Chapter
Starto.

(Tom's P.O.V)

"VERY WELL. MAJORTOM, TOUCH YOUR MAXXOR CARD." I blinked. Well, okay? I reached out and let my fingertips skim the surface of the card, which felt almost like water. It shimmered, then disappeared, leaving a blue code that began to ravel around my arm with a loud computerized pinging noise. It felt so COLD!

"Oh SNAP!" I cried as the sensation wrapped around my shoulders, then the rest of me. I heard Sam say somewhere in the background, "Che, newbie..." as the digital pings grew louder. I cringed in pain; after all being blind for so long had made my hearing much stronger than normal, which made the noise hurt my ears more than usual.

It finally stopped and I opened my eyes, only...they weren't my eyes. My skin was not green, I was not buff, I didn't have fangs, and -looking down at myself- I did NOT wear a red dress! (Well except that one time but MOM MADE ME!)

"I-I'm MAXXOR?" My voice was much deeper, but it still had that shrill that mine had when I was upset about something. And this was DEFINITELY something to be upset about. I gazed in shock across the room, where Takinom now stood.

-Takinom is an UnderWorld type, which means she is fire and flying based. She has red skin, punctuated by yellow markings, and black wings extended from her back. She has bright violet colored eyes, and fangs that could rip warriors to shreds.-

I gaped as I realized that it was Sam I was looking at, when he/she opened his/her eyes. "Oh snap!" She/he laughed airily.

"This is going to be a BLAST." She crowed. I was sure that statement was owed to the freaked out expression I must have had on my face by now. Suddenly, a current of air picked up inside the Drome, blowing the black and white hair of my idol Creature in my face. The icon began to speak again.

"MAJORTOM AS MAXXOR VERSUS SAMSHADY AS TAKINOM AT GLACIER PLANES. LET THE BATTLE BEGIN." I gasped.

"You mean - we're supposed to-" I was cut off as Sam/Takinom (Okay confusing myself here) cracked her/his knuckles. Ah, screw it, I'm just gonna call it a girl for now, I thought agitatedly. I snapped out of it when the icon lit up harshly and suddenly, everything-

Was washed in white.

At first I thought I'd gone back to being blind, then I argued with my mind that if that were the case, everything would be black, not white. Then, my vision sharpened to picture perfect, and I saw the vast ice planes that had been chosen. I slapped Maxxor's hand over my face.

"I've finally gone as crazy as Kaz." I muttered. I lifted my foot, immediately regretting it as an icy chill ran under the hard but thin flesh. C-Cold... I thought as I wrapped my hands over my forearms, trying to get used to being over a hundred pounds heavier. I feel like I'm in a giant mascot suit, was my next thought.

"So, how do I?" I slipped, and just barely caught myself again before I almost went plunging down a sort of slide made of ice. I straightened before glancing around.

"Is anybody watching?" I remembered the giant screens back in the transport center.

"Hey, this guy's pretty level for a newbie." Someone remarked as a group of players watched Tom on screen. Kaz felt a bit of pride, of course Tom has good balance, walking around not being able to see makes you quick and flexible, he thought.

"C'mon Tom, you can do this!" He cheered, the others turning to him, then back to the screen to cheere as well. Kaz suddenly felt a hand drop onto his shoulder, and upon turning he found himself face to face with Peyton.

"Dude's first battle, like I'd miss it. Yer name's Kaz right? KidChaor?" Kaz nodded, smiling slightly, after all, Peyton had helped Tom when Kaz couldn't.

"And you're PeytonicMaster, right? Nice play." The larger boy grinned and scratched his brown hair a little.

"Yeah, well, better than MajorT's name. I sure hope he can pull this off." Kaz turned around worriedly.

'I do too, Peyton. I do too...'

Meanwhile, another player had also stopped to watch the newcomer. His greedy eyes raked over the screen, watching as Maxxor stomped through the snow.

"So, here's a newbie? He doesn't stand a chance goin' up against SamShady." He grinned, revealing a crooked smile.

Tom's P.O.V

I finally figured out how to move around as Maxxor, and leapt down into a trench for cover. Takinom was an avian-type, which meant Sam could attack from above. I pushed myself as far into the crevice as my bulk would go. I chanced a peek just outside the crack - and quickly ducked back in as Takinom let loose a volley of fireballs.

"I'm just getting warmed up!" She shouted. Oh great, now we're doing fire jokes, I thought sarcastically.

'Alright, Takinom will use her flying abilities to keep an aerial advantage on me. Maybe if I...YES! That's it!' I grinned, and launched my self out of the channel, rolling and ducking out of the path of her fireballs.

"You want the full Chaotic experience, right?" I winced as a fireball grazed my side, just barely licking me, but still enough contact to hurt like a-

"No thanks! Things are getting a bit...toasty for me!" I shouted back. Keep your mouth shut, moron! my mind screamed as the volley got more violent. I jumped over a large crack in the ice and managed to turn around.

"I like to keep things cool, thanks." Okay, where had the smartass-ness come from? Takinom landed gracefully and opened her wings. Never a good sign from an UnderWorlder.

"This is REALLY COOL!" Takinom curled her wings, and her legs bent into a steady positon. Oh, snap...

"TORRENT OF FLAME!" A huge plume of fire shot into the air, then split into a group of firedarts, which began to circle me. I jumped down into another crevice.

It turned out to be a sort of hollowed-out slide, and I ducked as I flew out of the mouth, while the fireballs shot past me. I could see the ground, rising up to meet me, and bent my legs to land upright, not wanting a repeat of my previous porting experience. I straightened up, and began sprinting across the field, watching the sky and ground simultaneously for Takinom to appear.

I saw her suddenly swoop into the air, jeering at me to come out. That's when I saw a cave opening, just a few feet away. I dove from underneath the ice pillar I was hiding under, and made a mad dash for the cave. Unfortunately, Takinom spotted me, and threw a fireball at me, missing by a foot. A warning shot. I got into the mouth, and tried to breathe in, then, glancing behind me, ran farther into the cave. I slipped behind a pillar just as Takinom swooped in. I watched as she scanned the area, then darted for a tunnel. If she hadn't heard my footsteps, she most certainly could follow my rasping breathes, as I trekked farther in.

I picked up some snow, and as soon as she was within my sights, I lobbed it at the back of her head, gaping as it missed from her tilting her head. I grinned in embarrassment and waved at her even as she threw another fireball at me. I ran out, slipped, and fell/slid down the slope and landed hard on my ass, getting clomped on the head by a piece of packed ice.

Back in the court:

Kaz was gaping at the screen, his heart thudding in his ears. One wrong move after another... He waved over a robot.

"Chocolate milkshake." He glanced back at the screen. "Make it a double."

Peyton, however, was grinning ear to ear. Tom so far had kept his attention with how into the game he was getting.

(Tom's P.O.V)

I ran again, this time being stopped, not by Takinom, but by the sheer drop that faced me from the edge of the ice. I turned to see Takinom, hovering in the air above me.

"Er, don't suppose I could call time-out, could I?" I was on a smart-ass roll today, wasn't I? I looked back at the drop, as my foot pushed a small pile of snow over the edge.

"Game over Tom." Takinom's voice was pretty annoying, or maybe it was the fact that it was a guy using a female Creature to kick my ass. I turned back to her.

"Welcome - To CHAOTIC!" She said, then blowing a plume of fire at me, knocking me over the edge.

I screamed as I fell, the cold air slicing against me. I tried to twist around, and suddenly, it felt like another presence was there with me. Like, Maxxor was right there, telling me about-

"HU-RAH!" I cried as I grabbed the protruson from the ice, barely hanging on as my weight settled on it. I gasped as my stomach lurched.

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(Normal P.O.V.)"YES! That's it! That's what it's about!" Kaz cried triumphantly, as he watched Tom dangle from the icicle, unaware of the greasy blonde coming up behind him for a closer view.

"Feel your inner Maxxor!" The red-head was ecstatic, his friend was doing so well right now! Tapping into Maxxors power like that...

Impressive...

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'I...I didn't know there was a branch here. But Maxxor did.' I thought as I clung tightly to the ice. I looked up and gaped. 'He also knows it isn't a branch at all!' I wailed in my head, staring into the face of a giant mammoth skeleton, long buried in the ice. I shivered, not because of the cold.

Suddenly, another volley of firedarts rained down from above, and I craned my neck to see Takinom, blowing more plumes at me. I dodged by swinging back and forth, until - LAUNCH! - I threw myself at her, grabbing onto her leg, and making us fall.

"Let go, BONEHEAD! I can't fly like this!" She cried, blindly clawing at the air. I grinned.

"I know. You should let me fly for a while." My grin got bigger, and I reached out to grab her wing. I pulled down on it, and we swerved around crazily.

"I'm taking this in a new direction!" I crowed as we steered straight into the path of the glacier. Takinom hit the ice pillar, which shattered, and as we landed I let go, almost throwing her to the other side of the alcove. I managed to stay upright somehow, and skated a few feet, while Takinom slid across the floor gracelessly. She hopped up, damn!, and growled darkly at me.

I retaliated by powering up a favorite Mujic of mine. Blue lightning crackled between my hands, and Takinom gasped. I let loose the attack as soon as my energy hit its peak.

"Pebble STORM!" She avoided it by jumping up, and grinned at me.

"So, you're finally getting into character. Can't you do better than PEBBLES?" She taunted, and something inside me snapped.

"I've tried to hold this in. But you, sir/lady/it, have crossed the line!" I growled. I reared up into a straightened stance.

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Kaz stared at the screen, gaping at Maxxor. "He...he doesn't mean-he wouldn't!"

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"You cannot say anything, because you, sir, are a MAN IN A WOMAN'S BODY!(1)" I roared at Sam. Takinom froze, an incredulous look on her face.

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"Yes, yes he would..." Kaz muttered, clapping a hand over his face. All around him, Peyton and the other watchers burst into laughter.

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"You-you!" Takinom began to spit fire. I was inwardly laughing, until she burst into flames. Oh crap... I summoned another favorite of mine.

"ROCK WAVE!" A dozen pillars of ice and stone rose up from the ground where I struck, directed at Takinom. It struck, and Takinom was thrown back, the flames disappearing immediately.

"Best. Game. Ever." I grinned. Takinom recovered and rose up, creating more flames. "You wanted a fight? You're on, Takinom!" I crowed. I could see Takinom's face, but then, it sort of glitched, and instead I could see Sam's face. He didn't have that creepy look anymore, rather, he looked like he was...having fun? Takinom/Sam grinned.

"That's right, I'm on! On fire, Maxxor! And no one's ever survived my Torrent of Flames!" She conjured more fire, looking ore like a hell-bird than ever. I gulped, oh yikes, I really made her mad...And no more spots to duck into. I still have my aquashield, oh no wait! I was struck by inspiration. I have that mujic, and I'm betting that this as good a time as any to use it! Hope I picked the right one!I thought as I activated the seven-sided ring of mujic.

A beautiful, almost catchy tune echoed throughout the area as I powered it up. "FORTISSIMO!" I shouted, "Supersize me!(2)" I felt a sort of warming sensation as I became larger, and when Takinom let loose her Torrent attack, it collided harmlessly with my chest. Though it did singe the dress a little (A/N: Maxxor: TUNIC!(gets hit by FS again) SHUT UP, I SAID!) I was not injured at all.

"That tickles." I said cheekily, and I reached out and grabbed Takinom from the air. She felt very fragile in my hand, almost like a bird, and I was afraid for a half second I might actually hurt Sam if I wasn't careful. That feeling quickly disappeared as I felt the Mujic begin to wear off. My eyes widened.

"Shit!" My cuss sounded so weird in Maxxor's voice, but I paid little heed as I spun several times, then threw Takinom against the wall. She screamed as she hit it, and exploded into blue code.

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"ALRIGHT!" Kaz cheered, along with all the other watchers. He suddenly turned to Peyton, and grabbed the larger boys arm in a celebratory hug! Peyton responded by lifting the thin red-head up, and spinning them around, colliding with a nearby robot.

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Sam reappeared in the Drome, wiping his face sullenly. I reappeared a few seconds later, still as Maxxor, and I was too giddy to even move while the code reappeared and returned me to normal.

"Mark your calendar, Tom, because-" He was cut off by my sudden rant, and by me pushing myself uncomfortably close to him.

"OMIGOSH, thatwasthecoolestthingever-" I continued to speak rapidly until Sam threw a beanbag at my face, hitting me square in the eye. It plopped into my hands and I looked up at the now red-in-the-face Sam.

"Whatever! Weirdo!" But I saw him smile slightly as he exited the Drome. I looked closely at the beanbag, it was bright orange, with a zigzag of purple running around it, and it looked handmade. Aw, shucks. He likes me, I snickered in my head. I started as the pinging came back, though by now the noise barely bothered me. I walked out of the Drome, stowing the beanbag in my pocket.

Kaz was waiting for me outside, and when I spotted him, I ran over, picked him up, and swung him around excitedly. "Didja see? I was Maxxor, and I used Mujic, and Battle-Gear, and-" Kaz cut me off by 'gently' socking my arm, making me put him down. He grinned back.

"You totally wiped the floor with Sam! He never had a chance!" I squealed, overflowing with excited-ness and stuffs...Oh wow, I couldn't even make an intelligent thought.

"You're a natural!" Kaz crowed, and we pounded our fists together, saying "Dude." and chuckling afterward. I slowed to catch my breathe, and looked around happily.

"All this time, all your stories...They were real. All true..." I trailed off as I walked over to the railing, where I could all of Chaotic, including the other Dromes. Kaz came up beside me. "I could stay here forever." He nodded, still wearing a grin. "Shit! My mom! When she realizes I'm gone, she'll flip out!" I myself was freaking out, but Kaz didn't even seemed fazed.

"Don't worry, you're not gone." He soothed. I gaped at him, hoping my expression correctly displayed my feeling of 'best-friend-who's-a-red-head-say-WHUT?' He smiled. "You're still home, probably eating breakfast like any other morning." I felt my eye twitch.

"Um, maybe I got too hard in the Drome, but how can I be here and there?" Kaz puffed out his chest. Initiating nerd-mode, I thought exasperatingly.

"See, before you activate your code, there's just the you on Earth. But when you use it, there's the you that's here, rocking it in Chaotic, and the you chillin' at home." I scratched my head.

"Cream in a cupcake?" Kaz nodded.

"Cream in a cupcake."

"Anyway, when you want to go home, you just press the transport button right here." He pointed to the icon on the top on my scanner. I always thought it was for decoration. "Then the you back home presses the same button. Just try it, you'll see." I shrugged, and did just that.

And...

Nothing happened.

"Kaz..." Warning growl, and Kaz swiped at my scanner when I began pounding the button furiously.

"Chill. Your scanner's all good. This just means the you back home isn't answering." He began to walk away, and I stumbled after him. "Whenever you transport your code to Perim, your scanner on Earth seems dead. That's because the you in Chaotic has control of your deck, so that you can use it in the Drome battles." We walked up to a nice bench area, surrounded by tall bushes. "But on Earth, you can't access your online deck or anything." Here he laughed a bit. "A lot of players freak out when they think their scanners are broken."

"Hehe yeah. Knowing me, I'd tossed my scanner out in the trash if that happened." We tittered for a few more seconds, before Kaz spun around and grabbed my shoulders.

"THE TRASH? Tom, if you trashed your scanner on Earth, you'll never be able to go home!" I gaped, my jaw starting to hurt from all the faces I'd pulled today.

"You'll be stuck here...FOREVER!" Kaz cried as he shook me.

-ChaoticCailey, AKA Ruka Clemington, is a Mipedian supporter but plays water type Overworlders as her strength. She enjoys crafting and studies Mujic in Perim in the hopes that she can create jewelry from the patterns. She is 17 years old and on Earth, she enjoys seafood and playing with her army of ferrets named Trixie, Flora, Gabby, and Nora. In Chaotic she rescues Players from scamming and drives the robots crazy by ordering impossibly complex dishes.-

"Kuso, kuso, kuso, kuso!" I muttered, along with a few other curses that I can't repeat. I turned to look at Kaz, who was pacing back and forth. I growled, wishing for all the world to be able to hit something. "This is all you fault!"

He spun around and gaped at me. "MY FAULT? How's it my fault? Don't blame me cuz you thought I was a nutcase!" I stood up angrily.

"You are a nutcase!" He rounded on me.

"You take that back!" I flung my arms out to emphasize.

"Why should I? You can't take me back!" I slumped back onto the bench, feeling a slimy, cold feeling worming around in my gut. I curled up instinctively, feeling my face go red, and Kaz uncurled me in a hurry.

"Alright, just chill out for a second! I'll just transport home, go over to your house, explain what's happening, and if you threw out your scanner, we'll find it." He glanced back at me. My knees were still bent, but my face had cooled.

"Yeah, well, that may not work. I thought you were crazy, no way the me at home will believe anything you say about this whole... thing!" I now wished that I was back home, curled up nice and warm in bed. Kaz walked closer to me. He studied me closely, then suddenly brightened.

"Then I'll prove it to ya! Tell me a secret no one else knows about you, something you've never told anybody. And not some lame secret, like how you went to Ballet Camp that summer." I cringed. Sure, Kaz and I were best friends, there had been times where we had been apart and things had happened, but...

"Well...I don't know-" Kaz suddenly darted into my face.

"C'mon Tom. It has to be something no one knows, so that when I tell it to you back home you'll believe whatever I say." I whimpered, then leaned up and hesitantly told my best friend of over a decade my oldest, darkest secret ever. He shot back up when I was done.

"Uh, you...Really? That's...wow. That'll work." He looked back down at me, and I felt a part of me die a little. He smiled after a moment.

"Don't worry. Doesn't change a thing." I let out a breath of relief. He then got a mischievous look in his eyes.

"So, how did-" I cut him off annoyed.

"KAZ!" He threw his hands up, now holding his scanner.

"Alright, chill! You can trust me on this, I won't let you down!" He disappeared in the now familiar blue code. I sighed, turning my head to stare at the ground.

"I thought he forgot about Ballet Camp." I muttered. A shadow suddenly fell upon me, and a voice that made my skin crawl drifted towards me.

"Hey. You kicked SamShady to the curb." It was a tall blonde male, with magenta sunglasses like Kaz had. He wore a tan coat, along with black-grey pants, and he had his ears pierced, along with a goatee. I shivered in both fright and displaced mirth; goatees, the true essence of evil.

I stood up and brushed myself off. I smiled disarmingly. "Yeah, thanks." He reached out in a friendly manner.

"My name's Clayborn, but everyone knows me Clay." I grabbed his hand, shuddering at the slimy, hot feel of his skin. He smelled slightly of cigarettes.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Tom." He smiled, like the way Sam had first smiled at me, and it made my spine rattle.

"I know. MajorTom, but you don't look like someone who's just won his first Chaotic match." I turned around and picked up my scanner, pressing the button gently this time.

"I can't get home. I think I trashed my scanner on Earth." The red controller was suddenly snatched out of my hands, and I turned to see Clay examining it.

"A smart player like you?" Grah, he's freaking me out! I thought. He craned his neck to look at me. "I doubt that. The same thing happened to me once. I just had to reset my scanner." Why does that sound like the most opposite of what I want to do? He was skimming through my card scans. "Don' worry, I'll fix everything." I felt my eye twitch violently.

"Gee, thanks." Trying to sound as friendly as possible. I followed him towards the Port-Court.

On Earth:

I angrily clicked at my icons, snarling when the computer voice kept saying that my deck was locked. I was so mad at this point, if he even came near me at this point. A THUD! from downstairs told exactly what I needed, and I felt for the nearest object. I counted the thumps up the stairs, and heard the door open.

"Tom, you got your sight back because of magic goggles, and you had your first match in Chaotic, and you did awesome, and you need to hook up with your Perim self so you know I'm not wack, so where's your-" I cut him off by throwing my trash can at him, hearing a satisfying THUNK! as it collided with his head.

"ENOUGH!" I shouted at Kaz. I was steamed by now. I gestured to my laptop, which was repeating the standard 'Deck is locked' in every language Chaotic was played in.

"I don't want to hear another word about your adventures in loony land! I can't access my online deck, because I listened to you and entered that bogus password into my scanner." I heard him moving around, probably to shake off the trash can attack.

"That's what happens when you're in Chaotic. I mean, the other you, the one that's there now, waiting." I put my hand up in the obligatory, 'talk-2-da-hand-bitch' gesture.

"I'll only talk to the Kaz that lives in reality." Kaz put his hand on my shoulder.

"I didn't want to have to do this, but you leave me no choice Tom. You told me a secret in Chaotic, so that when I came to you, here, now, you'd believe what I have to say." I smiled cruelly.

"This'll be good." I muttered as I took out the earplugs connected to my laptop. Kaz leaned in, and gently whispered the one sentence I thought he would never utter.

"I know about you being gay, Tom." My jaw dropped into my lap, my body going into shock. I moved to where I thought I was staring him in the face.

"N-Nobody's supposed to know that. How'd you-" I mentally panicked. Kaz, meanwhile, was oddly unaffected.

"Yes! Feel that, that small glimmer of 'Maybe he's not crazy.' Now, hold onto that and give me your scanner." He was holding his hand out, I could tell. I reached over my desk, and felt around for the drawer. I heard my mom come in.

"Oh, Tom? I brought some snacks for you and Kaz." I nodded, feeling around for the familiar rectangular plastic.

"Huh? Where's my scanner?" I cried out, and Kaz gasped.

"Eh? Tommy, don't you remember? You were grumbling about it not working, so I threw it out." I paled, and I'm sure Kaz had too. We both got up, and Kaz cried out as the mechanical whir of the garbage truck sounded loudly. I felt ill at that moment, but before I could start feeling sorry for myself, Kaz grabbed my hand, shouted something akin to 'We'll be right back!' to my mom, and we were out the door.

"Okay, you're all set, MajorTom." Clay said as we neared the transporters. I still had that weird worm feeling, and it only intensified as I got onto the white space. I remembered the way I had ported in, zaps of energy over my body, the scared feeling...

"Sometimes, when you reset the scanner, its better to launch from the transport center." He handed my scanner back. "Helps with the lock." I smiled politely, now wishing doubly that I was back home.

"Thanks Clay. Good thing I ran into you. Maybe we can play Chaotic sometime." I offered, even if he was a creep, he was the creep who was about to help send me home. I pressed the icon, and the world proceeded to fade into blue around me.

"Somehow..." Clay replied slowly as he watched the last of MajorTom's code fade away, "I doubt that." He grinned evilly, then blinked as a voice called, "Hey YOU!" He turned around just in time to get punched in the face by the brunette who had brushed Tom's hair before his match. He slammed onto the floor, blooding leaking from his lips. His body twitched, and the girl reared her fist up in victory.

"THAT is what you get for being bad!"

"Finally, home sweet-CASTLE?" I blinked, gazing at a magnificent castle rising from the water. "Oh, SNAP!" I was standing at the edge of a giant lake, tall grass behind me, deep blue water lapping at my feet. I whimpered, curling down into ball. Tricked...It figures, my mind spat at me. Kaz is the only one we can trust. Why would you even believe that Clay person. you don't know him!

"Oh god...oh god..." I whimpered, as the water continued to lap at my shoes. I pulled the goggles off my face, momentarily plunging my sight into darkness. I wiped at my eyes, which starting to heat up, when suddenly the back of my shirt was pulled, and I was thrown to the ground. I curled up, my arms thrown up over the goggles and my face. A girl's voice suddenly hissed in my ear.

"Zip it, LOSER! I've been out here tracking Mezmar all night, I've had zero sleep, and I've got no patience for a scan hog!" I stayed quiet, hoping she'd go away. A rustle nearby, and she jumped off my chest. I got up, pulled the goggles back down, and pressed the tiny button, which let my sight flood the screen again.

The girl was in front of me, crouched like an animal. She had long blond hair, and was wearing a black and white top, with red pants. She crept forward and I followed silently.

"Wait I-" She made a shushing noise, and I nearly lost it there. A small sob did manage to sneak out, and she turned to me. Her eyes were green, and more vibrant than Peyton's. They narrowed in pity. Then she darted up, peering out into the gloom over the lake waters.

"I don't know what a Mezmar is, or how I'd scan it. I'm just trying to go home." She turned around. "See, this kid Clay was helping me and -" She cut me off with a snort.

"Clay? Clayborn doesn't help anyone but himself! What's your name?" She said extending a hand to help me up.

"Tom." She smiled at me.

"I'm Sarah." She had her scanner out now. "Welcome to the wilds of Perim. If you want to survive, stay quiet, and stay out of my way! I've got scanning to do!" She turned with a scowl, and I grinned. I could probably get along with this person... I followed after her.

Unbeknownst to either of us, a blue scaled face emerged from the water a few feet away. Green eyes, reptilian in shape, followed our movements along the bank.

Meanwhile, somewhere else!:

"In the name of Perim, and all that's Chaotic, STOP THAT JUNK!" Kaz cried as we chased after the garbage truck. I flinched as a banana peel smacked me in the face, and I stopped long enough to peel it off.

"Ugh, remind me how we're friends?" I muttered, as Kaz came back, grabbed my wrist again, and dashed away.

Sarah and I were standing on a sandbank, scouting the waters for Mezmar. It occurred to me that I still had no clue what Mezmar looked like, when Sarah began to speak.

"Clay's evil, but he doesn't pick on just anybody. If he messed with you after seeing your first match, he must think you're serious competition." She then noticed the goggles on my face. "What's with those things?" I adjusted the left.

"Well, see, on Earth, I'm actually blind." She gasped. "But I'm still a really good Chaotic player. So my friend Kaz asked these people called the 'CodeMasters' to make these goggles for me. Somehow, they let me see as clearly as any other person can." She looked impressed.

"So, if you take them off, you're blind like before?" I nodded. I pulled them off, and let her see the glazed over pupils of my eyes. Kaz once told me that looking at my eyes in full reminded him of looking at a piece of blue ice. Cold, unreachable, deep...I punched him, saying that I was the blind one, therefore, only I was allowed to be angsty.

I put the goggles back on, and jumped when I found Sarah closer to my face than I was comfortable with. "Sorry, I just wanted to see the goggles." She didn't take them off my face. "Hmm, these are definitely the work of CodeMaster Hotekk. He's the only one with skilled enough hands to work metal like this. Though, I bet it was Crellan who made the others pitch in. He's a real team player-type, you know?" I shrugged, not really getting it.

"Where are we? I know you said 'Perim', but where in Perim?" She held up her scanner again.

"You have a Lake Ken-i-po location card in your scanner deck, right?" I blinked. I wondered if I could pass for a half-owl by now.

"How did you know that?" She grinned, and I was somehow reminded of Kaz, when he got that geeky look in his eyes.

"Your 'friend' Clay set your scanner to transport you here. I'm sure he was hoping you'd never figure out how to transport back to Chaotic, so there'd be one less player who could beat him." I growled mentally, feeling anger well up in my stomach.

"That-that, dirty, rotten, son of a-" I was cut off by a loud gurgling noise coming from the lake. We fell silent as a giant mutant frog thing wallowed up from the water. Sarah gasped and pulled me back.

"Nauthalax! I bet he's on an UnderWorld spy mission." She suddenly started to crawl away. "C'mon!" I looked at her with an expression akin to 'woman-you-crazy-like-hell-i'm-goin-anywhere-near-there.' She pulled on my sleeve.

"How else am I going to scan him?" She dove back into the bushes. I rolled my eyes. Why do I attract the crazy people?

Nauthalax was pulling his bulk up the sand. His voice was gurgle-y, and reminded me of that one horror movie where the kid drowned and haunted his cabin at summer camp.

"This is perfect! I can see what Mezmar's up to, without anyone seeing me." I wore a flat look of disbelief on my face. Sarah held out her scanner, and a bunch of blue light shot out, running over the fish-freak's body. She stopped after a few seconds, and dove backward as he turned to look in our direction. She showed me her scanner, and I saw on her screen a picture of Nauthalax.

"See? Now Fish Face's code is saved on my scanner. His code has all his disciplinary scores and attacks." I awed over it.

"Just like the cards." She giggled.

"Now you're catching on." We had no time to celebrate, however, as a fireball landed in front of us.

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