A/N: Ok, so I lied on the whole "I'll see you in a week" thing. What can I say? I got distracted by other stories and of course the eternal bane to my imagination…College. Ok it's not that bad considering that I took a screenwriting class this semester plus another media production course…I'm getting off track. One or two things that happen in this chapter might remind you of a couple of things from my first Scott Pilgrim story "Scott Pilgrim and Knives Chau vs. The Arcade", but that wasn't intentional and just came up during my writing of this chapter.

"You're about to find out what happens when you mess with the people I care about," Stacey threatened.

"Oh I'm so scared," Susan said in a mocking voice. "Just remember," she made a few more hand signs.

Cheat activated. Enhanced strength.

Susan slammed her fist into the wall taking out a good chunk. "I don't play fair."

"Stacey, be careful!" Neil shouted from the other side of the barrier.

"I can handle myself, Neil. Don't worry. I'm a Pilgrim remember?"

"Please. You saw me punch through a wall and you still want to fight me?" Susan asked.

"Not impressed," Stacey insulted making Susan laugh.

She snapped her fingers and a small gust of wind started to pick up from out of nowhere. At first all Stacey thought Susan was trying to do was increase the tension, but then she felt a sharp stab of pain run across her stomach. Stacey had a short gasp and she fell to her knees hanging onto her stomach as the wind increased in speed. Susan began to maliciously laugh; the wind having no effect on her at all.

Stacey put her hands up to cover her face and the wind sliced into parts of her wrist. She writhed in agony on the floor and all Neil was capable of doing was bang on the barrier in some vein attempt to break through. Stacey kept her body scrunched together in an effort to shield as much as she could, but cuts formed on her back and into a few exposed parts of her wrist. And then it all died out. Stacey unscrunched herself and took another gasp. They were no longer in the T.V. studio. They were at the top of…a skyscraper. It looked like something out of…

"Virtua fighter?" Stacey finished her thought gazing out at the impressive view the top of the building offered.

"Nifty feature wouldn't you say?" Susan asked cracking her knuckles.

"Where's Neil?" Stacey questioned her.

"You don't have to worry about him. He has a nice view of what's transpiring. Right Neil?" She asked waving into thin air.

Back at the Studio, Neil (still trapped behind the barrier) could only observe the action on a giant monitor at the back of the studio. It was killing him having to sit back and watch this transpire. Partly because he was crazy about Stacey and also because this is his story and he doesn't even get to be in the first fight.

Neil, are you forgetting about the fight at Julie's party?

"That doesn't count," Neil mumbled to the omniscient text.

As always the VS. symbolmaterialized between the two combatants.

Ready?

FIGHT!

The music from Sarah's stage in Virtua Fighter blasted in the back ground and the women rushed one another. Stacey entered into a slide on her knees avoiding Susan's hook at her face. Stacey grabbed Susan by the waist and body slammed her to the floor. Susan retaliated by kicking Stacey straight in her ribs. Stacey rocketed backwards to the edge of their fighting platform; almost careening over the edge. She managed to firmly grasp the edge and kept herself from falling to her death. Stacey's chest hurt like someone had hit it with a sledgehammer. It hurt to even breathe.

"Aww. I'm sorry. Did I kick you too hard? Hahaha!" Susan mocked. Stacey put a hand over her damaged ribs and concentrated. A small aura encircled her and then Stacey stood up to her feet; still panting, but healed some. Susan scoffed and titled her head.

"You've got a trick up your sleeve," she said.

"Sort of. I'm not as good as Wallace," Stacey said half stumbling over to Susan. She got in her face and smiled.

"But if it's a real trick you're looking for then try this!" Susan swung at Stacey, but she ducked and bit into her arm.

Susan screamed and tried elbowing Stacey in the eye. Stacey let go and dodged the attack and hit Susan in her teeth. Susan reeled back and Stacey took a powerful kick at her mouth dislodging one of her teeth from it.

"You little bitch!" Susan cursed and charged again.

Stacey did a quick hand stand, locked her legs around Susan's neck and dragged her to the floor. With a powerful squeeze, Stacey snapped Susan's neck; making a sickening cracking noise as it broke.

"That wasn't too difficult," Stacey said unlocking her legs from Susan's neck. She stood up and then did Sarah's victory pose from Virtua Fighter. "Now to figure out a way out…of…here."

A slow ominous score was rising in the background. Stacey turned around and saw Susan back on her feet. She took hold of her neck and snapped in back in place.

Cheat activated: Extra life

"That's not all," Susan said and made another series of hand signs. Stacey rushed her in an effort to interrupt the cheat, but she was too slow and a surge of energy shot of from Susan propelling Stacey backward.

First the words "Strength Negated" appeared, but they were replaced with "Invincibility".

"That is totally not…!" WHAM! Susan had taken a running start and kneed Stacey in the chin; a move right out of Virtua Fighter.

Stacey crashed onto the platform and Susan jumped straight up and brought her fists crashing into Stacey's ribs again. Stacey bit back a groan and shoved Susan off her. Stacey kicked her in the side of her head and then slammed her foot down on Susan's nose. Susan kicked Stacey in the chest and hopped back up. Stacey threw two blows at Susan's head, but aside from her head jerking to the left and right didn't seem hurt. Susan laughed in Stacey's face and side stepped her next punch and crashed her elbow into Stacey's arm. She followed up with a back hand to Stacey's left cheek.

Bitch slap!

Stacey wouldn't stay down. She balled up her fists and charged again. Susan mocked Stacey by standing perfectly still. Stacey rained a massive chain of attacks at Susan, which she smiled at.

Block! Dodge! Parry! Counter-attack!

Susan rammed her knee into Stacey's heart and the entire area flashed red and the music became much more dramatic. Susan stepped behind Stacey and smashed both of her fists into Stacey's spine. The area changed back to normal color as Stacey caught herself in mid fall. She had a hand over her heart and one holding onto her back. She was down on one knee and her breaths became shallow with every passing second.

Stacey threw a wild punch and Susan caught it, spun Stacey around, and dragged her into an arm lock. Stacey jumped up and linked her legs around Susan's neck like Scott did to Gideon in round 1 of their final showdown (the movie. Not the graphic novel) and slammed her back to the platform floor.

"Why won't you just give up! ?" Susan screamed shooting up. Stacey leapt into the air and rapidly kicked Susan's face like she was Liu Kang and kicked her in the throat and pissed her adversary off further. Punch after punch was thrown and nothing was achieved.

Dodge! Block! Block! Left! Right! Right! Left! Up! Down! Spin! Ultimate move activated!

Susan's super strength returned and she plunged her fists into the platform. She ripped out two parts of it and chucked them both at Stacey, who fell on her back and let them sail over her. Stacey stood, but Susan soared into the air and brought her foot down hard on the platform with such force that it broke part of it and launched Stacey into the air.

Susan jumped after her and pulled back her fist. Stacey braced herself and took the blow slamming her back into the platform. A massive hole formed from the impact of the crash and Susan fell back down to the platform aiming at Stacey. She rolled to the right avoiding the crash, which was even more devastating. The platform was almost broken in half from the blow. Susan sneered and snatched Stacey up. She held the sides of Stacey's head and bashed her own into it again, and again, and again.

Pretty violent and this is only the first official fight of the story!

The two females both growled at one another and bashed each others faces into one another simultaneously. Both recoiled only Stacey took it worse, while Susan brushed it off.

Stacey was back on her knees again. She couldn't take it any more. It would be so much easier to give up…no! Stacey put a hand over her heart again and could fell the tri-force necklace Neil gave her beneath her shirt. He had given her the tri-force of courage for a reason and she wasn't going to prove him wrong; except she had no idea how to win.

"Think. What would Scott do if someone was spamming cheats in a fighting…?" BAM!

Stacey dodged a sucker punch from Susan eating into a bit more of the platform. Stacey's legs could hardly support her and she stumbled backwards. She tried to keep steady and put up her fists in a defensive stance.

Finish her!

"GLADLY!" Susan announced.

Both combatants sprinted…well it was more of a half limp for Stacey. Susan smiled with delirious excitement as she readied for her next blow. Stacey took a deep breath and entered into another slide avoiding the attack. Susan stumbled toward the edge, but stopped herself.

Stacey stopped and both girls faced themselves. They executed their attacks at almost the same time, but almost wasn't good enough. Stacey entered into Sarah's bicycle kick and it hit its mark. Susan was propelled backwards over the edge of the fighting ring far from the reaches of the edge to save herself. Automatically, she felt all of her strength and powers drain from her body. It was then like a barrier was broken as there was a loud shattering noise and bits of what seemed like…well boundaries fell to the floor.

RING OUT!

"YES! YES!" Neil shouted triumphantly throwing his fists into the air.

The barrier vanished and allowing him access to the studio. He took one step and a portal formed a few feet in front of him. Susan plummeted out of it and crashed to the floor. Her body was flashing red and then she started to stir. She began pushing herself up when Stacey fell out of the platform and landed, feet first, onto Susan's neck. It made the sickening noise from when Stacey snapped her neck earlier and Susan was no more.

Stacey Pilgrim wins! Extraordinarily far from flawless victory!

"Screw you," She breathed and collapsed into Neil's arms.

"Don't leave me Stacey!" Neil pleaded desperately.

"I'm not dying Neil," she groaned. "I just need a minute or two to get myself together. Then I can try healing myself again."

"You were amazing back there Stacey. Even when she was spamming the hell out of those special moves and cheats," Neil praised.

"What can I say? It runs in the family," Stacey said beaming.

Neil aided her to her feet and Stacey glared at Susan. She gave her one last raged filled kick and sighed.

"Let's go find Scott," she said.

As Neil started to help her out of the studio there was a noise coming from the giant screen at the back of the studio. The two of them stopped and watched it open up. Revealed from behind it was a man chained to the back of the wall.

"Yes! After all this time someone has come to rescue me!" He cried out in exhilaration.

"I recognize you. You're the guy that hosted this show. Well before the dead girl over there. Cory…something," Neil said helping Stacey over to him.

"What are you doing chained up here?" Stacey asked.

"My last name isn't important," Cory said as his chains magically disappeared. He rubbed his wrists and sighed in relief. "You must be the one they spoke of."

"Who spoke of who?" Stacey asked.

"The prophecy! I heard Susan mention it every now and then while I was trapped back here. Apparently a bunch of old G5 fans swore that one day someone would barge in here and restore the network to its former glory. Apparently they were too lazy to finish their own 'prophecy', however. So in reality this fight could go either way."

"Can't you help us?" Neil asked.

"I can, but first you have to find the leader," Cory said.

"The leader?" Stacey questioned.

"Yes. Her name is Diane. She was the first of the staff to stand up to Gideon when he initiated his hostile take over. She has the best chance of leading the other captive staff members in taking back G5. Unfortunatly she's in another..."

"Don't. Finish. That. Sentence," Neil threatened. "Just point us in the right direction." Cory nodded and pointed to the exit.

"That'll lead you to the next studio, but I must warn you. There are far worse people than Susan among the League of Sell Outs. Your best bet is to try and remain as subtle as possible. Avoid the enforcers if you can. You know what? Hold on."

Cory ran up to the a table and grabbed two convieniently placed walkie talkies. He tossed one over to Neil.

"I'll monitor things from in this room. See if I can't pin point Diane's exact location. Once you leave I'm setting up a barrier around the area to keep safe."

"It's no problem. I've seen this happen in video games so much it's not a surprise to me," Neil said as he and Stacey headed for the door.

"Good luck," Cory wished and the door shut behind them.

"What do you think the enforcers could be like?" Stacey asked Neil while the barrier went up behind them.

"I don't know," Neil said. "But I think it'll be in our best interest to get out of the open before we run into them as a..."

"FREEZE! VEGAN POLICE" The Vegan Policemen from Volume 3 ordered.

"Poorly thought out, last second, cliffhanger," Neil finished his thoughts.

To Be Continued...

A/N: I know, I know. This is Neil's story and yet he got side lined for the first official fight. Well he was going to engage in the first fight, but I felt like I should get Stacey's first fight out of the way, so she won't seem like she's just there for the ride. The Vegan Police were meant to be a reference to how "Cops" for some reason is being shown on G4.