------------------------------- UVR2- THE DESTRUCTION CONTINUES ------------------------------- SECTION THIRTEEN RESULTS ------------------------------- _The Ring_ It was incredible to watch. Everyone who was in the ring now knew that they were close to winning the entire Rumble, so close that they could taste it. No one took any chances at being eliminated now, fighting smartly and with expert timing. Very few solid hits were landed in the first few moments of the round, being blocked or avoided with the finesse of a master. Stray projectiles reflected off of the forcefield encircling the ring in a near-constant shower of multi-colored sparks. The fighters were absolutely silent, save for the occasional grunt of pain or effort, or the cry accompanying a special move (Kuroko being the notable exception). The crowd roared, a constant rushing hum. Wanderer was agape. Birdman, being Birdman, was counting the money this was making him. The assembled warriors were giving it everything they had, proving why they were among the best fighters in the Multiverse. Ukyo Tachibana was dealing, simultaneously, with both an attack of his tuberculosis and Jack, who wasn't above exploiting the samurai's brief periods of vulnerability. In short, Ukyo was in trouble. Seeing this, Nakoruru hurriedly slashed Birdie away from her and Annu Mistube'd Jack, but the damage had been done. Ukyo was badly hurt. As Nakoruru stood there and inspected his wounds, Birdie hooked her up in his chain, slammed her into the ground, and bounced her across the ring, knocking both King and J. Carn sprawling. As King got up, she shrugged a barely conscious Nakoruru off of her and started to throw Carn out of the ring- Suddenly, a Shark Knuckle struck her in the back, making her drop the World Hero. "Sorry, lass, but I can't let you do that. Internodal honor, and all." Kidd cracked his knuckles. King turned a Samurai-worthy shade of red, and kicked Kidd in the jaw. The pirate fell over. As Nakoruru recovered, Carn began to harrass her, starting with a punch in the head. Not really having the patience for him, Nakoruru blocked and countered with a slash to the stomach, sending Carn tumbling backward. She then sicced a fiery Mamahaha on him, and ran over to defend Ukyo. Carn stood up and stuck out his chest. "Oh, come on, little girl. I conquered Eurasia-do you honestly think a *bird* can stop me-" Mamahaha dove at him, clawing and tearing. "OWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOW!!!!" Carn ran away, Mamahaha hot (no pun intended) on his heels. Surprisingly enough, Kuroko and Dhalsim were fairly evenly matched, the main reason for this being the discovery that the Yoga Flame canceled HaohShohKohkens. Kuroko, displeased with this, was berating the Yoga warrior. "That is against so many rules, it ought to be a rule in and of itself! *No* attack can cancel a HaohShohKohken, as dictated by the seventh rule of Kyokugenryu, which is the whole reason for the existence of that school! It's a rank impossibility! It's WHAM!" Even Dhalsim's nearly inexhaustible patience was gone. He had kicked Kuroko in the teeth from fifteen feet away. This, unfortunately, sparked another tirade on rules, as well as a large number of well-aimed missiles. Jacky Bryant was continuing his tactics of harrassment, "helping" Bishamon beat the holy hell out of Kyoshiro. The Kabuki fighter looked, by now, very bad indeed, until he hopped back and pelted both fighters with thrown fans and quick naginata slashes. Bishamon, wearing armor and carrying a sword, was fully capable of dealing with this (although he was still getting burned). Jacky, with neither, was not, and soon was sporting a number of nasty wounds. Guy and Chun Li were back to back, fending off the lightning-quick advances of Choi Bounge and Larcen. Choi knew better than to close in on either fighter, and was relying on his rolls and hurricane attacks. Larcen, on the other hand, was simply swinging his grappling hook at the two Alpha Streeters. Individually, neither would have done much good, but as a pair, they were doing more damage than either Chun Li or Guy would have liked. In a voice strained by effort, Chun Li asked, "How do we know they haven't already sacrificed Haohmaru?" "Because if they had, we'd be dead right now." Guy was covered in a patchwork of bruises, and his skin was flushed and red from more than an hour of hard combat. His eyes, however, blazed with intensity. While he talked, Larcen took the opportunity to close in on Guy from behind. At the last second, Guy whirled around, jumped up, and Izuna Dropped the hell out of him. Chun Li swallowed hard, and looked at Ryu in the stands, who was meditating with Liu Kang. Chun looked back at the oncoming Choi Bounge, and her eyes hardened. The little ex-criminal suddenly understood that he was in *deep* trouble, and ran away. He did not, however, outrun the first of many Kikokens aimed at him. Guy watched this with some small degree of amusement, wiping his forehead off with what was left of his gi. This was getting ridiculous. Everyone was evenly matched. To break the deadlock, they would need something spectacular... _Room 1891, RumbleDome Hotel_ Demitri crooned ancient words of power, holding the knife over Haohmaru. His face was calm. His eyes were frantic. The unfamiliar syllables came to his mouth easily; with each he spoke, his aura became slightly larger, as a minute fraction of the power within Haohmaru was transferred to him. Morrigan watched Demitri's ritual with a kind of detached calm. She realized now that she had been a fool. Demitri had been a plotter and schemer as long as she'd known of him, but never for one on this scale...the fool was actually about to become more powerful than any of them had ever dreamed. This had just seemed like an opportunity for some slaves and some fun at first, but now, it was getting serious. With a grimace, Morrigan realized she'd have to do something to stop this. Fortunately, she had one tool left that Demitri hadn't taken for his own... _Eliminated Seating_ Kung Lao, Iceman, and Jeffry McWild ran into the seating as fast as they could. Quickly, Kung Lao grabbed Liu Kang. "We've got a job to do! Come on!" Kang stood up, and Ryu, who had been sitting next to him, did as well. "What seems to be the problem, brother?" Liu asked, his voice mild. "I'll explain on the way. It's bad. Very bad." "Then I shall come with you," Ryu said, tightening his headband. It sounded like an opportunity to fight, after all. Privately, Kung wondered if the headband was perhaps a little *too* tight. "Good. All the help we can get, and all that. Come on!" "You need help?" Galford perked up, as he usually did, at the mention of the word. "I'll come along. Here, Poppy!" "Woof!" "Fine, fine, whatever. Let's go!" The six of them ran towards the stairs. _Hundred and Thirty-First Floor, RumbleDome Hotel_ "*BISON!!!!!*" Charlie yelled, running at the dictator as fast as he could. Bob Wilson made the mistake of trying to get in his way, and was promptly kicked in the stomach. Bison smiled softly and teleported away from the enraged soldier, leaving him to deal with a *very* sore Bob and Heihachi. Dan was right behind Charlie, but found himself facing Eiji Kisaragi. Having beaten Dan once, Eiji was confident that he could do it a second time. His initial flying kick hit Dan in the jaw, and as Eiji landed, he threw an easily blocked overhead punch. As Dan lunged forward to counterattack, Eiji, smiling knowingly under his mask, crossed his arms and summoned his crescent shield. Dan stopped dead. It had been a feint. Eiji was forced to sit there, watching Dan gather his strength, while his shield wore down and eventually disappeared. Eiji uncrossed his arms and hurriedly backpedaled, but it did no good. "HISSHOU MURAIKEN!" Eiji was struck with a strangely familiar volley of kicks and punches, ending with a Shining Dragon Punch, that laid the ninja out. Robert Garcia, fighting Blue Mary, HaohShoKohkened her and said to Dan, "I got two words for you, man: copyright infringement." "What the hell are you talking about?" Blue Mary ran at Robert, her taser out. "RYUUKO RANBU!" Robert slammed the Fatal Furite with a devastating (and similar) combination, ending with a powerful uppercut. Blue Mary fell back down, this time for good. "Oh." Dan actually looked ashamed. "Don't worry about it, man." Robert clapped Dan on the back. "We gotta stick together, since we got the same face and all UGH!" Robert clapped both hands over his crotch and fell over, retching. Nina Williams stood up from her crouch and booted him in the face, laughing. "I'm sorry, did that sting a little? Here, let me make it *all* better-" WHOOM! A grenade detonated at her feet, knocking her unconscious. "You just don't *do* that, lady." Stryker grimaced. He and Dan quickly dragged the blue-faced Robert back. Seeing an enemy in a moment of vulnerability, Pyron flew over the rest of the battle, and directed a fiery blast at the incapacitated Robert. However, it was hit, and cancelled, by a Typhoon from Storm. As one, Donovan (of course), Wolverine, and Matrix leaped on the alien, slashing and stabbing. Pyron would have none of it. "COSMO DISRUPTION!" Fiery bursts flew like rain, cooking Wolverine and slapping the blocking Donovan and Matrix away. Pyron then continued on his mission to incinerate Robert, literally smoking with rage. The sheer heat of its anger triggered the Dome's sprinkler system, filling the hallway with a fine mist. Dan and Stryker, who were standing over Robert, looked at the oncoming Pyron, looked at each other, shrugged, shook hands, and assumed their fighting stances. Both of them wore the grimaces of someone who knows he's about to die. "Prepare yourselves, mortals-" Pyron glowed, warming up for his Zodiac Fire. Suddenly, he was grabbed from behind. King, in the greatest feat of strength of his life, quickly suplexed the alien to the ground, howling as his hands all but ignited from the heat. Meanwhile, Jubei Yagyu was carving up Kim Dragon, who was bitterly regretting his choice in fighting attire ("Bare chest and silk pants, Kim? Sounds good! WHAT THE HELL WAS I THINKING?!") as he tried to guard himself from Jubei's katana and wakizashi. It wasn't working. He'd Dragon Kicked Jubei twice, but it hadn't done much more than slow him down. Sie Kensou saw this, and blasted Ryoko out of his way. "I'm coming, Kim! Hold on-" Jubei heard the young psychic coming, and whirled on him, immediately executing the Hasso Happa. Sie ran right into it. After what seemed like an eternity of being slashed, pierced, and shredded, Sie fell over, unconscious...or worse. Kim was barely on his feet, holding his slashed side and unable to do anything but watch. Jubei then turned back to him, Sie's blood dripping off of his blades, and raised them to do the same to Kim. Suddenly, a wide blue beam of energy washed over the samurai, encasing him in a thick layer of arctic ice. Kim nearly fell over with relief as he looked towards the beam's source; Sasquatch gave him a thumbs-up and a big shaggy grin. Ryoko shook off the effects of Sie's attack, and jumped in at the distracted bigfoot. (It looked kind of cute. She *hated* cute.) However, in mid-air, Storm intercepted her with a Typhoon (as was her wont), throwing the "judo queen" up. While she was falling, Jago/Doom slammed into her side with a Wind Kick, the precursor to a 10-hit combo. She fell down, near where Ryo was standing. Jago sniffed. "Inadequate." Ryo wasn't sure about himself. The enchantments were still messing with his equilibrium, so he fell back and let the others handle this fight. However, as Ryoko got up, she gave him the Hand of God. This made Ryo blink. The series of quick punches and slaps she then threw at him did little more than tingle as they touched his skin. He watched her, like it was a movie, as she flung every attack in her arsenal at him, eventually standing still, exhausted. Ryo didn't even feel bruised. Absently, he Kohoed her in the jaw- -and hit eight times, knocking her to the end of the hallway, a hundred and twenty feet away. Ryo looked at his fist in wonder. "What did they *do* to me?!" Adon was doing well for himself. With a confident grin, he struck the already-groggy Wolverine with a Jaguar Tooth. Wolverine, not really thinking straight, Tornado Clawed Adon, but fell victim to an Alpha Counter Jaguar Knee in return. Adon finished the X-Man off with a Level 2 Jaguar Revolver Super Combo. Adon chortled, looked around, and, seeing Donovan Bane, immediately ran at him and kicked the hunter in the face. Donovan fell backward. "Ha, ha, haa! I'm the BEST Muay Thai-" "Don't even *start* with that crap again..." There was a low-pitched hum from behind him. "Uh-oh." Adon was in mid-turn when Matrix severed his arms. Unfortunately for her, she had forgotten that Adon was a *kick*boxer, so she was still at somewhat of a disadvantage. That is, she was, until a large shadow fell over Adon from behind. To make a long story short: WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! (*zorch*) SLICE! HACK! STOMP! CRASH! THUD! Donovan shook Matrix's hand. "Thanks." "Don't mention it." Adon groaned in pain, and Donovan kicked him again. Charlie had utterly overpowered Heihachi. Ordinarily, it wouldn't have been as much of a mismatch, but Charlie's determination to get past the Tekkeneer and do a wide variety of incredibly unpleasant things to Bison (technically, he *was* resisting arrest) was heavily influencing the fight. Also, Yoshimitsu had done him a favor by engaging Bob Wilson, a fight which the robot was handling fairly well. Finally, Charlie knocked Heihachi completely out with a backhand punch to the neck and continued down the hallway, writing Bison's name in his little book as he went. He jumped up and out of the way as Bison flew out in his Psycho Crusher, and immediately countered with a Flash Kick, knocking Bison to the ground. "You have the right to remain silent-" Bison threw a Psycho Shot at him, laughing madly. "Oh, never mind..." Charlie tossed a Sonic Boom to cancel the Shot, and closed in for the dirty work. Pyron, meanwhile, was dealing with King the way he dealt with everyone; namely, through the politics of incineration. Heavy D! and Rikuo were both attempting to distract it, but Pyron, berserk as it was, was ignoring them both in favor of attacking King. Finally, though, Pyron caught him dead-on with a Fiery Planets, burning King almost beyond recognition. The alien spun in for the kill... ...and Heavy D! smoothly stepped in front of it, fully charged up. He was pretty sure that nothing but his best attack would affect Pyron... D! drew back his fist, and drove it forward with all the strength he had to offer. The D!-Crazy struck Pyron neatly in the forehead. It staggered back, dazed. Rikuo quickly struck the reeling alien with a Sea Rage, summoning thousands of gallons of water and throwing them at it in a series of crushing waves. The hallway was (further) soaked, the unconscious fighters being picked up in the current and carried down the hallway. Pyron was surrounded by a great cloud of steam, its fire slowly being diminished. Pyron staggered forward, hissing as its fire tried to reestablish itself, right into Lei Wulong's back. This was a bad place to be. Lei, feeling way out of his league, slammed the alien with a series of kicks. His shoes charred black and began to flake off, but he kept it up, whiplashing Pyron back and into the wall. Pyron, being Pyron, immediately burned through the plaster and flew headlong into Room 1324. Lei tried to pick King up under his arms, but the wrestler was too heavy. "Tell me, man, exactly what the hell were you thinking?" King was barely conscious. "...have...to atone... for... helping... evil..." Pyron's voice was a dull, enraged thunder. "Then you can do it in person, before your gods, worm..." Both Tekkeneers looked up to see the alien stalking, slowly and seeming to relish every step, back through the hole that he had made in the wall. Pyron, without further preamble, threw an enormous torrent of flame at them, the walls buckling from the sheer heat of it. "No." A sheet of purple flame burst up in front of Lei and King, wrapping itself around Pyron's burst like a rug. It began to shrink into a ball, the yellow fighting to survive underneath the purple. Finally, both the purple and the yellow flames vanished. Lei breathed a sigh of relief. "WHO DARES?!" Pyron roared, looking around for the fire's source. "I'm shocked you have to ask." He was struck by a torrent of the same crackling violet force, making him stagger back. Its controller, Kyo Kusanagi, stood down the hallway, his hands wreathed in flame. Pyron, roaring with rage, flung a meteor at Kyo, but it was almost carelessly sidestepped. Casually, Kyo crossed the distance between them and hit Pyron in the "face" with a Twilight Ride, followed by more fire. However, this time, Pyron's aura flared white-hot, overwhelming Kyo's fire. Kyo's reaction, naturally, was to summon more of it. Pyron countered with yet more of his own, and the cycle continued to escalate. Soon, the pair of fighters were glowing like secondhand suns, and their forms were obscured by a heat mirage. The walls began to char black near where they were standing, and the sprinkler system began to dump even more water into the hallway to compensate. (Somewhere in the RumbleDome, Tristan slapped himself in the forehead as every shower in the hotel lost water pressure, prompting a barrage of irritated phone calls from many of the guests.) The ice statue imprisoning Jubei Yagyu evaporated quickly, barely making the transition from solid to liquid at all, and the samurai fell to the floor unconscious. This had dramatic effects upon the rest of the fighters. Specifically, it *seriously* screwed with Rikuo, who dehydrated quickly. Lei and King, who had been unfortunate enough to be standing right next to the "flame war," also soon fell victim to heatstroke. All three of them soon passed out. The rest of the fighters stopped what they were doing to stare at the spectacle (even Charlie and Bison), and, after a while, began to try and do something about it. Sasquatch, Storm, and Donovan began throwing cold attacks at the inferno, doing little good besides making things a little more comfortable in the hallway. After what seemed like an eternity, the mirage faded. Kyo, his uniform scorched black, stood over the unconscious body of Pyron. The Source still crackled in his hands. Weakly, he said to the alien, "...heh, heh...moetarou..." The assembled fighters looked around in shock, to see who was standing. When Yoshimitsu remembered that Bob was standing right next to it, the robot made some kind of "Oh," noise and punched him in the face, knocking him out. Ryo looked around the hallway. "I believe that just leaves you, Bison." The Shadoloo dictator drew himself up. "I can take a few of you with me. Not all of you will be reaching the Master's chambers alive." "'The Master?'" Charlie wondered aloud. "I don't really have time for this, Bison." Power began absently collecting in Ryo's hands, by reflex. What looked like ball lightning circled his arms. He began a familiar motion, and Robert's eyes widened when he recognized it. "SHINKUU..." "CHARLIE...*MOVE*!!!" Robert yelled, in a slightly higher voice than normal. Charlie quickly jumped out of the way, behind Ryo. Bison began to jump as well, but a crossfire of projectiles confined him to the ground. Ryo thrust his hands forward, his mouth open, hair standing on end. Static electricity filled the air and congregated in his hands, then projected outwards. It was an old trick, but on a far, far greater scale. "...*HAOHSHOKOHKEN!!*" Bison blocked, of course. This did next to no good. The blast of force that Ryo unleashed at him was as irresistible as a tidal wave. The Shadoloo dictator was caught up in the initial part of the burst and thrown into the end of the hall, through the window. The rest of the Shinkuu HaohShoKohKen caught up with him a moment later, blowing out most of the rest of the side of the hotel with a sound like a bomb. Bison abruptly found himself with a thousand feet between himself and the ground. As a last-ditch effort, he teleported, trying to at least fall into the ring so the forcefields would catch him. Granted, Guy and Chun Li were in there, but one thing at a time. Unfortunately, he undershot his goal, and fell cleanly through the dimensional field. He hit hard, although the internodal passage dampened some of the inertia. Looking up, he saw that he was lying on airport tarmac, and he smelled oil and exhaust... "Hello, butcher." Bison sat painfully up to face Guile. And he knew the next fifteen minutes were going to hurt. _The Ring_ "Do I even *want* to know, Brant?" Birdman's voice was flat. "Probably not." Brant was chortling helplessly. "He was probably just...um, uh, practicing the Psycho Crusher, or something." "You enjoyed that a little too much, man," Wanderer observed. He was trying very hard to keep his voice absolutely neutral. "I have to have my fun *somewhere*..." The entirety of the RumbleDome had turned to watch Bison doing his swan dive from the upper floors of the hotel, including most of the people in the ring. Guy, after smiling for a good three seconds when he realized who was falling, looked around, and he caught sight of... "Gotcha." Guy ran across the ring, jumped up, and grabbed Kyoshiro neatly out from underneath Bishamon's nose, catching him in a somersault backbreaker. The now-stunned Kyoshiro was easy to throw out of the ring. Kyoshiro landed in Jackal. Fortunately, one of the POWs threw him onto the jeep before anything really *bad* could happen. (Of course, the jeep was blown up about three minutes later, but it's the thought that counts.) Guy pumped his fist. "YES!" He was starting to get his second wind. The audience went nuts, screaming and throwing their beverages in the air. This coincided roughly with Birdie's delivery of a Headbutt Rush to Bishamon's chin. The spirit fell back, already groggy from getting cut up by Kyoshiro. Birdie looked around, and lifted his arms, basking in the praise from the audience. "I'M NUMBER ONE!" he yelled, exultantly, little knowing that saying that was a death sentence in the Rumble. "Keep dreaming, pal." The sword's tone was dry as it drove into Birdie's chest. "Egotistical wretch, ain't he?" the armor observed, as Bishamon came rushing across the space between him and Birdie, grabbing his sword and cutting Birdie neatly in half. "Not unlike you, I'd say," one of the flames chimed in. Birdie collapsed to the mat. "HEY! Are you going to let him talk like that to me, Bish?" "Yes. And shut up." Bishamon threw the pieces o' Birdie over the side. They landed in RAX's stage from Eternal Champions, where a small cleaning droid neatly whisked them away. Nakoruru was beginning to get tired, between dealing with both Jack and J. Carn at the same time. Finally, she completely lost it, and slashed them both with a Leyla Mistube, giving her room to maneuver. "I don't know why you fight," she began, "and I don't care. But you're trying to attack a man incapable of defending himself, and that's inexcusable! You may have gotten away with such things in your own node, but you're here now, and YOU *WON'T* GET AWAY WITH IT WHILE I'M AROUND! APEFUSHI KAMUI RYFUSE!" Both World Heroes were struck by a flurry of cape slashes, followed by a *very* angry Mamahaha, trailing shadows behind it. Jack was almost knocked over the side, and only saved himself by dragging his claws along the mat. Carn wasn't as badly off, but landed perilously close to the last person he wanted to see. "Miss me, beefcake?" King said, smiling sweetly. Carn struggled to his feet. "Aw, gimme me a break, babe..." Her eyes narrowed. King immediately kneed him in the groin. The entire male population of the RumbleDome grimaced sympathetically. While he was retching, King knocked Carn over the "ropes" with a Trap Shot. Carn landed in Romance of the Three Kingdoms, on the main street of a small village. He couldn't figure out why the villagers were running away from him, until a massive army of men on horseback rode up, captained by none other than Genghis Khan himself. "You *DARE* take my appearance as your own?!" Genghis roared, drawing his sword. J. Carn swallowed hard, and ran like hell. Seven hundred men on horseback rode after him. Meanwhile, Choi Bounge was *still* running away from Chun Li. He was out of breath and sweating like a faucet. Jack watched unsteadily as Choi ran by, yelling for help in that annoying high-pitched voice of his. Shaking his head, Jack took a step forward, then another. He smiled, and flexed his claws. Now, that knife-wielding little bitch and him were going to have some words... Jack then looked to his left. Without slowing down in her pursuit of Choi, Chun Li split-kicked Jack out of her way and out of the ring. She landed, still running, and yelled "Sorry!" over her shoulder. Jack found himself in Donkey Kong. He was immediately flattened by a hammer-wielding Mario. Choi, at a *very* high rate of speed, was now running by the Kuroko-Dhalsim battle, which had now degraded to more of a verbal than a physical brawl. The two of them were arguing ethics. "But if the man *knows* it is wrong to steal, for whatever reason, then it is wrong, and he should be punished to the full extent of the law!" Kuroko maintained, his voice rising melodramatically. "You need to show more compassion," Dhalsim said, levitating slightly. "True, he knows it is wrong, but he is attempting to serve a greater good than simple civil law; namely, the welfare of his family." "Law is law is law," Kuroko said, shaking his head. He would have continued, but Choi started screaming. "HELP! Somebody! First Dream Tournament Champion, on my ass, won't get off, HELP! GET HER AWAY FROM ME!" "What in the *world* are you talking about, you little twit?! KIKOKEN!" Choi jumped up, grabbing himself in a sensitive area, where the fireball had struck (can't tell you where, sorry, this is a family show). "Excuse me, won't you?" Kuroko turned away from Dhalsim and fireballed Choi out of the ring. When he turned back, he saw that Dhalsim was looking at him with a stern expression. "Oh, please...he *did* ask for someone to get him away from Chun Li..." _A Kilrathi Ship_ "Take the little human intruder to the..." the lighting shifted melodramatically, "interrogation room." The catlike alien commander poked Choi in the chest. "We *will* find out how you got in here, little one..." "I'm telling you, I'm in the Rumble! You should have gotten a message, telling you all about it! It's not my faaauuulllttt..." The two *very* big Kilrathi guards hauled Choi away. _The Ring_ "Oops. I thought I might have missed a node when I was sending out warnings." Brant was somewhat embarrassed. Birdman dismissed it with a wave of his hand. "He'll teleport back here in fifteen minutes. No harm done." Brant was quiet. Wanderer looked sidelong at Brant. "He will be teleported back...right?" Brant looked guilty. "There are still a few...bugs...in the system..." Both Birdman and Wanderer slapped themselves in the forehead. Meanwhile, Nakoruru had helped Ukyo to his feet. "Are you all right?" "...all...things considered...*no*...but I'll manage..." Ukyo coughed up a little more blood than usual, and staggered a little, but he was on his feet. Of course, neither Larcen nor Jacky helped matters when they attacked the two Samurais. Jacky landed a series of fierce punches on Nakoruru, bloodying her nose. Ukyo immediately slashed Larcen across the stomach, but all he did was strike sparks off of the burglar tools in Larcen's coat pockets. "Nice try, kid, but don't play with sharp objects." Larcen whacked Ukyo four times with his Hammer Punch string, and avoided the subsequent Zanzou Fumikomi Giri by jumping up to the ceiling and attaching his grappling hook to it. Suddenly, to Ukyo's extreme displeasure, Larcen swung down, neatly kicking him with both feet (and let's not forget the spiked shoes) in the small of the back. Ukyo fell over, and Larcen backflipped away. Unfortunately for Larcen, he landed by the ethical debate (which, paradoxically, had now grown to involve Chun Li and King, who were providing the "feminine viewpoint"). As Ukyo began the motions for a retaliatory Tsubame Gaeshi, Larcen yelled "PUNK!!" Ukyo dashed back, and raised his sword, but...nothing happened. He just brought it back down as if wondering what he had been planning to do. Larcen smiled, and began to move in for the kill...um, the elimination...but Dhalsim teleported into his way. "Excuse me, but I'd like to ask you to stop with such comments. You are interfering with my karma." "Get used to it, pal. You're next." "Very well." Suddenly, Dhalsim grabbed Larcen in a choke hold and began pounding him in the head repeatedly. After a few hits, Dhalsim let go, pushed him back a bit, and punched Larcen over the "ropes." The streets in Deja Vu were dark, and gritty, and stained with shadows like the long fingers of sin. Larcen landed in an alleyway, twisting so he landed on his feet. He pulled his coat collar up, and stalked out onto the street, irritated with his poor performance. "Ah, well. I suppose it's for the best." He'd been a contender for a few minutes, and, maybe, that would be enough. He hoped so. Larcen lit a cigarette, shook out the match, and walked down the street, headed for the nearest bar. On the way, he passed a guy punching out a mugger in an alleyway. He paid it no mind. "Well, that was odd," Wanderer stated. Birdman took a tape out of the control console. "It wasn't bad. Not a big fan of film noir?" "Never paid it much mind. Hey...seems like we're in the final ten, folks! Bishamon, Guy, Kuroko, King, Kidd, Ukyo, Nakoruru, Chun Li, Jacky, and Dhalsim!" Birdman looked at his new clipboard, and leaned over his mike. "That's right, Wanderer! Right now, the Street Fighters are dominating, with three fighters in the ring and the first-place contestant, but that could change at any time. Let me tell you, if you're watching at home, the tensions are running high here! Now, we'll pause for a brief moment with the Vegas oddsmakers, for those of you who've placed bets on the fight." "Isn't that illegal?" "Yup. But it's not like we care! Back in a minute..." _Room 343, RumbleDome Hotel_ "Mary! You decent?" Terry knocked on the door, and it swung open slowly. He walked in, and saw Blue Mary's bathrobe lying on the floor. Her travel bag was open, the contents strewn liberally across the bed. Her fighting outfit and taser, notably, were gone. "Must have gone down to watch the fight," Terry mused. He started to lie down on the bed, but as he did so, he noticed something curled up between it and the wall. Blue Mary's dog was sleeping there, curled up in a ball. That was just odd; ordinarily, Blue didn't go anywhere without her dog. However, there was a faint smell in the air that Terry recognized...that of chloroform. "What in the hell...?" Terry picked up the dog, which barely stirred. Suddenly, there was a shape falling through the door. It belonged to Andy Bogard. Terry dropped the dog. (It didn't stir at that, either.) "ANDY!" Andy looked like he'd been hit by a bus. His clothing was scorched and torn. Hell, he looked worse than he did if he lost a fight in their home node. "Terry..." "Easy, Andy. Don't try and talk." "...yeah...if I shut up...*that'll* help the broken ribs..." Andy smiled weakly. "...Terry...Demitri's...got Mary...they're gonna...her...to that Dark Guy...upper floors...penthouse..." Andy went limp. Terry set Andy on the bed and straightened his cap. He felt himself in the grip of a rage he'd only felt twice before in his life. "Not again," he said. "Never again." Terry left the room for the nearest elevator. In the penthouse, Morrigan stopped concentrating, allowing Andy to fall unconscious, and smiled. _Room 243, RumbleDome Hotel_ It was not what warriors refer to as a "good fight." The Mortal Kombatants, knowing they were for the most part outnumbered and outclassed, were hosing the room down with projectiles. Fireballs, Blade Sparks, Blade Lassoes, knives, sais, acid bolts, boomerangs, Defusers, lightning bolts, and Guidance Shots filled the air. The Killer Instinctives were all down, since, as is commonly known, it's hard to combo someone when you can't get anywhere near them. Riptor, in particular, was in a world of hurt; after being pulverized by Wan-Fu, Mega Optic Blasted, and now struck by lightning, air-juggled for a good five minutes, Blade Lassoed, and uppercutted, all in one day, the dinosaur was seriously considering lapsing into a coma. The rest of the fighters in the room were taking cover, occasionally popping up to take a potshot with a projectile or a piece of furniture. Colossus, using his Super Armor and therefore able to completely ignore the missile war, was brawling with Motaro, whose superior manuverability (read: teleport-crazy little bastard) was canceling out the X-Man's *much* greater strength. Meanwhile, in the hallway, the fight between Shao Kahn and Rugal was proceeding as expected. Both of them were attacking, knocking each other down, and attacking again, along with the usual comments about their respectiv e omnipotence. In other words, a normal fight. Finally, considerably weakened, Shao Kahn withdrew a ways and began firing bolts of green flame at Rugal. He was completely surprised when Rugal reflected them back at him. So surprised, as a matter of fact, that he didn't think to block. And so it came to pass that a barely alive Shao Kahn was flung headlong into the middle of the Mortal Kombatants by a righteously pissed Omega Rugal. This disrupted them for long enough that Earthquake and Chang were able to wade into their ranks, beating them senseless or Fat Chainsawing them with equal facility. A distracted Motaro found himself picked up in a Big Swing by Colossus, and flung neatly out the window. _The Ring_ For the second time in five minutes, everyone's attention was diverted to events outside the ring. Motaro's abrupt descent out the hotel window only lasted a couple of seconds, ending when his fall was broken by Thugg's cousin Blamm. Later, many people agreed that Wanderer said it best: "Aroo?" With surprising calm, Birdman hit the comm button. "Um, Brant?" "I know, I know. I've got Scott heading down there now." "Good." _Room 243_ With their two big guns gone, the Mortal Kombatants gave the battle up for lost. Ermac, Scorpion, and Noob Saibot teleported away, and, after a moment's thought, Shang Tsung morphed into Kung Lao and followed suit. This, theoretically, left Sindel in charge. Sindel's first act as the commanding officer was to get repeatedly decked by Jack-2. Kano, realizing that having one's battle plans in the hands of a vegetable wasn't the best idea, Knife Uppercutted Earthquake to get him away. "Let's get out of here!" he yelled, knocking Rugal prone with his Cannonball. "Baraka! Jade! Cover us!" If there was one thing that running from Sonya for so long had taught him, it was how to mount a strategic retreat. Kano made a break for the door, with Mileena and Rain right behind him. Sindel was too dazed to run, although she did try. Jade lingered for a moment longer, throwin g a few more boomerangs, before running after them. This, unfortunately, left Baraka in the room facing Earthquake and Chang on his own. Jade would have followed, but Saishu caught her and slammed her to the ground before that happened. The predictable then occurred. At the time of this writing, they haven't found all of Baraka, and Jade is still in traction. Rugal, holding Shao Kahn by the throat, laughed. "They certainly don't make gods like they used to...gather up what pieces you can of his men." Colossus and Jack-2 began picking up unconscious Mortal Kombatants. "This room is no longer secure. We're heading up to De-" "FREEZE!" Scott Johnson, Security Director for the Rumble, was standing in the hall outside with two Virtua Cops and a squad of Rumble Security Brutes (tm, patent pending) behind him. All of them were aiming various kinds of harmful equipment at Rugal and his men. Scott was empty-handed. "Nunzio, take a squad and run down those MKers who were running out of here. I think I can handle this." "Gotcha, boss." Some of the troops ran down the hall. "Do you honestly think that you pose a threat to me?" Rugal asked, a cruel smile creasing his features. Chang smiled, balancing his iron ball easily in one hand. Saishu called more of the Source into his hands, where it crackled dangerously like a thing alive. Earthquake idly twirled his big...spear...thing... (what *is* that thing, anyway?) around on its chain, burping. Jack-2 and Colossus flexed impressively. They all looked dangerous, and evil. "Nope." Scott pulled a large, intricate mechanism off his back, and touched a switch on its back. It began humming gently as he aimed it at the assembled fighters. "I think that this BFG-9000 I stopped off for does." Rugal went pale. "Now, I think you, and all of your playmates, should do me a *big* favor and march ahead of me down to the containment rooms, where you, Birdman, and I are going to have a nice, long chat about the whole 'no fighting outside the ring' rule." Scott motioned with the BFG's barrel. "Go right ahead." _Room 1891, RumbleDome Hotel_ "Powers of darkness, I call upon you..." As a ceremonial magician, Demitri made a lousy speechmaker. The only thing keeping the assembled slaves from nodding off was the raw power that saturated the room. Everyone's hair was standing on end. Charlotte, not wearing her armor, stood next to the altar, her eyes half-lidded in bliss at the hand Demitri had on her shoulder. Haohmaru was beginning, slightly, to stir, but one of the side-effects of the magical runes drawn on his flesh was that they kept him safely asleep. A similar rune on her forehead kept Charlotte relatively quiet and docile (since, as is generally known, the best method of enslavement in the world will probably break when the enslaver is threatening the enslavee with a large sharp knife). Meanwhile, outside, Billy Kane and Kazuya were guarding the door and watching the elevators. Neither of them were saying much, the enslavement they were both under not really permitting small talk. Suddenly, the lefthand elevator door opened with a slight *ding* sound. Muzak wafted out. No one seemed to be in it. Just to be sure, though, Kazuya went over to investigate. As he stepped into the elevator car, he noticed a playing card on the floor. Kazuya bent down to pick it up. It was a cherry-blossom hanafuda card. Kazuya figured out exactly what that meant just a little bit too late. A figure dropped from the ceiling. "YOU! I cannot believe that any wussy loser that wasn't Haohmaru (who is such a loser that he would fall for almost anything that I can think of including setting a big mousetrap with a sake jug as bait with a big sign reading TRAP FOR THAT WUSSY LOSER HAOHMARU pointing right to it and telling Oshizu beforehand that I was setting a trap for her loser boyfriend so she would tell him) would fall for such a trick and be lured into a position where I could demonstrate their loserness to anyone who would care to look..." This sentence was accompanied by Genjuro beating the righteous snot out of Kazuya. A Toha Kouyokujin finished him off. Inside Demitri's room, the vampire stopped chanting, irritated, at the sound of Genjuro's monologue. "I suppose that means that Rugal has been dealt with. Disappointing. Hmnh...would someone like to go out there for me and handle him?" No one answered. Jon Talbain burst into mocking laughter. Demitri sighed. "You act like there's a choice in the matter..." He looked over the ranks of his slaves, deciding on who to send. "Allow me." The voice echoed throughout the room. A sudden flash of black, sulphurous smoke heralded the arrival of Akuma. "An interesting entrance." Demitri smirked. "And where have *you* been...?" "I had a bit of separation anxiety to deal with." Akuma bowed. "However, while I was gone, you appear to have handled the situation nicely. I humbly place my services at your disposal." Demitri frowned. He was being far too polite...not to mention that there was no way in hell that he was going to get close enough to Akuma to try to bite him. That strange power that he controlled was too unpredictable, and Demitri did not fancy being cooked from within by Akuma's blood. However, he was an effective blunt instrument...and in another twenty minutes, not even *his* power could help him. "Very well. Go, then, and deal with Genjuro." Akuma turned to leave. "And...Akuma?" "Yes?" "Don't disappoint me." He smiled. "Not likely." As he turned away from the vampire, his features bent into an expression of absolute rage. If not for that fluke of nodal conflict, he would have had Haohmaru by now. He would have to settle, then, for denying that power to anyone... Demitri then spoke to Morrigan. "It would seem that Sakazaki is probably also on his way up." "What makes you think that?" "I just lost mental contact with Bison." Demitri's face was absolutely calm. Demitri's face lied. "Undoubtedly, Sakazaki has help. Send out our fighters..." _Hundred and Thirty-First Floor, RumbleDome Hotel_ "Sorry," Ryo said to Charlie. "I know you wanted a piece of Bison, but we have more important things to do." Charlie just stared. Everyone else was equally open-mouthed. (Unless they were unconscious.) Robert cleared his throat, and said, "Um, Ryo, ol' buddy...? What was that?" "Oh, that...just something I was wondering if I could do. No big deal." Ryo looked around the corridor, ignoring Robert's sputtering. Sie, Wolverine, Rikuo, and Lei Wulong were down, Kim Dragon was bleeding badly, and Robert was barely on his feet. King was trying to get up, but Storm, tending to his wounds, kept pushing him back down. Finally, there was an unhealthy look in Kyo's eyes that Ryo didn't like. "Is everyone else all right?" There were nods and terse replies all around. "Storm, how are the wounded?" The X-(Wo)man finished wrapping King's burns in bits of her cape and stood up. "Sie Kensou will live, but he's very badly hurt; Rikuo just needs water; Wolverine will be back on his feet soon; and Lei needs care I cannot give him." She poked the feebly struggling King. "This one should not be alive, much less attempting further combat." Ryo cursed. "We can't carry them with us. Break into one of the hotel rooms and lay them out as best you can. Kim, you're staying here and tending to the wounded." Kim started to protest as Stryker bandaged him, but Ryo cut him short. "Don't try it. You're about three steps away from needing to be sewn back together. You'll be no help to us if you fall over from blood loss." Kim bowed his head. "I know." Heavy D! whistled. "That was cold, man." Ryo ignored him. "Close the door and don't make any sound. If someone tries to get in, wake Wolverine or something. The rest of you, upstairs. We haven't got much time." Ryo glanced out the hole he'd made. "There are only ten people left in the ring..." _The Ring_ That was about to change. Nakoruru and Jacky Bryant were still fighting. Nakoruru was faster, but Jacky was stronger. They were both giving as good as they got, tiring each other out more than anything. Nakoruru didn't do much damage against people from her own node, much less someone accustomed to taking the punishment that Virtua Fighters tended to dish out. On the other hand, Jacky wasn't connecting very often against Nakoruru, who was doing most of her fighting as a tag team with Mamahaha. "What the hell is your problem, lady?" Jacky panted, barely blocking over a low slash. "I don't know what you mean," Nakoruru replied, jumping over Jacky to avoid his roundhouse punch. "All of it," Jacky spat, barely blocking a low kick. "It's not bad enough you have a sword, but you've got the damn bird, and all of these freaking magic special moves..." Nakoruru dropped off of Mamahaha, her face stern. "You should not chastise me, simply because I fight to my fullest potential. We are warriors; to give the battle less than everything we have is a violation of our duty. I fight with what I have been given, and I have been given what I have because I serve a higher cause, that of Nature. That is my duty, and my privilege-" "-and you talk *way* too much..." Jacky turned around, kicking, his swinging heel catching Nakoruru under the jaw, cutting off the rest of the samurai speech with a sound kind of like "GURRGG!" She stumbled forward, choking, into Jacky's waiting arms. He then tossed her out of the ring. Half of the crowd started chanting his name and applauding, and half of the crowd began threatening him with acts of physical violence that might have been anatomically impossible. Nakoruru landed in Bubble Bobble. A small, green dinosaur frantically began covering her in soapsuds. She immediately decided she was hallucinating. Ukyo, meanwhile, was barely holding his own against Captain Kidd. The pirate was apparently still somewhat sore about his loss to Ukyo in the third Dream Tournament, and he was out for payback. Ordinarily, this would have been no contest, but the kensai was still reeling from the amount of punishment that had already been dealt to him this round, and Nakoruru, who ordinarily would have tried to help him, had just been eliminated. Ukyo was down to his last trick. Quickly, he delivered a Swoop Swallow Slash, stuffing Kidd's attempt to Spiral Kick him and gaining him some room. Reaching into the pockets of his robe, he pulled out an apple, and gently tossed it at the oncoming Kidd. It almost seemed to float through the air, quickly reaching the apex of its arc. Ukyo swung his long sword in a single smooth movement, cutting the apple into quarters. Or, at least, he tried. As he ended his slash, he became aware that his sword hadn't encountered even the slight degree of resistance it normally did. He turned around and saw Captain Kidd, smiling brightly, and holding the apple. He had taken a bite out of it. "It's not such a great trick when you know it's comin', lad," he commented. Kidd then grabbed the weary swordsman and threw him through the field. Ukyo landed in Castlevania. The Grim Reaper turned to face him, scythe held high. He promptly disassembled it with a Super Swallow Slash. "...I'm not...ready for you...just yet..." He then succumbed to a coughing fit. Captain Kidd, back in the ring, turned around, dusting himself off, to face King, Guy, Chun Li, and Bishamon. Kidd gave them all an exasperated glare. "What?" _Hundred and Thirty-First Floor, RumbleDome Hotel_ "LOOK OUT!" Donovan yelled. Ryo felt the step under his foot give a little, then looked up to see a stone block the size of Kintaro heading directly for his and Robert's heads. He began to instinctively Koho it, but he and Robert had already been yanked back by Donovan and Heavy D!. The block hit hard, punching through the landing they had been standing on and continuing down, to slam into the floor of the stairwell's entrance, two floors below. "This is getting ridiculous," Stryker griped. He was already nursing a long gash in his leg from an earlier trap. Dan would have agreed, but he was still somewhat dizzy from being dropped down two flights of stairs when the staircase gave way. Street Fighter or not, that had hurt. "I agree," Jago/Doom said. "Demitri must have known that someone would oppose of his plot. Undoubtedly every route up to his penthouse is riddled with traps." After all, Doom mused to himself, that was exactly how *he* would have done it. Suddenly, there was a shout from below. "Hey! Ryo!" Iceman, Jeffry, and Kung Lao ran into the stairwell, around the stone block. They were immediately followed by Liu Kang, Ryu, and Galford. "We brought help! Don't worry, we told them everything." They certainly had. Ryu and Liu Kang were, as usual, unruffled, but Galford looked ready to chew nails. Poppy was looking up the stairs and growling faintly. Ryo thought for a moment. "Good. We could use a few more people, especially since we're splitting up." "Is that really a good idea?" Donovan asked. "Not really. But it increases the odds that someone will get through to Demitri's room. All we have to do is slow him down, remember?" Ryo felt very tired for a moment. He was talking about their lives...he almost turned to Charlie and told him to take charge. How could he do this, with so much at stake? Then, he shook his head violently. "I can't think about that right now!" They all looked at him strangely. "What?" Storm asked. "Nothing. It was nothing." Ryo looked them over. "Charlie, take Kung Lao, Matrix, Jeffry, and Stryker, and go up the stairs. Donovan, you, Robert, Dan, and Iceman follow Charlie, but split up when you reach Demitri's floor. Ryu, Kyo, Galford, and Liu will take the elevator. Storm, D!, Yoshi, Sasquatch, you're with me. Everyone clear?" There were a chorus of nods. "All right. Let's do it." He watched all of their faces, trying to memorize them. "Good luck." Before Ryu turned to walk away, he looked at Ryo. "Yes?" Ryo asked, hesitantly. "The first time I saw you, I thought that you reminded me of someone I trained with." Ryu smiled. "I was wrong. You and he are nothing alike." Ryu shook his hand. "Good luck to you as well." He then followed his group towards the elevator. Ryo watched him leave, slightly humbled. "Did I just hear what I thought I did?" Yoshimitsu piped up, "Survey says: *DING!* Yes!" "What are we doin', man?" D! asked. "What? Oh, right." Ryo turned back to them. "Storm, how much can you carry?" "I am not very strong, but I control the winds; they lift as much as I wish. Why do you ask?" "Just curious." Ryo smiled, all of his doubts gone. "We're flying up." _The Ring_ They were standing four on four. Guy, Chun Li, King, and Bishamon were next to each other, facing Dhalsim, Captain Kidd, Kuroko, and Jacky. They were all studying each other, knowing that one of them was the next champion of the Rumble. Most eyes were on Guy, who was in first place, and thus, understandably, *very* paranoid. The crowd was absolutely quiet. The fighters' eyes met. They all nodded to each other in respect. And then they attacked. _Outside Room 1891, RumbleDome Hotel_ Genjuro advanced on Billy Kane, his sword held low. "I am going to be the only one who can kill Haohmaru, not some wussy vampire (although why anyone would want to bother sacrificing him I don't know since any god worth the name wouldn't want anything to do with such a loser) and I will kill anyone who tries to keep me from doing it especially some overall-wearing wuss who fights with a long stick of wood and still thinks he has the right to consider himself a man..." "Oh, SHUT UP!" Billy said, clocking Genjuro between the eyes with the end of his staff. Genjuro replied by slashing downwards. Billy barely got out of the way by backing towards the door. He knew when he was outclassed. Before he got there, though, they opened slightly. "HADOKEN!" Akuma's fireball went over BIlly's head, to catch the advancing Genjuro in the chest. "Stand and fight, boy. This insect is no challenge." Billy nodded. "Maybe you're right." (Of course, if he hadn't been enslaved, he would have been halfway back to his home node by now.) He pulled himself painfully up. Genjuro growled as he slapped at the burn on his chest. Suddenly, he threw an Oukazan at Akuma, who disdainfully blocked. "That is the best you can do, Genjuro?" It was less a question than a statement. "How pathetic." There was a soft bell-like tone from the other elevator door. "If that's the case, I don't know how you can consider yourself any kind of samurai...I have fought sixteen-year-old children who have more fighting skill than you." The doors slid open. "Prepare to die, 'loser'...." "POWER WAVE!" Akuma was knocked off of his feet by the ground-based missile. From the other elevator car, Terry Bogard straightened up from his crouch, his hand slightly smoking. "Akuma. And Billy Kane. I should have known you'd be in league with Demitri." Akuma grimaced. "A temporary alliance." He began to tremble with rage. "However, it is one that will last quite a bit longer than the rest of either of your lives..." Both he and Kane leaped. ***** FINAL TALLY (30 voters): --------------------------- BISHAMON (DS2): 22: 9 (ratio=2.44) JACKY BRYANT (VF2): 20:10 (ratio=2.00) GUY (SFA): 24:13 (ratio=1.85) DHALSIM (SFA2): 19:11 (ratio=1.73) CHUN LI (SFA): 18: 13 (ratio=1.39) KUROKO (SS2): 17:13 (ratio=1.31) KING (KOF95): 17:14 (ratio=1.21) CAPTAIN KIDD (WHP): 15:15 (ratio=1.00) *********LINE OF SURVIVAL*********** LARCEN (ET:CFDS): 15:15 (ratio=1.00) UKYO TACHIBANA (SS2): 16:17 (ratio=0.94) NAKORURU (SS2): 14:17 (ratio=0.82) KYOSHIRO (SS2): 13:17 (ratio=0.76) J. CARN (WHP): 8:22 (ratio=0.36) CHOI BOUNGE (KOF95): 8:22 (ratio=0.36) BIRDIE (SFA): 8:22 (ratio=0.36) JACK (WHP): 6:24 (ratio=0.25) BONUS MATCHUPS: OMEGA RUGAL, CHANG KOEHAN, SAISHU KUSANAGI (KOF95), EARTHQUAKE (SS2), JACK-2 (T2), COLOSSUS (XM:COTA), RIPTOR, CINDER, GLACIUS, SABREWULF, CHIEF THUNDER, and EYEDOL (KI) defeat SHAO KAHN, MOTARO, SHANG TSUNG, KANO, SINDEL (MK3), RAIN, NOOB SAIBOT, ERMAC, SCORPION, JADE, MILEENA (UMK3), and BARAKA (MK2), 16 to 10, with 4 abstentions. RYO SAKAZAKI, ROBERT GARCIA, KYO KUSANAGI, SIE KENSOU (KOF95), HEAVY D! (KOF94), CHARLIE, DAN (SFA), KIM DRAGON (WHP), STRYKER (MK3), MATRIX (TK), KING, LEI WULONG, YOSHIMITSU (T2), DONOVAN BANE, SASQUATCH, RIKUO (DS2), STORM, WOLVERINE (XM:COTA), and JAGO (KI) beat (the living hell out of) BISON, ADON (SFA), BOB WILSON, BLUE MARY (RBFF), NINA WILLIAMS, HEIHACHI (T2), PYRON (DS2), RYOKO (WHP), JUBEI YAGYU (SS2), and EIJI KISARAGI (KOF95), 19 to 5, with 6 abstentions. ELIMINATIONS: Bishamon, Jacky, Guy, Dhalsim, Chun Li, Kuroko, King, Captain Kidd: 1. CURRENT ELIMINATIONS LEADERS: Guy 14, Haohmaru 13, Rose 9, Athena 8, Silver Samurai 6, Mai Shiranui 6, Ukyo Tachibana 5. BEST VOTE QUOTE: "Team Ryo will actually kill, cook, and eat Team Bison." I was tempted... SO CLOSE, BUT YET SO FAR: When two characters tie in votes, the tie is settled in the favor of whoever came into the ring later. The only thing keeping Larcen from an elimination and survival this round was his draw...exactly one *before* the last-place holder Captain Kidd. WHAT DID SHE EVER DO TO YOU?: Okay, she's eliminated. All the Nakoruru-haters should be happy now. See, I told you I'd write it soon. :) Until next round... Thomas "Wanderer" Wilde Editing, suggestions, and eleventh-hour vote collection by: Christopher "Birdman" Bird *********************** I read it on a wall, it went straight to my head; It said 'Dance to the tension of a world on edge...' -Guns 'N' Roses, "Garden of Eden"