It starts... 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 68: Oh, the Humanity of it All Written by: K. Jeffery Petersen MTCFF Ultra Created By: Twoflower ...with a display of fireworks streaking across the ceiling and thrashing theme music. The Ultratron displayed jittery footage of various fighters, edited in time with the music. And the fans of Tokyo exploded in response. "Hello, and welcome back to the Ultradome!" Hiroshi crowed into his microphone. "After our amazing REBOOT Pay-Per-View in Los Angeles we are back in Japan! So are you ready for the Ultra Violence, Tokyo?" The representative population of Tokyo - 30,000 as a packed house - responded enthusiastically. "We've got a packed show for all you fans," Daisuke said, "Starting off with an Omega match-up between Sephiroth and MewTwo--" "And we're topping it off with a match-up between Sagat and the Anything Goes team for the Gamma belt!" "..." Daisuke stared at his partner while the cheers of the crowd redoubled. "That match is the result of Sagat's ringside appearance during last week's show--" "Which may have been the reason Ash ultimately made it to the finals and won!" Hiroshi interrupted. He banged a fist on the desk. "It hurts to think that one so young would stoop so low!" "This is Ash we're talking about, Hiroshi," Daisuke said. Hiroshi ignored the comment. "And we've also got a couple new people fighting this week. Well, really only one new person, but a new look for a couple others." A fanfare of trumpets and crash of drums sounded out from the huge speakers around the dome, interrupting the interplay between the two announcers. "It's Mr. Satan!" Hiroshi called. "Obviously," Daisuke responded as the afroed fighter strode out from the backstage. The fans cheered enthusiastically as Mr. Satan came to a pause at the top of the ramp. He turned slowly, surveying the entire arena. His eyes glistened just slightly. One of the former Gamma champion's arms was bound up in a sling, but his massive chest was puffed up impressively and he held his chin high. He turned to an intern and waved his hand for a microphone. The young girl blushed and ran one over to him. "I have been in Ultra for a long time," he said after the audience had quieted. "Not as long as some, of course, but a long time. It has been a long road with many bends that had gotten me here. I've fought in Omega, been revealed as a fraud and was transferred to Gamma. I won and lost the championship belt, and even fought in the first REBOOT." A cheer rose among the crowd, but it did not catch on among everyone. Instead of spreading like a contagion, it just snaked through the stands and died out quickly. "Though it all, you have stood by me and supported me. At each appearance my fans have cheered me on, win or lose." Despite his grave tone of voice, a chant rose up. "SA-TAHN! SA- TAHN! SA-TAHN!" It moved from fan to fan, growing in intensity with each moment. Mr. Satan's mustachioed smile quivered once, and he waved for silence again. Somewhat obediently, the fans complied. "A couple months ago something happened to me that I cannot quite explain. I felt like I could take on the world. The competition in Ultra seemed light, and I was ready to make another run for the belt. "What happened two weeks ago proved that was wrong. And so I have decided that if I am not ready for the Gamma belt, I am not ready, right now, for Ultra." Hiroshi gasped loudly into his microphone. Daisuke shot him a glance, but stayed silent. "I need to take some time to heal--" Mr. Satan raised his slinged arm to illustrate his point. "--But also to train. I have not given up on Ultra, just yet. My time here is not through. I am not retiring." The near silence of the dome broke out into a smattering of cheers. "I will be back!" He raised is one good hand in a fist and pumped it. The crowd responded by leaping to its collective feet with shouts of encouragement and applause. Mr. Satan's majestic theme music blared again from the speakers. He waved once to the crowd and started to turn away. He paused a moment as the clamor did not abate, but just for a moment. "And an impressive speech from Mr. Satan kicks off our show," Daisuke commented through the din. "Despite his recent difficulties, the fan response to him certainly has not been dulled." "That was beautiful!" Hiroshi cried. Tears streamed down the albino's face. "Such ambition and honesty. That man is a true hero!" The crowd continued its response to the speech for almost a minute with no sign of abating before Daisuke decided to get on with the announcing. "Next up on our show is our first Omega match-up of the night." "That's right. They haven't matched up in quite some time, but we know that MewTwo and Sephiroth will give the fans a good time!" "Weren't you just crying?" Daisuke asked. Hiroshi grinned. "Gotta be on the ball emotionally for this, Dai." "Anyway, let's head out to Rocky Uninhabited Scrubland #23 where Krillin is already waiting." * * * Two things jutted out from the almost flat, barren ground of Rocky Scrubland #23: small plateaus and stunted bushes. Except for a few animals which periodically skittered from hole to hole, the uneven ground lay undisturbed, even by a breeze, and uninviting. A solitary figure broke the vision of bleakness. Krillin stood with his arms crossed. He occasionally flicked a hand to drive off one of the few denizens of the region when they alighted on his skin. Somewhat unobtrusively, two camerabots floated around him. One moved in a slow arc around the Omega referee, catching all his good sides. The second swiveled around to give the viewers a good taste of the battlefield. A tear appeared across the fabric of reality and opened wide, emitting blue-white light. Sephiroth stepped through. His hand rested on the hilt of Masamune, but otherwise the Son of Jenova seemed unconcerned with the impending battle. His mouth was set at a thin line, but his eyes were heavy-lidded. The portal remained open for a long moment after he entered, as if waiting for something, but when nothing else came through, it shut again. "Where is it?" Sephiroth asked. Krillin shrugged. "MewTwo will be here, soon." Another portal opened on the opposite side of the Omega referee and deposited the white and purple Pokemon. MewTwo floated about a foot above the ground. Sephiroth narrowed his eyes. "It is not you I want. This charade is pointless." *I have talked with Washuu, Sephiroth. I will not allow you to get the girl.* Sephiroth chuckled menacingly. "We have never faced each other, but I have defeated Washuu's other toys. You will not deter me, no matter what you say." Krillin blinked and stared at Sephiroth. "What was that?" "No one else heard?" Sephiroth asked, his eyes narrowing. *No one else,* MewTwo agreed. *I am no one's toy.* "Alright. You two know the rules," Krillin said. Both combatants nodded, but did not take their eyes off each other. "Have at it." ][ OMEGA MATCH #1 ][ SEPHIROTH vs. MewTwo ][ FIGHT!! Sephiroth initiated the first attack in a traditional manner. "Fire 2," he said calmly. Twin streams of flame burst forth from his open palm and flew across the intervening distance between the combatants. Krillin leapt out of the way of the attack, which continued unabated for another hundred meters before hitting a bush. The small shrubbery immolated instantly. Sephiroth narrowed his eyes and scanned left and right for MewTwo, but the Pokemon was not in sight. The psychic creature's reappearance was first signified by a small layer of dust which fell around Sephiroth. The mage looked up, his eyes widened slightly, and he muttered, "Shield." An iridescent layer appeared in the air above Sephiroth just before a four meter boulder crashed down. The mass shattered upon impact, which drove the mage to his knees despite not directly touching him. The sections of the boulder fell away harmlessly, but hundreds of minute shards made it through the shield and raised numerous shallow cuts on Sephiroth's face and hands. Sephiroth rose slowly to full height and traces a finger along his cheek. He saw a smear of red across the tip. "You will pay for that," he said softly as MewTwo floated back to the ground. *Not if you continue to underestimate me.* "That will not happen again. Bolt three." The heavens opened, and hundreds of lightning bolts crackled down to scour the MewTwo and the ground around him. A circular shell appeared around the Pokemon, through which the bolts did not penetrate. When the attack subsided, the gravely desert floor was blackened, but MewTwo had survived unscathed. *I think it wi--* MewTwo started. Sephiroth darted forward and slammed his fist in the MewTwo's gut. The Pokemon tumbled back to the ground, his impact kicking up dust. His eyes winced as he pressed himself back up to standing. "No, I won't." *A diversion.* "Now that we're beyond underestimating each other..." Sephiroth tightened his fists which started to glow with magical energy. *We should get serious, yes.* MewTwo's knobby fingers likewise tightened into fists. * * * The battle raged away on the small television screen. The two occupants of the room with differing interest. The girl had other things on her mind, particularly what had happened the previous week. As for the other... "Voi." Voiduck stared intently at the screen. He searched for some weakness in the next victim of the Void. There had to be some way for him to defeat Sephiroth. Unfortunately, while MewTwo was having some success against the One-Wing Angel, Voiduck's own power was much less, especially after Sephiroth had drained him. "Voi," he moaned glumly. "What's wrong, Psyduck?" Misty asked, looking up from the magazine she was absently reading. Voiduck waved noncommittally at the screen. Misty glanced at it, then looked back at him with an expression of confusion plain on her face. "Voioioi," he sighed, hopping to his feet and heading for the door. "Psyduck?" He heard Misty get up and follow him out into the hallway. She would help him, he knew, but there was nothing a mere human like her could do. Not unless she served as a distraction to Sephiroth while he made an attack. Any distraction would do, but finding something to keep the mage occupied would be difficult. Voiduck abruptly stopped. He had a distraction. All he had to do was figure out how to get there. "[Voi.]" His eyes narrowed nastily. He looked around himself. He had gotten down into the basement of the dome. The only person who he knew was down here was that computer girl, Lain. He rubbed his paws together. Perhaps he could convince another to join the ranks of his new disciples. As the Pokemon waddled off to the computer room, a worried girl's voice echoed through the basement corridors. "Psyduck?" * * * As Sephiroth fired off an array of micro fire and ice balls, a psychically hurled rock buried itself in his gut. He went to one knee as his breath was driven out of him. His attack rippled against MewTwo's shield letting off a staccato crackle. A few of the projectiles made it through the defense and simultaneously singed and frostbit the Pokemon. The fight was not going to the mage's wishes. Despite his success, the interchange had gone in his opponent's favor. As had the previous one, and the one before that. MewTwo was not a creature to be underestimated. He had plenty of power, and unlike most of the gnats in Ultra also had the intelligence to use it effectively. Despite vowing otherwise, Sephiroth had continued to underestimate his foe. He needed to dig deeper into his repitoire. *Let's get in there and kick his booty!* "No," he murmured. "Ansen." The hard projectiles exploded outwards like a shotgun. Dust kicked up around MewTwo as they impacted the ground, and sparks as they rammed into his psychic shield. None made it through, however. Sephiroth followed up immediately. "Barvolt." The massive lightning bolt cracked down and burst through MewTwo's weakened shield. Electricity coursed through the Pokemon's body as it hit him. The shield held off just enough power to leave him conscious and standing, but his skin was singed and smoke rose from his tail. *We continue to underestimate each other, it seems.* "Meteorite swarm," Sephiroth said, ignoring the Pokemon. Hundreds of space rocks rained down. MewTwo's eyes widened and it flew away at full speed. "Raven." Sephiroth smiled, rose off the ground, and gave chase. * * * Lain considered the empathic Pokemon in front of her. She understood from his gesturing that Voiduck wanted to get to the Omega battlefield. She had the capability to open a portal so he could transfer out there. She wondered if Bison would be able to trace the portal back to her. Or if he would even be angry if someone interfered with Sephiroth. A lump caught in her throat, but she kept her face impassive. Sephiroth was powerful. If he defeated MewTwo, he might become unstoppable. She turned to her computer and started typing. A portal opened next to Voiduck with a hum. The Pokemon stepped through. "Psyduck?" a voice at the door ventured. "What are you doing?" Lain turned around to see Misty rushing across the room after the Pokemon. She turned around and her hands flew across the keyboard. The portal closed, but Misty had already made it through. * * * Sephiroth set his mouth to a thin line. He didn't have the control over flying with Dark Schneider's Raven spell that he would have liked, and so his maneuvering felt clumsy and childish. MewTwo on the other hand was both fast and highly maneuverable with his psychic-assisted flight. Much as he disliked admitting it, Sephiroth was possibly outclassed in this battle. *Release the [VOID] on him!* "No." The Void had power, and it was always itching to be released, just under Sephiroth's ability to control. For that reason, he did not want to use the intense nothingness. "Multibolt," he commanded instead. A ripple of small lightning bolts arced across the sky between him and the Pokemon, but MewTwo dodged down towards the ground just before any of them hit. Sephiroth grimaced and dove to follow. The idiot of an Omega referee was nowhere to be seen. That brought a small amount of satisfaction to the mage, at least he didn't have to worry about holding back. MewTwo reached the ground and shot back along his path. He was under Sephiroth and zooming away in a second. Sephiroth's hastily cast fireball hit the ground far too late, kicking up a cloud of dust and smoke. Sephiroth twisted in the air and gave chase again. As he did, a trio of rock slabs flew back at him. He swerved to the side, but the third caught his cape and tore half of it away. Flailing, he slammed into the ground and rolled to a painful halt. He gritted his teeth as he rose to his feet. Two more slabs of rock slammed to the ground near him. Sephiroth danced back out of the way. "Guns'n'roh," he said. A ring of fire sprang up around MewTwo as he approached for another attack. The Pokemon drew up quickly. "Damned," Sephiroth directed. The ground beneath MewTwo exploded. The force of the blast extinguished the flames, but it also sent MewTwo flying. "It appears our stalemate is over." Sephiroth stalked over to the Pokemon. "Bol--" A small rock rammed into Sephiroth's back. He turned and saw another Pokemon waddle towards him. A purple aura began to rise around Voiduck and an intense "I already defeated you," Sephiroth grunted. "You are nothing, now. Fireball." The sphere of flame missed Voiduck by about two meters, but he was still knocked off of his feet. The headache began to subside. "Now..." He turned back to MewTwo in time to see Pokemon regain its feet and float towards him. Sephiroth felt an intense wind-like pressure build up against him. His footing became difficult. The tips of his fingers began to feel like an electrical charge was building up. *It appears that the stalemate is over.* "How," Sephiroth managed. He was pushed back a few paces, and had to scramble to keep his balance. *Psychic resistance to your body. It will be over in a minute.* Sephiroth reached for his magical power, and found it just out of reach. He ground his eyes shut in concentration. *[VOID!]* "Very well." Sephiroth began to gather the nothingness. "Psyduck?" The new voice brought him up short. He felt the pressure against him lessen imperceptibly. Sephiroth opened his eyes and looked towards the newcomer. A small girl, only half grown, stumbled across the landscape towards Voiduck. She seemed entirely out of place for the battle. For a moment, Sephiroth wondered how she and Voiduck had arrived, but then he realized what she really was. He released the Void. A bolt of negative light streaked towards the girl. Her eyes went white and she stumbled backwards. *No!* MewTwo cried. The pressure abruptly ceased against Sephiroth. It was so sudden that he stumbled forward. The power of the Void crashed up against a shield in front of the girl. It writhed around for a moment, then faded away. "Air blade," Sephiroth said. A razor of air sliced through the air towards MewTwo. The Pokemon brought up his arm, but the attack sheared through him at the shoulder. With a spurt of milky-white blood, the limb fell to the ground MewTwo frowned. *Ouch.* "And now--" Sephiroth flexed his hand and opened a power vortex with the Void. "--the Void will have you, too." He felt a meager pressure against him as he approached the Pokemon. "Pathetic," he sneered. "Bolt." The small arc of lightning hit MewTwo on the chest and knocked him to his back. Sephiroth reached forward and grasped MewTwo's forehead. He easily lifted the Pokemon up; for some reason, MewTwo felt lighter than his size indicated. It was as if a minor black hole had opened in his hand. For a moment, Sephiroth felt the urge to let go, but found he couldn't. It only lasted for a moment, however. Instead, the One-Wing Angel laughed. *I see. I can hardly let you take my power and memories, though.* MewTwo closed his eyes. Sephiroth opened himself up to the drawing of power. *Strike me down--* MewTwo's thought seemed weak and distant. *-- And I will come back more powerful than you can imagine...* Sephiroth caught the feeling of a distinct smile as the thought faded out. The conduit of power brought everything back from MewTwo... ...And Sephiroth felt nothing. Not a nothingness like the Void, but just a complete absence of power or change. No memories, no thoughts, no new voice. He reached out with his senses. From the body, he felt nothing. MewTwo was definitely gone. His eyes narrowed and he dropped the body. It wavered on its feet for a moment. With one fluid motion, he drew Masamune and slashed. "No!" The shout announced the arrival of Krillin. Sephiroth leveled his gaze as the referee. Krillin came up short and shut his mouth. Sephiroth stepped away and resheathed his sword. "He escaped me." The One-Wing Angel reached out with his senses again, but still felt nothing of MewTwo. He felt Krillin and the girl, who was hunched down next to the unconscious Voiduck, but nothing else. "I am done here," he said. A portal opened next to him and he stepped through. It shut behind him. Krillin blinked at the scene. "Umm," he mumbled. "Uh. Sephiroth is disqualified for, um, using lethal force." He reached down and gathered up MewTwo's remains, then walked over to Misty and Voiduck. "We'd better get out of here," he said. "Here, let me get him." With his other arm, he reached down and easily lifted Voiduck up. Another portal opened next to them and they stepped through. * * * "I can't believe that just happened," Daisuke said. "Is he dead?" Hiroshi cried. Daisuke found himself staring at his partner. "I think... um, decapitation usually does that." In his headset speakers, he heard a voice hiss, "Hurry up and move on to something else! Commercial in fifteen!" "Right." Daisuke faced the camera and forced a smile on his face. "Right after the break, we've got a new Lambda team making their debut." He paused, waiting for Hiroshi to enthuse about the subject. Hiroshi remained silent, staring at the Ultratron screen. "And, uh, we'll be right back," Daisuke finished lamely. "Hey." He nudged his partner when the on-air light had blinked off. "You okay?" "What?" Hiroshi blinked and asked again, "What?" "Are you okay? We've still got most of the show to do. Maybe, um, maybe it's not as bad as it seems." "Dai! Sephiroth cut his head off! How not bad can that be?" "Think happy thoughts, 'Roshi. It can't possibly get any worse, can it?" * * * Krillin and Misty arrived in Washuu's lab. Gally got up from her chair and went over to them, but Washuu rushed past her. "I thought it'd be best to bring him here," he said, gently depositing MewTwo's remains on one of the operating tables. The greatest scientific genius in the universe nodded. "Ifurita, take care of Mary for the moment," she said. The android girl nodded and ushered the young child out. Gally stepped next to Washuu and looked over the scientist's shoulder at the body on the operating table. MewTwo didn't look dead, really, just inanimate. "I suppose we should be going, then," Krillin said, and turned again towards the portal. "What about Psyduck?" Misty asked. Washuu frowned and went to examine the Pokemon in Krillin's arms. "He'll be fine when he wakes up." "Umm... Okay." Misty nodded, but Washuu had already turned away and was examining MewTwo again. Gally watched the pair leave. "Wasn't that a bit cold?" she asked eventually. "Hmm? Maybe, but I've got bigger concerns at the moment." Washuu gestured towards the body. Gally frowned. "He's dead, Washuu. Everyone saw it. I don't know if anyone could survive decapitation." "You could," Washuu replied calmly. "I built you, I should know." "You seem to be taking this quite well." Gally shrugged. "But there's nothing you can do for him." "I'm not trying to save him. I'm trying to see what Sephiroth did to him." "I'd be more worried about what he's going to do to everyone else." Washuu sighed. "If you'd be quiet, I'd be able to find out. Or at least get a good hint in the right direction." "And the rest of us can just wait." "What do you mean by that?" Washuu asked sharply. "Shinji's gone, and now MewTwo. Who's next? Asuka? Ifurita?" The cyborg girl brushed her hair out of her eyes. "Me or you?" Washuu crossed her arms. "That's unfair, Gally." Gally shrugged. "If you're not going to do anything, I will." She opened the door leading to the Ultradome. "I could use a fight." * * * "And we're back!" Hiroshi enthused. "And have we got an amazing battle that'll be sure to lift your spirits!" "This match is between one of the oldest Lambda teams in Ultra, actually the oldest one still in the federation, and--" Daisuke paused to stare at his notes. "Um... and apparently the newest." "Yes! Let's hear it for the oldest team in Lambda... TEAM ROCKET!" The crowd cheered. Daisuke blinked. "Um. Team Rocket isn't the oldest Lambda team." "They aren't?" The crowd stopped cheering. "Check your notes." Hiroshi looked down at the papers in his hands. "Oh. Well, here they come! The Jusenkyo Survivors!" The crowd answered Hiroshi's announcement with a resounding round of boos so loud that the peppy, pseudo-Chinese theme music was drowned out. Mousse led the way down the ramp. He had a wide grin on his face and nodded to the fans to the left and right. "Thank you! Thank you!" he said to a few. "And Mousse seems to be in top form with the crowd tonight! Listen to them give it to him!" Hiroshi pointed his microphone at the fans seated behind the announcers table. "You suck, duck!" one shouted. "Mousse doesn't mind the negativity," Daisuke said, "But Shampoo doesn't seem to be taking the disdain so well." The Chinese girl bounced cutely down the ramp after Mousse, but not even the nosebleed section stopped booing for her. Even so, she plastered a smile on her face and continued her trot until she caught up with her partner. "See how they recognize our strength, my beloved?" Mouse asked. Shampoo pulled out a bonbori and whacked him over the head. "Stupid! They hate Shampoo and it all your fault!" "Oh, I'm sorry, Shampoo my love!" Mousse fell to his knees and clutched his head. "Do better. Don't lose so much." Shampoo crossed her arms and turned away from him with a huff. "And as their opponents, make an debut in the Lambda division--" Hiroshi paused suddenly. He placed his hand over his microphone. "Dai, is Jack insane?" he asked. "Yes. I'm sure he is." "Making their Lambda debut... Sakura Kasugano and Shingo Yabuki!" After a confused paused, the crowd broke out in a fairly good level of cheers and applause. Somewhat hesitantly, the newest Lambda team emerged from backstage. The paused at the top of the ramp and Shingo looked back with a pained expression on his face. Controversial Jack suddenly burst out behind them and pushed them down the ramp. "Get in there, you two! We aren't paying you to sit around!" "But, Jack, she's going to kill me!" Shingo complained. Jack laughed. "And the crowd is going to eat it up!" "There seems to be a bit of reluctance here," Daisuke announced. "But it only matters what happens in the ring. And Shingo and Sakura have shown time and again that they've got what counts!" Shingo was about to step in the ring when he spied Shampoo standing in the opposite corner. "Um... maybe you'd better go first," he suggested. "Fine by me," Sakura hopped over the top rope, giving off a shot up the now second-shortest skirt in Ultra and took her position. The referee looked between the two girls. ][ LAMBDA MATCH #1 ][ SAKURA/SHINGO vs. JUSENKYO SURVIVORS ][ FIGHT!! Shampoo charged forward and swung her bonbori at Sakura's head. The Shotokan girl ducked beneath the strike and kicked out, sweeping Shampoo's legs. The Chinese Amazon tumbled back and bounced on her butt. "And Sakura gets the first strike in, despite Shampoo's attempt to end things quickly," Daisuke said. "Yup! There's no getting the drop on a former CHAOS member!" "Ouch!" Shampoo winced, rubbing her behind. "I get you for that, panty-flashing girl!" "Hadouken!" Sakura shouted. Shampoo looked up and saw a blue fireball fly right towards her face. She cringed, bringing her arms up in defence. The fiery projectile exploded against her arms and threw her back against the ropes. She caught them and pulled herself to a standing position. "Sho-O-KEN!" Sakura charged forward, drawing her arm back for a super uppercut. Shampoo ducked. She spun to the side and slammed her elbow into Sakura's gut. The air in Sakura's lungs was forced out with a whoosh. Her eyes went wide. She flew halfway across the ring and bounced on her back. She lay on the mat, writhing and trying to catch her breath. Shampoo smirked and stalked over to the prone girl. "Shampoo no easier to knock out than stupid girl like you." She snapped a kick into Sakura's side, flipping the other girl over towards a neutral corner. "Look how Shampoo has turned the tables!" Hiroshi cried as the crowd booed the turn of events. "What will Sakura do, now? She's too far from Shingo to tag out! Is this the end?" "I doubt anyone in Ultra would go down that quickly." "And certainly not Sakura!" "..." Daisuke shook his head. "You're almost manic-depressive at times." "Yeah!" Hiroshi grinned. "Isn't it great?" Shampoo picked up her bonbori and twirled it in her hand. "Fans stupid," she said, hoisting the weapon above her head. "But Shampoo show them she can win!" She swung the bonbori down two-handed. Sakura caught it on the shaft and rolled, throwing Shampoo against the turnbuckle. She got unsteadily to her feet, taking in ragged gasps. "I'm not going to lose like that," she rasped. "Sakura, tag out!" Shingo shouted, reaching over the ropes towards her. She shook her head stubbornly. "No," she said, her voice stronger. "I can take her." She stepped up to Shampoo and swung with a punch, but the Chinese girl lifted an arm to block in time. Shampoo counterattacked by leaping forward and barreling into Sakura. Both girls tumbled to the mat in a jumble, each scurrying for a stronger position. "Wow! They're really going at it! This is a totally brutal catfight in there!" Hiroshi slammed the palm of his hand against the table a few times. "If I were Shingo or Mousse, I really wouldn't want to change places right now." A look towards the male halves of each team confirmed their agreement with Daisuke. The rolling came to a halt with Shampoo in the dominant position. She straddled Sakura's body and tried to claw at the other girl's neck with her hands. Sakura grabbed Shampoos wrist and fought to keep them away, but Shampoo managed to raise a few welts anyway. "It over! Give up!" Shampoo shouted. "I'm not going to lose... to a floozy like you," Sakura grunted. She heaved and pushed Shampoo off of her, then slammed a knee into the Chinese girl's side. Shampoo stumbled and clutched at her side while swinging a sloppy punch that caught Sakura on the shoulder. The shotokanner girl stumbled as she tried to stand, but caught herself and launched a counterattack combo. Sakura spun around, whipping a spin kick that clipped Shampoo on the chin. She continued the spin and punched Shampoo twice in rapid succession. Finally, she finished off the combo with a smooth uppercut. Shampoo rocked away from the barrage and stumbled to her corner. "I'll take over from here, my love!" Mousse cried, slapping Shampoo's hand and stepping through the ropes. "No, wait!" Shampoo grabbed weakly at Mousse, but he was already out of reach. Mousse's first strike slammed a thrown mace into Sakura's chest. "You shouldn't be cruel to Shampoo. She's the most wonderful woman in the world!" He whipped out a staff and whacked Sakura upside the head with it. "Oh, no! Despite Sakura's stunning recovery, Mousse has quickly turned the tables on her!" "I believe," Daisuke said, "That there is a lesson here about overextending oneself. He jabbed the staff forward, clipping Sakura's ankle and tripping her up. Then he started whacking the mat all over the place with the weapon. Sakura fell down to the mat hard and scrambled backwards away from the enraged crane fist fighter. She paused when she felt a hand on her shoulder. "I think I should take over," Shingo said, tightening his headband with a look of determination in his eye. Sakura nodded numbly and slapped his hand. "Don't worry, you did well," Shingo smiled and stepped through the ropes. His uniform flashed momentarily, and he suddenly looked much larger than normal. Mousse stopped short, dropping the staff. "B--Bandit!" he exclaimed. "How are you...?" "I've seen you've got problems with Bean, so let's try turning the tables," Shingo said with a smirk, smacking one fist into the other. "Bring it on!" "Shingo's fighting with his brain, utilizing his move-copying suit to the best effect by simulating the toughest opposition Mousse has had of late, Bean Bandit," Daisuke said. "What a way to go for the jugular and play that physiological game!" Hiroshi added. "That's psychological, Hiro." "Whatever." Mousse flung out his hands, and tendrils of cords shot from his sleeves to ensnare the Shin Bandit. Shingo caught them on his arms and hauled. Mousse was taken off- balance and let go of the cords to prevent himself from being dragged into close range. Mousse brought himself up to his tiptoes and reached into his sleeves, producing a pair of tonfa. He swept forward with flowing footsteps and struck a few tentative jabs at Shingo's chest. The copycat fighter tried to grab at the weapons, but Mousse proved too fast for him. "Hah! My superior skill will defeat you this time!" Mousse jabbed out towards Shingo's head. The other fighter flinched back, but the attack was just a feint. Instead of following through, Mousse spun around with a reverse kick that swept Shingo's legs out from under him. Shingo stumbled back and landed with a crash. He struggled to rise almost immediately, but Mousse didn't give him the time to recover. With a flick of his arm, the Chinese boy had entangled Shingo under layers of chains. "Let's see YOU get out of this one." Mousse produced a mace and swung it at Shingo's head. ...And continued to swing through thin air as Shingo disappeared. "What?" Mousse dropped the mace and spun around to see Shingo, looking completely normal, stepping out of the chains. "Wow!" Hiroshi enthused. "Shingo uses his copycat ability in reverse to step out of a hairy situation! The cunning for this battle has been stepped to a whole new level!" "Granted, he has yet to hit Mousse, so far," Daisuke countered. Shingo rectified that by leaping forward with a flying kick that caught Mousse on the shoulder and spun him around full circle. He came down on the far side of the Chinese boy and landed in a crouch. As Mousse tried to get his bearings, Shingo executed a leg sweep. Mousse crashed into the mat. The copycat fighter followed immediately by landing a drop kick on Mousse's chest. His eyes bulged open a moment, then glazed and went shut. Shingo prodded Mousse with his toe. When that got no response, the ref started the countdown. "One... two..." "Woo!" Shingo pumped his arm. "It looks like the new team's got this one in the bag!" Hiroshi whooped. "Three... four..." Sakura gave out a yelp. "Five... huh?" The ref stopped counting and looked up in time to see the Shotokanner get pulled off of the ringside. "Sakura?" Shingo asked. He stepped over and looked down. Karin Kanzuki let off a rapid trio of punches that knocked Sakura down. "You'd better stay away from my boyfriend!" Karin shouted, punching a third time which knocked the other girl down. She hauled Sakura up and slammed he against the outside turnbuckle post. "Karin, what are you doing?" Shingo asked. "Leave Sakura alone, she didn't do anything!" "Holy! Karin Kanzuki has barged in and taken the attack on Sakura!" Daisuke grimaced. "One thing Ultra doesn't lack on is people with messed up romantic sensibilities." "Waitaminit! What's Shampoo doing?" The Chinese Amazon girl stepped into the ring and shook Mousse. "Stupid! Get up and finish this!" Mousse groaned in response, but did not rise. "Fine! Shampoo do it herself!" She hoisted up her bonbori, calmly walked up behind Shingo and swung. The weapon connected with his skull with a resounding klonk. Shingo crumpled. "Eh?" The ref looked away from the disturbance outside the ring to see Shingo hit the mat. Mousse groggily wandered in the middle of the ring. At the far corner, Shampoo smiled brightly. The official shrugged and started the countout. "Dangit!" Sakura cursed and kicked Karin away. "I am not doing anything with Shingo! We're partners because it's our job!" She leaped into the air and spun around, striking Karin with a series of kicks. The blonde-tressed girl flew back and stumbled against the ramp. "How dare you strike the daughter of the Kanzuki zaibatsu?" She got up and dusted herself off. "I will make you pay for that." Sakura shrugged and turned away. "Shingo?" she asked, just as the ref finished the countout. "Oh, no!" She whirled back. "Karin, you're going to pay for that!" Then she hopped into the ring and helped the boy to his feet. "Are you okay?" "I'm--" he started. "Oh, no you don't!" Karin hopped up as well and ripped him away from Sakura. "You keep away from him! He's my boyfriend, and he doesn't need someone like you hurting him!" "Me? Hurt him? He's my partner!" "Shut up! You ruining Shampoo's victory!" Both girls stopped arguing and looked at the Chinese girl. Simultaneously, they said, "You stay out of this!" Sakura started to turn back to Karin, but only saw the tail end of the other girl as she hauled Shingo out of the ring and up the ramp. "Karin! Get back here with my partner!" Sakura shouted, running after them. "Your partner is my boyfriend! Which one do you think is more important?" Karin looked down at the copycat fighter. "Shingo, dear, which is more important?" "Uh..." "See? He agrees with me!" "That wasn't agreement!" Sakura fumed. "Well," Daisuke said as the verbal melee made its way backstage. "The Jusenkyo Survivors have a victory, but I think we'll see more interesting developments between Sakura, Shingo and Karin in the future." "Will they even be able to remain a team? Is this the end for a great friendship and fighting force? What will Karin do to sabotage them next?" "I suppose we'll have to wait and see, Hiro." "Anyway, next up we've got Asuka Langley facing off against a brand new entry into the Omega division." "We've heard rumors that this individual is a part of an organization bent on taking over the world, but those are apparently insubstantiated." Hiroshi snorted. "I'll bet that Bison has his fingers in this one, too." "We can hope otherwise. Let's got see how things are developing on the field." Prompted by Daisuke, the Ultratron flickered to life. * * * The Ross Ice Shelf extends off of Antarctica in such a manner that few can determine where the ground ends and the sea begins. Provided one doesn't extend too far out from "shore" it's stable, strong, and has terrain that doesn't break apart and float away. Asuka shivered. "I thought these fights took place in hot weather." Gokuu shrugged. "They book them wherever not many people can get hurt, I think." She stamped her feet and rubbed her arms. "It wouldn't be such a problem if whoever I'm fighting would show up. Can't you count him out?" "I don't think so." Gokuu smiled. "I thought these plugsuits were supposed to be warm," she muttered under her breath. Next to her, a portal irised open, and a tall man in a blue suit stepped out. He had one hand in his pocket, and the other held a cigar which he brought to his mouth and took a draw from. "A girl?" he asked, eyeing Asuka and arching his one good eyebrow. His right eye was covered with an eyepatch connected to what looked like a radio receiver over his ear. "Hmph!" Asuka turned up her nose. "He doesn't look like much." "You'd do well not to disparage Shockwave Alberto of the Magnificent Ten." Gokuu stepped between the pair. "Here's the rules. Keep it clean. Keep it in the battlefield. And, uh, keep it non-lethal. Are you two ready?" Alberto put the cigar in his mouth and cracked his knuckles. "It shouldn't have to go that far. Let us begin. Asuka tightened her fists and narrowed her eyes. Her arms bulged and started to grow, followed by her body and legs. As her features enlarged, they lost their humanness, becoming leaner and harder edged. Her hair melted into her back and her jaw jutted out. Her eyes doubled to four and then bulged out, followed by her forehead which became prominent and angular. Then her entire head turned red. When she finished, she towered over the battlefield. "I'm still cold," she said, looking down at the two figures far below her. Her voice sounded vaguely artificial. "Let's get this over with!" ][ OMEGA MATCH #2 ][ ASUKA LANGLEY vs. SHOCKWAVE ALBERTO ][ FIGHT!! "Kyaaa!" Asuka swung down a massive fist, intent upon smashing the newcomer into a ground. Her arm became a blur as she fell into a crouch. And suddenly, Alberto wasn't there. He blurred and flashed away. Her fist smashed into the ground. A huge cloud of snow and ice exploded upwards from the strike as a deep boom rebounded off of the ice croppings jutting up from the ice shelf. Asuka slowly came to her feet and looked around. A couple hundred meters away, Albert hunched on a boulder of ice, puffing his cigar. "He's fast!" she said and started to charge. Her feet kicked up ice with each step as she raced across the intervening distance. Right before she arrived, Alberto disappeared again. The boulder vanished beneath her foot, crushed to powder. "You're going to have to do better than that, little girl," Alberto said. He had returned to where he had come out of the portal. "I will get you!" she cried. Charging again, she drew her arm back for a haymaker punch. Right before she got to him, Alberto disappeared again. But Asuka dug her leading foot in and swerved to the side and then punched. Her fist slammed into the ground right in front of a speeding blur. Alberto stopped moving only a couple of meters before ramming into Asuka's arm. "I almost got you that time!" she crowed, drawing her hand back. "Almost is as far as you'll get." "Hah!" Asuka slapped her other palm down on top of Alberto. It made a sound like a thunderclap, but the man dodged away again. "So slow, little girl," he said, clicking his tongue. Asuka didn't answer, but leaped at him. She landed low and slammed her entire arm down at him this time. Alberto started moving in the opposite direction, but Asuka slammed her second arm down on that side, effectively pincering him. He looked up and saw the huge, red Evangelion head looming towards him. "You're fast, but you're caught now!" she cried as she struck with the gigantic head-butt. Alberto leaped. He stopped briefly on her shoulder then leaped again, coming down again well beyond Asuka's feet. As she turned to rise, he thrust his hands forward. They shook for a moment, and then a red-black whirlwind-like blast exploded outward and rammed into Asuka's shoulder. She rocked back for a moment, then continued her turn. "Is that all?" She asked. He fired off two more blasts, which did equally insignificant amounts of damage. "This is an impasse, it seems. You can't hit me, and I can't hurt you easily." Asuka snorted. "I can hit you." She reached over her shoulder and grabbed a folded Eva-sized gun. She extended the barrel, unfolded the stock, and popped out a handgrip. "You're not as fast as Gally, and she can be hit. So can you!" She fired a rapid succession of shots. Alberto moved away, and she adjusted her aim to track him. The shots stuck the ice mere moments after he passed, heating it rapidly and causing puffs of steam to burst forth. Asuka mentally grimaced as her shots continued missing. She shifted tactics and started aiming slightly beyond Alberto. As she expected, her shots started to drive him in, closer to her. When he got within a couple hundred meters, she unloaded the clip. In the face of numerous massive projectiles, Alberto leaped straight up. Asuka barked a short laugh, dropped her gun, and stepped forward half a step, then caught him full body with a huge backhand. He flew off like a missile and crashed against an ice outcropping. Asuka's shoulder popped open and her progressive knife flicked out. She grabbed it and stomped over towards where Alberto had landed. Around her, the red-hexagonal patter of her AT field sprang to life. She found Alberto brushing himself off. The ice outcropping had a deep crater where he'd landed, and there was a dusting of snow across his blue suit, but otherwise, he seemed unscathed. "What? How?" Asuka wondered aloud. Alberto smirked. He pulled a fresh cigar out of his pocket and held it up to his mouth. The end of it burst into flames. "I suppose I'll have to end this, now." He took one draw from the cigar, dropped it on the ground, and crushed it out. "Now, you will face the true power of my shockwaves!" He thrust his hands forward and fired another blast. As it sped towards Asuka's head, he crouched as if to jump. The blast exploded harmlessly against her AT Field. Asuka started laughing. "You powers don't matter, they can't get through my AT Field!" Alberto frowned and fired three more blasts. They met the same fate as the first. "I will end this!" Asuka drew her arm back and then forward. Her progressive knife shot from her hand with an immediate crack as it broke the sound barrier. Alberto leaped above the makeshift projectile and fired again. The blast hit low, striking the ice at Asuka's feet. He landed on top of the outcropping he'd ran into earlier and turned to face her. "Now it is over," he said. "What do you--" Asuka paused as a deep creaking rose around the entire area. "What is this?" With a series of deep bass snaps, the ice at her feet crumpled and broke. She fell through so fast it was like she disappeared. One moment her huge, red body was there, the next it was gone. Alberto dusted his hands together, pulled out a third cigar and lit it while Gokuu landed beside him and issued the ten count. "I suppose I win," he said, when the Omega referee finished. "I expect to get used to that." A massive hand exploded out of the ice and grasped down, digging deep furrows. Asuka hauled herself up, dripping freezing water and slushy ice. Steam rose from her heaving shoulders. "I will get you for that!" She shouted pointing a shaking finger at Alberto. "It's going to have to wait," Gokuu said, "You lost by countout." "No!" Asuka cried, but her features melted away and she shrunk back down to her human size. She shivered and rubbed her arms while dancing from foot to foot. A portal opened next to her and she stepped one foot through. "I will get you later, then!" she said. "You can try, little girl. Anyone can try, but I don't expect to lose, here. That hallowed belt will be mine, and I'll fight anyone to get it and keep it." Asuka turned her nose up and finished stepping through he portal. It closed behind her and a second opened next to Alberto and Gokuu. "Looks like my work is done." Alberto laughed, placed a hand in one pocket, and casually walked through. * * * "Wow! Shockwave Alberto has made an explosive introduction into Ultra, and he's got a take-all-comers attitude!" Hiroshi grinned and looked out at the crowd. "So, what does everyone think of Ultra's latest entry?" The amassed individuals inside the Ultradome arena responded with a largely unanimous "Boo!" "Well! Let that be a lesson to future entrants to Ultra. If you talk down to everyone, we won't like you!" "I'm sure the fact that Asuka's been one of the more recent feel-good stories of Ultra has had something to do with this," Daisuke countered. "And for a newcomer, Alberto's got a lot of talk about taking the Omega belt!" "He'll have to wait to get his chance, because right after the break, Dan Hibiki defends--" "Stone Cold Dan Hibiki will win! I know there's going to be a match-up between these two great leaping men in the near future over the Omega belt. I can feel it in my bones!" "Right. Anyway, we'll see you right after the break." When the red light of the nearest camera flicked off, Hiroshi turned to Daisuke. "So, tell me. Did Alberto's hairdo look like a mushroom to you?" "Umm... no." * * * The door to Nabiki's office slammed open. She gave a slight start. Her fears were calmed slightly when it wasn't Bison or one of his cronies. Instead, Gally stalked into the room and slapped a palm down on Nabiki's desk before Naga could stop her. "What was going on out there?" the Battle Angel demanded. Nabiki forced her face to remain impassive and leaned back in her chair. "I'm sorry?" "MewTwo died out there." "I am painfully aware of that, Gally. I'm not sure if it's a blessing or a curse that I don't have any next of kin to notify." She past the cyborg girl at the open door. "Can you come back with an appointment, please. I am rather busy, at the moment." "What happened to your referee? Aren't they supposed to stop things like that happening?" Nabiki sighed and felt a weight drive down on her shoulders, so they slumped. "Yes. That's normally the case." "So what happened?" A grimace crossed Nabiki's face. She looked at Gally for a moment, then turned away. "Naga, the door, please?" The leather-clad sorceress hesitated. "Do you want me to remove her?" Gally turned and speared Naga with a glare. "You can try." "As if you could pose a threat to the great White Serpent. OOOOOHOHO--" "Naga," Nabiki interrupted, rubbing her temples. "The door. Please." "...ho," Naga finished quietly. She stepped over to the door and closed it. "Have a seat," Nabiki offered, gesturing to a chair. "I prefer to stand." Gally stepped back, though, and crossed her arms. "Fine." Nabiki swallowed. "I told Krillin to hold back." "What?" "We caught Voiduck entering the area almost as it happened. Krillin was going to stop him, but I told him to wait." "MewTwo died because of you!" Nabiki looked down at her lap. "I know. I'm sorry." She brought her head up. "I figured that maybe Voiduck could distract Sephiroth long enough for MewTwo to do something." "That didn't happen." "We didn't catch Misty getting there." Gally buried her face in her hand. "I don't believe this." She thrust a finger at Nabiki. "You've got to do something." "Like what?" "I don't know. An apology, an explanation. Something public." "No." Nabiki stared hard at the cyborg girl. "If it's public, Bison will see that we're even more desperate than we already are." "Desperate... So desperate that other people can die for you." Gally paused. "You're scared to confront them." "Definitely. You would be, too, if you were in my position." "I don't believe this." "Can you not believe it elsewhere, I have to work, now, Gally." Nabiki pulled up a business report and started to scan through it. "I'm not finished talking to you!" Nabiki sighed. "Naga, if you please?" The sorceress stepped forward and placed a hand on Gally's shoulder. For Nabiki, what happened next seemed so fast that it was slow. She saw Gally duck and turn, grabbing something from her back. She saw Naga jump back a step and bring one hand back. But at the same time, Nabiki just saw Naga grab Gally one moment and then the two were ready to attack each other the next. "Don't touch me," Gally hissed. "OOOOHOHO! The White Serpent would not deign to sully her hands on you, except if circumstances required it. I will remove you, forcefully if necessary." Naga started an incantation. Gally flipped the long, boxy object in her hands with three clacks it doubled in length, sporting her razor-sharp Damascus blade. "Wait, wait!" Nabiki stood up and slapped her hands on her desk. The pair ignored her. Naga continued her incantation and her hands began to glow. Gally dropped slightly, tensing to spring. For the second time, the door crashed open. "Great news, Nabsy. The last fight eased off some of the tension we got in the first--" He paused and looked at the scene. "Whoa. You two girls want to start a fight, there's proper places to do it. And Controversial might be my name, but even I wouldn't go slinging around a high energy cheese lab in the boss's office." Gally and Naga blinked simultaneously. "What?" Gally asked. "A fight would prove nothing. If Lina can defeat this one, then I certainly can do better." Naga thrust back her shoulder and laughed. Surprisingly, Gally did the same. "You? That's rich, Naga. I'll take you on, just to prove you're wrong." She speared Nabiki with a look. "And it's about time you people learned how real this is. You've got bigger concerns than the bottom line." "Oh, that's great, then!" Jack said. "We've got an open spot just before the finale. And Mr. Duck thinks you two should play nice out there. Right, Mr. Duck?" "Squeak!" Gally shouldered past him. "I won't go easy on you, Naga," she shot over her shoulder. Nabiki sat down again slowly. * * * The cheering inside the dome had almost returned to beginning- of-the-show levels. Daisuke felt the anticipation about the next fight grow as they came back from commercial. "Next up on our lineup is a battle of epic proportions!" Hiroshi cried, widely grinning. "It is a contest for one of the most hallowed prizes in all of Sports Entertainment: the Ultra Omega belt." "Which would be hallowed, if anyone besides Dan cared about it," Daisuke commented. "But apparently someone finally felt the need to go for it." "That's right! The mighty greatness of Dan Hibiki and his high regard for the belt has rubbed off on some of his competitors!" Daisuke pursed his lips. "Well, in any case, most people are excited to see Dan back in action for the first time in over a month." "You bet we're excited! Let's go check it out!" * * * Dan Hibiki arrived in the Egyptian Sahara in typically grand fashion. "YAHOOOOOOIIIIII!!!!" he cried, shaking his fist at the clear blue sky. The surrounding sand dunes soaked up most of the sound of his gleeful taunt. Most, but not all. Krillin stuck a finger in his ear and rubbed it around. "You're awful loud, you know." "I, Dan Hibiki, have great lungs, and work them out with abandon!" He took a deep breath. "OYAAAAJI--*glmph*!" Krillin removed his hand from Dan's mouth. "Please. Not before the fight." A portal opened. Dan's opponent bounced out. She looked around disparagingly at the scenery. "Boooooring!" Yuffie Kisaragi kicked at some sand, sending a small shower against Krillin. "So, when're we going to get this started?" She started to bounce from foot to foot, clapping her hands. "Dan Hibiki will not go easy on you, even if you are such a small girl!" Yuffie laughed. "Ain't gonna go easy on you, old man!" "I am not old!" "Shyeaaah, right. You're practically graying and wrinkled. But you're funny, so I guess you can't be all bad." Krillin coughed politely. "If you two are quite ready?" He looked at each in turn, and they nodded. "All right, then." ][ OMEGA CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH ][ TAUNTING SAIKYO MASTER STONE COLD DAN HIBIKI vs. YUFFIE KISARAGI ][ FIGHT!! Dan brought up his fist rapidly for the first attack. Yuffie's eyes widened and she dived to the side to get out of the way. "Doushita! Doushita!" Dan cried, shaking his forearm. "I hold disdain for your fighting abilities! They cannot match those of Mighty Dan's Saikyo style!" Yuffie got to her feet, spluttering. "That's IT? Dammit! I jumped out of the way and got sand in my mouth for that? You're going down, old man! Ice three!" A flurry of huge ice chunks slammed down from the sky, breaking apart on impact and sending out swarms of sand and ice that blanketed all three individuals. "..." said Krillin, before hopping away. "Oh, ick!" Yuffie complained, and attempted to scrape the mess off before the ice melted and soaked everything in. "You have made Dan dirty! This nefarious scheme will not work, for Dan knows that sand can be used to clean as well!" Yuffie blinked as Dan grabbed a handful of sand and started to rub it into his arms. "You're going senile," she said. "Fire!" A pillar of flame blazed forth from her hands. Dan leaped away before it could hit, but she turned to follow his movement. "Aero!" The gust of wind caught the Saikyo master and whipped him out of the air and down against the ground on the far side of a dune. She jogged slowly up the side of the dune to check on him. "I hate sand," she muttered. When she was halfway up, a pink blur sped over her with a shout of "YAHOOOIIII!" Dan hit the ground back around where they had arrived and waggled his finger at her. "You have power, but Dan is not so dumb to fall for the same trick twice!" "Bolt two!" she cried. A line of lightning bolts struck the ground, rushing towards Dan. "You cannot hit Dan! He is mighty and fast!" The taunting master leaped out of the way again. "Demi!" Yuffie followed up. Yet again, Dan was forcefully pulled out of the air. His impact sent up a splash of sand. "Oho! You have struck Dan well again! You are truly a worthy opponent to face the master of Saikyo-Ryu!" Yuffie stared. "Don't you ever fight back?" "Dan fights backs very well! Fronts, too!" He suddenly whipped something out of his gi. "Doongada... Daisha shoyo!" he shouted, scribbling on a photograph of himself and thrusting it at Yuffie. "Are you mental?" she asked, jaw dropping. "HAHA! Dan is very mental! His brain works hard enough to steam sometimes! You see, he knows to attack, now! SHINKU GADOUKEN!" He thrust his arms forward and a huge ball of fire emitted. "Eep! Shield!" Yuffie held up her hands and winced. The fireball hit her shield and went out with a pathetic piffle, like an old whoopee cushion. "Rakushou!" Dan said, rolling backwards. He rose and shook his forearm at her. "You see! Dan is mighty and will not fall easily! Now you can face his greatest power!" "G--Greatest power?" Yuffie sweatdropped. "Yes! For Dan has his mighty ego fueled ABSOLUTE TAUNTING FIELD! OOOOSHA!" A transparent pink hexagonal shield sprang up around the Saikyo master. "And now... DAN WILL BE VICTORIOUS!" He took a deep breath. "Ikuzora! Oosha! Doushita, Doushita! Rakushou! Yahoooiiii! OraoraoraORAORA--" Yuffie laughed nervously as the Absolute Taunting Field warped and then began to expand towards her while Dan rolled, leaped, ducked... and taunted. * * * A portal opened next to Krillin. He blinked and turned. "Dark Schneider? What are you doing here?" The silver-tressed mage blinked back at him. "I should ask you the same thing myself. Aren't you supposed to be reffing the match." "I am. They're over the--" Krillin stopped himself. "What are you doing here. I won't have you interfering." Darshu looked off in the distance. "Ah, there they are. Hmm. She's still standing, too. So's the idiot, unfortunately." He flexed his fingers. "Well, I suppose I should do something, then." Krillin narrowed his eyes. "You could leave and let them fight." Darshu snapped his fingers and a reclining lawn-chair sprang into existence. "I think I'll sit back and enjoy the sun. Too bad there's no babes to bring the drinks, but we'll survive." * * * "ORAORAORAORAORA! Namen ja ne zo! Yayutchi! OYAJIIIII!" Dan continued to taunt. "Bolt! Fire! Ice! Demi! Aero!" Yuffie fired off spell after spell, but each one impacted harmlessly against against the slowly expanding Absolute Taunting Field. "Dammit! How am I going to get through that thing?" "Now face the manly pink mightiness that is Dan! RAKUSHOU!" He rolled forward and popped up, shaking his fist. Yuffie danced backwards to stay out of the way of the pink hexagonal field. "Ooosha!" Dan taunted. The entire area started to turn pink. "Ah! Dan! Wait a minute!" Yuffie held up her hands in front of her. "Ora?" Dan paused. She pointed down. "Shoe's untied." Dan looked. "Hah! You cannot fool the mighty Dan with that old trick, for he is not even wearing any shoes on his mighty fee--" Yuffie whacked Dan upside the head with her gauntlet. "Gotcha anyway!" She danced back and grinned. * * * "HAHAHA! That's my girl!" Darshu crowed and took a long sip from his margarita. Krillin fidgeted, looking between the combatants and Darshu. He wondered if he should pressure the mage out of the area. But Darshu lounged comfortably in his lawn chair and showed no effort towards interfering. "Would you like a drink?" Darshu asked. "Chair? Umbrella? Anything? I can have it here in a snap." * * * "Dan will not fall to such tricks! Not again! He will fight and fight until he is victorious!" Dan drew himself back. "Mimic!" Yuffie called, activating another materia. "Oosha!" Dan taunted. "Oosha!" Yuffie taunted back. They both blinked. "You taunt as well? Dan can taunt better! OoSHA!" he shook his mighty forearm. "Ooosha!" she cried, shaking her significantly thinner forearm. * * * "What the hell are they doing?" Darshu gaped at the pair of fighters. Krillin failed to hid his smile. "Taunting, apparently." He paused then added. "She looks rather cute doing that, don't you think?" Darshu glared. * * * "OoooSHA!" Dan yelled. "Ooooosha!" Yuffie responded. "Good, but you need more depth to your 'Ooo' like this: OOOOOOSHA!" Dan patted himself on his chest, showing the proper location to breath from. "Ooooooosha!" Her sugary, girlish voice strained to match Dan's volume. "Better! With practice you may one day be able to accompany Dan in taunting! OOOOOOOOSHA!" "Ooooooooosha!" Yuffie hopped up and down. "Again! OOOOOOOOOOSHA!" "Ooooooooooosha!" "Yes! OOOOOOOOOOOOSHAAAA!!!" Yuffie took a deep breath. "Oooooo-- Oh, this is boring. Bahamut!" "OOOOOO--" Dan looked up and saw an immense form eclipse the sun. The Bahamut dragon shrieked and beat its wings, knocking him to the ground. "Uh-ooooosha." Bahamut opened its mouth wide and roared. A stream of white-hot energy spewed forth and slammed into Dan for a moment. It cut off and the Saikyo master stumbled, his gi singed and smoking. Then the dragon sat on him. Yuffie waited a moment. Krillin and Darshu landed beside her. "Nice job, girl," Darshu slapped her on the back. "Hmm..." Krillin peered at the other two, then back at the immobile Dragon. "You'd better start counting." Yuffie placed her hands on her hips and tapped her foot. "Oh, right. One... two... three...." An incredibly deep bass rumbling ripped through the area. "Fo... what was that?" Krillin looked around. "Christ! What's that smell?" Darshu pinched his nose as the intense methane odor wafted over them. "Eheh." Yuffie scratched the back of her head. "Bahamut had gas?" Bahamut disappeared to reveal a very unconscious and slightly battered Dan sunken into the ground. Krillin finished up the countout in a more nasal timbre. "Okay. Yuffie's the winner!" "Yahooii!" She cheered, jumping up and down. "I'm the champion!" "Uhh, Yuffie," Darshu said. "You can stop doing that now. The match is over." * * * "Oh, God! Dan lost! The master of Saikyo-Ryu has lost to a mere slip of a girl! What is the world coming to?" Hiroshi cried. His eyes glistened from tears. "Unsurprising though it is, I must say that I'm a bit sad to see him go," Daisuke added. Around them, the Ultradome expressed its collective dissatisfaction with the new Omega Champion. "And to go in such a terrible way, did you see that interference?" Hiroshi demanded. "Uh... no, actually. Darshu didn't interfere, which means it's a fair ruling that Yuffie won." "Oh, the humanity!" Hiroshi's head thumped against the desk. "We've got a surprise Omega match up next," Daisuke said, scanning his notes. "That'll be here, right after the break." * * * Ranma Saotome jogged through the corridors of the Ultradome. He threw a few practice punches, a la Rocky Balboa. His breaths came quickly and easily. He huffed out to punctuate each rapid punch. He imagined fighting Sagat, and went through a series of moves. Mostly more punches, but he even threw a few kicks into the maneuvers. He continued, increasing the complexity and stringing together series of moves. As he executed a flying spin kick, a folding table swung out of a side corridor and slammed him in the back. With a yelp he landed clumsily, but didn't lose his footing. He immediately spun around. "I told you I'd get you back, Saotome!" Marlo barreled out of the side corridor and swung a steel chair at Ranma. The pig-tailed martial artist danced back out of the way, but Marlo's followup tackled caught him low and drove him back up against a table. "Marlo! I've got a fight tonight, what are you doing?" "Paying you back, Saotome. My style!" Marlo backed off a step and pulled a small bookshelf out of FurnitureSpace and swung. Ranma ducked the wild strike and kicked out, sweeping Marlo's legs. The bookshelf continued, however, and hit a waterjug on the table. The plastic container exploded from the impact. "AAAGH!" Marla leaped back and shook with anger. "Dammit, this is really ticking me off!" "Geez, Marla, it's just a curse. Take a warm shower." Ranma-chan turned to leave. "I've gotta get ready for my fight." "Oh, no you don't! I'm not finished with you." Marla grabbed for Ranma-chan, but the redheaded girl twisted and caught her hand. Ranma- chan twisted slightly, sending a jolt of pain up Marla's arm. Eyes, tearing, Marla slowly sank to her knees. "Get this straight, Marla. I'm finished with you. What happened wasn't my fault, and I've got bigger fish to--" "Saotome, you vile betrayer, what are you doing?" "Eh?" Ranma-chan looked up and saw a tall, brown-haired boy striding forward. "Kunou?" "Unhand that girl this instant. Is it not enough that you must pressure yourself upon the fair Akane Tendou, but now you would accost others in this federation. Is there no end to your evil ways?" Kunou unsheathed his bokken and held it at the ready. "But I, the Blue Thunder of the Ultra Federation, student to the great Haohmaru, and one-half of the reigning champions, Kunou Tatewaki will make you pay!" "This isn't what it looks like, Kunou! Honest. Marlo attacked--" Marla took this opportunity to whip a safe out of FurnitureSpace and slammed it into Ranma-chan's head." "--me..." Ranma-chan finished, her eyes glazing over. She crumpled. "Hehe. Sucker." Marla cackled and kicked the prone girl for good measure. "Oh, such a skilled lass. Surely you are a gift from the gods to have been bestowed in front of a mortal such as I." Marla blinked. "What're you talking about?" "Such a vision of beauty, and so strong, too. You have bested that vile Saotome in solo combat, and for that you demand great respect. However, there is much you could learn from one such as I, Kunou Tatewaki." Kunou held his bokken high. "Furniture-tossing girl, I would date with thee!" There was a momentary pause while Marla registered what Kunou had just said. "Oh, crap," she said. Then, rather than face the lust driven Samurai, she bolted. "Come back, furniture-tossing girl! There are men in this federation who would take advantage of a fair one such as yourself. That lout Semaj could be lurking around any corner! I, the Blue Thunder of Ultra will not rest so long as your maidenhood is in peril!" Bokken waving, the kendoist followed the former hardcore-champion. * * * "Next on our show we've got a surprise booking just for all you Ultra fans!" "Jack came across an argument backstage, apparently, and decided to slot it in as a full match," Daisuke said. "Considering who the two individuals are, I don't blame him. Omega competitors have a tendency to do a bit of collateral damage." "Last week, we saw Gally pull victory from certain defeat in her race against Shinji Ikari in an amazing Loser Leaves Ultra match! This time, she's facing up against Naga the White Serpent over some unknown disagreement." "So far today, we've had battles in our typical Omega wasteland, Antarctica, and Egypt. For a slight change of pace, this next one is going to take place in the United States' um..." Daisuke paused and peered at the name on his notes. "Sequoia National Forest," he said slowly. "It's got everything that an Ultra fan could want! Busty babes, great action and tall trees!" "Tall trees?" "Don't mess with a groove, Dai. We'll see if Naga's sorceress powers can defeat Gally's battle training!" Daisuke nodded. "And Gokuu should be there, now, waiting for the competitors." * * * Gally looked around the battlefield. Huge evergreens sprouted from the ground and reached hundreds of feet towards the sky. She felt two ways about the landscape. The trees helped reduce visibility, which would make Naga's spellcasting less of a threat at range. But they also obstructed the ground enough to slow her down, reducing her chances of striking quickly. A portal opened, and Naga the White Serpent stepped out. "Oooohohoho! Do you insist on continuing this, Gally? You will not win!" The Battle Angel rolled her eyes. "I'm ready when you are." Gokuu nodded at the two women. "Okay. Have at it." ][ OMEGA MATCH #4 ][ NAGA THE WHITE SERPENT vs. GALLY ][ FIGHT!! "ICICLE LANCE!" Naga cried. The spear of ice shot forward and imbedded itself in one of the tall sequoias. Gally turned her duck into a roll. She popped to her feet and started racing towards the sorceress. "I came close to beating Lina two weeks ago, and you're nowhere near her level!" "You underestimate both Lina and myself! RAY WING!" Naga shot into the air, staying easily above Gally's charge. The cyborg girl drew up short, her feet digging up great divots of earth as she spun around. Naga flew higher, circling out of Gally's reach around a tree. "You coward! Get down here and fight!" "Ooohoho! I am merely using my great assets! FREEZE BLEED!" A hailstorm of pellets rained down from the sorceress. "Crap," Gally cursed and dodged to the side of the onslaught. She kicked up her speed slightly and began to circle around Naga's position. She needed to bring the fight back down to her level. With a sudden burst of inspiration, she shot out her monofilament wire. It swung around and caught on the lowest branch of a sequoia. Gally shot in next to the tree and started looping around it. When she had made two revolutions, she shot back out again and hauled on the wire. After a brief moment of resistance, the monofilament thread sliced through the trunk of the sequoia easily. The massive, centuries- old tree began to creak as it toppled. "Oooohoho-gah!" Naga dodged down as the tree began to fall towards her. The sequoia met resistance as it crashed through the branches of neighboring trees, sending deep groans along its length that echoed through the forest. Gally flicked her hand, drawing the monofilament back and leaped. Her shoulder caught Naga in the gut. Concentration lost, the sorceress' spell fizzled and the pair fell straight down. Gally twisted around to make sure that she landed on top when they hit the ground. "Now I've got you," she said, while Naga gasped for air. Naga held up an arm to stave her off, but her greater strength made the sorceress' defenses seem pathetic. "No laugh? No quick words?" Naga took a deep breath. "Just this: BOMB DI WIND!" Gally's eyes widened as she was blasted away by the gust of air. She flew in a high arc and slammed halfway up the trunk of the nearest tree. As she started to fall, she reached out and dug her fingers into the soft bark. This broke her descent and brought her to a stop. She looked down at Naga on the forest floor, fifty feet below. She figured she could just dive on top of the sorceress. The idea made her uneasy, though. During the fall, she would be vulnerable to a strike with no chance to dodge. Instead, she just let go of the tree. Her body started to fall backwards and she let that motion proceed, but just for a moment. Almost without thinking, she spun around and started running down the length of the tree. "DUG WAVE!" Naga shouted. The ground at the base of the tree Gally was on rumbled and a few explosion were sent up. Up on the trunk, however, the effect was magnified. The tree bucked from side to side. In one instant, it swung away from Gally. It swung back the next and slammed her. Like a well hit baseball, she shot off in the distance. Gally hit the ground and rolled. A few failsafes popped and she felt a jet of steam eject from her back. "This is getting ridiculous." Her flight had brought a few trees in between the two combatants, so she couldn't see Naga. She stood up slowly and pulled her Damascus blade from her back. With a flip, she had the weapon opened and held two handed in front of her. "That wasn't enough, Naga! You can keep hitting me, and I won't go down!" "OOOOOHOHOHO!" the sorceress laughed in reply. "You will fall, Gally! My great spells are more than any mere machine can handle!" "I am not a machine!" Gally sprinted forward, she dodged around a tree and Naga came in her sight. Kicking up her speed a notch, Gally drew the Damascus blade back and hunched down. "BALUS ROD!" A tendril of light shot out from Naga's hand. Gally swung her blade. Naga swung the tendril. The two weapons met, and the Balus Rod snaked around the Damascus blade. Naga pulled and Gally's strike slid harmlessly by her. "No!" Gally yanked the blade free and spun around. The tip of the weapon traced an arc through the air. It missed Naga's nose by less than an inch as the sorceress jumped back. A few strands of hair tumbled to the ground. Gally continued her motion and stepped forward, punching with her right hand. "LY BRIEM!" Naga held out her hand. A jet of ice-misty air shot forth. The cyborg girl jerked to the side and shifted her attack to a block. The freezing wave hit her arm and snapped her around. She strained to keep on her feet and attack again. Her arm shattered. "What?" Gally stopped and looked as pieces of ice-encrusted metal shed from her shoulder and dropped to the ground. "OOOOOHOHOHOHO! You see! You cannot defeat the great White Serpent!" Gally tightened her left hand around the Damascus blade. "I can get you just fine with what I have left." "Really?" Naga smiled and leaned forward and almost whispered her next words. "Mega. Brand." The ground exploded upwards beneath Gally. She shot straight up on a stream of rock and earth. It buffeted against her, but didn't seem to do any damage that she could tell. After a couple hundred feet, the lance of earth stopped, and she entered free fall. No trees were close enough for her to grab on to. "FREEZE ARROW!" Naga called from below. "Missile bees!" Gally replied. The cybernetic insects shot out from her arm and after a brief pause started to zero in on Naga. "WINDY SHIELD!" A air swirled up and around the White serpent into a sphere. Gally's eyes widened in horror. The barrage of ice arrows jetted towards her as she fell. She needed something else. In desperation, she flung her arm out and prayed for a miracle. The missile bees slammed into Naga's shield. They exposed with enough force to drive her back against the nearest sequoia. It felt like a punch to her gut, but she knew none had gotten through. Gally took a much worse hit. The Freeze Arrows ripped her clothes to shreds. Sparks rose across her metallic body as the icicles punctured her surface systems. Her controlled form collapses as she fell. She crashed through three branches and bounced limply on the ground. "Ooooohohoho!" Naga tilted her head back and barked a laugh. "Now you see the power and skill that the White Serpent possesses! Truly, it was sheer folly for you to challenge me!" She took a step forward, intent upon finishing the job. Or tried to, at least. She felt a dull tugging at her stomach, like she was being held in place by a rope. Naga looked down. A long handle of metal jutted out in front her her. She frowned and ran her finger along the back of the Damascus blade from the handle down about six inches until she touched her stomach. Strange, the blade should be longer than that. Gally pushed herself to her knees with her good arm. Her vision flickered and fuzzed in and out. She batted the side of her head with the heel of her hand until it cleared. She saw Naga lightly grasping the Damascus blade with one hand. The White Serpent's feet scrabbled against the soft earth, as if she were trying to walk forward. She made no headway, as Gally's strike had pinned her against the sequoia like a butterfly. The Battle Angel held her hand against her damaged shoulder. Fluid leaked out between her fingers. She walked towards Naga and found that her right leg had a delayed reaction and listed to the side, making her movement more of a stumble. "Yield, Naga," she said. It came out weak and hollow. Naga gave no indication of hearing her. When she got within five feet of the sorceress, Gokuu landed beside her. He clamped an hand down on her good shoulder, halting her progress. "Yield," Gally repeated. "Please." She reached out and rested her fingers on the end of the handle of the Damascus blade. Gokuu's hand tightened momentarily, but he eased off when she took no further action. Naga shook her head sluggishly. "Oooho," she rasped. "Not defeated yet." With a grunt, she took a step forward. The blade buried itself deeper into her. She stopped when she reached the handle. "No! Yield!" Gally shouted. Gokuu pulled her back as she strained forward. "It's over!" "No. The White Serpent does not yie--" Naga slumped forward, hanging off the blade. "You win," Gokuu said quietly. He pulled Gally back and stepped in front of her. "You're not going to count down?" she asked in surprise. "One, two, ten. You win." He grasped the Damascus blade with one hand and held up Naga with the other. Gokuu easily slid the blade out of the sorceress. "Here," he said, tossing the blade beside Gally. It landed with a soft thump. She stared at how little of the metal could be seen. A portal opened. Washuu bustled out, pushing a high-tech gurney. "I'll take it from here," she said. "Busy day for you," Gokuu said while gently laying the unconscious sorceress down. Washuu gave Gally a long look. "Apparently." She shook her head. "I'd better get her back to the lab. We don't want to lose another one." She started to push the gurney back through the portal. Gally stooped, picked up her blade, and started to follow. "Wait." Washuu paused and looked back. "Not you." "What?" Gally asked. "I can't let you stay. Not in my home, Gally." The scientist slowly shook her head. "I can't trust you around Mary." "Washuu, I'm the same person I always have been. You know I'd never hurt Mary." Washuu sighed. "I'd like to believe that, but I can't risk it. Everything's getting so dangerous, now." She chewed at her lip. "I'm sorry." "I see." Gally started to shake. "I can't believe this." For a moment, nothing happened, then Washuu added, "Come by after the show... after she's gone to bed. I'll fix you up tonight." She turned away without waiting for a reply and pushed Naga the rest of the way through the portal. As the portal closed, a second one opened next to it. "Come on." Gokuu gestured for her to lead. Gally swallowed, pressed down her anger, and stepped through. * * * "That was an impressive victory for Gally," Daisuke said carefully. "But apparently at a high cost." "What a cost indeed! The Battle Angel has won, but lost her home and possibly her friends!" A raucous boo circled the arena, bolstered by over 25,000 voices. "All that and her fans, too," Daisuke said dryly. "And after her amazing, heart-warming victory last week at REBOOT! It's a horrible shame that she's fallen so fast!" "If nothing else, this illustrates how short-term the sports entertainment memory is." Daisuke coughed. "We will, of course, keep everyone updated on Naga's health and progress. After Washuu stabilizes her condition, she'll be transferred to the best medical facility that Tokyo can offer." "Dai, I think I'm going to cry." "It won't be the first time, 'Roshi." * * * He awake with an intense headache. That, in and of itself, was not abnormal. What had put him to sleep, however, was. "[VOI]" Voiduck was pissed. He nearly had Sephiroth, but something had gone wrong. The memory made his head hurt even more. "Psyduck, you're awake!" Misty's girlish voice broke through the pain. He frowned, thinking back. Ah, yes, it had been this one who had sent everything awry. If not for her, he would have gotten his revenge. "Voi." Well, if Sephiroth was out of reach, at least he could tide himself over by wreaking some vengeance against the puny girl. She obviously had outlived any usefulness he might have once had for her. "Voioi[oiOI!]" he cried, opening himself up to his power, such as it remained. The flood of response that he got surprised him enough to bring him pause. He had it back! The Void was back! Voiduck shuddered as he let the power surge through him. Only it wasn't the Void that he felt. This power was vaguely familiar, but it held none of the negativity that was the Void. The Pokemon decided that didn't matter. He had power, and now he was going to achieve some results. "Psyduck, what's wrong?" Misty frowned and stepped towards him. She hunched down an placed a hand on his shoulder. "If you're still not feeling well, you should lie down." He would feel much better after he got through with her. "Voioioioioi," he cackled. *That's enough of that, now.* "Voi?" Voiduck blinked and looked around. He had heard someone. Misty gave no indication of hearing the voice, though. *There's no reason to hurt the girl. She just wants to help us.* "Voi?" Voiduck asked again. The voice was inside his head. He wondered how it had gotten there. *I wasn't really sure about the transfer, and I don't like the circumstances that this creates, but there are larger concerns at stake.* "Voi." Nothing was a larger concern than Voiduck's vengeance. *Considering your temperament, you may be right, however you do not have the Void anymore, and in all likelihood, you will never get it again. Best to take what's been given to you and move on to better things.* Voiduck felt a gentle pressure on his attention, bringing Misty into focus. *This one wants to help you dearly. She's lost her friends, and you've lost yours. Work together with her.* Voiduck felt the headache coming on again. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to steel himself for the pain. But it never came. *We can avoid those annoying things in the future, I think. Since it seems that we're going to be working together in the future, it's probably best we have some sort of agreement. I don't want to control you, Voiduck. I apologize for imposing myself upon your mind, but it was necessary, or Sephiroth would have become even more powerful.* Suddenly, Voiduck realized. He had MewTwo's power. *And consciousness,* MewTwo added. *We haven't merged, though. For the time being we are two distinct individuals.* "Duck." *I concur. If it is necessary, we should merge. For now, I would prefer not to lose the last connection to life that I have. In the interim, you will need to understand what is at stake.* Voiduck felt a slight shifting of his memories. Whole new experiences were suddenly opened to him. He could feel, deep down, the slight variations between Psyduck and Orochi. Now, added to that, was a whole new layer, more separated, but somehow much clearer. He saw what MewTwo had seen. And he understood. "Voi!" *Yes, I think 'Oh, shit' explains everything nicely.* * * * Hiroshi sniffed and rubbed his eyes. "Anyway, next on our agenda is the match you've all been waiting for!" "This is the result of a run-in during last week's show." "That's right! Sagat tried to get at Akane when she was distracted during a fight! A turn of events that gave Ash the win!" Hiroshi paused a moment to choke back a sob. "But!" he continued more happily, "Retribution is at hand. Ranma is going to face Sagat tonight!" "Ranma and Akane," Daisuke added. "This is a handicap match for the Gamma belt." "Anything goes for the Anything Goes team!" "Er... well put." "How long are you two going to keep yapping like that?" a voice called from the ring. "Huh?" Hiroshi asked. The pair looked up and saw Sagat leaning nonchalantly against a turnbuckle. The kickboxer had entered the ring without fanfare. "I said, how long are you two going to keep yapping. I'm ready to kick two teenaged asses, if you don't mind." He shrugged. "Or maybe they're just scared and they've got you two pasty-faced yes-men just covering for them while they can run away." "I'm not afraid!" The determined shout came from the top of the entrance ramp. 30,000 pairs of eyes turned to see Akane standing with her arms crossed. Late on cue, Ranma and Akane's techno-themed music started playing, and she slowly approached the ring. "Ooh. Scary. You're almost quaking, little girl." Sagat waggled his finger and widened his eyes mockingly. "Er... where is Ranma?" Daisuke asked. "God, I don't know! Is Akane going to face Sagat alone?" The two announcers looked up to the fighter entrance to the arena expectantly. Someone ran out after Akane, but it wasn't Ranma. "It's Nabiki! What is Ultra's owner doing here." The young businesswoman hustled down the ramp and grabbed Akane's shoulder. "Nabiki... what?" "Sis, you can't do this. Not without Ranma." Nabiki spoke in hushed tones, so that only the nearest fans could hear her. The noise of the Ultradome broke down to a confused hubbub. "It doesn't matter. We have a match, so we have to fight." Akane looked fiercely at Sagat as he paced back and forth across the ring. His movements evoked an image in her mind of a caged tiger. "Look at him, Akane. He's going to kill you! A janitor just found Ranma backstage. He was knocked out, but he'll probably be okay. We can just reschedule this fight for next week or something." "Oh, no you can't!" Sagat shouted down at them, surprising everyone with his astute hearing. "You've got a Gamma champion, and I've got a Gamma championship match. She fights or she forfeits." "Something's apparently happened to Ranma backstage! Will Akane fight against a monster like Sagat all on her own?" Daisuke swallowed as Akane pulled away from Nabiki and continued towards the ring. "Apparently so." With deliberate precision, Akane climbed to the skirt and got through the ropes. She let out a long slow breath. "Don't act so serious, girl. You won't win, and fighting will just make it more painful." "Shut up. I will beat you." Akane began to glow with a royal blue aura. Her eyes narrowed to slits. The referee looked between them. "Uhh. This is for the belt, you know. Ah. Begin." ][ GAMMA CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH ][ AKANE TENDOU vs. SAGAT ][ FIGHT!! Sagat charged forward and struck out with ax kick towards Akane's head. She ducked to the side of the attack and danced back a step as Sagat twisted his first kick into a backwards roundhouse with his other leg. Because of his size, the attack still struck her, though. Sagat's heel hit Akane's shoulder and snapped her down. She went to one knee under the force as her arm flared up in pain. Sagat snorted. "Pathetic, girl. I had hoped you'd put up at least a little challenge." He loomed over her and stomped down. Akane dodged forward into him and rammed into him. Her shoulder drove into his crotch as his foot came down behind her. "Ha!" Akane stepped back up triumphantly. Sagat grinned down at her. "How?" she asked, eyes widening. "Willpower," he answered. "TIGER!" The ki blast caught her high in the chest. She flew backwards and slammed against the mat. Her vision danced and blurred as tears filled her eyes. "Oh, god! I can't watch! Is there nothing that can stop Sagat?" Hiroshi buried his face in his hands. Sagat stooped forward and grabbed Akane's shirt. He lifted the girl up easily and shook her around. Akane shut her eyes and winced as her head flared in pain. "Yup, pathetic it is. I don't know why I bother, anymore. No child could ever really challenge me." Akane's eyes snapped open. "I am not pathetic!" She brought her arms up between Sagat's and snapped them out. His grip broke and she dropped. Rather than land easily, she continued her fall into a crouch and executed a leg sweep. Sagat's ankles buckled and spilled him to the mat. "KYAAAAA!" Akane pulled a mallet out of HammerSpace and slammed it down on Sagat. His body lurched from the impact. She drew the massive weapon up and began thrashing it up and down. "Holy, wow! Look at Akane go!" Even Daisuke found himself enthused about the display. "There's no quitting for a girl like that." After four strikes, Akane paused a moment and looked at her handiwork. Sagat started to sit up. She slammed down again. Sagat caught the mallet with an open palm. "TIGER--" He punched upwards. "--UPPERCUT!" The mallet exploded. Splinters flew everywhere, digging into the ring and both fighters. Akane jumped back and started pulling the little barbs from her flesh. Sagat stood slowly and brushed himself twice, but otherwise ignored them. "You shouldn't have let up," Sagat chided. "You're predictable. And wood's soft." He smacked a fist into an open palm. "Not like iron- hard flesh." Akane huffed and drew back. "I won't give up!" "Oh, good." They punched at the same moment. Akane's caught Sagat in the gut. His caught her in the hollow of her shoulder. Akane twisted with the impact, sliding to the other side while still exerting more pressure and twisting with her fist. The aura around her flared bright blue and exploded. Sagat was blown back against a turnbuckle. He coughed and caught himself on the ropes. "Did you see that? Where did Akane get that power?" Hiroshi gaped. "Whoa!" "She's really peeved, 'Roshi. I wouldn't want to be in Sagat's shoes right now." "Wow," the kickboxer said. "I guess I need to take you seriously after all." "I'm a serious martial artist," Akane said levelly. "You'd better take me seriously." She charged forward and aimed a trio of strikes high on his chest. Sagat caught her fist on the first. "Have it your way, girl. I tried to go easy on you." He snapped her arm straight up and ducked down. "TIGER UPPERCUT!" His fist caught her on the underside of her chin. Her head snapped back and her whole body was lifted straight up. For a moment, she seemed to float in mid-air. Then Sagat spun around twice, executing two perfect roundhouse kicks. The first one caught her on the chin, snapping her head again. The second hit her in the stomach. Her body folded almost double from the blow. Akane sailed clear out of the ring and landed on the metal ramp. A clang echoed throughout the arena. "Ack!" Hiroshi choked. "You want this to be serious?" Sagat asked, stepping over the top rope. "Do you REALLY want this to be serious?" He hopped down easily and strode calmly around the ring. "I don't think any of you people know just what serious is." He stopped in front of Akane. She groaned and flopped over. Upon seeing him, she tried to scramble away. Sagat slammed his foot down on her ankle. Akane let out a scream of pain. "This girl wanted serious. Well, now she gets it." Sagat reached down, grabbed her shoulder, and yanked her up. With one hand, he held her above his head. She dangled from his grip like a doll as she tried to kick at him. "Are you ready for what it means to be a..." he paused and grinned. "...serious martial artist?" He swung her up, flinging her around and grabbing her thigh. For a moment, he paused. Akane saw the lights above her. For that moment, she felt like she was flying, and everything was peaceful. Then it all came crashing down. Sagat brought her down hard as he raised one knee. A very audible crack resulted that echoed thoughout the dome. "NO!" Hiroshi shouted. He lurched forward, jostling the announcers' table and pressed his hands against it so hard his already light knuckles turned even whiter Daisuke doubled over and clutched his stomach. He squeezed his eyes shut and heard himself mumbling, "This can't be happening, it has to be a nightmare." At the top of the ramp, Nabiki collapsed. She couldn't stop staring at Akane's unmoving body at the bottom of Sagat's feet. "That is serious!" Sagat shouted. "Now you know what serious entertainment is!" He looked down at Akane. She felt nothing except a full body intensity of pain. "But you don't quite understand what serious martial arts are." Sagat drew back his leg. "You get away from her!" A blurred red-and-black clad sped down the ramp and launched itself into the air. Ranma's flying kick caught Sagat in the face and knocked the larger fighter down and away from the prone girl. "You've done enough!" Ranma shouted. He stood over Akane protectively. "Oh, so the yellowtail turns up in time." Sagat his jaw with the back of his hand. "I'll enjoy teaching you, too." "You'll just get out of here, now!" "I don't think so," Sagat rose and stepped forward. "KATSU-TENSHIN AMAGURIKEN!" Ranma's hands turned into a blur and buffeted away at Sagat's lower chest. The kickboxer jerked around under the rapid-fire impacts and fell back again. "Oh, you want it tough, do you, boy? You want it serious as well?" "Sagat." The Ultratron flickered to life as Bison's deep voice boomed throughout the arena. "Withdraw. The point has been made." Behind Sagat, a portal irised open. "Huh. Well, if the boss says so. But we aren't finished yet, boy." "You bet we aren't! I'll kill you for what you've done!" Sagat laughed and stepped through the portal. "You can try." Bison looked down from his position at Nabiki. A smile crossed his face before he blinked out and the portal closed. "Akane," Ranma said quietly, crouching beside her. "Akane, can you hear me?" "Oh, lord. Thank god that Ranma showed up in time," Hiroshi said. "Yeah. Akane and Ranma get to keep their belt, due to the fall happening outside the ring." "Small miracles, Dai." "I think that's all we have time for this week. Good fi--" Daisuke shook his head. "No. See you next week." ][ MTCFF ULTRA #68 RESULTS and RECAP ][ MR. SATAN leaves ULTRA for REST, RECOVERY, and TRAINING ][ SEPHIROTH loses to MEWTWO by TECHNICAL FOUL ][ MewTwo RETIRED ][ JUSENKYO SURVIVORS defeat SAKURA/SHINGO ][ SAKURA KASUGANO and SHINGO YABUKI enter LAMBDA DIVISION ][ SHOCKWAVE ALBERTO defeats ASUKA LANGLEY ][ SHOCKWAVE ALBERTO enters OMEGA DIVISION ][ YUFFIE KISARAGI defeats DAN HIBIKI and is NEW OMEGA CHAMPION ][ GALLY defeats NAGA THE WHITE SERPENT ][ GALLY loses HOME, FRIENDS, and FANS ][ VOIDUCK gains POWERS of MewTwo ][ AKANE TENDOU defeats SAGAT and remains GAMMA CO-CHAMPION Notes: Thanks to my pre-readers Scott Schimmel, Kristen Smirnov, Christopher Angel, and Kate Malloy. Also thanks to Kristen for giving me a heads up on her chapter and working in a thing or two into REBOOT for me to play off of. Thanks to Jesse Ellman for coming up with the title. Thanks to Brett Schimmel for giving me some help on Street Fighter and King of Fighters info. And an extra-special-with-sugar-on-top thanks to Scott for giving oodles of help in the planning of this chapter as I went along. He got me over more bumps than I probably know. Finally, thanks to 2F for asking me to fill in for a slot this season. I wouldn't be here if not for that.