The Reality Vortex: Shadow Games

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As the explosion engulfed the two warriors, the entire arena was covered in fire, black and red energy, and rainbow energy. As the smoke began to billow out, a figure shot out from it, slamming hard against the wall of the arena. They left their body’s imprint on the wall before falling flat on the floor, out of bounds from what remained of the arena. When all the smoke finally cleared out, Asher was the one who was on the floor. He did not move for a few seconds before wrapping his arms around his stomach and curling in pain.

“Arrgh… Why do you always go for the gut…?!” Asher cried in pain. “Ugh…”

Asher moved up to sit on his knees, coughing out blood from the hit Turles gave him. His tail twitched and curled in agony as the youngster took deep breaths to release himself from the pain. He knew he lost, but he was not mad or upset. Instead, a smile grew on Asher’s face as he slowly rose to his feet, clutching his stomach.


“Those two sure rocked the house…” Avalon said to himself. “But that bigger guy won. Turles, right? That kid put up a good fight tho'. Huh…”

Avalon zipped out his scroll and began to jot down some notes, specifically about Turles’s ‘Evil Aura’ and Asher’s ‘Rainbow Aura.’ As he scribbled, more of the scroll rolled out, showing that he has meticulously written down everything he has seen, down to every detail, from the moment he arrived and joined the Breakers. His eyes quickly scanned his notes, as if to piece together something.

Zenta rose from his seat and let out a small sigh as he carefully stepped between the Breakers, heading to the exit.

“Hey, hey! Where ya’ goin’, Zenta?” Avalon noticed the beast trying to leave. “Hold on, where are—"

“I am just going to get some air to clear my head.” Zenta said, turning his head to the floor. “I will return shortly…”

Before Avalon had a moment to protest, Zenta jumped into the air, where his body disappeared in an instant. Avalon frowned before shaking his head, deciding it would be best to give Zenta a bit of space.

Well... let's hope he's back before the end of the tournament... If not, I'll go look for him.
 
Turles landed on what remains of the arena. As the blazes soared wildly like a storm, the Saiyan looks ahead at Asher that fell out-of-bounds. His body was covered in dirt, scratches and bruises, yet his condition never once daunted his excitement of the battle. He’d simply powered down and the evil aura coating his body disappeared.

The announcer slid down the pole and jumped back onto the destroyed arena. Seeing Asher out-of-bounds, he raised his hand and pointed at Turles. “Match settled! Asher is out of bounds, thereby making Turles the winner!”

The entire stadium erupted into uproar of delight. There was applause; over-the-top cheering and thrills all around. The spectators could barely contain themselves after seeing an exciting match between two contestants. Near the Breakers, there was food and beverages being flung around; some spilled all over Lucifer and Berserk.

Due to the commotion, it was easy that Zenta would slip through the roaring audience without much notice. Lucifer took notice but left it as that, but he was slightly annoyed that his clothes were now drench with food and sticky beverages. “Great, now I’ll need another pair of clothes. Oh, what a waste of Clark’s money!” He turns to Berserk. "We should get some new clothes before the next match."

Clark chuckled, but still showed some concern over Vegetto. “Great battle, right?”

Vortex Man tightened his fist since he felt something was wrong. His eyes turned to Spina as well, but the latter simply sat back down without a word.

After Turles returned to his base, Spina seemingly relaxed somewhat. “Who is that man?” He thought to himself. He hardly took Vegetto’s descriptions with any benefit of the doubt. Rather, the old Saiyan would like to confront Turles himself. “The other fighter put up a fight.” He acknowledged Asher’s efforts in his own way.

===

“Hmph…” Turles walked over to Asher. “You fought well, Asher.” The Saiyan offered the youngster a handshake. “Been a long time since I’ve been this pumped. Keep training hard, and I’ll fight you again.”
 
Elsewhere, in a more secluded and quiet area up above the nosebleeds, there was a small party watching the fighting from a window. Some were happy to have betted correctly on the previous match, while others groaned as their credits went to waste on betting for Asher. Sitting front and center at the glass, legs crossed and chin resting on the palm of her left hand, a mysteriously cheerful woman with colorful yellow witchy attire watched with a cute smile. But even so, she seemed a bit bored.

“Even a little tike could’ve guessed the outcome of that fight.” The woman stated as the rabbit ears protruding through her hat twitched. “That’s another 150,000 credits to me~! And bankruptcy to the newbies.”

“You’re being especially kind to the house, miss Coella.” A waiter came over with a drink for the witch and placed it on the small table next to her.

“Yeah well, there’s only so much they can give away, right?” Coella giggled. “Throw it back in, I think I’ll triple it this time.”

“Hey, come on, Bunny, why not humor us and tell who you’re bettin’ on next!” One of the women gamblers asked, while a few others kept an ear out for an answer. Some however knew this would be hopeless, having heard this all before.

Coella’s smile grew cheekily as she sipped her drink, pausing a moment before answering, “I wish I could, but I don’t know either.”

The newly established gamblers gave a look of confusion, none having the courage to whisper to ask what she meant. But just then Coella showed two scraps of paper with names for the upcoming match and folded them. She then removed her hat and dropped the papers into it before swiveling it to the waiter, who calmly picked a paper at random and walked away.

”It wouldn’t be a gamble if I didn't let luck decide, now would it? That's where all the fun is at!”
 
Perhaps I shouldn't have made him come along to such a noisy place in that state, Bernkastel thought as she saw Zenta excuse himself from the setting, clapping politely from her seat after deeming it an all-clear to lower her cautions. Her expression was still somewhat perturbed but she decided to act like normal anyway. "The boy's creativity was quite refreshing," Bern added onto Spina's comment. "Polishing that technique up, and maybe he would have won out in the end... a shame, cut short right when it started getting good." She still was baffled by Turles' supposed effect on the Saiyans yet did not praise him, looking ever slightly unsatisfied by something. "Is the boundary line rule meant to keep things nonlethal? Those aren't ever in a real fight," she asked Clark.

"That Goku-lookin' dweeb would be easy pickings for me! He wouldn't stand a chance against properly crafted explosives detonated one behind the other to make a kaleidoscope of-- wa, HEY!" Berserk exclaimed in surprise from having food and drink spilt on her from behind. As Lucifer lamented the ruination of their new clothes, the drink on Berserk's head evaporated as she hunched over stewing in rage. "Watch where you dipshits throw your crap!!" she barked, the ribbons in her hair rising to snap at the air like snakes with a crackling sound. "I'll throw YOU next right out this stadium! Dammit I liked these pants too... fine, let's go. Be right back," Berserk told Avalon gruffly before starting to fly up in the air. "Let's take the air route Lucifer! I don't feel like walking."
=====
The Waiting Room

"Starting to get nervous?" a woman's voice came from behind the young man watching Asher's match as she approached. The first thing he'd see was a fluffy head of snow-white hair with a fairly grown-out undercut. Behind her pink rimless glasses was a pair of red eyes, one dotted by a beauty mark at the far end. Wearing a strange shoulder crop hoodie over a leotard and joggers, she was rubbing her head as though freshly out of an odd fugue state. "I'm feelin' a little high strung. Think I'm gonna sneak out and grab a few snacks to calm down. Wanna come with me? We're going up at the tail-end of the tournament, so we've got some time." She offered him a friendly kitty-like smile.
 
Asher walked over to Turles and stared at his hand, thinking about what Turles said. Soon, his own hand clasped Turles’s hand tightly, shaking it confidently and with a bright smile.

“Thanks! I’ll get stronger one day and we’ll fight again!” Asher smirked. “So, you better be prepared, because next time I won’t lose! I’ll master the Tiger Palm when I find my grandpa, and you won’t be so lucky, haha!”


As the crowd grew wild, Zenta managed to zip away and appear outside the arena. He did not go too far, gracefully weaving between the crowd as he walked silently on the streets nearby. A lonely sigh escaped his lips as he quickly jumped up and landed elegantly on the top of a building. He skipped between the top of buildings, letting the wind blow through his fur. His mind was still clouded as he thought about Cuki, barely even registering the fight in his head. Not even the fact that someone else knew the Tiger Palm fazed him.

Was I right to stay and not follow Cuki…? She was hurt, so why did she… why did I stay? Zenta thought to himself. Maybe… I did not change as much as I thought I did… Cuki, please… no matter what, just survive… I cannot lose you a third time…


Avalon continued to scribble in his notes before turning to see Berserk’s rage on the poor lad that poured soda on her. He tried to hold back his laugh, but when Berserk said she would be back soon, Avalon nodded to her, giving her a thumbs up.

“Alright! Just be careful, Berserk!” Avalon laughed. “And bring me back a snack!”

The ninja waved Berserk goodbye and turned his attention back to the scroll before scooting over to Bernkastel. His notes are so incredibly detailed, all organized beautifully.

“Uhh, hey, Miss Bernkastel…” Avalon tried to grab her attention from the roaring crowd. “Did you see that rainbow energy come out from the youngster? Asher? Have you ever seen anything like that before?”
 
"Ah, taking your notes I see," Bernkastel tilted her head to gaze at the intricate notes Avalon had already amassed on his scroll. "Yes... come to think of it, I did get a feeling of deja vu. Before you joined us, while we were dealing with the Coin Hunter-- well, the woman at the Supers' house? Hart Kimber." The Witch casually gestured to Vortex Man and Clark. "When she used her gauntlets to switch Coins, I remember those gleaming a similar color. A lot of that battle was a blur but at one point she performed an attack where tons of silhouettes with different colors flew across the field. Hart is a... unique denizen that Lucifer calls an Alter Being. Hard to describe what she is other than a freak accident-- she's her whole universe if you will. This boy having the same energy color as her gauntlets strikes me very odd."
 
The Tournament

“Hmph. I’ll be waiting then.” Turles smirks. Seeing that he was victorious, the Saiyan headed back to the waiting room for his next match.

“What a splendid match, right everyone?!” The announcer shouted at his mic. “We’ll be taking a short break! The heavy toll from the battle had slowed the arena’s restoration, so it’ll be just a bit longer until we resumed the next battle. If you want to get more snacks, this is the time!”

The announcer turns to Asher. “Since you lost, report to the medical tent and get treated. We don’t want the responsibility of you getting into those weird coins!”

===

While the rest of the spectators calmed down and left to stretch their bodies and find more snacks; the whole surrounding the Breakers backed away. They immediately jumped after Berserk snapped at them for dirtying them with sticky foods and beverages.

“Oh shit, it’s the Breakers!” One of them muttered underneath their breath. The excitement of the battle distracted them, but they’re fully aware that Breakers is now here. Having feelings to avoid being caught in possible scenarios they might bring, they forced away their seats just enough, so they aren’t a bother. From an outsider perspective, it was explicitly cartoony how they shoved all the seats away from the Breakers.

“Well, at least they aren’t running away. The tournament is exciting for them.” Clark scratches his head. “I mean, they can go for the kill, but I think some people don’t want to do that. Besides, you can’t test your skills if your opponent is dead, you know!” He answered Bernkastel. He’s not the type to think the battle ends when the opponent dies. Where’s the sportsmanship?

Lucifer wanted to stay just a bit after hearing Avalon question the strange rainbow-like energy, but his wardrobe was far more important. He’s not going to attend any events looking like a slob. Nodded once, the angel followed Berserk.

Both Kryptonians stared at each other when Bernkastel brought up Hart and Alter beings. Clark didn’t know too much about the subject since he was ambushed when he fought Hart. Vortex Man on the other hand.

“You’re suspecting him as an Alter being?” Vortex Man asked.

===

Waiting Room

“Huh!?” The young man jumped when she approached him suddenly. Catching his breath and relaxed, he nodded out of panic. “S-sure. I’m feeling a bit hungry… But where should we go? There’s a lot of people out there…” He started to sweat.

All the remaining fighters were present in this room. Omegamon, Dielec, Victor and a strange hat that was sitting on a chair.

The announcer and Turles entered the room. Omegamon immediately stood up.

“You’re not Goku, aren’t you?”

“Goku?” Turles paused for a second. “Oh, you meant him. No, I’m not. You got business with him?”

Omegamon sat back down. “It’s nothing. Sorry for bothering you.”

The announcer looked around and noticed that Spider-Chaos wasn’t there. “Hey, where’s Spider-Chaos?”

“That bouncy guy? He said that now he defeated that “Michael Myers”, he ran off to fight some other evil-looking people. Don’t know what that means though.”

“He left… Okay, I can fix this.” The announcer ensures the fighters. “Might have to switch some fights around, but we can do this!!”

Tournament Souvenir Stands

Lucifer landed and looked around. “There are some decent shops. Not to my taste, but its better than nothing.” The angel turns to Berserk. “Oh, I suppose it is time…”
 
The old man leaves the waiting room in order to head to grab a quick bite to eat before his hatch. He summons a small Imp and orders it to go to the arena.

The old man thinks "I can't deny the convince that swapping with a summon can bring. Sounds good for a snack." As he looks for something to eat.
 
“Coins?” Asher tilted his head at the announcer, however, he shrugged, paying no mind to it. He turned to the audience and waved to them as he left the arena for the medical tent.


Avalon listened intently to Bernkastel and was confused at what she was talking about. This was the first time he heard the term ‘Alter Being’ and what they are. Avalon slowly turned his head to glance at Clark and Vortex Man before remembering he briefly saw a woman in the house with the two. He never questioned it, but he didn’t have time to.

“Alter Being?” Avalon repeated the term before writing it down. Everything Bernkastel told him he wrote down with extreme detail. “So, Hart Kimber is an Alter Being? She’s… her whole universe? How’s that possible? Weren’t our universes destroyed?”

Avalon kept his voice low, not wanting to have Clark or Vortex Man interfere. It seems he wanted to hear Bernkastel's interpretation of it before he went around asking the others.
 
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The Tournament

Vortex Man crossed his arms when Avalon lowered his voice when speaking to Bernkastel. The topic of Alter Beings and Hart… the Kryptonian wasn’t going to let that slip on by without his input.

“Avalon… right?” Vortex Man spoke to the ninja. “I’ve been watching you. I don’t know your connection with the Breakers, but you have this… aura that bothers me. But I’ll give you some insight into us Kryptonians. Whispers or keeping your voice low doesn’t work—we can hear even the faintest of sounds. Maybe that’s how you do things in your world—but this isn’t your world.”

The Kryptonian felt the need to comment on this situation since he knew Hart Kimber. “Universes were destroyed, yes. But there were certain scenarios where the people managed to survive the destruction of their worlds by forcing a merger. A fusion between every single person in that universe to become one, singular being. However, it’s… a painful existence. After someone becomes the dominant one to control the body, they are constantly bombarded by their endless sea of thoughts and emotions. Their powers staggered and inconsistent. You can tell they’re Alter beings by the color of their aura and rainbow eyes.”

Spina remained silent throughout Vortex Man’s explanation.

“I don’t know the origins of how and why Alter beings came into existence, but its most likely not the information Hart was fed—” Vortex Man stopped himself from finishing the sentence. “It doesn’t matter. But that is what an Alter being and their entire, painful existence.”
 
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