HSM3 was astounding; it made me cry. ANYONE WANNA DISS ME 'BOUT HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 3, HMM?! Yeah, didn't think so.
Characters (C) Respective Owners
Ch. 23: Countdown pt. 2
People always break promises. On my sixth birthday, I asked Vector and Espio to tell me about Mighty and his sudden dissapearance. Both promised they would after the party was over and all the presents were shredded, but they never did. In fact, they huddled me off to bed, and Vector actually kissed my forehead in a fatherly sort of way. I decided to drop the subject the next day, and I never asked again.
I promised the Chaotix, Sonic, and my father that I would beat Rodrigo, but I wondered if I would pull a revelation and fail. It wouldn't of surprised me, oh no. I've failed several times in my life that I'd rather not recollect on those dreadful times. Times like those bring self-esteem to a minium, but it's really the breaking of promises and the lying that gets to me.
Enough of that. So, here I am back in Rodrigo's lair after having a heart-warming conversation with the only time I ever get to see my Dad, and poof! Moment's gone. Sure, Sonic, Vector and Espio arrived, but that really didn't apply. Here's the circumstances: If I win, world is saved and some bums come back to life; if I lose world is screwed, and Rodrigo gets to be evil-dictator-of-gravity-and-evilness...yeah, that's a real nice title.
A black hole appeared in front of me by just a few feet. Rodrigo hopped out, landing on his knee. On his beak was a small trail of blood coming from the nostril. Rodrigo wiped it on his purple Ark and grinned. "Sorry to keep you waiting, Prince."
"Let me guess, Bean got the drop on you when you sent him to Jet and Stream?" I asked playfully, twirling my sword in my hand.
"How did you know about that?!" he demanded, utterly surprised.
I smirked deviously as the corners of my mouth stretched to their farthest confines. "Wouldn't you like to know?"
"I would, but that would waste my time." Rodrigo raised his Arks, elevating him off the ground. I hovered up higher quickly just to keep up with his antics. "If I stalled this fatality, you wouldn't see your father as fast as I predicted."
"Don't talk about my dad that way!" I shouted back, darting at him. "He was the best king and father in the entire world!"
Rage glazed my vision as I swung my sword wildly. Rodrigo didn't even use his Arks to simply deflect or diverge the attack, but just dodged gracefully at my blatant thrusts. Rodrigo suddenly grabbed the hilt of my sword and headbutted me into the ground. Before I landed I managed to get my wings back in gear to fly a few towards his throne.
Raine and Cream stared at me when I finally took actual notice to them. Cream smiled at me, her wide, chocolate eyes boring too many holes through me. Raine, too, had a smaller grin on her face, but it seemed rather annoyed. A blush crept on my face as I stared at my past crush to my recent crush. Why must they be so pretty?
"Getting yourself beat up?" Raine remarked dourly, causing the blush to disintegrate, and Cream to giggle.
"Hey, at least I didn't get captured," I retorted with a small smile with crossed arms. "like some people I know."
"...I want that Ring-Pop back," she demanded, frowning.
"Not the delicious Ring-Pop!" I cried, shock overwhelming me to buckle to my knees. Snatching the bars of her cage, I added, "But I already keep it as a trophy for that kiss!"
Cream and Raine just had to giggle at my embarassment. I blushed, but than an eerie jabbing probed my neck. Cream squeaked in fear while Raine bit her lower lip in anger. Slowly turning around, I was met face to face with Rodrigo. He was dangling my sword above my head mockingly. Glaring at him, I aimed my controlling Ark at him, but than he suddenly shook his head.
"You do that, and I blast those girlies wide open with my Gravity Beams," he taunted viciously. He slapped me across the face in my sudden realization with the hilt of my sword and snatched Raine's cage. He placed my sword directly above her head, cackling wickedly at her cries of fear.
"Don't you dare!" I screamed, launching myself at him. I created a black hole and leapt into it, fury ablaze. Appearing in front of Rodrigo, I elbowed him in the face, actually surprising him. I snatched Raine's cage and my sword, gently slashing the bars open.
Raine fluttered out, looking shaken, not stirred. Stiffling, she enveloped me into a small hug, making my heart do flipflops inside. Her body was quivering on mine, so I just patted her back and gave her a small swiss-army knife I had stolen from Wave before leaving the airship at breakfast. Speaking of breakfast, I didn't have any food! I was hungry!
"Go cut Cream's bars, and get outta here," I ordered softly, pushing away from her. "I'll be fine."
"Are you sure, Charmy?" Raine asked, concern wracking her voice.
"Yeah, this is more than just a fight now." I raised my sword to my face in a battle position. "This is my destiny!"
Raine paused, and I couldn't see her reaction. All I heard was a "yes", and that the butterfly flew back down to Cream. The cutting of metal on stainless steel hurricaned the area since there was no noise. Rodrigo dared not to make a move, curiously watching them. Cream scurried on through the cut bars and called up to me.
"Charmy, good luck!" she cried as Raine dragged her away.
"If you die I'll burn your carcass with one of my flammable medicines!" Raine shrieked as they bolted for the door.
Rodrigo stared at my twitching form. "Nice girl," he stated with a whistle.
"The best," I replied genuinely.
"Didn't you like that rabbit whatserface?"
"For a while until I moved on." I shrugged. "Hearts change, Rodrigo, but-"
"But enough of the pleasantries!" Rodrigo barked, finishing my statement for me. That's weird, I was just about to say that. He raised both his hands together and a form of black magic started to conjure inside, welling with power with a move I knew would kill. "Compressed Babylon!"
The ball was gradually bigger than to first time. It expanded, but was much slower than I had expected. The more magic, the slower the attack, I had figured, hovering in a pointed manner. I raised my sword, holding it to my face and thrusted it directly at the Compressed Babylon. Shockingly enough, I had actually cut through it, and just to be safe, I created twin black holes for the splits to go through. It was my turn to play hero, like Sonic, Vector, Espio or even Tails. I charged up my Ark with as much energy as I could, and I released it.
"Take this! Gravity Syndrome!" I called, open-palmed as my Ark glowed a brillant white. Gravity Syndrome was difficult move that only the Master Ark could achieve. The gravity around us become lighter and lighter until objects around us had hit the top. Rodrigo's body slammed into the ceiling, grunting. Closing my fist resulted in gravity becoming nearly unbearable, and Rodrigo was slammed into the floor. Rodrigo's cries of pain were like angels singing.
Depleting the Gravity Syndrome, I flew over to him and raised my sword over his head in a victory dance. Like how Vector's has an ugly sunshine banner, I have an ugly rainbow banner whenever I win. Rodrigo grimaced, glaring at me. Suddenly, he snatched my sword, digging his palm deeper into its sharp core. Frightened, I flew back up with my sword. It took me but an instant to realize all the reeking blood on my sword. A sweet smell filled my nose from the blood, and I gasped: Cantarella.
I buckled under pressure, going limp in the sky as I fell to the ground. Thankfully, the cantarella didn't go inside me at least, so I thought of myself as lucky. Rodrigo dragged himself to stand, and he snarled over me with a hideous Dark Chao-like grin. He raised his boot over me and smashed me right in the stomach. My cries of agony were like angels singing, but for him.
"Hah! How's this feel, huh?! Well?! Answer me insect, answer me!" Rodrigo insanely drove on with the blows to my chest and head. Blood started to leak from my nose, and I prayed that it wasn't broken.
"Y-you're sick," I whimpered just before he planted another kick to my face. "You're one sick bird!"
"I'm not sick!" he shrieked, insanity in his voice. "Just be grateful that cantarella is a non-poisoning poison, but a paralysis poision. Like what your retarded friend Storm suffered."
"Paralysis, wait, does that mean Storm's ...?" Could that be true? Was Storm just paralyzed, not dead? But Storm was motionless, and the cantarella was on him in small droplets; I only inhaled it.
Rodrigo cursed. "I don't know how much got on the idiot, but if he's been out for this long, he's most certainly dead." He kneeled next to me, grasping my sword as he smoothed his four headfeathers that went in a fanned out pattern. "Do you remember this? You sliced my head straight off, boy, but now it's my revenge. It's my turn, now, as that pink hedgehog would say."
I held my breath, not wanting to get sick from the toxic poision. I didn't want to die, I couldn't! I still had so much to accomplish in life, and I couldn't let it end. Not now. Cracking my neck, I glared up at him, not saying a word, but what he did next sickened me.
Rodrigo stared lustfully at the cantarella on my sword. Lapping at it with his tongue made me cringe. Can you say, pedophile-like? The crow smirked as the poison dribbled down his beak and onto his feathers then to the floor.
"What are you?" I whispered in a faint breath, not wanting to lose much air.
"My blood is poison, like this cantarella," he explained. "Now, where was I? Oh, right!" He snapped his fingers for comical effect and placed his sword down by my neck, ready for the final coup.
"Don't I get last words?" I scoffed, finding it useless to try and exempt my breathing any longer.
"We tried that already, but since I'm such a genorous-"
"Hah! Like hell you're genorous!" I burst into laughter for a few seconds at the far-fetched picture of himself being genorous. "G-go on."
"...Since I'm such a man of my word, I'll give you your feeble and futile last words," Rodrigo scorned, glaring at me with those everlasting, revengeful violet eyes.
Feigning thoughtfulness, I placed a finger to my chin and smiled coyfully. "Just two: Gravity Dive!" Using the remaining strength I had from the fire inside, I created a black hole and threw myself in. Well, it was more like a desperate attempt at standing and flopping in, but that doesn't really matter right now.
Instead of reappearing like most times, I stayed there to try and get rid of my paralysis. Weakly, I attempted to stand, but it proved ill when I landed right on my face. Grunting, I mentally slapped myself when I took notice of my missing sword. Slapping myself in the forehead, I stretched different parts of my body, hearing the cracks fill the area.
Come on, Charmy, you can do this, I thought, clasping my hands together. Don't think about failing. You can win! Creating another black hole, I smirked and leaped in, shouting for Rodrigo's demise with all the air in my lungs, new and old.
Rodrigo smirked at my up-and-coming. "Rather cowardly of you just running and hiding."
I mimicked him in a nasily tone while wiggling my fingers. Rodrigo frowned, tossing my sword down at my feet. He blinked in confusion when I didn't grasp it, but I had noticed the cantarella was still there. Leaking down my sword to the hilt, and I didn't want to end up like Storm: paralyzed or dead.
Once again, we went at it. Rodrigo sent a Babylon Pulse at me, but I skillfully manuevered with my wings. Flying up towards him, we both hovered into the air, and surprisingly enough, Rodrigo actually sent a poorly-aimed punch my way. It was actually sort of pathetic since I just flew under him and threw his legs. Stinging him in his rear, I giggled at his squawk. Just like when I stung Jet on his butt! Rodrigo launched a Gravity Beam, but I decided to play with him.
"Come on! You can't be that slow, can ya!" I taunted, doing a mid-air disco dance. "To be a true Babylon Rogue, you gotta be the best!"
"Then'd why the hell did they allow you on their pathetically prestigious team?" he demanded, clenching his fist as a swarm of black energy surronded it.
"Because I rock," I replied simply. "Duh!"
Rodrigo dashed towards me with his fist of black power extended. Believing it to be another stupid punch, I leaned back and was just ready to swing through his legs again, but Rodrigo suddenly gutted me with his knee. Groaning with pain, I fumbled backwards until a cold hand clutched my throat. Rodrigo's black aura started to surrond me, and my master Ark started to wriggle off my wrist. Imperviously horrified, I chomped down on the Ark to make it resist the aura. Some sort of Babylonian magic, I presumed, that it could control the Arks of the Cosmos to go to him, which would be even worse for me.
Smashing his fist against the side of my face, Rodrigo cursed at me with heinous words. Weakly, I faltered and released my bite, but the Ark remained on my wrist. The crow snatched my wrist, attempting to pry the Ark off my wrist. The Ark latched itself back on, not breaking free. I stared down at the Ark when Rodrigo finally gave up and launched another Gravity Beam. The Ark chose me. Not Jet, not Rodrigo, not whoever else went crazy with the power from the Arks, but me.
Confidence renewed, I dashed at him, a fist ready to block. Rodrigo blocked with his elbow, but I craned my neck and headbutted him. Rodrigo flew backwards a few paces, but I was consistant with my onslaught. Jab after jab, I made sure Rodrigo felt each punch to his chest. All the pain and suffering he forced Cannon, Stream, and the other Babylon Rogues through. All the deaths. He will pay for everthing.
I panted, cleching my fist after I elbowed Rodrigo in the face as he fell to the ground. My energy was drained with the wicked onslaught. I had actually brought Rodrigo to his knees, and he was wheezing. Well, I was too, but I hurt him. I smashed him until he bled. Me, innocent Charmy Bee, the one that usually picked fights and then got his butt handed to him a few seconds later. Me.
Coughing, Rodrigo glared up at me. Suddenly, he trembled, but from what? Fear? Was he afraid of me? Rodrigo took in a few breathes before raising to his feet. I got into a fighting position, but than he suddenly collapsed back down to both knees with his hands in front of his face.
"That's it, I surrender," he stated inaudibly, making my attenaes and fur rush up to their highest extent. "I can't win against your light; it's too pure for me."
"What?" I cried, mouth gaping in shock. "Are you serious?!"
"Yes, I'm dead serious." Rodrigo didn't even look up or shed a glance towards me like an embarassed child admitting his wrong-doing. "Can I have forgiveness?"
The way he said forgiveness made my fur stand on end, reaching out to its farthest extent. Was he actually trying to get attention and beg for mercy? Or was this some type of sick ploy waiting in darkness to betray me later. Cracking my knuckles gently so I wouldn't get finger problems in the near-distant future, I aimed my Ark over his head.
"No, what you've done to this world and to all of my friends is completely unforgivable!" I cried as my Ark started to glow with light.
"Figured as much!" He gave a careless shrug and tackled me to the ground. Rodrigo was on top, which sounds pretty dirty, but I can assure you that I wasn't enjoying it. Sick yaoi fans. Rodrigo kneed me in my chin, lurching me backwards into the air. I winced, using gravity to catch me before Rodrigo advanced. Simultaneously, we created black holes and leapt into them, both charging at insane speeds that even Sonic would be impressed at. Our fists were raised, prepared to strike when once in range.
Before I even knew it, my mind was on autopilot and all the pent-up frustration surged foreward. Animalistic behavior that I had never known before suddenly came out roguishly. Survival of the fittest, guys. I snatched his incoming fist and plowed him straight in the face with my unArked backfist. Still propelling with the gravity racked up around me, I smirked wryly, smashing my fist into his face again. And again. Again and again until blood started to leak from his nostril.
"Yo, have some of this! Gravity Syndrome!" Again, I gleefully watched and laughed horrifically as Rodrigo was pelted against the walls again and again. Until his blood suddenly splattered down onto my cheek in a centimeter girths. I froze, realizing my spark of insanity. I gently dabbed the blood on my cheek, suddenly wondering why it didn't smell sweet like his Canatarella. Shoddily, I trembled at my sudden rage. I never actually harmed someone like that before. It felt...odd, to say the least. Maybe a bit pleasing, but overall pitiful.
Rage flung on the crow's face when my attack abruptly depleted. Shakenly, Rodrigo rose to his feet instead of hovering like before. Cracking his neck several times, he slowly faced me with his violet eyes paling, yet dark around the edges.
I flinched, strength completely drained and shattered. "Wh-what are you gonna do now?" I asked in a scared voice, a voice unknown to me since I hadn't used it since I was six.
"You've lost your nerve," Rodrigo scoffed, wiping the blood on his glove, smearing it. "I expected more frustration, but this is actually sad."
"Sh-shut up!"
"In fact, you're nothing..." Rodrigo raised all four Arks, firing off four Gravity Beams. "...but a worthless pawn."
A pawn? I'm just worthless pawn? I thought absent-mindedly, watching with glazed eyes as the beams slashed through me. Flying through the air as blood plastered my arms and the sides of my chest, I felt a sense of failure. A kaleidoscope of images flashed through my mind: my father, my friends, Raine, and even my fromer enemies the Anti Babylon Rogues. My life stormed through my head in fragments from my birth up to this moment. Each treasured memory with everyone whether good or bad like a chain of memories. (Heh, Kingdom Hearts reference.)
Crashing to the ground, everything faded in and out. My kaleidoscope was darkening with bloody nightmares, destroying the white immortal dreams. I allowed the darkness, revenge, and power to consume, devour and spit me up like Wave's cooking. Coughing staggering blood, I felt the red slime blind me momentarily, and I screamed for someone. Anybody. Anybody to save me from myself and him.
Rodrigo flew over me, standing so still in mid-air. My sword levitated over to him by some means when his hand glowed. Gravity, I assumed. Pressing the sword against the side of my head, he smirked. "I can't believe you fell so far into darkness. By getting so angry and losing it, before getting retrieved in the middle of light and dark. You're just like a Heartless I worked on. It was restless, and it couldn't decide what it wanted to be."
"So, what'd you do to it?" I curiously asked, weakly turning my head to him.
"Killed it," he stated firmly, gripping my sword tighter. The cantarella leaked down the sword to its tip, dribbling its acid. "That Heartless struggled, but I managed to catch it before it-how do I put it?-abandaned ship?"
I sniggered lightly through closed lips. "That's so lame, man."
Unrationally, he took my sword and jammed it straight into my shoulder. Crying out with agony, I clutched my shoulder once he removed the sword. Kneeling on top of me, he stabbed the sword inches from my head.
"Shut up, you ignorant bee! I'm going to kill you to end this little draw," he snarled. "This game has gone on long enough, and I tire of it."
"I-is that all this is to you?!" I shrieked back, feeling like I would lose conscious from the blood loss. "A stupid little game?! Cannon sacrifaced his life for you and your vengeful cause! And you dare call this a game?! Your warriors are dying, and it's your fault!" Rodrigo didn't reply, but eased off and stood. "Come on, Rodrigo. If that's what you want to end this war, kill me."
The words along were enough to silence everything. Rodrigo was, for the first time, speechless, but our locked-on eyes never wavered from each other. Rodrigo's arm suddenly trembled with my sword, and I shuddered. Everything was getting cold like I was in the Aurora Icefield where Bark came from.
"Heh, those "warriors" as you stated, were nothing but Heartless I created called Slyphers. As for Cannon..." His voice trailed off, and I narrowed my eyes on him, waiting to for him to say any insult. "...Cannon was a good boy. Odd and and annoying at times, yes, but his loyalty never died."
"Then why'd you let him go?" I demanded.
"It was inevitable that he would die today. The Babylonians gods are praising me, Charmy!" His voice became erratic, unstable. The four lower Arks on his wrists glowed a darker shade of their original colors: blue, red, purple, but worst of all, the one his soul was embedded into, green turned entirely black. He was losing himself to the demonic power of his own creations! "I will be the ruler of this world! You even asked for me to kill you to end this game, as I foolishly stated!"
Maybe I shouldn't of said that...I thought, watching Rodrigo's transformation. Yeah, definately shouldn't of went all angsty like Shadow. Speaking of that hedgehog, where is he?
No, really, where the heck is Shadow? He wasn't here since Charmy Rogues.
---
Shadow the Hedgehog, the world's ultimate life form and a "badass" from what newspapers say, was currantly standing over Maria's grave and crying like a pansy with roses at her grave. Tch, what a loser, and I better not get any deaththreats in my mail from any Shadow fangirls/boys or I'll sting the absolute stuffing out of you. I mean it.
---
Back to Babylon Garden, Rodrigo's formerly black feathers shaded into a grey while his white flames turned black and longer up until they reached his shoulders. His headfeathers grew longer until they touched the back of his shins. Even his cloak changed to a musty cranberry, and a line went threw the Babylon Rogue's symbol on the back as his decession from the group in his past life. Formerly violet eyes swapped for an amber that tainted my own.
A bead of sweat trickled down the side of my face, and terror and awe had long stricken my face. I pursed my lips and hovered weakly as the blood resumed to flow from my shoulder. I had a feeling that I was going to die.
"Wra ha ha!" That had to be the stupidest laugh ever. "This power, it's incredible! Never before had the Arks given me this much power!" Rodrigo twirled in the air, looking free from the wounds I had previously given to him. He sang a little tune that sounded like it belonged to some sensational musical called HSM to himself before noticing the creeped-out look on my face. "...Uh, anyway, you're going-
A loud, inhumane, unmanly, painful scream suddenly filled the room from the floors below. I flinched, suddenly clinging to Rodrigo. Timidly, Rodrigo and I looked at the door before turning to each other.
"Was that you?" he asked slowly.
"No...you?" I question, releasing myself from him.
"No, I'm not that much of a freak..."
I stared at the floor and gasped. "Someone called Armand Tony the Tiger!"
Rodrigo face-faulted, sweat-dropped, and sighed for the poor fool. "Wow, wonder who's the unlucky guy. Where was I again in mid-rant?"
"You were ready to let me go and kill yourself like a suicidic kid?"
"No, but good guess. Ah, right!" Rodrigo snapped his fingers joyously. "You're going to die!"
"Oh, joy! Isn't life grand?!" I shouted in sarcastic happiness, glaring at the floor. "Hope your kids are screwed in the future whoever called Armand that bad name!"
---
Armand Novak the Tiger had it. He took his fist back and slugged Carnage straight in the face. Carnage plummeted backwards into Whip, who kicked him forwards to Armand for a beating. Our favorite tiger had the look of a man who had been pushed to close to the edge was ready to fall off...with someone to act as a pillow for the impact.
"Slave, what the hell?!" Carnage shouted, claws extending.
"Stop..." Armand created a lazer sword from his watch. "...calling..." His eyes burned with a fiery rage, while Carnage just cocked his head. "...me..." He charged forward, sword at his side. "...slave!" Swinging widly, Armand growled as Carnage simply dodged to the side. He lurched forward when Carnage tugged at the collar around his neck and winced.
Carnge smirked. "We do not appreciate this, Tony the Tiger."
Everything and everyone became silent. Armand's left eye twitched viciousy. Psycho hid behind Tomo just in case his head exploded like that Scrubs episode. Tomo shoved the wolf away before he latched onto her for love. Tomo cringed until Nack shoot a stun bullet in complete jealousy, paralyzing Psycho before he could get any perverted notions. However, Armand's body was in a full-blown cringe. Carnage cocked his head slowly in confusion, never having been in this situation like say Rector and Gemini last Tuesday when the cousins were in a bickerment, and Armand decided to break the fight up. Both called him the cereal mascot, and, well, they got screwed.
Rector and Howl looked at each other fearfully. "Intervention!" they shouted at the same time. They snatched the hero's son by his arms to drag him backwards. Both attempted to coax Armand, but the tiger refused to let go of his anger. Rector, knowing the pain to come, kept a firm grip and ordered Armand to stand down. Armand sighed, giving up. They kept their hands on him when Armand suddenly dashed forward in their arms.
Carnage burst into sinister laughter. "Ha ha ha! Need people to hid behind, slave! Especially sister complexed 'hog and..." He paused, staring at Howl. Previously, he had asked him to join his Wolf Pack, but Howl bluntly refused seventy-four times. "...that ass of a wolf that shouldn't even be a wolf because of his idiocy."
Huge, vengeful viens appeared in the Virtex' members foreheads. They looked at each other and than to Armand. Armand gave them skeptical glances, as in, Are you gonna let him get away with that?
"Let him go?" Howl asked, narrowing his eyes on Carnage in a glare.
"Thought you'd never ask!" Rector faced Armand, asking, "You'll beat him up when we let you go, right?"
"Armand kill Wolfy!" he slurred in a crazy, dazed tone filled with venom. "Wolfy will pay!"
The Virtex members counted to three, and at the same time. they released the rampaging tiger. Carnage sweat-dropped as he watched the ferocious, bloodshot-eyed tiger suddenly lunge at him. Animal instict style. "Oh, God-" Before he could finish his sentence, Armand was already on top and beating the living hell out of him.
Howl and Rector suddenly donned cheerleading outfits that were purple like Armand's fur and cheered for him. Rouge took pictures of them and put them in her jumpsuit that didn't have pockets. So, she placed them in her boobs. All the guys that weren't watching the fight, stupidly stared while Knuckles punched them all out. The girls become envious of her chest and feebly stared at their own.
"I pwn you all," Rouge stated, watching Knuckles crack one over Bark's nose.
Needless to say, it was Carnage who let out that loud, inhumane, unmanly, painful scream that shook Rodrigo's lair.
---
Next: Countdown Finale
For that Heartless bit Rodrigo was talking about, I just wanted to have a little tie-in with Sky Hawk's version of Rodrigo in Sonic Heroes: The Series since he messed with Heartless during Rakis' and his time.
Looks like Armand finally got revenge! Carnage is in for a world of suffering in the morning. Now, for today's questions! Will Charmy ever get out of this mess? Will he keep his promises to his father, friends and Raine? Has Shadow been at Maria's grave like an emo kid the whole time and tried to cut his wrists? Will Carnage get revenge for Armand's assualt? Stay tuned!