Universal Brawlers

Synopsis: Continuing from "Xylem, Squelcher of Joy", the gang travels to Armstone City to meet the world-famous fashion designer Honey. Intrigued by the girl and her friends, Zordon asks for a tour of the city.

‘You’ve already lost ! You’ve acquiesced to the board by showing it your hesitation. You shouldn’t be afraid of the board ! The board should be afraid of YOU !’--Pai Mai, Kill Bill, Vol. 2

“Lay on, Macduff, and damned be he who first cries, hold, enough !”--Professor, originally from MacBeth as written by Shakespeare, Johnny Dixon, The Curse of the Blue Figurine

Chapter 1—A Trip to Armstone City

Summer was just around the corner and the Rangers as well as the gang had seen most of the 50 states. They had been to different countries even with their little ones in toe. They had plenty of tales for ‘How I Spent My Summer Vacation’ to tell next year in school to impress their instructors but they all longed for something different. One day, Pepper and the other bots were playing a rousing game of Mario Kart together when an ad popped for Armstone City. Honey, the world-renowned fashion designer, struck a dazzling profile on the rectangular pop-up, with a pair of aviators lowered in a cheeky manner.

‘Ahh ! That’s what I want to do when I grow up ! I’d love to work on designs for clothing, houses, even video games in my spare time. I have a head full of ideas and I’m itchin’ to give design a whirl.’, Paprika Ruebens said. Only recently, a lesser, even obscure member of CEC had shown up. Her name was Sassy Sashay. As a skunk, she was often ostracized and unincluded from, well, nearly everything. Being descented though, made things slightly better. She gave off a rose scent when happy or deeply in love, but this southern belle from Biloxy, Missouri was more than happy to apply for the ranks of Ranger and hoped that her Krav Naga skills would come into effect for any battle ahead of her.

Although this fashion exhibition was opening, it seemed rather unusual that other people were involved with it. Multinational companies hoping to score big samoleons and one inter-dimensional being in mind. His name was Shang Tsung. He wanted to bring together all the best fighters and have them duke it out, not for a ‘mortal combat’ but more so a test of might and skill to see which brawler had the most potential. They would be coming away with more money than what Honey would be offering, so the purse was attractive.

‘I will give them an invitation. Once they sign, a portal will deliver them here to the arena. Karin most likely will be among them, as well as the Skullgirls and the Darkstalkers. To be frank, I honestly can’t see who wins my competition !’, Shang thought. Besides, his perverse fandom desires were about to be granted, even with properties that weren’t within the same franchise. He’d be putting the trolls from Homestuck in as well, but Gamzee and Caliborn would have to be monitored almost exclusively so no one got murdered in the contest.

Chapter 2—Heading to Armstone

‘You are cordially invited to take place in a Universal Brawl, one spanning multiple formats, multiple universes, and multiple species.’, the note read. Jason knew this might put a cramp on the group’s plan to go to Armstrong City but Zordon had already gotten the itinerary prepared. He had been able to practice meditation long enough to solidify his Wizard form and walk among them for a good 3 days at most. Before long, he would be able to break free from his confinement and then Rita and Zedd, along with many minions of evil, would be begging to be confined eternally themselves.

‘Zordon, I can’t agree to go along with this just yet.’, Jason said, showing him the golden scroll. For an invitation, it was written in glittering filigree that caught the light and glinted whenever it was moved about.

‘I know about the invitations. I even got one. I know this Shang fellow and though I am aware he is mercurial in temperament, something tells me he is sincere about this ‘competition’ he is holding. For now, we will be visiting Armstone city and Honey. It will be educational for us all, especially the future designers of the group.’, Zordon said. It was with that decision that Zordon set up a flight for the entire family and they jet set all the way to Armstrong. Firstly, they were all tuckered out from the trip itself and had decided to rest for the remainder of the evening.

The next day, Honey herself had met them outside of her entrancing villa. She was decked out in a white hat, round dark sunglasses and the most gorgeous yellow maxi sundress. Her sandals were decorated with seashells. To some of the girls, it was painful just seeing her walk in those stilettos, but she made it look effortless.

'Incredible !', Helen squawked in elation

'You should see my world-famous red dress !', Honey exclaimed.

Paprika Ruebens was even more starstruck by the starlet than anyone else who had come. She had brought along a portfolio she had begun working on, chock full of designs she had taken from magazines, many photo shoots that Honey had done herself. She even had a sketchbook that was rife with doodles and scribbles of her own dresses, shoes, shirts, pants and even swimsuits. She came up to Honey, shyly at first and began to gush about how much she admired her. Honey wasn’t snobby, snooty or arrogant. She was tickled fuchsia at the chance for a fan to learn from her and develop her own style.

Chapter 3—Tour Interrupted

Armstone City was a marvel of technology, haute couture and high fashion. Even if most of the Rangers and bots weren’t a fan of some of those things, they gushed over the new technology and how it was changing the city for the better. Honey enjoyed displaying each centerpiece to the onlookers and explaining it as she continued from one gadget to the next. Suddenly, there was an earthquake. A freak flash of lightning struck the ground, and a portal appeared. If that wasn’t strange enough, there were hooded monks spiriting away the fighters of the group. Paprika was among them and she was starting to feel quite frightened.

‘Where are you taking us ?’, she demanded, but politely. She was left with a refrain of silence until all of them were greeted by Kitana, Mileena, Sonja and all of the characters of Mortal Kombat. They were greeted by old school brawlers like that of King of Fighters, Street Fighter, Art of Fighting, Tekken and Toshiden. Skullgirls took the stage along with Darkstalkers, fitting right in. Final Fight’s Hagar was present, looking as fit and tough as ever. In Shang Tsung’s realm, everyone looked the same, but there was no purpose as to why they were all there to begin with.

Chapter 4—Test Your Might

Before anyone had a chance to speak, Shang explained himself. This wasn’t a ‘normal’ Mortal Kombat where combatants were risking their very lives when they fought. No, this was to be a test of might. The participants would first prove how many boards they could break. Whoever passed round one would advance to the next platform, where the battles would occur.

‘There’s a ton of prize money available. I caught a glimpse of one of the fliers Shang had printed. Shao Khan looks ridiculous doing that Macho Man Randy Savage pose. I’d be more intimidated of him if he wasn’t mugging for the camera like that.’, Magic Screen laughed.

Quite a few of the regular fighters were getting weeded out due to the board breaking challenge. Another hooded monk stopped the competition and whispered something to Shang.

‘It’s come to my attention that the stages have been expanded. Second tier challenge will be the bottle cap knock off. Some of you have passed the first level without even breaking a sweat, which is why the council has decided to make it even more arduous to win first place.’, Shao explained. Shang felt this was unnecessary, but it was certainly an intriguing, albeit, unfair, development.

Chapter 5—The Bottle Cap Challenge

Most participants had gotten through wood breaking without much trouble. There had been a handful of warriors who had come into the second tier of the challenge feeling cocky. However, the bottle cap challenge separated the men from the boys, so to speak.

‘Alright. Everyone ready ?’, a Havoline monk, asking as referee prompted. Just as before, there were two fighters standing behind a bottle of Tequila, ready to knock its cap off. It was Mai Shiranui versus Chun Li. Both were amply matched but in this case, Mai had the upper hand and Chun had to depart through the portal, back to her homeland of China. She didn’t do this without some of the fighters giving her a tearful goodbye.

‘You had a superb run. That challenge is daunting for anyone, Li.’, Sakura said, hugging her idol. Zangief wasn’t one to admit that he became verklempt at times, but he cried buckets of tears at his best friend other than Ryu leaving him behind.

‘Promise me you’ll make me stroganauff when I come back victorious !’, he yelled across the void.

‘It’s a promise !’, Chun Li responded brightly in perfect Russian.

‘Who would’ve thought those two would be such good friends. How endearing. Right, back to the competition !’, Peacock commented, observantly. Her match was going to be against Morrigan. Things were about to become interesting.

It seemed that the challenge lasted for days and there were breaks and times of rest and recuperation in between. Shao Khan was a little annoyed because he had to ask his monks to prepare food for the combatants.

‘It’s not like you’re hurting for money, master. Besides, think of this as a reprieve from all your formerly dastardly deeds. You’re not straight up murdering people like the psychopath you are. You have some redeeming qualities. I knew you always did, master.’, the monk said, adulating him. Shao sighed.

‘Shang ! We need a four course meal. Stat !’, he commanded his toady. Shang sprung into action and got everything set up lickety-split. Everyone had savored the meal and how lavish it was. There was a little something for everyone so no one was left out. Even the vegans of the group were treated like royalty.

At long last, those who had won the challenge had moved on to the third and final tier of the competition. Those who had lost were sent back home, savoring the minutia and monotony that accompanied it.

Chapter 6—I Know You Said No Fatalities, But…

Scarlet was out for blood, literally. She wasn’t one to adhere to rules or constructs. She was an entity that lived from and out of blood, absorbing all she could of its life essence. She had wondered if the blood of toons would grand her immortality. The only way to tell was to go into combat with one of the many cartoons that had been chosen to participate.

It was a motley crew of characters, each more colorful than the last. All Scarlet had to do was figure out which toon's blood had the sweetest taste. She hit the jackpot the first time with a toon named Vanellope Von Schweetz. Zordon had to point out that excessive force in combat was squarely against the rules but Scarlet couldn’t be stopped. She had become so strong that Vanellope was a shell of her former self. Her color had literally bled out of her decorative sweets and turquoise accoutrement. Ralph was furious.

‘What did you do to her ?!’, he demanded. Calhoun wasn’t looking very pleased either, because had it not been for Vanellope, she never would’ve met Felix and they wouldn’t have their massive family. She had been the catalyst for her dream of becoming a mother to become fulfilled.

‘I soaked up her delicious blood. I would have sucked up every last drop, but you had to stop me.’, Scarlet said, becoming angry. With Vanellope’s blood, she had been granted new abilities. She was near to invincible and despite Shao and Shang disqualifying her from the tournament, she had an uncontrollable blood lust. Scarlet had no desire to listen to anyone. Nearly forgotten cartoons such as Shezow, Dudepow, Randy Cunningham (in ninja form), Dan and the gang from Packages from Planet X and even Penn Zero. It was interesting to see Penn and Dan since they were so similar and their abilities were akin but Dan’s talents came from otherworldly objects accidentally sent by the Evil Doctor from the mysterious Planet X. Little did he or his strange gibbon sidekick Kalimari know that they were actually aiding Dan. Even Elena from Avalor had made an appearance.

‘Alright, now could someone PLEASE tell me how we can stop this sanguinary crazed witch !’, she said, while Scarlet tried to claw, swipe and even bite her. Scorpion, who had a bad reputation had witnessed Scarlet’s direct disregard and disobedience. She was unreasonable to the point of being manic, unreachable and frankly, psychotic. When he had pulled her over with his chain scythe, she licked her lips and cackled.

‘If you wanted a fight so badly, you could’ve just asked me, arachno-boy.’, she smirked, beginning to fight recklessly with him. She couldn’t hold him back and the others fought back as well as they could. Given her new powers, she was nearly indestructible until Minnie poured ‘dip’ on her. Dip was a mixture of turpentine, acetone and paint thinner. It was the only thing that could kill toons. Shrieking in pain and misery, Scarlet retreated and relented, reverting to her blood form.

‘You haven’t seen or heard the last of me. One of these days I’m going to bleed all of you dry and at last, I will have the immortality I desire !’, she vowed, her eerie laughter echoing from the sewers where she had literally rode the waves of freedom until an opportune time returned for her to battle against the toons again.

Chapter 7—Down to the Last Two Warriors

It had been an arduous competition and nearly all of the fighters had been beaten, only to be sent home to watch the action from their mobile devices at home, whether it was on a phone or via a laptop that had a good, stable 5G connection to the Internet.

The last contestants standing were Pepper the Robot and the hauntingly gross and beautiful Double. Double was the most unusual, mysterious and strongest fighter among the SkullGirls and she had beaten everyone in her path. She was a woman of few words and was itching to fight Pepper. She had fought Ms. Fortune’s robotic version, known as Robo Fortune. That skirmish had been child’s play. Looking at Pepper and her feminine, soft features, she figured she had the battle in the bag.

‘Alright you two, I don’t want any spilling of blood. No hitting below the belt. Let’s get it ON !’, said the retired referee from Celebrity Death Match. It brought a nostalgic tear into Zack’s eye to see that referee again and knowing that even though the codger had retired, he still had the zing to referee a match, even if it was in the OtherWorld.

Double was freakish to watch but there was something poetic about her ballet-like movements. The aesthetic of how flexible and stretchy her flesh was indeed was impressive. Even though Pepper was outmatched, she fought her hardest and for once in her lifetime, actually lost. Double found herself catching her breath but shook Pepper’s hand. No one knew that there was a consultation prize for ‘second’ and ‘third’ place in the competition. It wasn’t nearly the amount that the first place winner received but it was still a lot of money that the Rangers could use for new equipment, upgrades to their mechs and battle uniforms. Whatever was leftover, that would be given to charity.

Chapter 8—The Fashion Queen Waits

The Warriors were thanked for their time. Many of the contestants had been returned to whatever Universe they had originated from. The Rangers had requested to return to Armstone, since they hadn’t even had a proper tour of the city yet. It seemed that nothing had changed. Honey was a bit beside herself.

‘Would you mind explaining what the devil just happened ?’, she inquired, her confused expression saying more than words could ever convey.

‘A tournament just as unbelievable as the Viper tournament !’, Chuck exclaimed. He conveyed all of the match-ups in perfect rashommen fashion.

Armstone was as lavish as everyone thought it would be. Many people’s expectations were blown out of the water when they saw everything that Armstone had to offer. There were plenty of activities and by the end of the day when everyone was starving, Honey offered to serve them a lavish dinner.

The Rangers were used to eating incredibly savory meals but nothing like what Honey had to offer them. She had only the finest of dining. It was only a small twinge in her pocketbook but no expense was too high to make certain her friends were walking away with full bellies and plenty of experiences to remember forever.

‘I wish I could’ve seen the tournament for myself. It really sounds like it was a knock down, drag out brawl !’, she said, a bit envious. But then she mentioned it probably would’ve ended breaking her stilettos or nails. Even then, it wouldn’t have been a bother but thrilling.

‘I don’t want to leave ! Tell me, Paprika, would you like an internship ?’, she asked. Paprika Rubens couldn’t believe her ears. Her work wasn’t ready for the professional world yet but apparently, Honey saw glimmers of true talent and wanted to capitalize on it. Technically she was on holiday, so her parents allowed it, even though she would be away from the Rangers.

‘If there is an emergency, I will join the Rangers tout suite.’, she said, vowing, and saluting proudly.

‘That’s our Paprika !’, Spike stated with a grin. Spike couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride himself with his own family. All the Rangers had their own brood by now but each and every one of them was growing every day. They weren’t children any longer. Some of them wished they could remain as kids, but many of them knew so long as they kept their imaginations active anything and everything was possible.

Epilogue

With what money Pepper had won from the tournament not spent on upgrades and amenities, the latter was used for updating the parks. There were new lands built, like Caravan, which was basically Disney doing what it could to emulate the United Arab Emirates. They offered all sorts of ethnic food and a genuine open-air market experience. One could even haggle if they liked. Then, there was a Muppetland, an idea that originally was scrapped. Given the popularity of the Muppets, the extension theme park was opened to raving crowds and instantly became 10 times more popular than Universal’s Harry Potter theme park and Galaxy’s Edge combined. There was a Hard Rock park, a renewed Tomorrowland and STEAMpunk Adventure which featured science, technology, engineering, art and math. It was clever how they sneaked edutainment into the mix, but Disney had been doing that since its inception. That was nothing new or different.

With the new lands to explore, the Rangers found themselves dizzy, especially in Pixar Pier. They had seen everything new the parks had to offer but then had to return to Angel Grove after a long, tiring but enjoyable day goofing around with mouse earred headbands.

As they slept, an eldritch abomination slurped and sloshed, regaining her form. Emerging from the muck and mire and smelling horrible, she sneered.

‘I will stop at nothing to gain immortality. All toons will be bled dry if its the last thing I ever do. I do not care if such blood magik is forbidden, illegal or evil. Immortality is MINE to gain alone.’, Skarlet muttered to herself. Now she had to wash all the offal, trash and mud from her person before recuperating. She had no idea where the toons were but given her acute sense of direction and uncanny ability to smell blood, something told her there were some nearby. All she had to do was wait.

To Be Continued…