The Funhouse:
Chapter 12: The Last Laugh
When the explosions were through, a smoking crater was left. Everyone stared at the spot where Sakura once stood. Inside the dome, the smoke made the interior hard to see.
"No! Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo cried. Tears started leaking from her eyes. She could not believe she taped her best friend's death. *What will I tell Li-kun?*
"Sakura..." Kero-chan said sadly, bowing her head.
Getting off Yukito, Touya closed his eyes. "Damn you, Psycho," he said under his breath. Yukito looked at him and held his hand.
Psycho laughed and spun around. "Ding dong, the mistress is dead! Which old mistress? The Cardmistress!" he sang merrily.
Tomoyo broke down. *This can't be happening. Sakura-chan...*
Psycho enjoyed the sorrow around him. "Well, guess I won't kill you after all. I'll let you all live with the memory that you couldn't do anything to save her." He waved his hand and made the dome vanish, letting the smoke escape. When the smoke cleared, he stepped up to the crater for a closer look. "I wonder how many pieces she's in?" he wondered with a giggle. He stared at the crater. "What?"
Kero-chan flew up for a better look. "Hey, there's nothing there!"
Tomoyo stopped crying. "What?"
"There's nothing there?" Touya and Yukito asked together.
"Windy!"
Psycho was blown away by a strong wind from his right. The evil clown landed hard on the ground. As he picked himself up, he spotted the wind's source. "What the...?" he exclaimed upon seeing the source.
Sakura appeared with a determined look on her face.
"Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo shouted happily, wiping away her tears.
Touya and Yukito smiled. "All right!" Kero-chan shouted, raising his fist in the air.
"So, you're still alive?" Psycho's hand started to glow. "Not for long! Psycho...!"
Sakura tossed a Card before her and struck it with the Star Wand. "Release! Freeze!"
Everyone watched as Psycho was enveloped in a chilling wind. Before the clown could launch a Psycho Bomb, his limbs stiffened. Soon he was enclosed in ice.
"Yatta!" Tomoyo shouted, getting everything on tape.
Overjoyed, the others ran up to Sakura. "Is everyone all right?" she asked.
"Yes, now that we know you're still alive," Tomoyo answered, smiling.
Touya helped Yukito up. "How did you survive, Sakura-chan?" Yukito asked. "We saw Psycho blow you up."
Kero-chan flew at Sakura and looked at her. "I bet I know! It was the Mirror Card, right?"
Sakura smiled and shook her head. "Nope. The Twin Card," she answered, showing it.
"One of these days, I have to ask you what you've been doing in your free time for the past two years," Touya told his sister.
"Well, it was very clever," Tomoyo said. "I'm just glad you're all right, Sakura-chan."
"That makes two of us," Sakura said.
Kero-chan looked at the now-frozen Psycho. "So what do we do with Laughing Boy?"
"I'm for smashing him into pieces," Touya suggested angrily.
"Hey, me too!" Kero-chan said. "Anyone got a sledgehammer?"
Just then, Psycho's eyes glowed red. The frozen robot started shaking. The ice started to crack. Pieces fell off.
"What's going on?" Yukito asked.
"Everyone, get back!" Sakura warned.
The others did as Sakura said and watched as Psycho broke out of his icy prison. He laughed as he faced the Cardmistress.
"Hoe?" Sakura exclaimed.
Psycho stopped laughing. "You foolish little girl! The power that created me is far superior to Clow Read's magic and your Star Magic!"
Sakura glared at the evil robot. She was tired of all the suffering he has caused. "I'll defeat you. I possess the invincible spell!"
"Yeah, and what would the invincible spell be? The power of love?" Psycho broke out into laughter. "If you thought Enter and Backspace were a challenge, then you're going to have a ball with me! I'm a Mega Cyber, twerp! You can't beat me!"
*Mega Cyber?* Tomoyo noted mentally.
"We'll see about that," Sakura said, taking out the Erase Card. "Release! Erase!" she shouted, striking the Card with her Wand.
Erase charged Psycho. "Ha! Psycho Trick!" He waved his hand, and Erase started to vanish. When it finally did and returned to card form, it flew back to Sakura.
"Whoa," Kero-chan said, surprised.
"What?" Tomoyo said, recording everything.
Sakura caught the Card. *How...?*
"Joy Buzzer!" Psycho shouted, pointing at Sakura.
Sakura barely moved out of the way of the Joy Buzzer. She took out the Rain Card. "Release! Rain!"
Rain fell on Psycho, soaking him. "Aw, but I had a bath last month!" the clown quipped.
Sakura took out the Thunder Card. "Release! Thunder!"
Thunder sprang out and fired a thunderbolt at Psycho. The soaked robot was shocked, but was still standing. "You call that a thunderbolt? Here's mine!" He fired a powerful Joy Buzzer at Thunder. As it absorbed the blast, Thunder started to glow brighter. Finally, it overloaded, causing it to explode and fly back to Sakura in card form.
"That's not good," Touya said.
Tomoyo changed tapes quickly. She wanted to miss as little of the battle as possible.
Sakura caught Rain, then took out the Mist Card. "Release! Mist!"
Mist flew out and enveloped Psycho. "Whoa! Bad gas!" the villain exclaimed.
"That's gotta work," Kero-chan said. "Mist can corrode all inorganic material, robots included."
"I don't know," Tomoyo said as she continued recording.
"What do you mean? He's a robot. Robots are made of metal. Metal is inorganic," Kero-chan reasoned. "I'm positive Mist will work on him."
"I have the feeling he's not an ordinary robot," Tomoyo said. "There's something strange about him."
Sakura watched the yellow cloud containing Psycho. She waited for it to corrode the evil robot. "Aaaaaaaaa! I'm melting! Melting!" she heard him cry out. The trapped figure seemed to collapse to the ground.
"Yes! She got him!" Touya said excitedly.
*Is he defeated?* Sakura asked herself.
Everyone's hopes were dashed when they heard laughter from the yellow cloud. Sakura watched his shadowy outline stand up. Suddenly, he leaped out at her with his fist raised. She leaped back in time to avoid a powerful punch. Psycho's fist cracked the ground. Backing up, Sakura saw Mist had no effect. Corrosion was nonexistent on Psycho.
"Nani?" Touya exclaimed in surprise.
"He's countering the Cards," Kero-chan realized.
"He's not doing a bad job at it either," Yukito commented.
Psycho stared down Sakura as Mist returned to her. "So, got any other worthless tricks you'd like to try on me?" he asked cruelly.
Sakura took out the Arrow Card. "Release! Arrow!"
Arrow emerged and fired a single arrow in the sky. Soon, a swarm of arrows flew at Psycho. "Psycho Trick!" he shouted, waving his hand. The arrows turned direction and headed for the others.
"No!" Sakura cried, realizing what was happening. As she ran to her friends, she took out the Shield Card. Making it before the arrows arrived, she shouted, "Release! Shield!" A barrier formed over Sakura and the others, blocking out the deadly arrows. Tomoyo recorded everything with a combination of excitement and fright.
Psycho brought his hands together. He parted them slowly, making a broadsword appear. He took it and charged the barrier. He leaped at it and brought his blade down on it. The barrier burst, with the resulting explosion causing everyone in it to fall and land on the ground.
Getting up, Sakura watched as Psycho landed. She heard herself breathe harder. She felt her tired limbs. She would have collapsed, but the sight of the evil robot kept her going.
"Didn't I tell you? I'm more powerful than your Sakura Cards!" Psycho boasted. He examined the Cardmistress. "Look at you! All that magic using's making you tired. Makes you wish you were back in bed. Speaking of which, isn't it past your bedtime?"
"He's right, Sakura," Kero-chan said, flying up to her. "You've used seven cards already, plus the ones you probably used to escape the robots in the Funhouse. You've gotta be exhausted." He looked at Yukito. "I think the Snow Bunny and I have enough energy now to change into our real forms. Let us take this creep on again."
"No," Sakura said. "I have to stop Psycho myself. He already beat you and Yue-san."
"Sakura-chan, he's too powerful!" Tomoyo said, worried. "I saw him defeat Kerberos and Yue-san. He defeated the Cards you used."
Sakura smiled. "Because it's me, everything will be all right."
"I'm starting to have my doubts," Touya said, looking at Psycho. "For a robot, he's pretty tough."
"Hey! Do I have to come over there and kill you?" Psycho called out to Sakura.
"Sakura-chan, let my real form fight on your behalf," Yukito pleaded. "At least Kerberos and Yue aren't human. We won't suffer like you."
Sakura looked at everyone with affection. "Thank you, but I have to do this by myself. It's me Psycho wants, not you. I don't want anyone hurt because of me."
"Sakura-chan..." Tomoyo began.
"I possess the invincible spell," Sakura said reassuringly. "I'll defeat him." She looked at Kero-chan. "Please take Tomoyo-chan and oniichan away from here. I want them to be safe."
"I'm not leaving you here, kaiiju!" Touya said. "What would I say to otousan?"
"I'm not leaving either!" Tomoyo said firmly. "I have to record the moment when you defeat that evil clown!"
Sakura felt like crying because of all the people who cared about her. "Arigato," she said to them. She faced Psycho and walked up to him.
Psycho watched her approaching. "How nice. You're marching to your death. How brave of you."
Sakura looked into Psycho's red eyes. "You say you're more powerful than me. How about we fight without any extra powers? That way, if you kill me, you'll be able to say you did it on your own."
"Fine," Psycho answered without hesitation. "I don't need any other weapons except this to finish you off!" he declared, showing Sakura his broadsword.
Sakura took out the Sword Card. "Release! Sword!" The Star Wand became a sword in Sakura's hand.
Psycho readied his blade. "Let's dance," he said, staring into Sakura's eyes. With a yell, he made the first move.
Sakura moved her sword to block Psycho's attack, then swung at him. Psycho blocked it, then aimed for her head. Sakura stepped back and aimed for his torso. Psycho blocked the blow and tried to force her sword out of her hand. Sakura kept her grip and swung again.
Tomoyo and the others watched as Sakura and Psycho traded blows with their swords. Sakura managed to jump out of the way of some swings and knock aside others. Psycho continued to attack aggressively. Tomoyo recorded the fight enthusiastically. *Ganbatte, Sakura-chan!* she thought.
"Give up!" Psycho said, taking another swing at Sakura. She dodged it in time. "You're exhausted! You may be one of the most powerful magicians in the world, but you're not old enough to expend that much magic without depleting your power supply!" He swung his blade again. "Come on! Let me kill you and we'll call it a night!"
"Never!" Sakura shouted, blocking the swing and knocking aside another one. She knew he was right, but she was not going to give up. She ignored her tired body, but she still felt it. She knew she had to make a final blow. She backed away from Psycho and watched him while breathing heavily.
"Okay, I'll come to you, then!" Psycho ran at her, his sword at the ready. Sakura took one final breath, then rushed towards the evil clown. "Raaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" Psycho shouted as he and Sakura got closer. They swung their blades and ran past each other, stopping at a distance.
*They moved too fast!* Tomoyo lamented. The action was too quick for her at this point. *Thank goodness for playback options.*
Sakura caught her breath. Her sweat combined with the night air cooled her down. Her back was to Psycho. Psycho had not turned to face his enemy yet.
"This feels like a samurai movie," Yukito commented.
Sakura heard something crack. Her eyes widened as the top half of her sword gave way. It fell and clattered on the ground. "No," she whispered, dropping the other half. The two halves glowed, then reformed the Star Wand.
Tomoyo saw everything through her camera lens. "Sakura-chan..." she whispered.
"He sliced Sakura's sword in half," Kero-chan said, shocked.
Psycho turned around and watched as Sakura picked up the Star Wand. "Ha! I've proven my point! Your Star Magic is no match for my power!" he declared. "Now I'll just...Aaaaaaaagh!"
Everyone watched as Psycho seemed to be doubling up in pain. Sakura noticed that the shoulder of Psycho's sword arm was lower than the other. Then the arm slid off. She saw it drop to the ground. As it hit, both it and the sword disintegrated.
"Yes," Sakura whispered, trying to catch her breath.
"Did I just see that?" Touya asked.
"All right, Sakura!" Kero-chan cried. "That'll show him!"
"Yatta!" Tomoyo shouted, catching the moment on tape.
Psycho looked at where his arm was once. "Impossible!" he shouted. "I'm a Master and a Mega! The calculations! They said you were no match for my power!"
*Master, calculations?* Tomoyo recorded in her mind.
Psycho's remaining hand clinched into a fist. His eyes glowed madly as he glared at Sakura. "You're supposed to be no match for me! This is impossible! Impossible!"
"Nothing is impossible for Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo shouted.
"Yeah!" Kero-chan shouted in agreement.
Psycho snarled. "Well, let's see if little Sakura can handle this! Psycho Bomb!" His remaining hand opened and started forming a Psycho Bomb. It started to grow until it reached the size of a beach ball.
"I don't like this," Yukito said.
"Get out of there!" Touya cried out to his sister.
Sakura looked through the Cards and found the right one for this particular job.
"Die, Cardmistress!" Psycho cried, throwing the Psycho Bomb at her.
Seeing the Psycho Bomb coming, Sakura took out the Mirror Card. "Release! Mirror!" Mirror took the form of its namesake and hovered before Sakura. The Psycho Bomb struck it, sending out light rays that illuminated the area.
"What?" Psycho snarled, seeing his attack being blocked.
Sakura closed her eyes and tried to focus on what was to be done next. Despite her fatigue, she hung on. *Everything will be all right,* she told herself. Mirror still held the Psycho Bomb at bay, but it started to crack under the pressure. "Please hang on," she whispered to the Card.
Psycho noticed Mirror cracking. "It won't be long..." he said, giggling.
The pressure increased. Sakura felt Mirror getting weaker. "Now!" she shouted. Mirror reflected the Psycho Bomb back at Psycho in the form of an energy beam. As the beam left, Mirror shattered and returned to its card form.
"Oh, no!" Psycho exclaimed. The beam came at him too quickly for him to move. He screamed as his own attack energy engulfed him. Sakura and the others watched as Psycho was overwhelmed. The robot exploded grandly, the sound echoing through the night. When the beam was gone, there was no sign of Psycho.
"I did it..." Sakura said. Feeling the exhaustion of the battle catch up to her, she started to fall to the ground.
Yukito changed into Yue. He flew to Sakura and caught her before she hit the ground. "Yue-san..." she whispered.
Yue stroked her head. "Hush, Mistress. It's over. You destroyed him."
Yue helped his mistress stand up. Sakura leaned against his arm. The others ran up to them. "You did it, Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo cried. "And I got it all on tape!" she said, pointing to her camera. "This was the greatest battle in your entire career as a magical girl! Too bad you didn't do any poses."
Sakura sweatdropped. "Tomoyo-chan..." she said weakly.
"Hey, she's been through a lot," Kero-chan said. "We'll save the poses for another time."
Touya looked around. "Shouldn't we get home now? It's pretty late."
Sakura looked at her older brother. "Hai. Let's go home."
Suddenly, there was a faint giggling. Hearing it, Kero-chan transformed into Kerberos. "It can't be!" he exclaimed, taking a defensive position in front of Sakura and the others. Tomoyo started recording again.
"I keep going and going and going..." Psycho materialized before Sakura and the others. He was in his first robot form, and he was not looking well. His body was cracked and torn in various places, with some of his insides exposed. He clutched his empty arm socket and glared at his enemies with his red eyes.
"What does it take to kill you?" Kerberos shouted, growling at the damaged robot.
Psycho giggled. "More than you've got, pussycat. I told you your power is no match for mine."
Yue held up his free hand and fired crystals at the clown, only to watch them evaporate once they hit him. "Nani?"
"A little program that protects me from cheapshots like that," Psycho said, giggling.
Sakura faced the evil robot. "What are you? Who created you? Why did you want the Sakura Cards and the Star Key?" she asked.
Psycho grinned silently in response. A flash of light appeared behind him. "Sorry, but the Gateway's here and I really must be going." The light became a portal. "I promise I'll kill you the next time we meet, Sakura Kinomoto! Of course, if the User decides to come here, you'll wish I killed you tonight!" he declared, laughing as he hovered into the portal.
*The...User?* Sakura thought curiously.
Kerberos shot a fireball at the portal, but it was too late. The fireball went out as it hit the closing portal. Sakura and the others stood there for a while, hearing Psycho's evil, broken, and bizarre laughter in their heads.
"Look!" Tomoyo exclaimed, pointing to the Funhouse.
Everyone watched as the Funhouse started to fade away. The dome was first, followed by the rest. The last part to vanish was the clown face entrance. Tomoyo recorded the event in time.
"That's somethin' you don't see every night," Kerberos said.
Sakura stood on her own and looked at the space once occupied by the Funhouse. "Let's go home."
Epilogue: Questions and More Questions
"So your father didn't notice you and Sakura-chan were gone?" Yukito asked Touya the next day in the Kinomotos' kitchen.
"Nope. He came home really late and went straight to bed," Touya said. "He didn't bother to check if we were sleeping."
"Well, that was quite an adventure last night," Yukito stated.
"I'm just happy it's over," Touya said, yawning. "I'm amazed I stayed up in class today."
"You didn't really," Yukito said. "Sensei had to wake you up during math class."
"Hmph. Math was always boring," Touya said. "I'm glad you're okay, Yuki."
Yukito smiled. "Domo arigato."
Touya looked at him. "Nani? Why are you thanking me?"
"For coming to rescue me and Yue," Yukito said.
"It was the stuffed animal's idea," Touya said. "The kaiiju needed backup just in case something went wrong. After all, no one messes with her except me."
Yukito shook his head. "Still having that sister complex, I see," he said teasingly.
Touya grabbed Yukito. He put him in a headlock and playfully gave him a noogie.
* * * * *
"Nooooooooooooo!" Kero-chan screamed, putting his paws over his face. "Make it stop! Make it stop!"
Sitting on the edge of her bed, Sakura sighed. "Kero-chan."
The video from last night was being played. The TV in Sakura's room showed Psycho swinging Kerberos over his head.
"I can't believe you kept that," Kero-chan said to Tomoyo. "Me, the good-lookin' Sun Guardian, getting my butt kicked by a clown. I'll never live this down."
"Cheer up, Kero-chan," Tomoyo said, smiling. "Think of it as a learning experience."
Kero-chan winced as he watched Psycho use him as a puppet. "I guess so, but that was a very painful learning experience."
"From the looks of things, I guess I'll still be needing these," Sakura said, showing the Sakura Cards and Star Key. "That's what I learned."
"Looks like I'll be designing and sewing more battle costumes for you," Tomoyo said excitedly. "Oh, you'll love the new designs I came up with."
Sakura sweatdropped. "Tomoyo-chan..."
"Speaking of learning experiences, we got a lot from this one," Kero-chan said. "We learned Psycho's some sort of magical robot and he's after the Sakura Cards and the Star Key."
"He's extremely powerful and the Sakura Cards have little or no effect on him," Sakura said.
"He's not the only Cyber around," Tomoyo said.
"Cyber? Where'd you get that word?" Kero-chan asked.
"Psycho mentioned it a few times during the fight," Tomoyo explained. "I think it refers to the robots as a whole."
"Speaking of robots, there's a lot of them, and they seem to be organized like the military," Sakura said. "You know, like ranks. The two robots who trapped me in Psycho's chamber were pretty anxious to get promoted."
"Heard the same thing from another one guarding the Funhouse," Kero-chan said. "He won't be getting promoted any time soon. Strange names for ranks, though. 'Programmer?'"
"Then there's the connection to computers," Tomoyo stated. "Didn't you think their names were strange?"
"Hai," Sakura answered. "'Enter?' 'Backspace?'"
"'Insert?' 'Altron?' 'Controller?' 'Deleter?'" Kero-chan wondered. "Definitely some weird names to give to killer robots."
"Naming robots after the keys on computers is rather odd," Tomoyo said.
"Computer keys...?" Sakura wondered. "No wonder 'Enter' and 'Backspace' sounded familiar!"
"Their ranks and classes are also based on computers," Tomoyo recalled. "We know what a programmer is. 'Kilo' and 'Mega' refer to the amount of storage space for anything on a computer."
"They also seem light. Touya caught a missile with ease, then tossed a robot like it weighed nothin'. Then there's the whole video game feeling I had while fighting them." Kero-chan watched as Psycho stomped him on the back. "Speaking of which, can I play one now?"
"Kero-chan, it was your idea for me to bring the tapes here," Tomoyo reminded the Sun Guardian.
"But I wanted to point out stuff to Sakura when she fought the clown," Kero-chan said. He sighed. "At least the gaki wasn't around to see this."
"Oh, I already sent Li-kun a copy of the tape," Tomoyo said, smiling.
"What?" Kero-chan exclaimed.
Sakura stared at Tomoyo. "You sent a tape to Syaoran-kun?"
"I wanted him to see how fabulous Sakura-chan was in battle," Tomoyo said, looking at her best friend. "You were wonderful!"
Sakura tried not to fall off her bed. She looked at Syaoran the teddy bear. She picked it up and stared into its beady little eyes. *Syaoran-kun...* she thought.
"Here's the two most important things we learned from last night," Kero-chan said. "Your magic is getting stronger, Sakura. When Psycho launched his final attack, you managed to hang in there. I'm also amazed at the number of Cards you used. You were still tired afterwards, but it took longer for it to happen."
"What's the other thing, Kero-chan?" Sakura asked.
"It's not over," he replied gravely.
Tomoyo nodded. "Psycho's still out there..."
"And whoever created him probably still wants the Sakura Cards and the Star Key," Sakura said, looking at them. "Kero-chan, do you know why Psycho and whoever created him would want them?"
"I dunno, Sakura," the tiny winged lion said, shrugging. "It's possible the Cards can be controlled by someone else, but they've become your friends, so they'll only listen to you. As for the Key, it's the expression of your magic. It's worthless to everyone else except you."
"So we have more questions to answer," Sakura said.
"And a new enemy to fight," Tomoyo said. "Sakura-chan, your career as a magical girl has just gotten more exciting!"
"We'd better be prepared just in case Psycho or someone like him shows up in Tomoeda," Kero-chan said.
"How?" Sakura asked.
Kero-chan thought for a moment. "Well..." He flew in the air. "For starters, we can practice battle poses and phrases. You know something to put fear into those Cybers. Like this!" Kero-chan punched in the air, then spun around. He stopped and pointed at Sakura. "I'm Cardmistress Sakura! I possess the invincible spell and I'm going to defeat you!"
"That's good, Kero-chan!" Tomoyo said. "But what about this?" She crossed her arms over her chest, then pointed left and right and pointed to Sakura. "I'm Cardmistress Sakura! Feel the power of love or be punished!"
Soon both of them were showcasing various poses and battle cries for Sakura. "Hoeeeeeeeee," she groaned as she fell off her bed.
* * * * *
"You failed me, Psycho. You had the Sakura Cards and the Star Key in your possession, and the Cardmistress was at your mercy. Yet, you were defeated by her and badly damaged in the process. Care to explain this debacle?"
Having been repaired after last night's battle, Psycho faced his creator and leader. "Well, Majesty, it's those stupid calculations' fault! They said the girl would be easy to kill. Also, they didn't take into account of the Sun..."
"Silence!"
Psycho clammed up immediately.
"You were supposed to bring the Sakura Cards and the Star Key to me or at least the scanned data. Now, what happened to the latter?"
Psycho gulped. "The Scanner was destroyed before it could obtain the data properly, Majesty. I would've downloaded it to you directly, but the magic of the Cards and Key is massive and requires careful treatment, not quick..."
"I'm aware of that!"
"Well, the Cardmistress's Star Magic is powerful..."
"Are you implying she is more powerful than me?"
"No, Majesty! You are the superior magician! You possess the most potent magic on Earth! You are the most powerful magician in the world!"
"That is correct. Never forget that."
An image of a globe appeared before them. Numerous lights covered its surface. Many were yellow or red. A green one showed up occasionally.
"Thanks to your bungling, my timetable has been upset. My search field remains too large for me and I can't launch a wider search with what I have. With the Sakura Cards and Star Key, I'd be seeing less yellow and red on that globe."
Psycho studied the globe. "Um, Majesty? This seems to be in error. I count five green lights. There are supposed to be four."
"Now it's five."
Psycho gasped as he beheld the blue egg-shaped stone in his leader's hand. "You found...another one?"
"One of your fellow Master Cybers got lucky in South America and brought this to me while you were dealing with the Cardmistress." Psycho watched as the stone vanished, knowing where it went. "My power is increased, but I need all of them to accomplish my ultimate goal. Now thanks to your incompetence, I must carry on with more tedious searches for the rest."
"Your forgiveness, Majesty!" Psycho cried, bowing. "I promise the next time you send me out, I'll bring you a magical object that'll be sure to reduce the search field dramatically! The next time the Cardmistress and her Guardians spoil your plans, I'll kill them and bring the Cards and Key to you!"
"We shall see, Psycho. Now, since my power has increased, albeit slightly, I'm somewhat in a good mood. I'm not going to punish you for your failure. Now get out of my sight before I delete you permanently!"
"As you wish, Majesty!" Psycho vanished without a second thought.
A Window appeared, showing Sakura's face. "So, Cardmistress, you caused me a great delay, eh? Well, I'll get them all no matter how long it takes me. Once they're all in my possession, I'll subject the entire world to the beautiful night, and the laughter will go away."
An evil smile formed. The Window closed. Darkness descended quickly, and all was silent.
Chapter 12: The Last Laugh
When the explosions were through, a smoking crater was left. Everyone stared at the spot where Sakura once stood. Inside the dome, the smoke made the interior hard to see.
"No! Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo cried. Tears started leaking from her eyes. She could not believe she taped her best friend's death. *What will I tell Li-kun?*
"Sakura..." Kero-chan said sadly, bowing her head.
Getting off Yukito, Touya closed his eyes. "Damn you, Psycho," he said under his breath. Yukito looked at him and held his hand.
Psycho laughed and spun around. "Ding dong, the mistress is dead! Which old mistress? The Cardmistress!" he sang merrily.
Tomoyo broke down. *This can't be happening. Sakura-chan...*
Psycho enjoyed the sorrow around him. "Well, guess I won't kill you after all. I'll let you all live with the memory that you couldn't do anything to save her." He waved his hand and made the dome vanish, letting the smoke escape. When the smoke cleared, he stepped up to the crater for a closer look. "I wonder how many pieces she's in?" he wondered with a giggle. He stared at the crater. "What?"
Kero-chan flew up for a better look. "Hey, there's nothing there!"
Tomoyo stopped crying. "What?"
"There's nothing there?" Touya and Yukito asked together.
"Windy!"
Psycho was blown away by a strong wind from his right. The evil clown landed hard on the ground. As he picked himself up, he spotted the wind's source. "What the...?" he exclaimed upon seeing the source.
Sakura appeared with a determined look on her face.
"Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo shouted happily, wiping away her tears.
Touya and Yukito smiled. "All right!" Kero-chan shouted, raising his fist in the air.
"So, you're still alive?" Psycho's hand started to glow. "Not for long! Psycho...!"
Sakura tossed a Card before her and struck it with the Star Wand. "Release! Freeze!"
Everyone watched as Psycho was enveloped in a chilling wind. Before the clown could launch a Psycho Bomb, his limbs stiffened. Soon he was enclosed in ice.
"Yatta!" Tomoyo shouted, getting everything on tape.
Overjoyed, the others ran up to Sakura. "Is everyone all right?" she asked.
"Yes, now that we know you're still alive," Tomoyo answered, smiling.
Touya helped Yukito up. "How did you survive, Sakura-chan?" Yukito asked. "We saw Psycho blow you up."
Kero-chan flew at Sakura and looked at her. "I bet I know! It was the Mirror Card, right?"
Sakura smiled and shook her head. "Nope. The Twin Card," she answered, showing it.
"One of these days, I have to ask you what you've been doing in your free time for the past two years," Touya told his sister.
"Well, it was very clever," Tomoyo said. "I'm just glad you're all right, Sakura-chan."
"That makes two of us," Sakura said.
Kero-chan looked at the now-frozen Psycho. "So what do we do with Laughing Boy?"
"I'm for smashing him into pieces," Touya suggested angrily.
"Hey, me too!" Kero-chan said. "Anyone got a sledgehammer?"
Just then, Psycho's eyes glowed red. The frozen robot started shaking. The ice started to crack. Pieces fell off.
"What's going on?" Yukito asked.
"Everyone, get back!" Sakura warned.
The others did as Sakura said and watched as Psycho broke out of his icy prison. He laughed as he faced the Cardmistress.
"Hoe?" Sakura exclaimed.
Psycho stopped laughing. "You foolish little girl! The power that created me is far superior to Clow Read's magic and your Star Magic!"
Sakura glared at the evil robot. She was tired of all the suffering he has caused. "I'll defeat you. I possess the invincible spell!"
"Yeah, and what would the invincible spell be? The power of love?" Psycho broke out into laughter. "If you thought Enter and Backspace were a challenge, then you're going to have a ball with me! I'm a Mega Cyber, twerp! You can't beat me!"
*Mega Cyber?* Tomoyo noted mentally.
"We'll see about that," Sakura said, taking out the Erase Card. "Release! Erase!" she shouted, striking the Card with her Wand.
Erase charged Psycho. "Ha! Psycho Trick!" He waved his hand, and Erase started to vanish. When it finally did and returned to card form, it flew back to Sakura.
"Whoa," Kero-chan said, surprised.
"What?" Tomoyo said, recording everything.
Sakura caught the Card. *How...?*
"Joy Buzzer!" Psycho shouted, pointing at Sakura.
Sakura barely moved out of the way of the Joy Buzzer. She took out the Rain Card. "Release! Rain!"
Rain fell on Psycho, soaking him. "Aw, but I had a bath last month!" the clown quipped.
Sakura took out the Thunder Card. "Release! Thunder!"
Thunder sprang out and fired a thunderbolt at Psycho. The soaked robot was shocked, but was still standing. "You call that a thunderbolt? Here's mine!" He fired a powerful Joy Buzzer at Thunder. As it absorbed the blast, Thunder started to glow brighter. Finally, it overloaded, causing it to explode and fly back to Sakura in card form.
"That's not good," Touya said.
Tomoyo changed tapes quickly. She wanted to miss as little of the battle as possible.
Sakura caught Rain, then took out the Mist Card. "Release! Mist!"
Mist flew out and enveloped Psycho. "Whoa! Bad gas!" the villain exclaimed.
"That's gotta work," Kero-chan said. "Mist can corrode all inorganic material, robots included."
"I don't know," Tomoyo said as she continued recording.
"What do you mean? He's a robot. Robots are made of metal. Metal is inorganic," Kero-chan reasoned. "I'm positive Mist will work on him."
"I have the feeling he's not an ordinary robot," Tomoyo said. "There's something strange about him."
Sakura watched the yellow cloud containing Psycho. She waited for it to corrode the evil robot. "Aaaaaaaaa! I'm melting! Melting!" she heard him cry out. The trapped figure seemed to collapse to the ground.
"Yes! She got him!" Touya said excitedly.
*Is he defeated?* Sakura asked herself.
Everyone's hopes were dashed when they heard laughter from the yellow cloud. Sakura watched his shadowy outline stand up. Suddenly, he leaped out at her with his fist raised. She leaped back in time to avoid a powerful punch. Psycho's fist cracked the ground. Backing up, Sakura saw Mist had no effect. Corrosion was nonexistent on Psycho.
"Nani?" Touya exclaimed in surprise.
"He's countering the Cards," Kero-chan realized.
"He's not doing a bad job at it either," Yukito commented.
Psycho stared down Sakura as Mist returned to her. "So, got any other worthless tricks you'd like to try on me?" he asked cruelly.
Sakura took out the Arrow Card. "Release! Arrow!"
Arrow emerged and fired a single arrow in the sky. Soon, a swarm of arrows flew at Psycho. "Psycho Trick!" he shouted, waving his hand. The arrows turned direction and headed for the others.
"No!" Sakura cried, realizing what was happening. As she ran to her friends, she took out the Shield Card. Making it before the arrows arrived, she shouted, "Release! Shield!" A barrier formed over Sakura and the others, blocking out the deadly arrows. Tomoyo recorded everything with a combination of excitement and fright.
Psycho brought his hands together. He parted them slowly, making a broadsword appear. He took it and charged the barrier. He leaped at it and brought his blade down on it. The barrier burst, with the resulting explosion causing everyone in it to fall and land on the ground.
Getting up, Sakura watched as Psycho landed. She heard herself breathe harder. She felt her tired limbs. She would have collapsed, but the sight of the evil robot kept her going.
"Didn't I tell you? I'm more powerful than your Sakura Cards!" Psycho boasted. He examined the Cardmistress. "Look at you! All that magic using's making you tired. Makes you wish you were back in bed. Speaking of which, isn't it past your bedtime?"
"He's right, Sakura," Kero-chan said, flying up to her. "You've used seven cards already, plus the ones you probably used to escape the robots in the Funhouse. You've gotta be exhausted." He looked at Yukito. "I think the Snow Bunny and I have enough energy now to change into our real forms. Let us take this creep on again."
"No," Sakura said. "I have to stop Psycho myself. He already beat you and Yue-san."
"Sakura-chan, he's too powerful!" Tomoyo said, worried. "I saw him defeat Kerberos and Yue-san. He defeated the Cards you used."
Sakura smiled. "Because it's me, everything will be all right."
"I'm starting to have my doubts," Touya said, looking at Psycho. "For a robot, he's pretty tough."
"Hey! Do I have to come over there and kill you?" Psycho called out to Sakura.
"Sakura-chan, let my real form fight on your behalf," Yukito pleaded. "At least Kerberos and Yue aren't human. We won't suffer like you."
Sakura looked at everyone with affection. "Thank you, but I have to do this by myself. It's me Psycho wants, not you. I don't want anyone hurt because of me."
"Sakura-chan..." Tomoyo began.
"I possess the invincible spell," Sakura said reassuringly. "I'll defeat him." She looked at Kero-chan. "Please take Tomoyo-chan and oniichan away from here. I want them to be safe."
"I'm not leaving you here, kaiiju!" Touya said. "What would I say to otousan?"
"I'm not leaving either!" Tomoyo said firmly. "I have to record the moment when you defeat that evil clown!"
Sakura felt like crying because of all the people who cared about her. "Arigato," she said to them. She faced Psycho and walked up to him.
Psycho watched her approaching. "How nice. You're marching to your death. How brave of you."
Sakura looked into Psycho's red eyes. "You say you're more powerful than me. How about we fight without any extra powers? That way, if you kill me, you'll be able to say you did it on your own."
"Fine," Psycho answered without hesitation. "I don't need any other weapons except this to finish you off!" he declared, showing Sakura his broadsword.
Sakura took out the Sword Card. "Release! Sword!" The Star Wand became a sword in Sakura's hand.
Psycho readied his blade. "Let's dance," he said, staring into Sakura's eyes. With a yell, he made the first move.
Sakura moved her sword to block Psycho's attack, then swung at him. Psycho blocked it, then aimed for her head. Sakura stepped back and aimed for his torso. Psycho blocked the blow and tried to force her sword out of her hand. Sakura kept her grip and swung again.
Tomoyo and the others watched as Sakura and Psycho traded blows with their swords. Sakura managed to jump out of the way of some swings and knock aside others. Psycho continued to attack aggressively. Tomoyo recorded the fight enthusiastically. *Ganbatte, Sakura-chan!* she thought.
"Give up!" Psycho said, taking another swing at Sakura. She dodged it in time. "You're exhausted! You may be one of the most powerful magicians in the world, but you're not old enough to expend that much magic without depleting your power supply!" He swung his blade again. "Come on! Let me kill you and we'll call it a night!"
"Never!" Sakura shouted, blocking the swing and knocking aside another one. She knew he was right, but she was not going to give up. She ignored her tired body, but she still felt it. She knew she had to make a final blow. She backed away from Psycho and watched him while breathing heavily.
"Okay, I'll come to you, then!" Psycho ran at her, his sword at the ready. Sakura took one final breath, then rushed towards the evil clown. "Raaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" Psycho shouted as he and Sakura got closer. They swung their blades and ran past each other, stopping at a distance.
*They moved too fast!* Tomoyo lamented. The action was too quick for her at this point. *Thank goodness for playback options.*
Sakura caught her breath. Her sweat combined with the night air cooled her down. Her back was to Psycho. Psycho had not turned to face his enemy yet.
"This feels like a samurai movie," Yukito commented.
Sakura heard something crack. Her eyes widened as the top half of her sword gave way. It fell and clattered on the ground. "No," she whispered, dropping the other half. The two halves glowed, then reformed the Star Wand.
Tomoyo saw everything through her camera lens. "Sakura-chan..." she whispered.
"He sliced Sakura's sword in half," Kero-chan said, shocked.
Psycho turned around and watched as Sakura picked up the Star Wand. "Ha! I've proven my point! Your Star Magic is no match for my power!" he declared. "Now I'll just...Aaaaaaaagh!"
Everyone watched as Psycho seemed to be doubling up in pain. Sakura noticed that the shoulder of Psycho's sword arm was lower than the other. Then the arm slid off. She saw it drop to the ground. As it hit, both it and the sword disintegrated.
"Yes," Sakura whispered, trying to catch her breath.
"Did I just see that?" Touya asked.
"All right, Sakura!" Kero-chan cried. "That'll show him!"
"Yatta!" Tomoyo shouted, catching the moment on tape.
Psycho looked at where his arm was once. "Impossible!" he shouted. "I'm a Master and a Mega! The calculations! They said you were no match for my power!"
*Master, calculations?* Tomoyo recorded in her mind.
Psycho's remaining hand clinched into a fist. His eyes glowed madly as he glared at Sakura. "You're supposed to be no match for me! This is impossible! Impossible!"
"Nothing is impossible for Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo shouted.
"Yeah!" Kero-chan shouted in agreement.
Psycho snarled. "Well, let's see if little Sakura can handle this! Psycho Bomb!" His remaining hand opened and started forming a Psycho Bomb. It started to grow until it reached the size of a beach ball.
"I don't like this," Yukito said.
"Get out of there!" Touya cried out to his sister.
Sakura looked through the Cards and found the right one for this particular job.
"Die, Cardmistress!" Psycho cried, throwing the Psycho Bomb at her.
Seeing the Psycho Bomb coming, Sakura took out the Mirror Card. "Release! Mirror!" Mirror took the form of its namesake and hovered before Sakura. The Psycho Bomb struck it, sending out light rays that illuminated the area.
"What?" Psycho snarled, seeing his attack being blocked.
Sakura closed her eyes and tried to focus on what was to be done next. Despite her fatigue, she hung on. *Everything will be all right,* she told herself. Mirror still held the Psycho Bomb at bay, but it started to crack under the pressure. "Please hang on," she whispered to the Card.
Psycho noticed Mirror cracking. "It won't be long..." he said, giggling.
The pressure increased. Sakura felt Mirror getting weaker. "Now!" she shouted. Mirror reflected the Psycho Bomb back at Psycho in the form of an energy beam. As the beam left, Mirror shattered and returned to its card form.
"Oh, no!" Psycho exclaimed. The beam came at him too quickly for him to move. He screamed as his own attack energy engulfed him. Sakura and the others watched as Psycho was overwhelmed. The robot exploded grandly, the sound echoing through the night. When the beam was gone, there was no sign of Psycho.
"I did it..." Sakura said. Feeling the exhaustion of the battle catch up to her, she started to fall to the ground.
Yukito changed into Yue. He flew to Sakura and caught her before she hit the ground. "Yue-san..." she whispered.
Yue stroked her head. "Hush, Mistress. It's over. You destroyed him."
Yue helped his mistress stand up. Sakura leaned against his arm. The others ran up to them. "You did it, Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo cried. "And I got it all on tape!" she said, pointing to her camera. "This was the greatest battle in your entire career as a magical girl! Too bad you didn't do any poses."
Sakura sweatdropped. "Tomoyo-chan..." she said weakly.
"Hey, she's been through a lot," Kero-chan said. "We'll save the poses for another time."
Touya looked around. "Shouldn't we get home now? It's pretty late."
Sakura looked at her older brother. "Hai. Let's go home."
Suddenly, there was a faint giggling. Hearing it, Kero-chan transformed into Kerberos. "It can't be!" he exclaimed, taking a defensive position in front of Sakura and the others. Tomoyo started recording again.
"I keep going and going and going..." Psycho materialized before Sakura and the others. He was in his first robot form, and he was not looking well. His body was cracked and torn in various places, with some of his insides exposed. He clutched his empty arm socket and glared at his enemies with his red eyes.
"What does it take to kill you?" Kerberos shouted, growling at the damaged robot.
Psycho giggled. "More than you've got, pussycat. I told you your power is no match for mine."
Yue held up his free hand and fired crystals at the clown, only to watch them evaporate once they hit him. "Nani?"
"A little program that protects me from cheapshots like that," Psycho said, giggling.
Sakura faced the evil robot. "What are you? Who created you? Why did you want the Sakura Cards and the Star Key?" she asked.
Psycho grinned silently in response. A flash of light appeared behind him. "Sorry, but the Gateway's here and I really must be going." The light became a portal. "I promise I'll kill you the next time we meet, Sakura Kinomoto! Of course, if the User decides to come here, you'll wish I killed you tonight!" he declared, laughing as he hovered into the portal.
*The...User?* Sakura thought curiously.
Kerberos shot a fireball at the portal, but it was too late. The fireball went out as it hit the closing portal. Sakura and the others stood there for a while, hearing Psycho's evil, broken, and bizarre laughter in their heads.
"Look!" Tomoyo exclaimed, pointing to the Funhouse.
Everyone watched as the Funhouse started to fade away. The dome was first, followed by the rest. The last part to vanish was the clown face entrance. Tomoyo recorded the event in time.
"That's somethin' you don't see every night," Kerberos said.
Sakura stood on her own and looked at the space once occupied by the Funhouse. "Let's go home."
Epilogue: Questions and More Questions
"So your father didn't notice you and Sakura-chan were gone?" Yukito asked Touya the next day in the Kinomotos' kitchen.
"Nope. He came home really late and went straight to bed," Touya said. "He didn't bother to check if we were sleeping."
"Well, that was quite an adventure last night," Yukito stated.
"I'm just happy it's over," Touya said, yawning. "I'm amazed I stayed up in class today."
"You didn't really," Yukito said. "Sensei had to wake you up during math class."
"Hmph. Math was always boring," Touya said. "I'm glad you're okay, Yuki."
Yukito smiled. "Domo arigato."
Touya looked at him. "Nani? Why are you thanking me?"
"For coming to rescue me and Yue," Yukito said.
"It was the stuffed animal's idea," Touya said. "The kaiiju needed backup just in case something went wrong. After all, no one messes with her except me."
Yukito shook his head. "Still having that sister complex, I see," he said teasingly.
Touya grabbed Yukito. He put him in a headlock and playfully gave him a noogie.
* * * * *
"Nooooooooooooo!" Kero-chan screamed, putting his paws over his face. "Make it stop! Make it stop!"
Sitting on the edge of her bed, Sakura sighed. "Kero-chan."
The video from last night was being played. The TV in Sakura's room showed Psycho swinging Kerberos over his head.
"I can't believe you kept that," Kero-chan said to Tomoyo. "Me, the good-lookin' Sun Guardian, getting my butt kicked by a clown. I'll never live this down."
"Cheer up, Kero-chan," Tomoyo said, smiling. "Think of it as a learning experience."
Kero-chan winced as he watched Psycho use him as a puppet. "I guess so, but that was a very painful learning experience."
"From the looks of things, I guess I'll still be needing these," Sakura said, showing the Sakura Cards and Star Key. "That's what I learned."
"Looks like I'll be designing and sewing more battle costumes for you," Tomoyo said excitedly. "Oh, you'll love the new designs I came up with."
Sakura sweatdropped. "Tomoyo-chan..."
"Speaking of learning experiences, we got a lot from this one," Kero-chan said. "We learned Psycho's some sort of magical robot and he's after the Sakura Cards and the Star Key."
"He's extremely powerful and the Sakura Cards have little or no effect on him," Sakura said.
"He's not the only Cyber around," Tomoyo said.
"Cyber? Where'd you get that word?" Kero-chan asked.
"Psycho mentioned it a few times during the fight," Tomoyo explained. "I think it refers to the robots as a whole."
"Speaking of robots, there's a lot of them, and they seem to be organized like the military," Sakura said. "You know, like ranks. The two robots who trapped me in Psycho's chamber were pretty anxious to get promoted."
"Heard the same thing from another one guarding the Funhouse," Kero-chan said. "He won't be getting promoted any time soon. Strange names for ranks, though. 'Programmer?'"
"Then there's the connection to computers," Tomoyo stated. "Didn't you think their names were strange?"
"Hai," Sakura answered. "'Enter?' 'Backspace?'"
"'Insert?' 'Altron?' 'Controller?' 'Deleter?'" Kero-chan wondered. "Definitely some weird names to give to killer robots."
"Naming robots after the keys on computers is rather odd," Tomoyo said.
"Computer keys...?" Sakura wondered. "No wonder 'Enter' and 'Backspace' sounded familiar!"
"Their ranks and classes are also based on computers," Tomoyo recalled. "We know what a programmer is. 'Kilo' and 'Mega' refer to the amount of storage space for anything on a computer."
"They also seem light. Touya caught a missile with ease, then tossed a robot like it weighed nothin'. Then there's the whole video game feeling I had while fighting them." Kero-chan watched as Psycho stomped him on the back. "Speaking of which, can I play one now?"
"Kero-chan, it was your idea for me to bring the tapes here," Tomoyo reminded the Sun Guardian.
"But I wanted to point out stuff to Sakura when she fought the clown," Kero-chan said. He sighed. "At least the gaki wasn't around to see this."
"Oh, I already sent Li-kun a copy of the tape," Tomoyo said, smiling.
"What?" Kero-chan exclaimed.
Sakura stared at Tomoyo. "You sent a tape to Syaoran-kun?"
"I wanted him to see how fabulous Sakura-chan was in battle," Tomoyo said, looking at her best friend. "You were wonderful!"
Sakura tried not to fall off her bed. She looked at Syaoran the teddy bear. She picked it up and stared into its beady little eyes. *Syaoran-kun...* she thought.
"Here's the two most important things we learned from last night," Kero-chan said. "Your magic is getting stronger, Sakura. When Psycho launched his final attack, you managed to hang in there. I'm also amazed at the number of Cards you used. You were still tired afterwards, but it took longer for it to happen."
"What's the other thing, Kero-chan?" Sakura asked.
"It's not over," he replied gravely.
Tomoyo nodded. "Psycho's still out there..."
"And whoever created him probably still wants the Sakura Cards and the Star Key," Sakura said, looking at them. "Kero-chan, do you know why Psycho and whoever created him would want them?"
"I dunno, Sakura," the tiny winged lion said, shrugging. "It's possible the Cards can be controlled by someone else, but they've become your friends, so they'll only listen to you. As for the Key, it's the expression of your magic. It's worthless to everyone else except you."
"So we have more questions to answer," Sakura said.
"And a new enemy to fight," Tomoyo said. "Sakura-chan, your career as a magical girl has just gotten more exciting!"
"We'd better be prepared just in case Psycho or someone like him shows up in Tomoeda," Kero-chan said.
"How?" Sakura asked.
Kero-chan thought for a moment. "Well..." He flew in the air. "For starters, we can practice battle poses and phrases. You know something to put fear into those Cybers. Like this!" Kero-chan punched in the air, then spun around. He stopped and pointed at Sakura. "I'm Cardmistress Sakura! I possess the invincible spell and I'm going to defeat you!"
"That's good, Kero-chan!" Tomoyo said. "But what about this?" She crossed her arms over her chest, then pointed left and right and pointed to Sakura. "I'm Cardmistress Sakura! Feel the power of love or be punished!"
Soon both of them were showcasing various poses and battle cries for Sakura. "Hoeeeeeeeee," she groaned as she fell off her bed.
* * * * *
"You failed me, Psycho. You had the Sakura Cards and the Star Key in your possession, and the Cardmistress was at your mercy. Yet, you were defeated by her and badly damaged in the process. Care to explain this debacle?"
Having been repaired after last night's battle, Psycho faced his creator and leader. "Well, Majesty, it's those stupid calculations' fault! They said the girl would be easy to kill. Also, they didn't take into account of the Sun..."
"Silence!"
Psycho clammed up immediately.
"You were supposed to bring the Sakura Cards and the Star Key to me or at least the scanned data. Now, what happened to the latter?"
Psycho gulped. "The Scanner was destroyed before it could obtain the data properly, Majesty. I would've downloaded it to you directly, but the magic of the Cards and Key is massive and requires careful treatment, not quick..."
"I'm aware of that!"
"Well, the Cardmistress's Star Magic is powerful..."
"Are you implying she is more powerful than me?"
"No, Majesty! You are the superior magician! You possess the most potent magic on Earth! You are the most powerful magician in the world!"
"That is correct. Never forget that."
An image of a globe appeared before them. Numerous lights covered its surface. Many were yellow or red. A green one showed up occasionally.
"Thanks to your bungling, my timetable has been upset. My search field remains too large for me and I can't launch a wider search with what I have. With the Sakura Cards and Star Key, I'd be seeing less yellow and red on that globe."
Psycho studied the globe. "Um, Majesty? This seems to be in error. I count five green lights. There are supposed to be four."
"Now it's five."
Psycho gasped as he beheld the blue egg-shaped stone in his leader's hand. "You found...another one?"
"One of your fellow Master Cybers got lucky in South America and brought this to me while you were dealing with the Cardmistress." Psycho watched as the stone vanished, knowing where it went. "My power is increased, but I need all of them to accomplish my ultimate goal. Now thanks to your incompetence, I must carry on with more tedious searches for the rest."
"Your forgiveness, Majesty!" Psycho cried, bowing. "I promise the next time you send me out, I'll bring you a magical object that'll be sure to reduce the search field dramatically! The next time the Cardmistress and her Guardians spoil your plans, I'll kill them and bring the Cards and Key to you!"
"We shall see, Psycho. Now, since my power has increased, albeit slightly, I'm somewhat in a good mood. I'm not going to punish you for your failure. Now get out of my sight before I delete you permanently!"
"As you wish, Majesty!" Psycho vanished without a second thought.
A Window appeared, showing Sakura's face. "So, Cardmistress, you caused me a great delay, eh? Well, I'll get them all no matter how long it takes me. Once they're all in my possession, I'll subject the entire world to the beautiful night, and the laughter will go away."
An evil smile formed. The Window closed. Darkness descended quickly, and all was silent.