Tygra led the expedition to Nisha’s cave with their four walking wounded. Panthro, Cheetara, Wily Kit and Wily Kat were brought in the back of the Thundertank by Lion-O and Black Claw. Snarf guarded the lair while Bengali, Lynx-O, Pumyra and Snarfer guarded the Tower of Omens.

"How you doing?" Tygra asked, moping Cheetara’s brow.

"I’ve been better. I just hope this cave is as good as you made it out to be," she replied.

"Yeah, I’d do anything to be rid of the pain in my legs," Wily Kit said.

"You’re just lucky it’s your legs. My back aches like anything!" Wily Kat retorted.

"It’ll work. Nisha says that’s the case. This cave does have healing qualities. Besides, it can’t hurt to try, right?" Tygra asked.

"Aw, poor Thundercats. Running toward what they hope will be a safe place. Maybe I should let them heal up, might be more sporting. Nah! Ancient Spirits of Evil, transform this decayed form, to Mumm-Ra, the ever living!" the ragged mummy said, moments before turning into the giant muscle-bound Mumm-Ra.

Peregrine listened intently to Vultureman’s report. "Then there’s only one thing to do. We must make for the Cave of Nisha. That is where the Thundercats will be going. If not now, then later. We know I injured some of their friends. It is only a matter of time before they make an attempt to use Nisha’s power for themselves," he said. With that the five mutants boarded their vehicles and made for the cave.

"Finally. Skytomb is purged of all that disgusting beauty," Luna shrieked.

"But you’re the one who put it there," began Tug Mug before Amok silenced him with a death gaze.

"Be that as it may we must now cleanse our systems by destroying the epitome of goodness, those wretched Thundercats," Luna said.

"But we’ve never defeated them," Alluro protested. Amok stomped over and held the lanky Lunatak.

"Our fault entirely. It had nothing to do with your brilliant leadership, oh mighty Luna!" he pleaded.

"Be nice Luna, or I pound," Amok growled.

"Unless there are other comments we will leave now," Luna said, looking from Red Eye to Chilla to Knave.

"You’re the princess, we would never dream of questioning you," Red Eye said. If looks could kill then Red Eye would surely have been lying dead at the hands of the ice siblings.

A pair of eyes flitted from the Lunataks, to the Thundercats, to the mutants, disappointed. Why couldn’t people get along? Someone would have to teach them a lesson.

Mumm-Ra plummeted down toward the Thundertank, intent on destroying it with a blast from his hands, but nothing happened. No beams of energy shot forth. In fact, now that he was concentrating, he wasn’t even flying toward the Thundertank anymore. He was suspended in midair. "My team captain for the Evil side, Mumm-Ra," a voice said, so that only the demon priest could hear.

Peregrine’s forces were gathered around the outskirts of the river where the Thundercats would have to stop. "Jackalman, you and Monkian position yourselves on the far side of the river. Slythe, you stay on this side. Vultureman, you go by the window you mentioned, just in case they stop there. I’ll go in and make sure the girl presents no problem to us," Peregrine said. For some reason though, they weren’t listening. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"Every team captain needs players. The mutants will do nicely," the voice said.

"Why aren’t we moving?" Luna asked as she and her soldiers stopped moving. "You are to be the final components for the forces of evil," the voice informed her, whisking her, like the others, away.

"Nisha?" Tygra asked, as he emerged from the pool carrying a small computer in a water tight container.

"Yes?" she replied.

"I’m here to ask a favor of you. Four of my friends are wounded outside, could you heal them?" he asked, hooking up the computer for her.

"For all you’ve done for me? Of course," she replied.

"Thank you. They’re outside the window now," he said.

Strength flowed from Nisha into the four wounded Thundercats. She willed the healing energy to penetrate the four. As she did, she felt her own energy level drop and fell neatly into the arms of Tygra. She nodded a breathless thank you and fell asleep.

"Excellent. We can’t have any injured competitors," the voice said, plucking the Thundercats from the Tower of Omens and from Nisha’s cave. At the same time it grabbed Willa from her tree top kingdom.

Bengali looked around. He was on a large floating island with his friends. Across an incredible void were the Lunataks, mutants and Mumm-Ra. Standing above them, clad in shimmering gold and encircled by fire, stood what could only be called a god. "Long have I watched you, and am most displeased. Despite numerous opportunities to make peace you continue to fight on. I am here to break that cycle. After this day there shall be no violence. There are thirteen individuals for each side. Each person will battle a member of the opposing team in a contest of my choosing. Some of these contests will be tests of skill, where combat is forbidden and will result in a disqualification. The first match will pit Wily Kat against Red Eye in a forest. The two must seek out the heart of the forest to win. Since this will take some time, I will also start the second contest. Alluro and Cheetara will battle in a contest of the mind in a plane where thinking causes objects to exist," the being said.

"Mumm-Ra the ever living does not play games to amuse anyone!" Mumm-Ra shouted.

"You will or you will lose your match. The team that loses the most matches will be destroyed, forever!" the god said. There were simultaneous gasps from both islands, "I trust that will prove incentive enough?"

Wily Kat looked around him. He had his hover board. He hopped on and began making for what he could only hope was the center.

"So Alluro. It comes down to you and me," Cheetara said.

"So it would seem, Cheetah. Frankly I don’t like this but, since I don’t want to end up dead, I will defeat you," Alluro replied. Instantly a half dozen Alluros popped into existence around him, all bearing swords.

Cheetara disliked the misty terrain on which they fought. It seemed paper thin. She decided to change the scenery and created a tropical forest. She extended her bo staff and summoned a half dozen Cheetaras.

The battle was over quickly. Two Cheetaras had fallen and four Alluros had been beaten. Then came the reenforcement. A massive two headed dragon swooped in, breathing hot fire onto the hapless Thundercats. Alluro chuckled and rolled aside as a tongue of flame came far too close for comfort. There was only one Cheetara left now, and she knelt on the ground. "Come on Thundercat, spare yourself further harm. Surrender now," Alluro said, unleashing his psyche club. Cheetara struggled to break the hold, but couldn’t. She bowed her head in submission and surrendered.

"Excellent. That’s one point for the villains. The cub and the Lunatak still hunt on so we must choose our next pair. I choose Bengali and Chilla to battle on the Arctic plains. But you will not be battling each other, no, you will be trying to avoid being eaten by a rather large snow beast. If it so much as touches you, you will lose. If you harm one another, you will lose," the god said.

Red Eye used his heat vision. He could make out the Thunderkitten soaring ahead, but knew that he held a distinct advantage. His eyes roamed across the forest, searching for something that might indicate the heart of the forest. From one direction it seemed warmer, if only by a shade. He pushed a bush out of the way and walked that way.

Bengali thanked whoever created him for giving him fur. Even still he felt the cold wind buffet him from all sides. The key to such a contest, he figured, was to find a secure spot and hide there. If he was hid well enough, there was no chance of being tagged.

Chilla’s rational was simpler. If she stayed near the Thundercat all she would have to do would be to lure it into tagging him first. She kept an ear open for any sounds that might betray the snow beast and set herself to watching Bengali.

From their islands the Thundercats and villains watched the two contests with interest. They also noted the scoreboard in-between the large monitors.

"There must be some way of ending this without one of us dying," Lion-O said, "I’m open to suggestions."

"I’m afraid I have none to give. As we know nothing about this god we can’t even begin to understand his motives," Tygra replied.

"Take a guess then," Lion-O said.

"Well, on the surface it would appear that he considers himself to be far superior to all of us. It is quite possible this is all some kind of game. He’s referred to us as players while you’ve been named team captain, like some kind of hockey team," Tygra replied.

"Then we’ll need to find some way to use those rules to our advantage," Lion-O replied.

Bengali heard it, a faint rumbling noise. He abandoned all his digging operations and looked around for higher ground. He leapt aside as a giant half bear half worm burst through the snow near him and crashed into the snow further away. Bengali spied Chilla standing stock still a few meters away. He urged his feet to move but they refused to obey him.

Chilla growled low, she didn’t like this game. She wished it were over with her declared the victor. It did seem somewhat foolish to pin one’s hopes on one’s teammates, she thought. The rumbling came again as she moved closer to Bengali, where was it?

The ground burst and Bengali had to shield his eyes as the giant creature burst from another hole and soared through the air, landing squarely around Chilla. There was a scream and then everything faded away. He was back on the island. Across the way Chilla was being consoled by Alluro as she tried to rid herself of the saliva coating her body.

"Excellent. Things are all tied up. I sure hope Red Eye and Wily Kat get back soon. Now, let’s have some fun by bringing Pumyra and Monkian with us to a mountain. The two of you must climb to the top. You may fight, if you so desire, but it will only result in a waste of time and energy. Go forth!" the god shouted, plucking the two from where they stood.

Wily Kat wiped his forehead. This was getting ridiculous. He’d been traveling for what seemed like hours and still he hadn’t found this heart of the forest. He turned his space board and listened intently for Red Eye. Surely the Lunatak would know where to go, what with his heat vision.

Pumyra looked over at Monkian before moving to a spot on the mountain slope. This should prove easy for her. Her species was naturally adept at such climbs. The trick would be to keep an eye on Monkian and his cannonball firing shield.

The climb was easy going for the first few meters, with plenty of hand and foot holds. Pumyra gained the early advantage. It didn’t take long for her to realize that she hadn’t picked a good spot. Quickly inching over to her left, further from Monkian, she soon found a decent hand hold.

Monkian despised the contest as a whole, but despised his challenge even more so. He preferred climbing the trees, not the mountains. Still, his pea brain had managed to register the fact that if he lost he could end up dead. The more victories his team could rack up, the better. If it meant cheating to do so, then that’s what he’d do.

Pumyra paused a long moment at a small ledge. She could see Monkian making slow progress and knew she could afford such a leisurely moment. The mutant had also paused on a ledge and was shifting his shield. Pumyra jumped back as three cannon balls were launched in her direction. She nearly laughed when they missed by a long shot, but lost her smile when an avalanche started. Relying on instincts Pumyra jumped from the ledge to a safer spot and clung on for dear life until the rain of rocks stopped. Even after that she gave the rocks a few minutes to settle, just in case. In the time she had lost, though, Monkian had gained some ground and was quickly approaching the mid way point. Putting aside all worries Pumyra began to climb with earnest, determined to reach the top.

"Come on Pumyra!" Bengali shouted, as he huddled under a blanket. Beside him Cheetara lay. She had wakened after her contest but had been shaken by her loss. Her confidence snapped she could only sulk.

Inch by inch and meter by meter Pumyra climbed the slope. Monkian, after several other attempts to knock her off, was keeping pace. A few minor scratches and a fierce determination were all that he had to show for his attacks though. Finally Pumyra could see the end. She raised her hand and clutched at a rock, hauling herself up a little more. An arm’s length from the top and,

"She made it!" whooped Bengali. A hint of a smile showed itself on Cheetara’s face. "Well done. You have brought your side another victory and taken the lead. But wait, I sense that Red Eye is getting very close to the heart at the center. Will your victory be short lived? Let’s find out," the god said.

Wily Kat could faintly hear the sound of Red Eye pushing aside trees. He suspected that the Lunatak must be close to his goal. He cursed bitterly and pushed his hover board to go even faster, dodging trees and ducking branches.

Red Eye parted a bush and stood, gape mouthed at the edge of the grove. A flowing fountain with gargoyles shaped in his image rested in the center.

"You fool! Don’t just stand at the edge, step in! Step in!" Luna shouted, knowing that he couldn’t hear.

Red Eye did indeed finally step forward, bringing the contest to a close. "To the victor go the spoils. Red Eye wins a free fountain," the god said, a trace of amusement in his voice. "Now things are tied at two apiece. Who’s next, you ask? Amok and Willa in hand to hand combat. Sorry Luna, he’s on his own."

Luna was dropped to the ground as Amok vanished. She wasn’t overly worried. Amok could handle the pinpricks of the warrior maiden. What did disturb her was that if Amok had to fight alone, so did she. "Oh no," she muttered. The other villains, coming to the same realization, thought the same thing.

Amok growled at Willa as she readied her bow. There wasn’t much chance of her winning. Amok even had the incentive. If he lost, Luna would be mad. Luna might even die. He stomped forward and tried to grab the woman, pricking his skin with her arrows. Finally he gave up on this approach and uprooted the tree she stood in.

Amok and Willa soon reappeared on their islands, another victory chalked up to the villains. "What shall we do now? Let’s take Peregrine and Lynx-O, throw them into the realm of twilight and see what happens," the god said.

"I should warn you that I am the greatest warrior in history," Peregrine said, trying to pierce the blackness before him.

"And I feel it only fair to warn you that my heightened senses leave me no doubt as to where you are," Lynx-O said, before placing a kick to the back of Peregrine’s knee. The mutant knew he only had one chance. He had to grab a hold of his opponent and keep holding him. His hand flew back to try and grab at the foot but found nothing there. Peregrine pushed off the ground and extended his wings, hovering several meters above ground. "Surrender now cat. I can remain up here all day!" he shouted.

There was a dry chuckle "You do realize that this plane does have objects, some of them quite large," Lynx-O said. Peregrine’s eyes, were they visible, would have been as large as saucers.

"What?" he said, as a heavy weight crashed onto his back. Massive hands gripped his wings, immobilizing them. The pair plummeted to the ground.

"I declare Lynx-O the victor," the god being said, returning them to their respective islands. "The score stands at three points apiece. This is one tight battle. I am impressed. However, it can’t go much longer. Tug Mug, Black Claw, I hope you’re ready for a fight in a moderately bright cave."

"Not really," began Tug Mug, even as he disappeared.

Black Claw looked around the cave. It was high ceilinged with plenty of stalactites and the floor was riddled with stalagmites. "Plenty of places for an ambush," he thought.

"Where are you Thundercat?" Tug Mug asked, rolling across the floor. Black Claw didn’t answer. He concentrated on moving swiftly and silently from hiding spot to hiding spot. His claws were extended to their full length, a good four inches. He didn’t particularly want to kill the Lunatak but knew it might be his only chance.

Lion-O looked down at Willa. She wasn’t moving at all. "This has to end. Here, now, before somebody dies," he said.

"I know, but we must keep fighting or we’ll automatically lose," Tygra replied.

"As much as I hate them, they don’t deserve death," Panthro added.

"No one deserves to die for their crimes. We’ll just have to negotiate with this being," Tygra said.

Tug Mug paused and listened carefully. Was that the scrape of a foot on stones? His gravity carbine fired at a stalagmite in the general direction of the noise. He heard a startled gasp as the stalagmite rocketed to the ceiling, revealing a stunned Black Claw. Tug Mug frantically readied his weapon to fire again, as the Thundercat began running closer to him.

Black Claw slowly calculated the distance between himself and the Lunatak. He didn’t think he’d have enough time to make an attack. Instead he’d have to rely on an illusion.

Tug Mug gasped as a large bat dropped down from the ceiling. He pointed his gravity carbine at it and let loose. The shot went through the phantasm and smashed into a stalactite. It became heavier and cracked loose from the ceiling. Black Claw barely had time to register this fact before he was buried under a pile of rock.

Tygra flinched and hoped the injuries wouldn’t be too serious. A moment later his mentor reappeared on the island with them. Turning him onto his back he checked for a pulse. "He’s alive," he announced.

"That’s good to hear. I’d hate to lose a combatant before the contest is over," the god said.

"It won’t matter anyway, Thundercats. Soon we will be victorious and you will be no more than dust in our toes," Knave shouted across the void.

"Do I hear a willing combatant? Excellent. Knave, you and Wily Kit will take part in a contest of a different kind. I will grant you both one hour to come up with a poem. Then I will judge it," the god said.

"What? You can’t do this to me! Where’s the blood and combat?" Knave demanded.

"It is in another contest, unless you choose to forfeit?" the god said.

"Very well. One hour," Knave muttered. The two were whisked away to individual sound proofed rooms with paper and ink.

Time passed and the two would-be poets sat scribbling at their writing desks. Wily Kit had gotten lucky. She had been studying ancient Earthen poetry and had found one in particular that she liked and, as the god hadn’t said it had to be original, she began copying it from memory. Knave, on the other hand, was forced to write his own. The only poetry he’d been subject to was the kind found on his home moon, and most of those had been of the vulgar variety. Before long the two were summoned forth. "Who wishes to read their work first?" the god asked.

"Let the kitten," Knave spat.

Wily Kit cleared her throat and held her piece of paper in shaking hands and began:

(By Johann Wolfgang von Goethe)

The god like being snickered softly and applauded lightly. "Well done, good lady. Now let us hear from our over anxious friend," he said. Knave scowled and held his parchment:

The god raised an eyebrow. "How interesting, how very morbid. I think we have a winner. Wily Kit by a land slide," he said. "The next contest will be a unique contest. Jackalman and Snarf will be placed in a sheep pen with one sheep a piece. They must shear the sheep. The first to do so will be the victor."

"Snarf, snarf, that doesn’t sound too hard," Snarf said.

"Nyah, ha, ha, can I then shave the Snarf?" Jackalman asked.

"No. Such things are not allowed," the god replied.

Jackalman looked at the sheep and wondered how to go about this. He made a futile lunge at the sheep and fell into the hay strewn about the ground. "Come on you stupid animal. This won’t hurt a bit," Jackalman said. The beast regarded him with large brown eyes and walked away. Finally, though, Jackalman did manage to corner it and grabbed a hold. "Now where’s that razor?" he asked aloud, before seeing them sitting on the other side of the stall.

Snarf was not having better luck. The sheep was only slightly larger than he was and refused to stay put. It made noises at him and butted him with its head.

"Oh this is pathetic," grumbled Tygra, watching the two.

"You can say that again. That sheep just tried to eat Snarf!" Wily Kat said.

"Jackalman’s winning, unfortunately," Panthro said.

"Hopefully Snarf can get it together in time for us to win," Lion-O said.

The contest seemed to last forever, but in the end Snarf could not tame the sheep and quickly found himself on the losing end of the contest.

"Hmm. Who shall be next? Panthro, Snarfer and Tygra remain on Lion-O’s team, and Luna, Slythe and Vultureman remain on Mumm-Ra’s. Naturally the captains will fight last. Any of you feeling hungry?" the god asked. Upon receiving no responses he went on. "I think the next contest will be a pie eating contest. I think Tygra looks hungry, and Vultureman too. Say goodbye to your friends and bring your appetites."

Tygra looked at the wide variety of pies laid out on a table nearby. Vultureman stood doing likewise. They were instructed to select a pie and go to their seats. Tygra opted for a raisin pie. Vultureman took an apple one.

"Excellent selections. You may begin, now!" the god said. The two began shoveling food into their mouths at a speed that would be considered unsafe by most standards. However, seeing as their lives depended on eating the pie, it seemed prudent to do so.

Vultureman took the early lead, having a much larger mouth to work with, but then disaster struck. A large piece of apple got caught in his throat and he had to stand to try and cough it out. "You must eat that piece, Vultureman," the god said, looking down at them.

"What? Are you out of your mind? It’s been on the ground," Vultureman protested.

"If you would rather, I could disqualify you," the god mused.

"I’ll eat the apple slice," Vultureman said, picking it up.

"Good. I see that your conversation has cost you dearly, Tygra has had time to catch and pass you. I’d hurry if I were you," the god said.

Tygra stared intently at the pie pan as he wolfed down every bite. He estimated that there was a quarter of the pie left to eat, and he felt very full already. Still, his friends were counting on him. He took a short swig of the water provided before scarfing down more of the pie.

Vultureman was getting fed up and began to take larger helpings, shoving them into his mouth faster than before. He was too far behind, and he knew it. Why had he wasted time arguing with the god? He heard Tygra’s shout and knew that he had just lost. He grabbed another pie and hurled it at the Thundercat, but the two were whisked away before it hit him.

"I feel like watching two people duke it, mano a mano. Or, more to the point, Luna a Snarfer," the god said.

"That’s unfair. I can’t walk," Luna shouted.

"And Snarfer is virtually useless in a fight. It should be interesting. However, to make things fair, I will temporarily grant you the ability to walk," the god said.

The battle ground was to be a large marble chess board, complete with playing pieces that were arranged as though the game had been halted part way. Snarfer climbed to the top of a rook and looked around. There was Luna, slowly walking around a pawn. "Hey Luna, sorry about having to beat you, snarfer, snarfer," he said.

"Shut your mouth and take your beating like a good little kitty cat," Luna shrieked.

"Sorry, no sir, can’t do that, snarfer, snarfer," came the reply. Snarfer hopped to a nearby queen, nearly losing his footing in the process. He was very close to Luna, and the princess was coming nearer, though she likely didn’t know it. It seemed somewhat appropriate to Snarfer to attack a princess from atop a queen. He readied his little claws and waited for her to get within pouncing range.

"I know you’re here somewhere fur ball," Luna said, swinging her riding crop at every shadow. She let out a startled gasp as something red and yellow bowled into her. The pair rolled across the board, locked in combat. Snarfer scored the first hit of the match, his claws raking Luna’s face. They continued to roll until they collided with another pawn, Snarfer on top. Luna pushed up against him, frantically trying to free herself. "How dare you touch me!" she said, "If Amok were here I’d," she began.

"Ah, shut up," Snarfer said socking her in the jaw. The two separated and glared at each other.

Snarfer could see his opening. Luna stood near the edge of the board, and likely didn’t realize it. If he lunged at her, forcing her backwards, maybe he could make her fall off.

Luna, though, wasn’t as stupid as Snarfer thought. When the cat made his lunge she grabbed his fore paws and used his momentum to propel him over her shoulder.

"Excellent battle. The villains can wrap it up in the next contest as Panthro and Slythe do battle. What seems like a fitting contest for these two? How about a drinking contest?" the god said, dropping the two into a bar. The bartender, handed them each a shot glass filled with some vile pale brown substance. "The first to pass out, loses. Begin!" the god said.

Panthro picked up his glass, examined the contents for an instant and then downed the drink. It tasted warm in his mouth but went down easily. Panthro was somewhat discouraged when he began to feel light headed already.

"You know reptile. If I’m going to go down, this is how I want to do it," he said, "drunk!"

"I sssee your point Thundercat. If one mussst die, drunk isss asss good a ssstate to be in asss any," Slythe said. Two more glasses appeared and were swiftly downed.

"Ready to hit the bar yet, Slythe?" Panthro asked.

"Not on your life," Slythe said.

"Good. I could use another drink," Panthro said, even as the next round appeared.

"I think I’m ssstarting to like thisss drink. What isss it?" Slythe asked.

"It’s a rare drink from my home planet. You’d never understand it if I told you," the god replied, a note of amusement in his voice.

The next shot glass seemed to be so far away from Panthro and he realized that his hands were shaking violently as he raised the glass to his lips. Beside him Slythe wasn’t faring well either. The glass nearly slipped from his hands, but he managed to hang onto it in time.

"You drink well, for a Thundercat," Slythe said.

"And what’s that supposed to mean?" Panthro asked, standing.

"What do you think it meansss, cat?" Slythe said.

"No fighting. This is a drinking war, not a hand to hand combat," the god said, removing their weapons.

"Very well. Bring on the next round," Slythe said.

Panthro gulped his drink and wiped his mouth. He felt very light headed. The noise around him seemed muffled and he really wanted to sleep. It seemed as though Slythe felt the same way because a moment later he toppled off his barstool and fell to the floor.

"I declare Panthro the victor. It looks like we’ll have to have one last contest after all. Lion-O versus Mumm-Ra, the clash of captains. This one is for all the marbles. Lose, and you cease to exist. It will be hand to hand combat, to the death," the god said, transporting them to Cat’s Lair.

"Look, Mumm-Ra. I’ve beaten you every time we’ve fought. You’re probably as sick of this guy as I am. Now, I have an idea on how we might escape this alive, both of us," Lion-O said. The words were true. Mumm-Ra had very rarely defeated the Lord of the Thundercats without aid. Now that they were fighting in Cat’s Lair it gave Lion-O an advantage. "I will hear your idea," he said.

"If we both refuse to fight, it will come down to a draw. We can reason with him, I’m sure of it," Lion-O said.

"This had better work. Otherwise, I will be forced to destroy you, once and for all," Mumm-Ra growled.

"It will, don’t worry," Lion-O said.

"Why aren’t you fighting?" the god said, landing before the pair.

"We have decided not to," Lion-O said.

"Such combat is beneath Mumm-Ra the ever living," Mumm-Ra said.

"Can I believe my ears? Two mortal enemies agreeing? Cooperating?" the god asked, wonder in his voice.

"You can. While I may not like Mumm-Ra or what he stands for I would sooner see him in a prison than lying dead at my feet. Surely every life is sacred. Why throw away lives at such a time?" Lion-O asked.

"And as much as I would like to see the Thundercats brought to ruination, death at the hands of another would spoil the victory. I would rather it be one of my plans that brings them to their demise than have you cheat me of my most glorious moment," Mumm-Ra said.

"Most fascinating. I didn’t expect this. You do realize that I could destroy both teams if I wanted to," the god said.

"But you won’t. What good would that prove? While that would end our war against each other, would that end all violence everywhere? Would the people on Plundaar suddenly realize that their violence was senseless? No, it wouldn’t. Good and evil will always battle for supremacy," Lion-O said.

As much as Mumm-Ra hated doing it he had to acknowledge that Lion-O’s words were having an effect. "You can never destroy all evil or all good, for there is good within all and evil within all. When I choose to be, I can be kind, but I never choose to do so. Within Lion-O is a kernel of evil. This is what causes him to blow up at a friend, or steal someone else’s food from the fridge. Someday it may turn into a murderous rampage," Mumm-Ra said.

"Your points have been taken into consideration. I have decided, in my infinite wisdom, to allow you to go free, all of you. I will undo any injuries caused here and place you in your homes. Just remember one thing. As you said Lion-O, life is sacred. Do not waste your lives in futile combat," the god said, waving his arms once over the throng.

"We’re home!" Tygra said.

"And in one piece," Panthro said, realizing the effects of the alcohol were gone.

"You all did well, and I’m proud of you. I guess we’ll never know for sure, though, who really was the superior side, will we?" Lion-O said.

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