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Chapter 17: The Good, The Bug, and The Furry.

"Oh, man.  Did anyone get the number of the truck that hit me?" grumbled Lance as he reentered the bus/RV.  Last night, the team had stopped at a hotel for the night, and there had a been a party.  So, being teenagers and young adults, they naturally went to it, with Lance and Toshiro's Uncle Henry opting to simply sleep, his Soul partner still on his shoulder.
Naturally, the whole team crashed.
"If you find out, tell me; I got a bone to…oh, my head!" exclaimed Alice, massaging her temples.
"Having a hangover, are we?"  said Ken matter-of-factly.  He had chosen to drink only a bit.
Glaring at her boyfriend, Alice retorted "If I am, you better start praying you don't push me over the edge!", her anger spiking dangerously.
Chuckling nervously, Ken stammered, "R-right.  I'll k-keep that in m-mind."
"Lance, why are you so down?  You didn't lay a finger on the alcohol....Not that you would, seeing as how you're underage and all."  Asked Jack, on the counter.
"Lance has a small issue with sugar. Long story short, when he was a kid he had a slight problem with sugar.  He went berserk from eating one piece of candy and had an incredible crash.  Years later, it's simply a matter of how much he can take before he goes nuts and crashes."  Explained Toshiro, helping Lance to the table.
"….I should have known."
"Toshiro, Niko, you two all ready for the match?"  Asked Henry from the drivers seat.
"I believe so.  We've been training non-stop since the matches were announced."  Said Niko.  Nodding, Henry started the bus and drove towards their destination.
Just as he was about to go challenge Jack to a game of BBR, Katie approached Lance and asked "Hey, Lance?  You got a minute?"
"Sure, but can it be brief?  I about to show that spider who's boss!" replied Lance, flames surrounding him with the last few words.  (yes, that was a nod to the mini-comics)
Rolling her eyes at Lances enthusiasm, and delusions of beating Jack, Katie said "Sure.  Anyway, I just wanted to say thanks for listening.  It's…not an easy thing to talk about, and I appreciate you sticking around and hearing it.  Even though you didn't' listen to all of it, it's still nice of you."
Blinking once in confusion about what Katie was talking about, realization quickly dawned as he remembered the conversation last night.  Grinning and folding his arms behind his head, Lance replied "Aw, no sweat!  If it's to help a friend, then I'm all yours!"
Smiling (in an eyes closed, in an upside-down 'U', kinda way), Katie said "I'll keep that it mind!  Though you're not gonna start treating me and Ariel differently knowing about the glitches, are you?"
Mock-hurt, Lance put a hand to his chest in mock-offense, stating, "I can't believe you think I would even consider that!  The nerve!"  They both laughed at the comment.
The laughter quickly ending, Lance replied, still grinning. "But seriously, I'd never treat someone different because of something like that!  Nah, to me, you and Ariel are seriously awesome!  I'm actually a little scared of what would happen to Silver if he went up against Ariel in a fight!"
A thought bubble appeared from Lances head of the result of such a fight:  a chibi, and feral mode, Ariel flying victoriously over an also chibi and feral mode Silver, who was a smoking heap on the ground with swirls for eyes.  An arrow pointed at Ariel and say's "Only used one strike".  Another arrow appeared and pointed to Silver.  It say's "Didn't even get a chance to use a strike"
Smiling a bit at the compliment, Katie said, "Alright, well, if you or anyone else needs me, I'll be giving Ariel her medicine."  Hearing this, Ariel immediately became (comically) scared and tried to fly as far away from Katie as possible.  Katie, however, grabbed her foot without even looking, with Ariel still flapping her wings furiously as she tried to escape, a look of pure terror on her face, along with an anime tear of fear.
Stating at the odd sight, Lance asked "Whu-?"
"She hates taking her medication for fleas and ticks.  Of course, since it's only available in the form of a shot currently, it's a necessary evil for her."  Turning away from Lance, Katie shouted to Alice, who was on the roof trying to catch some rays, "Oi, Alice!  Ya mind giving me a hand with Ariel's medication?"   Instantly, Alice's head popped down from the roof, a shot in her hand next to her, and eyes glinting like the devil.
"It's that time of the month again already?  My, how the time passes by~!   It's Needle Time!"  Alice practically sang, her voice dripping with malicious intent.  (…Yes, she's somewhat insane, isn't she?.  )  Seeing this, Ariel sported a look of pure terror, as though the devil was upon her, and flapped her wings at such a rate that a humming bird would be jealous.
"Here, birdie~!"  sang Alice, her shadow now loaming over Ariel, who had gone blue with shock (If you don't know what I'm talking about, look it up on Tv Tropes)
The scene shifted to hours latter, everyone having arrived at the forest.
"So, any idea when they'll be here?" Lance asked, bored and picking his nose.
They had arrived at the forest on time, and had been waiting for the other team for the past 30 minutes.
"Like I would know!" replied Roy, who was fiddling with a gaming console next to him.
"Geez, blame a guy for asking a question." muttered Lance.  "Hey, Ken!  Any idea why the other team isn't here yet?"
As he was about to reply, Ken's cell phone rang.  Checking the caller id, he replied "One sec, I gotta take this…"
Putting the phone to his ear, he began conversing.
"Yeah?...Wait, what?...Oh…yeah, got it….why, though?...EXCUSE ME?!....Hey, don't hang up-**** it!"  Frustrated, Ken closed his phone and seemed to glare at it, his teeth grinding.
"Er, Ken?"
"Don't ask!  Anyway, Toshiro, your opponent, Mr. whats-his-name called!"
"Did he explain-?"
"Yeah!  Apparently, the rest of his team is stuck in traffic, and he went ahead.  He said he's waiting in the forest, so you two better get to it. He'll holler when he see's you, so go straight ahead.  He knows what both of you look like, so I suggest you two split to make it easier. "
"Okay.  But why'd you-?"
"GO!!"
Panicked at the outburst, Toshiro fell from his seat, scrambled up, and ran to the forest, Niko at his side.
"What on earth do you suppose that was about?" asked Niko as they ran amongst the trees.
"Not sure.  It's probably something personal, though, so I guess I shouldn't have asked."
Back with the rest of the gang, Lance's curiosity got the better of him.
"Hey, Ken!  Why'd ya yell-"
"None of your business!"  Ken snapped, clearly still flustered.
"If you want to know, I can tell you!", practically sang Roy.  All eyes swiveled, except for Katie's, as she had already guessed the answer, to Roy.
"How could you know-?"
"I'm the brains of this here team, remember, Urban-hick?  My skills in technology are unsurpassed!"
"…And?"
"Two words:  Bugged. Phones!"
"You listened in-"
"Yep!"  Roy answered happily, grinning like an imp.
Sending a glare Roy's way, Ken said "If you dare-!"
"Ah, shut it!  And remember" said Roy, sending Ken a look "My skills cover a VERY large range.  Or shall I send THIS to all your friends phones." The second after Roy said that, Ken's phone rang again.  Opening it up, a look of horrified embaresment appeared on Ken's face.
"Where'd you-?!"
"That's MY business."
Seeing Ken's head bending forward in defeat, Roy said "As I was saying, the guy who called, Toshiro's opponent, said that he didn't want to come out into the open, on the off chance that any girls saw him and went nuts over him, as, apparently, he's not wearing a shirt!"
Lance just blinked in confusion as Silver, Roy, Warren and Jack burst into laughter at Ken's expense.
"…Why me??", muttered Ken.
Back with Toshiro, he had already found their opponent and was facing him, Niko at his side.
Fred had obviously gotten in even better shape since the picture on his profile was taken, and had a full on six-pack.  And while he was shirtless, he was wearing long jeans and had on sandals.
Eyeing Toshiro skeptically, Fred said "So, YOU'RE my opponent?  Hmph, sending a rookie, the nerve."
"Um, Mr. Portlon?"
"Yeah, what is it, specks?"
"Where's your partner?"
Rolling his eyes, Fred pointed at his right shoulder.
"What are you, blind, even with those glasses?  He's right here on my shoulder."
Squinting his eyes a little, Toshiro was able to make out a small black dot on the shoulder.
"…Small thing, isn't he?  I'm surprised you haven't accidently squashed him."  Remarked Niko somewhat dryly, an eyebrow raised in amusement at his opponents miniscule size.
Surprisingly, Fred put his right hand to his chin in though and said "You know, it's funny you should mention that.  Why just last week-"
As Fred rambled on, both Toshiro and Niko had the same thought, and simultaneously sweat-dropped: '…Is this guy for real?"
"…And don't get me started about how many incidents there were when he first-"
"Are you quite done with your incessant rambling?"  Asked Niko, a vein twitching on his head, and his left eye twitching slightly.
"…Oh!  Sorry about that, sometimes I get side tracked!"  Fred answered, slightly embarrassed, before grinning and saying "So then, let's get this fight started-"
"Um, yeah, before that, I have one quick question."  Said Toshiro.
"What?  Make it quick then!" replied Fred, irritated at being interrupted.
"Got it.  Um, is there any particular reason you're not wearing a shirt?"
Sighing and putting his hand to his face, Fred replied, "You wouldn't believe me, even if I told you."
Making a deadpan expression, Niko dryly remarked, "I've lived in the same house as an idiot who somehow turned toothpaste into a GARDEN TOOL.  Believe me, I've seen it all."
Back with the others, Lance suddenly sneezed, looked around, and went back to whatever he was doing.
"Well, if you really want to know, for the past couple of years now, every shirt I've ever owned has been destroyed in one way or another!  Two weeks ago…"
As Fred started rambling on again, both Niko and Toshiro had the same thought again.
'I think we should stop asking this guy questions.'
"Well, could you at least do something about that huge tattoo on your chest?" asked Toshiro.  "It's kind of unpleasant."
Pointing at said tattoo with his right hand, Fred angrily stated, "This isn't a tattoo!  It's a birthmark!"
Once again, Toshiro and Niko had the same thought, although this time not in the same words.
'…There's no way something THAT huge, or purple, for that matter, can POSSIBLY be a "birthmark"' thought Toshiro.
' "Birthmark" my small, furry butt!  That's a tattoo if I ever saw one!'  thought Niko.
"Are you FINALLY done with your questions?" asked Fred, his impatience wearing thin.
"I believe so." Replied Toshiro, adjusting his glasses in slight embarrassment.
"Finally!  Let's do this, specks!"  Fred stated, as his Soul Partner pill bug, Reggie jumped off his shoulder.
"Spirit Cycle!" they both shouted, and the familiar light enveloped all four of them.  After the light had faded, Niko had once again become a tiger, and Toshiro was in his armor.  Both kept their eyes ahead of them, waiting to see what had become of Fred and his pill-bug.  When the light on their opponents cleared, both Niko and Toshiro's eyes widened, as standing on the ground in front of them, in Reggie's place, was a large-sized beetle, bigger than a rhino but smaller than an elephant, a long and destructive looking horn protruding from his head, splitting at the tip into two equally menacing looking horns.
-------
Without warning, the word "intermission" flashed/appeared on the screen/panel, and Silver spoke.
"Hi, fans!  It's that time again.  However, since Niko's rather busy right now, instead, Warren the goat will be helping us today!  Come on up Warren!"
Warren walked into view, nodding his head at the audience.
"So, this is what you guys do off screen, eh?"
"Yep!"
"Must pay pretty well!"
"Actually, we do this out of our gratitude and kindness to our loyal fans!"
"….You're kidding, right?
"Nope!"
"…Great, now they got me doing community service!"  muttered Warren.
Ignoring Warren, Silver turned to the viewer.
"Alright folks, this weeks little tidbit gonna be brief!  It concerns a little known fact about the pill bug-"
" 'Bug'?  They aren't bugs, you half-brained mutt!  'Pill bugs', or Roly Poly's, as they are also called, are actually isopods, members of the crustacean family.  How on earth they got categorized as insects I'll never know-"
"Aw, man, Warren!  You spoiled it!  And I had a fun little game ready and everything!"  Silver whined at Warren.  Turning to the audience once more, Silver said "Sorry about that folks.  It seems that somebody doesn't know when to keep their mouth shut.  I guess tune in next time Niko and I appear with another segment.  We're still looking for a decent name for this furry little corner of-!  Hey, wait!  That's a perfect-"
The words "Intermission over" appeared/flashed on the panel/screen, just as Warren butted Silver out of view for his comment about his mouth in the middle of his exclamation.
---------

"Holy s***, look at the size of that beetle!"  Exclaimed Lance as he witnessed Reggie's new form on Roy's laptop.
"Quiet, you!  Ya'll are practically shoutin' in my ear!"  exclaimed Roy angrily at Lance.
The gang was centered at Roy's laptop, watching the fight between Toshiro, Niko, and Reggie and Fred.
"By the way, how'd you get access to the camera's in the forest?"
Asked Katie."
" And why were there even camera's there to begin with?"  Asked Lance as well, invading Roy's personal space a bit as he tried to get a better view of the fight.
Slightly irritated, Roy shoved Lance away before replying.
"Well, to answer your questions, first of all, before every match, the officials at the Soul Information Global Network, or SIGN, of GSA, set up camera's at ever match point, so that they can determine a few things.  They determine if a match is fair, and what content is appropriate to broadcast world wide when they do overviews of individual matches.  They usually place a high number of cameras, due to the high probability of most of them getting destroyed, in strategic locations on the battle field, so that they save as many cameras as possible.  And how I got access to the cameras is not your concern, Katie, so butt out!" explained Roy, finishing his sentence with a glare at Katie.
Seeing her about to say something else, Roy sighed and said "Relax, how I got the access was perfectly legal."  Assured Roy, muttering "mostly" under his breath when he was sure Katie wasn't listening.
"Man, this is gonna be one heck of a match!  Niko and Toshiro are gonna OWN that Hercules beetle!"  Exclaimed Lance enthusiastically, pumping his fist into the air.
Snorting in amusement and sending Lance a look with a raised eyebrow, Roy replied "You simpleton.  That's no Hercules; it's clearly a Rhinoceros Beetle, a Japanese one if I ever saw it."
"No, it's a Hercules.  My mom took me to a bug zoo when I was about eight, and I saw a beetle that looked JUST like that, and it was labeled a Hercules."
"Well, clearly some idiot got the labels wrong.  It's a Japanese Rhinoceros."
"It's a Hercules."
"It's a Japanese Rhinoceros."
"Hercules."
"Japanese Rhinoceros."
"Hercules!"
"Japanese Rhinoceros!"
"HERCULES!"
"JAPANESE RHINOCEROS!"
------
At the same time, Niko was waiting for Reggie to make the first move, with neither of them moving an inch.
"So, really think you can take us on, you two?" asked Fred, not impressed with Nikos Feral form in the slightest, leaning a bit on Reggie, his dirt brown armor glistening with what little light penetrated the forest.
"I'll be surprised if that enormous rock you're leaning on will be able to move a muscle, considering how much it must weigh."  Niko retorted.
Shaking his head at the retort, Fred replied, "Don't say I didn't warn you.  Strike three:  Control Spiral!", shouting the last part.
Immediately, the insignia on Reggie, now revealing itself to have been at the base of his horn, glowed brightly.
Bracing himself for what was to come, Niko's eyes widened as a brilliant yellow circle appeared around Reggie's horn.  It slowly increased in size, briefly decreasing to its original size after it became as big as a motorcycle, then expanded rapidly, part of it sweeping over Niko.
The fur on Niko's body stood on end as the wave swept through him, and his eyes watched in confusion and awe as rest of the circle expanded into the forest and out of sight.
Turning his head to Reggie and Fred, who were still in the same position, looking like the battle was already decided, Niko snorted and glared at them.
"Strike one: Saber-Fang!" called out Toshiro.
"Was that little display of yours all you had?  If so, I'm actually fairly disappointed that this is all you've got."  Remarked Niko dryly, his fangs now extended and enlarged with energy, before he charged Reggie and leapt at him.
"Oh, there's FAR more than just that, fish breath."  Fred replied, his face suddenly obscured by his hair, smirking with his teeth showing.
"For instance, THIS!" said Reggie, who spoke in a somewhat soft tone.
Niko was suddenly halted in mid jump, suspended in the air.
Opening his eyes wide in surprise, Niko thought 'What the- How?!'
'Niko!  Look behind you!' exclaimed Toshiro's voice inside his head.
Doing just so, Niko's eyes widened even further as he let out a gasp.
Vines.
Thousands of vines!
There were thousands of vines around his body and legs, constricting his movement and suspending him in midair.  There were even some tree roots shooting from the grounds and holding him in place as well.
Niko was suddenly thrown by the vines though the air, crashing him into several trees.
Shakily getting up, a large amount of splinters wood already in his fur and skin, Niko shook himself, tossing blood and wood.
'You alright?!'  Toshiro thought to him.
Gasping slightly, Niko replied, at first sarcastically, 'Oh, yes, I'm perfectly fine!  I feel like I could jump through a ring of fire and come out without a burn in sight.  I was just thrown like a ragdoll into several trees!  Do you THINK I'd be  alright after that kind of ****?'
'Sorry, standard question.' Toshiro thought back sheepishly.
As Niko was about to reply, his eye caught a glimpse of something.  His eyes widening a little, he leapt to the right, just barely making it as a tree root smacked the area where he had been standing.
'Get away from there!' came Toshiro's thought.
'You don't have to tell me twice!'
Dodging a vine that had been rushing at his leg, Niko's left paw unexpectedly landed right into a hole at the base of a tree.  Not noticing it, Niko tried to twist around and duck as another tree root struck at him.
CRIK!
Howling in pain, Niko's head was grazed by the root as his paw twisted at an odd angle.
Wincing as he got back up, Niko looked at his now twisted paw.
'Great!  I'm not even five minutes into the fight and THIS happens.'
'What's going on?' came Toshiros' thought.
'My paw landed in a tree and I wound up twisting it.  As if dodging those vines and roots wasn't hard enough, now I got this to worry about.'
"Come out, come out, wherever you are, Fish breath!  You can't hide forever!  It's just a matter of time before you get tired of dodging!" came Reggie's soft yet dark voice from somewhere in the forest.  Instantly, three vines shoot out from the left.  Running to the left, Niko managed to dodge one of the vines before his paw erupted in pain.  Stumbling due to his injury, the other two vines struck Niko at the side, sending him crashing into a large rock.  Shakily getting up, Niko's left eye shut as a jolt of pain rocketed throughout his body.
'This is not good.'  Toshiro's worried voice sounded in his head.
'I know.  It's hard to tell just when those vines and roots will strike, and I'm already getting my tail handed to me.  If we only knew where that overgrown ladybug was, we could get a clean shot!'
His ears suddenly picking something up, Niko managed to bound forward as a massive tree root slammed into the spot where he had been.  Looking up, Niko saw multiple vines shot towards him.  Ducking, he managed to avoid one or two before he rolled to avoid four more that lunged into the ground he had ducking onto.
Seeing the last one coming to strike his head from the left, out of the corner of his eye, Nko rapidly thought 'Toshiro!  Strike one, quickly!'
Just as the vine was about to hit him, he snapped his head to the left, his fangs already starting to glow.  He caught the vine in his energized-fangs and quickly bit it in half, all in about a second.
'I swear, this one strike of ours hardly ever really helps.  All it does is let me bite through things my regular teeth couldn't scrap.  What I wouldn't give for our strike type to be something along the lines of healing!'
Struggling to get up, Niko let out a hiss as the pain from his paw and back injuries started up again.
'You bleeding?' asked Toshiro in Niko's mind.
'Nah, I caught a glimpse of the rock after I smacked into it.  There wasn't any-Erk!'  Niko stopped, coughed up some blood.
'D**n it!  Looks like the rock injured me more internally that outwardly.  And here I thought it looked relatively flat.  My spine feels like a bone or two has been dislocated and is poking into one of my organs!'
'Should we forfeit?  If you get hit too many times, the injuries could get critical.'
Rolling his eyes a little, Niko shook his head and replied 'No.  We're in this tournament, and I'll commit seppuku before I lose in the very first match!'
'Hm-hm.  Looks like Lance has influenced you in more ways than you'd like to admi-'
'Don't you dare finish that sentence!  This is a matter of pride!   If we lose after four matches, that's fine by me.  But I'll be skinned alive before I lose the second I enter this thing!'
'Fine, okay!  So, what do you propose?'
Beginning to walk forward, Niko replied 'What else?  I'm a cat; my sense of smell might not be as well developed as Silver's, but it's still pretty grand.'
'…If that's true, then why does Silver eat anything while you're so picky about what you eat?  If Silver's got the better nose, then he should-'
'Sense of smell is not the same as taste in foo-'
Stopping mid-sentence, Niko's nose twitched.  Sniffing the air, Niko turned to his left and began sniffing the ground.
'What-'
'Quiet.  It's pretty faint, but I've got it.'  With that, Niko began following the trail.
After several minutes had passed, Toshiro, mentally, spoke up.
'Niko?'
'Yeah?'
'There's something that's been bugging me the entire time this battle has been going on.  How have Fred and Reggie been able to see where we've been?'
Pausing in his tracks, Niko pondered the question.
'It may have had something to do with that ring that shot through me.'
'Uh, Niko?'
'Yeah?"
'I figured that out the second the vines started attacking.  It really took you that long to figure it out?  I'm sorry, but I think even Lance would have figured that out sooner.'
'…Shut up!  I was busy, and didn't have time to think about that!'  Niko thought angrily, not happy about the comparison.
'Well, I'm sorry, I just thought it was obvious.  So, shall we find where the yellow ring went?'
'Toshiro?'
'Yeah?'
"It's right in front of me.'
And indeed the line was in front of Niko, about 20 feet away, plain as the sun in the sky.
'Just how far did that ring travel?  I can't have traveled more than a couple kilometers!  …By the way, how close are you?'
'My guess is that you've traveled…one and a half kilometers, maybe more.  And as for your second question, don't worry, I must be fairly, close by, seeing as how I can still hear your thoughts, albeit it sounds a little soft.'
Shrugging, Niko walked over to the yellow line, and lowered his head to sniff it.
'Hmm, there's definitely a faint amount of Soul Drive coming from it.  Although how it's controlling the plants escapes me.'
'Well, however it's doing it, we better find out, and fast.'
As he was about to reply, Niko's ears picked up a noise and he wheeled around, snarling.  That snarling quickly turned into a gasp of fear and surprise, as he saw hundreds of vines and tree roots in every direction, jutting from the ground and angling at him form the trees.
'SH**, they're everywhere!'
Just as he thought this, all of them came at him at once, intent on ending the match.  Bracing himself for the attack, Niko backed up a little, shifting the dirt behind him, just as the tendrils were upon him.

Then everything stopped

Blinking in shock, his mouth agape, Niko's saw every one of the vines and roots simply collapse and fall to the ground in their tracks.
'What…the…heck?'  Both Niko and Toshiro thought at the same time.
Still in shock, Niko thought 'But I didn't do any…the ring maybe…?'  Turning his head, both Niko and Toshiro's jaws dropped even further, almost hitting the ground.

His paw had shifted the dirt where the yellow line was when he had backed up.  As if just to emphasize it for the reader, a bright red arrow appeared and pointed like crazy at the shifted dirt, only seen by the audience.

'Is it even POSSIBLE…for it to be THAT easy?' Both Niko and Toshiro thought in their dumbfounded state.

"What do you mean "You suddenly lost control?!" Fred's voice suddenly loudly resounded through the forest, allowing Niko and Toshiro to hear it.
"Niko?"
Turning his head in the direction of the voice, Niko saw Toshiro emerge from some foliage in the forest.
Toshiro looked from Niko to the direction of Fred's Voice as he continued to angrily argue with Reggie, who had started shouting back at him.  Turning his head back to Niko, Toshiro had a "Is what I think is happening REALLY happening…?" look on his face, one of his hands open in front of him in a gesture of disbelief.
"…Oh, I doubt those morons figured it out!   Some squirrel probably just ran through and disrupted it!"
Several moments of silence then passed by, before they heard Fred shout "Strike three:  Control Spiral!"
Several seconds passed, and a yellow line shot past Niko and Toshiro again, landing several yards away from them.
'Can…Can it really be that easy?' though Niko, before sending a quick look of disbelief and cautiousness to Toshiro, who only quickly glanced at the yellow line.  Turning his head back to the line, Niko walked rather quickly over to the line.
Several vines shot out of nowhere, headed straight for Niko, just as he reached the line.  Glancing at the vines for a moment, Niko experimentally shifted some of the dirt where the yellow line was, when the vines were several feet away.
WUMP!
The vines did exactly as they did before, suddenly becoming lifeless and just limping from the trees.  A moment of silence passed before both Toshiro and Niko's jaws dropped anime style in shock, their eyes comically white and blank.
'IT'S THAT EASY?!'  They both thought in shock and incredulousness.
What stunned them even more was Fred's sudden shout of "Yes, I realize they figured it out!  Don't point it out!"
Blinking a few times, Niko shook himself free of the initial shock and turned to Toshiro.
'While he's ranting, I'll take the beetle out!  I still can't believe how EASY it was to overcome that first strike of his, even if I am pretty roughed up already.'
'I know.  It's almost embarrassing!  And don't worry, I've got your back.' Nodding, Niko did what cats were made for and began to silently sneak to Fred's location, Fred's voice being a dead giveaway to it.  After walking as quietly as he could for several minutes, Niko spied Fred and Reggie through some bushes.
'Well, they're still arguing, which will buy me some time while I think of how to deal with Reggie.  The first strike won't don't much good against that beetle's shell, and my body feels like ****…Any thoughts, Toshiro?'
'Well, if we could just get the beetle to open it's shell, or flip it onto its back, we'd have a clear shot.'
'Yeah, but I'm not sure I'll be able to do the second one; I'm strong, but lifting something of that size might be too difficult.  So unless we can unlock a new strike in this battle, we're gonna have to either wait, or I'll have to slide under that thing and do what I can before he realizes what's happened.'
'Well, in the meantime, I've got an idea, so listen up.'
After Toshiro explained the plan to him, Niko's eyes widened briefly.
'That's a fairly risky plan; there's a good chance that I'll slip up.'
'I know, but it's the best shot we have.'  Toshiro finished before nodding to Niko and circling to the left side of Reggie's position.
"Alright, Niko, you go left and get ready for my signal!" whispered Toshiro just loud enough for Fred and Reggie to hear.  Toshiro then picked up some small rocks from the ground and threw them, one by one, to his left at some plants, making sure to make as much noise as possible, before shouting "NOW!  Strike one: Saber-fang!"
Immediately, Fred heard the noise and said "Reggie!"
Reggie spun around and charged at the clump of bushes that had made the noise.  Niko leapt out of his hiding spot and tackled Reggie's side as hard as he could, biting back the pain from his injuries.  Surprised, Reggie was knocked of his feet and onto his side, and before he had time to get up, Niko leapt at his exposed underside, and clawed as much as he could.
"Strike Three: Control Spiral!"  Fred shouted.  The familiar ring shot out from Reggie's horn, and, after several seconds had passed, a huge mix of vines and tree roots rocketed towards Niko, who had managed to do a lot of damage to Reggie's underside.  One of the vines struck Niko from the front, sending him off Reggie and into a tree.  Niko, who was already pretty injured, was now unable to get up, blood from his wounds soaking his fur and dripping from his mouth, as the roots and vines descended on his body.
"NIKO!" shouted Toshiro.
Watching in horror at what was about to happen to Niko, time seemed to slow down for Toshiro.
'..All those vines and roots…!  If they all hit him at once, then…No…No…Nonononononono!  This can't be happening!  Niko's always been there for me, no matter what!  He's always there…AND I WON'T LET HIM DOWN!!'
Suddenly, Toshiro found himself at a place he had seen only twice.
The Soul Bridge.
Looking around while on the platform, Toshiro saw his first strike floating on one side of the platform, it's light green aura a dead giveaway.  Toshiro jumped in surprise when something else began forming next to his first strike.  Eye slowly widening in shock, Toshiro stepped forward as it finally took shape, mouthing what appeared.  Zooming back to reality, Toshiro blinked then thought 'Please let this work!'
Then, he exclaimed "Seishin Sutoraiki Bangō 2： Sutoraipu – Rasshu!"  (It's a Google translation.  If it's not accurate, then tell me.  Why he said it in Japanese will be explained later)

:D (Big Grin) — Description
Chapter 17: The Good, The Bug, and The Furry.

"Oh, man.  Did anyone get the number of the truck that hit me?" grumbled Lance as he reentered the bus/RV.  Last night, the team had stopped at a hotel for the night, and there had a been a party.  So, being teenagers and young adults, they naturally went to it, with Lance and Toshiro's Uncle Henry opting to simply sleep, his Soul partner still on his shoulder.
Naturally, the whole team crashed.
"If you find out, tell me; I got a bone to…oh, my head!" exclaimed Alice, massaging her temples.
"Having a hangover, are we?"  said Ken matter-of-factly.  He had chosen to drink only a bit.
Glaring at her boyfriend, Alice retorted "If I am, you better start praying you don't push me over the edge!", her anger spiking dangerously.
Chuckling nervously, Ken stammered, "R-right.  I'll k-keep that in m-mind."
"Lance, why are you so down?  You didn't lay a finger on the alcohol....Not that you would, seeing as how you're underage and all."  Asked Jack, on the counter.
"Lance has a small issue with sugar. Long story short, when he was a kid he had a slight problem with sugar.  He went berserk from eating one piece of candy and had an incredible crash.  Years later, it's simply a matter of how much he can take before he goes nuts and crashes."  Explained Toshiro, helping Lance to the table.
"….I should have known."
"Toshiro, Niko, you two all ready for the match?"  Asked Henry from the drivers seat.
"I believe so.  We've been training non-stop since the matches were announced."  Said Niko.  Nodding, Henry started the bus and drove towards their destination.
Just as he was about to go challenge Jack to a game of BBR, Katie approached Lance and asked "Hey, Lance?  You got a minute?"
"Sure, but can it be brief?  I about to show that spider who's boss!" replied Lance, flames surrounding him with the last few words.  (yes, that was a nod to the mini-comics)
Rolling her eyes at Lances enthusiasm, and delusions of beating Jack, Katie said "Sure.  Anyway, I just wanted to say thanks for listening.  It's…not an easy thing to talk about, and I appreciate you sticking around and hearing it.  Even though you didn't' listen to all of it, it's still nice of you."
Blinking once in confusion about what Katie was talking about, realization quickly dawned as he remembered the conversation last night.  Grinning and folding his arms behind his head, Lance replied "Aw, no sweat!  If it's to help a friend, then I'm all yours!"
Smiling (in an eyes closed, in an upside-down 'U', kinda way), Katie said "I'll keep that it mind!  Though you're not gonna start treating me and Ariel differently knowing about the glitches, are you?"
Mock-hurt, Lance put a hand to his chest in mock-offense, stating, "I can't believe you think I would even consider that!  The nerve!"  They both laughed at the comment.
The laughter quickly ending, Lance replied, still grinning. "But seriously, I'd never treat someone different because of something like that!  Nah, to me, you and Ariel are seriously awesome!  I'm actually a little scared of what would happen to Silver if he went up against Ariel in a fight!"
A thought bubble appeared from Lances head of the result of such a fight:  a chibi, and feral mode, Ariel flying victoriously over an also chibi and feral mode Silver, who was a smoking heap on the ground with swirls for eyes.  An arrow pointed at Ariel and say's "Only used one strike".  Another arrow appeared and pointed to Silver.  It say's "Didn't even get a chance to use a strike"
Smiling a bit at the compliment, Katie said, "Alright, well, if you or anyone else needs me, I'll be giving Ariel her medicine."  Hearing this, Ariel immediately became (comically) scared and tried to fly as far away from Katie as possible.  Katie, however, grabbed her foot without even looking, with Ariel still flapping her wings furiously as she tried to escape, a look of pure terror on her face, along with an anime tear of fear.
Stating at the odd sight, Lance asked "Whu-?"
"She hates taking her medication for fleas and ticks.  Of course, since it's only available in the form of a shot currently, it's a necessary evil for her."  Turning away from Lance, Katie shouted to Alice, who was on the roof trying to catch some rays, "Oi, Alice!  Ya mind giving me a hand with Ariel's medication?"   Instantly, Alice's head popped down from the roof, a shot in her hand next to her, and eyes glinting like the devil.
"It's that time of the month again already?  My, how the time passes by~!   It's Needle Time!"  Alice practically sang, her voice dripping with malicious intent.  (…Yes, she's somewhat insane, isn't she?.  )  Seeing this, Ariel sported a look of pure terror, as though the devil was upon her, and flapped her wings at such a rate that a humming bird would be jealous.
"Here, birdie~!"  sang Alice, her shadow now loaming over Ariel, who had gone blue with shock (If you don't know what I'm talking about, look it up on Tv Tropes)
The scene shifted to hours latter, everyone having arrived at the forest.
"So, any idea when they'll be here?" Lance asked, bored and picking his nose.
They had arrived at the forest on time, and had been waiting for the other team for the past 30 minutes.
"Like I would know!" replied Roy, who was fiddling with a gaming console next to him.
"Geez, blame a guy for asking a question." muttered Lance.  "Hey, Ken!  Any idea why the other team isn't here yet?"
As he was about to reply, Ken's cell phone rang.  Checking the caller id, he replied "One sec, I gotta take this…"
Putting the phone to his ear, he began conversing.
"Yeah?...Wait, what?...Oh…yeah, got it….why, though?...EXCUSE ME?!....Hey, don't hang up-**** it!"  Frustrated, Ken closed his phone and seemed to glare at it, his teeth grinding.
"Er, Ken?"
"Don't ask!  Anyway, Toshiro, your opponent, Mr. whats-his-name called!"
"Did he explain-?"
"Yeah!  Apparently, the rest of his team is stuck in traffic, and he went ahead.  He said he's waiting in the forest, so you two better get to it. He'll holler when he see's you, so go straight ahead.  He knows what both of you look like, so I suggest you two split to make it easier. "
"Okay.  But why'd you-?"
"GO!!"
Panicked at the outburst, Toshiro fell from his seat, scrambled up, and ran to the forest, Niko at his side.
"What on earth do you suppose that was about?" asked Niko as they ran amongst the trees.
"Not sure.  It's probably something personal, though, so I guess I shouldn't have asked."
Back with the rest of the gang, Lance's curiosity got the better of him.
"Hey, Ken!  Why'd ya yell-"
"None of your business!"  Ken snapped, clearly still flustered.
"If you want to know, I can tell you!", practically sang Roy.  All eyes swiveled, except for Katie's, as she had already guessed the answer, to Roy.
"How could you know-?"
"I'm the brains of this here team, remember, Urban-hick?  My skills in technology are unsurpassed!"
"…And?"
"Two words:  Bugged. Phones!"
"You listened in-"
"Yep!"  Roy answered happily, grinning like an imp.
Sending a glare Roy's way, Ken said "If you dare-!"
"Ah, shut it!  And remember" said Roy, sending Ken a look "My skills cover a VERY large range.  Or shall I send THIS to all your friends phones." The second after Roy said that, Ken's phone rang again.  Opening it up, a look of horrified embaresment appeared on Ken's face.
"Where'd you-?!"
"That's MY business."
Seeing Ken's head bending forward in defeat, Roy said "As I was saying, the guy who called, Toshiro's opponent, said that he didn't want to come out into the open, on the off chance that any girls saw him and went nuts over him, as, apparently, he's not wearing a shirt!"
Lance just blinked in confusion as Silver, Roy, Warren and Jack burst into laughter at Ken's expense.
"…Why me??", muttered Ken.
Back with Toshiro, he had already found their opponent and was facing him, Niko at his side.
Fred had obviously gotten in even better shape since the picture on his profile was taken, and had a full on six-pack.  And while he was shirtless, he was wearing long jeans and had on sandals.
Eyeing Toshiro skeptically, Fred said "So, YOU'RE my opponent?  Hmph, sending a rookie, the nerve."
"Um, Mr. Portlon?"
"Yeah, what is it, specks?"
"Where's your partner?"
Rolling his eyes, Fred pointed at his right shoulder.
"What are you, blind, even with those glasses?  He's right here on my shoulder."
Squinting his eyes a little, Toshiro was able to make out a small black dot on the shoulder.
"…Small thing, isn't he?  I'm surprised you haven't accidently squashed him."  Remarked Niko somewhat dryly, an eyebrow raised in amusement at his opponents miniscule size.
Surprisingly, Fred put his right hand to his chin in though and said "You know, it's funny you should mention that.  Why just last week-"
As Fred rambled on, both Toshiro and Niko had the same thought, and simultaneously sweat-dropped: '…Is this guy for real?"
"…And don't get me started about how many incidents there were when he first-"
"Are you quite done with your incessant rambling?"  Asked Niko, a vein twitching on his head, and his left eye twitching slightly.
"…Oh!  Sorry about that, sometimes I get side tracked!"  Fred answered, slightly embarrassed, before grinning and saying "So then, let's get this fight started-"
"Um, yeah, before that, I have one quick question."  Said Toshiro.
"What?  Make it quick then!" replied Fred, irritated at being interrupted.
"Got it.  Um, is there any particular reason you're not wearing a shirt?"
Sighing and putting his hand to his face, Fred replied, "You wouldn't believe me, even if I told you."
Making a deadpan expression, Niko dryly remarked, "I've lived in the same house as an idiot who somehow turned toothpaste into a GARDEN TOOL.  Believe me, I've seen it all."
Back with the others, Lance suddenly sneezed, looked around, and went back to whatever he was doing.
"Well, if you really want to know, for the past couple of years now, every shirt I've ever owned has been destroyed in one way or another!  Two weeks ago…"
As Fred started rambling on again, both Niko and Toshiro had the same thought again.
'I think we should stop asking this guy questions.'
"Well, could you at least do something about that huge tattoo on your chest?" asked Toshiro.  "It's kind of unpleasant."
Pointing at said tattoo with his right hand, Fred angrily stated, "This isn't a tattoo!  It's a birthmark!"
Once again, Toshiro and Niko had the same thought, although this time not in the same words.
'…There's no way something THAT huge, or purple, for that matter, can POSSIBLY be a "birthmark"' thought Toshiro.
' "Birthmark" my small, furry butt!  That's a tattoo if I ever saw one!'  thought Niko.
"Are you FINALLY done with your questions?" asked Fred, his impatience wearing thin.
"I believe so." Replied Toshiro, adjusting his glasses in slight embarrassment.
"Finally!  Let's do this, specks!"  Fred stated, as his Soul Partner pill bug, Reggie jumped off his shoulder.
"Spirit Cycle!" they both shouted, and the familiar light enveloped all four of them.  After the light had faded, Niko had once again become a tiger, and Toshiro was in his armor.  Both kept their eyes ahead of them, waiting to see what had become of Fred and his pill-bug.  When the light on their opponents cleared, both Niko and Toshiro's eyes widened, as standing on the ground in front of them, in Reggie's place, was a large-sized beetle, bigger than a rhino but smaller than an elephant, a long and destructive looking horn protruding from his head, splitting at the tip into two equally menacing looking horns.
-------
Without warning, the word "intermission" flashed/appeared on the screen/panel, and Silver spoke.
"Hi, fans!  It's that time again.  However, since Niko's rather busy right now, instead, Warren the goat will be helping us today!  Come on up Warren!"
Warren walked into view, nodding his head at the audience.
"So, this is what you guys do off screen, eh?"
"Yep!"
"Must pay pretty well!"
"Actually, we do this out of our gratitude and kindness to our loyal fans!"
"….You're kidding, right?
"Nope!"
"…Great, now they got me doing community service!"  muttered Warren.
Ignoring Warren, Silver turned to the viewer.
"Alright folks, this weeks little tidbit gonna be brief!  It concerns a little known fact about the pill bug-"
" 'Bug'?  They aren't bugs, you half-brained mutt!  'Pill bugs', or Roly Poly's, as they are also called, are actually isopods, members of the crustacean family.  How on earth they got categorized as insects I'll never know-"
"Aw, man, Warren!  You spoiled it!  And I had a fun little game ready and everything!"  Silver whined at Warren.  Turning to the audience once more, Silver said "Sorry about that folks.  It seems that somebody doesn't know when to keep their mouth shut.  I guess tune in next time Niko and I appear with another segment.  We're still looking for a decent name for this furry little corner of-!  Hey, wait!  That's a perfect-"
The words "Intermission over" appeared/flashed on the panel/screen, just as Warren butted Silver out of view for his comment about his mouth in the middle of his exclamation.
---------

"Holy s***, look at the size of that beetle!"  Exclaimed Lance as he witnessed Reggie's new form on Roy's laptop.
"Quiet, you!  Ya'll are practically shoutin' in my ear!"  exclaimed Roy angrily at Lance.
The gang was centered at Roy's laptop, watching the fight between Toshiro, Niko, and Reggie and Fred.
"By the way, how'd you get access to the camera's in the forest?"
Asked Katie."
" And why were there even camera's there to begin with?"  Asked Lance as well, invading Roy's personal space a bit as he tried to get a better view of the fight.
Slightly irritated, Roy shoved Lance away before replying.
"Well, to answer your questions, first of all, before every match, the officials at the Soul Information Global Network, or SIGN, of GSA, set up camera's at ever match point, so that they can determine a few things.  They determine if a match is fair, and what content is appropriate to broadcast world wide when they do overviews of individual matches.  They usually place a high number of cameras, due to the high probability of most of them getting destroyed, in strategic locations on the battle field, so that they save as many cameras as possible.  And how I got access to the cameras is not your concern, Katie, so butt out!" explained Roy, finishing his sentence with a glare at Katie.
Seeing her about to say something else, Roy sighed and said "Relax, how I got the access was perfectly legal."  Assured Roy, muttering "mostly" under his breath when he was sure Katie wasn't listening.
"Man, this is gonna be one heck of a match!  Niko and Toshiro are gonna OWN that Hercules beetle!"  Exclaimed Lance enthusiastically, pumping his fist into the air.
Snorting in amusement and sending Lance a look with a raised eyebrow, Roy replied "You simpleton.  That's no Hercules; it's clearly a Rhinoceros Beetle, a Japanese one if I ever saw it."
"No, it's a Hercules.  My mom took me to a bug zoo when I was about eight, and I saw a beetle that looked JUST like that, and it was labeled a Hercules."
"Well, clearly some idiot got the labels wrong.  It's a Japanese Rhinoceros."
"It's a Hercules."
"It's a Japanese Rhinoceros."
"Hercules."
"Japanese Rhinoceros."
"Hercules!"
"Japanese Rhinoceros!"
"HERCULES!"
"JAPANESE RHINOCEROS!"
------
At the same time, Niko was waiting for Reggie to make the first move, with neither of them moving an inch.
"So, really think you can take us on, you two?" asked Fred, not impressed with Nikos Feral form in the slightest, leaning a bit on Reggie, his dirt brown armor glistening with what little light penetrated the forest.
"I'll be surprised if that enormous rock you're leaning on will be able to move a muscle, considering how much it must weigh."  Niko retorted.
Shaking his head at the retort, Fred replied, "Don't say I didn't warn you.  Strike three:  Control Spiral!", shouting the last part.
Immediately, the insignia on Reggie, now revealing itself to have been at the base of his horn, glowed brightly.
Bracing himself for what was to come, Niko's eyes widened as a brilliant yellow circle appeared around Reggie's horn.  It slowly increased in size, briefly decreasing to its original size after it became as big as a motorcycle, then expanded rapidly, part of it sweeping over Niko.
The fur on Niko's body stood on end as the wave swept through him, and his eyes watched in confusion and awe as rest of the circle expanded into the forest and out of sight.
Turning his head to Reggie and Fred, who were still in the same position, looking like the battle was already decided, Niko snorted and glared at them.
"Strike one: Saber-Fang!" called out Toshiro.
"Was that little display of yours all you had?  If so, I'm actually fairly disappointed that this is all you've got."  Remarked Niko dryly, his fangs now extended and enlarged with energy, before he charged Reggie and leapt at him.
"Oh, there's FAR more than just that, fish breath."  Fred replied, his face suddenly obscured by his hair, smirking with his teeth showing.
"For instance, THIS!" said Reggie, who spoke in a somewhat soft tone.
Niko was suddenly halted in mid jump, suspended in the air.
Opening his eyes wide in surprise, Niko thought 'What the- How?!'
'Niko!  Look behind you!' exclaimed Toshiro's voice inside his head.
Doing just so, Niko's eyes widened even further as he let out a gasp.
Vines.
Thousands of vines!
There were thousands of vines around his body and legs, constricting his movement and suspending him in midair.  There were even some tree roots shooting from the grounds and holding him in place as well.
Niko was suddenly thrown by the vines though the air, crashing him into several trees.
Shakily getting up, a large amount of splinters wood already in his fur and skin, Niko shook himself, tossing blood and wood.
'You alright?!'  Toshiro thought to him.
Gasping slightly, Niko replied, at first sarcastically, 'Oh, yes, I'm perfectly fine!  I feel like I could jump through a ring of fire and come out without a burn in sight.  I was just thrown like a ragdoll into several trees!  Do you THINK I'd be  alright after that kind of ****?'
'Sorry, standard question.' Toshiro thought back sheepishly.
As Niko was about to reply, his eye caught a glimpse of something.  His eyes widening a little, he leapt to the right, just barely making it as a tree root smacked the area where he had been standing.
'Get away from there!' came Toshiro's thought.
'You don't have to tell me twice!'
Dodging a vine that had been rushing at his leg, Niko's left paw unexpectedly landed right into a hole at the base of a tree.  Not noticing it, Niko tried to twist around and duck as another tree root struck at him.
CRIK!
Howling in pain, Niko's head was grazed by the root as his paw twisted at an odd angle.
Wincing as he got back up, Niko looked at his now twisted paw.
'Great!  I'm not even five minutes into the fight and THIS happens.'
'What's going on?' came Toshiros' thought.
'My paw landed in a tree and I wound up twisting it.  As if dodging those vines and roots wasn't hard enough, now I got this to worry about.'
"Come out, come out, wherever you are, Fish breath!  You can't hide forever!  It's just a matter of time before you get tired of dodging!" came Reggie's soft yet dark voice from somewhere in the forest.  Instantly, three vines shoot out from the left.  Running to the left, Niko managed to dodge one of the vines before his paw erupted in pain.  Stumbling due to his injury, the other two vines struck Niko at the side, sending him crashing into a large rock.  Shakily getting up, Niko's left eye shut as a jolt of pain rocketed throughout his body.
'This is not good.'  Toshiro's worried voice sounded in his head.
'I know.  It's hard to tell just when those vines and roots will strike, and I'm already getting my tail handed to me.  If we only knew where that overgrown ladybug was, we could get a clean shot!'
His ears suddenly picking something up, Niko managed to bound forward as a massive tree root slammed into the spot where he had been.  Looking up, Niko saw multiple vines shot towards him.  Ducking, he managed to avoid one or two before he rolled to avoid four more that lunged into the ground he had ducking onto.
Seeing the last one coming to strike his head from the left, out of the corner of his eye, Nko rapidly thought 'Toshiro!  Strike one, quickly!'
Just as the vine was about to hit him, he snapped his head to the left, his fangs already starting to glow.  He caught the vine in his energized-fangs and quickly bit it in half, all in about a second.
'I swear, this one strike of ours hardly ever really helps.  All it does is let me bite through things my regular teeth couldn't scrap.  What I wouldn't give for our strike type to be something along the lines of healing!'
Struggling to get up, Niko let out a hiss as the pain from his paw and back injuries started up again.
'You bleeding?' asked Toshiro in Niko's mind.
'Nah, I caught a glimpse of the rock after I smacked into it.  There wasn't any-Erk!'  Niko stopped, coughed up some blood.
'D**n it!  Looks like the rock injured me more internally that outwardly.  And here I thought it looked relatively flat.  My spine feels like a bone or two has been dislocated and is poking into one of my organs!'
'Should we forfeit?  If you get hit too many times, the injuries could get critical.'
Rolling his eyes a little, Niko shook his head and replied 'No.  We're in this tournament, and I'll commit seppuku before I lose in the very first match!'
'Hm-hm.  Looks like Lance has influenced you in more ways than you'd like to admi-'
'Don't you dare finish that sentence!  This is a matter of pride!   If we lose after four matches, that's fine by me.  But I'll be skinned alive before I lose the second I enter this thing!'
'Fine, okay!  So, what do you propose?'
Beginning to walk forward, Niko replied 'What else?  I'm a cat; my sense of smell might not be as well developed as Silver's, but it's still pretty grand.'
'…If that's true, then why does Silver eat anything while you're so picky about what you eat?  If Silver's got the better nose, then he should-'
'Sense of smell is not the same as taste in foo-'
Stopping mid-sentence, Niko's nose twitched.  Sniffing the air, Niko turned to his left and began sniffing the ground.
'What-'
'Quiet.  It's pretty faint, but I've got it.'  With that, Niko began following the trail.
After several minutes had passed, Toshiro, mentally, spoke up.
'Niko?'
'Yeah?'
'There's something that's been bugging me the entire time this battle has been going on.  How have Fred and Reggie been able to see where we've been?'
Pausing in his tracks, Niko pondered the question.
'It may have had something to do with that ring that shot through me.'
'Uh, Niko?'
'Yeah?"
'I figured that out the second the vines started attacking.  It really took you that long to figure it out?  I'm sorry, but I think even Lance would have figured that out sooner.'
'…Shut up!  I was busy, and didn't have time to think about that!'  Niko thought angrily, not happy about the comparison.
'Well, I'm sorry, I just thought it was obvious.  So, shall we find where the yellow ring went?'
'Toshiro?'
'Yeah?'
"It's right in front of me.'
And indeed the line was in front of Niko, about 20 feet away, plain as the sun in the sky.
'Just how far did that ring travel?  I can't have traveled more than a couple kilometers!  …By the way, how close are you?'
'My guess is that you've traveled…one and a half kilometers, maybe more.  And as for your second question, don't worry, I must be fairly, close by, seeing as how I can still hear your thoughts, albeit it sounds a little soft.'
Shrugging, Niko walked over to the yellow line, and lowered his head to sniff it.
'Hmm, there's definitely a faint amount of Soul Drive coming from it.  Although how it's controlling the plants escapes me.'
'Well, however it's doing it, we better find out, and fast.'
As he was about to reply, Niko's ears picked up a noise and he wheeled around, snarling.  That snarling quickly turned into a gasp of fear and surprise, as he saw hundreds of vines and tree roots in every direction, jutting from the ground and angling at him form the trees.
'SH**, they're everywhere!'
Just as he thought this, all of them came at him at once, intent on ending the match.  Bracing himself for the attack, Niko backed up a little, shifting the dirt behind him, just as the tendrils were upon him.

Then everything stopped

Blinking in shock, his mouth agape, Niko's saw every one of the vines and roots simply collapse and fall to the ground in their tracks.
'What…the…heck?'  Both Niko and Toshiro thought at the same time.
Still in shock, Niko thought 'But I didn't do any…the ring maybe…?'  Turning his head, both Niko and Toshiro's jaws dropped even further, almost hitting the ground.

His paw had shifted the dirt where the yellow line was when he had backed up.  As if just to emphasize it for the reader, a bright red arrow appeared and pointed like crazy at the shifted dirt, only seen by the audience.

'Is it even POSSIBLE…for it to be THAT easy?' Both Niko and Toshiro thought in their dumbfounded state.

"What do you mean "You suddenly lost control?!" Fred's voice suddenly loudly resounded through the forest, allowing Niko and Toshiro to hear it.
"Niko?"
Turning his head in the direction of the voice, Niko saw Toshiro emerge from some foliage in the forest.
Toshiro looked from Niko to the direction of Fred's Voice as he continued to angrily argue with Reggie, who had started shouting back at him.  Turning his head back to Niko, Toshiro had a "Is what I think is happening REALLY happening…?" look on his face, one of his hands open in front of him in a gesture of disbelief.
"…Oh, I doubt those morons figured it out!   Some squirrel probably just ran through and disrupted it!"
Several moments of silence then passed by, before they heard Fred shout "Strike three:  Control Spiral!"
Several seconds passed, and a yellow line shot past Niko and Toshiro again, landing several yards away from them.
'Can…Can it really be that easy?' though Niko, before sending a quick look of disbelief and cautiousness to Toshiro, who only quickly glanced at the yellow line.  Turning his head back to the line, Niko walked rather quickly over to the line.
Several vines shot out of nowhere, headed straight for Niko, just as he reached the line.  Glancing at the vines for a moment, Niko experimentally shifted some of the dirt where the yellow line was, when the vines were several feet away.
WUMP!
The vines did exactly as they did before, suddenly becoming lifeless and just limping from the trees.  A moment of silence passed before both Toshiro and Niko's jaws dropped anime style in shock, their eyes comically white and blank.
'IT'S THAT EASY?!'  They both thought in shock and incredulousness.
What stunned them even more was Fred's sudden shout of "Yes, I realize they figured it out!  Don't point it out!"
Blinking a few times, Niko shook himself free of the initial shock and turned to Toshiro.
'While he's ranting, I'll take the beetle out!  I still can't believe how EASY it was to overcome that first strike of his, even if I am pretty roughed up already.'
'I know.  It's almost embarrassing!  And don't worry, I've got your back.' Nodding, Niko did what cats were made for and began to silently sneak to Fred's location, Fred's voice being a dead giveaway to it.  After walking as quietly as he could for several minutes, Niko spied Fred and Reggie through some bushes.
'Well, they're still arguing, which will buy me some time while I think of how to deal with Reggie.  The first strike won't don't much good against that beetle's shell, and my body feels like ****…Any thoughts, Toshiro?'
'Well, if we could just get the beetle to open it's shell, or flip it onto its back, we'd have a clear shot.'
'Yeah, but I'm not sure I'll be able to do the second one; I'm strong, but lifting something of that size might be too difficult.  So unless we can unlock a new strike in this battle, we're gonna have to either wait, or I'll have to slide under that thing and do what I can before he realizes what's happened.'
'Well, in the meantime, I've got an idea, so listen up.'
After Toshiro explained the plan to him, Niko's eyes widened briefly.
'That's a fairly risky plan; there's a good chance that I'll slip up.'
'I know, but it's the best shot we have.'  Toshiro finished before nodding to Niko and circling to the left side of Reggie's position.
"Alright, Niko, you go left and get ready for my signal!" whispered Toshiro just loud enough for Fred and Reggie to hear.  Toshiro then picked up some small rocks from the ground and threw them, one by one, to his left at some plants, making sure to make as much noise as possible, before shouting "NOW!  Strike one: Saber-fang!"
Immediately, Fred heard the noise and said "Reggie!"
Reggie spun around and charged at the clump of bushes that had made the noise.  Niko leapt out of his hiding spot and tackled Reggie's side as hard as he could, biting back the pain from his injuries.  Surprised, Reggie was knocked of his feet and onto his side, and before he had time to get up, Niko leapt at his exposed underside, and clawed as much as he could.
"Strike Three: Control Spiral!"  Fred shouted.  The familiar ring shot out from Reggie's horn, and, after several seconds had passed, a huge mix of vines and tree roots rocketed towards Niko, who had managed to do a lot of damage to Reggie's underside.  One of the vines struck Niko from the front, sending him off Reggie and into a tree.  Niko, who was already pretty injured, was now unable to get up, blood from his wounds soaking his fur and dripping from his mouth, as the roots and vines descended on his body.
"NIKO!" shouted Toshiro.
Watching in horror at what was about to happen to Niko, time seemed to slow down for Toshiro.
'..All those vines and roots…!  If they all hit him at once, then…No…No…Nonononononono!  This can't be happening!  Niko's always been there for me, no matter what!  He's always there…AND I WON'T LET HIM DOWN!!'
Suddenly, Toshiro found himself at a place he had seen only twice.
The Soul Bridge.
Looking around while on the platform, Toshiro saw his first strike floating on one side of the platform, it's light green aura a dead giveaway.  Toshiro jumped in surprise when something else began forming next to his first strike.  Eye slowly widening in shock, Toshiro stepped forward as it finally took shape, mouthing what appeared.  Zooming back to reality, Toshiro blinked then thought 'Please let this work!'
Then, he exclaimed "Seishin Sutoraiki Bangō 2： Sutoraipu – Rasshu!"  (It's a Google translation.  If it's not accurate, then tell me.  Why he said it in Japanese will be explained later)