[color=orange][u]The Anthology of G-52 Literature[/u][/color] [color=lightgreen][u]Leveling Up to Royalty Chapter 1: Learning About the Test[/u][/color] Hi, everybody; this is Cripto once again. I had before mentioned how I had advanced from agent-officer in the D-19 organization, and it was time for each of us to level up one more time. While the six of us (Aska, Becca, Mel, Wally, Sharkfin, and me) would still be part of the B-faction by definition, we’d not be just at the level we currently were at anymore; we’d now be at the top of the system, at the Royalty level. It wasn’t going to be easy, but I am a tough fighter. “If I can endure troubles with nightmares,” I said to myself to motivate myself, “I can do this. No problem!” Note that Royalty is as high as it goes normally, because there are three special classes applying only to the top three: queen (Junira), king (Gamma), and prince (Zanta), respectively going top, second, and third. Zanta later revealed how he was the darkness member of the A-faction as well, and got into that the same way I got into the B-faction. “Technically, I created the class of prince just by existing,” he had said to Drake the Tiger, Leo the Tiger’s father, “but I’m both. I got into the A-faction the same way, and it wasn’t easy.” Today, I’d learn about the test while we were relaxing in the greenhouse jungle inside the academy. I’d also learn here that while the freak accident of my superpowers brought all those cartoon and video game characters to life on Earth (Earth-75 as we now must call it), other forces had led specific ones to exist on other worlds, including Eterna, long before then. As a result, Zanta had been showing us some berries that Pokémon creatures can eat, and Alex latter got one for his own. It was a Dedenne. It immediately took a liking to Alex, and we admired it on just how cute it was. While Alex played with Dedenne, Becca came in and sat down next to me. “Hey,” she greeted. “Hi, Becca,” I greeted with a smile. “How’ve you been since last I saw you?” “Great. You?” “Just fine. It’s been a while. But you’ve come just in time to see Alex enjoying his time with his new Pokémon, Dedenne.” “I see that. They’re so cute. Anyway, did you hear?” “Did I hear about what?” “The B-faction is thinking about taking the R.A.E., or Rank Advancement Exam, once again. This won’t be like the last one, though; that got us into the B-faction to start with. This one will have us level up to the Royalty class.” “I didn’t hear about it until you just said it. But to become a Royalty class Eternal would be a fantastic achievement, no doubt. Then the only ones above us would be the queen and king, and possibly Zanta, too, since he’s both the prince and darkness member of the A-faction.” Super C and Leo the Patriotic Lion heard this, so they naturally came over to where we were, although Leo asked the question. “Hi, Becca,” he greeted. “I hear you might level up to Royalty class now.” “We’re planning on it.” “Would you still be in the B-faction if you did?” “Yes. After all, all the A-faction members are Royalty class.” “That makes sense,” I said. Leo turned to Zanta and commented, “I suppose I still don’t see how you can be both the prince and darkness member of the A-faction simultaneously. I thought they were two different things. But then again, I’m not in the D-19.” “True,” said Zanta, “but I am both, and they are two different things.” He turned to me and asked, “But Cripto, do you know what this fight will take?” “What will it take?” I asked. “You’ll have to fight all of A-faction one at a time, finishing with the current champion.....me. Your whole faction fights at once, but if one is rendered unconscious, they’re removed from battle for the rest of the test. However, if even one of you passes, you will ALL become royalty class eternals. Plus, there are no live audiences, since the fights are broadcast on TV, so there’s no cheering section.” “I see,” I nodded. “With a battle like that, a live audience would only cause a distraction. There are plenty of game shows I’m familiar without a live audience in order to cut down on distractions, and some don’t even use an applause track.” “Would he take away your championship or would you still have it?” Super C asked. “Nah,” said Zanta. “I’d still have it, since I am A-faction and he’s in B-faction. The test will take place in Mom’s temple. It has five elite agent halls and the champion’s hall. You can only enter the champion’s hall after you clear the other five.” “I think, then, that we need a bit more training time,” I thought aloud, “but in due time, yes, we can do this. And I do not believe I have ever been in Junira’s temple.” Aska then entered and offered to fist-bump Leo, and Leo did so. “Hey; how’ve you been?” “Doing great; how about you?” the biker hyena replied. “Same here.” “Looks like I’ll have to train again, too,” Zanta murmured, seemingly preoccupied. “Now let’s all look forward to something great,” Leo the Tiger smiled. “I sure will.” Soon my mind was flooded with preparations for taking this portion of the R.A.E., although we continued to smile at the sigh of Alex and Dedenne playing together. In due time, needless to say, Captain Cripton would have to adjust to his adopted son being a Pokémon trainer, but more importantly for the rest of us, I’d be upping to the Royalty level. It to date is the most difficult thing I’ve ever done, but it is something worth nothing and something to be proud of, that’s for certain. ------------ [color=lightgreen][u]Chapter 2: The Test Begins[/u][/color] Soon training sessions began, and we were doing everything from lifting weights to using our powers accordingly. Naturally, I went ahead and did a few sessions of sparring with my sparring partner, Butch, the son of Dark Wolf (and drummer for the punk rock band OSR, or Orange Soda Refinery). Word also got out to King Leo V and his Royal Ensemble, who wondered if their presence was needed again, just as it was when I first got into the B-faction. Although Zanta later told them that it wasn’t, they practiced their famous fanfares anyway, making him smile all the way. Later, in a forest, we found Zanta training for his part of the test, and it was a bit scary to look at. The massive rock golem creature he was fighting appeared to have the upper hand at first. Then Zanta came sweeping up and knocking in down with a karate chop. We then heard him say in a calm voice, “Limiters one and two, release.” The resulting blast of dark energy was almost too scary to think about, so I closed my eyes. Thus, I didn’t see Zanta raise his arm, cloaked in blackness, or flick a finger, which atomized the golem in an instant. My friends told me that is what he did, though, as soon as all was back to normal after Zanta’s next announcement: “Limiters one and two, reinstate.” (Junira had previously used a similar phrase when protecting the Wildcat City district of Horseshoeville from a necromancer attack, but the only thing that was damaged was the barn belonging to Geoff the Generous. She promised to help rebuild it after that, as well as place her blessings and protection upon Geoff; she did this by lighting kissing him on the cheek, and we could then see a small silver heart in the very spot. The rest of the world, since they couldn’t know about the D-19 or its secrets, chose to view the heart as a sign of his generosity.) “I’ve done better,” Zanta commented to himself after checking out the rubble. “I’ll need to step it up for this test. Cripto and the B-faction would have brushed that off with medium damage.” Leo the Tiger also happened to be in the forest, so we let him walk up to Zanta and speak. “Hi, Zanta,” he said. “What just happened?” “I’m training,” Zanta replied. “I have a bad feeling I’ve softened up a fair deal; I haven’t been training in a while. As champion, I will be fighting with three limiters released; what I did just now only involved two. It was pathetic.” “It looked pretty awesome to me.” “It used to be more awesome.” “Don’t feel bad; be positive.” “I just need to practice.” “Yes. I just hate to see you sad.” The two gave hugs to one another, and Zanta purred happily, more thankful than ever that he met Leo. A few days later, it was time for us to take the test. We met in the sacred grounds of Eterna Castle, the place where the academy was naturally home to, and it was our first time there. “Well, here we are,” I said. “I’m guessing this is it.” The others all nodded as we headed into the main hall. We observed how the light from a huge, round stained-glass window hit the middle of the floor. Around the hall were five arched doors, leading to each of the other five members of the A-faction. The sixth door was the door that led to Zanta’s room, but it was shut tight. This was proof we couldn’t enter until we had defeated the other five. Of course, it helped us big time to know that just one person passing was all that it took for us to earn victory. “So these are the non-champ doors, and that’s the door leading to the prince,” I said with confidence. “We have to defeat all of them. I can do this! I defeated the grand-masters!” “Which door do you want first?” Becca asked. “They aren’t numbered, so I am going from left to right, starting with this first one on the left side,” I replied. “Door #1.” We walked inside and heard a voice telling us in our heads that this was the surf chamber, since it was a round room with a round-stone platform in the middle and nothing else. Sharkfin spoke up and said to me, “Aye, matey, that platform is the platform that leads to the flood chamber.” “Do we get on it?” “Aye.” We got on the platform and watched it rise to the next floor. The floor of the next floor was covered with water. At the back of the room was a throne, and sitting on it was a blue female three-tailed fox dressed in a frilly blue dress. That only meant one thing: it was Felicity, the A-faction member of water. “It’s Felicity,” I said. “Who do we want to challenge her?” “I’ll take her on,” Aska volunteered. He stepped forward to meet her. “Welcome, challengers,” she greeted as she stood to her feet. “I am Felicity, master of waterfalls and ice. If you have an agent to challenge me, send him or her forward. If they should fall, another one will take her place. Who challenges?” “I think Aska’s going to go first,” I said as he stepped forward. “I don’t think he should’ve gone first,” Mel sighed, shaking her head. “Should I go after him?” “No, we’ll save you for later, Cripto. You’re our secret weapon. But he shouldn’t have gone first.” “Okay, change that,” I said. “But it’s too late now, because there he goes.” The battle had begun, and we turned to see Aska giving it his all. It was proof that it was a mistake, though, since Felicity had the upper hand. Water trumps fire, after all. She stood on a ball of ice and led it to rise into the air, with a giant crystal on each side. When Aska charged at her with his body engulfed in flames, she simply had to raise a finger to activate a huge pillar of water, which blasted up under Aska. It lasted about 30 seconds. When it disappeared, Aska was still standing, but then his legs gave out and he collapsed. A blinding flash of light came to wrap him up, and he disappeared. “Uh-oh!” I exclaimed. “He’s out! He blew it!” “Idiot!” Mel grumbled. “No, not you. Him. He was at a massive disadvantage. Water trumps fire every time. You know this.” “Of course,” I said. “But since he now must have a replacement, what do you think?” “I’ll go ahead and do it.” Mel stepped forward and said to Felicity, “I now challenge you.” When the battle began again, the hamster in charge of the B-faction summoned up whips of thorny vines to mess up the ice crystals. “Do not expect to pull off that ‘perfect defense’ garbage with me,” she called as Felicity frowned in frustration. “I’ve done my research.” “This ought to be good,” I said as we watched Mel charge at Felicity. “Aye, matey,” Sharkfin agreed. What seemed like a joust evolved into a battle when Mel summoned her two pistols (leading me to think this was her spirit weapon, just as Invinican, my sword, is mine) and fired shot after shot. Each shot got deflected by the actions of Felicity’s staff, which she spun at blinding speed. “Nope; that didn’t work,” I said. We then watch Mel turn it in her favor by waving her left hand, and soon huge cracks appeared in the floor, draining the water. Felicity could do nothing but scowl before she took a hit from a giant exploding seed (which came from Mel’s two pistols). The explosion sent her flying off her ball of ice and into a wall. Mel adjusted her glasses with the heel of her hand and smirked. “I drained the water so you’d have no raw materials for your best attacks,” she said to Felicity. “Most battles can be won with smart tactics and information alone, and we saw that when you defeated Aska. In this case, I have the advantages on my side, since water may trump fire, but it is weak against the element of earth. You’ll never beat me in a game of tactics. You lost as soon as I stepped forward.” She pointed her finger at Felicity, who had now been able to stand up and recover herself from the hit. “Has she won yet?” I wondered aloud. “Not yet,” said Becca. “There’s one more thing to do.” Mel fired her pistols once more, and the exploding seeds this time left Felicity unconscious. When the smoke cleared, a voice rang out and announced Mel was victorious, since Felicity was unable to continue. “I hate to see a fellow Eternal fall apart like that,” I thought to myself silently, “but she’ll be back.” Mel sat down hard and gasped, “Wow; that was exhausting.” “Are you okay?” I asked about concern. “And what about her?” “It’s fine,” she said. “I’m okay, and she’ll be just fine. Luckily for us all, I brought potions.” “Oh, yes; that is a good sign,” I said as she drank one to regain her strength. She got up and said to us, “Okay. Time to head on back to the main hall.” We did so and anticipated what to expect next. Although Aska was out of the game by now, we remembered that all it took was one to win, and since Mel had told me I would act as the secret weapon, I guessed that if we got it correct, it would come to down to Zanta and me duking it out in the final showdown. ---------------- [color=lightgreen][u]Chapter 3: The Next Battle[/u][/color] “Which door now?” Becca asked me as soon as we returned to the main hall. “This one,” I replied, pointing to the next one. “I find it easier if we do them in order.” Everybody agreed, and so we walked inside the second door. As we headed through it, the voices in my head alerted me that this was the Phoenix Chamber. “The Phoenix Chamber?” I said to myself. “Wonder why it’s called that?” “It’s probably because it is Elis’s chamber,” Becca replied. “Sounds plausible. Who should we have take him on?” “We’ll let Sharkfin take him on,” Mel spoke up, and Sharkfin gave the salute expected of sailors in the Navy. “Aye, matey!” he added. “I’ll show ya just what I can do!” We stepped onto the platform in the center, which took us up to the level that was the Phoenix Chamber. Immediately I noticed why it was called that; there were statues of Phoenix on top of the pillars surrounding the chamber. Suddenly, they burst into flames, although it didn’t get out of control, and I knew we were in the very element Aska was: fire. I still wasn’t sure where he went, but I figured he was healing from his loss. In the meantime, I watched as the opposite end of the room revealed a tall, red throne, and sitting on it was Eli, the massively muscular Doberman that was the A-faction member of that element. In fact, he mentioned it when he stood to his feet and introduced himself. He wore a muscle shirt and workout shorts. (Oh, and by the way, I wore a rock-themed t-shirt and my usual black jeans for this.) “Greetings,” he said. “I am Eli, eternal of fire in the A-faction, and master of the eternal flame of the Phoenix. Who comes to challenge me today?” “That would be Sharkfin,” I announced as Sharkfin stepped forward with his spirit weapon in his hand. It was a giant anchor on a thick chain. Sharkfin readied himself for what was to come as Eli summoned his weapon of choice, his flaming knuckles, and soon, both were going at it with hammer and tongs. “This ought to be good,” I said. Then I knelt down to ask Mel in a whisper, “Who do you want to go next if he doesn’t pull it off? I do believe he can, though.” “So do I,” Mel whispered back, “but if not, then I was sort of hoping it would be Wally, our darkness eternal.” “Okay, we’ll do that. Now let’s watch and see what Sharkfin does here.” “Good idea.” We both turned to see Sharkfin attempting to extinguish all the flaming pillars, but they just lit back up in an instant. “Nope; that didn’t work,” I said. “Note that this is Phoenix fire, so it’s a truly immortal flame,” Becca spoke up. I took out a notepad and wrote that down. Then I turned back just in time to see Sharkfin’s next strategy. He had first attack by summoning a giant ball of water and throwing it at Eli, who countered by throwing flaming daggers at the otter in sailor’s clothing, but not without taking a big splash. Eli then dodged Sharkfin’s anchor as he dodged the daggers. “Ooh, that was close,” I said. “Sure was,” said Becca. “Go, Sharkfin! Give it to him!” I cheered. I prepared myself in case it was necessary to do backup, but Wally, being a sloth, naturally lied down as the fight raged onward. “Hmmm,” I thought. “He needs the rest for when it’s his turn. I’ll probably be waiting for the big one.” In the end, Sharkfin successfully swung his anchor and sent Eli flying, and soon the Doberman crashed into one of the walls and laid there, unconscious, almost the same way Felicity did. “Egads!” I exclaimed. “He did it!” Eli then tried to get up but fell back down. Naturally, I rushed over to him and revived him. I wished I had done it with Felicity, but she was a water Eternal, so she was all right there. “Are you okay?” I asked as I helped Eli up. “I’m fine,” said Eli. “But you won. Congratulations.” “We did, but my duty is to look out for everybody, even opposing Eternals, that aren’t part of the forces of evil,” I replied. “Very good,” Eli nodded. “Well, you may now proceed to the next area. And good luck with the rest of the test. You’re two for two so far.” We soon left and returned to the main hall, where Becca remembered something, “We have the option to rest and take a nap after every two fights,” she said. “Let’s do that,” I agreed. “We need to be rested and fully recharged when it’s our turn.” To illustrate this concept, we noticed five beds in the main hall laid out in cozy little alcoves. Had Aska still been in it, there would have been six. “Only five of us are here,” Mel spoke up to remind us, “just in case you had forgotten. Aska is out for the rest of the test because he was defeated. If at least one of us passes, however, all of us, including him, will advance to the Royalty level.” “That was something I was about to ask,” I said, “but you beat me to it, so what the heck? I would hate to have to do it all over again if that wasn’t true.” “Don’t worry. It’s true.” Everybody crawled into a bed to rest up for the next fight that would ensure. To ensure privacy, some curtains slide over the entrances of the alcoves so that nobody would disturb us. It was a nice and relaxing rest, and all the while, we all felt our strength coming back, or, if we hadn’t fought yet, it was being conserved. All I could dream about, though, was replays from my heroics as a G-52, success as a rock star, and my crazy cowboy life to go with it. It’s a lot on my plate, but it’s nothing I cannot handle. ---------------------------------- [color=lightgreen][u]Chapter 4: Continue the Fighting[/u][/color] Later, we woke up all refreshed and ready for the next fight. “That was a good nap,” Becca yawned. “We’ve been doing them in order,” I said, “so let’s go to Door #3 next.” “Sure, but somebody’s going to have to wake up Wally.” Wally was still snoozing from his restful slumber. “I can do that,” I said. I snapped my fingers, and Wally awoke, although looking grumpy. He mumbled and grumbled under his breath, and grudgingly followed us through the next door. The voices in my head told me this was the Starlit Chamber. “Apparently, this is the Starlit Chamber,” I announced. “That’s what my instinct is telling me. It’s probably all the twinkling stars I see around here.” “It must be Maxwell’s room, then,” Becca replied as we saw the 7’1” snow leopard approaching us. “My turn,” said Wally as he slowly approached Maxwell. “Hmmm,” I said. “Light versus darkness. This is going to be interesting.” I then pondered if it would happen again if I were to be the one challenging Zanta. I didn’t have long to think about it, though, because Wally and Maxwell soon charged at one another. Each one had their claws exposed, all coated in their correct elements, and it sent sparks flying. I didn’t want to look at it because it was claws attacking faces, and that was normally something Super C forbade any G-52 from ever doing to anybody, good or evil. But as it happened, only Wally got Maxwell in the face. Maxwell got Wally across the stomach, and then gave a light-fueled punch to the neck. (Don’t even think about making this into a cartoon, media; it’s too violent for the kids, and parents would just block the shows if they have the technology to do it.) When I was finally able to look at it, I commented, “That looked painful.” “It sure did,” said Mel. “They’re pretty evenly matched.” “I agree; this could go either way. I’d prefer, of course, to see Wally win it, but he won’t with efforts like that.” My last remark was direct towards Wally lunging at Maxwell, but missing the target. Then I winced at Maxwell’s latest attack, which was a swift kick aiming for Wally’s head, but Wally ducked to dodged. Then the sloth managed to summon a ball of black flames and thrust it towards the A-faction’s light member, and he took a hard hit. He had just enough energy to take one light wild swing, catching Wally squarely on the temple, and both passed out and lied down. “Did they cancel each other out?” I asked. “Looks like it,” said Mel, “but Maxwell is down, so Wally is the winner.” I ran to revive them both, but Wally vanished before I can. “He’s gone!” I exclaimed. “Well,” Maxwell sighed, “by definition, your side won, but he’s out of the running. I so wanted to win that one. Then again, a win isn’t always necessary, is it?” “Yes, I guess. Then that means it’s two down and four to go. Aska’s also out.” “Was it to Felicity?” “Yes. That’s correct.” “If you’re to continue, I suggest you try James next. You’ll find him in the overgrown chamber.” “Good idea.” We left after Maxwell shook my hand, and returned to the main hall to go to the overgrown chamber. Becca prepared herself, anticipating she’d do this next one. When we entered, we saw how it was covered in plants and trees. I remembered upon seeing it that Felicity and James were brother and sister, and that their grandpa was the first grand-high master I fought in my previous R.A.E., Sir Gregory Tristrum. James, like his grandpa, was an orange Kitsune, and had the full number of tails (nine), whereas Felicity was a blue three-tailed Kitsune. (Prior to that, the biggest number I had ever seen was two, and that’s because of Miles “Tails” Prower, friend to Sonic the Hedgehog, having two tails. In fact, that was the reason he used to be bullied around a lot, until Sonic stepped in and stood on the wall for him.) “Dang it; you kept me waiting!” James announced sarcastically. “Uh, sorry?” I said, confused, and almost taking it the wrong direction (as us autistic beings tend to do). “Well, never mind,” James replied. “Who’s my challenger?” “That would be Becca.” Becca nodded and stepped forward. “Oh, good.” James gave a smile that overruled his previous attitude. “This is proof to me you know about type advantages in match-ups. Grandpa will be glad to hear that.” “Certainly,” I said. “Well, let’s duel.” James hadn’t time to think about the first attack, because Becca had already done so. The wall of stone he built was able to withstand the massive windstorm she whipped up. Then he summoned two giant flowers that shot seeds at Becca. She reacted by summoning wind sickles cut away at the wall and sent him flying. He managed to recover in mid-air and sent her flying by causing a tree to grow from the spot where she stood. “Well, it’s just like tennis,” I thought aloud. “One serves a fault; then the other one serves a fault.” “Yes,” Mel replied, “but Becca has the type advantage, so this should go her way.” “True.” We turned back to watch Becca summon her spear and swing it at James. He blocked with the long handle from his hammer. “Almost,” I said. “This is going to be tough,” Mel nodded. “I have faith in her, though.” “So do I. Oh! That was a good one!” Becca had been thrusting ant slashes with her spear, as they were known, while she also parried blows with its shaft. Finally, she was able to send him packing with a blow from her spear haft. She raised her arms triumphantly as I exclaimed, “She’s done it!” I ran to her to congratulate her after reviving James. “Thanks,” he said. “No problem,” I replied. “And way to go, Becca. That means we are getting closer. Plus, I keep getting this feeling that it’s going to be me taking on the prince.” “Sounds logical,” said Becca, sighing. “Phew! That was hard. Now we can rest again, and I sure need it.” I nodded as we left the chamber and headed back to the main hall, where the alcoves and beds had returned, and each of us once again chose the one we had before to rest in it. We drifted off to sleep as the curtains once again closed over us. -------------------------- [color=lightgreen][u]Chapter 5: Getting Closer[/u][/color] Whilst we were all asleep and refreshing for the next part, I felt something tucked underneath the pillow of the bed I had chosen. I was only about half-awake when I managed to whisper, “Wh-wh-what? Who’s under there?” A strange voice replied, “A friend, and what I have given you will aid you in your final fight. Now, sleep, tired hero. Sleep.” I fell back to sleep and continued to sleep until the next morning, since this was a full night’s sleep. When we all had awoke the following morning, I was fully awake, rested, and ready for the final fight, but I couldn’t stop wondering about the voice. “That voice...it sounds familiar, but I can’t put my finger on it. I’m sure I’ll figure it out later. I need to focus on the final fight; it’s down to me and the prince. I hate the thought of having to duel against him, but it must be done.” “Let’s let Miss Windy Britches sleep,” Wally spoke up, motioning to Becca and showing us she was still snoozing, using a nickname for her in the process. “She’s totally bushed from that last fight.” Only then did I notice the small wrapped package under my pillow. “Oh,” I said. “Somebody left a package under the pillow there. It’s a bit like the concept of the tooth fairy leaving cash in exchange for your teeth. Let’s see what it is.” “Auntie Fairbelle is awesome,” Wally commented. Then he noticed what was in the package. “Hey, sweet!” he exclaimed. “It’s a reset coin!” Indeed; the coin was a small silver coin with a clock engraved on it. “What’s it do?” I asked. “If you lose a fight, it will heal you to full health and you can continue.” “That will come in handy if I am unfortunate enough to lose. Let’s hope I win it on the first try, though.” “Morning,” Mel called as she awoke. “Morning,” I called back. “Apparently, I found this under my pillow.” “That’s lucky,” she said. “A reset coin. It only works for the one who holds it. And you hold it.” “Would it work for you if you held it?” “No, just you, because you were the one it was originally gifted to. Oh, and let’s see here.” Mel checked a checklist she had made. “Yes. Only Lash and Zanta are left.” “And is there anybody left besides me? I kept getting a feeling it’s Zanta I’m going to battle. Aska’s out. I think the duel with James ended it a tie but the tie went to our side.” “Yes. Wally and I will try to beat Lash, but the last battle is yours. I hope we can do this.” Mel continued to shiver for whatever reason as I led the way to the next door. All the while, Becca continued to rest and recover from her battle. “I have faith in us,” I said. “Glad you do,” Wally smiled. “Oh, and we are heading inside the freedom chamber, a name your friend, Leo the Patriotic Lion, would appreciate, I’m sure.” “He would indeed. It sounds exciting.” “He’d be happy to know that the element of wind is synonymous with freedom. Wouldn’t you think so?” “Yes, I agree.” I paused to change into my battle uniform with the wave of my hands. After taking the platform leading us up to the next level, we came to the chamber where Lash was residing in for the moment. It consisted of a massive fashion runway, and all around the walls were huge purple drapes swaying around in a gentle breeze. Suddenly the room lit up in time to the music we heard, beginning with a bass line appropriate for a fashion show. Eventually the throne was lit, and there was Lash, a regular fox and not a Kitsune, by the way, dressed in her black stiletto heels and a red Chinese dress with a stylized rose around it. She stood up and took her model walk down half of the runway. When she stopped, she said, “Ah, my lovelies. You’ve made it this far. Are you sure you don’t want to just give up right now? I am the second-in-command to the A-faction, and I’m not going to be an easy fight.” “No, we are determined to go all the way and be part of the Royalty class,” I said. “My other boss, Super C, wanted to know something, though; are we still part of the B-faction if we do pull it off?” “Yes, that is right.” I messaged Super C as she nodded. Then she continued. “Now which of you shall challenge me?” “I haven’t battled yet but I feel I am going to duel against Zanta,” I said. “I am out,” Mel added. “She uses my elemental weakness.” “Then perhaps I should do this one.” “No, no; I meant I am weak to her. Wind scatters Earth. She’s a wind Eternal, just like Becca. If you are going to do it, be careful; you need to stay strong for your duel with the prince.” Mel and Wally backed off as Lash pulled out her two fans. “Ready, sweetie?” she smiled as I summoned my sword. “I am,” I replied, and the fight began. Lash noticed how strong I was as a fighter and she enjoyed the challenge, but it didn’t take long for her to slash at my ribs, and the gross part of it was that she was drawing blood from it. It wasn’t as graphic as it sounds, because my powers were putting their healing properties to use. So I just went ahead and kept on slashing my sword towards her, leading her to counter by firing a tiny tornado at me. It missed me, leading me to fire light beams from my sword. She dodged each one and managed to send me into a wall with a blast of wind. I stopped myself from hitting the wind and experimented with trapping her inside an electric bubble. It drained HP from her, but it didn’t hurt her. (Any villain, including Bendraqi, however, would receive a terrible electric shock if they tried to pop the bubble.) Then I had to dodge the wind sickles she created after she recovered from the bubble’s attack, and my subsequent light dynamite move I used on Sir Mortan during that battle. Zanta had mentioned to me that this was being broadcast for others to see, including my fellow G-52s, so Super C was naturally watching this happen. “This is getting good,” he said. “It won’t be long before Cripto has something else to celebrate, and we’ll be sure to do it with him.” Lash and I then managed to send each other skyward with our next attacks. She used a giant updraft, while I used a light flash attack from my sword. I managed to stop myself from taking a hit, but she unfortunately hit the ceiling, and she fell down to the ground, unconscious. Mel and Wally winced when she hit the floor. When I landed, I revived her. “Did I hit you too hard?” I asked out of worry, as I have a large fear of hurting others who aren’t evil. “Dang; you’re good!” Lash exclaimed when she woke up. “Thanks, I just hope I didn’t tire myself out when comes time for my battle with the prince,” I said, summoning a Powerade and beginning to drink it. “Well, by defeating me, you’ve made it that far,” she replied. “If you don’t pull it off, you can always try again.” While all this was going on, Leo the Patriotic Lion had also been watching from the monitors, but he had wanted to show Zanta and his parents the collection of awards that had been given to him from his head injury. Literally every world leader from Obama to the Dalai Lama had something to give to him. King Leo had also awarded him the SSSMSB. He first showed the scar marking where the bullet had affected his head, although he was lucky he did not develop PTSD as Super Slash, myself, or Boomcat once did. “I’m not afraid of getting hit in the head like I did,” he said, “and I hadn’t forgotten that if necessary, I’d come to this infirmary if needed. It was not necessary, though; I was admitted into the Texas Medical Center, and for some bizarre reason, it attracted the whole world’s attention, so a strange combination took place. All the world’s leaders from Obama to the Dalai Lama, and various people from various global versions of Wheel of Fortune, and even Vietnam has a version, much to Chuong’s delight, all came to see me in the hospital. I believe when you translate the Vietnamese title, it comes out as ‘The Magic Hat.’ The Wheel personalities were coming to Wildcat City anyway since Cripto has planned a big celebration for the show’s worldwide success, once he’s done with this whole upgrade to royalty exam. But my situation got in the way first. They all said the same thing to me: ‘We can’t believe you got out of it alive!’” Zanta had a serious look on his face but wished Leo well before warping off to the champion’s chamber. “Please excuse him,” Junira sighed. “He’s nervous and he needs to be ready for the next fight, which these monitors will show.” “That’s okay; I understand. He needs to concentrate. In the meantime, I’d thought I’d inform you and Gamma of this, in case you did not know about it. I never thought I’d get shot, but as it happens, it seems all the world’s leaders later had medals to award me, including the Medal of Honor. King Leo even gave me the equivalent of that awarded by the monarchs of Kriegland.” “You certainly deserve it,” Junira smiled. “Thanks.” Leo then went over the meanings of some of the medals from countries, including the one given to him by Vietnam’s president (Sang), the Friendship Order, which is awarded to foreigners that help to make stronger ties with Vietnam. Being a native of that country, Chuong was naturally the one to introduce it that day. As for the “Wheel of Fortune” portion (and speaking of Vietnam), especially to my delight since I love the show, the first man to host the show, Lai Van Sam (who is a TV journalist when he’s not working as a game show, and he’s done more than just “The Magic Hat”), was amongst the “Wheel” personalities visiting. (A different man, of whom I do not know the name, is now hosting the show, although one episode had Lai Van Sam reprise his hosting role while the current host and two other people played the game on a special episode celebrating the show’s success, running on VTV3 since 2002 and still churning out new episodes today.) While this had nothing to do with the final showdown, I thought I’d mention it while it’s on my mind. Soon the biggest moment of my life to date would arrive, and I was darn well ready for it. --------------------- [color=lightgreen][u]Chapter 6: A Triumph to Remember[/u][/color] Soon I found myself solo inside the champion’s chamber while Leo continued to browse about his medal connection, although I guarantee you he was watching this. “Hi, Zanta,” I greeted, updating him on all that was happening. “It’s just you versus me now. If you win, that’s good for you. If we win, we’ve accomplished what has to be our greatest achievement yet.” Zanta was dressed differently than we were used to seeing him. He meant business with this outfit: a gray fedora with a black band around it and a gray button stuck in the band, a white tank top with a black mid-sleeved shirt over that, brown skinny jeans and black loafers. (The shirt also had a folded buttoning collar and cuffs on the sleeves.) “Well, well,” he said. “If it isn’t the champion of the B-faction. You came alone, like I asked.” (And he did ask this of me.) “Good. Well, as acting champion of A-faction, I cannot refuse your challenge. Are you sure you want to proceed?” “This is not going to be easy,” I replied, “but I am confirming I want to do this. I will do this for the B-faction, for the glory of the G-52s, and my role as chosen hero of the universe.” Suddenly, the room went dark, and to my horror, there were shadows oozing about all over the windows. “Then as is my duty as champion,” Zanta continued, “I accept your challenge. Come at me with all you have!” “Whoa!” I exclaimed as I began to float about on light waves, moving up to Zanta’s level (since he was floating on waves of darkness). “I wasn’t expecting that. No time to chicken out now. I must be brave! I have vowed to win this fight!” “Limiters one through three, release!” Zanta muttered. Next thing I knew, the effect of the limiters’ abilities sent me crashing into one of the walls. I did not panic, however. Instead, I remarked, “Limiters, huh? There’s plenty more where that came from! I am determined! I am strong! I will win this fight!” “That’s the spirit!” D.W. cheered from the monitor room, as she and some other G-52s joined Super C and Leo and were watching this. “Tell me I didn’t just see that!” Firefox winced in response to the limiters flinging me into the wall. “Will we have another hero strike, I wonder?” Super C asked. “It’s possible, Commander,” Leo replied. “He did one while defending Alex’s castle from those intruders.” “GO! Dark destruction orbs!” Zanta called after using his speeding tendrils of darkness to thwart all my light dynamite attacks and holy crescent attacks. Each orb glowed with scary eyes and sharp teeth. They snarled and swung straight at me. I dodged each one, but wherever I went, they followed me. “I can’t shake it!” I exclaimed as I fled for my life. Then I got an idea. “Wait a minute; this ought to do it.” I summoned light balls to absorb the darkness balls and used my sword’s light powers to distract Zanta. It worked nicely, except for the fact one darkness ball exploded after it chomped on my arm, draining a bunch of HP. One of my light orbs did the same thing to Zanta, however, but he countered my next light dynamite attacks with a spinning slash of his sword. Each hit I took made me more determined than ever to win the battle. It seemed as if it would take forever to finish, because both of us were recovering from each other’s hit. Plus, I had the reset coin just in case. All my friends were really into the battle; they didn’t lose interest for a second, not even when Zanta kicked me into a wall after I used a blinding flash move on him, similar to the one I used to free both Dark Wolf and Max (the bandleader of Marching Hills that has many parallels to Leo the Tiger). “Is it time yet?” Leo the Patriotic Lion asked. “You mean the hero strike?” Super C replied. “I don’t know that.” “Wow, you are tough,” I said. “That’s good, though; I do like a challenge. I am not ready to shout ‘Uncle!’” I experimented next with a whirlwind light attack. It caught Zanta and left him confused and dazed in the middle of it. He crashed into a wall and stood there, literally seeing stars in his eyes. Now was the big moment, and I took advantage of it. I charged in with the hero strike and took him down, although I hated doing so. “Yes! It happened!” Leo announced. Although the prince fell down, a voice in my ear said to me, “Do not celebrate yet, hero; the second phase is about to begin.” “Second phase, huh?” I said. Then a voice announced, “OVER MODE ACTIVATED. DRIVE FORCE: COURAGE.” Zanta’s form changed to a crazy black form with long-clawed fingers and yellow eyes. “Thought you got me, huh?” he giggled. “Who the heck are you?” I asked. “Wait; don’t tell me. You’re that same thing I battled earlier in that final exam.” “No,” said the creature. “It is me, Zanta. This is just my over mode.” “You had me going there, but I’m ready,” I said to Zanta. “That's a neat trick, though; you being able to do that. But I am determined to win. The others did their part. Now I have to do mine.” “Who says you’ll be fast enough, though?” Zanta replied, warping so that he was suddenly behind me. I felt a sting and lost all but one bar of health, and yes, I had the bars appearing on my arm just as I did when fighting Sir Mortan and the other grand-high masters. “That doesn’t faze me!” I shouted, slashing my sword and unleashing multiple attacks like a machine gun. Zanta took minimal damage from it, though, snickering, “Energy attacks don’t work on me.” “Then intelligence is going to have to get me out this,” I replied. “We shall see,” said Zanta. Soon the battle turned into a swordfight. I kept slashing at Zanta, and he kept slashing towards me. After what timed out to be two and a half hours of similar aforementioned attacks, the most amazing thing that ever happened to me happened. I managed to pull it off by performing a [i]second[/i] hero strike! The result led Zanta’s over mode to disengage, and he fell to the ground. In the monitor room, T2 naturally yelled his trademark elongated “WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” Leo added, “Look at that! He did it again!” “It has happened not once, but twice,” Super C smiled. “He’s truly the master of that hero strike move.” I could hear all sorts of victory music playing in my head as I let out a shout of triumph, and the rest of the faction that was watching was cheering for me. Then I ran to revive Zanta, and as I did, I said, “You’re my friend, Zanta, so I am hoping this is the last time I will ever have to battle you.” “Well, Cripto, you did it! You won!” Zanta smiled. He gave me a hug after standing up. Then he snapped his fingers, and the rest of the faction appeared, including Aska and Wally, all at full health. “Follow me, please.” We did so, and I commented, “That was tougher than anything I ever did in my life, and you didn’t take it easy on me. Or did you?” “Actually, I sort of was,” Zanta replied with a bit of embarrassment. “Anyway, it’s all over.” He led us all to the area behind the throne in the room, where there was a huge stone door. He raised his hand so that his palm was facing forward towards the door. It glowed and opened. “Everyone,” he announced, “your triumphs in the Royalty league will be recorded for all time behind this door. Please follow me into the Hall of Champions!” I couldn’t believe my ears. I really thought Zanta was trying to beat me. I didn’t let it bother me as we walked into the Hall of Champions, but as I would later discovered, Zanta sort of got held back from his dislike of the thought of hurting a friend. “I’d feel the same way if I were him,” I thought to myself. When we got to the Hall, we noticed how it was made of black marble, and in the back was a statue of Junira with her arms spread wide open. Before her were six pedestals, each of a different color matching the elements: red (fire), blue (water), yellow (Earth), purple (wind), black (darkness), and white (light). “Each of you must take a pedestal and place your hands on them,” Zanta instructed. We did so. The pedestals all glowed and enveloped us in light, and we felt increases in power. When it was all done, the level-up was complete. We were now members of the Royalty class. My super-hearing picked up on all my friends cheering for me, and that included Butch, Zexal, and Lanna. It was the greatest triumph of my life. It was something to be proud of, although I should never brag about such a thing. After all, actions speak louder than words. ----------------------- [color=lightgreen][u]Chapter 7: Let’s Celebrate[/u][/color] In Eterna, there was a restaurant known as Paddy’s Place that was a popular choice in Port Goodfate. Aska and I had previously ordered catering from there when we celebrated making it into the B-faction. Today, we chose to eat at the restaurant as one way to celebrate the B-faction’s leveling up into the Royalty class. The G-52s that had been watching on the monitors were there, as were my classmates in that light manipulation class Sir Mortan taught, alongside Zanta, Junira, and Gamma. Since they had asked, Leo was showing my three classmates those awards, as well as some of the other B-faction. I didn’t mind, though; I needed the rest, and sometimes that’s done when the center of attention is not me. “And this one here is the Friendship Order,” he said, pointing to that one, “which Chuong told me is given to foreigners that strengthen ties with Vietnam. I’ve apparently done that, even though it took a blow to the head from a terrorist to do it. Oh, and here’s where he got me.” He pointed to the spot on his head. “They’re so shiny!” Zanta smiled as he looked at the medals. “And of course, I was added to King Leo’s list of SSSMSB winners.” “I have one, too!” “You sure do.” “I gave it to you since King Leo had other commitments,” Leo the Tiger added. “But I congratulate you on winning one,” King Leo echoed. “Leo the Patriotic Lion’s award I was able to give to him in person, in front of everybody. It included all the world’s leaders and global hosts of various versions of that wonderful television game show, ‘Wheel of Fortune.’” “I had planned a global celebration of the show’s success in the nations around the world that had the show,” I said to Zanta, “and paying tribute to its creator, Mr. Merv Griffin. I had to put it on hold because of Leo’s head injury, so the ‘Wheel’ personalities decided it was best they check on him. Later, I had Leo as an honored guest.” “Was it fun?” Zanta asked. “It certainly was,” I replied. “And I loved hosting it.” “I was just as happy to attend it,” Leo added. “And I kid you not, they all thought I was going to die from it. The forces of evil, including Bendraqi, as of now think I am dead, and I must let them think for a time that I am dead, until the proper time comes to reveal it. But let’s not think about that now. Let’s think about Cripto and the B-faction’s triumph.” “Yes; I agree,” Zanta replied, nodding. “Tell me something, though. I watched your friend Wally battle the snow leopard but he vanished. I thought he won.” “They tied. A tie goes to the challenger, but he was still out of the running.” “I see.” “Dude, I can’t believe I went first,” Aska had been laughing. “Think how much harder it would’ve been had you chosen to battle Eli,” I said. “Oh, yeah.” We proceeded to take our orders, beginning with the drinks. “Ah, the deluxe chicken club sandwich,” Leo the Tiger said when he looked at the menu. “I’ll have one of those and a side of chips.” When came time for the food to come out, Paddy himself announced, “It’s on the house, everybody. It’s not every day someone makes it to the Royalty class level.” He brought double orders of everything, plus side salads, although what I had was a premium crispy chicken salad. And it was the best one I ever had, needless to say. “That’s very kind of you, sir,” I said. “There’s some more, too, if you wish,” Paddy continued. “Go ahead. Eat until you are stuffed. Today’s a day to celebrate!” Zanta nodded happily and began to dig in to the delicious food. It was a terrific day to celebrate such a major accomplishment. From the G-52 perspective, it was the next step in my amazing destiny that labeled me as the chosen superhero to save the universe if it all went horribly wrong. And who knows what will await my next? I don’t, but I’m going to have a blast of a time finding out! That night, I slept the best I had ever slept yet. [color=orange]THE END[/color]