"Jack-san, are you feeling any better?" "Somebody set up us the bomb!" Nabiki Tendo and Pantyhose Tarou sighed as Nuku-nuku's question received yet another unintelligible answer from Controversial Jack. It had been a week now since Jack had sustained an injury to his head, and the doctors said he wasn't showing any improvement. "How much longer is he going to be like this?" Nabiki wondered aloud. "Hard to say," Tarou replied, "The doctors have said this could last anywhere from days to months." The teenaged CEO began massaging her temples. "This is no good. He may be a pain, but he may well know Ultra better than anyone. I'm still not thrilled about having to replace him with Yaga..." "You spoony bard!" Tarou's glance flicked over to where Jack was lying, a brief flicker of annoyance crossing his features. "I could always give him a second knock to the skull," he suggested, "It always seems to work on TV." Nabiki shook her head. "I thought of that. The doctors said that it might work, but that there was also a risk of traumatizing him further. I don't think we can afford to risk that. We'll just have to hope the doctors can find out what's wrong with him." Tarou refrained from saying something about the doctors not having that much free time. Instead he simply said, "You're the boss. We should be heading back. The show will be starting soon." Nabiki nodded. "Right," She looked at Nuku-nuku, "Will you be coming back with us, Nuku-nuku?" "Nuku-nuku wants to stay with Jack-san for a bit longer," the magenta-haired catgirl replied. "Alright," said Nabiki, as she and Tarou headed for the door. She looked over her shoulder at Jack one more time. "I hope you'll get better soon, Jack." "A winner is you!" Nabiki simply heaved another sigh, and she and Tarou exited the hosptial room. Once the door closed, Jack wiped his brow in an exaggerated show of relief. "Whew! I thought they'd never leave. Pretending to be incoherent is a lot harder than it looks." Nuku-nuku blinked in surprise, then smiled brightly as she glomped the spiky-haired booker fiercely. "Jack-san! You're all better!" "Careful, or I won't be for long," Jack managed to say as the air was rapidly expelled from his lungs. Once Nuku-nuku let go of him, he took a few deep breaths and said, "Actually, I'll be square with you Nuku. I've been faking this whole head injury gig to get away from things for a while." "Oh," said Nuku-nuku, "But I thought Jack-san liked being the head bookcase..." Jack grinned his trademark grin. "Oh, I do, but I've been in a rut lately. I need to flex my controversial muscle, show the world something truly outrageous and shocking!" "What will Jack-san do?" Nuku-nuku asked. "I don't want to spill any beans to anybody right now, but it'll be huge. Bigger than Meatloaf's sideburns. But I won't be able to pull it off by myself. I'll need your help, Nuku." *SQUEAK* "And yours too, of course, Mr. Duck." Nuku-nuku grinned and nodded. "Nuku-nuku will help! What can I do?" "Well," said Jack, "First, I've gotta get outta the psycho ward." He looked around, a thoughtful look on his face. "Now, do I want a quiet, uncontroversial exit or..." A few minutes later, there was a large hole in the wall, and neither Jack, Nuku-nuku, nor Mr. Duck were anywhere to be found. --- LIVE! FROM THE ULTRADOME! THE BIGGEST SPECTACLE IN ANIME AND VIDEO GAME SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT AND IMPROFANFIC! IT'S TIME FOR... { M A G I C A L T R O U B L E S H O O T I N G } { C R O S S O V E R F I G H T I N G } { F E D E R A T I O N } { .-----------. } { | U-L-T-R-A | } { `-----------' } { http://www.mtcffultra.com } EPISODE 84: Under New Management Written By: Kurt Markuson, with end scene by 2F MTCFF Ultra Created by: Twoflower --- The Ultradome was... screw it. If you don't know the drill by now you probably shouldn't be reading this. Suffice it to say you won't find decibel levels like the Ultradome's anywhere else. "Are you ready for a little... ULTRAVIOLENCE!?" The crowd responded to Hiroshi's question as they usually did, by 'kicking it up a notch,' to borrow a phrase. "Well that's good, because we've got a great line-up of explosive action for you tonight! We've got titanic battles across all divisions, and a Harcore title defense against an unknown opponent! Tonight promises to be a truly Ultro..." Hiroshi trailed off, looking sidelong at his partner, who seemed to be insanely interested in a spot on the ceiling. Daisuke noticed his co-announcer's look, and turned to face him. "Yes?" Hiroshi scratched the back of his head. "Aren't you going to say anything?" "Oh no, I wouldn't want to mess with your groove, Hiroshi," Daisuke replied, returning his gaze to the ceiling. "Please, continue." Hiroshi chuckled nervously as a large bead of sweat slid down the side of his head. "Ah... right..." he turned back to the camera, "Well, uh.... let's get started with our first match, shall we? Angst-metal began playing over the speakers, and Morrigan made her way down the ramp amidst a burst of pyrotechnics. Daisuke chose this moment to speak up. "Although their win last week at UltraRage Epsilon gives Team Enlightenment the right to challenge for the Lambda belts anytime before Reboot, Morrigan requested to appear in singles competetion this week, apparently to settle a personal matter." At that point, traditional Japanese music began playing, and cherry blossoms began falling from the lighting grid as Nakoruru made her way to the ring, accompanied by her wolf and hawk companions. "Which brings us to her opponent, the Priestess of Nature, Nakoruru!" Hiroshi enthused, "These two have had it in for each other almost since they met here in Ultra, and tonight will see another chapter written in their struggle for supremacy!" "It's a grudge match, Hiroshi," said Daisuke, "We have them all the time." Nakoruru had entered the ring, and the referee was about to signal for the bell, when the Ultratron flickered to life, displaying the visage of the Great Yaga. "My sincerest apologies," said Yaga, adjusting the tie which was part of the suit he was wearing, "But I believe I forgot to mention a certain stipulation which was added to this match. I wanted this to be a nice, even fight, so I am barring the young woman's... friends... from ringside." There was shocked silence in the Ultradome for approximately 0.8 seconds, and then the crowd began to make its displeasure with Yaga's ruling quite vocal. Hiroshi stood up as well. "Hang on a second. Ash fights with his pokemon, and that's never been considered an unfair advantage." Yaga nodded. "True, but young Ketchum himself has no formal combat training. To send him into a fight without pokemon would be-" "Like sending Sakura into a fight without her cards?" Hiroshi asked pointedly. The crowd intensified its jeering at that reminder of Yaga's actions at the last Reboot. Yaga's eyes flashed with malevolence for a split second before calming himself. "Be that as it may," he continued, "Miss Nakoruru is no novice in the arts of combat. Surely she needs no help from animals to win a match?" Back in the ring, Morrigan smirked at Nakoruru. "Or perhaps you don't think you can defeat me without your little woodland friends, hm?" The young priestess scowled, first at Yaga, then at Morrigan. "I can defeat you by myself, demon," she said coldly. She then turned to her companions. "Shikuru, Mamahaha, please wait backstage with Rimururu. I'll rejoin you soon." The wolf and the hawk hesitated for a moment, then left the ringside area with seeming reluctance. "Alright," said Daisuke, "looks like we've finally got a match." ][ GAMMA MATCH ][ MORRIGAN AENSLAND VS. NAKORURU ][ FIGHT! Morrigan didn't waste any time going on the offensive. As soon as the bell rang, the succubus unfurled her wings and launched herself into the air. She shouted, "SOUL FIST!" and sent a volley of energy bats straight towards Nakoruru. "And Morrigan attempts a quick win, taking to the air early," Daisuke announced impassively. Nakoruru, meanwhile, was frantically dodging the bat-shaped projectiles as they slammed into the ring around her. Morrigan looked down, somewhat miffed to see that the young priestess had managed to dodge her first attack. She prepared to let loose another Soul Fist volley, but was surprised to see Nakoruru, bathed in ki energy and leaping up towards her, sword extended. "LEYLA MUTSUBE!" Morrigan attempted to dodge, but the move caught her by surprise, and she took nearly the full force of the attack. The succubus supressed a cry of pain, and began descending erratically towards the mat, landing heavily. Nakoruru landed nimbly some distance away. "And in a sensational turnaround, Nakoruru BEATS Morrigan at her own game!" Hiroshi exclaimed. "Let's see her try a quick aerial victory NOW!" "Just call the match, Hiroshi," Daisuke said. But Morrigan did seem to be nursing one of her wings, and she looked up at her opponent, smirking. "Not bad, little girl," she hissed, "But not quite enough to beat me." Nakoruru merely narrowed her eyes, and came in at Morrigan again, swinging her sword high. Morrigan ducked under the attack, and connected with a leg sweep, sending Nakoruru to the floor. Morrigan followed up the attack by attempting to stomp the prone Nakoruru, but the young priestess managed to roll away just as Morrigan's spiked heel slammed into the mat, and got to her feet again. Morrigan smirked again. "Well played, dear," she said, and took a menacing step forward. Or at least she tried to, but something seemed to be impeding her forward progress. As she looked down she realized that the stiletto heel she'd attempted to stomp Nakoruru with was now embedded in the floor of the ring. "This could cost Morrigan if Nakoruru can capitalize on it," Daisuke commentated. "Right you are, Daisuke! This could be a critical mistake in Nakoruru's favor!" Hiroshi added. Nakoruru did indeed take advantage of her opponent's decreased mobility, rushing in and slashing across Morrigan's abdomen with her blunted weapon. Morrigan's foot came free with the impact of Nakoruru's blow, and the succubus tumbled across the ring before rolling to her feet. She glared at Nakoruru, and the young woman returned her gaze with equal ferocity. They held that tableau for a few seconds, then rushed each other, meeting in a flurry of slashes, kicks, blocks, and dodges. "And it looks like strategy has been discarded in favor of a straight-out fight," Daisuke noted. "Yes, there's certainly no love lost between these two bitter rivals!" Hiroshi exlaimed, "These girls want a piece of each other, and they want it BAD!" "Nevertheless, Nakoruru's in trouble if she wants to trade blows with Morrigan for any period of time," Daisuke said, "Morrigan's strength and endurance are higher than a normal person's." "That doesn't matter when you've got a pure heart and strength in your convictions!" Hiroshi countered. "Just keep telling yourself that, Hiroshi." Morrigan did indeed seem to be gaining the upper hand, however. She'd taken a few good hits from Nakoruru's sword, but she'd landed some solid blows of her own, and her demonic heritage gave her the edge in this kind of confrontation. Then, as Nakoruru overextended on a thrusting attack, Morrigan landed a stinging backhand blow which caught the young priestess in the temple, and sent her sprawling to the mat. "You don't have any cute little pets to rescue you this time, little girl," Morrigan said acidly, "Time to-" But what it was time to do would never be known, because Nakoruru was up again, and unleashing a hail of blows upon an unprepared Morrigan. "And Nakoruru digs deep, finding enough power in reserve to give it one more shot!" Hiroshi shouted, nearly getting up on the announcer's table. "This could be a DRAMATIC upset!" Indeed, Nakoruru's attack had brought Morrigan to her knees, with both competitors breathing heavily, much to the delight of the nosebleed section. Morrigan looked up at Nakoruru... and smiled wickedly. "Still not good enough," she said, reaching out and grabbing hold of Nakoruru, "CRYPTIC NEEDLE!" "Then again, maybe not," Daisuke ammended. Nakoruru cried out in pain as the succubus drained her remaining energy, and she fell to the mat. Morrigan caught her breath while the referee administered the ten-count, and the bell rang. "Morrigan manages to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat!" Hiroshi announced, looking slightly less energetic than usual, "But Nakoruru gave a good fight, and I'm sure she won't take this lying do- HEY! What's she doing!?" What had interrupted Hiroshi's postfight speech was Morrigan, picking up Nakoruru and attempting to drag her out of the ring. "Morrigan tried this at UltraRage too," Daisuke spoke up, "Apparently she's not quite through with Nakoruru yet..." Morrigan was about to drag Nakoruru up the ramp, when she was hit by a blast of ice from Konril, who floated in from backstage, followed by Rimururu, Shikuru, and Mamahaha. "Get away from my sister!" The other half of the Spirits of Nature demanded, as Konril fired a few more ice blasts at the succubus. "But she won't get the chance tonight, because the cavalry's here, and Morrigan's in no shape to fight them off!" Hiroshi exclaimed. True enough, the already weakened Morrigan collapsed under Konril's barrage of ice blasts, and Rimururu managed to get her sister backstage with some help from the medics. "What a spectacular conclusion to the first fight of the evening!" Hiroshi said. "Don't go anywhere, we'll have even more Ultraviolence for you after this!" --- Lei Wulong was in the Ultradome's workout area, warming up for his match later in the evening, when he heard someone else enter the room. He turned, and saw a large Japanese man in a suit walking towards him, with a friendly smile on his face. "Ah, Detective Wulong," Yaga said pleasantly, "Just the man I was looking for." Lei raised an eyebrow inquisitively. "What can I do for you?" "Actually," Yaga said, "This is more a matter of what I can do for you, Detective. I know that you're a seasoned veteran, both with the police and in the martial arts. You've put in your time, paid your dues, and I respect that. You are the hardcore champion because you earned it, by virtue of your experience and hard work." "Get to the point, Yaga," Lei said. Yaga's eyebrow twitched almost imperceptibly, and he cleared his throat before continuing. "As you may know, I am temporarily replacing Jack as head booker until such time as he can return to his duties. As such, I can ensure that your much-deserved reign as champion can run for quite some time, provided that I, in turn, can call on you for the occasional favor..." "Are you trying to bribe me into joining up with you, Yaga?" Lei asked. "I would never bribe an officer, Detective Wulong," Yaga replied, "Consider it a proposition, one experienced fighter helping out another." "It's an interesting offer, Yaga, but I'm going to have to decline," Lei said simply, before turning back to the practice dummy he'd been working on. Yaga's eyes narrowed slightly. "I beg your pardon?" Lei turned to face the wrestler again. "I may be new to this federation, Yaga, but I've seen enough to know that I don't want anything to do with you or the people you associate with. I'll defend my title tonight, and win or lose, I'll do it by the book. Understand?" Yaga's face lost any semblance of the affable expression it had had when he came in. "Oh, I understand perfectly, Detective," he said, "And I think I've decided now who you'll be facing tonight." With that, he turned on his heel, exited the training room, and headed back to his office, stopping only to slip an envelope under the door of one of the dressing rooms. --- Shingo Yabuki glanced across the dressing room to where his partner sat. "Are you sure you want to do this?" Sakura Kasugano tightened her headband and pulled on her red fighting gloves. "I can't just sit around and mope forever, Shingo. I've got to get back into things, or I'll never be able to beat this." Shingo nodded, but he didn't seem to be any more at ease. "But what if..." he trailed off, not wishing to say more. Sakura sighed. "I know, I'm scared too." She turned to face her partner. "I want you to promise me that if I lose control, you'll stop me, by any means necessary." Shingo blinked, looking at Sakura in shock. "You want me to...." he looked away, "I don't know if I can-" "PROMISE ME, SHINGO!" There were a few long moments of tense silence, and Sakura's expression softened. "...Please..." Shingo stared at the floor, before bringing his gaze back up to his partner. "Alright," he said softly, "I promise." Sakura smiled wanly, and nodded. "Thank you." She headed for the dressing room door. "Come on, it's almost time." --- "Aaaaaand we're back!" Hiroshi announced to anyone who might be in the kitchen fixing a sandwich, "Mere seconds away from our second match of the night! But first, some new information about our main event! As you know, our Hardcore champ, Lei Wulong, will put his belt on the line against a mystery opponent. But it has come to our attention that this match won't be just any old Hardcore match! THIS will be a Junkyard Invitational!" "And just what, pray tell," Daisuke asked, "Is a Junkyard Invitational?" "I...." Hiroshi trailed off, "Don't know, but it's sure to be a BARNBURNER of a match!" "Whatever," said Daisuke, "But in any case, we've got a Lambda match right now, so let's try to concentrate on that, OK?" "Right you are, Daisuke!" Hiroshi said, "And here come our competitors now!" Zell and Selphie strode down the ramp, mostly ignoring the booing of the crowd, but occasionally stopping to sneer at or trash talk to some of the more vocal fans. "Yeah, we know you don't like us!" Selphie shouted at the audience, "But we're gonna be here for a LONG time, so get used to it!" Zell simply tried his best to look menacing as the crowed continued to jeer. "And their opponents for this evening," Daisuke deadpanned as Sakura and Shingo made their way to the ring. The reaction the crowd gave them was more favorable than the one they'd given to the SeeDs, though it wasn't the kind of pop they would've gotten before Sakura's... trouble. Speaking of Sakura, she was wearing another one of Tomoyo's outfits; a bit less flashy than the previous few, this one was a more traditional pink gi top and red hakama. "This one's not too bad," Sakura remarked, "Where did Tomoyo get the idea for it?" Shingo shrugged. "I dunno. She said something about a video game..." ][ LAMBDA MATCH ][ SELPHIE / ZELL VS. SHINGO / SAKURA ][ FIGHT! Each team had decided beforehand who would go first, and Shingo found himself facing off against Zell. The copyfighter decided that the best defense was a good offense, and launched himself at Zell, foot extended. "SHINGO KICK!" Zell seemed to anticipate the move, and managed to sidestep, countering with a solid punch to the kidneys as his opponent sailed past. Shingo hit the mat, but managed to roll to his feet. "Shingo goes for first blood, but gets a hit from behind for his trouble!" Hiroshi exclaimed. "Well, maybe now he'll learn not to telegraph like that in the future," Daisuke stated. "C'mon, that's not fair Dai-" "Drop dead, Hiroshi." Shingo, meanwhile, had closed with Zell again, and managed to get a body-blow past the spikey-haired boy's defenses. Zell staggered back a few steps, but remained on his feet. He pointed at Shingo, shouted, "Fire!" and Shingo was engulfed in a small ball of flame. "Shingo!" Sakura cried, worried for her partner. "Tag out!" she leaned out over the ropes. Shingo, looking rather singed, coughed and shook his head. "I'm alright," he said, patting out the smoldering parts of his jacket. He turned back to face Zell. "Not bad," he said, "But let me show you this! FIST OF THE WHITE SWAN!" Zell, caught off-guard, could only blink as the plastic training potty caught him squarely between the eyes. "Shingo takes a page from Mousse's playbook, and makes a surprise attack on Zell! This could be the turnaround Sakura and Shingo need!" Hiroshi enthused. Selphie frowned. "I can't believe you let that thing hit you, Zell!" the female SeeD told her partner, who seemed to be more interested in the pretty stars orbiting his head. Selphie heaved a sigh, and tagged her partner, entering the ring. Shingo went on the attack, deciding to press his advantage. He advanced on Selphie, fists flying in a passable imitation of the Katchuu Tenshin Amaguriken. Selphie went on the defensive, attempting to block the series of rapid punches with her nunchaku. She managed to deflect a good number of the blows, but enough found their mark to push her back even more, and soon she found herself on the ropes. "Shingo's really pouring it on now!" Hiroshi said, "This could be the w-" "Thundara!" "Of course, you've been wrong before," Daisuke pointed out. Shingo convulsed wildly as the bolt of electricity struck him, and he fell to the mat, smoking slightly. "Come on Shingo!" Sakura called, leaning over the ropes again, "Get up and tag out!" Shingo, still twitching slightly, managed to drag himself the short distance to the corner and tag Sakura while Selphie was mugging for the crowd. Selphie turned to face Sakura just as the other girl was springing towards her in a flying kick. The attack clipped Selphie in the shoulder, and she countered with a swing of her nunchaku, which Sakura blocked. Sakura pressed her attack with a three-punch combo that made it through Selphie's defenses. The final punch caught Selphie square across the jaw, and the girl staggered back, swaying woozily. "And this could be a victory for Sakura," Daisuke commentated, "Unless..." Selphie raised her nunchaku skywards. "Blizzaga! Fira! Bio! Aero!" "Unless Selphie limit breaks?" Hiroshi asked. "Yep." Daisuke replied. Sakura frantically attempted to dodge the ice, fire, poison, and wind that was raining down on her, but there's only so much you can do in the middle of a maelstrom. When the smoke from the magical barrage cleared, Sakura was bruised, singed, and battered. She was also sporting a very dangerous-looking dark aura. "Waaaaahhhhh!" stated Selphie. "She's gonna do that Instant Coffee Murder thing!" "Oh no," Shingo breathed, "This is really bad! Sakura!" He called to his partner, "Snap out of it!" Sakura didn't seem to hear Shingo, and took a step towards Selphie, who quailed and backpedaled up against the ropes. Shingo wasn't about to give up, though. He'd promised Sakura that he'd stop her from using the Instant Hell Murder, and he knew he'd honor that promise if he had no choice, but he wasn't going to resort to violence if he could help it. "Come on, Sakura, I know you don't want to do this! This isn't like you!" "Shingo's right," Li Ping said, as he emerged from backstage with Ranma and Akane, "You're not like this. You're not some dark destroyer, you're a fun, energetic.... cute schoolgirl," Li finished, blushing. "You're also our friend," Akane said, "And we don't want to see you hurt yourself and others going down this path." "Everybody's got a bit of darkness in 'em," said Ranma, "Trust me, I know. But you can't let it control you. All kinds of bad stuff happens when you do that." The words of her friends seemed to reach Sakura in some way, because she slowed and eventually stopped her advance towards Selphie, but the dark aura still flared around her, and her expression never changed. "Your friends are correct," said a voice, one that Sakura found distinctly familiar. "This isn't the real you." At that, Sakura did turn, as did her friends, to face the speaker. A tall, Japanese man in a white sleeveless gi emerged from the crowd, headband fluttering behind him. "When I sensed you perform the Instant Hell Murder several weeks ago, I made my way to this place, hoping that you hadn't been lost," Ryu said. His face betrayed no emotion, but he spoke softly. "The darkness of your soul that fuels the Instant Hell Murder may seem insurmountable, but you must rise above it. For your friends, and for yourself." As Ryu finished speaking, the crowd began chanting, softly at first, but growing in intensity as it became more widespread. Sakura looked up at the fans, waving signs saying, "SAKURA, WILL YOU MARRY ME?" She looked at her friends, with their worried but hopeful faces. She looked at Ryu, who simply nodded. The dark aura faded from around Sakura's body, and she bowed her head. "Ryu-sama, everyone, thank you..." The crowd erupted into cheers, and everyone at ringside, especially Selphie, heaved a great sigh of relief. Though Selphie's relief was short-lived, as she was quickly beaned by a flying uppercut. "SHOUKEN!" "UNBE-FREAKING-LIEVABLE!" Hiroshi shouted as the ref administered the ten-count. "Sakura wins both the emotional battle AND the physical battle! The fans are getting their money's worth tonight!" "It's very touching," Daisuke deadpanned, "I may weep openly." Sakura was attempting to make her way to where Ryu had appeared from the crowd, but the stoic shotokaner had disappeared. Her shoulders drooped slightly, but the roaring crowd's mood was highly infectious. She smiled, and struck a victory pose for the crowd, who only cheered louder, and made her way backstage, alongside her friends. "Was that a great match or what, folks?" Hiroshi asked. The crowd's response, though not intelligible, was most definitely in the affirmative. "Well, don't go anywhere yet, cuz we've still got a big Omega match coming up, and our first-ever Junkyard Invitational for the Hardcore title! Stay tuned!" --- Gary Oak was in the Ultradome's commisary, having a late dinner, when he heard someone approach him. "Um.... I've been meaning to talk to you Gary." Gary looked up at the boy addressing him, who was now back in his old familiar blue jeans, short-sleeved jacket, and red and white cap. "Oh, hi Ash. What did you need to see me about?" Ash looked down at the ground. "Well, I know now that for a while there I was being... you know...." "A jerk?" Gary supplied. Ash nodded. "Yeah. I just wanted to apologize for the things that I said and did. I know some of them were pretty bad, but..." Gary nodded. "Don't worry about it, Ash. We all make mistakes. I'm just glad you were able to see yours, and try to correct them." "Yeah, my mom said the same thing," Ash said. "I called her again after UltraRage was over. She said she was proud of me." Ash smiled a bit. "I'd almost forgotten how good that feels." Gary nodded again. "So are you going back to Pallet Town? You've been through a lot lately, and I don't think anybody would blame you for taking a break..." Ash shook his head. "No, I won't be going back just yet. Maybe I will soon, but I think I need to stick around here for a bit longer. I get the feeling that there's something I need to do..." Gary smiled. "Well, I guess I'll be seeing you around then." He stood up and started to make his way out of the comissary. "But don't think that just because we're OK that I'll go easy on you in the ring. Ash grinned. "I wouldn't want it any other way." --- "Welcome back to Ultra, the only show that uses only 100% Grade A Whoopass!" Hiroshi enthused, eliciting a quick pop from the crowd. "Up next is an Omega grudge match between Ultraman, the Giant of Light, and the criminal mastermind, Shockwave Alberto!" "We take you now to Giant Abandoned City #54," Daisuke said, "Where Krillin waits to start off the match." The UltraTron activated, showing Krillin floating over a sprawling city of steel and concrete. There were no lights on in the buildings, however, and the streets were empty. A blue portal opened, and Shockwave Alberto emerged, puffing idly on a cigar. He'd have to thank Yaga for arranging this match for him, Alberto thought to himself. It presented the perfect opportunity to make another attempt at capturing the giant hero. A few seconds later, Ultraman himself teleported in under his own power, in his human size. Alberto smirked, extinguishing his cigar. "I've been looking forward to this, my strange friend," he said. Ultraman, not unexpectedly, said nothing, and simply dropped into a fighting stance. Krillin looked from one competitor to another. "You know the rules. No outside interference, destruction of the world or dimension is a technical foul. BEGIN!" Krillin dropped his arm and flew out to a safe distance to watch the action. ][ OMEGA MATCH ][ ULTRAMAN VS. SHOCKWAVE ALBERTO ][ FIGHT! Alberto was quick to take advantage of the large city's labrynthine structure, speeding into an alley and disappearing from sight. Ultraman quickly ran after his opponent, but Alberto soon managed to loose the red and silver being amidst the alleys and byways of the city. "Alberto seems to have a strategy in mind here," Daisuke noted, "Looks like he's trying to set up Ultraman for an ambush." Sure enough, after Ultraman had wandered cautiously through the city for a few moments, he was hit from behind by a kinetic blast. Ultraman staggered under the blow, and he could hear Alberto chuckling in true Evil Villain(tm) fashion. The Giant of Light raced in the direction that the shockwave had come from, only to be hit by another shockwave from another direction. "It doesn't look good for Ultraman," Daisuke said, "If he can't flush Alberto out of hiding, this match could be over very quickly." "COME ON, ULTRAMAN!" cheered Hiroshi, "You can do it!" "..." Ultraman had taken a few more hits from Alberto's shockwaves, and was beginning to look a bit winded. The alien superhero stood up straight, however, and a split second later, was full size again, towering over the landscape. "What's Ultraman doing!?" Hiroshi asked no one in particular. "If he goes full size, Alberto'll have no trouble hitting him!" Alberto did indeed fire another blast of force at his now much larger target, which clipped Ultraman's shoulder. Alberto sped off again to continue his hit-and-run strategy, but was stopped cold by a large beam of energy smashing into the ground in front of him. Alberto looked up, and his one visible eye widened as he saw the Giant of Light's gleaming golden eyes looking right at him. "Brilliant!" cried Hiroshi, "Now that Ultraman's bigger than the buildings that Alberto's been hiding behind, his cover is gone!" "However," Daisuke interjected, "He's made a bigger target of himself, and Alberto has managed to get some solid hits in on him." Alberto sped away from Ultraman, firing a few more shockwaves to cover himself as he put some distance between himself and the giant hero. Ultraman twisted his body to the side, avoiding the blasts, and began to give chase, but the lighning-fast Big Fire operative was gradually pulling away. Ultraman continued to give chase, and a glowing disc of energy appeared in his hand. The superhero hurled the energy disc forward, where it passed a few feet over Alberto's head... ...And slammed into one of the large buildings, which promptly began to collapse. Alberto immediately screeched to a halt and began firing force bolts at the large chunks of rubble that were beginning to fall. He managed to destroy several large pieces of masonry, but as more of the building collapsed, it became obvious that Alberto was fighting a downhill battle. When the smoke cleared, Alberto was buried under a pile of rubble. "Woo-hoo!" Hiroshi cheered, "Ultraman just brought the house down on Alberto! This could be it!" "I'm not so sure," Daisuke countered, "Alberto's proven himself to be a very tough competitor..." Krillin floated down to inspect the damage, and began to administer a ten-count. He got to about five when the pile of rubble exploded in a burst of crimson and black force bolts, and Ablerto emerged from the detritus. His black suit was torn and stained, and Alberto himself looked pretty badly bruised, but still ready to fight. Alberto drew himself up to his full height, and looked up at Ultraman, who had brought his forearms up in a familiar cross pose. Alberto had no time to dodge, and the full-sized Specium Beam hit him dead-on. The sheer force of the gold colored energy blast sent the Magnificent Ten member flying, and he landed, smoking, a considerable distance away. Krillin flew in to administer the ten-count again, and this time, Alberto didn't get up. He pointed at Ultraman. "Ultraman is the winner." The crowd went wild as Ultraman struck a few sentai poses, and teleported away to parts unknown. "Maybe Alberto'll think twice next time he wants to tangle with Ultraman!" Hiroshi exclaimed, "But don't get out of that chair we've got our Main Event, the Hardcore championship Junkyard Invitational, coming up NEXT!" --- The Great Yaga turned away from the monitor in his office, frowning. This was the first Ultra since he was named temporary head booker, and already things were not going as planned. Sure, Morrigan had managed to defeat that Ainu girl, but then she'd gotten punked by said girl's sister after the match had ended. Wulong had turned down his offer to join forces with him, and now Alberto's little private venture with Ultraman had just fizzled. It was not a good start to what was supposed to be a new era in Ultra. The phone on Yaga's desk began to ring. He picked up the receiver. "Hello, the Great Yaga's office," he said, "How may I help you?" There was silence over the phone line for a few seconds, before music started playing, from what sounded like a tape recorder. o/~ The grey old mare just ain't what she used to be, ain't what she used to be, ain't what she used to be...o/~ The music was also accompanied by muffled chuckles and fits of giggling, from voices that sounded very familiar... Yaga snarled, and slammed the receiver back on its hook. That little snot Li Ping and his friends. They were mocking him. "Go ahead and laugh, brats," he said to himself. "We'll see who laughs last." --- "We're back with tonight's MAIN EVENT!" Hiroshi hyped, while the crowd roared in the background. "May I direct your attention to the UltraTron, where our champion, Lei Wulong, awaits his unknown challenger!" The UltraTron displayed the face of a rather perplexed Lei Wulong. "What kind of match is THIS?" The camera pod panned out to reveal that Lei was, in fact, standing in the middle of a large junkyard. There were stacks of tires, rusted-out cars, and large piles of miscellaneous junk lying around. Ultra's newest referee, Mary, smiled nervously at the supercop. "Well, Yaga-san called it a Junkyard Invitational," she said. Lei nodded, still not quite understanding. "Alright, I understand the junkyard part, but why is it an invitational?" "Oh, that's easy," said a rough voice from behind a pile of wrecked cars, "I got this invitation to come out here and bust your ass." Lei gulped as the voice's owner walked out into the open. (Oh no...) He thought. Bean Bandit grinned, and cracked his knuckles. "I'm gonna enjoy this." ][ HARDCORE CHAMPIONSHIP JUNKYARD INVITATIONAL ][ LEI WULONG VS. BEAN BANDIT ][ FIGHT! Bean ripped a hubcap off of a nearby car, and promptly hurled it at Lei Wulong. The Tokyo policeman managed to catch it, but was given no time to rest, for Bean had closed with him already, and launched a vicious haymaker at him. Lei blocked the attack with the hubcap, tossed the now severely dented piece of metal aside, and proceeded to head for the hills. Bean gave chase, not letting Lei out of his sight. Lei ran until his path was blocked by a rusted out old backhoe. Lei jumped towards the large machine, planted both feet against its side, and pushed off of it, twisting around in a flying kick towards Bean Bandit. Bean wasn't having it, however, and sidestepped the kick, grabbing Lei's ankle as the Supercop sailed past. Lei's eyes widened as found himself being swung around like a rag doll. Then, Bean let go, and Lei sailed through the air, and came to a crashing halt against the side of another scrapped car. Hiroshi winced. "Oooh, that's gotta hurt! A spectacular maneuver from Lei, but Bean counters with a devastating throw! It's really starting to heat up!" Lei shook his head to clear his vision, but the sight that met his eyes was not a pleasant one. Bean was rushing at him, shoulder dropped. Lei quickly rolled to the side, and the Roadbuster slammed into the car at full steam, knocking it back a good five inches. Lei scrambled to his feet, and began heading further into the junkyard, with Bean in hot pursuit. "Lei tries to put a bit more distance between himself and the Roadbuster," Daisuke announced, "A good strategy, considering Bean's distinct advantage in close quarters." Lei was indeed trying to put some distance between Bean and himself, and he attempted to widen the gap with a few thrown items. A length of pipe, an old boom box, and, because certain conventions must be adhered to, a kitchen sink were picked up from the ground and tossed at the charging getaway driver. Bean batted away the imrpovised projectiles seemingly without care, intent only on his quarry. He leaped towards Lei, catching the detective in a flying tackle. Both fighters tumbled head over heels, and eventually landed with Bean on top of Lei. The Roadbuster grabbed Lei by the shirt, and once again threw the Supercop, who flew into the control panel for the junkyard's machinery, hitting it hard. "That should just about finish Lei," Daisuke stated, "Unless he can pull something out of nowhere at the last minute." "I'm sure he will, Dai," Hiroshi said, "This is ULTRA after all!" "Hiroshi?" "Yeah?" "Shut up." Bruised, battered, and possibly with a few broken bones, Lei struggled to get to his feet. Reaching up to the control panel to pull himself to his feet, Lei grabbed hold of a lever. Looking up at the lever, he saw it was marked, "Electromagnet." He also noted that it was in the "on" position. Lei then looked up at where the elctromagnet was, and finally, over to where Bean was advancing on him. He pulled the lever. Bean didn't even see the 1991 Ford Tempo before it crashed down on top of him. There was a short shout of surprise, a loud crash, and then silence for a few moments before Mary ran up to start the ten-count. "HOLY COW!" Hiroshi shouted, "Lei just planted Bean! What a move! What an upset! What a...." the hyper announcer trailed off, searching for a superlative. "Fluke?" Daisuke suggested. Mary finished the ten count, and proclaimed Lei the winner of the match. The crowd cheered loudly for their Hardcore champ, especially a group of Tokyo PD officers near the back row. Lei sighed in relief and was about to relax when the hood of the car suddenly flew off, and Bean dragged himself out of the wreckage, breathing heavily. "Dammit," he growled, "You are one slippery little bastard, you know that Wulong?" Lei's eyes widened in alarm as Bean emerged from the car. "Calm down Bean," he said, trying to placate the former getaway driver, "I've been meaning to have a talk to you." "I ain't interested in anything you've got to say, cop," Bean said, shaking his head to clear the cobwebs out. Lei held up one hand. "Hear me out. I'm sorry I named you as a suspect in Johnny Cage's murder, but I had to go with the facts I had. I swear to you, I have no intention of trying to get you into further trouble with the law." He limped over to Bean, and extended a hand. "Truce?" Bean narrowed his eyes at the policeman. Having been an outlaw for as long as he had, he wasn't used to cops wanting to make peace with him. Bean also knew that the match was over, and that attacking Lei now would be assaulting an officer. That meant that he could be arrested, and that would be throwing away pretty much everything he'd achieved since coming to Ultra. Eventually, Bean nodded, and grasped Lei's hand. "Truce," he said, "But I still want that belt of yours, pal." He smirked. Lei smiled slightly. "I look forward to it." "A show of mutual respect from two of Hardcore's toughest competitors!" Hiroshi announced, "Could this be the beginning of a new friendship here in Ultra?" "Probably not," said Daisuke, "Lei's still a cop and Bean's still the Roadbuster, after all." Hiroshi sweatdropped, but quickly recovered. "In any case, we're out of time tonight, so we'll see you all again next week! From everybody here at Ultra, this is Hiroshi saying good night,good fight!" --- He would have kicked in the television screen, but they got privy to that sort of thing two weeks in and had developed a special unbreakable TV just for him. Perhaps being forced to watch Ultra wasn't a violation of the Geneva Convention, but to former Shadowloo lord M. Bison, it was the worst torture Interpol could stick him with. Being trapped in what amounted to a sinkhole in the earth, under the effect of a Psycho Power suppressing energy field, and forced to eat little more than bread and water was only annoying. Having to watch Tendo's weekly parade of all those little bastards that PUT him in this hole... that was true torture. At least he had the satisfaction of watching Controversial Jack get put in the hospital the previous week... one of the major thorns in his side, now gone. Thank the god he didn't believe in for small miracles... Kicking back on his uncomfortable stone bed, Bison fetched his copy of Atlas Shrugged (the only book they would give him... the sadistic bastards) and thumbed through it for the seventeenth time. He had plenty of time to kill, and unfortunately no one to kill. Visitors were also something he didn't get. When a visitor did drop in that night, Bison was tempted to immediately kill him just to break the monotony. The fact that the visitor appeared from the shadows and wasn't wearing a prison guard's uniform gave the mighty Melvin Bison pause, however. "Don't I know you?" Bison asked, peering at the smiling man. "Off and on, on and off," the visitor replied. "We did butt heads a few times in the past, but I'd decline to refer to you as a butthead, no matter how your head may be cowed at this point. How's prison treating you? Read any good books lately?" "I could call for the guard, or dispose of you myself," Bison warned. "I grew tired of childish taunting after being thrown down here. State your business and begone." "Mooou, you're inhospitable," Xelloss whined. "Especially to your savior. I ought to smite you or something... but nevertheless, I come with the offer of a lifetime! Which is appropriate, since you're doing life in jail. I could cut your sentence." "You'd break me out of here? No doubt you can, given what I recall of your power. Improbable that you will, given that nobody does anything for free in this world." "Observant as always, Melvin!" Xelloss said, applauding politely -- and ducking when Atlas Shrugged was thrown at him at 56 MPH. "Ne, ne, hear me out. I have SUCH a story to tell! I was hanging at the End of Time -- you know, it's where Cloud bought the farm, I know you're SUCH a fan of the show. Anyway, I happened upon the most unusual place..." ************ A great hallway. Statues of warriors long since past. And after a minute or two of exploring, a vast cavern, an ampitheatre of stone seats surrounding what looked suspiciously like a fighting ring... "The UltraDome...?" Xelloss wondered aloud. "The layout looks just like a primitive prototype of the UltraDome--" A shadowy statue in the middle of the ring raised its head. [The Universes Are As One. The Impacts Count Three. The Two Afterworlds Have Fallen,] the gargoyle coated in white and black stripes echoed inside Xelloss's head. [Finally, The Prophet of Life Has Chosen Its Path. All Signs Have Come To Be; The Time Is Upon Us. Are You The Prophet of Destruction?] Xelloss stood in stunned silence for exactly 0.04 moments. "Why, yes! I do believe I am," he responded, leaping on the unusual new opportunity like a lion on a gazelle. "That's me in a nutshell. What can I do for you?" [Bring Me Your Chosen Ones, Prophet of Destruction.] "Right-o!" Xelloss said. "You got it. Just one question..." [State.] "What chosen ones, and why am I chosing them and what exactly are you talking about?" [The Universes Are As One. The Impacts--] "Yes yes, I got that part," Xelloss interrupted. "And looking around, I see this is a fighting arena. And looking at you, craggy and rocky you may be, I see the white and black stripes of a referee. I can therefore infer that you, as a neutral aribtrator, want me to bring you a group of fighters and likely this Prophet of Life will bring some too and we're about to have some kind of foretold apocalyptic tournament. Am I correct so far?" [Affirmative,] the striped gargoyle spoke without moving its stone lips. "Good, good. Therefore, my question is this -- why exactly am I doing this? Beyond, you know, being the Prophet of Destruction and all..." [To The Victor Goes The Fate of The Merging.] ************ "You know, I'm shocked I hadn't noticed it myself," Xelloss mused, as he sat in mid-air and talked shop with Bison. "But let's go over the facts. There is Tokyo. There is Tokyo-3. There's Pallet Town and Midgar and all sorts of other things that just don't seem to match this planet's culture and socio-political structure. Haven't you ever wondered about that?" "Of course not," Bison said. "It's always been that way." "Nah-ah! Apparently not! According to the Referee, it's the fault of one Kasumi Tendo. The Beta Tournament wasn't like that, after all; folks from your neck of the woods were imported into THIS neck of the woods. But Kasumi took a number of similar worlds and merged them into one without anybody noticing. She rewrote human memory and history to make it all fit... and where it didn't fit, we simply don't question. It's 'glossed over,' if you will. Example: do you even recall a Second Impact, Bison? Shouldn't it have flooded more than just Tokyo-3? Why do we HAVE a Tokyo-3 when Tokyo is perfectly servicable?" "There is a simple explanation. The......" Insert awkward silence. Xelloss grinned madly, nodding his head. "See?" "...she had the powers of a god, I suppose it would be within her reach to do this," Bison thought to himself. "Very well. Assuming you are correct, the question becomes: WHY would she do it?" "Well, duh! It's a prophecy. They tend to get filled; it's like having a doctor's perscription, see. My pet theory is that she saw something big on the horizon after taking her godly throne, merged as many worlds as she could, summoned folks like me from worlds she couldn't possibly merge in, and formed Ultra... in order to combat the future threat. All without realizing she was leading this world towards that very same dark destiny!" "Feh, typical. One as ignorant as Tendo should never have been given that power... but I still don't see what this has to do with getting me out of jail, trickster. It's a very interesting theory, but do you have a practical application?" "Impatient, impatient! I'm getting to that. See, the series of signs are apparently complete, and now I have to assemble my team. I need to gather... mm, what was it? Ah: two tag teams, ten singles competitors and one optional wildcard. The other side gets the same number, whoever the other side may be... but most importantly, I want you on my team as a singles superstar, Bison-kun! You're my very first recruit!" "Ah. Sorry. I am not a team player." "Would you rather eat oatmeal and read Ayn Rand forever?" "It might be preferable, knowing how trustworthy YOU are," Bison noted, folding his arms. "I want more. What's in it for me?" "Ahhh, the best part!" Xelloss said, clasping his hands together. "You see, the team that wins gets to decide the fate of the multiverse! We can UNMERGE it any way we want. That means not only do I get to boil away this filthy world into component atoms... but all those who support me can have their own chunk of the universe. Imagine it, Bison! A world all your own. A world where YOU are lord over all, with all the power you could want and no rivals who could stand against you. All the cute girls in leotards and funny little hats you want! Re-design Earth however you see fit -- we would have the power upon winning this! All I want is to punish this world... and maybe overthrow Shaburanigdo on my own world, a trifle. I don't care about any other worlds that sprout up along the way. Does that sound fair?" "I get my own world? Surely you can't be serious." "I am serious, and don't call me--" "I'll likely regret this, but... I accept," Bison decided. "It is better than rotting in here. But don't think you can command me around so easily. I'm in this for my own interests." "...which means you'd want to win your fights, regardless of WHO you're winning them for. Excellent! Mmmm. Suppose that means it's jail break time. Can't say I've done one of these before, but I can speculate. Would you prefer a nice quiet exit, or...?" Bison's grin matches Xelloss's. Three minutes later, the entire prison facility was a smoking crater the exact depth of what used to be Bison's cell. --- ][ EPSIODE SUMMARY: ][ CONTROVERSIAL JACK escapes from the LOONY BIN ][ MORRIGAN AENSLAND defeats NAKORURU ][ RIMURURU punks MORRIGAN ][ LEI turns down YAGA ][ SHINGO / SAKURA defeat SELPHIE / ZELL ][ SAKURA conquers her INNER DEMONS ][ ASH apologizes to GARY ][ ULTRAMAN defeats SHOCKWAVE ALBERTO ][ TEENAGERS taunt YAGA ][ YAGA swears REVENGE ][ LEI WULONG defeats BEAN BANDIT, retains HARDCORE TITLE ][ LEI and BEAN declare TRUCE ][ XELLOSS springs BISON ][ KURT is TIRED x_x Author's notes and general ranting: It has been said that writing for Ultra is a stressful, arduous, and grueling ordeal. This is true. I have spent many long hours on this part, and am still only partially sure that it is any good at all. Though short by Ultra standards, this episode, weighing in at 53K, is undoubtedly the longest story I've ever written, which should tell you something about my writing style. It has also been said that writing for Ultra is an educational, and ultimately very rewarding, experience. This, fortunately, is also true. Without even knowing yet whether people will like or not, I feel a great sense of accomplishment for having done this, as well as a sense of fulfilment. I've read Ultra more or less faithfully since its inception, and I have always wanted to be able to say that I contributed to this great phenomenon. When 2F announced that this would be Ultra's final season, I knew that it was now or never. So, thanks go out to Twoflower, for creating Ultra, for his comments and suggestions regarding this part, and for basically being a cool guy. Thanks also go out to all writers of Ultra, past and future, for building on 2F's foundations, giving this whole thing life, and again, being pretty cool people. I am honored to count myself among you. Finally, thanks go out to all those of you who read this far. n_n; Some notes on the episode: Yaga doesn't come on too strong in this episode, but his influence can already be seen in his arranging matches for his cronies, and his 'punishment' of Lei. I think more subtle heelish actions like this would work best, for the beginning of Yaga's reign, anyway. Jack's on the loose again, and he's got a cunning plan. What is it? Who knows? Certainly not I... ^^;;; Sakura has successfully rid herself of the Instant Hell Murder. It was meant to be a short angle anyway, and not many people used it, so I ended it. I gave Ultraman the win to bring something new to the Ultraman / Alberto angle, and basically to keep him from becoming the Great Cosmic Jobber. ^^; Oh, and one more thing. The Junkyard Invitational was a poorly done gimmick match that WCW did for one of their PPVs. Hopefully mine will garner a better reception than theirs did. ^^ Well, that's it from me. You have the helm, Mr. Schwager, good luck! Kurt Markuson Ignorance, Incompetance, Incontinence. "It's true, it's damn true."