SZ: Hello, everyone. I...uh...man it's lonely not having someone to talk with during an intro! Ugh...I own nothing or anyone in this story except my OCs, OC Alien forms, and so forth. Without further ado, let's begin.

"Ugh...man. It's really pouring out here…" Ragna muttered as he walked through an alleyway, rain clouds pouring down above him, "I can see with my right eye and move my arm again at least...Tch. It must've been that woman's fault...ugh. Everytime I think about her, I can't seem to calm down. What the hell is up with that? ...What was her name again? Celica?" he let out a frustrated grow as he punched the wall, 'Damn it! Stop! Just stop! Stop thinking about her! Noel...you gotta focus on Noel! But..." he slowly lowered his fist, "What am I gonna do once I find her? Where in the world is Kushinada's Lynchpin? Let's say I do manage to get ahold of it...what then? What does it even look like anyway? Ugh...this is so annoying!" he snapped as he bumped into someone.

"Ow! What the hell are you doing, you idiot?!" the man he bumped into snapped.

"Me?! You wanna fight me you piece of shit?!" Ragna growled.

"What did you say?! Come on b-" the man began before Ragna pulled his sword out, "?!"

"You want me to bust your balls?" Ragna frowned dangerously, "Come on! Get your ass over here so I can break it. Don't complain to me when they're contacting your next of kin."

"Uh…" the man whimpered, starting to sweat bullets as he backed away, "N-no, no. Hey, wait...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have...I'm sorry okay? C'mon, don't be like that…"

"What are you afraid of?" Ragna frowned further, "It's too late to take it back!"

"AHH!" the man freaked as he began to run.

"That's what I thought…" Ragna scoffed, resheathing his sword before he smelled it...the scent of roses, "Hmm?"

"Look at you, reduced to picking on innocents," a voice spoke as Rachel appeared before him, her familiars by her side, "You've somehow found a place below the bottom of the barrel, some kind of awful sewer inhabited solely by nematodes like yourself."

"How unseemly. Harassing weak people...so unattractive," Nago huffed.

"Classless and disgraceful!" Gii added.

"...Ugh. Usagi, I don't need your shit right now," Ragna sighed in annoyance.

"If you're really catharsis through random violence, then I stand by me earlier assessment," Rachel stated with a small disapproving frown, "I'm quite disappointed in you."

"Disappointed?" Ragna repeated, "I don't recall you expecting anything from me, so get the hell out of here!"

"Hmph," Rachel huffed as she turned her back to him, "Don't presume to speak to me. I don't need you sullying me."

"What a classless child…" Nago shook his head.

"Such a child! Such a child!" Gii added as Rachel began to walk away, her familiars following behind her.

"O-oi! Rachel, wait!" Ragna called out, only to be ignored as Rachel vanished in a swirl of rose petals, "...Damn it! Why the hell am I so frustrated!?"

Unaware to him, Kira was hiding out in the shadows, a frown evident on her face as she glared at the white-haired man. She aimed her crossbow at him, her finger on the trigger as she kept her breath quiet and steady...and yet...she couldn't find it in herself to fire at him.

'...Why am I hesitating? I abandoned my emotions...all I care for right now is revenge against him and Tennyson...and yet…' Kira paused in her thoughts as she lowered her weapon, 'Why? Why can't I fire at him? He...he killed me before...he betrayed me...I….I hate him….I...I…' she let out a small frustrated growl as she began to walk away, 'I'll let him live….for now.'

Meanwhile, somewhere around the part area of the city, Carl and Ada were seen walking around the area, the former having a pondering...yet conflicting look on his face. He encountered a certain someone not too long ago, and...he felt confused...conflicted, as if he was offered a forbidden deal.

"...What should I do?" Carl whispered, turning a bit to look at Ada, "Sis, please help me…"

"..."

"...I…" Carl began.

"Why the hell are we out here again?"

"The professor said the female assistant Tager mentioned was last seen around here."

'...Those voices…' Carl thought as he looked ahead, seeing a familiar pair looking around the area, 'Mr. Kevin? Miss Gwen? What are they doing here? And what…' he quickly shook his head, 'No...I can't get them mixed up.'

"Seriously, why did it have to be so late at night though?" Kevin asked before yawning a bit.

"She said she didn't want to lose this lead, even if it means working all night," Gwen explained before sighing a bit, "I'm all for a mission at night at times, but this seems a bit much."

"Ya think?" Kevin deadpanned, "Why couldn't she send Tager out here?"

=Because I'm having him do another mission at the moment, dumbass= Kokonoe spoke through their communicator =So stop your bitching and get back to the task at hand=

"Grr…" Kevin's eye twitched at that.

=Honestly, Gwendolyne, how do you deal with someone like him?=

"That's something I'm keeping to myself."

=...know what? Nevermind. I need to get back to planning...Kokonoe out=

"...Bitch," Kevin muttered.

"Kevin…"

"What? ...Oh right, she's a cat girl," Kevin noted.

"Not what I...Ugh…" Gwen facepalmed, the two unaware of Carl quietly walking past the two, hoping they'd wouldn't hear or see him.

'Just a few more steps, and I can avoid contact with them...the less they're involved, the be-' Carl mentally began.

"Carl?"

"?!" Carl tensed up a bit, pausing mid step as he stood there, "..."

"Carl, is that you?"

"..." Carl said nothing as he tried to walk away, only for Ada to hold her arm out in front of him, "Sis…"

"..."

"I know it's rude, but I really don't want to get them involved…" Carl whispered.

"..."

"But, Sis…"

"..."

"..." Carl sighed in defeat, "I suppose I can't escape it now…" he whispered to himself as he slowly looked over at the two, "H...hey."

"So this is where you went off to when you snuck out," Kevin noted.

"Y...yeah…" Carl nodded before flinching a bit at the stern glare Gwen was giving him, "?! Um...I-I can explain, Ms. Gwen..."

"You had Dr. Litchi, Linhua, and I worried when we saw your bed empty and you gone, Carl," Gwen noted, "What made you...no. What drove you into sneaking out while still recovering?"

"...I...well…"

"...It has to do with your dad, doesn't it?" Kevin asked, earning silence from the young boy, "...ugh…"

"You're risking your injuries getting worse for a lead on him?" Gwen asked in disbelief.

"Well...yes," Carl sighed a bit, his hat shadowing over his eyes, "He was seen here in Ikaruga, and…"

"You followed him here," Kevin surmised before his eyes narrowed a bit, "Or rather...you found him."

Carl tried to not respond to that. His sister, however, nodded.

"What?!" Gwen gasped, "Please tell me you didn't get into a fight with him."

"..." Carl said nothing...only for his sister to nod, "...Sis…"

"Oh, Carl…" Gwen gasped before glancing around, "Come on. That alley doesn't…"

"Gwen, you are aware that you are a young adult about to take a little kid into an alley, right?" Kevin asked.

"..." Gwen sighed, "Right, right. Just...Just really annoying I can't use them in public here."

"Hmm...ma-" Kevin began.

"Oh, my dear! I finally found you!" a new voice spoke up, making Carl jump slightly in surprise.

The four looked to see a figure approach them. Kevin was quick to notice that while, at first, it looked to be a young woman, the figure was actually an androgynous male with violet hair tied in a bun and blue eyes with dark pink eye shadow and red lipstick. He wore a flowing pink and red kimono that exposed his shoulders underneath was sleeveless black skintight turtleneck, black shorts and legwarmers, and red platform sandals. He also sported a translucent pink scarf which appeared to levitate through unknown means.

"Wha! Wh-what do you want?!" Carl asked the man in surprise.

"Oh. Oh my, that was rude of me. I just got a little excited," the man chuckled slightly, "Oh, my dear, you are above and beyond what I'd hope to imagine. My deepest apologies...You are Carl Clover, aren't you?"

"...That's me, yes…" Carl slowly nodded, "Um...who are you?"

"I...am Amane Nishiki, my dear!" the man introduced himself with a bow, "Oh, it's so nice to meet you, Carl."

"You know Carl?" Gwen asked.

"In a way, yes," Amane nodded to her before looking back at Carl, "Do you have a moment to talk, my dear?"

"...well...no. I'm not really in a talkative mood…" Carl admitted.

"Oh...well perhaps maybe two seconds of your time?"

"...one, and two...good bye," Carl said as he began to walk away.

"Time out! Time out! I meant ten seconds! Let's change it to ten seconds, okay?" Amane offered.

'Ugh...he's so persistent!' Carl thought in annoyance, "Fine, but only ten seconds."

"Clock's tickin'," Kevin joked.

"Ahem. I'll cut to tge point then," Amane cleared his throat, "Carl, become mine!"

"..." Gwen's eyes widened along with Carl's as Ada raised a sleeve up to her mouth area.

"Okay! There is a lot wrong with that sentence," Kevin informed as he moved Carl behind him.

"Oh no no no! I'm afraid you misunderstand," Amane explained, "You see, I happen to lead a circus troupe filled with many talented young and handsome men."

"..." Kevin's eye twitched.

"Maybe you should explain it a bit better," Gwen noted quickly.

"Ahh...of course," Amane nodded a bit, "You see, with how dreary the world is now a days, I can't help but move from place to place, and a few years back..it hit me. 'Why not start a troupe?' I had thought, 'to help bring something festive to people's lives.' Of course...I had to chose a few talented young people to help me out, and when I heard about young Carl here, I just HAD to have him!"

"Yeah...One issue," Kevin noted as he moved to the side, revealing no sign of Carl, "He ran off."

"...Ohohoh...oh clever little shrew…" Amane chuckled a bit.

'Not again…' Gwen facepalmed as Ada looked around.

"...Well...guess I'll have to try finding him again.." Amane shook his head as he began to walk off.

Once he was gone, Kevin put his hand on the wall he was beside and absorbed enough that Carl stumbled out of an indent in it. Ada went over to Carl and knelt down to him.

"I'm fine, sis," Carl assured as he looked over at Kevin, "He put some air holes for me to breathe through when he did that."

"Guy gave off some creepy vibes," Kevin shrugged.

" No kidding…" Carl shuddered before shaking it off. "Still...thanks."

"No prob," Kevin nodded a bit.

"Now if you'll excuse me…" Carl began as he got up, "I need to go. I...have some things I need to think over…"

"..."

"I'm not telling them that. It'll only worry them more…" Carl whispered to Ada.

"..."

"I know, but this is for your own sake too…" Carl quietly argued.

"..."

"But...sis…"

"You know we can hear you, right?" Kevin asked.

"..."

"Carl, please...What's wrong? You can tell us," Gwen assured.

"...I can't say…" Carl whispered as he began to walk off, his hat shadowing over his eyes once more, 'I can't get them involved...not when there's a chance to make sis normal again…'

"Carl…" Gwen whispered, about to follow before Kevin stopped her.

"If he doesn't wanna talk, then let him be…" Kevin sighed a bit, 'Just hope he doesn't get into anything serious…'

Ben yawned a bit as he walked out of his temporary room, rubbing his eyes a bit. Quite a few things happened yesterday. A quick sparring match with Makoto, learning she can go toe to toe with Fourarms and Rath...the incident at the hotsprings...

"..." Ben quickly shook off the forming blush on his face, "M-maybe I should see what the others are up to…" he whispered as he headed towards Kagura's office. He was about to reach for the handle until he heard something inside.

"I don't need every single detail, but you should be asking her, not me!" the voice of a certain white-haired man snapped from inside, "'Oh, this way's quicker!' 'That's the long way!'...She just kept running like she knew where she was going!"

"...Wait...that voice…" Ben whispered as he opened the door slightly, peeking in a bit to see Ragna standing there with Kagura and Hibiki, one of his eyes closed while Celica stood next to the white-haired man, 'Ragna? What's he doing here?'

"Ahh...don't yell so loud. Pipe down, will you?" Kagura winced a bit.

"Whatever…" Ragna snorted, "So what do you want? I'd like to know why you decided to let me out, too."

'Let him out?...Wait. They caught him?' Ben thought in slight surprise.

"Simple; I need you to help me, Ragna the Bloodedge," Kagura answered, "I'll entice you with a reward."

"You want me to be your lapdog? Give me a break….is what I would normally say, but that's why I've been rigged with a bomb, isn't it?" Ragna stated, "That is sneaky…"

'A...A BOMB!?' Ben's eyes widened, unaware of someone approaching from behind him.

"A bomb?" Kagura blinked, "What are you talking abo-"

"Gah!" Ben yelped as he was suddenly punted into the room by Kokonoe.

'The hell? It's that kid again…' Ragna thoughts as he looked at Ben, who was down on the floor facefirst as he groaned a bit, 'What's he even doing…?'

"First off; I've rigged an MD bomb to his body. I'll spare you the long-winded explanation, but to put it simply...it's his collar," Kokonoe stated as she walked in, pointing to the collar around Ragna's neck before pointing at Ben, "Also Kagura, you need to make sure the door is locked so no one peeks or listens in, like Tennyson here."

'Ugh...well she's not wrong...I seem to be doing that aot lately,' Ben thought as he stood up, "You could've warned me you were coming before punting me in here…"

"Eh. Didn't want to waste my breath," Kokonoe waved off a bit.

"...nevermind…" Ben sighed a bit, "Also to get back on subject, you planted a bomb on him?! Doesn't that seem...oh I don't know, overkill?!"

"I'm with the kid. That seems like overkill there," Ragna added.

"Agreed…" Celica sighed a bit.

"Up to your dirty tricks, eh Kokonoe?" Kagura noted with a slight grin before shrugging, "I guess this means this will be a quick conversation. Ragna, you're not allowed to use the Azure Grimoire for a while."

"Huh?" Ragna blinked at that before frowning a bit, "Don't be ridiculous!"

"Just hear me out. We're carrying out a plan right now, and your Blazblue would get in the way of that, and it would cause a bunch of misunderstandings," Kagura explained, "Same goes for your Omnitrix, Benji."

"Huh? Why?" Ben blinked a bit.

"And what misunderstandings?...In fact, whose?" Ragna asked.

"There are two reasons," Kagura answered, "The first being Hazama...or rather, Yuuki Terumi. We're tracking him right now, and if either of you two are running around, then the sensors will mistake either of your for his Azure Grimoire, if not faint for your watch, Benji."

"...He's got a point kinda," Ben admitted before sighing a bti in annoyance, "Also, please don't call me that…"

"Nope. It's already stuck," Kagura smirked a bit.

"...And the second reason?" Ragna asked, wanting to move things along.

"Azrael."

The sound of glass breaking caught their attention, causing the five there to look and see Makoto standing in the doorway, a look of fear on the Beastkin's face as the floor before her was littled in shards of glass.

"...Heh...heh heh. R-really funny, Kagura," Makoto laughed nervously, "For a moment, I thought you said Azrael."

"..."

"...Oh kami you're serious…" Makoto whispered as she began to pale.

"...What are you even doing here, Nanaya?" Kokonoe demanded with a frown, "Shouldn't you be getting ready for a mission?"

"Well I was and wanted to get a quick drink before I overheard you guys talking and Kagura brought up the freakin' Mad Dog himself!" Makoto exclaimed before paling further, "...That means he's here in Ikaruga, doesn't it?"

"..."

"...He is, isn't he?" Ragna asked.

"...yup," Kagura sighed a bit.

"And it' more than likely one of Azrael's target's is your Azure Grimoire," Kokonoe added.

"...uh...explanations here?" Ben spoke, getting Kokonoe and Kagura's attention, "Who's Azrael?"

"...Kagura, you explain," Kokonoe ordered.

"Makoto, you explain," Kagura passed on to the Beastkin.

"Eh?! Why...mou...fine," Makoto sighed a bit in defeat as she looked over at Ben, "To put it simply...the guy's a living definition of monster. He goes from battlefield to battlefield to find his next meal."

"You mean opponent, right?"

"No. The guy literally sees every battle as a meal," Makoto stated, "During the Ikaruga Civil War, he earned the name Mad Dog because he attacked and killed practically everyone on both sides! In fact, I heard he's even strong enough to create a pseudo nuclear explosion!"

'...and if he finds out about me and the Omnitrix, he'll want to try and fight one of my heavy hitters, like Rath or Fourarms...or even go against Atomix…' Ben thought in realization, '...Okay. That makes things in this world WAY more complicated now…' "...and I'm gonna guess if Azrael and Ragna meet...there's most likely gonna be a huge battle, right?"

"Correct," Kokonoe nodded, "It would undoubtedly end up becoming being an intense fight, on such a level that Ragna would surely have him have to choose whether or not to use the Azure Grimoire," she explained before looking back over at Ragna, "In short, you've got to stop using BlazBlue so carelessly."

'Huh...I'm kinda getting some deja vu here…' Ben thought.

"...I understand…" Ragna sighed a bit at the logic before looking over at Kagura, "Alright, Kagura, what should I do?"

"Simple. You're the bait," Kagura answered.

"The bait?" Ragna repeated.

"Hold it. Didn't you guys just say NOT to have him and Azrael meet more or less?" Makoto asked.

"That is true," Hibiki spoke, "But since yesterday, news of the grim Reaper's capture has been travelling throughout Ikaruga. People are saying Colonol Kagura Mutsuki has captured the grim Reaper."

"It's true enough," Kagura shrugged in confirmation, "In fact, it's perfect you and Makoto are here, Benji."

"Eh?" the two blinked in confusion.

"I'll explain," Hibiki spoke once more, "The news of the grim Reaper's capture has brought many people from around the world here to Ikaruga to...well, the situation evolved into a gladiator style tournament that'll take place at the Coliseum tomorrow, with the bounty from Ragna the Bloodedge capture as the prize with Ragna himself competing."

"Woah woah woah! I'm gonna be fighting?" Ragna asked.

"Correct. Ragna the Bloodedge will fight with his own reward on the line," Hibiki nodded in confirmation, "Which will no doubt attract Azrael's attention."

"...And what about us?" Makoto asked, pointing to herself and Ben.

"You two and Levin-san will be competing as well," Hibiki answered.

"...You're not using us as bait as well, are you?"

"In a way, and...well…" Kagura began as he pulled out a poster, "Check this."

On the poster was an image of a woman in her late teen/early twenties with short-wild crimson red hair with blonde highlight in them as she stood before a roaring flame, a silhouette of a large dragon flying above her. Her eyes seemed to be hidden underneath a demonic dragon-themed mask while she sported a pair of earrings resembling crimson flames. She wore a tight black jumpsuit underneath metallic crimson-red and obsidian black armor with a pair of clawed pauldrons on her shoulders, a pair of metallic crimson-red boots themed after dragon talons, and a pair of gauntlets in the same colors, one beings a bit larger than the rest as she wielded a pair of spears, one resembling a trident in dark gold and crimson-red and the other having a gun barrel underneath the pointed part.

"Eh? Who's this?" Ragna asked, looking over at the poster.

"Her name's Asuka of the Crimson Flame, and she happens to be the reigning champion of the coliseum," Kagura explained, "And we're hoping Benji, Makoto, and Kevs can convince her to help us out."

"...why?" Makoto cautiously asked, making sure it's not for some perverted reason.

"Simple. She's a Murakumo Unit, specifically Delta-04," Kokonoe bluntly answered.

"What the hell?!" Ragna exclaimed, "What the hell is this?! I mean, is every single Murakumo Unit that I cut down coming back to life to fuck with me again?!"

"Relax. I doubt she even acknowledges your existence right now," Kokonoe snorted, "She's grown so used to being the champ of that place, she's developed a king complex….well, more like it fed it, but still."

"King whatnow?" Ben blinked twice.

"She has a huge ego and thinks she has complete rule over the damn place because she's never lost a match….though I guess for it, it's a queen complex," Kokonoe stated.

"...Noted," Ben nodded.

"...And while those two and Levin are busy trying to recruit her-which I think is a bad idea if she starts going batshit insane on me-, you want me to go at it with Azrael?" Ragna asked.

"Just do what you can to draw him out," Kagura explained, "I'll take on Azrael. You wouldn't stand a chance."

"Hey!" Ragna growled.

"I'm not underestimating you, Ragna," Kagura countered in a serious tone, "You're very strong, there's no question. But without the Azure Grimoire, both Azrael and I are stronger than you."

"So what?"

"You have no conviction behind your strength. You just wave your power around without discipline," Kagura continued as he crossed his arms, "That makes you no different than Azrael. You're never going to win if you rely on brute power alone."

'Ouch. That's a low blow,' Makoto thought.

"Right now, you need to search for your own strength," Kagura continued, "'What am I fighting for? What am I using this power for?' Searching for the answer to those questions is the duty of those who seek power. When you find those answers, you'll become plenty strong without having to rely on that Azure Grimoire you've got. Probably even stronger than me."

Ben blinked a bit in surprise as he looked at Kagura. At that moment, he didn't see the same laid back, perverted man he met not too long ago, but rather...he seemed more like the man he was meant to be. A man looking out for his people.

"...What am I fighting for...huh…" Ragna whispered to himself.

"Ragna…" Celica whispered.

"But don't worry. I'll reward ya," Kagura grinned a bit, "Just be sure to give it all you got out there."

"Tch. I don't need no reward," Ragna scoffed.

"Not even if it was Kushinada's Lynchpin?" Kagura offered.

"Kushinada's-?! You have Kushinada's Lynchpin?!" Ragna exclaimed.

"What's Kushinada's Lynchpin?" Ben whispered to Makoto, earning a slight shrug from the Beastkin.

"I...can't truthfully say I have it," Kagura admitted, "But I can tell you where it is. And of course, I've confirmed the gate...the gate where the Lynchpin is sealed." he added before Rana ran up to him, grabbing him with his non-paralyzed arm.

"Where?! Where is it?!"

"That's not all. The key to activating the Lynchpin? It's here," Kagura added with a smirk

"?! The lost means to activating Kushinada's Lynchpin...is here?!"

"Eeyup."

"Okay seriously, what's Kushinada's Lynchpin?" Ben asked.

"...well considering you're part of this operation more or less, Benji...Kokonoe?"

"It's something that was created before the Great Dark War. Basically, it can interrupt the flow of Seithr at its source and if driven into the Boundary, it has the power to stop the flow of Seither entirely," Kokonoe explained, "In short, if we drive it into the Boundary, there goes all the Seithr in the world."

"Wait, seriously?!" Makoto gawked.

"...I'm sensing a 'but' coming up," Ben noted.

"...Guess you're not as dumb as I thought," Kokonoe noted, "Yes, and it involves the key Kagura mentioned."

"...And that is where exactly?" Ben asked before Kokonoe pointed at Celica.

"Hello…" Celica waved a bit.

"Celica? Celica's the…?! Wait, hang on a second!" Ragna snapped.

"Are you saying…?!" Makoto began.

"That's right. Celica Mercury's soul here is the key to activating Kushinada's Lynchpin," Kokonoe answered.

"WHAT?!" Ben and Makoto exclaimed in shock.

"...Celica, what the hell's going on?!" Ragna demanded as he placed his good hand on Celica's shoulder, "Please explain!"

"Oh...um...my father was...hmm…." Celica began to ponder, trying to think of how to explain things, "What's a good way to explain…?"

"Calm down, Ragna. I'll explain this one," Kokonoe spoke up, "You can take your hand off Celica's shoulder. She's the kind of girl that wouldn't speak up even if you broke her clavicle."

"Oh. Uh, sorry Celica," Ragna said as he moved back from her, "You okay?"

"Yes I'm fine. I'm tougher than I look," Celica assured.

"Uh, kinda rude just to ignore me like that," Kagura deadpanned, "Also Rags, you really need to work on the way you treat women."

"...Kagura...what you said…" Ragna paused as he looked over at Kagura, "That's a binding promise, right?"

"It's a guarantee," Hibiki confirmed, "I will guide you there myself when the time comes."

"See? I told you. You'll have to listen whether you like it or not," Kagura smirked, "We'll be counting on you for a while, Ragna."

"...Got it," Ragna nodded, "So what's this plan?"

"That's not something you need to know," Kokonoe stated with a frown, "W-"

"Defeat the Imperator and take over the NOL."

"WHAT?!" Makoto, Ben, and Ragna exclaimed.

"What did I just say?!" Kokonoe snapped, "Baka! You can't just shout something like that!"

"What? No reason to hide it. If we're gonna be working together, it's easier if he just knows," Kagura countered with a smirk, "Hell, even Benji's in on the plan."

"Seriously, don't call me that…" Ben deadpanned, "Also, you pretty much left out the whole 'take over the NOL part' when you told me this plan."

"No surprises on leaving things out in a plan," Kokonoe deadpanned.

"Hey. I just figured might as well tell him about it since we'll be working together," Kagura shrugged.

"...That is true, I guess…" Kokonoe muttered before giving Ragna a stern glare, "Ragna, you better not get in my way. Got that?"

"I'll be careful not to get blown away…" Ragna rolled hs eye a bit, "By the way, Kokonoe, is there anything you can do about this?"

"This?" Kokonoe repeated with a raised brow.

"My right eye and arm. They make some things really inconvenient, like going to the bathroom for one. I'm right handed-too," Ragna stated.

"Ew. TMI on the bathroom part…" Makoto gagged a bit at that.

"Agreed," Ben agreed.

"Oh! I can help you, Ragna!" Celica offered.

"What? I…" Ragna began before he was suddenly punched in the face, "OW!"

"Sorry about that. My hand slipped," Kagura 'apologized'.

"And that's WTMI," Makoto blanced.

"WTMI?" Ben repeated.

"WAY Too Much Info," Makoto replied

"Ahh..."

"Gah...you dick," Ragna muttered, rubbing the bruise on his face with his good hand as he glared at Kagura, "Why'd you clock me over that? She was the one offering."

"Better not do that, Celica. You don't know what diseases he's carrying," Kokonoe stated.

"I'd pass, Celica. It would be a terrible waste of your potential," Hibiki added.

"Hm?" Celica tilted her head in confusion.

"Ugh, you assholes…" Ragna muttered.

"..Oh that's right. There's one more person I need to talk to," Kagura remembered as he looked at the door, "Come in."

At that, the door was forced open to reveal a rather livid Jin, a cold glare in his eyes as he walked in.

"Kagura, what's the meaning of this? Explain to me right n-" Jin began before he noticed Ragna, "Nani?!"

"Eh? Jin?" Ragna blinked a bit.

"Brother...ng….out of my way…" Jin ordered as he shoved Ragna out of the way.

"Major Kisaragi, wh-" Makoto began before Jin shot the cold glare at her, "...Shutting up."

'Brrr...That was almost as bad as the glares Gwen sometimes gives out when Kevin and I really screw up,' Ben thought.

"What's wrong, Jinny? You're making such a scary face," Kagura noted with a joking grin.

"Didn't I tell you to stop calling me that?" Jin frowned, "When were you going to tell me that Bro….Ragna had been captured? And what's going on at the Coliseum?"

"Oh, that...Don't worry. You don't have to do anything different. I've just changed my order is all," Kagura answered.

"The order?" Jin repeated.

"Yeah. After the tournament, we'll hand over Ragna to Tsubaki a-"

"WHAT?!" Makoto exclaimed as she shot up to him, "Oh no! You are not using one of my best friends as bait, especially s-"

"I told the higher ups she was undercover for me at the time when she was ordered to go after Noel and Jinny," Kagura whispered to her.

"...Seriously?" Makoto's eyebrow rose.

"Of course. No way would I send a lady out into danger like that without a backup plan," Kagura assured.

"I'd take you more seriously on that if you weren't trying to grab my ass," Makoto glowered, holding up said hand in a crushing grip.

"Heh...noted," Kagura chuckled a bit as he pulled his hand back, 'Ahh...jeez! That grip of hers is stronger than ever…'

"...What about the Imperator's interference? Did you not have anything in mind to handle that?" Jin spoke up, "And what about Hazama? He'll definitely come."

"Hazama can't come," Kagura stated before sighing, "Honestly, I didn't want to resort to using it, but I'll set it up so that he can't, and it's a sure-fire way to do it, too. So, make no mistakes, Tsubaki will be the only one that shows."

"...And what about the interference?" Ben chimed in, "Maybe I-"

"We got that handled," Kokonoe spoke up, "To combat the Imperator's interference, we'll use Tager. With his Artificial Causality Phenomena Weapon at full tilt, it should work out alright. The situation will change from 'interception' to 'focus'."

"Artificial what now?" Ben questioned.

"Think of it as a prototype to the Idea Engine Ragna has in his Azure Grimoire," Kokonoe stated, "And speaking of whom, in a lot of ways, all eyes in the world will be focused on the coliseum, and right now, the Imperator's lot are focusing their interference on Ikaruga. In that state, I seriously doubt they'd be able to employ interference on 'all eyes in the world' and immediately rewrite the information. Hell, even the Master Unit will be watching, so I have no qualms with having the location be fixed."

"In other words, even if it's only temporary, the Imperator won't be able to use her interference," Kagura added, "And it'll be a nice practice rehearsal for us, too."

"Practice rehearsal?" Jin repeated before scoffing a bit, "Whatever. If there are any changes to the plan, I'd like you to tell me beforehand."

"Yeah yeah, we'll be sure to inform you, Major Kisaragi," Kagura assured.

"...Also…" Jin paused as he shot around and butted heads with Ragna, an almost...unsettling crazed look appearing in Jin's eyes, "Long time, no see...Brother."

"...Ki...Ben, you and squirrel girl take Celica outside," Ragna ordered as he glared at Jin

"Huh? But…" Celica began before Makoto picked her up and walked out, her tail sticking straight up.

"You do not want to see what happens!" Makoto informed quickly, 'Oh god! I haven't seen that look since the academy!'

"...uh…" Ben began, seeing the intimidating aura surrounding both Jin and Ragna, "...Makoto, wait up!" he yelped a bit as he ran after the Beastkin.

"...Well, I'm out. I know when shit's about to hit the fan," Kokonoe said as she left next.

"Hey, wait! Get back here!" Ragna barked.

"Sorry, but no thanks," Kokonoe deadpanned.

"..Hibiki, mind taking care of that thing for me?" Kagura whispered to his assistant.

"Of course…" Hibiki nodded as he walked off.

"Good. Now…" Kagura began as he glared at both Jin and Ragna, "If you two are about to fight, do it someplace else. This is my room, not a battlefield."

"...Brother…did I hear that you lost to this man?" Jin asked, ignoring Kagura at the moment, "How….disappointing."

"Shut. Up…" Ragna growled, "He cheated."

"Oh is that so?" Jin grinned a bit, "And what happened to your eye? Someone gouge it out?"

"It's just closed. I still got my eye," Ragna growled, "Stop standing close to me, asshole...and get out of my face, you little brat."

"Are you two even l-"

"Shut up!" Ragna and Jin snapped.

"Ohh~ scary," Kagura sarcastically mocked before crossing his arms, "Alright, alright...I'll be quiet."

"...Though I guess you're right…" Jin spoke as he moved away from Ragna, "There's no use being so close to a worthless loser such as yourself."

"You're the loser here, jackass," Ragna countered, "Who's the moody little kid that was slamming his forehead into mine?"

"Oh, don't worry. I'll be performing your last rites very soon," Jin assured with a slight crazed grin, "So how would you like to die? Go ahead and tell me."

"If the little brat who used to cry like a little baby because he thought the moon would fall keeps acting so cocky, I'm gonna kill him," Ragna threatened.

"Draw your sword…" Jin ordered as he summoned Yukianesa.

"You draw yours…" Ragna growled, about to pull his out before Kagura slammed his own blade between the two.

"Okay, that's enough," Kagura frowned, "If you wanna fight, do it outside."

"Stay out of this!" the two barked.

'Ahh Jeez...went from one headache to two…' Kagura mentally groaned.

"Okay….that was scary…" Ben admitted as he and the two girls stood out in the hallway.

"Tell me about it…" Makoto shivered, her tail still sticking straight up, "I mean look at my tail! It still won't go down!"

"I'm sure it…" Celica tried to push the tail down only to end up going into a push up, "...Wow. This is really stuck. Either that, or you have a very strong tail, Ms. Nanaya."

"I do a hundred push ups with it every morning," Makoto shrugged, "But still! Honestly, my tail has never gotten stuck like this in year!" she grumbled, "Stupid Jin and his crazy self…"

"...I take that's a normal thing?" Ben couldn't help but ask.

"No, at least...I don't think so," Makoto replied, "But right now? The moment it starts getting colder in here? We book for it."

"Ahh...noted," Ben nodded, "...so...the whole tournament thing…"

"Huh? Oh, yeah…Heh...can't believe we've been 'invited' to join," Makoto noted with a slight chuckle, "This is gonna be interesting."

"No kidding, especially considering...well…" Ben pause as he looked at his Omnitrix, "Since I won't be able to use this. Last thing I need is the whole world after me, especially…" he shuddered a bit, "Azrael."

"Please don't say his name again. Even hearing it makes me shiver in fright," Makoto shuddered.

'No kidding. Probably the only Alien I can use against him is Alien X, but he's more of a last resort,' Ben thought, 'Plus I doubt he'll even let me get a chance to even use the Omnitrix.'

"...Uh…" Celica blinked a bit, noticing the nervousness the two had before clearing her throat, "Why don't you two head back to your rooms to calm down? I'm not much of a fighter, but it'll help you two focus."

"...That is true," Ben admitted, "Plus...kinda need to tell Kevin and Gwen the plan since they're part of it kinda."

"Might as well do the same with Noel and Tsubaki then," Makoto shrugged a bit, "So...see you at the tournament, Ben-kun?"

"Yeah. See you at the tournament," Ben nodded as he began to walk off.

"Hey, Ben?"

"Hmm?" Ben blinked as he looked back over at the Beastkin, "Yeah, Makoto?"

"If we end up fighting each other…" Makoto paused as he held her fist out to him, "Let's give it our all."

"...Yeah. Sounds like a plan," Ben smiled a bit as he bumed fist with her, "May the best one win."

"Yeah. Till then…ja ne," Makoto said as she walked off.

'Yeah...may the best one win…' Ben thought as he watched her walk off, 'Let's just hope things will go as planned, otherwise...I may have to resort using the Omnitrix.'

"GAH!" a man screamed as he was sent crashing into an arena wall.

=Oh! And that's number 99, minna!= an announcer called out as the crowd cheered on the woman standing in the center of the arena, resting one of her spears on her shoulder as she was surrounded by unconscious fighters with only one standing in front of her =Will our champion Asuka be the last one standing once more, or will her final opponent defeat her?!=

"Hmph," Asuka humphed before a chain was wrapped around her.

"Gotcha, ya cocky bitch!" a lanky man grinned, tugging on the chain as he began to drag her towards an electrical current coming from one of the knocked out fighters' gloves, "Hope ya enjoy this shocker, fire bitch!"

"...Baka!" Asuka shouted, causing the man to tense up as a fiery aura surrounded her, "You dare and attempt to harm the queen with such petty tactics?!"

=Uh oh. Is she going to…?= the announcer began before Asuka let out a rising roar, flexing her arms out until the chain was shattered =Oh! He's done it now, minna! Our champion is angered!=

"Ahh...ahh…" the man whimpered as Asuka twirled her spears and impaled them in the ground.

"No matter how many tricks you use one me, no matter how many men you bring, no matter what circumstance you give me, you will not dethrone the queen! I am the crimson flame! I am the demonic dragon queen! I am the undefeated ruler of this arena! I am ASUKA!" Asuka declared, causing the crowd to cheer out loudly as she began to inhale.

"Oh shit!" the man panicked.

=Oh shit! She's gonna use one of her signature moves! Those in the lower seats better move back, less you be burned by her crimson flames!= the announcer warned as the aura around Asuka flared up.

"Crimson…"

"Gah!" the man freaked as he began to run.

"HELL FLARE!" Asuka declared as she roared out, a stream of large, crimson flames bursting out of her mouth as it shot towards the unlucky opponent.

"Shitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshi-!" the man freaked before the flames impacted, causing him to cry out as he was sent crashing into the wall, the flames not stopping once.

Asuka soon closed her mouth, causing the flames to stop as the man dropped to the arena floor, completely covered in burn marks and most of his hair and clothes burnt off.

=And that makes number 100, minna! Our champion has done it once again!= the announcer shouted as the crowd was in an uproar of cheers =With today's match, that makes a total of 300 victories in a row! No one can stop her!=

"Of course…" Asuka whispered as he raised her hand up into the air, her pointer finger pointing towards the ceiling, "There is only one ruler of this arena, and that is me! Crimson Flame Asuka!"

The crowd was practically roaring in praise and cheer as they chanted Asuka's name over and over. Asuka closed her eyes as she began to walk away, pulling her spears out of the ground as she left the arena. It was true that she never lost a match. Not even once. However...it was a lie...there were only two times she lost.

"Grr…" Asuka growled out as she walked down the dark hallway, "I won't ever lose again...I won't ever lose to those two again…" her eyes narrowed as her crimson aura returned, the woman glaring at a warning poster of Ragna, "Especially you...Bloodegde."

"Hmm...so that's where you've been hiding…" A noted as he looked at a poster for the tournament, "And knowing Tennyson...he's most likely going to participate. And Ragna the Bloodedge could prove useful...perhaps..." he reached for a communicator on a nearby console, "Beta, are you, Alpha, and Gamma available?"

=Yeah. Wh-what about it, A-sama?= Karai nervously asked.

"Turns out Delta-04 was closer than we thought," A stated as he looked at the poster, "I want you to participate while Gamma and Alpha stay on standby."

=...Really? You want me to fight in a tournament? That place is gonna be one big sau...=

"There's a good chance that Beastkin you're lusting after will be there as well...oh, and Ragna the Bloodedge is competing too"

=SIGN ME THE FUCK UP~!=

=Karai…= Aoiro's voice sighed in the background.

=Oh shut up, Aoiro! Like I'm missing a chance to get Onii-sama and Mako-chan!= Karai argued before purring =Ohh~I wonder if Bullet will be there as well...double vitamin T and A for me~ Oh ho...maybe I can get onii-sama to join us in a threew-ow!=

=We'll be on standby, A= Kira spoke through the communicator next =Though I do not understand why you won't let me and Alpha compete=

"I already got two people in mind, though I will have to contact Neo Exodus in order for it to work out," A answered as he used his free hand to type in something, "If the Beastkin does manage to beat Beta, I doubt she'll be able to beat who I have in mind for her. As for Tennyson...i have someone special in mind for him."

=...understood. Gamma out= Kira stated as the communicator went silent.

"...Ugh...I pray to my leader I don't end up talking to her…" A groaned as he pulled out a black device out of his coat and pressed something on it, causing the center of it to light up.

=Hello?= a female voice came from the devi

"I need t-"

=Ha! Just kiddin'! I'm not here right now! Upupupu! Please lea...=

"Ugh! You're pulling that again?!" A groaned in annoyance, "I have no time to deal with your psychotic jokes, J!"

=Mmm...you're no fun at times=

"And you enjoy those 'games' of yours way too much, little miss 'oh I just love despair so much'," A countered.

=Says the guy who has a hate boner for the guy he's co...=

"Do not test me, Enoshima!" A snapped, his voice becoming a bit distorted for a moment as he smashed his hand into a steel table, causing it to split in half, "The only reason we let you join our group is because you have this talent of driving people insane."

=Not to mention that I plan things ahead quite a bit=

"...Ugh….please put someone else on the line before I come back there and strangle you back into the afterlife…" A groaned out as he tried to calm down, "Someone like X perhaps…"

=Mm...fine. You're the party pooper= the female voice pouted =Hey~! A wants to speak to you, X!=

'Hate her...hate her so much…' A groaned, taking a few deep breaths to calm down.

=What is it you need, A?= a new voice spoke from the device, this one sounding calm and collected.

"...I need a favor from you, X," A stated, a red light coming from underneath his hood.

SZ: Phew...been meaning to get to this particular arc. Sorry for the long wait, folks...just...been really busy and stuff, and…*sniffles*been sick with Hay Fever...and it SUUUUUCKS. Hopefully I'll be feeling better soon...for the time being, I hope you enjoy this chapter, minna. Until next time, I am Seanzilla115...ja ne.