Sorry this took so long. I kept getting distracting by a new Disney cartoon from the Philippines. As always, Star vs the Forces of Evil is owned by Disney and Stands are the creation of the brilliant and talented Hirohiko Araki. Enjoy.
1-Up Girl: Chapter 7.
(Back at the arcade)
"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAK!" cried the gigantic space squid as its sixth eye suddenly burst into flames.
Six down, one to go.
From the cockpit of her X-Wing Astro-Blaster, Annie adjusted her targeting computer and set her sights on the beast's final weak spot. She knew she had to act fast, because she knew the creature would only stay paralyzed for a few more seconds. After that, it would start flailing its tentacles around and start spitting fireballs. And with her health bar already at 15%, she knew that there was no margin for error.
So, without even the slightest hesitation, the young otaku switched her selected weapon from Scattershot to Big Baby and just let it fly.
Annie had been playing this game for almost eleven minutes and in that time she'd made sure to test the strengths and weaknesses of every weapon her ship had. Scattershot Missiles were the most reliable, almost never missed their target, but they did the least amount of damage. Big Baby Bombs did the most damage, but their accuracy was terrible, so they were basically useless against a moving target. However, with the space squid momentarily immobilized, now was the best, and probably only, time to take this bad boy out once and for all.
BOOOOOOM!
"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAK!" cried the great beast as its final eye burst into flames.
Moments later, the vile cephalopod exploded and an unseen announcer declared her the winner.
Annie was quite pleased with herself.
But before she had the chance to really enjoy it, the world was suddenly enveloped by a familiar flash of white light. Moments later, she found herself back at Ringo's tower. Britney was standing beside her, looking uncharacteristically impressed. The others were still up in their cages, cheering in celebration of her victory. And their captor, unsurprisingly, was fuming like a spoiled child.
"Congratulations, Annie." The evil jinn said derisively. "You've successfully beaten Astro Blaster. Arguably one of the easiest minigames in the Shooter Category, and on Level 7 no less. Wow, you must be soooooo proud."
"Shove a cork in it, dumbass." Britney shot back cuttingly. "You're not intimidating anybody. So just free one of your captives and shut up."
"Why you arrogant little… GAH!" Ringo roared furiously. "Do you have any idea who I am? What I've done? What I'm capable of?"
"Yes. You're an antisocial loser who hides out in videogame worlds because you can't relate to real people. And since you can't relate to real people, you kidnap and murder them so you can feel superior. And aside from playing video games, I don't think you're capable of much."
"You smug little bitch!" the emerald jinn exploded, sounding almost like a rabid animal. "I am the God of this reality! With just a thought, I could turn you into a pillar of salt! I could replace your blood with acid or your bones with napalm! I could rain fire down from the heavens!"
"Then do it." The head cheerleader said tauntingly; irking her captor even further.
For a brief moment, Ringo looked like he was about to pounce on her and tear her limb from limb. But at the last second he pulled back, snorted, and snapped his fingers.
Moments later, one of the cages vanished in a puff of smoke and Jackie appeared on the ground beside them.
"Next game." The evil jinn said bitingly, before turning away from them all.
While their captor was busy fiddling with his infernal slot machine, the girls took this opportunity to talk amongst themselves.
"Jackie, are you okay?" Annie asked her friend worriedly.
"Yeah, I'm good." Jackie replied, attempting to sound calm, before shifting her focus onto Britney. "But you won't be if you keep running your mouth like that. Seriously, Britney, what the hell is wrong with you? This guy's dangerous!"
"Not as dangerous as you think." The head cheerleader replied smugly.
"Huh?"
"Didn't you see what just happened? That big green doofus wanted to kill me. I could see it in his eyes. And yet he didn't even lay a hand on me. Why do you think that is?"
"Um… because he was showing restraint." Annie guessed.
"Restraint? HA! What cartoon genie have you been watching, Lightfoot? This moron doesn't have any restraint. He's like an overgrown child. He's emotionally unstable and he has no regard for human life. The only reason that freak didn't rip my lungs out is because something was holding him back. I think the reason he didn't kill me is because he can't."
"What?" the two girls said in unison.
"Think about it. Remember when Ferguson made him angry with all his stupid comments? He shook his cage like a soda can. But twice now I've pissed him off and he hasn't even touched me. In fact, for all his talk of having godlike power, he's barely done anything. If you ask me, I don't think he's nearly as powerful as he says he is."
Suddenly, Annie remembered something that Jefferson had said during one of their first training sessions.
Here's a few fun facts about life, kiddies. The universe is a dick. It likes things a certain way and it doesn't give a damn about other people's opinions. And most importantly, it's obsessed with keeping things balanced. That's why all Stands come with their own unique set of weaknesses and limitations. That way, if anyone ever gets too big for their britches, the universe has the perfect way to kick them in the stomach and remind them just how weak they really are.
Jefferson had been drunk when he gave this lecture, so things got a little… weird from there.
But that aside, it did explain quite a bit.
For all his boasting, Ringo was just another Stand User. And as such, his power came with limitations. Perhaps one of those limitations was not being able to interact directly with anything he didn't create? But if that was the case, then why not try to strangle Britney with her clothes? He created these ridiculous Arabian getups, surely he must be able to manipulate them. So why didn't he?
Unless…
What was it Ringo said before?
Whereas the rest of you are merely the scoreboard.
Gasp! That's it!
"He can't break the rules." Annie said aloud; completely by accident.
"What?" asked the other girls confusedly.
"He can't break the rules." The young otaku repeated, this time sounding a bit more sure of herself. "Don't you remember what he said before? He said you guys were the scoreboard. This whole world is just a videogame and in videogames the characters can't interact with the scoreboard. They can't take away points that a player's already earned. That's why he didn't attack you, Britney. His Stand is bound by the laws of whatever videogame it brings to life."
"Hmmm… Interesting." Britney said with a sinister sort of smile. "So that means, aside from cheating on that stupid slot machine, he can't do anything that his character couldn't do in the game. Good thinking, Lightfoot."
"Thanks. But I don't think it really helps us."
"Actually, I think it does." Jackie interjected, sporting the same kind of grin as Britney. "Ringo might be bound to the laws of the game, but you're not."
Unfortunately, before the young skateboarder could elaborate on this, their captor suddenly cut in.
"Game Time~ Game Time~ Game Time~" he sang out manically as he gestured towards his infernal slot machine. "Category: Fighting! Game: Sumo Smackdown! Difficulty: 10! Okay! Now, everybody say the magic words! HAIL 2 U!"
And like all the other times before, the world was suddenly enveloped by a blinding white light.
This time however, when the light faded, Annie found herself standing on the edge of a large sand circle sitting atop a raised platform in the center of a massive Japanese styled arena. Thanks to her years of reading manga, the young otaku recognized it instantly as a dohyo; that's a sumo ring to you laymen. Jackie and Britney sat in the stands while the other captives were still up in their cages. As usual, Ringo was hovering above them all; somehow looking even more deranged than usual.
"Welcome, everyone, to Sumo Smackdown!" the evil jinn announced in a loud, booming voice. "The rules are simple. Just push your opponent out of the ring. No health bars. No time limit. Any questions?"
"Um… yeah, where's my opponent?" Annie asked confusedly.
"Oh, right. Where is my head today? He's right… here!"
With a snap of his fingers and a large puff of smoke, a massive figure appeared on the opposite side of the ring. He was at least fifteen feet tall, with lime green skin and a small tuft of jet black hair tied into a ponytail. His body was somehow muscular and squat at the same time; arms like oak trees and a fat, bulbous gut with the character for demon tattooed in dark red. He had yellow, pupil-less eyes, large pointed ears, and a big dopey smile that stretched all the way across his fat face. Overall, his form reminded her of a minor antagonist from a late 80s historical fiction manga she'd read back in the 8th Grade, but given her current situation, that was neither here nor there.
"I'm supposed to fight that?" the young otaku asked frightenedly.
"No, you're supposed to push him out of the ring." Ringo answered tauntingly. "But given that this game's difficulty has been set to the highest possible level, I don't think that's very likely."
At this, Annie could only Gulp in response.
"Hey, Lightfoot!" Britney called out from the stands. "Throw the match!"
"What?"
"You heard me! Just step outside the ring and end the game right now!"
"Are you nuts?"
"Far from it! Look, you only need to win two more games to move on to the boss battle, but if that thing hurts you, you're gonna be at a major disadvantage! So just throw the match and crush this chump in the next one!"
Annie had to admit that there was some logic to what Britney was saying. Even a minor injury could cost her dearly later on. Forfeiting the match was probably her safest bet.
But on the other hand, that could be exactly what Ringo had in mind. It would give him an easy win and push them that much closer to certain death. And who's to say he might not select an even tougher game for the next round.
No, playing conservatively would only get them all killed.
She had to play to win.
The only question was how.
That's when she remembered Jackie's words from earlier.
Ringo might be bound to the laws of the game, but you're not.
That's when she got an idea.
An incredibly dangerous and stupid idea, but an idea nonetheless.
So, ignoring the shouts of protest from the stands, Annie stepped forward into the center of the ring.
Ringo smirked amusedly before he called out,
"Begin!"
The hulking monster wasted no time in attacking; attempting to squash the young otaku with its massive hands.
Fortunately, Annie was able to dodge this with a simple sidestep.
The beast was big, but not very coordinated.
She could use this to her advantage.
The creature then unleashed a flurry of violent palm thrusts. All of which she was able to dodge, but only by the skin of her teeth.
This thing was fast.
Too fast.
If her plan was going to work, she was going to have to act fast. So, without any further delay, the young otaku rushed forward and, for lack of a better word, hugged the creature's bloated belly.
Unfazed by this strange new development, the monster started pushing the young girl towards the edge of the ring.
Wasting no time, Annie closed her eyes and began focusing her aura into her muscular system. It was just like back at the clearing. She could feel every sinew in her body tighten. She could feel herself growing stronger.
Just before she reached the edge, the young otaku managed to plant her feet firmly in the sand and stop the hulking brute in its tracks.
Then, using her new aura enhanced strength, Annie used what little leverage she could get and lifted the monster right off the ground.
After a minute or so of struggling, she managed to lift her opponent above her head, and with one final grunt of exertion, she threw the great behemoth across the ring and into the stands beyond with the force of a wrecking ball.
Needless to say, Annie was exhausted. The creature had been much heavier than any of the rocks Jefferson had made her lift. So, naturally, the overlay had taken a much greater toll on her body this time.
Her muscles were aching, her chest was burning, and her face was drenched in sweat.
And yet, somehow, the young otaku couldn't shake the overwhelming sense of pride she felt for her accomplishment.
So, with an almost arrogant smirk, she looked Ringo right in his wide-eyed, jaw dropped, blood drained face and boldly declared.
"I win."
End Notes:
Thanks for reading.
I'll see you next time.
Peace.