Chapter Ten

The goddess of Planeptune looked directly at Neptune, seeing her wounds had completely healed. "What the?!… I don't know what kind of sorcery you did just now, but I refuse to fight some sort of god-modding magic!" Not hesitating for a second, Neptune tried to do an uppercut on Pupul. "Play fair you cheating brat!"

It was enough for the recovered Pupul. "Cheating brat?! You should talk; Using goddess powers without getting a full and proper Level! If you're not gonna play right then I won't! And those insults aren't going to fly with me either! "How about you use your regular form and not that goddess one, and I'll play more fairly!" Neptune stopped, and changed back into her more child-like form.

"Okay then, I'll play with you…" Neptune's sword was replaced by just a regular smaller katana. "Crossing Combo!" Taking out a second blade, she began slicing her sword at her only to be shot by a ball of ice from Pupul's powers. Her feet were frozen to the ground, and AP was leaking out as she tried to thaw out.

Absorbing the AP, Pupul got distracted and didn't see Neptune break out and use the Dual Edge. "I guess the swords don't do fatal wounds anymore, I'm not sure what you did but…" Nepnep grumbled, not happy to see her foe have the cuts bounce off of her in a way. "But they clearly are hurting you, by the way you flinch! So, why not taste my Level One for change?" She began to smile again, about to use a Charge Shot.

Trying to activate her own Level One, Kuu finally broke the barrier. "GuuuuGRAAAH!" Ramming straight into the charging Neptune, she shattered into shapes. Pupul was relieved, and scooped up her partner, who had injured his head from the impact. When Purple Heart returned, she went straight for the sorceress. "Guh-guu!" He shivered in the warm hands of his owner.

"Well, that's one point for me! The rules go, if one gets three points, they are the winner!" Neptune didn't want to hear her, socking her in the face with a Fifth shot. Pupul felt her body being paralyzed. Kuu leaped out of his owner's arms and hid behind her. Nepnep stole the AP in turn, doing the Cross Combo more. "Gahhh… You're almost as harsh as Kratos with that blade usage!" Kratos didn't like being compared to that tiny goddess, but let it slide for now.

Neptune stopped briefly for whatever reason, and began staring into space. Pupul had no idea what she was doing, but she seemed frozen. "Ah… Wait now, so he is the one that maybe…" Her words were escaping her, and couldn't seem to figure out what she wanted to say to the sorceress. "No, that can't be it! You're just his minions is all!" Fire was blasted at Nepnep's face, who in turn picked up a crate filled with crows.

Flying and pecking at Pupul's eyes, Neptune took in enough AP to do a Level Two; absorbing the purple lights and releasing in a star pattern. She ducked down, but wasn't able to predict the movement well enough. Upon return, Nepnep was grabbed and tossed to the floor. "I don't understand what you were talking about before! But are you talking about the Polygon Man when you said 'him'?"

Both stopped for a bit, Neptune didn't know if she should keep fighting, or stand back and explain. "Someone came to take Noire's powers away from her, and… I thought you were in league with him." Pupul forfeit the fight, as did Nepnep. The others finally entered the broken barrier that Kuu had destroyed.

"Why would WE want to work with Polygon Man? Most of us are loners, or against the way he thinks! So, any reasons to believe you exactly kiddo?" Sweet Tooth grabbed Neptune by the collar, not feeling sorry. Kratos glared at him. "Ugh, fine... It is Polygon Man after all." Pupul looked around in and outside, searching for someone. No one seemed to notice the shadow looming over them.

A soft chuckling followed with it, the Polygon Man was overhead. "The goddess is right, yes… I took Black Heart's powers as my own. But can you blame me?" Neptune was ready to attack the large monster, along with everyone else. "I was REJECTED by her mind you! One of her own creations! Not good enough to be the mascot of Playstation and its commercials! So I've been locked away for YEARS waiting for my comeback!"

Spike stepped in front of Pupul. "I get it now! You made us all meet each other and fight out of envy; because we got spotlight from the creators and you didn't! And then you thought we would be either busy fighting or someone would have been gotten rid of, and you could be the mascot as you wanted!" Polygon Man stared at the boy for a bit, and began laughing.

"You must be joking! Why would I do that out of jealousy? I just think it's fun to see you fight like the little simpletons you are! In fact, it's only your own fault Noire lost her powers." Spike's eyes widened along with Nepnep's. "You all kept defeating me, and taking my energy for whatever uses to the point where I was dying… I had no choice but to confront the goddess of Lastation and absorb what she had!" Everyone began to feel slightly guilty, that they caused this.

Floating in place with his gaze lowered at them, he continued speaking. "I also knew Neptune would show up." Nepnep flinched. "As she and Noire are friends in a way, I used this to my advantage and made portals open so Pupul here would enter them out of wonders of what she would find. It's amazing how much I can see with Black Heart's god-powers! Either way, I don't mind having more play-things, and when I'm bored with you… Well, you'd find out." He yawned.

Eyes darted around, as Pupul could've sworn she saw a movement, the same movements of the person that gave Kuu back then vanished when the barrier broke. "Excuse me, but did you just refer ME as a play-thing?" He appeared yet again, there was Radec. Polygon Man was never threatened by him, and vice-versa. "My duty is to protect the Helghast no matter what, not be the source of entertainment for a giant head made of scrapped pieces of plastic."

Polygon Man narrowed his eyes. "Well, if that's what you all want, I can let you go… But not without having something to keep me entertained, which is why I made doppelgangers of all of you from the start." He grumbled. "You are all free to do what you like then, it will be rather lonely but-" Pupul stamped her foot, not wanting to hear anymore from him.

"Just give Noire or whatever her name is, her powers back! Along with my own!" Neptune was surprised to see her rival actually defending her. "And once your done with, I want to have what I desire most! Which won't just be your defeat, Polygon Man!" Polygon Man was in quite a state of amusement, even grinning at Pupul.

Shards emerged from the ground, creating figures. "You seem to have guts… I like that!" This was it...

The final battle.