//------------------------------// // ACT III PART II // Story: The Great Fandom Man! // by Jake Witt //------------------------------// "Um... I want to enter the tournament?" I said, looking at he people registering with... nicer and less crazy people. Edna Mode handed me my requested autograph before putting her hands in he 'tent' position. "No. After that." "I haven't been converted into a ghost, pure magic being- well, not entirely true -,data, energy, or had an out-of-body experiences...?" I said, looking between Mew and Edna. Moe Mew held his hands up, "I was stuck in a pokeball for a week!" "Anyway, if I had they weren't in my normal form," I said, waving my ultimatrix. Edna stared at it before fixing her glasses, "Tacky look, tacky technology... Would you like a health form? It wont cure your style, but you'll be allowed- Well, after you pay the entre fee." I took out my schedule, "What quest do you-" "Quest? Quest?! QUEST?!!" Edna got up on the table and started smacking me with her clip board. "You think we are a petty charity corporation?! No quest!" I removed a hand from my face, "So... its free?" Everyone around winced at how dumb the question was. Edna hopped back in her seat, glaring at me, "What kind a fool are you? A circus freak?" A Ronald McDonald nearby exclaimed, "I take offence to that!" I looked to Mew for help as he shrugged. "Sorry, the bank is closed and Trixie took my wallet." Suddenly Edna and Mew... and hopefully everyone else turned their gaze to something. Seeing I was temporarily saved, I turned my head to see the crowd of people part for this one kid. "Nicholas Uno, Number One. I'm here to sign up for the semi-finals," he said before reaching the line. He handed the Nurse Joy a slip of paper, causing her to mess with her computer. Looking at him, he looked like Numbah 1 from 'Kids Next Door' if he god tiered in Homestuck's Spurb World and wondered into the Matrix wearing some sweet new shades. His voice was commanding, but nothing like the character. All around the auditorium screens relaying Tournament Information began displaying static until an unreadable, unhuman, unequestrian language displayed on the screen, breaking off until "G:KND 1" was displayed in the semifinals next to a question mark. "Those who wish to get in without problem must beat my blade." There were murmurs through the crowd. "Its a normal beyblade that I'm not bringing to the semifinals. Interested?" When he asked this, he seemed to be looking at me. "...Our beyblade is... fabricated...? I'm not going to ask how, but the resources are from an Anon... Likely that guy." "Plus, we're getting info on this guy from Time-base. Who is that guy?!" Time-base is a supercomputer hooked up to a corporation full of time travelers. Its an unspoken rule translated to everyone to stay away from it unless Time-base wants you. It has been said... or yet to be said, that hackers are never the same once that can of bean is open. As if in a trance, I pushed my way through the crowd as Mew pulled on me. When I got close to look down at him, his serious tone became less serious as we took out our beyblades. Almost as one we said, "Let it rip." We stood across each other, a ten foot diameter round ditch in the middle. "There are no bugs or viruses found and Time-base confirms that this is a fair game." Cortana informed. Number One smirked, "I hope you're ready to face my Red Rainbow Monkey-" "That doesn't sound too bad." "-because my Count Spankulot will... you get the idea." "Let's do this!" "Hold on. I want to inform you that I changed your beyblade parts to make it more bulky." "Why would you do that?!" I whispered back. "Do you want to reveal your hand before the game starts?" I shook my head, refocusing on Uno. Edna Mode held a loud speaker, "Here we have a battle against Mr. Uno... and that thing." Her smile grew as I rolled my eyes, "3! 2! 1! Go!" "What is this? A race?" I asked as I pulled the cord, spinning and releasing my beyblade into the ditch. Number One frowned and began messing with a piece of tech, not even looking at the fight! Once he was finished, he sat at the edge, watching me. I felt myself shrink as I turned into DJ Echo. "He's scanning us!" "I would call it 'probing', but- I'll shut up now." An announcer (with the silkiest voice I've ever heard) smoothly spoke the next few actions, pulling my attention to our beyblades. "Red Rainbow Monkey is closing in on Lucky Bear!" I shook my head before focusing on the nearest screen, showing images of a round red ape with a tiny rainbow antennae body slam a green care bear, nearly knocking out my beyblade. "Why do I have a care bear?!" I questioned, my voice the usual high pitch metallic drone. "Its Lucky Bear, also we're in a world owned by Hasbro. It was either a Care Bear or a Potatoe Head." Cortana informed. "Also we're broke so we grabbed the free stuff. What? It's true!" Rouge seemed to have a one sided conversation with Cortana... again. There was a pause as my beyblade spun over Number One's beyblade, seemingly taking energy for its own spin. "I can edit your face right now!" "OK, fine. We're doomed and I thought Lucky Bear would be a good idea." Both beyblades lost their momentum and slowly stopped. I sent a clone to toss our beyblade back at me before cloning and merging himself up to me before merging with me. That trick is fun! We locked our beyblades into their launch pads and pushed the long pins back in place. "Database complete. Mr. Uno has an stamina type beyblade. ...And we have a defence type." "Meaning?!" I asked as Red Rainbow Monkey repeatedly knocked at my Lucky Bear, moving it slightly. "I got this." "Dumb it down for him." "His beyblade has a pointed tip keeping in moving longer while yours... its a tank. Tank cannot win a race against a car, but they can destroy the car." "Sounds reasonable." "Though we're not experts in beyblade building so we might have a balance type. In that case, we are definitely screwed!" Rouge suddenly shouted as my beyblade threatened to fall over. On screen, my Lucky Bear appeared tired and yet wasn't backing down from its menace. "He doesn't want to beat us, he wants to outlast us!" "Also known as 'he wants to beat us.' You are aware that your beyblade must stay spinning while his stops in order to win, right?" "Slipped my mind."