[IC] - All the World's a Game

[WriggleRid3r]

Test Chamber- Pentagon, USA

---

"Gotta be quicker than that." Sub-Zero whispered, quickly strafing to the right to dodge the Z-Saber. He drew another frozen blade from his back.
"Be stealthful as the night... " Sub-Zero muttered silently as his body turned to cold mist. While his location was still visible, his movements became more tricky to read.

Hakurei Shrine - Gensokyo

---

"Hurt me?" The purple-suited man spat his gum on the shrine ground. "The name's Lance Vance, drug center from Vice City. My golden desert eagle (He draws his golden pistol) is designed specifically to hunt two-bit Characters like you all."
"Lance, careful." The swordsmage on the back warned. "You may have a gun, but you are only human. You will be susceptible to attacks."
"Bah, you don't tell me what to do, old Sultan." Lance spat once again. "Once Wario, Orlan, and Briarheart gets here, these two-bits will be left to nothing but pulp!"
"While these two idiots are bickering," The lady with a large sniper rifle stepped up. "Please do cooperate with us, it's for your own good."
"Who you callin' idiot, chick?" Lance fumed. The Sultan merely kept his silence.
"The name's Sniper Wolf, officer. Address me properly, or you will have a bullet through your large head of yours." The lady, Sniper Wolf, threatened Lance, who unwillingly backed out. "Forgive us. Our team is not as congruent as the Alpha Abduction Team. Please do come with us."

[Kristia]

Shinki's Palace - Pandemonium - Gensokyo

Renamon sighed and jumped down from the tree branch, "Well.. why waste time?" she said to herself preparing to train

The fox started with some basic stances and punches, moving on both forwards and backwards imagining a normal sparr, then she started to kick onto the air, some landing low others high.

After a little bit of warm up, the vixen went for more complex stances making fast punches and evasion jumps, her movements got stronger as she went further in her stances. Soon Renamon was already at heightened senses as her moves were getting more versatil, the fox kept training near the tree.

[NeoFox]

Test Chamber - Pentagon, USA
____________________________

As Zero's leg freezes he finds himself unable to move it. "Damn..." He says as he sees his opponent turn into a cloud of mist.
Don't use your eyes Zero... just keep focused..." He thought as he closes his eyes. Focusing on any sound his opponent will make. He goes into another defensive stance as he keeps his hearing focused on the area around him.



Shinki's Palace - Pandemonium, Gensokyo
_____________________________________

After a while of thinking X stands up and makes his way to the mess hall where the others are. As he makes it there he sees a young girl with short silver hair, and two swords dragging Yuyuko out of the Mess Hall against her own will. X doesn't think nothing of it, and looks around the large room. Since eating food is only done for pleasure for Reploids he decides to just lean against the wall next to the door. He transforms his X-Buster back to a normal hand, and crosses his arms. He continues to watch the many people talking with each other, while others dig in to their food. X looks down at the floor in a depressing way, though the look on his face shows a small smile.

[Koishi]

Somewhere in the Pacific Ocean, approaching Gensokyo

---

The boat rocked along the ocean's current, Mima watching out for Gensokyo in the distance.

"I guess I'm going home after all." Mima muttered to herself. "Might be nice to see my friends again, if only for a while."

"I'm guessing this Gensokyo is your home?" came the voice of Pontius, who carried a large sandwich with him.

Mima turned to face him. "Yeah, I haven't been there in a while."

"I brought you some lunch." Pontius said, holding the delicious smelling sandwich in front of Mima, who grabbed it and took a big hunk out of it.

"Quite nice of you, Pontius. Thought you would've eaten it." Mima replied.

"A knight always will help a lady in need." Pontius said, having a big smile on his face.

[WriggleRid3r]

(Big Update for everyone)
Shinki's Palace Garden - Pandemonium - Gensokyo
"Training?" A voice called for Renamon. It was Sara. Her hands were still bandaged, but she looked fine either way.
"If you want to enhance your punches, I know a technique I can teach you." Sara said as she made a fist. The fist glowed with red light.

---

Shinki's Palace Dining Hall - Pandemonium - Gensokyo
Finally done with treating everyone, Eirin left the infirmary to grab something to eat. There, she noticed X leaning against a wall.
"Everything ok?" Eirin asked as she went near X.

---

Test Chamber - Pentagon, USA
He immediately goes into defensive stance after seeing my mist body technique... this subject is a prodigy. Sub-Zero thought. Let's see if he can evade these though.
Sub-Zero glided to Zero's left flank, his blades ready.

[NeoFox]

Shinki's Palace Dining Hall - Pandemonium - Gensokyo
_______________________________________________


At first X seemingly does not pay attention to Eirin. After a few minutes he turns his head her. "Yea. I'm fine I was just thinking... of something..." Said X as he holds his hand out for a handshake. "I don't think I have properly introduced myself. My name is X." He replied with a smile.

[Kristia]

Shinki's Palace - Pandemonium - Gensokyo

Renamon noticed the demoness as the red fist glowed eeriely "It depends, what is the drawback for it?, and aside from that" the fox stretched her arms and continued

"How well it goes in the practice field?" the vixen said gesturing for a sparr

[WriggleRid3r]

Shinki's Palace Dining Hall - Pandemonium - Gensokyo
"Eirin." Eirin returned the handshake. "Yagokoro Eirin. Pharmacist. I heard what happened when you guys came to Makai. What happened exactly?"

Shinki's Palace Garden - Pandemonium - Gensokyo
"I'll explain as we spar." Sara answered, her legs ready for a lunge. "Ready or not, here I come!"

[NeoFox]

Shinki's Palace Dining Hall - Pandemonium - Gensokyo
_______________________________________________

X looks at Eirin and frowns at her question. "I kinda can't remember... we came here... we encountered someone... then we got into a fight... then things kind of went blank for me. Next thing I knew I woke up in the infirmary here." Said X as he turns away. "I've been trying to remember what happened exactly during that short time I was out. Similar things like that have happened before... where I just black out and can't remember a single thing." He said as he looks at everyone in the Dining Hall again.

[WriggleRid3r]

Shinki's Palace Dining Hall - Pandemonium - Gensokyo

---

"I see..." Eirin uttered, looking away. Then, she raised her head as if she had an idea. "You know, we could restore those memories inside your head."
"There is a kappa living in the Youkai Mountain called Nitori Kawashiro. She is probably the only person in Gensokyo who can access your mind-"
"Don't you already know?" Shinki entered the dining hall. "Nitori has been teleported to the outside world too. No one knows her whereabouts."

[S121]

Shinki's Palace - Pandemonium - Gensokyo

John sat on the floor, in the bed chambers, dwelling on his past. His past was what made a big part of him.
Mainly, he was still dwelling on the loss of his only friend Cortana. Yes, it had been a couple years since she gave her life so he could live, and the pain did go numb after a while, but on some level, it still shook his very core. He hadn't found closure, he didn't mourn, he simply shrugged it off. It was trained into him to do so.

"I can give you over forty thousand reasons why I know that sun isn't real. I know it because the emitter's Rayleigh effect is disproportionate to it's suggested size. I know because it's stellar cycle is more symmetrical than that of an actual star. But for all that, I'll never know if it looks real... if it feels real... before this is all over, promise me you'll find out which one of us is the machine."

"...before this is all over, promise me you'll find out which one of us is the machine."

(She may have been an AI, but she was more human than me.)

He remembered her final words before she disappeared.

"We were supposed to take care of each other..and we did!"

Her voice echoed in his head, almost as if she hadn't left.

"Don't make a girl a promise ... if you know you can't keep it."

(If that is so, then why couldn't I keep you alive...why is it that I couldn't keep my promise.)

The more he thought about it, the more the pain started to resurface.

(Bah! Why am I dwelling on this. I'm not supposed to be like this.)

John got up, and headed towards the dining hall, looking for anything to take his mind off of her.

He eventually reached the dining hall.

[Kristia]

Shinki's Palace - Pandemonium - Gensokyo

The fox ran forwards towards the demoness who was indeed fast and jumped sideways to evade the tackle

"You are fast, but letīs see how you can handle this" Renamon said running on diagonal angles getting closer to Sara and preparing sliding kick

[NeoFox]

Shinki's Palace Dining Hall - Pandemonium - Gensokyo
__________________________________________________ _

X looks at Eirin with another smile on his face. "Really? Then we should find her. I have been wanting to find out what happened during each of my blackouts." Said X as he looks at Shinki. At what she said a sad look washes over his face again. "Oh..." The only thing he could muster out of his mouth as he walks away. After taking a few steps he stops and turns towards Eirin. "Thanks for the help though." He said in a slightly happier tone as he turns back around and continues to leave the dining hall.

[S121]

Shinki's Palace Dining Hall - Pandemonium - Gensokyo

As John neared the dining hall, he happened across X. X looked a little down, so John asked him what was wrong.

"Hmm? You look troubled. Mind sharing?"

[WriggleRid3r]

Garden of the Suns, Gensokyo

---

"What do you mean, abducted?" Yuuka asked Cirno, who looked like she's seen her worst nightmare. She was speechless.
"We were planning on pulling pranks on humans when these Characters appeared out of nowhere and grabbed Wriggle. Rumia ran to the Hakurei Shrine for help, we came here to find anyone strong enough to help." Mystia, who was a bit more calmer than Cirno, (still panicking) explained.
"Characters?" Yukari reiterated, turning to Yuuka. "Could it be-"
"No doubt." Yuuka's face explained an expression rare to Yuuka. It wasn't sadistic anger or frustration, it was sadness, her eyes shining bright red with both murderous intent and guilt. "Gap me to Shinki's Palace. We're leaving, now."

---

Shinki's Palace Garden - Pandemonium, Gensokyo

---

"Ooh, close one." Sara blocked the kick from Renamon, then sidestepped into a defensive position. "Let me explain how this works."
"My technique draws life force from oneself for the highest density of power. Whether it be used for destruction or for defense is up to the condition, but it's effective for either method." Sara explained as she attempted a hook. "You have to focus your energy, imagining your blood seeping into your fist as you punch."