of car-sized boulders at Kaz from his glowing eyes. "Torrent of Flame!" Kaz shouted, twin streams of fire shooting from his claws. The two attacks collided in mid-air, sending up a plume of dust and several specks of molten rock. Tom used the distraction to bring his Liquilizer up to bear.

"Rip Tide!" A swirling maelstrom of water burst from its nozzle, colliding with Kaz and blinding him, as Tom brought up his hands, balling them into fists. "Sunderground!" Tom yelled as he slammed his fists into the ground, sending a quick-moving crevice at Kaz, who had just gotten all the salt-water out of his eyes. As the attack reached him, the ground beneath one of the Vile Driver's legs collapsed, causing the huge, top-heavy Battlegear to sway unsteadily, then begin to fall to the side.

"Crud!" Kaz yelled as he leapt out of the cock-pit, just as the Vile-Driver hit the ground and a stray spark ignited the fuel for the pyro-blasters, engulfing it in a pillar of smoke and fire. Kaz turned to look, his thick, muscled tail twitching angrily. "Well, crap, there goes my ride."

Tom, off to the side, shrugged. "Eh, sorry, dude. But, a match is a match." Tom said cheerfully, to which Kaz grinned. "No problem, man. But, things are just heating up! Ember Swarm!" Kaz flung a buzzing cloud of sparks at Tom, who yelled as he was blasted back into an adjoining building. He stood up from a crouch, his Liquilizer in his hand. The barrel had been snapped in half, so only a thin dribble of water leaked out.

"Too hot to handle?" Kaz asked mockingly as he stalked towards Tom. Tom shook his head, a crafty smile on his face. "Nope, but your all wet." Tom quipped, then tossed the broken Liquilizer to Kaz, who caught it with a confused look on his face. "What the…"

"Megaroar!" Tom shouted, sending a decimating wall of sound at Kaz, who crossed his arms to defend against it. He dug his heavy, steel-toed boots into the dirt, determined to stand his ground. Walls cracked and windows shattered under the force of the attack, which was making Kaz's energy drop slowly but surely.

"Gotta think fast. What would Chaor do?" Kaz thought as he was pushed back from the force of the barrage. "Wait…that's it!" Kaz flung his arms wide as his chest began to glow with red energy. "Incinerase!" He bellowed as the Liquilizer's tank began to crack from the high decibel sound. The huge ball of fire ripped through the air, colliding with Tom just as the water tank in Kaz's hand burst, hitting him with the force of a hundred Rip Tides!

There was a burst of code, and they both disappeared from the battle-scarred landscape, appearing moments later in the Drome. Kaz blinked, confusedly. "Umm…who won?" He asked timidly.

"The battle is a tie. Both creatures were coded at the exact same instant." Tom's eyes widened a bit and he scratched is head. "Wow. What are the odds?" He asked, half-serious. He looked down when he heard his scanner beep, meaning someone was calling him. He tapped the button his scanner, revealing the blonde-haired face of Sarah, who had a slightly nervous look on her face.

"Oh, hey, Sarah, uh…what's up?" Tom asked, a little confused as to why she was calling. "Oh, um, Tom? Do you wanna, you know, grab a pizza or something at the Port Court?" She asked, and, for the first time since they'd met, she actually sounded a bit…nervous. He wondered why she would be. After all, they were just grabbing lunch. No big deal, right?

"Oh, sure. I'll be there in a few." He answered, and her face broke into a wide smile. "Cool, I'll see you there." After she finished speaking, she ended the call, and Tom looked up at Kaz, who had his arms crossed and an eyebrow quirked up in question. "Um, Sarah asked me to grab a pizza with her…" Tom explained, but trailed off at the end, waiting for Kaz's reaction.

The Underworlder's eyes brightened and he grinned. "Cool, we'll say the match's a tie. I'll see you later." Kaz said, with a sly expression on his face. Tom was a bit suspicious about that, but he shrugged it off, grabbed his scanner, and left the Drome, with Kaz trailing behind. As Tom stepped onto the monorail that lead back to the Port Court, Kaz took out his scanner and pressed the main button, making his disappear in a swirl of code.

Meanwhile, Tom, who had just stepped off the monorail, had one question rolling through his head.

"Is this a date?"

Holy Updates, Batman, I finally got off my lazy ass and wrote the next chapter! Well, I'm still technically sitting on my lazy ass, but anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, especially the beginning of the TomxSarah fluff.

Review, if you please. Seriously, the button's only a few inches away. Move the mouse, so commands the Alienphantom!!!.....no, seriously, do it.