Enter The Arena As Your Avatar -- The Spinoff!

Dracula's Castle, Clock Tower

Lloyd◊, Ana◊ and Pippi◊ are wandering near the entrance to the tower and enter it as they're talking.

"-and I also heard that this boy has been fighting puppet fighters left and right, then disappearing back into the shadows before anyone can talk to him.", Anna says.

"Maybe he managed to free Ninten!", Pippi excitedly says.

"And Teddy."

"Maybe. I'm still a little wary though. As convenient as this may be, this boy sounds kinda dangerous.", Lloyd says. "Who knows if he's trustworthy."

"True, but keep in mind that they're just rumors.", Ana says. "Nobody has seen any proof of this kid actually being here and fighting puppets. But in this place anything's possible, right?"

"Inde-"

The halls they're in start to rumble wildly.

"Whoa, what the-"

A wounded Marx then flies in from behind the corner, shooting blasts behind him in a panic, and flies into the three kids. All four end up on the ground.

"Hey, what's the big idea!?", Pippi angrily says. Marx, who'd normally be annoyed as well, is a little too panicked to think about that right now.

"Get out of the way, that thing is getting closer and it wants to eat me!"

"What thing?", Lloyd asks, jinxing it for the four of them, as a huge, serpentine creature suddenly appears from behind the corner, letting out a loud roar.

The four of them instantly get up out of fear and start running, with Marx flying, the beast hot on their tails.

"What did you do to anger that thing!?", Ana asks while running.

"I didn't do nothin'! I just followed the voice of that singing boy and then this thing appeared out of nowhere and tried to eat me!"

The three kids let their fear pause for a moment when they take in what he says.

"A singing boy?"

"Black hair, red neckerchief and the cutest, handsomest face in the whole world?"

"Yes, yes and... um, well, I don't know how to word that in a way that's not weird but his face was kinda childish looking up until he grinned at me!"

The three kids glance at one another. The chance that this is Ninten is incredibly high. They unanimously decide to go seek him out, but first they have to get away from this thing before it catches up to them.

Dracula's Castle

Giygas manifests!

He teleports from the entrance straight to just outside the Clock Tower, and looks down upon Lloyd and Ana.

His expression hardens... and then he suddenly stops and teleports out of the way of the incoming monster.

   What the hell is going on here?    he asks impatiently.

Sorry Def, but if you were planning to run Double Alucard, the time has not yet come.

Edited by KiriK on Apr 25th 2019 at 12:45:10 PM

Lloyd and Ana, in their panic, don't immediately notice Giygas. They see a change in the scenery around them as he teleports out of the creature's pat though, and look around.

"There! An alien cat!", Pippi says, being the first to notice him when he speaks. Lloyd and Ana look and actually stop running out of shock, looking pale as can be.

"T-t-that's Giegue!", Lloyd stammers in fear. Pippi looks back at him, shocked as well now, and back at Giygas, no longer running either.

"That's the alien who tried to kill all of you!?"

Marx turns around when he hears them talk and see that they've stopped.

"What are you kids doing?", he yells. Not that he really cares if anything happens to them, but he just feels like he should point out that they're doing something incredibly stupid.

The three hear Marx and snap out of it, but at this point it's too late for them to start running again. The serpent-like creature, now right next to them, lunges at them with open jaws.

Lloyd, thinking fast, turns to Giegue.

"Ninten is here too and we'll take you to him if you save us!"

   It's Giygas, cretins.   

Despite his annoyance, as soon as Lloyd mentions Ninten, he fires a powerful PK Beam at the serpent monster. It takes the form of a lightning-bolt projectile that will explode into PSI on impact.

Edited by KiriK on Apr 25th 2019 at 1:16:01 PM

Ryoma, Takumi and Oboro roams the halls of the castle, followed by Xander and Peri. They move at a slower pace than before to avoid running ahead.

Hm... What are you two doing here ?

Haha, someone's going to need to step in when you three get killed !

What Peri means is that we should assist you if things turn sour. We're past childish competitions, are we not ?

It would be dishonorable for you to step in to save us. You may only fight when death claims us three, Prince Xander says Ryoma, firmly yet politely.

Are you insane ? asks a bewildered Xander.

No. Honor is important for us Hoshidians. You can deal with whatever attempts to interrupt the fight but a true Hoshidian will never allow a foreigner to interfere in the fight... or, well, anyone else to interfere.

Unbelievable... says Xander, immensely bothered.

Edited by Bolded1 on Apr 25th 2019 at 8:05:54 PM

The sound of galloping hooves resounds through the corridors of the Clock Tower. The serpent lunges... and finds a large and thick barrier, seemingly made of pure light, in the path of its hungering jaws as a possibly familiar unicorn with a black coat and a blue royal cape emerges into the corridor.

"I see I made it just in time. That should hold it off, but we should probably not linger here too long."

Dark Realm, Dracula's Castle

Pietro can be seen exploring the castle, his tour bringing him to the Clock Tower just in time for him to overhear the commotion. Upon noticing that Ana, Pippi, and Lloyd were the ones being pursued by this mysterious beast, he dashes through the tower and takes a swing at the monster with Galaxia.

"Hey, kids! I just got to this haunted castle, so... if you guys know anything about whatever the hell this thing is, I'd really appreciate a quick rundown!"

His gaze then flickers to Giygas.

"And... who're you supposed to be, Thanos' grouchy half-brother?"

The serpent is stunned when hit by Giygas' attack and howls in pain, slithering back a little. It shakes its head a few times, looking pretty wounded on its forehead, where the PSI Beam hit, and it's about to move forward again, only to get hit by Galaxia again, then be blocked by Sombra's barrier.

Unable to get closer, it just roars and bangs against the barrier in an extremely violent manner, unnaturally agressive.

The kids turn and look at Sombra.

"Both of you, thanks. We don't know what that thing is but we should run while we have a chance!"

They waste no time in starting to run again. Lloyd glances back at Giygas as they start running.

"T-thank you, Gie-, um, Giygas. Come with us quickly!"

Ana glances at Lloyd.

"Are we really taking him to Ninten?", she asks in a whisper, worried.

"I blurted it out in a panic, but now we have to, yeah. If we don't, he'll probably kill us before we have a chance to save Ninten.", he whispers back.

Marx goes along with them as well for safety reasons.

   If you have nothing of value to say, boy, shut your mouth.   

Giygas casts a hand over the serpent and uses PSI Teleport to take it into the air above one of the castle turrets, letting it fall at impaling speed towards a desiccated flagpole beneath it.

He turns to the kids.    Now, simply give me a direction, and I will find him.   

The fighters are walking on a bridge, Oboro bother to look down and Takumi get closer, preparing to grab her if anything goes wrong. And by "anything goes wrong", he means "Peri".

Peri, however, giggles and points at them.

"So you are the one known as Giegue, or Giygas..." Sombra muses. Though he has not personally met the psychic alien before, he has gradually learned about him over the course of his long stay in the Arena, and now finds himself wary of the combination of an antagonistic personality and tremendous power. "Can you promise his safety if we find him?"

Edited by Arachnos on Apr 25th 2019 at 2:49:47 PM

"Nice to meet you too, Sunshine. I can already tell we'll be great friends in no time," Pietro remarks at Giygas as he follows after the group. Once he's joined up with Ninten's friends, he lowers his voice to a whisper.

"So, what's his problem, exactly? Is he pissed that someone had the nerve to interrupt his peaceful walk through this haunted castle?"

Cue Sombra mentioning Giygas's name.

"Wait, that's the Gigyas? As in, the unspeakable horror Ninten and everyone from his world always talks about. Because if he is, well... I honestly thought he'd look way scarier."

Northern Staircase - Redacted and Brain

A conversation echoes from above, not much longer now. The stone staircase held no special patterns, it was plaid.

White Tower - Hit

   "No, the catalyst acted on its own. It's an alarm, of sorts."   

The figure stepped forward, extending its icy hand.

   "I am Boyero, perhaps we will be better acquainted in the future?"   

Tower's Peak - Narktus

Krampus seems to read over it multiple times, scoffing a few times.

   "Tests? Trivial, but I understand. I agree.... but how long is this enlistment? I suppose that's also up for debate. I am immortal, but even my patience has limits."   

He checks each box, and hands the device back. His hand left a small coating of ash. He chuckles, putting his hand to his bony mask.

   "Never thought this would happen...."   

Oblivia - Yamoshi and Bardock

Gunnor is hit, stumbling just for a moment. He is quick to recover, swinging around and attempting a kick to his stomach.

"Impressive blow."

The serpent is teleported outside and falls. Before it can meet its untimely demise though, a dimensional portal, though looking different from regular dimensional portals, rips open underneath the beast. It falls in, then it closes again.

Meanwhile, inside, the kids don't have to run far, noticing that Giygas took care of the creature.

Lloyd turns to Giygas.

"Well... we don't know where he actually is."

He then pushes Marx in front of himself.

"But he does, so we just have to follow him."

"Huh? I'm not going back there."

"Unless you want him to kill you, you will.", Lloyd whispers. "Just bring us back and then you can leave, you don't have to stick around."

"... fine. I'll bring you lot to that kid."

Relieved, Lloyd turns back to Pietro and Sombra along with Ana and Pippi.

"Yeah, that's Gieg... um... Giygas now, I guess.", she whispers back. "And don't be fooled by how he looks, he is incredibly strong, and pretty scary."

"Yeah, no matter how tempted you might be, try not to make him angry. I doubt he'll hesitate to turn on us if he gets angry.", Lloyd whispers. "You don't have to be friends, but try to be civil. Once we've saved Ninten, we're in the clear. He can warp us to safety if we have to flee."

Pippi, meanwhile, stands next to Sombra, looking confident.

"He doesn't have to guarantee anything. I'll ensure that my Ninten will be safe and sound!"

Lloyd and Ana give her an unamused look at the mention of 'her' Ninten.

Edited by DevilPsyco on Apr 25th 2019 at 9:11:31 PM

"I certainly hope so. I am Hit."

—

"The details of your contractual obligations are what we need to discuss, and possibly take up with the high council if I deem it necessary." Narktus takes the tablet in hand and promptly starts looking through it.

The kick makes Yamoshi double over, but he plants his feet firm and attempts to retaliate with an uppercut, grinning with excitement.

Giygas opts not to say another word to Pietro.

   ... Well, well, well. Are you going to be cooperative, little round thing, or will I need to squeeze you like a stress ball to make you start talking? I'd be quite amused by the harder option...   

The sheperds continue unto their path, somewhat silent for now. They approach the location of the others.

Edited by Bolded1 on Apr 25th 2019 at 9:16:42 PM

Redacted walked up the plain stone staircase, being weary. Never know if it could be an ambush. His skin slowly started to turn into steel as he walked. His now heavy footsteps echoing around the staircase

"It's his ability to teleport I worry about," Sombra replies. "I'm here to rescue Ninten, and I don't think I would be able to forgive myself if I ended up allowing him to get into an even worse situation than his current predicament. The child has already gone through enough pain, much of it of my own doing. No more."

Edited by Arachnos on Apr 25th 2019 at 3:41:42 PM

Pippi looks worried now too, but then smiles.

"Yeah, but I know we'll save Ninten somehow. I don't have any facts, but my gut is telling me it'll be alright."

Lloyd turns to Sombra.

"Thanks for your help. I'm sure Ninten will appreciate it too regardless of everything that's happened."

"So do I. Ninten may sometimes have some trouble with forgiving people, but if someone is genuine, he'll turn around eventually."

Marx eeps in fear, immediately recognizing that Lloyd's warning wasn't an empty one.

"H-heehee, of course I'll help. We should solve this crisis as fast as possible after all."

And helping them find their apparent friend might get me a few defenders against Thanos' allegations of me being a Dharkon spy., he thinks to himself.

He conjures up a ball and hops onto it, then turns to the east.

"I've been running around a lot of hallways to get away from that thing, but if I remember correctly, that boy was 2 halls to the front, then a right, a left, another right, two halls forward, and then one last left. Maybe he's still singing. If he is, you'll be able to hear him when you get close."

Speaking of Ninten, he is indeed still singing and dancing, his song still being 'Wisdom of the World', as it had been when Marx found him.

Giygas 'sniffs' the air, using his PSI to trace the path Marx described. Then he hears Ninten's singing, ever so faintly.

   Ninten... heheheheh... MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! ... Ahem. Unfortunately for you, ugly little quadruped, I won't let anything impede my revenge. And now that I have located him, the time has come... NINTEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEN!   

His feet lift off the ground and he suddenly blitzes through the air inconceivably fast for a being of his slender frame in the direction of Ninten, swiping at him with one hand surrounded by PSI energy shaped into a cutting blade in a manner reminiscent of Mewtwo's forward air.

This attack is not meant to be possible to interrupt.

The sheperds hears the song : Ryoma, Takumi and Oboro thus rush ahead, seeking to reach Ninten.

"Giygas! Wait! Don't-" Sombra starts, but he's too late to stop the alien from blasting off after Ninten. Instead, he creates a a golden construct in the shape of a shield, hops onto it, and propels it forward to chase after Giygas, riding it like a floating surfboard. "A curse upon that confounded cosmic combatant! Now is not the time for these squabbles! We all need to cooperate to put a stop to the enemies of the Arena, not slit one another's throats in vain while the darkness laughs at us!"

The kids turn to see Giygas charge off towards Ninten.

"Crap! Ninten!"

The three of them hurry after him and Sombra. Lloyd and Ana aren't that fast, but Pippi is running fast enough to keep up with the Sheperds, even though they're adults and she's 9.

Marx, of course, considers his part done and flies away.

"And the sweeeeet... mysteryyyyy...~", Ninten sings, unaware of the incoming Giygas about to strike him.

"Of loooooo-"

He then gasps in pain when he gets cut in his back by Giygas' attack. He falls on the ground as a result, twitching in pain for a moment as some blood seeps out of the wound on his back.

He gets back up though, psychic energy roaming over his back to heal the wound. Giygas might note that Life Up, which is supposed to have a greenish aura, now has a sickly dark green glow to it that makes it look more corrupted. Even through Galeem's aura, this glow can be clearly seen.

Ninten slightly turns his head now to look at Giygas, his eyes having a red shine, proof of Galeem's hold over him. There's no recognition in his eyes at all, meaning that he doesn't seem to realize who Giygas exactly is. The slight yet cold glare shows that he knows Giygas is his enemy though.

He fully turns around now.

"Such a bad, naughty child, interrupting my songs.", he says, slowly starting to grin in quite the creepy manner. "Children like you should be punished."

He spreads his arms as his Spirit begins to form behind him. This time not in the shadows, allowing her full appearance to be visible.

Her gown is mostly varying shades of pink with tinges of purple, and she has long, wavelike blonde hair. And her face...

She looks exactly like Queen Mary of Magicant... also known as Maria. But... something is wrong. Her eyes are pitch black, and her gown appears to be more fiercely clad than the royal attire she usually wears◊. It's almost as if she's, in some way, corrupted too, despite the fact that the Spirits aren't corrupted, just brainwashed.

She too spreads her arms as Ninten begins to glow with a psychic aura.

"Please, stay still for me..."

Malevolent Magicant

• Fighter: Ninten

• Spirit: Queen Mary

• -Heightened PSI

• -Infinite PP

• -Reinforcements appear during the fight

Edited by DevilPsyco on Apr 25th 2019 at 10:29:54 AM

   ... Mom?   

Giygas reaches out to Ninten - no, to Queen Mary - with one hand. He descends to the ground, then falls onto his knees.

   This... This can't be... How... How could it...   

Pale red tears well up in his eyes.

   Is this... punishment? Am I being tormented for some wrongdoing? The spirit of my mother wearing his face?   

Edited by KiriK on Apr 25th 2019 at 3:29:41 AM

Aware that the spirits are evil and capable of wiping them all out, Takumi does not hesitate to line up his shot and fire at Ninten's back while he's distracted, jumping up in the air while doing so. He then roll off and fire one more shot.

Ryoma himself follows the arrow, sword drawn. Oboro follows, but is slower and distracted by the presence of Pippi.

Edited by Bolded1 on Apr 25th 2019 at 10:33:22 AM