Side Story Champions of the Arena III: Cursed Company

[Takumi]

"Kill you?" Arcade cackled, a hand clutching his stomach. "Oh, no, I'm not going to do that!" Glasses appeared behind the Cyborg and presented him with a soft, rhythmic, highly condescending massage. "You see, Hank, on Planet Malice? Arcade is the Top-Dog. His Word is Law. His Will is Reality. Down here? We're unmatched. We get to be a decadent as we like, and no-one gets to say nothin'." He leaned in close. Hank and Hank alone could feel the Madman's breath on his cheek. "We're not going to kill you, Hank, because that would be boring.
" We're not going to kill you because none of us would get any satisfaction out of watching you squirm like a fish in a flaming barrel.
"No.
"We're going to set you free.
"We're going to give you a fighting chance.
"Why?
"Because there's nothing more glorious than the spectacular fizzle of a moral spirit robbed of all dignity.
"Because there's no sight more beautiful than a man's eyes as the last few, bitter drops of hope are squeezed from them by someone he once called friends.
"We're going to torment you.
"We're going to torture you.
"We're going to make you angry. Heartbroken. Desperate.
"By the time my game is done?
"You'll kill each other without question.
"Without thought.
"Without reason.
"You'll all be corrupted.
"Broken.
"Ruined.
"Then,
"And only then,
"We will allow you to die...
"All of you...
"Well...
"All but one, that is...

Arcade released Henshaw's shoulders with a extravagant, dramatic push. He span around on the spot, his index finger raised high.
"That's right, ladies and gentlemen! You heard me correctly! Not all shall fall in the service of my whims! Oh no!" A grim trickled across his lips. "Oh no. The Team that lives to see this week's end? The Team that brutalizes the competition? The Team most willing to pulverize, mutilate and murderize their fellow pawns? Oh... they shall be rewarded!!!"

"Yes! A prize beyond imagination awaits you at this week's end! The greatest killers among you shall have their Greatest Wish Granted by Army of Arcades... and they'll also win a lovely dinner date with yours truly. I'm sure that you Masters back home have promised you glorious things too, no? They've promised to burry your secrets? Free your friends? Clean your slates? I'm sure you're all spoiled for incentives!"

"So kiss you moral conundrums goodbye, my dears! Leave your compasses at the door! A week of misery, agony and suffering awaits you!"

Arcade stretched out his hand. A long, silver leaver extended out of the floor and nestled in the palm of his hand.

"Welcome to Murderworld Tour, Bitches! First Stop: New Pride City! Planet Albion!"

[CRANK!]
*****
CHAMPIONS OF THE ARENA III: CURSED COMPANY
CHAPTER 1: FLAGFALL
[World 3.1: New Pride City, Planet Albion]
***
Falling.
Failing.
Falling.
Clouds rushed by you. The wind howled. The scries screamed. The taste of smog and ash burned your tongue. Hard to breathe. Hard to think. Hard to--
Crack!
You struck the Earth. Your head was spinning. Hard to tell where... When... Was that...?
A horse shoe narrowly avoided your skull. Another one stamped down beside your ear. A great, wheel hurtled towards you. A hand yanked you out of the street before--
"Oi! Move it! Damn Vagabonds! Go back to New Paris, freaks! We don't want your kind in Pride! Ya hear me?" The driver whipped his horse twice more, and trundled across the cobblestone street towards New Buckingham. "Go back to New Paris you alien tossers!!"
***
View attachment 9062
***
Welcome to New Pride City. Welcome to the overworld.
Carriages and carts swarmed you like seagulls swarm chips. Every step you took, you risked a very painful, a bitter pill which would no doubt be washed down by another sour dose of xenophobia from some of the locals. You reached for your weapons. Bullocks. Where were they? Your holsters. Your satchels. They were all gone. You clothes and costumes were... different, than before. Sponsorship patches and tacky company logos had been stitched onto every free patch of fabric. It was now all too easy to tell which Conscript belonged to which brand.... ahem... which team everyone belonged to.
You looked up. There they were. Your tools. They were sitting in the heart of the fountain in the center of the street. If you wanted them back, it looked like you were going to have to swim through a sea of horses and carriages and, of course, the superpowers conscripts who wanted your head mounted upon a spike.
The streets were smoggy and cluttered. If you wanted a better lay of the land, you were going to need to fall back, climb to some high ground, and survey the situation from there. That said... everyone you could possibly want to kill was standing right in front of you... There was nothing stopping you from getting the party started here and now...
***
_________________
Team OBLIVION:
View attachment 9063
"So..." Godbrand tutted. "Let me get this staight. Arcade isn't dead, I'm not making a boat out of his corpse, Akuma vanished the moment we arrived, I don't have my swords and I'm stuck babysitting a band of mortal children. The bird man trained us for this, but none of us can remember our training for some bizarre fucking reason. In short, I'm fucked. You're fucked. We're all fucked." He plucked upon the hairs on his chin and slowly strode into the path of the some oncoming carriages. "Oh, I almost forget. The Smog Coverage is the only thing that's stopping me from unwittingly transforming into a masculine pile of dust. Did I get everything? Have I ticked every box on the 'we're fucking fucked' list? No? Good. Now, if you'd excuse me..." Godbrand continued to dance between carriages on his way towards the weapons fountain. "I'm going to go eat a human..."
View attachment 9064
"Damnit, Godbrand! Get back here!" Eevie exclaimed, reaching out to the Nightcreature. He efforts were wasted. Her please fell on deaf ears. The vampire continued to march headstrong into the midday traffic, avoiding Eevie's grasp by centimeters and seconds. "We need to think this through! We need to stick together! We need a plan!"

"Don't go forgetting it. We know what you did. Play the game. Win. Kill Arcade, or the world finds out. It's as simple as that... Start killing, or the rumors will grow..."

SHANG TSUNG// SHION// PHI// MOLLYMAUK TEALEAF// SUIGETSU HOZUKU// EEVIE FRYE// GODBRAND// AKUMA
^ @Jeremi @Atomic Knight @Takumi @Lucky @Space_Candy ^

_________________
Team NEXIUM:
"Never thought it'd turn out like this..." 17 bit his lip and sighed deeply. "Thought today would involve more 'killing Arcade' and less 'going to London'. Guess beggars can't be choosers..." The Android cracked his neck, knuckles and wrists in turn. "So what's it gonna be, kids?"
View attachment 9066
"Someone hit me with a plan in the next 30 seconds, or I'm going out alone."
View attachment 9065
"Running away?" The Eleven chirped, speaking the voice a man half his age. "Of course you would run away... Hmm... What's wrong? Late for an appointment at the Salon? Getting your roots colored today, are you? Hm? Oh... I smell a cow-ard! Cow-ard!"

"..."
Forge mumbled some stern retort.

"Sage advice from the lip-cripple! Oh mighty mute, be a dear and share some more 'wisdom' with, your loyal followers!" The Eleven spat. "What was that? A boy has fallen down a well? A well has fallen down a boy? What was that, scruffy? You're a dead weight who's going to drag the rest of the team down? That's what I thought!"

"You're fighting for your freedom. Don't forget it. If you guys don't win the game... If Arcade make it out of this alive... We all better start prayin' for quick ends. Play to win, guys... Play to win..."

CIRI// SARUHIKO FUSHIMI// ZORA SALAZAR// EREN JAEGER// ALEXANDER ANDERSON// FORGE// ANDROID 17// THE ELEVEN
^ @Minerva @Ver @Capri @Gummi Bunnies @Crunch ^

_________________
Team Dead Hearts:
Sinestro raised his hand. His ring soared up out of the fountain and returned to his finger. That smile. That sickening smile. It returned to his lips.
It had been too long... At last... His hand was complete...
"I'm done here." The Yellow Lantern scoffed. "I doubt Conner here owns anything more than the shirt on his back."
View attachment 9068
"That just leaves the rest of you. You--" He waggled his finger towards Spitfire. "--Name."
View attachment 9067
"Jackie." She replied bluntly. "Call me 'Jackie'. And no, I don't have any gear. So can just--"
"--We can't go." Conner interjected, throwing caution to the wind and leaping into the fray. "Not yet."
View attachment 9069
"Leave me if you gotta, I ain't leaving it behind!"
"You're going to get yourself killed, child!"
"Don't care! There's something of mine in that fountain... something special! And I ain't leaving it behind!

"Don't forget our 'deal', 'friends'. The Dead Hearts get what the Dead Hearts want. Play the game. Play to win... or else you collateral might... just... vanish..."

MARRIANE VON EDMUND// JOSUKE HIGASHIKATA// DAN KUROTO// AIZAWA SHOTA// MATO KUROI// CONNER KENT// THAAL SINESTRO// JACQUELINE FALSWORTH
^ @Yun Lee @Capri @MagatsuNoImouto @Space_Candy @Gummi Bunnies ^

_________________
Team Prudence:
***
"One, two, three, four, f--" The Doctor stopped himself mid-word. His hands drifted to his lapels. His mouth slipped agape. "Oh my, we are in a pickle, no aren't we, hm? It appears as if we're two men down... Lost in the fray, no doubt. They've chosen their paths. We must now chose ours." The callous old man synced his watch with that of a nearby clock tower, ceasing his brief search for their two missing members. "Curious... we've lost a few minutes on arrival. Needless to say, we're in a different time-zone... Dare I say, a different planet? Ever been to one of those before, hm? A different planet? A different world? This is new experience for some of you, do doubt! Ha! Well, drink it up, my dears." He smiled warmly, setting his watch aside.
"Though... this is hardly the finest alien world I have visited... oh, and it's hardly the most friendly... But the sight of two suns in the sky is something to behold! You're a long way away from Earth now, dear humans! As much as I'd love to explore this place with whimsy and leisure, I fear that retreat must be today's watchword. Come!" He pointed to a shaded alley a few blocks down the way. "To shelter!"

"I know what you did... I know of yours sins... Fight, or whole word finds out... Fight to win... Kill Arcade, no matter the cost..."

RAMUDA AMEMURA// YASHAMARU// DANIEL DIAZ// CHASE DAVENPORT// HANK HENSHAW// THE DOCTOR// JAMES R. RHODES// JANET VAN DYNE
^ @Takumi @Yun Lee @Atomic Knight @Lucky @Jeremi ^
***​

"The girl seems to have some sense," Shang Tsung remarked. "Unlike some of us." The words were loud enough for Godbrand to hear them. "Survey the area and know where we stand. If this is an Arcade game, however..." He smirked and stroked his beard. "I'll have to assume the locals will not be friendly. He strikes me as an individual who stacks the chances to the house rather than his patrons. Best to ere on the side of caution."

@Sark @Jeremi @Takumi @Lucky @Space_Candy @TeamOblivion

"Your brother is of little consequence," Henshaw replied brusquely. "Only the death of Arcade matters." He had decided to not fly. Better to not stir the populace. Instead, he'd focus his X-Ray vision towards where the Doctor was leading them. Henshaw hated surprises and he was sure Arcade had stored some of them in this place.

@Sark @Takumi @Yun Lee @Lucky @Jeremi @TeamPrudence​

Daniel followed the Doctor silently, though on the inside he was broiling. He was tired of these endless, horrible games. These were not fun games at all. They were bad games. Very bad games. They had made Daniel do a very bad thing. Maybe even a lot more than that if he understood all that had happened so far. What he knew for sure was that he killed a version of Arcade. Even if he was supposed to do that, he just knew Sean would be really upset with him.

Sean...

Where was Sean? What had that vision meant? Whatever it was, Daniel remembered something about him and Sean being separated. Had they found each other again and Daniel didn't remember?

"I need to find my brother!" Daniel blurted out to the Doctor and the others. "Sean Diaz! I need to find him! He has to be around here!"

@Sark @Takumi @Yun Lee @Lucky @Jeremi @TeamPrudence

---

This was still all bullshit to Phi. Still, with so little information, there was no point in running herself ragged.

"A plan?" Phi questioned. She didn't really care where this Godbrand guy went. "Right. We need to figure out where we are. Ask the locals. Gotta be a map around here too."

@Sark @Jeremi @Takumi @Lucky @Space_Candy @TeamOblivion​

"Yeah, he likes to have things in his favor from the start, though other than angry locals I'm not sure if we'll find a map here, it might not hurt to look as long as we stay clear of the more violent... competition." Shion sighed heavily. His gun was probably useless by this point, and if needed he could get another knife in the least.

@Sark @Jeremi @Lucky @Space_Candy @TeamOblivion

"Hey, hey, wait a minute Mister! What if you get jumped down there or something? Besides I have something verrrry important of mine in that fountain! If it gets water damaged I'll definitely get in biiig trouble!" Ramuda spoke up from the back of the group to the Doctor with a slight pout. Though the pinkette's gaze landed on Eren as he grew determined to get his own gear enough to become some kind of beast.

"Oh wooww, attacking the Innocents? It's gonna bite him right in the butt later, probably." Ramuda commented with a thoughtful frown. Though, if he could just get his microphone and be on his way then maybe this was one of the quickest ways? Besides, he didn't really care about the 'innocents' right now, but this would totally reflect badly on the rest of the groups. Twirling the ever present lollipop in his mouth he glanced to Daniel.

"Don't worry, I'm sure your brother's just fine! You'll probably see him again before this is all over, so just keep your hopes up!" He spoke up in an attempt to get Daniel to quiet down a bit.

@Sark @Yun Lee @Lucky @Jeremi @TeamPrudence

 

[Sark]

Daniel followed the Doctor silently, though on the inside he was broiling. He was tired of these endless, horrible games. These were not fun games at all. They were bad games. Very bad games. They had made Daniel do a very bad thing. Maybe even a lot more than that if he understood all that had happened so far. What he knew for sure was that he killed a version of Arcade. Even if he was supposed to do that, he just knew Sean would be really upset with him.

Sean...

Where was Sean? What had that vision meant? Whatever it was, Daniel remembered something about him and Sean being separated. Had they found each other again and Daniel didn't remember?

"I need to find my brother!" Daniel blurted out to the Doctor and the others. "Sean Diaz! I need to find him! He has to be around here!"

Team PRUDENCE
"A brother?" The Doctor chirped, a grey eyebrow shuffling up his forehead. "Look around you, boy! Your presence here is an anomaly! A curious thing! I see no other young boys on this accursed street, do you? Even admits the horses and giants, would we have not seen him by now?" A pull on the boy's collar yanked him out of the path of a runway carriage. "Young Master Diaz, your brother is not here! Every millisecond you waste digesting such a pill is a second better spent running!"

"Your brother is of little consequence," Henshaw replied brusquely. "Only the death of Arcade matters." He had decided to not fly. Better to not stir the populace. Instead, he'd focus his X-Ray vision towards where the Doctor was leading them. Henshaw hated surprises and he was sure Arcade had stored some of them in this place.

"My! You are a decidedly blunt fellow, aren't you?" The Doctor hummed, retreating form the opening brawl. "Though I agree that this 'Arcade' character must be... dealt with, I do believe that such matters are best discussed when our own lives are not in immediate danger, don't you agree? Arcade can wait. We cannot!"

Henshaw's scan of the alley would reveal little of note lurking out of sight. A rat. A trash can. A vagrant, day drunk, slept under and old rug in the corner. Across the street, a young, two-hearted snake oil salesman stood atop an apple crate, selling his wares with a boyish smile. His pitch seemed to draw the attention of the populace away from the alley. A scan of the nearby storefronts revealed a sparsely populated café and an all-but empty antique store further down the street. A few man hole covers littered the road. Each was unlocked, and would allow for a short, safe drop into the wide, open sewers bellow.

"Hey, hey, wait a minute Mister! What if you get jumped down there or something? Besides I have something verrrry important of mine in that fountain! If it gets water damaged I'll definitely get in biiig trouble!" Ramuda spoke up from the back of the group to the Doctor with a slight pout. Though the pinkette's gaze landed on Eren as he grew determined to get his own gear enough to become some kind of beast.

"Trinket stores! Jumble shops! Antique stores!" The Doctor bellowed, his already wrinkled brow growing more tense by the minute. "I can think of very few trinkets that a city like this could not replace! Give me a box of scraps, and I could no doubt whisk-up whatever it is you need myself! Tell me, sir, is this toy of yours truly worth your life?"

Across the square, for a moment or two, the image of a young man, unarmed and underpowers, could be seen flickering between the horses. He was no doubt the missing member of Team Prudence, risking life and limb for whatever property he had lost. For a second, his eyes darted over his shoulder, locking with Ramuda's own for a heartbeat. A second later, a racing carriage broke his line of sight.

"Don't worry, I'm sure your brother's just fine! You'll probably see him again before this is all over, so just keep your hopes up!" He spoke up in an attempt to get Daniel to quiet down a bit.

"Unless we act, none of us will be seeing anything ever again! Cease your prattling and start moving! Stay or leave! A choice must be made!"

RAMUDA AMEMURA// YASHAMARU// DANIEL DIAZ// CHASE DAVENPORT// HANK HENSHAW// THE DOCTOR// JAMES R. RHODES// JANET VAN DYNE
^ @Takumi @Yun Lee @Atomic Knight @Lucky @Jeremi ^

This was still all bullshit to Phi. Still, with so little information, there was no point in running herself ragged.

"A plan?" Phi questioned. She didn't really care where this Godbrand guy went. "Right. We need to figure out where we are. Ask the locals. Gotta be a map around here too."

"The girl seems to have some sense," Shang Tsung remarked. "Unlike some of us." The words were loud enough for Godbrand to hear them. "Survey the area and know where we stand. If this is an Arcade game, however..." He smirked and stroked his beard. "I'll have to assume the locals will not be friendly. He strikes me as an individual who stacks the chances to the house rather than his patrons. Best to ere on the side of caution."

"Yeah, he likes to have things in his favor from the start, though other than angry locals I'm not sure if we'll find a map here, it might not hurt to look as long as we stay clear of the more violent... competition." Shion sighed heavily. His gun was probably useless by this point, and if needed he could get another knife in the least.

Team OBLIVION
"Your words cut me, sir!" Godbrand's sarcastic chirp could barely be heard over the bounding of hooves and the screeching of steel-lined wheels. "Don't worry, cattle, I'll be sure to-----" The rest was lost in the clattering, clambering ambience. "-----"

"From my experience, locals in cities like this rarely accept strangers on the best of days..." Evie frowned, drinking in the chaos of her immediate surroundings. "But strangers like us? Vampires? Magicians? Foreigners? I doubt they'll be rolling out the welcome matts anytime soon. Your plans are sound, but I don't think anyone around here is going to just walk up to us and just sell us some---"

"MAPS! COME GET YA MAPS! MAPS OF THE CITY!" A salesman cheered, unshaken by the madness that was slowly consuming the city-block. Large, faded sheets of parchment protruded his tattered jacket. His shoes were littered with holes. His hat was battered and torn. He was far from the most successful entrepreneur in the city, but a healthy queue was forming at his feet. A least 12 of his future customers were lining up to get a piece of his map-making pie. "THE SECRETS OF PRIDE CITY REVEALED! FIND THE FASTEST ROUTE TO WORK! FIND THAT ONE CAFE YOU WENT TO THAT ONE TIME AND COULD NEVER FIND AGAIN! HOLD PRIDE CITY IN THE PALM OF YOUR HAND! MAPS! MAPS FOR A SHILLING!"

SHANG TSUNG// SHION// PHI// MOLLYMAUK TEALEAF// SUIGETSU HOZUKU// EEVIE FRYE// GODBRAND// AKUMA
^ @Jeremi @Atomic Knight @Takumi @Lucky @Space_Candy ^

Alright, that's bad. Without his gear, Eren was practically defenseless, like a bird whose had their wings clipped off. If this is what they have to do in order to kill Arcade in the end, so be it. As long as no one learned about what happened here, should he be able to return home after this...

❝ Don't know what you're all planning, but I need my equipment back. Whoever wants to join after me, you can. Just... make sure there's some space in-between us is all. ❞ He made his intentions clear, raising his hand near his face once more. Without much else to share with the supposed team he's been placed in, Eren ran straight for the fountain that held just about everyone's belongings in it. Of course, getting there normally from sprinting alone wasn't as easy as he thought it out to be. One had to be extremely lucky to get to the fountain untouched, and the same went for the inevitable trip out of the fountain area.

So, that just meant one thing for him.

❝ I'll just tear my way through the enemy!! ❞ His course of action firm and clear in his head, Eren forcefully bit onto his raised thumb to even draw blood from it, right as he was a good ways into the crowded mess of horses and carriages on the street. Moments after his act of self-injury...



... a sudden surge of electricity erupted from Eren's body, soon followed by a thunderous explosion which spread smoke and debris all over. Once the explosion ceased to be and a moment of silence stagnated from where Eren once stood, a low... seething growl resounded from the spreading smoke, something was moving amidst the smoke and dust surrounding it... like something that was much taller than any average human was beginning to stand up. Once the smoke was mostly cleared out by time alone...


... a towering humanoid creature stood in Eren's place, its height being about 15 meters from guessing measurement. Going by the loose resemblance to the hot-headed Eren by appearance, it was an educated guess to make that this was... Eren somehow. To his knowledge alone, this was his transformed Titan form, and he was sure enough to make use of it now.

His eyes focused on the fountain shortly ahead, then at the messy street in-between him and the desired destination. Just like he told himself, he was going to tear straight through the enemy. The enemy currently being everyone in his way. Simple as that.

Letting out a furious roar, Eren had his Titan body rear a leg back before aiming to punt a carriage unfortunate enough to be directly in his path. To any set of eyes witnessing this, it was extremely obvious that the fountain was the transformed Eren's destination, so it was fair to assume that he retained his own intelligence in this transformed body of his.

“My... name?” Josuke spoke, as if he was genuinely confused by the question Sinestro posed

“It’s... complicated... but you can call me Josuke... like nearly everyone else does...”

Conner and Mato ran off, and Josuke followed them.

Team NEXIUM/ DEAD HEARTS
The Titan's foot shattered the hulls of any carriage in its path. Splitters the size of spears rained down upon the battlefield, upon the streets, upon the Conscripts. Bodies. Horses. They came down like meteors. A telekinetic blasts caught a carriage-in-flight. It hovered. It span. Faster. Faster. With a furious grunt, Conner Kent returned the projectile to its sender.
View attachment 9079
"Dead Hearts!" Conner roared, his eyes blazing with telekinetic fury. With a wave of his hand, he pushed another splinter out of Josuke's path. "This creeps coming for us! I can't take him alone! Some cover m--"
CRACK!
A metallic fist smothered the latter half of Conner's plan. The Kryptonian's head left a firm dead in the cobblestone street. A Nexium-Branded book grinded it further into the dirt. "Sorry, I'm new to this whole 'team' business." The Android smirked. "Are we suppose to let the enemy cry for help? Or are sucker-punches off the table?"
View attachment 9081
"All these 'moral rules'..." 17 cooed, rolling up his sleeve. "I can't keep track."
Boom!
A blast of golden energy whizzed past 17's ear and burned a hole in the fountain's edge. The Android casually patted-out the flames that had taken hold of his bandana. "Looks like the rest of the Hearts are joining the brawl. Cute." He tutted in Sinestro's direction. "I've called dibs on this one." He twisted his boot. Conner's face tunneled deeper into the street. "But I saw some kid making a rush for the fountain. He should be easy pickings, if someone's looking for some cheap points... if not?" 17 tipped his head towards the fountain. "The Big Friendly Giant just gave you a clear shot at your toys. Go knock yourselves out, 'gang'."

"Well, looks like that's our plan. We let him clear the path for us," Fushimi remarked to Android 17 with a droll chuckle, gesturing toward the rampaging Titan. He had to admit, he certainly did not expect Eren to transform into a hulking beast like that, but hey, in his day he'd seen his fair share of bizarre as it was, even without the dimension hopping battle royale here.

From there, he glanced over at Zora briefly. "If someone dies, it is what it is. Less work for me, honestly," he shrugged outwardly, quite serious despite his consistently lackadaisical mien. After all, school was where you learned "group work" involved letting one person do all the work, so if someone wanted to take those reigns, they were free to do so. But in the meantime...

"In any case, just come on already so we can get our gear. Unless you want to stay useless, miss," he goaded to Zora, a taunting smirk tugging at the corners of his lips before he was off, following behind Eren to reach the fountain as well!

"Gear? Toys? Presents?" The Eleven stirred, his demeanor shifting again. His features seemed to soften. His shoulders started to relax. A grin stretched his lips. "Oh, I do love things like that... Such nice things. Tell me. Once we get past all those lovely carriages... why should we stop at taking our own toys? I'm sure their are plenty of things worth collecting up in that fountain... We could load them up in a carriage! Yes... I'd love a carriage of my own. A genuine article. A fine antique. Oh... that would be exquisite..." He flashed and eager set of teeth to Zora and Fushimi. "Come on! Don't drag your feet, now! Hurry! Hurry! Before all the good stuff is gone!" With a sprint and leap, the Eleven leaped into the fountain.

CIRI// SARUHIKO FUSHIMI// ZORA SALAZAR// EREN JAEGER// ALEXANDER ANDERSON// FORGE// ANDROID 17// THE ELEVEN
^ @Minerva @Ver @Capri @Gummi Bunnies @Crunch ^

MARRIANE VON EDMUND// JOSUKE HIGASHIKATA// DAN KUROTO// AIZAWA SHOTA// MATO KUROI// CONNER KENT// THAAL SINESTRO// JACQUELINE FALSWORTH
^ @Yun Lee @Capri @MagatsuNoImouto @Space_Candy @Gummi Bunnies ^​

 

[Capri]

ZORA SALAZAR & JOSUKE HIGASHIKATA
@Sark @Minerva @Ver @Gummi Bunnies @Crunch @Yun Lee @MagatsuNoImouto @Space_Candy

Zora would run in and grab her two time guns from the fountain, and flipped them around and into her holsters.

"Alls fair in luv n' war, pardner," Zora said to 17.

Meanwhile, Josuke would try to use Soft and Wet to punch 17 off of Conner.​

 

[Jeremi]

"You were saying?" The elderly wizard smirked, but it was obvious that things were never this easy. Even so, taking the initiative he stepped into the queue. While he certainly had the abilities to shorten the line it was best to keep a low profile for as long as they could. How knows? Maybe when he was done they'd have a very special contact within this city?

^ @Sark @Atomic Knight @Takumi @Lucky @Space_Candy ^

 

[Atomic Knight]

It took a lot of self-restraint on Daniel's part not to lash out and toss the mean cyborg man away. Though, given a quick glance around, Daniel had to agree that no one in the immediate area looked remotely like Sean. Still, Daniel was feeling angry and confused. The old man was not the boss of him. "I'm not scared of these people!" Daniel exclaimed, watching the Doctor defiantly as they moved. He turned his gaze at the pink-haired guy and looked at him warily. Daniel just felt like he was being talked down to.

When they saw the missing member of Team Prudence, Daniel's conviction became clear. "We gotta help him!" he yelled. It seemed to him the old man wanted them to just run but Daniel didn't want to listen to him. He started to run across the square, hand held out and ready react to anyone who tried to stop him.

@Sark @Takumi @Yun Lee @Lucky @Jeremi @TeamPrudence

---

Considering the chaos happening nearby, it did not seem like the worst idea to Phi to calmly get in line behind Shang Tsung. She gave a quick glance around at her teammates who were still nearby. "I'm Phi," she said, having chosen to not give her name earlier.

She turned back to the line ahead and shook her head. "This is too convenient, but if it works out it might give us an edge."

@Sark @Jeremi @Takumi @Lucky @Space_Candy @TeamOblivion​

 

[Gummi Bunnies]

The Titan didn't think for a second that the carriages that he's kicked would be sent back at him. Eren could only react fast enough to bring his arms up to block the returned projectiles, letting out a grunt as he slid back a short distance but kept himself upright. One of his arms took more of the impact than the other, appearing battered and already regenerating slowly by letting out steam.

❝ Alright... gotta snatch my gear... I think I have the chance now! ❞ Inside the nape of his Titan's neck where no one would really hear what he was saying, Eren reminded himself to retrieve his mobility gear. Given that his transformation into a Titan and further interjection from his assigned team was an opportunity window alone, he reached out to the fountain with his currently-not-regenerating arm with his sights mainly on his mobility gear. Due to the scale of his Titan's hand, it was probably unavoidable that he could've grabbed a hold of some other people's stuff, but it was way too risky to ditch his Titan body now to reobtain his gear and equip it without being attacked. Once he got a hold of mobility gear in full along with some other miscellaneous things, the Titan would drop said gear into his maw for now, making sure not to accidentally swallow his own gear. Holding stuff in his mouth was a lot better than just holding it right in the open in his hand anyways.

During all of this, Mato found herself momentarily frozen upon seeing Conner get pummeled to the ground by 17. There was no way out of this besides violence... was there? She still didn't want to kill anyone, but if she had to fight, there wasn't any room to dance around that anymore.

❝ No more... no more standing around! I won't allow it! ❞ Mato steeled herself, working up the courage to put herself out there. The blue aura which stemmed faintly from her left eye immediately shrouded around her entire body, she balled up a fist and drew it near her chest. ❝ Let's protect them with all we've got, Black Rock Shooter!!! ❞

By calling on her Other Self's name, Mato's body was completely obscured by the brilliantly blinding aura around herself, and soon, it cleared up to reveal that she had transformed in some way as well.

❝ ... ❞ Rock only silently stood there, appearing much like an older version of Mato. The Other Self would raise one hand to summon what was a large cannon from the looks of it.

❝ Hey! Get off him! ❞ Mato's voice resounded in an echo from Rock, whom the latter of the pair didn't seem to talk very much. Either way, it seemed that the both of them were quite in sync on what to do, with Rock taking aim at 17 and firing off an energy shot at him right as Mato made her demand to have him get off of Conner.

Rock would then take a quick visual assessment of the area around them, blinking in bewilderment at the sight of Titan Eren grabbing a hold of various gear from the fountain. While it wasn't particularly a useful tool for combat, Mato would see through Rock's line of sight that something of hers was discarded into the Titan's maw along with other tools and belongings. She couldn't miss the sight of the bird keychain charm hanging off of it...

❝ W-Wait! That's... that's my cell phone! Give it back! ❞ The high schooler's voice echoed out in a stammered panic, and Rock training her large arm cannon at the Titan with caution.

@Minerva @Ver @Capri @Crunch @Sark @TeamNEXIUM
@Yun Lee @Capri @MagatsuNoImouto @Space_Candy @Sark @TeamDeadHearts​

 

[Jeremi]

Instead of physically moving to restrain the boy Henshaw fired a blast of heat vision at his feet scorching the ground to get his attention. "The others are of little consequence. If you wish to kill yourself then feel free to do so," He pointed towards one of the manhole covers on the road. "We are too exposed right now. Arcade no doubt has eyes and ears everywhere, but vanishing into the sewers might give us an upper hand. Would you not agree...Doctor?"

He looked at the old. The way how Henshaw had said his name was almost hostile, but they had no prior history with each other, right?

@Sark @Takumi @Yun Lee @Lucky @Atomic Knight @TeamPrudence

---

"Yes, this is all a little convenient, isn't it? And all of these Arcade's. Fakes." Shang Tsung spoke to the young woman. "But for the time being. Let's play Arcade's little game. Victory will be all the sweeter when he loses by his own rules."

@Sark @Atomic Knight @Takumi @Lucky @Space_Candy @TeamOblivion

 

[Ver]

View attachment 9082

"Heh, sounds like a plan. After you though," Fushimi chuckled to the Eleven, retrieving his sword and throwing knives from the fountain upon reaching it. Not much to flaunt with them, but they were his. Without him, they were useless. May as well put 'em to good use, like the people around him.

Still, even now that he was armed, the young man found himself at a bit of a loss as to what to do next. Fushimi was no slouch when it came to fighting, but amidst all this chaos and confusion? It would have been too easy to get sucker punched into the afterlife if he wasn't careful. Certainly, he had little desire to get between the other powerhouses like Conner, Henshaw, or even Eren. They could wreck the entire city for all he cared, but he still had to look out for number one. And whoever else could still potentially be of use to him.

Loath as he was to admit it to himself, he would have to swallow his impulses and actually work with other people. How dreadful.

Standing beside Zora and the Eleven, the bespectacled man held out his long sword, keeping himself on guard for as long as he and his team were at risk.

View attachment 9083

"So, one objective complete, but at the risk of sounding like that guy over there," Fushimi said, gesturing toward 17, "What's the next step of our grand plan? I'm thinking we're a bit at a disadvantage here..."

@Capri @Crunch @Minerva @Sark @Gummi Bunnies @TeamNexium​

 

[Takumi]

Team PRUDENCE
"A brother?" The Doctor chirped, a grey eyebrow shuffling up his forehead. "Look around you, boy! Your presence here is an anomaly! A curious thing! I see no other young boys on this accursed street, do you? Even admits the horses and giants, would we have not seen him by now?" A pull on the boy's collar yanked him out of the path of a runway carriage. "Young Master Diaz, your brother is not here! Every millisecond you waste digesting such a pill is a second better spent running!"


"My! You are a decidedly blunt fellow, aren't you?" The Doctor hummed, retreating form the opening brawl. "Though I agree that this 'Arcade' character must be... dealt with, I do believe that such matters are best discussed when our own lives are not in immediate danger, don't you agree? Arcade can wait. We cannot!"

Henshaw's scan of the alley would reveal little of note lurking out of sight. A rat. A trash can. A vagrant, day drunk, slept under and old rug in the corner. Across the street, a young, two-hearted snake oil salesman stood atop an apple crate, selling his wares with a boyish smile. His pitch seemed to draw the attention of the populace away from the alley. A scan of the nearby storefronts revealed a sparsely populated café and an all-but empty antique store further down the street. A few man hole covers littered the road. Each was unlocked, and would allow for a short, safe drop into the wide, open sewers bellow.


"Trinket stores! Jumble shops! Antique stores!" The Doctor bellowed, his already wrinkled brow growing more tense by the minute. "I can think of very few trinkets that a city like this could not replace! Give me a box of scraps, and I could no doubt whisk-up whatever it is you need myself! Tell me, sir, is this toy of yours truly worth your life?"

Across the square, for a moment or two, the image of a young man, unarmed and underpowers, could be seen flickering between the horses. He was no doubt the missing member of Team Prudence, risking life and limb for whatever property he had lost. For a second, his eyes darted over his shoulder, locking with Ramuda's own for a heartbeat. A second later, a racing carriage broke his line of sight.


"Unless we act, none of us will be seeing anything ever again! Cease your prattling and start moving! Stay or leave! A choice must be made!"

RAMUDA AMEMURA// YASHAMARU// DANIEL DIAZ// CHASE DAVENPORT// HANK HENSHAW// THE DOCTOR// JAMES R. RHODES// JANET VAN DYNE
^ @Takumi @Yun Lee @Atomic Knight @Lucky @Jeremi ^




Team OBLIVION
"Your words cut me, sir!" Godbrand's sarcastic chirp could barely be heard over the bounding of hooves and the screeching of steel-lined wheels. "Don't worry, cattle, I'll be sure to-----" The rest was lost in the clattering, clambering ambience. "-----"

"From my experience, locals in cities like this rarely accept strangers on the best of days..." Evie frowned, drinking in the chaos of her immediate surroundings. "But strangers like us? Vampires? Magicians? Foreigners? I doubt they'll be rolling out the welcome matts anytime soon. Your plans are sound, but I don't think anyone around here is going to just walk up to us and just sell us some---"

"MAPS! COME GET YA MAPS! MAPS OF THE CITY!" A salesman cheered, unshaken by the madness that was slowly consuming the city-block. Large, faded sheets of parchment protruded his tattered jacket. His shoes were littered with holes. His hat was battered and torn. He was far from the most successful entrepreneur in the city, but a healthy queue was forming at his feet. A least 12 of his future customers were lining up to get a piece of his map-making pie. "THE SECRETS OF PRIDE CITY REVEALED! FIND THE FASTEST ROUTE TO WORK! FIND THAT ONE CAFE YOU WENT TO THAT ONE TIME AND COULD NEVER FIND AGAIN! HOLD PRIDE CITY IN THE PALM OF YOUR HAND! MAPS! MAPS FOR A SHILLING!"

SHANG TSUNG// SHION// PHI// MOLLYMAUK TEALEAF// SUIGETSU HOZUKU// EEVIE FRYE// GODBRAND// AKUMA
^ @Jeremi @Atomic Knight @Takumi @Lucky @Space_Candy ^




Team NEXIUM/ DEAD HEARTS
The Titan's foot shattered the hulls of any carriage in its path. Splitters the size of spears rained down upon the battlefield, upon the streets, upon the Conscripts. Bodies. Horses. They came down like meteors. A telekinetic blasts caught a carriage-in-flight. It hovered. It span. Faster. Faster. With a furious grunt, Conner Kent returned the projectile to its sender.
View attachment 9079
"Dead Hearts!" Conner roared, his eyes blazing with telekinetic fury. With a wave of his hand, he pushed another splinter out of Josuke's path. "This creeps coming for us! I can't take him alone! Some cover m--"
CRACK!
A metallic fist smothered the latter half of Conner's plan. The Kryptonian's head left a firm dead in the cobblestone street. A Nexium-Branded book grinded it further into the dirt. "Sorry, I'm new to this whole 'team' business." The Android smirked. "Are we suppose to let the enemy cry for help? Or are sucker-punches off the table?"
View attachment 9081
"All these 'moral rules'..." 17 cooed, rolling up his sleeve. "I can't keep track."
Boom!
A blast of golden energy whizzed past 17's ear and burned a hole in the fountain's edge. The Android casually patted-out the flames that had taken hold of his bandana. "Looks like the rest of the Hearts are joining the brawl. Cute." He tutted in Sinestro's direction. "I've called dibs on this one." He twisted his boot. Conner's face tunneled deeper into the street. "But I saw some kid making a rush for the fountain. He should be easy pickings, if someone's looking for some cheap points... if not?" 17 tipped his head towards the fountain. "The Big Friendly Giant just gave you a clear shot at your toys. Go knock yourselves out, 'gang'."


"Gear? Toys? Presents?" The Eleven stirred, his demeanor shifting again. His features seemed to soften. His shoulders started to relax. A grin stretched his lips. "Oh, I do love things like that... Such nice things. Tell me. Once we get past all those lovely carriages... why should we stop at taking our own toys? I'm sure their are plenty of things worth collecting up in that fountain... We could load them up in a carriage! Yes... I'd love a carriage of my own. A genuine article. A fine antique. Oh... that would be exquisite..." He flashed and eager set of teeth to Zora and Fushimi. "Come on! Don't drag your feet, now! Hurry! Hurry! Before all the good stuff is gone!" With a sprint and leap, the Eleven leaped into the fountain.

CIRI// SARUHIKO FUSHIMI// ZORA SALAZAR// EREN JAEGER// ALEXANDER ANDERSON// FORGE// ANDROID 17// THE ELEVEN
^ @Minerva @Ver @Capri @Gummi Bunnies @Crunch ^

MARRIANE VON EDMUND// JOSUKE HIGASHIKATA// DAN KUROTO// AIZAWA SHOTA// MATO KUROI// CONNER KENT// THAAL SINESTRO// JACQUELINE FALSWORTH
^ @Yun Lee @Capri @MagatsuNoImouto @Space_Candy @Gummi Bunnies ^​

"I'll have you know, Gramps, that someone could get seriously hurt if they mishandle my stuff! Pretty sure you and everyone else here haven't heard of a hypnosis mic, yeah? Those bozos probably wouldn't know what to do with it and break it or something. Or break their face, either one." Ramuda huffed out loud enough for his team to hear. This guy sure was crabby for an old man! The pinkette highly doubted the man could easily replicate his hypnosis microphone and it's functions like he claimed. The very thought of anyone taking his mic-his current and only form of personal protection-pissed him off, but he'd just have to see if someone'd miss it when grabbing their stuff and leave it there for him to get later when all the wackos were gone.

"Hmph, since you're in such a rush then fine fine, stop yelling at me and go already. I'll be right behind ya, Grampa!" He grumbled like a disgruntled child, ready to follow after the man and the rest of his team, though caught sight of a boy headed towards the fountain, their eyes meeting for a split second.

"...?" Hm? Who was that? For a second, he wondered if his eyes were playing tricks on him. Ramuda pursed his lips and turned to follow The Doctor and the rest down the alley, the pep in his step from moments before practically gone completely.

"Bummer." He sighed under his breath.

'Tch, the hell am I supposed to do without my mic? Who knows what those guys would do with it if they got their hands on it. I guess if I need to I can get someone on this 'team' to protect me until I can get my mic back.' he thought almost bitterly.

It took a lot of self-restraint on Daniel's part not to lash out and toss the mean cyborg man away. Though, given a quick glance around, Daniel had to agree that no one in the immediate area looked remotely like Sean. Still, Daniel was feeling angry and confused. The old man was not the boss of him. "I'm not scared of these people!" Daniel exclaimed, watching the Doctor defiantly as they moved. He turned his gaze at the pink-haired guy and looked at him warily. Daniel just felt like he was being talked down to.

When they saw the missing member of Team Prudence, Daniel's conviction became clear. "We gotta help him!" he yelled. It seemed to him the old man wanted them to just run but Daniel didn't want to listen to him. He started to run across the square, hand held out and ready react to anyone who tried to stop him.

@Sark @Takumi @Yun Lee @Lucky @Jeremi @TeamPrudence

---

Considering the chaos happening nearby, it did not seem like the worst idea to Phi to calmly get in line behind Shang Tsung. She gave a quick glance around at her teammates who were still nearby. "I'm Phi," she said, having chosen to not give her name earlier.

She turned back to the line ahead and shook her head. "This is too convenient, but if it works out it might give us an edge."

@Sark @Jeremi @Takumi @Lucky @Space_Candy @TeamOblivion​

"Hey kid-" Ramuda started, but Daniel was already running off. Pouting he muttered something under his breath. Then he bit his lip and decided to go ahead and say what he wanted anyway before Daniel was out of earshot or something.

"If you see my mic first, get it for me?" He told the boy, wondering if the other would even survive the chaos. Really, you would think the people in the carriages would stop and turn back the way they came after that big old Titan man came charging in. He watched as Hank fired a warning shot from his eyes, and as cool as that was that just made him just another threat to look out for.

@Sark @Yun Lee @Atomic Knight @Lucky @Jeremi @TeamPrudence

Shion followed along with Phi and Shang Thing, keeping an eye out for any of the more hostile teams in case they tried to attack them. When Phi introduced herself Shion turned his head to her to do the same.

"Name's Shion." He greeted, giving her a tired smile that didn't reach his eyes. He didn't smile long, as his gaze went back to the chaos by the fountain a moment.

@Sark @Jeremi @Atomic Knight @Lucky @Space_Candy @TeamOblivion

 

[York]

Spoiler: Replies

"Kill you?" Arcade cackled, a hand clutching his stomach. "Oh, no, I'm not going to do that!" Glasses appeared behind the Cyborg and presented him with a soft, rhythmic, highly condescending massage. "You see, Hank, on Planet Malice? Arcade is the Top-Dog. His Word is Law. His Will is Reality. Down here? We're unmatched. We get to be a decadent as we like, and no-one gets to say nothin'." He leaned in close. Hank and Hank alone could feel the Madman's breath on his cheek. "We're not going to kill you, Hank, because that would be boring.
" We're not going to kill you because none of us would get any satisfaction out of watching you squirm like a fish in a flaming barrel.
"No.
"We're going to set you free.
"We're going to give you a fighting chance.
"Why?
"Because there's nothing more glorious than the spectacular fizzle of a moral spirit robbed of all dignity.
"Because there's no sight more beautiful than a man's eyes as the last few, bitter drops of hope are squeezed from them by someone he once called friends.
"We're going to torment you.
"We're going to torture you.
"We're going to make you angry. Heartbroken. Desperate.
"By the time my game is done?
"You'll kill each other without question.
"Without thought.
"Without reason.
"You'll all be corrupted.
"Broken.
"Ruined.
"Then,
"And only then,
"We will allow you to die...
"All of you...
"Well...
"All but one, that is...

Arcade released Henshaw's shoulders with a extravagant, dramatic push. He span around on the spot, his index finger raised high.
"That's right, ladies and gentlemen! You heard me correctly! Not all shall fall in the service of my whims! Oh no!" A grim trickled across his lips. "Oh no. The Team that lives to see this week's end? The Team that brutalizes the competition? The Team most willing to pulverize, mutilate and murderize their fellow pawns? Oh... they shall be rewarded!!!"

"Yes! A prize beyond imagination awaits you at this week's end! The greatest killers among you shall have their Greatest Wish Granted by Army of Arcades... and they'll also win a lovely dinner date with yours truly. I'm sure that you Masters back home have promised you glorious things too, no? They've promised to burry your secrets? Free your friends? Clean your slates? I'm sure you're all spoiled for incentives!"

"So kiss you moral conundrums goodbye, my dears! Leave your compasses at the door! A week of misery, agony and suffering awaits you!"

Arcade stretched out his hand. A long, silver leaver extended out of the floor and nestled in the palm of his hand.

"Welcome to Murderworld Tour, Bitches! First Stop: New Pride City! Planet Albion!"

[CRANK!]
*****
CHAMPIONS OF THE ARENA III: CURSED COMPANY
CHAPTER 1: FLAGFALL
[World 3.1: New Pride City, Planet Albion]
***
Falling.
Failing.
Falling.
Clouds rushed by you. The wind howled. The scries screamed. The taste of smog and ash burned your tongue. Hard to breathe. Hard to think. Hard to--
Crack!
You struck the Earth. Your head was spinning. Hard to tell where... When... Was that...?
A horse shoe narrowly avoided your skull. Another one stamped down beside your ear. A great, wheel hurtled towards you. A hand yanked you out of the street before--
"Oi! Move it! Damn Vagabonds! Go back to New Paris, freaks! We don't want your kind in Pride! Ya hear me?" The driver whipped his horse twice more, and trundled across the cobblestone street towards New Buckingham. "Go back to New Paris you alien tossers!!"
***
View attachment 9062
***
Welcome to New Pride City. Welcome to the overworld.
Carriages and carts swarmed you like seagulls swarm chips. Every step you took, you risked a very painful, a bitter pill which would no doubt be washed down by another sour dose of xenophobia from some of the locals. You reached for your weapons. Bullocks. Where were they? Your holsters. Your satchels. They were all gone. You clothes and costumes were... different, than before. Sponsorship patches and tacky company logos had been stitched onto every free patch of fabric. It was now all too easy to tell which Conscript belonged to which brand.... ahem... which team everyone belonged to.
You looked up. There they were. Your tools. They were sitting in the heart of the fountain in the center of the street. If you wanted them back, it looked like you were going to have to swim through a sea of horses and carriages and, of course, the superpowers conscripts who wanted your head mounted upon a spike.
The streets were smoggy and cluttered. If you wanted a better lay of the land, you were going to need to fall back, climb to some high ground, and survey the situation from there. That said... everyone you could possibly want to kill was standing right in front of you... There was nothing stopping you from getting the party started here and now...
***

Team Prudence:
***
"One, two, three, four, f--" The Doctor stopped himself mid-word. His hands drifted to his lapels. His mouth slipped agape. "Oh my, we are in a pickle, no aren't we, hm? It appears as if we're two men down... Lost in the fray, no doubt. They've chosen their paths. We must now chose ours." The callous old man synced his watch with that of a nearby clock tower, ceasing his brief search for their two missing members. "Curious... we've lost a few minutes on arrival. Needless to say, we're in a different time-zone... Dare I say, a different planet? Ever been to one of those before, hm? A different planet? A different world? This is new experience for some of you, do doubt! Ha! Well, drink it up, my dears." He smiled warmly, setting his watch aside.
"Though... this is hardly the finest alien world I have visited... oh, and it's hardly the most friendly... But the sight of two suns in the sky is something to behold! You're a long way away from Earth now, dear humans! As much as I'd love to explore this place with whimsy and leisure, I fear that retreat must be today's watchword. Come!" He pointed to a shaded alley a few blocks down the way. "To shelter!"

"I know what you did... I know of yours sins... Fight, or whole word finds out... Fight to win... Kill Arcade, no matter the cost..."

RAMUDA AMEMURA// YASHAMARU// DANIEL DIAZ// CHASE DAVENPORT// HANK HENSHAW// THE DOCTOR// JAMES R. RHODES// JANET VAN DYNE
^ @Takumi @Yun Lee @Atomic Knight @Lucky @Jeremi ^
***​

Daniel followed the Doctor silently, though on the inside he was broiling. He was tired of these endless, horrible games. These were not fun games at all. They were bad games. Very bad games. They had made Daniel do a very bad thing. Maybe even a lot more than that if he understood all that had happened so far. What he knew for sure was that he killed a version of Arcade. Even if he was supposed to do that, he just knew Sean would be really upset with him.

Sean...

Where was Sean? What had that vision meant? Whatever it was, Daniel remembered something about him and Sean being separated. Had they found each other again and Daniel didn't remember?

"I need to find my brother!" Daniel blurted out to the Doctor and the others. "Sean Diaz! I need to find him! He has to be around here!"

@Sark @Takumi @Yun Lee @Lucky @Jeremi @TeamPrudence​

"Your brother is of little consequence," Henshaw replied brusquely. "Only the death of Arcade matters." He had decided to not fly. Better to not stir the populace. Instead, he'd focus his X-Ray vision towards where the Doctor was leading them. Henshaw hated surprises and he was sure Arcade had stored some of them in this place.

@Sark @Takumi @Yun Lee @Lucky @Jeremi @TeamPrudence​

"Hey, hey, wait a minute Mister! What if you get jumped down there or something? Besides I have something verrrry important of mine in that fountain! If it gets water damaged I'll definitely get in biiig trouble!" Ramuda spoke up from the back of the group to the Doctor with a slight pout. Though the pinkette's gaze landed on Eren as he grew determined to get his own gear enough to become some kind of beast.

"Oh wooww, attacking the Innocents? It's gonna bite him right in the butt later, probably." Ramuda commented with a thoughtful frown. Though, if he could just get his microphone and be on his way then maybe this was one of the quickest ways? Besides, he didn't really care about the 'innocents' right now, but this would totally reflect badly on the rest of the groups. Twirling the ever present lollipop in his mouth he glanced to Daniel.

"Don't worry, I'm sure your brother's just fine! You'll probably see him again before this is all over, so just keep your hopes up!" He spoke up in an attempt to get Daniel to quiet down a bit.

@Sark @Yun Lee @Lucky @Jeremi @TeamPrudence

Team PRUDENCE
"A brother?" The Doctor chirped, a grey eyebrow shuffling up his forehead. "Look around you, boy! Your presence here is an anomaly! A curious thing! I see no other young boys on this accursed street, do you? Even admits the horses and giants, would we have not seen him by now?" A pull on the boy's collar yanked him out of the path of a runway carriage. "Young Master Diaz, your brother is not here! Every millisecond you waste digesting such a pill is a second better spent running!"


"My! You are a decidedly blunt fellow, aren't you?" The Doctor hummed, retreating form the opening brawl. "Though I agree that this 'Arcade' character must be... dealt with, I do believe that such matters are best discussed when our own lives are not in immediate danger, don't you agree? Arcade can wait. We cannot!"

Henshaw's scan of the alley would reveal little of note lurking out of sight. A rat. A trash can. A vagrant, day drunk, slept under and old rug in the corner. Across the street, a young, two-hearted snake oil salesman stood atop an apple crate, selling his wares with a boyish smile. His pitch seemed to draw the attention of the populace away from the alley. A scan of the nearby storefronts revealed a sparsely populated café and an all-but empty antique store further down the street. A few man hole covers littered the road. Each was unlocked, and would allow for a short, safe drop into the wide, open sewers bellow.


"Trinket stores! Jumble shops! Antique stores!" The Doctor bellowed, his already wrinkled brow growing more tense by the minute. "I can think of very few trinkets that a city like this could not replace! Give me a box of scraps, and I could no doubt whisk-up whatever it is you need myself! Tell me, sir, is this toy of yours truly worth your life?"

Across the square, for a moment or two, the image of a young man, unarmed and underpowers, could be seen flickering between the horses. He was no doubt the missing member of Team Prudence, risking life and limb for whatever property he had lost. For a second, his eyes darted over his shoulder, locking with Ramuda's own for a heartbeat. A second later, a racing carriage broke his line of sight.


"Unless we act, none of us will be seeing anything ever again! Cease your prattling and start moving! Stay or leave! A choice must be made!"

RAMUDA AMEMURA// YASHAMARU// DANIEL DIAZ// CHASE DAVENPORT// HANK HENSHAW// THE DOCTOR// JAMES R. RHODES// JANET VAN DYNE
^ @Takumi @Yun Lee @Atomic Knight @Lucky @Jeremi ^ ​

It took a lot of self-restraint on Daniel's part not to lash out and toss the mean cyborg man away. Though, given a quick glance around, Daniel had to agree that no one in the immediate area looked remotely like Sean. Still, Daniel was feeling angry and confused. The old man was not the boss of him. "I'm not scared of these people!" Daniel exclaimed, watching the Doctor defiantly as they moved. He turned his gaze at the pink-haired guy and looked at him warily. Daniel just felt like he was being talked down to.

When they saw the missing member of Team Prudence, Daniel's conviction became clear. "We gotta help him!" he yelled. It seemed to him the old man wanted them to just run but Daniel didn't want to listen to him. He started to run across the square, hand held out and ready react to anyone who tried to stop him.

@Sark @Takumi @Yun Lee @Lucky @Jeremi @TeamPrudence​

Instead of physically moving to restrain the boy Henshaw fired a blast of heat vision at his feet scorching the ground to get his attention. "The others are of little consequence. If you wish to kill yourself then feel free to do so," He pointed towards one of the manhole covers on the road. "We are too exposed right now. Arcade no doubt has eyes and ears everywhere, but vanishing into the sewers might give us an upper hand. Would you not agree...Doctor?"

He looked at the old. The way how Henshaw had said his name was almost hostile, but they had no prior history with each other, right?

@Sark @Takumi @Yun Lee @Lucky @Atomic Knight @TeamPrudence

"I'll have you know, Gramps, that someone could get seriously hurt if they mishandle my stuff! Pretty sure you and everyone else here haven't heard of a hypnosis mic, yeah? Those bozos probably wouldn't know what to do with it and break it or something. Or break their face, either one." Ramuda huffed out loud enough for his team to hear. This guy sure was crabby for an old man! The pinkette highly doubted the man could easily replicate his hypnosis microphone and it's functions like he claimed. The very thought of anyone taking his mic-his current and only form of personal protection-pissed him off, but he'd just have to see if someone'd miss it when grabbing their stuff and leave it there for him to get later when all the wackos were gone.

"Hmph, since you're in such a rush then fine fine, stop yelling at me and go already. I'll be right behind ya, Grampa!" He grumbled like a disgruntled child, ready to follow after the man and the rest of his team, though caught sight of a boy headed towards the fountain, their eyes meeting for a split second.

"...?" Hm? Who was that? For a second, he wondered if his eyes were playing tricks on him. Ramuda pursed his lips and turned to follow The Doctor and the rest down the alley, the pep in his step from moments before practically gone completely.

"Bummer." He sighed under his breath.

'Tch, the hell am I supposed to do without my mic? Who knows what those guys would do with it if they got their hands on it. I guess if I need to I can get someone on this 'team' to protect me until I can get my mic back.' he thought almost bitterly.



"Hey kid-" Ramuda started, but Daniel was already running off. Pouting he muttered something under his breath. Then he bit his lip and decided to go ahead and say what he wanted anyway before Daniel was out of earshot or something.

"If you see my mic first, get it for me?" He told the boy, wondering if the other would even survive the chaos. Really, you would think the people in the carriages would stop and turn back the way they came after that big old Titan man came charging in. He watched as Hank fired a warning shot from his eyes, and as cool as that was that just made him just another threat to look out for.

@Sark @Yun Lee @Atomic Knight @Lucky @Jeremi @TeamPrudence

Ifrit
@Sark @Takumi @Yun Lee @Lucky @Atomic Knight @TeamPrudence

The young, yet... Almost demonic looking girl had been following Team Prudence for a while now. She had apparently been deployed with them, but had up until this point been silent, in a kind of dazed state.

Seeing the Alleyway had a Cafe, her stomach growled. She was hungry, having forgotten to eat before she had passed out that night in her quarters on Rhode's Island. For the time being, she could care less where she was, or who was with her. She just wanted to eat.

Normally she'd steal some food, threatening anyone who dared get in her way, but Doctor always did tell her to pay for things, if she could.

Patting herself down, she soon realized she had not a single cent on her, having left all her Lungmen dollars laying about her room.

Fortunately, there was one last option in her mind; that man who was dashing about in the allyway. Someone who was supposed to... Travel with her? Maybe he would have some money on him, or food!

Wordlessly, she charged after him, not even considering the fact she would be risking her own life for a small dash of hope of being fed, somehow.​

 

[Capri]

ZORA SALAZAR
@Sark @Minerva @Ver @Gummi Bunnies @Crunch @Yun Lee @MagatsuNoImouto @Space_Candy

"Disadvantage?" Zora said to Fushimi, "We gotta whole fountain o' loot tuh ah-selves,"

She pics up Ramuda's mic, examining it over before slipping it in her back pocket.

"That could be an impruvahz'd maylay weapon," she said, "Buht ah dahgress, tayk whutcha want, alls fair in luhv n' warfare,"​

 

[Sark]

Zora would run in and grab her two time guns from the fountain, and flipped them around and into her holsters.

"Alls fair in luv n' war, pardner," Zora said to 17.

Meanwhile, Josuke would try to use Soft and Wet to punch 17 off of Conner.

Team NEXIUM/DEAD HEART
17 smirked, his eyes fixed upon the line of Dead Hearts marching towards him. With a flex of his shoulder, a thin, emerald bubble rippled out from his person. Soft and Wet's fists sent ripples across its glassy surface, but they failed to pierce its perimeter.
View attachment 9085
"All is fair..." 17 repeated to himself. "I do like the sound of that..."

❝ ... ❞ Rock only silently stood there, appearing much like an older version of Mato. The Other Self would raise one hand to summon what was a large cannon from the looks of it.

❝ Hey! Get off him! ❞ Mato's voice resounded in an echo from Rock, whom the latter of the pair didn't seem to talk very much. Either way, it seemed that the both of them were quite in sync on what to do, with Rock taking aim at 17 and firing off an energy shot at him right as Mato made her demand to have him get off of Conner.

Rock would then take a quick visual assessment of the area around them, blinking in bewilderment at the sight of Titan Eren grabbing a hold of various gear from the fountain. While it wasn't particularly a useful tool for combat, Mato would see through Rock's line of sight that something of hers was discarded into the Titan's maw along with other tools and belongings. She couldn't miss the sight of the bird keychain charm hanging off of it...

❝ W-Wait! That's... that's my cell phone! Give it back! ❞ The high schooler's voice echoed out in a stammered panic, and Rock training her large arm cannon at the Titan with caution.

The hum of charging energy. The sound of a finger tapping a trigger. Although they were mere whispers to mortal men, they were screams and wails to Android 17 and his enhanced hearing. He hear Mato's energy shot coming his way. He dropped his shield. He rolled to the side. He let the blast burn the air above him and strike Josuke square in the chest.

"What can I say?" The Android shrugged smugly. "All is fair..."

ZORA SALAZAR
@Sark @Minerva @Ver @Gummi Bunnies @Crunch @Yun Lee @MagatsuNoImouto @Space_Candy

"Disadvantage?" Zora said to Fushimi, "We gotta whole fountain o' loot tuh ah-selves,"

She pics up Ramuda's mic, examining it over before slipping it in her back pocket.

"That could be an impruvahz'd maylay weapon," she said, "Buht ah dahgress, tayk whutcha want, alls fair in luhv n' warfare,"

"So, one objective complete, but at the risk of sounding like that guy over there," Fushimi said, gesturing toward 17, "What's the next step of our grand plan? I'm thinking we're a bit at a disadvantage here..."

"It's obvious, isn't it?" 17 chirped over the sound of screaming cannons and spitting horses. "Or, at least, its so much clearer now... We start by looking for the enemy's weakest link. We identify it..." A ball of fire sparked upon the Android's palm. With each passing heartbeat, the ball grew larger. Larger. Larger! "We erode it... and then?"
View attachment 9087
"We remove it!"
BOOOM!
Android 17's Ki sphere tore a hole straight through Conner's back and out through his chest. He twitched. He spat. He went silent. 17 slowly closed his fingers. He kicked the Kryptonian's smoldering corpse onto its side and stepped back towards the fountain.
"It's a numbers game, friend... and the numbers? They're in our favor now. This here? This is where the real fun starts..."

CONNER KENT/SUPERMAN HAS BEEN ELIMINATED!!
KILLER: ANDROID 17!
METHOD OF MURDER: KILLED VIA KI BLAST!
CRIME: SECOND DEGREE MURDER!

TEAM DEAD HEART: 7/8 MEMBERS REMAINING!

All's fair in love and war...

The Titan didn't think for a second that the carriages that he's kicked would be sent back at him. Eren could only react fast enough to bring his arms up to block the returned projectiles, letting out a grunt as he slid back a short distance but kept himself upright. One of his arms took more of the impact than the other, appearing battered and already regenerating slowly by letting out steam.

❝ Alright... gotta snatch my gear... I think I have the chance now! ❞ Inside the nape of his Titan's neck where no one would really hear what he was saying, Eren reminded himself to retrieve his mobility gear. Given that his transformation into a Titan and further interjection from his assigned team was an opportunity window alone, he reached out to the fountain with his currently-not-regenerating arm with his sights mainly on his mobility gear. Due to the scale of his Titan's hand, it was probably unavoidable that he could've grabbed a hold of some other people's stuff, but it was way too risky to ditch his Titan body now to reobtain his gear and equip it without being attacked. Once he got a hold of mobility gear in full along with some other miscellaneous things, the Titan would drop said gear into his maw for now, making sure not to accidentally swallow his own gear. Holding stuff in his mouth was a lot better than just holding it right in the open in his hand anyways.

"Murderer! He's murdered someone! Mur-der-er!" Eleven chanted to himself. His smirk was banished with a slap to his cheek. "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!"
"Ooooohhh we should join!" The Eleven snarled through gritted teeth. "We should steal that mallet! Turn someone's head inside out! I'm sure the Nine will love the stealing part! Oh... the Five agrees with me! He wants us to--"
Slap
"Shut up! Shut up!" The Eleven hissed, biting the scruff of his sleeve. His other hand grabbed short, silver pistol from the top of the fountain's mound. "Be quiet... Quiet now Six... The spirit of your plan is sound... but I'd rather a more... logistical approach!"

As the Titan's hand plunged deep into the fountain, the Eleven ceased his opportunity. The Time Lord leaped onto the Titan's wrist and held on for dear life. The creature's hand approached its mouth. The Renegade jumped again. He landed upon Eren's shoulder. He clicked the safety off of his weapon.

"The Five sends his regards!"

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The Timelord unleashed a flurry of shots in the direction of the airborne Sinestro, prompting the Lantern to delay his assualt and raise his shield.

"Look at us now, Eight! Look at us now!"

"Disadvantage?" Zora said to Fushimi, "We gotta whole fountain o' loot tuh ah-selves,"

She pics up Ramuda's mic, examining it over before slipping it in her back pocket.

"That could be an impruvahz'd maylay weapon," she said, "Buht ah dahgress, tayk whutcha want, alls fair in luhv n' warfare,"

Swords. Guns. Knives. No. Such things didn't catch Forge's eye. He rummaged through the Conscripts defects. He frantically pushed and searched and---

There.

A box of scrap. The equivalent of a nuclear bomb, in his hands. A battery pack. An insulated pipe. A mechanical heart. His hands danced across the device. Team Oblivion's missing member approached the fountain. He set his hands upon a large, metal container. It was at least 7 foot long. Forge set his hands down upon the other end. He raised his freshly-minted, high-caliber blaster rifle. He gestured for the Oblivion Agent to fall back. He didn't move. Forge thinned his eyes. God, he missed his mouth. He looked to Zora for assistance, a hurrying look dancing in his eyes.

Scare him off. We need to go.

CIRI// SARUHIKO FUSHIMI// ZORA SALAZAR// EREN JAEGER// ALEXANDER ANDERSON// FORGE// ANDROID 17// THE ELEVEN
^ @Minerva @Ver @Capri @Gummi Bunnies @Crunch ^

MARRIANE VON EDMUND// JOSUKE HIGASHIKATA// DAN KUROTO// AIZAWA SHOTA// MATO KUROI// CONNER KENT// THAAL SINESTRO// JACQUELINE FALSWORTH
^ @Yun Lee @Capri @MagatsuNoImouto @Space_Candy @Gummi Bunnies ^

"Yes, this is all a little convenient, isn't it? And all of these Arcade's. Fakes." Shang Tsung spoke to the young woman. "But for the time being. Let's play Arcade's little game. Victory will be all the sweeter when he loses by his own rules."

Considering the chaos happening nearby, it did not seem like the worst idea to Phi to calmly get in line behind Shang Tsung. She gave a quick glance around at her teammates who were still nearby. "I'm Phi," she said, having chosen to not give her name earlier.

She turned back to the line ahead and shook her head. "This is too convenient, but if it works out it might give us an edge."

"You were saying?" The elderly wizard smirked, but it was obvious that things were never this easy. Even so, taking the initiative he stepped into the queue. While he certainly had the abilities to shorten the line it was best to keep a low profile for as long as they could. How knows? Maybe when he was done they'd have a very special contact within this city?

Team OBLIVION
"Come down now, sir..." Evie winced at wizard's smirk as she joined the queue, her hands idly looping behind her back. "No one likes a show off... Still. Provided that this salesman isn't one of Arcade's lackeys, we've still got another obstacle to overcome; without our gear, how are we going to pay for our--"

"--MAPS!" The salesman proclaimed. With an extravagant flail, he extended his palm. "A SHILLING A MAP, THANK YOU, SIRS AND MA'AMS! WILL YOU BE PAYING TOGETHER, OR SEPERATELY? COLORED MAPS COST AN EXTRA HALF-PENNY. IF YOU WANT A MAP WITH ALL THE SECRET LAND-MARKS DRAWN ON, THAT'LL BE A FULL POUND. YOU'VE GOT TO PAY FOR QUALITY, MY FRIENDS!"

In the distance, an explosion sounded. The First Conscript had fallen.

Considering the chaos happening nearby, it did not seem like the worst idea to Phi to calmly get in line behind Shang Tsung. She gave a quick glance around at her teammates who were still nearby. "I'm Phi," she said, having chosen to not give her name earlier.

She turned back to the line ahead and shook her head. "This is too convenient, but if it works out it might give us an edge."

"Name's Shion." He greeted, giving her a tired smile that didn't reach his eyes. He didn't smile long, as his gaze went back to the chaos by the fountain a moment.

"Phi, Shion, it's a pleasure," Evie crossed her wrists and offered both parties an open palm. "If only we were re-meeting under sweeter circumstances. I'm Evie. Evie Frye."

SHANG TSUNG// SHION// PHI// MOLLYMAUK TEALEAF// SUIGETSU HOZUKU// EEVIE FRYE// GODBRAND// AKUMA
^ @Jeremi @Atomic Knight @Takumi @Lucky @Space_Candy ^

Instead of physically moving to restrain the boy Henshaw fired a blast of heat vision at his feet scorching the ground to get his attention. "The others are of little consequence. If you wish to kill yourself then feel free to do so," He pointed towards one of the manhole covers on the road. "We are too exposed right now. Arcade no doubt has eyes and ears everywhere, but vanishing into the sewers might give us an upper hand. Would you not agree...Doctor?"

He looked at the old. The way how Henshaw had said his name was almost hostile, but they had no prior history with each other, right?

Team PRUDENCE
The Doctor's posture shifted. The tight grip he help over his lapels tightened even further. He raised his neck to get a better look at the imposing Cyborg. He thinned his eyes. He twisted his lips into a subtle, hesitant scowl.

"Hm.... Quite..." He muttered, dissecting Hank from the corner of his eye. "You'll have to forgive me, sir, but I didn't catch your name... and I certainly did not throw mine."

It took a lot of self-restraint on Daniel's part not to lash out and toss the mean cyborg man away. Though, given a quick glance around, Daniel had to agree that no one in the immediate area looked remotely like Sean. Still, Daniel was feeling angry and confused. The old man was not the boss of him. "I'm not scared of these people!" Daniel exclaimed, watching the Doctor defiantly as they moved. He turned his gaze at the pink-haired guy and looked at him warily. Daniel just felt like he was being talked down to.

When they saw the missing member of Team Prudence, Daniel's conviction became clear. "We gotta help him!" he yelled. It seemed to him the old man wanted them to just run but Daniel didn't want to listen to him. He started to run across the square, hand held out and ready react to anyone who tried to stop him.

Across the square, Daniel caught sight of the Missing Member once again. He was standing opposite the mouthless man from the Resort, the one who had once replied to the name 'Forge'. The Missing Member stared down the rifle barrel the mutant had shoved in his face. He didn't flinch. He didn't blink. His hands remained fixed upon the large, metal container that bridged the gap between the two men. He refused to give it up. He refused to relinquish his claim.

"Get back here! Get back... ohhhh..." The Doctor murmured with defeated frustration. A body as old as his, weaving in and out of speeding carriages? Folly. It was a young man's game, and he was already wearing a bit thin. "Stupid boy!" He screamed out into the fray, hoping that the child might listen to his brand of reason.

"I'll have you know, Gramps, that someone could get seriously hurt if they mishandle my stuff! Pretty sure you and everyone else here haven't heard of a hypnosis mic, yeah? Those bozos probably wouldn't know what to do with it and break it or something. Or break their face, either one." Ramuda huffed out loud enough for his team to hear. This guy sure was crabby for an old man! The pinkette highly doubted the man could easily replicate his hypnosis microphone and it's functions like he claimed. The very thought of anyone taking his mic-his current and only form of personal protection-pissed him off, but he'd just have to see if someone'd miss it when grabbing their stuff and leave it there for him to get later when all the wackos were gone.

"I assure you, I have no doubt meddled with far more dangerous technology, my dear boy!" The Doctor exclaimed, offended by Ramuda's protestations. To the Doctor, it was as if the boy was throwing down the gauntlet. The Time Lord was eager to pick it up. "And kindly refrain from calling me 'Gramps'! It's 'Doctor' or 'sir', thank you very much!"

"Hmph, since you're in such a rush then fine fine, stop yelling at me and go already. I'll be right behind ya, Grampa!" He grumbled like a disgruntled child, ready to follow after the man and the rest of his team, though caught sight of a boy headed towards the fountain, their eyes meeting for a split second.

"Do I look like a parrot to you, hm?" The Doctor hummed, raising another puzzled eyebrow. "Well do I? Am I wearing crimson wears? Does a beak protrude my face? Hm? No? Then, kindly, do not bait me into repeating things, child! You may called be 'Doctor'! 'Doc-tor'! It is not difficult, I assure you, now---" The Doctor pivoted back to the remainder of his team. "We are yet to make a definitive decision! Are we to venture through this city's alleyways, as I first suggested, or do we obey the directions of he-who-is-yet-to-share-his-name, considering the he already appears to know oh so much about us already, hm?"

The young, yet... Almost demonic looking girl had been following Team Prudence for a while now. She had apparently been deployed with them, but had up until this point been silent, in a kind of dazed state.

Seeing the Alleyway had a Cafe, her stomach growled. She was hungry, having forgotten to eat before she had passed out that night in her quarters on Rhode's Island. For the time being, she could care less where she was, or who was with her. She just wanted to eat.

Normally she'd steal some food, threatening anyone who dared get in her way, but Doctor always did tell her to pay for things, if she could.

Patting herself down, she soon realized she had not a single cent on her, having left all her Lungmen dollars laying about her room.

Fortunately, there was one last option in her mind; that man who was dashing about in the allyway. Someone who was supposed to... Travel with her? Maybe he would have some money on him, or food!

Wordlessly, she charged after him, not even considering the fact she would be risking her own life for a small dash of hope of being fed, somehow.

"Oh--w--hm?" The Doctor stammered as demon-child made her approach. The badges, logos and icons that were burned onto her clothing alleviated his concerns. "A strangler, hm? I shan't pretend that the company isn't welcome. Come, child. We may be few, but this team of ours must try to stick together nonetheless."

RAMUDA AMEMURA// YASHAMARU// DANIEL DIAZ// CHASE DAVENPORT// HANK HENSHAW// THE DOCTOR// JAMES R. RHODES// IFRIT
^ @Takumi @Yun Lee @Atomic Knight @Lucky @Jeremi ^ ​

 

[Jeremi]

"Only beggars walk around with no coin to their name," Shang Tsung said to the assassin. From his coat pocket he managed to pull out a small round ruby. "My good sir, what among your fine wares could I get with this?"

@Sark @Atomic Knight @Takumi @Lucky @Space_Candy Team Oblivion

---

"Your reputation precedes you," Henshaw remarked coolly. "As for who I am? The Cyborg Superman." He watched as the child continued alone. "Leave him. He's of no worth to us. Weren't you eager to leave these streets? The sewers will give us the cover we need." He hovered slightly from off the ground. "Decide quickly. I will not be idle for much longer."

@Takumi @Yun Lee @Atomic Knight @Lucky @Jeremi Team Prudence

 

[Atomic Knight]

Daniel heard the Doctor but didn't even look back. If those people weren't willing to help others, then Daniel wasn't sure he wanted to be around them anyway. He recalled Sean telling him that the samurai was trustworthy, so distantly he hoped at least that man would help.

When he eventually saw the rifle, Daniel barely hesitated. He reached out with his hand to push the the aggressor away with a blast of telekinetic force. "You're a bully!" the boy yelled.

@Sark @Takumi @Yun Lee @Lucky @Jeremi @York @TeamPrudence

---

Phi gave Shion a nod and calmly shook Evie's hand. She noted Shion's glance toward the fighting, though it was hard to miss the explosion that rocked the entire square. Phi had a feeling someone had just been murdered. It worried her, thinking about the kids she saw at the resort who must still be around here somewhere. She just hoped they could take care of themselves.

"Is this anything like that other arena you were told about?" Phi asked Shion.

@Sark @Jeremi @Takumi @Lucky @Space_Candy @TeamOblivion​

 

[Capri]

ZORA SALAZAR
@Sark @Minerva @Ver @Gummi Bunnies @Crunch @Yun Lee @MagatsuNoImouto @Space_Candy @Atomic Knight

"Ah've fayced men stronger n' won boy, "Shove" ain't that strong uhv n' Epithet,"

Zora pulled out one of her time guns and aimed it at Daniel.

"You evuh faced a Nova Class before? Once n' a lahftime, boy, savuh dis mo-ment,"

Dialing the distance between the ground and herself up, she began to float midair.

She fired, purposefully hitting the ground before Daniel's feet.

"Run, boy, or else ah'll hafta do somethin' ah regret..."​

 

[Atomic Knight]

Daniel took a staggering step away from the shot at his feet. "What's wrong with you?!" he cried out in anger, glaring up at Zora. He had to admit, he was a bit scared to see her rise into the air. Still, trying to use the gun to scare him just made Daniel annoyed. Telekinetic energy built up around him in response to his rising emotions.

"If you'd regret it, then don't do it! I'm trying to save someone!"

Water from the fountain exploded upward and moved rapidly to crash down around Zora.

@Capri​

 

[Capri]

ZORA SALAZAR
@Atomic Knight

The water that Daniel sent at Zora stopped moving, before it started moving again, this time towards Daniel.

But there was a difference. Zora not only dialed down the distance between Daniel and the water, she also dialed up the amount of water that was in the fountain, and dialed down the distance between all the stuff in the fountain and the ground, causing a tidal wave of fountain water to be launched at Daniel, intending to wash the kid away.

However, once all the water hit, Zora dialed down the amount of water in the streets and dialed up the amount of water in the fountain.

Still floating, Zora only said three words

View attachment 9088

“Fahnal warnin’, run,”​

 

[Atomic Knight]

The rush of water slammed into Daniel's telekinetic barrier, the kid's eyes going wide at what he considered an impossible sight. No matter what crazy things he'd seen since all of this arena stuff began, whatever this woman did enveloped all of that. Though Daniel was unscathed, he was unsure if he could do anything at all here.

He started to back away, though he was still not running. His body shook with fear, though still Daniel kept his eyes ahead. No matter how scary this was, Daniel didn't know if he could just leave somebody behind.

"... Fine."

Daniel reached out, taking hold of the air around the unknown team member with a telekinetic hold and pulling him toward himself. Daniel turned to run, trying to withhold a barrier behind himself while also carrying the young man through the air. If it hadn't been for his practice with Samus, he wasn't sure he'd have been able to do this at all.

@Sark @Takumi @Yun Lee @Lucky @Jeremi @York @TeamPrudence

@Minerva @Ver @Capri @Gummi Bunnies @Crunch @TeamNexium​

 

[Capri]

ZORA SALAZAR & JOSUKE HIGASHIKATA
@Sark @Minerva @Ver @Gummi Bunnies @Crunch @Yun Lee @MagatsuNoImouto @Space_Candy

After dialing the amount of water that got on or inside of her teammates (and her teammates alone) down, she turned to Forge.

“Got ‘im runnin’” Zora said matter-of-factly to the mute before she turned to team Dead Hearts and spread her arms.

View attachment 9089

“Now, anyone who wanna challenge me or mah team-mates, step right up,”

View attachment 9090

“Th-they’re monsters!” Josuke mutters under his breath, visibly shaken.​

 

[Ver]

View attachment 9091

"Heh, and here I really was expecting you'd mow that kid down. Guess you're a bigger softie than you let on, lady," Fushimi said to Zora with something of an amused slant in his tone, only continuing to stand in place and let Daniel go free. The young man saw no immediate threat from the child; he had unique powers for sure, but in the grand scheme of things, nothing Fushimi hadn't seen before.

To that end, frankly he had little desire to indulge in indiscriminate fighting like this. They had a job to do, after all, and it wouldn't do well to waste energy trying to ice the other teams, though if someone were to try and jump him, Fushimi would certainly not hold back against his aggressor. After all, it was as he said before.

He played to win.

At this moment, while he was drenched in the explosion of water from the fountain behind him, the young man ran his hand through his hair, slicking it back onto his head, only for the water to be dialed back by Zora's power, drying him up in an instant and causing his bangs to come back down into his face, causing him to click his tongue. Well, so much for trying out a new look.

With that, Fushimi cleared his throat not long after. "As much as I'd love to put down anyone who gets in our way, haven't we got a job to do? I'd hate to think of a bag of chuckles like Arcade living on to die another day," he mused; in some manner or another, it really did feel like this was all a big distraction.

@Capri @Sark @Gummi Bunnies @Minerva @Crunch @TeamNexium​