"So you really had it out for those Joestars, huh?"

Dio stopped cramming knives into his pockets and looked down at the girl.

"Yes," he grunted, his irritation having steadily increased over the past few days of her constant pestering.

"And no matter what you did, they would always stop you?" Filia continued.

"Yes," he growled.

"Even when you weren't doing anything to them?"

"Not actively, no- don't you have something better to do? Like, get ready?"

"Oh, I am ready, Lord Dio," she said softly. "As long as I've got Samson, I'll be okay!"

"That's wonderful," he groaned.

The prep room was not a happy place. There was a great deal of pressure on them to not lose, and yet every time, something came along and beat them. First the elf and the girl and the unicorn and their team; now this new one that came out of the blue and could snag so many objectives at once- it was just impossible, despite the Master's best efforts to give them an edge. The tension hovered over them like a weighted blanket. But not the nice, therapeutic kind that helps kids go to bed; no, it was the sort that made it annoying to get up and go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. The warriors were groggy and in a foul mood. Except Janice.

"Ah-ha-ha! Ah-hahahahaha!" she cackled, gazing at her hands.

"What do you find funny, insect woman?" grumbled Nightmare.

"Finally… thanks to that dashing Fred… my power is entirely under my control! I can feel it now, the wasp and I are one and the same!" Ha-ha!"

"Well, good for you!" snarled the vampire.

"Lord Dio, may I ask you to remain calm?" stated Mr. Everdeen sternly.

"Are you giving me orders?"

"Yes," frowned the man. "Because if I don't, we're all going to kill each other before anyone else gets the chance!"

"Too late!" Dio roared, snagging the man by the neck. He threw him toward the wall with great force, which did nothing to Mr. Everdeen because it decided to open at that exact moment. Katniss' father tumbled onto a hard-packed dirt embankment, rolled up it a ways, and slid back down into the ditch before standing up.

"You idiot," he grunted, dusting himself off. "You could've broken my bow! Where would your tracker be, then?"

"Dead! Like I intended!" shrieked Dio, rushing out of the prep room. He was about to call for his Stand when an interloper suddenly materialized in between him and his target.

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"Hello!" said the man in the orange gi, floating in midair.

"Ureeey!" yelped the vampire, grabbing a handful of knives to hurl at the newcomer. The man floated in place, and snatched every knife out of the air before dropping them to the ground.

"Whoa, easy there," he laughed. "I'm not here to fight you."

Mr. Everdeen frowned. "Then… why are you here?"

The man placed his hands on his hips and laughed. "Because I'm looking for somebody that I do want to fight!"

Silence settled over the group briefly.

"Well, who is it?" snapped Starling, irritated by the pause.

"I'm looking for a girl with half of a pair of giant scissors."

"Matoi," spat Dio. "No. We haven't seen her. Why would we? We only just started the round!"

"Okay," smiled Goku. "Do you know where I could find her?"

"Probably with an elf or a small purple horse. She betrayed us for them!" With one sentence, Dio expressed more concern for Matoi than he probably ever had.

Betrayed is a strong word, thought Mr. Everdeen. Escaped works better.

"Really sorry to hear that," said the ever-jovial Goku. "But thanks for the tip anyway!"

With that, he placed two fingers to his forehead and disappeared.

"That was strange," growled Nightmare.

"That it was," confirmed Dio. "But it might just be a stroke of luck."

The Predator played back a voice recording of Filia asking "How?"

"How? Simple. If that guy runs into Team Mockingjay, he'll ruin them."

Mr. Everdeen wiggled his quiver back into place with a scowl. "And how are you so certain of that?"

Dio returned the man's glare with a coy smile. "Because that man might be the single most powerful fighter in the Grand Combat."

A dusty-looking tractor-trailer cab thundered past behind Mr. Everdeen, traveling parallel to the embankment.

"What was that monstrosity?!" cried Nightmare.

"A truck, you dolt," hissed Janice.

Mr. Everdeen turned around and scrambled up the embankment, swinging himself over the top.

"Well, I'll be," he muttered, looking off into the distance.

The other warriors quickly followed his lead, and found themselves on a weather-worn, dusty highway. Squatting on the horizon under a wavy mirage blanket were a few buildings.

"That's a town, then," grunted Dio. "Let's get moving."