The drums of war sounded across the arena. At the emperor's signal, the prisoners rushed for the raised pillars to grab any weapon available. The second they got their hands on something, they went in for battle, striking down their opponents without giving them a second to react. In a matter of seconds, three of the twenty-five fighters were knocked out of commission in a single strike.

Melissa grabbed Galus' hand and lunged behind one of the nearby pillars as a cloud of dust kicked up over the arena. "They didn't even hesitate!" she commented.

"Galus scared!" the Dragapult cried.

"It's going to be alright, Galus. We'll get through this." She reached around the pillars and claimed a sword and shield for herself. "Good thing Zephora gave me a crash course on advance swordplay. Stick close to me. We'll just let these guys wear each other down before we jump in."

"Hohohoho. Beg pardon, young lady, but such tactics won't work in here." From Melissa's right, she spotted a surge of flame rushing toward her and Galus. She quickly grabbed the dragon and lunged out of the way as the flames overtook and burned through their cover.

"Fire bad! Fire bad!" Galus screamed.

Melissa landed and dropped Galus beside her before raising her weapons. "You don't hesitate."

Stepping out from the smoke was an elderly Torkoal dressed in burned rags hanging off his shell. He chuckled softly, blowing smoke out from his nostrils. "I've been honing my craft for fifty long years, little lady. I aim to get out of this hellhole even if I have to burn everything to ash."

Melissa glared. "Demon Furnace Fintan, I presume?"

"Learn that name well, young lady, and watch the true champions of the arena lead into battle. Now, let us test your resilience to the heat!"

The audience roared with excitement as the fighting escalated. They cheered on their preferred champion, waving their flags and banners in show of their support. The few fans of Skill Hunter Harlow quickly cobbled together makeshift flags and cheered her name on as loud as they could over the booming voices of thousands.

From the royal stands, Orochi threw his head back in laughter. "You've really riled up your prisoners, Emperor Nero. They get fiercer and fiercer every year. That desperation to escape has driven them for blood."

Nero closed his eyes and smirked confidently. "Heh. That is the indominable spirit of freedom working its magic. They hold onto that slim chance of freedom, and their desperation feeds into their skills. They hone themselves to near perfection, causing an endless loop of ceaseless perfection until nothing is perfect. They eventually devolve into mindless brawlers seeking escape from captivity. Puppets without strings, and I don't even need to command them myself."

Orochi laughed again. "Inspiring stuff!"

The Simisear samurai, Hanzo, huffed. "This is barbaric."

Orochi patted his head. "Oh, lighten up, Himura. This is all in good fun. Besides, these men are enemies of our two empires. This is a merciful punishment compared to many others."

"I suppose…"

Fortuna fell back into Nero's lap and kicked her feet in laughter. "Fortuna favors the bold! I smell great fortune in my future!"

Concordia smiled. "So, you put everything on Vilde again?"

She smirked. "Nope!"

Invidia's eyes widened. "Nope? What do you mean nope? Vilde's been your pick for months. Why not vote on him now?"

The Pachirisu tapped herself on the nose. "The nose never lies, sister. I smell success coming from another competitor, and I trust my nose more than anything else."

Nero smirked. "So, who's your lucky token today?"

She giggled, tracing circles along his chest. "You'll have to wait and see~. Though, you could persuade the answer out of me with some passionate cuddling—" She froze, feeling Shizuka's icy stare staring in her direction. "Eeeehhhh…"

Nero frowned. "Fortuna?"

She slid off his lap and shuffled closer to Jason, much to his chagrin. "Hehehe, you know, I get a much better view from over here." She hid behind Jason and whispered, "Is she still looking at me?"

Jason raised his eyes toward Shizuka. The two entered a tense standoff with each other, a battle of wills between their icy-cold stares as if lightning crackled between them. It was a feeling he felt only once before, and he knew the presence of her stare from experience.

This wasn't the first time those cold eyes met his direction.

"Nope. Not at you anymore."

Quick on her feet, Melissa dashed through the arena as Fintan began his slow chase after her. Though far slower than the Buneary, his range was vast. A strong heat emanated over the arena, turning what was already a sweltering day into breathable lava for everyone else.

Melissa stumbled over herself and collapsed onto the ground, panting at the sudden blast of heat spreading over her. She looked around and saw the rest of the prisoners (sans the Fire-Types) slowing down from the rise in temperature. Casting her eyes up, she noticed the sun shining brighter than before.

"D-Drought…" she muttered.

She heard Fintan laughing as he closed in on her. She stood up and glared at the slow-moving Torkoal. "Terribly sorry, young lady, but I refuse to let my fifty-fifth win streak plummet today." He inhaled deeply before expelling a swirling beam of heat. "Clear Sun Raze!"

Melissa raised her shield and stood her ground, defending against the superheated laser. The energy parted around the shield, splashing off against the prisoners behind her and interrupting their fights. The ground smoked just from the proximity of the heat, and Melissa could feel her shield heated up from prolonged exposure.

"Faithless Imitation! Leon Style—" Her eyes shined in silvery blue. "Full Metal Mirror Counter!" Her shield sparkled in silverly light before firing off empowered shrapnel through the heat beam. Empowered by Fintan's own attack, the shrapnel pierced through and struck him dead on.

"GAH!" He cancelled his attack and ducked into his shell as the shrapnel struck him.

Melissa seized her chance and rushed the defending tortoise down. "Althalos Style: Abyss Clouds!" She summoned dark clouds from her hands and fired them out like tendrils. She grappled Fintan's shell and lifted him into the air.

Fintan popped out of his shell in surprise. "What in the—"

"Sorry about this!" Striking down like a whip, Melissa hurtled him back into the earth with a hard and thunderous crash. She clenched her fist and started coating him in the clouds. "I don't want to hurt anyone, so I'm going to trap you until this fight is over—"

"Clear Sun Shell!" Before the clouds could completely overtake him, Fintan rapidly spun inside the ground, generating immense heat that burned the clouds off. He picked up so much speed just from spinning that he was partially hovering off the ground. Surrounding in a sphere of intense, rotating flames, Fintan charged toward the shocked Buneary.

"Crap!" She turned and ran as Fintan hunted her down.

She ducked and weaved around the other prisoners to throw him off target, but she underestimated the Torkoal's innate sense of direction. Even while spinning so fast, he could effortlessly home in on her swift turns while barreling through the other prisoners.

"Clear Sun Shell: Cyclone!" Jets of fire erupted from the five openings in his shell, twisting into a spiral of flame that sliced across the arena and striking down anyone caught in their range.

Melissa immediately jumped into the air before the flames could touch her, but now she helplessly flailed her arms as she had no place to land. "Crap, crap, crap, crap!" she yelled.

Fintan's laughter boomed from within his shell. "Now fall into the embrace of my marvelous technique!"

With precious seconds to come up with an escape plan, she channeled Jet's aura through herself and conjured his Razor Shell through her sword. "Strike him hard and strike him fast! Jet Style—WAH!"

Suddenly, Galus darted over Fintan and snatched Melissa out of the air. He darted over the other prisoners and circled above Fintan. "Save friend!" Galus cheered.

Melissa cancelled her attack and grinned. "Galus! I owe you one!"

Fintan stopped spinning and popped out of his shell. "Ah, young Galus! Seems you've taken a fancy to that one! I've never seen you act so bravely! How dashing!" He widened his stance and channeled heat through his shell. "Clear Sun Geyser!" Heat expelled from the vents in his shell before firing molten streams of ancient-looking rock into the air. Reaching the zenith of their climb, they exploded and rained down flaming rock over the arena.

Melissa and Galus screamed. "Fly faster! FLY FASTER!" they both shrieked as Galus weaved in and out of the flaming rocks' path. Each rock struck the ground with an explosion of wildfire, leaving nothing but a molten puddle in its place.

"Clear Sun Raze!" Fintan carefully tracked Galus' movements before firing his heat laser at him.

Melissa spotted the incoming attack and shouted, "Galus! Dodge!"

Galus shrieked and clenched his eyes shut. Before Melissa could get another word in, a portal of darkness opened and closed around them. She flinched, feeling the heat of the laser pass over her, but realized it wasn't doing any actual damage to her. It was nothing more than a warm shadow. She and Galus had entered a realm of darkness, one that was remarkably similar to the one she experienced against Itzal.

"Phantom Force!" she gasped. She grinned and patted Galus' head. "Nice moves, partner!"

The Dragapult trembled with tears coming down his cheeks. "Too close. Very bad."

They popped out from the Phantom Force dimension and flew over Fintan's head. The Torkoal tucked back into his shell and surrounded himself in flame again. "Clear Sun Shell!" He spun after the fleeing duo, occasionally bouncing himself into the air.

The shell of the heat bubble grazed Galus' tail, causing him to yelp. "Fire hurt!" he shrieked.

Melissa glared back at the pursuing Torkoal. "Galus, cover me from the air." Without warning, she backflipped off his back, diving straight for Fintan's flaming sphere.

Galus gasped. "Friend Harlow!"

Fintan laughed. "Are you daft? You'll be burned alive!"

Melissa took a deep breath, channeling a mass of condensed cold energy into her fist. She landed inside the flames and atop his shell, gripping on tightly against the fierce spinning. Despite being completely engulfed in fire, the cold energy radiating off her fist kept the heat at bay without breaking her concentration. In fact, her attack was nullifying the heat around her,

"What the?!" Fintan gasped.

"Kenny Style—"

She struck down into Fintan's shell, the energy behind her fist exploding outward and splashing across the earth under him. The second after the energy ruptured out from her fist, it took shape and hardened into a sea of ice. A couple prisoners who were near the scuffle got caught by their feet and struggled to rip themselves loose.

Melissa exhaled a cold mist as her body trembled from the intense cold. "Cruel Ice Age."

Fintan was unresponsive. His entire body was frozen solid in jagged ice and suspended off the ground by a pillar of ice, the centerpiece of the frozen terrain. He will eventually be able to warm up and free himself, but the power of her borrowed attack will leave him unable to continue the fight.

She backflipped off and casually skated along the frozen ground on her heels. She winced as she raised her arm, which was covered in frost. "Geez, Sidney wasn't kidding when she said Kenny needed more time to perfect his combat abilities. My whole body is shivering just from that one attack."

Galus circled back around and clapped. "Friend won!"

Melissa grinned at him. "Give me a lift, Galus! We'll let the rest of them wear themselves out before we—"

BANG!

Melissa gasped out as someone struck her with a sharp kick from behind. She lost her footing on the ice and went flying off the frozen terrain, her body skipping across the ground before slamming into the far wall. She caught herself on her hands, but collapsed onto her elbows due to her partially frozen arm.

"W-What the…?"

"So, a fellow practitioner of Bounce, I see!" She raised her head and saw a Hawlucha readily bouncing on his toes in front of her, striking the air with quick jabs. "I don't think you're a disciple of Harriet, though. You left yourself wide open there!"

Melissa picked herself up, spitting onto the ground. "And you are…?"

He smirked. "Air Strike Decebal, and I'm here to claim my sixtieth win!"

While some prisoners centered their attention on Melissa as an easy target, the main obstacle was Vilde. Taking hold of whatever weapons they could get, the prisoners charged down the Armorouge with reckless abandon. Spears, swords, flails, and the like, anything to take down the seemingly invincible champion.

Three prisoners rushed Vilde down and went for the attack. Unfazed, Vilde hopped into the air and flipped over their combined strike. "Psyshock." He summoned a cluster of psionically charged pellets in his hand and rained them down on the trio. The pellets exploded and blasted them into the ground, destroying their weapons.

He looked over to the frozen terrain created by Melissa and saw the prisoners pulling themselves free. He shifted his pauldrons around his hands and channeled heat inside the barrel.

"Burst Cannon!" An energy sphere blazing in heat energy fired out from his pauldrons and detonated on top of the ice. The mass release of heat instantly evaporated the ice, creating a destructive shockwave of mist that sent all the trapped prisoners scattering over the arena.

The resulting blast prematurely freed Fintan from his icy captivity, though was still out cold as he helplessly rolled on his shell's side.

Vilde landed, taking a moment to catch his breath as steam jettisoned from under his mask. "Come on. I was expecting more of a fight from you all. Don't you want your freedom?"

A Garchomp and Thievul were the first to get up, shaking off the ice and burns. They shared a hesitate nod with each other before rushing down the armored champion.

"Night Slash!" Using his swift movements, the Thievul darted circles around Vilde and lunged from behind.

"Dig!" Garchomp dove into the ground, his fin slicing through the surface as he hurriedly closed the distance between him and Vilde. He used his superior movement underground to launch himself back onto the surface with brilliant green light erupting from his claws. "Dragon Claw!"

Seeing both attacks coming at him, Vilde hardened his stance and raised his arms. "Iron Defense!" His entire body briefly turned metallic the second their attacks landed. The colliding forces rattled his body, but he remained fixed in place and endured the brutal slashes as his hardened body tanked them.

Once most of the power was lost in their strikes, Vilde slammed his hands into their chests and blasted them away with close-range Psyshocks. It did nothing to the Thievul other than push him away, but the Garchomp hissed with smoke coming off his chest.

Vilde scoffed as his armored body partially chipped. "Big mistake. Renewed Armor!" He clashed his fists together, and his body briefly shimmered in a silvery light. The cracks in his armor repaired themselves, gleaming in the intense sun conjured by Fintan's previously activated Drought.

Garchomp snarled. "Shit, I was hoping that would take him out in one go!"

After stretching his arms for a moment, Vilde tensed his leg muscles and took off running at blinding speed. The Thievul was so caught off guard that he barely had time to react to Vilde appearing behind him. He immediately went for a Sucker Punch as soon as the Armorouge reached for him, but both his hindlegs felt like they were striking a brick house.

Vilde grabbed the fox by his tail, lifted him off the ground, and pressed his hand to the fox's stomach. "Burst Scatter." Fiery Psyshocks erupted from his palm and blasted the fox into the stunned Garchomp, sending them both flying backwards as the flames rapidly engulfed them.

"Death Voice!"

Vilde barely caught sight of the fast-approaching and densely opaque sound wave rushing from behind. Pivoting off his foot, he narrowly avoided the attack and watched it plow through another group of unsuspecting prisoners locked in their own skirmish. The blast struck into the walls of the arena and washed over the protective barrier hovering above them.

Unfazed, Vilde faced his attacker, who recoiled from the strain of his own attack. "A bold move, Lothar."

The exhausted Exploud, with sagging shoulders and heavy breaths, glared at him. "Don't get in my way, Vilde. I don't care how invincible you are, I'm not taking any chances today."

"Though an impressive attack, that wasn't what I was referring to." Vilde glared. "You weren't scheduled for today. Why'd you sneak your way into this battle? If the officials find out you tried to get an extra match in—"

"That's not your concern." Feeling his energy return to him, Lothar puffed out his chest and stomped his foot down. "I couldn't wait a second longer. I've been practicing for this moment, and I won't let the opportunity slip through my fingers."

"…You're up to something." Vilde sighed. "Doesn't matter. You have no chance of beating me."

Lothar vented pressure out from his horns as he sucked in a deep breath. "We shall see."

"GAAAH!"

Faster than she could blink, Melissa went flying across the arena with her weapons discarded, skipping off her back before slamming into the wall. Before she could recover, the Hawlucha prisoner descended from the sky in a flash and struck down onto her stomach with his knee. She screamed and spat up blood that splattered over his face. She tried to grab him, but he retreated the moment her hand twitched.

"My time in this arena has done wonders for my training, Skill Hunter!" Decebal's voice rang out around her. "I've been utterly fascinated by Master Harriet's technique and wanted to divulge the secrets of her enlightenment! I've dedicated every waking moment since my time under her tutelage to achieve that state! You can't keep up with my perfected Ground Dance Art!"

Melissa rolled onto her feet and took a second to catch her breath. She wrapped an arm over her bruised stomach and carefully lifted her head. She spotted pockets of air being disturbed followed by a fast streak of red darting around her. It skipped off the walls, the ground, and even the barrier hanging above their heads. He moved with such speed that he looked invisible to most others.

Pearl Bullet Marsaili and Terrick the Skipper. I've read the reports on those two, Melissa thought as she activated her Adaptive Foresight. Spring-Loaded Harriet. She's developed a technique centered around Bounce. A highly adaptive technique that molds with a variety of fighting styles, all focused on explosive speed through the legs. I've never actually observed their techniques for myself. What kind of master is this Harriet? She must be incredibly strong to gain so much influence.

She took a couple more calming breaths before straightening up. She rolled the aches out of her shoulders and massaged her neck, never taking her eyes off the bouncing Hawlucha.

This is different to the other techniques I've observed. This time, this isn't just a technique I can steal. Her eyes glinted with curiosity. This is something I might be able to replicate for myself.

Decebal continued his string of bounces around the still Buneary before landing on the wall directly behind her. In the fraction of the second he landed, he drew a deep breath and bounced off with explosive force. Air Strike Style: Great Talon! He stretched out his talons to full length and went for a clawed palm strike.

However, Melissa proved faster. Stretching her leg out to the side and putting her weight on the heel, she turned and instantly pivoted around Decebal's attack. She moved so fast that it took him a second to realize he missed. In that second of confusion, she grabbed him by his collar and stopped his forward momentum.

"Super Springy—" She released him, flipped onto her hands, and released a rising dual kick into his back. "Rising Kick!"

"GAH!" Decebal spiraled through the air, but managed to spread his wings and stabilize himself. He grinned through the pain and glared over his shoulder. "You've got guts, kid! I'm impressed!"

He landed on the underside of the barrier, digging his claws enough to anchor himself in. He sucked in another breath before launching back down. He curled into a ball, spinning a few times, before splaying his arms in a mighty red aura.

"Air Strike Style: Great Down!"

Melissa bounced back as Decebal delivered a hard body slam into the ground. However, to her shock, he sprung up immediately and landed a heavy kick to her stomach.

"Great Rising Swoop!"

"AGH!" Melissa tumbled across the ground, barely managing to flip onto her hands and feet and drag herself to a stop.

Decebal kicked off the ground again, stretching out his talons. "Great Talon!"

With precious seconds before impact, Melissa searched her surroundings and found a discarded spiked ball broken off from its chain. She flattened herself low to the ground, barely avoiding Decebal's attack. She then spun on her hands, scooped the ball up with her foot, and kicked it into the Hawlucha's side.

"GAAAAH!" Decebal was knocked back with blood running down his hip.

Melissa flipped onto her feet and winced. As careful as she was, she managed to cut herself on the spikes. "Dang it." She looked over at Decebal. "H-Hey, are you okay? I didn't hurt you too bad, right?"

Decebal pushed himself onto his feet and laughed. "Are you kidding? I love the rush of battle! One step closer to reaching Master Harriet's level!" He scooped some of his blood onto his hand and smeared it across his face. "This is what I live for!" He then gripped his tunic and ripped it clean off, showing off his mighty physique. "Let us continue!"

"…" Melissa stared at him in complete bafflement. "Why did you rip your shirt off—"

"Great Talon!"

Melissa recoiled in shock as Decebal instantly crossed the distance between them, slamming his palm into her chest. The impact disoriented her, leaving her paralyzed in place from the sheer rattling of her body.

"Great Wings!" He followed up by kicking the ground and twirling himself in place, striking Melissa with a dual wing strike. The force of his spinning magnified the force of the attack, easily sending her sailing across the arena and slamming into an unsuspecting Ludicolo currently throttling an unconscious Umbreon.

"Eh?" He released the unconscious fox and looked down at Melissa as she picked herself up. "You want a piece of me, too?!"

Melissa's senses exploded with alarms as Decebal went for the attack again. Lambert Style: Trick Switch! With a clap of her hands, she switched places with the Ludicolo, who now stood between her and Decebal.

Decebal landed his attack, dealing massive damage to the Water/Grass-Type. He didn't even have time to scream as he was knocked unconscious by just the weight of the attack.

Decebal scoffed and kicked off the ground. "No matter!" He darted and streaked circles around Melissa. "You won't escape this one!" He landed on the barrier and kicked off, striking down on the helpless Buneary and flattening her into the earth. "Got—"

Melissa suddenly exploded into a mess of gray goo, splashing over the stunned Hawlucha.

"It's a fake—" He gasped as he was suddenly grabbed from behind. Melissa locked her arms and legs as best she could around the muscular bird and pinned his arms down while keeping one arm around his neck.

"I switched places with a Substitute just after switching places with that Ludicolo," she said. Thank you for your training, Lambert and Shingo. She tightened her grip. "You have the Unburden ability, don't you? You convinced the guards to give you heavier clothing so that you could reliably trigger the conditions for it. You have to reduce a certain amount of weight on your personal before it can be activated."

Decebal grinned over his shoulders. "These chumps underestimated you because you're a woman, but I was trained by the strongest martial artist in Virdis, Spring-Loaded Harriet. I knew there was a warrior's spirit in you!" He kicked off the ground, launching them both toward the top of the barrier. "Still, I refuse to go easy on you!"

Melissa smirked gently. "My apologies, then." She took a deep breath, washing off a brief moment of hesitance, before suddenly kissing his cheek.

His eyes widened. "EH?! Whoa, hang on a moment! Just because I complimented you doesn't give you the…right to…wha…?" His stamina waned dramatically, and a sudden desire to sleep came over him. "W-What's…happening?"

Melissa pulled away and let go of Decebal before they reached the top of the dome. She kicked off and dove back onto the ground, rolling into a tumble to reduce the landing. Decebal, however, crashed back down unconscious.

Melissa sighed and wiped her lips. "Sadie Style: Sleeping Beauty's Kiss. Sadie wasn't kidding, that is super weird to do." She felt her chest as the external damage was undone thanks to the stolen vitality. "Still, can't deny the emergency benefits—"

A thunderous roar rushed behind her, blowing away nearby prisoners and nearly knocking her onto her face. She hardened her stance, only falling onto her hands, and looked in the direction of the sonic blast. It came from Lothar, who was firing off rapid sonic screams at Vilde who was racing around the attacks.

Melissa scoffed. "What else did I expect from an Exploud?" She shook her head and rushed in. "Hey, you big bully! Think you can handle me?!"

Lothar stopped firing at Vilde and glared over his shoulder. "You're still alive? Well, not for long! Mind Scream!" Sucking in air through his horns, he let out a short scream blast tinted in psionic purple.

Melissa quickly jumped out of the way, but her finely tuned hearing picked up on the passing sound wave. The grazing presence of it struck her with a splitting, migraine-inducing shock that caused her to flinch. "Agh!"

"Mind Scream!" He fired again, this time landing a direct hit on her.

Melissa flew onto her back, gripping at her ears as the sound exploded inside her mind. "AAAAAHHHHHH!"

"Mind—"

"Burst Shot!" Lothar felt the barrel of a cannon press against his back before being blasted with a dozen, fast-moving, explosive pellets. It cancelled his follow-up attack and knocked him onto his knees.

Melissa struggled back onto her feet, feeling the sound fade from her head. "H-Huh?"

Vilde landed behind Lothar, directing his glare at the Buneary. "Stay out of my fight, Skill Hunter. Once I'm finished with him, you're next."

Emperor Orochi threw his head back and laughed. "Oh, this is entertainment! I can see why this is such a popular pastime for the New Chariot Empire."

Nero smirked. "I'd say my skills on the chariot outshine these brutes, but it is quite the spectacle."

Invidia tilted her head. "That new girl is putting up more of a fight than I thought. I was sure she would've been crushed by now."

"Do not underestimate Skill Hunter Harlow." Everyone's eyes turned to Jason, who glared intensely at the arena. "She may not look strong, but she has a gift for turning unfavorable situations into favorable outcomes. I can't explain it myself, but she is perhaps the most adaptable thief I had the honor of training."

"…" Nero glared. "A shame that she betrayed you. She would've been a worthwhile ally."

"…Indeed."

Fortuna laughed. "Well, let's just see how well she goes up against Buckshot Vilde. I'm tingling with excitement—" She froze up again, feeling Shizuka's stare on her. She giggled nervously, hiding further behind Jason.

Nero glared at Shizuka briefly before smirking down at the fights. "You have my attention, Skill Hunter. Give us a good show—" He felt a tap on his shoulder, turning his attention around to his faithful guard, Terminus. "Eh? What do you want? This is getting good!"

The Kleavor bowed to him. "A thousand pardons, my liege, but the host wanted to have a word with you. There was an…incident in the dungeon."

"…" Nero groaned, banging the back of his head to his throne. "Just when this was getting good, of course." He stood up and brushed off his sleeves. "Beg your pardon, Emperor Orochi, something just came up that requires my attention apparently. Please enjoy yourself until I get back."

Orochi nodded. "Of course, thank you."

Tiberius glared over his seat. "What happened?"

Nero scowled. "I don't know, but it better not be a waste of my time." He followed Terminus out of the royal booth.

"…" Fortuna started feeling uneasy, turning her gaze back over to Shizuka, who casted yet another unfriendly glare in her direction. She gulped and backed away from her hiding place. "Y-You know what? I want to get a closer look at the fight from the front seats. Y-Yeah." She hopped over the edge, skipping along the heads of the audience below.

Hanzo glared at Shizuka. "[Must you be so rude to your own sister?]"

She shrugged. "[She abandoned the Takigawa name with her frivolous attitude. She doesn't deserve to be called my sister.]"

"Echoing Scream!" Riled up with fury, Lothar released a sonic scream straight at Melissa, who promptly jumped out of the way. The scream traveled to the far ends of the arena, where it bounced off the walls and traveled up to the barrier, reflecting off from there.

"Whoa!" Melissa jumped out of the way again as the sonic scream blasted into the ground, splitting it open.

"Mind Scream!" She barely had a moment to reorientate herself before Lothar fired the mind-splitting scream at her. She flattened herself to the ground and barely dodged it with her ears covered. "Death Voice—"

"Burst Scatter!" Lothar staggered as Vilde, gripping and steadying his arm, fired flaming Psyshocks from his palm as he raced circles around the Exploud. With Lothar weakened, Vilde rushed him down with his pauldrons folded around his hands. "Burst Shot!" He skidded onto his knees and aimed the cannon at the monster's chin.

A burst of pellets blasted into Lothar and sent him flying up into the sky. He growled through the searing pain, pushing himself to remain conscious. He forced himself to regain his balance midair and sucked in air through his horns. "War Shriek!" He let loose an all-encompassing sonic scream that engulfed virtually everything under him.

Vilde shielded his head and crouched down as the sonic attack pressed down over him. Melissa, who tried to get up, was flattened back into the ground by the overwhelming pressure. Any and all prisoners who happened to be nearby were pinned to the ground, too.

"YOU CAN'T STOP ME!" Lothar roared through his attack.

"Friend Harlow!"

"Huh—"

Briefly turning his eyes away from the ground, Lothar was suddenly blindsided by Galus, who rammed the Exploud full speed with a headbutt. He passed through the sonic waves unimpeded due to his Ghost-Type. Their midair collision cancelled the attack and dazed them both, falling out of the air.

Melissa immediately recovered and lunged, catching Galus before he hit the ground. "Got you!"

Vilde darted after Lothar with his cannon primed. "Burst Shot!" A second before Lothar touched the ground, Vilde slammed his cannon into the monster's stomach and blasted him away.

"GAAAH!" Lothar tumbled and rolled over himself before slamming into a raised pillar. He barely held himself up against it and forced himself back onto his feet. Feeling around the pillar, he found a shield still attached. "Eh?"

"Burst Shot!" Vilde charged him again, swinging his cannon forward.

Lothar quickly pulled out the shield and raised it against the cannon. Bracing his arms and his back against the pillar, he endured the explosion of fire slamming into him. With the blast unable to properly vent itself from the pauldrons, they cracked and split open, letting out tons of steam.

"Shit!" Vilde immediately jumped back, but it was too late.

"Death Voice!" Lothar screamed the opaque shockwave from his mouth and blasted Vilde across the arena, barreling through more prisoners who were slowly withered down by the constant crossfire.

Vilde tensed his body before slamming into the far wall. Cracks split open across his armor, from his torso up to his face. He collapsed to the ground, panting heavily as pieces of himself chipped off. Likewise, Lothar collapsed onto one knee, catching his breath from the overwhelming strain of his own attack.

"Not all of us…are born lucky, Buckshot," Lothar growled. "Some of us weren't born to fight. Cursed to fight for our lives in this hellhole, but you come along and improve while the rest of us struggle to catch up." He pressed his hands down and pushed himself back onto his feet. "But I'm not wasting a second of my precious time fighting for that bastard's amusement. I'm escaping this colosseum, and I'll rend anyone who stands in my way!"

"Is that how the east handles conflict?" He glared over his shoulder, spotting Melissa as she set Galus down and picked herself up. "I understand your pain, but this ceaseless fighting for freedom will only bring misery and hardship. What happened to kindness and brotherhood? Don't you all yearn for the same goal?"

Lothar scoffed. "You've got a lot to learn, brat. Hope is a poison for the mind."

Melissa glanced wearily in Vilde's direction as he picked himself off the ground. "Where have I heard that before?" She scowled. "Have all of you lost every trace of pokemanity and decency you had from fighting in this colosseum?"

Lothar cracked his knuckles. "I don't expect some puny woman to understand our woes. You should've just learned your place. This is the real world you've stepped into, and the only absolute you'll find is a sea of violence."

"…" Melissa glared. "Good thing I don't believe in absolutes."

"Well, here's a new tune to sing your self-aggrandized praises to! Mind Scream!" He inhaled sharply through his horns.

Melissa took a deep breath, concentrating only on the sound of her heartbeat, and crouched down. She tightened her leg muscles and leaned forward on her knuckles. Copy. Adapt. Improve.

"Take THIS!" He let loose the psionic scream, plowing through the earth straight toward the Buneary.

Melissa released the breath she was holding and kicked the ground. In the blink of an eye, she evaded Lothar's attack and skipped directly behind him, kicking up a mound of dust behind her.

Lothar reacted a second after and gasped. "When did you—" Right as he turned around, she catapulted into his face and landed a heavy kick between his eyes. "GAH!"

Vilde saw the instant when Melissa blitzed Lothar, amazed and stunned by her sudden burst of speed. She wasn't able to move that fast before. How did she…? He glared. Skill Hunter Harlow. Said to steal any technique she sets her sights on. Don't tell me, in the time she was fighting him, she copied Decebal's technique? No, it's not exact, but she definitely copied him.

Even Melissa was amazed by her own speed, having only achieved such swiftness using Jason's Thunder Fairy Step. By focusing my Bounce through one leg at a time, I was able to achieve explosive speed while still maintaining control of my balance and positioning. It was a good first try, though it's a lot more exhausting than I realized. Spring-Loaded Harriet, what kind of master are you?

Lothar managed to recover from Melissa's kick and tried to grab her, but she flipped off his face. "You little…! Echoing Scream!" He fired a sonic blast into the walls, causing it to bounce off the opposing sides of the arena and the barrier. Each reflection increased its speed and ferocity.

Can't pull that stunt off twice in a row yet! "Sidney Style!" Melissa lunged and dug through the ground right before the sonic blast struck down.

Lothar stomped up to the hole and inhaled. "War Shriek!" He focused the wide-range sonic scream straight down the hole. The pressure of his voice caused the ground to shake and split open, pockets of air shooting out like geysers around him.

The ground tore opened behind him, and Melissa was blasted out atop a pillar of pressure, screaming as the sound invaded her ears. Lothar spun around and grabbed her ankle before rearing her up and slamming her face into the ground.

"You see how easy this is for me? You don't belong in this colosseum!" He reared her up again, swinging her into the ground again. "All that hope and nonsense about a bright future? Do you think any of us wanted to give up our hopes and dreams?! This is reality! Stop living in your pathetic fantast world and get with the times! The only constant is a violent future!" He reared her up once more. "This is your future now—"

"Burst Cannon!"

Lothar doubled over from a ball of heat energy slamming into his gut and blasting him away. He lost his grip on Melissa, and he sailed halfway across the arena before the attack detonated on top of him in a fiery explosion.

Melissa landed safely on her hands and feet, then looked over her shoulder as Vilde approached her. The cracks across his armor were slowly fading away. "I'm getting sick and tired of your screaming, Lothar."

Lothar picked himself out of the burnt ground and snarled. "You want to go, Vilde?!"

Vilde glared down at Melissa. "If you want to fight, stay out of my way. I told you, I'm not letting anyone stand in the way of my freedom."

"…" Melissa glared back before standing up. "I'm not giving up until I remind you thugs and goons the power of hopes and dreams. I'll save all of you from the toxins you fear."

"…" He grunted before taking his stance. "You're a weird kid."

"I've been told."

Lothar growled. "Enough talk! LET'S FIGHT!"

"So, someone snuck their way into the battle royale? And this is a problem because…?"

After being dragged away from his favorite pastime, Nero joined Terminus in the announcer's booth, meeting the resident Centiskorch announcer himself. His many legs skittered nervously. "My liege, this is a direct affront to the standards of the Centum Death Ring. There are rules and regulations that need to be followed at all times, and I put a lot of hard work into arranging these matches to guarantee maximum audience retention—"

Nero scoffed. "It's just one guy. This really isn't worth the advice of the emperor." He flicked his robe and turned away. "Forget this. I'm going back to my seat—" Terminus rested his axe hand on the emperor's shoulder, stopping him.

"There's actually a bit more to this than a schedule change," he said.

"…" Nero turned back around and glared at the announcer. "Alright, spill it. What's this about?"

The Centiskorch huffed, igniting his flaming crest. "We interrogated the prisoner who was supposed to take part in today's match. Seems he wasn't picked out at random. According to him, our intruder has been tampering with his collar."

"Tampering?"

"He scraped together enough stone to pick the lock. It's probably sitting tied around his neck. We've taken steps to neutralize this one's natural ability since he's the only one currently immune to the collar's restraining protocol. When the prisoner found out about this, he threatened to snitch on him, which…resulted in the switch."

Terminus glared. "Why the haste? He'll get caught either way."

"…" Nero smirked. "Why else would he tamper with his collar? Seems our ambitious prisoner is planning something." He glared over his shoulder. "Like an escape route."

Centiskorch gasped. "Escape? But that's impossible! The soldiers deploying Wide Guard would—"

"Prevent any attacks or escape from reaching the audience? True, but…" Nero turned and proceeded to walk out of the announcer's booth, Terminus following loyally behind. "Wide Guard does have…one exploitable weakness."

"Echoing Scream!" Lothar twisted his body and released his reflecting roar into the arena walls, channeling its immense power to ricochet and cascade over everything around him.

Vilde made the daring charge toward the Exploud as the sound blasts came down around him. His body rattled from the pressure, his ears rang from the overwhelming noise, and the ground shook and trembled. Still, he braved through the pain and rushed Lothar down with his cannon at the ready.

"Burst Shot!" He slammed his pauldrons into Lothar and prepared to fire.

"Mind Scream!" Lothar immediately screamed into Vilde's face, bombarding him with the sensory-disrupting roar.

"AAAHHHH!" Vilde cancelled his attack and recoiled, clutching his head in agony.

"Death Voice—" Before Lothar could charge his attack, Melissa blitzed through the cascading sound waves and kicked him across the face. "AGH!"

"This is a battle royale, remember?!" she shouted. She reared her leg, grabbed his jaw, and hammered her foot into his chin. "You're dealing with me, too!"

"AAAGH!" Lothar recoiled, but threw himself forward and grabbed Melissa by the head. "Little runt! I'll flatten you into—"

"BURST SHOT!" Vilde, pushing through the mental strain he was enduring, slammed his pauldrons into Lothar again and blasted him back.

"AAAAGH!" Lothar gripped into the ground and dragged himself to a halt. "You son of a—"

"Burst Volley!" He summoned dozens of Psyshocks in both hands, both sets aglow in a bright blue aura, and tossed them into the air. Locking onto Lothar's aura, they moved on their own and streaked through the air to bombard him.

"War Shriek!" Lothar raised his head and let loose a mighty roar, keeping the psionic pellets at bay until they withered to dust. "War Shriek: Destruction!" He turned the wide-ranging scream forward, releasing it as an all-encompassing beam of blue light.

Melissa gasped. "Crap! Endure!" She crossed her arms and coated herself in an orange aura.

"Inferno Defense!" Vilde took a defensive stance as well, his pauldrons detaching and rapidly revolving around him until a barrier of flame lined with silvery light took shape.

The attack engulfed both fighters and continued to wash over the arena. All prisoners standing within Lothar's sightline braced themselves as they, too, were engulfed by the deadly scream. It rattled the colosseum, slamming into the Wide Guard barrier with only the deafening boom of the roar erupting across the audience. Their screams were drowned by the thunderous roar of the monster, feeling its pressure rattling their very blood.

Fortuna, who had found a spot near the edge of the arena, clung to the back of her seat as the pressure blew back her fur and nearly sent her flying. "Agh! I can't see shit!"

Saturn maintained a firm stance, concentrating on keeping his Wide Guard up. He looked to the closest soldier helping him maintain the barrier and saw him faltering from the backlash of Lothar's attack. This one is indeed strong. And yet, there's something off about his attack. What combination of moves is he using to empower that attack?

Soon, the overwhelming scream dampened, and the immense light gradually faded. From the center of the arena, Lothar was the first to be seen, collapsing onto his knees and venting steam from his horns as he panted. His whole body trembled from the backlash of his own attack.

Almost all the prisoners were taken out by Lothar's attack. Any struggles or fights taking place away from him had ended in a single blast. The will to fight left them, and they lay crumpled on the floor groaning in pain.

…All except three.

Melissa, having protected herself with Endure, struggled to remain standing with only her will and adrenaline keeping her conscious.

Vilde, who's barrier did the bare minimum to shield him from Lothar's attack, was covered entirely in new cracks formed from the pressure of the sonic blast.

And finally, there was Galus, one of the only Ghost-Type's participating in the battle royale. He was spared of the damaging effects of Lothar's attack, though he was clearly dizzied and disoriented from the actual sound of it.

Lothar huffed steam from his horns again and rose back up. He gazed up at the barrier above him and noticed something that the audience and soldiers didn't immediately clue in on: slight imperfections.

"…So, my training wasn't a waste of time." He smirked. "Good."

Vilde clanged his fists together and repaired his cracked armor. "Impressive attack, but it won't be enough to take me down. Burst Scatter!" He extended his arm and fired a barrage of fiery pellets at the sound monster.

Lothar snapped out of his thoughts and let loose his base War Shriek. He stopped the fire pellets in their tracks before amping up the power and blasting across the arena. Vilde jumped out of the way and, with his armor restored and improved, rushed down Lothar and delivered a heavy punch to his gut.

"AAAAGH!" the Exploud roared.

"Never hesitate! Fight until the bitter end!" Vilde yelled, swinging his fists wildly and clobbering Lothar left and right across the face.

"Will! You! Cut! That—" Lothar caught Vilde's arms and blasted him point blank with his War Shriek. "OUUUUUUUUUT!"

Vilde's feet sank into the ground as he braced against the downward pressure. Lothar turned up the volume, screaming stronger and louder onto the Armorouge and pushing him deeper into the earth. However, amidst the attack, Melissa used the momentary distraction to rise off the ground and run up behind Lothar.

"Jason Style—" She picked a spear off the ground, holding the blunt end forward, and launched herself as a bolt of lightning. "Flash and Crackle!"

She rammed the spear full blast into Lothar's back, the sharp pain cancelling his attack and making him howl in pain. Vilde, immediately recovering from the Exploud's assault, swung a heavy uppercut into his jaw and knocked him backwards.

Melissa flipped onto her hands and launched herself directly under Lothar, striking his back. "Super Springy Rising Kick!"

"AAAAAGH!" Gnashing his teeth together, Lothar forcibly torqued his body to face the ground as he flew up. "Death VOIIIIIIIIICE!" He unleashed the titanic scream, smashing it into the earth and causing the ground to uplift around the two.

Vilde kept his balance on the shifting rock before jumping into the air. Melissa sprung and lunged between the folding rock, racing towards Galus who was still dizzy from the last attack. She tackled him out of the blast radius.

Lothar landed back on the ruined ground, forcefully venting out steam from his horns to shake off the recoil his body took. He recovered in seconds and unleashed another War Shriek in their direction.

"Burst Volley!" Vilde backflipped over the sonic scream and threw out a barrage of tracking pellets.

Lothar braced himself as the attacks bombarded him from multiple angles. Each one stung like a bullet that nearly breached his skin. He fought through the pain and unleashed his psionic scream. "Mind SCREAM!"

Vilde jumped out of the way, leaving Melissa open to set Galus down and rush Lothar while he was distracted. She flipped off her hands multiple times before catapulting herself over the Exploud's head.

"Ignacia Style—" She clawed up particles of heated sand between her fingers and slashed the air. "Desolate Slash!"

The hardened sand struck down on Lothar's shoulder, spilling blood and covering his open wound in hot sand. He wavered in his attack, but managed to tilt his head back to blast Melissa.

"Endure!" She braced herself before being blasted into the air, her back slamming into the top of the barrier. As she endured the attack, she noticed tiny cracks forming in the barrier's surface. W-What the…?

"Don't take your eyes off of me, Lothar!" Vilde rushed in and socked the Exploud across the face before slamming his Psyshock-loaded palm into his chest.

"AAAAAGH!" Lothar stomped his feet down, keeping his stance firm and strong. "I refuse to lose!"

Melissa, seeing her chance, kicked off the barrier's ceiling and landed a solid axe kick into his nape. "Stay down!"

As Lothar's stance faltered, Vilde swung an uppercut into his chin. Both attacks rang his head. He nearly passed out from the pain alone. However, he remained steadfast in his goal. Through his weakening vision, his eyes darted to the audience.

He spotted someone among the crowd. Someone he didn't expect, but someone who would make his plans come together full circle.

This is even better than my original idea.

"Where are you looking?!" Vilde clobbered Lothar across the face, knocking one of his teeth out. "This fight is between you and me! I'm taking my win!"

Melissa, however, swung off Lothar's neck and kicked Vilde's next punch out of the way. "Stop!" she yelled. "He's had enough! Just look at him!"

"If he still wishes to fight, then who am I to deny his wishes?"

Melissa lunged and kicked Vilde in the chest, knocking him away from the dazed Exploud. Once she landed, she shouted, "Is this how you want to earn your freedom?! Beating your opponent to a bloody pulp?!"

Vilde growled. "My mercy can only extend for so long, brat. I told you that if you got in my way, I wouldn't go easy on you." He folded his pauldrons together and aimed his cannon at her. "Don't be a fool."

She growled. "He may be a jerk, but he doesn't deserve to have his bones shattered!"

"You're such a naïve child. You think I want to earn my freedom like this? Everyone for the last two hundred years has tried to escape the colosseum, but no one defies the emperor and lives! The men before me, the men before them, and the men before them! Every one of us wanted to be freed from this senseless violence, but there's no escape from our fates!"

"And who decided that?! What kind of warrior are you?! What warrior values the death of men over the preservation of life?!"

Flames erupted from Vilde's eyes. "YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT ME!" He charged up his cannon. "I fight to survive!"

"Well, I fight to LIVE!"

"You're dead! SKILL HUNTER! BURST—"

Melissa picked a sword off the ground. "Jason Style—"

Hissssssssssssss

The tension halted between them. The fires burning in both their souls dimmed as they turned their eyes toward Lothar, who they thought had succumbed to unconsciousness from his injuries. Covered in burns, dripping in blood, and shaking in place, the only thing keeping him going was the euphoria of adrenaline pumping through his veins.

They noticed thick clouds of steam jettisoning from his horns as he sucked in deep breaths. The other prisoners who were knocked out from Lothar's previous attack awoke and struggled to pick themselves up.

"What the…?" Fintan groaned.

"Who won?" Decebal grumbled.

All was still and silent as Lothar took several relaxed, deep breaths. Each one steadied his shaking, slowly pulling him into a state of calm. He finished off with a single, gentle breath before glaring at the north end of the arena.

Where the emperor's booth stood.

"Over two decades rotting away in this prison of blood and entertainment. How I longed for my freedom, but I was never strong enough. The older I got, the weaker I became. As I aged, younger blood triumphed. What a cruel system to keep us in check. Turning men against each other for sport, poisoning their hope for freedom to maintain control while keeping our fighting spirits high."

Melissa glared. "Lothar?"

Vilde aimed his cannon at the Exploud's back. "You're done, Lothar. I win."

"…" He scoffed. "Keep your petty victory, Vilde. I have no desire to win anymore. I know I can't beat the likes of you. Sooner or later, someone will beat me again, and I'll be back to square one. I'll never see freedom. I'll die in this hellhole just like all the rest. And these people will clap for my executioner. These people see us as nothing more than savages clawing for the last scrap of food. We're nothing but mindless entertainment. And the source of their cruelty traces back to the Martius family."

Melissa slowly raised her hand toward him. "Look, you should sit down. You took a lot of damage earlier. You're not thinking straight."

A cruel grin stretched along his maw. "No. I've never felt more invigorated. I can finally see the world for what it really is. These aren't people. They're all monsters, and they deserve to be slaughtered. Every last one of them."

Vilde glared, now starting to get creeped out. "If you don't stop talking right now, I'm blasting you until you stay down."

"…" Lothar closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "How I waited so long for this moment." He curled his fingers, tensed his muscles, and sucked in as much air as he could through his horns and mouth. "That barrier was meant to protect the audience from splash damage, but I've been studying it. I waited for this moment, studying the integrity of that barrier and my own power. My patience will be rewarded."

Melissa's eyes widened. "Those cracks I saw…" She immediately jumped into the air and frantically waved to the audience where Lothar was facing. "EVERYONE! RUUUUUN!"

Her shouts reached up to the audience, though they were too engrossed with the battle to see the immediate danger they were in. Jason, however, noticed first.

"That bastard!" he yelled. He grabbed a horn off Nero's throne and shouted through it, "GET OUT OF THE COLOSSEUM NOW!"

Too late.

"Death Voice: Song of DESPAIR!"

Slamming his feet down and hardening his stance, Lothar let loose his mightiest roar and focused all that energy into the barrier. The soldiers hardened their stances, channeling all their might through the Wide Guard, while the audience goers finally understood the danger in front of them and scrambled to get out of their seats.

Lothar's attack struck the barrier, which was designed to negate any and all splash damage from the fights. With several trained soldiers maintaining its form, its destruction was nearly impossible. However, through years of studying the barrier's deployment and the limits of his own power, Lothar found the right combination of moves to earn him his freedom.

Though cracks were inevitable, the barrier couldn't be broken through with brute force alone. Any openings that did form would be immediately repaired with a little extra effort. But nothing could've prepare the soldiers for a scenario they never encountered before.

Lothar's attack…shattered the barrier on impact.