The Reality Vortex: Shadow Games

[~ Z ~]

Zenta carefully walked to the shack, holding a hand out to touch one of the souvenirs until he heard Reef call him out. Zenta immediately paused and pulled his hand back, respecting Reef’s rule. Although it was rude of Reef to call him a dog, he grumbled under his breath at not being allowed in the shack. Lucifer’s taunting did little to lighten his mood as he let out a low growl.

However, when Reef scolded Lucifer as well, a sly grin appeared on Zenta’s face as he tried to hide his laugh behind his hand.

“Fufu, yes, quite the predicament indeed, Little Lucifer.” Zenta chuckled as he taunted the angel. “Your presence messes with the vibe.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll get you guys something.” Avalon said. “What would you guys like—”

Before Avalon could finish, he felt himself pushed to the side by Spina. Avalon’s eyes narrowed once again as he clenched his hand into a fist before listening to Spina raise his voice and act out. Clark was trying to be nice, and Spina kept tossing him under the bus. Only when Spina was rough handling Reef did Avalon approach the Saiyan and grip his shirt.

“What the hell is your problem?” Avalon said boldly, tightening his grip on Spina’s shirt. “You’ve been out of control recently! What is going on with you, Spina?”

Zenta stared at the conflict between Spina and Avalon. In a way, he wanted to come in between the ninja and Saiyan, knowing that Spina could fatally harm Avalon.

“No one is trying to hurt you, so why are you acting so… strange?!” Avalon grunted. "We're a team here!"

 

[ShineCero]

“Oh, hush you,” Lucifer retorted as he stood outside. “Avalon, make sure you pick out something extravagant and expensive. If someone’s willingly to pay for our expenses, I’m going to take full advantage of that.”

Clark’s ears caught Lucifer’s intention. “You don’t have to go that far! I mean—”

The angel waved his finger. “Oh? But I heard you clearly.” Lucifer adjusted his voice to replicate Clark’s, down the mannerism and tone. “Don’t worry about the cost. I’ll pay for everything!”

“Uh, yeah, I did say that, but—” The Kryptonian sweated a bit since

“Good. Avalon, get the most expensive items you can find. Oh, and please pick out a splendid poncho for this noddle machine. Oh, and some gaudy pants for the beast as well. I’d grown tired of seeing him wearing such outlandish pants. Oh, and for the Witch, I’m sure you can find plentiful of gothic attires for her. Especially since she doesn’t seem to mind wearing heavy clothes.”

He paused for a second, eyeing Berserk skimming around the store. “Oh, Berserk, my dear. Please find a fabulous umbrella for the Witch. The summer heat is at its peak today, and we all have watched our skin.” Obviously, Lucifer eyed Vegetto. While he wasn’t in the shop physically, he spotted something that would be great for the Potara. “Oh, Avalon! I just found a perfect fit for our *leader*! Listen closely—”

However, Avalon had rushed off to chase after Spina; completely ignoring his requests. “I’m sure he heard all of that.”

“Probably wasn’t the smartest idea to say that you’ll pay for everything, Kal.” Vortex Man scolded him.

“Hey, uh, mind pinching in?” Clark laughed nervously after pulling out his wallet.

“Nope.”

==

Spina was the quickest to find his attire. He placed them on the checkout counter for Reef. It wasn’t much and certainly not suitable for the summer heat: a grey tank-top, black hoodless cloak, fingerless gloves with spiky armbands, and black leather pants. “That’s it.”

Reef raised an eyebrow at Spina’s taste in fashion. “You sure bro? I mean, it’s hot—”

“That. It.”

“Got it, dude.”

The old Saiyan felt his shirt tugged, facing an angry Avalon. He was silent as his eyes narrowed. Without hesitation, Spina punched the ninja in the stomach hard; a powerful shockwave emitted from the impact that rattled the store. Fortunately, it was not enough to cause any meaningful damage. He’d followed up by striking Avalon in the jaw with a kick, tossing him out of the store.

Spina turned his head slightly to Reef. “You finished?”

“Y-yes!” Reef became nervous. “Clark will take care of it, so uh, you want it in a bag dude?”

Spina grabbed his stuff and headed outside to where Avalon landed. He didn’t even bother using the Spa, despite his critical condition. “I don’t need to explain myself to you or anyone.” The old Saiyan raised his leg and stomped on Avalon’s chest; Spina pointed his finger down at him. “This is your team, not mines. Next time you crossed me, I’ll kill you.” Spina’s right eye shines through the darkness that covered the right side of his face. “Bastards like you are the worst.”

Without waiting for a response, Spina levitated from the ground and flew towards the top of the building.

“Man, someone need to get that guy some candy or something! He gotta get that edge off.” Clark scratches the side of his head. “Out of all the Breakers, its like Bernkastel is the most normal one.”

“Yeah, and that’s the scariest part.” Vortex Man said.

Lucifer approached Avalon. His face was curiosity of what Spina’s sudden change in behavior. No doubt that Spina had changed. In fact, throughout the incident with Detective Goku and the Red King, Spina had drastically changed, and now Avalon took the worst of it. “Oh dear, Avalon.” The angel held Avalon so the ninja could stand. “Now… as I was saying about what you pick in that store. I hope you’re writing this down on your scroll, because I won’t be repeating myself.”

 

[Vegetto]

Vegetto's narrowed glare trained onto Spina consistently at the older Saiyan's constant demeaning and damning behavior towards Clark, his arms crossed and pressing into the tattered gi covering his chest. He silently watched Spina throughout the initial exchange; his attention clearly diverted as he ignored Reef recalling the outburst at Reflection City. Yet his eyebrows lifted immediately once the words registered in his mind after a few seconds, and Vegetto quickly glanced towards Clark, wondering if the Kryptonian had seen that broadcast since the news was more wide spread than he had thought.

However, once Clark continued to try and calm down Reef, Vegetto's surprised expression slowly and quietly mellowed back into his focused stare, his eyes shifting back towards Spina. His attention remained diverted, watching Spina push past Zenta and Avalon with little care, along with the others moving into the store. Soon after, Avalon came flying through the front door of the store, the wind and force left in the wake of such a blow ruffling Vegetto's hair and gi, but the Potara fusion stood like stone as the ninja crashed into the ground in front of him.

Vegetto briefly glanced over Avalon; his expression indicating what little concern he had for Avalon in the moment. His eyes shifted back towards Spina who soon exited the store with his items in hand, his eyebrows narrowing. Silently watching the exchange again with a narrowed glare, Vegetto stood by in his thoughts.

This is the second time you've returned from the dead. No one takes hits like that and comes back on their own. The others think you've changed...but they should know better. This is the real you...the only problem is what or whoever is helping you see that.

His eyes snapped to the side, however, watching Lucifer raise Avalon up to his feet and resume the same questioning. Vegetto's glare remained, and soon, he strode up to the pair. With a flick of his wrist, Vegetto shoved Avalon back a few feet; enough care to make sure the ninja didn't fall over, but not enough to be friendly about it.

"Why don't you leave him alone, and tell me what you want to buy instead."

Vegetto kept his stern stare, meeting Lucifer's eyes with neither rage or apathy.

"We'll wear whatever you have in mind."

 

[~ Z ~]

As Avalon got rag dolled by Spina, and then Vegetto, his eyes slowly opened, and the wave of pain began to settle in. His body curled up as the hit to his stomach had knocked all the wind out of him. Sweat rolled down his face while his eyes glanced up to see Spina fly away. He wanted to go after him to solve the issue he was having, but his body was unable to do so.

What’s up with him…? Is this who he really is?

When Vegetto swatted him away, he landed next to Zenta, who grabbed him by the arm to prevent him from falling. Avalon looked up to see the beast smiling down at him.

“That was not your best idea, Avalon.” Zenta chuckled. “I think you should leave Spina alone. I sense… chaos within him. It was not there before…”

“Ugh… He’s part of the team.” Avalon said, pulling himself to stand. “Teammates are supposed to stick out for each other…” He placed a hand on his stomach, the punch was still taking its tow on his body. “But damn… what a punch.”

“In the meanwhile, did you catch what Lucifer said he wanted?” Zenta smirked before turning his head to the Angel. “We are not allowed inside since we destroy this ‘vibe,’ but I can imagine Clark’s wallet will suffer due to Lucifer’s expensive taste. Knowing Lucifer, he will take advantage of you offering to find him something expensive… You should learn not to say things so…openly in front of this man. Fufufu~.”

“True… Well, can I go to the spa? I’m… kinda hurtin’ right now.” Avalon groaned. “Hey, Reef. Where’s the magical spa place? Can we all go inside and soak?”

“I rather not.” Zenta immediately spoke after Avalon. “Lucifer healed me, so that is enough. No need to get my fur wet…”

 

[ShineCero]

“You’re allowing me to chose whatever clothes for everyone here?” Lucifer smile was absolutely delight. “You shouldn’t have, Mr. Leader.” He said with a bit of snark. “I’ll be happy to have everyone dress for success.”

“Uh, you sure about that?” Clark crossed his arms. He thought he felt some bad blood between the two, but perhaps this was his way to do some good for the Breakers. “At least keep it… reasonable?”

“Oh, no. Now that Vegetto volunteer, I’ll make sure its top quality.” Lucifer pressed his hands together. “Listen closely. The noodle bot requested a splendid poncho; throw in a delightful straw hat just to make his outfit complete. For the Witch, she needs something that matches her personality. A black ruffle swimsuit with an umbrella. Her pale skin doesn’t seem to handle direct sunlight.” The angel, unable to enter the store himself, can still see the options within with his eyes. Scanning around, he found more clothing for the Breakers.

“Oh, Bara needs something that matches that personality of hers. Something adorable, yet mature. A sky-blue superb one-piece swimsuit with a bit of ruffle on the waist. For Berserk, she needs something to show off her muscles.” He noticed that Berserk most likely already chose her outfit, so he turns to Avalon and Zenta. “For the ninja gunning for the leadership role—” He became serious. “Give him a speedo and a nice shirt, since he always wants to be front and center in everything. For Zenta… nice sweatpants shall do it.” He paused for a second. “Crocs. Give him crocs.”

He scanned the store with his eyes once more until he spotted something. “Oh my, yes. For you, Vegetto. I have the most perfect outfit.” He raised his finger since it was in plain sight. “A rather pink shirt! It just oozes your personality.” The pink shirt had “Super Badman” on the back. “You must get it for yourself~!”

Clark turned to the pink shirt and pulled from the racks. “Whoa! This does look cool! You gotta wear it, buddy!”

“Oh, it next to the register stand, dude.” Reef pointed to the door that says Relaxing Spa. “Only one-person elf dude. And it only lasts for about one minute. Any longer… um, don’t know what happens after that, but yeah.” After hearing Zenta say he wasn’t entering it, Reef snapped back. “No, no. No dogs. I don’t want to go in there and unclogged your filthy fur!”

“Oh, I’m sure you can make an exception for this. I refused to let the stench invade my nostrils.” Lucifer lifted his finger, causing Zenta to levitate from the ground. “Hold on a second, Avalon. He shall go first.” With a flick of a wrist, Zenta was tossed into the Spa as the door closed shut. The angel turns to Vegetto with a devilish smile. “I think that covers it, fufu~”.

 

[~ Z ~]

“Leadership role? Huh?” Avalon rolled his eyes at Lucifer’s words. He then tilted his head in confusion, since he did not know what a speedo was. “Speedo? Never heard of it. Bet it’s the latest fashion trend! Sure, I’ll give it a shot! Gimme the best one you got!”

“What are crocs?” Zenta said before finding himself being lifted by Lucifer’s power. Instinctively, he flailed around in the air before grabbing the door frame, digging his nails into it. “Lucifer Morningstar! Don’t. You. Dare!”

“H-Hey, Lucifer, maybe you shouldn’t throw Zenta in the Spa and get his fur wet. Reef said—” Before Avalon could finish, Lucifer flung Zenta into the spa, closing the door to prevent Zenta from escaping. “Uh oh…”

A loud splashing noise came from the other side of the door, as well as a panicked yell from Zenta. More splashing noises came from the other side, no doubt from Zenta’s flailing and desperate attempt to escape the water. Things were heard shattering and being tossed around as the splashing continued. Eventually, gurgling noises from Zenta came from the other side.

“Uhh… Sounds like he’s drowning. Zenta knows how to swim, right?” Avalon said with a concerned look. Eventually, scratching noises were heard as Zenta desperately tried to claw his way out of the room. “Well, you should open the door, Reef, I think he’s had enough.”

 

[ShineCero]

Reef was panicking when Zenta was tossed into the Spa without warning. “Oh man! Boss is gonna wrecked me if he even finds a slight fur in the floorboard.” He turns to Avalon asking him to open the door. “No can do, dude. Once you’re inside, you’re in there for the entire duration. It will not open no matter what.”

“Quit worrying so much, Avalon. You cannot be a leader if you spent so much time being anxious over the smallest of things.” Lucifer chuckled. “Zenta’s a big boy.” He turns to Vegetto, ensuring that the Potara fusion got everything needed for their big purchase. “You got that? Come on, let’s get moving. I want to see everyone dress for success.”

“That’s…” Clark cleared his throat. “You’re rather knowledgeable in fashion?”

“As you would expect,” Lucifer smirks. “For any situation, I prefer everyone and myself to be in the most pristine condition. Whether in battle or an outing, your presentation is of the upmost importance. Even a brute like Vegetto understands that much. I would rather have you changed your tacky clothes, but something tells me that you will somehow pick an even worse fit.”

“W-wait, what’s wrong with my outfit!? I looked kind of cool, right?” He looks at Vegetto, Cayde and Vortex Man. “Right?”

Vortex Man crossed his arms and lost in thought. He didn’t know Spina that well, aside from maybe occasional quips from Hart and Superman. Yet, just as his feeling that Bernkastel changed, he felt something is off surrounding Spina. He was vicious, quick to anger and off putting in general. He recalled a conversation he had with Hart after the Rouge City incident.

“A monster? Like something from your world?”

“No… I never seen a creature like that.”

“Probably some creature from another world. So many people come into Vortex across different realities.”

“No. What I saw… had no connection to any worlds. It was a native to this world. And that monster is now with him. I believe… Vegetto’s toxicity is triggering him somehow. I don’t think they’re aware of it, but I told him to leave the group. Otherwise… he’ll be in same position as I was…. Deranged, filled with hate, lost.”

“Is… that why you despised Bernkastel?”

“….” Hart became silent. “I think that monster took advantage of my pain. It’ll be hard to move forward and face her. I still have lingering feelings that are not good. I don’t know if it’s from my own will, or the will of that thing. I can’t face her yet.” She looks at Vortex Man. “Imagine what Spina might be going through.”

Vortex Man nodded once.

“Listen, if Vegetto steps out of line… it might be the push… so keep an eye out.”

“Earth to Kal! Hey!” Clark tapped his shoulder.

“Huh? What’s up?” Vortex Man snapped out of it.

“I’m asking if you like my outfit?”

Vortex Man blinked. “Um. Why try asking Berserk? I think she’s into that sort of trendy fashion.”

At the same time, there was a sound that beeps once. The door to the Spa opened, releasing tons of steam. It pushes out Zenta, whom not only his fur is completely clean and dry, but his entire body feels refreshed. Everything around the beast sparkled; his visor glistering when any sort of light hit it.

“Ah, that’s much better!” Lucifer clapped.

 

[Vegetto]

Lucifer's genuine delight prompted Vegetto's eyebrows to narrow in frustration, the Potara fusion making little effort to conceal his actual frustration at hearing the angel speak. His narrowed eyes twitched, Lucifer's laundry list of recommendations gradually annoying Vegetto further and further while he scanned the racks. In his frustration, Vegetto rapidly shot his hand out, preparing to yank the shirt Lucifer recommended from the racks only in the notion of simply shortening the amount of the angel's voice he would hear. Yet his arm instantly stopped, his stunned expression remaining in seeing Clark hold the shirt and give his stamp of approval.

Vegetto paused, taking the shirt from the Kryptonian and looking it over thoughtfully for a moment. His lips rose to the side in a small half smirk, scoffing lightly and shaking his head once.

"Tsk...of all things...this blasted shirt made it here."

His expression softened slightly.

It was comfortable...

In the midst of standing in the store, Vegetto promptly reached up and gripped onto both his blue gi top and orange shirt. With little effort, the Potara fusion simply tore off the upper half of his gi and simply tossed it to the floor; his chest littered with scabs from the cuts in the final battle. He quickly slipped his arm into the shirt, slowly pulling it on over his exposed chest and buttoning it up to the neck while the others spoke. Only when Clark questioned the others about his fashion sense did Vegetto perk his head, but the Potara fusion bluntly and nonchalantly looked away without giving Clark a response; a clear indication of what he believed.

However, Cayde emerged from behind the racks shortly after, dawning the poncho and straw hat recommended by Lucifer. The brim lightly bumped a few racks as Cayde peered forward, a genuine thumbs up with his right arm towards Clark while he spoke with a warm mechanical tone in his voice.

"You look great, buddy. Don't listen to the haters."

Vegetto folded his arms across his chest, glancing out towards the exit.

"Get your outfits and let's go already. We'll miss the first fight if you guys take any longer."

 

[LoopyPanda]

"Fashion can only do so much when you're a huge nerd, but ditching the Hawaiian print is a start!" Berserk emerged from a nearby fitting room in a semi-new outfit, having swapped out her skirt for black Tripp pants with bright red accents along the seams and flaps of several pockets going down each leg. The Powerpunk also opted for platform combat boots that made her not only feel taller but put more weight in her steps. "Tank tops aren't my thing so I just got a replacement that's a bit more breathable. If ya want to look super ultra cool Clark, you oughta wear this--" Berserk snatched up a yellow shirt with POSTBOY written in bold letters. "It'll make even cargo pants look a little cooler."

Bernkastel stood outside the shop after having been kicked out by Reef staring up in the direction Spina took off in with narrowed eyes and a slight scowl. The altercation with Avalon prompted a sort of startle reflex, one of her arms having jerked up. Watching Spina's moves intently Bernkastel's arm remained bent at the waist, frozen in position even when it turned out Spina's reaction was ultimately nonlethal. Lowering her gaze, the Witch turned away from the group's conversations.

That was close. If I acted on my misread of the situation... Bernkastel scolded herself. She had no way of knowing if her 'purge' attack would end with Spina's body reverting to a bisected corpse this time around. As if by design, she was between a rock and a hard place in terms of how to handle Spina's increasing aggression. If I'm not careful about this I'll end up with a worse situation than Gogeta on my hands.

"... what a pain," Bernkastel muttered aloud to herself inadvertently after Vegetto motioned for the others to get a move on. Grabbing an umbrella handed to her by Berserk, the Witch used a free hand to engulf her body in a bright magical light as well as the ruffled black jumper from the shack. After several seconds the light dissipated to reveal Bern switched her old clothes with the set on the hanger. "This?"

"As expected of a witchy girl-- not bad, not bad!" Berserk nodded in approval of Lucifer's pick. "Though with how short you are, it reminds me of an old Victorian painting... you even have that haunted look the kids in the paintings have!" she chuckled.

Bernkstel opted for silence at the remark before turning to see Zenta looking clean and refreshed. "Oh, there you are. Now that all that grime is off, your fur is practically snow white. Put me inside the swirling water cube next, it looks fun."

I don't think Zenta found it very fun, Berserk sweated.

 

[~ Z ~]

“So, something that beats my already cool clothes?” Avalon glanced down at his worn and torn clothes. “Well, I guess an upgrade wouldn’t hurt.”

Avalon stared at the clothes in the shop until he decided to pick out a tight black shirt and some loose black pants. He tightens the ends of the pants around his calves. The pants had many pockets for him to store his Scroll and other ninja tools. He kept his scarf, however.

“This will do for now.” *Avalon dusted his new clothes, fitting him like a charm. His attention then turned to Zenta who came out of the Spa, squeaky clean. “Hey! You look great, Zenta!”

The moment Zenta took a step out of the spa, his fur instantly puffed up, making him a walking fur ball. The beast let out a groan as he desperately tried to smooth his fur out.

“This is… degrading. Utterly humiliating…” Zenta said, completely embarrassed.

“Aw shucks, you look like a giant cotton ball, Zenta!” Avalon joked. “Don’t fret! I got you some new pants, so just change into them when you have the chance.”

Zenta did not wait and instantly yanked the pants from Avalon’s hand. In a swift movement, he ripped off his old pants and put on the new ones. They weren’t much different from the ones he had, they were just a cleaner and not worn out. Even the color was the same.

The beast casually made his way to Bernkastel’s side; however, his attention was entirely focused on Lucifer. His expression was stoic, and he simply gave Lucifer a toothy grin.

“I will promise to repay the favor, Lucifer Morningstar… This deed of yours will not be without its reward…” Zenta snarled.

“Alright, now that we’re all funky fresh, we should probably catch up with the tournament. I think it’ll be a good experience for us. Who knows, maybe we’ll learn something.