So there they were. Ax3 and Fresh verses Zane.
Zane had the first move. He took his time to pump himself up, shaking his hand out beyond the screen and taking a drink as he talked to chat.
He appeared giddy at the fight.
"This is it chat." Zane said, with a smile. "This is my only AU so if I lose this, we are back to square one. God I wish I could just dive into the game." He ducked under the desk and came back up with a pair of boxing gloves over his one shoulder. "I think I'm ready now." He smirked.
Fresh read the scrolling chat.
*he got the gloves!
*gloves!
*the gloves come out
*serious mode engage!
... must be a thing he did for chat hype.
Ax3 had used the time to get access into viewing the other's desktop.
The background of his feed was heavily boxing themed. There was even a boxing anime poster. Fresh thinks he recognises it as Hajimi no Ippo.
Prep done, Zane FIGHTS, his weapon being that of boxing tape. Super effective against boxes!
Fresh dodges. Then taunts.
"Ya really think I'm gonna up and stand there, broski?"
Fresh with hands in pockets retaliates at the default red soul, getting in some good hits and following it up with bones.
Fresh was really proud. He managed to get Zane down to the required HP first try!
Zane swore.
"Sorry chat. The patterns are new."
Ah. Right. Them.
Chat.
Fresh would have to deal with that before he converted the soul. It'd be pretty rude to expose the Hackers soul like that for the 53 people watching.
"Twitch streamer, huh." Fresh chuckled darkly. "Guess some unrad sickos like to watch."
Jump scaring them with the same sound end geno Chara uses and leaking magic out of his shades, Fresh ended their stream.
Ax3 gave a nervous laugh at the show, glad Fresh forgave him.
Ax3 took his turn and simply spared Zane, moving the fight on.
Zane was distracted with trying to get the stream starting again.
"Hey big, dude." Fresh said, getting Zanes attention with the text sound. "Your move, broslice." Fresh smiled.
Zane hesitated, peaking through some of the codes and seeing as Fresh had complete access to his computer and nothing could keep him out, Zane paled.
Of course Fresh didn't destroy or break any firewalls. He simply ... saw around them. With the Fourth Wall down, it was a lot easier than actually Hacking the guy. Even his antivirus didn't notice Fresh because, Fresh, himself, was another form of antivirus.
He was like a backdoor incarnate.
The fact that Zane spotted him in there at all showed just how skilled he was. Even Ax3 hadn't noticed. And if Snasy did, they didn't mention it.
Zane spared Fresh. Clearly afraid of what Fresh might do to retaliate beyond the Encounter.
"Aw broseph~" Fresh said, "You shouldn't have, dawg."
Now that it was his turn, he stepped into the box and just like with Ax3, he touched the soul. Red flaked away to reveal orange.
Bravery.
Sans, Papyrus and Frisk seemed very scandalized as soon as he was about to touch the soul, confusion over the bizarre fight forgotten. But once the soul changed traits they were left aghast.
Zanes Avatar mimicked his confused horror and showed his true feelings as he looked at Fresh as more than just pixels for the first time.
"/ban Hack-"
Before he could go further, he was interrupted by an opened palm thrust into his ribs, causing him to stumble back a step. Impressive.
"Wait wait wait!" Zane put his hands up after having punched him. "Don't ban me!" He practically begged.
Fresh sighed. Well this wasn't like Ax3.
Fresh spared Zane and the encounter ended.
"Give me a good diggity dang reason why I shouldn't ban you from setting foot in this multiverse."
Fresh would be willing to listen to why he had to kill his friends' copies. It better be good.
Sans, Papyrus and Frisk began to mutter to themselves, still not interfering, but probably wanting something to report back to Gaster.
"I didn't know it was-" Zane began.
Fresh poked a finger at Zanes forehead and held it there leaned in in intimidation.
"You ain't suppose ta know." Fresh said. "Not unless you meet the criteria, bro. But you broke the Rules broseph. I don't give a flip about the AU's law, but ya can't just go around cloning the balance holders all willy nilly. You put this whole rad multiverse at risk for fight club."
Zane was looking more chastised by the moment. Face slipping into a mask.
"... I'm a boxer." He said as if that explained anything. "My channel's based on fighting content and video game violence."
"So?" Fresh said, backing up, hands on his hips and foot tapping in disappointment. "You want these broski's to fight? Go for it! Just don't go up and breakin' the Rules to do it, yo. This was already a fight club before you interfered." Fresh wagged a disapproving finger. "No clones, dawg. Ya had to have seen the code instability that brings, bruh."
"There wasn't exactly a rule book when I got this game." Zane said dryly.
Fresh paused and looked to Ax3. "The Hacker-bros received the Rules right?"
"It ... was hidden in the terms and conditions." Ax3 said. "I doubt anyone else read those anymore but me. It also stated that our hard drives would become server host's for whatever AU's we visit. I got busy before I could stop the bot from crossing the allotted loops for an AU." He looked embarrassed. "I forgot to implement the automatic stop function."
So Ax3 wasn't even planning to break the Rules. It really was an accident.
OO-OH Freshe's shades said. So Hackers, even though they were corruptive to AU's when not under control also helped expand the multiverse limit.
"That explains how Fresh shut down my stream." Zane said, with a frown, still eyeing Fresh up. "Already into the software."
"Don't worry, home slice." Fresh smirked. "I won't order any furbys from ebay on your account, yo."
Zane dead panned. "You better not."
Fresh sighed. Fresh thought about just not banning him, but there was a pull from his code that needed to do it.
"Sorry bro." Fresh said, "Still gotta ban you. But I'll limit to this AU and cut it down to a year."
Zane seemed to be surprised at the length.
"Wha-" Ax3 said. "I'm banned forever from all the old servers for only endangering 5 universes! He could have hurt them all! How is this fair?"
Fresh gave him a head rub. "And you paid me back, yo. Now I can lessen the unrad punishment."
Fresh then verbally edited the ban to be just for the 5 affected AU's for 6 months.
"6 months?" Ax3 dead paned.
"In game time, yo." Fresh pointed out. "Depending where you hang in the multiverse, that could be about a week, broski. Just figured that be enough time for them kids to cool it before you try and give your sorrys, bro."
Ax3 seemed to deflate at that and nodded.
Fresh turned to Zane who had by now gone to lean on a pillar, waiting for Fresh to decide.
"/ban Hacker-"
Fresh was interrupted again when he saw the title above Zanes head shift from Hacker, to Hacker Player.
Fresh hummed.
"Okay, broski, before I do this, would ya be willing ta do me a radical favor?"
"What kind of favor?" Zane asked.
Clearly no one but Fresh saw the change. Fresh was going to have a word with Higher Management later about their ability to manage things.
"Go to Alpha Timeline number 23 after, brolio." Fresh said. "You'll meet another Hacker in the know at the skele house, yo. Meet you there, home bro."
"Okay. Seems simple enough." Zane agreed. "See you there then. No promises that I won't be in an existential mess when you get there."
Ax3 also seemed interested.
Fresh finally banned Zane, hoping to see him in the Alpha Timeline. Zane disappeared in a flash of pixelated orange. With the time dilation thing still going, they'd probably arrive at the same time.
"well then." The gruff Sans of the AU began, smoking another cigar. "care ta explain what the hell that all was?"