Shantae: The Eternal Spirit Chronicles

by IllusoryNomad

Following Shantae's latest crusade against the forces of evil, a new Relic is revealed that has the power to LITERALLY change (or even DESTROY) the lives of all who come into contact with it! Added to the emergence of a rogue, vengeful half-genie, as well as the unwelcome return of a certain marauding Pirate Queen, the Half-Genie Hero and company must spring into action once again!

22. Phantom Penance

Chapter 8C: Phantom Penance

Allllrighty, welcome back to another exciting installment of this increasingly wacky and outlandish tale of genies, ghosts, pirates, zombies, demons, and the kitchen sink! Emphasis on the 'kitchen sink,' by the way. Nah, just kidding! Or am I? Hmm… Actually, at this rate, probably not… Er, so anyway, we last left off with the formidable Team Thunder-Spike consisting of the warrior wraith Tayshan and the adventurer with an attitude Bolo on the verge of wrapping up perilous bounty hunt that took them through the molten dangers of the Burning Zipper Volcanic Field. It was straightforward enough… until they discovered that the 'target' of their hunt was none other than the lone surviving Leopard Gal Klawdia, Bolo's ill-advised monster girl love interest. A huge disagreement erupted between the members of Team Thunder-Spike after they managed to capture Klawdia with the intent to bring her into captivity once it became apparent she was… well, to put it lightly, 'expecting.' Said disagreement quickly spiraled into an epic fistfight between the two young men that only ended with the sudden interruption of the renegade half-genie Hashanah, who'd ruthlessly dispatched the unsuspecting Leopard Gal before either adventurer could intervene. And as we're about to dive right back in, we find ourselves faced with a tension-riddled standoff following the chaotic confrontation…

On the lava-bathed terrain of the Burning Zipper Volcanic Field…

"So… Which one of us makes the first move, Hashanah?" Tayshan asked as he remained steady in his battle pose, studying the rogue genie up and down as she stared bullets right back at him.

"Why don't YOU?" Hashanah 'politely' invited as she gestured a finger in a 'come hither' motion. She had been… slightly less steady in her stance, however, as her hands trembled while she gripped her Spirit Fuser fragment in one of them. "Seeing as you want to capture me so bad, what are you waiting for? Huh? What's the holdup?"

"No 'holdup' on my part," the wraith nonchalantly batted away the invasive question and ignored the genie's gesture. "If anything, I was hopin' you'd blindly charge in an' get schooled like you did last time."

"WHAT WAS THAT!?" Hashanan angrily remarked, scowling at her undead adversary.

"Did I st-stutter?" the ghostly guardian mockingly asked, agitating the young woman even further in the process. "Get over here an' make good on your word about 'tearin' me limb from limb!' Come on! Or are you suddenly regrettin' the TERRIBLE idea you had t' confront me before you knew what you was gettin' yourself into?"

"Ohh, you are SO DEAD!" she barked at him as she clenched her fists, none too fond of his callous derision of her.

"Ah, so you've finally caught on," he continued to mock, tapping a finger to the halo hovering above his head. "Good observation," he added while mockingly clapping his hands. At that snide remark, however… Hashanah… laughed? Cackled even! The half-genie's laughter was sudden enough that Tay ceased his joke and continued to observe the unusual young woman. And once she was done laughing…

"Heh… Y'know, you've got a real sharp tongue. I'd hate it with a burning passion if I wasn't the same way," Hashanah remarked with a menacing grin.

"Good t' know. That mean we're gonna be friends now because we have somethin' in common? Y'know, since you was so keen on makin' friends with Sky in the Capricious Titan Shrine…" he remarked, catching her by surprise yet again. Rather than be thrown off by the fact that he knew about her previous excursion, however…

"Figures you'd know about that, too…" the genie flatly replied with a sigh and shrug. "And to answer your question… I mean, it's partly because of my newfound friendship with Sky that I haven't already torn you asunder like you KNOW I would otherwise. You should consider yourself lucky, but you go ahead and try to push that luck instead of going about it the easy way and telling me what I want to know."

"I'd be more inclined t' believe that if you didn't mercilessly obliterate that Leopard Gal," Tay shot back. "That said, I certainly hope you don't think you can manipulate or intimidate me or my friend here int' helpin' your cause simply because you made friends with Sky. Considerin' how you an' I met, you're already startin' off on a bad foot with me."

"As if I'd REALLY want to be friends with the POSER who got me fired from my job in his FAILED attempt at protecting MY home turf!" Hashanah bitterly remarked. "I don't care at all if you're also friends with Sky; I still hate your guts!"

"It's better to have tried an' failed than to have not been there at all, homegirl," Tay answered right back, not at all bothered by Hashanah's lambasting. "I haven't visited Inseam since that day, but there's clearly a reason they gave me the nickname they did an' keep the memory o' that day alive… while they also chose t' try an' forget you entirely. An' I couldn't care less how you feel about me. You're not that important OR that special, an' I ain't beat for your garbage about your dumb grudge over somethin' that wasn't my fault." That statement seemed to strike Hashanah, as she went silent for a moment. She merely widened her eyes as she continued to angrily scowl at her ghostly opponent… but before too long…

"…What did you just say to me?" she asked, her indignation evident despite her calm tone.

"How many times do you want me t' repe-?"

"'I'm not important?' 'I'm not special?'" Hashanah rhetorically asked, intensifying her death glare at the wraith as she cut him off. "Do you have ANY idea who you're talking to!? Do you have ANY idea what I represent!? You have SOME nerve! You're a total NOBODY compared to me! Heck, you're a nobody PERIOD! I am a genie! I have descended from generations of this planet's greatest and most powerful beings! Compared to you, I am a CELESTIAL STAR to your tiny, insignificant asteroid aimlessly coasting through the cosmos! YOU are just some filthy peasant who thinks he's better than everyone else because he has weird ghost powers that inexplicably make him genie-like. The things you must've had to do to imitate even a FRACTION of a genie's power! If it wasn't for us genies, you and the rest of these pathetic humans would have been doomed EONS ago!"

"Oh, so you're one o' THOSE…" the 'filthy peasant' in question presumed, scornfully shaking his head. "The irony here is uncanny…"

"Whatever it is you think I am, I really don't give two shakes of a tailfeather about it. I'm letting you know just who I really am because you CLEARLY need to understand the kind of fire you've been playing with all this time…!"

"I VERY CLEARLY 'understand' that you're just some snobby, self-entitled, bigoted little BRAT who thinks the world owes her a favor! If THIS is how you really feel about yourself an' the people around you, then it's only a wonder why it was so easy for Inseam's citizens t' give you the ax the first chance they got!" Tay venomously remarked, both vexing and shocking Hashanah in the process. "An' comin' from a guy who was born at the bottom o' humanity's totem pole an' had t' claw his way up since childhood, an' is even STILL clawin' his way up t' this very moment despite havin' died t' save an entire country from disaster, you'd REALLY benefit from lookin' at yourself in a mirror an' askin' if you truly like what you've let yourself become…"

"OH, THAT TEARS IT!" Hashanah roared as she finally began to approach, her Spirit Fuser fragment gripped tightly in her hand as she stormed over toward Tayshan. "I'M ABOUT TO MAKE THE NEXT FEW MINUTES OF YOUR LIFE A COMPLETE NIGH-!" she further threatened before she was hit with a multitude of *POCKs* from flying red projectiles that came zipping in at her from the side. "Gah…! What in the world…?" she murmured as she recovered and, along with Tayshan, turned her gaze over to the side. Lo and behold, a highly agitated Bolo was staring her down with his Morning Star gripped in his hand.

"Bolo, wait. I know what you're thinkin', but this ain't a fight for y-!" Tay tried to warn.

"Like heck, it isn't," the younger man cut him off as he entered the fray and took up his own battle stance against Hashanah. "She… She needs to be made to PAY for what she did…!"

"Oh, YOU want to fight me now? After what Nila did to you last time? This'll be rich…" Hashanah mockingly retorted as she entertained the idea of turning her attention to Bolo. "So, how we doing this, boys? Two on one is hardly fair, but I suppose you need the handicap to deal with me properly."

"Bro, listen t' me," Tayshan addressed Bolo as he dropped his stance and turned to his teammate. "This is NOT a fight you wanna pick now. I get it that you're upset about what she did t' Klawdia, an' I'm sorry for your loss. But don't put yourself in further danger for the sake o' gettin' your revenge. Let me handle it from here."

"No," Bolo sternly denied. "I'm not letting her get away with this…! I REFUSE to let her get away with this! She's gonna PAY!"

"An' she'll pay if we work together… or at least, if you let me take the lead from this point. Hashanah is far more dangerous than you might be thinkin' she is."

"I'll handle her by myself. Just you watch," Bolo angrily remarked, though his gaze was locked squarely on the half-genie.

"Okay, now THAT'S where I have t' draw the line," Tay warned. "You don't have anything t' prove t' anybody, Bolo. You can grieve your loss in a way that won't potentially get you killed along with that Leopard Gal. Come o-!"

"Yo. Tayshan," Hashanah of all people called, cutting the wraith off once again. Astonished, he turned his attention to her.

"Yeah?"

"He's not gonna listen. Stop wasting your breath," she rather casually advised him. "If he wants to throw his life away trying to defend the honor of his mangy, flea-bitten, EXTINCT girlfriend, then let him."

"An' what makes you think I'll allow that?"

"Because I have nothing to gain OR to lose from dealing with the small fry. Let the sad little boy flail around for a bit and tucker himself out. After that, I'll move onto settling my business with YOU."

"A 'tempting' offer, Hashanah, but you crazy if you think I'mma-!"

"GRRRAAAAAAH!" Bolo yelled as he dashed ahead without warning. There was a ferocious anger in his eyes as he swung his Morning Star at Hashanah.

"Twoom!" the renegade genie grunted as she hopped backward in the same moment Bolo's weapon embedded itself into the ground with a *KAPLONG* before he pulled it back up and committed himself to pursuing his adversary.

"For goodness' sake…!" Tay complained as he moved to join the battle, only for Bolo to turn and hold a hand out to stop him.

"I said I'd handle this myself!" the headbanded warrior reiterated. Yet, rather than try and argue him down…

"…Is this really what you want?" Tay questioned, though he made no further move to intervene.

"Yes. I know you want to help, but I need to do this… for her… and… and to make it up to you for lashing out at you earlier," he admitted, leaving his teammate stunned for a moment. Yet, once he collected himself…

"I see. Well, I ain't exactly bangin' your door down for an apology, so you ain't gotta worry about me. As far as tryin' t' avenge Klawdia goes, though…" the ghostly guardian tried one more time to reason.

"I cannot, and I WILL NOT walk away from this fight, no matter what you tell me," Bolo stood his ground. "I… I have to redeem myself."

"Hmph. In that case, an' because I heard these things did Sky a favor once or twice back durin' her time in the Capricious Titan Shrine…" Tay trailed off as he removed one of his Inhibitor Vambraces… and handed it to Bolo.

"Wha…?" Bolo questioned as he got Inhibitor Vambrace.

"This is me puttin' my faith in you that you'll at least not get killed. I may as well give you the best shot you can get if you're not gonna let me help you directly."

"…I-I see…" Bolo acknowledged, though he did not put the accessory on. Instead… "I have to do this under my own power, though," he refused as he handed it back, much to Tayshan's surprise. "I'm glad you have faith in me, but I'd prefer that faith to be placed in my abilities, not on something that was given to me to 'boost my chances.'"

"Alright, man, come on. I'm really tryin' t'-!"

"Okay, even I can tell you're about to make a HUGE mistake here, kid," Hashanah interjected, causing both boys to turn toward her. "Not that I care in the slightest what you do, but you're picking the WORST time possible to play up the 'noble hero' act. This isn't a game, and you could get yourself seriously hurt. You should take his vambrace if you at least want to last a while before I knock you out."

"…We are REALLY at a point where Hashanah an' I are agreein' with each other…" Tay lamented with a shake of his head as he put his bracelet back on. "How much farther south can this mission go despite it already bein' technically completed…?" Meanwhile…

"Come on, don't be an even bigger fool than everyone already knows you are," Hashanah further advised Bolo. "I'd strongly suggest you take the handicap and spare yourself a worse headache tomorrow. What you're doing isn't what heroes normally do, kid. It's what fools do when they THINK they're heroes."

"Yeah, well who asked you?" Bolo shot back, approaching the young woman with the intent to battle. "You don't know ANYTHING about being a hero!"

"Heh… Ironic coming from YOU of all people, but for your information, I used to be a 'hero' myself," she laughingly remarked with a shrug, catching her opponent by mild surprise. "And I can tell ya from experience that it isn't really all it's cracked up to be. You're wasting your time trying to act all altruistic like anyone's really gonna care in as little as two days from now… should you be lucky enough to even survive this encounter."

"Spoken like someone who took her status for granted and threw it away when it got too difficult for her to maintain," he countered. "I have nothing to say to you except that you had your chance to do the right thing! And you blew it because of your selfishness and refusal to take responsibility for your own mistakes! You're the LAST person I'd ever take advice from, and the things you've done since you became a villain have made you into a COWARD!"

"Oh, back to the good-and-evil argument, eh? How nauseatingly pathetic…" Hashanah nonchalantly remarked, though she glared at Bolo like she wanted to kill him on the spot. Rather than act on the urge immediately, however, she turned her attention to the wraith standing on the sidelines. "Hey. Tayshan," she casually called to the other young man.

"Why do you suddenly keep addressin' me like we're friends? What do you want now?" Tay irritably asked back in a mix of ire and confusion as he shrugged and shot her a scrutinizing stare.

"I'm SO sorry that bothers you," she sarcastically remarked. "Anyway, tell this idiot that playing the hero isn't going to get him what he wants out of life."

"…An' you want me t' tell him that because…?"

"Well, you and I both know what it's like to be on both sides, and maybe he'll listen to someone who DIED playing the hero despite being given a taste of real freedom when he was a so-called 'villain.' Or 'Assassin,' as Nila puts it."

"Ah, there it is…" Tay flatly remarked, oddly chuckling at the morbid joke aimed at him. "That was clever, but you'll be disappointed t' know I don't exactly consider myself a straight-up hero at this point, either."

"Yeah, well I-! Wait, what? You… You DON'T consider yourself a hero?" Hashanah queried, widening her eyes in genuine surprise.

"You heard me right. Truthfully, an' despite the good-natured things I've done since comin' t' Sequin Land, I've never been a hero like you or Bolo. That title just doesn't fit me. Never has, an' never will. Not with the way I operate, not with my current job, not with my… 'colorful' history, an' especially not with the reputation I have with the likes o' Nila an' the Ammonian Army. Given a label, I'm apparently an 'antihero.'"

"…Oh… I-I didn't think he'd take that to heart…" Bolo rather somberly and guiltily murmured to himself.

"Antihero? Wait, seriously!?" Hashanah asked Tayshan in further shock and intrigue, in turn surprising Bolo as he found himself being completely ignored. "Dude, that's actually really interesting that you'd say that!"

"Oh! Er… I-it is?" the ghostly antihero asked, stunned by the rogue genie's unusually friendly way of speaking to him in that moment.

"Yeah! Like, what definition do you u-?"

"Leave him out of this!" Bolo cut in again, directing his full attention on Hashanah. "He's not the one you should be focused on right now. I AM! Now, get yourself ready to be taken down!" At that, Hashanah merely sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Alright. It's your funeral, kid. Maybe you'll live long enough to regret challenging me alone…" she remarked as she… put the Spirit Fuser fragment away and took up a bare-handed battle pose. Huh… Well anyway, it seemed they were finally done arguing about the spectrum of good and evil, and the combatants got set. And after a seconds-long standoff…

BOLO VS. HASHANAH: AVENGER'S AMBITION!

"Put him in his place!" Hashanah announced as she raced forth, hopping over a smoldering stream of rainbow lava to engage. Unlike Tayshan before her, however, Hashanah wasted no time charging up a supply of Dark Magic into her hand and aiming it at her opponent. "TYRANNY BLAZER!" she shouted, sending forth a *KAPWOOOORSH* of a purple energy ball rocketing toward him.

"WOHAH!" Bolo hollered as he hopped backward to avoid the blast as it crashed into the stony terrain beneath them with an explosive *PRAPLOOOMGH*. He would only get but so much time to think up a counterstrategy before Hashanah closed the distance, however.

"LIGHTS OUT, LITTLE BOY!" the relentless genie roared as she flung a fist forward and slammed her knuckles into his face with a most vicious *KATHROCK* to send him stumbling back. She followed up by lunging forth to plant her foot into his chest by way of a merciless thrust kick. She landed it with a gut-busting *PROCK* of her sneaker against his chest, sending him sailing even further backward before he landed with a *PLOUGH* of his back against a bunch of silversword flowers. "Oh, I'm not done yet…!" Hashanah warned as she leapt high and cocked a fist back, seeming ready to decimate Bolo in a single strike.

"Grgh…! Hoom!" Bolo grunted as he hurriedly took a Pike Ball out of his pocket and rolled to the side to avoid Hashanah's incoming attack. As she landed, her fist went smashing through the volcanic field's surface with a crumbly *PRATWOSHK*, sending chunks of stone flying everywhere. Just as she was recovering from the attack, however, Bolo flung the Pike Ball, revealed to be yellow in color, toward the ground where she was standing and hurriedly pulled himself up to his feet before hopping back to create some distance.

"Where do you think YOU'RE go—!?"

"TAKE THIS!" the headbanded warrior announced as he pulled out a remote and pressed the button on it, causing a sudden *KAPOW* from right under Hashanah that took her by total surprise.

"Gwaaagh…! Shoot, what was that…!?" she asked herself through a burst of mild pain as she halted her approach to regain her footing.

"SHYAH!" Bolo grunted further as he flung forth a trio of his red Homing Pikes while she was distracted. Meanwhile, he dashed ahead to gain some momentum in his favor.

"Hm?" Hashanah hummed in wonder as she looked up to notice the incoming projectiles and their sender rushing her down with his chain mace at the ready. "Oh, so THIS is your gimmick, eh?" she remarked as she rushed to the side to avoid the Homing Pikes, only to realize that they tracked her movements. Wordlessly recognizing the incoming danger, Hashanah charged up some magic in her hand as she kept up her evasive maneuver. Bolo had other plans, however…

"Good… Now, take THIS!" the determined young fighter dared once again as he flung a blue Pike Ball at Hashanah while she was hopping over a bubbling lava pit. The Pike Ball sailed past her as she was landing, though it didn't go unnoticed.

"I'm not sure what he thinks he's going to accomplish spamming all these tiny Pikes, but it isn't hard to figure out he's planning on trying to set me up for some kind of unwelcome surprise…" the evil-adjacent half-genie observed as she landed on the other side of the lava pit without issue and noticed the Homing Pikes still zipping toward her. "HRRRYAH!" she shouted as she charged up another Tyranny Blazer and fired it with a *KAPWOOORSH* at the incoming projectiles. Just as her energy attack vaporized the Homing Pikes, she rushed over and picked up the Stun Pike. "Hm!" she grunted, creating a small purple force field around the eccentric weapon. Within a second, the Stun Pike detonated with a heavily contained *pow* from within the force field, flashing a bright white light before she disabled the magic barrier to let the resulting smoke waft up into the open, humid air.

"RRRROWYAAAH!" Bolo shouted as he lunged forth with a jumping, spinning Morning Star swing as he sought to score his first decisive hit against the evasive genie.

"Why is he attacking from all the way over there with that thing? Unless… Oh! I remember now…" Hashanah seemed realize as she braced herself. In that same instant, Bolo's Morning Star extended itself with the rapid *KLINKLINKLINKLINKLINKLINK* of the weapon's chains as it whirled around. Bolo aimed for the head, too, causing Hashanah to dip backward to BARELY avoid being clobbered. And as she additionally performed a backflip to reorient herself, Bolo retracted his mace and flung forth another trio of Homing Pikes that went zooming through the air toward their intended target.

"Shoot, she's already adapting…! I need to catch her by surprise," Bolo urged himself.

"Yeah, that just about confirms it…!" Hashanah realized as she charged another supply of Dark Magic into her hands. Immediately after, she flung a *KAPWOOORRSH* of her Tyranny Blazer at the incoming Pike Balls, neutralizing them with a shocking *TWAKRAKAZAAAP* of her projectile against his. "Heh… This is really all he can do. How disappointing…"

"Here I come, you fiend!" Bolo challenged as he raced ahead with another trio of red Pike Balls in his hand.

"Alright, I've entertained this farce long enough. Time for me to put this to rest and move onto my REAL target…!" Hashanah brashly remarked, charging up another supply of Dark Magic in her hand. And just as Bolo flung the Homing Pikes her way… "HYAAH!" the rogue genie roared as she fired her next Tyranny Blazer at him with an even more intense *KAPWOOOORSH* while he was still charging at her.

"WHOA!" the headbanded hero hollered as he suddenly skidded to a stop. He followed up by diving out of the way of the magic attack, barely registering that she'd completely fried the next set of Pike Balls before they even had a chance to lock onto her. "Ghah…! Darn it…!" he cursed as he moved to pick himself back up… only to be belted across the chest with a rib-crunching *KATHRACK* of Hashanah's leg against his chest. "DWAHAAAGH!" he shouted in agony as he was sent tumbling and rolling all over the craggy terrain. Hashanah didn't stop there, however…

"TYAAAAH!" the villainous vixen shouted as she leapt forth with a fist cocked back. By all accounts, she was ready to HAMMER Bolo's face into the ground.

"Shoom!" the young warrior grunted as he rolled out of the way just in time to avoid having his skull caved in. Hashanah's punch, consequently, would meet the ground with another powerful *PRAKLARSCH*, leaving a fist-sized dent. Bolo was quick to adapt as he clamored back to his feet and lunged forth to deliver a heavy haymaker to his opponent. Hashanah blocked it with her forearm, however, as she recovered from her missed strike. She tried to follow up by delivering a thrust kick to Bolo's chest, though he sidestepped it and wrapped his arm around the genie's ankle.

"Agh…! Heh… Not bad, kid…"

"Trust me, you haven't even begun to see what I'm made of…! I'm just getting started!" he assured as he reeled her in by her leg and attempted to sweep her other foot from under her… only for Hashanah to jump high off said foot, twirling around all the while. And with a devastating *KATHROCK* of her shoe against Bolo's face, she landed her counterattack. Bolo was sent hurtling backward while the malicious maiden gracefully landed back on her feet. Soon after, the young man hit the ground with a heavy, dusty *PLOUGH* as he rolled along the rocks… and almost into an active mini volcano nearby. "Urgh…! Hooh…! M-man…!" he griped as he brought himself to a knee and caught his breath.

"Bolo! Stand down! I'll take over from here!" Tayshan called from the sidelines, evidently not liking what he was seeing. Hearing this only agitated the blue-haired adventurer, however, as he instead rose to a weary stand and put his fists back up.

"Not a chance, bro! I've got her right where I want her!" he brazenly refused, keeping his focus on Hashanah as she sauntered over to him with a most sinister grin on her face.

"You really should listen to him, y'know," Hashanah advised as she drew nearer and summoned a supply of Dark Magic into her hand. "You haven't the slightest chance of beating me, and you're wasting EVERYONE'S time. Know your place and get out of the way, little boy."

"Hmph! You sure do have a knack for talking smack at just the right moment to have your words shoved right back down your throat!" he fearlessly declared, though it didn't seem to faze Hashanah… as much as it slightly confused her as she raised an eyebrow. Meanwhile, he reached into his pocket and pulled out another of his specialized Pike Balls.

"And how do you figure that?"

"Because I'm full of surprises! YAH!" he announced as he flung the blue projectile with all his might before pulling out an orange one as he dashed ahead. Rather than be caught by surprise, however…

"Had a feeling you'd try that again," Hashanah plainly observed as she raised a Dark Magic-shrouded hand in front of herself. In that same instant, the Pike Ball Bolo threw at her found itself stopped in midair as it also became engulfed in the same purple glow.

"TAKE THIS!" the young adventurer hollered as he launched the Dynamite Pike while she seemed distracted. Yet…

"Yeah, no," she flatly remarked, shifting her magic-covered hand just a bit to catch the second projectile alongside the first. That didn't stop Bolo's approach, however, as he dared to close the distance between himself and his adversary. And as soon as he got close enough to strike…

"THIS IS FOR KLAWDIA!" he declared as he heroically lunged forth to try and get the drop on her. Hashanah, however, was done simply playing along. She effortlessly dodged the incoming flurry of punches and kicks as Bolo began to chase her around the arena. Meanwhile, the half-genie kept his projectiles ensnared in her magic's grip as she hopped, flipped, and spun her way past every attack her enemy attempted. "Gaah, come on! Either stand still or fight back! Or are you scared!?"

"Hah! You're hilarious!" Hashanah mocked, laughing all the way as she continued to confidently avoid everything Bolo had to throw at her. "Unfortunately for you, however, this isn't exactly the time for jokes."

"JOKE!? YOU THINK THIS IS A JOKE!?" he indignantly asked, though he didn't relent on his assault. "YOU MURDERED MY FRIEND! I'M FIGHTING FOR HER HONOR! TORYAAAAH!"

"Wow… You're even dumber than I thought, dude," Hashanah continued to mock as she eventually switched things up by dodging an incoming hook from Bolo, after which… "SHYAH!" she bellowed as she propelled herself forth off her feet and rammed her knee into his gut with a resounding *KATHRASH*.

"Ghahhagh…!" Bolo groaned in agony, his momentum brought to a screeching halt as he stumbled back. Hashanah would grant him no immediate reprieve, however, as she followed up with by grabbing a handful of his hair with a hand to reel him in. Before he could do anything to stop her, she rocketed her knee into his face with a *PATHROCK* to send him reeling in excruciating pain. She added more punishment afterward in the form of a jaw-shattering hook than landed with a *KRACK* against the defenseless adventurer's face. Next came a whirling sweep kick to his knee that, with another horrifying *THRACK* that knocked him off his feet. And just as Bolo tried to hurriedly get back up…

"STAY DOWN!" Hashanah demanded as she cocked her leg all the way back… and delivered the MEANEST kickball punt of all time. With a devastating *THRAKRASSSHHK*, Hashanah kicked Bolo so hard in the chin that she sent him FLYING across the arena. He had to have been sent a good fifty feet across the way before landing JUST ON THE EDGE of a particularly active mini volcano as it boiled and spewed smoke from its opening.

"…Ghaaah… N-no…! I can't… I can't…!" Bolo urged himself, barely able to keep himself conscious as he found himself sapped of energy. The poor young man was flat on his back, staring up at the sky as he registered his dire situation for what it was. He wouldn't get much time to reflect, however, as Hashanah walked over and clamped a hand around his throat to pick him up with unprecedented strength. "Dhaaaaagh…! Ghaack…!" he choked out as he quickly began to struggle and flail against her iron grip. Meanwhile, she lifted him high and… and dangled him over the lava pit.

"See what playing the 'hero' gets a circus clown like you now?" she condescendingly remarked, a menacing grin plastered on her face as she telekinetically brought his projectiles over to a position where he could see them. "Absolutely nothing but endless suffering at best, and an early grave at worst…!" she continued, clenching the fingers in her magic-borne hand to crush the Pike Balls until they exploded with nonthreatening *POPs* from within the ominous force field she conjured around them. She soon canceled out her magic, letting the dust from his projectiles dissipate in the wind.

"Ghrrgh…! L-let go of me…!" Bolo demanded, trying his hardest to break free. "I'll… I-I'll make… you… pay…!"

"Hm. Of course, you weren't listening. Not that it matters to me," the rogue genie remarked with a shrug as she contemplated dropping him into the mini volcano. And when I say she 'contemplated' it, I meant that she absolutely planned on doing it. Or rather, I think she was. But first… "You should be thanking me for exterminating that filthy feline. If you got close enough to know her by name, then it's obvious she most likely got into your head and made you believe you were special to her. Can't say I'm surprised you'd be so hopelessly gullible, but I suppose that's how the dice roll with a pathetic chump like you. Believe me, I did you—and by extension, this entire planet—a huge favor."

"…Sh… shut up…! Y-you don't know anything… about her…! She… she was my friend…!" Bolo fought through her iron grip around his neck to challenge, though it seems he spoke more out of grief than out of anger… At least, that's what I could assume from the apparent tear rolling down from his eye as he glowered at his attacker.

"Yeah, you keep tellin' yourself that. Maybe when you find her in the next world, you can see for yourself how much your 'friendship' meant to her," she uncaringly remarked as she… seemed to prepare to finish Bolo off. That was, before a sudden *WHROOOOOOSH* of wind blew hard enough to nearly knock Hashanah off her feet. And just as suddenly as the wind came and went… an entirely displeased Tayshan was standing right there, glaring hot death at her.

"That's enough. Put him down on the ground, NOW," he demanded, already striking a battle pose as he kept himself ready to rescue his teammate in case the genie did something rash.

"Hm. About time you got the bright idea to jump in," Hashanah casually remarked, glaring right back at the wraith as she… surprisingly obeyed his command by callously tossing Bolo to the side. Bolo hit the ground with a rough *PATWOUGH*, rolling through a bed of flowers before finding himself lying face down on a patch of grass. He lay there for a moment before gingerly shifting to a seated position, downtrodden as he bore witness to the confrontation between his hated adversary… and his antihero teammate. "So, you ready to tell me what you know about the Phantasmagoric Forest? Or are you ready to see what I can REALLY do to hurt you this time?" she further asked, though she was quick to pull out her Spirit Fuser piece and strike a battle pose of her own.

"I'm ready t' haul you in an' put a stop t' your schemes," Tay remarked as he hopped back and readied himself for another turbulent scuffle, not at all intimidated. "Now, 'friend,' we can do this the easy way or the hard way."

"Oh, you're giving me a choice as though you're the one in control of this situation? Hah! Gotta love your unwarranted cockiness. It'd almost be endearing if it didn't reveal you to be so unbelievably stupid. Then again, you didn't set the bar very high, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised…"

"Okay, well come over here an' find out how 'stupid' I am," Tay both deflected and boldly challenged with a 'come hither' gesture of his index finger, his body suddenly emitting a flow of Light Magic as he stoically stared Hashanah down.

"…Huh. Never seen or heard someone respond quite like that…" she remarked in an odd sense of curiosity. The curiosity would be short-lived, of course, as she breathed a pressured sigh and focused. "Regardless, I hope you regret EVERYTHING about what's gonna happen to you in the next five minutes…!" she added as she got set as well…

"…I already know this is gonna be a messy one. Just… gotta stay focused an' be careful not t' go overboard…" he urged himself as he took a deep breath and… toned down the glow surrounding his form. Yet, just before they were set to begin their next bout… "Hashanah."

"…What?" Hashanah irritably responded, staring him down like a bear about to maul its next victim. In response, Tay reached into his utility belt, pulled out an Air Filtration Mask, and…

"Catch," he suggested as he tossed the accessory over to her. Despite her surprise, Hashanah got Air Filtration Mask, though she stared at it in unfiltered contempt as she resisted the urge to destroy it outright.

"And why exactly are you giving me this?" she warily questioned, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Because you don't wanna breathe the soot from these volcanoes in for too long. You'll get sick if you do, an' I figure we might as well have a fair fight if we need t' fight at all," he explained, pulling out the mask part of his previously damaged headgear and strapping it onto his face without the helmet portion of it. And after a moment of hesitation…

"…What, you expect me to suddenly be convinced not to destroy you simply because you're being nice to me? Because it isn't gonna work," she remarked, though she actually did put the mask on.

"Goodness, you're paranoid…" Tay shot back with a shake of his head. "No, I'm not tryin' t' soften you up. I'm givin' you a fair chance here, like I said. An' the only thing I 'expect' t' happen at this point is that you'll go down kickin' an' screamin'."

"Hmph. Brave words for such an overconfident guy," she dismissed with a shrug as she entered her battle stance. "But, so long as we're clear that I still don't like you, and that you're another obnoxious obstacle in my path to true power, I think we've done enough talking. Thanks for the mask, no less."

"You're welcome, but that's actually really unfortunate," he pointed out. "If you're gonna hate me, then at least have a better reason for it than 'I apparently stole your thunder once upon a time,' eh?"

"As if you don't feel the same way about me! Don't you stand there and judge me!" she shouted back in no small form of offense at his assertion.

"For the record, I never said I disliked you," he clarified to her surprise. "I do, however, dislike your methods as of late because o' the danger you put other people in. Despite what you've done, though, I don't have that much insight int' you as a person t' judge whether t' like or dislike you. I suppose this battle might help sway my opinion one way or the other, no less…"

"…Hm. You MUST be trying to play some stupid mind game. I don't believe you."

"Then believe whatever you want," he retorted with a shrug. "If you wanna fight that badly, then let's go."

"Gladly…!"

HASHANAH VS. TAYSHAN, ROUND 2: VICIOUS VENDETTA!

"Locked an' Ready t' Rock!" Tayshan declared as his war cry as he braced himself for another grueling skirmish. Hashanah, wasting not even a second, raised her Spirit Fuser piece above her head, at which point it began to glow.

"Spirit Shift: Thrasher Rhino!" she announced, making it known right away that she wanted to take the ghostly guardian down as quickly as possible. And with an almost instantaneous, glowing *ZHROAULNG*, the half-genie was coated in a protective golden aura that took the form of a gigantic rhinoceros.

"What in the…!?" Tayshan remarked in total surprise, though he had little time to register what happened. Hashanah immediately went charging at him faster than he anticipated. As such, he braced himself for one HECK of an impact.

"RRRYAAAAAAH!" Hashanah shouted as she bulleted toward her opponent and slammed the entirety of her animal form's force against her opponent, sending him reeling with an impactful *PATHRAAASH*.

"GUHURRGH…!" Tay grunted, barely finding it in himself to somersault after being launched dozens of feet away from the spirit-shifted rhino. He managed to land on his feet and one hand, sliding backward by a few more feet as Hashanah came charging in again with the full intent to flatten him outright. "So, that's how you wanna kick things off? Fine, then…! HrrrrrRRAGH!" he further acknowledged and grunted as he charged up a current of electricity in one hand before rolling out of the way to NARROWLY avoid being trampled by Hashanah in her Thrasher Rhino form.

"Shoot…! Didn't think he'd dodge that fast…!" Hashanah cursed as her rhino form's hooves skidded and slid across the ashen terrain. She quickly whirled around and charged at Tayshan with all the might she could muster. It went without saying that the monstrous footsteps of this form caused the ground to quake as she galloped along with dark determination. "LET'S SEE YOU TRY AND GET AWAY THIS TIME!"

"SPECTER FLASH!" Tay shouted as he grounded his stance, stretched his magic-charged hand forth, and fired off an electrified *BWEEEERSH* of one of his signature techniques directly at her at breakneck speed.

"WHOA, WHOA, WHA-!?" Hashanah panicked, trying her hardest to stop herself as the blast came ripping through the air toward her. She would find no such luck, however, as the magic attack smashed into her rhino form's face with an explosive *TRAKWAPARSHK* that utterly shattered the form like glass being thrown against a brick wall. "GWAAHAGH!" she shouted as she was sent careening backward. Tayshan wasted hardly a second charging in after her as she hurtled toward the other end of the volcano-laden arena. Hashanah was quick to recover, however, as she somersaulted backward and planted herself firmly on her feet. "Huh… So, he's got a new move or two… Great…!"

"Stay on your guard!" Tayshan yelled a warning at her as he raced through the volcanic field like an angry cheetah. He was quick to lunge ahead, looking to get up close and personal as he charged his hands up with magic. Hashanah had other plans, however.

"TYRANNY BLAZER!" she announced as she hurriedly charged a supply of Dark Magic into her hand, aimed, and fired a *KAPWOOORSH* of her signature technique… straight at the ground to kick up a sooty smokescreen as she hopped away.

"Gaah…!" Tay grumbled as he halted his approach. His feet skidding across the ground as he reached the point of contact, he shielded his eyes with a hand to avoid being blinded by the cloud of soot. Within the next few seconds, however, he charged another supply of magic into his arm as he reached all the way backward with it. And with a swing of his arm… "SHWAAAAH!" he hollered, utilizing a Reaper Wind Burst to blow the smoke out of his line of vision with a powerful *FWEEEEERSSSH* of air. Despite his effort in clearing out Hashanah's diversion, however, he wasn't able to immediately identify her position… until he heard another *ZHROAULNG* from up ahead. He found his attention turned toward a mini volcano that had been smoking heavily as he saw some form of glittering, topaz-hued avian creature emerging from the cloud. It took merely a second for the creature to rise sky high and make a beeline toward him, prompting him to turn and run for his li…er, safety.

"CHOKE ON THIS! PYRO METEOR!" the bird shouted, opening its beak and firing off a monumental *FWAKREEEEEEEEESH* of a deceptively small fireball down at its target.

"WHOA! Jeez, what kind o' power is this girl packin' with that thing…!?" Tayshan murmured as he floored it across the volcanic field with a miniature sun barreling toward him like it had a grudge against him. He barely escaped the blast as it exploded with an enormous, mile-wide *KAFWOOOORRRSH* against the ground that utterly betrayed the size of the projectile. The blast was so large that it wound up bathing two entire nearby flowerbeds in brilliant scarlet flames. It was worth note that the flowerbeds in question were ON OPPOSITE ENDS OF THE VOLCANIC FIELD. "Shoot, that's hot…! She's bein' completely reckless, an' with that kind o' power, she'll set this whole field on fire… Gonna have t' ground her the hard way…!" he observed as he climbed back to his feet and continued to dash away as his avian-shielded enemy remained in hot pursuit. Unbeknownst to Hashanah, Tayshan had begun charging up magic in two of his fingers on one hand.

"There's no way you can outrun a Scorcher Hawk! Now, BURN!" Hashanah yelled as she commanded her Scorcher Hawk form to fire off another *FWAKREEEEEEEEESH* of a pool ball-sized Pyro Meteor at him as she gained on him. Rather than simply run away and let another of these extremely deadly projectiles hit the ground, however…

"BACK ATCHA!" Tayshan hollered as he turned and, with one magic-charged hand aimed forward, fired a *BWEEERSH* of a Specter Flash at the incoming fireball. The blasts almost immediately collided in the air with a spectacularly electrifying, fiery *KRAPWOOOAAARKAZAAAASSH* that saw sparks of lightning and embers scattering all over the place.

"Whoa…! Dang it…!" Hashanah grumbled in a mix of surprise and agitation, forced to turn upward to avoid flying directly into the terrain-destroying fireworks display that went off in front of her. Her sudden ascent did not distract her from the fact that Tayshan had suddenly stopped running and instead opted to stand still, aiming two glowing fingers at her from the ground. "What…? What's he planning on do-?"

"BRINGIN' YOU DOWN!" Tay shouted as he fired off a startling *TWEEEEERSCH* of a Sniper's Judgment attack. The blindingly bright laser beam just RIPPED through the air at nearly the speed of light, striking Hashanah's Scorcher Hawk form with a shattering *KRATWAARKAKLAASHK* that sent magic shards scattering everywhere as she was knocked out of her form.

"GWAAHAGH! HWAAAAAHAAAAAAH!" she bellowed, plummeting headfirst toward a particularly wide mini volcano as it bubbled and boiled over, spilling its scorching hot, rainbow-hued contents all over the place. Hashanah was at the mercy of gravity from hundreds of feet upward, hardly able to do a thing in the three seconds she had before meeting a grisly end. Tayshan set out immediately, rushing in to potentially save her before it was too late. As soon as he got close enough, he took off one of his Inhibitor Vambraces, and…

"Gah…! REAPER WIND BURST!" he shouted, swinging his free arm upward as hard as he could to create the strongest, most intense, most suffocating updraft known to man. With a loudly howling *FWAFWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORSH*, the Reaper Wind Burst swept up debris, disembodied flowers, smoke, and lava alike as it also slowed Hashanah's descent to a crawl. As soon as the air blast secured his target, Tay raced forth and leapt into the temporary current.

"Ghagh…! W-what in the-?" she barely found the sense to eke out, unable to see or hear anything other than the rush of gale force winds filling her ears. Within the next second, however, Hashanah found herself suddenly yanked out of the wind current and flung backward. "HWAARAAAAAHH!" she shouted again, though she was able to open her eyes enough to bear witness to the golden-garbed guardian flipping over the lava pit she nearly fell into. A second later, and with a painful *PAPLOUGH*, she hit the ground and rolled into another grassy flowerbed.

"Daahagh…! Grrrgh…! Ah…!" Tayshan grunted and winced, his vambrace-less arm crackling with purple and blue electricity as he let it hang limp by his side. "I'm… already overdoin' it…! Sh-shoot…!" he further cursed as he lifted his arm to inspect it… only to see that it had suddenly begun to seemingly disappear as it became transparent. The very sight of the unsettling phenomenon froze him nearly stiff as his eyes widened. "W… what the…?"

"Agh… Hah… Mmph…!" Hashanah grunted as she gingerly picked herself back up, catching her breath as she did so. "Darn it…! This 'ghost' is just FULL of unpleasant surprises…! But for him to SAVE me? What the heck's up with that…!?" she grumbled, turning her attention to him with the full intent to resume the battle… before witnessing him hurriedly clamping his Inhibitor Vambrace on his disappearing, crackling limb. As soon as he did so, his arm slowly returned to a fully solid state… though it was still surging with electricity. "Hmm…"

"Hmph. Not a good sign in the slightest…!" he acknowledged regarding his hand, his brow furrowing as he turned his attention back to Hashanah and approached. "You about finished messin' around yet?" he dared to ask as he got within twenty feet of her and struck another battle pose.

"This is hardly what I call 'messing around,' pal, and after seeing what YOU'RE capable of, you'd better BELIEVE I mean business now," Hashanah shot back, dusting herself off before assuming her battle pose as well. "Although… What the heck did you save me for? I thought you planned on taking me down."

"Ah, d-don't read into it," he dismissed, slightly caught off-guard by the hostile inquiry. "You're no use to anyone if you're dead, an' it stands t' reason that you have somethin' quite valuable in your possession right now," he further clarified, though Hashanah didn't buy it.

"Hm. I know you want me to believe you were only saving the Spirit Fuser piece, but I get the strange feeling you only did it because it'd look bad on your little 'hero' record if you didn't," she incredulously challenged, pointing an accusatory finger at him. At that, Tayshan plainly breathed a sigh and shrugged.

"No, actually. If you want me t' be completely honest, it's because I personally didn't want you t' get hurt worse than necessary," he informed quite matter-of-factly, surprising her in the process. "Like I said before, my reputation as a 'hero' is irrelevant when I'm not even a hero t' begin with. Doesn't mean I can't still be a decent person, even when the stakes are as high as they are now. That said, you're handin' that Spirit Fuser piece over NOW."

"…Huh. You… are… odd…" she pointed out after a moment of silence, warily scanning him up and down with her eyes. "I honestly can't figure you out."

"Sorry if what I'm sayin' is too hard for you t' comprehend," he sarcastically shot back with a nonchalant tilt of his head. "But why don't we spend more time gettin' t' understand each other AFTER I snatch that Relic off you an' arrest you?" he further redirected, ready for the battle to continue. At that, Hashanah chuckled.

"Yyeeeah, neither of those things is happening. Trust me," the rogue genie assured, wearing another of her mischievous scowls as she disregarded the previous topic entirely. "Why do you even want this thing, anyway? And in case you plan on lying to me to save face, I overheard your little chat with that blue-haired buffoon back there earlier. You know something about the Spirit Fuser that you don't want to tell me."

"And what gives you THAT idea?"

"You mentioned something about fighting Risky Boots in the Phantasmagoric Forest," she explained, alarming the wraith in the process as his eyes widened at her observation. "Yep. That look on your face tells all. There's no reason either of you should've been there unless you were in pursuit of the Spirit Fuser fragment located there, and the statement you made perfectly lines up with something Sky said to me about that same encounter while she and I were getting to know each other."

"…Darn it…!" he cursed, breathing an exasperated sigh as he recognized that Hashanah had put the pieces together.

"Glad we could finally get that all nice and cleared up. So, where's that other piece, Tayshan?" Hashanah demanded to know. "I KINDA need it, and thanks to you, I wasted an entire week looking for an island that turned out to no longer exist. Any longer, and I'd have missed my mark on the other two fragments. Do you have it? Or does Risky Boots have it?"

"None o' your business who has it," he firmly denied, growing tenser as he intensified his glare and remained steady in his fighting stance.

"Wrong answer, Tay," the rogue genie warned, going as far as to address him by his nickname. "If you don't tell me where that blasted fragment is right now, I will see to it that your girlfriend NEVER sees you again… outside of me taking your form to exact my revenge on her after I'm done with you…!"

"An' what's that supposed t' mean? You're gonna try an' absorb me int' that thing like you did those animals on that other island?" he queried, though the mere thought of it made him tense up even more.

"Ah, so you do know your stuff about the Spirit Fuser! I see my new best friend Sky's been keeping you well-informed. And to answer your question… I certainly wouldn't rule that out. Especially not after what I've seen of you when you take one of those fancy Inhibitor Vambraces off," she remarked, her grin widening as she readied herself.

"…So, you know about these things too, eh?" Tay asked, momentarily glancing at the accessories in question.

"Indeed, I do. I have Sky to thank for that. And you know what? Your little display in saving me after shooting me out of the air with that finger laser of yours was all the proof I needed. So, congratulations! You've finally convinced me that you're as powerful as they say. Heck, you may even be MORE powerful than the rumors let on…"

"Fantastic…" he unenthusiastically 'cheered' with a shake of his head.

"I'll bet it is. Of course, showing me your real power here may very well have been your undoing. Sky asked me not to hurt you, and I'll admit I… contemplated it. But if you don't cough up what I need to know right now, I will not hesitate to break you down and make your power MINE! After that, I'll just go and hunt that fragment down myself, starting in Scuttle Town…!"

"Hm. An' just like that, this just got a whole lot more dangerous…" he murmured, taking a deep, pressured breath as he remained focused. "Regardless, that's wishful thinkin' comin' from you. If you think usin' the forms o' those animals you absorbed is gonna be enough t' overwhelm me at this point, then you're sadly mistaken."

"Try me, Tay. Just like you, I have a couple of big surprises in store for you if you provoke me to bust 'em out…!"

"Then I guess we're gonna need t' see what those 'surprises' are, provided you even get the chance t' spring 'em on me," he accepted the challenge. "Bring it on, Hasha."

"H-Hey! What did you just call me?" she asked, suddenly shaken up as she tried to hide her surprise. Reading her reaction, Tay raised an eyebrow.

"I called you 'Hasha.' Since you wanna address me like we're friends despite you not likin' me, I might as well give you a 'friendly' nickname, too. Hope ya don't mind."

"Okay, but why would you pick THAT name of all things, though? Couldn't you have come up with something different?" she further demanded to know, both flustered and frustrated by her enemy's supposed misnomer for her. At that, the wraith grinned.

"Heh… Guess I hit a little too close t' home on that one. That just means the name sticks. Now, come on, Hasha! Let's wrap this up!"

"D'ooohh, you…! I'LL WIPE THAT SMUG GRIN OFF YOUR FACE!" she declared as she raised the Spirit Fuser fragment high once more. "Spirit Shift: Leopard Gal!" she shouted, after which she morphed with another arcane *ZHROAULNG* into a golden-hued version of the monster in question.

"Already transformin' again? Yeah, this ain't gonna end well for you…" he muttered as he stealthily charged the index and middle fingers on each hand with magic and waited for her to approach.

"LET'S SEE HOW YOU LIKE THIS!" Hashanah roared her challenge as she sprinted at Tayshan and bared her Leopard Gal form's claws with every intent to slice him to ribbons. Only, as she took the first *SCHWING* of a claw swipe, Tayshan dipped backward and dodged it. She tried again with another *SCHWISH* of a downward slash that missed its mark as he rolled out of the way of it. "STAY STILL!" she demanded as she doggedly pursued him, lunging forth to attempt a double slash with twin *SHRINGs* of the jagged hooks protruding from her paws.

"SHAH!" Tayshan grunted as he ducked under both of her arms and jabbed Hashanah directly in the stomach with a *CHAKRAZAAP* of his magic-imbued fingers.

"KHAAGH…!" she grunted, stumbling back a bit as she registered the debilitating sensation of electricity momentarily running through her entire body. She was quick to shake it off, however, as she redoubled her efforts and aggressively charged at him again. "RYAAAAH!" she hollered in determination as she initiated a high-speed, high-stakes chase of total ruthless violence. *SCHWISH* after *SCHRANG* after anxiety-inducing *SCHWIIIING*, the Leopard Gal-disguised Hashanah tried her absolute hardest to literally sink her claws into the wraith she hated with a burning passion. Tayshan quickly found himself under a TON of pressure, though he was able to adapt. As Hashanah pursued him all over the volcanic field, he dodged, ducked, and even parried her claw swipes with the occasional *KATWAANG* of her claws against his Inhibitor Vambraces. At one point, however…

"TOOH!" Tay uttered as he stepped forward and swatted Hashanah's arm away with his wrist right as she tried to slash downward at him once more. With a powerful *TWACK* of their limbs colliding, the rampant genie found herself stumbling back in surprise. In that same instant, Tayshan extended his index and middle fingers once more, channeling even more power into them before he raced in again. "I'll make you FEEL THIS ONE! TEMPEST OF TRIBULATION!" he announced as he closed the distance between himself and his opponent and struck with a *KRAZATWACK* of his fingers against her abdomen.

"GAAAAGH! AH…!" Hashanah howled in agony as a rippling surge of electricity coursed through her from the point of contact outward. Her troubles wouldn't end there, however, as Tayshan struck with another *KRAZAKRACK* of his other extended fingers against her shoulder that sent her stumbling back even further. This was quickly followed up by a lightning-speed barrage of electrified magic finger pokes that he aimed all over her body. *ZATWACK* after *TAKRACK* after shockingly anguish-inducing *KRAZAKATWACK*, the wraith unleashed an unholy, thunderous fury upon his genie adversary as he spent the following five full seconds hitting these devastating finger strikes by the dozen for every second that passed. He only stopped when he noticed his arms beginning to sizzle and crackle from the extended use of his magic, though he was quick to finish his counterattack by planting his hand on the ground to perform a windmill kick that swept Hashanah off her feet with a *THROCK* of his boots against her ankles. Before she hit the ground, however, the ghost warrior quickly sprang back up to his feet and landed an earth-shattering *PAKRAAAASHK* of a palm strike that sent the half-genie hurtling at least twenty yards away. Just then, however, another painful *KRAKAZOCK* of electricity ripped through him, causing him to nearly collapse in a mixture of fatigue and magic-borne distress.

"Khaagh…! D-darn it…" he cursed as he began to sweat profusely and wince while trying to keep himself on his feet. "Hah…! Agh…! Man…! This magic's really startin' t' drive me nuts…!" he further complained as he watched Hashanah, still in her Leopard Gal form, hit the ground on her paws, skidding across the ground to stop herself from falling into yet another mini volcano behind her. One could tell by the sweat-bathed and pained, yet entirely savage scowl on her face, however, that she was FAR from ready to give in. As such, Tayshan shaped himself up as best as he could and reentered his battle stance.

"Tayshan!" called Bolo as he finally reentered the fray to check up on his partner.

"Hey. You alright?" the wraith asked his teammate, though he didn't take his eyes off their shared enemy for a second.

"As good as I'm gonna get, but you look like you're in bad shape…"

"N-not as much in bad shape… a-as it is that I'm overcharged an' strugglin' t' stay in control… These vambraces are at their limit…!" Tay assured… to a degree, causing Bolo to raise an eyebrow.

"What…? What does that…? Uh…" he was about to ask before glancing down at the taller man's wrists to see that they had been VIOLENTLY crackling and flashing with purple and blue electricity. Meanwhile, the man in question winced and sucked in air through his gritted teeth as he also struggled to catch his breath. "Oh. Ohhh, wooooow…" Bolo droned, finally catching on. He would hardly get a chance to inquire further before…

"WRAAAAAAAAH!" Hashanah roared loudly enough that she could realistically be heard three entire planets away. At a moment's glance, she dashed forth at practically the speed of sound at Tayshan with nothing but revenge on her mind at that point.

"Darn it…! Here she comes!" Tay warned, prompting Bolo to dive out of the way as Hashanah came in and clashed her claws with a *KATWAANG* against the wraith's vambrace. This time, however, she left a massive scratch on it deep enough that she almost tore all the way through it. That didn't stop either of the heated rivals from engaging in another deadly dance that consisted of Hashanah attempting to cut Tayshan to pieces with a fusillade of wild, high-speed claw swipes as she chased him all over the arena. The ghostly guardian did his best to keep himself in the game as he dodged, blocked, ducked, and weaved around her attacks. During the assault, he quickly took note that she'd lost quite a bit of steam in the form of her attacks coming out wilder and slower as she huffed and puffed with every increasingly uncoordinated strike. His defense wasn't perfect, however, as Hashanah managed to sporadically rip and scratch at his armor and his pants. Worse yet, he found himself multitasking between figuring out a way to counteract Hashanah's latest attack and avoiding taking one wrong step that would've potentially sent him plummeting into one of the many mini volcanoes in the vicinity. Yet…

"Hah…! Don't you think…! Yah! Don't you think you should try somethin' new!?" he dared to ask through his continuous effort to keep himself out of harm's way. "You're gonna burn yourself out at this rate!"

"GRAAAH, I DON'T NEED ADVICE FROM YOU! TAKE THIS!" Hashanah fervently refused his suggestion as she kept on chasing and swinging away at him. She would gain a momentary advantage, however, when she flicked her tail forth as he stepped on a particularly large rock. The window of opportunity was small, though she capitalized on it as soon as she saw him stumble backward. "GOTCHA! TYAH!" she announced as she wrapped her tail around the ghostly guardian's leg to stop him in his tracks.

"Gah! Whoa!" Tay shouted in surprise as he felt his leg being yanked forth. He had next to no time to react as he watched Hasha reach all the way back with one set of claws, wearing a particularly menacing grin on her face. It went without a doubt that she planned on totally eviscerating the wraith in a single strike.

"NOW, PERISH!" she shouted as she launched her attack with all her might, aiming right at his face. Tay had neither the time nor the space he needed to escape the situation unscathed. So, he opted for his next best option in putting his vambrace-covered arm up to block the deadly incoming strike. And, with a particularly frightening *KRATWAAKAKRACK* of her razor-sharp claws against his Inhibitor Vambrace, they collided once again. Only… the Inhibitor Vambrace SHATTERED upon impact as the force of the attack caused him to jerk to the side.

"Ghahah…!" he muttered in a mix of shock and moderate pain as he watched the vambrace crack into pieces and fall off his wrist… at which point, a suffocating surge of Dual Magic quickly engulfed his hand with a most frightening *KRAKAFWOOORRRZZH*. He would only find himself further pressured, however, when Hashanah yanked him forth with her Leopard Gal tail still wrapped around his leg. And just before he could think to try and defend himself, Hashanah landed a truly GRUESOME *KASCHREEERSCH* of a merciless claw attack that CUT ALL THE WAY THROUGH TAYSHAN'S CHEST ARMOR! "HAAWAAAAGH!"

"Finally…! Hah… Now, feel my WRATH!" she bellowed as she cancelled out her Leopard Gal form with one mor *ZHROAULNG* and raced ahead while he was reeling back from her previous attack. Wasting no time, she lunged forth and, with a Dark Magic-infused fist, HAMMERED him with a *KRAKATHROK* of her knuckles against his face, followed by a graceful, yet deadly spinning kick that landed with a *KATHRASH* against his abdomen. She carried on her assault by racing ahead and jumping up to grab him by his hair to yank him down, at which point she delivered a JAW-SHATTERING Dark Magic-infused uppercut that hit with an explosive *KARPLOKRAK*. She finished up her combo by charging an especially vicious supply of Dark Magic into her hand. Soon after, the rogue genie aimed it, charged a little more into it as that ominous purple aura swirled around her appendage… and… "TYRANNY BLAZER!" she hollered, immediately firing off her most reliable projectile with an alarming *KAPWOOOOORSH*. Within the following second, the attack hit its mark with a devastating *PWAPWOAAAARRSHK* against her opponent's exposed chest.

"GHAAAAGH!" Tayshan shouted as he was blown back by at least fifteen yards, more of his armor breaking off and scattering across the dusty battlefield along the way. He hit the ground with a most unsettling *PAPLOUGH* on his back, sliding along by another yard before coming to a screeching halt. By all accounts, it seemed Hashanah had finally gotten the opportunity she was looking for… were it not for the fact that the undead warrior's hand had still been surging with blue and purple energy. Right before making her next move, however, she took it upon herself to pick up the broken pieces of Tayshan's Inhibitor Vambrace and pocket them.

"I only wonder how much of his power is stored in this thing, but I'll figure it out later…" she murmured to herself, taking a second to catch her breath as she focused her attention on the enemy from whom she got Broken Inhibitor Vambrace. Afterward, she quickly raced over to him, Spirit Fuser in hand as she sought to capitalize. Before he recovered enough of his senses to get back up, the renegade genie leapt high into the air, somersaulting along the way before she landed with a *THRACK* of her feet against her enemy's chest in a most unforgiving stomp that threatened to knock the wind out of him.

"HAAGH…! Ah…! Y-you…!" Tay groaned in breathless anguish, feeling her full weight on his chest as he immediately struggled to try and escape the disastrous predicament.

"Hah… Whew… This was a fun little bout we had, but… Hah… It looks like victory, as well as VENGEANCE…! Are MINE…!" she gloated, evidently quite exhausted as she did her best to hold herself up while flashing him as triumphant a grin as she could muster. "And… Now, your power…! Give it to me!" she demanded, holding the Spirit Fuser high and initiating its truly malevolent golden glow… And at that moment, Tayshan's entire body was enveloped in that same aura, signifying that the vampiric soul drain process had begun.

"HAAGH! NRAAAAAAAAAAAHAAAAAAAGH!" the wraith yelled out in torturous agony as that familiarly foreboding *FWAFWOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRSSSSSSHH* was triggered, at which point a tempestuous cyclone of purple and blue magic began to pour out of him… and into the Spirit Fuser fragment in Hashanah's hand.

"Yes…! YES! YOU'RE AS GOOD AS MINE!" she cheered, cackling in triumphant glee as her opponent's powers were siphoned out of him. She would only get but so much time to celebrate, however, before the sudden *CHAPROCK* of the Spirit Fuser popping off like a firecracker in her hand shook her out of her focus. "GHAH! W-wow…! What was that…!? Have I already hit this piece's power lim-?" she was about to inquire to herself before…

"HRRAAAAGH! NOT ON YOUR LIFE! SHRRAAAAAAAAAAGH!" Tayshan fought through a swirling torrent of unyielding suffering to reach up and grab the half-genie's leg with an electricity-charged hand… and with all the focus he could muster… "VOLT PULSE!" he shouted, at which point the startling *ZZZAKRAKAZAKAZZZZZAAAAAAAZAAAP* of his energy made itself apparent in how it IMMEDIATELY shot through every inch of Hashanah's body.

"GHAAAHWAAAAHAAAAAAAAAGH!" she hollered in her own brand of absolute burning despair as her soul drain process was completely interrupted. Tay only held on for a couple seconds, however, before he let go of her leg and prepared to make his next move… only for a certain someone else to intervene before he could even get up off the ground.

"GET AWAY FROM HIM!" Bolo shouted as he bravely sprinted forth, flinging a Dynamite Pike at Hashanah from behind as hard as he could. And, as one might predict, he scored a direct hit with a fearsome *KRABWOOOOM* that sent the already-stunned genie flying forth by at least a dozen yards, after which she hit the ground with a most unsettling *KRATHUD*. After clearing the area, Bolo hurriedly rushed over to inspect his partner's condition. "H-hey! Bro, are you alright?" he asked as he reached Tayshan and offered a hand.

"I'm good. Thanks for the save… but… you're safer keepin' a bit o' distance from me right this second…" the wraith breathlessly advised as he, with Bolo's assistance, gingerly climbed to his feet. At this point, however, his vambrace-less arm had still been crackling and flashing profusely with electricity… while also becoming worryingly transparent.

"…Uh… T-Tayshan…?"

"What's up…?"

"You… Y-your arm… it's disappearing…!" Bolo pointed out in concern as Tay finally rose to a tired stand and turned to the injured Hashanah just a short distance away.

"I… I know… An' if it means what I think it means, then… we have t' get out o' here before it gets worse…!" Tay acknowledged, though they wouldn't get to speak further before Hashanah eventually recovered from her magic-induced paralysis and rose to an incredibly weary stand herself. She was rife with scratches, her hair was beyond frazzled and matted with soot, and her clothes were in ruins, but she still stood on her own two feet.

"Ghah…! Hah…!" she grunted, wincing as she panted like she'd been running the world's longest marathon. Before looking at the boys, however, she glanced at her Spirit Fuser fragment… to see that it had been sparking and crackling with the same extraordinary purple and blue aura that her main enemy's arm had been exuding. After an additional moment of observing the phenomenon, she then turned her attention to her enemies. "You're… gonna regret doing that, blue hair…!" she first vowed revenge against Bolo.

"Yeah, well there's a lot more where that came from! You'd better watch your ba-!"

"And you, Tayshan…" Hashanah interjected, cutting Bolo off entirely.

"What, you wanna go some more?" he remarked as he braced himself despite his weariness.

"…I've… only just begun…! I'm gonna enjoy ending your existence a second time…!"

"Don't count on that…" he swiftly denied through jolts of pain. "I…! Ghahagh…! I wouldn't get too comfortable if I was you…!" he further challenged, though a sudden *CHACHOK* of electricity ripped through him as he took a mere few steps toward his and Bolo's shared adversary. "GAGH…! D-darn it…! Come on…!"

"Hm… Doesn't look like you're in a condition to continue…" Hashanah mockingly guessed. "You should be thanking the high heavens you got that last attack off on me, or else you'd have been a GONER…! And from the seems of it, you're more than halfway there…"

"Sorry t' burst your bubble, but… that's… not quite the case here…" Tay denied again, shaking his head as he winced again.

"What do you mean…?"

"Remember when I fired that magic blast at the beginnin' of our encounter?"

"What about it?"

"That wasn't just t' scare you… It was t' unload a heapin' ton of excess magic energy that was buildin' up in me…" he explained, further surprising her. "An' thanks t' you breakin' my vambrace, that power built right back up in a heartbeat…"

"Wh… WHAT!?" she bellowed her question in astonishment as she dropped her fighting stance. In that same moment, Tay raised his unbraced hand forward, his palm facing her as it continued to be swarmed by Dual Magic.

"I'm not strugglin' t' keep it together because you did that much damage t' me or because you stole some o' my energy…! I'm strugglin' t' keep it together because my power's overflowin' an' needs an outlet…! HRRRRAAAAAH!" he shouted as he concentrated a hefty supply of energy into his hand… which caused it to form a gigantic ball of blinding, electricity-imbued blue light with a spectacular *KAVWOOORZISHHK*. In doing so, however, he flinched in debilitating pain. "Only thing… is that firin' this next attack directly at you could potentially KILL you… So, it seems we're at an impasse…!"

"…S-so after all that talk about you not hating me, and doing me all those unwanted favors, you're gonna turn around and try to kill me now? Is that what you're getting at?" she questioned, tensing up despite her defiant tone.

"No. What I'm gettin' at, Hasha, is that your only reasonable options at this point are t' either surrender to us or run…" he sagely advised, catching Bolo by surprise as the younger adventurer turned toward him in wonder. "Because if you choose t' keep fightin', then you are REALLY NOT GONNA LIKE WHAT HAPPENS NEXT…! I can't guarantee your survival, but be prepared t' have that Spirit Fuser piece pried out o' your fingers one way or another if you keep this up…!"

"…Hmph. That doesn't scare me. I will NEVER be afraid of you."

"Then why are your hands tremblin'?" he pointed out, causing her to flinch as her eyes widened.

"Shut up! I said I'm NOT scared of you!" she fervently reiterated, however… unconvincing she was when she made her statement as she instinctively hid her hands behind her back.

"Sure, whatever. That aside, I hope you realize by now you never had a chance t' win this fight. Trust an' believe that," Tay shot back, still holding the energy attack as it very slowly, but very steadily grew in size despite his efforts to contain it.

"And how do you figure that? I was dominating you for the last bit of it before you shocked me and gave this useless clown the chance to sneak up on me!"

"I don't know about you 'dominating' anybody, but let's be real: You rely way too much on your magic, an' it seems like that Spirit Fuser fragment is quick t' take its toll on you."

"How would YOU know!? You haven't the slightest clue about magic OR about how the Spirit Fuser really works! Mind your own business and stop jumping to conclusions!"

"Hashanah, I've been watchin' this entire time as that thing sapped you for energy with every animal form you conjured up. That's probably why you're so exhausted right now despite us only fightin' for about a half-hour. You ain't foolin' anybody," Tayshan dismissed her claim and countered, much to the rogue genie's chagrin as she glowered at him without another word in the moment. "Even worse for you, the fact that you've been usin' it so heavily just t' try an' get even a slight edge over me speaks volumes…"

"Hmph. See, this is why I don't like you. You think you're so much better than everyone around you that-!"

"For goodness' sake, girl, STOP with the assumptions! Nothin' you're sayin' about me there is gonna pull away from the fact that you know I have a point," he quickly shut down her latest defensive assertion.

"Ugh… Alright, fine," she finally conceded with a highly annoyed sigh and roll of her eyes. "You got it right. The Spirit Fuser as it is DOES cost a lot of energy to use, and I've been using this fragment to its fullest potential. But clearly, it's not enough to stop the oh-so astounding Tayshan the Tenacious and his fancy ghost powers. Is that what you want to hear? Huh, Tay?"

"That's an awfully weird way t' say 'I was wrong and I'm in over my head,' Hasha," he translated, only infuriating her more.

"Gaaah, STOP CALLING ME THAT!" she angrily demanded, stomping her foot on the ground as she balled her fists. "And you'd better watch the way you talk to me! I will DESTROY you before you even get the chance to regret messing with me!"

"We'll see about that. Now, the ball's in your court. What's it gonna be, Hashanah? Are you gonna come quietly now? Or are you gonna take this as your chance to escape before you dig your hole even deeper? Or are you maybe thinkin' about tryin' t' prove me wrong despite the very real chance you don't leave this place alive?" he offered the genie her choices as he still kept a VERY tight focus on containing the crackling magic attack waiting in his hand like it could go off any second.

"Whoa, wait, hang on a sec," Bolo jumped in, evidently not favoring the idea of their mutual enemy being given a choice in the matter of what would happen to her. "We can't just let her go. Not after what she's done."

"I know, but we're low on options an' lower on time…" Tay replied, though he kept his eyes on Hasha. "That is, unless you caught a second wind an' feel like you can take my place while I recover…"

"Oh! Ahh… Y-yeah, about that… Heh…" the blue-haired warrior was quick to hesitate as he nervously scratched his head with a finger, evidently figuring that was as far from the best choice in this situation as possible.

"Well, that's clearly a no. Your only wise choice today, Bozo," Hashanah flatly remarked as she crossed her arms and glared at the blue-haired young man.

"It's BOLO!" the headbanded adventurer shouted at Hashanah.

"Whatever, Bobo," she continued to dismissively address him, eliciting a slight chuckle out of Tayshan. Hearing it surprised her as she turned her attention toward the wraith. And despite him still aiming that potentially deadly magic sphere at her, she found herself… oddly conflicted. This would only last a second, however, before she shook it off. "Anyway, you losers are seriously cramping my style. I'm outta here. You should count yourselves lucky that I found out enough of what I needed to know today to let you live, but you'd better BELIEVE that I'll get my hands on that other Spirit Fuser piece you're hiding from me," Hashanah finally gave her answer as she turned around and held her Spirit Fuser fragment high. Yet, just before she initiated her next Spirit Shift… she craned her head around, casting her gaze squarely on the wraith. "Tayshan."

"Yeah?" he answered her call, however warily, as he waited for what she had to say. After a moment of her silently casting her gaze toward the ground in contemplation, she eventually turned her attention back to him. And after letting out a heavy sigh…

"…You should thank Sky for the fact that I'm being so lenient with you…" she admitted, almost shocking both boys out of their wits… before Tayshan picked up on the signal and calmed down.

"Hm. I'll certainly give her my regards. In that same vein, Sky's a good friend. A great friend, even. Actually, scratch that; she's a BEST friend. A wise one, too. An' if you're expectin' t' stay friends with her, then maybe you should mull over what you an' she spoke about when y'all last 'hung out.' That's all I'll say there."

"Hmph. Like I need to hear that from you of all people," Hashanah dismissed. "Keep your nose out of my personal affairs, would you?"

"Whatever you say, Hasha," he obliged, using her nickname again despite knowing she detested it. She… didn't give a reaction this time around, however. Instead, she turned back around, facing away from the boys. And after another moment of tense silence…

"Oh, and… uh… Thanks, I guess," she rather halfheartedly offered her gratitude, not at all giving any specification to what she was thanking him for. And before anyone could dig into her about it, her Spirit Fuser piece activated with another *ZHROAULNG*, creating another astral projection of a Scorcher Hawk. Only this time, instead of it being its usual glowing topaz hue, it took on a dazzling mixture of topaz… amethyst… and sapphire all at once. Within the next second, and with a *FLAFWOOOF* of her wings, Hashanah took flight at blistering speed to exit the battlefield while Tay and Bolo watched on. It would be mere minutes before she was out of sight. And once the coast was clear…

"…Hm. And just like that, she's gone… Darn it…!" Bolo grumbled, unhappy with the turnout. He wouldn't stew in his disappointment for long, however. "So, when do you think we-!" he was about to ask as he turned toward Tayshan… only to witness the wraith aiming that energy ball out toward the sea… and…

"HRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" he hollered out loud enough for any sentient life on the moon to hear it as he discharged the attack with a most astounding *KRAKAFWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRSSSH* of a gigantic bright blue and purple beam of electricity and light.

"W-WHOA!" Bolo yelped as he winced and shielded his face with his hands while gale force winds blowing toward him. Meanwhile the energy attack tore through the atmosphere as it burned a massive crater into the ground beneath it and sailed over the waves of the ocean. The explosive wave lasted but a few seconds before it vanished completely, but its mark was most definitely left. In its wake was a massive trail of blackened dirt, incinerated grass, and a heaping mass of rainbow-hued lava spilling into it as the trail smoldered profusely. "…Y-yikes…"

"Ghaaaah…!" Tay groaned in searing pain, suddenly collapsing to a knee and clutching his arm with his opposing hand as the limb surged and crackled with magic-borne electricity. "Ahhaaagh…! Gah…!"

"Shoot…! H-hey, you okay?" Bolo took it upon himself to ask as he visually inspected his teammate for injuries.

"Could… Hah…! Could be better…" Tay fought through a torrent of suffering to answer, panting heavily as his arm flickered and faded into transparency for a literal second before solidifying once again. "W-we need t' get back home A.S.A.P. an' speak t' Mimic…! Hagh…! Magic's actin' up again…"

"Ah. Uh… A-are you feeling like you're gonna pass out again?"

"No, thankfully, but I can't go too long without those bracelets… Speakin' o' which… Do you see the pieces o' the broken one anywhere?"

"Uh… So, you might not like what I have to report on that…"

"What, you're gonna say they got swallowed up in lava or somethin'?"

"Worse. Hashanah took them…"

"What!? Are you serious?" Tay remarked in shock as he turned his full attention to his teammate.

"Yeah. I watched her pick them up before she tried to steal your powers."

"…Great…" he lamented with a shake of his head as he forced himself up to an ostensibly capable stand. Just then, and with an arcane *SHWAVWOOOORSH*, another Stage Clear platform appeared a short distance away from them. Upon turning to spot it… "Perfect timin'. Alright, Bolo. Much as you might not like t' hear me put this way, our work here is done. Let's go."

"…R-right…" Bolo acknowledged, however somberly as he took a moment to mournfully stare at the ground while his teammate approached their 'ride' back home. Before stepping onto the platform, however…

"Hey," Tay called to the younger man, turning to face him. Hearing him, Bolo turned his gaze toward the wraith despite not saying anything. "…Klawdia would've been proud t' see you defendin' her honor. An' if it means anything, you got the last hit in on Hashanah before she fled. Technically speakin', that means you won this battle for us."

"Ah… Heh. I guess I did, huh?" Bolo recognized, a small grin creeping onto his face once he registered his comrade's vote of encouragement. "Goes to show that teamwork makes the dream work."

"Most def, bro. An' I… I get it if you're still torn up about losin' Klawdia so suddenly, but I do hope your heart heals from this."

"I'll be alright, dude. Thanks. And… um… I-I'm sorry for uh… for lashing out at you and calling you an antihero and all that… I-I was just frustrated with the situation and not thinking all that clearly. That was completely messed up of me…" he admitted.

"You're darn right, it was," Tay tersely remarked as he crossed his arms, shocking Bolo out of his somber stupor.

"What!? H-hey, that was supposed to be the part where you go, 'I know, bro, but it's water under the bridge!'" he complained.

"Yyyyeah, no, you ain't gettin' off THAT easy. I'm still annoyed at you for most o' what happened after we found Klawdia," the disgruntled wraith countered, furrowing his brow at his partner. "Listen, if you was just some random teammate I was assigned t' work with, I'd have been forced t' carry you home in a body bag for the way you almost completely screwed this mission. The Palace Guard has a STRICT rule in place regardin' what t' do with deserters, saboteurs, an' traitors… I think you get what I mean, no?"

"Oooh… Uh… Ya-huh," Bolo acknowledged, his stomach sinking as he instinctively gulped.

"Good. An' don't even get me STARTED on how you almost threw our entire friendship in the garbage can over a monster girl you were warned NEVER t' interact with, much less SLEEP with," he continued to lecture. "I feel for you, homie, but in hindsight, you dodged a HUGE bullet on this one. Could you imagine what Rottytops would do t' you if she found out you almost STARTED A FAMILY with that Leopard Gal behind her back? It might be the one thing WORSE than anything the Sultana could think up once she finds out…"

"Daah, u-um, so hey!" Bolo nervously stammered before clearing his throat as his heart jumped right into it. "H-how about we just go ahead and call this a job well done, and then speak of this to no one at all, ever, huh?"

"Can't do that."

"Why not?"

"Because we need t' do a debriefin' when we get back t' the Sequin Land Palace. They're gonna need t' know all the important details about this mission an' its outcome, as well as why said outcome was Klawdia's death as opposed t' us capturin' her alive," Tay matter-of-factly explained. "An' I ain't about t' risk losin' my job fudgin' up details of a mission because you want me t' cover up YOUR boneheaded mistakes."

"Aw, come on, Tay! Don't be like that! I-I get it that you want to stick by the book, but you've gotta cut me a break here! I'm in hot enough water with the girls as it is! Do your best friend a solid and maybe… doctor up the story behind this mission just a bit for me? Please?"

"Hold up," Tay interjected, cocking an eyebrow at Bolo as he quizzically looked him up and down.

"What?" a most apprehensive Bolo asked, tensing up in anticipation for what he would have to hear next.

"Are you, a hero, seriously askin' me t' do somethin' as unheroic as LYING to law enforcement an' government officials to keep your reputation intact?"

"N-no! Of course not! I'm just saying that maybe we can… I dunno, change up a detail here, leave one out there… Y'know, give them a more… 'streamlined' version of events," the smaller man 'suggested' with an… ostensibly innocuous shrug of his shoulders.

"And what's the difference between that an' flat-out lyin', homie?" Tay countered, not budging an inch. "A REAL hero wouldn't be so scared o' how his actions affect his reputation, whether right or wrong. A real hero also wouldn't try an' cover up his wrongdoings t' save face." At that, Bolo sighed in mild frustration.

"…Dude, don't be that way. I said I was sorry for saying you aren't a hero, alright?"

"I ain't worried about that," the ghostly guardian clarified with a swat of his hand against the air. "You were right. I'm NOT a hero like you, an' especially not like Shantae," he candidly clarified, making Bolo sink into himself. "An' I never will be. I'm cool with bein' an antihero. It just means that I'm forgin' my own path instead o' stayin' in a position o' dwellin' in her shadow if you ask me. But if you're gonna be the one t' judge me on what I am an' what I ain't, then I'd expect you t' at least be consistent enough t' do the right thing in ownin' up t' your mistakes instead o' tryin' t' get me t' lie for you because you don't wanna deal with the consequences. Don't be a hypocrite."

"Fine, I get that, but like… come on, this is a PRETTY BIG thing to own up to…" the younger S.L.A.P.S. affiliate worriedly countered.

"An' ownin' up to it now is a lot easier than lyin' about it an' dealin' with the guilt for the foreseeable future, where somebody might find out the truth anyway. I can guarantee that you'd be worse off in that case…" And after a moment of careful consideration…

"…Dang it, why do you have to make so much sense…?" Bolo complained, momentarily casting an irritated glare elsewhere as he rubbed his head with a hand.

"I'll at least vouch for you if they try t' suggest that you be punished, but you'd better do the absolute best job you can explainin' your part. Best case scenario, they simply ban you from EVER joinin' me on another mission an' only allow Shantae, Sky, Rottytops, Aashiq, Twitch, and/or Vinegar t' be my officially approved mission partners. Worst case scenario… well, I already explained that t' you earlier."

"Hmm… Aw, crud…" the disgruntled handyman cursed, a look of silent panic plastering itself all over his face as he momentarily turned his gaze away… before he realized something. "Hey, how is it that all of them are approved partners of yours, but I wasn't before today? I understand Shantae, but how did the others get approved?"

"Classified information, Bolo," Tayshan instantly dismissed with a shake of his head as he turned toward the Stage Clear platform. "Now, come on. We've spent more than enough time hangin' around here," he further ordered as he walked up and stepped onto the platform. Bolo, through a whirling typhoon of anxiety over what was going to happen to him following the impending mission debriefing, managed to will himself onto the platform alongside his comrade.

"Hey. Um… Despite all the trouble we went through… I… er, thanks for letting me come along and talking some sense into me," Bolo offered his gratitude after some contemplation.

"Don't sweat it. An' as long as you put our talks throughout this trip t' good use, I trust you'll continue t' do well in the future."

"Absolutely, bro."

"Good. Now, let's get out o' here before anyone else decides they wanna ambush us."

"Cool. Although, I'm reminded of the thing I wanted to ask you about before we made landfall here…" Bolo suggested.

"Oh? An' what's that?" Tay prodded, his curiosity piqued.

"Um… W-well, I was just curious, and I figured I'd ask you directly instead of asking any of the girls once the chance arose, but like… feel free to shut this down in case it's not true."

"Okay…?" the taller man warily acknowledged. "What do you want t' ask?"

"Ah… So… like… back in the Phantasmagoric Forest… right before Risky Boots escaped…"

"Come on, bro, just ask me whatever's on your mind. What are you beatin' around the bush for?"

"Sorry. Okay, so here goes…" Bolo prepared himself as he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, reopened his eyes to look Tayshan in the face, and… "Did… something… 'intimate' happen between you and Risky at some point?" he fired off his 'ambush' of a question in a heartbeat. At that, Tayshan froze as his eyes widened at his teammate.

"…An' what makes you wanna ask THAT of all things?" the haloed adventurer curtly inquired, already uncomfortable with what he was asked.

"She mentioned something about you 'liking it' when she nibbled on your neck while… w-well, you were there to hear the rest," Bolo sheepishly reminded, though it did the disquieted ghost the farthest thing from a favor as his hand began to tremble and his breath caught in his throat. "What did she mean there? And why did you seem so bothered by it?"

"…Hm," was all Tayshan initially responded with, sinking a bit as he turned his head away and shot an agitated stare toward the ground beneath them. That was all it took for Bolo to receive his answer. And in response…

"It… It's TRUE!? You and Risky had s-!?" the younger hero was about to shout his question into the stratosphere.

"No. At least, the case ain't what you're thinkin'…" Tay quickly clarified as he hurriedly turned his attention back to Bolo. It was then that the wraith's left eye began to rapidly flash between gold and silver once again. The headbanded handyman took note of this, but he didn't call attention to it as a result of his initial shock. "She… well… she did somethin' t' me on the day o' the invasion of Inseam after she captured me. I… I don't know if I should tell you what…"

"Ah… Well, we're bros. You don't have to hide anything from me."

"Thanks, but that's not the issue. The issue is that… well… uh…" Tay tried to reason, though he quickly lost his words as he grew increasingly uncomfortable.

"What, dude? What happened?" Bolo pressed, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"…She 'took advantage' of me an' forced herself on me after she captured me that day," the wraith finally revealed after a heavy sigh.

"What? How?" the blue-haired warrior asked in confusion that was quick to be received by his partner.

"What do you mean 'how?'" Tayshan asked back in mild irritation.

"Well, how could she do something like that when… well, y'know… you're male and she's female?" Bolo asked with a shrug, needing more context into his friend's confession despite having received the initial message loud and clear.

"…I knew it would go down like this…" Tay regretfully muttered to himself before clearing his throat. "It's not just men who could do o' such a thing, Bolo. Women can be perpetrators, too. Or at least, women like Risky Boots can…!"

"Sure, but as men, we have to be… well, 'ready and willing' for certain things in order for them to happen. It doesn't make sense that a woman could do such a thing if the man doesn't want to participate."

"Not as true as you think, an' there are times where mind an' body don't exactly sync up with one another."

"Which is to say…?"

"That sometimes, your body has involuntary reactions. Like breathin' or your heart pumpin', your body can react in certain ways without your 'permission.' An' Risky took advantage o' that without hesitation when she had me chained up in her ship."

"Tayshan, that doesn't make any sense," Bolo denied right away with a shake of his head, not willing to accept the explanation. "There's no way she can 'force' you to do that if you didn't really want to."

"Bro, I'm tellin' you it IS possible," Tay countered, growing more agitated. "I was there t' have it happen t' me. How is it you could think I'm not tellin' you the truth?"

"Because even if your initial reaction is involuntary at times, there's no way it STAYS that way the entire time if you don't want it to. That doesn't check out, dude," Bolo tried to explain his perspective, stunning his teammate into a frighteningly angry silence… one that our oblivious blue-haired buddy failed to notice right away. "You DO know you can admit that you and Risky had a fling while you were her captive, right? I understand that some of our friends might be upset, but I'm not gonna judge you. You don't need to come up with some crazy tall tale for it to spare me the jealousy. Trust me, I've fantasized plenty about Risky Boots in… 'that way' because I used to have a massive crush on her, if I'm gonna admit that. So there, a secret for a secret. If it makes ya feel better, I'm actually impressed! Maybe you can tell me how it was. I promise not to do anything bad with the details, of course. Although, now it makes me wonder… I'm not sure if it counts as cheating on Sha-!" he tried to further 'congratulate' the halo-adorned guardian… which… as you might guess… wasn't received particularly well, as Bolo didn't even get to finish his statement.

"GrrRRRRRGH…!" Tay… GROWLED as he shot Bolo the absolute most MURDEROUS death glare one friend could shoot to another. His body flashed with a small, but potent burst of Dark Magic as he clenched his trembling fists at his sides. His eye was still endlessly flashing gold and silver…

"OOH. W-whoa, man. Chill…" Bolo advised, backing up a bit and holding his hands out as though he was staring down a horde of ravenous, angry polar bears. Rather than keep up glaring at his teammate, Tay closed his eyes, clasped his hands together, and took the deepest breath he could muster. At that point, the magic aura surrounding him dissipated as he brought himself back to his senses. And once he opened his eyes to reveal that they were both gold once more…

"…That's as much as we need t' talk about this. Let's go," the ghost warrior ordered as he turned his attention away from his teammate before he got any angrier.

"Uh… R-right…" Bolo timidly agreed as he followed suit. Yet, right before the boys got set to bring their quest to its end…

"Oh, an' one more thing."

"What's that?"

"The next time you find yourself tempted t' get busy with a girl, especially a MONSTER GIRL, PLEASE use protection. This better be the ONLY time we're able t' describe a mission as 'saving the world from the threat of a legion of Bolo's parasitic furry nightmare spawn…'"

"GAH! Ah… um… Heh… R-right…" Bolo ceded, resisting the urge to shrink into nonexistence at the callout as he breathed the HEAVIEST awkward sigh imaginable. "I uh… I-I definitely will…" he further assured, though it seems he missed the part where Tay actually meant that HE SHOULD NEVER GET TOO FRIENDLY WITH A MONSTER GIRL! O-or at least, certain kinds of monster girls, if Rottytops is to be considered. "Dah, be quiet! This is none of YOUR business!" he further dared to shout at me as though I haven't been here this entire time to watch his endless hilarious screw-ups. And you know what? I'm about to-!

"Okay, alright, that's enough," Tay intervened, extending the fingers on one hand under his chin and waving them back and forth. "We'll be here all day if y'all started beefin' again, so let's just call it here an' move on. Cool?"

"Cool," Bolo agreed, sighing out a rush of frustration and anxiety as he turned away. I, of course, also agree with this notion.

"Great. Now, then… All Clear," Tay declared as he stood tall and struck a pose where he was stoically pointing straight ahead with his index and middle fingers on one hand extended while slightly tilting his head toward the extended arm. Meanwhile, Bolo took on a pose where he also stood tall, pressing his hands to his hips as he puffed up his chest and wore a look of fierce determination. And after the disembodied Stage Clear fanfare played out, the two young men vanished with a sparkling *POOF* off of the platform.

And just like that, we've wrapped up another doozy. Man, oh, man are things starting to get tangled up… And for a mission that didn't even directly have anything to do with the hunt for the Spirit Fuser, it sure as heck did present a lot of frightening stakes. Hashanah showing up from seemingly nowhere and gaining a hefty deal in some important information regarding the remaining Spirit Fuser fragments AND a tiny bit of Tayshan's unusual power for herself, Tayshan showing off more of his abilities at the cost of him being more heavily plagued by his condition and losing one of his Inhibitor Vambraces… and Bolo narrowly avoiding a drastic alteration to his life's course that unfortunately came about as a result of the untimely demise of the Leopard Gal Klawdia by Hashanah's hand… This adventure alone certainly was an entire saga. But with time winding down and the hunt for the Spirit Fuser so rapidly nearing its most critical phase, we can only hope our heroes (and antihero) prevail. Alrighty, see ya soon!