Micah got out of the stall to wash her hands, she took off her black gloves and threw them away in the trash bin, she washed her hands on the sink, when she was about to leave, she noticed something written on one of the mirrors. "You'll burn out like a star." Something smelled like it was burning alright. In the mirror, she saw a hole in the stall door, the bottom edge of the hole was melting at a slow pace though some of the edges looked crispy. Thankfully there was no one injured unless it was directed for someone particular. "Stella!" Micah ran out of the restroom as fast as she could, until she found the Izarian talking to one of the raptors.

"Hi there!" Stella politely, but I don't know if they heard me. Stella asked politely, hoping that they could hear her.

"Scientifically," started Suzanne, "palm reading is an incorrect form of divination, which is incorrect unto itself. Only humans do that stuff." Blue began to form a ball of fire in her claws. "That idiot needs a fire bath," she said, eyeing Hexice. 

"Like you said it is for humans. I, a deity, do the readings for people who fail to accept their reality," Hexice explained which made Patricia fume from afar off.

"What is she DOING?!" Micah blurted out as she started to sweat while she watched the Raptors talking to Stella, fearing for her safety.  

"Oops. When was the last time you brushed your teeth Ripper?" Ripper rolled over to conceal his scars. "Ummm… a while ago.

Shadow took out a bag of potato chips and the phone and start texting and eating. 

Stella received a text message from Micah.

[Stella, get the VOID outta there!] 

Micah 10:38 AM

[Why?] 

Stella 10:38 AM 

[Those 🦖 s will bite your 🦲 OFF!]

Micah 10:38 AM

[You don't know that.]

Stella 10:38 AM 

[Yet you would go to a stranger to get your palm read.]

Micah 10:38 AM  

[There's a palm reading booth?! WHERE!?] 

Stella 10:39 AM 

Then Micah sent Stella an emoji with a facepalm. [🤦🏻‍♀️] Stella put her phone back in her pocket.

"Are any of you going to fight in the match? I signed up to compete." Stella asked.

Shadow raised a hand. "I will. My friends are spectators." She paused a second. "Where do you come from? I didn't think many worlds had phones." Shadow inquired.

"I need you to get the Indoraptor's name so that I can register it into the Auctorium's archive. Their names will be announced and televised in half of the dimensions that have advanced technology and I don't want any more setbacks." The hostess's request came back to Patricia's remembrance. "No problem."

"I'm from planet Izar, but my friend and I took a pit stop on a planet that was announcing the tournament." Stella replied.

"My name is Stella," the Izarian stretched out her hand to the black and purple Indoraptor to get a hand shake, "Stella Spacey."

Shadow shook her hand. "Shadow Vividstripe."

So it was that simple.

Patricia stepped away from the hall to inform the hostess.

"And on that note, I have no interest in your scales and claws." He then turns to Stella. Giving a wide smile, he stared at her with his spade eye. He shuffled the deck and spread them in front of her. "Pick 3 cards."

"Oooooh!" Stella picked the three cards that caught her interest. Hexice looked at the cards Stella drew: 2 of cups, 8 of wands, knights of swords.

"Ah…" he exhaled. "All images are upside down. A dissonant bond that lead to internal dismay and impulses. To all which ends with a burn out. But worry not. This is simply a warning." 

"Dang." She paused for a second while trying to keep a straight face. "At least its better than the reading I received at a casino in Pinwheel Galaxy." 

"Perhaps, when this is over you can visit my casino," Hexice chuckled. "Well, not exactly mine, but I do oversee the players. You know, make sure that they are not cheating. Quite a boring job when I know they will just as they step past the threshold."

"Not sure I'll be stepping in a casino anytime soon." Stella admitted.

"I can see I am not getting anywhere anytime," Hexice sighed. He took off his black cloak and flipped it inside out. He wrapped it around his waist and turned into a skirt. Then, took out his long brim hat and wore it. "Why is that? Luck not on your side?"

Stella recalled Carina escaping the casino in Pinwheel Galaxy leaving thousands of hooligans and gamblers injured while she chased after with galactic guns and blasters. "You can say that."

"Then allow me to add," he leaned closer to Stella. His diamond eye opened. The pupil shined golden yellow. "Let's just hope you don't burn out like a star." He gave her a wide smile showing his pure white teeth.

Then it reminded Stella what happened a while ago in the restroom. Carina snickered in the background.

"I hope so." She smiled back at Hexice.

"I really need to be on my way." He said, pivoting on his toes. "If you see a human with a 10 feet tall wind up doll and a poverty stricken child, let me know". 

"Sure thing." She said as she took out her phone and a stylus to take notes muttering human with a 10 ft wind up doll and poverty stricken child as she walked out of the scene.

Ximo returned from the men's restroom. "Let me guess, the protein shake." Uiwo crossed his arms. 

"Not. Another. Word." Ximo gritted his teeth.

Vilma headed to the infirmary as she heard groaning from a patient. “Nae yeodongsaeng-eun eodi issseubnikka? (Where is my sister?)” Joon asked before coughing. “Sir, you need to rest.” Nour insisted for him to lie down on the bed. 

“Geunyeoneun eodie issni? Geunyeoleul bol pil-yoga issseubnikka? (Where is she? I need to see her?)” He asked, as he looked within his surroundings. 

“You will do whatever it is that you need to do after you get treatment. Okay?” Nour tried to persuade him.

"Nurse, I need to borrow a phone. I have to call my sister." Joon requested.

"I understand, but you have to be patient." Nour insisted.

"Just give him what he wants." Vilma came in unannounced and kept her distance from the sick wizard. "What's your sister's phone number, I'll call." Vilma took her smartphone out of her pocket.

"Vilma, the patient needs to stay calm." Nour adviced her. 

"It's just a phone call," Vilma said before Joon winced in pain, and coughed droplets of blood. Nour had to resort to a spinal injection, his illnesss must be affecting his nerves. Judging by his ghastly complexion and bloodshot eyes, he must've been sick for years. The internal pain subsided, but he barely had the strength to move. 

"Hae Ji... Hae Ji." Joon muttered while Nour administrated the morphine through an IV. Joon closed his eyes his body relaxed.

Vilma got closer to the nurse before she noticed that Joon had an electromagnetic cuff attached to his wrist. "Is that an EMcuff? Why is he wearing one?" 

"Ask Patricia, she's the one who brought him here in these conditions." Nour countered, before she opened a cabinet to replace the used syringe. "Matter of fact, why are you here? I thought watching sick patients made you queasy." Vilma looked where she stored the vial of a potent sedative and snatched it.

"I need you to increase the dose on my meds. They're not working." Vilma lied, while she pocketed the vial of sedative.

"I'm a nurse, not a pharmacist." Nour reminded her.

"But you and Jen store all the medicine, help me out here." Vilma whined just as Nour discarded the empty syringe in a trash can.

"Then ask Jen or Sky, they're the ones that bring the medicine to the infirmary."

"Fine." Vilma walked out of the infirmary.

The hostess held the form that Patricia gave her. Shadow Vividstripe. "Thanks for bringing the form. Now I can finally start the tournament." Natalie archived the name and sent it to the database.

Patricia smirked as she recalled how she persuaded the Indoraptor on how signing the form. After the Raptor Squad split up to collect the shipment of humans in their world, Patricia caught Shadow turn into a human taking a purple diary with black binding out of her satchel. In Shadow's human form she has long black hair in a ponytail, red eyes, and wore a long sleek black shirt along with dark red pants.

Hello Diary,

Today I spent time in human form. It makes the humans less nervous, though I think I like it when humans are nervous because then their hands smell better.

Not like I'll take them for contestants.

As Shadow scribbled her name on the diary. Patricia was merely inches behind her.

"Nice calligraphy," Shadow flinched from Patricia's surprise commentary, "I apologize for intruding, though I would have to ask you to sign a form. Apparently, the letter S does not count as a name according to the one in charge of this tournament." Patricia explained with a smile on her face as she took out a pen. "Follow me to the reception. The sooner you'll sign, the sooner the tournament will commence." Shadow's red eyes glared at Patricia, then at the her hand holding the pen. "Right this way."

The hostess headed to the 5th floor to meet up with the other staff members. Her curly black hair in view as her dark brown eyes beamed in delight before seeing the rest of her crew dressed for the occasion. Johnathan Smith was sharp as ever alongside Eleanor Baker. Adrian got dressed in a black suit, as his stubby fingers adjusted the tie. The Luna sisters, Mia and Lizzy with their own stunning dresses and accessories, though Glen kept the casual striped shirt and sport pants, his white cap shielded his eyes from the lighting. "This is it! Everyone go to your places. The tournament is about to start." The hostess announced.

"Is about time." Adrian said, Brandon simply shook his head before joining Marie and Erica for surveillance and editing.

"What are you all waiting for? Let's go!" Nat clapped as the others rushed to take their positions.

"Look, Ruben. People." Ratu nudged at the angry Cinnabarian before Ruben II looked down on him with a scowl.

"Don't even think of stealing. Not on my watch!" He snapped at the little runt before leaning in tl whisper into his ear. "At least not yet anyway. Go and be on your best behavior. I'll give you the signal for you to drop out when I snatch the prize money." He warned him while he went up to take a seat. I didn't spend Ř300 for nothing. The freckled ginger thought to himself. Herring Ja finished practicing his warm up before he spotted Piros on the front row. "Oi!" The native Pirian waved at him before he noticed him. Piros heard Herring shout his name before seeing him waving, walking towards him. "Oi, Piros, do you wanna help me warm up for the tournament?" He asked as he jokingly punched the air before taking a fighting stance. "I can't see why not?" Piros stood from his seat and followed him, reaching the arena. It started with a playful punch before the ruddy lad took his turn to punch him on the shoulder. Violet walked into the stadium when she spotted the competitors fighting before the tournament began. If they kept going at it, they wouldn't have enough energy to fight off their opponent. They haven't realized that this tournament is a trap. On the other hand, it will help me eliminate them from the match sooner, that is, if one of them will become my opponent. Violet thought to herself as she opened a fan, covering the lower half of her face starting from the bridge of her nose. Jacinto walked up to find his seat amidst thousands of spectators. Spectators that he'd never seen before, from the tall mysterious deities to the average looking men, women and children. Once he found an empty seat, he ran up to it and sat on it.

Shadow looked around and snapped her jaws. "I'm hungry, I wanna eat you." Astrid backed away from the Indoraptor as she stood behind Master Yin.

Shadow looked at everyone. "Y'all are pretty fat. Yum." She flicked her tail happily.

Alex remembered her wings the moment she saw the group of raptors approaching, and immediately took to the sky. Now, perched atop the nearest wall, she studied them, torn between a childhood urge to go play with animals and the more reasonable instinct to avoid things with sharp teeth. Are the raptors... talking? Okay, thay's awesome. "Anyone know what's happening now?" Alex finally called out. Haeji took out her scythe while Faim took a fighting stance.

"Weren't dinosaurs supposed to be extinct?" Faim asked.

"Wow, humans!" said Ripper in disbelief. "Cut it out, Shadow. I've never seen humans except as experiment subjects in Rexy's lab." Blue giggled. "They were very uncooperative, weren't they? Didn't want me to feed them rat poison and see what happens." Scale didn't like where this conversation was going.

"What did you expect? How would you feel if someone tried to feed you poison!?" Faim snapped at the meancing Indoraptor, though Scale doesn't know the blonde competitor, at least he had some common sense. Blue snarled at Faim. Shadow taps her sickle claw and settles into a sitting position, watching everyone. "Oh, hello," Shadow said, looking at Alex. "You're… different than the humans I've met. Are you a hybrid?" Ignoring Hwa Hae Ji, she peers interestedly up. Phixa descended near the edge of the arena, as she looked around she saw a hooded girl wearing a cloak. May be she could be her friend. As she entered the threshold she was behind Annabell. Alex was startled by Shadow's question about her being a hybrid. She realizes that she's not entirely sure what she's become in this dimension.

Indy unfolded her camouflaged wings, and the claw at the tip scythed through the air menacingly as she gave a hard stare at Hwa Hae Ji. "She really is skinny, and far too much of a hatchling to be playing with big human toys."

"Hey, did you call me skinny?..." Hae Ji said as she looked at the ground. "Hmph, you need to get your eyes checked." She swung her scythe at Indy, as Shadow dodged the knife that Hwa Hae Ji flung atferwards, the fight prevented Alexandra from forming an answer.

A second thought, making friends in the tournament wasn't such a good idea. Phixa thought as her wings shielded her torso.

Hae Ji quickly put the knife on Shadows neck. "Hmm, you should've kept your mouth shut." Shadow said as she purposely missed Blue's neck to scare Hae Ji.

Shadow snapped at Hwa Hae Ji and suddenly her knife ws lying ten feet away and her sickle claw was on the Korean thief's neck. Blue laughed and nibbled the dagger "Hard. Not tasty," she said.

The other cometitors looked in shock as they as the Indoraptor loomed over at the girl with heterochromic eyes. Shadow giggled. "Usually I'd slice your intestines like this… and your insides would spill out, and when we eat you, you'd still be alive. Or of course I could pierce your windpipe… but since my bite is poisonous it'd be amusing to see you die, your eyes veined with black… then you'd make a rather tasty and dead meal, skinny hatchling." Shadow let Hwa Hae Ji slink away and snickered. That's the girl who got her reference, Alex realized. They've barely talked, but Alex feels the loose camaraderie of a shared fandom.

Scale saw this kind of behavior sickening, if Grim had seen this, he would get a kick out of this situation. "I get to keep the scythe." Shadow looked at the scuff in her armor that the knife made. "Polish will work well." Shadow laughed and pinned Hwa Hae Ji to the ground with my claw. "You do know that I have a poisonous bite and impenetrable armor… so that didn't work." Again, Shadow let her leave and walked away to talk with Blue about that nasty hatchling who has absolutely no respect.

She hopped down, prepared to summon her swords at the first sign of trouble. It was hard to say whether the fight was really over or if this was just a lull. "Hey! Let's all save the fighting for the tournament." She surprised herself with her own boldness, but from the resentful looks of both parties, she couldn't tell if her own intervention worked. 

Phixa saw the authority and boldness in Alexandra akin to a Phoenix. Is she another Phoenician? Certainly she never saw her on Paradise. She's a hybrid, just like me. Phixa thought, her red eyes fixated on her.

"Hmph, guess I'm not strong enough... as always. And you… give me my scythe back… my brother gave it to me… GIVE IT BACK." Hwa Hae Ji demanded.

Shadow nodded. "Ok. I'll give your kitchen knife back too." She nods at Alex. "Someone's finally got sense I see. Good job. Most humans would lock hybrids like me in a cage for people to ogle at… so even knife girl over there is an improvement." Shadow commented before looking at the other participants. "So what are your names anyway? I am Shadow, this is Ripper and Indy, and that is Suzanne and Bluefen. Though you can just call her Blue." An awkward silence filled the room before Hwa Hae Ji took the first step to introduce herself.

"I'm Hwa Hae Ji, but I guess you can call me Haeji." Despite the introduction, the other competitors felt tension lingering in the air.

Glad that everyone's being reasonable.