It became suddenly quiet, and I was only aware of my own presence. It was like the other bounty hunters disappeared into thin air. Samus, who was to my right, Ghor to my left... Where did they go?

I slowed down to a jog, looking around the thick branches and heavy underbrush of the forest. Tidbits of light from the sun shined through the dense canopy, giving me hardly any source of sight. Nothing stirred besides the bushes that swayed when the breeze passed through them.

I manipulated ice around my hands, ready for whom I came across first, and began walking to wherever my feet took me.

After traveling for several lonely minutes, chills dashed up and down my spine, and I glanced around. I felt like I was being watched again. Who would have found me already?

I heard some rustling to my left, and I crouched behind a tree trunk. Slithering cautiously a few meters away was Kanden. I was confused. How did he suddenly become so small? His body was contracted and formed into what seemed to be some sort of larva. A large and jagged stinger on his tail signified to me that he wasn't all the way weaponless.

I heard far away shouts, and then Weavel and Sylux came into view. I saw Kanden turn towards the racket, and then scoot after them. I noticed that only Weavel's bottom half was battling Sylux, firing rockets from the soles of his boots.

"What the- ack!" I cried, someone wrapping their arms around my neck tightly. I heard Weavel's snarly voice, "Playing it safe, huh? I could kill you with only an arm!"

I raised my hand and fired ice at him, freezing his face. His grip over my throat didn't falter, and I was choking. "Weak! That's what you are, weak! Space Pirates are the strongest tribe in the galaxy!" Weavel's tone was muffled as he spoke through the ice covering his head.

I turned and smacked the Pirate onto a tree, hearing a large crack and his scream. The trunk was badly damaged, with Weavel clinging to it with one hand. I backed away from him, shooting frozen blasts that bounded him to the bark. Before I did, he lashed out with his right arm, an energy sword nearly cutting my chest. He barely cut me.

I stared at him stuck to the tree, finding it humorous. He couldn't move or talk. After a few moments of stillness, the little red tracker on his shoulder pad died, and hunter Weavel was out of the training session.

I turned to find that the battle with Sylux and the bottom half of the Space Pirate had stopped, with the assaulting pair of legs standing mechanically on the undergrowth. Sylux was now shooting Kanden, now full in towering height.

Kanden roared, bright electricity exploding from the tip of his gun. His adversary leaped to the side, with the attack hitting a tree and charring it. Transforming into a green ball of energy, Sylux aimed two entwined metal bars towards its enemy, then fired a burst that blew its foe back twenty feet. A deafening boom came from the other direction, and I watched as a massive tree fell and crushed Kanden. His arm was the only thing seen after the impact, and the red tracking sphere on his wrist ended its blinking.

Sylux raised its gun to the air, laughing at its success. That was one powerful knock out! I gaped, and was about to emerge from my hiding spot to fight it, but stopped as something long, thin and crimson caught my eye. It trailed across the ground and onto the back of Sylux's head. I stared in wonder. What was it?

A jet of blood erupted from its helmet after a hushed bang, and the mechanical hunter fell to the ground. The circular tracker on its back dimmed to nothing.

"Holy crap!!" I whispered to myself, and watched as Trace walked into view. He was holding some sort of weapon in his vermillion claws.

The Kriken stood in the pool of blood that expanded around Sylux. "Headshot! Yeah! You know," he spoke to the body. "I would have loved to make it more messy, but seeing as this was a training session, I wanted to keep it clean." he lifted his foot from the gory ground, chuckling as it dripped red. "Well, clean enough."

I got up from my perch and launched a thick, sharp dagger of ice towards Trace. He didn't notice, too engrossed in his sniped victory. The ice slice into his jugular, and then speared him against a tree. Trace gasped and choked, dropping his Imperialist and reaching for the ice skewered through him.

I approached, taking his gun and staring at it. He turned his eye towards me, glaring. I smiled, finding the trigger and shooting the tracker on his thigh. The beam went straight out of the other end of his leg, and bore into his ankle of the other foot. Trace screamed croakily, making gurgling sounds as he struggled to breathe. I threw the Imperialist into a random direction, and then impaled all of his flailing limbs to the tree. "Stay still and you won't die so fast," I said, walking away from the quartet of injured hunters and to wherever the other four were.

I continued to travel through the seemingly endless forest, knowing that if I beat Gandrayda, Ghor, Noxus and Samus, I'd earn that prize and win this little training competition. I wasn't too worried about Noxus. But, seeming as I knew the potential of Gandrayda and Ghor, I had to think of a plan to conquer them. I wasn't looking forward to facing Samus. How would I fight her again? Knowing this time I had my own free will?

I ignored those thoughts till when I actually faced her, keeping myself focused on walking.

I felt someone behind me, and turned to see an indigo blur that smacked me across the head. The blow was powerful, and made me stumble. I looked with blurry vision to Noxus, who was smiling as he held two sharp, ice swords towards my chest. "So, Rundas. I see you've been laying low and not fighting. What's the matter? Too afraid to get your tentacles ripped off again?"

I looked him up and down. "Are you scared enough to guard your groin?" he kept his legs closer together than when we first faced off.

Noxus frowned. "How about I tear off your entire head this time?" he began to pace around me, and I followed his action by walking on his opposite side.

"How about you stop talking so you can do it?" I mocked, stopping as he did. He clenched his fists, lunging forward and slashing at me with his swords.

I dodged left and right, unscathed. "Stop moving!!" Noxus grunted.

I ducked as his frozen blade swished above my head, lashing out and punching him in the stomach. The air was knocked out of him, the ice katanas snapped, and he held for his abdomen and stepped away a few paces.

I straightened up and unleashed an ice blast that shot him backward. Noxus yelled and flailed his arms as he was stuck to a wide trunk. Only his torso was frozen, but when I approached, he smiled. "Have you forgotten that I can control ice too?" Noxus placed his hands on the ice and melted it into water, which ran down his body and onto the grass. "Have you forgotten that the Vhozons were once part of the Phrygisian race? That most of us left after the Great War and created our own tribe?" Noxus stepped towards me, but I didn't move from my position. He then stood on his toes to reach my height, for he was shorter than me. "Have you forgotten that I'm as strong as you?"

I glared at him, breathing heavily. "No," I said sternly, and Noxus lowered himself and took a step back. "But did you know that I trained with the Galactic Federation as a child? Or did you know that I have faced the great Samus Aran, and lived?" he tightened his fists again, snarling. "And did you know, Noxus," I leaned down, putting my face close to his. "that-"

He suddenly screamed, his body jerking madly. I straightened up, startled at what was happening. Violet bolts darted up and down him, and then Noxus fell to the ground, his limbs stiff yet still twitching.

I looked up to see Gandrayda perched on a tree branch. "-water conducts electricity? And that you were wet?" she laughed, swinging down and landing next to me. "Thanks for stalling him. Really helped. But," she flicked her fingers in my direction and fired purple lightning at me, which I had nearly a second to dodge. "I want that prize. And I'm gonna fight you for it!" Gandrayda leaped and began to bound across the bushes, doing graceful cartwheels and hand stands. I followed her with my arms, hurling ice bursts at her. The shapeshifter curved her back to evade my attacks, landing lightly on her feet.

"Doesn't this bring back memories, Rundas?" she said as she leaped forward and latched onto me, sending shocks through me that blurred my sight and clouded my thoughts. I gasped. "Memories of the power of corruption?"

She got off, slinking around me. I shook my head, trying to clear my vision. "Corruption was one of the worst things that's ever happened to me. Why should you be reminiscing?"

Gandrayda giggled. "But it was so fun! I remember when I fought Samus like that!" she shot more electricity at me but this time I counterattacked and froze her feet to the ground. "Hey! What'd you do that for?"

"Why are you fighting me for that prize? You get what you want from others!" I replied.

"That's the point!" she raised her hand to zap me again, but I froze her arms mid-movement. "Augh! Stop!"

I held my palm to her forehead. "Not a chance," Gandrayda screamed once she was incased, calling me words that's meanings I didn't know. I turned away. "Have fun melting." I saw her red tracker stop bleeping, and the shapeshifter was disqualified.

Walking through the brush, it grew quiet again. I looked to the little blinking circle on my shoulder armor, smiling that I had survived thus far. Maybe I wasn't such a failure as I'd thought...

"Hey, no fair!" I heard a shout from ahead, seeing Ghor with his back against a tree, Samus holding her gun on his chest. "I don't have any good weapons, they weren't repaired!"

"Sorry Ghor," Samus said from inside her helmet, her velvet-ish voice sounding mechanical. "I don't take any pity on those who are unprepared," she prepared to fire her firearm-

"No, stop! Please don't shoot me, Samus. Please!" Ghor pleaded, clasping his metal hands. "I've already felt the torture your gun brings, don't inflict it on me again! I've got it! I'll turn myself off! Then I'll be out without getting hurt!"

Samus's shoulder pads shook as she chuckled. "All right, I'll let you go this time. But if you forfeit again I'll report to Admiral Dane."

The robot's body relaxed as his capturer lowered her weapon. "Thank you, thank you! I'll pay you back somehow." Ghor reached up to his head, and clicked something just below his jaw on his neck. The lights that signified he was awake died, and his body went limp as he fell to the underbrush.

Samus sighed, shaking her head. "He was always a bit of a coward."

I stepped into the area. "Not necessarily. He is a war veteran, you just scared him."

She looked to me. "So you're still in, huh? Congratulations."

I smiled. "You too."

"Well," Samus cocked her gun. "I guess since we're the last ones left we've got to fight each other."

I frowned. "I can't, though."

She froze. "Why not?"

"Not on purpose. I won't fight you now that I have my own free will."

She approached me, and I saw her eyes turn soft through her visor. "Oh, Rundas-"

"Ha!" a deep, scratchy voice hooted. We both turned our heads around to find the source. "Ain't that sweet? The Phrygisian is falling for the human."

A thud came from the side, and I saw a Galactic Federation marine, only his body was demented and spiked. Spines were sticking out of his armor, his visor was cracked, and his hands were clawed, with only three fingers. His boots were torn through by razored, black barbs. A long tail flicked around behind him, and two wing like extensions protruded from his deformed back.

I grabbed my head, bright flashes zooming through my mind. Samus looked up to me, "Rundas? Are you okay?"

I suddenly had a headache, and then I remembered who this familiar person was.

"Sergeant Jake."