---

After Six signed her story to her companions, the train's whistle blew twice before the PA came alive and the Headless Horseman once more spoke over the loud speaker. "Attention passengers, in order to help kill the time, I'm allowing for team fighting matches! The only rule? No killing! Seriously, the mess is a pain to clean up later and then there's the whole "their souls need returned to their realm for respawn" which is an even bigger pain. Oh, to win, stay standing. Heroes, You'll be the team to beat! Enjoy yourselves and consider this a warm up! King Boo's Boo's aren't going to fight fair, so don't be afraid to get down and dirty!" The PA cuts again and the monsters can be seen getting teams together and heading for the group of four.

The first to reach them was a group consisting of a werewolf whose body had been augmented with machines that pumped green liquid into it and metal augmented claws, humanoid thing mostly covered in armor, but it's skin was the wrong color and skin was missing around it's mouth, wielding a great ax, what was clearly an undead abomination, with three arms, one wielding a hook, and the other two giant meat cleavers, with a giant mouth thing in it's gut, and man in full plate armor wielding a sword with glowing runes the length of it's blade, never mind the glowing ball of Light that topped it.

The mummies they had been sharing the seats with quickly made themselves scarce and after a moment of sizing each other up, the man in armor approached them. "I am Darion Mograine, leader of the Four Horsemen and second in command to the Deathlord of the Ebon Blade. My companions are Warwick, the Uncaged Wrath of Zaun, wherever that might be, a Hulock Alpha who calls himself Executor and the Abomination Giggles. We offer a chance to test your skill before you face King Boo and, should you best us, I will join you on your return to Tetris Castle. I need to speak with Artanis anyways."

A purple barrier appeared around the group of eight, but before any questions can be raised, the PA comes alive again. "I don't want collateral damage either, so stay in the bubble!" Silence returned and the group of four squared off with the heroes; Giggles with Heavy, Warwick with Slayer, Darion with Six, and Executor with Akira. A count down appeared between the two groups.



Darion fired a green skull at Six from the tip of his sword as Giggles threw it's hook at Heavy. Executor made to deliver a heavy overhead swing at Akira as he charged him and Warwick, after unleashing a vicious howl, charged Slayer and made to unleash a series of slashes with his claws.

---

GM Note: From now on, all players will be required to keep track of their word count. XP will be awarded every GM post. Be sure to check the XP hider to see how much XP your character earned. Remember to keep your CSes updated. I have seen players slack in keeping their XP up-to-date and they have lost XP points because of it. I didn't take the XP away from them, they just didn't keep track of the XP on their own. It is YOUR responsibility if you want your character to level.


If a player is inactive for more than 3 days without letting the GMs know of any delays, then the player can be skipped over on the 4th day. If a player does not wish to post, they can Mention the GM and let the GM know he or she "Passes" on his or her turn.

P.O.: Slayer, Akira, Heavy, and Six.

Phoenix Wright scratched the back of his head. He definitely became surprised how the bomber twins reacted to Frisk. Feeling the same, he sided with Frisk on a more passive approach; however, he did not know it would come so easily. Previously, Marx stayed stubborn throughout the battle despite the constant work trying to convince him otherwise. These two individuals did not compare at all.

To Phoenix, the bomber twins probably did not care. Frisk's persuasion seemed less convincing than his last one; he even added a pun to his speech. Phoenix Wright stood almost dumbfounded on how the twins came to a decision. They probably wouldn't have listened to the kid a joke was not included. The pun brought joy to them, and they wanted to hear more from the rest of the group.

Frisk showed his support to the others by adding another pun into his collection. Phoenix Wright gritted his teeth and made an awkward smile. Each time a pun was made, a part of his body began to cringe. This moment made him think back to the times when his career would bring wacky characters; they would sometimes say jokes despite being in a courtroom.

The ace attorney shook his head, he realized the party would have to make jokes in order to avoid conflict. Phoenix Wright stared at Alica. It appeared she was having a troubling time thinking of something humorous to share. Wright did not blame her. The motion of being put on the spot does make it more difficult to think. Scratching his head, the lawyer tried his best to recollect something funny from his cases.

Wright was indeed an ace attorney; he was not a comedian. If anything, people laughed at him but not with him. Despite the serious career choice he chose, his law firm brought along a lot of strange and unusual individuals. One of the biggest weirdos and blessing would have to be Maya Fey. The ace attorney attempted to think clearly of what she said once before. Snapping his fingers, he felt he had an idea.

"I used to have an argument with...one of my colleagues," he paused trying to think of a word to refer to Maya. "I pointed at step-ladder and she said it was a "ladder!" She then said I should stop judging things on narrow-minded cultural assumptions," The ace attorney wagged his finger as he talked. He was hoping for a response, but it when it came out, it just felt off-putting.

"And then after a month later, I met another individual who still referred to it as a ladder. When I said it was a step-ladder, she said: "What's the difference in scientific terms?" Can you believe that? Only a month apart," Wright spoke. He looked around and felt the air, he started seeing he wasn't coming across as funny. He might have just been rambling at this point.


His enthusiasm for humor began to die down. Sweat beads poured down from his forehead. He then muttered and started to say something else. "My colleague told me a joke once. What's the difference between two lawyers in a car and a porcupine?" The ace attorney paused and sank his head. "The porcupine has pricks on the outside," Wright answered. He then dropped to his knees in defeat.

One by one Slayer's new companions honored his request and gave accounts of themselves. First, the unassuming youth spoke up, and he regaled the group with a synopsis of his past. Injustice turned many to a life of crime, but from Akira's speech about the Phantom Thieves, it appeared that he and the compatriots he left behind worked in the shadows to serve the light, so to speak. Much to his chagrin, Slayer did not immediately comprehend every last detail of the explanation, but he found no reason to doubt the boy's character. The vampire watched with fascination as Akira retrieved and put on a mask that transformed his appearance in such a flashy manner that Slayer could not help liking the cut of his jib. Every inch of Akira -no, Joker- oozed 'classic rogue', a perfect blend of style and pragmatism. ”Looking dandy, Joker!” he remarked after the young man's explanation concluded. ”From the sound of it, your versatility will be a valuable asset to our team. Welcome aboard!”

Far more garrulous than his rough exterior might imply, the Heavy spoke openly, giving an account of his origin before introducing his weapon. The merest look, and attention to the big man's manner, told Slayer that Sasha might as well be the love of his life. A simple man, strong and true, the gentleman summarized, though he cast an awry glance at the sandwich that Heavy produced from his pocket. ”...How long has that been in there?” he murmured. Though a massive amalgam of bread, cheese, vegetable, and meat, Heavy attacked it with gusto, and it was no more in a matter of seconds. His description indicated that it possessed healing properties, which would be very useful. ”I daresay my strength at close quarters combat plus the power of your weapon will be a lethal combination. ”

When her turn came, Six told without words of a horrific nightmare. From the outset Slayer received from her an uncanny feeling, that something was off or wrong, and now the riddle was solved. Even if he didn't catch every word, it was clear that she'd suffered much, even to the point of doing things that some would call monstrous. Yet here she was, sane and baring her soul, and the gentleman was not inclined to pass judgment. Along with these, he noticed her nervousness. After a few moments, when he'd thought of just what to say, he addressed her with a pleasant smile on his face. ”It speaks to your spirit that you survived such torment and are able to share it with people you've barely met. Nobody escapes unchanged dark ordeals, but many who fight monsters become monsters themselves. You, however, seem to have risen above the darkness, ready to take on the mantle of 'hero'. I am grateful to have you with us.”

The end of the new group's meeting coincided perfectly with the Headless Horseman's next announcement. At his bidding, the heroes and monsters on board the train assembled their teams. With no mention of any battlefield, Slayer raised his eyebrows. ”We're fighting in here?” A moment passed before he shrugged. There was enough room, and less distance for foes to dance about in made him a more potent force. Without delay, an opposing team approached his, and Slayer stood so that the mummies could depart. Expression neutral, he studied the four potential enemies as he listened to their leader's introduction. ”Sounds grand. I didn't exactly get enough action in my last fight to warm up, so this will be a fine diversion.” Not long after, the barrier-encapsulated battle began.

At once, the four enemies attacked, and Slayer sighed when the werewolf leaped at him. ”Just the fellow I hoped to avoid engaging.” The gentleman barely raised his arms in time to block Warwick's wicked-fast slashes, but just as he expected, the augmented beast's nasty claws raked through the fabric of his sleeves and across his skin. Wincing, he backed up while the onslaught continued, hoping to lull Warwick into a false sense of security. When the moment seemed right, Slayer ducked out of the next attack with a Dandy Step, then shot forward with an upward flash kick followed by upside-down roundhouse—a Crosswise Heel. With any luck, the sudden attack would catch the beast off-guard, and pop him into the air for a combo.

Akira smiled faintly as the attention placed on him was soon brought over to the Heavy, who went on about his past as articulately as he could. Hearing that he was from the Soviet Union made him glad that he actually paid attention during class. It was sweet to hear the big man was a mercenary to help pay for his family, but as the man went on to talk about his weapon, Sasha, he proceeded to pull out a sandwich that rivaled the Big Bang Burger itself. Akira coughed discretely into his red gloved hand to hide his stupor, muttering a quiet thanks before bringing his attention to the smallest in the group.

It was rather hard for the frizzy haired teen to understand what the little girl was saying, but he did his best, being able to catch the general gist of her background. And, to put it lightly, no one deserved to go through such a terrible experience, especially if they had to live and tell the tale. The glint in Akira's eyes dulled and softened to something akin to comforting. Placing a hand on Six's head and patting twice gently, the trickster smiling sweetly.
"We'll be counting on you, Six. Don't be afraid to rely on us, alright?"

Almost as if on cue, the intercom came to life with the voice from before. Apparently, they were able to fight on this train. Confusion immediately set in as even Slayer was questioning if they were able to fight. Moments later, another group of four approached them. Akira waited for The Heavy and Six to slide out of the booth before getting out of himself. He unconsciously sized up the group of four, furrowing brows as his companions familiar voices weren't ringing in his brain. The opponents little speech was nice, but it was something that Akira was never a fan of; it just wasted time in his opinion.

The trickster blinked curiously as a barrier was erected around the eight of them. He had clearly been sectioned off with the one that went by the Executor as once the countdown was completed, the Executor went straight for him. Instead of showing any worry or stress on his face, Akira smirked before bending backwards to avoid the heavy swing that was coming his way. Although he wasn't showing it, that was far too close for his own good. With his back bent in such an unorthodox manner, the frizzy haired trickster went straight into a backflip from there, doing one more before landing perfectly, now holding an obsidian colored dagger in one hand and a gun in another. Without a second of hesitation, Akira brought up the hand that was holding his gun and used his pinky finger to rip his mask off of his face. The sound of flesh tearing from one's body reverberated in the bubble, but there was no blood. Instead, a red and black being materialized behind Akira, although it was barely visible to those around Akira.
"Ravish him, Arsene!" He shouted as a wave of darkness shot out of Akira's blade as he sliced towards the ground under the Executor. He followed up with a gun shots at the other, hoping it would enough to at east disable his enemy.

The Heavy sat in complete silence as he listened to the story of little Six, the child he had expected to have a sad backstory in order to be chosen for this mission. What he instead heard sent shivers down his spine. He looked at her with his already large eyes now open wide, his jaw finding trouble keeping itself closed. Sure he himself had seen some terrifying sights in his life, even as a child, but like Six? She had defeated a so called 'Maw', and eaten her. And to top it off, that was how she had gained her powers. The Heavy looked at Six, uncertain of what to feel for the little girl. Pity? Fright? Disgust? The Russian brute settled on the first as he heard her silent, nervous laughter, and tried to give her a soft smile as far as he could.

"Like Joker say, we protect you now. " If anyone was to touch Six again, Heavy would be sure to touch them back. In the face. With his massive fists.

Suddenly the intercom sparked back to life, causing Heavy to turn his head towards it as he listened to it. And as he did, his face warmed up with a brutish delight at the words of 'fighting matches'. He could't agree more with the man behind the speaker, fighting was the best way to kill time. That, or dancing and weapon-cleaning. Perhaps a small snack as well? But one thing puzzled him. "No killing? How can you win if you don't kill enemy?" Heavy asked his group of allies and the man behind the speakers, though it would seem there was little time to get an answer. Soon enough they were confronted by a group of four figures.

As Heavy rose from his seat, the wooden boards underneath the cushion slowly creaking back into place, he looked at the group he figured they were going to fight. They looked like they fit right in the halloween-theme of the train; two were men in armour, more or less normal-looking even for their spooky appearance; one was what Heavy could only presume was a werewolf with green…stuff pumping into him and the last…Heavy was not sure what That was, but it was perhaps the most disgusting thing he'd seen all his life. His immense disgust for the abomination however turned swiftly into a deep chuckling from the Russian giant. As the purple barrier appeared around eight combatants, Heavy eyed his opponent up and down, before bursting out in laughter.

"Oh ha ha ha ha ha! What sick man sends thing called Giggles to fight me?"

The cheerful attiude of Heavy didn't last long as Giggles threw what looked like a hook at him. Heavy, who already had gotten into a steady position with his trusted minigun, wasn't able to outright duck away from the incoming hook. It flew straight towards him, finding its mark at Heavy's left shoulder with a loud thud. Heavy gave a muted groan, signalling the change of mood of the smaller giant. It was painful, but Heavy had felt much worse through his less than peaceful career. "You call that pain? I will show you pain, baby Giggles!"

The barrel of the minigun started to spin, faster and faster as it went round, making a loud mechanical noise. Heavy smiled fiendlish, aiming his beloved Sasha straight at Giggles, pulling the trigger. A fury of gunfire erupted from the minigun, the bullets large enough to be almost visible for the naked eye as they flew in the direction of the abomination. All the while this happened, Heavy gave his usual intimdating shout. "Yaaaaaaaaaaaagh!"

---

---

It felt nice to have others on her side, but something was off for Six. The child couldnt shake off the feeling that she was better off by herself, but still wanted to trust her team. She snapped back into reality when the train's PA came back to life. Apparently, they were gonna fight the other passengers in waves of four, in preparation for the battle with King Boo.

'No killing? That will be hard...' Six thought, looking down at her hands. As soon as she slid out of her seat, dark particles started to appear and swirl around the child, slowly growing in numbers. She looked over the first group of monsters, seeing that the match-ups fit with her team, her having to fight the horseman of death(?), Darion.

Once the countdown began the fight, the horseman seemed to steal the first strike, shooting a green skull from his sword. Six rolled out of the attack's way, and like serpents, her magic targeted Darion and struck back, slowly absorbing his life force. Yet the child made sure he lived, abiding by the rules.

As everyone said their jokes through which Cloud wore a straight-face through, the ex-SOLDIER watched as Phoenix finished with his before he collapsed to his knees. His bluish-green mako eyes lingered on the lawyer until he noticed the silence. Raising his eyes to gaze at his teammates and then the two Poppy Bros who were frowning at him, his blonde brows rose in surprise as he realized—it was his turn. Cloud felt the palms of his hands begin to itch. Fighting was so much easier. Why did he have to tell a joke?

“Uh…” Cloud started nervously. The jokes seemed to have come easier for everyone else. Shit, what would Barret say? He imagined the large black man pointing his gatling gun arm at the Poppy Bros and shouting, #^&! These bomb &(*^!#es. Let’s blow these mother ^%#&ers up and finish this !^*&ing @#$!. As rapid assault fire echoed throughout his conscience, Cloud raised a hand to his forehead, grasping it as he closed his eyes. Barret was not the right person to be thinking about in this situation. Yuffie seemed a better option or maybe even Tifa. Or Aerith… All the silly thinking was giving him a headache. Exhaling a breath, Cloud dropped his hand and opened his eyes to once more glance around at his team and the scowling bros. As much as he wanted to just swing his sword at them, he didn’t want to be the one responsible if shit hits the fan. If he had to achieve peace through a joke, then so be it. It was simple…right? A stupid joke.

A joke from his world started to form in his mouth, but he didn’t think anyone would get it. They probably had never seen a Chocobo before. What joke could he tell that a pair of bomb fanatics would like? He was wasting time. He could feel the pressure descending on him. He just had to say one joke. Any joke. With a stoic expression, Cloud attempted: “What did the big bucket say to the smaller one? Lookin’ a little pail there.”

He didn’t know what was worse, taking a physical knife to his body or an emotional one.

---

The Poppy Bros were staring at Alicia expectantly. She didn’t look like she had a funny bone in her, and they suspected this without even seeing her face. But they weren’t going to judge a book by its cover or a bomb by its casing. When The Stalwart stepped aside to allow her teammate to go first, the Poppy Bros’s lips turned upside down in an uncomfortable manner. When it was the lawyer’s turn, the Poppy Bros stared at him with half-lidded eyes lacking amusement. They even started to mutter to each other:

“Was dat a joke?”

“I think it was supposed to be one. He wasn’t funny at all.”

“Aw, we’re gonna hafta’ bomb’em now huh?”

“Ssh, he’s trying again!”

The lawyer’s last joke caused the corners of the Poppy Bros’s mouths to arch in a smile. They giggled, once again returning to a positive nature. His joke had been like the end of a feather. The Poppy Bros nodded with approval.

“All right; next. That’s two good jokes out of five,” said the second bros.

Their attention went to Cloud who didn’t seem to be paying attention. When the swordsman finally looked up to notice that they were even waiting on him, they frowned. The mercenary looked absolutely caught off-guard. The second bro huffed.

“What’s with these guys? Do they want us to blow them up or something?”

As Cloud continued to give them a blank expression, the first Poppy Bros muttered: “Dat’s it. I’m bombin’ dem.”

“Not yet dummy. We still gotta hear the bear and chicken.”

When Cloud finally spoke, the Poppy Bros regarded him blankly. His deadpan expression coupled with such a painfully-corny joke made the first Poppy Bros snicker hard. The Bros fell on their bottoms kicking their feet in laughter.

“So awful!” the second bros exclaimed.

“My humerus is aching!” said the first one.

The Bros started to cry from the first bro’s corny pun. Tumbling from the pocket space of the first bro's pocket was a black bomb with the wick fizzling away. The two bros had been too engrossed in laughter to notice it.

---

GM Note: From here on out, all players will be required to keep track of their word count. XP will be awarded every GM post. Be sure to check the XP hider to see how much XP your character earned. Remember to keep your CSes updated. I have seen players slack in keeping their XP up-to-date and they have lost XP points because of it. I didn't take the XP away from them, they just didn't keep track of the XP on their own. It is YOUR responsibility if you want your character to level.




If a player is inactive for more than 3 days without letting the GMs know of any delays, then the player can be skipped over on the 4th day. If a player does not wish to post, they can Mention the GM and let the GM know he or she "Passes" on his or her turn.

P.O.: Frisk, Alicia Harnick, Phoenix Wright, Banjo & Kazooie, and Cloud.

Frisk blinked when they heard Iron discreetly inform them that Alicia was actually so unfunny that it could potentially kill all of the joy that was being created by the bad jokes. Frisk nodded and whispered back to Iron "You can go ahead and give that a try. A shared interest helps a lot! But...just don't throw the grenades at them," Frisk then looked to Phoenix Wright when his turn to make a joke came up. There was the talk about the ladder and step ladder, and Frisk tilted their head. That...sounded like an inside joke. That wasn't going to work here.

Finally Wright decided to settle on a joke about a porcupine, lawyers, and pricks. Frisk was at first confused, trying to understand the joke. After glancing at Mr. Wright's hair, Frisk piped up in innocent confusion, "But...Wait, Mr. Wright? You have pricks on the outside too," As Frisk mentioned pricks, they gestured towards the hair, trying to allude to Mr. Wright's hair.

Then it's Cloud's turn. He at first looked deadpan and...maybe a bit lost. Frisk was wondering if they needed to jump in and help, but eventually Cloud spoke up and gave a joke that would rival one of Sans' jokes, and they couldn't help but giggle at the joke as well. And the joke got the brothers rolling in laughter. After they made their comments on Cloud's joke, Frisk threw in while laughing "That was great!"

However, their giggling stopped when they spied the bomb that rolled out. It was at this point they wished they had access to the Bomb Defuser function on their phone. Their eyes widened and they let out an "Uh oh!" Just because these guys loved bombs, it doesn't mean that they were bomb-proof. They ran over to the bomb, picked it up, and looked around to see where they could throw it. The only place that they could throw it that would be safe for them and the brothers would be back up the staircase. Frisk ran as fast as they could with the bomb and warned their allies that were close to the stairway exit "Move Move Move!!!"

After they were close enough, they threw the bomb, and while it was in mid-air, they aimed their soul at the bomb and fired a SOUL bullet at the bomb, hoping to make it detonate in midair and cause as little collateral damage as possible and no damage to anyone.

---

Warwick's fury seemed to be unending, but eventually Slayer did find his opening and the counter hit flawlessly, sending the werewolf soaring into the air, flipping. However, on his third flip, he managed leap forward with his Jaws of the Beast ability, latching himself onto the vampire's arm and refusing to release. Despite his seemingly feral nature, some measure of intelligence seemed to remain. I cannot kill them, and I would never harm the girl. But the blood... Slayer could sense a glimmer of mental battle as the pump on Warwick's back thrusts green liquid through his body. Executor nimbly dodged away from the shadow wave flew towards him, his ax finding a home on his back as he draws three throwing daggers and hurls them at Akira, his armor somehow managing to deflect the bullets pinging off it.

Meanwhile, as Heavy begins to unleash his minigun assault on his own opponent, Giggles, well, giggles as a taunt sensation suddenly comes from Heavy's tank top. "Oh goody, the big man wants to play with Giggles!" A moment later, the giant Russian is flying through the air towards the Abomination, though rather than finding a cleaver to the face as it's foes outside the train normally would, he gets a rather meaty fist, which hurts all the same as the meathook comes free to allow him to stumble back. Darion, in response to Six's attack, simply slashed through the two snakes with his blade before a dark magic grabbed hold of Six and hauled her towards him through the air.

Catching her by the front of her coat, Darion shakes his head. "I was raised back to undeath by black magic, child. Your's is no threat to me in this or any world." He would then throw her towards Akira and follow close behind, his blade held expertly to deliver a slash upon her landing. The PA comes alive again in response.

"Remember folks, NO KILLING!" A sigh comes from the Death Knight and instead of the edge, the flat of his blade too the forefront, indicating it would be a smacking the young girl received instead.

---

GM Note: From now on, all players will be required to keep track of their word count. XP will be awarded every GM post. Be sure to check the XP hider to see how much XP your character earned. Remember to keep your CSes updated. I have seen players slack in keeping their XP up-to-date and they have lost XP points because of it. I didn't take the XP away from them, they just didn't keep track of the XP on their own. It is YOUR responsibility if you want your character to level.


If a player is inactive for more than 3 days without letting the GMs know of any delays, then the player can be skipped over on the 4th day. If a player does not wish to post, they can Mention the GM and let the GM know he or she "Passes" on his or her turn.

P.O.: Slayer, Akira, Heavy, and Six.

To change direction midair, and launch forward with a burst of speed, was no easy feat. Slayer envied those who possessed such a capability, known commonly as an 'airdash', to some degree, though in truth no real jealousy stained his heart. When Warwick's traplike maw snapped shut around his forearm, he did wince from the pain, but the deeper wound by far was not predicting that his bestial opponent might have the ability to airdash. I must be growing lax...resting on my laurels, the gentleman chided himself. He did not internalize the struggle, however, and kept a close eye on his foe. More than the machinery on Warwick's back implied that this creature wasn't some mindless monster. An animal's natural cunning could be frightening, but brutal strength with a directing intelligence struck Slayer as a more pertinent threat.

As he watched, shaking his arm back and forth to keep his foe's grip occupied, the doodads mounted on the werewolf's back injected him with a virulent-looking green fluid. Time to act, before whatever bonus that liquid conveys can integrate with his body. Slayer pulled his free hand back to deliver a point-blank punch to the beast's defenseless noggin -one that he anticipated should end the fight in that instant- but Warwick's momentum carried through. Still using Jaws of the Beast, the wolf swung around to Slayer's opposite side, using the gentleman's poor arm as a tether and straining its fibers with his weight. ”Hrgh!” he grunted, pivoting like a boxer to prevent his enemy from getting behind him. ”You're tenacious. I still haven't figured out whether you're intelligent or not, but as far as I'm concerned, you've done well enough with one move to earn my attention.”

Until that moment, he'd been making sure to give each of his allies at least a cursory inspection. None appeared to have an outright advantage over their foes, and at the moment each seemed to be learning what their opponents were made of. After an impressive display of alacrity, Joker made his attack only to find his bullets ineffective against his opponent's armor. Before Heavy could really start pumping out his no doubt absurd amount of damage, the deformed monster he faced interrupted him and brought him closer with a hurled meathook. Meanwhile, Six appeared to be confounded by her adversary, who exhibited no averse reaction to her dark energies. ”We're fighting on their terms,” Slayer called. ”There are some battles that cannot be won on their own. Consider exchanging opponents if you can't make any progress.” His eyebrows narrowed as he turned back to the werewolf, his teeth gritted from the agony of teeth piercing his flesh. “As for me...”

Warwick's jaws snapped shut as Slayer vanished into thin air. He reappeared a few feet to the beast's left, already swinging. Around his outstretched fingers, plumes of violet fire formed claws to execute a brutal sideswipe—the move known as Under Pressure, a cruel attack that staggered its foes more often than not, giving an opportunity for its user to perform a full combo.

Akira could mainly find himself grimacing at the sight of both of his attacks proving all but useless; while Eiha didn't hit its' mark, the bullets he shot were no match for the Executors' armor. In all honesty, he should have known that, but what else could he have done, given the time he had to think and what he had in terms of attacks? Should he go for a Cleave next? Or maybe just stall this guy out until Slayer was finished with his enemy so that he could get some help? Maybe the Heavy would do better against a foe just as this?

Before he really had a chance to act out any of the thoughts he ran in his head, Akira was greeted with the sight of three sharp daggers only slightly smaller than his own coming right at him. Furrowing his brows, but maintaining the coy posture he normally had, Akira ripped his mask off yet again as a blue flame surrounded him and called upon his persona Arsene once more for assistance.
"Eiha!" Akira held his hand out as a wave of darkness shot out of it. He had used the move more to slow down and possibly stunt the blades coming towards him then as an actual attack, and luckily it worked out as Akira was able to jump out of the way with only a scratch just under his mask. He licked his lips quickly, knowing that he was definitely in for the long run.

Just when he thought he was done having things thrown at him, Akira spotted out of the corner of his eye something yellow coming towards him. Originally he was going to dodge away, but upon closer inspection, Akira let out a quiet gasp and sprinted forward, holding his arms out and catching the extremely light girl in his arms. He was going to ask if the other was okay, but they clear had no time for that, as Six's opponent, and probably his own, were coming right for them. As Akira brought Six back down to her own feet. Slayer's words of wisdom as well as his previous thoughts reverberated inside of his brain as he pushed Six behind him and ran forward, meeting the Death Knight's blade with his dagger.

"Guys, we're switching up! We have to! Six, you take care of the Executor. Heavy, I know I'm asking for a lot, but I'm going to need you to take this guy on! A-As for me..." Akira didn't stay like this for long, as he used all the strength he had in him to push the Death Knight away from him and sprint towards the Heavy's current position, passing by him and ripping off his mask in the process. The trickster jumped into the air as Arsene appeared behind him, his dagger glowing in a faint blue light as he was preparing to use Cleave on one of Giggles' massive arms. "I'll take him on!" He claimed as he brought his dagger down on the arm holding what looked like a cleaver in it. He had hopped to at least disable the enemy with a nicely placed slash, but that was only the best case scenario.

Whether or not his attack had failed or succeeded, Akira continued on, falling back a bit before now attempting to shoot at the gross abomination that was Giggles. He was the only one that didn't have any armor on, so Akira had to have an advantage on this one, right? Whether he made the right calls for Six and Heavy though, he was unsure. Heavy in particular, as the Death Knight seemed a little too smart for comfort. However he trusted that Heavy's brute force would win in the end. Hopefully he didn't make a mistake...

Something wasn't quite right. Indeed, something was very, very wrong, even if The Heavy Weapons Guy failed to see. While his minigun spew out its infamous 'Ten thousand rounds per minute' at the hulking abomination, there was little response of pain from the gunfire. On the contrary, Giggles giggled at Heavy's attack. Heavy let go of Sasha's trigger suddenly as he felt a strange sensation underneath his tank top. It felt like a tickle at first, then like some kind of pulling.

"What was that…?"

Heavy suddenly flew through the air, straight towards Giggles. It all happened so fast, unlike anything Heavy had experiened before. What he had felt many a time before, however, was the undead fist to his face that followed. It hit him right in the jaw, causing an almost audible cracking sound, before Heavy fell back to his feet and stumbled backwards. The Russian bear held his jaw and spat right on the carpet a single tooth, followed by a small drop of blood. Heavy's eyes gave the abomination a look that could kill, remembering its words of play, before straying over to where Sasha lay after he was pulled away, and back to Giggles.

"You want to play, baby Giggles? We play." Heavy's voice was worse for wear as he spoke, almost whispering at his foe. He was angry now, very angry. He got a step forward when the PA sparked back to life, reminding them of the 'No-Killing' rule. But Heavy only chuckled. "Fine, you'll live. But you'll live, IN PAIN!" Heavy shouted at Giggles, about to head back into combat when Slayer called out to them. Was he giving advice to his teammates? A new experience to the Heavy, his simple mind was uncertain of how to take the helping words from Slayer. It was the sight of little Six flying through the air and Akira saving her that made him understand the severity of the situation; it only made him angrier. "Udachi, malen'kiy chelovek! As Akira rushed past Heavy to take on Giggles for him, Heavy turned on the spot and rushed - as fast as he normally could - towards his new enemy; the Death Knight.

Darion looked different than Giggles in several ways, but a few stuck out to the Russian brute who probably didn't care either way. He was perhaps the same size as Heavy, maybe smaller, but with armour like knights in shining armour. Nobody wore armour when Heavy normally fought, mostly because they all wore hats instead. Hats, had this knight gotten his head piece like the others, at random? And more importantly, could Heavy take it when he beat the teeny, beety babe knight?

"Hey you!" Heavy shouted at Darion, his eyes now burning with a fury uncommon, but not unheard of. As he rushed towards the Death Knight, he slung his beloved Sasha around his shoulder and onto his back, cracking his knuckles as he ran. "Nobody touch Six, or they make me angry. And never, never make me angry!" Heavy's words rang throughout the magical circle of combat, ending in a loud roar known to the Heavy. As the two, new foes closed up, Heavy threw his right fist into a punch at Darion's head armour, while his left fist went in for a straight punch to his stomach. While he perhaps couldn't penetrate his armour, what was to stop the sheer force of his punch going through and into his body?

Regardless of the fists' success, Heavy would then attempt to grab Darion by his arms and lift him up, trying to get him up before throwing him over his head and back to the ground. "Take that!"

---

It was Christmas, and it was tradition that there would be a feast provided for the guest heroes. The Reception Hall was decorated with silver candelabras, dangling crystal chandeliers, and a silver-stitched snowflake tablecloth. Lemming waiters wearing black suits and bow ties walked back and forth, carrying platters with—you guessed it! Silver lids. Hot marinated meats, warm fluffy buttered rolls, sauces, dressings, and mash awaited the starving heroes, a courtesy before they risked their lives on the real reason why they were summoned.

Vault Boy was dressed for the occasion wearing a not as ugly as most Christmas sweater with green and red stripes and gold stars all over it. He sat at the head of the table, the fluff-balled tail of his Santa hat flopping into his face before he swatted it aside. He had a tablet in his hands and he was sliding glowing circles and squares in random directions which activated a large holographic panel to appear behind him. He eased his head back to make sure the screen was at least working.

A satisfied smile curled at his lips before he set the tablet upon the table and stood in his chair—since he was so short. With his fists resting on his hips, he waited for the heroes to gather and would greet them as they arrived with his arms exuberantly spread:

“Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! Welcome! Please, make yourselves comfortable and don’t be afraid to dig in (cause this might be your last supper), ha, ha, ha!”

Vault Boy hadn’t been a council member the veteran heroes were used to working with. In fact, they had never worked with him at all so for the new bloods, his presence was a treat.

“I assure you that none of the food is radioactive. I checked it myself!”

Why would he suspect the food to be radioactive? Old habit. He waved his arm that had his Pip-Boy attached to it about. “We have a few things to discuss before you all are on your way so please quickly find a seat. We’ll start in five minutes.”

Vault Boy then smirked. “I want to give you guys a chance to get some food in your mouths.”

Alicia wasn't sure if she had ever experienced worse pain than the emotional pain she was experiencing right then, between the bad jokes and some of the puns friend and foe alike felt a need to make. Even letting Aksis give her a knock around had hurt less than this. But then, she had agreed to try things peacefully first, even if she couldn't think of something. She really began to wish that James or even Ikora were there, as they were both adept at delivering...what had the Warlock Vanguard commander called them...oh right, zingers, even if the Warlock didn't find them overly humorous herself. Finally though, as Cloud delivered a horrible, and physically painful, corny joke, one came to her.

It was, in all honesty, somewhat logic and science based, but it was the one joke that had ever actually gotten a chuckle out of her, one of her fellow Titans having taken on the object of the joke as a nickname due to his own temperament. Breathing deeply as the two Bros began to laugh uncontrollably at Cloud's joke, but her voice died when the bomb rolled out, right towards her. Of all the times for this to go bad! Frisk had already run forward and grabbed the bomb, tossing it up the stairs they'd come down before shooting...something, at it. The Titan was already moving forwards, grabbing the child and spinning around so that any shrapnel would hit her shield, and also any of the actual explosion that somehow managed to make it to them.

The odds of such a thing happening were slim, but not impossible, and the Stalwart was already beating herself up over letting her guard down in an effort to come up with some suitably sorry joke to get them all out of the room alive. "Iron, start making sure we can get out of here quickly in case these two misinterpret the intention behind the eliminated bomb. Let's not cause any further issues if we can help it." Her Ghost nodded from where he still floated and moved to the ceiling before doing an area scan.

"Continue with the previous plan if possible. We don't need to escalate first, Alicia." The Titan would have given her companion a death glare under normal circumstances, but she didn't want to give his position away. Instead, she approached the two Bros, a prayer to the Traveler going through her mind.

"If I may, I think I have a joke that fits the mood. Why did the volcano blow his top?" She paused a moment to allow the pair to think of their own answers, as James often did, before delivering what she hoped was a decent punchline. "Because he couldn't handle the pressure." Iron even added the recording of a rimshot for effect, but at this moment, whether or not they'd done well was still in the air. Internally though, she groaned at the joke and the pain it caused. That was almost as bad as Cloud's, if not worse, but it was the best she had. If all else failed, she could flashbang them and knock them out with Cloud's help.

After Shantae spoke with Guile, helping explain as to what happened in the Smash Arena, and thanking Cloud for helping her out (the thought of his hands on her shoulders made her blush a little), she headed out. Well, she would have headed out by now, if it wasn't for one of the green men stopping her due to the protocol of containing the virus.

She sighed and did her best to reason with the...man? She even showed that she was not contaminated, let alone wounded at all, but the green army man was persistent. She sighed
"Come on! Please let me pass? There's someone that I need to check on, make sure that they're okay!
"Sorry Ma'am. No exceptions!"

She pouted in response for a moment, before her eyes seemed to glaze over. She recalled a certain move from so long ago, and when her eyes came into focus again, a grin spread on her face. She shrugged and answered casually,

"Okay then~! Looks like you get a bit of a show tonight!" She looked back to Cloud and she winked at him with a grin, before she started doing something that might be considered as strange in this setting.

She started to belly dance.

With a shake of her hips and an undulation of her belly, light shined around her, before she called "TraaaansFORM!" In a flash, her feminine figure was gone, and instead there was a purple furred monkey with a gold crown around the head.
Shantae, in her adorable monkey form, took advantage of the confusion and dazed look of the soldier (who had been staring at her as she danced) and everyone else around her, and she dashed and climbed her way out of the tunnels and headed out into town.

She dashed through the town, ignoring the stares and some surprised cries from the citizens of Platform City. It didn't take long for her to find the Save Point Inn, and before she entered, she reverted back to her human form.

She walked into the Save Point Inn and looked around, looking for the dragonfly who said that he would be here. She hoped he got here okay.

Even when made heavy by boots, the footfalls of the foreign princess walking the Tetris Castle's halls seldom made a sound. Over the last few days a great many new faces had arrived at this hub world, united by the common threat posed by the Mugen Virus, and among their ranks were featured unforgettable faces, unignorable attitudes, and attention-grabbing appearances. With all of the commotion caused by so many arrivals, few could devote their time to unimportant tasks, but all the same there came scattered reports of a woman nobody seemed able to commit to memory. They knew that bore breathtaking aquamarine hair, voluminous, long, and in splendid condition. If spotted at the training grounds, she was said to carry an ornamental spear as beauteous as herself. Yet this woman always seemed to slip away, first from the body and then from the mind, remembered only sparingly and in retrospect.

For her part, Azura did nothing to attract attention. This place was, after all, another castle. She knew the nature of royalty, their subjects, and how they behaved in response to a foreign princess whose silence and dignity came off as coldness and aloofness, making them think she thought she was their superior. A castle was a cold and uncaring domicile, a place of status rather than compassion. If one wasn't its master or the master's progeny, one could be expected to be treated like dirt, like a tool, like a pretty trinket brought out for display on special occasions, or in a certain someone's case, all three. When in Nohr, Azura found relief from the lonesomeness of her secluded chambers and the pointed looks of the kingdom's nobles in the markets and outdoors, where either commoners or nature were happy to receive her. There, she found that her songs sounded far better than in her recitals. Today, her first mission as a 'hero' would begin, and she was to be received by someone of the name of 'Vault Boy'. When she accepted the invitation of a strange turtle to come here, she hadn't imagined that she would be giving up the hospitality of the kingdom of Hoshido for a frontline war against some terrible menace, but Azura was determined to do some good in the world. It was time to demonstrate that she was neither a trinket nor a wallflower, but a heroine. As she approached the place of the meeting, therefore, she brought company: the Blessed Lance bestowed upon her by gracious Queen Mikoto of Hoshido, a memoir of the short but wonderful time she hadn't felt quite so alone.

The Reception Hall certainly lived up to the grandiosity Azura had come to respect from castles' public chambers. When she entered, her hand as gentle on the door as could be, there appeared to be nobody but servants and Vault Boy himself amid the fixings for a gratuitous feast. I'm the first, then. Since carrying a lance to a meal would be nothing short of preposterous, and bringing it here in the first place seemed a more brainless decision by the second, she decided to give a soldier's bow to her host. With a flourish of her weapon she executed the respectful gesture, which ended with Azura embedding the weapon's point in the tile floor just to the right of the door. I can play it off as a ceremonial act resulting from a somewhat militant background—it wouldn't be a lie. With that out of the way she returned to a far more unassuming posture, hands clasped behind her back and head bowed. ”Good day, sir. I am Azura, of the kingdom...of Hoshido, here in response to your summons.” Unfailing in her etiquette, she remained motionless as she stood, waiting for instruction and for the arrival of others before taking any further action. A gracious guest assumed nothing, after all.

Others arrived before long, at which point their diminutive host greeted them and bid them eat. His other utter words caught Azura's attention, making her wonder for a moment before she concluded with some certainty that he'd been joking. He didn't end up telling the group much other than that the proceedings would properly begin in five minutes. At Vault Boy's behest, she went ahead and approached the table. Barely had she seated herself before a Lemming appeared, offering her a selection of drinks. Avoiding the creature's gaze, she whispered, ”...Water, please.” Once he left, Azura gingerly reached out and grasped a roll from a nearby serving platter, which she began to nibble at. Even if provoked, she would do nothing to break her composure, though in fact she hadn't eaten since she arrived her yesterday. Either way, her focus lay first and foremost on the task that would soon be at hand, wrapping her head around her current situation and preparing herself.

---

A green army officer approached Guile and James. He stopped next to the angry street fighter and crossed his arms behind his back. He had overheard fragments of the conversation and piped in, “I will have my men arrest that bear immediately.” Guile faced the officer and raised his right hand to his brow in salute. The officer returned the salute with a smile and a greeting as he took Guile’s hand in a firm shake.

“Good Evening Major,” the officer greeted before he turned to James and offered his plastic hand. “We have not met. I am Colonel Grimm, the Commander of the Green Army. The situation here was a ghastly one. Because we had no eyes on the inside, we had to execute drastic measures. Majority of the individuals who attend these Smash events are crooks and criminals, and while I do not imply that there was any justification in the shooting, I am only explaining why things went the way they did. Unfortunately, all of these victims will remain down here in quarantine until they can be cleared by a healthcare provider.”

Guile crossed his arms before his chest and cocked the corner of his lip in a sneer. “We gotta lot to talk about and this ain’t the proper place for it. Meet me back at the castle in the Council Room,” he told James.

So I destroyed the blob things. What happened here? Did we get them all?...also what is this thing?

Guile and the colonel turned to gaze in disgust at the drooling bag Naija was holding up. It didn’t seem capable of feeding itself and instead seemed to rely on a host to feed it directly.

“Take it to the 49th Floor. I’m sure they will know what to do with it,” Guile told Naija. By now, Naija should have been very familiar with that floor having been there herself to be used as a guinea pig for a new vaccine. “I want everyone here to get checked before they go running off!”

It was going to be a long night. Guile held mix feelings toward the heroes. One, he was angry that they were even at the Smash event to begin with, and then two, he had to speculate that if they had none gone, then Platform City might have had an outbreak.

Cloud sighed at being stuck in the subway until they could be properly cleared. The night had been long and all he wanted to do was shower and sleep. One of the patrolling Army men approached him and Shantae, and on their colonel’s orders didn’t make any exceptions to let them go. While Cloud was more cooperative about it, the half-genie wasn’t.

When Shantae winked back at him, Cloud frowned a little until she started to dance…a blank expression washed over the ex-SOLDIER’s face as Shantae twerked her hips and rolled her stomach in some random belly dance. Then suddenly, there was a flash and the half-genie was gone. In her place was a monkey that quickly made a grand escape. Cloud watched wide-eyed as Shantae managed to cleverly reach the surface. Unfortunately for him, he was out of mana and lacked such trickster magic.

Hope you don’t get caught, Cloud thought.

---

The Save Point Inn’s interior was warm and cozy. The floor, walls, and ceiling were made of plush pillows and several creatures were camped about in the corners, softly snoring and sleeping away. There were Noddies from Dream Land tucked away in the corners of the rooms, in the chairs, cabinets, and even on the ceiling lamps. They were like cats, sleeping wherever they could. As for cats, there was a massive cat in the dining room where the inn’s complimentary breakfast was often served. The Snorlax was sprawled out, its large soft belly rising and falling with its deep breaths, and a pile of Noddies were sleeping in the comfort of its fur.

The yellow dragonfly who had been anxiously waiting in the lobby turned to see Shantae and immediately smiled. He darted over to her and greeted, “Hey! You made it!” He flew in an excited circle of celebration. “What happened? Is everything okay?”

---

By the time those who he had called to the 26th floor would arrive, it was Day 3 somewhere during the twilight hours. They had fought all evening into the morning of the next day. He was sitting at the head of the empty Council table with a mug of coffee. He actually had a coffee maker on the table with a full pitcher if anyone had wanted any. He waited for the heroes to at least come within earshot of him. If they decided to pour and dress their coffee, then so be it. He began, “I had a lot to think about on the trip back here. When I received a call from James in the middle of the night, I wasn’t happy, and when I found out that it was because you all were fighting in the Smash Arena, I was pissed. Not only is the Smash Arena an illegal operation, but I didn’t want our heroes gettin’ caught up in that sort of business. You guys may not realize it, but the citizens of Platform City are takin' an interest in you all. You’re heroes. You have a growin' fan base startin' to develop. If they find out that their heroes participate in underground operations like that, then they will want to get involved…I wanted to punish you guys. I thought about banning you all from the next mission, but I can’t. Even if I wanted to, the fate of The System cannot also be punished.”

Guile interlaced his fingers as he rested his forearms upon the table. He leaned over a bit, gazing at each of the heroes. “I’m not gonna punish you guys. I was thinking that if you guys hadn’t showed up there tonight, then a lot of people could have been infected and we would have an Outbreak on our hands. An Outbreak in Platform City is one of the Council’s worst nightmares. If the Outbreak had been silent, we all could be waking up to our necks in M-virus monsters. For that, the Council thanks you. I thank you.”

He sat back in his chair with a sigh and grabbed his coffee mug. It seemed getting such a sentimental statement off his chest had been harder for him than they realized.

“Colonel Grimm has a green interrogator interrogatin' Moneybags on the 49th floor. If any of you want to spectate, then feel free. Maybe you guys can unravel somethin'. Mr. Solus is examinin' that…thing whatever it was. He should have more data about it soon. If you want to go bother him, then that’s open too. What I really want you guys to do is to rest up. I’m gonna hit the hay after this. I know there are a lot of loose ends here that need tuggin', but you never know when the Council is gonna throw you into another random mission. Whatever you do, try to get some sleep eventually. I’m gonna be sittin' here until I finish this coffee, so if you have any questions, concerns, or comments, then feel free.”

"And that was how I...or my EX-girlfriend and I constructed a functioning time machine!"

Who knew how long the green turtle, all dressed up as if about to head out on a safari and sitting in a rather fancy wheelchair, had been talking? It could have been as long as he had been getting a late night snack in that new, strange establishment. The green turtle, Bentley, had arrived at Platform City a few hours before in the middle of the night, would you believe it? He hadn't been told a whole lot since he arrived, but his natural intelligence had put together the bits and pieces he heard;

There had already been a fair share of 'Heroes' in and out of Platform City, and most of them were already out on several missions. And while Bentley was eager to get onto a mission himself - especially one he could partake in the planning of, call it old habit -, he understood the need for patience. And wait he was good at - sometimes. He was a turtle after all.

But in the meantime, he would just have to wait. Rolling his way down the streets of the city, he had been directed to what he recognized as an inn. He shyly entered the inn through the doors, peaking his head in with a hushed "He...hello?", only to find most of the people asleep or about to sleep. The little round being, one Bentley never had seen before, half-asleep gave him a room. Bentley though, having already slept back in his game-universe, was not sleep though, and shyly rolled over to a table with someone else apparently awake. And soon Bentley was talking non-stop about the thing he loved most of all in the world: Technology.

It was only after he had said those final words that he actually looked at the person beside him, that Bentley realized he was asleep. At least he thought it was a 'he', the creature he had never seen before in his own world. Not that that concept troubled him; after the invention and frequent use of the time-machine, the possibility of different universes was only a logical conclusion. More than anything, Bentley felt slightly embarrased to have blabbered like that. Taking of his thick, rim glasses and polishing them, he quietly sighed and looked away from the sleeping guest. "Good night, I guess. Sorry to bother you."

Then a new sign of life came from the lobby, making Bentley look up through his polished glasses. It was a humanoid creature, but without fur, scales or feathers. Odd, did such creatures exist? "Of course they do. The mathematical possibility is too high in an infinite possibility of universes that they can't." Bentley explained to himself, as if stating an obvious truth to some third party listener who needed some exposition. Not paying much attention to the fast sleeper, Bentley straightened his glasses and hat, before rolling his wheelchair to the lobby and the new-comer.

Bentley rolled slower and slower the closer he came to the woman and the yellow dragonfly, not wishing to what he now heard was a beginning conversation. Still, he was curious for more information about what was going on, and pushed himself over his comfort-zone. Bentley raised his hand nervously up in the air, waiting for a moment where he was interrupting as he spoke in the quiet, nasal voice of his. "Excuse me, but I couldn't help but notice your arrival, Miss. I'm Bentley, just got called here for a mission. I take it you're on it too. Did you just come back from a mission like that?"