The next morning, Lucca and Magus came down to breakfast a minute late. As Lucca sat down, she noticed that Crono and Marle were staring at her. With a new sense of unease, Lucca began eating her Power Stew. Finally, after about a minute, Marle broke the tension with a simple question.
"So, Magus, did you sleep okay last night?"
Magus looked at Marle with an emotionless face. "No. I was afraid of the vengeance of all the people who lost yesterday's challenge. I was awake all night, fearing for my life."
Robo decided to change the subject. "The atmospheric conditions today are quite pleasant."
Nu agreed. "I like atmosphere."
As thrilling as the conversation was, Jimmy was busy with something more important: preparing for the immunity challenge. This challenge was going to make the last one seem logical and well-planned. Poyozo scurried back and forth, putting the final touches on the devices that would shortly be needed. Jimmy sipped a can of soda pop and laughed.
The TV screen once again buzzed to life, showing Jimmy's face. "Hello, my friends. Today's immunity challenge is going to be battle. Each of you will go one-on-one with one of the opponents I supply you with. The person who inflicts the most damage upon their opponent wins."
"What are we fighting?" asked Marle, remembering the Cactuar from last week.
"Rest assured, you will have a worth opponent." Jimmy's face disappeared, and the silhouette of a large robot appeared. The silhouette brightened, and became the robot known only as Gato.
"This is Gato, Lucca's robot battle trainer. He worked so well at the Millennial Fair that I decided to make clones of him so all of you can battle him at once, also taking the liberty of making a few modifications. As I stated before, the one who can cause the most damage to the robot wins. The challenge begins now!"
Everyone suddenly found themselves in small rooms with no exits. The only other thing in each room was a perfect replica of Gato. Thinking this would be an easy fight, each of the warriors charged at the bulky red robot in front of them.
Crono soon found out that the task wasn't what it seemed. He sliced and hacked away at Gato with his blade for a minute before he realized he wasn't doing any real damage to the robot. Sure, Gato moved in slow-motion and didn't pack enough punch to make Tata blink, but the contraption looked to be indestructible.
Magus leapt into the air and began swinging the Reaper at Gato. As Magus aimed for the robot, the blade of the Reaper began to glow blue. The scythe sliced through the robot's arm, which blinked out of existence once it was severed. Still airborne, Magus made several slashes into his mechanical opponent's back, finally exploding a Dark Bomb before he landed two feet in front of Gato. To Magus's surprise, the robot held the microphone to its mouth with the one remaining arm and began singing.
"I lost, you wo.. wo... wo..."
Gato's eyes started flashing and the panel on his chest slid open. Suddenly, the robot started firing Silver Points at rapid speed. Magus tried to leap out of the way, but his reflexes were too slow. A flurry of silver coins struck him in the side. The wizard fell to the ground, buried under a mass of Silver Points.
Crono tried a different strategy. Using a move he learned from Frog, he leapt straight into the air. He landed on the robot's head, driving the sword straight into Gato. The contraption began sparking, then its head started spinning around. The head shot up into the air with Crono still on it, hitting the ceiling and knocking Crono out.
Finally, after thirty minutes of such battles, Jimmy called time. He looked over all the battered robots and contestants. It looked as if Ayla, who kicked a hole straight through her opponent, was going to win, until he saw Lucca. Lucca, knowing how Gato was assembled, opened the hidden panel on Gato's back, shot out the generator that powered him, and began disassembling him. When the contest was over, her Gato was only a pile of metal joints, steel plates, wires, and screws.
"A winner is Lucca!" announced Jimmy when everyone had been beamed back into the house. "You, Lucca, cannot be voted out today. Thank you for participating, I'll see you all again in a few hours. Have fun!"
Frog decided it would be wise to go back in his room and meditate on who he wanted to vote out. Just as he was walking past the bathroom, Jimmy decided it was time for a little prank. A Poyozo popped up beside Frog and fired a barrage of blue lightning at him. The blast propelled Frog through the bathroom door, splintering it. Frog flew through the air, his mind not quite having caught up to what was happening yet. Somehow, Frog landed in the bathtub that was already full of water, cushioning the blow enough to keep it from killing him.
When Frog opened his eyes, he saw a woman's face hovering over him. She had purple hair. When his triple vision corrected itself, he saw that it was Schala standing over him with a towel wrapped around her.
"Are you okay?" she said as she put hand on his forehead.
"Ugh..."
"Just be still, Glenn." Frog felt the warmth of Schala's Cure spell regenerating him. In a few seconds, all his pain was gone. He looked up groggily at Schala.
"What hath happened?"
"I just got out of the bathtub when you slammed through the door and landed in the tub. You were lucky that tub was full."
"Aye," grunted Frog. "Yet somehow," he continued as tried to stand up "I doth not feel so lucky."
"Frog, we need to get you out of those wet clothes," remarked Schala while she helped Frog out of the tub.
"I canst manage that myself," said Frog as he hobbled toward the room's exit. "Unless thou has set thy heart on helping me."
"Oh, but I have," said Schala smiling.
Frog turned around and smiled a little bit. "Schala, mayhap thy motives for helping me be less than honorable? I suspect it so."
Schala laughed. "Oh, no. You figured it out."
Frog let out a small croak, then walked though the shattered remnants of the door to the bathroom. He knew Schala was joking, but was she actually getting at something? The two of them were good friends, yes, but did she desire something more? Either way, she was a pretty lass...
A few hours later, everyone sat in the living room, just killing time until the voting. Finally, the screen came on, and Jimmy gave them their instructions that they already knew. "Vote for one person, blah, blah, blah. Remember, in the end, there can only be one." The ballots were passed out, written on, collected, and read in a shrill voice.
"Nu. Ayla. Robo. Magus. Ayla. Magus. Ayla. Nu. Robo. Marle."
"The verdict is in! Ayla is voted out!"
Ayla stepped forward and faced everyone. "Bye, all! Ayla see later!"
"Magus, Black Hole, now!
Calmly, Magus conjured the Black Hole. The cavewoman waved one last time, then the black portal pulled her into the Void. Three seconds afterward, Jimmy started talking again.
"Alrighty!" he said cheerfully. "The bedrooms will not be changed at this time. Catch ya..."
"Just a darn minute!" said Marle. "Now Alfador gets an entire room and two whole beds to himself? He's a cat! And there's an empty bedroom with nobody at all it!"
"You're absolutely right," said Jimmy. "That isn't fair at all. Good night."
Jimmy still held out some hope that something would happen. Anything. In reality, he though, he could probably literally put Crono and Marle in the same bed and they wouldn't touch each other.
Schala walked over to Frog and watched as he polished the Masamune.
"The Masamune is very beautiful, isn't it?" she said to Frog.
"Aye," said Frog as he hefted it into the air. "The craftsman Melchior is truly great."
"Can I hold it for a second?"
"Wield it carefully."
Frog handed the sword to Schala. She gripped the hilt, then started to swing the sword when Frog grabbed Schala's arm.
"Caution, Schala! That swing would hath removed my head!"
Schala suddenly felt very clumsy. "Let's try something else. I have two quarterstaves in my box of magical supplies. Would you like to spar with me?"
Frog kept a straight face. "If thou wish."
Schala tossed a staff to Frog. He hadn't fought with a staff since he was a kid, so he just gripped his like would a broadsword. Schala hadn't sparred with a staff since Belthesar taught her basic self-defense, but she figured she would at least have a chance.
The two combatants faced each other. Schala raised the staff in the air, advertising the fact she was going to hit Frog over the head. Schala swung the staff and Frog parried. There was a large cracking sound, and a spilt second later Schala was left holding half a quarterstaff, with the other half lying on the other side of the room. Both of the fighters just blinked.
"Worry not, Schala," said Frog, trying not to laugh. "Though I may be a better fighter..."
Frog's condescending remark was interrupted when Schala shot a fireball out of her hand and knocked Frog onto his bed, flat on his back.
"Yes, just a helpless damsel in distress I am," said Schala as walked toward Frog. "Woe is me."
"Schala, thy magic far exceeds mine. I yield to thee," said Frog, blushing slightly.
"We'll call it a draw, then." Schala looked down at the exhausted Frog. "All this fighting today really took a lot out of us. Let's go to bed."
Magus and Lucca were up talking again this night. Lucca felt guilty about the deal they cut, but Magus tried to convince her she didn't do anything wrong.
"Lucca, if we didn't make that deal, who would you have voted off?"
"Nu, I guess," Lucca muttered.
"Then Ayla would still be in the house. I don't like Nu, but what are the chances he would go crazy and kill one of us?"
In another room, Nu silently cackled as he envisioned himself and the Knights of Nu sacking Medina and building the great Temple of Nu.
"I see your point," said Lucca, "Since we're already in this together, who should we vote off next?"
Magus put his hand up to his chin and thought for a while. "...Nu. I don't trust him."
Lucca agreed. "Me either. I'd be able sleep a little better with him gone."
"It's agreed, then." Magus turned out the lights. "I'm going to bed."
Crono loving brushed his hand up against Marle's. She blushed, and the two smiled at each other before climbing into their own separate beds for a good might's rest.
Jimmy sighed. He poured five packets of sugar into his bottle of soda, then downed the whole thing in one gulp. The Poyozo told him he was getting addicted to sugar rushes, but what did they know? He could stop any time he wanted to.
"So, Magus, did you sleep okay last night?"
Magus looked at Marle with an emotionless face. "No. I was afraid of the vengeance of all the people who lost yesterday's challenge. I was awake all night, fearing for my life."
Robo decided to change the subject. "The atmospheric conditions today are quite pleasant."
Nu agreed. "I like atmosphere."
As thrilling as the conversation was, Jimmy was busy with something more important: preparing for the immunity challenge. This challenge was going to make the last one seem logical and well-planned. Poyozo scurried back and forth, putting the final touches on the devices that would shortly be needed. Jimmy sipped a can of soda pop and laughed.
The TV screen once again buzzed to life, showing Jimmy's face. "Hello, my friends. Today's immunity challenge is going to be battle. Each of you will go one-on-one with one of the opponents I supply you with. The person who inflicts the most damage upon their opponent wins."
"What are we fighting?" asked Marle, remembering the Cactuar from last week.
"Rest assured, you will have a worth opponent." Jimmy's face disappeared, and the silhouette of a large robot appeared. The silhouette brightened, and became the robot known only as Gato.
"This is Gato, Lucca's robot battle trainer. He worked so well at the Millennial Fair that I decided to make clones of him so all of you can battle him at once, also taking the liberty of making a few modifications. As I stated before, the one who can cause the most damage to the robot wins. The challenge begins now!"
Everyone suddenly found themselves in small rooms with no exits. The only other thing in each room was a perfect replica of Gato. Thinking this would be an easy fight, each of the warriors charged at the bulky red robot in front of them.
Crono soon found out that the task wasn't what it seemed. He sliced and hacked away at Gato with his blade for a minute before he realized he wasn't doing any real damage to the robot. Sure, Gato moved in slow-motion and didn't pack enough punch to make Tata blink, but the contraption looked to be indestructible.
Magus leapt into the air and began swinging the Reaper at Gato. As Magus aimed for the robot, the blade of the Reaper began to glow blue. The scythe sliced through the robot's arm, which blinked out of existence once it was severed. Still airborne, Magus made several slashes into his mechanical opponent's back, finally exploding a Dark Bomb before he landed two feet in front of Gato. To Magus's surprise, the robot held the microphone to its mouth with the one remaining arm and began singing.
"I lost, you wo.. wo... wo..."
Gato's eyes started flashing and the panel on his chest slid open. Suddenly, the robot started firing Silver Points at rapid speed. Magus tried to leap out of the way, but his reflexes were too slow. A flurry of silver coins struck him in the side. The wizard fell to the ground, buried under a mass of Silver Points.
Crono tried a different strategy. Using a move he learned from Frog, he leapt straight into the air. He landed on the robot's head, driving the sword straight into Gato. The contraption began sparking, then its head started spinning around. The head shot up into the air with Crono still on it, hitting the ceiling and knocking Crono out.
Finally, after thirty minutes of such battles, Jimmy called time. He looked over all the battered robots and contestants. It looked as if Ayla, who kicked a hole straight through her opponent, was going to win, until he saw Lucca. Lucca, knowing how Gato was assembled, opened the hidden panel on Gato's back, shot out the generator that powered him, and began disassembling him. When the contest was over, her Gato was only a pile of metal joints, steel plates, wires, and screws.
"A winner is Lucca!" announced Jimmy when everyone had been beamed back into the house. "You, Lucca, cannot be voted out today. Thank you for participating, I'll see you all again in a few hours. Have fun!"
Frog decided it would be wise to go back in his room and meditate on who he wanted to vote out. Just as he was walking past the bathroom, Jimmy decided it was time for a little prank. A Poyozo popped up beside Frog and fired a barrage of blue lightning at him. The blast propelled Frog through the bathroom door, splintering it. Frog flew through the air, his mind not quite having caught up to what was happening yet. Somehow, Frog landed in the bathtub that was already full of water, cushioning the blow enough to keep it from killing him.
When Frog opened his eyes, he saw a woman's face hovering over him. She had purple hair. When his triple vision corrected itself, he saw that it was Schala standing over him with a towel wrapped around her.
"Are you okay?" she said as she put hand on his forehead.
"Ugh..."
"Just be still, Glenn." Frog felt the warmth of Schala's Cure spell regenerating him. In a few seconds, all his pain was gone. He looked up groggily at Schala.
"What hath happened?"
"I just got out of the bathtub when you slammed through the door and landed in the tub. You were lucky that tub was full."
"Aye," grunted Frog. "Yet somehow," he continued as tried to stand up "I doth not feel so lucky."
"Frog, we need to get you out of those wet clothes," remarked Schala while she helped Frog out of the tub.
"I canst manage that myself," said Frog as he hobbled toward the room's exit. "Unless thou has set thy heart on helping me."
"Oh, but I have," said Schala smiling.
Frog turned around and smiled a little bit. "Schala, mayhap thy motives for helping me be less than honorable? I suspect it so."
Schala laughed. "Oh, no. You figured it out."
Frog let out a small croak, then walked though the shattered remnants of the door to the bathroom. He knew Schala was joking, but was she actually getting at something? The two of them were good friends, yes, but did she desire something more? Either way, she was a pretty lass...
A few hours later, everyone sat in the living room, just killing time until the voting. Finally, the screen came on, and Jimmy gave them their instructions that they already knew. "Vote for one person, blah, blah, blah. Remember, in the end, there can only be one." The ballots were passed out, written on, collected, and read in a shrill voice.
"Nu. Ayla. Robo. Magus. Ayla. Magus. Ayla. Nu. Robo. Marle."
"The verdict is in! Ayla is voted out!"
Ayla stepped forward and faced everyone. "Bye, all! Ayla see later!"
"Magus, Black Hole, now!
Calmly, Magus conjured the Black Hole. The cavewoman waved one last time, then the black portal pulled her into the Void. Three seconds afterward, Jimmy started talking again.
"Alrighty!" he said cheerfully. "The bedrooms will not be changed at this time. Catch ya..."
"Just a darn minute!" said Marle. "Now Alfador gets an entire room and two whole beds to himself? He's a cat! And there's an empty bedroom with nobody at all it!"
"You're absolutely right," said Jimmy. "That isn't fair at all. Good night."
Jimmy still held out some hope that something would happen. Anything. In reality, he though, he could probably literally put Crono and Marle in the same bed and they wouldn't touch each other.
Schala walked over to Frog and watched as he polished the Masamune.
"The Masamune is very beautiful, isn't it?" she said to Frog.
"Aye," said Frog as he hefted it into the air. "The craftsman Melchior is truly great."
"Can I hold it for a second?"
"Wield it carefully."
Frog handed the sword to Schala. She gripped the hilt, then started to swing the sword when Frog grabbed Schala's arm.
"Caution, Schala! That swing would hath removed my head!"
Schala suddenly felt very clumsy. "Let's try something else. I have two quarterstaves in my box of magical supplies. Would you like to spar with me?"
Frog kept a straight face. "If thou wish."
Schala tossed a staff to Frog. He hadn't fought with a staff since he was a kid, so he just gripped his like would a broadsword. Schala hadn't sparred with a staff since Belthesar taught her basic self-defense, but she figured she would at least have a chance.
The two combatants faced each other. Schala raised the staff in the air, advertising the fact she was going to hit Frog over the head. Schala swung the staff and Frog parried. There was a large cracking sound, and a spilt second later Schala was left holding half a quarterstaff, with the other half lying on the other side of the room. Both of the fighters just blinked.
"Worry not, Schala," said Frog, trying not to laugh. "Though I may be a better fighter..."
Frog's condescending remark was interrupted when Schala shot a fireball out of her hand and knocked Frog onto his bed, flat on his back.
"Yes, just a helpless damsel in distress I am," said Schala as walked toward Frog. "Woe is me."
"Schala, thy magic far exceeds mine. I yield to thee," said Frog, blushing slightly.
"We'll call it a draw, then." Schala looked down at the exhausted Frog. "All this fighting today really took a lot out of us. Let's go to bed."
Magus and Lucca were up talking again this night. Lucca felt guilty about the deal they cut, but Magus tried to convince her she didn't do anything wrong.
"Lucca, if we didn't make that deal, who would you have voted off?"
"Nu, I guess," Lucca muttered.
"Then Ayla would still be in the house. I don't like Nu, but what are the chances he would go crazy and kill one of us?"
In another room, Nu silently cackled as he envisioned himself and the Knights of Nu sacking Medina and building the great Temple of Nu.
"I see your point," said Lucca, "Since we're already in this together, who should we vote off next?"
Magus put his hand up to his chin and thought for a while. "...Nu. I don't trust him."
Lucca agreed. "Me either. I'd be able sleep a little better with him gone."
"It's agreed, then." Magus turned out the lights. "I'm going to bed."
Crono loving brushed his hand up against Marle's. She blushed, and the two smiled at each other before climbing into their own separate beds for a good might's rest.
Jimmy sighed. He poured five packets of sugar into his bottle of soda, then downed the whole thing in one gulp. The Poyozo told him he was getting addicted to sugar rushes, but what did they know? He could stop any time he wanted to.
