~~000~~

Tales of the Multiverse Bit 252

"I'm very sorry for saying those mean words to you."

In utter dismay, Sora Aozora begrudgingly apologized to Owen Brannons but Crusher the Highlands Goat, Kouta Fujiki and Marcus Reservoir are aware that she didn't mean it. Sharpshooter Jane and Soaphie Lapislazuli acknoweledges this as well but let it slide since they know now how to keep Sora in line.

~~000~~

After the excitement of forming Team G.O.A.T. worn off, everyone settled back into their typical routines of work and training. Rainbow Dash and Seishirou Tsugumi alongside Chitoge Kirisaki were strolling through the hallways of the Training Camp in Neo-City, heading for the lounge area after a grueling training session.

Rainbow and Seishirou looked exhausted but Chitoge seemed to be her usual energetic self and that's because she didn't do any training today.

"Ugh, dad really pushes us hard." Rainbow Dash complained with a smile, "But you know, no pain, no gain!" she admitted.

Seishirou nodded in agreement, "Tell me about it." she replied, "I can't even imagine how strong he was in his prime." she thought out loud.

Rainbow shrugged in response, "Whenever he talks about his past battles, he just says he beat them with all his might." she shared, "He never goes into detail about the fights." she added.

As they chatted, they bumped into Joey Hollard, Kylie Hollard, Ozzy Wizner and Suzie Takahashi in front of a vending machine. After some pleasantries, Suzie turned to Rainbow Dash with a question.

"Hey Rainbow, can I ask you something?" Suzie inquired.

"Go ahead." Rainbow responded.

"Is it true you had a crush on Marcus?" Suzie blurted out without warning and Rainbow's face turned beet-red, and even her new friends were caught off guard by the question.

"Well, yeah." Chitoge confirmed while flashing a grin, "She had a crush on him." she said.

Rainbow shot Chitoge a glare, "What?!" she squawked.

The rest of the Mississippi Four looked shocked, "Wait, you had a crush on..." Joey trailed.

"Rainbow Dash..." Kylie stuttered.

"Has a crush on...?" Ozzy chimed in.

"ON MARCUS!" Joey, Kylie and Ozzy all exclaimed together to which Chitoge nodded in response.

"I see." Suzie uttered in acknowledgement.

Rainbow's blush deepened, "No, no, no!" she cried out, "It's not like that!" she squawked, "He's totally hot, but I don't have a crush on him, I swear!" she exclaimed in denial.

Suzie then gave off a super spooky vibe and her eyes got all intense, "Don't you lie to me, Rainbow Dash!" she admonished in a really ominous tone, "It's totally obvious when a girl's trying to hide a crush, you know?" she continued while pointing a finger at Rainbow.

Her look was pretty scary and it definitely made Chitoge jump. But Seishirou? She just took it in stride. Rainbow, on the other hand, was a little thrown off by what she said, but she wasn't about to let Suzie's stare get the best of her. After all, she's faced down some seriously scary bad guys before, so a glare from Suzie wasn't going to rattle her.

When it comes to who's seen more stuff and been through more, Rainbow's got the edge.

"Whoa, hold up!" Seishirou chimed in while Suzie's glare finally started to ease up, "Just 'cause Rainbow's playing it cool doesn't give you the right to give her the stink eye." she admonished.

And out of the blue, Kylie passed out cold and fell to the floor with a huge thud and everyone's jaw hit the ground. At that exact moment, Yoshika Miyafuji was heading over to them when she saw Kylie lying there.

Yoshika let out a big sigh and knelt down next to Kylie while checking to see if she was okay, she then looked up at Joey with a totally confused expression, "What the heck just happened here?" the Fusoan Witch asked.

Joey was kind of at a loss for words, "Kylie fainted." was all he could answer, "I don't know why." he added.

Yoshika's eyebrow shot up, "Okay, what's the deal?" she pressed.

Ozzy stepped in and spilled the beans, "Well, Chitoge confirmed to us that Rainbow Dash has the hots for, General Kane." he answered while trying to keep it casual.

Yoshika stared at Kylie in disbelief when the younger Hollard's eyes fluttered open while looking up, "Oh, hey, you're awake." the Fusoan Witch muttered in a dry tone.

And as if in a daze, Kylie gradually raised her right hand, palm towards the ceiling and tiny bolts of lightning began to flicker from her fingertips. Then she burst into a kind of hysterical laughter, "Hee hee hee hee..." she chortled, "Marcus, I'm gonna KILL you!" she exclaimed wierdly and it totally freaked out her brother and friends but Yoshika wasn't impressed.

Without missing a beat, Yoshika stepped in and slapped Kylie's neck, knocking her out cold again, "What was that for?" Joey yelped in surprise.

Yoshika looked at Joey with a serious expression, "She's threatening Marcus for something he can't control." she replied in a rather disappointed tone, "Does she think she runs Rainbow's life?" she questioned, "Who Rainbow has a crush on is none of her business." she admonished and is clearly upset.

Joey nodded in response after getting the picture, "Yeah, okay." he acknowledged, "I'll talk to her about it." he added.

Ozzy couldn't help but chime in with a bit of teasing, "Well, well, looks like Kylie's got a bit of the creeper gene too." he cooed and that didn't sit well with Joey.

Joey marched over to Ozzy, "HASSAAAAN CHOP!" the older Hollard yelled and karate chopped Ozzy's shoulder while making him drop like a rock, "I'm the only creeper here, sergeant!" the NERF lover reminded while trying to be tough, "And don't you ever forget it." he added.

Ozzy rubbed his shoulder, "Alright, alright, I'm sorry man, just messin' around." he apologized.

Joey then whipped out a blue Nerf N-Strike Elite Rough Cut 2x4 blaster, pointing it at Ozzy, "You know what Raya said, man." the older Hollard recalled, "I can handle jokes but not when it's about my sister." he growled when the lights in the blaster switched from blue to green, and everyone knew he meant business.

"Whoa, dude!" Ozzy exclaimed while looking a bit freaked out, "I can't believe you've got that in your stash now!" he said out loud, "How on earth did you get hold of something like this?" he questioned.

"I picked it up last weekend at the mall." Joey replied coolly while keeping the blaster trained on his friend, "I've got three more of these bad boys, too." he added.

Ozzy threw his hands in the air, "Alright, alright!" he cried out, "I'm sorry, man!" he apologized, "I won't crack another joke like that, I swear!" he squawked in panic with fingers crossed in his back.

Suzie then steps forward, "Joey, the Morals Committee is doing rounds in this corridor." she interjected, "If they see you waving that monstrosity around, even if you're just messing with Ozzy, you're gonna be in deep." she stated.

Joey took a moment to process what she said before taking a deep breath, and then his grip on the blaster loosened. The green lights switched off and the blaster transformed back into a toy, "Sorry, guys." he mumbled in apology while giving Ozzy a hand up before turning around to help his sister.

"Well, that was a close one." Chitoge uttered in reassurance.

Suzie nodded in response, "Yeah, Joey can be super protective of Kylie." she shared, "He means well, though." he added.

"Brothers like that are a dime a dozen." Seishirou muttered, "They think they're doing the right thing, but they can be such a pain in the neck." she thought out loud.

Rainbow Dash looked curious, "Does Marcus get like that with his sisters?" she asked.

Yoshika thought for a second, "Sometimes, sure." she answered, "But he's also cool with letting them sort out their own problems." she shared, "Like a lion pushing its cubs off a cliff to teach 'em to be tough." she described with a shrug.

"Whoa, that's a bit much." Chitoge uttered in dread.

Later that evening, a small group had congregated in the cozy lounge area of the Training Camp. Ozzy and Joey had managed to squeeze Kylie onto a spacious green couch, leaving her sprawled out and occupying the whole thing. Meanwhile, Suzie sauntered over to where Houki Shinonono, Shoukaku and Zuikaku were huddled, eager to join their conversation.

Not too far, K1-B0, Leon Kuwata, Miu Iruma and Mondo Oowada lounged on a crimson sofa, eyes glued to the flickering TV screen. As the chuckles from their laughter filled the room, Nicco Bondarev and Tucker Noble strolled by, seemingly unbothered by the show playing out on the television.

Near the bar, a trio consisting of Andres "Singko" Alvarez, Ichigo Kurosaki and Trafalgar D. Water Law were deep in conversation, each taking sips from their beverages. Gelman ambled by, passing a table where Kanami Etou, Lucy Ashley, Mira Fermin and Runo Misaki were seated. Chess Blakely had perched himself there too, casting flirty glances at Lucy, which she received with a mix of amusement and annoyance.

Once again, Lukz Ramzyse and Gill Norman are deep into a checkers game. And like before, Lukz is in a bit of a tight spot and Gill is really giving it to him. Meanwhile, Korriana Ramzyse's got her eyes glued to her tablet, probably checking something important.

Rainbow Dash is having a chat with Marcus "The Kane" McGee, who's casually holding a cup of coffee. It's pretty clear that Rainbow's really enjoying herself, she's all smiles as they talk. Malvina Rasputin, who's nearby, notices that Rainbow's in a particularly good mood today.

On the bright yellow couch, Buckles Murphy is getting another squeeze from Meme Touwa while Kiyotaka Ishimaru and Sakura Oogami are trying to gently pull Meme away from Buckles, who's looking a tad uncomfortable with the whole situation.

Then we've got Lucy, who's had just about enough of Chess' antics. She snaps at him, looking like she's about to blow her top. Chess, feeling a bit like a deer in the headlights, calls her "scary" and "crazy", and that's the last straw for Lucy. She goes after Chess but he's quick on his feet and ducks just in time. Unfortunately for her, Lucy ends up hurtling towards Marcus instead.

"Whoa, Lucy, no!" Ozzy yelled out in panic, "You're about to get the wrong guy!" he pointed out.

But Lucy was already in motion, hurtling towards Marcus. Before she could get to him, Bartlomiej Agbayani stepped into her path, blocking her like a brick wall. She tried to tackle him but instead, she ended up taking him down with her. He was a solid guy and he barely flinched as she slammed into him.

"Hey, watch it, lass!" Bartlomiej barked and is clearly ticked off, he then grabbed Lucy by the waist and sent her crashing to the ground. Her head hit first and everything went dark for a moment.

"Take it easy, man." Marcus said calmly while not even bothering to look up from his coffee.

Bartlomiej just snorted and stomped off, leaving a cloud of smoke in his wake.

After a bit, Lucy groaned and started to come to, her head throbbing like it had been hit by a sledgehammer. Yoshika then rushed over to her side, "You okay, Lucy?" she asked gently.

"No, not really." Lucy managed to croak out while still trying to catch her breath.

All of a sudden, Korriana couldn't help but start snickering and before you knew it, she was laughing so hard she fell to the floor, "Oh my goodness!" she exclaimed while trying to catch her breath, "I can't believe she went down that easy!" she pointed out, "Being caught off guard must be her kryptonite or something!" she joked and her laughter echoing through the room, "It's just too much!" she wheezed, "That's so pathetic!" she managed to say in between giggles.

Everyone couldn't help but roll their eyes when Korriana did something to get their attention again. Her brother Lukz couldn't hide his frustration, slapping his face with his palm and shaking his head at his sister's antics. Meanwhile, Gill just stared at her without a clue of what to say while Hikari Karibuchi looked at her with a mix of concern and confusion. The Mississippi Four, on the other hand, had quite the varied reaction, such as Suzie keeping her cool and not showing any expression at all. Ozzy looked a tad nervous while swallowing hard and Joey's forehead beads of sweat formed. And let's not forget poor Kylie, who was still passed out cold on the sofa, completely oblivious to the scene unfolding around her.

When Lucy heard the Mandalorian girl's remark, she shot to her feet almost immediately, looking anything but pleased, "What did you just say?" she asked in a tone that was more like a challenge than a question.

Korriana stopped giggling and got up while eyeing Lucy with a cheeky grin, "You heard me, Blondie." she said while drawing out the words.

Without missing a beat, the two of them started bickering like old rivals, "Who're ya calling Blondie, you Ponytail Freak?!" Lucy yelled with her voice full of indignation.

"Oh, come on, don't play dumb." Korriana cooed with her smirk widening, "You know exactly who I'm talking about, Skull Girl." she teased.

"Hyena!"

"Torture Queen!"

"Spark Head!"

"Whip Punk!"

"Armor Face!"

"Magic Mage Freak!"

The Edolas Mage and the Female Mandalorian persisted in their heated altercation until it escalated into a physical confrontation, with each employing their respective combat strategies. Korriana utilized her unique ability to enshroud her fists in electrical discharges, while Lucy remarkably demonstrated an unexpected resilience to the ensuing lightning strikes.

In an attempt to restore order, Joey intervened while adopting a firm and authoritative military demeanor, "Cease this immediately, you two!" he barked however, his intervention was met with a coordinated response: he received a simultaneous blow from Edo-Lucy and a lightning-infused punch from Korriana, which indicated their shared determination to continue their conflict.

"Get out of the way!" Korriana and Lucy yelled in unison.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKK!" Joey screeched while being flung through the air, clearly in the throes of an electric shock. He crashed to the ground and lay there, his body convulsing uncontrollably. Then, as if this was nothing out of the ordinary, Jaune Arc strolled into the room and nonchalantly stepped over Joey as he lay there.

"Joey!" Hikari called out with her voice laced with fear. She rushed to his side while dropping to her knees beside him, "Are you alright?!" she asked.

"Big-sorry-can't-think-right..." Joey managed to mumble before passing out.

"What in the world happened here?" Ozzy questioned with his expression a mask of confusion.

"Looks like Lucy just created a new rival." Suzie commented and her tone as unbothered as her demeanor.

Meanwhile, Lucy and Korriana keep going at it without paying any attention to their surroundings, and nobody dares to interrupt them after seeing what happened to Joey.

"Somebody really ought to step in before they tear up the lounge!" Rainbow Dash beckoned while looking a bit concerned.

"Looks like someone had the same idea." Marcus uttered out loud with a smirk while taking a casual sip of his coffee.

Then, lo and behold, Bartlomiej struts back into the room, glaring at the brawling girls like they've just stolen his favorite snack. He's all fired up, smoking like a chimney and tapping his left foot like he's about to charge a bull.

"Better watch out, you two!" Luna Loud shouted.

Korriana and Lucy stops their scuffle just in time for Bartlomiej to slam into them with a clothesline that's got more power than a freight train. The impact is so intense it looks like they've been flipped inside out, and they drop to the floor with a sound that echoes through the room.

"BE NICE!" Bartlomiej bellowed while standing over Korriana and Lucy as they groan and squirm in pain.

"Whoa..." Seishirou mutterred in amazement.

"It's like they got trampled by a bull." Rainbow Dash quipped.

Marcus laughs it off, "Who's to say?" he mused.

And just like that, the whole crowd cracks up, while the poor trio on the floor are still trying to get their bearings.

A/N: Inspired from someonestupED, damnlastwords, Jamesdean5842, Hope the Victor and Ace Neptune. All OCs and concepts not created by moi were given permission for me to use by it's respected creators.