"That's right, Team Orchid!" Said Peaches with a peace sign and a smile. Courage blinks, but quickly mirrors her pose. "Again though, what's your beef with Flint and Meira, uhh...whatever your names are?"

"What—Seriously!? It hasn't even been that long!" Buff groans. "Buffer and Tuffen, or Buff and Tuff for short? …We were part of that funky skunk's team?"

Courage scrunches his nose, showing his fangs. "Yeah, I remember you cowards, brah! Attacking Sia like a couple of thugs, your own teammate, your own friend! Who raised you!?"

"Woah, calm down casanova," Tuff chuckles. "Trust me, you never really get used to how she smells."

Peaches frowns. "Hmph. Unlike you two, we know who our friends are. I can imagine Sia's flat gaze right now, staring down at you two. Totes uncool."

Poppy mimes a watch on her arm. "Tick tock tick, I thought we were here to fight? Now it sounds like we're having tea into the night?"

"Right! Wait, what...?" Said both Tuff and Buff.

"Never mind, never mind!" Poppy shakes her head. "Don't let that hold us in a bind. Let's show 'em the power of Punchline! Send 'em home with cries and lots of whine!"

The Punchline trio split away, forming a blitz around Team Orchid as they slowly close in. Courage nods to Peaches, who steps back as Courage circulates mud in his body. As he charges his attack, the trio jumps high into the air, ready to bash him with their team's might. Courage props himself up on his back legs, his lower body forming into ripples of Muddy Water. With high kick motions, Courage blasts his opponents out of the air. Peaches jumps back, avoiding stray mud clumps. Tuff and Buff grunt in pain as they slam against the back walls of the room, mud covering most of their bodies. Poppy winces, allowing her weight to drag her down.

Upon landing, Poppy rolls into a ball, immobilizing herself against the waves. Courage reforms, not noticing the Miltank jester uncurling and lunging at him. A big hoof Stomps Courage down, the Vaporeon yelping in pain as he dramatically flattens. Poppy stumbles back, her jaw hitting the dirt as she saw Courage's eyes well up like spring water. Still in an attacking pose, Poppy babbles on about an accidental cheap shot and apologies. But Courage's Fake Tears dry with a smirk and he takes advantage of the jester's dropped guard. Before Poppy can blink, a fin shaped tail makes her recoil as her cheek stings red. Courage catapults back with Flip Turn, switching places with Peaches who had been fending off the brothers.

Peaches uses her ears and paws to cover her face as if she's bashful. As Poppy comes to her senses, she's met with a horrific scowl from Scary Face, freezing the Miltank in place. A lapis glow gathers around Courage's front paws, who fires a beam at Peaches, covering her in a light aura. Peaches reels her head back before swinging full force into Poppy, knocking her flat on her bottom as she slides back. Peaches rubs her forehead with a paw, it stinging from the impact while Poppy's brought to actual tears. The jester lays out her own her back, going limp in defeat. Team Orchid share a paw bump and a grin, their combined strengths doing major damage against their foes.

Jumping back into the fray, Courage and Peaches block an onslaught of Fury Swipes from the Rattata brothers. Taking a few hits, Peaches shifts back and forth, swiping at Tuff and Buff with the same momentum as her dodging. Again, Courage gathers energy for Helping Hand from a distance, giving Peaches enough energy to keep up with two opponents at once. She continues swiping at the brothers, moving them closer to the back of the dungeon again. With nowhere to run, Tuff wheezes with the impact of her Feint Attack, his body curving against Peaches' paw. Tuff crumbles to the ground in a daze, out of the fight.

Avoiding a hook from Peaches, Buff lunges at Courage with his fangs. With a Pursuit, Buff buries his fangs into Courage's side. Courage goes stiff from pain, his support strategy backfiring heavily as he tries to bash Buff away. Peaches gasps before frosting her fangs, catching Buff in her mouth. The chill of Ice Fang makes Buff let go of Courage, who slinks away and deforms. Buff cries out as Peaches clamps down, his terror stuck within the ice that encases him. Peaches tosses Buff away and drops on all fours, huffing as she catches her breath. She scuttles over to Courage, who slumps over like a wet towel.

"You...you okay, Courage?" Peaches places a paw on his head.

He winces. "…I think I'm alright. That jerk bit my scar! It hurt so bad, I couldn't move brah!" Courage quivers. "But we make a pretty good team! We took them out in no time."

Peaches sits next to Courage. "Okay, you gotta tell me about that scar sometime, he almost had you back there." She furls a brow. "But you're right, we totes do! Helping Hand makes my punches likes bricks! Not gonna lie, I'd love to have that kinda power all the time. I can't imagine the strats you come up with in your usual team, baby!" Peaches didn't realize she blurted out a pet name. They both blush deeply, leaning against one another. After a trudge through Murky Marsh, battling swamp mons, traversing sliding mud, and defeating Punchline, a break is well deserved. In their exhaustion, they stay together for several minutes before soft snoring came from their snoots.

But their victory nap is short-lived. The ground rumbles as the might of a pink ball speeds towards them like an avalanche. Mud, grass, and even the Rattata brothers are knocked everywhere from the ball. Poppy's sneaky façade got her opponents right where she wants them. Courage wakes from the commotion, teetering back while Peaches falls to his side. Courage jumps to his feet and stands wide over Peaches, paws open. His fur wavers, becoming a solid violet in hue. With his last-ditch effort, he hopes Acid Armor takes most of the hit.

Courage talks over his shoulder to the stirring Peaches. "...I'm leaving this to you, Peaches. Take her down!"

Pa-doomf!

Courage's efforts are in vain. Sacrificing himself as a shield barely slows the careening cow mon's might. Courage yelps as he flies into the air, landing with a loud thump. The layer of violet over his fur cracks, breaking into pieces. Some moss lessens his impact, but Courage shudders. He coughs, and tries raising his head. He goes blank.

Peaches is sent cartwheeling back, yelling in surprise. She smacks against the wall, leaning back in shock. She shakes her head. Looking around for Courage, she notices his limp body on the floor. Peaches gets up, noticing her attacker dancing mad, snoot bright red and pulsating.

"Aww, the pair are in love! Hah! Get a room, ya couple of Pidove!" Poppy's goofy grin flips to a frothing frown. "This fight's not over, you haven't won. I'm still clowning, I'm not done!"

Peaches grits her teeth. "What kinda cheap shot was that, you bozo!"

"You call it cheap, like you two were fighting fair. Two against one's not proper, don't you dare!"

"You literally have three! That was three against two!" Peaches scoffs. "Whatever! I'm taking you down. Totes beating you, cheap clown!" Great, now she has me rhyming, Peaches groans in her thoughts.

Poppy flashes a smirk. "Huhhuh, like we'd follow stupid rules. We're the bad guys, not some goodie-goodie tools!"

Poppy hops back and forth, bells on her jester crown jangling around. Tense and tired, Peaches evens her stance, making her footing sturdy. A golden aura illuminates from Poppy, washing over the Rattata brothers. Poppy giggles with glee, hoping her teammates are ready to finish the job as much as she is…but when she looks at them, they don't move an inch. Buff slides slightly as he now laid in a puddle of freshly melted ice.

Poppy holds an exaggerated gasp. "Oh my, I forgot what Heal Bell does for health. I guess…I'm doing this by myself?"

Peaches relaxes her stance, freeing her head fur from the clutches of the bandana in the meantime. Her once beautifully curled spirals puffs into a frizzy mess. She reaches for the sun in a long stretch. "Okay...I dunno what just happened. If you hadn't laid your giant body on Courage, I'd have sympathy for what's coming next, buuut I don't."

"Oh, shut it, pinky! I'mma wring you out in swamp-water, and get you all stinky!" Poppy yells between her stomps towards Peaches.

Poppy swings her body full force behind a hoof, just barely missing Peaches with High Horsepower. The force nearly tears the grass out of the ground, leaving Poppy wide open. Peaches swipes left and right, hoping Feint Attack can land a few clean hits on the jester. But Peaches didn't realize how winded she was from the impact of Rollout. She loses her footing, nearly toppling onto Poppy. Poppy wastes no time punishing Peaches with a hefty Stomp, nearly crushing Peaches under her hoof if not for a well-timed guard.

Peaches swipes away Poppy's hoof and obscures her face. But the same trick won't work so easily on Poppy, who hastily pulls a Present seemingly from nowhere. It's neatly wrapped with a gift bow and fashionable wrapping paper, alongside a cartoony drawing of Poppy herself. As Peaches goes to use Scary Face, the Present gets shoved into her jagged jaw. It bursts violently, sending Peaches into the swamp turf. She growls, slipping several paces away from her cackling opponent. For a mon who seems to rely on strength alone, Poppy suddenly changes her tactics.

Without hesitating, Poppy curls into a ball and charges. But Peaches makes no effort to dodge, instead reeling her head back once more. Nearly flattened by the Miltank's rolling might, Peaches swings a heavy Headbutt, colliding the two together. To Poppy's surprise, her momentum eases into nothing with the impact, causing the jester to uncurl and tip over onto her back. Peaches grunts; she needs this next attack to end it. She pounces onto Poppy with wild fury. She goes wild with Play Rough, throwing punches, crunches, even the generous knee jab or two. With the same blinding momentum, Peaches hops away, dust clouds billowing around. She pants and waves her front paws, attempting to minimize the impact soreness. But Peaches begins a low growl when Poppy's silhouette stands flimsy in the dust.

"N-not bad, pygmy! You...you thought that would finish me? You've gotta be kidding…me," Poppy coughs from dust and the pain of rhyming 'me' twice.

"What's this cow made of, jeez!" Peaches huffs in exhaustion. She get on all fours and takes a deep breath. She glances over at Courage, who stirs in his downtime. Her mind's put to ease just knowing that Courage is okay. "If that won't end it, I'll have to use this!" The Snubbull tenses her spine, the air around her wavering like lake water.

Poppy shakily stands tall, stomping headfirst towards Peaches. "Let's finish this, city girly-girl! I'm taking you on a whirl!"

Peaches tenses up a bit more, her back arching higher with every other stomp towards her. The ground around her rumbles beneath her paws. She closes her eyes, breathing deeply as she slowly raises onto her back paws. Poppy's eyes grow huge at the sight of the Snubbull's energy waves she's sprinting towards, pulling up the ground beneath her to slow down. Peaches places her front paws together. With a mighty grunt, a humongous star-shaped blast bursts from Peaches, the force knocking her flat on her behind. Last Resort's energy absorbs Poppy, slamming into her like a meteor. A star shaped hole crashes through the dungeon wall, leaving the Miltank crumbling below it. The jester's crown lands gracefully to the side of Peaches, who stands in a small crater.

Peaches feels like an anvil, carefully dropping on all fours. "A-and…that's…that." She isn't sure if it's the adrenaline of landing a powerful attack or the exhaustion of the mission, but Peaches' vision splits and ripples. Each step she takes shakes her entire body, making her limp like a wet towel. She didn't notice Courage coming towards her, carrying something in his mouth.

Courage clenches his teeth, careful not to drop a seed. "That was amazing! Where'd you even learn Last Resort, brah?" His tail wags.

Peaches could only smile and chuckle as she falls over with a light thud. Courage runs to her side. "Ah, Peaches…this is all my fault…we barely handled this." He holds up her head, cracks the Revive Seed, and pours it into her mouth. "…We should've hanged at the cafe or something. I mean, I'm no leader, brah. You've shown why you are, you took all three of them out!" He didn't notice Peaches staring at him with tired eyes.

Peaches' words come out in a whisper. "That's why we're co-leaders. I may have gotten the finishing blows, but you did a lot too! We clobbered them cuz we were together!" She sits up and grabs his paws. "And we're both okay, right? Totes beat up and tired, but we're fine! Don't doubt yourself like that, Courage. I'm here to listen and be there for you."

"…Right. Thanks, Peaches!" Said Courage.

"And hey, what's one off day anyway? They can't all be perf, y'know? We'll make it up!" She smiles.

Courage tilts his head, giving his signature smile. "…You're standing to sound like me! Finding the good in any situation. Heh, my sweet little Liechi."

Peaches grows red, dropping Courage's paws. "S-so what! You say good stuff, Courage!" She huffs, but her gaze at him betrays her flustered frown.

"Bleh, enough with the romance! It's sickening, I can't even glance!" A nasally familiarity butts in.

Peaches and Courage jump into stances, ready for any more cheap shots. Punchline lines up like pins, snorting and cackling like a peanut gallery. Even the blast from Last Resort only kept Poppy down for a few minutes. Something strange is going on.

"…Haven't had enough? This time, I'll be sure to knock you out myself." Courage glares.

"Grrr, I still don't know your beef with Flint and Meira!" Peaches adds.

Buff flicks his mustache. "Wouldn't you like to know, lovebirds?"

Tuff replaces his jester crown. "We're not spoiling the fun!"

"And my oh my, it has been fun, comrades! But it's time to make things interesting, just a tad!" Poppy sniffs while rubbing her nose.

"Quit the riddles, clown!" Said Peaches.

"I'm no clown, but a jester! Can't you tell from the polyester?!" Poppy stomps the ground, causing the brothers to stumble beside her. "Now shut it, ya little banshee! Me thinks its time the cutesy couple faced Reality...oh, they'll see." Poppy raises a hoof, which begin to crackle with ominous dark energy.

Shadowy blobs are pulled from nowhere, adding to Poppy's technique. Tuff and Buff place paws on Poppy's side, pulsating their energy into the orb. It ripples with instability as it grows rapidly. Arching his back, the air around Courage's mouth became chilled with a sky blue hue. Suddenly, both parties fire, flashes of blue and black splashing across the dungeon. Ice Beam is puny compared to Reality's dark orb, flattening beneath its mass. Without so much as a peep, Peaches and Courage are engulfed in the orb. The walls of black close in as they try to bash their way out, absorbing the pair into the darkness. The last thing Team Orchid hears before falling unconscious are retreating footsteps...and a couple of goofy laughs.

Notes: In this revision, I aimed to do two things: Make the fight more dynamic (show more than tell) and revamp personalities. I made Courage's support more significant, Peaches punches pummel harder, and Poppy...well, a jester's a jester (though technically, she's a harlequin. Don't remind her).

(Old Notes) The second part of this mini-arc! I really hope I've shown why Peaches leads her team and Courage doesn't lead his, if that makes sense. She doubts herself a lot, but Peaches is stronger than she thinks. Courage tends to support his cousins in battle normally, therefore his experiences fighting directly are minimal at best. Writing villains is also really fun, evolving Poppy beyond "the new bad guy" is really good for character creation. I'm not the biggest fan of characters being too "evil", so the jester trio (Well, Poppy really) are written a lot more whimsical and silly. Guess we'll see what happens with the strange move labeled "Reality" in the next chapter!"That's right, Team Orchid!" Said Peaches with a grand pose. Courage mirrored her. "What do you want with Flint and Meira, mons whose names I forgot?"

"Whu—Seriously!? It hasn't even been that long!" Buffer groaned. "Buff and Tuff…we were part of that funky skunk team?"

Courage scrunched his nose. "I remember both of you cowards, brah! Attacking Sia like a couple of thugs, your own teammate, your own friend! Who raised you!?"

"Woah, calm down casanova," Tuff chuckled. "Trust me, you never really get used to how she smells, you never do.

Peaches frowned. "Hmph. Unlike you two, we know how to be good mons to those who care about us. I could imagine Sia's flat gaze now, staring down her former teammates who've became outlaws for no good reason!"

Poppy pretended to look at a watch on her arm. "Tick tock tick, I thought we were here to fight? So far, looks like we're having tea into the night?"

"Right!" Tuff and Buff chimed in.

The jester trio assumed positions, forming a blitz around Team Orchid as they slowly closed in. Courage turned and nodded at Peaches, who took a few steps back as Courage began to deform. Quick as he became a puddle, Courage rose with a wave of Muddy Water across the battlefield, sweeping Tuff and Buff into the mud. Poppy rolled into a ball, hardly moving against the murky wall crashing against her sturdy body. The Miltank jester uncurled and lunged at Courage, Stomping him down with her full weight. Courage yelped in pain as he was flattened into an aquatic pancake. As she stepped back, her jaw hit the earth as she saw Courage's eyes well up like spring water, tears falling. Poppy leaned on one foot, babbling on about an accidental cheap shot and apologies.

But Courage's Fake Tears dried instantly as a smile infested his face, taking advantage of the jester's dropped guard. Before Poppy could even blink, her cheek stung, burning bright red from the smack of Courage's long tail. Courage flipped back with Flip Turn, switching places with Peaches, who covered her usual simple face for a moment. As Poppy came to her senses, she was met with a horrific mug from Scary Face, nearly freezing her in place. Peaches reeled her head back before swinging full force into Poppy's, knocking the jester on her bottom as she slid back into the dungeon floor. Poppy held her nose, nearly brought to actual tears from the strength of Headbutt.

Peaches only had a second to block the onslaught of Fury Swipes from the Rattata brothers, who had finally escaped the clutches of swamp mud. Taking a few scratches, she began to shift around, throwing off her attacker's momentum as she pretended to swipe at Tuff and Buff. Courage gathered himself behind Peaches, lending Peaches a paw with Helping Hand. She began to glow a subtle blue with Courage, continuing her swipes at the brothers until they hit a corner of the dungeon. With nowhere to run, Tuff took the full force of Feint Attack, which may as well have been Mega Punch. Tuff crumbled to the ground in a daze, out of the fight.

Buff took the opportunity to graze Courage with Pursuit, his fangs digging into Courage's side. Courage's escapist strategy backfired twofold as Buff's attack struck with the force of a Hitmonchan. Peaches gasped before taking a chunk out of Buff with her own fangs, frosted up by Ice Fang. Buff let go of Courage, who slinked away from the scene in a puddle. In an instant, Buff became encased in a block of ice where he stood, face stuck in perpetual shock. Peaches found herself on all fours, huffing as she caught her breath. She scuttled over to Courage, who slumped over like a wet towel.

"You okay, Courage?" Peaches placed a paw on his head.

He raised his head, giving the best little smile he could. "…could be better, but I think I'm alright. I guess I'm a little more tired than I thought today. We make a pretty good team, though! Took them out quicker than I thought we would."

Peaches smiled, sitting next to him. "We do!! I've never seen you use Helping Hand before. Can't imagine what strategies you come up with on your usual team, s-sweetie!" She didn't realize she practically blurted out a pet name. Both members of team Orchid blushed deeply, leaning against one another in their exhaustion. Neither of Team Orchid had noticed several minutes passed before each of them heard what sounded like soft snoring coming from one another. But their victory was short-lived: the Rattata brothers may not be the most sturdy fighters around, but the same can't be said about their new leader.

A big ball of pink fluff came careening towards them like an avalanche, tearing into the swamp soil as Poppy increased her speed. Courage awoke at the commotion, falling backwards at the sudden cacophony, causing Peaches to fall to her side. Before either of them could react, Poppy slammed into the duo with the might of her Miltank body. Peaches and Courage were sent flying, slamming against the walls of the dungeon. Courage didn't realize how much damage he had taken from Pursuit, passing out in some soft moss that broke his fall. Peaches slowly rose, noticing her attacker was dancing mad, snoot bright red.

"Aww, the pair are in love! Hah! Get a room, ya couple of Pidove!" Poppy's goofy grin flipped to a frothing frown. "This fight's not over, you haven't won. I'm still clowning, I'm not done!"

Peaches grit her teeth. "Oh no, Courage! What kinda cheap shot was that, you bozo!"

"You call it cheap, like you two were fighting fair. Two against one's not proper, don't you dare!"

"Whatever! I'm taking you down, clown!" Great, now she has me rhyming, Peaches groaned in her thoughts.

Poppy flashed a grimace, scuffed nose on display. "Heehee, you goodies play around and break some rules, but who said the baddies were tools?"

The jester began to hop back and forth, bells on her crown jangling around. Unsure of what was happening, Peaches merely kept her stance strong in case she was treated with any more tricks. A golden aura illuminated from Poppy, washing over the Rattata brothers. Poppy giggled with glee, hoping her teammates were ready to finish the job as much as she was…but when she glanced over at them, neither had moved an inch. Except Buff, who now lie in a puddle of freshly melted water. Peaches relaxed her stance, opting to free her head fur from the clutches of the bandana in the meantime.

Poppy held an exaggerated breath. "Oh my, I forgot what Heal Bell does for health. I guess…I'm doing this by myself?"

Peaches took a long stretch towards the skies before sizing up the situation. "Well, that was dumb. If you hadn't laid your giant body on Courage, I'd have sympathy for what comes next."

"Oh, shut it, pinky! I'll wring you out in swamp-water, get you all stinky!" Poppy yelled as she stomped towards Peaches, irritation driving her attack.

With her small frame, Peaches quickly dodged the might of High Horsepower, the wave of air from Poppy's force nearly tearing the grass out of the earth. Peaches responded with a couple of fake out bashes, hoping Feint Attack would land a few clean hits on the jester. But Peaches hadn't realized how winded she was from the impact of Rollout, causing her to lose balance in front of Poppy. Poppy wasted no time punishing Peaches with a hefty Stomp, nearly crushing Peaches under her hoof if not for a well-timed guard. Peaches swiped away Poppy's hoof while obscuring her face, something Poppy prepared for. The jester hastily pulled a Present seemingly from nowhere, neatly wrapped with a gift bow and fashionable wrapping paper. As Peaches unleashed her Scary Face, the Present got shoved into her jagged jaw. She's blown back onto the swamp turf, slipping some steps away from her cackling opponent.

Before Peaches could recover, Poppy came at her with another Rollout. But Peaches made no effort to dodge, instead reeling her head back once more in anticipation. Nearly flattened by the Miltank's rolling might, Peaches unleashed a grounded Headbutt, colliding the two together. To Poppy's surprise, her momentum eased into nothing with the impact, causing the jester to tip over onto her back. Peaches needed this next attack to end it. In a flash of pink, Peaches pounced onto Poppy and went wild with Play Rough, punches, crunches, even a generous kick or two. Just as she started, Peaches hopped away, dust clouds billowing around. She began a low growl when Poppy's silhouette stood flimsy in the commotion.

"N-not bad, pygmy! If you thought that would finish me, you're kidding…me," Poppy coughed, both from dust and the pain of extending a rhyme.

"Ugh, even that didn't work…what now?" Peaches huffed in exhaustion. She got on all fours and took a deep breath. She glanced over at Courage, who stirred in his downtime. Her mind was put to ease for a moment, just knowing that Courage was okay. "Looks like there's nothing else but this." The Snubbull tensed her spine, the air around her wavering like lake water.

Poppy shakily stood tall, stomping headfirst towards Peaches. "Let's finish this, city girl! Like I said, I'm taking you on a whirl!"

Peaches tensed up a bit more, back arching higher with every other step towards her. She closed her determined eyes and sighed as she stood on two feet once more. Poppy's eyes grew huge at the sight of the Snubbull's energy waves she is careening towards, pulling up the ground beneath her to slow down. A humongous star-shaped blast burst from Peaches small paws, directly into Poppy. Last Resort's might sent the jester into the dungeon walls at blinding speeds, leaving a Miltank hole in it. The jester's crown landed gracefully to the side of Peaches, who stood in a small crater.

Peaches felt like an anvil, eventually going on all fours once more. "A-and…that's…that." She wasn't sure if it was the adrenaline of landing such a powerful attack or the exhaustion of swamp wading all afternoon, but Peaches' vision split. Each step she took shook her entire body, limp as soggy paper. She didn't notice Courage heading towards her, carrying something in his mouth.

Courage clenched his teeth, careful not to drop the seeds he was carrying. "That was amazing! Where'd you even learn Last Resort, brah?" His tail wagged.

But Peaches only gave a warm smile and a chuckle, falling over with a light plop. Courage ran to her side, panic melting off him. "Ah, Peaches…this is all my fault…we barely handled this." He held up her head, adjusting the bandana etched with battle. He cracked a Revive Seed, pouring its contents into her mouth while making sure it went down. "…We should've just hung out at my place for the day or something. I'm no leader. But you've shown why you are, at least to me." He hadn't noticed that Peaches woke up, staring at him with tired eyes.

Peaches' words came out in a whisper. "That's why we're co-leaders, silly…I'm hardly a leader myself. But we clobbered them!" She sat up and grasped his paws. "And we're both okay, right? So…don't doubt yourself like that, Courage. I'm here to listen and be there to you, right?"

"…Right."

"And what's one off day out of the week anyway? I'm sure you and I will make it up the rest of it!" She smiled.

Courage tilted his head, giving his signature smile. "…You're standing to sound like me, you know? Finding the good in any situation. Heh, my sweet little Liechi."

Peaches grew red, letting go of Courage's paws. "W-well, so what! I think that's a good thing!" She huffed, but her gaze at him betrayed her flustered frown.

"Bleh, enough with the romance! You two are sickening, I can't even glance!" A nasally familiarity butt in.

Peaches and Courage hastily turned, ready for potential cheap shots. All three of the jesters lined up like pins, snorting and cackling like a peanut gallery.

"…Haven't had enough? I'd gladly have you three running with your tails between your legs this time," Courage glared.

"And like I said before, what do you even want with Flint and Meira, anyway? You jerks!" Peaches added.

Buff flicked his mustache. "Wouldn't you like to know, lovebirds?"

Tuff replaced his crown. "We're not spoiling the fun!"

"And it has been fun, comrades! But now's the time to make things a little interesting, just a tad!" Poppy sniffed while rubbing her nose.

"Quit the riddles, clown!" Peaches growled.

"I'm no clown, but a jester! Can't you tell from the polyester?!" Poppy stomped the ground, causing the brothers to stumble beside her. "Now shut it, ya little Banshee! Me thinks its time the cutesy couple…faced Reality." Poppy raised a hoof, which began to sparkle something fierce.

Dark splotches of energy seemed to pull from nowhere, adding to the mass Poppy began. Tuff and Buff placed paws on Poppy's side, causing the mass to ripple with instability as it grew. Recognizing the situation, Courage began to draw energy himself, the air around his mouth dropped to frosty temperatures. In what seemed like half a second, both parties fired off, hoping to meet in some stalemate. Unfortunately, with little prep time, Courage's ice beam was crushed beneath the dark energy's mass, blasting both him and Peaches into a dark orb. The walls of black slowly but surely closed in, absorbing the pair into the darkness.

Notes: The second part of this mini-arc! I really hope I've shown why Peaches leads her team and Courage doesn't lead his, if that makes sense. She doubts herself a lot, but Peaches is stronger than she thinks. Courage tends to support his cousins in battle normally, therefore his experiences fighting directly are minimal at best. Writing villains is also really fun, evolving Poppy beyond "the new bad guy" is really good for character creation. I'm not the biggest fan of characters being too "evil", so the jester trio (Well, Poppy really) are written a lot more whimsical and silly. Guess we'll see what happens with the strange move labeled "Reality" in the next chapter!