Five lucky Commenters have their work featured on this week's RPGP Winners page - send in your best Comments at the Arena, cross your fingers, and YOU could join them! Yuber vs Ramirez tylorh@hotmail.com: Yuber, having finally made it to the final, then promptly did his usual move when the end, be it of the game or the season, comes. He made a cryptic comment about how he can't die yet, and then ran so as to be able to appear and lend his ominous presence to another Suikoden, and to another RPGP Godlike season. YUBER: 135 RAMIREZ: 139 MoogleEmpMog@Laguorok.org Yuber and Ramirez entered the Arena simultaneously, and proceeded to go through their pre-battle ominous posturings. Of course, as both were unspeakably sinister villains, neither was much impressed by the other's actions. When this was done, they straightened up, dropped into their fighting stances, and prepared for a stare-down. Ramirez was the first to blink. Cold-blooded as he was, he couldn't match Yuber's demonic desire for death and destruction. He charged forward, the Sword of the Dark Moon glittering with negative light and Silvite power. It arced through the air - And was met by both of Yuber's blades. "You will have to do better than that," the man in black taunted. For good measure, he knocked Ramirez back a step. "Very well, demon," Ramirez said. He raised his sword in the air, then extended his hand. Silver threads shot out, attaching themselves like puppet strings to Yuber. "Your nightmare begins now." Yuber, though his body was under the Silvite's control, merely smiled. Ramirez pulled the strings. Yuber's swords plunged backwards, impaling themselves in the pristine darkness of his suit. But no blood dripped from the gruesome injury; no sign of pain crossed the features of the man in black. And he was *still smiling*. Ramirez was not. The threads of his Silver Nightmare, their work seemingly done, faded into the ether With exquisite care, Yuber withdrew the swords from his torso and held them, unstained, before him. "And," Yuber said, his smile widening, "you will have to do better than that, too." Ramirez took a halting step back. The crowd was as stunned to see the Silvite lose his cool as he seemed to be to see Yuber unscathed. "What's he doing?" Vigoro complained. "Why doesn't he fight like a man? This Yuber guy looks like a wuss." "I must say, Ramirez seems remarkably perturbed," Enrique said. "He certainly didn't show any fear when he was contesting against us." But Galcian, alone among them, was just smiling, every bit as much as Yuber. The man in black would have done well to make a Spot check to notice this. But he did not. Instead, seeing Ramirez back away, he calmly raised his rapiers into the air and began to chant the words to a Lightning Rune spell. The air darkened over the Arena, and a shadow was cast over it. Yuber shook his head. He'd expected a genuine challenge. Just then, the entire firepower of Ramirez' elite Valuan cruiser unloaded onto Yuber. Cannonballs, torpedoes and giant harpoons - the last electrified by the man in black's own spell - rammed into the ground, and the demon standing on it, while Ramirez watched from a safe distance away. When the barrage was over, Ramirez strode into the ruins of what had been the Arena floor. He found Yuber, now clearly injured, kneeling in the center of the rubble. Ramirez' sword flashed, and two rapiers sailed to the ground yards away. A third strike brought the point of the blade to Yuber's throat. "It pays," Ramirez said, indicating his ship cruising overhead, "to have friends in high places." Yuber could not contest this point, nor the one at his throat. Millie_Akhilliades@yahoo.com Yuber: En garde!! Ramirez: *smirk* Yuber: KYAAAA!!! What magic is this???! Ramirez: Bwahahahahahahah!!! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!! Yuber: You--CHEATER!!! Aw!! Ramirez: *evil grin* Victory is mine. superjo_21@hotmail.com heh, boy did i ever call yuber's match last week...theres no way he could beat lloyd but here he is in the finals... perhaps having more well known magic ramirez will triumph this time, for Yuber cannot dodge magical attacks. basically ramirez just has to keep his distance and pound away with magic til yuber falls, shouldn't be too hard, although seeing as lloyd would be the PERFECT person to dispatch yuber that way he lost, so who knows what will happen. my vote however goes to ramirez, who might actually have a chance of de-throning Luca Blight, something yuber could never do Lackshmana@aol.com "The Man in Black," has become "The Man to Beat" in the RPGP this season. Ramirez on the other hand, has made it to the finals, virtually unnoticed. While both are long deserving of shots at a championship, there are a few major factors that seperate them. Ramirez is designed to fight and eventually lose to Vyse, Gilder, and crew. Though it is the inevitable fate of a main villian, he does it in a very impressive fashion. He is an unbelievable threat to magic users and can match some of the best melee fighters in terms of overall damage. He is a master of the prolonged battle. Yuber, on the other hand, could kill every single character in Skies of Arcadia,with little more than a single blow. The creator of Suikoden said that the series will come to a finish when Yuber faces his immortal foe Pesmerga, and not before. It all comes down to this... When you are created to be the end-all of an entire series... When you can kill any character from your series, and most others,in one round.... When your foes are more likely to die than deal you damage when they attack... When your Rune allows you to hit with so much force and speed that it might as well be an instant death technique... When you are Yuber... you win Molokidan@hotmail.com There's something to be said about this week's Godlike match. Ramirez will hop into battle, changing his sword to whatever elemental configuration he thinks Yuber is, and will attack. There's only one problem: (and a problem S3 players have experienced as well) Yuber is non-elemental. And can counter-attack. After that, Ramirez better be prepared for six swords sticking through him. Yeowch. WolFPak957@aol.com Now...let's see. Ramirez is Ramirez. Good enough reason for me. Ramirez wins...because...he just does. CainofSolaris@aol.com OMG Freya lost to pansy Ramriez?? Then Yuber had better lose to so she doesnt look bad (not like that's possible, so go Yuber) superaielman@hotmail.com Write-up used with full permission of Neoelfboy@Hotmail.com. Yuber stared at his opponent. A useless boss. Had his evade and attack power not disposed a pair of such fighters earlier in the season? Why wouldn‘t a third fall? Did he not bear a True Rune and a kick ass hat, obvious signs of godlike power? Ramirez stands no chance with his balanced attacking, regeneration and Silver Nightmare. Ramirez simply stood; amused that his opponent thought he stood a chance of victory. Yuber sized up the Silvite, and began preparing a blistering Thunder Storm spell, when a familiar trio burst into the ring, in a column of flame. One of the flames goes a bit astray, and damages Yuber slightly. Yuber groaned. "Not you maggots.. you cost Luc his godlike title!" Hugo grinned, and nodded. "Yep. Much like with Luc, we've got a score to settle with you." Chris nods. "We all have True Runes, and it irks us that you are winning in godlike, while we rot in heavy." Yuber rolls his eyes. "Hah. You only beat me because of superior odds. One on one, I can kill each of you." Geddoe shakes his head. "BESIDES that! Suikoden heroes have the best stats in their game." Yuber's eyes flashed. "Actually, your stats are lower than mine.." Chris yells out, "You haven't even gained anything between Suikoden II and III!" Yuber shakes his head. "I gained a battle form, and of course, this design. Got anything else?" (In unison) "There's no way we'll let you win godlike, while we suffer in heavy. You're trash, Yuber. "We're making sure you lose," said Hugo. Chris nodded. "Frankly, we're bitter." Yuber smiled. "Predictable fools. SECURITY!" Chris, Hugo, and Geddoe look over in shock as Unlimited Indalecio grabs them, before they can even react. Yuber grins at Indy. "Please escort this -Trash- out of the arena, and award me my godlike title.” "I didn't do anything wrong!," Yells Ramsus from the stands. "WHAT?!," scream the three Suiko III heroes in unison. "Hugo's flame damaged me slightly." Yuber raises his hand, and shows off a very minor burn. "That counts as outside interference, and therefore, disqualifies Ramirez." Indalecio looks toward the Star Dragon Sword.. Seeing him nod, Indalecio smiles. "By DQ, the winner of the godlike final is Yuber!" ... Hugo bangs his head into his locker. "Arg! How could I make such a mistake?” Geddoe crosses his arms, and mutters. "It happens to the best.." Chris paces about in a furious fashion. "If only I had healed Yuber's 'burn'.. All of a sudden, the Suiko hero locker room door is kicked in, and a -very- pissed off Ramirez is leading the entire SoA crew. "I've been looking for you. Your interference cost me a godlike title, and cost Skies of Arcadia a chance to finally bring home a trophy." Vyse grins. "Frankly, we're bitter. Suikoden has gotten far more RPGP glory, and we want our cut." Aika, with a glint in her eye, nods. "We're making sure Ramirez gets proper payback." "Ha!" says Hugo. "Our True rune magic's speed is unrivaled, as is our fighting power!" Chris nods at Hugo, and prepares to cast silent lake... however, Ramirez just laughs. "Your magic is fast.. however, Skull Shield and Delta Shield block all physical and magical damage.. and both moves are instant. It's time for you to pay for interfering.." Ramirez readies his Sword of the Dark Moon, and charges at the heroes. The last thing the trio hears is the sound of a Harmioan bishop laughing.. KnightBladeES@hotmail.com Humph. Why do these scrubs keep testing the Silver Admiral? He can overpower Yuber with magic, ala what happened to Avalon.. Ramirez can outsmart Yuber, ala what he did to Alucard… or he can simply turn the Demon man’s own moves against him, with Silver Nightmare. Luca had better hope Yuber gets a miracle win, or else he’ll become just another victim of the Silvite Monster. yamete@oshiriitai.co.jp Ramirez smiled as he thought about his opponent. A Silver Nightmare would do it perfectly. Then, Yuber entered the arena, and Ramirez' world shattered. Instead of his usual black hat and coat combination, the bearer of the Eightfold Rune was dressed in white. White with an apron, his braid intertwined with a white lace ribbon, and a white hat with a red cross on it. Yuber had dressed as a nurse. "Don't I look ever so kawaii in the pretty nurse's uniform? It's just so sugoi!!!!" Yuber said the words in a disturbingly high and giddy tone as he hugged himself and jumped up and down, as if a schoolgirl. Ramirez took the opportunity to run out of the arena and not to stop. The moral of the story: if you're a bishounen who wants to win, dress up as if you were in a cracked out shounen-ai fanfic. Works every time. ANONYMOUS Yuber is a god. He shall destroy anyone who gets in his way except for sephiroth,Aurin,cloud and id. YUBER WILL BE THE GODLIKE CHAMPION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO (continued...) metroid composite Well, I haven't played Skies of Arcadia, but I'm voting for Ramirez anyway. Why? Well based on the descriptions I've heard from my friends he may well be able to beat Freya. Freya is better than Yuber in EVERY SINGLE WAY. Let's analyze: Yuber: 70% evade Freya: 80% evade Yuber: counters Freya: counters Yuber: great attack power Freya: Holy **** Yuber: average defence Freya: best defence in her game Yuber: mortal, has a boss form Freya: god, has a boss form So basically, if Ramirez can beat Freya, Yuber should be no problem. Terra vs Loki neoelfboy@hotmail.com: Loki laughed maniacally as he smashed his opponent with an umpteenth casting of Extension Force. "Your time is short, feeble Esper!" he called to the firey humanoid opposite him, as she healed herself. "A pitiful woman such as yourself can not hope to defeat me, a god!" "Still full of yourself, Loki?" came a voice. Loki glanced back, and paled. "Odin! Why have you come here?" "I was hoping to challenge you, after you won your title," said the regal head of the Norse pantheon, hefting Gungnir. "I would like nothing better than to crush you now that you are not permitted to use the Dragon Orb. But, it seems I may have been presumptuous. After all, I can't help but remember what happened the last-time you went up against a female swordsman who led her cast..." Loki winced, as he cast another Extension Force to distract Terra a moment longer. "That's unfair of you, Odin! That particular swordswoman happened to be wielding the Glance Reviver, formed from the souls of all those I... disposed of, a supersword the likes of which the worlds had never seen before. This girl here may have more flash, but she doesn't have that kind of power." "Oh, really?" smirked Odin. "Then why haven't you killed her yet?" Loki grimaced. "Her accursed Esper form gives her inhuman powers, both offensive and defensive. Not to worry, though; she can't heal herself forever, and her offence does not threaten me!" "Oh, really?" "I'll prove it to you," the trickster god snarled. "You, Esper girl! I'll give you a free hit. Take your best shot at me with that sword of yours!" Terra waited to see that Loki wasn't just trying to get her guard down, then shrugged. "As you wish." Terra's Enhancer, backed by its wielder's massive physical strength, struck Loki hard, yet he hardly noticed. "Ha! Insolent girl, was that supposed to hurt? Your strength may be impressive, but your choice of weaponry is sadly lacking!" Loki laughed loudly. So loudly, in fact, that it drowned the sound of Terra's chanting from his ears. "You know," said Terra. "I didn't choose my weapon in order to hurt you. I'm well aware of your impressive defence, after all. This sword, instead, assists my already formidable magic power. And..." she smiled. "There's no defence in the world that can guard against Ultima." It was Odin's turn to wince, as he watched a quick flurry of blue energy waves wrack Loki. "C... curse you! I can't die here!..." cried Loki, slumping to the arena floor. Odin smiled. "You may be the trickster god, Loki. But remember, I am the lord of all gods, and therefore all domains. So try not to take it too hard that I beat you at your own game." Loki collapsed, unconscious. "Our rematch will have to wait, you wretch. Though, you ARE a Godlike now, after all... I look forward to meeting you in the arena." And with that, he cast a glance at Terra, already being presented with her Heavy Championship trophy, then teleported away. TERRA: 194 LOKI: 108 MoogleEmpMog@Laguorok.org Loki and Terra both missed their match's starting point by a wide margin. But, just as it seemed that some horrible scheduling mishap had caused the Heavy Championship to remain undecided, a small white bird descended into the center of the Arena. With a flash, it transformed into the trickster god himself. "Where is Miss Branford?" the Star Dragon Sword asked. "She is... not in attendance," Loki said. "You are aware that fighting before the match is strictly prohibited," the sword said. "But of course." Loki shrugged. "It would be disengenuous to claim that I didn't lay a finger on her, but... there was no battle." The sword, knowing Loki's tricky reputation, said, "An ambush is no more acceptable than a straight confrontation -" Loki held up his hand. "You need to read more myths, my fine butterknife. Fighting is not my favored method." He gave a self-satisfied smirk. "I simply convinced her to make love, not war." Shale0@msn.com Terra's advantages here are legion - she can Morph to double her stats, use her strong magic to ignore Loki's superlative defense, hammering him with Ultima and fire magic or just keeping her HP high with constant Drains and she can use Cure spells to heal more or less at will. Sadly, all of that means nothing after one dose of Indiscriminate turns her into a fine paste. Terra's a fine Heavy and a servicable Godlike, but Loki is overkill, plain and simple. Unoriginal_one@hotmail.com Terra drew her sword and Morphed, and Loki watched in amusement as she flew directly at him. Loki easily caught the Esper's blade as it came in. "Silly Esper, physical attacks can't hurt me." Terra responded with a smile, and grabbed his wrist. "Warp!" When the world snapped back into focus Loki found himself standing in the Arena's parking lot, and stared in shock as Terra, who never once touched the ground, flew back to the Arena to claim victory. ANONYMOUS Terra went in with the Illumina, which not only never misses, but always critical hits. After one attack by it, which also saw a Pearl spell, Loki backed off and started quadracasting. Owing to the speed boost by the legendary sword, Terra got in another turn and hit Loki with Ultima. Porky Pig wandered in, saw Loki's charred body, unconscious, then shrugged and said "that's all, folks." babbwa@vcu.edu Loki, though tricky, can't avoid Ultima (since I've never seen it miss in FF6, I assume there is no chance to avoid or guard it). He could probably out-cast Terra, but once she morphed she'd just slaughter Loki with Ultima after Ultima. I wonder if the X-Zone/Vanish trick would work against an Aesir? ANONYMOUS How in the heck did nash lose to loki. I think it was luck. terre shall destroy Loki RPGuru1331@Yahoo.com Loki was fully aware of all that his foe could do. As a mage god, he had access to every spell in his game. So, he starts the battle with a defensive spell. Shocked at this hating god casting anything but an attack spell, but still willing to continue Terra begins casting Ultima, but as she completes the spell, she realizes that the explosion is starting underneath her. She frantically tries to cancel her casting but it is too late. As she is blown out of the arena, the announcer comes to Loki and asks him what he cast, to which he responds "Reflect Magic. It turned back all but the FMV spells, and since Ultima hasn't reach that level of graphical goodness for her, It didn't stand a chance." As Terra is launched from the arena, she realizes her mistake and curses the graphics of the era she was created in. CainofSolaris@aol.com Terra morphs (only naked chick in RPGP!!!!) & she's so hot that Loki's eyes bug out. And then she casts Fire-3 & he's hot too but in a bad way. Stormlock Terra entered the arena and had to stifle laughter at her opponent. Why was this twerp in the heavy class anyways? As the battle started Terra cast a spell on herself, all but ignoring Loki's assault. She finished just before him, in time to get hit be four spells at once. She was left reeling; Loki's magic was a lot more powerful than she had thought. "Magic isn't my only asset you know!" Terra proclaimed to the arena. And with that she Morphed and charged at her opponent, unleashing her desperation attack, Riot Blade. Loki almost managed to avoid the whirlwind of steel, but he got caught just as Terra began to slow down. He was flung to the edge of the arena, his body, frail compared to that of the magitek warrior, sorely injured. Terra began casting another spell, and finished just after Loki's second magical assault. Again, the effects weren't imediately apparent to Loki. "Looks like you aren't such a great magic user after all!" "Then I'll have to show you a real spell" Terra replied, hiding a grin. Loki finished his magics just before Terra unleashed Ultima. Just in time to get hit by 5 spells at once- Ultima, plus the 4 of his own that had just been reflected back at him. Fortuneately he had a resistance to his own magic, but Ultima left him in awe of Terra's power. Then Terra started casting some REAL magic. She fell out of Morph as she was casting the spell she was certain to finish the match. Loki assailed her with physical assaults, knowing she was already in a critical state. He didn't need magic to finish off someone THIS weakened. Loki landed repeateded blows while Terra took them and cast the spell. Finnally, her spell done, Terra backed out of range of Loki's attacks. "Now, it ENDS" Loki looked up to see the embodyment of the Crusader esper hovering over the arena. Non Elemental magic tore through both of them, leaving nothing in the arena but ashes. A tie? After the devastation ended, it seemed there would be no victor of this match. Until a small angel landed upon the ground and Terra reappeared. Moral of the story: Immense destruction to all + Life 3 = guaranteed win. tylorh@hotmail.com Loki knew Terra for a relatively simple fighter, not used at all to the ways of trickery, and so knew that she'd be easy fodder for his tricks when the match began. Of course, he had neglected the fact that several of her companions, namely Setzer, Locke, Edgar and Celes, were all quite adept in the field of tricks and would be ready and willing to give her advice. And so, the Norse God of Trickery, having come off the better in a match of wits against one of the trickiest living mortals, was promptly taken out by a slave crown cunningly disguised as his usual headband, and switched for it by the notoriously straightforward esper. DragoonJay@excite.com L is for the lies he spouts very well. O is for the oath to send Terra to Hell. K is for the killing, oh so vey thrilling. I is... something I haven't quite figured out yet. Put it all together and you've got Loki, our Heavy champ. Slade vs Ward babbwa@vcu.edu: Slade miscalculated even showing up for this match. Ward, being an accomplished sailor, had long since developed a taste for rat... SLADE: 133 WARD: 148 MoogleEmpMog@Laguorok.org "Are you *sure* this doesn't count as outside interference?" Laguna asked. "I mean, it doesn't really seem fair to that cute little rat, you know." "Laguna," Kiros, who was already short of breath and straining against the exertion, said, "shut up and lift." Ward nodded. And so, the President of Esthar reluctantly helped haul his extremely heavy friend out over the bomb bay doors of the Ragnarok. ... Meanwhile, in the Arena... Slade looked around. "Ninja sense is tingling," he muttered. "Danger... but from where?" His finely honed ears picked up a whistling sound from above. He looked up. Just in time to see three hundred pounds of bungie-corded, harpoon-armed ex-Galbadian soldier coming down at him. Which prompted Laguna to say, "Now *that's* gotta hurt." Shale0@msn.com Not only does Slade have the much-hyped Gisarme, he can pepper Ward with Katon and Raijin magic while keeping out of the lumbering soldier's reach as long as necessary. And it doesn't help that Ward's only answer to his opponent's techniques is a pathetically weak Limit that might not even go off at all before he's cut to ribbons. Sorry, big guy, but whatever luck you've been running on stops here. gorgy@adelphia.net Ward is not only tough enough to be in heavy, but cool enough to be in godlike. That is why he will obliterate that annoying rat. ANONYMOUS Slade unsheathes his gisarme. Ward craps his pants. Ward is disqualified on the account that soiled trousers are no fun. rurounikenshi@gmx.net Slade has great attack power, fast movement, deadly spells and a certain % of instant kills. Ward has a spear. Guess who's going to win. Shraifer@hotmail.com Hmmm, a ninja rat with powerful magic, VS a guy with a harpon. Jee, I wonder who going to win this match? Slade easily trimphs. tracerbulletx@hotmail.com While Ward has the size advantage, he has no such advantage in range. Sure, he can throw an anchor, but then he has to run over to retrieve it. Slade, on the other hand, can hang back and throw off spell after spell. After Slade's magical reserves would be inevitably depleted, Slade could definately take Ward on, toe-to-toe, for at least a little while. And with Slade's ability to instantly kill anything, a little while should be more than enough. RPGuru1331@Yahoo.com I hate adjudicating a win based solely on game stats, but I'd have to say that since an unjunctioned Ward has very poor physical attack accuracy and Slade has very high Physical Evade, Ward doesn't stand a chance of hitting him. CainofSolaris@aol.com Ninja Rats >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>x10000000 Dumb Sailors who beat Fina&Alice superaielman@hotmail.com Pfft. Ward spent how many years in army barracks? If there’s one thing that you learn in such places, is how to deal with rodents.. In this case, a good dose of anchor should solve the rat problem nicely... neoelfboy@hotmail.com Despite his impressive build, Ward isn't much of a fighter, even in Middle. However, his wits have served him well, allowing him to advance to the finals for the first time in his Playoffs career. It's those same wits that will advise him not to even attempt to outthink a ninja when it comes to roundabout tactics. And thus, disappointed Slade is crowned Middle champion by default following Ward's tactful declaration of forfeiture. tylorh@hotmail.com Ward looked and felt quite confident as the match began. After all, Laguna owed him one for his grunt work setting up that loudspeaker during Loire's successful Middle championship several seasons ago. And so, Ward was trying the same tactic. As the match began, speakers Laguna had set up outside the ring began blaring "Man With a Machine Gun" loudly enough to set the ground shaking, leaving the lighter Slade with unsteady footing while the hefty Ward was just fine. Of course, the flaw in Ward's plan showed itself as Slade's ninja agility allowed the rat ninja to move swiftly even with the ground shaking beneath him. He then raced in to finish the slower Ward with a single blow. Ward tried blocking with his anchor. An unfortunate move for Ward as the Guisarme cut clean through, splitting his weapon in twain. An even more unfortunate move for Slade, as the part that was cut off fell on him, the heavy anchor hurting him, and pinning him long enough for Ward to smash the rest of the ruined weapon into the rat ninja for the win. Aila vs Relm MoogleEmpMog@Laguorok.org: Relm began to paint Aila's portrait. To her surprise, the Karayan girl screeched in abject horror and hurled herself at Relm, bow completely forgotten, all thoughts, even of soda, banished from her mind. Tragically, Relm was destined not to survive long enough to learn that the Karaya Clan believes that a picture takes a part of a person's soul. AILA: 154 RELM: 138 Drumbkb@aol.com Relm Controls Aila, which proves ineffective due to inherent difficulty in shooting oneself with an arrow. Aila takes the mind-control attempt as "an insult to a warrior!" and flies into a championship winning rage. ANONYMOUS Aila goes first and shoots an arrow at Relm, scoring a critical hit and knocking the poor girl down to very low health. Relm smiles and uses her desperation attack, Star Prism. The instant death attack bypasses all of the Runes and wins it for Relm. tracerbulletx@hotmail.com Aila has huge advantages over Relm. She can heal much more effectively with her shield rune, and she can bolster her defenses with the Earthen rune. She can also use significant earthquake magic to knock Relm off balance while Relm is sketching. I see the battle going like this: Relm starts sketching Aila's insanely complex Karayan clothing. Aila shoots off a slew of arrows. Relm is preoccupied with the sketch and is skewered. CainofSolaris@aol.com Aila. Duh. She is the cute one and cute chicks always win light, and she rocks Relm in a fight, this isn't hard neoelfboy@hotmail.com As soon as the match against Aila began, Relm pulled out her Rainbow Brush and started sketching. Despite being struck by more than one stray arrow, Relm finished quickly. "Behold!" said the younger girl, as the very lifelike image of Aila she had painted sprung to life. "Can you defeat an image of yourself, Aila... as well as myself, at the same time?" Relm smiled sweetly. "Oh, Aila!" came a voice. Both Relm and Aila's double turned to look at Ace. He was standing just outside the arena grounds behind Aila, holding a large jug of... you guessed it. "Wouldn't you like some sweet, refreshing soda, Aila?" The real Aila didn't even seem to notice Ace; she just nocked another arrow to her bow and took aim at Relm. Her double, however, was another story. Before Relm could stop her, the image rushed over to the soda. "Ring-out!" called the Star Dragon Sword. "Since the phantom was created by Relm, she loses the match! Aila is the victor!" The crowd erupted in cheers. Aila looked momentarily confused, then shrugged and raised her hands in victory. Relm couldn't believe it. She put away her brush, and the image of Aila vanished. The real Aila, on the other hand, turned around. "Ace!" she said. "I didn't notice you. Have you come to watch me be crowned champion?" "Something like that," smiled Ace. "Heeeyyy! Is that soda?" asked Aila. She quickly grabbed the jug from Ace's hands, and took a gulp. "By the way, why did you want me to wear these earplugs, again?" tylorh@hotmail.com The match began, and both Relm and Aila began their attacks. Aila furiously chanting while Relm's brush was a dervish whirling through the air before her, sketching a perfect copy of Aila. Relm won the quickdraw, her copy of Aila unleashing a spell. Unfortunatly, the spell in question was Battlefield, which simply strengthened the Earthquake the real Aila had been casting. Monster Master Ultimate Challenge ANONYMOUS: There was a great rumbling in the desert. In Gold Saucer, the patrons wondered if this was a new attraction, or a new calamity, or both. In Corel, the miners hunkered down and prayed that no landslide would bury their homes. In Cosmo Canyon, Nanaki ment to the canyon wall and, statue-like as his father, howled for hours. And in distant Midgar, Rufus Shinra looked up at the minor tremor and cursed, "What the hell is it NOW?" But no one knew what was afoot. No one but a lone Pokemon trainer, who had struggled across the sands with pokeball in hand and capture on his mind, and now faced a sight beyond all comprehension: Ruby WEAPON had come prepared for a Pokemon duel. Not, though, as a Pokemon. It wore a trainer's cap fashioned of pure red, pale green and dark purple Materia, and had pokeballs of its own, similarly fashioned. And each one it tossed to match Ash's contained one of its brother WEAPONs. To Ash's credit, he was not lightly called the greatest Pokemon trainer in the worlds - his monsters, whether from his world or others, aquitted themselves valiantly, bringing down Emerald and Ultimate WEAPON. And more to his credit, he did not flee when the last of his Pokemon was defeated. Credit that last to his courage. It proved to be no credit to his intelligence. RUBY: 198 ASH: 114 ANONYMOUS Let's see now... Pikachu has electric attacks. Ruby grounds himself by shoving his tentacles in the sand. Charmander has fire attacks. Ruby absorbs fire. King Behemoth has physical attacks. Ruby has obscene physical defence. Gold Slime has... uh... lots of money! Ruby doesn't want to buy anything. Mr. Chupon sneezes on people. Ruby hits people with sandstorms. Ash says "I'm gonna be the greatest Pokémon master ever!" and turns his hat to one side. Ruby says "GROOOOOOAAAAAAAAR!!!!!" and casts Ultima. wyrmspirit@hotmail.com The TV series may suck, but the game itself is quite addictive. Anyway Ash wins this one die to his ridiculous amount of Full Cures, all heals and the very fact that he has somehow managed to unlock the healing power of Lemonade! This combined with the high HP of His Behemoth companion, and the fact he can switch to other monsters at any time as a free action, means Ash over time, wears down Ruby and wins. MoogleEmpMog@Laguorok.org It seems to me, based on the match description, that young master Ketchum can catch 'em all, literally, from any world he cares to. Even limited to a mere five Pokeballs, he can come to this fight packing Mewtwo (Poke), Giant Cactaur (FF8), Giant Looper (SoA), Brachasaur (FF6), and... Jogurt. That's right, Jogurt. One Jogurt Ring later, Ash doesn't even *need* his monsters to capture Ruby Weapon. Of course, all he's really getting is a Red Jogurt, but hey, that's a small price to pay for victory. ANONYMOUS Ruby Weapon has a number of disadvantages in this match. His MP-draining attacks will only drain the PP out of one moveset for a Pokemon, and his Whirl Sand attack is useless since Ash only fights one-on-one battles. (Or two-on-two, which this isn't.) Furthermore, the WEAPON can't harm Ash in any way, due to how Pokemon's battles are conducted. Ruby Weapon also has some advantages. He deals huge amounts of damage, counterattacks everything with Comet2 and Ultima, is often completely invulnerable, and has a million hit points. Ash has one advantage: As an RPGP contestant, he's from the Pokemon game rather than the cartoon. His best 'equipment' is the Master Ball, which has a 100% capture rate, and always goes first in a turn when used. Pity poor Ruby WEAPON. Ash is out of Master Balls, so Ash is going to have to use Ruby WEAPON as his main monster when he hunts down the other WEAPONS to complete the set. Gotta catch 'em all, you know. Never mind Ruby WEAPON. Pity Ash's future opponents... Lakidaa Lakisda,Profeesional behemoth lover XD ...A King behemoth? That's..just WRONG. *cries* Ahem. When Ash pops out K.Behemoth ( <3 ), Ruby'll..Tunnel? Claw?..Whirlpool? Ash away, resulting in a ringout. The King Behemoth and Ruby make friends, and go on a rampage. Everyone lives happily ever after (except Ash, the people in the arena, and quite a few people of the countryside) angelicus85@hotmail.com RPGP tickets front row center tickest: $150 on Mogaycard Digital Video Camera with zoom lens: 500 zenny on Mogaycard Popcorn: 5 GP on Mogaycard Watching Ash Ketchum and every Pokemon ever devised get obliterated by Ruby Weapon: priceless Andvareel@hotmail.com Until Ash learns how to abuse 12x Attack Reels with say, a World Champion Pokeball then... well, even then he's in over his head. rurounikenshi@gmx.net There won't be a fight. Just some red, sticky pulp under Ruby Weapon's feet Drumbkb@aol.com After hours of strategizing, Ash decides to lead off with a Pidgeot, completely nullifying Ruby's Ground-Based Whirlpool attack with its Flying type status. Unfortunately, this brilliant stragey proves ineffective as Ruby simply pummels Ash himself into the ground. starsickle@yahoo.com ruby not only squiskes ask but would probably Gooshify him. Then burn him....lots....*Ronnie James Dio comes in* FIIIRRRE! Shraifer@hotmail.com If Ash is using a Mr. Chupon, then the ruby weapon is as good as dead. All Ash has to do is continuously blow it away time and time again until its severly weakened. Mr. Chupon gives Ash an easy victory. ANONYMOUS Ash spends the day before the match surfing up and down the east side of Cinnabar Island. He doesn't want to catch the MISSINGNO. so much as just get messed up by it. Ruby looks down at Ash, who shrugs and sends out Pikachu. Pikachu Thundershocks Ruby, and is promptly swept aside. This proves to be a mistake, as Ruby is now infected by the MISSINGNO., and it's all downhill after that. The day after, Ash is still wondering how he's going to get unglitched, but at least he has Ruby. ANONYMOUS Right off the bat, Ruby uses the Whirlsand to suck away all of Ash's weak monsters while they are still in the pokeballs. But since Chupon is a summon, he stays...except Chupon is a summon. In FF7 that means Ash would have to have the actual materia to get the fat wind monster with a face on its butt to fight. Does Ash have any materia? Does he even have Mp? I didn't think so. Ruby roasts Ash. "Burnin' burnin'...." ANONYMOUS Sadly, since Ruby doesn't know the rules of a pokemon battle, a single ruby flame later and Ash would be burned to, well, Ashes. vcbsmith@yahoo.com Let's compare. Pokemon, at best have 999 health and can do 999 damage if you buy enough of those upgrades. Ruby WEAPON has over 100,000 health and has no problem doing more than 1000 damage per turn. Ash, for some strange reason can only have 6 Poke-balls at a time. Ruby WEAPON can attack once every turn, as I said, always doing more than 1000 damage. Sure Ash may have a masterball up his sleeve, but to throw it he has to go up next to his Monster, leaving him open to attack. Ash can't survive alone in the dessert or alone against Ruby long enough to throw a masterball. Ash wears his regular clothes to the match and comes back with brown jeans. ANONYMOUS Ruby Weapon can kill all of those monsters in one hit, two if it isn't putting out full effort. Maybe if Ash also caught Diamond, Emerald, and Ultimate Weapon, he might have a chance of wearing down and catching this opponent. Luckily though, Ash won't have to live with this humiliating defeat, as Ruby Weapon would most likely finish him off as well. ANONYMOUS ash can only use one at a time so ruby will smite ash in about ohhhh, say ummm, two rounds gray_fox707@yahoo.com Ash starts the match with Pikachu (like he always does) and Ruby Weapon, anticipating this from the predictable Ash Ketchum, was prepared with his tentacles. None of Pikachu’s attacks seemed to have any effect, and was beaten to a pulp with magic and various other attacks by the WEAPON monstrosity. Ash, realizing this was a futile battle for Pikachu, tried to retrieve him, but then one of the tentacles whipped the Pokeball back to his feet. Ash could only watch in horror as his best friend, enclosed in a defenseless Pokeball, was crushed under the giant WEAPON's feet. Now Ash was pissed, and brought out the Gold Slime, King Behemoth, Charmander and Mr. Chupon. Chupon immediately performed a sneeze attack...unfortunately on the Gold Slime. Ruby Weapon used the Quicksand attack and all but Charmander avoided the attack. The King Behemoth charged Ruby, but was impaled with one of Ruby's sharp claws, and then was repeatedly assaulted by the tentacles and fried with Ruby's magic attacks. It was never a fair fight to begin with. All that remained was Mr. Chupon, Ruby, and Mr. Ketchum himself. Chupon tried to use Sneeze on Ruby, but only managed to move Ruby a few inches, and creating a small sandstorm which blinded the young Pokemon master, which does not mean he is master of all beasts. Since Ruby does not abide by Pokemon rules, Ash is just as much a target as Mr. Chupon. Ruby let loose another Quicksand, and in Ash's last moments, he wondered how his beloved capture, Mr. Chupon, would fair against the massive WEAPON...just as a Sneeze by Chupon sent Ash even quicker into the darkness of the sand. Nobody knew what happened between Chupon and Ruby, because anyone near the battlefield was wiped out, or absorbed into the sand. xxjowyatreidesxx@hotmail.com Pika..Pikachu!!! Ruby steps on the pathetic Rat, and turns towards Ash. Chupon jumps out of a Pokeball and sneezes at Ruby, but its to big, and Ruby steps on Chupon too. The gold slime and King Bethemoth put up more of a fight, but were both stepped on. Ash then released all his remaining Pokemon, which were squashed quickly. He only had a few monsters left. The next two Pokeballs contained Meow Meow, the Cat. And Arffy the Dog. They quickly overpowered Ruby, and Ash caught it in a Pokeball. babbwa@vcu.edu Ruby destroys the poor boy unless he had enough sense to bring along a master ball. No other monster, even the most ungodly ones, could stand against one of the pre FFX weapons in a one-on-one fight. Even a team would be hard pressed to deal serious damage to Ruby before they all got wiped out. The only way I ever managed to beat Ruby was with a Ribbon (No toad for me- I just ate!) Knights of the Round-Mp Absorb, and Phoenix-Final Attack (All of those mastered). Seeing as Ash and none of his monsters have those, or something equivalent (Such as a Kaiser Form, Omnislash, Invincibility, Divine Favors, etc.), they'll be sleeping at the bottom of the desert in no time. chipstick85@aol.com For the bonus match it says Ash gets his superb collection of pokemon so I assume this means not only the two shown above. (Charmander and Pikachu) Ash sends out Charizard to take Ruby head on while his other pokemon and monsters surround the weapon. Charizard and Ruby deal out massive fire attacks that don't bother each other for a bit before Ash takes action. Everyone shoots their attacks at the weapon, but because of their size they fall after only a single hit of Ruby's attacks. Knowing that the battle is going poorly Ash sends out his King Behemoth, who has more than enough HP to take some attacks from Ruby. Ash then brings Chupon out and yells a command to him. Ruby is wearing down a little, but the Behemoth is finally slain. This is where Ash's true genius comes in. Ruby tries to shoot his beams at Ash's pokemon, but every time a beam is fired Chupon sneezes to blow his comrades out of the way. This keeps up and Ruby seems about to fall when he busts out his rigged move that destroys all but one person. Ash stands alone facing the weapon thinking that his days as a trainer are done. Then he remembers that he has a master ball and he simply throws it at the weapon to catch it. Later Ash is jumped by his pokemon for not using the Master Ball in the first place. darby002k@suttonlea.org Ruby and Emerald Weapons are impossible to beat on FF7 I need help beating thme without a Gold Chocobo RPGlord@web.de Ash vs. Ruby let's see, Ruby would belong to even more than Godlike while Ash .... well he's a egghead. well have just a look at that: Ruby + Hades = Hard to beat Ruby - Hades = Invincible Ash + 6 losers = No Hades Ruby + Ash + 6 losers - Hades = Ash is dead meat RPGuru1331@Yahoo.com Why is this even the bonus match? Ruby smoked anyone without self-revivification or Shield, so what makes anyone think that these guys can make it? The only one with a chance is Chupon, and we know he had nothing besides Sneeze, which wouldn't work on a boss. CainofSolaris@aol.com Ash sucks, so it is not important what monsters he has, Ruby will paste them all because Ash sucks and has no tactics. ANONYMOUS ash sux ruby kicks pokemon @$$ dmarco3 (yahoo) There's a reason I'm voting "No Vote" for the Monster Match while still commentating on it... and that's because my option isn't listed. Long Discourse alert. But if mine is the one chosen as the 'one that actually happened', Mr. C can just cut to the Chupon segment. I'm asuming based on the Anime, Ash HIMSELF is about Level 8-10. Going from the game, he'd probably be about the same, but with fewer INATE skills. Which aren't really relevant as all we're looking for here is his agility. Remember, Monster fight or not, we're in the FF7 universe, which means Active-Time and NOT Turn-based. Which means that while the Monsters' attacks are based on their own agility ratings, the rate at which Ash can switch them out is dependent on how fast HE can swap Pokeballs. And at Level 10, he's got a good reaction; but against Ruby, good won't be enough for a 2:1 ratio required for a Poke-Gold-Poke-Gold strategy. On the other hand, Mr. Cranbud DID say "his superb collection... from his own lands." implying that Ash can now use the Pokemon HE garnered. And, whether Game or Anime, his Pikachu and Charizard are up to the challenge, as are the three other monsters mentioned. (Only a Total of 5, as this is a Capture Match.) The problem, of course, being... that Ruby can absorb most magics. As Ash&Pika will be shocked to find out when Thunder (equal to a Thunderga) merely dances along Ruby. Before Ruby smashes Pika with his Ruby Ray. Ash then calls out Charizard to try Flamethrower. Ruby likes it hot. Ruby tries to claw Charizard (with no success, thank you wings). Battle then goes physical. Charizard darts around, inflcting minor damage, until being taken down. King Behemoth does a bit better, and takes Ruby down to about 40%. Of course, to get Ruby on an Ultra requires 10%. It's either 'wait it out' with Gold Slime, or more offence with Ultros' friend. And indeed, Chupon is called out. His wind-based attacks basically fizzle against Ruby. But, when Ruby hits Chupon with the Ruby Ray... you guessed it, the biggest nose in all of RPGdom makes its appearance. 'Achoo! ... whoosh!' And no that's not the charge of the first Fabul Infantry... that's the sound of Ruby Weapon actually being removed from the battle field. Or, from the commentary of Meowth, "And Ruby Weapon's Blastin' off! Ain't it just like the twirp?" In other words, the Sneeze counter was successful on Ruby. No experience. No WEAPON. No nothing. But at least Ash can claim that he stood against Ruby. I know. Cheap. But at least Ash didn't just use a Master Ball in Rd. 1 or Ruby didn't Ultima the monster AND Ash. ANONYMOUS Pokemon do not take well to sand pits, do they? chewy46@hotmail.com Chupon isn't going to help, unless Ash's goal is "make 'em all escape", as that's all Chupon really does anyway. Regardless, Ruby can beat up a moderately beefed up FF7 party, often without a whole lot of trouble. And that's three at a time. I highly doubt a few one on one fights with cute little mice or puppies or something is going to give him pause. shoat_the_slayer@somplace.com At the onset of the battle, Ash stood well back, planning to stand safely out of harm's way while throwing all his monsters into the battle. Concern lined his face as his Pikachu's initial attacks failed to do any damage. "How do you get rid of this thing's invincibily field?" he wondered, when suddenly the ground around him began to shake. Two giant tentacles ripped out of the sand on either side of Ash. "Hey, you're not allowed to hit ME..." was the Pokemon trainer's last thought. ANONYMOUS err... that is... chupon>ruby. yes. neoelfboy@hotmail.com Ash was able to catch Mewtwo, a far faster, stronger, and more versatile foe than Ruby Weapon, the weakest "superboss" in Final Fantasy history. And he was able to do so using only creatures from his own world. You give him access to the best monsters from ALL worlds, and expect a fair fight? Come on; even Ash isn't incompetent enough to screw this up. DragoonJay@excite.com Let's review this. Ash is a pathetic human, up against a WEAPON of mass destruction that really doesn't care about the "No hurting a trainer" rule prevalent in the Game Boy games. Ash has the Master Ball, an item which allows him to capture any wild creature with a 100% success rate. Not 99.6%, not 100% unless the target is powerful, but 100%. Period. No exceptions. Ash finds himself the proud new owner of a Ruby WEAPON. Sadly, he'll have to pick up about 75 badges before he's able to control it in battle... Do you want YOUR comments seen at the RPG Playoffs Online? Just send them in along with your votes and Mr. Cranbud and the RPGP staff will review them for publication! Please refrain from using vulgar or otherwise offensive language in your comments, since Mr. Cranbud will only accept such language if it is used for genuine humorous effect, and only on a good day.