Me: Hi, guys. Mimi here, with a dramatic chapter for ya'.

*Chiro stares at his bite marks.

Chiro: Seriously, you have some problems for a girl...

Me: You're one to talk, square-head!

*I show the burn marks on the side of my stomach.

Just read on, please.

Sprx and Tashi glared at each other with hatred in their eyes. Sprx had his magnets activated while Tashi pulled out his weapon of choice, some sort of a shorter purple light-saber.

"I know what you're trying to do," Sprx said, pointing to Tashi. "You're still working with Mandarin and trying to get me out of the way so that I can't save her!"

Tashi rolled his eyes and got into a fighting stance. "Whatever, you faker! You're the one working with Mandarin! Who else would have better connections with a freak like Mandarin other than the guy who worked with him in the past?! You're sick, you know that?" He growled at the horrifyingly angry Sprx. "Once I save Nova from you and Mandarin, me and Nova will live happily ever after."

Sprx's eyes narrowed as the got into his fighting stance. "You're the sick one!" He yelled at the top of his lungs. "Who else but you would work with a pig like Mandarin to have someone you know you could never have?!"

Tashi yelled a battle cry and chased after Sprx. Be thrusted his saber to Sprx chest, but Sprx quickly pushed it out to his left side and hit Tashi in the gut with an electric charge blasting into his body.

Tashi staggered backwards, but quickly regained his strength and swiped his saber at Sprx's right magnet, slicing it off of his arm and making him scream in agony.

"AGH!" Sprx yelled, gripping his right wrist with his only hand and falling to his knees. "YOU MOTHER (Censored!!!)"

Tashi relaxed his stance and smirked at his fallen enemy. "Hurts, doesn't it?" He slid his saber behind his back and threw on his cape. "Mandarin did the same thing to me when I was loyal to him… 'Pain becomes power, Tashi,' he told me."

Flashback…

Tashi was training in the rain with his master, Mandarin. Tashi was badly hurt; blood was seeping out of his side and face, scars traced around his body and back, and he was panting heavily. Mandarin didn't have a scratch on his evil body. Not a bead of sweat or anything. Just mud on his metallic feet.

"You're getting good, Tashi-kun," Mandarin smiled through the rain, his hands behind his back.

Tashi lightly chuckled in the back of his throat with the last shred of power in his voice. "Th… Thank… you… M… Mandarin-senshi…" He was in a large amount of pain. It felt to him as if his body was on fire, and the cold rain falling onto him didn't put it out. Tashi panted and heaved, but the extra air didn't do him justice.

"Just remember this, my student," Mandarin said wisely, crossing his arms and closing his eyes. "Pain is almost unbearable… But when you come to realize that pain can't get any worse, that is when you are at your most powerful… You can't be harmed anymore after that. Pain becomes power."

Tashi dropped to his knees and held himself up with his hands, looking as if he were bowing to Mandarin. "Master Mandarin," he said without a trace of dignity, "how did you become so wise? How am I so lucky to learn at the feet of the greatest teacher in the galaxy?"

Mandarin smiled evilly, not moving. "I've had too much pain cross by my life as it is. Betrayal, dishonor, and mutiny are also form of pain, each by one of my previous comrades on a pathetic team I thought I could trust."

"But who?" Tashi looked up from the mud to his master. "Who would ever betray you?"

Mandarin's eyes widened at the mention of this. He turned his back on his student and scowled. "The Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce… Now enough training. You need your rest," he said carelessly. "We begin training again when you have your strength regained."

"Hai," was all Tashi said as his master turned and walked away, leaving him in the cold rain.

End flashback…

Tashi watched as Sprx struggled to keep from screaming. He pulled his hood over his head and turned away, smiling slightly. "I'll find Nova myself and destroy Mandarin… And unlike you, I don't need a team to help me."

Sprx's eyes looked up, filled with hatred and fire. He desperately wanted to choke Tashi to his fateful death, but he needed two hands for that. "Fine… by me… you… sick… twisted…"

Before he could insult Tashi anymore, Tashi ran towards him as fast as lightning and kicked him in the stomach. Sprx fell forward, screaming in more pain. "You knew we would have to go our separate ways eventually…"

With Nova and Mandarin…

Mandarin watched with delight as his previous student and teammate fought for Nova. He had his feet kicked up on his control keyboard, with his fingers pressing together like a mad scientist. Just then, Nova came in with more cuts and scars than before, but she wasn't tied or held by two body guards.

"Ah," Mandarin sighed, lifting himself up and holding his arms out for some kind of a welcoming hug. "My dearest Nova… How is my queen?"

She made no facial emotion, but nodded. "I…" she stuttered. "I have never felt better… My king."

"Hmm…" he said, moving to her and lightly bringing her into an awkward hug. "That is what I like to hear. I'm so glad we could work something out so that I didn't have to kill you…"

She growled, but low enough so that Mandarin couldn't hear her. "I live only to please my king," she lied. "I just wish I could have looked past those two fools and stand by your side as your queen earlier."

"There, there," he patted her head and smiled evilly. "All is forgiven. I'm sure that the Alchemist would be proud of your decision to stay with me." Nova's eyes widened. "He told me that I should stay with you all… but seeing that the others betrayed me, he would be happy that you stayed true to him and promised that we should at least try to stick together."

She sighed, but not with anger. With sadness… "We…" she choked back her words. "We only need each other to make the galaxy better than it is now, Mandarin."

He released their embrace and looked at her with somewhat of soft eyes. "My queen… My lovely, faithful, trusting, dearest Nova…"

She almost smiled, but in her mind she was screaming with sickness, anger, and frustration. "AGH!" she yelled in her thoughts. "Just you wait, King Boy! We WILL stop you! We will!!"

Back with Tashi and Sprx

Sprx laid on the ground, gripping his wrist and twisting back and forth. Tashi grabbed his things and left, both going their seperate ways.

Me: … I have nothing to say at this point.

Chiro: Music to my ears.

*I punch the side of his head.