Kamen Rider SideRide Chronicles: Oscura's Encore

Intermission: A Day at the Pool & Three-Way Training

Sasha was in her workout clothes, furiously attacking the punching bag as she imagined she was punching Amity Blight's face.

"That damn cheater," Sasha growled. She would not accept this but there was nothing she could do. As far as the DGP was concerned, Blight's use of magic was not in any violation of the rules. That just meant Sasha would need to try harder if she was going to beat her. Then there was Noceda. There was something unnatural about her. Sasha tried not to let it show, but Noceda scared her.

When Sasha watched Noceda fight the Rook Jyamato, she could tell that the Latina was no novice. She fought like a seasoned fighter and it showed how easily she took down the Rook Jyamato. The Boost Buckle sure helped but Sasha was sure Noceda could have defeated the Boss without it.

Sasha stopped for a moment as she imagined Luz Noceda's face on the punching bag. She growled, cocked back her fist and threw her punch straight at it, but that was when the mental image shifted to that menacing look that the Latina had given her. Sasha's fist froze in mid-strike and she found herself shaking.

"No way…am…am I trembling? Me? Sasha freakin' Waybright. I'm trembling because of that girl?!" Sasha growled.

Sasha tried to punch the bag again, but it was the same as last time. Every time she imagined Noceda's glare, her body froze up. Something was very wrong about that look. Noceda didn't look like a normal teenage girl and there was something in those eyes. A past that Sasha could only imagine. Her gut was telling her that Noceda must've done something bad or was dangerous because no one in her entire life had ever made her back down or made her shake like this.

'Damn you, Noceda!'

A couple of days after the last round, Marcy called Anne to have a video chat online. Sitting in front of their computers, the two spoke with each other.

"Hey, Anne," Marcy greeted as she saw her friend's face on the computer.

{Hey, Marcy. How are you doing?} Anne asked.

"Oh, I'm fine. So, how have you been since the last round?" Marcy asked.

{Pretty good. It was a little scary but we managed to make it through.}

"I see…" Marcy frowned.

{What's wrong, Marbles?}

"Anne, I think this game is bringing out the worst in Sasha."

{Look, I know Sasha can be overly competitive and she did make a scene when she called out Blight for cheating, but she's not that bad,} Anne defended.

"Anne, Sasha swiped the Monster Buckle from you in the middle of the round. If you didn't have any Raise Buckles on you as backup, you would've been a sitting duck!"

{Sasha told me she really needed it to face the Boss,} Anne defended, again.

"I get that but she barely left you defenceless," Marcy argued. "This is a life-or-death game, Anne and I don't know what I would do if I ever lost you."

Anne rubbed her arm as she smiled at Marcy.

{Same here, Mar-Mar. I don't know what I would do if I lost you or Sasha. But, I trust Sasha. She wouldn't let us get hurt. She must've figured you would protect me while she went to end the game as quickly as she could,} Anne suggested.

Marcy had a look on her face that screamed, "BUT YOU COULD'VE DIED!".

"I get it, Anna-banana, but try not to let her push you around, okay?" Marcy asked.

Anne bristled a bit at the insinuation.

{Sasha doesn't push me around, Marcy.}

"I didn't mean it like that. I just meant that you should tell her when something's not a good idea. Like how she took your Buckle, and how she just left you like that."

Anne was starting to get a little perturbed by how Marcy was framing Sasha to be.

{Look, Marcy, I know we're not together like we used to be. But if there's one thing I hoped you wouldn't forget, it's that Sasha cares about us and that she's doing what she can because she knows it will work,} said Anne with a slight edge to her tone.

"Anne, please I–"

{I need to help with dinner. Talk to you later, Marce.}

{Anne, wait–}

Anne closed her laptop, abruptly ending the call. The Thai teen got up from her desk, walked over to her bed, and plopped down on it. She released a long sigh into her pillow before she turned her whole body around to stare at the ceiling.

'Marcy just doesn't get it…'

The Thai teen got out her cell phone and opened up an album in her gallery that was dedicated to pictures of herself, Sasha, and Marcy. Although, since Marcy moved away, the majority of the pictures were of just herself and Sasha.

Their trio was broken up due to Marcy's father getting a promotion that took their family out of state. It honestly broke Anne's heart when she had to say goodbye to Marcy. Compared to Sasha, she had known Marcy the longest and was her first friend. Sasha was just as much of a mess when Marcy left, but she remained strong when they saw her off, only breaking down when it was just the two of them. After that, the two of them resolved to keep in touch with their friend, and at the same time, to make sure they stayed together no matter what.

Looking back on it now, it seemed like a childish wish. Life happens, and there was no guarantee that they would remain together forever. Eventually, Sasha would get a boyfriend, or a girlfriend since she came out when she was fifteen. And that boyfriend or girlfriend would take up the bulk of Sasha's time. Eventually, Anne would be alone again. But, as it turned out, for all the dates Sasha went on, she never stuck with a partner for too long before she needed the assistance of the "Break-Up Queen", aka the "Angel of Death". Anne wouldn't lie, she did get a small kick out of seeing Sasha's exes get nervous and cower in fear whenever she approached. Because when Anne arrived, you knew it was bad news coming.

'She's probably just trying to keep our friendship going for as long as possible. I mean, being BFFs is fun to think about and say, but you can never know what'll happen. Sasha's going to find the one she loves one day and marry that person. We'll drift apart and…she'll leave me.'

Anne found herself unconsciously stroking Sasha's picture on her phone. She knew she didn't have much going for her. It was a miracle she even graduated middle school at all, much less got into high school. But she owed that to Sasha. The most popular girl in school, her best friend, constantly pushed her, telling her that she could do it if she put her mind to it. It was one thing to be told this by her parents, but to hear it from Sasha carried a different weight to it. Sasha's words of encouragement lifted Anne up, and her constant presence made her feel safe. Yeah, she knew Muay Thai, and if needed, Anne could probably hold her own in a fight. But Sasha was her white knight. Her heart aches whenever that thought pops up, and sometimes…sometimes she…

"I wish I could be more than a friend to you, Sash. Someone that you could love and never abandon…"

Anne held her phone close to her heart as she curled up on the bed, and cried softly.

There was a water park just outside of Gravesfield. Since it was summer, it would be the perfect place for a date. After packing their things, Amity and Luz took the bus to the waterpark.

When they arrived, they bought their entry tickets and went in. Luz quickly changed into her swimsuit and waited outside for Amity, who needed a bit more time to get ready. Luz's swimsuit was a blue two-piece with a tube-style top and shorts-style bottoms combo. It showed off her athletic figure without being too revealing.

Suddenly, she heard whistling and her jaw dropped when she saw Amity.

The girl stepped out of the changing room in a black bikini that was dotted with gold stars. Her long pink hair was done up in a ponytail, she had a black choker around her neck which had her concealment stone dangling from it, and she had on sunglasses. She carried a towel and a bottle of sunblock with her.

"Daaammmnnnn…Mi amor, te ves tan increíblemente sexy, ¡debería ser un crimen! (My love, you look so incredibly sexy, it should be a crime!)" Luz exhaled as she saw her girlfriend approach. Her milky white skin was on full display and there was not a single blemish on her. She looked like a supermodel.

Oh, the Latina felt so blessed.

"Hey, Luz," Amity smiled flirtatiously as she sat down on a beach chair and moved her ponytail aside. "Could you put some sunblock on me?"

"Yes!"

Anne awoke that morning to a phone call from Sasha. She wanted to meet up with her for coffee at a little cafe to talk. The Thai teen had bolted out of bed and began rifling through her clothes. Her sleep-idled brain, for some reason, believed this was Sasha asking her out on a date before she finally snapped back to reality.

'Dream on, Boonchuy.'

After regaining her senses, Anne put on some casual clothes and headed out to meet her best friend. She drove along down the street until she arrived at the cafe that Sasha had texted her. She parked her car, got out, and headed to the outdoor seating area. Anne had to pause for a moment as she took in Sasha's appearance. She was wearing a pair of jorts that hugged her rear just right, a magenta tank top, and a thin grey hoodie. She had her hair tied back into a ponytail, and Anne could see the black straps of Sasha's sports bra peeking out from the sides. Anne had to shake her head and slap her face.

'Stop it, Anne! Don't perv on your friend,' Anne mentally admonished herself.

"Hey, Sash," Anne greeted as she sat down at the table with Sasha.

"Hey, Anne," Sasha smiled.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Anne asked.

"We need to do something about Blight," Sasha answered. "I don't care what Tsumuri says. It's unfair that she can use magic."

"So…what do you want us to do?" Anne questioned worriedly.

"Anne, you're pretty good with people, right? How about you cosy up to Noceda and Blight, gain their trust, and when their backs are turned you swipe their Raise Buckles," Sasha suggested.

"Sash!" Anne cried. "That's stealing!"

"I'm sure Blight will do fine. She has her magic," Sasha brushed off.

"But–"

"Look, Anne. We're all not just fighting to save the world. We're also fighting so our wishes can be granted. It's not fair to any of us regular humans if some girl from another dimension can just waltz in and use magic to win every event! Now that she doesn't have to hide it anymore, Blight can just cast spells like there's no tomorrow! If there's anyone who's a shoo-in to win this game, it's her! And if she does, it's only because of her magic and not real skill!" Sasha argued as she slammed her fist against the table.

Anne flinched from the sudden strike. Sasha's furrowed brow and angry look softened when she saw Anne's reaction. She took a few deep breaths and calmed down.

"Sorry, this whole life and death game's got me on edge a bit. I…I just don't want to lose you or Marcy," said Sasha.

Anne's slight fear dissipated.

"I know, Sash."

"Good, so, you'll do it then?" the blonde asked.

"I…I don't know…"

"Anne, if we want to keep this game as fair as possible so that one of the three of us gets the win, then we have to do whatever it takes. End. Of. Discussion."

Anne wilted as Sasha stamped out an end of any objections with that phrase.

"…Sasha, you never told me what your wish was."

"Well, Anne, if you show me yours, I'll show you mine~," Sasha winked.

Luz and Amity both made a huge splash as they came out of the water slide together. The shared float they used bounced lightly on the water before drifting along the surface.

"Whoa!" Luz yelled out as Amity let out a laugh of joy.

"This is just what we needed, Luz."

"Yeah," Luz smiled as she drifted lazily on the water with her girlfriend.

Years ago, she had wanted to conquer the world that had originally rejected her, but that was just a twisted version of her desire to be understood. She wanted to force the people of Earth to accept her. Now, she was glad that her alternate self and the other Anne managed to stop her. It would've meant the end of all this joy. Although if she didn't have Amity with her, she wondered if this world would've been tolerable at all.

"Want to go again?" Amity suggested.

"Sure," Luz grinned.

Marcy stretched her body as she got ready to work out. Thankfully, the DGP had facilities that were free to use for all the Riders. Showers, a locker room, the lounge and bar area, a gym and of course the training rooms. It truly amazed her how the Desire Temple had so much stuff inside and was way bigger on the inside. The platform just looked so small.

The way her talk with Anne ended left a sour taste in Marcy's mouth. She had contemplated calling her to try and clear the air a bit, but she figured she'd clear her own head first. Anne did have a point, one that she could not deny. Sasha did care about them a lot. Back during kindergarten, elementary and middle school, Sasha always looked out for them. Bullies cowered in fear of her, and whoever was dumb enough to pick on her or Anne obviously had no idea of the full wrath that Sasha Waybright would bring down on their heads for doing so.

'Maybe Anne's right. Maybe she's just stressed and being hyper-competitive,' thought Marcy. 'Still, that's no excuse for leaving Anne defenceless! If she didn't have any Buckles then, that would've been it! She would've gotten killed! And what would she have done if I couldn't get to her in time?!'

"Ugh, I came here to clear my head. I need to focus."

Marcy walked down the hallway to head to one of the training rooms but paused when she saw who was waiting outside.

"Anne, Sasha? What are you guys doing here?" Marcy asked.

"Perfect timing, Mar-Mar. The Butler told us that we have access to all the facilities of the DGP and they had special training rooms we can use," Sasha smiled. Mr. Butler had told them that the Desire Temple had a total of 1010 training rooms, each designed to simulate a unique environment.

Marcy glanced at Anne. The air still felt tense between them after their last conversation. The Taiwanese girl did want to clear the air with Anne. But with Sasha being here, she didn't want to cause a scene.

"You are going to train with us, right?" Anne asked.

"Are you sure?" Marcy questioned.

"Well, yeah, duh," Sasha said with a chuckle. "The three of us are an unstoppable team. So we should make sure we continue to be one and work out together whenever we can!"

'Thanks, Sashy, but I really wasn't asking you.'

Marcy looked Anne directly in the eyes, and the Thai teen nodded.

"Okay then, I'm in," Marcy agreed.

"Sweet, let's go," said Sasha.

The trio entered the training room and found themselves standing atop a building in the middle of a city. It also appeared to be nighttime.

"Wow, this is like the holo-room on Cosmic Frontier!" Marcy cried out.

"Crap, Jyamatos!" Anne shouted and strapped on her Desire Driver as she saw a couple of Pawn Jyamatos in DGP T-shirts on the roof with them.

"Relax, Anne. These are just holograms," Sasha said as she lightly tapped one of the Pawn Jyamatos on the head. It seemed to glitch and flicker upon contact.

"Oh, holograms," Anne sighed with relief. Sasha tossed her back her Monster Buckle. "My Buckle!"

"Thanks for lending it to me, Anne," Sasha smiled as she strapped on her Desire Driver.

Marcy rolled her eyes a little when she heard Sasha say, 'lend'.

'More like swiping it off her.'

"Okay, Sasha, before we start any training, I really need you to make me a promise," said Marcy in a serious tone.

Sasha looked at her other best friend curiously.

"Oh, okay, what is it?"

"If any of us need each other's Raise Buckles, for any reason, we ask for them first. I'm sorry, but I just didn't like how you took Anne's Monster Buckle in the middle of the fight. What would you have done if Anne got swarmed and I couldn't get to her in time?" Marcy questioned as she crossed her arms and stared down Sasha.

"Marcy, stop! Everything turned out okay in the end," said Anne in Sasha's defence.

Sasha sighed as she looked down at the floor.

"No. She's right." Anne and Marcy looked surprised to hear Sasha admit that. "I do owe you an apology, Anne. I was so caught up in trying to snatch the victory that I put you in danger. That was a stupid thing for me to do, and you could've gotten killed because of me! I'm sorry."

Both Anne and Marcy were caught off guard by hearing Sasha's admission and apology that it was hard to say anything at the moment. Sasha hardly ever admitted when she was wrong, but it seemed as if she had time to think about her actions after the fact.

"Sasha, it's okay. Marcy was there and–"

"That's not an excuse! I realize that. She's right, if Marcy was at the far end of the mall when I did that, you could've gotten swarmed and got killed. I had, and still have, no expectations that any of the other Riders would've come to protect you. And for that, I'm sorry." Sasha reached out and took Anne's hand with her left, and Marcy's with her right. "You two are the most important people in my life, and I can't stand the thought of losing either of you. I promise not to do that again. And that I'll keep you two safe, no matter what it takes."

Anne looked like she was about to swoon, and Marcy's fears and doubts about Sasha were alleviated, at least for now. But this game was still ongoing, and many things could happen. However, she could trust Sasha's words as far as her devotion to them.

"Okay, Sashy. I know eventually, it might come down to the three of us, but until then, let's work together to make it to the final round," said Marcy.

"We'll watch each other's backs, all the way to the end," Anne added.

Sasha nodded and released their hands.

"OK, guys. Here's the plan. We are going to train and work on our teamwork. And then, in the next round, we're going to beat that witch Blight and Noceda."

Marcy noted the nasty grin on Sasha's face. She knew that look. Sasha wanted to beat Amity and Luz after losing to them twice. She would not let them beat her again.

'Oh boy…'

Luz and Amity decided to take a break and sat at the poolside cafe to have ice cream.

"I wish summer could last forever," Luz said.

"You make the same wish every year," Amity pointed out with a grin.

"Of course. I don't have to go to school and deal with all the crap."

Things were still a bit rough after Luz returned from the Demon Realm and Amity started to live with them. Vee finished out the school year for Luz, but due to being away for so long, time at home during that summer was basically relegated to the house turning into an impromptu Summer School. Luz had to get caught up on a year's worth of curriculum, but thankfully Amity helped keep her on track. Plus it helped her out as well, as she needed to learn more about the Human Realm since she was going to be living in it for the rest of her life.

The students and staff noted the drastic change in Luz since it was no longer Vee pretending to be her. There were still bullies to deal with, and the occasional person making fun of her. But her time as Oscura made their little pranks and name-calling look so trivial. Plus, half the time, she just needed to give them "The Glare" and they would back off and many ran so fast a dust trail was left in their wake.

Eventually, Amity managed to learn as much of the high school curriculum she could and managed to get in with Camilla's help, introducing Amity as a child she was taking guardianship of, as well as reintroducing Vee into the school as Vee Noceda. Together, they helped to make Luz's high school life much more enjoyable.

She didn't waste any time, either of them really, establishing that they were girlfriends. Apparently, Luz broke the hearts of a lot of boys, and some girls, at school when they learned the cute new transfer student had been spoken for.

Amity didn't stand for anyone making fun of Luz, so she made sure that they knew it. Causing a slight accident, nothing harmful or lethal, with her magic and making it look as if cosmic karma was immediately punishing them for their misdeeds made the bullies stop and the name-calling dwindle over the years.

"At least you didn't have to deal with that crap alone," Amity smiled warmly.

"Yeah…" Luz smiled back. Having Amity and Vee around made the days at school better than tolerable.

"So, what do you think the next round will be like?" Amity asked. While there was a lull in Jyamato activity right now, she knew it would not last. The next round could begin at any moment.

"Whatever it'll be, we'll be ready," Luz said. "And this time you won't have to hide your magic."

"Seems kiiiiiind of unfair, though," Amity admitted.

"Don't let Waybright get to you," Luz advised.

"I know I shouldn't, but maybe she's got a point. It is kinda unfair that I can use magic," said Amity.

Luz sighed.

"Listen, hermosa, do you know who Waybright reminds me of?"

"No, who?"

"Boscha."

Amity's face scrunched when she heard that name. She remembered how Luz told her that Boscha was scheming to make the youngest Blight fall in love with her and control her once they were in a relationship to gain the power that came with being with a member of the Blight family. And while the triclops witch joined the WATs in order to bring down Oscura, it was no secret that she was still the same horrible person up until that point.

"Damn, I haven't thought about her in years," Amity grumbled.

"Sasha has the same kind of attitude as Boscha. At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if they were actually parallel versions of each other. But anyway, you know how to deal with people like her, and so do I. The only thing people like her respect, if anything, is power and skill. You have both. As for me? Well, I just have skill."

Amity chuckled as she gave her girlfriend a sultry look.

"Oh, I don't know. I think you've shown me plenty of your 'power'," Amity whispered.

Luz's face went red at the insinuation.

"I swear, you've become a bit of a pervert during your time here."

Amity shrugged.

"Well, the internet is a vast and mysterious realm in and of itself. Plus, you're partially to blame for making me like this." Amity ran her foot up Luz's leg under the table, causing the Latina to shudder. Amity gave her a saucy wink that made her blush.

"Lies!" Luz cried, feigning being offended. "Maybe you were always like this deep down and just needed an excuse!"

Amity reached out with her left hand and placed it over Luz's right as she looked up into those beautiful brown eyes of hers.

"Maybe you're right. But then again, you're a very convenient excuse, batata."

"So are you, sweet potato."

The two girls leaned forward and shared a brief kiss before parting.

"Anyway, Ams, we're fighting to protect people from monsters. We need any advantage we can get," Luz said.

"And we're also fighting for our wishes," Amity added.

"One of us just has to make it until the end and win this game," Luz resolved.

Several Jyamatos lay strewn and defeated on the floor of the rooftop as Soaron, Newtonne, and Qrok stood at the centre of the defeated monsters, their shoulders rising and falling rapidly as they panted from their battle with the fake monsters.

"I'M FINISHED!" Newtonne yelled as she lay on the floor, exhausted.

"C'mon, Marcy!" Soaron urged. "Just a couple more hours!"

"Please, let me rest, Sash! My arms are tired and I made so many clones already!" Newtonne whined.

"Marcy's right. We need a break," Qrok agreed.

"OK, we'll take a break," Soaron agreed. "But in half an hour, we're going another round!"

"If I knew she was going to run me this ragged, I would've just stayed in bed,"Newtonne griped.

"Like that would've stopped her? Pretty sure she would've found a way to do the same even in bed," Qrok retorted.

"We gotta work on your stamina, Mar-Mar," said Soaron.

Outside the training room, Marco and Molly paused. They were thinking of joining the trio for a sparring session, or at least a joint training session. But the conversation inside did not sound like training, or rather, not the kind of training they wanted any part of.

"O-Oh…my…c-corn," Molly stammered with a red face. "W-Well, um, I have heard of polyamorous relationships, but…uh…wow, I didn't think you could use the Buckles for, uh, stuff like that."

"Y-Yeah, I think we stumbled onto something that we probably shouldn't have," said Marco.

The door flew open and the two Riders jumped back. Standing in the doorway was Sasha, drenched in sweat to the point that her sports bra was visible. She didn't seem tired at all as compared to the other two. Marcy was leaning against the doorframe on her left shoulder, panting as sweat dripped onto the floor. Anne was hunched over, resting her hands on her knees as she panted along with Marcy. Despite Anne's own natural athleticism, Sasha trained herself a lot harder, pushing her limits, and it showed in their current state.

"Sash, I don't think I can walk," Anne whined.

Sasha glanced over her shoulder and grinned.

"Walk it off, Boonchuy."

"Sash, I'm going to pass out for the next thirty minutes. Just let me pass out for the rest of the day," Marcy pleaded.

Sasha rolled her eyes and got her arms under both girls, practically carrying them on her own.

"C'mon you two, let's get you rehydrated." Sasha was about to walk away, but stopped and turned to the two other Riders. "Oh, hey, can you two leave that room in thirty minutes? We're still using it. Cool, thanks."

Sasha didn't wait for a reply as she walked away, dragging her two friends along with her. Molly and Marco looked at the open door of the training room. Glanced at each other, and then looked back at the door.

"So, uh, why don't you go in, Molls?" Marco asked.

"Oh, uh, no, no. W-Why don't you go first? I insist," said Molly.

"I wouldn't dream of it. My Mom taught me to be a gentleman and so, you know, ladies first," he insisted.

"Oh, yeah, it's always good to listen to your mom. But, uh, I'm a pretty progressive kind of gal, so, um, you can go ahead," Molly insisted more.

"No, you."

"No, you."

"No, you."

"Hey, guys."

Molly and Marco turned around and saw Penn walking up to them. He saw that the both of them were hanging out in front of the open door to a training room, and arguing for some reason.

"So, are you two gonna use it?" Penn asked Marco and Molly.

"Nope, all yours buddy," said Marco as he dashed down the hall.

"Just make sure to leave in thirty minutes 'cause Sasha, Anne, and Marcy are using it okay thanks byeee!" Molly rambled as she too ran down the hall right behind Marco.

Penn shrugged as he watched them go and entered the training room.

"There are 1010 training rooms in this place, right?" Marco asked as Molly ran beside him. "Let's just use another one."

"Good idea."

Their date was perfect, but then again, any date Luz had with Amity was perfect. The two of them were lying in a couple of beach chairs, just relaxing as they listened to the goings on around them while enjoying the shade provided by the parasols. Luz had her hands behind her head as she reclined in her chair, and then glanced over at Amity. She couldn't help but admire how beautiful Amity was. She was a goddess that had descended to Earth. Her figure was breathtaking, her skin immaculate, and her face was just beautiful.

Luz took a moment to look over her own body. During the course of her time back in Gravesfield High, Luz had taken up baseball, along with keeping up with some of her martial arts training on the side. The results spoke for themselves. She had a lean body, with a bit of a six-pack showing on her stomach, and some muscles on her legs, thighs, and arms.

Amity's body was by no means weak. She was pretty strong thanks to her witch biology, but she didn't slack off in her physical fitness either. While Amity's muscles weren't as noticeable as Luz's, there was no doubt that Amity was physically strong enough to fight off just about anyone.

As Luz looked at her own body, her mind briefly flashed back to a time when her body was once riddled with scars. Every once in a while, she would see the scars, or at least, imagine where they would be. Another phantom of the past that would continue to haunt her. But thanks to Eda, that was no longer an issue. Her body was no longer scarred, and she could display her skin proudly without fear of looks of disgust.

'If Eda hadn't done that…Mom would've been sent to jail. There was no way to explain how I could've gotten any of those scars other than abuse, or at least not without it looking like I was making it up to protect her,' Luz thought.

"Well, hey there, beautiful."

Luz was snapped out of her inner thoughts when she glanced to her left and saw three guys standing to Amity's left. All three looked like they were in their early twenties, and appeared to be your stereotypical hunky beach boys. Luz couldn't lie, they looked hot, but she wasn't superficial like that.

"Wanna hang out with us?" the centre boy asked.

"Hey, buddy, leave her alone, alright?" Luz warned.

"Uh, wasn't talking to you." That same boy gave Luz a glance.

Luz inwardly cringed. She felt like he was inspecting a slab of meat, sizing her up to see if she was even worth trying to hit on.

"You heard what she said," Amity spoke. "Please leave."

"C'mon don't be like that," he said as he knelt beside Amity's chair, his eyes roving her body. "We saw you and your friend hanging out over here, and we thought you could use some company."

"I have plenty of company with my girlfriend, thank you," Amity retorted.

Luz smirked. This wasn't the first time that boys tried to hit on Amity, not that she could totally blame them, but it did get irritating to have to deal with. Now, usually, whenever Amity dropped the "girlfriend" line, that was enough to make most boys groan in disappointment and back off, or storm off and make gay-bashing remarks. But then there was that one percentage that just did not take the hint and, unfortunately, these three fell into that category.

"Oh, dude, she's seriously dropping that line," said the second boy.

"Yeah, suddenly every girl turns gay the moment we turn up," said the third.

"Hmm, maybe that should tell you something?" Luz remarked.

"Look, babe, you don't have to be intimidated by us." The first boy got a bit closer to Amity. "We're just three chill guys looking to have a good time with some cute girls. And, babe, you are so cute it should be a crime."

Luz started to clench her fists.

Amity lowered her sunglasses and finally looked at the boy who was addressing her directly.

"One: it's not an excuse. And if you need proof of such, I'm happy to provide it for you." Amity sat up from the chair, reached over to Luz, and gave the Latina a long kiss on the lips, practically making out with her in front of the boys. After a few moments, she ended the kiss with Luz and turned back to face them. "And two: I am gay. So, whatever little fantasies you had about me or doing with me, you can just flush those down the drain. I'm not interested."

Luz was not expecting that, but she did not mind it. Now, these three idiots had to leave. How much more blatant could you get than that?

"Wow…that…was so hot!" the first boy exclaimed.

"Seriously!" the second agreed.

"Shit, I should've taken out my cell," the third complained.

Luz and Amity stared at these three morons. This was just getting beyond stupid right now.

"Okay, we're leaving," said Luz.

"Agreed," Amity stated.

The two girls got up out of their chairs to leave, but the second and third boys cut off their exit.

"Hey, hey, we don't mind that at all. But, eh, maybe we could, persuade you to change your mind about not liking guys?" the first boy suggested.

"Okay, we were trying to be subtle, but you guys just need the direct approach." Luz turned to the lead boy and said, "You losers need to get the hell away from us or I'll make sure you regret this very poor life decision!"

The lead boy's suave expression shifted to a more hardened gaze as he approached Luz and placed his hand on her shoulder. He applied pressure as he leaned forward so he could whisper into her ear.

"Look, you dyke, just come with us. This can either go the easy way or the hard way," he threatened.

Luz smirked in response.

"You've got a lot of balls threatening me and my girlfriend, especially with all these witnesses around."

"You think this our first rodeo?" he scoffed. "Doesn't matter if it's here, or outside this park. You're going to come with us, have a good time, maybe give us a good show, and then you can be on your way back home. No muss, no fuss. What do you say?"

Luz hummed as he mulled over his proposition.

"Hmm, let me respond to that in the following way."

Without warning, Luz put her hands on the boy's shoulders, making him think that she was finally complying with him, and drove her right knee straight into his groin. The lead boy gasped painfully, his mouth hanging open as he struggled to breathe from the hard blow to his family jewels.

"What the hell!" the other two exclaimed.

The other two made to grab for Amity from behind, but the witch teen was quicker. Before they could grab her, Amity dropped down to one knee and struck both of them in the gut with her elbows, driving them into their stomachs. The two boys also gasped harshly as they took a few steps back, hugging their midsections. While Amity was on the ground, she stealthily drew a spell circle, and made the concrete shift under the third boy, sliding him into the nearest pool. The second was about to grab for Amity again, but the witch girl quickly rose and spun around to backhand him with her fist, sending him spinning around until he fell flat on his back.

The leader of the group was still holding onto Luz, trying to catch his breath. Luz lightly pushed him away just so she could reach out and grab him by the face with her right hand and hold him up with her one arm alone.

The lead boy tried to pry Luz's hand off while trying to form a scowl or any kind of defiant and angry look, but all attempts he made immediately died the moment he looked into Luz's eyes.

The Latina was glaring at him, and it was not a normal glare. It was The Glare. The lead boy felt an ominous pressure befall him, as if a great and overwhelming force was about to come down on him like the wrath of God.

"Listen, pendejo. When girls say to leave them alone, you leave them the hell alone!" Luz raised her arm up a bit more and brought him up just a bit. "Guys like you who can't take a hint make me sick. And believe me when I say you should be down on your effing knees thanking me for not ruling this world when I was in a darker place!"

Luz kept raising her arm a bit more to the point that her arm muscles were bulging, and the boy was standing on his tiptoes. He still tried to get Luz to release him but she was too strong for him.

"I want you to apologize to my girlfriend for being such an asshole." Luz waited but heard nothing. That was when she raised her left arm and gave him a swift punch to the gut, making him groan in more pain. "I can't hear you!"

"I-I-I'M…S-S-SORRY…!"

"Foooooor?"

"F-F-FOR BEING…A…AN ASSHOLE…!"

"Good boy." Luz lowered the boy back to eye level. "And maybe one more to make it clear."

Luz cocked back her left fist, and the boy's eyes widened in fear.

"LUZ!" The Latina glanced over her shoulder as Amity gave her a stern look. "That's enough, Luz. Let him go."

Luz looked back at the boy in her grasp and sighed as she released him, letting him fall to the ground unceremoniously. It was right about this time that the lifeguards and park security finally showed up.

Thankfully, the other parkgoers spoke up and told the staff that it was the three boys who were the aggressors and even showed the entire altercation from beginning to end with their cell phones.

It was an unpleasant end to an otherwise great date. While Luz waited outside of the changing rooms, some parkgoers praised her for what she and her girlfriend did earlier. As much as she appreciated the praise, Luz felt terrible inside. Not for those jerks. God no. But for allowing her darker side to take control.

'Just admit it, you loved it.'

'Shut up.'

'You loved the feeling of having power, the sense of superiority, the feeling of putting someone lesser than you in their place.'

'Goddamit, I didn't like any of it! I'm not some monster who gets off to someone's suffering like you did! I did what I had to do to make him stop!'

'Ahahaha! Yeah, the groin shot was more than enough. But you took it a step further. You made sure he knew his place. You made sure he knew just who was the strong one and who was the weak one. And, you know, that sounds a lot like what we used to say when we killed all those Coven Scouts. We only did what we had to do.'

Luz struck the wall behind her with the back of her fist as she growled. She hated to admit it, but the voice in her head was right. It was the same excuse she used when she killed the Coven Scouts with her Wrath ring, the same excuse she used when she killed Adrian Gray, and the same one she used when she made her assault on the Emperor's Castle.

"Luz, you alright?"

The Latina snapped out of her dark thoughts and glanced to her right, seeing Amity standing right next to her in her casual clothes.

"Uh…kinda…" Luz sighed. "Not…Not really. Just a little freaked out. I don't think I would've stopped if you hadn't said something."

"Luz," Amity moved closer and gave her girlfriend a comforting hug. "You went a little overboard, but you're not her, okay?"

"I didn't have to take it that far, but I wanted to. I wanted to humiliate him and make him see just how weak he was…how much of a piece of crap he was," Luz admitted.

"Look, you almost went too far and honestly you scared me a bit, but those guys needed to learn their lesson," Amity said. Luz still felt bad about it. Yes, those boys were assholes, but there was a better way to deal with them. Probably.

Amity put on a sultry grin as she moved one of her hands lower.

"And another thing…" she whispered as her hand found its resting place right on Luz's rear, making the Latina squeak and blush. "That was so hot how you took him down and humiliated him like that."

"A-Amity, that's so messed up," said Luz, still blushing.

"Did you forget who you're talking to? We're both kinda messed up, Luz. But, at least we're messed up together," said Amity as she kissed Luz on the cheek. "And when we get back home, I need you to mess. Me. Up!"

Luz's eyes went wide, but then they lowered into a half-lidded gaze before she placed her left hand under Amity's chin.

"Hermosa, I hope you're ready coz when we get back home, I'm running you ragged."

Amity shivered in a good way.

"Is that a threat?"

"It's a promise."

And just like that, the date wasn't a total disaster.

Dr. Exposition: So, a bit of a slice-of-life intermission chapter before we head on over to the next round. We focus mostly on Sasha, Marcy and Anne who are training as well as Amity and Luz while they are on a date at the waterpark. It seems whenever Luz lets her inner Oscura out, she begins to suffer from auditory hallucinations. She still hates herself for what she's done in her past, which is the driving force of her participation in the DGP.