Mr. Hyde

Drake made direct contact with his foe, as he pressed his attack forward and followed through. However, he was only able to knock the opponent back only a couple of feet. Drake grit his teeth. Maybe he'd have to put a little more oomph into his next attack. The Hyena coughed once they separated. Maybe he had collapsed a lung? Drake shook his head. It wasn't very likely that that bash had done that much damage. And thinking of that, he looked around to see all of his 'comrades' and the weapons they had manifested. It seemed that all of there's were tools for dealing a killing blow. Then what was the purpose of him having a shield? Defeating an enemy would be rather hard with just this, wouldn't it? His thought was interrupted upon the sound of the Hyena moving in for another attack! "Oh no!" Drake managed to exclaim in a panic. However, he was used to being under attack like this at any given moment. The Hyena swung it's axe, aiming for his midsection. With quick reflexes, Drake was able to barely block the attack in time. However, he hadn't enough time to brace properly for the Hyena's powerful blow, and it took all of Drake's strength to be able to withstand the attack. Drake tried to fling arm out to the side to deflect it, but was knocked back instead, and onto the grass. Even though some distance was created, it wouldn't be long before another assault was launched. A faint glow from his hand caught his eye. "Huh? What're these?" Two very distinct symbols shone on his hand, and he could read them in their entirety. One was simply named Earth, and the other also simply just Cure. However, his Earth one was the more showy of the two...maybe if he focused on it a little! He could feel some otherworldly feeling bubble up inside of him, somehow flowing into the ground right beneath his ass! He didn't know why, but he immediately knew that he could do something with this feeling! His focused immediately turned to the Hyena, who was now bloodlusted and charging the downed Drake. He waited for the perfect opportunity, and when the time came, Drake slapped the ground with force. "Earth Pillar!" The ground beneath his hand rumbled, as it sent a shockwave through the earth, travelling as quickly to the Hyena as it approached him. Once the two would meet, the quaking ground ruptured, spouting forth a large pillar of rock that resembled a thick tree stump of sorts. It sprung into the sky, until it's target was met. A man's most precious Jewels, that he was always to protect, but also his most glaring weak spot. The Hyena stopped his attack, as it whimpered and crumbled to the ground, grasping what was left. Drake almost felt sorry for the creature, before he got back to his feet and made a mad dash towards his stunned foe. He built up speed before throwing his shield parallel to the ground, aiming for the beastman's neck. Once it would make contact, Drake himself would preform a dropkick in midair, to slam the shield further into the beast's gullet.

This was the weirdest standoff of his life...or his newest one at least. Drake watched on with hesitation, as the Beastmen looked at the lot of them with not so much as a hint of fear on their face. Their leader, the lion, made a battle roar that sent a shiver down Drake's spine. As if he had fallen into some sort of zoo exhibit back home. He could feel the bloodlust dripping off each and every one of them. But he wasn't prey! He was Exalted!....Apparently! This time, Drake was slow to react, as Gene, Sabrina, and the rough and rowdy girl had made their move. "Don't get started without me! I'm exalted too, you know!" Drake smiled, as he made a mad dash towards the second Hyena on his left! Engaging him would prove more tactically sound, as he could offer assistance towards the loud lady, while also avoiding a pincer attack from 3 Hyenas all at once. However, as he charged, he noticed the crude weapon the Beast man wielded. He was charging into an axe fight with his bare fists! His heart was racing, but he somehow knew he'd be able to deflect any hit coming his way! He was probably the only guy here with actual combat experience after all! The distance was closing in fast, as the Hyena began to take notice of his approach. The beast brought up his hand, raising the weapon into the sky, preparing to bring it down with a slash. Drake watched on, time seemingly slowed down as he tried to think of options. "Tackle him?" He thought. This beast probably had way faster movements than he initially might have thought. A tackle would lead to an axe in his back, or limb loss. Not particularly the best idea. "Sweep the leg?" Dishonorable, but getting low to the ground might cause a mistimed swing. But there was another answer that was ringing in his head. That's when he looked to his fellow exalted, already drenched in combat. They held weapons of some kind! And looking at them, he felt something resonate with inside him! His plan of attack was set in stone! "BLOCK IT!" Drake said aloud, as the tattoo on his hand began to glow with a holy shimmer. He gripped something in his hand, and pulled it out of the aether! What he brought forth was his weapon! A shield! The Hyena brought his axe down with a mighty swing, but Drake met it with equal force. The sound of metal clanking rang through the air. Drake's muscles bulged as well, as he was able to put in a lot more strength into this effort than what he might've been able to do on Earth. As a matter of fact, he could tell that he could overpower this beast! With a grunt, Drake put a foot forward, and swung his shield out, deflecting the Hyena's attack entirely. The Beastman's arm flung out into the air beside him, his tongue hanging out loosely as he looked Drake in the eye with killer fury! In the meantime, Drake twisted his hips, bringing his shield in closer to his center of mass. He could feel power surge into his body, as he sprang forward, driving his shield into the Hyena's chest. "SHIELD! BASH!" He roared, as he followed through with his mighty tackle!

It took some of the stragglers longer than others, but they had finally all made their way out of the church building, taking the lead of Luca and Rumian. They gave more explanation on how they knew they would be in the building, and stories that had been passed down through generations. Drake wasn't the type of guy to get a big head, but he couldn't help but wear the cheesiest smile as he heard all this talk of being a hero. It was a far cry from what he was told by most when he had come back home from war. He could've blushed! It didn't take long at all before the group meandered into a town, populated by mostly humanoid looking creatures with slight mammalian features. This was Aersinn! "This really is a whole 'nother world, huh?" He asked to no one in particular. It really was a quite charming place, despite their infrastructure being rather archaic. He probably didn't have much room to talk though! Not like he was some sort of genius architect himself! Maybe he could learn here? His thoughts were interrupted by the rumblings of thunder, and it was close too. "That's not thunder." Luca said, quite ominously. Drake raised an eyebrow, as the proclaimed village chief made a mad dash towards the sound. "WHOAH! Hey wait up, chief!" Drake's hand shot out, but it was a century too late. Luca was out of sight, and the villagers were in a mild panic. They rushed into their homes with such fright. Drake couldn't stand to see all of these people scared...a sight he was all too familiar with. "Luca! Oh this can't be good. Um, excuse me, Exalted. You, well, uh I know you all just got here and all but she might be in trouble but well I - if you, if you could make sure she's alright? Please?" "Of course we can." Drake grit his teeth, and made chase after Luca, as did most of the others. They had just met these people, but Drake didn't need a reason to protect them. The rumbling sound of thunder that was apparently not thunder drummed through the air once more. Drake picked up his speed in kind. He noticed that he was way faster than before...was this world's gravity lighter? It took them no time at all before they reached the border of the town, evident by the large wall surrounding the place. What was even more evident was the giant breach in the wall, created by those who stood before it. They were real monstery-lookin guys too. Way uglier than the scared villagers that cowered in their huts. This was totally bad news. They resembled Hyenas, with a Lion being their sixth member, and they all held medieval weaponry. Their stature was quite imposing as well, easily towering over most of their group. But Drake was never the one to back down from bullies. "Hark! Vile villains! You now stand before the great hero, whose veins run with the blood of dragons! Hear my name and tremble, for it is the name of the one who will strike you down! I am Sabrina Evert, guardian of Aersinn and your villainous ways end now!" Drake shrugged. He thought Drakona sounded cooler. “...It is a Subway Employee’s duty to ensure the safe arrival and transit of all passengers, regardless of if they are in a locomotive or not!” Huh? Drake almost laughed at the attempt at a cool line. But that would've been a bit rude, so he held his breath a moment. "So... what's the plan?" Abby asked. "Knee the hyenas in the family jewels and take their weapons?" "Not a bad option." Drake responded, before stepping out to meet the others who were making such a grandiose debut as heroes. He crossed his arms, and pumped his chest out. "I'd be careful if I were you, raiders! The city of Aersinn is under the protection of The Exalted! You won't make it very far if you continue your marching!" Drake uncrossed his arms, and held a stance as if he were ready to grapple any one of the beasts. He was well versed in martial arts after all...but he kinda felt naked without a gun. "Turn back now, unless you want our legend to start with kicking your tails!"

With the lady now having woken up, she gave them the answer they had all been looking for this whole time. They had been transported here for some salivating...salvationing...to salvate. Everyone had their own reactions to this revelation, but Drake could only stew in his own head. This lady was made out of water? How was that possible? What was a normal guy like him to do in this world? What was the reason he was chosen? Was it random? Had other people been chosen before? There really was no use asking the questions though. However, someone asked another question out loud. “Why should I care about this world? What do I get out of it?" Drake looked back to see what he thought was the smartest individual in the group, asking the dumbest question imaginable. He walked up to Percy, glaring at him from the side. Although the man before him was a couple inches taller than him, he had no problem tilting his eyes upward. He wasn't trying to be intimidating either, but an air of disappointment emanated from his posture. "Listen pal, the fact that you're even breathing right now should be evident. I'm guessing you wanna get back home, right? Or at least get another shot in this world...maybe it would be for the best if we saved it, right?" “Oh my apologies, I had been under the impression my Lady’s gift was to serve as proper motivation, though I appear to have been under a misunderstanding yet again.” Drake looked back over to their 100% water weight friend and smiled. "That's enough for me. Your lady sounds real nice! Tell her thanks for the gift the next time you see her, will ya?" "It's not about what you get out of it! A hero, uh, heroes because it's what they're meant to do! It's who the are! And...and...and if you're here, then that means you must be a hero deep inside!" The girl muttered, "maybe reeeeally deep inside..." The jab was an obvious reference to a particular individual of the group...maybe two. Drake gave the girl a pat on the back. "You got heart, Dracona! I like that!" Another question revealed that the being in front of them was named River. Pretty cool that her Lady that she spoke so highly of was Ocean. Wonder if they'd meet Lake somewhere else...was pond the youngest? Drake hadn't realized, but he was strolling towards the door, excited about this new opportunity. Their mission was to defeat the 'Accursed Ones', huh? They sounded strong, and he didn't feel any stronger like Superman or anything. River had said that more answers awaited outside, so that's where he was headed, along with Marshall. However, he turned around, walking backwards as he cupped his hands around his mouth. "Last one out is a dirty, stinking mutt!" He said to no one in particular, flashing a smile before he made a ran out of the church-like building at full sprint! However, two children had appeared at the entrance, and Drake had to perform a rather perfect somersault to avoid crashing into them. They introduced themselves as Rumian and Luca. Thunder rumbled in the background, as he turned towards the two. "I think we've only got like...4, maybe 5 heroes tops in there." Drake made his best attempt at some sort of polite bow. "Hero of Legend: Drake, Hospital Corpsman Second Class, at your service!

"A-ah, and my name is Sabrina Evert, ah! No, Dracona! I mean. Um...Never mind. And I, uh, don't...really...remember what happened..." The girl who so righteously proclaimed that they were chosen for a greater purpose seemed awfully shy. But he did like her name! Dracona! Super cool choice in his opinion. Should he make a cool name too? Drakeona...yeah! Wait...no...copyright infringement probably. Dracona would sue for sure...she seemed the type. “My name is Dr. Percival Niklaus Byron.” Drake didn't really understand a lot that came out of this guys mouth. He'd probably call him Doc for short. With a nod, it was decided. "Jesus Christ, what the fuck is wrong with all of you!?" He recoiled back a bit at the girl's harsher tone. She definitely wasn't the bright side of life kinda gal, but he wasn't gonna judge her too harsh. Honestly, her reaction was the most reasonable out of all of them. Although...he'd still like to know her name. He reached his hand out to her, trying to speak, but was suddenly interrupted by the ringing of a large bell. He could feel the quaking of the sound rumble throughout his chest. A second ring cast it's noise around the room, and with it, a blanket of shadow. He wanted to ask if everyone was okay, but he couldn't even hear the words escape from his mouth. All there was currently was this intense ringing. The third chime rivaled the second in intensity, and he almost found it hard to think. It felt like an eternity for the fourth bell to sound off, but after it had, everything was back to normal. Drake blinked a couple of times, looking to his outstretched hand. "Huh...that's different..." He sounded somewhat confused. As his vision focused, he saw some weird symbol appear on his hand "You know, I've been attached to this hand my whole life...I would think I'd know if I had a weird birthmark or tattoo." Judging from the coolness of the marking, it was most definitely a tattoo. "Mom's gonna kill me..." He sulked, before perking up a bit. "Oh wait! I'm already dead! HAHA!" There he went again. Maybe it wasn't the best time for humor. That little lady in the costume might kill him twice over for even attempting to lighten the mood. But now his attention turned towards Marshall, who was now talking to some figure that sat in a throne in front of the painted window. And it wasn't just any figure! It was a chick! WITH HORNS, AND A TAIL!? “Apologies for the interruption to your slumber, but we appear to have stopped at an unfamiliar, and unexpected station! If you were to be so kind, we would appreciate it if you could point us towards the station-master on duty, so that we could find the correct tracks to follow from this position!" Drake ran up beside her, and nudged Marshall. "Dude, that's a little rude! Interrupting a nap is like...against the Geneva Convention. Plus," Drake quietly made his way behind the chair, and pointed out the distinct horns and tail that everyone must have noticed. "Haven't you heard of a little thing called, 'Sleeping Dragon'?! I'm pretty sure we'd be toast if this thing woke up."

"Take your time, Chimera. I'll have your answer sooner or later!" Ken smiled, and folded his arms. A sudden noise then perked his ears, as he noticed his Metallic cohort wary of it as well. It was an obvious 'thunk' against the metal bridge of the ship. "That came from outside..." Ken said quietly, making his way over to the window that looked out over the topside of their cruiser. Chimera joined him as well, as the two looked down to see a single robot, glaring back up at them. "Is that...some sort of cousin of yours?" Ken looked over to the Badnik with a raised eyebrow. "Negative...memory banks show no records of kin that look like this. This is technology separate from the good doctor." His voice modulation lowered. "Inferior." Chimera then unlatched the window, and slid it to the side, jumping from the captain's deck all the way down to the bridge, denting it when he did so. Ken looked onward. He didn't want to instigate anything, but he'd definitely back up his crewmate. He watched on, as the two robots had quite the intense stare down with each other. "This is gonna go swell! I just know it!" Ken sarcastically spouted, poking his nose upwards and to the sky. Lower Decks *Glub Glub* Without Zane noticing, something had risen from the water that had already made it's way into the ship. It was alien in appearance, and looked at the wolf with a tilted head. Without a word, it's liquid like arm shot out at Zane, like some sort of tentacle. Flurry's Quarters As flurry began to run his diagnostics, a message would soon pop up. It was an aggressive warning, popping up with large text and even a comically Eggman themed skull and crossbones, implying that there was a direct attack on the computing operations on the ship. A virus had begun to navigate it's way through the code.

With most of the group pushing against the pillar, it finally fell! Cross could feel that he put in his fair share of muscle into the endeavor, surprised at his own strength when doing so! However, he could tell that Hector and The Sassopuss had put in the most. Sadly, things didn't seem to go as plan, as their bridge was now dead in the water. With no bridge, and no way to get across, it looked like it was all over. “...Though, it’s not like that would matter, given that there’s nnnnowhere to go in that direction.” nowhere to go? Was there nothing in the room at all? So were they all stuck in here with nowhere to go? He was about to ask the question, when the scary cephalopod spoke up. "Anyone else think we should just go the way that doesn't make us do a buncha pointless crap?" He raised an eyebrow, and put a finger to his chin. There was another way? He turned around completely, realizing there was another way out of this part of the cavern. Cross could almost cry out in relief. His field of vision was so small with this helmet on that he hadn't taken in his surroundings fully. He plopped onto the ground and began to tear up. "I thought we were goners!" Sniffling, he looked to Marv, who agreed with the Clobbopus. Cross nodded at the Treecko with a smile. "You know, in my head it was a really good idea! Don't worry too much!" "but well, yes, if Z.'s excursion truly proved to be nothing but a dead end then we should probably head elsewhere. As a group!" Cross nodded, as he picked himself up and waddled over to one of Hector's smaller Phalinx. He grabbed a hold to a spike, and waited to move on into the other area.

"I want to say we may've all just died... so does this make this heaven then?" An average looking guy had answered his question. So dying was one thing they must have all had in common. A little bit of a morbid topic to start things off betwixt them. "Fufufu...That's not it at all. I know exactly what this is! For it was prophesied since my birth! We were sent to save this world from a great evil. Specially chosen to fulfill a grand destiny!" Well she didn't seem too worked up about the whole situation. Destined, was it? Drake rubbed his chin at the thought. Specifically chosen? But why him? Why the rest of them? Was he all that special? His head was already starting to throb as he asked himself all of these questions. “I find it improbable that this is Heaven. More likely to be a form of Purgatory. Note the lack of doors and anyone to greet us. Hmm… I wonder if there is a common thread between our deaths." Purgatory huh? He couldn't really see it. He wasn't an avid reader, but Dante's Purgatario was all he could really envision. And no way in Dante's Inferno did it look this pretty in his mind. He looked to the stained glass once again, stewing in his mind. So now there was only one question to ask to link all of their deaths. "I shot myself. How did you die?” "JESUS!" Drake unintentionally spat out the words. Even though the question was aimed at the person he didn't really want to notice at the moment, he wondered if he should answer himself. "Shot yourself? Like, with a gun? You good, doc? Er... that aside, hi! Didn't mean to cut in line or anything, but hi, I'm Abby, I got ran over by a truck. I'm still a bit sore from the whole thing." "Oh...um...I'm Gene. Gene Eric...I...got stabbed in the chest by a mugger. So...you think we were sent to another world, isekai style?" Not a good way to go. But what was that word he said at the end? "Sorry about that man," Drake shook his head. This was a really depressing way to get to know each other. "But what the heck is an Isekai anyway...Some kind of trope?" “Marshall Wilton. I died… Doing my duty, I suppose. An older woman began to fall from the platform in the subway station as I was resting after a shift. A train was arriving, so I moved to catch her. I succeeded in doing so, but fell in myself, and arrived at this station as a result.” "I think you stepped off on the wrong platform then." Drake looked side to side of the building they were in. "Definitely ain't the subway you were looking for was it?" Yikes. Too soon? He felt gross after that one. "Guess I'm next. My name's Drake Davidson! Some kids that I coach...er...coached...almost got ran over by a car. I stepped in and made sure they didn't. Thought I was bulletproof after the war. Guess I'm not car proof. Haha." He let out a sad sort of chuckle. "So we've got 3 splatters, 1 stabbee, and one...uh..." He looked to the man who had yet to say his name, "Yeah..." was all he could muster. "Not really seeing a link here, other than the fact that we all died. Maybe at the same time?" He shrugged. His attention turned towards the rest of the anonymous members of this new church. "Don't be shy now! If we're gonna pass on together, might as well introduce yourself!"

Bong. Bong. Bong "JEREMY!" Drake opened his eyes with a jolt, his arms thrust out, as he reached out to that slow little tyke. But he wasn't there. In fact...he wasn't there either. And neither was that truck, the ringing bells almost reminiscent of the blaring horn. There was light, and beneath him was the familiar feeling of wood. He frequented parks, so it grounded him in a sense. But it wasn't an ordinary bench...but a pew. The kind you'd see in the churches all throughout his hometown. Drake stewed in thought for a bit, his face looking awfully befuddled as he tried to put two and two together. He sighed once he came to the conclusion, bending back with his hands behind his head. "So that's how it is, huh? I kicked the bucket..." His thoughts went back to the living world. "I hope Jeremy's okay...I pushed him kinda hard..." Damn. He had so much more he wanted to do. What were Mom and Dad gonna think? Would they be proud of him? He hoped they wouldn't cry too much. He wanted to apologize for wasting their little miracle, but they'd probably berate him for even trying. He smiled at the thought. What, was he supposed to let Jeremy die? That wasn't who he was. He opened his eyes again, this time in a more tranquil state of mind. In front of him was a large stained glass window. It was so pretty, he could almost cry himself. The light shined throughout the room, illuminating it, along with the figures of others who were also coming to the same conclusion. He stood to his feet, admiring the window some more. If he was about to pass onto the next life, he wondered if he should get to know the people accompanying him. "You know, I'd thought there'd be a lot more Pearl, and a lot less...." Drake looked to the ground, "Cobblestone." He tried to make light out of this most grim situation. He couldn't help it. That's just who he was. Looking to the others once more, he raised an eyebrow. "So. Did you guys just die too? Or have you been here for a minute?"

"And how're we supposed to know? Doesn't seem like any of us know anything does it?" Cross recoiled at the Clobbopus' response, worried that he would get more than just a tongue lashing. However, the Pokemon backed off. “Hey! Don’t talk to him like that,” Hector berated the quicktoangerpus. Cross sniffled a bit before waddling over to the group of Falinx. “I’m sure he didn’t mean anything by that, Cross. None of us have any more answers than you do, sorry to say, but we’re gonna figure it out, alright? Just stick close to us.” Cross nodded, and came walked closer to him, eventually grabbing ahold of one of the smaller Hector's spikes. "Thanks NewGamePlus..." He said through some more tears, snot, and sniffles. “Come on, lets go catch up with the others. Maybe we can use me and the crew here to make a land bridge across the river, eh? Heheheh.” Cross followed closely behind the stumbling gaggle of soldiers. It was kinda funny watching them all clumsily walk about, it was starting to take his mind off the situation. But he made sure not to laugh too hardly. It must've been really hard for your original human body to be split up among all those little armored orbs. When he could, he made sure to help the one he held onto as it stumbled. As they came to the water, it was obvious that they needed a plan. Being a Cubone, that meant he was probably going to be weighed down by his helmet and club...practically a death sentence. With some more discussion, it was confirmed that somehow they had all been involved with NCM at some point in their lives, and now they were Pokemon. Rudely, across the river, Z began to hound some more. “And the ‘don’t go alone’ thing, that’s for you to solve. You don’t want me by myself? Better learn how to swim.” "That guy's really mean..." Cross noted. He had since stopped with the waterworks, and his voice was back to normal. "What's his deal anyway? Is he a toddler?" What did it matter now. He rolled the dice, and got a lucky pick of Pokemon...one that could actually traverse water. If he felt like the group wasn't needed, than phooey to him. Order of Shadow...or Marv, was the first one to come up with a plan "I think I have an idea! Though, it's probably going to take us all to do it..." He walked over to a pillar of stone in the cave, "If we can push this to the stream...it should be able to cover it and we use it as a bridge!" Nobody objected, so it sounded like a good enough plan. Cross' only idea was to have Hector float as some sort of bridge for everyone to ride on, but that would risk his life in that new couple of bodies of his. A no go indeed. "It's the only thing I can think of to make sure we all get over there..." The Treeko walked towards Cross, knelt down and gave him a thumbs up. "Cause I won't leave anyone behind." Cross smiled, and nodded. "Mhm!" Was all he could muster. Between Hector and Marv, he felt really safe! Chester the Chespin seconded the plan. "Let's get pushing everyone!" "Yeah! I'm in this with y'all!" Cross made his way to the pillar, before pushing with all of his might. "Together!"

His dream was fading. It wasn't as if he remembered most of his dreams, but he could feel the warmth coming from the voice. It gave him faint words of encouragement, but he could barely make it all out. Soon, the voice was drowned out entirely by repetitious dripping. Had someone forgotten to turn the bathroom sink off? How incosiderate. His thoughts were interrupted when a droplet splashed on top of his head. Had he fallen asleep underneath the sink!? That would be a first! He had been up all night the evening before, trying to get some splice orders done, maybe he passed out while brushing his teeth. Jamie sat up straight. He went to brush the water out of his hair, but was met with a smooth, and hard surface. Had he gone bald!? He groggily opened his eyes, finding he could only see out of two holes, as if he were wearing a Halloween mask. He blinked a couple of times. This was the weirdest way he had ever woken up. Maybe he was still in a dream! Where was that voice coming from, from before? His limited field of vision caused him to turn his head from side to side. He finally got a good scan of the room. The walls were rocky, and the area was filled with a pool of water. Water? Cave?! Where the heck was he!? Jamie looked around some more, and found a group of.....POKEMON!? And they were all talking with each other!? AND HE COULD UNDERSTAND THEM!? He was getting dizzy. He was getting light-headed. This was all so much to take in. He would've fallen over, if he hadn't caught himself with the bone club he held in his hand. BONE CLUB!? The shock almost caused him to drop it, but it felt glued to his hand. It was then that he realized what he was....what he had become. "I'M A CUBONE!?!" He shouted out loud, almost drowning out the arguing that was happening now amongst the others. This dream was crazy. He had heard of lucid dreaming before, but he'd never tried his hand at it before. Why would he be so good at it now. Another drop of water tapped against his head...well...the skull covering his head. It travelled down his forehead, and into one of the eye holes of the skull. The water was so cold it sent a shiver down his spine...and so did the realization that he had felt the water itself. This wasn't a dream...this was happening for real! Jamie plopped down on the ground, as his eyes began to well with tears. "This isn't home....I wanna go home..." He said, as he began to sob. Through the tears, he could see the other Pokemon of the cave had already gotten themselves together. What would his brother do in this situation? With tears still soaking his cheeks, Jamie walked over to the group with his Bone Club trailing behind him on the ground. He hiccupped, his voice still shaky. They were all offering introductions now. And they all seemed to be using their usernames from that forum. At least he was somewhat familiar with these people. Sniffling, he was able to get out a sentence. "I...I'm Hera....HeraX....pronounced Hera....Heracross. But I'm obviously not a Heracross...so call me Cross...I guess...." He was still wiping the tears from underneath his helmet. This was so embarrassing. "What do we do now? Is there a way out across that water?"

The Shield

Can I get a uuhhhhhhhhhh

Chimera pulled the steering wheel close to him, trying his best to make sure the ship wouldn't nose dive directly into the Mobian Ocean. His gears whirred, as all of his strength was being used, as he could feel the wings of the ship taking a beating from the drag of the air. If he could grit his teeth, they would surely be cracked to all hell. The Egg Piercer rapidly approached the surface of the ocean, and Chimera was almost about to lose control of the wheel, when Ken came from behind. Chimera was disgusted that the Mobian thought himself worthy to handle the wheel, but the situation was dire. Ken gripped the wheel with all of his might as well, and with their combined effort, the ship managed to make a slightly angled fall. "Prepare for crash landing in 3.....2....." Ken closed his eyes, and loosened himself up for the impact. "1!" KERSPLASH!!!!!!!!!!!!! The ship made contact with the Ocean, causing a mighty eruption of noise and water to spout into the air above and around. The ship shook violently, and supplies were thrown all throughout the place. It was over almost as immediately as it had began, and the ship was now floating on the Mobian Sea. If they had nosedived, no doubt the ship would've taken water and the vessel would be their final resting place. Ken had found himself at the back of the main deck, his head knocked against the wall, and his feet outstretched in front of him. "If you are dead, please kindly remove your corpse from the Egg Piercer immediately." Chimera's voice rang out throughout the Egg Piercer. "Way to go Captain..." Ken grunted, rubbing the back of his quills. "Any reason we took off on empty?" Chimera, still standing at the wheel with his feet mechanically anchored to the ground, twisted his entire torso backwards to face Ken. "All the fuel that was in this ship is all of the fuel that was left in Old Eggland. Be grateful, Hedgehog. We covered a significant distance in the six hours travelled so far...however we are still farther off from the mainland shore than anticipated." "So we're stranded in the middle of the ocean...is that what you're telling me?" "The Eggsaw Cru-...I mean the Egg Piercer is Seaworthy, and can travel across the ocean. We just have to shift into aquatic travel mode." Chimera unclamped himself from the floor, and walked over to the control panel. "There have been small breaches in the ships hull...but I believe your comrades can be of assistance." The speakers picked up again. "Wolf. I suspect there are small leaks in the hull in the lower decks. If you are still alive, please freeze them over before we sink. Lemur, I implore you to check the code of the ship to make sure our shift into Aquatic Mode runs smoothly. You will find an access panel in most rooms." "I'm surprised you can ask a meat bag like us for a favor so nicely!" Ken laughed. "I might detest you Mobians, but I'm no flesh-ridden barbarian." Chimera turned away from Ken. "The extra help you provided was greatly appreciated. Without your help, my mission would have ended here. I thank you, Ken." "Well shucks! You aren't so bad after all for a metal monster!" Ken smiled. "We're a team now! That means we help each other! No matter what!" "Hmph. My memory logs still do not show any signs of me confirming being apart of your so called 'team'." Chimera turned his head to face one eye at Ken. "However, I haven't outright denied your proposal yet."

"Good work out there...ya know, for a Brawler." What was that supposed to mean? His brow furrowed and he stuck his outer lip out. He crossed his arms to amplify his pouting. "So, seeing as we're working together at this point, if our previous conversation before the mission was anything to go by...what's our next course of action, Aoki?" Aoki brought up his menu, and began to fiddle with it to see their progress so far. "It seems we got barely just enough EXP to Level up...I say we go find ourselves another fight to get there!" "Oh come on Boss! We should make a beeline for the next Inn!" Aoki, ignoring Reef's whining, also noticed that he was able to click on Elton's username. In doing so, it asked if he wanted to 'Party Up' with Elton, or add him as a Friend. He decided to click both. "We'll start with this though! Let's form a group!" With his mood lightened up from Elt's previous jab, he finally returned the boys fist bump with his own. "Let's find that really tall chick too! I want her in the party!" Aoki made his way to flag down Sammy. "Heyyyy! Sammy!" Aoki invited the girl to their group as well. "Let's travel together! Us Brawlers gotta stick together, amiright?!" If anyone with high perception were to notice, the sound of glitching was heard from 5 specific Digivices in Central Park...those belonging to Sammy, Elton, Jeanne, Shion, and Aoki. No message would appear if the Tamers were to check... Meanwhile a notification would appear on Jeanne and Shion's interface. It was a party invite from the user 'GunGalOnline'. If the two hadn't noticed by now, a Digimon had approached the two. It stared at the two for a couple of seconds, before sighing. "You should ask them politely, Miss." Shakily, from behind the Digimon, a girl appeared. She had been curled up and hiding behind the Digimon, perfectly obscured from view. Her fingers pressed against each other, as she couldn't even manage to stare either of the girls in the eye. "P-pl....pl...Please..." The girl whispered, barely audible. "You guys were s-s-s-super..." "Allow me to introduce my Tamer, GunGalOnline...or GGO for short. I am Six, the Commandramon. My Misses admires your bravery. It would be an honor if you could escort us to the next Inn."

Sethera huh? I'm always down

The announcement was so loud, it had just barely managed to wake Tatsuo up. In his past life, he had done his utmost to avoid all labor possible, and had resorted to organized crime to line his pockets. Now he was forced to push paper and go on little missions day to day to save the one he loved. If he missed this meeting, it would probably push him one step back towards his ultimate goal of reincarnating. He sat straight up, and wiped away the crust from his eyes. He managed to get out of bed, yawning the whole way, and dressing up in a suit and tie. He walked out of his room, not before briefly touching a picture of her on his night stand, and headed towards the 99th floor. All types of Soulders were now crowding the elevators, so he opted to take the stairs. "Don't worry Petey, I'll get there on time!" He said to no one in particular, as he lit a cigarette and continued his ascent. "Good morning, my dear Letty," Sharp chimed. "You're as adorable as ever. I'm willing to bet that's what St. Peter is all huffy about. He knows you get cuter every day," St. Peter's eyebrow twitched in response. "That's not possible...she looks the same everyday." He crossed his arms, and huffed. "I quite happen to like the aged look, myself." Sera, beside him, began to sympathetically pat him on his shoulder. The two of them watched as Soulders began to fill out the room, making it seem quite packed. Although, there weren't as many Soulders here as the last time they'd held an emergency meeting. Class 2's were very hard to come by these days. They were Soulders strong enough to go toe to toe with agents of hell. St. Peter clasped his hands, and brought them to his face, as he began to clear his throat. Just as he opened his mouth, the doors to the conference room flew open once more. "HEY HEY! What's happenin' party people! You're all way too early to this meeting!" Tatsuo paraded, as he touted finger guns at all of his fellow Soulders. He looked to the Scarred Saint, and gave a playful wink. In response, the Saint nudged Sera. She looked to him, almost concerned. Peter only responded with a nod. Reluctantly, Sera turned her head towards Tatsuo, and opened her mouth. She took in a deep breath, before whispering as softly as one could. However, the chastising energy could be felt from the singular word she uttered. "Late!" A boom filled the room almost blowing away every agent at the table. However, the brunt of the soundwave had travelled towards the tardy Soulder, crushing his chest and sending him flying out of the room. "That's one more year on your contract, Mr. Nagamine. Please join us if you can pick yourself off the floor." Tatsuo could be seen writhing on the floor as the doors to the conference room closed once more. St. Peter cleared his throat yet again, patting Sera on the head who had began to tear up. St. Peter scanned through the rest of them with his sharp eyes. "As I'm sure you're all aware, S.Y.S. has been losing countless amounts of Lost Souls to Hell these days, and our number of Class 2 Soulders hasn't been this low since the foundation." Sera moved to the side to reveal a chart that most Soulders were familiar with by now, showing the Classes of Soulders. "Class 1 Soulders. They're mainly pencil pushers, but they can handle Lost Souls well enough to escort them to the afterlife. Class 2 Soulders are the ones capable of recruiting stronger lost souls to S.Y.S.. This has been your main goal since you were contracted. Class 3 Soulders are used to fight off Hell itself." St. Peter abruptly slammed his fist on the desk. "You Class 2's haven't been pulling your weight, and I'm getting pressure from the higher ups to run you ragged." He took his fist away from the desk, and slowly sat back in his chair. "But I don't want to do that. I know you all work hard in your own ways, but S.Y.S. needs to step it up. From here on out, Class 2 Soulders shall be assigned a team of 5, and are to meet a quota of recruiting 1 Lost Soul per week." He looked about the room once again. "Now, before I have to do it myself, I suggest you find some people you like and make a team yourself. After reporting to me, I'll assign you your first mission by the end of the day. DISMISSED!" Tatsuo had sneaked in halfway, Soul fluid leaking from his mouth, as he hunched over the table. "Oh boy...this oughta shake things up..."

V.S. "You've come this far. Show us all what you're really made of, students. Begin!" The crowd’s roars could be heard throughout the arena…these matches were truly one that could definitely pump anyone up: audience and student alike. And of course, this proved true for the two students that now faced each other in this bout…Kio and Benjamin. The latter of the two stretched his arms slightly, giving his shoulders a quick roll. He gave Kio a look over before cracking his knuckles whilst also cracking into a bit of a smile. “Truth be told, Kio, ever since the semester started…I did want to test myself out against you. I know you won’t disappoint me, will ya?” What if he copies our Quirk? Benjamin heard his spiders speak to him, as he simply shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t know…we’ll have to cross that bridge when we get there. But all I know is, I want to be able to test myself against him. Out of all of us in 1-A, he’s got the most extensive repertoire of fighting styles and the like…” he communicated with his hive. “He’s a literal walking database of everything Hero culture…the styles of fighting, their Quirks, their patterns…if we’re going to be a Pro Hero, like Silky…then we have to be able to rise above a challenge like this. Max Omega, right?” MAX OMEGA!!! His spiders echoed back. Standing across from his classmate, in this huge arena, Kio watched his opponent with intent. His heart was thumping wildly, more so even than the first round of the sports festival. Kio squatted down, stretching out his left leg to limber himself up. “I’d like to say the same, really!” Kio responded, as he switched to stretching his other leg. “But truth be told, I’m not the biggest fan of spiders! I hope you can forgive me.” The boy laughed, as he sprouted back to standing. His hands shook out, fluttering in the breeze, while he tried to gain focus. His eyes became sharp, as he made his final statement. “I hope this isn’t disappointing to hear, but you’re just fighting Kio Akagi today…” "Yeah, not many people are fans of ‘em. But no sweat off my back." He snickered, before hearing the last statement. "Just Kio Akagi, huh?" Benjamin noticed the sharp look in his eyes before nodding. "Honestly, that might be the scariest thing for me. Either way, I'm not disappointed...quite the contrary...I'm psyched." However, he did wonder, just Kio? Did that mean he intended to fight him without his Quirk? That sounded like a bad idea, but there had to be a reason, right? Either way, this gave Benjamin what he wanted regardless: a fight with the walking database of Hero's styles that was Kio Akagi. His stance shifted slightly, not moving nor seeming to make the first move. Once the signal was given, the fight was on, but yet...Benjamin stayed put, seeming to study his opponent, but after a moment he began to rush forward and got within a couple feet of Kio and immediately dropped down to sweep and kick his legs out from under him. Kio took another deep breath, and took his stance. Both fists were put up towards his face, while his other leg was slightly elevated, akin to that of a traditional Muay Thai stance. He watched Ben carefully. During the second round, Kio had studied every contender’s movement’s to the tee. One muscle twitch would give Ben’s advance away. A better move would have been to wait for his first move, but Ben seemed pretty excited. His opening attack was a dash, followed by a low sweep, an easy move to avoid as Kio bounced back from his one grounded foot. Now all he had to do was step inside, and counter. “So you can fight without your spider’s huh? I’d advise you to take this more seriously though.” Kio darted into Ben quickly, with his fists tucked in. Changing his style on the fly to that of Boxing, Kio sent a quick hook into Ben’s side. “I want the challenge! Use that Quirk of yours!" Benjamin grunted at the Haymaker at his side, before smirking. It hurt, but nothing he couldn't shake off. "H-Hey...had to test the waters. Muay Thai into Boxing...yeah, this is going to be fun." he shuffled back a little, proceeding to backflip a few times before leaping into the air and immediately flinging his arms before him, making the motion of throwing something at Kio. Of course...he did. Quite a few spiders were being launched in the direction of Kio...whether they landed on the young man or around him would be up to what Kio did next. Once he landed after his little acrobatic display, he nodded. "A Hero has to gather as much information as they can, am I wrong? So I [gotta] at least attempt to learn more about your general abilities and reaction times." Kio watched on as Ben threw air at him. Obviously, it wasn’t some sort of bluff, but the boy stood completely still, not even trying to dodge whatever was thrown at him. “Go on and analyze me all you want, O’Hara. But I’ve been studying you all since day one of class. I know your moves, your weaknesses, hell I can even replicate the way you breathe.” Kio took an open handed stance. “Now let’s see what you haven’t shown me.”

With the cover fire, and mixture of water and ice, the Flymon screeched as it was slowly encased in a thick layer of solid ice. Aoki grinned at the fact that his plan had worked. He then cracked his knuckles, with a rather devilish grin appearing on his face. Things were about to get a little crazy. "Keep your balance Elt! I'm going for the finisher!" Awkwardly, Aoki started to climb onto Elton's shoulders, as they surfed through the air. "Make a beeline for that...bee!" As they approached rapidly, Aoki crouched down atop of Elton, and sprung high into the air. His own ability surprised him, he'd never be able to jump this high in the real world! Getting a grip on gravity, he made his descent towards the incased Flymon. He swiped under his nose with a smirk, as he reared back his fist. A sort of blueish hue began to emanate from it, the sight of data trailing behind his fist in 1's and 0's. "AO KEN!" Aoki roared, as he threw his fist out, colliding with the popsicled arthropod. He easily tore through it, breaching the ice and making direct contact with the Flymon's abdomen. An explosion of blue data occurred, followed by the sound of crunching that could be either from the ice, or Flymon's exoskeleton. It was up to anyone's guess. Aoki smiled, as he stood atop the downed Flymon, raising his fist in the air. Beneath him, the Flymon faded away, turning it's body to data which flew on high into the sky. "Now that's what a call a fight! Nice job Elt! Nice Fight Berg!" The player and Impish Digimon looked on in fright, as Sammy and Sequoia pummeled the Flymon almost to a yellow paste. "Should we help him?" The Imp looked to it's tamer. "Absolutely not. I don't think we should get involved with these two..." Quietly, the two of them made their escape, before they incurred the wrath of the rather tall lady and her plant friend. After a couple of seconds of ruthlessness, the Flymon disintegrated into the air as data. "Think fast, you're going right in!" Tinkermon looked fast to her side, trying to usher Shion not to throw her partner again. However, it was already too late. The poor fairy could almost cry at the site. It was too late to stop the action from taking place, but maybe she could use it to her own advantage. She twirled her staff in a circle, creating a small cyclone. "Tinker Staff Twister!" The wind shot forth, shooting Gea faster than Shion would've been able to muster. The Pink Pomegranate easily crashed through the crowd of Kunemon, and was now headed towards the big boss himself. Kuwagamon took notice of the brightly colored projectile heading his way. It clicked it's pincers together in annoyance, he opened his mouth wide, probably planning to eat the Pommumon. However, a small rumbling could be heard from underneath the beetle. The ground caved in, collapsing from underfoot. Losing his balance for a second, Kuwagamon tried to readjust himself, his wings starting to flutter at full speed. Just then, Gea made contact with the Beetle's forehead. With the extra speed provided by Tinkermon, and the extra mass provided through digivolution, Gea made a greater impact than before, causing Kuwagamon to fall backwards, preventing his takeoff. "This will end it." Seichi declared, as his fist furled up in a yellow aura. Static seemed to drip between the code that enveloped it. "You're such a showoff Boss! I love it!" Amp jumped into the air, his own fist gathering electricity. The duo ran towards the fumbling insect, jumping on top of it's midsection as it fell. The two pulled their fists back, lightning filling the air around them. "GROUNDED CURRENT!" They yelled in unison, as they drilled punches straight into Kuwagamon's static. An explosion of light occurred in Fido's hole, a sight which everyone would be able to see from even Asuka City. After the light faded away, all player's in the area would have their screens forced open. The text read... "EMERGENCY MISSION: DEFEAT KUWAGAMON AND HIS ARMY..... MISSION SUCCESS! CONGRATULATION TAMERS! BITS earned: 1000 EXP Earned: 100" A collective roar rang from the crowded field of Central Park. The scattered Kunemon ran off in all directions, most heading for the Wire Forest to the East. All Tamers would receive a direct level up from the mission reward. Elton was especially granted a single use DigiCard: Sting Cannon, A missile launcher in the shape of a Flymon's Thorax that would fire off a single, venomous stinger. Amp and Seichi could be seen trying to climb themselves out of Fido's hole. Tinkermon flew up to Shion and Jeanne. "I can never forgive you for your rude handling of your partner...but I will let it slide this time! You guys really helped a ton!" Tinkermon's body began to glow, and shortly after burst into data. The small explosion revealed a girl. She clutched both of their hands. "Thanks for helping Seichi shine! My username is Gusto, but please call me Gust! Let's be friends!" After a smile, she turned around and booked it to Seichi, grabbing the boy's arm as he made his way out of the hole. "Seichi! Are you okay! You looked so rad, by the by!" Aoki made his way over as well, waving the victor down, an exhausted Reef held in his arms. "HEY!!! You're not half bad for a brawler! Let's fight! I wanna see who's the better brawler!" Reef recoiled in shock. "C-c-captain! I'm beat! Can't we save it for later?" Aoki mulled the question over for a second before sighing. "Fine. You get a five minute breather..." Reef began to sob. "No need." Seichi finally picked himself out of the hole, Amp clinging to his back. "I don't have the time." Seichi adjusted the panting digimon on his back, before looking at Gust. "Come on. We're moving to the next Inn." He looked around again. "Slink...where are you." "Present!" The man called Slink said directly from behind Seichi. The boy remained stoic, as Slink sighed. "Not even a little rise, huh?" "Next time!" His small devil digimon tugged on his hand in reassurance. The trio started making there way to the Wire Forest entrance, as Gust waved to Jeanne and Shion. Slink made sure to avoid eye contact with Sammy and the Plant, shielding his face from the two as they passed by. "I'm definitely gonna fight that guy!" Aoki said, pumping his fist in excitement. Meanwhile, behind Elton, a boy peaked at his new card. He gave a rather mocking laugh at the sight. "Aha! Just a rare drop! That's a pity!" The boy's uername read 'CardCaptor'. He flashed off his equipment card, Kuwaga Scizzor, at Elton. "Better luck next time." Most of the crowd in the area remained in Central Park, while some went off exploring in every direction. Some headed towards the Beach to the South, while others climbed the hill that lead to some mountains to the West. The Digital World was ready for exploring.

"H-Honestly...We could always combine the two for it...the Egg Dawn Piercer perhaps? That alone is a pretty chill name." Zane smirked, before crossing his arms and humming to himself slightly, most likely mulling around for a team name. Ken waited patiently as Zane spoke up again. "As for the team name...Shadow Stompers and Meatbags +1 sound too...wordy. We need something that just rolls right off the tongue, ya know?" Ken nodded with his eyes clothes, head empty. Zane began to pace, rubbing his chin slightly! Ken looked on enthusiastically at the deep thought of the Arctic Wolf "Hey, how about Team Horizon?" Zane asked the others. "I mean, the sun rises and sets over the horizon...and if Ken wants to use Dawn Piercer, perhaps we can use Horizon as the team name. Just a general thought really." Ken's mouth fell agate. "WHOAH! TEAM HORIZON SOUNDS AWESOME!!!" Ken shot a fist into the air. He shot the wolf a huge thumbs up. "Nice one Zane! What are everyone else's thoughts!?" "Hey, whatever works for you guys." Flurry seemed apathetic to the whole deal. "I tend to agree simpler names are better" "Hmph." Chimera grunted in annoyance. "I don't recall ever agreeing to be apart of some team...but Team Horizon is...acceptable. As if to say that the Egg Empire will conquer wherever the Horizon touches." Chimera thought of the scenario. A dream that would surely come true. "As a compromise, I ask that the name of the vessel be deemed the Egg Piercer." Ken grumbled to himself in protest. "Yeah, but this thing ain't piercing any eggs! But we are travelling towards a new day! I say we trim it down to Dawn Piercer." "Be reasonable, Hedgehog. After all, this ship would not be ours to commandeer without the Genius of the Good Doctor. I demand your respects be paid to him." Ken frazzled his quills, biting his upper lip. The Iron Golem was totally in the right on this one...but it was so lame. "Fine. We'll give credit where credit is due...even if it is to Eggman. This ship is henceforth named the Egg Piercer!" "Yo, pilot! How long you think til the Egg-Piercer-Mach-whatever hits land?" Flurry asked. "Eggland was a very isolated island, and our cruising speed is slower than normal. I calculate that we will make landfall with the western continent in five to seven hours." In response to the answer, Ken gave a loud yawn. "Well, that gives me enough time to take a little nap. I say we should all get some rest after that fight. Who knows what the world looks like right now..." The grim situation from before had started to run itself through his mind. If everyone here had encountered Mephiles...that means he must've been all over the globe at once. Ken made his way to the crew quarters, and grabbed a bed for himself. It wasn't as comfortable as the one back home. As a matter of fact, it felt like he was sleeping on a flat piece of steel. He closed his eyes, and fell asleep. "Ken...." A voice rang out to him in his dream. "You couldn't save him this time either...how pathetic." Ken grunted. The voice seemed so familiar, yet too faint and too distant to recognize. He'd always hear voices in his dreams...but they had never been this close before. His sleep was interrupted by the sound of a blaring siren. He could feel himself being lifted into the air slightly. Across the ship, a red alarm was ringing off in every room. The speakers then picked up Chimera's voice. "Our fuel reserves were much lower than anticipated. Prepare for crash landing on the Mobian Ocean." "Great..." Ken groaned, as he tried to get himself somewhere to hold onto.

S.Y.S. Incorporated Chapter 1: Assembly IC The darkness began to vanish from the sky, as the sun's bright shine came barreling through the early morning clouds. However, there was no sun here on the Other Side. Instead, the light of Heaven was the only thing keeping the darkness at bay. The light shone over the clouds, and across the rest of the afterlife, but it took it's time to reach one location. A tall building, right outside of the Pearly Gates that lead to the stairway of Heaven, with the River Styx located close by. The insistent ring of landline phone's rang throughout the air of the building, on each and every level. It was another all-nighter for those who worked for S.Y.S. Inc. Their 4,907th shift straight! "I'm pretty sure God sends all of the Union Employees to hell...I've been working here for a millennia and I still don't have more than 40 hours of PTO!" Some murmuring came from a cubical, the phone visibly lifting on and off of the line. The employee sighed as he reached for the call. "Yes...this is S.Y.S. Inc...How can I save your soul tonight..." On the top level of the building, an individual wearing a halo stood staring at the window, and into Heaven's Light. Next to him, what looked to be like a peculiar assistant of some kind hovered beside him. She sported a halo as well, and a feathery pair of wings. The larger man's stature crumbled slowly, and into his chair. He began to rub his temples profusely, trying to push out all of the noise pollution hanging about the air. The constant ringing had been going on for at least a year now. "What the H-E-Double hockey sticks is going on down there these days." The man somehow sunk deeper into his chair. "Lost Souls are becoming stronger, we're losing good Soulders, and our biggest competitor is damning the people we are supposed to save, left and right!" "Peter..." The girl at his side's voice rang out like a thousand bells, rattling thy eardrum. "Don't lose faith..." Peter nodded. "No more mister nice Saint. This calls for some drastic action." He spun his chair around to meet a microphone. He pressed a button on his desk, and began to speak into it. "Attention all available S.Y.S. Soulders of Class 2 and higher! Please assemble in the main conference room on floor 99. We will be having a mandatory emergency meeting in the next 30 minutes." Releasing the button, Saint Peter sighed. "We're gonna need a miracle. You got one on you, Sera?" St. Peter turned to the winged-girl, who could only muster a giggle in response. OOC:

Dirty Soulder

Before Kio knew it, the buzzer rang off. The second round was over, and Kio sat atop Sun's shoulders, barely hanging on. With Kio's strategy, and Sun's surprising amount of intellect and speed, they were able to muster up a decent amount of points. His breathing was heavy, and his nerves hadn't stopped jittering after the intense chicken fights that happened across the stage. "What a challenge..." He panted, laying his arms across Sun's head, and flopping over them like a ragdoll. "I gotta admit, Sun, I thought this would've been a lot easier. But I'm glad you were my hair-clad chariot." He lost his balance, but was too exhausted to stop himself, as he fell over onto the ground in front of Sun with a thud. He held up an upward thumb towards the Monkey Boy. "Nice Fight! Let's meet in the finals!" "And that concludes the Chicken Fight portion of this year's Sports Festival," Orikami addressed the crowd and participants alike through the stadium's speakers, "if you will all direct your attention to the big screen, the bracket for the last phase will be visible, displaying our top eight." Kio smiled as he saw his face displayed on the screen, once again, for everyone to see. All of his hard work had been paying off! Maybe he could be a real hero after all. His eyes then made his way towards his bracket mate. Benjamin O'Hara. A pesk to be sure. The thought of a cascading wave of creepy crawlies heading his way sent shivers down his spine. "This final stage, as is tradition, will be single elimination sparring matches. While the previous rounds focused on adaptability, the eventual winner will be decided based on raw combat strength. The first rounds will all be conducted simultaneously, starting in one hour" "One hour to prepare myself, huh? I don't think enough mental imaging will get me ready for this..." Kio sighed. He decided to go limber himself up in the waiting rooms near the lockers. On his way, he stumbled upon O'Hara talking to what looked like the press. As they left his opponent, they noticed him in the hall as well, and made a mad dash towards him. Kio was no strange to the press, but most of his interviews came from middle school students and local small time newspapers. "Akagi Kio? What are your thoughts going into the 1v1 portion of the Festival?" "Well I'm totally pumped! I get to show Japan what I can really do! Maybe I'll even get scouted early by a top agency!!" Kio's grin was wide and shiny. "How does it feel for the whole country to know your quirk after that information got leaked? To be able to copy any quirk you see is incredible! How many memory cards do you have right now?" "Well I couldn't keep it secret forever, right?! Although it's kind of like I've already had my hero debut...a bummer it wasn't revealed in a battle with a villain." Kio pulled one of his memory cards out of his pocket, making sure to cover the label of the quirk named on it, and passed it along the middles of his fingers back and forth. "Now I cant be giving away all of my secrets! You never know who's watching a broadcast!" "Quirks that copy other quirks are exceedingly rare, one hasn't had this level of spotlight since the villain Wendigo went missing half a decade ago. How does it feel to be such a rarity even among the best?" 'Why bring that scum into this?' "Well I certainly don't think I'm anything special! A lot of my classmates have way more unique quirks than me! Trust me, I have half of them!" Kio laughed. "What I will say is that I have a rare drive to better myself! I hope I can get support from everyone!" "One last question: Who do you think will win it all? We have our own guesses, but we'd love to hear it from someone closer to it all!" "Well I've put a lot of thought into this myself...in terms of raw Quirk power, my money is on Almaz! But I think the biggest wildcard is Kanda! There's still so much more to his potential than I've seen!" Kio flashed a peace sign to the camera. "But don't count me out just yet! I'll make sure to do my best! I'm going to win this sports festival!" With the interview over, the cockroaches scurried away to find their next victim. Speaking of cockroaches, Kio's attention turned to O'Hara. The two hadn't had much interaction before now, but it looked like that would probably come to an end here. "Yo, Ben!" Kio said with a salute and smile. "Looks like we'll be duking it out soon, huh? Don't go easy on me, got it? Because I won't come at you with anything other than my best!" Kio was in no way underestimating Ben, but he had stepped over bigger stones in his time.

Shion's tactic was surprisingly effective, as Gea continued to pummel the insect digimon with his hard beak. During his retreats, it would also knock the small worm digimon onto their backs. They hissed at the Poromon, before 3 began rolling themselves into spinning wheels of terror. However, the wind knocked around by Gea caught the bubbles being blown out of Fido's mouth, making them swirl around in the air around the tamers and Tinkermon. They burst upon contact with the horde of Kunemon, even intercepting the rollers, exploding with force and releasing their foul toxins into the air. The Kunemon holding Tinkermon began to cough, giving Tinkermon enough time to slice through the silk net with her sharp claws. "Tinker Twister!" She shouted, as she spun rapidly in the air, blowing the remaining silk off of her and the Kunemon away. "Thanks for the save, I suppose...guess we're square now." Tinkermon held her staff in front of her, facing the large wave of Kunemon. "I'll back you all up! We gotta get to the real fight, before Seichi gets hurt!" She spun her staff in the air, before swiping at a Kunemon who lunged at the group. "You four might not have grace, but you have some fun style!" Aoki watched on as Berg began a solid ice assault on the downed Flymon. "Hell yeah! Your partner's got some Guts Elt! Wam! Bam! Give 'em the ol' one, two!" He began to shadow box, almost throwing the board off balance. Aoki looked behind him to see Reef still running away. "Hey dude, the fight's thatta way!" Aoki said, pointing his thumb towards the in-the-process-of-being-iced Flymon. Reef stopped in his tracks to notice he wasn't being chased by that accursed humming anymore, and turned heel to join Berg as fast as his little wobbly feet would let him. "Yo, Elt, what are the chances we can incase this sucker in ice? I bet with Reef's water stream, and Berg's baby hail, we could put this Flymon on the rocks!" Without hesitation, Aoki turned back to Reef. "Reef! Use that water of yours to hose down this housefly!" "Aye aye, Captain Aoki!" The Sangomon stuck out his tentacles, unleashing a torrent of high pressured water from the tips. "Coral Pressure!" The jets were easily able to hit the downed Flymon, as Reef made sure to avoid Berg as best as he could. "M-16 Assassin!" A voice could be heard, as a Digimon from outside of the group began it's own assault on the downed Flymon as well. Meanwhile, on another side of the battle, Sammy seemed to be dumbfounded at this new guy's arrival. He shook his head, as his digimon summoned a ball of fire and ice in each hand. "Not much of a talker? Me either." The guy turned around to face the encroaching gang of Kunemon and their section leader, Flymon. "This might get ugly..." "Aw c'mon! This is where the fun starts! Summon!" The small devil threw both orbs into the crowd, as the twirled on their path, and eventually converged into a huge explosion. Most of the Kunemon were wiped out with the attack, but Flymon buzzed through the debris, on a crash course towards Sammy. OOC: