The Music Masters: Audio Supremacy

Seth chuckled as he brushed aside some of Billy's hair. "Heh, I guess not."

His eyes glanced at the clock overhead. It was nearly six o'clock by now, and Selena, Billy and Martin had yet to have their matches. His mind wandering, Seth began to realize that he didn't really know what music they even planned on using. Martin had said something about N'Sync and The Backstreet Boys earlier, but beyond that, Seth was a little stumped on what their music was going to be.

I guess I'll just find out when they're out there, Seth thought. He focused himself back on Billy, kissing her gently on the lips before talking to her in a sweet tone of voice that was almost unlike him.

"This is great, you know. This time between us. We're great." Seth told her. His tongue rolled back in his mouth for a second as he realized what he was saying.

Us. He repeated the word in his mind. What did that mean? Was Billy his girlfriend now? He had never really entertained the thought until now. Gulping, Seth's voice came out with noticeable discomfort.

"You know, I've been meaning to mention this. What are...we? You know, I've only known you for a freaking day, Billy, and already we've..."

Seth's mouth seemed to dry out. He couldn't cough out his next few words. His mind suddenly turned blank.
 
Billy's expression became serious and she leaned away from him. "Um... I don't know..." she said quietly, looking down thoughtfully. "I've been wondering too. I... I want to say that we're... But we haven't actually dated and, like you said, we've known eachother for a day. I... Really like you though."

She turned a deep red and she stood up. "Maybe I'm just thinking on impulse but... I do like you Seth," Billy told him.

She looked up at the clock, wanting to distract herself, if only for a moment. She would have to start thinking of what song she would use first, it wouldn't be long now before her turn came up.
 
Slowly, Seth's hand reached for Billy's shoulder. In a more friendly manner as opposed to an affectionate one, he patted her on the shoulder before putting his arm around her. Seth willed himself to stare into her eyes once she looked away from the clock, despite the knot that was forming in his stomach. He sighed before he spoke.

"Maybe this isn't the best topic of conversation for right now. One of us could be having a match soon. Things are stressful enough as it is."

Then, as if on cue, the familiar green light signifying the Second Beat's approach began to leak through the floor. The door to the bathroom opened as the Second Beat phased through the floor. The look on his bearded face was the same as before, cold and uncaring.

Selena strode past Billy and Seth, as if she completely expected the Second Beat to have come solely for her. But to Seth's surprise, the Second Beat said nothing as Selena stopped beside him, her face doused with makeup and her hair curled to perfection. She shot Billy a look that might come off as a challenge, before scoffing at her and Seth.

"See? I come out, and they're waiting for me. That's not just coincidence. I practically have this simple game of Onslaught won already. I wouldn't be surprised if you two are getting worried already. It's only natural." she said, her voice oozing confidence. Seth just kind of sneered back at her, having becoming very sick of her arrogance at this point.

"God, you're pretty full of yourself. I'd tell you good luck, but honestly, your little act makes me think that I kind of want to see you lose..."
 
She sighed a little, forcing herself to look away from him again. He was right, they should wait until after all of their matches. After all, it would do them no good to have so many emotions inside while trying to focus. It was probably dangerous even, getting distracted during Onslaught.

She turned to the Second Beat and listened quietly as Selena and Seth spoke. "Who will she be going up against?" Billy asked the old man, ignoring Selena. "Me, Martin, or someone else?" she wondered.
 
The Second Beat's response to Billy's question was unsurprisingly callous.

"Not someone in this place. But if you really have such a desire to know, the match will be televised, like all the others before it, and all those after it."

Selena just seemed to smirk back at Billy as the Second Beat put his hand on her forehead. The green light pulsed around the both of them, and as they began to phase through the floor, Seth looked up at Billy. He sounded frustrated as he watched Selena and the Second Beat disappear beneath the floor in their shroud of green light.

"You know, part of me really is getting annoyed at all this. Besides me and that psycho, none of us have fought each other yet! The damn suspense is freaking killing me!" he practically shouted, before letting out a heavy sigh, his tone of voice shifting to something more apologetic.

"Agh, God. You know, I hope we don't have to face each other anytime soon, Billy. Truthfully, with all that's been going on, I don't think I could face you out there and actually be able to give my best."
 
Billy nodded, agreeing with him. She looked up at him, her voice wavering slightly. "Honestly Seth, I don't think I have the heart to fight you."

That was the truth. Maybe Billy had gotten to attatched, but something inside her said that if she had to fight Seth, she might just forfeit. Of course, she couldn't do that. She'd have to face him.

Billy sighed and sat on the couch. She remained silent for a while, staring blankly at the wall. Finally, she turned a little to look up at Seth, her face unreadable.
 
"Hey." Seth said all of a sudden, forcing a smile in an attempt to quell the tension.

If anything, Seth could only hope that they wouldn't be up against each other anytime soon. Eventually, they would have to, of course, but for now, they'd be better off pretending that it wasn't going to happen. As Seth smiled at Billy, Martin made his way out of his room. He rubbed his eyes, yawning before taking a seat in one of the chairs next to Seth.

"Ah, man, that was totally an awesome nap." Martin said enthusiastically, before turning to Seth.

"So what's up? What did I miss?"

"Selena's gone to her match." he told Martin, before leaning back in his seat, his body both anxious and tired.

"And honestly, I kind of don't want to watch it. Do you want to, Billy? I sure as hell don't."
 
Billy smiled slightly as Martin came out. "Glad you had a nice nap," she told him quietly.

"Anyway, I'm not really in the mood to watch Selena's match. I'm rather torn when it comes to her. I want to cheer her on, but I also want her to lose." She laughed gently. "Gosh, maybe I need a nap too. Anyway, I don't feel like watching, so I'm probably going to go listen to some music and sleep until it's my turn."

As she spoke, Billy cast a quick glance at Seth. She stood up and began heading towards her room. "Martin has to watch her match by default," Billy joked, "After all, we need to know the outcome when Selena's done."
 
"Yeah, Martin." Seth said, grinning as he got up from the chair. "I'm going to go take a walk. You keep tabs on the match and all, will ya?"

Martin nodded through a yawn. "Oh. Sure."

Seth waved back at him as he opened the front door of the suite, slipping through just after he looked back at Billy one more time.

The rush of air went he finally got outside seemed to invigorate Seth. He took a deep breath as he loosened his limbs, and felt his muscles unfold all around his body. The city was filled with life, as usual. Cars honked as people yelled at each other in taxi's, while people walked with little to no concern of those walking with them. After searching around for a little while, Seth found a lonely bench, where proceeded to sit down and just relax.

"Ah, now this is exactly what I need..." he said to himself, closing his eyes and allowing himself to absorb the strangely comforting ambiance of Manhattan and all its noise.
 
Billy sat in her room, the stereo on at a low volume. She had heard the front door open and assumed it was Seth who had left, since she could hear the T.V on in the lounge. She had put in one of her own CDs. One of the ones she had gotten a few days before coming down to Audio Supremacy. She had gotten it for one song, though she wouldn't deny that the other songs were good as well.

She laid back in her bed, yawning a little. Billy sang along with the music for a while before her eyes starting to close. Something stopped her from drifting off to sleep though. Her eyes opened and she stared up at the ceiling, not moving at all.
 
Suddenly, Seth was rushing back. Impatient as he waited for the elevator to reach the twenty fourth floor suite, he cursed himself mentally for losing track of time so easily. That bench had become so comfortable so quickly that Seth feared that he'd somehow fallen asleep, and based on the dark sky above, he may very well have slept right past Billy's match.

When he finally arrived on the twenty fourth floor, Seth practically rushed into the room, and was greeted by Martin, who seemed to be just turning the television off.

"Oh, hey Seth! Too bad you missed the match. You should have seen Selena. She totally owned!"

Seth's worry began to lessen upon hearing Martin's words. Obviously, Selena's match had just ended. And that meant either Billy's or Martin's was probably up next. Seth gulped, and thanked the God he seldom believed in that he wouldn't have to face Billy. At least, not today.

"Really?" Seth replied, before realizing that he had probably not been giving Selena enough credit all this time. For all he knew, she was probably a better Music Master than him, Martin and Billy combined. Arrogance did sometimes translate into real skill, after all.

"You know what? I'm kind of not surprised." Seth commented, his tone sincere.

"Yeah, I wasn't either. She's got some skills. Especially when it comes to hypnotizing people." Martin said enthusiastically, putting some worry back in Seth's mind. Hypnotism? That definitely did not sound good, Seth thought.

His attention shifted quickly, as the Second Beat seemed to be phasing through the floor again. After the light nova dissipated, Selena stood triumphantly, her voice brimming with confidence before she took Martin by the hand and twirled him around.

"Did you see that? Did you see my elegance, my skill? Such perfection. Such an easy match!" she boasted, while Martin simply played along and Seth simply scoffed at her emerging arrogance. He was about to say something, to tell her that she wasn't all that, when the Second Beat spoke.

"Your friend." he said to Seth. "It is her time."

The Mohawk-headed boy sighed at the sound of the Second Beat's words. He stopped right in front of Billy's door, leaning against the wall before lightly knocking twice on it.

"Billy." he said, sounding regretful. "The guy's here. Looks like you're finally up."
 
Billy had been laying for so long that, eventually, her mind began to shut down automatically and she fell asleep. She awoke at the sound of Martin and Seth speaking, though she couldn't make out what they were saying. After a few seconds, Selena's voice came in as well. She sounded happy, so Billy assumed she had won.

She was debating whether or not to get up yet when she heard the knock on her door and Seth's voice came through. Billy's mind suddenly went blank and she seemed to freeze in place. Finally, after a minute, she stood up slowly and went to the door. Opening it slowly, she peeked out, "My turn? Al-alright."

Billy stepped out and cast a warm smile at Seth before walking over to the Second Beat.
 
Seth couldn't help but feel a knot forming into his stomach as he watched the Second Beat acknowledge Billy. He watched as the bearded man put a hand on Billy's forehead, and within seconds, the emerald nova of energy stemming from the man's music began to wash over the both of them.

Part of Seth wanted to run forward. That part of him wanted to grab Billy's hand, and pull her out of the emerald nova before wrapping his arms around her. He didn't want to see her phase through the floor, where she would be uplinked to a computer mainframe that Zero Beat had to ensure she didn't cheat in her match. After that, she'd be put into Audio Supremacy, where she'd face off against a Music Master he didn't know, or, if fate decided it, Martin.

And if it was a random Music Master, for all Seth knew, that someone could be just as bad as Trey. Or maybe even worse.

His stomach dropped, but it was too late for him to stop Billy. The green nova was already descending below the floor, signifying that they were already on their way. His hand was reached out, but it slowly fell limp as Seth made a heavy sigh.

Suddenly, he wondered if he should have stopped her. Part of him felt like he was going to regret this moment.

A lone technician worked on Billy's portable audio device, attaching a strange piece of technology that emitted a odd green light. She inputted various commands on the device, pushing her red hair out of her face in an effort to focus better. When she seemed to be done, the technician looked up at Billy.

"Please choose your song of choice for the match. It will be locked into the Symphonix code. It will be the only song you'll be able to use during your match. In the event of it normally ending, the song will simply restart fast enough that Harmonization will not interrupted." she told Billy, her voice echoing in the platinum-walled halls of the area just outside the Platinum Bowl.

"In addition, please state your full name and your city of origin. Your match will commence soon." she added, fixing the Symphonix module so that she could be sure it was fitted correctly to Billy's music player.
 
Billy had subconciously closed her eyes as the green-light washed over her. She opened them again when she felt the technician begin working on her. She stood still as the technician worked.

"Well, alright," Billy said. She could feel her heart pounding faster. She had been waiting for this moment, and now that it was here, she was so nervous she thought she might faint. Billy took a deep breath. "My name's Billy Myerse, born and raised in Loveland, Colorado. I'll be using Sweet Dreams by the Eurythmics."
 
Upon hearing Billy's words, the technician led Billy down the same narrow hallway Seth had gone down not too long before. The both of them made their way through a narrow room, ending in two huge doors that opened up to reveal the entire Platinum Bowl in all its brilliance.

Billy was left to her own devices as the technician slipped away, and the crowd of Music Masters watching cheered and hollered with an intensity that could easily surpass that of wild animals. On the opposite end of the Platinum Bowl, a frail boy, with glasses, a short hair cut, and plain clothes consisting of a green t-shirt and shorts, stood waiting. He seemed to fidget nervously as he waited, but before he could so much as approach Billy, the announcer's voice boomed throughout the Platinum Bowl.

"Welcome back, Music Masters, to another thrilling round of Audio Supremacy! Our contestants for this round of Onslaught are just stepping into the ring! Let's introduce them, shall we?"

The glasses-wearing boy was coming forward now. He was near the middle of the Platinum Bowl when they announced his name.

"On one side, we have Matthew Sangadamin, from Syracuse, New York! Can this boy face the female species and take his rightful place in Audio Supremacy? Let's find out!" the announcer questioned, and as he heard his name being addressed, Matthew finally took a moment to look around. He seemed overly curious, and almost unaware of Billy's presence, if anything.

"And on the other side, we have Billy Myerse, hailing from Loveland, Colorado! This could be the ultimate test! Man vs. woman! Does Billy have what it takes to come on top?"

The crowd seemed to be in a perpetual frenzy of excitement. As Matthew checked his headphones, and remembered his song choice, he kept putting positive reinforcement in his thoughts. Soon, the timer would begin counting down. Soon, they would be fighting for tiny chance of owning the greatest object known to Music Masters: the Platinum Record.

Not long now, he thought. He took a deep breath, and felt ready for anything.
 
Billy walked to the center of the Platinum Bowl, watching her opponent. She stopped about ten feet from him as they announced her name. Billy took in the boy's appearance. He was small, almost fragile looking, and seemed to be more curious than competitive. She couldn't let her guard down though, that would be risky, underestimating this boy could be dangerous.

She shuffled her feet a little, looking around as well. Billy cracked her knuckles nervously. "Damn..." she sighed quietly. Her heart was still pounding quickly, making her shaky and jittery. She was ready though, waiting for them to let them loose.
 
Matthew's eyes twitched as he heard the sound of the timer starting up above. The light beeping sound seemed to pound in his head, over and over again, as he stood in place. At the corner of his eye, he could see the timer reaching ten seconds. He looked away, and the beeping continued.

Slowly, his hands went by his sides. The crowd was oddly silent, waiting. He tensed his muscles. He focused on the center of the Onslaught arena, where the ball would come up in seconds, with all his might.

Time seemed to almost stop, at one point. Matthew felt like he could hear a pin drop, or listen to a bead of sweat hit the ground in that moment. Then, the buzzer went off, the green Onslaught ball was catapulted upwards, and Matthew flung himself into action. His song pulsed in the air around him, emerging through a powerful opening guitar riff.

His arms went back like pistons as he preformed nothing less than a pelvic thrust effortlessly. Sure, it might look ridiculous to his opponent, but if anything, an assumption like that would just help to distract them. The dark magenta warp covered him like a shroud, instantaneously sucking his body away into nothingness. For a moment, everything was black for Matthew.

Then, he appeared in mid-air, his hands outstretched as he took the Onslaught ball into his safe embrace. He was falling downward now, but with another pelvic thrust, his body was sucked away again.

Seconds later, he appeared behind Billy. He dribbled with the Onslaught ball with one hand, smiling at her as he took a moment to enjoy his triumph. After all, the hoop behind him was just a simple time warp away.

"I guess I'm a regular Nightcrawler." he said to Billy, his confidence oozing out in his voice.
 
Billy stood still for a moment. -Don't underestimate him- she reminded herself as her music began. She could feel the angelic creature, her song effect, beginning to form at the same time that Matthew re-appeared behind her. He made a snide remark and Billy turned quickly. How was she supposed to win against a guy that could do a teleportation thing? But she wouldn't give up, she would try her absolute hardest, whether she lost or not, she would be satisfied that she tried.

Her "angel" stood towering over Matthew, golden shield raised. "Don't get cocky," Billy said to him. The angelic creature swung its shield out, aiming for Matthew. If it hit him, Billy could probably get to him and take the ball before he could get back up.
 
His confidence had cost him. Matthew could barely brace for impact, instinctively going into another pelvic thrust in an attempt to get a warp off. Just as the forces began sucking his body inward, he could feel the power of the impact rattle his brain inside his skull and slam right into his chest.

Matthew heaved as the blackness took over his vision, and when he came to, he found himself tumbling into the ground. He rolled along, the Onslaught ball leaving his grip as he choked for a breath. That shield had hit him hard in mid-teleport, knocking the wind out of him and screwing with his trajectory entirely. He was on the other side of Billy and her Sentinel now, near his hoop as opposed to hers.

Matthew reached out for the ball, taking into his hand but collapsing back down when he realized his ankle was in quite a lot of pain. He cursed under his breath, realizing he was sitting duck. Trying to will himself to get up, Matthew only had seconds on his bad ankle as he did another pelvic thrust. He warped away again, but the pain clouded his focus, and he ended up only a few feet away.

"Fuck." he grumbled, and above, the crowd seemed to be going wild.
 
Billy felt kind of bad as she took the ball and ran toward the hoop. Her angel had hurt him and he seemed as if he couldn't walk now. But, she couldn't feel too sorry, she wanted to win as much as he did. Billy managed to make it to the hoop and throw the ball in. -Thank god for being on the basketball team back in school- she thought, glad her skills had come back to her.

She turned for a moment, looking at Matthew. Her face was tinged with red as the crowd roared. Either they were cheering for her, or cheering for Matt getting hurt, she wasn't sure. Whatever the reason, she realized that the crowd's noise was a little unnerving.
 
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