"Mary!! C'mon, it's almost time for lunch!" Gally shouted, grateful for
the tracking bracelet that Wasyuu had given the eight-year-old girl. (Now
where did that girl run off to ... ?) she wondered, looking around.
     Somewhere in the relatively near distance, she could hear Mary giggling
happily as she chased Ryo-ohki around the forest. The area was originally
intended as a supplemental practice area for the CyberGrrlz, in addition to
the full-blown obstacle course which was located in Wasyuu's lab dimension
     "Thank goodness Wasyuu made sure this place was child-safe for today,"
Gally muttered as she detoured around a tree in her path, and tried to catch
sight of the young girl. Unsurprisingly, Gally couldn't see any sign of Mary
from where she was, but she listened for a moment, then headed off towards her
right.
     "EEEEEEEEEEEEEK!!! Gally-oneechan!!"
     "Mary!!" Gally charged forward, combat sensors online, and jumped over
Ryo-ohki as the cabbit raced back towards the house, "myah"-ing in a near
panic. Within seconds, Gally reached a small clearing and caught sight of the
girl - and another girl, this one in her early teens, with auburn hair and
blue eyes, and a form-fitting red plug-suit.
     Asuka shuddered, looking up at the Battle Angel, and her eyes narrowed.
"Where am I?" she spat, hands flexing as though she had claws at the ends of
her fingers, or as if she were holding a weapon.
     "Just don't move," Gally ordered. "Mary, come here."
     Mary didn't budge, staring open-mouthed at the teenaged Eva pilot.
     "Mary! *Come* *here*," Gally repeated herself, taking a step forward.
     "She's hurt," Mary whispered, and started walking towards Asuka. "It's
okay ... you don't have to be afraid here," she said softly, holding a hand
out to the older girl.
     If Gally hadn't been so worried about having a psychopathic half-Eva in
the middle of the forest with her and an eight-year-old human girl, she would
have stopped to stare at the incongruity of a young girl trying to calm down a
teenager at least six years her senior. "Mary, get away from her -"
     Asuka's gaze snapped back up to the cyborg's visage, and a barrier of
light started to form in front of her ... but Mary's outstretched hand was
enough to part the A.T. Field with a gentle touch. "There's nothing to fear,"
Mary whispered again. "You don't have to be afraid, nobody's going to hurt
you."
     Gally stared in disbelief as Asuka reached up, and took Mary's hand in
her own ... and then, with a sigh of exhaustion, the former Evangelion pilot
collapsed to the ground. "Mary?" asked Gally, "what did you do?"
     "I don't know." Mary sat on her heels, stroking Asuka's hair away from
the girl's face. "She startled me, but she didn't do anything when she saw me.
I think she was afraid of something."
     Gally shook her head quietly. "Go get your mother," she told Mary. "I'll
stay here with her."
     Mary nodded, and ran off as Gally knelt next to Asuka. A quick scan
confirmed that Asuka's plug-suit was composed of simple synthetic fabrics,
with no life signs other than Asuka's own. A few minutes later, Mary returned
with Wasyuu and the other two CyberGrrlz. "What happened?" Wasyuu asked as she
hurried over to Gally's side, calling a rolling stretcher out of another
subspace pocket en route.
     "Asuka's back," Gally responded. "She just appeared; Mary found her."
     "She must have wound up somewhere in the area after Hell was written out
of existence ..." Wasyuu commented. "Ifurita, Nuku-Nuku, lift her onto the
stretcher - *carefully*, don't wake her up if you can help it ... How'd she
get put to sleep?"
     "She just fell asleep after Mary took her hand," answered Gally, "or at
least that's what it looked like. How did she wind up *here* of all places?"
     "Tell me when you have time for a four-hundred-hour course on
interdimensional hydrodynamics," responded Wasyuu. "Not to mention all the
math it'll take you to understand it ... Mary, are you sure you're all right?"
     The eight-year-old nodded. "She didn't even try to hurt me. Is she going
to be okay?"
     Wasyuu summoned her laptop and took a look at Asuka's vital signs.
"Physically, she's reasonably healthy - which is a surprise given that she's
been wandering through the woods for about the past two weeks. I wouldn't want 
to comment on the state of her psyche, though ... come on, let's get her back
to the lab."
     Mary stood on tiptoe to get another look at Asuka. "She's terrified of
something, okaasan - she still looks scared."
     Looking at Asuka's brainwave patterns, Wasyuu had to silently agree with
the young girl. Asuka was deep in REM sleep, dreaming - and to judge by her
hormone levels, those dreams could only be nightmares of the worst sort.
     Asuka Langley had literally been through Hell in the past few months;
rebuilding her psyche would be a difficult task at best.

     Nabiki was smiling as her fighters entered her office. "What's up,
boss?" Marlo asked as he pulled out a recliner and flopped into it, forcing
Darshu and Morrigan to detour around him en route to their chairs.
     "I've got good news for all of you," Nabiki said as soon as everyone was
seated. "Or for most of you, anyway ..."
     "Let me guess," smirked Tarou. "CHAOS is finally giving up and
disbanding?"
     "Not yet, and I doubt they're going to lose heart quite that quickly,"
responded Nabiki, looking like the cat that ate the canary. "But given the way
Jack's trial is going, they may have cause to give up before too long. No, the
good news is that none of you have to fight tonight - except for one of you."
Nabiki's gaze came to rest squarely on Yuffie. "Given that shiny new materia
you're toting around, I think it's time you started pulling your weight in
Omega; Lina's requested a match tonight, and I believe you'd make a suitable
opponent for her."
     "ME?!" Yuffie sputtered, leaping to her feet. "Send Darshu -"
     "That's *Dark Schneider* to you, pipsqueak," growled the sorcerer.
     "- or somebody," continued the young kunoichi without missing a beat,
"*I* sure ain't going up against Lina!"
     Nabiki sat back in her chair. "If it's the Dragon Slave that you're
worried about, relax; Lina won't be allowed to use it."
     "What, you'll have her DQ'ed?" Dark Schneider looked interested. "I know
you're the boss and all, but won't she take that kind of hard?"
     "Darshu, do you *really* think I'd arrange the rules to deliberately
favor one of my fighters? And I *do* expect all of you to be here this
evening; just because you're not booked doesn't mean I don't want you in the
UltraDome tonight. Morrigan, I'd like a word with you; the rest of you can
go."
     Morrigan drifted over to Nabiki's desk as the rest of the fighters (and
Tarou) filed out of the office. "What is it, Ms. Tendou?" asked the succubus
as she perched on the edge of the desk.
     Nabiki skillfully ignored it, a skill she'd mastered since Morrigan
began working for her. "I wasn't planning to stop you from trying to have your
way with Sakura, but she's complained to me. Rather vociferously, in fact. And
seeing as both you and Sakura count as my employees, I have to worry about
this little thing called 'sexual harassment' - that's exactly how she
described it. Now, normally I wouldn't worry about a little thing like that,
but given that the legal side of Ultra is in the public eye right now, I'd
rather try to avoid that kind of a lawsuit. Particularly since it might help
CHAOS."
     "Let me see if I understand this," Morrigan drawled as she stood up,
turning to face Nabiki directly. "You want me to leave Sakura alone because
you don't want to give CHAOS something that could twist around to help Jack?"
     "Being a smart businesswoman means keeping an eye on risks as well as
profits," Nabiki answered primly. "And having my management called into
question is an unnecessary risk during Jack's trial."
     Morrigan shrugged. "I don't see what you're so worried about. Sakura's
just a slip of a girl, after all - what trouble could she give you?"
     Nabiki's gaze hardened as she looked up at Morrigan. "Just enough to be
concerned with. Morrigan, if Jack *weren't* on trial I'd be happy to let you
keep troubling Sakura to your heart's content ... but this is a delicate
situation at the moment. I need you to ease off on Sakura."
     The succubus shrugged again. "If you insist ..." She turned and glided
out of the room, leaving Nabiki to frown at the door as it closed behind
Morrigan.

     "Daisuke, I hope you realize how much good lawyers cost these days,"
Karin griped as she walked into CHAOS's locker/dressing/meeting room in the
bowels of the UltraDome, with Shingo in tow. "Maybe you should have let Jack
take care of his own defense the way he was planning?"
     "Thank you for helping to pay for his defense," Daisuke responded as
unflappably as he could accomplish. "Believe me, letting Jack defend himself
in a Japanese court is the last thing we need. How's Sakura?"
     "Intact," answered Sakura herself as she followed Karin and Shingo in.
"Still a little sore, but I can handle a match tonight."
     "Normally, I'd say that's good, but tonight ..." Daisuke looked around
the table; Pikachu was there, but Team Rocket was missing, as were Shermie and
Hiroshi. "Where are the others? They should have been here by now -"
     The door opened again, and slammed behind Hiroshi as he leaned against
the wall, panting for breath. "I think I lost her ..."
     There was a knock on the door. "Don't have a heart attack," Daisuke told
his fellow cloned commentator as he walked over to answer the knock. "Who is
it?"
     The voices were muffled but distinctive:
     "Prepare for trouble!"
     "And make it double!"
     "Ano ... Daisuke-kun, could you just let us in, please?"
     "So who were you running from?" Daisuke asked Hiroshi as he opened the
door to admit the three remaining members of CHAOS.
     "She's got wings, she's underage, and she's evil," Hiroshi replied as he
headed for the table, pouring himself a glass of water from the pitcher before
he sat down. "That enough of a clue for you?"
     "Makes you wonder whether Nabiki's deliberately turning them on us,"
muttered Sakura as she rubbed at her neck, where a scar was still faintly
visible. "I sure wouldn't put it past her - would you believe Morrigan walked
in on me in the showers two nights ago?"
     "They're communal showers, aren't they?" Shermie asked innocently.
     Sakura's expression darkened, and she refused to answer.
     "Anyway ..." Daisuke paused long enough to let everyone else sit down.
"I haven't even heard whether any of you are fighting tonight or not. Shermie,
Nabiki hasn't said anything to me about your first fight yet."
     "That's okay," Shermie smiled. "I don't mind hanging out with the rest
of you."
     Daisuke blinked a little at that, and discarded some of the possible
interpretations that came to mind. "I doubt Nabiki's going to let up on us
just because Jack's currently being tried for that stunt he -"
     "We," corrected several voices.
     "- pulled during Epsilon; if she's really taking it easy on CHAOS
tonight, then the kami are being really nice to us," Daisuke finished. "I've
been keeping track of the trial's progress, through the public news media and
by talking to Jack ..."
     "And I've been getting word back from the lawyers retained by our firm,"
Karin added. "If Jack would stop trying to defend himself and let his lawyers
do the work, there wouldn't be anything to worry about."
     James looked up from his Lambda title belt. "Daisuke?"
     "Yes, James?"
     "Jessie and I need to fight tonight."
     Jessie blinked at her partner. "We do?"
     James fingered one of his Pokeballs, and explained, "We need to take the
Busters down a peg or five."
     Everybody in the room, even Pikachu, stared at James as though he had
just declared that they were going to embark on a campaign of total world
domination. "Uhhhh ... James," Daisuke began, "much as I admire your
willingness to make a stand against everything that's evil in this world,
you're talking about putting the title belts on the line against a pair of
fighters who - quite frankly - could mop the ring with your faces without
breaking a sweat."
     "It doesn't have to be a title match!" Hiroshi exclaimed. "Can't you
challenge the Busters to a non-title fight?"
     "James, have you completely taken leave of your senses?" Jessie
protested, trying to feel her partner's forehead. "We don't need to trouble
ourselves with those two criminals! We're *champions!* They'll have to come to
us if they want a shot at the belts!"
     James stared at the Pokeball in his hand for a long moment. "I just ...
we need to do this, Jessie. I can't explain why I feel that way, but I just
know that somehow."
     Pikachu spoke up, "Pi chu pika pi chu pikapika chu chu pika pi."
     "Yes ... just like old times," smiled James as he rubbed Pikachu's head,
petting the electrical mouse. "After a fashion, anyway."
     "What'd he say?" Karin wondered.
     Jessie glanced at her, and answered, "Something about 'Ash used to be
like that'."
     "Well ... if you're sure about asking for a match," Daisuke replied
slowly, "then I'll try to talk to Nabiki, see what she can do. Or what she's
willing to do," he amended. "I doubt Ms. Tendou is going to do us any favors
at the moment, but -"
     The door slammed open. "So *here* you are, Sakura-chan," Morrigan
drawled as she drifted into the room, smiling sultrily at her prey. "Along
with all your little friends, too ..."
     Sighing inwardly, Sakura rose from her seat. "Get out of here, Morrigan.
Nobody invited you to join us."
     "I don't need an invitation," responded Morrigan as she glided over the
table, incidentally giving Shermie and Karin what would have been a marvelous
view if they'd been inclined to take a look. "But maybe I should bide my time
..."
     "I'm in no hurry. You could wait a few thousand years."
     Morrigan ignored Sakura's barb as she perched on the edge of the table,
facing the teenaged street-fighter. "I didn't mean that long, but my little
sister might want some pointers. She was heading in this general direction -"
     "Hiro-kun!!!!"
     Hiroshi immediately dived under the table, looking even paler than he
usually did, just before Lilith swooped through the door in pursuit of her
intended. "Hiro-kun - ara? Where did he go?"
     "Try looking under the table," Morrigan chuckled, looking over her
shoulder at the younger succubus. "And then we can take him and Sakura off
somewhere, and I'll show you how you can give him the very best time of his
life before I settle in with Sakura-chan. Speaking of whom -" One of
Morrigan's wings unraveled into an array of sinuous tendrils, catching
Sakura's leg and arms and entangling them so that she couldn't move. "Ah, I
love it when they're so eager. You see, Lilith, you can't just chase them down
- you have to make them want you, make them *need* you ..."
     "Would you *PLEASE* just shut the hell up?!" howled Sakura, trying to
fall backwards in the hope that she could pull Morrigan off-balance;
unfortunately, Morrigan might as well have been rooted to the spot in the
literal sense, because she wasn't even budging. Daisuke and Jessie were trying
to help her, but the succubus had already spotted them and released a few bats
to get in their faces, very literally. Glaring at her captor, Sakura
continued, "I already told you I didn't want to take you up on that 'prize' -
why don't you go after Iori? *He's* the Gamma champ!"
     "The offer," Morrigan replied archly, "was for whoever managed to defeat
*me* while I held the Gamma belt. Nobody did ... except for you. Iori never
even seemed interested in it." With a deft flick of her wing-tendrils,
Morrigan tossed Sakura across the room, where a pile of cardboard boxes broke
her fall. "So why should I bother with somebody like Iori? He's handsome, but
probably boring as hell in bed - whereas *you*, my -"
     A heavy mallet came crashing down on Morrigan's head, accompanied by the
words, "Morrigan no *BAKA*!!"
     Lilith poked her head up from under the table. "Oneesama? Are you okay?"
     Morrigan rubbed the growing bump on her head, and looked at the wielder
of the mallet: Shingo, who was currently the spitting image of Akane (except
for gender, but he looked better in a karate gi than a sailor fuku - by most
tastes). "She *said* to leave her alone, you hussy!" Shingo growled,
brandishing his mallet. "Why don't you just give up already?"
     "Give up?" Morrigan slid off the table, turning to face the other
members of CHAOS as she stretched, her wings spreading behind her as she
raised her arms over her head. "*I*, give up on my chosen? Surely you're
joking ..."
     "It's no joke!" Hiroshi retorted from behind a large potted fern,
leaning out and taunting the succubus Dan-style, fist clenched and forearm
flexed in the manliest pose he could muster. "You think you can just barge in
here and take whoever you want? Think again!"
     "There you are!" Lilith squealed happily, and started to head towards
Hiroshi - only to be blocked by Morrigan's arm. "Eh? Oneesama ... ?"
     Morrigan slowly turned her head to look at Sakura, who was still
extricating herself from the boxes with Shermie's help. "Hmmmmmm ..." A small
smile crossed her lips. "All right ... Sakura-chan, if you can defeat Lilith
one-on-one ... then if you want me to leave you alone, I'll consider it. How
does that sound?"
     "It's a deal!" Sakura exclaimed.
     "In that case," Morrigan smiled, "I'll head on up to Ms. Tendou's office
and inform her of the new match for tonight." She began to stride towards the
door. "Lilith, come along ... oh." She paused, looking back at the members of
CHAOS. "I almost forgot the reason I came down here. Daisuke?"
     "Er ... yes?"
     "Ms. Tendou asked me to tell you that you're announcing tonight."
     Daisuke blinked. "Just me? Who's the other announcer, then? Hiroshi?"
     Morrigan shook her head. "You'll find out at showtime." And with that,
she strode out of the room, with Lilith in tow, and breezing past the cameras
without a care in the world.


                              LIVE!
                      FROM THE UltraDome!
                     THE BIGGEST SPECTACLE
                    IN ANIME AND VIDEO GAME
                      SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT
                        AND IMPROFANFIC!
                        IT'S TIME FOR...

         { M A G I C A L  T R O U B L E S H O O T I N G }
         {    C R O S S O V E R    F I G H T I N G      }
         {             F E D E R A T I O N              }
         {                .-----------.                 }
         {                | U-L-T-R-A |                 }
         {                `-----------'                 }
         {          http://www.mtcffultra.com           }

               Episode 54: Being Imperfectly Blunt
               Episode written by Shachihoko
               MTCFF Ultra created by Twoflower

     Somewhat to the surprise of the hordes gathered in the UltraDome that
night, when the pyros went off and Ultra's theme music played and the crowds
cheered at a combined volume adequate to pulverize mortal eardrums, the voice
that was added to the mix loud enough to be clearly audible even over all of
the other noise was not Hiroshi's.
     It was younger, female, and at least as enthusiastic at Hiroshi at his
most sugar-primed.
     "ARE YOU READY FOR SOME *ULLLLTRAAAAAAAAAA-VIOLENCE*??!?!?!?!!"
     Impossible as it always was, the volume of the cheers doubled - at least
- affirming yet another Great Ultra Tradition.
     "Hiiiiii everyone! For the first time this season, this is SANA KURATA,
live at the UltraDome, and I'd like to thank ABSOLUTELY EVERYBODY for all of
their get-well cards and gifts and flowers and sweets and everything else they
sent along with their best wishes! I'm back on my feet, I'm rarin' to go, and
I'm gonna give it a HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-FIVE percent to make up for all the
time I lost while I was getting better!" Sana stood up in her seat for a
moment, waving to the crowds. "It's great to be back, and I'm gonna make sure
I give you a nice, hot, juicy night of the most incredible ULTRA-VIOLENCE
you'll never forget!"
     Daisuke glanced at Sana. "If you give it a hundred and seventy-five
percent, you'll put yourself back in the hospital in no time."
     "No I won't! I can give at *least* THREE HUNDRED PERCENT before I run
into medical problems!" Sana winked, giving Daisuke (and the cameras) a V-sign
with her fingers.
     Privately, Daisuke wondered if Nabiki really *did* have it in for him.
(Although I guess this was the best solution,) he thought. (Tarou would toss
her over the barricade, and Sana and Hiroshi - if you left those two to
announce together, they'd probably spontaneously combust.)
     "And we're going right to our first match of the night!" Sana continued,
positively bubbling over with enthusiasm (and sugar) as heavy grunge rock
started to play. "Another fighter's making his return tonight, - well, he
showed up last week but he wasn't really himself - but he's not coming out
yet. Instead, I give you the Gamma champion, the scion of the cursed Yagami
bloodline, and the former Biggest Badass in Ultra - give it up for IORI
YAGAMI!!"
     The red-haired bishounen made his entrance, glowering at the fans, but
saving a special glare for Sana. "Watch it with the 'cursed' stuff," he
growled before swinging up into the ring, shoving his hands into his pockets,
and scowling at the ring post.
     "Iori's clearly in a good mood tonight," Daisuke deadpanned. "If his
mood were any better, he'd need to be escorted out here by security guards."
     "Hey, I think you made him grin!" Sana enthused. "And *now,* here's the
returning fighter who's finally all himself (and/or herself) again for the
first time in WAY TOO LONG - RANMA SAOTOME!!!"
     Cheers erupted throughout the arena as the pig-tailed martial artist
strode down the ramp, waving casually to the fans, with Akane walking along
next to him. "Don't get too cocky," Akane reminded Ranma as they reached the
ringside area. "This is your first serious fight in a while, so be careful,
okay?"
     Ranma grabbed the middle rope, and flipped over it and into the ring.
"This shouldn't be too hard," he commented as he sized up Iori - or rather,
Iori's back. "You know you're not supposed to look away from your opponent,
right?"
     With a disdainful sniff, Iori turned around to look at the teenager.
"What opponent? All I see is a snot-nosed kid who's only half a man - and
that's giving you credit." Nodding at Akane, Iori continued, "No wonder you
hang around with a butch tomboy like her - you have to make up for the fact
that you're not a man yourself."
     Ranma's fists clenched as he studied Iori ... and then lunged at him, as
the referee hurriedly signaled for the bell.

][ GAMMA MATCH #1: GAMMA TITLE DEFENSE
][ IORI YAGAMI vs. RANMA SAOTOME
][ FIGHT!

     Ranma's fists were a nearly invisible blur as he plowed into Iori, who
tried his best to block, but to little avail.
     "Never insult Ranma's masculinity," Daisuke commented as the formerly
Orochi-powered fighter fell back under the pigtailed martial artist's assault.
"This could be over pretty quickly, if Iori doesn't get some defenses up."
     Ranma finished off his barrage of punches with an uppercut that actually
rocked Iori's head back on his neck. "Had enough yet?" asked Ranma as he
shifted back into a guarding position.
     "I've had worse," Iori responded almost conversationally, flexing his
hands. "What about you?" With that, Iori lashed out with his own series of
strikes, digging into Ranma's shirt and the skin beneath with his fingernails,
drawing blood.
     "WAI!! Blood! Violence! ALL RIGHT!" cheered Sana. "Give it to 'im,
Iori!!"
     Iori's only response was a brief glare at the two announcers before he
turned his attention back to Ranma, who was fingering one of the gouges on his
chest. Curiously, Ranma took a look at the blood on his fingers, then settled
back into a ready stance. "Looks like I need to get serious, huh?"
     With a scowl, Iori raced forward, knocking Ranma down. "Enough talking
... you don't belong here. DIE!!" Crimson flames erupted around Ranma's body,
but the younger fighter refused to scream from the pain.
     "Ohhhhh!" Akane pounded on the apron. "Get up, Ranma! Fight back!"
     "YEAH!!!!! That was a TOTALLY VICIOUS assault by Iori, and he's not done
yet!" Sana exulted as Ranma was knocked down again. "FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT!"
     Seeing his opponent closing in, Ranma quickly kicked out at Iori's legs,
then rolled away and flipped back to his feet while the red-haired bishounen
was preoccupied with keeping his balance. "Not bad," Ranma grinned briefly. "I
guess I am a little out of practice."
     "Why do you even bother?" Iori flung a sparking flame across the canvas
at Ranma, who nimbly sidestepped out of the way. "You're out of your depth.
You broke down because you can't handle the pressure; do your girlfriend -"
     "That macho chick ain't my girlfriend!"
     "- a favor and retire." Ignoring the interruption, Iori charged forward
again, lashing out with a series of arm strikes and claw (or fingernail)
swipes, driving Ranma into the ropes before finishing with a double-fisted
chop to the aquatranssexual's head. "Or stay here and let me kill you. Your
choice."
     Ranma shook his head a few times to clear it as he started extricating
himself from the ropes. "Talkin' trash isn't gonna help you, ya know. I *am*
one of the best, and I know it."
     Iori waved a hand dismissively. "Back in that nowhere neighborhood you
came from, maybe. Not here." Lunging at Ranma once more, Iori brought his hand
forward and down, his flames engulfing Ranma yet again - then reversed the
motion, rising up and spinning around as he leapt into the air, catching the
pig-tailed martial artist with a full-strength flaming Oniyaki uppercut ...
and sending Ranma flying to the mats outside the ring.
     "And Ranma is DOWN!!" exclaimed Sana as Akane hurried to Ranma's side.
"Doesn't look like the Gamma belt is going to change hands tonight!"
     "Iori does have Ranma on the ropes, or rather, outside them now,"
Daisuke commented. "Ranma looks a little singed around the edges, but he's
back on his feet already - if he can just get some momentum on his side, Iori
may find out just how good Ranma really is."
     Slipping under the ropes, Ranma stood back up inside the ring, cracking
his knuckles. "Haven't had a fight this challenging in a while ..."
     "If you had," Iori replied with a withering look, "you wouldn't still be
in Ultra."
     Ranma gave a noncommital shrug. "Hey, I've lost a few times. I keep
coming back." He crouched briefly, then leapt into the air, drawing his hands
together. "Mouko ..."
     "Oh, just die." Iori tossed out another flame, releasing a literal
pillar of fire directly underneath Ranma.
     "Taka-aaaaaAAAAAAAAAAARGH!!!" Wreathed in fire, Ranma plummeted back to
the ring like a phoenix stunned in mid-flight ... and didn't move, despite
Akane's entreaties from just outside the ring, or the referee completing the
ten-count.
     "YAHOO!!! And Iori defends his title with unmatched fury and lots and
lots of violence! GO IORI!!" Sana cheered as the referee raised Iori's arm in
victory.
     "No doubt Ranma will be better prepared to face Iori the next time,"
responded Daisuke. "We'll be back with our first Lambda match of the evening
shortly."

     "Is something bothering you, Sagat?"
     The Thai kickboxer relented in his merciless assault on the punching
bag, and turned his one-eyed gaze upon M. Bison. "Do you mind if I speak
bluntly?"
     "Not at all," Bison grinned as was his wont. "It's about Protege, isn't
it?"
     Sagat nodded slowly. "Sometimes I wonder if you're trying to make my
kind obsolete ... especially with the kind of fighters you're working with
now. Controlling the minds of fighters is one thing, but those are fighters
who've had to work to develop their power and skill, expanding on the
potential that they were born with."
     Bison started chuckling. "I would never have taken you for a Luddite, my
dear Sagat. No, I will have a use for 'natural' fighters for a long time to
come; genetic engineering is far too costly and inefficient a process for me
to use on such a wide scale as I would need. Even clones require a high degree
of maintenance, which makes them inconvenient for my purposes."
     "I see," Sagat murmured. "So you *are* continuing to collect suitable
fighters ..."
     Bison chuckled again, grinning even wider. "Of course. Unfortunately,
most of those in Ultra are too strong-willed to be suitable for my own
purposes; better that they continue to allow me to test my fighters in such an
arena. You and Protege are ideally matched, an unbeatable team - one born
human, the other created to be far more, but both embodying fighting power
which most can only dream of."
     "Speaking of Ultra," Sagat glanced at a wall clock and corrected for the
difference in time zones, "it's time that I pick up my partner and we make our
way to the UltraDome."
     As if on cue, the door to the training room hissed open. "We're ready,"
said the echoing voice of Protege as the genetically engineered warrior strode
into the room, tugging on his fighting gloves. "Sagat, have you finished
warming up?"
     Sagat grunted an affirmation, toweling the residual sweat from his chest
and tossing the towel aside. "Let's go. - With your permission, sir," he added
to Bison.
     "Fight well," boomed M. Bison as his eyes flared with Psycho Power.
"I'll be watching, as always."
     There was a crack of thunder, and then Bison was alone in the training
room, grinning at the afterimages of his two most loyal fighters. Another
thunderclap, and only equipment occupied the room.

     "Our next match tonight is an unexpected one," Daisuke declared over the
roar of the crowd as the cameras started rolling again. "Earlier today, Team
Rocket deliberately requested a non-title match against Bison's Busters -"
     "And it's going to be OH SO DRAMATIC!!" Sana chimed in, her wide eyes
shining. "On one side we've got a pair of criminals who've changed their ways,
and on the other are a pair of no-good, dirty crooks who don't deserve to set
foot in our UltraDome! - But they will anyway because the fans like them for
some reason, and Ms. Tendou doesn't want to turn away profitable talent no
matter what else the fighters may do when they're not here. But STILL! This is
gonna be such a dramatic match that I can't sit still ..." Sana dived under
the announcer's desk for a moment, then came back up clutching a hand-held
microphone attached to a small electronic keyboard.
     Daisuke recognized it immediately, and sweatdropped. "The fighters
should be entering momentarily ..." That was as far as he got.
     "Heroes, villains, what a wild mix!" Sana chanted into the mic, then
held it out to her announcer microphone and fingered some buttons.
     "Heroes, villains, what a wild mix!" was played back into the UltraDome
audio system, electronically distorted but still recognizable.
     "The reasons for this match ..." Daisuke started, trying to focus on the
task at hand. Sana didn't seem interested in making it easy for him; she was
too busy rapping at a mile a minute.

     "Two of 'em were bad guys, now they're really cool
     Two of 'em were always bad, working for a fool
     They're working for a psycho, they don't even care
     The two who saw the light, hey, they're right over there!"

     "And here comes Team Rocket," Daisuke said as clearly as he could over
Sana's continued rapping. "I don't know if they'll be able to do their usual
entrance -"

     "Jess and Jim were Poke-thieves for the longest time
     They kept losing, messing up, couldn't do the crime -"

     "HEY!!" Jessie loomed from the top of the ramp for a moment, giving Sana
a look that should have laid her out flat.

     "- Finally they gave up, now their motto's true
     Fighting for world peace is what they really do!"

     Jessie and James were nearly to the ring now, both of them looking
mildly irritated at the lack of an opportunity to make their usual entrance.
Daisuke opened his mouth to try to get another word in edgeways; he never even
had a chance against Sana's mad wind ninja rapping skeelz.

     "Sagat was a champion, used to be real cool
     Beating his opponents, takin' them to school
     Then he joined with Bison, now he's a badass
     Honor doesn't matter, just the cold hard cash!"

     "Sana, we've got a match to announce," Daisuke protested feebly, but the
child star didn't seem to notice - or care.

     "Started with a partner, mind wasn't his own
     Bison's a big crimelord -"

     A screech of feedback completely obliterated Sana's energetic rapping,
forcing everyone in the UltraDome - Sana, Daisuke, and Team Rocket included -
to cover their ears until it had faded.
     'That will be quite enough,' Bison said as his face appeared on the
UltraTron. For once, he wasn't grinning. 'So the Lambda champions want a piece
of my fighters, do they? Very well ... Sagat. Protege.' The two Shadowlaw
fighters walked out to the top of the ramp as their music started playing, and
Bison finished, 'I choose you!' as his normal grin returned in full force.
     Bison's Busters immediately ran down the ramp, heading into the ring
before Team Rocket could even reach for their Pokeballs.

][ LAMBDA MATCH #1 (non-title)
][ TEAM ROCKET (Jessie/James) vs. BISON'S BUSTERS (Sagat/Protege)
][ FIGHT!

     Sagat was over the ropes first, laying into Jessie, the closer member of
the pair, with a rapid flurry of punches, kicks, and knee and elbow strikes.
Protege, for his part, simply jumped up onto the apron, positioning himself at
the corner of the ring opposite where James was cowering against the
turnbuckles.
     Realizing that his opponent wasn't doing anything to defend herself,
Sagat took a step back to look down at her. "*You* wanted to challenge us? I
don't believe it ..."
     "James ..." Jessie stepped back from the scarred giant, turning so that
she could give her partner a Glare of Excruciatingly Painful Death. "This
match was your idea, so -" She reached out, slapping the hand that he had
raised to defend himself with. "*You* fight it." Jessie slipped between the
ropes, getting out of the ring and leaving James to take care of himself - for
the moment; she didn't run away completely, but took the corner spot behind
him. "Go get him!"
     "Er, um ..." James grabbed a Pokeball from his belt, and threw it
between Sagat's feet. "Victreebel, go!"
     Sagat chortled, shaking his head. "What are you trying to do with what
the MMMMMMMMMPH!!!"
     "WAI WAI WAI!!!" Sana cheered, giggling. "James let Victreebel out on
the far side of Sagat, so when it tried to eat James it ran into his opponent
instead!"
     "Not the first time that James has used that ... er, strange quirk of
Victreebel's in order to turn it on an opponent," nodded Daisuke, "but it
bumped into Sagat's legs with its vine, then hoisted itself up and chowed
down. That's got to be an uncomfortable situation ..."
     "REEEEEEE!!!" shrieked Victreebel, trying to constrict Sagat's head and
upper torso against the Thai kickboxer's efforts to dislodge it.
     "Victreebel, use Stun Spore!" shouted James, posing dramatically and
pointing at his opponent. With another shriek, Victreebel complied, then spat
Sagat out and landed in front of James, turning to face the much taller man
again as he stumbled backwards.
     "Oh, you're going to pay for that," wheezed Sagat, looking much the
worse for wear. "You'll pay dearly for this humiliation ..."
     Protege reached over the ropes and tapped Sagat on the shoulder. "Give
us a shot at them while you recover."
     Sagat looked at Protege for a second ... then shook his head. "No need,"
he muttered as he faced his opponent again. "These silly creatures won't help
you two ..." He dropped into a crouch, thrusting his fists forward. "TIGER!!"
     With a surprised yelp, James jumped up to perch on the corner ropes as
the focused wave of ki roared across the ring, less than a foot above the
canvas; the Tiger Shot slammed squarely into Victreebel's lower third, hurling
it back against the turnbuckles. "Reeeeee ..."
     "Hang in there, Victreebel!" James encouraged his leafy Pokemon, patting
the side of its flower-body. "Razor Leaf!"
     Sagat muttered a curse under his breath as a pair of leaves spun towards
him, and flung himself to one side to avoid the sharp-edged foliage. The Stun
Spore wasn't stopping him totally, but it was slowing him down, and the two
nitwits with their collection of silly creatures were fighting with their
brains as well as their monsters. "You think you can actually win this?" Sagat
growled, slowly rising back to his feet. "I think not."
     "I think *so*," James grinned quickly. "All right, Victreebel, finish
him off with Vine Whip!"
     With a short laugh, Sagat seized the opening, lashing out and catching
hold of Victreebel's vine. "Oh, please. Was that supposed to be your best shot
... ?" He hauled on the vine, handing one end of it to Protege, who nodded and
jumped back off the apron; Victreebel screeched in surprise as it was hauled
across the ring, and right into a massive leaping uppercut from Sagat, as his
fist travelled from just above the canvas to at least eleven feet in the air.
"TIGER UPPERCUT!!"
     With Protege hanging onto its vine (Sagat had let go in time to execute
his uppercut), the momentum imparted by the blow sent Victreebel sailing in a
short arc up, over, and down to smash against the audience barricade. With a
quiet wheeze, Victreebel fell unconscious.
     "Victreebel, return!" James shouted, recalling the jungle flower
Pokemon. "Jessie ... ?"
     The red-haired reformed Pokemon poacher slapped James's proffered hand.
"All right, let's see how the newest one does." The two trainers exchanged
places as Jessie readied a Pokeball. "I choose you - Mareep!!"
     "OH YEAH!!! Jessie's bringing out a TOTALLY new and TOTALLY cool new
Pokemon!" Sana yelled exuberantly.
     "You said 'new' twice," Daisuke pointed out.
     Sagat and Protege both doubled over in laughter as the Pokemon
materialized. "You're ... using ... a SHEEP on us?!" howled Protege. "And I
thought that berserker cat-girl last week was silly!"
     Mareep eyed the two martial artists, and bleated in a very sheep-like
manner, a few sparks dancing around its fleece.
     "Hit them with a Thundershock!" Jessie ordered. "Go!"
     "Maaa!" bleated Mareep, its fleece lighting up with a building charge
just before it unleashed that same charge at the far side of the ring. Protege
was protected somewhat by his proximity to the ring post; Sagat fared somewhat
worse, the electricity crackling around and through his body before the attack
subsided, leaving him limp.
     Protege shook his head in disbelief. "*Now* do you want to tag out for a
bit?" he asked Sagat.
     Sagat climbed back to his feet, meeting Mareep's attempt at a tackle
with a kick that sent the sheep-like Pokemon flying back across the ring.
"Very well. Save something for me to finish off."
     "No problem," Protege grinned as he slapped Sagat's hand. "We'll let you
take care of the finish when the time comes. Now then ..." He vaulted over the
ropes, raising one hand up behind his shoulder, then slammed his palm down on
the canvas. "PSYCHO WAVE!!"
     Jessie yelped in surprise, jumping away from the swell of psychic energy
just before it took out the turnbuckles, knocking James off the corner of the
apron. "HEY!! What kind of an attack is that supposed to be?" blustered Jessie
as she regained her footing.
     Protege just smirked, tugging on his gloves and cap to straighten them.
"What, you don't like it? We thought it was one of Terry's more successful
techniques, but there's no pleasing some people ..."
     With a quiet growl, Jessie pointed at Protege. "Mareep, go! Thunder
Wave, now!"
     Protege rolled his eyes. "You've got to be kidding us -" He dropped into
a blocking stance, letting the surge of electricity crackle against his A.T.
Field. "We can just do this all day, you know."
     "That would make it a matter of who tires first," commented Daisuke from
behind the announcers' table. "But it would also be a pretty boring match."
     "And who wants a BORING match?" Sana chimed in. "Bring on the violence!
RIP THEM UP!!" she shouted at the fighters, not bothering to specify who she
was cheering on.
     Unfortunately, one of them took her almost literally. "No need to ask
twice," said Protege as he stepped forward. "Skull Cracker!" He leapt into a
forward flip, bringing his heel down squarely on Mareep's head. There was a
meaty-sounding *crack*, and the Pokemon slumped to the canvas, its eyes going
glassy.
     Jessie turned pale. "You *didn't* - !"
     "Oh no?" Protege stood up again, looking down at his handiwork. "Looks
to us like we just did ..."
     A flash of light next to the ring revealed that James had called out
another Pokemon. "Jessie! Recall Mareep and tag out!"
     Jessie nodded, silently drawing the concussed Pokemon back into its
ball, and jumping down to tag James in. "Get them for what they're doing to
our Pokemon," she growled, her eyes blazing.
     With a curt nod, James climbed back up to the ring. "You've had it,
Protege ... I choose -" He gestured, and a floating psychic feline shape
drifted up into view. "- Mew!"
     "Ah, we've heard rumors of this one," Protege mused idly as he studied
Mew's form. "We expected something more ... impressive."
     "Mew?" chirped the primeval Pokemon, eyeing Protege. "Mew mew."
     "That's right," James nodded to Mew. "Now let's do it!"
     Jessie blinked, not sure if she'd heard James correctly. She didn't have
the opportunity to inquire about his wording, though, as Mew wrapped itself in
a protective field of psychokinetic energy and lashed out at Protege with a
telepathic assault.
     For the first time, Protege actually was driven back half a step by
Mew's psychic attack. "Interesting ... This is significant power, but hardly
enough to stop us. Still, if you wish to play mind games with us ..." Protege
closed his eyes, and for a handful of seconds, all was still save for the
roaring crowd that surrounded the ring.
     With a startled squeak, Mew jinked to the side just before a wall of
psychic power split the air where it was hovering; James jumped the other way,
at the exact same moment. "Mew! Are you all right?"
     Mew chirped back at James, then took the battle back to Protege on the
physical plane, the sphere of energy flaring around the Pokemon before a
powerful blast ripped towards the genetically-engineered clone.

     Somewhere in a backstage corridor, a quartet of fighters were watching
the match anxiously on a monitor.
     "I still can't believe that even Bison could stoop to that level,"
Kensou muttered, shaking his head. "What he did to Terry in the first place
was bad enough, but this?"
     "Believe it," Andy growled, flexing his hands. "I don't know why those
two kids called Bison's Bastards out, but if Team Rocket can put a dent in
Shadowlaw's prize team, more power to them."
     "They've had luck and surprise on their side so far," Athena said,
looking worried. "But Sagat's plenty powerful, and Protege - Terry Bogard's
techniques, backed up by power that's just plain inhuman ..." She shuddered.
"I don't know how you two handled being in the same ring with him last week.
I'd have freaked out."
     "Give yourself some more credit, Athena," Mai smiled at the purple-
haired Psycho Soldier. "None of us usually turn tail and run away screaming
when something that frightening happens."
     "Anyway ..." Andy cracked his knuckles. "Jessie and James gave us a
bailout last week; we owe them. Mai?"
     "Right behind you, Andy." Mai snapped her fan closed, tucking it away.
"Let's take out the trash!"
     Athena turned her attention back to the monitor as the Hungry Wolves
headed down the corridor; the camera was showing Sagat, back on his feet and
looking impatient, and Protege, who was scowling at Mew from behind his A.T.
Field. "We should be out there too, Kensou."
     Kensou sighed quietly, shaking his head. "Athena, I haven't told you
this, but ... Protege doesn't just give me the creeps. I think ..."
     "What is it?"
     Taking another meat bun out of the carryout bag next to the monitor,
Kensou's reply was just barely loud enough to hear. "I've had a *really* bad
feeling about him, almost a precognition - I hope I'm wrong, but ..." He
trailed off again, staring at the nikuman in his hand, then took a small bite
out of it.
     "What's bothering you, Kensou?" Athena sounded both stern and worried.
"Even Bison himself hasn't scared you like this, even when we were under his
domination. C'mon, you can tell me if you can tell anyone."
     With a sigh, Kensou turned to face his long-time partner. "I don't even
know what it means myself, but if I *am* right, Protege could end our careers
for good. Maybe fatally."
     Shaking her head, Athena looked at the monitor again. "He won't. I don't
care what Bison has up his sleeve, but not even Protege is going to take us
out of the game." She closed her eyes to concentrate. "We're Psycho Soldiers,
Sie Kensou, and that means we don't run away from our enemies, or abandon our
allies in need."
     Kensou blinked. "Athena, what are you ..."
     "Running interference, hopefully. Now let me concentrate."

     James flinched as a Psycho Knuckle attack slammed into Mew, smashing
through the primal Pokemon's already-weakened barrier. "No!!"
     "We'd say that about wraps it up," Protege smirked, turning to survey
his handiwork as Mew fluttered to the canvas like a falling leaf. "Now, if you
two are quite finished ..." The genetically-created warrior trailed off,
wobbling on his feet. "What the ... ?"
     Jessie didn't even wait to tag in; she just threw a Pokeball. "Go,
Lickitung! - And you, Arbok!," she added as she expanded a second Pokeball and
threw it into the ring as well. "Wrap attack, both of you!"
     "Lickiii!" "Chaaaaaar-bok!" The two Pokemon materialized and went after
the closest opponents, Protege and Sagat respectively, much to Sagat's
surprise.
     "What - Get this thing off of me!!" roared the kickboxer as Arbok coiled
around his giant frame and started to squeeze. "I'll get you for this!"
     "Jessie, you're going to get us disqualified!" James hissed as he
cradled Mew's nearly-unconscious form; the blue-haired Pokemon trainer didn't
seem to be in much better shape himself.
     "ALL RIGHT!!" cheered Sana. "Jessie's putting the squeeze on both of
Bison's Busters at once - Hey, who's that?"
     "And the Hungry Wolves are on their way to ringside," Daisuke reported
as Andy and Mai raced down the ramp. "The referee's still watching the match,
but he looks like he's zoned out or something - I don't get it."
     "Maybe he's hoping that the Busters get busted!" Sana suggested,
beaming. "GO JESSIE!! Beat 'em up good, girl! GO GO GO!!!"
     "Arbok, Lickitung, let them go!" Jessie called out as she saw the Hungry
Wolves winding up to attack. The two Pokemon obediently unwrapped their
opponents and pulled back, giving Andy and Mai room to lay into Bison's
Busters without interference - and the Hungry Wolves happily obliged, with Mai
hauling Sagat off the apron and commencing to beat on him while Andy shot
between the ropes with a Chou Reppa Dan, slamming into the still-woozy Protege
and knocking him down.
     "WOO HOO!!!" Sana was all but leaping up and down in her seat. "Get 'em!
Get those Busters! Beat 'em up good, you guys!"
     "Bison's not gonna be happy about this," Daisuke mused. "The referee's
*still* just standing there - I don't understand why he hasn't disqualified
Team Rocket yet and given the match to the Busters."
     For all his size and strength, even Sagat had trouble standing up when
an enraged kunoichi was kneeling on his chest, smacking him in the face
repeatedly with her fans. "Get *off* of me, you bimbo!" Sagat snarled, trying
to protect himself without much effect.
     Mai pretended to think about it for a moment, then shook her head and
kept hitting him.
     In the ring, Protege was actually reeling under the beatdown which was
being administered by Andy Bogard. "You're not - going to - accomplish -
anything," Protege managed to get out in between gutpunches being delivered by
Andy.
     "SHUT UP!!" snapped Andy, rocking Protege's head back with a sharp
uppercut. "I don't care what Bison cooked you up from; you don't deserve to
wear my brother's face!" And with that, the fatally furious fighter pulled
back, and drove both fists into Protege's face.
     Or rather, he tried to.
     Protege's A.T. Field got in the way.
     "What the *hell*?!" Andy stepped back, and tried again to punch Protege
in the face, with just as little effect.
     Protege gave him a chilling smile. "We think you should run away now."
     "Mew, Hyper Beam! Now!"
     "..." Protege turned around; Mew was conscious again, and glowing
brighter and brighter by the second.
     "Thanks for the warning. Mai, get down!" Andy leapt out of the ring,
taking what he hoped would be adequate cover below the level of the mat; Mai
gave Sagat one last whack in the face with a fan, then joined Andy.
     "You've got to be kidding us," muttered Protege, shaking his head.
     "Mew mew! MEW!!" Mew's aura brightened until it was almost blinding ...
and then a flash of energy that *was* blinding filled the ring.
     "WHOA!!!" Sana yelped, shielding her eyes. "Mew was just faking, and now
it and James are LAYING THE SMACK DOWN on the Busters!"
     "Now that's a lotta smack," responded Daisuke. "Not even Protege's going
to stay standing after that ... Can you see anything yet, Sana? I think my
retinas just got burned out."
     Sana rubbed her eyes hard for a moment, then looked. And looked again.
"WHAT?! Boo!! Lie down already, jobber!"
     "And it would appear that Protege survived Mew's Hyper Beam," Daisuke
deduced. "I didn't think clones could *be* that sturdy."
     "We are no mere clone," Protege commented rather pointedly to the
announcer. "Now, if you'll excuse us ..."
     "Mew, return!" James yelped hurriedly, recalling the exhausted Pokemon
to its ball. "Weezing -"
     "TERROR WALL!!" Protege never gave James a chance to select a new
Pokemon. His A.T. Field flared up, warping around itself, and blasted out at
Team Rocket, scooping them up in an unbreakable metaphysical grip, then
hurling them towards the UltraDome ceiling.
     "Looks like Team Rocket is blasting off agaaaaiiiiiin!!!" wailed Jessie
and James in unison as they were smashed through the reinforced UltraDome and
up, up, up into the beautiful night skies of Tokyo.
     "I DON'T BELIEVE THIS!!" shouted Sana in outrage. "Protege should've
been laid out flat, and *HE* sent Team Rocket flying?"
     Andy and Mai traded looks, nodded, and bolted in opposite directions,
vaulting the barriers and heading up through the crowd. Protege never saw them
go, as the referee was raising his arm in victory; Sagat did notice the
fleeing Hungry Wolves, but decided not to waste time chasing them.
     Daisuke swallowed quietly. "Next up, we have an Omega match, starting
after this short break ... and there's lots more great Ultra action coming
your way, so stay tuned. The repair crew should have the ring fixed by the
time we're done with the first Omega match of the evening."

     "How're you feeling, Ranma?"
     "Like I got ripped up and roasted. How *should* I be feeling?" Ranma
retorted, glaring weakly at Akane. "Damn ... I can't believe I lost like that.
I just can't believe it!"
     Akane sighed quietly. "Ranma, you really haven't been yourself in a
while. Maybe you should've challenged someone easier before going for another
title shot."
     "It's not like there's anythin' wrong with me! I've finally got a sound
mind again in a sound body ... I should be able to take anyone in Ultra! -
Well, maybe not in Omega, but any one fighter in Gamma or Lambda."
     "So take them on." Akane offered Ranma a faint grin. "Start at the
bottom if you have to ... heck, ask Nabiki to book you for a match with me or
something."
     "With *you*?! C'mon, Akane, you know I don't hit girls."
     "It's not like you'd be trying to hurt me! Besides, there are a lot of
females in Ultra - including Morrigan and Lilith. You wouldn't have any
problems fighting one of them, would you?"
     "That's different." Ranma looked away from Akane. "Those two aren't
human, they're demons."
     "What about Sakura? Or Shermie? What if you had to fight one of them?"
     "If you're thinkin' of going to ask Nabiki to set up a match for me,
forget it." Ranma tried to sit up. "Don't try to pull family with your sister
any more, 'cause it won't work. Besides, I can handle my own matches."
     "Like you handled the fight with Iori?" Akane shook her head. "Just pick
someone easy to start off with, and work your way back up. - Or ..."
     Ranma looked at her. "Or what?"
     Akane hesitated, then blurted out, "Wanna team up?"
     "Join *Lambda*? You're kidding!"
     "No I'm not!" Akane protested, standing up from the chair she'd been
sitting in next to Ranma's bed in the infirmary. "We're both martial artists,
right? And this'd give you the chance to help me train!"
     Ranma started to reply, then paused, looking up at Akane's face. "You
really mean that, don't you? You *want* me to train you?"
     Akane looked away, fidgeting. "Well ... we're both heirs of the
Anything-Goes Martial Arts. We both have to be ready to carry on the line."
     "You mean if we actually marry?"
     "... Either way." Akane refused to look at Ranma. "If the schools are
joined someday, or if they grow apart, the heirs have to be strong. Like you."
     "Aw, geez ... Akane, I was *humiliated* out there! Iori was talking
trash every step of the way -"
     "So were you!"
     "- and he *WON!* He knocked me outta the ring twice, and the second time
I was unconscious before I hit the floor!"
     "No, he only knocked you out of the ring *once*." Now Akane looked at
Ranma again, directly into his eyes. "Look, Ranma ... I believe in you. And I
know you believe in me, whether you admit it or not; otherwise you'd never
have let me compete for the Hardcore title."
     "That was Biki's idea, not mine!" Ranma sighed. "Maybe Iori's right -"
     "No! Ranma, you can do this - you can work your way back up, and take
the Gamma championship again, I know it!"
     "*If* we don't shift to Lambda."
     Akane stopped, her mouth hanging open. "Lambda ... Are you serious?"
     "Maybe. I dunno." Ranma laid down again. "I'm gonna have to think about
it."
     "Do you *want* to team up with me for Lambda competition?"
     Ranma was quiet for a moment as he turned the idea over in his head.
"You've got some good potential, if you get back into shape ... I guess we
both need to do that."
     "Ranma ..." Akane sat down, looking at Ranma. "Thank you."
     "Hey, you're built like a brick anyway. You oughta be able to put all
that muscle to some good use."
     "RANMA NO BAKA!!!"
     "ITEE!! Geez, Akane, I'm still hurt from fightin' Iori!"
     Their shouts could be heard clearly even outside the infirmary. Marlo
Semaj just shook his head. "Those two idiots."
     "Takes one to know two, huh Marlo?"
     "CRAP!" Marlo leapt over the table he was leaning on, pulling out a
steel folding chair. "What do *you* want?"
     Bean Bandit smiled casually, and pointed at the Hardcore belt which was
sitting innocuously on the table. "Just that. Lucky for you you're such close
friends with the boss - guess she doesn't want you to lose that thing yet,
huh?"
     Marlo's expression darkened. "I don't hide behind *anybody*," he spat
out. "Not like you - that top-heavy chick you hang out with does all of the
heavy fighting; you just handle the straight brawling. Must make you feel a
little insecure ..."
     The sound of breaking wood echoed down the corridor.
     "HEY!! I was using that table!" snapped Marlo, bringing his chair back.
     "Insecure? Me?" Bean lifted his foot from the wreckage of the table.
"You don't know me, Marlo. All you need to know ... is that I'm going to beat
you for the Hardcore belt." He turned around, starting to walk away, then
paused after a few steps. "Oh, and one other thing. Besides telling you to put
the chair down, unless you want to defend the title right here ..."
     Marlo lowered the chair. "What's the one other thing?"
     "I don't like folks who hurt kids." Bean resumed walking.

     "WOO HOO!! Bean really *IS* Hardcore!" Sana cheered. "ROAD-BUSTER! ROAD-
BUSTER! YEAH!!!"
     Daisuke shook his head quietly as the Ultra logo reappeared on the
UltraTron, replacing the exchange they'd just seen between Bean and Marlo.
"Well, there you have it folks: Bean's thrown down the gauntlet, demanding a
Hardcore title match from the reigning Hardcore champion, Marlo. We'll be
going live to our first Omega match of the evening in just a moment, but first
we wanted to let you know that Jessie and James have been fished out of a koi
pond somewhere in the neighborhood and are being brought back to the
UltraDome; initial reports are that they're in good health. And with that said
..."
     Sana took over the announcing. "Our next match of the night is between
the recently retired God, Lina Inverse - whom I may be playing in an upcoming
acting role! - and the girl who took out CyberAkuma II, Yuffie Kisaragi. It's
gonna be an AWESOME fight to watch, with lots of really cool magic being
thrown around -"
     "We've also been told," Daisuke cut in smoothly, "that there'll be a
special stipulation introduced for this Omega match. Omega referee Krillin
will be explaining the stipulation when the match begins, but another medical
report ..."
     "Goku's gonna be back soon!" Sana exclaimed happily, before pulling on a
Xelloss costume (complete with staff and wig). "The details are a secret."
     Laughter erupted around the UltraDome as Sana shed her Xelloss get-up.
"And now," Sana continued, "Heeeeeeeeeeere's KRILLIN!"

     Lina looked around the location where her match was supposed to take
place. "Hey ... is it just me, or does the horizon seem kinda close to us
here?"
     "It's not just you," Krillin explained as he saw the camera pods' lights
blink on. "This planetoid is only a few kilometers across, but the gravity is
about normal for Earth, so you shouldn't have any problems here. However,
since it *is* so small ... you're going to have to watch out for the
collateral damage."
     Lina blinked. "Run that by me again?"
     Krillin took a deep breath. "You remember how destruction of the world
or universe in which an Omega match takes place is a technical
disqualification?"
     Lina's stomach dropped. "Uh, yeah ... what about it?"
     Yuffie couldn't help but start snickering. "Ooooh, the big bad sorceress
is gonna be in trouble now ..." She blithely ignored the murderous look Lina
gave her in response.
     "Since this 'world' is so small," Krillin continued, "if either of you
blows it up by accident, that'll cost you the match. Oh, and Lina - there
*are* other planetoids like this one. We checked."
     "Right," Lina muttered. "Thanks for nothing."
     Krillin raised his arm, then dropped it. "Begin!" Then he took to a
nearby tree to watch the fight.

][ OMEGA MATCH #1 (Limited Ground match)
][ LINA INVERSE vs. YUFFIE KISARAGI
][ FIGHT!

     "Mega Brand!!"
     Yuffie leapt straight towards Lina, scrambling out of the blast zone
just before the ground exploded underneath her. The sorceress had just enough
time to blink in surprise before the young ninja was on her like white on
rice, beating on her with an oversized piece of origami.
     "Not so tough without your really big spells, huh?" Yuffie taunted as
she kicked Lina in the gut, then vaulted over her head to get away before Lina
could retaliate at close range. "Big bad sorceress can't use her really big
attacks without losing! Biiiiiiii-dah!"
     "Who says I need them?" Lina retorted as she rolled back to her feet,
tugging her cape out of the way so she didn't trip herself. "Fireball!" She
flung the spell straight at Yuffie, expecting the kunoichi to dodge again.
Sure enough, Yuffie bolted to the side as expected ... but before she could
taunt again, Lina brought the fireball around in a wide arc, nailing Yuffie
smartly from behind. "Gotcha!"
     "KYAAAAAAAH!!!" Yuffie flailed about for a moment, then stopped and
rolled on the ground to smother the remaining flames.
     "Too slow," Lina smirked as she straightened up, blowing some imaginary
smoke from the tip of her finger. "You're not bad, actually."
     "Oh ... you mean that? Thanks! I oughta be, given I'm -"
     "Way too slow," Lina finished for her, snickering quietly as she removed
her elbow from Yuffie's gut. "Ah, I haven't had a good fight like this in way
too long!"

     "You know," Daisuke commented as he watched the match, "Hiroshi was
right about one thing. She *does* sound a little bit like girl-type Ranma."

     "Geez, I thought you were just a sorceress," Yuffie complained as she
stepped back from Lina, watching the magic-user carefully. "What *are* you?"
     "That depends on who you ask," Lina grinned, gathering magical power in
the palm of one hand. "Some people call me Robbers-Killer, or Dragon-Spooker.
Some people even call me the Enemy of All Who Live ... and you know I was God
for a couple of months. But really?" She stopped and grinned. "I'm just Lina
Inverse, the *best* damn sorceress in all creation. DAM BRASS!!"
     Yuffie flung herself flat on the ground, casting MBarrier to try to ward
off the oncoming barrage of magic missiles. "You think you're hot stuff, huh?"
     "Way hot!" Lina boasted. "Too hot for you to handle!"
     "Oh really? ICE 2!"
     "....." responded Lina as Yuffie's ice spell solidified around her.
Krillin started to count, but a low-power Fireball was enough for Lina to
break out of her chilly imprisonment. "Okay," she admitted, brushing some
frost from her gloves, "so you're a little better than I thought."
     "A *LOT* better!" Yuffie corrected boastfully, hopping from foot to
foot. "You remember Cloud? I'm sure you know Tifa. I hung out with them while
we were trying to keep Sephiroth from blowing up our Planet! I'm just as good
as they are!"
     "Or in Cloud's case, as good as he was," Lina idly corrected her, waving
a hand. "Yeah, yeah, I get the idea ..." She crouched, slamming her hand into
the ground. "Dug Haut!!"
     "EEP!!" Yuffie dashed out of the way before the stone spire rising out
of the ground where she'd been standing could impale her. "Geez, stop tossing
all the spells around!"
     "What, you want to make it a hand-to-hand fight?" Lina blinked in
surprise. "Works for me ... that's hardly Omega-style competition, but still
..."
     "Yeah, sure!" Yuffie seized on the opportunity she'd created, and took a
ready stance. "Bring it on!"
     "Okay, you asked for it ... LINA PUNCH!!"

     Back in the UltraDome, Daisuke and Sana sprouted twin sweatdrops. "It
looks like our combatants are settling for a physical contest," Daisuke
announced. "Lina seems to be adapting well to the 'limited ground' rule so
far, which is good - this may become a recurring feature of our Omega bouts,
although not a constant."
     "Go Lina!" chanted Sana. "You can beat her!"

     Not entirely to Lina's surprise, Yuffie was more or less holding her own
in melee combat. "Not bad," Lina grudgingly complimented her opponent as they
traded blows - or rather, blocks and parries, at least for the most part.
     "Not bad hah," Yuffie scoffed. "I'm the *best!*"
     "Not yet you aren't," Lina responded, batting Yuffie's fist aside with
her forearm, then trying to chop at the other girl's collar.
     "Oh yeah?!" challenged Yuffie, leaning away from the chop, then grabbing
Lina's wrist and planting her foot in the sorceress's gut. "I'm descended from
a ninja family that's older than you are, grandma!"
     Lina brought her fist down on Yuffie's head in the process of doubling
over from the kick. "GRANDMA!?" she sputtered. "I'm no more than four years
older than you are, probably less!" She straightened up again, shoving Yuffie
backwards. "If we were related, I'd be your big sister at most - *definitely*
not a grandmother! Anyway, what's all this 'ninja' business?"
     Yuffie stopped to catch her breath. "You don't know what a ninja is?
Geez, you *are* old!"
     "Am not! ELMEKIA LANCE!!"
     "So it's back to spells, huh?" Yuffie vaulted away from the shamanistic
attack. "I've still got some magic to work with too ... BOLT 3!"
     Lina hurled herself into a backflip, snapping off another Dug Haut while
her hands were on the ground; the rocky spire emerged just in time to
intercept and absorb the lightning bolt. "Humor me, what *are* ninja?"
     "Assassins, spies, and thieves of the best quality!" Yuffie answered,
before rushing Lina with another Oritsuru slash.
     Lina finally drew her sword to defend herself. "You mean you're
descended from a long line of glorified *bandits*?" she asked, staring at
Yuffie in disbelief. "No wonder your fashion sense is out the window. Hey, I
eat bandits for three meals a day, plus snacks - you're way outta your league
here."
     "Hah!" Yuffie disengaged her weapon from Lina's, and stepped back.
"Maybe you missed this at Epsilon, but I took out CyberAkuma with one shot!"
     "Oh, I saw that. You mean that summoned creature you whistled up took
him out," Lina corrected in turn. "I don't think you could do that in this
match without getting yourself DQ'ed."
     "Oh yeah?" retorted Yuffie. "I bet I could! Eternal Breath - EDEN!!" The
kunoichi glowed red, and vanished.
     "Aw, for Ceiphied's sake," Lina muttered, looking around, then up. "I
didn't think she was gonna do that ..." Runes began to appear around her, on a
circular plane which didn't even come close to following the curve of the
planetoid's surface. Naturally, Lina herself was at the center of the circle.

     "I can't look," lied Sana, staring wide-eyed at the UltraTron. "Tell me
when it's over; I don't think even Lina's going to be able to handle that big
jellyfish that ate the Death Star."
     "Yuffie may just have committed herself to a disqualification," Daisuke
commented, "but there's no way to tell until the dust settles. - Hang on a
sec, it looks like Lina's trying something ..."

     Lina wasn't sure, but she doubted she'd ever ripped through an
incantation faster than she was chanting now. "Buried forever in the flow of
time / In thy great name, I pledge myself to darkness / All the fools who
stand in our way will be destroyed ..."
     Eden appeared overhead, its silvery skin gleaming as it prepared to
execute its attack.
     "... bythepowerthatyouandIpossess," Lina finished in a rush as she
pointed her hands straight up. "DRAGON SLAVE!!!!" Her most powerful spell
streamed upwards as Eden's powerful blast cascaded towards the planetoid's
surface; mystical energies of red and green hue collided somewhere in between.
     There was a moment of terrible silence, and - in the minds of many,
including Lina and Krillin themselves - even more terrible doubt.
     There was a stupendous explosion as two primal forces met, contested,
and ultimately cancelled each other out.
     Eden, and the magical circle which had targeted Lina, vanished, and
Yuffie popped back into view, sweating buckets. "No. No way. No freaking way
you could've countered that summons!! NO WAY!!"
     Lina speared the kunoichi with a look. "Start running."
     Yuffie took one step back, then a second ... then turned around and ran
for her life.
     Krillin blinked. "Are you just letting her go?"
     "Nah," grinned Lina. "Just setting this up ..." She stretched her hands
out, then spun around in an almost-pirouette. "Burst Rondo!!" Fiery bolts shot
out from her hands, spreading outwards in a nearly perfect circle, and
continuing their flight, following the curvature of the planetoid.
     With a quiet yelp, Krillin took to the air, letting the volley of
miniature fireballs pass underneath him before he took off in pursuit. "I do
not believe this ..."
     Yuffie had already reached the opposite side of the micro-planet from
Lina, and was still trying to catch her breath when the volley of Burst Rondo
shots came into view over the horizon. Yuffie's eyes widened. "NO FREAKIN'
WAY!!!" she shrieked as the circle closed, with her at the center.
     Lina studied the knuckles of her gloves as Yuffie's surprised yelp,
followed by a satisfying *BOOM*, reached her from the far side of the
planetoid ... then smiled, and posed for the cameras, holding up two fingers.
"Victory!"
     A moment later, a camera pod caught up with Krillin, who was already
lifting the KO'd and heavily singed kunoichi. "The match goes to Lina
Inverse."

     "YAHOOIE!!" Sana quoted one of Dan Hibiki's many catchphrases, a.k.a.
taunts. "I knew Lina was going to win that one!"
     "Sure you did." Daisuke looked back at the cameras. "Still to come,
another full set of matches, so stay with us! In the meantime, a special video
montage for those of you who've been wondering whatever happened to
Controversial Jack."
     "Oh yeah, I forgot about that!" Sana rubbed the back of her head. "Those
of you who watched UltraRage Epsilon - and who *DIDN'T*? - know that Jack
Lysias was arrested for ... I don't remember what all, but basically Nabiki
had him tossed in the clink for interfering with the show that night. His
trial started two days after our last broadcast, and we've got some clips to
show you from the trial - by a special arrangement with the Japanese
judiciary! Sit back and enjoy this special inside look at court in session!"

     Day 1:
     "All rise! This court is now in session, the honorable Raishiasu Jakku
presiding!"
     "The defendant will sit down and be quiet." The judge rubbed his
forehead. "Mr. Lysias, perhaps you aren't familiar with how the Japanese legal
system functions. I suggest that you remain seated and quiet, and let your
lawyers do their job."
     "Where's the fun in that?" Jack riposted, looking less than spiffy in a
black-and-white suit that looked like the illegitimate offspring of prison
stripes and a referee's formal tuxedo. "This is just a show trial anyway; I
know how much the Beekster's paying you to convict me -"
     "That will be quite enough," the judge attempted to interrupt.
     "- so we might as well give the public a damn good show, instead of my
boringly going to my death."
     "These are not capital charges," the judge pointed out. "The worst
sentence you face, barring contempt charges, is fifty years in prison and a
fifty million yen fine."
     "Like I've got that much money," muttered Jack. "Let's just get on with
this, shall we?"

     "How do you wish to plead?"
     Jack stood up straight and proud behind the defense table. "I plead
immunity to prosecution, as an American citizen."
     "Objection," the lead prosecution attorney said softly, smiling like a
hungry shark which has just spotted a bloody chunk of beef floating in the
water. "We've already investigated Mr. Lysias's alleged American citizenship.
He has no such citizenship, in the United States of America or, so far as we
know, in any nation on this planet."
     Jack's jaw dropped. "WHAT?! I *am* an American citizen! Beek must be
paying you off too - Go to Chicago and look in their files yourself!"
     "We sent a government investigator, on your behalf," the prosecuting
attorney continued, his smile tightening. "It seems that your 'citizenship'
could not be found on record."
     "But - but - I was on jury duty just a few months ago! Go to the
courthouse and check their records!"
     "You left nearly two dozen trials which were being held that day in a
state of complete confusion. They were relieved to find out that it would
never happen again."
     Jack sagged in his chair, his mouth hanging open. "Great," he muttered,
not quite softly enough for the microphones to miss his words. "Must've been
undone along with Heaven and Hell."

     Day 3:
     "Objection!"
     The judge sighed. "For at least the eightieth time, Mr. Lysias, you are
not authorized to raise objections in this court. You are not an attorney for
either the state or the defense, and I believe even in an American court only
attorneys may object to any point in the proceedings."
     "I'm objecting to that too," Jack nodded. "But I'm primarily objecting
to the fact that ... *that* can sit in this court and give testimony."
     Morrigan tried to look innocent ... which created an effect much like
that of a velociraptor trying to pretend that it's completely harmless: nobody
bought the act for a moment. "Your Honor," she purred, "I have no idea what
Mr. Lysias is talking about ... I was called as a witness for the prosecution,
and I'm here *only* to give honest testimony."
     The judge fingered the ofuda his wife had given him on his way out the
door that morning, and was thankful he'd kept it inside his robes. "Ms.
Aensland, Mr. Lysias does not have any way to keep you from giving testimony."
     "Sure I do," Jack muttered, standing up despite his lawyers' attempts to
restrain him. "I can -"
     A series of beeps, added in while the footage was being edited for
broadcast on Ultra, drowned out the start of Jack's highly obscene suggestion.
The end of it was, presumably, lost to a cut between segments - but not before
Morrigan gasped in very convincing shock.

     "The prosecution calls Wasyuu Hakubi, of Okayama."
     "Objection!"
     "Mr. Lysias, for at *least* the ninety-fifth time -"
     "She's not even an Earthling!"
     Wasyuu raised her eyebrows. "My citizenship papers are all in order with
the Japanese national government, as well as the prefectural government of
Okayama. We just haven't sorted out my residence on a more local basis than
that yet."
     "Please take the stand, Ms. Hakubi." The prosecutor waited as Wasyuu
took the stand and was sworn in. "Now ... or perhaps," he referred to his
notes, "I should have addressed you as *Dr.* Hakubi, I do beg your pardon. Now
then ... Three days before the pay-per-view televised event entitled
'UltraRage Epsilon,' you received a phone call from Mr. Lysias, requesting
your special assistance for the event in question. Would you please explain
what manner of request was made?"
     "There were two requests, actually," Wasyuu answered. "One of the
requests was from Ms. Nabiki Tendou herself, a special arena for the Ranma vs.
Ranma, Loser Leaves Psyche match which was scheduled for and held during
UltraRage Epsilon. Jack's request was much simpler: he wanted a metaspatial
continuity refraction array, tuned to a specific set of biophysiological and
encephalographic signatures."
     Almost everyone in the courtroom sweatdropped. "Could you please explain
that in simpler terms, Dr. Hakubi?" the prosecutor asked.
     "A dimensional barrier, keyed to lock out certain individuals so that
they couldn't enter the UltraDome. Unfortunately ..." Wasyuu gave Jack a
slightly regretful look. "He didn't pay me quite enough for something *that*
sophisticated, but we agreed that a non-keyed barrier would be adequate for
his purposes, as long as it was activated before the specific individuals he
wanted to keep out entered the UltraDome."
     The prosecutor nodded. "And did he state just who those individuals
were?"
     "He did indeed. Jack very specifically asked me for a way to keep Nabiki
Tendou and Pantyhose Tarou out of the UltraDome that night."
     Again, the prosecutor nodded. "Thank you, Dr. Hakubi. Does the defense
wish to cross-examine this witness?"
     "HELL YEAH!!" Jack exclaimed.
     One of Jack's attorneys straightened up. "Dr. Hakubi, if you knew why
Mr. Lysias wished to prevent Ms. Tendou and her associate from attending the
pay-per-view event, why did you accommodate his request?"
     Wasyuu shrugged. "It sounded like it'd be interesting ... oh, and he
called me 'Wasyuu-chan' too," she grinned. "I've always had a soft spot for
people who call me that ... well, until recently." She straightened her vest,
breathing in so that her rather prominent bust was even more prominent. (The
judge fingered his ofuda again.) "I've had to begin acting like an adult on a
regular basis, and being called 'Wasyuu-chan' doesn't mesh well with that."
     Another array of sweatdrops formed on heads around the courtroom. "No
further questions," the defense attorney said weakly as he sat back down.

     Day 4:
     "The prosecution calls -"
     "Objection!"
     The judge ignored the interruption. "Please continue."
     The prosecutor took another breath. "The prosecution -"
     "Objection objection objection!"
     "The defendant is hereby fined an additional five thousand yen for
contempt of court."
     "Not like I'll be able to pay that one either." Jack took a deep breath,
and shouted "OBJECTION!!" at the top of his lungs.
     The judge's gavel slammed down ... and broke into five pieces.
     ("He must be getting really good at that," Sana chuckled as she watched
the video on the UltraTron screen.)
     "ORDER!!" roared the judge, momentarily looming over the courtroom - and
particularly over the defense table, where all five of Jack's attorneys
sweatdropped in unison. Jack merely pretended not to notice. "Mr. Lysias," the
judge continued, "I've completely lost count of how many contempt charges you
have against you by now."
     "So ask the clerk to go through and count them," Jack grinned. "We've
got plenty of time!"
     "The defendant is hereby fined an additional five thousand yen for
contempt of court. And would somebody bring me another gavel?"

     Daisuke held his head in his hands, moaning softly, "I just don't
believe it ..."
     "Well," Sana declared, "'Controversial Jack' Lysias may be getting
railroaded by Ms. Tendou, but at least he's having a good time. Anyway! It's
time for our next match, which was set up earlier today ..."
     The UltraTron came to life again.

     "Give up?" Morrigan slid off the table, turning to face the other
members of CHAOS as she stretched, her wings spreading behind her as she
raised her arms over her head. "*I*, give up on my chosen? Surely you're
joking ..."
     "It's no joke!" Hiroshi retorted from behind a large potted fern,
leaning out and taunting the succubus Dan-style, fist clenched and forearm
flexed in the manliest pose he could muster. "You think you can just barge in
here and take whoever you want? Think again!"
     Morrigan slowly turned her head to look at Sakura, who was still
extricating herself from the boxes with Shermie's help. "Hmmmmmm ..." A small
smile crossed her lips. "All right ... Sakura-chan, if you can defeat Lilith
one-on-one ... then if you want me to leave you alone, I'll consider it. How
does that sound?"
     "It's a deal!" Sakura exclaimed.

     A very large sweatdrop formed on the back of Daisuke's head.
     "Anyway, that's how this next match was booked," Sana continued. "So
let's give it up for the girl with the power of RIGHTEOUS FURY on her side,
the Shotokan Schoolgirl, the victim of way too many 'accidental' panty shots,
SAKURA KASUGANO!!!"
     Groaning inwardly, but outwardly cheerful, Sakura strolled down the ramp
to the ring, waving occasionally to the fans as she climbed the corner stairs
and slipped between the ropes, into the (repaired) ring.
     "And her opponent," Daisuke took over for Sana, "the lolicon succubus
who just won't leave my friend Hiroshi alone ... Lilith Aensland."
     Appropriately, most of the cheers and applause for Lilith came from the
nosebleed section as the junior succubus strutted down the ramp. When she
reached the ring area, though, Lilith detoured around to the announcer's
table, stopping to lean over it and give Daisuke a long, close, studying look.
"You're darn right I won't leave Hiro-kun alone," she murmured in a voice that
would have been sultry if Lilith had been another six or eight years older in
appearance. "He's mine. I love him. And I *will* make him mine."
     Daisuke sprouted a second sweatdrop. "Okay, I'll warn him you're not
giving up ..."
     With a girlish giggle, Lilith spread her wings and hopped into the air,
gliding over the ropes and dropping to her feet inside the ring.
     "Oh, and we've just received word ..." Daisuke put one hand to his
headset, eyes widening. "This will be a *Hardcore* rules match! Although the
Hardcore title is not at stake in this match, all Hardcore rules apply!"
     Sakura leaned over the ropes, her eyes wide. "WHAT?! Tell me you're
kidding!"
     Daisuke shook his head. "That's what they just told me!"

][ GAMMA MATCH #2 (Hardcore rules)
][ SAKURA KASUGANO vs. LILITH AENSLAND
][ FIGHT!

     As soon as the bell rang, Lilith ran up behind Sakura, flipped her skirt
up, and yanked on her panties. "Oooh, you picked yellow this time?"
     "HEY!!" Sakura flailed around, almost losing her balance. "Don't *DO*
that!"
     "Try and stop me!" Lilith sing-songed, patting Sakura's butt. "I don't
know why anybody rags on you for being underdeveloped, you've got a *nice*
little body ..." She pulled back, and smacked Sakura's rear hard enough to
knock her the rest of the way off-balance; Sakura rolled over the top rope and
fell out of the ring, just barely missing the apron and landing on the floor
butt-first with an audible *smack*.
     Sakura's face was crimson as she stood back up, adjusting her panties
and skirt. "Lilith ... YOU ARE *DEAD!*"
     "Ooooh, I'm *soooooo* scared!" Lilith taunted her, hovering above the
ring. "What're you gonna do, Sakura? Tie me up and whip me? Torture me with
burning candles!"
     Livid with rage, Sakura reached between the ropes, grabbed Lilith's
dangling foot, and yanked as hard as she could - and kept pulling, grabbing
the succubus's other foot as well.
     "Ooohhh ... !" Lilith's cheeks flushed as her crotch was squished
against the rope. "Sakura, you naughty naughty girl ... !"
     Sakura simply let go, catapulting Lilith out of the ring and nearly into
the cheap seats; the match would have ended in record time for a Hardcore bout
if Lilith hadn't managed to catch herself in midair. "Ahhh ..." Lilith
stretched, hovering on a cloud of bats, then looked down at Sakura. "Hey, that
was *fun!* Wanna do it again?"
     "Up yours!" shouted Sakura, before realizing how Lilith was likely to
interpret that.
     "WAI!!" Lilith dismissed the bats, reforming her wings, and went into a
power-dive, buzzing the crowd on her way towards the ring. "I'm coming,
Sakura!"
     "Aw, nuts ..." Sakura dashed for the ramp; Lilith corrected her path to
follow, but she had to slow down to make the turn backstage - which allowed
Sakura to increase her lead on the succubus.
     "We've got cameras following them," Daisuke reported unnecessarily as
the UltraTron switched to a shot (from behind) of Sakura dashing down a
backstage corridor; she rounded a corner as the cameraman slowed to a halt,
and Lilith flashed past in heat - er, in *hot* pursuit.

     A few minutes later, Lilith landed with a sigh, looking around. "Now
where'd she go?" she wondered aloud, looking both ways down the intersecting
corridor she'd landed at. Spotting a cameraman, she waved cheerfully and
asked, "Can you tell me which way Sakura went?"
     The cameraman shook his head no, which meant that the camera swung back
and forth as well.
     "Aw, fooey," Lilith sighed - then perked up. "Hmmmm ... !" She walked
over to a nearby door, which had <C.H.A.O.S.> prominently stenciled on it, and
knocked quickly.
     A voice from within called out, "Who is it?"
     (Seated at the announcer's table in the arena, Daisuke gaped. "Oh no -
Hiroshi, don't even *think* of opening that door!!")
     Lilith squealed, "Let me in, Hiroshi-kun! I need to hide and catch my
breath!"
     "Sakura?!" The door opened, revealing Hiroshi on the other side. "I
don't think you're - ACK!!"
     "Gotcha, Hiro-kun!" Lilith giggled as she leapt on Hiroshi, wrapping her
arms and legs around him before he could react, and planting her lips on his
in a devastatingly powerful kiss. Hiroshi staggered backwards, whether from
the extra weight or the impact of Lilith's *very* close attention.
     ("Oh, man," groaned Daisuke. "I can't believe this is happening.")
     The cameraman kept his focus on Lilith and Hiroshi as the latter
staggered backwards around the room, making incoherent noises which were
further muffled by Lilith's insistent and unceasing kiss. Hiroshi actually
backed into a cinderblock wall, and started pawing at Lilith's back as though
trying to find something with which he could pull her off.
     Lilith finally broke off from the kiss, panting heavily. "Oh, Hiro-kun,"
she crooned, "you're *such* a good kisser, so passionate ..."
     A two-by-four cracked across Lilith's head, nailing her in one of the
miniature bat-wings that adorned her head, and the lolicon succubus fell to
the ground with a pained cry.
     "Look, kiddo," said a moderately sympathetic voice - a female one - as
the camera panned right to focus on Shermie. "I know what it's like to lust
after someone like that ..."
     ("She ought to know," Daisuke mumbled.)
     "... but you're going after him in entirely the wrong way," Shermie
continued. "Besides ... if there's clone-glomping to be done in here - *I*
will do it." She leaned down, picking Lilith up by her hair and raising her
head so they were staring into each other's eyes (or in Shermie's case,
bangs). "Got that?"
     "I'd better take it from here, Shermie," said Sakura's voice from off-
camera - and again the camera panned to reveal Sakura herself. "Sorry, I
didn't mean to lead her this way - or lose her like that. Hiroshi, you okay?"
     "Uhh ... yeah. Never better." Hiroshi was still collecting his wits,
blissfully ignorant of the tenting in his pants.
     Sakura deliberately ignored it as she grabbed Lilith's arm, swinging her
towards the wall as Shermie released the young succubus's hair. Lilith smacked
into the wall with a faint whimper - whether it was one of pain or pleasure
was indeterminate, and Sakura didn't really care as she laid into the succubus
with a ferocious series of punches and kicks.
     ("YES!! Sakura's standing up for decency, moral righteousness, and a
lack of scantily-clad women!" Sana exclaimed.
     "I don't think that's what she had in mind.")
     Lilith's head bounced off of the wall as Sakura finished with an
uppercut, and the succubus's whimper this time was clearly one of pain, as she
clutched at the abused winglet. "Owwwwww ... ! You're mean!"
     Sakura clenched her fists, stepping back into a ready stance as the
referee finally caught up with the fighters, stepping into the CHAOS dressing
room. "Want me to stop hitting you?" asked Sakura.
     Lilith nodded faintly.
     "Do you forfeit?" Sakura didn't even think of letting her guard down.
     "Forfeit?" Lilith hesitated. "I dunno ..."
     A backhand smashed across Lilith's face. "Either you forfeit," Sakura
told her opponent, "or we keep fighting. Your choice."
     "Mou ... ! Shadow Blade!!" Lilith launched into an uppercut of her own,
the edge of her wing slashing dangerously close to Sakura's face - and cutting
open the front of her sailor fuku, revealing Sakura's *sports bra* in all its
glory.
     "Why, you little ... SHUN-PUU-KYAKU!!" Sakura leapt into the air,
hammering at Lilith with a series of spinning kicks and forcing her towards
the door.
     Lilith landed badly, but quickly scrambled to her feet. "I'll finish you
yet -" She piffled into a top hat and tails, already reaching for the top hat.
"Gloomy Puppet -"
     "Sakura Otoshi!" Sakura launched herself at the succubus, delivering a
double-handed chop that sent Lilith stumbling backwards, her finisher rudely
interrupted; the fighters' paths intersected again at the door, and the second
chop sent Lilith flying back into the corridor, where she crashed into a table
and fell to the floor, unmoving.
     The referee closed in and started counting as Sakura leaned against the
doorframe, trying to catch her breath. "Sakura?" Karin asked as she
approached. "Are you injured?"
     Sakura shook her head. "I'm fine," she gasped. "Sorry for the
interruption ..."
     "It's no trouble," Karin smiled gently, patting her long-time rival and
friend on the shoulder. "I wouldn't have had the chance to see you win this
match, up close and personal, otherwise."
     The referee finished the ten-count. "The winner is Sakura."
     Hearing the confirmation of her victory, Sakura let out a deep breath,
slumping. "Yatta ..."
     Lilith stirred, regaining consciousness about five seconds too late.
"Nnnngh ... my head hurts ..."
     "You did bring that on yourself," Sakura said, "... more or less,
anyway. Now. You know what just happened, right?"
     "I ... I lost ..." Lilith sat up, kneeling on the concrete floor and
looking miserable. "I lost our match."
     Sakura nodded, trying to remain unsympathetic. "And you know what that
means for Morrigan, right?"
     "I guess ..." Lilith sighed, slowly getting to her feet. "So ... do you
want me to take you to talk to her?"
     "Yeah." Sakura glanced at Karin, Shermie, Hiroshi, and Shingo, who were
all standing in the CHAOS dressing room. "I'll be back in a little while, you
guys."

     The UltraCam logo replaced the shots from backstage. "And there you have
it!" Sana announced. "Sakura's beaten Lilith, which may well mean that she
doesn't have to keep worrying about that slut Morrigan any more ... although
personally, I trust either of those succubi about as far as I could use my
Komawari fighting moves on them. I bet Sakura's not done with them yet, or the
other way around."
     "Personally, I hope you're wrong about that," commented Daisuke. "We
have two competitors who've only fought together once so far as a Lambda team,
although they've been fighting as part of a group for a long time now. Their
opponents, by contrast, are long-time Lambda veterans, and the teams have a
certain amount of history with each other as well ..."
     "And here come the DISCIPLES OF THE VOID!" shouted Sana as the
Disciples' music began playing. Yashiro and Chris headed down the ramp, their
appearances and attitudes very different: Yashiro was stalking towards the
ring, flexing his hands and rotating his shoulders as he got ready to kick
some butt - and kick it as hard as he could - while Chris was strolling along,
loose and easy, with a little smile on his face.
     Hard rock quickly gave way to J-Pop, and even Daisuke couldn't help but
smile as he continued, "And their opponents, a pair of fighters who've always
stood up for justice and good ... Sie Kensou and Athena Asamiya, the Psycho
Soldiers!"
     The UltraDome crowd rose to its feet as the two teenaged psychics
strolled down the ramp, waving cheerfully to the fans. At least, Athena was
clearly cheerful; Kensou looked a little more worried.
     "Ah, the goody-two-shoes," Yashiro greeted the opposing team as the
Psycho Soldiers stepped into the ring. "Ready to get beat up?"
     "No," Athena smiled, "but we're ready for you to try. Good to see you
again, Yashiro-san; I'm glad you're not trying to destroy the world any more."
     Chris gave a noncommital shrug. "I never liked Orochi much anyway ..."
He held out a hand, kindling a purple flame in his palm. "But at least we've
still got our powers. That should make things more interesting, don't you
think?"

][ LAMBDA MATCH #2
][ DISCIPLES OF THE VOID (Yashiro/Chris) vs. PSYCHO SOLDIERS (Athena/Kensou)
][ FIGHT!

     Chris danced towards the Psycho Soldiers, his hands leaving trails of
flame in the air as he closed in on his opponents; Kensou stepped forward to
meet him, slipping underneath an arm sweep to rise up with a series of kicks,
connecting inside Chris's guard and forcing the young fighter back as Athena
and Yashiro ducked out of the ring and took the corners.
     "I may be a little out of practice," Chris smiled faintly as he got back
to his feet and rekindled his flames. "But it'll come back to me soon enough,
so don't hold back."
     "I wasn't planning to," Kensou answered him, tossing a ball of psychic
force at the younger fighter. Chris answered it with a thrown flame, and the
two projectiles cancelled each other out.
     "Well, the Disciples don't seem to be suffering from a lack of
experience so far," said Daisuke. "Both fighters seem to be making a pretty
conservative start to the match, like they're sizing each other up for
something."
     "C'mon, mix it up in there!" shouted Sana. "Don't be so polite to each
other, get in there and FIGHT! We wanna see some violence!"
     Chris grinned briefly at the announcer. "Oh, I can arrange that ..." He
leaned forward, twisting around as he planted his fists on Kensou's chin with
a couple of punches. "Boy, I thought *we* might be getting out of practice.
Have you heard of blocking?"
     Kensou rubbed his chin briefly, frowning. "Yeah. Have you?" He tucked
into a ball and rolled forward, unrolling with a straight chop at Chris's
midsection.
     Yashiro stood by the corner post, watching impatiently. "Stop being so
bloody nice to them, Chris!" he growled, beating his hand against the top
rope. "You can do more than that!"
     Obligingly enough, Chris twirled into a fiery uppercut, catching Kensou
with the full brunt of the flames. "Okay, try 'do you know how to block?'
Obviously hearing of it isn't enough for you," he taunted cheerfully as he
landed from the technique.
     Kensou muttered something under his breath as he sat up, shaking his
head slightly to clear it. "Not my best night," he said more audibly as he got
back to his feet. "Guess I should have remembered that your 'nice boy' act
really *is* just an act, eh Chris?"
     "What do you mean, just an act?" Chris asked, all wide-eyed innocence
holding purple flames of an ultimate evil in his hands. "I'm a nice guy when
I'm not fighting. It's Yashiro who really likes hurting people."
     "Is that so ..." Kensou shrugged quietly, and lunged at Chris. "What if
I don't let you use your flames?"
     "And Kensou's taking it to Chris!" Sana announced gleefully as the two
fighters settled into straight hand-to-hand brawling, no special powers
evident. "I was worried there for a moment, I thought they were just gonna
talk for the whole match ..."
     "Well, they *are* old acquaintances," Daisuke said with a perfectly
deadpan demeanor. "I guess they're going to wait to catch up until after the
fight, though ..."
     "Good!" Sana exclaimed. "This is a fighting show, not a talk show! -
Ooooh, that's gotta hurt ..."
     Kensou doubled over, eyes crossing as he stepped back awkwardly, trying
to protect his groin. "That was a cheap shot," he gasped.
     Smiling, Chris just shrugged. "I'll take whatever I can get." He pulled
back, then hammered Kensou's head back with a straight punch. "Let me know if
it hurts, so I can keep doing it."
     "Of *course* it hurts!" Kensou straightened up, sucking in a breath, and
caught Chris's next punch in his palm. "Would you like it if I was hitting you
like that?"
     "Try it and find out?" Chris snapped his hand open, pressing it against
Kensou's.
     A pained scream filled the UltraDome, accompanied in the ring area by
the smell of scorched flesh.
     "KENSOU!" Athena lunged forward, leaning as far over the ropes as she
could. "Tag out!"
     Clutching at his wrist and cradling his burned hand, Kensou staggered
back towards the corner. Chris followed him, matching his pace step-for-step.
"Ooh, that *really* has to hurt ... want me to do the other one?"
     With a pained growl, Kensou brought his foot up as hard and fast as he
could - and this time, Chris was the one to double over in pain, wincing.
Pressing his advantage, Kensou slammed his foot down on Chris's exposed back,
then landed an elbow drop while the younger fighter was lying on the mat.
     "And Kensou gets back at Chris for that sneaky, underhanded attack!"
exulted Sana as Chris slowly rolled over onto his back, squirming quietly.
"Lay the smack down, Kensou!"
     "Looks like he's finally going for the tag, and I don't blame him,"
Daisuke noted. "But with an injury like that, Kensou's almost out of the match
entirely - Athena may have to carry this one on her own."
     Athena helped Kensou out of the ring before turning her attention to
Chris, who was already back on his feet with flames ready. "Sorry about your
friend ... well, no, actually I'm not," Chris smiled nastily. "Are you going
to avenge him?"
     Athena vanished from where she was standing, and the next thing Chris
felt was her hands against his back. "Ooh, that was -" A surge of psychic
energy rippled through Chris's body, freezing him, then lifting him into the
air; Athena jumped up after him, caught hold of the Orochi fighter, and shot
him back down at the corner where Yashiro was waiting.
     "You were saying?" Athena asked, her voice ominous in its quiet tone.
     Yashiro clicked his tongue. "Nice work on the bun-boy, Chris, but you've
got a sugary-sweet singer to fight too. Unless you've had enough."
     "Leave 'em to us! Go, Charizard!"
     "What in the world - ?!" Daisuke snagged his microphone, starting to
retreat under the table. "Ash Ketchum's just come down the ramp, and ..."
     A loud roar echoed through the UltraDome.
     "... and he's called out Charizard," finished Daisuke, ducking the rest
of the way into hiding.
     Athena shook her head. "Ash, please stay out of this!"
     "Not a chance, *CHEATER!*" Ash pointed at Athena. "Charizard,
Flamethrower, now!"
     Yashiro jumped off the apron, staring at Misty and ... "Voiduck? What
are *YOU* doing here, you loser?"
     "Voi voi! [DUCK!]" Voiduck glanced away from Yashiro as Charizard tried
to broil Athena alive. "Duck voi!"
     Yashiro bristled. "I thought we made it clear -"
     "Yeah," Chris interrupted, "it's been a while. What makes you think we
want to accept you?"
     "For that matter," Yashiro rounded on Misty, "what brings you or the
other kid out here in the middle of our match?"
     Misty looked away. "Voiduck's idea, and Ash's ..." She shook her head
slightly, then looked back at the two Disciples of the Void. "I guess Voiduck
just wanted to see you two again, and watch Charizard try to cook the Psycho
Soldiers."
     Voiduck nodded, glaring up at the ring as Athena hopped, skipped, and
jumped around, trying to avoid an extra-crispy demise while at the same time
protecting Kensou from Charizard's attacks. "[VOIDUCK.]"
     "Yeah, right," scoffed Yashiro. "I'm surprised the Orochi took up with a
nice girl like you ... you're not his type. Guess the dumb duck's influence is
damping that out somewhat."
     The bell rang, signalling what should have been the end of the match -
somewhat overdue. "As the result of a disqualification," the referee shouted,
"the Psycho Soldiers are declared the winners of this match!"
     "WHAT?!?!" thundered Yashiro, grabbing the ropes and hauling himself
into the ring. "You take that back - we were WINNING until that little idiot
butted in!" he shouted at the referee. "Restart the match! NOW!"
     The referee shook his head. "Even if it wasn't your fault, outside
interference in an official match constitutes an immediate disqualification."
     Yashiro's fists tightened on the ropes, his expression darkening into
something closely resembling a heavy thunderstorm about to break. "RESTART THE
MATCH or I'll rip you -" He was interrupted as a heavy orange tail, tipped
with a substantial flame, slammed into him from the side and swept him off the
apron. Yashiro was thrown far enough by the impact that his head slammed into
the top of the audience barricade, and he slumped to the ground, stunned.
     "What a dummy," Chris mock-sighed. "Well, it's been good to see you
again," he said to Voiduck and Misty, "but I'd say your buddy's Charizard is
stealing our fun. See you later."
     "Voiduck!"
     "Sorry, not gonna." Chris rubbed Voiduck's head. "See you later," he
said, and headed towards the ramp. Voiduck glared at his back as he left.
     Shouting over the noise, Sana yelled into her microphone, "The Psycho
Soldiers' match against the Disciples of the Void has ended in a win by DQ for
the Psycho Soldiers! Athena's still trying to avoid Charizard's flames, but
Kensou looks out of it .... Geez, Ash, can't you control your Pokemon at
*ALL*?!"

     Karin reached over and tapped on Hiroshi's shoulder. "Are you still
awake?"
     "No. I'm having a nightmare."
     Shingo chuckled quietly in the middle of his pacing. "About Lilith, or
Rei?"
     "About Lilith and Rei fighting over me in a vat full of something that
smells like blood, and ripping me apart without noticing." Hiroshi sat up with
a sigh, rubbing his forehead. "If only Rei was still here, instead of locked
up somewhere in Shadowlaw ..."
     "Haven't you asked any fighters to try and rescue her?" wondered Karin.
"You did talk about doing that ..."
     "Nobody's going to walk into Shadowlaw willingly," groused Hiroshi.
"Nobody! It's not like I'm asking them to break into Ise Shrine and steal the
sacred mirror or anything, just infiltrate a heavily guarded base full of
dangerous criminals, who're led by the *most* dangerous criminal overlord
alive, and ask them if they could just quickly break my girlfriend out of
whichever prison she's locked up in somewhere inside there ..." He sighed
heavily, slumping back in his seat. "I've asked around, yeah - at least among
the fighters we can trust to actually *do* it. Nobody's been willing so far."
     "Have you tried talking to the Psycho Soldiers?" Shingo suggested. "If
anyone in Ultra'd be willing, it'd be them - they hate Bison more than
anyone."
     "Yeah. I tried. Athena said she'd see what they could do, but I got the
feeling she doesn't want to just walk back into Bison's hands either." Hiroshi
shook his head quietly. "I can't blame her."
     Shingo's reply was forestalled by the phone ringing as he passed it; he
stopped pacing and picked up the handset. "Hello? Oh, hi Lain ... no, we
haven't been watching the show tonight; we had to sell our TV to ... oh. Guess
we'll watch it on tape later." He paused. "Sakura? No, she hasn't been -
hey!!"
     Karin grabbed the phone away from Shingo. "Lain? What was that about
Sakura?" She paused, listening; her eyes widened momentarily, then narrowed.
"Do you know where they are?"
     "What is it?" Hiroshi asked, sitting up again. "Lain wanted to know
something about Sakura?"
     "Lain said she'd seen something on one of the video feeds about Sakura
..." Shingo swallowed. "And Morrigan. And Lilith, too, I think."
     "Thank you, Lain," Karin said quietly. "We'll take care of the rest of
it." She hung up slowly, an angry expression forming on her face. "Sakura
needs help. Now."
     Shingo's jaw dropped. "What, Lilith just handed Sakura right over to
Morrigan? I don't believe - I'm coming with you!"
     "No you're not!" snapped Karin. "I don't want anyone with a Y chromosome
in that room! Shermie?"
     Shermie looked up. "Yes?"
     "You're coming with me. We have a teammate to rescue. Let's move!" Karin
yanked the door open and raced out into the hall.
     "I'm ... hey, wait up!" Shermie abandoned her nail file, tearing out of
the room in pursuit of Karin.
     "Good luck, you two," Hiroshi said to the departed girls.

     "Welcome back to Ultra!" Sana said cheerfully. "We've got one more match
scheduled for this evening ..."
     The UltraTron flickered to life, displaying the UltraCam logo.
     "At least it's not another interruption courtesy of Shadowlaw," Daisuke
commented. "But I wonder what ..."

     "Ah, so nice of you to walk right into my arms, Sakura," Morrigan
purred, stroking the girl's cheek gently. "You're so trusting for a modern
girl ... you really thought I was going to let you off that easily?"
     "Let me go, you -" The exact words of Sakura's insult were bleeped out.
     "Me?" Morrigan sat up, looking both surprised and bemused. "A -" Again,
the phrase was beeped out. "What an amusing concept ... but no, mother was far
too refined to do something like that."
     ("Morrigan has a mother?" Sana asked.
     "Sounds like she does, or did ...")
     Sakura twisted, squirming against the bonds that held her arms above her
head. "When I get my hands on you, I swear I'm gonna -"
     "Ooooh, already you want to get your hands on me?" Morrigan smiled,
bending over Sakura. "You're not ready yet ... when you are, *then* I'll
release you."
     The camera pulled back to reveal the scene in more detail: Sakura was
tied to a bed by her wrists and ankles, arms above her head and legs slightly
parted. Her seifuku blouse was completely gone, leaving her in her red sports
bra and her skirt. Morrigan, for her part, was wearing her normal fighting
outfit, but somehow looked even sexier than usual. (At least, enough so for
all of the men in the UltraDome to squirm uncomfortably in their seats,
followed by angry muttering from their respective girlfriends and/or
significant others.) Lilith was standing nearby, watching intently, also in
her regular garb, and looking eager for something to happen ... a very
particular something, to judge by her slightly flushed cheeks and the way she
was fidgeting, rubbing her thighs together.
     Sakura yanked on the bonds that held her arms and legs in place. "I'm
gonna say this one more time ... LET! ME! *GO!!*"
     "But the fun's just about to start ..." Morrigan patted Sakura's chest
absently, then slid off the bed and moved her hand down towards Lilith's
skirt.
     ("WHAT?!" Sana sounded indignant. "They're just going to show this on
international television without any -")
     There was the sound of a door being kicked clear off its hinges, and all
three of the visible females looked at something off-camera; Sakura's
expression changed to one of amazed relief, while Morrigan and Lilith both
frowned at the interruption. "Nobody invited you," Morrigan snapped peevishly.
     "Actually, somebody did," Karin growled as she and Shermie walked into
camera range. "Release Sakura RIGHT NOW!"
     Morrigan drew herself up to her full height, squaring her shoulders and
wings. "I think not," she said coldly.
     "Fine," Karin said quietly, shifting into a fighting stance. "We'll just
take her with us, then."

][ UNSCHEDULED HARDCORE FANSERVICE BRAWL
][ KARIN/SHERMIE vs. MORRIGAN/LILITH
][ FIGHT!

     Morrigan and Lilith actually climbed across the bed and over Sakura on
their way to meet their opponents; given the close quarters, neither of them
wanted to use their special techniques and risk either running out of room or
damaging anything by accident. Shermie promptly stepped forward and to the
side, executing a couple of short arm sweeps - and sending crescent-shaped
waves of electricity at the two succubi, hitting them directly as they reached
the near side of the bed.
     "Good shot, Shermie," Karin commented. "Sakura, are you all right?"
     "I got tied to a bed by a succubus who wants to take away my virginity,
I've been stripped half-naked ... NO I'M NOT ALL RIGHT!" Sakura snapped. "At
least they didn't get any further than this!"
     "Good," nodded Karin. "Just hang on for a minute or two -" Karin leaned
down, snapping a punch off at the back of Morrigan's head as she lay sprawled
on the floor.
     The punch never landed; Morrigan must have sensed it coming and rolled
to the side just in time ... and she looked furious. "You insolent wench!
Maybe I should have said this more clearly: *stay out of this.*"
     Karin laughed confidently. "Ohh ho ho ho ho ho! Perhaps *you* don't
understand: Sakura is *my* rival. *I* will be the one to defeat her utterly.
And anyone who tries to stop me from doing that will suffer my wrath!"
     ("Thank goodness Karin's not on the regular roster," Daisuke sighed.)
     "Oh, is that what you think?" Morrigan got her legs back under her, then
launched upwards. "Shadow Blade!"
     Fabric tore, and Karin shrieked in outrage as *her* seifuku blouse was
ripped open by the edge of Morrigan's wing. "HOW DARE YOU!!" She snapped an
arm up, grabbing the succubus's leg, and slammed her down to the ground,
pulling down fragments of ceiling tile as Morrigan was dislodged from where
she'd gotten stuck.
     "And why are you here?" Lilith asked Shermie. "Karin was scared she
wouldn't be able to handle both of us at once?"
     Shermie shrugged, "Something like that, although 'scared' doesn't sound
right. Anyway, good night." Shermie blew a kiss at Lilith ... a high-voltage
kiss which nailed the juvenile succubus dead-on, and Lilith squealed as the
electricity coursed through her body, her spine arching.
     ("Did she *LIKE* that or something?" exclaimed Sana. "Ewwwwww, that's
just sick!")
     Morrigan got back to her feet, wiping blood from the corner of her mouth
with the back of her hand. "Goodness ... it would seem all the manga Lilith's
been reading are wrong; modern schoolgirls *don't* wish somebody would drag
them into a private room, strip them naked, and -" Somebody was still paying
attention at the censoring controls, as Morrigan's words were beeped out
again.
     "Hentai manga? *Real*? You wish ..." Karin stepped forward, driving her
heel against Morrigan's skull. "Try again; will you let Sakura go?"
     "Never." Morrigan smiled as her wings unraveled, reforming into
sharpened tendrils, then reached up with them and started shredding Karin's
skirt and what was left of her blouse. "But if you want to join her, I suppose
I might be persuaded to give both of you the best night of your lives ..."
     "HEY!! This is my favorite fuku!" Karin snapped, jumping back as most of
her uniform started to come apart. "You'll pay for that, you tramp!"
     "Me, a tramp?" Morrigan stood up quickly. "I think not ... Soul Fist!"
     Karin hit the floor as the spirit projectile flew overhead, veering past
the camera and smashing into something off-screen; Lilith looked up from where
she was grappling with Shermie, and squawked in dismay. "Don't do that,
oneesama! Do you know how hard it is to find good erotic artwork in Japan?"
     "Good?" Morrigan scoffed. "Sorry, I'll replace it for you."
     "Your taste in mmmmmpf!!"
     "Sorry," Shermie said as she wrapped her legs firmly around Lilith's
head. "You can finish your talk later." She flipped over, executing a Shermie
Spiral that sent Lilith flying back onto the bed, her head bouncing against
Sakura's belly. "'Scuse me!" chirped Shermie as she jumped after Lilith,
bringing her hand down in a charged-up Shermie Cute follow-through; Lilith
bounced again, this time landing on the far side of the bed. "Sorry about
that, Sakura," Shermie said as she pushed her bangs back for a moment.
     ("Wow, she actually has eyes under there? Lemme see!"
     "I don't think she can hear you, Sana.")
     "It's okay," Sakura answered. "Glad you could make it, Shermie ..."
     "SPLENDID LOVE!" shouted Lilith.
     ("Oh no ...")
     Lilith's leotard flew apart, and the resulting cloud of bats surrounded
Shermie completely as the naked (and pixilated) Lilith leapt over the bed,
knocking Shermie off of it; the camera quickly panned back to where Morrigan
and Karin were trading punches, almost as though they were sparring on a
friendly basis: no special moves of any kind, except for Morrigan's
intermittent efforts to use her wing-tendrils against the blonde Japanese
girl.
     "Not bad, for a girl who's only sixteen years old or so," Morrigan
commented, dropping to a crouch and trying a wing-sweep.
     "'Not bad,' she says," Karin riposted as she jumped over the wing. "I am
the best among human martial artists!"
     "And you're not competing in Ultra?"
     "I don't need to lower myself to this federation." Karin stepped forward
as Morrigan stood up, planting a series of palm strikes to the succubus's
upper chest (above the mammaries, not on them). "My superiority is the natural
result of good breeding."
     Morrigan faded with the strikes. "Breeding, you say? Hmmmm, that's what
I was thinking about ..." Her wings unraveled again, wrapping completely
around Karin this time, and what was left of the red sailor fuku fell away.
     Karin shrieked in outrage, and instead of pulling away, lunged at the
succubus. "I'LL KILL YOU!! Nobody humiliates me like that!"
     "Ohhhh? How would you *like* me to humiliate you?"
     Karin shrieked again, and threw technique to the winds, knocking
Morrigan to the floor and starting to punch her in the face.
     "I thought that technique of yours was supposed to do something more,"
Shermie said as the camera panned back to her and Lilith. "I'm not really
impressed ..."
     (Nosebleeds erupted in the UltraDome, and Daisuke made coughing sounds
as he tried to stifle his own.
     "Wow, Shermie's got great taste in underwear," declared Sana. "Maybe a
little on the scanty side, though ... I wonder if I'll have a figure like that
when I reach the other side of puberty."
     Daisuke made another choking sound.
     "You're *SICK!!* Ewwwww ... somebody get a cleanup crew in here!")
     Lilith's wings wilted as she stared at Shermie. "You have to be kidding
.... KYAAAAAAAH!!!"
     Shermie had taken advantage of Lilith's surprise to step in and execute
her Ankoku Raikouken, wrapping most of Lilith's torso in a ball of lightning.
This time, when Lilith fell down, she didn't show any signs of getting up in
the near future. "Karin-san, do you need some help?"
     "No, I think I've got her ..." Karin stood up, dusting her hands off.
"Now stay put while we free Sakura, you slut."
     Morrigan sat up, shaking her head to clear it. "I think not ... Oh,
Wolvy!"
     ("This is gonna be bad," predicted Sana. "Close your eyes, Daisuke."
     "They are closed. Tell me when it's over, I don't want to die from blood
loss."
     "Oh, that's just blood?")
     Shermie fired off another pair of lightning arcs as Wolverine lunged out
of the back of the room, but the feral mutant didn't even slow down as he
popped his claws and leapt at the long-haired former Orochi fighter.
     "Get *down!*" Karin body-checked Shermie, knocking her out of the way,
then somehow managed to redirect Wolverine straight towards Morrigan.
     There was a sound of ripping flesh.
     ("WAI WAI!! Blood and guts and ULTRA-VIOLENCE! Boy, that had to hurt.")
     "GET OFF OF ME!!" howled Morrigan, bringing her legs up, planting her
feet in Wolverine's gut, and sending him flying back across the room. Glass
shattered under the impact, but Wolverine landed on his feet and started to
charge again, roaring in full-fledged berserker fury.
     Morrigan quickly leapt back to her feet; Karin promptly joined Shermie
on the floor. With an angry snarl and a shout of "FINISHING SHOWER!"
Morrigan's wings unfolded, releasing a barrage of azure energy beams that sent
Wolverine stumbling back against the wall and pinned him there; a moment
later, Morrigan finished the barrage with a yellow bolt of light that
literally bounced Wolverine's head off of the wall behind him.
     The mutant, now clothed only in tatters of his once-proud uniform,
slumped against the wall ... but didn't fall completely.
     ("I think you can look now, Dai."
     "... Looks like Morrigan's pulled out the win, despite all odds.")
     "Now, if the interruptions are quite finished ..." Morrigan started to
walk back towards the bed, ignoring Karin and Shermie as they started to get
up.
     *SNIKT*
     Morrigan froze, her throat bracketed by a pair of adamantium claws.
"Wolverine ..."
     "That's 'bout enough of that, darlin'." Wolverine leaned close to
Morrigan, growling quietly. "Shouldn't've dropped your control when you used
an attack like that against someone you were controllin'. And before you even
took over my mind, you shoulda known ... I *hate* being used. I've had years
o' that, and I hate it more'n anything."
     ("ALL RIGHT!!!!! Wolverine's his own fighter again!!" cheered Sana.
"Tear her to bits, Wolvy-kun!")
     "You okay, kid?" Wolverine asked, glancing at Sakura out of the corner
of his eye.
     "I've been better," Sakura answered. "Just cut me loose and let's go ...
please?"
     Wolverine pulled his head back, then slammed his forehead into
Morrigan's; the succubus dropped like a rag doll as Wolverine's claws
retracted into his fist again. "That's that," the Canadian mutant grunted as
he looked down at Morrigan. "Let's get you all outta here before any more
trouble starts."

     "And in what has to be one of the greatest unscheduled matches ever to
be shown on Ultra, Morrigan and Lilith are completely trounced, and Morrigan
loses both of her captives at once." Daisuke dabbed at his nose with a tissue,
checked it, then tossed it into a nearby wastebasket. "It's good to see
Wolverine back as an independent fighter; I expect there's going to be some
heated tension between him and Morrigan for quite a while to come."
     "YEAH!" agreed Sana, "probably with lots of high-tension violence!"
     "... huh?"
     "Anyway, our Omega match has been ready to begin for several minutes
now, but Krillin had to hold them back while we were showing you that
backstage brawl. We now take you straight to our Omega match, which is -"

][ OMEGA MATCH #2
][ REI AYANAMI/EVANGELION UNIT 00 vs. MEWTWO
][ FIGHT!

     A torrent of psychokinetic energy, its hue so brightly blue that it
almost appeared white, ripped through the air and poured into Eva-00's A.T.
Field, which flared and coruscated under the impact.
     ("- just beginning," finished Sana, sounding miffed. "Krillin's
refereeing again, big surprise there since Goku hasn't been brought back yet.
The mind-controlled clone girl, Rei Ayanami, in her REALLY REALLY COOL
supermecha, is fighting against Mewtwo ... Did anyone tell us about this
match?"
     "Well, it's well known that Mewtwo and Bison are gunning for each
other," Daisuke filled in as Mewtwo circled around the blue-armored Evangelion
on the UltraTron. "I don't know if either of them specifically requested this
match, but it's not unlikely.")
     *I can understand why Bison chose to control you,* Mewtwo telepathically
commented, *but not why you've allowed him to do so.*
     "i follow commander ikari's orders," Rei replied, "not those of
shadowlaw."
     *Foolish girl ... open your eyes and see how you have been deceived.*
Mewtwo flew towards the Evangelion, swerving around a progressive-knife swipe
with almost insulting ease, and came up against Eva-00's A.T. Field,
apparently trying to power his way through it.
     ("So who's your money on for this match?" Daisuke asked, trying to sound
conversational.
     "Mewtwo," Sana answered without hesitating.)
     Eva-00's barrier spat and sparked against Mewtwo's, resisting the
intrusion, but slowly starting to give.
     ("Holy - Sana, do you *see* that? Can Mewtwo break through an A.T.
Field?"
     "It sure *looks* like he might," Sana agreed. "GO MEWTWO! MEW-TWO! MEW-
TWO!" The chant was quickly taken up by members of the audience in the
UltraDome.)
     Rei brought her Eva's prog-knife up again, and Mewtwo was forced to back
off. *The power with which Bison has infused you is great,* the psychic super-
Pokemon acknowledged, *but not even Bison can overpower me.* The bubble of
psychokinetic power contracted, parting from around Mewtwo and condensing into
a sphere between his hands, darkening rapidly from blue-white to black.
*Ultimately, you too shall fall.*
     The sphere of darkness rocketed away from Mewtwo's hands, slamming into
the A.T. Field and staying there, psychic power contesting with a supposedly
unbreakable barrier ... and slowly continuing to press towards the Evangelion,
even as the field intensified against the intrusion. Another ball of light
formed in front of Mewtwo, this one remaining bright and becoming brighter.
     ("Does Mewtwo know Hyper Beam too?" Daisuke wondered. "We saw Mew use
that same attack earlier tonight, during the ... hmmm ... Team Rocket's match
against Bison's Busters.")
     The dark sphere finally evaporated, but before the Evangelion's A.T.
Field could return to normal, Mewtwo cut loose with his follow-through attack,
a column of pure psychic force raking at the not-yet-invisible barrier and
piercing further into it.
     ("You think Mew and Mewtwo are working *TOGETHER* against Bison?"
     "It's possible!" Daisuke defended his theory. "We don't know anything
about Mewtwo's past before he came to Ultra, but if Mewtwo has a connection
with anyone or anything, why not with Mew?"
     "That's the craziest idea I've ever heard ...")
     The beam of energy evaporated, and Mewtwo flew back again, wrapping
himself in a fresh sphere of telekinetic energy as Eva-00 took another swipe
at the Pokemon with its progressive knife. "you cannot win this battle,
angel."
     *Angel? Me?* Mewtwo's mental voice sounded amused. *Or has Bison clouded
your mind to this extent, that you perceive me as one of the enemies which you
were used to battle before you were captured?*
     "your mind games will not work." Rei followed up with another slash,
advancing on Mewtwo and slowly forcing him back further.
     *Child of Heaven and Earth ... open your eyes. I command you to awaken.*
The A.T. Field flared up again, although Mewtwo wasn't making any visible
attack.
     ("I don't - is Mewtwo trying a direct telepathic attack against Rei?
*Inside* her Evangelion?" wondered Daisuke. "He's not attacking visibly, but
you can't see telepathy at work ..."
     "If an A.T. Field stopped telepathy, they wouldn't even be able to talk
smack to each other during the match!"
     "True, but ... I don't think Mewtwo's sticking with normal telepathy. -
Why isn't Bison saying anything? Normally he can't resist eavesdropping on a
match, especially when one of his fighters is out there, and he's *never*
silent."
     "He kept his big mouth shut when the Busters were getting hammered by
the righteous power of Team Rocket!"
     "... Team Rocket *lost*, Sana.")
     "training has enhanced my ability," Rei informed Mewtwo. "commander
ikari does not wish his pilots to fall victim to telepathy, as asuka did."
     *I believe humans have a saying about the pot calling the kettle black,*
Mewtwo responded as he ducked under yet another prog-knife slash. *But if you
will not relent, then so be it. If I must destroy your mecha to free you, then
I shall.* Mewtwo flickered out of existence, then reappeared, straining
visibly as he pushed against the Evangelion's A.T. Field with all of his
power. The bubble of energy surrounding the super-Pokemon warped, visibly
fading yet becoming more distinctive against the interference caused by Rei's
own barrier.
     ("HOLY CRAP!" Daisuke exclaimed. "It looks like Mewtwo may be trying to
create an A.T. Field of his own!"
     "WHA? I thought only the Evas could do that!" Sana protested.
     "Look at the pattern! It's hard to make out, but it looks just like an
A.T. Field - and you *don't* have to be an Eva or an Angel, Sana, Hiroshi's
been able to do that too!"
     "He's a clone, though, just like Rei is!")
     The Evangelion's A.T. Field started to give way, caving inwards as
Mewtwo began to pierce through it, his own barrier flashing and flickering.
*Your power ... may be substantial,* Mewtwo noted, *but it ... is ... merely
of ... human origin.* His telepathic voice sounded extremely strained as he
continued to bore inwards against the outward pressure of the A.T. Field.
     "enough talk, angel." Rei brought the prog-knife up again, ready to
impale Mewtwo on it. "you will die before you can win."
     The progressive knife stopped, its tip poised against the shell of
energy that surrounded Mewtwo. *I will not surrender,* Mewtwo responded, his
eyes flaring blue, *and I will not let you return to Bison.* Mewtwo continued
to inch forward, but his progress had slowed to a bare crawl.
     ("It looks like Mewtwo's actually going to do it!" Daisuke shouted over
the chanting crowds. "He's almost broken through Eva-00's A.T. Field, however
he's doing it ... Hang on, Mewtwo, you're almost through!")
     "psycho crusher."
     ("NO!!!" Sana screamed in frustration. "You big wimp!!!")
     Eva-00's A.T. Field retracted, warping around the bio-organic mecha as
it started to tilt towards Mewtwo.
     *A straight attack, then?* Mewtwo drew back, flying straight upwards.
*You can't win this way, either.* A fresh cascade of psychic power poured
down, splashing around the warping A.T. Field but starting to eat away at it.
     If Rei's Eva had started off by moving horizontally, Mewtwo would have
been safely out of harm's way. Unfortunately, Eva-00 rocketed upwards at a
steep angle, and Mewtwo couldn't abort his attack and move out of the way fast
enough to avoid the Evangelion's surprise maneuver.
     Krillin winced as Mewtwo plummeted towards the ground, at least stunned,
possibly knocked unconscious. "Oh, man ..." He flew down, preparing to start
the count.
     But before Mewtwo hit the ground, his plummet slowed to a halt, ending
in a hover barely a foot above the ground. *So you retain enough of a mind to
use such surprise tactics, and yet that mind remains under the domination of
an enslaver?* he challenged Rei. *You don't even realize whose technique you
just implemented?*
     The Evangelion landed, and turned to look down at Mewtwo. "enough talk,"
Rei said with a deceptively soft voice. "now you die."
     ("Mewtwo was so close to plowing through Rei's A.T. Field, and then she
went and changed tactics on him!" ranted Sana. "What a big loser! BOO!!!!")
     Mewtwo flickered, and teleported out of the way just before the
progressive knife buried itself up to the hilt just behind where he'd been
hovering. Eva-00 pulled its weapon back out of the ground, and waited, looking
around for its opponent with what seemed to be a casual attitude.
     Krillin was just taking a breath to start counting when Mewtwo's
reappearance was made manifest by the Evangelion's A.T. Field flaring,
revealing the point of the attack. Krillin quickly flew up to get a clearer
view, but had to break off as the Eva started to turn - and Mewtwo failed to
dodge the massive backhand that swatted him back to the ground. This time, the
Pokemon hit the ground hard, creating a massive crater as Mewtwo tried to
absorb the impact with his telekinetic barrier; however, after his barrier
dissipated, Mewtwo lay in the ground, completely unconscious.
     With a deep sigh, Krillin finally started the count ... then stopped as
a small spherical object materialized above the crater, then fell. Mewtwo's
eyes snapped open as a reddish aura spread over his body, and his psychic cry
of protest rang loudly in the minds of all who could 'hear' him. *NO!!!!!!*
     The aura completely enveloped Mewtwo, and his physical body dissolved as
the field of red light retracted back into the Pokeball. Sparks danced around
the Pokeball's surface as it rocked back and forth, the lens glowing brightly
... and then, after a moment that felt like an eternity, it stopped, and the
ball lay still and silent, save for an occasional spark of light.
     "Errrrrr ..." Krillin hesitated. "I don't know what that means for the
match, but Mewtwo was incapacitated. I guess that means the victory goes to
Rei Ayanami."
     The Evangelion turned around without another word, loped through the
portal, and vanished. By the time Krillin looked into the crater again, the
Pokeball had disappeared as well.

     "I DON'T BELIEVE IT!!!" ranted Sana, slamming her fists down on the
announcers' table. "Not only did Mewtwo *not* win the match, but some jerk
dropped a Pokeball on Mewtwo and captured him while he was down!"
     "I'll give you three guesses who did it," muttered Daisuke, "and three
clues. Big grin ... enslaves fighters ... and he rules the biggest criminal
syndicate on Earth."
     "If Bison *was* behind that," Sana declared, "you can bet some folks are
gonna be real mad at him. Anyway! That's all the time we have for tonight, so
this is Sana Kurata at the UltraDome, saying good night, good fight, and see
you next week for even more incredibly wonderful *ULTRA-VIOLENCE!!*

     Later that evening ...
     "Shermie, I'm not an unreasonable employer," Nabiki said calmly, sitting
back in her chair. Except for her and Shermie, the office was empty. "I did
ask Morrigan to leave Sakura alone, but it's not my fault that Morrigan
decided not to listen. I *will* be penalizing her for her actions, of course;
I can't let an attack on one of my fighters go unpunished. However, that
doesn't excuse the fact that you and Karin went after two of my *other*
fighters in an unsanctioned assault of your own."
     "We had to rescue Sakura," Shermie protested. "Besides, you had cameras
there - I saw the footage after the four of us got back to the CHAOS locker
room. You were planning for that, weren't you?"
     Nabiki waved a hand dismissively. "There are cameras throughout the
UltraDome, just in case anything worthy of broadcast happens away from the
ring proper. And, in your collective favor, it was an impressive fight ... but
Karin isn't a registered fighter. *You*, Shermie, *are* on the roster. As a
Gamma competitor. So are Morrigan and Lilith."
     "And Morrigan's one of your favorites, isn't she?"
     "That doesn't matter," said Nabiki, sitting forward and folding her
hands on her desk. "If you're so impatient for a chance to fight someone under
the auspices of Ultra -"
     "Wait, that wasn't my idea! Karin just looked at me and said 'Let's go,'
she didn't ask me if I wanted to or not!"
     "That doesn't matter. From what I've heard, you *knew* where you'd find
Sakura, and you knew who else was there at the time. You should have been able
to guess that a fight would break out, even with your limited mental capacity.
So the question remains ... what do I do with you? I can't fire Karin, as
she's not an employee ... as a matter of fact, the Kanzuki Zaibatsu is one of
Ultra's most lucrative sponsors. You, however, have no such protections ...
but I'm not going to fire you. I won't have you fined or suspended, either."
Nabiki smiled thinly. "Do you know what I'm going to do, Shermie?"
     "Ano ..." Shermie looked at Nabiki from behind her bangs. "No."
     "I'm going to book a match for you. For next week's show?"
     "Oh, really?" Shermie perked up. "I'll finally get a real match?"
     Nabiki nodded slowly, her smile widening. "Yes ... against Morrigan."
     Shermie froze. "Against Morrigan ... ? One on one?"
     "That's the usual for Gamma matches, isn't it?"
     "Uh ... okay," Shermie said slowly. "Hardcore or regular Gamma?"
     "I haven't decided yet." Nabiki sat back again. "I'll let you know. Stay
out of trouble until then."
     "Yes ma'am." Shermie started to turn around.
     "I didn't say you could leave yet."
     Shermie turned back to face Nabiki. "May I go?"
     "I just wanted to tell you one other thing ..." Nabiki smiled again,
even less pleasantly than before. "You have the potential to do very well in
Ultra, but I don't take kindly to unprovoked assaults on other fighters.
Remember that."
     Shermie started to protest, then hesitated. She'd taken part in a few
"unprovoked assaults" herself, while she was still one of the Disciples of the
Void ... and there'd been other unscheduled beatings since Nabiki had taken
over Ultra, but none of those fighters had been penalized that Shermie had
heard about. "I will," Shermie finally answered, looking down.
     "Excellent." Nabiki turned back to her computer. "You're dismissed."
     Shermie left as quickly as she could, her thoughts in turmoil.

     Athena wasn't normally prone to showing her temper, but she was running
out of control now. "You absolutely CAN'T be serious, Wasyuu-san!!"
     "Do you think I *want* to leave Mewtwo in Bison's hands?" the scientist
shot back, keeping half an eye on the console she was working at while keeping
another half an eye on Mary, who was playing nearby with Ryo-ohki. "I've had
my run-ins with both of them, and next to Bison, Mewtwo's downright friendly!
But there is no way in hell I'm going to try to take on Shadowlaw right now,
not with Mary to look after! I'm not going to risk that psycho trying to go
after *her* as well!"
     Athena's shoulders slumped. "I'm not asking you to go into Bison's
headquarters yourself, Wasyuu-san ..."
     "You're asking for me to help you waltz in there, find Mewtwo, and bring
him back. Sorry, no can do. The last thing I need right now is for Bison to
come after me again, directly or by proxy." Wasyuu looked straight at Mary for
a moment, and her expression softened. "Athena, I'm sorry, I truly am, but I
can't even ask one of the CyberGrrlz to go with you. Bison knows they're my
friends, and if he finds out that I was involved even tangentially, he's going
to want revenge. And that would put Mary in danger - which I'm not going to do
for anyone. Not even if my own life depended on it."
     Athena shook her head quietly, looking at the bed which stood next to
the console; Asuka lay there asleep, but not peacefully. The redhead's body
spasmed intermittently as her face twisted, passing through a range of
emotions from fear to sorrow to anger to fury and back. "And yet you have
Asuka here ... ?"
     "Asuka's not a danger to Mary. If Hell was still around, she *might* be,
but right now the only person Asuka's a danger to is herself ..." Wasyuu
paused. "Have you heard anything about Shinji? Or Kaworu, for that matter?"
     Shaking her head, Athena looked back at Wasyuu. "Nothing. If they're
somewhere on Earth, I imagine they'll turn up eventually."
     Wasyuu grunted quietly. "Is that right. Well, I -" A crab appeared next
to the console, clacking its pincers meaningfully. "It's open!"
     The crab vanished; a door appeared in its place, and opened to reveal
Kensou. "Athena, what are you doing here?"
     "Asking for Wasyuu-san's help," Athena answered. "I didn't want you to
come along, Kensou ... what are *you* doing here?"
     "I'm going to help you!" Kensou responded, clenching his unbandaged hand
into a fist. "This is about Mewtwo, right? Athena, you're not going to go in
there alone to face Bison!"
     "I'm not *planning* to face Bison," Athena corrected her partner. "And I
wasn't planning to go in there alone ... but if I have to," she glanced at
Wasyuu, "then I will. I won't be alone by the time I come out."
     "Yeah, maybe - but *when* will you come out?" demanded Kensou. "That
same day? The next week? Months later? Ever? Athena, you can't go up against
Shadowlaw all by yourself! It's not just Bison, either - he's got Sagat and
Protege, not to mention Vega, Balrog, and even Rei, not to mention gods know
*what* else, or who!"
     "Probably not Mewtwo," commented Wasyuu. "Being captured doesn't turn a
Pokemon into an obedient servant right off the bat; the trainer has to earn
that Pokemon's respect - and that's one thing Bison's never going to get from
Mewtwo, I can guarantee you. I don't think Bison's going to be able to
dominate Mewtwo, either ... at least not quickly. Bending Mewtwo to his will
is going to take Bison a lot of time and energy."
     "I know how strong Mewtwo's will is," Athena nodded. "But we still have
to move fast - I'm not going to leave Mewtwo in Bison's hands any longer than
necessary."
     Kensou folded his arms, starting to lean against the edge of the door,
but realized that the door wasn't there just in time to catch himself.
"Athena, why does Mewtwo's capture have you so concerned?"
     Athena hesitated for a moment, then sighed. "You're right ... the last
time we were in there, we didn't have the chance to try to find Rei. I told
Hiroshi that if I was ever in Shadowlaw HQ again, I'd try to locate Rei and
break her free as well ... but I didn't think Bison was going to capture
anyone else after he created Protege."
     "It's not just Rei and Mewtwo that you should look for," Wasyuu sighed.
"All right. The truth is, I've been keeping tabs on Bison ever since our last
visit to his home base; I have a few sensor probes tucked away around that
place. I wasn't even planning to share this with anyone, but ..." She turned
away from the console, calling up her shadow laptop, and tapped a few keys;
the display screen moved away from the keyboard, flattened out, and expanded
into a kind of holographic map-table, floating at about waist-level to the two
Psycho Soldiers. "This is a map of Bison's research holding area," Wasyuu
explained, fishing a laser pointer (or something much like one) out of her
jacket, "along with the adjoining rooms. Bison was in here earlier, with
company." She tapped something on the edge of the display, and a set of bright
circles appeared on the map. Indicating each of them in turn, Wasyuu
continued, "This is Bison himself; his Psycho Power profile is unique - I
could track his movements anywhere with the right sensors. This fainter circle
is Sagat, who has almost no psychic potential but a lot of ki to work with.
This appears to be Rei - the pattern's a precise echo of Bison's - and here's
Protege: same deal." The last two spots were enclosed by darker circles.
     "Where's Mewtwo?" Kensou inquired, looking over the map.
     "He's somewhere else." The map shifted. "Here's Bison now ... and that,"
she highlighted a bright dot, "appears to be some kind of psychic signature,
extremely powerful, but de-incarnated."
     "Huh?" Athena blinked.
     "De-incarnated ... you mean like a Pokemon that's been recalled to its
Pokeball?" Kensou guessed. "It's not in physical form?"
     Wasyuu nodded. "Give the boy a cookie. - Or better yet, a nikuman." A
paper bag materialized on the corner of the map screen nearest Kensou. "Eat
up. Anyway, at the moment, Mewtwo is still inside that Pokeball ... rescuing
him should be a simple matter of fighting your way in there, grabbing the
ball, and letting Mewtwo out; after that, he should be able to help you make
your way back out. I suggest that you go after Mewtwo first, then go back and
free Rei. Mewtwo can help you break Bison's control over her, or at least
subdue her long enough to bring her back here."
     "It sounds like it should work," Athena nodded, a little sheepishly.
"But one person *will* have much better luck sneaking in there than two people
would ..." She looked up at Kensou. "And you're injured. You can't fight with
your hand like that."
     "I'll be fine, Athena!"
     "Not in the next week you won't be!" snapped Athena, then sighed. "I'm
sorry, Kensou, but I can't take you in there with me."
     Wasyuu paused, studying the two psychic teenagers. "Maybe you can ...
Athena, with all due respect, your buddy's right about one thing: you're not
strong enough to take Bison on by yourself. On the other hand, if your psychic
potential were increased somehow ..."
     Athena and Kensou both blinked. "What do you mean?" Kensou asked. "You
can boost Athena's powers?"
     "It's not an easy process," the scientist warned the two Psycho
Soldiers, "and it'll be very risky. But what I *can* do is channel the psychic
powers from one of you into the other's mind. At best, the process will be
completely reversible after you get back; however, the worst-case scenario is
that the process could kill you both, or leave you burned out completely -
losing both your powers in the process."
     "What are the odds like?" Athena wondered. "It sounds really chancy."
     "It is," nodded Wasyuu. "There's something like a two percent chance
that the transfer and reversal will both work properly ... only a one percent
chance that you'll die or burn out your powers, up to a five percent chance if
being reduced to mental vegetables.
     "That still leaves ninety-two percent," commented Athena. "What else
could happen?"
     "One of you might lose your powers completely along the way," Wasyuu
began, ticking possibilities off on her fingers. "The process might work fine
but leave you psychically bonded for the rest of your lives. If one of you
dies during the link, the other person could die or be reduced to a vegetable
regardless of how well the process works. However, most of those possibilities
can be ruled out or reduced if the transfer is carried out properly, and I
monitor the donor's condition. But there are also possible outcomes that I
can't even guess at."
     Kensou nodded slowly, munching on a meat bun. "Athena ... if doing this
means you might be able to take down Bison if necessary ..."
     "I dunno ..." Athena shook her head slowly, then looked down at the map,
which had shifted to display both Bison's inner sanctum and the research
holding area. Two psychic signatures blinked in the containment chambers;
another, compressed and confined in a different manner, flashed next to Bison
himself.
     Three controlled warriors. Two prisoners.
     One Psycho Soldier with the borrowed power of the other, against one of
the most powerful human psychic fighters on the planet.
     "We'll do it." Athena looked up at Kensou, then at Wasyuu. "Even my
power combined with Kensou's won't make either of us an even match for Bison
... but we have to at least try."
     Deep in all their hearts, they knew there was no other choice.

     'So the Master Ball worked as it was intended?'
     Bison chuckled. "Yes, Giovanni. Just as it was expected to. Mewtwo is a
prisoner once more, as you desired."
     'Excellent,' the leader of Team Rocket declared, sitting back in his
chair on the other side of the video link. 'Finally, Mewtwo will be back in
our hands.'
     "Actually ... no."
     'What?!' Giovanni sat up, glaring at Bison. 'Our agreement -'
     "Is being modified," said Bison as he held up the Master Ball. Sparks
still crackled across its surface, a sign that the confined Pokemon was still
fighting against his imprisonment. "Team Rocket originally created Mewtwo, yet
you could not control him. Perhaps nobody can truly control Mewtwo ...
certainly *you* cannot. I, however, stand a far better chance of leashing your
creation than you yourselves do."
     Giovanni seethed quietly for a moment, ignoring the Persian that pushed
its head into his hand, seeking to be petted. 'I saw to it myself that you
would be provided with the Master Ball so that you could subdue and capture
Mewtwo,' he snarled, making no attempt to conceal his anger. 'And you agreed
to send it back to Team Rocket afterwards.'
     "Oh, I'll certainly be happy to give Mewtwo back to you when the time is
right," Bison smiled, sitting back in his own chair and setting the Master
Ball down on the armrest. "But for now, the time is not yet right. Do you
really want this loose cannon back in your hands before he's been properly
tamed? I seem," he continued, "to remember hearing that your own base was
completely destroyed when Mewtwo took his leave of you. Surely Team Rocket
can't afford to rebuild its base all over again so soon."
     With an effort, Giovanni reigned in his temper. 'So what are you
proposing?'
     "Shadowlaw and Team Rocket will continue to work together. Your
operatives may proceed to collect new Pokemon, and train them ... but Team
Rocket must not engage in any overt activity until *I* order it to begin."
     'And how do I know I can trust you?'
     Bison chuckled. "Ah, you seem to remember what happened when NERV proved
to be a fruitless investment for me ... good. Never fear; I have no plans to
downsize Team Rocket in such a manner. I merely ask that you continue to
cooperate with Shadowlaw's interests, and my own; rest assured, I will inform
you when it is time for us to begin our joint operation in earnest."
     'And then,' Giovanni smiled, 'Team Rocket and Shadowlaw will control the
entire world. Excellent. I shall give the necessary instructions, and await
your requests.'
     The video link closed, leaving Bison to chuckle to himself as he stroked
the Pokeball with a gloved finger. "Requests? I think not, Giovanni ... I
don't make requests, even of my allies. I give orders, and expect them to be
followed."
     The Master Ball sparked again, trembling on its perch. "Still resisting
your captivity, I see," Bison said softly. "Rest assured, Mewtwo, I have plans
for you as well ... plans which you cannot resist forever. Struggle as you
will ... your power will be mine to control."


][ ULTRA EPISODE 54 RESULTS RECAP:
][ ASUKA REAPPEARED in WASYUU'S DIMENSION
][ SANA returns to ANNOUNCER DUTY
][ IORI YAGAMI beat RANMA SAOTOME, now at 13W/8L
][ BISON'S BUSTERS trashed TEAM ROCKET (despite run-in), now at 2W/0L
][ BEAN is STILL HARDCORE and WANTS THE BELT
][ LINA INVERSE defeated YUFFIE KISARAGI, now at 7W/2L
][ SAKURA KASUGANO beat LILITH, now at 15W/5L
][ MORRIGAN pretended that she'd STOP CHASING SAKURA
][ PSYCHO SOLDIERS won by DQ against DISCIPLES OF THE VOID, now at 5W/1L
][ KARIN and SHERMIE defeated MORRIGAN and LILITH, no changes
][ WOLVERINE is HIS OWN MUTANT once again
][ MORRIGAN was BLUFFING
][ REI/EVA-00 more or less beat MEWTWO, now at 5W/2L
][ MEWTWO has been CAPTURED by BISON
][ SHERMIE'S FIRST MATCH has been BOOKED for NEXT EPISODE
][ ATHENA plans to RESCUE CAPTIVES from SHADOWLAW
][ SHADOWLAW and TEAM ROCKET are ALLIES
][ BISON has PLANS FOR MEWTWO

][ ANGLE SUMMARIES (picking up from Epsilon - sorry, Brian)

 ][ = Angle continues, may have new developments
 [] = Angle is closed, might have been replaced
 }{ = Entirely new angle
 ??  = Possible new angle?  (Can be derived from events)
 XX = Didn't touch on this from past episode very well or at all

][ The War for Ultra: CHAOS/Jack vs. Nabiki Tendo
   (In Jack's absence, Daisuke's in charge and holding down the fort)
][ Shadowlaw's Reign of Terror
   (Bison caught Mewtwo and has allied with Giovanni/Team Rocket)
][ Bean Bandit, One Bad Mutha vs. Marlo, One Bad Seed
   (Bean's just waiting for his title shot)
][ Morrigan only has eyes for Sakura
   (Morrigan faked Sakura out, but Sakura got rescued before Morrigan could
    properly molest her)
][ Iori Yagami the Psycho Manic Depressive M*******ker
   (Retained the title against Ranma)
][ There's something about Mary
   (Mary's inner peace calmed Asuka, as it did Ryouko last week)
}{ The Trial of Controversial Jack
   (Jack's trial has begun ... and it's not going well for him)
}{ The Nerima Follies
   (Ranma's still finding his feet again, may partner with Akane in Lambda, 
    but neither of them are sure yet)
}{ The Mew(two) Conspiracies
   (Is Mew influencing James? Also: Mewtwo was captured, Athena's planning a
    rescue)
?? Pokemon Wars / The Void rages on in a very adorable manner
   (Ash and Misty lose firmly to Team Rocket, but when Voiduck's
    minions ditch him, so he picks up new ones; Ash and Misty)
XX Dan Hibiki against Dark Schneider
   (Dan's won his belt, but can he keep it?)

Author's notes:
     I wish to express my deep and sincere apologies to everyone who's been
waiting for this episode. I can offer only two reasons for the excessive
delay:
     1 - Academic crunch mode, and
     2 - Pokemon Silver. ^.^;;
     It's largely because of Pokemon Silver that Mareep debuted as one of
Jessie's Pokemon in this episode; I felt a nod to the new Pokemon games was
appropriate in any case.
     Other developments ...
     I had a few qualms in preparing to write this episode. Twoflower asked
me to make sure something was reported about Jack's trial, and assured me that
I'd be able to write a few good snippets from the courtroom. Thanks, 2F, looks
like you were right. And guess what? I had a ton of fun doing it. ^_^
     I was also a little uncertain about the new Disciples of the Void - I'd
written Yashiro before, but Chris was a new element for me - and the
Karin/Shermie rescue fight. I knew what I wanted in the latter match-up, which
obviously wasn't going to be any sort of an official match; the problem was
that I had no idea what Karin's moves were.
     The good news, as I found on reading a Karin Kanzuki FAQ, is that
Karin's basically a straight hand-to-hand fighter. No fireballs, no Dragon
Punches, just punches and kicks and throws. A few special punching moves, to
be sure, but nothing that I needed names for (not that I rely on names in
narrating a fight scene). So everything was cool.
     Writing for Chris was the other hard part; I knew something about his
moves already, but almost nothing about his character ... so I worked on what
I *did* know about him - and it turned out that I pretty much hit the mark.
Any variation between the 'canonical' Chris of the KOF games, and Chris as
I've portrayed him here, can be chalked up to my not knowing the
exhaustive details about him when I started writing. ^.^;
     Getting rolling on this episode was the hard part, due to the pile of
school stuff that I had to deal with over the past week and a half; once I
finally had the time to sit down and *write*, things went pretty smoothly.
Again, I apologize for the delays ... and I sincerely hope that this episode
was worth the wait. ^_^ I know I've loved writing it, headaches and time
crunches notwithstanding.
     Kryptik, you're up next; I've handed you a couple of things that you're
going to need to write. Best of luck, Kryp. (And yes, I more or less
deliberately made Bison's last line ambiguous - do what you feel best for your
part, and for Ultra generally. :)

Thanks go out to:
     The Usual Suspects, namely all of the companies and artists who've
created the characters who are (ir)regularly used and/or abused in MTCFF
Ultra. The list includes, but is not limited to: Capcom, SNK, Nintendo, Game
Freak, Toriyama Akira, and I honestly can't remember all of the others.
     BBH, whose Karin Kanzuki FAQ I checked to read up on what Sakura's rival
is capable of.
     Anonymous, and the Other Usual Suspects on #Improfanfic who helped
me sort out how to write the fictitious Chris. Arigato, minna! ^_^ v
     Twoflower, for being a generally nice guy, creating MTCFF Ultra, and
inviting the rest of us knuckleheads to play in his sandbox by writing for
this crazy thing every so often. :) Also for his specific encouragements and
willingness to be flexible on this part, as with the other two I've done so
far. You da man, 2F! Raabu ando Piisu! ^_^ v
     And last, but by *NO* means least: everybody out there who keeps reading
Ultra.

REVISED VERSION 10/20/2000
The following changes were made, mostly for continuity's sake:
- Asuka's reappearance moved to the woods near the Masaki house and shrine
- slight tweaking to pre-episode Nabiki's Crew and CHAOS meetings
- fixed a few typos (Protege's name misformatted, missing word in trial scene)
- clarified Athena's backstage involvement in Team Rocket vs. Bison's Busters
- changes to Wolverine's breaking free of Morrigan's control, elaborating on
exactly WTF happened for that to occur
- corrected DoV reference pre-match (they'd fought before)
- tweaking Voiduck's behavior towards his former Disciples
- Nabiki will be sanctioning Morrigan (maybe off-screen, but in keeping with
what she said in/just after the pre-episode meeting)
- tweaking to post-episode meeting between Psycho Soldiers and Wasyuu
- removed oblique reference to Bao (the third prisoner, the child with
untapped psychic potential)
No changes were made which affected the overall results or plot-angle
progression. Thanks *again* to 2F for not only spotting the problem points,
but giving me a chance to correct them.

FINAL REVISION 10/22/2000
- One last edit to the first scene, eliminating a lingering reference to the
maze in Wasyuu's dimension
Thanks to ... whoever it was who pointed this error out.

                              Shachihoko (aka Tim Miller)
                                   trmiller@bcpl.net