"So you see, Ifurita, it's not just knowing the abilities that makes for a truly effective warrior, it's also knowing HOW to use them!" Naga lectured, and sighed at Ifurita's blank look. When Washuu had come to her to ask her help in teaching 'combat tactics and improvisation' to Ifurita, Naga had gladly agreed. Of course they would come to her - is she not the greatest sorceress of her day? Is not Lina the Dragon Spooker her sidekick? Unfortunately, her pupil was turning out to be a dunce. She didn't seem to understand the concept of combining and refining techniques. And that little girl that kept on staring at her didn't help. "Ohohohoho," Naga laughed in a subdued tone, and rubbed her temples. "Let us try this one: Dark Schneider has a shield up that protects him from all of his world's magic and is powerful enough to stop almost anything you can throw at him. What would you do?" "Attempt to overpower the shield using Helloween." "No no no," Naga sighed. "It protects him from ALL of his world's magic, including Helloween. You have to realize that you should try to use ALL your skills and abilities, not just those of your foe. You have to combine them in new ways!" "Umm, Naga?" The sorceress in question looked over at Mary, who was holder her hand up anxiously. "I know!" *This should be fun,* she thought to herself. "Ohohohoho! So the child has the answer, does she? Do tell, child." "She could use an AT field to focus the blast of a Dragon Slave and blow right through the shield," Mary eagerly replied. "Ohohoho..huh?" Naga stopped in mid-derisive laughter, stunned. "That's brilliant," she replied weakly. "And utterly destructive." She beckoned the girl over, and laid her hands on the girl's shoulders. "How did you come up with that?" Mary shrugged, a little uncomfortable with the attention. "It just kinda came to me." Naga smiled and ruffled her hair. "Washuu's brilliance has been passed onto her daughter, it seems." She looked over at Ifurita, who was frowning. "Is there something wrong?" "I could drive the Power Key Staff through the shield using Shotokan, and then use it as a channel to cast an Iceball inside the shield. Or augment a Meteor's velocity with with a Croming Row. Or..." she began to list off various combinations faster and faster, her speech almost becoming unintelligible. Naga looked over at Mary. "By Ceiphied, I think she's got it." "Yaaaay!" Mary cheered, and then suddenly looked pensive. "Umm, Naga?" "Yes, Mary?" "Why do you dress like that?" Naga was stunned for a moment as she tried to come up with a response. Before she could speak, Washuu entered with a dark look on her face. "Naga, you've got a match tonight against Sephiroth. And I've apparently been signed up to fight Gally." Ifurita stopped her recitation and gave Washuu a look of mild surprise. "I expected that, but not quite so soon. You will have much difficulty defeating her in her current body." She turned to Naga. "I do not predict your victory." "OHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!" Naga laughed, but it was forced. "You underestimate Naga the White Serpent! I will surely defeat that fool!" "Yeah!" Mary agreed enthusiastically. "You'll kick his butt!" Ifurita frowned and started to argue, but a look from Washuu stopped her. Instead, she said, "Technique #296, Sex Appeal." Everyone looked at her in surprise, and the android elaborated. "The answer to Mary's question." With a disgusted glare, Naga demanded, "You were designed with a body like yours and it took you THAT LONG to pick that up?" *** 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 69 (Dude!): Uprisings and Upsets Written By: Christopher Angel MTCFF Ultra Created By: Twoflower The stadium was hushed. Most people would have considered the current noise level deafening, but they didn't know Ultra fans too well. In comparison to how loud the fans could get, they were downright silent. Like a whisper in a breeze, words floated through the air. "Are you ready..." The cheers began to pick up, as the fans began to realize that something was happening. "...for a little..." Again, the cacophony seemed to abate, almost quieter than before, as everyone prepared for those final words. "...ULTRAVIOLENCE?" And like a match in a pool of gunpowder, the fans exploded into cheers. "Ladies and Gentlemen, I am Hiroshi, and here with my partner Daisuke, we'd like to welcome to you Ultra, just short weeks away from Ultrarage Eta, the seventh of its kind in the best fighting federation in the world!" "Tonight's card appears to be interesting," Daisuke commented, looking over the card, and then covered his mic to whisper. "One sixty-nine joke out of you and I WILL hurt you." "Indeed it does!" Hiroshi cheered, and quietly dropped a couple cue cards on the floor. "Our first match is set to stun the world as Gally challenges Washuu. Friends have become foes in this shocking match!" Checking his notes, Daisuke added, "This came about after the events of last week, when Washuu apparently tossed Gally out of the Cybergrrlz due to her treatment of Naga." "And now, Gally has challenged her former leader!" Hiroshi screamed "Where will it end?! We'll just have to find out as the match is starting! Tonight's Omega matches feature a special guest referee - Piccolo!" "Let's hope he's a little braver than Krillin," Daisuke muttered. *Omega Match #1 *Gally vs. Washuu *FIGHT! The Ultratron sprang to life with the image of an ancient forest on a dead world. The mammoth trees had died millennia ago with the rest of the world, leaving only gigantic, barren remnants of their former glory, mottled gray pillars disappearing into the sky. Standing at the foot of one of these trees stood Piccolo, muttering to himself. "How do I let Son talk me into these things? First it was driving lessons, now this. The mighty Z-Fighters laid low by the demands of their women for a vacation." He paused and chuckled wryly. "Although considering #18, Krillin probably did the best thing. I doubt even Vegeta would argue with that woman." A flickers at the edge of his vision told him the portals were opening, and he began to concentrate. Better make sure these people know who they're dealing with as a referee. ("Dai," Hiroshi whispered. "He's green.") ("I noticed.") ("GREEN!") ("Will you shut up? Washuu and Gally are talking and I'm trying to hear them.") "It doesn't have to be this way," Washuu pleaded. "What happened to you?" "I woke up," Gally replied evenly. "This body helped finally realize what I had forgotten in my time in Ultra. You, Sephiroth, Bison, all of you have forgotten the real core of this federation. Ultra is not world conquest, not about power, not about good and evil. It's about FIGHTING. I am here to fight, to meet others in battle, to find that joy, that clarity that we are missing in our day-to-day lives." Washuu shook her head, "That's not you speaking." "Oh, it is. I'm still the same Gally you knew. I'm still on your side, Washuu, and I always will be. But here, in Ultra, I am a warrior! The only reasons to be here is to find battle, to fight one another. None other matter!" "You know my reasons for being here." "I do," Gally agreed, "But you're wrong." "Then there's nothing more to say, is there?" Washuu reached into hyperspace and pulled out her cannon. In response, Gally entered a Panzer Kurst stance. A slight cough brought their attention to Piccolo, who seemed to be straining as he help two fingers to his forehead. "Son has told me of the rules of this federation. Destruction of the world and interference are considered fouls. He also recommended I make a small demonstration of my power..." he pointed at a series of trees. "MAKANKOUSAPPOU!" A brilliant blue beam sprang from his fingers and drove through the first tree in a brilliant explosion, which began to topple, and then the next, and the next... Panting slightly, Piccolo glared at the two ladies. "Understood?" ("Any complaints now, Hiroshi?") ("He's still green!") "All right," Washuu aimed her cannon at Gally. "Let's see how you like a nice little debilitating NanoVirus," she said as she pulled the trigger. A wavering red beam shot from the cannon, the light filled with twinkling white motes that flew towards Gally... And impacted the ground. Gally's image blurred as she raced along the earth away from the beam and spiraled around Washuu, who frantically tried to maneuver the cannon towards the cyborg before her path could bring her within melee range. For the merest moments, the beam bathed Gally. With a cry, Gally stopped, expecting her body to betray her. Washuu dropped her weapon back into hyperspace and watched patiently. ("It looks like this one's over fast, Dai!" Hiroshi cheered. "Once again, the genius of Washuu-sama reigns supreme!") ("Uhh, Hiro?") ("Despite her newfound determination and her new attitude, Gally still is unable to defeat her former mentor!") ("Nothing's happened, Hiroshi.") Gally looked expectantly at Washuu, who shrugged. "So it didn't work yet. Sue me." "How about I just beat you," Gally replied, and charged at Washuu, her hand driving like a blade towards the frozen Washuu's midsection...only to grab onto a Washuu plush toy The scientist peeked out from her hiding place behind a tree stump. "Catch!" she called, and tossed a small round ball that landed at the android's feet, exploding into a mass of fine white webbing. "Toys," Gally snarled, and tore first her arms free, and then with a small amount of strain, her legs. She again charged towards Washuu, and the tree stump exploded into a cloud of fine gray dust under the assault. "Missile-Bees, launch," she ordered. "Search and incapacitate." As the mechanical bees buzzed away, she froze, every sense alert for any sound that would show where her prey might lie. A cry if distress came to her ears, and she dashed towards the source, and found Washuu, her back against a tree, the swarm of missile bees surrounding her. "Nice bees," Washuu stammered. The swarm closed in slightly, and she tried to move tighter into the trunk. "Nice bees. No hurting Washuu-chan." Gally stood outside the swarm and gazed in. "Give up, Washuu. Don't you see? Battle is what makes me feel truly alive, what makes truly start to feel that my body is ME, not some mechanical toy. You're a thinker, not a fighter. You can't truly understand what battle is." "Heh," Washuu snorted, and straightened. "Missile-bees...incapacitate Gally!" The confident expression Gally remained on her face was the swarm turned and quickly landed on her skin. Her nerves locked as she found herself completely paralyzed, only her eyes showing the distress she felt. "You forgot one thing, Gally. The brains always beats brawn. The Virus had to have time to work. All I had to do was keep you busy." Washuu began to step forward, but felt a small tug on her foot. She looked down and found her foot hung up on a small wire...attached to a small mechanical spider. "Arachno-grenade," Gally whispered with a breathy laugh. "Want to bet it'll still go off?" ("It seems that Gally and Washuu are in a stalemate!" Hiroshi cried, bouncing on his seat. "The entire Ultradome is on the edge of their seats waiting to see who will back down.") ("Gally's learned a few tricks from the leader of the Cybergrrlz," Daisuke noted.) The two women stared at each other a long time, but then Washuu sighed, and began to laugh weakly. "I submit." She pulled out her cannon again, and shot Gally with it. "That should neutralize the virus," she said, "and the bees will return to your control in a moment." "Arachno, return," Gally commanded, and the little spider detached its wire then returned to its place on her belt. She brushed the remains of the web off her body and turned to walk through the portal. "Wait!" Gally turned to look at Washuu. "Why didn't you use the blade? Why were you going to easy on me?" Gally smiled lightly. "I may have found my true self in battle," she replied softly, "but I will not hurt my friends." She went to leave through the portal, and stopped again. Looking around, she found one of the Ultra-cams and beckoned it towards her. "Know this, Omega: The belt will be mine. Don't count on me to be easy on you like I was to Washuu. Get in my way, and I'll destroy you." *WINNER: GALLY! *** "Well, Gally's new attitude seems to have done her well," Daisuke stated. "Washuu-sama submitted," Hiroshi whimpered, "I can't believe she submitted!" "Be reasonable, Hiroshi," Daisuke placated. "It's not like Gally would ever give in." Hiroshi stared at the screen sadly for a moment, and then a hard look came onto his face. "It's that green guy's fault! I knew he was dirty! Washuu-sama can't lose in a fair fight!" Daisuke glared at his partner suspiciously. "Have you been in the coffee and pocky again?" His eyes glazed for a moment as he listened to something in his headset. "I've been notified that Jack has an announcement regarding Ultrarage Eta." "Let's turn our attention to the Ultratron to see what Jack has to say!" The Ultratron flickered to life, showing the cheery and ever-spiky-haired face of Controversial Jack, co-owner of Ultra. "Hi kids! Are we having fun tonight?" The fans in attendance roared their affirmation, and Jack's grin grew a bit wider. Well, I have a little surprise for everyone at Ultrarage Eta. We're going to have a extra-special Omega Royal Rumble!" "What's special about it?" Daisuke asked Hiroshi, who shrugged. "I bet you're all wondering what's so special about that match," Jack continued, "well, I haven't quite figured that out yet, but I guarantee it'll be the best one ever, or my name's not Controversial Jack!" He frowned for a moment, and then brought Mr. Duck into the field of view. "Well, Mr. Duck has decided to give you all a hint." "*SQUEAK!*" "Oh, that's too easy, Mr. Duck!" Jack complained. "Oh well, the politician's out of the trunk now, there's not much I can do about it. Have fun in the rest of the show!" As the fans cheered the announcement and Jack in general, Hiroshi jumped into the ring with a microphone. "Wait! Wait! I have another announcement...if you all want to hear it?" With a cheer that deafened several people, the audience replied they did. "Are you SURE?" Hiroshi asked, egging the audience on. Yet another cheer from the audience, this one knocking Hiroshi off balance. "At the request of both Mousse and the HARDCORE CHAMPION, BEAN BANDIT..." Hiroshi paused to let the round of cheers mentioning Bean triggered die, "Ms. Tendo has graciously scheduled a Hardcore Championship match at Ultrarage Eta!" He continued despite the approving response of the fans, "Their rivalry will finally come to an head at the pay-per-view, just a few weeks away!" With a wave to the audience, Hiroshi returned to the announcer's desk. "You don't really think that those two can hold themselves back until Eta, do you?" Daisuke questioned his partner. Hiroshi shrugged in response, and pulled out the fight card for the night. "And our next match for the night is a Lambda match between the newly formed team of Sakura and Shingo and your heroes and mine, Team Rocket!" Hiroshi announced. "Who said they were my heroes?" Daisuke retorted, but then added, "Team Rocket has put the other teams on notice that they have gathered some new pokemon for this match. This should prove interesting, as their unfamiliarity with their new pokemon may balance out the inexperience Shingo and Sakura have as a tag team." "These teams are both former members of CHAOS!" Hiroshi continued, "Will their history as allies show them in good stead or will it cause the formation of a bitter rivalry fueled and fed by ULTRAVIOLENCE?!" "Bets on the former," Daisuke muttered. "PREPARE FOR TROUBLE!" "AND MAKE IT DOUBLE!" At each side of the entrance from the back, pyro went off as spotlights focused on the three who stood at the top of the ramp and began to stride towards the ring. ("It's Team Rocket! Team Rocket is HERE!") ("You HAVE been in the coffee again.") "To protect the world from devastation!" "To unite all peoples within our nation!" "To denounce the evils of truth and love!" "To extend our reach to the stars above!" The trio reached the ring and clambered through the ropes. They posed and waved to the fans who chanted along with them. "Jessie!" "James!" "Team Rocket BLASTS OFF at the speed of light!" "Surrender now, or prepare to fight!" Pikachu bounced up to land on a turnbuckle, and chirped, "Pika-pi!" "That's right!" replied the audience. The three quickly went to their corner of the ring, where the two trainers began to argue, trading pokemon back and forth - well, rather Jessie would take them from James, who snatched others back from her. ("Team Rocket is having some internal squabbles," Daisuke noted. "Those idiots are still arguing over who gets which new pokemon.) Pyro and music announced the entrance of Sakura and Shingo, who still showed some discomfort with the idea of their partnership in Lambda. The fans still cheered the pair, who quickly came down the ramp and entered the ring. After some short waves to the audience, Shingo went to the corner and Sakura faced her opponent - Jessie. "I've always wanted to ask," Jessie began, fingering a pokeball, "why do you dress like that? Is it because you really DO like showing people your underwear?" As Sakura's face flushed, she tossed the pokeball. "Cyndaquil, GO!" From the pokeball sprang a small creature with a pointed face and flame-like quills on its back. The creature looked timidly at the ground as it shuffled forward. "Don't even try it," Sakura warned, "I'm not going to be fooled by some innocent-" "Flame-thrower attack, now!" "-looking creature," she finished. As Cyndaquil whirled to expose its back to attack, she hit the ground. Sakura then rolled away from the follow up bursts of fire. "All right, my turn-" "Quick attack!" Sakura found herself stunned by the lightning blows from the little pokemon. "Tackle attack!" As Cyndaquil slammed into her, Sakura was thrown into the ropes and fell to the ground. ("And Sakura is being demolished by the unfamiliar attacks of Cyndaquil! Team Rocket's new pokemon are more than she can handle!") ("Cute little guy, isn't it?" Daisuke said absently, and then saw Hiroshi staring at him. "What? Aren't I allowed to think something's cute?") "Great job, Cyndaquil!" Jessie said to her new pokemon, and then turned to James. "See? I told you that going out to hunt some new pokemon was a good idea!" James pointed back towards Sakura, who had gotten back to her feet. "Uhh oh." "That's it! HADOKEN!" The fireball sprang from Sakura's fingers and slammed into Cyndaquil, who went flying back into Jessie's arms with a cry of "Cynda!" and was still. "Cyndaquil!" Jessie cried, worried about her now unconscious pokemon. She glared at Sakura, "You brute! Take this! Chicorita, go!" "Chica!" called the pokemon as it sprang into the ring. Its green quadruped body quivered with spirit and the leaf on its head stood strait up. Sakura watched the new pokemon warily. "Bind attack!" Vines snaked out from Chicorita's back and snaked around Sakura despite her attempts to dodge. The vines tightened, crushing the breath out of Sakura. Reaching back, Jessie tagged in James. "You and Chicorita can handle that girl," she commanded. "Jessie has to take care of her poor little baby Cyndaquil." She looked down at the unconscious pokemon. "Aww, did nasty Sakura hurt you?" James looked at Pikachu as he climbed into the ring. "I told you it was too cute to keep," he said, "but you had to take HER side." "Pika pi," Pikachu replied, shrugging. ("Despite Chicorita's devastating Bind Attack, Sakura has managed to reach Shingo, who has now jumped into the ring...as SHIN RANMA SAOTOME!") ("That could prove to be a problem considering James' new favorite pokemon.") "Chicorita, return!" James commanded. "Articuno, GO!" The icy bird flew from the pokeball and hovered over the ring, glaring at Shingo. "Moko Takabisha!" Shingo called as he tried to shoot the fireball, but the blast was so slow and weak that Articuno easily avoided it. "Why are you dressing up like that useless...what was Tarou's words..femboy?" James taunted. "Finally found yourself?" Shingo dropped his stance and just stared at James. "You guys really need to work on your taunts," he laughed. "You're the last person to pick on Ranma's masculinity." He jumped up and punched at the bird pokemon, which squawked and fluttered in the air before regaining its balance. ("I told those two practicing with Dan was not the way to pick up taunting," Daisuke sighed.) ("But Stone Cold Dan is the MAN!" Hiroshi protested.) ("Can you imagine Jessie and James in pink gis?") (Hiroshi considered that for a moment. "Oddly enough, yes.") ("Now you understand why I didn't want them to train with him.) ("But-") ("WORK WITH HIM, HIROSHI!" replied the fans.) ("That's MY line!" Hiroshi whined.) "Hey! It took me hours to fix his feathers!" James complained. "Ice beam!" The ray attack shot towards Shingo, who sidestepped at the last moment, and then flew up to jumpkick Articuno. The strike hit the bird directly on the side of the head, and the pokemon fell to the ground, unconscious. "Oh no," James wailed. "Articuno return! Victreebell...mmmpph!" Jessie, looking in, smacked her forehead, then smacked one of James' flailing limbs. "Idiot," she muttered, climbing in. She carefully placed Cyndaquil down in the corner, and then motioned Pikachu into the ring. "Come on, Pikachu, let's finish..." "Pika!" the rodent exclaimed, pointing across the ring, to where Karin was beating the weakened Sakura into the ground. ("One again Karin has come out and attacked Shingo's partner! Her rivalry with Sakura over Shingo still rages on!") ("Its raging on Sakura, all right. It also just made Team Rocket lose by disqualification.") Shingo turned to follow Pikachu's pointing limb, and his eyes widened in shock and dismay. "KARIN?! Stop that!" "Hey! She just disqualified us!" Jessie complained, "Get her, Pikachu! Thundershock!" "Pika....CHU!" The lightning attack sprang from the rodent and crashed into Karin, who fell away from where she was pummeling Sakura. Running over to Sakura, Shingo examined her injuries. "Sakura! Are you okay?" "I'm..gonna...kill...her," Sakura groaned as she tried to get up. "Keep away...from that tramp, Shingo!" the singed Karin ordered as she regained her senses, "I won't have you associating with her!" "Who are you calling a tramp?" growled Sakura, who slowly got to her feet. Karin whirled and began to walk out, then turned and glared at Shingo. "Well, what are you waiting for? Come on!" "No, Karin," Shingo said quietly. "It's over." A gasp ran through the arena as Shingo's words were repeated over the speakers. ("What a development! Shingo has finally had enough of Karin's attacks on his tag team partner!") ("I'd say he's finally realizing what kind of a person she is - she hangs around with Morrigan, after all.") "You're talking nonsense," Karin scoffed. "Now come back with me and we'll go to dinner - after you get into something more suitable, I mean honestly, who told you that-" "ENOUGH!" shouted Shingo. "I don't know what happened to you! You used to be such a nice person, but lately you've become someone completely different. Sakura's my FRIEND, Karin, yet you've been insanely jealous of her. You're friends with Morrigan, of all people. I'll always want to be with the Karin you were, but the way you are now...I just can't. I'm sorry, but...goodbye, Karin." With that, he picked up Sakura, and walked past Karin, heading to the back. After a moment, Team Rocket quietly followed them, leaving Karin standing outside of the ring, all eyes in the Ultradome on her as people jeered and booed her. "No, Shingo, this isn't over," Karin vowed to herself, and stalked up the ramp. "Not by a long shot." *WINNER BY DQ: Shingo/Sakura. *** ("I've been informed that our cameras in the back have caught this action while the match was going on! Marlo Semaj has attacked the Samurai!") ("They deserved it.") {"How do you know?") ("This is Kuno and Haohmaru, Hiroshi.") ("Oh, right. Silly me.") Samurai's dressing room was awash with color. Eight-by-ten glossys, in fact - all of a specific woman carrying a mattress, throwing a couch, slamming a coffee table, and other furniture-based acts of violence. "Ahh, furniture-tossing girl, my love," Kuno sighed at the pictures. "Your beauty only waxes with every passing day." He gripped his bokken and waved it in the air. "I WILL free you from the clutches of that foul demon Marlo Semaj!" "INDEED," spoke Haomaru. "A FINE CONSORT FOR A NOBLE STUDENT OF THE GREAT HAOHMARU." He paused to brush some plaster off his shoulder. "ONE WISHES THOSE CRETINS THAT MAINTAIN THIS ARENA OF HONORABLE COMBAT WOULD LEARN TO REPAIR THE CEILING PROPERLY." "It is unable to withstand the power of mine teacher's mighty voice," said Kuno absently. "Nonetheless, how can I free mine love from the demon's grasp?" Haohmaru's response was preempted by knocking on the door. "Delivery for Mr. Kuno," came a muffled voice. "Bring it in! Bring it in!" Kuno snapped. "Do not bother me with such trifles." "It's from the furniture-girl," the voice replied. "I can't fit it in through the door." "IT MUST BE A FINE GIFT!" exclaimed Haohmaru. "COME, STUDENT!" He took Kuno by the arm and led him out the door... And was flattened by a 2-piece Lay-z-Boy sectional with hide-a-bed. "Sheesh," grumbled Marlo, dusting off his hands. "That thing was getting heavy." He kicked the side of the couch and was gratified to hear the grunt of pain. "Hey idiots, listen up. Leave me alone! You ain't my type." Off to the side, Ranma and Akane watched with mild interest. "I give it a seven," Ranma judged. "Stingy," Akane chided from her wheelchair. "That's at least an eight and a half." Ranma shook his head. "Naw. He needed to at least pound Kuno a second time. A third would have been better." "Are you two finished?" demanded Marlo, noticing his audience. "How the hell did you guys take that dumbass? He filled my room with potpourri!" "You get used to it," Akane shrugged. "There's not much you can do about it until he figures it out." "Hitting him helps," Ranma supplied. "It helps him learn?!" "Naw, it makes you feel better, though. Come on, Akane, you've got an appointment with the doctor." "I'm FINE, Ranma, I don't need to see the doctor." "You're still going," Ranma said firmly. "And I'm gonna KILL Sagat for what he did to you." *** "What a development! Marlo has completely destroyed the Samurai!" Hiroshi cheered. "What will come of this?" He turned to Daisuke see his response and frowned. "Daisuke, stop laughing." Daisuke wiped his eyes, and grabbed the fight card. "Just go onto the next match." "This match is a shocker! It's a last minute matchup because Ash has been nowhere to be found for the past few days, and so Gary's repeat challenge has gone unanswered," Hiroshi said, reading details from the card. "So, Gary has a mystery opponent tonight...and here comes Gary!" With a burst of pyro and a rising chord of music, Gary began to walk down the ramp towards the ring. In his hand, he held a microphone, and he began to speak to the crowd. "So, I've got to fight a mystery opponent because Ash is too much of a little crybaby coward to fight me?" he shouted. "You can run all you like, but it's not over. Your ass is MINE!" He tossed the mic to the side and climbed up into the ring, calling out Nidoking to fight his opponent first. "All right, who's up?" Gary's call was not answered by pyro or music, but by a tall, handsome man who walked down the ramp. In one hand he carried a finely wrought metal mask, and in the other he carried a mic. ("It's VEGA! The new member of Bison's Buster's is Gary's opponent! What a development! Could Ash have allied with Bison? What can this mean?") ("Hiroshi, it's a random matchup.") ("That's what they WANT us to think!") "A child," Vega spat the words like they left a bad taste in his mouth. "I am a killer of men, feared around the world for my deadly skill, and I am forced to fight a CHILD." He put his mask on as he stalked to the ring. "Sagat gets to against the greatest fighters of a generation, while I fight an adolescent animal trainer. Where is the justice in this?" He flipped into the ring and gave Gary's Nidoking a disdainful look. "What a sorry looking creature." "Nidoking, Fury Swipe!" Vega dodged and weaved as the pokemon struck at him again and again, backing up until his back was against the ropes. With a quick roll that ended in a sharp blow, he drilled Nidoking in the neck and then followed up with a jumpkick that shoved the larger creature back. "Mega Punch!" The powerful strike from Nidoking hit Vega in the chest. The Spanish fighter flew back against the ropes once again, but this time bounced off them into a spiraling attack that struck Nidoking in the chest and stunned him. Two lightning strikes to the neck by Vega later, the pokemon was unconscious. ("And Vega is quickly dominating this match! Gary doesn't seem to have a chance against the member of Bison's Busters!") ("Gary's used to pokemon combat, and his inexperience is showing," Daisuke reasoned.) "Nidoking, return!" Gary closed the pokeball and glared at Vega, who returned the look disdainfully. "Attacks to the neck? What are you trying to do, kill him?" "This is combat, boy, not a game," Vega returned. "Give up now, and stop, wasting my time." He glanced over Gary's shoulder to the ramp, where Ash was slowly walking down. *Oho, this should be interesting. Let's stall a little.* "I really don't have anything against you boy, don't make me hurt your little pets." He buffed his knuckles against his chest. "I've got a date later tonight, and would rather not get blood on this outfit, I just bought it." (Hiroshi's voice with excitement. "Ash is walking down from the back! What can this mean? Was his whole absence nothing but a ruse?") ("Since he's getting ready to punk Gary, I'd say so.") "Tough guy, huh?" Gary scoffed. "All right then, let's try psychic. Alakaz-ugh!" The strike from Squirtle's Tackle sent Gary reeling forward, where he ran into a punch by Vega that drove him into the mat. The trainer crumpled and lay in a heap. Vega took off his mask and stared at Ash, who glared at the unconscious Gary for a moment before turning his hostile gaze on Vega. ("Ash has attacked Gary from behind!" Hiroshi screamed. "Vega has now lost due to DQ, but seems to welcome Ash's interference, but--it can't be! Ash is attacking Vega!") ("I don't think Ash appreciated Vega finishing Gary off.") In the ring, Ash had thrown out Bulbasaur as well, and both he and Squirtle were teaming up on Vega. The fighter found himself unable to counter the attacks of the two pokemon, since their long experience in Ultra gave them the knowledge of how to fight a human opponent that Gary's pokemon lacked. In short order, Vega was encircled in Bulbasaur's Vine Whip. Ash grabbed a mic and climbed into the ring. He walked over to the bound Vega and kicked him a few times, eliciting curses and a harsh glare from the member of Bison's Busters. "Gary is MINE to beat. You don't touch him...NOBODY fights Gary but me!" He stalked over to Gary's unconscious form and used his foot to nudge the trainer onto his back. "How do you feel now, Gary? Think you're still the great trainer? You're NOTHING, Gary. I've beat you before, and without your stupid dark pokemon you don't stand a chance against me!" He kneeled down and rummaged through Gary's pokeballs, and grabbed one. "Umbreon is mine now, Gary. Let's see how a REAL trainer does with him." With that, Ash dropped the mic and stalked up the ring to meet Meowth, who waited at the top of the ramp. Bulbasaur and Squirtle covered his exit to stop Vega from trying to take retribution. *WINNER BY DQ: GARY Bouncing on his seat, Hiroshi was almost shaking with excitement. "Ash has not only destroyed Gary Oak and stolen one of his pokemon, he has also managed to make an enemy of Vega! What could Ash be thinking? He may have made a serious mistake this time ladies and gentlemen - one that could be his downfall!" "I think Ash's focus on Gary is clouding his judgment," Daisuke replied. "Ash is making sure he has nothing but enemies in Ultra." "We've got more exciting Ultra ahead of us, stay tuned!" *** (SCENE: A street vendor selling little wind-up dolls.) VENDOR: "Don't go there," one dollar! "Get a life!" "Talk to the hand..." (A young man with dark hair walks up.) MAN: Do you have "Work with me, Daisuke?" VENDOR: Oh, yeah. (He winds up the little toy in an Ultra announcer's uniform, and sets it down.) TOY: Work with me, Daisuke! Work with me, Dai-- *CRUNCH* ANNOUNCER: Need to crunch something? Crunch a Snickers Cruncher. *** Hiroshi blinked a few times at his monitor. Then stared at his partner. "Hey, you're making money off your catch phrase T-shirts at my expense, it's only fair," Daisuke smoothly replied. "Right." After a moment of looking at his fight card, Hiroshi began his commenting anew. "This match was as much a surprise to Tifa Lockhart as it was to the rest of us! And here comes her challenger, accompanied by his Lambda partner Selphie Tilmitt...ZELL DINCHT!" Zell and Selphie walked down the ramp, cheerily firing back the barbs and boos from fans and foes alike. As Zell jumped into the ring and began to warm up, Selphie moved to the announcers position and sat down. "Hiya Hiro, Dai!" Selphie gushed. "I'm here to watch Zell kick the butt of that..." she paused and pulled a piece of paper from the top of her dress and began to read from it, "'top-heavy over-hyped slut'." Daisuke slapped his forehead while Hiroshi just gaped at her. "WHAT did you call Tifa?" She looked at the slip in her hand, and then back at Hiroshi. "Didn't I say that right?" she asked. "I got this nice furniture mover man in the back to write it for me." She shrugged and waved her flail in the air. "Yay Zell! Booyaka!" Daisuke nudged Hiroshi as Tifa's music began to play, but his partner was still staring at Selphie in horror. "Uh, here comes Tifa Lockhart down to the ring, accompanied by her tag team partner and Hardcore Champion, Bean Bandit." Tifa climbed into the ring and approached Zell, holding out her hand. "Well, I don't know why you challenged me, but good match-hey!" She ducked and then backpedalled as Zell came at her, fists flying. "I've wanted..." He round kicked, Tifa ducked. "..this match..." Zell foot swept, she hopped and tried to come down on his leg, but he pulled back to fast. "...since I first saw you!" Zell rose in an uppercut that caught Tifa under the chin, but as she toppled back she managed to catch him with her feet and knocked him back. ("Zell and Tifa appear to be perfectly matched!" Hiroshi cried. "This match could go on for quite some time." ("If I understand the background of both fighters correctly," Daisuke added, "they were both the martial artists of their respective forces - it does seem reasonable.") ("Bah," Selphie scoffed, "Zell and I are real soldiers, members of SeeD's best team! She's just a wannabe rebel girl - Zell's gonna kick her ass! GO ZELL!") "Not bad," Zell grunted. He kippuped to his feet and warily watched Tifa as she got to hers. "About as much as I'd expect from the great Tifa Lockhart." Tifa smiled grimly at him, and got back into her stance. "Pretty good yourself." She bounced on her and flexed her hands. She then ran and Zell and attempted a flying jump kick, but Zell grabbed her foot and swung her into the mat, where the Roadbuster landed heavily. She then tried to sweep his feet out from under him, but the young man managed to block the attempt by bringing his shin up and kicked her away. ("See, I told you he'd kick ass!") ("Yeah, yeah, we know Selphie," Daisuke groused, and then paled as she lifted her flail menacingly. "There are rules against hurting the announcers, you know.") ("Uhh, Dai, I don't think that'll stop her.) "You're better than I thought," Tifa admitted, and smiled as she felt a sudden rush of power and adrenaline flow through her veins, "But lucky me, and too bad for you, I've just Limit Breaked!" Zell gaped at her and dropped his stance. "You can't have...not ye--aargh!" Tifa's fists blazed into his face and torso, and then she flipped, kicking him as she came around. She then slid towards Zell in a water-charged side-kick and picked him up, slamming him into the mat with a brutal backdrop. ("How the hell did she do that already?!" Selphie demanded. "The match barely started!") ("And the Limit Break by Tifa devastated her opponent!" Hiroshi cheered. "What a lucky break for the Roadbuster!") (Daisuke glared at his Hiroshi's pun, and then returned to watching the action. "Tifa's Limit Break wasn't as extensive as she hoped, since it didn't quite finish Zell off. It might prove to be a major upset here.") Getting slowly up to his feet, Zell spat some blood onto the mat and whipped his face. "I don't know what the heck's going on," he growled, but straightened as a brilliant glow burst form his skin. "But this time it's my turn!" ("Please, let him do this right this time," Selphie grumbled.) Charging in with a series of punches, Zell crushed Tifa's face into her knee. He followed that with an odd sort of reverse axe kick that landed on Tifa's collarbone and sent her to her knees, and then swung into a roundhouse kick that sent Tifa spinning on her feet, ready to collapse. With a deep breath to prepare, Zell then kicked her into the air, and jumped up after her... ("Tifa is knocked out! She's out on her feet, but Zell isn't stopping!") ("Uh, that's a bit overboard, Zell," Selphie said worriedly.) Spinning heels-over-head, Zell kicked Tifa over and over, his feet building up with a sort of reddish slow as each kick connected. As they rose to a great height over the ring, Zell kicked her one last time, driving Tifa into the mat with a slam that shook the entire arena. Landing lightly on his feet, Zell looked with satisfaction at his handwork...only to find himself clobbered by Selphie, who had run into the ring. "What are you DOING?!" she demanded. Zell looked at her in confusion. "Winning?" He glanced over to where the referee was performing his count out, and help up his hands in victory. "See?" ("Zell Dincht has won the match with an amazing finishing move that has completely destroyed Tifa's chance at a comeback!") ("Selphie doesn't seem happy with him, though," Daisuke replied. "She looks pretty angry, in fact.") Selphie shook her head vigorously. "Come on, idiot." She dragged her partner out of the ring, passing Bean Bandit, who scrambled into the ring and checked on his lover. Hurrying up the ramp, Selphie and Zell quickly went into the back rooms. "Get a stretcher out there, I think she's hurt," Selphie ordered one of the techs, and practically shoved Zell into their dressing room. "Were you TRYING to kill her?" "What are you talking about?" Zell asked plaintively. In response, Selphie pointed to the monitor, where the cameras showed a crowd in the ring as the medical personal put Tifa on a stretcher and carried her out of the ring. "Oh no," he whispered. "She was already unconscious before you hit her with the Different Beat!" Selphie berated. "I didn't mean to!" Zell protested, shaking his head. "I thought she'd be stronger than that! I mean, she fought SEPHIROTH, for Quezacotl's sake!" "Did you really think she's armed that way for a Gamma match?" Selphie retorted. "It's not like we junctioned a ton of spells either." A knock sounded on the door, and Selphie went to answer it, showing a tech with a camera following him. "They'd like Zell's comment on his victory. Tifa's been knocked out of action for a week!" Selphie pushed the crew out into the hall so they couldn't film the distraught Zell, and pasted a false grin on her face. "Zell's too busy celebrating! He was convinced he'd actually have to work for that victory. I guess these losers in Ultra aren't much of a challenge after all!" *** The wasted forest looked somewhat better than it had following Piccolo's demonstration - he had spent a few hours tidying up the mess he had created before. He sat on a stump as Naga faced off Sephiroth. "I rather wanted Inverse," Sephiroth told her, "but you will do. Your [POWER] will be [MINE]!" "OHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!" Naga laughed, and slowly gathered a mass of power a hand behind her back. "Foolish man, you will never defeat Naga the-" "Doody-head!" Sephiroth interrupted with a sneer, and then grimaced for a moment and shook his head. "ICE BALL!" Naga yelled, throwing the blast towards Sephiroth. "Fira," he responded, and the attacks fizzled out. "RAY WING!" She rose up in the air, and frowned as she watched Sephiroth only watched her rise, seeming to be at conflict with himself. Mentally shrugging, Naga gathered the power around her and called, "BOGARDIC ELM!" Immediately, the ground around Sephiroth turned into a swamp, and he sunk into it up to his waist. Sephiroth tried to cast a flight spell to pull himself out, but the material of the swamp clung to him too strongly. "Well done," he growled at her. "But don't think this will save you." He clutched his head suddenly as the voices rose in his mind. *The [VOID] will [CRUSH] you.* *OYAAAAAJIIIII!* *Damn, what a rack on her.* "BE STILL!" Naga, on the other hand, was putting more spells out while she had the chance. "DEFENSE! FREEZE RAIN!" A star winked into being above Sephiroth, one that grew into a huge spiky ball of ice that pulled periodically. With every pulse, the ball sent out shards of ice in every direction. Naga's shield protected her and a hastily erected ki barrier protected Piccolo, but the distressed Sephiroth was unable to bring up any sort of protection. "No...[NO]...OOOSHA...AAAAAAAAAAAARGH!" Suddenly, a blackness burst from the body of Sephiroth, engulfing him and everything around him in a black sphere. The blackness flowed over the ice ball, and then disappeared, leaving Sephiroth floating above an empty crater. Water from the swamp surrounding it flowed into the crater. "Oh, this is [MUCH] better," Sephiroth whispered. "These guys are serious," Piccolo muttered. "Uh oh," Naga said, and began to fly away. "Wait," Sephiroth called, and flew after Naga. "I have to thank you for making the voices stop," he said with a mildly gleeful tone. "It won't hurt too much." Naga racked her brain as she flew away from Sephiroth as fast as she could, trying to come up with a way to pull out the victory. As she flew, she noticed that she was coming up a wide river in the forest, and pulled up to land beside it. She gathered all the magic power she could, hoping she could come up with enough in time. "Ah, you stopped running," Sephiroth said, landing a short distance away from her. He adjusted the Draw Glove to activate it. "Now, this should be..." "OHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOH! You are doomed now....GUY LA DOUGER!" With Naga's words, the head of a huge plasma dragon burst from the water of the river and glared at Sephiroth. Naga pointed towards her opponent, and the dragon opened its mouth and prepared to blast him with its breath. Sephiroth sighed and pulled out the Masamune. He flickered out of existence and reappeared on the dragon's back, and then drove the sword deep into its skull. The dragon's mouth slammed shut as the head collapsed onto the bank with a thunderous crash. "This is ridiculous," he complained. "Are you finished yet? It really is hopeless. You don't have a chance." *There's always hope, Naga.* The sorceress looked around in surprise as the voice spoke in her head. "Who...?" *There's always hope. You just have to have faith!* Naga gazed upon Sephiroth, and gathered her power one last time. *Have faith, oh? It can't hurt to try...and this stopped Bison, after all.* "RING OF SUPERIORITY!" The images of Naga surrounded Sephiroth, and she opened her mouth and began the sonic component of the spell. "OHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!" "OHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!" Sephiroth laughed. "You must be joking. You can't think this farce will actually stop me." "OHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!" "OHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!" With a casual swipe, the Draw Glove passed through one of the images. "Enough! Just give up!" "OHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!" "OHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!" "I will [DESTORY] you and have your [POWER]!" "OHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!" "OHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!" "You mean old bad dressing poopie-head, stop it!" "OHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!" "OHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!" Sephiroth clutched his head and collapsed to his knees. "NO! Stop! I can't...the voices...STOOOOOOOP!" "OHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!" "OHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!" Turning first to one side, and then the other, Sephiroth tried to flee from the sound...that horrible, mind-wrenching sound that wouldn't stop, that shattered the tenacious hold he had over the voices in his mind. With an animalistic cry, Sephiroth clawed open a tear in space and fell through it, leaving the battlefield. "OHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!" "OHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!" Naga felt a tap on her shoulder and lost her concentration, causing the mirror images to slowly fade. She turned to see Piccolo facing her with a somewhat strained expression. "He fled. You won," he told her. Naga took a breath to celebrate her victory with a laugh, and he clamped his hand over her mouth. "No. Just go," he ordered, pointing to a portal. "Blessed silence," he whispered as she disappeared. "I don't care what Goku says, never again. That laugh is enough to make Cell run away." *WINNER: NAGA *** "What a surprise victory for Naga!" Hiroshi shouted. "With her stunning new spell, she has managed to defeat the unstoppable Sephiroth in a battle that won't soon be forgot!" "Quite the upset," Daisuke agreed. "But I wonder of the condition of Sephiroth. He's been acting more and more erratic lately...is this the straw that broke the camel's back?" "We'll find out next week! Another Ultra has come to a close - after a night of upsets and surprises, we're signing off!" *** "Pretty boy's cracking up," Sagat chuckled. "That toy of his is a little too much for him." "Unfortunate," Bison replied. He sat in his chair, his head resting on his steepled fingers. "If the drawbacks of such an artifact could be overcome, it would have made for a useful asset. As it is, the Draw Glove has served to ruin what was once a useful ally." He picked up a report and handed it to Sagat. "Read this." Paging through the report, Sagat shrugged. "Standard egghead type. What about him?" "Collect him, if you would. I require his assistance." Sagat smirked. "The lab boys still haven't figured out how to extend the range of the Psycho Drive?" he asked sarcastically. "What a pity. I'm SO disappointed." "Your opinion of the Drive is noted, Sagat," Bison said, and then fired a short blast into the Muay Thai fighter that threw him into the wall. "As is your disrespect. Don't push me, Sagat. I can crush you like a bug." Grunting in pain, Sagat pushed himself to his feet and slowly stumbled out of the room into the corridor. "Not without your toys, you can't," he whispered. A soldier watched Sagat leave, and pulled the black mask from his face. "Psycho Drive, huh?" Tarou mused. "I wonder..." *** "Sephy-kun?" B-ko called into the dark room. "Are you in here?" "B-b-b-b-ko...." B-ko searched along the wall by the door for a moment, until she found the light switch. "Darling, are you well?" The room filled with light, and B-ko gasped as her eyes fell upon Sephiroth. "B....ko," Sephiroth gasped as he huddled in a corner, crying like a lost child. "H...help....help me...please....the voices...." * END * MTCFF Ultra # 70 Results and Recap ][ IFURITA learns TACTICS, IMPROVISATION ][ GALLY defeats WASHUU ][ GALLY discovers A NEW WAY ][ SPECIAL ROYAL RUMBLE at UTE ANNOUCNED ][ MOUSSE/BEAN HARDCORE CHAMPIONSHIP at UTE ANNOUNCED ][ SAKURA/SHINGO defeat TEAM ROCKET ][ SHINGO and KARIN break up ][ MARLO feuds with SAMURAI ][ GARY defeats VEGA ][ ASH makes VEGA his ENEMY ][ ZELL defeats TIFA ][ NAGE THE WHITE SERPENT defeats SEPHIROTH ][ SEPHIROTH loses GRIP ON SANITY Notes: Dear lord, what did I get myself into? When I signed up for writing a chapter, I honestly didn't expect what I got: arguments with 2f (^_^), discussions over plot points, skipped authors, UTE setup...and the sheer amount of WORK that doing one of these things is. I spent WAY too much time researching characters, voice patterns (which I still probably got wrong -_-;), plot points, fighting styles, spells, etc... Thanks to everyone who gave me support (prereaders, wai!), thanks to 2f for helping me do the best chapter I could. I now have nothing but admiration and respect for those of you who write these things again and again. Heh. Maybe I'll apply for S9...maybe then some characters I'd have loved to toss in (from BoF4, Bouncer) will be fair play by then. ;-D