I hardly think I need an introduction, but what the heck.

My name is Alastor. I'm the Cyber Blade Master, and a powerful demon to boot. I was one of JADOW's generals, and I'm now in the top 5 of JAGOW's elite. There are 7 of us elite.

Fire Leo and Frost Tiger. The Black Shogun and King Blue. Me. Dr. Kranken…and finally, the last of the elite…the Jade Guardian, capable of taking on any person's form.

But enough about the elite of JAGOW. This is MY introduction after all. I'm here to check out Nick and his buddies, and to see how much of a hero he is when he's NOT fighting some enemy. Surely he's got to exhibit SOME off-the-field heroic traits…right?

He's eccentric, that's for sure, but to be honest, I…I kinda like him. He's funny, and he knows some good songs. In fact, he's singing one right now. I've been trailing behind him for about half an hour, and he's been singing Green Day songs for 20 minutes so far. He's currently on "Boulevard of Broken Dreams."

Hmm…when he was stranded on the ocean after beating Gran Bruce, he looked right at me and asked for my help…like I was a friend. He acted like he knew me personally, like I wasn't something that scary…

Should I be flattered…horrified…or worried?

I don't know…but I do know this

That kid can REALLY carry a tune!

"I walk this empty street, on the boulevard of broken dreams! Where the city sleeps, and I'm the only one and I walk a…my shadow's the only one who walks beside me! My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating! Sometimes I wish someone out there would find me…till then I walk aloooone!"

The were-beings looked at each other. Panthera shrugged, Salamandra scratched his head, and Felix simply smiled. He liked the song.

Rachel was being so kind as to provide the background music for the song while Nick sang, and Cameo Leon was sitting on top of the Kraken's body, nodding his head to the music.

"This is some good music, Nick! And to think…all the doctor ever listened to was classical…"

"You poor thing! You need to take a crash course in Rock 101! Oh, and Rachel? Thanks for using your body as a mp3 player so that we could relax a little." "Think nothing of it. But remember, this is only until your v-watch starts working again." "Yeah, it needs a little break…but alternative rock is awesome! You and I are mortal, but Rock and Roll will never die!"

"Haroom!" King Kong was walking by them, also nodding his head to the music, occasionally grunting whenever a deep bass section was played.

"See? My man Kong RESPECTS the power of rock. Love the power. Trust the power…and use it to fight the power!"

"Uh…"

"I read it in a magazine once."

"Okaaay."

They were almost to the village, announced Salamandra. "We should be there in about ten minutes."

"So who runs your little village?"

"It's not that little…but our chief is Lupus Magnus!" "Big wolf?"

"Yes." "How come you know Latin?" "The doctor experimented on us…he turned us into what you see before you. We don't remember our past lives, but we do remember what he called us…and some Latin."

"I see…and the rest you had to do on your own? Not bad, being dumped in a deadly jungle and making a culture on the spot."

"It's bound to be quite a vibrant culture too…are we close?" Asked Rachel. Felix nodded.

"Oh, yeah, we should be…there!"

They pointed, and off in the distance they saw torches and huts. The were-village. Nick looked at the others.

"Okay, time to really getting pulling! Let's bring this into the village, double-time!"

One…two…three!

All of them pulled, dragging the Kraken's body toward the village on their specially hand-crafted cart. Soon they were inside the village, and many were-beings of different sizes, shapes and varities greeted them. A large one sitting in a big, ornate chair caught Nick's eye.

He had silver/grey fur, with wicked claws, and gleaming emerald eyes. He had on a golden necklace, and was wearing a very tattered white shirt with even more tattered jeans. He had large, clawed feet too, and a black nose. It was a were-wolf…a big one.

"Lupus Magnus." Nick said, with a slight tone of awe. Magnus nodded. "I am he. Who are you?"

"I'm Nick, a viewtiful hero. Joe, Sylvia and Blue gave me a v-watch so that I could stop JAGOW."

Magnus arched an eyebrow. "You were sent to stop JAGOW? Why do they not come themselves?" "They kinda can't…powerless."

"I'll not inquire any further about them." Nick raised a hand, and Magnus nodded. "Yes?"

"How come you have on a t-shirt and jeans? How come so many of you are wearing "normal" clothes?"

"We only came into being several weeks ago. Many of us still retain some of our old clothing. They are the only physical evidence we have that links us to our humanity…that…and this gold necklace."

"Who's was it?" "It went to the doctor's biggest and greatest were-creation…me. Therefore, I am the chief."

"Someone hasn't challenged you for rule?" "They did…" "But they're dead now, right?" "No, but we did punish them." "How?"

Magnus pointed into a section of the crowd of were-beings. There was a were-cat that had a big red X written on his open chest.

"We stole that from the doctor's place when we escaped." "So the doc found humans, experimented on them and turned them into were-beings…the were-beings escaped, and stole everything they could from the lab during the escape?" Cameo Leon asked.

"Yes."

"Wow…tough life. If you wanted to, would you like to go back to being human?"

Nick thought he saw a glimmer of sadness in the werewolf's eyes, but then it was replaced by indifference.

"We don't care that much."

"Well anyway…with the help of my friends and your three brave warriors, I killed the Kraken that's been terrorizing all of you for so long."

"I see…we shall indeed eat well tonight! Light the fires! Prepare the banquet! There's not a moment to lose!"

In an hour, everything was ready, and the cooks got to work, carving off pieces of meat and flesh from the body of the Kraken. The tentacles were dipped into a specially made sauce created from a mixture of fat, citrus juice and some stolen Teriyaki sauce…and it had delicious results.

"And to think…I said I'd always hate seafood!" One taste and Nick had died and gone to heaven.

"Well, this isn't like the kind of stuff those cramped restaurants make." Rachel commented.

"Mmm…goooood…"

"Eat up, Cameo Leon, we've earned it…oh Rachel! I forgot…you can't eat this stuff, can you?"

"No…"

"Sorry I don't have a battery or anything…"

"I'll just shove it into my converter."

"What?" Suddenly Rachel picked up a big piece of Kraken and placed it into a big open compartment that was open in the middle of her stomach. The compartment closed, and then whirring and pinging noises could be heard for a few moments. Then, Rachel sighed happily.

"That IS good."

"Uhh…"

"Converted the carbon-based energy into pure plasma energy that I can "eat"."

"Okay…I don't think I want to know how you drink."

"With a straw."

"Nevermind! Food! Eat! Now!"

Nick started cramming Kraken meat into his mouth, gulping it down and taking large swigs of juice.

"This juice is amazing! What's in it?"

"It's orange, apple, grape and cherry juice all mixed together!"

"Cool…"

Nick finished his juice, and then took a bite out of a big vegetable that had been carved into a "N" by the cooks.

"Interesting…tastes a bit like a…hmm…"

"We love eating that type of herb!"

"What…what kind of herb?"

"Peppers!"

"Uh, out of curiosity…" Nick's face was turning bright red as he spoke. "Were the peppers bell-shaped before you carved them?"

"No."

"I thought so…WATER! WATER! AAA!"

Nick ran running towards a big bowl of collected rainwater, and dunked his head inside, while everyone laughed.

Magnus shook his head. "These gods are crazy."

Alastor, meanwhile, was watching from far off, chuckling. "Eating a hot pepper…heh. This kid cracks me up!"

Eventually the night quieted down, and the three heroes said that they had to say goodbye.

"We've got to get back to our temporary home…"

"Please, stay with us!" Begged Felix. "We'll let you use our rooms!"

"Uh…well…what do you think guys?"

"Why not?" said Cameo Leon and Rachel. Nick shrugged.

"I guess we're staying for the night then!" Magnus smiled and nodded.

"Get the gods the best beds we have!" He ordered.

As in turns out, the best beds they had were ALSO stolen. They were big, fluffy mattresses with plain blue blankets. Nick didn't care about the look as long as the sleep was of good quality, so he wrapped himself up in the blanket, and laid down to sleep in his specially designated hut. Cameo Leon and Rachel were in huts to the left and right respectively, and Magnus was right across from Nick's. Nick felt sleep claim him, and he drifted off into slumber.

Rachel and Cameo Leon also slept soundly, as did the were-beings. Alastor, however, was now quite unhappy. He didn't bring a bed with him, and he was very tired.

So he flew down from the trees and landed on Nick's hut. He stretched, and sprawled out across it, letting sleep take him. At least the hut's top was mossy and relatively soft…certainly better than sleeping in a tree or on a fragile branch.

The next morning though, Alastor regretted having slept on the hut. His weight had been too much…he'd fallen through the hut and into the room where Nick was snoozing.

Nick had woken up instantly, and had looked Alastor right in the eye. Then he'd said, "Here…you can share my blanket."

He'd tossed Alastor half of the blanket and went back to bed. Now they were sleeping sort of side by side, with Alastor on the floor and Nick on the mattress. Both slept soundly after that, but Alastor's back was really sore from the fall.

That's why, in the morning, he made up his mind that he would confront Nick the moment he left the village. No more stalling.

That morning, Nick and the others did indeed leave the village, saying goodbye to everyone and heading towards Dr. Kranken's laboratory. Nick took off ahead, eager to get there first…but then someone whispered to him from the bushes.

"Psst…psst! Nick! I need to tell you something."

Nick looked to his left. Lupus Magnus stepped out of the bushes, looking a little bit guilty.

"I…I know you're not gods. I know you're just a human blessed with power, like Joe and the others…but you really helped my kind, so…thank you. If you need our help…"

Magnus handed Nick a little wooden whistle. "Call us."

He bowed deeply, and then became hidden in the jungle once more. Nick blinked, and fingered the whistle.

"Hmm…okay…I'll use it well, Magnus."

He pocked the whistle, and headed back off down the trail…

Only to meet Alastor.

For those of you who don't know what Alastor looks like, I'll tell you. He had purple armor on his chest, with purple gloves and boots to match. He also had a pink visor that covered glowing reddish eyes, eyes without pupils. His lower face looked quite handsome, with a fine chin and nose. His leg and arms were covered in light armor as well, but were a different shade of purple. Alastor had a large dark grey sword in his hand, with an ornate hilt. He sprouted black bat wings, a thick demonic tail that was the color of midnight, and had large horns on his big, dark purple helmet. They were curved, like a ram's.

Nick whistled. "Nice threads, Alastor. Still, you'd look a lot nicer if you were in your normal attire, you know…the clothing that makes you look kinda like a priest?"

"Oh, that…uh…it got burned. You see, I…uh…wait a minute, why am I talking to you like this? Stop confusing me!" Alastor sounded a bit like Joe, only a little bit more…darker. He definitely had the tone of a tough, cool punk. He could have been in a movi-nevermind.

"I'm supposed to be your enemy, aren't I?"

"I guess." Nick said, jiggling his foot in impatience. "Can I get past? Come on, I haven't got all day! I have to save my family, so move it."

"Your family said you're very contradictory…I think they were right. Selfish yet noble…"

"Alastor, I know you were a good guy. Why would you work for jerks like JAGOW?"

"Well…uh…what else am I going to do? All I care about is fighting. I live for the thrill of battle, I lust for the fight, a tussle, a rumble, a good old-fashioned beat-down…THAT'S my shtick!"

"What about Goldie?" Nick asked…and then he saw something on Alastor's face that surprised him and scared him…

Fear…and intense sorrow.

"She…she…"

Alastor shook tears out of his eyes and pointed his sword at Nick.

"No more head games! You're fighting me now! You think you're sooo tough, but let's face it…you're a wanna-be! You're nothing more than the understudy, Nick, and you can never hope to be as good as Joe and the others! No matter how hard you try…you'll always be nothing more than a pitiful replacement for some of the greatest heroes in the world!"

"I thought they were your rivals, and that you didn't like them." Nick said, grinning a bit. Alastor bit his lip, then growled.

"Don't distract me! You're just a substitute! And you'll never be anywhere NEAR as powerful as Joe and the others…and they'll never be anywhere NEAR my power! You're finished, you fourth-stringer!"

Alastor pressed a button on his belt, and his theme music started up.

BGM: Blade Master (Cyber Blade Master Alastor's Theme)

Nick struck his pose. "I always liked this music…this should be an exciting fight! Sorry Alastor…but I'm not going to lose to someone who can't even decide what side he's on!"

Nick grinned and you know what came next.

"TIME TO ROCK! HENSHIN!"

Once more Nick transformed in spectacular fashion, and he flew towards Alastor, kicking at the demon. Alastor ducked, and tried to stab Nick through the stomach, but Nick activated SLOW just in time, twirling around and avoiding the sword. Then he activated ZOOM, and slammed down on Alastor with his tornado move. Smashing Alastor into the ground, Nick looked down, and stuck his tongue out.

"Nyah Nya-OOF!"

Alastor had punched him in the gut. Nick staggered back, and shook his head dizzily. Alastor jumped up into the air, aiming a finger at Nick.

"AIR RAID!" He screamed. Nick didn't dodge in time, and purple lightning, zooming through the air from Alastor's fingertips struck him in the chest, and sending him flying through the air. Nick landed with a thud, and staggered up, now a little bit angry.

"You're going DOWN! MACH SPEED!"

Nick sped towards Alastor, and jumped up. With a mighty uppercut, he sent the demon flying up into the air. Then Nick activated ZOOM and SLOW, and as Alastor fell back down, he slammed both fists into Alastor's falling body…and activating REPLAY at the same time.

Once! Twice! Thrice! Alastor went flying into a tree, snapping the thing in half. The demon landed in mud, sending jungle pigs scurrying away as Nick landed deftly on the ground, doing a victory dance.

"Uh huh! Uh huh! I'm bad! I'm bad! Who's a hero? Not a zero? N-I-C-K G-R-E-Y! NICK! GREY! YAY!"

Alastor groaned, and rubbed his stomach. "Oww…" he said. Then, glaring, he swung his sword in a cicle, and then aimed it at Nick.

"Lightning Strike!"

Suddenly purple lightning struck the ground around Nick, who began running here and there trying to avoid the bolts. He didn't, therefore, see Alastor get up and fly into the air, twirling his sword. When the lightning had stopped, Nick did so too, wheezing and puffing.

"Phew…that…hoo…was clo-"

"STRIKE RAID!" Uh oh. Suddenly Alastor flung his sword into the air, and it shimmered with a deep blue aura. Nick gazed on, and jumped when the sword suddenly MULTIPLIED into 13 swords, including the original one. They suddenly zoomed towards Nick, one after another. Nick barely managed to dodge some of them, but one of them clipped the side of his chest, and he screamed. Then another sliced his leg, and he sank down to one knee, grabbing at the leg.

Alastor chuckled. "You're finished, you lousy wanna-be!"

The other swords continued to zoom towards him…but Nick was ready! He looked up, angrily, and using SLOW, he jumped right towards the oncoming blades. Alastor stared. What the heck was he doing? No way…he couldn't be…

He was! Nick used SLOW to bat the swords, turning the blue aura into a GREEN one, and making them flip around and fly right at Alastor, who was struck over and over by the sharp, greenly-blazing swords HE had created. He fell to the ground, and groaned.

"I'm…I'm…I'm not finished!" He said. He stood up, and held his hands up. A dark, purple ball of plasma energy began forming in Alastor's hands, and he arched his arms back a little. "You're FINISHED, you wanna-be!" He flung the ball of energy at Nick, and it zoomed towards him. But Nick wasn't going to just sit there and be hit. He pointed at Alastor.

"I'm no wanna-be…I'M THE REAL, MOTHERFUCKING DEAL!" Activating the power of SLOW and ZOOM, he lunged forward with both hands, and the energy slammed into his open palms…not doing anything but turning in place, crackling slightly.

Then, Nick tossed the ball into the air, and when it fell down right in front of him again his right fist punched the ball of energy with all of Nick's might and will.

"YEAAH!" Nick shouted as he punched it, and the ball of energy zoomed towards a very surprised Alastor, who didn't have time to dodge. Alastor was struck right in the chest, and a huge dome of purple energy encased him, finally creating a large explosion whose shockwave blew Nick back. Nick quickly got back up, and walked over to a charred and coughing Alastor, whose armor was cracked, helmet slightly crushed, visor broken. The demon's deep purple eyes looked into Nick's green eyes, and the JAGOW general smiled.

"You…you ARE the real deal."

(The theme song ends.)

Nick lifted Alastor up, and looked him up and down.

"Nothing broken?"

"No…my armor saved my life…but DAMN…I…I can barely stand!"

Nick just patted Alastor on the shoulder. "Hey…you're cool. You're the Blade Master, aren't you? You can survive a little explosion!"

Rachel and Cameo Leon gawked. They'd seen the whole fight, and were amazed that EITHER one of the two warriors were still standing. They simply watched as Alastor and Nick talked.

Alastor rubbed the back of his head, and his smiled embarrassingly. "Uh…this feels awkward, losing to someone who's not even out of high school. But MAN!" He grinned and pointed at Nick's costume. "Your costume is sweet, and those moves? Your whole attitude, even…it was all so passionate! Dynamic, you know?"

Nick suddenly stiffened, eyes widening. "What word did you use to describe my superheroness?" "Dynamic. Why?"

"Yeah…that's my name…"

Nick walked away, looking up at the sky. "Yeah…oh, if those guys could see me now! I have a superhero name now! This is an important event…I better think up a pose. Hmm…ooh! I know!"

Nick turned around, smiling. He held up his right arm in front of his face, fist clenched.

"I'm Nick…"

Then the young hero spun around, and then stopped, facing Alastor, with his arms spread out, hands making the "rock-on" position, looking sorta like an angel of Rock and Roll thanks to the wonderful fluttering motions of his long cape.

"Dy-nam-ic Nick!" Then he relaxed and walked over to Alastor. "Nice name, huh? Anyway, why not come with us? We got an extra bed or two in the trailer."

Alastor blinked. "I still don't get you. I've heard so much from your family, watched your actions, even fought you…but I still don't understand you. Why are you so nice to me, even after I tried to kill you?"

"I just feel it's the right thing to do." Nick stated.

And that ended it.

Alastor's Note:

Yeah, uh, read and review, mortals! Come on! Help a brother out here! I'm packing heat, and I need to eat! Reviews pay the bills! Okay, not really, but they're really appreciated.