Sassy was out of the fight, crushed beneath Ironhide's immense bulk. Circuitry's Mechanical Knights and Flying Minions charged Mizuno down from one side, as Astra's mind blast swept towards her, ready to smash her intelligence with devastating brute force. Soon, it would be four fighters against two, and the outcome did not look favorable for our team.

  Seeing Mizuno in dire straits, I sprang into action. I dashed towards her, in passing firing off Dumb Magnetism at Ironhide, pulling him sideways just as he aimed his finishing blow onto Sassy. As Misty aimed at Ironhide with a Steadfast Charge, I activated Blinding Radiance, surrounding myself with a field of luminous idiocy that blinded and disoriented both Astra and Circuitry. With my sight enhanced by dumb light, I charged towards them, determined to save Mizuno from their coordinated assault.

  Mizuno, meanwhile, used the distraction to her advantage. She activated Teleportation, disappearing just as the combined attacks from Circuitry and Astra were about to hit her. The crowd gasped as she reappeared behind them, giving herself some breathing room.

  I reached Astra and Circuitry, my fists glowing with dumb energy as I unleashed a flurry of Dumb Strikes. Astra tried to counter with Psychic Barrier, but my blows disrupted the shield, causing it to flicker and fail. Circuitry, meanwhile, summoned Mechanical Knights to defend her, their energy swords clashing against my dumb-infused fists.

  The battle raged on, with each of us unleashing our most powerful skills. I activated Stupid Shield, creating a barrier of pure stupidity around myself that deflected Astra's Mind Blast and Circuitry's drone attacks. The crowd cheered as they saw me hold my ground against the two formidable opponents.

  Mizuno, recovered from her close call, rejoined the fight. She deployed Holographic Duplicate, creating a perfect replica of herself that fought alongside her, confusing Astra and Circuitry and providing additional combat support. With our numbers evened out, we were able to turn the tide of the battle.

  Meanwhile, Misty and Ironhide fought each other to a standstill, their armored forms clashing with immense force. Misty once more activated Steadfast Charge, lowering her head and neck to gain speed and momentum as she plowed into Ironhide. He met her charge with Adamantium Skin, his body turning into an impenetrable fortress of metal. The impact sent a shockwave through the arena, and the crowd roared as the two powerhouses collided.

  Ironhide followed up with Magnetic Crush, pulling Misty towards him with an invisible magnetic force. She struggled against the pull, but it was no use; she was drawn in like a metal filing to a magnet. Just as he was about to deliver a crushing bear hug, Misty activated Whirlwind Kick, spinning rapidly and creating a vortex of debris and force that pushed Ironhide back and disrupted his grip.

  Now freed from Ironhide by Misty's attack, Sassy leaped up with a Playful Pounce, coming down upon Shadowstep, still stunned from his two-on-one with me and Misty. As she began play with him, she activated Friendly Aura, licking his face as he began a friendly game of tag.

  I turned my attention to Circuitry, activating Dumb Magnetism to pull her towards me with an invisible force. She struggled against the pull, but it was no use; she was drawn in like a metal filing to a magnet. Just as I was about to deliver a devastating blow, she countered with Giant Robot Transformation, her body growing and morphing into a massive robot form with enhanced strength and durability.

  The crowd let out a collective gasp as they saw Circuitry's transformation, her new form towering over the arena like a metal giant. I quickly adjusted my strategy, activating Radiant Blast to emit a wave of radiant idiocy that sent Circuitry reeling back, confused and disoriented.

  Mizuno, seeing an opportunity, targeted Astra with a barrage of drone attacks. Astra retaliated with Psychic Amplification, boosting her psychic powers and increasing the effectiveness of her abilities. The two techno-mages engaged in a fierce battle of wits and wills, their skills clashing in a display of light and energy.

  As the fight continued, I found myself locked in a fierce struggle with Circuitry's robot form. Her enhanced strength and durability made it challenging to land effective blows, but I was relentless. I activated Infinite Stupidity, bending reality to my will and sending shards of metal from her exploded armor back at her, causing them to tear into her robotic body and disrupt its systems.

  Astra, meanwhile, was finding it difficult to keep up with Mizuno's agile movements and drone attacks. She tried to use Gravity Well to pull Mizuno towards her, but Mizuno countered with Teleportation, disappearing and reappearing in a different part of the arena, avoiding Astra's gravitational pull.

  Seeing an opportunity to finish off Circuitry, I unleashed a devastating combo of Mind Wilt and Dumb Strikes. My hands glowed with a dark, pulsating energy as I crushed her robotic brain with sheer dumb force, each blow landing with a resounding thud. Circuitry's robot form shook and spasmed as the full force of my dumbness overtook it, and finally, with a deafening crash, it fell to the ground, defeated.

  With Circuitry out of the fight, I turned my attention to Astra, who was now alone against our combined might. She tried to use Mind Pierce to deal a devastating blow to either myself or Mizuno, but we were both on guard and able to dodge the psychic spear at the last moment.

  Seizing the opportunity, I charged at Astra with a final burst of speed, activating Stupid Surge to enhance my strength and dexterity. I rained down Dumb Strikes upon her, each blow landing with a resounding thud as I pounded her skull like a drum. She cried out in agony, her body convulsing as the full force of my dumbness overtook her.

  Just as I was about to deliver the final blow, Astra activated Psychic Barrier, creating a protective shield around herself that deflected my attacks. But it was too little, too late. With a final, earth-shattering roar, I unleashed Dumb Nova, sending a nova of pure dumbness crashing down upon her. The explosion sent a shockwave through the arena, and the crowd let out a collective gasp as they saw Astra fall to her knees, her body shaking and convulsing under the overwhelming force of my dumbness.

  And then, with a final cry of agony, she fell face-first into the ground, her body going still as the full force of my dumbness claimed her.

  With Circuitry and Astra defeated, Mizuno and I turned our attention to Ironhide, who was still locked in combat with Misty. They were fighting each other to a standstill, their armored forms clashing with immense force. Seeing an opportunity, we charged in to turn the tide of the battle.

  Misty activated Thunderous Gallop, channeling all her speed and strength into a single, devastating charge that sent a sonic boom crashing into Ironhide. He staggered back, momentarily stunned by the force of the blow. Seizing the moment, I unleashed a barrage of Radiant Blasts, emitting waves of radiant idiocy that sent Ironhide reeling back, confused and disoriented.

  Mizuno joined the fray, smashing Ironhide with an Intelligence Overload. She raised her arm to channel the skill into his head. The air crackled with energy as she poured all her technological might into a single, devastating blow, and brought her fist crashing down upon him, the crowd roaring in approval.

  Not to be left out of the fight, Sassy now activated Puppy Love, targeting Shadowstep. Shadowstep teleported behind Ironhide and finished him off with powerful Backstab in a hidden weak point in his armor. As Ironhide fell, Shadowstep took a bow, then with a look of confusion on his face, raised his hands in surrender.

  The arena erupted in cheers as our team stood victorious, our bodies glowing with the residual energy of our powers. We had done it. We had taken down four of the most formidable opponents in the tournament with nothing but our wit, our skill, and a whole lot of dumbness.

  Quest Subgoal Completed: Reach the Quarter-Finals

  Reward: Each team member gains 1 level and a skill of their choice.

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  Zero Combat, Max Crafting by GordanWizard. Engineering nerds may love this one. Lots of people hate it. The reviews are even more polarized than mine! Your milage may vary.