Chapter 33

"Good morning!" Pozun had arrived.

"Hi, Pozun." Several of the others echoed Sol's greeting.

"Oh," Alviss thought of something, "do you know everyone you've tagged?"

"Hm? Yeah. You, Jack, Dorothy, Alan, Nanashi, Snow and Koyuki, Ed, Belle, Pozun, Porin, Babbo, and Lucian. Oh, and Ice. I did him the other day. Which means Seihyou is tagged, too… That's it…? Oh, no, Mama. I tagged Mama."

"So you tagged Pozun."

"Yeah. Oh, I know what you're getting at. Yeah, he's fine. I tagged him and his sister after that incident in the woods."

"Did you say you tagged Belle too?"

"Yes. How'd you think I knew she was in danger?"

"Oh."

"Anyway," she turned back to the bewildered purple lizardman, "we didn't roll for today's battle yet, did we?"

"Ah, no. By the way, from this point onward, I'll be throwing the dice myself! Good luck to you all!"

"Try anything funny and I'll kill you." Alan deadpanned. Pozun blanched and stuttered a denial. Sol smacked Alan in the back of the head hard enough to make him stumble.

"Don't mind the old geezer, Pozun."

"A-alright. Let's go!" he tossed the dice. "Five vs. five! Desert stage! Come out… Chess Pieces!"

The air shimmered as people teleported in. Only two were immediately visible. A chubby young lady with black hair in braided pigtails and a bizarre creature that looked rather like a scarecrow. "Uh… where are the other three?" Sol asked.

Before Pozun could answer, one of the audience members yelled. "Not again! Solara!"

Sol whipped around and stared blankly at the Chess Piece who was playing with a group of children. "A. Who the hell is that? B. What moron brought their children to a battlefield?!" Audience members flinched and tried to duck out of her line of sight. "Let's bring our precious kids to watch people get beat up and even killed. Even better, let's put them anywhere near a bunch of murderous psychopaths. Yeah, great idea." Sol's biting sarcasm clearly displayed her disgust. Turing to the skull-masked man, she asked, "Who are you?"

He bowed. "I am Ash, 9th of the Zodiac Knights, and your opponent for today."

"Oh, right. Babbo mentioned that." She looked at him for a minute. "I remember you now. You're that oddball that joined the Chess for some nonsensical reason." Ash seemed taken aback by her statement, but Sol dismissed him. She looked at the brunette. "You're… Candice, right?"

"Yes. I'm the fourth team member. The fifth will appear later. Has some history with Nanashi, apparently."

"Sol, who's participating for your team?" Pozun asked.

"Me and Nanashi apparently. Who else wants to go?"

Snow jumped up and down. "Me!"

"Me too!" Jack raised his hand.

Alviss stepped forward.

"Then we have our teams. The combatants will-"

"Wait." Sol cut Pozun off. Looking up at the ramparts, she addressed their unwanted guest. "What do you want now, Phantom?"

Phantom chuckled as the audience yelled and shuffled about restlessly. "I commend you all for getting this far. However, from now on, I won't be sending any mere Rooks or weaker Bishops. Take a good look. Of the three strongest of all the Bishops… these are two of them! Both of them are nearly Knights! And I'm also sending… three full Knights – each stronger than Rapunzel. Good luck!"

"Phantom!" Candice removed her mask, revealing an eyepatch over her right eye and a huge lovestruck grin. "Will you watch me?! Watch me win?! Come on! I'm really gonna show you something!"

"Okay. Just come through for me, Candice." He smiled benignly.

Candice squealed and bounced up and down, giggling. "I will! I will!"

Jack grimaced. "They just never run outta weirdos."

"Doesn't make them any less dangerous." Sol responded.

"True."

"Oh, Solara," Phantom spoke up, "one more thing before you head out. You really should explain to him why you left."

Sol frowned. "Huh?"

"LUNA!" Someone latched onto Sol's back.

"! The fuck?!" Startled, Sol wrenched away, clocking the person in the jaw before backing towards Alviss instinctively. Her pupils had retracted some. Alviss stepped up next to her and wrapped his arm around her waist and causing her to relax.

Rolan was holding his jaw, a surprised and hurt expression on his face. When Alviss put his arm around her, the surprise was replaced by shock. He took a step towards them with his hand out, "Luna, what's going on?"

Sol leaned away, deeper into Alviss' hold. "I'm not Lunestra, Rolan. I'm Solara." She looked at him warily.

"B-but…" Rolan looked like he was going to cry, "Luna was part of you wasn't she? And… you said… I was your knight."

Alviss flinched, making Sol scowl. "No, I didn't. You did. When Luna told you about the boy she couldn't really remember that she used to play with, you claimed that it was you. Luna didn't argue with you, despite being unconvinced. But you're not my knight Rolan." Sol turned towards Alviss, curling further into his embrace. Alviss brought up his other arm, holding her close. "Alviss is my knight."

Rolan was clearly upset. He bit his lip, possibly to keep from crying, then glared at Alviss. "How'd you trick her?!" He snapped at the dark haired teen.

"There is no trick. I am Solara's knight, just as she is my sunshine. The proof is in the spirit-bond we share, and no one can break that; not you, not Phantom, not even your King or Queen. Tough luck, blondie." He smirked darkly at Rolan.

Rolan took an involuntary step back. His face contorted into a snarl. "Y-you-! I'll get her back! I won't just let you take her from me!"

"You're welcome to try. But I'm no pushover. Don't think our last fight is an indicator of how a future one would go." After so many years without his precious sunshine, he wasn't going to just stand by as someone tried to take her from him. He felt Sol chuckling quietly against his chest, and he smiled. As he had suspected, the aggressive Sol didn't find his statement possessive, but amusing. Then his face flushed slightly in pleasure and embarrassment as a look of surprise took it over because Sol kissed his neck. The flush deepened as she opened her mouth and swirled her tongue over his now racing pulse. "S-sol-!"

Rolan's face turned red with anger, and he spat a curse before teleporting away.

Sol laughed as she pulled away from her blushing partner. Alviss looked at her, with a rather heated look of embarrassment plastered on his face. "You're cruel."

"Hmm… Yes, yes I am." She tilted her head with a sweet smile. "Still wanna put up with me?"

Alviss bared his teeth in an aggressive grin and pulled her back to him. "Just try to leave me." He growled in her ear. She giggled.

A cough caught their attention. Several people, including Alan and Babbo, looked uncomfortable, while many others, like Snow and Nanashi, were just staring. Alviss blushed and ducked his head. Sol just laughed. Glancing up to confirm what her senses told her, Phantom was indeed gone. Turning to Pozun she said, "Seems we're all ready now. Shall we go?"

"Uh," the shocked Pozun blinked a couple of time before responding, "O-okay. Andata – transport these fighters to – the Desert Field!"


Arriving at the Desert, the female Bishop stepped forward. "Me. Me first." A huge claymore with a face embedded in the crossguard appeared. "Magic sword Dandarshia. Who's the fairest of them all?"

"Why, you are. My lady." It replied haltingly.

"It's lying." Babbo muttered to Sol.

"Ya think." Sol rolled her eyes. "Seems she's too dense to notice."

"Cool." The Bishop wasn't done yet. "So compare me to that ugly sow over there." She pointed at a confused Snow.

"Of course, my lady. That girl is a dog!" Dandarshia monotoned.

A muscle under Snow's eye twitched. "I'm going first. Any objections?" she asked sweetly.

The boys immediately raised their hands. "Not a one!" they said in unison. Sol was laughing.

"Fifth Battle! First match! Chess Piece – Bishop – Emokis vs. MÄR – Snow! Begin!"

Emokis activated an ÄRM, summoning a flower the size of her head. Jack blinked. "A flower?! A nature ÄRM wielder… like me?" Snow looked cautiously confused.

"So I'm gonna, like… tell your fortune." Emokis took the flower by the stem and started pulling off petals. "Ugly. Pretty." Snow yelped. Tufts of hair started coming off her head as she yelled in pain at her hair getting pulled. Emokis continued, "Ugly. Pretty. Ugly. Ugly. Oops. Did I forget pretty? Pretty. Ugly."

Jack was so lost. "She's supposed to be one of the top three Bishops?"

"Apparently…" Babbo was just as confused.

"And the last petal is… Ug… ly." Emokis yanked off the last flower petal. An explosion went off where Snow was standing. The dust cleared quickly, leaving Snow unharmed but coughing. Emokis was surprised. "Huh? Survived my 'Flower Pluck Attack'? You're pretty tough. Even if you're not pretty."

Snow ground her teeth. "Why… why you…" Then she relaxed and smiled sweetly.

Nanashi shivered. "Sh-she's smiling…? S… scary!"

" Sticks and stones will break my bones! Names will never hurt me! But even my patience has a breaking point!" Snow launched a wave of Iced Earth at Emokis.

Emokis… "danced" out of the way. The jaws of the boys dropped. "She's dodging 'em all!" Jack was amazed.

"Look at those, uh… moves." Nanashi couldn't fathom how she was moving like that.

"More graceful than you'd expect…" Alviss was confused.

"You poor little thing. Ugly and weak." Emokis tsked as she summoned the talking claymore again. "Don't you think so, Dandarshia?"

"Yes, my lady. You're absolutely right." The blade intoned. "Oh, forget it. I'm so tired of lying… the other girl is much prettier than you…" it muttered.

Emokis looked at it. "Did you say something?"

"N-no! Nothing!"

She grasped its hilt and lifted. "Then let's go!" She charged at Snow, swinging the sword with a fair amount of skill.

Snow dodged her strokes cleanly and activated her Guardian. "Yuki-chan!" A snowman dropped on top of Emokis.

"Yes!" Nanashi cheered.

"Did it smash her?!" Jack asked.

"No…" Sol was annoyed.

The snowman split up the center, Emokis having sliced it in half with Dandarshia. Snow was stunned. "Yuki-chan… shattered?!"

"You're like, only at this level… and I'm going to like, show you how great I am." Emokis activated an ÄRM hanging around her waist like a belt. "Candy house." A small house made entirely of candy appeared. As all of team MÄR just stared in stupefied shock, Emokis tore a piece off and started scarfing it down.

"Eating… during a battle?! What kind of ÄRM is that?!" Snow was stunned.

Emokis was practically inhaling the house, shoving piece after piece in her mouth, barely taking the time chew.

Alviss shrugged when Sol looked at him, silently asking what it was. "It's a strange one… I have no idea where this is going… Or how she can be one of the three most powerful Bishops…"

Snow was getting frustrated. She raced forward, setting up to use Iced Earth at close range. "I don't like being made fun of!"

Emokis paused her munchfest to grin obscenely. "Thing is… the more I eat…" she blew a harsh breath and the sand erupted at Snow's feet, throwing her back. "the stronger I get." She chuckled before going back to eating.

"That's… bizarre? Wrong? Disgusting? My vocabulary is failing me." Sol didn't know how to describe her reaction.

"Oh dear… Poor Princess Snow. Having to go up against Emokis… tsk tsk!" Ash yelped when Candice slapped him.

"What are you saying, moron?!" she screeched at him.

"But she's just a child!" Ash said defensively.

As Ash and Candice tried to create a comedy routine behind her, Emokis kept eating. Nanashi swallowed nervously. "Hey, Al. Is it just… my imagination-?

"Afraid not. That Emokis creature… is growing."

Emokis finally stopped eating. She grabbed a huge rock and hefted it over her head. "Now… I… crush you!" She had apparently developed a thick tongue because she now had a strange accent, like someone talking with food in their mouth. Also…

"Not that she seemed brilliant before, but… does she seem… dumber to you?" Sol asked Alviss.

"Hmm… maybe? Could be a side effect."

"You think it's a Darkness ÄRM?"

Alviss shook his head with a baffled look. "No idea."

"Sol! This is bad…! If Snow gets hit by that…!" Jack was concerned.

"Don't worry, Jack. She might've turned into a big brute, but this is not a scenario where brawn beats brain. Snow's fine." Sol assured him.

Indeed, Snow was smiling calmly as she watched Emokis approach with the boulder. "Looks like the time has come to use it… The ÄRM I got in Caldia!" She pulled a ring ÄRM out of her pocket.

As they watched, Alviss admitted his amazement. "Snow's capacity for magic is much greater than I imagined." He glanced at the girl next to him. "But it doesn't surprise you, does it?"

Sol grinned. "No, it does." She laughed at Alviss' obvious surprise. "I'm not all-knowing, ya know. I just trust her to tell me when she needs help."

Emokis scoffed at Snow. "Oh my gawd! You're using that?!" An odd statement given that there was no way she knew what the ÄRM was. Emokis threw the rock.

Snow activated the ÄRM. "Undine!" A creature made entirely of water appeared, destroying the rock with ease. It had long white ribbons loosely wrapped around… her, in a few strategic places. Kanji was written on the ribbons.

"Th… that's…" Jack was amazed.

"Yes. Snow's new… ÄRM!" Alviss was impressed.

"Very nice." Sol approved.

"A water… guardian." Nanashi liked it.

"Very nice to meet you, Snow." The Guardian greeted her new master. "I am Undine."

Snow beamed. "N… nice to meet you!"

"So, the one I must defeat… would it be the young lady over there?" Undine pointed at Emokis and giggled. "Not especially pretty, is she?"

"I'm not pretty?!" Emokis raged. "Dandarshia! What do you think of that?!"

The blade, having been embedded in the sand after splitting Snowman, wasn't right next to her. "Pretty…? Well… there are more important things than… eep!" Emokis charged at the sword when it didn't give her the answer she wanted. Just before she could hit it, she tripped. Faceplanting in the dirt, the impact launched Dandarshia into the air. It yelled as it flipped end of end before its hilt thudded into Sol's hand.

"Huh. New toy." She deactivated it and handed the ring to Nanashi.

"Huh? What are you giving it to me for?"

"Give it to Dorothy. Maybe she'll give you something." Sol winked at him as he flushed.

Emokis finally managed to get out of the sand. "Dandarshia!" she was still pissed. Not seeing it after glancing around, she snarled and turned back to her Candy House. "Who needs you?! I still have my Candy House!" she exclaimed, eating once again.

"Well, I suppose I must do what I am commanded." Undine eyed Emokis speculatively. "Snow? Your orders?"

"Let's bring her down!"

"Very well. Aqua Needle!" A huge pillar of water erupted underneath Emokis' Candy House, destroying it and knocking Emokis on her butt.

"My… my Candy House!" Her shock transitioned to anger, and she charged at Snow and her Guardian. "You're mean!" Undine created a water bubble and prepared to throw it. "Stoopid! Do you rilly think a little water ball like that's gonna -" Undine released the bubble and it engulfed Emokis' head, silencing her. Startled, Emokis stumbled to a halt.

"I get it!" Snow snapped her fingers. "It doesn't matter how big they are – if they're human, they have to breath!"

"And even that creature, I must confess, is human." Undine admitted. "Shall we give her a chance to live?"

Snow nodded. "Emokis, if you want to give up… clap your hands!"

Emokis glanced back at her three teammates. Candice and the other Bishop simply watched. Ash waved as his hand. "It's okay. You can surrender." Emokis flinched at the bland comment.

I'm a Bishop… one of the top three… You think I'm gonna lose to a twit like her?! Emokis grimaced and clawed at the bubble, which simply flexed under her fingers.

"Come on, Emokis! Clap!" Snow was worried she might actually drown.

Emokis continued to struggle, using up her oxygen, until she could no longer hold her breath. As she gasped a mouthful of water, Undine snapped her fingers, and the bubble burst.

Between the burning sensation of inhaling water and the concussive force of the bubble bursting, Emokis passed out, collapsing face first in the sand. "She'd probably have died before she surrendered. That's why I had to withdraw the water when I did." Undine explained.

Pozun waited a few moments, giving Emokis a chance to wake up. When she didn't, he called it. "Victor – Snow of MÄR!"

"Snow, that was amazing!" Jack shouted.

"That was great, Snow!" Nanashi praised her.

Snow smiled brightly. "Then, until we meet again… Snow." Undine unsummoned and Snow slid the ring ÄRM onto her finger.

"Alright, on to the second match!" Pozun declared as Snow made her way over to the others. "Which warriors will step up?!"


For those wondering, Phantom and Lunestra didn't really have any kind of attachment at all. He took her only a few days before the final battle with Danna that put him in the ground for six years. The two probably only spent about a month together, at the most, between the time before his fight with Danna and after his resurrection. As such, Phantom doesn't really care that Solara "took Lunestra back". However, he is egging Rolan on because he thinks it's amusing.