An Underdog's Destiny (Story 4 of 4 of my Underdog Series)

by The Legendary Dragon Reaper

He has spent more than a decade preparing for this day, and his fated final battle is drawing nearer. But with his greatest foe knowing just how to get under his skin and his best friend under that foe's thumb, it might turn out to be too much for even him to handle. Can he defeat his foe and protect his friends, or will he give in and lose everything?

11. The Calm Before the Storm

(Warning: Character death)

"Since the beginning of time, before the event you have come to know as the Big Bang, there have always been 6 singularities, 6 forces of ultimate power. Then the universe exploded into existence with the Big Bang and the remnants of these systems were forged into concentrated physical forms each with a consciousness of its own. These beings have come to be known as the Cosmic Elemental Masters. Each being has mastery over one of the 6 elemental forces of the universe: Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, Lightning and Metal. These beings are the most powerful in all of the universe and cannot be defeated by any normal being lest their existence be wiped from the face of the universe upon contact, and the only being capable of defeating a Cosmic Elemental is a Cosmic Elemental, or one with the powers of a Cosmic Elemental. Many eons ago, a great war was raged between the Daagons, the inhabitants of the cosmic ocean Varuna and their ruler Hiidrala, and Metallum, the Cosmic Elemental of Metal. With them were their greatest protectors, the Wind and Lightning Cosmic Elementals known as Tatsumaki and Kaminari. The two clashed in an epic battle that scarred the very universe itself, but before a victor could be decided Metallum betrayed Kaminari and attempted to take both their powers for himself in order to conquer not only Varuna, but the entire universe itself. In the face of this betrayal, Tatsumaki and Kaminari agreed to combine their power to face Metallum and end him, and in doing so they performed an ancient ritual known only to the Cosmic Elementals: Elemental Fusion, in which they would fuse into one new being altogether with both of their powers but at the cost of their fusion being permanent. With this they forged a new being with a new elemental force: Tempestatis, the Cosmic Elemental of the Hurricane. The battle was fierce and ravaged the universe, but in the end the battle was lost. Metallium was badly injured nearly beyond recovery but he had triumphed. With his dying breath, Tempestatis made a vow: even if it took him thousands upon thousands of lifetimes, he would see that Metallum would fall for his betrayal. However, that is not the whole story. What very few are aware of is that there are two other Cosmic Elementals who refused to take part in the war, two who refused to take sides because they were unsure of how the evolution or mortals would turn out in the end. These two were known as Illuminare and Tenebris, the Cosmic Elementals of Light and Darkness. As the war between their fellow Cosmic Elementals raged on and ravaged the universe, they had retreated into the shadows to observe how the mortals would react. They had wondered if the mortals of the lower realms of each universe were creatures that were truly deserving of the protection of the gods. I have observed the dealings than I would care to count. Mortals thrive, they quarrel, they perish, and they repeat this same cycle time and time again on an endless loop. At that time it seemed to me that for them to keep doing this would be the height of futility. I had even gone so far as to wonder what sense there was in protecting such flawed beings when they would consistently repeat the same tragic mistakes time and time again without showing any signs of developing, and ponder if it were to be more merciful on our part to put an end to such hopeless cycles once and for all. However, after the fated battle between Metallum and Tempestatis had at last come to a close and the mortals began to rebuild the remains of their civilizations across the universe, that was when Metallum appeared and offered a solution to their dilemma. They would pool their power into one point and create a warrior that was mixed of both light and darkness, intended to follow the spirit of Tempestatis for as long as he reincarnated through over one hundred lifetimes in over one hundred different races. Now the mission of the Warrior of the Hurricane has become much more grave, and if both Metallum and his warrior of darkness are not slain then the legacy of the Cosmic Elementals will be forever tarnished and lost to the memory of time."

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(After the events of chapter 10)

The night was calm over the skies of Transylvania, but it was still incredibly unnerving due to the spooky setting.

Zoey suddenly burst out of a sewer manhole in a sort of geyser, and she landed on the ground with a loud thud "Ow… that just can't be legal. Where am I anyway?"

"Romania, Transylvania to be more specific." a voice answered her, sounding somewhat metallic.

Zoey glanced up and her jaw nearly dropped through the ground "Duncan? Gwen? DJ? What the heck?"

Sure enough, Cameron and Lightning dropped down in front of her, the former wearing what looked like a new model of the armor he had used during the season 4 finale, and the latter holding a high tech blaster in one hand and a sword in the other "Hi Zoey, it's been a long time hasn't it?"

"What… What am I looking at right now exactly?"

"Oh I improved on my suit of armor using technology provided by the Utrom Council, the technology they have at their disposal is more miraculous than anything I've ever seen!" he was snapped out of it by Lightning clearing his throat "Right right. Well Mike and Adam introduced me to them a few days ago before they left, they said they wanted me to make some kind of defense system. They said that something was coming in the next day or so, something really big and really bad"

"Like Chris covering an entire island and its inhabitants in toxic waste bad?"

"Like end of the entire world bad."

"...So Chris-"

"Has nothing to do with it." Lightning did a pose "The Ultimate Duo and their allies are gonna save the entire universe, Shabam!"

"Uh… I think I'm going to need a lot more information."

"That's what we're here for, the Surfer Girl's dad sent us to pick you up and bring you with all of the others before tomorrow hits."

"Why, what's tomorrow?"

"The end of the world, but not if we have anything to say about it."

"...And Adam and Mike are involved in this?"

"Sha-yep."

"...Alright, let's get going."

"You'd better hang on, the turbulence takes some getting used to." Cameron put and arm around her waist, grabbed Lightning by the shoulder, and then blasted off into the night sky.

All the while, Zoey was deep in thought 'Mike… Adam… everyone… I know I can't be of much help with whatever's going to happen, but I still want to do what I can to help. Please, just be careful and come back alive.'

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Aurora sat in meditation in front of the Waterfall of Light, and when she opened her eyes she didn't have to know who was behind her "I know why you're here Daniel."

Sure enough, behind her stood Colonel Daniel Connors, a fellow Master of the Mystic Arts who also happened to be Bridgette's father "He's coming, he might even be here already."

"I know."

"You know what he's after."

"And I have no intention of allowing him to succeed."

"You created the tools they can use to stop him."

"And I have them here." Aurora opened a portal and summoned a sizeable wooden box, and when she opened it it revealed what looked like a trident, a staff and a pair of claws "I created these weapons for Bridgette, Cody and Alejandro using the same principles that Azmuth used to alter Ascalon for Adam's use. They tap into the power within the user and amplify them several times over, but unlike Ascalon, they don't have the ability to absorb energy on the scale. They can absorb one Cosmic element each and essentially render it nonexistent."

"So Ascalon is the only thing he needs. If Metallum succeeds in acquiring the cosmic powers of Wind, Lightning, Water, Light and Darkness then he'll have the power to destroy reality as we know it. He'll recreate the universe where we don't exist."

"Where anyone who would oppose him would exist, he would destroy life on a scale hitherto undreamt of."

"We can't let that happen."

"We won't, or rather you won't." Aurora handed the trident, staff and claws to Daniel, as well as what looked like a letter "I think we both know what has to be done."

"If we both fought together-"

"Then there would be two less protectors of the 10 dimensions, and someone needs to take that place after everything is all said and done."

"And if Adam and the others try to step in and stop him prematurely?"

"That's what the barrier is for, only Masters of the Mystic Arts can find this place, or monsters of unimaginable power in case of him, so the odds of them discovering what I have to do are slim to none. But before you go…" she pulled Daniel into a quick hug "Say congratulations to the happy couple for me when you see them."

"...I always hated your sense of humor." Daniel wiped away a few tears, and then he warped away through a portal.

Aurora turned around in anticipation of what was to come 'And thus is how the story of my life comes to an end, the end of my story.'

Sure enough, a black portal materialized in front of her, and from the portal emerged a massive hideous hulking figure with spikes protruding from his body in multiple directions "To think that insignificant wretch forced me to spend so long in the Void, but now the time has come for me to end his insignificant existence, as well as that of anyone who stands in his way, starting with you Master of the Mystic Arts."

"I'm well aware of why you're here Metallum but you're too late, the Cosmic Fulcrum is long gone from here by now. And besides, even if you did know where to find it, they'll be ready to stop you the second you make yourself known to them." Aurora armed herself with an energy sword "But if you want your nightmares about that boy to end then I'll gladly end them for you, permanently."

"If that is what you wish Sorceress then so be it, it will be fitting to end you as I did your student, that child who called himself the Crimson Jaguar."

"Don't think I'll go down without a fight." Aurora blitzed behind him and brought down her energy sword on his back, only for it to not even phase him.

Metallum cut down the energy sword using one of his blades and attempted to stab Aurora with one of his metal blades "You realize not what it is that I intend."

"I already know." Aurora retreated a fair distance away "To recreate the universe in your own image, one that worships you like a god."

"So that I can guide it and help it to strive for something greater than what is right now. You've seen it time and time again, all throughout history."

"Enlighten me."

"You were fortunate to be born in a time of peace, but war is in the nature of all living beings regardless of their planet or race. I've seen it on this planet and thousands more time and time again, hundreds of people standing in line waiting for their inevitable demise, warriors destroy people and their homes with smiles on their faces as they crushed the bones of their victims underneath their feet, using their advancements for warfare to destroy those who would dare to oppose them, see parents and children being hacked down in front of each other, soldiers wiping out entire families with no remorse. It has happened for milenia and it continues to only further prove my point, that every living being in this universe is beyond salvation."

"You don't know that."

"I'm the only one who knows that, or rather I'm the only one who was willing to do something about it. It took me time to come to my conclusion, but I realized that even if I did annihilate every being of this universe it wouldn't change anything, and as long as there are those that remember what was, there will always be those that are unable to accept what can be. They will resist."

"And what of your hatred for Tempestatis and his next lives over the years, and the creation of the one you call Sordibus?"

"He is a fool who believes that he can be the salvation of this universe, the fusion of the two who always stood in my way, who detested me and called me mad for the conclusion that I reached, and as such they stood in my way through one life after the next, holding onto hope that has long since died. The first step in cleansing the universe is ridding it of its so called knight and those who would stand with him, and then the universe can be restored to its former glory. Sordibus is nothing more than a tool."

"And then what?"

"And then I finally rest, and watch the sun rising over a grateful universe flourishing and thriving far more than the original one ever could. The hardest choices require the strongest wills."

"I think you'll find their will equal to yours, perhaps even greater." Aurora dropped back into a stance and prepared for the battle lying ahead of her 'Adam, if you're taking care of any kind of unfinished business then now had better be the best time to do so. I won't be around for when the final battle comes.'

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(Meanwhile, at Camp Wawanakwa…)

The night was calm over the skies of Wawanakwa, and big plans were underway.

Bridgette made her way out of one of the bathrooms in the Spa Hotel and let out a sigh as she finished drying her hair "You know I really feel bad for Zoey, it just feels wrong having to vote her off like that."

Adam nodded "I know, I don't like it either but there are times in life when you have to make some tough calls and this was one of them."

"I know, especially for what's gonna have to go down tomorrow. We'll have to hit the ground running."

"Agreed, but tonight is just all about the two of us."

"You read my mind." Bridgette pulled him into a gentle kiss "Although considering Chris is probably watching us through some sort of hidden cameras for whatever scraps of drama he can pick up."

"Well if it's drama he wants then it's drama he's gonna get."

"You realize we can't do anything tonight if he's recording."

"He wouldn't be able to show whatever we do tonight anyway, but I was actually thinking a little bit longer than tonight."

"What do you mean?"

"You're about to find out." Adam released her from their embrace and took a deep breath, and then he began "Bridgette... I'm going to be honest with you, for so long I had always believed that life is nothing more than a struggle to accomplish an important goal and once you actually do accomplish that goal you have nothing left to live for, and the only thing you have left to do was end it, and that nobody would care if you were still there or not. You would be cast off into the next world, and this world would just forget that you existed, as if you were never there to begin with, to emphasize even further that your existence made no difference in the world. I was fine with that because I didn't think I really had anything to live for. But after I met you, those thoughts began to change. After I lost my parents and Mike disappeared, I sort of built a wall around me so that I would prevent myself from getting hurt, and at first Carlos was the only one who could really penetrate that wall. I had thought that life would go on without me and that no one would miss me, that after my goal had been accomplished I wouldn't have had any reason to live. I wasn't even sure if I wanted to live really. But that all changed when I met you. Being with you all this time has helped be to become a better person, stronger both in body and in mind. You were the one who taught me how to love again."

Bridgette's eyes widened at this.

"It was thanks to you that I started to think about things that I never had before. What I would do with myself and with my life once the dust had settled, what I wanted to have as a career, the thought of actually having a family to call my own… to find something in my life that makes me really truly happy, and content. It's actually kind of funny, I never thought I would want any of those things and now I think I'm actually scared of the thought of losing them."

"Adam…"

"And that's why I don't want to take any chances or go into the coming battle with any sort of regrets." he got down on one knee and pulled his bull headed necklace off of his neck and held it out to her "And I want both of us to live life to the fullest together."

Bridgette covered her hand with one mouth as tears began streaming down her face 'Is he going to…?'

"Bridgette Connors…" Adam took a deep breath, his nervousness soaring to new heights never seen before "Will you marry me?"

Bridgette laughed, cried, and tried to talk all at once, resulting in her having trouble breathing and being unable to say anything intelligible. After a moment she nodded vigorously and threw her arms around his neck, kissing him repeatedly "In case it wasn't clear. Yes, yes, a thousand times yes!"

He kissed her back, wrapping his arms around her waist, and after a few minutes he pulled back and pulled her hair up so that he could slip the necklace around her neck "Like I said, this is a family tradition for them and I think this is the best way to honor Carlos."

"I'm sure he'd be proud of what you've become." a new voice cut in "Aurora spoke highly of both of you."

Adam and Bridgette both glanced up to see Daniel appear before them through a portal he had conjured "Okay look, if you're gonna try and give me the most horrifying dad talk that ever existed then just know that it's probably not gonna beat the one from Spider Man: Homecoming okay?"

"I know that, nobody can beat a dad talk from a supervillain but that's not why I'm here. But just to be clear we will be having that talk later." he held out the trident, the staff and the claws to the two of them "Aurora created these herself, these items all together capable of absorbing the power of every Cosmic element. It's how you'll be able to stop Metallum." he handed them the note "And Aurora wanted me to give you this."

Adam read over the note and his eyes widened, then hardened almost instantly "Bridgette go get the others, things just took a major turn for the worst."

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(Battle at the Waterfall of Light)

Aurora brandished her sword against Metallum "You realize that only one of us is going to walk away from this."

"I am aware, and for your defiance against me and refusal to accept the inevitable, you will be the one to perish." Metallum summoned some metal blades out of his knuckles and pounced at her at full speed.

Aurora ducked underneath the attack and fired an energy blast at his face.

Metallum was unfazed and he simply grabbed Aurora by the ankle and threw her away before attempting to run her through with his blades.

Aurora dodged and weaved around his attacks, blitzed through a portal and fired an energy blast at his face, blowing him back a short distance.

Metallum quickly rebounded and fired off a barrage of metal blades from his hands.

Aurora destroyed the blades with a single energy blast each, blitzed through a portal and aimed a kick at Metallum's skull.

Metallum was unfazed and threw her away, followed by him attempting to skewer her with another blade.

Aurora started blitzing through one portal after another, slashing Metallum across the face using an energy sword.

Metallum caught her by the ankle, crushed the ankle and then hurled her away using a powerful fireball, leaving her barely able to stand "You fight for a lost cause, for this failure of existence and the wretches who cling to hope that does not exist. Only when you give in and see the truth can you become all powerful as I have."

"Do you really think words alone could convince me to abandon my oath, to abandon everything I believe in?" Aurora summoned two dual energy swords and charged at Metallum at full speed with even greater resilience than before, and with incredible bursts of speed and power she managed to cut off the blades from Metallum's knuckles, resulting in black ooze spurting into the air.

However, Metallum just grew more blades out of his hands and slashed Aurora clear across the face, followed by him stabbing her in the chest before throwing her to the ground "Is this how you choose to die woman, lying on your belly like an animal? No, such an ending would be unfitting for the great Aurora, Master of the Mystic Arts."

"No…" despite having a blade piercing her chest, Aurora coughed up some blood and pulled herself back to her feet, energy gathering in her palm "I swore an oath… an oath to protect everything I hold dear… I know that I can't defeat you… for there's another who is destined for that win… but I do know this… If I die… then I will die on my terms… Come on Metallum, I'm coming at you with everything I've got, so you give me the same!" she channeled as much of her energy as she could and fired one final blast.

Metallum took on the full force of the attack, but he managed to fire one final flame-infused blade from his knuckles before being blown off his feet entirely, the blade in question managing to stab Aurora clear in the chest while she was unable to defend herself against it. He quickly pulled himself back to his feet, the burns across his body healing almost immediately "You fought valiantly sorceress, perhaps those who remember you will exist long enough to honor your sacrifice." and with that, he took his leave of the Waterfall of Light 'When day breaks on tomorrow, the ultimate battle will finally begin, and a new dawn will begin for this universe and all who live in it.'

Aurora could feel her legs finally give out and she fell forward, feeling the light starting to fade from her eyes 'So it's over… the story that is my life finally comes to an end… To be honest, part of me is glad that it's over… Looking back, my life has been filled with one failure after another from the start… I was unable to protect my husband from the forces of darkness, and so my daughter never knew her father… I was unable to protect my teacher or my student from Metallum… Compared to the deeds they've accomplished in their lifetimes, my actions are trifling and insignificant things indeed… and worst of all… I have no legacy…' but then she smiled 'No… No, that's not true after all… I have my daughter, but more than just her… I have all of them, Adam and Alejandro and all of the others… I have them to inherit my legacy and finish what I started… and because of that, I know that I can rest easy… To be able to guide you… to walk with you… to fight with you… to laugh with you… and be with all of you for the time that I was able to… That was what gave me the strength and resolve that I needed to make this sacrifice to walk this path for as long as I did… It's thanks to knowing that all of you existed, that my life wasn't as bad as I originally thought it to be… The final chapter in my story, the story of a woman who thought she knew the truths of the greater multiverse, but the truth is that she was barely able to scratch the surface of the surface… Just barely glorious, but glorious without a shadow of a doubt… My story has at last come to an end… Now I think it's about time to close out on this story, and to focus on the sequel… The question is, what should I call it? How about, the Underdog Saga? Yes, all things considered that sounds pretty fitting…' and so as the last traces of light faded from her eyes, Aurora passed on into the next world with a content smile spread across her face.

The universe had lost a great master, and this was just the calm before the storm, a storm the likes of which the universe had never seen.

A/N:

And thus, the calm before the storm proves to be anything but, with the death of the Master of the Mystic Arts Aurora, at the hands of the Metallum, the Cosmic Elemental of Metal. I was originally going to have the showdown take place around the time of the episode everyone despises, Sundae Muddy Sundae, but in the end I decided on something else: What better way to celebrate the 100th episode of Total Drama than with an epic series of battles to save the universe?

Killing off Aurora was a decision I was torn on actually going through with for a very long time, but over the months I came to a realization about life and the world, mainly from watching Endgame: Contrary to what I wanted to believe, not everyone has the same rights and not everyone gets their happy ending, and some people just have to make that sacrifice play, like Aurora in this case. But on the bright side, it did give me the chance to finally showcase her abilities as a Master of the Mystic Arts and show how she compares in power to the likes of the Cosmic Elementals.

That scene with Cameron, Lightning and Zoey in Transylvania, while acting as an exclusive clip of Zoey going through the Flush of Shame is meant to foreshadow something that I have in mind for when the final battle comes. As for why I deleted this chaper, I didn't have a damn clue where I was going with that plotline regarding the Cosmic Fulcrum. All things considered, it seemed like such an asspull to me, and before I knew it months had gone by, and I just grew bored with this story. But considering how much time and effort I put into my Underdog series, it would just be wrong to up and abandon it like that. So I decided to scrap that idea and replace it with weapons capable of absorbing