Chapter Text
A/N: Next episode is here everyone! Don't really have much to say other than I hope you enjoy!
Reviews:
G-Man 2.0: Kaz was arguing with Fiona here. I fixed it to make that clearer than what was there before.
As for Heather and Alejandro, a shocker to see them not even make it to the island section of the season. Short term it would seem Courtney may have made the right call to add in a vote to get rid of them, long term is a different story that remains to be seen, especially with Mayuzumi, who you're right on the money about, who's already had trust issues before. Though to be honest, their fate was going to end a whole lot differently than here as I actually had two ways I wanted them to go initially when I first started writing the season and when I first started to write the last episode. Compared to the latter, all I can say was that Courtney's betrayal was merciful.
Teams:
Radical Rats:
Noah, Bennett, Emma, X, Zero & Axl, Albedo, Rick & Morty, Sendo, Akko, Sucy, Lotte & Diana, Blaze, Puss, Rally, May & Becky F., Becky B., Yulaw, Kurt, Tangle, Lanolin & Whisper, Rei, Dawn, Adrien, Hiruma, Sena/Eyeshield, Kurita, Monta & Mamori, Natsu, Lucy & Happy, Kagami, Kise, Zee, Murasakibara
Storm Kings:
Jotaro, Todd and Riley, Paul, Skipper, Sophie, Bren, Courtney, Rex and Bobo, Marinette, Reimu, Razer, Din Djarin, Team RWBY+Penny, Ben and Rook, Octavia, Eliza, Huey D., Dewey and Louie, Aomine, Akashi, Sebastian, Isagi and Bachira, Sly, Mayuzumi, Maki, Ryoma Echizen
Wave Breakers:
Mr. Wolf, Dwayne, Urien, Ayame and Ryoma(Power Stone), Toxsa, Reagan, Jenny, Karin, Julie, Launch, Randy, Molly, Scratch and Libby, Team JET: Kaz, Fiona, Diego, Myron and Shiro, Hailey and Scott, Johnny,Zak M, Hanamiya, Hinata, Kageyama and Tsukishma, Eijun, Miyuki and Furuya, Kunigami, Dan, Bakura, Bass, Ruby G., Asta and Noelle
Eliminated:
165th- Dragonfly Jones(Radical Rats)-Martin Sitcom
164th- Richie and Virgil(Wave Breakers)- Static Shock
163rd- Cameron(Storm Kings)- Total Drama
162nd- Duncan(Wave Breakers)- Total Drama
161st- Chris P.(Wave Breakers)- Dan VS
160th- Mona(Storm Kings)- Mona the Vampire
159th- Owen(Radical Rats)-Total Drama
158th- Zoey(Wave Breakers)-Total Drama
157th - Tetsuya Kuroko(Radical Rats)- Kuroko's Basketball(Quit)
156th-Shintaro Midorima(Storm Kings)-Kuroko's Basketball
155th-MacArthur and Sanders(Radical Rats)- Total Drama Presents: The Ridonculous Race
154th-Luz Noceda(Storm Kings)-The Owl House
153rd-Priya(Radical Rats)-Total Drama
152nd- Shogo Haizaki(Wave Breakers)-Kuroko's Basketball
151st- Edward Falcon(Radical Rats)-Power Stone
150th- Shawn and Jasmine(Wave Breakers)-Total Drama
149th- Zak Saturday(Storm Kings)- Secret Saturdays
148th- Nimona(Wave Breakers)- Nimona
147th-Rocky Rickaby(Radical Rats)-Lackadaisy
146th-Huey Freeman(Storm Kings)-Boondocks
145th-Cicini(Radical Rats)- Rabi-Ribi
144th- Blaineley(Wave Breakers)-Total Drama
143rd- Heather and Alejandro(Storm Kings)-Total Drama
Intern:
Heloise(Jimmy-Two Shoes)
Hired Gun:
Doyle Blackwell(Secret Saturdays)
"Last time on Total Drama Across the Multiverse! It was a return to familiar territory under the sea! That territory being Bikini Bottom! Though this time, they would be in the Krusty Krab for an eating contest! Which was also a sponsorship for the Krusty Krab by the owner, Mr. Krabs!"
Footage of the contestants entering the Krusty Krab and Mr. Krabs singing "The Feeling of Greed" was shown.
"Other than that, not much else to this challenge other than some of the changing rules for each round. Some of these rounds also being sponsorships for limited time returns of classic foods such as the Krusty Krab Pizza."
Footage of 4 rounds of eating was shown.
"Oh and Zee got his view of pizza completely changed apparently. After learning how cheese has milk in it. But other than that, Rats first, Kings last, last winners eliminated. Those winners being Heather and Alejandro. Congrats to them on lasting the longest though. But Courtney decided to backstab them first and assist in their elimination. Something that I guess our mostly silent friend Mayuzumi took exception to."
Footage of Heather and Alejandro's elimination along Mayuzumi's reaction to Courtney pushing them in was shown.
"And now, it is a hundred percent a guarantee that a completely new winner will be crowned this season. And we'll be one step closer to finding out who that will be, on this episode of Total….. Drama….. Across the Multiverse!"
*TD: ATM Intro II Plays*
Today's Challenge Inspirations:
Monsuno Season 2/Combat Chaos Episode 17: Combat &Episode 7: Mirrors
Featured Song for the episode: Monsuno by Far East Movement(Monsuno)(A/N: This episode takes place during season 2 but I personally liked season 1's theme better)
Special Guests for today's episode(VAs in parenthesis):
Jinja(Karen Strassman)
Dax(Keith Silverstein)
Beyal(Kirk Thornton)
Chase Suno(Cam Clarke)
Jeredy Suno(Same as above)
Jon Ace(Christopher Smith)
?(Cam Clarke)
?(Karen Strassman)
It was another day at ATM island. Although this day had a lot less discourse compared to the last time the remaining contestants were there. Why? One word: Food. Well, correction, there was no discourse, but that didn't mean it was peace in the valley.
While the Rats enjoyed their food for first place in the challenge before last, which in this case was a full course breakfast, courtesy of not only Chef, but Sebastian and Kagami also assisting in any extras that were requested.
"Look at them. Enjoying their full course meal. While we're stuck eating, whatever this is!" Todd said, lowering his eyes as he gave a death glare at some of the Rats that were eating at tables at a distance in the main lodge. The meal in question that he held in contempt being "Chef's special pizza", a terrifying concoction of pizza and some of Chef's "greatest hits", AKA, whatever was left over that he felt like using to add as toppings to make a pizza.
"It is pizza." Rook said.
"I know what it is you idiot! And by the way, I don't know what kind of pizza you eat where you come from, but this isnotpizza!" Todd said.
"We don't have pizza where we come from."
"Then you shouldn't even be speaking on it then!"
"Well, if it helps, Ben has shown me pizza."
"Then he should be ashamed of himself for letting you think this is what pizza is!"
"Hmm, I suppose this is something we should discuss with Ben then."
"Discuss? Dude, I'll just tell him. Wherever he is."
"He is outside."
"I know where he is!"
"Then why-"
"Could you stop asking questions?"
"Don't go complainin' again. Don't like it, don't eat it." Reimu said, sitting down next to them.
"Freedom of speech. I can voice my complaints if I want to!"
"I'm just saying that to avoid having to hear Eijun yelling again." Reimu added, low.
"Oh yeah,him."
"I sense contempt in your voice. What ill will do you have towards him?" Rook asked Todd as he decided to at least give the pizza a try.
"He yells too much. Asta too. I didn't really care at first, but with Asta joining in and doing it too, it got worse. And annoying. Monta and Hinata are up there too."
"I see. Then perhaps ask him to stop?"
"Again, I don't know where you come from, but that's not gonna work."
"Revo-"
"I know where you come from dude. It's a- never mind."
"Do you actually know, or are you just saying that to make him be quiet?" Reimu asked in a deadpan voice. "Do you even know where I come from?"
"First question, yeah. Ravenah something. Second question, Japan."
"Revonnah." Rook corrected.
"Close enough."
"Second one's also wrong. Gensokyo." Reimu corrected.
"Look, does it really matter? I could tell you I'm from Indiana and no one would bat an eye."
"Why?" Rook asked.
"Let me tell ya somethin' pal. In our great country, the US of A, there's 50 states. But if you're not from New York, Texas, Washington, Washington D.C., California, Florida, Hawaii, or Alaska, and I guess New Orleans, even though that isn't a state, no one cares. And I only added the Washington part because people get confused and think Washington is the same as Washington D.C. Heck, even I did. But that's the founders' fault for deciding to name them the same thing."
"And why those states in particular?"
"Look, I'm not gonna sit here and explain all of this stuff to you like I'm some history teacher because I'm not. I don't even really pay attention to history all that often. And didn't I tell you to stop asking questions?"
***Confessional***
Todd(Storm Kings):
"Seriously though, Sebastian's supposed to beourbutler! And he's out just making food for the enemy! And he didn't even try to put up a fight! How do you not have a problem with serving your enemy!?"
***End Confessional***
Speaking of Ben, he was outside with Rex and Yang. The three were battling, with Ben fused with Rex as "Upgrade Rex".
"Just admit you're out of your league and call it quits." Rex said. His comment making an indication that they were the ones that were winning.
"It's literally two against one. What am I supposed to do?" Yang said.
"Uh, the thing I just said?"
"You want to make me quit? Knock me unconscious."
"Don't say we didn't warn you." Ben said, his head appearing on Rex's shoulder.
"Don't do that. Please." Rex said.
"Seconded." Yang said.
"Sorry. Couldn't help myself. And it's notthatweird." Ben said.
"Yes it is." Rex and Yang said.
"Whatever. Can we get back to the fight please?"
As the three continued to battle, Diego, Libby, Lotte and Molly were tending to Torterra's leaves in the distance.
"What are you guys doing?" Courtney asked.
"We're trimming Torterra's leaves. Wanna help?" Diego offered.
"Did you guys even get permission to do that?"
"Of course! Paul said it was okay." Molly said.
"Huh. Well that's surprising."
"Well, do you want to help? Of course, we're not forcing you to." Lotte said.
"No than-" Courtney started before she gasped as she saw Mayuzumi glaring at her not too far where they were.
"Something wrong?" Diego asked.
"Yeah. You looked like you saw a ghost. And I don't mean me." Scratch remarked.
"Nothing. Anyways, good luck with that." Courtney replied to Diego before walking away before almost walking right into him.
"Look, I get you've got your Misdirection, but at least don'tactually actlike a weirdo in the process. You staring at me like that made me uncomfortable." She said to him.
"That elimination a couple of days ago. What was that about?" Mayuzumi asked, ignoring her remark.
"Can we talk about that somewhere else?"
"Ifyou actually answer my question."
"Which is exactly why I want to do it somewhere else."
He pointed to another spot in the distance where no one seemed to be and already started to make his way there without even waiting for Courtney's opinion. She only sighed and shook her head before moving on ahead to join him.
"Look, I'm sorry about that being so abrupt, but that was the best time to get rid of them. I'm assuming you haven't seen the show, but those two have been known to backstab the people they ally themselves with." Courtney explained.
"And you've been on the same seasons as them I'm assuming. Including actually cheating yourself by skipping challenges." Mayuzumi said.
"That was… I'll own up to that. Even if I don't call it cheating, optics say otherwise. That, and it didn't work out anyway. This time around, that won't happen again."
"If that's how you feel….then you can help yourself from this point on." He said before walking away.
"Wait, wha-" Before she could even finish, Mayuzumi stopped walking and continued to talk again without turning around.
"I won't stop helping you completely if that's what you think. If you have to be my light, then I'll be your shadow. But one more thing, leave people be. If that's what makes them happy, then let them do it. With the suffering that goes on here seemingly every other time we come back to this place, they deserve to do something that brings them happiness, before someone's world potentially comes crashing down, for one reason or another." He added before walking away.
"This was a mistake from the beginning. Though I guess, that's what I get. Doing the same thing and expecting different results. The definition of insanity. Well rest assured. Some of the others here would have been gullible enough to stick with it. Or have this false sense of persistence and not wanting to give up, hoping to reach or find something inside the other person they're with that doesn't exist. Well not me. I'm not insane. And I'm not a fool. Never again. As young as he is, you have to give Huey credit. He knew what he was talking about. If someone shows you who they are, believe them. Well, I've seen enough."
He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't even notice Bakura, and the two ended up dropping the things they had in their hands.
"Didn't see you there." Mayuzumi said to Bakura.
"No worries. I wonder how many times people have said that to you and Kuroko." Bakura said jokingly before getting the page that Lucy had and handed it to Mayuzumi.
"Thanks." Mayuzumi said before handing him some of the Duel Monsters cards that he had dropped in return.
"Thank you."
"Don't mention it."
"I'd like to know though, where exactly do you go to read by yourself? It's like no one can even find you on this island unless it's by chance. Mind you, it's not like things here have really changed that-" He realized that he was basically talking to the wind as light novel reader was already gone. "-much." He finished.
Mayuzumi continued to find another spot to himself to read. Once he sat down, he tried to re-immerse himself into the light novel that he was reading. This one in particular being about a young woman in a group with 3 men, with her having to carry the load, the others all having unique skills, but their burdens outweighing their usefulness, causing them to be more backpacks than anything else. Though she knew that she wouldn't be able to survive without their help, as every other person she could potentially go to that was more competent, doesn't take her seriously at all.
While this was an interesting premise, Mayuzumi himself couldn't get back into the story as hard as he tried to.
"He's useless to us." Kotaro Hayama said to the rest of the starting five of Rakuzan during the final match of the Winter Cup against Seirin, referring to Mayuzumi.
"To fall into a trap lying clearly in front of you, that's nothing short of stupid." Mibuchi said.
"Damn it! Thanks to a certain someone, Seirin's alive and kicking again!" Nebuya said after throwing his water bottle on the ground.
All three comments being made as if Mayuzumi wasn't sitting on the same bench as them, seemingly discarding all of the good work that he's done prior to help them win.
"I can't even call you trash. You're a nobody, Then again, you're so insignificant that probably won't happen." Hanamiya said to him. The comments were at different points but they all meant the same thing. So to Mayuzumi, it didn't even matter.
He slammed the book shut.
"Well, guess what. I definitely won't be falling into another one any time soon that's for sure." Mayuzumi thought confidently.
Though his body language told a different story. And it was something that a lurking Eliza noticed.
"You're looking unhappier than usual." Eliza said as she approached him.
"Funny. You're not the only person that's said that to me. Tell me something I don't know." Mayuzumi said.
"An ending you didn't like in your story?"
"If you don't have anything important to tell me, or if you don't want something from me, then leave me alone. And by something, I mean something other than an alliance. I'm still not joining one."
"I see. Well, I'll leave you be. I hope you feel cheer up soon. Maybe someone to vent to could work. If there was someone here you were friendly with that is."
It wasn't obvious, but Mayuzumi could tell that that was a subliminal shot at how introverted he is. But he didn't say anything about it. It wasn't worth it.
***Confessional***
Eliza(Storm Kings):
"I gave him the offer. Although, it's not as if he'll be a player in the future anyhow. As a matter of fact, I don't think any of the others like him will be either. Even Akashi's Emperor Eye isn't what it cracked up to be. Especially since he can't even enter the Zone himself."
***End Confessional***
***Confessional***
Courtney(Storm Kings):
"Well, I guess that means I'm on my own. But that's okay. Eventually, things were going to get to that point regardless. I know there's a lot of game left to play, but I can't quit just because something like this happened. At the end of the day, no one's going to care. Icando this. Icanwin!"
***End Confessional***
As for some of the others around the island, Kagami and Rei were playing cards with Emma, Marinette, Adrien and Noah, Eijun was reading a book, Furuya was fishing, Miyuki was playing a video game with Toxsa and Morty. Huey and Akashi were playing traditional chess. Asta and Ryoma were training with one another. Ryoma Echizen was off to himself playing a game on his Game Boy Advance. Sendo and Kunigami were off to themselves working out(not with each other). Sophie was reading. So was Diana. Lucy was writing. Maki and Karin were sparring against one another. Hiruma was throwing footballs for Monta, Tangle and Axl to catch for target practice, though this was also secretly for him to see how his other arm was feeling. Weiss, with the permission of Din of course, was reading to Grogu. Razer was meditating. And Sucy and Tsukishima were playing a Lego Jurassic World on the Switch together again. Something that Akko and Hinata noticed.
"Hey, can we join in?" Hinata asked.
"No." Tsukishima and Sucy said simultaneously.
"Come on guys, don't be mean." Akko said.
"Telling you to go away is mean. We just said no." Tsukishima said.
Sucy suddenly pulled out a glass bottle and splashed it all over Hinata and Akko.
"You don't think…." Hinata thought as the two looked at each other and themselves before running away in horror, as they realized that that was one of her potions that she splashed all over them.
"Sucy you monster!" Akko yelled out.
"You didn't." Tsukishima said to Sucy.
"Of course I didn't. Relax. That was just some onion juice I had. They'll figure it out eventually. But, at the very least, that made them leave us alone." Sucy said as she unpaused the game so they could keep playing.
"And why do you have onion juice?"
"Potions, duh. If I'm going to be here, I've got to keep myself busy somehow. And considering the fact that in most cases, we don't have access to our magic here unlike Natsu and the others, those three are going to need all the help I can give them."
"And here I thought you didn't want to be here."
"Eh, to be honest, I really didn't want to at first. Wasn't even my choice to be here. But, since I am, I might as well do my part. Plus, I'd rather not have Akko yell at me, Diana nag and Lotte not see things through with what she's got just because I didn't try. As for me, with all the different places we go, there might be some interesting ingredients I can find for some new potions."
"The others I get. But Lotte? She's already friends with Libby. What else could she want? I thought she'd be the one person that's not mad at you since she's nice. Except for the one time that she really blew up. Just goes to show that even nice people have a breaking point."
"Oh I don't think she'll do that. But she'll definitely be sad at the bare minimum. You'll see why. Why spoil it?"
"I guess."
***Confessional***
Sucy(Radical Rats):
"Before you ask, no I'm not revealing what I meant. I'm sure you all can see it yourselves. Or maybe you will, eventually. I don't know. And yes, I have more onion juice. You really think I'd just casually waste something that I said was for potions on something like that?"
***End Confessional***
Noelle, meanwhile, was reading.
"Yeah, you're right to be off to yourself. Because you're definitely not reading that book." A voice said, now beside her. That voice being Fiona.
"Oh it's you. What do you need? The challenge hasn't started yet." Noelle said.
"Well for one, at the very least, I don't have to force a confession out of you about you not reading that book."
"What? You don't know what you're-"
"Well of course you'd try to deny it now that I brought it up. Anyways, that's not what I came here for."
"Then whatdidyou come here for?"
"To talk. And specifically, to apologize."
"Apologize. For what?"
"The yelling that I did. After the villain challenge. I was supposed to do that the last challenge but, with what was going on with Chris yesterday, all of that got forgotten."
"I see."
"But I don't get it. You're someone that works hard. That clearly wants to win. So why are you putting up this dumb façade?"
"Façade? I haven't the slightest-"
"See? There it isagain! Why do you have to lie!? I just don't get it! Can't you just be honest?"
"I refuse to believe that this is all you came here to do. What do you want?"
"Are you stupid!? I don't have an ulterior motive!" Fiona snapped, which caused Noelle to flinch a little. "All I came to do was to talk to you! But I guess that was a mistake. All you could give in response to a genuine apology was 'I see'! Just… UGH!" She said, the last part in anger and disgust before walking away. "Wow. To think I actually respected and thought of you as a friend at one point." She grumbled to herself.
The last remark was what caught Noelle off guard.
"Wait!"
"I don't want your apology now. It's always 'I'm sorry' after the damage is done." Fiona said, eyes closed before she ran off.
Toto squeaked, rubbing her neck, trying to comfort her but saw water coming out the corner of his eye and was horrified, squealing to try and warn Fiona. But it was too late. She was already knocked down by the stream of water.
"I already told you-"
"WOULD YOU BE QUIET YOU IDIOT!?"
Before Fiona could respond, Noelle spoke again. "Just because we competed in one challenge and we're on the same team doesn't automatically just make us friends. But-"
"You knocked me down….. just to tell me that? What is wrong with-"
"I let you speak, now let me and stop being rude! As I was saying….. but, that doesn't mean I should be so rude. I… apologize. Now, do you still want to talk? It's completely your decision. I understand if you decline."
"I don't know. What's the point of me expressing myself to someone who could care less?" Fiona said before leaving.
Even if Noelle was actually reading the book she had, she for sure wasn't going to read it now as she had her eyes closed up against a tree.
"Way to go Noelle. Now she hates you."
After anticipating another attack from Maki, their battle would be interrupted by Bren coming in on the two.
"I hate to interrupt but, Chris says the challenge is about to start." Bren said.
"Well, we'll call it here. Not to shabby Karin." Maki said to her.
"Of course. Did you expect anything less?" Kairn said confidently. "Although, your proficiency with your cursed tool weaponry is very impressive. Make no mistake, what I saw you do against Bass and the others was no fluke."
"Didn't translate to winning the challenge, so it doesn't really matter in hindsight. But yeah, Iwaspretty good, wasn't I?"
***Confessional***
Maki(Storm Kings):
"Don't get me wrong, I didn't expect to be fighting 24/7, but some of the things we've been asked to do here isn't what I had in mind when I came here to be honest. Exhibit A, eating spicy Krabby Patties in a restaurant owned by a greedy talking crab. Still doesn't mean I'll slack off on training. Sendo and I have got the same mindset when it comes to staying ready. Although, he's a lot more hardcore compared to me when it comes to that."
***End Confessional***
Everyone had met up with Chris.
"Alright, who's ready to take the newly built submarine for a spin back underwater?" Chris asked.
"Don't tell me we're goingbackto Bikini Bottom." Sly said.
"With no suits this time. Why is that?" Weiss asked.
"Don't worry. I was just messin' with ya. We're not going underwater. Nor have we rebuilt any vehicles for travel yet."
"So when are the vehicles going to be rebuilt?" Huey asked.
"At some point. That's all I can tell you." Heloise said.
"In other words, when you feel like it." Dan guessed.
"Whenever Chris gives the okay actually."
"Anyways, let's get going. This next one's going to look familiar to one of you." Chris said before they entered the portal.
***Confessional***
Huey(Storm Kings):
"Another familiar place for another face. Fun fact, in most, if not all the challenges, unless my memory serves me incorrectly, none of the teams which said competitor has been on has won a challenge. At most, they've gotten second. Will that change today I wonder?"
***End Confessional***
The next thing they knew, they were all falling on top of a moving train.
"A moving train!?" Akko tried to desperately hold on to her hat to prevent it from flying away.
"It's like this dude is tryin' to get us killed!" Kagami yelled out, barely hanging on.
"You're figuring that out now!? After almost 30 episodes!?" Beta said on his head.
"Say some smart a[censored] s[censored] again and I'll throw your a[censored] off!"
"No don't!" Hailey called out, a car in front of him.
"You better tell that to him then!"
"You throw me off and I'll make sure you regret it!" Beta warned.
"No one's throwing anybody off!" Kurt called out before actually flying off himself, unable to hold on. With her Scythe, Ruby was able to catch him. "Thanks."
"No problem!" Ruby R. said.
"You don't think it's a good idea for you to use those Monsuno?" Louie said to Bren, whose face he was covering.
"We're going too fast! If I do that, I could potentially lose them! They're not Pokemon where you can just casually throw them out!" Bren called out.
"Get on!" Paul called out, suddenly on the side of them and the train, on his Garchomp.
Slowly going over to where Paul was, Bren took the leap and was able to make it along with Louie.
"It's like one of those cool action movies! This is awesome!" Zee called out as he was advancing from the back to the front of the train car that he was on.
"I don't think you have a good understanding of how much danger we're in!" Diana said.
"'Course I do! But Chris is just playing this up. The train's gonna stop eventually!" Zee said.
"And if he doesn't?" Rally asked.
"I guess the conductor will stop it?"
"Oh man, it's times like this I really wish I could go Tenkai IRL!" Toxsa called out.
Not long after, the strong gusts that were felt from the train due to its speed were no longer felt by those that weren't being carried by someone else.
Though Eijun, Monta and Sena were still screaming.
"You can stop yelling now. Train's stopped." Murasakibara said, tapping them.
"See? What'd I tell you guys?" Zee said.
Turns out though, it wasn't Chris that stopped it. It was actually the combination of Ben as his Saiyan form Tenn-Zenn, Rex, and Jenny.
"Dude, are you crazy?" Ben asked after turning back to normal. Razer, Din, and all others capable of flying, including Albedo as Jetray, with Dawn riding him again, along with Lotte, safely brought themselves and who they were carrying on the ground.
"Wonder how much money I'd make from hearin' that this season?" Bobo remarked.
"Probably a lot. Which is sad." Rex said.
Someone with dark skin, a beanie on his head covering his dreads and wore a black jacket over a red shirt with a stripe running down the middle along with dog tags around his neck, suddenly came out from the train, blood on his face and collapsed to the ground.
"Chris… you son of a….." He said, reaching up at Chris before falling to the ground, which caused Eijun, Monta, Sena, Lotte, Libby, Morty and some others to yell out in horror with Libby and Lotte covering their eyes after what they just saw.
"Dax! Aw crag aw crag aw crag!" Bren said, panicking.
"You know this guy?" Randy asked.
"Yeah! He's Dax! A part of Team Core-Tech! The same team I'm part of! Well, he's a late entry but still!"
"Wow Chris. Thanks to your stupid stunt you killed someone!" Courtney said.
"Okay. Wow. Yikes." Chris said, looking just as shocked.
"You can't even say sorry!? What the hell is wrong with you!?" Rei snapped.
"He just saw someone collapse in front of him and die! At least give him a bit!" Eijun said.
"What is up with you lately? Stop defending him!"
"What are you talking about? I'm not!"
"Well it sounds like it to me! First the food and now this! How can you be an apologist for Chris after this!?"
"So because I said something that just happened to be on his side twice that makes me an apologist!?"
"Huh, I'm surprised you even know what apologist means."
"Stop! This is what Chris wants! For us to look at each other! Instead, we should be looking athim! If he wouldn't have gotten the crazy idea to drop us in on a moving train none of this would have happened!" Lucy said.
"Hey, she's actually got a point."
Several people looked at Chris.
"Alright Chris, time for you to pay! In full!" Todd said, putting a fist in his palm.
"What? You're the last person that's going to be able to do anything to Chris." Riley remarked.
"Shut up! I just wanted to know what it feels like when all the bullies do that. Besides, I can always just kick him." Todd said low, which only caused her to roll her eyes.
"He's not dead." Sucy said, in the back of the crowd.
"What? How do you know?" Bren asked.
"Did you check his pulse?" Bakura asked.
"Yes. That and the fact that this 'blood' is dry." Sucy said before wiping a finger on Dax's face. "Rex, Ben and literally just stopped the train not too long ago, so this so called blood should be fresh." She then smelled his face.
"Okay, this is gettin' too weird. Get off me! Way too close for comfort there goth girlie!" Dax said, opening his eyes and backing away. "And second, how the heck would you know something like that?"
"Because I looked."
"Still though, that is still creepy."
"You mean that was fake!?" Rei and Lucy yelled out.
"I've got two words for you. Seek help." Isagi said.
"Now hold on a second, it was just a joke!" Dax said, backing away from the two girls that were approaching him.
"Okay guys, I think that's enough." Another voice said, showing himself. He wore a blue jacket with white trim over a black v-neck t-shir, brown denim pants with a matching brown belt and had pale skin, spiky black hair, teal eyes and wore a necklace around his neck, given to him by his mother at birth.
"Yeah, don't beat up on Dax just yet. We still need him in one piece." Another voice said. She had pale skin, freckles, light brown hair that goes past her waist with unkempt pointy bangs swept to both sides. She also wore a light blue collared jacket with zippers, a yellow line on each sleeve with a white shirt that had yellow sleeves underneath. She also wore baggy pants with a blue line on each side and large matching boots.
"While I did not condone this 'prank', please, forgive my friend." A third figure with a soft-spoken voice added, also appearing in the entrance of the train. He had brown skin, white hair and wore a beige monk's robe over a white collared-shirt along with a necklace and a bracelet on his left arm and black pants.
"I think we'll go with what she said and just get him later." Rei said.
"Beyal, Jinja, Dax. You guys are here?" Ryoma said, surprised.
"Yes. It is good to see you all again. Tell me, where is Luz, Jack, Huey and some of the others from before? Along with your friend Falcon? I'd like to see them again as well." Beyal, the one with the soft-spoken voice asked.
"All eliminated. Except for Jack. He didn't come back this season."
"But why not? There are also some new faces that I have not seen before."
"Come on monkfish, not everybody comes back for this you know. Reasons could vary." Dax said, brushing himself off as he joined the other three. "Think about it. None of us came back to this."
"This is a different season Beyal. So there's some newcomers in the fold too now." Jinja said.
"Oh. I see now. Thank you Jinja." Beyal said.
"Any time."
"Yo B! It's good to see you man!" Chase Suno, the first voice said, offering a fist bump to him, which he accepted.
"I just have one question for you all. WHAT THE CRAG IS WRONG WITH YOU GUYS!?" Bren yelled out, catching even Chase off guard.
"Uh….." Chase started.
"You for making that sick prank." Bren said, pointing at Dax. "And you guys for not doing anything to stop him!" He said, pointing at the other three.
"But I-" Beyal started.
"I don't care what you say! You wanted forgiveness for him, then you should have stopped it! So I say, you're just as liable!"
"Okay, I get everyone's upset, but let's just calm down and refrain from yelling. Like Jinja said, you want to dogpile on Dax, just do it later." Sly said.
"Really lovin' how you just casually condone my pain ringtail." Dax said.
"Guess that's why his name's Sly." Bren said before laughing and snorting.
"You did not just do that."
"I did. And who's gonna stop me?" He declared proudly.
"Okay, not exactly the way I wanted or expected our first time greetings to go but, I suppose it's better than it not happening at all due to some of you dying." A fifth voice said, appearing as he got off the train. Compared to the others, he was an adult man with spiky black hair and wore a baggy gray and black vest over a blue and white collared lab coat, sharing some of the same features as Chase. He also had blue goggles on top of his head. "My name is Jeredy Suno. As you can see you've already met my son Chase. And his friends Dax, Jinja and Beyal. And of course, your very own competitor, Bren. Nice to know that you're still in the game by the way. Just out of curiosity, who's winning so far?"
"That's not how it works Dad." Chase said.
"Oh. Pardon me. I don't really have much time to really watch much TV these days because of my research."
"No TV? Ouch. Guess I know I'm not going to be a scientist." Randy said before realizing that Reagan and Rick were beside him, along with the Older Bennett raising an eyebrow. "No offense. You guys are cool."
"Yes. Unfortunate, but necessary. Given what's happening with Monsuno in this world. Not much time to really relax."
"What's going on? And how come Bren didn't tell us anything about you guys being in trouble?" Natsu asked.
"I just didn't think about it to be honest. Got caught up in the game." Bren said.
"All good B. And trust me, we're not in the amount of trouble that you think we're in." Chase said.
"But still some trouble I'm guessing." Julie said.
"Yeah. Speaking of which, good to see you again too Julie." Chase said before the two high-fived each other.
"Man, we get a break and you guys are still in trouble. Hope things get better for you." Julie said.
"I hope so too. But, let's not keep things all doom and gloom. I'm Jon Ace. A friend of Jeredy's. And of course, honorary backup pilot/driver in case anything goes wrong with the autopilot." Jon Ace said, the last part jokingly as he also stepped out of the train. He had a muscular build and low blonde hair with a scar at the top left part of his head. He also wore black pants and a gray t-shirt.
"Jokes aside, Jon's right. You kids came here to have fun for a challenge, and you're going to do just that. But of course, if you've got some questions, I'll be happy to answer them. Nothing wrong with learning something new every day." Jeredy said.
"Yes there is." Todd said.
"Can you, for once, not have a smart remark?" Sophie said.
"Go tell Miyuki and Tsukishima that, not me."
"Difference between you and me is that I know when to keep my mouth shut." Tsukishima said.
"Sorry about my brother Mr. Suno." Riley said.
Jeredy laughed. "You're fine. I'm sure not everyone here had the intention of having a science lesson for a challenge. And I promise you, it won't be one. Lots of colorful faces with different personalities. I like that. Now then, follow me please. And one more thing, please, call me Dr. Suno. Helps to know that all of those years I went to college didn't go to waste." Jeredy said before he and the rest of Team Core-Tech, outside of Bren and Ace, got on the train.
"I definitely get that feeling." Dwayne said.
"Can we call you Dr. Dwayne then?" Randy asked.
"Eh, if you want. Kinda sounds weird now that you brought it up."
As they walked on the train, Weiss smacked Todd on the back of the head.
"Unwarranted child abuse! Help!" Todd called out.
"Would you be quiet?" Becky F. said, annoyed.
"Does anyone smell onions?" Sly asked.
"Now that you mention it….."
Akko and Hinata both tried to make themselves not seen or heard, which would be hard to do on the train.
Everyone eventually stepped inside of the train. Several screens were seen with various pictures and text of information along with several other objects and cases.
"Wait, this place is a lab? Incredible!" Myron said.
"Glad to hear a positive opinion about it already. This little vehicle actually doubles as a portable lab. Something I created to have to stay on the move and continue my work." Jeredy said.
"Consider us as criminals on the run. That are actually good guys." Dax said. "Also, what's up with pinkie?"
Natsu was on the ground.
"Oh no, I totally forgot! The medicine!" Lucy said before quickly taking out the dispenser and giving him a candy.
"Thanks." Natsu said, immediately beginning to recover from the motion sickness.
"He's got motion sickness." Bren explained to the rest of his Monsuno team.
"That bad huh?" Jinja said.
"Yeah. That looks pretty extreme." Chase said.
"As a Dragon Slayer, it's a whole lot worse. To the point to where he's like that or worse every time he's on transportation. Even roller skates make him sick." Lucy explained.
"Ouch. Better keep him away from vehicle challenges then." Jina said.
"And that's why Rick made that medicine for him. It temporarily gets rid of that sickness. Pretty cool right?" Morty said.
"Huh. Well, at least that old geezer's doin' something." Dax said.
"Done more than you." Rick said.
"Things outside of the game don't count."
"Criminals on the run huh, sounds familiar." Sly said.
"Wait, how come you're bad guys? I thought Bren and you guys were, you know, good guys?" May asked.
"They are. But my guess is, the world, or the people that are after them, either don't see it that way, or they're in reality, the ones that aren't the good guys. Hope that somewhat cleared things up for you." Sly said.
"And how do you know that?"
"I'm a thief. I have experience in that."
"Come on May, how did you forget that?" Rally asked.
"Eh heh." May could only laugh in an embarrassed manner in response.
"If you'll excuse me for a moment. I have to figure out a way to get this moving again." Dr. Suno said.
"I can scan it for you and search for any problems!" P.E.L. offered.
"No need. Clockwork should be able to fix it just fine." Ben said.
"If you think you can get things going, be my guests. I appreciate the assistance in advance." Dr. Suno said.
"He is right Dr. Suno. A Chronosapien should be able to restore the vehicle to its previous state before the stoppage." Albedo said.
"I see. Seems like the consensus here is that you all can fix it. Well, I'll trust you."
"But to answer your question about the supposed bad guys, it's moreso S.T.O.R.M., the organization I used to work for. And the people that used to fund Dr. Suno's research into Monsuno and the energy that they're made of." Jon said.
"Let me guess, they wanted to use the Monsuno for their own selfish purposes, Dr. Suno didn't, and that's how they split up, with you going with him." Sly guessed.
"You're close. But the second part isn't true. At least not at first. S.T.O.R.M. and Dr. Suno had their disagreements on how the Monsuno should be used and treated during tests. And when S.T.O.R.M. refused his requests to cease the cruel tests on them, that was when Dr. Suno refused to do any more research for them. And that was when they took everything. And I was one of those people that wanted Dr. Suno to continue further with the testing."
"So what made you finally make the decision to leave?" Lanolin asked.
"It was when I came alone to try and talk to Chase. Commandant Marshall Charlemagne told me that I could go and find Chase and the rest of his team. Someone allegedly was a mole for Darkspin at the time, so I offered to help. Bring Chase back to S.T.O.R.M. peacefully. S.T.O.R.M. gets what they want, and I get my wish of all this being resolved without anyone getting hurt. So I didn't have a problem with it. It was when Charlemagne tracked me anyway that was the last straw."
"I get making sure someone doesn't go against orders and whatnot. But she knows what I'm about. My reputation. My loyalty and belief to the organization's mission and values. And she still did it anyway. It was the fact that she lied to me. On top of the fact that they treated Monsunos as if they were nothing more than weapons, not living things. I had Chase! He agreed to come with me peacefully! But she still decided to follow us and take us by force anyway! She used me! And that was when I decided to resign. But she couldn't let it go. She tried to arrest me. But I escaped. Eventually, I came back here to help Dr. Suno."
"Sprinkle in some events in between of course." Dax added.
"S.T.O.R.M. Do they happen to have a particular team that goes after Chase and the others?" Paul asked.
"Yes. But only as of recently. The S.T.O.R.M. Strike Team. Why do you ask?" Jeredy replied.
"I can see the parallels then. Although, I hope they're more competent than those idiots."
"Uh….. is there something we're missing?" Chase asked.
"Bud, no one knows what you're talking about." Dax said to Paul.
"Don't worry about it. Be glad that you don't." Paul said dismissively.
"Right." Jinja said.
"Well, that was awkward. Anyways, what exactly are we doing here Chris?" Bren asked.
"We should be good to go." Ben said, returning to the inside of the train.
"Great. Then we'll get moving and I'll get things set up for your challenge." Dr. Suno said before sitting down at his chair, in front of a virtual screen.
"Put two and two together specs. What's here in this world that no other world has?" Dax asked him.
"Don't think too long or you'll mess up that brain of yours." Jinja teased.
"There's nothing to think about,Jinja. It's Monsuno, easy!" Bren declared confidently.
"Ding ding ding! And we have a winner!" Chase said.
"But they haven't done the challenge yet. How could he have won?" Beyal asked.
"No Beyal. It's not the challenge. It's a joke."
"Oh. I don't find it very funny though. Sorry."
"Some things like witty banter, isn't done to be laughed at." Dax said to him.
"So it is not a joke?"
"Moreso a quip. It's… hard to explain." Ben said.
"Unfortunately, you don't get anything for winning here Bren." Jinja said.
"Actually I do. Any time I get you to eat crow is a win for me!" Bren said before blowing a raspberry at her.
"Whatever."
"So, question. For Dr. Suno." Reagan started.
"Ask away." Dr. Suno said. "But I'd kindly like to ask if you'd follow me to another track. There's some additional things I need to finish up there."
"Okay."
"Well, you've got some choices until we stop. You can either stay here, explore the rest of the train, or follow Dr. Suno. Up to you. Hey Doyle, watch anybody that explores will you? I don't want anybody breaking anything before the challenge even starts." Chris said.
"You want a nerd lesson, Dr. Suno's that way." Dax said, thumbing to the track that said scientist was walking to.
"You got it." Doyle said to Chris.
And the cast was split down for just that. Dr. Suno was about to sit down at another chair in the track that he was in. There were noticeably several chairs in the middle. With her was Myron, Hailey, X, Lanolin, Rick, Yulaw, Albedo and, Isagi, Diana, Weiss, Bennett and Huey.
"Okay Dr…." Jeredy started.
"Ridley."
"Alright. Dr. Ridley. I'm ready for your question."
"How exactly were Monsuno made?"
"Well, Monsuno were actually made of essence. When I first discovered it, I thought this supposed plasma would have been the perfect energy source to solve the ever-growing energy crisis in the world. So I commenced mining operations to retrieve more. But, turns out, this plasma was actually living DNA. DNA that I called Monsuno Essence. A little egotistical or vanity I know but, I just couldn't help myself. Even some of the most humble scientists and people in the world have some sort of pride within themselves." Dr. Suno said.
"Honestly, I can agree with that. It's when it grows to be too much that it's a problem. Hence why I'm terrified of the prospect of ever having myself without self-doubt again."
"Again? You mean it's happened before?" Rick asked.
"Yeah. Let's just say I tried to solve a problem I had in my life in the worst way possible, and it only made things worse. I'm lucky that I'm alive."
"Well duh. Come up with better solutions then."
"That's easier said than done and you know it!"
"Come on you two. Please don't." Hailey said.
"Tellhimthat." Old Bennett said before catching himself too late.
"What do you mean 'tell me that'? I just made a comment. It's her that got all sensitive about it." Rick said.
"Would you two please stop arguing with each other? At least just for this?" Myron asked.
"For you two to be smart, your arguments are over some of the most trivial things I have ever seen." Diana said.
"Argument would imply that she is around my level for me to acknowledge that itisone." Rick said.
"A lot of brewing conflict I see." Dr. Suno commented, rolling his chair over to another monitor as he was dragging several pictures to a box on the screen.
"Sorry about that Dr. Suno. Those three have a bit of a history since they've been here together." Hailey said.
"I see. Perhaps they'll be able to use that as motivation against one another in the upcoming challenge then. A little bit of rivalry isn't too bad."
"Well, you can expect a lot of that here. And I don't mean just from those two."
"Mark my words, if we face each other, you will not be winning three in a row." Weiss declared to Diana.
"That remains to be seen." Diana said, keeping her composure.
"And there you go." Hailey said.
"Like I said, nothing wrong with a bit of rivalry. Long as it doesn't gettooviolent and it's in the spirit of competition, I don't mind. But, I think our conversation from earlier was derailed. And I didn't exactly help matters. Sorry about that." Dr. Suno said.
"We didn't exactly help matters ourselves. Sorry." Old Bennett said.
"So this DNA. We've seen both blue and red cores. How exactly was this energy converted from the green energy that we see here, to the blue and red energy?" Hailey asked.
"Red energy? Where did you see that?" Dr. Suno asked, instantly stopping what he was doing and turned around to look at them.
"The villain challenge. Darkspin had them." Young Bennett said.
"Darkspin? I'm glad to hear that you all were okay. That group is dangerous."
"Yeah, we know firsthand."
"Not too dangerous though. We got em." Rick said.
"Well, that's good to hear." Dr. Suno said before turning his attention back to what he was working on. "But, you almost answered your own question. But you left out one key word: Cores. That is exactly what is used. These were devices I created to allow the essence to hyper-evolve. Combining the essence with various animal DNA and objects and materials, they are then encased into the core. They can be spun out, and the product of this combination is then unleashed, called Monsuno, which has a direct connection with its controller."
"So that explains why they look like a combination of different animals. And the materials that's on some of them too." Hailey said.
"Correct."
"So, Ben can scan aliens with the Omnitrix. But since this is still genetic makeup of animals here on Earth, that's why they can't be scanned compared to someone like Razer right?" Huey asked.
"I suppose not. I'm not familiar with the Omnitrix to say for sure. But the ability to scan aliens does seem interesting. But, if he hasn't been able to do so up to this point, then more than likely, it's a no."
"Easiest thing to assume is, blue cores good, red cores bad, right?" Isagi guessed.
"That's one way to look at it. But, I look at it in another way. Monsuno essence, like energy, isn't inherently, say, good or bad. And thus, Monsuno would be the same way."
"Other words, it's not about the weapon, it's about the people using the weapon kid. That's usually what it is majority of the time." Rick said. "If Hiruma was a lot more unhinged, those weapons he's got would have been a bigger problem than it is now."
"Of course, I could say this, and there isn't much evidence of the contrary with most red core users so far." Dr. Suno added.
"If that's the case, why would you make red cores? Or was that unintentional?" Myron asked.
"I didn't. Dr. Klipse did. He was someone I worked with that was well-knowledgeable in Monsuno DNA and its genetic sequencing. But he was ambitious. And experience has taught me, there is danger in trusting those that are overly ambitious. Of course, I wouldn't immediately cut ties with him. But I would remain wary. But, his ego showed. When I thought he was taking things too far, he disagreed. And that was when I cut ties with him."
"I would assume that sometime in between our split, he would continue his research and work elsewhere, eventually creating his own red Eklipse cores that you saw Darkspin have. Unlike original Monsuno, those created and encased in red cores are considered to be more aggressive and destructive."
"Okay, second attempt. I'm willing to bet this guy wants to show his genius to the world right? And prove he's better than you? Hence why he made the red cores to your blue ones?" Isagi guessed.
"No. If anything, he just wanted info from me. He could care less what happened to me after that. Specifically, information about Lock, the first Monsuno created and is considered to be the lynchpin of Monsuno because of it. And, the subject of merging human DNA with Monsuno DNA."
"Wait, you can do that? Turn yourself into a Monsuno mutant? That'd be pretty cool." This drew looks from the others alongside him. "In theory anyway." He added.
"Yes. In theory I suppose it would be a marvel to have the DNA and abilities of Monsuno. But, in reality, it isn't. Case and point, Jon. He was caught in an explosion of an abandoned Core-Tech lab. That lab also had raw Monsuno Essence that Dr. Klipse was using for research on how to make Monsuno stronger. To push their limits. But when that explosion happened, he was never seen since. Until he showed himself again, in a horrifying mutation of Monsuno and human DNA. He was stronger no doubt, but his mind was gone. And Dr. Klipse used that to his advantage to control him."
"I suppose it just goes to show, unleashing your 'inner beast' isn't exactly as desirable as what TV and movies make it out to be." Weiss said, immediately thinking of what happened to Aomine.
"Yes, I suppose not."
"If I had a nickel for every scientist that let their ego get to them." Rick commented.
"That includes you, right?" Reagan said.
"What? Hell no. Do you see me trying to control mutants and create his own twisted version of the X-Men?"
"Okay, but you've traveled the multiverse before. What things have you done that wehaven'tseen?" Old Bennett asked.
"Says the man trying to evade the rules of time travel. Definition of wanting to have your cake and eat it too."
"Because I have a justified reason to do so?"
"That still doesn't make it any less dangerous. We've already discussed this before. And to be quite honest, none of this conflict started up again until you came back. Bennett was perfectly fine on his own, with the help of Cicini of course." Reagan said.
"Can you guys go one conversation without arguing?" Yulaw asked the three.
"Apparently not." Young Bennett said.
"Time travel, multiverse travel. Seems like a lot of interesting details I'm missing." Dr. Suno said.
"At this point, I think it's best if you stayed out of the loop when it comes to them." Myron said.
As Dr. Suno continued to work on the challenge and talk with the others in the room with him, Team Core-Tech socialized and got to know some of the contestants that were with them on the same track, along with catching up to some of the ones that they already knew.
Chase whistled, impressed. "Man, you guys have got some crazy feats I'll give you that. And I thought having to save the world with the very thing that could destroy it was tense."
"Thought you'd be shocked honestly." Kise said. "I know I was."
"Hard to believe that at one point, of course, before I found Lock, in search of my father, that I would have been. But you're no pushover yourself."
"Yeah mate. Last season, you guys would have probably been just normal players. Even though we already met most of you guys. Cept for splintered eyebrows there."
"THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH MY EYEBROWS!" Kagami shouted.
"Well,Ithink they're okay. Does that mean anything?" Rei asked, sitting next to him, rubbing his hair.
"Yeah but, come on man. I didn't ask for 'em to look like this!"
"You didn't ask for that pack either. But I think that'smore than okay."
"Okay, I think that's my cue to leave." Toxsa said, who was playing chess on his tablet.
"Come on could you stop that? You're making people wanna leave." Kagami whispered to Rei.
"Now everybody under the sun's got some crazy power or wields something with some crazy power. We went from simple kids like Dipper and mystery-solving kids and their talking dog to mini-natural disasters on wheels and walking 3D-Glasses. Except for Counselor Girl here of course." Dax said.
"Whatever. I surely don't miss that." Courtney said, rolling her eyes.
"But you missed me, right? I'm flattered. Practically blushin' from cheek to cheek."
"No, I didn't miss you either!"
Dax laughed. "Yep, still as uptight as ever. Regardless, as former teammates, I'll be rootin' for ya."
"Thanks. I guess."
"Anyways, let's get to talkin' about glasses here. He givin' you guys a hard time?" Dax asked.
"I was wondering why things were so quiet for so long. And then, I remembered! Bren was gone!" Jinja said jokingly.
"Yes. It notably has been a little less quiet." Beyal said, wholeheartedly being honest and not even trying to be funny which only made things worse actually.
"In all seriousness guys, I can understand Dr. Suno not watching but come on! You guys sound like you didn't even watch me!" Bren spoke up.
"I… sadly have not. I don't know how to watch you from so far away." Beyal said.
"Uh, with TV?" Chase said.
"He's still learning how to use it, so I doubt he remembered." Dax said.
"Come on Bren, you know it's all jokes. You can't act all sensitive about it now." Jinja said.
"Then how come that's the only thing you've brought up since I've been here?" Bren asked.
"B-" Chase started.
"Don't 'B' me! I would have thought you of all people would have said something. But the first thing you do isn't 'check out how awesome my childhood friend Bren is', it's 'I've been hearing a lot about you guys from Dax, Beyal and Jinja'. Then everyone else gets to talk about the awesome stuff they got to do! Or Multiverse Edition! What does any of that have to do with what's going on this season?"
"Hey look, I'm sorry we didn't mention you yet. I was excited. I really wanted to learn about the new guys. Then-"
"Then what? Make fun of me again?"
"Dude, is there something you want to talk about?" Aomine asked, genuinely concerned as this came out of nowhere.
"Nope! Don't need to!" Bren said. "As a matter of fact, where's the bathroom? I've got to go!"
"Bathroom's other way," Dax said but Bren either didn't hear him or ignored him, with his mood leaning things toward the latter.
Akashi immediately looked in Sly's direction, with the thief somehow immediately feeling his silent gaze on him. He looked back at Akashi before he almost instantly knew why he was looking at him, with Din all but doing the same thing.
This prompted Jina, Beyal and Chase to follow him but were immediately stopped by Sly.
"I mean in the nicest way possible. I really do. But I think it's better if I talked to him. After all, Iamon his current team." Sly said to the three.
"But-" Jinja started before Chase held up a hand to stop her.
"Guys, he's right. Sometimes, the best way to help is to let others do that. Or, just don't do anything at all." Chase said. The three rejoined the group that they were with as they were talking to Dax about Bren.
"Serious question. Has he been good? Bad? Other than the whole thing with the racing challenge and him needing my bike, I haven't been paying attention. I wanted to be surprised." Dax asked.
"He's been okay." Courtney said.
"He's been more than okay. That's an understatement. He's been great!" Ruby R. said.
"Seconded. Paul and Bren have been a big boost. Especially since Julie, Bakura and Team JET are on the same team. Integral pieces that allow us to strengthen our numbers using their Pokemon and Monsuno respectively." Akashi said.
"And I suppose I just don't exist." Sophie said, not doing a good job of hiding the sarcasm underneath her tone.
"You have been helpful as well. Apologies. I was simply drawing parallels between the nine that I mentioned."
"I guess that makes sense…."
"Yeah, meanwhile we don't have any of that." Adrien said. "Yeah there's Lucy but, if we're trying to draw parallels to Paul and company…."
"So what? We've won challenges, right? We don't need it." Hiruma said, blowing a bubble as he had his eyes closed, leaning back against the seat he was in.
"Don't tell me you wouldn't mind having a cute little buddy with you?" Akko asked.
"That's what I'm here for!" Happy chimed in.
"You're anything but cute." Lucy joked.
"Why do you have to be so mean?" The exceed said before crying.
"Come on you can't have actually taken that to heart! It was just a joke!"
"Well I guess he didn't find it funny." Natsu said.
"Compound that with all of the other things you've said to him, I can understand why he wouldn't take that as a joke." Sebastian said, frowning at Lucy.
"Don't look at me like that! You served me orange juice with a smile on your face! And now you hate me again?" Lucy said.
"Hate is a strong term. Although, I would say that I am not a fan of the constant verbal abuse you inflict on your partner."
"It's not verbal abuse! It's just a joke! He's no saint either!"
Suddenly, P.E.L. started to attack Lucy.
"Why the heck are you attacking me!?"
"Don't think I forgot about our agreement! We just cast it aside for the sake of the game!" P.E.L. said.
"You mean that stupid agreement from the talent show? I thought you guys were joking!" She said, finally pushing away the robot before it started to pull on her hair. "OW! You picked the worst time and way to make yourself known on this season you round tin can!"
"Huh, guess he was right. You don't understand jokes." Miyuki remarked.
"You be quiet!" Thie remarked only caused the catcher to grin and go back to the video he was watching.
"CUTE DOESN'T WIN GAMES!" Hiruma yelled out, hitting Akko with soap from the soap bottle he had that had a pressure gun attached to it. "Unless we need it to." Hiruma added before laughing.
"Why is everything you use have a gun attached to it!?" Akko yelled out, getting sprayed with soap.
"And I thought I was the gun person here. This takes it to a whole other level." Rally said.
"You shouldn't have given him that idea." May said to Akko.
"Do you know what he'd possibly do to Pokemon if he had one?" Marinette added.
This made several people picture him towering over a little Bidoof and Mawhile, as they were both terrified of him. Although the picture of him was a bit overexaggerated as he had devil horns, a tail and was sending flames toward them with a flamethrower. "You lost!? I told you to do as I say!" The Hiruma in the vision they had yelled at the two.
"Is it possible for you to forget that I ever mentioned that to you?" Akko asked Hiruma, who in turn sprayed her with water.
"Is it possible for you to remember to take a bath?" Hiruma said back.
"It wasn't my fault okay? Sucy splashed us!"
As this casual conversation continued, Sly had caught up to Bren, who was on a car where only Toxsa was, simply just to get away from what was happening between Rei and Kagami.
"Great, I find a hidden spot, now everyone wants to go to it." Toxsa said, still playing the chess game he was playing earlier.
"This isn't really hidden. It's just no one else is here." Sly said.
"And the difference is?"
"I don't think you know the definition of hidden."
"Course I do. I've played like one or two hidden object games. And of course there's camping and cheese spots. Serious question though, is anyone else here with you?"
"Don't think so."
"Surprised you're not playing with Toxsa." Sly added, this time talking to Bren, who was by himself, playing checkers on the Core Tablet he had.
"Checkers, not chess." Bren simply said.
"I see."
"Look man, what do you want? Did Chase send you here?"
"This looks like something I'd rather not be in on. I'll just move to another car okay?" Toxsa said before getting up and leaving. "Well, least it's not whatever Rei and Kagami were doing." He commented to himself, low.
"No, he didn't send me if that's what you're wondering." Sly replied to Bren.
"Honestly, I probably overreacted a bit. But, me not being happy was still justified." Bren said, internally glad that hedidsay no.
"In other words, you're not apologizing for the message, but how you said it."
"Probably the best way to put it, yes." Bren said before realizing that he lost to the computer, but didn't have much of a reaction to it, simply closing out the game. "Look, Chase and I have been friends since we were kids. To see him not even acknowledge my own feats in the show really hurt my feelings. And it's not like I'm just overexaggerating things. I really do think I did some cool stuff. If I said that they were just as cool as the other three's feats, especially Dax's, then maybe. But I'm not gonna disrespect them like that. Especially Dax. The guy made the merge for goodness sakes! Even if the Blue Lock stuff happened. Be honest with me. Am I asking for too much?"
"I will say it's a bit, selfish? But understandable because of how long you've been friends with Chase. I should know. I've been friends with Murray and Bentley since childhood too. Though in my case, the situation then was a whole lot different compared to yours and Chase's. But to be fair to him, hedidsay that he wanted to learn about the new guys and then ask about you. Though I guess the problem you have is him not talking about you first." Sly answered.
"But now's my turn for me to give you a question that I want an honest answer to. Everyone's got a reason to come here. Sometimes it's just for money. Sometimes it's for training. To make friends. Or other reasons. My reason? Some guy in a red and black suit said something about a second chance and told me about the prize money. And that was all I wanted. And I think it was the same thing for some of the others too. Like Rei, Kagami and Weiss. And then things changed. Same thing happened to me too."
"Wait, whaaaaaaaaaaaat!? You have a crush on someone here!?"
"What? No. Already spoken for. And they're not anyone that's competed here. At least in this season. I meant finding something extra. Probably should have been specific on that."
"Oh. Wait, why'd you add Weiss?"
This made the raccoon immediately realize that he didn't know. For Bren to be as smart as he was, this made Sly realize that he was real dense when it came to several other things. Including hints of romance it seemed.
"Look, we're getting off topic. So, what reason did you choose to come here?"
"Well, it for sure wasn't romance I'll give you that. Would hate to unintentionally break any girl's heart here. But this heart's already spoken for."
"Oh? Lady killer too huh?"
"I wouldn't go that far. But, introducing this awesome girl named Tango. She's like Jinja, but awesomer! Not a word, but, you get my drift. Hey! You think she's watching this right now? Maybe if I win, she'll want to go on a date with me! This is just too perfect! Ha!"
Sly grabbed ahold of his shoulder. "This is great and all, but I need you to get your thoughts together. You're all over the place right now."
"Oh, right. Sorry. Got carried away. Anyways, therealreason I came here before I had that absolutely perfect revelation, was because I wanted to prove that I could be just as good as those guys were, on my own."
"On your own? You're part of a team. The point of one is to work together. How do I know? Because without Bentley and Murray, I wouldn't be able to get where I am now. Heck, it's been thanks to them that my life's been saved at least a couple of times. And one of those was for sure doing the time that I wasn't exactly as appreciative of that fact."
"Yeah I get that. But in a lot of cases, I'm almost always the butt of the jokes. Sure, the others are too, but it's almost always me, with second only going to Beyal just because of how dense he is. Third is probably Dax. Then, I don't know between Chase and Jinja."
"So your team hasn't shown any type of appreciation for what you've done at all?" Sly genuinely asked, not being sarcastic.
"I wouldn't go that far but, i-it's more than just that you know? It's my family too." He shows Sly a picture of his brothers on his tablet who both had the same spiky hairstyle that was sticking up at the front. Though one had brown hair and the other had ginger hair. They both wore collared, polo-style shirts but one had the same color scheme as Bren's clothes while the other wore a white shirt with orange lines running down the sleeves. They were noticeable taller and bigger than Bren.
"My two brothers. They're strong, successful. They've got their own things going on with them. My family's so proud of them. Me? I don't have anything to show my parents that could match up to what they have."
"Your brains? Your Monsuno skills?" Sly offered.
"They don't care about the first thing. In fact, my brothers always tease me just because of that. And the second? Well, we can't exactly just go out telling people that we have Monsuno. See that's the thing about them. It's simple to just say they're different from Pokemon, Duel Monster cards, Bakugan and Scan2Go machines just because they look different and their powers are different. But it's more than just that. You don't hear any of those four be called ticking time bombs."
"Wait, what? What are you talking about?"
Bren takes out Neo-Quickforce's core and looks at it. "Yeah. This is not a prank. What I'm telling you is a hundred percent the truth. This essence that the Monsuno are made of. Turns out, that energy is dangerous. Very dangerous. It's been burrowing deep towards the center of the Earth. Building up. And if we don't figure out a way to safely stop it, the entire planet will implode. And those bits will go to other planets. Dr. Suno said the essence got here from meteors millions of years ago. What's worse than realizing the very little things you've bonded with and find awesome could be the reason you and billions of other people could die? It's the fact that to get these things, there's a chance that if thereislife on other worlds, up to billions of people, maybe even more, had to die to get said things. But what can you do? Blame the Monsuno? It's not their fault. Heck, Quickforce. He….."
Memories of the original Quickforce refusing to return to its core to protect Team Core-Tech from the Wild Monsuno explosion replayed in his head. And the same thing happening to Neo-Quickforce in the villain challenge.
Sly saw water drop on Neo-Quickforce's core and instantly knew where it was coming from. "Maybe this was a bad idea. I should lea-"
"No wait. It's okay. Please. Stay. I really appreciate you coming here." Bren promptly wiped his eyes with his arm. "Quickforce may be gone, but he sacrificed himself so that we could live. And so many others. Not just people. But Monsuno too. Neo-Quickforce. In that challenge. I thought the same thing was going to happen to him. And if it did, it would have been my fault. Because I was too scared in repeating the same mistake. Of asking so much from him that he ends up leaving me too. And ironically, that was what caused me to lose him and get eliminated. And cause us to lose the challenge too."
"I appreciate the fact that you learned from your mistake, but you don't know-"
"Come on, let me finish. I gotta hurry up and get this off my chest before the challenge starts! I don't know that. But you don't either! I could have been the difference maker! Shiro said that Ryu's abilities allow him to see into people's souls and really draw out any negative aspects rooted inside them. Whether it be anger, self-doubt, fear, you name it. In my case, it was the latter two. I let that get to me and that was how I got eliminated. Of course, I'm not gonna say I'm gonna be like X-Ray and be some non-cautious, overly geeky nerd to the point to where it's actually kinda sad but, I know that I've got to have more faith in those that want to help me. Just like Midorima had in me. Just like you Sly."
The door suddenly opened, but no one was seen stepping inside.
"We just wanted to let you know the challenge is ready. You'll also want to come outside." Chase said. Afterwards, he was oddly looking to his left downwards, confused as if he was looking at someone or something.
"We'll be right out!" Bren called out.
"Sweet! Better hurry up before they start without you!"
"Ready to go my ringtailed pal?"
"Sure thing bud." Sly replied.
"Thanks again. I really appreciate it. Heh, now I'm starting to sound like Aomine with Weiss with how much he keeps thanking her. Hey, I've been wondering," Bren started before whispering low. "You think Weiss likes Aomine? Or the other way around? I mean, did you see what they were doing to each other in that soccer episode when we were training? And they spend time with each other a lot."
This confirmed even more how dense he was when it came to romance. "Not sure. If they do, maybe it's best to let things run it's course. Let's not be a third wheel." He said, feigning uncertainty. "And also, who the heck is X-Ray?"
"Oh him. He's the guy that's on the same team with Tango. S.T.O.R.M. Strike Squad. Like I said, he's supposed to be some ultra-geek that's 'not scared of anything'."
"S.T.O.R.M.? Wait a second aren't those the guys that are literally chasing you? You know, one of the bad guys?"
"Yeah?"
"And the girl you have a crush on is a part of that team."
"Well technically S.T.O.R.M. is an organization. The Strike Squad is one of their latest, and I think their youngest team? Which I guess since they were literally trained by S.T.O.R.M. for a year to beat us, and probably arrest us, makes sense. But all in all, yes."
"Huh. Well, best of luck to you, that's all I can say. At least you actuallyknowwhat side she's on."
"Yeah I guess. But you never know. The Strike Squad may be trying to arrest us, but they're not all bad. They played video games with us. They even kept their word about no Monsuno to beat us too, so they're not cheaters either. And they annoy the heck out of Charlemagne at times it seems. Though it seems like a lot annoys that lady. Yell too loud and she might get angry. I'd hate to see her with a family. This is probably the closest thing she'll have to kids." Bren said before laughing which only caused Sly to shake his head as they approached the car where they could step out of the train.
Outside, they were now in a grassy area. They appeared to have been in a forest.
"Wait a second what did you mean by that last part? Is the person, or animal, I don't know how this works sorry, you're with, part of a team that's a part of the bad guys too?"
"Nope. Just a part of the police. But the last part, I was referring to someone else. Not me."
"Oh. Well, that's gotta be awkward. But who's the other person?"
"I'd….. rather not talk about it. But don't worry. Carmelita and I have gotten that straightened out." Sly said.
"So that's why you asked about her in that one episode!"
"Well, good to know that you're feeling better Bren." Jinja said, giving a couple of taps on the shoulder before also giving him a noogie.
"Come on, stop! I've got a challenge to get ready for!" Bren said before she let him go.
"Hey, I'm sorry for causing a scene like that. I should have talked to the team about that privately." Bren said to the rest of the contestants once they all were outside.
"It's no biggie. We're just glad to hear you're feeling alright man." Diego said.
"Yeah. Wouldn't want to beat you at your own game with you feeling down in the dumps." Bakura said.
"Beat me? At my own game? Ha! I didn't take you for a comedian Bakura. Hope you know that you're officially in my domain now! Your little brown paperweights won't help you out of this one!" Bren said.
"That remains to be seen. After all, the game is yet to be played. Besides, you never know. You might have to walk a mile in my shoes Mr. Hourglass. A lot of season left I imagine."
"Yeah. Don't know how many times I gotta say it but, everybody's got a plan until they're punched in the mouth. We'll see if you can back that tough talk up specs." Kagami said.
"Glad to see everyone's in the competitive spirit already. Less complaining and more excitement for a challenge, the better. And of course, conflict and animosity along with witty comebacks and roasts always make for good TV." Chris said.
"Ratings this, ratings that. You realize you're the only one that can see that right? I really don't think anyone else here really cares." Aomine said.
"What about your family? They could be watching." Molly brought up.
"That's like, a few people though."
"But it adds up. Less ratings, less ad revenue. I know we don'treallypay attention to it, but this is how Chris gets paid." Louie said.
"And we care about that because….?" Todd said.
"Okay, fair, what about the fact that this is what also at least partially funds the challenges?"
"Huh. Well, you got me there. Touche dude. Touche."
"So why are we outside? There doesn't look like there's anything here for us to do. Unless we're doing some type of hunt?" Ruby R. asked.
"No, no hunts. You're still going to be using the Monsuno. But, when it comes to evolution, you have to develop. You don't instantly start off in the most complete or developed form. And that's the same thing here. I know things may look easy from an outsider's perspective, but it's not. Before you can even wield Monsuno, you must learn how to use them. Understanding technique, strategy, and of course, the capabilities of your Monsuno can mean the difference between victory and defeat." Dr. Suno explained.
"Don't let the good doctor scare ya. I got faith you'll get it down." Dax said.
"Yeah. Remember, all of us were noobs at one point." Chase said.
"Alright Doctor, I pressed start. Let's get that tutorial level going!" Toxsa said.
"Another quick question. There's a perfectly good simulator hub inside the lab. Why the heck are we wasting time getting ourselves hot and sweaty when we could be inside with perfectly good air conditioning?" Bren asked.
"Overreacting much? It's not that hot out here. I just think it's a case of you not being outside enough." Fiona said.
"Or maybe you haven't been out here long enough. Ever think about that?"
"I know Bren." Dr. Suno said.
"What? The fact that it's hot out here?"
"No, the fact that we're not using the simulator. But if you need some water, there's some inside the train."
"Here, take this man." Zee said, offering him an unopened soda.
"I think it would be healthier if he drank water, not soda." Sophie said.
"I'll take it." Dan said, swiping the soda out of Bren's hands.
"But-" Bren started as Dan already started gulping down the soda.
"My soda….." Bren said, slumped over before getting a water bottle.
"Wait! I already had a-" Zee called out before Bren was already gone. "-spare."
"Thanks!" Louie said before he even took the second soda.
"That was supposed to be for Bren." Riley said.
"Well, he's not here. Finders keepers."
"But, I have a perfectly good explanation for it. Other than the fact that there's nothing wrong with a bit of fresh air. Personally, I think it's refreshing to be able to get out of the lab once in a while to breathe in some air from the outside. And hear the sounds of nature. Really soothes the mind." Dr. Suno said.
"I second that." Huey said.
"But that reason being that it's a lot better, and more believable, if you will, for me to explain this outside, in the real world." Dr. Suno said as he pulled out a blue core. "So, does anyone else have any additional questions before I begin?"
"So are we going to actually be using real Monsuno to fight with? Or will that be simulated?" Becky B. asked.
"A bit of both. You'll see exactly what I mean when you enter the simulator. Anyone else?"
No other questions were given.
"Alright. Now, watch closely." Dr. Suno threw the core in the air. It descends onto the ground before he touches the tip of the core with the finger on his right hand. "Batteram! Launch!" The force and strength of how he hit the core with his fingertip cause the core to spin horizontally across the ground as blue energy trailed across it. It eventually hit a boulder in the distance before the energy inside the core was unleashed. Said energy revealed itself to be a blue Monsuno that was the hybrid of a ram and a buffalo. Batteram had very long horns with dismond-colored spikes and blue lines running across them. These same spikes ran across the middle of its body.
A roar and a moo simultaneously, further showing its hybrid status, was heard from the Monsuno.
When the core returned to Dr. Suno, all of the information related to the Monsuno, from its health, to its available attacks, were displayed for him to see.
"Did you see that? That technique is called, 'spinning out your Monsuno'. Doing this is how you unleash each one from each core."
"So how come Bren never throws his core up in the air like you did? Is he doing it wrong?" Weiss asked.
"Not even close snowflake. Ol' doc's just showin' off." Dax said.
"Stealing nicknames huh?" Aomine said.
"I have no idea what you're talkin' about bluey."
"Thatcannotbe a coincidence. You stole that one from me." Weiss said.
'You call him 'bluey'?" Dax said before laughing. "Oh that is rich. Next thing you know I 'm gonna hear you called her princess."
"Ice queen. Don't think I've called her princess. Can't remember." Aomine said.
That made Dax laugh again. "Wow. I cannot believe this. 'Bluey', 'Snowflake', 'Ice Queen' and 'Princess'. Even I didn't go that far with Jinja."
"What's so funny about that?" Weiss and Aomine said simultaneously.
"Bluey is supposed to be an endearing nickname and you're ruining it." Weiss said.
"No need to be so mad. Was just jokin' around. And also 'endearing'? How?"
"From some cartoon show about some dogs. Not too bad of a show honestly. Real wholesome." Aomine explained.
"Wait, you actually watched that show?" Yang asked, trying to refrain from laughing.
"What? I promised her. She gave Godzilla a chance. It's pretty good."
"I'm trying to figure out what's so funny." Weiss said.
"Nothing, nothing." Yang said.
"Ah, that water was actually pretty good." Bren said, returning before seeing Aomine and Weiss making faces with Yang and Dax smiling.
"I missed a good joke didn't I?"
"You're not missin' a thing glasses. Come on back in." Dax said.
"While I enjoy the spirited enthusiasm from you all, the derailment's only slowing things down. Can't exactly have anything stick to your head if you're learning at a snail's pace." Jon Ace said.
"Jon's right. I won't stop you from making a comment or two, but please, limit your talk to a few comments or questions only. At least just for the moment. Batteram can't exactly stay out forever. I know it's a lot of people. And I know it's hard for some of you to really stay still, but please, bear with me." Dr. Suno said before focusing his attention back to the core.
"Now, to answer Weiss' initial question, no. And in most cases, you don't usually have to throw your core up in the air. A simple toss and spin like you've seen Bren do I'd imagine, would work. But, that's not for everyone. Develop and perfect your own spin technique. But make sure it's a technique that gives you control over where your Monsuno is unleashed." He continued to explain.
"Yeah. You can have a cool pose or stance all you want. But it doesn't exactly matter if you end up spinning your core into some ditch or off a cliff." Chase said.
"In other words, efficiency over style." Paul said.
"Well, I suppose that's one way to look at it." Dr. Suno said.
"But, you gotta havesomeflavor in it. Otherwise, it'd get pretty boring." Chase said.
"Flavor? Give me a break. As long as I can get a technique to spin out the core where I want it to go, it doesn't matter." Paul said.
"Meet Paul. Super serious guy. Only really worried about winning it seems. How much do you wanna bet Charlamagne would like him on S.T.O.R.M.?" Bren said.
"I would never align myself with people like them."
"Okay. It was just a joke but good to know."
"Well, if that's all you're really worried about Paul, I've got just the thing for you. Give me just a second." Jon said before going back into the train.
"While Jon does that, I'll continue with the demonstration. But one more very important thing when it comes to launching. Coresmustbe hit on hard surfaces for the Monsuno to be unleashed. Anything else will not work."
"Case and point." Jinja started before hitting one of her cores across Dax's head.
"Ouch!" Dax said.
"Okay, it wasn't as hard as you're supposed to spin it out normally, but still. Dax's smooth brain won't work."
"Seriously though, unless you're trying to actually hurt someone, and probably give them a concussion, don't spin a core out and try to a person on the head." Chase said. "Because it won't go the way you think it will. By that I mean, itwon'twork. And you could give them a concussion."
"This next part relates to information. When you spin out your core, an attack gauge is displayed." Dr. Suno said before showing them said display. A holographic circle was seen on top of the core that he held in his head. The circle had three icons on it, spaced out.
"This attack gauge allows you to see the special moves your Monsuno has available to it. In this case, there's three. So Batteram only has three special attacks. And of course, the green, yellow and red lines you see relates to the amount of energy your Monsuno has left. Once it's depleted, that Monsuno can no longer battle and must return to its core to rest. To use a move, simply call out the command to your Monsuno. Observe. Batteram! Power Beam!"
Batteram began to charge energy between its antlers before unleashing it at the boulder that the core bounced off of, destroying it.
"And it's that simple. But of course, it's abouthowyou use the moves that matter. Strategy, if you will."
Jon returned with a blue object in his hand with that getting the attention of the Pokemon trainer. "Okay Paul. This is what I wanted to show you. The Monsuno Strike Launcher. With this, you can launch out a core into battle without needing to worry about technique or accuracy. It takes care of the latter, along with power and control. Simply point at where you want to launch and pull the trigger. And, you increase your accuracy even further if you have the Strike Glove paired with it. There's multi-launchers too to spin out multiple cores at once but, we don't have those." Jon explained before turning towards Team Core-Tech.
"Can one of you hand me a core?"
"No need. I'm not interested." Paul said.
"Really? Are you sure?"
"I won't say the Launcher is outright useless. But using it as a complete substitute when you don't know what you're doing when it comes to launching initially is just taking the easy way out. And lazy. Like I said, I'll come up with my own technique."
"I see. Well, I don't exactly blame you. During my time with S.T.O.R.M., I used a Strike Launcher most of the time. However, that didn't stop me from developing my own technique without it."
"If he doesn't want it, I'll take it." Todd said.
"I can definitely dig that decision Paul. I used a Strike Launcher and glove myself before. And yeah, they're cool, especially if you're out stranded in the desert, but, they really limit what you can do when it comes to spinning out. Lot less room for creativity. And of course, style." Chase said.
"How many times do I have to tell you that it's not about style? I could care less about that. I just want to learn an efficient spinning technique I can use." Paul said.
"I think you made that plenty clear already."
"Regardless of you declining the offer, I still need a partner for this next part." Dr. Suno said.
"May I have this dance Dad?" Chase said.
"Guess for this, it takes two to Tango." Bren said before laughing. "Ah man I crack myself up sometimes."
"We get it. You like Tango mate. No need to be makin' puns for her too." Dax said.
"But what if I wasn't? And I was just saying tango?"
"But you definitely were so, point still stands." Jinja said.
"Alright Dad. What do you need me to do?"
"There's not much time left son. I need you to spin out one of your Monsuno, quickly."
"You got it." Chase pulls out a core and immediately sees something for him to spin the core out to. "Lock! Launch!" The core hits up against the train before energy was unleashed.
A Monsuno that was a mixture of a polar bear, a tiger and a gorilla was seen. Dark blue diamonds were seen running across its back and its arms. Its claws were also dark blue and the markings on its face and arms glowed a light blue.
Its chest resembled that of a gorilla's, with the rest of its body resembling mostly a polar bear with tiger-like claws and facial features.
"Alright, I want you to hit Batteram with an attack. And I want you all to pay attention to what happens to the attack gauge on Batteram's core." Dr. Suno said to Chase.
"So I get to beat up on you for free? This better not be a trap to get me grounded. Lets keep things simple Lock. Give 'em the good ol' one-two!"
Lock punches Batteram twice. The punches knock Batteram back and the gauge on Batteram's core lowers.
"What you just saw was battle damage, depleting Batteram's energy. Those two punches didn't do too much damage, but of course, it adds up. Blocking, dodging and using moves to counter, etcetera, can lower the damage, reverse it on your opponents, or even allow you to not take any damage at all. As I said before, once this gauge is empty, the Monsuno will be unable to battle and must return to the core."
"In other words, it's literally just like fighting games. Or Pokemon. Or most other things that fit the genre." Toxsa said.
"Anything else Dad? Think I can get in a couple more hits?" Chase joked.
"Won't be necessary son. We're about to wrap things up actually." Dr. Suno said.
"What? Already? That was nothing." Randy said.
"Went by pretty quick did it? There's one more thing. Just be patient for a couple more minutes." Dr. Suno said.
A few minutes passed before Batteram began to look tired.
"As you can see, Batteram, though he hasn't exactly done much during his time out, is beginning to tire out. That is because of the fact that by even simply being out of its core, it gradually uses its energy. Though it isn't shown on the attack gauge. The cores double as not only the creative platform for them, but also as a regeneration station, and by extension, their home. They must return to their cores to rest. Through testing, I have discovered that the maximum length of time a Monsuno should remain out of its core is eight minutes. Anything after that isn't exactly desirable for their wellbeing. To get them to return to their core, simply call out 'Return' to the one or ones, that you want." Dr. Suno said.
"Batteram! Return!" Dr. Suno called out.
"Lock! Return!" Chase called out.
Both returned to their respective cores.
"And that is the basics of Monsuno. Do you have questions?"
"Let's say you're battling an opponent, right? Can you bounce a core off an opponent's?" Isagi asked.
"Yes, you absolutely can. In most outright Monsuno battles, that is how it works. Opposing cores bounce off one another and the Monsuno are unleashed before the battle begins." Dr. Suno said.
"Figured. The cores themselves are hard objects, so it'd make sense to just do that. Be too much of a pain to try to find somewhere to bounce the core off of. Especially depending on where you are." Sendo said.
"Any other questions?"
None were given.
"Alrighty then. Now it's your turn to experience the Monsuno for yourselves. Let's step back inside the train." Dr. Suno said.
"Think one of us should be on guard duty in case some S.T.O.R.M. goons try to show up?" Dax asked.
"Since you brought it up, why don't you volunteer Dax?" Jinja said.
"Now hold on a second there princess."
"That's what these two are here for. Since you need it, they'll take care of it." Chris said, referring to Doyle and Heloise.
"Well, guess I'm not gonna be able to use the Monsuno." Doyle said.
"Yeah it stinks but, what can you do? We signed up for this after all." Heloise said, shrugging.
Inside the train, they were in one of the cars where five chairs were seen.
"Introducing, or in the case of some of you that were with me earlier, reintroducing, the training simulator. This is what I created for Chase and the rest of his team to train and hone their skills. And it is what you all will use to hone yours and practice. And battle. Easier to battle here and not have to worry about property or wildlife damage in the real world." Dr. Suno explained.
"You'll have about 1 hour per team to practice honing your skills. Each team and most of its members should get a chance to at the very least, practice so you won't be left out of the challenge completely. But, only five from each team will actually get to be able to fight in the real challenge." Chris said.
"I wish there was a better way to do this and allow all of you to be able to enter simultaneously. But, with there only being five seats here, that is the best that can be done."
"Now then, any volunteers?"
"Pick me! Pick me!" Toxsa spoke up with several others wanting to give it a try themselves.
"Should have known that was gonna happen Doc." Dax said.
"Hmm, I suppose so. Well, a little bit of Random Number Generation should be able to settle it." Dr. Suno said. "Like I said, it'll be randomized, but hopefully, a good bit of you will get a turn in the time you have. The first group of five that goes in will have five minutes before they're pulled out for the next group to go. Of course, you'll have the choice of what Monsuno you want to use, so choose the one that's right for you. Experiment."
"Alright. Rats, you're up first." Chris said.
"Before this is done, I'm going to need the names of everyone here so I can input them into the generator."
Everyone, as instructed, gave Dr. Suno their names and he input them onto the computer, sorting them by teams.
"Alright, first five are, May, Lucy, Adrien, Kurt and Blaze." Dr. Suno announced. "You five are going to sit down in one of these five chairs. Are you all familiar with how Virtual Reality works?"
All five nodded or gave different responses that all indicated that they knew what it was.
"Good. Then this will be no different. As I said before, you'll have five minutes to practice before you switch out with the next five."
As the five began to take a seat at the 5 stations with visors lowering over their faces, Jon gave them one last remark. "Good luck to you all. Remember, think before you spin. But have fun." Jon Ace said.
Inside the simulator, the five were seen. They were in a replicated version of ATM Island, with the previously destroyed mansion.
"Alright. Can you all hear me?" Dr. Suno asked the five. All of them gave a signal that they could.
"Excellent. This is how I'll be able to communicate with you all. I'll be sure to give you a moment's notice before I end the session. I decided to start you off inside an area that you're familiar with to make the first time experience a bit more comfortable."
A canister landed on the ground not too far where the five were.
"What just landed is where all of the Monsuno you can use are contained. Go ahead and open it."
Blaze removed the cover from the canister. She then carefully picked up and turned the canister on its side before placing it on the ground. Several cores that were red, blue or yellow and black could be seen inside it. Different symbols could be seen on the bottom and top of each of the three differently colored cores. The five saw and picked up a few of the cores. The second they did so, the same arcade machines that were used in the Kart Racing challenge digitized themselves into the world, this time, showing information about each respective Monsuno, including names, pictures, and their moves.
"Along with some of the Monsuno that I currently have on hand, I added some known ones that S.T.O.R.M. has used as well, which are the yellow and black-colored cores. Red cores are ones manufactured by Dr. Klipse. Note that whichever core you choose, there won't be any added benefits for any of them, not ones from me, nor the ones from S.T.O.R.M. or Eklipse."
"Your time will start when you choose a core to practice with. You can choose to use up to three at a time. If you want to switch, you'll need to return at least one of the Monsuno you're using back to their cores. Feel free to practice with as many or as few cores as you like."
"Fire. Hmm…" Blaze said as she read info from one of the red cores. This Monsuno in question was named Dragonburn.
"I've got five minutes. So I should probably pick something that I'll know I'll use in a real battle." Kurt thought.
He found one that resembled that of a hawk and condor. It was a S.T.O.R.M. Monsuno named Blackbullet. "A flight one. This could work."
"Think they have a cat one?" Plagg said to Adrien.
"Plagg, we're supposed to be looking for one to help us win, not look for one to use if it's a cat." Adrien said. "Although, Iamcurious."
He found one of the Monsuno that he remembered Dax used against him in the racing section at the Blue Lock part of the merge in Multiverse Edition.
"I know for sure this guy's good." Adrien said before choosing Boost, said Monsuno.
Hiruma chose a red core named Spikelash that was a hybrid of a worm and scorpion before he deviously laughed.
"I should ease myself in but… I only have five minutes. But I must make due." Diana said to herself before choosing a core. Said core being Glowblade, one of Beyal's Monsuno. It was a hybrid of a snake and spider with three snake heads like a hydra.
"Well, these Monsuno certainly aren't on the cute side." Lucy commented as she looked through each core before choosing one. "This should work." She chooses a Monsuno that was the hybrid of a bull and an ankylosaurus. "Least I know it won't try to be pervy like Taurus."
The five had their Monsuno chosen, with practice dummies materializing not too far where the five were.
"You can use these targets to practice out spins, attacks, whatever you need. Don't worry too much about damaging them. They'll just put themselves back in place. Remember, you don't have all the time in the world. So make sure you use your time wisely." Dr. Suno said.
"Okay. First try." Lucy says before attempting to spin out the blue core in her hand. "Clubber! Launch!"
"YA HA! Spikelash! LAUNCH!" Hiruma yelled out, having an unhinged grin on his face as he launched out the core.
"Man, that guy looks crazier than Dom Pyro and One-Eyed Jack. Now that I think of it, Dr. Klipse seems to like giving his cores to some of the most unhinged crazies possible." Dax commented.
"He did say he'd sell his cores to anyone willing to pay no matter who they were." Chase said.
"Which just goes to show that one: For him, money definitely talks, two: He's got no standards and three: He's got to be crazy himself."
"He tried turning people into Monsuno mutants. You're just now realizing he might be crazy?" Reagan said.
"Doc must have told you that one. But yeah. Don't look at me, I'm late to the party."
"Boost!" Adrien called out.
"Blackbullet!" Kurt called out.
"Launch!" Both said simultaneously.
Lucy's core, because it was going diagonally to the left, hit Hiruma's causing them to be unleashed from their cores early and knocking Kurt's and Adrien's cores away.
"Darn it!" Adrien said.
"Oops." Lucy said before Hiruma immediately started yelling at her.
"YOU F[CENSORED]ING DUMBA[CENSORED] BLONDE! WATCH WHERE YOU'RE THROWING YOUR CORE!"
"I'm sorryyyy!"
"Dragonburn!" Blaze called out.
"Glowblade!"Diana called out.
"Launch!" Both said simultaneously before they both hit their targets.
"Hmph. Excellent." Diana thought, trying to hide her smile. Something that Blaze was unable to do, both from being able to perfectly execute launching their cores.
After testing out their cores, with Diana wanting to continue practicing her spin a few more times to improve, the five minutes eventually passed.
"Alright, let's send the next group in." Dr. Suno said.
"And once you do, hope the rest of you are ready for a musical as well." Chris said as the usual cues for a musical were heard, which got mixed responses.
"Don't look at me like that. Just be glad it's notduringthe actual fights." He added.
Monsuno Season 1 Theme Composed by Michael Tavera and Performed by Far East Movement Plays(Monsuno)
A/N: Think of this musical doubling as a training montage
All Rats:Monsuno!(A compilation of them spinning out red, blue and/or black and yellow cores was seen)
All Kings and Breakers, except for Shiro, Paul, Din and Jotaro:Monsuno!(The same compilation is seen for both teams)
Yulaw:I feel the power
Isagi:Man of the hour
Julie:Got my Core ready and the skills to devour
Sendo:I came to battle
Rex:Who wanna battle? Spin! (Monsuno)
Kaz:Now flip it in the battle
Bren:Make, make, make it (Launch, launch) (Monsuno)
Kise:Make, make, make it (Launch, launch, launch)
Natsu:I came to wreck it
All(Except for Paul, Din, Jotaro and Shiro):Yo! I'm punching out (T-t-turn it up)
I got the whole world spinning out (Monsuno)
Yo! I'm punching out (T-t-turn it up)
I got the whole world spinning out (Monsuno)
Toxsa:Yo! I came to crash it
Dewey:Within the Action
Bren:R-r-rockout the world, save the day like a smash hit
Mr. Wolf:My crew can battle
Kise:Who wanna battle?
Todd:Spin! Monsuno
Randy:And leave 'em tasting sour
Morty:Make, make, make it (Launch, launch) (Monsuno)
Bakura:Make, make, make it (Launch, launch, launch)
Yang:I came to wreck it
All(Except Jotaro, Din, Paul and Shiro):Yo! i'm launching out (T-turn it up)
I got the whole world spinning out! (Monsuno)
Yo! i'm launching out (T-turn it up)
I got the whole world spinning out! (Monsuno)
*Short Instrumental Period Plays*
"Hey, you're not looking like your normal self. Is something bothering you?" Asta asked Noelle, concerned. The two were practicing with Kageyama, Hinata and Miyuki.
"I'm fine. Concern yourself with your own spin technique. It's sloppy." Noelle said. Though her body language showed otherwise.
Miyuki:I bring the power to your TV and your radio (Oh!)
Ruby R.:Change the game with something's no-one ever seen before (Oh!)
Tangle:Mission control (Mission Control)
Dwayne:We in the house (We in the house)
Skipper:Countin' Down 3 (3), 2 (2), 1
*Short Instrumental Period Plays*
"I got it!" Libby said, after successfully spinning out her core.
"Congrats!" Ruby G. said.
"We're not finished yet though. Stay focused and keep practicing." Karin said.
All(Except for Jotaro, Paul and Shiro):Monsuno!
Karin:I feel the power
Axl:Man of the hour
Ryoma Echizen:Got my Core ready and the skills to devour
Emma:I came to battle
Eijun:Who wanna battle? Spin! (Monsuno)
Eliza:Now flip it in the battle
Monta:Make, make, make it (Launch, launch) (Monsuno)
Courtney:Make, make, make it (Launch, launch, launch)
Zak M.:I came to wreck it
All(Except for Jotaro, Shiro, Din and Paul):Yo! I'm punching out (T-t-turn it up)
I got the whole world spinning out (Monsuno)
Yo! I'm punching out (T-t-turn it up)
I got the whole world spinning out (Monsuno)
*Long Guitar Solo Plays*
Several of the contestants were seen performing different attacks with the different Monsuno they had.
Monsuno!
"Tripwire! Tail Barrage!" Paul called out to the Monsuno which was a hybrid of a wolf, badger and wolverine.
The mechanical tips on its tail began to concentrate and charge energy before firing a yellow energy beam at the training dummy.
Monsuno!
"Dragonwolf! Go!" Shiro called out. The hybrid of a wolf, crocodile and dragon let out a breath of fire from its mouth, burning the targets.
Monsuno!
*Song Stops after final instrumental period*
"Skyfall! Launch!" Dawn called out before launching out the core and then performing an attack with it, successfully hitting the target. The Monsuno was a mixture between a hawk, butterfly and bat.
"Great job!"
"Don't celebrate yet. This is only practice. The real thing has yet to begin." Albedo said to her.
"Still though, giving them praise for a job well done can increase their morale."
"Morale? Please. They are just Monsuno. They do not have feelings."
"What about the ones Bren has?"
Albedo had a hard time coming up with a counter. And before he could try to say anything, Dr. Suno called time.
"Alright, that's it. You are officially the last group. This concludes the practice session. Now, we will get to the real battles. I hope you're ready." Dr. Suno said before pulling them out.
"As you already heard, practice is over. Now is the moment I'm sure you guys have been waiting for. When you play for keeps now." Chris said.
"Some of you will be randomly selected for a three-team, three-way tournament battle. The rules to win are simple: Win two rounds. And you win these rounds by being the last one standing out of the three of you out there battling. Now just so you won't be going incompletelyblind, you'll get to see ahead of time who's going to compete in this challenge. If your portrait's on this monitor, then congrats, you get to represent your team for this challenge." Dr. Suno explained.
One of the monitors overhead showed the 12 competing, lined up horizontally in rows by teams.
For the Rats, Hiruma Lucy, , Rick, Adrien and Blaze, were displayed.
For the Kings, Sly, Sophie, Paul, Marinette, and Todd were seen.
For the Breakers, Mr. Wolf, Karin, Miyuki,and Dan were seen.
"What? I'm not on that list? What a rip!" Bren said.
"So I get to go up against angry man and a speedy cat. What a great matchup." Todd said sarcastically.
"I'll show you angry kid. And by the way, I'm not even the angriest person here." Dan said.
"I'd say making revenge lists puts you up there." Todd said. "Whatever, I'm gonna take both of you out easy."
"Easy? You are just as inexperienced as us. Not to mention you're relying on a device to help you rather than your own skill." Diana said, referring to the launcher that he used during practice.
"So? Why make it if it's not meant to be used!? Work smarter, not harder."
"Regardless, that launcher isn't a substitute for strategy in a real battle. So I hope you know what you're doing when you get in that arena." Jon said frankly.
"Kinda hard to say that when you only gave us like five minutes to practice."
"We actually gave you more than that. So really and truly, we lied." Chris said.
"Why lie? Doesn't make much sense." Kurt said.
"To make sure all of you had a sense of urgency when you went in. If we told you you had more than five, say, 30 minutes, then you would have wasted time doing other things." Jon answered.
"In other words, they were trying to save you from yourselves." Chase said.
"And now, we'll see how much that work has paid off."
"Well enough, I hope." Sophie said.
"Hey Sophie, try not kill Lucy. Focus on winning first." Maki said.
"Of course."
"That's making an assumption that she'll beat me." Lucy said.
"Save it for the battle." Kurt said, trying to stop any potential tempers from flaring before the tournament even starts.
"You two go ahead and do your thing. Be my guest." Mr. Wolf said jokingly.
"I see you're looking at how you're aligned. Well, you couldn't be more wrong in anticipating your matchups. Those are going to be randomized as well. And of course, things could be done early so it's not a complete guarantee that all of you will get a chance to go." Dr. Suno explained.
"Just like when Team Core-Tech went in for their practice run in their tournament against simulated opponents, it'll be a one and done situation. You'll fight once. And you'll have one Monsuno to fight with only. No second chances. But, Dr. Suno told me that the program had a final round setting for the winning team. So, to replace that, we'll go with an all-or-nothing final round. If it gets to that. You win, you survive. You lose, you're gone instantly." Chris said.
"Which means, you'll need to make sure you think before you act. One false move or spin could put you in a bind that you might not be able to come back from. And if you see your opponent make a mistake, don't hesitate to punish them for it if you can. You might not get that opportunity again. And it could haunt you later. There's no reason for any of you to hold back just because of some 'friendship'. If you really want to show them you're their friend, then you'll make sure they learn from their mistakes by making them pay for making them." Jon said.
"Don't you think you're taking this a little too seriously?" Molly asked.
"No I don't. I don't know how many of you have been eliminated prior, but if you've made it this far, you shouldn't be asking those types of questions quite honestly. I understand wanting to have fun. But the objective is still to win. You can't get stronger if you hold back, if you don't do your best." Jon replied, in a firm but honest tone.
"Jon's a nice guy, really, but he's not afraid to be honest. There's a reason why he left S.T.O.R.M. He's only trying to help you, not hurt you." Chase said low to her.
"Now, let's get started with round 1. Hiruma, Marinette and Miyuki will be the first three to battle. Please take your seats in one of the stations." Dr. Suno said.
The three sat down in one of the chairs.
"Good luck, and may the best man, and Monsuno, win." Jon said.
"Also, a private server has been set up exclusively for confessionals in this station here." Chris said, pointing to one of the stations that had a confessional sign taped to it.
"What? I'm not about to mess his stuff up." Chef said after people looked at how low-effort and cheap sticking a sign on one of the seats was.
"You got something to say? Say it here."
"It's completely private. I've ensure that no one will be able to know what you're saying other than the audience watching." Dr. Suno said.
"Which may have to be edited in after this episode. Editing team? Calling on you guys again."
"Trust me, I'm sure my dad's made this as secure and private as possible." Chase said confidently.
"After what happened last time, I'd hope Dr. Suno's gotten a better firewall or security. Otherwise, he's asking for it to happen again." Bren said as the arena was loading.
"What happened last time?" Sly asked.
"We were runnin' a trainin' tournament just like the doc said. Then we got hacked and had to actually fight against simulated versions of our old enemies, to get out of the virtual world, or be trapped inside forever." Dax said.
"Thought I was the only one that's happened to. Minus the hacking." Ben said.
"Well, I guess the people that say VR is dangerous have a leg to stand on now." Toxsa said.
"I don't care about the past. You just better make sure history doesn't repeat itself,doctor." Dan said.
"Trust me, I have and I will." Dr. Suno said as the world finished loading in.
The three were seen spread out from one another in a small western-style town, very similar to the town Chase, Bren and Jinja first met Dax. Although they were still close enough for this to be considered a three-way battle. Not to mention that all three could see each other.
"Alright, looks like everything's good to go. I considered doing power boosting and draining spots like before, but I think it's a good idea to just ease you in so you can worry about just battling first. Remember to use everything you've learned and practiced to help you win. You can do this. Good luck." Dr. Suno said.
Both Miyuki and Hiruma were grinning at one another, cores in hand with Marinette looking to her left and right.
"Great. I've got to go up against these two. And they're almost always up to something. Just my luck." Marinette thought.
Neither of them had thrown out their cores.
"If they're not going to throw out theirs, I'm not going to throw out mine."
"Since both of you are too afraid to start things off, I will!" Miyuki said before throwing out his chosen core. "Venomeleon! Launch!" He spun out a yellow and black S.T.O.R.M. core.
"Spikelash! Launch! HA!" Hiruma called out.
Miyuki's was faster than Marinette anticipated, while Hiruma's was also quicker than anticipated. Both were on a collision course.
"It's best that I don't try to hit either." Marinette thought.
"Evo! Launch!" Marinette called out before spinning out the blue core against a building instead. It was the third to be unleashed out of all of them. Evo was a mixture of a swan, hawk and dragon.
Venomeleon was a yellow and black chameleon, the rare instance of a Monsuno not looking to have been any type of hybrid.
"Venomeleon! Attack!" Miyuki called out.
The three Monsuno immediately began to battle each other.
"Evo! Shockwing!" Marinette called out before Evo sent out an energy beam from its wings at its opponents.
"Dodge! Now!" Hiruma called out. Spikelash and Venomeleon both dodged the attack.
"Venomeleon! Tail Laser!" Miyuki declared.
It charged and fired a beam from its tail at both Spikelash and Evo.
"Claw blades!" Hiruma called out.
The Monsuno proved to be quicker than it looked as it leaped and attempted to attack both with its claws.
"Venomeleon! Fight back! Heat Strike!"
Venomeleon's head surrounded itself in flames before it charged and began to spin so fast, it turn into a circle of flames.
"Not so fast four-eyes! Counter it with a direct Claw Strike attack!" Hiruma ordered.
The two Monsuno clashed, with Spikelash trying to overpower the Heat Strike.
Marinette saw an opening. And she was about to take it.
"Evo! Lightning bash!" Marinette called out. Evo began to glow blue before it began to fly directly at the its two opponents, hitting both of them directly and causing a good bit of damage to both as shown on both Hiruma's and Mikuki's cores. Venomeleon was sent into one of the buildings. Had Evo gained more speed, the damage would have been worse for the two.
"Looks like Ladybug took your advice." Dax said to Jon.
"Indeed she did. Now let's see if she can finish the job." Jon said.
"Get up!" Hiruma called out.
Miyuki held out his core to return it. And when it didn't come back, he ran to it.
"It's over? Already?" Dax said in disbelief that Miyuki was already gone after one big hit scored on it.
"This is my chance. I have to take it. Especially against these two."Marinette thought.
"Evo! Attack Hiruma with Thunder Barrage!" Marinette called out.
Evo began to charge electricity from its wings, preparing to unleash it on Spikelash.
"Dodge them! Dodge them now! To one of the buildings! Then use Acid" Hiruma called out.
Lightning was unleashed from Evo's wings at Spikelash.
Spikelash was quicker than expected. But it for sure was no Boost or Neo-Quickforce. And it was hit by some of the lightning strikes.
"Not quick enough." Marinette said confidently.
"Come on!" Hiruma called out.
"It's over! Apex Beam!" Marinette called out. It began to charge a beam from its mouth to finish it off. But what it didn't see was the support holding up the building crashing down on both of them.
Hiruma was officially out of the battle as Spikelash was forced to return. But Evo was able to survive.
"Looks like your gamble didn't wo-" Marinette started before Evo was pinned to the ground before being hit by Venomeleon, who appeared out of nowhere, with some type of green energy surrounding its tail. It then disappeared again.
"Nowit's over!" Miyuki said, grinning. And Marinette saw exactly what Miyuki was talking about. Evo was slowly losing energy.
"What's going on?" Marinette said.
"It's been poisoned. And since Venomeleon's camouflaged, you can't hit it!" Miyuki said.
"Evo! Find Venomeleon! Quick!"
The Monsuno attempted to attack everywhere in the area. But it was nowhere to be found. And the venom eventually won out.
Marinette looked down in defeat. "Evo. Return."
Venomeleon revealed itself to be far out away from the buildings where the action even took place and returned back to where Miyuki was as he pushed up his glasses triumphantly.
"Venomeleon, return!" Miyuki said.
Both got out of their seats.
"Close but no cigar. Can't exactly expect that to work on flyin' Monsuno." Dax said to Hiruma.
"Tch." Hiruma said before sitting down at the confessional seat.
***Confessional***
Hiruma(Radical Rats):
He held up two fingers.
"Something tells me we might not win the next one either. But wewillwin two to win!" He said confidently.
***End Confessional***
"Thanks. Really appreciate the help." Miyuki said to Hiruma.
"Whatever four-eyes." Hiruma said. "All I know is you better end this the next round."
Miyuki kept his composure even after hearing that from him.
***Confessional***
Miyuki(Wave Breakers):
"Jokes aside, did he do that toactually helpme win? But why though? Unless it's to get rid of her since she's the last finalist. But still, that's a lot of assumptions to make when he doesn't know what that team will do….."
***End Confessional***
"Round two! Blaze, Sly and Mr. Wolf!" Dr. Suno called out.
"Unfortunately, Hiruma's going to be wrong." Sly said.
"As if I'd believe anything a thief would say." Mr. Wolf said.
"Rich coming from the guy that served jail time."
"That I honestly served. Can't say the same for you."
"Better keep an eye on that core."
All thee sat down at three stations before the visors were lowered over their heads.
Not long after, they were on a S.T.O.R.M. helicarrier, made obvious by the large "S" with a lightning bolt under it, which was the organization's logo, on the side of the ship.
"Hope you don't get scared of heights. This was where a battle took place between S.T.O.R.M. and Core-Tech. To rescue me from the former believe it or not. It was an intense battle that caused the ship to actually go down. No pressure or anything. Just, don't look down." Dr. Suno said. That remark was what made Blaze flinch.
"Well, guess we have to finish things quickly." Sly said.
"Funny enough, fastest person here is Blaze." Mr. Wolf said.
"Let's just get this over with. Dragonburn! Launch!" Blaze said before spinning out the core.
"Someone's in a hurry. To get their butt kicked! Goldspear! Launch!" Mr. Wolf called out.
"Venomeleon! Launch!" Sly called out.
All three cores clashed against one another before the Monsuno were unleashed.
Goldspear was a red monsuno that was a mixture of a badger, skunk and a wolf.
"A wolf? Really?" Sly said as the Monsuno immediately started to attack one another.
"What? Little familiarity never hurts, and you're one to talk. I could have sworn I seen that Venomeleon like a match ago. How original."
"Everybody's got a different spin on something. No pun intended."
"Dragonburn! Spine Blades!" Blaze called out.
Dragonburn sent blade-shaped energy blasts from the spines on his back at its opposition.
"Dragonburn? Ugh." Jinja said, distaste in her voice.
"What's wrong with it? It looks pretty strong." Natsu asked.
"Nothing against her picking it. It's just seeing it reminds me of that looney bin that actually owns it. Dom Pyro."
"Can't be worse than Hiruma." Lucy said as Mr. Wolf commanded Goldspear to fire Elemental Shurikens. Venemeleon and dodged, while Dragonburn, because of its size, was hit by one of them, taking a bit of damage.
"Is he a mercenary that constantly talks about mice with a crazy laugh? He makes Medea look tame."
"Well, no. So I guess I'll give you that."
Focusing back on the battle, Sly, as he had already said earlier, was putting his own take on Venemeleon, being a lot more aggressive with the Monsuno compared to Miyuki.
"Use Plasma Venom Bombardment!" Sly called out. Venemeleon began to shoot several blasts at the two.
"Block the attack with Nova Shield!" Blaze called out. Dragonburn surrounded itself with red energy to stop the barrage of blasts. But Mr. Wolf had other ideas.
"Rolling Buster!" He called out. Goldspear ran before it turned into a ball, surrounded by electricity and then bounced off the part of the ship that was sticking upwards, hitting Dragonburn and causing it to stumble back.
"Took that from yo-" Mr. Wolf started before Blaze immediately called out her next command.
"Grab and throw him off!" Blaze called out.
Dragonburn did just that and threw Goldspear off the ship
"Okay. Bad gamble." Mr. Wolf said as Goldspear was forced to return, signaling his elimination.
"Just you and me. Against my better judgement, care to dance?" Sly asked.
"Lightning Flame!" Blaze called out, immediately looking to attack and finish Sly off.
"Way to give me the cold shoulder. Purple cats I tell ya. Venemilion, dodge!" Sly said, anticipating a stream of fire to come out of Dragonburn's mouth. But that was partially true.
It suddenly just immediately and charged at Venemeleon and started to continuously stream quick breaths of fire as it chased it. When it saw an opening, it used its tongue to pull it down.
"Got ya." Sly said. "Venom strike!"
Venemeleon slashed at it with its now venom infused claws.
"Dragonburn! Fire dome! All of the flame you have!"
"What?"
Dragonburn sent fire upwards before it spread out, creating a dome around itself and increasing the dome.
"Are you insane? Look at how much fire that is? You're not going to survive that either!" Sly said.
But it didn't seem as if she cared. The dome knocked Venemeleon back, sending it into the same part of the ship that Mr. Wolf's Goldspear bounced off of earlier. The ship was beginning to go down. But thankfully for her, Venemeleon was knocked off the ship first.
"And the Rats win round 2!" Chris announced.
Blaze returned and breathed a sigh of relief.
"Wow. Never took you for the gambling type. You earned it regardless." Sly said with Blaze.
"Thank you." Blaze said as her shoulders started to slowly relax.
"You okay? I was just joking about the being cold stuff but you seem really tense about something."
"I'm fine. Please." She quickly said, brushing him off.
"Come to think of it, you're right. Being aggressive like that is very out of character for her." Tangle said. "Unl-"
"Tangle, I think it's best that we drop it." Lanolin said.
"Paul, Dan and Rick, you're in for the next round."
"Alright. Time to kick an emo kid's and a man-child that's the definition of first world problem's a[censored]." Rick said.
"Because getting attacked by a wolf-man is a first-world problem. Yeah okay." Dan said.
"What?"
"If you don't know what I'm talking about you clearly haven't seen one then, smartest man in the universe."
"I'm sure I have. I'm just saying that because of how utterly stupid that was."
"I'll show you stupid. Let's go old timer!"
All three got into a seat. Not long after, they were in a replica of the abandoned film lot.
Round four began about a minute later. This time, they were in a replica of the abandoned film lot.
"Now, I've heard you've had a few challenges here before the last season that was like this. So I decided, how about a blast from the past? Good luck." Dr. Suno said.
"Tripwire! Launch and stand by for battle!" Paul called out before spinning the core out.
"You still say that cheesy a[censored] crap? This is not Pokemon damn it. As much of a rip off it probably is. Airswitch! Launch!" Rick said.
"Dragonwolf! Launch!" Dan called out.
Both Rick and Dan's cores collided but Paul's went against one of the buildings instead.
"Was that really necessary? Seriously." Dan said to Paul.
"In his mind, he did something really special. I can tell." Rick said.
Dragonwolf was the hybrid of a wolf, a dragon and a crocodile with armor plats on the back like an ankylosaurus. Airswitch, one of Dax's Monsuno, was a four-eyed mixture of a hawk, lizard and vulture.
"Tripwire! Use Following Strike!" Paul ordered.
The tips on Tripwire's tail detached and began to follow both Monsuno, electrified as well.
"Yeah right. Burn those with Fire Charge" Dan ordered.
"Sound Bombardment!" Rick called out.
Dragonwolf burned away the tips with fire balls while Feather Fury cancelled them out.
"Shoot Airswitch out of the sky with Plasma Repeater!" Paul called out.
Tripwire fired multiple energy balls from its mouth at Airswitch, but it dodged all of them.
"Sonic Screech!" Rick countered.
"Dodge it then use Tail Barrage!" Paul said.
"STOP IGNORING ME! Hurricane Flame!" Dan yelled out. He fired several fire energy blasts from its tail.
Airswitch teleported behind Dragonwolf and hit it from behind. "Restraining siege." Rick said. It picked it up and throwing it into a building.
"Cannon Shock! Go!" Paul called out.
Several more tips detached and appeared around Tripwire before the beam hit Dragonwolf, hitting it directly. After both massive hits, it was on the verge of being defeated, which only frustrated Dan even more.
"Make fun of me by teaming up will you!? Fire charge!" Dan called out.
Dragonwolf, running, sent a stream of fire at both of them.
"Idiot….. Restraining Siege." Rick said.
"Dodge it, Dodge it, DODGE IT!" Dan called out.
Dragonwolf's speed allowed it to run around some of the grab attempts and attempt to attack it back.
"Bolo Shock!" Paul called out.
Airswitch suddenly teleported a couple of times before it prepared to blast the red Monsuno. But it was stopped by the tendrils from Tripwire's tail, shocking Airswitch.
This allowed Dragonwolf to tackle it to the ground and attack it.
"Tch." Rick said, annoyed that Paul justhadto interfere. Now Dan was only going to be more annoying. "Elemental Shield."
It blocked any further attacks from Dragonwolf. "Screw it. Slash him." Rick said.
"Who's the idiot now?" Dan said before Dragonwolf breathed fire right on Airswitch's face.
"I seriously can't believe I actually said yes to an alliance to you, even if I didn't care at the time. You're f[censored]ing annoying!"
"Good! Figure it out smartest man in the universe!" Dan said.
"Use Plasma Repeater again, then Plasma Shine!" Paul ordered.
It shot more blasts at the pair, causing them to have to dodge.
"That's it, get rid of him!" Dan said. "I'm tired of this stupid emo tryhard!"
Airswitch and Dragonwolf began to attack Tripwire with Airswitch teleporting behind it. But Tripwire was suddenly surrounded by electrical energy before it speed up and then charged at both, speed blitzing both of them before it stood still. Both Monsuno were defeated.
"Tripwire, return!" Paul called out.
"And the Kings get their first scratch!" Chris announced.
"This is your fault!" Dan said to Rick.
"Shut up, it's over. Not about to sit here and argue with you." Rick said. "We've got one more round anyway."
"Lucy! Todd and Karin! You're up for the final round." Dr. Suno said.
"Great. Exactly what we needed." Sophie said sarcastically.
"Well, this is it." Kagami said.
"Trust me, I'll be just fine." Lucy said, before her team a wink and a thumbs up.
"Already assuming you've won when you're just as inexperienced as us." Sophie said.
"You say that as if you've even gotten a chance to play." Karin said.
"Todd-" Riley started.
"Don't give me some stupid speech. It's a game. If we lose, at the very least, it's not like we'll die. Unlike that creepy Danganropa season. Or that weird season that Doyle talked about." Todd said.
"Danganronpa, you mean?" Hanamiya corrected.
"Whatever! Close enough!"
"Guys, you want to talk. Talk with your Monsuno." Jon said. "Get going."
The three took a seat in the VR station.
They were now in the same Monsuno arena that the practice tournament was held in.
"This was the same arena that Team Core-Tech held their practice tournament. There are also some spaces for you to potentially boost your Monsuno, that can turn the tide for you. So, spin wisely. Good luck." Dr. Suno said.
"Regardless, let's get started. Warwing!" Karin called out.
"Clubber!" Lucy called out.
"Launch!" Both said simultaneously. The Monsuno unleashed from the cores.
Warwing was a black and yellow S.T.O.R.M. Monsuno that was the mixture of a dragon, black panther and a rabbit. But unlike Dragonwolf, Warwing could actually fly via its yellow wings. It also got a large power boost.
"I see your accuracy has improved." Karin said to Lucy as she landed on a silver space for extra power. Though not as much as Karin's.
"Thanks. Let me shower you with my appreciation. Missile barrage!" Lucy called out.
Missiles were seen unleashed from the red crystals on its back as they were airborne before they rained back down on the ground.
All of which were dodged by Karin's Warwing.
"Counter it with Piercing Pulse!"
It sent sound waves from its mouth, hitting Clubber directly and damaging it as seen on Lucy's core.
"I'm sure I know the answer but, you have to do better than tha-" Karin started before being knocked unconscious by Todd launching his core off Karin's head.
"Good thing I didn't use the glove huh?" Todd said.
"Well, I guess that takes care of one person." Lucy said as even with its controller knocked out, Warwing still tried to fight it out. But it was relying on its own instinct. Eventually, time would run out and it would return to its core, even if itwereto last.
"What was that? Disqualify him!" Dan insisted.
"Not exactly grounds for disqualification." Chris said.
"Alright Todd. Time for you to get a good ol' fashion butt-whoopin'." Lucy said.
"Whatever you say." Todd said before putting on the Strike Glove. "Target locked!" He said, choosing where he wanted to launch the core he had. For real this time. "Batteram! Launch!" The core spun out before it landed on a black space, meaning that it lost power.
"Okay Batteram! You ready?" Todd asked it.
"Ladies first! Clubber! Fire sp-"
"Return!" Todd called out.
"Huh?"
Todd immediately returned clubber back to its core.
"What the heck is he doing!?" Aomine said.
"Is he allowed to do that?" Akashi asked.
"No. Officially returning your core means you concede." Dr. Suno said.
"Which means, this challenge is over. The Rats win! In like the most unexpected and at the same time, anti-climatic way possible." Chris said.
Because of how quick and unexpected things ended, it took a bit for anyone on said team to actually look happy.
"What was that?" Lucy said.
"Simple, I gave up." Todd said.
"I know that but, why?"
"Just didn't wanna play." He said, shrugging.
"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN YOU DIDN'T WANNA PLAY!?" Aomine said, picking up and shaking Todd.
"What else would it mean you idiot!?" Todd said in between shakes.
"Aomine, that's enough. Put him down. At least let him explain himself." Din said. Although truth be told, he didn't like it either.
"Look, there's no prize for this, so what the heck is the point? It's a waste of everybody's time for me to try to fight for first when there's nothing to win. We avoided elimination, that's all we needed." Todd explained.
"That doesn't matter! What the hell kinda s[censored] is that to not even try!?" Aomine snapped.
"Dude, calm down." Rex said.
"Don't freakin' tell me to calm down when his lazy a[censored] pulls some crap like that!"
"I understand you want to try your best and you expect everyone else to do the same. But it's not exactly productive to be acting out like this. Bren did the same thing earlier." Weiss said.
"Whatever. Just, get us outta here Chris. Please." Aomine said.
Karin only sighed. "What a disgraceful way to go out. I can't say that I'm satisfied with losing. But to go out in this way is even worse. But, strategy is strategy. And I cannot reasonably give complaints when I could have stopped it by just simply paying attention. And that was Todd was counting on."
"Didn't think of it that way but ok sure. Anyways….." Todd started before Jenny tied his mouth shut again.
"Just because I did it a second time doesn't mean I like to do it. This willnotbe a common thing." Jenny said before Todd pointed behind him and downwards before holding his pants.
"Just go. I already told you I'm not your babysitter."
He instantly runs to the bathroom.
"Of course, that was exactly what Mr. Ace was talking about. And I paid for it. My closing remarks? I'd like to say I appreciate Chris for giving me the opportunity to compete. And to the person that gave me the support to do so. Unfortunately I don't remember their name."
"G-Man. Come to think of it this guy regularly submits a lot for the fan submissions." Chris said.
"Is that a bad thing or….?" Chef asked.
"Nah, just an observation. Anyways, you done?" Chris asked.
"No, just a couple more things." Karin said.
"You got 30 seconds before I kick you out myself, and I mean it this time. You think I'm lying? Stay here when it hits 30 on the clock."
"I'd also like to wish the best of luck to my teammates, with the exception of Urien. I never revealed my disdain for him to keep that from being a looming distraction."
"Hmph. I don't need your luck." Urien said.
"As annoying as you can be at times Johnny, your value is there. Maybe someone will see that here. Maybe not. Take that for what you will. As for Kageyama, whatever you did with Diana, it apparently has helped out with her a lot. I don't like seeing noblewomen like her act below their class. I suggest you keep doing it."
"Uh okay?" Kageyama said, confused.
"And of course, best of luck to you Noelle. You are now the only noble representative on your team. Wear that with pr-" Chef suddenly threw her into a portal before it immediately closed.
"I warned her. Wasn't exactly a kick but close enough." Chris said, shrugging.
"Well, she had a good game." Johnny said calmly before immediately falling on his knees. "First Blaineley! Then Karin! Who's gonna go next? Becky? I mean the older one! Or Rally? Then all the babes are gonna be gone! I don't wanna be stuck runnin' around trying to keep up with all these kids! It's too early for that!"
"Dude, get in the portal." Heloise said. "And also, add that to the growing list of out of context set of lines this season."
"Well, I guess it's time for you to go back home. Best of luck to all of you, especially you Bren." Dr. Suno said.
"Thanks. With how things have gone so far, I'll need it." Bren said.
"Sorry for not providing you with an incentive for winning. I considered Monsuno, but because of how they are, I think it's best that the cores stay here. At the very least, I know Bren will come back with his when this is over."
"It's the thought that counts." Molly said.
"Hey B. Hope you keep killin' it out there. I'll be keeping an eye on you as much as I can." Chase said.
"Yeah mate. Your teammates were gushin' about ya. Let's just hope that that translates to you winning so you can pay me for a better bike." Dax said.
"Wait, you knew about that!?" Bren asked, surprised.
"Yeah. But I'm gonna to see how things play out before I really see if I feel like stranglin' ya or not. And no, we didn't get paid for this. Only the doc did. Wait a bleezin' second! WE DIDN'T GET PAID FOR THIS! Chris!"
"I mean technically you guys didn't exactly do much so….." Bren said.
"You want me to strangle ya?"
"Yeah, I think it's time for me to go back home to my family again. See ya!" He said before running into the portal to his family's place immediately.
Todd came out of the bathroom before seeing a box that had cores in them. Along with some strange small pieces on the desk beside it that the box was on. Todd looked around to make sure no one was around. He thought about grabbing ones for the other members of his alliance but decided not to. For one, as far as he knew, that box was the only one that had them. Two, he could end up exposing the alliance and be the initial scapegoat. And three: He was the only one that actively participated. Why should the others get a core?He'sthe only one that deserved it. At least in his mind. He took the core and a couple of the small little pieces before hurrying and stuff them in his pocket.
"Hey!" Jon called out.
"Sir! No sir!" Todd said, immediately saluting. He wasn't sure why he chose that of all things to do to try and pretend he didn't take a core, but he did it. And he was certain Jon was going to see through his act frame 1.
"Portals are about to close. Stop messing around and get in yours before you're stuck here!" Jon said.
"Aw crud!" Todd said before immediately running. Jon looked after him before immediately shaking his head.
Meanwhile, back on the island, Chris began his closing remarks.
"And with that, Karin has been spun out of the competition!" Chris said with Chef shaking his head.
"Who's going to go next? Find out next time on Total…..Drama…Across the Multiverse!"
A/N: And with that, Karin is out of the running. Sakura will be disappointed, that's for sure.
And Todd has taken a Monsuno core! What did he get? And what were the pieces alongside the core that he also took?
Next episode will have no eliminations in them and will also officially be the return of commercial breaks, meaning the return of shorts, trivia, etc after their hiatus for several episodes.
See you next time!
Episode 24:Splatoony!: Compete in a splatoon battle. Then, the top two from each team compete for a prize(Splatoon & Skatoony)
Song: Skatoony intro(Skatoony)
Episode 25: You're in Jeopardy!: Compete in a game of Jeopardy. With Chris' certifed improvements!(Double Elimination)
Episode 26: Compete in the Kyoto Goodwill Competition(Jujutsu Kaisen)
Kaikai Kitanby Eve(Jujutsu Kaisen)
Episode 27: Drama Prince(ss): Compete in games chosen by the Seigaku Tennis Team(The Prince of Tennis)
(Opening undecided at the moment)
Episode 28: Not so happy feet: Compete in a game of musical chairs, TD style!
Music used will be revealed during the episode
Placements:
Eliminated:
165th- Dragonfly Jones(Radical Rats)-Martin Sitcom
164th- Richie and Virgil(Wave Breakers)- Static Shock
163rd- Cameron(Storm Kings)- Total Drama
162nd- Duncan(Wave Breakers)- Total Drama
161st- Chris P.(Wave Breakers)- Dan VS
160th- Mona(Storm Kings)- Mona the Vampire
159th- Owen(Radical Rats)-Total Drama
158th- Zoey(Wave Breakers)-Total Drama
157th - Tetsuya Kuroko(Radical Rats)- Kuroko's Basketball(Quit)
156th-Shintaro Midorima(Storm Kings)-Kuroko's Basketball
155th-MacArthur and Sanders(Radical Rats)- Total Drama Presents: The Ridonculous Race
154th-Luz Noceda(Storm Kings)-The Owl House
153rd-Priya(Radical Rats)-Total Drama
152nd- Shogo Haizaki(Wave Breakers)-Kuroko's Basketball
151st- Edward Falcon(Radical Rats)-Power Stone
150th- Shawn and Jasmine(Wave Breakers)-Total Drama
149th- Zak Saturday(Storm Kings)- Secret Saturdays
148th- Nimona(Wave Breakers)- Nimona
147th-Rocky Rickaby(Radical Rats)-Lackadaisy
146th-Huey Freeman(Storm Kings)-Boondocks
145th-Cicini(Radical Rats)- Rabi-Ribi
144th- Blaineley(Wave Breakers)-Total Drama
143rd- Heather and Alejandro(Storm Kings)-Total Drama
142nd-Karin Kanzunki(Wave Breakers)-Street Fighter
