Despair

Story
Animo: I hate to say it, but with Hex’s death, the winner is Darkstar! (A mana blast almost hits Animo, causing him to stumble back. Charmcaster’s arm was raised, tears flowing down her face.)

Charmcaster: NO! Uncle isn’t dead!

Lucy: Charmcaster, I’m sorry.

Charmcaster: It should be illegal for him to kill him!

Animo: You killed people in this War Game. How does that make him a dirty fighter and you not? (Charmcaster stands in shock, her mind shattered by the comment.)

Charmcaster: I, I’m so sorry.

Animo: I am sorry, Charmcaster. I wish it wasn’t true as well. (Then, a mana disk flies by Charmcaster’s head, and she snaps out of her head space. She looks up, seeing Gwen on the newly fixed battlefield.)

Gwen: Alright Charmcaster, it’s time for our fight. Unless you are too scared now.

Charmcaster: (Shakes her head, the tears flying off. She looks up in rage and anger.) Bring it on, princess.

Charmcaster levitates up onto the field, and fires several giant mana blasts at Gwen, blinding attacking. Gwen raises a mana barrier, taking the few mana blasts that actually hit it. Charmcaster blasts the ground with mana, and several stone creatures come out of the ground.

Charmcaster: Destroy her! (The stone creatures charge forward.)

Gwen: Really, Charmcaster? That’s all you got? Eradico! (Gwen raises her hand, and the stone creatures stop, and break apart, turning to dust.)

Charmcaster: No. Uncle! (Charmcaster flashes back to the scene where Hex turns to dust, his smile haunting Charmcaster.) Why? (Falls to her knees) Why are you gone?!

Gwen raises her arms, and the stage turns into a liquid, and Charmcaster sinks down. She doesn’t fight back, and Gwen stops when only Charmcaster’s head was free. Charmcaster doesn’t struggle, but was motionless.

Gwen: This is almost an insult to me. You ready to die, Charmcaster? (Charmcaster barely nods her head.) Good. (Raises her hand.)

John: Hope! (Charmcaster reacts.) Snap out of it! Hex told you to live, and to do that you must calm yourself. Magic only comes from great focus. Regain that focus and you can win. You are the strongest sorceress I know, and you can win!

Julie: John. (She seems slightly jealous.) She needed that, though.

Charmcaster turns her head to look at John, who smiles at her. Then, she turns her head back, and she closes her eyes. Then, her entire body glows with magenta energy, slightly blinding Gwen. Charmcaster releases a large pulse of mana, breaking out of the ground.

Charmcaster: You want a fight?! I’ll give you one!

Charmcaster floats in the air, raising her arms over her head. She forms a giant mana ball, and throws it at Gwen. Gwen blasts the mana ball with a mana blast, which releases an explosion, the shockwave blowing Gwen back. Gwen stops herself, floating in the air. Charmcaster then appears in front of Gwen, kicking her in the head. Gwen is sent flying, but regains her composure. She then fires a mana lightning bolt at Charmcaster, and Charmcaster swings her arm in a chopping motion, breaking the mana bolt in two, going around Charmcaster. Charmcaster swings her arm, and a magenta vortex forms around Gwen.

Gwen: Really? Tur-bo is one of the weakest spells out there. (Gwen swings her arm, destroying the vortex. She’s then hit by a powerful mana blast, sending her crashing into the ground. Charmcaster lowers herself to the ground.) Ugh. Better. Time to finish this.

Gwen releases her anodite form, and the two fire a mana blast, the two deadlocking. It holds for a few moments, then Gwen’s attack breaks through, hitting Charmcaster and knocking her down. She lies on the field, as Gwen stands over her, preparing another attack.

John: Contego! (A mana shield forms over Charmcaster, separating her from Gwen. John comes onto the stage.) This fight is over. (Give an evil glare at Animo.) Call it, or this War Game is over, and I’ll destroy each and every last one of you, starting with you, Animo.

Animo: (Terrified) Winner, Gwen! (Gwen reverts to her human form.)

Gwen: You’re soft as usual, John. (John ignores her, carrying Charmcaster off the stage.)

John: Hope? You okay?

Hope: Ugh. Why are you calling me that?

John: That’s your name, right? (Lays her down by Eddy and Tack, who are still out cold, and his hands glow with mana.)

Hope: Yes. But only my father called me that.

John: Now one more person does.

Hope: You don’t understand. Knowing one’s true name gives one power over that person or thing. If others learn from you that is my name.

John: You’ll crush anyone who tries. (Hope smiles, as she passes out.)

Sunder: Remember, Lucy. You have to win for us to have any chance of winning.

Lucy: I won’t lose. (Lucy goes onto the stage.)

Sunder: I’m starting to question your decision here, John. Lucy could’ve easily defeated the Highbreed.

John: She wanted to fight Kevin.

Sunder: And her decision has caused us two losses, and Hex’s death. (John gives Sunder an evil glare, and he backs off. John looks up at Lucy, remembering a conversation they had.)

It is nighttime, and Lucy was outside the castle. She was staring up at the sky.

John: Enjoying the evening, Lucy? (Lucy turns, and John sits down besides her.)

Lucy: General! You should be resting.

John: I’ve been resting all day. I can’t stay down any longer. Nice job against Ahsoka today.

Lucy: Maybe, but I wasn’t able to snap her out of her state.

John: It’s a mutation, I didn’t expect you to.

Lucy: How did you do it? Revert Julie?

John: How. I went into her head, and destroyed the mutated creation. I don’t know why it worked, but it did. Why?

Lucy: I’m just thinking about being able to do that.

John: You mean Kevin.

Lucy: I am thankful for everything you’ve done for me, but I’ll always turn to General Kevin over you. He was the first person to accept me for who I am, and I am grateful for him. It is time that I repay him for saving me.

John: You know he’s in love with Gwen, right? (Lucy releases a slight gasp, turning her head away and blushing.)

Lucy: I know he’ll never feel that way about me, but I would give my life for him. I want to save him. You’ll let me fight him, right?

John: Of course.

The scene goes back to the battlefield, as Kevin steps onto the field. John notices a belt on Kevin, with some kind of battery pack on him. He was moaning like a regular zombie.

Lucy: General! It’s me, Lucy. Don’t you remember me?

Gwen: He doesn’t remember anything, unfortunately.

Darkstar: His powers make his mind too unstable to allow for sentient following of Phantom, so he was given the mind of a Pawn.

Gwen: I wanted to turn him back into his Ultimate form, but there’d be no way to keep him under control.

Animo: The sixth match, Knight Kevin vs. Lucy, begin!

Kevin bends over, absorbing the concrete from the stage. He then charges at Lucy, his hand growing in size. He punches Lucy, and her body turns to sludge, taking the attack. She morphs her hand into a mallet, and swings it at Kevin. Kevin morphs his hand into a mallet, and the two collide. The two jump back, and Kevin raises both his arms, the two forming a shield. He fires several spikes from the shield at Lucy. Lucy’s body is torn apart from the attack but she regenerates quickly. Lucy’s hands then grow, and she grabs Kevin, lifting him off the ground.

Lucy: Come on, General! Fight it! Others have been able to resist Phantom’s control, and I know you’d never let anyone take over your mind. You have to fight it! (Then, a burst of electricity occurs.) Ow! (Lucy lets go of Kevin, dropping him. Kevin touches his battery pack, absorbing electricity.)

Sunder: This looks bad.

John: It could be good. Absorbing energy can cause insanity. Maybe that’ll work to Lucy’s advantage.

Kevin shoots electricity at Lucy again, and she screams. Her body turns into her true sludge form, and she struggles to keep it steady, her body starting to turn into a puddle. She reforms her body, as Kevin continues to attack. Lucy can no longer hold it, and her body falls to the ground as a puddle of sludge.

Lucy: Ugh. That hurt. I’ve got to find a way to get into Kevin’s head. Wait, that’s it!

Lucy reforms, taking her human sludge form. She then charges at Kevin. Kevin shoots more electricity at Lucy, and she dodges, and swings her fist at Kevin. Kevin catches it, and starts to absorb Lucy’s energy.

Lucy: (Groans) Ugh! Got you! (Lucy swings her other fist, hitting Kevin in the face with sludge. Some of the sludge travels up his nose.) End Scene

The sludge travels through Kevin’s head, and is caught in an energy stream, that goes to the brain. The energy turns the sludge into Lucy’s human sludge form, as she flies into Kevin’s mind. She sees Kevin chained to a slab, and a Zombie Kevin standing guard, moaning like a zombie.

Lucy: So, this is what John meant. Kevin! Wake up! You’ve got to break free! You’re stronger than this zombie. (Kevin stirs, as if trying to break free.) That’s it! Agh! (Zombie Kevin zaps her with electricity, and she falls to the ground. Zombie Kevin continues to electrocute her, forcing her to the ground.)

Kevin turns his head, and sees Lucy on the ground, screaming. Kevin tries to break free, but the restraints hold him down. Then, his body mutates, and he turns into Ultimate Kevin, breaking free.

Kevin: Hey, zombie. (Zombie Kevin turns, as Ultimate Kevin raises his arms, firing a cosmic ray at him. Zombie Kevin is hit, and torn apart.)

On the battlefield. Kevin stops absorbing Lucy’s energy, his skin reverting. He is unconscious, and is falling back. Lucy tries to catch him, but she then stumbles, and falls over, passed out. Her body reverts to its true sludge form.

John: She lost too much energy.

Animo: Neither of them can fight. This match is a draw!

John: Sunder, get Kevin. (He raises his arm, and fires a mana beam, which forms under Lucy, and he carries her off the stage. Sunder picks up Kevin, and brings him down. They put them down by the others who are out cold.)

Padmé: Are they alright?

John: Yeah. Just passed out. (John notices that Lucy was smiling.) She did it.

Julie: We’ll look over them, John. Go on. You’re up.

John: Yeah. (John looks over at the other side, as Zs’Skayr floats up onto the stage.)

Team Heroes

 * Charmcaster (competes)
 * Lucy Mann
 * Sunder
 * John Smith
 * Eddy (out cold)
 * Tack (out cold)

Others

 * Padmé Amidala
 * Julie Yamamoto

New Chess Pieces

 * Gwen Tennyson (competes)
 * Kevin Levin (competes) (freed from Zombie curse)
 * Ultimate Kevin
 * Darkstar
 * Zs'Skayr
 * Dr. Animo

Trivia

 * The final round is now two wins for Team Heroes, three wins for the Chess Pieces, and a draw.
 * Sunder is the only member of Team Heroes to remain conscious after his match, whether they win or lose their match.
 * It's revealed that Kevin's unstable mind due to being an Osmosian makes it difficult to have his mind controlled without resistance.