Wow, you were very cool out there!
Hm?

Beta Shadow turns around to see a strange figure.

Hey, there! I saw you fight, and I gotta say, you were a natural!
Thanks! ...Say, aren't you the guy Shrek killed?
Yep. But thanks you you, I'm alive again!
I should introduce myself. I go by the name CutManIsAwesome*, but you can just call me CMIA. I was out here exploring the planet when all of this went down, and I guess I bit off more than I can chew trying to protect these Kemanians...
Well, it's certainly nice to meet you.

The two shake hands.

Bt1229, huh? I guess you're new to the MMRPG Community, then?
MMRPG...?
It's short for Mega Man RPG Prototype. It's this super-cool RPG game created by Adrian Marceau. It's super cool because you can play as Cut Man! He's my favorite, if you couldn't tell.
I can see that... Mega Man, huh? That's the game with the blue robot with an arm cannon, right? I've been gaining a growing interest in the franchise recently...
Well, you came to a good place to grow that interest even further!

...Actually, if we can just find the spaceship I used to get here, I could show you a good place to meet other people. I'm about done with this place, anyways... Dying has kinda tampered with my interest in it.
Alright, sure, lead the way.

So I followed this "CMIA" guy to his ship, and we left the planet to return to Earth.

---

*This is a not a real user; Any resemblance to any existing MMRPG username is a coincidence.

So Heeta charges at me, and... Well. I proceeded to kick his SQUAWK!.

...Or, well, I guess that's unfair to say. We were actually on pretty even ground... at first. But, the more I got used to my newfound power, the more I proceeded to grow stronger.



Not happening, frick off!



Heeta is swiftly kicked in the back of the head, crashing into the ground. Beta Shadow then warps to the ground and grabs him by the tail, throwing him back up into the air.

Now, then, take THIS! Element Blast!

Beta Shadow charges up a beam of Shadow-Core energy before launching it at Heeta. The energy blast proceeds to slowly disintegrate Heeta!



And with that... it was over.

...Huh. I thought for sure there'd be a part where he destroys the planet... Oh, well.

---

Element Blast - (Any) A beam of pure elemental energy, used by Beta Shadow and his alternates. Beta Shadow, Omega Element, Beta Devil, and Theta Mephisto are capable of using any elemental typing, while other versions of Beta Shadow use variants based on their main element.

It was a rough battle. As hard as I tried, I was only capable of landing 3 hits that actually did anything. I was pummeled harder than anyone ever has before, and the next thing I knew, I was hardly conscious from an impact against a cliffside.






Heeta charges up a big ball of energy} from his fingertip.

---

...As Heeta prepared to launch his attack, something occurred in my mind...

...up. Come on, you ...et up! You can't give up now!
...Shadow Chomper?
It's me, alright! Are you alright?
Yeah, kinda. I did get the ever-loving tar out of-
...Wait! How did you get here? And... Where is everyone else?
...
...I'm sorry. Everyone... That entire world... it's all gone. Destroyed by an outside force far beyond our ability to prevent.
E-even Darkness...? Light Swallower...?

...Wow. Looking back, those were some pretty stupid names.

Gone.
...Sonic?
Before it all happened, he sensed a disturbance and just... ran away without saying a word. I don't think it's likely he survived, though...
What about you, though? How did you survive?
I didn't. I am here as a part of your subconscious. A sort-of... guiding spirit, I suppose you could say.
So, that's it, then? I'm the only one of us who's left... A fact that's about to change here soon...
Don't give up now! You can still beat him!
How? That guy is far more powerful than I am.
Maybe not the way you are now. But great potential and power still lays dormant within you.

Maybe it wasn't noticeable before, but if you just focus, you can find it. Your true potent power... The power of a Reaper.
You think that I'm the "Reaper" that this guy's henchmen were talking about...?
I just know it. It just feels like destiny, doesn't it? And it's calling you. It's calling you to unleash the residual power within. You can do this. Just believe in yourself.
...

---

...



Heeta throws the flaming energy ball at Beta Shadow...

...only for him to catch it, releasing a small burst of energy of his own to disperse the flaming ball, utterly shocking Heeta.




...
...Believe it, Heeta. I have become the one thing you FEAR. This fight had led me to awaken the latent power within my heart. I am Bt1229... And I am a REAPER!



...Yeahhh, don't say it. I've been meaning to change it at some point, anyways.

---

Heatdeath - (Flame/Shadow) A powerful ball of flaming energy. Stronger forms can decimate planets.

Well, that went... Surprisingly well. Who knew I had such strength!
...Hm?

After defeating Shrek, I found a strange object on the ground... Apparently, they were collecting these strange star-patterned gems named Dragon Emeralds. The emeralds had a strange power... Those who collected all 8 would be granted mostly any wish of their desire... And it's also a weird amalgamation of the Chaos Emeralds and the Dragon Balls.

Apparently, this "Lord Heeta" has been collecting them in order to obtain immortality. So, I opted to gather the emeralds for myself to stop his heinous plan, and maybe help out that dead guy Shrek killed. Along the way, I fought more of Heeta's men, who talked about the power of a "Reaper" and how they are the only one capable of surpassing Heeta's power.

Eventually, I would find the seven emeralds and wished the dead guy back to life... And, uh, attracted the attention of a particular individual.



And YOU must be the jerkwad running around killing and torturing people. What's your point?




Really? And how long is that?



Earth... Last time I checked, anyways.




Wow, that's. Quite some time.




...Enough to quit this endeavor and go home?




...Well, that makes no sense. If you destroy the planet, it'd be unlikely for you to be able to use the emeralds at al-



Oh, cheese and crackers-

Heeta charges at Beta Shadow, who dodges the attack.

Alright, MY turn!

Beta Shadow goes to kick Heeta...

...only for it to do nothing.

...Maybe I should've seen the power gap between you and your other henchmen comi-

Beta Shadow is then slammed into the ground and pummeled by Heeta.

So, there I was. Eyes locked with my opponent. Ready for a fight... Until, that is, I realized something vitally important...

(Wait a second... I don't know how to fight!)

But by then it was already too late... As I avoided his attacks, I tried to think about how fights were handled in my previous world.

...I quickly realized that my old world wasn't exactly... Action-based. However, I still had some basic knowledge of fighting...

(Well, here goes nothing...!)

I threw a punch with all of my energy, and... It knocked him back very far. And despite my lack of experience, I was capable of keeping up, and even caught on pretty quickly. And I remember bring impressed with myself...

(Wow, incredible! Is this truly me doing all this? Hah! I might just be able to handle this, after all-)



Ah, heck-



A powerful surge of energy rushed towards me. I had no time to dodge, so I just braced for impact. I thought for sure I'd be dust, but sure enough, I survived.

...Ow...

...Sure hurt like hell, though.





I prepared myself for a lot of things... a camera was not one of them.




He tried to trap me in his... "cringe collection", but I also found out I was faster than I imagined, because I was able to out-maneuver him, steal his camera...

Say cheese!

...And use his own technique against him.

---

Onion Cannon - (Nature/Energy) A powerful burst of energy. Grows stronger the more layers of stat boosts the user has.

Alpha and Epsilon (yes, those two are still tagging along with the FEs) look around the place.

You know, this place seems interesting...

Alpha Fire then notices what appears to be the majority of the people there.

...I kinda wonder what all these UKR people are doing here, though...

---

Beta Shadow takes a sip of his Dr. Pepper.

...So that's it, huh?

Kirby nods.

...Well, as an ex-employee always said: "With great power comes great responsibility". ...And I'll be honest: Having a LOT of that responsibility on your shoulders SUCK. It's the pressure of that responsibility that is part of the reason our positions were the reverse over a year ago*.
...Actually, mind if I tell you something? ...Back in 2012, I used to be part of an Omniverse known as the Nickelodeon Message Boards**. I was a Reaper, and a... decent-ish one at that. ...But back then, I had no idea what a Reaper even was. Let alone all the power- and the responsibility- such a role came with.
...It wasn't until 2014- when that Omniverse collapsed for reasons I don't even know- that I discovered one of my first abilities- outside of character creation- as a Reaper: The power to transport myself across other Omniverses.
...But it's a power that even now I still struggle to work with... I only discovered the power by sheer accident- by subconscious will. And then, when I came to...

---

...
...Urgh... Where...

Beta Shadow slowly gets up before being greeted by a strange individual...




Where... am I? This isn't the place I'm familiar with...





The figure points over to a person who is lying cold on the floor.

...Is that guy dead?




Ok, I don't think I'm a fan of your tone, mister. I think someone oughta show you what for!

---

*Reference: The Chaos Zone, Part I (Regulus Arc) - After despairing over his past failures and shattering his physical form, he is given a pep talk by Kirby... As well as a lifetime supply of Dr. Pepper.
**As revealed in Part I, Page 188, Post #3 .
***Will need feedback from Rotom on this.

...But nothing came out.

He's already DEAD, dumb. What we're facing here is his soul... or, rather, a physical manifestation of it.
And even then, if you think I'd let you do that here, then you're sorely mistaken.

Wouldn't be his first one.
!
His first mistake... Was pulling off this trick, resulting in only making me angrier...
Which is
Exactly
What I wanted.

Suddenly, Beta Devil breaks through Awakened Zero's Dark Hold, proceeding to grab him by the neck!

I'll give you credit for the half-truth. Yes, my goal was to grow stronger... But that doesn't come from passage of time alone. I needed a guinea pig... Or two. Someone- or some two- to not only push my strength... But the limit of my rage as well.

Beta Devil tosses Awakened Zero into the air, then flipkicks him into the nearest wall.

Fortunately, you two played the role SPECTACULARLY. And now, my rage has allowed for me to reach a new level... Well, for me, anyways.
This form... I'm no expert on the matter, but I've seen enough of it to know what it is.

Beta X rushes at Beta Devil, who blocks his incoming fist with his hand. At the same time, Beta Devil does the same, and Beta X caught his hand as well, locking the two in a grapple.

...If you think using Dou* will help you, then you're wrong. ...But I know better than that. There's something ELSE you've got up your sleeve, isn't there?
My, you're perceptive.

Beta Devil's fist turns into another hand, grabbing Beta X. Devil then spins around, tossing Beta X in the air, who flips around right before he could hit the roof of the area, jumping off of it while charging at Devil.

---

*I did indeed get RedBomber's permission for this.

With a few more buster shots, the last remaining viruses are shot down.

Alright! That should do it!
Hah! That was too easy!
...Way too easy. Something's not right here...
...Don't we normally get something from busting viruses? Like Zenny or something?
...Come to think of it, yeah... So is the battle not over yet?
That can't be right, though... There's not a virus in si-

Suddenly, two more viru- HOLY MOTHER OF

01001000 01000101 01001100 01010000 01010101 01010011
01001001 01010100 01001000 01010101 01010010 01010100 01010011

Th-the hell...!? What even happened to them!?
...I'd, uh, like to assume that is the answer.

NinjaGhost points over to a glitch-patterned figure in the back, standing between the two... Whatever they are.

. . .
...Guess we've got no choice. One way or another, we have to take this thing DOWN.

Alright, let's do thi-

Eta grabs Delta by the shoulder.

Now just wait a second, Delta. We joined them to avoid the main plot, remember?
...What are you talking about? This is clearly a sub-plot.
Yes, but with ties to the main plotline, and such with a potential to drag us into said main plotline.

Eta then creates a lounge chair with a strange sort-of solid space dust and sits in it.

So let's just sit back, watch the show, and if they try to drag us into the main plot, we'll pull our effort to drag them back into our sub-plot.
But they might... And we... What if...
...*Sigh* Just make me one of those cosmic chairs.
You can't make one yourself?
I could, but the last time I did, a whole hour was lost from the timeline's lifespan. That's when I learned that constructs made out of time energy are a bad idea. It wasn't even comfortable, it was like sitting on glass.

---

Sure enough, Beta Devil is still frozen in time...

...
...Huh. I feel like he'd normally try to BS his way out of this one.
...BS as in bull, not what it means for... N-nevermind.

Beta X looks over to Awakened Zero.

...I believe it was said you had an idea of what he's up to. Mind if you let me in on that?

As Reggae appears to be setting up Halloween decorations, Bt1229 approaches Beta Shadow.

Hey, a question. I couldn't help but notice these... "Halloween" decorations.
Yes...?
...What is this... "Halloween"?
...Well... It's this time of year at the end of October where people- mostly kids and kid-brained adults- dress up in costumes that they consider to either be scary or cool. The kids hunt for candy while the adults just... Celebrate the day of the year, I guess?
Also I think evil grows a bit stronger during the night of that very day? Mostly demons, though.
Interesting... It sounds an awful lot like my world's Mogloween, except just for the end of October instead of the whole month.
...Cool, I guess...? (Where have I heard that term before? "Mogloween"... For some reason, I feel like I should know this...)
...Wait. Weren't you looking for that "Cranky Kong" guy earlier?
Eh, I decided that he'll show up when he decides to. And when he does, then I'll ask him.

Beta Shadow kicks back a little.

Besides, it's not like I'll need to do some fighting anytime soon. The only major issue going down right now- as far as I'm aware- is Kirby fighting Zalgo, so I guess all we're waiting for is for him to be done with his training.

Suddenly, Kirby enters the Pizzeria.

Oh, hey, speaking of. Hey, Kirby! How was-

Beta Shadow notices Kirby looking slightly upset as he finds a spot to sit.

...Serif, go ahead and write down an order for everything. I'm gonna go see what's up.



Seriously!? Who even let them in the- *Sigh* You know what, nevermind, we'll deal with that later.

Beta Shadow gets up from his chair and walks over to where Kirby is sitting.

Hey, there. Mind if I sit here?
...Poyo... (...Ok...)

Beta Shadow sits down in front of Kirby. Silence passes for about a minute.

...Hey. Mind if I ask what's up?
...

Suddenly, a group of individuals approach the same holes from the opposite side of the Extreme Dinosaurs.

...Wow, look at the size of these things...
There's no denying it: This has to be where the Aerodactyl was dug up.

Orchestra places down two strange devices. He then presses a button, causing two identical robots to appear.

Search the perimeter for any evidence of who did this. Report back after you scan the entire area.
UNDERSTOOD.

The two Jazz Droids proceed to walk around the area, a green grid emitting from their eyes as they scan.

After we figure out who did this, our next step will be to locate them.
And then?
...Not sure. Depends on certain factors... Possibly even those we haven't even considered yet.

Zeta looks over to Missingno., who is slightly lost in thought.

Something up, Missingno.?
...We heard only one Aerodactyl cry, right?
Yeah...?
...So why are there two holes here?

In an empty dimension, the very fabric of reality shakes as two unseen figures clash... Until suddenly, two individuals appear out of nowhere: A pink puffball, and a bald-headed Mii, the latter of which is knocked back by an attack of sorts.

...100 billion hits landed in 1 second. Not bad... But still not enough. You still are yet to be capable of tapping into your latent power...
Poy poyo? Poy poyo, poyoyoy? (Do I need to? How much power would I need for Zalgo, anyway?)
...I'm not so sure... But this was for MORE than just preparing for Zalgo.
Poyo? (Huh?)

...This world, the Chaos Zone... As it continues to grow, so does the threat level that it possesses. ...But this world has its own protectors and overseers- both including and excluding the gods- to make sure it doesn't deal too much damage to the Omniverse and its balance...
...But there exist other universes with similar dangers... Especially in other Omniverses.

Suddenly, a mystic glow envelops Matt as he creates a display of multiple Omniverses, each with their own perils.

Poy... Poyo. (That's... A lot.)
Indeed, and each Omniverse has their own brand of chaos... And not every one has someone to keep them from going under because of that chaos.
That's why the Internet's Multi-Omniverse needs its Omni-King. Only YOU have the power inside you to oversee ALL of the Omniverse, and maintain balance.
POYO!?!? Poy poyo poy! (WHAT!?!? But I can't do that!)
But you can... and you must. It is your mission... Your duty as Omni-King to maintain balance and prevent complete collapse of the Multi-Omniverse.
...Poy... (...I...)

Kirby turns away.

...Poyo poy... P-poyo... (...I can't... I-I won't...)

Kirby proceeds to flee the scene. Matt powers down, deactivating the illusion.

Kirby, wait-!

The Warp Star suddenly swoops in, picking up Kirby as he rides it out of the dimension.

...Dammit, I should've brought that up more lightly...

...Heh. It was a smart move to tag along with those clowns... But why would I want to return to being some goodie two-shoes, naive hero?
...Still, the fact that Zalgo tricked me irks me... Even further that he just turns around and decides to kill me just like that! But, fine, if that's how it's going to be...
...Then I will not follow anyone's orders anymore! For now on, the only person I serve is MYSELF!



Suddenly, a high-tech teleportation occurs right in front of Beta Man DS.

You may refuse to be a hero, but what about a member of our little club?
Club...?

The unknown figure hands a business card to Beta Man DS...



...And what do I gain from joining this... "Betaverse" of yours?
Well, nothing. But it's cool!
...A compelling argument. Count me in.

Meanwhile, one of the Darksides* seem to be sneaking away...

...Heh.

---

*Assuming it's alright with Ch4s3, anyways. (The figure is the Darkside I mentioned, in case it's not clear.)

...Alright, I'll bite. Who this?
...Guess I've got not much of a choice right now.
My name is Lydian. I'm one of Ninja Ghost's creations... Before he left me behind, anyways. And right after my first battle, too...



...Hm.
It wasn't until I was brought out of the Void by someone who has escaped before that I am able to come back and give you a piece of my mind.
That so? In that case, wait your turn in line!
Yeah... Because it's Trio's turn first. If that freak thinks he's going to carry out his plans here, he has another thing coming!

Ninja Ghost takes a step forward, but Sargent Ghost steps in front of him.

I don't think so, pal.
And why are you helping him? He wants to destroy the entire Omniverse!
Simple: If I can beat him single-handedly, I'll FINALLY earn my recognition!
Are you crazy!? He'll kill you for sure!

Suddenly, Bt Ghost is blasted back by a charged shot!

NO! I'm TIRED of people stepping on me! On ALL of us Sergeant Men! Every step of the way, you JERKS have nothing but DOUBT towards us! You think that we're WEAK! USELESS! You think we're just nothing more than third wheels who can't do ANYTHING right! And I'm sick of it!
For once, I just want people to recognize us as equal to you Beta Men and Ninja Men! That we can be MORE than useless third wheels! That when push comes to shove, we can handle ourselves! And I won't let entitled glory-hogs like you ruin it!
(Who's being entitled now?)
...It was you.
...?

Sergeant Man Z fires twice as many rockets as before to pick up for Sergeant Man regular, who approaches Sergeant Man Ghost. ...Er, wait-

Ever since that party*, I've been feeling this need... A voice started talking to me.

---

---

...You. You were that voice. You were trying to drag my focus into "proving myself!"
Obviously. And I do it because you're too insecure to do it yourself! You needed a push... Something to lead you down the path of recognition.
...No. I don't need that. A true soldier doesn't fight for recognition. They fight for the sake of the world.
And how do you expect to do that after being cast to the Void!? Face it: Unless you prove yourself, your reaper will deem you unnecessary and ABANDON you. It's happened before... And not just to me. And you would definitely not be the last, either.
So what? You're the one getting so caught up in that stuff.
Does that mean you intend to stop me?
...

Sergeant turns back towards the Titan.

...No. We have bigger problems to handle.

---

*The 2K Arc of Chaos Zone: Part 1, to be precise.

Suddenly, wherever the battle between Marcy, Bust, and Blitz is, a random bush appears from out of nowhere. Or, into nowhere...? I mean, is there such a place that's more nowhere than- nevermind.

As the two Sergeant Men launch missiles at the Titan's weapons- with Beta and both Ninjas helping with their own arsenal of weapons- Ninja Ghost turns to Trio.EXE's voice.

So, you finally decided to show up after all.
Ghost, wait a second-!

As Ninja Ghost attempts to confront Trio, a rocket blows up right in front of him!

Hey, watch it, you two!
Don't look at us, we were aiming at the Titan's weapons like you asked.
Then who...?

Suddenly, a figure appears in front of Ninja Ghost.

Missed me?
You...!
...Wait, who are you?
...You're kidding, right?
Nope. Fairly certain I don't know you, pal.
It's ME. Sargent Ghost?



...Nope. Don't remember you.
Doesn't ring any bells for me, either.
Come to think of it, haven't you only ever met Zeta Light and Collateral Aeon? Like, only once?*
...Hmph. I suppose I expected as much from you, Ghost...

Sargent Ghost looks over to Bt Ghost Classic.

...But the mere fact that you forgot about me is INSULTING... considering the fact that YOU are the reason I even EXIST.
What!? When did I ever create YOU?
...Hmph. How about this for a reminder then?

...
.....
.......
..........
...Nothing happens.

...Odd. There should've been a flashback...
...Back to the AJAX chat days? Uh, yeah, not happening, dude.
Yeah, the AJAX chat's been replaced by Discord a long time ago, man. You gotta let it go.
...Fine. I'll describe it to you.
Back when YOU were Mr. "Beta Man replaced me so I'm going to replace HIM", you sent Mr. "I'm a lost creature from another world so I can do whatever I want, so everyone else"** some cryptic hints on your plans. And to warn him not to spoil it to anyone else, YOU created both me and Ninja Ghost... And THEN you cast us to the Void when you didn't need us anymore! Because we "had no purpose"!
Oh yeah, you did do that. you, man.

Sargent Ghost grabs Ninja Ghost by the collar.

Don't put yourself on a higher pedestal, JACK.
Oh, what, because I'm neglectful, too?
Funny you should mention that.

Suddenly, Sargent Ghost waves his arm at a nearby bush... Which suddenly glitches out and disappears, revealing a figure hiding behind it!

H-hey-!
H-huh!?
Oh, yeah. She was here the whole time, actually. She was going to come out and confront Ninja Ghost after the Titan battle, buuuuut...

---

*Reference: The Absurd Roleplay - Sargent Ghost's first (and really only) appearance. See Page 47, Post #14 to Page 48, Post #12
**Referring to Rotom; Rather, a purple one of RotomSlashBlast's character roster.

...So, let's see if I've got all this straight: Your plan was to get Iota and Kappa to help you find Shadow Digital... and their plan was to ask the Brash Crew?
Yeah...?
...And you couldn't just... Do that on your own?
Hey, I don't exactly know these people, especially not where they live. If I did, I would've gone straight to Shadow Digital's house!
And even then, there's not an exact guarantee that Shadow Digital would be home... Nor is there any guarantee any of the Brash Crew will even be at Doppler's Lab, let alone know where Shadow Digital lives.
...Still better than Ashura's initial plan of roaming around until he finds him, though.
Yeah, that's great and all, but if you guys wouldn't mind...

Alpha takes his phone back.

Yes, yes, that was pretty much all we needed to discuss, anyways, so I think it's about time we end this call-
Wait! Wait! I haven't shared my exposition yet! My exposition, SQUAWK!
Reggae, you don't have any exposition to share.
Exactly! Exactly! That's the exposition I wanted to share!

The call is silent for a moment.

...Well, good luck, guys.

The group bids farewell, each person hanging up one at a time.

It's called a-
You are free to use the magic box!

Alpha sighs and hands Thea the phone.

Well, we'll keep an eye out, but the worse we're watching out for is Zalgo preparing to fight the Omni-King...
He's trying to do what now?
I guess we should hand the phone to this Narcian guy, then...?

Delta tries to hand the phone over to Narcian.

Yo, we doin' phone exchanges, now?
I don't think that's-

Suddenly Kappa hands his phone over to someone else...

Wh-wha!? Hey, why are you handing me this!?
That voice...! Zeta, put me on the line!
(Oh, boy...) Hey, Missingno., buddy! How're-
Have you SERIOUSLY not talked to Shadow Digital yet!?
Look, I'm trying, alright!?

Hey! I want in on this! In on this, SQUAWK!
H-huh? Hey, wait a-

The sounds of a phone being snatched can be heard, as well as a bit of fumbling until...

Hello!
...
...Let's just let Thea say what she needs to say.