Finally, we're ready to start this story off ^^

A bit of a heads up, there might be spoilers for those who haven't seen Scott Pilgrim Takes Off in this

But with that said and done, hope you enjoy the story

RAMONA FLOWERS' RACE AGAINST TIME

CHAPTER 1: ROUGH NEW BEGINNINGS

Toronto, Canada (Early the next day)

Ramona's Apartment

The alarm clock went off, prompting Scott (Name: Scott Pilgrim. Age: Still 24. Status: So Damn Tired, I wanna sleep longer! Fun Fact: He's finally got back with Ramona) to hit it to shut it off to his brief annoyance and even groaning. It all dissipated however when he felt the hand of a certain someone over his chest, one that drew his attention...towards the best girl in his life. "Mmm...morning, dude." Ramona (Name: Ramona Flowers. Age: Also 24. Status: A little sleepy but still loving. Fun Fact: She doesn't want to run away anymore. Hooray!) said with a smile, as she kissed her boyfriend on the cheek.

"Well...how long have you been up, Rammy...?" Scott then asked playfully as he wrapped his arm around Ramona. "Long enough to hear your pathetic groans." She then responded playfully. "You know, since I'm not in work today, I was thinking, and since we've both defeated-" Scott began, about to say suggest doing something pretty romantic until he was cut off. "Uh dude, you know that tomorrow's your day off, right?" Ramona then pointed out in slight annoyance but awkwardly at the same time. Hearing those words from his girlfriend, a literal panic alarm went off in Scott's brain.

"Oh crap! I forgot! I'm gonna be late too!" Scott exclaimed in fright, immediately jumping out of bed to get ready for his shift, grabbing his clothes and rushing into the kitchen out of fear. Ramona chuckled at Scott rushing to work, she was glad to finally be back with him after months, heck, it had been at least well over a month since he had defeated Gideon (Ramona's Seventh Evil Ex. Status: Defeated. Did he deserve it?: Yes he did) along with her, and things were finally settling back down for the two.

They both moved back into Ramona's apartment after some convincing with her landlord, Scott was currently working his way up to becoming one of the head chefs at his workplace, the Happy Avocado, Ramona continued her job as an American Ninja Delivery Girl for Amazon, and the two had finally moved on from both their pasts, vowing never to repeat the same mistakes they made. Yet despite this and how far he'd come for her...Ramona recently couldn't help but feel sad, for things she could've done but didn't. Of course, she didn't want to tell Scott just to protect him, but deep down, she wished she could've done more for people she'd hurt (Ramona's Note: Like for Roxie and Lucas...).

Scott meanwhile had gotten himself some toast for the road, shoved his jacket on after getting his shoes and was all ready to run out the door. By this time, Ramona had already gotten up, having too gotten dressed and almost prepared to go for work...well, not before Scott was already on his way to the Happy Avocado as fast as he could (Scott's Note: Wish I was fast as Sonic the Hedgehog). "See you later, babe!" He called back to Ramona before he ran out the front door, all the way to the bus stop.

"See you after, Scott..." Ramona then said to herself with a chuckle after hearing the door slam. Before long, she too went to work, using her usual skates (Ramona's Note: and the right Subspace Door) to get to work on time as she usually did. All the while though, she didn't notice The Shadow Figure watching from the other side of the street. "Aw...that was so sweet." His softer side (Fun Fact: He adores love stories) spoke with awe...until his darker half kicked in. "Hmph...more like so boring. So let's see if we can't spice things up a little...have some fun, if you get me?" And speaking this, the Shadow Figure then snapped his fingers to summon his powers...

The Happy Avocado (Fun Fact: Stephen Stills still works here)

Scott was in the kitchen with Stephen Stills (Still the Talent. Age: Still 23. Fun Fact: He's still gay), having made it just a second before he was late. "Are you kidding me, Scott?! Ninjas attacking the bus in the middle of the crossroads traffic lights?!" He groaned, hearing another one of Scott's excuses (Only four excuses so far) as chopped up a red pepper for a Vegan Chilli that one of the customers ordered. "H-Hey, that's not fair Stephen. Besides, I thought it was my day off when I woke up and I caught the bus just in time and-" Scott exclaimed, whining on about his stressful way to work.

"Ok ok, fine. Just be sure to check your days before you jump to conclusions next time, alright? You nearly got fired again like last time" Stephen Stills then said responded, wanting to focus on cutting the vegetables instead of talking about Scott's nonsense once more. "At least I actually showed up on time, I mean a second later and...well, you know what Dominique's like, she's-" Before Scott could finish, he was cut off by his boss. "I'm what, Pilgrim?" Dominique (Last Name: Unknown. Occupation: Scott's and Stephen's boss.) asked, appearing at the serving window with an arched eyebrow.

Seeing her appear there without warning, Scott yelped and nearly bumped into Stephen but thankfully caught himself. "Uh, n-nothing. I was just telling Stephen why I was almost late this time." He nervously said, not wanting to lose his job again like the first time (Not-So Fun Fact: He lost his job the first time thanks to his girlfriend's fight with Roxie Richter.). "Yeah...right." Dominique then said, almost like she didn't believe Scott but didn't press the matter any further. Scott on the other hand got back to work, making a few orders like a Vegan Burrito (Yes, that is actually a thing surprisingly).

After Scott went on his break, he went out front to relax and was soon confronted by his boss after a while. "So...you were late because of ninjas, eh Scott?" She asked, leaning against the railings. "Y-Yeah...pretty much, and I wasn't even making it up this time. I really thought today was my day off and I rushed as fast as I could to get here but then they just manifested out of nowhere. Ugh, why does life have to be so hard sometimes...?" Scott finally admitted with a groan. Dominique assumed Scott was definitely making that part up now, but she let it slide.

"Anyway, going off topic here...what are you planning to do on your day off tomorrow?" She then asked, a bit curious to know what her fellow employee's plans were on his day off tomorrow. "Well, for a start, I'm thinking of taking Ramona to that aquarium in the city (Fun Fact: There's actually is), then we might catch a movie and afterwards we might head back to her place and have the night off, or my place, depending." Scott explained. With Ramona back it was finally nice to date her without any evil ex attacking him, but part of him kinda felt bad after a while, since like Ramona, he realised that not all of the evil exes were evil.

"Well, that was a lot of mights there. Still, I'm happy you got your girl back (Fun Fact: She really means it.)." Dominique chuckled, patting Scott on the back gently. "Same here, D. It took our own wilderness sabbaticals just to see our flaws and become better people." Speaking this, Scott was definitely proud of how well he conquered the darkness within himself, and he even knew Ramona was glad to be done with her past. "You sure about that, Scott?" Stephen then asked, sticking his head out the door in annoyance.

"Hey come on, Stephen. It all worked out in the end, you know, with the wilderness sabbatical and all?" Scott then pointed out with a smile, though Stephen Stills didn't look convinced. "If I remember, Ramona admitted to being just as big a mess as you were for the four months you two spent apart. Dunno if you could even call that progress to becoming better people." He then said, bringing Scott's mood (Status: Depressed over those words) down a bit. "Aw man..." Stephen sighed, feeling a bit guilty about saying that to Scott, even though he though he was an idiot.

"Look, I wasn't trying to upset you or anything (Stephen Still's Note: Just pointing out the truth). Just wanted to let you know that we've got a few new orders, and I'd rather not keep the customers waiting." Stephen then responded, gesturing inside where there was a bit of a long line of people wanting to order, right before he went back to the kitchen. "And on that note...I'd say you'd better get your XXX back to work, Pilgrim." Dominique then said, getting up from the table right around the same time as Scott himself did too. Scott then rushed back inside to continue his shift...

But when he got back to the kitchen, Stephen was nowhere to be seen. He looked all around, believing that Stephen might be pulling a prank, but he wasn't...it was like he'd completely vanished like a ghost. "Stephen? Hey come on, man! Where are you? We've got orders to do!" Scott called out as he continued his search, and before long, Dominque appeared at the serving window once again. "What's going on in here, Scott? If you guys have made a mess-" Before she could even finish, Scott turned around to face his boss, pure panic on his face. "Stephen's not here." He exclaimed.

"What?! Did he bail?!" Dominique asked in shock. "N-No...he vanished and I don't know where." Scott then admitted. As much as he never liked working in the kitchen without Stephen, he really didn't want him to lose his job over this sudden disappearance. "Guess you'll just have to fill in for him for the rest of your shift, Scott. You're a bit of expert with cooking by now, right?" Dominique then said to Scott with a smirk, immediately making the greatest fighter in Toronto tense up in fright. "Wait what?!" He then exclaimed, this being a first for him. "We're all counting on you, Scott." Crystal then said with a smirk, briefly sticking her head through the window.

Hearing this, Scott looked at the customer-filled tables, with his head glowing brightly, and felt his heart skip several beats (Scott Pilgrim's Note: 'Gulp' This is gonna suck... Status: Panic Overload!), this wasn't going to be his day after all.

Meanwhile over at The Second Cup

Stacey Pilgrim (Scott's Younger Sister. Age: 20 Years Old. Fun Fact: She MIGHT be dating Yo-uh, Neil now.) was sitting at one of the tables along with Ramona (Status: Also on her break. Emotion: A little gloomy) and Kim Pine (Age: 24 Years Old. Status: Glad to be back in Toronto. Kim Pine's Note: It's not like I had anything else to do at home), chatting away like usual, mostly Stacey and Kim in this case, and even catching up on quite a few things. And as it turned out, the girls learnt some good news on Kim's friend Lisa's (Occupation: Part-Time Assistant/Hollywood Actress. Age:23(Possibly 24)) end too.

They found out that career as an actress in Hollywood was finally lifting off the ground. Lisa had gotten the role as a plucky young protagonist in a sci-fi adventure movie where a young girl sets out to find her missing boyfriend after he goes...well, missing (Most of you will probably know this reference). "No way..." Stacey said with amazement, happy for Scott's old friend. "Yup. This'll be Lisa's actual breakout role. And I'm happy for her (She really is)." Kim said, proud of how far Lisa had come since their time in high school and many months ago.

"Awesome! Can you ask her if she could give out tickets for opening night? I think a lot of us would love to see the finished movie." Stacey then asked with excitement before being met with Kim's smirk. "Don't push it, Stace. She just got the role and I don't want her to be put under pressure." She bluntly said much to Stacey's annoyance. "But you and Scott know her! She's getting her moment to shine, don't you think she deserves to share the moment with her friends?" She then complained. "Thought you said she was the town XXXX, Kim? Remind me why she's pursuing a Hollywood dream again?" Julie (Age: 23. Status: Still a XXXXX and a half) said with a snicker.

"XXXX off, Julie...mind your own business!" Ramona bitterly spoke towards Julie, who was shocked at those words. Heck, even Kim and Stacey were shocked too. They would've said something, but then the two noticed that Rammy had been quiet, even staring out the window of Second Cup and looking a little glum as well. "Ramona, you ok there...?" Stacey then asked, shaking Ramona's arm to snap her out of her thoughts. "Hmm? Oh...y-yeah...I'm alright, Stacey." She then said, rubbing the back of her head.

"What's wrong...? You've been like this for at least a few days." Kim then asked, worried about her friend. Seeing as how Scott wasn't around, Ramona sighed and decided to talk about her problems. "Do you girls ever get the feeling you could've done more...for someone your hurt?" She asked, a look of regret telling Stacey and Kim everything they needed to see. "Do more for someone I hurt? Well, a little...there WAS Simon Lee who I hurt...but where are you going with this?" Kim then responded in surprise, even cocking her head to one side. "What I mean is..." Ramona began before briefly stopping.

She looked away like she didn't want to dump all her emotions onto her friends...but then decided to spill the beans. "The past few days...I was feeling a bit guilty. The times Scott fought my seven evil exes, recently...I wished I could've done something back then, to face my problems, not just help Scott with fighting them, but to reconcile with my past." She explained as Stacey and Kim looked at each other. "If you ever got the chance to patch things up with someone like them...would you do it?" Hearing this, the two girls were surprised at Ramona.

"You mean...those seven evil XXXXs like Gideon Graves?" Stacey asked, of course she had her fair share of encounters with most of the exes, but she was surprised that her brother's girlfriend was having regrets that were only hurting her now. "I think I have to remind you: those guys are XXXXXXXX. They interrupted our band on several occasions, tried to kill a lot of us besides Scott and do I have to mention that two of them (The Katayanagi Twins to be more specific) kidnapped me?!" Kim then pointed out in anger, and she wasn't wrong there given what she had to endure.

"Yeah...that's about right..., but to be honest, Lucas and Roxie are two that I could've settled things with." Ramona then said, defending her second and fourth exes. "Which one's Roxie again?" Kim asked in confusion. Ramona then realised that Kim never once met her fourth evil ex (Not-So Fun Fact: In Volume 4, she really didn't). "Oh right...well quick version is that she was my fourth evil ex." She awkwardly said.

"Ok, all exes aside, did you talk to Scott about any of this?" Stacey asked, wondering if her brother knew. "No...I don't want to hurt him. We've just gotten back together, and I don't want to make him think he's a murderer." Ramona admitted, though she felt like telling him sooner or later. "Most of them were evil, like Gideon, so if it makes you feel better then maybe tell him. He might be able to help." Stacey's words filling her mind, Ramona slightly smiled. At that moment, Ramona got a text from her phone, but not a very pleasant text.

"Ugh. I'd better get back to work before my boss throws a fit. Also, I'm gonna meet up with Scott later so I'll probably talk to him then." As she spoke, Ramona got up and then skated out the door and back out onto the streets. "Nice talking with you girls again!" She called back one last time as she skated out of sight. "Poor girl. I guess I can't blame here there. What do you think, Kim?" Stacey then said before turning towards Kim...only to find that she had vanished. "Uh...Kim...?" Stacey then asked as she looked around to see where Kim had gone. However, Kim didn't reappear again, not even after a few moments.

"Hey Julie...where's Kim?" Stacey asked Julie, who was in the middle of serving a 'rude' customer. "How the hell should I know? I wasn't paying attention!" Julie yelled in annoyance, briefly turning away before looking at...where Stacey WOULD have been if she hadn't completely vanished as well. "S-Stacey...?" She called out, but no answer, like she too had vanished into thin air. "Of course...now why doesn't this surprise me...?" She muttered to herself before noticing a lot of people looking at her. "The XXXX are you lot looking at?!" She yelled, oblivious to a shadow pass by the front windows.

DATE NIGHT

Later on at the Happy Avocado

Ramona (Status: Annoyed that she had to finish her shift later than usual.) entered the building to greet Scott, who was downright exhausted after having to fill both his shift and Stephen Stills' after he mysteriously vanished. "Hey dude, how was work?" She asked, keeping a smile on her face to hide her issues while Scott...was unable to smile at all. In fact, Scott looked like he was in a vegetable state. "Oh...it wasn't good, was it?" As soon as he heard Ramona, Scott barely managed to shake his head. "Stephen Stills disappeared, so Scott had to fill in for both him and himself. He ended up breaking his brain an hour ago actually." Dominique (Status: Butting in on the conversation. Sorry) then answered with a slight smirk.

"Yeah...one minute Stephen Stills calls me in for work and the next minute he disappears! God, it's like HE wanted me to do all the work for him!" Scott then complained in slight anger but mostly annoyance. "Dude, relax...I'm sure he had a good reason." Ramona chuckled, trying to calm her boyfriend down. "Just hope he explains it...because I am really losing it here." Scott then moped slightly. After a few moments of an awkward silence, mostly on Scott's part, Ramona had a smile on her face. "Why don't we go somewhere only we know? Just to clear both our minds?" Ramona then said, gently taking Scott's hand with a nice suggestion.

"Yeah...I suppose that would work." Scott then said, even beginning to smile at the thought himself. After a few moments, he had gotten his coat on and was about to head out of the restaurant with Ramona by his side. "So where to then, Rammy?" Scott asked, wondering what place could make him feel better. "Heh, you'll know it when you see it, dude." Ramona responded with a wink before both walked out the door, though not before Scott was called. "Have a good day off tomorrow, Pilgrim. Hope everything goes well." Dominque then said, wishing Scott luck (Dominique's Note: Though it's run out for him just today).

Later on at Hillcrest Park (Fun Fact: Scott and Ramona's first date was here)

Scott and Ramona arrived in the park and went on the swings like they did on their first date. By the time they'd gotten there, Scott had pretty much calmed down, though he was still confused about what happened earlier on. "Can't remember the last time we were at this place..." Ramona said, swinging on her side of the swings with Scott just sitting there with no swinging at all. "Me neither..." Scott admitted half-heartedly with a smile. Aside from his rough day at work, Scott felt like he was being watched, or at the very least, he felt like someone was stalking him.

"If it makes you feel better by the way Scott, I had a rough day too. Nearly broke my ankle delivering a big package and I was late getting off work." Ramona then said sheepishly yet with a little gloom in her tone. "Guess today hasn't been our day, has it...?" Scott then asked, unintentionally bringing both their moods down. Though realising this, Scott immediately tried to bring the mood up again. "Though on the other hand, we've had more worse days than this, right?" He then asked with a smile. "Says the guy who cheated on a high schooler with me." Ramona then teased, a subject which made Scott blush with embarrassment.

"Way to bring that up, Rammy..." Scott said as Ramona chuckled a little (Ramona's Note: Whoops, my bad). "Yep...I never forget anything. Speaking of which, wonder how Knives is getting on in college?" Rammy then asked, thinking about the subject after a moment. "I heard she was in the middle of one of studying for one of her exams, so nothing too problematic at the moment for her." Scott explained, having known about this two days prior. "Good to know. Oh, and I forgot to mention..." Ramona then began, right before telling Scott about how Lisa was getting on in Hollywood.

"Wait, Lisa's got a lead role in a Hollywood movie?! That's amazing! I've gotta congratulate her when I get Wallace's phone." Scott said, unable to contain his excitement (Emotion Status: Over 9000!) about the great news on Lisa's end. "And I heard that she may or may not give out tickets to us when it comes out." Hearing this, Scott's day seemed to get a little bit more better than well earlier on. "That beats going up against all the evil exes any day!" As soon as Scott brought up the League of Exes, Ramona (Status: Wishes things could be different...) looked away slightly in shame, even going quiet a little.

After Scott noticed how quiet she was, he then put his hand on her shoulder. "Hey...I still love you no matter what, Rammy. I've said that before, and I'm not ashamed to say it again." He gently said, assuming that's what Ramona was being silent about. Hearing this, Rammy turned back towards him with a smile. "Aw, there's the guy I know and love." And with that said, Ramona then leaned across and kissed Scott on the cheek. That kiss had made both their days.

UNCANNY PAST ENEMY

Outside the park...

Scott and Ramona (Status: Feeling better now) were heading back to their place by catching the subway. "By the way, you ok Ramona...? You kinda looked a bit distracted when I brought up the exes back there." Scott then asked, noticing how quiet Ramona was after he brought up the evil exes. "I'm fine, Scott. I'll tell you tomorrow anyway, but for now, I think it's better if we just relax." Ramona then said as she huddled closer to Scott. "Yeah...sounds find by me as well." He added as he wrapped his arm around Ramona.

AND SUDDENLY, WALLACE APPEARED IN FRONT OF THEM!

"Guys!" Wallace (Age: 26. Rating: 11/10 Fun Fact: He's still gay.) said, appearing without warning, making Scott jump and giving Ramona a fright. "Wallace?! How'd you get here? Wait scrap that, what are you doing here?" Scott exclaimed before calming down and asking why Wallace showed up of all the moments. "I have my ways, Scotty...but that's not important right now. Have either of you seen, Stacey?" Wallace then asked in a serious manner. The looks on Scott's and Ramona's faces told Wallace everything he needed to know. "Not since earlier on at the Second Cup. Why?" Ramona asked with worry.

"I was texting her about...uh, never mind that part, but suddenly she stopped answering. I then tried to contact Kim, who I heard had seen Stace, but she didn't answer and soon I found out both girls disappeared." Wallace explained, and Ramona was stunned, since nothing happened before she left for her next shift. "Wait...Stacey and Kim went missing?" She asked in shock even looking at Scott, who had the same amount of shock. "Wait...could this...have anything to do with Stephen Stills' disappearance?" He then asked, the moment the his brain began to hatch in realisation.

Hearing this, Ramona remembered that Scott mentioned Stephen disappeared and resulted in him working like hell all day. "That's right, maybe this has some kind of connection somehow." She wondered, thinking hard about how this could've been possibly. "How could any of this have happened?!" Wallace then asked, normally he wouldn't be this worried about Scott or his friends, but this was different. "Uh...do you think we should ask those guys in Ninja outfits?" Scott then asked nervously. Ramona and Wallace then looked at Scott to see his nervous expression, right before they turned to see an entire army of spectral ninjas surrounding them.

"What the hell?! Where'd these guys come from?" Ramona asked as the ninjas unsheathed their swords and ninja stars, preparing to fight trio. "No idea...though maybe they COULD be the reason why Stephen, Kim and Stacey are missing?" Wallace asked, causing Scott and Ramona to look at him with deadpanned expressions as if to say the fact was obvious. "Come on, you guys. Wasn't it bad enough you nearly made me late for work today? What do you want now?" Scott groaned, though his words didn't stop the Ninjas from advancing towards him, his girlfriend and ex-roommate.

"Hand over your girl, Pilgrim. This'll be a lot easier if you just do it now." One of the ninjas said, something that disgusted Ramona, like he was implying that she was a damsel in distress, but she wasn't, and even Scott knew that too, given his now angered expression. "Alright you cocky nonjas! I understand you've probably got beef with me for some reason..." He began, summoning his sword (The Power of Understanding. Guts: +1 Heart: +3 Balls: +2) as he spoke towards his spectral foes. "But wanting to kidnap my girlfriend and calling her a damsel in distress is the last straw!" He finished, determined to fight off the ninjas.

Ramona even summoned her Large Hammer (+5 Against Spectral Ninjas) to help aid Scott along with Wallace, who had an empty beer bottle as a weapon (+5 Magic. Scott Pilgrim's Note: How'd Wallace have that on him?) to also help he fight...however that worked. "Yep...just like old times, Scotty." Wallace then said with a smirk, eager to get in on the action immediately.

SCOTT PILGRIM, RAMONA FLOWERS AND WALLACE WELLS

VS.

SPECTRAL NINJA ARMY

The ninjas immediately rushed towards Scott to kill him, slice him and defeat him overall. But being the greatest fighter in the province, Scott countered the ninja attacks and sliced through them, turning them into coins in the process (Scott Pilgrim's Note: Around $6.99 worth in coins.). Many of the ninjas tried to go after Ramona, even forming a massive tide to swarm her, though with her hammer at hand, Ramona managed to take them out with a powerful swing of the latter.

All the while, Wallace came under attack from several ninjas, but avoided them using his beer bottle as a smoke bomb for cover and took them out one after the other with his own fair set of fighting skills (Fun Fact: Wallace had fighting skills in The Game. Not-So Fun Fact: He didn't fight in the comics). The fight was a pretty overbearing and it even took to the rooftops of the nearby buildings, including others downtown too. There was a lot of destruction, but most of which was done by the ninjas who tried to kill Scott and Wallace.

But with Scott's amazing fighting skills, his girlfriend's incredible strength and Wallace's set of skills, the trio were unbeatable. "Hey buddy, we've gotta do these kind of fights more often! I'm loving this!" Wallace yelled, hitting one of the ninjas over the head with his bottle, instantly turning him into coins (Wallace Wells' Note: Roughly around $2.50 in coins) that he caught in his hand.

One of the ninjas tried to slice Scott in half, but luckily Ramona smashed him in the face with her hammer, knocking him out cold before he turned into coins. "Phew, thanks for the save Ramona." Scott said in relief. "Where would you even be without me, dude?" Rammy teased as she smacked another Ninja in the head without even looking at him. "Like I told you, Scotty. You two were made for each other." Wallace (Status: Somehow drunk yet still able to fight) said proudly to his ex-roommate before he kneed a Ninja in the balls and punching him back towards his fellow ninjas.

Ramona tried to smash a few other ninjas on one of the vents, but one of them dodged her attack, kicked her hammer out of her hand, even though it managed to hit another ninja, and grabbed her in a strong grip. "Get off me, you creep!" She yelled while struggling against the ninja, who had then transformed into a huge astral hand that grabbed her. Looking back towards his girlfriend, Scott gasped as he saw the whole thing, even rushing to help her, but the hand had quickly made off with her before he could grab her hand. "Ramona! Hang on, we're coming!" He yelled as he sliced through yet another wave of ninjas, already getting tired of fighting them.

"No more playing around with these nonjas, Wallace. We've gotta save Ramona and fast!" Scott said, his back pressed up against Wallace's as they both prepared to fight the horde of Ninjas. "Don't worry, buddy. I've got this." Wallace said, and with a plan in mind (Scott Pilgrim's Note: And with a horde of astral ninjas coming our way!) he smashed his beer bottle onto the ground, causing it to release smoke. Seconds after it cleared, the Ninjas found that Scott and Wallace had vanished. "Hey, where'd they go?!" One of the ninjas yelled, wondering where the duo had gone...but was just oblivious to them sneaking away from the army.

Rushing over to Casa Loma (Not-So Fun Fact: This is where Scott fought, and lost the first time, to Lucas Lee)

Scott and Wallace had managed to track down where the astral hands had taken Ramona. After reaching the top steps to the castle, Scott and Wallace immediately saw Ramona, Stacey, Kim and Stephen, all bound by spectral chains and trying to get free with no avail. "Scott! This hurts so much!" Stacey yelled, the pain of her bonds really hurting her. "Ramona! Guys! Are you ok?! Hang on, we'll get you free!" Scott yelled, rushing over to help get his friends and even his girlfriend free with Wallace, only for The Power of Understanding to be knocked from his hand and sent flying into the road to his shock.

The two guys then heard an evil chuckle from their left, which caused them to turn there to see The Shadow Figure. "Hello, Pilgrim..." He said (Status: No need for dramatic entrances apparently...) as he walked towards Scott with a smirk. "Uh hi? Do we know each other...?" Scott then asked, confused on how the Shadow Figure knew him. "It's been some time, say...well over a year?" He then said, circling Scott and making him feel uneasy...well, at least until his personality shifted. "Wait, did you say Scott Pilgrim...? Oh boy, this is a bit awkward..." He sheepishly said before his dark personality shifted back.

"Scott, can you just fight this XXXX and get us the XXXX outta here?! I need a pee!" Stephen Stills yelled, grumbling as he tried to get free. "Why didn't you go before you got kidnapped, you idiot?" Kim then yelled towards Stephen, annoyed that his priorities were more focused on that than being kidnapped. "It's been hours and got kidnapped before I could continue my shift! Can you blame me?!" Stephen exclaimed back. Despite their bickering, this definitely didn't stop Scott from wanting to fight, not just for his girl, but his friends and sister too.

"Ok, whoever you are...let our friends, my sister and my girlfriend go! This fight is between you and me...whatever you've got against me anyway." Scott then said firmly as he picked up (after running over to get) and pointed The Power of Understanding towards his shadowy foe, and Wallace didn't hesitate to point his bottle at the figure either. "You seriously don't remember me at all, huh...?" The Shadow Figure asked, a hint of dissatisfaction in his tone, something that caused Scott and Wallace to turn towards each other in confusion. "Uh...no, not really to be honest." Scott replied sheepishly. "You don't ring a bell, Shadow Figure." Wallace then added, not even bothering to be subtle about the matter.

"Well then, maybe this will jog your memory..." And with those words spoken, The Shadow Figure looked up at Scott, lifting his hood partially to reveal his identity. The instant the figure's face was revealed, Scott gasped in shock...which Wallace didn't recognise unfortunately. "Y-You...? That face...that voice...but that's impossible..." Scott (Status: Shocked. Wallace Well's Note: Who is that guy...?) spoke, able to recognise his foe within that moment. "Surprised to see me now, Pilgrim? Heh, didn't think you'd see me again" The Shadow Figure then asked evilly. All the while, Rammy (Question: Who the XXXX is that guy?) couldn't help but wonder who his identity was.

"I don't have any idea on what your motive is here...but you made a big mistake coming back here and kidnapping Ramona and our friends!" Scott growled, gripping his weapon tighter than before. "Tsk...the only mistake made was you forgetting about me...you thought you defeated me, but I never forgot that day and..." The Shadow Figure then spoke with a smirk, right before he split back to his nice personality. "And it really hurt when you punched me back then." He said, sounding hurt at Scott's actions (Whatever they were...). "So now I'm back, to finish our fight from back then and claim your girlfriend as mine." The Figure's dark personality then spoke upon shifting.

"I defeated the League of my girlfriend's Evil Exes, every one of those cocky cocks, just to be with her, and you're about to lose again." Scott said with confidence as he prepared to fight with The Power of Understanding at hand. "Heh...think again, Pilgrim. Though first...I wanted the pleasure in destroying you myself." The Shadow Figure then spoke with a sinister smirk as he summoned two more arms from his astral powers and a trident.

SHADOW FIGURE

VS.

SCOTT PILGRIM

Without hesitation, The Shadow Figure then zoomed towards Scott with eagerness to kill him. Scott zoomed towards the figure as well, and before they knew it, the two clashed blades together, fighting with everything they had. Scott with his fighting skills and sword, and the Shadow Figures with whatever powers he had. This figure (Whoever he was...) was strong in terms of his powers, but that didn't stop Scott from giving it all he had too, even a kick in the stomach. All the while, Wallace took the time to help get Ramona, Stacey, Kim and Stephen free from their bonds.

"There you are, Stacey. I know this might be obvious to ask, but how did you get here?" Wallace then asked as he worked to break the astral hands. "Well one minute I was in Second Cup and the next, I was in a dark basement with Kim and Stephen! Then the next thing we knew, were at this place." Stacey grumbled as Wallace got her free. "Well don't worry about us, Wallace...we're doing just fine." Kim then said sarcastically, though she really was glad that Wallace and Scott had come to help her. After getting Stacey free, Wallace moved on to get Ramona and Stephen free.

All the while, the Shadow Figure tried to go for the killing blow, hoping to impale Scott with his trident, only for Scott to block him with The Power of Understanding and kick the trident out of his hand, even doing a roundhouse kick on the figure's head as a bonus. "Heh...I see you've gotten more stronger than when we last met, Pilgrim." The figure then said as he got to his feet to brush off his injury. "Yeah...like I told you before, I defeated those seven XXXhats and got stronger every day." Scott said, confident about his upper hand in the fight. "Perhaps...but I bet you didn't see this coming though..." The figure then said with a smirk.

Before Scott could even ask, The Shadow Figure summoned another astral arm that grabbed Scott by the Leg, knocking him down before spinning him round and round until he threw him at Casa Loma's tallest tower. "Oh come on, not agaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaain!" Scott yelled as this happened, right before he hit the tower in the same place as he was thrown last time and breaking many bricks (Repairmen: Oh come on, not again!). He then fell down and landed in a convenient bush. "Phew, that was pretty lucky." Scott sighed with a smile as he dusted himself off from landing.

"Scott, if your life had a face, I would punch it..." Kim groaned, even rolling her eyes at the luck Scott had just gotten before being freed by Wallace. Scott then rushed over to try and help free Ramona, but she wasn't among the group. "Hey Pilgrim!" The Shadow Figure called to Scott, causing him to turn and see his foe, levitating so high in the air with Ramona, still restrained by the astral hands, in his arm. "Thought I'd raise the stakes here a little! Let's see if your girlfriend can fly with the help of subspace..." He then went on, threatening to drop Ramona to the immediate panic of Scott.

Before he could go through with his plan, Ramona hit the figure in the face with a backwards headbutt, causing him to howl in pain but let go of Ramona, which would've resulted in her death. But luckily Scott was fast enough and with enough speed, he caught Ramona in his arms before she hit the pavement, although he stumbled back and fell on his back which resulted in Ramona landing on top of him. "Uh...sorry for the rough landing there, Rammy..." Scott said awkwardly as he got himself and Ramona to their feet, even helping her get free as well. "It's fine...seriously, this day hasn't been for us at all." Ramona responded.

"Aw, such a lovely moment you two have...too bad it's high time I end you both once and for all! Time to take you suckers out, especially you four too!" (Ramona Flowers' Note: Where have I heard that phrase before...?) The Shadow Figure yelled, holding up a gigantic fireball and preparing to throw it at Scott, Ramona and their friends with vigorous hate. "Not today, you...uh...guy!" Scott yelled awkwardly. "Better comebacks, Scott." Wallace said with a deadpanned expression, and Kim and Stephen just groaned in annoyance.

Within seconds, Scott jumped high towards The Shadow Figure to slice him in half with the Power of Understanding, though he accidently sliced through the fireball after a miscalculation. The fireball then exploded, sending Scott and Ramona, who had tried to pull him back from the blast, back with so much force that would've killed them.

AND SCOTT AND RAMONA WERE SENT FLYING DOWN TO THE BOTTOM OF CASA LOMA!

The two landed on the pavement beside each other, but luckily they weren't hurt from the fall (Not after all they've been through. Read the novels, watch the movie and play the game if you wanna know more) and just lay there on the pavement. Scott and Ramona then looked up to see The Shadow Figure, annoyed at this from above. "Grr...you might have foiled my great plans (Scott Pilgrim's Note: Not really great if you think about it), but no matter. You don't know it yet, Scott…but your precious little life's about to expire...literally." He spoke, giving off a very ominous phrase before vanishing into thin air and out of sight.

After a few moments, Scott and Ramona were joined by Wallace, Kim (Kim Pine's Note: He might be an idiot, but I still care about him), Stephen and Stacey, who had just run all the way down the stairs to see if they were both ok. Relieved he and his girlfriend, but after the long day had finally taken it's toll on him, Scott let out a huge growl of annoyance. "Come on, man! I had him! He cheated! I was about to win that fight fairly!" He ranted, unable to believe that he couldn't defeat the Shadow Figure. Unfortunately though, Ramona was right there beside him...and then she frowned.

"Well thanks for your concern, Scott. I'm doing just fine." She sarcastically said after getting to her feet by herself. "Didn't you guys hear what that guy said?! He said my life would expire! He's gonna come back and-" Scott explained, sounding more like he was worried "Are you sure he wasn't just bluffing because his plan failed?" Stephen then asked, annoyed that Scott wasn't letting those words go. "He spoke dark words, Stephen! What if they're actually true and he does come back and we're totally unprepared?! Oh man, I'm having so many negative thoughts here!" Scott then exclaimed with worry, something that didn't impress his friends in the slightest.

"Ok...not that we don't appreciate the rescue, and we really do by the way Scott, but we're gonna go now." Kim then spoke out of boredom before she and Stephen left. "See you around, little brother!" Stacey then said, saying her goodnights before running off home, leaving Wallace, Scott and Ramona alone on the streets. "We've gotta go after that Shadow Guy! If he's planning something bad, then we've gotta find out where he's going so we can stop him. Maybe if we use subspace then-" Scott spoke as he tried to come up with a plan to track down The Shadow Figure but was stopped when Wallace snapped him out of his plan.

"Scott, our main priority was saving Kim, Stacey and Stephen. Are you saying destroying that guy was your main priority?!" Wallace asked rhetorically, and the matter didn't help Scott when he saw his girlfriend's annoyed expression. "That's not what I meant! That guy was someone we know and he has an evil plan, and now...oh man, I don't know where he is or how to stop him before-!" Scott tried to explain, only to get sharply cut off. "Well what would you think we could've done differently to stop him then? Go on, tell me Scott..." Ramona then asked, her cross expression putting her boyfriend off his answer.

"I don't know, maybe we could've fought him together, me and you! Maybe we all could've fought him! Maybe we could've fought the evil exes together like we did Gideon! Why didn't we do that back then?!" Scott then exclaimed, bringing up something that, upon hearing, made Ramona snap after the long day caught up with her. "Are you serious right now, Scott?! We barely survive that guy and THAT'S what you bring up of all moments?! That maybe we could have fought my exes together, saved a couple of them like Roxie or Lucas, and maybe made things different?!" Ramona angrily yelled at him, making Scott feel like a deer in headlights and even making Wallace shocked too.

Heck, after so much anger had built up inside her, Ramona would've actually punched Scott in the face or at the very least, slapped him so hard across it, yet somehow she managed to resist the urge to do so. "R-Rammy, I didn't me-" Scott began as he tried to calm Ramona down, only for her to put her hand up in front of him, cut him off in disappointment and not wanting to hear anymore. "No, Scott…if you really think fighting some guy, let alone seven of them, together, is more important than what's right in front of you, then maybe it would've been better if we'd never met." She said, her words cutting through Scott like The Power of Love did in Gideon's hands.

After a silent moment, Ramona skated off home, leaving Scott Pilgrim (Status: Dejected) alone, with only Wallace to help him out, on his knees in the middle of the street below Casa Loma. Despite her anger, deep down, Ramona felt sad for yelling at Scott like that, and yes...he had a point about The Shadow Figure and of course cared for her and their friends, but she didn't want to stick around in case she got so angry enough to break up with him and call him her eighth evil ex. No, she just wanted to be alone to calm down.

Soon after at Wallace's place (The one he shares with his boyfriend, Mobile(Who is Psychic but NOT a Vegan!))

Wallace had brought Scott to his place for the night where he decided to comfort him and cheer him up before taking him back to Ramona's place the next day. Mobile, with a bit of his own psychic powers, did his best to help as well. Though for Scott, things were not looking great for him, mental-wise. He was currently sitting in the living room, both his hands on his face and unable to get Ramona's words out of his mind as Wallace rubbed his back. "I don't understand what I was saying wrong...one minute we're fine, and the next we're not. That Shadow Guy made this day the worst one I've had in years..." Scott moped, tears in his eyes flowing.

"It was a rough day for everyone, buddy. Ramona probably thinks the same thing too." Wallace then said, trying to reassure Scott that things were going to get better, but unfortunately in terms of Scott's mind... "She said she never wanted to see me again, Wallace...in what way is that thinking the same thing?" He responded stressfully as he looked at Wallace. "Probably didn't mean it, like I said there now." The cool gay roommate then added. "It's true...whenever people have a bad day, they tend to lash out at those they care about." Mobile then spoke, butting in on the boys' conversation.

After Mobile headed up to bed, Scott and Wallace were left alone in the living room. "Scott, what I'm trying to say is that you beat all the exes, you got with Ramona in the end. You two were meant to be. Sure, she left you after you defeated the twins, but at least she came back in the end. You fought for her before, and you can still do it again. Ramona would do the same for you too." Bringing up Scott's victory, Wallace was hoping that that would make him feel better. "B-But what if I can't fight for her, Wallace? W-What if she leaves again because of this...? I can't go through that again!" Scott moped, shockingly unable to get over the day's events.

"Come on, buddy. You both hit one rough patch, it's not the end of your relationship. And well...too bad you don't have a time machine so you can stop yourself from dating or meeting, Rammy in the first place." Wallace then said, at first reassuring Scott once again before joking on the last part. "Oh ha ha ha, very funny!" Scott said sarcastically, annoyed at Wallace for that remark. "Wait...but maybe if I actually DID go back in time, then-no, that wouldn't be right. I'd mess up everything (Scott Pilgrim's idea of Everything: history, the universe, well…basically everything)." He then said, onboard with the idea to Wallace's shock until he scrapped it almost instantly.

Sadly placing his head in his hands, Scott felt heartbreak and defeat rushing through his mind. "M...Maybe Ramona would've been better off without me." He said, to the worry of Wallace. Thinking hard, Wallace then realised something very important. "A lot of things wouldn't have been possible without you, Scott. Envy wouldn't have known that Todd cheated on her, Ramona wouldn't have been able to take down Gideon and Knives wouldn't have known about your band. You changed the lives of so many, and for better or worse, you can still fix things." Wallace explained gently, not enough examples sure, but definitely enough to raise Scott's spirits.

Realising that there was a still a chance to fix things, Scott then smiled as he looked at Wallace, hope filling his mind back up. "Thanks for that, Wallace...really. So what do I do to fix things then?" As soon as he asked, Scott was met with Wallace's smirk, which meant he had a plan. "Simple: I'll take you back to yours and your girlfriend's place tomorrow morning, help you both make up and then you can carry on and pretend that never happened." Wallace explained, a very good plan (It really was good) that Scott was absolutely on board with.

"By the way, I meant to ask earlier. Any idea why that Shadow Figure (Location: Unknown) wanted beef with you enough to give you a bad day?" Wallace then asked Scott out of curiosity as he got himself a margarita (Scott's Note: Isn't it a bit late for that?) from the kitchen. "He wanted revenge on me, and he also said something about my life literally changing or something, remember? I'm not too sure what he meant there." Scott then explained, and if anything he was confused himself, given why anyone would even attack him after he had defeated all of his girlfriend's exes.

"Also, I forgot to tell you this, and you're probably not gonna believe me here, but the Shadow Figure is actually-" Before Scott could reveal the identity of the Shadow Figure, all while Wallace was coming back from the kitchen with his margarita, something completely unexpected happened...

A RIFT IN TIME AND SPACE SUDDENLY OPEN!

The rift appeared, bending time and space, all around Scott to his shock, and Wallace tried to rush over and help him out but it was too late. In almost minus zero seconds (is that even a thing?!), Scott was sucked immediately sucked into the rift, evaporating into a million pieces as he let out a huge scream. Wallace was blown back hitting the wall as he lay against it, helpless to save Scott before the rift closed again. He was stunned, horrified and over shocked at this...what had actually happened? Suddenly, Wallace began feeling uncontrollably emotional...and then he passed out.

At the same time...

Ramona (Status: Mad at herself over arguing with Scott again) had gotten home, was greeted by her cat, Gideon, and sadly went to the kitchen to make tea for herself, barely able to keep herself together as regret on arguing with Scott filled her heart, almost infecting her mind like a virus too. She knew and even felt that she was too hard on him, especially since he'd fought so hard to win her back, and not to mention the two of them had a rough day at work. "Why did I say that...? Maybe it would've been better if we'd NEVER me in the first place! Rgh! Why the XXXX did you even say that to him, Ramona?!" She growled, frustrated at just leaving Scott there like that.

Sitting down at the table, Ramona took one sip of her tea (Chamomile Tea: Good for anxiety relief) before leaning back on the chair. "Hey, you'll get it. It just takes practice." Scott's words from after Gideon's defeat echoed in Ramona's mind, making her smile at the thought. And he wasn't wrong there: It had been a month and this was a rough patch, so as she promised Scott, she would make the effort to fix things. Even Gideon purred as he passed her phone, just lying there on the table, to her. Accepting help from her cat, Ramona made up her mind and reached over to text and see if Scott was doing ok...

But all of a suddenly, something hit Ramona in the chest like a ton of bricks. It was a wave of uneasiness, a sudden emotional pain and even a sudden loss of balance. The instant she was overcome with this, Ramona lost her balance and fell off her chair, dragging her mug of tea with her and causing it to shatter on the floor. She just lay there on the floor, hand over her heart, tears forming in her eyes and streaming down her face seconds later. Ramona began sobbing and hugged herself, wondering just what the hell was happening to her and why she felt a sudden desperate urge to see Scott again.

But all the while, she didn't notice that a lot of Scott's stuff, including the Power of Love, were fading away like they didn't exist in the first place.

Meanwhile at with Stacey, Kim and even Knives

Over in their different places, Stacey, Kim and Knives were both sleeping peacefully in their beds, but all of a sudden they felt a so much uneasy and emotional pain that the girls woke up in fright. Kim brushed off the feeling like she usually would, though she couldn't help but suddenly worry about Scott. But with Stacey, she was unable to sleep with an excessive worry about her little brother (Stacey Pilgrim's Note: Because that's what family's for). As bad as that was for Stacey, it was even worse for Knives, who woke up screaming and worried about Scott, and she had to get comfort from her roommate to calm down.

The girls eventually went back to sleep after some time, feeling somewhat calmer than before...though none of them had noticed the strangely coloured lightning in the sky, and no less with no storms announced this evening either.

Something was clearly wrong in Toronto Canada...

Oh boy...something has definitely happened...

What happened to Scott? What did The Shadow Figure do?! And will Scott and Ramona ever make up after their argument? Guess Be sure to tune in for the next chapter

Until then, Negaboss2000 out