Q was sitting in his expensive apartment, in front of his massive flat screen television set... of course it was able to receive all TV programs of the multiverse, and much more...
He was wearing a crimson bathrobe with a fitting nightcap while watching the evening news of the late Silver Millennium... Every now and then, his hands would reach for the bowl of peanuts standing next to him.
Outside of his apartment window, the vastness of the cosmos was visible, a blanket of darkness littered with various lights in all colors and sizes. A shooting star came flying past Orion, but apart from that, it was quiet in the universe.
Suddenly, a blinding flash appeared in the middle of the omnipotent being's living room. Startled by the sudden intrusion, Q almost fell from his couch.
Cursing in some ancient, forgotten language, he stood up and looked at the blue-furred, winged cat that was floating in front of him.
"Hello there, Q," the cat grinned. "Long time no see, huh? How are things in this corner of the multiverse?"
"Chaos..." Q muttered. Great... one of the few beings he just couldn't stand... Chaos was one of the very, very few creatures that somehow always manages to sneak up on him... and it always startled him senseless.
Q pretended to ignore the fact that the inter-dimensional cat was using his exquisite, Persian carpet to clean his paws and asked in a bored tone: "Chaos... what brings you here? I suppose it's not because of my unbirthday... that was yesterday!" He laughed at his little joke.
"I just came to see how things were going," Chaos said as he reached for Q's bowl of peanuts. "So, you still looking for a way to go on Picard's nerves? Or do you prefer Janeway's companionship momentarily?"
"They've become boring, both of them..." Q grumbled. "I believe the humans of my time have become too intelligent for their own good... Where's the fun in playing with them when they always manage to win? And what about you? Still hanging around with Aladdin and Mirage?"
The winged cat shook his head. "Nah, that century was a little dusty for my tastes... so I decided to visit other timelines. And guess what I found in one certain version of Earth..."
"I suppose you will tell me either way..." Q sighed, sitting down next to the cat.
Chaos grinned as his tail slinked around Q's shoulder. Annoyed, the alien being brushed it off.
"I just remembered the good old days when we still were young... Can you recall the funny little tournaments we held? All the exciting little contests? Who can find the stronger champion? Who can cause more mischief?"
"Ah, yes..." Q sighed. "A phase of my life I'm trying to forget..."
"You know, we can do that again... Let's visit various timelines, collect a few interesting, strong fighters and let them battle each other... Just like in the good old times! What do you say, huh?"
"I hate to say it, Chaos," Q grumbled. "But we've done that so many times before... How many times? Thousand times? A million times? Dunno. But what I know is, it has all lost its appeal... the most destructive force a fighter can have is when he's able to destroy several planets with a flick of his finger. And, let's be honest... Battles with those fighters have never been very exciting, correct?"
"That's true," Chaos admitted. "But I came up with some very exciting ideas, to spice things up a little..."
His grinning visage approached the disgusted-looking face of Q. "You ever heard of a place called 'Jusenkyo'?"
"Jusenkyo...? Jusenkyo...?" Q tapped his finger against his chin. "Sounds familiar... but I can't quiet put my finger on it... A little tip, please?"
"Q!" Chaos was indignant. "How can an omnipotent and omniscient being like you forget about a fun place like Jusenkyo? Honestly... Jusenkyo, remember? The place with all the cursed springs?"
"Ah, yes, I remember..." Q snapped his finger. "You mean that training place on Earth, in China... doesn't its pools cause a transformation that's triggered by hot and cold water?"
"Bingo!" Chaos cheered. "Now what do you say we take a small sample from every single spring in Jusenkyo and take it with us... and then we arrange our little tournament. BUT..." He raised a finger. "The twist is: Every single participant will get a Jusenkyo curse while fighting his opponent... Also, everyone is allowed to take two bottles of water with him... either hot or cold, that's his decision. Also, in some of the arenas, there will be either river and ponds with cold water... or hot springs. The fighters can try to use them to their advantage... or push their enemies inside. Doesn't that sound like fun?"
Q thought about it. "Hmmmm... it has a certain appeal... But still, how can we make sure that the warriors participating will show us a good fight?"
"Wait, I'm not finished," Chaos spoke up. "I came up with another idea... we make this an 'alphabetical' tournament. We try to find at least two strong fighters with the same initials in their names, who will then fight each other. The victor will then meet the winner of the following number in the alphabet, for another battle... A meets B, C meets D... and finally, when all the other participants have been defeated, the final two remaining champions will meet each other in the last battle... What do you say? Doesn't that sound great? I say we'll do it! C'mon! C'mon!"
Q looked at Chaos. "One condition: Each one of us has to pick one half of the warriors, and they will fight for him. So it will also become a contest between you and me."
"You mean: Each one of us has a champion with the letter 'A', for instance?"
"Exactly!"
Chaos nodded. "Deal! But then, the Jusenkyo forms have to start with the same initial as the fighter, okay? Like: A fighter called 'Gendo' could be a gerbil..."
"Accepted! Chaos, my friend, I have to say... Sometimes, you come up with surprisingly brilliant ideas."
Bashfully, the omnipotent cat waved his paw.
----
And so, two of the most powerful pranksters in the universe set out to find 23 champions each, so they would fight each other in a transformative battle contest.
And this story is the story of one of those champions. And the name of this champion is...
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(Posted Wed, 15 Nov 2006 17:11)
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