The announcer's voice booms over the applause. "I don't believe it, folks! What a fight! Give it up for our winners: Nova and Clank!" A floating stretcher, as well as a team of medi-bots, arrives to cart Saros' unconscious form away.

"And here's your prize!" A small box floats in front of the markazian, and a familiar light comes from one face of the cube. Prize? Oh, yeah, right! Holding out her hands, the device appears. It's about the size of a belt buckle, as if it's meant to be clipped on whoever is using it.

"A hologuise..." The young woman stares at the gadget, deep in thought. I guess the ad mentioned this thing, but with Saros in 'danger'...Shaking her head, Nova changes the mental subject. Anyway, that doesn't matter anymore. A soft grin thins her lips as a memory comes forth. I might have an idea about how to use you...

Clank dismounts as the tournament ends, beaming up at Nova in pride. "That was incredible, Nova! Well done!"

"Thank you, I couldn't have done it without you." The camera flies over to the victors, hovering in front of Nova. Unsure if it's confidence or adrenaline, the young woman waves to the other side of the screens with a smile.

…

The Destructapalooza match's grand finale fills the holovision, it's viewer's blue optics still wide with shock.

"I think our viewers are still reeling from that duel. Tell us: Where do our viewers get one of those staves, and how did you fight the groovitron's influence?"

"Well, about the staff, it's a relic from my home planet. Made it myself, so it can't be bought anywhere. Saw that move in a hologame once, though." Nova scratches her hair, a shy reflex.

A valkyrie enters the darkened living room, calling out to snap the other robot from his trance. "Oi, Captain Lazy Bolts! Zis is no time for fooling around. Turn off zat screen and go outside!"

The retired celebrity hero waves off the comment. "In a minute, Helga! Did you see this girl?" Green metal points to the screen, and the fitness trainer raises a metal eyebrow at the lack of a good excuse.

She snorts at the question. "I certainly haven't, I have no time for such laziness like your holovid shows."

"But, Clank's with her!"

She moves closer to the screen at the claim. "Clank? Oh, ya, zat little one. I have not seen him since vay back vhen." Relcutantly, the robotic trainer watches the program with Qwark, whose metal smile is beaming more than usual.

"As for the groovitron, well, I didn't fight it. The groovitron doesn't stop you from moving, it just puts rules in place for it. I just...bent them a bit. The music forces you to dance, not to dance 'well'."

The retired celebrity gasps, shocked at the revelation. "I never thought of it that way!"

The valkyrie nods, acknowledging the woman's feat. "It is smart, I give you zhat, but she was sloppy! There is always room for improvement; my training course would fix zhat!"

Disrupting the firm couch indent, Qwark grabs Helga's shoulders, bouncing at her with excitement. "And those moves of hers, I haven't seen anything like it since the little guy was around!" The Destructapalooza host asks one more question, and the two robots lean in to hear it.

"So, do our champions have anything to say to the viewers at home?"

…

Nova glances down to Clank, giving a silent nod, and he does so in return. Nova gulps, staring into the camera with all the bravado she can place into her body. The arena is silent, intent on hearing every word. The camera lens spins to focus on her.

A quiet gulp. Here we go. "Citizens of Polaris and beyond: My name is Nova Albedo. You might know me as the girl who runs the sweets shop on Terachnos, or you might not know me at all. But you all do know this: In the coming weeks, Nefarious is planning something big. You might be asking yourself who's going to stop him, and I have your answer."

Looking down to the button at her armor generator, she presses it. The holo-material folds away, leaving only the harness base and attached gear. Her eyes return to the audience beyond the lens. "I can now say with pride that I have the spirit of the universe's greatest hero within me." Nova places a hand on Clank's shoulder. "But, I couldn't ask for a better teacher than the one who stands by me today."

Clank smiles at the praise, flattered, and Nova continues her speech. She drops to one knee, signaling Clank to latch to her back once more, and he obliges. Nova rises to the camera with pride. "People of the universe, I can finally announce that the boys are back in town!" Nova holds her staff into the air, letting off static sparks as the crowd roars.

…

"I don't believe it! Can you believe it, Helga?" Qwark shakes his trainer at speeds that would probably injure an organic life form. "I knew that fighting style was familiar!" Qwark practically flies around the room, bouncing off the walls. Suddenly, he stops with a gasp. "I've gotta make some calls!"

…

The terachnoid hotel receptionist watches the screen, absentmindedly sipping on the strongest cup of coffee he could brew. The girl looked vaguely familiar, but the scars jog his memory a bit, having seen them that night through the torn shirt, soot, and dried blood. Her words make him spit out his coffee. "I thought that was cosplay!" The terachnoid slumps back in his chair in defeat. "Man, no wonder it was so lifelike."

…

The medi-bots apply the last doses of Nanotech to Saros' once battered body. His eyes flutter open, and he directs his attention to the small screen mounted to the infirmary's wall. At the center of the arena is Nova, with Clank latched to her back as she displays an outfit he's never seen before, as well as the marks she worked so hard to conceal. So the doc was telling the truth after all, he thinks. "Why didn't you tell me, Nova?" He sighs, allowing his body to rest for a while.

…

Nefarious leans towards the screen, tapping his claws together in thought. "So, this newbie isn't completely worthless after all. This should make things interesting."

The robotic henchman carefully pauses the post-match interview. "It certainly seems she's been well taught."

"Too well taught, if you ask me. There's more to this, and I'm going to find out what it is. Rewind the feed!"

"Of course, sir. Just say when." Lawrence scrolls the recording back, before the duel.

"Stop! Right there!" The villain stands up to take over, using his claws to manually shift and zoom into the video. Frame by frame, the footage is searched for anything interesting. On the screen, Nova aims her negotiator at the enemies below, but something's off. "Lawrence, bring up our first photo of the girl."

"As you wish, sir." The butler complies, bringing the Quantos photo next to the Destructapalooza screenshot.

"After all these years, I'll never forget those eyes. It seems that our favorite space rat never left us, Lawrence. Damn does it feel good to be right!" Cackling echoes across the chambers, loud enough that the butler tunes his audio sensors to compensate.

Caught up in his maniacal laughter, Nefarious freezes, and his internal radio goes off.

"Oh Lance, you're alive! Promise me you'll never leave me again!"

"Oh, Janice, I swear it. No force in this universe, not even death, could ever tear us apart!"

Lawrence chuckles as the audible kissing begins. "What an old episode. Now that I think of it, you really don't have many original ideas, do you sir?" A crisp smack knocks Nefarious out of his stupor.

"Lawrence! Bring me my script drafts. I can't wait to finally be the one to make the light leave those eyes." Harsh optics lock onto the green eyes on screen, and he smiles deviously. "This is going to be fun."