Training Gate

Story
Ed: Great job boys, for rescuing the princess. Therefore, I invite you to eat till your hearts content! (Ed has a full plate of food, while John and Jack barely have any food on their plates.)

John: How can we eat our fill like this?!

Jack: Quit being greedy!

Snow: Ed! Don’t be so mean to them. Let them eat.

Ed: Fine. So, John. I watched you from the dog, and I must say, you must be one of the stupidest fighters I’ve ever seen. And yet, you injured an ÄRM wielder with your bare hands. Hahaha!

John: Nothing I can do about that. Now, what did that pumpkin guy mean? That Phantom was revived.

Ed: What do you know?

John: Not much. I’m from a different world, so I don’t know what happened in the War Games from six years ago. (Snow was silent, as Ed sighs.)

Ed: Fine. Phantom has something called the Zombie Tattoo, which makes him a living corpse. He cannot be killed, and he is the most powerful of the Chess Pieces.

John: Ian mentioned a hierarchy.

Ed: Yes. There are first Pawns, who don’t have any real power. Then there are Rooks, like that Ian guy, noticable enough to not be Pawns. Then are the Bishops, and Knights are the strongest, with Phantom being the strongest of them.

John: Sounds like you’re forgetting the King and Queen.

Ed: We never found out who they were in the last war. They are still at large, and probably revived the Chess Pieces while waiting for Phantom.

John: I want to help.

Ed: If you want to help, then you’ll have to become stronger.

John: Then train us! Tell us what we need to!

Jack: I agree! (Ed stops, looking out the window. John and Jack look, and see Snow was outside, walking through a garden.) When did she leave?

John: Why are they after her?

Ed: Her mother died when she was young, and her father, the king, remarried a few years later. The king became sick, and the new queen took control, and sided with the Chess. She has been through so much, but she can still manage to smile and care about others over herself.

John: Hm. So, are you going to train us?

Ed: You really want to intervene in the affairs of this world?

John: No. I have to. I couldn’t live with myself to leave now.

Ed: Hahahaha! Excellent! Then we’ll get started immediately. End Scene

The group arrives at a clearing.

John: What kind of training is this going to be?

Ed: I’ll explain once the one in the bushes comes out. (The others turn, and they see the witch come out.)

John: You! Nice to see you again.

Jack: John! You’re saying that you know this beautiful woman?!

John: Yeah. What are you doing here?

Witch: I was in intrigued about something you said before.

Ed: Dimension ÄRM: Training Gate! (Two doors appear and open on the ground, and John and Snow fall in one door, while Jack and the witch fall through the other door.)

Witch: No! I don’t want to go with this loser! End Scene

John and Snow land in ancient runes, with a spiraling energy in the sky.

John: Whoa! Are we in some sort of alternate dimension like the Null Void?

Snow: This is the Training Gate, where a day in the real world is 60 in here.

John: 60 days of training, huh?

Snow: 180. We’re staying in here for three days. A long time to tell the truth.

John: Wow. So, what are we training in here?

Snow: Magic.

John: Magic? Like projecting it?

Snow: In a sense. To use stronger ÄRM, one has to have strong control over magic. Magic is built up in the body, through specialized training, and we can access that magic to use the ÄRM.

John: So, to use the Omnitrix, I need to get stronger in magic. Alright. Let’s start! I don’t want to waste a single day we have here. End Scene

In a dark room, the masked members of the Chess Pieces are gathered by a throne, where a figure in the shadows speaks.

Phantom: Hello, my friends. I recognize many of you, and see some new faces. Either way, today is the day that we remind the rest of world that the Chess Pieces aren’t dead. All those people happily rebuilding after the last war, in luxury and peace. We shall remind them that we are still here. Go, and cause destruction! Destroy till your heart is content! (The Chess Pieces cheer, and they teleport away. Phantom then begins to laugh.) End Scene

Ed is standing outside the Training Gate doors, panting.

Ed: Three days. Now I’m getting tired. Huh? (Ed turns.) You can come out now. (Then, Ian and a heavily cloaked figure with a Pawn mask appears.)

Ian: Hello, old man.

Ed: Shouldn’t you be causing chaos with the rest of the Chess?

Ian: So you did know it was happening? Doesn’t matter. Where’s John? I plan to eliminate him.

Ed: Hate to disappoint you, but he’s busy.

Ian: In that case, I’ll just kill you. Weapon ÄRM: Octopus! (Then, four chain whips come out of each of his sleeves, as eight whips go and attack Ed multiple times, while he takes the attacks.) How pathetic! And here I’ve heard that you were a legend from the last war. Now, die! (The whips go in to stab Ed, when John appears, kicking the whips away.)

John: Hey there. Looking for me?

Characters

 * John Smith
 * Jack
 * Human Edward
 * Snow
 * Witch

Villains

 * Chess Pieces
 * Phantom
 * Ian
 * Pawn

Trivia

 * John learns that he needs to build up magic power to use the Omnitrix.
 * The witch returns, and is thrown in the Training Gate with Jack.
 * Unlike the original manga, what John and Jack do in training isn't shown.
 * Phantom makes his first physical appearance.