Dante rushes forward towards the duo. Valerie opts to stay behind and charge a Flash Cannon. Lynda and Caria hold their ground, with the latter floating up the ball of debris from the last attack.

The Mawile whips her arm around, still aglow. The length of her radiating forearm seemed to grow as she flings it around above her head, doing so again to extend it further before cracking it down in front of her, anticipating the Blaziken to run straight into it.

He didn't, of course, pulling the brakes and stopping just inches short of getting a severe lash on his leg. "Whoa-whoa-whoa, c'mon, did you really think I'd just fall for that? Your wind-up is horrendously long. Saw it coming for miles. No way in hell would I just waltz into an attack like that."

Lynda raises an eyebrow, not straying far from Caria as she reels in her new whip-arm. An icy blue gust ices the ground from behind the Mawile. "Hmph. I made the fire chicken play chicken. How amusing."

Dante's eyes dart from the duo to the ground in front of him, judging the distance. He begins to walk slowly around them, putting his hands behind his head as he saunters around the calculated diameter of reach. "Oh, far from it. I'm just taking advantage of the weaknesses you now have. Like your range."

Lynda scoffs, following his movements and placing herself between him and Caria. The Kirlia glances over towards Valerie, still having not approached. "No distance is enough to protect you from my fists."

Dante gave a single laugh, rocking his upper body side to side. "Or your Flamethrower. But that's only if you can catch me."

The Mawile growls. Though she was circling Caria, she hadn't budged an inch forward, and was primed to strike at a moment's notice should the Blaziken approach.

But he did not. He was just out of reach, and both of them knew it.

"I've been taunted better by Mareep." Stern eyes pierce through Dante.

Caria readies a hand with electric energy. Lynda hunches slightly, preparing to strike. Dante, now having rotated Lynda around Caria, stops in his tracks and merely smugly grins.

"Oh, have you?"

The next few seconds were a blur.

Firstly, Caria's hand extends towards Lynda, with electricity connecting the two together. Lynda didn't seem hurt by this, instead charging icy energy in a ball in front of her mouth. She snaps her head towards Valerie, who was seconds away from firing off a fully-charged Flash Cannon, in that time gaining enough energy to fire off a fast-travelling icy bolt.

Dante had to act fast to capitalize on this, and so he did, running forward while the Mawile was momentarily distracted and delivering a backwards kick to her head. But if his intent was to stop the attack from coming out, he was too late; even as Lynda reels from the kick, being knocked out of the way, the bolt had made its way to Valerie in the blink of an eye. The bolt froze her maw in place as the ice zig-zags around her, as if it was concentrated to hit just the maw. The Flash Cannon couldn't be stopped at this point, so Valerie hunkers down to break through the ice with the blast.

Dante, now having an opportune time to strike Caria, jumps at her.

And that's where time fully stopped, with the two staring each other down. Dante in confidence, and Caria in an expecting smile.

---

"...let's see here, battle knowledge, hm..."

A blue ghostly being in a black expanse. Though blinded, it looks like she knows what she's doing, darting about as if there were objects around she was trying to avoid, and objects she was interested in.

"History, relationships...ah, close with Val, are we? Hm...hobbies...acting? Oooh..."

It comes to a stop, taking in...something. As if she were reading a book.

"...hey, you're...!" A voice. Dante's, piercing through the black void.

"...hee! I've been found out. I'm almost out of time already. Your mind's like a fortress; I'm only just now piercing through to your surface-level thoughts."

The two are still sharing their glances from before, a picture in black and white. One consciousness facing another.

"How did you...? Where are we?"

"This is the landscape of your consciousness. In your head, basically. This is all happening in a very small amount of time. Not completely stopped, just slowed down. I thought I'd take a moment to look around in here since you decided to close the distance between us, but you're quite protective of your inner thoughts. I won't be sticking around for much longer; your presence means time is flowing." The ghostly figure hadn't moved from its spot.

"Huh? Wait, you can't do that! This is MY head! These are MY thoughts!"

"Hehe...oh, I've learned all that I can already. Just the relevant stuff. Now, since you're here...I have a proposition to make. And based on what I've seen, I think you'll find it quite attractive..."

"...And why should I trust you?"

"You like to act, right? Just as much as fighting."

"Well, I do like a good fight, but we do have a crowd..."

"Hehehe...well, you'll like what I have in mind. So..."

---

Time flows once more. Dante flies towards Caria with an attack primed, but all he kicks is an ice statue. As he continues forward with his momentum, the ice is sucked up into the dark ball above. He takes a moment to reflect on what just happened, feeling a pain in his head.

But he didn't have long to think for himself as a sudden cracking noise brings him back to reality. Valerie, nearly a quarter of the arena away, shatters through the ice blocking her maw with her Flash Cannon, although the backblast causes some damage to her maw. "GYARGH!" Steel energy and ice mixed in the air, with some of the ice remaining on her maw, chilling it.

Caria teleports in near the tall Mawile, waving a hand and gathering up the debris. "I'll be taking that, thank you." She floats around Val, sharing a cursory wink before heading back towards Lynda.

"Rrgh! You brat! I've had enough!" Before the Kirlia could accelerate away, the Mawile was onto her. Showing a surprising amount of speed, Val leapt after her prey before turning and delivering a downward blow with her maw. Caria had only just turned around at this point, intending to slow down the Mawile with an Icy Wind, but her clairvoyance had turned up short here, taking a direct blow.

As the two were fighting, Lynda had gotten up after being knocked away from before. A glow from behind earns Dante's attention, as shortly after Val had freed her maw, Lynda was melting her own. She ducks towards the ground, dipping her maw and un-transformed hand into a pool of lava that she forced to the surface, not even wincing in pain. Her entire maw is enveloped in a yellow light from being heated, up to the stalk on her head, before she pulls it out.

"You're full of surprises, Lynda." Dante stood his ground, not bothering to take a fighting stance. Instead, he watched the Mawile's melting maw take form. The hand she was using to hold onto the maw fused with it, taking shape as a large, draconic head. Its color returned as it cooled, with the lava pool disappearing from below; it was as if she had pulled a Charizard's head from the ground, with how she held it to the side.

Lynda took a few casual steps forward, sneering: both of her hands were now transformed. "I do whatever it takes to win. And that means adapting to my foes' strategies...with my whole body, if necessary." She held the misshapen head up, its mouth open and aimed right at Dante. A purple energy forms in the mouth.

Dante takes a second, then chuckles. "Been trying the spicy malasada, I see. Leave it to you to use indigestion as a viable battle strategy."

Lynda focuses her gaze with a furrow of the brow. The purple energy shot forth in a slow but wide stream of flame and sparks; Dante casually walks to the side to avoid the attack. She tilts the head to its side, keeping the flame going, adjusting her stance for her next move. The Blaziken watches with earnest, allowing her some time.

The Mawile then pivots on the spot, spinning the head around her. As the purple flames were still spraying out, the attack gathers in a fog around her, and with how fast she was picking up speed, she was making the area around her a danger zone. Dante backed away a few steps, thinking of how to best approach her as she was in the flashiest way possible. He could feel the paralyzing power of the Dragon Breath tickle his nose, prompting another step back.

Through the cloud of purple smoke that the Mawile had created, she had stopped the move, though the fog remained. In the middle of the cloud, she charges another attack, red flames building up in the dragon's mouth. It vibrates with the intensity of the flames and how quickly she had to build up heat, with the eye sockets lighting up.

Dante made a long leap above, a white aura surrounding his limbs. By the time he had begun to descend, he had already been spotted.

"Bad move!" Lynda flicks her whip up, but Dante expertly twists his body around to avoid the strike. Just as she went to fling her dragon head forward to fire off her Fire Blast, Dante slams his foot down on its nose, cracking its rocky material and forcing it to shut.

With his appendages still cloaked in white, he pivots to spin kick at Lynda, who leans back just in time to keep from getting her head kicked off. She attempts to ensnare the Blaziken with her whip, but it was slow at such close range. Slow enough that he was able to catch it before he could get whacked with it, still having one hand and foot to work with. The Mawile growled in frustration.

That growl turned into a sinister grin with a snicker. Heat built up in the forced-closed dragon mouth, steam spilling out the hollow eye holes. The head itself was turning red from how hot it was getting.

"Gotcha now, buttercup." He brought the whip close, wrapping both of his hands around it before placing his foot on Lynda's face, tugging at the extended arm. As she was restricted in her movement, the Deceiver couldn't very well dodge in her current state. He wagged a finger in her face, confident in his advantage.

But she was good at adapting. Getting out of pickles like this was how she survived, after all. As helpless as she is, she couldn't help but cackle, even if her face was under Dante's foot. "You keep up better than Val. But your technique is lackluster."

"Oh?" Dante kept a tight grip on the rocky whip, having pulled it as close as he was able. He builds up power in his free hand, turning it red - not from heat, but from power. "School me, 'tutor'."

"Arrogant little...fine. Count with me, boy. One-" Lynda heats her whip, and quickly at that. So quick in fact that the rest of the whip didn't visibly heat before she was able to separate the rocky whip from the rest of her arm, pulling it away and leaving her with a lava-emitting stub. Of course, this meant that Dante's hold on the whip was now negligible, and the loss of resistance made him stumble a bit.

"Two-" Through sheer force of will, Lynda grunts - turning into a screech - as she hefts the dragon head attached to her up and over her head, its open mouth spewing its built-up flames at last. Dante was catapulted overhead, having to cancel out the move he was about to unleash. He flips until he lands on the ground safely - the dragon head's unfinished attack spouting above and trickling down as embers.

Lynda turns around, rotating herself so the flipped head was upright. In the time she did so, a new arm formed where her whip was previously, solidifying from the lava being created by seemingly nothing from the stub it was before. It was distinct enough to have fingers already, though they were unfinished and melty.

"And if those don't work? Three." She points, with her unfinished hand, at her mouth with a cocky grin. She took a deep inhale, white light cloaking the inside of her mouth as her eyes, too, shone white. Dante didn't have to wait to know what was coming next, going on the move before the attack came out.

A thin, silver beam shoots out from Lynda's mouth at extraordinary speed, with Dante running perpendicular. She rotates her head to try and nail him, but the Blaziken was too fast. Eventually the beam crosses over where Valerie and Caria were fighting, missing both of them as Valerie had ducked for an attack of her own and Caria was floating in the air.

Val punches the ground to send a Stone Edge flying up to Caria, who taunted and teased by staying just out of reach. "If you won't stay still...!" A second punch to the ground, grabbing and pulling up a slab of rock. "...then I'll MAKE you stay still!" She takes the boulder into her hairmaw, and throws it with terrifying force at the fleeing Caria.

The Kirlia ducks low to avoid it - putting her right in the way of an angered Mawile with a fist crackling with dark energy. Another ice statue trick would have needed more time to set up; she had to defend against this one. She crosses her arms, hardening herself with ice as the fist makes short work of the impromptu defensive measure, knocking the Kirlia away with a clean hit.

Of course, one hit alone doesn't decide a fight, much less one like this. Caria rights herself after being sent a distance...coming to a stop back-to-back against Dante. As Valerie stares down Caria, so too did Lynda size up Dante, both on opposite ends with the Kirlia and Blaziken right in the middle. Caria and Dante looked surprised as they bumped into each other, but instead of turning on each other, they share a knowing glance, and kept to looking at their respective opponents.

"...Dante, I don't know what's going through that thick skull of yours, but by Arceus if you don't move-"

"Aw, what's the matter? Afraid of a little friendly FIRE?" Lynda retorts. "Because I'll take a two-for-one anytime, any day." Her dragon head lights up, heat again building in its mouth.

"Hmph..." Crackles of energy surround Valerie as the ground begins to rumble. "You don't know when to quit. How 'bout I snuff out your flames for good?" An evil grin spreads across her face.

The flame-adorned Mawile responds with her own grin and an equally unsettling laugh. "It'll take more than a Water Gun to douse me. Not even Caria's ice can withstand my heat when I'm like this."

"It's true!" Caria pipes up. "The coldest ice I can make stands no chance against her fire. That's why we're a team: to keep each other in check."

Dante had to scoff, whispering. "Aw, c'mon. You can be cooler than that."

The Kirlia gave a short laugh. "All part of the act. Have you decided your role in this as well?"

He sighs, trying not to lose his pose - for the audience, of course. "You drive a hard bargain."

"A second act needs a villain and a hero." The Kirlia twirls her wand, flashing a smile over to Dante.

He was quick to shoot a grin. "Between the two of you, I think I'd trust the one with the brain cells to come up with something like that."

She giggles. "Who's counting?"

"Heh. Well, I hope you don't mind if I go off-script." The Blaziken walks forward, shrugging and raising his voice, now aiming at Lynda. "Hey, hotshot. I thought you said you only needed ONE attack to take us down. But so far, everything you've thrown's been fizzling out."

The fiery Mawile spat flames with her retort. "Never said when. Now stay still so I can roast you!" She raises the dragon's head up, roaring and releasing embers all around, the blackened skin taking in solar energy with a faint glow.

"Last chance, Dante!" On the other side, Valerie's maw is building up a dark, crackling power in its mouth, holding it up at Lynda, with their partners between.

Dante sighs, shaking his head. He spreads his arms out, as if he was going to take the full brunt of the attack. "Alright. Then fire at will."

A green beam shoots up and out of the dragon's head, but unlike the energy beam it was expected to be, it seemed to be an extension of the head, like a tongue. The bulbous end snakes around in the air, dipping towards Dante, who didn't flinch at all as it drew near.

Val reached a fever pitch. "NOW!" The sphere that had grown in her maw shrunk briefly before exploding outwards with power, a black-and-white monster of a beam firing from it that had the heavy-set Mawile recoil a few feet from the power, and yet she didn't falter in her aim.

Caria, with as sly a grin as ever, employs another ice statue to act as a decoy, instantly torn apart by the incoming beam as she teleports elsewhere.

Lynda pulls the green beam-tongue back into the dragon's head along the path it travelled in the air, gathering the energy at its maw as she pulled the head behind her, as if winding up a punch. "SOLAR..." Her voice had become the essence of crackling fire itself.

Dante would have loved to dodge her attack at the last second...but Val's Hyper Beam had reached him first, feeling the tickle of its force as it approaches from behind. He had to settle with watching from the sidelines; he leaps out of the way with incredible speed, reaching the side of the arena in record time.

The green beam coils together into an amorphous sphere, and the dragon's head was bright with power and heat. Just as the power was about to explode, she juts the head forward just in time to meet Valerie's Hyper Beam, firing an attack within the green sphere that seemed to expand around it, two attacks in one. "...BURN!"

Lynda couldn't be seen from behind the shower of sparks and flames as she held off the Hyper Beam. Green and red energies swirled in a spectacular display of color against the opposing Mawile's black and white energy. Steadily, the Hyper Beam is pushed back by the combination attack, the point between the beams becoming increasingly unstable.

Neither side waned. Caria was nowhere in sight, and Dante was watching the fireworks from the sidelines. The Solar Beam-Blast Burn eventually pushed so far that Lynda could be seen behind the streaking lights. With one final push, she made their struggle equal. A ball of energy forms between the beams, growing as it was fed.

A few more seconds of their struggle, and the glowing sphere grows unstable enough that the energy ruptures, causing a massive explosion in the middle of the arena. The Mawile were pushed back as the resulting shockwave reaches them, followed by a giant cloud of ash and smoke that takes over their senses. Luckily for the crowd, a Psychic barrier stopped most of the debris from flying into the stands, but they could still feel the awesome power from the shockwave quaking the ground and the heat that bore through.

The smoke rose up high, but the astute could tell not all was right. The cloud dissipates eventually, not spreading around to mix with the air but being sucked inwards, courtesy of the ever-present black hole that Caria had formed before. It grows with the debris, crackling with energy itself and bending light at its edge, large enough to swallow a person whole within its depths.

Lynda and Valerie were pushed back from their initial positions, but standing and obviously worn from their energy usage. The ground between the two bore the marks of their struggle, torn asunder and uneven. They stood staring at each other, breathing heavily to recover.

Lynda was the first to take a knee. The power of her attack disintegrated the dragon's head her maw and hand made up, reducing both to a flowing, dripping lava-like substance. Her hand was first to reform, albeit slower than her previous hand reformation, but her maw will need more time to do the same. Smoke rose off of her entire body, having grown slightly more orange in color from the heat.

"...Heh. All this power of yours... *cough* ...and you're still the weaker between us." The taller Mawile walks forward, uncaring of the uneven ground.

Lynda lifts her head up with a smirk, though her malice did not wane. "...that...was only a taste."

"Come now, Lynda." A voice from behind. Dante's incredible speed let him slip behind the Mawile, though with how she was already looking behind her, he wasn't trying to be stealthy about it. "Don't tell me you're running out of steam now."

"Tch. Hardly." Her gaze met Dante's, eyes aglow. An icy gaze - nay, that was the work of something else. Specifically, Caria, who had teleported in with a gale of Icy Wind surrounding her; with this sudden attack, she was able to slow Dante down just enough to grab his hand and take him to the air, spinning 360 degrees before flinging him over to Valerie.

The Blaziken skid across the ground, stopping short of Valerie. One might say with how fluid his movement was that the maneuver was choreographed, but such devices were lost on Valerie, who merely scoffs at him.

"You know, Dante, if you'd just stop showboating for two seconds you could've finished her off right then and there."

He ran his thumb against his nose. "What, and ruin your victory? Perish the thought. That's your glory to earn."

Val made a 'hmph' in his general direction before looking at their opponents at the other side of the arena. The black hole floating above them was more prominent now than before, and she couldn't help but look up at it.

Caria didn't even glance over to Lynda as she floated down to the Mawile's, and not when she stood there after; Val could only guess that even as tired as the Mawile was, their bond and mental communication was such that vision was unnecessary. Evidenced further when Caria twirled her wand and showered Lynda with an icy mist from its tip without averting her gaze.

The Mawile got onto her feet, still taking deep breaths but not showing her fatigue from her body language. She immediately took a battle-ready pose again; even with her maw and one of her hands still reforming, she looked ready for another round. Anger never left her face, as if the sneer and gritted teeth was just her normal expression.

"...still standing after all, Val. You lose."

Even though pushing her to use her Hyper Beam was extraordinary enough, it was Lynda saying that which made her lose her composure and show disgust. "Oh, would you [i]stop[/i] with that already? Drop the act. Honestly, this ain't life or death."

But that only made Lynda scrunch her face further. "In the wild, if you stop fighting, you die. The beasts that roam the mountains care not for your fainting. Why should I spare any expense otherwise?"

Dante wasn't sure whether to compliment her on her commitment, or chide her for attempting to kill on the battlefield. But he held back, knowing Valerie was capable of just as much. "Val, I get the feeling she's gonna do worse than tear off your maw if she gets ahold of you. And we might need to do worse to keep her down."

The Mawile readies her maw at her side, charging up a Flash Cannon once more. "Whether she's a Mawile or sentient magma, I don't care - she's going down one way or another. Get me a good shot. And no funny business this time."

Lynda forced a grin, her hands shaking in anger. Caria pulled her wand arm behind her, ready to sling a spell. "It's time for the show to really start." "You can't stop us now! Caria, go!" She barrels forward with a war cry, leaping in bounds.

Dante matches her gusto with a sigh; Caria's proposal was still bouncing around his head, but he at least had to put in some effort. He wasn't as fast as before; with Valerie following behind, he closed the distance between the two parties.

Caria points her wand forward, still in her spot as she fired off blue orbs, faster than Lynda. They exploded in a fast-moving gust of Icy Wind aimed to slow Dante and Valerie down, which they pushed through.

But Lynda wasn't aiming for them, just as those gusts weren't meant to damage. As Dante approaches the fiery Deceiver, readying an attack to subdue her, she leaps up with incredible force. She wasn't intending on a jumping attack, however, with her maw and one of her hands still recovering. No - she jumped straight into the black hole that was overhead, an echoing laugh becoming distorted. Her body disappearing from view as it was sucked inside.

"What?!" Valerie stopped in her tracks, dispelling the energy in her maw. Dante was equally surprised, backing away from the black hole.

Caria took on a more focused grin. She teleports away from her spot, appearing above the black hole as the tension mounted in the stadium. Audible gasps of horror from the crowd were silenced as she held up her hands. The daylight shining down disappears, with a spotlight on the Kirlia, as if a roof was placed on the stadium in a fraction of a second.

"Ladies and gentlemen of Viridian! You are about to witness a grand illusion, worthy of the successor to the Bleuvoir Group!" Feeling a sense of foreboding, Dante retreats to Val's side. Caria told him a little bit about this, but he wasn't sure what other tricks she was planning. And by the looks of it, they were in her world now.

"Generations of magic, combined with the thrill of battle! Behold as space warps before your very eyes!" With a midair flip, the Kirlia teleports away as the black hole becomes unstable, crackling with electricity. It begins to expand outwards, bulging, a purple tint at its edge. Light appears at the center.

The sphere collapses momentarily before exploding outwards to envelop the entire stadium in its pitch-blackness. An entire spectacle of sparkling cosmic dust and miniature nebulae fill the air, no doubt the debris of the attacks used in the fight thus far put under special effects. The dust was relegated to the center of the arena, however the lights shining on the crowd, reminiscent of a disco ball, was just as enthralling to look at as the nebulae passed by certain sections.

Despite the show, Valerie and Dante looked around in anticipation. Though the ground was made black, their bodies were still lit, the only figures in the arena still visible at this point. "Be ready for anything." Val looked around for any sign of Lynda or Caria amongst the clouds of sparkling dust.

Caria's voice rings out in the arena once again. This time, it had an echo to it, obfuscating her location. "Space is our home. It acts on a larger scale of time than we ever will. The creation of our civilization, our planet, is not but a blink in the eye of the universe." Large images of stars appeared at several places in the stadium, then fizzled out into dust, joining the swirling mass rotating around. It was hard for Valerie to tell if those were also debris, or an illusion.

"We cannot hope to comprehend events on such a macro scale. But that ends today! For you will witness the birth of a star - here and now, right in this very stadium!"

The dust and images of nebulae and galaxies concentrates to the center, all light dimming out except for the Dante and Valerie's bodies and the growing mass. It collects, growing brighter and brighter before all that is left is the blackness of space and a single, small speck of light. Not even the crowd can see themselves at this point.

That small sphere of light bulges outward, taking a humanoid shape. Indeed, it took the shape of Lynda's body, although the brightness made it hard to tell. Floating, looking down at the two.

Valerie didn't need to think twice. She hunches over, a small pink light shining from her maw before her entire body became enveloped in white light. Her form grew, maw splitting in two, as her Mega form came to be. She posed, breaking out of the light surrounding her, the hulking Mega Mawile looking up at the light-based Lynda.

"Well done, you scurrilous imp. You've forced my hand." Her voice was deep and distorted. The light figure, adorned only by red glowing eyes, didn't respond. It merely brought up its own hand, pausing to look at it as plasma arcs between her limbs, lightly floating up from her form otherwise.

Dante took a few steps behind Valerie in her new form. If what Caria said was true...

"...This is my power, Valerie. What I'm capable of. There won't be [i]scraps[/i] of you after this." Lynda's voice, too, was distorted; where Valerie's voice was deeper, Lynda spoke in two pitches at once, her normal voice plus one that was higher pitched, though it still was warped in its delivery. The Mawile-turned-light energy hunches over with her arms crossed over her chest, tucking her legs up and in, with rays of light beginning to escape from her body.

"STEL...LAR..." Plasma arcs from her body outwards, becoming unstable. Her plasma aura grows.

Valerie crosses her arms and maws in front of her, a slow but powerful motion. Even a few feet behind her, Dante could feel the tremendous energy inside Valerie being put to use on the defensive, as her body solidified with an Iron Defense. "Dante! Take cover!"

Lynda uncurls her body, raising her arms up. All of the flashing lights briefly stopped and concentrated on her form, becoming so bright it was impossible to look at her. Even sound was sucked up by her presence, before exploding outwards. "[b][i]NOVAAAA![/i][/b]"

A great implosion jets out from Lynda's body, streaks of flame and dust showering everything with such force that even the protective field surrounding the arena was bending. This wasn't just in one place, too; it was all-around, orange rings turning to white and shattering against the barrier. The only dark spot was right behind Valerie's enhanced form, but even there the heat was intense and the gaps in her form let streams of the explosion's power through.

---

"So? Have you made your decision?"

"Eh? How the heck did you get in my head again?"

"You're so focused on Lynda you didn't hear or see me teleport in behind ya. That's the beauty of illusions, ain't it?"

"You say that, but this power is real. Not sure if Val can hold out against this, even as a Mega. She never was the best against heat."

"Oh, she'll be fine. You, on the other hand...hiding behind her only softens the blow. And while I'm behind you, I can just..."

"...Ah, I see what you're trying to pull. If I don't agree, you'll shove me into it. Devious AND evil."

"Hee! And I wouldn't be sorry about it! But a chance to really show off my ice skills to the public without it being a mere sideshow doesn't come along every day. Are you in or what?"

A moment of silence. Then, even though it was in his mind, his consciousness sighed. "You're a tricky devil. Don't expect to be this lucky again, now that I know how you operate. But in the meantime...count me in."

"Great! Now hold still for a moment. Can't have you too bruised for round two."

---

Despite the blinding light, it was a spectacle of color and power. It went on, the sound deafening and the barrier bending under the explosive force. Whites blending with vibrant oranges and yellows, filling every space in the arena. Cracks appeared in the barrier, rays of light and heat pouring from them, threatening to break loose.

The barrier was unable to withstand the force and shattered. But instead of the attack continuing and assailing the spectators, the attack stopped then and there. The light from the attack cleared, removing the shade of night that covered the arena before. Lynda still floating in the air with her arms held out, fully regenerated, and Valerie still defending in her Mega form.

Time held still as the sound from the attack cleared. Lynda slowly fell from her position, stuck in her pose, but it was Valerie who hit the ground first with a resounding [i]thwomp[/i]. Her body glows, two maws merging back into one, reverting to her non-Mega form.

Lynda squints, barely able to keep her eyes open. The smallest of sincere smiles laces her face.

"Looks...like..."

Her body began plummeting towards the ground, changing to dive head-first. Her regenerated maw flaps behind her like unkempt sails.

"...I...win..."

[i]THOOOMFH![/i] A cloud of dust obscures her impact, with several nearby unstable rocks falling into place from the impact, though not atop her.

From behind separate blind spots between rocks where most people would not be looking, out came Caria and Dante, who surveyed the wreckage. The air was still, only filled with the gasps of the audience who couldn't believe anyone would be able to survive such an attack.

The announcer, who had been silent the whole time, came over the speakers. "Valerie and Lynda are unable to battle! Holy smokes, people, I was at the edge of my seat the entire time!" This spurred a few in the crowd to start clapping in applause, then a few more. Caria, not missing a beat, floated up and took a bow.

"Where is...ah, Dante is still standing! The fight isn't over yet, folks!" The Blaziken didn't count on being taken to a relative safe spot during the all-out attack, and most certainly didn't expect to be just thrown into a random pile of rubble afterwards, but it did serve Caria's illusionary purposes well. Still, he raised a hand to the crowd. He was still standing and able to fight, and he had to be thankful for that.

As the crowd was cheering, a few of the college nurses - including one particular green fairy - took to the damaged battleground to collect the fainted Valerie. Dante stood atop a particularly high rock, watching her get carried away as he parsed the situation. Val's one of the toughest gals he knows, and that one attack devastated her Mega form. An incredible display of power he had to respect, now that he's seen it. That much wasn't an illusion.

He then looked over and saw that none of them were going to assist Lynda. Caria hovered over her partner eerily, waiting for the nurses to take their leave and waving off the few that approached. He couldn't hear what she was saying to them through the noise in the crowd. As the nurses closed the door to the arena, one gave a worried look over to the Kirlia. She held her hands up once more, signaling the end of the applause.

"Oh, my partner, Lynda...without your flames, who will keep the ice queen at bay? Who will warm her cold, desolate heart?" Her voice reaches far. She spins slowly, raising into the air. Ice forms in a snowflake-like pattern around her.

"Isn't that simple? You need someone who melts you all the same." Dante points to Caria. "Someone like me, who can put you on ice. Hah!"

Caria pointed her wand up above her head. "Nay! Lynda was the only one who could match me! And without her..." She then pointed her wand down, where the Mawile lay. A beam shot from the end of the wand, encasing Lynda in a gigantic ice formation. A circle spread on the broken ground, transforming the scarred and torn battlefield into ice. Even after she raised her wand back up, it continued 'til it reached the arena's edge, with Dante jumping forward to avoid getting frozen himself.

"...the world shall turn to a frozen wasteland!"
