Christina used Simon's interruption in the battle to pull Chione back. Narcy followed; she covered her movement back with an occasional pistol shot. The three females were isolated from the battle on the opposite side of the ship.

"What happened?!" The adrenaline in Christina's body caused her to become more easily panicked. "Is she alright?"

Narcy was doing her best to help Chione. "She should be fine. She's just in shock. I'm sure that you'd be in the same situation if you discovered that you were actually somebody else. As of right now, she's probably struggling with her true identity. It's best to put her somewhere safe and have her recover on her own." Narcy applied a cold compress to Chione's head that she just happened to be carrying in her lab coat.

Christina nodded slightly. She looked up; Chartreuse was trying his best to hold his ground. The increase in size and power of Raltise caused this to be extremely difficult. He would be knocked back every now and then. The same occurred with Ness; he attacked with his psychic powers to little effect. He supported the close range fighters with a power shield. It was refreshed constantly and the battle obviously took a lot out of him. Christina looked up; she thought she heard the sound of a helicopter. At that moment, Christina's phone rang. Narcy looked up for a moment from her work and returned to it promptly.

"Honey, it's your mother."

Christina was shocked to discover that a person was talking to her on the phone during the battle; she was startled that it was her mother. "... Mom!?"

"We knew that you were in trouble. We've been observing you for a long time, actually. Your father's friend, Mike, told us that we had to keep close watch of you. It's a good thing, too."

"I thought you were dead!"

"Oh, well, officially, we are, hon. The government decided to fake your father and my death in order to protect us. Apparently, we're highly important assets to them. Anyhow, don't worry now honey. We're going to help you out. You need a weapon."

Christina's former gloom was replaced with extreme joy; the adrenaline in her body controlled it a bit. She knew that the people on this ship were in trouble. "I can't use weapons, mom."

"Don't worry about it. Remember that mercenary friend that I was just talking about? He's here with us. He's going to help you out with some tips." At this time, the helicopter was hovering over Christina's current position. It's presence was masked by the ship's massive superstructure. A small box was lowered down to the deck. Christina ran towards the box and opened it. Inside was a sniper rifle and 100 rounds of ammunition.

"Mom, I've never shot a rifle before!"

"Never mind that, Christina." It was Mike on the phone. "You're a girl, you have a steady hand. The sight is already set. I made sure of that myself. All you need to do is chamber a round, take careful aim, and fire. Remember, your enemy isn't any normal enemy. You'll have to experiment with your shots to see if he has a weak point. I'm not sure if he even HAS a weak point, but still, it's worth a try. I know that that's lousy advice, but you'll need to use it! Oh, also, I modified the rounds a bit. They pack a little extra punch partly because I put an explosive charge inside of the solid bullet. This'll serve to pierce and then explode. Anyway, we'll talk later. Good luck!"

"Yes honey, do us proud! We'll do what we can when the circumstances allow it." This voice belonged to Christina's father. Apparently, he was piloting the helicopter. "Mike's on guns, so if there's any way that an opening occurs where we can support with guns, we will!"

The next voice on the phone was her mother. "Well, good luck! We'll keep watching you!" At this point, they hung up. Christina didn't even have a chance to say goodbye but it was alright. She was happy knowing that her parents were still alive. She took the rifle and walked back to Narcy.

"Well, I'm going to help the others now."

"Very well. Don't worry about Chione. Hopefully she'll recover soon. I'm with you in returning to battle." Narcy drew her six shooter. "Well, here we go." Narcy ran back to the front lines of the battle. Christina ran to higher ground so that she could get a better aim of Raltise.

While the previous took place, Raltise had knocked down each front line fighter. They were back trying their best to fight a holding battle, but it appeared to be useless. Christina's father in the helicopter took this failure in fighting a holding battle as a reason to commit to battle. He flew over the superstructure and revealed himself to Raltise. Mike in the gunner's turret took careful aim and started firing high velocity rounds; they peppered the deck around Raltise.

"What is this?" Raltise looked up while catching attacks in his hands. "Oh, this won't do at all." Raltise concentrated his thoughts and bent the rotary wing blades on the helicopter; this caused the aircraft to spin wildly out of control. The pilot couldn't recover the controls and it crashed into the water. The impact caused the helicopter to explode into a gigantic fireball; its passengers had bailed out moments before it hit the water but those on the Thed didn't know that. "Mm, yes, that was way too easy." Raltise continued his attack.

Christina got to a higher perch above the bridge. When she looked for her target, she saw that a gigantic fire was burning on the water. Her heart fell into her stomach when she saw this; she knew that the helicopter crashed. To her, that meant that her parents were dead once more. A sudden rage welled up inside of her. This rage quickly subsided into calmness; she used this sudden change in her disposition to her advantage.

"Take this!" Christina took careful aim of Raltise's shoulder and fired. The round did little to Raltise. If anything, it distracted him momentarily in his attacks. He didn't realize that another shooter had joined the fray. The fighters did their best to use this slight break to their advantage. They recovered and pushed him back. Raltise recovered quickly and continued his fierce (and strong) onslaught.

I'm going to help destroy Raltise. Christina's resolution to avenge her parents' deaths provided her with a fierce determination in this battle. She reloaded and took careful aim once more...

Skulryk darted around the deck of the SS Thed as he got footage from the battle, but overall, he felt useless. All around him, everyone was trying their best to fight the now double-sized Raltise, and he was darting about getting footage. Sure, it would make great if this ended in favor of him and his friends, but with the way it was looking now, that wasn't much of a possibility. Skulryk knew whatever he did would probably be futile; he was in no way physically strong, and he had neither weapons nor mental powers. Still, he was getting tired of darting about as his friends suffered.

He set up his tripod and placed his camera atop it as he prepared to join the fray himself, and let go of his camera, a bit worried about what might happen to it. The camera had managed to survive a shipwreck and a plane crash so far on this adventure, and he hoped it would manage to fare well once more.

Skulryk jumped in with the front-line fighters, who were trying to land a blow on Raltise. With a running start, and Raltise currently playing with the energy in Ness's PSI-Rockin, Skulryk landed a blow on Raltise, but bounced off as if hitting an electric fence.

Raltise smiled as he turned to him, obviously unharmed. "Well, I remember you. The reporter, yes... What is your purpose, anyway? Hmm? Do you even do anything at all? You run around with your camera and take notes. You were better off leaving everything to your friends, because that pathetic attack shows that you are quite useless..."

Raltise took the energy he had grabbed from Ness's psionic attack and used it to hit Skulryk with a blast of energy. Skulryk flew back and landed on the deck of the ship, several yards away, writhing in pain.

Raltise grinned. "How... pathetic. Now, you have that video camera there, don't you?" Raltise talked to Skulryk while simultaneously deflecting the others' attacks. "Hmm, yes... I don't like it at all. I never was one for being on TV." He reached out and, with a lash of energy, he hit the camera, causing it to explode. Skulryk tried to scream out, but he was in too much pain to do anything; Raltise's one attack had him completely immobilized for the moment.

Frustrated with his inability to land a single blow, Matt knew it was time to resort to drastic measures. He backed away from the attacking group and sheathed his sword.

A deep breath passed through his lungs. He really hated having to transform. It was a firm reminder of how he became this way. How it was because of his weakness. His eyes glazed over as memories drifted through his head. That faithful day, so long ago, when all was lost...

"Brother..." whispered Matt, his voice blanketed by the crashing of the waves.

The apparently troubled teenager pulled himself together quickly, shaking it off. This was neither the time nor place for revelries!

Matt braced himself on the deck and undertook his transformation. Claws replaced fingers, fangs replaced teeth and muscles bulged over his body. In only a few moments he had rejoined the battle.

Raltise raised an eyebrow at the boy. "Ah...yes. The werewolf. Well, you'd be mistaken if you think that's going to help you at all."

As if to prove his point, the villain threw a powerful uppercut at Matt. The force sent him flying over the side of the vessel.

Kageru had regained consciousness only moments before the werewolf came crashing down him. The impact caused a large splash which left them both gasping for air.

The badly injured and rather disgruntled Kageru glared at Matt, not even phased by his monstrous transformation.

"Idiot. Watch where you're landing."

"Cram it, junior." retorted Matt bitterly. This kid really grinded his nerves. He also vaguely reminded him of someone who had cross him in the past. Could just be 'deja vu', though...

Wasting no time quarreling, the two began searching for a way back up.

-----

Meanwhile, Jeff had snuck off from the rest of the group. He stroked the gun Narcy had given him as he crept into the interior of the boat. Paula and Poo had to be in here somewhere...

-----

Raltise grinned. "Well, well...I was determined to provide myself with some amusement while I waited for the pivotal moment, yet you...heroes have failed miserably. I grow tired of this." In a flash, Raltise reverted to his normal size. He strode forward, eyeing the throng. A bullet screamed through the air, piercing his head. Within his cranium, the explosive-charged bullet detonated, sending his head arcing in a peculiar direction. A large, gaping hole was now visible in the side of his head, chaotic purple energies swirling about it. He merely shrugged, and the rift closed in on itself, making him whole once more. He turned his gaze to the upper decks, where Christina crouched, poised with the sniper rifle.

"An excellent plan, my dear, but I am afraid that such a primitive weapon would do little to halt my progress. Yes, you should not play with such toys..." He extended his hands, wriggling his fingers, and the sniper rifle jerked from Christina's hands, sailing across the deck. In turn, too, the girl plummeted from the upper decks, but by some miraculous twist of fate managed to land on a pile of flour bags bundled near an open doorway. Raltise turned his attention once again to the throng of pitiful heroes, surveying them coolly. He strode forward, his eyes trained on Talus in particular.

"Well, well, boy...it is time for you to join your father, don't you agree?" A sickening laughter escaped his throat at that moment. He continued advancing. Talus shrank back. "Yes, yes...it would be all too fitting. Father and son by the same hand. Yes, I shall enjoy--" His speech was cut short as he stepped on a precariously placed rake that had been resting on the deck of the ship. His foot, upon finding its place on the tapered edge of the rake, caused the whole thing to sail up, the handle smacking Raltise cleanly in the face. He stood there momentarily, the handle embedded within his nose, and a low, irritated mutter escaped his lips. A suppressed snicker filled the air as several individuals struggled to control themselves.

Raltise sprung to action, arching his hand back and smacking the rake away, sending it over the side of the ship. His eye twitched visibly in humiliation. "Yes, yes, laugh while you can! While you still have lungs! I think I shall remove them from you now." The laughter ceased. Raltise grinned a deep yellow smile. He extended his hand, and all at once the throng of would-be heroes collapsed on the deck, writhing in agony, clutching at their throats. "All too easy, quite." the Nightmare Demon muttered, a fire illuminating his eyes. Then he paused, letting up on this assault. A coughing fit seized the group as they struggled to their feet once again, inhaling fresh air deeply. A frown had creased Raltise's lips.

"My, my...the Boy Genius, where could he be? Yes, he is curiously missing..." A smile flickered on his face. "I will not keep you waiting long. Please hold." With a mock salute, the unearthly one winked out of view. A cold wind blew over the deck of the SS Thed. A cold, desolate wind. Arcs of purple lightning streaked through the sky. A low rumble sounded from below. Chartreuse braced himself on a railing, Penetella did the same. Ness held his ground, gritting his teeth fiercely.

An explosion shook the ship as a mammoth beam of violent red energy blasted through the deck of the ship, leaving a large hole. Within the beam, a body could be seen sailing through the air, writhing in agony. It was a blond-haired boy, dressed in a green school uniform, freckle-faced and adorned with heavily-rimmed spectacles. Ness' eyes went wide with horror.

"Jeff!" He exclaimed, dashing toward the falling body of his friend. Jeff hit the ground with a thud, crumpling instantly. Ness crouched immediately by his side, focussing his energy into a LifeUp for his ailing comrade. Raltise levitated upward from the massive hole in the deck, a strange-looking revolver in hand. He was eyeing it peculiarly.

"Ah, yes....quite an interesting device you have here...quite so. Tell me, where did you harness this power?" He said, eyeing Narcy curiously. Narcy said not a word, her face a stoic mask. Raltise smirked cunningly. "Yes, yes...well if my theory is correct, then you will not mind if I do this..." He arced his hand upward, flinging the gun into the air. With a wink, a crimson bolt of energy seared the air and struck the weapon, causing a cascade of glittering sparks to follow. Ness gazed in horror as he saw the only hope for the revival of his friends vaporized in an instant...

...or so he thought. Moments later, the gun came crashing to the deck with a clatter, unscathed. Raltise chuckled. "As I thought..." he mused. "You have succeeded in harnessing the Path of Light...very good. A pity that such a small quantity of it cannot help you now. It would leave naught but a scratch. But you are free to try your luck, if you wish..." He looked down at the hole he had just created. "You will not find your friends until I deem it so. The Puppetmaster has no tolerance for marionettes that do not play by the rules." He levitated to the ground, right in front of the gaping hole. "Well...whose turn is it?" He said, his face curling in a sneer.

Ness darted from his friend's side, his hands bristling with volatile PSI energy. He lunged at Raltise, striking him square in the chest, unleashing a furious barrage of PSI Rockin' energy. The Nightmare Demon winced, faltering for the expanse of a millisecond, and then with renewed strength he rammed his balled up fist into the Young Protector's stomach. Ness doubled over in pain, curling up and resorting to a coughing fit. Raltise leaned close to him, sneering cruelly. He then stood tall, arcing his arm before delivering an incredible backhand to the ailing child. Ness sailed across the deck in an instant, coming to a crashing halt only upon hitting the wall of one of the upper decks.

Again, Talus noticed Raltise flinching. He furrowed his brow in speculation and this time backed away from the battle as the onslaught from the heroes began anew.

Christina got up slowly; she was sobbing. "I can't... I... can't... I can't even help to avenge my parents anymore!" She started crying but stopped when she realized where she was. Looking over to where Raltise was, she saw that those still fighting were getting banged up. She took a deep breath and got up. She needed to find a way to help those injured in battle.

She herself was lucky to escape from her fall relatively unscathed. She was bleeding on the right arm slightly because she had fallen on something sharp. It did not pierce her in a grave way, rather, it left a superficial wound that would probably need stitches. She looked around and noticed that there was a first aid locker located on the level that she had landed. She went into the locker and pulled out a number of medical supplies. Well then, if I can't attack Raltise directly, I will help those that can! Once again, her fierce determination returned to her. She put the supplies into a rather large bag and left the locker. Upon leaving the compartment, she heard shouting coming from over the side. Matt was in the water, along with Kageru. Acting quickly, Christina threw a life preserver over the side. Matt held on to the preserver. Mustering all of her might, she pulled him aboard the ship. Once on board, Matt collapsed in a fatigued heap.

"Matt, wake up!" Christina nudged the fighter. He moved slightly and slowly got to his knees. "We need to get the injured to a safe place! Follow me!" Christina got up and ran slowly to where Chione was lying. She was still unconscious as well. Matt sat down next to the unconscious Chione. Christina put a cold compress to her head. "Matt, hold this here!" He did as he was told while Christina checked him over. He didn't seem to have any broken bones but he was burned severely. She found a basin underneath a conveniently placed water fountain and filled it with water. Putting some gauze in it, she found that she could sprinkle some cool water over any burns. Christina heard a low moan; it was coming from Skulryk. "Matt, wait here!"

Christina ran out from under the protective cover of the makeshift hospital and came to Skulryk's side. His face was totally mashed and was swollen. On top of that, he seemed to have dislocated his shoulder. Christina once again summoned up all of her might and started dragging Skulryk to where the other injured people were. Upon arriving, he moaned in agony even louder.

"Skulryk! Stop moaning, I'm here to help you. Now, this is going to hurt for a moment but you must persevere! I must get your shoulder back in place before the muscles become too swollen." She snapped his shoulder back into place. Skulryk let out a shriek of pain but it slowly subsided. From her bag, she pulled out blankets. "I forgot about these..." She covered each injured person in a blanket to protect them from going into shock. She put another cold compress on Skulryk’s face in order to try to control the swelling.

"Christina!" Matt looked up suddenly as if just remembering something. "I don't know if you saw, but Raltise knocked Ness onto the upper deck. I don't know if he's alright or not."

She nodded quickly. "Right, I'll get him! You stay here until I get back." She ran out once again into the open. Looking across the deck, she saw that Chartreuse, Narcy, Dan, and Lucky were just barely holding out. Vincent was back a bit trying his best to recover for his next attack. Siris was becoming too tired, along with Harsemhin but they kept on casting their spells. Christina ran up the ladder to the upper deck. Underneath the pilothouse, she saw Ness lying in a crumpled heap. His breathing was very labored; he was burned all over his body and his face was rather swollen. She looked around and saw that Jeff was lying not too far from the battle; he was still unconscious from the near-fatal attack that sent him flying. Christina picked Ness up as carefully as she could and climbed down the ladder. She took him to where the rest of the injured were. Before assisting Ness, she ran out once again.

At a full sprint, she arrived to where Jeff was lying. The powerful Raltise kept countering each attack, laughing loudly each time it happened. The fighters kept on fighting while Christina tended to the injured Jeff. Hoisting him on her back, she walked rather slowly to where Ness and the others were lying. Now that most of the injured were gathered up, she began tending to those that needed it the most. Ness' burns were treated with a sprinkling of water; his face was treated with cold compresses. He was covered up with a blanket to help control the shock that would inevitably face him. She did the same for Jeff; he was more responsive to the treatment. After a half minute, he woke up. He tried to get up but found that he couldn't; he was too drained from the attack.

"Don't worry, Jeff. Just lie there for a while. I'm going to try to help the others." With this, Christina and Matt went to each injured person and tended to their wounds. Outside where the fighting was happening, Raltise continued to attack as fiercely as ever.

The battle raged on, with little progress for anyone but Raltise. As the time slowly passed by, the SS Thed was weakening. With each attack, the structure groaned, and was becoming progressively unstable. The deck was beginning to split along the hole Raltise had created, and it was becoming a problematic obstacle for the fighters. Several times, someone tripped over a crack or fell avoiding the hole, making them a prime target for Raltise.

On Christina's side, things were calming down. She and Matt had managed to help everyone, minimizing pain to the best of their abilities. "Is it over?" Matt gasped after unsuccessfully trying to wake Chione. The answer came a second later. Abruptly, there was a deafening bang outside, followed by a laugh from Raltise. Wearily, the two ran back into the battle to assess the damage.

Narcy, Chartreuse, Siris, and Harsemhin returned to their feet almost immediately, brimming with determination. They recovered quickly, and engaged Raltise in battle once again. Matt hurriedly helped Dan up, who also returned to the battle. Christina noticed a group of three in one corner of the ship and quickly rushed over to help.

"Are you okay?" Christina asked, looking from Lucky to Vincent, then to Jack. The three of them slowly nodded in unison, trying to ignore the injuries they had. Christina stared at them, skeptical, though concerned. She laid a first aid kit down in front of them and said, "Get what you need."

Vincent began wrapping a bandage around his wrist. "This is hopeless," he said weakly, nodding towards Raltise and the others. "We hardly hurt him when all of us were attacking. How are we supposed to win, now that half of us are injured and the other half are fatigued?" No one seemed to have an answer to the question.

Suddenly, Lucky's and rose to the side of his head. He cringed in pain, then lowered his hand to find it covered in blood. "Come with me, Lucky," Christina said urgently, handing him a cloth. Lucky accepted it gratefully and pressed it against his wound. Christina then pulled him onto his feet and led him back, away from the fight. Behind them, Jack and Vincent inhaled deeply, and then ran forward to face Raltise.

Back at the temporary hospital, Lucky found a chair to rest on. Christina washed the wound and began wrapping a bandage around Lucky's head. Seconds after she had finished, Matt returned, just as tired as everyone. "We really need more help," Lucky said quietly. "He's too powerful."

Ness, now awake, spoke in a voice that was barely audible. "We need Paula and Poo."

"Don't try and go get them, unless you want to end up like me," Jeff warned, his voice hardly louder than Ness'. "Raltise said that it was against the rules to revive them, until he 'deems it so'."

"According to his rules," Lucky said bitterly. "Anyway, it seems we lose either way." He sighed. "I've got to get back," he continued, standing up and moving back towards the battle. "Like I said, they need everyone they can get."

Lucky found that little had changed during his absence. Harsemhin and Siris were away a small distance, casting spells almost mechanically now. Narcy, Chartreuse, Vincent, and Dan were now attacking up front, along with Jack Flash. He was using all of his might, as if trying to make up for his previous blunders. Raltise was still fending off the attacks like they were drops of water, often throwing in devastating attacks of his own. The ship was beginning to groan loudly as it sustained several attacks that had gone awry; Lucky prayed that it wouldn't suddenly sink, hastily ending the battle and destroying the remaining hope for the planet's survival. At last, Lucky decided to take drastic measures. Summoning all his courage, Lucky charged. Raltise, distracted by the others, was knocked down by the attack, but quickly countered; in one swift motion, he got up and flung Lucky across the ship. Lucky landed roughly, halting inches away from the ship's edge. Though he tried, he couldn't bring himself to get back up. His vision was becoming blurry, and the sky above him seemed to be darkening. Finally, the attack overcame him. Another haunting laugh from Raltise was the last thing he heard before he slipped into unconsciousness.

With another laugh, Raltise turned and fired off another red bolt of energy at Narcy.

"Move it!" Jack lunged across the deck and tackled Narcy out of the way, narrowly avoiding the blast himself. They rolled to safety behind a piece of debris.

"This isn't working," Jack complained. "He's too strong."

"Our only chance is to revive the Chosen Four," Narcy told him. "But Raltise said -"

"Screw Raltise," Jack spat. "Who says we have to listen to him?" He rose to his knees, peering over the debris, spotting Narcy's life-restoring gun about halfway across the deck. He ducked down again.

"Listen carefully, I'll only explain once. I'm gonna hoist you over this trash. Run straight across the deck, grab the gun, and then get below deck. Ready?" Narcy nodded. "Go!" Jack grabbed Narcy around the waist and heaved her over the debris. She grabbed the gun as she rolled off the ground, then made for the passage.

"Stop!" Raltise screamed. "That's against the rules!"

"Rules?!" There was sufficient anger in Jack's voice to give Raltise a moment's pause. "Who says we gotta play by your rules, man? You're the one smacking us around!"

"I see." Raltise gave his best chilling grin to Jack. "And what are your rules?"

"I play by one rule: There are no rules!" Jack crossed his arms in admittedly mediocre defiance.

"Very well... we shall play by your rules, then." Raltise opened his palms toward Jack.

Jack had just enough time to say "Crap I'm dead" before the energy knocked him senseless.

Looks like it's now or never... thought Kageru to himself. No way this'll do anything to that yaro, but maybe they'll figure something out. Goggle-Brain did it often enough.

Kageru ducked out of sight, just before Jack got flattened, and proceeded to sneak around the edge of the boat. Raltise left him alone, which seemed strange.

It's like he can't tell I'm here since I'm not real. He made sure to keep low.

Meanwhile, the others were still doing their best, everyone contributing what they could.

The shooters and spell casters were running out of ammo quickly while the melee fighters were being slowly beaten to a pulp. Raltise may have returned to normal size, but things were not improving.

"We can't keep this up much longer!" yelled Siris.

"Why don't you ask him for a time out?" Talus shouted in reply.

"You crazier than Murdock," added Penetella. He wouldn't have admitted it, but even he was being worn down slowly.

"But how would we go about regrouping now?" asked Harsemhin.

"You don't!" laughed Raltise. "You just die!" He loosed a blast and Harsemhin barely managed to dodge.

"If we lose, everything's finished! Keep fighting!" encouraged Bruiser, too optimistic for his own good as Raltise landed a blow. The wrestler rolled away and got back to his feet, slowly.

Harsemhin and Siris tried another combination attack, but Raltise snuffed it out even more easily than the first one.

"I fear we may be done for," said Harsemhin, between breaths.

By that time, Kageru had made it around the SS Thed and behind Raltise. He stood up, safely out of sight. I have been way too lucky so far. That's a bad thing.

He climbed up slightly and pulled out the Teal Card. "Well, here goes nothing." He drew what could very well be his last card through the D-Ark. "Cado Surash! Matoriksu Fushion!"**

Despite the battle, the flash of light that shone around Kageru as he lifted off managed to attract Raltise's attention. The force turned to see what insect was trying something now.

"Why not attack me with a flashlight, too?" cackled Raltise, completely misinterpreting the situation.

A new ring of light appeared and rotated around Kageru. Behind its light, Kageru changed dramatically. He became taller and armor appeared around him. Not warrior mail like Cyan would have worn, but light purple guards which could fend of attacks just as well. An Annubis-style mask formed over his face and a partisan appeared in his right hand.

"Jimmumon!"

"A shape shifter? What fun!" exclaimed Raltise.

Everyone else wondered what had happened, and Bruiser found himself wondering just what Kageru was, again.

Before Raltise could move to attack, Jimmumon made his. "Kongou you Mandara!"

A strange crest appeared on the deck of the ship with Raltise at its center. He scoffed at this for a second before attempting to pick Jimmumon out of the sky. Unfortunately for him, he found he suddenly couldn't move. Even though the attack was pitifully weak compared to Raltise, he hadn't encountered anything like this digital attack before, so he couldn't defend against it properly. Ultimate power is useless if you don't know how to wield it.

From the crest, a pillar of energy formed, and Raltise was attacked by the elements, as if he was trapped in his own personal ocean storm.

While Jimmumon concentrated on the Mandala, the group had the much needed chance to regroup, and Narcy had more time to get away from Raltise.

Before long the crest faded as Raltise learned it and could defend against it entirely. The attack didn't do any real damage because it was far too weak, but it accomplished its own goal by delaying Raltise while he learned what it was. Jimmumon raised his Partisan and threw it with deadly accuracy, but Raltise was a fast learner. He was able to catch the partisan as it shot towards him.

"You shouldn't play with such toys ... they're liable to hurt you!" shouted the Puppetmaster. He charged the partisan with a dark energy and threw it back, striking Jimmumon directly.

The noble warrior fell from the sky, reverting to Kageru as it fell. Kageru landed in the water with a terrific splash. Nobody could tell if he was dead or alive.

**"Matrix Fusion"

***"Vajra Ocean Mandala"

Kageru's attack gave the group little, but enough time, to regroup. Each member gathered into the huddle, and stared at the column of water created by the digital kid. Narcy wiped the sweat from her face.

"This is getting dangerous. We're losing people way too fast. Christina, how much med supplies do you have left?"

"Not much... but enough that it'll last at least 10 more minutes, the way it's going." she replied, shaking slightly, and twiddling with a roll of gauze.

Siris scuffed his shoe on the deck, making nervous glances at the column of water, which was beginning to die down. "Nothing magical seems to effect him. We've tried." he gestured to Harsemhin, who was also now staring at the water column. Some sort of weapon had just been thrust into it.

"Guns don't do anything, either..." Christina said, piping up again, remembering the direct head shot she had scored, only to watch in horror as the wound closed itself again, causing no damage at all. Suddenly, something struck her as strange. She looked down, but there was definitely a lack of purple haired girls lying unconscious on the deck. She turned to the others. "Guys, where's Chi- uh oh."

Christina had pointed nervously to the water column, which had dissipated. A dark weapon had flown out of it, and struck Kageru. He was falling, now, morphing back into his human self, and finally hitting the water. Raltise leaned over the edge, and sneered his signature twisted grin.

"Foolish heroism." he uttered, laughing loudly. "Yes indeed! They are always the easiest to get rid of, foolish heroes!" The Puppetmaster turned around, and started striding towards the group, who immediately became on the offense again. "And you, my silly, silly heroes, are next!"

Behind him, some lilac hair bobbed up from behind a crate, and began moving towards Raltise's back. Quietly, the girl walked up behind him, and tapped him on the shoulder.

"What-" he turned around, and the girl stepped to the side.

"Hi!" She chirped, stretching her hands out, palms facing Raltise. "I'm going to try and kill you." The dark one's expression quickly turned from one of confusion, to twisted evil, but not fast enough. A huge pulsing mass of white energy had formed in front of the girl's hands in a matter of seconds, and she had released it at Raltise's upper chest.

"SOL BURST!" she yelled, blasting him back quite a few feet, until the energy exploded. She lowered her hands, and sidestepped back into the group, who was staring at her. As the debris cleared, Raltise was still standing, with his arms crossed in front of his face, shielding himself from the blast. He winced slightly, and stood up tall, leering nastily at the protectors.

"Hmmm... I never expected you to regain your memories so fast, no, not at all... no matter. You and your companions shall be dying a most painful death very soon, so there is no need for memories anymore!"

Narcy was surveying the girl who had stepped back into the group closely, and finally stepped forward, and poked her in the back. "Luna?" she queried, staring at the quiet figure.

"Mmhmm." she mumbled quietly, then turned, and grinned. "I'm back!"

Talus rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Something was becoming quite obvious as the battle progressed, and as he observed wave after wave of assaults upon the Puppetmaster, a plan began to formulate. He quietly stepped deeper into the crowd of heroes, the last vestige of opposition on the planet, concealing himself from view.

Raltise surveyed the brave nineteen, or what was left of them, with some interest. A sordid grin pursed his lips. "Well, my heroes, it seems you have lost, and the time is soon upon us. I am through toying with you." He leapt into the air, arcing through the sky in a perfect somersault and landing neatly at the top of the elevated staircase. He passed his gaze over the remaining heroes cruelly. "Let the heavens open and consume you!"

A low rumble sounded overhead. With a flash, the eerie black void split open, revealing a hellish world of brimstone. Lances of energy speared downward, striking the surface of the boat and pummeling the very bodies of the heroes. Under the onslaught of destruction from the heavens, the vestige fell. Siris and Harsemhin fell to their knees, cringing in agony. Even the freshly revived Luna fell before the might of the storm. The hail of deadly yellow bullets refused to cease, pelting the adventurers mercilessly, crushing them, until the Puppetmaster had deemed it fit. Then the sky closed up again.

As the dust settled, a crumpled mass of bodies lie strewn across the ship's deck. Raltise paused, and then a low, audible chuckle escaped his lips. This at last broke into a full-fledged strain of laughter, echoing across the expanse of Fourmoon. "All too easy, yes! And now...to destroy each of you by my hand."

Behind the fallen heroes, a shadow stirred within the recesses of an open doorway, leading below. As the figure pressed forward, pure white locks of hair bobbed in the wind. Two warm brown eyes surveyed the terrible injury done to his comrades over the rim of a pair of blue spectacles. Talus stared at them momentarily, and then his eyes trained on Raltise. He stepped over the fallen body of Siris while the latter gripped the ground in agony, trying to pull himself to his feet. Raltise stared curiously at the boy, who had escaped harm through the open doorway, and a smile pursed his lips.

"Come. Father and son by the same hand, yes. It has been foretold by the Apple. Very well, it is destined, let us not forestall the occasion." He beckoned to the boy. Talus took one last glance at his comrades, who were slowly moving to their feet, and then his eyes turned to the malevolent demon once again. His mind was in a focussed state. One thing rested on it, and that thing was to avenge his father and annihilate Raltise.

In a flash, Talus darted forward, racing up the staircase. Raltise turned to greet him, his palms open, facing toward the sky in an open gesture. The young boy advanced, his arms to his sides, trailing like a bullet across ascension's wake. The Puppetmaster continued to call to him, motioning as he approached. Then, in a blur of motion, he reached the top.

He lunged for Raltise with a jab, but the attack was easily dodged by the Puppetmaster, who proceeded to sidestep each punch in turn, grinning insanely. Talus launched a foot at him, but this too was easily countered as the unearthly one merely ducked under it. He caught the end of this attack by the ankle, and flung the young boy across the surface of the staircase with ease. Talus plummeted down several steps, but sucked up his injuries, jumped to his feet, and renewed his assault.

On the deck, several heads stared upward in perplexity at this gutsy move. He was all alone up there, toe-to-toe with the source of all the world's evil while the rest suffered their own wounds below. Powerless to help, Luna, Siris, Harsemhin, Ness and the rest could do little more but observe the fight's progress. Luna bit her lip.

Talus struggled to his feet, ailing from Raltise's latest blow. A lull in the encounter followed. The young man grinned, rubbing his lip with the back of his hand to wipe away a trickle of blood forming on the edge. He spat, and two warm brown eyes met two cold red ones. "So it's destined. Let's finish it then." Raltise nodded.

"As you wish." Talus lunged for him again, and once again the ghastly personage ducked a high kick at his head. Yet this time, as Talus' foot once again returned to the ground and Raltise righted himself from the dodge, the white-haired boy pivoted on the ball of his foot and struck Raltise a hard blow with his open palm, right in the center of his chest. The Puppetmaster doubled over instantly, gasping in pain. Talus' eyes widened, a triumphant grin creasing his lips.

"That's it, isn't it? That's where the Nightmare Rock is!" He exclaimed, delivering another blow to Raltise's ribcage, sending the man reeling back. From the ground, Siris looked onward in mixed shock and elation. Here was a chance! Talus followed this blow with three more consecutive jabs to Raltise, and he fell to one knee, spitting up an odd purple substance that undoubtedly was his equivalent to blood. He looked into the eyes of the boy, a trail of purple trickling down his white face. He glared hatefully.

"You'll never win, you know, so have your fun." He gasped as Talus reached downward and gripped him by the back, leaning in and delivering a series of punches to his chest consecutively. With each blow, Raltise cried out in agony, coughing up more of the strange substance, trying to shield himself with his arms but to little avail. Talus backed off, then delivered a powerful kick straight to the ribcage. Raltise sailed into the air, paralyzed from the attack, arcing in the air and over the side of the staircase. He plummeted through the air, falling toward the water below. Talus glanced over the side.

Deep within Raltise's chest, the Nightmare Rock glimmered, pulsating with a strong violet light. Time passed. The rock shattered clean in half, dissolving at once. Purple lightning roared across the desolate void of Fourmoon, and thunder screamed through the air. In an instant, Raltise vanished mid-descent. Talus frowned, squinting downward through his one good eye.

"Talus, watch out!" Siris screamed from below. Talus turned to the sound of the voice, but as he did so a heavy blow landed on the right side of his face; the blind side. The young man reeled, gasping for air as he tumbled to the ground. He jumped to his feet immediately, and before him was a visage that should not have existed. Raltise stood firmly on the platform, a sickeningly twisted grin encompassing almost the whole of his face. His eyes no longer contained pupils; they were pure crimson. A dark aura visibly emanated from his person. A cape flowed behind him, and several spikes protruded from his shoulders, arms and legs. His auburn hair now possessed several more red streaks, and flowed in a chaotic manner behind him. An appropriate flash of lightning followed.

Raltise landed a kick straight to Talus' chin. The young man arced upward, through the air, plummeting across the surface of the staircase. Time seemed to stand still. Raltise aimed his open palm at the boy as he fell, energy charging into it, focussing on the tip of his extended finger. Siris and several others yelled in horror. Luna screamed. A bolt of red energy escaped Raltise's finger, roaring through the air toward Talus. The crimson energy struck him straight in his upper chest, piercing his lung and travelling cleanly through the other side. Talus let out a helpless yelp of pain, then hit the ground with a crash.

The skies in the distance grew dark as the energy of the Nightmare Rock consumed it. Black and neon energy traveled across the Numbers Bridge, into the Dusty Dunes Desert and elsewhere. Everyone caught in its path changed instantly to a small flame. No one could escape it. Raltise's power encompassed the world, and swallowed it whole. That which had created Fourmoon now held the planet in its sway.

Raltise grinned triumphantly amid flashes of lightning and eruptions of thunder, and bowed. "The curtain falls!" He exclaimed. "I bid you...adieu!" With this final statement, his form scattered to the winds. A jar of Delisauce and a bottle of beer sailed through the air upon his leave, spinning wildly, and came to a crashing halt upon the deck of the SS Thed below. The spirits of Paula and Poo emerged from them.

It had taken this long for the shock to finally settle in. "No!" Luna dashed for the fallen body of Talus, followed closely by Siris and the rest. The young man gasped for life, one lung punctured, and his eyes were on the distance. A glimmer of light flourished in the otherwise blackness. "The path of light...the place where heaven and earth meet...the horizon..." He hissed slowly, pointing toward the distant light. "You must...go. There. That's where Raltise will be...please, avenge my father."

His chest heaved laboredly and he turned his gaze to those around him. His eyes focussed on Luna. He smiled weakly. "It's funny...how I never had the nerve to say anything until it was too late." He closed his eyes in pain. "How I felt about you...but it's too late now. It's...too late to say how I fell in love with you." He reached out, grasping Luna's hand. She steeled herself against the tears that were welling up. Talus let out a low, weak chuckle. Then his eyes traveled to Siris. He let go of Luna's hand and grabbed Siris' arm ever so gently, with his ailing strength.

Talus looked into Siris' eyes with a genuine expression of respect. "I wonder..." He whispered, then seemed to drift off. Siris gritted his teeth to hold in his emotion. Somewhere, Talus found the last of his strength. "Yes, I wonder...if I had met you earlier in my life...do you think we...would have been friends?" A film covered his eyes. All his muscles relaxed. Talus gave one last deep sigh, and fell to rest. Thunder crackled overhead. Lightning pierced the void.

A steady torrent of rain began to fall.