Sorry it took so long to get this chapter posted, but I had a lot on my plate in terms of writing stories. Still, better late than never, I suppose. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and leave lots of good reviews.

*I still don't own Chaotic, or RWBY!*

Ah, another beautiful day in Chaotic. There were players from all over Remnant socializing, trading scans, talking strategy, and of course battling in the Dromes. It was certainly a peaceful afternoon…

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"

A~nd I retract my previous statement.

Sitting at a table sharing a pizza was Jaune Arc and his partner, Pyrrha Nikos. And it looks like the two of them are getting into a bit of a dispute over something. But what that is, I don't know.

Let's take a listen and find out, shall we?

"You heard me." Jaune said.

"Oh, I heard you. OverWorlders are better than UnderWorlders," replied a sarcastic Pyrrha. "IN YOUR DREAMS!"

If there was one thing in all of Remnant that Pyrrha hated more than someone else trying to get with Jaune, it's that terrible cereal Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flakes. And if there's anything she hates more than that, it's people dissing the UnderWorld tribe. It made her temper flare up like a raging Torrent of Flame attack! And she is not afraid to voice her opinion.

"Compared to UnderWorlders, OverWorlders are wimps!" Pyrrha declared.

Naturally, this comment riled up Jaune.

"Wimps?! Huh!"

In response to this, Jaune brought out his blue OverWorld Scanner and began flipping through several of his OverWorld creature scans. Some of which he's just recently gotten.

"Then I guess Heptadd's a wimp. And Velreth's a wimp, and Najarin, and…"

"Jaune, I'm not saying that OverWorlders are terrible creatures. I have them in my deck too." Pyrrha reassured. "I'm just saying that out of all the tribes, only one has the guts to do whatever it takes to win. And that tribe is the UnderWorld!"

Unaware to Pyrrha, a certain team leader was sitting at a table near the two members of Team JNPR, and was listening to everything Pyrrha was saying. And from what I can tell, she doesn't like that.

Pyrrha took out her red UnderWorld Scanner and began to flip through her own scans to emphasize her point to her leader/not-so-secret love interest.

"Lord Van Bloot, Skithia, Magmon, ALL the UnderWorlders! They have totally fierce firepower, and they're never afraid to use it!"

While Pyrrha was ranting, a certain hooded girl was clenching her fists in anger. She crushed her soda can and got up to confront the redhead spartan of Team JNPR. And all the while, Pyrrha remained ignorant to her presence.

"Hmph, UnderWorlders toast OverWorlders for breakfast! Face it, Jaune. UnderWorlders rule, OverWorlders DROOL." mocked Pyrrha.

But she was so busy mocking Jaune and his deck of OverWorld cards that she didn't sense a very irate redhead OverWorld player walking up behind her. However, Jaune noticed her presence and tried to get Pyrrha to stop her rant.

"Um, Pyr?"

"Let me just finish by saying that compared to your pesky OverWorlders, UnderWorlders are…"

"Conceited lamos?"

Pyrrha glared and turned around to see Ruby with a challenging smirk on her face. And, in no way, did it make her look adorable. It actually made her look very menacing.

"With UnderWorld fans to match!" she declared.

"Did you really just call UnderWorlders and their fans conceited lamos?" Pyrrha asked in both outrage and disbelief.

Ruby merely nodded, the smirk never leaving her face.

"You just bought yourself a match with an UnderWorld fan, Ruby!" Pyrrha said. "My screen name is BronzeChampion."

"You may be a champion, Pyrrha, but I'm the reaper. The CrimsonReaper." Ruby said.

That drew several gasps from all of the players within hearing range. They've all heard of CrimsonReaper, a young Chaotic player who's never lost a battle since she first got to Chaotic. Her OverWorld deck is nigh unbeatable, and she knows that. And apparently, Pyrrha has just earned her ire by dissing the OverWorld Tribe. A common trait among UnderWorld players.

"You… you can't be serious…!" stuttered Pyrrha.

"Meet me in Battle Drome Crellan at noon. We'll see who rules and who drools then!" Ruby said.

With a flourish of her cloak, she turned and began walking away to prepare her deck for battle. All the while, Pyrrha stood there looking like it was the end of the world.

'DAH, PYRRHA NIKOS, WHY DO YOU HAVE TO HAVE SUCH A BIG MOUTH?!'

OverWorld VS. UnderWorld!

Later on, in the Crellen Drome, Pyrrha was just walking in while Ruby seemed to be waiting for her. The redhead member of Team JNPR was nervous about battling Ruby, not just because of their friendship, but because she has no knowledge of Ruby's actual experience in Drome battles like this one. So she thought about using psychological warfare to bluff her way out of this one.

"Are you sure you want to do this and risk breaking your winning streak?" Pyrrha asked as she docked her scanner.

"Hmph! Typical UnderWorlder!" scoffed Ruby. "Trying to back out and slither away like the coward you are!"

Back in the snack port, Jaune was watching the screen with an uneasy feeling about this battle. He REALLY doesn't like seeing two of his friends fight like this.

'Don't let Ruby psych you out like that, Pyr! Focus on the game!' he mentally instructed.

"Hello, mister Arc." Ozpin greeted as he and Glynda sat with him.

They looked up at the viewing screen and were astounded to see one of their favorite students in a major battle in the Dromes. They certainly hadn't expected her to be battling today. They thought she'd be going on a Scan Quest.

"Oh my! Ruby? This should be a quick match." Glynda commented.

"Yeah. For Pyrrha." Jaune replied.

"PYRRHA?!" gasped Glynda and Ozpin.

Well, props to you, Chaotic. They hadn't seen this one coming.

"Pyrrha was doing her usual thing, going off about UnderWorlders and…"

"Miss Rose heard her." Ozpin said, cutting off Jaune. "From what I can tell, Ruby is a fan of doing two things here. Slamming UnderWorlders and dissing the players that love them. Except for her sister, of course."

"It's a well known fact that OverWorlders detest UnderWorlders, and the feeling is mutual. But Ruby has begun to take the whole thing personally." Glynda added.

"Yeah, I could tell." quipped Jaune. "I wonder why the two tribes hate each other so much?"

After taking a sip from his root beer, Ozpin decided to try and field this one.

"It's one of those deep rooted hatred from the very beginning kind of events. You see, the four tribes…"

"Shush, Oz, we can't hear! They're starting!" shushed Glynda.

"Oh. Sorry."

Back in the Drome, the battle boards of both players had been revealed as the two players locked their decks. And what a pair of battle teams it is!

"The boards have been revealed."

On the side of the UnderWorld, Pyrrha has a team consisting of Skithia, Krekk and Lord Van Bloot. On the side of the OverWorld, spearheaded by Ruby Rose, we have a lineup consisting of Crawsectus, Tartarek and Maxxor.

"Very interesting, ladies. An UnderWorld deck versus an OverWorld deck. The tribes are mortal enemies, and the players seem to share the sentiment. CrimsonReaper, you are undefeated. You will attack first. Activate the Location Randomizer."

"Yay!" cheered Ruby.

She spun the randomizer, making the locations fly by at an alarming rate before it stopped on a location I'm sure you're all familiar with.

"The OverWorld Riverlands: a very beautiful, yet potentially dangerous location. CrimsonReaper, select your attacking and target creatures, please."

"Crawsectus attacks the repulsive, pasty white got girl, Skithia!"

Ruby touched her chosen card and was enveloped in a swirling vortex of code. When it died down, in Ruby's place stood a monster Crawdad. He growled as he stretched his limbs a bit. Pyrrha was unimpressed.

"Ugh, you think Skithia is repulsive?" she asked, selecting her card. "You look like last week's seafood combo!"

She too was enveloped in a swirling vortex of code and in her place stood Skithia, one of Lord Van Bloot's most trusted warriors.

Skithia appears as a blue demon wearing black leather one-piece armor, black leather boots with a spike on the toe, and black fingerless gloves also with spikes.

"Enough trash talk, ladies. Let the battle begin!"

In a flash, the two were transported to a location where many people could participate in some rather wet and wild battles. It's here, on a nearby cliff, where Skithia is scouring the area for her prey. Seeing no signs of Crawsectus thus far, she began to parkour her way across the rocky bluffs and falls that made up the Riverlands.

Pretty soon, she came upon something out of place. A large shadow in a pool of shallow water. Her eyes narrowed as she knew exactly who she was dealing with.

"Time for an old fashioned fish fry!" Skithia said to herself.

Knowing he'd been spotted, Crawsectus leapt out of the water and onto a flat rock. He roared at Skithia, who wasn't at all afraid of him. In fact, she was ready and waiting for him to come out of the water.

"Flame Orb!"

Her hands ignited in flames as she shot a fireball at Crawsectus. But he was more than ready. In a flash of code, a golden ring materialized on his crusher claw and projected an energy shield that absorbed the fireball upon impact.

"My Ring of Na'arin absorbs your attacks!" Crawsectus declared.

"But it won't forever! Let's test the limits of your little trinket against my Liquilizer!" Skithia shot back.

In her hands materialized a gun-like Battlegear that is well-known throughout Perim. But Skithia was saving the majority of its power to finish Crawsectus in one foul swoop. For now, she was mostly shooting more and more Flame Orb attacks.

But Crawsectus did well to block each and every one of Skithia's attacks. And true to his word, the Ring of Na'arin was able to absorb each one. He hopped to another rock and absorbed another Flame Orb, when to his dismay… the energy shield his ring was projecting shut down. Crawsectus shook his Battlegear to try and get it working again, but was unsuccessful.

"Uh oh…!" he groaned.

Skithia smirked and fired an Ember Swarm attack at Crawsectus, scoring a direct hit against his armored carapace. Crawsectus groaned and stood back up as he glared at the UnderWorlder who was his enemy.

"Surf's up, Skithia. Riptide!"

From his claw, Crawsectus shot a stream of pressurized water at the female UnderWorld creature. Unfortunately, for Skithia, she couldn't get out of the way fast enough and got hit directly by the attack, the force of which sent her falling into the water.

Crawsectus roared in triumph as his ability kicked in. A white glow shone off his body as some of the damage he received from Skithia's attack was healed. Something that confused Jaune, as he doesn't have a Crawsectus card.

"What the? How's he getting his energy back?" Jaune asked. "He didn't use healing Mugic."

"Crawsectus heals every time he scores a hit with a water attack in the Riverlands. Ruby knows every creature in her deck, and she knows how to use them well." Ozpin explained.

"Yeah? Well, so does Pyrrha." Jaune declared.

"I suppose that we'll soon find out just how well." quipped Glynda.

Back in the Riverlands, Skithia had leapt out of the water and landed on a plateau before she and Crawsectus began glaring at each other. Both have suffered some damage, but Crawsectus will be code in one more attack. And Skithia knows this.

"This fight isn't over, yet! Canon of Casualty!" Skithia intoned.

Using her only Magician Counter, she cast a famous UnderWorld Mugic that deals twenty damage to the enemy. In fact, as the melody of this Mugic played, it sent down a beam of red hot fire light towards Crawsectus. But he had just the thing to counter it.

"Refrain of Denial, destroy her Mugic!"

Another seven Mugic notes, faster than those of the Canon of Casualty, played through the air as a blue and gold light beam intercepted the red one. It cancelled out the Canon of Casualty and kept Crawsectus from becoming code.

Back in the pub, all those watching were astounded by such a counter. Even Jaune.

"Whoa, Nelly! I gotta scan me one of those!" he said to himself.

Back in the match, Crawsectus was ready to end it. And he knows that he can, too.

"Time to put you on ice! Frost Blight!"

Opening his mouth wide, Crawsectus breathed out a beam of freezing cold energy. Skithia gasped and began leaping from rock face to rock face, dodging every blast. At first, it looked like she was going to get away, but it seems her luck ran out when her lower legs got frozen by a glancing blow.

She grunted in pain as she skidded across the rocks. She knew it would be pointless to move her legs, so she settled for glaring defiantly at her OverWorld adversary. And back in the pub, Jaune looked like he was gonna have a panic attack at seeing Pyrrha lose like this.

"I can't watch!" he said, covering his eyes.

But Glynda stopped him from doing so.

"Have a little more faith in your friend's abilities, mister Arc. You're about to see just what an UnderWorlder can do."

Jaune looked back at the screen, and saw that Skithia was gathering a good amount of fire in her hand. But Crawsectus didn't seem all that worried.

"Your time's up, Crawsectus! Torrent of Flame!"

Skithia shot the fire into the water and kept up a continuous stream of fire. It had the desired effect of making the water around Crawsectus rapidly boil and steam rise up. Crawsectus screeched in pain at the feeling of being cooked alive before bursting into code.

The scene shifts to the Crellen Drome, where Skithia stood victorious while Ruby fumed at her loss in the Riverlands. But now she understands what Crawsectus meant by having no tolerance for being steam cooked.

"Looks like your Crawsectus got a little steamed." Skithia punned, turning back into Pyrrha.

And Ruby's not laughing.

"Beginner's luck! That just ran out!" Ruby growled.

"CrimsonReaper, move your creatures if you wish."

"I'm moving Maxxor to the Frontline." Ruby said, more to herself.

She placed her hand on her Maxxor card and moved it across the holographic game board to the front. After doing this, Pyrrha spun her own Location Randomizer and got a location that she knows her creatures will do great in.

"Yes! Krekk will do great in the Lava Pond!" she cheered to herself. "Krekk attacks Maxxor!"

"Ha! Krekk in the Lava Pond! That's a no brainer!" gloated Glynda.

"Not against Maxxor." Jaune interjected. "That used to be my own Maxxor scan before I gave it to Ruby along with her Scanner. Like Heptadd, he's Ultra Rare and ultra skilled. He can use both fire and earth elemental attacks, AND is a strong Mugic User!"

"True, but then again, Pyrrha might've had more of a challenge going up against your Heptadd. Some say that he's tapped into the Cothica." Glynda replied.

Jaune raised an eyebrow in confusion. He's never heard of something called the Cothica.

"The what?" he asked.

"The Cothica is a huge part of Chaotic, Jaune. It's why the four tribes battle, or so the legends say." Ozpin explained. "Okay, Perim history 101! In the beginning, there was this great source of limitless energy that the creatures discovered in the UnderWorld."

There was a record scratching noise as Glynda interrupted her boss.

"Uh, excuse me? It was in the OverWorld." she stated.

"Look, in my version, it's the UnderWorld, thank you very much. So, as I was saying, back in the olden days, the four tribes lived in joyful peace and harmony because the Cothica gave them everything they could ever need. But one day, someone gets a little greedy. The UnderWorlders went agro and wanted the Cothica all for themselves!"

"Can we please just watch my student's match in peace?" Glynda demanded, fed up with the UnderWorld propaganda.

"You watch with your eyes, not your ears." Ozpin quipped.

"Professor…" groaned Jaune.

"Okay, taking the hint! Zipping the lip!"

Back in the Drome, Pyrrha as Krekk was flying through the Lava Pond before he landed on a stalactite, hiding from Maxxor's view. He'd already used his Battlegear, a Mugician's Lyre, to give himself a Mugic Counter in order for his strategy to work. He watched with a big, toothy grin and narrowed his one eye as Maxxor flew past him using a Torwegg. Looks like the Hunter has finally found his prey.

Taking off from his perch, Krekk flew past Maxxor and straight ahead towards some more stalactites, making the leader of the OverWorld look around upon hearing the sound of beating wings. His eyes narrowed even though he had yet to actually see the enemy.

That's when Krekk made his move, setting his claws on fire and slashing the base of a few stalactites. The pointed stones fell towards Maxxor, but he was able to dodge all of them and flew up on his Torwegg. He glared at Krekk, seeming to glare right into the UnderWorlder's very soul.

Then, he struck with a Lavalanche attack, missing Krekk as he went down in a steep dive. Maxxor flew after him, shooting another Lavalanche, this time hitting the lava as Krekk pulled up. Maxxor halted his attack and glared even harder, daring him to make a move with his eyes.

And unfortunately for him, Krekk did just that.

"Discord of Disarming!"

Utilizing his one and only Mugic Counter, Krekk cast a Mugic that sent a wave of light at Maxxor. The Hero of the OverWorld gasped and tried to fly away, but he was too late. His Torwegg was hit by the light beam and began to sputter and die. He didn't make it halfway across the lava before it finally gave out.

Maxxor screamed as he began to fall towards the lava, but he recovered in time to use an attack that saved him.

"Vine Snare!" intoned Maxxor.

Shooting vines from his finger, he latched onto a stalactite and swung his way to the safety of the rocks. He ran away from the lava's edge and waited as Krekk came to him. Krekk cackled like a maniac as he flew towards Maxxor, but was taken by surprise when Maxxor shot a Pebble Storm attack at him. He gasped as he was taken off guard by the attack and tanked a direct hit, but he recovered quickly.

He quickly stopped himself from flying backwards and threw a Flame Orb at Maxxor, bouncing it off a cropping of stalagmites and hitting the OverWorld leader in the back. Maxxor got up and shook the dizziness off before roaring in anger and initiating a Rock Wave attack. The attack had the desired effect of sending the cowardly Krekk flying up to safety so Maxxor could launch his plan.

Closing his eyes, Maxxor was enveloped by a swirling mass of code. The code disappeared and revealed a new creature in his place. A humanoid turtle who seemed to be an old man, if his beard, eyebrows and walking stick are any indication. This creature is Tartarek, and he roared as he was ready to fight.

Krekk's lone eye widened in surprise, as he hadn't expected a creature like Tartarek to come out to play. And the OverWorld turtle used this moment of hesitance to strike with an energy based attack from his cane. It struck Krekk in the chest, sending him back before he fell into the lava. But Tartarek didn't take the time to celebrate. He knows it'll take more than a little molten rock to defeat the likes of Krekk.

Naturally, not having a scan of Tartarek, Jaune freaked out.

"How did Ruby do that?! She just switched out Maxxor with… uh…"

"Tartarek?" Glynda supplied.

"Yeah, him. Tartarek." Jaune replied.

"It's Tartarek's special ability. He's able to switch places with another OverWorlder when they're in battle. OverWorlders take the teamwork thing VERY seriously." Ozpin explained.

Back in the battle in the Lava Pond, Krekk was coughing and wheezing as he hauled himself out of the lava onto dry land. He may be immune to the damaging effects of the molten rock, but that doesn't mean his insides were as fireproof. He glared dangerously at Tartarek as he stood to his full height.

"Nice trick." he commented, coughing one last time. "What's next? Gonna pull a rabbit out of your shell?"

"No, but my next one will make you disappear!" Tartarek declared, punching the ground as he fired off another attack. "Rock Wave!"

Krekk was mostly unprepared for the barrage of jagged rocks being sent his way, but he pushed himself through the pain and tried to get himself airborne. But Tartarek wasn't about to let him.

"Viperlash!"

Thrusting his walking stick into the air, Tartarek shot forth twin snakes that quickly constricted around Krekk's legs, catching the UnderWorlder by surprise and allowing Tartarek to slam him into the ground. The demonic looking UnderWorld creature groaned as the snakes vanished, while Tartarek readied himself for further battle.

Krekk hated that smug look on Tartarek's face and glared as he leapt up to his feet and tried to claw at him with the talons on his feet. But the turtle-like OverWorlder was faster than he looked, easily blocking the talons with his staff and sending Krekk back. But Krekk wasn't done. He ran towards Tartarek and tried to punch him in the chest. Unfortunately for Krekk, this idea backfired as he only ended up hurting his hand by punching Tartarek's shell.

True, the underside of the shell may be slightly weaker than the back, but it's still more than strong enough to repel most physical attacks like a simple punch. Tartarek smirked as he knew he had the upper hand. He grabbed Krekk by the wing, but the UnderWorlder retaliated by trying to sweep his feet out from under him. This in turn started a good old fashioned fist fight between OverWorld and UnderWorld. As Tartarek tried to strike Krekk with his cane, Krekk caught the wooden weapon and held it at bay with both arms. Still, he wasn't through yet.

Krekk took flight, cackling dangerously as he gathered fire in the palm of his hands. He shot a few Flame Orb attacks at Tartarek, but he wasn't worried. The OverWorld creature dropped his walking stick and quickly retracted his head and limbs into his shell for extra defense, causing the fire attacks to bounce harmlessly off his shell. Sticking his head and limbs out again, Tartarek picked up his walking stick as Krekk landed and readied his claws. One way or another, someone was going down hard.

Krekk rushed in and tried to attack Tartarek again, only to get swatted away by the turtle's walking stick. And while Krekk was down, Tartarek shot a Pebble Storm attack from his hand at the downed gargoyle-esque creature. An attack that Krekk attempted to block with his wings. Unfortunately, this defense wasn't enough for him to survive the attack with how low his energy had become, and he was rendered nothing but code.

Pyrrha and Ruby were returned to the Drome as they both had different reactions to how that fight turned out. On the outside, Pyrrha seemed calm, but her eyes were burning with a rage so intense, one would hardly recognize her as the real Pyrrha is they didn't know her any better.

"And down goes the ugly excuse for a gargoyle!" Ruby cheered as she changed back from Tartarek. "This just proves that OverWorlders are stronger than UnderWorlders!"

"Maxxor wimped out last time, Ruby! But with my next move, you ain't gonna be switching creatures to try and save another!" Pyrrha declared.

"Oh, he won't need to, Pyrrha. Because I'm saving the best for last!" Ruby exclaimed.

She spun her Location Randomizer, and ended up getting the Forest of Life for her next location.

"Tartarek attacks Skithia!"

This time, the fight ended in a way nobody expected. A Double K.O., which is quite rare in a Chaotic match, unless one uses Sacrifice, which is an ability unique to the Mipedian tribe. The two girls ended up back in the Drome, smirking as they both mentally prepared themselves for the final battle.

"It's my Maxxor versus your Lord Van Bloot. And we're gonna win this fight!" Ruby declared.

"We shall see. BronzeChampion, activate the Location Randomizer."

Pyrrha spun her randomizer and got a location that Ruby should have seen coming. Gothos Tower. A location that was actually Van Bloot's home in the UnderWorld.

"You may have beaten Maxxor in the Lava Pond, but he won't lose to the likes of Van Bloot!" Ruby declared.

"Maxxor wimped out last time! But now, he can't run away!" Pyrrha quipped.

She and Ruby touched their cards and instantly became their creatures. One of which, one would think a boy would prefer to use instead of a girl.

Lord Van Bloot resembles a male harpy mixed with a skeleton. He features blue-green skin that closely resembles bones, as well as one black eye and a mechanical, red eye. His huge, teal, feathery wings allow him to reach high speeds while in flight. He is seen wearing a blue fur loincloth and metal arm-guards. Most of his head remains bald to further reinforce his skeletal-like appearance, but he does possess a long, slim, brown ponytail.

"So, let's get Chaotic for the final time this match!" Van Bloot exclaimed.

In response, Maxxor narrowed his eyes and punched his fist into his palm. A gesture that clearly said one thing to the UnderWorld Muge. 'Bring it on!'. And watching back in the pub, Jaune was amazed by how skilled Pyrrha was! She's as good at fighting in the actual Chaotic fights as she is at tabletop and online battles!

Then again, Pyrrha has always made it a point to prepare for any and all possible contingencies.

"Look at this! Pyrrha may actually win this thing!" exclaimed an excited Jaune. "Maybe she's right. Maybe UnderWorlders ARE better than OverWorlders."

"Despite what the OverWorld's defender has to say." Glynda quipped with a smirk and a pointed look at Ozpin.

"OBJECTION, YOUR HONOR!" shouted Ozpin.

"Sorry, 'professor', but your Perim history is all incorrect." Glynda retorted.

"Oh, really?" Ozpin asked with heavy sarcasm.

"Yes. There was an all-powerful source of everything called the Cothica, but it was in the OVERWORLD. The OverWorlders were the ones who went klepto and wanted it all to themselves! They were all high and mighty about how the Cothica should be used, much like how most of the people of Atlas behave. And whoever didn't agree was the bad guy." Glynda explained, mumbling that art about Atlas and its people.

She knows that Weiss, while still having her Schnee family pride, has overcome much of her Atlas superiority complex and has become a much better person as a result of it. All of the other teachers could agree, as they much preferred the more laid back version of Weiss who let her actions speak for her, rather than the old prim and prissy version who would correct you for drinking a glass of juice the wrong way.

...Seriously, she did that once when Nora tried to drink a glass of orange juice through her nose. But then again, she did save the hammer happy girl a LOT of sinus difficulties because of it.

"Can I PLEASE watch my student's match without all the UnderWorld propaganda?" Ozpin asked, less than amused by Glynda's theory.

The scene shifts to Maxxor walking up to the front door of Gothos Tower. He looked up and saw the rather intricate and highly foreboding design of the castle before clicking his tongue in disgust.

"Not exactly my idea of a structurally sound home. When I'm through here, I'll remodel the place." Maxxor said to himself.

He walked up to the door and roughly pushed it open, only to start hacking and wheezing at the foul stench that was pushed out by a gust of wind. Once he got his coughing under control, Maxxor entered the castle while subtly looking around.

"Ugh, Van Bloot could really use a fumigator!" wheezed Maxxor.

He stopped at a stone column and had to suppress a shiver at the sight of a rat crawling up it.

"And an exterminator." he added as an afterthought.

Hey, it may be Maxxor on the outside, but on the inside, it's still Ruby. And she hates anything having to do with the foul vermine that are rats. Mice she can handle, because they're tiny and cute. But rats? Blech! No way!

Eventually, Maxxor heard the sound of beating wings. As he did, however, he could see nothing as he looked around. But that's impossible. Nothing invisible should be here! ...Unless…

"Son of a-"

Maxxor was cut off by a powerful Pebble Storm that was launched at him. Lucky for him, he dodged in time. Looking up, Maxxor was surprised to see Van Bloot materialize in the darkness of the castle.

"How did you?!"

"Did you really not do your research on UnderWorlders?" mocked Van Bloot. "Here in Gothos Tower, Van Bloot gains the power of Invisibility! So I don't need to be a Mipedian to just vanish into thin air!"

Maxxor growled an narrowed his eyes at that stupid ability. He knew it would take a lot for either of them to defeat each other here, but he's got more than just elemental abilities here. He has Mugic. And he used one of them to do something about that invisibility thing.

"Sorry, Pyr, but let's take this fight somewhere else! Song of Translocation!"

Using a Mugic Counter, Maxxor cast a Mugic that Van Bloot had hoped he wouldn't use. As the musical notes played, both creatures were bathed in light and transported to a location in the OverWorld called Ravannah Ridge. Van Bloot gasped as his invisibility wore off, allowing Maxxor to attack while his guard was down.

"Torrent of Flame!"

Maxxor shot a stream of fire from his hands, catching Van Bloot off guard and sending him into a rock wall. This caused him to lose ten energy from the Torrent of Flame, and an additional five energy from environmental damage. This brought him down from 70 energy to 55 energy. But in response to this little attack, Van Bloot growled and took flight before using one of his strongest discipline attacks.

"Power Pulse!" yelled Van Bloot.

Punching the air, he shot a pair of plasma bolts at his OverWorld enemy. They hit home, bringing Maxxor down to 40 energy, but Van Bloot wasn't done yet. He shot a Rock Wave attack at Maxxor, dealing an additional 10 energy's worth of damage to the downed OverWorlder. And just to add insult to injury, Van Bloot hit him with yet another Power Pulse attack.

Landing on the ground, Van Bloot began to slowly make his way to Maxxor. With the OverWorld Hero's energy as low as it is, he's not a real threat anymore.

"Whoa, it looks like Pyrrha's about to end Ruby's winning streak!" exclaimed Jaune.

"True, but Maxxor is an OverWorlder, Jaune. Don't count him out yet." Ozpin said.

"You fought valiantly, Maxxor. And damage me you did, yes. But in the end of the end, alas." Van Bloot gloated. "Any last words before you're nothing but code?"

Maxxor struggled to get up, glaring weakly yet heatedly at his UnderWorld adversary. He still has one more Mugic left. He just hopes he chose the right one.

"Just these…" groaned Maxxor. "Miraculous Song of Rejuvenation…"

Van Bloot gasped. He's been duped! Seven new music notes began to resonate through the ridge as Maxxor was bathed in a healing light that restored his energy. ALL of his energy.

"Look at that! Now Maxxor is getting all his energy back!" Jaune practically screamed in shock.

Now fully healed, Maxxor snapped his eyes open and shot his Iron Balls attack at Van Bloot, sending him back and down into a crevasse. But Van Bloot wasn't out of it yet. He quickly righted himself and dug his claws into the walls of the crevasse, slowing him to a stop just before he hit a bunch of sharp stalagmites.

"Oi… that was close…!" sighed Jaune.

"Yes, and now Pyrrha will show Ruby the true strength of the UnderWorld!" Glynda declared.

"Don't go dissing the OverWorld, Glynda, or we're gonna have a battle right here!" threatened Ozpin.

"I'll battle you anywhere, you coffee guzzling-"

"Guys, PLEASE! Let's just watch the match." snapped Jaune.

Meanwhile, Maxxor had just climbed all the way to the top of a huge statue of an OverWorld creature that must have existed when Perim was still young. One who was likely a true hero of the OverWorld.

"Where are you, UnderWorld coward?! COME OUT AND FIGHT ME!" bellowed Maxxor, still brimming with power from the healing Mugic.

Slowly, Van Bloot hauled himself out of the crevasse and stood to his full height. He spread his wings and flew up to the top of a statue that must have been an UnderWorld Conqueror many years ago. The Conqueror Muge of the UnderWorld smirked and cackled as he glared down at Maxxor.

"Be careful what you wish for, Over-WIMP! You just might get it!" Van Bloot retorted.

And back in the Chaotic Pub, Jaune was growing tired of the ever increasing animosity between the two tribe's warriors. It was just getting ridiculous!

"Okay, I get that OverWorlders hate UnderWorlders and UnderWorlders hate OverWorlders, but your stories about why are totally different!" exclaimed Jaune. "Who were the good guys, and who were the bad guys? All I know is they're different! Pyrrha's UnderWorld deck is great because she can sacrifice some creatures to heal others, and my OverWorld deck rocks because I can use some creatures to help out others."

"Yes, but the UnderWorlders had to be stronger, because-"

"The OverWorlders were the good guys! They were the ones trying to-"

"TIME OUT!" Jaune shouted, stopping the argument between his teachers. "Let's just agree to disagree, okay?"

Ozpin and Glynda glared at each other for a little bit before turning away from each other and saying their agreements in a dismissive manner.

"Fine!"

"Whatever!"

Meanwhile, with Maxxor and Van Bloot, the two continued to stare each other down. They dared the other to make a move with their eyes, just waiting to see what was happening. Their bodies were running on pure adrenaline by now, and it showed at least in Van Bloot due to being so low on energy.

"It all comes down to this… the good versus the evil." Maxxor said.

"You're right. But who's who?" Van Bloot challenged.

Both creatures readied their next attack, ready to destroy their enemy no matter what it took.

"Rock Wave!" intoned Van Bloot.

"Lavalanche!" yelled Maxxor.

While Van Bloot slammed his fists on the ground and sent jagged rocks and boulders at Maxxor, the green creature shot pressurized lava straight towards the UnderWorlder. Both creatures managed to dodge their enemy's attack, and glared as they readied their next move.

"Pebblestorm!" Van Bloot yelled.

"Ember Swarm!" Maxxor intoned.

Both attacks were shot at the exact same time and easily collided in the middle, canceling each other out. This only served to get the crowd's blood pumping even more than it was before.

"OVERWORLD! OVERWORLD!/ UNDERWORLD! UNDERWORLD!" chanted the crowd.

"That Ember Swarm attack was just for a little fun. Your energy's so low I can goof around a little. But now that we're just about done here…"

"This fight isn't over yet, Maxxor! I still have this!" Van Bloot declared as he used a Mugic. "Song of Fury!"

Seven deathly sounding music notes resonated as dark red energy shot down towards Maxxor and dealt ten damage to him, causing Maxxor to screech in pain from the Mugic. However, Van Bloot seemed to grow in size and power due to this Mugic's use. And finally… they both charged at each other.

Meeting in the middle, Van Bloot and Maxxor continued to try and fight each other off and send the other plummeting to the ground first. But as they were encased in flame and plummeted faster and faster, the two became a living asteroid that created a large explosion of code upon hitting the ground, ending the battle.

"And the winner is…"

The whole audience was on the edge of their seats with anticipation. Who won? Pyrrha or Ruby? Van Bloot or Maxxor? UnderWorld or OverWorld?

"...CrimsonReaper!"

Panting heavily from surviving a fall from that height, Maxxor turned back into Ruby in a swirl of code. Pyrrha glared at Ruby with the burning ferocity of the tribe she represents, and Ruby glared right back with just as much fire. For a long and tense moment, neither said a word. Until Ruby lost her glare and smiled at Pyrrha.

"You're pretty strong… for an UnderWorlder."

Hearing those words and seeing the good-natured smile made Pyrrha lose all her burning fury from that moment as she remembered that it was a friend who she had fought. And such a good sport as well. The crowd went absolutely nuts at the show of good sportsmanship. And as Ruby and Pyrrha exited the Crellan Drome, they reflected on how much stronger their bond of friendship has become.

To Be Continued…

Pyrrha's best card:

Lord Van Bloot

Card Type: Creature

Allied Tribe: UnderWorld

Title: UnderWorld Conqueror Muge

Courage Stat: 75

Power Stat: 110

Wisdom Stat: 40

Speed Stat: 105

Max Energy: 70

Mugic Counters: 2

Elemental Power(s): Earth

Special Ability: While a creature engaged with Lord Van Bloot has less than 65 Courage, that creature has 10 less Energy. Unique, Loyal.

Card Text: "I may serve Chaor, but in time, Chaor will serve me!" - Lord Van Bloot

Ruby's Best Card

Maxxor

Card Type: Creature

Allied Tribe: OverWorld

Title: OverWorld Hero

Courage Stat: 100

Power Stat: 55

Wisdom Stat: 75

Speed Stat: 60

Max Energy: 60

Mugic Counters: 2

Elemental Power(s): Fire and Earth

Special Ability: Sacrifice one Mugic Counter, heal 10 damage to target creature. Unique, Loyal.

Card Text: No OverWorlder has ever seen Maxxor's face in battle because he is always on the frontline, leading the charge!