"FOUND 'EM!" came the gleeful cry from underneath the ADT ring.
      A-kun and Thor pulled a now-extremely-dusty Gavin off of the ground as the speedy warrior presented three glass jars that contained the three Time Goddesses of the ADT universe.  Washu popped off the tops of all three jars and the goddesses appeared full-sized outside.
      "Finally!" Urd said, coughing up a bit of dust.
      "How'd you figure out that they were under the ring?" A-kun inquired.
      "Well, the ring's the last place anyone would look, right?  Well, I'd looked everywhere else, so I checked there." Gavin answered, before spitting out some dust.
      The warrior of extreme speed decided to go take a bath and brush his dust-covered teeth.   He had learned never to expose his teeth while reaching for something in a dusty and confined location.

      =========================================================
      *********************************************************
      =========================================================
      QUALIFYING ROUND FOR ANIME DEATH TOURNAMENT ALMOST FINALS
      BY C-CHAN AND ?????
      =========================================================
      *********************************************************
      =========================================================

      C-chan gripped her microphone tightly, took a deep breath and prepared to yell into the microphone.
      "And we're back with the qualifying round for the Almost Finals!" C-chan yelled.
      The crowd roared, booed, cheered, hissed, whistled, cackled, hacked and spit in a wild frenzy.  Well, most of the crowd.  The qualifier to the Almost Finals had been unavoidably delayed due to complications.
      "Also for tonight, the beginning of our Grudge Matches!  That's right, Grudges have been made and now people are going to pay other people back!" ????? announced.
      "Tonight, four Grudge Matches will be fought.  A-kun versus Loki, Thor versus Loki, someone versus Kentaro and Nozomu Stingray versus Sephiroth." C-chan said.
      The crowd slowed a bit as the announcers continued.
      "Loki is fighting A-kun AND Thor?" ????? inquired.
      "He felt cocky, so he challenged both the Thunder God and the Super Human to separate matches.  Despite having matches later, both of the challenged fighters felt confident they would win." C-chan answered.
      "And remember Grudge Matches are ANYTHING GOES!  The only things that can stop the match is if one of the fighters gives up, falls unconscious, dies or gets pinned." ????? declared.
      "First up, A-kun versus Loki!" C-chan decreed.

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      As Puff Daddy's "Come with me" from the Godzilla Soundtrack plays, A-kun walked in, carrying Eris, Goddess of Discord, on his shoulders.  Everyone murmurred in confusion as the sight of A-kun with a girl was just too unbelieveable. (????? NO BAKA! *WHAP*)  A-kun leapt into the ring and stood ready for combat.
      The band Len began playing "Steal My Sunshine" over the PA, but it was cut short.  The song, "The Imperial March" from the Star Wars soundtrack played, Loki, God of Mischief; Lady Tokimi; and Hela (or Hel for short), Goddess of the Dead, entered.  Just as Loki is about to enter the ring and fight A-kun, he paused and turned.
      "Wait a minute, Eris isn't part of our group, why am I fighting him?" Loki asked.
      Hela growled at her father, "She HAPPENS to be one of the few friends I have, you schmuck!  Besides, Mara took off after getting that Kaji guy from Marller.  Something about him, shooting, space, experiment and bad fanfics.  I didn't catch all of it.  The point IS that we need four people to be an effective force for stopping this tournament, so I invited her to join us last week."
      "And why am I fighting him again?" Loki asked.
      "BECAUSE ERIS IS FORGETTING TO COME TO OUR MEETINGS!" Hela hissed at him.
      Loki shrugged.
      "So long as she does her duty..." Loki began.
      "And she's dating that mortal boy." Hela responded, giving the last reason she could think of to get Loki to fight A-kun.
      Loki's eyes burned with hatred.  He leapt into the ring with no further questions.

      "YOU WILL LEARN YOUR PLACE, MORTAL!" Loki decreed menacingly.
      "As soon as you learn yours." A-kun sneered.
      The bell rang as Shao Khan was still asleep in his room.
      Loki lunged at A-kun, only to find that A-kun was quicker to the draw than he himself was.  Loki flew backwards with eight ki blasts following him.  The ki blasts detonated, sending the God of Mischief up into the air.  A-kun wasted no time flying up to the God and kicking, kneeing, punching and elbowing the God of Mischief.  With a double-fisted hammerblow, A-kun sent the God to the ring below.  Loki began pulling himself up when A-kun slammed into his back with a double-foot stomp.  A-kun yanked Loki to his feet and unleashed a Super Shadow Combo ala. Street Fighter Alpha 3.  Loki crashed to the ground.  A-kun stepped on his chest, forcing air out of the beaten God's chest.
      "I am the first, but I am most certainly not the last Super Human." A-kun told the God as the bell rang.
      A-kun spun around, leapt out of the ring, got glomped by Eris and walked out of the Arena with the Goddess nuzzling his back.  Loki was dragged out of the ring by Hela and hauled to the Infirmary.

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      "Well, it looks like Loki's going to have to recover before his match with Thor, so it's Nozomu Stingray versus Sephiroth." C-chan declared.
      "This'll be fun." ????? commented.

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      Lakeside's "Fantastic Voyage" began playing.  Suddenly, a series of crystal beams appear and shaped themselves into a giant diamond. The diamond filled in, and Nozomu was seen encased in the crystal. Nozomu's eyes opened, and the crystal shattered violently. The shards stopped, imploded, and were absorbed back into Nozomu's body.  The crowd applauded the cool entrance as Sasami and SAMAS entered and stood in Nozomu's corner.
      "Barbie Girl" by Aqua began playing before the sound tech was immolated and defenstrated.  The charred tech laid in the glass that had been the main window to the sound booth as "Birth of a God", Bizarro Sephiroth's theme, began playing and Sephiroth flew out of the sound booth to land in his corner.  Sephiroth drew his sword and pointed it at Nozomu.
      "You are not ready.  Playstation." Sephiroth declared as the bell rang.
      No sooner had Sephiroth uttered those words than Nozomu was in his face unleashing ki bolts and formed crystal.  Sephiroth was engulfed in numerous kinds of flames as Nozomu backed off.  Sephiroth reappeared and a white "0" appeared in front of him and faded away.  Nozomu blinked.  Sephiroth had not been so powerful when the Sailor Senshi pounded him into goo.
      "That's because I was unprepared." Sephiroth answered the unspoken question...
      ...just before the one crystal Nozomu had left behind Sephiroth unexploded blew up, catching the bishonen Ex-SOLDIER off-guard.  A white "1221" appeared and disappeared on Sephiroth as he turned to face Nozomu.  SAMAS scanned Sephiroth as Nozomu began dodging Sephiroth's sword.
      "How tough is he, SAMAS?" Sasami asked.
      "..... according to my sensors, he has 12,279 Hit Points left.  It will take more than that first attack for Nozomu to win." SAMAS answered, confused as it was looking for weaknesses to inform Nozomu about, not how many hit points Sephiroth had left.
      "I just wish we could help him." Sasami said.
      "Hey, didn't you two know?  Grudge matches are _Anything_ goes." Tuxedo Kamen, who was conveniently sitting near Sasami, told them.
      Sasami and SAMAS looked at each other.  Sephiroth had nicked Nozomu numerous times and the Ex-SOLDIER was definitely holding the better advantage.  Then, a metal fist drove Sephiroth's head into the mat.  Sephiroth got up and turned to face SAMAS as a white "2368" appeared and vanished.
      "You big meanie!  If you hadn't hurt Toma, Nozomu might be in the tournament!" Sasami growled, standing on top of SAMAS in a Pretty Sammy outfit that she had borrowed from Sasami Kawai, aka. the real Pretty Sammy.
      Sephiroth looked up at the little girl.  Sasami blinked.  Then, she noticed where Sephiroth was looking.  Nozomu noticed too as a trickle of blood ran down Sephiroth's nose and Sasami began blushing and covering herself.
      "SEPHIROTH NO BAKA HENTAI!" Nozomu roared, unleashing a full Keg of Grade A Ozark Whoop-Ass on Sephiroth's unprepared back.  When Nozomu was finished, a white "23189" appeared above Sephiroth as his body flared with red energy, then faded to black, then vanished altogether.
      Sasami transformed back to normal in a glow of bright pink.  She tossed the magic baton to Sasami Kawai before she, SAMAS and Nozomu left to have some ice cream.

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      "WOW!  What a fight!" ????? commented.
      "Not bad tactics either.  Anyway, Loki has healed up a bit and will be going after the Thunder God next." C-chan said.

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      "Big Time" by Peter Gabriel began playing as Loki re-entered the Arena fully-healed, but alone.  Loki glared at the sound booth, which changed the song to "The Imperial March" from Star Wars.  As Loki entered the ring, another song by Peter Gabriel back playing.  More specifically, "Sledgehammer".
      A resounding *THWOCK* came from the sound booth as yet another smart-aleck DJ was sent to the ground.  The song "Flight of the Valkyries" by Wagner began playing.  The sky went dark, thunder and lightning danced in the distance.  When the music reached it's climax, a lightning bolt soared from the sky, through the roof/ceiling into the ring.  Once the brightness settled and the dust cleared, the audience saw Thor, son of Odin, as well as an alternate Urd, Belldandy and Skuld.  The three goddesses of time and fate exited the ring as Thor swung Mjolnir a few times.  Thor climbed into the ring and glared at Loki, who seemed almost indignant.
      "You've already been trounced by A-kun, I won't _force_ you to face humiliation twice." Thor said, grinning at the Mischievic God.
      "Hmph!  I may not be fully healed, true, BUT!" Loki said, the word 'BUT' echoing throughout the Arena, causing numerous teenagers to snicker at him.
      Loki pointed a dramatic finger at Thor, who wondered who Loki torn that finger from, before the evil God of Trickery continued, "I CAN CHANGE THE VENUE!"
      Thor blinked.
      "A test of might against you is foolish, so we'll test your wits!  A kind of fight where I KNOW you came unarmed!" Loki laughed, producing a game of Battleship.  Robo leapt into the ring to keep tabs on Loki and to keep both players from potentially cheating (so all focus was, again, on Loki).
      "You get a total of ten shots.  A hit is worth 1 point.  A miss is worth nothing.  The more hits you get, the more points you win.  Sink a ship and your current score triples." Robo decreed.
      Loki and Thor sat down at a card table where they placed their ships.
      "D-6." Loki declared.
      "Sploosh!  B-1." Thor responded.
      "Missed me by a country mile.  C-2." Loki countered.
      "Damn!  C-2." Thor answered.
      "Crap!  C-1." Loki said.
      "Sploosh!  C-1." Thor responded.
      "Dammit!  C-3!" Loki growled.
      "Sploosh.  C-3." Thor smiled.
      "AAAAGH!  You sank my cruiser!" Loki cried out in dismay.
      Loki fumed as Thor grinned widely.
      "A-5." Loki fumed.
      "Darn.  D-5." Thor answered.
      "GRRR!  A-6!" Loki declared.
      "Sploosh!  D-4." Thor countered.
      "YOUUU!  B-5!" Loki snarled.
      "Missing me?  D-3." Thor replied.
      "RRGH!  A-4!" Loki choked out.
      "Shoot.  I'll just have to say... D-3." Thor responded.
      "AAAAAGH!  YOU SANK MY BATTLE SHIP!!!" Loki squealed.
      Loki was shaking.  He couldn't believe he was losing to Thor Odinson!
      "A-3!" Loki babbled.
      "Well, there goes that submarine I always wanted.  F-1." Thor responded.
      "Miss!  D-1!" Loki said.
      "Ouch.  A-1." Thor decreed.
      "AAAAAAAAAGH!" Loki said, smacking his head against the table.
      "Thor Odinson: 40.  Loki: 10." Robo announced.
      Thor shrugged.
      "Next time, mayhap Chess would be in your favor." Thor responded as he left, uncertain if this was really worth cheering over.

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      "That.... was pointless." ????? replied.
      "Yep.  Now onto Kentaro versus the unknown opponent." C-chan responded.

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      The sound of the crowd was deafening, even as he sat inside the fighter's den, several meters below ground with thick stone separating him from the stands above, he could still hear their blood thirsty cry. They craved for blood, his blood in fact, as he sat there, waiting his turn.
      Bathed in torchlight, he found himself dreaming as he sat there with his forearms resting atop his knees. He just didn't feel like fighting�
      He sighed, not noticing white light bathing him as the door to the fighter's den opened. A shadow fell upon him then as he noticed the shadows outline on the floor before turning his eyes to the door.
      She stood there, light from the corridor surrounding her like an aura casting shadows and highlights on her face and hair as she stood there watching him emotionless. Kentaro found himself speechless then, able to only utter her name, "Ranka..."
      "Good luck�" she said and as briefly as she said that, she turned around to walk away. Kentaro unable to contain his own suppressed feelings couldn't help shouting, "Wait!" to her. Ranka paused from her turn and gave him only a side way's glance, blue eyes shining in the corridor light held curiosity in them as she waited for him to speak.
      Again Kentaro found himself speechless before the woman he loved that it took him a few moments to find his voice, and when he did, he smiled as he uttered his thanks. Ranka only stood there while he spoke this, but as she turned he could have sworn that for a brief moment, he thought to himself as she walked away, he thought he had seen a brief whisper of a smile�
      And he smiled in turn, ready for his next challenge�
      "Mr. Kentaro?  Your match is up." Ensign Roy, who had survived up until now, decreed before returning to his job of hunting for the ADT Goddesses of Time.
      As "The Wind of Change" by the Scorpions played, Kentaro walked slowly to the ring, oblivious of the cheers the crowds gave him or the music being played as he stepped up on to the ring waiting for his next challenge. He didn't have to wait very long and was slightly taken a back when he saw his opponent.
      The man that walked through the aisle was dressed in formal black business suit, tall with a bishonen face that made several girls swoon in the stands, long dark hair tied mid length trailed behind him like a serpent's tail as he slowly stepped onto the ring. An almost predatory gleam in his eyes as he eyed Kentaro who visibly sweated, not expecting this sort of challenger...
      "Whoever this guy is, he has sure has his sights on Kentaro." C-chan commented.
      "Just who is this guy?" ????? inquired.
      "No effing clue." C-chan responded, pulling out her scouter and checking it.
      C-chan blinked as she declared, "He's not even a fight for Kentaro."
      "What?" ????? asked.
      "No contest.  Kentaro's going to kick his butt with two attacks at most.  The guy's got a power reading of four thousand.  Kentaro's reading close to eighteen thousand." C-chan responded.
      "Well, this'll be the shortest fight in Qualifiers aside from A-kun and Loki." ????? commented.
      "I don't know who you are and I don't care, I won't let you win." Kentaro growled.
      "Hmph! I am Keiya, one of my Dark Lord's Chosen." the man responded.
      "Fine, but what does this have to do with me?
      "You, Kentaro, have interfered with my Dark Lord's plans long enough, I can't allow you to exist anymore. My Master would be displeased, after all you have been consorting with His Mistress..."

      Deep in the depths of the very deep depths of the Death Dome, a creature was speaking to another creature.  The second creature was much more attractive and quite obvious a humanoid female with blonde hair.  The first was a lizard-humanoid wearing a hat and a set of joke glasses with the mustache and fake nose on it.  The second creature seemed oblivious to the fact that she was speaking with a lizard-humanoid.  Or she didn't care.
      "So, you want me to read this card to that robot over there and then point behind it?" the blonde female Galaxy Police officer asked.
      "Yesss." the lizard-creature answered.
      The female looked at the mech in question.  It was roughly eighteen feet tall, made of reddish-black titanium, was armed with more cannons, blades, guns, missile launchers and spikes than really necessary, and it had a yellow smiley sticker on it's back.  It's name was Bloody-And-Gruesomely-Glorious-Eternal-Death.  BAGGED for short.  It was standing in front of a small door that could only be accessed by 6'11" humanoids and smaller.
      "Okay." Mihoshi said, smiling brightly as she walked over to BAGGED.
      BAGGED noticed Mihoshi's presence within it's proximity alarms and turned to challenge her as she approached undaunted.  BAGGED recognized her instantly and extended it's most devastating Mihoshi-Defence mechanism.  A white flag of surrender.
      "I SURRENDER." BAGGED declared, managing a sweat-oil-drop.
      "Ara?  Um, let's see... oh yeah, read the card.  'Look over there'." Mihoshi said, pointing behind BAGGED.
      BAGGED and Mihoshi both looked as the snake-creature slid to the door, jimmed it open with a credit card and entered as BAGGED and Mihoshi continued to look for whatever they were supposed to look for.
      Before the snake-creature was a fairly simple room.  It was completely empty save a single electronic console.  The snake-creature walked up to said console and examined it.  It was even more simple.
      The console read "DEATH DOME FIELD OPERATION CONSOLE" and had three buttons on it.  An "ON" button, an "OFF" button and a "DON'T TOUCH THIS BUTTON" button.  The snake-creature was about to hit the "OFF" button when it noticed something in the lower right-hand corner of the console.  The something was a little metal plate that read "TharzZzCo."
      The snake-creature began panicking.  Everyone knew TharzZzCo. devices tended to operate the opposite of what you wanted them to do.  Or sometimes it did do what you wanted it to do and you wish it HADN'T done what you wanted it to do.
      The snake-creature began wondering, [If I hit OFF, what am I turning off?  My brain?  The DDF?  The Universe?  Time?  All the little lightbulbs in refridgerators around the universe?!  But if I hit ON, what am I turning on?  A toaster?  A self-destruct mechanism?  A weapon that'll blow my head off?  A machine that will turn off the DDF?]
      Finally, as it was hitting the "DON'T TOUCH THIS BUTTON" button, the only button the snake-creature felt was safe, it noticed that the metal plate on the console had even more writing on it.  It examined closer to see that the smaller type that was above the word "TharzZzCo." read, "This metal plate was made by".  As a cannon barrel the size of the mech that was standing outside of the door extended from the ceiling to engulf the snake-creature's head, the snake-creature managed to hit the "OFF" button just before it was totally annihilated.

      As the Death Dome Field vanished, C-chan and ????? looked at each other.  It was obvious to both that the newcomer had something to do with the DDF dying.
      "Keiya must want Kentaro permanently dead." ????? observed.
      "Should we tell the fighters?" C-chan inquired.
      ????? and C-chan pondered the question.
      "Nah." they said in unison
      "How long does it take to bring that back up?" ????? asked.
      "Um, too long for it to be useful at all tonight." C-chan responded.
      "Anyway, let's see Keiya get splattered." ????? said.
      "Agreed." C-chan agreed.

<continued in Part B>
Previous chapters available at http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Island/3968/death/animedeathmatch.html
or upon request by e-mailing A-kun at akun15@hotmail.com

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