Enter The Arena As Your Avatar -- The Spinoff!

"... uuuughhhh...", he groans, putting his hands on his head.

"Can you just... do something that makes it so people don't go in there?"

Too slow. "You are lying. Furthermore, you are not human. You will both be analyzed, and then terminated."

He begins to approach menacingly, but then Erma goes full horror monster◊ and tackles him out of the hotel.

I was too lazy to google 'terminator fight music' (Boss Battle - Mega Man 11)

"Nope. The Time Patrol would force their way in. And being respectful enough to allow access is the easiest way to ensure they don't just wipe me from existence. Don't worry, people entering one of these rifts from the present-slash-future don't get obliterated if they're in the rift when it closes, and they don't get stuck as part of the loop if the timeline ends while they're a part of it. They just get shoved back into their own times."

Edited by KiriK on Feb 11th 2020 at 2:07:27 PM

Beat

"No... but the curse would still-"

He switches his hands to the side of his head instead.

"Y'know, you are so lucky you're too strong for me to strangle.", he says, showing an annoyed grin. "Because I definitely feel like trying."

He then sighs.

"Alright... alright... can you at least make sure that the Time Patrollers going in there are from some time after the Assassins are dealt with? To ensure that nothing can go wrong timeline wise if any of them die in there?"

"Wah!"

She ducks for cover. What is Erma doing?! Since when could she do that?

Eh, whatever. At least she's doing it to that guy. He seemed pretty mean. 'Terminate' isn't a good word, probably. Sounds like terminal.

Wait, she should help! Ami fires a magic pink arrow!

The Terminator stands up and throws Erma off of him, only to get plugged by Ami's arrow. He freezes in place, joints locked, immobilized - stunned.

Erma looks back and briefly drops the rage-mode appearance to give Ami a thumbs-up, then goes back into it with a frenzied series of claw-hand swipes.

Fu gives a tut-tut-tut. "And here I was, keeping my power level lowered just in case you needed to inflict some gratifying measure of violence upon me."

He sighs, but smiles at Future!Ninten. "Okay. I'll do my best to ensure that any intervening do-gooders are from a post-Assassin future."

Woo! Thumbs up to you too!

She fires another arrow. What else is there to do?

... Call for backup?

"I'm physically really strong, especially seeing as I don't have any cool, flashy offensive PSI to work with, but I don't think I could compare to you regardless of how low you lower your power.", he admits. He then looks more relieved.

"Alright... thanks."

He then puts on a police-type expression so serious that it's comical. Maybe even intentionally so.

"But you and I are gonna have to discuss all this time traveling stuff sometime before something actually goes wrong."

The arrow misses and the Terminator pulls a shotgun on Ami, but Erma wraps her spooky ghost-hair around his wrist and violently yanks, throwing his aim way off.

There's some commotion from down below...

"Alright, alright," Fu replies. "Just remember one thing: The rules of time where I come from - the rules I play by - may not necessarily be the same as yours."

Erma! Should we try to call someone to help out.

... Or, uh, are you handling this? She mulls, sitting on the floor as she nocks another arrow.

"Alright. I'm calm.", Jessie says, and turns back to the communicator.

"So am I.", James says, helping her put it up.

"Well, I'm not.", Meowth says, slightly lying because he doesn't want to help set it up right now.

Wobbuffet had been the first to calm down, and has been busy trying to calm Mimikyu down too, with little success.

"Considering the way time traveling works in my world, they're probably not.", he says. "But if your rules aren't the same as this one's, there's potential danger to be had. You could be doing things that could be fixed in your world, but not here."

He then sighs again and scratches the back of his head.

"Anyway, I came to investigate what you were up to this time. ... which I guess I now know."

Marowak and Houndoom look at each other like their new trainers are idiots.

The Terminator hits Erma with the butt of his shotgun, then punts the ghost child away before shooting her.

Fortunately, Erma is a freak, so a few bullet wounds are an inconvenience to her at worst. Unfortunately, the sheer concussive force of the shotgun blast has her momentarily dazed and unable to stop him from advancing toward Ami with murderous intent.

"Uh, yeah... sorry about that. Are we still friends?"

Edited by KiriK on Oct 12th 2019 at 7:55:41 AM

"Ah!"

She tries to rapidfire a couple of arrows - a mean one at the terminator, and a healing arrow at Erma!

Hope the healing arrows don't hurt! They heal, but they're still sharp.

Meowth notices the two Pokemon's glances and smirks.

"Eh, you get used to it.", he mutters to them, loud enough for them to hear, but not loud enough for Jessie and James to hear.

"'Sides, they're taking care of you nicely regardless, aren't they?"

"You kiddin'? It'll take more than that to get rid of me.", he says, some good mood finally showing on his face.

"Ask my friends, they couldn't get rid of me if they tried.", he continues joking.

The evolved Pokémon give affirmative noises to Meowth.

I owe them much. I was simply lamenting what flaws they do have.

As was I. They are still deserving of loyalty, at least.

Erma gets stuck by a healing arrow and promptly sinks into the shadows as it dissipates. She pops up behind the Terminator right as he cocks his shotgun.

A GO Rocket Grunt suddenly walks in from behind Ami. "Alright, twerps, stand aside. This is official busine-"

He notices Erma pouncing on the Terminator and the two of them engaging in a ferocious melee once again.

"... You know what... I guess I don't mind three against one." He sends out a Shadow Houndoom, which unleashes its Flamethrower on the Terminator.

"Good. I guess I'll see you around, then... and I'll let you know right away if anything goes, ah, not as planned."

"Wah!" she dives out of the way, being a little intimidated by the spooky dog.

Looking at the scene...

Erma doesn't need any more help. But more help is anyways!

Healing arrows, pew pew!

The Hub Centralis

Shadow doesn't show any reaction to the first two points besides simply shaking his head.

   "I'm not gonna' dignify this with any more responses. You believe one thing, I believe the other, the world keeps turning, business as usual."   

However, upon mention of the Blue Eyes, he raises an eyebrow, seeming somewhat caught off-guard.

   "Hold on, you know about that? You're full of surprises, and I've dealt with your ilk many a time..."   

However, he then sighs, and his grin returns, as he sucks air in through his teeth, and then chidingly clicks his tongue, straightening the cuffs of his sleeves.

   "Tsk, tsk...you just undermined your own point, Z. Sure, the Blue Eyes refused to follow his captor's orders, and instead preferred death before dishonor. That just goes to show that it was a noble creature who possessed a soul and its own free will. If it were truly just a mindless tool as you say, then it would've had no qualms with following Kaiba's command. If even your word regarding the lighter example is resoundingly proven false, then you can't blame me for opposing you on the Gods' standpoint."   

He shakes his head.

   "You imply that this job is easy. You imply that I can be everywhere at once, and that protecting the whole of existence from evil is a piece of cake. You imply that I haven't preemptively acted against the very dark forces you represent countless times. That couldn't be further from the truth. In your case, no, I was not able to reach your particular universe in time to avert this, and it is something that affects my conscience. I always had a deep sympathy for what he went through. Having some outside force take everything from you and leave you not knowing who to blame or what to do is a horrible thing. Trust me, I know that...vividly. To be completely frank, that's actually happened to me sometimes, so I all-too-well know the pain that can cause. What sets us apart is that I didn't point fingers at the innocent, and I sure as the Nine Hells didn't turn to the self-proclaimed 'Embodiment of Evil' to take action against them. No matter how hopeless a situation seems, there is still a light to look toward. I regret that I wasn't able to aid him before this happened, sure, and I further regret that now appears to be the time that I offer this advice. As we've both agreed, about a few millennia too late."   

He stiffens when Dark!Bakura rips the Millennium Ring off of his neck, genuinely surprised by his rough treatment of the artifact.

   "Er..."   

He sighs.

   "Again, as you well know, he got the wrong guy. And I will agree that the massacre of Kul Elna was a great and horrific crime against humanity. No matter the target's previous reputation, genocide of any kind is unspeakable. I feel the burden on my mind increase every time I fail to prevent something like this from happening, and I seek to atone for that. My list of events to atone for is so long that it's a good thing I'm immortal, because I would never feel like I could properly see it through in the span of a mortal life. I can't control whether or not he even listens to a single word, let alone whether he listens to me, but I can hope that he understands that I'm just as dedicated to seeking justice as he is. I don't at all blame him for being angry. I give him my deepest apology for not having been able to do more."   

He nods, frowning.

   "Actually, I'm as surprised by Horakhty's actions as you are. Perhaps she, as you say, cared more about eliminating your darkness than she did about what the aftermath would be. Or perhaps she felt that his grief and rage were so great that it would have been a better fate for him to be laid to his eternal rest than it would be for him to be fully consumed and destroyed by his pain and anguish. In either way, despite what many may think, Deities are not perfect. Myself included. We make mistakes, just as humans do. So, again, maybe Horakhty did act impulsively. That's not for me to say, but, if so, I'm sure it wasn't out of any malice."   

He raises both eyebrows upon seeing Diabound, and his subsequent mutation, and nods again.

   "To be honest, I wouldn't be surprised. Diabound always did strike me as a bit of a Fallen Angel. Not only can Deities be flawed, but said flaws can sometimes be aggravated by the state of their followers. Diabound may have been a Divine Guardian, and embodied the best of the people of Kul Elna, but, when the city was razed to the ground, the trauma suffered by the souls of the victims, along with Bakura's own rage as the sole surviving adherent, twisted him into a twisted mockery, a shell of his former self. I've seen it happen. It's one of the world's greatest tragedies for a good Deity to be corrupted into their antithesis."   

He then straightens up when he hears the voice, and takes on a sad smile.

   "Ah...hello, Bakura..."   

He gives another heavy sigh, lowering his head.

   "You've possibly heard all that I said when I was debating with your demonic neighbor, but, for the sake of clarity, I will reiterate."   

He looks back to TK!Bakura, a solemn look in his eyes.

   "I don't look down on you for your grief, even your anguish and rage. That is to be expected. I completely believe that the culprit of the attack deserves rightful punishment, but I do not believe it is right to seek one's own revenge, as natural bias can cloud judgement and show only the truth that one wishes to see. I do not think you deserved your fate. Far from it, in fact! You were the victim of a great and nebulous plot, acted out between forces that were far beyond your comprehension. You were unrightfully thrown into a terrible life that you never asked for, and, though you were not the only one to suffer in what followed, your suffering was greatest. That served evil's purposes well. All in all, yours was a tragic life, and I would have hoped to prevent it from even suffering any misfortune at all, and, if I were to fail that, I would do my best to resolve the situation and dispel the darkness affecting the land with no loss of innocent life, including you, even if that were to mean acting against the will of Horakhty herself."   

His eyes become shadowed by the brim of his hat, as he forlornly looks down to the ground.

   "Call me foolish if you want. I just think you were a good kid who was dealt the absolute worst possible hand, and I don't hate you for it."   

Edited by SacredSpirit123 on Oct 12th 2019 at 8:15:09 AM

"Well, we've all got flaws.", Meowth says, smiling. "But our team works, that's what counts in my eyes. The three of us are in better positions than before we joined Team Rocket, and you two are as well now."

"We're on.", Jessie says, and Meowth turns his attention to the screen. Luckily, Wobbuffet has also managed to calm Mimikyu down enough that it won't make the others look incapable of handling it in front of Giovanni. It does, however, slanter back in the direction of Marowak and Houndoom.

"Right.", he says, turning around as he's about to open a portal. His phone rings though, and when he looks at it, he covers the screen with his hand and glances back at Fu.

"Well, gonna take a quick walk through this place, then head on home to my sweetheart.", he says, smirking as usual. "Later days~"

He then starts walking away, not yet answering the phone despite it still ringing.

For only a moment, his anger calms down just a slight bit.

   "Isn't it obvious? I know everything my host knew, because I was always watching and listening."   , Dark Bakura says.    "Besides, a thief who's predictable isn't a good one, don't you agree?"   

Then he hisses upon hearing what Shadow says next, and doesn't reply to it, basically admitting that Shadow got him there.

His anger then flares up again.

   "Yeah, it's much too late. Even if I weren't here, he wouldn't lend an ear to your prattle. Always a light to look forward to? You must be more sheltered than you think. What he did was make a choice between coming to me or dying, either in the desert heat, or from execution for his thievery. You can't hold it against him that he came to the only one who listened."   

He then grins darkly.

   "You want to find justice? Your apologies won't help you OR him get that. Maybe you could rip the massacre's instigator out of the past and put him here for me to slaughter? I'm sure he'll at least look at you without disgust if you do. You can do that, can't you, god? I'm sure you won't, but you CAN, right?"   

He narrows his eyes.

   "He doesn't care for the reason why. Horakhty failed, plain and simple, because she only saw Zorc and not him. A callous and uncaring beast doesn't deserve a follower's faith. Hah, at least I am honest about how I am, and I don't desire faith, I desire fear! H-ha ha ha... In a way, doesn't that make me a better god than her?"   , he says, grinning again near the end.

   "I do so wonder if your understanding of the situation means anything to Diabound at all. Maybe you should ask him. He's right behind me after all."   , he mocks.

Then he goes silent for a moment. He does not respond to the call of his name, and Zorc does not intervene nor suppress him at the moment. Probably because his emergence isn't obstructing him.

He remains silent as Shadow talks, but the subtle difference in his eyes shows that at no point does he relinquish control of their soul back to Zorc.

"That still changes nothing.", he eventually speaks up. "This comes too late for it to matter."

He glances at his Duel Disk.

"This device holds the cards that gain strength from the wrath of those who died. It holds the monster that overpowers the Gods. I'll use that monster however necessary."

He then glances back at Shadow.

"I won't call you foolish. But I'll say you're too late to change my mind now."

He grins darkly. And somehow, despite Zorc being the eldritch monstrosity, it's Thief King Bakura's grin that looks all the more realistic, hateful and twisted.

"My soul, and their souls, will not find rest any other way. There must be justice, no matter how wrongfully. Even if it means losing myself to Zorc until the end of time."

Edited by DevilPsyco on Oct 12th 2019 at 4:04:13 PM

The two purified Pokémon both look at Jessie and James, waiting to see what comes next.

The Terminator sends Erma stumbling away with repeated shotgun shots, then the Flamethrower catches him, completely engulfing him in flames.

Beat

Naturally, the endoskeleton◊ comes walking out of the fire, having shed its fleshy exterior. It pulls a sci-fi-looking gun out of its torso and begins firing on the Houndoom.

The Dark Pokémon, despite its Shadow corruption, yelps as it is battered by plasma bolts, perhaps the only thing hotter than its own fire.

Suddenly, Ami is in a situation where her niche abilities are desperately needed.

"Ciao~"

Fu turns invisible, but then reconsiders and actually leaves - while still invisible.

Edited by KiriK on Oct 12th 2019 at 8:25:48 AM

PEW TIME.

She fires a short burst of healing arrows at the Houndoom! So it can be healed! Then she shoots at the robot again.

Uh, one quick one for you Erma!

Ami's arrow hits the Terminator just in time, as it was about to open fire upon her.

"Well, if it's made of metal, it should function like a Steel-type Pokémon... so Fire-type moves should be useful against it! Use Fire Fang!"

The Houndoom staggers to its feet as it receives Ami's healing, then lunges and bites the Terminator's leg with a mouth full of flames. It starts melting through the metal alloy, but very slowly and nowhere near fast enough to make significant work on it before the Terminator recovers and backhands it back through the hotel doors. The Grunt recalls it before it can hit the back wall.

Erma sinks into the floor after being healed again, then appears behind Ami. She makes a couple of gestures. Could you try luring it inside?

She nods. Ami keeps up fire, and slowly backs towards the area Erma wants her.

"Hm..."

If Geo was here, could he handle this?

The Terminator aims at Ami again, but then Erma swats the plasma rifle out of its hand. So, it just stomps into the building angrily...

And promptly gets buried under the contents of the convenience store behind the front desk, including a refrigerator.

Erma sighs. That won't destroy it, but it should buy us some time, go find the other residents who were here! Maybe one of them can handle it!

Giovanni appears on the screen.

"Greetings, boss! We have a status report on the whole GO Rockets situation."

"Some audio files we picked up on suggests that their base isn't in the Arena, as we first thought."

"So we most likely require Hoopa to find their base and get what we need."

"I see. Very well. I will have Hoopa sent over immediately. Remember to keep a good eye on it. If we lose Hoopa, I will not be pleased."

"Of course, boss!"

"We'll have him in our gaze at all times!"

"Nothing will escape our watchful eye!"

"Wobbu!"

The transmission then ends, and the three of them sigh in relief.

Once he figures Fu is gone, he answers the phone.

"Yo, sorry for not being able to pick up right away. I wasn't alone.", he says, his expression and voice sounding more serious.

"Yeah, seems like it might have been false alarm. ... There's still some risks, but I trust Fu. I don't think there'll be any complications with our end goals."

He glances around for a moment and somewhat lowers the volume of his voice.

"You know fully well why that isn't a good idea."

He shakes his head and sighs.

"Everything will work out. Trust me. If there is even a remote chance of success, then I will get it. It's just a matter of time."

He walks off deeper into the forest.

Edited by DevilPsyco on Oct 12th 2019 at 3:40:20 PM

Ami thinks the fight is won for a second. Woohoo!

That'd be too easy, though. She glances at the wreckage before turning and shouting into the hotel. Anyone else around?

Marowak looks at Meowth curiously. We're moving out?

Rey, on the lookout for another midnight snack, hears the call. He comes running in and sees what's happening, right as the Terminator emerges from the rubble of snacks.

"Uhhhhhh..."

"Great, more useless fighters," the Grunt snarks.

"You, shut up." Rey pulls his controllers out of his pajama pockets and goes Hover Junkers, blasting away at the Terminator with a barrage of ammunition from weaponry that looks like it would fit right in with the world of Mad Max.

Erma just stares at him in confusion.

The Terminator keeps advancing. No... it's stopping every time it gets hit. Now it's stumbling backwards.

Finally, Rey blows its fucking right arm off, which prompts it to go into a full sprint and throw a cybernetic punch at Ami, desperate to kill her immediately before it can be terminated itself.

Edited by KiriK on Oct 12th 2019 at 9:39:42 AM