The Music Masters: Audio Supremacy

"You're fine, Billy." Seth remarked, letting go of her hand as a faint chuckle came out of his mouth.

"Actually, you kind of remind me of my sister. You and her share a lot in common." He noted with a smile.

"You're both independent, tough and fun."

Seth made a pleasant expression as thoughts of Kim entered his mind. "But most of all, you're both undeniably cute. Though in your own special ways...
 
Billy laughed gently. "It's nice to know you think I'm cute," she replied, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. She smiled at him and began heading to the bathroom in search of a first-aid kit. "You're not bad looking yourself," Billy teased, turning to Seth again.
 
"Oh, please don't flatter me." Seth stated as he put a nervous hand on the back of his head. He laughed as his eyes wandered, thinking back to the last time any girl, especially one who he'd barely satisfied in the bedroom, had complimented his looks.

"I know the Mohawk is a bit much. Kim thinks its silly. She likes to play with it while I sleep. But I've always liked it. From the first time I've read Punk magazine, I've kept my hair this way."

Seth shook his head, his state of mind caught in humility, making him unable to really take Billy's compliment seriously. "But I know I'm not much on the eyes. I mean, what's there to like?"
 
Billy stopped walking and turned to him. "Honestly? Don't get me started," she said, blushing. "And I've always had a thing for guys with mohawks." She smiled at him, walking back over to him. "If you had a tattoo, I might jump you," she joked. She gave him a gentle kiss on the lips and smiled. "I think you're cute," Billy assured him.

Now, she turned away and went to the bathroom. Billy washed the cut again and applied a few bandages before leaving the bathroom.
 
She thinks I'm cute, Seth thought, a smile quickly growing on his face. He could feel the warmth of her lips still on his. He was about to say something to Billy, about to ask her what she was planning on cooking, when suddenly, his thought process was interrupted.

A familair green light began to emerge from the center of the lounge. Martin looked on from over the rim of the couch, and Selena took a peek out of the bathroom.

The Second Beat emerged from the floor, a stoic expression on his face. He stared directly at Seth, and spoke in an uncaring tone of voice.

"Seth Ramone. You are due for Onslaught."

Seth looked back at Billy, his expression unsure. He stepped forward as he responded to the Second Beat.

"Who's my opponent? Tell me!"

The Second Beat gave a short, monotone response. "You will find out. In the Platinum Bowl."

Seth's heart slowed down. Perhaps that meant it wasn't anyone in this room. He turned to Billy, trying to produce his best confident face.

"Well, I guess this is my curtain call. Took long enough."
 
Billy sighed gently with relief. Maybe she wouldn't be his opponent.

She looked at Seth. "Please win, please be careful," she said, her voice almost begged. "Don't... Don't get hurt."

Billy gave him a hug. Her mind refilled with the scenes of Malik's death, only now, Seth had replaced Malik. She squeezed her eyes shut, willing the thoughts to go away.

She let go of him and tried to smile. "Good luck."
 
"Hey" Seth remarked, his hand slightly touching Billy's cheek in an attempt to quell her obvious worry. "You know me. I'll be fine. I worry about you more than anything."

He gave her one last smile, before turning to the Second Beat. Seth stepped forward, his blue Gibson guitar in hand, as he nodded to the Second Beat. "Alright. Let's get this over with."

The Second Beat said nothing in response, but his hand went out, touching Seth's forehead as the song began to Harmonize in his ears. Seth could feel a strange, euphoric feeling coming on, before his entire body began to sink. His eyes were blinded by the neon green cascading around him, and about five minutes in, Seth was beginning to feel as if he was slowly losing touch with reality.

When he came to, they were on him quickly. Silent technicians, bearing uniforms with Zero Beat's emblem, gathered around him in a spacious, organized room, reaching into his pockets before discovering his old Walkman. Seth was caught off-guard, and as he tried to complain, they had already inserted some strange, glowing device inside of it. The device pulsed with blue light, and Seth could only assume that perhaps this was the uplink process that they had been talking about at the beginning of the first match with Malik and Trey.

Then, the Second Beat led him down a long narrow hallway. As they turned a corner, Seth noticed the platinum shine on the walls, and began to wonder which song he would use for his round. He had narrowed the list down to five in his head, before he stopped in wonder as two huge doors opened before him.

A cheering crowd, presumably of Music Masters from all over the world, roared as Seth entered the Platinum Bowl. It was a very different experience to be in the Platinum Bowl as opposed to just watching what happened in it from the comfort of the suite. Seth marveled at the size of the arena, and could only question why he didn't slip when the floor he was walking upon was so polished and smooth. His eyes wandered, and he spotted splotches of red staining the polished platinum surface up ahead. Apparently the cleaning crew hadn't done the best job concerning what had befallen Malik. Anger began to flare up inside him. Suddenly, his passions told him he very much wanted to face Trey.

"Well, Music Masters, welcome back to Audio Supremacy!!! We've got another great round of Onslaught coming up for you right now! Let's meet our contestants!"

Seth looked back, noting the silvery, tall hoop a few feet behind him before looking forward, his eyes getting a glimpse of who he assumed would be his opponent.

"On one side, comes Cheng-Jeng Guan, from Shanghai, China! Can this foreigner make up for the Jamaican disaster of the first round? We'll just have to wait and see!"

Seth grimaced at the words he was hearing. He could somewhat see Cheng-Jeng, a calm-looking, pale-skinned boy with dark greasy hair, glasses, and wearing a nice brown school uniform. He approached Seth as the announcer introduced him.

"And on the other side, from Maumee, Ohio, comes Seth Ramone! Let's hope he can inject some American power into this round!"

Seth gripped his guitar in both hands. He was right in front of Cheng-Jeng now. The boy's eyes were almost serpentine, and his voice came out like a passing wind.

"May the best man win." he told Seth, who nodded in return.

"Let's hope so."

In the back of his mind, he wondered if Billy, Selena and Martin were watching by now. He could feel his heart pumping up towards his throat. Suddenly, he felt more nervous than he'd ever felt in his entire life.
 
Billy had vaulted over the back of the couch and turned on the TV, almost falling in the process. She called Selena and Martin over quickly, "Come on guys! We have to watch Seth's match."

She sat leaning forward slightly, biting her lip. She did her own examination of Seth's opponent, a young man from China. Billy hoped that he wasn't like Trey and that he wouldn't hurt Seth badly, at the same time though, she hoped he wouldn't get too seriously injured either. Billy's heart pounded anxiously as she waited for the match to start.
 
Sweat slowly made its way down from Seth's brow as he watched Cheng-Jeng's eyes. The timer above had already started counting down, and between the two of them, the concentric circle of metal was only seconds away from vomiting up the ball. Seth took a breath, his hand over his Walkman like he was in a deadly Western duel, before the match was upon them.

Sound became irrelevant as Seth pressed on his Walkman, playing his desired song as his fingers went for his guitar. The opening guitar chord struck his opponent like a shockwave, but it was nothing Cheng-Jeng couldn't withstand. Pushing forward, he made a leap upwards for the indestructible green ball, only to feel himself fly backwards as something hit his gut hard.

Standing behind Seth was a bipedal griffon, wearing a black mask over its eyes and armed with a large, spiked baseball bat. It was a wonder, or perhaps Seth's choice, that the bat's unspiked end had hit Cheng-Jeng in the stomach. With one hand, Seth scooped up the ball, and his Sentinel, not slowing down for even a second, followed.

But he was not without an opposing force, for as Seth and his Sentinel approached the opposing net, Cheng-Jeng was already upon them. He had changed drastically, a fusion of a delicate red dragonfly and a human being, his wings buzzing with a sound and speed comparable to chopping knives. He dove quickly, leading Seth to slide and barely miss having any part of him chopped off. His Sentinel, however, wasn't so lucky, and roared as the the wings sheared off part of its feathers. So much for having it fly me over, Seth thought.

Nevertheless, he took his opportunity, running forward and throwing the Onslaught ball with all his might. The crowd roared as he did so, and with excitement, he waited for it to enter the hoop.

But to Seth's disappointment, the ball bounced off the corner edge, and behind him, he could hear the loud buzzing as Cheng-Jeng's dragonfly form swiftly approached. Seth barely had time to turn, when he watched the ball slam Cheng-Jeng right in the face before bouncing backwards. In amazement, Seth could hear the buzzer overhead. That time, it had gone in.

"Wow!" Martin practically screamed as he, Selena and Billy continued to watch the match from their suite. "That was awesome!"

Selena just shook her head, crossing her arms. "Not really. That was nothing special. A lucky goal, that's all. Let's wait and see if Mohawk-boy manages to get the rest of his like that. I doubt it."
 
"That was pretty amazingly lucky," Billy said, a slight smile on her face. She watched in awe as the match went on. Billy was still leaning forward, her head in her hands. "Who do you guys think will win?" she asked absent-mindedly.
 
"Seth. Totally Seth!" Martin replied, in what seemed like an instant response. Selena had much less enthusiasm, of course.

"It all depends. Let's see how Mohawk-boy does. My money's on Jackie Chan though. You can tell he's got some serious skill with his songs. He's not depending on luck, that's for sure..."

As Seth was caught in temporary euphoria, having trouble believing that he had actually scored, he failed to notice the growing buzzing behind him. A body slammed into him, and he soon found himself wrestling on the ground with Cheng-Jeng in his monstrous form. Pincers clicked and clacked, each of them reaching for Seth in an attempt to rend his flesh. In the back of his mind, Seth could only hope that if anything, this Chinese guy only wanted to disable him, not kill him.

But in such a desperate situation, Seth had little time to think. His Sentinel was already coming, with baseball bat in hand, but it seemed like it wouldn't be enough. Pushing Cheng-Jeng away with all his might, Seth reached as far as he could, barely grabbing his guitar nearby and bringing it down hard on Cheng-Jeng's sensitive head.

He made an insectoid screech as he flew off Seth, the backlash of the blow causing his wing to cut right into Seth's forearm. The Mohawk-headed teenager bit his lip, forcing himself to quickly get up from the ground and ignore the pain as he switched which hand held the guitar. Loud buzzing could be heard overhead, and Cheng-Jeng was already zooming over Seth, quickly scooping up the Onslaught ball before making a turnaround.

Seth didn't even have to look at his Sentinel for him to relay what he wanted it to do. The griffon's bat was swung wildly, but Cheng-Jeng was just too fast for it, a red blur in the air as he dodged each blow. To Seth's horror, he could do nothing but watch as Cheng-Jeng flew fast towards his goal, and in one fast motion, shot the ball right in.

The buzzer went off, and the crowd went wild. With despair overtaking him, Seth went down on his knees, his forearm pulsing with pain as he wondered how he could possibly win this. It would soon become obvious to everyone watching that his confidence was quickly going down the drain.
 
Billy clenched her hands into fists. "Come on Seth, don't give up!" she said, as if he could hear her. "You can still win. Just get up and try your hardest." She stared at the television, almost as if she were trying to send her thoughts to him.
 
It wasn't long now, Seth thought. Gritting his teeth, his knees buckled as he attempted to stand up. The noise of the crowd was deafening, but more than anything, Seth imagined Billy, Selena and Martin. He imagined the look on their faces if they found out that he'd lost his first round. Even disappointment coming from Selena would be a painful thing to endure, at this point. The song still pulsing through his head, Seth's mind focused, bringing his griffon behind him. He gripped his guitar tightly, looking overhead as he waited for Cheng-Jeng to come around.

The Onslaught ball was in his hands, and without second thought, Seth ignored the pain in his forearm and motioned to his Sentinel. The griffon nodded in response, as Seth quickly ran up the thick baseball bat and across the thing's shoulder. There was a bit of a crazed look on Seth's face as he made a wild jump from the griffon's left shoulder.

A loud crack accompanied the sound of Seth's guitar slamming into Cheng-Jeng's chitinous back. The buzzing stopped momentarily, and Cheng-Jeng plummeted downwards as Seth followed. His Converse sneakers skidded against the platinum floor, and in an instant he was running for the Onslaught ball.

Cheng-Jeng struggled to get up, but he was down again when a well-placed baseball bat blow slammed into his back. The griffon seemed to have no mercy, and it was seconds away from another blow before Seth mentally stopped him. The Onslaught ball in his hand, he took his time in approaching the goal, while the griffon's bat was held steadily above Cheng-Jeng to ensure he didn't get up.

Seth smiled back at him, and with one simple motion, he threw the Onslaught ball forward. The buzzer went off, the crowd went wild, and Seth grinned triumphantly.

One more goal to go, he thought, confidence suddenly coursing through his entire body.

"Luck?" Martin yelled out loud to Selena. "You think that was luck!?!"

"That, my friends, was totally pure skill! And nothing less than that!"
 
Billy pumped her fist in the air. "That was awesome!" she said, smiling and clapping.
 
The match is approaching the end, Seth thought. He had this. He could do this easily. Seth took in a deep breath, and ran like the wind, his mind totally focused once again on the Onslaught ball.

Loud buzzing cut the air a few feet from him, and he could feel the heat of Cheng-Jeng's vibrating wings. Turning around, Seth's heart dropped as he saw his Sentinel, slumped over with a myriad of gash wounds all over its body. He gulped, and then rolled as Cheng-Jeng came around again.

The noise of the crowd pounded in his skull, and with his Sentinel down, Seth knew that his defenses were wearing thin. With Cheng-Jeng quickly coming up from behind, Seth's plan of action was going through his mind at mach speed. Finally, at the last possible moment, he did the unthinkable, grabbing onto one of Cheng-Jeng's sensitive red legs and holding on tight.

The buzzing filled his ears like an awful symphony, clashing with his own Harmonized song effect. Seth tried to separate the sound in mid-air as he struggled with his Chinese opponent, their wrestling eventually causing them to both tumble down into Cheng-Jeng's side of the Platinum Bowl.

His forehead pulsed with pain, but Seth willed himself up. As he reached for the ball, only a few feet away nearby, his heart skipped a beat as Cheng-Jeng's chitinous body landed right on top of him. Seth delivered a kick to the boy's midsection, but his new exoskeleton seemed to ignore the damage. With shiny pincers bearing down on him, Seth stretched his muscles with all his might as he went for the ball.

His fate was only seconds away now. The ball was just within his fingertips.

His arm moved quickly once it had done its job, and the loud noise of the ball slamming into Cheng-Jeng's face once again was music to Seth's ears. Bouncing back, the ball rolled past his head, and Seth scrambled for it as Cheng-Jeng began to recuperate. But there was no use in the Chinese boy's efforts. The match was done, and it took Seth only a few seconds to ready his aim and fire.

The buzzer went off again, louder this time, signifying that Seth Ramone had gained his third point won this match of Onslaught. Seth looked on to the crowd, a smile on his face, while Cheng-Jeng finally regained his composure. Their song effects faded, and now a normal Cheng-Jeng stood before Seth. He held out a hand.

"Well played, Ramone."

Seth grinned back at him, taking his hand and shaking it. "Same to you. That was one hell of a match."

The crowd went wild.

And in his own living space, Trey smiled. Sooner or later, he'd be fighting Seth. And he could already taste the boy's blood on his lips...

The green light dissipated, and as Seth emerged in the suite, he greeted the three who had watched his match in a very loud and arrogant tone of voice.

"So what was that? Oh, right. That was WINNING!" he exclaimed, walking towards Selena, Martin, and Billy, before taking a seat next to them in one of the free lounge chairs.

His forearm stung a bit, but it was nothing a gauze bandage and some time couldn't fix. He grinned as he stretched on the chair. His muscles were just now beginning to relax.

"Damn, I don't remember the last time I felt so energized. Did you guys see how I won there? Pretty cool, huh?"

"Totally!" Martin replied in an excited voice. Selena, however, was less than enthusiastic.

"Amateurish, at best. Clearly Jackie Chan wasn't the best Music Master. What a shame. I was hoping to see you beaten."

She mumbled under her breath. "Someone needs to shut your mouth, after all..."
 
"Good job Seth!" Billy shouted as he re-entered the suite. She stood up as he sat down and took a look at his arm. "Want me to fix that up for you?" she asked. She turned to Selena.

"Actually, CHENG was really good, Seth got an upper-hand though," she commented. "He almost had you a couple of times," Billy teased, smiling at Seth. "Anyway, this means that we're almost up." Billy looked at Selena and Martin, wondering if she would have to go up against either of them.
 
"Wow." Martin commented. "That means that we might have to fight each other. I don't know if I'm totally comfortable with that..."

Selena chuckled as she got up fro the couch, a defiant expression on her face. "Ha! I am, because I know I'm going to win. Once that stupid Second Beat comes around to get me, I'll be ready to face whoever I have to face."

She looked down at Martin. "Even if it has to be you."

Then, she stared at Billy. "Or you."

"I need to prepare." Selena said, fixing her posture and pushing some hair away from her eyes. "After all, I'm going to need to look my best for my match. They'll be quite a few people watching."

With that, she was off to the bathroom. She shut the door behind her, turned on the light and faucet, and began to fix herself up. At least, that's what Seth could assume.

Martin yawned loudly. He rubbed his eyes like a child, before glancing over at Seth and speaking in a tired tone of voice. "Wow. I'm totally tired. I need a nap. Wake me up when they come for me, okay?"

"Will do, Mart." Seth replied, as the boy headed for his own room. When he was out of view and out of hearing range, Seth made a surprisingly seductive smile at Billy. He leaned back in his chair, a kind of dumb grin on his face.

"Man, it's going to be a lonely night, now that I'm done with my match for today." he began, faking pain as he touched his forearm.

"I mean, this is going to have to heal up. Your match will be soon, so that's good for you. But the night after it's over, man, I feel like it's going to be so empty. It's just too bad I'm not going to have much to take my attention away from all the hurting..."
 
Billy laughed gently and sat on Seth's lap as he leaned back. "It doesn't have to be empty," she told him, kissing him. "We can always spend the night together, after all, we didn't have much time earlier."

She smiled and leaned her head on his shoulder. "Just say the word and I'll spend the night with you."
 
Seth laughed to himself, his one free hand playing with Billy's hair as he looked into her eyes. The pain in his arm was beginning to dissipate, and it was soon replaced by a growing heat below where Billy was sitting on him. He cursed under his breath, annoyed that he'd be so ready so quickly. He sighed, before looking into Billy's eyes, a powerful look of longing on his own face.

"Think about that. A whole night to ourselves. No one to bother us. I mean, I could make it all up to you." Seth remarked.

"If you want me again, sure. We could have a night, that is, if it's worth it to you. After all, I'm guessing you didn't enjoy our first time all that much..."
 
"I enjoyed it more than you think," she replied, smiling. "So, I suppose a whole night to ourselves would be all the more enjoyable."

She kissed his forehead. "Honestly, you're not as bad as you think you are!"
 
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