Finally Back In It

- May 1st, Chaos Theatre, Backstage -

You stood on the roof of the dressing room, one of the support beams keeping you steady. So far, Envy's been perfectly fine. Annoyed, sure, but fine regardless. You were full on neon powers, since they were what you had most experience with.

"Well?" Envy asked, with what feels like the millionth outfit of the day.

"Mmm... I dunno. Maybe lose the shoulders." Gideon advised, his critical eye appraising her latest look. "I want some options on the shoes. And hair, people, my God. Please. I want you to build a bonfire in her hair. That is a metaphor."

"Jeez, I get it's opening day and all, but can the girl get a moment to breathe?" You thought, letting out a quiet groan.

"Gideon, can we talk?" Envy finally asked, seemingly done with the endless rounds of outfit changes.

"Walk with me, baby." Gideon responded, leading her to a different room.

"Change of location, tighter spot, no problem." You thought, watching as they made their way to a hallway.

"I've got lighting to review and I need to do my third-to-last walkthrough. Doors in... what?" Gideon asked, checking his watch.

"104 minutes!" One of the workers yelled out, confirming his suspicions.

"104 and counting. Envy, honey, you know I love you. What's on your mind?" Gideon pressed, turning to face her.

"I'm just tired! I've been training and learning choreography for weeks. I've tried on 71 dresses." Envy explained, her frustration mounting. "Can't we just sit down for an hour and have a drink? The outfit is fine. I'm ready."

"Natalie, it's your debut. It's the opening of my special place in Toronto. Your outfit is important." Gideon reasoned, his tone firm. "I've had some promising young designers literally chained to sewing machines for a month. And you know that dressing like a doll is very fulfilling for me."

"What a prick." You thought, scowling at Gideon's insensitive comments.

"Seems like it's about the only thing." Envy muttered, clearly unimpressed.

"What was that?" Gideon pressed, not appreciating the snarky remark.

"Nothing." Envy quickly responded, not wanting to deal with an argument.

Without another word, Gideon turned on his heel and marched away, his posture exuding annoyance and irritation.

"Nice guy, huh?" You made your presence known, approaching her from behind.

"I don't appreciate the sarcasm, Y/N." Envy remarked, rolling her eyes.

"Hey, I was just trying to make you feel better. You look nice, by the way. Very... showy." You remarked, gesturing at the outfit.

"Don't grow attached, it's probably going to get replaced by the next five minutes." Envy deadpanned, letting out a weary sigh.

"If it makes you feel better, this is the day everything's going to go down." You revealed, hoping to reassure her. "Scott's ready. I'm ready. It's the day everyone's been waiting for. Gideon's going down."

"And I'll enjoy every moment of his defeat." Envy replied, a smirk playing at her lips.

"That's the spirit!" You encouraged, glad to see her in a better mood. "Well, I'm off. Scott's gonna need backup."

"Knock 'em dead." Envy quipped, giving you a quick wave.

"Will do." You replied, before bounding off, determined to meet up with Scott.

- Later, with the crowd -

You stood next to the elevator, waiting for the main man to show up. You hoped that he was actually, true to your thoughts, ready to take on Gideon and didn't run away in fear.

The elevator dinged, and a smile crawled to your face. "Scott, good to see you didn't chicken away this time." You jested.

"Ha-ha. But I'm done running, Y/N. And I'll show Ramona that she can stop running, too." Scott declared, determination flashing in his eyes.

"Now you're talkin'! Let's do this." You replied, punching your hand.

"Scott! Whoa! Hey!" Wallace's voice greeted you two, nearly drunk. "I didn't know you would actually come. But you're just in time! This place is amaaaazing!"

"You're certainly having fun." You stated, glancing at his intoxicated state.

"Have you seen him?" Scott asked, referring to Gideon.

"Graves? Not at all. But he's definitely here. This place reeks of a personal touch." Wallace explained, sipping on his martini.

"Who are we talking about?" Other Scott, who was also there, asked, confused.

"Other Scott, have you seen Ramona?" Scott asked, hopeful.

"Is she the one with glasses, or the one with freckles?" Other Scott questioned, unsure.

"...nevermind." Scott sighed, dejected.

"Take off your jacket, guy! Stay a while!" Wallace encouraged, his drunk enthusiasm evident.

"This club has girls, too!" Other Scott added, trying to convince him.

"Leave the jacket, dude. Then, back to the main event." You agreed, trying to be supportive.

- One coat checkout later -

"Give me something with ice in it. And booze. Booze and ice, please." Scott ordered, leaning against the bar.

"Blue Hawaiian Cocktail for me." You requested, sitting down next to Scott.

The drinks were handed to you, and both of you took a big sip. Sip that Scott spit out in surprise when he noticed Julie, Sandra, and Monique by his side.

"Really, Scott." Julie scoffed, looking disappointed.

"I thought you didn't drink, Scott!" Sandra, genuinely surprised, gasped. Monique just sighed.

"I drink! Sometimes I drink!" Scott defended, his voice slightly slurred.

"Good to see you finally accepted that not drinking doesn't mean moral high ground." You joked, a small grin forming.

"Whatever. Have you ladies seen Ramona?" Scott questioned, trying to keep his composure.

"Gee, thanks, Scott, I'm doing well, and you?" Julie snapped, flipping off Scott.

"I... Julie... you... I... Montreal... Uhh..." Scott stammered, likely from how quickly drunk he was.

"You're a mess, man. Would you look at yourself?" Julie pointed out, looking unimpressed.

"Your shirt, dude. The booze." You explained, pointing at the massive stain.

"Durr?" Scott responded, glancing down at his chest. "Whyyyyyy?!"

"Hey. Got a few of these left. Viral marketing." The bartender called out, sliding Chaos Theater t-shirt to Scott.

"That'll be humiliating!" Scott groaned, burying his head in his arms.

"Well, you don't have much of a choice, do you?" You retorted, raising an eyebrow.

"Aaaagh!" Scott groaned once more, before taking the shirt and leaving to the restroom.

- And so, Scott changed -

"Nice shirt, Scott!" Stacey commented sarcastically as Scott walked by her.

"Shut up. I spilled my drink. Have you seen Ramona?" Scott asked, getting straight to the point.

"The Ramona who broke your heart and ruined your life and had a threesome with this Gideon clown." Stacey ranted, glaring at Scott.

"Let me guess, Wallace told you the threesome part?" You asked, sighing in exasperation.

"You need to stop talking to Wallace, okay?" Scott sighed, knowing where this was going.

"For the record, that's not what happened." You added, hoping to clear some things up. "Uh... probably."

"Anyway, I thought you didn't drink!" Stacey huffed, crossing her arms.

"Oh... hey man." Scott greeted, noticing Neil nearby.

"'Sup?" Neil, who was playing on one of the arcade machines, replied, focused.

"Wait, do you two not know each other? That's crazy!" Scott remarked, taken aback.

"Nuh-uh." Stacey confirmed, shaking her head.

"It really is crazy. I would've thought you would know each other." You concurred, a little surprised.

"Scott's sister, right?" Neil asked, still not looking away from the screen.

"Yeah, hi." Stacey waved, not sure how to react.

"Stacey, this is Young-" Scott introduced, cut off. "-this is, um, Neil."

Neil's smile went wide, and a tear formed in his eye. Now, for the longest time, no one except you has called him anything beside Young Neil. But now, he was officially just Neil.

"Thanks, man." Neil whispered, his voice wavering.

- Anyway -

"Y/N! Scott! Hey!" Knives exclaimed, approaching him.

"Knives! Tamara! What's up?" You greeted, happy to see them.

"Nice shirt, Scott!" Tamara teased, a hint of malice in her tone.

"Uh... yeah. How's it going?" Scott asked, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Great!" Knives beamed, happy as can be.

"Awesome!" Tamara added, her expression matching her friend's.

"If it isn't too much a problem, have you gals seen where-" You started, not being able to finish.

"Yes! I totally saw Envy Adams! I mean I think I did! It looked just like her! Did you like her solo album?" Tamara interrupted, excited, which made you chuckle.

"Heh, remember when you were that excited about Clash at Demonhead?" You teased, remembering how Knives used to worship the band.

"Shush, you." Knives pouted, playfully hitting you on the shoulder.

"Aren't we at the release party for it?" Scott asked, looking around the club.

"Please. It leaked months ago." Tamara dismissed, back to being aloof.

"Oh..." Scott sighed, deflated.

"As I was saying, any signs of Flowers or Graves?" You asked, getting back to the subject.

"Nope, haven't seen Ramona. Or Gideon Graves. Or-" Knives replied, her voice trailing off.

The lights shut off, and the entire place was plunged into darkness. It was showtime, and you knew it. Not only in the way that sent the tingles of anticipation up your spine, but because of the schedule you read on the way here.

And there was Envy, with a new attire, butterfly wings, hairstyle, and what have you. The audience was entranced, and their cheers did not make themselves wait.

Descending upon a pyramid-like platform with the top tip lifting to allow her to land and add a dramatic effect of dry ice smoke. Envy strick a pose, and the crowd went wild.

"Thanks, Toronto." Envy spoke into the microphone, her voice booming over the speakers. "This is a new song for an old friend."

"It's time to start looking behind you. 'Cause everything's behind you now..."

Hey, wait a minute... You and Scott looked behind you, and there was Gideon, going in for a punch, which you both dodged. "Scott! Y/N! Watch out! I think that guy might be Gideon!" Wallace shouted, waving frantically.

"You're Gideon?" Scott asked, incredulous.

"The man who caused all these problems?" You added, cracking your knuckles.

"Scott Pilgrim. Y/N Rowe. Can I be the first to say... Scott, nice shirt." Gideon replied, smug while taking a fighting stance.

"What?" Scott looked down at his shirt. "Shut up! You're like the third person to say that!"

"So what do you think of my lair of cool shit, guys? You're the target market." Gideon stated, a cocky grin forming.

"Cut the crap, Gideon. We both know why we're here." You shot back, glaring.

"Yeah, where is she?" Scott questioned, anger boiling.

"Who? Envy? That's her in the dress, buddy." Gideon laughed, pointing behind him.

"Ramona, asshole!" Scott shouted, clenching his fist.

"I haven't laid a finger on her, amigo. She's probably in the ladies' room." Gideon assured, before trying to strike a blow.

"What? Ramona, dude." Scott exclaimed, dodging the blow.

"Uh... I think I'm starting to see the problem." You muttered, backing up.

"Wait. What?" Gideon halted, confused.

"You... you don't have her?" Scott inquired, his eyes wide.

"...she isn't with you?" Gideon added, his voice filled with disbelief.

"Oh boy, neither of us even know about Ramona's whereabouts, do we?" You groaned, pinching the bridge of your nose.

"I planned this through to the end assuming you'd at least be competent enough to keep her around!" Gideon yelled, starting to throw various punches at Scott, which he struggled to block. "You defeated six of her evil ex-boyfriends and she left you?!"

"Shut up! It's complicated!" Scott argued, barely able to hold his ground.

"She just ran away, we have no idea where she went!" You tried to explain, running up to Gideon and wrapping your chain around his wrist to stop his punches.

"How could you let her go?!" Gideon snarled, pulling the chain back, dragging you along and kicking you in the stomach. "You were so close!"

"Y/N, you fought enough fights for me, now it's me and Gideon!" Scott declared, running forward and landing a kick, sending him back.

"Huh? You mean you didn't fight the other exes?" Gideon asked, bewildered.

"Not... really. I only fought Roxie, and even then, Y/N healed her before she was about to die." Scott sheepishly admitted.

"You don't have Ramona. You haven't defeated any of the exes by yourself. And you have the nerve to show your face to me." Gideon growled, punching Scott in the face.

"I did what I felt like doing! I had my reasons!" You exclaimed, trying to get in between the fight.

"Oh, don't worry. I took measures to make sure you're kept busy, Rowe." Gideon reassured, grabbing a remote.

"Wha-" You started, cut off. The ceiling opened up, and a swarm of robots flew down and landed around you.

"You really think I didn't account for you interfering, Rowe?" Gideon questioned, an eyebrow raised. "Witness the ridiculous amount of combat robots money can buy!"

"Yeah? Well, you prepare for the new and improved... League of Civil Exes!" You exclaimed, and that gave the signal.

A green portal opened up. A vegan portal. Out jumped Matthew, Lucas, Todd, Roxie, and the Katayanagi Twins.

"Plus the posse of my Conduit buddies!" You added, gesturing towards the portal, with Gira, Schell, and Pierce jumping out, the portal closing behind them.

"Knives, you too!" You exclaimed, and she rushed to you, joining the team. "Friendship, Gideon. That's what made this possible. You should try it some time."

"Whatever, I've got robots." Gideon sneered, snapping his fingers.

"And I've got a team. Let's hit it!" You commanded, and the others nodded.

So, the biggest battle thus far had begun. Civil Exes, your Conduit friends, and you versus an army of robots. Now this was a fight that was sure to get the attention of the world.

Without time wasted, the battle royale against the robots had begun. Matthew used his pyrokinesis and the DHCs, Lucas used his skateboard skills, Todd used his vegan powers, Roxie used her half-ninja skills, and the Twins worked together in duo combat, all the exes fighting against the robots.

As for the Conduits, Gira's wood powers allowed him to form various weapons to throw and fight with. Schell's paint powers trapped and crushed robots. Pierce, who was a Wire Conduit, wrapped robots in barb wire and pulled them apart.

And Knives, and boy was she showing off what she could do with her glass powers and chains. She took the phrase "spin to win" to heart, because no robot could escape the deadly whirlwind of those glass blades.

Everyone was keeping up spectacularly. You gave everyone the show of a lifetime with how many robots you were taking down, things were going beyond great. Well, that would be the case if Scott weren't struggling against Gideon.

But hey, he insisted on fighting him alone, so back to bashing robots you go. But it wasn't until Gideon reached out into Scott's chest and pulled out the Power of Love. He stole it! What a dick!

"Well this is an unfortunate turn of events." Gideon stated, his grip on the Power of Love tight.

"I don't even want to fight you! Everyone else made me do it! She's gone, okay?!" Scott retorted, clearly done with the situation.

"That makes you the newest member of the league, doesn't it?" Gideon laughed, taunting him.

"The League of Evil-Ex-Boyfriends?" Scott asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Join me, Scott, and I will complete your training! Together we can rule Ramona's love life!" Gideon proposed, holding out a hand.

"Scott, you should know by now that's not how it works! Gideon doesn't want her anymore! He just wants control!" You yelled, trying to snap him out of it.

"I know! Which is why I'll never join you!" Scott shouted back, charging forward.

"Alright, Holmes. No hard feelings." Gideon smirked, using the Power of Love to pierce Scott's chest, blood pouring out.

The music stopped, everyone stopped, and they all looked at Scott, shocked. You were frozen in horror. Scott fell to his knees, then slumped down onto his side, lifeless into a pool of blood.

"Scott..." You fell to your knees, your body shaking. You got this far... for nothing? This couldn't be happening.

"Okay! Drinks are on me!" Gideon announced, clapping his hands together, shrugging off Scott's death. "Hm? Rowe, why the long face? Don't tell me you actually thought he had a chance?"

"How..." You whispered, your hands shaking. "How could you...? All of this... for a single girl?"

"Oh, not just a girl." Gideon grinned, kneeling down in front of you. "A prize."

"A prize?" You asked, your voice cracking.

"Yeah, a prize, Rowe. Something that's the goal of the game. To be the one who gets the most out of the whole thing." Gideon explained, as if you were a child. Then, his hands began to glow. "But, since you also interfered a lot, I suppose a little payback is in order."

The yellow glow in Gideon's hands grew brighter, and brighter, and brighter. Until, it all accumulated into a wave of energy that hit you directly. But instead of suffering harm, it felt every trace of positive emotion left in you had been ripped out.

"There. That should take care of everything else." Gideon laughed, rising up to his feet and walking away, until...