Roughly one week ago...

	Mouth open in an "O".  Eyes wide, staring straight at her friend.  Sakura 
Kinomoto's expression was the picture of surprise.  And, of course, the voice:  
"Hooooeeeeee?"

	The dark-haired girl continued to smile gently at her.  Obligingly, she 
repeated, "I believe that participating in the Ultra show would be a good 
opportunity for you."

	"But, but, but--!  Listen..."

	The boy leaning against the wall behind her folded his arms.  "You got a 
problem with that?" he sneered.

	"But Li-kun..."  Sakura looked away, unnerved by the intensity of the 
boy's glare.  "I don't really see how it relates... right, Kero-chan?" she 
asked.  The appeal was aimed toward a stuffed animal, looking rather like a 
yellow teddy bear with a leonine tail and a pair of tiny white wings, that sat 
on the bed.

	The stuffed animal, otherwise known as Keroberos, the Guardian Beast of 
the Seal, looked up at her and nodded thoughtfully.  "Your duties as a Card 
Captor should certainly take priority..."  He spoke with the voice of 
authority... and also, incongruously, with an Osaka accent.

	"Did you know how many people watch the show, Kero-chan?" the dark-haired 
girl asked, and leaned close to whisper something in the plushie's ear.

	"...Oh?  Is that right, Tomoyo-chan...?"  He looked back at Sakura, 
cleared his throat, and continued, in the same tone of voice he'd used 
previously, "But on the other hand, one night a week won't hurt, right?"  He 
laughed gleefully.

	"You, too, Kero-chan...?" Sakura muttered.

	"Look at it as a chance to practice using the Cards," Kero suggested.

	"She needs it," the boy noted.  Sakura's eyebrows drew together 
indignantly.

	Tomoyo's hand on Sakura's shoulder prevented the impending explosion.  
"Think about it," she suggested, gesturing into the air with her free hand.  
"Sakura Kinomoto and Shaoran Li... the new team that takes the whole world by 
storm."  She sighed happily.

	"Err... Tomoyo-chan..."

	"I think my name should be first," Shaoran grumbled.  "I'm the one who 
knows how to fight..."

	"Don't be silly.  Of course no one is ahead of Sakura."  She smiled at her 
friend.  "And this is the best way to share her grace and power with the whole 
world, just like I've been waiting for..."

	Sakura chuckled self-consciously.  "But... um."  She brightened as a 
thought occurred to her.  "There's no way that I'd ever be, er, invited, or 
whatever..."

	"Just leave that to me, Sakura-chan," Tomoyo assured her, smiling.

	"You can do that?"  Sakura's eyes grew to the size of saucers as her 
estimation of her friend's influence grew once again.

	"Well, it is the reason Li came to me."  The boy turned away, but nobody 
was paying him any attention.  "You see, my mother's toy company has the license 
for the Ultra action figure line, along with a few other Ultra-related toys.  So 
if I were to ask my mother to make the Ultra management a better offer, with one 
small condition..."

	Sakura blinked.  "That's amazing, Tomoyo-chan!  I had no idea..."

	"That's all right.  But, you know..." she mused, "It's one of the three 
main points of being a magical girl."

	Rolling her eyes, Sakura said, "I know, I know.  The trademark pose, the 
costume..."  She stopped in surprise.  "Eh?  You never mentioned the third one 
before..."

	"The licensing!" Tomoyo chirped, flashing a "V" with her fingers while 
Sakura facefaulted.  "Here, look at this, you're going to love it..."  Reaching 
behind her back, she produced a six-inch figurine for Sakura's inspection.  The 
articulated doll was dressed in black and pink, with cat ears poking from its 
light hair, and a tail, and above the bell collar on its neck, its face was 
exactly like...

	Sakura fell over again.  "You made an action figure of me?"

	Tomoyo held the doll to her cheek, beaming.  "It's almost as cute as the 
real thing!"

	"Hmm..."  Kero flitted over to eye the figure with a critical gaze.  
"Yeah, that's a pretty good likeness," he finally pronounced, to Tomoyo's 
delight.  "Why the cat costume?"

	"We thought it would be one of the most marketable."  She smiled at the 
Guardian, adding, "There's a little Kero-chan, too."

	"Wai!  You made me cool-looking, right?"

	Shaoran coughed.  "Could we please get back to the topic of Ultra?" he 
asked pointedly.

	"You're really enthusiastic about this, aren't you, Li-kun?" Sakura asked.

	Tomoyo leaned forward in conspiratory fashion.  "Well..."

	"I think maybe one of those Pokemon things might be a Clow Card in 
disguise," he hastily interrupted.

	"Eh?"  Sakura cocked her head to one side.  "How come you haven't said 
anything before, then?  I mean, you have the divination board..."

	One hand scratched at the back of his head.  "It was... um..."  A toe dug 
into the carpet.  "You weren't ready to handle it at the time."

	"But you didn't go after it by yourself," Sakura pointed out, confused.

	"You should tell her the real reason," Tomoyo gently reproved.  A 
mischievous smile blossomed on her lips.  "If you don't, I'll have to."

	Kero nodded sagaciously.  "That's right... we deserve to know the reason."

	Shaoran flushed bright crimson and muttered, "Syktovrts."

	Sakura blinked cluelessly.

	"It's Yukito's favorite show," Tomoyo translated, smiling peacefully.  
Shaoran made a strangled sound.

	"Yukito..."  Sakura stared off into nowhere with sparkly eyes.  Yukito.  
Her mean older brother's wonderful friend.  Short blond hair, gentle eyes, 
omnipresent kind smile... Yukito.  "He... he watches Ultra?" she asked in a 
blissful daze.

	"Doesn't everyone?" Kero asked.

	"I've also heard your brother remark that it's Yukito's favorite show," 
Tomoyo confirmed.  "So perhaps the two of you..."  She blinked at the empty 
space where Sakura and Shaoran had been.  "Ah.  There's the energetic Sakura-
chan I'm used to seeing..."

	Suitably impressed, Kero arched one tiny eyebrow.  "I didn't think she was 
strong enough to drag Shaoran by the collar like that."

	"Come on," said Tomoyo, getting to her feet and retrieving her camcorder.  
She smiled.  "We've got to be there to record her signing the contract."

==========

	Tonight...

	In one of the backstage training rooms, Ranma Saotome watched his fiancee 
attack a suspiciously tall training dummy.  For reasons he had yet to figure 
out, Washuu had offered her aid in healing Akane, who had eagerly accepted it.  
Now Akane appeared to be in nearly top form again.  Still, he had a lingering 
feeling of uneasiness.

	"Akane..." he began hesitantly as she aimed a particularly vicious punch 
at the dummy's chest.

	Akane stopped her attack and turned to face him.  "What is it, Ranma?" she 
asked with a curious look.

	"Akane, I'm not sure I want you going out there tonight."

	Curiosity quickly turned to annoyance.  "Ranma, I'm *fine.*"

	"No, you're not!  The doctor said--"

	"First of all, it was just a tailbone injury, Ranma.  Not a spinal 
fracture or anything like that.  Secondly, Washuu helped me out a lot."  Akane 
placed her hands on her hips and glared at him.  "I've been practicing all week!  
I'm almost completely recovered now!"

	"Almost, Akane.  And you saw the way that Zell guy took out Tifa!"

	"Yes, and I've been studying that match every day.  I've got a good grasp 
on what he's capable of doing.  Even if he did beat Tifa, he's no Sagat.  I'm 
ready."

	"But you--"

	"Ranma."  Akane's voice was very quiet now, and unusually serious.  She 
tugged at the hem of her gi top, straightening it, before looking back up at 
Ranma.  "Do you trust me?"

	"What?"  Ranma blinked in surprise at her.

	"Do you trust me, Ranma?"

	Ranma scratched the back of his head nervously.  "Well, yeah... I mean, 
we've been through an awful lot together, so... yeah, I trust you, Akane."

	Akane smiled at him.  "Good.  Then trust me when I say that I need to do 
this.  Sooner or later, we're going to go up against Sagat again.  I need to get 
back into the ring before that match.  I need to prove to myself that I am not 
afraid."

	"I just don't want to see you gettin' hurt again, that's all," Ranma 
admitted.  "You're a good fighter and all, but I was just a little bit... you 
know."

	Her smile grew wider.  Maybe he was finally starting to understand, even 
if he couldn't quite say how he felt.

	"And I didn't think you were afraid," he continued.  "I mean, you may be a 
lot of things -- stubborn, a real tomboy at times..."

	The smile abruptly disappeared, to be replaced by a familiar angry glare.

	"...but I never thought you were a--"

	"Ranma, you *jerk!*"

	After Akane stormed out, Ranma was left to remove his foot from his mouth.  
Literally.

==========

	*whap*

	*whap*

	*whap*

	Sakura Kasugano leaned close to the ajar door, peering through the gap 
between door and frame, into the training area beyond.  The room was deserted at 
the moment... except for one person.  He'd kept the lights low.

	*whap*

	*whap*

	*whap*

	He struck out at a punching bag again and again, in metronome-perfect 
rhythm.  From what she could see of his face, he wasn't even aware of it.  His 
eyes were focused somewhere beyond the far wall.

	She sighed, straightened up, and pushed the door open.  Standing out here 
wasn't doing her any good; the two of them needed to talk.  It would probably 
help if she knew what to say, but after the debacle last week...  She allowed 
the door to slam shut behind her and called, "Shingo."

	*whap*

	That single final blow fell before Shingo registered either the noise or 
Sakura's voice.  He blinked, shaking his head slightly as though to clear it.  
His eyes fixed on hers; no spark of recognition showed in them for several 
seconds.  "...Sakura?"  His voice had a weary, dreamlike quality to it.

	She frowned, concerned.  "How long have you been doing that, Shingo?"

	His head swiveled back to regard the punching bag.  "Don't know.  A couple 
of hours."

	"Shingo..."  Sakura scrubbed her knuckles across her forehead, trying not 
to yell at him.  Even if he was acting like an idiot.  "You need to get some 
rest," she said instead.

	"I've been thinking," the young martial artist began, not moving.  "About 
last week."

	"I thought as much," she said, glancing pointedly at the battered punching 
bag.  Shingo had the grace to blush.  "This isn't healthy, Shingo."

	"No, listen... I really was.  K-Karin--"  He paused and took a deep 
breath.  "I couldn't understand... why she'd do those things.  It's not like 
her."  Sakura had her own opinion about that.  She tried to keep quiet -- this 
wasn't the time -- but it must have shown on her expression, because Shingo 
said, "Okay, I know you two are rivals and she wasn't always the nicest person 
to you, but she was never like *that*."

	Sakura thought that over for a second.  "She has been worse than usual 
lately..."

	He nodded eagerly.  "Hasn't she?  She was even working with us not too 
long ago... maybe she didn't like you that much, but she still helped you.  But 
then..."  He shook his head.  "After she started fighting in Ultra..."

	"You think this is happening because of Ultra?"

	"No.  Not exactly.  Well, maybe in a way..."

	Sakura chuckled softly, holding up one hand to forestall him.  "Do me a 
favor... just tell me what you do think it is?"

	"Sorry."  One hand rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.  "I think 
it's Morrigan."

	Sakura involuntarily shuddered at the mention of the succubus.  "I have no 
problem blaming her for a lot of things... but why this?"

	"Well, think about it.  Karin only really crossed paths with Morrigan 
after she started fighting in Ultra.  Since then, she's..."  He trailed off and 
started again, on a different track.  "Morrigan even threw that match a few 
weeks ago.  She's got to be manipulating Karin somehow!"

	It sounded plausible enough, but Sakura hesitated.  "I'm not sure--"

	*whap*  Shingo's fist lashed out sideways, smacking into the punching bag.  
"She has to be!  Karin wouldn't do those kinds of things on her own," he 
insisted.

	"All right," Sakura said uncertainly.  "Then, what are you going to do 
about it?"

	"I've got a plan," he said, looking her straight in the eyes.  "But I'm 
going to need your help..."

==========

	Silence.  Peace.  Stillness.  Calm.

	These things are not present in the UltraDome.  In fact, the polar 
opposite of those qualities occurs every week, starting when Hiroshi picks up 
his microphone and says...

	"Are you ready for some ULTRAVIOLENCE?!"

	Then the Dome erupts into a sound that can only be rivaled by every 
airplane at a dozen major airports taking off at once, give or take a few 
flights.

	Tonight was no exception.  From the announcers' table, Hiroshi beamed, 
while Daisuke simply sighed and reached for some aspirin.  At the moment, he was 
strongly sympathizing with Voiduck.

==========

                              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  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.pixelscapes.com/improfanfic }

                     Started by Twoflower

             Episode 70: Cinco de Mayhem
                     Written by Scott Schimmel and Kate Malloy

==========

	"Helllooooo, Ultra fans!" Hiroshi enthused.  "Have we got a show for you 
tonight!  A half-dozen matches filled with some of the most spectacular Ultra-
violence you'll ever see, all leading up to ULTRARAGE ETA in just two weeks!"

	The crowd screamed its approval.

	"But before we get started with the fights, it's time for another report 
from everyone's favorite globe-trotting catgirl," Daisuke said.  He then turned 
to Hiroshi and quietly asked, "And how many globe-trotting catgirls are there, 
anyway?"

	"Work with me, Dai--"  He caught sight of his co-announcer's glare.  
"Err... Take it away, Nuku-Nuku!" Hiroshi yelled.

	The UltraTron lit up, and Nuku-Nuku's smiling face appeared.  "Hiiii, 
everyone!" She waved.

	A vast majority of the crowd cheered and waved back, despite the fact that 
it was only a prerecorded video and there was no possible way for her to see or 
hear them.

	On screen, Nuku-Nuku continued.  "Today, Nuku-Nuku is celebrating Cinco de 
Mayo!  That's Spanish for the Fifth of May!  It's lots of fun!  There's music 
and dancing and so much good food!  And parades and fireworks and all kinds of 
neat things!"

	Lively guitar music began to play as the camera panned out to show Nuku-
Nuku standing in the middle of a large plaza.  Brightly-colored lanterns hung 
from lines strung overhead, and the starry sky was interrupted by the occasional 
burst of fireworks.  A huge crowd of people filled the plaza, most of them 
involved in some sort of dance.  A few crowded around Nuku-Nuku, grinning madly 
and waving, attempting to get their fifteen minutes of fame.

	"Everyone is so friendly here!" Nuku-Nuku continued, as one young man 
handed her a bright yellow rose.  "Gracias!" she exclaimed brightly.  "And 
that's Spanish for 'thank you.'"  She tucked the flower behind her ear and 
beamed at the young man.  "Now let's take a look at the different kinds of yummy 
food they have!"

	The video went on to show Nuku-Nuku trying a succession of different 
Mexican dishes, ranging from more traditional tortilla-based ones to a slightly 
more unconventional seafood-based casserole of sorts.

	Finally, a happy and full Nuku-Nuku rested on one of the benches at the 
edge of the plaza.  "That was sooo good!  Ano... what's this?"  She picked up a 
glass that was sitting on the bench next to her.  "It looks like some sort of 
drink.  Wait, there's something in it."  She held the glass to her face, 
carefully scrutinizing it, then blinked and suddenly flung it away.  "Eeeeek!  
It's a worm!"

	The man sitting next to her frowned.  "Hey, what did you do with my 
tequila?"

	"Oh, gomen!  Nuku-Nuku is very sorry!  Ummm... here!"  Nuku-Nuku quickly 
handed him the rose from her hair.

	The man took it, shrugged, and then smiled.  "Ahh, that's okay.  Say, you 
wanna dance or something?"

	Nuku-Nuku beamed.  "Nuku-Nuku would love to!"  She waved to the camera.  
"And that's all for now!  Bye, everybody!  Tune in next week!"

	The video feed ended with a shot of Nuku-Nuku dancing in the crowd, 
smiling and laughing.

	"Man, that Nuku-Nuku's quite the charmer, isn't she?" Hiroshi asked.  
"Seems like she's making friends the world over."

	"I wonder if she'll ever come back," Daisuke mused.  "She's been gone an 
awfully long time, hasn't she?"

	"Aww, don't worry, Dai," Hiroshi reassured him.  "Nuku-Nuku loves Ultra 
more than anything else.  Except mice.  And maybe catnip.  Anyway, I'm sure 
she'll be back here at the Dome soon enough."  He grabbed a new cue card.  "And 
it's time for our first match of the night!  A few weeks ago, Sagat absolutely 
*demolished* Akane Tendo in a championship match for the Gamma Belt.  
Speculation was that she might not even walk again!  But thanks to some timely 
assistance from Washuu, and the fact that you just can't keep a girl like that 
down, guess who's making her return to Ultra THIS VERY EVENING?!"

	A deafening round of cheers rose from the stands.

	"That's right, Ultra fans!  Making their way down to the ring... Ranma 
Saotome and Akane Tendo... ANYTHING GOES!"

	As loud techno music played and bright flashes of pyrotechnics went off, 
Ranma and Akane walked down the ramp to the ring.  Akane was practically glowing 
with excitement as she waved at the crowd, while Ranma was slightly more 
subdued.

	"And their opponents... straight from his rather excessive defeat of Tifa 
Lockheart last week, Zell Dincht," Daisuke continued.  "And his partner, Selphie 
Tilmitt."

	The crowed booed the two SeeDs nearly as loudly as it had cheered for 
Ranma and Akane moments ago.  Zell stared straight ahead as he walked down, 
trying his best to ignore the jeers.  Occasionally his mouth would twitch.  
Selphie, on the other hand, seemed to be reveling in the notoriety.

	As soon as they reached the ring, she called for a microphone.  The 
referee immediately handed it to her.  "Yeah, yeah, we get the deal.  You don't 
like us.  Well, so what?  We don't care if you don't like us!"  She pulled down 
one eyelid and stuck her tongue out at the crowd before continuing.  "Is it 
*our* fault that Ultra's just full of losers?  I don't think so!  Well, maybe 
tonight we'll get a challenge.  Maaaaaaybe."  The tone of her voice indicated 
how unlikely she thought that was.  She tossed the microphone back to the ref, 
pulled out her nunchaku, and took up a battle stance.

	On their side of the ring, Akane and Ranma held a quick whispered 
conference.

	"I'll go first," Akane said.

	"No, Akane, I think I should start off," Ranma objected.

	"Do you really want to fight a girl?" Akane asked.  When Ranma didn't 
reply, she continued.  "It'll be okay, Ranma.  Just be ready to tag in if I need 
it, okay?"

	Ranma nodded.  "All right."

	"You'll see.  I'll be fine."  Akane grinned and vaulted over the top rope.  
"Okay, I'm ready!"

][ LAMBDA MATCH #1
][ Akane/Ranma vs. Selphie/Zell
][ FIGHT!!

	Before Akane could react, Selphie swung madly at her head with the 
nunchaku.  Akane ducked quickly and prepared to sweep kick her, only to discover 
that her opponent was no longer there.  Selphie had beat a hasty retreat back to 
her corner and was now tagging in Zell.

	"What's this?" Hiroshi asked.  "They're switching places already?  Could 
it be that Selphie is afraid to fight Akane?"

	Daisuke frowned.  "I've got a theory of my own on this.  I think we'll 
find out shortly whether I'm right or not."

	Meanwhile, Zell had jumped into the ring.  Bouncing on the balls of his 
feet, he made a few rapid "come on" motions with his fists.

	Akane knew that charging him would be a bad idea.  At times like this, she 
wished she had some sort of projectile ki attack like Ranma's.  But her strength 
lay in melee fighting, not distance attacking.  Her best approach would be to 
fake him out, then get in close.

	She dashed toward him, one fist pulled back in what looked like 
preparation for a high punch.  As Zell moved to block, she brought her foot up 
and turned slightly to the side, kicking him in the midsection instead.

	Zell staggered slightly.  "Nice," he said admiringly.  "Shouldn't have 
fallen for that one."  He immediately retaliated with a punch of his own, which 
Akane was able to block.  "It's time to get serious, though.  Thunder!"

	Still in close to Zell, Akane had no time to dodge the small bolt of 
electricity that flew from his hand and struck her in the chest.  She coughed 
and stumbled backwards, inwardly cursing herself.  She'd forgotten about their 
ability to cast spells!  How could she have overlooked that?

	"Unfair!" Hiroshi cried.

	"Actually, it's perfectly fair," Daisuke informed him.  "That was a low-
level spell, comparable to something Tifa would use.  Just because he doesn't 
have Materia doesn't mean he can't use magic."

	Akane had managed to back away from Zell.  Now, however, he seemed eager 
to take the attack to her.  He launched himself into a jump kick aimed straight 
at her stomach.  As he flew toward her, she quickly rolled out of the way.  
Unfortunately, she couldn't move fast enough to prevent Zell's foot from 
clipping her in the small of the back.  She let out a loud gasp as the pain 
started to return.

	Ranma noticed her discomfort.  "Akane!  Tag out!"

	Akane pulled herself up into a ready stance, waiting for Zell's next move.  
Oddly enough, he seemed content to let her move to where Ranma waited.  As soon 
as she was within arm's reach, Ranma touched her hand and leapt into the ring.

	Zell, on the other hand, performed a series of rapid backflips which took 
him back to his corner.  He slapped Selphie's outstretched hand and performed 
one last flip out of the ring.

	Nunchaku ready, Selphie advanced toward Ranma.

	"And my theory is proven right," Daisuke commented.  "It appears that 
Selphie and Zell plan to take advantage of Ranma's reluctance to fight girls by 
switching themselves every time Ranma and Akane exchange places."

	"Now that's a dirty trick!" Hiroshi exclaimed.

	"Not dirty.  Just sneaky."

	Hiroshi grumbled, but refused to comment further.

	Ranma, in the meantime, was dodging constant nunchaku swings from his 
opponent.

	"Stop *swish* dodging *swing* and *swoosh* fight *fwish* back!" Selphie 
yelled between attempted blows.  "Or are you afraid to fight a girl?"

	Ranma shook his head.  He wasn't going to let her get to him.  Still, he 
needed some way to drive her back.

	Apparently taking matters into her own hands, Selphie made a quick jump 
backwards, then held her nunchaku in front of her face in a crossed pattern.  
Ranma shifted into a ready stance, prepared to block whatever it was she was 
about to do.

	"Fire!" Selphie yelled, bringing her weapon down in a sweeping motion.  A 
burst of flame flew towards Ranma.

	"Moukou Takabisha!"  Ranma quickly countered it with a blast of his own 
ki.  The two bright glowing balls of energy canceled each other out.

	Selphie moved back again, visibly tired.  Ranma wondered if it might be 
possible for him to simply wear her out without actually having to attack her.

	As Ranma was considering this, Selphie began to concentrate.  In her mind, 
she could feel the wheels turning, showing her what to do next.  The golden glow 
began to form about her as she chose one spell, then the next, then the final 
one.

	"It looks like Selphie's gone into her Limit Break!" Hiroshi observed.  
"What kind of devastating attack will she unleash?"

	"Water!" Selphie cried.

	A globe of water washed over Ranma, transforming him but not doing much 
else, as Ranma was used to regularly being doused.

	"Water?" Ranma-chan asked in disbelief.  "You're trying to beat me using 
*water*?"

	Still glowing, Selphie appeared not to even notice Ranma's transformation.  
She moved on to the next spell.  "Blizzara!"

	Several large pieces of ice surrounded Ranma-chan and began to converge on 
her.  Ranma-chan barely dodged them, watching them bury themselves in the mat.

	Selphie reached deep into the reserves of her magic for the last spell, 
taking one that she hadn't expected to cast and had only junctioned to boost her 
attack power.  However, if this worked, it wouldn't matter if she was severely 
weakened.  "Firaga!"

	"Selphie, what are you doing?!" Zell cried as the final spell was cast and 
the golden glow faded from around the young woman.  "That's way too powerful to 
use here!"

	A massive firestorm raced in Ranma-chan's direction.  Quickly, she threw 
herself onto the mat, taking shelter from the blaze behind the chunks of ice 
that Selphie's previous spell had conjured.  The ice cracked and melted, the 
resulting water hot enough to change Ranma back to male form.  It had held out 
long enough to protect him from the worst of the blast, though it looked like 
he'd suffered a few minor burns.

	Steaming and shaking, Ranma climbed back to his feet.  One the other side 
of the ring, Selphie crouched, attempting to regain a bit of strength.

	"Tag out!" Akane and Zell chorused.

	Selphie nodded and moved back to her corner, reaching out an arm which 
Zell lightly touched as soon as he could.

	Meanwhile, Ranma shook his head.

	"Ranma, I can do this!" Akane insisted.  "Trust me!  Please!"

	Reluctantly, Ranma reached out and touched Akane's hand.  She sprung into 
the ring.

	"So, it's you 'n me again," Zell said.  "Maybe this time we'll actually 
get to do some fighting."

	Akane said nothing and simply moved into a ready stance.

	Zell charged.  Akane blocked his punch and retaliated with one of her own, 
which he ducked.  He kicked out; she sidestepped.  Her next punch connected with 
his shoulder.  He stumbled back a few steps, grimacing, before dashing forward 
and catching Akane in the side with his fist.  This time she backed off.

	He pressed the attack, coming in with a jump kick.  She rolled out of the 
way, but couldn't recover fast enough to counterattack.  Both of them separated 
briefly before Zell jump kicked again.  Akane ducked, but this time his foot 
grazed her shoulder.  His follow-up punch hit her in the stomach.

	Winded, she nearly fell backwards, but managed to stay on her feet.  It 
was obvious that he had the advantage in strength.  She wondered if he had the 
advantage in endurance as well.  She was pretty sure that she was faster though, 
and so far, he'd been fighting more aggressively.  Now was probably the time to 
catch him off guard by taking the offensive.

	"Kyaa!" Akane launched a jump kick of her own, which Zell barely managed 
to duck.  Not allowing him any time to recover, she quickly spun around and 
swept his feet out from under him.  He went flying forwards, but put his hands 
out to stop his fall, then used the momentum to spring back up.

	Akane aimed a punch for his chest, but he blocked it by grabbing her fist.  
He spun her sideways into the ropes.  She bounced off, then barely managed to 
dodge his next kick.

	The two circled each other warily.  Akane could see that Zell was fairly 
tired, but she was starting to feel her injuries.

	Zell charged again, but this time Akane could see the punch coming.  He 
was getting sloppy.  She easily dodged him, then used the opening to get behind 
him and trip him up.  He fell flat onto the mat and didn't immediately start to 
get back up again.

	Hoping that maybe she'd managed to wear him out, Akane crouched down and 
reached out an arm to pin him, but was interrupted by Ranma's cry.  "Get out of 
the way!  He's gonna do one of those Limit Break things!"

	Zell began to glow softly as he got up, Akane having scrambled out of the 
way.

	"Could this be it for Anything Goes?" Hiroshi asked.  "Zell's Limit Breaks 
have finished off his last two opponents, and Selphie managed to take out Ranma 
with hers just a few minutes ago!"

	Daisuke shrugged.  "They can't rely on those things forever, especially if 
they only work as desperation moves."

	Every muscle in Akane's body was tense as she watched Zell finish getting 
up, go into a ready stance, and...

	"Booya!" Zell cried as he started forward, fists outstretched, glowing 
brightly, heading right for Akane...

	...who jumped straight into the air, causing Zell to plow into the ropes.  
He rebounded off them, dazed and thrown out of his rhythm.

	Akane landed heavily, but was able to stay on her feet.  Zell stumbled 
towards her, still somewhat stunned.

	One strong kick was enough to knock him to the mat.  He stayed there as 
the referee counted to ten.

	Akane stood up and raised her arms high in the air.  "You're next, Sagat!" 
she cried, then exited the ring to rejoin Ranma.  The crowd chanted their names 
as the two young martial artists walked back up the ramp, victorious.

==========

	Nabiki Tendo was working.

	She was seated behind her desk in her office, looking over her financial 
reports regarding her show.  It was all hers.  And it was all good news; 
according to these papers, her net worth was larger than the combined GNP of 
South America.  It was not the kind of money in whose soft, warm glow she liked 
to bask.  It was the kind of money that struck like a supernova.  It was 
everything she'd ever dreamed of.  Literally.  At least, as far back as she 
could remember.

	But now the cold, hard cash was only cold, hard comfort.  She could juggle 
numbers and count zeroes to her heart's content, but it didn't help.  The warm 
fuzzies were gone.  Instead, she could only think of one thing.  One face.  One 
smile, reminiscent of a shark's, but a million times deadlier.

	Bison.  He'd tried toying with her, blackmailing her, threatening her, 
even kidnapping her.  He could have -- would have -- killed her, if not for a 
lot of luck.  And he still wanted Ultra, which meant that the question was not 
whether he would try again, but rather when.  And whether she would continue to 
be lucky.

	Nabiki Tendo was a businesswoman.  She did not rely on luck.  
Unfortunately, she hadn't been able to work out a foolproof solution yet -- 
defined, in her terms, as one that had a 100% chance of leaving her unscathed.  
The worst part was, she was sure she was running out of time.  Bison hadn't done 
anything for a few weeks, not overtly, and it was maddening.  She kept expecting 
him to strike at every turn.

	A knock on the door made her jump.  "Come in," she said, too quickly.  She 
glanced to the side.  Lina was still there, looking slightly bored; she caught 
Nabiki's gaze and waved back.  Nabiki nodded and forced herself to regain her 
composure as the door opened.

	"Good evening, Miss Tendo," said 'Shockwave' Alberto as he glided into the 
office and closed the door behind him.

	"Alberto."  Nabiki nodded.  "You're very polite tonight."

	"You haven't yet given me any cause to be impolite, Miss Tendo."  He 
strode toward her desk.

	It had been a joke, she thought.  But there was something in Alberto's 
half-smirking smile that made her wonder whether he had been serious after all.  
She cleared her throat and tried to be firm.  "You realize, though, that I can't 
see you without an appointment."

	He blinked at her with his one good eye.  "I've made one," he said.

	Nabiki's gaze fell to her personal calendar.  There it was, neatly marked 
in black ink.  She'd never forgotten an appointment before.  Had she been so 
distracted by Bison that it was affecting even such basic administrative tasks?  
She frowned to herself, then realized that Alberto might take the expression the 
wrong way -- and, there, she'd just made another mistake -- and forced a smile 
instead.  "So you have.  I'm sorry, I--"

	With a casual flip of his hand, Alberto waved it off.  "You're a busy 
woman, Miss Tendo.  It's only natural that you would make a few small mistakes."  
It isn't, she wanted to reply, but he was already continuing, a touch of wryness 
entering his voice.  "And of course there are those... powerful fighters... who 
are, shall we say, notoriously difficult to control.  Compared to that, a 
momentarily forgotten appointment is trivial."

	"Right," said Nabiki, not wishing to dwell on her oversight any longer.  
"So what can I do for... wait a minute.  Were you just trying to imply...?"

	Alberto reclined in the chair on the other side of her desk, folding his 
hands.  "Shadowlaw?  Why are you surprised, Miss Tendo?  This may not be my 
world, but I am still one of the Magnificent Ten, and Big Fire knows very well 
to watch those who have power."  He arched an eyebrow at her.  "We also know how 
to deprive them of that power, if they have become too bothersome to you..."

	"You're offering to get Big Fire involved."  It wasn't a question.

	He shrugged.  "We do have certain resources.  If I were to ask--"

	"No."  Nabiki narrowed her eyes angrily.  "I've been through this already 
with Bison.  I'm not about to give Ultra up to anybody.  But even if I did, I 
wouldn't give it to one group of criminals to save it from another.  If that's 
the reason you joined Ultra, you might as well go home now."

	That eyebrow arched slightly higher.  "You are a courageous woman, to say 
such a thing to me, and so bluntly."  Nabiki froze, and Lina tensed, preparing a 
spell, but Alberto's reaction was not what either expected:  he burst into 
laughter.  "I like that."

	"Thanks," Nabiki said dryly.

	"You're mistaken, Miss Tendo," Alberto said in a more serious tone.  "I 
assure you that Big Fire has no interest in owning a sports federation.  Ultra 
is lucrative, to be sure, but the goal of Big Fire is not something so prosaic 
as money, even if we did not lack the knowledge necessary to run such an 
enterprise.  We of the Magnificent Ten are not mere thugs like Bison."

	"That's good to hear."  She was a little surprised to find how much she 
meant that.  "If you don't mind my asking, though, why are you here?"

	Alberto steepled his fingers.  "I'm not here at Big Fire's request, if 
that's what you're asking.  They had some reservations about my participation, 
in fact.  But I made the case that Ultra is a good opportunity to learn about 
powers that are unknown on our world... powers that may become useful to Big 
Fire, or perhaps might become its rivals.  As I said, Big Fire is very 
interested in power."  He spread his hands, favoring her with that cocky smirk 
again.  "Personally, however, I enjoy the competition.  There are few on my 
world who could stand up to me, and I find that an occasional challenge is 
exhilarating."

	Nabiki raised an eyebrow.  "Very interesting," she noted.  "But I meant, 
why are you here, in my office, tonight."

	"I'm sure you've guessed."  Alberto chuckled.  "But I'll say it anyway.  
I'd like a match tonight."

	"Against someone in particular?"  He shook his head, and Nabiki continued, 
"Hm.  That does make things easier.  But we already had several Omega matches 
booked for tonight, and more requested.  I wouldn't want to overbook the Omega 
division..."

	The office door burst open.  "Nabsy, Nabsy, Nabsy," said Controversial 
Jack, simultaneously shaking his head and ducking beneath the Flare Arrow Lina 
reflexively fired off.

	Nabiki sighed.  "How long have you been eavesdropping, Jack?"

	"Don't know, my watch has stopped.  But never mind that.  The answer to 
your dilemma is staring you right in the face!  It's obvious!  I can't believe 
you don't see it!"

	There was silence for a moment.  "You're not just going to come out and 
tell me, are you?"

	"Do you even have to ask?"

	"*Squeak*," said Mr. Duck.

	"That's right, Mr. Duck.  She does!"

	Nabiki rubbed at her temples.  She was beginning to develop a migraine.  
"Fine.  What's your idea, Jack?"

	"Simple!"  Jack threw his arms out wide in an overenthusiastic gesture, 
nearly managing to clip Alberto on the side of the head.  "Omega matches are 
big!  The audience loves 'em.  They're violent and destructive and shiny and all 
that good stuff.  You've got ten bazillion Omega requests, so you can make an 
even bigger, better, more violent and destructive and shiny match."

	"Jack..."

	"Book 'em all!  Al here against Darshu against that other guy against 
whoever else was whining about a match, all in one free-for-all Omega brawl!"

	Nabiki paused, then nodded.  "You may have something there..."

	"Does that mean I can get some action tonight, too?  It's been a couple of 
weeks," Lina complained.

	"Yeah, sure," Nabiki said distractedly.  "Alberto, Lina... ah.  Yes, that 
will do nicely."  She scribbled a note onto a spare index card and handed it to 
Jack.  "Get them to announce that, would you?"

	"Book 'em, Nab-o."  Jack looked at the card and whistled.  "Not bad, boss-
lady.  But you know, I just had a thought.  It would be even more exciting if we 
turned it into a chocolate pudding wading pool match--"

	"Forget it, Jack."

	"It was worth a try."  The Controversial One vanished out the door before 
a scathing retort could be issued.

	Dismissing Jack from her mind, Nabiki turned back to Alberto, who had 
observed the exchange with some interest.  "Looks like you'll get your match," 
she said.

	Alberto smiled.  It was a smile of anticipation, but it was also the smile 
of a predator.  "I'll be looking forward to it," he said, standing up.  "Thanks 
for your time, Miss Tendo."

==========

	"What an amazing comeback!" Hiroshi roared.

	Even the normally reserved Daisuke was grinning.  "Akane's always been a 
fighter.  Tonight she bounced back from an injury to show just how good she 
really is."

	"And while she was doing it, she and Ranma delivered the first ever loss 
by knockout to the Selphie/Zell team, which had completely dominated all their 
matches to this point!"

	"All two of them."

	"Could this be the beginning of the end for their reign of terror in the 
Gamma-Lambda division?"

	"Probably not.  It's only one loss," Daisuke pointed out.

	"Keep watching in the next few weeks and see how this develops!" Hiroshi 
promised, completely ignoring Daisuke's remarks.  "Now, coming up right here in 
a few minutes, we have a steel cage match scheduled for you tonight.  But you 
won't be bored while you're waiting, because while our technicians are setting 
up the cage, we're going to take you live to the first of the colossal Omega 
matches we have scheduled for you tonight!"

	Daisuke waved the card.  "That's right.  Tonight we've got a massive melee 
of mechanical might, because B-ko Daitokuji has formally challenged Duo Maxwell 
to prove whose mecha have the superior design -- Duo's Gundam Deathscythe or... 
uh, whatever B-ko is piloting tonight."

	Hiroshi facepalmed.  "Oh, Dai, and you were doing so well with that 
alliteration... but never mind that.  Tell our viewers where this incredible 
battle is going to take place!  What distant, desolate planet, what godforsaken 
stretch of lifeless wasteland will play host to this once-in-a-lifetime struggle 
of minds and machines?"

	Daisuke blinked as he read the card.  "Wyoming."

	"WYO--!"  Hiroshi paused.  Slowly, he turned to look at his fellow 
announcer.  "Wyoming?" he asked, nonplused.

	"That's what it says."  Daisuke shrugged.

	"Isn't that in America?"

	"Apparently nobody lives there."

	"Oh."  Hiroshi blinked.  "Well, then."  He picked up the microphone and 
regained his previous volume.  "Ladies and gentlemen, we now take you to... 
Wyoming!"

	The UltraTron flickered to life overhead, revealing a panoramic view of... 
Wyoming.  There was a lot of ground, that was for sure.  In the background, a 
few miles away, there were some mountains, too, but apparently they'd chosen a 
fairly flat location to begin the match.  Goku hovered patiently in midair in 
front of the towering form of Duo's Deathscythe.  Neither B-ko nor her mecha was 
in sight; apparently, they hadn't yet arrived.

	"Really?" Duo said.  "The whole moon?  One of my friends sort of destroyed 
a space colony before, but it didn't just blow up into little bits in one 
shot..."

	"It wasn't so much, really.  Frieza used to destroy whole planets..."  
Goku fell silent as he noticed the hovering camera pods' activation.  "Hey, it 
must be time.  I guess your opponent will show up any minute."

	Right on cue, a large portal opened up.  B-ko's latest mecha strode 
through.

	Back in the UltraDome, for one brief moment, there was absolute silence.  
Even Hiroshi sat, stunned, jaw gaping wide open at the sight of the mecha.

	In Wyoming, Goku boggled.  Duo, inside Deathscythe's cockpit, slapped his 
forehead.  And B-ko... laughed.  "Ohohohohoho!  As you can see, my genius is 
measured not only by my unparalleled design and engineering skills, but also by 
my keen understanding of human psychology.  After all, I know that you, Duo 
Maxwell, could never strike your friend!"

	"Tell me this isn't happening," Daisuke whimpered.

	"You mean the robot?" Hiroshi asked.  "Sorry, dude.  It's there."

	The center of all this attention -- B-ko's mecha of choice for tonight -- 
could be described only one way.  Attack of the Fifty-Foot Daisuke.  It was a 
replica of the laconic announcer, from head to tux to formal dress shoes, cast 
in steel, the height of the Gundam.

	"Are you out of your mind, lady?" Duo asked, and immediately answered 
himself.  "Silly question.  But come on... it's not like I'm going to mistake 
that thing for Daisuke..."

	"If you two are both ready," Goku said, flying up between the two.  "I 
want a clean fight.  You know the rules; interference or destroying the arena 
counts as a technical foul."

][ OMEGA MATCH #1
][ B-ko vs. Duo
][ FIGHT!

	Goku flew backwards out of the way as the bell rang, leaving the field 
between the two giant robots clear.  B-ko didn't hesitate.  The giant mecha-
Daisuke lurched forward, its massive hand swinging toward Deathscythe's head.  
But the Gundam raised its shield to block.  Its feet plowed twin furrows into 
the earth as it resisted the force of the blow.

	"Ha!  Is that all you've got?" Duo demanded.  "It'll be a cold day in hell 
before that thing could even scratch the God of Death!"  The Gundam's free arm 
swung its plasma scythe in a diagonal arc toward B-ko's robot, but the giant 
Daisuke's hand shot out to grab its wrist before it could connect.  "Huh?  It's 
fast..."

	"Now you'll pay for underestimating my genius!  Akagiyama mecha-missiles!"  
The 'pocket' flap of robot Daisuke's tuxedo pivoted downwards to reveal a 
weapons port, which promptly launched a volley of B-ko's signature mini-
missiles.

	Duo yelped, urging Deathscythe to twist out of mecha-Daisuke's grasp and 
boost backwards.  But the range was too low for him to evade completely, and the 
grip on Deathscythe's wrist only slowed him further.  As the Gundam soared into 
the air, the first of the volley of missiles exploded against its chest, then a 
second, third, and fourth struck, sending him crashing to the ground in a cloud 
of dust.

	(In the UltraDome, Hiroshi laughed hysterically.  "It looks like Daisuke's 
got a rocket in his--"

	"Don't even go there unless you want to see whether your Ultra insurance 
package covers injuries inflicted by announcers," Daisuke warned.)

	Duo grimaced as he checked the damage readings.  Fortunately, since he'd 
been twisting, all of the missiles after the first had impacted against his 
shield arm.  They'd still shaken up the system, though, and that first had 
caused some real damage.  His power output was down 12%, meaning his mobility 
would decrease, too, and life-support systems were showing warning status -- 
lucky they weren't fighting in space.  Deathscythe rolled to the side as mecha-
Daisuke's foot crashed down where its head had been, and pushed itself back to 
its feet.

	B-ko's haughty chuckle came over the speakers as her mecha slowly 
approached for another attempt.  "You're clearly outclassed.  Why don't you 
surrender, and spare yourself the agony?"

	"That was a nice trick," Duo admitted.  "But it won't get me twice.  
You're going down!"  The Gundam's jets flared as Duo took to the air.

	B-ko smiled to herself.  She hadn't really expected him to surrender, 
despite her superiority.  And she would have been disappointed if he had.  It 
had been a long week, exhaustingly nursing her beloved Sephi-chan back to health 
after whatever that hussy had done to him.  She'd wanted revenge tonight, but 
Naga was scheduled for another fight.  But in her absence, Duo would do as a 
target for working out her frustrations.  "You first.  Akagiyama mecha-bow tie!"

	"Akagiyama what?" Duo asked in sheer disbelief.

	The bow tie launched into the air, splitting into a mass of ribbon-like 
cables.  One entangled Deathscythe's legs, slamming it downward into the ground 
again.  A second wrapped itself around one arm, holding it in place.

	("This is embarrassing," Daisuke moaned, hiding beneath the announcers' 
table.)

	"All right, that does it."  One sweep of the plasma scythe cut the ribbons 
away; a second held at bay the encroaching mecha-Daisuke until the Gundam had 
again regained its feet.  He feinted with the scythe, then slammed his shoulder 
forward into B-ko's mecha when she fell for it.

	Mecha-Daisuke rocked under the attack, but held firm.  "Ohohoho!  With 
such a weak attack, you cannot hope to stop me!  ...Op me.  ...Op me."

	"Hmm.  I must have sustained some damage to the external speakers," B-ko 
mused.  She flipped a switch, turning them off, then pushed a small button.  Her 
mecha's mouth gaped wide open, releasing a laser barrage.

	This time, Duo was ready for the trick.  Deathscythe swayed to one side, 
then leapt into the air, spinning to evade the red pulses of energy.  He fired 
back, and the lasers stopped as B-ko was forced onto the defensive.  Deathscythe 
leveled out, swooping down toward the other mecha.

	B-ko's machine held its ground, retrieving a giant microphone from behind 
its back.  She turned the implement upside-down, and a plasma blade erupted from 
its base just in time to parry Duo's scythe.  She rolled backwards under the 
impact, and turned the motion into an attack by thrusting her blade upwards as 
the Gundam passed overhead.

	At the last moment before impact, the Deathscythe spiraled away from the 
plasma sword in a creditable barrel roll.  Duo landed the Gundam on its feet 
just a few feet past the downed mecha-Daisuke.  "I thought so," he said with a 
cocky chuckle.  "All you've got are some tricks, and that's no match for real 
skill.  C'mon, get up so we can finish this."

	The mechanical Daisuke lumbered to its feet.  Within its cockpit, B-ko 
quietly fumed and flipped a row of toggle switches.  Now all of mecha-Daisuke's 
weapons were armed.  "I'll show you true skill," she promised, though she knew 
he wouldn't hear, with the speakers turned off.  A tense moment of silence drew 
out between the two opposing robots.

	B-ko stabbed a finger down onto a medium-sized yellow button.  Mecha-
Daisuke's left arm shot forward, hand curled and index finger and thumb extended 
in a 'gun' position.  The thumb rapidly fell and rose, and a series of 
cannonballs shot from the robot's finger.

	As the first shot rang out, Deathscythe exploded into action.  Duo guided 
his machine first to one side, then the other; he soared, veered, and turned in 
a complex dance, evading the hail of bullets with a surprising grace.  All the 
while Deathscythe was working its way forward toward its opponent.  Duo was 
holding back from using either its vulcan cannons or its shield, enhancing his 
display of piloting skill; he intended to finish the battle with the plasma 
scythe.

	The tangling bow-tie cables launched again, but, forewarned, he easily 
avoided them.  The volley of missiles was more difficult, but he persevered, 
guiding his mecha through the firestorm with an apparent ease that belied its 
bulk.  He leapt and spun over the last of them, his scythe swinging overhead in 
a devastating arc as the Gundam emerged from the dust cloud B-ko's relentless 
attacks had created.  B-ko barely got the mechanical Daisuke's sword arm up in 
time to block the blow aimed squarely at her head.

	She pushed forward against him, using a flurry of quick sword strokes and 
even a kick or two.  The Deathscythe seemed to be reading every attack before 
she made it, though; its metallic form either blocked her frantic attacks or 
seemed to melt away from them right before her eyes.  But then, as she continued 
to press her attack, Deathscythe stumbled backwards, tripping over a section of 
ground that her earlier volley of missiles had torn up.

	B-ko's mecha lunged forward, putting all of its power behind a thrust into 
the center of the Gundam's chest.

	Deathscythe's foot swept back, and the massive mecha pivoted neatly out of 
the way.  The plasma scythe swept around in a tight arc, and B-ko cried out in 
surprise and rage as it severed mecha-Daisuke's overextended right hand at the 
wrist.  The blade of the plasma sword flickered out as it fell to earth, leaving 
only the mecha-sized microphone, which shattered against the rock.  Mecha-
Daisuke wobbled and finally, its balance disrupted, pitched forward to the 
ground.

	Deathscythe stood proudly over the downed mecha.  "That's what you get for 
messing with the God of Death," Duo laughed.

	B-ko saw red.  "I'm not through yet," she muttered, grinding her teeth.  
She stretched her arm, reaching toward a particularly large, gleaming red 
button, which she'd deliberately installed overhead almost out of reach, so that 
it couldn't be triggered by accident.  "I'll show you real power."  With a final 
lunge, she pushed the Big Red Button.

	Wyoming blew up.

	A massive series of explosions rocked the area, throwing gouts of earth 
and rock high into the air.  A fast-moving wave of fire blossomed and spread, 
burning all the vegetation in its path to fine black ash, which the concussive 
force of the explosions spread over the state.  Here and there, deep chasms 
yawned open in the ground.  The sheer noise alone almost put the UltraDome to 
shame.

	For all that destructive potential, however, little effect was realized.  
When the repeated explosions had dwindled, when the earth had ceased heaving, 
when the flames had died down, there were still two robots and one Saiyajin 
lying amid the devastation.  All three were as close to perfectly intact as they 
had been before the blast, except for a light coating of ash and a momentary 
deafness.  There was a brief pause between the two combatants as each realized 
this.

	Duo began to move forward, only to be stopped by Son Goku.  "You win," he 
said.

	"WHAT?"  B-ko's outraged screech could be clearly heard even without the 
external speakers engaged.  "I can still fight!"

	"You blew up Wyoming.  That's destruction of the arena," Goku said.  "And 
that's a technical foul.  Duo wins."

	The mechanical Daisuke struggled back to its feet.  "But you... I..."  In 
the face of the Saiyajin's calm but steady gaze, B-ko backed down.  "This isn't 
over, Duo!  You may have won on a technicality, but my technology is still the 
best in Ultra!"  She would have to find out what went wrong with those bombs, 
though; they should have flattened anything standing upright, like the Gundam.  
She piloted the mecha-Daisuke through a portal.  A moment later, Duo left the 
field through another.

==========

	"What a match!" Hiroshi shouted with his usual caffeine-driven enthusiasm.  
"That's Destruction with a capital D... and we've got three more INCREDIBLE 
matches coming at you tonight, folks!"

	A stagehand gave Daisuke a piece of paper.  He glanced at it and reached 
for his microphone.  "Correction... we've got four matches.  Nabiki's just lined 
up another Omega fight for tonight."

	"A four-way free-for-all Omega brawl!" Hiroshi cheered, reading over 
Daisuke's shoulder.  "If you thought watching a giant robot Daisuke get beat up 
was fun--"  Daisuke gave Hiroshi a dirty look, but the hyperactive clone failed 
to notice.  "--Just wait until you see this!  Some of the biggest names in Ultra 
are going at it head to head tonight!"

	"Some of the biggest egos in Ultra, too," Daisuke noted.  "But right now, 
we're about to bring you a steel cage Gamma match."

	"And what a match it'll be!"

	"You say that about every match."

	"Because it's true!  But before we move on to our sure-to-be-spectacular 
steel cage bout, our cameras have captured a brief but tense confrontation 
between Akane and the SeeD team backstage!  Let's watch..."

==========

	Akane walked through the back corridors of the UltraDome.  She'd sent 
Ranma off to the medical ward to have his burns looked at.  They weren't severe, 
and Ranma had protested that she should be the one getting medical attention.  
But she'd insisted that he stay there and get check out.  Part of it was because 
she was concerned for him, and the other part...

	Washuu had been very helpful in getting her healed.  She had warned Akane, 
however, not to overexert herself, and the fight tonight had taken more out of 
her than she'd expected.  The pain in her tailbone was starting to act up again, 
and she hadn't wanted Ranma to see how much.  If she could just find Washuu 
before Ranma got done and get her to give a quick fix, things should be okay.

	She rounded a corner and came face to face with Selphie and Zell, both 
looking rather upset.

	"Oh no," Akane said, instinctively dropping into a fighting stance.

	"We were looking all over for you, Akane!" Selphie exclaimed.  "And Ranma 
too.  There's something we need to tell you.  We're really, really sorry."

	Akane blinked.  "What?" she asked.

	"We went kinda overboard back there," Zell said, scratching his head 
apologetically. 

	"I didn't mean to cast Firaga!  I completely forgot I'd junctioned it!" 
Selphie explained.  "My Limit Break's kinda random; I don't have much control 
over what goes into it."

	"Um... okay," Akane said, getting very puzzled.  "It's all right, really.  
Ranma's fine, and--"

	"That's great!" Selphie cried happily.  "I was getting worried about him.  
Please tell him I'm sorry, all right?"

	"Sure..." Akane agreed, her confusion growing.

	"And it was so brave of you to go out there tonight, after what Sagat did 
to you!" Selphie continued.  "We were honored that we got to be the first 
opponents in your return to victory!"

	Zell, meanwhile, noticed one of Ultra's floating cameras approaching from 
behind Akane.  "Selphie!" he whispered.

	"And we hope we can... oh?"  Selphie suddenly snarled at Akane.  "We hope 
we can kick your sorry asses the next time we're in the ring!  You'd better 
watch your back, 'cause you never know when the SeeDs are going to strike next!  
We're mercenaries; remember that!"

	"What?" Akane asked, now utterly bewildered.

	The camera moved out of range.  "It's gone," Zell informed his partner.

	Selphie grinned.  "I love doing that.  It's soooo much fun!  Almost as fun 
as blowing things up!  Anyhow, Akane, you and Ranma take care!  We'll be 
watching for you!"  She skipped off down the hallway.

	"Seeya 'round!" Zell gave Akane a cheerful wave, then followed Selphie 
off.

	Akane stood there for a few minutes, blinking.  "What just happened?"

==========

	Back in the UltraDome proper, Hiroshi, Daisuke, and the audience finished 
watching the live video feed from backstage.

	"And it looks like Selphie and Zell are going to be gunning for Akane and 
Ranma in the future!" Hiroshi exclaimed.  "Who knows what that devious duo will 
spring in the future?  Is this the beginning of another exciting rivalry?"

	"Maybe," Daisuke said non-committally.

	"You're supposed to say 'yes,' Dai," Hiroshi informed his partner.

	"Sorry; I'll try to do better next time."  Daisuke rolled his eyes.  
"Anyhow, the techs have finished setting up, so it's time for the next match."

	"That's right!  As a preview for all the heart-stopping action at 
ULTRARAGE ETA, our next match is a special STEEL CAGE MATCH!"  You could almost 
hear the capital letters in Hiroshi's voice.  "Making his way down to the ring 
now... one half of Bison's Busters... Vega!"

	As the Spaniard walked down the ramp, he was greeted with mixed boos from 
the people who thought that anyone who had to do with Bison was Pure Evil, and 
the excited squeals from young women who found him incredibly gorgeous.  With 
his mask and his now-blunted claw clutched in one hand, he used the other to 
blow kisses to the crowd.  Right before reaching the ring, he walked over to one 
young lady in the front row, took her hand, and kissed it.  She swooned.

	Daisuke made gagging noises.  Vega shot him a quick glare, then walked 
into the cage.

	"And his opponent is--" Hiroshi stopped short, blinked, and wordlessly 
handed the card to Daisuke.

	"Shermie?" Daisuke read.  "Huh.  I hadn't heard anything from her in 
ages."

	"Dai, it's not nice to leave your girlfriend hanging like that," Hiroshi 
chided.

	"She isn't my girlfriend.  And it's really weird; it's like she dropped 
off the map completely after her match against Iori."

	"A match which you interfered in," Hiroshi helpfully pointed out.

	Daisuke facepalmed.  "Now *that* was a mistake.  Remind me never to let 
Jack give me 'helpful relationship advice' again."

	Hiroshi laughed.  "You took *Jack's* advice?"

	"It's more like he overheard me saying something and decided that he'd 
'help.'  And then it was too late to get out of it."

	In the meantime, Shermie had made her way to the ring.  She was dressed in 
her old outfit again, and she looked almost sad.  Casting a brief glance at the 
announcer's booth, she stepped into the cage.

	Vega had finished strapping on his claw and was about to put his mask on 
when he got a look at Shermie.  "Ahh, such a beautiful flower," he said.  "A 
shame I shall have to cut you."

	Shermie did not answer, nor gave any indication that she had even heard 
him.

	Vega raised an eyebrow.  "Oh, it is to be like that?  Very well, then."  
He put his mask on and raised his claw in salute.

][ GAMMA MATCH #1
][ Shermie vs. Vega
][ FIGHT!!

	Both combatants leapt into the air as soon as the match started.  Shermie 
kicked out, hoping to catch Vega with her legs, while Vega had his claw 
outstretched, aiming for her shoulder.  They narrowly missed each other.  While 
Shermie landed back on the mat, Vega simply bounced off the side of the cage and 
flew at her again.  This time, Shermie wasn't as lucky.  Vega's strike caught 
her in the arm, his claw nearly tearing the fabric of her jacket despite its 
bluntness.

	"Vega's got one heck of an advantage in this type of arena!" Hiroshi 
noted.  "Apparently, this is the type of fighting he used to specialize in back 
in Spain!  Shermie's going to have a hard time against him, since her fighting 
style relies on staying in close to her opponent, while Vega plays a mean game 
of aerial keep-away!"

	"I know, I know," Daisuke said, rubbing his temples.

	"I wasn't telling you, Dai.  I was telling the audience," Hiroshi 
clarified.

	Daisuke simply shook his head.  "But why Shermie?  Why'd they pick her?"

	"Worried about your girlfriend?"

	"She isn't my... never mind.  Let's just pay attention to the match, all 
right?"

	The fight had barely started, and Shermie already seemed to be in serious 
trouble.  She tried jumping towards Vega, attempting to grab him into a Shermie 
Spiral, but he backflipped out of the way and then used his claw to knock her 
out of the air.  She landed right in front of him, and he immediately grabbed 
her and flipped her down onto the mat.  She was able to get up fairly quickly, 
but by then Vega had already jumped to the other side of the ring.

	As she watched, Vega began to scale the links of the cage.  Mad, shrill 
laughter emanated from behind his mask as he climbed even higher.  With a whoop, 
he jumped backwards from the cage and dove towards her, arms outstretched.  Too 
startled to react, Shermie was struck in the shoulder by Vega's claw and sent 
crashing into the side of the cage.

	"And Vega isn't hesitating to press his advantage!" Hiroshi continued.  
"Shermie's completely outclassed here!  It's going to take a serious stroke of 
luck for her to even have a chance!"

	Staggering slightly, Shermie managed to push herself back up and aim a 
fast punch at her still-laughing opponent.  It caught him right in the coils of 
the snake that was tattooed on his chest.

	Vega stopped laughing.  "Ah, so she has decided to fight back?  Was not 
the first demonstration of my skill enough?"

	Shermie couldn't see his face, but she was almost certain he was still 
smiling.  This was starting to make her mad.  She reached out to punch him 
again, but this time he flipped out of her reach, then rolled forward and struck 
her in her chest with his claw.  Winded, she fell back against the cage again.

	"This isn't right," Daisuke said quietly as the crowd began to boo.  "What 
was Jack *thinking* when he booked this?"

	Vega stood still and watched Shermie unsteadily right herself.  "Give it 
up," he said.  "You are no match for my skills or my beauty."

	Shermie quieted him when her next kick hit him in the face, knocking his 
mask askew.  As he reached with his unclawed hand to straighten it, lest his 
precious face be injured, she swept his legs out from under him.  He landed on 
the mat in an undignified sprawl.  Not wanting to give him the chance to get 
back up again, she bent down to pin him.

	The mad laughter began again.  "Oh, very good.  Perhaps I underestimated 
you after all.  I assure you, I shall not make that same mistake twice."  
Suddenly, Shermie found herself flying through the air towards the side of the 
cage once more.  She managed to flip herself around and land on her feet, only 
to find Vega flying straight at her.

	The two collided, Shermie landing flat on her back while Vega nimbly leapt 
onto the side of the cage and hung there.

	The crowd's boos were deafening now.  Perhaps Shermie had once been a 
Harbinger of the [VOID], but nobody deserved the beating that she was currently 
getting from Vega.

	Shermie lay there for a few seconds.  This was it; this was the end.  She 
was nothing without Yashiro, or Chris, or the power of the [VOID].  Daisuke-chan 
probably didn't even care about her any more.

	"Shermie!" Daisuke's concerned voice rang out over the noise of the crowd.

	"Daisuke-chan?" Shermie whispered.

	"Get up, Shermie!  Don't let him do this to you!"

	"How touching," Vega said mockingly from where he perched.  "Your paramour 
shows concern for you.  That shall not be enough to save you, though."

	Shermie could see it starting, almost in slow motion.  Vega let go of the 
bars of the cage, launching himself towards her.  Whether his intention was to 
grab her and throw her or to simply dive onto her did not matter.  The result 
would be the same.  She wouldn't be able to get up from a blow like that.

	"Get up," she whispered to herself.

	"I can't look!" Hiroshi bawled, shielding his eyes.

	Daisuke clenched fists that he couldn't even remember making.  "Come on, 
Shermie!"

	There was a loud thud as Vega impacted with the mat, inches away from 
where Shermie had managed to roll herself out of the way.

	Slowly, Shermie got to her feet once more.  "Daisuke-chan!" she exclaimed 
brightly.

	Meanwhile, Vega was crawling back to the side of the cage behind Shermie.  
One last blow from behind ought to do it.  Agonizingly, he touched his metal 
claw to the wire of the cage...

	...just as Shermie blew several of her electric kisses in Daisuke's 
direction.  The bolts of electricity flowed throughout the entire cage, as metal 
is an excellent conductor.

	Vega howled as the current arced through him, then coughed up smoke and 
collapsed.  He didn't get back up.

	Hiroshi uncovered his eyes and took in the entire scene.  "I don't believe 
it!  In a stunning comeback, Shermie has managed to win this match!  Metal 
conducts electricity!  I wonder why she didn't think of it earlier?"

	Because Shermie is a bimbo, Daisuke did not say.  Instead, he said, "We'll 
be back with more action after this commercial break."

	As Ultra went to commercial, Shermie stood in the cage, waiting for 
Daisuke to come down and offer his congratulations to her.  Instead, he flashed 
her a thumbs-up and a relieved smile, then resumed chatting with Hiroshi.  He 
fully intended to talk with her after the show was over, but she had no way of 
knowing that, and it probably wouldn't have lessened her disappointment even if 
she had.  Suddenly her victory seemed a lot more hollow, and the letter she'd 
received a few days ago from Chris and Yashiro looked a lot more inviting.

==========

	Meanwhile, in Shadowlaw headquarters, Bison watched Vega's defeat on one 
of Bison's giant viewscreens.  As soon as the match ended, Bison reached out and 
impassively pressed a button on the console in front of him.  The screen went 
dark.

	Bison turned to regard Sagat, who was idly leaning against the wall.  "So, 
what did you think of tonight's match?"

	"It was... entertaining."  Sagat spat out the last word in disgust.

	"That it was."  Bison idly tapped his fingers on the console.  "I am 
disappointed in Vega.  Being defeated by a fluke is not becoming of a Shadowlaw 
warrior."

	Sagat fumed.  Somehow Bison always found a way to work his own past 
failures into most of their conversations.

	"At any rate," Bison continued, "fluke or no, it is time that these games 
stopped.  UltraRage Eta approaches... and what better time to finally take Ultra 
than in front of a worldwide audience?"

	"I assume you have a plan?" Sagat asked.

	"But of course."  Bison frowned.  "You would suspect me of being ill-
prepared?"

	"Oh, never that."  Sagat started to walk off.  "Never that.  Now, if 
you'll excuse me, I need to train.  Perhaps then I can prevent more of these... 
flukes from occurring."

	After Sagat had left, Bison sat in silence.  He disliked Sagat's growing 
attitude of insubordination.  His fighters' repeated failures were beginning to 
grate on him.  Ultra should have been his long ago.

	"Yet for all these inconveniences," he said, "victory shall be even 
sweeter."  He raised one fist, glowing with Psycho Energy.  "And Sagat shall be 
the first to acknowledge the depths of my power."

==========

	Sakura Kinomoto nervously shuffled a thin deck of cards.  These were not 
mere playing cards; the complicated patterns on their backs were enough to tell 
an observer that much even without seeing the unique designs of their faces.  
These were the Clow Cards, a magical deck which contained the spells she could 
control as a Card Captor.  The deck was not entirely complete, but she had 
recaptured possession of enough cards to make her arsenal quite formidable.

	And that was the problem she faced.  Biting her lip, she shuffled through 
the cards again, staring first at one, then at another.  "How did I let you talk 
me into this?" she wailed.

	Shaoran paused from straightening the cap that matched the green and gold 
Chinese robe he wore.  He turned his eyes from the mirror to gaze unnervingly at 
her.  "We are going to win," he stated.

	"I don't even know which ones I should use..."

	He sighed.  "Fine.  I'll help."  She smiled tentatively at him, but he 
refused to acknowledge the gesture.  Pulling a chair over to her, Shaoran sat 
down.  "First of all, you don't want to take the whole deck out there.  You'll 
need to be able to react quickly, and it's pretty apparent that you can't deal 
with having choices."  Sakura's smile vanished.  Shaoran went on, heedless of 
the change.  "Pick five or six.  Not only attacks, make sure you have a variety.  
You'll just have to improvise once you're in the ring.  Did you have anything in 
mind?"

	"Well, if we want to win, maybe the Time card--"

	"Don't be stupid," he interrupted with a scowl.  "Stop time and beat up 
the opponent?  Even if that's not technically illegal, which I wouldn't bet on, 
it'd get us fired.  Nobody wants to see a fight that ends in three seconds with 
no fanfare."

	Sakura's brow furrowed.  "Don't we want to win?  I thought you said--"

	"Of course we want to win.  But we have to entertain the audience doing 
it.  That means we can't use cards that would make the fight look too unfair.  
Erase is out, too."

	"How about Illusion?"

	Shaoran stroked his chin thoughtfully.  "That might count as outside 
interference... or even mind control.  Better not risk it," he decided.

	Sakura's advisor Kero tore himself away from the dressing room mirror and 
fluttered over, hovering near her head.  "Well, why not take a card you're 
familiar with?  It'll be easier to control when you're nervous."

	"Ah!  Of course, Windy!"  It was Sakura's oldest card, and one of the four 
governing elements, with very flexible powers.  But more importantly, it was a 
gentle, obedient card.

	Kero nodded, but Shaoran frowned.  "Windy is pretty easygoing.  You should 
take something more aggressive, like Thunder."

	"Windy will always do exactly what I say," Sakura argued.  "And we don't 
want them to be too aggressive, anyway.  It's not like this is a real fight..."

	"You'd better treat it as a real fight!" the boy snapped.  Sakura 
recoiled, and he took a deep breath before continuing.  "Look, you've seen the 
show.  This may not be to the finish, but people can really get hurt out there."

	"By accident?"

	"Sometimes," he said darkly.  She shivered.  "Everyone here is pretty 
strong in one way or another, so if you don't take the fighting seriously, 
you're making a big mistake.  That ritual I did for you will make you a little 
more resilient, but you started out so weak in comparison that you're probably 
still below the level of most of the fighters in Ultra.  So don't act like 
you're invincible.  Dodge."

	"So that's what that was?" Sakura asked.  She gazed at Shaoran with 
newfound respect.  "Is that what you use?"

	He snorted contemptuously.  "I don't need to use it on myself.  I actually 
know how to fight."

	"...Oh."  Sakura's cheer decreased visibly, but she gamely rallied.  
"Well, anyway, thanks for--"

	"I only did it because I didn't want to lose because someone knocked you 
out with one punch.  You wouldn't be in the ring at all if it wasn't for your 
friend's conditions, but I can't help that.  So try not to embarrass us too 
badly."  He turned away in a huff.  "Now pick your cards, already.  Our first 
match is going to start soon."

	Sakura had been ready to argue further, but her anger turned to panic as 
Shaoran's last words registered.  She shuffled through her cards again, fanning 
them out.  Thunder... no, wait, that was Shaoran's idea, definitely not.  She'd 
show him...  She could pick out cards just fine by herself!  Shadow, instead.  
The Sword card... there were a lot of martial artists in Ultra; that one would 
be a good choice for hand-to-hand combat, since it gave her the skills of an 
expert fencer.  That made three.  She'd need one for mobility... Jump or Fly.  
Maybe Jump, this time; she might need the Clow Key staff to block, and she 
couldn't do that if she were flying on it.  She'd round out her picks with 
something to surprise... something... hmm.

	"Sakura."  Kero proffered one of the cards she'd spread out on the 
dresser.  She looked at it and smiled.  The Mirror card... yes, that would 
certainly be a surprise.

	"Thanks, Kero-chan," she said.

	The plushie smiled back at her.  "Don't worry.  You're going to be great 
in Ultra.  Remember, you're the Card Captor, and the number one student of the 
great Guardian Beast Keroberos!"  Sakura giggled as Kero puffed himself up.

	"Are you finally ready?" Shaoran broke in.  "We've got a fight to win."

==========

	"We're back, and I still can't believe that last match!" Hiroshi greeted 
the viewers at home.  "Shermie managed to beat Vega in his own element, the 
cage!" he added, perhaps for the benefit of Ultra's amnesiac fans.  "All I can 
say is, wow!  What a fight!"

	"You can say that again, Hiroshi," said a rather distracted-looking 
Daisuke.

	"Wow!  What a fight!"

	Daisuke favored his fellow announcer with a flat look.  "You live to annoy 
me, don't you?"

	"No, Dai, that's just a side perk!" Hiroshi said cheerfully.  "I live to 
announce the matches so everyone here and at home can share in the excitement 
that is Ultra.  And speaking of excitement, this next one is going to blow you 
away!  We've got the debut of a brand new Lambda team!"  The audience roared 
their approval.

	Daisuke looked at Hiroshi in disbelief.  "You scare me sometimes."

	"You know what scares me?  How EXCITING tonight's show is!  Just like 
every week here on Ultra!"

	"You're really beginning to overuse that word."

	As usual, Hiroshi paid no attention.  "First our defenders..."  Right on 
cue, pyrotechnics lit one ramp in a blaze of blue and red as the team made its 
appearance.  A murmur ran through the crowd.  "Hailing from Pallet Town, it's 
Gary Oak!  Ultra's most recent pokemon trainer put on a good showing against 
Vega last week until his rival Ash prematurely ended that fight with a sneak 
attack from behind."  The crowd obligingly booed; maybe Gary couldn't command 
much more than general goodwill yet, but Ash was a name they'd grown to hate.

	"It looks like he's not letting Ash's threats stop him from competing," 
Daisuke said.  "And he's partnered with Misty, too."

	"Misty has been absent from competition since she and Ash broke up their 
previous team," Hiroshi expounded.  "Now it seems she's making her return to the 
ring!  Could this be the beginning of a new Team Pokemon?"

	"Somehow I don't think so."  Daisuke watched the pair walk down the ramp, 
waving to their fans as they went.  Following Hiroshi's speech, they at least 
had the audience's sympathy and good wishes, and Gary seemed happy enough for 
the moment.  Misty was trailing behind, though, and glanced back over her 
shoulder at least once as they climbed up to the ring.

	Gary climbed over the ropes to await his opponent.  He leaned across and 
whispered to Misty, "Thanks for agreeing to show up so I could have a match.  
You don't have to fight if you don't want to; it's okay..."

	Misty bit her lip and cast her eyes downward.  "No," she finally decided.  
"I'll fight with you."

	"Are you sure?  I know you were saying..."

	She nodded.  "I was thinking about leaving Ultra.  I never really enjoyed 
this kind of competition."  Not like Ash had, that was for sure.  And look where 
it had gotten him.  "But you still do."  She smiled up at him.  "So I'm not 
going to handicap you.  Tag me in if you need a break.  I'll be all right."

	Gary looked at her seriously, and then nodded, with a slight smile -- not 
his usual cocky expression, but a genuine one.  "Thanks, Misty."

	"What are friends for?"

	The conversation was brought to an end by the hiss of the other ramp's 
pyrotechnics lighting, sending a shower of green and gold sparks into the air.  
Gary turned around as the new team appeared at the top of the ramp, side by 
side.  From the speakers blasted the jaunty, bouncy disco-pop of "Catch You, 
Catch Me."

	Shaoran stood for a moment, his eyes fixed firmly on the ring, before 
starting down the ramp.  His stride was even and unhurried; beneath his cap, his 
eyes blazed.  He wore the same green, white, and yellow outfit, but he'd added 
one thing to the ensemble:  a broadsword belted around his waist gleamed faintly 
in the light shed by the fireworks.

	In contrast, his partner Sakura stood at the top of the ramp, looking 
around in awe at the audience, for a full five seconds after Shaoran had started 
down.  She then hurried to catch up, practically running down the aisle -- a 
maneuver that looked unwieldy at best, considering her current clothing.  She 
wore a black gymnast's leotard sprinkled with random panels of stained-glass 
reds, blues, and greens, with a ruffled dress in the same colors over it, and 
high black boots.  Her head was adorned with a headpiece reminiscent of 
antennae, and a colorful wing-shaped ornament protruded along the back of her 
dress.  She looked, not surprisingly, very self-conscious.

	"And this must be our new Lambda team," Daisuke deadpanned.

	"Right you are, Daisuke!" Hiroshi energetically agreed.  "Making their 
Ultra debut tonight, Team Clow... the Card Captors, Sakura Kinomoto and Shaoran 
Li!"  Another wave of faint, by Ultra standards, polite applause greeted the 
statement.

	Daisuke covered his microphone and leaned over toward Hiroshi.  "What's 
with all the kids in Ultra?"

	"Don't be fooled by their age," Hiroshi answered for the world to hear.  
"This pair has already proven themselves in a very dangerous job!"

	"Maybe so, but... what is she wearing, anyway?  Aiyaiyai..."

	"She's a little butterfly?"  Hiroshi shrugged innocently and returned his 
attention to the ring, as Sakura vaulted the rope.  "It looks as though Sakura's 
going to start out."

	Gary stood warily, one hand clutching a pokeball, as Sakura set herself... 
and waved.  "Nice to meet you," she said politely.  "I have to try to win, but 
let's have fun, okay?"  She smiled hopefully.

	Gary glanced back at Misty and shrugged.  "Friendly match?  That'd be a 
nice change..."

	Sakura nodded happily and held out her hand.  A tiny key-shaped charm 
floated up out of her palm as she chanted, "Key that conceals powers of 
darkness, reveal your true form.  I, Sakura, command it by our contract... 
RELEASE!"  The charm stretched, transforming itself into a staff not too much 
shorter than Sakura was tall.  She grabbed it out of the air and twirled it like 
a baton.  Gary raised an eyebrow.

	The referee signaled for the bell.

][ LAMBDA MATCH #2
][ Gary/Misty vs. Sakura Kinomoto/Shaoran Li
][ FIGHT!

	"Go, Ninetales," Gary commanded.  The pokeball opened, releasing the nine-
tailed, golden fox-like creature.  It landed lightly on the mat and stared up at 
Sakura with its adorable, intelligent eyes.

	"Hoeeeee..." she murmured.

	"This is unusual," Daisuke noted.  "Gary usually likes to use his 
Nidoking.  If it's still injured from his fight against Vega last week, then 
with Umbreon stolen, Gary may have to use creatures he's less familiar with.  
That could put him at a disadvantage tonight."

	"Not as much as you might think," Hiroshi argued.  "Gary's still got a 
powerful psychic pokemon up his sleeve, and he's boasted of capturing over 60 
different types!  Who knows what he might have in store for tonight?"

	"Don't just stand there!" Shaoran yelled to Sakura from ringside.

	"Ember attack," Gary directed, choosing to open with a relatively low-
powered strike.  Ninetales obeyed, puffing a small fireball at Sakura.

	Still off-balance from the pokemon's initial appearance, Sakura panicked, 
grabbing the first card that came to hand.  "Shadow," she read, striking the 
card with her Clow Key staff.  She blanked for a moment before hitting on a 
possible solution.  "Bind the flame and protect me."

	Darkness oozed from the Clow Card's surface as Sakura invoked it.  
Tendrils of blackness leapt through the air toward the approaching fireball.  
They faded and began to melt away when they drew near the flame's light, but 
there were many of them, and the blaze was small.  One shadowy tentacle managed 
to wrap itself around the fireball; a second soon followed, and then the whole 
of the darkness Sakura had summoned flowed over the fire, enveloping it 
completely.  The shadow collapsed in on itself and vanished, leaving no trace of 
the fiery attack.

	"Not bad," Gary remarked.  "But try this one.  Tail Whip!"

	The pokemon darted forward with incredible speed, but Sakura had overcome 
her initial surprise.  She activated her Jump card and soared high above the 
attack... and the ring.  But defending alone wouldn't get her anywhere.  With a 
flip of the wrist, she tossed another card downwards and brought her staff 
around in an overhead arc to tap it.  "Windy!  Become a chain to bind it!"  The 
air visibly stirred around her as she cast her spell.

	The swirling winds gathered together, and for a moment a translucent 
feminine form could be seen within.  Then, all at once, they flew forward.  Air 
currents visibly split and twisted, swooping gracefully down toward the golden 
pokemon.  Ninetales darted to the side, then backwards, evading the first 
grasping tendrils of wind.  But, guided by Sakura's continuing concentration, 
the mystic zephyr simply changed course to follow.

	"Return," Gary finally commanded, ending the stalemate in a burst of ruby 
light.  The magic-powered wind, lacking its target, died out just as Sakura 
landed from the prodigious jump.  She raised her staff, holding it in both hands 
like a baseball bat, as Gary held out a second pokeball.  "Kingler, go."  The 
Card Captor eyed the new creature with wary awe.  It was crablike... but big.  
Very big.  Almost as tall as she was, and much greater in length and width.  
"Pin her down!  Vice Grip!"

	"Kingler," it acknowledged.  Sakura eeped as one massive claw approached 
her, just managing to duck and roll to the side before it closed shut.  Then she 
was forced to spring over the other one as it snapped at her from the other 
side.  Before she could recover to launch a counterattack, the first claw was 
back; again, she ducked.  The claw caught one of her costume's wings, tearing 
the ornament as she twisted loose.  There was no time to mourn, though, because 
it was already trying again.  Gary seemed content to stand back and watch her 
struggle to evade its grasp; if it got her in its claws, she'd never manage to 
escape before she was counted out.

	"Sakura!" Kero shouted from his perch atop one of the turnbuckles.  "Don't 
dodge to the side; get in close where it can't reach you easily!"

	"I know that," she muttered to herself, tumbling away from yet another 
snap.  Maybe Gary was being friendly, but those claws looked sharp.  "It's just 
that trying to do it is -- aaaa! -- tougher than it sounds!"

	"You can give up any time, you know," Gary said.

	Sakura frowned.  "I won't give up!"  She darted forward beneath a claw, 
losing one antenna in the process.  "You're ruining the costume Tomoyo-chan 
made!" she admonished the crab-monster.  Then she whacked it with her staff.

	Everyone else, including the Kingler, stood in mute astonishment for a 
moment, stunned by the sheer uselessness of the attack as the Clow Key bounced 
harmlessly off a hard carapace.  "Well, that's certainly an interesting tactic," 
Daisuke said diplomatically.

	"She's in too close for the claws to get her, though!  It's only a matter 
of time now," Hiroshi predicted.

	"Then why is Gary smiling?"

	The pokemon trainer soon answered that question.  "Kingler... Stomp 
attack."

	"Kyaaa!"  Sakura lunged backwards as the thing brought one of its many 
legs down.  It moved with surprising speed, however, and she wasn't able to 
completely shift herself to safety.  The leg brushed against her as it slammed 
down onto the floor of the ring.  Even that brief contact was enough to fling 
the young girl into the air.  She would have fallen, but she had been close to 
one of the neutral corners and managed to catch herself on the ropes.  In his 
corner, Shaoran shook his head in disgust.

	"Now!  Vice Grip!" Gary pressed.  Kingler lumbered forward to put the 
squeeze on.

	But Sakura only needed a moment to prepare her escape.  "Jump," she 
commanded, rising to the top of the turnbuckle.  She rested there for just a 
moment before bouncing over Kingler's claws and across the ring.  Even before 
she'd landed, she was holding another card between her fingers.  "Windy, strike 
like a battering ram..."

	Windy was one of the gentlest cards in Sakura's deck, but it was also one 
of the elements, commanding both power and flexibility.  The mystical force did 
its best to follow Sakura's order; a howling gale bore down on the crab pokemon, 
rocking it from behind.  In danger of being bowled over, it hunkered down close 
to the mat.

	"It looks like Gary has made a tactical error here," Hiroshi announced, 
exercising his keen eye for the obvious.  "That Kingler is a massive specimen of 
its type, with lots of power and an attack speed you wouldn't expect.  There's 
only one small problem... it's too big to turn around quickly within the 
confines of the ring!"

	"I wouldn't call that a -small- problem," Daisuke said, watching as Sakura 
continued to hammer the creature with powerful winds.

	"It seems Gary's reached the same conclusion; he's recalling Kingler.  
That makes two pokemon Sakura has managed to outlast.  But what else has Gary 
brought with him?  And we can't forget about Misty, who's still waiting on the 
sidelines..."

	Gary didn't seem inclined to tag his partner in just yet, though; Sakura 
was clearly tiring, and if he could keep her from tagging, he should soon win.  
And grabbing was still an effective tactic against her; he just needed a 
slightly more agile pokemon.  Luckily, he had just the thing.  "Tentacruel," he 
called, tossing the pokeball onto the ring between Sakura and her corner.  The 
monster that emerged was something like a large jellyfish; its dozens of slimy, 
stinger-tipped tentacles glistened wetly beneath the spotlights.  "Constri--"

	"HENTAI!"  He never got to finish calling for the attack.  Tentacruel 
whimpered as dozens of staff blows fueled by righteous female indignation rained 
down on its blob of a head.  When Sakura finally stopped, panting with exertion, 
the jellyfish-like pokemon lay unmoving on the mat, eyes swirling.

	"..."  Gary stared for a moment, then recalled his pokemon.  This could 
complicate matters; he was down to two, and he didn't really want to use 
something as powerful as Alakazam in a fight like this.  Out of the corner of 
his eye, he caught Misty signaling to him...  He'd give it one more try and then 
tag.

	Caught up in his thoughts, Gary failed to notice Ash appear at the top of 
one ramp and start toward the ring.  Sakura, focused on Gary, also ignored Ash's 
presence.  He stalked forward, fingering a pokeball, a scowl on his face, only 
to be brought up short as something *thapped* into the floor at his feet.  A 
rose.  Then the lights went out, throwing everything into chaos.

	A spotlight shone high overhead onto a rafter, where a figure in full 
tuxedo, opera cape, white domino mask, and top hat stood, one arm still extended 
from the throw, looking cool and imposing.  "To protect the match from 
interference!"

	A second spot lit a lower area, the ramp opposite Ash, where a second 
figure, this one clad in an abbreviated sailor fuku and imitation-jewel tiara, 
struck a series of unlikely poses.  "To please our fans by making an 
appearance!"

	"How do they do that thing with the lights?" wondered Hiroshi.  Beside 
him, Daisuke just smiled.

	"To denounce the evils of truth and love," the kamen continued.  The 
audience began to chant along.

	"To extend our reach to the stars above."  Suddenly, the house lights came 
back up.  The glow was momentarily blinding.

	With a sweeping gesture, the kamen removed the mask and top hat, allowing 
a vast mane of crimson hair to spring free.  "Jessie!"

	"James!" cooed the magical 'girl', striking a pose that hovered in the 
theoretical grey area between ridiculous and threatening.

	"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!"

	"Back off, Ash... or prepare to fight!"

	"Pikachu!" added the rodent, settling next to Kero on the turnbuckle.  The 
Guardian of the Clow blinked at it.

	"James-sama..." Shaoran murmured, starry-eyed.

	Sakura boggled at her partner.  "Hoeee?"

	Ash's teeth ground audibly.  "I should have known," he spat.  "You always 
were a jerk, Gary, but I didn't think even you would side with Team Rocket.  
They're the biggest cheaters in the whole Pokemon League!"

	"Ash--" Misty began, trying to placate her former partner.

	"And you!"  He rounded on her savagely.  For a moment, his expression 
slipped as he looked at her, changing from self-righteous anger to heartbroken 
betrayal.  "You were always there for me, Misty..."  She started to reach out to 
him, or to call out -- something, anything -- but as quickly as it had come, the 
moment was past, and his expression twisted back into an angry scowl.  "But now 
they've gotten to you, too!  You're just like him," he accused, stabbing a 
finger toward Pikachu.  "You're nothing but a traitor!"

	Misty's face began to cloud.  "Ash Ketchum--"

	"NO!" Ash roared.  "No more talking.  I'm sick of all of this!  I'm going 
to take them all down!  Team Rocket, Gary, all the cheaters in this federation!  
And if you're on their side..."  Ash's voice dropped to a chilling murmur.  
"Then I'll take you down, too, Misty.  So you'd better think really hard about 
where you stand.  As for you--"  He turned to Shaoran and to Sakura, who was 
watching all this with a baffled expression.  "I warned everyone last week, Gary 
is mine to beat.  If you're too stupid to take the hint, then you deserve this!"  
He raised both hands, gripping two pokeballs in each.

	"W-wait a minute..." Sakura protested.

	"Don't worry."  Somehow, Jessie had managed to descend from the rafters to 
stand at the side of the ring.  "If he tries anything, we'll stop him.  You go 
on with your fight."

	Ash laughed humorlessly.  "I can beat you any time, you old hag."

	Jessie's eyebrow twitched.  "What... did... you... call... me...?" she 
growled dangerously.

	"You can't beat both of us at once, though," James rapidly broke in, 
moving to Jessie's side.  But not *too* close to her side.  Not when she was 
this angry.

	Ash looked tempted to try.  Hands clenched around his pokeballs, he 
glanced from one Team Rocket member to the other and back.  Both of them were 
now sporting their own bandoliers of pokeballs.  They must have been carrying 
everything in their arsenal, by Ash's count, though how James had hidden his 
beneath that costume, he didn't want to know.

	Six pairs of eyes -- three worried, one vaguely impatient, and two 
belonging to cute mascots -- watched the tense standoff from the ring area.  At 
last, Ash turned away with a snarl.  "It figures people like you wouldn't 
hesitate to gang up on someone," he said with wounded self-righteousness.  
"Fine.  Have your fight.  I hope you all enjoy it, because sooner or later, I'm 
going to get you all in the ring one by one, and then I'll show you."  The 
audience booed him vigorously.  "Shut up!" he yelled.  "I'm the best there is!  
I'm the champion Pokemon trainer!  I'm the Internet champion!  And after I beat 
up Gary and Team Rocket, I'm going to be the Gamma champion too!  I'll show you 
all I'm the best!"  The jeering only increased, and he stomped his foot 
petulantly.  "I don't care what you think!  I'm the hero, and I'm gonna beat 
them all, and I'll do it fairly even if they cheat like they always do!  And it 
won't matter what you think because I'll be the champion fair and square!"  He 
stomped back up the ramp and out of the arena, followed by the sounds of the 
audience's disapproval.

	Hiroshi cleared his throat.  "What drama!  What a shock!  Ash proclaims a 
vendetta not only against Team Rocket, not only against Gary, but against nearly 
everyone in Ultra's lower divisions!  Will his quest for the Gamma title 
succeed?"

	Daisuke shook his head in wonder.  "Trust you to find a silver lining in 
all that."

	In the ring, the fighters had glanced at each other and nodded in mutual 
understanding.  The fight was once again underway, despite Shaoran's complaint:  
"You should've beat him while you had the chance."

	"Gary," Misty said, tearing her eyes from the doorway Ash had vanished 
through.  She stretched an arm forward over the ropes.  "I want to fight."

	"Misty?"  He looked over his shoulder at her, leading Shaoran to bury his 
face in his hands when Sakura didn't even try to take advantage of Gary's 
distraction.  "But...  Look, if this is about Ash..."

	She shook her head.  "It's something I've been thinking about for a while.  
I need to fight, so I can reach a decision."

	He nodded, backing warily away from Sakura to tag Misty in.  He needn't 
have bothered; the only move the Card Captor made was to ready her cards for her 
new opponent, much to Shaoran's distress.  Misty nodded to Sakura as she brought 
forth her first pokemon.  "Go, Staryu!  Water Gun attack!"

	"Card that was made by Clow, lend me your power... Mirror, project my 
image," Sakura invoked, twirling the Clow Key and striking the card with it.  
The flare of a magic circle faded to reveal four Sakuras standing where one had 
been before.  The starfish-like pokemon turned from one to the next in 
confusion, eventually blasting a spray of water at one of them, which promptly 
disappeared.  Meanwhile, Sakura, mirrored by the remaining images, held out 
another card between her fingers.

	"An interesting tactic by the new competitors," Daisuke mused.  "The 
pokemon can't tell which is the real one, so they can't determine which they 
should be attacking."

	"She's pretty versatile," Hiroshi agreed.  "But the pokemon Misty and Gary 
use also have a wide variety of abilities."

	"No you don't!  I won't be beaten that easily.  Staryu, hit them all at 
once with Hydro Pump," Misty said.  The spray of water became a torrent, 
battering half the ring like a tidal wave.  Sakura's wide eyes were the last 
thing Misty saw before the attack crashed down, throwing her to the mat and 
sweeping the card she'd been holding -- Shadow -- out of the ring.  The images 
had also disappeared under the onslaught.

	For a moment, Sakura didn't move.  Misty wondered, as the count began, 
whether she'd overdone it -- Hydro Pump was a powerful attack.  But it was the 
only area-effect one Staryu had, and she'd thought the other girl would be able 
to block some of the effect, as she had with Gary's fireball.  Had she 
overestimated Sakura?

	Coughing and sputtering, the Card Captor pushed herself to her knees as 
the count reached five.  Behind her, Shaoran yelled, "Tag out!  I'll finish 
this."

	Misty frowned sympathetically as Sakura regained her feet, leaning heavily 
on her staff.  "Sorry, but I think *I'd* better finish this.  Staryu, Tackle 
attack."

	The star-shaped pokemon hovered in the air at chest height, rotating to 
flail its limbs, building momentum to slam into Sakura.  She hastily grabbed one 
of the cards that hadn't been swept away by the wave of water.  "Sword," she 
coughed out, lifting her staff.  It glowed softly as its shape changed, becoming 
narrower, tapering to a point, forming a basket hilt around her hand.  She had 
been on the verge of falling over, but, sword in hand, she drew herself up into 
a perfect fencing stance and watched the now-approaching pokemon.

	"Is that thing legal in Gamma?" Daisuke wondered.

	"I'll take that question," Kero said, fluttering down to the announcers' 
table.  He grinned and waved at the camera.  "Konyanyachiwa!  I, Keroberos, am 
the foremost authority on Sakura and the Clow Cards!  Ah, and I'm such a nice 
guy, to share what I know... so!  What was the question again?"

	Daisuke sweatdropped.  "Er... that sword?"

	"Ohhhhhh!  No worries, no worries... you see, that's no normal sword.  The 
Sword card not only gives its wielder the ability of an expert, but its power 
depends on the wielder's will.  If she thinks 'don't cut', then it will just 
stun.  However!"  He raised one paw in the air as the accented word shattered 
his didactic tone.  "If she strongly thinks 'cut', then even solid stone or 
steel cannot stand in its way!"  He nodded solemnly, rubbing his chin.  "It's 
certainly a wonderful and mysterious Clow Card."

	"Uhh... right.  Thanks."  He shook his head while Kero continued strutting 
for the camera.  "At any rate, it looks as if the card gives her enough skill to 
dodge, but Staryu isn't nearly as slow as Kingler was.  She isn't able to 
counterattack."

	Hiroshi nodded with vigor.  "If this keeps up, she'll eventually lose due 
to sheer exhaustion."

	Indeed, in the ring, Sakura was already pressed.  The power of the Sword 
was barely keeping her on her feet as it was; even though, to outside 
appearances, she smoothly sidestepped and parried the pokemon's attacks, her 
body still felt the strain.  Even with her card-imbued skill, she couldn't 
manage a serious counterattack; the most she could do was a weak thrust or 
feinted slash to try to keep Staryu at bay.  And using other magic would be 
impossible -- if she didn't have time to attack with Sword, she definitely 
didn't have time to cast another spell.  She circled cautiously backwards, 
looking for a solution that didn't seem present.

	Shaoran reached out as she passed and clapped her on the shoulder.  
"That's about enough of this.  Let me show you how it's done."  Without waiting 
for a reply, he leapt over the rope and drew his sword, landing balanced on his 
feet with the blade above his head, parallel to the mat.  Sakura blinked and 
slipped under the ropes, sitting wearily on the apron as her own sword reverted 
to a staff.

	"And Sakura's partner has managed to tag in," Hiroshi said.  "Shaoran Li 
apparently has a mystical legacy of his own, and martial skills to match!  Blunt 
or not, that sword looks like it would hurt..."

	"He's okay," Kero interrupted.  "For a brat.  But he's no match for 
Sakura!"

	"He'd better be, if he wants to win," Hiroshi said.  "Because Sakura's in 
no shape to continue.  That water attack must have taken a lot out of her."

	In the ring, Shaoran ducked and rolled beneath the Staryu.  Standing, he 
converted his momentum into an upward slash, forcing the pokemon to one side.  A 
high kick delivered to one spindly limb interrupted the rhythm of the pokemon's 
whirling, pushing it backwards a little and throwing it off balance.  Shaoran 
moved in with an overhead swipe to follow up.

	"Harden, Staryu," Misty urged, just in time.  The pokemon's skin stiffened 
as it curled around its most vulnerable areas.  Shaoran's sword bounced off with 
a sharp crack.  Misty winced, though the pokemon appeared all right.  "Hey!  Be 
careful with him!"

	"This is a fight," Shaoran pointed out, falling back into his guard 
position while he searched for an opening.  "I can't very well win by being 
gentle, now, can I?"

	"You've got to admit, he has a point," said Daisuke.

	Hiroshi nodded.  "Does this mean that the friendly part of the match is 
over?"

	It appeared so.  Shaoran dodged to the side as the hard spray of a Water 
Gun attack blasted past.  In retaliation, he drew his sword down in front of him 
and held out two fingers of his free hand.  "Petals of wind, hear my call!"  A 
howling wall of wind burst from the tip of the sword, sending the hovering 
pokemon flying.  Sheer luck kept Staryu from being thrown to the upper decks of 
the UltraDome; instead it crashed headlong into a turnbuckle.  It curled further 
in upon itself as the magical winds continued to batter it.

	Misty hurriedly fished for another pokeball.  There... Gyarados could 
handle Shaoran.  She took a step toward the corner, holding up the empty 
pokeball, to make the exchange.  "Return, Sta--"

	"Too late!  This is the end," Shaoran interrupted.  "God of thunder, 
answer my call!"  He swung his sword around in a vicious arc.  Lightning shot 
forth, crackling through the air.  Staryu cried out as it was wracked by the 
electrical attack.

	Misty, also caught in the arc, shrieked in pain... and collapsed.  Gary 
called out, and even the exhausted Sakura surged to her feet.  Shaoran only 
sheathed his sword and stood, impassively looking down at Misty, while the 
referee completed the count and declared him the winner.  He looked up only as 
the crowd began to boo him... and he turned away, slipping back through the 
ropes without any further word.  Shaoran grabbed Sakura's wrist as he walked by, 
and tugged her along with him up the ramp.  Her eyes never left the ring.  He 
never looked back.

	Meanwhile, Ultra's medical squad had loaded Misty onto a stretcher.  They 
briefly signaled to Hiroshi as they carried her off, with Gary walking along at 
her side.  "It looks like Misty will be all right," he announced, with a little 
less enthusiasm than usual.  "The shock knocked her out, but it wasn't strong 
enough to do any serious harm."

	"Well, Shaoran certainly seems like a capable fighter, at least," Daisuke 
added, for lack of anything else to say.

	"He had the element of surprise on his side, since this was the first time 
he fought in Ultra.  But he did finish it pretty quickly."  Hiroshi nodded, and 
slowly smiled, back to his usual gushing mode.  "And despite its unfortunate 
ending, the fight was astonishing!  I'm absolutely speechless!"

	"Hardly," Daisuke muttered.

==========

	In one of the backstage waiting rooms, Ifurita and Washuu (with Mary in 
tow) prepared for Ifurita's upcoming match against Naga.

	"I still don't understand why you two are fighting," Washuu said.  "Didn't 
you just agree to work together last week?"

	"Naga is teaching me innovation in battle," Ifurita replied.  "What we 
went through last week was strictly theoretical.  This week, we shall put it to 
the test in an actual combat situation.  I bear Naga no malice.  I simply wish 
to see for myself how well I have learned.  We did both agree to the match."

	Washuu simply nodded.  It was logical, even if she wasn't terribly fond of 
the idea.

	"Mommy..."  Mary tugged on Washuu's hand.  "Someone's coming, and it feels 
wrong."

	A black and purple disk appeared before them.  Within, a figure was barely 
visible through the swirling mass of the [VOID].

	"Mary, get behind me," Washuu ordered.  Mary quickly scrambled behind her 
mother, while Ifurita stood next to her, Power Key Staff at the ready.

	"Washuu."  Sephiroth stepped from the portal, which closed after him.

	"What do you want?" Washuu asked angrily.

	Sephiroth pointed at her.  "You."

	Ifurita tightened her grip on her staff, while Washuu simply looked back 
at him.  "Me.  Exactly what do you mean by that?"

	"We will fight at UltraRage Eta," he stated.

	Washuu crossed her arms and glared at him.  "I highly doubt that."

	Sephiroth smirked.  "Ah, yes.  You have... other concerns."  He stared 
straight at Mary, who was peeking out from behind Washuu.

	Washuu followed his gaze until she had the sudden and horrifying 
realization of exactly what he was looking at.  "And if I don't?" she asked, 
trying to sound as neutral as possible.

	Sephiroth idly drummed his fingers on the hilt of the Masamune.  "Well, I 
cannot guarantee anything.  But I'd imagine that sooner or later, you'd 
definitely regret it."

	"Leave Washuu alone," Ifurita said.  "I'll fight you, if you're so eager."

	"Oh, no.  I'm afraid that this is between me and the so-called 'greatest 
scientist in the universe,' not her toy wind-up doll.  If you wish, I will fight 
you as well, but it changes nothing."  He paused to brush a strand of silver 
hair from his face, then turned to regard Washuu again.  "So, what have you to 
say?"

	Out of the corner of here eye, Washuu could see Ifurita start to raise her 
staff.  She gave a barely perceptible shake of her head, and Ifurita stopped.  
"Fine.  A match at UltraRage Eta it is.  I'll talk to Nabiki as soon as I can."  
She met his gaze evenly, though she was angry beyond belief.  How dare he 
threaten her child like this?

	"Good.  I am glad that you can be made to see reason.  Until then."  He 
stepped back into another portal, which quickly closed behind him.

	"Mommy, something's wrong with him," Mary said as Washuu swept her up in a 
hug.  "He's all mixed up inside.  It's really confusing."

	"It's okay, it's okay."  Washuu held her comfortingly while she tried to 
calm herself down.

	Ifurita frowned.  "Washuu, are you sure that was wise?"

	"Did I have much of a choice?" Washuu sighed.  "I was afraid something 
like this would happen sooner or later.  So just in case, I've been developing a 
plan."

	"If you say so.  But now do you see why I wish to fight tonight?  The more 
I can learn from Naga, the more power I can gain from her, the better I will be 
able to help you protect your daughter.  The stronger I get, the better a chance 
I have against Sephiroth and Bison and their kind."

	"Just as long as you don't lose yourself in the process, Ifurita," Washuu 
said cautiously.

	"I will not.  I make this promise to you: I will protect you and Mary in 
any way that I can.  I swear."

	Washuu nodded.  "Thank you, Ifurita."

	Mary hopped out of Washuu's arms.  Untying the bow from her hair, she held 
it out to Ifurita.  "Here, take this for good luck!"

	Ifurita bent down, took the ribbon from her hand, and looked at it oddly.

	"Tie it on your staff!" Mary suggested.

	A moment later, the Power Key Staff bore a bright pink ribbon.  Ifurita 
regarded it solemnly.

	"Come on, Mary.  Let's get you home."  Washuu looked back at Ifurita.  
"You'll be all right here?"

	"Yes.  I'll contact you when I wish to return to your laboratory."

	"Bye, Ifurita!  Good luck!"  Mary waved as she and Washuu portaled back to 
the lab.

	After they had gone, Ifurita gave a slight smile, then headed off to 
finish preparing for her match, ribbon fluttering from her staff.

==========

	The voices were back.

	It had taken all of Sephiroth's willpower, hours of meditation and 
preparation, just to banish them long enough to find Washuu and talk to her.  
Now, as he traveled through the [VOID] back to where B-ko waited for him, they 
spoke to him once more.

	[Why challenge Washuu when you should simply release the full strength of 
the [VOID] upon her?]

	(No!  A real man faces his foes in mighty and honorable combat!  OOSHA!)

	{Eh, whatever.  You have to admit, Washuu looks *damn* fine all grown up 
like that.  Ifurita's not half bad, either, if you don't mind the fact that 
she's technically a robot.}

	"Stop," Sephiroth muttered through clenched teeth.  "Just stop."

	[Release me.]

	(Listen to me!)

	{Quit ignoring me!}

	"All of you, stop!" he screamed as his return portal opened and he 
practically fell into B-ko's waiting arms.

	"Sephi-chan?" she asked, placing an arm around his shoulder to steady him.

	"They're back," he said.  "What we did... managed to hold them off for a 
while... but..."

	"Oh, don't worry, Sephi-chan!  We'll have you ready to crush your foes 
again in no time!" B-ko exclaimed.  Inside, however, she was a bit worried.  She 
thought he was mostly cured.  But if one trip through the [VOID] did this to 
him... what would happen the next time he had to fight?

	Sephiroth simply nodded.  "Good."  He certainly hoped she was right, 
because he wasn't sure how much longer he could go on like this.

==========

	"Ne, Li-kun..." Sakura began.  The two of them were wandering around 
backstage.  Shaoran and Kero had wanted to see more of the Dome -- one of the 
rare occasions where they had agreed -- and Sakura was in no hurry to head back 
to the dressing rooms alone.  "Was that really necessary?"

	He looked over at her.  "I won, didn't I?"

	"Yeah, but... that girl..."

	Shaoran shrugged.  "I have to admit, I wasn't expecting that.  I thought 
she'd be pretty tough, since she's fighting in Ultra, but instead she's even 
weaker than you."

	Sakura flinched as if stabbed, but pressed on.  "But the audience... they 
didn't like it."

	"Is that what you're worried about?"  Shaoran laughed.  "Like I said, you 
have to take the fights seriously... but it *is* still a show.  It doesn't 
matter whether the audience cheers, just that they're reacting.  Getting a 
reaction is as much our job as winning."  Sakura frowned, and he continued, 
"Besides, the bigger the reaction we get, the more likely we'll be featured in 
more matches, and the more likely Yukito will be impressed with m-- er, you."

	Eyes unfocused dreamily, Sakura murmured, "He will?"

	Shaoran smiled.  "I'm counting on it.  Too bad we didn't face the real 
pokemon team like I wanted... but we'll get our chance.  At least they showed 
up."

	"Well..."  Suddenly, Sakura stopped short, taking note of the door they 
stood outside.  "Oh!  The infirmary... we should see how she's doing."

	"I'm going to go watch the next fight.  Suit yourself."  He waved 
negligently, walking off.

	"Li-kun!"

	"Forget about the brat," said Kero, alighting on her shoulder.  "I'll 
stick with you."

	"Thanks, Kero-chan..."  Sakura opened the door and slipped inside.

	Gary was sitting by Misty's bedside.  She had awakened, and the two were 
conversing.  "It's all my fault," Gary said.  "I shouldn't have asked you to 
fight with me..."

	"It's all right."  Misty's smile was tired but genuine.  "It confirms what 
I thought, though.  Ultra isn't the place for me."

	"You're going to quit after all?"

	Misty nodded.  "When I was in the ring... I don't know.  I didn't feel 
anything.  It used to at least be a little exciting, like battling pokemon, but 
even back then...  And now it's just there.  I don't want to do this any more.  
Maybe I never did..."

	"Misty--"

	There was a clatter as Sakura tripped.  "Eheh... heh... hi," she said as 
she stood, burning with embarrassment.  She bowed low.  "I'm really sorry about 
the match.  We didn't mean to hurt you."

	Misty giggled, shaking her head.  "No harm done... so I guess it's all 
right.  Thanks."  Sakura straightened, one hand to the back of her head.

	"That's an interesting pokemon," Gary said, peering at Kero.  "Where'd you 
catch it?"

	"I'm not a pokemon!  I'm the Guardian Beast of the Seal, Keroberos!"

	"That was you talking!  I couldn't tell during the match... amazing," Gary 
mused.

	"I am, aren't I?"  Kero laughed.

	Sakura facepalmed.  "I'm sorry about all this..."

==========

	"If you thought that was something, just wait until you get a load of 
what's next!  It's going to be one heck of a showdown!" Hiroshi enthused.  "Naga 
the White Serpent takes on Ifurita in a no-holds-barred, knock-down-drag-out 
rumble!"

	"Riiiight," Daisuke answered.  "We now take you to Really Cool Looking 
Uninhabited Planet #79, where Krillin is standing by."

	Really Cool Looking Uninhabited Planet #79 was formed entirely of glowing, 
prismatic crystal.  Glassy "seas" extended for miles on parts of its surface, 
while in other parts, crystal spires wound in graceful spirals and loops.  
Absolutely nothing could possibly ever grow there, ever, which nicely explained 
the "uninhabited" part.

	Krillin stared up at the stars as he waited for the fighters to arrive.  
He didn't recognize any of the constellations, but he had to admit that the 
shimmering crystal and shining stars were quite pretty.  Maybe #18 would be 
interested in coming here with him someday.

	The portals opened, and Ifurita and Naga both stepped out.

	"OHOHOHOHO!"  Naga covered her mouth with the back of her hand.  "Are you 
ready for your final lesson?"

	Ifurita simply nodded and raised her staff (still bearing the pink ribbon) 
into a ready position.

	Krillin stepped between them.  "Okay, you both know the rules.  Try not to 
blow this place up, all right?  I kinda like it."

	Naga looked at him a bit oddly, then took her position.

][ OMEGA MATCH #2
][ Ifurita vs. Naga the White Serpent
][ FIGHT!!

	Naga immediately took the initiative.  "DARK MIST!"  An incredibly dense 
black fog surrounded the two fighters (and one confused referee).  With a 
satisfied nod, Naga continued.  "RAY WING!"

	As Naga flew off toward a nearby formation of crystal pillars, Ifurita's 
voice could be heard from within the fog.  "Technique #632: Dark Mist.  
Catalogued.  Countered."  The black mist dispelled, and Ifurita observed her 
opponent's flight.  "Barvolt."  She took off running in Naga's direction.

	The forked bolt of blue-white lightning struck directly in Naga's path, 
causing her to swerve to the side and nearly crash into one of the crystal 
pillars.  As she regained control of her flight, she let out a laugh.  
"OHOHOHOHO!  Very clever, Ifurita.  But it's nothing more than I would expect 
from my student!"

	Naga landed on the top of a pillar and dispelled the Ray Wing.  She 
regarded the rapidly approaching form of Ifurita and decided that the best move 
would be to slow her down.  "DIMILAR WIND!"

	An extremely high-pressure ball of air shot from Naga towards Ifurita. 
Ifurita stopped and raised her staff.  "Absolute Terror Field."  The glowing, 
hexagonal shield appeared before her, absorbing the air blast.

	Naga, meanwhile, had Ray Winged herself several pillars deeper into the 
formation.  She was a bit curious as to why Ifurita had chosen to run instead of 
fly after her, but if Ifurita was going to give her that advantage, she'd gladly 
take it.  She gauged the distance between the still-running Ifurita and the 
closest pillar, then cast her spell.  "ICICLE LANCE!"

	The spear of ice flew at Ifurita, who deflected it with her staff.  
"Technique #4875: Icicle Lance.  Catalogued.  Reflected."

	An identical spear rushed towards Naga, who quickly Levitated herself out 
of the way.  "DILL BRANDO!"

	The ground exploded all around Ifurita, sending crystalline shards into 
the air, as well as Ifurita herself.

	(A safe distance away, Krillin moaned.  "I knew something was going to get 
blown up.")

	Ifurita landed on her back, her clothes torn by the various shards.  She 
quickly got up.  "Technique #985: Dill Brando.  Catalogued.  Reflected."

	The pillar Naga was standing on shattered, a few of the shards giving Naga 
shallow cuts.  Naga, cursing herself for not thinking of Ifurita's 
counterattack, quickly Levitated herself out of the way, but by then Ifurita had 
reached the "forest" of crystal spires.

	"Shotokan Style Martial Arts: Hadoken."  The blue ball of flame shot 
towards Naga, who was still trying to reach another pillar.  It struck her in 
the chest, forcing her backwards.

	With a slight wobble to her flight, Naga swooped around several of the 
pillars and came right at Ifurita.  She raised her hands in what looked like a 
spellcasting motion, causing Ifurita to hold her staff in a guard position.  She 
quickly changed direction and flew to Ifurita's unguarded side.  As she passed 
next to Ifurita's ear, she let out a piercing laugh.  "OHOHOHOHOHO!"

	Ifurita reeled under the unexpected blow as Naga swooped away.  "Technique 
#35: Trademark White Serpent Laugh," she said, still slightly woozy.  
"Catalogued.  Target out of range."

	Naga flew back in, taking advantage of Ifurita's disorientation.  Landing 
a short distance away from her, she raised her arms.  "BALUS ROD!"  A whip of 
light appeared in her hands, and she quickly entangled Ifurita in it.

	Ifurita experimentally tried to move her arm, but found that she was bound 
too tightly.  She stood absolutely still and closed her eyes.  "Psychic Shield."  
She began to glow purple as Mewtwo's trademark shield formed around her.  
Slowly, the shield expanded, slicing through the Balus Rod.

	Naga dispelled the remains and took to the air again, glancing over her 
shoulder to note her pursuer's distance.  Over the glassy seas she flew, Ifurita 
still giving chase, until she reached a crystal archway.  She landed on top of 
the arch and looked at Ifurita.  "DEMONA CRYSTAL!"

	A chilling mist formed from the ground, trapping Ifurita within.  When the 
mist disappeared a few seconds later, Ifurita was frozen solid.

	"OHOHOHO!  Try and get out of that!" Naga gloated.

	A few seconds later, the ice shattered and Ifurita stepped free, the 
darker purple of Psycho Power quickly fading from around her.  "Using the same 
type of attack twice in a row?  That's not terribly innovative."

	Naga blinked in surprise at the fact that Ifurita had just said something 
to her that wasn't the name of an attack.

	This time, Ifurita took advantage of Naga's distraction.  "Fire 3."  A 
large explosion knocked Naga backwards off the archway.  She nearly hit the 
ground before she was able to cast another Ray Wing.

	"Concentrated Beam of Light."  A laser-like beam emanated from the end of 
the Power Key Staff, but was absorbed by Naga's shield.

	Naga landed a short distance away.  "FREEZE RAIN!"  A ball of ice formed 
in the air above Ifurita and began to fire icicles at her.

	Ifurita nimbly dodged the first few, but the shower of icicles 
intensified.  She held the Power Key Staff up to block them.

	An icicle sliced through Mary's ribbon, cutting it from the staff.  
Ifurita watched it fly away, then looked up at the ice ball.  A slight frown 
appeared on her face.  "Guns 'n Roh."  The wall of fire shot up and melted it, 
stopping the rain of icicles.

	"FREEZE BLEED!"

	"Barrier."  The concentrated frost surrounded Ifurita, but her spell 
protected her from it.  "Technique #3740: Freeze Bleed.  Catalogued."

	Naga was fully expecting Ifurita to use her own attack against her, so she 
was rather surprised when Ifurita cast a Fireball instead.  "Using *her* spells?  
Against me?  Truly, you are foolish!  For nothing can stand against the-"

	"Ultima."  Ifurita, it seemed, knew Naga's weaknesses quite well.

	A spherical green shockwave began to form around Naga.  "DEFENSE!" she 
hastily yelled as it grew larger.  The shield completed itself just as the 
explosions began.  She was able to protect herself from the brunt of the attack, 
but she definitely felt some of it.  Casting the Defense spell had taken quite a 
bit out of her as well.  This needed to end soon.

	"DAM BRASS!"

	A ball of explosive energy slammed into Ifurita before she could put up 
any sort of a shield.  Ifurita convulsed as the vibrational forces rushed 
through her.

	Naga Ray Winged herself off again.  She wasn't running away.  Not at all.  
The White Serpent did not run away.  She was simply taking the battle to more 
advantageous terrain.  That was it.

	Ifurita stopped shaking.  "Technique #9458: Dam Brass.  Catalogued.  
Target out of range."  She set off in pursuit of Naga once more.

	Naga realized that she was running out of options.  Casting spells 
directly at Ifurita was fairly useless, and trying to indirectly affect her by 
using the environment was proving rather ineffectual as well.  Perhaps she would 
have to concede this battle after all.  No.  That would be the last resort.

	"VICE FREEZE!"

	The most powerful ice magic spell created a ball of ice directly in 
Ifurita's path.  The ball exploded, covering the surrounding area in ice.  There 
was no way Ifurita would be able to dodge this one.

	But Ifurita was no longer there.  Naga doubled over as she felt something 
strike her in the stomach.  She looked back up to find Ifurita suddenly standing 
in front of her.

	"Time slip," Ifurita said, by way of explanation.  She swung the Power Key 
Staff at where Naga had been standing a moment ago, completing the action.

	Naga was impressed.  This was it, then.  Time for her most devastating 
attack.  She got up, placed her hands on her hips, and stared Ifurita in the 
eyes.  "RING OF SUPERIORITY!"

	The images of Naga began to appear around them.  Ifurita regarded them 
calmly as the circle was completed.

	And then... it started.

	"OHOHOHOHO!"

	"OHOHOHOHOHO!"

	"OHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!"

	The laughter echoed and echoed.  Ifurita, however, seemed unaffected.  
Finally, she planted one end of the Power Key Staff firmly on the ground.  
"Technique #429857: Ring of Superiority.  Catalogued.  Countering."

	Ifurita raised one hand to her mouth and began to laugh.  "Ohohoho."

	Naga could only stare as multiple Ifuritas took the place of the multiple 
Nagas.  Each of them held a Power Key Staff in one hand and had her free hand to 
her mouth."

	"Ohohohohoho."

	"Ohohohohoho."

	"Ohohohohoho."

	This was too much for Naga's poor, tired mind to take.  "My student... I 
am proud of you.  You have surpassed me, the great White Serpent," she said 
weakly.  She then collapsed.

	Krillin flew over.  "The winner by knockout -- Ifurita!"

	"Ohohohohoho."

	"Ohohohohoho."

	He sweatdropped.  "Um... could you please shut that off?"

	Ifurita complied.

==========

	"What an incredible fight!" Hiroshi exclaimed.  "Ifurita defeats Naga with 
a completely unexpected reversal of Naga's prized technique!  I still can't 
quite believe that one!"

	Daisuke was still clutching his ears.  "Did it go away?"

	"Yeah, Dai.  It's gone."

	Daisuke cautiously uncovered one ear, then the other.  "That's a relief.  
I think I'm gonna have nightmares about it for a while, though."

	Hiroshi patted him on the arm.  "It's okay, Dai.  It's okay."

==========

	Sakura Kasugano leaned back in the Jacuzzi, eyes closed, completely at 
ease with the world to all outside appearances.  Internally, she was wondering 
how she'd managed to get herself into this situation.  She'd retraced the 
conversation with Shingo in her head at least a dozen times, but she was unable 
to pinpoint her agreement, exactly.

	Well, maybe it was worth a shot.  If it really could help Karin...

	The door opened; Sakura's eyes followed suit.  "Morrigan," she gasped as 
the succubus entered.

	Morrigan looked down at her disinterestedly.  "Need to relax after a hard 
day of showing off your underwear, do you?"  She laughed scornfully as Sakura 
instinctively moved to cover herself.  "Please.  I told you, I'm through with 
you."

	"As if I could trust anything you say," Sakura shot back.

	The succubus chuckled throatily.  "True enough.  But you've begun to bore 
me.  Too bad; you'll never know what you missed out on."

	She started to turn.  Sakura winced.  She hadn't wanted to go this far... 
but she was committed, now.  "Maybe you could show me?" she forced out.

	It caught the demoness' attention, though.  Sakura plastered a smile 
across her face as Morrigan turned back toward her, one eyebrow lifting in a 
measuring gaze.  "Poor timing for a change of heart," she said.

	"Well... I've been thinking about it."  That much was true, anyway; she 
still cringed whenever she considered the 'reward' Morrigan had promised.  
"And..."  She faltered.  "I was just... uh, wondering--"  No; she couldn't say 
anything like *that*.  She felt her cheeks burning just at the thought.

	Morrigan noticed the flush, too, and drew a different conclusion.  She 
stepped forward to the edge of the tub and leaned forward with a sultry smile.  
"Well, now.  So there is more to you than Miss Goody-Two-Shoes.  I'm not 
normally inclined toward forgiveness..."  She drew out the pause.  "But just 
this once, I suppose I might be persuaded to offer you a second chance..."

	"Great," Sakura muttered.  Then she caught herself and smiled brightly.  
"Great!  I really..."  Nope, she couldn't do it.  "You don't know what it does 
to me to hear you say that."  There; better.

	"Ah... I knew you were a passionate one when you fought me.  It was only a 
matter of time."  She smiled triumphantly and leaned in closer, almost 
unconsciously shifting her weight so that the light would cast her in the 
sexiest possible manner.  "Why don't you just take off that troublesome 
swimsuit, and I'll introduce you to a greater pleasure than you've ever 
imagined..." she purred seductively.

	"No!  I mean..."  Sakura thought fast.  "I thought... maybe... you could 
take it off?  For me?"

	The smile spread, becoming predatory.  "You have been thinking this 
through, haven't you, little girl?"  She half-straightened, sliding one foot 
tantalizingly along the edge of the tub, and slowly dipped it into the water 
with one smooth, languid motion...

	Morrigan recoiled, eyes snapping wide open in shock and pain.  "What--?"  
That was as far as she got before a hand tapped her shoulder.  She turned.

	"Holy water," said Shingo as he affixed a ward to her forehead.  A bit 
more pressure tipped her now-paralyzed body backwards.  Her scream was cut off 
as she plunged into the water, even as Sakura scrambled out of the Jacuzzi.  The 
water surged and bubbled to a roiling froth that had nothing to do with hidden 
jets of water.

	"I don't believe I had to do that," said Sakura, burying her face in her 
hands.

	Shingo chuckled nervously.  "Sorry.  But it worked, right?"

	"Well... I guess--"

	A wave of water exploded straight out of the tub and against the ceiling.  
The water fell back into the tub.  Morrigan didn't.  The succubus hovered in the 
air, surrounded by a flickering, unhealthy black aura.  Her skin was burnt and 
blistered where the water had contacted it; her hands were held firmly over her 
face, hiding everything but her blazing red eyes and the charred mark on her 
forehead where the ward had been burnt away by the succubus' evil power.  Her 
shrieks of pain and rage were almost impossible for Sakura to decipher, but she 
made out the end of the rant:  "Flay the flesh from your bones and forcefeed it, 
raw and bloody, to him!  A hundredfold -- no, a thousandfold -- I'll repay you 
in agony for this!"  With that, a burst of dark power exploded from the injured 
succubus, tearing a hole through the ceiling.  Morrigan rocketed out, still 
concealing her face.

	"...I guess not," Sakura finished, a sense of foreboding settling into her 
stomach.

==========

	Jack Lysias had a minor problem.  UltraRage was coming up in just two 
weeks, and the card wasn't set yet.  He needed to arrange some things.  Big 
things.  Memorable things.  Controversial things.  Normally, this was not a 
problem, but an opportunity.

	The problem was Nabiki.  She was good with the boring business stuff, and 
he didn't mind handing that off to her; making prank phone calls to creditors 
got old after a while, and that was really the only fun involved in dealing with 
money in non-spending-spree ways.  Well, that and dubious licensing.  Still, he 
didn't mind leaving all of it to her.  The problem was coming up with ideas that 
she would rubberstamp.  He indulged in a bit of pouting, because he still 
thought that a chocolate pudding wading pool match would've been a hit.  
Especially if they'd scheduled it between Naga, Ifurita, and... no, he shouldn't 
think about that; he'd only get depressed again.  Hmm.  Maybe if it was a 
tapioca wading pool match, in the Gamma/Lambda division?  He filed that thought 
away for later reference.  It alone wouldn't make a pay-per-view, anyway.

	Fortunately, Controversial Jack had *lots* of ideas.  He just needed to 
decide which ones to pitch first.  That was why he was wandering around alone in 
the distant depths of the UltraDome.  Any sane, rational man would conclude that 
doing so while being high on M. Bison's hit list was not a particularly good 
idea; that explains why it never occurred to Jack.

	He was a bit startled as the figure lurched out of the shadows in front of 
him, though.

	"Hello, Jack," said the girl dressed in the full-body teddy bear suit.

	Jack, who had already recovered his composure, grinned at Ultra's resident 
webmaster.  "Lain!  Just the girl I wanted to see.  Listen, I've got some great 
ideas regarding the website..."

	"Nabiki asked me to remind you that pornography is not acceptable."

	"Hey, that's not what I wanted.  Did I say that's what I wanted?  Why does 
everyone make these unfounded assumptions?" Jack asked, meanwhile casting about 
for another request that might seem plausible.

	He was spared the effort as Lain looked up at him solemnly.  "Please step 
into my office.  There is something I must tell you."

	Jack shrugged.  "I guess I've got a couple'a minutes, sure."  He followed 
her through the door she indicated and stepped down three inches into two inches 
of water.  "What the...?"

	"I'm adjusting the cooling system," Lain said.

	Jack took a peek further into the dimly-lit recesses of the room.  "You 
work here?" he asked in disbelief.  There seemed to be things stuck to the wall 
back there.  And had one of them just moved?  "Cool!" he concluded, with a wide 
grin.  "I knew I liked your style, kid."

	Lain appeared unmoved by Jack's approval.  "We can speak freely here," she 
said.  "I've made sure no one can listen in.  It can't work for too long, but 
I'm sure it's enough."  She'd checked and rechecked the algorithms a thousand 
times, just to make sure.  She couldn't take chances with this.

	"Wow, secret spy stuff.  Should we synchronize our watches?  Because mine 
stopped, so that wouldn't work very well."

	"Jack."  Lain was even more humorless than usual.  Now that her technical 
assurances were complete, it seemed she was less assured, as well.  "I need 
to... I wanted... Please, you need..."  She cut herself off, bowing her head.  
"I'm sorry."

	Jack scratched his head.  "What's up?  C'mon, you can tell me.  I don't 
bite -- that newspaper article was a filthy lie."

	"I..."  She seemed unable to go on.  Instead, she reached out to the side, 
pressing a key.  A screen flickered to life beside Jack.

	He leaned in to read it.  "Wow, lots of minuses there," he said with a 
faint whistle.  It looked vaguely familiar, too.  "I wouldn't wanna be working 
for these guys in another month or two.  It looks as if--"  Suddenly, it 
clicked.  "Wait a minute.  This is Ultra, isn't it?"  Miserably, Lain nodded.  
"How...?"

	"I-- I've been manipulating the reports.  To hide the losses."  Jack 
turned toward her in disbelief, and it was as though the floodgates had opened.  
Words she hadn't been able to say a moment ago came pouring out in a flood.  
Bison.  The cortex bomb.  Her friend Alice.  The lying through statistics she'd 
been organizing for the past two months.  Everything.

	When she had finished, Jack did a most un-Jack-ish thing.  He reached down 
and brushed a tear from her cheek.  She looked up at him, questioning.  "Okay.  
It's all right.  Now that I know, it's gonna be all right."  His mouth twisted 
into a smile that was probably meant to be reassuring, but came off as 
psychotic.  "I'm going to help you out.  Because you helped me when I needed it, 
but mostly because I'm really starting to dislike Bison.  Nobody gets away with 
trying to cramp Jack's style."

	"But what should I do?"

	"You keep doing what you've been doing," he said.  "I'll let Nabiki in on 
it if I have a chance, but we wouldn't want Bison to get suspicious.  That'd 
ruin the plan."

	"Plan?"

	He grinned, tapping his forehead.  "Yep.  I've got a cunning plan in here 
that'll take care of everything."  He paused, then admitted, "I haven't worked 
out all the details yet, but I will.  In fact... yeah.  Yeah, I think I've got 
it.  Hang in there, kid, I've got to go tell Nabiki to announce an event at 
UltraRage."

	"An event?" Lain echoed again.

	"Oh, yeah," Jack giggled.  "An event.  But it's a surprise..."  He darted 
out the door, laughing maniacally.

	Lain stared.  Finally, she blinked, and reached out to shut down the 
display.  "Please, Jack..." she whispered.

	Jack's spiky hairdo popped back around the doorframe.  "Oh, yeah, one 
other thing.  Animal suits are the right idea, but it's usually cats or rabbits.  
Don't get me wrong, different is good, but unrevealing teddy bear suits just 
don't have the same controversial impact, you know?"  He winked and vanished 
again, but she could hear him skipping down the hall.

	"...Know what you're doing," Lain quietly concluded.  But there was a 
faint smile on her face as she said it.

==========

	Hiroshi was so wound up he was standing on top of the announcers' table.  
"That last fight was an awesome spectacle of skill and power, but guess what?  
We've saved the best for last!  It's time for tonight's Omega brawl, with not 
two, not three, but FOUR of the most powerful people in Ultra going all-out!  
And that's not all..."  Hiroshi paused as the suspense built.  "According to 
Nabiki's decree, the winner of this match is guaranteed a shot at the Omega 
title next season!"

	"If they want one.  I wonder whether they'll ever take her up on that."

	"C'mon, Dai, get in the spirit!  Besides, everyone wants bragging rights, 
right?  Right!"

	Daisuke rolled his eyes.  "First 'exciting', now 'right'... I think I'll 
get you a thesaurus for your birthday.  You could use one."

	"Right you are," Hiroshi cheerfully agreed, causing Daisuke to bend 
forward and thump his head against the table.  "But now, Ultra fans, fasten your 
eyes on the UltraTron as we present for you the brawl to end all brawls!"

	"Until the next one, that is."

	"Indeed!"

	The UltraTron showed a shattered landscape of black and grey.  Deep 
canyons rent what seemed once to have been a smooth surface, dividing it into 
archipelagoes of high plateaus with mazelike warrens between.  Krillin hovered 
high above, looking downward into the maze.  He glanced to the side, noticed the 
cameras were on, and waved nervously.  "Hi, everyone.  Um, I guess I should 
explain... our competitors aren't here yet.  When I give the signal, four 
portals will open in four different places at the same time.  The usual rules 
about interference and destroying the world apply, plus there's a special rule 
in effect for this match:  flying above the level of the plateau is a 
disqualification, so they'll have to be careful about hunting each other down."  
He nodded to the camera, adding, "Camera bots have been spread through the maze 
to capture the action, so we'll be starting... NOW!"

][ OMEGA MATCH #3 - FREE-FOR-ALL OMEGA BRAWL
][ Alberto vs. Dan vs. Dark Schneider vs. Lina
][ FIGHT!

	On cue, four portals opened within the warren of canyons.  On cue, three 
warriors blazed into the arena, hitting the ground running.

	First to emerge by a fraction of a second was the mighty pink manliness 
that was Dan Hibiki.  With a loud, echoing "Yahooooooooie!" he flew through the 
caverns like a bright pink comet.  Only occasionally did he bounce off of a 
wall.  But Dan would never let such insignificant obstacles impede his progress, 
for he was mighty!  As he had established many times.  Besides, he meant to 
crash into... er, bank off of those walls.

	A close second was Dark Schneider.  The Exploder Wizard flew through the 
portal on the wings of a Raven spell, and immediately veered into a side canyon.  
He made a second turn, then a third, and finally stopped, hovering in place.  He 
was no novice, to go tearing through this labyrinth in the hopes of tracking 
down a moving target.  His method would be more methodical; he would wait for 
his enemies to approach him.  Forewarned, he would be able to choose his moment 
to strike, employing the twin advantages of surprise and overwhelming power.

	Lina Inverse entered the arena on foot, sword drawn.  She was a sorceress, 
so they all expected her to act like one.  Their mistake.  She was a damn good 
sorceress, true, but there was much more to her than that.  By conserving magic 
until the point of contact, she reasoned, she might be able to slip through to 
an advantageous position undetected.  In her career as an adventurer, she'd made 
her way through dozens of caverns and ruins; this was no different.  All she had 
to do was trust her instincts.

	It took a moment for the fourth competitor to arrive.  'Shockwave' 
Alberto, in contrast to the other competitors, strode casually through the 
portal as though he were stepping into his own living room.  He cast a glance 
around him, noted no immediate danger, and reached into the pocket of his 
immaculate suit for a cigar.  Slowly, he raised it to his lips.  A thin smile 
spread across his face as the end burst into flame apparently of its own accord.  
All at once, he surged into motion, racing toward the sound of distant taunting.

	Dan tumbled through the air, as graceful as a drunken elephant.  His manly 
taunts echoed resoundingly off the cavern walls, announcing his mighty niftiness 
to any who might oppose him.  In retrospect, this might have been a bad idea, 
since they also announced his location to any who might oppose him.  This 
awareness was driven painfully home by the sonic boom as something passed him at 
high speed... and especially by the wave of crushing impact that threw him into 
the cliff face.  Again.

	Prying himself from the Dan-shaped impression in the canyon wall, the 
master of Saikyo turned to avenge himself on his enemy.  Who was conspicuously 
absent.  "Hah!" he hah'ed, shaking his manly fist in the direction he randomly 
decided his attacker must have retreated.  "So!  You run away like a little baby 
in the face of *oof*!"  Alberto emerged from a side passage to bury his fist in 
Dan's stomach.  He smirked, and a thunderclap crashed as he unleashed his 
namesake shockwave, point-blank.  While the pink wonder reeled, he set off 
again.

	But he seemed to have underestimated Dan's toughness, resilience, or just 
plain stubbornness and denial of reality.  The Saikyo master rapidly recovered 
and set off after Alberto.  While Dan couldn't match Alberto's overall speed and 
reaction time, his ego-fueled powers gave him enough of a boost on the 
straightaway to keep the Magnificent Ten member within sight.  He was gaining 
ground slowly but surely.  The villain would soon taste Dan's fists of mighty 
manly justice!

	Alberto tore past yet another side passage.  A wall of flame sprung up in 
his wake.  "Aaaaaaarrrrrrrrrggggggggggghhhhhhhhhh!" yelled Dan, crashing 
headlong through the flames.  He came to a stop, frantically patting at his 
flaming gi, and finally dropping to the ground and rolling, all the while 
chanting the mighty mantra he habitually employed in order to focus past pain:  
"Owie, owie, owie, owie, owie!"

	"Hmph."  Dark Schneider smirked, stepping out of his place of concealment.  
"I wasn't aiming for you... but I owed you anyway.  Don't worry, it will all be 
over in a minute."  The white-haired mage raised a hand crackling with eldritch 
energies.   "Dam--"

	"Fireball!"  A sphere of flame exploded where Schneider had been standing, 
ruining the 'Damned' spell he had begun.  Lina had hoped to get closer before 
she revealed herself, but she couldn't let Dan get eliminated so early.  They'd 
fought on the same side too often, that was why.  It had nothing to do with the 
fact that Dan was a goof who she could take down easily if she had to and who 
would mainly focus on the other two, no, not at all.

	Somehow, though, the Exploder Wizard had managed to throw himself to one 
side of the blast.  He rose into the air, smiling.  "Lina Inverse.  I was 
wondering where you were hiding yourself..."

	"Sorry to keep you waiting," Lina said sardonically.  "Flare Arrow!"  The 
bolt of flame launched itself at Darshu.

	"Using fire magic, against me?  How amusing."  Schneider held out one hand 
in a warding gesture.  "By blood's oath, rise from the land of Abaddon!  Flames 
of Gehenna, burst and consume everything.  Hell of exploding flames -- EXODUS!"  
A burning aura surrounded the mage as he completed the spell and rocketed toward 
Lina faster than thought.  The power of the flame arrow was swept aside, less 
than a distraction compared to Darshu's spell -- the same one he had once used 
to overcome and tame an efreet with its own element.  Lina quick-cast a Ray Wing 
and zipped to the side, but in the confines of the canyon, she was unable to 
wholly avoid the explosion of the blast.  She winced in pain as a fraction of 
the immense heat seeped through her shields, scalding her exposed skin.

	Before the dark mage could attempt to deliver a coup de grace, however, he 
was nearly bowled over by Dan Hibiki.  "Ooosha!  Dark, evil, bad, bad, mean, 
mean, nasty, mean, and generally not-nice Schneider, your opponent is here!  And 
he is me!  Prepare to accept the collect call of *Justice* that is Dan's mighty 
fists!  ...Or is that 'are' Dan's mighty fists?"

	Darshu was exceedingly unimpressed.  Almost carelessly, he threw a bolt of 
blue lightning into Dan, sending the martial artist to the ground again.  "I see 
you haven't grown any smarter since the last time we fought."

	"Elmekia Lance!"  Dan's actions had bought Lina a respite, and her magic 
now hurled a bolt of holy force into Dark Schneider.  It wasn't her strongest 
suit, but the spell was a valuable part of her arsenal, and her hunch paid off; 
the dark sorcerer of Metallicana was staggered as the lance pierced his 
defensive shield.

	A rumbling sound warned her, and she sprung into the air just in time.  A 
pair of Alberto's shockwaves sped beneath her, crashing into the cliff and 
spreading a cloud of charcoal dust over the area.  Cautiously, Lina guided her 
flight a little higher; it wouldn't do to overshoot the boundary, but she wasn't 
about to stay a sitting duck when at least one of her competitors had area-
effect attacks.  Hmm, there was an idea...  "Burst Rondo!"  

	A swarm of miniature fireballs pierced the dark cloud, impacting upon the 
ground and walls.  Lina listened carefully, but only a faint "...owie" could be 
heard.  Probably a miss, then.  She wheeled backwards along the wall, and 
something exploded near her former position.

	Below, Darshu stumbled out of the cloud of dust to find himself face to 
face with Alberto.  By instinct, he raised his hands, halfway through forming a 
spell in his mind.  He halted short of setting free his power, however; Alberto 
was facing him, a howling black aura around his own hands.  "With one word," the 
mage said conversationally, "I could dispatch you with this spell."

	"I wouldn't advise it," Alberto replied, equally cool.  "I suspect I'm 
faster."

	"Maybe.  But that's a big risk to take."  Dark Schneider's eyes flashed.  
"Considering that you'd spend the rest of your life in a hospital bed if you're 
wrong."

	Alberto said nothing more.  The two warriors stood absolutely still, eyes 
locked, each waiting for the other to make some slight move, one small mistake 
that would spell the end for the standoff.  One distraction...

	"Mega Brando!"  The earth exploded upward.  Alberto, caught off guard, was 
thrown high into the air.  "Thanks for being such good targets, guys!" Lina 
added cheerfully.  She focused on Alberto, hurling several bolts of flame in his 
direction.  "Flare Arrow!"  Four or five of the missiles struck, and a 
smoldering Alberto came crashing back down.

	Thanks to his flight spell, Darshu had managed to retain some control in 
the midst of Lina's Explosive Array.  It had still tumbled him through the air, 
but the moment of distraction as Lina dealt with Alberto was all he'd needed to 
recover.  He laughed derisively.  "You call that a magic arrow?  Try this one on 
for size.  Missiles of light, strike!  Rumbling steel explosive bullets -- 
ANTHEM!"

	A half-dozen burning V-shaped projectiles shot toward Lina, who smirked 
and floated backwards out of their path.  "C'mon... my nonexistent blind three-
year-old sister could have avoided thaaaaaa... uh?"  She turned and fled with 
more vigor as the missiles adjusted their course, tracking her.  Dark 
Schneider's mocking laughter echoed behind her, and she resolved to wipe the 
grin off his face in an appropriately painful manner.  Just as soon as she 
managed to outmaneuver those arrows, which were following her even around 
corners.

	"I... fight... on!"

	"Eh?"  Darshu turned.

	"Doushita?!  Doushita?!  Your puny extremely painful lightning bolts and 
fireballs can never overcome Dan's boundless spirit!  For the honor of Saikyo, 
Dan fights on!  Dan is unstoppable!  Dan is ungrokable!  Dan is inevitable!"  
Dan also spoke of himself in the third person when he got a little addled from 
taking so many hits.  "OYAJI!!!" Dan concluded, flexing his manly forearm.

	"Are you quite through?" a voice behind him asked.  Alberto.

	"No!  You have not listened to what Dan is saying!  Dan is saying that he 
is NOT... you're right behind Dan, aren't you?"

	"Indeed."

	"...oosha."

	"Not so fast," said Lina, holding a sphere of flame inches from Alberto's 
head.

	Dark Schneider shook his head in disbelief.  "Doesn't anyone just know 
when to stay down?"

	Lina smirked.  "Feel free to throw in the towel, since it looks like what 
we have here is a standoff..."

	"No."  Schneider grinned.  "What you three have is a standoff.  What I 
have is a clean shot.  Kaisard Alzard Ki Suk Anse Gros Silk..."

	"No way!"  Lina's eyes shot wide open.  "That's Helloween!  He wouldn't--"  
She paused.  "Okay, so he would.  Hell, it's what I'd do."

	"Sage from beyond," Darshu continued chanting.  "Take the seven keys and 
open the gates of hell!"

	A calculating gleam entered Alberto's eyes.  "Oh dear.  I am so distracted 
by the spell that I have failed to pay attention to Dan Hibiki.  I hope he does 
not notice," he said, speaking very clearly and as slowly as he could manage 
considering the circumstances.

	"Turn my enemy to ashes!"  A visible bluish-white aura of magical power 
had built up around Dark Schneider's body.  The glare only continued to 
intensify as the spell continued gathering energy.

	"Yayutchi!  You are distracted on the field of battle.  Dan shall show you 
the error of your ways!  SHIN GADOKEN!"  He whirled, arms extended to throw the 
giant (yet laughably short-ranged) creampuff-shaped ki bolt.

	Alberto chuckled and, almost without seeming to move, relocated himself 
several feet to the left, leaving Lina facing the martial artist.  "Dan?" was 
all she had time to say before it struck full force, pitching her backwards 
through the air until she slammed into a cliff face.

	"Divine guardian of the seven keys -- HELLOWEEN!"  The immense force 
gathered by the Exploder Wizard was released all at once in a wave of light and 
force, as the spell streaked downward.

	Krillin, who had floated in close to get a good look at the earlier 
standoff, whistled to himself.  "Man!  It's almost like a kamehameha..."  With 
incredible speed, he flew forward to remove the unconscious Lina from the area, 
just in case.

	It turned out to be a sensible precaution.  A moment after he'd cleared 
out, the pent-up energy exploded.  Krillin blinked his vision clear.  Darshu was 
still floating there, in midair.  Dan had been embedded into the rock of the 
canyon floor, but contrary to all expectations, he was still moving.  Well, 
twitching, at least.  Krillin looked around for Alberto, but there was no sign 
of him.  Had the explosion...?  No, there he was.  His suit was scorched and he 
was limping -- not that that slowed him down much -- but he was otherwise 
intact, and circling back.

	Dan pried himself out of the ground and joined Dark Schneider in the air.  
Wisps of steam rose from his abused body, and his gi was a collection of shreds 
and tatters, but he was very nearly unbowed and only a little wobbly.  
"Oraoraoraoraora!  Dan does not know the meaning of defeat!  Nor surrender!  Nor 
callipygian, but that is irrelevant!  Prepare to face the awesome nifty wrath 
of--"

	"Dan?" Darshu guessed sarcastically.

	"Yes!  Ikuzora!"  Dan fell back into position for the Boot To Da Head, 
which looked rather odd since he was floating in midair at the moment.

	"He really is annoying, isn't he?"  Alberto stood at the intersection 
behind the Saikyo taunting ex-godhead legend.

	"You don't know the half of it."  Darshu cast a speculative glance toward 
Alberto.  "Temporary truce?"

	Alberto nodded.  "First things first."

	"DAN-DAN!  REVISED!  LEGENDARY!  PAINFUL!  SUPER!  MANLY!  OMEGA!  MEGA!  
INVINCIBLE!  OMNI!  WHOOPASS!  [BOOT TO DA HEAD!]"  Dan blurred pinkly through 
the air like a demented flamingo on speed glued to a space shuttle.

	Unfortunately, while he was calling out his move, Alberto and Darshu were 
preparing.  The end result:  Dan was shot down in flames like a chunk of Mir 
before he'd even gotten halfway to Darshu.

	Alberto immediately turned on the wizard.  With a burst of speed, he ran 
up the wall, leaping toward Dark Schneider with a feral smile.  "It looks like 
the match will be mine."

	"Don't be so sure."  Darshu dodged beneath the leap.  Alberto unleashed a 
barrage of shockwaves, but Schneider's spell enabled him to weave between them 
easily enough... until suddenly he found the ground underfoot.  "So that's your 
plan... damn.  Can't believe I fell for that."

	Alberto was on top of the mage before he could take off again.  The 
onslaught of fists and bursts of concussive power didn't allow Darshu the 
respite he needed to cast a spell; he barely managed to draw his sword in time 
to block a particularly vicious claw-fingered strike.  Krillin, having deposited 
Lina and Dan in their return portals, came in close to judge the end of the 
fight.

	The diminutive referee reeled as something heavy struck him from above and 
behind, causing him to see stars.  Yuffie giggled as she leapt to the top of the 
nearest plateau.  Conformer hit harder as its opponents got stronger.  That was 
enough to allow her to stun the bald referee by crashing into him with its flat 
surface.  Even that wouldn't last long, with the kind of power he had -- who'd 
figure a short, bald, weird-looking, cowardly guy could have so much? -- but she 
only needed a few seconds, to make sure he didn't see this...  She held up the 
weapon, and a Materia glowed softly in response to her mental command.

	In the canyon, Alberto suddenly felt as though the air had congealed to 
the consistency of thick syrup.  His blinding motions slowed into the realm of 
comprehensibility.  "What's this...?"

	"Heh.  Good girl," Darshu chuckled.  His own reactions weren't slowed at 
all, and he took advantage of Alberto's startlement to cast a spell.  "Damned."  
The sphere of force exploded before him, a fireball without the heat, throwing 
the slowed Alberto into the wall.  Dark Schneider trusted Alberto would 
appreciate the irony, once he regained consciousness.  The sorcerer's smile 
spread into a broad grin as he kept his hand outstretched.  "Barvolt."  The 
blast of lightning, one of Dark Schneider's favorite quick-cast combat spells, 
hit the stunned Alberto like a freight train.  On top of the other damage he had 
taken, it was enough to overcome even his incredible stamina, and he fell to the 
ground, limp.

	"What hit me...?"  Above, Krillin had recovered just in time to see Darshu 
deliver the final strike.  He peered suspiciously around the battlefield, but 
there was no sign of any presence other than the dark mage and his unconscious 
opponent.  He frowned skeptically as he floated down, but he had no choice.  He 
raised Darshu's arm.  "The winner... Dark Schneider."

	"As if there could be any other outcome."  The egotistical mage grinned.  
"Like I've said before, the handsome hero always beats out the ugly gorillas."  
He laughed to himself as he walked through a portal.  Krillin shrugged at the 
camera, picked up Alberto, and followed.

==========

	"I don't think I'd want to be Darshu when Lina finds out he called her an 
ugly gorilla," Daisuke noted.  "And since when is he a hero?"

	Beside him, Hiroshi wept.  "Why couldn't she have won?  Or Dan!  Dan is 
THE MAN, Dai!  Why didn't he win?"

	"Um... because he was stupid and taunted and called out all his moves and 
talked and generally wasted time instead of fighting?"

	"Don't mess with my groove, Daisuke.  I swear, one of these days you'll 
turn into Tarou if you don't loosen up."

	Daisuke leveled a flat glare at his fellow announcer.  "I'm going to 
pretend you didn't say that, because if you did, I'd have to hurt you."

	"Hehehe..."  Hiroshi dealt with the issue by courageously ducking it.  
"Anyway, as winner of tonight's brawl, Darshu's earned himself a title match 
next season if he wants it."

	"But Yuffie's the title holder in the Omega division.  Doesn't he work 
with her?"

	"But Dark Schneider has a lot of ambition," Hiroshi pointed out.  "He held 
the belt before, until Dan took it away from him, and he's declared his 
intention to get it back... maybe the temptation will be too much to resist!"

	"I guess we'll have to wait until next season and see," Daisuke responded 
pragmatically.

	Hiroshi nodded.  "And I for one can hardly wait!" he said, possibly the 
most pointlessly self-obvious statement ever uttered.  "Anyway, was that a show, 
or was that a show?  Explosions, triumphant comebacks, a brand-new Lambda team, 
and--"

	He was interrupted by one of the technicians, who handed him a piece of 
paper and then walked off.

	Hiroshi skimmed it, his eyes widening.  "And it's about to get even 
better!  The boss herself has just announced a surprise main event for UltraRage 
Eta!"

	Daisuke raised an eyebrow.  "A surprise?  Why am I suddenly afraid?"

	"Aww, don't worry, Dai.  What's the worst that could happen?"

	"The world could end again, but this time there's no God to bring 
everything back?"

	"Work with me, Daisuke.  Anyhow, folks, make sure you tune into Ultra next 
week for more details on what's going to be the greatest sporting event of the 
century -- ULTRARAGE ETA!"

	"The greatest until the next pay-per-view, of course," Daisuke muttered.

	Hiroshi shot him a quick glare.  "Signing off from the UltraDome, I'm 
Hiroshi..."

	"And I'm Daisuke..."

	"And we'll see you back here next week for Magical Troubleshooting 
Crossover Fighting Federation Ultra!"

==========

MTCFF Ultra #70 Results and Recap
][ AKANE RECOVERS from her INJURY
][ SAKURA and SHINGO have a CUNNING PLAN(tm)
][ NUKU-NUKU has made LOTS of NEW FRIENDS
][ ANYTHING GOES (Akane/Ranma) defeats SELPHIE/ZELL
][ ALBERTO actually MAKES an APPOINTMENT to see NABIKI
][ DUO defeats B-KO by technical foul
][ WYOMING blows up (now at 0w/57l)
][ SELPHIE and ZELL CONFUSE the HECK out of AKANE
][ SHERMIE defeats VEGA in a STEEL CAGE MATCH
][ SHERMIE finds SOMETHING is MISSING
][ BISON is NOT HAPPY and plans to TAKE ULTRA at UREta
][ TEAM CLOW (Sakura/Shaoran) defeats GARY/MISTY
][ TEAM ROCKET prevents ASH from INTERFERING YET AGAIN
][ MISTY plans to LEAVE ULTRA
][ SEPHIROTH challenges WASHUU to a MATCH at UREta
][ WASHUU has a CUNNING PLAN(tm)
][ IFURITA defeats NAGA
][ SAKURA and SHINGO lure MORRIGAN into a JACUZZI full of HOLY WATER
][ MORRIGAN is HURT and SERIOUSLY TICKED OFF
][ MAYBE that PLAN SAKURA and SHINGO had wasn't so CUNNING after all...
][ LAIN confesses to JACK
][ JACK has a CUNNING PLAN(tm) -- be AFRAID
][ DARSHU defeats ALBERTO, DAN, and LINA in an OMEGA BRAWL thanks to YUFFIE's 
interference
][ DARSHU gets a TITLE SHOT next SEASON if he WANTS one
][ NABIKI announces a SURPRISE EVENT at UREta
][ WORDS are CAPITALIZED apparently at RANDOM
][ KATE talks SCOTT into WRITING ULTRA (now 1w/0l)
][ STAY TUNED after the AUTHORS' NOTES for a SURPRISE

==========

Scott's notes:

Wow.  My first Ultra.  I had a lot of fun writing this monster of a chapter, 
though.  (It's nearly twice as long as my now-second-longest Impro part... and 
that's not even counting the parts Kate wrote.)  Kate and I got to do almost 
everything we'd wanted to, and I'm pretty happy with this chapter.  At the very 
least, I doubt anyone will complain that it's too dark. ;p  Hope you all have as 
much fun reading it as I had planning and writing it.

Regarding Sakura and the secret identity issue:  I don't think it matters here.  
For one thing, she wasn't even that careful about keeping the secret in her 
canon material... but in Ultra continuity, she's from a world where the wacky 
evens of Ranma and Urusei Yatsura happen right in Tokyo, not to mention the 
Street Fighter, Pokemon, Dragonball Z, King of Fighters, and other continuities.  
Even discounting the alternate realities, there's enough weirdness around that I 
don't think she'd need to bother concealing her identity here.  So nyah. ;p

I'll be putting together an informational omake on Sakura and the cards in the 
near future.  In the meantime, this site contains a complete listing of Clow 
Cards, for those who are so inclined:
http://www.techserv.curtin.edu.au/tsuki_yomi/clow/clow.htm

Thanks go to Kate Malloy, my co-author.  You can tell the parts that she wrote 
because they're the good ones. ^_^  Thanks also to our prereaders: 
NinjaDebugger, Grayson Towler, and Jeff Petersen.  Finally, thanks to Twoflower 
for starting this whole thing and for putting up with our quirky plans.

==========

Kate's notes:

...and I come back to the place where I began.  Ultra 24 was the very first 
thing I ever wrote for Impro and its related sites, back in September of 1999.  
I could wax philosophical here about all the things that have happened in the 
past year and eight months, but I don't think anyone wants to listen to me 
babbling. ;p

In short: it's been fun. ^_^

Thanks go, first and foremost, to my co-author, Scott Schimmel.  He let me talk 
him into this (and it took *so* much arm-twisting, didn't it? ^_~) and has done 
a really excellent job.  Oh, and don't listen to a word he says.  All the good 
parts are his, not mine. ^_^

Thanks also go to our pre-readers, Grayson Towler and Jeff Petersen, and to 
NinjaDebugger, for pre-reading and for his list of attacks Ifurita has learned 
during her tenure at Ultra.

And thanks for reading!  Hope you enjoyed it!

==========

	The UltraTron flickered to life in the half-empty Dome.  Some among the 
crowds who were still filing out turned curiously to watch as a logo filled its 
screen.  Not Ultra's logo.  Not Bison's logo.  This was something new.

				* LEAVE IT TO KERO-CHAN *

	The logo was replaced by a face.  A big, giant head.  Yellow and fuzzy, 
with little rounded ears on top, tiny beady eyes, and a broad grin.  
"Konyanyachiwa!  Did you all enjoy this week's Ultra?"  The remainder of the 
crowd cheered.  Yes, they were that markish.  "I did too!  Today was 'Sakura-
chan's Big Debut'!"  He continued at a more rapid clip.  
"AndThatLiBratTooButNeverMindHim.  Did you get your fill of Ultra Violence?  No?  
I know, it's impossible, right?  We'll just have to wait until next week.  Hang 
in there, everyone!  You can do it!

	"And now, for love and justice... KERO-CHAN CHECK!"

	The monitor switched over to a depiction of Sakura in her costume.  "As 
usual, this week's battle costume was made by Sakura's friend Tomoyo.  The idea 
was to evoke the quiet delicacy of a butterfly in flight."  Kero popped his head 
in from the side of the screen.  "I'm not sure that 'delicacy' is the best term 
to describe Sakura, but Tomoyo is like that.  In any case!  The points to 
notice:  This wing ornament really looks like a butterfly's wings, very colorful 
and bright.  I'm not sure which butterfly looks like this pattern, but it's very 
cheerful and flashy.  The wings are attached to the back of the costume.  
Sakura's headband looks like a butterfly's antennae, too.  Personally, I prefer 
the cat ears, but I guess it fits the costume.  Of course, neither one is as 
cool-looking as my ears."  He leaned close to give the camera a good view of the 
shape of said ears... round.

	The scene cut to Kero sitting on a plush red Kero-sized armchair at a 
Kero-sized writing desk.  "It looks like that's all the time we have for today!  
But I have so many more things about Sakura to introduce to you.  Well, I guess 
you'll just have to keep watching!  Everyone be good!  See you later!"

	The UltraTron went dark.

==========

And now, a couple of fights that just didn't make it for some reason we can't 
quite put our fingers on.

*

	Voiduck regarded his opponent, the young woman in the bright red plugsuit.  
Thanks to MewTwo's power, he should be able to defeat her easily.

][ Asuka Langley Soryuu vs. Voiduck
][ FIGHT!!

	Voiduck took a step towards Asuka, one wing raised menacingly.  "Voi!"

	Asuka looked at him and snorted in amusement.  "You have *got* to be 
kidding me."  With that, she shifted into her Eva form.

	Voiduck looked up at her... and up... and up.  Suddenly, he had a very bad 
feeling about this.  "Voi?"

	Eva-02 lifted one massive foot.

	"Voi!  VOIOIOIOI--"

	*squish*

=

][ Bean Bandit vs. Marlo
][ FIGHT!!

	"Ha!  I have you now!"  Marlo threw a bucket of water at Bean, careful not 
to get any on himself, then pulled out a shiny gold ring.  "You want this?"

	Bean simply punched Marlo in the gut.

	Marlo fell over, gasping.  "Urk... Your curse got cured?  How?!"

	"They did it."  Bean pointed to a pair of people sitting in the front row 
of the audience.  They looked suspiciously like the authors of this part.

==========

The End.

The chapter's over.  You can go home now.