RPG OtakuBoards Survivor: Game On! <PG>

[KKC]

[color=darkorange]Fox suddenly felt his sword and shield become lighter in his grip and slicing a goomba wasn't nearly as difficult as it had been. He paused for a moment and gave a raised eyebrow to Krystal, who just shrugged and continued to pluck different notes on her strings.

So, the battle raged on. The goombas weren't much of a match against the four of them, being they didn't have any arms, weapons, or much sense either. They would waddle up to you and seem to jump infront of your strike, similar to how the suicidal lemmings acted.

"Hey, watch this!" Crash called to the others, jumping dangerously close to the edge of the draw bridge, "Look over here you stupid little turds!" he yelled at the goombas. They glared at him and waddled as fast as they could to where Crash was standing. Crash stepped out of the way and at least 7 goombas fell off and into the moat of lava below.

"You know, that's kind of sad." Lara said blankly as she picked off two goombas with her now magical arrows.

They started to advance through the drawbridge and entered the castle, taking care of the remaining goombas who bursted into coins when Krystal's harp suddenly sent beams of light through them.

"I really wish I could figure this thing out." She grumbled as Crash happily scooped up the coins.

The inside of the castle was dimbly lit by four lanterns that hung on each wall, making difficult to make everything out. It was a large room with two spiral stair cases. One on the left and one on the right. They headed over to the left stair case, sense the tower with the pink glow had been on the left.

Portraits of Bowser hung along the wall, many of them were of him punching Mario or blowing fire at Toad. Of course, it was obvious that the portraits were actually two pictures cut and and pasted together. How sad. There was one picture though that was an original. It had Bowser (like the rest of them) and coming up to his stomach was a pudgy miny bowser, who they all silently assumed was his kid.

Upon passing the portrait, Fox could have swarn he saw the eyes of Bowser move, but desided it must have been the tall shadows that the lamps were casting.[/color]

[Doukeshi]

[SIZE=1][B]"Right...well,"[/B] Lara spoke tenatively as the team moved with cautious steps through the great hall, [B]"we're in now. Nice team based plan you had there Crash." [/B] Looking askance at the theif Lara smirked as she saw the reddish blush creep upon his cheeks.

[B]"Sorry...got kind of carried away there."[/B] Lara chuckled and patted Crash on the back. The inside of the castle was much like its outward countenance, dark and disturbing, a fiery glow emanating from the many torches that adorned the walls. Lava pits were spaced along the halls at regular intervals, making Lara curious as to how one could live in a castle such as this in any sort of comfort. The pits were easy enough to jump across, more strange was the apparent absence of any kind of foe to bar their path.

"[B]thisemph usa iddle hoo esszey ifn ooh'skn meh."[/B] A series of rasied eyebrows and blank looks met Fox's muffled comment. Sighing the knight lifted up his iron face plate and cleared his throat.[B] "I said, this seems a little too easy if...oww!" [/B] Fox yelped as a large bone bounced off his nose, raising a hefty lump on his snout. Picking up the offending object Fox cast a confused look at the rest of the group. A skeletal chuckle echoed round the hall, followed by a harsh scrapping sound as the perp made its escape.

[B]"It went thatta way!" [/B] Crash yelled, sprinting off down a narrow corridor after the foe. [B]"Get back here ya little snot!" [/B] Lara attempted to grab the theif before he took off, managing only to lightly graze his hood with her fingers, unable to get a purchase.

[B]"Crash get back here! Aww hell not again."[/B] Lara, feeling she had little choice, chased after the over eager theif, barely able to see him in the gloom of the castle lights. Putting on an extra burst of speed the Hunter drew up behind Crash. Reaching forward Lara grabbed a fistful of the back of his shirt. "I said stop damnit!" Lara yanked backwards forcefully, pulling Crash to the floor with a startled cry. Sprawling on the floor, a loud boom filled the hallway, sending a thick cloud of dust up into the air. Coughing, Crash glared at the Hunter.

"Damn Lara, I almost had him!" Lara blinked, staring past the theif.

[B]"Yeah? Well, that guy almost had you."[/B] Turning to look over his shoulder Crash gaped at what Lara was staring at. A large slab of rock sat on the ground, inches from where they lay. A slab of rock that was now leering at them with a pebble filled grin. A large red studded door lay beyond the rocky barrier, glowing meanacingly in the dim light. Crash gulped, smiling nervously at the still grinning rock.
[B]
"Erm...reckon thats where Bowser lives?" [/B] [/SIZE]

[Baron Samedi]

[size=1]Krystal and Fox skidded to an abrupt halt as they came pelting around the corner. There in front of them, kneeling on the ground was Lara, who had a strong hold of a fistful of Crash's shirt. Right in front of them was this leering monstrosity. A big slab of rock, with tiny glowing coals for eyes, and a mouth big enough to eat the whole team... well, whole. Lara and Crash got to their feet and backed away towards the two foxes. Once the group had reformed, they got into a huddle to try and decide what to do. But it was a bit awkward with the rock creature grinning and watching, so they shuffled around the corner for some privacy.

Crash and Fox wanted to charge it, and give it a good thrashing, hyped as they were on adrenaline. The two females of the group had more level-heads though, and suggested that the team approach it cautiously. Although it certainly appeared malevolent, it hadn't actually done anything to attack them.

The team approached the creature, but although it turned to follow them as they edged past, it made no move to attack. It's "expression", as such, never changed, just that same grin. Crash even began to feel slightly affectionate about "Rocky" as he thought of him.

But, enough of that. A new problem confronted them. A big-red-studded-door kind of problem. It had no discernible lock or handle. It was just a door. Crash figured that he, as Theif, ought to try and do something worthwhile now... he reached out to begin feeling the door for concealed handles or locks, but as soon as he touched the door, 'Rocky' let loose with a deafening roar. The Adventurers spun around, only in time to drop to the ground to avoid a devastating burst of flame. Rocky's leering grin now seemed all the more menacing, as the team felt a cool draft being pulled back towards his mouth.

"Watch out, he's about to let loose again!" yelled Lara, and indeed no sooner had she said that then the team were forced to dive out of the way of another blast of flames. Fox then struggled to his feet and charged at the beast, swinging his sword wildly. It grated across the beast with a shower of sparks, and then Fox dropped it, holding onto his wrist.

"Aargh, that nearly broke my arm, geez, it was like hitting a wall!"

Krystal was aghast, but soon formulated a plan. Perhaps she could freeze the creature with her harp. Thinking very strongly of snow and glaciers, she began to idly strum the harp, determinedly avoiding thinking of the action, but rather trying to focus on cold things, and hoping that the magic would do the rest. Unfortunately, her thoughts didn't stay on the beast, as she watched Crash dodge another burst of flame.

And Crash felt this icy coldness on his stomach, and he pulled out the now glowing, newly frozen tennis racquet.

"What the hell?" The tennis racquet was doubly powered, with Eternal Blessing and Krystal's new freezing spell... and without thinking, Crash volleyed a ball of flame straight back at Rocky. As he hit, a small bar appeared floating over the creature's head. It was about a fifth of the way down.

Crash grinned. He could do this. He replied to another pillar of flame, before the monster turned to Lara. She leapt away from a pillar of flame, and turned just in time to catch the racquet Crash had thrown to her. She back-handed a ball of fire back at Rocky, taking him down to the halfway mark. He then began to rumble, and spun on the spot. Lara barely avoided a tongue of flame which burst out as Rocky spun around on the spot. He made three rotations before coming to a stop. He took aim at Krystal, who caught the racquet one-handed and just barely managed to return the shot.

Once again the big rock began to spin, with a tongue of flame. The Adventurers alternately jumped over or ducked under the flame. He came to a stop facing Crash, who caught the racquet from Krystal. But enexpectedly he turned towards Fox, and with no hesitation sent a ball of flame in his direction. With fantastic speed Crash ditched the racquet at Fox, who caught it awkwardly in his left, non-strained, hand. The racquet caught the flame at an angle however, and the flaming metor shot around the corridor, bouncing off the walls and door before flying back into Rocky's mouth. Rocky began to spin faster and faster before he spun [i]right through the floor[/i], and disappeared from sight.

The red studded door before them opened....[/size]

[Desbreko]

Even firing off arrows as fast as she could, Samus was having a hard time keeping up with the barrage of bubbles. Two cannons versus a single bow wasn't exactly a fair match, and especially not when Samus was also trying to make her way up the staircase spiraling around the outside wall. They were getting close, but she couldn't keep this up much longer.

Dodging a bubble aimed at her while picking off another headed for her teammates, Samus called out to CJ. "Can't you do anything about those two? I can't block all of these myself."

"Da hell you expect me to do 'bout dem little punks?" CJ called back.

Samus growled as more bubbles came their way. "I don't know, sing them a lullaby or something."

"That's not a bad idea," Ada concurred.

"Da hell you say?" CJ didn't look too fond of the idea. "I ain't singin' no sissy ass lullaby."

"You want to win this?" Samus was getting more irritated by the minute. "Hurry up and do it, you spoony bard!"

Begrudgingly, CJ began to sing what could be called a lullaby only in the loosest sense. For the most part, it consisted of various threats to "put their lights out," but it seemed to work. The hail of bubbles slackened, then stopped.

Relieved of the task of constant defense, Samus sprinted up the stairs to join the others. "Good work," she said, then noticed Xiaoyu sprawled across the steps, fast asleep. "Maybe a bit too good."

Being roused by a nudge from Samus' foot, Xiaoyu stood up and stretched. "Huh? What did I miss?"

"You dare mock me by sleeping?!" Zelda's angry shriek echoed down from the top of the pillar, a wave of Din's Fire following after it. Though no worse for wear after Ada's quick healing spell, the same couldn't be said of the party's costumes.

"My bow!" Xiaoyu exclaimed, seeing its singed edges. "Now you've made me angry!" Dashing up the remaining stairs, Xiaoyu leapt off the top landing and landed on the pillar next to Zelda. Back on the landing, a trap sprung embarassingly late, shamed by Xiaoyu's speed.

"Oh ho ho," Zelda laughed. "You think you've caught me? Think again!" Snapping her fingers, two more pillars rose up from the floor to form a triangle, and Zelda teleported away with Farore's Wind. "You may have stopped those bungling dragons, but such an undignified lot as you will never be able to rescue me!" She laughed again and threw out another wave of fire from one of the far pillars.

"Rescue?" Ada grumbled in between healing. "This is more like a kidnapping."

"Either way," Samus said as she joined Xiaoyu on the first pillar, "Let's get this over with." Shouldering her bow, she jumped the gap and landed next to Zelda. "Now come quietly."

Reaching out to grab Zelda's arm, Samus suddenly found herself being flung away in a swirl of blue crystals. Her back hit the wall hard, but she kept her wits about her; she didn't have her power suit, but she still had some tricks up her sleeve. Pushing off the wall before she could fall, Samus somersaulted through the air to land on the third pillar.

"Oh, how unfortunate," Zelda said sarcastically. "You didn't fall."

Samus shot a cold glare at the princess. "And now you're surrounded."

[Outlaw]

Carl Johnson made his way down the stairs as the rest of his team continued to chase down the princess Zelda. By the time he reached the bottom of the steps, his version of 'swing low,' filled with DMX esc "put your lights out," was winding down, so he quickly began to sing Al Green's L-O-V-E, hopping it would keep the two small dragons asleep.

"L-O-V-E is strange to me, Oh
I can't explain this feeling
Can't you see that salvation is freeing
It's all in the heavens, can't you see
You can always depend on me
To give you love"

CJ continued on untill he stold between the two small dragons, continueing to sing his best R&B tunes to keep Bubble and Bobble calm.

Back attop the massive pillars, the rest of the Bravers continued to hunt down the princess Zelda. "You know, she was supposed to be the easy part. Who knew that CJ bastard would be taking on both dragons at once," Ada joked as she and Xaioyu Ling continued to jump back and forth, dodging fireballs sprouting from Zelda's Dire Flame.

"I hurd dat! You gonna get a pimp slap fo dat shit!" CJ yelled from back down on the floor.

[Sakura]

[COLOR=Navy]Yuna and the team scaled the tower, climbing the stairs as fast as their tired legs allowed them. Yuna was trailing behind, the heavy armour added weight to her body, exhausting her. Sora was running up the stairs easily, taking a few at a time. Mario and Kuja were doing alright. Her muscles strained but she continued to push on, using her determination to win the challenge as fuel. She peered upwards and groaned as she saw nothing but stairs. The whole inside of the tower was a spiral staircase around the walls, the centre was empty, so if you fell off the side, you wouldn't stop until the bottom.

Eventually the team reached a thin flat area with a large wooden door with iron fittings. Yuna caught her breath and slipped out of her armour quickly, she stretched her muscles and massaged her sore thighs. When she thought she was ready, she stepped back into the metal and unsheathed her sword and shield. The others were all preparing themselves as well, Sora had two daggers in hand, Mario and Kuja brought out the swords they had picked up, and Mario cast Shell and Protect on the group. They made room for Yuna to enter first since she was the most protected, she stood in front of the door and pushed it open with a hard shove, rolling through the door.

Yuna looked around carefully and saw a cage that held Princess Sarah. Yuna waved the others into the room and they walked over to the cage. The top level of the tower was very open, large gaps that a dragon could fit through easily.

[B]"Sora, see if you can pick the lock, hurry, I don't know where Bahamut is."[/B] Yuna said cautiously, nervously watching for any sign of the dragon.

Princess Sarah stared at them with shock, not saying anything. Sora smiled at her as he knelt beside the lock.

[B]"Don't worry Princess, we'll get you out in no time."[/B] he said as he slipped two slender lockpicks into the hole.

[B]"What are you doing?! Who are you!!"[/B] she screamed furiously.

[B]"We're here to rescue you."[/B] Kuja replied.

[B]"I don't want to be rescued by you! Where's the handsome prince?"[/B]

[B]"We have-a to save you for our-a challenge."[/B]

Sora jiggled the two wires, listening carefully before turning. There was a click and the cage opened. They opened the door and reached for the Princess, she growled with anger and pushed them out, closing the door and locking it again.

[B]"Leave me alone!"[/B] Princess Sarah yelled at them.

[B]"Just come with us! We need to save you to be able to win our challenge."[/B] Yuna said.

There was a large roar and everyone looked out to the sky through the open area and Sora and Mario gasped in awe at the dragon lord, Bahamut. Kuja and Yuna gulped heavily as they thought about fighting him and his monsterous power.

[B]"Sora, keep working on getting the Princess out of here, do whatever you can and have to."[/B] Yuna said, walking forward. Kuja and Mario followed Yuna but stayed a distance behind to provide help.

Yuna held her shield and sword up at the ready as she moved toward Bahamut. She tried talking to it.

[B]"Bahamut! It's me, Yuna, do you remember?"[/B] she called, wondering if it was possibly the same one she met before.

The King of dragons just roared swooping down to attack. Yuna rolled out of the way just in time and got up.

[B]"Guess not."[/B] she mumbled, preparing for battle.

Bahamut landed on the ground and towered above Yuna menacingly. She wondered if battling it was the same as before. When it slashed with a heavy claw swipe, she guessed yes. Yuna ran as fast as she could, rolling under Bahamut and stabbing upwards, burying her sword into his belly.

[B]"Bio!"[/B] she cried, injecting poison into his system. A red bar appeared above his head and it went down by a tiny fraction as the poison slowly took away HP.

[B]"What are-a the main Elements he-a uses?"[/B] Mario called over.

[B]"Fire, Thunder, Earth and Wind!"[/B] Yuna replied, dodging a few more slashes and bites.

[B]"Barstonra! Baraera! Barfira! Barthundara!"[/B] Mario cast.

Yuna was getting tired, fast. Kuja threw his hands toward the dragon.

[B]"Blizzaga!"[/B] The red bar dropped by about a sixth of what was left.

She ran from a jet of flame he shot from his mouth, rolling out of reach. She risked taking a glance at how Sora was doing with their stubborn Princess that they were trying to save. He was again picking the lock, it was probably his fourth or fifth time doing so after Princess Sarah kept relocking the door to the cage. Yuna could tell that Sora was getting frustrated fast.

[B]"Black Sky!"[/B] Yuna cried, the random damage attack got rid of another sixth of the way down.

[B]"Sora! Any luck with our Princess?"[/B] she called, dodging a tail sweep.

[B]"Not yet."[/B] he forced out, stress evident in his voice as the Princess protested, still going on about the handsome Prince that was supposed to come rescue her.

Yuna sliced at Bahamut, jumping over his lashing tail. She attacked the area where his lower left leg joined up with the body, hacking at it. Bahamut roared his fury and bit at her. Yuna back handspringed away, but she knew she was successful when he wasn't putting weight on that leg. She ran to Kuja and said one word to him before heading back to confront Bahamut. Yuna rolled behind him by going under.

[B]"1...2...3!"[/B] Yuna counted.

The two of them called the spell at the same time, [B]"Demi!"[/B]

Dual black orbs appeared around the dragon, shrinking down and taking a quarter of his HP each. It groaned and the bar slipped down again as the poison sapped health. Bahamut growled and a red counter appeared above his head, counting backwards from 5. It grinned in a dragonish way and made a fake, expecting her to dodge, which she did, he flattened her with his front left claw, scratching at her with his right claw, making large dents and scratch marks in her armour. Yuna cried out in pain as his claws punctured the thick armour, stabbing her. She groaned and watched as the counter ticked down to two.

[B]"Mario!"[/B] she called desperately, she knew what would happen when the counter hit zero.

[B]"Curaga!"[/B] he waved.

Yuna gasped as she felt the tingling feeling as her HP was restored, and just in time as Bahamut let rip Mega Flare, enveloping Yuna in a carpet of flames. She shrieked as she was burnt badly, the Barfira hadn't helped much against the powerful attack. She bit her lip until it bled, she couldn't escape as Bahamut's claws tightened around her. She could distantly hear Kuja casting spells but it wasn't helping her current situation as wave after wave of flames spewed from his mouth. It finally stopped and the flames dissapated, revealing to the other, Yuna. She was burnt all over and in a world of pain. She moaned and lay there as Bahamut got off her. She knew she had broken bones because of the weight, and stabs from his claws, and peeling skin and blisters from the flames.

[B]"Curaga!"[/B] Mario cast several times.

Yuna slowly sat up, she looked at her state and grimaced, it was terrible, she was very weak, and she didn't think she had the strength to wield her sword.

[B]"D-Demi."[/B] she said weakly.

[B]"Demi!"[/B] Kuja cast.

Yuna got to her feet as the orbs sapped his HP, then watched as the poison affected him again. She ran weakly over to Kuja and Mario, falling at their feet gasping for breath. She knew she would get instantly better after getting out of the challenge, but for now it was very painful, even after having her HP recovered. She looked at Sora and glared at the Princess, she wanted to get out of here, it was tough fighting physically by herself and now she was too weak, making them rely on magic which was slowly running out.

[B]"Break!"[/B] she groaned, pointing at Princess Sarah who still hadn't stopped screaming and protesting the whole time.

Sarah gasped as she was encased in stone, making her a statue in a cage. If that was the only way they were rescuing her, so be it.

[B]"Sora, hurry."[/B] Yuna held her middle. [B]"Mario, do you have Life?"[/B]

[B]"Yes, why-a do you ask?"[/B]

[B]"You'll need it to revive me."[/B] she smiled, showing how tired she was. [B]"Charon!"[/B] she cried, using the last of her magic, sacrificing herself to kill Bahamut.

He roared as the rest of the red bar disappeared, leaving the body of a dragon. Yuna gasped as she collapsed to the ground, lifeless.

[B]"Life-a"[/B]

A golden glow surrounded Yuna as she was brought back into the world of the living. She got up, still weak and approached the body of the King dragon. Yuna picked up her sword and shield, putting them on her back.

[B]"Let's go."[/B] she told them as Sora picked up the statue that was their rescued Princess.

They peered over the edge of the open area and decided to jump instead of climbing back down the stairs. Mario leapt off, using Float before he reached the bottom. Yuna went next and leaned over the edge, gravity pulled her down and Mario cast Float, catching her as she came down. They sent down the statue of the Princess next, then Sora, and finally Kuja.

The group had completed their mission, they would unpetrify Sarah when they were safely back at the CPU where she couldn't cause them much trouble. The green team had successfully completed their last mission as a team together, they were happy and decided to just rest instead of walking around and wasting energy. They all knew that they would be teleported back to the CPU when it was time. Yuna leaned against the wall of the tower and closed her eyes, drifting to sleep after being so tired. The others sat and talked or just rested silently waiting for the time when their judgement would be passed on who won the challenge.[/COLOR]

[Solo Tremaine]

[color=#503f86]The massive red door slammed shut behind them, dissolving the room into darkness. They could feel a cold, metal surface underneath their feet which had a disturbingly hollow ring to it, and up ahead was a thin shaft of pink light, illuminating half of a doorframe.

"That must be where the Princess is," Fox gripped his sword tightly, straining his eyes to see through the inky blackness surrounding them.

Suddenly, the pink light disappeared with a 'boom'. Torches of fire burst into life along the sides of the walls, casting the room into a brilliant fiery glow. Suddenly the room was revealed to them. They were standing on a network of metal hatches, all of which looked to open up to various perils.

All the way around the edge were Bowser gargoyles, which Bowser's kids ran behind, sniggering with mischeivous intent.

With a hefty and resounding 'BOOM', the megalomaniac Bowser landed in front of the door which led to Peach, on a (relatively safe, but rather cracked) piece of stone flooring.

"Bwa ha ha!" he roared. "So you've made it this far, have you? Well, we'll make sure your stay here is as short and uncomfortable as possible, ha ha! You'll never take Peach from me!"

He threw his arms out to the ceiling in a massive signal to the Bowser kids, who all burst into fits and giggles while the machinery activated. The metal pits below them began to open in sequence; Bob-Ombs began crawling around the floor aimlessly, unaware of their imminent explosion from within; giant geysers of fire erupted from the grates, narrowly avoiding turning Krystal's tail into a kebab stick. Crash leapt forwards as he felt the platform underneath him give way. He glanced quickly down to observe a vicious fifty-foot drop to a pit of lava filled with deadly-looking spikes.

"Lava [i]and spikes[/i]!?"

Lara launched a barrage of arrows at the Bowser kids, who were piling Bullet Blls into the gargoyles and cackling insanely as the maniac missiles thundered around the arena. They ducked underneath the stone structures just in time.

"Hey!" Bowser yelled, stamping his feet in rage. "You're not supposed to have those weapons! I wasn't expecting that! Where's that blasted plumber?"

"He's rescuing another princess!" Fax yelled, batting a Bullet Bill from the air with his sword.

Krystal plucked frantically at her harp; a burst of sound shot from its frame and hit one of the gargoyles, which exploded in a shower of granite and brimstone.

Crash picked up one of the Bob-Ombs and lobbed it at Bowser. He dodged, but the explosion sent a crack along the brickwork where the creature had been standing.

One of Lara's arrows pierced a blue-shelled Bowser kid in the tail. He yelped and hopped away, clutching his backside in agony. She then turned her attention to the other kids with a satisfied glare and a confident grin, loading up another arrow. The remaining Bowser trins looked at each other and gulped.

Krystal liked this spell. she's already exploded three gargoyles, trying to provide as much cover as possible for Fox and Crash, who were busy dealing with an array of Bob-Ombs and Bullet Bills. Suddenly, the hatch behind her dropped away; she stumbled and lost her balance, dropping her harp mid-pluck. The destructive soundwave flew along the floor, ripping away the metal plating in a diagonal line across the platform. A shower of flame from a misplaced geyser square pointed directly at Bowser, who leapt back to his original place in front of the door. The brickwork underneath him began to crumble, and in a flash Crash saw a window of opportunity.

"Lara, Fox!" he hissed. "We need to keep Bowser where he is. Don't let him move!"[/color]

[Sandy]

[FONT=Century Gothic][COLOR=Green][I]In the Emerald Tower...[/I][/COLOR]

"Phew, that was [I]something[/I]!" Yuna sighed. She gave a glance to her four teammates and the petrified Princess Sara standing in the center. Suddenly a blue sphere popped out of thin air, and they were all surrounded by a blue light that transported them back to CPU.

[COLOR=Red][I]In the Ruby Tower...[/I][/COLOR]

"You are coming with us!" Samus shouted at Princess Zelda.

"No, I want Link!" she retaliated.

"Well you ain't gettin' any!" Ada hissed between her teeth, and caught the princess by her arm.

"Yippee!" Xiaoyu hollered. "CJ, we got her!"

At that moment, a blue orb appeared above them, and teleported them back to CPU in a blue light.

[COLOR=Blue][I]In the Sapphire Tower...[/I][/COLOR]

After defeating Bowser, the team began to search the surrounding doors.

"Where could she be?" Krystal asked. The team approached another door, but as they opened it, all they found was Mog the Moogle carrying a blue teleporter.

"Sorry, kupo, but time's up! Let's go back!"

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

[I]Back at the CPU...[/I]

The three teams stood in their own groups at the blue hall. The three princesses - one of them still petrified - stood next to Mog the Moogle.

"Kupo, let's see... [COLOR=Green]Legends[/COLOR], you managed to save your princess, and you had a quite imaginative way of persuading her. Let's undo this. [I]Stona[/I], kupo!"

The layer of rock covering Sarah shattered into dust. "Uh, where am I? Oh, Mog! Is it over?"

"Yes, my kuponess. [COLOR=Red]Bravers[/COLOR], you too were victorious in your effort. But [COLOR=Blue]Adventurers[/COLOR], your streak of luck ran out with your time."

The Blue Team groaned, obviously embittered by their first loss. Shadow and Pacman, who stood out the challenge and now rejoined their teammates, weren't very supportive either.

"This means the winner of this kupo challenge will be either one of you, Legends and Bravers, kupo. Based on how well you fared during the quest, and the use of your new abilities to your advantage, the winners are... the [COLOR=Red]Bravers of Red Sword[/COLOR]!"

"Huh?!" CJ exclaimed.

"We won?" Xaioyu asked in a shrill voice. "I can't believe we finally [I]won[/I]!!!"

"That's right, kupo. You may now return to the Liberty Tower, but expect to hear from me sooner than you think, kupo."

The Red Team nodded, all wondering what Mog meant.

"Now, what comes to you, [COLOR=Green]Legends[/COLOR] and [COLOR=Blue]Adventurers[/COLOR], both of you will vote off one member among you to be deleted out of this game. It's..."

"Ahem", Peach interrupted. The three princesses moved uneasily. "What about us?"

"Oh, you're free to go, kupo. Now, as I was saying, [I]it's time to vote[/I], kupo!"[/FONT]

[JJ]

[Color=DarkBlue]With the white flash, the Bravers returned to Liberty Tower. As soon as their feet hit the ground, a roaring cheer erupted.

?We Won!? Ling Xiayou cheered, starting to bounce.

?Yo we kicked some ass!? CJ said bouncing along with Ling Xiayou.

Ada and Samus both laughed along and Ada suddenly had an idea. She walked to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of champagne. She grabbed glasses and walked back over.

?Anyone up for a bit of the bubbly?? She asked, popping the cork.

?Count me in. We deserve it.? Samus said taking a glass.

?You need ta ask?? CJ said, taking his glass.

Ling Xiayou took her glass and the entire group toasted one another. By this time, the entire bottle had disappeared, so everyone went his or her own way. Ad wandered over to the couch and turned on the TV. There as nothing but crappy reality shows on, so she quickly shut it off.

She walked back to her room and powered up the computer. Her e-mail inbox was just flooded with messages from Weskar. Most of them complimenting on her losses, but the newest one looked interesting. She opened it, and read.

[I]Ada,

You won. Don?t lose anymore.

Weskar[/I]

Ada smiled at this. Weskar did care. Cold hearted bastard her behind. Ada then shut the computer down and sat on her bed. The buzz of winning was still rattling around in her brain, so she decided to head back to the den area. She needed to talk with someone and at this point, even CJ would do.

She walked out and saw Samus and Ling Xiayou in the kitchen pullings various things out of the cabinets. She started to ask about what it was, but Ling Xiayou answered her question.

?We?re making cookies, wanna help?? She asked, smiling.

Ada just smiled. ?Of course.?

So the ladies of the [Color=Red]Bravers[/color] decided to spend their time together baking cookies, with the thought of the merger set in their minds.[/color]

[Sandy]

[FONT=Century Gothic]The two teams participating in the Team Council waited anxiously for the results as Mog tallied them.

"Kupo... I think we might have a little problem here.... But everything has a solution, right kupo?"

The survivor candidates had no idea what the furry mole-bat was talking about.

"Now, I have the results for the [COLOR=Green]Legends of the Green Gem[/COLOR] here, kupo. The third character deleted from your ranks will be..."

[CENTER][B]Sora[/B]
[IMG]http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c323/SamSandy/OB%20Survivor/delete-Sora.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER]

Sora stood up and gave his team members an encouraging smile as his feet began to vanish.

"Don't worry about me, I'll be alright! Just make sure one of you will win this thing!"

With those words, he was gone.

"Now, kupo, to the tricky part. [COLOR=Blue]Adventurers of the Blue Feather[/COLOR], in your first voting, your have a [I]tie[/I]. It's between..."

[CENTER][B]Fox McCloud vs. Pacman[/B][/CENTER]

"As the rules state, in this situation we contact the winning team and let them decide."

A large holographic screen appeared behind Mog, showing the interior of the penthouse in Liberty Tower with the members of the Red Team inside.

"[COLOR=Red]Bravers of the Red Sword[/COLOR], can you hear me kupo?"

CJ jumped up the couch he had been snoring on, and gave a bewildered look around. Samus, who had taken off her Metroid armor, pointed at the blue screen that had appeared on their side too.

[I]"Yes, Mog, what is it?"[/I] Samus asked.

"The Adventurers has two members with equal amount of votes. Now it's up to you which one of them gets deleted. Will it be [B]Fox McCloud[/B] or [B]Pacman[/B]?"

[I]"Huh?!"[/I] CJ exclaimed. Xiaoyu hung her head sadly, Ada took a pondering pose, and Samus glanced over her shoulder at her team mates.
[/FONT]

[TheShinje]

[size=1][color=darkblue] Pac wandered around the soplitary island that had been his home for hte last few weeks, and kicked about a fe rocks in anguish and fell backward on his hammock.

"damn" he sighed. "all this way to have my fate hanging in the balance of the Bravers"

He glanced sideways at Fox, who had on a couple of occasion already, helped him out in this game. Pac decided that he wouldn't feel right trying to allign himself with the bravers against him, and took a huge, contented sigh. He knew that, whatever way the vote from them fell, he was ready to stay, or go...[/size][/color]

[Sandy]

[FONT=Century Gothic]Mog the Moogle called Pacman and Fox McCloud back from the Solitary Island where they had been sent to relax for a bit.

It was now time to hear which of them was going to be deleted from the Adventurers.

"The Bravers has now made up it's mind, kupo. Let's hear it."

Xiaoyu coughed and said: "We had a long discussion about this, but ultimately we ended up choosing...

[CENTER][B]Pacman[/B]
[IMG]http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c323/SamSandy/OB%20Survivor/delete-Pacman.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER]

The yellow sphere sighed loudly, and dispersed into particles.

"Good luck guys! It was tough being a ball among you limbed critters, but you made it all worthwhile..."

After a moment of silence, Mog spoke again.

"So, twelve kupo contestants remain. Congratulations you have all reached the next level of this game! Legends, Adventurers, you may both now [B]return to your camps to say goodbye to them[/B], kupo, because once you come back here, you will never see them again."

"Soon you will both be summoned back here, along with the Bravers, and you are going to merge into two teams, kupo. Both teams will also get a new camping place. How will all this happen, you will hear when the time comes, kupo. For now, keep the [I]Game On[/I]!"
[/FONT]

[Sakura]

[COLOR=Navy]Yuna watched Sora disappear, a carefree grin plastered on his face as he waved to them. She expected Mog to read out the next name of the player that would be voted out of the Blue team, but when he announced it was a tie, she was surprised since it hadn't happened yet. So both teams patiently waited for the Red team to discuss before they decided to delete Pacman. The yellow ball disappeared with a heavy sigh and a comment.

The two teams were dismissed from the area with Mog promising that they would be seeing him soon for the merger. Yuna heavily picked up the green orb; Kuja and Mario held on, and they returned to the [I]Fahrenheit[/I] for the last time. Yuna changed her dress sphere to her regular Gunner outfit, and she felt better, the changing healed her greatly and her skin was no longer burnt or blistered.

[B]"Let's go for a fly before it's too late. It's our last time here after all."[/B] Yuna smiled at them.

The two men agreed, they all tried to be as cheerful as they could, but their team had been sliced in half, they had lost every challenge so far. Yuna wondered how the merge would work, wondered if they would still be teamed together.

The trio entered the cockpit, Yuna's sanctuary in the large airship. She spent more time in the area than in her own room where not much was kept. They all looked out of the large windows and talked about what had happened and everything else.

Kuja and Mario tried flying the airship, Kuja was good at it since he had experience. Mario on the other hand enjoyed it greatly, but made Yuna and Kuja worried as he jerked and spun out of control. Yuna took over finally and brought them to a spot overlooking a small coastal town near some mountains, and the sun was setting, dipping behind the range of mountains and colouring the sky an array of oranges, yellows and reds.

[B]"Even if we don't end up in the same team, promise to do your best to win."[/B] Yuna told them.

They nodded, determined looks shone in their eyes, and it gleamed in her own. They relaxed and talked, enjoying their last moments on the airship, awaiting Mog's call to the CPU.[/COLOR]

[Solo Tremaine]

[color=#503f86]When the team teleported back to Solitary Island, it was met with a grim, solelmn silence. Shadow glanced round at his remaining team members; they all appeared to be in states of shock to varying degrees. Krystal's gaze was firmly fixed to the ground, her short locks of hair falling over her eyes.

Nobody said anything for a few seconds, then a quiet voice broke the silence.

"Well, we'll just have to win next time, won't we?"

Krystal held her staff akwwardly, putting on a brave face of confidence despite the feelings of anxiety that were rising inside her. She flashed a smile at the others.

"We won't all be on the same team next time, Krystal," Crash said quietly.

"What does that matter?" Krystal replied, trying to stop her knees from shaking. "We've made it this far; it'd be stupid not to see it through to the end. So whatever team we're on, we're going to have other people depending on us to do our best, right? And there shouldn't be any hard feelings if we lose to each other. Because..." she looked to Fox, then wrung her hands around her staff "...it won't mean anything otherwise."

Lara smiled, running her fingers through her hair. She looked around at the rustic beach idyll that had been their team base.

"Tell you what," she purred. "I'm not going to miss those beds, that's for sure."

"It's been great adventuring with you guys!" Crash beamed, throwing the other four a massive thumbs-up.

Shadow hid a smile. "Whatever. You're all pretty cool."[/color]

[Blayze]

[b][size=1]"I guess this is our last night on Solitary Island then," [/size][/b][size=1]said Shadow, [b]"I say let's make it a good one! Let's party!"

[/b]Music came from somewhere, torches lit up the beach, there were the humanoid creatures as well as the single human female, all dancing into the night.

Fine food and drink were laid out across the tables, and people grabbed food and drink whenever they felt like it. They were all having a good time, except Fox, who sat at the edge of the sea, staring out into the night sky, quietly drinking from a coconut.

Shadow saw him and went over, sitting next to him. He stared out at the sky, mirroring Fox.

[b]"Don't beat yourself up. It's not your fault they voted for him and not you. And even if they had voted for you, would it have changed anything? We had a great time here, even I'm not afraid to admit that, and I'm a bastard. You know that as well as I do. But that's all I'm going to say, I'm not going to force you into a change of heart, but it seems an awful waste to let this night pass without having a good time." [/b]The hedgehog stood and walked off, and Fox looked after him. He smiled and got to his feet, joining in the party.

-------

After a little while, and everyone had had a little too much to drink, Shadow jumped up onto a stool, almost missing and flying off the edge. He laughed, and proclaimed:

[b]"A toast! Little toast here. I would just like to say that I love all of you guys. You are the greatest, and you have made me feel like I was at home, even when I have been a jerk to you all. I'm sorry for being a jerk, and I love you all soooooooo much. Thank you," [/b]he finished, and promptly fell off his stool, face-first into the sand.
[/size]

[Doukeshi]

[SIZE=1]Lara laughed out loud at Shadow's antics, holding her drink aloft in the toast. Despite being slightly saddened by Pac-man's departure Lara was enjoying her final night together with her team. Looking around at the rest of the group she grinned.

[B]"Well I hope you are all ready to square off against the best 'cause you'll have to play pretty hard to beat me."[/B] Lara pointed a thub at her chest and winked.

Fox ruffed his fur up comically in an attempt to make himelf look more rugged. Unfortunately all he succeeded in doing was making his hair even fluffier than it had previously been. Nevertheless Fox stood and struck the most heroic looking pose he could manage.
[B]
"Oh yeah?" [/B] Fox challenged as he puffed out his chest. [B]"We'll see about that Ms Croft and you'll be singing a different tune when you're eating my dust." [/B] [B]"Like this?"[/B]

A large cloud of sand suddenly engulfed the fox who promptly fell to the ground gagging. Gales of laughter followed from the rest of the Adventurers and Fox sat up to glare at Crash.

[B]"Not funny."[/B] Crash merely chuckled at Fox's indignance and leant back, downing the contents of his drink.

Lara ran her fingers through her bangs and chuckled. Leaning over to Krystal she lay her hand reassuringly on the female fox's shoulder.

[B]"If we're together against these guys they better get used to seeing [I]our[/I] dust."[/B] Krystal smiled up at her companion and nodded. The 'guys' in question were too busy tustling in the sand to notice the two girls conniving behind them.
[B]
"Poor delusioned men."[/B] Lara nodded in mock-solmness at Krystals comment.

[B]"You gotta love em."[/B][/SIZE]

[Sandy]

[FONT=Century Gothic]The teleporters in the Liberty Tower, Solitary Island and Archadian Airship signaled the contestants that it was time to go.

[COLOR=Green]"Fahrenheit..." Yuna said quietly. "I promise that if I win this competition, I will ask Mog if I can have you as a reward."[/COLOR]

<<<>>>

[COLOR=Blue]"Wait!" Krystal hollered to her teammates. "What about the Spying Mirror?! If we are to divide into two teams, who's going to get it?"

"Take it with you", Fox adviced. "Let Mog decide."[/COLOR]

<<<>>>

[COLOR=Red]"Carl Johnson, will you wake up, you lazy bum!" Ling Xiaoyu screamed and kicked the snoring CJ who was still sleeping in the couch. "It's time to go!"

"Wha...?"[/COLOR]

<<<>>>

Once all three teams had arrived to the CPU, Mog the Moogle appeared out of thin air.

"Very kupo! You are all here. Now, after this game began, one third of the players has been deleted out of it. So congrats to you twelve for making it this far, kupo!"

"In the beginning you were divided into three teams - the Adventurers, the Bravers and the Legends. Very soon, those teams cease to exist, kupo, and they will be replaced by two teams of six."

Suddenly two round symbols appeared on the floor on both sides of Mog.

"[B]Lara Croft[/B], will you please step over to this kupo symbol on my right."
[CENTER][IMG]http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c323/SamSandy/OB%20Survivor/teamsymbol-lotus.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER]

"And [B]Mario Mario[/B], can you walk here to my left, kupo."
[CENTER][IMG]http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c323/SamSandy/OB%20Survivor/teamsymbol-fist.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER]

The other contestants watched anxiously as Lara and Mario left their old teams and stepped on the two circles. It was evident that they would continue to be on different teams.

"[B]Ling Xiaoyu[/B] and [B]Yuna[/B], please join Lara, kupo. [B]Kuja[/B] and [B]Shadow the Hedgehog[/B], you can go to Mario."

The Green Team ceased to exist, as its three remaining members got divided into the two teams.

"[B]Carl Johnson[/B], [B]Fox MCloud[/B] and [B]Crash Bandicoot[/B], you are all on Mario's team as well, kupo. [B]Samus Aran[/B], [B]Krystal[/B] and [B]Ada Wong[/B], please go to Lara and the other girls."

Many of the contestants gasped in amazement. It was now a battle of the sexes!

"These are your new teams, kupo! The ladies standing on the gold flower are..."

[SIZE=3][color=gold][B]The Heroines of the Golden Lotus[/B][/color][/SIZE]
[IMG]http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c323/SamSandy/OB%20Survivor/team-heroines.jpg[/IMG]

"And the team of gentlemen on the metal hand are known as..."

[SIZE=3][color=gray][B]The Heroes of the Iron Fist[/B][/color][/SIZE]
[IMG]http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c323/SamSandy/OB%20Survivor/team-heroes.jpg[/IMG]

The contestants started to cheer and holler, while greeting their new team members.

"I can't believe this! An all-girl team!" Xiaoyu sighed with glee.

"I'm still not going to do your hair", Samus Aran warned.

Meanwhile, Fox and Crash congratulated each other for making it to the same team.

"We've-a got a good bunch in this team", Mario said with a wink.

"Kupo, kupo! May I have your attention for one more moment?! You are probably wondering where your new camps are. Without further hijinks, I will reveal that [color=gold]the Heroines of the Golden Lotus[/color] will lodge at the..."

[CENTER][B]Lotus Garden[/B]
[IMG]http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c323/SamSandy/OB%20Survivor/place-lotusgarden.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER]

"And [COLOR=Gray]the Heroes of the Iron Fist[/COLOR] at..."

[CENTER][B]Temple of Warriors[/B]
[IMG]http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c323/SamSandy/OB%20Survivor/place-temple.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER]

"Both locations are excellent for training in the arts of combat and meditation, kupo. Now you may..."

"Excuse me, can I interrupt?" Krystal asked. "Which team should get the [B]Spying Mirror[/B] the former Adventurers won at the first challenge?"

"Ah yes, kupo... Well, because most of the members of that team are now at the Iron Fists, I'd say it was only fair to give it to them, kupo."

"So be it", Krystal said with a faint smile, and handed the small mirror to Fox.

"Now, as I was saying, kupo... you may now teleport to your new homes, and wait for a call to the next challenge, which will take place kupobly soon."

"Heroes and Heroines, [I]Game On[/I]!"
[/FONT]

[Sakura]

[COLOR=Navy]Yuna waited and heard Mog announce her name to stand with Lady Lara and Ling Xiaoyu. She smiled at the two men that had been on her team, she nodded to them and walked over onto the round symbol that held the image of a Golden Lotus. She shook hands with Lara Croft, it was good to be on the same team with her because they had a lot in common, which they had discovered when they were mingling in the CPU. Yuna smiled at Xiaoyu, she always portrayed a bright, bubbly self, and it was fun to watch her.

When Mog had finished moving people, they noted that they were split apart by gender. Yuna was incredibly pleased with her new team and was excited to be working with all of them, since she hadn't worked with any of them before. Both groups were teleported from the CPU to their new homes.

Yuna blinked and looked around the home of the newly formed team, the Heroines of the Golden Lotus. It was a beautiful and serene, and had a traditional look to it. She was slightly disappointed that it was on the ground and not in the air as Fahrenheit had been. She glanced at the others and asked what they wanted to do.

[B]"Let's find somewhere we can sit and talk to get to know each other better."[/B] Krystal suggested.

They agreed and they found a pavilion that looked over the large lake that the whole structure was part of. The group sat in a circle and talked together. Yuna was learning more about each of them, what they did in their games, and how they were in their previous teams. She felt a little alone, since she was the only one from the Green team, while the others each had another member from their previous teams.

Yuna somewhat had an urge to change her dress sphere and she discretely traced a trail to her custom made dress sphere, Summoner. She felt more in place with the surroundings and a comfortable as it made her think of the old days.

Lara suggested they do their introductions a little more formally, and asked them all to tell everyone else about themselves. Yuna volunteered to go first.

[B]"I'm Yuna, of course. Ummm, I've been on two quests in the games I was in. The first quest was when I was dressed like this, I travelled around Spira, my world, with a group of my friends that were Guardians, I had to collect Aeons to defeat Sin. My second quest was to find my love who disappeared after I defeated Sin, that's when I got my new outfit which I usually wear. I think I did well in my previous team, I tried to keep the guys in check since I was the only female in the group. Um, my advantage in this game is my dress spheres that I've carried over with me from my last game."[/B] Yuna smiled and them and bowed, holding her staff in both hands horizontally.

She sat again and waited for the next person to tell everyone else about themselves.[/COLOR]

[Blayze]

[b][size=1]"Come on, lads!" [/size][/b][size=1]shouted Fox as they bundled into the teleporter, these surging piles of male hormones. Shadow watched as two of his friends, Lara and Krystal, teleported away to their new home. Then he piled into the teleporter with the rest.

They appeared in a jungle temple, complete with creepy-looking vines and creepers, which looked like a perfect place to practice combat, as Mog had said. Shadow leapt into action, speeding towards the bedrooms, and nabbing the best one for himself.

[b]"Mine!" [/b]he shouted, [b]"That's the advantage of super-speed!" [/b]He engaged in a celebratory dance until the others got there, at which point they all looked at each other, except Kuja, who seemed to want to stay right out of it.

[b]"Get him!" [/b]shouted Crash, and him, Fox, Mario and CJ leapt at Shadow, tackling him to the ground with a thud. He struggled out from underneath the pile of bodies, and kicked someone in the ribs. He wasn't sure who, but it made them grunt in pain.
[/size]

[Doukeshi]

[SIZE=1]Lara smiled as she listened to Yuna's introduction. Most of what the girl was saying Lara already knew, owing to her lengthy conversation with Yuna back at the CPU. It seemed to be such a long time ago when they all first arrived, uncertain and excited to the CPU, the beginning of their adventures here. She did hope that the boys wouldn't get into too much trouble without her and Krystal to act as the sense of the group.

Their new surroundings were, on the other hand, much nicer than their previous home. There appeared to be a few more ameanities and not nearly as much sand. Having spent much time exploring Chinese temples and the like, Lara felt at ease in this new environment.

Nodding as Yuna returned to her seated position, Lara stood in order to introduce herself. Clearing her throat she gave a little bow to the assembled team.

[B]"Lara Croft, freelance archaeologist and tomb raider at your service."[/B] Feeling any further digression to be unecessary, Lara promptly sat back down and smiled innocently.[B] "Next?" [/B] [/SIZE]

[Solo Tremaine]

[color=#503f86]If Krystal could sum up everything that had happened within the last half an hour in one word, it would been 'Wow'. Not least because she was now in the midst of a very humid, misty and incredibly serene oriental garden with more grace and elegence than anything she'd ever seen before. She'd also been landed with a slew of new team members, all of whom seemed very amicable (although she was rather wary of the orange robot before she indicated that it was just a power suit).

On the downside, though, she didn't get to say a proper goodbye to Fox. She was a little uncertain as to when or where she'd get to see him again, and since they didn't have the mirror...

...oh dear. That could prove interesting. Considering they were an all-female team and the ones who had the mirror (which, as far as they knew, could spy on them at any time in any place) were [i]men[/i], it didn't take long for an embarrassing conclusion to take root in her mind. She may have to warn the others about that later.

She felt a nudge from Lara on her shoulder. Snapping back to reality with a surprised jump, Krystal smiled pleasantly at the others and stood up.

"My name's Krystal," she said softly. "I'm part of the crew of the starship The Great Fox, captained by Fox McCloud- currently in the Heroes team. My home planet was destroyed when I was quite young and I've spent most of the time since trying to find out what happened. So far I've not been able to find anything much. Um... but despite that I've still managed to hone my telepathic skills and the use of my Staff for exploration and combat. I'm looking forward to working alongside everyone."

She sat down with a satisfied grin on her face, looking to the next one to speak.[/color]

[Ellerby]

[color=#333333]Mario got up from the pile of hairballs that were fighting. He dusted some fur off of his shoulder and sneezed a bit.

"Ayee.. I-a forgot I am slightly-a allergic to fur." he said as he walked towads Kuja who had been wathcing them, unimpressed.

"That's alright.." he said. "You still have me." Kuja smirked and walked away motioning for Mario to follow.

"Why-a don't we go exploring?!" exclaimed the red-headed plumber. Kuja nodded with a sly grin.

"That's what I was thinking, my friend."

The twosome wandered around the temple they would be temporarily call home and found some rooms for them to sleep in. After Mario had claimed his own room by sticking a large white circle with a red 'M' in the middle on the door, he followed Kuja outside. As he looked around he saw some movement in the surrounding trees and passed it off as a monkey or a similiar creature.

"Well-a.. interesting place. I think-a I like it-a more then the ship. I prefer the ground over the air-a." Mario said, trying to make conversation. Kuja seemed uninterested and was gazing into the sky.

After a long 5 minutes, the silence broke with a loudmouthed dog. "Hey guys! I found 'em!" called out Fox. Bandicoot, McCloud and Shadow raced up behind the two previous Legends and poked them.

"Where were you guys? I figure we should get to know eachother an' stuff.. You know.. that bonding thing or whatever." said Crash. "I'm Crash."

Mario got up, turned around and shook his hands. "We were-a claiming our-a rooms. I am Mario! Pleased to meet you, Crash."

Kuja also got him and wiped his hair to the side and shook Shadow and Fox's hand. "And I am Kuja. It's a pleasure."

Shadow had a skeptic look on his face and scratched his head. "Right. Now that [i]that[/i] is done and overwith... who wants to spar?!"[/color]

[Outlaw]

[COLOR=lime]CJ had stayed behind as the rest of the men's team got to know each other, trying to pick out his own room. He was the only male member of the Bravers left, and somewhat alienated from the rest of the group. However, being the ever outgoing mother *&#$er he was, CJ decided to get to know the rest of the team. As he made his way over to the rest of the men's team, he heard Shadow say something about sparring. Now, he didn't remember much about the rest of the guys, but he did remember Shadow, that short tempered little rodent with a twitchy trigger finger. He also remembered he didn't like him.

"Spar? What the @#$% youi talkin bout ya fuzzy lil busta," CJ called out to the group.

Shadow turned with a glare to find CJ standing with a smile on his face and his uzi's drawn. "It's a practice fight numb-nuts, to stay in shape. And by the looks of it, you could use some practice."

"Yeah? Well I ain't up fo fightin, but just give da word, an I be happy ta smack dat smirk off ya face." This was the last staw for Shadow, as he wipped out his pistol and aimed it at CJ's head.

"Whoah Whoah Whoah, whatsa going ona here?" Asked Mario as he stepped between the two.

"Cool it guys, we're on the same team now, and we're going to have to stick together to win this thing." Added Fox as he stepped in with Mario. With a shrug Shadow holstered his weapon, not wanting to shot three teammates at once. CJ chuckled back at Shadow.

"Heh, yeah, dats what I though," CJ rubbed in Shadow's face. This shot Shadow off again as he attempted to fight his way through Mario and Fox towards CJ. "Ah, relax ya little rodent, I'm just messin with ya. Aite, so, lets go find ourselves something ta drink," he recomended to the others, hoping to relax Shadow and get to know the rest of his team.[/COLOR]

[Desbreko]

Samus glanced around at her newly formed team as introductions were made. Ada and Xiaoyu she was already familiar with, but she was taking a liking to the three others -- and taking notes on them at the same time. They had already merged into two teams. ... It wouldn't be long before the competition turned into a free-for-all. But, for now, it looked like everyone would make good partners.

Standing to take her turn after Krystal, Samus greeted the others. "Samus Aran, nice to meet you all. I'm a bounty hunter trained in many diverse aspects of combat by the ancient Chozo race and outfitted with one of their most powerful weapons." Gesturing to her suit, she swept her left hand down in front of herself. "This power suit."

Pausing a moment, Samus removed her helmet. "But I'm still human underneath this armor. I may have a large arsenal of weapons--" she hefted her arm cannon up to rest on her shoulder to emphasize this point "--but I don't use them without need." With that, she sat back down before adding with a smile, "Oh, and no offense Krystal. I'm sure you wouldn't either."

"Huh?" Krystal looked a bit puzzled before catching on to Samus' meaning. "Oh, of course not. None taken." She returned the smile, adding a light chuckle of her own.

[Raiyuu]

[b][color=Purple][font=Trebuchet MS]"Hey!" [/font][/color][/b][color=Purple][font=Trebuchet MS]Xiaoyu greeted the others, bouncing to her feet. [/font][/color][b][color=Purple][font=Trebuchet MS]"I'm Ling Xiaoyu! I like ice cream and theme parks and my favourite colour is pink."

"It shows," [/font][/color][/b][color=Purple][font=Trebuchet MS]giggled Krystal.

Xiaoyu hopped around to face the blue fox, staring hard with one fingertip on her chin as if studying Krystal for the first time. Just as the atmosphere seemed about to get awkward, she grinned and clapped her hands with glee.

[b]"You're a pretty colour too!" [/b]she announced, before bending over with her hands on her thighs to look the seated fox in the eye. [b]"So ... you're, like, from a whole 'nother planet?[/b]
[/font][/color]