In a dazzling array of stars, flames and sparkles, my powers come alive. This helps to ease the tension some, as I don't feel so helpless now.

"Alright, Bentley, you big ugly sumbitch, let's see what you're made of!" I scream while lunging at him, hoping to shove one of my flaming fists into his open mouth. Burning him from the inside should be sufficient enough to dispose of him.

"Hey now! Don't get too cocky!" warns Zuri. Despite the semi-chastising, I know she's rooting for me. I can feel it. She's correct though: I can't become too self-assure. Any number of things can go wrong, leaving me assed out.

"Trust me—I won't! I'm just trying to keep myself hype!"

Bentley engages with me, slashing with one of his massive, taloned hands, which is attached to an even more massive and long, muscular arm. Howling maniacally, he deftly maneuvers around the cramped tunnel, tactically preventing any means of escape. It's all good though, as I don't need to get out, I just need to defeat him.

"There's something you need to be aware of Bentley: I'm not trapped in here with you, you're………trapped in here………WITH ME!" And, with that (very poor) Rorschach impression, I move closer to grapple with this beastly manifestation, who takes another large swipe at me, burying his claws into my chest. It hurts like a bitch, but I'll be alright. He just gave me the opening I needed. "Time to go beddy-bye, old friend!"

Upon hearing that, Zuri visibly cringes. "Never say that shit again, my nigga! It's corny!"

"I couldn't think of anything else! SORRY!" I retaliate as I drive a white-hot fist into Bentley's mouth. Once my hand reached the inside though, I didn't imagine there'd be nothing to make contact with. Thinking quickly, I snatch my hand out before he has a chance to bite my damn arm off. "Fuck! I thought that was a sure thing!"

"See?! That's why I told you not to get too cocky, bruh! The most obvious choice is not always logical. Think harder!"

"But, I thought you told me not to think, just act?"

"I meant when it came to connecting to your mind! Not this shit! You're fighting, Dexter, so you're gonna need to be more calculated. Focus!"

I'm focusing as best as I can right now. I mean, I'm pretty much new to this. A virgin superhero, in both senses. I don't know the first thing about winning a fight outside of what I've read in comics or seen from footage of the Safeguards, none of which is helping me right now. "FUCK!"

Bentley lashes out again, getting ready to add another painful laceration to my chest, when I suddenly remembered something I could do: The X-Effect. Crossing my arms, I raise the levels of the fire surrounding them to an almost suffocating degree. The smell of smoke, sulfur and my burning skin jams itself into my nostrils, kinda taking me aback. If I hadn't smelled this mixture before, I'd no doubt be incapacitated.

Since Bentley is unaware of how this move works, he wastes no time by fiercely swiping and making contact.

KWA-BOOOOM!

The impact knocks us both back, but unlike when Brakyr and Zuri struck me, I find myself still feeling fit as a fiddle. No soreness or enervation, so I quickly rise to my feet. Strangely enough, upon looking around, I see no sign of Bentley. There's not a lot of room in this tunnel, so there aren't many places he could've gone. It's like he just vanished.

"Whoooo! I'm glad that's over with!" I cackle, punching rapidly into the air in celebration. I feel so accomplished right now. Like nothing can stop me. My rejoicing is short-lived though, as Zuri floats forward, a look of consternation awash on her face. "Wh-what's wrong?"

"You should already know," she groans. I can tell she's serious, but I'm really at a loss here and feeling vexed. Upon taking a moment and realizing that I'm not feigning ignorance, she continues. "It's time you explain to me about those tapes."

"Oh shit………FUCK!"

*🌙*

Okay, about those "tapes"…

See, whenever I go inside my mind to fantasize, those fantasies play out like I'm watching a vintage video cassette. Although we have much more advanced forms to watch media, the VHS is my preference for these thoughts of mine. It just adds a bit more flare when I recollect the things I saw on whatever day, as well as when I create a similar scenario just to, well, get off.

Thinking back on what Zuri said earlier before Bentley appeared, she was unquestionably sound in her observation. I really do think about feet entirely too much. I guess that's why she believes I'm "obsessed" with Shan, but I'm not. It's just like I said when I was at school: I like her feet. Nothing more, nothing less, but Shan is aware of such, so she teases me a lot. She does things to make me intentionally stare and memorize her, erm, actions for later. I loathe and love her for that. She's a damn thorn in my side, but an angel in my mind.

Shit! Maybe I do have some kind of attraction to Shan. I might've came to that conclusion already, but I can't remember. I really don't want to like her, but I can't escape the stimulating effect she has on my………loins. Perhaps it's only sexual and not romantic. Either way, both Sinead and Shan would kill me if they knew.

"Shit, my nigga, I want to kill you and I'm not even dating you!" Zuri chimes in, still intruding on my thoughts. "Also, I'm not intruding! We. Are. TETHERED!"

"And you still haven't answered why that is! I'd love to know, so I can figure out how to get you out."

"Look, I'm no expert, but I'd assume it's because of the experiment Doc Mordecai performed on me. It appears that injecting your blood and whatever else merged our consciousnesses, or at the very least, yoked them together."

"Fuck, man! We gotta wake ourselves up and get back to the battlefield! If Mordecai manages to make more Penumbras using my blood, everybody will be in my mind like some psychological chatroom!"

"Yeah, and we don't want that now, do we?" Zuri responds wryly, giving me the side-eye.

"Fuck you! You know you don't want that, and I DEFINITELY don't want or need that! I like having my mind to myself, thank-you very much."

"Honestly, I've started to like it here in your head," Zuri playfully teases, her giant head twirling around in mid-air. "I'm, like, comfortable as fuck, bruh. I just gotta figure out how to destroy all of those tapes of yours. Well, every one except the one of me. Hehe…"

"Wait, what?!" I react with a strong shudder. That statement has left me taken aback. If my mouth could drop, it would fall like The Wolf in that old Tex Avery cartoon. I think it was called Red Hot Riding Hood.

"What? You surprised? I know that you like me from all the snooping I did earlier. To be honest, I kind of like you too, but you're weird and it makes me concerned."

"Well, thanks for calling me weird!" I snap back. This shit is reminding me of being at school, so I'm beginning to become enraged. "Also, none of what you said even correlates to why you'd want to destroy every tape except the one you're on! I mean, you just called it perverted not too long ago, as well as said you felt unsettled. Can you make up your damn mind, please?!"

"I see that you're a li'l slow one, chile. This shit gon' take a while," she replies, grunting loudly. Before she can continue what I assumed was going to be an explanation, she reverts into her normal appearance. This causes her to hit the ground pretty hard, giving me another headache. "What the fuck?!"

The light throbbing in my head eventually turns into an agonizing pounding as the room we're in begins to violently shake, similar to the onset of an earthquake. I've been on the floor since earlier, but now I'm in a fetal position wishing I could be rid of this suffering. The temblors are only making things worse by jerking my body all around. Zuri rushes over and quickly commences massaging my back and shoulders. This stabilizes the thrashing I was experiencing, but does nothing to quell my migraine.

"Although that feels good, it'd be much better if you could—ARRRGH!—rub my head."

"No. That's not a good idea. Especially not with the pain you're being subjected to. Rubbing your head in this state would only cause further agitation."

"How do you know all of this shit?"

Zuri lingers, staring off into space as if the answer she needs is in a galaxy far, far away. After a very awkward silence, she provides an explanation. "I just have an interest in things like this. That's all I can say really. I'm far from the most knowledgeable, but I'm no slouch. I'm well-read. Let's just leave it at that though."

"Alright. Sorry for asking,"

"Don't do that," grumbles Zuri. I take it that if she was still a disembodied head, her eyes would be glowing and she'd send me flying again. Thankful for that.

"Do what?"

"Act like you're a victim. It's unattractive."

"The fuck? I'm not acting like a victim. You had a attitude. Can't blame me for feeling some type of way."

"BRUH – that's the shit I'm talking about! You're being hella sensitive right now, assuming I had a fuckin' attitude when I didn't!"

"Well, if you didn't have one then, you certainly have one now," I sigh. I'm beginning to feel my migraine worsen.

"Fuck you! This is just my personality, you bitch-ass nigga!" Zuri seethes. My blood begins to boil with an equal amount of rage from her words, which slice through me like a katana. Before I can even muster a response, something strange begins to happen. Zuri's hands, once solid and flesh, begin to flicker and break apart into minuscule, glowing spheres of blue light. The sudden sight leaves me stunned and speechless.

Next, Zuri's face splinters as she looks down at her hands with a mixture of confusion and fear. Teary-eyed, she looks up at me, her voice quivering with terror as the tiny dots continue to break away and fade, "Dexter… what the fuck is happening to me?!"

"I… I don't know," I stammer, fighting to keep my voice even. "Try to stay calm, maybe it's just something temporary." Alas, I am powerless to what's happening before me, so my words offer little comfort since my own feeling of unease is rising with unbridled celerity.

The transformation accelerates and rapidly engulfs the rest of her body. Finally, the particles swirl and immediately disperse, filling the area and creating a more ethereal atmosphere. I want to run, but my widening eyes are locked onto the spot where she vanished.

As I stand here alone, the sound of my heart heavily pounds in my ears whilst I try to comprehend what just happened. I don't have much time to think for I'm beginning to dissolve as well, and at a much faster rate. I can't fight it, so I just give in to this mysterious power.

The sensation is simultaneously terrifying and exhilarating, like I'm being pulled apart by every single molecule and then put back together in a completely different way. Now swallowed up in the same manner as Zuri, everything quickly goes black and I feel an overwhelming sense of disorientation. The ground beneath my feet was the last thing to give way as I was sent hurtling through this void. My heightened senses scream as the darkness engulfs me, and I lash out, clutching desperately at the nothingness that has replaced my reality.

Like everything else that has occurred, I'm certain D'Voorz has something to do with this. She's gonna fuckin' pay.

*🌙*

When the vestiges of light begin to filter back in, my body reassembles with jarring pressure as I'm dropped into what appears to be a long, sinuous hallway. I squint and attempt to survey the narrow and cramped area, but I'm too disoriented to fully discern anything. Since I am slowly regaining my bearings, all I can do is stare blankly into space, futilely fighting the stinging ring overpowering my ears. The ringing strangely sounds like someone yelling, but the voice is so faint that I can't make out what's being said. It immediately dawns on me that Zuri is nowhere in sight, so the voice must be hers. However, I have no idea where she might be. Suddenly, I feel a painful sensation on my left earlobe, similar to the bite of an ant.

"OW! Fuck!" I swat my ear, smacking myself in the process. The yelling voice quickly becomes an audible laugh, leading me to realize the culprit. "Ugh, Zuri!"

"Yes, nigga! It's about time you finally realized I'm down here!" she rages, her speech finally at a distinguishable volume.

"I mean, I only just woke up. Well, I feel like I just woke up," I massage my head, hoping it will help with the confusion brought on by the reintroduction to consciousness. I'm pretty sure I'll be reliving this experience for years to come. "Where are you though?"

I look around me, growing more frustrated and puzzled with my inability to find her. I'm also pretty buffaloed still from what I assume was teleportation. Eventually, I get another bite to my earlobe.

"Over here, fool! Look at ya' shoulder!"

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

I do as she says and look over to see a tiny version of her with silver, butterfly wings standing on the edge of my shoulder. Her arms are folded and she's surrounded by a combination of radiant blue light and what appear to be shimmering, but pale, golden stars. She keeps alternating between standing on her feet and hovering, which gives the impression that she's glitching like an old VHS cassette. I'm certain that it's not by choice, so she must be experiencing instability from her body reforming and changing into this fairy-like form. Whatever the case may be, the brief and broken movements are giving me double-vision. "Jumpin' Geehosophat! How'd you get so small?!"

"I don't know, nigga, but I am P-I-S-S-E-D! I didn't ask to be Tinkerbelled!" She stomps her feet, which causes her to sink into my shoulder and take a trip through my arm until she exits by way of my elbow. Oddly enough, I didn't feel a thing when she fell through. Guess she's something like a ghost now. "The fuck is goin' on with me?!"

"I don't know, but maybe we'll find out if we explore whatever this place is," I gesture toward the passageway up ahead. Zuri flies upward and returns to my shoulder. She's regained control of her body, and pretty quick at that, but I know this isn't the end of acclimation for either of us.

"Well, whatever's goin' on here, I hope we're not in yo' fucked-up ass head anymore, 'cause I hate it here!"

I yawn unexpectedly from a sudden bout of exhaustion. "You and me both, Zuri. You and me both."

*🌙*

Zuri and I had been walking for what seemed like an eternity down the dimly lit, cavernous hallway. Each step echoed through the cold, stone walls, filling the silence that weighed heavily on my mind. Zuri's minuscule form—which I had only recently noticed was adorned in a dress that seemed to shimmer with every movement—fluttered gracefully around my head, her delicate wings casting a faint glow in the darkness.

The weight of my thoughts is pressing down like someone dropped an anvil. Ever since Doc Mordecai's monologue earlier, I've been feeling like I carry the burden of the entire universe on my shoulders. Assuming that we're still linked psychically, Zuri could tell that something was amiss; her easy-going and playful demeanor had faded, replaced by a knowing look in her tiny, enchanting eyes. Fuck reading my mind though, it was as if she could read my very soul, silently urging me to confide in her.

I sighed deeply, my breath catching the cool, stagnant air of the hallway. Unable to ignore the restlessness that stirred within, I cautiously voiced the question that lingered on the tip of my tongue.

"Zuri," I began, my voice just above a whisper and tinged with weariness, "do you ever find yourself wondering if life has more to offer you?"

Her brilliant, heterochromatic eyes, shimmering like dewdrops from the glow surrounding her, glimmered with contemplation as she halted her flight, letting her petite wings beat in perfect harmony right above my head. For a moment, she seemed suspended in time, lost within the depths of her own soul. The silence seemed to span the chasmal hall and made the atmosphere feel dense, but it was eventually lightened once her gentle voice chimed in, disrupting the reverie.

"Dexter," she spoke softly, her words carrying a melody as she floated down to meet me at eye-level, "I want to first state that I believe what you're feeling is normal and something experienced by all living beings. I mean, with us humans at least,

"We all yearn for some shit that's greater than what we've been dealt. Anything that can pierce the veil of our prosaic day-to-day. Secondly, yes, I do. I always have. It's the only reason why I haven't complained much about our current ordeal. I mean, it's fucked up, but it's better than the lackluster existence called my life."

Her words resonated more in that moment than anything she had said before. It was a profound statement, and it weaved itself through the corridors of my mind like a sidewinder with a battering ram for a head. This entire day has been bonkers, frightful and exhilarating, but if I had a chance to do it over, I wouldn't. I've enjoyed every single minute of it.

However, I once again find myself feeling guilty because I have a girlfriend, but I can't help this infatuation with Zuri. The crush that started when we were neighbors in cages, has grown over the short time we've been together. Although her tough attitude can be overbearing, she's so intelligent and confident that I eventually forget all about the rudeness. This isn't to say that Sinead doesn't possess those attributes as well, but got damn, Zuri's on another level just to keep it a buck.

Zuri's delicate form pirouettes gracefully in the air, as if guiding me to further unravel the layers of this existential question that had been voicelessly moiling within me. With a reinvigorated curiosity, I hurl myself deeper into the thicks of our discourse.

"But," I hesitate, my words feeling fragile as a baby bird, "what if we've already tasted the sweetest nectar life has to offer? What if there's nothing more than a mountain of worthless promises and fractured dreams ahead?"

Zuri's wings momentarily slow and her body once again hovers as she regards me with compassion.

"Ah, tsk tsk tsk, Dexy-Wexy," she utters, her voice carrying a tinge of congeniality to offset her teasing, "it is only once we accept that we have reached the pinnacle of what this life has to give that we discover the true depth of our individual limitations. Like, on some real shit? We're only seventeen, so we can't allow fear to control and dictate the boundaries of our mere existence. We have to push past our respective comfort zones and explore in order to uncloak our proper potential,

"There will never be a shortage of things to learn, whether about ourselves, those around us or the world. That, my height-challenged friend, leads to infinitely more experiences."

"Eh, that remark about my height could've been left out, but I guess you're right," I sigh, scratching my head. "I just get so caught up in what could be, or the lack thereof, that I forget to live. I mean, I still don't know what I want to do with my life and I'm heading for twelfth grade. That question has come up a lot, but I can't take the pressure of having to decide."

"And that's perfectly understandable, Dexter. Nobody's going to penalize you for being a teenager, and most of all, for being human. Nobody ever figures things out this young anyway. That's what growing up is all about. Just try not to worry too much, okay?"

"I'll try, but that's easier said than done."

"I know, I know. If it's any consolation though, I'm not sure what I want to do with my life either. I once wanted to be a dancer, but that passion has waned over the years. I have a while to figure it out though, so I'm not going to dwell on it. Just gotta keep truckin' and shit, ya' know."

"You're amazing, you know that?" Zuri doesn't respond, just flies about through the air and in circles around my head. Her silence and movements tell me all I need to know though. She's happy and feeling carefree for the moment.

Every word she's spoken has permeated the corridors of this cavern called my mind, reigniting a spark of hope within its darkest chambers. As her shimmery form flits closer, Zuri's wings weave a song of endless possibility with the trails of stars they leave behind. With this newfound conviction she's given me, I am ready to venture further into the massive hallway on our shared journey.

This is a timeless moment, one where I've been reminded that life's secret treasures only await those who are willing to obliterate the fetters of complacency and embark on a dauntless quest for self-discovery.

*🌙*

After our talk earlier, Zuri and I continued to traverse the strange, otherworldly hallway, but we did so in silence. Well, mostly in silence since she kept randomly yawning. Outside of that though, you could hear a pin drop along with a rat pissing on cotton. That's if there were rats here, of course.

The walls of this corridor seemed to stretch endlessly though, which made the stillness enveloping us all the more fearsome. Although Zuri is still as small as Jiminy Cricket, she has been hanging on to my shoulder with the strength of a powerlifter. And, despite a lack of tremulous movement, her apprehension has reached a zenith, palpable enough to give me my own case of trepidation as it discharges and travels through me.

While I had resolved to stare fear dead in its eyes, I'm now wondering if I may have been too foolhardy with my determination. No sooner had I thought that though, did a bright, jade-hued light begin emanating from the distance up ahead. And like a kitten chasing a laser, it had all of my attention.

"Well, that's strange. You think this might be the exit?" I said, glancing at Zuri from the corner of my eye. She was still holding on for dear life, but with one hand clenching my shoulder and the other covering her eyes. "Are you okay?"

"No! No, I'm not, nigga! This shit is hurtin' for some fuckin' reason!"

"Well, what do you want me to do?!"

"Get away from it!" she roars in a monstrous voice, now ferociously digging into her head with her tiny hands. From the looks of things, she's experiencing some kind of migraine. Her body also begins to glitch up again, so I abruptly back away. The glitching stops, but not for long as the light has begun to move forward.

I watch intensely, fascinated and nervy as it splits into an uncountable amount of tendrils and scatters about the walls of the cavern, moving with the speed of an Australian tiger beetle. It promptly encompasses the area in front of us, reaching out further with each receding step I take. Though initially hesitant, my curiosity has now overtaken and pushed me into halting my retreat. Throwing caution to the wind, I sprint towards the light to meet it head-on.

"What the fuck are you doing, Dexter?! This shit is gonna kill me!"

"I wouldn't be too sure about that, Zee. Something tells me neither of us are gonna die just yet,"

"Easy for you to say! You're not the one with a splitting headache the size of San Andreas!"

"Hey! Stop all that. You'll be ah'ight. Just try to calm down,"

"Muthafucka — FUCK BEIN' CAL–," Zuri's speech is cut short as I make contact with the enigmatic, emerald glow.

The last thing I see is her flying off of my shoulder and returning to normal size. In the split-second that all this happens, she appears relieved, only to quickly deliver me the bird as we rocket towards a previously unseen vortex with a fiery eye at the center of it.

"Fuck you for this bullshit, Dexteeeeeeeer!"

There was a quick flash, and then darkness.

*🌙*

Zuri and I were diced like pineapples—but felt not an iota of pain—when the vortex sucked us into its eye, which turned out to be a portal. Where did it send us? Only God-knows-where, I just know that we didn't stop for what felt like hours as we bolted through a frigid, pitch-black expanse. We eventually reached an exit and were ejected, subsequently tumbling into a realm unlike anything either of us could have imagined. And, while I've yet to do any kind of drugs, it felt exactly like what I had always imagined an acid trip to be: distorted colors and mind-bending hallucinations.

We bounced around from realm to realm, changing shape and appearance each time as our bodies were blasted with multiple sensations, giving way to sensory overload. Here are some of the realms and transformations we went through:

1.) "Anime Realm" – That's the best way I can describe it at present. It was pretty much just Zuri and me being turned into animated versions of ourselves, but versions of us that were dressed like characters out of One-Piece. All around us were the typical things you'd see in anime, but the aesthetic was more akin to a Studio Ghibli film merged with the art of Junji Ito. Really fuckin' trippy and terrifying.

2.) "Betty Boop/Fleischer Realm" – Another animated area, but one that gave us different voices and exaggerated, anthropomorphic appearances. I looked like a mutated version of Bimbo spliced with Koko the Clown bearing the arms of Popeye, while Zuri was transformed into a lupine version of Betty Boop wearing Superman's Golden Age outfit. We had an extended stay in this realm since we had to fight our way out, with the final fight consisting of a gigantic, Bluto-ized version of Shannon Newstead. I happened upon a floating "Can of Pizza" (because I'll be damned if I ingest a 27oz can of spinach!) that provided the boost I needed to back Zuri up. I was miffed about that to be honest, as I NEVER want to play second-fiddle to ANYBODY in my own head. It was here that I realized the realms were based off things I love, as well as things I loathe and am afraid of though.

3.) "Foot Realm" – I really shouldn't have to go into detail about this realm, but I'll describe it anyway.

It was a post-apocalyptic wasteland teeming with giant feet. No legs, no bodies, JUST FEET! Zuri and I had been transformed into cockroach-human hybrids though, but dressed like Vault-Dwellers from Fallout and were being chased by several feet with gnarly toenails and a horrible odor that hit us like gale force winds with each step. We couldn't keep up with running and eventually collapsed, huddling together as we awaited our (assumed) fate. Just when I thought we'd be crushed though, a portal opened underneath us and we fell through. Zuri screamed, "I'M SICK OF BEIN' IN YO' FUCKIN' LOOPY-ASS HEAD, BRUH!" as we fell. I could only nervously chuckle.

4.) "Artistic Dissonance Realm" – Probably not the most apt or conventional name, but it sounds cool, so I'll use it. Anyway, in this realm there were fulgorous, thundering, polychromatic clouds beneath us, a range of fragmenting, golden mountains above and rushing, blood-red rivers to each side. From these rivers leaped enormous, light-purple, Pac-Man-like heads with sharp, gilded teeth and serpentine eyes. We were (rightfully) frightened based off appearance alone, but the creatures never payed us any mind and kept leaping back-and-forth. At one point, one of them headed straight for us, only to pass right through. It was like that one scene with the train in Ghostbusters II and I believe that I pissed myself.

5.) "Final Fantasy Tactics Realm" – Self-explanatory, but I'll still explain. Hehehehe!

This realm digitized us into 32-bit character sprites, then dropped us right into the heat of an epic battle. As expected, though, we were locked into turn-based combat. Myself, as well as Zuri, found that we had more HP than MP despite having pretty outstanding Magic Attack power. Physical Attack attributes were sorely lacking, but there happened to be a White Mage, Dancer and a Bard on our squad, so we received some pretty neat buffs that evened things out. I had gotten so wrapped up in the fight that I didn't want to leave, but a portal opened while I was charging up to summom Ifrit. Zuri forcefully pushed me into it despite my pleas to let me finish the summoning. Ah, farewell Magick City of Gariland, I hardly knew ye.

6.) "Fighting Game Realm" – This realm was a mix of every fighting game I've ever played! From Street Fighter to Final Fight, Mortal Kombat, Fatal Fury, King of Fighters, Streets of Rage and more. I was living them all rolled into some incredible mindfuck of explosive action!

Decked out in a fuchsia karate gi with torn sleeves, gold MMA gloves, a black and gold snapback turned to the back, a spiked black martial arts belt and a pair of worn, brown bovver boots, I was ready to kick ass, take names and change them to whatever's the most embarrassing. I felt more powerful here than I ever did anywhere else. I could tell that I was definitely in my element.

Zuri was wearing something similar to Chun-Li mixed with Nina from Tekken, and she had long-ass hair like Sindel, but it was colored royal blue. She was a vision of effortless beauty, as she has been since I first laid eyes on her. I couldn't help noticing that she was barefoot as she stood before me, and her toenails were adorned in a blue similar to her hair, but topped off with meticulous, golden, hieroglyphic designs. She had become as tall as when Doc Mordecai transformed her, but her body was more like Jade Cargill's than Terry Crews this time. Phew! I was thankful for that because she was so fuckin' hot!

I wanted to do things to her right then and there, and she seemingly shared that sentiment as she examined my sculpted and muscular physique through her slanted, heterochromic eyes. Our passion, regrettably, had to be postponed for we were surrounded by various ninjas, thugs, militaristic cyborgs and demonic beings. We dispatched them all without breaking a sweat, but the fight wasn't over by a long-shot.

No sooner had I dusted my hands off, did Principal Gascaan show up ready to challenge us. He was dressed like an amalgation of Mr. Big from Art of Fighting and Akuma from Street Fighter, but his physical body was closer to Ogre (from Tekken) with the physique of Krizalid (from The King of Fighters '99!). He wasted no time in trying to obliterate us, but failed to do so since he had to intermittently charge up in order to launch these green and orange shockwaves from his hands. This allowed an opening to become available for Zuri and me, and she whipped out her long hair, wrapping it around Gascaan and squeezing the daylights out of him. He pleaded and whimpered, struggling in vain to escape, but Zuri's hold just became tighter. I took this time to charge up myself, becoming enveloped by a mix of crimson fire and crackling, gold electricity.

Once I had charged up enough, I assumed a pose similar to Ryu doing the Hadouken and hurled a large, dragon-shaped fireball at Gascaan's sniveling ass. He was toasted the second the blast hit. Miraculously, Zuri's hair was unharmed.

Directly after the principal's incineration, another portal opened up and we got shuttled through more realms, but they're not worth discussing. All that matters now is where we are currently.

🌙🌙🌙