Brandy's Bizarre Adventure

by Von Reivanon

Brandy the Bandit lives happily with her king Oticat, her best friend Dan the Knight, and the rest of her fellow troops. But when the dark machinations of an evil King and an evil Clan start to tumble into motion, her life is thrown into chaos. Rated T for intense action, peril, heavy themes, and slightly suggestive content. And yes, there are lots and lots of JoJokes.

10. Chapter 10

It was a lovely sunrise.

Song: Morning Mood

Pure golden sunlight spilled in through the stained glass windows of Oticat's castle, covering the walls and floor in rich greens and blues. The joyful chirps of songbirds floated through the air, and the smell of sunflowers wafted through the peaceful halls.

After the party had ended, somewhere around 3:58 in the morning, and a few hours after Brandy had passed out on Dan's shoulder, Oticat and SpaceKrakenX had quietly figured out a way to use the teleportation pads to bring everyone back to their respective castles. None of them had realized it, of course, because they were all asleep.

Brandy, sprawled out upside down on her bed, slowly became aware of her own consciousness. It was an odd feeling, yes, yet still one that everyone went through every morning. She had been having a bit of an odd dream- one where there was some sort of party, and there were many, many people. She had been… dancing? In front of a huge audience, with Dan by her side- she thought. The dream was fading now, giving way to a splitting headache.

"Oh…", Brandy moaned, and sat up. Her hood fell off her head, revealing a huge poofy ball of hood hair. "What even happened last night?"

Brushing her stray hair out her eyes, Brandy's gaze fell upon the back of her hand. There looked to be some sort of marking, but it was too faded to make out in its entirety. There looked to be a 7, a 9, and a 12, but the rest of it was too worn to read.

Brandy rolled out of bed, sliding into her boots where they were waiting on the floor. The same thing happened every morning, but this time it felt… different somehow. Like she was bigger, without actually being so. Stronger, in some way, although Brandy couldn't imagine why.

Rubbing her eyes, she saw a small, green and yellow bird perching on her windowsill. It chirped twice, then pecked at the brick.

"You…", Brandy said, pointing at it. "I remember you. You show up a lot."

The bird tilted its head in a 90 degree angle, and squeaked. "Whatcha doin?", it said, and fluffed its feathers until it was round.

Brandy was a little taken aback. The small bird had just spoken to her. "You can talk?", she asked in amazement, and slowly drew slightly closer. "What are you?"

The bird bobbed its head, and closed its eyes. "Budgie.", it said. "Budgie, budgie, budgie, budgie."

"I've never heard of a Budgie before…", Brandy breathed. "Where did you come from?"

She took another step, and the Budgie suddenly opened up its eyes again. It noticed how close Brandy had gotten, and instantly slimmed down in fear. Before Brandy could make another move, it turned and hopped off the windowsill, flying off into the morning light.

Brandy frowned, and stepped back from the window. Whatever the small bird was, she would have to find out later. Maybe someone from the library would know. But for now, it was time to head downstairs. She could smell breakfast cooking…

The snoring of Dan was tremendous. Even from the next room over, it could still be heard like a chainsaw, splitting through logs like a Pekka on Rage. Fortunately, however, Dan's left neighbor was Kars, and he slept through anything. Even right then, he was sleeping on his back, bottle of Rage in one hand and axe in the other, somehow barely holding on to both.

Dan's neighbor on the right was Bowza, who was actually having quite a bit of trouble sleeping. For although he could control his senses at will, using that ability to block out Dan's snoring, he was just a little worried.

Something's coming, he thought. I can feel it in the air.

Floating above his bed in mystic meditation, Bowza appeared calm on the outside. But on the inside, he was anything but. I can taste it upon the wind.

He absentmindedly ran his fingers up and down his bow, his fingertips tracing patterns even older than the Arenas. A worried frown creased his face, and his brows knit with tension. He could sense that something was upon the horizon- something big. But for the life of him, he just could not tell what it was…

Dan opened his eyes automatically, as the clock struck 8:00. The time had been drilled into him as the time to wake up by his time training, and his biological clock had learned fast. It had only been a day since he had left, so it had not even begun to wear off. He groaned and sat up, causing the entire front part of the bed to bend over and break.

Man, how do Giants manage being so big?, he wondered. Everything just seems so tiny. And I break stuff.

He stood up, and the bed automatically snapped back into place with a neat twang. Dan looked behind him, and realized that that was how Giants managed it.

His stomach roared unexpectedly, another side effect of being big. Dan estimated that he had to eat at least 40000 calories every day, or he would faint. And so far, he had eaten nothing.

Dan took a deep sniff, and a memory flickered on the edge of his mind. It was of him and Brandy, on some sort of stage. They were… dancing? And for some reason, an entire crowd of Troops was dancing in front of them. Was that what had happened at the party last night? Dan couldn't remember anything that had happened past just a few minutes in.

But such thoughts were best to be left for later. For now, it was time to go downstairs and eat.

Meg woke up face down on a couch in the entry room, her helmet on her back and her cloak wrapped around her left arm. She blinked, seeing nothing but dark blue fabric. She reached out one arm experimentally, and by chance grabbed her gun by the hilt.

She used it to push herself upwards, looking out bleary-eyed across the nearly empty room. There was a single Fire Spirit swaying back and forth in some sort of ancient dance, but Meg was the only other one in the room.

"What… happened?", she muttered, raising one hand to her forehead to try and block out a growing headache. But as she did so, she happened to see some sort of marking on the back of her hand.

"What the…", Meg mumbled, and turned her hand over to look. It was still sort of shaking, although not enough to stop her from reading. It said "Meg, 7. Brandy, 9. Brenda, 12."

"What? What does that mean…", Meg wondered out loud, then looked up and saw herself in a mirror. Her sight went to the level of her shoulder patch, where her level was proudly displayed, and then everything suddenly made sense. No longer did it read 3. No longer was she just a poor, helpless minimum level Musketeer, barely even able to fight for herself. No, Oticat had gotten custody of her during the night, and had enough spare Musketeer Cards in order to raise Meg to a glorious- well, not quite glorious, but respectable- yes, respectable level 7.

"Hey Meg, what's up?", came the voice of Brandy from the stairs, and Meg instinctively sat up at attention.

"Uh, nothing.", Meg responded. "Nothing at all. I just barely woke up."

"Oh. Cool.", Brandy responded. "Me too."

She turned towards the kitchen, making a quick gesture that was just a little Dash-boosted, and thus too quick for Meg to see. "Yeah, I was just gonna go grab a bite to eat. You wanna eat?"

"I…", Meg said, and smiled weakly. "I'd love that, thanks."

She stood up, and nearly tripped on where Jack the Goblin Brawler lay sprawled across the floor. He was still dead-out drunk, and thus did not even notice, but Meg nearly fell to the floor before Brandy Dashed across the room and caught her.

"Sorry about that, Brandy.", Meg found herself apologizing. "I just-"

"You don't have to apologize for that, Meg.", Brandy said. "You just tripped. You didn't do anything wrong."

"Oh.", Meg said. "Right."

She got back up, and the two kept on walking into the kitchen.

"Hey, Brandy. Hey, Meg.", said Dan, who was somehow already there. "What's up?"

"The sky.", said Brandy automatically, before sitting down. "What's up with you?"

Dan had been about to say something, before Brandy had hit him with the "the sky" retort. But he lost in his throat, and just sat there awkwardly for a second before he remembered what it was.

"Yeah, uh, do you remember anything from last night?", Dan asked. "I think there was this huge party, but I can't quite remember."

A little more of Brandy's memory clicked into place, but not really anything that she could get a grip on. "Oh yeah, there was a party.", she said. "I thought there might have been one, but I couldn't quite remember. And we were… dancing?"

"Yeah, I think we were.", Dan said. "But not with each other."

"Oh, no.", Brandy said. "Yeah, we weren't doing that."

They each expected the other to say anything, but neither of them did. So they just sat for a moment, feeling the tension of the moment slowly heat up. There wasn't really a lot, but it still increased, all the same.

"Good morning, everyone.", came the voice of Oticat, as he strode in through the Official Kingly Double Doorknob© that he had had installed last night for some reason. Sadie and Elizabeth flanked him on either side, both their bows at the ready, but still frantically getting ready to go everywhere else. Oticat slapped his hands down at a random table, and looked up with an excited grin. "Who's ready to Battle?"

Brandy and Meg exchanged a glance. Meg's was nervous, but Brandy's was full of excitement. Dan looked up, and bits of Star flickered around his arms at the prospect of finally, after so much time away, fighting in the Arena.

"I'm ready.", said Brandy. "Meg?"

"Uh… not right now.", said Meg, and pushed herself further away from the table. "I'm underleveled, besides. If you want to use a Musketeer, you should really use Kelly."

Kelly was the name of Oticat's first Musketeer, who was 2 levels higher than Meg was.

"Yes.", said Oticat in agreement. "But I'm not going to be using Musketeer this time around."

"Who's going?", Dan asked, slamming his formidable bulk onto the ground next to where Oticat was talking.

"Well…", said Oticat, and his face lit up. "You, and Brandy, and Agatha, and Bowza, and the Ratzo Brothers, and Randy, and Webert, and The Log. Just like old times."

For a brief moment, Brandy was lost in thought, remembering Oticat's old decklist. It, against all odds, actually was a very good deck. Even though it was almost as far from meta as it could be, it still somehow managed to work.

"Yeah…", Brandy sighed. "Just like old times."

Meg cleared her throat, and stood up. "Uh, I'm gonna go find a room.", she said. "I mean- my room. Or a room that could potentially be mine. Maybe I'll just share a room with someone else."

"That's fine, Meg.", said Oticat. "But I have something better."

He tossed her a single key, which Meg just barely managed to catch. She looked at it, seeing a musket lightly engraved on one side and an M on the other. "Is this…"

"Yes.", said Oticat with a smile. "That is the key to your own room. Floor 3, Room Number 7, on the far left. I had Jo build it for you last night."

Meg's lip slightly quivered, but she managed to keep herself under control for now. "Thank you, Oticat.", she said. "Thank you for everything."

She ran upstairs, key jingling in hand, trying not to let anyone see the tears of happiness starting to flow.

Brandy watched her go. She was glad that Meg had managed to survive. She was such an innocent soul, that it would have been a tragedy if-

Her thoughts were interrupted by the slam of Webert sitting next to her. "Hey, what's all this about a battle?", he asked.

"We're going to go do one.", Oticat said, and slammed his fist down onto the table. "You're part of the decklist. Just like old times."

Webert gave a wide grin, and slammed his fist down onto the table as well. It was a far larger blow than Oticat's had been. "Fantastic, sir."

Sadie tied her bow around her back, and looked towards the door. "Should I go get everyone, Dad?", she asked. "I don't think everyone's awake yet."

"Yes, that would be wonderful.", said Oticat. "You do that."

As Sadie and Elizabeth ran off, Dan stood up and stretched. Faint vestiges of something flickered at the back of Brandy's mind, but nothing that she could really get a grip on. They felt… red. But not the Red of Red kings- this was more of a natural, non-offensive red. She wasn't quite sure what it was.

Meg, upstairs, finally came to her room. It was unadorned, bursting with the promise of the future. With trembling hands, she took the key and slid it into the keyhole, where it popped it open with a satisfying click. Excitedly, Meg pushed open the door, looked inside, and gasped.

Her new room was beautiful, far more spacious than her old one had been. Instead of a cramped bottom bunk, there was an entire sheltered bed against one wall. Instead of a dresser hardly larger than a Goblin, there was an entire bureau taller than Meg was. Instead of a cracked hand mirror stapled to the wall, there was an entire picture mirror, cascading down from the wall like a silver river. And instead of drab, dark, moth-eaten walls and carpet, the sides and bottom of her room shone with bright blue bricks and a thick shaggy floor.

She threw herself onto her bed, and breathed in the rich scent of clean fabric. There was no one to burn her blankets, or steal her mattress, or tip or bed upside down and force her to sleep in the hall. Today, the rest of her life began.

For some reason, Meg found herself pulling out her communicator. But to her surprise, this was not the new one that had come with her Blue uniform. This was her old one, that she had when she was Red. Weird… I thought I got rid of this one, she thought. Oh well.

She scrolled aimlessly through it, deleting the numbers of everyone she had left behind.

LeChris? Yeah, you never cared about me. Deleted!, she thought with a devious smile.

Ava? Being 10 levels higher than me doesn't help you now, huh?, she thought, remembering just one of the Musketeers she had been forced to share a room with. Deleted!

Valeyrie? Hope you enjoyed the last time I had to "help" you, cause I'm never doing that again!, Meg thought, remembering all the times Valeyrie had forced her to be the Valkyrie's plaything. "Deleted!", she whispered under her breath, and slammed her thumb down on the button.

Bailey? I…, she thought, then stopped. Bailey had been the only Troop that had been nice to her. Friendly, even. Strangely, a sharp pain of longing struck Meg's heart, and she looked up into nothing.

Oh, I do miss you, she realized. Bailey… I wish you survived.

She blinked back sudden tears, and again looked at the number. Her sadness was compounded when she saw that Bailey's profile picture was in fact a quick selfie of her and Meg, snapped during the dinner. I wish you were here to see me. And see this. I bet… you would have turned Blue too.

Meg's thumb wandered around the screen, then hovered over the Call button. I think I'll call you… for old time's sake.

She pressed the button, knowing full well that no one was going to pick up. She let it ring- once, twice, three times. Even though there was no way anyone would answer, Meg still felt disappointment that no one had answered. But it was nothing compared to her total shock when on the fourth ring, someone did.

Song: Dark Rebirth

Shadows flickered around the crumbled castle of TheEvilOverLords. Insects crawled through the broken stone, looking for any stray bits of lost Elixir to lap up. But even as they did so, some of their number fell prey to the lurking darkness, crushed into bits and carried off to parts unknown. Haunted whispers echoed through the shattered halls, echoes of evil persisting long after they were whispered.

In the corner of what had once been the Grand Ballroom, a single claw appeared out of shadow. It was the first real movement that the site had seen in weeks, and the latent darkness crawled back in shock. But the horde of minor demons concentrated in droves once they saw who it was.

"Ryusei_Nakao69?", came the voice of Grrshknn, as he pulled himself into regular reality. "It's time."

There was no answer, save the excited chittering of the shadows.

"He's dead, Grrshknn.", came the voice of Blackness from somewhere else. "You have to bring him back before you can speak to him."

"Oh, right…", Grrshknn said. "I forgot."

He raised a hand, and the darkness began to swirl into the center of the room. Purple lightning flashed all across the spiral, and dark crimson strands flowed from all directions. They concentrated in the center of the room, and began to shape themselves into the figure of a man.

"It seems you've got the hang of it.", said Blackness. "I shall leave you to that. For now, I've got to go… take care of something."

Then he was gone, leaving behind the sensation of hatred, and the chase.

Grrshknn continued his work, dropping most of the impressive special effects that he had put in order to get more respect from his master. The spiral and lightning had vanished, and only the crimson strands remained. As they finally finished the figure's shoulders and built up the top of his head, the reborn figure gasped. He fell forward to the ground, as the finishing touches were applied to his new, barely human form.

"Ryusei_Nakao69.", said Grrshknn, and the King looked up. "How are you feeling today?"

Ryusei_Nakao69 coughed violently, expelling a splatter of blood from his still forming lungs. He shakily looked up, and bowed as soon as he saw who was talking.

"Lo- Lord Grrshknn.", he said. "What… what happened?"

"You were killed.", Grrshknn said. "For weeks you floated through eternity, until I thought that the time was right to bring you back."

Ryusei_Nakao69 looked at his hands, his scarred skin crackling with crimson string. "For weeks, I was in that… place.", he mumbled to himself, not really hearing what Grrshknn had been saying. "That horrible, lawful-"

"I said I brought you back, you fool!", Grrshknn thundered, and Ryusei_Nakao69 cowered against the floor. "Now listen to your master!"

Ryusei_Nakao69 hit the floor, not daring to make any movement beyond trembling. "And I listen, my lord."

"Good.", Grrshknn grunted. "Yes, the information that your friend gave me was quite beneficial. Without him, I may have never found out what had transpired."

"My… friend?", Ryusei_Nakao69 asked. "What do you mean?"

"Good morning, Ryus.", came the voice of TheBaldBalancer, from the corner of the room.

Ryusei_Nakao69 didn't dare to look up. He certainly wanted to, but Grrshknn had not yet told him that he could. "TheBaldBalancer? Is that you?"

"It is, Ryus.", TheBaldBalancer said.

Grrshknn flicked one claw into the air, and Ryusei_Nakao69 knew that the gesture granted him permission to stand. He creakily got up, and saw his old friend coming towards him.

"You came back.", said Ryusei_Nakao69, and the two shook hands. "Just in the nick of time."

"Once I heard what had happened, I decided my vacation was at an end.", TheBaldBalancer replied. "It was a hard, long road to get back home, but-"

He shrugged. "The hardest choices require the strongest wills."

"That they do.", Grrshknn rumbled, and stroked the air with a claw. "Now go. Ryusei and I have… much to discuss."

"Yes, my lord.", TheBaldBalancer said politely, and bowed. He turned to walk away, and was gone within seconds. Grrshknn's evil magic had sent him to the far end of the castle, making sure that he could disturb the conversation that was about to take place.

"Ryusei_Nakao69!", Grrshknn bellowed, and the King cowered. "You have been my loyal follower for much time. Even in death, you still served my purposes. And now, I have given you another chance. To prove yourself, and be beneficial to me one last time."

One last time?, thought Ryusei_Nakao69 with worry. He did not like the sound of that.

"Your current mission has not yet been completed.", Grrshknn roared. "Bring me the girl- the Bandit, and you shall be greatly rewarded."

But as Grrshknn bellowed his commands, Ryusei_Nakao69 was only half listening.

Song: Fight to Antagonize

He had had a long time to think, when he was dead. For weeks, he had been exposed to a curious sort of light, a strange sort of goodness. It had rubbed off of him, slowly scraping away bit by the thick coating of evil that surrounded his soul.

As Grrshknn continued to outline the plan, Ryusei_Nakao69 looked up. For the first time in months, the deep red that had coated his eyes began to lighten, and the long black scars below his eyes looked just a little shallower.

"Don't call me that.", he said, surprising even himself.

Grrshknn stopped in the middle of a sentence, and looked down at the King. "What?", he said.

"Don't call me Ryusei_Nakao69.", said the King. "That is not my name."

A small bit of pure black fire started to rise up on Grrshknn's spine. "Oh really?", he purred menacingly. "Then what is it?"

Ryusei_Nakao69 clenched his fist, and stared up at his demonic master. A tiny bit of good flickered into his long-depraved eyes. "I'm done following you, Grrshknn. I'm done taking orders."

Grrshknn reared up in utter shock. No one, not in thousands of years, had ever dared to defy him in this way. "Are you now, mortal? I think you've forgotten where you stand."

"No.", said Chrisintheair. "I've remembered it."

Digging deep inside of himself, he gathered all the power that remained. A shining red rope appeared around his arm, snapping into place with a shower of red sparks. His mind and memories opened, letting out every memory of every Troop he had ever caught. Every individual, unique, wonderful person that he had destroyed. Especially the first.

"This is for all the Troops you forced me to slaughter over the years.", he said defiantly, and Grrshknn flinched. Chrisintheair's eyes flashed, and he raised his fist to attack.

"This is for Penny!"

But as he leapt forward, red energy sparkling around him, Grrshknn simply sighed.

Song: Un'Altra Persona

As if the world was in slow motion, Grrshknn raised a single finger. A dark bolt of demonic strength leapt from his outstretched claw into Chrisintheair's chest, sending him flying backwards against the wall. Grrshknn pulled himself up to his full height of 84 feet, and roared with all the might and malice he could muster.

"HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN WHO YOU SERVE, INSOLENT MORTAL?", Grrshknn erupted, shaking the Castle with the strength of his anger. Thick ribbons of pure darkness ran from all directions, scraping stone off the sides of the Castle. "YOU ARE MY TOOL! YOU ARE MY PUPPET, AND TO SAY OTHERWISE IS FOLLY!"

He slammed his hand downwards, and it poured into Chrisintheair's head with a mighty crash of sound. The King's entire body convulsed with the power, his mind besieged by Grrshknn's overwhelming will. Ryusei_Nakao69 cried out in pain, then fell limp.

"YOU SERVE ME!", Grrshknn bellowed, then withdrew his arm. "Do not forget it."

"I…", said Ryusei_Nakao69, now filled to near bursting with the energy of demons. "I won't forget it, master."

He stood up from the wreckage, and looked up. "Please, tell me what I can do."

"Well.", Grrshknn said. "I suppose we can start with the plan."

He gestured with a tentacle of shadow, and an image of Brandy appeared, floating in the room.

"When I first gave you this assignment, I gave you one month. Any time in that month after you got her, you could use her however you wished. But after that…"

He clenched his fist, and the image of Brandy cracked and broke. "You were to give her to me."

"Yes, that was the plan.", said Ryusei_Nakao69. "Has it changed?"

"No, merely become more urgent.", Grrshknn said. "You see, much time has now passed. So I will be expecting Brandy delivered to me in…"

He held up 18 fingers. "18 hours."

Almost instantly, Ryusei_Nakao69's aura of calm confidence vanished. "Wha- 18 hours?", he asked, bewildered. "But- I don't even know where she is! How am I supposed to-"

"Oh, you'll figure it out.", Grrshknn laughed. "The desperate always do."

Grrshknn waved a hand, and the wreckage of the castle began to reassemble itself. Dozens more of the crimson strings started to wind in place, heralding the raising of the rest of the Clan.

"Now, I do suppose that you'll want the rest of your Clan raised in order to help you…", said Grrshknn, "...and I understand that. However, you must know this one thing."

He rose into the air, and the edges of a portal opened around him. Ryusei_Nakao69 stood, transfixed, as Grrshknn stared deep into what little now remained of his soul.

"I will be leaving with a soul.", Grrshknn hissed, and stepped backwards into the hole in space. "I would rather it be hers, but… I will not hesitate to make do with yours."

Then he was gone, leaving Ryusei_Nakao69 lost and afraid, as the rest of his Clan began to be wound back to life around him.

"Ryus?", asked LeChris, rubbing the side of his head in agony. "What… what happened? Are we… alive?"

Ryusei_Nakao69 clenched his fist, the pressure scratching open his skin. Rivulets of blood ran from his hand onto the still-forming floor. "It would seem so."

"Are you… angry?", asked thesenate, as he got up from underneath a pile of rubble. It wasn't the same one where he had died, but Grrshknn had a sick sense of humor. "Why?"

"Why?", Ryusei_Nakao69 whispered. "Why, you ask, am I angry?"

For a few seconds, he stood still as a branch. More Troops and Kings reformed, surrounding him with worried looks. A single tick came from a clock on the wall, and Ryusei_Nakao69 exploded.

"We were so close!", he roared, and lashed out his fist in a random direction. A bolt of black lightning snapped out from his hands and into the wall, sending a long, dark scar down the red brick. "We were literally seconds away from completing Grrshknn's order, and then everything had to go and get messed up!"

He sensed that Chad and Rick had reappeared behind him, and so he turned around in a fury. "You two! You could have killed her at any moment, and yet you did not. Why, may I ask, did you fail me so harshly?"

"Uh…", Rick said, glancing at Chad with the side of his eyes. Chad blinked, signaling that he was going to let Rick take this one. Rick gulped, and faced his raging King. "Because… I thought she was supposed to be alive?"

"No, you fool!", Ryusei_Nakao69 screamed, and Rick flinched. "I gave the order to kill her! How did you-"

The King turned, scratching the skin off his forehead as he tried to calm himself down. "But that's all behind us now. Yes, I need to calm down. Yes, I need to… move on. Find some different plan…"

While all that was going on, Bailey stared in fear from somewhere behind LeChris. She could hardly remember anything from the raid- save dragging her King through dark, burning halls, her sudden and violent death, and- Meg. The most vivid memory from those few chaotic minutes was how Meg had clung to her so tightly, following her every order with devotion.

She looked around- where was Meg? She should have reformed just next to Bailey.

But as Bailey stood on her toes to look over the crowd, she saw no familiar Musketeer.

So she did the next, logical thing to do. Bailey took out her communicator. She turned it on to call Meg- and stopped when she saw that Meg was already calling.

Huh, thought Bailey. She called me first. Nice of her to show initiative for once.

Bailey pressed the Pick Up button, and held the device to her ear.

"Hey, Meg.", she said. "What's up?"

Back at Oticat's castle, Meg almost dropped her communicator. She reeled in shock, her mind and head spinning. Bailey was dead. Meg had seen the rock fall herself, seen Bailey be crushed into nothing but Elixir with her own two eyes. The entire Clan Castle had been blown to bits, meaning that the presence of the Clan had been destroyed, and no one killed could have reformed. And yet, there she was, on the other side of the line.

"B-Bailey?", she whispered, holding the device closer to her ear. "Is that really you?"

"Of course it's really me.", Bailey said. "Who else do you think it would be?"

"Well, uh, I guess I don't know.", Meg said. "How… how did you come back to life?"

"I don't know, really.", Bailey said. "We all just sort of did."

Bailey looked around again, still seeing no sign of Meg. Ducking closer to the floor to lessen the volume of Ryusei_Nakao69's enraged screaming, she spoke louder into the communicator. "Hey, where are you?", she asked. "I don't see you anywhere."

Meg bit her lip. She wasn't sure if she should admit this, but- oh, screw it. Bailey was her friend.

"You can't see me because I'm not in the Castle.", said Meg.

"Oh.", Bailey said. "Did you go outside?"

"No.", Meg said. She swallowed, then continued. "I'm in a blue castle. I survived the raid, escaped, and switched."

Bailey blinked. Then she heard what Meg had said. Then she blinked again, understood what Meg had said, and her eyes widened in shock. "You what?", she almost screamed, just barely not managing to attract the attention of Ryusei_Nakao69.

"I did just what I said I would.", said Meg with pride. "I escaped, and I became Blue."

Bailey calmed her voice. She knew that there was an opportunity here, if only she handled the situation well, and with caution. "Good.", she said. "Uh, which King did you join?"

Meg didn't even hesitate for a second. "Oticat.", she said. "Brandy's King."

"Uh huh…", said Bailey, hurriedly committing everything to memory. "So now your Clan is… LosDementosCT, correct?"

"Right.", said Meg. "Just at the corner of Builder's Workshop."

Bailey knit her brow. "Is that so…"

She stood taller, gaining thesenate's attention with a little wave.

"Yes, Bailey?", he asked kindly. "What is it?"

"I have some news.", said Bailey. "And I think everyone's going to want to hear it."

"And we only have 18 hours in order to find her before Grrshknn comes and takes all of our souls!", Ryusei_Nakao69 screamed, continuing his berserk rant. "Add to that the fact that I don't even know where she lives, or where her Clan is based, or even why Grrshknn would want such an insignificant little wench in the first place! I don't know what to do, I don't know where to start, and to make matters worse, I-"

"Excuse me, sir?", said thesenate timidly. "You have a call."

"I have a call-", Ryusei_Nakao69 screamed, then realized what he had just said. "I- have a call? What?"

"It's from a Meg, LeChris's defective Musketeer.", thesenate explained. "She has some information that she wants to share with you."

Ryusei_Nakao69 waved a hand of dismissal, and his face heated up again. "Why do I care what some broken Musketeer thinks? Let me plan."

"But that's just the thing.", said Bailey, standing next to her King. "She knows where Brandy is."

Ryusei_Nakao69's expression immediately became one of immense curiosity. "Oh?", he crooned, looming over both Bailey and thesenate. "How?"

"Uh, she left.", said Bailey, with one finger in the air. "She somehow managed to get into Oticat's castle, and now knows everything that we need. His plans, where he lives, how to get to Brandy, everything."

Ryusei_Nakao69's cracked lips curled upwards into a smile. This had not been news he was expecting, but it was certainly most welcome. "Well then. Put her on."

Meg listened through her communicator, straining to hear everything that was going on. Muffled whispers crossed her hearing, but since Bailey's communicator was held tight in her hand, it was hard to hear anything. Until there was a click, and she could hear the heavy, slightly metallic breathing of Ryusei_Nakao69.

"Ah, hello, Meg.", he said, and Meg recoiled at his evil voice. "I hear you have some… information for me."

"What?", Meg asked. "I- no. No, I don't."

Ryusei_Nakao69's face and voice curled up in anger. "Oh really?", he spat. "Because your friend Bailey told me that you did. Now, if you don't start talking…"

He didn't need to finish his sentence. Meg already knew what sort of threat he planned to carry out. "Okay, okay.", she said. "I'll tell you what I know. But only if… I talk to Bailey alone."

"Hmph.", Ryusei_Nakao69 said. "Fine. I'll let you talk to her."

He gave the communicator to Bailey, who held it up to her ear. "Meg?", she asked.

"I really shouldn't be telling you guys anything.", Meg whispered, making sure that Ryusei_Nakao69 couldn't hear her, even with his cybernetic ears. "You were my home once, but… I'm Blue now."

"But are you?", Bailey asked, putting all the power into her voice she possibly could. "You may wear those Blue clothes, but on the inside, what are you?"

"I'm-", Meg began. She was going to say Blue, but Bailey cut her off.

"No, no, don't speak.", she said. "We both already know the answer to that."
"What, that I'm-", Meg said, but Bailey spoke over her yet again.

"Have you forgotten about us so easily, Meg?", she purred, and Meg felt her heart shake. "We're your family, your friends. We're the ones who raised you, they're just the ones that took pity."

"But-", Meg began, but Bailey stopped her with just a word.

"No buts.", she said, and Meg could feel her mind start to waver to the strength of Bailey's voice and words. "You're ours. Always have been, always will be. There's no way you can change who you are. Now, tell me again, who are you?"

"I'm… I'm... ", Meg said. She thought she would say I'm Blue, but what came out was the exact opposite. "I'm Red…"

Bailey smiled. "Good.", she said. "I'm glad we could both come to this agreement. Now…"

She breathed heavily into the communicator, and Meg felt herself grow faint. "I need you to tell me everything you know. Tell me about Oticat. His plans, where he lives, where he's going today, and what he plans to do with Brandy."

"Are… are you sure?", Meg replied in a daze. "Should I tell you?"

"Yes.", Bailey smiled. "Because we're friends."

"Oh…", Meg breathed, and fell forwards into her blanket. "Okay, uh…"

She looked back in her memories, trying to remember everything she had learned. "Oticat lives near Builder's workshop. Third Castle on the right of Silverleaf Way, you can't miss it."

"Good, good.", Bailey said. "Where is he going today?"

"Um, Hog Mountain.", said Meg. "He's going to try and get to 3000 Trophies as soon as the Arena opens."

"Mmm, okay.", said Bailey, making sure to keep her voice as sultry as possible. She was well aware of the effect she was having on Meg's mind. "And what's his battle deck?"

Through the hypnotic haze, Meg focused on remembering what she had heard at the table. "Bowler. Knight. Witch. Magic Archer. Ice Spirit. Battle Ram. The Log. And Bandit. That's his deck that he is using."

"That's only 7 cards.", Bailey said. "What's the 8th?"

"Oh, no, sorry.", Meg said. "Knight and Witch. Not Night Witch. I'm sorry about that."

Even Meg didn't know why she did not mention that Dan had become a Mega Knight. Perhaps she had forgotten- but maybe, there was some other force at work.

"Magnificent.", Bailey said. "This is wonderful, Meg. You're being… such a good friend."

Meg's heart melted, and she fell further into her bedding. Her hands were shaking so badly she could barely hold onto her communicator, but the euphoria of Bailey's words was all worth it.

"And Meg, one more thing.", said Bailey, and Meg made sure to listen.

"You are to go with him once he leaves. We will be there as well. Once you see us, come over to our side. Be with your family once more."

"Yes, ma'am.", Meg mumbled, and very nearly passed out.

"Goodbye, Meg.", Bailey said, and smacked her lips. "You're… a very good friend."

She hung up, and Meg finally did faint.

Bailey looked up, exhausted. She felt sick, for doing such a thing. Meg probably trusted her with her life, and Bailey had used her in one of the worst ways possible. Bailey had done plenty of bad things in her life, but she knew that what she had just done was up at the top.

As she looked up, she saw Ryusei_Nakao69 standing over her, beaming with joy.

"Good, good.", he said, clapping his hands. "Very good, Miss Bailey."

Then he stood tall to address the rest of the group. "Who's at the bottom of Hog Mountain?"

The various Kings all turned to look at each other. They all realized, as one, that although setting your required Trophies to 4.4K was mostly a good thing, it did apparently have its disadvantages.

A hand was raised in the back, and Ryusei_Nakao69 snapped his head around to look. With a single gesture, the crowd parted, revealing the nervous form of MarkHammer, a mere level 9 King.

"Ah, MarkHammer.", Ryusei_Nakao69 smiled. "Excellent, most excellent indeed. I'm going to need your help to fulfill my plan."

"Understood, sir.", MarkHammer said, and saluted. "What do I do-"

But Ryusei_Nakao69 had already moved on, to more important things.

"Chad.", he said, and the Elite Barbarian stood at attention. "Yes, my lord?"

"You and Rick, go grab Valeyrie.", said Ryusei_Nakao69. "Then Nidavaleer. I shall get Ted, and Tsarsus. I suppose we also have to pick up the Fireball and Rage from my room."

Rick started to leave, but Chad stayed behind. "Are you… building a deck, sir?"

"Yes.", Ryusei_Nakao69 said, as he rubbed his nails together. "One that Oticat will have no chance of countering."

"I see.", said Chad. "But who's going to be the 8th card?"

Ryusei_Nakao69 thought for a moment, then tapped his crown. "Oh, who knows? I'm sure I'll find someone. Perhaps Mason, or Morgan, or Timothy, or maybe Kurizas. Someone…"

He crossed his arms across his chest, and dark fire started to build around him. "Everyone, listen very closely.", he said, and his eyes glinted with malicious intent.

"Here's the rest of the plan."

"Dad?"

The small, nervous voice had come from the corner of the room, where a small hatchway hung open. It was the entrance to one of the Castle's many cellars, protected from the explosion that had leveled the rest of it.

"Ch- Chloe?", Ryusei_Nakao69 asked, and turned towards the source of the voice. "Is that you?"

A small, white, gloved hand appeared on the side of the hatchway. With a tiny grunt of effort, Chloe pulled herself above the ledge and onto the floor. A Barbarian scrambled out after her, and gently pulled Chloe to her feet.

"Chloe!", Ryusei_Nakao69 yelled with relief, and ran over to her. Almost as soon as Chloe had gotten to her feet, she was immediately tackled by her father, and swept up into the air.

"Chloe, what happened?", he whispered. "Did you survive the explosion? How?"

"He saved me, Daddy.", Chloe said, and pointed to the Barbarian. "He told me to get in the cellar once the fighting started. I didn't know what happened until all the noises stopped."

Ryusei_Nakao69 looked over at the Barbarian, who was now standing rather awkwardly at the center of attention. "Is this true, little one?"

"Uh, yep.", said the Barbarian. "Once the fightin started, I knew that a battle was no place for the little tyke. Popped her in my Barrel and rolled. Took her underground, I did. Fortunately, that was the one with the food storage or we would have been dead by now."

"Yes, good thing.", Ryusei_Nakao69 said. "Barbarian, what's your name?"

"My name's Jeff.", said the Barbarian. "Why?"

"Jeff, you're promoted.", Ryusei_Nakao69 said. "Whoever's King he is, double- no, triple his allowance."

"Uh, Ryusei_Nakao69, sir?", Jeff asked.

"What?"

"I'm yours."

"Oh.", said the King. "Well then, I'll make sure to triple your funds as soon as we get back."

He finally set Chloe back on the ground, giving her one more hug. "I'm so, so grateful nothing happened to you.", he said. "Thank Grrshknn for watching over you."

Then he stood up, and re-addressed his Clan. "Alright, everyone.", he said, his face and manner a little brighter. "Here's the rest of the plan."

Back at Oticat's castle, the mood was light.

In the main room, the Battle Deck team was warming up for what was sure to be a long day of combat. Brandy was doing her daily stretches, working her calves for optimal Dash range and speed. The last time she had pulled a muscle in the Arena, she hadn't been able to fight for days. But now finally, she was ready for her first time in the Arena for weeks.

Agatha stood in the center of the room, watching over her Skeletons. Larry was unpredictable, as always. This time, he kept on switching between sharpening his swords on his fingers and stabbing his blade into everything that moved- which, more often than not, were the other Skeletons. Garry stood in a daze, swinging his sword at seemingly random intervals as he stared off into nothing. Tarry ran around like a maniac, kicking the bottom of Troop's shoes as hard as he could. Even though he couldn't technically scrunch up his eyebrows in unexplainable anger, he looked like he was.

Bowza hovered a full three feet off the floor, his eyes open and shining white. His meditation was currently 7 minutes in, and growing deeper with every passing second. Only his hands moved, tracing and sketching ancient patterns along the length of his bow.

The Ratzo Brothers were warming up for battle by taking turns doing push-ups with their Battle Ram. One was on the ground, straining and sweating as he lifted the huge wooden Ram into the air. The other was leaning on the Ram, and offering words of encouragement. Every 50 reps, they would switch positions, and continue.

Randy bounded across the room in giant leaps and bounds, doing backflips and frontflips as fast as he could. Particles of stray ice fell off of him, then rejoined his body after a few seconds. Giggling madly, he ran past Dan, who was sitting on a bench in deep thought.

Dan wasn't quite sure what to do. As a Knight, he would alternate between practicing sword strokes and warming up his muscles- but as a Mega Knight, he wasn't quite sure what to do. So he just breathed in and out, focusing on refining his Star technique. A team of Goblins that had been assigned to help him with this task were currently hiding behind Webert, cowering in fear.

Out of all the members of the Battle Deck, Webert was currently the only one not getting ready. Normally, he would be very busy improving his aim and technique on whatever happened to be nearby, But today, he just sat there, stroking his chin.

Nearby, Oticat was looking through some replays of his past battles to familiarize himself with how his deck worked. It had been some time since he had used this particular one, and much had happened since then. He needed something to help jog his memory.

But as he chanced to look up, Oticat saw Webert sitting still. He walked over, and looked up into the Bowler's still face. "Webert? Is… anything wrong?"

"No.", Webert said. "No, your Majesty. It's just uh, well, I've been thinking."

"About what?", Oticat asked. "Please, if its anything important, tell me."

Webert said nothing. He merely stood up, then dropped forcefully to one knee. "You don't need me, sir."

Oticat sputtered in confusion. "But- what- no. I mean, yes. Of course I need you. You're my Bowler."

Webert continued his speech, as thought Oticat had never spoken. "You already have one big, expensive, splashing ground tank.", he explained. "You don't need another."

"I… see.", Oticat said. "Well, Webert, I commend you for your sacrifice. But, who should go in your place?"

"Hmmm…", Webert said, plunging into thought, when Brandy suddenly blacked out.

Brandy saw herself in the Arena. She didn't know which- it looked like a strange mix of all of them. No, it looked like- it looked like Hog Mountain. And Legendary Arena. Neither, yet both.

Up on the Red King's side, Brandy could see herself Dashing into a tower from the side. Everyone in the vision were mere silhouettes, no features to be seen. The Red King pushed a button on his digital interface, and a menacing Royal Giant dissolved onto the battlefield.

"Brandy, you alright?", came the voice of Dan, and Brandy opened her eyes. The Dreamer flickered once again into nothingness behind her head, but it was noticed by no one.

"Uh, yeah.", Brandy said, standing up and rubbing the back of her head. "Just, uh, stretched too much. I guess."

She overheard the conversation between Oticat and Webert, and walked over to look.

Song: Approach

"I think we should take Kars.", Webert said. "He's reliable."

"Yes, but Brandy already fills his role.", Oticat said. "We don't need two hatchets."

"Well then, how about a Fireball? Or perhaps a Cannon.", Webert suggested. "You've never really used Buildings before, and maybe we could benefit from a medium Spell."

"Yes, I don't often use Buildings.", Oticat said. "But that's because I'm terrible with them. But maybe the Fireball… hmm..."

"We're going to be up against a Royal Giant.", Brandy said, from behind them, and Oticat turned.

"We are?", he asked. "What makes you say that?"
"I felt it.", said Brandy. "I fell asleep for a moment- and when I did, I saw us fighting against a Royal Giant."

Webert shrugged. "Maybe we do need a good swarm."

"Yes, I do suppose we are missing one.", Oticat said, and called over Sadie by his side.

"Sadie, go get the Skeleton Army.", he said. "Tell them that they've made the Battle Deck."

"But Dad, they're only level 8.", Sadie said. "Are you sure?"

"Absolutely.", Oticat said. "They're pretty level independant, anyway. And besides, it's just Hog Mountain. What could go wrong?"

"A lot.", Sadie whispered under her breath. "A lot could go wrong."

She had been feeling some sort of itching feeling underneath her skin, ever since she had woken up that morning. She didn't quite know what it was, but to her, it felt like a chill of foreboding, and darkness on the horizon.

"I know exactly what will go wrong.", came the voice of Meg, who had just barely arrived at the bottom of the stairs where everyone was.

"Oh.", Brandy said. "What's u- what do you mean, you know exactly what will go wrong?"

Meg sat down, and began polishing her gun. She breathed onto a plate of metal, and wiped it clean with her shirt. "I know. You see-"

An image of Bailey suddenly flashed into her still-whirling mind. You wouldn't tell them, would you Meg?, she asked, her voice like cream on Meg's ears. Because you're my friend.

Meg blinked, suddenly not remembering where she was, or what she was doing. She had gone upstairs for some reason, then had come down. But she just could not remember why…

"Uh, nothing.", she said, taking a wild grasp at whatever Brandy had probably been expecting her to say. "Nothing at all."

"Oh, well that's good.", Brandy said. "I certainly wouldn't want anything to go wrong during my first day back to the real world."

Oticat stood from his conversation with Webert, when he heard a pile of bones start dancing behind him. Turning around, he saw that Sadie had managed to successfully fetch the Skeleton Army from wherever they were downstairs. "Here you go, Dad.", she said. "We're ready now."

"So we are.", Oticat said, and clapped his hands. He stood up on the bench of the table to grab his team's attention, and hollered through his cupped hands.

"Hey everyone, we're ready and heading out! So if you aren't ready, don't come!"

Brandy's eyes lit up, and she pulled Meg closer to her. "Meg, this is it!", she said, almost squealing with excitement. "I finally get to battle again!"

Meg's face turned red, as she felt how close of an embrace Brandy held her in. "I-I'm happy for you, Brandy.", she squeaked. "Now, uh, could you please-"

"Oh. Sorry.", Brandy said, and released Meg from her surprisingly tight grip. "Sorry about that."

"There's no need to-", Meg said, but the boom of the doors opening covered her words.

"Alright, we're going!", Oticat said, and gestured towards the outside. "You two coming?"

Brandy smiled, and started walking. "You bet, Oticat. You bet."

Song: Limit Break x Survivor (Relaxed)

It was a beautiful morning at Hog Mountain. The sun was shining even brighter in the sky than it had been before. Birds and Goblins alike flew from tree to tree, singing their lovely songs. The shops and booths around the Arena were bustling with activity, the aura of feeling and life rising from the area like steam.

"So, this is Hog Mountain.", Brandy said, and whistled in appreciation. "Pretty nice place."

"Yeah, did you know that this actually used to be the old Legendary Arena?", Dan asked, walking next to her. "Before the gods all got together and built the new one."

"Really?", Brandy said, and Dan nodded. "Huh.", she said. "Where'd you learn that one?"

"I learnt it here.", said Dan. "During my training."

"Oh, during-", Brandy said, then stopped. "During your training? Hold on a minute. First you said you trained at Royal Arena, then at Frozen Peak, and then at Hog Mountain. Where was it?"

"All of those.", Dan said. "I enrolled at Royal Arena, did most of my training in a small valley near Frozen Peak with a burrito shop nearby, then finished at the very top of Hog Mountain."

"Oh, okay.", Brandy said. "Why did you mention the burrito shop again?"

"What?"
"The burrito shop. You just mention it whenever you talk about that little valley near Frozen Peak with a burrito shop nearby-"

Brandy realized what she had just said. "Dang it!"

"Yeah, sort of just rolls off the tongue, huh?", Dan said. "Valley near Frozen Peak with a burrito shop nearby."

"Hold on.", said Brandy. "I'm gonna say it. Valley near Frozen Peak…"

She held it in for a few seconds, before she just couldn't anymore. "With a burrito shop nearby."

She looked up into Dan's face, who shrugged. "Why?"

"I don't know.", Dan said. "Must be magic."

"Hey, if you two are done talking about burritos or whatever, could you give me a hand with this?", came a familiar voice.

Brandy looked to her right, where the voice had come from, and saw Brenda, carrying something in a huge leather bag. "Oh, hey Brenda.", she said. "Wassup?"

"I'm just going to Hog Mountain for the day.", Brenda said. "Got a whole day pass. What's going on with you, my thief?"

"Oh, I'm just…", Brandy said, and posed. "Going to go battle in Hog Mountain for the first time in weeks!"

Brenda stared for a few seconds, then gave Brandy a huge high five. "Well alright! Nice to see you finally getting out of the castle."

"Yeah, it is nice.", Brandy said, then looked at the huge leather bag. "So, what's in the bag."

"Oh, you know.", Brenda said, stealing a quick look behind her. "Stuff. That I picked up."

"Picked up, or picked up?", Brandy said, making sure to emphasize the difference.

"Hey!", came the enraged voice of Villager and Builder from somewhere behind them. "Who stole my entire stock of pickles?"

Brandy and Brenda each gave a knowing look, and Brenda a sharp salute. "Welp, gotta go.", she said. "See ya!"

Then she Dashed off through the crowd, making sure not to drop her precious loot.

In the Stands of Hog Mountain, it was quite a chaotic sight. Brenda was not the only one that had gotten a day pass. The stands were actually full to bursting, unusually busy today.

Something about this particular date in time had attracted many curious individuals- from all over the globe, and even beyond. None of them knew precisely what was coming, but a few of them felt it.

A Mortis stalked through the seats, sniffing the air with his powerful nose. The scent which he despised most of all could be found in some small trace here. He didn't know why, but it could.

A Barbarian and an Archer took their seats just a few buckets apart from each other, not knowing of the other's existence. They longed to, but neither of them knew it.

A small, wrinkled, green midget rummaged around beneath the seats of the stadium, scrounging for any popcorn that anyone might have dropped. He was not a Goblin- no, he was something else entirely. His head hit the side of a wingtip shoe, and he grumbled in an alien language as he looked up into the face of a man wearing a pink suit and long, golden hair.

"Mmm.", said the midget. "Bumped into my head you did. Run you over with my 2001 Honda Civic I must."

"Hmph.", said the man in the suit, and gestured to the open air. "D4C! Get me some more popcorn! And get this little man out of my sight."

The powerful Stand known as D4C appeared next to Funny Valentine, shaking its head with disbelief. With a single, Lightning-fast kick, he sent Lego Yoda flying, over the Arena, past the edge of the Mountain itself, and far off into the sky. He screamed as he went, and vanished.

Up in the employee bathroom, a red-haired individual was furiously scrubbing his face in the sink. He was no Troop- he was something else. Hailing from a land almost mind-bogglingly far away, he had come to the Continent of Royale to rest and relax from the disaster that was his last career.

"Okay, Jimmy, you've got this.", he said into the mirror, and affixed himself with a look of sheer ferocity. "You're here, first day on the new job, nothing could possibly go wrong. No matter what happens here, it can't be worse than the last incident."

Straightening up, he dried his hands off with a quick shake, straightened his bowtie and glasses, and strode out the door.

"Yo, Jimmy.", came a whisper to his left, prompting him to turn around. Once he did, he saw a Crew Goblin holding a clipboard and messing with his headset. "We're on in 30."

"Okay.", Jimmy nodded quickly. "Just give me a second."

He did a few quick stretches to warm up, and sang a few notes to prepare his voice- as he always had before every single newscast. Finally, he grabbed his Microphone from a hovering Skeleton, cleared his throat, and stared into the camera. For a brief moment, his gaze lingered on the Arena field below, still being scrubbed and repaired for the first of the day's battles.

"In 3...2...1…", counted down the Crew Goblin, and gave a thumbs up to the Bomber working the camera. The Bomber flipped his hand, and pressed a single button.
Jimmy stared into the camera as hard as he could, and flashed a wide smile. "This is Jimmy Firecracker, reporting live from Hog Mountain!"

He swept a wide arc with his arm, prompting the camera to turn to the stands. "As you can see, it's a beautiful day, with no clouds or storms in sight. The audience is getting ready for what is sure to be a long day of battling, and I'm sure we're all excited."

He subtly motioned to the Bomber to switch to the second camera. He did so, and the view on T.V Royale changed from Jimmy to an Executioner, sitting in the stands.

"Oh. Hi.", he said nervously, and tapped his fingers together. "Why am I on T.V?"

The view swung around again to Funny Valentine, who was currently munching down on some caramel popcorn from another dimension. "Good morning, uh… sir.", said the Villager behind the secondary camera. "Are you excited for today's battles?"

"I am indeed.", said the President. "I am ready to take the first napkin, and-"

He stopped, and put down his popcorn. He sniffed the air, looking around. The Villager, not wanting to film his activities, cut out her camera feed. The view instantly changed back to Jimmy, who had taken the time that he was supposed to have free to eat a hot dog. Upon seeing the gestures from the Camera Bomber, he threw it into the crowd and prepared his next words.

"There are Stand users in this crowd.", whispered Funny Valentine. "I didn't think I would find any here, but…"

His eyes flickered, as he detected every Stand user in the area. He saw Brenda, reclining her feet on the head of an Ice Golem. He saw Brandy, still walking towards the Troop entrance. And he saw a third figure, moving among the crowd, trying not to be spotted.

"Meg, you seem nervous.", Brandy said, as the group approached the monolithic gates that led to the inside of the Arena itself. Two titanic Hog Rider statues adorned the area, one Red and one Blue. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes.", Meg said, and tried to think. She knew that something was indeed wrong, but she just couldn't quite put her finger on it. Everytime she tried to remember what it was, it slipped away from her like the last water in a river. "I think."

"You think?", Brandy asked. "What do you mean, you think? Something's either wrong or its not, there's no in-between."

"I mean…", Meg said. "I can feel something wrong, but I don't know what."

"Oh.", said Brandy. "Yeah, I get that sometimes too."

She looked up, and saw the Red headband around the Hog Rider statue.

"Are you still scared of them?", Brandy asked. Meg just looked confused.

"TheEvilOverLords, I mean.", Brandy clarified. "Are you still afraid of them?"

Something tickled at the back of Meg's mind. She knew that her old Clan was no more, that they had all been killed weeks ago. And yet, there was some sort of nagging feeling, something she could not quite identify. "Yeah.", she said. "For some reason, I'm… afraid that they'll get me somehow."

Brandy put her hand on her forehead, looking up towards the sun. "Well, you don't have to worry about that.", she said. "No one does."

She turned towards Meg, as the group finally passed underneath the immense gate of Hog Mountain. "Meg, I promise you this. As long as we're here, no one will take you. Not now, not ever again. You got that?"

Meg smiled weakly, and held up her hand. Brandy met it in a fist bump. "Got it."

And with that, Oticat and his Battle Deck Team entered their side of the Arena.

As they passed underneath one final set of gates, Meg suddenly broke off from the group.

"Meg, where are you going?", Brandy asked.

"Uh, I gotta go to the bathroom.", said Meg. "I'll just meet Brenda up in the stands. You guys look for me, alright?"

Brandy gave her a thumbs up, and Meg ran off in search of the little Musketeer's room.

But as she ran, she felt some sort of strange pull. Almost like gravity, some bizarre force was pulling her towards one side of the spectator stands- the side of Red.

"What the-", Meg muttered to herself, as the force tugging on her grew larger with every passing step. "What is this? What's going on?"

Even as she tried to fight it, her mind grew more and more muddled. Meg stopped in her tracks and grabbed the sides of her helmet, trying to fight it off, but to no avail. It grew in intensity, until-

Meg let her hands fall to her side. She remembered now. She had successfully carried out her mission to guide Oticat and his team here, in the same moment when Ryusei_Nakao69 would be battling. And with her work complete, Bailey would be so proud of her.

"Meg…", came the voice of LeChris, in her ear. "Come to the Red side. Join me."

"Yes, my lord.", she said sleepily, and sharply turned. Heading away from the bathrooms, she instead crossed through the underground passenger tunnel, and over to the Red side of the Arena.

Once she was there, Meg looked up. In the stands, she could see Bailey gesturing towards her.

"Come join me.", the movement seemed to say. "Come join your true side."

Meg's legs moved seemingly on their own. She went up the seats, crossing two at a time, until she had reached the spot where her own King sat.

"Ah, there you are Meg.", LeChris said. "Come, sit down. You deserve a good seat for making all this happen."

"Thank you, sir.", Meg said in a daze. Looking around, she could see that many Kings from TheEvilOverLords had decided to attend this battle. There was thesenate right next to LeChris. TheBaldBalancer sat exactly in the center of the stands, perfectly balanced, just as he liked. Odurawaz sat a few rows down, next to some Kings she didn't recognize. But that was fine. Meg would have time to get to know everyone, after the battle.

"So, what's so important about this match?", she asked. "Why is everyone here?"

LeChris smiled. "Oh, don't worry about that, Meg.", he said. "Don't worry about it."

Song: Himeru Omai

For Glack the Goblin, this day was much like any other day. He waited for Kings to come into their color-coded side of the Arena, checked their credentials, handed them the controls to the Tower, then waited for the next contender to come along. Then he would do the same thing all over again with each and every King, all day, every day, until the point came where he just wanted to die. That point had come 4 years ago, and he was still doing the job. At least it paid well- 15 Gold per day. Or maybe it paid well. Neither Glack or anyone he knew had ever had any other job, so he couldn't really compare. But still, it was the same old, same old-

Until now.

Glack felt him before he saw him. The dark, creeping aura of Ryusei_Nakao69, as he slowly approached the Tower. Glack felt his skin crawl, and he started to instinctively look for a way to escape.

"Uh, good morning. Sir.", he said, as Ryusei_Nakao69 at last came into view. His Battle Deck Team was behind him- Elite Barbarians, Valkyrie, Royal Giant, Mega Knight, Electro Wizard, and regular Wizard. His two Princesses each held a Spell- Veronica Rage, and Stacie a Fireball.

"Spare me the pleasantries.", Ryusei_Nakao69 growled. "I have no need."

"O- okay.", Glack said quietly, and backed away a few feet before remembering his job. "Uh, if I may have your credentials? Sir?"

Ryusei_Nakao69 fixed Glack with a withering glare, and he backed up a few feet in fear. "Fine.", said the King, and withdrew a small card. "Here they are."

"Thank you very much, sir.", Glack peeped. With hands trembling from the unnatural fear aura of Ryusei_Nakao69, he inserted the card into a small machine. It beeped, displaying a green light.

"Alright, Mr. Markhammer.", said Glack, giving a big thumbs up. "Everything seems to be in order. Here's the controls to the castle, and enjoy your battle-"

The light on the card reader suddenly blinked again, this time a dark amber. Ryusei_Nakao69 stiffened, and Glack craned his head to look. "Ha ha, just a second. This old machine acts up sometimes-"

Glack quickly looked at the error readout, and internally freaked out a little bit.

"Warning.", the machine said. "False ID inserted. King name is Ryusei_Nakao69."

"Wha…", Glack whispered to himself. "You're kidding. This is…"

Glack started to back away from the machine in shock. He had heard tales of the King known as Ryusei_Nakao69. How he had given up battling in the Arena long ago, only showing up on very rare occasions. How Kings that voiced their disapproval of him disappeared in sudden, mysterious ways. How strange things prowled around his territory at night, things that should not be.

"Oh, man.", Glack mumbled. "I- I gotta go tell someone. I gotta go get he-"

He turned around, and Ryusei_Nakao69's finger immediately stabbed into his forehead. Glack gasped in pain, but found that he could not move.

"Hold still.", Ryusei_Nakao69 said. "This will only take a moment."

Being a Goblin, Glack's will was weak. It did in fact only take a moment for Ryusei_Nakao69's power to surge through his brain, erasing all resistance and opening him up entirely to the King's commands.

"You will let me battle.", Ryusei_Nakao69 growled, every word echoing through Glack's mind like an Earthquake. "There will be no trouble. And after I leave, you will forget I was ever here."

He withdrew his finger, leaving a mark in the shape of a dark claw in the middle of Glack's forehead, dripping with blood. Glack stood blankly for a second, before looking up and saluting.

"Understood, your Majesty. Is there anything else that you'd like me to do?"

Ryusei_Nakao69 smiled. "No, Glack. That will be all."

"Okay, everybody.", Oticat said, as they all entered the Arena. "I know this is some of you all's first battle in a while, but try to look sharp. If we win this, I get into Hog Mountain, so the stakes are high."

Brandy was only partially listening to what he was saying. Her gaze wandered around the Arena, taking in the unique and beautiful sights and sounds of Hog Mountain. A row of Barbarians rocked up and down in the Stands, doing the wave in order to generate hype. A trio of Minions flew overhead, taking shots from the cameras that they held in their reptilian claws. Ryusei_Nakao69 stood in the Red King's tower, staring at Brandy from across the Arena. There was a Giant holding an entire cotton candy stand, trying to decide between Pink and Blue. There was- there was Ryusei_Nakao69 in the Red King's tower, staring at Brandy from across the Arena.

Song: Shoot towards the decisive battle

Brandy felt her heart stop. Her mind and soul stuttered, as her brain raced, trying to find some way to explain away what she had just seen. But with another quick look, she knew that it was no mere illusion, or the result of not looking well enough. There, in the Red King's tower, was the real Ryusei_Nakao69. Somehow, he was alive.

"Oticat?", she choked out, and raised a trembling finger.
"Brandy?", Oticat asked. "What is it?"

"Look.", Brandy squeaked, and Oticat looked where she was pointing. He gasped in shock, and Ryusei_Nakao69 smirked.

"But- that's impossible.", Oticat said. "He's dead. We killed him."

"Wha-", Dan said, and stood up. He, too, saw the villain, and his face contorted with rage underneath his helmet. "How the-"

Brandy felt her vision start to blur, and she fell to her knees. Her automatic shock response took effect, causing her to withdraw within her own mind. The outer effect of this, of course, was that she fell to the ground, and blacked out.

"Oh, looks like we've got ourselves a pretty nervous Troop there.", said Jimmy Firecracker, desperately trying to stall for time. "Guess she must be new."

He put a finger to his earpiece, suddenly hearing something coming through. "No. Hold on a minute, hold that thought. I'm getting something."

As the one on the other side told him information, Jimmy's expression rapidly changed. First, it was one of curiosity, then of shock, then of horror, then one of slowly dawning dread. He looked up, and gulped. "Trish?", he asked. "We might have to get a little deeper on this one."

"Brandy!", Dan shouted. "Brandy, wake up!"

Brandy felt Dan gently shaking her, and opened her eyes. She took a deep breath, and pushed herself all the way against the wall.

"I can't do this.", she said. "I can't, I can't. I don't know how he's here. I don't know why he's here. I don't-"

She fell forward, burying her head in between her knees. "Ooohhh…"

"Hey.", Dan said, kneeling down in front of her. "Brandy. Yeah, that's him. But you know what?"

"What?", Brandy asked, not even looking up. "Dan, it's-"
"It's him.", Dan said. "People are starting to realize it."
"So?", Brandy asked, taking deep breaths, trying not to hyperventilate from the terror that stormed her.

"So he just showed himself.", said Dan. "In public. With so many witnesses having a full knowledge of his crimes. Brandy, he'll be arrested."

"Oh.", said Brandy. "I… I guess you're right."

Her fear drained out of her, and she started to laugh. "Well, I guess that takes care of that problem-"

Song: Un'altra Persona

All across the Arena, there could be heard an immense clap of thunder. Clouds swirled out of nothing, forming into an immense storm. The eye was directly over Hog Mountain, though bolts of Lightning were already striking. There came another loud sound- that of a titanic low rumble, shaking the inhabitants of the stands off their feet.

"What?", Jimmy Firecracker coughed, trying to get up. "What the-"
The clouds abruptly broke apart, then concentrated in a huge column. Pure force radiated outwards from it, blowing Troops at the top of the stands off their feet and into the crowd below. As everyone watched in amazement, the column cracked, to reveal a gigantic bearded man, clad entirely in shining white robes.

"D-Dr'ew!", shouted Jimmy, trying to be heard over the low roar that permeated the entire area. "Oh, great god Dr'ew! Why have you come?"

But unknown to everyone in the Arena that was not a member of TheEvilOverLords, the godlike figure was not Dr'ew at all. It was another being, even greater in strength- and far more evil.

"You!", shouted Dr'ew, pointing at Ryusei_Nakao69, who pointed at himself. "You are no ordinary King, are you?"

"Well, uh, no. My lord.", said Ryusei_Nakao69. "I suppose you could say that-"

"And you!", Dr'ew bellowed, moving his finger to point at Oticat. "You have history with this opponent."

In the stands, Brenda could hear that there was something maddeningly familiar about his voice. But she could not, no matter how hard she tried, place it.

"You bet I do!", Oticat shouted in anger, lowering an accusatory fist towards Ryusei_Nakao69, who merely continued his smirk. "He kidnapped my Bandit! And then I killed him!"

The crowd gasped. Jimmy Firecracker's eyes widened, and he slowly motioned for Trish to listen to him. "Get me every camera we've got.", he said slowly. "This is gonna be good."

"Then it sounds that you two have a grudge indeed!", shouted Dr'ew. "But as we can already see, it cannot be resolved through ordinary means alone."

He put his fists together, pulling up a huge book. After pretending to flip through it for a few seconds, he slammed it shut. It disappeared with a puff of smoke, and Dr'ew made a humongous gesture towards the two opposing Kings.

"Then you may each make a demand.", he said, with a hint of an evil smile that was noticed only by Funny Valentine. But he did not care. "One that should you win, your opponent must follow through with absolute certainty."

Brandy's heart started to beat faster in her chest. She did not like the look of where this was going. "Um… Oticat?", she asked. "What does he mean by that?"

It only took Oticat a second to decide. Against any other King, he would not have wished anything. He just wasn't really that kind of guy. But now, he had the most hated man in the world right in front of him. Here was a chance to get rid of him forever. "If I win, Ryusei_Nakao69…", Oticat spat with cold justice, "You will end your reign of terror. Your Clan will be disbanded, and you will no longer be able to fight in the Arenas."

The crowd gasped, and Dr'ew's godly eyebrows raised. "What a stunning provocation!", he roared, and then pointed towards Ryusei_Nakao69. "And what about you? What do you want?"

Ryusei_Nakao69 smiled. His plan was all working out perfectly, down to the last word. "Her.", he said, and stretched out a single bony finger to point out Brandy. "Should I win, Oticat, I want your Bandit."

A palpable chill ran through the crowd. Brandy's heart skipped a few beats, and her eyes clouded over. Several gasps could be heard, from Oticat, from Agatha, and from Jimmy Firecracker.

"Hey!", came the shout of a Rascal Girl, from somewhere in the audience. "He can't do that!"

"Yeah!", was the voice of a Barbarian. "That's like, 8 different types of illegal!"

For a moment, it looked like the crowd was in agreement. That the whole "demand" thing would be dropped, and that Ryusei_Nakao69 would be arrested. But a single motion from Dr'ew changed all that.

"Silence, mortals!", he boomed, sending a thunderous shockwave throughout the entire Arena. "Do you dare to defy the word of a god?"

The crowd quieted. None of them dared.

Brandy felt the blood drain from her face, as she looked up at Oticat. This was it. There was no way they could beat Ryusei_Nakao69, not in basic combat. He was a full 3 levels above Oticat, and most of his deck was maxed. Brandy hadn't even been upgraded once- she was still just a level 9.

Actually, Brandy, you're level 10, came the quiet thought of Oticat from somewhere inside of Brandy's mind. I upgraded you last night.

Oticat?, Brandy thought in shock. How did- since when could you-

You were thinking so loudly, I just couldn't help but overhear you, Oticat thought. And Agatha taught me.

Oh, Brandy thought. I- I guess that's nice. That I'm level 10 now. But… does it matter? Even the lowest level card he brought with him is still higher than any of us.

Yes, Oticat thought. But we have what he doesn't. Will.

Brandy thought for a moment. Who's Will?

What?, Oticat asked. No. I meant will. Like, the will to survive.

And you have another thing, too, came another voice. It was unknown to Oticat, but Brandy found it shockingly familiar.

God?, Brandy thought.

Yes, was the answer, and Brandy heaved a sigh of relief. Oh, thank you you're here. Quickly, if you can just get rid of-

Even though she could not see him, Brandy somehow felt that God was shaking his head.

Oh, Brandy. Have you forgotten my promise that soon?

What promise?, Brandy asked. What did you say?

I told you, thought God. I promised you that as long as you stayed in my domain, nothing bad could happen to you. And Hog Mountain, fortunately, is part of that domain.

"Oh. Right.", Brandy said out loud. "Heh."

She stood up, and pointed a finger towards the other side of the Arena where Ryusei_Nakao69 stood.

"You hear that?", she whispered. "No, of course you don't. But-"

Her words were cut off abruptly, as Dr'ew again sent his commands booming throughout the Arena. "The two Kings have made their requests!", he shouted, and raised his arms. "However. As is the case with all grudge matches such as this one, there is a small, automatic bonus for the winner."

He waited, floating in midair. It took a few seconds for the first person to realize that he was waiting for a guess of what the bonus was.

"What is it, oh great and mighty Dr'ew?", Jimmy Firecracker asked. "What is that bonus?"

"I'm glad you asked, young Wizard!", Dr'ew shouted.

"I'm not a Wizard.", Jimmy said under his breath, but Dr'ew either didn't notice or didn't care.

"The bonus prize for the winner is…", Dr'ew said, and pointed towards the far side of the Arena. All gazes turned to look, and a pillar of golden light streaked down from the sky. It slammed into the ground and reverberated in all directions, slowly turning into the projected image of a pile of hundreds of Trophies.

"1000 additional trophies!", Dr'ew finished, much to the utter shock of the crowd. Even if this was the great and legendary Dr'ew himself before them, one of the gods of balance, they could still hardly believe a word he was saying.

"Hey, hold on a minute!", came the voice of Brenda from the stands. Dr'ew looked down, and raised a single eyebrow in curiosity.

"What is it, mortal?", he boomed, blowing Brenda's hair back and her hood clean onto her shoulders. "What could possibly be so important you have to speak to me directly?"

"That King- Ryusei_Nakao69- is evil!", Brenda yelled. "He's kidnapped dozens of Troops, and slaughtered hundreds more! Me and my Clan went on a crusade to kill him just a few weeks ago! Why are you letting him fight?"

Dr'ew put his hand to his chin, underneath the guise of thinking. But he really wasn't- he already knew the answer. He also knew the other answer, the one he was going to tell Brenda.

"Because- I mean, because,", he said, suddenly losing his voice for a bit, "I do what I wish. Am I not a god? Now silence, and bother me no more!"

He waved a hand of dismissal, but Brenda wasn't done.

"Phantom.", she whispered underneath her breath. "Find out everything you can about him. I don't think that's the real Dr'ew."

The Phantom popped into the world beside her, and took a close look at the towering figure in white. "Yes…", he mused. "He does seem somewhat off."

The Phantom made some otherworldly gesture, then looked at his hand. But to the intense magical field that surrounded Dr'ew, only a small bit of power made it through.

"I can't get anything, mistress.", the Phantom said. "I'm sorry."

"No, no, it's okay.", Brenda said back, attracting a single worried stare from a nearby Blue Villager. "I guess we'll just have to find out the old-fashioned way."

"Jimmy!", Dr'ew bellowed, and Jimmy Firecracker nearly fell out of his reporter's chair. Fumbling his microphone, he looked up into the bearded face of a god.

"What?", he squeaked, partly in admiration but mostly in fear. "What is it? What do I need to do?"

"I believe you can handle this from now on.", Dr'ew said, and the pillar of light started to descend. "Take care, follow my orders, and good luck."

With a titanic clap of thunder, Dr'ew withdrew into the sky. The entire audience began to breathe again, and Jimmy suddenly found himself, in his reporter's chair, magically hovering over the center of the Arena.

He tapped his microphone once, and the squeal of feedback rang throughout the Arena. He nervously brought the mike closer to his face, and tugged at his collar.

"Well, uh…", he said, suddenly full of stage fright. "I'm just following orders here, people. Really, this is just policy. I don't want to do this to you all."

"What is he talking about?", came some whispers from the audience. "Is he canceling the fight? I sure hope not."

Jimmy swallowed hard, and looked up towards space. "Oticat, being 15 lower Trophies than his opponent, is the challenger here. Which means that if he wins this battle, he will gain 1030 Trophies, putting him into Challenger 1."

Brandy felt a drop of sudden sweat fall down her face. This wasn't good.

"And that means that, per according to all rules…"

Jimmy took a deep breath, and pointed straight up into the sky. "We are going to Legendary Arena!"

"Oh, okay.", Brandy said. "I can handle that. Yeah, that is totally fine."

Or she would have said those things, if she hadn't actually been on the ground, eyes open in a daze, technically conscious but wishing she wasn't.

Song: Dark Rebirth

Ryusei_Nakao69's mouth cracked open in a wicked smile. The second step of his plan had come to fruition, and now there was less and less between him and his goal. Once he had his hands on Brandy's soul, he would no longer have to worry about his debt to Grrshknn. And with the promised one million Gems, he would be the richest King on the planet. All he had to do now was defeat Oticat in a 1v1. But that wouldn't be hard. After all, Ryusei_Nakao69 was three levels Oticat's superior. Most of his cards were maxed out, and he had built his deck specifically to defeat his opponent's. There was no way he could lose.

"Hey, uh, Dad?", came the voice of Stacie from behind him. "What does this mean?"

Ryusei_Nakao69 turned around to see his daughter holding her arm worryingly, pointing at some mark close to her elbow. "It just sort of appeared. Like, just barely."

He leaned over with his enhanced vision, and took a careful look. It was a cut, only skin deep. It bore the shape of a dark spiral, overlaid with a bear's claw.

"Oh, Stacie.", Ryusei_Nakao69 said with a smile. "That, my dear, is the mark of Grrshknn. I have one too."

He adjusted his crown a bit to reveal that he did indeed have an identical marking, up near the top of his forehead. His was a little larger, and deeper, but it was the same pattern.

"It just means that Grrshknn has taken a liking to you, that's all.", he said. "I'm proud of whatever you did to warrant it."

"Uh, yeah Dad.", Stacie said. "Me too."

She turned around, staring straight ahead at nothing. That conversation had not gone the way she had planned it to. It had taken her hours to make the exact mark on her arm, and it had hurt the whole time she was doing so. But Stacie had thought it would be worth it if she could just get her father to pay attention to her again. He hadn't done so for months.

Stacie, of course, enjoyed the dark power that Grrshknn had brought. But deep down, secretly, when she thought no one was watching or listening in, she yearned for the times before.

"Oh, would you look at that.", said Ryusei_Nakao69, looking up. "Our ride's here."

Brandy suddenly snapped back to reality, faint blue lights flickering behind her head. She had rehad the vision of the Royal Giant, but this time it felt different. She could definitely see that they were in Legendary Arena now, and that their opponent was indeed Ryusei_Nakao69. But a few things had been added to the vision- there was Meg, hovering over the Arena floor. A purple wind rushed through, and two waves of light fought at the center- one Red, and one Blue. They battle for dominance for several seconds, although to Brandy it seemed like minutes. But finally, to her horror, the Red wave overpowered the Blue one and pushed it into the floor.

"Brandy.", Bowza said, and pulled her to her feet. "I know that you're undergoing some flashbacks right now. Some resurfacing trauma and what not."

His eyes lit up, and his bow along with it. "I don't know how They came back, or how they found us, or what they're doing here. But I do know this."

His face grew more intense, and some sort of light seemed to radiate outwards from somewhere behind him. "For better or for worse, this has suddenly become the most important fight of our lives. And probably the hardest."

He looked up, and pointed towards the center of the Arena. "But now is no time for such thoughts. The Battle Blimp is here."

The Battle Blimp was what was used in order to bring passengers from the lower Arenas to Legendary Arena. It was usually only used for the first battle of a King, to bring him to Legendary Arena for the first time once he won. After that, he would be given a teleporter pad that he and his Troops could use any time they were to battle.

And this time was no different. Even though this particular battle was far beyond the stakes of any that Oticat had done before, some things never changed.

"Everyone.", Oticat said. "We better go-"

"Yes.", Agatha said somberly. "We should."

She looked to everyone there in turn, giving them a little bit of a mental boost to help with whatever was coming. "And we will."

As one, Oticat and his Troops silently filed out of their side of Hog Mountain, towards the top of the stairs down the mountain where the Battle Blimp was waiting.
As they walked, Brandy looked around. She noticed that something was missing- and that something was a particular Musketeer.

"Where's Meg?", she asked. "I don't see her anywhere."

Dan broke away from his deep thoughts, and looked over the heads of the growing crowd that Oticat and the group were now walking through. "I don't see her either. Maybe she's with Brenda."

"Maybe…", Brandy said. She took out her communicator, and selected Brenda's number on speed-dial. "I'll call her."

Brandy pushed the button and held the device to her face, while still walking. It took a moment for Brenda to answer.

"Brandy?", came the voice of her friend through the communicator. "What is it?"

"Is Meg with you?", Brandy said. "I can't find her anywhere."

"I don't have her.", Brenda said, and Brandy's heart jumped even higher than it already was.

"Do you know where she is?", Brandy hissed.

"Um… where was the last place you had her?", Brenda responded.

"She said she was just going to the bathroom.", Brandy said, worry tainting her words. "I hope nothing happened to her…"

Brenda looked up, scanning the crowd below for the only Musketeer with glasses and faded marker still on her arm. "I don't see her. But maybe…"

Phantom, she thought, and the Phantom reared up behind her. Can you find Meg for me?

"Certainly.", said the Phantom, and closed his eyes. His magical mental web extended far across the Arena, searching for Meg's unique biosignature. His finger went along with it, pointing towards Meg's position. Once his finger stopped moving, he opened his eyes.

"There.", he said. Brenda looked, and her eyes widened. She slowly brought her communicator to her lips.

"I found her.", she said. "But I don't think you're gonna like where she is."

"Meg, are you coming?", Bailey asked, tapping Meg on the knee.

Meg jolted out of her stupor, and blinked. "What? Where am I? What the-"

She looked around, and fear shot through her. "How the-"

But a single caress from Bailey across the cheek was all it took for Meg's fragile mind to fall back into position. "Shh.", Bailey whispered. "You're with us, remember? Your friends, your family, me…"

Meg's eyes slightly crossed, and she stood up. "Oh. Right. I forgot."

She followed LeChris's and theSenate's Troops in a dazed walk, almost stumbling, as they went towards the spot where the Battle Blimp waited. "How silly of me…"

"Brenda?", Brandy asked. "Please don't tell me she is where I think she is."

Brenda winced. "She is. I don't why, or how, but-"

"She fell on her way to the bathroom and can't get up.", Brandy said, finishing what she thought Brenda was going to say. "Well, it could be worse-"

"What?", Brenda asked. "No. Brandy, Meg's with the Red side of the stands."

Brandy blinked, stopping in the middle of the path. The Ratzo Brothers bumped into her, but kept on going. "What? She's what?"

"Hold on. Don't say anything.", Brenda said, and motioned for the Phantom. Understanding his user's request perfectly, the Phantom scanned Meg's mind and brain for any foreign influences. He found one- of course. He gave Brenda a nod, and she heaved a sigh of relief.

"She's under some sort of spell.", Brenda explained. "I don't know who put it on her, but she's not over there because she wants to be."

"Well, that's good.", said Brandy. "I guess. How can we get her back?"

"We-", Brenda said, and looked up. "We shouldn't try right now. We can do it after the match, when you guys win. Now hold on, I gotta go."

"What?", Brandy asked. "Why?"

Brenda stared at the mysterious figure of Funny Valentine from across the Arena. D4C floated above him, and the two Stand users stared at each other in mutual curiosity. "I just gotta go. There's… something I gotta do."

"Huh.", Brandy said as the line went dead. "Yeah, okay."

She tucked the communicator back into her pocket, and ran to catch up with her group. They were boarding the Battle Blimp that very second, and Brandy had no desire to be left behind.

"Sorry I'm late, everyone.", she said, as she just barely leapt between the Blue Team doors, right before they closed. "I was doing stuff."

I'm stuff, Dan thought, but chose not to say it. He had no idea why he thought it, but he did.

"Glad you could make it, Brandy.", Agatha said. She seemed to be making motions with her hands, that looked like she was stirring tea. No one knew why. "You might want to sit down."

"Oh, right.", Brandy said, and jumped over a wooden barrier, landing on the bench where everyone else sat. The area in front of them was empty, save for another bench on the opposite side labeled Red Team. The audience and various hangers-on of the crowd rode in the front of the Blimp, in General Passengers.

Brandy tried to think of some way to make conversation. Something to break the silence of the Battle Blimp, and the intense tension of the whole situation. "Hey, uh…", she said.

"Anyone hear why using Hog Riders isn't allowed in Touchdown?"

"Why?", Bowza asked, sensing that Brandy was setting up for a joke.

"It's just too good of a strategy.", Brandy said. "So the gods just Bandit."

Dan chuckled. The Ratzo Brothers poked each other on the shoulder, and lightened up a bit. A bit of a smile crept across Agatha's face, and she covered it with her hand.

"Hey, I got another one.", said Sadie, looking up. "What do you call an Ice Spirit that talks?"

"What?", said Elizabeth.

"Nothing, silly.", Sadie said. "Ice Spirits can't talk."

Everyone's eyes turned to Randy, who just shrugged. He said nothing. Because he was an Ice Spirit.

"Okay, okay, I got one.", said Dan. "I picked this one up in Frozen Peak."

"Let's hear it.", Brandy said.

"What do you call a cross between a Bandit and a Royal Ghost?", Dan asked.

"Uh…", Brandy said. "What?"

"Leon!", said Dan, and looked around to mostly blank stares. "Come on guys, don't you get it?"

"What's a Leon?", Brandy asked, trying to rack her brain for anywhere that she had heard that name before.

"I think I've heard of Leons.", Oticat said. "From someone in the Clan… I think it was SpaceKrakenX."

"Oh, come on.", Dan said, and fell back into his seat. "I forgot most of you guys never did any out-of-continent research."

"I got it.", Bowza said.

"Oh.", Dan said, and brightened up just a little bit. "Did you-"

"Yes.", said Bowza. "I liked your joke."

"Indeed.", said Ryusei_Nakao69. "I thought it was very amusing."

Song: Crucial Situation

"You-", Agatha hissed, and stood straight up. Bringing out her staff in front of herself, she affixed Ryusei_Nakao69 with a furious glare. He had just barely entered the room, and was heading his Battle Team as they sat down on their appropriate bench.

"Now, now, calm yourself.", said Chad, and brought up his sword to block Agatha's staff. "Save it for the Arena."

Brandy stood up, and pointed a shaking finger. "I'll show you save it for the Arena, you piece of-"

Valeyire lunged out from her seat, and slammed her axe down onto the floor. "Hold your tongue, you fragile little-"

The Ratzo Brothers stood up, and hoisted their Ram over their head. "You wanna say that again, you cow?"

"Cow?", Valeyrie shrieked, and Chad put out an arm to restrain her. "Come here, chickens! I'll tear you to bits!"

Randy frontflipped forward onto the floor in between the two Teams, and made various angry gestures with his arms. No one knew what they meant, because he was an Ice Spirit. But they got the message across.

"What's the matter, Brandy?", Chad laughed, staring at her trembling finger. "Afraid of us, without your precious Dan here to protect you?"

Dan stood from the bench, almost reaching the ceiling. A golden bolt played across his chest, and sliced into the floor. "I am here.", he rumbled, trying to be as menacing as possible.

Rick looked up at Dan, and planted his sword into the ground. "Well, well, well.", he said. "Look at you. Seems that you've grown-"

Dan growled, and Rick stumbled backwards in fear. Trying to play it off, he leaned on his sword and examined his fingernails. "You don't have to be so angry about it. Jeez."

As the two Teams continued to yell and scream at each other, Ryusei_Nakao69 fixed Oticat with an apologetic eye. "I'm terribly sorry about this.", he said. "Normally, mine are a little more… civilized."

"Oh, yes, mine too.", Oticat said with a laugh faker than synthetic stone. "Normally, they're not…"

Then his face grew colder, and he leaned forward in a glare. "Face to face with the most vile scum on the face of the planet."

The two Kings glared at each other, while their Troops's screaming match only escalated in intensity. Sheer, abject hatred flashed back and forth like wind in a gale, and the floor mixed Blue and Red between them.

"Please! Everyone!", came a voice from the entryway, and the two Kings both turned to look. There stood a King familiar to everyone there, his sheer confidence radiating outwards in waves. "Save it for the Arena."

"A- Ash?", Oticat said, his anger dulled in the face of such a star. "The Ash?"

"Yeah.", said Ash, reclining against the wall. "I'm him."

Even Ryusei_Nakao69 was a little starstruck. It mattered not that he consorted with demons on a weekly basis, Ash was a celebrity the likes of which he had never before seen. "Wow."

He slammed his hand downwards. For a second, a dark shield sprung up between his Troops and Oticat's, stopping the fight in its tracks. The two groups looked up to see what was going on, and they saw Ash.

"I'm sure you're wondering why I'm here.", said Ash, and gestured towards nothing. "The host of the show Clash with Ash. Well, I just had nothing to do today, and I was kinda bored, so…"

He looked up into the far right corner of the room, and gave a massive wink. "And I'm sure that our viewers at home would just love to see me unscripted, right?"

"Who is he talking to?", one of the Ratzo Brothers whispered.

"Hidden camera.", the other replied, before giving his brother the shut-up elbow.

Ash turned back to the two kings, his hands coming together to proudly show off his Inferno Tower tattoo. "But, of course…"

He suddenly grew far more intense. "You two. You all. Save it for the Arena. Or you won't get to battle at all."

"Yes, sir.", both Oticat and Ryusei_Nakao69 mumbled as one, and motioned for their Troops to sit down. Oticat would have actually liked to not battle, but he somehow knew that wasn't an option. Ryusei_Nakao69's life- and more importantly, his plan- hinged on him winning this fight. If he couldn't battle, then he had already lost.

Now that the two Teams were sitting down, nothing to do but stare at each other, Brandy found herself looking at Ryusei_Nakao69. She had never really gotten the opportunity to study him like this before- all the other times she had seen him, there had always been something going on.

To tell the truth, he barely looked like a regular King. Everywhere Brandy looked, she could see evidence of his evil. The bloody mark on his forehead. The dark crimson jewels on his crown, a far cry from the regular yellow. The thick black scars that ran down from his eyes, all the way to his chin- or what could be seen of it underneath his ripped beard. His frame was far more muscular than that of a regular King, swollen with unnatural might. Black smoke dripped into the air from various torn parts of his skin as he sat, slowly but surely corroding the wood above.

Like what you see, Brandy?, came his voice, suddenly echoing in Brandy's head. Get used to it. You'll be seeing it a lot more from now on.

Brandy jerked her head away, trying to hide the face that her breath and heart rate had elevated dramatically. She looked to Agatha for help, who put up her staff. A thin blue wall appeared between the two teams, and Brandy felt herself relax. But still, she could not help but be nervous, as the Battle Blimp ascended further, towards what would almost certainly be the most important battle of her life.

In the Passenger section of the Battle Blimp, the mood was only slightly less serious. The crowd had been forced to find seats wherever they could get them- on the chairs, on the benches, on the floor, hanging onto the walls, hovering in midair, standing on other Troops, or somewhere else random. A Pekka lay down face first in the middle of the bay, hordes of Goblins climbing all over it. A Balloon gently bobbed up and down near the ceiling, an entire Skeleton Army struggling to stay in the basket. The whole crowd had naturally split into two sides- those that were Blue, and those that were Red. This division had created a sort of no man's land in the center. No one dared enter it, even though it was empty space.

"So.", Brenda said, struggling to breathe against the weight of a Royal Giant. "What was your name again?"

"Funny Valentine.", said Funny Valentine, and gestured patriotically. "I am the 23rd president of the greatest nation on Earth, and will do anything to keep it that way."

"Uh, cool.", Brenda said, having absolutely no idea what he was talking about. "What's your Stand?"

"This is Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap.", said Valentine, with a dramatic sweep of his arm. His hand knocked into a Goblin, sending it tumbling down the back of an Elite Barbarian. "I call him D4C for short."

"Cool.", said Brenda, and winced as a stray weapon jabbed her in the back. "That's a cool name."
Funny Valentine's face softened. "I see that you're uncomfortable. Would you mind if we took this conversation…"

He leaned in closer, D4C hovering over him. "Somewhere else?"

Brenda nodded. "Yeah. That'd be great- wait. What do you mean, somewhere else-"

"D4C!", shouted Valentine, and his Stand Power activated with the blare of hidden trumpets. An American flag swept itself around him and Brenda, then fell to the floor. Various Troops suddenly fell backwards into the vacuum that the two had once been, and there was a soft pop as they were teleported into unreal space.

Brenda couldn't see for a moment. Then she couldn't see for a lot of moments, then she could see far more than she had ever wanted to, then she could see exactly one thing, and that thing was a dresser. Then it was a smoothie cup, then a paper plate, then she and Funny Valentine fell into the space between dimensions, pitch black and full of shards.

"Woah.", Brenda coughed, on her hands and knees, trying not to throw up all over unreality. "So that's what you meant."

"Indeed.", said Valentine, striding forward with an American flourish. "My D4C possesses the ability of dimensional travel and control. I can cross between them as I choose, bring objects or people with me, and teleport. He is also adept at all forms of physical combat, making him the most powerful Stand that I know of."

He brushed his fingernails, then turned back to Brenda, who was hurrying to catch up. "And it appears that even in this odd, backwater dimension, some people still possess them. So tell me, um…"

"Oh, right.", Brenda said. "Sorry, I'm Brenda."

"So tell me then, Brenda…", said Funny Valentine, and suddenly raised his hand. D4C's fist rushed forward in a blur of pink and silver light. The Phantom's sword raised out of Brenda's arm to block the blow before there was a second, but D4C's far superior physical strength tossed the weapon aside as if it were a mere toy. Valentine pinned Brenda against the wall, glaring with psychotic force. "Tell me all you know about the Holy Corpse."

Meg watched the side of the Battle Blimp, carefully tracking a butterfly. It had somehow gotten in during the boarding, and was now being watched by every Pekka and Mini Pekka in the room.

"Hey Meg?", asked Chloe, who was sitting beside her. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure.", Meg said, her vision blurring a little bit as she gently swayed back and forth. "Ask me anything."

"Where did I come from?", Chloe asked.

"Well, uh-", Meg said, and stopped. The question would have been difficult to answer, even if sober. But with Meg currently under Bailey's spell, it was nigh-impossible. She didn't even know where to begin. "What do you mean?"

"I was talking to some other Princesses…", said Chloe, "And they told me that each King only has two. Two for the towers, I mean. There can be another one unlocked through Chests, but I don't think I ever was."

Meg thought for a moment, her addled thoughts trying to connect together deep inside her brain. But even as they did so, Bailey's spell weaving around them started to weaken, and Meg began to wake up.

"Um, uh…", Meg mumbled, feeling that her brain was on the verge of something big. "I think that-"

With a final push of thought, Bailey's spell broke. Meg looked around in surprise, and her eyes widened. "What? Where am I?"

Her eyes flashed, as she remembered. She remembered doing something in her room, then… the middle of some huge crowd, surrounded by-

She felt a kiss on her cheek. A pulse of Red energy spread outwards and into her from it, settling over her mind once again like a weighted blanket. Bailey withdrew, but not before whispering nonexistent words into Meg's ear. Her spell took hold once again, and Meg collapsed into a euphoric heap.

Chloe looked from Musketeer to Bandit in shock, then back again. She tried to form words, but was clearly having some trouble with it. "Bailey? What did you do to Meg?"

Bailey just smiled, and patted Chloe's head. "Oh, don't worry. She's fine. Just needed a nap, is all."

Although Chloe was already Red, Bailey's magical voice affected her all the same. "Oh, okay.", Chloe said. "Can you answer my question?"

Bailey had been listening, and formulating an answer for when Meg inevitably couldn't come up with one. "Of course, Chloe.", Bailey said. "You see, Ryu- your father made you."

"Daddy… made me?", Chloe asked with wide eyes. "What the heck's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that he loved you so much that he knew that he wanted you, even before you existed.", Bailey explained. "So he grew you in his laboratory, slowly but surely moulding you into the perfect little Princess."

"Oh.", Chloe said, looking down at her hands. "Is that why I'm still little, while Stacie and Veronica are so big?"

"That's right.", said Bailey, and ran her hand down Chloe's face. "Now rest up. You've got a big day ahead of you."

"Rest up?", Chloe asked, and yawned. "But… I'm not… tired…"

Bailey's other spell took effect, and Chloe collapsed asleep onto Meg's shoulder. Bailey looked away, out the window, and tried not to feel sick. This wasn't her, was it? Hypnotizing people and putting them to sleep. No, that was a Witch's job. Not hers… was it?

Right?

"Holy… Corpse?", Brenda stuttered, trying not to look at D4C's hand on her throat. "I don't know what you're talking about. What's a Corpse?"

"Oh, surely you must know.", Valentine said, strutting back and forth. "How else would you get your Stand?"

D4C's grip tightened, and Brenda struggled to breathe. "I…", she squeaked out. "Got it from… an Arrow!"

"An Arrow?", Valentine asked, suddenly curious. His grip on the air loosened, and D4C's did as well. "What do you mean?"

"I mean I found an Arrow.", Brenda said. "I accidentally stabbed myself with it, and then the Phantom- my Stand appeared."

"So if what you're saying is true…", Valentine said, with a devious glint in his eye. "There's such a thing as an Arrow… that grants people Stands upon contact."

"Well, yeah.", said Brenda. D4C let go of her entirely, and she slumped to the ground. "How else would it work?"

"Well.", Valentine said, and offered a hand to Brenda. She took it with caution, and was yanked to her feet by the now cheerful Valentine. "Where I come from, Stands are granted by exposure to an ancient relic known as the Holy Corpse Parts. Once I assemble all of them, there will no longer be any obstacle in my quest of making America the greatest country in the world."

"I see.", Brenda said, although she really didn't. "You know, you mention this America a lot. What's it like?"

Valentine seemed not to hear her, or perhaps he just didn't want to take 18 hours answering her question. "Where is this Stand Arrow now?"

"It's…", Brenda said, but stopped. She had no idea if she could trust him or not. So far, he had seemed totally uninterested in anything other than his quest, but Brenda had to make sure. So with a nod, the Phantom took a quick look at his aura.

He's clean, he said. If he gets the Arrow, he will go back to his own realm. There will be no harm dealt to ours. In fact, he considers here the second best place he's ever visited.

"It's in my room.", Brenda said. "Just resting on my desk. Do you want directions-"

"No, that won't be necessary.", said Valentine with a wave of his hand. "Your Stand has already told mine how to get there. Very nice Stand by the way… what do you call it?"

"The Phantom of the Opera.", Brenda said. "Although really, I just call him the Phantom."

"Well, good luck in your future endeavours.", Funny Valentine said, and made a quick gesture. Another American flag appeared, and twirled over both him and Brenda. "Now, I think its time for us both to go back to our own realms."

"Wait!", Brenda said, and the flag paused in its fall. "Once you use the Arrow for whatever you're gonna use if for, could you give it back?"

"Of course.", said Valentine, and grinned. "For all the help you've provided, that would be a small favor."

Then the flag fell. Brenda closed her eyes, and she tumbled head over heels through infinity. A few seconds passed, before the regular world resumed and she fell onto the back of a Golem.

"Huh.", she said, brushing herself off. "I wonder what he'll do with it."

Then she looked out the window, and gasped. For while she had been gone, the white fluffy clouds of the sky had given way to the darkness of the upper atmosphere. And there, at the very top of her sight, was Legendary Arena.

"Look.", said Oticat. He had felt it before he he had seen it. The cold wind of the highest sky, up where it seemed as though you could reach out and touch the stars. The dark that crept in through the windows, the light of the sun having been long lost behind the clouds. The aura of triumph and power that radiated outwards from Legendary Arena in waves, a shining constellation of both Blue and Red.

"Is this…", Sadie said, straining to see as far as she could outside the window.

"It is.", breathed Elizabeth. "Amazing…"

"Oh my.", Ryusei_Nakao69 said dryly, and pushed himself off of his bench. "I do believe we're here."

Oticat grimaced. "So it would seem."

The door dividing the Team area from the Passenger slid open with a wooden thunk, revealing once again the bright figure of Ash. "Well, we're here.", he said. "Everyone, come out."

"This is it, Dan.", Brandy whispered, trying to no avail to calm her beating heart.

"You seem nervous, Brandy.", he whispered back.

"I am.", she said, a little louder. "I mean, it's not like the fate of my future is hanging on this one battle or anything."

"Don't worry.", Dan said, and raised his fist. Golden light sparkled around it, burning small marks into the floor. "With my powers, they won't stand a chance. In fact, I'd estimate that I'm…"

He stared off into space, doing some quick calculations in his head. "Anywhere from 30-45 times stronger than I was then. Nothing they have will be able to stop me."

"But Dan… you won't be.", Brandy said. "In the Arena, we're all just regular Troops. You can't use your Star."

Dan stopped, and his face turned a little whiter. "Oh.", he said. "I… I forgot."

Then he put up his chin, and continued walking. He and Brandy were the only ones still in the Battle Blimp, everyone else still having left. Except for a single member of the Skeleton Army, Ledoot. He stayed behind them, tagging along behind Dan's giant heels.

"But still, don't worry.", he said. "As a Mega Knight, I'm the strongest counter to Elite Barbarians that exists. And you counter Wizard, and the Skeleton Army counters Royal Giant, and I'm sure we can figure out some way to take care of that Valkyrie."

"Yeah, but it's not that I'm worried about.", Brandy said, and held on to Dan a little tighter. "It's the levels. They're so much higher than we are."

"I know.", said Dan, and brought Brandy a little closer to himself. "But there's no point in worrying, is there? No. We just have to fight."

"Careful there, Dan.", Brandy said. "You're starting to sound a little like Bowza."

Dan, despite the blanket of tension that weighed down the whole situation, chuckled a little bit. Increasing his step, he and Brandy at last left the Battle Blimp and touched down on the stone steps of Legendary Arena, ready to face their destiny.

Song: Be my Lover

Brandy heard the notes, echoing out of the massive pair of speakers that jutted out of the sides of the walls of the Arena. Red and Blue confetti poured from enormous golden Trophies, one on each side. Groups of Minions hovered overhead, holding a massive sign.

"Legendary Arena: Grand Re-Opening!", it read, in gigantic golden letters.

"I… I love this song.", Brandy gasped, feeling the music roll over the entire area like a vast wave. "Where have I heard it before?"

"I don't know.", said Dan. "But you're right… it does feel familiar."

"And Grand Re-Opening- what's that all about?", Brandy asked, pointing to the sign.

"Oh, I know that one.", said Brenda, who had suddenly materialized next to Oticat. "Legendary Arena was closed for a couple of seasons. Now today's the first day of the newest one-"

She spread her arms out open wide, and gave an appreciative whistle. "Be Legendary!"

"We're at 5k.", said SpaceKrakenX, who had also suddenly appeared. "We had the privilege of battling in those other two temporary Arenas, but-"

"There's just something so special about this one.", said Avaya, SpaceKrakenX's Witch. "Right guys?"

"Too right.", said Brenda again, and flicked her finger against her forehead. "Legendary Arena's the best."

"Wha-", Oticat said, after he had politely waited for everyone to finish talking. "Where did you all come from?"

"We heard about what's going on.", said SpaceKrakenX. "And so we all came. If that bastard wants this final battle in the Arena, we gotta be here for it."

"I see.", Oticat said. "Well, in that case, seeing as how you're at 5k and all… would you mind giving me a few tips? I'm worried."

"Ah, my boy.", came the voice of ChupilickytwaCT from behind him. "I use a somewhat similar deck. I can help you."

"Oh.", Oticat said. "Great."

ChupilickytwaCT put his hand on Oticat's shoulder, and led him off down a different path. Of course, it still pointed towards the entrance- they all did. "Now, the first thing you need to know about Elite Barbarians is…"

The rest of the entourage continued on the main road, slowly meandering down the astro gardens and black and white pebbles. Even though they maintained a steady conversation, the general mood was one of nervousness, apprehension, and fear.

"Brandy, what can you see?", Brenda asked. "Use your Stand."

"Oh, uh…", Brandy said, and scratched her forearm. "I can't use it on command."

"Aha.", Brenda said. "Well, tell me if you see anything."
"Don't worry.", said Brandy, and looked up at the gates. "I will."

"Woah…", Meg breathed, stepping out of the emptying Battle Blimp and onto the path towards Legendary Arena. "So this is it."

"Yup.", Bailey nodded, coming up from behind her. "This is the one and only."

With a flicker of wind, Bailey's finger traced a pattern on Meg's ear, and the Musketeer shivered.

"Bailey?", Chloe asked. "Why are you playing with Meg's ear?"

"Um…", Bailey said, and looked down at Chloe. Then up at the sky, then Meg, then back at Chloe. She smiled, and put a little more power into her voice.

"Oh, nothing.", she said, and stroked Meg's ear again. "Just letting her know how much of a good friend she is…"

Meg's mouth curled upward in a hazy smile, and she almost fell to the ground.

"Yeah, you like that.", Bailey said, much to Chloe's increasing worry. "You like being a good friend, don't you? Yes, we all like you, just so, so, much…"

But even as Bailey spoke those words, she came to a realization. She hadn't been able to project so much influence with her voice for long- just a little right before she had died in the raid. But her mind and memory flashed backwards to long before that, when she had been chosen as one of the Troops to receive some of Grrshknn's power.

She could not remember his exact wording, but he had told her that her power would manifest itself eventually. And now, it appeared that he had been right. Fred had gotten immense superstrength and berserker tendencies, Chad and Rick had gotten regeneration and inhuman durability, and she had gotten some sort of mental control.

Hmmm…, she thought to herself, as her group kept on walking. I'll have to figure out just what I can do with this.

"Gooooood morning everyone!", shouted Jimmy Firecracker from his elevated podium, as he saw the immense crowd file into Legendary Arena. They were now of an even larger number, from the many Kings that had hurried to the Arena as soon as they heard what was going on.

"Or is it night?", Jimmy boomed through his microphone, then laughed at his own joke. "You can't quite tell up here, up in…"

He pointed towards the star-studded sky, making sure to really yell for the best effect. "Space!"

The crowd cheered, the sound almost shaking the seats. The effect was enough to make even Jimmy Firecracker forget where he was for a second, before he pulled himself together and signaled to the Ground Goblin that he wished to be lowered.

Down in the dugout, Brandy held her hands in between her knees, concentrating her Dash in her hands and fists. She squeezed as hard as she could with her thighs, trying to prevent her hands from escaping, but they always burst out. She did it again, with the same results.

"I see that you're nervous, Brandy.", said Bowza, looking down at her. "Let me help you with that."

"Yeah, I'm nervous.", Brandy said, before realizing what Bowza had said. "Of course I- what?"

"Here.", Bowza said, and offered her a small pill. "Take this."

"Okay…", Brandy said, and took it. Holding it up in front of her face, she could see that it was pink and bore no markings. "What is it?"

"It's a Pill of Luck.", said Bowza with an enigmatic smile. "I picked it up down in the Lab. It improves the fortune of whoever consumes it."

"Oh.", Brandy said, and chewed it up. "I could use everything I can get."

Bowza smiled, both outwardly and on the inside. The pill was actually just sugar- but Brandy didn't need to know that. As she herself had said…

"We should use everything we can get.", Bowza mumbled, and closed his eyes in prayer.

Ryusei_Nakao69 ran one finger down his scars, feeling their arcane patterns race through him. Grrshknn had managed to bring everything together, all for this one glorious moment. All Ryusei_Nakao69 had to do was defeat Oticat in single combat, then everything he had ever wanted would be his. Fame, glory, immeasurable riches, eternal life…
"You know, it doesn't seem right.", said Valeyrie, and Ryusei_Nakao69 turned his eyes.

"What doesn't seem right, Valeyrie?", he asked, and the Valkyrie sighed.

"I don't know. It just seems that even though you- we, have all this power, and we've gone to such lengths to do everything… it doesn't seem right that it all ends like this."

Ryusei_Nakao69 laughed, startling a Goblin that had poked his head over the Tower. "Sir? They're uh… they're ready for you now. To battle."

"Yes, yes, I'll be there in a moment.", Ryusei_Nakao69 said with a wave, then addressed Valeyrie with a wide grin. "It might not seem so. But it is so. After all, what better way for this to end…"

He turned again dramatically, flipping his cape over his shoulder in a flash of dark wind. His eyes narrowed, and evil strength flashed within them. "Than in the Arena."

A hush fell over the crowd, no one wanting to miss this historic moment. The very first battle in the brand new Legendary Arena. The fight that even the gods had cared enough about to intervene in. Both Kings silently took their place atop their towers, and looked to their daughters. All four Princesses, in the towers beside them, completed the age old ritual, giving a quick thumbs up to signify that they were ready.

It's just a battle, thought Ryusei_Nakao69. Nothing more.

This is the battle, Oticat gulped. This is everything.

Jimmy Firecracker, up in the booth, would have normally reached for the slip of paper to announce the names of the competitors. But there was no need. He knew these two Kings by now- much of the entire Royale Continent did. Instead, he just picked up his microphone, cleared his throat, and spoke. "Oticat vs Ryusei_Nakao69. Entry into Legendary Arena."

Standing up, he pointed towards the Arena, though no one but the ones around him could see. "Let the battle…"

Every single Troop and King in the entire Arena leaned forward, on baited breath. A hush fell over the entire area, and the music stopped playing. In that moment, it seemed as though the entire world was watching. Both Kings leaned forward, staring into each other. Everything hung in the balance of these three minutes. Every single event of the last few weeks had been leading up to this moment. Jimmy Firecracker took a deep breath, and flung his hand forward.

"Begin!"

Song: Fierce Battle Against a Mighty Foe

Like a shot, nothing happened. Other than both Oticat and Ryusei_Nakao69 flinging their fingers across their digital readouts, there was no activity in the Arena. This was the most important battle of either of their lives, and they knew it. They had different reasons, but the outcome would affect both of them in life-changing ways.

They watched each other across the Arena, daring one another to make the first move. They knew each other's decks, having seen them while on the Battle Blimp. Only now did Ryusei_Nakao69 regret having made his deck the way he did. It had been tailored specifically to counter Oticat's, but now that he had changed it, it would no doubt be less effective.

Ryusei_Nakao69 watched his Elixir bar ever so slowly tick up to 10. He would wait until it was full, then strike hard and strike fast. That was his plan- it always worked. Especially when Oticat was so underleveled compared to him. But as the bar at last reached 10, he broke off his thoughts and placed his finger on the bar.

"Good luck!", he said, and laughed. The high technology of Legendary Arena read his voice and actions, immediately broadcasting a hologram of a laughing King above his head and the same words that he had spoken. "Thanks!"

He dragged his finger forward, indicating exactly where his first card placed was to go. The Elixir bar emptied all the way down to 3 as he lifted his finger, and the colossal figure of Nidavaleer the Mega Knight slammed onto the ground with a colossal blast of sound, right in front of Veronica's right tower. The entire Arena rumbled, and Nidavaleer stood up. He made no sound as he landed, unlike most Mega Knights- for he had been mute since birth.

"Shoot.", Oticat mumbled under his breath. Such a bold action needed a response- and Dan was the perfect one. Sure, he was one level underneath Nidavaleer, but Oticat knew that levels weren't everything. If he had just the right placement, Dan could come out on top. With a quick flash of his hand, Oticat both selected for Dan to drop in front of his own right tower, and clicked the screaming Hog Rider emote. The high pitched scream, however, was lost in the thunder of Dan crashing down onto the stone ground.

The two Mega Knights stared each other down, all the way across the river. Dan could see the shining red "11" that hovered over Nidavaleer's head, broadcasting his strength for all to see.

If only I could use the Star…., Dan thought, and gritted his teeth. "This guy wouldn't stand a chance."

He took a huge step towards the bridge, his opponent doing the same. The pair of armored titans flexed their muscles, both preparing to jump.

"Oh, we've got a bold battle here, folks.", said Jimmy Firecracker from his spot up in the sky. "Two Mega Knights, about to rip and tear into each other like a wild pack of dogs- I mean, Minions!"

The crowd roared, and several of them stood up to get a better look, craning over the heads of their fellows.

"Bandit best girl!", shouted rwbyfan433, a King in the front row. "Go Blue!"

"Bandit can suck my-", shouted another King, but was hit with a hard elbow to the face.

"Shut up, Jeff.", whispered BlipBlox, another King. "No one cares."

Dan and Nidavaleer both reached the bridge, Red only slightly ahead of Blue. Sheer power could be felt radiating outwards from the center of the Arena, as both Mega Knights prepared to jump. The ground almost buckled from the weight, but managed, magically, to stay strong.

Dan bent down, feeling the weight of the crowd's stares weighing down on him. As he breathed, he tried to stay calm, tried to prevent the Star from flowing out of him. If he accidentally used it, then the battle would be declared over. Oticat would lose automatically from cheating, and Brandy would be gone.

As he saw his foe prepare for his own mighty leap, Dan used that thought to motivate himself. With a deep, throaty roar that seemed to come from somewhere beyond, steam rose off of Dan's body. He pushed himself into the air, suddenly grateful for all those 5 AM leg routines. He saw Nidaveleer do the same, and closed his eyes to brace for impact.

With a titanic crashing sound, the two collided in midair. A veritable shockwave spread out across the whole Arena, slamming into the shield that protected the audience. Ripples of Blue and Red spread out from the impact point, the audience cheering as Dan and Nidaveleer landed again. Both of their health bars dropped, Dan's slightly more than his foe's. With a grim determination, they both turned around, and bent at the knees to do it again.

"Should we… send in someone else, Dad?", Veronica said, and Ryusei_Nakao69 turned in interest.

"Dad?", said Stacie, and Oticat took notice. "We should play someone."

"No, not yet.", both Kings said, not noticing the other's exact actions. "I want to see how this plays out."

Dan and Nidavaleer slammed into one another yet again, and the crowd roared. They hit the floor of the Arena with a mighty crash, and their health bars both dropped. Nidavaleer groaned in pain, and Dan was a little taken aback. Fighting in the Arena usually didn't cause any real pain- but maybe this Troop was different. Or, Dan thought as he felt the own hurt start to creep into him, maybe it was this time. Or this Arena. But those things don't really matter right now, Dan thought as he turned around again- because it was time to jump again.

He roared, and leapt. Both huge mace hands spread out, Dan soared over the river, towards his opponent. He didn't close his eyes this time. No, this time, he wanted to see every bit of pain he could inflict on Ryusei_Nakao69's troops.

As they met in midair, they just passed through each other. It was a strange interaction, but one that hurt. A lot. A dull pain slammed into Dan, as he dealt his own damage to Nidavaleer. As they again hit the ground, the crowd started to think that their bizarre exchange had gone on just a little too long.

"Hey, give us something else!", a Villager yelled, throwing her drink into the Arena.

"Yeah, how about you make it a little more interesting, huh?", shouted a Barbarian.

Ryusei_Nakao69 turned just ever so slightly to face them, his eyes burning with unnatural hate.

"Silence!", he roared, and invisible dark waves swept across the crowd. They felt themselves sit down, as fear suddenly burned its way into their unprotected hearts. Ryusei_Nakao69 resumed his watching of the battle, and sighed. "Honestly. Can they not watch a good battle in peace?"

Dan looked at Nidavaleer's health bar. It was low- very low. It couldn't have been more than 10, or maybe, maybe 15%. Just one more jump would do it. But there was just one problem- Dan had been taking more damage than Nidavaleer this whole time, and his health bar was lower to start with. This next exchange would finish off Dan too.

But, Dan thought as he squared his feet and prepared for the next jump, it was a price he had to accept. He had bided time for almost 15 seconds- practically a lifetime in just 3 minutes of battle. There was little chance for a win here. If it was at all possible, Oticat had to force a draw.

Dan took a deep breath, careful not to make it too deep. With a mighty bellow of rage, he flung himself into the air towards Nidavaleer, met him head on- and vanished.

As Nidavaleer landed on Oticat's side of the Arena, badly injured, Dan reappeared back on the bench. He coughed from the pain, before he felt the regenerative magics of the Arenas knit him back together again.

"Dan, you're hurt.", Brandy gasped, and jumped on top of him. "How?"

Dan coughed again. "Looks like… the system's still got some things to work out.", he said. "Grand reopening of the Arena, and all."

"Yeah… looks like you're healed up now though.", said Brandy, and jumped off of him. "Good job out there."

"Heh.", Dan coughed, and sat up. "It was dumb."

"Well, folks, that certainly was a unique clash!", Jimmy yelled into the microphone, and squinted down at Oticat's tower. He could see that Oticat was putting a finger up to his readout, at last playing another card. "It seems as though Oticat's playing another card. I can't quite see what it is. It's… it's-"

Oticat tapped his finger right in front of Sadie's tower, where it was on his digital map. With a frosty chill and a giggle of insanity, Randy appeared on the floor.

"He's- he's played his Ice Spirit.", said Jimmy. "Goes by the name of Randy…"

A pair of Barbarians wearing suits suddenly slammed open the door to the studio, and rushed into the room.

"I get the spinny chair!", shouted one, and dived for the seat next to Jimmy.

"I get the spin-", began another one, then swung his arm. "Dang it man, you always beat me."
"Yeah, that's cause I'm faster.", said the first brother, and grabbed the microphone.

"Hey- hey- hey, what do you think you're doing?", Jimmy whisper shrieked, trying to grab his microphone back against the much stronger Barbarian.

"We're here to help you commenterate. Commentate. Whatever.", said one Barbarian. "I'm Joe, and this is Rogan. Now, let me just-"

Even as Nidavaleer stomped with iron boots towards Sadie's tower, Randy felt no fear. He was incapable of it, having a mind only capable of comprehending ice, snow, jumping, parties, combat, and the immortal secrets of the universe. Tiny patches of ice were left behind with every step he took, sprinting towards the Mega Knight with the speed of raw insanity.

"Randy's in a place we've never seen him before.", said Joe, and Rogan tried to grab away the microphone. "I think he's-"
Nidavaleer knelt, and pushed off the ground as he flew into the air. Randy just giggled, and jumped in a perfect arc.

"Watch out watch out-" Rogan yelled, and the entire Arena screamed in excitement. "Oh my Se'th! K.O in midair!"

He was right. Even though Nidavaleer had won the battle, Dan had left him with very little health. The damage of Randy's frosty impact, meager though it was, had been enough to finish off the Mega Knight, and empty the field of Troops. Oticat looked down at his interface, thinking about who to send it next.

"Uh, Dad?", Sadie said nervously. "I really think that we should-"

"Yes, Sadie.", Oticat said, a little more forcefully than he would have liked. "I'm deciding."

A single bead of sweat dripped off his brow, and he selected a card. With a flick of his finger and a burst of blue light, the one that appeared on the right bridge was none other than Bowza.

"Let's see how you respond to this, Ryusei_Nakao69.", he whispered under his breath, and tapped his interface again. An image of the Rascal Girl Birthday emote flashed above him, as if to flex.

Ryusei_Nakao69 stared down at Bowza, as he slowly approached his firing range.

"Oh, thank you.", he said, and Oticat flinched. "That was probably the best move you could have made…"

His hand moved, and Valeyrie flashed into being a few feet from the center of the Arena, on the right side. "For me."

Bowza saw Valeyrie drop down on his left, and calmly nocked an arrow. It was a decision between her and the tower- but he had been played to scout and bait Ryusei_Nakao69, not deal tower damage. His main focus at this point was to take out Valeyrie, before she got to Oticat's own towers.

The red 13 above her head shone, having been increased from 12 just a few hours ago. Her axe shone, and her knee-high boots clinked against the stone floor of the Arena. A smug grin crossed her face, rich with anticipation of slashing her weapon against Bowza's skin.

But Bowza was far from fearful. He drew back his magical bow, took a deep breath, aimed, and fired. The arrow of light passed through the air, shot neatly through Valeyrie's torso, and-

The shot hit Ryusei_Nakao69's King Tower, making a small chip out of the stone. The crowd groaned, and the King jumped up in mock surprise. With a yank of a hidden lever, his sparkling golden cannon rose up out of the top of the King Tower, sliding into place with a perfect click.

Both Valeyrie and the tower were barely even damaged. Both Bowza's long range and low damage had been taken advantage of by Ryusei_Nakao69's plan.

"Oh, bother.", Bowza whispered underneath his breath. "I didn't mean to do that."

As he saw Valeyrie draw closer with each step, swinging her axe menacingly in her hands, Bowza thought that there was at least no way that he could make the situation worse. If he had damaged the King tower once, he could very well do it again. So he drew back another arrow and fired, this time going through Valeyrie's shoulder. She grit her teeth in pain, but continued on unhindered. Her health bar barely went down- Bowza's 222 damage had barely scratched her 2406 HP. Bowza nocked and fired another arrow, grateful that at least he was out of range of Ryusei_Nakao69's Princess towers.

Finally, Valeyrie reached Bowza's position. She swung her axe up behind her shoulders, and prepared to strike. "I gotcha now, wimp!", she yelled, and spun. The very end of the axe spun so fast it could hardly even be seen, slicing through the air like a hot knife through butter. Bowza's health bar dropped dramatically, Valeyrie's 322 damage wreaking havoc on his mere 490 HP.

"Perhaps.", said Bowza, and smirked. "But I-"

Valeyrie swung again, and Bowza splattered into Elixir. It lay briefly upon the ground, before disappearing.

"What's that?", Valeyrie said, and continued walking. "Couldn't quite hear you there, old man."

Bowza reformed back on the bench, already in his trademark hover. "-have the-", he said, before realizing that he wasn't on the battlefield anymore. Sitting down, he looked down and sighed.

"Sorry about that, guys.", he said. "I didn't know that's what was going to happen."

"No, no, it's alright.", said Agatha, putting her hands on his shoulders. "You did as well as you could. And who knows? That damage might come in handy."

Bowza smiled. "Yeah…"

Up in Oticat's view of the field, he wasn't quite sure what to do. Nothing in his hand really countered Valkyrie that well. He had Agatha- she would stand no chance against Valeyrie's splash. There were the Ratzo Brothers, yes- but he needed them for tower damage, not for pointless defense that wouldn't even work. There was The Log- yeah, that wouldn't do anything. Besides, he wanted to save it for later. There was the Skeleton Army- that would be a dumb play. A Skeleton Army could be shredded in a single second by a Valkyrie. There was no way he would play it-

Then, he got an idea. What if… there was a way he could drop the Skeletons right? As he thought faster and faster, an idea of the perfect placement came into his head.

"Your levels are impressive, Ryusei_Nakao69!", he shouted, and his opponent looked up in mild curiosity. "But in the end, it does not come down to that."

Oticat slammed his finger onto his interface, and selected the Skeleton Army. "No, in the end, what it comes down to is-"

Oticat dragged his finger up to the center of his digital map, and let it go with a flourish. The Skeleton Army popped into view, every one of them brandishing their tiny swords with all the ferocity they could muster. "Placement!"

Ryusei_Nakao69 craned forward for a better look, then threw his head back in laughter. "Are you really doing this, Oticat?", he laughed, and spread his arms open wide. "Trying to counter a Valkyrie with- with a Skeleton Army?"

"I'm not trying.", said Oticat, and gave a slight smile. "I'm doing it! Look!"

Down on the field, Valeyrie could scarcely believe her eyes. For some reason, Oticat had thought that playing a Skeleton Army in the center would be a good idea. That a bunch of mere level 8 Skeletons could possibly hope to stop her, a mighty level 13 Valkyrie. The thought made her give a low chuckle, and she continued forward.

Valeyrie knew that she just had to slice apart a few Skeletons, and then she would be free to slice apart the towers and win her King the match. Yes, just slice them apart, really quick…

So focused on these thoughts was she, that Valeyrie didn't even notice Elizabeth's arrow hit her in the side. She didn't notice her health bar drop a bit, nor the very particular, planned way that the Skeletons were placed out.

With a powerful swing, Valeyrie sliced the first Skeleton into bare Elixir. He soaked into the ground, and would not reform until all his fellows had been defeated. But it would not be long.

"Come here, you little buggers!", Valeyrie said, and prepared for another swing. "I'll slice you all into pieces!"

As she swung again, taking out another three, Valeyrie noticed that most of the Skeletons weren't technically in her general proximity. They were on the other bridge, stuck between trying to go forwards or fight her. None of them were in range at the moment, so Valeyrie swung her axe up onto her shoulders and started again her long, slow walk.

Jimmy, up in the announcer's booth, stared in utter disbelief. "I- I don't believe it!", he whispered, the words being blasted at high volume throughout the massive surround speaker that hung over the Arena floor. "He's actually playing a Skeleton Army- in order to stop a Valkyrie! And what's more…"

Jimmy leaned forward, being able to just barely see Valeyrie's health bar going steadily down. "I think it's actually working!"

And indeed it was. As Valeyrie slowly strode from one side of the Arena to the other, taking out a group of Skeletons every few seconds, the combined, continuous fire of Sadie and Elizabeth were slowly wearing her down. Valeyrie was enjoying destroying the Skeletons too much to even notice that her HP had already gone below 50%.

"Come on, come on, get some!", she shouted, and again swung her axe. It decapitated the last of the Skeleton Army, and the members fell to pieces. Reforming on the bench a few moments later, they briefly exchanged high fives, then formerly sat down.

"Well, that was a waste of both time and Elixir.", Valeyrie laughed, and turned towards Sadie's tower. "My time… your Elixir."

With a bold stride forward, she only then realized that the two Princesses were hitting her. Taking the small amount of pain like it was nothing, Valeyrie prepared to strike. She raised her axe- and noticed her reflection in its polished surface. To her utter shock, her health bar was practically empty.

"Wait, wha-", was all she could get out, before Sadie fired one more arrow and the Valkyrie exploded into purple rain.

The crowd cheered, excited to witness such a seemingly impossible feat of skill. SpaceKrakenX, up in one of the highest seats, whistled appreciateivly and looked up at ChupilickytwaCT, hanging his head over the back of the seat.

"Fine young one, isn't he?", he asked, and ChupilickytwaCT nodded. "Indeed."

Valeyrie appeared back on the bench, with her eyes and mouth hanging wide open. She dropped her axe in shock, and stumbled to a seat. Her hands trembled, and she stared at them as if seeing them for the very first time.

"But- but-", she said, almost unable to even process what had just happened. "It was just a Skeleton Army. And I'm a Valkyrie!"

She raised her fist towards the sky, shaking with anger and the promise of vengeance. "I'm supposed to kill any swarm. I'm… strong…"

Jimmy yanked the microphone out of Rogan's hand, and shouted into it with sheer excitement. "You saw it here first, folks! This is one King that just proved that skill matters over all else!"

Oticat, with a surge of confidence from the reactions of the audience and the high-skill move that he had just pulled off, flicked his interface. The screaming Hog Rider appeared once again, prompting a massive wave of laughter from the audience.

"Now how about this?", he shouted, and selected another card. "Will you, Ryusei_Nakao69, help me prove once again that skill beats all else. Really, you've just been so helpful…"

Ryusei_Nakao, with a slow blink, activated his specially enhanced vision. In an instant, he saw Oticat's hand, and what card he was about to play. The corner of his mouth turning up in a grin, he chose his own card. "Hmph.", he said, and looked Oticat in the eye. "Don't get cocky, Oticat."

A chill suddenly ran through the Arena, originating from Ryusei_Nakao69's King Tower. "I promise you, it will be the last thing you ever do."

With a flick of his wrist, Oticat carefully selected his next card. Down in the dugout, the image of the Ratzo Brothers appeared on the front wall's screen, and they both stood up.

"Guys, you're up.", he said. "I want to see how his defensive game is against you."

"Alright, sir.", said one of the brothers. Hoisting their Ram up and onto their shoulders, the duo ran onto the platform, and disappeared among shouts of encouragement.

There was a flash of blue light, and the Ratzo Brothers materialized at the right bridge.

"It seems that Oticat's playing his deck as Bridge Spam!", shouted Jimmy, up from the control booth. "That's a very bold move, considering that-"

Rogan grabbed the microphone out of his hand, then had it stolen again by Joe.

"Considering that his opponent plays Elite Barbarians!"

"Yes, I'll have to watch out for them.", said Oticat under his breath. "Fortunately…"

He looked down to his interface, where his Mega Knight card was waiting. "SpaceKrakenX and ChupilickytwaCT taught me just how to deal with those. Thanks, guys. Couldn't be doing this without you."

The Ratzo Brothers advanced forward, stepping slowly at first. But they picked up speed as they went, a golden aura appearing at the edge of the Ram as they began to run. The general roar of the massive audience grew in intensity as the Battle Ram grew closer to the tower, closing in on the distance like a -

Like a nothing, now, because they had suddenly been stopped in their tracks. A shrill cry of "Electricity!" had come from the sky above, and Tsarsus the Electro Wizard had zapped directly onto them. Their momentum was broken by the shock of electric force, and they slowed down again to a slow walk. The crowd sighed, and sat back down.

"How's that for placement, Oticat?", Ryusei_Nakao69 asked, crossing his arms in a gesture of triumph. "My Electro Wizard, Tsarsus, just so happens to be its veritable King!"

"Electrons!", Tsarsus shrieked, and twin bolts of lightning popped out from his outstretched hands. They slashed across the hard wood of the Battle Ram, leaving a pair of burn marks all along the side. Any momentum that the Ratzo Brothers had managed to build up was again zapped to nothing, and they froze in place for half of a second.

"Come on guys, you can do this…", said Sadie encouragingly, but she knew that they couldn't. Battle Rams were fragile, their hitpoints having received a small nerf a few months earlier. Even though it was a mere 5% reduction, it had been just enough to matter. And now, it looked as though Tsarsus would never let the Ratzo Brothers reach the tower.

But they still kept on pushing, through the constant battering of Electricity, now feeling Stacie's arrows pierce into their Ram, just trying to keep on going, keep on pushing, keep on fighting, keep on trying until they reached the tower-

But as Tsarsus shouted "Zap!" one more time, and fired a final volley of electric pain, it became all too clear that they couldn't. The Battle Ram's health bar dropped below zero. It shattered into nothing, soon to reform on the bench. The Ratzo Brothers, as soon as it disappeared, both nodded and drew their swords. They were, conveniently, already within striking distance of Tsarsus.

A spectator in the audience cast his sign up into the air, revealing the notorious emote of a Barbarian picking his nose. The Ratzo Brothers both stabbed their swords upwards, and attacked.

"Electrons!", Tsarsus screamed, and thrust his hands forward. Two flashes of lightning hit the brothers right in the chest, but they kept on moving, motivated by thoughts of duty and revenge. One of them slashed his sword, leaving a deep cut across Tsarsus's shoulder, and the Electro Wizard shrieked as his hitpoints were dramatically reduced. He tried to fire again, but was met with a stab to the stomach that dropped his health bar even further.

Tsarsus grit his teeth, and raised his hands. They sparkled with yellow, wild energy, and hummed with the might of 3000 volts. "Zzzzz!", he yelled, and fired again.

His attack hit both Barbarians at the same time, reducing their HP to zero- but at the same time, Tsarsus felt just the tiniest bit of regret. For although he himself was fast, his attack speed was just a bit too slow. Even as he landed his finishing blow, each of the Ratzo Brothers had landed theirs.

"Well, darn.", he said, and he dissolved into Elixir a half-second later than his opponents did.

Tsarsus appeared back on the bench, and put his head in his hands. "I did all I could, sire.", he said timidly, making sure to exercise caution. "I didn't-"
"No, no.", said Ryusei_Nakao69, flicking a downwards hand of silence. "You did precisely what I wanted you to. And now…"

He tapped a single card on his interface, hovering his middle finger over another. "Now, the real fun begins."

His eyes lit up with maniacal glee, and Ryusei_Nakao69 pushed the button.

"Hey, what's that you're talking about over there?", Oticat said, trying to annoy his opponent. "Can I add something?"

But Ryusei_Nakao69 wasn't even disturbed. He merely gestured to his left bridge, Oticat's right, and grinned. "Oh, nothing. I was just explaining to everyone that now is where the real fun begins."

A massive shape appeared right behind the bridge of attention. A trio of horns played from somewhere beyond, and the shape coalesced itself into the formidable shape of a Royal Giant.

"Oh, that's not good.", Oticat whispered, and looked down, searching for any Troop that would be able to halt the Royal Giant's advance. His face lit up when after just a few seconds of deciding, Oticat found the right one.

He flicked it out onto the field with a majestic flourish, the place he designated turning purple for a second with magically colored smoke. Once it cleared, Agatha stood behind the center of the bridge.

"Ah, good move, good move.", Ryusei_Nakao69 said, giving Oticat a soft, polite clap. The updated Legendary Arena interface automatically read his thoughts and intentions, broadcasting the Clapping Royal Ghost emote above his head.

Ryusei_Nakao69 looked up in annoyance- would it quit that?- then looked down again. "Your Witch would most certainly counter my Royal Giant, if it wasn't for…"

The Royal Giant placed one massive foot on the bridge, and prepared to cross. Agatha raised her staff, summoning a trio of Skeletons. They clacked their swords together, saw the Royal Giant, and ran off towards it, screaming ancient Skeleton curses that no one else could understand, or even hear, because they were a Witch's Skeletons, and thus could not speak.

"This!", shouted Ryusei_Nakao69, and flicked forward his other finger. In a flash of red, a bottle of Rage appeared above the Royal Giant's head, just in front of him. It fell to the ground and burst open, purple liquid spreading across the floor of the Arena in a giant circle.

"No, that's not good.", Agatha said to herself, and raised her hand to fire. "Hopefully I can take it out before it has a chance to-"

But the Royal Giant was already in position. The purple light and glow of the Rage spread across his body almost instantly, boosting his attack speed to ridiculous proportions.

"Crush… you…", the Royal Giant grunted, almost too deep to be heard. In Oticat's dugout, Bowza shivered a little bit as he remembered his battle with Fred the regular Giant. Well, not regular, exactly- but he had been- was, now, a basic Giant at heart.

"Crush you!", bellowed the Royal Giant, this time far more aggressively. Loading one cannonball from his pocket into his cannon at nearly instant speed, he fired.

The cannonball went soaring over the heads of the Skeletons, over the head of Agatha, firing her beams of energy as fast as she could, and crashed right into the tower of Sadie, who ducked to block the blow. A visible crack spread up the side of the stone tower, having dealt a monstrous 370 damage. Sadie's tower now had only 2164 HP left.

"Dad?", she said, looking out at the enraged Royal Giant before her. She quickly fired off an arrow, but it did little to stop the rampaging menace, who even now was loading another shot.

"I don't think Agatha can stop it in time!"

"I can, Sadie!", Agatha shouted from the field, and summoned up another batch of Skeletons. "Just keep firing!"

"Okay-", said Sadie, and another massive cannonball slammed into her tower's walls. The crack widened a bit, with the HP now only at 1794. At this rate, it would not be long before her tower was completely gone.

Agatha fired off another quick blast, its paltry damage doing next to nothing to the Royal Giant's vast 3708 HP. Even though there were 6 Skeletons all hacking at the beast simultaneously, she feared that Sadie's tower would indeed fall before the Royal Giant did.

"Dad!", Sadie yelled, firing another shot. As the arrow slid into the Royal Giant's shoulder, he responded with a shot of his own, bringing Sadie's tower HP down to 1424. "I really think you should play someone!"

"No!", Oticat shouted, his face slightly redder than normal. "I can't!"

Because if I do…, he thought, He'll play those E-Barbs of his right down the opposite lane. I can't take that risk. Better to lose one tower than to lose both. I… have to keep my Elixir high. No matter what.

"You get crushed!", boomed the Royal Giant, and fired another shot. Sadie nearly stumbled, but managed to keep on her feet. Her tower HP dropped down to 1054- it was almost defeated. Agatha took a deep breath, and raised her staff to fight all the harder. Her Skeletons kept on hacking, but their damage just wasn't enough to take the monster down. Agatha, and thus the Skeletons she summoned, were only level 8. In a tournament, she would have been able to counter the Royal Giant easier- but this was Ladder.

Yet another cannonball struck Sadie's wall, and her HP fell to just 684. Two more shots was all it would take, and Oticat would be one third of the way to defeat.

Sadie screamed, jolting Oticat out of his stupor. He frantically looked over his cards, trying to think if anything could help the situation. He was at 8 Elixir now- probably enough to stop the Elite Barbarians and play a card. Probably. Brandy and Dan were both in his hand- Brandy would be able to help take down the Royal Giant. So he hovered his hand over her card, and-

Your heart is wavering, Oticat, came a voice from somewhere behind him. Do not play it. It would certainly be folly.

"What-", Oticat spat out, and looked behind him. But there was no one there, save the audience. Oticat hurriedly looked back towards the Arena- only to see yet another cannonball sink deep into his daughter's tower. She was only at 314 HP now. Just one more hit would finish her off.

Oticat tapped Brandy's card- and stopped. He could see that the Royal Giant was only one more hit away from fallin. Even though the damage of Agatha and her Skeletons had not been large, it was enough to take the monster down eventually. So Oticat, hard as it was, decided not to play anything else.

Larry, with a ferocious grunt of effort, sunk his sword deep into the Royal Giant's toe. The blade went deep, just as the last hitpoints of the Royal Giant finally ran out. With a wavering cry, he splashed into a vast deluge of Elixir- but not before one final shot rang out. His last cannonball flew straight as an Arrow, and smashed right through Sadie's tower. She shrieked in terror, clutching her bow and crown to her chest as the magics of the Arena activated.

Sadie dropped to her knees right in front of the bench, staring up at her father in disbelief.

"Dad…", she whispered. "He didn't save me. Why?"

"He has a plan.", Bowza said. "I can feel it."

But out on Oticat's King Tower, he didn't really have much of one. He just tried to calm down his frantically beating heart, as he pulled the lever that released his own cannon. With trembling hands, he looked over his cards again- they were still all the same. The only difference was that Oticat was now losing by a huge margin.

"Too weak, Oticat!", Ryusei_Nakao69 boomed from across the Arena, and the Blue King looked up into his evilly glowing eyes. He gave a slow clap, and Veronica made an exaggerated yawn. Legendary Arena heard and saw her action, showing the Yawning Princess emote above her head.

"I don't think you can win this one, Oticat.", Ryusei_Nakao69 said, and held up one finger. "If you surrender now, I'll give you something special to make up for the loss."

Oticat held up one finger of his own as well. But it was not his index finger, as Ryusei_Nakao69 had done. It wasn't his ring finger or pinky, and it was not his thumb.

"You really think I would surrender?", Oticat said, and scoffed. "If you think that, then…"

His eyes narrowed, and he seemed to stand a little taller. "You're the stupidest King I've ever known."

Song: Overdrive

"Stupid, you say?", Ryusei_Nakao69 said, faking his hurt. "Stupid, you mean, as in low skill. Low skill, you mean, as in those that beat you. So really, what you're saying is-"

"Did I stutter, Ryus?", Oticat snapped, and a cheer rose from the crowd. "I said you're stupid. Now stop talking."

Ryusei_Nakao69 simply stared, then swept his hand across the board. Two things happened. One was that the emote of the Trophy Kissing Goblin appeared over his head, and the other was that Chad and Rick appeared at the bridge, accompanied by a blast of magical trumpets.

Oticat suddenly understood, in a flash of epiphany, what the voice had been saying. He had needed that 10 Elixir in order to counter this move. If he screwed this up at all, his other tower would be gone. "Brandy.", he said. "Get out there."

Brandy stood up from her spot on the bench. She didn't know what was going on the battlefield, but she hoped it was something she could handle. Maybe the Wizard, or some empty space that Ryusei_Nakao69 had left out for her. As she disappeared into the blue light, she hoped that it would be something that she could do.

And as she reappeared out on the field, and saw the two Elite Barbarians of her nightmares charging right at her, any hope that it would be easy instantly vanished from her mind.

"What?", she whispered to herself. "Are you serious?"

Struggling to get herself to even move, she saw the two draw closer. They moved at high speed- not as fast as a charging Prince, or Hog Rider, but still about as fast as her. She saw their eyes, seemingly boring right into her.

But even as the fear threatened to overtake her, Brandy knew that she had to fight. This was, after all, all that this really was. Just a fight. She had to keep on thinking that.

Brandy yelled in defiance, and charged forward. Oticat hovered his finger over another card, waiting for the perfect time to play it. The Elite Barbarians continued their confident run, and were soon closer to Brandy than she ever would have wanted. She swallowed hard, and prepared to Dash.

"What's the matter, Brandy?", said Rick. "Afraid?"

But Brandy didn't answer. Instead, with a ferocious yell, she Dashed forward, and kicked Chad right in the stomach. He sucked in a breath, and the two Elite Barbarians stopped in their tracks.

The blow had felt wonderful for Brandy. To land such a satisfying hit on the single individual that she hated the most was therapeutic, at the very least.

But Chad knew her weaknesses. He could see it in the way that Brandy ran, the way she looked at him. She, despite all that she had been through, every bit of recovery, was still afraid of them. Afraid of them, and what they had done to her.

"We're still level 13, cutie pie.", Chad said, trying to play off of Brandy's fear to the fullest. He raised his sword to strike, and Rick did the same. Even a level 13 Bandit stood no chance against them, and all three knew it. "You still can't touch us."

Brandy threw her arm back, ready to strike with all the ferocity she could muster. The Elite Barbarians swung their swords downwards- and would have hit Brandy too, if not for the colossal impact of Dan, slamming directly between them with a clap of thunder that rivaled even the mightiest storms.

The Elite Barbarians stumbled back, their forward momentum shattered by the strength of Dan's impact. Chad planted one foot in the ground and raised his sword, preparing himself to attack.

"Why, Dan!", he said. "Look how you've grown."

But Dan didn't listen to his taunts. Instead, he looked down at Brandy, still beside him. There was fear in her eyes, but it was far less than it had been before.

You ready?, he thought, and Brandy perked up.

I am ready, she thought back, and curled her open hand into a fist. Let's get em.

Chad and Rick bellowed, and rushed forward, swords in the air. Brandy and Dan yelled back, even more ferociously, and attacked.

Sheer, abject hatred flowed through Brandy's arm, as she swung upward. Her stick collided with the bottom of Chad's chin, snapping his head back with a sharp crack. His healthbar dropped- but not by all that much. Brandy's attack had only dealt 179 damage, out of his remaining 971 HP.

But Dan was an entirely different story. As he slammed his metal gauntlets to the ground, the shockwave erupted over the Elite Barbarians with a power born of pure rage. Their health bars both dropped again- this time to 749 HP.

With both Brandy and Dan having attacked, it was the Elite Barbarian's turn to strike back. Both their swords fell, targeting Dan. The powerful strokes of their blades combined to deal 876 damage, bringing Dan's HP down to 2424.

This is frustrating…, Dan thought, and gritted his teeth. He raised his hands for another blow, and Brandy did the same. If I could use my Star, they would be no match. But I can't.

He roared, and threw his fists to the ground as hard as he could. Brandy threw her fist forward, the damage stacking up for two powerful blows- one to Chad, and to Rick. Chad, who Brandy had targeted, took 392 damage, leaving him at 327 HP. Rick took only Dan's attack, so he was at the much higher HP of 527.

"Is that all, Dan?", Chad said, and raised his sword above his head. "I had thought you would be stronger!"

But as the Elite Barbarians prepared again to strike, they both realized that they had forgotten something. They, along with Dan, couldn't hit that fast. But Brandy could- and she was able to hit again now. With a cry of anger, she struck out from behind Dan's massive arms, and jabbed her stick right into Chad's stomach for another 170 damage.

"You little-", Chad spat, noticing with dismay how far his health bar had dropped. "I'm going after you now!"

With a slight nod from his brother, Chad changed his target. No longer did he target Dan- that was up to Rick. Now, he was going after Brandy.

The two Elite Barbarians swung their swords, towards two different spots. Chad's slammed into Brandy's torso, knocking her back a bit. Her entire body flashed, and her health bar went all the way down to 387. Rick's sword slashed down all the way across Dan's arm, kicking his HP down to 1996.

Brandy bit back a scream, and readied herself for another shot. Just one more hit, that would be all it took. All it would take, to bring down Chad.

"Dorra!", she yelled, and swung her fist forward. She had meant to hit Chad, but to her surprise, she collided with It collided with Rick. His health bar dropped, all the way to 357. Even though she had missed, Dan would still be able to bring them down.

Chad and Rick both grunted in pain, and swung their swords. Chad, trying to see through the haze of the dust that had been picked up, missed Brandy and hit Dan. Rick, who had not changed his target, hit Dan as well, slashing him down the chest. His health bar shivered, dropping all the way to 1120.

But even as the pair struck, Dan attacked as well. His massive iron fists hit the ground with a huge shockwave that brought Rick down to 105- and Chad down to 0. He screamed in pain as he dissolved, to float through space until Rick had been defeated as well.

Rick gasped, and stared down at the spot where Chad had fallen. A faint smudge of old Elixir still tainte the area.

He looked up, and growled. Slashing his sword forward, he hit Dan on the leg, bringing his once-high HP down to a mere 638. But even as he attacked, all three of them knew that it was over. Brandy and Dan had triumphed over their foes, the Elite Barbarians.

Brandy lashed out with her leg, catching Rick on the knee and sending him to the ground. Dan raised his hands, ready to crush- and then slammed then down again, splattering Rick into a puddle of purple that quickly soaked into the ground.

The two stopped for a moment, took a deep breath, and continued towards the bridge. Even in their weakened conditions, they could still cause vast damage to Ryusei_Nakao69's towers, and he knew it. Which is why, with an evil grin, he selected another card from his deck. With a swipe of his finger, a bright flame appeared at the end of it.

"Interesting…", he said. "Bandit and Mega Knight. Who would have thought they'd make such a great combo. Perhaps I should use it someday…"

Then, as Brandy and Dan crossed the bridge, he grinned, and threw the Fireball.

Dan looked up, and crossed his arms in some instinctual form of defense. But such things did not work in the Arenas- and so the Fireball exploded in a massive burst of 832 damage, turning both Brandy and Dan into Elixir.

With a crash, they reappeared back on the bench. It almost shattered underneath Dan's weight, but magically managed to hold. Brandy fell back, letting out a deep breath.

"Woah.", she said. "That was… therapeutic."

"Yup.", said Dan, staring forward. "Even if we both got taken out by that Fireball, we still proved that those little bastards are no match for us- even without our abilities."

"Yeah.", Brandy said, and clenched her fist. The feeling of triumph was almost enough to offset the oppressive aura that settled over the Arena as a whole- almost. But in the end, the stakes were too high to forget. Brandy's own soul was riding on this match.

Oticat looked over his cards, trying to decide. Playing both Brandy and Dan together, even if it had saved Elizabeth's tower and forced Ryusei_Nakao69 to play his Fireball, had taken all 10 of his Elixir. So he had to play it safe for a bit, just until he had enough Elixir left to do anything. Just maybe cycle a bit, and test the waters a little more. Yes, Randy was the obvious choice.

So Oticat flicked his finger forward, and Randy appeared on the field with a frosty giggle. Despite the intensity of the battle, he seemed mostly unaffected. Seemed, of course, was the operative word- one could never truly tell the innermost thoughts of an Ice Spirit. That is, of course, if they wanted to remain sane.

Randy skipped up the path at high speed, heading straight for Stacie's tower. Giggling madly to himself, he crossed the bridge, and into the Red half of the Arena.

Stacie nocked, aimed, and fired an arrow, which sunk into Randy with a soft hiss. Randy, totally incapable of feeling pain, kept on going at exactly the same rapid clip. Within seconds, he reached jumping distance of the tower, and paused. Another arrow sliced into him, reducing his HP to a single digit number.

But Randy did not care. He lived to die, to jump into enemies over and over again. Even though one more shot would finish him, he didn't mind- for he intended to do that job himself.

With a deep, icy laugh that sounded like shattering icicles on speed, Randy flung himself forward. He broke into a puff of snow and ice upon Stacie's tower, dropping its HP by exactly 82 damage.

"Hinjaku, hinjaku, Oticat!", Ryusei_Nakao69 said, using some words he had managed to pick up around the Castle. He didn't actually know what exactly they meant, but they seemed to fit the mood. "You think that would threaten me?"

"No.", said Oticat, and played another card. Within a second, purple smoke swirled out onto the Arena floor, and Agatha emerged. "But this will."

Agatha looked back and up at him, and Oticat coughed. "I mean, uh, she. She will."

"That's better.", Agatha muttered, and strode out further onto the field of battle.

Up in the stands, the mood was a little lighter. But not by much. The Blue side of the spectator seats were taken up mostly by the Kings and Troops of LosDementosCT, while the Red side was made up almost entirely of TheEvilOverLords. Both sides stared at each other with a quiet hatred, far more so than the regular rivalry between the two colors.

These two Clans, despite having never even met before just a few weeks ago, now had unforgettable history. And that history was being decided, down on the field in front of them.

"You know, it should be me down there.", SpaceKrakenX said, from his spot in the box seats. "I'm on his level. My deck is practically a perfect counter to his. I could-"

"No.", said ChupilickytwaCT, beside him. "This is how it should be. This whole thing started because of Oticat. It should finish with him."

"Yes, it should.", said SpaceKrakenX. "But I fear that it could not."

He gestured towards the scoreboard. It showed that Ryusei_Nakao69 had a clear 1-0 lead over Oticat, and a 93.6% chance of winning. "Look at that, Chup. I think we might have made a mistake."

"No, we did not.", said ChupilickytwaCT. "Besides, what does your Stand say?"

SpaceKrakenX took a look at his watch, and whispered into it. The dials spun around at speeds too fast to see, then landed on some numbers that had materialized onto the surface.

"Hmmm…", said SpaceKrakenX. His Stand Diamond North could be very useful at times, but this was not one of them. This time, the numbers that it had given him seemed to make no sense.

"123.", he said. "21. 69. 245."

He flicked his sleeve downwards again, and nestled his head in his fingers. "I'm not sure, Chup. I'm just not sure at all."

Agatha walked as fast as she could towards Veronica's tower. She would run if she could, but her speed was restricted by the Arena's magical field. With a pulse of magical energy, a trio of Skeletons ran out from somewhere underneath her long dress- Harry, Tarry, and the mischievous Larry.

"I see.", said Ryusei_Nakao69, and ran a long, sharp fingernail down the side of his face. "But to be honest…"

He tapped his digital interface, and his tower beeped as he played another card. "I'm not threatened at all."

In a flash of orange-red, Valeyrie appeared right in front of Veronica's tower, a grin on her face that dripped of insanity. With a proud spin of her axe, she took a step forward, then turned to face her King.

"Thank you, sir.", she said. "For giving me such an ea-"

Ryusei_Nakao69 stabbed his finger downward, and Valeyrie suddenly felt a sharp pain in the back of her head. "Stop talking. Go fight."

Valeyire was a little shocked by her King's anger, but did turn around again to keep walking. "Okay. Fine. Jeez.", she whispered under her breath.

Larry saw Valeyrie striding confidently towards him and his mother. With a jump and a wave, he quickly alerted Agatha, but she raised her hand to signal that she had already seen her. "I know, I know. But don't worry, Larry."

She took a long look at Valeyrie's distance from the tower, and her purple eyes glinted. "I have a plan."

Agatha stopped, once Valeyrie was in range of her attacks. Her Skeletons kept on going, just barely within range of Veronica's arrows- all as Agatha had planned.

"Come here, you little fricks!", Valeyrie yelled, and raised her axe. Agatha's energy strike hit her in the shoulder, but she barely even felt the blow. "I'm gonna rip you all to-"

Then, to her surprise, the Skeleton that she had been about to target abruptly vanished. An arrow was still stuck in the ground where he had been, its tip soaked with Elixir. Valeyrie blinked, and tried to work out what had just happened.

Another blast of blue energy hit Valeyrie on the arm, and her health bar started to show signs of wear. Larry and Tarry both stabbed her in the knees, dealing some more damage.

"Okay, now I'm really gonna-", Valeyrie yelled, and swung her axe up behind her shoulder again. But just before she was about to attack, Tarry vanished in a puff of purple, and Valeyrie found herself again unable to hit. She furiously whipped around, and saw Veronica pulling back her bow.

"Hey, do you mind?", Valeyrie yelled, now able to understand what was happening. For some reason, she and Veronica kept on targeting the same Skeleton. But Veronica would destroy it a half second before Valeyrie attacked, forcing her to lose her target each time. "I'm trying to fight!"

"Yeah, so am I!", Veronica yelled back, and stuck out her tongue. "Just target some different Skeletons!"

Agatha raised her hand, and three more Skeletons popped out of the ground- Marry, Barry, and Garry. A half-second after, she shot another bolt of blue, striking Valeyrie on her exposed arm. Larry slashed his dagger across her foot, and she grit her teeth in pain.

"You little pieces of trash!", she screamed, and raised her axe all the way above her head. "You can't-"

She swung her axe as hard as she could, but halted in midair as Larry vanished, impaled through the middle by Veronica's arrow. Another of Agatha's shots hit her on the shoulder, and her healthbar dropped even further.
Valeyrie stopped fighting for a moment. She turned around, put her hands on her hips, and her face twisted with anger. "Hey! Veronica! Stop it!"

"You stop it!", Veronica shouted. "How about you stop attacking the exact same Skeleton that I'm trying to get rid of?"

Agatha tried to suppress her smile, but failed. With another flick of her wrist, a shot of energy hit Valeyrie's leg, on the exact same spot that Garry stabbed. Her health bar dropped again, to worrying levels.

Valeyrie growled in frustration. She threw her axe up behind her shoulder, readying for another strike- and then she heard it. A small, almost unhearable sound, coming from one of the front seats. Nobody heard it, but Valeyrie. It was a giggle, the laugh of a child Villager.

"Look, mommy!", laughed Cookie from her front-row seat, and pointed at Valeyrie. "The Valkyrie can't hit Skeletons!"

Upon hearing those words, Valeyrie's anger elevated. Her face turned crimson with sheer rage, and she felt like she was going to bust a vein any moment. With trembling arms, she slowly turned to where Cookie sat, and snarled.

"You wanna come over here and say that, you little brat?", she screamed, making every effort to keep herself from running over and slicing Cookie's head off. "Huh?"

But Cookie, perhaps unwisely, only laughed again.

Up in the announcer's booth, Jimmy Firecracker chuckled a bit as well. Joe and Rogan both let out a low snort, but they chose to say nothing. It was probably best to not anger Valeyrie so much that she actually did something illegal.

"Valeyrie!", Ryusei_Nakao69 bellowed. "What are you doing? Fight!"

"I'm trying, I'm trying!", Valeyrie yelled back, and raised her axe to try and get in at least one good strike. "But Veronica over there won't even let me!"

Veronica, just a little hurt by Valeyrie's constant outbursts, stopped firing for just a moment. She took her hand off the bow, and inhaled a deep breath to try and calm herself down.

That was all that Valeyrie needed. With a sharp yell of triumph, she swung her axe, taking the heads off of 3 Skeletons at once. She was finally in, or out of, synch with Veronica. She didn't know- whichever one allowed her to finally deal damage.

But even though her opponent was now able to target her, Agatha was not afraid. She just kept on looking at Valeyrie's health bar, steadily going down. Down, with each attack that Agatha landed. Down, with every Skeleton blade that hit her flesh. Agatha raised her arm, and yet another trio of Skeletons emerged from her skirts.

"You're dead Elixir!", Valeyrie screamed, and swung her axe again. The fresh trio of Skeletons was cut down- but not before each of them had had a chance to attack.

Valeyrie felt her health bar go down, a sign that she had started to reach critical levels. But it didn't matter. For even though all the forces of the universe had conspired to keep her from victory, she, Valyrie the Valkyrie, would triumph.

Agatha fired off another shot, noticing how low Valyrie's health had begun. She had to wait a bit before summoning more Skeletons, but it hardly even matted at this point.

Valeyrie took another step, finally within range. She grinned a maniac grin, the hints of insanity written across her face. With a groan, she hoisted her axe over her shoulder, ready to slash Agatha all the way back to the bench.

"I've won!", she roared, and swung, free of any Skeletons blocking her way. "Die!"

The axe slashed across Agatha's chest, bringing her down to half of her health. She stumbled back a bit, but was still able to hit Valeyrie with one more shot of energy.

Valyrie swung her axe over her head again, with a burst of effort that took more than it should have. "It's over, you bi-"

But she never got to finish her sentence, or even her insult. For what came out of her throat then was not words, but merely a pained gurgle. For her health bar, high as it was, had finally reached zero after the constant battering. She looked down, to see Larry with a sword sticking out of her shoe.

"You…", she managed to spit out, then vanished, leaving behind a mere puddle of Elixir.

Jimmy's eyes widened, and he leaned forward. "I- I don't believe it, folks!", he shouted into his microphone. "Here, Oticat has managed to, not once but now twice, defeat a Valkyrie with nothing more than Skeletons! And being underleveled, no less!"

Among the cheers and laughter, Valeyrie felt herself hit the bench. Her face went from the deep red of anger to the pale white of shame, dropping her axe with a clink onto the stone floor.

"I… I don't believe it.", she said, her voice hollow. "I lost to a Skeleton Army. And a Witch. Me, a Valkyrie."

She folded in on herself, trying not to cry. "I'm supposed to handle swarms! Countering Skeleton Armies and Witches is my whole job! What's… what's wrong with me?"

She looked up at Veronica, sitting ever so smugly in her tower. This was all her fault.

"Hey, Veronica!", she shouted, and Veronica looked down. "This is all your fault, you know that?"

"My fault?", Veronica asked, gesturing to herself. "Who kept on targeting my Skeletons!"

"Come here, you little-", Valeyrie growled, and suddenly felt a dark force lock her in place. She looked up, to see Ryusei_Nakao69 pointing down at her, his finger coated in shadows.

"You two.", he said, a deep, unnatural rumble underneath his words. "Stop talking."

"Yes, my lord.", said both Veronica and Valyrie quietly, and dutifully resumed their regular positions.

As she sat, Valeyrie felt Chad's warm hand on her shoulder. She looked up, to see that he had scooted all the way up to her.

"Hey, don't worry.", he said. "We're still winning. 1-0. Even though that guy's got some kind of BS going on, he can't beat Ryusei_Nakao69."

"Yeah, but…", Valeyrie said, and looked down. "That's no thanks to me. I was useless."

Chad grimaced, trying to think of something to say. He thought for a moment, then came upon the first thing that came to his mind. "Hey, don't worry about it. In fact- I'll let you have first crack at the Bandit once we get home. How about that?"

In hindsight, that was probably the worst thing he possibly could have said. And as he saw Valeyrie's face start to redden, he began to realize his mistake.

"Excuse me?", she said, louder than they had been speaking before. "Are you kidding me? Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

Chad tried to say something, but Valeyrie slapped him across the mouth. "What? Do you think I'm gay?"

"Uh…", Chad said, holding his hand in front of his mouth so that he could talk. "I don't know. You're into that sort of stuff, right?"

Valyrie stared at him in shock, suddenly realizing how her boyfriend of 5 months knew so little about her. "No! No, of course I'm not!"

"Oh- uh, but, um…", Chad said, trying to bluff his way out of the situation. "I must be thinking about someone else."

But Valeyrie wasn't about to let him off so easily. "And for another thing- why are you so obsessed with that Bandit? I can't even remember her name, and yet here you are- she's probably all you can think about! You're not thinking about me- you're just fantasizing about going home and sinking your teeth into her!"

"Come on, Valeyrie.", Chad said, reaching out. "She's just a pair of holes to me, come on-"

"Yeah?", Valeyrie shouted, and flung his arm aside. "Well so am I!"

"Wha-", Chad said, and Valeyrie forced her axe against his chest.

"Yeah! You always bring me stuff, and bring me servants, and introduce yourself as my boyfriend, but you know what you haven't done? Say that you love me!"

"I-", Chad said, but Valyrie refused to let him get in even a single coherent word.
"You've never said it to me! In fact, I bet you can't even say it now! Go ahead, try it."

Chad opened his mouth to speak, but suddenly found that he couldn't. Some strange force held his tongue, and he just stood there with his mouth agape.

"Oh, that's it.", Valeyrie hissed, and pushed herself away. "I knew it. You were only using me, weren't you? You just wanted my body, huh? Yeah, mine and every other girl you ever laid eyes on! Why did I ever let you talk me into an open relationship, anyway?"

"Babe, I-", Chad said, trying to reach out to Valeyrie, but she didn't even look at him.

"You know what?", she hissed, crossing her arms. "We're through. Don't ever talk to me again."

As an awkward silence descended over the Red dugout, they all heard something odd. The last few lines of the conversation, repeated over what seemed to be a loudspeaker.

"And there you have it, folks!", Jimmy yelled, as the audience screamed with excitement. "Thanks to our hidden dugout camera, we managed to capture every moment of what was probably the most awkward conversation of either of their lives! Heh, isn't modern technology great?"

The giant replay camera hanging over the Arena now showed Valeyrie picking up her axe, and swinging around in a rage. She stared intently at the walls, but didn't come close to where the camera was located.

"It looks like she's looking for our camera.", said Joe, who had suddenly managed to grab the microphone again. "But she probably won't-"

Then the feed cut off, as Nidavaleer the Mega Knight slammed his fist into the side of the wall. The camera was punched to bits, and he nodded in respect.

While all that had been going on, Agatha had been able to attack the tower uncontested. Even though her strikes had done little damage, the Skeletons that accompanied her had done a surprisingly high amount- far more than Ryusei_Nakao69 had planned on. And the additional Skeleton trio that had spawned upon her defeat had thrown him for a loop- he didn't know that was a thing. This was the first time he had battled in the Arena in months.

"Curse… it…", he muttered under his breath, and gripped the bridge of his nose. "This is not going as well as I'd hoped. But at least I'm still winning…"

Oticat selected another card, and held it over his interface. "Okay guys, you're up.", he whispered. "Hopefully, he'll have that Electro Wiz out of rotation."

He let go of the card he was holding, and breathed out. With a flash of blue light, the Ratzo Brothers appeared at the left bridge.

"And you too.", Oticat whispered again, as he played another card. "Go and support them- you know, just in case."

Brandy flashed onto the field behind them in a crouch, then took off running, the Ratzo Brothers beginning to charge ahead of her.

"Oh, that old trick?", Ryusei_Nakao69 asked, and played a card of his own. "I assure you, it won't work this time either."

He gestured to the spot where the Ratzo Brothers were now charging through, as Tsarus popped out of the sky. He landed with a shrill cry of "Electricity!", halting the Ratzo Brothers in their tracks.

The audience booed, their faces contorted with anger at Ryusei_Nakao69's defense. Even though some of them did not know of the previous rivalry between the two Clans and the two Kings, it was quite clear who was the villain here.

The Ratzo Brothers tried to get running again, but another blast of twin bolts of lightning from Tsarsus sent them back to standing still. One of Stacie's arrows scratched against the side of the Battle Ram, almost destroying it.

Brandy, still on Oticat's side, willed herself to run faster. She had been played in the back, perhaps unwisely. It would take her a little while to get to a place where she could finally Dash.

"Zap!", Tsarsus screamed, blasting the Ratzo Brother's Ram with another volley of painful electrons. With a scream of snapping wood, the Ram vanished, leaving behind the two Barbarians.

"Raaah!", one yelled, and swung his sword. It hit Tsarsus in the side, his already fragile health bar dropping by no small amount.

Brandy ran as quickly as she could to help the Ratzo Brothers, but she wasn't quite fast enough. By the time she reached Dash range of Tsarsus, they might have already fallen.

"Electricity!", Tsarsus yelled, and blasted again. Two bolts of pure energy flew out of his hands and into each of the brothers, and they grunted in pain. Stacie shot a single arrow that hit the shoulder of one of them, and his health bar dropped to almost nothing.

Both of the brothers yelled as hard as they could, and swung their swords downward. Tsarsus's health bar dropped dramatically, now at a mere sliver of health. Even though he was very high level, his base health was still quite low.

Come on, almost there-, Brandy thought, then stopped running. Because she was now, in fact, there. Within Dash range of Tsarsus.

Tsarsus set his jaw, and raised his hands for one more final strike. If he couldn't beat the Barbarians, then he would just have to settle for a trade-off.

Both of the Ratzo Brothers roared, and swung their blades. At exactly the same time, Tsarsus struck, and Brandy Dashed. Lightning flowed into the Barbarians, metal blades struck the Electro Wizard- and they killed each other in exactly the same moment. Elixir hit the ground in a three-way puddle, but Brandy continued her Dash. She realized with a jolt that she had no target- where would she go? She certainly wasn't stopping. With a sudden fear in her heart, Brandy reached the spot where her target would have been- and vanished, leaving not a trace behind.

Oticat leaned forward, unable to process what he had just seen. Sadie gasped, and nearly dropped her bow. A murmur ran through the audience, as they began to take in what had happened, right in front of them. Ryusei_Nakao69's eyebrows flew all the way off of his head, then fell back down to their proper placements.

Jimmy scrambled for the microphone, trying to think of what to say. "I- I-", he stammered, then managed to pull himself together. "I don't believe it, folks! That Bandit has just, for seemingly no reason at all, vanished into thin air!"

Brenda stood up, and the Phantom immediately appeared behind her. "Phantom.", she said, not caring that a Builder and a Hog Rider next to her were staring at her sort of funny. "I want-"

The Phantom knew what she wanted, even before she had finished saying it. "Me to find her?", he asked, and they both nodded. "Very well. I will."

The Phantom stretched out his thoughts and presence, searching the surrounding area and beyond for any sign of Brandy. But after searching for a few seconds, he opened his eyes in alarm.

"Mistress…", he said nervously. "I cannot find her. She is gone."

"Gone?", Brenda asked, and started to sweat. "What do you mean, gone?"

"I mean that she has totally and utterly vanished.", said the Phantom. "I cannot find her anywhere."

"Should we, uh, call off the battle?", Joe whispered, although to him, it was more of just a hoarse voice. "Due to the sudden, um, disappearance of a member?"

"Vat?", shouted a Goblin in the back of the room, who had been standing there for some time. "Of course not, you buvvoon!"

"Wha-", Jimmy said, and turned around. He saw a very old, very wrinkly Goblin, a shock of white hair decorating his fragile head. He sat in a wire chair, slowly rolling forward at the clink of a button.

"Of course ve should not cancel!", shouted the Goblin, then his ornery old face suddenly became very bright. "Ze ratings on this battle are- are through ze roof! If we cancel now, ve vill lose ze biggest show of the month!"

He pulled himself all the way up to the window, and put a hand on both Jimmy and Joe's shoulders. "In vact…", he whispered, as if telling some huge secret, "I vant every camera ve have to focus on this fight."

He stared at Ryusei_Nakao69, just barely able to make out a mysterious, hulking dark shape behind him. "Yes, every single von."

Song: Virtuous Pope

Brandy did not know how long she floated. Even though it was mere seconds in real time, the strange dimension in which she now found herself could have assigned hours to her rest. Strange amounts of darkness floated around her, unplaceable voices adding to the general confusion.

"We've only got 16 hours til-"

"There. It's just over that rise."

"-failed, I shall succe-"

"Oh, please. Give me some ideas."

"That, then, is the true-"

"Well then. Let's go."

Brandy opened her eyes, and saw nothing. The only thing that even registered in her blurred, aching vision were strange, seemingly sentient blobs of grey that floated past and into nothing. Some of them looked like jellyfish, some looked like squares, others defied description and molded past unharingly.

What…, Brandy thought, pulling herself upwards to a seated position. Where am I?

You're nowhere, said one of the blobs authoritatively. This is a place where the things that do not exist come to gather.

Don't… exist?, Brandy thought, rubbing the back of her head. But… I exist. And if I can see you, that means that you must exist too.

No, I am far from real, the Blob said. But if you are indeed existent, then why are you here?

I don't really know, exactly, Brandy said, and started to fall backwards. I just Dashed at nothing, and then I ended up here.

The Blob scoffed gently, and seemed to extend in all directions and no directions at once. A dimension popped out of him and kindly ran away to join its exuberant fellows.

Well then, you must leave. Can't have existers going around here, just existing as they please, it said, and pushed Brandy away. She started to feel a slight tugging sensation on her back, growing stronger with each passing second.

Wait, who are you? What's your name?, Brandy said, and the Blob seemed to retreat.

Ah, yes, said the Blob. Names. I'd quite forgotten some beings had those.

Then the tugging grew too strong for Brandy to resist, and she fell backwards into sheer white light.

Among the chaos, it was Meg that first saw Brandy reappear. There was a strange white flash at the edge of the Arena, somewhere behind Veronica's tower. She felt a little strange, like being sick without actually being so.

With a roar that sounded like a tear in space, Brandy stumbled out of the crack and skidded across the stone. Several more members of the audience saw her, and pointed in excitement.

Meg watched her, trying to remember her name. It was… Bailey. No, that wasn't right. Bailey was the Bandit that sat right next to her, watching her think. Her name was… was…

"Brandy.", Meg breathed, and suddenly sat bolt-upright.

"Wha-", she said, and looked down at herself. "What am I doing?"

Somehow, while she had been under the influence of Bailey's voice, her tunic had changed from Blue to Red. But now that she had thrown off the magic, its original color was starting to seep in from the bottom. She turned, and saw Bailey looking at her in shock. "What are you doing to me?"

"Meg…", Bailey said, and reached out. "Look at me. Remember? I'm Bailey. Your best friend?"

She put every bit of effort into her words, trying to wrench control of Meg's mind again. But Meg stood there, and refused to move.

Brandy didn't know exactly what had happened to her. She didn't know why she had vanished, or what bizarre world she was in for those few seconds, but now an opportunity had been given to her, and she was not about to waste it.

Ryusei_Nakao69 grabbed the switch on his cannon, and turned it towards Brandy. Veronica began to open fire as well, but stopped when the steam of an impending Dash started to rise off of her body.

With a yell of triumph, backed by a roar of excitement from the audience, Brandy Dashed. She slammed right into Veronica's tower with a burst of damage, and a large crack snapped up the stone.

Another arrow pierced through Brandy's shoulder, one of Ryusei_Nakao69's cannonballs hit her in the chest. She raised her club to attack, but felt herself fade into Elixir before she could do so.

Oh well, she thought. I did what I could. And that's a lot of damage to his tower.

Meg struggled against Bailey's enchanting voice, trying as hard as she could not to fall under her spell again. Bailey just looked so pleading, so heartbroken that Meg wouldn't obey her.

"Come on, Meg.", she said, reaching out her hands. "It's me, Bailey. Your one true friend."

"My… friend?", Meg asked.

"Yes.", Bailey said, and took Meg's hand in hers. "Now come on. Sit down-"

But to her surprise, Meg's hand only slapped her across the face. Bailey fell to the bleachers, as Meg stood over her, a fire in her eyes. "You're not my friend.", she hissed, suddenly braver than she had ever been. "I don't need you anymore. I don't need Red."

She stared down at Bailey, making sure she noticed that her eyes were now a light shade of sky blue. "I have Blue."

"So, you're Blue now, eh?", came the voice of LeChris from up above her, and Meg looked up. The white-bearded King stared down at her, and gestured to Fred. With a single quick gesture that defied his massive size, Fred grabbed Meg around the waist, holding her up in front of LeChris's face. He stared into her eyes, boring deep into her still-damaged soul.

"Then by all means.", he said, and gave a small signal with his hands. "Go to them."

Fred cocked his arm back, and Meg understood what he had meant.

With a grunt of slight effort, Fred threw Meg into the air. She flew over the Arena, attracting the attention of many members of the crowd. They gasped, and several pointed at the random Musketeer that had been thrown at high speed.

"What the…", Jimmy muttered, with the elderly News Goblin still standing behind him. "What's going on down there?"

Oticat squinted, just barely managing to catch a glimpse of glasses as Meg flew by.

"Meg?", he breathed, but was suddenly torn out of his thoughts. A bell rang, and his Elixir bar began to fill up twice as fast. It was Double Elixir time- there was 1 minute left in the match.

"What?", he asked himself. "Already?"

But really, it made some sense to him- most of the match had just been the two Kings staring each other down, each waiting for the other's actions before playing anything. Now that he had only 60 seconds to recover from a 1-0 Tower disadvantage, he had to move quickly.

"Alright.", he whispered. "I think… I think I know what he's going to do. I hope."

Oticat took a deep breath, and hovered his finger over another card.

Meg landed with a massive crash in the Blue side of the Arena, the expensive metal seats buckling the force of her impact. But the regenerative magic that filled the entire area nullified the damage within seconds, and both she and the seats were good as new.

"Oohhh…", Meg groaned, and rubbed the side of her head. She took her helmet off, using its shiny surface as a makeshift mirror. "That hurt."

"Oh, hey Meg.", said Brenda, and Meg looked up to see the Bandit smiling at her.

"Nice of you to drop in.", she said, and slapped the seat next to her. "I was wondering when you decide to come over. Wanna sit down?"

"Uh..", Meg said, and nodded. She sat down next to Brenda, who raised a single eyebrow. "Yeah, that would be great."

"Gum?", Brenda asked, and held out a piece. Meg nodded again, popped the piece into her mouth, and began to chew.

"What flavor is this?", she asked. "I've never had it before."

"Oh, you know.", Brenda said, and scooted just a little closer to Meg. "Gum flavor."

The mood up in the seats was relatively light, considering the dire situation. But down on the field, the intensity was fully felt.

"Oh my gosh, there's only one minute left.", Brandy breathed, looking at the timer that was on the far wall of the dugout. "And… we're down a tower. Still."

"Yes.", said Bowza, and stood up. "But do not fear. Oticat has a plan."

"I know, I know.", said Brandy, and her head started to spin. "But-"

A field of black washed across her vision, and she fell to her side. "Oohhh-"

She saw herself, out on the field. Oticat had lost both towers, and Ryusei_Nakao69's side of the Arena was covered in a thick grey smoke. Visions of ethereal troops ran by her, and flashes of purple came from all around. Red and Blue confetti fell through the air, and a bizarrely Green light flashed from somewhere within the smoke. A gigantic clock ticked in the air, the numbers spinning around at random.

Brandy snapped back to reality, falling against Dan. "We're going to survive.", she said. "I just saw the battle- in overtime."

"What?", Dan asked. "What do you mean, you saw it?"

"It's-", Brandy said, and gripped the sides of her head. "It's my Stand again. The Dreamer. And you know what they say…"

She looked up, and tried to flash a confident smile. "The Dreamer is never wrong."

Out on the field, Bowza appeared in a puff of blue and white mist. He got up from his mystical crouch, and stared out over the battlefield. There was Ryusei_Nakao69's tower, just barely out of his range. But, to his hidden delight, he saw that it was only at 600 HP. If everything went exactly as according to Oticat's plan, Bowza could take the tower.

"So, you plan to chip down my tower with a Magic Archer behind the bridge.", Ryusei_Nakao69 muttered, then grinned. "A good effort, Oticat. But, ohohohoho-"

He tapped his interface, and selected a card of his own. "Your pathetic little Magic Archer's just a little too underleveled for that. He just won't deal quite enough damage…"

The Royal Giant landed on the ground in front of Ryusei_Nakao69's right tower with a mighty thud, and looked up. Gently sliding a cannonball into his huge cannon, he took a single ponderous step forward.

"You fought well, Oticat!", Ryusei_Nakao69 boomed, and spread his arms open wide. "But now, I'm afraid that this duel has come to a close."

He stared across the Arena with a frightening leer, letting every bit of his near-demonic nature show. Darkness started to spread across his skin like water, and his teeth grew slightly longer and sharper. "So, I must say-"

He was about to say Thanks. He was about to deliver the ultimate insult to the opponent he thought he had beaten, but was stopped. Stopped, by Oticat suddenly cracking a grin.

"What?", Ryusei_Nakao69 asked. "What is it? What's so funny?"

Oticat looked down, to where the Royal Giant was still stomping forward, Bowza right in front.

Bowza pulled back his magical bowstring, letting loose another arrow of light. It flew straighter than an iron rod, plunging deep through the Royal Giant's stomach, out the other side, and sliced off a part of the tower. Veronica's eyes widened, as she realized just how little HP she now had left. "Uh, Dad?", she asked, fumbling with her bow. Bowza was, infuriatingly, just barely out of her range.

"What-", Ryusei_Nakao69 snapped, then saw Bowza as well. His face softened, and he put a hand in front of his mouth as he laughed. "Oh, Veronica. There's nothing to be worried about. He's just a Magic Archer. He won't deal enough damage to take your tower before the time runs out!"

"But… shouldn't we play someone?", she asked. "You know, just in case?"

"No.", said Ryusei_Nakao69. "For that is the ultimate taunt, is it not? Just standing there, doing nothing, while your opponent's best efforts fall and break all by themselves?"

He threw back his head, and laughed. The sound of it spread across the entire Arena, a menacing ohohohohoho that chilled the bones of everyone present.

But unknown to Ryusei_Nakao69, there was one small, tiny, but ever so important detail in his plan. He had forgotten that he had been dead for weeks. He had neglected to check up on any important things that might destroy his plans, such as, say, a small damage buff to the Magic Archer, or a small nerf to the amount of HP that Princess Towers at level 13 had. And as luck would have it, one of those things had happened.

The arrows that Bowza shot were now 6% stronger, piercing through Veronica's stone tower that much better. And as Bowza shot one more, he knew that without a doubt that Oticat's plan had worked.

"This is it, folks.", Jimmy said quickly, up in the control booth. "This is the moment where it all comes down to. If that Magic Archer can destroy the tower in time, we enter Overtime and the fight continues. Otherwise…"

The crowd, not needing to hear the rest of Jimmy's words, loudly booed the Red King. There were cheers of desperate support from the Red side and every single member of TheEvilOverLords, but they were mostly drowned out by the massive roar of the Blue.

"Come on… come on…", Brandy panted, her eyes focused on the camera that broadcast live footage of the Arena. "I…"

She turned and buried her head in Dan's arm, and he pulled her closer. "I can't watch. I can't watch this."

Dan looked up, and finally made up his mind. It may have been cheating, what he was about to do, but anything was better than losing Brandy to TheEvilOverLords. So he took a deep breath, looked out into the air, and expelled. A thin cloud of Star Energy, invisible to anyone around him, streaked through the air at high speed. It flew right through the stone and ground of the dugout, through Oticat's King tower, across the Arena floor, and struck Bowza in the back with a soft pop.

Bowza looked at the tower, then looked at the clock. His heart fell, and he suddenly realized that Oticat's plan had failed after all. Veronica had 134 HP left, and there were 2 seconds left on the time. There was no way he could take it down in time after all- unless. Unless the prediction he had made had come through, and Dan had sent him some emergency Star energy.

Thank you, Dan, he thought, and he could feel that Dan had heard. I needed that.

Bowza took one last deep breath, pulled back his bow, and fired.

"Everyone, I don't know if he's going to make it or not.", Jimmy rattled from the booth, his glasses all but shaking from his own excitement. "This has all come down to the Magic Archer- will he make it, or not?"

"Yeah!", shouted the Blue side of the Arena as one, shaking the stands with the force of their agreement.

"No!", the Red side screamed, their harsh tones sending shivers down the spine of hundreds.

Brenda punched her fist into the air, then realized something. She looked up at the clock, then remembered how fast the three minutes had gone- while these last few seconds seemed to take forever. "Hey, wait a minute.", she said to no one in particular. "Why is time being all weird? Is this some kind of Stand abi-"

But she stopped talking, as every single member of the audience held their collective breaths. The Royal Giant looked down at the arrow of perfect light piercing his stomach, passing painlessly through him. Ryusei_Nakao69 stared down at it, slowly flying through the air, noticing the strange golden aura that hung around it like a curtain. And as the glowing tip struck her tower, Veronica shrieked, hitting the Eject button on the side.

The clock at last reached 0, and a harsh buzzing sound blared out across the entirety of the Arena. The match was over- but it wasn't. For in the very same moment, Bowza's Star-Charged arrow had dealt Veronica's tower the last of the damage needed to destroy it, and tied the score.

Brandy heard a harsh buzz sound throughout the dugout, and her heart stopped. Cold, heavy dread began to build at the bottom of her skull, and she felt her skin start to crawl.

"No, no, no, no, no-", she said, then stopped, when she heard the ecstatic cheers of everyone else in the dugout.

"Yooooo!", the Ratzo Brothers screamed as one, giving each other a fistbump that knocked them both onto the ground. "He did it! Bowza did it!"

Agatha put her hands together, and stared up into the sky. "Thanks, honey.", she said, knowing Bowza could hear. "I knew you could do it."

Brandy stared for a second, then punched the air in triumph. "Yes!", she yelled, so loud that her screams could be heard even through the sound-resistant walls of the dugout. "Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!"

Dan grabbed Brandy from behind, bringing her close in a crushing hug. He said nothing- the tears of joy running down his face was proof enough of what he thought.

"We did it, Brandy.", he whispered. "We survived."

"Yeah.", Brandy said. "But it's not over yet."

She stared at the screen, which now read "OVERTIME" in bright red, flashing letters. "Far from it."

Bowza placed a hand on his bow, drawing out another arrow of light from the air around him. He couldn't chip the tower anymore, but he could still deal damage to the Royal Giant.

"Well.", Ryusei_Nakao69 said, and placed one finger on his interface. "Looks like we need to push a little harder."

He selected his next card, and dragged it to behind the Royal Giant.

"I fully expect him to play that Skeleton Army of his…", he muttered. "Too bad I'll just-"

He suddenly stumbled, a loud crash erupting from somewhere in the dugout. He turned around, and saw Chad and Valeyrie, practically at each other's throats. Rick and Nidavaleer tried to hold them back, but the rage between them was too strong.

"You two!", he roared, and the two looked up. Ryusei_Nakao69 practically steamed with anger, dark cracks appearing in his face from the stress.

"Sit down, right now.", he growled, staring right at them with all the force he could muster. "Or so help me, I will kill both of you."

Rick gave one last yank, and pulled Chad back onto the bench. Valeyrie wrenched herself underneath Nidavaleer's grip, and sat down beside him, unable to see Chad. She gave a huff of anger, and blew her hair out of her face.

Ryusei_Nakao69 turned back to the field, and forced a wicked smile. Oticat's Skeleton Army landed in front of the Royal Giant, squeaking fierce battle cries as they ran to attack.

"Too bad, Oticat.", Ryusei_Nakao69 said, and withdrew his finger from the interface. "My Wizard will certainly make short work of your-"

He stopped mid sentence, and looked again. He had meant to drop his Wizard right behind his Royal Giant, but no one was there. Looking down at his interface, he could very clearly see that the Wizard was not in his hand- he had played it. And yet…

The Skeletons closed in on the Royal Giant, and started to stab it over and over with a dozen tiny blades. Bowza kept shooting all the while, each precise shot taking off a little more of the Royal Giant's health. Ryusei_Nakao69 kept searching for his Wizard, his eyes sweeping back and forth across the Arena- until he found him.

Mason the Wizard had appeared at the opposite bridge, adjusting his glasses and looking rather confused. He took a look at the Skeleton Army and Bowza on the other side of the Arena, both Troops that he would be easily able to defeat, then up at his King in confusion.

"How the-", Ryusei_Nakao69 began, trying to figure out how he could have misplayed, then came to a sudden, awkward realization. It was the bump. The bump that had been caused by Chad and Valeyrie's fight in the dugout had caused his finger to slip, and misplay Mason.

"Curse… it…", he growled, and the dark scars under his eyes began to glow a ghastly red.

With a moan of agony, Ted the Royal Giant at last collapsed into Elixir. The puddle of purple liquid splashed between the feet and legs of the Skeleton Army as they advanced across the bridge, Bowza following up from behind in confident strides. Mason started to walk across the bridge. Even if he had been misplayed, he was now determined to do as much damage as possible.

"Brandy, go get em.", Oticat said, and flicked his finger forward. "You can take out that Wizard, easily."

There was a flash of blue and green, and Brandy materialized onto the field, right in front of Oticat's left tower. "Right.", she said, and cracked her knuckles. "That'll be easy."

Ryusei_Nakao69 looked at the scene unfolding before him, and clenched down on his teeth so hard that they almost broke. But, despite his anger, he knew exactly what to do next.

Placing his hands over his interface, he played his first card, finally using his full Elixir.

With a shrill cry and a pop of lightning, Tsarsus landed in the middle of the Skeleton Army, blowing most of them to Elixir and taking off a fair chunk of Bowza's health.

The rest of the Skeletons turned, converging on Tsarsus, and Bowza took aim.

Song: Fight to Antagonize

"Electricity!", Tsarsus shrieked, and shot a combined bolt of plasma straight at Bowza's head. The electrical charge hit him, instantly resetting his position to what it had been when he entered the battlefield. But this fight was not only between him and Tsarsus- there were Skeletons as well. Four of them had managed to survive Tsarsus's flashy entrance, and were eager to enact their revenge.

With fierce faces and even more ferocious screams, they sunk their dimunitive blades into Tsarsus's legs. He grit his teeth in pain, but he was far from dead.

As Mason strode down the lane, he saw Brandy running right at him. He swallowed hard, and almost tripped on the stony ground. Even if he was 1 level Brandy's superior, she could still easily counter him- especially with the help of a tower. He pushed his hands together, preparing to throw a ball of flame, but deep down, he knew it was useless.

"Fire!", he yelled, trying to maintain a confident air like any proper Wizard should, and shot forth his blazing projectile. Brandy yelled and Dashed forward at the same moment, the flame sliding off of her now-invincible self like water off a rooftop. At nearly sonic speed, she collided with Mason's stomach, knocking a lot of HP off his health bar.

"Fireball!", he said again, and blasted a stream of flames directly into Brandy's face. No longer protected by her Dash, the impact hurt. But not enough to take her down.

With another quick strike, more of the Wizard's HP dropped off. He coughed, and tried to keep on looking professional. "Magi-", he began, and concentrated another burst of heat in between his hands.

But Brandy's hit speed was too fast for him. As another of Elizabeth's shots whisked by her and sliced Mason in the face, she knew that his fireball wasn't going to land.

"Dorra!", she yelled, and punched upwards, her fist solidly connecting with Mason's fragile jaw.

His fireball dissipated into nothing in his hands, which fell to his sides. He slowly dissolved into a puddle of Elixir upon the ground, soaking into the Blue stone within moments. Brandy wiped a drop of Elixir off her cheek, crouched, and again began to run.

"Electrons!", Tsarsus shrieked, and launched another burst of lightning. It arced over the heads of the Skeletons that were still attacking him and flowed right into Bowza, striking off the very last of his hitpoints. With a simple cross of the arms and a close of the eyes, Bowza vanished into the ground.

"Ah, I finally got him.", Tsarsus said, and grinned. "Now I can-"

He felt another four blades sink into his foot, and felt a distinct fizzing sensation. He looked up, and saw his healthbar drop to nothing. He looked forward again, a totally deadpan look crossing his face.

"Oh, I'm dead now aren't I-", he said, and dropped into a puddle.

"My, my.", said TheSenate from up in the seats. "Ryus isn't doing all that well, is he?"

"No, it would appear not.", said LeChris with a stroke of his beard. "He's rusty- but that's to be expected. After all, how long has it been since he last fought in the Arena? 6 months? 7?"

"8.", said Chloe, a very small voice. "He said to me that the last time he did an Arena battle was 8 months ago."

"Heh.", said TheSenate, and tried not to look worried. "Should have been one of us."

"Should have?", LeChris asked. "No. This is his fight. His problem, his debt that he has to get out of. Who could it be… but him?"

Brandy ran down the left lane of the Arena, trying to go faster. Even though the Arena's magical field wouldn't let her, she still tried anyway. She had to try as hard as she could, if Oticat was to win.

"Come on, come on…", she whispered. "Don't play anything… don't notice me…"

But notice her Ryusei_Nakao69 did. He grinned deviously, as he searched through his hand for something to counter her. There was Chad and Rick- but he wanted to save them for later. There was Valeyrie- the same reasoning. There was- huh. That was odd. He blinked, and took another look at the third card in his lineup. It made no sense, but…

"I certainly won't complain.", Ryusei_Nakao69 laughed to himself, and tapped the card.

"This is one intense battle, folks.", Jimmy Firecracker said, trying to keep all the sweat on his forehead from dripping onto the microphone. "And now that it's in overtime, the stakes are higher than ever. Both Kings have a good shot for the next crown here- this could very easily go either way."

"Jimmy, Jimmy.", said the Old Goblin, and gently clapped him on the back. "You're taking up too much space. Look, down there."

He pointed down at the field with a fragile, shaking hand, and Jimmy followed, not entirely sure what he was getting at. "Zat's what the audience wants to see. Not you."

"Uh…", Jimmy said, more than just slightly offended. "Okay. Sir."

"Zat's my boy!", the Goblin said, and rolled backwards. "Now, keep those ratings afloat. We're bound to hit 80% soon!"

"Okay, sir.", said Jimmy. He looked down, trying to keep the microphone from falling out of his hands.

Brandy stopped, now within Dash range of the tower. She crouched and took a breath, as she felt the steam start to rise off her body. Within a mere second, she would hit the tower.

Or she would have, if a bolt of lightning had not struck her in the back, and Tsarsus once more come falling from the sky.

Most of the audience immediately looked shocked. Ryusei_Nakao69 did not have a Mirror in his deck, and his cycle was not nearly quick enough to be able to play the Electro Wizard again.

Brenda stood up, and stared. "Phantom, he's cheating.", she said. "What's going on?"

The Phantom closed his eyes, and took in the situation. He saw a massive aura settling over the area like a massive orange blanket, and understood.

"Do you not feel it, mistress?", he asked. "That vast, impossible aura of chaos? Permeating the entire Arena, messing with order?"

"No.", Brenda said, trying her hardest to feel what the Phantom felt.

"Well, that's what's causing it.", said the Phantom, and retreated back into her. "This is no ordinary battle. Here… anything could happen. Yes, anything at all."

Brandy staggered back, in utter shock. She had just seen the Electro Wizard go down only seconds earlier, on the other side of the Arena. There was no possible way that Ryusei_Nakao69 could possibly have played him now- and yet, there he was.

But it didn't matter to Brandy. Tsarsus, remarkable as his reappearance may have been, was still just an enemy to be defeated. And even if she couldn't Dash at such short range, she would have to try.

With a sharp cry, Brandy smacked her bat across Tsarsus' face. His head snapped back, then cracked back to normal as he launched twin bolts of electricity out of both of his hands. They flew into Brandy's arm, illuminating her nervous system with the sheer voltage.

She felt a sharp pain run through her- her health bar was dangerously low. She set her feet and struck again, slashing her bat all the way down Tsarsus's arm with a bizarre hatred.

"Electricity!", Tsarsus shrieked, and fired again. Brandy stopped moving, and felt herself dissolve into Elixir as everything went black.

"My, it really was a good idea to bring Tsarsus along, wasn't it?", Ryusei_Nakao69 mused, as he saw him handle yet another threat. "I'm glad I thought to do it."

"Yes…", said Chad from the dugout, and Ryusei_Nakao69's mechanically enhanced ears perked up to listen.

"But what about us, sir?", Chad continued, pointing towards himself and Rick. "You've only played us once. Are we not your favorites? Are we not your finest Troops?"

Ryusei_Nakao69 only smiled, and ran his fingers down his cheek. A thin trail of blood appeared in his torn skin, dripping onto the edge of his tower. "Yes, Chad. You are. But I cannot play you right now. When the time is right, you'll win for me."

He grinned wider, a tiny black symbol appearing somewhere within his crimson eyes. "Yes…"

Brandy fell back down onto the bench, and buried her head in between her hands.

"That was dumb.", she said. "I didn't even get any tower damage, and somehow Ryusei_Nakao69's cheati-"

Then she looked up, and her thoughts began to race. "Hey wait a minute, he's cheating!"

She stood up, and grabbed the sides of her head in intense thought. "If he's cheating, then he just forfeit the match! We can get him thrown out! We can-"

"I wish that was true, Brandy.", Bowza said. "But unfortunately, it is not."

He gestured outwards, bringing Brandy's attention to the copy of the digital interface that was projected along one wall. "Do you see that?"

Brandy looked, and her eyes widened. The positions of cards were switching back and forth at unsettlingly high speeds, the regular rotation gone.

"What's happening?", she asked, hoping that Bowza knew. "What's going on?"

Bowza just sighed. "I don't know exactly. But there is some sort of aura over the whole Arena- some vast field of chaos. I'm not sure where it came from, but…"

He stared forward deeper into the metaphysical realm, trying to make sense of it. "This is no longer any ordinary match."

"Electrons!", Tsarsus yelled from above, and an arrow struck him in the shoulder. The lightning erupting from his hands ceased, as the bottoms of his feet began to turn into Elixir.

"Ah, crap-", he said, and collapsed into a pile of Elixir before he could finish his sentence.

"I did it.", Oticat whispered. "I finally caught that Electro Wizard of his out of rotati-"

Then he stopped, realizing how little that meant at this point.

"Or at least I probably did.", he said, and hovered his hand over his interface. "And luckily for me, it appears that I'm keeping him on the ropes. As long as he doesn't get to play that Royal Giant or Mega Knight, I am good…"

Oticat let his hand fall, and the Ratzo Brothers once again appeared at the bridge. Normally, they wouldn't be in rotation, but Ryusei_Nakao69 was not the only one who had learned to take advantage of the strange conditions.

"Alright guys, you've got this.", he said, and the Ratzo Brothers began to lumber forward. "Go get em."

"Oh?", Ryusei_Nakao69 chuckled, as he saw the Battle Ram coming closer. "You think that just because my Electro Wizard is probably out of rotation, that you can play your little Battle Ram without any reconciliation? Think again."

With a flick of his wrist and a lightning-fast broadcast of the Yawning Princess emote, Ryusei_Nakao69 played another card. There was a flash of red and orange, and his Wizard appeared in the middle of the lane.

"Have you forgotten about him?", the King asked jokingly, and grinned. "Or did you just want your Battle Ram to fail?"

Oticat chose to say nothing, merely instead planning his next move. The Ratzo Brothers charged forward, and Mason gathered another shot of flame.

"I don't like what's going on here.", Brenda said, looking out over the crowd. "This chaos isn't normal. In fact… I think this might just be the work of an enemy Stand."

"No.", said the Phantom. "It is not. I can sense hostile Stands, and there are none here to be found. Rather, I think this has something to do with Grrshknn."

Brenda's face turned a shade paler, though it was noticed by no one. "Grsshknn?", she asked slowly. "Do you think he might be here?"

"I saw him.", said the Phantom. "Although you may have referred to him as Dr'ew."

"Oh.", said Brenda quietly, and she suddenly felt that she had to sit down. "Oh."

"Fire!", Mason yelled, and launched a blazing blast at the Ratzo Brother's Ram. They came charging down the aisle, finally having picked up enough speed to do so- but their health bar was becoming dangerously low. At this rate, it would only take a few more shots from Mason to finish them off.

"Fireball!", he yelled again, and another wave of heat ripped down the sides of the Ram. They were approaching the tower at high speed- but even as they did so, the arrows of the Princess started to deal them additional damage.

"Come on!", shouted one of the brothers, and they both ran a little faster.

"Let's go!", yelled his partner, and redoubled their efforts. Mason stood in their path, pulling together another fireball from the air, but the Ratzo Brothers pushed him aside like a fist through water on their way to the tower.

The shining stone of the tower was now only within feet of their impact range. Both the Ratzo Brothers gave one final push, heaved the Ram over their heads- and stopped as the last of the Ram's hitpoints ran out, only half a second before it had hit.

The audience groaned, and some members of the Blue side looked away. The Red side cheered, several of them standing up and doing a stupid little dance known only as "The Egg."

The Ratzo Brothers crashed to the ground, instantly picking up their swords as they did so. Affixing Mason with an angry stare, they gave a yell of conquest and walked towards him.

Mason pulled up yet another blast of flame, and launched it straight at the Brothers. It exploded against their faces like a cloud of smoke, dropping both of their HP bars dramatically.

Nevertheless, they persisted, pushing onwards through the smoky ground. With twin roars of anger, they swung their swords directly at Mason's head.

He yelped in pain, and gathered another blast of flame. The Ratzo Brothers tried to attack, but their slow speed was nothing in comparison to the notoriously quick hitspeed of the Wizard.

With a burst of Elixir, the blast of flame finished the two off, Mason still at a fair bit of health.

"Oticat?", Brandy said from the bench. "Should I- should I go out there again?"

"No.", said Oticat, carefully watching every second of the battle unfolding. "I still need you for something. You and Dan both. If we want to take out that Wizard of his…"

There was a soft tap as he played another card. Bowza nodded, stood up, and disappeared.

"We have to play smart."

Ryusei_Nakao69 held two fingers over his interface, ready to play both at any moment. Even if it had been many months since he had fought in the Arena, he still had a lot of knowledge stored up from before that. And with such a close, intense match, it was all coming back.

"Your Magic Archer, eh?", he said, as he saw Bowza confidently stride to where Mason was waiting. "You know, no matter how hard I try, I just cannot imagine that being a good counter. In any way."

Mason kept on walking proudly closer, trying to put on a good air. But far out of his range, Bowza stopped at the edge of his. With a deep breath, he grabbed, nocked, and fired an arrow.

It pierced Mason all the way through his torso, vanishing in a puff of magic some steps behind.

"Magic!", Mason breathed, his voice suddenly giving out on him, and kept on running. After he finally found Bowza within his range, he stopped, putting his hands together in preparation.

"Howda.", Bowza said underneath his breath, in a deep gravelly voice. He fired another arrow, this one entering through the middle of Mason's chest and exiting out the back of his spine.

But the damage was not quite enough to finish off Mason yet. No, he could pull of one final shot if his life depended on it. Which, judging from Ryusei_Nakao69's typical reactions when he lost, it most likely did.

"Fire!", he yelled, and launched a blazing hot ball of flame.

"Howda.", Bowza breathed, and shot the perfect arrow.

The two magical projectiles barreled towards each at top speed, both aimed straight and true. They did not collide upon hitting each other- such an even would have unintended consequences indeed. Instead, they flew through and past each other, both striking their target dead-center in the head.

Bowza nodded, and dissolved into Elixir. Mason clenched his fist, and did the same.

"Now, Dad?", asked Veronica. "Is it time?"

"No, not yet.", said Ryusei_Nakao69 with a wave of his hand. "We must wait until he does something. Then, and only then, can we afford to strike.

Oticat saw them talking. He couldn't quite hear what, but he knew it was important. So he just flicked his fingers across the digital bar on the interface, and played his cheapest card.

With a puff of ice and a maniac laugh, Randy popped into being in front of Oticat's own tower. Setting his sights on Veronica's tower, he ran off in chase.

"Now?", Veronica asked, seeing the look on Oticat's face. "He looks really worried. Should we-"

"No, no, and now.", said Ryusei_Nakao69, with a heavy sigh. "Once again, we need to wait before he plays something heavy."

Randy hopped, skipped, and jumped up into the air, over the bridge, and deep into the Red territory. Veronica shot a single arrow, but it only took him down to ⅔ of his health.

"Okay, n-", Veronica asked, but was instantly shot down by the look given by her father.

Randy splashed against the tower, managing to bring down the health just a little bit.

Ryusei_Nakao69 looked up, then back down at his own readout. His Elixir bar was almost at 10, just a little more was needed. And he had the exact rotation that he wanted, provided that it didn't try to suddenly change on him.

Oticat took a look at the field, and felt a cold sweat break out all over his face. He knew that Ryusei_Nakao69's tower was still far ahead of him in hitpoints, and would be of course heavily guarded. But Oticat also knew that he had not one, but two secret weapons.

"Oticat…", Ryusei_Nakao69 thought to himself. "What is your 8th card? I have not yet seen you play it…"

A breeze blew from somewhere behind him, flipping his hair forward. The curtain it briefly created across his vision seemed to hold an image, one of Oticat's tower collapsing in on itself.

"Yes…", he whispered, not noticing that his hand clenched on its own. A drop of blood fell from his fist. With bloodshot eyes, Ryusei_Nakao69 stared into the future. "I see what lies ahead of me. This is my certain victory."

Oticat stared ahead, just waiting for his Elixir bar to fill up. Just a little more, just a little more…

Ryusei_Nakao69 flipped through his cards again, not wanting anything to screw them up. There they still were, all in their proper placements.

"30 seconds left!", shouted the audience, as they saw the readout on the massive orbiting Score Platform change. Both Oticat and Ryusei_Nakao69 stopped thinking and planning, and knew that it was now time to do.

Song: The Power to Resist

"Guys.", Oticat said, and dragged two fingers to the middle of his interface. "You're up. Take us home."

Oticat's Elixir bar emptied, as two flashes of light appeared in the middle of his side of the Arena. Brandy and Dan came into being, right in front of the river.

"Why did he play us here?", Brandy said. "There's nothing blocking the tower."

"He has a plan.", said Dan, and looked forward, trying to restrain the Star within him. "Oticat always does."

Ryusei_Nakao69's own finger had already hit its mark, not noticing Oticat's double play. With a burst of red illumination, Valeyrie appeared up the river from Brandy and Dan.

Ryusei_Nakao69 only then noticed what Oticat had done. He inwardly cursed himself, realizing that both the Mega Knight and Bandit where Troops that could cross the river in their special attacks. "Wha-"

Oticat laughed, and a large illuminated "Thanks!" appeared next to his tower. The crowd roared, and Oticat pointed a finger towards his opponent.

"I gotta say, I wasn't sure that maneuver was going to work. But thanks to that Valkyrie placement, you made it all happen."

He took an exaggerated bow, and Ryusei_Nakao69 felt his mind twist with anger.

"You… you think you've won?", he growled, and the air started to heat up around him. "Do you really think you can beat me, with such foolish actions?"

Oticat perked up. "Hm?"

Brandy crouched, and Dan did the same. Steam rose off of both their bodies, as they prepared to leap the river. Valeyrie would be crushed beneath their combined assault- they both knew it.

"You ready?", Brandy whispered, trying to calm her beating heart. Even though they both made a powerful force, they only had one chance to do this. If they failed, it would all be over.

"Only as ready as you are.", Dan said, and slightly moved. He nudged Brandy's shoulder, almost knocking her over.

"Love tap.", he said, and Brandy looked up.

"Wait, what-", she started to say, then stopped. There was no more time for words. No more time for thinking. All that remained now was the battle, and the survival of her very soul.

"Haaa!", she screamed, and launched herself forward. As she flew straighter than an Archer's arrow, over the river and towards the other side, Dan leaped forward into the air.

"Rrrrhhhaaa!", he bellowed, as he flew high over the river, nearly crashing into the airborne score sign.

"Come and get it, you little bugge-", Valeyrie growled, and shifted into a defensive stance as the pair came flying towards her. But even her strength and preparation crumbled into nothing, as Brandy collided into her leg with a small explosion.

Valeyrie's health bar dropped, and she swung her axe up behind her to strike. "You brat-"

But she was interrupted yet again, with the mighty impact from Dan's landing. She staggered back, nearly dropping her axe.

Ryusei_Nakao69's eyes suddenly lit up with evil glee, and his face broke open into a wild grin that almost seemed to stretch beyond the confines of his cheeks.

"You fell for it, fool!", he shouted, and swept his fingers across his interface. "You spent all your Elixir! Good luck trying to counter my…"

With a puff of red, Chad and Rick slammed down at the bridge, beating their swords against their chests. "Elite Barbarians!"

Oticat's confident air suddenly dropped into nothing. His face paled, as he looked down at his cards. 0 Elixir, and both Randy and the Log weren't in his hand. He had just made a terrible, terrible mistake.

"Brandy! Dan!", he shouted, cupping his hands around his mouth. "You're our only hope!"

For just a second, Brandy looked back. She saw the Elite Barbarians charging towards Oticat's tower, and her heart dropped out of her chest.

"Brandy!", Dan roared, and smacked his massive fists into Valeyrie's face. "Don't get distracted!"

Brandy turned back, and roared as she slashed her bat as hard as she could. But Valeyrie was still a powerful tank, able to take more damage than the two could dish out at once.

"You lost!", she sang, and swung around, damaging both of them. "Too bad, so sad!"

With trembling hands, Elizabeth nocked another arrow. She let it fly into Chad's shoulder, hoping to at least slow them down, but the Elite Barbarian hardly even felt the blow.

"Dad, I don't think I can hold them!", she screamed, and her eyes widened in fear.

"No.", Oticat said, and flicked his finger across the board. The strange magic that affected the card rotations had activated again. "But he can."

"He?", Elizabeth asked, then saw Randy appear out of the air right in front of the two Elite Barbarians. With a laugh and a jump, he burst all over them, freezing the pair for a second.

"You think we lost?", Brandy yelled, and swung again. Her bat snuck in between Dan's enormous blow, and Valeyrie's health dropped again, now to almost nothing. "We're the ones winning here, in case you haven't noticed!"

But even through Brandy's confident words, her fear still crept through. Like an ugly black tar, she could feel it creeping up the back of her throat and gnawing at the back of her brain.

"Get some!", Valeyrie screamed, and swung her axe again. Brandy felt her health bar drop, almost to the point of defeat. Dan's was dropping as well, but he was still stable. But if Brandy fell here, they wouldn't be able to take down Ryusei_Nakao69's tower before Chad and Rick took Oticat's.

The Elite Barbarians stood stock still for a brief moment, allowing Elizabeth to get in two more shots. But they were at their maximum level, and the attacks did very little to damage them.

Finally, with the sound of shattering frost, they broke out of their icy prison, and began to run forward again.

"Dad?", Elizabeth said, trying and failing to keep the fear from her voice.

"I'm working on it, Elizabeth!", Oticat said, trying and succeeding to keep the fear from his own.

"I just need a little… more… Elixir…"

Valeyrie cocked her axe behind her shoulder, and grinned in a wide, smug arc. With the beginnings of a yell of triumph, she started to swing- only to burst into a puddle upon one more solid hit from Brandy.

"Let's go.", she said, and crouched to Dash again.

"Yeah.", said Dan, and did the same.

Ryusei_Nakao69 grinned- this was still his plan. He could not quite take out Dan, but he could finish off Brandy. Her last memories of fighting for Blue would be of defeat, he could ensure that.

With a dramatic flourish, the tip of his Fireball appeared in his hand. It had been the one to bring the two down before- the irony was almost too much for him to handle.

"Good game, Oticat.", he whispered, suddenly dead serious. "Good. Game."

Then his face returned to its regular insanity, and his threw the Fireball forward. "Kyyeaa!"

But as the Fireball flew towards her, Brandy felt no fear. She felt no hesitation, or doubt. She felt only a strange sort of peace, as she initiated her Dash, Dan right beside her.

No one saw exactly what happened next. But everyone knew what happened.

In one glorious moment, both Brandy and Dan jumped forward at the same time. The Fireball crashed harmlessly to the ground behind them, and they slammed into Stacie's tower with the combined force of a maxed-out Rocket. A small bit of silver light trailed behind Brandy, but it was noticed by nobody.

Stacie's tower shook, its health dropping dramatically. Ryusei_Nakao69 recoiled, instantly regretting the choice to BM a little bit instead of just throwing the Fireball right away.

Chad and Rick both bellowed a menacing battle cry, as they finally reached Elizabeth's tower. The two twin blades slashed a pair of deep cuts in the stone, the HP dropping like a stone.

"Dad, are you gonna help me?", Elizabeth yelled, and Oticat made his move.

The Log flew forward, catching both the Elite Barbarians at the ankles and sending them face-first into the dirt. But even though Ryusei_Nakao69 had been ever so eager to find out what Oticat's eighth card was, he was too busy looking at Brandy and Dan to find out.

Brandy and Dan both attacked again, the structure of the tower beginning to crack open. This was it. They had to do this. If they didn't, every effort any of them had made for Brandy's protection, ever since the beginning of the whole thing, would have meant nothing.

Brandy's heart beat faster, as she tried as hard as she could to attack as quickly as possible. Putting all of her hatred into each blow, she could see that each of her attacks, astonishingly, actually began to do more damage.

"Brandy!", screamed Oticat, as the two Elite Barbarians started hammering on Elizabeth's tower once more. "Dan! Finish it!"

As one, the entire Blue side of the Arena leaned forward in anticipation. "Do it!"

Chad swung his sword downward, letting his demonic strength begin to flow through him. He did not care if wasn't legal- nothing he had ever done was. He felt the lust deep within him course throughout his entire body, lending his arms unnatural strength.

Rick attacked as hard as he could, filled with nothing but the desire to kill and destroy. His entire life had been spent under Chad's shadow, and he knew it. But he was happy with that fate- it let him be exactly who he was. A hungry, berserk monster.

Brandy and Dan raised their arms, at exactly the same time. As if on cue, a single beam of sunshine burst through the clouds, and illuminated the two, caught in perfect harmony.

Dan's heart beat like a raging storm, sending waves of both anger and passion through his mind and his body. His entire being united into one unstoppable, destructive force, and he swung his fists downward as hard as he possibly could.

Brandy's mind cleared, and she saw the exact place where she should hit. With a precision born of some unknown source, she lashed out with her bat, striking her opponent's tower exactly where it would hurt the absolute most.

And as they did so, Brandy and Dan pushed up against each other, and screamed. They screamed a scream of anger, of hatred, of violence- but it was more a scream of triumph. It was one of unity, friendship, and, most importantly, of love.

The clock hit Zero, and there was a tremendous, echoing crash of pure force. Twin shockwaves of colliding Reds and Blues tore out from both towers, enormous gusts of winds that blew spectators off their feet. A gigantic cloud of dust billowed up from the Arena floor, completely obscuring the views of everyone that tried to see.

"Jimmy.", whispered the Old Goblin, right into his ear. "Vat are our ratings like? Are zey good?"

"Well, uh, they're actually-", Jimmy began, but the Old Goblin wasn't done.

"Are zey 80? No, zey're 90. No, don't tell me- are ve actually at 100%?"

"Sir, if you'd just-", said Jimmy, but the Old Goblin instantly shut him up.

"We've been getting viewers from as var away as Retropolis and the Rushlands.", he said. "I knew zat ze very virst battle in ze Legendary Arena 2 vould be popular, but I never imagined zat-"

"Uh, sir?", said Joe, holding up a busted camera. "That explosion just blew out all of our cameras. We're… we're totally dark."

"Vat?", said the Old Goblin, and recoiled in shock. "But- but ve don't even know who von!"

He pressed his ancient eyes to the glass of the spectator booth, trying in vain to see the outcome. "Who von? Who was ze victor?"

The entire audience tried to see around the enormous cloud of smoke, some attempting to blow it away. The Stage Goblins were backstage, trying to get the fans to work, but it was a slow process. They hadn't been used in months, and some of them were apparently still in their plastic wrapping from the time they had been shipped.

"Uh, Phantom?", Brenda said, messing with her communicator in an attempt to call Brandy. "Do you think that you could do something about-"

No, the Phantom said. My powers are mostly mental- there isn't really anything I can do to remove a giant cloud of smoke.

"Come on, little squid friend.", said Cookie, down in the front row seat. "Let's get rid of this smoke together!"

Her Stand, gained the night before, chirruped happily, and spun its tentacles around in a circle. The fan effect generated did manage to blow away some of the dust cloud, but it hardly made a dent in its sheer size.

Oticat's entire dugout held their breath. If Brandy and Dan had managed to destroy the tower first, then they would still be out on the battlefield. But if they hadn't been quick enough, then they would be appearing in just a few seconds.

Don't appear, don't appear…, Agatha thought, her hands together in pleading. Come on…

But her heart dropped into a pit of black despair, as there was a flash of Blue light. Brandy and Dan fell out of the air, landed on the floor, and… cheered?

"We did it!", Brandy yelled, swinging her fist in a wide, reckless arc. "We took the tower!"

Her Dash flared around her, slightly tinged with a ring of purple. "Woooooooooo!"

"But-", Agatha said, then figured that it was not the time for questions. If they had taken the tower, then that certainly meant victory. And that was good enough.

Dan looked down at Brandy, and his eyes dripped with tears. Fighting back his roaring heart, he grabbed her by the waist, and lifted her up to his face.

"Dan, what-", she said, then Dan's vizor flipped up. She could see his face, glowing with passion, and knew what was to be done.

Brandy closed her eyes, and leaned in. Dan let his own fall shut, and brought Brandy closer to him, the waves of harmony filling the air.

"Oh, what's this?", Rogan said, trying to attract the attention of the audience. "Everyone, would you please look over here to our Blue team dugout, there's finally something to see!"

The audience all turned as one, even the Red, persuaded by the raw energy crackling off of Rogan's excited words.

Valia, up in the top row, gasped. Terrence pumped the air with his lance. Brenda cracked a wide grin, and Meg's face turned red.

The entire audience, as one, opened their mouths to speak. "Kiss caaaaam!"

With a burst of pure love, Brandy and Dan's lips met. He pulled her closer to him, not wanting to lose any part of this moment. She wrapped her arms around his neck, burying herself in his purity, finally able to feel safe. They had won, after all the trouble. They had won, after all the pain. And as their kiss continued, she felt the memories rushing back.

The night before, during the party. They had confessed their love to each other, that they only now realized had been there all along.

Bowza put his arm around Agatha, and she put her head on his shoulder.

"You know, it kind of reminds me of when we were first dating.", he said, and Agatha gave a warm smile.

"Yeah.", she said, and rolled her eyes upwards to stare into his. "Those days aren't over, you know."

She ran her fingers up his shoulder playfully, and wrapped one leg around his. "We can pick them up again, anytime we want…"

Sadie smiled, feeling the romance flow through the cramped dugout like a cool air in a desert.

"It's wonderful, isn't it?", she asked to no one in particular.

"Yeah.", said Elizabeth, still straightening her crown from the fall she had taken into the dugout. "It really is."

Song: Approach

Sadie's smile suddenly dropped from her face. Ever so slowly, she turned her head to stare at her sister, who's sudden appearance in the dugout meant something very, very bad.

"Elizabeth?", she said, trying to keep her voice from trembling. "Please, please tell me that you didn't just fall from your tower."

Elizabeth winced, and stared down at the ground. "Well, I would.", she said. "But that would be lying."

Brandy and Dan finally broke off their kiss, each of them taking a huge gulp of air. Their ecstatic moods were suddenly shattered, when they heard the last bit of the conversation between the Princesses. Brandy, still held up in the air by Dan, looked down.

"Wait, what?", she said, trying to figure out what had happened. "But- if we destroyed their tower, and they destroyed yours, then…"

She slapped the sides of her head, and shrieked. The smoke cleared enough to reveal the now-empty Arena, all four Princess towers lying in rubble upon the ground. The audience shared their next words with Brandy, all of them in confusion and shock.

"We tied?"

As the murmurs from the audience began to grow in intensity, Chad and Rick appeared on the bench of Ryusei_Nakao69's dugout. "Sir.", said Chad, and looked up.

But the King knew it already. "Yes, yes.", he said. "We tied…"

His eyes tightened in glee. "But that is a good thing, yes? I think I've finally managed to figure out how to beat Oticat now. He has one glaring weakness that so far, I've somehow failed to exploit…"

"Uh, sir?", Mason said timidly. "You can't."
"Can't what, Mason?", asked Ryusei_Nakao69.

"You can't fight him anymore.", Mason said, trying to look as unassuming as possible. "The match is over."

Ryusei_Nakao69's smile dropped off of his face. The corner of his eyes twitched, and a furious rage worked its way into his heart.

"Curse…", he whispered, staring at Oticat on his own tower. "You…"

"We tied.", Brandy said again. "That means… that means…"

She looked up, and again into Dan's face. "We did it. We escaped him."

Dan's eyes widened, and he pulled Brandy a bit closer. "You're right. Even though it was a tie, we basically just won!"

"Do you hear that, you fat ugly bastard?", Brandy yelled, and pointed in a random direction, hoping that she was facing towards the hidden location of the dugout camera. "You can't get me anymore! I win!"

Even though she was facing the opposite direction from the camera, her voice still came through loud and clear. The entire audience heard what she was saying.

"What?", LeChris whispered, and recoiled in shock. "Ryusei_Nakao69… lost?"

"What happens now?", Bailey asked. "Do we… just go home? Should we try to get her later?"

"No.", said thesenate, and stood up. He tapped his Kingly communicator frantically, trying to open up a channel to Ryusei_Nakao69. "I have a better idea."

"What happened?", Meg asked blearily, blinking her eyes open. She had fainted for a few seconds, unable to process the excitement of not knowing the battle's outcome. "Who wo-"

She was immediately bowled over by Brenda Dashing into her, carrying her up several flights of steps in a tight embrace. "We won!", Brenda shouted, not caring that she knocked over several lines of Troops as she went. "Meg, they won!"

Then she stopped, and stared into Meg's eyes. "Well, I suppose not technically, but seeing as how our goal was just to win or get a tie, and they did one of those…"

Meg closed her eyes, and tried to focus on the sky above. Thank you, she thought. Anyone who let this miracle happen… I'm grateful for that.

"What happens now?", Jimmy whispered, crouching under his desk. He wasn't quite sure why, but it just felt like the right thing to do.

"How am I supposed to know?", Joe shot back, crouching underneath the spinny chair. "You're the fancy, high-ranking reporter guy here!"

Jimmy shot an angry look, and jabbed his thumb towards himself. "Yeah?", he hissed. "Well, it's my first day on the job!"

"Gentlemen, gentlemen.", the Old Goblin said, waving both his hands down. "There's no need to fret. I'm sure something will come up-"

Song: Un'altra Persona

There was a flash of purple thunder, rippling across the edges of sky above. For a brief moment, the stars seemed to glow brighter, before mysteriously dimming to almost nothing at all. A titanic stormcloud materialized in the center of the arena, lightning flashing around it at high speeds. A low roar could be heard over and under the whole thing, and a crushing auru of both chaos and authority descended over the crowd.

There was a burst of pure sound, and the column of thunder fell away to reveal the godly form of Dr'ew, his arms folded in stern anger.

As soon as he saw him, Ryusei_Nakao69's anger turned to sadistic glee.

Yes…, he thought. I knew he would not forsake me. Not when I, Ryusei_Nakao69, truly need him most.

He clenched and unclenched his hands, black blood dripping down from his fingers to the stone. Now, he knew that he had it. Within mere minutes, Brandy's soul would be his, and he would at last be free from Grrshknn's debt. The thought made his claws tremble with anticipation. Both of glory, and of freedom.

"Dr- Dr'ew!", Jimmy shouted from the podium, flinging himself down to the ground in a bow.

But Dr'ew sneered, and flicked his hand upwards. "Get- get up, mortal. You look ridiculous."

"Oh, uh, sorry.", Jimmy said, and stood up. He quickly took the time to dust himself off, then looked up towards where Dr'ew floated. "Dr'ew, why… why have you come?"

Dr'ew sneered in contempt, then spread his arms open wide. "It seems that this battle has not ended with a victor."

"Er, yes.", said Jimmy, forcing himself to nod. "Come to think of it, we were just talking about that before you came-"

The edges of Dr'ew's fingers snapped with starlight, and Jimmy yelped.

"Silence, mortal!", he boomed. "I am speaking!"

Dr'ew turned his attention to the audience. For just a few seconds, everyone in the entire Arena was able to see him as though he was standing right in front of them individually.

"Everyone!", he shouted, shaking the stands with the sheer might of his voice and presence. "This contest may have ended formally in a tie. But are you satisfied with that?"

"No!", shouted the entire Red side of the Arena.

"Yes!", yelled the entire Blue area, even louder.

"No!", Dr'ew boomed, louder than all of them combined. "For I am not! This is no mere duel between Kings, for a prize as trivial as trophies- no, this is duel of fates! Souls hang on the line!"

He jabbed an enormous finger at Oticat's dugout, and Brandy instinctively flinched.

"For whatever reason, fate has chosen this day, and this Bandit!", he thundered, his godly voice heard rumbling for miles. "And this battle cannot end in a mere tie!"

He pointed again, this time towards the Old Goblin. In a flash of orange light, Ash appeared next to him in a daze. "You two.", Dr'ew said. "Instigate Super Overtime."

He gave them a wink, and grabbed the sides of reality. "You know what to do."

And with that, Dr'ew disappeared, leaving nothing but the smell of wood and a ringing in everyone's ears.

Ash blinked, still rubbing his head. "Yeah…", he said. "I guess that would probably be the best idea."

"Yes.", said the Old Goblin, and stroked his chin. "After all, we didn't ever get to use it when it was developed…"

"Oticat, what's Super Overtime?", Brandy asked. Oticat sighed, and closed his eyes.

"I don't exactly know.", he said. "All I know is that it was something that was devised for the World Finals all that time ago. It was never used."

"Dang, that was before I was born.", Brandy muttered, and looked around. "Anyone know what-"

"I do.", said Bowza. "Sort of. I remember reading about it somewhere. It had something to do with portals, and mist… but most importantly, there was no time limit."

"No… time limit?", Dan asked. "That's weird."

"Yes.", Bowza said. "But…"

"But it was never even tested.", Ash said. "There's got to be dozens, maybe even hundreds of kinks still in the program."

"Indeed.", said the Old Goblin. "But if Dr'ew himself thinks this battle important enough to use it on…"

He flipped a switch, and barked some instructions into a loudspeaker. Down below the Arena, teams of Stage Goblins began initiating the Super Overtime procedure. The Old Goblin turned back to Ash, and grimaced. "Then use it we must."

Song: Desperate Plan

"Attention, everyone!", came the voice of Ash, booming through the loudspeaker at top volume. "We are currently attempting to get several systems online for Super Overtime."

His words echoed throughout the audience, as they all stared in anticipation. None of them knew quite what would happen next.

"In the meantime, feel free to take a short break. Walk around, get some food and Elixir, go to the bathroom, whatever. And as always, this is Ash, star of the hit network show Clash with Ash, and remember that Miner is the best Troop."

The feed unceremoniously cut off, and the audience's normal chatter resumed.

Ryusei_Nakao69 snapped his fingers, and faded. A midnight whisper flew from his tower and appeared in the dugout, then reformed into the figure of the King.

"Does this look bad to you?", he asked, with a glance at Tsarsus.

"Me?", Tsarsus asked. "I mean, uh, well-"

"Because it's not.", Ryusei_Nakao69 said. "This is far from bad. In fact, this is quite good."

The corners of the King's mouth twisted up in a tortured smile, and his eyes danced with a harsh red light. "In truth, this is perfect. This could not be possibly going any better at all."

Stacie could see the insanity, now stark apparent in her father's eyes. Or, rather, the eyes of Ryusei_Nakao69. There was hardly any of her old father left, at this point.

"Dad?", she asked, and his eyes rolled back. His face took a few more seconds to turn.

Ignoring the grotesque display, Stacie found the courage to ask a question. "How is this perfect? We're going into Super Overtime soon. Wouldn't perfect be winning in the first round?"

Ryusei_Nakao69 flashed over to Stacie in less than a second, running his tortured hands through her hair like a dog. She tried to pull away, but her father's grip was far too strong. "Oh.", he said. "Oh no, no, no, no, no! You see, that would have been too easy. Too quick. Far too…. An-ti-cli-mac-tic…"

He drew out each syllable in the word, trying to give it as much depth and emphasis as he could. "No, it is far better this way. This is the best parting gift that Oticat could give me, and the best possible way to finish off this whole business."

His twisted smile widened, finally reaching beyond the corners of his face. Bone twisted and flesh broke, yet Ryusei_Nakao69 only reveled in the pain. "A… perfect… death."

"Brandy?", Brenda asked, fumbling with her communicator for the third time in a minute. "Are you there?"

She waited for a few seconds, but there was no answer. Tapping her foot, she started to get just a little bit worried.

"Uh, Brenda?", Meg asked from behind her. "Shouldn't we move out of the way?"

Brenda looked up, realizing only now that there were dozens of Troops behind her, all trying to get out of the seats and get a snack.

"Oh, right.", she said, and Dashed to the side. A Giant passed her, grumbling something about "arrogant legendaries" as he did so. Brenda held the communicator up to her face one last time, and crossed her fingers.

"Brenda?", came the voice of Brandy over the other end. "What is it?"

"Brandy, where are you?", Brenda asked. "Are you still in the dugout?"

"No.", said Brandy. "Where are you?"

"I'm in the line to get nachos.", said Brenda. "But where are you? I can't see you anywhere."

"I'm… on the other end.", said Brandy. "Don't worry about it, I'm fine."

"Other end of what?", Brenda asked. "Where are you-"

Brandy hung up the phone, and tried to concentrate. She could not have any distractions.

She sat on the very edge of the Legendary Arena, on a simple concrete balcony. Behind her was a lush garden of stone, and in front of her was nothing. A drop of 14 miles yawned immense, and the clouds waved slowly by. Taking another sip of spiced Elixir to calm her nerves, Brandy looked outwards, and saw the entire world.

The entire continent of Royale was spread out underneath her like a rich tapestry, the unique and varied biomes of the separate territories strange in their beauty. There was Pekka's Playhouse, the glowing light volcanoes visible even from that height. There was Electro Valley, its distinctive blue stone a hallmark of the area. And if Brandy really concentrated, she imagined that perhaps she could see her own Castle, a tiny dot just off of Builder's Workshop.

Across a smallish sea was the Continent of the Clans, a vast area devoid of order. She had heard many stories about it- how there were no Kings, only strange beings known as Chiefs that led vast armies into battle every single day. How more Gold than she had ever seen in her entire lifetime was spent as if it was mere pocket change. How enormous armies of Goblins prowled the land, destroying and stealing whatever they ran into. And in the center, a vast mountain rose huge above the rest of the entire continent that was said to be home to an ancient, sleeping Dragon. Brandy didn't know if any of the rumors were true- perhaps she would have to go there sometime. If- no, when, she reminded herself, when- this whole business with Ryusei_Nakao69 was sorted out.

Taking another sip, Brandy looked to the Southeast. She could see the rugged mountains and metallic spires of Brawltopia- a land which, if the tales were to be believed, was not unlike her own. Teams of strange beings fought endlessly for Trophies and glory, Boxes were opened, and the fighters all stayed in one big, happy home. But it was also far different- the technology there was reported to be far beyond anything that the Royal continent had managed to dream up. Robots and strange constructs were commonplace, and a strange invention called Internet had recently made its debut. Perhaps she could visit there, too.

Far off in the North were several more strange lands, that Brandy knew very little about. There were the Hay Day farms, of course, providing food and supplies to every other Continent across the globe. There was also a large chain of islands known collectively as the Boom Beaches, which she had heard were somewhat similar to the Continent of the Clans. And the furthest continent was the newest one, a mysterious realm known only as the Rushlands. Very little information was known about it, and none that Brandy had heard of- save that it apparently wasn't actually a very exciting place.

Brandy's voidchair tourism was interrupted by a small chirp from beside her, and a light weight coming to rest on her shoulder. Brandy turned her head, and saw a small green and yellow bird, bobbing its head.

"Watcha doin?", it asked, and chirped again. "Watcha doin?"

"Hey, little guy.", said Brandy, and brought her finger up to its chin. The small bird nibbled at her finger, then rubbed its forehead and neck vigorously against Brandy's nail.

"Who's a pretty birb... " it crooned, closing its eyes in happiness. "Pretty little- pretty baby- who's a baby birrrrrd…"

As Brandy watched the mysterious bird groom itself, she realized something. This looked almost exactly like the bird that had led her to the Gem Box, in the canyon. It looked a lot like the bird that had appeared on her windowsill sometimes, while the Phantom had still been after her soul. It looked suspiciously similar to the bird she had seen in the woods the night before, only minutes before Dan had appeared.

"Have we… met?", she asked, and the bird looked up. "Have we met before?"

The bird blinked, then ruffled its feathers. "Canyon.", it said. "Windowsill. Forest."

Brandy gasped, and jumped backwards. The bird shrieked in alarm, but managed to stay on.

"You are the same bird!", she yelled, a bit angrily. "Every time you've appeared…"

She didn't say it aloud, but knew it all the same. Was before a big change. A very big one.

Brandy grabbed the sides of her head, and stumbled backwards on the rock. Her head began to spin, and the edges of her vision slowly faded to black.

"No, no, no, no, no…", she mumbled, and then stood stock still as The Dreamer took effect.

Brandy saw herself, surrounded by orbs of blue light. A line of red squares stood in another group, right next to them. She felt herself being pulled between them, the sockets in her arms struggling to stay connected. But after what seemed like an hour of struggle, the blue side let go. Brandy flew into the grip of the red, and her vision was clouded over by a deep crimson haze. She both saw and felt the red squares grow arms, grabbing her by every available inch of skin. As the blue orbs suddenly materialized into her team, she felt a red arm plunge deep inside of her chest.

The vision suddenly broke off, and Brandy fell to the ground. The bird hopped onto a decorative birdbath, and chirped in alarm. Brandy grabbed the edges of the birdbath, and stared into its waters. She could see the panic reflected in her face, the echoes of her vision still clattering around in her mind.

This is it, she thought. There's no way that vision could mean anything else. I lose. We lose.

Staring into the birdbath, she felt ready to throw up. She almost felt like running to the edge of the garden and throwing herself into oblivion- better to die than to be a slave to Ryusei_Nakao69.

But as Brandy heard the bell ring, signaling the end of the break, she was startled out of such thoughts. And with a heavy heart, Brandy began to walk back towards her dugout.

"Ryusei_Nakao69?", came a voice. "We're ready for you now."

Ryusei_Nakao69 looked up from his dark meditation, and saw nobody. "Who's there?"

"I am.", said the voice. Everything around the King came to sudden, grinding halt, although he did not notice it.

"Who?", asked Ryusei_Nakao69. "Who are you, exactly?"

"Oh, you know.", said the voice. With a crash of trumpets, a terrifying form appeared in the dead center of the dugout. His pitch-black hair flowed freely, and his armor glowed with dread mist.

"Y-you…", Ryusei_Nakao69 said, with a tremble in his voice. He tried to throw himself onto the ground, only to find that he could not move. "You're… Grrshknn's master. Aren't you?"

Blackness applauded, each collision of his hands producing enough power to level countless worlds. "Very good, Ryus. You're a bit of a smart one. Now, before you start asking questions, let me give you an answer."

He leaned close, and grinned. Ryusei_Nakao69 felt the sanity and humanity suddenly get knocked back into him by the demon lord's overwhelming existence.

"Remember to save your Elixir.", said Blackness, much to Ryusei_Nakao69's surprise. "Don't overcommit to anything. But also be sure to make the first move. And when the time comes…"

Blackness's eyes flashed, and Ryusei_Nakao69 shivered with primal fear. "Don't be afraid to win."

"How…", Ryusei_Nakao69 asked. "How do you know about Arena combat?"

Blackness rolled his eyes, and a deck of 8 cards appeared in front of him. "I do this in my spare time. Not in this dimension, of course- a rather different one. But the basic strategies are the same. I like your deck, by the way- very similar in strategies to mine."

"Thank you, sir-", Ryusei_Nakao69 began, but Blackness had already disappeared.

"Dad?", Veronica said from behind him, and he realized that time had resumed. "It's time."

Ryusei_Nakao69 was silent for a few seconds, then he drew a strange line across his brow.

"Yes, Veronica.", he said, suddenly filled with a grim determination. "So… it… is…"

"Brandy, you don't look so good.", said Agatha, as she saw the Bandit slowly enter the dugout. "Is everything- well, anything alright?"

Brandy hopped up on the bench next to Dan, and hugged her legs. "I had another vision.", she said quietly. "We lost."

A heavy silence settled over the dugout. Eyes shifted between every Troop, nobody knowing what to say- until Dan decided that it was his turn to break the silence.

"Brandy.", he said, and grabbed her by the shoulders. "Listen to me."

Brandy looked up, and Dan stared her in the eyes with all the courage and power he could muster. "I don't care what your Stand says. We're not going to lose."

"B-", Brandy began, but Dan refused to have it. He kept on talking, a golden fire in his eyes.

"Do you hear me, Brandy. We are not going to lose. That isn't just some inspirational speech- it is fact. We are literally incapable of losing here. So get it out of your head. Rip any thought of losing straight out of your perfect little head, and replace it with the undeniable truth that when one of us walks away the victor today, it is not going to be that bastard Ryusei_Nakao69. Do you understand?"

Brandy's eyes quavered, and she pitched forward in a hug. Wrapping herself around Dan's arm, she placed her head against his bicep. "Thank you, Dan.", she whispered, and snuggled closer. "I love you."

She heard a low rumble, as the entire audience let loose with a collective "Aaaaww." Then she heard another one, and realized that Dan was… was… purring.

"Dan, are you-", she began, then the ground shook underneath her. Dan stumbled, and Brandy fell onto the floor. Landing in a crouch, she saw what was going on in the front-wall camera.

"Ooh, frick.", she said under her breath. "Here we go."

"Everyone!", shouted Jimmy, trying to sound as official as possible. In reality, he had only a vague idea of what he was even saying. "We thank you for your patience, and now we please ask that you return to your seats."

Brandy felt her heart beat faster, like it was trying to break our of her chest. A bead of sweat dripped down her brow, and splashed against the floor.

"Brandy.", said Dan, moving closer to her. "Remember what I told you."

"That we can't lose, yeah.", she said quickly. "How it's not possible. But…"

She looked up, and Dan could see the sickly fear reflected in her eyes. "What if we do?"

Dan tried to think of something to say that would help the situation. But there was nothing. There was nothing he could say- no. There was one thing.

"Brandy, have I ever lied to you?"

"No.", said Brandy. "I don't think you've ever lied at all."

"Exactly.", Dan said. "I've never lied, not even once. So why would I start now?"

Brandy said nothing, merely folding herself up into Dan's grasp. He put his arms around her, and waited.

As he saw the crowd finally settle down and settle in, Jimmy took a deep breath.

"Alright, everyone!", he boomed, trying to remain confident. "We are proud to announce that for the first time ever, here today, you will all see the long-awaited debut of… Suuuuuper Overtime!"

He threw his hand downwards, signaling to Ash and the Old Goblin that it was time to start. They both quickly spoke into their communicators, informing the Stage Goblins down below the Arena floor that it was time to start.

As one, every Goblin took up their stations. No words were spoken, for no words were needed. Each and every one of these Goblins had been a master of their craft for a very long time, and it showed. It took mere seconds for the gears to begin turning, and the flame generators to heat up.

Up top, the entire Arena floor began to shake. The audience gave a collective gasp, as immense spikes of jagged stone burst out of the floor at random, sharp enough to puncture the armor of a Pekka. A sheet of flame erupted throughout the whole thing, leaving behind a thick cloud of smoke that could barely be seen through. From far above, Blue and Red confetti started to fall, cascading gently over both the audience and the Arena. The clock on the side of the walls that designated the remaining time began to spin at incredible speeds, designating the lack of any time limit. Finally, as a finishing touch, all the side lights went out at once.

The audience murmured in a mixture of shock, awe, and a little bit of fear at the ghastly appearance that Legendary Arena had suddenly taken on. It no longer looked like a friendly Arena- it seemed more like some wild, horror-strewn battlefield, or the birthplace of an ancient cult.

"So.", Jimmy said, and whistled appreciatively. "That's Super Overtime."

"Yeah.", said Ash. "Me and the boys thought that it should have some special appearance. With the World Finals going on and all. I'm just glad that we finally get to actually use it. But dang, did it have to be for this?"

"Yeah…", said the Old Goblin. "That Ryusei_Nakao69 seems like an odd fellow. I don't like him one bit."

"There seems to be something off about him.", said Ash, his eyebrows knitting together in suspicion. "Something that I just can't quite put my finger on."

Oticat took one last look back at his team. With a trembling heart and matchless courage, he slowly walked up the stairs, emerging into the cold purple light as he finally took his place atop the King Tower. Staring right at him from all the way across the Arena was Ryusei_Nakao69, his entire body practically dripping with evil energy.

"Kings, are you ready?", asked Jimmy. "We don't want to do this without both of you being prepared."

"I am ready.", said Oticat, setting his jaw. The entire battle so far had been nothing, compared to what was coming now. He searched himself for bravery, and found it in droves.

"Junbi ga- I mean, I am ready as well." said Ryusei_Nakao69, the spirit of some bizarre language forcing its way onto his tongue. He practically salivated with sheer, undiluted malice, ready to sink his teeth into Oticat's fragile tower.

"Then we are ready as well.", said Jimmy, and raised his hand. "Let Super-Overtime…"

Utter silence hung in the air, the fabric of destiny woven between every second.

Jimmy let his hand fall. "Begin!"

Song: Decisive Battle

Offense, thought Oticat. I've been responding to his moves this whole time. If I attack first, I might catch him off guard.

"Ratzo Brothers! Skeleton Army!", he shouted, and flicked his fingers across the interface. "You guys go! Opposite lanes!"

With a barbaric growl and a chattering of bones, the two Troops assembled themselves on different lanes. The Ratzo Brothers were on the left, and the Skeleton Army was on the right.

Alright, you bastard, thought Oticat, trying to keep himself composed. Let's see how you respond to this.

Jimmy was about to say something, but knew that he should be quiet. So he just set his microphone down, and watched the battle unfold alongside everyone else.

The Ratzo Brothers jogged down the lane, picking up into a run as their Ram gained momentum. They let out a mighty yell, crossed the bridge- and vanished.

The audience let out a gasp, and recoiled. Oticat jumped up from his tower, leaning forward to try and see what had happened. "What- what?"

But as everyone watched, a glowing blue circle grew around the area where the Ratzo Brothers had disappeared. It solidified into what seemed almost to be a Mirror, yet it was filled with darker smoke.

"Oh, right.", said Ash. "I totally forgot about the portals."

His words were broadcast over the entirety of the Arena, and Oticat looked up in fury. "P- portals?", he spat. "Where did they end up?"

He looked to the other bridge, to check on the Skeleton Army's progress- only to see half of them walk into another portal and vanish off into parts unknown. Oticat grimaced- half of them could still probably deal some damage to the tower. If they were lucky.

"Hey, you guys!", he yelled, and the Skeleton Army looked up. "Go get him-"

But he never finished his sentence. With growing horror, Oticat saw the front line of Skeletons vanish into puffs of purple smoke. The next bunch vanished just a second after, crushed under a massive metal fist. Oticat's face paled in fear. Somehow, after all that had happened, he had forgotten about the Mega Knight.

His eyes flew to his interface- Agatha was in his hand. If placed properly, she could help take Nidavaleer down. He grabbed her card in between his fingers, and slammed it down on the glass. Even if he had just played 7 Elixir, he should have had just enough to play Agatha-

But he did not. Oticat checked his Elixir bar, wondering why it wasn't as fast as normal- only to see that, to his utter horror, the bar was only at 2 Elixir.

"What?", he hissed underneath his breath. "Did Elixir production slow down?"

He heard the crunch of shattering bone up ahead of him, and knew that Nidavaleer had finished off the rest of the Skeleton Army. But he kept on looking at his Elixir bar, and his worst fears were confirmed. Unlike regular overtime, Elixir generation had been cut in half.

"Shoot.", he said to himself, as he saw the massive figure of Nidavaleer stomp towards his tower. "This is bad. This is really, really bad."

Ryusei_Nakao69 laughed, and clapped his hands. "Good, Nidavaleer, good!", he shouted, the force of his unholy voice pushing back some of the clouds. "But I think you'll need a little something to help you…"

He selected another card, and flung it forwards. There was a sound of breaking glass, then one of a distinct, instantly recognizable roar. Nidavaleer's muscles seemed to swell, his eyes glowing a rich purple as the effects of the Rage took hold.

Nidavaleer growled, but did not speak. Even though the power of the Rage pulsed throughout his entire body, he was still mute.

"No, no, no, no-", Oticat mumbled, and aimed his cannon at Nidavaleer's head. He may not have been able to play anything, but he was still going to fight.

"Rrrrrnnnnhhh!", the Mega Knight roared, and slammed his massive iron fists into Oticat's tower.

Oticat stumbled, and nearly let go of his cannon. The health on his King Tower dropped by 268- a small amount, but still an important one.

"Come on, come on…", Oticat hissed, watching his Elixir bar slowly, ever so sluggishly fill up towards 5. If he could play Agatha, then her Skeletons could take down the Mega Knight from behind. He would take a lot of damage, but far less than if he just stood there and took it.

Nidavaleer, his eyes glowing with sheer, intense hatred, threw his fists downward once more. The stone of Oticat's tower suddenly grew a small crack, the audible snap of breaking stone spreading throughout the Arena.

"Folks, this is quite the battle.", whispered Jimmy Firecracker, underneath the dashboard of the announcer's booth. Even though he wasn't directly announcing anymore, it just felt wrong for him to say nothing. He had been a reporter for years, and he wasn't about to quit now.

"Bro, who are you whispering to?", said Joe, who was crouching underneath one of the swivel chairs. He didn't know why he was doing it- he had just seen Jimmy hide underneath something and thought that he should as well. "We're right here."

"Yes, you are.", Jimmy sighed. "So I'm talking to you."

Joe took a moment, as this groundbreaking revelation made its way through his brain. "Oh.", he said. "Yeah, I guess that you are."

Nidavaleer's huge iron fists once again impacted against Oticat's tower, the crack growing slightly larger. Oticat fired his cannon in desperation, but even the cannonballs were doing almost nothing against the titanic figure of the level 11 Mega Knight. It was like throwing sand at a mountain. Oticat took another look at his Elixir Bar- it was at 4 and a half. Just a few more seconds until he could play Agatha. Just a few more…

"Dad!", Sadie shouted from down below. "Play The-"

She was about to say The Log, but Oticat stopped her with a single connected thought. "I can't!", he said. "It's not the right time!"

"What do you mean, not the right time?", Elizabeth screamed. "It's the perfect time!"

"NO!", Oticat yelled back, and kept on firing. "I need to wait!"

He took another look at his Elixir Bar- it was now at 5. Agatha was ready. With a single fluid motion, Oticat both fired his cannon, stumbled as Nidavaleer attacked again, grabbed Agatha's card, and flung it onto his interface.

"Yes… yes…", Ryusei_Nakao69 said to himself, and licked his lips. "Play that 8th card, Oticat. Show me what you have. Reveal your deepest, darkest secrets unto I, Ryusei_Nak-"

But the purple light glowing right behind Nidavaleer turned out to only be Agatha, not the mysterious 8th card. Ryusei_Nakao69's eyes narrowed, and he spat onto the ground.

"Fine, then.", he said. "I don't care. Take that secret to your grave!"

He spun one finger around in the air, magically prompting Nidavaleer's damaged mind to somehow notice that Agatha was right behind him.

"Fell every last one of them, my champion.", he whispered, not wanting anyone else to hear. "Prove your worth, every last Gold piece."

Agatha raised her hand, firing a light purple blast that was more blue than red. It exploded against Nidavaleer's armored back, and his health bar dropped by a miniscule degree. The Mega Knight barely seemed to notice, even when the trio of Skeletons started to stab at his thighs. But Ryusei_Nakao69's spell and message had gotten directly to his brain, and so turn around he did.

"Wait, wha-", Agatha began, before a pair of enormous metal gloves smacked her straight across her entire front side, knocking almost a fourth of her HP clean off. The Skeletons, upon seeing her damaged without warning, redoubled their efforts. But Nidaveleer's HP still remained high.

"Nrrrrrrhhhh!", he bellowed, and attacked again. Agatha's Skeletons were crushed to bits of purple beneath his fists, although Agatha herself escaped the attack's radius.

How?,, she thought, and fired off another blast. How did he turn around to attack me? How did he know?

Then, she felt a paper-thin mental trail emanating from Nidavaleer's damaged mind. It could be felt all the way back to Ryusei_Nakao69, and Agatha understood at once.

He told him, she realized. Ryusei_Nakao69 can-

Then another slam smacked her on the top of the head, and Agatha stumbled back. Her health bar was now dangerously low. Nidavaleer's had been lessened as well, although to a much smaller degree.

Nidavaleer felt the sting of Oticat's cannonballs on his back. He felt the sharp twang of Skeleton blades, sinking into his feet. He felt the slap of Agatha's attacks, hitting him on the arms and chest. Even though his own fists rose and fell, they did little to dull the pain. The constant, annoying, enraging pain. It poked at Nidavaleer's mind like a waterfall, provoking him into even deeper levels of Rage.

He growled, and slashed downwards with all the force he could muster. The ground broke under the force of his fury, sending up another stone spike. It lashed upwards and stabbed Agatha right through the chest, completely out of nowhere.

Agatha gasped, looked down at the rocky spike that had just stabbed her through the heart, closed her eyes, and vanished into Elixir. Another trio of Skeletons popped out of the puddle right as it faded, and brandished their diminutive arms.

"Oya oya, Oticat.", said Ryusei_Nakao69, folding his arms. "That doesn't look good for you, no…"

Nidavaleer slammed his hands down onto the group of Skeletons, flattening them instantly. Now that there were no more threats to distract him, he slowly turned once more towards Oticat's tower. The effects of the Rage spell itself ended, but the purple field around him stayed.

What, thought Oticat, kind of crap is this? Seriously, how did any of this happen? This entire match has been nothing but weird crap, and now there's more.

He looked down at his Elixir bar. It had exactly 1 Elixir, not enough to cast anyone in his hand.

"Well, shoot.", he said to himself.

Nidavaleer roared again, and bashed the front of Oticat's tower. He was dealing too much damage, too fast. Oticat needed a solution, but there was no one to be found. He had spent far too much Elixir on playing his Battle Ram and Skeleton Army in the very beginning of the match, and now he was paying the price.

There was another attack, and another, and another. Oticat kept on desperately firing, hoping beyond hope that it would take the rampaging menace that was Nidavaleer out. He couldn't afford to think of the alternative.

"Oticat?", Brandy shouted from down below in the dugout, as she started to get very worried. She could see every detail of the assault, and could only watch as the thing standing between her and certain doom was rapidly being destroyed. "Everything okay?"

If Oticat could hear her, he did not listen. Every bit of his focus, 105% of his effort, was focused on the match. If he could not find out a way to stop Nidavaleer, then he might as well have kissed his tower goodbye.

"Come on, come on-", he said, trying to fire faster- and stopped. His final shot sunk far deeper into Nidavaleer's armor than it should have, the surest sign of defeat. Nidavaleer groaned in pain, and collapsed to his knees. The huge metal maces on his hands split and fell to the ground, revealing a pair of regular, if pale hands. Then he was gone, leaving only a huge puddle of Elixir.

Oticat could not celebrate. For even though he had gotten rid of Nidavaleer, he was only Ryusei_Nakao69's first attacker. He was bound to send many more, that Oticat might not be able to fight off. And what was more, Oticat realized as he took a look downwards, the Mega Knight's rampage had left his tower at only 483 health.

Oticat's head spun, and his breathing tightened. Beads of sweat dripped down his face, getting stuck in his beard. His crown hung disheveled on his head, an outward manifestation of the sheer panic coursing through him. His heart and brain beat fast, trying to find a good way out of the situation. But there was none, not that he could see. He didn't even know what Ryusei_Nakao69's tower was at. The Ratzo Brothers might have been attacking it at that very moment, for all he knew. He didn't know where the Skeleton Army had all went, or at least the half of it that hadn't been crushed by Nidavaleer.

Oticat waited for his Elixir bar to fill up again. From now on, there were to be no mistakes. Absolutely no rash plays at all, no gambles, no risk of any sort. If he made even one mistake… Brandy would be gone. And that was something he could not let happen.

There was a flash of blue at the right bridge. Oticat looked up, flabbergasted as to what it might be. It seemed to be coming for his own tower, yet it distinctly carried the light of Blue with it. He squinted his eyes through the haze, trying to work out what it might have been- then he saw it.

For whatever unknown reason, the Ratzo Brothers were charging to beat death at Oticat's own tower.

"Guys! Guys!", he shouted, waving his arms to try and get attention. "What are you doing?"

But the Ratzo Brothers did not hear him. Once they had begun to charge, somewhere in the mist that flooded the Arena, their higher senses had gone a bit offline. They did not know they had gotten turned around in the mist. They had no idea that the tower they were no charging was not Ryusei_Nakao69's, and was in fact their own beloved King's.

"What happens if they hit him?", Sadie asked breathlessly. The pair's damage output was easily enough to take a tower at 483 health. If they dealt damage for some reason…

"Bowza, what happens?", she asked in desperation. "Do you know?"

Bowza knew what he was going to say, although he stroked his chin a bit for inspiration. "I do- I think.", he said. "I don't believe that it will damage Oticat's tower, but we'll have to check."

Oticat, unfortunately, had not heard any of that. He assumed that although it would probably be much less than normal, the impact of the Brothers would still deal at least some damage. So as they drew closer, he sucked in a breath, closed his eyes, and-

There was a terrible, sickening crunch. The entire Blue bench winced, and Oticat opened his eyes. To his immense relief, the impact had dealt no damage. And once the Battle Ram had collided, both of the Ratzo Brothers had been teleported back to the bench.

"Both of you.", said Bowza, mere seconds after they had reappeared. "How much was his tower at? Where were the Skeletons? What did you see?"

One rubbed his head, and looked up bleary-eyed. "I don't know, man. We never saw any of that stuff."

"Yeah.", said the other. "We just charged, got lost in the mist, kept on charging, and now we're here. Real shame we hit our own tower. Heh."

Ignoring them completely, Bowza went over to the wall. He quickly tapped out a message, picked up and understood almost immediately by Oticat.

Tower state unknown, it read. Proceed with utmost caution.

I hear you, Bowza, came the tapped response. I hear you loud and clear.

Oticat flicked his fingers across the interface. He had to choose the next card exactly right. There was absolutely no room for error. If he took too long, playing too defensively, Ryusei_Nakao69 could just very easily Fireball Cycle him to defeat. But if he played too offensively, Ryusei_Nakao69's vast array of punishment cards would beat Oticat into the ground. So after taking all the possible factors into account, Oticat's finger landed on Brandy.

"Go on.", he said, and slid his finger neatly into place. "You're up."

Song: Determinazione

Brandy stood, and walked onto the teleporter. Her heart beat faster than she could run, yet she somehow felt a strange sort of calm. A realization came over her that this, right here, was truly it. Ryusei_Nakao69 had tormented her day and night over the past few weeks. And now, one way or another, it would all come to an end. She turned, and saw Dan holding out his hand.

"Brandy, I…", he said, and Brandy could see that he held a single Rare card. "I wanted to give this to you."

"What is it?", Brandy asked, and took it from him. Upon closer inspection, she noticed that it was an Ice Golem. The card itself was a little beaten up, but still useable.

"I found it near their Castle.", said Dan. "Before we rescued you. I held on to it, and wanted to give it to you, but… I guess I never really found the time."

Brandy gripped the card tight, then tucked it into her pocket. "Thank you, Dan.", she said, and leaned forward. "I love you."

"I love you too, Brandy.", said Dan. "Good luck.",

Brandy remained for a moment, then stepped onto the teleporter and vanished.

With a whiff of blue smoke, Brandy reappeared out on the battlefield. She looked around, and realized that her vision from earlier had come true. Oticat had indeed lost both Princess towers. Smoke rolled across the ground, obscuring everything around her. Blue and Red confetti fell like rain, and she could just barely see vague outlines of mysterious objects through the mist.

But there's one thing missing, she thought. The purple lightning. There's none of that. And if there's no purple, then… then the vision wasn't completely true. And if that vision wasn't true, then that means that the rest of them might not have been either. And that means-

Brandy snapped straight up, and her heart lifted. "We can still win."

She gathered up all of her courage, and ran off into the smoke.

Ryusei_Nakao69 felt a strange chill on the back of his neck. He shivered, knowing subconsciously that it was Grrshknn coming to check up on him.

The girl, he felt inside of his mind. Do you have her yet?

No- I mean, no, thought the King. But I will have her. Very, very soon.

Brandy ran through the mist, keeping a careful eye out for anything that might stop her. Oticat had played her partially for chip damage, and partially to check on the state of Ryusei_Nakao69's tower. Hopefully, some of the Skeletons still wandering in and between the portals had at least damaged it. If not, Oticat would be even further behind.

"Where is it?", Brandy muttered to herself, as she sprinted through the angry fog. "It should be just around here-"

Then the mist parted, and Brandy paused. She could just barely see the outline of Ryusei_Nakao69's King tower through the heavy cover. Luckily, she was still out of his cannon's range. Unluckily, his HP readout still read 5832.

Brandy's heart fell, and she almost collapsed to her knees. Even if Ryusei_Nakao69 did nothing at all to defend, she still couldn't even come close to taking it on her own. And even if she did attack, the next push that Ryusei_Nakao69 made would almost certainly take Oticat's tower. But even if his defense was perfect, and could manage to stop whatever would be thrown at him next, Oticat had no way to defend against the Fireball. It would only take 2 shots to victory for Red. There was no way to win.

"D- dang it.", Brandy whispered, and felt her face grow hot. "I'm… still… so weak."

She punched the ground in frustration, and yelled out into the air. "I'm still too weak! I can't… do anything!"

She was obscured from the view of the crowd by the vast cloud of smoke, but some of them in the front row began to hear her cries. A Villager leaned forward, curious as to what could be causing it.

"Just like then…", Brandy growled, and a single lick of purple flame appeared behind her, arcing up into the sky. "Just like then!"

Her mind flashed back to the canyon, and exactly what had happened there. Her skin began to crawl, and a burst of violet suddenly flashed down her arms. "I couldn't… do anything!"

Then the violet energy disappeared, and Brandy felt a tear drip down her cheek. "Just like then… just like now. I still can't do anything. I'm just… a Bandit…"

All of a sudden, the Arena in front of her disappeared. The red and blue tiles of Legendary Arena gave way to pure darkness, accented with very dark blues and greys.

"What?", Brandy asked, turning around to try and see anything, but there was nothing to see. "What's going on?"

With a flash of silver fire, a man appeared in front of her. He wore an ornate purple robe, and his eyes were solid gold. Flecks of what appeared to be precious metals adorned his slick black goatee, and his boots shone with the brilliance of stars.

"Just a Bandit, Brandy?", the man boomed, growing much larger. "Is that how you think of yourself, daughter?"

Brandy gasped. "Dad?"

Her father smiled warmly, then pointed downwards again. "When your mother and I sent you out into this world, we did not expect a quitter. We did not save you just so you could fall to the hands of a mere King."

"Wait, what-", Brandy said, her mind reeling with questions, but the image of her father seemed not to hear her.

"Listen carefully, Brandy.", he roared, and began to glow. "You may curse your limits. But in truth, a limit is not a bad thing to have. For a limit is not as far as we can go, but merely something to be broken. It is realizing and breaking those limits that makes us better."

"I…", Brandy said, then clenched her fist. "I understand… father."

"Good.", boomed the man, and smiled. "Now go. Make your father proud."

The entire vision vanished, and the blue lights of The Dreamer faded behind Brandy's head. Legendary Arena once more appeared before her, in all of its wonderful glory.

A flash of purple fire erupted deep within Brandy's eyes. She felt an intense rage bubble up within her, fighting to be released. And with a ferocity she had never before felt, she threw back her head and began to scream.

Song: Limit Break X Survivor (Instrumental Version C)

The mist began to part around her, blown back by the force of her primal scream. The audience noticed the roar of anger, and strained to see what was going on. Great flashes of purple energy began to spark throughout the mist, breaking it apart into smaller chunks.

With a surge of effort, Brandy leaned forward. The purple flame around her accelerated its growth, shooting out in all directions in a display of pure power.

"Bowza.", Agatha said from the bench. "Do you feel that?"

Bowza nodded, and stood up. "I do. It feels like Brandy."

"But her energy…", Agatha said. "It's suddenly huge. Huge, and bizarre."

Her eyes widened, and three Skeletons appeared around her, formed from her stress. "Just what is going on?"

Brandy stopped her screaming, but the tower of energy coiling around her grew no smaller for it. Her eyes glowed a pure purple from the immense power, awakened by her latent Rage. "I…", she whispered, and thought back to her conversation with Meg earlier.

"Are you still scared of them?", Brandy asked. Meg just looked confused.

"TheEvilOverLords, I mean.", Brandy clarified. "Are you still afraid of them?"

"Yeah.", she said. "For some reason, I'm… afraid that they'll get me somehow."

Brandy put her hand on her forehead, looking up towards the sun. "Well, you don't have to worry about that.", she said. "No one does."

She turned towards Meg, as the group finally passed underneath the immense gate of Hog Mountain. "Meg, I promise you this. As long as we're here, no one will take you. Not now, not ever again. You got that?"

Meg smiled weakly, and held up her hand. Brandy met it in a fist bump. "Got it."

"I…", Brandy said again, and the magnificent corona of Rage grew even taller. "I have to keep my promise to her!"

Brandy felt her muscles swell. The mist surrounding her finally broke, and the audience gasped at the sight. Sparks of Rage flew outwards, sending bits of energy directly into the surrounding walls.

"Never again… will they threaten anyone!", growled Brandy, and her hood slipped off from the sheer outpouring of energy. "Not me, not her… not anyone!"

Jimmy looked to Ash, desperate to know what was going on. "Ash, you're our resident Champion here.", he said, with eyes wide. "Do you know what's going on?"

Ash looked down at Joe, who was still fiddling with the camera. "That camera's busted, right?"

Joe stabbed it another time with his screwdriver, then looked up and shrugged. "Dead as a rock."

Ash looked up, and answered Jimmy's question. "I have no fricking idea."

As the energy around her increased, Brandy's hair began to rise. The Rage soaked into it, and its normal white color turned a light shade of purple. "Right now, I am the only one who can defeat you.", she said, and glared at Ryusei_Nakao69. "So that's just what I'll do!"

Every bit of pulsed with sheer Rage, held back for the moment only by her other feelings. Her fear, her guilt, her sorrow- they all rushed around her in equal amounts of strength.

Ryusei_Nakao69 stared, utterly transfixed. I see…, he thought. So this is why Grrshknn wanted her so badly. Had I known she had this much potential, I would have gotten her sooner.

"You gave me this power, Ryusei_Nakao69.", Brandy spat, feeling the hatred rush through her body like a rampaging waterfall. "You twisted and broke my body, then put it back together brand new. And now, you're facing the consequences!"

She looked up, her eyes blazing wide open with Rage. With one last push of effort, Brandy threw back her head once more, and screamed as loud as she could.

A rush of energy exploded outwards from her, a blast of purple wind that ripped all the way upwards to the floodlights surrounding the Stands. Dozens of Troops were blown onto their backs, ducking to protect themselves from the falling glass as all the lights shattered at once.

Brandy felt all her feelings surge in uncontrollable amounts around her. She struggled to hold them all- yet even as she did, she felt one slowly overpower the others. Somehow, all her guilt and sorrow were simply no match compared to the overwhelming power of her Rage.

As the entire Arena looked on in shock and fascination, a cocoon of purple surrounded Brandy entirely. Her screams could still be heard, albeit a bit muffled.

Brandy felt her guilt attack in its entirety. Every time she had blamed herself for anything, every time she had lashed out in anger. Everything she had blamed herself for slowly withered down to nothing, burned to ashes by the power of her Rage.

She felt her sorrow well up from below, seemingly attempting to drown her. Every single second of the weeks of depression, every time she had ever tasted defeat. Every loss she had ever experienced, every setback, every overwhelming sadness. She could see a dark blue arm reach for her face- and then be burned to nothing, as her Rage consumed that as well.

Agatha felt what was going on, deep within Brandy's mind and soul. She smiled, and unclenched her staff.

"I feel it.", she said. "Brandy's finally done it. She's breaking her limits."

Agatha watched, as a shaft of purple light blasted out from Brandy's cocoon. "All her terror and sadness turn to nothing in the flames. And as she dives into a state beyond, there she will find…"

Finally, Brandy acknowledged her fear. It hovered in front of her like an angry demon, its deep red a grim reminder of everything that had happened. From the way she had been taken, the things that had been done to her, every single time she had almost died. The hold that Ryusei_Nakao69 had held on her, all culminating into a deep-seated terror that went down into her very soul. But now, even that was beginning to burn away.

I'm ready, thought Brandy. There are no more limits. This is it.

She gave one last, triumphant scream. The shell both within her and on the outside shattered with a sound like a thousand thunders, and a wave of purple light spread throughout the entire Arena like a Flood.

The entire Arena leaned forward, none of them knowing who or what would emerge. The mist around the explosion zone slowly cleared, to reveal a figure burning with pride.

There Brandy stood, the Rage in a controlled aura around her. Her hood had been ripped off, her hair standing in a sharp violet wave above her head. Her clothes floated ethereally, pushed upwards by the sheer energy. Her eyes burned with determination, particles of starlight floating around her in a halo of strength. And most shocking of all, her level flickered. Up until this point, it had been displaying a mere 10. But now, every second, it changed between that and a beautiful, glorious, golden 21.

Brandy stood a step forward, and clenched her fist. She stared up at Ryusei_Nakao69, who could feel himself instinctively flinch.

"This is everything I have…", she growled. "Crimson king!"

Song: Cornered

Brandy took a single step forward. The ground underneath her boot cracked, purple lightning flowing into and out of it. Ryusei_Nakao69 recoiled, and scrambled to find his next card. He wasn't sure just how powerful Brandy was now. He absolutely had to find out.

"Ash, is this… legal?", Jimmy whispered, stabbing his finger downwards at the Arena floor. "What she's doing?"

Ash took another look, and his normally serious face burst forth into a wide grin. "Of course it's legal!", he shouted, and slapped Jimmy on the back. Then his voice shrank to a whisper, and he leaned in. "To be honest, I'm not sure if it is. But just between you and me, I really want Blue to win this one. You know?"

Jimmy shook his head, thinking about just how much Brandy's transformation reminded him of his last few jobs. "I feel the same way, sir."

Brandy took another step, still just barely out of the range of Ryusei_Nakao69's cannon. She gently exhaled, and crouched. Steam started to rise off of her body, as she prepared her Dash.

My offensive power is level 21, she thought, with perfect calm. Even though her power was brought about by Rage, her mind was as still and tranquil as a pool of water. That means that I will deal…

She thought for half a second, making some quick calculations to determine just how much damage she would deal upon a hit. But she had never been all that great at math, and so she gave up. I'll just have to see for myself.

Brandy released the intense energy building within her. There was another flash of purple Rage, and she Dashed forward right at Ryusei_Nakao69's tower.

Ryusei_Nakao69 stopped searching for a card, and looked up. Even though his vision was both mechanically and magically enhanced to an acute degree, he could barely even detect Brandy as she sped towards his tower. His hands lashed out to the side of his tower, bracing himself for the impact. He closed his eyes, and-

"Doora!", Brandy yelled, and collided with Ryusei_Nakao69's tower. A massive burst of pure concussive force shook the entire Arena, blowing dozens of lighter audience members off of their feet. Oticat gasped, as the mists covering the floor blew back- but he could not quite see anything that was happening.

From the sidelines, on the first row, the audience members screamed in shock and celebration. They were the only ones with a view good enough to see that the health of Ryusei_Nakao69's tower had dropped dramatically- all the way down to 4800.

Ryusei_Nakao69's skin crawled. A bead of strange sweat fell down his evil brow, and he felt the back of his throat ache. What power…, he thought. What strength!

"Dorra!", Brandy yelled again, and lashed out. She didn't even bother to use her club- instead, her fist slammed into the tower with the force of a Pekka's swing, bringing Ryusei_Nakao69 down another 500 HP.

Ryusei_Nakao69 finally grabbed his cannon, and began to fire. His first shot merely bounced off of Brandy's blazing aura, reflecting off the ground and rolling into the river. His breath grew shallower, as he saw Brandy revving up for another hit.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I- I simply do not believe it!", Jimmy shouted. He somehow felt that now was the right time to resume commentary. "This Bandit has somehow… somehow…"

He stopped, looking for words. It's just like what that kid and that hillbilly did at the Cell Games, he thought. Only now she's purple instead of yellow.

The Phantom pushed his hands in front of Brenda's face, and they became translucent. His unique physical properties allowed his hands to act as goggles, and Brenda could suddenly now see through the smoke.

"Oh my…", she gasped, and ordered the Phantom to put one of his hands over Meg's right eye. "What is that? Is that somehow the work of her Stand?"

"No.", said the Phantom. "That is no Stand that I know of. That is her own strength."

He slapped a hand over Meg's eye, and she fainted.

"Doraoraoraoraora!", Brandy screamed, and delivered two lightning fast punches. The stone of Ryusei_Nakao69's tower cracked with a loud snap, a visible fissure spreading up one side.

The Blue side of the Arena began to chant excitedly, even though only some of them could see what was going on. All it took was the front row- then the rest of them were stomping their feet and screaming. "Bran-dy! Bran-dy! Bran-dy!"

There was another blow, sending dire energy all the way up Ryusei_Nakao69's tower. He stumbled backwards, only barely managing to grab onto the side of his interface to check his Elixir. He had only three.

"I- I'm going to lose!", he realized. A cold shock of real fear shot through his heart, and he could almost already feel the dark claws of Grrshknn down his back. "I, Ryusei_Nakao69, am going to be defeated!"

Brandy wound back her arm, and roared. She had let her Rage consume her entirely, her eyes and mouth glowing with purple luminance.

"Dorrra!", she boomed, her voice seeming to come from somewhere deeper within her. Her shining fist slammed into the tower once more, and two more cracks spread up its side. The tower, through Brandy's sheer, overwhelming strength, was now almost broken, hanging on by a mere sliver of its once insurmountable HP.

How do you like that?, she thought. After all this… after everything… I've finally won! Just one more shot! One more, and you're dead, Ryusei_Nakao69!

But in her berserk rage, Brandy had forgotten to account for one thing. Even though her offensive power had now risen beyond any other Bandit, her HP had not changed. And through Ryusei_Nakao69's near constant - he had missed a few times - attacking, her HP was almost down to 0.

"It's over!", she roared, and drew back her fist. It erupted with a flash of purple energy, a bare hint of white sneaking in. "Die, Ryusei_Nakao69!"

Brandy threw her fist forward, and the entire audience screamed. The Blue side screamed in celebration, and the Red in the first true fear they had felt in months. Brandy's fist drew closer to Ryusei_Nakao69's tower, as the second hung frozen in midair. She almost connected-

When out of nowhere, there was the shriek of "Electricity!", the shock of lightning, and Brandy's vision went totally dark.

The audience gasped, as they saw Brandy vanish into Elixir from Tsarsus's fateful strike. But they were appeased a little bit as they saw the wreath of energy that had been surrounding her lashed out in a wicked vengeance, slicing through Tsarsus's body and severing his head from his shoulders. Even as he burst into Elixir himself, the Ragelightning flowed into the puddle, pushing it deep underground. No one noticed Ryusei_Nakao69's tower suddenly glow with a harsh purple light that was more Blue than Red- no one, that is, but him.

"That just… gave me Elixir.", he realized. "Enough to play…"

He looked down at his cards, and saw one light up. He smiled evily, and hovered his finger over it. "Oh yes.", he said. "That's the one."

Brandy appeared back in the dugout, landing on the ground with a hard thud. She groaned in immense pain, bits of her skin still flickering with the energy of her spent Rage.

"Brandy!", Dan shouted, and rushed to her side. "What happened? Did you do it? How much is his tower at? What did he do?"

Brandy's right eye fluttered open. Her left was sealed shut from the pain. She let out a slow, pained chuckle, and gripped Dan's arm. "I… beat… him.", she said, and winced. "His tower just needs one more shot… to take it down. The Log… that should do it."

Dan looked up. "Oticat!", he shouted. "He's at-"

Brandy finished his sentence. "He's at 100!", she yelled, putting all of her remaining energy into her message. "LOG HIM!"

Ryusei_Nakao69 placed down his card behind his tower, and looked up. A large portion of the mist had been blown away by Brandy's rampage, and he could now see Oticat grinning widely.

"You've been wanting to know my 8th card… haven't you?", he asked, and cracked his knuckles. "Well, here it is. Just in time to defeat you."

"What?", Ryusei_Nakao69 snarled, trying to buy time for his strategy to work. "Defeat me? What do you think possibly can?"

"Brandy brought your tower down to barely any health.", Oticat said, and selected both an Emote and a card from his interface. The projected image of the Crying Log appeared above his tower, and the audience roared. "Now it's here to finish the job! Behold, the one, the only-"

He flicked his finger forward, right at the spot where it would hit Ryusei_Nakao69's tower. His eyes shone, and he flashed a confident grin. "The Log!"

With a burst of blue sparkles and a mysterious chorus, The Log rolled forth from Oticat's tower. It hit the side of the river, bounding across and landing on the other side. Through the mist it rolled, the shining spikes reflecting light from the flames that adorned the Arena floor at random angles. Even though there were huge spikes of rock jutting from the ground, The Log crashed through them like a mythical archon of justice. Nothing stopped it as it rolled towards Ryusei_Nakao69's tower, ready to finish the battle for good.

First, there was silence. Both sides of the audience, both Kings, both benches- they were all silent, just watching The Log roll. The only sound that could be heard was the stomping of thick leather boots, as two figures approached the bridge.

Then, there was a crash, as enchanted wood and metal hit stone. The entire Blue side let out a cheer- only for it to die in their throats.

Song: Shoot towards the Decisive Battle

Oticat's breath caught in his throat. He stared forward, refusing to believe what he was seeing. It was not possible. Ryusei_Nakao69's tower health stared back at him defiantly, with 1 HP remaining.

"Randy…", he muttered, looking for the Ice Spirit among his cards- but he was not there. "He can get the job done-"

But he stopped talking, and his eyes widened in fear. For there, at the right bridge, he saw the pair of Elite Barbarians charging out of the mist.

Ryusei_Nakao69 let out a small chuckle. Then another, then a third. His grin contorted into a twisted smile, then a maddening laugh that shook the Arena, a terrifying ohohohohohoho that clawed at the hearts of everyone who heard it.

"So this is how it ends, Oticat.", he laughed, spreading his arms open wide in triumph. "With me at a mere 1 HP, you unable to do anything about it, your finest fighter foiled, and mine destroying your tower with the greatest of ease!"

He performed a mocking bow, still laughing all the while. "Thanks!", he said, and flicked the emote of the Crying King. "Thanks!"

"No.", Oticat said, and selected one more card. He had just barely enough Elixir left to play it- his final action. "It's not over yet."

With a quick motion, Oticat windmill slammed the card down on his interface, and a purple light on the battlefield turned into Agatha. She raised her staff, right in front of Oticat's tower. "Your Elite Barbarians are not match for-"

But his words meant nothing, as the mist overhead turned orange with heat. A perfectly predicted Fireball soared out of the air and slammed right into Agatha, turning her into Elixir and bringing Oticat's tower down to the barest sliver of HP.

The three deathspawned Skeletons popped out of the ground to fight, rushing at Chad and Rick with furious expressions and raised swords. But it was hopeless.

Oticat no longer had any Elixir left to counter. The Elite Barbarians would take out the three Skeletons, and then destroy the tower.

It was over. They had lost.

Song: Final Hope (Dbs)

For Oticat, the pain came from his own failure. He was not just sorrowful that Ryusei_Nakao69 had won- it was because he had done so honestly. If anything, Oticat had cheated. Whether through Valyerie's stuttering on the Skeletons, Brandy's teleportation or limit breaking, or anything else that had happened, Oticat had been given every chance to win. And he had still failed.

"Brandy.", he whispered, and folded his arms. A single tear fell from his eyes, squeezed shut from the pain of loss. "I'm sorry."

For Bowza and Agatha, the pain came from their own hearts. Brandy had always been like a daughter to them. They had made a promise, when they had adopted her, to protect her. To always keep her safe, no matter what. And now, when it mattered most, they had failed to do so. When it came down to it, they had failed as parents.

Agatha looked towards Brandy, who was starting to process the fact. "Brandy.", she said. "I'm…"

But she could not finish. For she knew not what to say. Bowza bowed his head, trying not to let anyone see the tears that freely flowed.

For the Ratzo Brothers, the pain came from the let down they had been. They were the Battle Ram team, the win condition, the ones that you could always count on to get the job done. But they had done very little in this fight. Brandy and Dan had gotten off the most damage out of anyone, not them. And as they looked to Brandy, they realized that even though they were in a deck together, they had never really gotten the chance to know her that well. And now, they regretted it.

For Randy and the Skeleton Army, feelings did not work the same way as they did for humans. But deep within their bony skulls, deep within whatever ice block Randy had that passed for a heart, they too felt the sharp pain of remorse. Randy slowly walked over to Brandy, and looked up. He tried to say something- but he could not. He never could.

For Dan, the pain came from his own lack of strength. When Brandy had been kidnapped, he had not hesitated to rush headlong towards who knew what enemy. When he had not been strong enough to save her on his own, he had headed into the mountains on his own will, exiling himself for weeks to become the strongest he possibly could. And now that he was the ultimate warrior? He had still failed. The ones who had taken her were about to take her again, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

He wrapped his arms around Brandy, and felt his chest heave with deep sorrow. He failed to form words, tortured golden light pouring out of him and fading against the ceiling.

For Brandy, she did not feel pain. She felt only fear. A powerful, overwhelming fear that started at her feet, and began to climb. They were going to take her again, make her theirs this time. And there was absolutely nothing that she could do to try and stop it. Her skin crawled with terror, and the back of her head burned with the heat of raw panic. Her breathing turned harsh, and her hands started to shake. Even though she thought she had burned past all of her fear, it was still here. Still here, and ready to devour her whole.

"Brandy.", Dan whispered, finally finding his words. "Don't worry."

Brandy looked up. "What?"

"When they take you… we'll just come and get you again.", Dan said, trying to think his way out. "That's what we'll do. Don't worry."

"Dan, you…", Brandy said, choking back tears. She forced herself to say the words. She hated them- yet knew they were the truth. "You can't. You can't do that."

"Don't.", Dan said. "Don't you dare say that. Of course we can. We will!"

"Last…", Brandy said, and swallowed hard. "Last time was a fluke. You guys… caught them off guard. And you had a lot of help. This time… they'll be ready."

Dan's face burned hot, and he held Brandy tighter. "No.", he said. "Don't say that! Don't say it!"

"If you try and come and get me... ", Brandy said, her mind twisting with agony. "You'll all die. I'm not worth… not worth the sacrifice."

Dan, although he tried to fight it, knew that Brandy was right. His massive chest shook with horror, and he brought Brandy closer to his body.

"You have to let me go, Dan.", Brandy whispered, her mind starting to shut down. "You have to let me go."

"I love you, Brandy.", Dan whispered. "No matter what happens… don't you ever forget that."

Brandy, despite her impending doom, somehow managed to smile. Perhaps it was the way Dan held her, and spoke into her ear. Perhaps it was her mind beginning to crack under the pressure- it was not known. But smile she did. "Oh, Dan.", she said. "I will. And I love you too."

The two embraced, knowing that it was the last time that they could ever do so.

Chad and Rick finished off the Skeletons in a single blow each, and continued their run towards the tower. Their minds burned with insane lust, each one of them a craving that could not be satiated. When they had been reformed that morning, Grrshknn had reprogrammed them with one goal in mind, and one goal only- get the girl.

They arrived at the tower, and raised their swords to strike. The Blue side of the Arena gasped. The Red side of the Arena cheered. The announcers looked away, and turned off their microphones. Brenda looked to the Phantom- but he just shook his head. This was far beyond his abilities.

Ryusei_Nakao69 only continued to laugh, his face twisting into ever more unnatural and grotesque forms as he did so. His cheeks split open, red energy glowing from underneath in an unholy display of his practically demonic self. There was no man, no King anymore. The only thing that Ryusei_Nakao69 was at this point was an undying force of sheer corruption.

"This is my victory, Oticat!", he bellowed, the force of his voice blowing away the last clouds of mist still surrounding the bottom of his tower. "I will be the one to survive! Luck has sided with me, at the very end! After all my hardship, I, Ryusei_Nakao69, have triumphed! My soul will be mine to keep, as I ascend ever further!"

He slashed at the stone of the tower, the rocks cutting open the skin of his arms. But he didn't care at that point- pain was just another bizarre entity circling through his broken mind.

"I thank you, Oticat!", he roared. "For allowing me to take this easy victory, even though your Bandit struggled as hard as she could. But now-"

In that fateful moment, he chanced to look down. And what he saw sent a shock through his heart.

Larry didn't know what had been happening over the last minute or so. All he saw was his fellow Skeleton Armymates be slowly cut down by the cannonballs of a King, one by one appearing back onto the bench. Once he had finally managed to get within sight of the tower, he had been the only one left. But even then, some strange portal had opened up and swallowed him, sending him back to the beginning of his run.

It had taken Larry a while to get to where he was now, but it had been worth it. Another portal had appeared just a few seconds earlier, and helpfully dumped him right in front of his target, ready to strike. And it was for that reason that Ryusei_Nakao69 panicked. For he had taken his hands off of his cannon, and had no way to respond. For there, standing right next to his tower, was Larry, sword in hand.

Ryusei_Nakao69's hand flew to his cannon- but it refused to respond. He looked upfield- only to see Chad and Rick's blades clatter harmlessly against Oticat's stone tower. Their expressions of shock were nothing compared to the confusion he himself felt. He looked down- and saw the reason why. For Larry's blade had already gone out of his hand, and was now sticking out of the bottom of Ryusei_Nakao69's tower.

The King blinked, and felt the bottom of his tower start to crumble into dust. "Oh, are you fricking kiddi-", he started to say, then was forced to stop when the rest of his tower exploded.

Song: Jonathan Joestar Theme

For just a brief second, silence covered the sky. Both halves of the audience watched in shock and awe as they saw Ryusei_Nakao69's blow up, the stone flying all the way across the Arena as the King himself was teleported into his own bench.

Then, once they had all taken enough time to register what had just happened, the screaming started.

The entire Blue half of the spectators erupted into a massive roar of excitement, their shouts blasting the entire Arena with a wall of pure sound. The spark of the victory Teslas popping up all around was completely drowned out by the volume of hundreds of Troops screaming at once, especially after they had just witnessed what was probably to be the single most exciting battle of their entire lives.

"They did it!", Brenda screamed, grabbing Meg by the shoulders. Meg was suddenly jerked awake, her glasses flying to the bench below her. "Wha-"

Brenda shook Meg back and forth like crazy, causing the Musketeer's helmet to almost fly off of her head. "They did it, they did it, they did it!"

Meg blinked, trying to figure out why she couldn't see. "What? Who? What's going on?"

The Phantom slid Meg's glasses back onto her face, and she blinked again in confusion.

"Meg, they won!", Brenda screamed, turning Meg's face to look down below. "They won!"

"They… won?", Meg asked shakily, realizing what this meant. "You mean… I'm safe?"
Brenda grabbed Meg by the back, dipping her all the way down. "Yes.", she said slyly. "You're safe… but not from this."

Then she kissed her as hard as she could, as the wild shouts of the audience around her only grew in their rapture.

"You have to let me go.", Brandy mumbled, still buried in Dan's chest. "I don't want you to die."

"No, no.", Dan growled, trying not to squeeze any harder. "I can't, I won't-"

Then he stopped, and looked up. He saw the rest of the team in the dugout, all standing. They were looking at the screen in shock, none of them moving an inch.

"Brandy?", he asked, his voice growing in excitement. "Look."

"No, I can't.", Brandy said. "I won't look at it. I can't look at them anymore."

"Brandy.", he said, and his face shakily burst forth into a smile. "We won."

Brandy looked up, and sniffed. She wiped her tear-streaked face with one sleeve. "What?"

Then she looked as well, and saw the live video feed of Ryusei_Nakao69's collapsed tower.

"Holy Se'th.", she said. "We won."

It took only a moment for her fear to vanish, it's source now thoroughly removed. Her eyes shone with a sky-blue sparkle, and she put one foot on the floor.

"We won!", she shouted, then stopped. "We won? But- how?"

Then she looked closer, and saw Larry standing next to the rubble of the tower. He seemed to be performing an odd dance of some sort, although Brandy could not tell exactly what.

"Larry just got a little lost, is all.", said Agatha, and chuckled. "Thank the gods for that."

"There are many individuals we should be thanking, honey.", Bowza said, and stood up. "The gods are merely some of them."

He slowly turned around the room, facing everyone in turn.

Sadie. Elizabeth, he thought, although everyone could hear. The Ratzo Brothers. Randy. Skeletons. Agatha. Brandy. Dan.

He saluted, and gave a wry wink. Thank you all. For everything.

Ryusei_Nakao69 landed on his back in the middle of his dugout, in complete and utter shock. He lay there for a few seconds, feeling the dark energy that had enveloped him so completely before leak off, and fly off to parts unknown. "I… lost?", he whispered.

He felt Nidavaleer gently push him to his feet. He brushed himself off, and stared ahead at the wall. "I lost.", he said to himself. "To a King who's highest level card was 10."

"Uh, Dad?", Stacie asked shyly. "We should really be going now."

"Yes…", Ryusei_Nakao69 growled, and snatched his crown off the floor where it lay. He affixed everyone in the small, crowded room with a menacing glare, each in turn. "We may still have one more shot."

"Jimmy! Ash!", came the excited voice of Joe, as he finally lifted his camera aloft. "I think I got the camera to work!"

"Great, bro.", said Rogan, who had not spoken this entire time. "Just in time to miss the battle."

Joe was about to retort, but Ash stepped in just before he did. "That's wonderful, Joe. I think we may just yet be able to make use of it."

Oticat strode proudly out of the dugout, to a crowd of snapping pictures and screaming fans. His team stayed a little bit behind him, not really wanting to venture forth into the fray.

"Oticat!", shouted a Villager, trying to wrestle her way to the front. "How do you feel after such an amazing battle?"

"I-", Oticat started to say, but the Villager was shoved aside by a frazzled looking Electro Wizard.

"Oticat, sir!", he yelled, his microphone almost flying out of his hands. "Do you think your troops will ever be able to replicate what happened here?"

"Uh…", Oticat said, but the Electro Wizard vanished abruptly. He was instantly replaced by a regular Wizard, who stood on top of an Ice Golem in an effort to stand out above the crowd.

"Oticat!", the Wizard said, and winked. "That left Princess of yours- is she single?"

His question was answered immediately by a pair of arrows, one from each Princess, hitting him in the shoulders. He fell to the ground, and disappeared.

"Everyone, please.", came the voice of Ash, and the crowd automatically parted. "Let them have a little space."

Ash and Jimmy came down the aisle, stopping in front of Oticat. "So. You'd better go collect your trophies."

"Yes…", said Oticat. "I really should. Although I loathe having to see him ever again."

Ash just slapped Oticat on the back, in a good natured rib. "Oh, it's fine. We'll have the security Pekkas there. They're level 14, it's gonna be fine."

Jimmy raised his hands, and the crowd parted just a little further. Oticat and his Battle Team walked slowly towards the Rewards Station located to the west, soaking up all the praise they could along the way.

A few seconds into the walk, Dan looked over at the other edge of the Arena. He could just barely see Ryusei_Nakao69's team, walking dejectedly out. A sly grin came over Dan's face, and he shot a loud blast of Star into the air. "Hey, you guys! Look at this!"

The Red Team looked over on instinct, as well as most of the news cameras. Dan looped the Star around his middle finger, and raised his hand into the air. "Star…"

"Dan, what are you doing-", Brandy asked, but Dan just flashed her a crazy grin.

"Finger!", Dan shouted, and the Star activated. It extended his finger all the way past his head and high into the air, a 4 meter flip off that was seen by every camera there.

Cheb the Prize Goblin whistled out a patternless tune, as she swung a keychain around her finger. She hadn't been able to see what had been going on in the Arena, so she had no idea what she was about to face as the two Kings came into the Rewards Station, each from opposite sides.

Oticat saw Ryusei_Nakao69 enter small area, and stiffened. Even after such a humiliating defeat, the Red King still carried an atmosphere of dominance and pride. Oticat's entire Battle Team backed up a little bit as they saw him enter.

Yet, strangely enough, Ryusei_Nakao69's own battle team was not with him. It was only him and Chloe, tightly gripping his hand as the two walked.

"If it isn't the one himself.", Oticat said, and took a step closer. "Here I was, thinking that you might not even show up."

"I don't need any of your wit, Oticat.", growled Ryusei_Nakao69. "Let's just get this over with."

"Ah, yes.", Oticat said. "Your trophies- 1030 of them. That's a lot, you know."

"Yes, yes, whatever.", said Ryusei_Nakao69, and made some dark gesture. An old Giant Chest, presumably loaded with Trophies, popped out of the air and landed on the ground in front of Oticat. "There you go. 1030. You can check them yourself."

"No, I believe you.", said Oticat with a wink. "But don't forget your other condition."

Cheb looked back and forth in confusion, not knowing what was going on. 1030 trophies was not an amount that could be gained or lost by a single battle, and she certainly didn't know what they were talking about when they said "other conditions."

Ryusei_Nakao69's eye twitched downwards so hard it was almost wrenched from his head, but he managed to stay calm. "Fine.", he spat. "My… my…"

"Go on, say it." said Oticat, putting one hand to his ear. "I know you can. I believe in you."

"My Clan will be disbanded.", Ryusei_Nakao69 groaned, and closed his eyes. "I will never fight in the Arena again."

"See, there you go.", said Oticat. "I knew you could do it."

But even as Ryusei_Nakao69 maintained his calm composure, his mind was anything but.

Oticat, you fool…, he thought to himself. Did you really think I would ever do such a thing? The path back to your castle is narrow, and unguarded. You will be easy pickings for my forces…

But his plan needed to be as secret as possible. He knew full well that if he even thought about it too hard, someone was bound to pick it up. So he just turned around in a huff, tugging at Chloe's hand.

Song: Virtuous Pope

"Chloe?", he snarled. "It's time to go."

But Chloe dug her little feet into the ground, refusing to move. She looked beyond Oticat, and saw Brandy. She had never been anything but nice to Chloe, even in the depths of her humiliation. Even when she could have killed Chloe in sleep, she had never done so. And in the Arena, where Chloe's narrow mindset had been challenged for the first time, everyone seemed to act as though the Blue team were the good ones.

Chloe then looked at her father, who was practically the very picture of demonic rage. She could see the red light shining out from his eyes- and for the very first time, it scared her. From somewhere deep within her, she could feel a vague memory stir, sheer hatred of Ryusei_Nakao69.

To everyone's shock, Chloe yanked her hand away, and stepped over to Oticat. She threw her crown onto the ground, and stuck out her tongue.

"Sorry, Daddy.", she said. "You've been drawing on the walls."

Deep within Ryusei_Nakao69's already damaged mind, he finally felt something snap. As he saw his perfect daughter, the one he had practically created himself, the one he planned to inherit his entire operation eventually, step away from him to join the enemy, his last vestige of self control finally withered away.

"You…", he snarled, the muscles on his arms starting to swell to vast proportions. "You took my trophies. You took my pride."

His teeth grew long, and his eyes lost their pupils, now just a solid marble of deepest crimson. "And now, you take my daughter?"

"Dad?", Sadie whispered, slowly nocking an arrow. "Maybe we should-"

Ryusei_Nakao69's arm shot out against the wall, slashing at the stone. Within half a second, he had broken a decorative sword free of its moorings, surrounding it with crackling dark energy. He held it aloft, and roared. "I'll take your life!"

Ryusei_Nakao69, or whatever he had become, leapt forward at Oticat- and stopped. A loud crack rang out, like the shot of a gun. Ryusei_Nakao69 stopped in midair, and abruptly landed.

His arm shrank back into its proper socket. His teeth became square again, and his eyes lightened to their regular shape. With shaking hands, he felt around to the back of his head, and felt a hole.

He slowly withdrew the musket ball that had lodged itself 4 inches deep into his skull, still dripping with black blood. Holding it in front of his face, his eye twitched. An insane smile crossed his face, before Ryusei_Nakao69 collapsed to the ground.

As he fell, everyone there could see Meg, knelt on the steps. Smoke still rose out of her gun, even as an expression of sheer horror crossed her face.

"I…", she said, and her hands started to tremble. "I meant to aim for the sword. I- I didn't mean to-"

Brenda put a hand on her shoulder, and Meg looked up. "No, Meg.", she said. "You did well. That, right there?"

She pointed to Ryusei_Nakao69's body, his blank eyes still staring ahead. "That is what was meant to happen."

Chloe looked at her father's body. She thought that she should have been feeling sadness, or loss, or even at least some strange sense of remorse. But she felt nothing- nothing, that is, but a newfound sense of freedom.

"So.", Brandy said. "That's it, then. He's dead."

Dan looked over the group, and carefully inspected Ryusei_Nakao69's body. There were absolutely no signs of life. "Yep.", he finally said. "Weird, I would have thought that it would take a lot more than one bullet to stop him."

Chloe still stared, not sure what to do. But then, she saw her father's fingers twitch.

"Hey, Mr. Oticat?", she said, trying to be polite as possible for some odd reason. "I have to tell you something."

"What is it, Chloe?", Oticat asked, as he looked away from where he had been about to deal with Cheb. "Can this wait?"

"I don't know.", said Chloe. "It's just that he's not dead."

Oticat whipped around, and saw Ryusei_Nakao69 hoist himself up off the ground. "What?", he hissed. "Sadie, shoot him!"

Sadie quickly nocked an arrow, but not before Ryusei_Nakao69 took a small bottle of a thick, dark red liquid out of his pocket. In one lightning fast motion, the cork was off and the bottle was to his lips, quickly draining.

Sadie's arrow shot directly at Ryusei_Nakao69's head. It would have hit him straight on, had a massive fleshy growth not suddenly burst out of the King's back and catch the arrow midflight.

"I didn't want to have to use this.", Ryusei_Nakao69 snarled, his voice far deeper than himself. "But if I must…"

Before anyone could act, dozens more tentacles forced their way out of his back. They lashed directly into Oticat's battle team, forcing them backwards with dozens of quick, calculated strikes. One of the tentacles flew into the bleachers, slamming Meg down to the ground and wrapping around Brenda's torso. "I will do anything it takes to repay my debt! No matter what!"

The two security Pekkas rushed forward to act from the sides of the bleachers, the golden 14s above their head signaling their strength. " .fly.", one said, and raised her blade.

But even their might was nothing before the unnatural power that was suddenly flowing out of Ryusei_Nakao69. A dozen more tentacles flew from his split back, wrapping up both of the Pekkas in a tight wall of moaning flesh.

"Overdrive!", Dan shouted, and flung his fist forwards. A blast of golden energy tore a vast hole in the forest of tentacles, but it regrew within seconds, even thicker than before.

"What is he?", Brandy shouted, leaping backwards to avoid a grasping appendage. "What did he drink?"

"Nothing shall stand before me and my deserved power!", Ryusei_Nakao69 boomed, and even more tentacles flowed forth. They pushed against the walls of the passageway, and the ancient stone threatened to break. "My destiny shall be fulfilled!"

A huge paddle of pink flesh rammed into Sadie and Elizabeth, sending them flying through a window. Oticat cried out, but two walls of jiggling tentacle slammed down on either side of him, trapping him away from anyone else. "All who oppose me will meet their end, as sure as the day dawns!"

A huge tentacle, larger than the others, grabbed Oticat around the waist, lifting him up. The fallen blade from earlier was brought up next to him, running across his neck in anticipation.

A veritable wall of sickly flesh now blocked Oticat from his battle team, no matter how hard they tried to break through it. Ryusei_Nakao69 smiled, pleased that his experiment had finally paid off.

"And I will be happy to start by killing you!"

The blade fell forward, and someone screamed. The shining edge came closer and closer to Oticat's neck, closer, closer, closer- until the cutting edge fell harmlessly on a purple and white gloved hand.

Ryusei_Nakao69 gasped, and his mutated body reared back. The tentacle controlling Oticat stiffened, then fell to the ground. Oticat rolled away, seeing the walls of evil flesh trapping his team slowly collapse into dark red Elixir.

Brandy coughed, and wiped the thick droplets of the stuff from her face. She looked forwards, and saw the glowing figure of a Grand Warden, one hand holding back Ryusei_Nakao69's entire assault, a look of utter boredom and contempt upon his ancient face.

"Ryusei_Nakao69.", he said, and summoned a floating scroll with his other hand. "You are guilty on the following, although not limited to, accounts."

With another flash of light, the last of the tentacles retreated back into Ryusei_Nakao69's torn body with a soft pop. The Grand Warden took a deep breath, and began to read.

"Assault. Kidnapping. Unethical Troop experimentation. Tax evasion. Building without proper code. Falsifying an ID. Troopslaughter. Grand theft. First degree murder. Rape. Animal abuse. Consorting with demons. Illegally crossing the border of every continent on the planet. Attempted murder of another King, and now-"

The Grand Warden took a disdainful look at the empty bottle that Ryusei_Nakao69 had drunken from, and kicked it aside. "Experimenting with Blood Elixir. Sentence…"

He looked up again, and his eyes narrowed. Holding up his staff, the end began to glow with a strange white light. "Damnation."

Ryusei_Nakao69's hand flew forward, in some last ditch attempt to fight. But it was now too late. The Grand Warden made a single, arcane gesture, and the Red King stopped in his tracks.

A white light shot all the way up his body, and the top of his head began to dissolve into bits.

"What…", he gasped, but was powerless to do anything about it. "No! This can't be happening!"

The ends of his arms and feet began to disappear, and his eyes grew wide with panic.

"But- but-", he said in utter shock, all the while struggling to move. "I'm- Ryusei_Naka-"

The Grand Warden sliced his staff across Ryusei_Nakao69's face, and his mouth disappeared into the air. "Silence, no one."

Everyone there stared in shock, as Ryusei_Nakao69's body completely faded away, scattered on the wind.

The Grand Warden put on a cheerful smile, and turned towards the group. "Nice to meet you all.", he said. "Grand Warden Tef. SCP Foundation."

For a second, no one moved. They were all too busy staring at the spot where Ryusei_Nakao69 had just been seemingly erased from existence, a single white mark noting the location.

"Did…", Brandy finally said, her voice full of awe. "Did you just kill him? Is he dead?"

Tef shook his head. "No, no.", he said. "I merely transported him to our nearest prison, 17.12 lightyears away from her."

"Oh.", Brandy said, and felt a wave of cool relief wash over her. "That's… that's good. Yeah, that's…"

She stumbled backwards, and into Dan's arms. "That's really good."

"So…", Oticat said. "That's it then? He's really gone."

"Yes, you could put it that way.", said Tef, taking a careful look at his fingernails. "We'll deal with his crimes. Neither you nor anyone else on this planet will ever have to deal with him ever again."

"This planet…", said Oticat, trying to wrap his head around the fact. "Where did you say you were from? Who are you? Why did you come here?"

"Yes.", said Tef, and his face brightened with the enthusiasm of someone who had been waiting to be asked something. "Well, I came as soon as I got your call. Of course, I had many, many other things to attend to in this area alone, but it looked like I arrived just in time anyway."

"Who called you?", Oticat asked, and looked around. "Did anyone-"

But he was met with confused looks. No one knew who had called- until a deep, baroque voice from behind the group spoke up.

"But of course, it was I. For as soon as I heard the news that Ryusei_Nakao69 (that dastardly villain) had reformed, I knew that the proper course of action in this situation was to call the authorities (of course). To be totally honest with both you all and myself, I'm surprised that no one thought to do it earlier."

All eyes and heads turned towards the back of the group, to see Randy standing there alone.

"Randy?", asked Agatha. "Did you… say something?"

But Randy, of course, said nothing. Because he was an Ice Spirit.

"Hey!", came a voice from the far side of the prize area. All heads turned to look- and saw Chad and Rick standing there, shaking with anger and shock.

"You just- you just killed our King?", shouted Rick, and he came stomping forward.

"Just who do you think you are?", Chad roared, and started to run.

"It's about time.", growled Dan, and stood up to his full height. "I've been looking forward to this moment for weeks."

A golden aura flared around his body, and he pounded one fist into the other. "No Arena limitations. No rules. Just me and them now. I'm gonna-"

"Dan.", said Brandy, and began a slow walk towards them. "Don't."

"What?", Dan asked in surprise, and Brandy looked back.
"I'll handle them."

Tef had already raised his staff. If these Elite Barbarians were to attack him, he was under strict orders to send them all the way back to their King. But he sensed Brandy somewhere behind him, and turned around.

"Allow me.", she said, with total calm in her voice. A single flicker of silver and purple sparked off of her right hand.

"Of course.", said Tef, and took a step back. "It seems that you have something of a personal vendetta with these two."

You could say that, Brandy thought. She didn't say it, but Tef still heard her, all the same.

Brandy and the Elite Barbarians met in the exact dead center of the Prize Area. She stared up at them, towering a full 2 feet and 6 inches above her, weighing three and a half times as much as she did. Both in and out of the Arena, either one of them could defeat her easily. Out of all the things that Brandy had suffered through, these two were responsible for the most and the worst of it. They had started the whole thing.

"What are you doing, Brandy?", Chad said, and his mouth began to drool. "You wanna come home with us? Is that what you're doing?"

"Yeah, come home with us, Brandy.", Rick said automatically, and slowly stretched out his hands. But before he could even blink, it was punched backwards into his stomach, sending up a burst of sand from the stony ground below.

"I figured it out.", said Brandy, and put her hands in her pockets. Only out of sight could she pull this move off.

"Figured what out?", Chad asked, and put a single finger forward. But it never made it to Brandy's chin- there was another flash of movement, and his hand was back where it had started.

"Why you want me so badly.", said Brandy calmly, and began to withdraw her hands from her pockets. "Why everything you've done over the past few weeks has all been to make me yours, and your King's."

She breathed in, and her left foot slightly shifted back. "I stole your hearts."

Chad scoffed, and waved his hand. "What? No.", he said. "We stole you, but you didn't-"

Brandy's hands flashed forward, then back again into her pockets.

There was a sudden wet pop, one from each Elite Barbarian. Brandy smiled.

"And would you look at that.", she said, and held up her hands. "I just did it again."

Both Elite Barbarians looked down in disbelief, at the gaping hole that was now in both their chests. They looked up at Brandy, who now held both of their hearts in her hands. The Dash energy fell off of her in waves, with such a large amount needed to turn her hands intangible and grab something within somebody's body.

Chad tried to say something, but nothing came out besides an inarticulate, bloody gurgle of pathetic pain. He took a single step forward, then fell. Brandy looked down with a gaze of incalculable disgust, as the two Elite Barbarians both fell dead upon the floor.

"Ah.", said Tef, and let out a short burst of applause. "Very nice."

Brandy stood there for another second, staring as the bodies of Chad and Rick dissolved into dark purple Elixir. The twin puddles lingered there for a second, but eventually the ground accepted the tainted substance, and the last traces of the Elite Barbarians vanished from the world.

"It's over.", said Brandy quietly. "It really is over this time."

She felt Dan suddenly come up from behind her, and sweep her up into a huge hug. "It is.", he said, speaking directly into her ear. She felt her heart jump. "They're never coming back from this."

There was a groan from the side of the room, as Sadie and Elizabeth stumbled in through a door. Webert was behind them, Sadie cradling what looked to be a disjointed arm from the nasty fall. Their eyes almost popped out when they saw the Grand Warden, Brandy holding a pair of raw hearts, and the circle of white ash on the floor.

"What the…", Elizabeth stuttered. "What happened here?"

"It ended.", said Brandy. "They are no more."

Sadie looked around for a moment, before making a bit of an observation. "The whole clan?", she asked. "You killed the entire clan?"

Brandy blinked, then slapped her forehead. "Shoot, no! The rest of the Clan is still out there! They're probably on their way home by now!"

"No, no.", said Tef, and smiled. "I've already called my associate. He'll be taking care of them."

"Your… associate?", asked Oticat. "What do you mean?"

"Well.", said Tef, and puffed up his shoulders. "As a proud member of this division of the SCP foundation, I share membership with many, many esteemed members across the universe."

"But what is the SCP foundation?", asked Oticat. "You never told me."

"Yes…", said Tef, and scratched his chin. "I suppose I could tell you all about it on the way back. I understand that you should be heading home right about now."

Oticat looked around at his team. They all looked exhausted, but proud. One of the hardest fights of their lives, that had gone far beyond anything an Arena battle should. Yet they had won, even if they almost shouldn't have.

Oticat smiled, and began to walk out the front door of the Legendary Arena. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

He turned back to his team, and waved his hand. "Come on guys, let's go home."

Brandy nodded, and hopped up onto Dan's shoulder. "Yes, let's."

Agatha put her head on Bowza's shoulder, and intertwined her leg with his. "That sounds just right."

The Ratzo Brothers hoisted their Ram up on their shoulders, and bumped fists. "Good idea."

Randy jumped backwards into the Skeleton Army, and did a little dance. But he said nothing, and neither did the Skeletons. Because he was an Ice Spirit, and they were Skeletons.

Sadie and Elizabeth crossed arms, and looked up into the sky. "If we stay here much longer, we'll probably get mobbed."

And so it was that Oticat and his Battle Team headed on back for home, free from the menace of Ryusei_Nakao69 at last, and forever.

Later that evening

The vast superstructure of TheEvilOverLord's castle lay totally abandoned. No sound was made, and not a mote of dust was moved. Every single member of the Clan knew that they had been legally disbanded. But that did not mean they did not show up.

Underneath the castle, directly below the empty Grand Ballroom, their membership was as full as ever. The secret basement that someone had dug out long before now once again proved its usefulness, hiding the members of TheEvilOverLords from sight.

Dozens of Kings and hundreds of Troops all milled around seemingly aimlessly, there being no designated place to sit or stand. Goblins ran among the crowd, stealing what they could. A haze of confusion and near panic covered them like a coarse blanket, the recent death of their long-time leader still fresh in all their memories. It had been practically all the news outlets played for the last several hours. That, and Ryusei_Nakao69's stunning, near-miraculous defeat.

Bailey sat crouched next to a freshly dug stone pillar, worry etching into the sides of her mask. She stared at a small puddle on the floor, the water rippling every few seconds from all the Giants and Golems wandering around the cave.

"What happens now?", she asked, just in case anyone was listening. "Where do we all go?"

"I don't know.", said thesenate, trying and failing not to scratch at his fingernails in worry. "Perhaps someone will tell us."

"Who?", asked Kurizas, striding over to the two on his pony. He, along with the rest of Ryusei_Nakao69's troops and children, had been allowed to live. They, unlike the Elite Barbarians, had not resisted the King's arrest.

"Everyone!", boomed LeChris from the front of the room. All heads and eyes turned to look, as he sat down upon an ancient looking, ornate wooden chair. "Alas, tragedy has befallen the Clan. Our beloved leader, Ryusei_Nakao69, is dead. And as such…"

LeChris put his hand on an ancient symbol in the middle of a chair, and dark crimson energy began to flow into him. "The position of Leader falls to me. I do have the highest trophies in the Clan- 5686."

A special crown, full of ornate markings and features, appeared in the center of the chair. LeChris tenderly picked it up, placing it upon his head with the utmost delicacy.

"Although I loathe it, in truth…", he said, and sat down. A puff of Red smoke emanated outwards from the chair, obscuring his lower half from view. "I see no other choice if our Clan is to survive."

LeChris punched a fist into the air, and stood up triumphantly. "For I shall take this Clan in a bold new direction. No longer shall we busy ourselves with taking random Troops, the puppets of a mad demon. No, we shall do more! We shall progress! The groundwork was already laid for us to become masters of science. And now, we shall-"

Before he could say "Use it!", a blur of strange red flashed across his vision, disappearing into the far wall with a maniacal laugh.

LeChris blinked, rethrust his fist into the air, and continued his speech. "And now, we shall-"

There it was again, an oddly shaped blur of red and white that seemed to warp his vision. It laughed at it spun away, a maddening chuckle that seemed to make mockery out of LeChris's words.

LeChris growled, and looked around. "What is that?"

As if in order to answer him, the rushing figure appeared. He seemed to be a small, portly figure, with a beard not unlike a Lumberjack's, only pure white. A simple round, red hat covered the top of his head, long pointy ears sticking out on either side of it. His nose was large and bulbous, the end of it almost as red as the hat. He wore a simple blue tunic, tied in the middle with a tight belt. His pants were dark brown, but not as much as his boots, the tops of which extended a full 4 inches past his thighs.

"What the…", LeChris muttered, and stood up. "What are you?"

The figure laughed, bending its body back unnaturally. "Oh, me old chum!"

"It's that new card!", shouted someone from the audience. "The- the- oh what was it called- the Gravity Elf!"

The strange being hopped back and forth, its impossibly springy feet propelling it far out of LeChris's sight- and then, oddly, back again in a single bound. "I'm g'not a gn'elf!", it laughed.

"Are you a… Goblin?", asked LeChris, not wanting to get any closer. In fact, he backed away a bit.

"I'm g'not a g'noblin!", the strange being shouted, and folded his arms in front of his chest. LeChris's eyes grew wide, as he sensed what was about to happen.

Deep within the audience, one other managed to sense it as well. That someone was Nidavaleer- his muteness had given him certain other abilities. He immediately started looking around, searching for a certain two troops.

"I'm a G'nome!", shouted the Gnome, and unfolded his arms. A vast glow started to emanate from his chest, scraping at the eyes of everyone near or looking at it.

"Everyone!", shouted LeChris. "Get clear!"

He threw himself off of the stage, curling himself into a ball for protection.

Nidavaleer didn't even waste a second. His two targets just so happened to be next to each other- protection would be easy. With one titanic jump, he leapt over the heads of the crowd, and directly on top of Bailey and Kurizas.

"G̸̗̖̬̲͇̩̜̥̜̿̊̑̋͝ͅŃ̷͖̞̇O̷̮̗͛̀̂̿͑̿͗͐̕̕M̸̗͎̳̯̀͗̋Ë̸̡͖̼̟̰̟̺̞͓̝̙̠́͗͂Ḑ̶̨̰̙̖͉̖̱̋̓͋̈́͒̀̀͘̚͝͠!", boomed the Gnome with eldritch force, and unleashed 1% of of his power in a blinding light.

There was a tremendous explosion from underneath the ground, and TheEvilOverLord's Clan Castle was blown to bits for the second time in as many weeks. But this was far different from the last one- this explosion was far more precise, and even more deadly.

A massive bubble of pure destructive force spread itself outwards, engulfing all that it touched. Every time the ominous bubble expanded, there was another line of explosions that dissolved concrete, shattered brick, atomized metal, and turned wood to ash. The tortured screams of the building shattered the still silence- but that was nothing when compared to the cries of anguish of TheEvilOverLords.

The entire Clan was caught in the bubble, their flesh and bone burning away like an Ice Golem in an Inferno. The light constantly grew to fill their vision, it being the last thing many of them ever saw.

Once the light subsided, the Gnome looked around, hands on his hips. He admired his handiwork for a moment, and whistled in appreciation.

The entire Castle had been blown to practically nothing. A vast smoking crater, several miles in diameter, was all that remained of TheEvilOverLord's castle.

"Well, shooee.", the Gnome chuckled, and turned to leave. "Tef made it sound like they'd be hard."

The Gnome hopped off of the cracked pillar that he had been standing on, and heard a noise. It was a slow groan of pain and anguish, coming from a smaller sub crater to the left.

The Gnome instantly teleported over to the source of the sound, and his eyes lit up with genuine surprise. There, in the pit that he had dug, was Nidavaleer. Most of the armor on his back had been burned off, and his skin bubbled from the heat, but he was alive.

"Oh, looks like I've got meself a survivor.", the Gnome chuckled, and raised his hand above his head. "Gotta take care of that real quick, and then I can-"

"Noggin, wait!", shouted a voice, firm and full of authority. The energy in the Gnome's hand faded away, and he turned.

"Oh.", he said, as he saw the black-robed man come swiftly walking into the smoking crater, hopping smoothly over several broken doors. "Vetinari. I didn't think that you'd come."

"Of course I'd come, you dolt.", sniffed Lord Vetinairi. "I knew your thirst for destruction would need some sort of temper."

He finally reached the spot where Nidavaleer lay, and looked in. His eye twitched, as he stared with a terrifying intensity.

Vetinari made some sort of arcane gesture, and Nidavaleer slowly floated out of the pit and onto the ground. Underneath where his formidable, damage-soaking bulk had been were Bailey and Kurizas- burned, stunned, and in a state of total shock, but still very much alive.

Vetinari scowled, and smacked the Gnome on the head with his cane. "See what I mean, Noggin? If I had not come along, we might have lost these fine looking young ones as well."

He pointed towards the horizon, and Noggin began a slow walk of shame out of the crater. "Now go, while I speak to them. Meet Artix and Moorlein back at the ship. And be sure to tell Zaphod that I found his second-best suit."

Then he turned to the pit, and put on the warmest smile he could. "Hello, children. Now, tell me…"

Bailey slowly blinked, looking up at the strange man who had apparently just saved her life. "Huh?"

Vetinari lowered his hand down into the pit, grasping Bailey's arm. He pulled her up, giving her a reassuring look and the friendliest pat on the head he could. "Do you believe in angels?"

Song: Cheerful Journey

"...and that's how the organization works.", said Tef to Oticat, as the group walked along the path. After a totally uneventful Balloon ride, in which everyone had thankfully gotten their rides without a hitch, they had landed a fair bit away from home. They had all decided that a nice walk would be the best thing to do to unwind a bit.

"Fascinating…", Oticat breathed, stroking his beard with one hand. "Is there any chance that I could join?"

Tef's eyes closed, and he waved his hand down. "No, no.", he said. "The SCP foundation requires that its new members must leave behind any and all traces of their previous lives in order to protect. And you seem to be doing quite well for yourself."

Oticat thought for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, I do suppose that you're right."

There was an explosion from somewhere behind him, and Oticat jumped a full four feet off of the ground. He and Tef turned around, only to see that the explosion had come from Dan. He stood on the side of the path with his hands outstretched, an enormous cone of destroyed terrain spreading out from him in a single direction.

"Dan!", Oticat shouted, and Tef put away his staff. "What the frick are you doing?"

Dan took a step back, and scratched the back of his head. "Well, uh…"

He looked around, and grabbed Brandy by the waist. "Brandy wanted to see how strong I was now. I guess that I never really got much of a chance to show it since I got back."

I did not-, thought Brandy, but then she realized that she actually did.

"Can confirm.", she said, and arched an eyebrow as she moved further into Dan's grasp. "I wanted to know."

"Hmm…", said Oticat, then turned back around again. "Just don't destroy anything important."

"Oh, don't worry sir.", said Dan, and put Brandy onto his shoulders. "I won't."

But something's gonna be destroyed once we get back home…, he thought slyly, and Brandy's eyes widened in guilty shock.

Off the path up ahead, there was a bush. It was not an ordinary bush, but it was not a special one either. It was really more of just an above-average bush, slightly above the rest. It did not stand out from its fellow bushes in any way, nor was it better. The only thing that set it apart was that there was a group of people all huddled inside of it.

"Alright, guys.", whispered George. "This is it. This is our chance."

"I don't know, man.", grumbled Joe. "Isn't Ryusei_Nakao69 dead? Why does getting her even matter now?"

"It doesn't.", said Phil, a bottle of old Elixir in hand. "But we were assigned to do this job, and we are going to do it."

"Yeah, assigned like 3 weeks ago.", said Ed. "What's the point in doing it now?"

"Shut up, everyone!", hissed George. "Here she comes!"

Oticat's group walked into view around a bend, and the group of five Barbarians tensed, preparing to crouch. They felt slightly less prepared when they saw Tef leading them, as a maximum level Grand Warden was not something they felt prepared to deal with at that moment. They felt even less prepared at the sight of Brandy riding on Dan's shoulder, his thick black armor sparkling with golden light.
George blinked, and looked down at his stacked up brothers. "You know what, Joe?", he whispered. "Maybe you're right. Maybe we shouldn't do this after all."

"Oh, now you think?", Joe muttered. "Of course. Once you know that we're at a disadvantage."

"I think we should go.", said a gruff, raspy voice. "Take the plunge, you know? Just go for it, dude."

George looked around in confusion. "Who said that?", he asked.

"Not me.", said Phil.

"I didn't.", said Ed.

"That was not me.", said the other two, in oddly perfect unison.

"Then who the…", George mumbled, trying to puzzle his way out of the situation, when he looked up and directly in front of him. His eyes widened, as he saw the shine of a golden nose ring.

"Afternoon, gentlemen.", said the owner of the bush the group had hopped into, as he pumped his shotgun. A maniacal grin overcame his face, and the Barbarians began to shake. "Somehow, I don't think this is your bush."

Brandy cocked her head, as a high pitched screaming reached her sensitive ears. "Do you… hear something?", she asked, trying to figure out what it was.

Dan looked up and around, trying to hear anything that was out of the ordinary. "Not really, no."

"Huh.", said Brandy, as the shouts of agony faded. "Guess I must have just been hearing things."

"Yeah.", said Dan. "It's probably nothing to worry about."

And as the last of TheEvilOverLord's physical influence on the face of the planet was beaten into submission by a territorial Bull, Oticat's group and family headed on towards home.

"Yo, Brenda!", shouted Jessie, one of SpaceKrakenX's Princesses. "You coming?

"Yeah, just a second!", yelled Brenda back, through one of the message tubes running through the walls. "I just gotta get my stuff!"

"Okay, hurry up.", said Jessie back. "We're leaving in a few minutes."

Brenda hopped over an empty Magical Chest that someone- probably her without realizing it- had left in the middle of the hallway, and slammed open the door to her room. It was unlocked as always, but the traps were this time disabled.

"Come on, where is it, where is it-", Brenda muttered, frantically digging through her drawers for her Stand Arrow fragments. "I could have sworn that I left it right here!"

She looked up, about to try another row of cupboards- and gasped.

There, on the top of her dresser, lay a brand-new Stand Arrow. It seemed to have been polished, and it shone with bright blue paint. It was tied with a red and white ribbon, a piece of thick parchment lying underneath.

"It's… repaired?", Brenda said to herself, picking up the Arrow and paper with caution. "Phantom, what do you make of this?"

The Phantom appeared above her, stretching out a finger to touch the ribbon. He felt it for a few seconds, then withdrew. It does not seem harmful, although I do sense another Stand. Be careful.

"Of course you sense another Stand, you goof.", said Brenda, as she unrolled the paper to see what it said. "It's a Stand Arrow."

Once the paper was unrolled, Brenda held it up in front of her, and began to read.

From the desk of President Funny Valentine,it began. Brenda's eyes shot open in recognition, and she continued to read.

Brenda SpaceKrakenX. I hope this letter finds you well. That might seem obvious, but I make it a habit to give all who help me good fortune. And I thank you beyond conventional measure for your help this morning. Without your Stand Arrow, I don't think I would have ever managed to unlock my D4C's true abilities. I was able to make America the greatest country on Earth, and all who previously opposed me were swiftly defeated. A young Stand user known as Johnny Joestar was one of my opponents, but I was able to make him one of my cabinet members after his defeat. He somehow was under the impression that I would destroy the rest of the world for America's sake- oh, heavens no. I would never do that. And I was even able to bring his Italian friend back to life with D4C's newfound powers.

Unfortunately, your Stand Arrow fragments were destroyed in the process. However, I was able to procure you a new one within a short time frame, which I had painted the colors of America as a celebration. Good luck in your future endeavours, Brenda. May you take your own First Napkin.

Signed-

President Funny Valentine

Brenda smiled, and hugged the letter to her chest. She grabbed the brand-new Stand Arrow between her thumb and finger, twirling it around in the soft golden light of the room.

"He says he somehow used the Arrow to make his Stand stronger…", she mused. "But how? What did he do with it?"

She stared at the Arrow's intricate patterns for a few more seconds, then set it back down. She pulled her hood further over her face, and turned towards the door.

"Oh well, I'll figure it out later.", she said. "It's time to go."

And with that, Brenda ran towards the door and to the outside, where SpaceKrakenX's caravan was waiting.

At Oticat's Castle, the mood was tense. Everyone had been watching the battle play out on every TV that Oticat owned, but when the cameras had cut out, they had no way of knowing what had happened next. Some of them stood guard on the walls, waiting to see if Oticat would come back. They knew the stakes well.

"I hope Meg's alright.", said Kelly the Musketeer, running her fingers up and down the custom-carved lines on her gunbarrel. "She seems so innocent."

"Meg, yeah.", said Webert, aimlessly spinning his ball around on a fingertip. "I just hope that Brandy's okay. First battle without me in 2 months. Hope everything hasn't just gone to crap."

Tom, a Wizard, slapped his Dark Mirror, trying to get it to work. After several seconds of the strange artifact not responding, he pushed it to the sides of the ramparts in a huff.

"Blasted thing…", he growled in frustration, not taking his eyes off of the horizon. "I paid 80 Gems for that, and it doesn't even do anything."

"Oi.", rumbled Grant the Giant, and put a huge bottle to his eye. "Shut up and watch."

"What is that supposed to be?", Tom snapped, and jerked a thumb towards Grant's bottle. "A telescope?"

"Yes.", said Grant matter of factly, and continued looking.

But even his impromptu telescope did little to reveal Oticat's location. The plain in front of the Castle was huge, and rather deep. A single line of Troops and a Wagon traveling through it would be very difficult to spot.

"So, uh, Grant.", said Sally the Archer, flicking her finger off her bow. "Anything yet?"

"Nope.", said Grant with a grunt, and adjusted his bottle a bit to help with the blurriness. It didn't change, but he did feel like he had done something, so there was at least that.

"Here.", said Tom, shoving a telescope towards Grant's waist. "If you're going to use a telescope, at least use a proper one."

Grant took the telescope, and held it up to his eye. He let the glass bottle fall, and be just barely caught by Webert's outstretched hand.

"Hmmm…", said the two at once, each of them taking another good, long look through their respective reflective devices. "Nope. Nothing yet."

"Are you sure?", asked Kelly. "Really, truly sure?"

"I'm sure.", said Grant with an affirmative nod.

"I don't see anything.", said Webert with a polite nod of his own.

"Well, tell me when you do.", Kelly said, and flipped open a lid on the ramparts. She was about to head down, when she heard the wind suddenly pick up.

"Kelly?", she heard Webert say. "I'm telling you."

Oticat put his hand up to block out the sun, managing to make out the comfortable silhouette of his own castle. It shone brightly in the light, a familiar sight to behold.

"Guys.", he said, and stretched his arms up into the air. "We're home."

Hardly had he even spoken those words when a great cheer rang up from the walls of his castle, although it only sounded like a dull roar to him. Dozens of Troops jumped up and down, rejoicing to see their King arrive safely back home.

"What the…", Oticat mumbled, and scratched his head. "What's all the fuss about?"

"Oh, I don't know Dad.", said Sadie, the sarcasm flying right over Oticat's head. "It's not like you just won the most important battle of your life, and everyone else wasn't able to see it because the end of overtime blew all the cameras out."

"Right, right.", Oticat said, not really listening. He gave the command for the Skeleton Gatekeepers to roll down the drawbridge, and the group crossed into the inside of the castle.

As soon as the air of the castle's interior hit her, Brandy took a deep breath of beautiful air. It was the air of home, of peace, of final, well earned, victory. The Blue tint covering the walls and floor had never before seemed so welcome, contrasting just how close Brandy had been to losing her soul.

"So… what happens now?", Brandy asked to no one in particular. "Do we party?"

Oticat winced. "Well, we did kind of have a party last night.", he said. "And a pretty big one at that."

"Yeah, but that was the Clan's party.", Brandy said. "Not ours."

"I guess…", Oticat said, scratching his chin. "Well, we'll see-"

The curtain of Oticat's carriage popped open, and Chloe poked her little head out. "What is that I hear about a party?", she asked, and grinned.

Oticat looked to the ceiling, then threw his arms open. "Okay, fine.", he said with a laugh. "Party it is then. Why not just have a party every night, then?"

"That sounds fine to me.", said Elizabeth.

"Yeah.", said Sadie, and the two Princesses secretly high fived. "Why not?"

"Oh, come on.", said Oticat with a roll of his head. "I didn't mean it literally-"

"Heeyyyy!", came the drawn out voice of Brenda, from a small side door. Brandy looked, accidentally sliding off of Dan's shoulder as she did so.

"Looks like you folks are having a party.", said SpaceKrakenX, as he entered via the side door as well. "Good thing my premonition was correct, then."

"Your… premonition?", Oticat asked, a bit flustered at the dozens of Troops suddenly all entering the room at once. "What- what is going on?"

"Oh, relax, Dad.", said Sadie, and leapt off of the carriage. She landed in a crouch next to an open bar, and waved her hand. "Hey, everybody! First round of anything is on me!"

"Welp, guess the party's on.", said Elizabeth, and got off the carriage as well.

"Come on, Dan.", said Brandy, tugging at his massive hand. "Let's go find a seat somewhere. We can, uh… continue where we left off last night, hm?"

Dan sighed happily, and followed her to a large table in the center of the room. "Yes. Let's."

As they walked, they noticed the tall shadow of Tef looming over them. They realized for the first time just how staggeringly huge he really was- he stood even taller than Dan. The ceiling, made to accommodate even the very largest of Troops, scraped at the top of his hair.

"Hey, uh, Tef?", Brandy asked. "Why are you following us?"

"He's not the only one.", said Meg timidly, speaking up from somewhere to Brandy's right. "I'm- oomf!"

The squeal of surprise came as Brenda suddenly clamped her gloved hands over Meg's face, leaning in close. "Guess who?"

"Brenda?", Meg said, and Brenda moved her hands to Meg's shoulders.

"Correct!", Brenda said. "Now you've got three people following you."

It was only a second more of their quick walk until they reached the table in the center of the room. Max was already there, pad of paper in one hand and jar of cheap Elixir in the other, waiting to take their order.

"Good afternoon, all.", he said with an impeccable voice of politeness. His armor shone with a curious brilliance. "May I take your order?"

"Meat.", said Dan, as he sat down. "And lots of it. I'm starving."

"I'll just have some toast.", said Brenda, as she maneuvered both her and Meg into their close seats. "And Meg will have the same."

Meg almost spoke up, but realized that she did indeed want some toast. And so she just sat still, feeling ethereal fingers wind around her waist.

"I apologize, but I cannot eat.", said Tef. "I'm sure that your cooking is wonderful, but I gave up material sustenance years ago."

"Of course, Grand Warden.", said Max with a nod, and turned towards Brandy. "And what would you like?"

Brandy was about to order something. Maybe a salad, or some chocolate, or some soup, or maybe all three. But her mind wandered for just a second, and she looked up at Dan. A thought entered her brain, and she knew what she had to do.

"Okay, I have an order.", she said. "But it's very special, so I'm going to have to whisper it into your ear."

"Okay.", said Max, and leaned in closer. "Tell me what it is that you would like."

Brandy whispered into his ear, and Max's eyes slightly widened. His gaze flew from straight forward, to Dan, then back to the ground again. But he managed to keep his professional courtesy, and stood up straight once Brandy had finished talking.

"Understood.", he said, and bowed. "I will be back with your meals in just a few moments."

He lifted his armored feet off the ground and took off, the wheels in his shoes courtesy of the teachings of a certain Mini Pekka.

"So.", Brandy said, grabbing herself a quick cup of Elixir while Max was getting stuff ready. "There's still one thing I don't get."

"What?", asked Dan, gulping down a whole pitcher in one swig.

"Tef?", asked Brandy. "Why did you save me?"

Tef almost choked on the air, before recovering and gesturing wildly with his hands. "Because…we received a call. Remember?"

"Yes, I do.", said Brandy. "But why me? Why did you prioritize me over anything else that you could have been doing in the situation?"

Tef blinked, and stared straight forward, crafting his answer's wording in his head. Finally, he looked down and tapped the table nervously.

"If you must know…", he said. "We were paid quite a handsome figure. The Foundation, I mean."

"Really?", asked Brandy intensely. "By who?"

Tef looked up. "Your parents."

Brandy almost spat out her Elixir. She slapped herself on the back, her face turning red. She looked up in shock at Tef, who had suddenly decided that now was the best time to inspect his staff. "You- you know my parents?"

"Indeed I do.", said Tef. "Great individuals are they."
"Where… where are they?", Brandy asked. "Do you know?"

Dan stared in confusion. "Brandy? What are you talking about, parents?"

"Oh, right.", Brandy said. "I guess you didn't know. Long story short…"

"Unfortunately.", said Tef, breaking into Brandy's sentence. "Your parents also paid me not to reveal their exact location. They left only this letter."

Tef withdrew a fancy-looking letter from his pack, which Brandy snatched up almost immediately. She took in the rich, ornate paper, coated with delicate coats of arms.

"They… were really just a Wizard and an Archer?", she breathed, and Tef stiffened.

"Not just, but yes.", he said. "They were- are, a Wizard and an Archer of extremely high level and prestige. They left this letter to you, if you should ever decide to go looking."

"I… I will.", Brandy said, carefully tucking the letter into her pocket. "Once this party is over."

"Brandy, what do you mean you have parents?", Dan said, leaning in close. "You never told me that."

"I didn't know myself up until two days ago.", Brandy said back. "But I'll tell you everything afterwards."

"Alright.", said Dan, and hugged her gently. The two embraced for a few seconds, until a slight, polite cough broke in. They looked forward, and saw Max holding two trays.

"Your food is ready.", he said, and Brandy's heart jumped.

"Hi! My name's Chloe!", said Chloe, trying to gain the attention of Kelly the Musketeer. "What's yours?"

"Oh, I didn't see you there.", said Kelly, looking down from the bar. Her brow knitted in confusion at the sight of the unusually small Princess. "Say, you're kind of little."

"I know.", said Chloe. "My dad always used to say I just hadn't grown all the way yet. He made me, you know."

"Yes, yes…", said Kelly, wondering what Chloe could have meant by that. Normally Princesses came from- Kelly blinked. Where did Princesses come from? She would have to check, after the party. "My name's Kelly, by the way. Nice to meet you, Chloe."

A table over, SpaceKrakenX stopped halfway through his burger. He slowly turned to look, and his jaw dropped. The gears and wires inside his head started to spin and hum, and he stood up. His chair fell to the ground and was instantly stolen by Goblins, but he did not care.

"Chloe?", he whispered, drawing closer. "Is that… you?"

Chloe withdrew in unease from SpaceKrakenX, a King totally unfamiliar to her. "What?"

SpaceKrakenX withdrew a small monocle from a random pocket, and held it up in front of one eye. He tapped the side of the instrument various times, each action gaining another reading from Chloe. "Unbelievable…"

"Hey, mister?", Chloe asked, automatically backing up behind Kelly. "What are you doing?"

But SpaceKrakenX was too deep into his thoughts. All that mattered were the results of his current tests. He used one last mode on his Inspection Monocle, then folded it back into his pocket with a stare of amazement. "It is you."

"Hey, I think you're scaring the kid.", said Kelly, putting a protective arm around the worried Chloe. "Leave her alone."

"Ah, but that's just the thing.", said SpaceKrakenX excitedly. "She's not a kid. Not a kid at all!"

Chloe stared in childlike fear, yet the back of her head tickled with something strange.

"Oticat, come over here.", said SpaceKrakenX, and waved his hand. Oticat had already been somewhat nearby, so it took only a few seconds for him to arrive. "What is it?"

"Do you remember Dabriel?", said SpaceKrakenX.

"That one King that went missing?", said Oticat, scratching his chin as he tried to remember. "Yeah, I think so."

"He had a Princess named Chloe.", said SpaceKrakenX, waving his hands around. "Remember?"

Oticat's eyes widened, and he looked to Chloe and Kelly. "Yes… yes I do."

He stared at SpaceKrakenX's wide grin and insane eyes. "SpaceKrakenX, are you suggesting that-"

"Not just suggesting.", said SpaceKrakenX with a wave of his fingers. "I know. When Dabriel went missing, it was because Ryusei_Nakao69 somehow got to him. And Chloe here was somehow the only survivor. I'm not sure why she turned young, but…"

Chloe stared at her hands in shock. The limits of her young mind struggled to process this new information. If what SpaceKrakenX was saying was true, then everything she had ever known- how Ryusei_Nakao69 had created her out of nothing in order to be the perfect daughter, how she was his and Grrshknn's chosen- was all not true.

"I'm… someone else's?", she asked, attempting to put her complex thoughts into words. "And my real daddy… is dead?"

"Fraid so, kiddo.", said Oticat with a reassuring smile. "But you can stay with us, if you want."

Chloe thought long and hard- which for her, was about 2 seconds. "Can I really?"

"Yes.", said Oticat, with a pat on her head. "Really."

"Really really?", Chloe said.

The smile on Oticat's face grew less sincere. "Really, really."

"You mean, like, really really really?", Chloe asked, beaming up into the King's face.

"Listen kid, you wanna stay with us for not?", Oticat growled under his breath, but still kept on his happy face.

"Oh, I do.", said Chloe. "And I want my own room."

"Of course you do, kid.", said Oticat, massaging his forehead with his hand. "Of course you do."

"But…", he said. "All of our rooms are filled at the moment. You'll have to bunk up with someone else until we manage to build you a new one."

"Why?", Chloe said. "Can't Kings just build a new room whenever they want?"

"No.", said Oticat. "Where did you hear that?"

"My old castle.", Chloe said matter of factly. "There were a lot more rooms there than there are here."

"Yes.", said Oticat, and put his hand onto Chloe's head. "But we're not at your old castle, are we?"

He turned her around the room, the Princess's eyes spinning. "Now, take a look, and see who you want to bunk with for a few days."

"Uh…", Chloe said, trying to get her bearings from the spinning. She pointed out in a random direction, her finger's trajectory falling on Meg. "Her."

"Ah, Meg.", said Oticat. "Excellent choice."

Meg, a few dozen feet away, saw Oticat gesturing to her. She turned to Brenda, and whispered. "I'll be right back."

Meg walked over to Oticat, almost tripping on the tile- but managed not to. "What is it, sir?"
"Chloe wants to share a room with you.", said Oticat. "You know, until we build her one of her own."

Meg winced, and scratched the back of her head. "Yeah, uh, well, about that…"

"Meg's actually not staying here.", said Brenda, who had come up from behind her. "She's moving in with me. And…"

She wrapped her arm around Meg's shoulder, pulling her close. "We're sharing a room."

"Ah.", said Oticat, trying not to think about that too hard. "Well then…"

He slapped his knees, and bent down to stare Chloe right in the face. "You're getting your own room, kiddo! Right where Meg's used to be."

Chloe just looked up, with childish wonder. "What did she mean, they're sharing a room?"

Oticat closed his eyes, and put one arm on Chloe's back. "That's... not... anything you need to worry about right now. Now come on, let's go up to your new room."

He gently shepherded her away from the hustle and bustle of the party, to somewhere were the young Princess would be able to rest, in the gently darkness and soft twilight of the castle's empty upper layers. "A party like this is no place for someone like you anyway."

"Yep, there's our food.", said Brandy, cautiously taking her platter of soup. "Go ahead Dan, take it."

Dan looked at her just as funny as she was acting, but took the double-decker meat platter anyway. "Yes."

Brandy put her spoon in her soup, but did not take it out. She stared at a certain spot in Dan's tower of meat, hoping that he would actually use his fork for once.

"Aren't you going to eat your soup, Brandy?", Dan asked, and picked up the entire first steak.

"Uh, yes.", said Brandy, and dipped her spoon in again. She slowly swished the soup around, still waiting for Dan to try and cut up his steak.

Dan looked at Brandy out of the corner of his eye, silently willing her to actually eat her soup. Find what was hidden. But as the seconds passed, and she only stirred it around, Dan thought that it might be better to just wait. So he grabbed his entire tower of meat, held it up to his face, and-

"Wait don't!", shouted Brandy, throwing out her hands. Dan stopped, the steak tower mere inches from his mouth.

"What?", he asked, and set the dinner down. "What did I do?"

"Uh, I mean…", Brandy said, and picked up his fork. "You're supposed to use your fork while you eat. Like this."

Dan took the fork from her hands, all the while not taking his eyes off the still untouched soup.

"Okay, I'll use my fork.", he said. "But only if you eat your soup, okay?"

"Dan, why are you so obsessed with me eating my soup?", Brandy asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"Just eat it, Brandy.", he said. "It's good for you."

"Okay…", said Brandy, and plunged her spoon deep into the bowl. Dan sliced off a large chunk of steak, and held it to his mouth.

Brandy bit down on the spoon full of soup- and felt something hard jab into her gums. Dan's teeth sliced through the tender steak- and stopped on something that was solid and unyielding.

"Ah!", they said, both at exactly the same time. "What the…"

They both fished inside of their food for the offending object- and actually gasped out loud when it was finally brought to light.

The object that had been hidden in Brandy's soup was an ornately carved ring, inlaid with rivulets of Gold. A massive Gem sat carved into the shape of a mask and fist atop it, glittering with a beautiful emerald hue.

The object that had been somehow sneaking around in Dan's steak tower was a ring as well- a very large one. It had been carved out of the purest while platinum, small dots of exotic crystals covering the sides. An even larger and brighter Gem than Brandy's was perched on top, carved into the shape of a hood and helmet.

Both Dan and Brandy stared at each other's offered rings for a moment, then up and down to look at each other.

"We-", Brandy began.

"Had the same idea.", Dan finished.

They stared at each other some more, before Brandy rushed forward and wrapped herself around Dan's chest in the tightest hug she could possibly manage to pull off.

"We're getting married.", she said. "As soon as we can."

"Yes.", said Dan, and kissed her on top of her head. "We are."

Then the stool under Dan broke, sending them both sprawling across the floor. But they didn't care, and only laughed. For that was love.

Somewhere very far away, in some sort of orbital prison spinning round a long-dead planet, there was a small, cramped jail cell. Inside was Ryusei_Nakao69, still staring at the walls in shock.
"What's with him?", a guard whispered, jostling her partner with her massive gun.

"Dunno.", her partner grunted. "Maybe he's in shock."

He cracked a small grin, and jabbed one thumb in Ryusei_Nakao69. "Look at him. Does he think he's a king or something?"

"I was a King.", said Ryusei_Nakao69, and slowly stood up. "Once- no. No, I still am. I am the mighty Ryusei_Nakao69, and I demand you let me free at once!"

He leapt over to the window of his cell, brought back his fist, and attacked- only to bounce harmlessly off the strange material that surrounded him.

"What kind of name is that?", laughed the male guard, and his partner laughed with him. "Ryusei_Nakao69? Sounds like a gamertag."

Ryusei_Nakao69 continued to punch the wall, with still no avail. His guards, knowing full well that he stood no chance of breaking out, turned around.

"Let's go grab lunch.", he said. "I'm starving."

The two guards left, leaving Ryusei_Nakao69 alone with his thoughts. That, and a creeping black shadow that began to coalesce at the very edge of the room.

Song: Un'altra Persona

Ryusei_Nakao69 felt Grrshknn's presence before he saw him. He turned around in both joy and shock, seeing the tall, muscular figure of the demon rise up from below.

"Lo- Lord Grrshknn!", he said, throwing himself down onto the floor. "I knew it. I knew you wouldn't let me down."

Grrshknn stared, moderately amused, as Ryusei_Nakao69 squared his crown and dusted himself off. "I know that went very, very wrong back there. But if you just get me out of here, I could-"

"No.", said Grrshknn with a single wave of his hand.

"I could-", said Ryusei_Nakao69, then stopped. "No? What do you mean, no?"

Grrshknn loomed higher and larger in the small cell, and Ryusei_Nakao69 began to instinctively look for some way to escape.

"Remember what I said when I brought you back?", said Grrshknn, flicking a single massive claw towards Ryusei_Nakao69's forehead. Instantly, the memory came flooding back, in explicit detail.

Grrshknn waved a hand, and the wreckage of the castle began to reassemble itself. Dozens more of the crimson strings started to wind in place, heralding the raising of the rest of the Clan.

"Now, I do suppose that you'll want the rest of your Clan raised in order to help you…", said Grrshknn, "...and I understand that. However, you must know this one thing."

He rose into the air, and the edges of a portal opened around him. Ryusei_Nakao69 stood, transfixed, as Grrshknn stared deep into what little now remained of his soul.

"I will be leaving with a soul.", Grrshknn hissed, and stepped backwards into the hole in space. "I would rather it be hers, but… I will not hesitate to make do with yours."

Ryusei_Nakao69's throat constricted, and he scrabbled backwards on his hands and knees. The long black scars underneath his eyes began to ache in unbearable pain- before they burst, sending long rivulets of blood rushing down his terrified face.

Grrshknn raised a massive hand, and Ryusei_Nakao69 could see the echoes of the true Void that howled within. His mind raced to try and think up a way to save himself- and then he had it.

"Wait!", he squeaked, right before Grsshknn struck. "If you're really going to kill me… could you at least tell me why you wanted the Bandit so much?"

Grrshknn stopped, sighed, then raised a finger. "Very well.", he rumbled. "If you really want to know. I think I could oblige a dying slave's last wish."

The very tip of Grrshknn's claw made contact with Ryusei_Nakao69's forehead. There was a flash of thunder- and he understood.

Ryusei_Nakao69 reeled backwards in utter shock, attempting to make sense of everything that he had just seen. He groaned, attempting to somehow remember everything that he had been taught.
"Oh, Se'th.", he said. "I… I never knew. But, now that I do…"

He carefully looked up at Grrshknn, who began to curl his paw somewhere behind his back.

"Could you… perhaps, give me a second chance?", Ryusei_Nakao69 said, willing Grrshknn to remember all the times he had been so faithfully served. "Now that I know?"

But Grrshknn only shook his head. A shock of terror and panic ran through Ryusei_Nakao69's heart, and he backed up- right into the wall. There was finally nowhere else for him to go.

"You know how it goes with demons.", Grrshknn rumbled, as he slowly drew ever closer. "You may feel powerful for a time, but in the end…"

He held up a single long claw, almost like a scythe in shape. "We always, always, come to collect."

Ryusei_Nakao69 tried, and failed, to form words. He stood there, transfixed with utter horror, as he slowly felt all the power that Grrshknn had given him drain back into the demon. His muscular stature withered, his clothes now baggy on his significantly smaller body. The dark aura that surrounded him dwindled into nothing, marking him as just another ordinary King. The scars under his eyes that had practically become his trademark shrank and withdrew back into his skin, removing all traces of the power that he had once held.

"I told you.", said Grrshknn. "It was either her soul… or yours. And seeing as how you failed to bring me hers…"

Grrshknn's eyes flashed with malicious intent, and the center of his body opened wide into a massive, yawning portal of doom. "It's hardly been a pleasure. Goodbye… Chris."

Grrshknn rushed forward, and Chrisintheair finally found the strength to scream.

There was a horrible, shattering noise.

There was a horrible, shattering silence.

Then the concentration of darkness in the cell turned around, folded in on itself, and vanished off to parts unknown.

The ceremony of marriage took place on the following Wednesday, at exactly 2:00 PM.

Song: I Want You

The Grand Ballroom of the Clan Castle had been temporarily repurposed and redecorated for the occasion. The regular medium Blue of the walls had been covered with a thin coat of white, giving the whole building a look of shimmering crystals. Ivory streamers hung from the ceiling, green and purple flowers softly waving in the cool breeze. A small green and yellow bird sat on the windowsill, overseeing the whole thing. All of Oticat's Troops had assembled in the center of the room, where the carefully constructed alter had been built. Some others were allowed to come via special requests and invitations, but they were still mostly Oticat's.

Everyone sat in dozens of plain white chairs of varying sizes in front of the altar, dressed in their absolute best.

Kars sniffed, and wiped his eyes on a nearby Archer's cape before she realized it. "It's enough to make a Lumberjack cry.", he said, and sniffed again.

He felt his cheek get wet, and looked down. A tear had begun to wind its way down his cheek, stopping when it felt itself get looked up. It looked up to Kars for approval- but he only clenched his fist with glowing pride.

"Yes, even this Lumberjack.", he said, trying not to cry any more. "You go, tear."

Chloe sat next to Sadie and Elizabeth, aimlessly playing with the tassels on her ceremonial skirt. She hummed out a tuneless song, not looking up at what was going on.
"Hey! Chloe!", whispered Sadie, tapping her on the shoulder. Chloe looked up in confusion, and looked around.

"Look up!", Elizabeth said, only slightly louder and with just a bit more force. "They're getting married! Maybe you should watch!"
"What's married?", Chloe asked with an almost birdlike tilt of her head.

"Uh…", Sadie said, and trailed off. She looked to Elizabeth, who only shrugged. "I'll tell you later, okay? For now, we should just watch."

"Okay.", said Chloe, and readjusted in her seat, looking up at the stage.

"This seems familiar, doesn't it?", asked Agatha, leaning against Bowza's shoulder.

"It does.", said Bowza with an enigmatic smile. "It's just like when we were young. When we got married."

"I remember those days.", said Agatha with a wistful smile, staring off into space. "It's kind of hard to believe that Brandy's doing it now. Our little Brandy, all grown up."

"That's the thing about time, isn't it?", Bowza said. "Hard to believe it passes, until you realize that it already has."

"Isn't that just the truth.", said Agatha. They both looked up, and saw the love.

"Brandy.", said Oticat, who was acting as the sealer. "Do you, today, take Dan to be your one and only true eternal companion in marriage, never do you part?"

"I…", Brandy said, and looked up into Dan's eyes. His armor had been brightly polished, and his helmet lay by the side of the stage. Nothing stopped her from gazing deep into him. She remembered everything he had done for her. When she had needed him most, he had been there. Saving her life, without even a thought given to the safety of his own.

"I do.", she said, and the audience let out a deep, satisfied sigh.

"Dan.", said Oticat, turning upwards towards Dan. "Do you, today, take Brandy to be your one and only true eternal companion in marriage, never do you part?"

"I…", said Dan, and looked down into Brandy's shining gaze. She had taken off her hood, allowing herself to shine forth freely. He remembered everything she meant to him. She had always been the shoulder to cry on, whenever anything bad had happened to him. She was the glue that held Oticat's team together, always an ear to listen and a plan to form. And he knew without a doubt that he would gladly lay down his life if it meant that she could be saved.

"I do.", he said, and the audience practically melted along with their hearts.

"Then let it be written.", Oticat said, and brought down his hands in a tight circle. "The sealing is complete. I, Oticat, now pronounce you husband and wife, forever and for all eternity, may never you part."

The audience, as was customary, all threw a miniature crown into the air. Several Goblins that had been hanging from the ceiling let go of their baskets of streamers, letting them fall into the audience.

"And yes.", Oticat said. "In case you were wondering, you may now kiss the bride."

But Dan had something even better in mind. With hardly even a thought, golden energy flickered around him, and he and Brandy began to fade.

"Wait!", said Oticat in shock. "Where are you going?"
"Yeah.", said Brandy, tight in Dan's arms. "Where are we going?"

But Dan just smiled. "We're married now. You know what happens next, right?"

Brandy's face reddened, then she ran a pair of fingers up Dan's arm. "Oh, Dan, you-"

Then, in a burst of golden light, they vanished.

Then with another flash of Star Energy, they reappeared in front of a door, inside of Oticat's castle.

"Dan, this couldn't have waited until after the party.", said Brandy.

"Sorry, I just couldn't wait.", Dan said.

"Yeah.", Brandy nodded. "That's what I said too."

Dan smiled, and Brandy snuggled deeper into his arms. With a single mighty blow, Dan kicked open the door, and walked inside. Their massive, specially built bed stood in the center of the room, sheets pulled back and empty.

"Come on, Dan.", Brandy said. "Show me what you got. Make me feel like a woman."

"Don't worry, Brandy.", said Dan, and flicked his finger behind him. "I will."

And as they both fell together onto the bed, Dan's burst of energy hit the door, causing it to slowly close.

In the center of the Clash Continent, at around the same time

A dark, mysterious shadow floated through the corridor of a long empty cave. He could feel the darkness around him, hear it twist into tiny little shapes. But he felt no fear, for he was practically darkness personified.

He broke through a thin section of stone, and stopped. He had found his destination. There, in front of him, was a gargantuan stone mound.

But this was not just any stone mound. The various odd shapes poking out of it at several angles proved that much. No, this was the ancient prison of something dark, evil, and very, very powerful.

Grrshknn alighted delicately on the top of the stone, and tapped it with a single claw. He brought his face down to the edge, and whispered.

"Ryusei_Nakao69 has failed me.", he said, and he felt something within the stone begin to stir. "But I know that you, the far greatest of my minions, cannot possibly disappoint."

He spread his arms open wide, illuminating the extent of the cave with a light of pure darkness. "For what was Ryusei_Nakao69, in the end, but a mere King? A mortal, a man. And you, DRAGONLORD, are much more indeed."

Grrshknn gathered a huge amount of energy on the tip of his claw, and brought it down onto the surface of the stone. The pulse of dark rebirth echoed throughout the cave, draining the life force from the dozens of Bats that had decided to make it their home. Their bodies and Elixir fell to the stone below, and were absorbed.

But Grrshknn was not finished- he still had to say a very specific word in order to complete the ritual. So he leaned in close, and whispered as quietly as he could. "The time has come, my champion. It's time to…"

A vast aura of potential spread throughout the cave, the possible energy of the entire world shivering at what was now transpiring. Grrshknn scratched his mark into the side of the stone, and completed the phrase. "Wake. Up."

Song: Awaken

A massive crack suddenly blasted across the stone, sending bits of shattered rock and molten lava spraying into the air. Grrshknn faded away, his work done.

An immense, blood red wing shot from the rock, spreading across the entire cave and slamming into the ceiling. Rocks fell from above, falling through the holes that the ancient wings already had.

Another one burst forth in menacing light, the two massive wings casting a gigantic shadow across the entire cave. Far down below, the rest of the rock began to stir as strange, bizarre Troops awoke from their own millennial slumber.

With a roar that shook the continent, an enormous armored head erupted forth from the stone, and shook itself off. The eyes of the Dragon shone with a blazing hatred, having been tended for hundreds of years in his fitful slumber beneath ancient stone.

Four limbs of unbelievable proportions slashed out from the rest of the rock, the final vestiges of the once-powerful prison having turned to dust from the destruction of the Dragon's awakening. He slowly turned his mighty head downwards, to see that his army had almost finished waking up as well.

"Master…", said one of them, her voice etched with the tones of a serpent's hiss. "Why do we wake?"

"Silence, foolish wench.", boomed another, staring out from underneath an empty ring of pure nothing. "The Master will speak when he wishes."

The entire army all looked up, seeing their master look forth for the first time in hundreds of years into the faint strings of sun that found their way, against all odds, into the chamber.

"Sunlight…", he said, the wods crackling with the stone still in his throat. "Now that is a sight that I have not seen in a long, long time."

He looked down, and saw his army. He flexed his wings again, trying to get the ache of centuries from his bones.

"Master…", said one of the Troops. "What happens now?"

"What happens now?", the Dragon repeated. "The Plan, of course. I assume that you can all remember it."

The Troops looked among themselves, nodding in agreement. The Plan had been simple enough to remember, when they had been told.

"Good, good.", said the Dragon, speaking to himself. "Yes, this is it now. This time, I will not make the same mistake. This time, my word will be realized. My world will be perfect."

He looked down at his Troops, most of which were still struggling to free themselves from the rock. But some of them- his very best- had already managed.

"And there's no need to call me Master anymore.", he said, cracking his knuckles and looking up. "The time for that has long since passed. No, call me by my name. Call me…"

His eyes narrowed, a deep crimson red from anticipation of what was to come. He dug his claws into the stone, and stared into fate.

"Dragonlord Rakastamos."