| Dazzler and Beast spend some time together on the beach, but the disgusted glares and comments they receive from the other occupants ruin their fun. Dazzler can't stand it and runs back to the arena, where she at least feels accepted. Hank refuses to join her. Dazzler slowly grows accustomed to the violent gladiator lifestyle, enjoying the thrill of battle and embracing the beauty of the scars they receive. However, her mind keeps wandering back to Beast. At the Heartbreak Hotel, Hank mourns Alison's absence from his life, but Kate tells him to cut it out and go rescue her. Her words inspire him to give it another try, and he heads to the arena. While there, he stumbles upon a top-secret laboratory, sneaks inside, and finds a mysterious chemical used by the theater's owners to keep Dazzler under the control. However, he has no chance to share this with her, as the guards soon burst in. They subdue Beast and inject him with the same mutant-power enhancing formula they use to control Dazzler. The effects are immediate. Back at Heartbreak, Poltergeist and Link decide to rescue Dazzler themselves. Later that night, Dazzler enters the arena for a 'Beauty and the Beast'-themed battle, and to her surprise, her opponent is the feral Hank McCoy. She tries to reason with him but cannot breach his savage exterior. It is only after almost killing him that Hank snaps out of his berserker rage. He pleads with Dazzler for mercy, and she yields, immediately ashamed of her vicious behavior. Hugo, meanwhile, is incensed to see her ruin the performance. He orders his gladiators to execute the two. Flynn intervenes and ceases the fighting, immediately before claiming the title of ruler for himself. He orders the gladiators to slay Hugo, and they slaughter him without hesitation. Alexander Flynn now stands as the undisputed ruler of the arena. Meanwhile, in Latveria, Doctor Doom receives another frustrating update about his alleged son. He finally decides to travel to Hollywood to take care of the problem himself. |
