From the Author's Mind: (June 2011)

This chapter was written (or at least begun) on a day where I had about 9 minutes of sleep the night before, with violent video games being played for much of it. I was also, apparently, hit on people by both sexes, although I don't remember this? Anyway, stay tuned for references to ZOIDS, in addition to our usual 3 canon-stolen references. And now, enjoy Chapter 6: Edited Version.

Chapter Six

It was just two weeks after the Death Eater attack on Whitestone. The school had made headlines around the world, though no one believed The Quibbler, The National Enquirer, Nickelodeon Magazine, or Reader's Digest. Most of the students forgot about it already, and many of the staff had put it behind them as well. There was learning to be had, and they were already one month down of the nine-month school year. So, as October was approaching very quickly, the students prepared themselves for a new wave of homework.

Thursday Morning, Period 2. Social Study

"So you see, children," Ms. Bitters said on a particularly nasty Thursday morning, "People who do HORRIBLE things in a former life are reincarnated as starving, third-world children. This is called Karma. Can anyone name someone who this has happened to?"

"Hitler?" suggested Colette.

"WRONG!" snarled Ms. Bitters, "Hitler was reincarnated as Queen Elizabeth."

"But… weren't they alive at the same time?" Dib asked.

"… Irrelevant," said Ms. Bitters, right as the bell rang, "And don't forget, your HORRIFYING Disease projects are due tomorrow. And I have been asked to inform you all that there will be an assembly next period."

"Yes! No Math!" Lloyd said, dancing happily.

"Ms. Bitters," Ginny said, "Where are we having the assembly? We don't have an auditorium."

"Why not?" asked Genis.

"Because the budget ran out," said Hermione in a matter-of-fact voice.

"Oh, sorry, Miss Know-It-All," retorted Genis acidly.

"Okay, so, who actually started their projects?" asked Sheena as the entire class made their way into the deluge outside.

"I didn't," Zelos replied.

"We didn't," said Luna and Ginny.

"Project Completion: 0.004 percent," said Presea.

"What's the .004?" asked Iggins.

"Irrelevant," said Presea in a near-perfect imitation of Ms. Bitters.

"That… was horrifying…" Harry muttered to Ron who nodded.

A Few Minutes Later in Math

"Good morning, class," said Raine as her students entered the room, "I trust you're all ready to work?"

"Professor," said Lloyd happily, "We have that assembly soon, remember?"

"Oh, yes," said Raine in an equally cheerful voice, "Which is why I have to assign triple the amount of homework this evening."

"What?" everyone cried at once.

"Oh yes," said Raine, smiling obliviously, "We have to make up for today's lesson, the activity I had planned, and, of course, the homework for tonight. Don't worry, it won't take you more than a few hours."

"Hours, Raine, hours!" Genis cried at his sister, "Some of us have class until ten, remember?"

"Well, you'll just have to find time to do it between classes," Raine said, "Now, in the time we have today, let us begin a quick lesson on—"

"ATTENTION!" a voice interrupted Raine's speech, "A mandatory meeting for all Whitestone students is about to begin. Run to the cafeteria, and don't drown, we're under a flood warning."

"Flood warning?" said Colette looking outside, "Oh, look, I think that's the gym!"

She was right. The half-finished gym was actually floating around outside. On it were a few unfortunate students that had been stranded when it began to rain really hard. The rest of Raine's students glanced uneasily at each other. How were they going to get across?

"I'll help you, my dear," said Zelos as he and Tak approached the river.

"Why, thank you, Zelos," Tak purred, batting her eyelashes, "I would greatly appreciate it."

"Here, Zim, let's ride on this thing," said Luna, producing a large, rubber duck from inside her book bag. Zim stared at it for a moment, but finally consented when Girtrude sobbed and begged with him to let them ride the duck, which he promptly dubbed, "Sharifa-Latifah."

"Uh… Colette… I… do you want help getting across?" Dib asked the girl.

"Oh, thanks, but I can get across myself," said Colette, stepping into the water. She immediately fell over, knocking over Ginny, Hermione, Sheena, and Genis. The four, now soaked, glared at the girl. Lloyd stood on the steps, laughed, and handed Colette a towel.

"Here, I'll help you to the cafeteria," said Lloyd making sure to glance back at Dib.

Dib twitched slightly. Gaz prodded him in the back so he would move, but he didn't. All he could do was think very bad thoughts about Lloyd, hoping something terrible would happen. Like an elephant falling onto his head. Gaz, annoyed, shoved him into the water and then waded across, emerging in front of the cafeteria and instantly drying herself off with the wave of a stolen wand.

Finally, the entire student body managed to get themselves situated in the cafeteria, sitting at the same tables they normally sat in at lunch. Most were soaking wet, and a few had oxygen masks still on from when they'd been rescued from the waters. At the front of the room stood all the teachers, as well as the Master Computer, as he was now known as.

"ALL OF YOU, BE QUIET! IT IS TIME TO DO THE SORTING!" shouted Ms. Bitters.

"The Sorting? Like at Hogwarts?" asked Ginny.

"Yes," said Raine, "Professor Snape said it was a good idea as it would promote healthy intellectual competition between you all."

"He just wants to take house points away from us," Ron muttered, flatly.

"And you will now be sorted into one of four houses," said Kratos, "The houses are… Fence, Typhoid, Iko Iko, and… um… we… didn't pick a fourth one."

"POTATO!" Girtrude called from the back of the audience.

"… alright, Potato it is," said Kratos, "Now, the Master Computer will determine your house based on… your DNA. Like you all didn't see that coming anyway."

"No, not at all," said Ginny flatly.

"When I call your name," Raine said, getting a large list out of her bag, "You will give your DNA to Master Computer, and it will—"

"Wait! What about the song?" asked Luna.

"The song?" Raine replied, looking perplexed.

"Before a Hogwarts Sorting, the Sorting Hat always sang a song, usually about how we were all going to end up hating each other when we grew up. I just thought that tradition should be carried on," explained the girl.

"I was once a singer…" Ms. Bitters said as there was a flashback.

She was wearing a heavy… er… metal… rock… and… roll… costume… thing. She seemed about late teens or early twenties, and her hair was pink and spiky. She had lots of different spiked bracelets, necklaces, and various other things on. She was rocking out to some obscure music, playing an electric guitar, belting lyrics into a microphone, and shaking her head with enough force to smash concrete walls.

"But, as always," Ms. Bitters narrated, "This dream ended in an implosion. In this case, it was my ribs imploding and shearing off a piece of my lung."

The flashback cracked up and fell apart, and everyone found themselves in the cafeteria again. Ms. Bitters was standing on a table, looking back at them with her usual evil hatred.

"And that is why," concluded the demented teacher, "you hear a grinding sound whenever a homicidal thought passes through my diaphragm."

"Alright! I think we can get a song!" Raine said, waving her arms, "Master Computer?"

"Uh… well… I do have this one…" said the computer, a scanning sound heard.

The music began to blare, and it was the same chainsaw music Presea and Gaz loved so much. Whatever it was, they loved the song and began to dance to it a little. Luna joined in, mainly because her ADD had kicked in and she was bored. The rest of the students collapsed in pain, their hands clamped to their ears.

When it was finally over, the computer stopped. All three girls clapped, but they were the only ones to do so. Many of the students, as well as all the teachers, looked like their brains were hemorrhaging, and it was a long time before Raine managed to read the first name.

"Colette Brunnel," said Raine, wincing.

"Yay! I'm first!" Colette said happily, skipping up to the computer. She made the trip without any accidents, something everyone was relieved for.

"Hmm," the computer said after Colette had placed a hair on it, "Ah yes… you're a klutz, you love dogs, and, frankly, you're too damn perky!"

"Thank you," said Colette, beaming.

"I think you would do well in… POTATO!" announced the computer while a sign fell from the ceiling with the word Potato on it, as well as some confetti.

"Just wait outside, Colette, you'll report to Fourth Period when we're done here," said Raine.

"Yes, ma'am," Colette said, picking up a pin that said Potato on it and walking out.

"Hermione Granger!" Raine announced.

"Ah yes. You're a know-it-all, a perfectionist, and you never, EVER break any rules," said the computer.

"Yes, yes, I'm well aware of that. What house am I?" asked Hermione anxiously.

"Typhoid!" announced the computer, as Hermione joined Colette outside.

"Girtrude!" Raine called.

"YAY!" Girtrude squealed, running at the computer. However, she only had to get within twenty feet before the computer announced POTATO, to which Girtrude merely altered her course slightly, knocked over Professor Snape, took sixteen pins for herself, and scooted out the door, snapping it off its hinges.

"Ronald Weasley," said Raine.

"Oh… so you're the one," said Master Computer, "Well, Ron, I just have to say one thing: you're a pansy. GET SOME BACKBONE! And then maybe you'll actually be able to step on a bloody spider. You're in… FENCE!"

"Stupid machine," said Ron darkly, as he angrily grabbed a pin and exited through the doors the girls had gone through.

"Sheena Fuji... something…" said Raine.

"You would think that after traveling with me for close to eight months, you would know my last name!" Sheena hissed at Raine as she passed. Raine hit her in the face, and the computer almost had a seizure when it got blood from her nose.

"OH! THAT'S SO GOOD! Yum! Aaaah… bloooooood…" the computer moaned with pleasure, while Sheena took a few steps back, "Oh, yeah, ninja-wannabe, you're in IKO IKO."

"Thanks," said Sheena, getting a pin and dashing for the nearest paper towel roll.

"Tak!" Raine announced.

Tak made her way straight to the Master Computer, gracefully depositing a hair. She stood next to the machine and waited for a few seconds while the computer talked.

"Oh my… you're a nice, evil, seductive little thing, aren't you?" Master Computer said, "I like that. You get to pick: Iko Iko or Typhoid."

"I don't care that much," said Tak in a bored voice, "Whichever one Zelos will be in."

"Iko Iko," said the computer, then, to Zelos, "Same for you, man-whore!"

"Nooooooo!" Sheena's voice wailed from outside.

"Come on, Tak, let's go," said Zelos as he and Tak walked out, arm-in-arm, their pins forgotten on the table.

"Harry Potter!" Raine called.

"Ah… the Boy Who Lived. And then Almost Died. Twice. You're in… FENCE!"

"Genis Sage," said Raine.

Genis bounded forward quickly, looking excited. He quickly put a piece of his hair into the machine and waited.

"Hmm… you're obnoxious, a brat, a half-elf, and so very short," said the computer.

"I could end you," Genis said warningly.

"I don't think you could," Master Computer said coolly, "But I don't want half-elf blood, it gives me hives. So instead of squishing you, I'll place you in… TYPHOID!"

"With Hermione?" wailed Genis, "I don't wanna…"

"Luna Lovegood!" called Raine, but Luna wasn't around, "Uh… Luna?"

"She left a note," said Ginny, picking it up, "Dear everyone. The CIA and I have gone off to smack up some up smacks. So I shall return at 1300 hours. Save me a spot in Potato and don't forget to feed Sanchez, it was my turn and Girtrude might get mad at me if I don't."

"Well. I guess she could be in there…" the computer said, "Oh… the blood…"

"Master Computer, calm down. We still have seventy-six students to go," said Raine.

"Seventy-four, actually," said Presea in a robotic voice, "Two got swept away by the raging flood. Location and status unknown."

"Potato for you," said Master Computer, looking at Presea.

"Yes…" Presea said, taking a button and leaving.

"Can we get back to the regularity now?" Raine asked, and then said, "Lloyd Irving."

"Oh Christ…" the computer said, "What kind of a man uses two wooden swords, eh? Why do I have to put up with people like you, those who have egos so big—"

"Just tell me my house," Lloyd said through gritted teeth.

"Fence," said the computer, flatly.

"Yay! I'm in Harry and Ron's house!"

"NOOOOOO!" came the pitiful wails of the two ex-Gryffindors from outside.

"Dib Membrane!" Raine said.

"Finally!" Dib said, rushing forward. He deposited a skin sample into the computer, who took five minutes to see if there was any blood on it. Alas, there was none, and Master Computer almost cried.

"Oh my God!" he wailed, "No Blood! And your head is so big! Why? Why must I look at it?"

"My head is not big!" Dib said, though only half-heartedly.

"TYPHOID…" Master Computer said, sniffing pathetically.

"Yay!" Dib said, running off to join Genis and Hermione (who were shouting at each other about which aspect of their disease they were going to do for their project).

"Iggins!" Raine called.

"Hey… that's… meeeeee!" Iggins screamed happily, leaping forward. He knocked Gaz into the ground, the later turning a shade of fiery red unmatched by anything ever seen before, and attempted to throw a chair at him. She missed, however, and hit Professor Trelawney upside the head. She wailed, fell over, and shattered the sherry bottle she was carrying.

"I have a song for you," said the Master Computer, "Ahem… You are an idiot HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA. YOU ARE AN IDIOT HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA! And you're in Typhoid."

"Awesome!" giggled Iggins, skipping away in his awkward skipping ways.

"Ginny Weasley," said Raine.

"Finally," muttered Ginny, "This is stupid…"

"Ah. You're a little firecracker, aren't you? And you have troubles with your temper at times… and your hair is very red. I would rather not piss you off, however…" said the Master Computer warily.

"A wise decision," said Ginny.

"So… IKO IKO!" the computer sang.

"Thank you," said Ginny, going to find the rest of her new housemates.

"Zim," said Raine.

"Yes…" Zim said evilly, "I shall have my power… I shall lead my house on a victory march to… VICTORY! AHAHAHHAAHA!"

"Just give it a hair, Zim," said Raine in a tired voice.

"Eh? Oh… okay…" Zim said, laying a hair there.

"You're in… FENCE!" the computer cried.

"Gaz Membrane," said Raine.

"HA! Not last!" Gaz said, pointing and laughing at Neville.

"Shut up…" said Neville, "There's still a lot of people behind me!"

"Your voice is a moron. Be silent," Gaz hissed, and Neville shut up, looking frightened.

"Gaz Membrane. I like you. You're a good girl. You get a gold star from Ms. Bitters, and a place in POTATO!"

"Thanks," Gaz said as she ducked from the deadly Golden Star of Doom. It flew threw the air and concussed a boy in the front of the line.

"Neville Longbottom," said Raine.

"Alright… let's just get this over with…" said Neville.

"See previous comment for Ron Weasley," said Master Computer, "FENCE!"

"Great," said Neville as he went to join his classmates outside in the pouring rain.

Lots of Time Later…

The Sorting ended up taking all of Fourth, Fifth, and much of Sixth Period. There was a really bad incident where the computer nearly killed a kid to get blood from a small paper cut, and the kid had to be taken away via boat so he could receive medical attention. The rain hadn't let up, either, so half of the school ended up staying trapped in the cafeteria, while the other half was trapped in Building C, which was leaking heavily from the rain.

"Well," said Kratos, "Since my English classroom is currently inaccessible, and since the last place the gymnasium was seen was eighteen miles downstream, I guess we're going to have to have an extended Weapon Appreciation class today. Get your weapons and go to work. Ms. Bitters will be joining us today as well."

Everyone split up into their groups of favorites. Presea, Luna, Gaz, and Girtrude went to a corner where Presea began to teach them proper control of axes. Ginny, Tak, Sheena, and Zelos proceeded to the opposite corner, mainly to talk and do not-productive stuff. Hermione and Genis squared off for a small duel with flails. Zim stood near the center, furiously trying to make his sword do stuff, ignoring Kratos' repeated suggestions for him to get a smaller sword. Harry and Ron unwillingly received lessons from Iggins, who proved very talented with the bowstaves. Dib sought out the solitary Colette, who was playing with a boomerang.

"Hi, Colette," said Dib nervously as he approached, "Um… what are you practicing today?"

"This boomerang," said Colette cheerfully, "The Australians used it! Look, look, I can throw it and it does this, and then… whoops…"

She threw it a little off of where she was aiming and it hit Dib in the face. Now with a large bruise below his left eye, Dib sat up and handed the weapon back to her. She apologized profusely and asked if he needed an ice pack.

"No… I'm… I'm fine…" said Dib quickly as Colette peered closely at his cheek to see if there was any damage, "But here, let me help you…"

"I need it," said Colette in a relieved voice.

"Here, stand like this…" Dib said, adjusting Colette's posture, "Now, throw and flick your wrist, like… that!"

"Okay!" Colette said, happily throwing the boomerang. It sailed across the room and slammed into the back of Gaz's head. She whirled around, gritted her teeth, and snapped the weapon in half.

"Good job," said Dib happily.

"I did it!" Colette said, joyfully.

"Excellent job," Kratos complimented her, "Ten points for Potato."

"Wow. One class and you've already got your House ten points," said Dib, "You'll lead them to victory at this rate."

"Yep. Well, I'm gonna go find a not-broken boomerang. See you!" said Colette, skipping off. Dib watched her go for a little while, a lost smile on his face.

Lloyd, however, had been watching this the whole time. His jealousy was obvious, and, for the life of him, he couldn't see what Colette saw in Dib. Especially when she had him to look at. The one who had saved her life more times than he cared to remember. Something had to be done.

"Dib," said Lloyd, walking over to him, "I don't know what you're thinking, but let me tell you: Colette is mine."

"What?" Dib asked, shocked, "I…"

"It's obvious you like her," said Lloyd with a smirk, "But, let's face it. You have a big head. I have two wooden swords. I win."

"That's… not true…" Dib said, looking at his feet.

"Don't worry," said Lloyd, patting him on the back, "I'm sure you'll find some big-headed girl… somewhere…"

Dib sighed and walked away, looking depressed. Gaz and Presea watched this, and both looked at each other before rushing out of the classroom. Luna followed, still carrying a large, bloody ax.

"Where are we going?" she asked in her normal lost voice.

"To The Room," said Presea.

"What's The Room?" asked Luna.

"It's the room Ms. Bitters gave her," said Gaz, "We're going to look something up about Rivalry Battles for Love."

"We must hurry. It's getting very damp," said Presea, noticing some of the hallways already had water flowing across them.

After Class…

When the period ended, it was declared too dangerous to cross the grounds, which were now under six feet of water. With half the school displaced, the students were going to have to sleep wherever they were. Many remained in the cafeteria, including Professors Snape, Trelawney, Sage, and Bryan. That left Kratos and Ms. Bitters to deal with the thirty students in Building C, where a room was cleaned out and replaced with sleeping bags for everyone.

Dib sat in a corner, looking very depressed. Nearby, Colette sat, talking animatedly with Lloyd. Eventually, Lloyd went over to bother Harry and Ron (both sporting injuries from Iggins), and Dib began to move towards Colette. However, Gitrude soon walked over with Sanchez and Sharifa-Latifah, and they became engrossed in a conversation about puppies.

"This stinks…" Dib muttered, throwing a tin can at the ground. It exploded in a puff of purple smoke, and Gaz, Presea, and Luna stood there, each holding some things. Luna, of course, had the bloody ax, Presea had a book entitled When Duels Are Made, People Die. Facts of Life for the Everyday Peasant, and Gaz held the sword Dib always used in Weapon Appreciation.

"What the…?" Dib asked.

"Look," Gaz said, "I don't want to hear you complain about your misery because that blonde chick doesn't notice you. So we did some research, and we've found the best way for you to find whether or not your undying love really comes true is to have a Duel with Lloyd."

"Yes," said Presea, "It is to see if you are worthy of the lady's heart. A duel to the death is most appropriate, but since Raine is at the other building, we'll stick with serious injuries."

"Or we could use the HP Spell," said Luna, "Which gives you HP. You can take as many hits as you need, and when your HP depletes, you just get knocked out!"

"That is what we'll do. Can you do that spell?" asked Presea.

"Yes. It's fun to do that with trees that get struck by lightning," said Luna happily. She waved her hands and pointed at Dib, who glowed green and had a small bar appear above him with 300 HP written on it. He blinked and Gaz handed him the sword.

"Go declare the duel," Gaz said, "Don't make me do it for you."

"But… Gaz… I…" Dib said.

"My God," Gaz said under her breath, and then dragged her brother towards Lloyd, "You! The idiot with the two swords! My brother challenges you to an HP Mode Duel for the heart of Colette. Do you accept?"

"I shall duel you to the death for her!" Lloyd roared, whirling around.

"It's impossible to die in this duel," Presea said, "You'll merely be knocked out."

"Oh. Then we'll do that, then," Lloyd said.

"What did you get me in to, Gaz?" moaned Dib.

"Look, I'm not listening to you complain all day because she doesn't notice you. At least now you have a fighting chance of winning!" Gaz hissed at him.

"I'm doomed…" Dib muttered

Classroom Turned Into Coliseum, about an Hour Later:

Later, everyone in the building assembled in the Weapon Appreciation room and sat along a large, duct-taped circle perimeter. Dib and Lloyd were the only two inside the lines, glaring at each other. Silence hung in the air as two Healers stood by, just in case HP Mode failed. The wait continued, and, finally, a loud plummeting sound was heard.

Master Computer slammed through the ceiling and into the ground, resulting in a large crater. He rose up slightly, and alarms were heard. Ms. Bitters, dressed as the Grim Reaper once more, stood atop the computer, leering at them all. She glanced around and launched into her speech.

"The area with a thirty foot radius is now a designated HP Mode battlefield. This zone is now restricted; only competitors and medics have authorized entry. Danger! All others must leave at once or face imminent DOOM!"

Everyone glanced at each other. This was a very serious battle, it seemed, and Ms. Bitters was certainly going gung-ho on them all again.

"Area scanned. Battlefield set up," Ms. Bitters said after she and Master Computer scanned the area, "Dib Membrane Versus Lloyd Irving. Battle mode: 0113. Ready? Fight!"

The Master Computer started to play "Fatalize" as soon as Ms. Bitters finished her speech. Caught by surprise, both boys stared for a minute before they actually started to fight. In the audience, Colette arrived late, cradling Sanchez. She handed him to Girtrude before going to sit with Sheena.

"Hey! This is the music we had when we battled you and Regal!" exclaimed Colette happily.

"Oh! Colette! Good thing you're here, where were you?" asked Sheena.

"I was being Sanchez's Defense Attorney in court," said Colette, "We had a small incident downtown yesterday. We won the case, though I suspect that had something to do with me tripping over my feet and knocking over the jury stand."

"I… see…" said Sheena, "Anyway… they're dueling for your heart."

"My heart?" Colette said, looking confused, "Why? Am I an Organ Donor?"

"Nevermind," Sheena said, turning her attention back to the battlefield.

"You'll never defeat me, I've been playing with swords since before you were born!" Lloyd shouted.

"Gee, how strange, seeing as I'm older than you. And I have the power I received from the Meekrob on my side!" Dib retorted.

"Dib, that was a dream, remember?" said Zim happily from the sidelines.

"… oh crap," muttered Dib as Lloyd flew towards him.

"Ha! Ha! Hee-yah!" Lloyd yelled as his two medium-sized swords swiped through the air and attempted to smack into Dib. Using his sword as a shield to the best of his blocking abilities, he only lost a little HP.

"Take this!" Dib said, thrusting the sword as hard as he could towards Lloyd.

"Hey! That hurt!" Lloyd whined, having lost a total of fifty HP, "Demon Fang!"

He swiped his sword at the ground and sent the strange slash at him. Dib gasped and rolled to the side, and the Demon Fang attack hit the duct tape circle and disappeared.

"No fair! I can't do special moves!" Dib complained.

"So learn some!" Gaz shouted from the sidelines.

"Uh… Super Thrust of Attacking…ness…" Dib said, rushing at Lloyd with his sword outstretched.

"That was pathetic," Gaz said as Presea and Luna nodded.

Lloyd blocked with one of his swords and hit Dib with the other, causing a 70 HP loss. Dib recovered and swiped at his legs, taking them out and knocking Lloyd to the ground for a total of 58 HP loss. The excitement mostly stopped there, and neither used any Special Moves used for about three minutes. Ms. Bitters would occasionally sigh in a bored voice, and the music Master Computer was playing continued to repeat itself.

"Give it up, Lloyd…" Dib said, breathing heavily, "You can't win!"

"I won't give up. Never!" Lloyd replied, "Tempest!"

He flew threw the air in a matrix-like flight. He spun over and over and over, his swords becoming blades of death. Dib reacted in slow-motion as well, raising his sword in time to block Lloyd's attack, sending the boy flying to the edge of the arena. Dib whirled around quickly and swung his sword, hitting Lloyd in the back for a critical 120 HP damage. However, Lloyd wasn't ready to quit yet.

"BEAST!" he roared, swinging his swords around. Dib was hit by a strange head of a beast and knocked back twenty feet, almost out of the arena. He stood up, having lost almost his entire HP by now. He could tell Lloyd was tired, too, and Dib ran in for an attack.

The scene froze as a little light appeared at the end of Dib's sword. It was apparent that he'd just learned a new attack, something he was quick to point out.

"Hey! I learned a new attack!" Dib said, happily, and then, "Doom Slash!"

He spun around, his blade leaving a thin, black trail, which hit Lloyd. He then jumped up above him and brought it slashing back to the ground, hitting Lloyd for another critical hit. Lloyd fell to the ground, not quite unconscious, but almost out of it. Dib smiled and took a step back, which is when Lloyd hit him with a cheap shot to the abdomen. The last of Dib's HP ran out in the bar over his head.

"No… I… can't… loose…" Dib moaned, sliding the floor, unconscious.

"THE BATTLE IS OVER!" Ms. Bitters shouted, "THE BATTLE IS OVER! Dib can no longer fight. The winner is… LLOYD IRVING! Congratulations. Now go away!"

She and the Master Computer retraced into the sky. Most of the crowd surrounded Lloyd and congratulated him on a "well-deserved victory." Gaz, Presea, and Luna helped Dib stand and walk away, slowly and painfully. The HP Mode had prevented most of the cuts and gouges, but left bruises and other minor injuries in their wake. As they approached the door, Colette walked over.

"You were so close, Dib," she said, "I thought you'd win for a minute."

"But I didn't," said Dib miserably, "I'm not worthy of you Colette. You shouldn't even talk to me, Lloyd won."

He stumbled away, looking very sad. Colette, puzzled, stared after him, wondering if she'd upset him. Gaz and Presea glanced at each other, and Gaz moved towards the crowd of students. Lloyd was bragging about this and that about the battle, and how Dib's attack had come too late and was too weak. Gaz listened, her anger slowly, building, but it exploded when Lloyd uttered one sentence more than he should have.

"And did you see him walk away just now? How pathetic he looked? Yeah, I thought so, too—" he was saying to Zelos.

"HEY!" Gaz shouted suddenly. The room seemed to dim and Gaz seemed to glow with anger, "I don't know what you think gives you the right to talk about my brother like that but let me tell you that I for one am not going to put up with it because while I still may hate him and find him annoying he's my brother and blood is thicker than water and you have just crossed the line."

"What?" Lloyd asked, stunned at her tirade.

"You heard me," Gaz said, acidly. She advanced, and the crowd parted for her, "I will challenge you to a battle in the future. And I will win. Do you think you can take me on, huh?"

"I'll battle you right now!" Lloyd said, drawing the swords out. The Master Computer and Ms. Bitters slammed down in the background again.

"No," said Gaz, "I want you at full health." The Master Computer and Ms. Bitters retracted into the ceiling once more.

"Don't worry, Lloyd, you can take on this tiny twit," Zelos said, smirking.

"I don't believe you were part of this duel, and since you aren't, I can hurt you right now," Gaz said. She picked up a book and threw it at Zelos, hitting him in the face.

"Ow!" whined Zelos.

"You just wait," Gaz said to Lloyd, her eyes narrowed, "Someday, when you're at full health, and ready, our duel shall commence. And you will lose."

From The Author's Mind: (June 2011)

Ugh. I'm so old.