"NOW THEN, DEAR AUDIENCE, HERE THEY ARE: OUR SECOND PAIR OF SEMIFINALISTS! LET'S SHOW THEM BOTH SOME LOVE!"

After Goh'ji and Prime's explosive showdown, the excitement across the crowd had reached its peak. Their repeated roaring, fist-pumping and screaming had even left some of them physically drained, but that wasn't going to stop them from taking in the upcoming event. So when the first fighter made her entrance, she was met by the usual adoring reception. Along with a few somewhat disturbing whistles; apparently, her looks had become as admired as her fighting ability among some.

"IN THE BLUE CORNER, THE RED FIEND MAKES HER GRAND RETURN! THE YOUNG TIEFLING OF UNIVERSE 7 HAS MADE A REMARKABLE IMPRESSION, WITH NEITHER A WALKING WASTELAND OR THE ULTIMATE FUSION OF BRAINS AND BRAWN BEING ABLE TO OVERCOME HER SHEER GRIT! BUT NOW TO SEE IF THAT GRIT CAN TAKE HER ALL THE WAY TO THE END! WILL HER OPPONENT BE FORCED TO REACH FOR THE SKY, OR WILL SHE BE THE ONE TO RIDE OFF INTO THE SUNSET? GET READY FOR: CONTESTAAAANT ASHES!"

The hat-wearing Tiefling could never really get used to suddenly having a huge fanbase. Even now, here in the semifinals, she merely responded to the adoring cheers by awkwardly waving towards the audience. But unlike the first couple of rounds, she wasn't smiling. Her steadily growing desire to win was beginning to show itself.

"AND IN THE RED CORNER, THE PRODIGAL INVENTOR MAKES HERSELF KNOWN! THE SMARTEST DROW OF UNIVERSE 1 HAS BECOME THE RISING STAR OF THIS TOURNAMENT FOLLOWING NOT ONLY HER SHOCKING BATTLE WITH MUSCLE PERSONIFIED, BUT ALSO THE SURPRISINGLY TOUCHING CONCLUSION TO HER BOUT WITH HER PASSED FATHER! BUT INTELLECT ALONE CAN ONLY TAKE YOU SO FAR! WILL HER BRILLIANT MIND PROVE TOO MUCH FOR HER FARM-BORN FOE, OR WILL SHE REACH HER WITS END? SHOW US WHAT YOU'VE GOT: CONTESTAAAANT PULSE!"

Unlike her opponent, Pulse very much enjoyed all the cheers and chants that her entrance brought. They only got louder as she actually answered them for once with some two-handed waving. Because this time, she was actually in good spirits. No fear of being literally squashed and no anxieties about meeting a long-lost relative; just a regular ol' fight with somebody she'd had ample time to analyse. So when the two contestants were face to face in the middle of the arena, Pulse was the first one to reach out for the usual handshake.

"Hiya, I don't think we've properly met? Pleased to meet you and let's make this a good one, shall we?" the Drow chirped.

Ashes took a few seconds to answer the gesture, but eventually she did. She even formed a genuine smile as she held Pulse's hand in a firm grip - her own unusually serious thoughts weren't enough to hamper her camaraderie, after all.

"Same to you, shakester! May the best scrapper win, as they used to say!" Ashes cheerfully responded.

Pulse had no idea who "they" were and what exactly a scrapper was, but instead of hooking herself up on it she simply smiled and nodded; it seemed not even the possibly most gifted mind of the tournament was capable of understanding the enigma that was Ashes' phrasing. Nevertheless, the two women turned around to go get into position. As they did, both of their smiles dropped to give room for a serious expression. The time for preparations and planning was over - now was the time to get serious. To truly prove why they deserved to face - and hopefully beat - Prime in the finals.

As they both turned around, both Ashes and Pulse had one hand hovering above their respective firearms. Their breathing slowed down and their gazes narrowed; as soon as that explosion occurred, the one who drew first would be the one to begin with the advantage. As they both turned silent and focused, so did the audience around them. A silence that was broken by a certain Plasmoid, officially kicking off what everyone was waiting for with bated breaths.

"3!"

"2!"

"1!"

"BEGIN!"

The familiar explosion signified that the penultimate battle of the tournament had begun. Whoever won here would be the one to face Prime in the finals - and they were both gonna make damn sure that position would be theirs. No matter what.

Before the skybound fireball had even begun to dissipate, both fighters had already drawn and pointed their weapon. However, only one bullet left its barrel. Pulse was indeed a genius inventor who knew her weapon inside and out… but against a well-trained gunslinger she was clearly outmatched. The Drow only found herself with an empty metallic hand, her entire forearm aching with the shock of having said hand struck by a bullet of a higher calibre than she could even hope to match. She'd been prepared for Ashes being a much better shot than she was, but she'd also overlooked one crucial detail. She'd completely underestimated her opponent's drawing speed.

For a brief second, Ashes had been consumed by a tense mental strain. The first draw was always the most stressful one; if your opponent gets in the first hit, then the brawl turns in their favour. So upon seeing the primitive gun clatter to the ground with its wielder clutching her wrist in pain, the Tiefling let out a small sigh of relief. But almost as soon as that sigh had left her system, her eyes narrowed as her finger reached for the trigger again. There was no time to dawdle - if she wanted to win, she'd need to take any opportunity for it.

[BANG!]

But the bullet failed to hit its target. Despite all her determination to take the victory, Ashes had hesitated. Something had stopped her from acting as quickly as she could've. Something had stopped her long enough for Pulse to set up her countermeasure. Something had stopped her from pulling the trigger before her opponent had activated her shining blue Photon Shield.

"Phew, that could've ended badly!" Pulse muttered.

While preparing for this fight earlier this morning, the Drow had cursed herself for not having this idea sooner. Her flashlight, while a very useful tool in day-to-day life, had little combat applicability on its own other than to activate her shield. Said shield was in turn almost completely useless without a light source to provide photons to capture and solidify, so the idea to tie the small flashlight to the shield itself should've been obvious. The inventor chalked her obliviousness up to the nervousness and anxiety preceding the earlier matches, before snapping back to reality. Ashes' perplexing hesitation had given Pulse enough time to try and grab her dropped firearm, but she had to move quickly - the brawny farmgirl was going in for another shot.

The Drow threw herself into a mad dash towards the G.U.N. on the ground, all the while holding up her rectangular shield towards Ashes' direction. The horned gunslinger quickly fired two more bullets, to the same result as before - the impact was completely absorbed by the shining blue field of light, with the lead pellets harmlessly falling to the ground. The Tiefling let out an annoyed sigh as she realised her most reliable weapon had once again been rendered useless. Why did everyone she ended up facing in this tournament possess bulletproof defences, the brainpower to plan around her or both? And while the usually excitable Ashes would normally welcome a challenge like this head-on, her current determined self felt nothing but annoyance. At least she had her much superior brawn to rely on - if she could just get in close, then that would have to do.

With her shield protecting her from the incoming gunfire, Pulse had managed to get a hold of her own firearm again. However, as she looked back up towards Ashes her eyes shot wide open in sudden panic. The Tiefling had borrowed a page from her opponent, but with a little addition of her own. She had put up her own shield in front of her to protect her from Pulse's G.U.N… while she was charging towards her like a runaway train. And since the mechanic was currently laying on her side after throwing herself onto her fallen weapon, she was in no position to manage the careful aiming needed to hit any unprotected areas. Only one thing to do - get back up and make sure to survive what was about to come. And with the sheer difference in bulk and physical strength between the two contenders, Pulse did not like her chances.

"THE BATTLE BEGINS WITH A CLASSIC GUNSLINGER'S SHOWDOWN, AND TO PROBABLY NOBODY'S SURPRISE CONTESTANT ASHES PROVES TO HAVE THE ADVANTAGE THERE! BUT WITH BOTH SIDES PULLING OUT THEIR TRUSTED SHIELDS, IT APPEARS THE FIGHT IS GONNA MOVE INTO CLOSE QUARTERS! AND NOW THE RED FIEND IS RIGHT UP IN HER OPPONENT'S FACE! CAN THE PRODIGAL INVENTOR SURVIVE A SHIELD BASH FROM HER POWERFULLY BUILT FOE WITH ALL HER BONES INTACT? WE'RE ABOUT TO FIND OUT!"

[WHAM!]

Without warning, Ashes suddenly found herself stumbling backwards. One moment she'd been revving up the mother of all shield bashes, the next she'd been knocked back almost an entire metre. And it didn't take long for the steadily less patient brawler to figure out why.

"Ow ow ow… damn, that hurt" Pulse whimpered as she clutched her aching arm.

Her shield wasn't that much stronger than a regular steel shield, so what really made it stand out was that force push built into the frame. And right now, in the form of a perfectly timed blast powering up her own counterslam, it had saved her. But she'd still had to bash against the much more muscular Ashes' attack, with all the recoil that entailed - her strained, throbbing arm was proof of that. But at least she'd reclaimed her weapon, a thought that only served to reassure her for a couple seconds. Because that's how long it took for the now much closer Ashes to sheathe her gun and pull out her sharp shortsword.

Despite her desire to end things quickly, Ashes couldn't even be mad right now. To face an assault like that, despite the odds being this low… that took guts. Pulse had reached this point for a reason after all; brains alone would only get you so far. So when the Tiefling thrusted her well-used blade towards her opponent's midsection, it was with a small grin on her face. Which only grew wider as the Drow narrowly managed to avoid it. Despite her untrained frame and… top-heavy build, Pulse was surprisingly nimble. Hitting her wouldn't be a walk in the park, that was certain.

When it came to close range, Pulse was severely outmatched and she knew it. Not only was Ashes much stronger and tougher, but she also had lots of combat training behind her. And even though she was admittedly pretty agile, the mechanic couldn't just keep dodging forever. Sooner or later the farmgirl would land a strike, and Pulse didn't want to find out how much of it could be absorbed by her force field. With the G.U.N. being too unreliable up close and the Photon Shield being too telegraphed, there was only one option that came to mind. She just needed the right opportunity.

The Drow put all of her focus into observing Ashes' every move. As soon as the Tiefling had begun moving her shoulder, Pulse had already moved away from where the sword would come crashing down. When Ashes put her foot forward to move in for a side swipe, her cautious opponent was prepared to meet it with her shield. And when her massive arm tensed up for another thrust, Pulse tensed up as well. This was exactly what she'd been waiting for. And as soon as the iron sword just barely went past her right side, she did what nobody watching expected. She lunged out with her artificial hand to grab it. And as the stunned fighter saw bright blue sparks surrounding her opponent's steel fingers, she realised she was in for the shock of her life.

[BZZZAP!]

With Ashes' intense scream and the crowd's surprised gasp filling the air, Pulse kept the Shocking Grasp going. In the midst of all her laser-focused determination on the battle, she felt an ironic sense of gratitude - she almost wanted to thank the Tiefling for trying to hit her with a long metal object. Then again, her opponent was born and raised on a farm. It was very possible that she had no idea what the word "conductive" even meant. Regardless, Pulse was far from done. With her opponent wide open, she thrusted her organic left palm onto Ashes' stomach to put even more volts into her system. To devastating effect; the farmgirl lit up like an overloaded power plant.

"SHE'S GOT THE TOUCH! SHE'S GOT THE POWER! AFTER NEVER GETTING HIT EVEN WITH HER BACK TO THE WALL, CONTESTANT PULSE PUTS THAT STEEL HAND OF HERS TO A MOST SURPRISING USE! AND NOW CONTESTANT ASHES GETS THE SHOCK OF THE CENTURY FILLING EVERY INCH OF HER BODY! LOOKS LIKE CONTESTANT PULSE HAS THE ADVANTAGE BACK ON HER SIDE; THE RED FIEND BETTER HAVE A GOOD COUNTERATTACK OR I HOPE SHE LIKES HER HIDE EXTRA CRISPY!"

Ashes had never felt anything like this before. She'd been on the receiving end of a few lightning spells in her time, but those had simply given her a brief shock and that was it. This prolonged dose of electricity coursing through her was a new feeling, and very very painful. But no spell could be kept up forever, and eventually the Tiefling could feel the ravaging sparks dissipate - Pulse had to stop before her organic hand ended up completely fried. Every inch of Ashes' burly body was twitching and felt like it would crumble apart at any moment, but her fighting spirit was left completely unharmed. However, the severe pain and sudden opportunity to fight back did do a number on her restraint, and so her mind settled on the first hint of a plan it came up with. That plan being a reckless overhead sword slash.

Pulse barely had to put in any effort into avoiding such a telegraphed strike, and as her opponent slammed her weapon into the dirt the mechanic had already scuttled behind her. She followed up by loudly clearing her throat to alert her still rattled foe; as long as Ashes was this agitated, staying out of her reach while whittling her down would be a breeze. The taunt hit home; the thrashing farmgirl violently turned around to deliver an equally careless side sweep. But all she hit was a grinning afterimage of Pulse, her real body already back where she'd been just a few seconds ago. The livid Ashes had failed to take the rewinding technological wonder that was the Boots of the Winding Path into account. And as her back was now wide open to her opponent, she was about to pay for that mistake.

"Thanks, tall, red and beefy. You giving away your every move is really helping me out here" the Drow couldn't help but utter.

Now she had a brief window where Ashes was left defenceless, and since it would close in about a second Pulse acted fast. With her shield once again raised in front of her, she revved up the built-in force piston as much as she could. And one concussive blast later the huge Tiefling was launched face first into the dirt. But while this did serve to knock some sense into her and forced her to calm down and think, it wouldn't help her much. Because as Ashes turned around she realised she was completely at the inventor's mercy - Pulse's loaded firearm was only about a metre away from her face.

"I wouldn't move even a muscle if I were you. Please surrender, I'd prefer to end this without having to cause any mortal wounds" Pulse stated, her voice quickly turning much more serious.

With her head now being clear, Ashes did as she was told. But there was no way she'd allow herself to be eliminated like this; her pride as a fighter wouldn't allow it. But in this position there wasn't much she could do. Any sudden movement at all and Pulse would put a bullet in between her eyes. And with the Drow standing about half a metre away from her, any idea of a feint was out of the question. Her arms were useless here, her legs were just barely out of range and her… wait. That could work! But the downed gunslinger had to act fast - there was already a fairy approaching the scene to start the countdown.

"Well damn, I'm in the thick of it now. And now that little fella is startin' to get close too. Guess I'm do- HUNH!"

The moment Pulse moved her gaze even a little, Ashes lunged out with the ace up her sleeve. Or rather, her pants. The mechanic had been too focused on her opponent's face to consider the one option that could break her advantage. She had failed to consider Ashes' thick tail. And now she was about to pay for it; Pulse was left stumbling around, her balance completely destabilised. Exactly what Ashes had hoped for. In one quick motion, the Tiefling rapidly sat up before rising to one knee. And just as Pulse regained her composure, Ashes employed the other unique aspect of her devil-like biology. She was gonna put that horned head of hers to good use.

[WHAM!]

Pulse felt like every single breath she'd ever taken was violently knocked out of her, accompanied by the painful feeling of having her guts turn into mush. Ashes' immense headbutt had proven to be powerful enough to not only be felt through the mechanic's forcefield, but render her completely stunned as well. Long enough for the Tiefling to get right back on her feet. With her opponent left wide open, Ashes took the opportunity to rear back her sword arm to deliver a heavy strike. But as she bore it down onto the incapacitated Pulse, she could feel her blade being stopped by what felt like a sheet of iron. Despite her massive headbutt, the force field was still as functional as ever.

"Oh gosh all hemlock… what does it take to bust through this doohickey?" Ashes silently cursed.

She was still reeling a bit herself; one can't deliver a full-strength headbutt and expect to not be affected by some serious recoil, after all. Not even when your head is adorned by two massive curved horns. And for all the effect it had on Pulse, the force field itself appeared to still be intact. Maybe that "surface area" thing she'd been forced to read about that one time had something to do with it? Ashes had no idea, all she needed to know was that her reckless headbutt had gotten through while her sword hadn't. But that moment was when she noticed it. After taking a hit Pulse's barrier had briefly become visible for about a second, before disappearing from view again. And that brief moment was all Ashes needed to confirm it - that the spot where she'd struck with her sword had faded before the rest did. In other words, it had weakened.

Ashes knew she had to act fast; the sudden impact of her sword had knocked Pulse out of her breathless daze and back to reality. The Tiefling had to land a couple more blows on the same spot she'd already struck, and to do that she needed an opening. With one hefty motion, she grabbed and threw off her black longcoat. But not away to the side like in her previous bouts - this time she had an idea. This time the weighty piece of clothing clumsily landed on top of Pulse, completely obscuring her vision. Now the farmgirl had the chance to use her prodigious muscles to their full degree, and judging by how much she was rearing back her sword she was going to do just that.

Pulse was, to put it mildly, disoriented. First she'd had her breath knocked clean out of her, and then as soon as she'd recovered she'd suddenly been blinded by a weighted jacket. And who knew what Ashes was up to out there? Luckily for her, the inventor's exceptional mind could assess the situation and form a plan around it in the time it took her to draw a breath. Thus she only remained blinded for about two or three seconds before she pulled the covering cloth off of her, all the while noting just how unexpectedly heavy it was. And just in time too - Ashes was right about to bear down upon her with a massive overhead sword slash. Pulse gritted her teeth as she quickly prepared herself for what was about to come - this was not going to be pretty. And just as she'd finished that thought she took on the full power of the strongest Tiefling she'd ever encountered.

[GADIIING!]

"FOLKS, THIS IS INTENSE! BOTH SIDES KEEP PULLING OUT CLEVER TRICKS AND IMMENSE BLOWS, YET NEITHER REFUSES TO BUDGE EVEN A LITTLE! WHICH HAS LED THEM TO YET ANOTHER STALEMATE! IT'S AN UNSTOPPABLE FORCE AGAINST AN IMMOVABLE OBJECT: WHO WILL FALL?!"

Ashes had enough muscle to overpower a raging bull. She was a remarkably skilled swordfighter, and had enough drive to keep going no matter what stood in her way. And yet, she had once again failed to land her attack. Because at the last moment, Pulse had managed to block it with her shimmering shield.

The lean artificer had to push her untrained muscles to their limit just to hold Ashes back. Not only did the swordswoman have more than twice her strength, right now she also had the superior leverage. And as both of Pulse's hands were needed to hold her opponent back, she couldn't even reach the mechanism that generated the force push. One side had to give, and the Drow knew all too well it would be her. Maybe she shouldn't have left those gauntlets of hers back in her room - contrary to what she'd thought earlier, she probably did need them here.

If Ashes put everything she had behind this strike, then she was certain that the shield would buckle and hopeful that Pulse's force field would shatter. But something about this Drow had piqued her interest. Ashes had come this far by way of sheer muscle, combat skill and the bullheaded tendency to keep going forward. Pulse, with her feeble build, reliance on smarts and coolheaded determination was more or less her complete opposite. She'd come this far with everything that Ashes wasn't, and yet the Tiefling couldn't shake the feeling of familiarity she got from her. Ashes flashed a grin as she made a decision - she needed to make sure whose ultimate wish deserved to take them to the end.

"Tell me your dream again, tottie! Why do you want that whopper of a prize so badly?" the farmgirl suddenly asked.

Pulse was left at a loss for words. Why would anyone ask that question now, especially when they could just end this stalemate with just one more push? Nevertheless, she didn't hesitate in the slightest to give an answer. If Ashes wanted to hear it again so badly, then she was more than willing to oblige.

"To prove that I am worth a damn. That all the snide remarks, fearful insults and paranoid assaults I've been through my whole life were all misplaced. I'm gonna win this whole thing so everyone can see that the things I can create can overcome anything and anyone! That despite how I happened to be born, I'm not some evil monster! That I'm the proof that there are good Drow out there, so they can be spared any more fear and hate! This is why I want that 'whopper of a prize' so badly - how else can I spread that message to everyone who needs to hear it?" Pulse responded, a powerful determination coating her every word.

Ashes smile gave away that she already knew all this - Pulse had given more or less the same speech in the first round, after all. She just wanted to hear it for herself.

"Good answer! I knew there was more to ya than meets the eye, lil' firecracker! You really are prepared to go the whole hog!" Ashes gladly responded.

Slowly but surely, signs of her regular self began to slip through the cracks. The little artificer had really given her a run for her money; even Abigail, who could more than match her in brawn in addition to outsmarting her, hadn't managed to put her on the backfoot this early into the fight.

"Damn right I am! So what about you, big fella? Why do you want to reach the top so much?" the lil' firecracker questioned.

This time Ashes was the one to not hesitate to give a proper answer. Pulse had earned her respect by now, and with it the right to hear her own dream. The dream strong enough to quell even her vast love for a good brawl.

"Well, it all started back on the ol' family farm" Ashes said, her calm and somewhat melancholic tone clashing against her still relentless sword press.

Pulse was once again left bewildered - was Ashes really about to start monologuing about her life story? Right here in a tense melee? But while the Drow heavily questioned this decision, she didn't stop her opponent. She kinda really wanted to hear this story now.

"For a while it was just us; My ma, my pa and me. Just a few happy sodbusters far from any bustlin' civilization. For maybe 5 years or so, I was a lil' cattle kate in training and that's all there was. And then one day, there she was. The girl who'd one day become my spark. Her name was Dust, Tiefling just like me, about my own age. She and her civilizee folks had gotten themselves a nice little summer shack close to the hamlet I lived next to, and we both just clicked immediately" the suddenly nostalgic farmgirl monologued.

Even though the pressure bearing down on her shield remained unchanged, Pulse found herself listening intently. Something had clearly happened between these Tieflings, and given how hard Ashes had fought over the prize the inventor began to fear the worst.

"We spent almost every waking moment together, every single summer. We became best friends before you could say howdy! And then, the last couple days before she'd ride off back to the city… it all became something more. That eve, I realised I was soft down on her. Or as you city folks say, I found myself deeply in love. And although I was too tender to see it then, looking back on it I know she thought the same. But that eve by the creek downhill from the farm… was the last time I saw her" Ashes somberly continued.

"Damn, that's… what happened to her? Did she… leave you behind?" Pulse carefully asked.

"Her folks sold the summer shack. Apparently they'd found something more fancy all the way on the other side of the whole tarnal continent. So they rode off into the sunset the day after, before either of us could muster up the guts to confess. We haven't seen each other since. And that's why I do the things I do. All the training I've gone through, all the jobs and adventures and why I want to win this whole scrap. So I can find my spark again, and once and for all tell her how much I care! And I'll hang on to my fiddle no matter what!" the Tiefling declared, her words steady with confidence.

Pulse had fallen silent; a myriad of thoughts were dashing around her head. And slowly but surely, they built up to a coherent statement. A statement which, given how Ashes' relentless pushing had let up a little after her heartfelt story, could be shared here and now.

"So you want to use basically the ultimate award… to find the one that got away. That's the laziest excuse I've ever heard!" the Drow blurted out.

The sudden rebuttal of her dream, combined with the trip down memory lane taking some focus away from her attack, left Ashes shocked enough for Pulse to get one hand free to reach the flashlight tied to her shield. One press of a button later and the small contraption once more generated a thin ray of bright light - a light that was caught by the already shimmering blue shield. And with more photons caught in it than it could maintain, it let out all of its excess energy in one blinding burst.

The flash was unexpected enough for Ashes to stagger backwards as her vision was disturbed, at which point Pulse quickly shut off the flashlight. The shield had been damaged enough by the sudden burst of extra fuel; any more energy and it might overload completely. With her opponent left stunned, the Drow slammed her defensive tool straight into the farmgirl's stomach while doing her best to ignore the strain plaguing her arm. The accompanying force push did its job - Ashes was knocked back almost a full metre onto her behind. And as the groggy Tiefling scrambled to regain her senses, Pulse launched into a monologue of her own while deactivating her overheated shield.

"So your beloved moved away and you miss her. Sure, that's a valid excuse to go out into the world and have a bunch of adventures. I'll give you that much. But then you get the chance to get practically whatever you want if you win a tournament full of people from across all of existence, and you want to win simply to get a quick and easy shortcut to her? I'm sorry, but that's just ridiculously dumb!" the inventor shouted, her free hand frantically gesturing all over the place.

"You said it yourself, right? She's not dead or lost or in hiding or anything; she's somewhere out there! Why take a lazy shortcut for something you can accomplish with enough patience and grit? Would she want you to act like a dead-serious soldier instead of just being who you are? I sincerely doubt that! So stop wasting your efforts for a wish that can be fulfilled with regular hard work, and put some heart into this! Fight me with all you have, so that whoever remains standing actually deserves it! And come up with a worthy reason for winning while you're at it!" Pulse finished.

For most of the speech, Ashes had slowly but surely built up more and more rage as her opponent had insulted her greatest desire. But as Pulse delivered the conclusion, the Tiefling couldn't help but remain in stunned silence. Pulse was right; what in blazes was she doing? Ever since first leaving the farm and setting off into the big wide world, everything she had accomplished had been with the help of her own two hands. And if not that, then by the equally hard work of friends and kind strangers alike. Being like this, all too focused on the destination and not enjoying the journey there… that just wasn't who she was. Then again, her opponent wasn't exactly a selfless paragon of dedication either.

"I… you know what, you're splitting fair. This just ain't me, you're completely right. She wouldn't want me to go against my nature just to see her a bit earlier. So thanks. But… aren't you doing the exact same thing? You want to go the whole hog so people will like you, but look around ya! Most of these folks love seeing you do your thing, and it's all because of who you are and what you do! What do you need that magic thingamajig waiting at the end for?" the brawny Tiefling retorted.

Now it was Pulse's turn to fall silent, taking a moment to look around towards the still cheering crowd. Ashes had a point. Even if it was just for her fighting ability or clever tactics… those cheers were genuine. Her plan all this time had been to win the ultimate prize and use it to get everyone to see that she, and by extension all Drow, could be so much more than people thought. But maybe that wasn't needed after all. More than 250.000 people were loudly approving both her and her opponent, and when they'd all go home to their countless respective universes they would share this approval with everyone they held dear. Maybe… her goal was already fulfilled.

But if so, what exactly was she fighting for?

Despite how much heart the two contestants had put into their discussion, nobody in the stands had heard a thing. While the tournament's visual broadcasting was top quality and could relay the action to everyone, the audio recording was notably lacking; unless the fighters were shouting and the audience was dead silent, nothing that was said on the field would reach the stands. So just as whatever was said between Pulse and Ashes stayed between them, so did the arguments, discussions and exclamations in the contestants' watching area.

"Curse it all, I can't take this suspense much longer! Please just make it out of this in one piece, sweetheart!"

The worried cleric had found himself burying his face in his hands out of sheer anxiety. Even though he knew exactly what she was capable of, this was still his daughter out there. And even though she'd managed to retain the upper hand for most of the fight, her bulky opponent had proven she could turn the tables when least expected. Somehow Vuzrak was almost more terrified now than when he'd been about to face off against Pulse personally.

"Hey, take a deep breath before you pass out! Ashes might be really damn tough, but that kid of yours has possibly the most clever mind I've ever seen! She's got this in the bag, I'm certain! I hope…"

Luckily for Vuzrak, his companion once again had the exact words he needed to hear. Abigail, a fellow but much more experienced parent, had been able to relate to and befriend the Drow more or less immediately. And if Vuzrak's steadily slower breathing and less tense posture was any indication, he'd been convinced of her reassurance. That and he hadn't heard the last part that she'd muttered under her breath. With the small anxiety attack dealt with, the two parents turned back to where their conversation had left off before.

"Yes, yes of course… Still, that Ashes fellow is quite the opponent. It's been a while since I've seen quick thinking rivalling that of Pulse herself, and in combination with that kind of physical ability it's no wonder she's gotten this far" Vuzrak muttered.

The brawny Half-Orc simply sighed as she crossed her arms. Her friend was right, but unlike her he hadn't faced off against Ashes directly. Thus he'd failed to see what she saw going on out there.

"True, she was able to beat me after all. But something isn't right. When she fought me, there was a lot more gusto behind her every move. Like every blow or evasion or whatever was perfectly natural. But here, she's hesitating a whole lot more and most of her moves are unusually restless. It's like her heart isn't really in it" Abigail laid out to the cleric.

Vuzrak found himself raising an eyebrow; now that it was pointed out, the Tiefling's forced movements were quite noticeable. And while this gave him some relief since that meant his daughter would have an easier time, it also made him very curious.

"True, that is strange. She wasn't like that earlier as far as I'm aware. Hmm, you think it has something to do with Pulse? Like she doesn't want to hurt her or something along those lines?" Vuzrak questioned.

Abigail opened her mouth to respond, but before she could do that she was interrupted. By the petite green-clad figure leaning in from the row of seats behind them.

"Nah, she's thinking about someone. Probably missing somebody close to her, or somebody waiting back home" Root said with a deep sigh.

Vuzrak let out a small gasp as the Genasi made herself known, although Abigail simply turned to face her. She had been feeling Root's excited kicking into her seat for most of the match after all - she was anything but surprised. Although she was a bit curious.

"You can tell things like that even from here? That's pretty impressive, young lady" Abigail said, her tone making it clear how impressed she was.

Root simply nodded softly, all the while bearing an unusually bittersweet smile.

"Not really, it's just that me and Miss Ashes are probably thinking kinda the same thing. She looks like she really misses someone, and I know I'm gonna miss all of you when this event ends tomorrow. Since we probably won't ever meet again and all" Root said, a strong hint of melancholy piercing her words.

While neither Vuzrak or Abigail gave a response, the sudden stunned looks on their faces told everything. They, like most of the other contestants, hadn't thought that far ahead. Abigail would only have one more night to compare notes with Pulse or laugh with Root, while Vuzrak would have to be sent back to the afterlife as soon as he came back to his home universe. Meaning he'd have to say goodbye to his beloved daughter once more. A thought that made him, and to a lesser degree Abigail, quite shocked indeed.

"Huh, that's… I hadn't even thought of that. I-I'm sorry, I'll need some time to process this…" Vuzrak stuttered.

But despite looking so conflicted just before, Root quickly flashed one of her bright beaming smiles. She motioned to both Abigail and Vuzrak to lean in closer; she clearly had something in mind. Something she'd been thinking over long and hard ever since hearing about this dilemma herself.

"Don't worry mister, I have an idea. Maybe it won't help much, but it's gotta be better than nothing! So, I was thinking…"

Both the Drow and the Half-Orc eagerly nodded along to what Root silently whispered into their ears. Whatever the young Genasi had in mind, they were both clearly on board as well.

Back on the battlefield, things had shown signs of turning around. The fighters had been left standing still for a moment in order to process their argument, but their end conclusions couldn't be more different. On one hand, Ashes appeared to finally have snapped back to her regular battle-loving self; her gaze had heated up considerably compared to the cold focus she'd just shown, not to mention her less stiff and more frantic movements. But as for her opponent, things weren't quite as cheery. Whereas Pulse had previously been oh so confident and calculating, she was now doubting more or less everything.

Maybe Ashes was absolutely right. Maybe Pulse had already achieved her goal of reaching out to everyone watching. Maybe she was… done. She didn't actively enjoy the act of fighting as much as her Tiefling opponent did, and she'd still managed to prove her point that she wasn't an evil mastermind despite her appearance - at least if the unyielding roar of the crowd was anything to go by. However, that conclusion could wait a moment; Ashes was still very much game, and was about to prove it by way of an incoming deceptively fast diagonal slash.

"I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT OUR CONTESTANTS WERE TALKING ABOUT FOLKS, BUT IT LOOKS LIKE THE TIME FOR THAT IS OVER! AGAINST ALL LOGIC THE MUCH SMALLER CONTESTANT PULSE BROKE THAT STALEMATE, BUT THE ONE TO FINALLY LAUNCH A FOLLOW-UP IS CONTESTANT ASHES! BUT WHAT'S THIS? THE PRODIGAL INVENTOR ISN'T MOVING AN INCH! IS THIS ALL PART OF SOME ELABORATE SCHEME, OR HAS SHE LOST HER MARBLES COMPLETELY?"

Call it agility, good timing, sheer dumb luck or Googlorp's loud announcement crashing into her ears, but Pulse snapped back to her senses at the last second - the sharp blade missed her by mere centimetres. She might've been at a motivational crossroads, but her survival instincts hadn't gone anywhere. However, they hadn't been fast enough to prevent what came next. The first strike might have missed, but the Drow was just about to feel the powerful follow-up attack.

With a hefty grunt, the farmgirl landed a strong elbow straight into Pulse's stomach. But while the force field managed to absorb enough of the blow to prevent any real harm, it still left her dazed enough to be struck by a full-force diagonal slash from Ashes' sword. And now the barrier was beginning to show serious damage; the previously invisible-until-struck barrier was left chaotically flickering. It was only one major hit away from breaking apart; even the less academically gifted Ashes could tell that much. Thus the hulking Tiefling reared back her blade as much as possible. It was about time to turn the tide of the fight firmly in her favour.

Pulse had found herself dropping to one knee from the sheer ferocity of her foe's attacks. But unlike in previous battles, this time she didn't even try to get back up. In one moment of doubt, all her planning had proven futile in the face of an unexpectedly formidable foe. Ashes was stronger, tougher and much more of a fighter than Pulse could ever hope to be, and while the Drow was much smarter and faster… without any reason to fight, how was that gonna help? So as the devastating strike connected and Pulse was sent careening to the ground as her barrier shattered into hundreds of shimmering pieces, she closed her eyes and awaited the inevitable.

But as she did, her pointed ears picked up something. A loud and desperate cry ringing out for her all the way from the stands.

"Pulse, no! Please, get back up! You can't give up here, I know you still have it in you!"

The sudden callout from her father was enough to make the young mechanic jolt back to awareness long enough to throw herself out of the way of Ashes' finishing blow, even though the act made her very very stunned. Her body had moved all on its own - why did it do that? Was it pure instinct? Or was she not as convinced of her own futility as she'd thought? Vuzrak wasn't done with his plea however; the cleric continued.

"You managed to make it all the way to the semifinals of this unbelievable contest all on your own, you can't admit defeat this close to the finish line! If you can't believe in yourself, then believe in your father's trust! Believe in the me who believes in you! Fight for me - no, fight for all who support you - until you're ready to fight for your own sake again! Get up and make us proud, my daughter!"

Her dad's words struck Pulse like a bullet. What in the nine hells was she doing here on the ground? She'd been so divided from the thought of already having achieved her goal that she'd lost sight of what else she desired, and with that the will to fight. But even if her original goal had been realised - or at least as much as it could be here - she still had a damn good reason to fight. One wish she wholeheartedly wanted to come true. As the tired inventor scurried back to her feet, she looked over towards that reason to fight. She looked over towards the stands.

Ever since those fateful opening ceremonies, Pulse had slowly but surely built some remarkable bonds. From her long-lost father to a fellow inventor brilliant enough to create artificial life, not to mention a short-fused but respectable Half-Orc giant and the most positive Genasi in possibly the entire multiverse. In just a couple days, the young Drow had formed relations which she'd never forget. And it wasn't just her. Prime's and Goh'ji's destined rivalry, Molly and Alva's steadily more obvious mutual appreciation, Root's powerful bond with practically everyone… the list went on. And to let all that go to waste, to just send everyone home to go on like their new friends didn't exist out there, wasn't something Pulse was gonna let happen. Not while she had anything to say about it. And if she did manage to reach the top and win this contest, she could have something to say about it.

With this new vigour pushing her to keep going, the Drow's eyes once again went pitch black. Luckily for her Ashes had not moved in to attack her; apparently, she too had been distracted by Vuzrak's words of encouragement. Which she was about to pay for. The farmgirl suddenly realised that not only had she lost sight of Pulse, she had lost her sight entirely. The Darkness spell had come in handy once more.

Despite her vision showing nothing but a black void, Ashes still had her other senses to rely on. So after taking a few seconds to regain her focus and assessing the situation, the Tiefling put her sharp ears to use. She steadily tried to filter out the tense chants from the surrounding crowd, trying to deduce where exactly her opponent was. Until finally, there she was. The bulky gunslinger couldn't quite figure out what Pulse was up to - she could hear some muffled shuffling and the clinking of metal - but she knew it came roughly from her upper right. There was no time to lose; for all she knew, the Drow could have pulled out some secret doomsday device. So without hesitation, Ashes pulled the trigger of her weapon.

[BANG!]

There were no gasps of pain or even the sound of lead striking metal, but still the darkness dissipated. And as her vision returned to her, Ashes could tell exactly why; the tiny dent the bullet had made in the earth right in front of Pulse, combined with the Drow's startled expression, told just where all the concentration to keep the spell up had gone. Still, the Tiefling had no time to celebrate. Because right next to the inventor was her trump card - the deadly turret. All three barrels pointing in Ashes' direction.

"Yikes, that was way too close! For being covered in complete darkness you sure know how to aim well!" the Drow hastily shouted.

As if acknowledging that statement, Ashes answered by quickly firing the last two bullets she had. But while the mechanic's force field had been broken apart, her shield remained more or less intact - enough to render the lead pellets completely harmless. Just like that, the gunslinger had been left with her main weapon emptied. And unlike Pulse she hadn't thought to bring extra ammunition, her bad habit once again rearing its ugly head. The farmgirl let out a frustrated snarl as she prepared to fall back on the one and only option she had left.

"By ginger, how does this keep happening? Well, it doesn't matter. 'Cause dang my melt, I hope you're ready to handle this!" Ashes bellowed as she put up her shield in front of her.

Yet again the Tiefling had been stripped of her only real ranged weapon, forcing her to rely entirely on her melee abilities. Which was something her opponent lacked almost entirely barring the fairly telegraphed Shocking Grasp spell. If she could just close this distance and get through that shining shield, the match would be over. But with one still loaded firearm, a powerful turret and the couple of spells still left in her, Pulse had more than enough tools to keep Ashes at bay. Both fighters had been battered, weakened and wounded a fair bit - whoever took the advantage next would settle this. The match was just a couple moves away from ending in one side's decisive victory.

"FOLKS, IT APPEARS LIKE THIS IS IT: BOTH FIGHTERS ARE STARTING TO WEAR DOWN. WHILE HER FATHER'S ENCOURAGEMENT SEEMS TO HAVE GIVEN CONTESTANT PULSE A SECOND WIND, IT WAS ALSO MERELY ENOUGH TO GET HER BACK ON HER FEET! MEANWHILE CONTESTANT ASHES ISN'T LOOKING TOO WELL EITHER; CAN SHE GO THE DISTANCE AND SECURE THAT SPOT IN THE FINALS? OR WILL THAT HONOUR GO TO UNIVERSE 1'S BRIGHTEST ELF? WE'RE ABOUT TO FIND OUT - THE RED FIEND IS ABOUT TO CHARGE!"

Just like she'd done around the start of the fight, Ashes started running in towards Pulse with her shield raised in front of her like a livid bull. Pulse's eyes narrowed - her opponent did exactly what she'd expected. The inventor pointed her barreled creation towards the approaching Tiefling, before firing off a couple rounds of translucent magical force. There was just one problem; the blasts, strong enough to cause even an enhanced Alva Morrison to topple, failed to stop Ashes. Despite the weapon's power, the bulky farmgirl pushed right through them.

Pulse let out a small curse; in hindsight, she'd failed to take some crucial factors into account. While the turret had caused the almost 5-metre Alva to fall, that had only been because she had been caught off-guard. And since Ashes was not only remarkably strong as well but could also meet the powerful impact with a roughly equal amount of force, the turret alone would not be enough. The Drow needed something else, anything would b- wait… that could actually work. Anything. That was the answer.

"Alright then, so you're able to handle a few force blasts. But this one is gonna shock you! Or be too hot to handle or blow your mind or knock you off your rocker… I don't know, let's find out!" Pulse yelled out as she formed a ball of swirling magical energy in her steely right hand.

She'd thrown this taunt at Ashes as an attempt to keep her own panic at bay, but despite her faked splendour it hadn't helped at all. Thus it was with a flustered frown that she threw the Chaos Bolt towards the ignorant Tiefling. But mere moments later, that frown completely disappeared. The spell had struck the sturdy shield head-on, and the resulting effect couldn't have been any better.

Ashes stopped dead in her tracks as her left hand suddenly turned all but numb. It took almost all her mental fortitude to maintain the grip on her only remaining defence, but maintain it she did. And given how the entire tool had been covered in a clear sheet of frost and ice, with the front even being coated in thick icicles, the resulting gasp from the audience was very expected. But where Ashes was left stunned and reeling from the sudden cold, Pulse immediately seized the unexpected chance. That shield was made partly from iron, and what happens when you deep freeze iron? Or rather: what happens if you strike this frozen metal with a forceful blast of magic shot from a cannon? It only took Pulse's genius mind a couple seconds to realise this, and about as long to provide a demonstration. With volatile results.

[CRRACK!]

"...did you know that iron is classified as a body-centred cubic crystal structure? Or in simple terms, that freezing it and then hitting it hard enough causes it to shatter? Something to think about before I take you down!" the somewhat flabbergasted inventor blurted out.

Of course blasting the shield apart after freezing it hadn't been part of the Drow's plan; getting that specific effect from the Chaos Bolt had simply been a lucky coincidence. But getting Ashes to believe it had been fully intended was too enticing to pass up. However, it quickly became apparent that this idea had worked too well. The Tiefling wasn't just looking dumbfounded - she also looked pretty damn fiery.

With no other options left, Ashes charged in headfirst towards Pulse with a rumbling war cry. This was exactly what the inventor had been waiting for, and so she began the bombardment. The desperate Tiefling was met by a barrage of impactful force blasts from the turret, but despite the numerous concussions and fractured bones she kept pushing through. Pulse's eyes widened in a mix of awe and horror; what was this gunslinger made of, reinforced adamantine? The Drow gritted her teeth as she added a couple lead bullets from her revolver into the blitz, but while those resulted in sharp screams of pain it still wasn't enough. Countless blasts of force magic and two bullets to the chest had only served to slow Ashes down. And as it turned out, not even enough to prevent her from reaching Pulse.

"Oh n-"

[Wham!]

Fueled and sustained by pure adrenaline, Ashes had briefly managed to put all her pain to the side in order to make Pulse feel it as well. And given the mechanic's agonised scream as she fell to the ground, that had been very much accomplished. The hulking Ashes was just as strong as she looked, especially now when she was driven into a corner. Strong enough to utterly break her much weaker opponent's right leg almost in half with one full-force blow.

As Pulse had previously deactivated her shield, she'd been rendered completely defenceless when the farmgirl had managed to reach her. Something which had resulted in the immense pain now taking root in her completely destroyed leg, intense enough to almost make her black out then and there. And yet she didn't. Instead of shutting down, her mind reflexively began to form a desperate counterplan. She might've been just one major blow away from defeat, but so was Ashes - or at least close to it. So while her aching body screamed at her to lie down and stop fighting, she pushed past the agony to force her almost depleted shield to activate one more time. She had just managed to reignite her burning desire to win, and thus all nine hells would freeze over before she'd allow herself to cease fighting for it. That was just who she was.

By now, the adrenaline coursing through Ashes' tired body was beginning to wear off. And so she was too distracted by the reemerging pain of her many wounds to avoid the powerful force blast coming from Pulse's last shield bash. With a low boom, the Tiefling was sent careening backwards a few metres; the inventor had made sure to put every last drop of power left in the shield's generator into this bash. And as the shield decisively powered down, the Drow achingly dragged her body towards the still humming turret. Neither side had any sort of defence left - it had all come down to whose offence proved superior. With that thought in mind, the battered Drow pulled out her gun one more time as she uttered the turret's ultimate voice command. It was time to finish this, planning and caution be damned.

"V-voice Command: Disable all safety protocols! Photon Barrage at full power!"

At that moment all hell broke loose. With a deafening hum, the turret began to rapidly fire at what must have been more than twice the rate it'd done previously. Blast after blast violently struck Ashes like cannonballs, not letting up in the slightest despite the weapon clearly being pushed to its limit. But that wasn't enough for Pulse - she knew just how tough her opponent was, and if this final barrage failed then the battle would be completely lost. There was zero reason to not throw everything she still had at the gunslinger. So with one hand she fired all remaining bullets from her G.U.N. in quick succession, and with the other she launched a volley of spells. Two Scorching Rays and a couple Chaos Bolts, together with the lead bullets and innumerable force blasts, all came together to form the Prodigal Inventor's final cannonade. Until it finally ended, and with it all sounds across the entire arena.

Pulse was all tapped out. Her defences were crushed, her leg was unusable, her revolver was empty and her spell reserves were dried up. She had thrown everything she had at her opponent and then some; if this didn't work, then nothing would. However, all the wild shots and fiery beams had covered Ashes in a thick layer of dust and smoke. There was no way for anyone to see if the Tiefling was still standing. Until a shocked gasp surged through the audience, followed by Pulse's eyes widening in sheer terror. A bruised and bloodied red leg stomped down out of the dust cloud.

Despite the assault, despite the unyielding storm of flames and force, Ashes was still up. Her body was covered almost head to toe in bruises, burn marks and flesh wounds, and yet she slowly staggered towards the compromised Drow. Her face was obscured by the way her long messy hair hid it from view as her head hung low, and combined with her stiff body language nobody could tell what was going through her mind at that moment. But the same couldn't be said for Pulse - her wide stare, shivering form and her rapid breathing made her state of mind very obvious. She painstakingly crawled towards her now busted turret in pure desperation; maybe she could get it up and running again? But one look at the red-hot barrels and flying sparks made it very clear that was an impossible task.

As the hulking Tiefling slowly staggered closer and closer to Pulse almost like a zombie, the inventor dragged herself up to a sitting position right next to her wrecked weapon. With her metallic right hand, she fired up another Shocking Grasp spell. It was weak, half-hearted and clearly difficult to keep active, but it was all she had left. She could still keep going, even if only for a few more moments until Ashes reached her. Which was going to be soon.

Another heavyset step. Then another. And another. Now Ashes was only about a metre away from the Drow, and with what appeared to be great difficulty she raised her imposing right arm. Pulse closed her eyes and thrusted her sparking arm forward in a desperate hope that Ashes would just walk right into it - that was her best option right now. But most of all, she just waited for the inevitable finish. And with a surge of tension going through the audience, the Tiefling's massive arm bore down towards her desperate opponent.

But the knockout blow never came. Pulse remained still, albeit quivering, for a solid 6 seconds before she registered the very unexpected feeling. It wasn't pain from a sudden punch to the face, nor a conk to the back of the skull. It was a gentle hand on top of her head. The very confused Drow carefully opened her eyes to register Ashes' face, now visible from where the former was leaning. It was a face telling of strain, yet satisfaction. And judging by how the farmgirl's legs were shaking and how her hand was barely touching Pulse's cranium, it quickly became clear just how close she was to unconsciousness. The barrage had done the trick in the end; Ashes had simply had just enough strength left to lumber over towards Pulse. Strength which was about to run out… but not before one more sentence left her lips.

"...Ya better go the whole hog, partner. Go fulfil that dream of yours, for all of us backin' you up, and most of all for your… for your ow…"

Ashes' heavily battered body stopped moving before she could finish her sentence. And yet she remained there, standing still in front of the tense Pulse with her hand still resting on the latter's head. One cautious look into her eyes and the Drow could easily confirm the obvious; the farmgirl was done. Her eyes were dim and lifeless, her form was unmoving and her breathing was barely noticeable. She had lost the last sliver of consciousness, but despite that she was still standing up. Her powerful body and indomitable spirit refusing to falter even now. The battle was over, and the one left standing had lost.

As Pulse slowly pushed herself as far up from the ground as she could with one broken leg, the tense silence was broken by the familiar fluttering of minuscule wings. And while the results were obvious, the little cap-wearing fairy moved his gaze in between the two contestants for a while; as if to make sure any side could keep going. But eventually, he made his verdict known for all to hear.

"10!"

"9!"

"8!"

"7!"

"6!"

"5!"

"4!"

"3!"

"2!"

"1!"

"K.O!"

"THAT'S IT, PEOPLE OF THE MULTIVERSE! THE SECOND SEMIFINAL HAS REACHED ITS CONCLUSION, AND WHAT A CONCLUSION IT WAS! EVEN WITH A WRECKED LEG AND SEEMINGLY NO TOOLS LEFT TO AID HER, THE PRODIGAL INVENTOR MANAGES TO OUTLAST HER HULKING OPPONENT! IN THE END, THE RED FIEND GETS OVERPOWERED JUST BEFORE THE FINISH LINE! THE ONE TO REACH THE FINALS TO FACE CONTESTANT PRIME IS NONE OTHER THAN CONTESTANT PULSE OF UNIVERSE 1!"

As the Plasmoid's bombastic declaration and the eruption of roars from the crowd hit her ears, Pulse finally allowed her tired body to slump over. The Drow could feel the panic quickly leaving her - that had been way too close. Being left all but defenceless as a giant muscle-bound warrior slowly approached her to finish the job… she couldn't help but feel a noteworthy sense of déjà vu. But despite everything, she had done it. She had managed to reach the finals of the ultimate contest, all the while coming as close to fulfilling her dream as she reasonably could. Not to mention gaining a new one to drive her forward through the final round. Despite her fatigue and intense pain from her wrecked leg, the inventor flashed an excited smile.

It didn't take long for both fighters to be surrounded by the bright healing field once again. Pulse let out a deep sigh of relief as her shattered leg bones put themselves back together, her depleted energy returned and she was treated to the sight of her destroyed inventions fully repairing themselves. Meanwhile her opponent started to regain consciousness as her marred skin regained its normal healthy texture, her various wounds and fractures healed up and her stamina rapidly recovered. About half a minute later, both of them were completely restored to full health. It was then that Ashes reached out her huge hand towards the still sitting Pulse, offering to help her get up from the ground. A gesture which Pulse gratefully accepted with a small smile.

"Well ding, I guess that's all for me huh. But I can't be too sad, that was a hog-killing time if there ever was one! Congrats lil' firecracker, and… thanks. For getting me back to my own self, I mean" the Tiefling cheerfully exclaimed.

If Ashes was dejected over her loss, she must have hidden it extremely well. At her core, winning a good fight was nothing but a bonus. As long as she'd had fun during the brawl and been forced to give it her all, she was more than content. Especially now after being reminded that she didn't need some miraculous award to fulfil her heart's desire. Thus she heartily shook Pulse's hand almost to the point of throwing her around; Ashes hadn't been this grateful to somebody in ages.

"Whoa whoa, take it easy…! I'm happy too, but you're gonna tear my hand off if you keep that up!" Pulse shakily exclaimed as her former foe forcefully showed her gratitude.

As the farmgirl sheepishly slowed down and apologised, Pulse continued.

"Phew, thanks. And thanks for calling me out back there as well! I guess I was kinda being a hypocrite with that speech and all, but thanks to you I think I'm all set to actually go all the way now! Well, thanks to you and my dad over there. Couldn't have beaten you if it weren't for him" the Drow heartfully finished as she motioned towards the proudly celebrating Vuzrak.

"Happy to be of help, partner! And while we're at it, I meant what I said there at the end. You're gonna go out there and fight like you mean it, and you're gonna go all the way! Not just for us, but for your own sake too! Prove that me and the others backing you up didn't get the wrong pig by the tail!" Ashes replied, her tone turning more serious and excited midway through her sentence.

As usual, Pulse understood about half of the Tiefling's words. But this time she could at least guess the meaning behind them. Thus her final response was uttered with gusto; the Drow was about as fired up for this decisive clash as she possibly could be.

"Don't worry, you haven't! I have something I want to make happen by any means necessary; I'm not gonna let some hyperactive martial artist stop me!"

"AND WITH THAT, LET'S THANK CONTESTANT ASHES FOR HER TITANIC PERFORMANCE WHICH CARRIED HER TO A SHARED BRONZE MEDAL! AND LET'S GIVE CONTESTANT PULSE A BIG HURRAH FOR MANAGING TO GO ALL THE WAY TO THE FINALS! BUT NOW, DEAR AUDIENCE… WE HAVE FINALLY MADE IT! IN MERE HOURS THE TWO REMAINING FIGHTERS WILL GO HEAD TO HEAD TO FIND OUT WHO IS TRULY THE MULTIVERSE'S GREATEST! EVERYTHING HAS BEEN LEADING UP TO THIS MOMENT! THIS MOMENT WHERE ONLY ONE WILL PREVAIL: EITHER THE UNFLINCHING FIGHTING SPIRIT OF THE METAL RANGER FROM UNIVERSE 6…"

In the name of dramatic effect, every light in the colosseum had turned off as soon as Googlorp had begun his speech. All except the four main spotlights, each of them focusing on the main viewing screen as it showed clips from each of Prime's previous matches. And right after broadcasting his ultimate clash with Goh'ji, the monitor switched over to the same white-hot burning flames that'd been present when announcing the semi-finals. With Prime's portrait taking up the entire left half, accompanied by his name surrounded by a portrait stylized like crackling lightning.

"...OR THE UNMATCHED BRAINPOWER OF THE PRODIGAL INVENTOR FROM UNIVERSE 1!"

Now the screen instead switched over to showing a brief clipshow of Pulse's previous three battles, culminating in the barrage that had eventually managed to topple Ashes. The whole presentation ended with Pulse's portrait taking its place in front of the flaming background opposite Prime, her name being framed in lightning as well. The metallic swordmaster against the gun-wielding Drow genius. Brawn and skill versus brains and tactics. Universe 6 and Universe 1. One would stand, one would fall. And both sides were going to make damn sure that they'd be the one left standing.

"WE WILL ALL FIND OUT SOON… AFTER OUR BREAK! OUR REMAINING WARRIORS WILL NEED AMPLE TIME TO GET EVERYTHING READY, SO THE FINALS WILL COMMENCE IN 4 HOURS FROM NOW! SO PLACE YOUR BETS, GATHER YOUR SNACKS AND FEEL FREE TO TAKE A PEEK IN OUR GIFT SHOP TO THE RIGHT OF THE MAIN ENTRANCE BEFORE THAT! AND THEN… THE FINAL BATTLE WILL COMMENCE RIGHT HERE! THE TITLE OF GREATEST IN THE MULTIVERSE IS ABOUT TO BE DECIDED! THIS IS YOUR ANNOUNCER, GOOGLORP… SIGNING OFF FOR NOW! SEE YOU ALL SOON!"

As the grand audience made their gradual exit, so did the two fighters on the field. And while Pulse had immediately been met by her immensely proud dad, Ashes had simply strolled back to the waiting room with nothing but her own thoughts for company. Most of which were happy ones, albeit admittedly a few drops of disappointment at losing might have been sprinkled in there. But the cheerily humming Tiefling didn't really care much - she'd been lucky enough to partake in three amazing brawls, so missing out on a fourth one wasn't that huge of a deal. However, these thoughts were eventually interrupted. By a youthful medium-pitched voice shouting her name.

"Miss Ashes, over here! Omigosh you were great out there, that was such a fun watch!"

Ashes wasn't too surprised to see Root waiting for her; she was a good friend, after all. But what she didn't expect to see was everyone else behind the young Genasi. Particularly not this many of them.

"Hiyah, Root! And the Tortle guy! And Alva… and the lil' thieving slink… okay, what's all this about?" the puzzled Tiefling asked.

To Ashes' surprise, Root was accompanied by Gameron, Molly, Alva and John. People who, barring the two female roughnecks, were very unlikely to even speak to each other. But here they all were, clearly with some sort of idea in mind. And given the druid's magnetic personality, it wasn't hard to guess who'd put it there.

"Wait, don't tell me: Y'all have something planned for the big finale? And you're here to get me in on it?" Ashes followed up with.

Root simply giggled; the farmgirl had hit the nail on the head. She looked around to the folks around her as if to make sure they were all still on board, which - to varying degrees, admittedly - they still were. Even the clearly-terrified-of-Ashes John shakily nodded as if to confirm.

"Something like that, hun. Little miss nature here wanted to make some grand gesture to everyone before we all head home, and who are we to say no to such a cute face?" Alva responded from her corner, with Molly looking somewhat offended up towards her at the mention of Root's "cute face".

Clearly oblivious to Molly's not-so-hidden jealousy, Root walked over to the quite intrigued Ashes to properly lay out her plan. One excited explanation later and Ashes was left nodding with a smile on her face. The Genasi had clearly thought up something to end the tournament in style, and if this went well the finals would be about as charged as they could possibly be. If this went well, everyone would get to play one last part.

"Little lady, you can count me in! Let's all make this fight one to remember even more!"

The Multiversal Tournament had finally reached its peak, and only one fighter would claim the ultimate title. The title of Greatest in the Multiverse.