#betteroffdumb

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Travis didn’t know what about Sora [ @levitersora ] impressed him more: the kid’s skill with the keyblade and its absurd variety in transformations / magic... or his ability to synergize perfectly with a mere acquaintance - a complete opposite from first glance, at that.

Case in point: their tag-team against a demonic, humanoid thornbush that had been tearing through a little too many of Fantasia’s NPCs for Travis’s liking - a sentiment that went triple for Sora.

LIMIT BREAK: THE HEART OF WRESTLING

“Let’s bust some ass, Sora!”

“Got it!”

With the opening exchange spoken, Travis and Sora put their spontaneous, off-screen plan into effect. They respectively tossed the Tsubaki MK-3 and Kingdom Key high into the sky. After that, they lunged for the unsuspecting beast that’d so unfortunately (for it) gotten sandwiched between them. A sliding kick from Travis. A leaping dropkick from Sora. The thornbush-man, hit in the shins and head, sent spinning through the air.

The beam katana and keyblade clashed up above, falling down together.

Travis and Sora jumped again. The former grabbed a iron-hold of spiked legs, and the latter latched onto the head, started to spin and flip via Flowmotion, to twist the demon’s body around. Soon, though, all three crashed to the ground in a ludicrous, two-man suplex. 

The last thing this monster would see was two blades dropping, pointy-ends-first into its chest.

Our duo gave themselves a moment of showboating - like they’d just won the champion’s belt, and were posing for the crowd - before snatching their weapons up. One high-five later, and they were already running off towards the next opponent. 

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“It’s almost amazing how irritating you are,” Tohru Adachi [ @betteroffdumb ] coldly remarked to Travis. “I’ve only known you for a few days. But here I am, still overjoyed at the chance to bend the system, and wipe someone with your face off this shitty world without consequence.” 

“Yeah, I tend to have that effect on motherfuckers like you.” Despite the spiteful mirth to his tone, Travis’s smirk held no levity. Why would it, while he was facing down his copy once again, his stump of a left arm experiencing a sudden rush of phantom pain? “But let’s see if you and your Stand can back up your trash talk; I’m not gonna mourn your ass if it can’t.” 

“... Wait, the hell’s a Stand-?” 

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It was a sight to behold. The Nightmare Knight [ @whohassummonedme ], casting shields over everyone from Spirale and Fantasia alike. The Nightmare Knight, teaming up with a certain Battler Ushiromiya [ @ingoldentent ] to rain down cosmic meteors and golden butterflies heavens above, and wipe out entire waves of enemies. The Nightmare Knight, being the first Radiale castmate to punch Essair square in the face. For all the good it did, but props for effort.

Another reminder why Travis was glad to have NK on his side.

Well, on his side, most of the time. 

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Three slashes. Three lines carved through Essair’s current batch of forces. Three enormous swords (two of metal and one of sunset-colored light). The three red-jacketed swordsmen who wielded them, charging the remaining horde with zero hesitation. Three powers of unsavory origins (soul-stealing darkness, demonic heritage, and weaponized bloodlust), used by them to help humanity and those they loved. A trio of badasses: Ragna, the Grim Reaper [ @seithrveined ]. Dante, the Legendary Devil Hunter [ @spardium ]. Travis, the No More Hero. Truly, they were awe-inspiring to look at... 

… Not so much to listen to, though. 

Travis and Dante, throwing out random numbers, competing to see who among them could get the most kills, as if this was some sort of game. Travis and Dante, asking for Ragna’s score in the middle of combat. Ragna, promptly telling them off “FOR THE LAST TIME-” like an exasperated parent. Dante, hypocritically calling Ragna an “old man.” Travis, making suggestive grunts as he shook his 12-foot beam katana back to life, with the other two fighters watching his back. Dante, making quips. Ragna, done with all this.

Yeah. They were dorks.

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“I think I saw your cat running around, earlier,” Crow [ @haemoneiron ] had said during a brief reprieve in the fighting, bathed in the remains of her enemies. “She’s cute.”

“Thanks,” Travis replied. “Uh, so is your snake.” The massive viper she’d summoned from the ground, from another plane of existence, to swallow masses whole. You know…

Normal stuff for Travis.

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A bit of a life lesson for you readers out there.

Sometimes, a wizard [ @headmastering ] - who, despite his young-ish-looking frame, has seen countless lifetimes of violence and strife - is forced to shut out everything else around him but the battle. The need to win, to get this over with, so that he may lock these horrible, tiresome memories away in his impressive mental vault with so many like it. Out of sheer necessity, he becomes a rampaging killing machine - a monster.

Sometimes, a nerd-turned-assassin-turned-hero joins the wizard in his slaughter. Barely taking mind of the way the wizard acts like he’s alone in the world - understanding of it, even. At least, in this moment, surrounded by death and violence, unrelenting in his dominance, losing himself to the lust of battle… he transforms into a fucking tiger. One whose roar literally strikes fear into the very hearts of those who hear it. Out of a power high, he becomes a rampaging killing machine - a monster.