Victoria looked at the two black-clad figures.

"It's the Irritato Tomato's Black Tomatoes!"

"Eh?"

"Here I come!"

The taller of the duo in black charged forward, waving a three-piece nunchuk about her head. She was aiming for Jeanine.

"Jeanine!"

Clang.

Victoria had her sword out, and had parried the attack.

"Who are you?"

Victoria didn't reply, only swung the sword, knocking the nunchuk out of the way.

"What's with this girl? My weapon!"

Victoria frowned.

"Let's go."

The ring on her finger begin to blaze a bright purple.

"Hey, Mineo! Get out of there!"

"Too late."

Victoria swung the sword, and a huge wave of purple flame blasted out, knocking Mineo to the ground.

Mineo looked cross. Her shirt had been ruined.

"How...how dare you?"

She clicked open a box, and out came a kinfe, alight with red flames.

"I'll kill you!"

She charged towards Victoria.

Victoria clicked her ring into another box. Out came a purple shield, repelling Mineo.

Victoria turned to Christine and Yiernoshi.

"Remember this well. The rings have the power to open the boxes. We have life energy pulsing through our bodies. There are seven types of life energy. When we harmonize with the ring, this energy is converted into power."

She pulled out another box.

"That is the Dying Will Flame."

She opened the box, and out flew her flaming golf ball.

It began to fly in circles around Mineo, confusing her no end.

Yixin narrowed her eyes.

"So it is the Carbonara Guardian of Cloud. It's been so long since I ran into a major player. Let me give you a hand."

She swung her staff, creating a huge blue flame ball that hurtled towards Victoria with inhuman speed.

The resulting explosion sent Yiernoshi and an unconscious Jeanine flying into the window of an abandoned warehouse nearby.

Yiernoshi groaned, and rubbed her head.

"Where's Jeanine?"

She began to walk around the warehouse, looking for Jeanine.

Jeanine had woken up, but had sprained her ankle, and thus, couldn't move. Yiernoshi moved to help her, when a voice spoke from behind.

"I don't take prisoners, so I'll make this quick."

It was Yixin.

She swung her staff, coated in blue flames, at Yiernoshi, who dodged.
-----
Christine was trying to open a box she had taken from her future self's satchel.

"Gah! It won't open!"

"Imagine a flame, Christine. Imagine your determination as a flame."

Victoria turned back to face Mineo.

"But let me handle this. I'm worried about Yiernoshi. So stand back."

"You...stop acting so cool! Just because you had a ten year head start!"

Victoria smiled.

She tossed a box into the air.

"This will decide it."

Just as she was about to catch the box, she was engulfed in yellow smoke. When it cleared, Victoria had become...

...Victoria from the present.

The box dropped to the floor, forgotten.

"What??"

Mineo smirked.

"I don't know what happened, but I see an opening!"

She threw her knife, boomerang style. It became a huge wave of red flame.

"Oi, Victoria! Duck!"

"Eh?"

Victoria looked surprised, but ducked anyway.

The blast didn't injure either of them, but Victoria lay on the ground, in shock from the explosion.

Mineo whooped.

"Yeah! I got rid of the sword brat!"
-----
Yixin grinned broadly as she raised her staff.

"It will all be over in a moment."

Clang.

The staff was stopped in mid-swing by Yiernoshi's lollipop.

Yiernoshi glared at Yixin.

"How long does your moment last?"
-----
Christine glanced at her ring. She needed to open the box, thus she needed to figure out how the ring worked.

Imagine a flame...
-----
Sucky ending. I don't really care.

Haha, cramming for life science and writing this at same time...

FYI: 'Mineo' is Laoshi. (Ms Neo).