PART FIVE: VIVA LAS VEGAS!
Adventures in Las Vegas, Part I: The Montage
The entire gang (minus four) spewed out of the bus, everybody going their separate ways.
Serge: He is still in space, silly goose!
Kid: Wasn't old enough to gamble so she hung out at "the hotel".
Guile: Went to a show with Siegfried and Roy. Ended up fighting them and destroying a few buildings. Lost 100 Gil in gambling; gained 40.
Norris: Tried his luck in the casino before arranging reservations at "the hotel".
Nikki: Started a big-scale musical number. People on the streets joined in, singing such songs as "It's Not Unusual to be Loved By You" and of course, "Viva Las Vegas".
Viper: Attended the shows. Had to drag Sneff away from gambling. Stepped into the kitchen too many times.
Riddel: Was mistaken for a very classy prostitute more than once. Was protected by the Devas every time.
Karsh: Kicked butt whenever some scumbag came up to Lady Riddel.
Zoah: Intimidated any scumbag that came up to Lady Riddel. Punched a pimp.
Marcy: Got kicked out of three casinos; more or less guarded Riddel.
Korcha: Beat up Regis Philbin and Dick Clark.
Luccia: Went to the Siegfried and Roy shows to uncover all their secrets; present whereabouts remain unknown.
Poshul: Got lost and ended up becoming a street performer.
Razzly: Got lost and ended up becoming a street performer.
Zappa: Fell asleep on the bus.
Orcha: Kept telling Viper to stay out of the kitchen.
Radius: Found Mr. Owl in a run-down casino. Was never sad the entire trip.
Fargo: He's still in space, silly goose!
Macha: Painted the town red for two whole minutes, then got broke.
Glenn: Got lost and ended up performing in a show. Somehow won an Academy Award.
Leena: Beat every single arcade game in "the hotel".
Miki: Helped Nikki in his musical numbers; ran around with Wayne Newton for a brief time.
Harle: Got in a very big fight with David Copperfield. Was once mistaken for a prostitute, but after what happened to the guy, nobody bothered her again.
Janice: She's still on the road, silly!
Draggy: Got lost and ended up performing in a show. Somehow won a Tony.
Starky: Kept on getting mistaken for a performer, so he just joined one of the shows.
Sprigg: Got so drunk she couldn't even fish.
Mojo: Never got lost, but became a street performer anyway.
Turnip: Was continuously mistaken for a performer, so he just joined one of the shows.
NeoFio: Was continuously mistaken for a performer, so she just joined one of the shows.
Greco: Got kicked out of the casinos for bankrupting them.
Skelly: He's still on the road, silly!
Funguy: Was continuously mistaken for a performer, so he just joined one of the shows.
Irenes: Was continuously mistaken for a performer, so she just joined one of the shows.
Mel: Got lost and ended up drawing portraits on the street.
Leah: Was kicked out of 4 casinos and 5 shows.
Van: Got lost and ended up painting portraits on the street.
Sneff: Soon became the Kingpin of Vegas. Had to be dragged away by General Viper.
Steena: The whereabouts of Steena are still unknown.
Doc: The whereabouts of Doc are still unknown.
Grobyc: Was mistaken for a performer, but managed to beat up anybody who thought so.
Pierre: Basically made a fool out of himself. As always.
Orlha: Kept on getting harassed by people who thought she was a prostitute (she beat them all up), so she simply retired to "the hotel".
Pip: Attracted ladies like you wouldn't believe!
At the end of the evening, everybody retired to "the hotel", exhausted and ready to leave.
Adventures in Las Vegas, Part II: Who's On First?
"Ohh, my head..." mumbled Doc, shaking his cranium. He groggily opened his eyes, unaware of what had just happened. "Man! I'm never drinking that again!"
"Is that you, Doc?" said a voice.
"Yeah, I'm here. We must've stumbled into 'the hotel'." Steena entered the room and sat down wearily. For some "mysterious reason", she had been wearing a tank top, exposing part of her back; Doc had his shirt off.
"Oh, I see you have a tattoo!" she exclaimed, spying a mirror reflecting Doc's back. "It is on your back!"
"Whoa, really? What is it?" Doc turned around.
"'Dude!'" exclaimed Steena. Doc snickered.
"You've never said 'dude' before, Steena! Man, must be this gnarly trip. Hey, you got one too," he pointed, seeing a mirror reflecting Steena's back.
"Oh? What is it?" She turned around.
"'Sweet!'" exclaimed Doc. Steena blushed slightly. "Does mine say anything?" asked Doc.
"Yes, please turn around again." Doc turned around. "'Dude!'" exclaimed Steena. Doc gasped.
"Whoa, is it that gnarly?" he chuckled. Steena looked at him, a surprised look on her face.
"Does mine say anything?" she asked. Doc nodded and Steena turned around.
"'Sweet!'" he exclaimed. Steena blushed again.
"Is it really that great, or are you just flirting?"
"No, they did a fine job! But seriously, what does mine say?" He turned around.
"'Dude!' What does mine say?" She turned around.
"'Sweet!' What does mine say?" He turned around.
"'Dude!'"
"'Sweet!'"
"'Dude!'"
"'Sweet!'"
"'Dude!'"
"'Sweet!'"
"Hold on a minute..." said Doc. He grabbed a small mirror, walked up to a larger mirror, and held the smaller mirror at an angle, so he could see his tattoo. "Dude! It says 'Dude!' Dude!" Steena did the same thing.
"It says 'Sweet!'"
"Well, you are sweet!" said Doc.
"Only if you are a 'dude'! Come, let us get dressed and join the others!"
"Sweet!"
"Do not start that again!"
Adventures in Las Vegas, Part III: The Tournament
"H'm?" said Luccia, noticing a billboard. "It says here dat dere vill be somet'ink called a 'Battlebots Tournament' being held here in a few veeks. I vonder vat a Battlebots Tournament is?"
"Have ye no heard?" snickered Zappa, crossing his arms. "It's where people from around th' country build a fightin' robot to compete in the tourny! The winner gets a blazin', giant, golden nut!"
"Dis tournament has intrigued me," mumbled Luccia, holding her hand to her chin. "If all I haff to do is build a robot, den I vill easily vin dis! Hoo hoo hooo!"
"Ach, it's no that easy! Ye've got ta beat all th' other robots that entered the tourny as well! An' there's a whole list o' rules too!" Zappa grinned, showing off his muscles. "But the Dragoons and ah've built a fine fightin' robot, and we'll be enterin' it in that contest. Ah suggest that, if yir plannin' on enterin' that contest, ye'd better hurry it up! It starts in three weeks!" Luccia nodded, thinking.
"No problem," she smiled. Leena, who was hogging a nearby arcade game, overheard the conversation.
"Battlebots are stupid!" she said. "Ack! What are you doing?! Eat the ghost!"
"Oi! That golden nut'll be mine in no time flat!" grinned Kid, helping Norris with his Battlebot.
"Hu-hu, she said 'golden nut'," chortled Beavis.
"Fire, fire! Burn! Fire!" cackled Butt-head.
"It is not that easy. I have heard that it is very hard to make and drive a Battlebot," replied Norris.
"Heh, I didn't ask you!" she replied. Kid looked up, a forlorn look on her face. "Ya hear that, mate? I'll win this golden nut for you, Serge! Then you'll see! I'll win your eart' fer sure!"
"What's that?" asked Norris.
"N-nothin'!"
"Well, it took us long enough, but we made it!" Janice plopped down in her hotel bed, too exhausted to even breathe.
"Hey, Janice! Check this out!" pointed Skelly. Janice groaned. "It says here that there's some kinda robot fightin' tournament going on! Battlebots, ya know?"
"A fighting tournament?!" squealed Janice, leaping out of her bed. "That's for me!" She scanned over the bulletin, a smile slowly making its way on her mouth. "Hehehe... I'm gonna enter one of my own fighting robots in this little match!"
"B-but you don't know how to build a robot!"
"That's beside the point! I've got the cash, and the connections, to make my dreams come true!" She cackled softly to herself, freaking Skelly out.
"Man, I wish I was still in Utah!"
Adventures in Las Vegas, Part IV: Robot Fighting Time
General Viper frowned.
"Zappa, do we receive any prize money for competing or winning?" he asked.
"Ah'm not sure. Why'dya ask, Gen'ral?"
"Well, the funds that I had brought with me have slowly decreased. It's not cheap for forty-four people to be staying in a hotel for nearly a month."
"Aye, that's true. And ah'm sure that we'll repay ye sometime in th' future."
"No need," sighed Viper, waving his hand. Karsh crossed his arms.
"I heard that Luccia and Norris are entering a robot as well," he said. "I know Norris is gonna be easy to beat, but Luccia?"
"This isn't a competition," said Viper sternly. "This is all just for fun. If one of us wins, they win. If we all lose, then we all lose. Let's keep it at that."
"Ye say that now, but what about when yir robot's losin'?" asked Zappa.
"Or winning?" said Karsh. Viper grunted and frowned, but said nothing.
And then, the day of the tournament arrived...
"I can't believe the turnout," whispered Orlha. Doc asked her to repeat it, and she shouted it back to him.
"Yeah! I didn't think this many people would come!" he shouted. They had to shout--they were in the stadium that not only carried the seats, but the infamous Battlebox as well. "Looks like the teams are setting up. Hey, I can see team Dragoon!" Doc pointed to a large group of peculiar-looking people, and sure enough, it was team Dragoon: Zoah, Karsh, Marcy, Orcha, Glenn, Radius, and Riddel as the pit crew and support, Zappa as the builder, and General Viper as the leader and driver. Their robot was "Dragon", a nasty middleweight that carried four large hammers and eight smaller ones on its back.
"Hey! I can see Team Radical Dreamers!" pointed Nikki. Norris, Kid, Korcha, and Mel took their positions, hauling their heavyweight "Monster" with them. "Monster" was a dome-shaped robot with five deadly horizontal cutters and equally lethal speed.
"Poshul, isn't that Miss Luccia?" pointed Razzly. Poshul scratched her head and nodded.
"Yeah! Thee and Gwobyc are coming out now!" Luccia, Starky, and Grobyc, aka Team Grobyc, stepped into their position with their monstrous super-heavyweight "OMNI", a very advanced machine that connected directly to Grobyc. Grobyc could control "OMNI" by simply moving his own body; thus, if Grobyc wanted to perform a suplex, all he had to do was...... and you get the idea.
"CHA! There's someone else comin' into the arena!" pointed Macha. "What the CHA? Is that... Janice and Skelly!" Yes it is, Macha. "Boy, where the heck have they been?" I don't know. "This is weird! I didn't know Janice knew how to build a robot!" She doesn't. "Who the CHA are you?" Who, me? Umm, nobody!
Mark Beiro introduced the first two robots, "Monster" and a wedge-shaped robot.
"Ladies and gentlemen, this is a Battlebots elimination match! In the blue square, to my left... Mayhem is the name, and Destruction is his game! Introducing... Monster!" The crowd cheered, and Norris prepped himself. "In the red square, to my right... No pain, no gain, is the motto of this robot. The pain he dishes out to you is the gain he gets! Introducing... Sidewinder!" The crowd cheered again, and Norris and the other driver stepped out of the battle-box. Soon, both drivers were ready.
"The box is locked, the lights are on, it's robot fightin' time!" shouted the announcers, and Norris' robot immediately leaped out of its corner, slamming into Sidewinder. "OH! An early start by Monster, just tearing up on Sidewinder! You gotta love the beauty of those blades!"
"Here we see... Sidewinder stepping away cautiously... Doesn't want to get hit again... Monster, taking a shot to the kill-saws... now coming straight towards Sidewinder. Sidewinder is a very inexperienced robot, whereas we see, the driver of Monster to be surprisingly competent for his first time!"
"Here we see... Monster chasing Sidewinder around like Tom and Jerry, and OH! Sidewinder! Takes to the air with the kill saws, and OH! Monster! Monster, taking advantage of Sidewinder's flight, just rips into him when he lands. Definitely beautiful. Definitely beautiful."
"Sidewinder, trying to stay away from the blades... He really can't do much against those blades... He's a wedge, and wedges usually can't compete against something with five blades on it. Sidewinder suddenly rams into Monster before his blades power back up..."
"You know, it takes Monster a few seconds to power those blades up, and that's when Sidewinder will want to strike."
"Here we see... another game of cat-and-mouse... Monster, practically leading Sidewinder around the ring... aaaaaaaand, OH! Barely misses the pulverizer! Oh, Monster takes a pop on the noggin with the pulverizer, and he just keeps on chasing Sidewinder around... OH! Another pop with those blades of his, absolutely tearing Sidewinder to pieces! To pieces!"
"It's a knockout! Has to be! There's not enough left of poor Sidewinder to fill a matchbox!"
"Well, maybe if it were a really small matchbox..."
"It's over! It's all over for Sidewinder! Monster had that in the bag!"
Several minutes after the fight, Orlha ran down to congratulate Norris. She gave him a big hug, nearly squeezing his neck. Kid crossed her arms, grinning like a loony.
"Norris, that was unbelievable!" smiled Orlha. "How did you learn to drive like that?" Norris shrugged.
"It is my secret," he said. Soon, another match would commence...
"Ladies and gentlemen, this is a Battlebots elimination event! In the blue square, to my left... He's devoured more maidens and barbecued more knights and killed more people than the Black Plague! Say hello to... Dragon!" The audience cheered, and General Viper prepared himself. "In the red square, to my right... Surviving on a diet of liver, fava beans, and Chianti, not even the world's toughest asylums could hold back... Hannibal!" The crowd cheered again, and Hannibal's driver got ready. Hannibal was a spinning robot, with several small but deadly blades attached to it.
"The box is locked, the lights are on... it's robot fightin' time!"
"C'mon, c'mon... no! Yes! Haha! Take that, you wicked ghosts! Ahahahahahahaaaaaa! ......NO! ...Okay, you're MINE this time!"
"Still playing that game, Leena?" asked NeoFio. Leena cursed, wiping the sweat off of her brow.
"Yeah! I'm on Level 5! I heard there's only fifteen levels left until the end of this game!"
"Why do you want to beat that game?"
"I dunno!" sneered Leena, taking a quick sip of a nearby drink. "I just started playing with it because I got bored, but now I'm hooked! I beat all those other arcade games!" NeoFio stared at the five other arcade games in the hotel's rec room and nodded.
"Are you sure there's not one you're missing?"
"Just 'Universal Domination', and I heard that nobody's ever beaten that. The thing is, it's a six-player game, so it should be easy to beat, but it's not!"
"And where can we phind phive other players to beat it?" asked NeoFio. Leena grinned maliciously, winning another level.
"I think you know the answer to that."
"I must say, Zappa, that was a wonderful piece of machinery!" beamed Viper. Zappa grinned.
"Ach, t'was nothin'!"
"I saw Janice's robot doing some fine damage as well," nodded Viper. "That 'Bunny From Hell' is stronger than it looks! But I wonder where she learned to build robots?"
"It's a se-cret!" squealed a voice from behind them.
"Janice!"
"In the fur," winked the bunny-girl. She hopped on over to Team Dragoon and bowed. "So, did you miss me?"
"Actually..." mumbled Karsh.
"Well..." said Marcy.
"Umm..." coughed Orcha.
"I, ah..." murmured Riddel.
"I, WE, UH.." boomed Zoah.
"Yes," smiled Viper. Janice winked.
"Say, where's Norris? That punk ditched me on purpose, I bet! He's the one that forced poor little me to hitchhike all the way here!"
"Norris is the leader of Team Radical Dreamers," pointed Riddel. "Since both of you are heavyweights, maybe you can settle your differences in this tournament?" Janice grinned maliciously.
"Yeeeeaaaaah!!"
Days passed, and the tournament was drawing to a close. "Dragon" was later defeated by what would later become the middleweight champion, and everyone else advanced forward. OMNI was completely dominating every fight it starred in, and was later rumored to be unstoppable.
Finally, the championship battles of the tournament were nigh. Janice's "Bunny From Hell" would go up against Norris' "Monster", and Luccia's "OMNI" would face off against Jay Leno's infamous "Chinkilla" (just for fun, of course). It had already won the super-heavyweight championship, and Chinkilla and the Rumble were the only things left.
"Ladies and gentlemen, this is a Heavyweight Battlebots Championship fight! In the blue square, to my left... You can call her cute, you can call her cuddly, you can even call her adorable; just make sure you have a hearse handy when you do! Introducing... Bunny From Hell!" The audience went berserk; many had become overnight fans of the lifting/impaling robot that Janice had "built". "And in the red square, to my right... Conquest, Slaughter, Famine, and Death--just what you'd expect from an apocalyptic robot like... Monster!" Norris and Janice prepared themselves, and the audience held their breath.
"The box is locked, the lights are on, it's championship robot fightin' time!!"
"Bunny From Hell and Monster crawling slowly out of their squares, sizing each other up like a couple of bucks ready to fight over a mate. Bunny From Hell, taking a little nick with the kill-saws, not really injured..."
"OH! Bunny From Hell just tosses Monster like a salad! Monster... has about a centimeter of space separating him from the floor, and that'll be where Bunny From Hell will strike. You gotta love the ingenious design of Bunny From Hell."
"Okay, now Monster's getting back into the fight by ramming straight into Bunny From Hell's side! Tears up some pieces, but Bunny's okay. ...OH! Ramming speed!"
"I saw that one coming! Monster and Bunny From Hell in a jousting match! Bunny From Hell with that carrot and Monster with those blades! Tore that carrot right off!"
"Not a lot of action now. Bunny From Hell still a threat because of that super-low lifting arm, or should they be called ears?"
"Ears, arms whatever! Monster trying to confuse Bunny From Hell, which would be a problem if Bunny wasn't such a fast robot. Monster... yes! Yes! Plows straight into Bunny From Hell, with no regard for his own life, and just... sends her flying!"
"Rest in pieces, Bunny From Hell! Monster has won this bout with a total knockout!"
"The winner by a knockout, the new heavyweight champion... Monster!!!!" Janice drooped, her arms hanging like branches of a dead tree. She slapped Norris' hand away and stomped away to cry. Norris hefted up the Golden Nut and smiled, then handed it to Kid. They were both reasonably happy. Orlha suddenly ran into the Battlebox and flung her arms around Norris, giving him a big kiss. She was a little more than happy then; he just stood there in a stupor.
Adventures in Las Vegas, part V: The Shot Heard Round the World
It was one day after Monster won the championship. Janice's robot was in pieces and she wouldn't come out of her room. Steena tried to coax her out so they could watch the big match that evening, but all she got was silence.
"Janice, what is the matter?" asked Steena.
"You don't get it, do ya?" asked Skelly, who was passing by. Steena shook her head. "Janice had a lot going for that robot! She even paid some other people to build it for her!"
"She did? Who?"
"Whoops, I wasn't supposed to tell you that! Hehe! Gotta run!" Before Steena could stop him, Skelly had already ran away.
"Wee are almoost ready," squeaked Starky, who was also passing by. He looked up at Steena. "Whaat is wroong, Steena?"
"It is nothing, Starky," sighed Steena. "So, how do you think the match will turn out?"
"OMNI has neever lost a fiight befoore, and Starky beelieves OMNI wiill not loose a fiight in the fuuture."
"Luccia, Grobyc, and you sure do make a great team," nodded Steena. Starky nodded.
"Yeah! Weell, Starky muust be going noow! See yoou later, Steena!"
"Ladies and gentlemen, this is a Battlebots exhibition tournament event, pitting two titans against each other in a fight to the death! In the red square, to my right... driven not by mortal hands but by demons from the very pit of Hell, here's the infamous... Chinkilla!" The audience let out a long string of booing and hissing. "And in the blue square, to my left... Honesty, virtue, kindness, morality, decency! These words are definitely not included in the vocabulary of... OMNI!" The crowd went berserk, cheering on their new "champion". Grobyc prepared himself, and Starky and Luccia made sure that everything was running smoothly. This would not be a clean fight.
"The box is locked, the lights are on, it's robot fightin' time!!!"
"WOW! OMNI just tears out of its corner and rams into Chinkilla! Tears that thing apart! OH! OH! I do not believe what I just saw! OMNI just tore off Chinkilla's face!"
"Gave him the facelift from Hell, I'd say!"
"That was unbelievable!! ...Uh-oh, what's OMNI up to now? Is he? Is he? Look at that! Look at the sheer power of OMNI, lifting poor Chinkilla like an origami doll! Aaaaaaand OH! German suplex! Not a move you'd want to get!"
"Chinkilla on his back, almost... completely helpless. Bill, did he even stand a chance?"
"No he did not. As we have seen, OMNI is a bot that's just unstoppable."
"Uh-oh, what's he doing now? He's smacking Chinkilla around with those very powerful arms! He's cutting a hole in Chinkilla's belly with his hands! And now he's lifting Chinkilla again, perhaps for a second suplex?"
"No... OMNI's up to something... OH!! OH!!! UNBELIEVABLE!!!! OMNI just ripped Chinkilla in two!!! OMNI... oh... I feel faint...!!"
"Crowd's going berserk!! That was incredible!! OMNI tore up Chinkilla like a paper bag, and now he's tossing away the pieces. Unbelievable!! Simply unbelievable. The fans are going ballistic! Listen to 'em! And yet, who couldn't see this coming, with a bot as good as OMNI?"
"Certainly not me. I expected OMNI to win and win fast, and it did just that."
"Well, the fat lady has sung, and we have a brand-new champion!"
Adventures in Las Vegas, part VI: Universal Domination
Three hours passed. Luccia, Grobyc, Starky, Kid, Mel, and Norris were all celebrating in their full glory, and Janice was still crying. Leena had beaten the game she was playing, and the Battlebots tournament was just a distant memory. The gang was ready to leave. But one thing stood in their way. The hotel manager saw how skilled the group was, so he made a wager: if Leena and five of her friends could beat Universal Domination in ten hours or less, then the hotel bills would be on the house. If not... they would have to pay.
Leena accepted the challenge. She chose Starky, Janice, Guile, Mojo, and Steena.
"Do you remember the rules?" asked the referee. Nobody ever recalled getting rules in the first place.
"We never got any ?!#$%&!^ rules," shouted Guile.
"But did you get ?%&%1#$&#? rules?" asked the referee.
"I thought we were using the ?!#$%&!^ rules," noted Janice.
"Yeah, that's it. Anyway, here are the rules to Universal Domination: the six of you will each select a character you feel comfortable playing with. You must guide that character through all 100 levels of the game, beat the game, and enter your names in the Hall of Fame. You will be allowed 100G each, giving you a total of ten lives to get through the game. As long as at least one of you gets to the end, which probably won't happen, you will win the game and the debts will be cleared. But if everybody runs out of lives before the end of the game, then every G must be accounted for. Understand?" All six players nodded their heads. "Then good luck. You have ten hours."
Leena, Starky, Janice, Guile, Mojo, and Steena each selected a character that they thought would suit them best in the game, and immediately plunged into the first level. Universal Domination took place in a gigantic tower, with ten large floors in it. Each floor had ten levels to it, and every tenth level had a terrifically difficult boss enemy waiting to destroy any heroes. The recognized world record was 92 levels in fifteen hours. Nobody had ever beaten the game.
But with their lackluster cooperation and the lukewarm support of their friends, the six team members were determined to beat that record. Already the first level (also known as the Common Floor) had been cleared with hardly any injuries; the game was programmed so that almost anybody could get past the first few levels with relative ease. With six skilled players hacking away at the cabinet, even the most difficult enemies were pushovers. Finally, the Manticore monster that guarded the First Floor was defeated, and the team could go on. Nobody suffered major damage and everyone still had plenty of money to spare.
Leena had chosen a Cleric: typically weak in the offensive department, she figured she'd use her character's magic skills to heal her other party members and propel them to levels unknown to the casual player. Her choice was absolutely crucial in the Undead Floor (which was the third), where she led the party to countless victories over zombies, vampires, ghosts, environmentalists, cuddly bears, and other horrifying monsters.
Mojo, on the other hand, chose a Wizard. Like a pyromaniac gone berserk, Mojo tossed around his magic like a hot potato, killing enemies all around him. He was instrumental in the Undead Floor, although he was nearly wiped out in the fourth floor--No Magic Allowed Floor. His greatest moment was lighting up the seventh floor--Darkness Floor.
Steena chose a Mystic Knight, and the character fit her like a glove. She wiped out the Undead floor and was crucial in the fifth and sixth floors--Puzzling Floor and Go Berserk Floors, respectively. Steena and Leena made an especially good team, wiping out enemies and recovering allies at blinding speeds. There were very few enemies that could boast defeating the mighty duo.
Janice chose a Ninja to represent her in the field. Although unable to boast terrific strength, the ninja could use throwing weapons and two short sword, not to mention incredible speed and evasion. Janice greatly supported Mojo in the Darkness Floor and was often used to deal out important blows to stubborn boss enemies. Janice was also one of the few characters to have went through the Go Berserk floor without much hassle.
Guile, having his favorite Wizard taken away, chose to go along with the Mage, a cross between the Cleric and Wizard. Although not as strong as either one, Guile could combine both magics to not only take the offense, but the defense as well. Guile fared fairly well in the No Magic Allowed floor, but was nearly eradicated in the Go Berserk floor. Guile's character was the first to meet his doom, in the Go Berserk floor.
Finally, Starky chose to control the Giant. Boasting the highest physical and defensive ratings and the lowest speed, Starky chose to clobber his opponents over zapping them from afar. He was crucial in the No Magic Allowed floor and helped immensely in the Puzzle floor, but his worst moments were all in the Caution floor, which was littered with traps.
Together, the six of them destroyed the Evil Cactus that guarded the Caution floor, obliterated Dracula in the Undead floor, and gave the Warrior a whipping in the No Magic Allowed floor. The Enigma proved a greater challenge in the Puzzling floor, and the Ten Berserkers that protected the Go Berserk floor proved too much for Guile, and he had to quit the game.
The six other floors behind them and a few G still left in their pockets, the five teammates decided to finally work together to get through the remaining four. A few of their friends actually gave support, and one person even cheered. The cheers got louder after everyone cleared the Darkness floor, and soon turned into screaming when the Insanity floor was cleared (the Shade enemy proved no problem, but the five Gold Dragons spelled the end of Mojo's playing). Even the referee was stunned as the four remaining players lumbered through the Ninth floor, the Floor of Doom. Everyone proved to be stronger than was originally thought when they went face-to-fang with the Grim Reaper, and soon they had made it to the Final Floor, the Forbidden Floor.
The entire room held its breath when the four remaining players passed through level 90. Eight hours had passed by, and only two hours and ten levels remained. Unfortunately, Starky's Giant finally gave out in the 92nd level, sacrificing everything so that the group could break the current record and move on to the unknown levels.
Levels 93, 94, and 95 passed by like a nightmare for the remaining three players. Half their number had been annihilated, and only Janice and Steena still had ten G or so left. Every level only increased in difficulty: puzzles became ludicrously harder, enemies grew in disproportionate numbers and uncanny strength, and the levels seemed to grow longer by the minute. But they persevered, and levels 96, 97, and 98 were cleared.
Disaster struck the group near the end of level 99, where Leena's Cleric finally succumbed to the evil forces, leaving only Steena and Janice to trudge onward. Nobody had ever seen the final boss, except for perhaps the twisted programmers. Some said that it was a god that killed your characters the second you saw it; others claimed that it was a horrible mutant that compiled of every single enemy in the entire game. Still others said that there was no final boss, and that Level 100 was an Easter Egg stage: something easy and simple, to reward the players after a hard game. They were all, however, wrong.
The final enemy in Universal Domination, the one that awaited Steena and Janice on Level 100 at the top of the Tower in the Forbidden Floor, was none other than Thanatos, the Angel of Death.
"You ready to rock, Steena?" grinned Janice, bracing herself.
"I am," she replied sternly, giving her Knight an extra ten Gs. Instantly, Thanatos tore the heroes apart, sending their energy bars in the red. Janice decided now was a good time to use up the remainder of her weapons, and was soon throwing everything she had at the evil monster. Steena, barely hanging in the fight, launched a brutal attack that amazed even the referee. Thanatos was cornered, but Janice was running out of weapons to throw, and Steena was running out of steam. She threw her last ten Gs in the machine, boosting her Knight's life.
Thanatos killed Janice twice in the fight and killed Steena once; they both recovered their positions with a well-timed insertion of money. With only about ten minutes left to go, they decided to end the fight and crowded around the evil lord of darkness, giving him everything they had.
"Steena! Steena! Steena! Steena!" chanted Leena. Everyone soon began chanting for Steena.
"Janice! Janice! Janice! Janice!" chanted Starky, and soon the entire gang was cheering for the two women. Even Norris was cheering, although nobody could hear him over the roaring. Suddenly, the group held their collective breaths as Steena's Knight finally died, and a short moment of dreadful silence goaded Janice to take the win. Soon everyone was screaming for Janice, even the referee, even the hotel manager, all of Las Vegas wanted Janice to WIN!
Her character in the red, her money vanished, and her weapons gone, Janice loaded herself for bear and decided to go for broke. Striking Thanatos again and again, she bit her lip in hopes of a stunning victory, or at least an honorable death. Thanatos raised his arms for an attack...
"OH MY GOODNESS, SHE DID IT!!!!!" screamed Orlha, leaping up and down in a wild frenzy. She accidentally kissed Glenn in the confusion, apologized profusely, and decided to kiss Norris instead. The hotel manager went berserk, somebody kissed Janice, and soon the entire room was filled with the roar of cheering and shouting and chants of "Janice, Janice!". Nervously they watched the lengthy ending, and with shivering arms, Janice entered the names of her five comrades in the Hall of Fame.
When the "Congratulations! You've Become the Universal Champion!" flashed on the screen, the entire hotel was flooded with chaos and roaring and shouting and cheering. Everyone hoisted Janice and the other players up on their shoulders, and even Karsh allowed somebody to play the theme song to "Rocky".
Thus concludes the adventures in Las Vegas. General Viper was escorted outside with a hero's farewell, and Janice was the celebrity of the hour. The atmosphere of success and a fun-filled vacation was still hovering in the air, and it was unanimously decided that it really wouldn't do to go home just yet, not with such wonderful places to explore and such wonderful things to see. No, my friends, Las Vegas was only the beginning!!!!! Stay tuned for further adventures in...
The Chrono Cross Road Trip!
"...Oi! Old' on a second!" squealed Kid, stopping Grobyc.
"Yes-what-is-it-Kid?"
"Ain't we missing' someone?" For a few seconds, everybody paused and thought about it.
"Fargo?" said Irenes.
"Yeah, but who else?" said Kid. Suddenly, Zoah remembered.
"SEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"