Infinities

'''Kyoko; Marshes of Ia-Kong'''

Said redhead waved off Fluttershy with an unfazed hand.

"Look, if you're going to lie, do it properly," she mocked. "Seriously, is lying not a thing in Yellow-Pony-Land? Or are you just too prim and proper for it?"

"Maybe I can give you some lessons later. After I get my Pockies back, that is." With that, she turned to face Sayaka, stonewalling her challenging glare with sheer force of smugness.

"Ya know, food is pretty precious, little princess. What else am I going to chew on? I didn't ask you ta heal me, so you shouldn't have bothered. I told ya it was a stupid idea,  that it only brought pain, but you did it anyway. I coulda healed myself, but no, you had to be all good and heroic and selfless and heal me even though you still hate me. How noble. What a superior soul."

It was biting sarcasm, delivered with pointed nonchalance. Then her eyes turned serious.

"If you're so noble, why get angry when I don't give ya praise and start blubbering for all my sins and promise to be a goody-two-shoes forever? I mean, you're totally selfless, right? Or do you heal people because you want them to fall over thanking you? Because ya want ta feel superior? It's just like your little sick friend. Ya want him to notice you, ta love you because ya doomed yourself to save him like a complete idiot. You want me to say I was wrong and that you're better than me. That's all."

She held out her ring hand, and her own Soul Gem flashed into existence.

"Don't give me that self-righteous bullshit, Sayaka. You heal me once and you think you're ready to take me on? Fine. Don't cry when I spread you all over the grass - you and your fake ideals."



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'''In the Death Throes of a Fading Universe'''

The red star flared beneath them, throwing up a geyser of nuclear matter that set their attackers' forms awash with plasmic light. Fire-black, charred steel. The battle continued. And the giggling voice counted softly.

[[green:"One... two...]] [[evil:three... How long before I have to bring in]] [[green:more,]] [[evil:cubs?"]]

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'''Owain and the Marked Ninja'''

The Marked Ninja's black bugs swarmed into the crevices of his assailant's armor, causing the giant to stumble back. Snarling, it pawed at its visor in a fruitless attempt to halt the stinging throng - precious seconds wasted, and a perfect opportunity for the Ninja to strike. The Darknut's neck was engulfed by its formidable pauldrons and fully protected by its close helm, so the kick it was. Unfortunately, moving several tons of armor was not the best job for a kick. Fortunately, the Darknut was too busy clawing at its visor to retaliate. Then three things happened.

The Darknut's visor swung open, releasing the buzzing swarm. The helm itself, loosened by all the fumbling, was knocked clean off by Owain's spinning slash. And then the Marked Ninja's dagger flew nicely into the open space. None of these finished the fight. For as the insects scattered and the massive helmet smashed into the invisible ground, the duo would find before them a remarkable sight.

The knight had a helmet under its helmet. A steel barbute over a mail coif, guarding the rest of its face and neck. It was this extra mail that had kept the thrown blade from being fatal - for instead of burying itself to the hilt in the brute's neck, it had ricocheted and pierced only the unarmored shoulder. Now the Darknut reached for its great sword again, its head far too small for the rest of its hulking armor. Blood flowed freely from its injury. Its shield arm hung dead; the knife had severed a tendon. But these were minor inconveniences.

Letting out a great roar, the Darknut raised its blade and slashed down at Owain in a mighty arc. And as it moved forwards its foot came down, trying to pin the Marked Ninja with a stomp that would go straight through any human's chest.

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'''Sabrina'''

The Psi Pokemon's wave of telekinetic force checked the Darknut's charge, but failed to stop it dead. The knight took a labored step backwards as the blast slammed into it, snarling. As it pushed against the mental force of Alakazam's attack, shoulder first, its right pauldron began to tremble under the strain - then it dropped its shield, pushed straight through and grabbed for the moustachioed Pokemon's levitating form. A whole series of plates dislodged along its left arm in a series of cracks, precariously loose. The pauldron flew clean off. But the Darknut was fast and its hand was inescapably near. The mailed fist closed around Alakazam like a steel vice and squeezed once with beam-splintering force. Then the hulk turned and slung the Pokemon at Sabrina's still-struggling form like a squishy meteorite.

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'''Noel'''

The Darknut did indeed move, but Noel's eyes were sharp and her aim steady. A second before it would have swung its blade and cut her in half, there was a crack - and the Darknut's sword arm fell limp. Its massive weapon fell from its grasp, thudding into nothing and remained suspended, blade-first, above the boiling star.

This would be more comforting if the Darknut hadn't immediately slung its shield at her with enough force to rip the leather straps clean off. And as the deadly discus shot towards Noel's legs at leg-amputating speeds, the knight picked up its sword with its left hand and ''jumped'',leaping towards the blonde-haired girl with enough momentum to splatter her across a good portion of the other Challengers - and leave a sizable crater in the hypothetical floor for good measure.

It appeared that this one was left-handed.