Kids Next Door Gameverse: The Nextgen Kids

[Gamen Watch]

My friends, welcome to the beginning of The Nextgen Kids. This saga was founded on the cartoon Codename: Kids Next Door and stars the children of its canon characters along with OCs. You do not need to know the cartoon very well to follow this story, nor do you need to know any other featured crossovers as this story will adapt them in unique ways.




Likewise, it's also fine if you haven't read the First Gen series preceding this story. The Nextgen Series is going to be the majority of the Gameverse. The following chapters will introduce our long-running main characters and the mantles they carry from their parents. I hope you come to enjoy their adventures, their friendships, and the wild universe they protect.




First Day




The seven-year-old youth stood anxious at a massive, circular landing pad hidden in the woods, alongside several other kids. Knowing what was to come, he felt unsure, and was afraid something might go wrong. He turned to his right as his mother and father were arriving to see him off, with his mother pushing his father's wheelchair. His mother's hair reflected his own, albeit longer: black with a blue stripe down the middle.




"Hey, Dillon. You ready for your first day at Arctic Training?" his father, Nolan York asked. He had dark hair and wore a brown trenchcoat with black boots, though his body seemed muscular.




"I guess so. I mean, what if I'm not good enough to be an operative? What if I get kicked out because I'm a bender?"




Nolan chuckled, putting a hand on his son's shoulder. "Son, I already told you they don't discriminate, anymore. I named you and your shadow after two of the greatest operatives the Kids Next Door's ever had. I wouldn't have done that if I didn't think you would become just as good, if not greater, than they were."




"But if they give you trouble, I'm sure Midna can straighten them out." his mother, Danika replied.




An impish spirit came out of Danika's shadow: she had a monochrome body with cyan lines, a stone helmet that only exposed her right eye, and an orange ponytail that looked like a hand. "Awe, you just love using me to threaten people. What an honor for me. Eee hee!"




"Besides, Mason and Sheila and your other friends are gonna be there." Nolan said. "Oh! Here they come now."




As he said, the Uno family, Dimalanta family, and Frantic family were arriving with their kids. "Hey, Dillon!" Mason ran over and greeted. He had black hair and a hoodie-sweater with a flame design. "You all set for KND training?"




"Is it gonna be ripper or what?!" Sheila shouted. She was a tan-skinned girl with messy black hair, distinct for her raccoon ears and tail. She wore sandals and fairly light, summery clothes.




"You bet I am!"




"Oh, yes, of course." Midna said, floating beside Dillon. "Any bit of encouragement gets any child ready for action, doesn't it?" She smirked, making Dillon blush a little.




"Hm hm hm! Tell me about it." Rachel Uno replied. "Took us forever to get Cheren here to come along. Thankfully, we had Azelf to help give him a boost."




"But I'm only six years old." Cheren argued. He wore a red shirt matching his glasses and chestnut hair.




"Come on, Cheren!" his brother, Chris nudged him. "Why wouldn't they let us in? Our mom and dad were two of the best operatives back then! They even took out a whole army of demons!"




"I still don't believe that either!"




"Oi, the ship's almost 'ere." Sheila's mum, Marine said. "Ya'd best be gettin' ready, mates."




The massive 4x4 aircraft was coming down for a landing. The doors of the ship opened as all the kids were piling on. At this time, Danika's shadow, Cheshire, seemed to be scolding Dillon's shadow, Mario, waving her finger at him. "Come on, Cheshire, he's good and ready." Danika told her, pulling the shadow back. Cheshire only shrugged.




"Good luck, Dillon!" Nolan called.




"I will! Good-bye, Dad!" The excited shadowbender waved and ran onto the ship with the many other cadets.




The adults smiled and waved as the ship lifted off for Antarctica. "I hope he'll be okay." Nolan said.




"Ah, quit worrying, Nolan." Danika replied, playfully slapping him. "Who wouldn't let him in? He's already got a reputation thanks to us."




"I know. That's what I'm worried about…"




Quahog Bank




Citizens were sent screaming and flying out of the bank by the attacking wind-themed villain. Teen Tornado (though he was now an adult) spun rapidly in a tornado and sucked in all of the dollar bills he could, stuffing them all inside a bag. "This might actually be a cliché villain thing to you bankers, but trust me, it'll all be worth it, after I-" He quickly ducked when a grappling hook shot by and almost caught him.




There were two men at the doorway: one wore a trenchcoat, wheelchair, and gas mask and the other wore a frosty blue robe and skull mask that had clenching teeth. "Well, we were nice enough to let you out of your frosty prison and live your teenagehood, and this is the thanks we get." Sandman spoke snarkily. "What's wrong, Tornado? Losing your edge as a decent villain, you'd have to resort to robbing banks like Dr. Light?"




"Hey, if you're an adult now, why do you still call yourself Teen Tornado?" Coldman asked.




"Well, I couldn't think of a decent alliteration involving me being an adult, and something to do with wind!" the villain responded.




"Why not 'Airy Adult'?" Coldman asked.




"Ehh… I'm not really feeling that."




"Or you could just call yourself 'Tornado.'" Sandman suggested.




"Mm, I guess so… Anyway, I'm robbing this bank for the Brotherhood's sake, so they can be ready after their return!"




"It doesn't matter!" Sandman decided. "The villains are staying where they are. And you're going back to your nice, comfy straitjacket."




"Bring it, Sandy!" Tornado immediately threw a blast of wind to push them out, but the duo stood their ground as Coldman shot an icicle, chopping the bag of money open. Tornado grit his teeth in anger and spun into a tornado, zooming over to catch them inside and throw them across the room. Sandman got back onto his chair and fired his gas gun, swallowing the entire room in green smoke. To avoid sucking it in, Tornado simply twirled around to blow the gas around. But as a result, Coldman unleashed a breeze of ice that was also sucked into the tornado, and the villain was frozen in an ice cube.




Moments later, the police had arrived, hauled the supervillain into their truck, and closed the door. An elderly officer in a wheelchair rolled up. "Well, boys, I'd stand and salute you, but this is the best I can do." Joe Swanson spoke, saluting the two heroes.




"Hehe. No problem, Officer Swanson." Sandman chuckled.




"Alright, we're takin' this guy back to headquarters and thawin' him out so we can fit him in the straitjacket." Joe decided.




"Wouldn't it be safer to just leave him frozen?" Coldman asked.




"Yeah, but Mayor West doesn't want us to do that just in case he happens to be the Avatar."




A few feet away, Mayor Adam West himself glared at them and spoke, "You'll thank me when there's no war with the Fire Nation. You'll thank me…"




"Eh, it could happen. He is an airbender, after all." Coldman reminded.




"Take care, Sandman." Officer Swanson and his police gathered into their cars and left.




"Ahh, welp, another day, another hundred dollars saved from being stolen, eh, Nolan?" Yuki asked.




"Heh, guess so." Sandman chuckled.




"So, how's that son of yours doing? He went off to Arctic Training, didn't he?"




"Yeah. Yours, too?"




"E-yep. Miyuki already started yesterday, same with her friends. She wasn't too excited. I bet Dillon was excited, wasn't he?"




"Yeah, but he needed a little encouragement."




"Well, let's just hope he doesn't end up having exactly the same experience. Anyway, later Nolan." The ice-themed hero skied off towards the heavens on his floating ice trail. The Sandman proceeded to head back home as well.




York Household




The half-crippled hero entered his home and hung his outfit on the hanger. The house was quiet, with the exception of his wife, Danika, taking a shower upstairs as she hummed a tune to herself. Nolan moved his wheelchair up the stairs using the built-in lift and made his way to the bedroom. He noticed steam coming out from under the door to their bathroom and could strongly hear Danika's humming, the same tune that her sister sang when Danika was depressed. Nolan stopped beside his bed and released an exhausted sigh, his mind filled with thoughts. Though hearing the sound of his wife's beautiful humming was enough to sooth his mind a little.




After a while, Nolan heard the rushing of water stop, and Danika was stepping out of her shower. Moments later, she came back into the bedroom, her hair a dry-wet as she wore only a short, sleeveless top that showed her bellybutton, cleavage, and a long black skirt. The goth woman smiled seeing her husband. "Hey, hey, there's my Sandyman." She cooed as she stepped over to sit down on his lap, putting an arm around him. "Back already? Who's the unlucky sap that got thrashed today?"




"Uh, Teen Tornado, actually." He blushed and chuckled. "He was robbing a bank."




"Is that all? Boy, villains aren't what they used to be, huh." she stated, getting up off him. "Need any help?"




"Hang on, I got it." Nolan grunted, using all the strength he could in his legs to stand up. Nolan trembled a little as he was almost at full height, struggling to limp over.




Nolan looked up as Danika took hold of his hand, his wife smiling. Nolan smiled back as Danika lifted her husband up and set him on the bed on his back. Afterwards, Danika plopped onto the bed beside him and rolled on her side, putting an arm and leg around Nolan. "Well, can, you, believe, that? Dillon's first day at CND. It feels like only yesterday when we were in his shoes."




"Yeah, but with a few major differences."




"Still, it's been a while since we've had the house to ourselves. But since Dillon's at training, Midna's out at town, I don't need to work today, and you're all done with your superhero duties… we might as well make the best of things." The woman pulled Nolan's head in closer and embraced him in a kiss. Nolan peacefully shut his eyes and returned it.




"Hehe, not now, Danika!" Nolan laughed after they broke apart. "I'm tired. Plus, I got a lot on my mind right now."




"What? Bad guy threatening to reveal your secret identity or something? I thought everyone knew by now."




"No, it's not that." Nolan frowned. "It's…It's about Dillon. I'm worried."




"What? You don't think some maniacal super-genius is spying on him, too, do you?"




"Not particularly, but… well, you remember that info you got from the Chronicler, right? It's going to come true in three years. Are we sure Dillon and the others will be ready in that time?"




"I'm sure things will work out. And either way, we can't rush him. We just have to let him grow on his own."




Nolan released another sigh. "Maybe…"




"Damn right 'maybe.'" Danika smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "Now how about we take a little nap? It's been a long day for you, and the sleep could relieve the stress."




"Heh, you're tellin' me…" Nolan chuckled; he's rarely gotten much sleep because of his Sandman duties.




"Yeah… good night." Danika had her shadow switch the lamp off behind her and kept her arm around Nolan as she drifted into sleep, her head rested against his chest.




Nolan's mind was still plagued with thoughts and worry. The man gave a tired yawn, kicking his boots to the floor before going to sleep with her.




Nolan found himself in the middle of a plain of darkness, looking around confused.




"Hehehehehehehehe." He heard a creepy, though familiar laughter. He looked up behind him as Peter Griffin lied on a floating bed of fruit with a fountain of juice, more fat than Nolan had remembered. "Hiya, Nolan. It's me, Peter Griffin, that guy who lived close to your house and always did the crazy shenanigans. In your dreams, you see me as a fat and lazy guy, lying on a bed of fruit and scratching my tummy. You didn't really like me that much." He smiled mischievously.




"Uh-huh, um… is there a reason I'm having this dream?"




"Don't look at me, I ain't the super genius. He's over there." He pointed behind Nolan.




"Hello… Nolan."




The man gasped and turned at the familiar robotic voice. "Brain!"




"It's been a while, Nolan…" the Sith Lord spoke, wearing a chef's hat on his dome as he used a mechanical tentacle to flip burgers on a grill. "How has life been treating you these days?"




"Just fine, thank you for asking. And… why are you flipping burgers?"




"This is a dream, Nolan. Dreams have very unnatural things. Why would I take any interest in burgers whatsoever?"




"I dunno. To bathe in their grease?"




"Nolan, you have a son, yes? What's he like?"




"Hey, you stay away from him, you hear?!" he yelled in anger.




"I was only asking. It peaks me… so curiously… how a simple boy like him dreams of being like his father. I am curious to know if everyone will treat him fairly; the son of one of the Kids Next Door's biggest traitors."




"I never betrayed the Kids Next Door. You tricked me."




"Then you betrayed them. Sticks and stones may break your bones… but words are a far more efficient method, wouldn't you agree? Because of my outstanding persuasion, you willingly betrayed your organization because you saw the accuracy of my words. There was no brainwashing involved or any of the sort, and therefore, you betrayed them."




"Fine, but whatever it is you're trying to pull, it won't work."




"I am not trying to 'pull' anything. I am just trying to warn you, Nolan. The Dark Side has always been strong around you, it still is. You may have redeemed yourself, but the past cannot be forgotten. Who's to say your son will have a fair treatment? Sure, some operatives may take an interest in the boy whose father vanquished the last of the Sith Lords. But others will despise him. They will see the darkness inside him long before it awakens. And it will be their fault that the darkness will awaken at all."




Nolan remained silent and glared at the Sith Lord. The disembodied brain turned and proceeded to roll away. "Well, I must be off now, to the Underworld. I have nowhere else to go seeing as you murdered me. Jerk. Oh yes: one more thing." He turned back around. "If you happen to see Lehcar, please inform her that her father was rather impressed with her actions at the wedding. Good-bye, Nolan." The Brain rolled out of Nolan's vision.




"Hey, can you hand me one of those burgers?" Peter Griffin asked Nolan, who remained motionless. "Nolan? NOLAN?" Peter's voice faded to an echo as whiteness engulfed Nolan.




"Guh!" Nolan yelped, shooting awake in his bed. He looked to his left at the digital clock on his nightstand. It was 11:30 a.m., half an hour later since they went to sleep. He glanced down and found Danika's arm still wrapped around him, her head still rested on his chest as she peacefully slept. Not wanting to wake her, Nolan quietly lied back down and sighed.




KND Arctic Base




The Kids Next Door had seen massive changes 17 years ago. Their organization was once based on childish principals, decreeing that vegetables were bad, school was bad, cleanliness was bad, but eventually, the previous generation saw the error in those principals. They learned the importance of eating healthy and of having a decent education. The true value of childhood was not to shun adulthood, but to make friends, be curious, explore the world, and keep an open mind to anything. And there was no cooler way to do those things than becoming a KND operative.




Those who joined would be encouraged to build their skills and develop early independence. Naturally, a huge part of becoming an operative involved fighting all kinds of strange villains, whether they were comical supervillains, alien overlords, or even demons. It was a tall order, and though it seemed like there were many operatives, their numbers were dwarfed by how many kids attempted training, but failed. Not every kid had the physical or mental resolve to undertake this career. Arctic Training was the first step to separate the talented from the untalented. And even among those who joined, there was a hierarchy. Some operatives were more capable and stronger for higher tasks than others.




That said, every operative had their own skills that defined them. Some were better at combat, others excelled at technology, some were great at stealth, or perhaps they possessed some other talent that would benefit their sector. Arctic Training required cadets to be proficient in at least one skill. They were put through all kinds of tests ranging from acrobatics, piloting, stamina endurance, fighting, etc.. The cadets had to warm their selves up to these trials and prepare for what might be expected of them, but not every cadet would be good at everything.




However, there was another massive change that occurred 17 years ago: the arrival of element benders, aliens, and general metahuman types. When the existence of gods and spirits became officially known to the KND in the previous era, their minds and teachings became far more broad and open. Their universe stretched far wider than their single planet, their single organization. Ever since then, element benders or aliens have become the norm, and as such, Arctic Training had to improve its training regimen.




The base had new courses set up for metahuman and bender types. Most of the operatives were inside rooms where stuffed dolls of different people popped out, good guys and bad guys. Sheila stood her ground and kept a focused look as she readied her Light Fist. A dummy popped out, designed like Mad Mod, and she punched and destroyed it, a dummy of Nigel, and she held back, one of Lyle T. Rourke, which she destroyed, one of Magolor, which she destroyed, one of Patton, and she held back, and then one more of Dimentia. Sheila was about to punch it, but remembered the story about Dimentia's redemption, so she smirked and wagged her finger in a 'no-no' fashion.




Sunni and Darcy Chariton had blindfolds over their eyes as both of them held lightsabers; Darcy a green one and Sunni a blue one. Both of them stood back-to-back as various dummies popped out around them. Sunni gave a battle cry as they raised their swords to begin slicing the enemies. Darcy jumped around and kept a calm look as she quickly stabbed dummies of Wintergreen, Consuela, and Monsieur Mallah, avoiding dummies of Yang, Kami, and Matthew Dimalanta. Sunni kept a fierce look, giving battle cries as she rapidly swung at dummies of Zant, Bokkun, and the Ice King, avoiding dummies of Fanny, Wally, and Marine. Afterwards, two dummies of the Almighty Tallest, Red and Purple came up, and both sisters did a spin-leap over and sliced the heads right off of them.




That's when another dummy popped up right behind Sunni and pushed her, and she angrily spun around to slice the head off the Morgan Uno dummy. As she panted angrily, both of them removed their blindfolds as red alarms blared. "Ally slain. Ally slain. Ally slain." The computer repeated. Darcy smirked at her sister and wagged a finger, and Sunni only glared in annoyance.




Lee and Leanne Grayson were currently sneaking through a dark chamber with searchlights, using their Shadow Veil to quickly sneak around and hide behind barrels. At one point, Leanne tripped and fell, and the girl looked back and gasped as the searchlight was looming in, too frozen with fear to hide in a shadow. But to her good fortune, somebody pulled her into their own Shadow Veil just in time. The other shadow carried her to the safe place where her brother waited and dropped her out, coming out as well to reveal to be Dillon York.




"Phew, thanks!" Leanne sighed in relief.




"Heh, don't mention it." Dillon smiled, scratching the back of his head.




"Heh, come on, Leanne! You can't always have someone saving your butt!" Lee taunted.




"Oh, shut up, Lee! Anyway, thanks again for the save. I'm Leanne Andrea, and this is my brother, Lee Andrew."




"Oh, cool! My name's Dillon, Dillon York. And this here's my shadow, Mario. Say 'hi', Mario!" the shadow of Dillon smiled and waved.




"Your name sounds familiar, Dillon." Leanne said, rubbing her chin in thought.




"Yeah… Isn't your dad the legendary operative Numbuh 2030, who saved the Kids Next Door from the Brotherhood of Evil?" Lee asked.




"He sure is!" Dillon exclaimed.




"Wow! I never thought I would meet the son of a celebrity." Leanne said. "Your dad was awesome! At least, in the stories he was."




"You bet he is! My dad was the best operative on the planet!"




"Oh, please." said a smug voice. Behind them were a pair of twins, a boy and a girl. The boy had black hair with green eyes, and the girl had brown hair, blue eyes, and a rather round head.




"Hey, you're Mr. and Mrs. Murphy's kids." Dillon remembered. "Zach and Maddy, right?




"Yeah, then you should remember your dad wasn't so great." Maddy replied. "They said your dad betrayed everyone."




"Yeah, but he saved everyone."




"All so freaks like you could be legal in the KND."




"The heck is that supposed to mean?!"




"You know how many of you benders were showing off their powers since we got here? You all think you're better than everyone else 'cause of what you have, and it's all your dad's fault. Well, Zach and I are going to be even BETTER, just wait!"




"That's right!" Zach declared. "Just wait'll I grow out my nosehairs and make whips out of them!"




Maddy practically fainted from her brother's ridiculousness. "Zach, you and I need to have a talk about that show you're watching…" On that note, they left.




"I thought Dad said they didn't discriminate, anymore." Dillon said.




"I guess some people still do." Leanne shrugged.




Cleveland Milk Bar




Shortly after his nap, Nolan had gone to Cleveland, Virginia, to meet up with Nigel Uno and Doug Murphy at a bar made up of several milk-themed elements, such as cow wallpaper. "Whose idea was it to set up a Milk Bar?" Nigel asked.




"They set it up as a place for adults to drink without getting 'drunk.'" Nolan answered.




"Well, it sure hasn't worked for Marine over there." Doug said, pointing over at the raccoon woman, who held a glass of milk in her hand in a drunk state.




"Oi! …Ya rotten Tails drongo, you." Marine yelled drunkenly at a random person. "Why didn't ya, mmm, take me snowboarding at the mountain level. Ya-…" There was a rumbling sound before Marine released a loud, "BUURP, no good… drongo…" The woman had another chug of milk before fainting to the ground, the glass shattering.




"Hey, guys, do you ever think about if our kids are 'safe' going to Arctic Training?" Nolan asked.




"What are you talking about? You think their plane crashed or something?" Doug asked.




"Oh, boy." Nigel rolled his eyes, already knowing where this was going. "What's on your mind this time, Nolan?"




"It's about my son. What if the other kids are treating him poorly? You only need a little bit of that to start turning evil."




"You need to stop worrying, Nolan." Nigel told him. "Dillon went with a bunch of his friends. As long as he has his friends, he doesn't have a chance of turning evil."




"And as for being 'safe,' heh, you forget what he's getting into." Doug chuckled. "I remember when Father invaded Arctic Base during training. And didn't those cadets kick his butt?"




"Yep." Nigel chuckled. "Those same cadets became my sector's rivals for a time. Meanwhile, Tommy assumed some vigilante persona that… didn't really go anywhere. Not like yours, Nolan."




"It's just weird though." Nolan said. "None of our own parents had to feel this way because they were decommissioned. Oblivious to the KND. But we kept our memories to share our knowledge and experience with our kids… and it just worries me. Knowing what they're about to go through. Especially that… stuff we learned from Chronicler."




"Yeah, that really worries me, too." Nigel agreed. "But it's also because we can share our experiences that they'll be more prepared than we were. That being said… I still don't know if we should tell them that prophecy either. It'd make them afraid and…"




"It would just hurt their childhood." Nolan said. "Then we'd be betraying a core principle of the KND. Sigh…"




Brookfield Insane Asylum




Joe Swanson and his officers, along with Mayor West, stood around and watched as a couple men were slowly thawing out Tornado's body using blowtorches. "Okay, boys, just take it nice and slow and thaw out the head, then we'll inject him with this knockout toxin." Joe instructed, pulling out a syringe with some purple liquid. "That should buy us enough time to thaw him out fully and slip on a straitjacket."




"Hmph. Filthy metahumans." Mayor West said with a smug look.




"But, aren't you a metahuman?" an officer asked.




"Oh! Why, thank you, Memory Fairy!" Mayor West smiled.




While they were all focused on the frozen villain, a tiny figure watched them and smirked from atop a security camera in the corner. "Hn hn hn. Foolish humans. Time for a wakeup call." He was a rotten red bean with yellow vine-arms and a face with rotten teeth. Hannibal Roy Bean jumped in front of the camera's lens and spoke in a country accent, "Play the song, Ying-Ying."




Inside the monitor room, the Ying-Ying Bird stood atop the control desk as two guards lay unconscious behind her. The bird smirked and saluted before inserting a disk into a slot. The bird pecked the start button, and the many inhabitants at the asylum bore confusion as the song began to play.




"Yes, a lap dance is always better when the stripper is cryin'-"




"THE OTHER SONG, YING-YING!!"




The bird flinched at her master's shout and hurriedly pecked her beak at another button a few times and played something else.




"AAAH! AAAHH! OH MY GOOOD!!" Joe screamed as everyone pressed their hands against their ears. Painfully loud guitar solos ruptured through the asylum.




"Sucks ta have ears." Hannibal smirked, jumping to the floor below. "Thank ya, Steve!" The bean hurriedly hopped his way across the floor as the officers still trembled and shook from the painful sounds. The entire building was quaking as a result of the obnoxious rock-and-roll, and the ice that imprisoned Tornado was slowly cracking. In only a few seconds, the ice shattered and Tornado was free.




"Good gods." Adam West stared with amazement. "It's the Avatar!" he exclaimed and happily pointed. "Hooray! Hey, everyone! Everyone!" He ran out into the other rooms and started waving his arms. "The Avatar is back! We're SAVED! The Avatar is back!"




"Someone oughta check to see if he wasn't an inmate here." an officer suggested.




Teen Tornado shielded his ears from the deafening music, too. Eventually, Ying-Ying pecked the button and made the music silence before soaring out of there. Regaining his composure, Tornado began rapidly spinning around as officers tried to shoot him, but was able to suck in all their guns and blow them all against the walls. The villain came to a halt as Hannibal Bean hopped onto his shoulder. "Feelin' the cold shoulder?"




"Shut it and show me the way outta here."




York Household




When Arctic Training had finally come to an end around 2:30, the cadets had been dropped off at their respective states and headed back for their homes. "Mom, Dad, I'm back!" Dillon yelled happily, dashing into his home.




"Hey, welcome back, Honey!" Danika greeted, bending over to hug him.




Nolan slowly entered the living room and approached them with a slight worried expression. "Heh, hey, Son… how was your first day at Arctic Training?"




"It was great!" Dillon jumped. "I got to dodge searchlights, I got to kill robots, and I met new friends and everything! Of course, I DID meet up with a couple of jerks," Dillon said with a grumpy look, "who were saying bad things…"




"What kinds of bad things?"




"It was Zach and Maddy. They were sayin' bad things about us 'cause they don't have bending. Well, I'll show them! They're just jealous!"




Murphy Household




The Murphy children had returned home and were eating dinner. "So, how was Arctic Training?" Gwen asked.




"It was alright. Except…" Maddy began.




"What?" Doug asked.




"We met Dillon there. He kept talking about his dad and acting like a bigshot. Why did they have to let all those benders join the KND, anyway? They're gonna try and hog all the glory and treat us like a trash!"




"Maddy…" Gwen sighed with sympathy. Her daughter hated metahumans and benders ever since that incident. When they were 3 years old… Gwen wished she could've prevented it sooner. But this is something they may have to live with for a while.




York Household




"Dillon, it's true that joining the KND is the most amazing experience," Nolan began, "but you have to understand that not everything will be perfect. You may not get along with every operative you meet. I know Zach and Maddy hurt your feelings, but the fact is, they have their reasons for hating metahumans. One day, they'll realize they were wrong to hate you, but for now, you can't be angry at them, and you can't act like you're better. You have to look at each other as fellow operatives with the same goals in mind. Do you understand?"




"I…I think I do. But what if they never do? What if they make benders illegal again?"




"Then we'll put a stop to it all over again. But I don't think it's gonna happen, Dillon. The world is different now. It's growing. There's going to be plenty of benders and even more amazing people, and the Murphys will have to get used to it. But let me ask one more thing of you, Dillon: don't try to be like me."




"W-What? Why not?"




"Because my story is already done. It's your story now, Dillon, and it's your friends' stories. Become your own operative and make your own amazing tale."




"Heh heh heh. Okay, Dad. I promise."




"Yeah, but YOUR story isn't done EITHER, Nolan." Midna remarked, peeping out of Danika's shadow. "Otherwise, you wouldn't be playing dress-up every night instead of making us money."




"Hey, Danika works for GUN now, they pay a lot!"




"Then you had better show up for dinner when I tell you to, Nolan." Dani said, flicking his nose. "I don't want my hard-earned money going to waste."




"Ha ha! Yes, dear…" Nolan flushed.




Forest area




Nighttime had come just as Hannibal and Tornado made it to a forest, and the villain was panting heavily. "Boy, I'm glad we made it outta that. So, what's the occasion?"




"The occasion: an anniversary." Hannibal spoke. "Those rotten Kids Next Door spoiled my plans long ago. But with Ganon defeated, Ah have the perfect plan of revenge. As soon as we free the other frozen villains from GUN, of course. Also, Ah lost my Yin-Yang Yo-yos after that battle, and Ah need to get them back if Ah'm ever to bring the Kids Next Door to its knees. If everything goes accordin' to plan, the world shall be consumed by the might of the Chaos Kin. YEEEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!" As Hannibal laughed, his Ying-Ying Bird screeched and joined in.







Zach and Maddy are Numbuh 227's characters. Here are other small Sandman one-shots.




Picture




Just another boring day in the York Household. Nolan York sat on his wheelchair by the couch, calmly reading the day's newspaper. "Hm… strange sightings of little people in the forest. Interesting…" he mumbled to himself.




He heard a pair of feet scurrying his way and put his paper down, seeing his 5-year-old son, Dillon with a piece of paper. "Dad, Dad! Look what I have!"




"What is it?"




"I drew you a picture, Dad! Look!" he handed his father the paper. "It's you, Mom, and Ms. Dickson fighting the army of evil villains, like Mom told me!" Nolan observed the drawing of him and his friends, drawn as stick characters with smiling faces. Danika was colored black and had long hair, with some blue in the middle of it. Nolan was also colored black and had a bit more scribbled hair, and was sitting in what he assumed to be a black wheelchair. April Dickson was colored red and had long, yellow hair. The three were on the left of the picture, while the right seemed to have a bunch of blackness scribbled, with angry faces inside of it.




"Hehe. You know we had a couple more people with us, right?" Nolan chuckled.




"Well, yeah, but…" Dillon shifted his foot along the floor, "I ran out of room. But she said it was mostly you, anyway. Do you like it, Dad?"




Nolan smiled and ruffled his son's hair. "I love it, Son. It really brings back memories…"




This next one was made on the anniversary of Nolan York's creation.

The clouds were gray and gloomy over the ruins of the ancient factory. Nolan York slowly approached a small gravestone, which was set up before a fallen statue of a cloaked figure. The man held a bouquet of gray, dried flowers in his lap, not much emotion on his face as he dropped the bouquet onto the dirt patch. As he sat and stared at the grave before him, his black-clothed wife, Danika approached him. "After everything that happened… you'd still bother to pay him a visit?"

Nolan gave a light sigh. "Twenty years ago today… he brought me in and changed my life. It was evil, what he did. But at the same time… he taught me a lot of things. If it wasn't for him… I never would've found the right path. I never would've learned… what was truly important to me. And I certainly would've never met you."

"Hm hm." Danika smiled and lightly chuckled.

"And the reality was, he was just the same. It's just… he was never able to find his right path. Even with a second chance…"

"Hmm. Well, even after what he did… it's still great that someone's looking after him. Even in death. You're really sweet, Nolan."

"Hehe… No…" Nolan sheepishly grinned. "Anyway, let's go home. He may be gone, but that won't discourage his followers." The two adults returned to their 4x4 ship, leaving the flowers on the lone grave.

R.I.P.: Revan Bane Sidious. Numbuh 23 BBY of KND, Prince of the Sith.


Happy Fanfiction birthday, Nolan! Your awesomeness knows no limits!

 

[Gamen Watch]

This group of one-shots will introduce my favorite Nextgen Kid, along with two of her friends. Some of the segments in this chapter were written by my friend, Mika (Numbuh 6.13), who also helped make several of the main characters. While I made my own edits to her segments, I still wanted to maintain parts of her writing style.




Prelude to Adventure

A peaceful noon on Azultown's eastern beach. The waves brushed along the shore, but the beach was completely barren, except for one woman. Marine Frantic, the 25-year-old Mobian raccoon, sat on the beach with her right hand propped against the ground behind her, and her left leg stretched out. She clutched a bottle of rum in her left hand as she drank. Marine was dressed sloppily; in a small, light-green T-shirt that greatly showed her belly, and short black shorts. Her arms went over her shirt, but it was kept up by her cleavage. She had no shoes on her orange-furred legs and her expression looked drunk.

Her sky-blue eyes focused intently on the sea. A particular spot had been emitting slight bubbles. She was focused on that spot for several minutes. Waiting…

"GAAASP!" Finally, someone emerged from that spot and swam to shore. She was Sheila Frantic, Marine's 5-year-old daughter, in a green T-shirt, black shorts, and bare feet. She was a tan-skinned Australian human, but had brown raccoon ears and a tail. She hurried up to her mother and dropped a few small shells, two gold coins, and a necklace, still dripping wet.

Marine had another drink and grinned widely. "Well, it looks like ya made it, Sheila!"

"Pleah!" she angrily spat some water out. "Wot was all THAT for, Mum?! I swam all the way down there just for junk! Oi almost drowned!"

"He he he! Well, wasn't it a thrill, Sheila?! Divin' ta dark depths, not knowin' what lies?"

"Hmmm… well, maybe a little bit. But Oi wanted ta find a whole CAVERN o' treasuhs!! But I only found a few itty-bits!"

"Heh heh heh." Marine wrapped an arm around her daughter. "Sheila… the whole point to adventurin' is exploring brand new places, learning new things, and using those new things to explore OTHER places! I mean, Ay taught you how ta swim so ya could see what lies under the waves of our own beach! And now that you're a great swimmer, aren'tcha glad ya saw what was under there?"

"But I didn't FIND anything!!" she stomped in anger. "Wot's the point of goin' to all this rubbish if ya don't find anything?!"

"Sheila… have I ever told you about the King of the Pirates?"

"King o' the… Pirates?"

"Yeh… ya see, Sheila, the best people in this entire world are pirates. Pirates sail the briny sea, free from all the troubles o' the world, lookin' fer only adventures. They chase dreams and the wind shows them the way. But there was one pirate… who was greater than all the others. 'e was the King. And he sailed this WHOLE world. Legends say that before 'e passed on, he left a GREAT treasure, the most amazin' treasure anyone's evuh seen. 'e told the world, if they wanted 'is treasure, they could have it. But they'd have ta find it. And so… hundreds o' pirates, all over the world, set sail to find it."

"But did anyone evuh find it, Mum??"

"Hehe, o' course not, Sheila! Ta this day, no one even knows if the treasure was real. He mighta just been trickin' a bunch of blokes inta goin' out and havin' great adventures. All we know for sure is… it worked."

Marine turned her daughter around to face the endless sea. "Sheila… the sea is endless. The UNIVERSE is endless. There's no limit to how many adventuhs you could have. That's what all them pirates thought. Maybe there was a treasure, maybe there wasn't. But because o' that bloke… so many people got to experience that freedom. Oi want you to have that kind o' freedom, too. There's so much in the world ya wanna look at. So many great things…"

Oddly, Sheila felt enticed by her mother's words. Her young blue eyes couldn't look away from the sea's endless waves. Just what great things was she talking about? What could possibly exist over those waves? More importantly, is the treasure really real? Now, more than ever… Sheila wanted to know.

"And it's not just the sea Ah'm talkin' about." Marine mentioned. "Adventuh can exist anywhere. Have ya ever wondered what's above those clouds?" Sheila looked up, gazing at the fluffy white clouds overhead. "Or under the earth?" Sheila pressed her left raccoon ear to the sandy ground. "Even the grass beneath our feet! Oi bet there's LOADS of adventures right under our noses!"

Sheila gripped her nose and pulled it up, trying desperately to look under it. She let go and shook her head. "But Mum, Oi thought pirates were bad?"

"Ehhh, there are bad types out there, Sheila… loike Davy Jones or Blackbeard. They were pretty bad blokes. But they lived by the same morals, Sheila: pirates are free. They've raised their sails, and marked the sea their territory. They've seen many wonders our eyes could nevuh comprehend. They've seen the world… for what it is…"

"…Didju ever try to find the treasure, Mum?"

"Weeell, Oi did. But then Oi found me own treasure."

"Really?? Wot??"

"Your dad. And then Oi got you." She smacked Sheila's back. "You're the shiniest treasure I evuh coulda had. And I want ya to have a happy life."

Sheila felt touched by her mother's words. An ecstatic expression appeared on her face as she said excitedly, "Let's go find it, Mum!"

"Hm?"

"The treasuh, the treasuh!" Sheila jumped. "Let's go find it together and have RIPPER adventuhs!"

"Hehehehe!" Marine plopped a hand on her head. "Yer too young, ya little dinga! But when yer a little older… Oi want you to take yer friends and have GREAT adventures! And find all sorts of ripper treasuhs!"

"I WILL, Mum!!"

"Ah know ya will… now, come on." Marine stood up. "We're drivin' down ta Virginia fer a few days." She walked away as Sheila ran after. "You're about to meet yer first mate."




Who was that first mate Sheila was talking about? Find out now. Play the Cutscene Theme from Sonic Rush Adventure!

Beach

The bright noon sun shone high as Sheila Frantic perched onto a stone along a rocky shore. "Avast, first mate! The treasure be on the other side of that there cliffside, eh?" she exclaimed, aiming a wooden toy sword.

A black haired boy with dark grey eyes and black swim trunks limped forward. "Can't we take a break, Sheila? This whole 'pirate' thing can be really exhausting, y'know."

The chipper raccoon girl jumped down to him. "C'mon, Mason! 'ave a little fun, ya grumpy codger!"

"Don't you ever get tired?"

"Ah know how ta have fun! Mate, what's wrong with you? You've been downer than two seagulls drunk on rum!"

"I…I dunno. I've just felt… tired all week. Upset and…"

"Why're you upset then??"

"I don't know!"

It wasn't that anything was particularly wrong. Nothing bad happened. Mason simply didn't have Sheila's energy. He couldn't justify why he felt upset. It was just… part of him.

"Well, wot's a sheila to do, aye?" Sheila twisted a pinky in her right raccoon ear (not that she had any human ears). "You wanna just go lay under a tree then?"

"…N…no." And yet, the prospect of being away from Sheila did make him upset. He didn't know why she was so energetic, so happy… but being with her did make him happy.

"Then gimme a smile!" Sheila stuck fingers in his mouth to stretch it.

"Sheila!"

"Crikey, you'll become a seahorse if ya stay like that, mate! Now, c'mon! Le's go find that treasure! Adventure awaits!" And she continued on with gusto.

"…Aye-aye!" The boy followed with renewed enthusiasm.

The two of them came to a hidden area below a small cliff (that looked similar to Pride Rock) and found a strange conch shell necklace under a rock. "…Aw, strewth! Ah heard a story about this!"

"You did?"

"Yeah, me mum told me! A man and his beloved were off to sea… and the wife crafted this charm for good luck! But a storm took their ship… and when it seemed the gods would claim them, the man put this over his wife… and only she survived."

"Oh…" Mason felt upset all over again. "But why's it here? Just… on this random beach?"

"Maybe she lives in town, eh? Maybe she left it 'ere, praying for his return… ah well. Why don't you have it, Mason?" She put the necklace over him.

"M-Me?" Mason blushed.

"You 'ave trouble swimmin', don't ya? Keep it for good luck! 'Cause we're goin' sea searchin' now!" Sheila raced off to the sea. Smiling, Mason put a hand over the necklace, rushing after her.


This next part was written by Numbuh 6.13, with edits done by me.

Mika's Note: Hello, fanfiction people! This is one of the future kid pairings I have planned out! It debuts Matthew and Yin's daughter, and David and Ashley's son.



Purple Rose




Creak… creak…


It was 4 o'clock AM in the neighborhood, so it was terribly quiet, and every little sound could be heard. In this case, you could hear a swing being swung in a backyard nearby.

The swing was a wooden one, with two strong ropes making it hang from a tree's branch. It was also adorned with flowers in a certain pattern, which was blue, red, blue, and red flower.

Sitting on the swing was a young, 9 and ¾ year old girl, swinging slowly to an unknown beat that only she could hear. Her long, ebony hair flowed down behind her back, reaching up to her waist, and her mysterious midnight-blue eyes gazed at the sky in thought.

"Hey…"

The girl was startled as a familiar voice popped out of nowhere. Then, it clicked, and the girl ventured, "Lee?"

"Yeah, it's me." A boy with bowl-cut hair moved closer to the fence which separated him from the swing where the girl swung. His hair slightly shrouded his eyes, and he was half the girl's height. It was apparent that he had just woken up, because he was still wearing his Yipper pajamas and slippers. "What are you doing here, Haru?"

Haruka Dimalanta sighed. "I'm just swinging here. Can't a poisonbending freak get some time of her own on the swing?"

"A freak?" Lee repeated, sitting on the grass. "You're not a freak, Haru. You're blessed with special talents."

"You don't understand." Haruka said, jumping off the swing. Her midnight-blue sundress fluttered in the light breeze as she looked toward the green plains beyond her home. The wind blew leaves around her as she continued to speak. "No one has uses for poisonbenders, Lee." Haruka muttered, her eyes narrowed at the plains. "We control poisons that harm a human's mortal life, and other toxic things that are dangerous. I don't see how you wouldn't consider people like that freaks!"

Lee and Haruka were silent for a moment, before he mumbled, "You're special, Haru." His robin's egg-blue eyes gazed at Haruka's midnight-blue ones.

"Why?" Haruka's voice was slightly choked up as she clenched her fists uncharacteristically.

"Poisonbending's useful. You just haven't seen how, yet." His voice seemed to resonate a tone of a boy who had seen much more than what an average boy has seen. "Haru, let me over there. I have to tell you something only your ears should hear."

Silently, Haruka opened the door in the fence, letting Lee enter the Dimalantas' backyard. Her bangs were shielding her gaze from Lee, so he couldn't see the look of utter disbelief in her eyes. Once Haruka had closed the gate, she turned to Lee, her gaze searching for an easy answer. "Well, what were you going to tell me?"

"All I wanted to say was," Lee stated, stepping closer to her. He leaned in towards her ear, and Haruka listened carefully. "All I wanted to say was that maybe you are a freak in your eyes, but in my eyes, you're just a rose that turned a pretty purple. Oh, and a rose that gained some pretty untouchable thorns." And with that, he straightened up, and lightly leapt over the fence, partly because he wanted an easy exit, and partly because he could do so.

Haruka stared after him, the wind ruffling her nightgown's ruffles subtly as she watched him enter his next-door house without so much as a glance back in her direction. She turned to go back inside her house, but her satin slipper stepped on something thorny. For a moment, Haruka's eyes watered. It suddenly occurred to her that her father, Matthew, had worked in the garden with her twin brother, Mason, to clear away all the weeds and everything thorny. So, why did she step on something thorny?

Raising her foot daintily, Haruka could make out a long and lithe green stem, riddled with relatively sharp and spiky thorns. Her eyes moved to the right of the stem until she saw a very delicately dyed violet rose. Picking it up gingerly (without touching the thorns, which was very hard to do because it was nearly covered completely in them), Haruka examined it before looking back at Lee's house. Then, without another word, she reentered her home.

Two years later, a purple rose bush bloomed in Haruka's garden.



This segment was written by Numbuh 6.13, showing Mason and Haruka's relationship. (Also, edits done by me.)



Teach Me




Aah. The blissfully peaceful neighborhood of Cleveland, Virginia. It is 6:00 A.M., and so, there were no kids awake, leaving their parents in relative peace and quiet for the time being.

"Teach me!"

Well, I did say for the time being.

"No!"

OK, picture this. The Delightful Mansion. Then, move your gaze to the side. No, not that side, the other side, the other side! OK, good. That's the Dimalanta household, where Matthew, Yin, Haruka and Mason Dimalanta reside.

"I said, teach me!"

OK, ow, those voices hurt my ears. Who am I? I'm Mika, Numbuh June-13 of the KND. Otherwise known as Numbuh 6.13, the author of this one-shot. So stop paying attention to me and pay attention to the yelling voices behind the Dimalanta home.

"I said no!" a boy's voice yelled.

In reply to his statement, a girl's voice – Haruka's – demanded, "Why won't you teach me?"

"You're a girl!" Mason stated plainly. "Girls and poisonbending don't mix!"

In response, Haruka harrumphed and glared at him with her midnight-blue eyes. "Well, I'm a poisonbender whether you like it or not, so you have to teach me!"

"And what are the consequences if I don't teach you?" Mason hissed uncharacteristically, his black hair messed up because he tugged on it in frustration. It didn't help that he looked totally angry because he was wearing his favorite black T-shirt with a flame design on it.

Haruka smiled, well, smirked. She was definitely used to getting her way. "If you don't, Mum and Dad's gonna ban you from hanging out with Sheila."

Mason visibly paled. He cherished his moments with Sheila, and he didn't want his parents to actually ban him from her. Then, his fists furled and unfurled as he said, "You little-"

"Ah ah, remember about your temper!" Haruka's mouth curled up in a slight smile. Mason was so much fun to tease. "Sheila won't like it if you're a big ol' hothead!"

Mason sighed in defeat, but otherwise he reluctantly said, "Fine. I'll teach you how to poisonbend. But why not learn from Dad or his friends, they're fairly good. …Well, except Kaleo's dad, unless you wanna know how to fart."

There was silence from Haruka before she replied, "I want to learn from you. You're my brother, and Dad's nearly always too busy to teach me good tricks. Mum's not a poisonbender, so I'm turning to you."

"Oh." Immediately, a blush graced his cheeks as he realized that Haruka was putting her faith in him.

Haruka smiled before punching her brother on the shoulder lightly. "Baka. Even though I fight with you, you're still my brother. And siblings always care about each other, right?"

"Y-yeah." Mason twiddled his fingers before he suddenly felt his twin sister's fragile arms wrap around him in a hug. Immediately his cheeks flared up in embarrassment.

"Arigato, Kuya. (Thanks [Japanese], Big Brother [Tagalog].)" Haruka said before letting go of her brother. She then – almost instantly – whipped her brother with a gust of purple poisonous gas. Mason was flipped over and he belly-flopped onto the grass.

The boy blinked as Haruka teased, "Be alert, onee-san! Always be prepared!"

Then, a smile crept over his face as he stood up and tut-tutted Haruka. "That's not how you're supposed to bend! It goes like this…"




Numbuh 6.13 wrote this segment introducing Sector Z's children.




But Daaaad!




"Come on… come on…"

Since it was a quiet 4 o'clock morning in the neighborhood, you could hear every single noise coming out of houses with windows open. And it just so happened that the only house with their windows open was the Grayson Home.

In one of the rooms, a boy and a girl played Guitar Hero furtively, their fingers mercilessly tapping the colored buttons to the beat of "Dirty Little Secret," the girl's chosen song. It was the boy who had spoken, and he was currently neck and neck with his sister as they reached the last measure. Unfortunately, he missed a button, and lost a multitude of points, considering his sister chose Hard, and he chose Beginner.

"Aw…" The boy moaned, looking at the very big difference in scores.

The girl looked at him, which seemed strange, considering her brown bangs covered her eyes, which were a bright green. "…You fail…." She said simply.

"So what if I failed?" The boy retorted, taking off the guitar. "You couldn't even play to the beat of Digimon Adventure's 'Butterfly' on Medium, Leanne!"

Leanne Andrea Grayson looked crossly at her brother, but didn't say anything as she took the Wii remote out of the guitar she wore. "I'm bored, Lee. Can't we wake up Lulu and Denny?"

"You know Aunt Ogie wouldn't allow that." Lee Andrew Grayson looked unhappily at the Wii Remote. His father, David, had bought the Wii for all of their family members to play with, which meant everyone had their own remote. Cool, right?

"Diwata?" Leanne asked quietly, absently twirling the remote in her hand.

Lee shook his head. "Aunt Luna won't allow her to play either. It's too early." He tossed his Wii Remote into the box unhappily.

"Then we can eat breakfast." Leanne started towards the door to the big room she and Lee shared. "And don't you dare joke about breakfast. It's not a break."

…

"Morning, Dad. Morning, Mom." Lee said as he entered the dining room.

Leanne followed suit, only this time greeting the other people in the room. "Hi, Aunt Luna, Uncle Bruce, Aunt Olivia, Uncle Leonard."

Bruce Uno, a blonde man in a green sweater, looked up from his newspaper. "Ashley, have you been teaching them good manners? You know we aren't the Delightful Children anymore."

"Aw, come on, Bruce." Luna Martinez-Uno smiled sweetly. "Let Ash have her fun. She'll teach them good manners if she wants to. Right, Ogie?"

Ogie Ravenhearst-Whitby looked at them out of her glasses, and from the top of her book. The portly, tannish-skinned woman's eyes seemed to be smiling. "Yes, Ashley definitely will. She won't listen to you, Bruce."

"I most certainly will not." Ashley Sommers-Grayson smirked as she slid Lee and Leanne's plates towards them. "You two are certainly up early."

"I challenged Leanne to a Guitar Hero marathon." Lee boasted. Unfortunately…

Leanne said, "He lost on Beginner level." She smirked at her brother before taking a bite out of her scrambled eggs.

Lee glared at her, his blue eyes narrowed before he turned to his mother. "How come Diwata, Lulu, and Denny can't wake up this early?"

"They're nine years old, Lee." Lenny leaned back on his chair. "They'll wake up sooner or later, because it's Saturday."

"Wait for it…" David signaled with his fingers three, two, and one, just before three nine-year-olds burst into the room hyperactively. One of the children was a girl with blonde hair and a green sweater with a brown utility sash. As they hurried towards their respective parents, David smiled smugly at his son.

"Hi, Lee!" The blonde girl greeted to the sandy-blond.

Lee chuckled. "Hi, Dee Dee."



"What's for breakfast?"

"Ooh! Do we have paaancakes?" A small, but pudgy brown-skinned girl asked. Her round glasses nearly toppled off her face as she climbed into her father's lap. Her black hair, tied up in pigtails with two ribbons, bounced as she jumped up and down on Lenny's lap.

Lenny smiled at his daughter. "Yes, Lulu. You can request pancakes." His daughter's full name was Columbine, but she really preferred Lulu or Colly.

"How 'bout waffles? I love waffles!" A peach-skinned boy tugged at his mother's sleeve excitedly. You couldn't see his face because he wore his father's old football helmet. He was Daniel Whitby.

"Yes, Denny." Olivia giggled softly as she winked at Ashley knowingly.

Leanne looked at the others, quite unamused as she said, "Mom, could I go visit Mason Dimalanta?"

"Why, so you could make kissy faces at him?" Lee made a kissy face at his sister, who stuck out her tongue in reply.

"No, he's got Sheila already, doofus. And look who's talking, being a gentleman," Leanne emphasized the word, "to Haruka?"

Lee looked embarrassed as Dee Dee, Lulu, and Denny all crowded around him. His face was red as he tried really hard to endure their questions.

"Do you really like Ate Haru?" Dee Dee asked curiously, using a term her mother Luna often used for her. She was an only child, so Dee Dee never knew how to be called an older sister, or Ate.

"Have you kissed her?" Lulu bounced around him excitedly, giggling with glee. Kissing always interested Lulu.

"Do you liiiiike her?" Denny asked smugly.

David laughed as he stood up and shooed the three away from his son. "Alright, you three, eat your breakfast. Leanne, of course you can, if Lee goes, too."

"But-"

"No buts." David said firmly. "Either he goes, or you both don't. Or else I'll call Moonbase and proclaim your crushes on Haruka and Francis."

There was momentary silence in the dining room as Dee Dee, Lulu, and Denny munched on their breakfast. The adults were busy with their own things, and the twins just stood there, frozen, until the twins both screamed unhappily,

"DAAAAD!"




When developing your characters, try to apply situations or instances you encountered in real life! This came to mind when I was shopping with my mom one day.




You Have Strings


An average sunny day in Cleveland. Mason Dimalanta was walking downtown, joined by his friend, Dillon York. They didn't speak much, but it was pretty… weird. Dillon was intricately focused on Mason's sweater. All the little bitty dirt pieces and loose hairs that were common on his clothing. Except on various parts of that sweater were little white strings. As they walked, Mason felt a force lightly pinch his sweater from behind. He didn't mind at first, but it started to get annoying and curious. When Dillon seemed to reach and touch Mason's neck, the latter stopped and turned angrily, "What're you doing?"

"You have white strings on your shirt. Also this pink one." Several white strings and a pink one lay on his palm.

"So, what?"

"Why do you have strings on your shirt?"

"I dunno, it got mixed with the towels when Mom did laundry. Stop it."

"Stop what?"

"Stop touchin' my strings."

"Why?"

"I don't want you touchin' my strings."

"Why?"

"'Cause."

"You want them back?"

"No, but I don't want you touchin' 'em."

"Okay."

"Good." So, they kept walking. Mason felt Dillon poke his back again. "Didn't I just say?!"

"I put the pink one back."

"Why?"

"It's pretty. It's shaped like an 'M.' Like Mario."

"Sigh…"

 

[Gamen Watch]

This session will introduce the Uno Family, including the main protagonist of the Nextgen Saga!




Mark of Courage


Piles of papers to sign. A small office with a view of space and Earth. A chair that made his rump sore. And all kinds of noise outside. This wasn't the glory Cheren Uno expected when he joined the Kids Next Door. But a weight greater than the moon rested on his shoulders.




Numbuh 3621 had brown hair, chestnut brown eyes, wore a red jacket with white hints and black pockets, and a white T-shirt underneath it. He also wore a pair of black jeggings and red rubber shoes with white hints.

He was interrupted from his work when a portly, nerdy boy, with a yellow T-shirt, white shoes, and blue shorts and glasses, walked in with a huge stack of papers. "Sir, I need you to deliver these forms for the new mission specs."

"Would it kill you to knock, Numbuh 65.49?" Cheren asked as the nerd just plopped the papers down on his desk. "Sigh, I'll get on it right away." he said begrudgingly, lifting the huge stack and walking out of his office, followed by the nerd.

"Also, Nebula's requesting if she can schedule a meeting with the rest of the Galactic Kid Council this Thursday at 1-"

"Larry, I'm a little busy right now, so can we just-" He was interrupted once more when Danny Jackson came over.

"Sir, Melody sent me up here. She was wondering if you had another helicopter the KNN could borrow. Drunk Philly ruined another one."

"Sure. I'll get back to you on tha-"

"Sir." Mike Strongarm called, running over. "When were you going to fill in those orders for more bikes again?"

"As soon as I finish this-"

"Sir!" Emily Garley yelled, running over. "I need you to fill in those orders for more room at the museum."

"Sure, let me just-"

"Excuse me, Sir!" Lola Stork, of Sector IC, yelled as she approached. "My brother was wonderin' if you had any air fresheners, 'cause he can't stand our mom's smoke?"

"Um, yeah, I think those-"

"Sir, you have to deliver these forms!" Larry whined.

"How do you expect me to squeeze all these priceless artifacts in?" Emily asked.

"We're gonna need that helicopter." Danny said.

"Our bikes are getting rusted!" Mike yelled.

"Come on, dude, you know how Terry gets." Lola whined.

He was soon surrounded by swarms of operatives, all asking and begging for dumb requests. Cheren began to get a headache from all the voices at once. "RRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!" The leader erupted into burning flames, and all operatives backed away. The flames died down a bit, showing the panting boy's fiery eyes and gritting teeth. The operatives filled with fear. They've never seen their leader like this. He almost looked like he was willing to kill somebody.

Suddenly, a blonde-haired girl ran over and stood in the flaming boy's way. She had blue eyes, a sleeveless orange shirt and a blue polo shirt with its sleeves folded, a short blue-gray skirt and black tights, and a pair of white rubber shoes with blue hints and a blue headband. "Okay, people, question time's over, everyone get back to their sectors!" The operatives just did as told and cowered away.

She then walked over to her brother, putting a hand on his shoulder as his flames finally vanished. "You okay, Bro?"

"Sigh, yeah… thanks for the save, Aurora. Man, I never thought being leader would mean having to deal with EVERY, SINGLE problem."

"You just need to take a break. Come on, let's get a meatball sandwich."

"Okay…"

Numbuh Zero's Treehouse

An hour passed, and the two were now home, where Cheren and his mother were in the secret underground room of the treehouse, locked in a training battle. Rachel wore a light-blue T-shirt that showed her bellybutton and cleavage, short dark-blue shorts, light blue flip-flops with darker blue straps, and had her blonde hair in a small ponytail.

As the two swung their wooden swords at the other, Cheren flipped over his mother, but Rachel quickly turned and still swung. In a few seconds, Rachel's sword was knocked out of her hands, with Cheren smirking and aiming his sword. Rachel gave her own little smirk and said, "Well, someone's been workin' out."

"Hoo." He huffed, swinging at the air before taking a seat. "I wish…"

Rachel sat by him on the bench and put an arm around him. "What's wrong, Cherry?"

"Sigh…" Cheren put his face in his hands. "I'm just not sure if I can do it anymore. I've only been leader for a week now and the whole job's stressful as hell. I get too overworked, people are always wanting me to do stuff…"

"You just need to learn to say 'no' once in a while."

"I want to, but I don't wanna let anyone down. But if I did do all that stuff, I'd still probably let everyone down. Sigh… I'm just not cut out for this job."

Rachel thought for a second, then stood up. "Come on. Something I wanna show you."




He followed her into a dark room where a light shone on a sword sheathed inside a blue and yellow sheath, sitting atop a small pedestal. Rachel picked it up and pulled the shining sword out of its sheath. "This is the Master Sword. This used to be a weapon, passed down from leader to leader in the Kids Next Door. Of course, it's full power wouldn't work for just anyone. Before I became leader, this was just an old Yield sign. It wouldn't reveal its true form until held by the descendant of its previous owner. You wanna know why it finally revealed itself to me?"

"Because… you're the descendant?"

"Well, yes… but it's also because I found myself. I learned what my job truly meant and why I loved it. I didn't quite know it at first, though, but the sword… kinda already felt it." She sheathed the sword and held it over to her son. "Cheren… you're a great leader, too. Someday, you'll know why. You wear the Mark of Courage just as well as I did… and you might be able to use this sword one day, too."

Cheren took the sheath and drew the sword, staring at it as he waved it around. "Cool…"

"Hehe, sooner than you might think!" Rachel smiled, taking and putting the sword back, along with the sheath. "But of course, you'll need to relax a little, too."

"Yeah… maybe you're right. Thanks, Mom. I think I will keep trying!"

"That's the spirit! Now why don't you go play videogames with Panini? You deserve to relax."

"If you call Panini relaxing." The Uno boy smirked before running off. (Play Fi's Theme from Zelda: Skyward Sword!)

Rachel smiled in his direction as the sword glowed, and the blue and purple spirit, Fi came out. "Master, I sense much of your traits within him. I calculate a 90% probability he will be worthy of wielding the Master Sword."

"Hehehe, Fi." Rachel chuckled. "You and your obvious predictions. Of course he'll be able to wield the sword. If he was brave enough to take on the duties of babysitting a million kids, I can't think of anyone else. Besides… I see a lot of me in him, too…"

Numbuh 6.13 wrote this next segment, introducing Panini and Francis!

A Day In The Life of Cheren and Aurora



"I'm SO gonna kick your butt!"

"HA! You wish!"

It was another quiet day at the Uno household. Well, as quiet as it could get anyway, what with a certain brown-haired boy and a certain black-haired girl having a Pokémon battle on their DSes on the sofa. I'm not sure that's how you spell their plural, but oh well.

The brown-haired 9-year-old boy, Cheren Uno, smirked as he selected a move with his stylus. "HA! Gallade uses Shadow Blade! Take that, Panini!"

"Why should Ah care when Gothorita uses Psybeam?" The black-haired girl, Panini Drilovsky, who was also 9, hissed, tapping said move. Her Pokémon shot out a rainbow colored beam at Cheren's Gallade, making the Pokémon Confused.

Cheren gritted his teeth. "Gr…" His Gallade was down to one health bar, and he didn't have any Potions or Berries on him. Time to switch out. "Gallade, come back! You can do it, Zekrom!"

"Eat dirt, Zekrom!' Panini nearly screeched at her DS as she switched back Gothorita with Reshiram.

From the stairs in the Uno home, a blonde-haired girl and a red-haired boy just sat chatting, between bouts of watching their siblings screech bad words at each other over their Pokémon battle. The blonde – Aurora – simply smirked as Cheren shouted more words of profanity. They were SO lucky their parents were out.

"I can't believe Pan's going crazy over a little Pokémon battle." The red-haired boy commented. His name was Francis Drilovsky, Panini's older brother.

Aurora, 10 years old like Francis, chuckled. "They're both addicts at the art, huh?"

Francis looked outside, observing the sky. "Hey, wanna go outside? I'm tired of listening to them argue."

"Sure. Anywhere's better than here." Aurora agreed.

Francis outstretched his hand formally, bowing as Aurora took it, giggling. The two walked out of the house, hand in hand, before collapsing on the grass in a fit of giggles. Soon, they stopped, and they watched the clouds pass by.

"You looked so silly there, Fran!" Aurora giggled, spreading out her hands and feet on the grass. She looked so carefree. "Like some knight in an old movie!"

Francis laughed before imitating a chivalrous knight voice. "'Tis not a challenge for me, milady, for I am Sir Usely, a knight who is very serious!"

"Sirius is dead!" Aurora managed to choke out in between giggles, and suddenly, both ten-year-olds were laughing like there was no tomorrow.

Suddenly, Francis fell to silence. Aurora caught wind of his dreary aura. "Hey, Fran, what's wrong?"

"Well…" Francis murmured, watching as the wind blew the leaves in the tree in the Unos' backyard. He was silent for a few moments, before he finally said, "I… had a dream the other day. Where I was getting decommissioned."




"Heh. Irony, much?" He was the Head of Decommissioning, after all.




"Isn't it… weird? We stopped decommissioning overaged operatives and only target traitors. But there's been so many lately and the Teen Ninjas are still active. I wonder why. I'm worried if… it's just some kind of immature instinct inside us."

The blonde placed a hand on Francis's shoulder, making his onyx gaze travel up to meet her soft blue gaze. "Francis, you're a nice guy, OK? Far from any traitor. And you're my best friend!

"Heh heh…yeah. I guess the job just leaves an impression on my dreams. Hey, wanna get a smoothie?"

Aurora pumped her fist up in the air. "Mathematical!" she cried as they both stood up.

"You're watching Adventure Time again, aren't you?" Francis laughed.

Aurora smiled. "How'd you guess, 'Marshall Lee?'"

"I know you better than you think, 'Fionna'!" Francis laughed. The two best friends laughed their heads off, before cringing as Panini's high-pitched voice rang through the air.

"I'LL HAVE REVENGE ON YOU CHEREN, JUST YOU WAIT!"

Then came Cheren's voice. "YOU'RE JUST A SORE LOSER!"

"SAY THAT TO MY FACE!"

"I JUST DID!"

"WHY YOU LITTLE-"

"STOP THE PROFANITY!" Aurora yelled from the backyard, silencing the two. Then, without another word, the Uno girl and the Drilovsky boy both walked away.




Here's another one that Mika wrote.




HEWWO. This is not a DUSK chapter.

GUN: shoots me down

Lucario: uses Psychic and throws them to an uncharted island




She's A Lady


Thirty-year-old Patton Drilovsky grinned to himself, sneaking back into the bedroom that he shared with his wife, Fanny Fulbright-Drilovsky. In his arms was a rubber snake, some tacks, and a jar of toenails.

He considered this payback, what he was doing. The week before, Fanny had purposely switched his Army Navy underwear for Rainbow Monkey ones when he wasn't looking, added pepper to his coffee, and switched around the places of all his scrapbooks for every person he was close to. She had also dyed his beanie pink, and tied into knots the wires of his laptop with the help of Hoagie Gilligan. Now, he was out for sweet revenge.

"Heh heh heh…" Fanny was out on a shopping spree with Rachel and the other ladies, so he was free to do as he wished. Panini was out with her mother – apparently today was a mother and daughter bonding day for all the previous KND operatives, and if they didn't have daughters, they brought along their reluctant sons – and Francis was probably with Cheren at Moonbase.

Patton opened Fanny's underwear drawer. He grinned while sliding the snake into a position that made it seem as if it was living in that drawer before closing it shut. He then went to the computer and opened the computer's Word program before typing something. On the chair, he put the tacks.

What did he do with the jar of toenails? He took one of her older Rainbow Monkeys – for some reason Fanny never grew out of them – and made it hold the jar open before displaying it on a shelf for Fanny to see.

"This'll be good!" Patton snickered, sneaking out of the room only to bump into his son, Francis.

Francis yelped, waving his arms around. "I SWEAR ON NUMBUH ZERO I DIDN'T PUT SPIDERS IN PANINI'S DRESSER!"

"… Spiders?" Patton stared at his son. Except for the orange hair and freckles – inherited from his 'darling' mother – he was Patton's carbon copy, down to the hair style and the beanie – which was black instead of orange – and to the height. "Francis, just what did you do?"

Francis looked down. He was just nine years old, and Panini was eight. "I-I put fake s-spiders in Panini's dresser drawer… then I glued together all of her Barbie dolls by their hair…"

"Oh no…" Patton paled. It was no secret that Panini had inherited Fanny's explosive temper – hey, she was her carbon copy except for the fact that her hair was pitch-black – and the fact that they picked the same day to prank the two would make for an explosive reaction. "You know what happens when Mommy gets angry, right, Francis?"

Francis paled as well. "Yes, Daddy…"

"And you know what happens when little Pansy's angry, right?" Patton said.

The young boy nodded. "Daddy… what do we do?"

"We've got at least one minute to get away from here. I saw them coming a block away." Patton calculated before the door swung open, revealing Fanny and Panini. The mother was looking pleased while the daughter looked sulky, wearing an Irish-themed dress. "Oh, hey Fanny! Hey Panini! Francis and I were just about to go out!"

Fanny stared at her husband. He looked jumpy. "An' jus' where do ya think yer goin'?" she asked in her sharp accent.

"We're gonna go beat Cheren and his dad at Space Zoids!" Francis babbled, tugging on his father's sleeve nervously. "C'mon, Dad, let's go! Or else we'll lose the bet!"

Patton saluted to his wife and daughter before he and Francis zoomed towards the boy's S.C.A.M.P.E.R., flying for Moonbase. Fanny and Panini stared upwards before shrugging and entering their rooms.

Then, the world exploded.

"EEEEEEEK! MY BARBIE DOLLS!"

"TOENAILS! DISGUSTING!"

________________________________________

"Dad…" Francis asked quietly as his father maneuvered the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. to Moonbase.

Patton focused on the sky. "What is it, son?"

"Why is Mom scary when she's mad? Why is Panini scary when she's mad?" Francis asked curiously.

Patton flinched as he heard Fanny and Panini screeching from a C.O.O.L.-B.U.S. flying alongside them. "Because they're ladies, and ladies shouldn't be messed with. That's a lesson you should keep for your whole life."

"Then why did you marry Mom?" Francis asked slyly.

The man looked at his son. "That, Francis, is another story."


We'll end this with a smaller, casual segment debuting the GKND leaders.



Stars




A girl with brown skin, black and white hair, a black tux, black pants, black shoes, and a yellow left eye and black right eye tapped a pencil to her chin, eraser side, pondering thoughts as she stared at the piece of paper on her desk. Her door knocked, and she said, "Come in."




A boy, her younger brother, walked in. The right half of him was white while the left was black, including his hair. He wore a tux with black and white vertical stripes and had black eyes. "Hey, Nebula. Whatcha doin'?" he asked in a Jamaican accent.

"Hi Jerome. Just doing a little homework. Cruddy poetry. I can never think of what to write about."

"Mmmm… what about stars?"

"Stars?"

"Yeah. We live in Star Haven, anyway."

Nebula stood up and looked outside her window at the star-filled sky, the young Star Kids of Star Haven and Wisps flying about. It was a rather beautiful setting. It was always nighttime where they lived, or at least seemed nighttime, as the dark-blue sky was always filled with bright stars, and the river glinted their reflection. "Hmmm… Sounds kinda cliché, don't it?"

"I guess so. But considering what we do and where we live, it would be kind of typical, wouldn't it."

"Yeah… I guess." Nebula smiled, and decided to write about it.

 

[Gamen Watch]

This large batch of one-shots will introduce more Nextgenners, such as Eva's children! These are also some of the first Nextgen fics I wrote, so beware of corny dialogue.




Just Like Us


It was a peaceful summer's day when two children, a boy and a girl, were playing a game of Sonic Adventure 2 2-player mode. The boy wore a blue sweater, darker blue jeans, messy blonde hair, brown eyes, and had slight sun-tanned skin, while the girl wore a white T-shirt, black jeans, had black hair and matching eyes. The boy played as Sonic while the girl played as Amy in the stage, City Escape. Just before the boy could touch the Goal Ring, the girl used Amy's Time Stop, allowing her to pass him and win the stage.

"WOOHOO! And Melody owns you once again!" she cheered, doing a victory dance.

"Hey, no fair! You totally cheated!"

"It ain't cheating if they put it IN the game!

"Won't be cheating if I burn your butt either!"

"Someone's asking for a waterbending slice!"

"And someone's BEGGING to have their hair singed!"

"Are you challenging me?"

"Bring it, Mel!"

"YOU bring it, Chris!"

Chris stood and held flames in both hands, and Melody bent water out from a bottle. Rather than use their elements, the two suddenly tackled and began rolling and tugging each other on the floor.

"Alright, that's enough, you two!" They stopped fighting to see both their parents looking shamefully at them. "Chris, what did we tell you about using your powers?" Rachel asked.

Chris sighed, "Only use them for good, not petty fighting."

"Same to you, Melody." Eva scolded. She had orange hair done in a ponytail, a red top, and blue sarong. "If you're gonna beat your cousin, do it safely."

"Now, apologize." Nigel demanded. He was baldheaded with a plain gray shirt.

The two turned to each other and said, "Sorry." in unison.

"Good!" Kade Jackson chirped. "Now, come on, Mel! Let's go work on your jokes!" The man walked away, his daughter following.

"Chris, wanna go practice with your brother?" Rachel asked.

"Sure, whatever." With that, they walked away as well.

Nigel and Eva watched them leave, smiling. "Aren't they something, Nigel?" Eva asked.

"Yep! Just like us."

"Yep! Only MY daughter's inherited her uncle's cheating!"

"I did not cheat!"

"Did too, Rainbow Monkey Lover!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"AUGH!" The two tackled and began fighting each other on the ground.

Rachel, Kade, and the kids came back just to see this. "MOM!" Melody shouted.

"DAD!" Chris shouted.

The two stood up and blushed in embarrassment. "He/She started it!" they both shouted.

The kids smirked while their loved ones looked in disbelief.




Date?


"So, there you have it: despite a rather rough and violent childhood, Boba and Khryssa Fett are happily enjoying their life on Naboo." Melody Jackson spoke as she and her brother, Danny, were currently doing a KNN News segment. Danny was a slightly chubby African-American boy, wearing a blue T-shirt, khaki light-brown pants, and black shoes. "Coming up: we'll see how Ava and Kweeb are enjoying their lives on Aquaria."

"I'm surprised Ava didn't accidentally swallow him through making out by now!" Danny exclaimed, laughing at his joke.

Melody gave a little chuckle as well. "Well said there, Bro. Anyway, thank you for watching and see you next time." After their news segment ended, the news anchor siblings went to get some sodas from the fridge and sat down on the living room couch. "HOO! I can NOT talk that long without having a drink!"

"But since we're waterbenders, wouldn't we salivate more? Or salivate faster? I never noticed."


"Too weird to think about." The two opened their sodas and drank. They stopped after a while and released a sigh.

"Well, our relatives are coming over for family game night. We should probably get ready."

"Oh joy." Melody said, sarcastically. "How nice we get to enjoy a dinner with our egotistic auntie."

"Who? Rachel?"

"Not RACHEL, stupid, I mean Mor-"

"Hey, Numbuh 10.11!" The two turned to Eric Horvitz, a nerdy boy with a reddish-orange shirt with pockets, khaki gray shorts, brown shoes, short brown hair, glasses, and buckteeth.

"Hey, Eric." Melody greeted.

"Great segment today! Even better than the story about Dillon York catching Mason and Sheila making out in the Moonbase closet!"

"Well, I couldn't have done it without your brilliant paper organizing skills!" Melody complimented.

"Or Dillon's shadowbending!" Danny mentioned.

Eric blushed and chuckled nervously. "Well, my mom taught me well!"

"Anyway, we should probably go get ready for dinner." Melody said as she got up and walked past Eric.

"W-Wait!" Melody stopped at Eric's call. She turned to him as he scratched his head. "Um…are you doing anything tomorrow night?"

"Um…I don't think so."

"Really? Cool! Um, I was wondering if you wanna come over to my place. I just bought the new Avatar documentary on DVD. You could come over, and we could watch it, or something…"

"Well, sure! Hey, would you mind if I invited that cute Tom boy over, too? There is just something about that boy that heats me UP!"

"NO!! TOM TAYLOR IS NEVER SETTING FOOT IN MY HOUSE!"

Melody giggled playfully. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding! I don't wanna invite anyone! Sure, I'll come over!"

"YYYES! I have a DATE!"

"Date?"

"Ooh!" Eric covered his mouth in embarrassment and blushed. "Er, I mean, that is-"

"Oh, Eric, you silly!" Melody giggled, playfully pinching his cheek. "But it's no pressure, really. I'm just coming over to hang out. No big deal!"

"Uh…hehe. Okay." With that, Eric made for the exit. "Well, see you tomo—WHOA!" He screamed as he tripped on his shoelaces on the way out.

The nerdy boy blushed as Melody laughed. "If only you could tie as well as you organize." Melody walked over, bent down, and tied his laces together. "There you go. Won't trip very much like that."

Eric blushed once more. "Uh…thanks!" He chuckled nervously on his way out.

"Hehe! Well, Danny, time to get ready for game night."

"Okay." The siblings headed out the exit as well.




"Hey, that reminds me, how many are coming exactly?" Melody asked.

"Uncle Nigel felt the need to include the whole family."

"Oh joy… Nothing like being in a house with a jillion relatives."




"Our family's not THAT big, Melody!"




"Is it not?"




"Uh…" Danny considered their own family, the Uno Family, even the Dimalantas, Beans, and McClearys were technically their cousins. "I mean, it could be worse."




Popularity


The Kids Next Door Bike Hub was roaring with cheering kids as two operatives raced at high-speeds across the track. Mike Strongarm, Leader of the Bike Hub, wore a determined look, his feet swift as he spun the pedals of his bike. He wore a white T-shirt with purple stripes on its sides, matching pants, shoes, and a white helmet with purple to the side. Beside him, his rival, Terry Stork, a boy with a light-blue shirt, with longer dark-blue sleeves, and black pants and dark-gray rubber shoes, wore a frown with gritted teeth, extremely desperate to best the Bike Hub leader.

In the audience, a nerdy girl with blonde, messy hair, a white lab coat, yellow T-shirt underneath, purple and white shoes, and purple square glasses couldn't help but stare closely at the biker that was in the lead. She sighed dreamily. "He's so cool…"

Melody and Danny Jackson were standing beside her. "Well, you gonna ask him out or what?" Melody asked bluntly.

Emily jumped with a start. "What? No way! What if he thinks I'm a total nerd?"

"You are a total nerd, Emily!" Danny exclaimed, earning him a punch in the arm from Melody. "Ow! But like, what's wrong with that?"

"Hmm… I don't know."

"Come on, after the race, you should go over and talk to him." Melody encouraged.

Right at that moment, Mike came in victorious, getting off his bike and doing a victory dance. "And the winner is, once again, Numbuh 78-Speed, Mike Strongarm! And Terry Stork will need to pick up the pace for next time." announced Zach Murphy.

Terry Stork kicked his bike to the ground hatefully, and his shadow patted his shoulder as he stomped away.

"This is reporter Zach saying: if comedy doesn't work out for me, this might be my fallback career. And that… would be boring…"

"Now's your chance." Melody whispered. "Go talk to him." She pushed Emily in Mike's direction.

While Mike waved to his fans, Emily approached nervously, a red blush clearly visible on her face. "Uh…w-wow, Mike! You looked so cool in that race!" she said sheepishly.

"Always good to meet a fan." Mike smiled coolly. "Hey, aren't you that girl that works at the museum?"

"Y-Yeah! I'm, uh… Emily. N-Numbuh 303! I'm the one that told the history of the Negatar Realms, like how the first human poisonbenders established-"

"Yeah, yeah, I remember that!" he laughed, waving his hands. "Er, mostly…"

"Oh… sorry. I guess I can sort of ramble like that sometimes. To tell the truth, I'm still not sure if I'll stick with the museum or the science lab. I kinda jump between both, hehe."




"Well, depends what you like better, I guess. So, uh… wanna hang out sometime? When we're off duty?"

"Uuuuhh, sure!" Emily smiled, blushing madly deep down. "We could play videogames! D-Do you like… Star Fox?"

"Hehe, I could try! And, uh… I could use a little help on some math… if it's not too much trouble." He asked shamefully and sheepishly.

Emily laughed. "Sure thing. See you later?"

"See ya!" Mike got on his bike and rode away.

Emily waved good-bye, still blushing as Melody and Danny approached. "See, that wasn't so bad, was it?" Mel asked.

"Heck no! I have a date!! WOOHOO!"

"You're not gonna die from the heat, are you?" Danny asked jokingly.

"Ehh, she'll be fine." Melody said. "Heck, she's doing better than a certain somebody I know."

As she thought of the boy in question, Eric Horvitz had gotten his shoelaces tangled up in his bike pedals, lost somewhere on the race course. It took quite a few hours for anyone to find him.

It's time to introduce the children of Harvey and Shaunie!




Practice


A normal day in West Virginia. The weather was nice. The air was quiet. Anthony McKenzie stared fiercely at his opponent, his bare feet locked firmly to the ground. Anthony wore a light-green T-shirt, tan khaki pants, had brown eyes, sandy-blond hair, buckteeth, and freckles. He was an earthbender and he did his best to get in touch with his element.

Which brings us to his opponent: a simple boulder, twice his own height. He stood under a towering cliffside within a forest. It may've been just a boulder, but Anthony needed to be steady. He kept his firm stance. He flexed his toes between the dirt. For in order to best this rock, he must be like a rock himself.

Anthony took a deep breath through his nose, then released calmly. He kept his stance for 10 minutes… but now he was ready. He raised his right foot and stomped with great force before throwing both fists against the boulder. "GUAH!" Immediately, the force sent him flying backward several feet. "Owww…" Needless to say, his head was aching from the impact.

"Ha ha ha HAA!" came the feminine laughter from a voice Anthony knew too well. "Prithee: yon boulder wast too MUCH for Anthony! HA ha ha ha!"

Floating above him, Anthony's best friend, Fybi Fulbright. She had frizzy orange hair, freckles on her cute face, and vibrant emerald-green eyes. She wore a dark-green sweater, khaki-brown skirt, and brown Greek sandals. She had pinkish-yellow angel wings in the shape of hearts. Her mother was a Nimbi; an angel person, and her father was human. She had a high Scottish accent.

She had very small feet compared to Anthony's, and while Anthony's were rough and dirty, Fybi's were smooth and soft. While Anthony's element was Earth, Fybi was an airbender. She rarely ever walked, and instead preferred to use her wings. In short, they were total opposites.

"It's NOT funny, Fybi!" Anthony yelled grumpily. "Uuuuugh!" The boy stood up and stomped angrily toward the boulder. "I don't get it! I stood here for TEN minutes, 'bein' a rock', and I STILL can't EARTHBEND! Why did I get giant feet if they weren't gonna help me push a BOULDER??"

"Mayhap yon boulder hath yonder brain. Ha ha HA!" Fybi laughed.

"Huuuuuh. What're you doing here anyway, Fybi?"

"Prithee, canst a friend not come to offer her support?" Fybi smiled as she lightly seated herself atop Anthony's head. "They say laughter be-eth the finest of medicines, so mayhap mine laughter givest thee strength to bend."

"Well, it DOESN'T. It makes me feel WORSE."

Fybi hovered off his head and landed to face him. "Pray, how sad. The mocking laughter worketh for Cheren all the time, when fair cousin Panini dost it to him. Mayhaps thou art just weak. 'Tis no wonder thou canst not bend."

"What would THAT have to do with anything?? Michelle was only TWO when SHE began bending! And she was already GREAT at it! How come she and MOM could lift a boulder with one hand and I can't even PUSH IT??"

"I doth not know. But most earthbenders possesseth unbreakable, rock hard spirit. Mayhaps thine doubt in thyself ist what maketh thee slump?"

"Well, why WOULDN'T I doubt myself? My sister's a buhmillion times better than me. Do you know how many times she's buried me halfway in the ground and laughed 'cause I couldn't get out?? I just wanna… nnnn!" Filling with rage, he swung his foot and kicked the boulder. "YOW!!" he stubbed his toes as a result.

Anthony's pain eased when Fybi put a hand on his shoulder. "Anthony… I am sorry thou feelst so small compared to thine sister… but thou mustn't let her laughs break thy stone heart. If there ist one thing thou hast over thine sister, it is thy years of pain and suffering through mastering thine element."

"(Sigh, can't you talk normally for once?) But how is THAT better over Michelle?"

"Michelle hast accomplished so much, through simple skill and talent. She wilt never know what true pains and struggles most must endure, to achieve the simplest of tasks. In time, Anthony, thou wilt be a powerful earthbender, but only after much toil and hardship. But such toil and hardship would feelst rewarding, once thou hast conquered it, and used it against thine sister. One day, she wilt lay defeated, and you shalt stand tall."

And just like that, Anthony's negative feelings were gone. He suddenly had a new purpose. …If he translated what Fybi was saying correctly. "…So you're saying… if I keep practicing… I might get strong enough to beat Michelle?"

"Aye. Thou willst." Fybi nodded. "And always know… thou hast my support." And the angel planted a small kiss on his cheek.

Anthony's face froze, and his cheeks turned red. He shook it off a few seconds later, smiling with confidence. "Well… thanks, Fybi." The McKenzie boy climbed and stood atop the boulder with sureness. "I'm gonna keep trying and KEEP getting stronger! And one day, I'll pick this boulder up, and bury HER in the dirt! Just you WAIT, MICHELLE! I—whoooOOA!" He lost balance and fell off the boulder.

Fybi shook her head, smiling. "Thou wilt need to work on thine stance…"

This one-shot introduces Anthony's sister.




Memories


The hot noon sun shone bright in the cloudless sky. Summer was just starting, and the weather has been boiling these past few days. Rachel Uno was enjoying the warm weather, lying back in a lawn chair in the backyard of their house. Her gold-blonde hair was wrapped in a ponytail, wearing only a bright-blue bellybutton shirt, short blue jean-shorts, and blue flip-flops, having her left leg crossed over her right, and her head rested on her hands.

"Geh! Give it back!"

Although she wasn't the Supreme Leader of the Kids Next Door anymore, she still got to use her leadership skills in her new job, as the current principal of Gallagher Elementary. In fact, Dimentia got to do the same thing, as principal of the new Galaxia School. Like her KND job, it was pretty stressful, and almost every day she came home, she always took the time to relax.

"No! It's mine!"

Unlike her husband, Nigel, she always loved sunbathing. The warmth of the sun's rays, mixed with the cool breeze on her skin, always made her feel at peace.

"Come on, Michelle, give it back."

But it wasn't entirely peaceful today. Her 7-year-old nephew and 5-year-old niece were currently over. She frowned in slight annoyance, glancing to them on the other side of the yard, standing on the porch and tugging on a Nintendo 4DS. Anthony McKenzie, with his little sister, Michelle. And they were her brother, Harvey's, and his wife, Angie's kids. Michelle looked a lot like Angie like her brother did Harvey. Michelle wore a brown sweater, had dark-red hair, bright-blue eyes, and a purple skirt. She wore no shoes like her mom and brother, since they were earthbenders.

But every time she saw them bickering, she always forgot they were siblings. When she looked at them, all she saw was her baby brother fighting with the girl next door that always bugged him, just like the old days.

As the two kept trying to pry the device away from each other, Michelle stomped the ground and jabbed Anthony away with an earth chunk, jumping in victory after finally retrieving it. Anthony gritted his teeth in anger and attempted to send an earthquake toward her, stomping the ground, but accidentally sent it across the yard toward the relaxing woman. The quake pushed the chair over, knocking Rachel on the ground.

Anthony backed away in fright as Rachel got up and glared at them, and Michelle immediately pointed to her brother. "Anthony did it!"

"WHAT? You made me! Quit lying, Michelle!"

"Start truthing, Anthony!"

"That's not even a word!"

"Is too!"

"Is not!"

"HARVEY, ANGIE, will you STOP-…" Rachel stopped herself, forgetting who they were. "Uh… I mean, Anthony, Michelle! Can't you take this somewhere else?"

"She started it!" Anthony refuted. "It's still MY turn with the DS!"

"Nuh-uh. Mom says we each get two hours per turn, and Anthony's is way past up."

"It is not."

"Alright, alright. Anthony, when did you get it?" Rachel asked.

"Three."

"And… what time is it now?"

Michelle checked the time on the 4DS. "5:02!"

"Okay, then it's Michelle's turn now."

"Yyyyes!" Michelle cheered.

"Aw, come on, Aunt Rachel! I-" Anthony tried to argue.

"Anthony…" Rachel glared. "Do you want your mom to take away your extra cookies?"

Anthony gulped and finally gave in. "Fine." He grumbled, stomping away.

"Thank you, Aunt Rachel!" Michelle hummed merrily to herself, skipping back in the house.

With them gone, Rachel set her lawn chair back up and went back to sunbathing, smiling and chuckling to herself. "Oh, Harvey. You really know how to raise your kids…"

This segment introduces Ava and Kweeb's kids in some adorable family bonding!




Alien Mother's Day


The tropics of Planet Aquaria were the perfect place to build a house and raise a family in peace. The weather was always fair, they had good food, and even T.V.. The daughter of the family, 9-year-old Makava, decided to spend a lazy afternoon watching reruns. She was defined by yellow skin with a tall antenna rising from her black, ponytailed hair, along with a purple dress. A swordsgirl in training, Makava's skin color was certainly unseen for Glomourians.

"We now return to The Amanda Show. Edited for aliens."

"It's TIME for an Asteroidbilly Moment!" The T.V. showed a couple alien hillbillies skip out of a house on an asteroid, chuckling crazily.

"Hey, hey! Knock-knock!"

"Huhu, who's there?!"

"Photon Phlaser!"

"Huhu, Photon Phlaser, who?!"

"Haha, Ah'm gonna hit ya in the head with a Photon Phlaser!"

"Huhu…huh?" The female asteroidbilly immediately whipped out a ray gun, firing a large, green laser straight at the male's head, burning it clean off. The female watched his body drop as she continued to dance and laugh.

Makava heard some small panting and looked over the couch. "Makava!" A tiny boy was hurrying frantically over the carpet. He was an inch tall, with white skin, big ears, puffy black hair, a blue jumpsuit, and black boots. "Don't tell her where I am!" the boy pled as he ran under the couch.

Vweeb was a year older than Makava, but remarkably smaller. His skin tone was more known for Glomourians, but Vweeb was born as the Kateenian of the family, inheriting his father's technical know-how and natural sneakiness.

Makava heard some footsteps approaching, automatically knowing it was their mom, because she and Makava were the only regular-sized people in the house. Makava went back to watching T.V., pretending nothing happened as Ava walked in. She was a tall and sturdy Glomourian warrior with thick proportions, her dress and hair a mirror of Makava's. With hands on her hips, Ava studied the floor. "Makava, have you seen your brother anywhere?"

"Uh, nope. Have you tried looking under your nose?"

Ava rolled her eyes downward and rubbed the bottom of her nose with her right index. "Nope."

"Between your toes?"

Ava looked down at her feet, spreading her toes for confirmation. "Not there. Now, where could he be?"

Vweeb ran to hide behind the back-left couch leg. His mother's colossal feet came thudding behind the couch, each step a small earthquake to the little Kateenian. The Glomourian crouched down and examined the underside of the couch. When she crawled around to the side, Vweeb sidled around the leg to stay out of her vision. He saw her stand up and walk to the front of the couch, so Vweeb ran to the leg on the other side to squeeze behind it as she looked around.

Makava internally wondered what Vweeb might've done to warrant hiding. Being as tall and strong as she was, it was very unwise to upset their mother. For the males, this was especially true: their smallness made them very susceptible to intimidation, so Ava could easily keep them in line if she needed to. She certainly wasn't a cruel or controlling mother, but a gentle grip of her bulky fingers or an occasional stomp of her foot usually silenced any misbehavior.

When Ava began to search elsewhere, Vweeb took this time to run out from under the couch to the living room table, laughing as he grabbed hold of the table's leg. "Haha! Safe!"

Ava looked down and saw her son smirking victoriously. "Aw, you clever little sneak! Where were you?"

"That's for me to know and you to find me there!"

Ava giggled as she bent down to pick up her little son, setting him in her left palm. "Well, you truly are the Hide-and-seek Prince."

"Oh, is that what you were doing?" Makava asked. "I thought Vweeb got in trouble for crashing the hovercraft again."

"Nah, we're just playing a little game." Ava assured. "And now that we've worked up some energy, it's time to go shopping!"

"Then let's-a go!" Vweeb chirped.

Twinkly Mart

Set inside a glass dome atop an asteroid in the vastness of space, Twinkly Mart was a colorful rest spot on the star-glittered void. Upon finding her favorite squid soup on a high shelf, Ava reached up and pulled one down, then tried to grab another one, but it seemed too far back. "Ugh, they always put 'em where you can't reach."

"You mean, put 'em where YOU can't reach! Put me up there." Vweeb requested. Ava lifted her diminutive son onto the top shelf. The Kateenian ran behind the large can and, despite his small height, was able to push it over the edge for Ava to grab it.

"Haha! And they say tall boys are better!" Ava chortled.

On their way to the check-out line, Vweeb spotted a few familiar faces. "Mom, look! It's Arianna!"

Arianna Dunfree had purple skin with long, grass-green hair and two antennae. She wore a yellow- and green-striped shirt and khaki pants. "Hey, Cosmo, Nova!" Ava called to the girl's parents, green and pink-skinned respectively.

"Ava!" Nova called out in surprise.

"So, what's up with you two?" Cosmo asked, the family approaching her.

"Just shopping with Vweeb here."

"Heh, same here." Cosmo laughed. "The ladies were starving for Floran Carrots."

"Hello, Vweeb." Arianna smiled and waved upon spotting him.

"Hi, Ari!"

"Mrs. Vweeb's Mom, can I hold him for a little bit?"

"Hehe!" Ava knew her surname would be too hard for Ari to pronounce. "It's up to you, Vweeb."

"Yeah!" Arianna held her hands open, allowing Vweeb to jump onto them. The Harnitan carried him a short distance away, leaving their parents to chat. "Heh heh…" Vweeb sported a blush. "Pretty embarrassing, huh?"

"Why? Don't you like spending time with your mom? I think it's cute!"

"I do, but it makes me feel like a total softie. I can just imagine all the other kids calling me 'mama's boy.' I see her training Makava every other time, but… I feel like she still thinks I'm a little kid."

"Well, it is hard to tell how much you've grown."

"Ari!"

"Sorry!" she flushed blue. It was true, though. Vweeb and Ari had known each other since she was six and he was five years old. They were kindergartners of vastly different height, but a cute, friendly bond. As they grew older, Arianna would only grow huger in Vweeb's eyes, while he himself only looked the same to her. It would astonish Vweeb when all the kids he knew would grow into full adults. By then, would they still be seeing Vweeb as a cute little boy? "Um…have you ever asked if your mom could train you, too?"

"I don't know if I would make a good swordsman. You think giving the enemy little pokes would be helpful?"

"I don't know, but it could be good exercise. You should ask her!"

"Okay…"

"Alright, Vweeb, ready to go?" Ava asked, returning to collect the little man.

"See you later, Arianna!"

"Take care, you two!"

Parting ways with the Harnitan-Pumparian family, Ava stood at the back of the check-out lane. "So, you want some advanced training, huh?"

"Y-you were listening?!" Vweeb jumped.

"Sometimes, my ears can't help it! And to be honest, I was planning to give you my own brand of training, anyway. The universe has a lot of big enemies out there. You'll need to learn the right ways to defend yourself."

"Yeah…" The very idea had always been a concern on Vweeb's mind. "Hey, Mom… do you really think someone like me can make it as an operative?"

"Of course you can. The Kateenians are a strong and resilient race, just like the Glomourians. You just need to be brave, smart, fast, and wary. It won't be easy, but I know you can do it. 'Cause underneath that teeny cuteness is a big, strong man!"

"Ha ha ha…" Vweeb blushed, thankful for her encouragement. "…Say, Mom, when are we gonna visit your home planets, anyway?"

"Um…when the time is right." Ava frowned.

"But when's that?"

"It's sort of complicated, Vweeb. Nothing you need to worry about now…"

 

[Gamen Watch]

This next session will highlight the Murphy kids. Zach and Maddy were created by Numbuh 227, who requested the general plot lines of these segments.

Drowning

"Ahhh, Hotel Delfino." Gwen Murphy sighed as she, her husband, and their three-year-old twins stood before the entrance of a fancy hotel overlooking the sea. "The smell of the ocean, comfy rooms… and being away from home where Nolan's all crazy with his Sandman II crud."

"Didn't this use to be a restaurant?" Doug asked.

"Yeah, but they remade it into a hotel to make more money. Anyway, let's go get signed in. Come on, kids."

As the parents walked in, Maddy was about to follow them, but watched as her twin brother walked away into the bushes. "Zaaach! We're supposed to stay with ouw pawents!"

"But I thaw a theathnake!"

Maddy spared one quick glance to her parents and yelled, "Waaaiit!" chasing after her brother.

Maddy followed her brother down a steep slope to a rocky shore that overlooked the sea. "Zach, I weally think we should-" Maddy stopped when she bumped into her brother from behind.

"Whooa. Look at that." Zach said, pointing ahead. Standing along the rocks, overlooking the sea, was a woman with dark-purple hair and a purple, slick gown.

"Is that Misses Wicken?" Maddy asked.

"Why would she be hewe? Let's go closer."

"Zach, wait!" Maddy chased her brother again.

The strange woman spared a glance to her left to see the kids approaching. She smirked and chuckled to herself as she walked further ahead, disappearing over the other side of the hill. Zach and Maddy made it onto the hill where she stood, overlooking a cliffside where waves brushed strongly against it. "Whewe did she go?" Maddy asked.

"I dunno." Zach walked closer toward the edge and called out. "Hellooo?"

Maddy walked beside her brother and yelled, "HELLOOO?"

The woman quietly stood behind them, smirking to herself as her hair began to wave around. One of her hair strands stretched out along the ground like a snake, slithering closer and closer to Maddy as it…

"AHHH!" The snaky hair shoved the unsuspecting child over the ledge.

"MADDY!" Zach tried to grab her arm, but Maddy fell and splashed in the water. "Whuh-" Zach noticed the snaky hair beside him and turned as it retracted into the woman's head. "Hey!" Before his eyes, the woman vanished in a puff of dark smoke.

"Zaaaach!"

Zach gasped and looked over the edge, watching as his sister was washed away by the current. "Maddy!"

"Help! I can't swim-" Her sentence was cut short as she was pulled directly under the water, and Zach gasped in fright. Under the water, Maddy waved her arms and desperately tried to help herself back above the surface, but was pulled down by some curly thing around her legs. She looked down and noticed that same woman smirking while she dragged Maddy down using her hair-tentacle.

Zach was horrified as he watched bubbles emerge from where his sister had sunk, struggling to think straight. "Zach!" He turned as his mother and father hurried over. "What're you doing, where's Maddy?" Gwen asked quickly. Zach frightfully pointed to where the bubbles were coming from. Gwen immediately sucked in a breath and dove beneath the surface, leaving the boys in worry. To their relief, Gwen emerged from the water, holding Maddy tightly in her arms. Doug helped his wife back onto land as she rested Maddy on the ground, the child shivering.

"Honey, are you okay?" Gwen asked worriedly.

"I… never wanna… go swimming… again."

"Maddy-"

"I wanna go home!" she cried.

"It's okay, Maddy. We'll get our stuff and go back home."

"I…I'm sowwy…" Zach muttered in guilt.

Gwen sighed, "Don't worry, Zach. As soon as we get home, we can put this whole thing behind us, okay, Mad?" Gwen held her daughter's hand as the parents led their kids back up the slope.

Standing along the cliffside, the woman watched the family leave. "Ahhh, the smell of the sea. I haven't felt like this since I stood that sailor boy up a long time ago. Sorry, Palutena… but I've tainted one of your Seven Lights. Can't wait to see what results this has, hm ha ha ha ha ha ha!" The hair on her head transformed into hissing snakes as she vanished from the light.

New Dog


"Mom, Dad, why did we have to come here?" eight-year-old Zach Murphy complained. "I don't even want a pet."

"Your sister wants one." his mother, Gwen replied. "And it's her birthday."

"It's MY birthday, too!" Zach whined.

"Well, you got a new comedy kit." his father, Doug reminded. "Now it's Maddy's turn. Don't you want her to be happy?"

"Meh…"

Maddy Murphy happily skipped ahead of the rest of her family. They soon made it to the Quahog pet store, the walls aligned with stacks of cages of various animals. "Hey, y'all, welcome to Bruce's Pet Shop." The man behind the desk asked in a smooth tone. He had brown hair, a small brown mustache, and a slight 5-o'clock shadow. "Anything I can help y'all with?"

"Hey, Bruce." Doug greeted. "We're looking for a pet for our daughter."

"It's my birthday!" Maddy cheered.

"Oh, y'all a birthday girl!" Bruce smiled. "Well, let's see what we have for y'all today."

First, the man led them to a green parrot in a hanging birdcage. "This here's Flubber Jade, he came all the way from Brazil."

"Does it talk?" Zach asked.

"Nope! Just sits there and smiles like a dumbass!" the parrot said. "Squawk!"

"Eh…" Maddy looked uninterested.

"Let's look at other ones." Bruce said, leading them to a fish tank. "We just got this rare goldfish that feels human emotions."

Maddy looked at the goldfish, who stared back. "Well, it looks kinda cool."

"GET ME OUTTA HERE!" the fish suddenly yelled. "I'VE BEEN TRAPPED IN A FISH'S BODY AND SOLD TO THIS SHOP! LET ME OUUUT!"

"Euh! Never mind! That fish is freaky!"

"Suck on a salt lick, ***." the fish said with anger.

"Actually… I've sort of always wanted a puppy." Maddy said.

"A dog?? Can't we at least get a cat or something?" Zach asked.

"A dog would be nice." Doug shrugged.

"Well, this weird man showed up yesterday and sold us a brown German shepherd." Bruce said. "Jeffrey? Could you let the new dog in here?" he called to the other room.

At his call, a small, brown German shepherd scampered in, wagging its tail and panting with its tongue sticking out. The puppy immediately took notice of Maddy and smiled, running and standing to lean its paws on her as it licked her face. "Ha ha!" Maddy giggled. "It's so cute!"

"I'M cuter than that little runt!!" the fish yelled.

"Squawk!" the parrot chirped. "You ain't even cute enough to be a dumpster baby's 4th​ choice!"

"Looks like we got a buy." Gwen figured.

"Awww! I hate dogs. Do we really have to buy this?" Zach whined.

"Bwark! Little boy's jealous of the new puppy. Bwark!" the parrot squawked.

"What's its name?" Doug asked.

"Fellow said his name was Sparky. But I guess y'all c'n name him whatever." Bruce said.

"Sparky… I like that name!" Maddy smiled.

"Meh. It's okay, I guess." Zach shrugged.

"Aw, I'm glad you like him. Hey, Jeffrey!" Bruce called. "These li'l kids wanna buy the new puppy."

"Noooo waaay!" Jeffrey called from the other room.

"Way!"

"Oh, no!"

"Ah knooow!"

Maddy continued to giggle as the puppy licked her face, while Zach just frowned in disgust.

Unknown Location

In a pitch-black chamber, two beings watched a large monitor that showed from the eyes of the dog as it licked Maddy's face. "It worked, Lawrence! With my very own robo-puppy, we'll be able to keep an eye on this child at all times!" A tall, thin being said in a psychotic voice.

"Hm, indeed, Sir. But what need is there to spy on this particular child?" the other being, a shorter, slightly chubby butler, asked in a British tone.

"How should I know?! All I know is the Master wants us to keep an eye on her. As long as things go according to plan, I shall finally have my revenge on that Lombax. MWAAH HA HA HA-" His laughing was cut short when the monitor's screen turned to static, then switched to the image of a bunch of cowboys square-dancing.

"Oh dear… must've set the satellite transmission to the Cowboy Channel by accident."

"LAWREEEEEEEEENCE!"

Jealous

It was just a normal day up on Moonbase. Normal as it gets, anyway. The place seemed packed with benders and nonhumans today. Sheila Frantic, Fybi Fulbright, and Lola Stork were soaring around the air and tossing a Whizbee, along with the shadowbenders, Dillon, Lee, and Leanne, who popped and flew out of the shadows to take the Whizbee. Their very presence here made Maddy Murphy look in disgust. She didn't understand what they were thinking 20 years ago, letting people like them in such an otherwise great organization. They ruined the purity of what this organization used to be, stole all the glory from the normal operatives.

The decommissioning officer walked into the cafeteria with a frustrated look as she got a soda from the vending machine. "Stupid freaks…" she mumbled. "Why can't we just deport them. YOW!" she yelped and gripped her bottom when a flame hit her from behind.

"What was that?" Maddy turned and found a boy with messy blonde hair, a blue tracksuit and jeans, and red headband, who smirked as he blew smoke away from his fingertip.

"Uuugh. Whaddyou want, Chris?" she hatefully asked, taking the soda from the machine.

"Can't blame a kid for being curious. What do you have against us, anyway?"

"What wouldn't I have?" she asked, cracking open her soda as she faced away. "What're you even good for? All you people like to do is show off your powers and act better than everyone—YOW!" Chris burned her butt again.

The Uno boy blew the smoke away and said, "Well, you can't blame us for wanting to express ourselves. And when was the last time we said we were better than any of you?"

"Well, you're sure acting like it right now. For all we know, you all are gonna take over the world someday, and—YOOOW!" Burned her butt again. "Seriously! You're ruining my pants!"

"If we wanted to take over the world, we all probably wouldn't be here right now. But we are. Honestly, Maddy, I think you're just jealous."

"Jealous? Of what? That I can't have cat ears and a tail, or fly like a raccoon, or an angel, or a bat? And why do you care anyway, Chris? Is it because of what we say about Dillon?"

"Well, he is one of my friends. But I just want you to know, you and Zach don't need to hate on us like you do. The Kids Next Door's a way better place for accepting all these people, I would think. You ever see Sector W7? They're the perfect example."

"Pfft. Sector W7 is the worst."

"I think they symbolize what we're about perfectly. But just because you're a regular human, you don't need to feel jealous."

"I said I wasn't jealous! I just don't think it's right to have them around."

"Maddy, everyone says that. But I've seen the way you act. You feel weak. You feel powerless next to us. But you don't really have to. We're just the same as regular humans. Just… with powers."

"Yeah, yeah, I know the whole story, my mom keeps trying to tell me. But why shouldn't I? Almost every bad guy in KND history was some kind of metahuman, even the GUN Commander. Why shouldn't I hate them?"

"Well, because that hate might actually drive them to become evil. But not all of us think we're better than you. Frankly, I think you're kinda cool."

Maddy faced him curiously, "What does that mean?"

"I dunno. You're tough, I guess. I like tough girls. Not that I'm close to Pan or Sheila that way… Anyway, I need to go." He started to walk off. "But, remember what I said. And you might wanna get those pants fixed…"

"Hmm." Maddy only stood in thought, still holding her soda. "Whatever. The day I give them a chance is the day my brother grows a brain."

And speaking of which, Zach came up from behind, snickering as he pointed at her rear. "Didn't our parents teach you not to sit on the oven?"

"Grrr! ZAAACH!" Maddy hightailed after her laughing brother as she splashed the soda at him.


The following segments will focus on the "Werecat Family." Mind you, these characters will appear the least frequently… to the point I almost never involve them in any later stories. The exception is Rupert. He will be relevant much later on.




Pouncing




A peaceful sunny day at Ashland Park. Bruce Farley, a blonde man with a green sweater, peacefully sat on a bench, reading a newspaper. Unbeknownst to him, a pair of brown eyes was watching him from the bushes. There was a purring sound, like that of a hungry predator. Before he realized it, the adult was tackled to the ground by a girl with blonde hair, a black sweater, blue jeans, white shoes, and brown cat ears and a tail.




"Mommy, Mommy! I got him!" the 5-year-old exclaimed, holding her father down.




Violet, a woman with a black buttoned shirt and similar cat features, stood up from the bushes and walked over. "Good work, Lil!"




"Violet! What are you doing?" Bruce asked.




"Teaching our daughter how to hunt!"




"Vi! She's a half-CAT, not a half-LION!"




"So? Same family."




"Ugh! Okay, get off." Bruce chuckled a little, making his daughter get off for him to stand up. But when he did, Lilac just crouched and tackled him again. "AH!"




"I'm a lion! And YOU'RE an antelope!" Bruce just laughed as Lilac started tugging on his shirt with her sharp teeth.




At that moment, Lilac's aunt and uncle, Scarlet and Yang, and her cousin Berry walked by and noticed them. "What are you DOING?" Berry snapped. A fellow werecat with black ears and tail, Berry had light-brown hair, gray eyes, and a blue shirt and jeans.




"My daddy's an antelope, so I'm gonna EAT him!" she exclaimed, playfully gnawing on his ear.




"Ha ha! Maybe you could if you were a whole cat, but since you're part human, that's called cannibalism, and it's illegal in most parts of the world!"




"WHAT? Big words hurt, Daddy!"




"He means you're not allowed to eat humans, stupid." Berry retorted.




"MOOOM! Berry called me a bad word!"




"Did not."




"Did too!"




"That's enough, you two." Violet said, getting Lilac off of Bruce. "Why don't you two go play? And no more pouncing on your father, Lil."




"Okay. Let's go, Berry!" The two cat children ran off.




After Violet helped Bruce up, the adult tried to walk away, but was then tackled by Violet. "Didn't say I wasn't gonna do it."




"Come on, Vi!"




"RAH!" Lilac screamed, running over to help hold Bruce down.




As Scarlet and Yang smiled at this, Yang worriedly looked around. "Hey… where'd Berry go?"




"YAH!" Berry screamed, leaping out of a bush to tackle her father. As she held Yang down, Scarlet got on and held him down, too.




"You eat the arm, I'll eat the face." Scarlet immediately began making out with Yang as Berry chewed on his right arm.




"OOMPH, OOMPH, OOMPH!" Bruce grunted as Lilac jumped on his chest a few times. Soon, both families were laughing as the kids tried chewing on their parents' arms.


Apology


Berry Bean was a new girl at McClintock Elementary. She was 5 years old and in kindergarten, and had only been going for a few days. She didn't fit in as well as much of the other students. …Mainly because she was a werecat. They were traits she inherited from her mother, which she got when she was young: black cat ears, a tail, and even long claws, on her fingers and toes, which she could grow in and out whenever she liked. She was also very quick like a cat, when she ran on all fours. But because of her different features, she was always picked on. Everyday at recess, she sat alone against the wall in the shadow of the school, staring at the ground with folded arms, like she was now.

Her cat ears perked when she heard a group of footsteps approach. She looked up with disgust as a group of first-graders walked up, led by Rupert Dickson, a blonde boy with an orange shirt and blue jeans. "Heey, look what the cat dragged in! Another cat! Shouldn't you be in your litter box?"

Berry looked away, her eyes furrowing as the kids laughed. While she was used to his simple remarks, they were still hurtful. And annoying.

"Why is she even here?" another kid asked. "Shouldn't she take a class that'll teach her own language?"

Berry growled and stood up, proceeding to walk away as they giggled some more.

"Hey, where are you going? Going to go poop in the bushes?" Rupert shot at her.

"Just leave me alone, Rupert." Berry told him, not turning around.

"Hey, why is your last name 'Bean,' anyway?? Is that because the only thing you eat is BEANS?? Makes sense why you STINK so bad."

Each word was making Berry more and more angry. Her sharp teeth grinded as her fingernails grew into sharp claws. "I wonder how much you go to the bathroom with all those beans?? I bet even other cats stay away from your litter bo-"

"RRRRAAAHH!" Having enough, Berry lunged at the first-grader, pinning him on his back on the ground.

The rest of Rupert's gang only shielded their eyes as Berry showed no mercy. "AAAAHH! STOP IT, STOP IT, YOU'RE HURTING ME, MOOOMMYYY!"

Berry dealt several scratches , getting blood all over her claws. She started gnawing and chewing on his left ear with her sharp teeth when a group of teachers came out, grabbing the cat-girl by the arms and trying to lift her up. "That's enough, young lady, we're calling your parents."

"Someone call an ambulance for this boy."

The following day…

Berry's parents had taken her to St. Sanban's Hospital, making their way to an upstairs, where Rupert's parents, Chad and Emily, were sitting outside of a room. "Is this his room?" Berry's father, Yang asked.

"Yah." Emily nodded.

"Okay, Ber, you know what to do." Berry's mother, Scarlet told her. The young werecat sighed and entered the room by herself.

Inside, she found Rupert Dickson lying on his hospital bed, wrapped in several bandages, with one over his left ear. Following her cat instincts, she pounced onto his bed beside him, sitting on all fours. "Hey, Rupy."

"Arrrr…" Rupert weakly opened his eyes and turned his head. "Oh… hey, Berry."

Berry sighed, her eyes still furrowed. "I'm… sorry. I shouldn't-a done that. But you had it comin'! Just saying."

"Yeah…" Rupert grunted. "I…I'm sorry, too. I was just… I dunno."

"Hmph." Berry maintained her scowl.

"M-My dad… he's always… trying to toughen me up and… making me box with him. I-I guess I thought… I was toughening you up, too."

"I'm already tough. But you hurt my feelings."

"Man, I'm really sorry, Ber. After I get out of here, you think I can… come over? Or somethin'?"

"…Okay." Berry said with a light smirk, licking the boy's left cheek. "Me and Lilac always wanted a bigger toy to play with."

"Hehehehe!"

 

[Gamen Watch]

These next segments introduce the Chariton family! Two of these were initially written for Numbuh 6.13's birthdays.




Happy 33


Streamers, balloons, and colorful party decorations littered the Chariton home as children worked tirelessly to set it all up. They were being ordered around by a girl in a black blouse, blue shirt, tan skin, blue knee-high socks, and brown hair. "Hurry up, you guys! Mom's gonna be home any minute!"

"Why are we helping throw a party for Mrs. Chariton, again?" Mason asked, filling plastic cups full of punch with Sheila and Haruka.

"Didn't she 'elp create you guys, Mate?" Sheila asked.

"What?"

"Er, that's not what she meant." Haruka replied. "She may not be our relative, but she is an old family friend of ours. You know that, right?"

"I mean, yeah… but I just wish it felt a bit less controlling."

"No, no, you're not pumping those balloons hard enough!" Sunni yelled to Harry Gilligan.

"Gee, I'm working hard as I can. My lungs don't have the strength to blow all these up. Couldn't we have invited Fybi?"




"'Cause last time I saw her blow balloons, they popped with the force of small hurricanes that blew down all the party snacks!"

"Um, Sunni, we have a problem." Lee Andrew called, running over beside Leanne. "Our shadows are choking on the scarfs we were gonna use for that party trick."

"Did you tell the shadows they aren't supposed to SWALLOW the scarfs?"

"Hey, guys, here they come!" Cheren yelled, seeing a car coming down the road.

"Quick, everybody hide!" Sunni ordered, switching off the lights as everyone ducked. Mario was about to reach up and grab one of the cookies off the table, but Dillon smacked his hand away and pulled his Shadow down.

The car finally pulled up and stopped on the driveway as Mr. and Mrs. Chariton stepped out. "Rainier, you kept driving us around for HOURS, what are you keeping me so busy for?" Mika asked joyfully. She was a tall Filipino woman with smooth black hair, a red shirt under a black vest and skirt, her glasses matching her shirt.

"Just calm down, Miky, you'll see soon enough." Rainier told her, pulling out his keys and using them to open the front door to their house. Mika's husband had onyx-black hair and dark-violet eyes behind blue glasses.




The whole house was pure darkness, so Rainier switched the lights on, and the children immediately jumped out. "SURPRISE!" Mika was startled and gasped.

"Happy birthday, Mom!" Sunni exclaimed.

"Awe, Sunni! Did you all do this for me?" Mika asked, looking around and seeing many of her friends' kids: Cheren, Chris, Diwata, and Aurora Uno, Harry, Artie, and Haylee Gilligan, Kirie Beatles, Mason and Haruka Dimalanta, Sheila Frantic, Dillon York, Lee and Leanne Grayson, and Daniel and Columbine Whitby.

"We sure did!" Mason exclaimed. "Just to say thanks for being a good friend to all of us."

"Yeah! You're almost as cool as Dad!" Dillon smiled.

"Oh, really, Dillon?" Leanne asked rhetorically. Her Shadow stuck her tongue out at him.

Mika only chuckled. "Oh, you kids."

"Look! We got the cake!" Panini Drilovsky called, walking in from the kitchen with her brother, Francis, as well as Lucario.

"Fresh from the oven." The aura fox smiled. "Baked with all the likes, with a hint of Firstborn chi."

"MEW Mew Mew!" the psychic Firstborn smiled, hovering over the cake. The two Drilovskys set the rectangle-shaped cake down, decorated with mostly white icing, with pink around the edges, a few tiny rings stuck in with pictures of Mew, Regice, and other Pokémon, 13 candles around the cake, and Happy 33, Numbuh June-13 written in pink icing on the center.

"Thirteen candles because that was your Numbuh." Chris told her.

"That's still kind of funny since she was born the 12th." Columbine said.

"Happy 33rd birthday, Mrs. Chariton!" Haruka smiled.

"You're the best, Mom." Sunni smiled.

"Awe, thanks, guys." Mika smiled, taking a seat in front of her cake. "You kids are the best!"




This next part was written after Numbuh 6.13 came up with a second daughter for Mika, thus debuting her and showcasing a piece of their characteristics.




Calm, Cool, and Collected




And so it came to pass that I, Malchior of Nol, did lay siege to the dread dragon, Rorek. Though it did seem that the dragon was greater than my magics could defeat. And… as the fell beast struck… I-

"Give it back, Michelle! It's my turn!"

"No! It's mine!"

Sunni Chariton was interrupted from her reading, angrily looking up at the bickering Anthony and Michelle McKenzie a few feet away. Sunni and her sister were currently at the park, relaxing under the shade of a tree as both of them each held their own book, reading from behind opposite ends of the tree. Sunni was quite enjoying the peace, until the two bickering siblings made their way over and started fighting over a 4DS. Sunni glanced behind the tree, her sister, Darcy rested on her front with her legs sticking up and crossed as she continued to read her book.

Darcy wore a simple spaghetti-strapped black dress cropped above her knees, dotted with purple rosettes, white knee socks, and black Mary Janes. In her hair, she wore a thin black headband with purple roses and purple ribbons. The younger sister had pale, peach-colored skin, onyx black hair that looked midnight-blue (with bangs that border on her eyes), and slanted dark-violet eyes.

"It's my turn to play it this time!" Anthony yelled, still desperately trying to pry the game away from his sister. "Give it back!"

"You tried to take it the first time! This is payback!" Michelle denied.

"Ugh. Aren't you gonna do something?" Sunni asked her sister.

"Eh…it's no big deal." Darcy stated simply, flipping a page.

Furrowing her eyes, Sunni shut her book for a moment and angrily approached the two McKenzies. "THAT'S ENOUGH!" she shouted, making the two cease fighting and frightfully face her. "Michelle, give him the freaking game already and get out of here before I go all mind-freak and make your heads explode!"

Michelle did what she said and shoved the handheld game into Anthony's hands. The two dashed away before the angry psychic could do anything. Sunni breathed a sigh of relief before going back under the tree and continuing to read.

Though it did seem the dragon was greater than my magics could defeat. And… as the fell beast struck! I-

The sounds of loud, obnoxious burping drew Sunni's attention away from the book. She faced ahead with a glare as Mason and Sheila were walking through the park, holding cans of their favorite soda as they threw burps at each other. Both of them ended with rather long burps, but Sheila's was longer, and Mason tried to release another one, but only little puffs of breath came out. "HHAHA! Ah win again, Mate!" the Faunus raccoon exclaimed.

"Not fair, Sheila! You have more soda than me!"

"Nuh-uh! Oi still got a li'le bit left!"

"Me too! Let's go again!"

"Foine!" With that, the two tilted their heads all the way back and engulfed what remained of the cans, releasing more burps. They then quickly pulled out two more cans and drank away. Annoyed by all of this, Sunni shut her book and angrily walked over. She swiped the cans from the two before they could drink again, tossed them in the air, and sent them flying away with an aerial-kick.

The two disappointedly watched their cans fly off in the distance before directing their attention at the angry Sunni. "Now go have your little 'burp-off' somewhere else before I turn you into dung beetles and squish you like BUGS!" Mason and Sheila exchanged frightful glances before backing away from the angry Chariton. With them gone, Sunni proceeded to go back under the tree and pick up her book.

"Turn them into dung beetles?" Darcy asked, disbelieved.

"Well, I can mind-trick them into thinking they're dung beetles, right? Close enough." With that, she continued to read.

-greater than my magics could defeat. And as the fell beast struck… I…-&%(^

"AHH! Stop squirting me, Rupert!" Berry Bean yelled as Rupert Dickson chased her and her cousin, Lilac Farley around with a water gun.

"Yeah, you're getting us wet!" the blonde-haired catgirl yelled.

"Come on, girls! Afraid of a little water?" the Dickson boy asked. While trying to shoot Berry at one point, the werecat jumped out of the way, causing Rupert to squirt Sunni, getting her book wet. "Whoops…" Rupert looked in fear.

Sunni slammed her book shut and angrily approached the Dickson. She used her psychic to lift the squirt gun above Rupert's head, squishing and twisting it up before ripping it in half, making the water spill over him. "Hey!"

"Repeat after me:" Sunni ordered, waving her hand by Rupert's face. "You will listen to what I say."

"I will listen to what you say…" Rupert repeated in a hypnotized tone.

"You will take these girls someplace else where you won't bother me."

"I will take these girls someplace else where we won't bother you…"

"Aww!" Lilac whined.

"You will also be their servant for the next several hours."

"I will also be their servant for the next several hours…"

"And do whatever they say."

"And do whatever they say…"

"Ooooh!" Lilac and Berry drew out in awe. The two 5-year-old werecats took Rupert by the arms and led him off. "Come on, Rupert. We'll let you wear a pretty dress while you trim our claws." Berry smirked.

"Yes, My Master…"

Sunni sighed in relief before going back to read her book under the tree.

And as the fell beast struck, I summoned the forces of my magic book. With a curse more ancient than foul Rorek itself, I-

"Hey, Sunni, what's up!" Sunni's expression turned to pure annoyance when the tiny alien, Vweeb jumped onto her book. Her hands trembled as she strongly resisted the urge to slam the book shut and squish the Kateenian. She looked up as Danny Jackson and Artie Gilligan ran over as well. "Great party for your mom the other day!"

"Yeah, Vweeb fell in the cake and almost got eaten by Sheila!" Danny laughed.

"Uugh! What do you guys want?" Sunni angrily asked.

Vweeb leapt back to stand between Artie and Danny as Danny pulled out a bottle of milk. "We're practicing for a talent show! Watch as the amazing Vweeb chugs down this entire half-gallon of milk!" Danny announced.

"Oh boy…" Sunni stated in disbelief, already knowing where this was headed.

Danny used his waterbending to bend the milk out of the bottle, and Vweeb kept his mouth wide open, letting Danny stuff some of the milk inside the Kateenian, puffing him up. "Now watch this!" Danny instructed as Artie held his mouth open, letting Danny bend the milk inside him. The two squirted the milk out of their noses and successfully shot it into the others' wide-open mouth.

"Euh!" Sunni cringed.

The two kept repeating this process and exchanging the squirted milk. "And now for the finish!" Danny spoke, and Artie proceeded to shoot what remained of his milk inside of Vweeb's mouth.

"Ulp… uh-oh…" Vweeb gulped, beginning to puff up even more. Sunni only put on a grossed and worried look, shielding her face with her book. "PLEEHHHH!" In a matter of seconds, Vweeb had unleashed an explosion of milk all over Sunni's body. "TA-DAAA!"

"So, whaddya think?" Artie asked.

"We're gonna go show Makava and Arianna later!" Danny said. "I think it's pretty neat!"

"AAUGH!" Sunni screamed, using psychic to blow the milk off of her, getting the boys wet. "Will you two just let me READ already?!"

"Alright, alright, geez!" Vweeb said as the boys raised hands in defense and walked away.

"Come on, guys, let's get more milk. Talk about a hothead!" Danny said.

As Sunni angrily sat back down to read, she glanced back at her sister, Darcy, who still lied on her front and swung her feet around in the air, continuing to read. "HOW can you still READ with all this going on?! Don't you get annoyed??"

"Eh… not really. I just go with the flow…" Darcy stated simply, peacefully turning another page in her book.

"Ugh!" Sunni only rolled her eyes.

"OI, EVERYBODY!" Sunni then faced ahead as Mad Mod ran into the center of the park. "Who's ready ta celebrate freedom aftuh nearly 20 years of bein' frozen in liquid nitrogen with a li'le playground roundhouse?!"

"YEEEAAAH!" the many Brotherhood villains cheered, charging into the park to begin wreaking loud, obnoxious havoc.

"Uugh…" Sunni only sat her book down and stood up. "I'll be back in a bit. I need to blow off some steam."

"Later, Sunni." Darcy stated simply, not taking her eyes off the book. With that, the older sister ran off and began pummeling every villain she could.




After a while, Sandman, Coldman, and a bunch of Kids Next Door operatives like Cheren, Aurora, Panini, and Francis ran into the park, the loud explosions and destruction growing even more while Darcy continued to read her book in peace. During which, a few broken, burning playground pieces landed beside her, and a screaming Gizmo ran around her in circles with his butt lit aflame as he flailed his arms. As her eyes kept on the book, she did hear her sister say, "Hey! It's the dragon from the book I was reading!"




This next one was dedicated to real-life Mika's 14th birthday.




Happy 4th




The Lavender Town Park was quite active this morning. At the same time, there was little activity going on. There were lots of kids that morning, but all were standing around, eyes focused on one thing: the little 4-year-old girl bubbly dancing about in one spot, her eyes closed as she made several gestures, such as pouring and drinking tea, getting pelted with several objects to carry, and falling over. To the kids, this was a regular thing to happen daily. The little girl would come to the park and ignore everything around her, acting like she was in her own little world. Some of them thought her to be oblivious, idiotic, or just plain mad.




Of course, little Mikaela Corella really was in her own little world. She only saw herself in Wonderland, partying with the eccentric Mad Hatter and the ecstatic March Hare. They were happily partying at the Tea Party Garden, celebrating Mika's unbirthday, even though it actually was her birthday. Everyone was there, happy to celebrate this special day. Not just the people of Wonderland, but other people, too, such as Pokémon, and strange, gray-skinned people with orange horns on their head. They had a wonderful time. There were messes everywhere. Everyone was happy.

While in the real world, there was nothing going on there at all. Just a weird little girl, with a crazy imagination. Mika Corella.

As Mika partied away in her Wonderland, the Tea Garden around her instantly vanished as a hand grabbed her arm. "Okay, Mika, you can party later." A woman chuckled. Mika opened her eyes at last to find the smiling face of her mother.

On the car ride home, Mika sat in the backseat, eyes focused on a simple pencil as she made it dance around in midair with her telekinesis. "Mommy… am I a weirdo?"

"Hm? Why are you asking that, honey?"

"The kids at the park keep saying I'm a weirdo… and… I keep seeing things no one else can see. I think I'm weird."

The mother chuckled, "Hm-hm, you're not weird, darling. You're just mad."

"Mad?"

"But let me tell you something: some of the best people are."

"Really?"

"Yes, and when we get home, I'd like to show you something."

It wasn't long until they got home, and the mother led Mika upstairs to her room, where she got a book off Mika's nightstand and knelt down to show it to her. "You remember this, don't you?"

"Alice in Wonderland!" Mika cheered her favorite book's name.

"That's right! Alice was a real person, you know."

"She was?"

"Yes! Her adventures were inspirational! Like you, she had a powerful imagination. So powerful, that what she imagined became real."

"So… Wonderland was real?"

"No one knows. It could've been real, or she just imagined it so well, that she thought it was real. But the truth is… that's how a lot of things start. The Great Wall, your school, this house even, all started as someone's imagination. You're a mad girl, Mika, and that madness will help you accomplish many things."

"You mean I can create a Wonderland?" Mika asked, excitement all over her face.

"You can create any land you want!" her mom smiled, ruffling her hair. "Alright, let's go downstairs. Your friends will be showing up for your birthday soon." She stood up and guided her daughter downstairs.

"Hey, Mom? Can we celebrate my unbirthday, too?"

"We do that everyday, darling!"

"Not on my birthday!" They both laughed.

27 years later…

The memory played in 33-year-old Mikaela Chariton's head as she kneeled on the beach, bowing her head in respect. After all the happy years she's spent with her parents, she wishes they could still be here. She wonders if they're still watching her from the Spirit World now.

"Hey, Mom?" she looked up from her reminiscing at her oldest daughter, Sunni, who held up a cupcake. "We made a cake for you… but it sorta got ruined. So, we… bought some cupcakes."

What Mika was sure of was that her parents loved her, as much as she loved her daughters. "It's all I need." Mika smiled as she took the cupcake, eating away.

"Hey, Mrs. Chariton, hurry up!" Lee Andrew hurried out and yelled. "We're just about to play Pin The Sword Into Jack Noir!"

"Oh, we're coming!" Mika called as she got to her feet, her daughter and Lee already running off. Unbeknownst to her, someone was watching her: a strange woman in a long, blue dress, blond hair, and deep blue eyes: Alice.

Mika stopped, sensing the woman's presence, and turned. There was nothing there. Mika stared confusedly at the spot as her daughter yelled anxiously, "Mooooom!"

Mika shook out of her thoughts and hurried after her daughter. Alice remained in her spot and smiled at the grown woman.




Here's a Valentine's special focusing on Sunni and introducing Harry Gilligan.




Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day at Kids Next Door Moonbase. It was the holiday where most couples spent all day together, secret admirers slipped each other cards, and regular friends passed cards to each other, too. Frankly, it wasn't one of the most revered holidays in the KND, but Supreme Leader Numbuh 3621 felt like throwing a party up there, anyway, for holiday spirit, and also relieving a little boredom.

Heart-shaped balloons and usual party designs, colored red and pink, decorated the base, and there were tables of refreshments. Several groups of "friends," most of which were a boy and a girl who likely liked each other, met up and exchanged cards or other minor gifts. Emily Garley gave Mike Strongarm a mechanical beating heart, while he gave Emily a card that read, You make my heart pedal. Rupert Dickson got a mouse chew toy for Berry Bean and Lilac Farley to play with, and was currently playing Fetch with the two werecats. (Even though the three of them weren't really operatives, they heard about the party and nagged Sector W into bringing them.)

Dillon and Leanne were walking side-by-side, not knowing that their shadows were exchanging cards and flowers behind them. Vweeb gave Arianna a card, but it was too tiny for her to read, so Vweeb had to read it for her, embarrassingly. Cheren handed Panini a chocolate bunny, Nebula a card that opened a black hole when opened, and Lin Beifong some rock candy. He then left to give Miyuki Crystal something.

Larry MayHence was also going around and delivering flowers and cards to operatives from secret admirers. He gave his cousin, Aranea Fulbright, a card that said, My heart is wrapped around in your strings. She raised an eyebrow at who this could be from. Afterwards, Makava received a card. It read, You dissected my heart and stole my mind. It sounded a little weird to her, but she had an idea who it might be from. Zach Murphy then received a card, which read, I need no mouth to speak, for my heart says all. Anthony also received a card, but was told to give it to his little sister. Anthony glanced and saw it was from Timothy Gilligan.

The only one who didn't seem to be enjoying the occasion was Sunni Chariton. The psychic Filipino was over by the corner, leaned against the wall as her eyes were closed and she meditated to herself. Sunni was usually pretty down this holiday, since she didn't really have any close friends.

"You're sure quiet."

Sunni's eyes opened as she looked up and turned. "Oh. Hey, Harry."

"Why aren't you partying with everyone else?" Harry Gilligan asked in a calm, quiet fashion. He was an African-American boy with black hair in dreadlocks beneath a blue cap, a jacket matching his cap, and black shirt, slacks, and rubber shoes.

"I've never been so into Valentine's Day. Too many mushy feelings going around."

"Hehe. Yeah, I've never been too into the whole thing either. Still, don't you at least wanna hang out with your friends? It must be lonely over here. Where's your sister, anyway?"

"Hanging out with Sector W7 or something, I dunno. It's just so weird, you know… everybody's got someone to hang out with. I think even Mewtwo took interest in a Gardevoir he met."

Harry glanced around the Moonbase, watching as Fybi gave Anthony a pink apple that turned him into a peach, Danny Jackson and Haylee Gilligan exchanged technical ideas, Mason and Sheila crossing arms and drinking Purple Flurp, and saw Eric sweating, shaking, and blushing as he tried to hand a giggling Melody a card. "No kidding. It's amazing how many kids get into it."

"Yeah, and it's just so… cheesy. Like, all these boy/girl friend pairs ain't even trying to hide anything, they might as well all be dating. The only person I ever hang out with is my sister. I…I know it sounds weird to care about that stuff, but… sigh, somehow I don't feel valued as much."

"Well, to be honest, you're better off not gettin' involved with those kinds of relationships. We shouldn't have to worry about all that romance stuff until we're smelly, ugly teens. Still, I guess that's why a lot of these couples prefer to be called 'friends' at the moment."

"I guess you're right. But I'd still like someone else to be close to. I just feel so lonely most of the time."

"Don't worry. There's probably a hundred boys in the KND who think you're pretty. You got the looks, I'll give you that."

Sunni lightly smiled and blushed. "You think so, huh?"

"Well, yeah. That temper of yours is kinda cool, too. But that's just me."

Sunni looked away, still blushing.

"Oh. And I got this for you." Harry said, handing Sunni a card before turning to walk away.

"From you?"

Harry stopped and smirked, glancing behind him. "Heh. I told you I'm not into this stuff. If anything, the compliments were the card. Some cat came up to me randomly and wanted me to pass it. Later." He proceeded away.

Sunni curiously opened the card. On the center of the double-folded card was a large, red, bolded "R". She noticed four strands of some whitish-light-brown fur and picked it up, staring at it closely. Sunni only shrugged before walking off to find her sister.

Somewhere far away

A shadowed man, who looked to be wearing an orange suit, sat upon his throne and petted his large, panther-sized cat while watching the party on a large computer screen. "Mrooooww…"

We'll end off this chapter with another holiday segment, Mother's Day! Wait, didn't we just have that with Vweeb and Ava?

Mother's Day

Uno Household

Chris Uno was leading his mother, Rachel down into the secret treehouse, her eyes weary. "Chris, where on Earth are you taking me so early?"

"Check it out, Mom!" When Rachel opened her eyes, she made out the blurry images of her youngest son, Cheren, and her daughter, Aurora. When her eyes regained full vision, she looked to see a bunch of arrows stuck into the wall, alit with flames.

She was taken by slight surprise. "What is this?"

"I wanted to show you my archery skills, and Chris and Aurora wanted to show their firebending." Cheren replied sheepishly. "So I… shot a bunch of arrows into a heart and they threw flames at them to… light them up. Hehe—Whoa!" That's when the flames from the arrows began spreading around the rest of the treehouse.

Rachel only chuckled and shook her head. "Okay, kids, get the fire extinguishers." The three siblings blushed and ran off.

EiznekCm Household

Lehcar and Eeballaw were fast asleep this morning, too, but that was when Nerehc hurried in, shaking his mother awake. "Mother! Mother, wake up!"

Lehcar opened her weary eyes, moaning grumpily. "What is it, Nerry?"

"I made something for you, Mother." Nerehc told her as he led the crazy woman outside. When she regained full vision, she saw Happy Mother's Day burned into the backyard.

Lehcar stared curiously at the scorched black lettering. "What is this?"

"I lured a bunch of bugs in a row, then I poured oil on each of them before setting them all on fire. I… guess they didn't last long."

Lehcar smiled and patted her son's head. "You're such a mean kid."

Dimalanta Household

Yin Dimalanta was just waking up, yawning as she made her way to the house's kitchen. "AAAHH!" she was taken by total surprise when she found her kitchen in ruins, food splattered everywhere, gas broken, and an angry-sounding coffee maker. In the center of the chaos, Mason and Haruka stood covered in splat food. "What is this?!"

The two twins scratched their heads nervously as Mason replied, "Well, we… tried to make your day easier by… doing your chores."

Yin shook the surprise off and only chuckled happily as she walked over to hug her kids. "Oh, you kids are the best things I could ever have. O-kay, let's clean this up."

Lypbynopbolus Household

On Aquaria, Ava had just woken up as she was entering the living room with a bowl of squid pudding. "Moooom?" her ears perked at this minuscule shout. She looked down at the floor to see her tiny son, Vweeb.

"Oh, Vweeb! You should be careful, I barely watch where I'm going when I just wake up."

"Hehe! I made a card for you, Mom." Vweeb blushed as he held a little card up.

Ava set her food on the living room table and bent down for Vweeb to place the card on her finger. However, the card was way too tiny. "Um… I can't read this."

"Oh, um, I'll do it for you." Vweeb said as he took the card back. He blushed and said, "It says, 'Your heart is so big, I could build a house in it.'"

Ava giggled joyfully. "Oh, Vweeb! You're the biggest sweetie of all!" she said as she scooped him up and hugged him to her chest.

"Haha! Happy Mother's Day, Mom!"

"Mother's Day? What's that?"

"Um, it's a… Earth thing, I think."

"Hm-hm! Cute!"

McKenzie Household

Angie and Harvey were still sound asleep in bed when Anthony walked in. "Mom?"

He shook his mother by the arm and she tiredly woke up. "Mm?"

"I made you something for Mother's Day." He said as he held up what appeared to be a mud pie.

"Oh… is this-?"

"Yeah, it's a mud pie." Anthony replied. "You know, with mud. People make these, right?"

Angie stared at the mud pie for a bit before scooping a chunk in her hand and smashing it against her face. "Mmm! It tastes good, Anthony!"

"Huhu! Here, have some more!" he smiled as he threw more mud on her, while Angie did the same and threw mud on him. The two were happily laughing when Harvey woke up, annoyed.

"Man, I just cleaned these sheets…" he mumbled as he pressed his pillow over his face.

Heartly Household

Kami and Jeremiah Heartly were sound asleep, but were awakened by a cloud of pink smoke that was on the ceiling. Kami sat up quickly as she began coughing from the fumes, throwing her covers off as she yelled hoarsely, "Quick, Jeremiah, call the fire department." She hurriedly ran into the kitchen to find the source of the smoke, but found her tomboy daughter as she was trying to control the pink fumes. "Kimaya? What is this?"

"I, uh… grabbed some flowers from outside and wanted ta make 'em smell all nice for ya… I dunno."

Kami kept her hand over her mouth as she smiled. "Oh, Kimaya… cough! You're too sweet. Cough!"

Chariton Household

Things were not quite as happy in this household in the Philippines. While Darcy was calmly drawing a card up for her mother on the couch, Sunni was seated at the other end, rubbing her forehead. "Sunni, why don't you just make a card, like I'm doing?"

"Because I don't want to do something that's been done a thousand times. I wanna give our mom something she can really remember; that's what everyone else is probably doing."

"Come on, Sunni, it's not about how amazing the gift is, it's about showing our mom that we care."

"Pssh, yeah, if you're one of those 'short and simple' people. I wanna give our mom something that'll WOW her. Something she'll always wanna hold on to her whole life."

"How much 'wowing' are we talkin' about here? If you try to make something big, it might be too late. It's not like you can just grab your idea from the very reaches of your mind."

Right away, a bulb sparked in Sunni's mind. "Darcy! That's it!"

"What's it, Sun?"

"I'll show my mom how advanced I am in my psychicbending! By imagining something for her!"

"Whoa-whoa-whoooaa, Sunni. That's some advanced tech you're talking. We're way too young."

"No we aren't! How old was that Morgan lady when she imagined up her own siblings?"

"Good point, but like… she was descended from the Demon King, so she probably got stronger chi?"

"Big deal. Our mom was one of the best when she was young, so I should be just as good."

"But Sunni-"

"I'll be in my room, Darc. Make sure no one bothers me, I really need to focus." And before Darcy could say anything more, Sunni was gone up the stairs.

Having totally sealed herself inside, blocking any light out from the windows, Sunni was seated cross-legged on her bed, her eyes closed as she thought hard to herself. Let's see… what does our mom like? A lot of things, really. Well, she likes Pokémon, for one thing… That's it! I can imagine her favorite Pokémon! No, who am I kidding, she already has Mew. Plus, I could just fly up to Poké and capture the cruddy thing. MORE creative. Let's see, how about Homestuck, she's always obsessing over that. I know! I could imagine her favorite troll come to life! Let's see, who was her favorite again? Gaaaaargh! Come on, Sunni, you should know this!! Was it… Vriska, or… Sollux—NO, NO, NOOO! Wait! I got it! I'll imagine one of the trolls she created for that… Sburb Revisited fan thing. Yes, yes, she'll LOVE that! Arr, what's her favorite one from that? I should ask—NO! That'll ruin the surprise! Well, way to freaking go, Sunni! You don't know jack about your own mother! You are a terrible daughter! And you are uncreative! You don't deserve to BE her daughter! You're just a hopeless waste of a—

Darcy was still downstairs, drawing her letter, when the house suddenly shook from a loud explosion. The explosion startled their parents awake as well. They all ran up to see smoke coming from Sunni's room. They had a peek inside as Darcy screamed horrifically. "SUNNI!!"

St. Evangelista's Hospital

Sunni awoke in a bed, finding her parents and sister looking over her, and her forehead wrapped up in a bandage. "Nnnn-oooo…"

"Sunni, are you okay? What happened?" Mika asked.

"I was… trying to make something for you… Mom."

"She was trying to use her psychic to make something from her imagination." Darcy explained.

"What? Sunni, are you crazy? You know you're way too young for that."

"But… Morgan could do it…"

"Murr, that girl was overpowered. Sunni, why would you risk yourself like that?"

"Because… if you saw how skilled I was… you wouldn't think I'm a bad daughter."

"Sunni, why would you think that? I don't think I could imagine life without you. Sunni, the only gift I want is for you two to be safe, not to risk your life just to make me happy. Sunni, please promise me you won't do something crazy like that again. Please."

"Okay, Mom… I'm sorry."

"It's okay." Mika smiled. "Now why don't we go home so you can rest? Really, all you have is a really bad headache. We'll go home and you can rest on our bed."

"Thanks, Mom…" Sunni smiled peacefully as she drifted into sleep. The parents lifted her into a wheelchair as they began to push her out.

Unbeknownst to them, a mysterious creature peeked out from under the hospital bed. The creature had a crescent-moon-shaped head, a dark-blue body, and was infant-sized.

Unknown Location

"I don't believe it!" the shadowed figure in orange garb spoke with utter shock. "She's created another Firstborn! Then that means…" a smirk crossed his features, "there are 10 now!"


And this marks the end of the introductory one-shots. I hope I did a decent job setting up the characters and the world; we got to learn some of the bending styles, the characters' base conflicts and personalities, not to mention some foreshadowing of things to come. From here on, chapters will be much longer and will be mostly episodic conflicts.

 

[Gamen Watch]

Below is a list of the Nextgen Kids as well as links to their pictures if I have them. Use these pics to help visualize them during their scenes. This list also includes some kids who haven't formally debuted.


KND MOONBASE

Cheren Uno - Supreme KND Leader

Panini Drilovsky - Vice-leader, Firebender, Irish accent

Francis Drilovsky - Leader of Moonbase Guard

Maddy Murphy - Decommissioning officer, Francis's second-in-command

Zach Murphy - Decom. officer

Sunni and Darcy Chariton - Psychicbenders, Filipino

SECTOR V
Sheila Frantic - Expeditionist, lightbender, Australian accent, Faunus raccoon
Aurora Uno - Leader, Firebender

Chris Uno - Vice-leader, Firebender

Mason Dimalanta - Poisonbender

Haruka Dimalanta - Nurse, poisonbender

Dillon York - Shadowbender, son of vigilante hero, Sandman

Harry, Artie, and Haylee Gilligan - Technology Trio, though Harry specializes in rap

Kirie Beatles - Silent Combatant, only speaks in sign language

SECTOR W

Anthony McKenzie - Leader, Earthbender
Fybi Fulbright - Airbender, archer and pilot, Nimbi race, Irish and Shakespearean accent
Sally and Harvey Harper - Yo-yo Specialists

Aranea Fulbright - Spy

SECTOR IC

George and MaKayla King - Timebenders

Miyuki Crystal - Timebender, able to see the history of targets

Suki Crystal - Icebender

Lola and Terry Stork - Spies; Terry's a shadowbender and Lola's a Spank-Happy Vampire

SECTOR L

Melody Jackson and Danny Jackson - Waterbenders, news anchors

Eric Horvitz - Assistant, nerdy weakling

Galactic KND

Nebula D. Winkiebottom - High Supreme Leader, Spacebender

Jerome D. Winkiebottom - Spacebender, Jamaican accent

Arianna Dunfree - Harnitan

Tronta Dunfree - Pumparian, uses Light Discs to fight

Vweeb - Kateenian (inch tall alien), wields Tri-gun

Makava - Glomourian (yellow skin), Swordsgirl, Vweeb's sister

OTHERS

Kimaya Heartly - Poisonbender, punk girl, leader of "The Gang"

Emily Garley - Scientist and KND museum curator

Mike Strongarm - KND Bike Hub leader

 

[Gamen Watch]

Welcome to the first full-sized chapter of the Nextgen Series! Most of these chapters will be somewhat episodic, but very long, and they do follow a continuity. Also, this is the beginning of the Nature Wars Saga.

The Son of Evil

Forest area; the foot of a strange volcano

The stars shone in the dark sky as tons of supervillains piled their vehicles into a secret garage within the side of a volcano. The last one to enter was a school bus driven by the PTOOEY and Faculty 4 before the garage closed. As all of the vehicles took their parking, the legions of Brotherhood villains exited out and gathered into the next room ahead. But while the others had gone, the evil teachers stayed behind in their bus. Once the villains had cleared away from the indoor parking lot, the teachers threw off their disguises, revealing their selves as kids. "Sector V, state Numbuhs and positions!" Aurora declared.

"Numbuh 361, second-in-command!" Chris Uno announced. He had bright, messy blonde hair with burnt tanned skin, a light-blue tracksuit, blue jeans, and brown boots.

"Numbuh 2.31, Soda Supplier!" Mason Dimalanta announced. He had black hair with gray eyes and a black hoodie and T-shirt with a flame design. The same design was on the left knee of his black pants.

"Numbuh 1.26, Nurse!" Haruka Dimalanta followed. She had pigtailed black hair with a purple rose, midnight-blue eyes, a navy-blue turtlenecked dress, and a gray Cross necklace over it.

"Numbuh Sub-23! Expedition Expert, aye?" Sheila Frantic announced. Tan-skinned with messy black hair and blue eyes, she was defined by her raccoon ears and tail, being a Faunus. She wore a green T-shirt with matching sandals and black shorts.

"Numbuh 13.2036! Spy!" Dillon York announced. He had a black sweater, blue jeans, and a blue streak through his black hair. "And my shadow, Mario!" Dillon's shadow rose up, giving two thumbs-up.

"Numbuhs 52, 25, and 2x5!" Harry, Artie, and Haylee Gilligan announced. "4x4 technology trio!" Harry had dark-brown skin, Artie light-brown, and Haylee peach. Harry, the eldest triplet, had black hair in dreadlocks beneath a blue cap, going with his blue jacket and black T-shirt. Artie had a red cap, thin brownish-black hair, green eyes, and a blue shirt. Haylee wore a brown aviator's cap matching her light-chocolate eyes, with yellow goggles, khaki carpenter's pants, and a light-blue top.

Kirie Beatles signed something that translated to, Numbuh 0-V! Silent Combat Specialist! The mute Japanese girl wore a green sweater of oversized sleeves, short blonde hair, and purple socks in her black and white sneakers. Though she kept her eyes closed, they were mismatched green and purple.

"And of course, Numbuh 1362. Leader." Aurora Uno finished. She had short blonde hair and blue eyes, a blue headband, blue polo shirt over an orange sleeveless, short blue-gray skirt with black tights, and white rubber shoes with blue hints.

"How come we had to do that?" Mason asked. "I mean, we already know who we are."

"It's traditional. Anyway, you're up first, Dill."

Dillon nodded and placed on a helmet with a built-in camera and used Shadow Veil to sink in his shadow. He slid into a vent and came out the other side, inside the audience chamber where the villains sat at various dinner tables. Dillon hid within the ceiling and looked down on them with his camera activated. His view from the camera was being transmitted to Sector V's monitor, and they were able to see what he was seeing. "So, what exactly is going on here?" Dillon whispered into his communicator.

"The Brotherhood of Evil is back, and they set up Father's old Villains' Choice Awards show." Aurora replied.

"Euh. Musta took them a while to clean all that snot out the first time." Chris said, disgustedly.

"Yeah. And because of that mess our parents made, they tripled the security around the back areas. So we'll have to come up with a different plan to bring this place down."

"How're we supposed to do that?" Mason asked.

"Look! It's starting!" Haruka yelled, excitedly pointing at the screen. Within the audience chamber, music began to play as the curtains rose upon the stage. Several villains, like Mad Mod, Johnny Rancid, Mumbo Jumbo, Killer Moth, Knightbrace, Little Juan, and Robin Food, stood upon the stage as they began to sing.

"Villains, we're the villains! The most villainous of adult… Villainery!"

"It's the night of nights for all the evil sorts!" Robin Food sang. "It's the Villains' Choice Awaaards!

"Greetings, fellow villains, and how is everyone doing tonight?" Robin Food asked the crowd.

"GREAT!"

"Fan-tastic." Robin Food spoke into the mike as he paced back-and-forth along the stage. "Now, as you all know, this is the first villain awards show in 20 years, since we've been trapped and frozen inside our own base. But now, the Brotherhood has escaped, and are free to wreak havoc like in the old days."

"Ever since the medieval, we've been the Brotherhood of Evil. Frozen 20 years or more by those annoying Kids NEXT Door! I hate 'em, yes I do. Hate 'em, I'm sure YOU do, too."

"YEAH!"

"But now that we're back, there's no time TO slack! For as we returned from the sa-aack… It's time to atta-ack! 'Cause Mumbo Jumbo's got magic, Legion's death was tragic-"

"I'm kind of glad he's gone." Mega Mom commented.

"Wuya's a ghost-"

"Hiiii!" Wuya smiled and waved to the crowd in her ghost form, floating over a table beside Jack Spicer.

"Meldar's a HOST!"

"Hey there!" Meldar Prime greeted the crowd.

"And Robin Food, hey that's me!"

"Don't forget Little Juan, baby!" Little Juan cheered.

"Now before we begin this show," Robin Food continued, "I feel it's only best we give an honorable mention to the mastermind who made this organization alive. Behold." He directed their attention to the screen behind him, showing an image of a mechanical canister with a skull design and brain on top.

"This is Revan Bane Sidious. But we called him Brain 'cause that's his game, or perhaps just Darth Genious."

"He had the meanness!" Little Juan chimed.

"And it was thanks to his leadership that the Brotherhood won victory over the Kids Next Door, and almost all of the other worlds." Robin Food continued.

"YEEAH!"

"But unfortunately, our plans were foiled, and Revan Bane was struck down by his own traitorous apprentice, Nolan York." The screen showed an image of the crippled boy himself, with a red 'Not allowed' circle over him.

"Woohoo! Go Dad!" Dillon cheered above. Mario instantly cupped his shadowy hand over his mouth to keep him quiet.

"And as his fellow villains, it is our duty to continue his work and bring crime and villainy to all." Robin Food finished.

"Oh, Revan Bane was our leader, instructional heeder. Long live Raven Bane, he'll always LIVE in fa-ame. Bad as bad as could be, even badder-"

"Than me!" Technus yelled.

"But now's he gone, but not the fun, BECAUSE… WE'RE…"

"Villains, we're the villains! The villainous villains of adult… VILLAINERY! It's the night of nights for all the evil sorts! It's the Villains'… Yes, the VILLAINS'… Choice Awaaarrds!"

Finally, the song came to an end, and Robin Food spoke once more. "And now, let us take a moment of mourning for Monsieur Mallah and General Immortus." Images showed of a large brown gorilla and thin, elderly general. "Immortus was apparently unfrozen earlier than the rest of us… but it seems the time spirits caught up to him and he passed away. As for Mallah… he took his own life in the hopes of reuniting with his beloved." The villains bowed their heads for a few minutes. "And as for Madame Rouge, she is not here to join us, for it seems that she is…" Robin Food gave a smirk before speaking quietly into the microphone, "getting married."

"OOOOHHHH!" the villains awed in amazement and surprise.

"Pleh." Dillon spat up above, disgusted at the mention of Madame Rouge, even more that she was getting married. And what's worse, he and his friends even knew to whom.

"Yes, yes, to some magician fellow." Robin Food spoke.

"It's not me!" Mumbo spoke, running up to the microphone. "Just so you know!" He ran off before Robin Food continued again.

"Ahem, yes, well, anyway… With Revan Sidious gone, it is sad to say we do not have a leader. Which is why the purpose of this very award show will determine who is the more worthy of becoming Brotherhood leader. Let us get started with the first category." The lunch-stealing villain was about to open an envelope.

"Why don'tcha save yourself the finger strength and put that thing down." At this, an eruption of gasps echoed throughout the room as they all directed their attention to the center of the middle aisle. Dillon and the children gasped as well in shock: none other than Cheren Uno glared up at the stage, a pair of sunglasses over his frowning visage. In the background, they could all make out the sound of what sounded like Mexican-guitar music.

"Is that… Cheren?" Aurora whispered in shock.

"Oi, wut's he doin' there, Mate?" Sheila asked. "Did 'e decide to do this mission 'imself?"

"He would've let us know if he was coming." Aurora figured. "Let's just see what he's up to."

"Well, well, if it isn't Cheren McKenzie Uno." Robin Food observed with a glare. "Supreme Leader of this era's Kids Next Door. It is an honor to have you here at our humble show. You'd make a most excellent prize to the winner. But may I ask why have you shown up here on your own, rather than being dragged against your will?"

"Because you villains are weak." Cheren spoke in a cool tone. "Nothin' but a bunch of retired old lackeys who used up their last favor long ago. I can't have you making a mockery of what we stand for."

"And just when does an operative like you have right to tell us what we villains stand for?" Robin Food asked with a glare. The army of villains growled and donned expressions of anger as they all leaned in closer, readying their weapons to attack the lone operative.

"Heh heh heh." Cheren smirked and kept the maniacal gaze behind his glasses. "And just what is it you stand for?"

Robin Food put on a look of confusion. But before they all knew it, Cheren had pulled out a dynamite and tossed it over to one end of the room. The villains over there cried in horror and tried to escape before the dynamite exploded. Villains began running about the room as Cheren pulled out various ray guns and began shooting all over the place. The Mexican-guitar music played even faster as he took out tiny, M.A.R.B.L.E.-like bombs and tossed them around, making the cave seriously begin to crumble.

"Whooa!" Dillon cried, hurriedly flying back through the vent and back into his team's bus.

"What is he doing?" Haylee asked.

Cheren pulled out a time-bomb detonator and stuck it to the ground as it started from one minute and began to count down. "Uh-oh! Let's get out of here!" Aurora ushered. They stomped the pedal and sped out of there as fast as they could.

"WHOA!" the operatives screamed as the inside of the volcano exploded just upon their exit. The bus was blown open, and the operatives were sent flying out, bouncing and landing along the ground as they were slightly burned and torn.

The group crouched down and watched as a silhouetted figure slowly marched out of the flames of the volcano interior. There stood Cheren Uno, completely unscathed as he kept his cool look. "Hmph. What a bunch of dull villains." The operative glanced back as some Mexican child dizzily wobbled out of the volcano, covered in a few burns as he held a rustic guitar. "Pablo! Get going!" Cheren yelled.

"Uh, sí, señor." The boy, Pablo, stuttered before continuing to strum his guitar and play the music.

"Ah, much better." Cheren smirked. The Supreme Leader proceeded to walk away with a maniacal face as the Spanish child followed behind him. The operatives continued to watch him as he soon vanished out of sight.

"Did Cheren just do… THAT?" Chris exclaimed.

"Talk about a bad firework show!" Sheila exclaimed.

Aurora remained silent and continued to stare after her brother with a suspicious look.

Uno Household; Treehouse of Coolness

Cheren Uno kept a calm and focused gaze as he crouched down behind some boxes, holding a bow and arrow in his left hand and the Hylian Shield in his right. He stylishly rolled out from behind the crates and took aim with his arrow, shooting and piercing a W.A.T.C.H.B.O.T. in its screen face. He sensed two more appear behind him and leapt before they could shoot, landing behind as he drew a small sword and performed a spin attack, taking them out. He saw two more W.A.T.C.H.B.O.T.s emerge on the other side of the room and tossed his shield like a boomerang, slicing the robos' heads clean off before it came back. He rapidly back-flipped to avoid as more robots tried hitting him from the side, stopping and raising his shield afterwards. He slowly lowered his shield to peek at the robots after they ceased firing. But to his surprise, another robot appeared behind and successfully shot him in the back with a laser.

"Yow!" he yelped. The treehouse started to blink red as alarms blared, and all of the W.A.T.C.H.B.O.T.s shut down and sunk below the ground.

"You let your guard down, Cheren." Mrs. Rachel Uno stated, coming out from a doorway.

"Well, he snuck up on me!" Cheren argued.

"Still? As Supreme Leader, you need to be prepared for sneak attacks like that." She playfully smiled, entering the dark room ahead of them as Cheren followed. "And if you can't master techniques with the bow, sword, or shield, how can I trust you to wield the Three Sacred Treasures?"

They entered the dark room and found a light shining onto a pedestal where a rectangular box sat. She grabbed the huge box and placed it on the ground, tapping a small, purple jewel that caused the box to flash open, revealing the Three Treasures. "The Master Sword, Arrow of Light, and the Mirror Shield."

"But aren't these weapons, I dunno, supposed to be more powerful than what I'm currently using? Why can't I just switch to these things, make fighting a lot easier?"

"Because these three are the most powerful weapons in Link's entire arsenal. Each one possesses the holy power of light. In the hands of someone who wouldn't know how to use them, they could be extremely deadly."

"Well, what about the Mirror Shield?" Cheren asked, picking up said shield and looking at his reflection. "If it's a mirror, wouldn't it break easier?"

"Actually, the Mirror Shield is indestructible. It's able to absorb energy attacks and send them back. But nevertheless, each of these weapons are extremely powerful. You'll need to brush up a little more on your skills before you're ready to use them. So, ready to go train more?"

Cheren dropped his current sword and gave a long yawn. "I don't really feel like it. I'm so sleepy… I was up late last night."

"Supreme Leader stuff?"

"Um… yeah." He scratched his head.

"It's hard bein' a leader, isn't it? But I know you can do it! You just need to make a little time for… well, yourself. Make for some entertainment once in a while, y'know?"

"Yeah, I know. Anyway, I have to be somewhere. I'll see you later, Mom." The Uno child walked out of the room with his still-tired expression.

"Take care, Cheren." Rachel smiled and waved after him. Once she heard the door to the treehouse close, the blue spirit, Fi jumped out of the Master Sword.

"His performance was still quite exceptional, Master. Though a bit more training is required."

"I know that, Fi. But he's getting there."

"I fear we may not have long to wait. I cannot see what it is, but I can feel multiple evils amassing. Dark storm clouds are gathering…"

"Well, Cheren did tell me the Brotherhood of Evil returned. We'll have to be on lookout for them. In the meantime…" Rachel grabbed her Sacred Treasures and placed them back in the box, "I have my own paperwork to fill. See you later, Fi." Fi retreated back in the sword as the box snapped shut.

Sector L; KND Nightly News Station

"And so ends the heroic tale of the shepherd in rescuing the pack of humanoid mules." Danny Jackson spoke, sitting beside his sister and facing the camera.

"In other news, the Brotherhood of Evil makes a grand return after 20 years of being trapped in liquid nitrogen, and have decided to celebrate their escape by hosting another awards show." Melody Jackson spoke. "Just last night, Sector V has gone over in an attempt to put a stop to this show. However, their attempts were somewhat foiled when our very own Supreme Leader, Numbuh 3621 snuck into their hideout and totally ransacked the place." An image was shown of the very scene, with villains running and screaming as their volcano lair exploded. "Injuring Sector V in the process." They showed the image of the operatives' bus being blown out of there.

"UN-fortunately," Danny continued, "though with a few minor injuries, the villains have ALSO made it out of there in OK condition. We'll go more into detail about this tonight. Coming up again later, former Brotherhood Spy and Master of Disguise, Madame Rouge, seems to be getting married. Join us again tonight to find out to whom."

"Annnd cut." Eric cued, snapping the camera off. "Wonderful as always, you two."

"I still don't get why Cheren would just go over and destroy their lair himself when he already asked Sector V to do it." Melody thought aloud.

"Maybe he just didn't trust they could do it." Danny assumed.

"I don't think so. Regardless, he would've called them. Either way, this scene peaks this reporter's interest." Melody smirked. "I think we should pay our cousin a visit. Come on, boys." The anchorwoman stood up and started for the exit. "Let's nab us a story."

Ashland Park

The Supreme Leader was currently going for a walk through the park, sunglasses over his visage as a frown was plastered on his face. He took notice of the sandbox a few feet away as Lilac Farley and Berry Bean played around in it. The two five-year-old werecats were both playing with tiny Rainbow Monkey dolls, with Lilac gripping one in her sharp teeth and shaking it around. Berry held hers in her mouth as she rapidly dug a hole in the sandbox in her desire to bury it.

Lilac felt a shadow loom over her head, and the werecat looked up as Cheren stood over them, a wide smile growing on her face. "Berry, look! It's Cousin Cherry! Hi, Cherry!" Lilac cheerfully greeted.

"Hey, Cherry, wanna play Catch?" Berry asked, presenting her doll to Cheren, as did Lilac.

The older cousin took and observed the two dolls, then looked down at Lilac's innocent, joyous face and Berry's smirking, mischievous one. The Uno child gave an evil smirk and proceeded to rip the two dolls into shreds, replacing the girls' joy with horror and sadness. Cheren then grabbed Lilac's cat ears and yanked them before pushing her down, then gripped and pulled Berry's tail before pushing her down. Cheren grabbed both of the werecats and shoved their faces into the sandbox before stepping away.

He then took notice of the KNN C.O.O.L.-B.U.S. coming down for a landing several feet away. "Melody, how did you know Cheren was here?" Danny asked.

"Reporter's instincts!" Melody, Danny, and Eric ran out and hurried to him, with Melody pointing a microphone at her cousin's mouth, and Danny holding a camera. "Greetings, Numbuh 3621, I am Numbuh 10.11 from KNN News. (But of course you know that 'cause I'm your cousin.) Word has recently reached us of your heroic, yet reckless actions towards the Brotherhood, and Sector V's lives, and this reporter wants to know, just what gave you the drive?"

"And what's with the sunglasses?" Danny asked. "Taking more after your father now?"

"Heh." An evil grin grew on Cheren's face. The Supreme Leader swiped the mike from Melody's hands and shoved it in her mouth. The anchorwoman quickly pulled it out, but was too late to defend as Cheren grabbed her long, raven hair and yanked it right off.

"AAAAHHHH!" Melody cried in pain, clutching the top of her head, her once-thick hair now ripped to short, thin strands before Cheren pushed her to the ground. The boy directed his attention to Danny, glaring into the camera as he raised his fist and punched dead in the lens.

"Yowch!" Danny cried, falling onto his butt as the camera was shoved into his left eye. Cheren's smirk slowly returned as his evil gaze was directed to Eric. Pure fear shone upon the nerdy assistant's face, sweating greatly as he carefully backed away.

"Um… s-stay back… Cheren…" Eric stuttered as Cheren calmly approached him. "D-Don't hurt me now. Th-These are new glasses. They're antiques. They're, um-" He stopped when Cheren jabbed his finger at Eric's chest. Eric looked down, and was taken by surprise when Cheren flicked his finger up and smacked him. Afterwards, Cheren pulled Eric's shirt over his face and pushed him to his bottom. The evil cousin then walked over and pulled off both of Melody's sneakers, followed by her socks, shoving both socks directly into Eric's mouth.

"Hey, is that you, Cousin Cheren?" He was then approached by Anthony McKenzie, the 7-year-old, bucktoothed, and barefoot leader of Sector W. Smirking, Cheren marched up and forcefully STOMPED Anthony's foot. "YOOW!" Anthony cried, hopping on the other foot while gripping the injured one.

"How does a boy your age get around with such big feet? I'm just trying to make them smaller."

"Hey, Cheren!" Cheren looked over and saw Anthony's 5-year-old sister angrily approach him. "I know Anthony's a bully, but you don't have to be so mean to him! I'm telling Aunt Rachel!" As a response, Cheren shoved the 5-year-old to the ground, grabbed a handful of dirt, and threw it in her face. Her eyes began to water after a few seconds, and the little cousin burst into tears.

"Hey, why are you acting like such a bully?" Berry asked.

"Stop being so mean, Cheren!" Lilac yelled.

"PABLO!" Cheren called out. The short Mexican child hurriedly ran over, panting tiredly as he pulled out the guitar and played more of the Mexican music. Cheren's smirk returned as the boy ran about and began shoving over every little kid he could, and smacking the food and drinks out of everyone's hands. He ran up to every male adult and either pulled their pants down or picked and wiped snot on their suit. For the females, he pulled out a razor and shaved the hair off their heads, then sprayed a can of bug-spray on their scalps. Cheren ran out into the street and tricked a bunch of cars into slowing and ramming each other by getting in the way. He made a car ram a sign post and a fire hydrant, which then erupted a fountain of water as Cheren dashed his way down the street, angrily watched by the group of operatives he had assaulted.

Uno Household

Rachel sat at her living room table and tirelessly signed and filled in a table full of papers. "Being a school principal sure ain't easy." she sighed to herself. The phone began ringing beside her, and she reached over to answer it. "Hello?"

"Hey, Sis, it's Harvey." Harvey spoke on the other end.

"Oh, hey, Bro! What's up?"

"Nothin' good. Yours and Uno's son just attacked my kids!"

"What?"

"He attacked Anthony and Michelle at the park just now. I'm just sayin' for the record, I blame the demon part inside him."

"I knew being Supreme Leader was stressful, but I didn't think it was THAT bad. I'll talk to him after he comes home. Talk to you later, Brother."

"This isn't over, you know!"

She sighed, "Yes, yes, I know." With that, she hung up, resting her head on her hand and sighing again.

"Rachel, have you seen my sunglasses?"

"Not really, Nigel." Rachel yelled up. "Maybe Chris has them."

"He already told me he didn't."

"Well, I don't know." She gave another sigh. "Man, I need some coffee." The woman went into the kitchen and grabbed a cup from the cabinet. She picked the jug off from the coffeemaker and poured some into the cup, then began to drink. She heard the phone ring again and sighed once more. "Nigel, could you get that?"

"Okay, okay." Nigel replied, walking downstairs to pick up the phone. "Hello?"

"Hey, Nigel, it's Eva!" Eva happily responded on the other end. "Listen, is your son home? We need to have a word with him."

"Which one, the cool one, or the workaholic?"

"Nigel!" Rachel yelled.

"I'm just kidding!"

"Um, Cheren." Eva answered.

"No, he's not home; why do you ask?"

"Well, he just assaulted my kids at the park."

"What? Why would he—oh, I got another call." He pushed the button and answered, "Hello?"

"Heey, Nigel, it's Violet." The werecat woman responded. "Listen, we have a little problem. Your son just attacked my daughter and niece."

"Um, Violet, I'm-"

"Nigel, this is Yang." The Chinese man suddenly appeared on the line. "It's about your son. He-"

"He ripped my daughter's doll up and pulled her tail!" Scarlet interrupted. "I am so mad, I can rip somebody's head out."

"Well, I-"

"Sis, this is Harvey again!" Harvey called again. "You better be doing something!"

"He should be, I just called him." Eva spoke.

"'He'? Wait, is that you, Uno?" Harvey asked. "I wanna have a word with you."

"Hey, don't forget me! My daughter took forever to grow that hair."

"Hey, forget about your daughter, you know how fragile cats' ears are?" Violet asked.

Nigel winced in shock as all of the parents burst into a sea of arguments. "Hey-Hey, people. Calm down." He tried to tell them, but merely stood there in annoyance as he listened to their arguments.

"Lilac has nothing to chew-" Violet complained.

"How's Melody gonna look pretty?" Eva asked.

"I'm still talkin' to you, Uno!" Harvey yelled.

"Hi, is this Kel's Pizza Place?" Peter Griffin asked.

"Is everything all right here?" Bruce asked.

"Oh, sorry, I was a digit off." Peter said.

"I'm not through with you, Uno." Scarlet glared.

"Can everyone please calm down?" Yang asked.

"Eva, you got anymore chilidogs?" Kade asked.

"Hey, it was my turn to have the last word!" Harvey yelled.

"No, it's my turn!" Angie yelled.

"Stop that nonsense!" Yang yelled.

"You stop that nonsense!" Bruce yelled.

"It's my T.V. show!" Harvey yelled.

"I don't know whether to visit a hospital or a vet!" Violet argued.

Rachel approached her husband with a disbelieved look and said, "Nigel, just hang up."

"Cattails aren't cheap either-" Scarlet said.

"Your son's crazy!" Harvey yelled.

"Seriously hungry here." Kade stated.

"Hey, I'm trying to place an order for 50,000 pieces of clothing." Roger the Alien stated.

"MY NAME IS ED! HUG ME!" Ed cried.

Nigel instantly switched off the phone and hung it up. "We really need to stop answering so many calls at one time."

"Ooooohhhhhh…" groaned Aurora and Chris as they groggily entered the living room, still covered in soot and bandages.

"Oh, there you kids are." Rachel said. "We didn't think you came home last night."

"We were all too tired when we got back, so we just slept in the treehouse." Aurora explained.

"What happened?" Nigel asked.

"We were about to bring down the villains' awards show, when Cheren showed up and just blew the whole place to smithereens." Chris explained.

"But didn't he know you were doing the mission?" Rachel asked.

"Yes, he assigned us just that morning." Aurora answered.

"Well, that's weird. A bunch of our friends just called us and said Cheren was assaulting their kids."

"Really? There is something going on here." Chris said. "In fact, Dad, I think Cheren was wearing the sunglasses you gave me."

"So, THAT'S where they went."

"But Cheren wouldn't do all this stuff, would he?" Aurora asked.

"I know Cheren gets annoyed with people, but still." Chris said.

"Don't worry, kids, we'll settle this straight." Rachel assured them. "We'll wait for Cheren to come home, and then ask him what's wrong."

"Providing he comes home first," Nigel reminded, "before he goes and hurts anyone else."

Downtown Cleveland

After stopping to get ice cream at Goofy Goober's Ice Cream Parlor, Panini Drilovsky was on her way home, walking down a city street. "Boy, Goofy Goober really knows how to cool a firebender off!" she beamed, quickly licking her cone. "I still can't believe Francis stuffed that entire Sundae Supreme down like nothin'. Hehe. I think I'll invite Cheren there for a little contest." She smirked. "I'll just take me a wee shortcut through this alley over here…"

The Irish child continued licking the cone as she passed into a dark alleyway, which seemed completely swallowed in darkness even though it was broad daylight. The firebender felt a presence behind her, turning around to see Cheren Uno himself standing in the alleyway entrance, his form shrouded by the alley. "Oh, hi, Cheren! I was just on my way to getcha. Wanna come over to Goofy Goober's? I bet I could totally beatcha at eating ice cream!"

The Uno boy just remained silent, his gaze focused on Panini as his eyes were the only visible thing on his body in the darkness.

"Um… Cheren?" Panini was becoming slightly frightened at her friend's silent treatment. She squinted her eyes and looked a bit closer. She could make out the maniacal look upon Cheren's face. "Umm…" Her eyes then focused to that of Cheren's. Her expression turned to pure horror at the feeling of malice detected in his dark-yellow eyes. Cheren gave a light chuckle and smirked, Panini backing away slowly as her friend approached.

"Er, Cheren? W-What's going on? You're creeping me out, now. Don't come any closer. Y-You're creeping me out. Seriously. Um, Cheren?" After a few more seconds, Cheren was just inches away from Panini, the girl's fear growing as she got a look at his smirk up close. "I-" She silenced as Cheren quickly gripped onto her shirt collar. She gulped. "Uh-oh."

"Hellooo? Siiis?" Francis Drilovsky called, coming into the alleyway. He took notice of the faint blood coming out of a garbage can, as well as the ice cream dropped beside it. The brother walked over, pulling the can open as it fell over. Francis gave a horrified gasp, his sister's nose bleeding, her clothes torn, and various bruises along her body.

KND Moonbase

The Supreme Leader, Numbuh 3621 sat in his office desk, yawning as he signed paperwork with his head rested on his right hand. He heard his door open as Larry MayHence walked in with another stack of papers. "Um, Sir: Sectors L and W have complaints of assault, and they demand compensation."

Cheren sighed and face-palmed. "Do I have to fill something out every time somebody stubs their toe?"

"Actually, that is one of Anthony's complaints." Larry said.

Cheren sighed again. "Thank you, Numbuh 65.42." He waved for Larry to go, and the chubby nerd did so.

Cheren gave another yawn and asked himself, "I wonder what's on T.V.?" The boy tiredly grabbed a remote and switched on the small T.V. in the room.

"We interrupt this program for breaking news." Melody Jackson spoke as she and Danny appeared on the KNN News. Cheren cocked a brow at the sight of Melody's torn hair and Danny's black eye. "Our breaking story: Supreme Leader Gone Berserk. Just recently, Yours Truly, my brother, and several of our friends/relatives were assaulted at the Ashland Park today by none other than Numbuh 3621 himself. The sectors of these operatives, including ourselves, have already filed several complaints of shoving, ripping up dolls, and pulling your cousin's hair. We would show you footage of this, but Cheren smashed our camera."

"He gave me a black eye." Danny whined.

Cheren's eyes only widened in shock and speechlessness. "Has our Supreme Leader totally lost it? Will we have to hire a new one? Will Cheren strike again? Find out more, after these commercial-" Cheren immediately switched the T.V. off.

"The frick? Why would they think I attacked them?" Cheren asked himself. "Man, I need a drink. There's gotta be some change around here…" The leader searched around in his jacket pocket for some money, but surprisingly found something else. "Oh?" Cheren rose a brow and pulled out a pair of sunglasses. "My father's sunglasses? How did these get in here? Didn't Chris have them? Hmm… I guess I should go home and return them. Sigh, maybe the drive will clear my head a little…"

Uno Household

After a while, Cheren landed his ship and disembarked to enter his house. As soon as he entered the door, he found Aurora and Chris sitting at the couch and watching TV, still covered in bruises as they also turned to notice him. "Oh. Mom, Dad, he's here." Aurora called.

Mr. and Mrs. Uno immediately walked in with looks of disappointment. "It's about time you got home." Rachel told him.

"Care to explain?" Nigel asked with a raised brow.

"Umm…" Cheren just looked confused.

"A bunch of our friends and relatives just called and said you were attacking their children." Rachel explained.

"And last night, you broke in and blew up the villains' secret lair without giving us a chance to escape." Aurora said.

"See? He's even got the sunglasses!" Chris pointed out.

"What? I never attacked anyone."

"We interrupt this program with breaking news." Eva Jackson spoke as she and Kade suddenly came onscreen. "Chaos on the streets of Ashland, West Virginia a few hours ago, done by an unknown child assailant with brown hair and a pair of sunglasses. 'Course, anyone related to this child will know him as Cheren McKenzie Uno, aka, my nephew. Er, but we're not related by blood!" Eva said quickly. "I was adopted by my cousin's uncle, o-on his mom's side! Okay? NNNOT related by blood."

"Uugh." Nigel rolled his eyes.

"Anyhoo, this assailant has done quite a bit of damage downtown, was the cause of several car wrecks, and even attacked several children. Including our own." Kade said.

"Here, we have footage of the incredible downtown destruction done by this single individual." The screen showed several photographs, of cars crashed in spewing fire hydrants, people running out of a burning restaurant, and the despicable boy himself, wearing his smirk as he swiped a lollipop from a baby. The next photo was one of Pablo, the Mexican boy smiling at the camera as he held his guitar.

Cheren's eyes shot wide open. "That wasn't me!"

"Well, he looks a lot like you. And you're holding the same sunglasses." Nigel pointed out.

"It wasn't me! I swear! You really think I would do any of that?!"

That's when the phone started ringing again. Everybody shot their attention towards the ringing device, faces of nervousness upon their forms. Rachel hesitantly walked over and reached for the phone, holding it beside her ear as she answered. "…Hello?"

"RAACHEEEEEEEELLLLL!"

"Uhh… Hi, Fanny. What's goin' on?"

"RACHEL! Grab that sorry son of yours and GET yer butts over here NOW!"

"Uhhh, which one?"

"You know very well which one…" Fanny spoke in a quiet, vicious tone. "So get yourselves over here, before I come over myself, and rip, his freaking, HEAD OOOOFF!"

"She'll do it. Trust me." Patton assured her.

"Okay, Fanny. We'll be over in a minute." With that assured, Rachel hung up. Both of the parents exchanged a worried glance before they all focused back on Cheren, who gulped nervously.

Drilovsky Household

The family shortly arrived at the Drilovsky home as Rachel rang the doorbell, and Patton answered their call. "Hey, Patton!" Rachel asked happily. "What's up?"

"Not the best time, Rachel." Patton simply stated before allowing the family in.

"Ho, boy." Rachel only sighed. "What is it this time?"

"Well, see, your son-"

"THERE you are!" Francis yelled, angrily stomping into the living room up to Cheren, taking the boy by the shirt and glaring angrily in his face. "You got some real nerve, sneaking up on my sister like that! When I get through with you, I'M GONNA-"

"Hold on, now, Francis." Fanny intervened, pulling her son back. "Let me take care of this." The Irish woman knelt down to Cheren's eye level and cleared her throat. "Ahem: YA GOT some real nerve attackin' my daughter like that!" Fanny shook the boy by his shoulders. "When I get through with you, you're gonna REGRET the day your mommy gave you that first sip of milk. I never shoulda let my daughter hang out withcha in the first place. You're nothin' but a HEARTLESS, LITTLE, BOY that's no different from Nigel Uno, or ANY OTHER stoopid boy! Why they made ya Supreme Leader, Ah will NEVER know! YOUU-"

"Fanny, calm down, sheesh!" Rachel yelled, pushing the lady off.

"Exactly WHAT did I do?" Cheren asked.

"Why don'tcha have a look?" Fanny said, angrily dragging Cheren by the wrist up the stairs. "Here she is." She pushed open the door.

Cheren's face was frozen with horror. His best friend lied on the bed, weakly breathing as blood dripped from her nose, which was bent at a weird angle. Her toes looked like they had been stomped and twisted on the ground, and her knees looked like they had been kicked and bent several times. Her ears also looked like they had been twisted, both in different directions, and her eyes swelled as they were blackened. It seemed she was punched across her face several times, as well as her throat.

Cheren calmly approached the resting girl and gently held her left hand in both of his. "Panini?…"

"Oh…oh… Cheren…" Panini weakly spoke.

"Hey, you just stand back, now!" Francis yelled, pulling the boy away. "I oughta schedule you for early decommissioning right now."

"Oh, come on!" Cheren forced himself away from his grasp and looked up at the parents. "I didn't do this! Why would I hurt Panini of all people?"

"Well, you have been known to cuss a lot when you lose to her." Aurora stated.

"And, we don't have any evidence that suggests otherwise." Fanny said. "Luckily, Panini's injuries don't seem to be outside of Eva's healing powers."

"In the meantime, I'm afraid we're gonna have to ground you, Cheren." Rachel decided.

"What?! But I didn't do anything!"

"We know, but like Fanny said, we don't really have any evidence." Nigel said.

"So if this 'imposter' strikes again, we'll know because you're in your room." Rachel explained.

"I was already in my Moonbase! And if there IS an imposter out there, then I have to be out there to stop him! I just can't sit around and let that creep go out and injure people in my name. I have to bring him down myself!"

"Sorry, Cheren, but it's just too dangerous to take that chance."

"Man, that is SO not fair." Cheren pouted with a grumpy look.

"Too bad for you, Killer." Francis snapped.

"Now, now, Francis." Rachel scolded. Cheren spared the boy an angry glare as Rachel led him away.

"But tell you what: I'll wait for Panini to wake up, and then let her decide if I should decommission you." Francis called after him.

"Let's go, Cheren." Rachel told her son, Cheren's eyes still locked on Francis as they exited the house.

Uno Household

The sun was beginning to set as Cheren lied back on his bed, his red rubber shoes kicked off on the floor as he rested his right leg atop the left. His head was rested on his right hand as he took careful aim with darts in his left, tossing the darts at the board on his door as he still kept the grumpy look plastered on his face. Just as he shot a dart at a picture of Ganon in the center, he suddenly began to hear a tapping at his bedside window. He looked and saw tiny pebbles being tossed at the window. He opened the window and looked down to see a barefooted girl, wearing yellow and green garb, long black hair, and gray eyes. "Hey!" she greeted cheerfully.

Cheren dropped down from his second-floor window and asked, "Who are you?"

"Don't you remember me? It's me! Lin Beifong!"

"Oh yeah… you're the transfer from the Avatar Realms. Sector C, right?" Lin smiled and nodded. "But… what're you doing here?"

"Well, I hear you're the recent infamous 'Supreme Leader Gone Berserk.'"

"Sigh, that isn't me. Some jerk is going around and hurting people, dressed like me. Thanks to him, my parents grounded me. Can you remember the last Supreme Leader who got grounded? 'Cause I sure can't."

"I had a feeling something fishy was up. By the way, can I check out your room?"

"Um, actually-" Cheren didn't have a chance to speak as Lin stomped the ground and flung herself up to the second floor. Cheren put on a look of disbelief as he climbed back into his window.

"Hey, not bad!" Lin said, looking around Cheren's room. "Our world doesn't have anything like this. Check out this thing!" She picked up and opened Cheren's 4DS. "What do you call this again?"

"DON'T touch that!" Cheren snapped, snatching it away.

"Geez, pushy." Lin then took notice of the small T.V. in his room. "And this is a 'T.V.,' right?"

"Yes, we use it to watch stuff, and I was lucky to still be able to keep one. Boy, your world really needs to evolve faster." Cheren stated, deciding to switch on the T.V..

"Well, it's not like we're anything like those 'Pokémon' this world so cherishes." The static soon cleared from the old T.V. as Melody and Danny's images appeared.

"We're sorry to interrupt this program, again, as the Lean-Mean Cheren strikes back."

"What?!"

"That's right, Mel, for it seems that our fair leader failed to hear his operatives' complaints, and has laid another attack upon Sector Q of Quahog, Rhode Island."

"So, is this like, a magic mirror or somethin'?" Lin asked. "…Hey!" she realized Cheren was hurriedly slipping on his shoes.

"I have to get over there and stop him!" he exclaimed.

"What about your parents? They'll be mad when they find out you left."

"Too bad. But I can't just sit around and let him do this." Cheren stated as he hopped out the window. "I don't suppose you wanna help?"

Lin hopped out after him and said, "Well, if we're ditching your room against your parents' wishes, then I'm all for it!" The two hurried over to the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. in the yard and got inside. "So… this is some sort of mechanical bison thing?"

"You fricking rode it here!"

"I'm kidding!" Cheren only gave a sigh as he started the ship up and took off for Quahog.

Quahog, Rhode Island

Cheren uncontrollably drove around in a stolen car and leapt out before ramming it in another fire hydrant. The black night darkened Quahog. He stood and brushed his hands off as he smirked and looked back at the many burnt buildings and spewing fire hydrant fountains. "Ahh, that's another street for the construction agency."

"Yeah. And it'll be your last street." At this, Cheren jumped around and readied his guard at the sight of Sandman, Coldman, and Wiccan, all aiming their weapons. "Is that you, Cheren?" Sandman asked.

"How would you know, Sandman?" Cheren smirked.

"That's not important." Wiccan cut off. She was a purple-haired, skinny woman with golden eyes, a purple cloak, navy-blue dress, and light-brown sandals. She wielded what looked like a wooden magic staff. "We don't know what's got you so riled up, but causing destruction to others won't help it."

"We'd hate to do this, but if you're not going to stop, I guess we have no choice." Sandman decided.

"Like it'll take some cripple, some Eskimo, and some wannabe witch to stop me." The rogue child rolled forward and double-kicked Sandman in the gut, sending him rolling backwards on his chair. Wiccan took aim and started to shoot fireballs from her staff, but Cheren stylishly back-flipped and avoided before taking the staff and kicking her down. He twirled the weapon in his hands before facing Coldman, the ice-themed hero unleashing a ray from his ice pack, but Cheren shot a fireball to melt the pack's hose, while the ice wave came and froze the staff. After taking down the three heroes, Cheren dashed away and began to break more windows.

"Well, that could have gone a bit better." Wiccan stated.

"Well, there's always Plan B:" Sandman said, pulling out a cellphone, "calling his mom."

Uno Household

Rachel hummed a tune to herself as the blonde woman was busy scrubbing dishes. The phone began ringing beside her as Aurora and Chris walked by, watching as their mom answered the phone. "Hello? Oh, hey, Nolan!" she happily answered, pressing the phone to her ear with her shoulder as she continued to scrub dishes.

"Sorry to interrupt, Rachel, but we've got a problem." Nolan spoke. "Your son is over here wreaking havoc."

Rachel paused in her work, shocked, as she and the kids looked outside to see that the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. was gone. The three hurried up to Cheren's room to find the boy long gone as his window was left open, the drapes blowing in the breeze. Rachel held the phone to her ear again and said, "Don't worry, Nolan, we'll be there soon." She pressed the button and hung up. "Oh, great…" she sighed.

"Don't worry, Mom. We'll get 'im." Aurora assured.

"Thanks, kids. Just be careful."

"We will!" Chris nodded before he and Aurora hurried up to their treehouse.

Rachel watched them leave before looking to the sky out Cheren's window, worried for her son.

Quahog, Rhode Island

The people frightfully ran from another street screaming as Cheren stood and smirked wickedly in their direction. "Hope you're having fun." At this, the rogue turned and found the REAL Cheren glaring at him, standing by Lin. "'Cause it ends here."

"Hm. It looks like you found me." he still smirked.

"Just who are you?!"

"Take a wild guess." The imposter unleashed purple flames from his hands and made a fiery circle around him. "HUAAAHHH!" he cried as the flames exploded into a dark-fiery column that encased him. When the column cleared, Cheren and Lin gaped as the counterpart's white articles of his clothing now became pitch-black. The two were still shock-frozen as the counterpart was about to speak. But before he did, he realized something was missing. He growled in frustration and yelled, "PABLO! Get over here and play my awesome theme music!"

The tired Mexican child immediately ran over, panting. "You move too fast, Señor Nerehc." The boy began playing his guitar. (Play "Dark Pit Flight" from Kid Icarus: Uprising!)

Lin and Cheren shook their heads at his name. "Nerehc??" Cheren exclaimed, their eyes wide.

"That's right. I'm your Negative." Nerehc smirked, pacing back-and-forth. "Nerehc EiznekCm Onu. The son of Lehcar and Eeballaw Seltaeb. But you can call me 'Negative Numbuh 3621.' I'm basically just like you, only a million times more fun."

"What are you doing here?" Cheren asked, glaring and gritting his teeth.

"Isn't it obvious?" Nerehc still kept his mischievous look. "I'm here to erase your good name. Or rather your BORING name. I'm setting up a brand new reputation for you. One that I find a lot more interesting. 'Course, the fact that you caught me sort of adds a wrench into the plan. Still, since no one is around to see us yet, I think now's the time to make my escape."

"You're not going anywhere!" Cheren yelled, drawing his small sword as he ran in attempt to strike him, but the Negative leapt several feet backwards. Cheren growled, running and dealing several quick swings at the Negative, who swiftly moved and dodged around. Cheren took swing at his legs, but Nerehc leapt high into the air and came down on Cheren, smirking down at the boy as he stood on him.

Nerehc gasped and was flung away when Lin kicked a rock chunk at him. Cheren passed her a nod before getting back to his feet and readying to battle the counterpart. Nerehc conjured flames in his hands and began shooting them at Cheren, who rolled and dodged as he made his way over, dealing several punches across Nerehc's face. Nerehc jumped behind and kicked him away, and Cheren looked back to see him doing a breakdance and create a fire shockwave. Cheren jumped the flames and performed a jump attack with his sword. Nerehc jumped away as Cheren ran forward, the two swiping several kicks at the other. Cheren was able to grab Nerehc in his legs and kick him away, smirking at the Negative. Nerehc gritted his teeth and stood up, rapidly tossing more purple flames at the Positive.

Cheren swiftly dodged the flames before making it over and spin-kicking Nerehc's legs, knocking him down. Nerehc looked up as Cheren's sword was pointed at his face, performing another breakdance to knock him down as well. Nerehc easily flipped back up afterwards as Cheren stood to glare at him. Cheren dashed forward and tried to whale on him, but Nerehc grabbed the arm with his sword before sliding him away. He looked over as Lin Beifong stomped and chucked more rock chunks at him, swiftly dodging the rocks before shooting flames at Lin's feet, knocking her down.

He looked as Cheren got back up and performed a spin attack, but Nerehc only leapt away again. The Negative kept his cocky look as he hurried down the street, shooting flames behind him as Cheren gave chase. The Positive raised his arm and sent his sword flying at the Negative, scraping the side of his hip and making Nerehc trip. Nerehc held himself up with his arms and looked up at Cheren. "I admit you are tough, Cheren, but here's one thing we don't have in common." With that, the cocky Negative kicked towards the ground and unleashed purple flames from his feet, using them like rockets to soar high in the air.

"What's wrong, Cheren? Don't know how to fly? I guess you can't do THIS either!" He then began zooming around side-to-side, making various movements with his legs as he still kept the flames running and remained his altitude. "Ha! Lookame! Can't do this! Haha!"

"Grrrr!" Cheren continued to grind his teeth.

"Hey, I gotta run now. Wait, scratch that: I need to FLY! Hahaha! Later, sucker!" The Negative shot into the heavens and soon vanished from sight. (End song.)

Blood boiled in Cheren's form as he watched the Negative get away. His anger growing inside him, the boy erupted a powerful scream, and Lin shielded her eyes as a column of fire shot into the heavens. When the screaming stopped, the column disappeared, but flames still shone around his body as he panted in anger. Lin looked as a bunch of police cars were coming their way, parking as Joe Swanson and his cops came out with their guns raised. "Alright, kid, put your hands up in the air and get on the ground."

Cheren continued to pant as his back was turned toward them. Lin then looked up as a C.O.O.L.-B.U.S. suddenly came down for a landing beside them. Mason and Haruka leapt out and immediately swallowed the area where the cops stood in green and purple gas (respectively), making them cough. Aurora and Chris quickly grabbed Cheren's wrists and pulled him into the bus, followed by Lin as the ship lifted and took off. The touch of Aurora's hand also caused Cheren's flames to douse. By the time the cops blew the gas away, they found the kids long gone.

"Crap. They got away." Joe said. The handicapped officer then looked and noticed Pablo. "Who're you?"

Pablo glanced between the cops and the opposite direction and yelled, "Vámonos!" before dashing away as fast as Speedy Gonzales.

Drilovsky Household

Fanny Drilovsky worriedly stood at her kitchen counter as she stirred the boiling soup before her. "Ah sure hope this thing is for real." She spoke quietly. "Thanks for coming over to help, Mika."

"Anytime, Fan." The Filipino woman smiled, walking over with a bottle of hot sauce. "Where'd you get the recipe for this, anyway?"

"Oh, Shaunie got it from the Mushroom Kingdom. He decided ta give it to me 'cause he knows I love to cook. Pretty sweet, actually. Anyway, what we're makin' is supposed to be Spicy Soup. Now that we treated her injuries, she'll need something spicy to get back on her feet. Perfect for the reckless firebender. I also made her this Fresh Juice." She held up a small glass of juice.

Francis walked in shortly after to watch his mother finish stirring. "That should do it." Fanny said.

"Mind if I take it up?" Francis asked.

"Sure. Just be careful, Francis. It's hot." Fanny placed the hot bowl on a towel and handed it to Francis as he carefully held it in his open right palm. He took the Fresh Juice in his left hand as he carried the items upstairs.

"You don't really think Cheren would do this, do you?" Mika asked.

"It does seem awfully suspicious."

"He never really did seem the type to do that. Thatsh almosht ash random ash me."

"Don't be silly." Fanny remarked.

Upstairs, Panini remained unconscious as her brother arrived in her room with the soup and juice. "You okay there, Sis?"

"Ohhh…" she moaned.

"Eat this and you'll feel better. Hopefully…" He placed the edge of the bowl by her mouth and tipped it so that the steaming soup would slowly flow inside. "And here's somethin' to wash it down…" He grabbed the Fresh Juice and bent the tiny straw before sticking it in her mouth. Panini weakly sucked on it and swallowed the juice.

Panini released a light yawn as she slightly opened her blackened eyes. "Francis?… What's going on?"

"Don't worry. Cheren's being dealt with. We'll get you better soon."

"Cheren?…" She began to remember. "No! It wasn't Cheren that attacked me."

"What? Then who?"

"He…He looked just like him. But his eyes… they were different. They… were full of malice."

Francis gasped and punched his palm in anger and realization. "A Negative."

Sector V C.O.O.L.-B.U.S.

"You just can't stay put, can you, Bro?" Aurora asked as the team was flying back toward Virginia.

"I don't know what your problem is, dude, but attacking my dad, Mr. Crystal, and Ms. Wickens isn't cool." Dillon told him.

"Guys, it wasn't ME! It was my Negative!" Cheren tried to say.

"He's telling the truth." Lin followed. "I saw him with my own two eyes."

"And who are you again?" Artie asked.

"I'm Lin, Toph's daughter. You know, the strongest earthbender in the Avatar Realms?"

"'old on. If he's your Negative, what would he be doing here?" Sheila asked.

"He said he wants to ruin my reputation and make a 'better' one. I have to stop him before it's too late."

"First, let's try and explain things to our parents." Aurora decided. "They're probably pretty worried, seeing as you 'snuck out' at the same time your double attacked."

Shortly after, the crew arrived back at the treehouse and met with the Uno and Drilovsky parents, as well as Mika and Francis in the front yard of the house. They took land and stepped off the ship as they approached the four adults and Francis. "Mom, Dad, I'm sorry I snuck out, but you have to believe me, I-"

"We know, Cheren." Rachel cut him off. "Panini woke up, and she explained what she saw."

"Is she OK?!" Cheren exclaimed. "Can I see her?"

"She'll be fine. She just needs time to rest is all." Fanny assured him.

"And we'll call the other parents to let them know what's happening." Rachel assured. "That should clear your name for now."

"Then our mission now is to find my Negative and bring him to justice." Cheren declared with a determined expression. "Sector V, let's head out and begin our search."

"Not so fast, Bro." Aurora kept him from entering the bus. "It's been a long night. You'll need your sleep if we're going after someone like him."

"I can't sleep now. I need to-" Cheren cut off his own sentence with a yawn, "I need to find him…"

"There, there, Mate." Sheila gently patted his shoulder as she and Mason led him inside. "Let's get that weary 'ead of yours on a boat to Dreamsville, eh?"

"Hehehe. Poor kid." Rachel chuckled as they watched them leave.

"So, any of you guys actually think about how we're going to find this Negative?" Lin asked. "I mean, how do we know where he'll strike?"

"You just leave that to me." Mrs. Chariton smirked before walking away.

"Where are you going?" Patton called to her.

"What do you do when a kid's misbehavin'?" Mika asked, turning back at them. "Call his mommy."

Sector L News Station

"Hello, everyone, and welcome to KNN News. I'm Numbuh 10.11, and this is Numbuh 10.0." Melody began. "Just last night, the dreaded rogue Numbuh 3621 struck again. However, after a more recent phone call, it was discovered that our elusive rogue was, in fact, NOT our Supreme Leader, but rather his despicable Negative. Our fair Supreme Leader himself is currently planning a search for this renegade outworlder, just as soon as he meets with a group of the operatives his double had assaulted. Join us again tonight, to find out if his search becomes successful, or if he ends up at the wrong place, at the wrong time."

KND Moonbase

When it came around noon the next day, Sector V brought Cheren Uno up to the Moonbase on their C.O.O.L.-B.U.S.. The group of operatives made it to the bridge outside of Cheren's office. They met up with the kids that Nerehc had assaulted, with the inclusion of the rest of Sector W, who were Sally and Harvey Harper, Fybi Fulbright, and Aranea Fulbright. "Guys, I hope you all know now that wasn't me."

"Duh. Of course we know. And that's why we're gonna help you find him." Melody decided.

"And WE'RE gonna help, too!" Cheren looked to his left to find two alien kids. There was Makava, a yellow-skinned girl with a purple dress, black hair in a ponytail, and a tall antenna, and her tiny brother Vweeb, a white-skinned alien in a blue jumpsuit, standing on her shoulder.

"What are they doing here?" Cheren asked.

"Nebula sent them after Francis told her what happened." Aurora replied. "That sure was nice of her!"

"Actually, Nebula was hoping to make an alliance with Nerehc after we caught him." Makava explained. "She thinks he's leader of the Negative DNK."

"Guys, I can't let you do that. Nerehc is way too dangerous and destructive for me to risk any of your lives."

"Sorry, Cuz, but we're gonna have to defy you there." Anthony stated.

"Nobody likes having their good name slandered." Sally told him. "And that bully hurt a bunch of our friends. That's why we'd be honored to help you defeat him."

Cheren sighed, "Look, guys, I appreciate the offer, but-"

"Dude, we're helping you. Plain and simple." Berry Bean decided. "Somethin' tough to understand about that or somethin'?"

"Hehehe…" Cheren could only smile and chuckle.

"All right, now let's cut to the chase, any idea where to find him?" Aranea asked.

"Umm…" Harry Gilligan started to think.

"Thine drawing of the 'um' maketh me think not." Fybi said.

"We brought someone who might have an idea." Came the voice of Darcy Chariton, who stood with her sister, Sunni. They directed their attention at the Chariton kids and took notice of the girl standing between them. She seemed an identical copy of Aurora, only her clothing was different. She was decked out in a black top (on one side was a spaghetti strap, while the other side had a slanting sleeve that ended below her other shoulder) with red trimming, and a red skirt with black lace. She wore a pair of huge red boots, which were marked on the top by two black tear-drop shapes, and featured black shoelaces, and the bottom was windup with black ribbons that faded into red. The soles and heels of her boots were black.

Sheila's eyes widened in confusion as she looked back-and-forth between the girl and Aurora. "Oi, now I'm seein' double here. No one told me Aurora 'ad a twin."

Aurora sighed, "No, Sheila… this is my Negative."

"E-yep." The Negative nodded, an emotionless frown on her face, and half-closed eyes. "I'm Arorua EiznekCm Onu, Nerehc's older, more competent sister."

"Oh, great." Aurora rolled her eyes. "I assume you're going to be tarnishing my reputation now?"

"Naah. That's sort of my brother's style, I have more important things to do. Anyway, Sunni and Darcy's mom just came and told us what Nerehc's been doing last night. Unfortunately, he escaped before we could do something. I heard he was planning a trip to Miracle City, Mexico at around 7:30 this evening. If you plan to catch him, you might wanna arrive a little early 'fore he does."

"Miracle City? I've heard of that place." Dillon spoke up. "It's supposed to be a 'spicy cesspool of crime and villainy.'"

"So, how come you don't help him?" Aurora asked her counterpart.

"I already told you. I have more important things to worry about. Like schoolwork. Don't have time to help my brother in his little games."

"All I can say is she is DEFINITELY your opposite." Mason stated.

"Got that right. That color scheme SO does not work for me." Aurora remarked.

"I could say the same about you. I mean, '80's clothing? You gotta quit living in the past." Arorua stated, tonelessly still.

"Hey! FYI this was the LOOK back then! You seriously overuse the black and red theme."

"Prithee, must thou fight now?" Fybi asked.

"She's right. Our focus is on Nerehc." Arorua reminded. "We can't get distracted."

"Hey, I'm still not done with you!" Aurora shouted.

"So, the plan is to fly over to Miracle City at around sunset, and basically try and gang up on Cheren's Negative in the hopes he'll eventually get tired." Artie summarized.

"That's the general gist of it." Sally replied.

"Okay, but before we head over, I need to drop by my house for a bit." Cheren said as he walked off. "There's something there that might be able to help us."

Uno Household

Cheren landed his ship in the yard and hurried inside to find his mom still filling in papers at the living room table. "Oh, Cheren." Rachel looked over when she heard him come in. "Did you find out where your Negative is?"

"Yeah, we're going to stop him. But first, Mom, I need to borrow the Three Sacred Treasures."

"What? Why?"

"We're all going after him together and I don't want my friends to get hurt as much. I need to borrow the Three Sacred Treasures so I'll have a better chance at stopping him."

"Cheren, remember what I told you: you'll have to master the other weapons before I can trust you with the Sacred Treasures."

"Mom, you didn't trust me when everyone thought it was ME doing all that damage! The least you could do is trust me with these."

Rachel sighed, "Cheren, I'm sorry we didn't trust you were telling the truth. But the Three Sacred Treasures really are dangerous weapons. I just wouldn't be comfortable if-"

"Mom, please." Cheren stepped closer with pleading eyes. "I have to borrow them. If I don't stop him, he's only gonna keep hurting people. I have to do what I can to stop him AND protect my friends. And besides, you said they aren't meant to kill people, right? I won't lose them, and I'll be careful with them, I promise. Please, Mom."

"Hmm…" Rachel looked away in thought. "Well, you have been getting better with your training… and I guess I owe it to you. I guess it wouldn't hurt to trust you with them."

"Aw, thanks, Mom." Cheren smiled, hugging her. "You won't regret it, I swear." The leader excitedly ran up to his room to enter the secret treehouse.

Treehouse of Coolness

"Three Sacred Treasures ACTIVATE!" Cheren exclaimed, kicking open the box as a beam of light erupted from it. "FORM OF-" The three weapons appeared upon his form: the Arrows of Light on his back, the Mirror Shield in his right hand, and the Master Sword in his left as he raised it skyward, "A really badass operative! Ho-ho yeah! This is what I'm talkin' about! Get ready Nerehc 'cause here I come!"

Desert area over Mexico

As the sun was beginning to set over the desert, the many teams were soaring around the heavens in search of the evasive Negative. "Well, Miracle City's just straight ahead, and it's almost 7:30." Artie spoke, driving Sector V's C.O.O.L.-B.U.S.. "Nerehc Onu should be showing up in a couple of-" The ship shook all of a sudden as lightning struck at them.

"Guys, we found 'im." Melody called from her ship. Sector V stood up and looked outside their window as Nerehc flew around outside using his rocket-feet. He smirked as he flew backwards away from them and waved.

"Hey, get back here!" Cheren yelled, leaping out the ship's door. The Supreme Leader kicked his shoes together and activated their built-in rockets. "Thank you, Artie!" Cheren shot after the Negative and rapidly swung the Master Sword at him.

Nerehc drew out the Devil's Sword and clashed against Cheren's blade before trying to fly away from him. "Grrr! Pablo!"

The small Mexican boy soared by them on a hang-glider as he played Nerehc's theme music on his guitar. (Play the "Dark Pit Flight Theme" from Kid Icarus: Uprising!)


Stage 1: Canyon of Miracles

Mission: Catch the crazy Negative, Nerehc Onu!

Act 1

"So, I see you decided to grab some new weapons." Nerehc remarked.

"That's right. You're no match for the Three Sacred Treasures."

"And I see you got some more air-worthy feet. But let's see how long those shoes of yours can last. Just try and catch me."

Cheren kept flying after the Negative as both of them swung their blades against the other. Nerehc flew further ahead, so Cheren tried to slow him down with Light Arrows. Nerehc slowed and flew behind his Positive to try and strike him from behind. Cheren dodged around and kicked Nerehc from above, making him plummet down a little. Nerehc regained control and flew further away, Cheren shooting downward and giving chase. The two were flying close to the ground as Cheren was above Nerehc, who turned to face up and swing more strikes against Cheren's sword. Nerehc then flew around him in circles before shooting further ahead of him. Cheren added more gas to his rocket shoes and kept after him at high speed, the two rapidly flying around and throwing swings at the other.

The two ended up gripping the other's neck as they tried scraping their heads along the hot and sandy ground. The two looked ahead and gasped as they were coming for a sandstorm in the desert. The two split apart as they were caught inside the sandy winds, Cheren squinting his eyes as he tried to keep his glasses on and see. He noticed Nerehc speeding around towards him, attempting a kick, but Cheren back-flipped and dodged and tried to throw punches at him. Nerehc shot up higher, and Cheren gave chase, the two eventually shooting straight up out of the windy storm and up above the clouds. They kept flying farther and farther before shooting back down through the clouds and toward the desert.

As Sector V and the operatives tried to keep up with them, the crew took notice of a bunch of ships coming from the direction where Cheren and Nerehc were headed. "Uh-oh. Looks like the Brotherhood wants in on this fight, too." Artie observed.

"They're probably pretty peeved that Nerehc took out their secret lair." Aurora figured.

Both counterparts gasped and dodged as the Brotherhood ships launched missiles and projectiles at them. Both of them flew around and began slicing off the guns on tanks, then flew upwards to slice the wings off of Killer Moth's moths. Cheren and Nerehc dodged to the side as Johnny Rancid and Johnny 13 flew by on their motorcycles. The two bikers turned around and gave chase as Johnny 13 sent his Shadow after them. Dillon York jumped out of the C.O.O.L.-B.U.S. and used Shadow Glide to fly down and tackle the Shadow. Mason and Haruka spewed Poison Breath down at Rancid, blinding the biker's vision and causing him to crash in a pillar. Sheila punched Light Spheres down at Johnny 13, making the ghost shield his eyes in defense as he crashed into another pillar. Cheren and Nerehc evaded the Brotherhood's tanks and shot toward a wall, shooting straight up and over it before they could crash. Nerehc flew ahead again and kicked fireballs at Cheren, but the Supreme Leader caught the flames in his Mirror Shield and bounced them back, Nerehc avoiding as he kept going ahead.

The two were headed into a twisty canyon area, where Nerehc zoomed around and lost him throughout the many walls. Cheren looked and saw Punk Rocket and Angel flying toward him, so the operative powered a Skyward Strike to send Angel falling down, then shot a Light Arrow at Punk Rocket's guitar before flying more through the canyons. From a distance, Nerehc charged a jolt of lightning and fired it at one of the walls beside Cheren, who looked up and gasped when tons of boulders began coming down. Sector V and W's ships flew down as both Lin and Michelle used Boulder-n-Chains to grab two of the falling boulders and used them to beat away the others. Cheren uncovered his vision and sighed in relief before keeping after his Negative.

The two flew higher above the canyons as Cheren shot arrows after Nerehc. Nerehc slowed down a little to get beside him as the two started to clash their weapons again. Nerehc shot behind Cheren and kicked him down to the dark trench below. Cheren regained control of his jetshoes and watched Nerehc continue to fly away, speeding after him. He watched his Negative soar over another jagged wall and kept after his tail. When he arrived over the wall, he viewed a field of several Brotherhood tanks, and noticed Nerehc taking land on one.

"Time for a little target practice!" Nerehc declared, taking the soldier out and controlling the tank himself as he locked onto Cheren.

Cheren gulped and barrel-rolled away to avoid being shot by the tank's guns. He flew down behind a wall to take cover, but the wall was blown away by the tank. He flew away to take cover behind another moving tank, then quickly flew away before it was blown up. He then shot behind another tank that was only a few feet from Nerehc's and flew out before it was blown up, going for the Negative's tank and slicing it totally in half with a powered Skyward Strike. Nerehc was blown out of the tank, shaking his head before flying even faster from his double.

"You're not getting to Miracle City on my watch!" Cheren yelled as his Negative was escaping into a region of steep mountains. Cheren skimmed the area from the heavens in search of where his Negative had gone to. But before he knew it, Nerehc had shot straight up and punched Cheren upside the head, causing the Positive to spiral around and for his glasses to drop to the far ground below. Cheren flew right-side-up again and shook his head from the dizziness, his eyes squinting as the world before him became very blurry.

"Aw, what's wong?" Nerehc asked in a cocky, babyish tone as he flew around him. "Wittle Chewen can't see without his gwasses? Any moment now, you'll lose those precious weapons of yours, too- OOF." The Negative was instantly zapped by a laser from down below, causing him to plummet to the ground.

"The Ding Dong Daddy don't ever miss diddly." The road-loving villain, Ding Dong Daddy, said. His car was flung away however when Anthony and Michelle took land on the ground and sent him flying using earthbending (but it was really Michelle's skill that did it).

Sector V flew beside Cheren as Aurora said, "Cheren, you won't be able to fight him without your glasses. Fly down and look for 'em. We'll take it from here." With that, the group of ships flew toward the mountain range.

"Ohhh…" Cheren groaned, struggling to see clearly. The Positive slowly drifted toward the ground to begin the search for his glasses. (End song.)

Nerehc hurried into a center area of the mountain range and panted heavily as Pablo took land on his glider beside him. The Negative tried to kick flames out of his feet, but was unable to fly. "Crud! Ding Dong Daddy took out my flight. I've gotta escape 'em through the mountains. You stay here and just… play that guitar or somethin'." With that, the rogue child ran ahead.

Pablo just looked in his direction and shrugged as he calmly played his guitar. (Play "Ruins of the Temple" from Kid Icarus: Uprising.)

Act 2: Miracle Ruins

The three ships took land in the mountains as the operatives all stepped out. The relaxing music that came from Pablo's guitar echoed throughout the mountains. "Okay, Nerehc's been temporarily grounded, so he couldn't have gone far on foot. We'll split up and go after him." Aurora instructed. "Sector L will be a team, Sector W, Sector V, and the werecats and aliens will be teams. Now spread out and go after him." Everyone nodded and split up into different directions.

Melody, Danny, and Eric made their way down a narrow, snaky pathway, watching as Plasmus blobs emerged from the walls. Both Melody and Danny bended water out of their bottles to form Water Fists, using them to squish and splatter the reddish-pink blobs. A bunch of agents from H.I.V.E. Academy were charging through as well, but the two waterbenders covered them in the liquid and froze them solid. The trio kept passing through and eventually reached a small beach area that was surrounded by the mountain walls, overlooking the ocean as the sun set over the horizon. Eric tapped their shoulders and pointed over at their right, indicating the destructive Negative attacking Mammoth, Gizmo, See-More, and Kyd Wykkyd. Melody switched on her wristwatch communicator and spoke, "This is Mel to Aurora, we found him at the coastside."

"Good. Take him down, but be careful."

As Nerehc easily attacked Gizmo and See-More, he was suddenly bashed and sent flying toward the sea by a giant fist. The Negative stood and looked up at Melody and Danny readying their Water Fists. Nerehc gritted his teeth and shot fire, but the duo spun and dodged as they splashed water at him. Nerehc rolled to the side and continued to shoot flames around the place, in which Eric cowardly dodged and ducked. "Umm… I'll just watch from over here, thank you." The nerd stated before carefully backing away.

"Well, Melody, I must say that is a very impressive look for you." Nerehc smirked, dodging another watery punch.

"Hey, you keep quiet. I finally got my hair the way I like it and you go and ruin it."

"Uh-huh. I'm surprised you're actually trying to fight me. The fact you're all in KNN would make me believe you're out of practice. Sittin' around, telling boring news stories, never getting any REAL missions. All you really do in your spare time is make that pretty self of yours look good. You got no chance against someone who goes out in the field."

"Then care to explain how we're totally kicking your-" Danny was silenced when Nerehc sped over and delivered a powerful kick against his fat stomach, causing him to bounce and roll away.

"Point blank, fatty." Nerehc then shifted attention back to Melody. "Two news anchors can bend, but don't know a thing about fighting."

"You wanna put your money where your mouth is?" Melody asked.

"Nah. Easy gambles don't do it for me. I've already taken out the two nerds. That just leaves the babe." Melody kept jumping around to avoid Nerehc's fireballs. She slammed her right Water Fist to the ground to force herself up and over, attempting to bring the other fist down on Nerehc, who only jumped further back. The Negative then charged over, and the two gripped the other's arms as they began to push against the other. Nerehc only lit his hands with fire to burn Mel, then jumped to spin-kick Melody across the face and knock her down. "Hehe." Nerehc chuckled cockily, then raised a brow at feeling a tap on his shoulder. He turned around and- "GAAH!" his glasses were suddenly swiped as Eric sprayed inhaler in his eyes.

"That's for pushing me!"

"Oh, forget you guys!" Nerehc yelled. He snapped his fingers and caused a dark vortex to open behind him, jumping inside as it vanished.

"He can do that?!" Melody exclaimed.

"Better call the others." Danny suggested. Melody switched on her wristwatch and began to do so.

As Sector V progressed up a hill, Aurora received a call from Melody. "Hello?"

"Aurora, this is Mel. Nerehc just escaped through a vortex."

"What?"

"Oh yeah, he can do that." Arorua called and responded. "Our mom's been teaching him all of her moves, including that. It's part of darknessbending. He's still in training though, so he can't warp too far."

"Good. Then he should still be around. Keep looking for him, guys."

With Sector W

"We're on it." Anthony responded as he and his team were currently walking down a small trail down a cliffside. At the end of said trail, the group stopped before a pitch-black cave.

"Umm… we're not going in there, are we?" Harvey asked.

"Duh. We have to find Nerehc. You never know where he might be." Anthony answered.

"But, uh… I don't like the dark."

"Don't worry, Harvey." Sally smiled, taking her brother's hand. "We'll keep you safe. Anthony and Michelle can use Seismic Sense to lead us through."

"Actually, just me." Michelle corrected. "Anthony doesn't know how to, yet." She smiled victoriously.

Anthony glared at her and said, "Let's just go. Okay, everyone hold hands so we don't get lost." The group of 7-year-olds (and Michelle) all linked to form a chain as Michelle led from the front, keeping her eyes closed as she felt the path ahead of them using Seismic Sense.

"Watch out, guys." Michelle cautioned as she carefully led them over a thin bridge that led over some rushing water. When they reached the other side, they found their selves in a cavern with several pillars connecting the floor and ceiling, and a hole in the ceiling where light shone out. Anthony gasped and ducked everyone out of the way to avoid a sudden bolt of lightning. The crew looked over as Nerehc blew the smoke from his fingers.

"There he is! Get 'im!" Anthony cried. Nerehc tried shooting fire at Aranea, but the short girl easily ducked and rolled along the ground as she shot her C.O.N.E.-C.A.N.N.O.N. at Nerehc, hitting his wrist and making him shake the pain off. Nerehc looked to the side and jumped before Anthony could slide an earthquake at him. Nerehc's wrists were suddenly tied around by yo-yos as Sally and Harvey tried to pull him from opposite ends. The Negative pulled his left arm in and yanked Harvey away, ducking and allowing the boy to shoot into his sister and knock her down.

Nerehc broke free of the yo-yos and quickly began dodging as Anthony chucked rocks at him, sending them from the ground. "Well, if it isn't the shoeless Sector Leader. Still sucking at earthbending?"

"What's it to you?" Anthony asked, kicking another rock at Nerehc.

Nerehc dodged it and continued, "You know, I have a cousin that looks like you. And he is really annoying. Could he BE any more nice?? Bluch! He's your Negative. That's why I'd much rather have you as a cousin. Operatives as evil and selfish as you are don't come around often."

"Put a cork in it!" Anthony yelled, kicking another rock chunk at Nerehc, who dodged again. The Negative was then pelted to the side of the head by Michelle, and he immediately shot flames along the floor that went over and burned her feet. Michelle screamed in pain and fell over as Nerehc smirked. However, Fybi suddenly shot over and shoved Nerehc away, flying above near the ceiling. The Negative glared and tried to shoot lightning at the angel, but she quickly dodged around, making him strike the ceiling and for rocks to come down. She aimed a foot forward and attempted a Screw Kick as she shot down, but Nerehc dodged, grabbed her ankle, and swung and bashed her against the ground.

Nerehc clutched Fybi's wings and declared, "I wonder what happens if a Nimbi loses her wings?" And he was about to set her wings aflame.

Filled with rage, Anthony began kicking harder rock chunks at Nerehc's head, eventually knocking the Negative to his back and sliding him under the hole in the ceiling. Anthony stomped the ground and sent Nerehc flying out. The crew climbed out of the hole and watched as a group of Dai Li Agents surrounded Nerehc.

The Negative got to his feet and snapped open another vortex before jumping inside. The agents directed their attention at the Sector W team before proceeding to fight them.

With Vweeb's group

"He got away from us, guys." Anthony's voice spoke through their wristwatches. "He's hiding somewhere else."

"Okay." Makava replied. "We'll keep looking."

"Dude sure is fast, I'll give him that." Berry commented as the four began a trek up a rather long trail.

"You think we can catch him?" Lilac asked doubtfully.

"Well, we have to try." Makava said. "If we don't, Nerehc will only keep hurting people."

"WHOA!" They jumped back when lightning struck the ground before them.

"There he is!" Vweeb exclaimed, pointing up at the top of a mountain. Nerehc charged another lightning bolt and struck down, the four dodging behind a stone pillar.

"'Guess he's working on his aim." Makava figured.

"What now??" Lilac shouted.

"Just avoid him and keep moving forward. Let's go." They ran behind another pillar and avoided a lightning strike, continuing up the trail as Nerehc was charging up another. When he finished, they crouched behind a wall and avoided before continuing. As they came to a bridge, the four crouched down to hide behind the bridge's railing, crawling their way across. When they made it to the other side, they tried to crawl out, but went back in when another lightning shot at them. They peeked outside and found the rest of the way pretty straight, with nothing to hide behind. They went back behind to avoid another lightning strike.

"Boy, he is not letting us in." Makava observed.

"I'll get 'im." Vweeb offered. "I'll hurry over and distract him, giving you girls enough time to catch up." The half-Kateenian ran out from behind the railing, dashing his way up the rest of the gargantuan trail, undetected by Nerehc. The alien was quickly growing tired of going up the wide trail, but kept pressing forward. Eventually, he was able to reach Nerehc, who was still turned away from him as he tried to zap lightning down at the girls. Still unnoticed by him, Vweeb ran up to the Negative and crawled up his pants leg.

"Hey!" Nerehc yelled, shaking around and trying to swat the crawling alien in his pants.

"Now's our chance." Makava whispered as they hurried the rest of the way. By the time they made it, Nerehc had grabbed Vweeb and thrown him against the ground. He drew out his sword and was about to stab him, but his blade was instantly held back by Makava's dual swords. Makava clashed her weapons against his, but Nerehc flipped back, and was instantly tackled by Lilac and Berry, causing them all to roll down the steep hill. Nerehc tossed the werecats off him and stabbed his sword in the hill, able to stand and run up the slope.

Makava watched him from the ledge as Nerehc leapt right over, landing on the safe side. Vweeb drew out his ray gun and tried to shoot Nerehc, but the Negative easily shielded the tiny blasts with his sword before trying to stomp Vweeb, who leapt around like a grasshopper. "Heh. Aren't you a brave little Kateenian. My mom always told me about your people, how prideful they are. And we always laugh."

"I heard it before." Vweeb said, continuing to jump Nerehc's sword swings.

"You may be strong on your own planet, but you're all nothing here. I can destroy a thousand of your people in minutes. You're HOPELESS." He tried to stomp him again, but Vweeb dodged.

"A lot of people who underestimate the Kateenians don't live to tell the tale!" Vweeb argued.

"How bold. Well, we'll see how 'special' you feel when you end up another squashed blob on my shoe." Vweeb kept jumping rapidly as Nerehc kept stabbing down at him. He quickly defended when Makava swung her swords, clashing against her blades before knocking them out of her hands and sending them falling over the edge. Nerehc smirked and tipped his sword at Makava's neck, but Vweeb took this time to crawl up his pants leg again. Nerehc jumped around some more to try and shake Vweeb out, but the Negative ended up slipping and falling over the edge.

Nerehc kept rolling along the ground before finally landing hard on the surface below, Vweeb bouncing out. The Negative looked and saw the Girl Squad surrounding him, snapping his fingers and escaping through another vortex. The Girl Squad decided to focus their attention on Vweeb and shot their Girlifyers, but Lilac and Berry dropped down and defended him, unaffected by the shots as they ran to battle the girls.

With Sector V

Sector V had finally arrived at the top of a steep hill, finding themselves at some old temple ruin. After stopping to catch their breath, they faced directly ahead as Nerehc was engaged in battle with Food Patrol, Cheese Ninjas, and Hungry Men. "There he is!" Aurora exclaimed as they charged forward. After he was finished knocking out a Cheese Ninja, Nerehc flipped behind Aurora to avoid her fire punch, kicking the Sector Leader down. Chris tried to punch some fireballs at him, but Nerehc jumped behind and kicked him down beside his sister. Dillon snuck over using Shadow Veil and grabbed Nerehc by his legs as he pulled him into his shadow. Dillon laid a beating upon the Negative before tossing him out of the shadow, letting Kirie Beatles grab and start spin-punching him.

Nerehc jumped away from the Beatles child, defending with his sword as Artie shot his Diffusion Rifle. He ran to slice Artie's weapon in half, then jumped away to avoid Sheila's Light Spheres. Nerehc charged and swung his blade at the Faunus raccoon, but Sheila was able to hold him back, and Haruka wrapped a Poison Whip around his left leg and pulled him down. Mason then burped some Poison Breath in his face, making Nerehc shield his eyes and cough before standing and jumping away from the gas cloud. He rapidly spun his sword around when Haylee unleashed a barrage of gumballs from her G.U.M.Z.O.O.K.A., carefully taking steps backward. The Negative ended up tripping on Dillon's leg, which stuck out of the shadow of a pillar that Dillon was hiding in. Afterwards, both Chris and Aurora combined their firebending, spun around, and launched two fireballs at the Negative, sending him falling and bouncing down the steep slope that led them up there. (End song.)

"Enough!" Nerehc yelled, shooting to his feet as fire erupted. "Where's Cheren? I wanna deal with him RIGHT NOW!"

At this time, Cheren was still crawling around the ground in search for his missing glasses. Along his way, he crawled up to a pair of feet, looking up as Lin stood over him with his glasses. "Are these yours?"

"Alright!" Cheren cheered, taking the glasses back. "Thanks, Lin. Now to get after my Negative."

The four teams had made their back to the central area of the mountains as Nerehc stood there, waiting. "Well? Cheren gonna show himself or what?"

"Right here." Nerehc looked over as Cheren approached from one of the entries, holding his weapons ready.

"He he." Nerehc smirked. "Perfect timing." The Negative snapped his fingers and caused walls of purple fire to appear and surround the two in the battlefield, keeping everybody else out. "Are you ready?"

Cheren drew his sword, and they both yelled, "LET'S DO THIS!" (Play Dark Pit's Theme from Kid Icarus: Uprising!)


Boss fight: Nerehc EiznekCm Onu

Nerehc dashed to the side and shot fireballs at Cheren, but he caught them and bounced them back in his Mirror Shield. Nerehc did a spin attack and batted the fireballs away as Cheren shot over and tried to swing at him, but Nerehc back-flipped and flew around Cheren in a circle, making flames appear and float along his path. Cheren jumped and dodged when the flames shot at him, then quickly swung his sword when Nerehc shot over to clash with him. Cheren was able to push Nerehc back with the Mirror Shield, making his guard drop so that Cheren could lay a few hits on him. Nerehc recovered and flew around his opponent again to shoot fireballs, which Cheren ran out of the way and avoided. Nerehc then flew higher up and further away as he aimed his sword at Cheren, swooping down in an attempt to stab him. Cheren dodged and rolled around his Negative before striking upward and knocking him to the ground.

Nerehc stood and jumped into a vortex, coming out beside Cheren and pushing him down. Before Cheren could stand, Nerehc had jumped in again, this time coming out behind Cheren and kicking him against a fallen column. When Cheren looked back, he gasped and rolled away before Nerehc could stab at him. Nerehc got his sword stuck in the column and pulled it out before Cheren came to clash with him again. Cheren swung at his legs, but Nerehc jumped and kicked him away. Cheren recovered and jumped behind before Nerehc sliced his sword down. Nerehc turned and clashed with him again before Cheren jumped back. Nerehc rapidly tossed fireballs at him, but Cheren swiftly jumped and kicked off from pillar to pillar around the battlefield before shooting into his counterpart and dealing several blows against him.

The two leapt away from each other as Nerehc flew several feet in the air. The Negative raised his hands and began charging a huge ball of lightning. Once he was finished, he broke it into five smaller balls and sent them flying at the Positive, who quickly performed a spin attack to send them back. The two kept repeating this and sending the balls back at the other. Eventually, Nerehc failed to send them back and took a powerful shock from his own lightning. As he remained shaking and jittering in the air, Cheren pulled out his Light Arrow and struck the Negative's chest, and Nerehc endured extreme shocking as he slowly sunk to the ground. Nerehc got down on one knee and panted heavily as the purple flames surrounding the field died down. Cheren approached his opposite with a victorious smirk as Nerehc looked up and glared at him.

"All right…" Nerehc panted, "There's only one thing to do now:"

Nerehc's crying voice echoed throughout the whole canyon: "MOOOOOOOOOOMMMMM!" (End song.)

A few minutes later, they had all gone to the outside of the mountains where the parents were waiting, including Lehcar and Yllaw as Nerehc depressedly walked into their pitch-black car. "And when we get home, we're going to have a SERIOUS talk about running rampant in other universes." Lehcar scolded.

"Yes, Mom." Nerehc responded, getting into his seat beside Arorua, as well as his brother, Sirhc.

"Thanks for coming to tell us, Mika." Yllaw said to the woman.

"Hehe, no problem." Mika grinned.

"Our apologies for Nerehc's behavior." Lehcar said. "Sometimes, he can never seem to control himself."

"Ahh, it's okay." Rachel smiled. "Kids these days, right?"

"I'll straighten him out soon enough." Lehcar stated fiercely as she and Yllaw got into their vehicle. "Let's go home, kids." The woman started her car and proceeded to drive off, with Pablo sitting in the open trunk and playing a quiet, peaceful tune on his guitar.

As they were driving across the desert, Lehcar kept focus on the road ahead as she asked, "Son, what did I tell you about going out and wreaking havoc?"

"I know, Mom." Nerehc told her, keeping his head down. "Don't get caught."

"That's my boy." Lehcar smiled. "We'll keep brushing up on your training tomorrow. Then you can go fight Rachel's son again."

"Heh. Cheren got off easy this time. I can't wait to face him again." Nerehc said with an evil smirk. Arorua only folded her arms and looked away grumpily, while Sirhc looked terrified and quivering, afraid how violent Nerehc would be in the future.

As Rachel watched the car drive off, she then turned as Cheren approached her. "Mom, I still have the Three Sacred Treasures."

"Hehe." She grinned. "So you do. I guess I was right to trust you with them after all."

"Yeah, you should've seen it!" Artie exclaimed. "That Negative didn't stand a chance! He was all, 'BSSH-BSSHH.' And Cheren did a, 'KER-SLICE'!"

"Haha, yes." Nigel chuckled. "Even so, it's probably best to save the Three Sacred Treasures in case of emergencies."

"Well, it's great that we at least cleared that mess up." Fanny said. "And speakin' of which… we brought someone along with us." The Irish woman stepped aside to reveal Francis and Panini.

"Panini!" Cheren beamed, running over to embrace his friend in a hug. "You're all better!"

"Hehehe! Of course I am! Don't forget, YOU'RE the wimpy one here."

"We're sorry we didn't believe you before, Cheren." Francis apologized.

"Yeah. We should've trusted you from the start." Rachel followed.

"That goes double for me." Melody said, shamefully.

"Ahh, it's okay, guys. I'm just lucky to have a bunch of friends like you to help me. You make my job a lot easier, you know?"

"Hey, no one likes sitting around in a boring office all day and getting picked on for stuff they didn't do." Lin grinned, punching Cheren's arm playfully.

"Well, if we're all done here, who wants to go to Goofy Goober's?" Mika asked. "A little ice cream party might be what we need to celebrate after an adventure like that."

"YAAAY!" Shouts of agreement erupted from the crowd as they all piled into their ships, about to take off.

From behind one of the mountain walls, the Brotherhood villains watched them leave. "Hmm. Well, that was anti-climactic." Mumbo said.

"Guys, look!" Jack Spicer called eagerly, pointing out in the distance. "There's Miracle City! Biggest crime scene in the world! Wanna go over and wreck the place?"

"Heck yeah, let's get over there!" Johnny Rancid exclaimed. Cheers erupted throughout the crowd of villains as they all headed for the city.

"HOLD IT!"

They immediately stopped, turning to find a gray bird perched on a small rock. They stepped closer, seeing a familiar tiny bean beside that bird. "Ah heard y'all was lookin' fer a new leader. Perhaps Ah c'n fill in that role."

Unknown Location

The image of Nerehc destroying the town of Quahog played upon a crystal ball, which emitted green energy. "Ugh. Look at the boy, destroying things like he OWNS the place." spoke the echoing voice of a female figure. "Humans make me so MAD. The world's better off without them!"

Goddess of Nature
VIRIDI

"Mmm, if it's any consolation, Mistress Viridi, the boy is being punished now." The silhouette of a male butler spoke.

Forces of Nature Commander
ARLON THE SERENE

"I know, but it still aggravates me. How ALL of them just do what they want without care of who or what they hurt. I just wanna STEP on all of them."

"Uh, so why don't you?" another lady asked, her silhouetted form polishing her nails in the darkness. "You are a goddess, right?"

Forces of Nature, a Birkan Nimbi
"Lightning Flash" PHOSPHORA

"Yes, but I'm under house arrest. Stupid angel. But you are on to something, Phosphora, and I am way ahead! Already, I've fixed up my first Minish Door! Now I'll just think of where to set it, and pretty soon those humans will have a taste of their own medicine!"

"Mmm, but Mistress Viridi, are Minish Doors not supposed to only be placed once a century?" Arlon asked.

"Ahh, who cares, Arlon? Whatever helps destroy those humans quicker. If this first Minish Door works correctly, I'll know to set up hundreds more, and those puny little humans will think TWICE before harming the creatures of my world! EEE HEE HEE HEE HEE HEE HEE HEE HEE!"


So, Lin Beifong is from Legend of Korra, albeit she's a kid here. The reason I put her here is because Korra was new at the time and I wanted a Toph-like character. Unfortunately, that petty desire has long since passed, so this will be Lin's only significant appearance. She'll just have cameos from here on.

 

[Gamen Watch]

Before we begin the 2nd Nature Wars story, here's a prelude one-shot!

Swimming
​

"Yeeaah!" Lee Andrew Grayson cheered, dropping into the pool from the diving board.

"Wheeee!" Haruka cheered, diving in after him.

"Waterbending baaall!" Melody Jackson exclaimed, creating a bigger splash after dropping from the diving board.

The operatives were happily playing in one of the many pools at Sector J's treehouse. The sun was shining, sparkling beautiful reflections off the water as children playfully splashed one-another. The only one who wasn't having fun was Mason. The Dimalanta boy was glumly seated on the edge of the pool, his feet rested on the first step into the water as his head was rested on his hand, wearing floatable life preserves around his elbows. "Oi, come on, Mason." Sheila spoke as she approached her friend with her usual cheerful attitude. "Why don'tcha wanna get in the water?"

"Because he can't swim, remember?" Lee Andrew swam over and said. Haruka accompanied him and gave a light giggle.

"Ah'm gettin' there first, Leanne!" Dillon York declared, racing Leanne Andrea to the diving board.

"Oh no you're not!" she yelled back.

"Oi, fellas, wait for me!" Sheila yelled after them. Mason depressedly watched in her direction.

All three kids climbed onto the ladder and gathered on the diving board together. They ran across and- "YAHOOOO!" all three of them leapt off and created a powerful splash of water. As Sunni and Darcy Chariton were relaxing against the recliners, reading books, Sunni's eyes widened in notice of the humongous tidal wave shadowing them. The two were engulfed by the large wave, and Sunni bore an annoyed look as they were dripping wet. Darcy, however, didn't look too bothered by this and kept reading.

"Woohoo!" Sheila cheered as they resurfaced. "Talk about a real pool-emptier, eh?"

"Just watch where you're diving next time!" Cheren Uno yelled at them from a few feet away, his eyes squinting. "I lost my glasses! I can't see without my glasses!" The nearsighted boy then began moving through the pool, feeling around the water in search of them. Along his way, he kept accidentally touching and feeling around other operatives in the pool.

"Come on, Mason, get in the pool with us!" Dillon encouraged as he and Leanne swam over.

"Maybe Sheila can teach you how to swim!" Haruka smiled gleefully, directing them over to the raccoon girl happily backstroking along the water, using her tail as a propeller.

"We know ya wanna be in the water with her!" Dillon joked, making everyone release light giggles.

Mason growled in frustration. However, the boy looked over at his swimming raccoon friend, watching as she dove beneath the water and swam fast using her tail-propeller. She didn't wear a swimsuit, only her regular clothes, except her sandals were off. Mason really loved how carefree she was. Deep down, he's always wanted to learn how to swim, for the reason that he really does want to be in the water with her.

Sheila swam back over to her friend and raised her head back above the surface. "Yeh, Mason! Oi wouldn't mind teachin' ya!"

"Or you could get Melody to teach you how to swim." Leanne suggested. "She IS the Ocean Princess."

"Hehe, yeah, but… I think I will learn from Sheila." Mason decided.

"Aw, strewth!" Sheila fist-pumped, walking up out of the water and grabbing Mason's arm. "Come on, Mason! Le's go to a pool that isn't crowded." She led her friend away from the group as they quietly snickered behind them.

Meanwhile, Melody saw something at the bottom of the pool while she was swimming and dove under, grabbing Cheren's glasses and coming back up. "Hey, Cous! I found your glasses!" she called, tossing the glasses over to her cousin.

Right now, Cheren was still feeling around the pool, laying his left hand on somebody's foot when the glasses suddenly bonked him in the head. "Ow!" he yelped, grabbing the specs in his right hand and slipping them back on. Once his vision was returned, however, he instantly found his left hand rested on Panini's foot. "Oh… umm, hi, Panini."

"And here I was thinking the massages here weren't cheap."

Mason followed after Sheila as the two climbed up a ladder to a higher pool. Mason couldn't help but gaze at how sparkly Sheila looked dripping-wet. When they arrived at the top, they found the pool was completely free of other kids, and they were the only ones there. "Before we begin, Mate, ya might wanna wear this." She suggested, slipping on the conch-shell necklace around his neck.

"Oh yeah… this…" he remembered.

"Gotta 'ave some good luck, roight? Let's get to it! Now, the first step ta swimmin' is not bein' afraid ta get in the water." Sheila instructed, holding Mason's hand as she led the boy down the steps into the pool. "And when you're beginnin', it's best to hold on to the side of the pool, and jus' let your legs float behind you, eh?"

Mason followed Sheila as they were gripping the ledge of the pool, using their hands and feet to move along further from the stairs. As Sheila instructed, Mason held the side of the pool and gently let his legs drift along the surface behind him. He glanced to his left as Sheila was doing the same. The blue-eyed Faunus smiled at him, and he sheepishly smiled back.

"Now, le's get ta floating." Sheila instructed as she gently kicked herself away from the ledge, slowly drifting along the surface on her back. "Firstly, don't panic. Me mom always told me how Mr. Beatles couldn't swim 'cause he was always flailin' his arms like a crazy li'l koala. Just clear your mind of all that drowning hoo-hah and let the water gently carry your body along…"

Mason calmly closed his eyes and took a whiff of breath through his nose. The raven-haired boy gently kicked the wall and pushed himself away. He spread his arms and legs out to let the gentle flow of the currents move his body along. He was able to relieve the panic in his mind he would usually have about drowning, feeling very calm and peaceful as the relaxing waves carried him.

The boy slowly opened his eyes and was met with the bright rays of the sun. He squinted and glanced to his left, seeing Sheila's beautiful form floating along the water's surface as she looked and smiled at him. The raccoon released a light chuckle and grinned, showing her pearly whites. Mason blushed and gave his own light chuckle, then- "Whoa!" he suddenly felt himself struggling to stay above surface.

"Hold on, Mason." Sheila spoke up, grabbing under her friend's arms to keep him floating. "I gotcha." Mason stopped flailing his arms and looked behind him, blushing even more as Sheila's hands were wrapped around his arms. "Remember, panicking is what killed the hyena."

"Uh, hehe. Right…" he still blushed.

"I dunno, am I doing good with this teaching biz?" Sheila's ears drooped. "If ya want, I could get Melody."

"No, no, you're doing great." He quickly assured. "You're, uh…a great teacher."

"Hehe. Thanks, mate. Anyway… 'ow 'bout we try going underwater?"

"You-You think I'm ready?"

"Well, sure!" she smiled. "Just take a big breath, and let li'le tiny bubbles out of your nose when you're underwater. And when you're feelin' out o' breath, just come back up. Are ya ready?"

"Sure." He nodded. Both friends sucked some air into their lungs and went fully underwater. Mason and Sheila looked and stared at each other, their cheeks puffy as they slowly released tiny bubbles of air from their noses. The two exchanged smiles as Mason nodded. The two took hands and swam side-by-side as they kicked their feet to move along. When they made it to the pool's edge, they changed direction and swam the other way, performing a small whirl as they still held the other's hand.

Mason could only stare at how beautiful Sheila looked under the water, her long, raven-colored hair floating distortedly along the currents. Right now, Mason completely forgot about being at a swimming lesson, let alone the fact that he couldn't swim well. It just felt so wonderful being underwater with her. All those times he didn't know how to swim, and he always watched as Sheila swam under the water and had fun all by herself. Now, he was finally swimming with her, and it was the most magical feeling he ever had.

After a while, the two came to halt, taking breaths of fresh air after resurfacing. "You did pretty good there, mate."

"Thanks to you." He smiled, still catching his breath. "You may not be a waterbender, but you're the best swimming teacher in all the KND."

"Ahhh. You c'n be too nice sometimes, eh? Anyway, 'ow 'bout we take a break? I c'n teach you 'ow to swim more after a couple ice cream cones, 'ow 'bout that?"

"Sounds great." He agreed. The two proceeded to climb out of the pool, and Sheila rapidly whooshed her hair around to shake the water off, Mason smiling and shielding himself as the water sprinkled him. As they went to get ice cream, Mason was eager for the next lesson.

Now let's begin the story for real. But, warning: this story has a certain gross boss from Conker's Bad Fur Day. I won't mind if you skip over the "Sewer Adventure" level if it's too gross. Just know that later chapters won't have this type of foulness, and may I also add the Kids Next Door game also had such creatures.

Mason and the Minish Door
​

Dimalanta Household

The sounds of wood clopping rang from the backyard as Mason Dimalanta and Sheila Frantic clashed wooden blades against the other. It was a beautiful summer's day, so the two best friends were spending it doing what they loved: playing with each other. A cold, refreshing Purple Flurp sat on the table beside them as they rapidly swung their toy weapons. "Ye'll not get yer hands on THIS loot here, Captain Raccoon!" Mason exclaimed, trying to sound like a pirate.

"Arr, that's what ye think, but I'll be makin' ye walk the space-plank, scurvy dog!"

"Aw, not the space-plank." Mason moaned.

Inside the home, Yin Dimalanta smiled as she watched her son play with his best friend from the kitchen window, doing dishes. "Awe, aren't they adorable, Matthew?" she asked her husband, who sat at the table, reading a newspaper.

"Honestly, they should train with Cheren if they're gonna pretend to be pirates."

"Yeah, but then they'll poke each other's eyes out."

"Pretty sure Sheila nearly blinded him anyway one time. When she flicked some lightbending at his face."

At the same time, Dillon York and Leanne Grayson were also over, sitting on the living room floor and battling in Super Smash Bros. Universe, with Dillon's socks kicked off on the floor. The male shadowbender was unable to focus as a bunch of flies were buzzing around him, and he was trying to swat them away. As a result, Leanne was able to beat him and win the battle. "Hoo-hoo, yeah!" she fist-pumped.

"Ah, man! Mason really oughta do something about these flies." Dillon whined, trying to smack them away. "What's their deal?"

"This is a poisonbender house. Super smelly. At least Ash is taking care of 'em." The two looked behind them as Leanne's shadow was trying to snap the flies in her hands and also eat them.

"Boy, shadows have weird appetites."

"But speaking of smelly, could you please put your socks back on?"

"Heh, if that bothers you, that should help me win."

"That's playing dirty!"

Outside, Mason and Sheila kept powerfully swinging their wooden swords at each other before Sheila was able to make Mason's fly right out of his hand. Mason watched it fly off before Sheila swung her leg and kicked Mason off his feet, afterwards tipping her sword at him. "And ta Sheila go the spoils, eh?" She took the Purple Flurp can and twirled it around before cracking it open, proceeding to have a sip. She then walked over and placed a foot on Mason's chest, holding him down as she said, "But as an act of good will, I present to you a gift." The Faunus raccoon reached into her back pocket and pulled out her own can. Mason smiled as Sheila stepped off of him, allowing him to stand up. "To best pals." She smiled, tossing him the can.

Mason cracked the can open and touched it to hers as he repeated, "To best pals." Both friends proceeded to have a drink. When they finished, they both released loud burps at the other's face. The two joyously burst into laughter.

"So Mason, didja hear?" Sheila asked as the two sat at their backyard table. "Planet Vaporia's started their own Kids Next Door! We should totally check it out, mate!"

"Mmm, I dunno, Sheila. My dad told me about that place, and, it sounds kinda scary."

"Ahh, that's what it used to be, eh? Where's your sense of adventah?"

"Mmm…" Mason still looked unsure.

As Sheila tilted her head back to have another drink, her eyes widened at the sight of a glowing green meteor in the sky. She wiped the soda from her mouth and asked, "What's that?"

Mason's eyes also widened at the meteor. The strange object fell faster toward the earth and crash-landed in the forest area, several yards from their house. "Let's go check it out!" Sheila yelled, already dashing into the forest.

"Er, Sheila? Wait!" Mason quickly ran after her.

Mason kept after his friend past all the trees before finally bumping into her from behind while she was staring at something. Mason stepped beside her, and both stared curiously at some strange double-doors, decorated with odd, forest-like designs. "Whoa… what is it?" Mason asked.

Sheila carefully stepped closer to the door, reaching out to touch it. The doors suddenly slid open as her fingers were inches away from touching it. Mason stepped closer as well, their eyes transfixed on the swirling green portal that waited inside. "Blimey…" Sheila said quietly.

"I wonder where it leads…"

"Well, only one way to find out. Le's go in, mate!"

"Hold on!" Mason grabbed Sheila's arm. "We don't know what this is, Sheila. It could be dangerous."

"Danguh? Oi LAUGH at danguh! HA HA HA HA!"

"Eh hehe. Still, I have a bad feeling. I mean, doorways don't usually fall from the sky and contain swirling portals. What if it leads to some super hazardous dimension?"

"And what if it doesn't? Either way, Oi'm checkin' it out!" She was about to step in again.

"Sheila," he held her back, "I REALLY don't think we should-"

"Ah, come on, mate, what's the worst that can happen? We get lost inside some parallel universe with no way of comin' back? This could be the discovery of the century! Oi've GOTTA see it!"

Mason released a long sigh of defeat. "Well… then I'm going with you." He decided, taking her hand.

Sheila smiled at him and nodded, "Even bettuh!" The two faced ahead at the strange vortex and sucked in a breath of anxiety. Without another second to spare, the two stepped inside, and the doors closed behind them.

The two stood in the middle of a vast, infinite plain of the swirling greenness. "So… where is this?" Mason asked, his voice echoing.

"Maybe there's some kind of a secret entrance." Sheila whispered.

"Either way, this is making me dizzy. Let's find wherever this leads and head back ASA—Whooooaaaa…" The entire dimension began moving around in a slow, wavy motion.

"Oooof… I'm gettin' sick, mate…"

"We shouldn't've had that… Purple Flurp…ulp…"

Back at the house

Yin gathered some clothes into a laundry basket and held it up as she saw Haruka walk by her room. "Oh, Haru? Could you go outside and ask if Mason has any dirty clothes lying around? I'm about to do some laundry soon."

"Sure, Mom!" Haruka smiled before hurrying to the backyard.

Unknown jungle area

Mason and Sheila had finally made it out of the vortex, holding their heads dizzily as their bodies were bent over a little. "Man, Oi'm feelin' woozy…" Sheila groaned.

"We shoulda waited 'til our stomachs settled." Mason said.

"Oi, what is this place?" The two looked up and viewed around the mysterious jungle. They appeared surrounded by towering, green trees, as well as even larger trees, which had normal-colored brown trunks.

"Are we in… some kind of jungle?"

"Well, I was right, all roight. This place is a BEAUT! Jus' look at all the places we could set up totally ripper treehouses!"

"I dunno, Sheila, I feel like there's somethin' very familiar about this—WHOA!" Mason yelped and grabbed Sheila's arm at the sight of a tremendous ladybug several feet away.

The polka-dotted bug looked in both directions before flapping its wings and taking off. "Aw, STREWTH! Didja see how BIG that thing was, mate?!" Sheila asked excitedly. "It coulda 'ad us for DINNUH!"

"Yes, it could've. I think we should head back, Sheila." Mason suggested, slightly shivering with fear. "Who knows what else is lying in this jungle."

"Ah, come on, man, we only just got here! We gotta explore MORE of this jungle!"

"N-No way, Sheila! I'm gettin' out of here!" The Dimalanta boy hurriedly ran back toward the doorway. He tried sticking his fingernails in the gap, but despite all his efforts, it wouldn't budge open. "Oh no! It's stuck!"

"Masooon."

"Huh? What was that?" Mason asked frightfully.

"It sounded like Haruka." Sheila replied.

"Masooon."

"But why would Haruka be here?"

"Oi dunno. Le's go look for her." The two friends ran in the direction of the voice.

…

"Masooon?" the poisonbender child called, walking into the forest. "Mom needs you for somethiiing."

…

"Oi! 'arukaaa? Where ARE you?" Sheila yelled out as the two approached an enormous brown wall of bark, which was the root sticking out of an even bigger tree.

"You think she's up here?" Mason asked.

"Le's find out." The duo began climbing their way up the massive root, which wasn't too hard, seeing there was a lot of spots to grab or stand.

"MASOOON?" the voice grew louder.

"Yeah, I think she's up-" But before Mason could finish, just as they reached the top, a gigantic shoe stomped down on the root, causing a tremor that made the two drop and scream on their way down.

As Sheila shook her head from the drop, the raccoon girl looked up and gasped widely at the being before her. "Oi, look a' this." Mason looked up as well, his mouth growing just as wide.

Standing on the tree root was a massive Haruka, hundreds of feet taller than they were. "MASOOON? Mom wants to know if you got any dirty UNDIES."

"Ohh…" Mason blushed in embarrassment. "B-But what happened?"

"Oi, she's bigger than my HOUSE!"

"She's bigger than a lot of houses…" Mason stuttered with fear. "Sheila… you think that door shrunk us?"

"Ah, come on, Mason, doors don't shrink you. Oi'm actually startin' to think the entire world grew."

"HEY, MASON!"

"LOOK OUT!" Mason cried, the two jumping out of the way before Haruka stepped on them.

"MASON, WHERE ARE YOU?"

"We gotta get her attention!" Mason decided. "Fly us up there!"

"Erm, okay!" Sheila wrapped around Mason's arms and began rapidly spinning her tail, slowly flying them up higher toward Haruka's face. "Oi, blimey, she's so big." Sheila panted, struggling to carry Mason up. "Oi wish we brought along some jetshoes or somethin'."

"Just a little bit farther, Sheila." As the giant girl stood in place and tapped her foot in thought of where Mason might be, the two eventually flew close enough to her face. Mason began yelling, "HEY! HARUKA!"

"OI! 'ARUKA! OVER HERE!" Sheila yelled.

"Huh?" They somehow caught the girl's attention. Haruka faced ahead and took notice at the two before her. "EW, BUGS!" Without giving them a chance to escape, the Gothic Lolita girl clapped her hands together, smashing them inside.

When she reopened her hands, the two dizzily shook their heads as Sheila dropped both of them to the ground. The two barely recovered as they held their aching heads. Haruka held her hands open and aimed down at them as she echoed, "Time for some poison." A tremendous cloud of purple gas flowed from her shoulder sleeves and down to Mason and Sheila.

"Eek, time to counter!" Mason gasped, immediately throwing his hands up and releasing green gas directly upward, holding the purple gas back and shielding them while Sheila ducked. Unfortunately, he was struggling to keep away Haruka's bigger gas, and the purple pushed through. The two quickly held their breaths as Mason grunted, "Play dead." The two kept their mouths and noses shut as they dropped to the ground in a dead fashion.

After a few minutes, the purple smoke cleared away, and the two squinted their eyes open. Their lack of motion sparked a smile on Haruka. "That'll do it." The blue-eyed girl then proceeded to walk back to her house. "MOOOM, I couldn't find Mason anywheeere…"

The two pushed their selves up, gasping for fresh air. As soon as Sheila recovered hers, "WOOHOO!" she startled Mason. "Man, that was the biggest stink cloud EVUH!"

"Sheilaaa! This is serious! She almost killed us! We've gotta find a way to get back to normal."

"Are you kiddin', man? We've only just started this adventah! Don't you want to know what your HOUSE looks like at this height?"

"Frankly, I'd rather not find out. Though, seeing as the door is shut tight, we'll need to grab somebody's attention so they can help us. So I guess we're going to my house, anyway. Let's hurry and-"

"Meooow."

Mason's face became frozen with horror. "…Did you hear something, Sheila?"

The two looked off in the distance as a tremendous cat crawled around and sniffed the ground with its nose, thankfully not in their direction. "Oi, look 'ow BIG that cat is! Oi bet HE could help us! OII! 'ere, kit'y, kit'y, kit'y!" Sheila called, patting her legs and making a cat-calling noise.

Mason immediately ran and clapped his hand over her mouth. "Sheila, I don't think that's the kind of help we want."

The cat stopped in place and began skimming around for the source of this noise. It seemed to take notice of Mason and Sheila and slowly stepped over, with Mason keeping a look of pure horror. The cat stood just inches away from the tiny children and lowered its head closer to get a good look at them. "Ah, see? 'e's lettin' us go for a ride! Le's get on, mate!" Sheila took Mason's hand and helped her friend climb onto the nose of the cat.

The cat raised its head up and tried to rapidly shake them off, but Mason and Sheila kept a tight grip on its hair as they screamed. Unable to shake them off, the cat began pouncing around aimlessly. "Woohoo! Now this beats a bull at the rodeo ANYTIME!"

The cat kept hopping around and thankfully ran straight for Mason's house. The titanic cat leapt right into an open window by the front door as Mason and Sheila finally dropped off onto the massive carpeted floor. "Oi, 'ang on, you little bugger!" Sheila's mother, Marine Frantic yelled, grabbing the cat in her arms. "You aren't supposed ta be in here." The Mobian woman dropped it through the window and closed it to keep it outside. "There we go!"

Mason and Sheila just recovered from their drop to watch the raccoon woman head up the stairs. "HEY! MRS. FRANTIC! COME BAACK!" Mason cried.

"Ah, she's long gone, mate." Sheila told him. "Bu' look! There's Dillon and Leanne!" she pointed over at the two playing games on the living room floor.

"Oh, good. Maybe they can help us." The shrunken duo proceeded to run over toward their giant friends, who were miles away from where they were at that size. They had to make several leaps across the threads in the carpet, but were able to make it over to Dillon.

When they were just several feet away from the gigantic male shadowbender, the two were tired from running, taking a moment to catch their breath. "Okay…" Mason panted. "Let's try and get their attention." However, a strange whiff suddenly reached Mason's nose. "Ohh, gross!" he pinched his nose shut.

Sheila sniffed as well and covered her nose at the smell. "Oi, what smells like skunks gettin' tagether for a garbage fire?"

"Dillon's feet." Mason said, realizing how close they were. "Gee, just because that guy comes here a lot, he thinks he can just lay his socks wherever."

"Well, hey, on the bright side, this makes it easier to grab 'is attention. We can just tickle him!"

"Ew! No way! Besides, that's too dangerous, he'll probably just think we're bugs. We need to get up to his ear or something. Euh, but that smell is just so horrible. I'm just hopin' it doesn't attract-" His eyes widened at the sound of loud buzzing. "FLIES!"

Dozens of gigantic, horse-sized flies flew around in the air above them at high speeds. One of them swooped down at them, and Mason yelled, "Look out!" as he grabbed and ducked down with Sheila. The two crouched as low to the carpet as they could as the many flies swooped down, just inches over them. "Man, what do we do now?"

"Only one thing TO do: hitch a ride, eh?"

"W-What?" Sheila stood up and spun her arm around before firing a Light Sphere and perfectly hitting a fly close by. It dropped to the floor in a daze. Sheila pulled Mason onto its back before it recovered. "Whooa-whooa-WHOOAA!" Mason screamed, while Sheila kept an excited smile as they zoomed around in the air, hanging tight to the linked chain. Sheila swung them around the gigantic fly before landing them perfectly on its back.

"Woohoo! Now this is a hootenanny!" Sheila cheered as they began zooming around the air at high speeds. "Check out what this can do! Hiyah!" she kicked the fly's sides.

"WOOOAAA!" Mason kept a tight grip around Sheila's hip as they flew around in hyper-fast circles, the raccoon girl seated on it like a horse as her fingers gripped tight to its skin. Mason kept his eyes shut tight as the duo soared straight out of an open window. Sheila cheered to the heavens as they were now flying miles above Mason's house (at their height).

"Oi! Look how high we are!"

Mason carefully squinted his eyes open and glanced down toward the world below. The two were flying thousands of feet above the street. "GAAAH!" Mason cried in fear, holding tighter to Sheila's waist as the powerful winds blew past their hair. "Sh-Sh-Sheila! I think we should get down now!"

"Ah, quit worryin', mate. I got this under control."

"W-What if a giant bird comes along and eats us?"

"Aw, that's crazy. How're them big ol' birds gonna see a couple of tiny pals like us, huh?"

Mason carefully turned his head and looked behind them, his eyes widening. "AAHHH!" A gigantic, house-sized bird was hot on their tail with its beak wide open.

"Wuh-oh. Oi stand corrected. OI! BEAKFACE! Come 'n' get us if ya think yer fast enough!" Sheila kicked their fly and sped even faster, dodging just before the bird snapped its mouth on them.

From the ground below, a regular-sized person could see a little bird just flying aimlessly around in one spot, aiming to catch a tiny fly. The wind brushed through their hair as they went even faster to escape from the bird, swiftly dodging as it kept snapping its beak. "This oughta lose its trail." Sheila smirked as they flew at full speed towards a telephone pole. "'ERE WE GOOOO!" Just before crashing into the pole, the two shot right down, and the bird pierced right into the wood and got its beak stuck. "Woohoooo!" Sheila cheered, flying them back up and at a safer altitude.

"WHOA! That was close!" Mason sighed in relief. "Now can we please fly back to my house?"

"Okay, mate. Hold on tight! Hyah!" She smacked her fly again and made it fly down towards Mason's house. The two flew back through the living room window as Dillon and Leanne were still playing videogames.

"Fly around Dillon's face and try to get his attention." Mason told her. Sheila did so and made the fly fly around the boy's face. However, this only annoyed Dillon as he was trying to focus, and he shook his head to try and swat them away. The two just decided to fly back up higher. "Okay, never mind about that. There's gotta be some way…"

"Oi know! We'll land on 'im, eh?"

"Um, okay…" Mason replied, unsure.

"Okay: on 3." Sheila instructed as they were flying back over Dillon. "1, 2, WOOHOO!" Sheila grabbed her friend's arm and joyously slid off the fly's back.

"Waaahhhh!" Mason screamed as they rapidly dropped the hundreds of feet. The two tiny children took perfect land in the blue streak on Dillon's hair.

The duo bounced off the hair strands downward and soon landed on top of Dillon's scalp. They shook their heads from the fall and viewed the sights around them. Mason and Sheila stood in a forest of humongous, midnight blue trees that completely blocked their way through or above. "Whooaa… it's like a FOREST up here!" Sheila gaped in amazement.

"I think I preferred the forest itself." Mason stated with a look of worry as he viewed around the thick strands. "I can't tell which way is which."

"Boy, imagine what beauties lie on top of Dillon's head! We gotta explore around here!"

"I'd rather hurry and get through here before Dillon suddenly decides to take a bath. He's busy playing games now, so we probably have time. I think we should walk to the side of his head and climb down to his ear."

"Good idea! There's gotta be LOADS of stuff to discover inside there! It'd be like a cave to us!"

"Er, yeah…" Mason only kept his confused look as he began moving past the thick trees. "Let's get going."

While Dillon was trying to focus on beating Leanne, the York child felt a slight itchy feeling in his hair, but decided not to bother with it now.

"Okay, we're in the black parts." Mason observed as the two were progressing through the black strands of Dillon's hair. "We should be getting close to his side. Let's just move slowly and be careful not to make him-" Mason stopped when he bumped into Sheila.

"Oi, LOOK!" Sheila smiled and pointed. Mason stared disgustedly at a couple of bugs, who were tugging at Dillon's scalp, the creatures as big as dogs to them. "What ARE these things?"

"Are they… lice?" Mason cocked a brow.

"Loice? Oh, strewth!" Mason tried to stop her, but Sheila hurried ahead and kneeled down to pet one of the lice. "Oh, you li'l buggahs. Who says you blokes are vicious? You aren't scary at all! Hehehe!"

The ground suddenly began shaking below them. "What's happening?" Mason asked.

Meanwhile, the itching on Dillon's scalp slowly started to grow, so the boy finally decided to lightly scratch the spot where he felt it.

Mason's eyes widened as he looked back the way they came. "LOOK OUT!" he cried at the sight of the tremendous yellowish-white fingernail, scrapping through the thick-treed scalp. Mason and Sheila were too late to avoid and were pushed away with the finger.

On Dillon's end, the boy continued to lightly scratch his scalp as tiny specks of dirt fell past his right ear.

"AAAHH!" the two screamed, being pushed over the right edge of the forest and dropping past a great, wide cave.

"Oi, it's his ear!" Sheila cheered, quickly grabbing onto Mason as she used her tail to hover. She kept her grip on the boy and gently landed them on the edge of Dillon's ear.

"Whoa, that was close…" Mason sighed in relief, again.

"Whoooaaaa…" Sheila once again stared in amazement at the cave-sized ear. "It's HUUUGE!"

"HEY! DILLON! HEEELP!" Mason started calling.

"'EY, DILLON! SHADOW BOY! IN YOUR EAR!" Sheila called as well.

"DILLON, GIVE US A HAND!"

"Numbuh 13.2036, can you HEAR UUUUS?"

Dillon paid no mind to the two in his ear and kept trying to beat Leanne at Smash Bros..

"Ahh. He can't hear us over that game." Mason pouted.

"No problem, mate! We'll just go further in!" The chipper raccoon proceeded to start her trek into the dark cave. Mason put on his worried expression and carefully followed her.

As Dillon kept his focus on the game, he began to feel a tickly feeling in his ear this time.

"Ewww!" Mason groaned as the two were wading through a river of earwax, the substance reaching up to their waists. "Dillon really needs to take a bath…"

"Ah, it's not so bad. This stuff actually looks good enough to eat."

"Yeah…" Mason replied, disgustedly looking around. "At least there aren't usually any bugs crawling around inside someone's ear. Let's just make our way to the eardrum and try to—Sheila, don't!" Mason was too late as Sheila dipped her finger in the earwax and sucked it off.

The raccoon girl smacked her lips as the taste slowly sank in. Once it did, her face was frozen with shock. "Whoa… this stuff is AMAZING!" The excited raccoon quickly dipped her hand in more of the stuff and drank some more. "Mm-MMM, this is good!" Mason's stomach began turning as he watched. "Oh, man! They really oughta use this as a food topping, eh?"

Mason couldn't hold it in anymore. "BLEEHH-"

"-EEHHH!" The barfing echoed in Dillon's ear. The shadowbender raised a brow and began twisting his pinky finger into the ear.

Mason felt the cave begin to quake as he held his aching stomach. The boy looked back and gasped as the humongous piece of flesh was twisting its way in. Before they could get further, the giant finger did so for them.

Outside, Dillon pulled out and observed his finger as it was covered in some wax. He decided to wipe it on his sweater and continue playing.

The finger thankfully released the two children, and they stood up to find themselves at the end of the cave. "Look! There's 'is eardrum!" Sheila pointed at the huge drum above them. "Arr, this oughta give 'im a wakeup call." Sheila smirked, spinning her arm and charging a Light Sphere.

"Sheila, NOOO!" But Sheila didn't listen as she fired a charged Light Sphere and greatly pounded Dillon's eardrum.

The shadowbender's face was frozen with pain. "OOOWWW!" The boy gripped his head and began shaking it around.

"What's wrong?" Leanne worriedly asked, pausing the game and crawling over to him.

"Er, there's something in my ear! IT HURTS!" The boy tilted that end downward and started smacking the opposite end.

Mason and Sheila failed to stand their ground as the cave suddenly tilted down the way they came. "WAAAAOOOHH!"

Dillon kept smacking his head as the two tiny kids dropped straight out of the ear at a high speed, landing with a thud on the carpet. "Come on, Dillon." Leanne stood up and helped her friend up. "Why don't we go up to the bathroom and see if Haruka has any medicine for your ear?"

As the tiny duo recovered, they felt two enormous shadows pass by them and looked up as Dillon and Leanne were walking away. "Hey! Hey!" Mason yelled.

"'EEYY!" Sheila yelled.

"GUYS!"

"WAIT UUUUP!" However, the two just continued up the stairs without a single notice.

"Well, that failed." Mason pouted.

"At least the flies are gone." Sheila shrugged. However, the two grew wrought with fear at the sound of a snarling noise behind them. The two carefully turned their heads as Leanne's shadow, Ash loomed over them with a Cheshire-grin.

"AAAAHHH!" The two hightailed away before Ash could clap them in her hands.

"A-Ash! Ash, wait!" Mason called.

"STOOOP!" Sheila cried. The hissing shadow kept her vicious grin and tried to snap them, but the two were thankfully able to dodge its tremendous hands.

"We've gotta stun it somehow!" Mason yelled.

"I know!" Sheila began spinning another charged Light Sphere, shooting it directly up into its face. The tiny speck of light seemed to stun the shadow as it winced in pain and rubbed the spot. "Haha! It worked!"

"But where do we hide?"

Sheila looked around. "In there!" She pointed at Dillon's socks lying on the floor. The two dashed over to the closest sock as fast as they could, making a leap inside just before the shadow regained her vision. Ash skimmed around the carpeted floor in search for where the two bugs had gone. She grabbed the sock they had crawled in and studied it intently.

"Ash, what are you doing?" Yin asked, holding the laundry basket as she took the sock away. "Shouldn't you be with your master?" Ash held her head down in shame and drifted away. When she was gone, Yin held the sock by her face and took a whiff, wincing at the smell. "Euuh! Just because Dillon comes here a lot, he thinks he can just leave his socks wherever." The woman grabbed the other one and dropped it in the basket before heading up the stairs.

"Oh well. He won't mind if I wash it, too, then." The two heard Yin's echoing voice as they climbed out of the sock.

Mason looked up as the gargantuan woman loomed over them, her eyes focused on the path before her as she carried whatever it was they were in. "It's my mom!"

Sheila smiled widely at the landscape before her. "Ohh, STREWTH!" The excited child ran out and plopped onto the soft field, moving her arms and legs around like a snow angel. "I've always wanted to lie down in a laundry basket, but Mum said I was too big! Well, LOOK who's the li'l bugger now!"

"Sheila! If we don't get out of here, she'll throw us in with the laundry! MOOOM? MOOOOOM!"

"Oi, what is she, deaf?"

"No, Sheila. We're too tiny, she can't hear us. We've gotta get off this thing."

"Well, there ain't nothin' wrong with going for a swim in the washer, eh?"

"I don't think I could keep up with the currents, we better get out of here."

"Whooa!" Sheila yelped as the boy began pulling her by the wrist. They made another mad dash across the soft field of clothes, getting ever closer toward Yin's shorts.

"We're almost there!" After reaching the end, the two leapt out of one of the holes and gripped tight onto Yin's shorts. However, the woman's moving leg quickly caused them to fall, and they had a rough landing onto the harder floor below. The Chinese woman moved along like she didn't notice a thing.

The two once again struggled to stand and gripped their heads after the painful landing. They felt the floor quaking some more and looked up as Haruka was calmly walking their way from the other side of the hall, an innocent smile on her face. The two hurriedly dashed over to her side, and as her foot stepped close to them, they leaped and grabbed tightly on the side of her sock. The two kept their grip as Haruka's feet kept moving, using all their strength to climb on top of her sock. Once they arrived at the top, they took a moment to catch their breath. "Okay, let's get her attention." Mason decided. However, Haruka suddenly came to a halt when the doorbell rang throughout the house.

"I'LL GET IT!" Haruka yelled, dashing for the door. Mason and Sheila struggled to hang on as her feet moved faster and faster, the two quickly becoming dizzy. As she rapidly stepped down the stairs, the two immediately bounced off to the floor once she reached the bottom.

Just before Matthew could answer the door, Haruka skidded to a stop in his way and grabbed the handle. "I got it!"

"Oh, you!" Matt chuckled.

Haruka proceeded to answer the door, finding Cheren and Panini on the doorstep. "Hey, Haruka, do you guys still got those special hotdogs? Me and Panini were thinking of having a contest." Cheren asked.

Mason and Sheila brushed their pants off from the fall and looked up at them. "Oi, look, Mason! It's Cheren and Panini!"

"Why is EVERYBODY coming to MY HOUSE today?!"

"Yeah, but I don't know where he hid them. You can ask. Last I saw, he and Sheila were playing in the backyard." Haruka answered. "They weren't back there when I looked, but you can check if you want."

"Okay then." Panini agreed as she and Cheren went around toward the back. Haruka happily skipped away and let the door shut.

"Matheewww? Did you remember to bring the groceries in?" Yin called.

"Umm…YES." Matt yelled back. As Sheila's father, Elijah Frantic walked by, Matt grabbed onto his arm and said quickly, "Quick, help me get the groceries in, Eli," pulling the man outside with him.

"Oh, Dad…" Mason disbelievingly shook his head.

Forest area

"Boy, kind of weird that Mason would have a forest right by his backyard." Cheren said as he and Panini searched around. The two stopped in their tracks when they suddenly encountered a strange and mysterious door. "Whoa… what is it?" Cheren whispered.

Panini curiously stepped closer toward the door and gave a knock, and it suddenly came open and revealed a green, swirling vortex. "It's some kind of a… portal." The two stood there and stared amazedly for a bit. "…I betcha you're too scared to go." Panini smirked, nudging his arm.

"Who, me?" Cheren smirked. "I'm more worried about you."

"…I'll go if you go."

"Let's do it."

"Beatcha there!" she challenged, running ahead.

"Hey, wait up!" Cheren quickly followed her in. The double-doors closed behind them as the mystical green energy brimmed from the doorway, the sounds of dizzy moaning on the other side.

Inside the house

After stuffing the last milk and juice into the refrigerator, Matt closed it shut and brushed his hands off. "Welp, that's the last of the groceries." he said to Elijah.

"Are you always this forgetful?" Elijah asked.

While they were busy, Mason and Sheila had finally climbed onto the kitchen table, their breath almost completely worn out of them after making it up. "Finally… we made it…" Mason gasped.

The doorbell suddenly rang, and the two adults walked off to answer it. Sheila looked up at her father and yelled, "'EEY! DAAAD!" After realizing it was pointless, she just stopped to catch more breath.

"Gee, I wonder who it is this time?" Mason asked.

Matthew answered the door to find Francis, Aurora, and Chris, as well as Rachel Uno. "Oh, hi, Rach!"

"Hey, Matthew." Rachel smiled. "The kids wanted to watch Cherry and Pan have a contest… and I wanted to give Sheila some homework she forgot."

"But Sheila doesn't go to your school."

"Oh. …Then why is she in the classes?"

"Yeah, she likes to crash in sometimes." Elijah chuckled. Rachel was left more bewildered.

"Anyway, I actually know where the hotdogs are." Matt said. "Your kids just went out back to look for Mason and Sheila. They've been out there awhile."

"Okay. You kids can stay here, I'm gonna go out back and look for 'em."

"Let's see if Mason has anything cool in his room." Chris suggested as the three headed up the stairs.

"If ya don't get big soon, someone's takin' over your room, mate." Sheila remarked.

"Let's just stay here. Someone's bound to spot us on this table eventually. Thankfully, my mom just cleaned it. Oh, I just hope those guys don't mess up my room."

"What are Cheren and Panini doin' out there, anyway?"

Forest area

Cheren and Panini hurriedly dashed through the tremendous jungle with looks of absolute fear as an enormous spider chased them. They took cover behind a tree root, watching as the spider went right past them. Now that it was out of their sights, the two immediately tried to catch their breath, still holding onto each other as they quivered. "Th-That was… a close one…" Cheren stuttered.

"Wh-Where are we, C-Cheren?…" Panini shivered.

"Well, e-either we're in a parallel universe that's a kajillion times bigger than ours, o-or we shrunk."

"H-How big are we, d-d'ya think?"

"I say about… half an inch tall. Give or take a few centimeters. Or, however it's measured."

"B-But I don't want to be h-half an inch tall…"

"D-Don't worry, Panini. We'll be fine. We just gotta stick together, that's all."

"You think Mason and Sheila m-might have came through here?"

"That… would be likely."

"What are we going to DO, Cheren? The door won't open…"

"W-We'll just have to get somebody's attention. How far are we from the house?"

Panini wrapped her arms and legs around a grass blade and tried to climb up. She was able to have an overview of the vast jungle before her, which seemed to go hundreds, maybe thousands of miles to get to the house at their size. "It's… so far away. And we're so small…"

"Don't be afraid, Panini. If we just keep moving, we can make it."

This caught Panini's attention. "I-I'm not afraid! Just because everything's bigger than me!"

"Panini, don't try and hide it. We're BOTH afraid of being this small."

"Well, maybe YOU are, but I'M not." Panini stated, dropping down beside him to glare angrily.

"Whatever."

They were startled again at the sound of a monstrous hiss. They turned their attention as the massive spider glared at them with five bloodthirsty eyes, venom drooling from its mouth. The two held onto each other and shuddered as they backed up against the tree root. But just as the spider slowly crawled closer, they were thankfully saved when a giant sandal squished and twisted the spider on the ground.

The two looked up as the titanic form of Rachel Uno towered over them, looking angrily as she squished the spider. "Man, that thing was ugly." She then began calling out, "CHEREEEN? PANINIII? HELLO?"

"M-My mom is really huge!" Cheren stuttered.

"MASOON? SHEILA?" her colossal voice echoed as she stepped further away. "ANYOONE? I hope you kids didn't wander OFF too faaaar."

"If she finds the door, she'll be shrunk down, too, and she can find us!" Panini figured.

"But if she's shrunk down, too, then we'll ALL be tiny. We have to get her attention." Cheren explained.

"But how? She's the size of two-and-a-half flippin' treehouses!"

"Hellooo?" the woman still called out. The sound of a cat's meow caught her attention. Rachel turned around and watched as a white cat slowly approached her, skimming around in the grass. "Awe, hello, little guy." Rachel smiled, squatting down beside to pet the cat. The cat returned the favor and rubbed against her arm. "You're such a cutie." She playfully cooed.

Cheren took Panini's arm as the two began dashing the many miles it took to reach the titan. "Come on! We'll climb onto her foot and jump around and see if she feels us."

"But what if she mistakes us for bugs?"

"Good point. But what else are we supposed to do?"

"Why don't we go up to her face?"

"Are you kidding? That's WAY too high up to climb."

"I didn't say anythin' about climbing." With that, the Irish-Polish ignited rockets from her boots with firebending, holding onto Cheren as they took off for the sky.

"Whoooa!" Cheren cried, hanging on tight. "Good plan, Panini! Now just fly close enough to my mom's face and see if she can see us."

"Well, nice to meet you, little guy, but I'm kind of busy." Rachel said to the cat before standing up at full height. "I don't know where those kids could be…" She looked around a little more.

"She's about to leave, hurry!" Cheren yelled as they were currently flying as high as her shorts.

"I'm… running out of fuel." Panini said, unable to maintain the consistent fire output. In only a moment, the rockets died out completely, and the two began to plummet just several feet away from Rachel's shorts. Panini took aim with her G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H. and quickly fired to the lower side of Rachel's left shorts leg, successfully pulling themselves over.

"WHOOA!" they screamed, Panini holding onto Rachel's shorts for dear life, while Cheren hung from Panini's legs as Rachel began walking back to the house.

"Hold oooon!" Cheren cried.

"I'm… slipping!…"

Unknown Location

"Eee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee!" the mysterious goddess laughed at the sight in her crystal ball. "Well, that's convenient! I didn't expect to catch two more!"

"Mmm, it's too bad they didn't become spider chow." The nail-polishing woman commented.

"My dear Mistress Viridi, why didn't the Minish Door reveal itself to Miss Rachel?" Arlon the Butler asked.

"Duh! Because Rachel's an adult. Since Minish can only be seen by good little children, the door won't reveal itself in the eyes of an adult."

"Mm, I see. But aren't Rachel and her friends supposed to be 'kids at heart'?"

"Um, it doesn't exactly work that way. The door can't tell the difference, but the Minish can. Anyhoo, this SHOULD make for some entertainment."

"Not to mention those kids were going to have a hotdog-eating contest." The other lady said.

"Uuugh, good point! It serves those kids right! How DARE they feast on the remains of poor, defenseless animals? ARCEUS, these humans make me so sick! Ever since they first started that Kids Next Door! Ruining trees and mending them into their own little play pins. That's why I wanna be through with them soon. And change the Earth back to its original state!"

Dimalanta Household; kitchen

"Oi know!" Sheila perked up as Mason sat along the edge of the table, his head slumped in boredom on his hands, and his legs dangling over the edge. "We can build… a REALLY huge flag to wave around. That'll get people to notice us!"

"Sheila, how the heck are we gonna get the materials to build something like that at this height?"

"Hmm, good point." She began to think, then perked up again. "Oi know! We'll just get 'ARUKA to find the stuff for us, eh?"

"Sheila, I think you're forgetting the basic point here." However, the sound of massive floor-quaking footsteps caught his attention. "Look! It's Mom!" he yelled and pointed as Yin walked into the kitchen.

The woman sighed in exhaustion as she opened an upper pantry and took out a plate with a bowl over it. "Ahh, laundry can be exhausting work." She sat down and placed the plate on the table, removing the bowl and revealing several pieces of tofu. "But nothing relieves the stresses like some good old homeland tofu." The woman took her fork and happily began sticking it in and eating the pieces of tofu.

"Now's our chance. Fly us up there." Mason ordered.

"Roight!" Sheila took her friend's hands and began spinning her tail, doing her best to fly as close to the woman's face as she could.

"MOOM? MOOOM!" Mason called at the top of his lungs.

"Errgh!" Sheila's arms were shaking. "You're gettin'… kinda heavy… mate… UH!" She gave in and let go.

"AAAAHHHHH…OOF!" Mason took the long fall and bounced on the top of a giant tofu piece.

Sheila flew down and landed beside him and said, "Whoops… sorry, mate… Oi, look at this!" she exclaimed, kneeling down and staring around the giant tofu. "We can get through the rest of our LOIVES with food this big!" Their expressions turned back to horror when the giant food piece quaked, looking back as four gigantic silver points penetrated the delicate substance. They felt their selves rushing upward, widening their eyes as they were slowly approaching an enormous open mouth.

"MOOM! MOM, NOOO!"

"DON'T EAT UUUUUS!"

The Chinese woman paused in her eating and noticed something in the corner of her eye. She looked down and spotted two tiny specks standing on her tofu piece. "Auugh! Bugs!" her voice boomed, flicking the duo down onto the table.

The two recovered and looked in fright as the woman angrily glared at them and raised her left hand. "Gah, change of plans, Sheila, run!" Mason cried, dashing as fast as they could across the table. They failed to get far as Yin's massive hand came down and smashed them. However, the two were thankfully still alive under the small space that was beneath her palm. But the two were sent flying off the table as Yin brushed them away.

They took a fast and painful land and bounced along the floor, their heads throbbing again. The two felt a shadow loom over them and gasped as Yin towered over their tiny forms, still keeping her furious look. "I do not like taking out my after-work tofu only to find a couple bugs trying to eat it before I do!" The mother raised her sock and was about to bring it down.

"RUUUNN!" Mason screamed at the top of his lungs, grabbing Sheila and dashing away just before Yin's soc came down. "Quick! Under the fridge!" he yelled and pointed at the underside of the fridge not too far away. The two moved their legs faster than ever, desperate to make it to the safe haven. They looked up and gasped as Yin's foot was coming down again. "I know!" Sheila chirped. When the titanic sock made impact, Sheila pulled Mason into a jump, and the shockwave blew them directly under the fridge.

"Oh, darn it!" Yin yelled.

The two looked back to see Yin's sock moving away, the floor still shaking at her steps. Knowing they were safe, they took the time to catch their breath. "Didja SEE that, mate?!"

"Oh, you mean my kajillion foot mom almost stomp on us, no I hadn't noticed!"

"I know! It was the most ripper thing ever!" she fist-pumped.

They felt the floor shake again and watched as Yin's socks were coming back. "Quick, hide!" Mason whispered, pulling Sheila and running behind the nearest fridge leg. They pressed against the leg and hid as Yin knelt down, her tremendous eyes skimming around the underside of the fridge as she held a spray can.

"Auugh. Little buggers." Yin grumbled. "Boy, I really need to vacuum under here."

That's when Rachel finally came back in through the front door. "Hey, Yin, whatcha doin'?"

Yin looked up and faced her. "Oh, hi, Rach. I'm trying to kill some bugs."

"Ahh. I just stepped on a spider outside, actually. Boy, was it ugly. Didn't see the kids out there, though." The blonde woman then proceeded to turn and shut the door behind her.

As a result of her legs spinning to perform this task, Panini finally lost her grip on Rachel's shorts, and she and Cheren plummeted below. "WHOOOAAA- UUH!" They crashed onto Rachel's foot.

The school principal felt a tickly feeling on her foot and looked down to see two tiny bugs. "Euh!" she kicked them off with her other foot.

"WAAAHH!" the duo screamed, flying right off.

"I see what you mean." Rachel said to Yin. "Bugs are annoying. Anyway, I'm gonna see how the kids upstairs are doing."

Cheren and Panini dizzily awakened from the fall to watch Cheren's mom head up the stairs. "Well, that first plan of mine would've gone downhill." Cheren figured.

"But at least we're back at the house. Let's try to get somebody's attention." Panini suggested.

As Yin decided to leave the "bugs" alone and walk away, Mason and Sheila were having a little exploration under the fridge. "Oi, this place is a beaut!" Sheila stated with amazement. "Just imagine all the treasures that can be hidden under all this dust!"

Mason stared creepily at all the gigantic dust bunnies lying around. "Just as long as it ain't like Comfy Couch…" he said to himself. "GAHH!" he stopped and gasped at something ahead.

"Aw, STREWTH!" Sheila cheered and approached as a horse-sized ant was dining on a food crumb. "Look at the SIZE of it! He's big enough to ride!"

This gave Mason an idea. "Actually… he is big enough to ride!" A smile of achievement appeared upon his features. "Maybe we can use it to get around faster! Ants are really fast, you know."

"Good idea! We can ride it to the top of this fridge! When somebody comes to get a drink or somethin', we can jump down on their 'eads and try to get their attention! Plus, think of all the wonders that await up there!"

"Um, sure, Sheila. Let's do it!"

The two hopped onto the ant as Sheila yanked its antennas. The ant strangely gave a horse neigh as it began to dash to the back of the fridge. Sheila held the antennas and focused ahead while Mason kept his hands around Sheila's waist. They held on tighter as the ant began to crawl up the backside of the fridge. It took a while, but the two had eventually reached the very top.

"Go rest now, mate." Sheila told her steed, patting the ant's face after stepping off. The ant gave another whinny before it walked away.

"That actually helped a lot." Mason said as they began viewing around the top of the fridge, walking past giant Pringle cans.

"Oh, strewth! Look 'ow big these cans are!"

"Sheila, can we just focus here? I really wanna get to the front of the fridge and see if we can-" He just stopped himself when he watched the raccoon girl already begin climbing up the nearest can.

"I'm climbin' to the top of this thing!" Sheila declared with her usual tone of excitement. "Imagine the wonders! The view! The chips! Oi've gotta see!"

"Sheila! Please come down!"

"'ey, Yin!" Marine greeted, the raccoon woman suddenly entering the kitchen. "Did the boomers ever come back, yet?"

"Not really. Rachel just went out back, said she didn't see them."

"Well, that's crikey. Anyhoo, got anything to eat? Oi'm starving like a dog."

"I still have some tofu left. You want it?"

"Nahh. I'm more in the mood for… ahoy, chips!" The raccoon woman spotted the Pringle cans and decided to take one off the fridge.

Mason's eyes widened as a massive orange hand suddenly took hold of the giant can and took it away. "SHEILAAA!"

Sheila kept a tight grip on the can as her mother pulled the lid off. She tried to pull a chip out, but her hand couldn't squeeze into the can. She peeked an eye in and saw the can more than half empty, and the remaining chips near the bottom. "Ahhh! They always put 'em where ya can't reach 'em." Marine just decided to turn the can upside-down, letting a chip drop out.

As a result, Sheila lost her grip and plummeted down the turned-over can, taking land on the chip in Marine's hand. Sheila looked up with terror as her mom's gigantic mouth was hanging wide open, looming closer. "MUM! NOOOOO!" Sheila hightailed away, avoiding just inches away as her tremendous teeth penetrated the chip. The barbeque-flavored ground crumbled and cracked right below her. Sheila ended up tripping and falling onto the rest of the substance in Marine's hand.

After Marine was finished chewing, Sheila gasped as she was about to consume the rest of her foothold, the chip merely inches away from Marine's mouth.

"You think you'll be okay, Dillon?" Leanne asked as she walked Dillon down the stairs, the boy rubbing his sore ear.

"Yeah, but it still kinda hurts. I don't know what happened. It actually sounded like somebody… BARFED in it a few minutes ago, next thing I know, my eardrum feels like it got pounded."

"Mrs. Dimalanta, do you have an icepack Dillon can use?" Leanne asked.

Marine paused just before eating the chip and turned at them. "Oi, what 'appened?" Sheila quickly took this time to run and climb onto Marine's fingernail.

"My ear feels sore…" Dillon said, rubbing it still.

"Well, 'ere! Let me 'elp." Marine dropped the half-eaten chip back into the can and set the lid over the hole. As she set the lid on, Sheila quickly leapt from her finger onto the lid, and Marine placed the can back on the refrigerator.

The can was set nearly over the gap that existed between the fridge and the freezer door, and Sheila proceeded to drop down onto the door. "Sheilaaa!" She turned and spotted Mason on the other side of the gap. "Are you okaaay?"

"Oi'm fine, man!" Sheila called and waved. "I almost got eaten by my mum! That woulda been a ripper adventure!"

"I'm coming over!" Mason slid down the slope and ran across the soft press that connected the freezer to the door.

To his misfortune however, Marine decided to open the freezer door. Mason stood and wobbled on the edge of the press, falling backwards and holding on tight. "Hold on!" Sheila yelled, sliding down and standing on the edge of the press as she bent over to grab Mason's hands. The cold air from the freezer quickly reached the tiny duo's skin.

Unaware that the duo was holding on for dear life, Marine grabbed pieces of ice out of the freezer and dropped them into a blue rubber bag. Sheila was struggling to hang on to Mason and the Faunus ended up slipping, and was now gripping onto the ledge with her left hand and Mason with her right. "MUM? MUUUM!"

"MRS. FRANTIC!"

"Ah-ha!" Marine smiled, screwing the lid onto the bag. "This oughta make ya feel better." She knelt down and pressed the cold bag to Dillon's ear.

As a result of letting go of the door, the kids looked in horror as the freezer was about to close them in. "AAAAAAHHHHHH!" The tiny screams were unheard as the kids dropped, and the freezer door sealed them into the dark coldness.

Mason and Sheila were surrounded by darkness. The freezing air began effecting their form greatly in mere seconds. Mason stood on a snow-covered floor, though it was really the mist of the freezer on the bottom. Mason rapidly rubbed his hands together for warmth, holding them by his mouth and breathing some breath in before stuffing his arms into his hoodie. "Brr-r-r-r… i-it's so cold… G-Good thing I decided to w-wear my black hoodie today, huh, Sheila…" No response. "Sheila?"

He glanced to his right at the sound of teeth clattering. Sheila stood and rapidly shook in one place, icicles drooping from her nose, and her skin slowly becoming frozen as she desperately rubbed her arms for warmth. While Mason was dressed up in the sweaty, thick black clothing, Sheila was dressed in her thin summer clothing, with a thin green T-shirt, short black shorts, and flip-flops. Her toes also looked like they were becoming frozen, just as icicles hung from other parts of her body, like her tail and ears. "I-I-I c-can't feel my t-t-toes."

"Sheila…" Mason looked with pure worry. "You're freezing."

"Nnnaahh…" Sheila tried to work up a grin, but struggled to. "Everything's all… tiptop, eh? N-N-No need to… worry yourself…hehe."

"Sheila, you're going to freeze to death. We've gotta find you some warmth."

Sheila's teeth clattered a little more. "Th-Th-There ain't gonna be much warmth in here…eh?…"

"Sheila… w-we need to huddle. Come here." Mason pulled his arms out of his sleeves and walked over. Sheila weakly pulled her hands away from her arms as the two slowly embraced each other. Sheila reached below the back of Mason's hoodie and stuck her hands up, causing the boy to wince as her near-frozen hands made contact with his skin. The two held each other close and calmly rubbed their hands against the other's back.

"W-W-Will everything be all crooky… mate?"

"It's okay, Sheila. I'm not gonna let anything happen to you."

A soft spot was touched in Sheila's heart. The Faunus raccoon gently buried her face in Mason's chest for more warmth. The two remained that way for a while and held each other. Slowly but surely, the coldness that was overtaking them faded away. They felt the strong love and care for the other slowly warming them up. Sheila pulled her face out of Mason's chest a little for some air.

A smile slowly grew upon her face, feeling the warmth coming back to her as she realized something. "Hey…" She looked up to face Mason, "I've got an idea, mate." The raccoon child pulled her arms out from Mason's back and balled her left hand into a fist, using her power to make it alight. "We can probably keep warm usin' this."

Mason smiled at seeing the light on her hand, calmly placing both hands over it. "It…It's so warm…"

"Hehe…" she could only grin in joy. "Er…it ain't as big as I want it to be."

"Y-Your bending… doesn't work that well in darkness. But still, I…I think I'm warm enough now."

"Oi am, too…" she assured him as he took his hands off of hers. "Anyhoo… let's get to explorin' this ripper place!"

Mason sighed. "Sheila, you almost froze to death. Shouldn't we get out of here?"

"Ahh, okay. I think Oi've got me a plan, eh?" She looked around and noticed the huge box of chocolate ice cream. "What if we get up on that ice cream pack or something? Someone 'AS to wanna eat ice cream eventually! On a hot day like this!"

"But that could take forever! Hm, but I guess it's better than nothing. We'll never get the door open ourselves like this. But how can we get up there? Does your tail work?"

Sheila looked back and tried to spin her tail, but it remained frozen in place. "No good. Frozen like a popsicle."

Mason looked around for a possible solution. "Look! The hotdogs they were gonna use for the contest!" He noticed the pack of lined-up hotdogs sat next to the ice cream. "We'll climb up there to reach the ice cream!" They hurried over to the hotdogs and grabbed on as tight as they could, pulling all their strength in order to climb the thick ice, trying not to let the cold overtake them. They made it to the top, hurried over, and jumped to the ice cream. "Hoo, made it!" Mason gasped, trying to rub his hands some more.

"Oi, lessee if anyone comes."

"Ergh, you alright there, Lee?" they could hear Haruka's voice from the outside.

"Yeah, I'm on." Mason and Sheila were met with the outside light from the opening door, seeing Lee Andrew's gigantic form. "Ah, here it is!" The boy reached both of his hands in and gripped the ice cream.

The boy pulled the ice cream out and closed the freezer door afterward, sitting around Haruka's shoulders. "Alright, Lee! Now whoever wins gets first serve!"

"Hehe. Alright, then." However, Lee took notice of two tiny bugs on the ice cream lid. "Hm." He simply flicked them away with his finger.

"AAHHH—UAH!" Mason and Sheila shot over like bullets and crashed into a soft, green substance, plummeting down to a brown, soft-soil surface.

"Crikey! Are we back outside?" Sheila asked.

Mason looked up at the colossal plant above them, then took notice of the surrounding walls. "No. We're in the kitchen's pot plant. At least now we can catch a break and warm up."

"Uah, I'm just about warm. Me toes are still feelin' a li'l frosty." She looked down at her frozen toes. Sheila slipped off her sandals and placed her feet on the soft soil of the pot. "Ah, me good ol' toes!" the girl smiled and wiggled her toes between the dirt. "There's nice and warm!"

"Hehehehe!" Mason only grinned and chuckled.

"Man, where the hell are those kids?" Elijah asked as he and Marine entered the kitchen.

"Ah, relax, Eli, you know our daughter. If they get lost, she'll find their way back faster than a Nebraskan in a corn maze, ah?"

"Yeah, yeah." Elijah sat at the table and rested his head on his hand. "I still wish she wouldn't take so long. Just how long can she go on for?" Elijah sighed and pulled a cigarette out of his pocket, using a lighter to ignite it as he began to inhale the smoke and blow it out.

"For Arceus' sake, we're in someone else's house, show a little decency."

Elijah begrudgingly pulled the roll-up out of his mouth. "Pfft." He decided to flick it away to his side.

The cigarette came in contact with the kitchen plant and dropped down into the soil. After Sheila slipped her sandals on, they turned to notice it, their eyes widening in horror as the plant instantly caught fire. "AAAAHHHH!"

"N-No worries getting warmer now!" Mason stuttered.

"Ahhh!" Marine clapped her hands on her head in panic. "What did you do?!"

"It-It was an accident!" Elijah exclaimed, running to the burning plant.

"Well, put it out!"

Elijah frantically wondered what to do. Then, it clicked: Elijah whipped out a can of soda, took a swig, and spewed it over the fire like a hose!

Upstairs, Matthew, Yin, and the rest suddenly heard the blaring of fire alarms. They immediately dashed down the stairs and into the kitchen. "What's going on?!" Yin exclaimed. The adults and children looked towards the wetted, soot-covered plant as slight smoke rose from it, each of them raising brows.

"Problem solved!" the man grinned. Marine just gave him a look of disbelief and sighed as she face-palmed.

Inside the pot, Mason and Sheila bore looks of aggravation as they stood with their legs buried in a puddle of sticky brown, and also dripping with the substance. "Don't know about you, Mason, but Oi like me sodas without spit."

The kids and the adults left afterward while Yin proceeded to take and pull the burned plant out of the pot. As the roots rose from the soil, Mason and Sheila quickly grabbed on and allowed it to lift them up as well. Yin held her other hand below the plant to catch the dripping dirt as she carried it to the trash can. Mason and Sheila dropped onto her open hand and hurriedly ran to grab onto her fingers. Yin dropped the plant into the garbage and brushed her hands off afterwards. "Huh?" The woman suddenly took notice of two teeny creatures clutching to her fingers.

Mason and Sheila looked up as Yin's humongous gray eyes drew closer. Mason and Sheila held looks of worry and anxiety, hoping the woman wouldn't mistake them for bugs. Yin squinted her eyes and finally got a good look at the two. After finally realizing who they were, the woman was overcome with shock as her eyes widened. "AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" her mouth shot open wide and screamed at the top of her lungs. Tiny drops of saliva spewed out at the two, and they could plainly see the uvula shaking in her mouth. "Ooohhhh." After a few seconds, she fell over and fainted, her massive body tremendously quaking the ground.

Yin's body lay unconscious on the kitchen floor as Mason and Sheila hurried over beside her ear. "HEY! HEY, MOM! WAKE UUUP!"

"Hehe. Guess she can't handle finding her 'li'l baby' standin' on her finger, eh?" Sheila sheepishly asked.

"Come on! Let's climb onto her face." The two hurried over to the mother's hair and started to climb the thick strands.

Meanwhile, Haruka entered the kitchen at the sound of something falling, finding her mother unconscious on the floor. "DAAAD. MOM FELL ASLEEP IN THE KITCHEN." Matthew then entered and looked questionably at his knocked-out wife. He approached and held the woman up by her shoulders.

"Honey? Hey, Honey, wake up." He lightly smacked her face.

Mason and Sheila desperately climbed faster up Yin's hair and ran onto her face, then started jumping and waving their arms. "Dad, DAD!" Mason cried out.

"'EEEEEY!" Sheila yelled.

"Come on, let's get her some water." Matt suggested, lifting his wife and holding her head over the sink. He switched the water on and began splashing it across her face.

Humongous waves suddenly began surfing over the tiny duo, instantly washing them off the face. "WAAAAH!" They dropped down onto the sink floor, but had a hard time trying to stand as the water was still dripping down, really thick and deep at their tiny heights.

"Ohhhh…" Yin began to blink awake, so Matt pulled her away from the sink.

"What happened, Honey?"

"Mason… Sheila…" she spoke in a dizzy tone. "Soooo tinyyyy…"

"Daddy, why is Mommy acting crazy?" Haruka asked.

"She's probably stressed from all the work she's been doing. She's hallucinating. All she needs is a little nap and she'll be all better." Matthew proceeded to turn the water off before carrying his wife upstairs.

Mason and Sheila sighed in relief as they finally had a chance to stand up in the sink.

"Okay, fine, Marine, I'll wash my hands." Elijah grumpily stated as he entered the kitchen and turned on the sink.

As Elijah began washing his hands under the rushing water, Mason and Sheila began getting thrown around by the massive droplets and waves. "WHOOOAAAA!" It didn't take long before the two were sent sliding down the drain.

Elijah turned the water off afterward and dried his hands before walking away with Marine. Aurora, Chris, and Francis just stood by the doorway as they watched all this happen. "Boy, talk about a bunch of excitement in one little house." Aurora said. "And Cheren and Panini are missing it all."

"Mason and Sheila, too." Chris reminded.

Unbeknownst to them, Cheren and Panini stood right under the three's noses, yelling up to them. "FRANCIS! AURORA! CHRIIIS! DOWN HEEEERE!"

"What the heck is taking them so long?" Chris asked, the tiny screams going unheard.

"At this rate, the hotdog-eating contest is never gonna happen." Aurora stated in doubt.

"Ah well." Francis shrugged. "He'd probably get beat anyway."

"Who? Cheren?" Aurora raised a brow.

"Well, yeah. I mean Panini DOES have quite the gut. We Fulbrights have been known for our strong stomachs." He smirked.

"Hey, we're the demigod kids, it'd make more sense if WE had the strong stomachs!"

"Oh, please. Cheren could NEVER digest that many dogs."

"And what makes you so special?"

"Oh, I could eat that many dogs with one hand tied behind me."

"What if I ate more?"

"Skinny little lass like you, I'd doubt it."

"Nice compliment." She smirked. "But it won't stop me from kicking your butt."

"Oooh, sounds like we got a challenge." Chris smirked.

"Whaddya say, you wanna?" Aurora asked cockily.

"Let's GO, Uno!"

"Bring it on, Drilovsky!"

"Sweet! Let's do it!" Chris cheered. The two immediately grabbed the hotdogs out of the freezer as Aurora and Chris held flames under to thaw them out. After unfreezing the loads of dogs, they set them on the table as Aurora and Francis sat on opposite ends, holding their mouths open and ready to eat. "On 3:" Chris started, standing between them. "1…" Aurora readied to bite her hotdog, "2…" Francis touched his teeth to his hotdog. "THREE!" Both rivals immediately began gobbling down the hotdogs as quick as they could. Aurora sprayed some of hers with ketchup and mustard and ate them while Francis grabbed two of them at a time and stuffed them down.

Cheren and Panini only watched from the carpeted floor by the doorway as their respective siblings stuffed their faces. "Awe. Francis is fighting for me." Panini smiled.

"Ahh. Now we'll never get to do our contest." Cheren whined.

"Yeah, yeah, but let's get back to the real matter. We can't just keep standin' here and wait for someone to squish us."

"Well, it's the only plan I've got. If we just try and go after them, they'll leave long before we can reach them at this height. Our best option is to just stay here and hope someone will hear our yelling."

"Augh. My lungs are getting tired."

Back with the contest, Aurora and Francis were nearly down to the last dogs. "Okay, guys, is it gonna be a close game, or will someone go for the photo finish?" Chris announced.

Francis tried to stuff another dog, but- "Oooooog." He gripped his stomach.

Aurora paused just before eating and asked, "What's wrong?"

"I think I may have had one too many, oohhh." He sickly slumped out of his chair and held his stomach.

Aurora walked over and helped him up. "Maybe you need a bathroom break." The blue-eyed child then proceeded to lead him up the stairs.

"Hm." Chris watched the two head up first before going to follow them. On his way, however, the blonde-haired brother stepped and tripped on Aurora's dropped ketchup pack. "WHOOA—uuh!" He flipped upward and landed with a thud on his back.

Cheren and Panini exchanged a quick glance and dashed in his direction as fast as they could, seeing his head touching the ground. "Man, I really gotta watch where I step." Chris stated, turning his head left. "Huh?" The eldest Uno son took notice of a couple of tiny figures jumping around by his left. Chris got up and sat on all fours as he moved his head closer and squinted tightly at the two. His eyes widened with shock. "What the crudapples?"

Yin and Matt's Room

"Honey? Honey, are you okay?" Matt asked. He, Haruka, Lee, Rachel, Dillon, Leanne, and Aurora stood around the Chinese woman as she lie groaning on the bed. Her eyes slowly began to open and regain vision, seeing the faces of her husband and friends hanging over her. "There you are!" Matt smiled as his wife sat up, holding her throbbing head.

"What happened?" Rachel asked.

"I…I saw Mason… and Sheila! They were on my finger. And…" Yin squinted her eyes and held her right thumb and index finger inches away from each other, "soooo tinyyyy."

"I think you might still be hallucinating." Matt said.

"You've been working really hard today." Rachel told her.

"But… it looked so real…"

"That would explain why we can't find them." Dillon said. "They got so small, we could barely see them."

"But that's crazy." Aurora replied. "You don't go playing in the backyard and suddenly turn really tiny."

"Umm… Mom?" Chris nervously entered the room, holding up his right pinky finger. "There's… something you need to see."

Yin got up from bed as she and Rachel approached the boy, who held his pinky up higher. The two bent over and squinted their eyes very closely. At the tip of Chris's pinky, a teeny-tiny Cheren and Panini rapidly waved their arms with desperate expressions, and Panini was pouncing around like a rabbit. "Ohhhh…" Riddled with shock, Yin dizzily fell to the floor with a thud once again. The rest of the kids gathered around to see the tiny duo up close.

Rachel only looked down at her shrunken son with a shameful look and folded her arms, a look that said 'What did you do, now?' Cheren and Panini exchanged glances and pointed at each other. Rachel just placed her hand over her eyes and shook her head in disbelief.

The sewers

"AAAHHHH!" Mason and Sheila shot down a giant waterfall (that looked small to a regular-sized person) coming from a pipe and dropped into the enormous, mile-wide sewer river below.

Mason gasped for breath and resurfaced, holding onto a floating piece of giant food as he flowed down the river. "SHEILA?" he called out, looking for his hybrid friend through the massive waves. The sounds of the waterfalls drowned out almost all sound. He sucked in some breath and put his head underwater. His eyes widened when he saw his raccoon friend slowly sinking to the bottom, her eyes closed as bubbles flowed out of her mouth. He came back above surface with a look of pure worry, trying to catch his breath. Mustering up the courage, he sucked in more breath and dove beneath the waves.

Mason's eyes were fixed on the raccoon Faunus, determination on his visage as he swam his way down. He remembered the swimming lessons he learned from Sheila and tried to put them to the test. He kicked his legs and brushed his arms behind him over and over, letting tiny bubbles escape from his nose, drawing closer to his drowning friend. When he had finally reached her, Mason took her arms and put them around his shoulders, now fighting to carry them both back to the surface, having to use only his legs. It took some work, but Mason reached the surface and gasped widely for breath. He was able to make it to the side of the river and grabbed onto a rugged edge along the wall. He kept hold on Sheila with his right hand and held the rugged side with the left hand, climbing the cliff with the last of his strength.

He desperately panted for air after reaching the top, setting the girl on the ground on her back. "Sheila!" he yelled, shaking his friend in dire hopes. Sheila's eyes remained closed, and showed no signs of motion. Seeing no other alternative, Mason pressed his lips to Sheila's mouth and shot breath down her lungs.

Sheila's eyes shot open and awake, gasping quickly for air as Mason got off. After a while, Sheila stopped her heavy breathing and stared at Mason, who bore a relieved look. The raccoon held her dizzy head down and placed her left hand over her forehead. "Oh, Sheila…" Mason sighed in relief and tried to keep her up as they both sat on the ground. "Are you okay?"

"Th-That was…" Sheila immediately shot to her feet. "RIPPER!"

"Ah!" Mason fell back at her outburst.

"I almost drowned! That was the best experience in me entire life!" Mason annoyedly stood up and brushed himself off. He maintained this demeanor as Sheila walked around and yapped. "When we were in that tunnel, and goin' around and around! And then we dropped down the waterfall! That TOTALLY needs to be an amusement park ride!" Mason shut his eyes tight and grit his teeth. "Wait until we get home! Imagine what goin' down a TOILET would be like!"

"NNNGH!" Mason shook in anger. "Will you JUST! SHUT! UP?!" Sheila stood in place and turned to him with a start. "This whole experience has been a living NIGHTMARE! All I wanted was to have a fun little day playing in the yard, nothing too big, but then YOU had to be all GUNG-HO for adventure, and check out the mysterious door with an obviously dangerous vortex! UUGH! We NEVER would've gotten in this mess if it wasn't for you. We should've just STAYED home, and watched Cheren and Panini eat hotdogs. That woulda been a MILLION times better, than being shrunk down to the size of dust mites, and going on this wild ride, getting gassed by my sister, getting SQUISHED by my mom, and eaten by your mom, and going inside Dillon's freaking ear, and almost FREEZING to death, THEN getting spat on, with the most AGGRAVATING, ADVENTURE-loving raccoon mutant, IN THE WORLD!" Following his tirade, the boy began panting heavily.

Sheila only stood there, all happiness completely void from her face. Mason started to develop guilt when the tears started to well in her eyes, her lips quivering. "Sniff…" She sniffled.

"Sheila…" Mason slowly reached a hand out. Sheila only looked away and walked over to the sidewalk's edge, having a seat and letting her legs hang above the river. Sheila quietly cried and wiped her eyes. Mason's heart felt cramped. For as long as he's known her, Sheila's never been one to cry. And for the first time seeing it, it was the worst thing in the world. He calmly approached his friend and sat beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Sheila… I'm sorry. I didn't mean any of that, honest. I just… I'm just really stressed, you know? I just wanna get out of this mess."

Sheila sniffled a little more and looked up at him. "Ya know, I…I live in a shabby neighborhood back in Azultown. Mum makes money fixin' up ships… but she likes spendin' it on fun stuff, like when she takes me places. Dad takes care o' bills and stuff, but they don't send me to school… so, they fight sometimes. Mum argues that since I'm in KND, I don't need school. All I need is the world. But Dad says…"

"Well, let's see if she can handle the world if she grows up like an idiot."

"He just said that around you?" Mason asked.

"Ah'm usually in me bedroom… but they ain't really quiet. So, I just… really wanna have fun with what I do. And I love doin' it with you." She sniffled. "Ya can't just waste time thinkin' about what bad things could happen…"

Mason looked down in shame. "I-I do, too, Sheila… and that's why I wanna get out of this so much." He looked up at her. "I wouldn't trade our time for anything. The reason I'm so serious about this… is 'cause I don't want anything bad to happen. I wanna get out of this so we can keep playing together as long as we want. Without worry of… well, anything."

Sheila sniffed a little more and wiped some tears off. "Y-Yah…"

"But… I really am sorry for what just happened."

Sheila slowly began to form a smile. "'t's orright, mate."

"Hehe…" Mason stood back to his feet and helped Sheila up.

"Well… it looks like we're in quite the pickle down here, eh?"

"E-yep… But that makes all the more adventure for us!"

"Hehe." She grinned. "It'll take us months to find our way back home down here."

"Then I guess we'll become sewer pirates in that time. And besides… look how BIG it is down here!" His heart filled with joy and excitement, Mason called out and echoed to the distance. "HELLOOOOO!"

Sheila ran beside him and screamed, "HELLOOOOOOOOO!"

"WHOOOOO IIIIIIS THEEEERRRRE?" a deep, booming voice erupted throughout the sewers.

The two friends winced with fear. "Umm… Sheila? Somethin' tells me we aren't down here alone…"

"That sounds right with me, too, eh?"

"Heh…" Mason put on an adventurous smirk. "Let's go."

"Hehe…" Sheila smirked as well. The duo began their long, leg-tiring walk across the vast, mile-long sewers. From the depths of the river, a pair of toxic-green eyes watched the couple venture away, bubbles emerging from its gigantic form as it followed.

Dimalanta Household

"Okay, let's cut to the chase." Rachel started as they all gathered in Matt and Yin's room, standing around Chris, who still held the tiny Panini and Cheren on his pinky. "How did you two get like that?"

Chris held the two close to his ear as their tiny voices cried out. "The magic door in the forest!"

"They said it was a magic door in the forest."

"You think you could help us find where it is?" Aurora asked. The duo nodded.

"That still doesn't tell us where Mason and Sheila are." Leanne stated with worry. "I sure hope they're okay."

"Well, as long as they have each other," Rachel began, "I'm sure they'll be just fine."

Virginia Sewers

Stage 2: Sewer Adventure

Mission: Find a way out of the sewers and get back home!

Mason and Sheila hadn't gotten too far considering their height, looking around at all the pipes that spewed waterfalls from high above them. "Man, this place is so big… it'll take forever to find the one we came out of." Mason said. "And even if we do, how are we even gonna climb back up?"

"Oi, look, Mason!" Sheila excitedly pointed ahead. A trio of giant red and black beetles grabbed some waste out of the river and flew up into a hole that was high up on the brick wall.

"Were those… dung beetles?" Mason asked, disgustedly.

"Oi bet they can help us! Le's go after them!"

"Ohhh…" Mason was already feeling sick to his stomach. (Play "Pooland" from Conker's Bad Fur Day!)

The two quickly headed to the wall the dung beetles flew up. The hole which they flew in was many stories above them. However, there was a long, gaping curved crack in the wall that seemed to lead up there. Mason and Sheila went into the crack and began jumping their way up the many giant bricks to get up there, and Sheila also helped them fly a couple ways up. When they had made it to the top, they proceeded to enter the tunnel, the powerful smell of sewer waste still reaching their noses. They moved slowly and crouched behind a doorway as they spied into some room, watching as those three dung beetles sat around a table and drank tea.

"Ahh, don'tcha just love it when some kid gets 'imself stuffed with meat?" one of the dung beetles asked.

"Crikey! Talking dung beetles!" Sheila exclaimed before running inside.

"Sheila, wait!" Mason tried to stop her, but couldn't.

"Blimey! You blokes are the biggest buggers I've ever seen!"

"'ey, who the heck are these guys?" the first one asked.

"Duh, they're some weird-lookin' bugs, Razza." The second one said in a dimwitted tone.

"Hey, hang on, they ain't bugs. They're brats!" the third one pointed out.

"What? But aren't humans supposed to be… I dunno, taller?" the first one, Razza asked.

"We… had a little accident." Mason stated sheepishly, scratching his head.

"Ehn, just who are you brats?"

"Moi name's Sheila! And this 'ere is Mason!" Sheila happily answered.

"Mason, ah?… Wait… you mean from that family upstairs?"

"Y-You know us?" Mason asked.

"Are you kiddin'? You poisonbenders are pretty well-known to us dung beetles."

"You guys make the most DELICIOUS poo!" the third one said.

"Huhuhu… I like me a good poo…" the second one stated goofily.

"Um…you're welcome?" Mason replied confusedly.

"'ey, Oi don't suppose you blokes 'ave any idea how to get us back to Mason's house?" Sheila asked.

"Oh, sure we do." Razza said. "We know the sewers like the backs of… well, whatever we have for hands."

"But, uh…it might not be best for you to go right now." The third one said.

"W…Why not?" Mason asked.

"There's somethin' real nasty in these sewers…" the second one answered.

"And this is?" he rose a brow at the balls of poo lined up on the wall.

"No, no, we mean somethin' REAL nasty. It eats bugs like us." The third one replied.

"Lately, some monster's been lurking down here." The first one continued. "Some monster that hides within the waste. It could be hiding anywhere down here. Unfortunately, no one who's seen it has lived to tell the tale."

"Except Tezza here saw it once." The third one said.

"Duh, it was scary. Them green eyes were big'uns." The dumb one said.

"And I saw it, too. Its hand, anyway." Bazza stated. "Saw him eat another dung beetle. There was no escapin' for that guy."

"As far as we know, this is the only safe place." Razza began. "It's never safe to go out to the river to grab dinner without that thing stalkin' up on us."

"Well, strewth! Maybe we can 'elp you blokes beat this drongo!" Sheila smiled, waving her fist.

"Nah, nah, there's no way." Bazza denied. "You're better off just gettin' outta here."

"Then, can you tell us the way?" Mason asked.

"Oh, sure. This area's just below where your house is. Just follow the path upward over there." Razza pointed to a door beside the table. "You'll be up there in no time."

"Alright! Thanks!"

"Yeah, good luck. You kids are gonna need it with a beast like that on the loose."

Mason and Sheila then proceeded into the hallway ahead. "WHOA!" They stopped and gasped when a massive brown, gooey hand shot through the wall and nearly grabbed them before retreating. They exchanged a frightened glance before proceeding cautiously. At the end of the hallway, they came to a chamber that led upward a few stories, and had several pipes with the brown substance pouring out. The two balanced their way up a few narrow walkways and gripped onto thin strings of toilet paper, using them to climb higher. Before they could swing to another one, a waterfall of poo poured down in their path. They waited for it to stop before swinging to the next string. The two climbed a bit higher before reaching a dangling lever. They jumped and grabbed to pull the lever down. The sounds of toilet flushing were heard as the chamber began to fill with filthy liquid.

They disgustedly used this to their advantage and allowed the liquid to float them up higher. They were eventually lifted up to a pipe and progressed into it. They arrived at a room where a series of dungballs were being rolled down rows of stairs. The two quickly headed up the stairs and jumped over any dungball that would run them over. When they made it up, they entered the tunnel where the dungballs came from, sidling against the wall to let the balls roll by. At the end of the tunnel was a hole in the ceiling where the dungballs were dropping from, and to the side was a door to the next room. They now stood on a short ledge over a pool of the brown goo. Sticking out of the pool were several more hands of the same substance.

Mason and Sheila took a few steps back before leaping to the first hand. They quickly jumped to the next one before the first one snapped shut on them, and rapidly pounced around the hands to avoid being snatched. They thankfully made it to the other side, finding several ripped toilet paper pieces on the ground. The toilet paper emerged into Scummy Mummies, who waddled their way over to try and bash the duo with toilet plungers. The two easily avoided as Sheila began punching Light Spheres at them, while Mason whacked them with Poison Whip, taking them out easy. They then proceeded into the next room, standing on a ledge over another chasm of poo. They noticed a roll of toilet paper sitting along two parallel lines and hopped on. They carefully made the roll move forward to balance on and keep going. A couple geysers of poo rose up, but they slowed to a halt and waited for them to die down.

After reaching the other side, they hopped off onto the platform and found a small ball of poo. "You know, mate, my adventurer instincts tell me we're going to need this." Sheila said.

"Ugh. Well, the adventurer instincts are never wrong." Mason used his bending to roll the ball along as they headed up a hill into another hall. The two were then continuing along a narrow pathway over a river of poo, the ball getting bigger as Mason rolled it. They looked around the ball and saw a hole in the road, watching a giant poo hand reach out. The hand felt around that part of the path to try and find them. They carefully rolled past the hand when it searched around the other side.

"Oi, check it out!" Sheila whispered. "You just roll it and roll it, and it gets bigger and biggerer! It's just like a snowball!"

"Hehe, yeah. A more disgusting snowball." The two arrived at a part of the path where it split in three, with two more holes in-between. As expected, two hands emerged from the holes and felt around the path. Like before, the duo patiently waited until both hands were further enough away before they carefully rolled the ball across, with the left hand almost touching them. They finally arrived at the end of the path, looking down as a bigger, fatter dung beetle sat and blocked the next entrance. The two pushed the ball down, and it landed on his head, waking him from his slumber.

"W-Whuh?…" the beetle startled awake and searched around, hovering a little with his wings. "Oh, this one will do…" he said before rolling the giant dungball away.

The two entered the door he was guarding and found a room with a wide hill leading upwards, wet with a puddle of toilet water flowing down. As they walked up, giant boulders of poo dropped from the ceiling and rolled toward them, the first one running them over. They shook the dizziness off and avoided the rest of the dungballs as they kept going. Once at the top, a couple of Poohemoths emerged from the ground. Sheila tried to punch one in the gut, but her fist ended up caught inside its form. She pushed her feet against it to try and pull her fist out, but the monster only grabbed her by the head and tossed her away. Mason rapidly whipped against the other one with his Poison Whip, wrapping the weapon around its arm and allowing the monster to swing him away.

The two recovered and stood to face the Poohemoths again. Mason found a small roll of toilet paper on the ground and tossed it into one's mouth. The Poohemoth monster coughed and choked on this absorbent before melting. Sheila then took notice of a lever dangling from the ceiling and decided to yank it. A compartment on the ceiling opened and dropped a giant wet-wipe onto the remaining Poohemoth, easily absorbing it. Once they were gone, the door opened beside them, and they continued into an area with a flowing river of trash, which was obviously quite wide to their size. The two headed down and started to hop their way over the river using the trash. The giant poo hands stuck out of the river and snuck over to try and grab them, but Sheila quickly got them across using her tail propeller, and they weren't looking forward to falling under and seeing the source of the hand.

Eventually, the two made it across and looked up as ripped toilet paper, designed like a ladder, led all the way up into another pipe. The two took hold and carefully started climbing the thin ladder, going several stories higher up. Mason glanced down to the river and noticed the monstrous pair of eyes watching them as it flowed past. Mason kept his worried expression as they climbed the rest of the way. (End song.)

Dimalanta Household

Aurora held a magnifying glass over the mini duo. Cheren and Panini's eyes widened with fright at how enormous Aurora's ocean-blue eye was now. The duo pointed their way through the forest outside. Aurora walked carefully so as not to drop them, and the rest of the group followed her. When Cheren and Panini recognized the scenery, they both raised a hand, gesturing for Aurora to stop. "Right here?" They nodded and gestured to put them down. Aurora carefully got down on one knee and rested her pinky on the ground, laying it flat. The two slid down onto her fingernail and afterwards leapt off and dashed ahead.

The rest of the crew gathered and crouched down, squinting closely as the tiny figures scampered all the way over to an equally tiny door. Aurora crawled a bit closer to observe the door with her magnifying glass. "This door?" The two nodded once more.

"We opened this door and found some kind of swirling vortex." Cheren explained.

"When we went in, we came out the size of ants, and we couldn't open it back up." Panini followed. "Then Mrs. Uno came looking for us, so we hitched a ride on her shorts. But then we fell off when she entered the house, and we kept yelling out to people until Chris noticed us."

"Wait, you mean that was you two that landed on my foot?" Rachel asked.

"Well, yah…" Cheren scratched his head.

"Boy, do I feel guilty now…" Rachel frowned in shame.

"Don't worry about it, Mom. We know they're safe now." Aurora assured.

"So, what I'm getting is, Mason and Sheila also found this door, and were shrunk down, too, when they entered it." Matt summarized.

"Then THAT means the li'l buggers must be somewhere around here!" Marine exclaimed.

Hearing this, Haruka gave a quiet, horrified gasp, her eyes wide. She checked around the soil for the two "bugs" she gassed earlier. "No, wait." Matt spoke. "Yin said she found them on her finger. So, they must be inside the house somewhere… right?"

"That only depends if we didn't accidentally squish them by now." Yin said. At this, everyone gave terrified faces and checked the bottoms of their shoes. Of course, they also realized their shoes were off in the house.

"Calm down, you guys." Matt told them. "They're probably fine… somewhere. Let's all just get back inside the house and start looking for them. Afterwards, we need to find a way to open this door back up." With looks of worry and dread, the lot of them headed back to the house. Haruka just kept a guilty expression as she looked down in shame.

Virginia Sewers

After climbing up the ladder, the two had arrived in a rather large chamber with a pool of poo in the center, a pathway going around it. Inside the pool were three more dung beetles going for a swim. "Oi, that level didn't sit well with my stomach, eh?" Sheila slightly grunted.

"Well, at least we should be close to the top by now. Let's ask these guys if they know anything." Mason walked closer to the edge and called out to the dung beetles, "Um, EXCUSE ME? You guys have any idea how to get to the house upstairs?"

The beetles paused in their swimming to look up at them. "Oh yeah, of COURSE we know how ta get theres-is! Where'dya think we're swimmin' in?" one of them asked. "Those guys makes the best-"

"Yeah, yeah, we make the best poo, now directions?"

"Yeh-yeh, just keeps headin's up theres-is." He indicated the tunnel way at the end of the path.

"Okay. Thanks." Mason called out as the two continued along the path.

"Oi, let us come back for a swim, eh?" Sheila waved at them.

"Please let us not, Sheila." Mason mumbled in disgust. As the dung beetles were enjoying their swim however, one of them had been suddenly yanked beneath the surface. Mason and Sheila immediately stopped in their path and turned to see one of them gone.

"Ah, it's okays." The other one waved them off. "He's probably got sucked down the drain again. Barnie, help him out, would ya?" The other dung beetle, Barnie, took a breath and dove beneath the surface. A couple bubbles emerged from where he dove, and then vanished after a few seconds.

Mason and Sheila exchanged terrified glances. The remaining dung beetle began to look worried and said, "Ahh, okays…" he calmly flew out of the poo, "I'm just gonna… take a…" His sentence was cut short when a hand suddenly emerged from the pool. "Wa-wa-WAAAH!" He tried to get away, but the hand shot over and pulled him down below.

Mason and Sheila stepped back in absolute fear as the center of the pool began to bubble tremendously. (Play "The Mighty Poo Sloprano" from Conker's Bad Fur Day!)

The dung beetle shook around and pled for mercy as it was held by the wings by a gargantuan blob of poo. The beast dripped with the brown goo as it rose from the depths, its mouth open wide as his rotten yellow teeth were exposed. The beetle shook even more and tried desperately to get away. The monster held its mouth open wider and snacked the bug in one bite, licking his fingers clean.

Mason and Sheila were horrified at the sight. The monster of poo took notice of them and cleared his throat. He pulled out some pills and dropped them into his mouth, then washed them down with some water. He cleared his throat a little more and started to sing in a deep, powerful voice that echoed throughout the sewers.

"I… AM… the Great Mighty Poo, and I'M going to THROW my crud at YOU. I hail from, you see, people's chocolate and pee. I'll turn you into scat, you little brats!"

Mason and Sheila exchanged a disbelieved glance before slowly sticking their fingers down their throats. "BLEEHH!" They barfed over the ledge behind them.

Boss fight: Great Mighty Poo

The two jumped to the side to avoid being crushed by one of his dungballs. They tried to hurry over to the way they came in, but the Mighty Poo slammed his hand on the path and made it collapse. They tried to hurry down the way ahead next, but the monster slammed its hand on Mason and clutched the boy. The monster swung Mason around in the air, but Sheila saved him by charging a large Light Sphere and blasting at the monster's face. He was blinded by the light and dropped Mason onto the foothold, but regained vision in seconds. The Mighty Poo laughed before switching to further ahead in the path as Mason and Sheila tried to run that way.

The Mighty Poo opened his mouth wide and sang at the top of his lungs. His booming voice caused the cavern to shake, which made several waste and debris fall down onto the ground. They tried to get further down the path, but the Mighty Poo kept appearing in their way and singing to the heavens. However, one of the items that fell down was a giant roll of toilet paper. The two exchanged a smirk before lifting the paper and tossing it straight into his mouth. This caused the Mighty Poo to begin choking, and Mason proceeded to burp a Gas Bomb at his lower left hip and explode a chunk off of him. As they reached the end of the first path, into the next room, the Mighty Poo appeared in their way again, the gap in his hip healing instantly.

"Do you really THINK you'll SURVIIIVE in here? You don't seem to know which creek you're IIIN. I am made of ALL the things that go through peoples' rear. How d'you think I keep this lovely grin?" He grinned widely and exposed his rotten teeth. "HAVE some more caviar!"

The Mighty Poo pulled out a bowl of caviar and dipped a spoon in, using it to fling the fish eggs at the duo. The two hurried down the path and dodged the flying caviar. When they made it to a gap that was too far to jump, Sheila grabbed Mason and used her tail to fly them across, landing them on the next foothold. The two kept running and reached a dead end. Sheila noticed poo stalactites hanging from the ceiling and used her light chain to hook onto one, Mason keeping hold on her as she swung them across. They swung their way over to a chain on the other end, grabbing and pulling down. This caused some blue toilet-cleaner substance to spray out from the ceiling and sting the Mighty Poo's eyes.

The Mighty Poo burst into his booming singing again, making poo stalactites drop down as the friends hurried across the next path. They jumped more gaps in the floor and stopped before another giant toilet paper roll fell on them. Once again, they lifted the paper and tossed it into his open mouth, causing him to choke. They quickly hurried into the next room before he recovered and appeared in their path again.

"Now I'm really getting RATHER mad, you're like a wiggly tickly CRUDDY little tag nut. When I've knocked you OUT with AAALL my bab, I'm gonna take your heads and ram them up MY BUTT!"

"Your butt?" Mason asked.

"That's right, MY BUTT!"

"Yo' butt?" Sheila asked.

"My butt-"

"Ew." Mason cringed.

"My butt-"

"EWW!" Sheila exclaimed.

"MY BUUUUUUUUUTT!"

Even more arms emerged from the Mighty Poo's form, the kids rapidly dodging around to avoid being smashed. There seemed to be no other ways to go, except a tremendous tower leading upward. In the meantime, the two just moved quickly around the foothold to avoid the Mighty Poo's slamming fists. Mason quickly burped Gas Bombs at some of the fists to blow them away, while Sheila charged and punched Light Spheres at them. The Mighty Poo retreated his spare fists and started pulling out dungballs to throw at them, but Sheila punched more light balls at the dungballs and splattered them in one hit.

The Mighty Poo burst into song once again, causing debris to fall down even faster. The kids rapidly dodged the falling sewage items before grabbing the convenient roll of toilet paper and tossing it into his throat, the monster choking once again.

Overcome with anger, the Mighty Poo sang an operatic chorus. "Aaaaaa-Aaaaaa-AAAAAAAAAAA!" His singing so great, the sewers trembled even more, and Mason and Sheila covered their ears tight. Just then, an enormous geyser of water shot up from below, sending the two directly up the tower.

The Mighty Poo kept after them and rapidly climbed its way up the tower, the kids hurriedly dodging to avoid his snapping hands. They kept going higher and higher, hoping eventually they'd reach the top. "AAAH, SHEILA!" Mason screamed, alerting them to a down-facing pipe up above. The geyser slammed them into the pipe and washed them down it, the two screaming as they surfed who-knows-where.

Dimalanta Household

As Aurora was searching around the bathroom, she rose a brow at the sight of the toilet shaking around. "Um, FRANCIS?" she called the boy over. Francis curiously approached his friend as Aurora led him over beside the toilet. "Did you clog the toilet by any chance?"

"It wasn't me. I wonder what's happening…"

At that instant- "GRAH!"

"AHH!" The two winced in shock when the blob of poo emerged from the toilet. Aurora and Francis immediately grabbed a plunger and began pounding it down on the monster. Aurora then pushed the lever.

"DAAAH, you snot-nosed kids, look what you've done! I'm flushing, I'm flushing! Oh, what a world, what a world." Aurora and Francis watched in confusion as the monster swirled and sunk down the toilet. "To think that a couple of pint-sized kids like you could destroy my BEAUTIFUL clagginess! Ah, I'm going! Aaaaaah! Nooooo! Aaaaaaahhhhhhhh…"

"Hmph." Aurora glared at Francis. "You have one crazy bowel movement." With a final strum of the song, the two left the bathroom. (End song.)

By this time, night had fallen, and the crew had given up searching for their shrunken friends. Down in the kitchen, Rachel was leaned against the table as she spoke on a phone. "No, we're still looking for a solution, Patton, though we think we have a plan. But don't worry, your daughter is safe."

"Oh, good." Patton sighed in relief. "Just have my daughter fixed soon. Fanny's losing it over here."

"Heh, just make sure she doesn't go on a rampage. Good night, Patton." Rachel hung up.

Panini shuddered, having just watched this with Cheren on the kitchen table. "I hope we get big soon. I'd be absolutely terrified seeing my mom so big."

"Well, your Uncle Paddy and Shaunie saw her like that once." Cheren reminded. "Just ask them for advice."

"Okay, guys, I have your rooms all set up!" Haruka said, holding her hand open for the tiny duo. She carried them up to her room and presented a dollhouse on her nightstand. "It's a dollhouse I used to play with. The bed inside should be a nice fit for you both~"

The inside of the dollhouse was perfectly fit for their height. The two went upstairs into the bedroom and lied on the bed, finding it rather comfy. The two looked out the window as a tremendous brown eye peeked in. "Awww. You two look so adorable." Dillon cooed. The two gave him annoyed looks before settling under the covers.

"Dillon, don't tease them." Haruka stated. "Since you're staying over, you can sleep in Mason's bed. But watch your step!"

"Yeah, I know…" Dillon left the room, keeping his eyes downward.

Haruka depressedly sat on her bed with her head rested on her hand. The twin sniffled and said, "I can't believe I…I almost killed my brother." She wiped a tear off. "They were right in front of me… and I poisoned them… Oh, Mason… please be okay." She somberly relaxed on her bed and drifted to sleep.

Unknown bathroom

The force of the monster's rampage sent Mason and Sheila far up the pipelines. "Whooooaaaa!" Eventually, they came launching right out of a toilet, crashing on a posh bathroom floor. "Huff…ugh…phew…glad that's over…" Mason gasped.

"Did we… make it back?" Sheila pushed her tired self up.

Mason stood and looked around. There was an elegant-looking bathtub with a fancy shower curtain and lots of pleasant soaps. "This doesn't look anything like my house."

The friends crossed the floor to the bathroom's open doorway. It led to an enormous bedroom with lots of gigantic stuffed toys, a luxurious dollhouse, and a mountainous bed with an overhang. There were echoing snores resounding from atop the bed. "I don't recognize this place at all. In fact, this looks like some rich kid's home. Probably a girl, judging by all this junk."

"It ain't the worst thing, eh? Why don't we climb on up there and ask her to help us?"

"Even if she would, she sounds fast asleep. In fact…" the boy yawned, "so am I…"

Sheila yawned as well, rubbing her tired eyes. "Oi, me too. We gotta find a safe place to rest. …I reckon that house should have a few rooms open!" Her eyes perked as she pointed to the huge dollhouse.

"Hey, yeah!" Mason beamed. The two immediately dashed across the jungle of carpet fibers and arrived at the large house. They entered the front door and decided to have a look around the house. It perfectly fit their size, though maybe a few inches bigger. "Wow! It's amazing in here! It's so detailed!"

"Mason, check this out up here!" Mason followed her voice and climbed up to an attic. A golden bell was hung up, a string attached to it. Sheila rang the bell.

"It jingles! Sheila, that's it! When this kid wakes up, we'll use this to get her attention!"

"Strewth! You think she can get us back home, mate?"

"I mean… it's really the only chance we've got. We could at least ask her to call our parents…" Still, Mason was hesitant to ask a complete stranger for help while they were so small and practically helpless. After all, this kid could easily be a spoiled brat.

"Well, let's see if this place has a bed first." Sheila suggested. They explored and found a bedroom, exchanging wide smiles at the sight of the huge bed. "Aw, RIPPER!" Sheila excited ran over and jumped out of her sandals, joyfully rolling around the soft, relaxing bed. "This bed is rippuh! And look! It's fit for two!"

"Al-halright!" Mason cheered. The boy kicked off his shoes before jumping onto the bed with Sheila. Sheila lay on the window side while Mason lay beside her, getting easily accustomed to the bed's softness. "Man, this thing is perfect! We'll be getting plenty of sleep like this!"

"Ah, nothin' relieves the excitement of adventure like a good ol', cozy bed." Sheila smiled, spreading her legs out and wiggling her toes.

"Got that right…" Mason smiled, resting his head on the pillow. He glanced beside at his friend. "Um, Sheila?"

"Yah, mate?" Sheila rolled her eyes to him.

"Um…even though we almost died several times… I really enjoyed this adventure. It was really fun…"

"Hehe." Sheila widely grinned and showed her teeth… which were in dire need of cleaning after recent circumstances. "Thanks, but… maybe I enjoyed it a little too much."

"Well, yeah… but I'm sorry I went off on you like that."

"Nah, it's okay. Tomorrow, I'll make sure to get us both back to normal. Even if I gotta force this stranger to help us!"

"Heh, I'm hoping she does. But, no matter what happens… let's promise to stick together from now on."

"Hee hee! It's a promise!"

And so, the two rested their heads on the pillow and peacefully drifted into sleep. For the first time, neither of them were worried about being small or dying. After a long day's humongous struggles, the two had never felt more at peace. Being with their best friend, the person they cherished more than anyone else, they knew they would be safe. A dim blue light shone into the tiny window of the dollhouse, lighting up the sleeping couple. The two peacefully slept under the calm light, letting the worries out of their mind.

Dimalanta Household

By the time noon arrived the next day, all the house guests began to crawl around the floor, searching intently for the two missing kids. They heard the doorbell ring, and Matthew went over to answer it. "Hey, Angie! What brings you here?"

The woman in question was Angelie McKenzie, a thin young woman with light-brown hair, a green top with white shorts, and thin, but sturdy bare legs. "I received Rachel's text about the situation last night. I decided to get one of my old friends and bring her over. She says she might know a way to fix them."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Could you bring Cheren and Panini here?"

Matt sent the news to Rachel, and the Uno mother proceeded to bring the tiny kids in her hand. The duo waved up at Cheren's aunt Angie, who seemed rather adored. "Hm hm! Everyone, I'd like you to meet my friend, Chiri."

Angie held an open hand to Rachel's. Standing on it appeared to be a light-yellow, chipmunk-like woman. Her eyes were big, black, and beady, ears long, she wore a purple beret, and had a light-purple dress made of grass blades. "Hello, you two!"

"Whoa! What are you?" Cheren asked.

"Tehe! I'm a Minish! After your mom relayed the story to Angie, she suspected it was a Minish Door that shrunk you."

"A Minish Door?"

"They're magic doors that are only supposed to appear every hundred years. I'm not sure why one has appeared now, but you'll need my help to get it back open. Could you lead me to where it is?"

"Yeah!"

Angie carried them all to where the kids directed. Once at the door, she set them all on the ground. Chiri approached the little door and placed her hands to it, uttering some kind of incantation. Before their eyes, the swirling green vortex opened. "There! Now you'll be able to grow back!"

"You sure it's not just gonna make us smaller?"

"Hehe, you'll be as small as Gupna if that happened! But I promise you don't have to worry."

The kids took her word and entered the vortex. Angie picked Chiri back up, watching as the portal expanded to human size. It opened back up, and Cheren and Panini came stumbling out. "It worked! We're big, Panini!" Cheren embraced her in a hug.

"And Ay'm still bigger than ya!"

"Only by a few inches!" The two broke away and viewed the tiny woman on Angie's palm. "Thank you, Chiri. We really owe you one."

"It's my pleasure!" she replied in a tiny voice. "Now, what about these friends of yours? Have you found them?"

"No, but we should help get on that. Mason and Sheila have to see us looking for them. We just need to be careful not to overlook them."

…

Yin entered her daughter's room and saw Haruka lain depressedly on her bed. She sat on the bed, touching a hand to her shoulder. "What's wrong, Haru? Don't you wanna help look for your brother?"

"I don't think he wants my help…"

"Why not? Did you get in a big fight before they shrunk?"

"Well… not exactly, but… when I went out to look for them… I saw them… flying by my face. I didn't know it was them… so I gassed them. Gassed them like bugs! I know they're OK now, but… Mason needed my help more than ever, and I tried to kill him. He'll probably hate me for the rest of his life…"

"Well, if you really think he's mad, then you need to make it up to him. You can do that by helping find them. We have a way to fix them now, but they need our help first."

"You're…you're right." Haruka pushed herself up. "Besides… I'm the doctor of Sector V. My mission is to heal physical ailments and save lives. And shrinking is a kind of ailment, right?"

"I would imagine so! So, let's get to work, Doctor Haruka!"

Unknown mansion

Mason and Sheila were woke by light tremors. As morning light peered through the giant window, the owner of the room woke from her slumber. She was a girl of about 10 years old. She took a bath in her washroom and fixed her long, light-blonde hair to be very wide and puffy. She wore a very frilly light-green dress with a white blouse underneath. On her head was a darker green ribbon with a blue pearl. Rings adorned her fingers, which had pointed, but trim nails. A pair of clean, white, elegant stockings covered her feet.

The girl hummed a merry tune as she dressed herself. She put a thin coating of pink lipstick over her mouth, and her smile reflected the radiance in her pretty blue eyes. Freckles also dotted her face. "She looks pretty nice, I'd wager!" Sheila said hopefully. "Let's ring the bell and give her a holler, Mason!"

"Yeah, let's try it…"

"Hm, hm hm, huh?" The rich girl heard a ringing sound. She looked to her large dollhouse. The jingle bell in its attic was being rung by something. "Hu-!" She let out a gasp. Only one thing could be ringing that bell!

The girl crouched down and carefully pulled off the roof of the house. Her gargantuan eyes peered over the rim. "Huuuuu!" She let out a gasp of awe: there were little people inside her dollhouse!

"Hey! Little girl!" Mason called up. "Don't freak out! We need your help!"

"Yeah, take us home!" Sheila yelled.

"No… way!" The girl beamed in a voice that almost sounded like Haruka's. (They both share a voice actor, Kerry Williams.) "Did I…did I finally find the Minish?!"

"Uh…Minish?" Mason cocked a brow.

"Oh, I've waited so long for Minish to come to my dollhouse! I didn't even put new treats in, yet! Ooooo, you're so cute! Let me pick you up!"

The giant lay an enormous index finger down. The nail was big enough to stand on. "Orright! See, Mason, this worked out just fine!" Sheila eagerly jumped on the nail.

"I don't know about this, Sheila…" With hesitation, Mason climbed on the nail. They were raised out of the house, up to the girl's looming irises.

"Tehe!" Seeing them up closer seemed to make her happier. "You're so teeny! But… you don't seem anything like the Minish I read about."

"We're not Minish!" Mason yelled. "We're humans! Er, well, I'M human. Sheila's a Faunus. The point is, we're not supposed to be like this! Could you please help us?"

"You're… not Minish?" The girl frowned.

"Yeh!" Sheila yelled. "We need you to take us back home!"

"Awww… I was so sure I could finally have Minish pets."

"P-Pets?" Mason stuttered.

"But… this is my first time finding little people. And you guys are just as little as Minish… so, maybe you'll be just as good." Her smile returned, feeling hopeful.

"Uh…" Mason's heart began to sink in anxiety. "L-Look, Miss, we really need to get home. Could you please just take us?"

"Oh, it's okay, little people! This is your new home!"

"Hey, we don't wanna live here!" Sheila shouted, marching further up the finger. "We wanna get back home to our mates!"

"Hehehe! You're so squeaky! Are you angry, little girl?"

"Yeah, and I'm gonna punch you in the eye unless you help us!"

"Hee hee hee! You can't punch me, silly! You're way too tiny!"

"I'll show you tiny!" Sheila began to spin her fist, light building up.

"Sheila, wait!"

A sunny sphere launched up at the giant's iris. "AH!" She shut her eye, for the tiny sphere burned her retina just enough to hurt slightly. "Hey, that was mean!" Her other eye furrowed. "I'm gonna have to punish you for that!"

"You're the only one getting punished if you don't—hey, hey, hey!"

"SHEILA!" The raccoon was suddenly grasped in the girl's other fingers. It wasn't enough force to crush Sheila, but she struggled for breath.

The girl discarded Mason on her drawers and used her free hand to grab a jar. She dropped Sheila inside the jar. "Now, stay in there until you learn how to behave." She placed the jar before her window, letting sunlight burn brightly in the glass prison. "I'll leave the lid off, but don't think about trying to escape."

"HEY! Let Sheila out of there!" Mason yelled.

"Besides, I like boys much better!" She lightly picked Mason back up. "So, I think I'll just play with you!"

"Come on, kid, please! We just wanna get bigger!"

"Oh, that's right! I never introduced myself! My name is Carol Masterson. I'm the richest girl in Virginia!"

"The richest girl? I've never heard of you."

"Well, today's your lucky day! From now on, I'm your new owner! And I'm gonna call you Pixiefairy!"

"What the…what the heck is wrong with you?!" This girl seemed to have no respect or concern for them at all. As Mason feared… she really was some kind of spoiled rich kid.

"I wish I could put you in my fairy dress… but it's too big. Wait! Maybe I can order an even smaller one!" Carol carried Mason over to her laptop, which was black and had a "$" on it. She opened it and began to look up "ant size fairy dresses." "Oh! There's a few companies who make them! Let's order one right away!"

"This can't be happening…" Mason cringed as the girl began to mash the keyboard. He could seize this chance to run… but where was he going to go? Even if Sheila could escape and they made it out of this mansion, how would they make it back home?

Sheila was unable to build enough momentum to fly herself out of the jar. Even when she tried to punch through it with lightbending, her light merely phased through the glass as easily as sunlight. "Huff…huff…" Still, with all this bright light peering into her prison, it felt as invigorating as it was sweltering. She began trying to absorb this light into herself.

Dimalanta House

The friends decided to call Mikaela Chariton over. The Filipino woman used her Aura Sense to try and search for any tiny presences in the house, but all she found were bugs. Angie's Seismic Sense couldn't find any human-like footsteps outside the house either. "I'm sorry, guys… I'm not having any luck." Mika said.

"What if…what if something really has happened to them?" Yin asked horrifically.

"Honestly, there's so many of us moving around." Lee Andrew replied. "I…I wouldn't be surprised if-"

"Don't say that, Bro!" Leanne shouted. "Maybe… what if they accidentally got washed down a sink or something?"

"That…that's not out of the question." Matt replied. "After Yin thought she saw the kids, I… washed her face in the sink."

"WHAT?!" Yin shouted. "You washed our son down the SINK?!"

"And my DAUGHTER?!" Marine bellowed.

"I-I-I didn't know, I'm sorry!"

"But if that's what happened, we'll have to check the whole sewer or something!" Aurora argued.

"Man, this is awful…" If that really was the answer, Cheren began to feel hopeless. Two of his operatives could very well be lost forever…

Masterson Estate

"Da, da, daaaaa!" Carol presented to Mason a ballet onesie and tutu with fairy wings. "Can you believe how fast it got here? Nothing's too expensive for my money!"

"Carol, I am not putting that on!"

"Yes you are." Carol glared. "I'm your owner now, so you gotta do what I say. Because if you don't, you're gonna be punished. Now, put it on." She slammed her finger to the desk for emphasis.

"Sheesh…" Mason nervously took the dress and begrudgingly swapped out his clothes for it.

"Hee hee! Now you look like a real pixie fairy, Pixiefairy!"

"Carol, what's wrong with you?! This isn't how you're supposed to treat people!"

"So, what? No one else wants to be friends with me. Even when I offer them money, nobody likes me. Even the Minish never wanted to visit my dollhouse. But you're gonna be friends with me even if I have to make you!"

"Carol, we CAN be friends with you! But you have to help us! If you help us get big, we promise we'll be friends!"

"Nuh-uh! If you get big, you'll never wanna speak to me again!"

"Well, we could, if you'd be nice to us!"

"I'm the sweetest, nicest girl in Virginia! Way nicer than that nasty one over there." Carol carried Mason back over to Sheila. She seemed to be spinning her fists as her body grew brighter. "Ha ha! What is she even doing in there?"

To Mason, it seemed like Sheila was actually building her strength. Was she actually planning something? "…Carol, I think Sheila's burning up! You have to take her out of that jar!"

"But she looks kind of pretty in there. Like a little firefly!"

"Carol, please!" Mason folded his hands and looked up with pleading eyes. "Please let my friend out of there?"

"Hmmmm…" Carol stared down at him. He looked positively adorable begging her. It made Carol feel rather powerful. "Well… okay! But you have to do something for me first~"

"W-what?"

Carol smiled wide and raised Mason to her mouth. "You, have, to, kiss, me."

Her lips shaped each word with emphasis. Mason's body flushed red, eyes locked on the enormous pair of soft, pinkish lips. "K-k-k…kiss you?"

"I've never kissed a boy before. And you're the cutest boy I ever met. Give me a great, big kiss, and I'll let your friend out."

"Er…" Mason almost considered blasting a Gas Bomb in her mouth, but he probably didn't have the strength to leave an effect. "F-fine. But you can't kiss me back, okay? You might accidentally suck me in."

"Oh, fine. Mmmmmwwww…"

She puckered her lips and brought them to her finger. Swallowing all the pride in his system, Mason put his own lips to Carol's. She could feel him with a tiny tickle. The idea that such a small boy was kissing her sent her heart aflutter. At the very least, Mason already had his first kiss with Sheila… but the act of doing this in front of Sheila felt so humiliating. Catering to this rich diva's whims… Mason felt sick to his stomach and began to hate her more and more.

"Mwah." Mason let go.

"Mmm hm hm hm! Oh, Pixiefairy! That was the sweetest thing anyone's ever done for me!"

"Can you please free Sheila now? In fact… I bet she's really jealous about that."

"Really?" Carol perked up. "No wonder why she looks so angry." She reached down and picked the jar up, raising it to her eyes. "What's wrong, Sheila? Are you angry that Pixiefairy kissed me and not y-"

"YAH!"

Sheila blasted a HUGE beam of light directly through the glass. "AAAAAAHH!" Blinded by the light, Carol threw both Mason and Sheila into the air. Sheila flew out of the jar and flew to grab Mason in the air. As they watched Carol stumble back on her feet, rubbing her eyes, Sheila said, "Now's our chance, Mason! Let's get her!"

"How are we going to do—thaaaaaaaaaat!" The friends divebombed down as Sheila used her tail to steer them. They landed on the side of Carol's puffy hair.

"The same way we did it to Dillon, mate! Let's go in!" The two dropped atop Carol's ear and were able to get inside.

"Hey!" Carol twisted her finger inside, but the two bolted and made it too far in. The inside of her ears were so clean that there was little wax to impede them.

"How d'ya like THIS?!" Sheila threw a sphere at her eardrum.

"AAAAAAAHH!" Carol clasped her ear in pain.

"Mason, you stay here and talk with her! And I'll make her listen."

"AAAH!" Carol screamed, feeling a punch behind her retinas. "OW!" A punch struck her brain. She shook her head frantically, but the tinies remained steady. "Stop it, stop it! Please!"

"Sheila, she said the 'p' word! I think we got her! Hey, Carol, are you going to listen to us now?!"

"You two are so mean! All I wanted was to be friends!"

"Well, friends don't keep each other as pets! They don't threaten to punish them! If this is how you treat people, then you're never going to make any friends! We may be little people, but we don't deserve to be treated this way! Now, are you gonna help us, or will Sheila have to keep punching you?!"

"One more for the road!"

"OW!" Carol cried, feeling the back of her nasal bridge be punched. Mason's harsh words and the pain forced Carol into crying. She had never been scolded or disciplined before; she always thought it was for normal kids. "Stop it, please! I'll buy you whatever you want!"

"We want you to call our parents! Do you have a phone?!"

"Yes, of course!"

"Good! Now, pick it up, dial this number, and tell them to come get us!"

"Okay, okay! Just stop yelling at me…" Carol meekly went to collect her iPhone. She dialed the number as Mason instructed.

Dimalanta House

Matthew went to answer the kitchen phone as it rang. "Hello? …Yes, this is the Dimalanta House. …You have our little people? I'm sorry… who is this?"

"Matthew, who's on the phone?" Yin asked.

"I… You what?! You have Mason and Sheila?! WHO ARE YOU?!"

"What, were they kidnapped?!" Cheren gasped.

"I see… alright. Let me write it down." Matt quickly scribbled an address on a paper. "We'll be over there shortly. Thank you." He hung up. "Yin, that was some girl. She says she has our kids!"

"What?!"

"Let's go!" Matt, Yin, and Haruka rushed out to the car. "It's the Masterson Estate! She says she'll meet us outside!"

Masterson Estate

Carol compliantly walked out to her front gate, tears dripping as she sobbed. Mason couldn't help but feel pity for her. "Hey… we're sorry if we were too hard on you." Mason said.

"'ey, don't apologize to her, Mason! She made you dress like a fairy!"

"Just be quiet." Carol stated. "I'll give you back to your parents so you can leave me alone. I'll just play with my three parrots… and my 5 turtles and 10 camels and my mutant canary."

"Uh…okay?" Mason was baffled by the notion of all those pets. "Don't your parents ever play with you?"

"My mom's always too busy at work, and my dad left us two years ago. And the servants always do what I say, so they're no fun. I just wanted some friends who were my age."

Carol made it outside and stepped out the front gate. The mansion was set on a cliff overlooking Cleveland Beach. As she waited for Mason's parents, the boy in question decided to climb out of the ear. He climbed his way across Carol's hair and dropped onto her little nose. She rolled her eyes together to see him. "Carol, it's nice that you're doing this for us."

"I'm only doing it so she'll quit hurting me."

"Well, did you at least learn a lesson from this?"

"Yeah… I learned that I just can't have friends, even if I make them."

"Yes you can, Carol. You just have to be nicer to people."

"But I am nice to people. I always offer kids money, but nobody wants it."

"Well… some people just don't want money. Or, maybe they were afraid they'd have to pay you back, or something. But you can't just buy friendship with money."

"Then how did you make friends with that nasty girl?"

"You want me to punch you again?!" Sheila yelled from inside.

"Me and Sheila met when we were little. We played at the beach, I thought she was really fun, and… we sort of hit it off. And ever since, I loved playing with her. She gets a little annoying, sure… but she's my best friend. Every day with her is a blast."

Sheila felt warm hearing that. She felt bad for putting Mason through this experience… but was thankful to him for putting up with her. "But we can be friends, too, Carol. Once I'm big… I'll come to visit you later. We can do something fun."

"…" Her tears stopped flowing as she focused on him with hope. "Do you promise?"

"Yeah! And if you want more friends, maybe you could join the KND someday."

"The… KND?" Carol had considered that a few times. She wondered what the KND would be like… and if she would fit in well with them.

A car came driving up the road. It parked near the mansion as the Dimalantas stepped out. "You! Are you the girl who called?" Matt asked.

"Uh-huh! I have your Pixie—I mean, Mason here…" She picked him up on her finger.

"Mason!" Haruka excitedly (but gently) picked him up. "Thank goodness! But, where's…"

"Right here!" Sheila poked out of Carol's nose.

"Sheila, what are you doing in there?!" Yin exclaimed.

"No time to explain! Just pick me out!"

Haruka held her finger under for Sheila to drop. "How did you end up finding them?" Haruka asked.

"Uh, I…"

"We'll explain everything later." Mason assured. "But Carol let us stay at her house last night. She was really nice to us. Right, Sheila?"

She was baffled by Mason's turn of view towards the rich brat. "Uh…sure, mate, whatever."

"Mmmm…" Carol blushed.

"Well, thank you, Carol." Yin smiled. "We were worried sick about these two. Please let us know if there's anything we can do."

"Uh, well…it would be nice if Maseyfairy can come back to visit sometime! I never got to do nails with him~"

"I see…" Matthew smiled awkwardly.

"Oh, gee…" Mason cringed.

"We'd better get them home. Thanks again, Carol! We'll see you later."

"Okay!" Carol waved the family farewell as they began the drive home. "Hm hm hm!" With a little twirl, she returned to her mansion. She kept Mason's promise in her heart and would await his return. And over time… she began to consider his proposal.

Dimalanta House

The rest was over with no trouble at all. Mason and Sheila were brought to the Minish Door as Chiri helped size them back to normal. The friends were ecstatic to have two of their favorite people back!

"Man, I can't believe all that happened!" Dillon exclaimed after hearing a recount of the story. "So, THAT'S why my ear started acting funny!"

"I'm really sorry, Big Brother." Haruka said, walking over to hug her brother. "If I had only noticed you before, you coulda gotten outta this a lot quicker. I hope you can forgive me."

"Of course I forgive you, Haruka." Mason smiled and hugged his sister back. "I love you. And hey, if you had noticed us, we wouldn't have gotten to go on this awesome adventure! You're the best, Haru."

"Oh, Mason!" Haruka hugged her brother tighter. "I love you, Kuya!"

"Aw, but dude! The part where you fought the Mighty Poo was awesome!" Chris exclaimed.

"Ulp…" Francis gripped his aching stomach. "Easy for you to say… I'll never be able to use the bathroom the same way again…"

"Well, now that it's over, whaddya wanna do now?" Aurora asked. "Wanna go up to Moonbase and celebrate?"

"Not really." Mason said. "I need a bath after clashing with a mountain of poo."

"Me, too." Sheila stated disgustedly. "Let's go home, Ma. Oi'm filthier than an army guy workin' in a outhouse."

"Aye, that sounds right top cricket, eh?" Marine agreed before leading her daughter outside.

"I'll see you later, Sheila!" Mason yelled and waved.

"Take care, Masooon!" Sheila happily waved and walked away. With that done, Mason headed upstairs, a smile plastered on his face as he was getting ready for his bath. He couldn't WAIT for the next adventure.

Hoagie's Airflight

"Good afternoon, passengers, this is your captain speaking." Hoagie's voice came from the plane's speakers. "We'll be landing in Cleveland very shortly. If you take a look out the windows to your left, you can see the chilidog factory in all its glory.

"So after we land, don't forget to stop on by." The pilot finished before switching off the speaker.

"Ahh, the chilidog factory… sure brings back memories, eh Hoags?" Hoagie's copilot, Ace asked.

"E-yup. But now instead of fighting some crazy old man, we're carrying passengers."

The Spanish pilot then looked up in the sky and noticed a bright, expanding light. "Um, Hoagie? …What's that?"

Hoagie munched on an apple crumble before answering, "Oh, this? It's an apple crumble. Don't get too grossed, but it's actually made out of-"

"Not that! That!" Ace pointed up above.

"Hm?" Hoagie looked to where he pointed and noticed the strange light. "I dunno… but it's coming straight at us! Quick! Everybody fasten your seatbelts, we're changing our course!" The two pilots stomped the gas and sped away even faster. The passengers burst into screams and gripped the seats as tight as they could. They were able to get away just in time before the tremendous object crashed right on top of the chilidog factory. It appeared to be some kind of atomic bomb-like force as the factory and all the land around it was swallowed in a powerful explosion.

The passengers and pilots watched with sheer amazement and fear as the blinding light from the explosion engulfed the entire area. "Whooooaaaaa…"

Moments later, Sector V and a bunch of other kids showed up, mouths completely dropped speechless as where the chilidog factory once stood was replaced with some kind of tremendous ball of wood and branches. The Supreme Leader and his second-in-command took land just in time and hurried over to see what happened, the lot of them standing a good several fields away from the mass. "W-What-" Cheren tried to say.

"Eee heeheeheeheeheeheehee!" a girly giggle echoed across the land. Before their very eyes, the image of a colossal figure appeared. A young-looking girl wearing a long, flowing dress that appeared dark pink around the bottom, red in the middle, and purple at the top, in which the different colors were divided by vines that went around the dress. On her chest was a large purple rose, and she bore long, whitish-blonde hair that reached all the way down to her ankles, and seemed very disheveled and went everywhere. At the point where the hair reached her head, it was tied up with rose thorns, and in her right hand, she held a staff that held the design of a scorpion type creature.

The many operatives stared with shock as the being began to speak. "Filthy Kids Next Door, TREMBLE before me! I am Viridi, Goddess of Nature! SUPREME ruler of the Earth and all living things! For many eons, I have sat and watched as you and the rest of your filthy kind mended trees to use as your 'base of operations,' and desecrated the land to make room for your PARKING lots and oh so precious chilidog factory. But now, I've had enough. You humans have strayed TOO far from your intended path. Your chilidog factory was only the first of many to meet the wrath of my Reset Bombs. Soon, many other such locations will follow, until Earth has been returned to its original state! BYE-BYE, KNDorks! Gah hah hah hah hah hah!"

By the time the apparition had vanished, the groups of operatives remained speechless.

The thing is, I enjoy making size-changing adventures or scenarios because I think a lot of interesting interactions or situations can come out of them. You'll see them regularly throughout the series, so I hope you'll have patience with me in that regard. XD Carol is actually from One Piece (she only appeared in one episode, so she's basically indifferent from the OCs in this series). And yes, she'll have plot relevance later, that's why I'm setting her up here.

 

[Gamen Watch]

Here begins the next Nextgen story, starring Sector W. To start off, play "Lightning Battle" from Kid Icarus: Uprising!

Scorched Wings




KND Armada

"Kids Next Door, BATTLE STATIONS!"

The KND Armada took off into the cloudy, stormy skies, engaged in a fierce battle against Viridi's Forces of Nature. Two Lurchthorns flew beside Sector V's C.O.O.L.-B.U.S., but Sheila charged some Light Spheres and began shooting them at each individual eye. The C.O.O.L.-B.U.S. also absorbed some shots, gaining enough energy to create a shockwave and blow the bonefish away.

"ATTACK, my children!" Viridi's holographic image commanded. "Eliminate ALL of these brats!"

Zach and Maddy flew ahead of the armada on jetpacks as a squadron of Nutskis came, and the Decommissioning Officers easily shot down the acorn creatures. A squad of Mahvas appeared ahead and created a barrier to protect other Nutskis as they fired acorns. However, Sunni and Darcy Chariton flew by, standing on a S.P.R.A.Y.S.H.I.P. piloted by Francis. The psychicbenders launched Psycho Spheres to wipe out the barriers, allowing the operatives to wipe out the troops.

"The battle's looking good from out here." Panini reported to Cheren in their flagship.

Cheren put on a confident smile as he spoke, "Alright, troops, keep attacking, and we'll have Viridi banished again!"

"Grrrr! That's what you think!" Viridi yelled from her throne. "We'll see how you fair against my commander! Phosphora, STRIKE them! Avenge Cragalanche and Mighty Poo!"

As the KND ships kept attacking, a woman in a long, blue, electrical scarf suddenly zapped in front of them, taking them out in a flash of lightning. "Yes, you called?" she taunted.

"Who is that??" Cheren exclaimed.

"That must be the commander." Panini figured.

"Soldiers, take her out!" Cheren commanded.

Sunni and Darcy attempted to throw Psycho Spheres at the woman, but she zipped behind them as quick as lightning and induced them with electricity. The sisters fell over and plummet to the ground. "Oh, no." Francis moaned, quickly flying down to their aid. Sector V flew for Phosphora and launched missiles, but the woman zipped away and appeared beside their ship. Sheila and Chris tried shooting a Light Sphere and fireball, but she zipped away. She appeared by Mason and Haruka's side as the two poisonbenders coughed Gas Bombs, but the lady easily avoided. She zipped to the front of the ship, shooting lightning through the windshield and giving Artie a painful shock.

"Aagh!" the pilot grunted. Phosphora suddenly zipped behind the ship, dealing her electricity to the C.O.O.L.-B.U.S.'s engines. The ship began spiraling out of control.

Phosphora blew the smoke from her fingers, dodging before a laser could strike her. She looked as Zach and Maddy flew her way on their jetpacks, the woman dodging before they rammed her. The two officers desperately tried to shoot the lightning-fast woman, but Phosphora was too quick, dodging left, up, down, right, back, and then zipping out of thin air. As the two officers searched around for her, Phosphora zipped behind them, touching their jetpacks and dealing a horribly painful shock that covered them in soot. The jetpacks shorted out, and Phosphora released them to let them fall toward the ground. "Mmm-BYEEE!"

Viridi's Lair

"Mmm, I say." Arlon observed as he stared into Viridi's crystal ball, watching this battle. "Phosphora puts up quite the show, eh wot?"

"Well, that's because Phosphora's been building up energy for so long!" Viridi replied as she kicked back in her wooden throne, her feet rested on a tree stump as her fingers dug around a bowl of red berries. "She hasn't had a chance to unleash her power. Now, she's letting the KND get the full force of it."

"Indeed she is. But just in case, perhaps I should lend fair Phosphora some assistance. Surely, my moonbending will come in handy."

"Oh, ha ha ha ha! You misjudge her power, Arlon. Hold your lunar goodness and let Phosphora show you how it's done."

"Mmm, understood, Mistress Viridi." Arlon bowed.

KND Armada

Phosphora zipped and zapped, flung and flew all around the battle site, wiping down any operative in her path just like lightning. "Man, this girl's tough!" Cheren exclaimed.

"I've got to admit, I respect her for her charm." Panini said.

"Oh, thanks, you're too sweet." Phosphora replied.

"It's true she brings that special aura around her." Viridi replied. "But Commander Phosphora must ALSO be respected for her power. She may not SEEM like much at first, but she's the most powerful lightningbender you'll ever see! As you might have noticed, she combines the de-confidence power in younglings with the speed of lightning. Pretty impressive, huh?"

"Don't act cocky just yet, Viridi." Cheren smirked. "Sector W, it's YOUR turn!"

Sector W flew in on their S.C.A.M.P.E.R.. "Missiles AWAY!" Anthony commanded as the team launched a series of missiles, which Phosphora was still quick to dodge.

"Uh! It's just one fight after another! Today is not my day!" Phosphora whined. "Oh well. You'll be easy." With an evil smirk, Phosphora zipped toward the kids and continued to throw lightning. The Sector W ship was quick to dodge, flying far ahead and performing a U-turn as they were coming at Phosphora again.

"Fybi, show her how a REAL aerial fighter gets things done!" Anthony said. He had sandy-blond hair, freckles, and buckteeth, wearing a light-green T-shirt and khaki pants above his large feet.

"Ahh, 'tis another day to go a-soaring in the SKIES!" Fybi Fulbright switched on the ship's autopilot and headed for the door. She was a Nimbi, distinct for her butterfly-like wings. She had frizzy orange hair, a green shirt, khaki skirt, and brown wood sandals.




The Irish angel kicked open the door and leapt out of the ship, spreading her wings and taking for the air as the raindrops pounded on her form. The angel swerved around and faced the electric woman, pulling out and taking aim with her-




Kids Next Door: B.O.W.

Blasts Obnoxious Weaponry


-and began unleashing an endless array of arrows at the lightningbender.

"Er! You think your little arrows will stop me?" Phosphora retorted as she flew and attempted to punch the angel, but Fybi dodged upward and shot Phosphora with more arrows. The two began zooming around in the air and throwing kicks at each other. Phosphora appeared below Fybi and kicked her upward, but Fybi regained herself as she spun around into a Screw Kick, shooting down and kicking Phosphora in the face. As Phosphora shook it off, she gritted her teeth in anger as Fybi flew up higher, the angel launching more arrows at Phosphora.

Fybi soared above the clouds as Phosphora gave chase, the two continuing their kicking fest above the battle site. Fybi tried to launch an arrow, but Phosphora avoided and flew beneath the clouds. Fybi waited for her to come up, but Phosphora shot up from beneath and grabbed Fybi's legs, swinging the angel around before tossing her through the storm clouds. Fybi regained control and kept flying, hurrying away as Phosphora gave chase. The rest of the operatives watched as Fybi kept flying away, trying to launch arrows back at Phosphora.

"Um, Fybi? Are you okay?" Anthony asked with worry.

"Er, yea! I am as the peach!"

"You don't seem very peachy." Sally Harper said. She had a pink sweater with oversized sleeves, magenta skirt, and black sneakers. Her blonde hair was done in spiky pigtails.

Fybi stopped when Phosphora suddenly vanished. She gasped when Phosphora tried to kick down from above, dodging back. Fybi kept trying to aim at Phosphora, but the woman kept zipping and flying in all directions around Fybi, sneaking all the quick kicks she could from behind. When Phosphora appeared behind again, Fybi immediately ducked down and got behind her, grabbing her arms. Phosphora shook around and knocked the angel up toward the clouds. Fybi stopped, looked down, and took careful aim with another arrow. Having had enough of this, Phosphora immediately charged power and threw her arms upward. "YAAAHH!!"

At her cry, a massive bolt of lightning struck toward her from the clouds above. Since Fybi was in the line of her lightning, she instantly took the deadly strike from behind, her skeleton showing as her body shook from the painful surge. When the lightning vanished, Fybi's clothes were torn, and parts of her skin burnt. Fybi dizzily fell into unconsciousness, and Sector W gave looks of horror at the sight of her brown, scorched wings. Unable to recover, the Irish Nimbi plummeted straight for the ground.

"FYBI!!" Anthony cried, immediately jumping out of the ship. He fell as fast as he could and drew closer to Fybi, quickly wrapping his arms around his friend. As he saw they were dropping closer to the ground, Anthony rapidly waved his arm around in attempt to create a soft spot in the earth. Anthony was able to, but his uncoordinated earthbending caused him to misplace it, and the two thudded headfirst with the ground. When the smoke cleared, Anthony's head was shown to be stuck in a hole, while Fybi was lying on the ground unscathed.

"FINISHING BLOW!" Viridi exclaimed.

"Oww! That strike took a lot out of me." Phosphora whined.

"Retreat for now, children. This was just Round 1."

"I bid adieu, Kids Next Door. Ciao." Phosphora waved a cocky good-bye as she flew toward Viridi's giant holographic image. The Goddess of Nature grabbed her henchwoman into a beam of light, the woman vanishing as all of the Forces of Nature retreated. (End song.)

Sector W and the rest of the operatives took land to aid their respective loved ones. "Anthony, Fybi!" Sally called as the group hurried to where they crashed. They found Anthony's head buried in the ground, so the group worked to pull him free.

"You okay?" Aranea asked.

"Yeah." Anthony replied dizzily. "But where's Fybi?"

They turned to look at the lightning-struck Fybi, still steaming with smoke as she slowly awakened, holding her aching head. "Ay… my head is tornado… and my mind clouds. What hath become of me?"

The kids exchanged worried glances and pointed behind Fybi. Fybi turned her head, and her eyes widened with horror at the sight of her wings: they were now brown with soot, and had shrunken down from being burned from the lightning. Fybi weakly flapped them, but they were now shriveled into disuse as her eyes began watering. "NNNAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYY!"

Moonbase Medical Wing

The injured operatives were immediately taken up to Moonbase, where they now lay at rest on hospital beds. Sector W stood outside Fybi's room as Anthony worriedly peeked in, his Nimbi friend asleep on her front so her burnt angel wings faced upward. Anthony and crew stepped back when a doctor operative stepped out. "Is Fybi going to be okay, Numbuh 9112?" Sally asked.

"Sorry, kids, but her wings are scorched." the operative replied. "There's nothing we can do."

"But you have to try!" Anthony demanded. "What if her wings are attached to her—to her heart, o-or something?" He spoke with fear and worry in his voice.

"Err, no. While we don't understand much about the body system of Nimbi, her heart and blood rate seem to be A-OK. We were able to fix any other wounds, and we ran some scans, and she still has her airbending."

"Phew." Sector W made sighs of relief.

"The only real casualty is, Fybi may never fly again."

"Well… as long as she'll be okay." Anthony said once more. Meanwhile, as Fybi's head lay turned away from them, her eyes were open a crack as tears slowly dripped.

Anthony, followed by the rest of Sector W, entered the room and approached Fybi. "Well, Fybi, good news, he says you're going to be OK."

The angel sniffled. "'OK'?" She sat up and faced them angrily, tears still dripping. "'Tis not what my ears hath heard! Mine wings art burned! Decayed! How canst thou say I'm okay when I canst no longer taketh to yon skies again? I hath lost my reason to breathe." Fybi buried her face into her pillow in despair.

"Come on, Fybi. You can still airbend and stuff. So, why don't we go kick that Phosphora chick's butt and make her PAY?" Anthony yelled.

"YEAH!" Sector W cheered.

"Pray, what good wouldst it do?" Fybi asked, a frown still on her face. "Mine wings art gone. And therein ist nothing we canst do…"

Viridi's Lair

"Ah ha ha ha ha." the psychotic lightningbender cackled, smoothing her nails. "Did you see that lightning? I really roasted that angel's wings."

"Ah HA, ha ha ha ha! You certainly did, Phosphora!" Viridi laughed, still relaxing on her throne. "Pretty soon, we'll have the rest of those Kids Next Door wiped out in no time. The tides of war are looking in our favor."

"Hmm, quite so. But it certainly is nice to have a little light in our domain." Arlon said, noticing the chamber was now alit and gone from its darker image. "Was there really any point in that shadowy, silhouetty business?"

"It keeps people in suspense." Viridi replied. "Anyway, Phosphora, just keep that up. You used up a lot of power, so you'll need a while to charge."

"No problem. I'll just fly back to the base and recharge. But as soon as I am," she smirked, "they'll taste the full force of my lightning."

Fybi's House

The redheaded Nimbi and her friends had brought her home. She now lay at rest on her bed, still lying on her front as her head faced the wall. "Boy… Fybi's really upset." Sally observed as they all stood outside.

"That Phosphora chick really got her good." Anthony whispered.

"Not sweet." Harvey Harper said. Sally's brother wore a black ushanka, a red T-shirt with a white stripe, black shorts, and white shoes. He flicked a red yo-yo up and down.

"Step aside, guys." Aranea Fulbright instructed as she entered her cousin's room. She had light-blonde hair in pigtails, a sky-blue jacket over a white shirt, patterned skirt, and sparkly blue shoes. "I have something that might help."

Aranea approached her younger cousin with a smile, hiding something behind her back. "Heyyy, Fybiii!" The Nimbi rolled her head over to face her. "I have something that'll make you feel better!"

"Hm?"

Grinning, Aranea pulled out a jetpack. "Ta-daaa! You don't need wings to fly! Technology saves the day!"

Fybi, needless to say, didn't look very excited. "Thou expecteths me to wear that hunk of junk? Pray, flying is pointless so long as loud, flaming rays come from thine backside, deafening thy ears from the peaceful serenity of heavenly winds."

"Uuh!" Aranea looked aggravated. "That's the thanks I get?? Do you know how much convincing it took to get them to lend me this thing?? …Well, actually it wasn't much since our cousin is Head of Decommissioning. Still though, you at least have to give this thing a try."

"If I canst not feel wind under my broken wings, it is meaningless."

"Well, you can't just stay locked up in your room all day." Anthony said as he entered the room beside Aranea. "And besides, it's not like you're dying. Ow!" Aranea kicked his big foot. "What? She ain't."

"Nay, but I may ast well be." Fybi said. "A fish is naught without fins, and a bird… nada without wings."

Aranea sighed. "Come on, guys. Let's give her some time to get used to things. I guess I'll go bring this back to Francis." The four friends turned to leave the house.

Fybi closed her eyes. She hoped she could sleep this day away, and it would all turn out to be one big nightmare. …But it wasn't.

KND Moonbase

Francis Drilovsky was carefully leading Zach and Maddy out of the medical wing, the two Decom. Officers still shivering from the impact of electricity while Cheren, Chris, and Panini watched them. "What's wrong with them?" Chris asked.

"They took a huge jolt of electricity from that battle with Phosphora." Cheren explained. "Lots of operatives did. May take them a while to fully recover."

"But how come Fybi wasn't affected as much? She took it huge." Panini asked.

"Maybe it's because Fybi's wings took a lot of the energy, and that's what caused them to burn. Luckily, Fybi's own body didn't endure as much."

"But how're we supposed to beat that witch, anyway?" Chris asked.

"I dunno. But the Kids Next Door never give up." Cheren declared. "So, all I can suggest now is to keep attacking the fleet. We've already deduced that Viridi's enemy base is somewhere in that storm, since that's where all the troops are coming from. Our only real threat seems to be Phosphora, but if we keep attacking them, hopefully we'll find a weakness."

"So, we're just going to charge into their fleet again?" Panini asked.

"More or less." Cheren shrugged. "The operatives had enough of a sugar break. Right now, the mission is to focus on finding Phosphora's weakness, and then we'll go for the base later. I've actually called Nebula, and she's sending us some of her GKND. Ready the troops, we're shipping out!"

The Moody Storm

The KND Armada had returned to the battle site, with Sector V's C.O.O.L.-B.U.S. in the lead. "Welp… here we are." Chris stated simply.

"Sure is quiet." Aurora said, noticing not a single Force of Nature in sight. The only sounds were that of raindrops and the engines of their ships burning.

"Oi, where is that sheil-" Sheila was immediately startled when the Lightning Flash herself zipped by their ship, zipping around rapidly before stopping in front of the fleet.

"Ugh! I was in the middle of taking a shower!" Phosphora whined. "Just getting back from a battle can make you really dirty! Not that you snot-nosed kids would care, always rolling around in your mud."

"Surrender, Adult!" Francis demanded from his S.P.R.A.Y.S.H.I.P..

"Oh, sure." Phosphora rolled her eyes, brushing the end side of her electric scarf behind her. "I'll just float here and let you put handcuffs on me. Um, but, I don't wanna get sores on my wrist, so I'm gonna have to refuse." And in a flash of lightning, the woman zipped inside of Francis's cockpit, inducing him with a powerful jolt before zipping out. The Decommissioning Head's screams were heard as his ship spiraled toward the ground.

"Francis!" Aurora yelled. She angrily looked as Phosphora appeared beside them. She and Chris climbed out the window and onto the roof as both siblings began tossing fireballs at her. Phosphora swiftly dodged the flames and zipped behind them, the two quickly jumping about-face. The Lightning Flash charged some electric in her fingertips before launching two jolts at both of them. Chris and Aurora caught the lightning in their fingertips and carefully channeled them across their bodies, afterwards releasing the lightning back into the heavens.

As Phosphora blew the smoke from her fingers, gasping for breath, the scarf that hung from around her neck shrunk a tiny bit shorter. Mason and Haruka opened the windows on their side and launched a green and purple Poison Whip, respectively, to wrap around her wrists. They tried to pull her, but the woman grabbed the whips and shocked them, causing the gas-made whips to vanish. "Ahh!" Phosphora yelped, dodging just before a ship crashed into her. She turned and saw it was the Heart Star, piloted by Makava. The yellow Glomourian launched two heart beams from her cannons, but Phosphora shot lightning and disposed of the hearts.

Phosphora then took notice of a tiny alien flying by her head on a small hovercraft. Vweeb pulled out his Tri-gun and started shooting her head. Phosphora winced from the tiny lasers as she swung her arms, trying to swat the little alien away. When Vweeb was finally gone, the lightningbender turned to face a swarm of Wisps, all wearing furrowed eyes.

"Neep…HAAIII!" the lead Wisp cried before they all charged against the lightning witch.

"Ugh!" Phosphora touched her wrists together and held her hands open, a wave of lightning spiraling around her arms. Before their eyes, a large, long, electrical snake-dragon emerged from her hands. She held the dragon by a leash as all of the Wisps' eyes widened with fear, too late to escape as Phosphora sent the dragon after them. The dragon flew in the center of the Wisp swarm before bursting with electricity, painfully zapping them all. She then redirected her attention to Sector V and sent the dragon after them. The dragon snapped the C.O.O.L.-B.U.S. in its mouth, the entire ship brimming with yellow as lightning surged through all of their bodies.

When the dragon vanished, the whole of Sector V's hair was sticking straight up, eyes and teeth widely exposed as sparks flowed through their burnt bodies.

"Augh!" Phosphora grunted as her scarf shrank another few inches. "There. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to my shower. I'll leave the troops to deal with you." And on that note, the woman was gone in a flash as the fleet of Forces of Nature emerged from the storm.

"Eeee…" Sheila could barely move her teeth and mouth. "A-Ah we… done, yit?"

"I think we got the info we need." Cheren decided with slight worry at the number of enemies. "Retreat for now, Kids Next Door. We'll plan our strategy later." His ops couldn't get out of there faster.

Viridi's Lair

"AaaaAAH, HA HA ha haa!" Viridi laughed once more. "Phosphora STRIKES once again!"

"Well, this show is certainly making you gleeful." Arlon said as he carried a plate with a cup of tea in both hands. "Though you may be laughing too much for your own good."

"My laughter comes from humans' pain." Viridi grinned with malice. "For every painful zap she delivers through their nerves is another cruddy joke the comedian utters upon the stage."

"My, what a wonderful metaphor. I need to write that down." Arlon did so and pulled out a notepad and pencil, jotting down Viridi's words.

"Well, I guess that's what helped you through butler school." Viridi shrugged as she stood up from her throne. "As for me, it's time to enact the next phase of my plan. My goals and passions won't escape the minds of fellow treehuggers." She smirked evilly as she waved her hands over her crystal ball. "And their little minds won't escape my goals and passions! Ahh HA ha ha ha ha!"

Planet Harnita; Marana Park

The wind rustled through the grass and trees as Arianna Dunfree lay at peace under the shade of a tree, lost in the realm of dreams. A light green wave of gas crept its way toward the purple-skinned, green-haired alien, making its way into Arianna's head.




"Oh?" Arianna found herself surrounded by a vast, dark realm of mist.




"Ahh… If it isn't Arianna." She turned, seeing the image of a blond-haired giant.




"You!" Arianna's eyes widened. "Y-You're that… goddess."




"Eeeexactly! You see, I'm really not an evil spirit, Ari. All I want is the betterment of creatures everywhere, and that includes humans."




"And… how is exterminating them going to help them?"




"Because they'll be put out of their misery! They can live the glamorous life of spirits instead of being trapped on Earth with petty desires. And by doing so, we can save the rest of Earth's living creatures everywhere! So, you see, I'm not really trying to hurt anyone. All I want is peace."




"And… why are you telling me?"




"Well, because you and I have similar interests." Viridi smirked, bending down lower as she slid behind Arianna and placed hands on her shoulder. "You and I hate what humans do to our precious animals. Slaughtering them and mending them into pork and steak. You and I both want them to stop. And the only way we can accomplish that goal…" Viridi danced to the front of Arianna and reached a hand down to her, "is for you to side with me. Together… we can ensure peace everywhere."



Arianna was slightly startled awake, finding herself still under the tree in the park. The alien remained under the tree and stared at the grass with worry.


KND Moonbase

"Well, that coulda gone better." said Chris as he and Sector V walked into Cheren's office, a little recovered, but still feeling the zaps from that battle.

"It's weird how our ponytails stick up like this." Haylee said as her and Haruka's ponytail/pigtails stood straight up like spikes. The tips on Haruka's pigtails connected by two electrical beams.

"So, whatcha doin', Bro?" Aurora asked as Cheren studied a computer at his desk, while Panini stood behind him.

"I'm checking out the battle." Cheren replied. "It wasn't a total loss. Take a look." On his screen, two clips of the first and second battles with Phosphora replayed. "During the second battle, Phosphora didn't put up much of a fight compared with the first one."

"So, I'm guessing the big electrical dragon didn't count." Mason said, still trying to brush his hair down as it flowed with electricity.

"Oh, and check this out." Cheren instructed. "I noticed that Phosphora's scarf was only slightly longer in the first battle, and this time, it was shorter." He paused the two clips and pointed out the two different scarfs.

"So, she probably had more around her neck." Aurora guessed.

"Not quite. Check THIS out." Cheren replayed the part where Phosphora let loose the electrical dragon, zooming in on the blue scarf around her neck as it suddenly shrank a few inches. "It looks like whenever Phosphora uses up power, her scarf gets shorter. I think we may've found her weakness."

"Her scarf?" Panini asked.

"Yeah. So, I'm gonna attack her one more time just to confirm this."

"HUH?" Aurora exclaimed. "Cheren, haven't you learned ANY thing from playing the hero all the time?"

"Hey, I'm not going alone." Cheren refuted. "Nebula offered to go with me. Look, guys, if I'm right about this, and we have the info we need, we may have a shot at taking down Phosphora for good. Then the Forces of Nature will be called into retreat, and we may be another step closer to winning this war."

"Cheren, our Head of Decommissioning's already in the medical wing, we can't lose our Supreme Leader, too." Panini tried to reason. "And plus, ya couldn't even take on Cragalanche without gettin' yerself captured."

"A leader's gotta do what a leader's gotta do." Cheren stated simply. "But if it's for the good of the Kids Next Door, I'll risk anything." Cheren grabbed some supplies and left his office, leaving several worried operatives behind.

Fybi's House

A couple hours passed, and Fybi was still in bed in her dark room, unable to sleep. The door creaked open, letting light into the room, as Anthony stepped in with a positive look. "Hey, Fybi! Wanna go down to Hunger Burger? That'd sure teach Viridi! Ya need some tasty meats to feel yummy in your tummy, right?"

"Nay… I hath always enjoyed flying to yonder clown's abode. There ist no point now…"

"Aw, come on! How long are you gonna keep yourself locked up in your room?"

"Until the day I breathe no more. Lest, my wings never grow back."

"Well, how can you let that ruin your spirits? Heck, Drake Puncture lost his hand during a mission, but he ain't all depressed. What was all that crud about you tellin' me to 'live life to the fullest', or whatever?"

"I am misspoken." Fybi corrected as she rolled over to face him. "Pray, the whole point of 'living our lives' is to have the freedom to do what we love most. My whole reason for existence, as any Nimbi or airbender's, is to be free. Without the wings to do, I hath no freedom. I am glued to the ground, like tiny, helpless fly to unholy tape. And if I canst not fly… I am never to be like my hero."

"Your… hero?" Anthony questioned.

"My very idol, the statue that I gaze upon, whom is the reason I hath learned to taketh to the air to soar beside. …Him!" Fybi snatched a small, square-shaped box from her nightstand and held it to Anthony's face.

Anthony stared curiously at the box cover of Kid Icarus: Uprising, where the heroic angel protagonist held his bow at the ready. "Some game character?"

"He is Pit Icarus, and yon videogame weakly describes what he's done. Pit wast a heroic Nimbi, famous to all Skypians for his deeds during the Old Demon Wars. Pit wast the one who hast saved our fair land from the dreaded Queen of Darkness, known to all as Medusa." Anthony and Fybi already pictured this in their minds, of stormy skies and dark lightning over a towering monster of snake hair. "Medusa's influence has spread fear and chaos across the land, but it was Pit who lay the evil being to rest." Their minds pictured the image of a brave, fearless angel, his wings brimming with light as he launched a golden arrow into the eye of the hideous giant himself.

"My mother always told me of these tales when I was younger. And henceforth, my dream was always to be like the grand angel in yonder tales. The B.O.W. which I wield in battle was entirely designed after his. But alas… my dreams hath been burned… just like mine wings."

"But, Fybi…"

"Pray, just leave me be. Why shouldst thee hath to see me like this?"

Anthony only let out an upset sigh. The Sector Leader decided to abide by his friend's wish and leave her room, closing the door.

Skypian Temple

From the heavens high above, inside of an ancient temple, a beautiful, green-haired goddess, alit with a golden light and wearing a long, white flowing dress, viewed the depressed angel through her reflecting pool. Her emerald green eyes drifted to a winged figure standing beside a doorway. "It's time, Pit." The heroic angel saluted before dashing and jumping out the window, taking flight with his glowing wings.

The Moody Storm

Cheren returned to the storm on his R.O.A.D.S.T.A.R., accompanied by none other than Supreme GKND Leader, Nebula D. Winkiebottom. They were on their own over the barren battlefield and under the stormy sky. "Do you always get a kick out of being so heroic?" Nebula asked him with a raised brow. With dark-brown skin and monochrome hair, she wore a black shirt with matching puffy pants and a red tie. Her eyes were mismatched yellow and black.

"It's not that I wanna be heroic. It's just I don't want anybody to get hurt."

"Right. So, why'd you bring me along?"

"Well, because I need a little backup. And you're strong enough. Not to mention you can shoot lightning, so we kind of have an advantage."

"Aw, I'm flattered. We really oughta go on missions more often."

"Too bad this mission's about to become a total failure." They were both startled when Phosphora zipped right up in front of their car, hovering above them.

"That's her." Cheren stated with gritted teeth as Nebula shot up to throw a Starburst. Phosphora dodged by zipping behind, zapping lightning at Nebula's backside and pushing her away. Cheren switched his R.O.A.D.S.T.A.R. to autopilot and kicked on his rocket shoes, drawing out his sword as he flew and swung at Phosphora from behind. Phosphora instantly avoided and got behind Cheren, kicking the boy away. Cheren turned and scowled as he and Nebula flew in to attack again. They both threw kicks and swings from all directions, but Phosphora was still able to avoid.

The Lightning Flash woman touched her wrists together yet again to charge another lightning snake. However, as the electric beams circled her arms, and the snake was ready to come out, Phosphora grunted and ceased the attack, fixing the shortened scarf around her neck. Cheren smirked and flew forth, charging the woman in the belly and wrapping around her, beginning to fly and ram her to the ground. Phosphora zipped free right away, making Cheren slow down, and Phosphora appeared in front of Nebula. The lightningbender unleashed a wave of lightning, but Nebula countered with her own Space Lightning. When they stopped, Phosphora charged and tackled Nebula, attempting to zap her, but Cheren shot up and flew above Phosphora, the woman looking up to see him come down with a sword strike.

Phosphora zipped away, and Cheren slowed to a halt beside Nebula. Phosphora appeared ahead of them and threw her arms up in the air, yelling another cry as lightning struck from the clouds and zapped the airborne kids, making them sizzle with electricity. Burnt and brown with soot, the two leaders lost their flight ability and plummeted directly to the ground. The R.O.A.D.S.T.A.R. immediately shot downward and took land on the ground, successfully catching the kids in its soft seats.

As they sparked with electricity, too weak to sit up, Panini and Sector V hurried to their aid. "Cheren!" Panini shouted.

Sector V angrily looked up at Phosphora. The electrical woman winked and waved before flying into the clouds.

"So, how'd it go, Bro?" Chris asked as Cheren was barely able to sit up.

"Nnn…" Cheren grunted a little, but smirked as he reached down and pulled the Master Sword from beneath the seat. "Did you get all that, Fi?"

The blue spirited jumped from the sword and spoke, "Of course, Master. I have analyzed the battle sequence as requested."

Fybi's House

The little Nimbi still lay at rest in her room as the blue night sky hung in the heavens. She sighed, still lost in thought over Anthony's words. She heard a strange flapping outside her window, standing up and walking over to find a huge, red bird with a big beak. "Thou art… a Loftwing." Fybi recognized.

The Crimson Loftwing gestured for Fybi to climb on its back. Fybi wore a confused look, feeling like she was dreaming, but decided to climb onto the back of the massive bird, anyhow. The bird soared into the heavens as Fybi felt the nighttime air brushing her face and blowing her hair. She almost assumed this is how Anthony felt when she took him flying. The two flew higher before the bird flew right above the clouds. Fybi gazed beautifully at the millions of sparkling stars in the blue sky, the surface of the planet blocked from their vision by the sea of clouds. The only thing that made Fybi's form glow was the presence of the huge, crescent moon in the heavens. In the very distance of the cloudy sea, a cheerful, singing voice was heard. A voice that made Fybi's eyes widen, not believing it to be true.

"Again today I go-a soaring through the sky! My enemies I'll dish 'em up enough to fry! Gracious Goddess of the Light… watches from up above. At dinnertime I always show the cook some LOVE!"

Fybi smiled hearing this familiar, childish voice. She closed her eyes and begun to sing to the heavens as well. "Another day I go-a soaring through the air! I fly from under where, and perhaps to over there! As bird or yonder bat… who wouldst hath think of that? Lest the roaring planes up and maketh thee go SPLAT!"

The legendary Nimbi, Pit Icarus himself, soared around the Crimson Loftwing as he and Fybi sung joyfully. "Another day we go-a soaring through the clouds! Under the sun to protect from evil shrouds! The sun light shines so bright… warms the walls of blight. So everyday, we're looking forward to the FIGHT!"

Fybi gasped with extreme glee and shock. "Pray, doth my eyes deceive! It is… Pit Icarus! The great angel… whom hath slayed Medusa!"

"Hehe, that's right! I didn't know I had a fan. I was barely in any games…"

"Pray, wherefore wouldst thou not?? Thine deeds are legendary! Thou art the greatest Skypian that ever lived! …Ay, alas, I could never be like you. My wings… they art no more." She looked back and indicated her scorched wings.

"Fybi, I'll let you in on a little secret: my wings don't work either."

"Pray tell?!" Fybi was dumbstruck. "But tell to me… how thine wings art glowing with grace and beauty! How thou soars across the air with me!"

"My wings are defective, so I can't fly. Everything is all Lady Palutena's doing. I'm no real hero, Fybi. I'd be nothing without her. What's in those games are accurate."

"Verily… but thine actions still maketh thee a hero. Thou still possesses the wings to fly. Me… I hath nothing."

"That's not true, Fybi. I may not know how to fly on my own… but that's never really got me down. Too much. The point is, I have Lady Palutena. And while she may be my master… she's also my best friend. Now, I'm not saying your friends could magically give you the power to make you fly. All I'm saying is… just because you can't fly anymore, that's no reason to despair. All you really need in life are good friends that are willing to help you. Sound familiar?"

"Hm hm hm…" Fybi chuckled, realizing this same thing just happened to Anthony a few days ago.

"Anyway, I have to go. Power of Flight only lasts five minutes. Not the best fuel economy in Skypia."

"Ah ha ha ha!"

"So, you gonna get back in the fight or what?"

"Yea… methinks I wilt. I thanketh thee for this talk.

"It was my pleasure! I'll see you later, Fybi."

"Until the morrow, or mayhap beyond! Fare thee well, fair Pit!" Fybi waved good-bye to the Nimbi as the Loftwing took her away below the clouds. Pit smiled and waved to the Irish redhead, the angelic hero keeping his positive look as he stared into the starry heavens.

Fybi's House

"Oh?" Fybi shot up from her bed, the morning sun shining through her window. "Was it… a dream?"

There was a knock at her door, and her mother called. "Fybi? Yon Anthony is here to speak with thee."

"Oh… he may come in, yea?"

The door slowly creaked open, and Anthony walked in. "Fybi… I know you might still be upset… but you're still a member of this team. You might not be able to fly anymore, but we need you, and…"

"Pray, speaketh no more." Fybi spoke as she hopped off the bed. "'Tis true, I wast very upset. I didst not believe I could ever become hopeful again, having lost my true reasons for living. But mayhap… thou art all I need to liveth life with." Fybi smiled. "Because thou art my friend. And life wouldst be meaningless without thee."

Anthony blushed goofily and shifted his feet along the floor. "Aww… hehehe, hu…"

"Pray, willst thou stand there and be red with face, or dost thou wisheth to take revenge on Viridi's underling?"

"Heck, yeah!"

Fybi slipped on her brown Greek sandals, and the two friends raced for the front door. As Fybi stepped outside, she stood and felt the warm morning sun touch her face. The Irish Nimbi closed her eyes and smelled the pleasant morning air. After being locked inside all yesterday, it felt good to breathe fresh air again… assuming what happened last night was a dream.

As Anthony stepped beside his friend, Fybi smirked and smacked him on the hair. "Raceth thee!"

"Hey!" Fybi laughed playfully as she sprinted fast down the street, making many high leaps over houses with her airbending. She was very light on her feet as she made landings and continued dashing while Anthony tried to give chase.

Underworld Dungeon

A gigantic figure, shrouded in pitch-black darkness, watched in extreme disgust as Pit spoke with Fybi. The entity hissed and fumed, her eyes brimming with malice at the vision in her reflecting pool. "Pretty…" she kicked the pool, "perfect…" she punched the wall, "Goddess of LIGHT!" She grabbed the pool and shoved it over, the many gallons of water spilling across the grounds of her prison. The towering entity panted with frustration as she stomped away, quaking the dungeon at each step her gigantic feet took. "So, you're going to overstep your boundaries, Palutena? Then the war has officially begun."




KND Moonbase

"I have analyzed the battle as you requested, Master Cheren." Fi began as Cheren and company regrouped at the Moonbase. "It seems you were correct in your assumption of Phosphora's weakness. Data shows that Phosphora bares the Lightning Sash, a powerful item that can grant one immense power over lightning. The scarf was woven by the Goddess of Nature, Viridi long ago, with chi borrowed by Sky God Rayquaza. It is designed to enhance the chi of lightningbenders, as exemplified by her commander, Phosphora. Also, anyone who is greatly struck by the power of the Lightning Sash may find themselves nearly immobile for extended periods of time."

"And every time she uses her power, the scarf gets a little shorter." Haylee remembered.

"I get it." Artie said. "Like any electrical item, if it uses too much power for too long, it'll eventually cease to work. It won't be much of anything unless Phosphora takes it back for a recharge."




"Also, based on analysis of Phosphora's personal chi paths, they appear to be defective. Without the scarf, I surmise a 25% chance she will be able to bend lightning effectively."

"So, she needs a crutch." Aurora deduced. "That means we oughta attack now while she's still charging!"

"And you were mad at Cheren for wanting to attack her so much?" Chris remarked.

"With further data analyzed, Master," Fi spoke, "striking her directly may not be so simple. With so much energy wasted, Phosphora will likely not come out from her hiding place until her charge is complete. She is currently residing in her floating temple base, deep within the clouds referred to her as the 'Moody Storm.' The endless sea of violent clouds makes it difficult for enemy aircraft to pass through. There is an 89% chance any one of your ships may be destroyed by lightning without the necessary piloting skills."

"So, Phosphora's basically safe within the storm…" Mason figured.

"Perhaps. However, if there were an airbender leading the route, they could use their abilities to drift clouds away from the path, and perhaps prevent them from striking lightning."

"Then I guess it's all up to us." The group of operatives turned as Sector W suddenly entered the office.

"Prithee, I am not afraid of a minor storm." Fybi smirked.

"Fybi!" Panini beamed. "You're all right!"

"Verily! O-K and am ready to learn Phosphora her lesson!"

"But… Fybi, your wings are still broken." Cheren reminded. "You won't be able to navigate through if you can't fly."

"Pray, whom sayest I canst not fly, when I hath this!" Fybi then pulled out a jetpack, like the ones decommissioning ops wear.

Aranea stood beside Fybi and gave a wide grin. "Technology saves the day!"

"We'll just fly into the storm, break into Phosphora's base, and bring that hag down!" Anthony declared.

"I dunno, Anthony." Cheren replied. "I'm not sure if I wanna risk that. I already got Nebula sent to the infirmary, I don't wanna risk my cousin."

"Come on! Didn't I just save your life a few days ago? And I was in WAY worse condition than Fybi was!"

"He's got a point." Sally shrugged.

"Cheren, if we could take down that Cragalanche freak, we could totally take Phosphora!" Anthony insisted. "And Fybi's the best flyer there is. No one else'll be able to navigate that storm."

"Are ya really sure yer up to it, lass?" Panini asked.

"Pray, at first, I wast not." Fybi said. "I feared I wouldst never be able to fly again the way that I used to. But I know now… mine friends are all I need to grant me that lighthearted feeling." She wrapped an arm around Anthony, making the bucktooth boy blush.

Cheren sighed and rested his head on his hand. "Well… Sector V here can't survive another battle, and most of our other operatives are still stunned from shock. I guess we don't have a choice. Just be careful, Anthony. Both our parents would kill me if they hear I let you fly out into a storm."

"Dooon't worry, Cheren." Anthony just waved him off, putting an arm around Fybi's shoulders. "'Long as we got Fybi, old Lightning Shorts better watch her neck!"

The Battlesite Storm (Play "Lightning Battle" from Kid Icarus: Uprising!)


Stage 4: Moody Storm




Mission: Make your way through the storm and defeat Phosphora!




Act 1




"Okay, guys, this is our last attack on Phosphora's fleet!" Anthony announced. "You all ready?"

"YEAH!" his friends cheered.

"Ugh. These kids never learn." Viridi sighed. "Forces of Nature, shoot them down once and for all!"

The first squadron of low-level Nutskis flew in to the fight, launching their usual acorns. The S.C.A.M.P.E.R. switched on a barrier to absorb the shots, charging enough energy to release a shockwave and blow the acorns away. Afterwards, a team of Flages poofed out of thin air ahead. The covert ops Forces launched shockwaves from their scythes, striking the aircraft a little as the kids tried to shoot back, only for the creatures to disappear. They reappeared around the ship and grabbed on, but the crew performed a barrel roll and knocked them away. The kids flew faster ahead as the Flages tried to chase them. A squad of Badoots appeared ahead and conjured laser bars to try and block their route, but Fybi swiftly navigated around the bars and evaded, causing the Flages to be zapped.

"Nice going, Fybi!" Anthony cheered. "But we're not through yet. We have to get through the storm."

"Pray, why dost not yon Phosphora come and fight us herself?" Fybi asked.

"Uh, because, I'm trying to take a shower. Which isn't easy seeing as I keep having you guys attack me." Phosphora spoke via communicator.

"Heh, too scared Fybi's gonna beatcha?" Aranea smirked.

"Pssh, I took that angel once, I can beat her again. And since her wings are already scorched, all that leaves is the rest of her puny body."

"Thou speakest the cock, but I will showest thee what true thunder looks like." Fybi remarked.

"Um, it's actually lightning. Not thunder."

"Aranea, take the wheel." Anthony ordered. "Fybi, take the front."

Fybi nodded and grabbed her jetpack as Aranea jumped in the pilot's seat, taking the controls. Fybi quickly kicked open the door, staring outside as the stormy clouds and winds rushed by. She took a breath of anxiety as she slipped on her jetpack and jumped out of the craft. The Nimbi child switched on the device and began flying at quick speeds when the jetpack's engines roared to life. "Ay, the sound deafens me. But 'tis for the best."

"Oh, so you have a substitute." Phosphora observed. "Well, no skin off my back. This makes it easier."

Fybi flew in front of the ship as all five kids gulped with worry, drawing closer to the storm. "All right, Fybi… put that airbending to the test." Anthony stated.

They flew for the first gray cloud, which already emitted some lightning, but Fybi quickly used her airbending to push it into two separate clouds, cancelling the lightning. "Ohh! I get it!" Sally smiled. "When Fybi separates the clouds, they don't rub together to generate lightning!"

"Is that really how lightning's created?" Harvey asked.

"Mm-mm." Sally shrugged.

Fybi swiftly evaded the lightning and pushed more clouds apart, allowing the operatives to proceed through the storm. Captain Flares poofed out of thin air and started to launch meteors, which the kids launched bullets at to keep away. Fybi pulled out her B.O.W. and shot the Flares, quickly moving the clouds aside. Fybi flew directly up into a spiraling tunnel of clouds, where Parashooters shot down and launched lasers. The side of Fybi's shirt was scratched by a laser, but the Nimbi remained airborne as she fired an arrow to pierce one's wings. It flew out of control and crashed into others, leaving Sector W to shoot down the last one.

"Okay, Phosphora's base should be just up ahead." Aranea reported.

"Uhh, nope, there's nobody here!" Phosphora called.

"We can hear you, you know." Aranea reminded.

"Yeah, well, good luck gettin' past the whirlwinds."

The kids made it out of the spinning tunnel, going above the storm clouds, where dozens of tornados made up the area above. The kids were caught in the suction of one of the cyclones as more Nutskis were blown out, the kids evading as Fybi shot them with arrows. Fybi flew beside the ship and used her airbending to push them away from the tornado's grasp, only to be pulled closer to another one. Fybi continued to blow away from the whirlwinds, the crew spiraling around many others again and again. Other whirlwinds launched Trynamites at the ship, the bombs exploding into three missiles each that damaged the ship.

"Geh!" Sally grunted. "We've gotta find a way out of this storm fast."

"A little more air would be nice, Fybi." Anthony demanded.

"Pray, doth not act so spoiled, yea?" Fybi shot back.

Fybi quickly led them away from the tornados as they were flying to an even bigger one. "Phosphora has to be in there somewhere." Aranea said. "Try breaking a hole through."

A couple of Zerts emerged from the cyclone, creating electric barriers, but Fybi easily shot them down as they flew for the large cyclone. Fybi sucked in some breath and blew a huge gust of air, successfully blowing a hole into the whirlwind. She flew in first, followed by the others as they began the flight downward, having to evade more lightning strikes from the side. While Fybi was able to dodge around them with no trouble, the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. was taking quite a few strikes. "Aranea, we're about to be singed, can't you fly straight??" Anthony shouted.

"No one ever told me I'd be a replacement pilot!!" she shot back.

"I would figure you'd be a natural at this, SKY."

Aranea angrily turned around and yelled at Anthony, "You have NO right calling me that-"

"WATCH OUT!" Harvey screamed, and the ship immediately crashed through some lightning.

"YOW!" Anthony yelped.

"We're about to crash!" Sally yelled.

"Pray, hangeth on!" Fybi shouted. "Methinks I see our destination."

They made it out of the cyclone and were approaching the front of some huge temple, floating amongst the clouds. "WELCOME, Kids Next Door, to the Thunder Cloud Temple!" Viridi exclaimed.

"I have to admit, it's nice compared to that forest area." Sally said.

"Wait… there's something off about it." Harvey observed.

The kids flew around the front of the temple, and found that the front part was the only thing still standing. The rest of it was completely torn apart. "Uhh… now it's not so nice." Anthony said.

"Yeah, the temple sort of went to ruins during the first Nature War." Phosphora said. "Still, the ruins held well over the years. They still contain enough power for me to do THIS."

At that moment, a blast of lightning struck from the clouds, striking the S.C.A.M.P.E.R.'s engines and causing them to spin out of control. "Grr, well… prepare for landing." Aranea grunted.

"Ay-ay-ay." Fybi shook her head and flew after the ship as it crash-landed in the temple. (Play "Thunder Cloud Temple" from Kid Icarus: Uprising.)

Act 2: Thunder Cloud Temple

Fybi took land beside her friends as they all recovered from the wreckage, switching and taking off her jetpack. "Pray, why doth we seem to crash somewhere every mission?"

"Because Aranea doesn't live up to her name—OWW!" Aranea stomped Anthony's foot. "I was just kidding! Anyway, guys, our mission is to track down and defeat Phosphora. And when we find her, Cheren wants us to try and take her scarf and bring it back. He thinks we can use it to suck out the electricity that's keeping everyone stunned."

"Uh, shyeah, good luck with that." Phosphora retorted.

The group entered the doorway of the ruined temple, and on the other side, they were met with a gloomy sea of gray clouds, roaring with thunder and lightning. A couple Nutskis appeared above the clouds and launched acorns, but Fybi released a gust of air and blew the acorns into their eyes, blinding them. They continued forward and jumped down a few cloud platforms, landing in a small field where Meebas popped up. The rhino-like fungus charged at the operatives, but they jumped out of the way, causing them to run off the edge of the clouds. Zerts emerged from the wall of clouds and charged at them with lightning shields, but Fybi quickly shot arrows from her B.O.W. and took them out.

The group continued across the open field and bounced down more clouds to a lower area, where they entered a narrow tunnel of gray clouds. Several Cacaws were crawling their way in from the other side, launching sonic waves to make the group dizzy. Sally launched her yo-yo past the row of enemies and grabbed the one at the far end, pulling it forward to knock away all the others. The group jumped their way over the fallen enemies and continued passing through the tunnel. When they came out on the other side, a massive field of gray, rainy clouds lay before them.

They hurried down the slope that led to the field as several Boom Stompers popped up above the clouds. The titan-like enemies jumped and shook the clouds with great force, causing the heroes to fling up into the air. Once airborne, the Nutskis attempted to fly by and shoot them, but Sally and Harvey launched yo-yos to grab them and hurl them at others. Aranea landed on one of the Boom Stompers as it tried to shake her off. Fybi came down and blew a hole below the Boom Stomper, and the monster fell as Aranea jumped off. The rest of the Boom Stompers leapt to bounce the clouds again, but Fybi quickly launched arrows to pierce the clouds below them, causing them to break through and fall.

At the end of the cloudy field was a massive tornado that spiraled upwards. The crew ran forward and allowed the tornado to catch them. The inside of the tornado contained several floating ruins from the temple, creating a pathway that allowed the kids to jump their way up. Some of the platforms appeared too high, so Sally and Harvey had to launch their yo-yos up to haul everyone up.




Some Bumpety Bombs were caught in the maelstrom. Anthony tried using earthbending to grab some parts of the temple, but his 'psychic' grasp fell numb on them. "What's wrong with my bending?!"




"This temple seems built with Island Cloud." Fybi said. "Though it is solid like earth, it is not."




"Well, good thing I have backup earth." Anthony bent some rocks out of his Infi-Cube and hurled them to knock the Bumpety Bombs out of the tornado. When they reached the highest ruin, Fybi created a gust of air to haul them up the rest of the way, landing them on another pathway.

A green Jitterthug appeared in their way and began to launch energy spheres. Sally shot her C.O.N.E.C.A.N.N.O.N. while Aranea used a S.P.I.C.E.R., but the weapons had no effect on the monster. However, Fybi leapt in the air and performed a charged spiral kick, shooting at the monster and kicking him away. "'Tis a Jitterthug. When he ist red, thou shootest. When green, thou must attack."

"How did you know that??" Viridi asked.

"I play lots of Kid Icarus." Fybi smirked.

The group continued through an open doorway in the clouds to another vast, open area, where there was little ground (or clouds) to stand on. A Parashooter landed on their foothold and charged, but Fybi jumped and landed on its back, pulling on its head. "All aboard, now." The kids shrugged and boarded the Parashooter's back, riding it over the edge as it extended its wings. The kids flew over the stormy abyss as Pew-Pews and Lethiniums fired at them from the clouds. Fybi shot arrows at the enemies and caused them to plummet, but another Parashooter came and shot the one the kids were riding. The Parashooter was about to come down, so the kids jumped and landed on another safe ground. There, an Urgle climbed above the cloud and launched at Fybi, hurling her straight in the air. The Parashooter was about to fly and hit her, but Fybi kicked an air gust the opposite way and pushed herself over the airborne enemy, landing on it.

Fybi took control of the Parashooter and used it to shoot a laser as the Urgle down below. Afterwards, she landed beside her friends and allowed them on, and they continued over the massive abyss. Bumpety Bombs dropped from the clouds above and attempted to land on them, but all of them missed. The kids were approaching another hole in the clouds, which was guarded by a Toxiecap. The poisonous mushroom launched toxic balls at them, but Fybi launched a blast of air to blow them back, attacking the mushroom monster and destroying it. The kids were able to soar through the narrow hole and quickly reach the other end. They appeared in another vast area of the clouds, where a towering altar floated in the center. A spark of lightning rested at the top of the altar, and the kids recognized it as Phosphora.

Before they could fly close, a Lurchthorn appeared in their path, causing the Parashooter to crash. The kids simply leapt over the bonefish enemy and onto a cloud platform. They jumped over a floating ruin and to another cloud, where a Mahva appeared and created a barrier around more Nutskis. The group fired their weapons to weaken the barrier quickly, however the Lurchthorn was still shooting at them from behind. Anthony grabbed some rocks from his reserves and launched them at the fishbone's head, knocking it out of the heavens. The others eventually took out the barrier, causing the Mahva to drop, and allowing them to take out the enemies.

The kids jumped a ruin to the next cloud, where some Pips slowly drifted downward. Fybi shot arrows and caused the creatures to divide and launch at them, but the kids avoided the monsters before shooting them from behind. They then proceeded to a platform with a skinny pole. Fybi blew some air and created a small tornado around the pole, sucking each of the kids in as it blew them over to a platform below the altar. From there, the kids began making their way up the steep staircase to the top. A couple of Hugworms slid down and successfully caught Sally and Harvey like snakes, proceeding to squeeze them. Fybi forced her way in with Harvey and puffed an air bubble to release the grip, then Anthony jumped to stomp the snake's waist.

Aranea latched the head of the other Hugworm as it tried to shake her off, eventually deciding to release Sally. The yo-yo girl wrapped her yo-yo string around its neck and hurled it over the edge, while Fybi blew the other one along with it. They progressed up the stairs as a Megonta was about to roll down and crush them, but the kids easily avoided the pill bug and let it roll over the edge. They hurried up further when some Skreetles crawled up on the sides of the altar and launched lasers. Fybi jumped the lasers and shot arrows at some of them, while Anthony amassed his rocks into a Boulder-n-Chain, batting the Skreetles away. When they arrived at the top of the stairway, a Mudrone stood in their path. Aranea and Harvey punched at the mud monster, but their fists were stuck into its ooze. However, Anthony easily defeated it by using his earthbending to levitate it, throwing it all the way down the staircase. With nothing more in their way, they ran onto the field where Phosphora waited. (End song.)

Currently, the woman was standing in a shower with all of her clothes on, and rather than water, the faucet sprinkled electrical energy. "Oh, darn." she whined. "You're here already? I'm not even fully dressed, yet."

"You've hid for long enough, Phosphora." Anthony stated. "But now we're bringing you in."

"Really? Sounds bold of you. But I doubt that angel of yours will be much help. I mean, an angel who can't fly is pretty pathetic. Which comes as no surprise, seeing as you idolize that Pitfall."

"Thou holdest the cock, but let us see if-" Fybi was interrupted when Phosphora suddenly zapped lightning at them, making them jump back.

"Yeah, yeah." Phosphora blew the smoke from her fingers and kicked the shower away. "Talking is boring. Let's just get this over with."

"Took the words right outta me." Anthony replied. (Play the Grand Doomer's Theme from Kirby's Return To Dreamland.)


Boss fight: Lightning Flash, Phosphora

Phosphora flew to the side of the field and launched lightning, but the kids dodged as Anthony kicked rock chunks at her head. She rubbed her sore chin and evaded as Fybi shot an arrow at her. She charged an electric sphere in her hands and dropped it at the ground to electrify the whole area, zapping the five kids. She came down and launched an electric laser at Sally and Harvey, who ducked and tossed and wrapped yo-yos around her legs. They pulled her to the ground, and Anthony amassed his rocks into a boulder and levitated it over the Lightning Flash. Phosphora merely zipped away from her binds and avoided the boulder, getting behind Anthony and zapping him. Aranea tried to shoot her, but Phosphora zipped away and flew back to the heavens.

The lightningbender flew high above the arena and spiraled a bunch of clouds together, creating a huge beam of lightning that struck the very center. She moved the massive jolt around the field in attempt to strike the kids, but it was too slow, and the kids easily avoided. After she was finished, she took a moment to catch her breath. Sally tossed a yo-yo up to pull her down, and the kids all laid blows upon her. She zipped away from them to a side of the field, gliding around the area before launching two separate beams around and behind the kids, which came back and zapped them. She protected herself in an electric barrier and glided toward the team, who flipped back to avoid her punches and kicks.

Anthony kicked rocks at her head and disabled her shield, then Fybi tried to jump and kick her, but Phosphora fled away. She charged electricity and touched her hands to the ground, launching several electrical ground waves at them. The kids avoided the blasts as Sally and Aranea fired cones and hotsauce at her. Phosphora flew above the field and began to conjure her lightning dragon. The snakelike dragon emerged and begun to fly around the field, swooping down in attempt to snack on the kids, but they avoided. Phosphora was taken by surprise when Fybi suddenly shot down from above, using her jetpack to fly as she brought her foot down on Phosphora's head with great force. "Grrrr! Sneaky little angel! Let's take this fight upstairs." The lightningbender soared straight up above the clouds, and Fybi chased after her.

They continued their aerial fight within the storming clouds, and Fybi quickly avoided as various lightning strikes tried to hit her. She and Phosphora began launching at each other, laying several kicks before Phosphora charged a lightning sphere and launched it at Fybi. The angel dodged and shot arrows, but Phosphora zipped behind the angel and kicked her forward. Fybi turned and continued to try and shoot the Lightning Flash, but Phosphora kept zipping around the area and kicking her in the head. "It's hopeless, ya know." Fybi gritted her teeth in anger and attempted to kick her, but she merely dodged again as she gripped the Nimbi by the shirt-collar from behind. "What good is an angel without any wings? You weren't much of anything before, and you're even LESS without a good set of wings. And being forced to resort to little kiddy toys is even lower. Why don't you just give up and fly back home, crying?"

"Thou canst cry when thou hast lost. But I am through with feeling upset. Whether I hath wings to fly or not, I still hath the friends to support me. I no longer care, as long as I canst help them smite thee!" Fybi spun free and attempted to kick her, but Phosphora dodged behind again.

"How cute." Fybi angrily turned to face her. "But these little kiddy games make me sick. It was nice playing with you. Ciao!" With that, Phosphora thrusted her arms backward, and a powerful burst of lightning shot from the clouds behind Fybi and struck the Nimbi clear in the back. (End song.)

Sector W's eyes widened with fright when they saw the tremendous burst of light above the clouds. "Fybi!" Anthony cried. After a few moments, Phosphora flew down. Sector W was struck with horror when they saw the unconscious, singed girl in Phosphora's right hand, and the burned jetpack in her left. She simply released the jetpack and allowed it to drop below the clouds, then dropped Fybi.

"Welp, that was an easy win." she stated, brushing her hands.

"YOU!!" Anthony glared at her with hatred. "HOW COULD YOU DO THAT?!"

"Uh." Phosphora eye-rolled. "Big deal, so I wiped out your little butterfly friend. If you're gonna whine so much about it, why don't you just join her? Here, let me help you." The lightningbender smirked and prepared to charge another lightning dragon.




As Fybi fell through the clouds, a heavenly light touched her soul. She felt warm as a gentle voice spoke to her. "Now that you understand how precious life is, I bless you with a gift."




"Wait!" Fybi gasped. "Thine voice… Do not tell me thou art…"




"What I'm about to do is illegal, so I must ask that you don't tell anyone. All I ask in return is that you treasure your wings… and your friends."




Before Phosphora could get close, an arrow zipped up from below the clouds, and she quickly dodged back as they all looked down with curiosity.

To everyone's amazement, Fybi flew above the clouds with a brand new set of wings. Phosphora stared with utter shock as Fybi flew up to her level, charged an arrow, and launched, striking Phosphora in the stomach. Fybi kept her smirk and continued to shoot arrows, but Phosphora zipped above the Nimbi and yelled, "I don't know HOW you got your wings back, but I'm making SURE they stay burned! Get ready to-" Electricity formed in her hands, but she stopped when she found the electric dying out. "W-What?"

"Pray, is thine sash loose?" Fybi smirked. Phosphora gasped, noticing her very-shrunken scarf. "Methinks it's time for this fight to end. Art thou ready to see some thunder?"

"Uh, no! 'Cause you can't SEE thunder!"

Fybi flew high above the lady and cried, "SCREW KICK!" spinning faster and faster as she shot straight down, her foot aimed directly at Phosphora. The woman was about to fly away, but Anthony kicked a rock at her head and made her dizzy. She was too late to avoid as Fybi's Screw Kick dealt a perfect blow, knocking her towards the floor.

"Geh!" Phosphora grunted as she bounced across the ground. "Gah!" She was suddenly caught between four rocks which Anthony controlled. Fybi leisurely glided over and took the shortened scarf off Phosphora's neck. She took land beside her friends as they all high-fived.

Below the clouds

"Grr, I take it back. You're not cute at all!" Phosphora yelled to Fybi as Zach and Maddy led the handcuffed woman into the S.P.R.A.Y.S.H.I.P..

"Can it, Lightning Freak." Maddy retorted.

The skies over the battle site started to become sunny again. The gray clouds drifted away as Cheren walked over to Sector W. "Great job again, Sector W. Thanks to you, we have one of Viridi's commanders in custody. But I have to ask, how did Fybi get her wings back all of a sudden?"

"Yeah…" This question rose in Anthony's mind, too, "how DID you get your wings back when Phosphora threw you down there?"

"I… hath no idea." Fybi replied truthfully. "Mayhaps Nimbi wings art designed to self-heal."

"Hah! So you were just cryin' for nothin'!" Anthony laughed.

"But it's great that you can fly again, Fybi." Sally smiled.

"And with Phosphora's Lightning Sash, we were able to heal everyone else that was stunned." Cheren said. "We're thinking of keeping it around. It could be useful. Anyway, best go home and get some rest. Viridi may strike again soon, and we all need to be ready."

Palutena's Temple

From the heavens high above the battleground, Pit smiled at the redheaded Nimbi from the temple's window. He turned to face his master, who was looking into the Reflecting Pool. "Lady Palutena? You know that was against the rules, right?"

"I know, Pit, but Fybi is one of the Chosen Ones. It's best if she is at her full strength." the goddess replied.

"What if you get in trouble?"

"I'll face the consequences after the Quest is over. Besides, I get the feeling Medusa is up to worse things."

Viridi's Lair

"Uuugh! What did I keep telling Phosphora? Cockiness killed the rooster." Viridi stated.

"She was as cocky and fast-paced as that blue hedgehog… but clearly not as strong." Arlon said.

Viridi sighed. "What am I going to do now?"

"What Phosphora lacked was a clear and calm mind. These hooligans must be defeated with a more subtle approach. Luckily…" the butler's right eye emitted an eerie red glow, "I have just the plan…"




Something to mention is that there used to be another Sector W story before this one, which is why they talk about events that didn't happen… but I didn't like that story and removed it from the lineup. And yes, while the conflict of this chapter was resolved very quickly and suddenly, it will all be plot relevant in time.

 

[Gamen Watch]

Welcome to the 4th story of the Nature Wars. This story introduces a brand new Nextgen Kid to the series, and one of my favorites.

The Gang

Heartly Household

It was relatively quiet outside today. The day was rather sunny as a car pulled into the driveway of the home. The grown, married woman, Kami Heartly stepped out of the car and proceeded to open the trunk. A dozen bags and such of groceries cluttered the trunk as Kami hauled a couple into her arms, struggling with them as she carried them to her front door.

Inside the house, the sounds of piping loud music and rock-and-roll ruined the quietness of the outside. Up in her room, a young girl with very short, blond hair and a black baseball cap relaxed on her bed, nodding her head to the music. The girl wore a black, sleeveless shirt that exposed her bellybutton, thin, black pants that cut off around the ankles, black socks, and had spiked wristbands. Her black shoes were lying turned over on the floor, and she also had a black collar around her neck.

Once Kami entered the house, the sound of this loud music met her ears as she set the groceries on the floor, stopping to catch her breath. "KIMAYA, dear! Can you help with the groceries?"

Upstairs, the girl continued nodding to the music, her eyes closed as she totally ignored the woman's call.

Kami, realizing she wasn't coming down, sighed and followed the music upstairs to the girl's room. "Kimaya?" she called as she opened the door to the room, decorated with stereos and posters of gothic-like bands, poisons, and other such things. She found the child still ignoring her as she nodded to the music. Kami rolled her eyes and immediately entered to push the button and turn the stereos off.

Kimaya Heartly ceased her nodding and opened her emerald-green eyes to look up at her mother. "Yo, Mom, what gives?"

"I need help unloading the groceries."

"So, git Dad to do it."

"Dad isn't home. So, if you want your supper, I'd suggest you help." Kami stated as she was about to head downstairs.

"Pssh, I want YO' supper…" Kimaya mumbled.

"What was that?"

Kimaya sighed, "Nothing." and got up from bed to go downstairs with her mother.

Cleveland Train Station

The train station was bustling with people as a train pulled in and stopped precisely at its point. Crowds and bunches of people piled out, the last one being a strange, slim man with black, slick clothing, silvery white hair, a very long, silver mustache that stretched around 20 centimeters, in which both sides were bent at an angle, black shoes in which the sharp toe-ends were curled upward, white gloves, and a monocle on his left eye. If that didn't make him sound like he stood out from the crowd enough, perhaps the fact that his skin was a bluish-purple will.

"Mmm, I say, that sun is awfully bright." The man said in a low, British accent, using his right hand to block his view of the sun from his face. "Regardless, this seems to be a fairly nice town."

"Remember the mission, Arlon." a female voice spoke through the communicator in his ear. "You can't let anyone know who you are."

"Why, of course I do, Mistress Viridi. Why, what we need is a serene, subtle approach. I shall not fail you, I promise you that."

"I should hope not."

The slim man reached in his pocket and pulled out a circular locket, which had a mysterious design of the crescent moon. The man stared at the locket for a while before hiding it in his pocket. He proceeded to make his way through the crowds of people, while uttering, "Oops, so sorry, my good fellow," "Ahh, bonjour, my good sir," and "Wonderful weather, eh wot?" As he walked away from the huge crowds, his eyes brimmed an eerie red.

Heartly Household

Kami had placed the last brown paper bag in the kitchen, afterwards wiping the sweat off her forehead. "Well, that's all of them." She then watched as her daughter lazily dropped the last plastic bag on the floor. "Kimaya, don't just drop them on the floor like that."

"So, they in a bag, ain't they?"

"It's not like that." Kami sighed as she grabbed the bag and placed it on the table.

"Whatever." Kimaya waved it off. "Are we done, yet? I need ta go." The girl turned and was about to head to the door-

"Hold on, Kimaya." Kami said suddenly, making the child groggily turn around and roll her eyes. "I wanted to talk to you about something."

"About whut?"

"Your English teacher called and said you refused to do a writing assignment."

Kimaya rolled her eyes and sighed again, "Man, it's just some bull about a personal narrative or whatev', I don' do that shit."

"Kimaya!" Kami furrowed her eyes. "What did I say about watching your language?"

"Yeah, yeah." She rolled her eyes again.

"Kimaya, you know you're gonna need to focus more on school if you're ever gonna make it through 4th grade."

"But Ah GOT ta 4th grade, didn't I? Who needs school, anyway, man, it's so pointless…"

"Look, Kimaya, if you need help with homework, you could always ask me."

"Yeh, yeh. I'm goin' out." Kimaya stated as she continued toward the doorway.

"Going out? Where?"

"Pssh, jus' goin' out, Ma, chill." was the last she said before shutting the door behind her.

The mother sighed and sat down. "Oh, what am I going to do with that girl…"

Downtown Cleveland

The black-clothed girl leisurely walked downtown, blowing and popping a piece of gum in her mouth as people passed by, sparing her odd looks. Kimaya turned down a filthy alleyway, stopping beside a dumpster. She turned and looked around for a bit before stepping to the wall beside the dumpster. She tapped her knuckles on a few of the bricks, causing the ground before her to reveal a secret slide. She jumped and slid down the slide, the trapdoor closing as Kimaya landed in a secret underground chamber.

Inside was a tall boy in a white jacket, yellow shorts, black and red shoes, a black skull necklace, and a black knit cap with a skull on it, dancing to some loud music from a radio. There was also a young girl, about seven years of age, with deep blue eyes, yellow hair, a reddish-orange sweater, white shorts, yellow and black shoes, a bell necklace, and her own knit cap with a smaller skull, sewing together a tiny, stuffed cat. Finally, another boy, wearing a dark-yellow hoodie, dark-green jeans, white shoes, short brown hair, and dark-yellow eyes was calmly nodding to the music.

The tall boy opened his blue eyes and noticed Kimaya walk by them. "Kimaya!" he exclaimed, running beside her. "Man, we're hittin' the big score today, yo! They got a whole shipment of new Wii U II's comin' ta GameStop, yo! We're gonna break that bus and grab one for each of us, ain't that right, guys? Rhyme, you with me, right?"

The little girl turned and faced them with a positive smile. "It's only fair!"

"Yo, Kimaya, you havin' problems wit' yo' mom, again?" the boy asked.

"That ain't none of yo' business, Beat."

"Okay, okay! I jus' sayin'."

"So, what's the plan, Boss?" the little girl, Rhyme asked.

"Ooh, ooh, I know!" the hooded boy perked up. "I say we, we, we TAKE unicycle lessons! Or I do! And I can distract them, a-and you guys grab the games, ooor-"

Kimaya immediately smacked the boy. "Man, Kaleo, you as dimwitted as that dumbass from Quahog. Y'know the one that's always on the news with them shennanigans?"

"You big meanie!" Kaleo put on a grumpy look, glancing his eyes to his left. "Quiet, Stewie!!"

"Yo, Kimaya, why don' we jus' git them KNDorks to nab us a few?" Beat asked. "Them dumb brats fall for anythin', man!"

"Y-Yeah, yeah!" Kaleo grinned. "My cousin, Dillon works for KND! He can use his shadowbending to swipe some!"

"Man, you know them KNFools ain't that dumb." Kimaya stated. "We gotta do this ourselves, yo. We gotta stay in secret. We rob the truck the old-fashioned way, but don't let anyone see us, ya dig?"

"Is that ALL, yo?" Beat asked. "Well, whatev', sooner the better."

"It's tradition!" Rhyme reminded.

"Oh, yeh, Kim, we was wonderin'," Beat spoke again, "we was gonna go out and get burgers later, and me and Leo was confused. Should we get the kind wit' da meat, bacon, cheese, bacon, cheese, bacon, bacon, meat, bacon, cheese, or the cheese, bacon, bacon, bacon, meat, bacon, bacon, bacon, cheese, meat, bacon, bacon. But Rhyme was also thinkin' we get the cheesy meat, bacon, bacon, meaty cheese, bacon, cheese, bacon, bacon, with some cheese!"

Kimaya thought for a minute. "…Meat, bacon, cheese, bacon cheese, bacon, bacon, meat, bacon, cheese."

"AH-HAALLLRIIIGHT!"

"'kay, enough foolin' around. Let's git out and trash this truck!"

"I get to knock the driver out!" Kaleo beamed.

Outside of town

A delivery truck was on its way into town, its crate packed with stacks of Wii U II's as the driver remained focused on his route. Beat was crouched down, hidden behind a bush. The skull-capped boy pulled out and switched on his radio, unleashing a powerful beam of sonic waves that caused the driver to come to a halt. He fell out of his seat, and as he climbed up, Kaleo unleashed a cloud of poison into his windows, the man coughing before falling into deep sleep. Once he was out, Kimaya hurried behind the truck and burped a Gas Bomb, blowing the doors open. The other three members met around the back, wide grins on their faces as they gazed upon the stacks of game systems. They each climbed in and took one, hurrying away from the truck.

As the driver was about to wake up, Rhyme noticed this. The little girl snapped her fingers and sent out a single neon note, which danced beside the truck driver and kicked him in the head to knock him out. Afterwards, Rhyme hurried after her friends.

Heartly Household

"And that's the story of the Little Farmer That Could." Kami Heartly was seated on the couch in front of her T.V., listening to Kade Jackson speak.

"In other news, more chaos in the infamous town of Cleveland, Virginia." Eva continued, the tiny screen behind her showing a picture of the invaded delivery truck. "Earlier today, a shipment truck of game consoles has been invaded by an unknown assailant. This attack was likely caused by the ones responsible for other such robberies earlier these past few weeks."

This put Kami in a state of worry. She turned towards the door, the sound of keys jingling catching her attention. In seconds, the door slid open, and in stepped Kami's husband, Jeremiah Heartly. "Man, what a day." He grunted.

"Hey, Jermy." Kami walked over to greet him with a kiss on the cheek.

"Heh, you wouldn't think orphans could wear you down, but they can." He chuckled. "So, where's Kimi?"

"Kimaya isn't home, yet." Kami sighed. "I'm worried about her, Jeremiah. She's always going out to who-knows-where… I just saw a report on the news… What if she's hanging out with a bad crowd?"

"Come on, Kam, our daughter might not be the sweetest, but I doubt she'd go to being a criminal."

"But what if she is? What if they catch her, and put her in jail? She'd never survive in there."

"She's only 9½, Kam. They'd put her in juvy, at worst. Besides, I think you're just over-reacting."

"Well, I think you're under reacting. You should be more worried for her. After all, she takes after you."

"But that was before I met you." He smirked. "Only difference is, Kimaya has a family, and we both love her. And besides, with someone like you as her mother, she'll do just fine."

"Hm, you're too sweet." She lightly chuckled. "If only she would actually listen to me. Sigh, I'm going out to look for her. Love you." And on that note, she left and closed the door.

Downtown Cleveland

The sun continued to loom brightly in the clear sky, making the town seem lively as the sleek man with silver hair sat down at an outdoor café, a steaming cup of tea at his table. The man calmly took the cup by the handle, holding it beside his mouth as he allowed a sip inside. "Ahhh… this town is a wonderful place." He sighed, staring out at all of the crowds of people. "I do have trouble seeing what disgusts Viridi so greatly about this place. Still… I can understand. These humans can act so uncivilized at times. And the odor from some of their factories can be so unpleasant. Sigh… still, they don't have to be all bad. Why, with the proper teaching, I'm sure their ways can be changed for the better."

"KIMAYAAA?" Kami called as she passed along a sidewalk downtown. "KIMAYA? WHERE ARE YOU?"

The slim man placed his tea on the table and opened a newspaper. "Videogame robbery? Now, what sort of rubbish is this?"

"KIMAYA?" Kami called once again, looking around the street. Not seeing where she was going, she tripped on a chair leg in the outdoor café, falling and grabbing onto a table as her hands pushed the cup of tea onto the man's lap.

"Oof, I say!" the man grunted, quivering with pain on the burning lap.

"Oop! I-I'm sorry!" Kami said quickly.

"No, it's quite all right." He coughed, trying to help himself stand. "My suit's… not penetrable enough."

Kami sighed, "Sorry… I'm just feeling a little distracted. My daughter's gone off somewhere, and she never says where."

"Mmm, is that so? Care to inform more?"

Kami raised a brow at the strange man, taking notice of his purple skin. "Who are you, anyway? Some kind of alien?"

"Oh-ho, yes, forgive me. My dear, I am referred to as Arlon. And I hail from the distant planet of Lunaria."

"Lunaria? Never heard of it."

"It's, erm, it's a moon planet."

"Pssh, what will the Galaxians think of next?" Kami mumbled. "I'm Kami, by the way. Anyway, my daughter's sort of… I really don't wanna say 'bratty'… and she keeps running off somewhere. I feel like she's hanging out with criminals or something."

"Hmm, this daughter of yours seems rather disobedient."

"Oh, she is. I guess I can sort of be that way, too, but for Kimaya, it's different. She never does her homework, she rarely does her chores, her socks are starting to stink up the place…"

"If… I may, dear…" The man slid behind Kami and wrapped an arm around her, presenting her a card, "I have a solution."

"What?"

"You see, Dear Kami, I am in charge of a school specifically designed to put snobby children in their place. No, not like the views of these 'evil adults,' oh no. Meaning children who, participate in 'gangs,' make graffiti art, and other such property damage. Those kinds of kids. I arrived on this planet a few years ago to set up a campus, and it has been quite successive. If your daughter should attend this school, perhaps I could have most of her rebellious roots, shall we say, worked out?"

"Hmmm…" Kami took the card and studied it. "I dunno… it doesn't really feel like the school I'd send her to."

"The decision is entirely up to you, of course." The man stated as he started to walk away. "But just remember…" he turned and faced her, "if all else fails, my school may be the only thing that can save her. Why, I remember when I was such a rebellious youth. Now, I'm living the pleasant, peaceful life of a butler."

"A butler? To who?"

"Er, that information is highly confidential. And before you get the wrong impression, it's not my intention that your dear Kimaya becomes a lowly servant. Though, it is just one measure that can save her from something worse. I bid you adieu, milady." With that, the man slid away.

Kami spared one last glance at the card before having another skim around the area for her daughter. She slipped the card in her pocket and began the walk back home.

Heartly Household

After another hour passed, Kimaya had finally come inside. "MAA, I'M HOME."

Kami stood up from the couch and glared at her daughter. "Kimaya, where were you? I've been looking for you."

"Gee, Ah was jus' hangin' out with Kaleo, Mom, relax." Kimaya shot back, walking past her mother and toward the staircase.

Kami sighed, "Well… you want me to help you with some homework?"

"Man, Ah'm tired, Ma, maybe later." Kimaya said before leaving up the stairs. Kami only stood and listened as her daughter slammed the door to her room. The house was once again erupting with loud music, and Kami only sighed in frustration.

That night, Kami was lied back in her bed, their bedroom lit up by a dim lamp as Jeremiah was brushing his teeth in the bathroom. The card which Arlon had given Kami was rested on her nightstand. "I dunno, Jeremiah. Should we send her to that school? That Arlon seemed a little… strange."

"Beats me. It's not like she pays much attention in her own school, anyway."

"Still, if she doesn't learn how to behave, who knows where she'll end up? She might spend the rest of her life in prison for…for poisoning people or something."

After Jeremiah was finished in the bathroom, he joined his wife in bed. "Kami, quit being so negative all the time. I'm sure our daughter will be fine."

"You always say that. You can't just not worry about this stuff, Jeremiah."

"Well, you know what happens to kids who don't have the right amount of freedom."

"I think Kimaya's gotten too much freedom…"

"Kami, maybe you're just a little stressed from running errands all day. After a good night's sleep, I bet tomorrow might be a little easier." He smiled.

"I hope so…" Kami sighed. "Good night, Jeremiah."

"G'night, Honey." Kami switched the lamp off as both turned on their sides and went to sleep.

After a few minutes of peace and quiet, a rather annoying sound burst through the hall. Kami's eyes squinted groggily open at the sound of the loud rock-and-roll coming from Kimaya's room. The aggravated mother reached back, grabbed her husband's pillow, and pressed it over the other side of her head. Jeremiah shot awake at this, simply shrugging before laying back down and going to sleep.

Viridi's Lair

"Ahh… poor human." Viridi sighed as she studied the barely-sleeping mother in her crystal ball. "Having to deal with a simple, spoiled offspring of her own kind. I almost feel bad. Those Drilovskys are probably some of the few humans I like. They actually have a special bond with the animal kingdom. Even Kami was able to befriend that crazy Kong Family. …" Viridi shook it off, "Oh, what am I saying? All humans are the same, and they all deserve to go. Oh well… that time'll happen soon." She said as she relaxed her arms behind her head, kicking back in the throne. "Just so long as Arlon stays on track…" She smirked in the direction of her crystal ball, which now showed the image of a KND S.P.R.A.Y.S.H.I.P. flying through space.

KND S.P.R.A.Y.S.H.I.P.

"For the last time, Mad, Yippers are not 'dorky.'" Zach Murphy argued to his sister. "It's a complicated strategy game that requires the highest amount of skill and knowledge to fully master."

"The only complicated thing requiring a lot of knowledge to understand is your BRAIN, Zach."

"Yeah? Well, for your info—AAH!" They were smashed against the windshield when their ship came to a halt.

"W…What just happened??" Maddy panicked.

"I think we hit something."

"I don't see any…" Maddy immediately stopped herself when she heard the engines shorting out. "AAHHH!" The ship immediately fell straight to Earth.

The area where the ship had crashed strangely became wavy just then. The image of a gigantic cloaked sphere sparked before turning back invisible.

Heartly Household, morning

"I just don't know what to do, Ava…" Kami spoke to her alien friend over the phone. "Every time I try to reason with that girl, she's always talking back or going somewhere. How do you and Vweeb get along so well?"

"Because Vweeb knows whenever he doesn't listen to me, I can squeeze him like a grape."

"What?"

"Haha, I'm just kidding! You just gotta get to know her better. Try taking an interest in her interests. Maybe then you'll each influence the other, she'll start listening to you, and you'll start to get along better."

"I'm not really sure. She listens to a lot of… rap. And a lot of other things that… feel sort of inappropriate."

"Hm hm. Maybe you oughta give it a try."

"Well, if it'll get her to listen to me… I'll try."

"Great! Oh, and one more thing… why did you want me to send Vweeb over?"

"Well, you know… just to be safe."

"Um…okay? Talk to you later, I guess."

"Later, Ave." They both hung up. Coincidentally, the doorbell was rung. When Kami walked over to answer, she found no one waiting outside. However, when she looked down, she found the little Kateenian waiting on her doorstep. "Ah! Here already!"

"Hey, aren't you the lady that used to beat up my dad?" Vweeb asked. He wore a blue jumpsuit and puffy black hair atop his white skin.

Kami giggled lightly, allowing the alien onto her hand. "Those were the times…"

"So, what did you want me for?"

"Well, I have a feeling my daughter's gonna walk off again, so when the time comes, I want you to sneak into her pocket or something, go with her, then come back and tell me where she went."

"What am I, one of those eavesdropper microphone bugs?"

"Well, you are one of those things. …Oh! Here she comes." Kami quickly slipped Vweeb into her pocket when Kimaya entered the living room, having headphones over her ears.

"Yo, Ma, what's cookin', we gonna have some breakfast or what, Ah'm starvin' here."

Kami turned away and silently took a deep breath. "Remain calm, Kam…" She turned to face her daughter again and said, "Listen, Kim, I'm sorry if I was a little hard yesterday. I was thinking we could… have a little mother/daughter time. You know, hang out or something."

"Ahh." Kimaya smirked, placing her headphones on the table. "You wanna go downtown and teach them drummuh boys how like they don't got no spirit like diiis and show like how ol' Kimmy Kam ain't showin' no dipshit 'bout what dey got in them li'l trousers, mm-hm."

"….Uhhh…." Needless to say, Kami was baffled. "Well, the important thing is you tried, sweetheart."

"…" Kimaya was unimpressed.

"…So, uh, what music is that? I bet I can get into it!" She grabbed the headphones and placed them over her ears. She was hoping for something decent, but frowned at what she was hearing.


"I was brought up on the streets, no moms and dads. I had to fend for myself with my own two hands! Each day Ah'm hurt, and Ah'll tell you why, Ah gotta HANGNAIL-"

"HANGNAIL!"

"-hangin' from my cubicle, a hangnail-"

"HANGNAIL!"

"-it ain't beautiful, it hurts like a bitch that I did last night…"

Kami removed the headphones and stared at them with confusion. "Um… what is this?"

"Aw, tha's just Snoopy-Doopy-Poopy Doggy G, man, he some kinda Scooby-Doo-like shit, I dunno whut, he doin' that HO-DOWN, somethin' 'bout diggin' G, know whut-whut?"

Kami gave an emotionless stare. "…Okay…"

"Pssh." Kimaya rolled her eyes. "Maaan, Mom, you don' know what I'm talkin' about, with all the rappin' over here, you don't even give a shit. Say, who was you talkin' on da phone wit', anyway, dat alien bitch?"

Kami snapped out of her confusion and yelled, "I've about had it with that language of yours, young lady!"

"Pssh, same shit you said dat other time, and dat one time before dat, and dat other time. And I think that one time, you-"

"Okay, look, just…" she sighed, "Forget about it. Is there ANYTHING you like to do that doesn't involve cussing, rap, or… anything along that?"

"Hmmm… Well, we could egg da teachuh's house."

Kami stared off into nothingness again. "…Not quite what I had in mind."

"Whatevuh. Mom, if you ain't gonna make any breakfast or whatevuh, Ah'm goin' out." And she was headed for the door.

Kami gasped quietly and quickly grabbed Vweeb from her pocket, lightly tossing him to the back of Kimaya's backwards cap. "W-Wait!" Kimaya turned her head to look up at her. "…I don't supposed you'd wanna take me to wherever it is you're going?"

"Pssh, hn-NAAH, you won' like it, Mom, it's just some music store and all that bullshit." While she talked, Vweeb carefully dropped down into Kimaya's back pocket, which was a tight fit due to her skinny jeans. Kimaya continued off, shutting the door on her way out.

Downtown Cleveland

As Kimaya strolled down the street, hands stuffed in her pocket, Vweeb poked his tiny head out from the backseat pocket, glancing around the town. "I hope Kami had the right idea about this…" he said worriedly.

He crept back down when Kimaya turned down the alleyway, once again searching around for anyone watching. The black-clothed child tapped the bricks and opened the secret trapdoor. She slid down the slide on her feet, the entrance closing as she continued through a passage in the sewers.

Kimaya soon entered an underground chamber decorated with game consoles, music CDs and stereos, and other valuable items as Vweeb peeked his head out, gaping in amazement at the colorfully lit chamber. Kimaya approached Beat and Kaleo, the two boys testing out their new Wii U's. "Maan, check it OUT, Kimaya! This coin battle thing is da shiz, yo! I'm whuppin' Kaleo's ass like no tomorrow."

"Nnnngh!" Kaleo growled through his teeth, struggling to beat Beat at the game. "…NOT FUNNY, STEWIE!"

"Jus' hurry up. Ah wanna steal me somethin' to eat." She then sat on the crate beside Beat.

"Ow!"

"What the-" Kimaya heard a little yelp, standing back on her feet as she searched the chamber. The punk girl reached into her back pocket and held the tiny alien up by the shirt.

"Watch where you're sitting next time!" Vweeb yelled.

Kimaya immediately slammed the Kateenian to the ground, the alien looking up in fright as the four kids towered over him. "'ey, lookathis. Some li'l SHRIMP wanted ta sneak into our hideout."

"'o the 'eck is this little twerp?" Beat asked.

"Apparently someone who doesn't like getting his pants wet with his own urine." Vweeb snapped back.

"Boy, whatchu say to me??" Beat glared.

Kimaya squatted closer to Vweeb with a glare. "I think someone's 'bout to end up gum-squash on somebody's shoe."

"Better than being under your big ugly butt." Vweeb remarked.

"Ooooooh!" The three gang members moaned.

"Man, shou' we stuff 'im in a boom box and blow 'is teeny little eardrums out or somefin'?" Beat asked.

"Hang on, Beat… I like this kid." Kimaya smirked. "He's got guts in that li'l bitty body."

"He's kinda cute." Rhyme smiled.

"We-ell," Vweeb proudly smirked, "they may be little to you guys, but in Kateenian terms, they're more than you have in your brains."

"OOOOOOHHH!"

"Alright, kid," Kimaya picked the alien up in her fingers and set him on her shoulder, "you're alright. You wanna join our gang?"

"Your gang? What's it called?"

"We The Gang."

"Yeah, but what're you called?"

"No, really. We just The Gang. We thought we keep it short and sweet, like some writers or somefin', know what I'm sayin'?"

"I think I do…"

"Anyway, name's Kimaya Heartly, Ah'm the leader. This one's Beat," she gestured to the tall boy, "his li'l sistuh, Rhyme," she motioned toward the younger girl, who grinned and waved, "and this stoopid one here is Kaleo."

"A-HEM!" Kaleo coughed.

Kimaya eye-rolled, "And Stewie."

"My name's Vweeb!" the Kateenian smiled. "So, like… are you guys some kind of Terrible Toxic Four or something? I remember that was a gang that used to hang down here."

"Ehh, somethin' like that. Bu' me and Kaleo are the only poisonbenders. Beat 'n' Rhyme got dey own ding, ya dig?"

"What's that?"

As a response, Beat and Rhyme took a pose, unleashing musical note waves from their arms. "We gots the beats-" Beat sang.

"-and the rhymes!" Rhyme sang.

"We bring the dirty treats-"

"-and hard times!"

Their little dance ended as the notes vanished. "S'yeah, me and Rhyme are SONGbenders, ya dig?"

"Musicbenders is more accurate." Kimaya stated. "Still, don't see many o' them around. S' what c'n you do, Shorteh?"

"Um…" Vweeb pulled out his Tri-gun, "I have a ray gun that can shoot, stun, and shrink things down to size!"

"Hm, not bad." Kimaya said. "That c'n be useful."

"So, what do you guys do, anyway?" Vweeb asked.

"Eh, mostly rob stuff." Kimaya shrugged.

"We got dese Wii U II's yesterday, yo!" Beat exclaimed.

"So… you're criminals?"

"Naah, not criminals, jus' some kids wantin' to have a good time. It just ain't good where we from, you know? So borin'." Kimaya explained.

"Yeah, you should see this one kid we met." Beat said. "He was a freakin' skeleton! I ain't shitting you, he was all bones! Man, we gotta introduce you!"

"Uh-huh…" Vweeb had a hard time believing that.

"Come on, Vweeb, wanna play wit' us or what?" Kimaya asked.

"I can kick YO' butt in this Mario U II, bra!" Beat declared.

"Or I can dress you like one of my dollies!" Rhyme grinned.

Vweeb smirked at Beat's challenge. "You are SO on!"

Unbeknownst to them, a monocle stood in the entrance to the chamber, glowing red as it spied on The Gang.

Heartly Household

About an hour passed after Kami had Vweeb sneak off with Kimaya, and the woman was worriedly laid back on the couch. "I hope Vweeb is all right…"

A knock at her door was heard. At first, she thought it was Vweeb, but then she remembered she wouldn't've heard a knock if it was. When she answered the door, she found Arlon waiting on the other side.

"Ahh, Dear Mrs. Heartly! So good to see you again! I do hope I'm not intruding on anything."

"Oh, no, I'm just… How did you know my last name?"

"Hmm? I could've sworn you mentioned it… er, in any case, have you considered my offer?"

"Well, not yet, but… I've been trying to work things out with her."

"Perhaps, but, forgive me, but I did a little snooping. Have a gander at this." The purple-skinned male held up a glass eye, dangling from a golden chain. Kami bent over and stared into it, the eye showing the image of the four Gang members in their secret chamber, along with Vweeb as the little alien succeeded at beating Beat at his Wii U II.

"W…What is this?"

"It appears your daughter has been shanghaied to a life of crime. These hooligans are known as The Gang. A rather nasty bunch I've kept close watch on for quite some months."

Kami was nearly speechless. "Kimaya's involved… with criminals?"

"Oh, yes, a striking tale indeed. Seems your concern was well-placed after all, my dear Heartly."

Kami collapsed onto the couch, feeling more stressed than ever as she placed a hand over her forehead. "I can't believe it… after all I do for that girl, she's committing crimes behind my back."

Arlon stood over the woman, holding another card between his fingers. "The offer still stands, you know. My school can work wonders."

Kami raised a brow and sat up to face the man. "Show me the school."

"Ahh, I was hoping you'd ask." Arlon reached under his suit and presented Kami a picture of a brownish-orange school with two floors, and a flagpole with a crescent moon symbol. "As you can see, it is a fine institution. Emission's free, we provide free lunches, and our own method of transportation should you choose to have her attend."

"Hmm… It… looks nice."

Arlon stuffed the picture in his suit and continued, "Personally, I would much recommend she go. But of course, the decision is entirely up to you."

Kami thought for a second, and was seriously considering. However, she released another sigh and said, "Let me try to talk to her first."

"My number is written on the card. Feel free to call anytime once you make your decision." The butler made a bow before leaving the woman to herself.

The Gang's Hideout

Beat and Kaleo were at another match, and Kimaya sat and watched on the crate with Vweeb sitting beside her. "I have to admit, you guys have a nice place."

"Thanks, man." Kimaya thanked.

"So, Kimaya… you and your mom. I heard you don't get along very well."

"How d'ya figure?"

"Well, my mom's friends with your mom, and… I sort of pick up on what they talk about."

Kimaya sighed. "Man, my mom jus' doesn't git me. She always gettin' me to do whatevuh an' she never lets me do what Ah want."

"Maybe she's just trying to protect you."

"Protect me from whut? Hangin' out wit' friends, listenin' to music? She don't evuh let me have any fun."

What about hanging out with criminals? Vweeb thought to himself. "I'm sure she isn't totally like that. She probably just wants to be friends with you, like any mom would."

"Man, if she wants to be friends wit' me, she gotta stop bein' so LAAAME."

"Hehehe." Vweeb chuckled. "Trust me, moms can be cool once you spend enough time with them. Me and my mom get along pretty well."

"Well, dat's goody f' you, Mama's Boy. But mah mom jus' ain't fun. She don' even trust me."

Vweeb actually had to agree with that, seeing as Kami sent him as a spy. "Well, maybe you should try. Come on, just go home, try to get to know her better, and you'll be best friends in no time."

Kimaya sighed and looked at a nearby clock. "Well, might as well. She might go bitchin' about where I was. Ah'm goin' up, guys, later."

"Okay, sorry you have to miss me beatin' Leo's butt again!" Beat exclaimed as Kimaya left the hideout.

An explosion was heard, and Kaleo grumbled. "GNNNNNRRR!"

Heartly Household

The sun started setting over the town, and Kimaya finally returned home. As she closed the door upon her way in- "THERE you are!" She flinched at the sound of her mother's booming voice. "What on Earth have you been doing, young lady?!"

"Jus' hangin' wit' buds, Mom, relax."

"You mean," Kami reached under her shirt and pulled out the glass eye, "THESE buds?"

Kimaya's eyes widened, the glass eye showing the image of her and The Gang, what they were just doing. "How didju get this?!"

"It doesn't matter where I got it."

"Oh, so I gotta tell YOU stuff, and you won't tell me when you've been EAVESdroppin'?"

"Is this how you plan to go the rest of your life? Being a criminal?"

"Man, they ain't bad people, Mom, stop over-reactin'." Kimaya waved her off as she passed her mother and headed up the stairs.

"Hey! Don't walk away from me!" Kami demanded as she stomped after her daughter. "I am talking to you!"

"Whatevuh." Kimaya entered her room and fell back onto her bed, grabbing a magazine.

"Kimaya, I work hard to take care of this family, especially you, and you have been nothing but ungrateful!"

"Well, no one ASKED you to take care of me, I can take care of myself!"

"Well, whether you can or not, it's still my job to protect you, and…" Kami stopped, noticing her daughter seemed to ignore her while reading the magazine. Immediately, she snatched the small book away.

"Hey!" Kimaya yelled. "You know what your problem is, Mama? You ain't cool!"

"It's not my job to be 'cool,' my job is to make sure you grow up to be a good child, and not as some common criminal like those boys you hang out with."

"Shows whatchu know, one of them is a girl."

"Even so, you're forbidden to hang with them anymore."

"Uh, Ah'll hang out wit' them if Ah want! I ain't some will-free bitch you c'n order around."

"Well, whether you are or not, you live in MY house, and live under my rules, so no more cussing, or any of that rap music you listen to." Kami was then about to take her headphones away.

"Hey, gimme those!" Kimaya yelled, trying to pull them back.

"You'll not get these back 'til you earn them-"

"I want 'em NOW."

"The first you can do is take a bath and-"

"Give 'em BACK!"

"You will listen to me, stop complaining about what I cook, and-"

"FUCK YOU, MOM!"

Kami froze with shock, eyes wide open. The nine-year-old glared at her mother with cold, hate-filled eyes. Without another word, Kimaya stomped across the hall, pushing her father aside as he was walking through, before stomping down the stairs, and slamming the door on her way out.

"Heh… sure gets a lot from her mother, hasn't she?" Jeremiah joked.

Kami angrily jabbed a finger at his face. "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!"

"What?" Jeremiah became baffled as he watched Kami head down the stairs.

The woman snatched the phone into her hand and started to dial Arlon's number on the card. "Mr. Arlon? I decided to accept your offer."

The Gang's Hideout

Vweeb and his three new friends were still down in the sewers, watching television on their widescreen TV. Vweeb heard the door slam shut and looked over as Kimaya stomped into the room, taking a seat beside the tiny alien on the crate. "Whoa… back already?"

"Yeh. Mah mom is a bitch." Kimaya stated, her arms folded with rage.

"What happened?"

"She's all spyin' on me! Maan, I tol' you she ain't trust me, now she goin' and gettin' in mah business."

"Spying on you?"

"Yeh, she usin' some glass-eye thingy, I dunno whut."

Vweeb began to feel suspicious. He was also feeling a little guilty. "Kimaya, I have to tell you something… your mom actually wanted me to sneak in here and find out what you were doing. That's why I was in your pocket."

"Huh? She was usin' YOU to spy on me?"

"Yeah. But I dunno about the glass-eye, though. She just wanted me to come back and tell her what happened."

"Hm… so, why didn't you?"

"Well, I dunno… I like you, I guess. You guys may be, well, criminals, but you still seem like a cool group. Heh. I don't meet a lot of bullies that actually like and respect me. So, I didn't feel like ratting you out."

Kimaya smiled slightly. "Aww… thanks, little man. But man, mah mom wanted ta spy on me?"

"Well, now you gotta admit, you can't blame her for being worried. Don't you think she'd be concerned about you stealing from people?"

"Man, you sound jus' like her, now."

"Heh heh. Hey, I don't wanna play that boring mom type, but you've gotta give them some credit, don'tcha think?"

"Yeh, but I don' see why they gotta be so bitchy. You jus' lucky YO' mom ain't like that."

"Oh, yeah? You just lucky you ain't all tiny like me." He tried to talk like a gangster. "My mom can be pretty scary sometimes…"

"Yeah, but jus'-" Kimaya was interrupted, hearing a loud knocking at their hideout door. Kimaya put on a look of shock and surprise. "What the-… Beat, did y'all order pizza?" she asked, going to answer it.

"Not me." Beat replied, still focused on the television.

Kimaya answered the door, gasping in utter shock. "Good evening, children." Kimaya was bashed in the head in an instant.

Moments later, several soldiers in green armor had gathered the four Gang members into the back of a truck, driving into the night. Arlon stood in a dark alley and watched this, his right eye brimming with red in the darkness.

Heartly Household

Kami heard the bell and answered her door, where Arlon stood in wait once again. "Ahh, good evening, Miss Kami. It pleases me to inform you that your dear daughter has been shifted off to my humble school, as was the rest of those ruffians."

"Well… good." Kami replied, still feeling unsure. "But why is it only held during the night?"

"Ah, well, you see, the students have a rather difficult time focusing on their work with so much sunlight beaming through the windows. We much prefer to have sessions at night, when their eyes have the most strength."

"The most strength at night?" Kami questioned, having an even harder time believing this man. Wouldn't kids normally be sleepy at night? "Um, couldn't you buy curtains? Besides, you should have ceiling lights, anyway. Otherwise, kids couldn't see their work at all."

"That is a negative. The moonlight provides us with enough light. Ahh, and it is looking ever so lovely tonight."

"Mm-hm…"

"Do not fear, for I promise to have your daughter returned first thing in the morning. It shan't take more than one night of sessions to rid her of her evil nature…" And on that note, the well-mannered gentleman left their home.

Arlon's Lunar School For Learners

After several miles of driving, the truck arrived at Arlon's massive school. The four kids were tied in white ropes, shoved out of the truck, and led into the building by the armored soldiers. The inside of the building seemed purely white, beautifully paved walls and floors with fancy chandeliers hanging on the ceiling, paintings of likely-deceased people in big, white wigs, and black and white chessboard decorated floors.

Arlon stood in the center of a room, watching as the armored beings dumped the four kids out of boxes. They each landed on their feet, dressed perfectly in large, dully-colored dresses and trousers (respectively), makeup that made their faces pale, and each wore long, white wigs. "HUH?…" Kimaya studied her new outfit with utter shock.

"The f-…HUUH???" Beat was just as surprised.

"So wonderful that you all could be here." Arlon announced.

"Who ah YOU?" Beat asked.

"My name is Arlon. Headmaster of my school for putting young ruffians like you in your place."

"In our PLACE??" Kimaya shouted. "Aw, man, is this one of them military schools?"

"Along those lines. Each of your parents have humbly requested I straighten you kids out."

"Maaan, this ain't no military school." Beat said, studying his uniform. "Militaries don't do this shit."

"Most indeedidly." Arlon said. "I do not support the means of which military schools discipline their young. Rotten children these days need to enter society with a more civilized manner."

Kimaya then felt something crawling under her dress, a tiny lump trying to force its way above her shirt. Vweeb poked his head above her shirt collar, gasping loudly for breath. "Man, it was so stuffed under there…"

"Ahhh. Well, well, well, what have we here?" Vweeb toppled over, landing on the floor on his rear, looking up as Arlon stepped over and bent over to observe him. "An extra runt. Learning such a minuscule brain shan't be much difficult."

"Hey, my brain is much bigger when you're scaled down to my size." Vweeb corrected. "And if you're a teacher, you would know the term isn't 'learning' in that sentence. It's-"

"Whatever." Arlon cut him off, lightly picking the alien up by his shirt and handing him to another soldier. "Take this scrappy fellow and give him a uniform. I shall proceed to start class."

"Hey!" Vweeb tried to shake away, but the soldier carried him off. "Let me go!"

"Now, then." Arlon stood straight before the four students and clapped his hands. "Let us begin."

They heard light piano music begin to play, and Arlon began doing squats, following with the music. The four kids put on confused expressions as they felt the strange sensation to dance as well. "Uh…what's happenin'?" Kimaya asked.

"That's right." Arlon smiled. "With the beat, now. Good hypnosis doesn't work itself."

"These beats are low, man." Beat said. "Kids shouldn't listen to this garbage. This is bull, man."

"It's not so bad! This is kinda fun!" Rhyme said with a positive look.

"Stewie's legs are getting tired." Kaleo whined. "I…I WANNA GO HOME!"

"That's right! No stopping, now!" Arlon grinned. "Ready… AND… Oom-pa, Loom-pa, doopity-doo. I've got, quite a, puzzle for you. Oom-pa, Loom-pa, doopity gee. If you have sense, you'll listen to me." The kids forcibly followed with his movements, wearing expressions of pure nervousness. As Arlon danced, he lightly gripped the locket of the crescent moon in his fingers, letting it dangle back and forth.

Heartly Household, the next morning…

When they awoke the next morning, Jeremiah was reading the paper while Kami was cooking breakfast at the oven. Kami's face perked up when they heard the doorbell. "That must be Kimaya!"

She hurried and answered the door with an excited look. However, her excitement died down, seeing the strange garb her daughter was now wearing. "Good evening, Mother." Kimaya greeted in a polite tone. "Could I perchance take in the humble presence of your home?"

"Um…of course? It is your house…" Kami allowed her daughter in, confusion spread across her face. "So, um… did you… learn anything?"

"Ah, quite so that I did. I do graciously apologize for my behaviour before, Mother. It was quite unladylike of me."

"Um…sure it was. But, you aren't… mad that I sent you off without warning?"

"Ah, most indeedidly not. 'Twas quite a wise decision, Mother. I've never felt better in all my life. Say, but that I'm here, is there perhaps any work I can do around the house?"

She… sounds Delightfulized… Kami thought to herself.

"You can organize my laundry!" Jeremiah said perkily.

"Very well, Father." Kimaya bowed. "I shall get to it posthaste." And with that, Kimaya proceeded upstairs.

Kami grabbed a cup of coffee and sat at the table, having a drink of the steaming liquid, and releasing a sigh. "Heh… Well, you wanted her to be more respectful." Jeremiah said.

"Yes, and now that she is… she sounds totally different. It's like… she's not even herself anymore."

"Hmm… where did I see something like this before?"

Kami gasped. "Lucinda! …Oh, I hated that woman! If I knew that school was going to change her that much… I wonder if I can call Arlon and get him to drop her out?"

"Probably. But if you did, she might go back to the way she was before. That's a tough decision…"

"It is… Sigh, I need to think this through. I'm going to the Milk Bar." She stood up from the table and headed for the door.

"Who actually thought of a bar for milk?"

"I dunno." Kami said upon closing the door.

As Jeremiah went back to his paper, a burning smell was caught in his nose. The fire alarm rung, and he gasped, seeing the burning pancakes on the oven. He quickly switched the oven off and grabbed the pancakes, screeching from the burning food as he hastily snatched a plate and placed the food on. He ran over to open the freezer, and shoved his hand inside, catching a breath of relief.

Cleveland Milk Bar

In the solitude of the dairy-themed bar, Kami was left to her thoughts. "I thought that school was what she needed… but that was before I knew what it would do." she said quietly. "I didn't want to send her to some… butler school. I just wanted her to act like…like any other kid. Being crazy about candy, some toys, all that usual stuff, and she would still be a sweet child. Not being into all of that… trash. Still, compared with this new… well-mannered phase… I'm not sure which I'd take."

"Mmm… seems like somebody's facing a little… regret."

"Oh?" Kami glanced behind her. Sitting at the table behind her was some chubby being, shrouded in a tan cloak, the darkness of the bar hiding his figure. "Oh…it's you."

"It's been a while…" the figure turned his head and spoke. A green-scaled snout stuck out of his hood. "I never thought I'd see you mature into a fine, young woman." His head leaned closer to Kami's, and he whispered softly in her ear, "You look beautiful…"

Creeped out, Kami scooted away. "Um…no."

"Regardless… it seems you're having family problems. Regret regarding your daughter… is it?"

Kami sighed. "Yes. She never listens to me, and she's always talking back. I sent her to that school to help improve her behavior, but… it's nothing like I imagined. To tell the truth… I've always dreamed of having that kind of daughter… I can be girl friends with, you know? That kind I could have that special bond with. But this butler thing…sigh, it totally ruins it."

"There's something you must know, Kami…" the shrouded figure said. "I knew your father… and many others before me knew many others before you. Your family is a very strong-willed bunch of people. The Drilovskys have always been that way. Your daughter is no different. Even under a different name…" the figure gripped a glass of swamp water, and held it by his snout, "she remains the same…" His lips touched the edge of the glass, sipping the swamp water.

"So, what you're saying is… there's nothing I could've done to change her." Kami said. "But… then how did that school do what it did?"

"It's obvious, isn't it? Arlon is not who he says he is. He is not concerned for the behavior of little kids. Not entirely… His school is a sham. A trap. My forces have analyzed the current status of this world. We make sure we know what is happening, and be prepared. There is a disturbance in the force… if you know what I mean."

Kami's cellphone rang. The Caller ID read that it was Ava. "Hello?" she answered.

"Kami, it's me. Vweeb never came home last night. Any idea where he might be?"

"Umm, he- Oh! Got another call." She tapped the button and answered.

"Kami, it's Jeremiah. Vweeb's here."

"Oh! I just found him." Kami told Ava.

"You better get over here." Jeremiah said. "He's got stuff to tell you."

"Ava, I have to go. Talk to you later." She hung up. "Well, it was nice talking to you." she said to the shrouded figure as she began to leave.

"Hold on." She stopped at his call. "Take this with you." Kami held her hand open as the hooded figure walked over, dropping a tiny keychain in her open palm.

"Hey. It's my…"

"Me and the others have been holding onto them. We hoped they would aid in searching for… You-Know-Who…"

"Right… him."

"But… we no longer need it." The figure said as he proceeded to the other exit. "We have our own problems at the moment."

"Those monkeys, again?" Kami questioned.

"You could say that…" He stopped for a second, turning his head slightly. "Have you ever heard of Specter?"

"Um…no."

"Just asking." With that, the hooded figure continued to the exit.

Kami only shrugged at his question, hurrying home.

Heartly Household

"Guys, I'm home." Kami called, hurrying through the front entrance as she found Jeremiah on the couch, and Vweeb standing on the living room table. Kami was taken by surprise at Vweeb's sudden appearance. "Wow, Vweeb, that's… a strange new look for you."

"Hey, I didn't ask for it, okay?" Vweeb yelled, dressed in a tiny fancy wig and black-and-white slim suit. "I snuck off with that Gang to that butler school, and they forced me to attend! That school isn't natural. They hypnotized your daughter and those kids!"

"They what??"

"He was making us do these weird dances, and then he opened the ceiling and made us stare up at the moon! The only reason I wasn't affected was because I had my eyes closed most of the time, since they… don't have any mechanical claws big enough to hold me."

"That's it! I'm calling Arlon, getting him to cancel this deal, and then I'm calling the other parents to tell them what happened." Kami already began dialing the number. It didn't take long until Arlon answered on the other side.

"Oh, Kami, hello! To what do I owe this call?"

"Arlon, I don't want my daughter attending your school, anymore." she said with an angry tone. "You've done your best, but I think I'll stick to raising her my own way."

"Are you quite sure? We truly enjoyed having your child as part of our curriculum."

"Well, I don't care. We're returning the uniform, and anything else you've used to influence her."

"Ohh, that seems quite the contrary, my dear Heartly. You see, as I've already discussed with the other parents, the deal cannot be undone. New students are always so absorbed into our system, they never want to leave. My school is the only place they feel at home. These new traits are their own now, and they ever-so look forward to each new session, such as the one tonight. I deeply apologize for the inconvenience, but after a period of time, you may just understand, too. Are we clear?"

Before answering, Kami glanced to her daughter by the stairway. Seeing her beautifully dressed, pretty makeup, and a pleasant odor, made Kami feel disgusted deep down. She answered Arlon's question with a non-agreeing tone, "Yeah… we're clear."

"Good! I look forward to your daughter tonight." After hearing him hang up, Kami hung up as well, her expression filled with guilt.

"Oh, you mustn't be so glum, Mother." Kimaya smiled. "I quite enjoy the new school. I am ever-so glad that my rebellious side is long passed. I shall not rest until I have repaid you for all the disrespect I have brought."

Kami's look became serious. She looked at her daughter and said, "Good. I'm proud of you, Kimaya. This school did you good, so you should show Arlon the best of your respect."

"I agree completely. Hm, now to pick up those socks… I must get to that posthaste." And on that note, Kimaya hurried up the stairs.

Kami watched her daughter leave, and thought to herself, Because when we go tonight, Arlon's gonna learn a whole new meaning to respect.




Arlon's Lunar School For Learners

Nighttime soon came, and the full moon was hanging bright over the sky. Dressed in her fancy school uniform, Kimaya Heartly approached the school in a casual fashion, eager to learn more about good manners. As she passed down the bright white halls, a tiny Kami and Vweeb poked out of one of the pockets of her dress. They gripped and slid down the wavy fabric and took land on the floor, hurrying to creep under the door of a closet. Once there, Vweeb aimed his ray gun at Kami and restored her normal size, the woman having to squat to fit in the janitor's closet. "Everywhere else is clean…" she mumbled, bending down to pick Vweeb up. "Now, let's go find Kimaya and her friends."

As Vweeb was placed on her shoulder, he said, "Now that we're at this, can't you rip this suit off me? It's starting to itch…"

"Maybe later. There's something off about Arlon's school, and we're gonna find out what."

Kami creaked the door open a crack and glanced around the hallway. As she carefully stepped out- "Ahh, Miss Kami! I did not expect to find you in here." They both winced, turning to face Arlon, who stood by two of the armored soldiers.

Kami put on a serious look and declared, "I'm taking my daughter and the rest of her friends back. And you're going to undo whatever it is you did to them."

"I'm afraid that's entirely out of my purview. Unfortunately, hypnosis on a rowdy bunch of kids like them only lasts so long. Thankfully, classes are in session for each of them as we speak, so they'll surely have another good dose in time."

Vweeb noticed a painting on the wall to their left, his eyes widening. "Lady, check it out!" Kami turned, and saw it was a painting of none other than Viridi. Vweeb faced Arlon again and yelled, "You're one of Viridi's henchmen, aren't you?!"

"Oh, it seems I've been caught." Arlon sighed. "Miss Viridi is the person whom I serve. I only arrived on this planet based on her orders."

"Where are you really from?" Kami asked.

"I'm afraid you've been given enough information. My Hall Monitors here will have you dealt with. Gentlemen:" the soldiers loaded and took aim with their cannon-arms, "attack."

Kami grabbed her keychain in her right hand, allowing it to spawn into the Jungle King Keyblade. Vweeb dropped to the floor and pulled out his Tri-gun. (Play "Razoff's Mansion" from Rayman 3.)


Stage 5: A Servant's Paradise

Mission: Rescue the Gang members and catch that crazy butler!

Kami dodged the cannons and sliced one of the arms with her Keyblade. She afterwards kicked off the soldier's head and knocked it over. Vweeb leaped around the floor to avoid the other one's cannon, afterwards leaping on and running up its arm before jumping into its eyehole and blasting it. When both soldiers were defeated, they watched as Arlon sprinted down the hall, turning down a left corridor. "After him!" Kami yelled as they engaged pursuit. They hurried down a very long hallway of vases, statues of peoples' heads, and paintings of white-wigged people. To their surprise, some Bumpety Bombs dropped from the ceiling, lighting their fuses as they rolled toward the two. Kami swatted them away with her Keyblade while Vweeb blasted them, and they all self-destructed in seconds.

"Mmm, the porridge is quite good-"

"Yes, quite good indeed." At the sound of these voices, Kami and Vweeb hurried down the hall. They peeked into a room where Peter Griffin, Brian Griffin, Stewie Griffin, as well as Kaleo Anderson were sipping tea, all dressed in smooth uniforms, with a view of the full moon hanging over the opened roof. They took notice of a switch and slid down the stairs to flip it, but some Hall Monitors appeared and shot giant acorn bombs. Kami back-flipped and tossed her Keyblade like a boomerang to slice one of the guards in two, while Vweeb shot at the other's feet and made it dance before it tripped. Kami ran to flip the lever, causing the ceiling to close. However, Kaleo still appeared hypnotized.

"Now, I say, that's as far as you go." Arlon appeared on a platform high above the floor of that room. The silver-haired butler started tossing cards at the woman, but Kami ran around and evaded them. She took notice of the chandelier on the ceiling, so when Arlon tossed another card, she spun her Keyblade and deflected it towards the chain from which it hung, the card slicing the chain and causing the chandelier to drop. One of the candles lit up Kaleo's fancy clothing, disintegrating it in seconds before the sensation caught on to him.

"EEYOOOOOWW!" Kaleo leapt into the air, dropping and rolling on the floor to put the flames out. From jumping that high towards the ceiling, the smoke drifted to one of the ceiling faucets, causing them all to activate. Meanwhile, one of the other candles lit Peter Griffin up.

"Oh dear, what's this?" Brian asked in his British tone.

"Oh, it seems I've spontaneously combusted." Peter replied.

"Are you quite all right?"

"That's okay, I've grown quite tired of living."

"Ahh, all good, then."

"Oh, is it raining again?" Stewie asked.

The sprinklers quickly flooded the room, leaving the other three men to drown. The water allowed Kami, Vweeb, and Kaleo to float, and as it rised higher, they got closer to Arlon's platform. The butler immediately dashed away, the three climbing onto the platform and dashing after him. They made turns down various hallways as Dibble Dops appeared and launched bombs, creating powerful water spouts. Kami and Kaleo immediately skidded to a halt just inches before the water spouts. However, Vweeb was caught in one and propelled to the ceiling, where the alien had a good view of the Dibble Dops for him to blast each one of them in the eye.

"Today, some sporting good news for the Lunarian Frondon Flompemwonglers, after scoring 20 yonks to 40 lings, thanks to Fraton Trombwiggler, in today's sporting game of cricket. Is that good? We don't know! It's what we do!" Arlon's voice sounded through the intercom.

After knocking out some Nutskis, the three peeked down the alternate hallways as the corridor split in two. Arlon peeked his head out of a closet behind Kami, gliding across the floor as he zipped past Kami, making some sort of windy sound as the three chased him down the hall. They chased him to a theater room, where Beat sat among the many rows of chairs as the screen projected a view of the moon. "Today, the moon remains one of our many good friends." Arlon spoke on stage. "For thanks to its riveting beauty, people do not have to harm their eyes as they try to see, and great hypnosis is exercised everywhere."

A couple of Captain Flares poofed out of thin air and started launching meteors. Kami tried to strike a meteor, but her Keyblade couldn't penetrate as the rock pushed her back. Kaleo simply burped Gas Bombs at the fire monsters and destroyed one. The other one avoided and prepared to launch another meteor, but Vweeb shot his stun ray and made it vanish. At this time, Kami hurried onto the stage where Arlon was, proceeding to lay a series of blows against him, then finally knocking him through the screen, causing the projection to vanish. Arlon stood up, and bolted down the passageway behind the screen.

"How do we wake him up?" Vweeb asked as he and Kaleo got to Beat's side.

Kaleo thought for a second before his mind sparked. He engulfed some Purple Flurp, and- "BUUUUURP!"

"DYAAH!" Beat was blown out of his uniform, standing and glaring angrily at Kaleo. "Dammit, Leo, you KNOW I hate smellin' yo' stinky-ass burps!"

"HE'S BAAACK!" Kaleo exclaimed, embracing him in a hug.

"Then let's keep going." Kami instructed, and the others ran after her down the passageway. They progressed down a labyrinth of nicely polished halls, making turns every which way and having to take down Bumpety Bombs. Along the way, they passed another painting of Viridi, a painting of Phosphora, Cragalanche, Mighty Poo, as well as some grey rabbit in a butler suit and monocle.

"Today, in Memorial Week, we honor the esteemed Mr. Herriman." The intercom sounded. "His bunny brilliance of putting imaginary hooligans in their place shall not be forgotten. His routine continued for years before he met an unfortunate end by the fangs of the vicious Werehog that ensnarled him."

"Sorry." Sonic the Werehog said out of nowhere.

"Oh, yeh? We', here's what I gots to say to dat!" Beat exclaimed before unleashing a sound wave to blow a hole in the painting, revealing a secret passage.

"Good find." Kami said before crawling through the tunnel, followed by the others. They crawled their way to a chamber where Rhyme and a few other captured children were sewing together puppets of animals with monocles and top-hats.

"Jus' a few more before yer all ripe and crikey, Mr. Dingo, wot-wot!" Rhyme said in a British/Australian accent as she fixed the puppet of a dingo.

Over behind a cardboard counter, Arlon seemed to be playing with a puppet of a donkey and one of a penguin. "'I say, Mr. Pengy-Poo, that's quite a full moon we have out tonight, yakka-yakka.'"

"'You bet yer gizzards, Mr. Ding-Dot-Donk, wakka-wakka!'" Hanging over the puppets was a tiny, cardboard full moon, hanging by a string.

Just then, a bunch of Puppits dropped from the ceiling, and the floating monsters proceeded to drift over to Kami and start dealing smacks. Several of them surrounded her, but the woman performed a spin attack and wiped them all out in one swing. A group of Flages appeared to take their place, the Nature ops specialists poofing all around the room and striking the heroes from all sides. Kaleo made a Poison Whip and wrapped it around one's wrists to swing it into another. Beat then jumped and slammed down on both of them, leaving Vweeb to shoot their eyes. Kami ran to attack Arlon, but a Flage appeared in her path. However, the ghost-like enemy was suddenly smacked from both sides in the head by an unseen force, which then smacked it against the wall. Kami raised a brow in confusion, but Kaleo yelled, "THANK YOU, STEWIE!"

Kami shook her head and ran to lay more blows against the blue-skinned butler, tearing up his puppet booth in the process. He recovered and bolted down another hallway.

"Chim-chim-cherio!" Rhyme cooed, playing with her puppet puppy.

Beat ran, grabbed her arm, and said, "Yo, Rhyme, we gotta git!"

"Okay, then." Rhyme simply pulled off her fancy dress and placed the knit-cap on her head. "Let's go!"

"Wait… you weren't even hypnotized?"

"Not really. Talking British was fun! Especially when you were doing it."

"Gyaaaahhh!" Beat freaked out in embarrassment.

The four kids proceeded to follow Kami as they chased Arlon down the hall, the butler panting as he ran as fast as he could down the mazy corridors. They scampered down several more pathways, and by the time they reached a wider hallway of historical people statues, the man was long gone.

"I say, why don't we play a little hunting game?"

"AHH!" Kami yelped and jumped away when a laser shot down from the ceiling, nearly hitting her feet.

"One's coming at the little rodent."

"IPE!" The ground where Vweeb stood was zapped, becoming black with soot, but the tiny alien was shown to have jumped to Kaleo's nose.

"AAHHH!" Kaleo screamed and ducked before a laser could strike him.

Beat looked up and noticed the small turret about to shoot him, but he instantly tossed a music note and wiped it out. With that, the kids proceeded down the halls in search of Arlon. "You know, for one of Viridi's henchmen, none of this really even seems to suit Viridi's version of nature." Vweeb said. "Just what's Arlon's deal with Viridi, anyway?"

"Let me tell you what my 'deal' with Viridi is. She is disgusted with humans' unruly behavior much like I am. In the process of wiping them out, it is my job to teach them the proper ways of what a society with their existence is supposed to be like. Sadly, humans have already come too far. So despite my efforts to teach them the proper ways, they all have to go, anyhow. This whole thing just keeps them from fighting back like the ruffians they are."

"Well, it's a step up from all the regular fighting you guys've been doing." Kami replied.

"Nn, yes. I wish I could say the same about you."

"Well, you should've thought twice before brainwashing my daughter."

"What befalls you or your family is no concern of mine. I am beholden only to Mistress Viridi. And you all are thorns in her side."

"A loyal butler until the end." Vweeb said.

"Boy, this guy IS lame! Let's take him out fast!" Beat fist-palmed.

Kami kicked open the double doors to find the school's library. They made their way through all of the mazelike aisles of books, in which Dibble Dops popped out and launched more water bombs. Kami flipped over one of the spouts and sliced a Dibble Dop while Rhyme blew music notes through the water and knocked the other one out. Kami then decided to climb up the book shelves like a ladder, then hop her way across the shelves before dropping down in the center. Kami gasped as two Hall Monitors were trying to force her daughter to gaze into a telescope, aimed directly at the full moon.

"Kimaya!" She raised her Keyblade and ran to strike the two guards, releasing Kimaya, and afterwards slicing the telescope.

"Hmm, that won't do at all." Arlon said. The man snapped his fingers, and Kami was instantly pulled backward by an invisible force, which revealed to be a Flage. Kami tried to shake away, but was unable to, and she was about to be sliced by another Flage.

Arlon smirked at this, but gasped when he viewed over the many aisles of books, seeing them all topple over like dominos. "TIMBERRRRRR!" Beat called on the other end. Before the Flage struck Kami, they felt the shadow loom over them, gasping before the gigantic shelf came down and crushed them all. (End song.)

"MOM!" Kimaya's eyes widened, and the girl hurried over to the fallen shelf and started tossing books out of the way. Kimaya stepped back when she saw an arm stick out from underneath, and Kami pulled herself out from under the heavy shelf, grunting with pain as she helped herself up.

"I'm all right." She gasped. Kimaya sighed with relief.

"KIMI!" The two looked across the fallen shelves to see Beat and the others running across.

"Beat, you dumb shit! You coulda killed mah ma!" Kimaya yelled.

"Ahh, come on, Kimi, ain't you gotta admit that was awesome."

"Ah know one thing, Ah'm gettin' outta this shit." Kimaya stated as she proceeded to rip her uniform off.

"Well… that's everybody." Kami observed.

"Um, not quite." Vweeb corrected.

The six entered a doorway where Arlon escaped through, gasping with utter shock from what was inside. An auditorium of dozens of kids was lit up by the enormous full moon hanging in the heavens over the open roof, and the hundreds of children were entranced by its beauty. "Well, this…this ain't cool." Kimaya said.

"Okay, you kids get out of here." Kami instructed. "It's not safe for you. I'll deal with Arlon."

"Man, you sure about that, Mom? That dude be on a crackhead if you know what Ah'm sayin'."

"Kimaya, I already messed up by sending you all here in the first place. I'm not risking your lives by letting you come to fight Arlon with me."

Kimaya sighed and eye-rolled. "A'ight, whutever, Mom. But if you ain't come home, Ah'm tellin' Dad Ah told you so." With that, the Gang members left, and Kami chuckled to herself at that statement. Once they were out of sight, the woman made her way through the audience room, around the audience and onto the stage as she was about to enter a backstage chamber.

"Waa-a-a-a-ah!" Kami toppled over at the sudden tremor.

Outside, the entire school trembled as it slowly rose off the ground. Roots and dirt dropped from beneath the establishment as it was finally off the ground, rising into the starry night sky.

KND Moonbase

The Moonbase felt quiet around technical nighttime, and Cheren remained in his office signing papers as he released a yawn. "Think I'll grab me another soda." When the operative left his office and crossed the bridge, he found his second-in-command gazing out the large window. "Hey, whatcha doin', Panini?"

"Oh… nothin'." The Irish girl rested her head on her hand and sighed. "Just gazin' at the full moon."

Cheren went to stand beside her, looking up at the beautiful moon as well. "Yeah… it sure is pretty." But at that instant, Cheren realized something. "Um… Panini?"

"Yeah?"

"We're on the moon."

"Oh. Then what's…" Suddenly, the moon vanished from sight, making the two gasp.

The moon zipped back into existence as the floating school was on its way there. "Oh, blast! Has that invisibility shield been faulty all this time??" Arlon exclaimed. "Hmm, must be when those two hooligans crashed into it before. No matter. I will proceed with the plan, anyway."

After a few more minutes, the school finally took land onto an open spot on the fake moon's surface. Kami was able to stand up again, and the woman curiously entered the doorway. She gasped in surprise when she found herself in an open area above the school, high up in outer space. In the distance was the real moon, where the Moonbase rested, and standing in the center of the arena was Arlon himself.

"What…What is all this?" Kami asked.

"Kami, I humbly present to you, the Lunar Sanctum. You see, my dear, when I first arrived on this planet, I decided to take this little space station with me. My plan was to guide the little hooligans into my school and mold their rebellious minds into more polite ones, using good old-fashioned hypnosis. Of course, anyone knows that true hypnosis, and entrancing of the mind, can only be done by the glorious beauty that is the moon. Along with my very own special mix of moonbending."

"Moonbending?" Kami questioned. "You mean like… waterbending?"

"Oh, goodness, no. Cresselia controls both the moon and the waves. It is its own element. Moonbending is gifted to ones with a serene mind such as my own. Requiring calmness and tranquility. Its properties are similar to psychicbending, but Moon Chi is composed of a refined array of chis. Moonbenders possess mystical powers that can alter the night, and many other features that our great moons give us… such as your ability to see." The serene man waved an arm, and the area around Kami became pitch-black. When her vision reappeared, Arlon glided behind her, startling the woman as she jumped around to face him.

"Since the moon is such an entrancing body, that's where the hypnosis comes into play. The moon can slowly ease the mind to become weary, and the mind can even be molded to do whatever we want. And so, I hypnotized the young ones by a demonstration of my power. Sadly, though, if I had used the moon that hovers over this world, the children would have suspected something. …Which is why I brought my OWN moon from Planet Lunaria, using this beauty!" Arlon held up the crescent moon locket in his fingers. "The Lunar Locket grants anyone a version of artificial moonbending, and in the hands of a moonbender can be quite deadly. The moon is also able to create nonexistent visions, which was how I designed it to be invisible… for a time. Were my moonbending powers strong enough, this could have been empty space."

"Hmm…" Kami took a moment to absorb all this into her head.

"And now, the grand unveiling." Kami shook as the entire moon began trembling again. In a few moments, the massive station opened up to reveal a gigantic glass eye, glaring directly down at the Earth. "I have watched all of these hooligans transform into fine, young, high-class individuals. From the heavens, the Lunar Sanctum saw through my eyes, absorbing every detail of the result of my hypnosis. On my command, it shall emit a fantastic beam, and all on Earth shall be transformed into well-mannered butlers and maids, much like myself. Then… there will be no one to interfere with Mistress Viridi's plans."

Kami faced the man with a serious glare and gripped her Keyblade tight. "Not as long as I'm here to kick your butt."

"Ahh, they never change." Arlon sighed. "I had hoped you were more mature… but sadly, you have just the same heart as any other foul human. But if that is how it shall be… I guess I have no choice. So, enguarde, Missus Heartly." Arlon bowed. "It is my greatest honor to represent Mistress Viridi…" Arlon looked up, his right eye brimming with an eerie red light, "and the Forces of Nature…" (Play "Power-Hungry Fool" from Super Smash Bros. Brawl.)


Boss fight: Arlon the Serene

Kami charged and swung at the butler, but Arlon swiftly leapt over the woman and landed behind. Kami performed a spin attack, but the butler glided backward and unleashed a bunch of cards at her. Kami dodged the cards and made her way to the man, dealing a couple of blows against him. Arlon glided around the area, leaving pitch-black along his trail. Kami walked around aimlessly in the total darkness, but Arlon appeared behind her and zapped her with a laser. She jumped back to her feet and ran to swing at him, but Arlon already avoided. The butler kept jumping around the room, releasing trails of blue flames that exploded on the ground. Kami paid attention to where the blue flames were coming from and was able to find Arlon, running to deal him some blows.

The light was restored to the area, but Arlon slipped away from Kami's grasp. She ran to try and strike him some more, but Arlon ducked and slid smoothly along the ground, performing a spin-kick to knock Kami off her feet. Arlon backed away and punched his arms upward, conjuring blackish-purple spiked crystals around the field. Kami stood up and jumped over the crystals to swing at Arlon, but the butler grabbed her Keyblade and attempted to push her into the crystal. She suddenly released her own grip, causing Arlon to stumble forwards a bit, and Kami took this moment to kick him off his feet and make him fall against the crystal.

Arlon recovered and made all of the crystals vanish before sliding in the center of the field. There, he spun around at high speeds, unleashing a series of flying cards which Kami had to duck to avoid. Lots of the cards stuck into places around the battlefield, and once Arlon stopped, he glided over in attempt to kick Kami down onto the sharp projectiles. Kami fell, but pushed the Keyblade against the floor to keep herself up, then flipped overhead to land on a safe spot as Arlon walked over to toss more cards at her. Kami shielded from the cards and swung at Arlon, but the butler back-flipped several feet away. Black roses emerged from his sleeves, and he tossed them at Kami, but she held her Keyblade up and caused the sharp roses to stick to it. She noticed the flowers beeping and immediately shook them away before they exploded on the floor.

The explosion blew the cards away, and Arlon ran to throw some kicks at Kami, but she defended before sliding behind and laying a few blows against him. Arlon jumped away and darkened the area once again, leaving only a dim light. In the dimness, Arlon held up his Lunar Locket and used it to move the moon around. The moon brimmed and emitted a blue glow onto the arena, creating several Arlon copies. Kami swung her Keyblade and hit all of the Arlons she could, but they all turned into puffs of smoke, and they kept moving around, confusing her. At last, the real Arlon shot up from behind and kicked her away, but Kami stood her ground as she turned to face him, running to swing her blade, but Arlon dodged out of the way once again. The butler was lost among the dozens of clones, so Kami kept aimlessly swinging.

The real Arlon jumped over her and dropped more blue flames, and Kami barely dodged before they could explode. When the smoke cleared, Kami was nearly out of breath, covered in soot, but all of the Arlon clones seem to have vanished. She ran to attack the man, but he vanished into smoke, and Kami was kicked away from the right side by the real Arlon. She weakly recovered as the butler launched two cards that stuck into the ground in front of her. The cards grew to Kami's height and grabbed the woman, pinning her to the ground. Kami struggled to get away, looking up as Arlon flew into the heavens. The man came down, quaking the ground with a crescent moon wrecking ball, which dangled from a chain. He rode the wrecking ball as it swung around the field, and the cards forced Kami to stand up so it could knock her around. Kami had little recovery time as the crescent moon kept coming back and bashing her around.

After enough beatings, Kami was knocked to near unconsciousness. Arlon held a devious smirk, levitating the small, sharp moon above the woman, and about to bring it down. Before he could crush her, however, Beat suddenly flew into the area and punched the man clear in the face, knocking him off of the wrecking ball. When Arlon tried to recover, his face was instantly met with a Poison Whip, leaving a red mark on his cheek as he bounced further away. Kami looked up to see what saved her, finding the Gang members surrounding Arlon, and her daughter bending over her. "You okay, Ma?"

"Kimaya?…" Kami rubbed her sore head, "What happened? I thought I told you to escape."

"Ma, when was the last time Ah ever listened to you?" Kimaya smirked. "And i's not like we COULD with the school goin' inta space and all! DUUHHH!"

Kami chuckled as she allowed her daughter to help her up. They all faced the fallen butler as Kami readied her Keyblade. "It's six against one." Kami announced. "What're you gonna do, now?"

"Very impressive, Mrs. Heartly." Arlon spoke, standing to brush himself off. "But I believe it's time I show you the true extent of my…" he gripped a rose in his teeth, knelt down on one knee, and used his Lunar Locket to make the moon's rays shine directly on him, "Lunar Chi…" The man stood and threw his arms out, creating blue flames all around the area. Arlon glided around the field and launched all of the blue flames he could at the kids, but they avoided as quick as they could. When Arlon launched two flames at Kaleo, he quickly burped a Gas Bomb and destroyed the fires, blowing the flames and everybody away.

When the smoke cleared, Arlon was shown to be surrounded in blue spiraling flames, smashing his hand against the ground several times and launching fiery shockwaves. Kami jumped the shockwaves and dealt a few more swings against the butler before he jumped away. He split into three clones, and those clones split into more. Several of the copies tried to stomp on Vweeb, but the little alien shot each one he could and made them vanish into smoke. Kimaya whipped out her Poison Whip and rapidly swung it around, slashing all of the ones she could.

The clones' numbers were growing shorter as Kami finished off a few more. "Where did he go, now?"

"Look!" Rhyme pointed. "He's up there!"

Arlon was at a higher point in the school, kneeling down as he fixed his monocle, glaring straight at the Lunar Locket. "I say, I am quite behind schedule. Best get this done now."

The Lunar Sanctum turned until it was aimed directly at the United States down below, Arlon's gigantic eye keeping a steady stare as it filled with a red energy. "He's about to blast the Earth!" Kami exclaimed.

"C'mon, Rhyme, Ah gotta plan!" Beat yelled. "Yo, dudes and Miss Heartly, git up there and stop him!" They nodded as Kami and the others climbed onto the school's roof, while Beat dragged Rhyme into the building.

Kami rushed headfirst toward the butler and took her swing, but the Arlon illusion vanished. Kaleo noticed him several feet to the side and burped a Poison Bomb, but once the smoke cleared, the illusion vanished as well.

"Over there!" Vweeb yelled, noticing another Arlon. While he was focused on his Lunar Locket, the group ran over to strike him, but he waved his arm and created a shroud of pitch-black. "Crud. Now how do we find him?"

Within the school, Beat and Rhyme beat away several Royal Guards before finally arriving at the office. "Finally! Man, Ah dunno what's so rockin' 'bout this harpsichord bull, but le's see how Arlon feels about a little rock!" Beat smirked.

"I don't think he'll like this!" Rhyme said.

The two placed their boombox before the PA microphone. They switched the PA on and placed hands on the boombox, channeling their musicbending. The boombox was fueled with power, unleashing a powerful sonic wave of loud, obnoxious rock and roll.

"Dwah!" Arlon winced at the sudden sound of the blasting music. The darkness vanished, and the sounds of the boombox shook the entire school. Arlon cupped his hands over his ears, wobbling uncontrollably as the building shook.

The massive laser that was charging within the eye suddenly blacked out, and the gigantic glass began to crack.

"Well, guess that's it for this place." Kami figured.

"Well, Arlon," Kimaya smirked, "looks like yo' moon just got whupped."

"No!" Arlon jumped to his feet. "If this fortress falls-" He was unable to finish as the floor gave way, causing them all to drop into the auditorium below. "OOOOFF!" The crescent moon wrecking ball fell through the hole and landed on Arlon's cranium. Tears welled in his eyes from the pain, and the butler fell backward unconscious, the Lunar Locket bouncing off of his neck.

"So, uuh, any way off this thing?" Kimaya asked.

"You know, we have survived quite a few explosions back in the day." Kami remembered.

"Den Ah guess we goin' down!" Beat grinned, folding his hands behind his head.

After a few more minutes, the gigantic sanctum plummeted towards the Earth, catching fire as it fell through the atmosphere and crashed into an open green field. (End song.)

Sanctum Ruins

Within the burning wreckage of the Lunar Sanctum, the many captured children, all covered with soot, hurried out to meet with their parents. Rupert Dickson ran up to hug his mother Emily, Berry Bean scampered over to tackle her mother Scarlet, Terry Stork grumpily walked up to his parents Bartie and Ginny, and Kaleo excitedly ran up to his relieved parents, Leopold and Katie. Francis brought a S.P.R.A.Y.S.H.I.P. down to the wreckage, and Zach and Maddy had Arlon in handcuffs, leading the defeated butler into the ship. "Welp, that solves the case of the mysteriously missing kids." Cheren stated.

"And another one of Viridi's commanders in prison." Panini smirked.

Kami and Kimaya dizzily walked out of the wreckage, their clothes torn and burned. "…How the heck did we survive that shit?" Kimaya panted.

"Oh well… all well and good." Kami gasped.

Kimaya finished catching her breath and brushed some dirt off her singed clothes. "Mom… you were pretty cool in there."

Kami smiled. "Thanks, Sweetheart."

Kimaya glanced away in guilt. "Mom… Ah'm sorry for bein' such a bitch. I won't listen to that shit, anymore…"

Kami sighed and got to her knees, placing a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "No. It's my fault, Kim. I wanted you to be like how I envisioned, but… it was wrong of me to change who you are. You can still listen to what you like, and… all that other stuff. But… can you at least focus more on school? And no more stealing… please?"

Kimaya smiled. "Sure, Ma." The two embraced in a hug.

"AW, YEAH! FAMILY RECONCILANCE!" Beat exclaimed as the Gang members walked over.

"I think you still need to go back to school." Kami stated.

"Ahh, don't kill the moment, man! We jus' kicked Arlon's ASS! Tha's what we do! Kickin' butts and takin' names, that's The Gang's way!"

"Taking names?" Kimaya smirked. "Liiike…"

Kami smirked. "Daisukenojo Bito?"

"KYAAAAHH!" Everyone laughed at Beat's sudden reaction. "Kimaya!!! You SWORE you wouldn't tell her!!"

Kami giggled. "Come on, you all. Who wants ice cream?"

"ICE CREEEAM!! I'm first, Stewie!" Kaleo exclaimed before running off.

"I get the chips!" Rhyme smiled.

"Banana sundae fo' me!" Beat grinned.

"Heh! I can chow down two cones full!" Vweeb said.

"Man, that is SO fake."

"Ah'll help pay for it, too." Kimaya offered.

"Aw, thanks, dear." Kami smiled.

When everyone had cleared from the burning wreckage, the Lunar Locket was left lying on the ground. A shadowy being stepped up to the misplaced locket and picked it up. A wide, creepy grin was spread across his round head.




Beat and Rhyme come from The World Ends With You, but I only know them from Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance.




Bonus: Like Mother, Like Daughter




Cleveland's beach was warm and welcoming. It was always a treasured retreat for Kweeb and Ava, the place where they met another great friend. So today, they wanted to welcome their kids here.

The oldest, but smallest child of the family was laid back and relaxed on the scorching sand, in only blue swim trunks, as the sun warmed Vweeb's tiny skin. Sure, at his height, the sun was hotter, but since he lived on a beach planet anyway, he was used to it.

Unknown to the inchling alien, he wasn't totally at peace. From beyond the sand dunes, a giant figure was crawling up to him, a mischievous smirk on her features. Vweeb felt a large shadow over him, and he opened his eyes, worried that a tidal wave was about to wash his tiny form away. However, it was a giant hand, but it was already too late.

Kimaya Heartly smashed the tiny alien under her hand, adding enough pressure to shove him below the sand. The punk girl wore a black, two-piece swimsuit, and she wasn't wearing her hat. "Haha! Ain't those big ears work, little shrimp?" she laughed.

"Kimaya!" Kimaya flinched at her mother's angry voice. Kami Heartly stared at her with a scolding look, as was Kweeb, who stood by her feet. "Thanks for telling me, Kweeb." Kami said as she approached her daughter. Kimaya stood up and looked away in shame. "Now, Kimaya, just because they're small, that isn't how you treat them."

"Yes, she finally gets it!" Kweeb exclaimed exasperatingly.

"What you need to do is act like it was an accident. You know, like crushing a regular bug."

"Yes, make it seem like—Wait, what?" Kweeb asked.

"For example:" Kami casually fell backwards, crushing the adult Kateenian under her back. "Ahhh, this spot is nice." Kami smiled as she rested her head on her hands.

"Mmmm-mmmm? Mmmm!" Kweeb was squirming around beneath the human woman, desperate for breath.

"Oh, sorry, Kweeb!" Kami said innocently as she sat up, seeing the alien squished in her crater in the sand.

"Ohhh, I see whatchu gettin', Mom." Kimaya exchanged smirks with her mom. "Jus'-Jus' act like it wa'n't intentional, you know? Yeah, tha's what it was." Kimaya looked at Vweeb, squirming out of her handprint, and casually walked over and stepped on him, burying him in a footprint. "Ohh, Ah'm sorry, Little Man, I ain't see you there. Man, you look like a li'l BUG from up here, man!"

Vweeb angrily spat sand out. Kami walked over and knelt beside her daughter, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Good work, Kimi." Kami said proudly. "He barely saw it comin'."

Vweeb looked at them frustrated as his father walked over, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Now, son, when giant people act like this, it's easy to get back at 'em with little quirky remarks. For example… Hey, Kami! If you want someone to hide your PIG tail, you should find someone taller!"

"Uhhhh, whuut?" Kami asked, disbelieved.

"Oh, let me try, Dad!" Vweeb said, eager. "Ahem… Hey, Kimaya! If you're competing for World's Smelliest Foot, go walk in a dump!"

"Maaan, is that the BEST you got?" Kimaya asked.

"Ohhhh HE said it!" Kweeb exclaimed as both boys laughed hysterically.

Kami knelt down again and said to her daughter, "Now, when arrogant little boys get like this, it's time to show 'em a little discipline."

The two Kateenians' laughing was cut short when the girls seized them in their fingers. "And the best way to do THAT is to remind them that we're bigger." Kami stated.

"Yeeeaah I see, Mom! They ain't feelin' so tough when we got 'em down, huh?"

"Nnnngh!" Vweeb tried to push Kimaya's fingers apart, but her grip was firm.

"Now when they do THIS, son, we just get 'em back with a little bugbite!" With that, both boys bit hard into Kami and Kim's fingers.

"YOW!" Both women shook their hands.

"Now what?" Vweeb asked.

"Laugh and run!" Both boys immediately hurried away, laughing in victory.

"Grrr! Squash 'em!" Kami yelled. The girls chased the tiny aliens all around the beach, leaving a trail of forceful footprints.

 

[Gamen Watch]

This chapter was written by Numbuh 6.13. Not only was it the last chapter she wrote for the Gameverse, but it was made to be a "pilot episode" for the Nextgen Series. Originally, I excluded this chapter from the continuity because it was never complete and the plot of it makes it non-canon. However, I've decided to write my own ending to this chapter that makes it somewhat canon. Keyword somewhat. This chapter is still optional reading.

This takes place, not only before the Nature Wars of Nextgen, but also before the plot of First Gen! :O So, for those who haven't read First Gen, you can sort of get a visual on the parents as operatives, and otherwise, it's just fun to see both Gens interacting!

Now loading…

Kids Next Door mission…

Operation:

D.U.S.K.
​

Delightful

Unveils

Shadowy

Katastrophe

Falling…

I blinked, then looked down. Then, I screamed.

I was falling. Falling into the dark abyss.

I couldn't move. I was immobilized, my hands and legs frozen into place.

"Help!" I shrieked, trying my hardest to move, but it was no use. I was stuck, falling.

Suddenly, right before my eyes, my life played out like a movie. But in each segment, there was a time of darkness, a time where I felt no happiness. A time where…

Where I felt one with the shadows.

Then, it faded, and I was back to falling. Sprawled out, I felt vulnerable as the darkness engulfed me.

"Somebody help me!"

"Ashley? ASHLEY!"

"AH!" A sandy-blonde girl gasped, sitting up in her bed at lightning speed. Beads of sweat trickled down the sides of her head, and her hair was curiously out of place for a Delightful child.

A blonde-haired boy with a bowl cut looked at her, concerned. "Are you okay? You were sweating and screaming for help."

"Y-yes…" Ashley Uno murmured, combing her hair back into place with her fingers. She still couldn't forget the way the darkness flooded into every crevice of her mind and being. The darkness had felt tangible, and then felt like gas, and at one point it had felt like…like she was part of the darkness. "I just had a nightmare…"

Olivia – or Ogie, the brown-haired girl – was in the process of intricately braiding her hair and spraying it with hairspray so that it would stay up. "What was it about?"

"Well…" Ashley was interrupted by a loud snore on their left. The children all looked towards their left – or, in Bruce and Ogie's case, their right – and nearly sweat-dropped as they watched David sleep face-down on his pillow, snoring loudly. "Someone should really get a plug for that guy."

On the right side of the bed, Lenny was rousing, yawning. "Funny, I thought Bruce was the heavy sleeper."

"Dead right you are." Bruce boasted proudly. "I could sleep through a hurricane!"

Ogie rolled her eyes. "You could sleep through a whole unorthodox universe merging involving two girls who liked you."

"He could sleep through the end of the world and wouldn't know it." Lenny deadpanned, switching on the lampshade on his side of the bed. "That's our Bruce for you."

The aforementioned blonde blushed in embarrassment. "It's not fair that you guys can tease me! You guys have embarrassing stuff about yourselves, too! Like Ashley's-"

"Bruce!" Ashley whacked him with her pillow.

"Ashley, what exactly happened in your dream?" Ogie asked.

Ashley gulped uneasily. She wasn't too comfortable with explaining what happened in her dreams, or nightmares. "Well, you see…"

KND Moonbase, Year 2031

"RABBIT EARS!"

Nine-year-old Panini Drilovsky giggled mischievously as she nimbly darted amongst other KND operatives on the Moonbase. She clutched a red Rainbow Monkey in her arms, obviously snatched from someone. Her ebony hair – shaped like a bunny's ears – bobbed in the air as she passed Harry Gilligan, one of Hoagie and Abby's triplets.

"What the-" He was cut short as another blur zoomed past him. His dark skin felt singed as he felt the blazing hot blur chase after Panini. He winced, tugging on his blue hat.

Harry's younger, triplet brother, Artie, shook his head. "Only a fool would-"

"-piss off Cheren." Their youngest triplet sister, Haylee, finished, blinking her bright-browns behind a pair of yellow goggles. "Then again, that's Panini for you." Her aviator's hat was lopsided as she hopped towards the next broken S.C.A.M.P.E.R.. "She also forgot our supposed meeting."

Indeed, it was the current Supreme Leader, Cheren Uno, who was chasing the giggling Drilovsky. He was practically a ball of fire as he blazed past operatives, startling them. He had only just rounded the corner when he nearly bumped into his older sister, Aurora.

Aurora had been simply minding her own business, of course, sipping some cocoa and whistling a Courtney Gears tune. (She wasn't sure who this Courtney person was or where she came from, but she sounded OK in Aurora's ears.) Of course, Cheren just had to nearly run into her. Her cocoa had spilled all over her orange tank-top, and now it was ruined.

"CHEREN!" Aurora screamed, making all the operatives nearby wince. Although she wasn't a Fulbright, she sure did have the ability to scream really loudly.

Somewhere on the Whizbee deck, Panini's older brother, Francis, was playing the sport with Mason Dimalanta, Leanne Grayson, Dillon York and Sheila Frantic. The raccoon girl was cheating by flying up with her tail, but otherwise it was a pretty normal game.

That is, until Aurora screamed.

Francis had been about to toss the Whizbee when Aurora had screamed, so, as if on instinct, he dropped the saucer and ran towards her, forgetting all about the game. He swore under his breath as he heard Panini's high-pitched Irish giggle ringing in the air, and ran past everyone else.

"'ey, you ol' drongo!" Sheila yelled, waving her hands before realizing that it was hopeless. "Mates, Oi'm guessin' our game o' Whizbee's ovah."

"'Guess Aurora's just more important." Mason said.

"Yeah… I kinda noticed…" Leanne hissed through her teeth. Her shadow, Ash, rose up, prodding Leanne with a shadowy finger. The brunette pushed her away, and Ash frowned, her white shadow smile turning upside-down.

Dillon looked at the others. They all looked so gloomy, but he wasn't really affected. He was just the judge, referee, and scoreboard after all. "Hey, why don't we play something else? Maybe we can invite Haruka or Lee, or both…"

"I'll find Lee!" Mason answered automatically.

"Haru's moine!" Sheila chirped. Together, the two benders ran off toward the S.C.A.M.P.E.R.s.

"What happened?" Francis asked Aurora, dismayed.

Aurora nearly seethed. "Cheren and Panini happened. They just whizzed past me, poof! My cocoa's wasted and I've ruined my tank-top."

"I'll go after them." Francis offered, but Aurora shook her head.

"They'll turn up. Then I'll unleash my wrath."

…

"GIVE IT BACK!" Cheren yelled angrily. The operatives running around felt really sorry for Panini, but the others were simply amused. Panini was the only one brave and tactful enough to piss off the Supreme Leader, and the only one easily forgiven because she was his best friend.

Panini stopped abruptly, holding out the toy. "OK."

Cheren blinked, his flames dying down. It wasn't like Panini to just give up something she stole from him. There was something wrong. "…Is there a catch?"

"No, not this time." Panini crossed her heart. "Ah just forgot that Ah'm supposed to meet Haylee at the S.C.A.M.P.E.R.s to talk about her time machine."

Cheren looked interested. "A time machine?"

"Yeah." Panini blinked innocently. "Want to come, almighty Supreme Leader? Unless yer too busy…" she winked.

Cheren chided her, "That's HEAVENLY Supreme Leader to you, Rabbit Ears. And yeah, I'll come."

"YAY!"

A few minutes later

"…So, that's how the time machine works!" Haylee explained proudly. "I call it the-"

Kids Next Door: T.R.A.V.E.L.E.R.

Time Rider Accesses Various Eras Leisurely Entering Rips

"Now let's try it out!" Haylee said excitedly.

Lee looked uncertain as he swept back his blonde hair. His shadow, Damien, looked a bit creeped out as Ash sidled up to him and started cooing like a dove. Leanne rolled her eyes as she tugged on Ash's 'sleeve,' making her slink back into place. Damien relaxed just as Lee asked, "But what date, Hayl?"

"Maybe…oh, I know!" Haylee dove into the time machine, setting up dials and stuff. "How about when our parents were itty-bitty babies?"

Harry shook his head, disagreeing. "No! Let's see when they were cruddy teenagers and they were all mushy about each other!"

"EW!" Lulu Whitby wrinkled her nose before sidling up to Kirie Beatles, who patted her head silently, no words escaping her lips.

Artie coughed. "Not to be rude or anything, but I would like to see our parents as eleven-year-olds; back when they were still cool operatives!"

"BABIES!"

"TEENAGERS!"

"PRE-TEENS!"

"LOOK OUT!" The rest of their audience – except for Kirie – screamed as the triplets accidentally switched on the portal with a certain button. (Honestly, who puts an AUTOMATIC START AND SET DATE button on a time machine?!) The portal started working, swirling with blue light, and then, it sucked all of the kids in, leaving no one behind.

Then, when it had finished its job, it sat, abandoned, behind a really old S.C.A.M.P.E.R.. All energy was gone from it, and it looked like any old rusty thing, sitting there in front of dust.

All that was left of the children was Cheren's red Rainbow Monkey.

Delightful Mansion, Year 2011

"…I see…" Ogie murmured thoughtfully.

Ashley sat cross-legged on the bed, having recounted her dream to those who bothered to listen. David had finally awoken at one point during the story, and was now contemplating as well what it meant. "Well, maybe we should tell Father…"

"NO!" Bruce said sharply. "If Father finds out, he'll…he'll…"

Lenny shook his head. "You don't want to know. It's better we keep it a secret."

"OK…" Ashley murmured, blinking her Delightfulized blue eyes. For a minute there, her eyes flashed brown, then it became blue again. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a blue portal popped into the room, right across the balcony, startling the Delightful Children.

"What's that?" David asked.

Ogie inspected it. "It appears to be… some sort of portal…"

"AGGH!" Voices screamed from within the portal, and soon, the voices became real as children tumbled out of the portal into the room.

The Delightfuls were all freaked out as they hid under the covers like a regular child would when scared. Ogie was on the floor, staring in awe as the portal closed up and the children brushed themselves off.

"Where d'you suppose we ended up?" a brunette girl asked, and Ogie could only assume her eyes had blinked beneath her very, very long David-reminiscent bangs. She straightened her skirt as she looked at a boy who looked a lot like her, only with blonde hair.

"I dunno, somewhere?" the boy replied, fiddling with a holster on the side of his belt.

A blonde-haired girl with purple and green, mismatched eyes made a sign language gesture that meant, I think I know where we are. A glass-eyed girl clutched that girl's sweater in terror, and a helmet-headed boy freaked out behind her.

Ashley was peeking out from the blanket, and was surprised to find David's face within the brunette and the blonde boy's features. She was also mildly surprised to find herself within them, but other than that, she didn't pay attention, except to the helmet head that looked oddly like Lenny. She couldn't help it, so she laughed. Out loud.

Everyone froze. The newcomers all turned around, and blue eyes met green, blue and violet/green eyes before everyone screamed.

"Holy s***!" The girl shrieked. "Is that M-" Her voice was muffled by the mute girl, who only waved a simple 'No' to her words. She understood immediately, and shut up.

Lenny approached them cautiously, forgetting to put on his helmet as he asked, "Who… are you?"

"Why the fudge do you want to know?" the sandy-blonde boy asked.

"CHILDREN!" A voice roared from the doorway, and all heads swiveled to see Father burning with flames. "DID I JUST HEAR PROFANITY IN HERE?"

The brunette blew a raspberry. "Dead right you did, Grampa!"

"GRAMPA?" Father had had it. He nearly burned the whole mansion down. "I AM NOBODY'S GRANDFATHER!"

The sandy-blonde rolled his eyes. "Leanne, you shouldn't have done that! Now he's mad!"

"But Lee," Leanne pointed out, "he is our Grampa!"

Father was still burning, so Bruce tentatively asked from under the covers, "How are you related?"

"Through-" Leanne's voice was muffled again, this time by Lee's hand. "Kiwee, tew him to stop!" (Translation: "Kirie, tell him to stop!")

Kirie signed, and Lee dropped his hand, not to his side, but rather, to the G.U.M.Z.O.O.K.A. holster on the side of his belt. He pulled out the G.U.M.Z.O.O.K.A. slowly, signaling for the others to do the same with their weapons, and they did so. Damien – being Lee's shadow – earned a shadow G.U.M.Z.O.O.K.A. as well, and Ash got a shadow S.P.L.A.N.K.E.R. from Leanne. Then, on cue, they all pointed the weapons at the Delightful Children and Father.

"Sector RZ and Kirie are out! PEACE!" Lee yelled, shooting a few gumballs before tumbling out the balcony.

Leanne walked over to the balcony, waved good-bye, and toppled over, landing in Lee's arms like an acrobat before landing on the ground. "Sayonara!"

"Bye, Mommy!" The glass-eyed girl – Lulu – giggled before hopping off the balcony and into Ash and Damien's linked shadow arms.

Denny – helmet-head Jr. – waved at Lenny. "Bye Daddy, see ya soon!" Then, he also jumped off, landing into the shadows' seemingly solid arms again.

Finally, Kirie was left alone, silently gazing at the Delightfuls. Then, her eyes flashed, and she drew out two fans and opened them, releasing pink blossoms into the air that temporarily blinded them, allowing her to leave and land safely on the grounds.

"Come on, guys!" Lee hissed, pointing to the nearest house, which was the treehouse of Sector V. "Let's take refuge there! It's a KND treehouse!"

The others all nodded, then ran as they realized Father was still there. Lee and Leanne grabbed their friends into a Shadow Veil for swift escape.

Inside the mansion, the Delightful Children were hiding under the covers still, with Father getting doused by cherry blossoms, and Lenny in the middle, holding umbrellas around him and Ogie, who was still on the ground.

"…Wait…" Lenny drew out slowly. "…Did he just call me… Daddy?"

KND Moonbase, still 2011

"Numbuh 362, sir!" Fanny Fulbright, Numbuh 86, saluted. She wore her signature colander, green shirt, and orange skirt.

Rachel McKenzie smiled, nodding at her. She wore an orange sweater with tiger stripes. "At ease, Numbuh 86. Anything to report?"

"Well, Numbuh 1.31 seemed to ruin a playground with his… peculiar stench." the redhead said.

Rachel groaned. She'd heard reports from Sector R about their leader having an unusual gas problem. "Well, send Sector W on it, won't you? Harvey usually keeps good air fresheners."

"Yessir!" Fanny saluted again before yelling, "SECTOR DOUBLE-YOUUUU!"

Rachel chuckled before heading towards her office, eager to get away from most of the playing operatives. It was really stressful being the Supreme Leader, and Rachel always took every chance she had to take a break.

No sooner had she set foot inside her office when suddenly, a few kids ambushed her from the inside. She gave a muffled squeak, then a relieved sigh as the kids got off her. She sat up, her head spinning, as she tried to recall who they were.

"I didn't give any orders to attack, you numbskulls!" a brown-haired boy hissed, his red glasses flashing. The flash, however, didn't hide his eyes from Rachel, and she saw her eyes copied perfectly into his face.

"Like ye wouldn't have attacked 'er, Cheren." Another voice commented. Rachel's gaze swiveled towards a black-haired girl with her hair tied up in a tall ponytail, split in the middle like a rabbit's. Freckles were spattered on her cheeks, and Rachel had the sudden impression of Fanny and Patton combined. "Ye just like to blame 'em when yer scared."

A girl that reminded Rachel strongly of Hoagie – what with her aviator's hat and yellow goggles – chirped, "Derp to all of you. Now stop fighting."

"Yes, please stop." A pair of African-American boys, one with dreadlocks and darker skin, said simultaneously, stepping closer to the girl.

Suddenly, a tan-skinned girl in shorts and sandals stepped out of a corner, and Rachel choked out a gasp. She looked like…like some… Rachel did not dare to say the word 'freak.' Hybrid, maybe? A raccoon-human hybrid, that's what the girl was.

The girl slapped her forehead. "Oi. Somebody 'elp me 'ere."

"Easy peasy." A feminine voice drawled, and suddenly, before Rachel's eyes, purple noxious gas wrapped around the triplets and the others, separating them into two groups. Their source was none other than a pigtailed girl sitting on the desk, with another boy in a flame shirt hanging upside-down from the ceiling's bars.

Rachel wanted to scream. "Excuse me, but…" So, she did, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY OFFICE? WITHOUT PERMISSION?!" In the process, she had stood up and was now fuming.

"OH!" A girl shrieked from behind the desk, her head bumping against it, judging from the loud thud.

Another voice, this time a boy's, started cooing. "It's okay, Aurora. It's just a bump…"

"Who was that?" Rachel asked pointedly.

The glass-eyed boy – Cheren, she assumed – sighed. "That would be my older – and more childish – sister, Aurora, and her boyfriend, Francis."

"He's NOT my boyfriend!" Aurora screamed, jumping out from behind the desk to tackle Cheren to the ground. "Take that back right now, or I'll…I'll hit you with my S.P.L.A.N.K.E.R.!"

Cheren barked, "You wish! You can't attack your Supreme Leader, doofus! Now get off me, I'm your brother!"

WHAT? Rachel's mind was spinning. Supreme… LEADER?

"Okay, first of all," Rachel stepped forward, jabbing a finger into Cheren's chest. He was a good deal shorter than her. "I'm Supreme Leader around here. And second, WHO THE CRUD ARE YOU?"

Cheren smiled weakly. "I forgot. I'm Cheren, and this is my sister, Aurora." The blonde girl waved, and Rachel blinked. Was that… her hairstyle?

"This is Panini, I call her Rabbit Ears." The freckled girl grinned, showing off an array of sharp teeth, making Rachel shudder. "And this is her brother, Francis." The boy emerged from his hiding spot and waved awkwardly at Rachel.

"And now, the triplets, Harry, Haylee, and Artie. We call them the HAH for short." The three kids all struck a few poses, and Rachel had to giggle.

Cheren blinked, waving off the noxious purple gas still wrapped around him. "Um, Haruka? Let us go now."

"Oh, right." The pigtailed girl sucked the gas back up her dress. "Sorry. That was unladylike of me."

Cheren rolled his eyes. "Now, as I was saying, these guys are Mason and Haruka, the poisonbending twins…"

"Poisonbenders?" Rachel stood at attention.

Aurora stepped forward, putting a hand on Rachel's shoulder. A shudder ran through Rachel, and suddenly, she had a glimpse of herself, only older, and Aurora, only younger. She looked so similar to herself, and it made Rachel's blood… well, in other words, Rachel felt a connection with this girl that she couldn't explain.

"Calm down, M—Rachel." Aurora said gently. "Almost half of our operatives are benders, and they don't harm their fellow operatives."

Rachel blinked. "You're operatives?"

"Well," Haylee began, adjusting her goggles, "you see, Mrs. Uno—I mean, McKenzie, we came from the future…"

Rachel was about to reply when Fanny marched in the door, her back to them. "All RIGHT, Sector V! Ah'm gettin' the Supreme Leader right now! Yeesh, that Nigel Uno… Numbuh 36-"

By that point, Fanny had turned around, and saw the assortment of children inside Rachel's office. Most of them were familiar faces, but it was Panini and Francis's faces that made her holler.

"SECTOR V!"

"FREEZE! WE'VE GOT WEAPONS!"

Cheren and the others stiffened, and Rachel could see the boy's arm reaching for a S.P.L.A.N.K.E.R. on his belt, alert and ready.

Suddenly, Sector V burst into the room in various poses, holding 2x4 weaponry, which they pointed at the kids. Hoagie looked a bit surprised to see the triplets, but nonetheless, he said, "You're cornered, whoever you are."

"Heh. Whatever you say, D—Hoagie." Haylee smirked. She suddenly pulled out a metallic cobra, which hissed and flared out his hood. "Sic 'em, Amy!"

Kids Next Door: K.O.B.R.A.

Katastrophic Object Based Reptilian Animal

The K.O.B.R.A. hissed menacingly, advancing on the operatives slowly. While Haylee and her brothers smirked and high-fived, Hoagie and the others – except Nigel, Fanny, and Rachel – were scared silly as they inched away slowly.

"U-uh… we surrender!" Wally held up his hands.

Nigel face-palmed. "UGH! You guys never learn!"

"Relax, you guys, they're good guys." Rachel explained, casting a glance at Haylee. The girl hurriedly whistled for the K.O.B.R.A., and it retreated, giving another hiss before disappearing into her pocket. "Okay, for starters, this is Cheren, Aurora, Haylee, Harry, Artie, Mason, Haruka, Sheila, Panini, and Francis. Did I miss anyone?"

Suddenly, a boy emerged from the shadows. "How 'bout me?"

"Uh… I never really got your name." Rachel said.

He shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm Dillon York."

"Okay… and this is Dillon." The CURRENT Supreme Leader finished with relish, glancing at each of them in turn before turning to Nigel. "So, what are you worried about?"

Nigel stood straighter as he reported, "Numbuh 362, we've found some operatives in our treehouse trying to contact Moonbase, so we brought them here." At this signal, Hoagie and Abby exited the room for a few moments. Then, they came back, handling a group of familiar faces.

Dillon's eyes widened. "Leanne! Lee!"

"It's Kirie and the others!" Haylee cheered, running up to hug the Japanese-Australian. Kirie smiled, and sign-languaged something that the others didn't quite catch.

"Uh, excuse me?" Rachel asked. "What did she say?"

Kirie repeated what she said, and Cheren translated this into, "She said they just came from Lee and Leanne's grandfather's house."

"Ahem." Abby coughed, tapping her foot.

Cheren sweat-dropped. "Oh yeah, sorry. This is Leanne and Lee, the Grayson twins." At the sound of their names, they both waved in sync, making Sector V shudder for some reason. "This is Lulu and Denny Whitby." The two children hopped around, giggling. "And this is Kirie. She's mute." Kirie only waved, a smile gracing her lips.

"Okay… so, why'd you run to our treehouse?" Wally asked cluelessly.

Ash rose from the floor, and Wally let out a girly squeal as he hid behind Kuki, who giggled while patting his head. Leanne blinked behind her bangs, and then drew out, "What, haven't you guys seen a shadowbender before?"

"A bender!" Instantly, everyone except Rachel froze into position.

Rachel wanted to bang her head against the wall. "Good gods, everyone, calm down! They're GOOD guys, remember?"

"Oh yeah…" The others murmured their agreement, dropping their weapons.

Lee rolled his eyes, and Damien simply scoffed silently as he avoided Ash, who was again cooing like a little dove. Leanne whacked her shadow, making Ash scowl, before the two shadows faded back into place.

"So, what are ye guys really doin' here?" Fanny asked skeptically.

Lee jumped right in. "We were escaping from Grampa's fiery wrath!"

"Yeah! He was so pissed off because we spoke some profanity!" Leanne continued. "Something about his 'Delighted Children' learning bad words or something!"

Nigel perked up. "Are you talking about Father and the Delightful Children?"

"Yeah!" Lulu giggled shyly. "Mama was shivering on the floor, and Daddy was really protective of her."

The others blinked, then slowly inched away. "Riiight…" Abby drew out.

Cheren gestured for the little girl to come to him, and she followed, with Denny hot on her heels. Then, he discussed something severe with the two, making them nod vigorously before they faced the others.

"Guys, we kinda need your help." Cheren explained. "We need to get back to the future, and fast."

Kuki scratched her head. "Why?"

Aurora stepped forward to explain. "Well, just being in the past is simply unnatural for us future guys, and if we stay for more than one month, we start to…um… well, I'll say pixelate."

"We'll go KABLOOIE!" Denny laughed, clapping his hands together to emphasize his point.

Panini cocked her head. "That's why we need yer help ta get back to the future."

"Why does that sound familiar…" Rachel fleetingly glanced at Fanny, but the Global Command officer had her gaze fixated on Francis, who looked uncomfortable to be stared at by his mother in the past.

Sheila, on the other hand, was nonetheless peppy. "Orright mates, let's hoist up the main sail and set sailin' towards the future!"

"Sheila," Mason said slowly, "we don't have a time machine."

The raccoon girl drooped. "Oh. Well, that sure is a bummer."

"But," Haylee drew out slowly, "if I had the right technology, materials and equipment, I could build a time machine in this timeline. D—Hoagie, do you have any 4x4 technology on hand?"

"Only 2x4." Hoagie said apologetically, doubting her tone as she said his name. "Kinda outdated for you."

Haylee shrugged. "Well, I guess I'll have to downgrade a little. Haylee's on the case if you can provide me materials."

"List away." Abby declared.

Harry's eyes flashed, and he held on to the rim of his cap. "Brace yourselves."

"Okay, I'll need…" Haylee pulled out a long scroll out of her pocket. And when I mean long, I mean LONG LONG LONG LONG LONG LONG LONG LONG LOOOOOOOOONG scroll. "Some 4x4 screwdrivers with the knife capability, then at least ten kilograms of nanometal, blah blah blah blah blah, and I'll need some good ol' fashioned soda, and maybe a cupcake if you can."

Wally's head was spinning. "Uh, what?"

"Basically, I need screwdrivers, ten kilos of metal, some other stuff, soda, and a cupcake for my snack." Haylee deadpanned.

"Oh."

Nigel smirked. "Consider us on the case. All right team, let's move out!" Sector V ran out of the room, dragging Fanny along with them. That left Rachel and the future kids.

"So… can we stay up on Moonbase or something?" Haruka asked.

Rachel nodded slightly, then started staring again at them, but this time, she was conceptualizing some thoughts in her head as she scanned Cheren and Aurora.

Hmm… Her eyes narrowed as she took in her future children which she didn't recognize. Cheren… looks like Nigel with hair… and MY brown eyes. Peculiar… Then… Aurora… practically my mirror image, but with blue eyes.

"Uh… M-; Rachel?" Aurora nearly slipped.

Rachel's eyes widened. She was about to call me something! And it's…

At the realization, Rachel fainted.

Cheren looked at Aurora, slitting his throat with an imaginary knife as he glared at Aurora, his eyes casting a clear message to his sister: Darn it, Aurora, you made Mom faint!

Delightful Mansion

As Ashley took a shower, she couldn't help but shrink away as the sun's rays shone through the small window in the bathroom. Then, afterwards, she reprimanded herself for it.

What is the matter with you? You usually love sunlight. Her thoughts churning, she switched off the shower and wrapped a towel around herself before getting out of the shower area and heading for the dressing room.

As she passed by their bedroom, she could hear Bruce and Lenny bickering about whose turn it was to take a bath, making her giggle. Then, she walked on, glancing at Ogie as she passed, all dressed up in her sailor suit. The brunette smiled in acknowledgement, then entered their room.

Three… two… one… Ashley rolled her eyes as she heard Ogie's voice screaming at Lenny and Bruce. She could almost feel the two boys trembling in fear as she closed the door to the dressing room. Once there, she selected her traditional sailor suit from a selection of clothes that fit her somewhat dreary personality. Sure, she was Delightfulized, but she did have certain likes and dislikes like any other kid.

"Should I wear the carnation pink ribbon," Ashley asked herself, "or the fuchsia pink ribbon?"

Go with fuchsia. It's pretty. someone said.

Ashley smiled. "Alright then… hey, who said that?"

I did… Suddenly, Ashley's shadow rose up from the floor, making the poor girl shriek in surprise, dropping both ribbons to the floor.

"I'm dreaming…I'm dreaming…" Ashley breathed in and out slowly. "1…2…3…"

You're not dreaming. The shadow approached Ashley, cocking its head, and Ashley could see a faint trace of a white smile on her face. It suddenly occurred to her that the shadow wasn't really talking out loud, and that she could hear her in her mind.

"So… you're my shadow… do you have a name?" Ashley asked.

Unfortunately, no. The shadow let out a silent sigh. But since you are my mistress, you are supposed to name me. I am merely your shadow.

Ashley blinked. "Oh…well…"

"Ashley?" Ogie's voice called out from outside the door, making the two stiffen. "Are you done in there?"

Ashley hesitated, but her shadow nodded, allowing her to reply, "I'm almost done!"

"Yeesh, girls take so long in putting on clothes!" Bruce's voice mumbled.

Ogie snapped, "And you boys just throw on what's lying around!"

"Hey! I'll have you know this is my best suit!" Lenny argued.

Hm? The Shadow Ashley looked at the real Ashley, blinking expectantly.

"I'll call you… Nikka." Ashley declared. "Nikka, my shadow!"

Any particular reason why you chose that name? The shadow – Nikka – thought-spoke.

Ashley shrugged. "I like the name. Actually, it's the nickname of a girl in a movie I saw, Danika. They called her Nikka there."

Alright, my mistress. Nikka curtseyed. Now, may I suggest to getting to your peers?

"Ah… of course…" Ashley picked up the fuchsia ribbon and the carnation pink ribbon, stuffing the latter into her ribbon box and tying up the former into her traditional bow before heading outside. Before she opened the door, Nikka faded back into her shadow, so she simply walked out, looking as she always did as a Delightful.

David smiled gratefully at Ashley for finally appearing, because her appearance had halted the ongoing war between Ogie, Bruce, and Lenny. However, Ashley didn't get that, and for some reason, her 'brother's' smile made her cheeks grow a light pink.

"Great… you're done. Father's waiting for us." Ogie said stoically, turning pointedly away from Lenny and Bruce.

Bruce added stiffly, "We've got another plan for the KNDoofuses, so hurry up."

Ashley sighed, then merged with the four to form the Delightful Children From Down The Lane again. Heading down the stairs, they were just about to turn left towards the dining room when a giggling shadow tackled the five to the ground.

"Play with me, play with me!" the shadow giggled.

The five separated, laughing as they got up, brushing off the dirt on their clothes, while Bruce knelt down and hugged the little girl, who had torn off her silhouette and was hopping around excitedly.

"Blythe, let your siblings eat." A voice chided gently from a nearby doorway. The shadowed being revealed herself to be their Mother, her blue eyes showing amusement as she collected the little girl into her arms. "Now go, my children. Your Father awaits."

"Yes, Mother." The five chanted, before briskly walking towards the dining room, praying that Father wasn't angry for them being late.

Father wasn't angry, which was lucky for them. He was distracted by the fact that Sector V wasn't home in their treehouse yet, wrecking all of his plans for them. He was so distracted that he only noticed his Delightful Children when they politely tapped their spoons against their glasses.

"Ah, I'm sorry, my children." Father's gaze swiveled over each child in turn before waving his hand in a dismissive manner. "I was just distracted. Go on and eat."

Bruce looked at his plate, then back at Father, then back at his plate again, then at the food. He drooled, but not in public. He excused himself, then drooled outside the dining room.

As the Delightful Children ate, Ashley only picked at her food with her fork, suddenly not feeling very hungry. She poked the yolk of her egg, and moved around the strips of bacon on her plate.

Nikka didn't dare move, what with her being a shadow, but she did communicate with Ashley telepathically. What's wrong, Mistress?

"Nothing…" Ashley sighed, then said, "May I be excused?"

"Ashley, you haven't even touched your food, yet." Father pointed out.

The sandy-blonde girl only shook her head. "I'm not hungry."

"Okay, I'll eat your breakfast then!" Bruce said cheerily, reaching for the plate. Then, in a few minutes, he had devoured the egg and bacon, making the others sweat-drop as Ashley slipped out of the room.

As she headed towards the gardens, Nikka grew worried for her mistress, but didn't dare disturb her, like the loyal and respectful shadow she was. Ashley looked around, hoping for something of a target she could play around with. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a few dummies Father used to attack whenever he was in a flaming rage. Smiling, she ran over to it and set it up.

What are you doing? Nikka sat on a nearby rock, or rather its shade.

"I…I don't really know." Ashley confessed, loosely tying the dummy to a stick. "I just wanted to kick around this dummy for fun."

If you weren't my mistress, I'd say you are weird. Nikka commented dryly, twirling a strand of her shadowy hair.

Ashley smiled weakly. "It's a way to vent out my anger and annoyances. All right, here we go." Stepping away from the dummy, Ashley positioned herself, like she would in a martial arts battle. Then, silently screaming a battle cry, the Delightful started pummeling the dummy with all her might.

Nikka watched with renewed interest as her mistress hit the dummy with various kicks and punches. She noted the way her left arm gave more power into a punch. The way she grappled the dummy with her legs in such an acrobatic manner that the shadow was left speechless when Ashley finally stopped. The dummy had been reduced to strips of cloth and sawdust.

That was amazing, Mistress! Nikka praised. Where did you learn such amazing martial arts moves?

Ashley blinked before shrugging. "I…I always knew them… it's like I was born for these things…"

Well… Nikka smiled, her faint white mouth now glowing brighter. Since you showed me something only you know, I'll show you something only shadows know. Come.

The girl stepped closer to the shadow, curious, when suddenly, Nikka hugged her tight, making them both fade into the shadows of the mansion.

"AAGGH!" Ashley panicked, running around in the darkness. "What did you do?"

I used Veil. Nikka said calmly. It's one of your powers as a shadowbender.

"Shadow…bender?" Ashley drew out nervously.

KND Moonbase

"Now look what you just did!" Cheren's voice yelled angrily.

Aurora shot back, "Look, I made a mistake! I'm not perfect and you know that!"

Rachel slowly stirred, sitting up wearily. Her head continued to spin as Cheren and Aurora continued to bicker. Finally, Sheila stepped in the middle of them and said, "Oi! Aren't you two mates? Stop arguin'!"

"…" Cheren turned away pointedly from Aurora, who sighed.

Rachel stood up, holding on to Haylee and Harry for support, before saying, "So… you're…"

"Yes." Aurora replied, tossing a strand of her hair back. "Me and Cheren are your children in the future with Nigel Uno."

Dillon commented, "Heh. She was knocked out cold by the sheer meaning of it."

"Yeah, that's Aunt Rachel all right." Leanne murmured, playing with her hair and casting glances at Francis. "Faints when she can't take it anymore."

The CURRENT Supreme Leader glanced at the shadowbender. "Am I really like that in the future?"

"Yes." Lee, her twin brother, put in. "Because of Cheren and Aurora – mostly Cheren though – Uncle Nigel tells stories about how you faint into bed because of what crazy stuff they do."

Lulu toddled up to Rachel, tugging on the hem of her shirt. Rachel looked down, and Lulu said, "Mama says that Cheren's got Nigel's daredevil streak and jumped off a cliff one time."

"CHEREN!" Rachel said sternly. "You're not allowed to jump off a cliff, even for recreation, at your age! What did your father say about this?"

The FUTURE Supreme Leader gazed at his shoes in embarrassment, red flooding his cheeks as the others laughed. "HA HA HA!" Mason guffawed, thumping his fist on Rachel's desk. "Cheren's getting chewed out by his mother in the past! BWA HA HA!"

Haruka smacked the back of his head with a Poison Whip, but even she was struggling not to giggle and roll around in circles, like Panini, who was doing just that. Leanne and Lee were high-fiving and laughing, while Sheila had simply sat on a nearby file drawer and laughed her heart out.

"SHUT UP!" Cheren roared, blazing into flames.

Rachel jumped back, as did everyone else, as Cheren blazed bright orange flames. He seemed undamaged by them, and, truth be told, he looked pretty scary to mess with right now.

However, it didn't faze Aurora as she dumped a bucket of cold water on him, dousing the flames immediately. Cheren jumped around, yelling, "COLD! COLD! COLD!" He shivered, sneezing, as he glared at his sister. "Where'd you get that?"

Aurora didn't reply, but she did point to a broken glass panel labeled EMERGENCY BUCKET OF ICE COLD WATER. USE IN CASE OF FATHER.

"Father? You mean Grandpa?" Leanne asked, walking over to the panel and tracing the letters on the cold glass.

Rachel blinked. "No, we mean Father. Wait, Father's your grandfather?"

"Eh, somewhat. Our parents sort of renounced him." Lee nodded.

Rachel was about to ask more when Sector V came rushing in, holding what looked like ten tons of metal, other gadgetries, and a cupcake and a soda. At this sudden development, Haruka swooped in and whispered in Rachel's ear, "You can't tell them now. When we leave, perhaps you can tell them whose kid is whose. But for now, stay quiet." At this, Rachel nodded vigorously.

"All right, Hayl, we got all the stuff you needed." Hoagie panted, dropping a 2x4 toolbox outside the door. "Plus some of my tools."

Haylee grinned. "Perfecto! Now all Haylee needs is some help!"

"We're perfect for that!" Harry and Artie said at the same time before the triplets dove into the metal junk and started pulling out parts. The others all sweat-dropped as they pushed the metal away from Rachel's office to give them some space to work.

Delightful Mansion

David walked by the balcony, holding and eating what looked like a slice of fruitcake. He looked around, admiring the gardens, when he noted the sawdust and strips of cloth on the grass.

Heh… looks like Ashley's been practicing again… He grinned at the thought, when suddenly, Ashley appeared out of thin air. David nearly choked on his fork as he watched Ashley's shadow rise up as if it was alive. Ashley seemed to giggle, and then, without warning, the shadow hugged Ashley again, and they disappeared.

David's fork clattered to the ground.

In the future; Uno Residence

In the kitchen, Rachel was busy cooking dinner, while Nigel was setting up the table. The blonde-haired woman anxiously checked the oven, and was pleased to see that the turkey hadn't exploded in her face like before. Turning it off, she took out the turkey and set it in the middle.

Nigel smiled. "That looks delicious, Rach."

"Thanks, Nigie." Rachel teased, using Lizzie's old nickname for him.

The baldheaded man rolled his eyes as he kissed his wife on the cheek before heading towards the stairs to call their children. "Cheren! Aurora! Chris! Time for dinner!"

"They're probably still at Moonbase, Nigel." Rachel commented. "And I think Chris is sparring with Maddy. Try and call the Gilligans, I remember them talking about a new invention."

Nigel nodded before heading towards the phone. He dialed in the Gilligans' number, and waited for someone to pick up.

"Hello? Abby speaking." The brown-skinned woman spoke.

"Abby? It's me, Nigel. Are your triplets home, yet?"

"No." Abby replied. "Abby's guessin' they're still up on the Moonbase with the others."

Nigel looked at Rachel and signaled that the triplets weren't there, too. "Okay, Abby. Hey, if you want, you can come over for dinner with Hoagie."

"Deal." Abby said before putting down the phone.

The Brit shook his head. "Rach, the triplets aren't there either."

"How about Kirie?" Rachel suggested, coming out of the kitchen.

Nigel smiled before dialing the Beatles' number. It was Wally who answered this time. "Oi, Nigel!" he said. "Oi was jus' about to call you!"

"About what?" Nigel asked.

The Australian replied, "About Kirie. She's not home yet, and Kuki's gettin' worried. Did your kids see her?"

"That's the point. Cheren and Aurora aren't home, yet." Nigel explained. "I called you two and Abby and Hoagie about that, but you all said you didn't know. This is strange."

Wally sighed. "Ah know. Kuki's throwing a fit over here."

"Well, tell her you guys can come over for dinner." Nigel suggested. "We'll talk about their disappearance later. Oh, and call Fanny and Patton, too. They might be in the same boat."

As he put down the receiver, Rachel asked skeptically, "Nigel, I don't think our dinner party will fit in the dining room."

"That's why I asked Hoagie to build a room specifically for times like these." Nigel grinned. "Come on. Time to set up our first 'Where the Heck Are Our Kids' party."

Timeskip

Once they were all settled, Rachel gazed at their guests. All the mothers – Kuki, Abby, Fanny, Ashley, Ogie, Yin, Danika, and Marine – looked absolutely worried for their children, while all the fathers – Wally, Hoagie, Patton, David, Lenny, Matthew, Nolan, and Elijah – were talking amongst themselves about it.

Kuki looked around, speaking in her emotionless businesswoman tone. "All right, now Rachel, Nigel, why are we all here again?"

"As you all know, our kids aren't here." Rachel began, to nods of agreement. "We deduced that they're on the KND Moonbase, but reports from Lizzie and Herbie's son says that they aren't there."

Marine said, "Orright, we know that. The question is, where are the little sheilas and boomers?"

"I can deduce that there is a 10% possibility that they were kidnapped." Yin said, copying Rachel's sword, Fi's talking style.

Danika replied, "But on the Moonbase? I called up both Doblemitz twins, and they said their children were up there the whole time, and with no reports of villains attacking."

"That is a problem." Ashley murmured, eating a sliver of turkey.

Ogie added, "And what about Denny and Lulu? They're only seven years old, for Arceus' sake!"

"Look," Fanny said, "Panini's a reckless firebender! She could set off a bunch of bombs that could destroy Virginia as we know it!"

Yin only sat there, quiet, while Matt whispered reassurances to her. The Chinese woman, however, was still not appeased.

It was only later that Rachel suddenly got a call on her cellphone. She signaled to the others to keep quiet, before answering her phone. "Hello? Rachel speaking."

"Principal Rachel!" a voice cried. Rachel recognized it as Aaron Doblemitz, the only son of Raissa and Pete. "Rhilliane just found out where they went!" Rhilliane was Aaron's cousin, and Riana and Peter's daughter.

Rachel said, "Okay, Aaron, hold on. I'm putting this on loudspeaker for everyone to hear." She did so, then said, "Go on, Aaron."

"Rhilliane said that she detected traces of a portal near the C.O.O.L.-B.U. !" Aaron cried, panicking. "And when I ran it through the 4x4 technology detector, I picked up some residue of what Rhilliane calls Time Dust!"

Suddenly, Rhilliane's voice came on. "Principal Rachel, I also picked up Cheren's Rainbow Monkey in the debris. And I saw particles of Aurora's DNA, too, through Diwata's DNA detector!"

"We found every kid's DNA near the Time Dust!" Aaron added. "And when Diwata ran it through Haylee's scanner, it said that they went…"

"To the past!" the twins said together.

There was silence from all the parents. Then, all the mothers fainted. "Oh, brother." Elijah muttered.

Matt shook his head. "The hell do they have to go to the past."

Back to the past

Rachel watched in awe as Haylee scrambled over to the top of the time machine, fiddling with a few wires. Harry was adjusting the panel of numbers on the side, while Artie was testing out the zappers. He was zapped repeatedly by Harry, who snickered.

"Wow. They take after Numbuh 2, don't they?" Nigel commented, sitting beside her. "They're like him, but split into three."

Rachel nodded, but silently, she knew the reason why.

"Oh no!" Haylee cried out suddenly, dropping her wrench on Harry's toes.

Harry yelped out in pain, while Artie laughed, shouting, "KARMA! KARMA! KARMA!"

"What is it?" Rachel asked.

Artie looked at what his sister was working on before exclaiming, "We don't have Time Dust!"

"Time Dust?" Everyone except for the future kids echoed. "What's that?"

Haylee explained, "Time Dust is what keeps this baby going. In the future, you could find Time Dust anywhere near a few timebenders. Anyone know any timebenders?"

"I mean… you'd know that better than we would." Hoagie said.

"What about Mr. King—I mean, Jagar King? He'd be a kid in this time."

"Jagar?" Rachel repeated. "Well, we… had an operative by that name… but I'm afraid he passed away."

"Oh…his time already came, huh?"

Artie snickered. "Good one!"

"But why did you mention him like he's still alive then?" Nigel asked.

"Well, because he-" Sheila was about to say before Mason cupped her mouth.

"Oh, I know!" Haylee perked up. "Instead of a timebender, we COULD fly up to Planet Secco, in Galaxia, and look around the Ancient Wastelands! There's a bunch of Timeshift Stones there, and THAT means there's probably some Time Dust buried! Of course, we'd need an earthbender or something to dig that place up."

"Great." Abby face-palmed at Haylee's random explanation. "Now how do you suppose we find 'em? Abby's pretty sure you won't see any earthbenders or timebenders just walkin' around in public!"

Leanne ticked off a few people on her fingers. "I could mention Toph Beifong. She's an earthbender. Not to mention Anthony, Cheren's cousin…"

"Awww, Anthony STINKS!" Panini yelled, remembering the boy's terrible earthbending. "His SISTER on the other hand…."

"I completely forgot!" Haruka exclaimed. "Nebula's a spacebender! She could help out!"

Rachel tapped Leanne and Haruka's foreheads. "Are you forgetting that we're in the past? We don't know any Anthonys OR Nebulas!"

"…" Aurora cocked her head to the side, her brow furrowed.

Cheren looked at her. "Aurora, you know we haven't told her about Uncle and Aunt yet." At this, her face cleared.

"Well…" Haylee was cut short by a ringing on her wristwatch. "Wait, I've got a call." She pressed a button, and a holographic projection came out, revealing a very distraught yellow-haired girl beside a yellow-haired boy and a small golden-haired girl.

The distraught one screamed, "HAYLEE!"

"Rhilliane?" the others wondered out loud.

Haylee blinked in surprise. "Rhilliane, how'd you call me? You know we're in the past!"

"Diwata found a way." Aaron mumbled from behind his cousin. Diwata giggled and brandished a wrench at the others.

The young Gilligan's eyebrows furrowed. "Wait, Rhilliane, are our parents alright? Are they worried or something?"

"WORRIED?" a male voice yelled from somewhere in the hologram. "WE'RE GODDAMN WORRIED ABOUT ALL OF YOU!"

Haruka and Mason paled. "It's Dad." the poisonbenders whispered.

Aaron walked over to the side, saying, "Mister Dimalanta, please stop yelling. You're going to freak out your kids."

Matt grumbled something incomprehensible before falling silent as the past KND operatives looked at each other, question marks practically popping out of their heads. Rhilliane shot a glare at Aaron, who grinned sheepishly.

"Ah, well, Rhilliane, quick question." Haylee asked.

The yellow-haired girl cocked her head. "Ask away, Hayl."

"Know any timebenders or earthbenders in the past? Or can you perhaps send us some Time Dust to get us home?"

"Yeah, you guys have to get back here soon. Your parents are going bananas over here!" Rhilliane said.

"Mom? Dad?" Artie piped up, sliding up beside Haylee and looking at the hologram. "Are you guys there?"

A voice replied, "Artie? Artie, is that you?"

"Mom!" Harry cried.

Another voice replied, "That's Harry! Oh man, they really are stuck in the past!"

"I got it!" Diwata skittered back towards the cousins and drew a map. "I can detect an earthbender somewhere near the past Sector W's treehouse. Can't find any timebenders though, sorry."

Aurora looked relieved as she said, "Well, Dee Dee, you guys have to go. We need to get on track and find those benders."

"Bye, Aurora! Bye Cheren!" Diwata giggled before Rhilliane switched off the hologram. However, before she did so, a feminine voice yelled from within the hologram.

"I SWEAR, HOAGIE GILLIGAN JR., IF OUR CHILDREN DON'T GET HOME SOON, YOU CAN BE SURE THAT YOU'LL NEVER SEE YOUR TOOLBOX AGAIN!"

Hoagie's eyes widened. Haylee groaned, while Artie and Harry only sank to the ground as a male voice yelled back at her.

"OH, COME ON, ABBY! IT WASN'T MY FAULT THEY TIME-TRAVELED! ARCEUS DAMMIT, HAYLEE AND HER BROTHERS DIDN'T MEAN TO!"

Abby paled, and Cheren face-palmed. So much for keeping the future secret.

"Both of you, stop it! Kirie went back in time too, you know!" another voice cooed. "See, Wally and I aren't freaking out. You two are the only ones making a racket!"

Wally, upon hearing his name, looked at the others while question marks popped out of his head. Kirie sighed before signing, Even in the past, Dad's tactless and dumb.

Finally, a quiet voice murmured, "You do realize that your kids and your past selves can hear you?"

"Say what?" an Australian voice asked. "Sheila, Sheila, are you there?"

Sheila's face lit up. "Ma!"

Rhilliane paused. "Mrs. Frantic, please, I'm turning off the hologram right now!"

"But don't we get to see our own children?" another voice drawled, this one making Dillon pale. "Nolan, tell them."

Another voice – Nolan, they assumed – countered, "Yeah, don't we even get to talk to them? I mean, the girls are worried sick over here."

"Well… alright…" Rhilliane murmured. "Haylee, get those past operatives out of there NOW!"

Rachel, already understanding, started yelling, "All right, KND, move out! These kids need to talk to their parents in private!" To the others, she said, "Go on and use my office. You won't be disturbed there."

"Thanks." Cheren looked like he wanted to add one more word to that statement, but Aurora was already hauling him away.

Abby touched her cheeks. They were warm for some reason, and she didn't dare think that she was actually blushing. She had heard the whole future conversation, and yet still didn't want to believe that… that…

"Abby?" Rachel looked at her skeptically.

Abby sighed, tugging on the rim of her cap. "A-Abby's fine. Nothing to worry 'bout, Numbuh 362."

"…Come here." At Rachel's order, Abby came closer. The blonde leaned by her ear and whispered, "You figured it out, didn't you?"

Abby looked surprised, before saying accusingly, "You knew all along, didn't you?"

"Yes…" Rachel said guiltily. "And I believe you do need an explanation, so follow me to my office."

Rachel's Office

"Mom?" Cheren looked at Rachel as she entered the room after Abby. "What's Aunt Abby doing here?"

Rachel gazed guiltily at her shoes, and suddenly Cheren understood. He wordlessly stepped aside as Haylee, Harry, and Artie looked at Abby, embarrassed.

It was Harry who spoke first. "…Mom?"

"…" Abby gazed at the triplets solemnly, making them shiver, before she walked over and hugged the three of them. This surprised the three of them into silence as Abby hugged them.

Once she let go, Abby murmured, "Is Abby really your mom in the future?"

"Yes…" Haylee replied, taking off her goggles to show Abby Hoagie's light-brown eyes, copied exactly into her face.

Abby smiled, biting her lip in her mind. "…You really are Hoagie and Abby's kids…"

"I get that you're having an emotional moment and all," Rhilliane said from the hologram, "but can we get on to talking?"

Cheren and the others glared at her, making her flinch, but otherwise Abby and the triplets looked back at Rhilliane, who had turned to Diwata. The golden-haired girl was toying with a few wires, then suddenly, the picture turned into a high-definition hologram, which Haylee projected onto the wall.

"Okay, I'm putting your parents onscreen now…" Diwata mumbled, toying with a few more wires until a picture popped up. The band of parents were fully displayed inside Nigel's expandable room (courtesy of Hoagie).

Future Abby paled as she saw Abby beside the triplets. "Hoagie, it's… Abby…"

"Well, whaddaya know?" Future Hoagie grinned. "Future Abby meets Past Abby in an ABBY-smal paradox! HA HA HA, geddit? Abby and abysmal? HA HA HA!"

The Gilligan Triplets and Abby groaned while Future Abby slapped him with her hat. "Past or future, you never changed!"

Delightful Mansion

David ran. And ran. He dropped off his unfinished slice of fruitcake in the kitchen, and saw Blythe devour it eagerly, much to Mother's chagrin. But he didn't care. All he cared about was that he saw Ashley disappear. Into thin air.

"Guysguysguysguysguys!" David yammered, pounding on their bedroom door. He fell in when Lenny opened the door and blinked at him in surprise.

Ogie looked up from her book. "David, what did you eat? You're more talkative than before!"

"Guysguysguysguysguys!" David continued, unable to stop. Bruce, annoyed, walked over to him and slapped his face repeatedly. "Calm. Down. David!"

David pushed him away. "OK, OK, I'm done!"

"What's got you all pumped up anyway, David?" Ogie asked, one of her eyebrows rising.

David brushed back his bangs, revealing his eyes for once. "I was looking at the gardens while eating a fruitcake…"

"No wonder you're hyper." Lenny joked.

The brunette glared at him before continuing, "Then I saw the remains of a dummy, so I assumed Ashley was practicing. Then suddenly, out of nowhere, Ashley-"

"I did what?" a voice asked.

David instantly froze, falling over as Ashley walked inside the room, normal. Nikka snickered in her mistress's mind, but not in the present. The sandy-blonde girl looked confused as the other three Delightfuls laughed at David, who had ducked into the bathroom after Ashley had arrived.

"What's up with him?" she asked Ogie, who shrugged.

Lenny replied, "He's been like that ever since he ate that fruitcake."

"Fruitcake?" Ashley echoed. "I'm going to go get some." And with that, she left, her shadow rising up as soon as she shut the door.

Mansion bathroom

David breathed in and out, sitting on the clean white tiles of the bathroom. He felt the rising and falling of his chest, and the fast hammer of his heartbeat as he watched the slow ticking of the clock in the bathroom.

Three minutes passed, then he stood up and approached the sink. He splashed water onto his face, then reached for a towel. He wiped his face slowly, feeling the softness of the towel, before removing it to look at his reflection.

Then, he nearly jaw-dropped.

"What…" David touched his face in the mirror. Or at least, he knew it was his face, even though it looked nothing like him. The boy in the mirror looked exactly like David, except for the fact that the bangs were brushed to the side to reveal a pair of striking green eyes. On his head was a beret (David had NO idea why), and his clothes were… well, they weren't a suit and a tie as far as David was concerned.

The boy's heart started hammering again as he clapped his hands. The boy in the mirror did the same. Each movement he did, the boy in the mirror copied, and it was only 'til David glanced down did he realize that he was still wearing the suit. He breathed a sigh of relief, then looked up again. His real reflection was back.

Relieved, David walked back outside, but he didn't even notice that his eyes weren't blue anymore.

Uno Household; future

"Abby's really pretty in the future…" Abby murmured, gazing in awe at her future self through the hologram. Future Abby's ebony-colored hair was plaited into an intricate braid laid on her left shoulder, with tiny wisps of hair framing her face. On top of her head was the famous old red cap, and her pretty amber-brown eyes were gazing at the triplets with relief and happiness. Dressed in a modest dark-blue blouse and a black skirt, Future Abby looked like she just came from work.

Future Abby smiled. "Glad you like the style."

"Alright then," Future Rachel clapped her hands together. "Let's get back to work, shall we?"

Past Abby leaned towards Rachel. "Even in the future, you get right to the problem." she whispered, making Past Rachel's cheeks pink.

Danika York leaned forward. "Alright, enlighten us, Rachel. How will the kids get back?"

"We need to contact one of the earthbenders or timebenders in the past, if what our kids explained was true." Future Nigel explained, walking around. "We know there's an earthbender near Sector W."

"That's right, Angie!" Future Rachel beamed. "You guys just need to contact Angie Granite, Rachel! She can use her earthbending to dig Time Dust out of Planet Secco."

"W-W-Wait… since when is that girl an earthbender?"

"Oh, wait… which point of the timeline is this? Is it before we even hear of benders?"

"Sounds like it." Kuki said. "So, Nigel and Fanny don't even have theirs, yet."

Past Abby blinked. "Nigel's a bender? Fanny's a bender?"

"Er, yeah…" Future Abby looked sheepish. "They're both firebenders, and Danika and Ashley here are both shadowbenders. Marine-" the aforementioned raccoon waved, "-and her husband Elijah are a lightbender and poisonbender respectively."

Rachel looked at Abby, absolutely confused.

"Well… you guys leaving or not?" Future Rachel asked the ones in the past.

Past Abby swallowed before nodding discreetly. Rachel only gave a slight nod.

"Alrighty then…" Cheren began. "Kids Next Door… BATTLE STATIONS!"

Panini grumbled, "No need to shout in my ear."

KND Moonbase

On the Moonbase bridge, the rest of the operatives were waiting for those in Numbuh 362's office. Kuki was dangling her feet on a ledge while chatting animatedly to Wally, who was sitting on the lower ledge. Nigel was lying down, staring at the dome-shaped ceiling, while Hoagie was entertaining – or rather, boring to death – those who cared to listen to his corny jokes. Fanny was rocking back and forth on her feet, while Patton was just staring at a wall.

"Oh look, they're back!" Kuki beamed.

Everyone snapped out of whatever they were doing to see the future kids walking over. Most of them looked grim, but the younger ones – who weren't really aware of the direness of the situation – looked as giggly as ever. However, what surprised them was that Abby was with them, talking with Harry.

"Did anyone notice Abby going with them?" Nigel asked skeptically.

Everybody shook their heads. However, Nigel noted the twitch in Hoagie's eyes when he saw Harry and Abby. Heck, it was hard not to notice Hoagie fidgeting in his place as his gaze burned into Harry's skull. That only meant one thing.

"Hoagie?" Kuki asked, turning to the goggle-wearing operative. "What's wrong?"

Hoagie flinched before replying, "N-Nothing's wrong, Kuki…"

"Hm…" Fanny glanced at him, tracing his gaze over to Abby and Harry. Then, she grinned evilly. "Oh-hoh-hoh! Ah see now! Yer jealous!"

Wally looked confused. "Why would Hoagie be jealou—oh." By that point, Patton had placed his hands on the Australian boy's head and turned it over to the brown-skinned girl and one of her future sons. He grinned as well. "Hoagie's jealous of Harry! Hoagie's jealous of Harry!"

"N-No I'm not!" Hoagie blushed furiously. "I swear on my Yipper cards that I am not jealous!"

Kuki giggled. "Hoagie and Abby, sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

"ARRGH!" Hoagie yelled, silencing the chatter from the surrounding operatives in the Moonbase. "I SWEAR TO NUMBUH ZERO AND SECTOR Z, I AM NOT JEALOUS OF HARRY AND ABBY!"

Silence.

Then…

"Derp me." Haylee stated. Everyone turned to her, and she blinked. "What? It's a silence breaker."

Rachel shook her head as she approached. "Numbuh 2, you don't just shout those kinds of things out loud here in the Moonbase. Honestly, I thought you'd know by now."

"You're jealous of Abby and Harry?" Abby raised an eyebrow.

Harry turned as pale as chalk as he excused himself and ran to the Moonbase bathroom. Artie shook his head. "Never say that around Harry. He's afraid he'll be doing the Back to the Future movie thing."

"Eh?" Hoagie jaw-dropped at the mention of the movie. "So, what you're saying is…"

Leanne bashed Artie's head, making him whine. "Idiot! Now you've let them in on the joke!"

"What joke?" everyone asked.

Lee sweat-dropped. "Er, ya see…"

"HARRY'S MY SON!" Hoagie yelled again.

This time, the whole universe fell silent at the time-space continuum changing statement. Most of the operatives who had no idea why they were gathered around jaw-dropped before escaping to their S.C.A.M.P.E.R.s and returning to Earth, leaving the whole Moonbase to the remaining kids.

Abby face-palmed while blushing. "The idiot scared off all the other operatives!"

"But is it true?" Nigel asked Rachel, who nodded mutely. "Ah…"

Fanny rolled her eyes. "It's always the same with ye stupid boys. Blurtin' out things that aren't s'posed to be blurted out!"

"I don't blurt things aren't that out to be…eh…blurted!" Patton twisted his tongue in defense of himself and the other boys.

Panini and Fanny both stuck out their tongues. "As if!" they said together. Blinking, they looked at each other, before Panini turned away, biting her lip.

"So, I end up with Numbuh 5 in the future?" Hoagie asked loudly.

Cheren glanced at him. "Don't tell me you don't want to. If you didn't, then Haylee, Harry, and Artie would be disappearing right about… now."

"NONONONONO!" Haylee shrieked, her voice echoing through the Moonbase.

Everyone covered their ears, wincing as Haylee continued her tirade. Mason grumbled, "I swear, if Haylee didn't look so much like her dad, I'd say she was Aunt Fanny's daughter with that set of lungs…"

"Eh?" Fanny blinked as Harry came back, looking green.

At the mention of their mother, Francis and Panini looked at each other, biting their lips. The black-haired girl tugged on her sweater sleeve nervously while her brother combed his fingers through his red hair, which was styled exactly like Patton's.

Sheila looked at them, then at Fanny and Patton, before yelling, "PANINI AND FRANCIS ARE—mmph!" By the last part, the future kids tackled her to the ground, resulting in an operative pileup. The unfortunate part was that the present operatives were included in the pileup.

In order, from top to bottom, was Cheren, Aurora, Mason, Leanne, Haruka, Abby, Hoagie, Lee, Dillon, Nigel, Rachel, Panini, Patton, Fanny, Francis, Haylee, Artie, Kirie, Kuki, Wally, and then, finally, Sheila. The others didn't join in the pile up because they might be squished.

"Mmmph!" Sheila protested from beneath the pile. "Mmmph, mmph-mph-mmm!"

Cheren hopped off the pile, followed by everyone else. Kirie did a thumbs-down while mouthing, Kirie disagrees.

Sheila brushed herself off, saying, "I was gonna say Panini and Francis were siblings, ya drongos! Honestly, I'd say you were a bunch of dingoes runnin' loose with a bunch o' dodo feathers in their mouths!"

"Suuuure you were." Mason said sarcastically.

Dillon poked Cheren on the shoulder. "Cheren, shouldn't we be going somewhere? Y'know, bender-hunting?"

"You really wanna go without weapons?" Patton asked.

Leanne rolled her eyes. "Uh, hello?" Her shadow rose from the floor, followed by Lee's and Dillon's. Aurora and Panini smirked before making flames erupt from their palms, while Mason and Haruka surrounded themselves in gases (green and purple respectively), giving them a mysterious sort of look. (They kept their gasses away from the flames.) Sheila only grinned and tossed a Light Ball at Wally, bonking his head on purpose.

"'ey, you cruddy sheila!" Wally protested.

Sheila grinned. "That's my name, so don't wear it out, mate!"

"Anyway, we'll supply ye with 2x4 tech, IF the blabbermouth manages to." Fanny glared at Hoagie, who glared right back before running off to the weapons room. Then, he came back, loaded with S.P.L.A.N.K.E.R.s, G.U.M.Z.O.O.K.A.s, the works.

Those who didn't have weapons on hand took one, but those who did only smiled. The Grayson twins were two of them. "We don't need those. We got our 4x4 versions of the S.P.L.A.N.K.E.R. and the G.U.M.Z.O.O.K.A. right here." They patted the holsters on their belts.

"…" Kirie took out two Japanese fans and opened them, releasing pink blossoms. When one of them touched Patton, however, he flinched, running as far away as possible from them. "…?"

Patton said in response to her silent question, "Those flowers are deadly sharp! You'll get nasty papercuts!"

"Eh?" Everyone flinched as blossoms hit them as well.

Kirie smiled apologetically and shrugged, closing the fans and putting them in a hidden compartment inside her sleeve. Cheren looked at her pointedly, and she sighed, picking up the blossoms before blinking and sign-languaging irritatedly.

"What did she say?" Abby asked.

Cheren narrowed his eyes, translating her sign language. "She said she doesn't need to pick up the flowers because they disintegrate IMMEDIATELY AFTERWARDS?"

"Oh gumballs." They looked down to see the petals burning a hole right through the Moonbase floor, right under their feet. Momentarily, they all looked at each other, before yelling, "AAAAAAH!" and falling down on a C.O.O.L.-B.U.S.'s roof. They were all relieved for a moment, before the roof caved in, and they fell inside. At one point, Denny accidentally knocked the 'head-for-Earth' button. The ride started, making them all lurch forward before they zoomed towards Earth at lightning speed.

Fanny was clutching the handlebars on top. "Can't ANY of ye stupid boys STOP this STUPID C.O.O.L.-B.U.S.?"

"I CAN'T!" Hoagie yelled, fists clenched onto the headrest of his seat. His hat flew off, revealing his brown hair. "Whoops!"

Abby caught the hat while holding down her own and playing monkey-bars on the handlebars. "Watch where you're flying that thing, kid!"

"I caaaan't!" Denny wailed, gripping onto the wheel for dear life. "It's set on direct course to Earth!"

Cheren crawled over and held on to the driver's seat. "Where does it say that, Denny?"

"Here!" Denny pointed to a radar, which Cheren examined before yelling with wide eyes-

"WE'RE GONNA CRASH INTO THE DELIGHTFUL MANSION!"

"WHAAAAT?" Everyone panicked while still holding on to whatever they were holding on. The Gilligan Triplets were subsequently clawing the C.O.O.L.-B.U.S. seats while trying to get a good grip. The Dimalanta twins were in the midst of trying to hold on to a headrest while keeping Haruka's skirt down. The Grayson twins were gripping the windowsill of one window, while Kirie and Lulu were clutching each other and the seat for dear life. Sheila was laughing, her tail spinning, and Dillon was already hugging the floor, his shadow, Mario, looking around and deeming the situation dire.

"HANG ON TO YOUR UNDERWEAAAAR!" Cheren yelled as the C.O.O.L.-B.U.S. made impact.

BOOM!

…

…

…

On that day, the Kids Next Door, past and future, died. The Delightful Children were mortified to find Denny and Lulu with cracked necks, glass and shrapnel puncturing Cheren's, Hoagie's, or Fanny's throats, Mason and Haruka's heads smashed against a wall, or Sheila with her arms ripped off when trying to grab part of the mansion out the window.

King Household, real time

The blue aura faded from Haylee's brown eyes. Where in one minute she was just clinging a seat on the C.O.O.L.-B.U.S., she was now standing in a calm family home with spiritual decorations and several antique clocks recording different times. A pale-skinned adult with a blue overcoat stepped back from her, an aura around his clock necklace. "So… would you still like to borrow some Time Dust?" he asked.

"…Uh…" Haylee smiled, glancing away awkwardly. "I think I'll just put this project on the back-burner for awhile. Thanks anyway, Mr. King." Haylee turned, taking her T.R.A.V.E.L.E.R. and leaving the house.

Mr. King's daughter, a skinny girl with pink-blonde hair and thin jeans, giggled from the couch. She was lain on her front while reading a book, swinging her legs up above her. Her book was titled, World of the Void. "What did you show her, Dad?"

"A potential future." He shrugged. "Even I didn't look at the details. But it appeared to be a future she didn't desire. A river that veered off the predestined path and poured down a cliff with unwelcoming rocks at the bottom. Now that Haylee knows what awaits her, she will keep following the main river."

"That kinda betrays the moral of how we can choose our own destiny, doesn't it?"

"There are good choices and regrettable choices when following destiny. And awareness of what awaits on the wrong path can be a great influence, I agree. Alas…" Mr. King closed his eyes, visualizing many grim futures where their children perish, "there are too many cracks in this river. Too many for it to flow cleanly. Potholes that need to be filled… for our future to be pure."

His daughter frowned, finding the words foreboding as she closed her book.

Meanwhile, Haylee returned to Moonbase, where Cheren was angrily chasing Panini around, and Dillon, Francis, Mason, Leanne, and Sheila were playing Whizbee. She regretted to inform them the project was cancelled… "But trust me, it's probably for the better."

Mika's Note: Aaron and Rhilliane Doblemitz are otherwise known as the future Numbuh 44s, only in cousin form, though they really look alike. And guess what? Both their parents are twins! (Basically Pete married Raissa, whose twin sister Riana married Pete's twin brother, Peter.) I don't know if that is possible, but, yeah.

Game's Note: So yeah, Mika never continued this story after they crashed in the mansion, so this was the ending I came up with. Basically, that whole story never happened, and rather it shows what happens if time travel heavily changes the pre-established canon. Of course, this is the only story to show the Delightful Children when they were still around, not only giving them some individuality, but showing one of them awakening her bending.

 

[Gamen Watch]

If you're following the Gameverse, this story is optional reading. It is pretty funny, though, and it gives development to the Chariton sisters.

Now loading…

Kids Next Door mission…

Operation:

E.R.A.S.E.D.
​

Evidently

Rescuing

Adults

Seemed

Extremely

Dumb

Loading transmission…

Chariton Household

Mrs. Mikaela Chariton levitated a box beside her head using psychic as she walked up the stairs to her attic, setting it atop a stack. She watched as her daughters, Sunni and Darcy came up the stairs, their faces blocked by huge boxes they were carrying. The two plopped the boxes down beside each other as Sunni gasped for breath. "Thanks for helping today, you two." Mika smiled.

"Yeah, no problem, Mom." Sunni panted.

"MIKAAA? We have anymore bread?"

"There might be some in the pantry!" Mika yelled. "Hold on, Rainier, I'll come down! Be right back, girls." Mika left down the stairs.

"Ho, finally, we can catch a break." Sunni sighed in relief, sitting on her box.

Meanwhile, Darcy was using this time to dig around one of the boxes. "You gotta wonder how old some of this stuff is."

Sunni got up and walked over to look behind some other boxes. "Yeah. Look at this old robot." She pulled up a small, rusted robot with severed hands. "This thing looks a thousand years old."

Darcy continued to dig around until a picture caught her eye. "Hey, Sunni, look! It's a picture of our mom when she was little."

Sunni put down the robot and walked over to study the picture, of a 6-year-old Mika being raised up by a man and woman. "Hey, it is. But who're those two people?"

"I think those are her parents."

"You mean our grandparents?" Both siblings exchanged questioning glances. "Hey, how come we never met our grandparents?"

Mika was on her way back to the attic. "Of course the bread would be crammed all the way to the back."

"Mooom!" Sunni and Darcy came running down the hall just then.

"Hey, kids! What's goin' on?"

"Mom, are these your parents?" Sunni asked, holding up the photo.

Mika bent over to look at it. "Oh… Boy, that sure brings back memories. Those are my parents."

"How come we never met them? We met our dad's parents once."

"It's… not something I'd like to remember." Mika said, a frown forming on her visage as she looked up in thought. "During the summer when I was six, the three of us went on this cruise. We were having fun, until…"

"What happened?" Darcy asked.

"Our ship was attacked by this giant octopus thingy. It destroyed everything, and ate my dad."

Her daughters receded in horror.

"It killed a lot of people. I barely survived, and I saw this other ship in the fog. I swam over to the ship and climbed up the side. And then… I saw my mom and some others passengers taken hostage by these… weird zombie-fish pirate guys. The captain was choking my mom… and then he…" Mika was unable to finish, but the image of the sword through her mother's heart was painted vividly. "Well… anyway… I fainted afterwards, and… that's when I met Mewtwo."

Sunni and Darcy held horrified looks. "I'm…I'm really sorry, Mom." Darcy said.

"Oh…it's okay." Mika said with a light smile. "Over the years, you learn to let it go. Anyway, come on. We still have more stuff to move." She returned upstairs and Darcy followed.

Sunni just stood in place and looked sympathetically down at the picture in her hand. She then looked in the direction of her mother with concern.

28 minutes later…

"So, Dad, what is this robot?" Darcy asked, presenting the rusted automaton to her father in the attic.

"Oh, this thing?" Rainier took and studied the robot. "Oh, yeah. This is Scrapper. He's this robot I found near the ruins on Planet Secco, back when I used to work for Watto. He's centuries old. I've had him since I was young, and I've always wanted to get him working again. Too bad I couldn't, though…"

"Hmm…" as Darcy studied the robot with curiosity, Sunni came up the stairs and approached her.

"Hey, we need to talk." she stated with a serious look about her.

"Um, okay. Later, Dad."

Darcy followed her sister down the stairs and stopped in front of their room as Sunni faced her. "Darcy… I think our mom is upset."

"What? Why?"

"When we showed her that old photo, and she told us what happened to her parents. Couldn't you feel it?"

Darcy thought for a moment. "Actually… yeah, I did."

"I think she's still feeling bad about the loss of her parents."

"Well, I probably would, too, but what can we do about it?"

"I have a plan. Let me show you something." Sunni led her into their room, sitting down at the computer desk as she typed something in. "I did a little research on the ship that our mom took the cruise on, the Gigantic. Nice name, right? It sunk on the night of July 13, 2005. Our mom's 6th birthday. And hey, Sector V built a new time T.R.A.V.E.L.E.R. recently, right?"

"Um, where are you going with this, Sunni?" Darcy asked worriedly.

"I was thinking…" Sunni looked in thought, "if we could go back in time and stop our grandparents from getting killed, then our mom could get back the childhood she lost with them."

"Sunni, that's crazy! We can't alter the past like that!"

"But Darcy, think about it." Sunni stood up and faced her. "Our mom just turned 6 years old, and she already loses her parents, two of the most important people in her life. Wouldn't you feel upset? Sure, she says she's over it, but we both felt it. She's sad, and she really misses them. As her daughters, we need to do her this kindness."

"But Sunniii. Changing the past has consequences. We could…We could end 7th Age KND, or stop Numbuh 1 from going to GKND and saving the universe."

"What would saving our grandparents have to do with THAT?"

"I dunno! It could happen!"

"Darcy, we'll be saving two innocent lives, long before their time. Our mom can spend the rest of her childhood being happy with them. Then when she gets married to Dad and has us, we'll get to go over and visit them in this time! Wouldn't that be great?"

"Well…" Darcy looked away in worry and thought.

"Exactly! Now let's get over to Sector V's." The mocha-skinned sister hurried out of there.

Darcy hesitantly followed after her sister, worry still visible upon her visage.

Sector V Treehouse

Chris Uno and Kirie Beatles mashed their fingers at videogame controllers as they appeared to be in a match. Meanwhile, Mason and Sheila sat and watched from the couch's armrests at opposite ends, drinking Purple Flurp. "Oi got dibs on the mute, eh?" Sheila said.

And just like that, Chris Uno was defeated as Kirie silently waved her arms in victory. "Ah man! You can't do that!" Chris yelled.

Kirie looked at him and smiled as she made a taunt in sign language.

"Hey, hope we aren't interrupting something." The operatives turned as Sunni and Darcy came in from the hangar.

"Oh, hey, guys! What's up?" Aurora asked.

"Is Haylee here? We need to ask her something." Sunni said.

"Yo." Haylee raised her arm from the chair and got up to approach them. "What's up?"

"This way, if you don't mind." Sunni instructed as they led the Gilligan girl back into the hangar. "Haylee, do you still have that T.R.A.V.E.L.E.R. you built?"

"Oh." Haylee went over toward her closet and pulled said device out, showing it to the girls. "You mean this thing?"

"Yes. We need to use it."

"Whooa, hold on now!" Haylee raised a hand in defense, holding the machine away. "You can't use this! It's still hasn't been perfected yet. This thing only works with Time Dust, produced from timebenders. I visited Sector IC to have them provide some… and then Mr. King showed me a 'future' of my friends and I using it. …It ended disastrously. So, we abandoned the project. Just never got around to scrapping it."

"Well, if you were gonna get rid of it, you mind if we have it, anyway?" Sunni asked.

"Uh…what do you need it for exactly?"

"I-It's complicated. Just let us borrow it and we'll bring it right back."

"I dunno…"

Sunni waved a hand at Haylee. "You will let us borrow it for a good cause and everything will be fine."

"…Sure, you can borrow it if it's for a good cause and everything will be fine."

"Sunni!" Darcy hissed in her sister's ear.

"Relax, Darcy."

Haylee handed the device over. The girls bowed in thanks and flew out of the hangar with telekinesis. "Now to pay a visit to Mr. King."

Iceland; King Household

"You want to borrow... what?"

"We need 'Time Dust' to power our machine." Sunni explained to Jagar King. "So… please?"

Jagar had pale skin with brown hair and wore a blue overcoat with a purple cape and black shirt and pants underneath. He had a clock necklace. Jagar turned toward the clock-headed staff mounted on his wall. The man slowly approached and took the staff in hand, studying it. "This staff was given to me by Clockwork the Ghost of Time. His time had come… and he trusted me to carry his spirit. Time isn't something to be manipulated. Even if you right the wrongs, you could create something far worse."

"He has a point." Darcy said. "I mean, saving two people from death? That's a big deal."

Sunni sighed. "Whatever, I don't care what might happen. If it'll make our mom happy, I'll risk anything. We'll bring it back, Mr. King, I promise."

Jagar sighed, "Well, if you're that determined… I'll trust you with it. But once you return to this time, the staff will return itself to me. Be careful. And remember what I said." With that, the man entrusted the staff to Sunni.

The two exited the house shortly after as Sunni inserted the staff into a tiny slot that fit its handle. She then began typing a date on the tiny monitor. "Sunni, are you sure we should be doing this? Something really terrible could happen if we save them."

"What could possibly happen? Our mom would get to spend more time with her parents and never have to be upset."

"Ohhh…" Darcy couldn't let go of her bad feeling.

"Okay, I set this thing to take us to the harbor on June 13, 2005. The day the ship went down. Let's go, Darcy." Sunni flipped on the machine as both she and Darcy stood around it. The portal spiraled open, sucking the two girls right inside as they screamed and spun on the way down.

As Jagar King watched them vanish, his wife, Misty came out beside him. She was a slim woman with a pink shirt. "Jagar, are you sure it was a good idea to lend them your staff like that?"

"It's the only way, Misty. They'll need to see for themselves why the past shouldn't be tinkered with. Don't worry. They'll be fine."

Misty still couldn't help but worry, although she trusted her husband's judgment. After all, this is something Clockwork would do…

Roxas Harbor, 2005

The two dropped out of the portal and landed face-first in the sandy beach. They sat up and brushed themselves as Darcy looked around. "Look, there's the ship!" she yelled and pointed several feet away. Already, the huge ferry labeled Gigantic was sailing away from the harbor as all of the people onboard waved to those down below.

Sunni crammed the T.R.A.V.E.L.E.R. in her Infi-Cube. "WAAIT!" The two girls sprinted over through the crowd and towards the guards on the harbor.

"Sorry, girls." The guard stopped them. "No getting on or off after the boat's set sail."

Sunni stepped up to the guard and waved a hand by his face. "You will tell the ship to come back and get us…"

"Suuurrre."

At that moment, the two were forcibly carried and thrown away from the crowd. "Hey, easy on the dress!" Darcy yelled to the guards as they walked away.

"Crud! Didn't think a simple grunt would have more willpower than a tech genius. Now what do we do?" Sunni asked, looking to the ship in the distance.

"Put this whole thing behind us and go home?"

"Not yet! We can still catch up! Come on, Darcy!" Sunni pulled her sister along and dashed for the harbor's edge. The two leapt into the water and began swimming as fast as they could to reach the tremendous ferry ahead of them. The waves the ship was creating seemed too rough to swim through, but they were still able to pull their weight and make it over. Sunni and Darcy sucked in some breath and dove beneath the sea, swimming towards the underside of the ship. They located a small hatch beneath the ship and yanked it open, swimming inside.

Onboard the ship, a lone little boy stood before a toilet in the bathroom with a worried expression. "Okay, Elmer… first time peeing on a cruise ship… nothing to worry about."

"…BLUUHHH." Sunni and Darcy immediately shot out of the toilet, dripping with water.

"WAAAHHHH!" the boy, Elmer, waved his arms as he frantically ran out of there.

"Well, there's already a time paradox in motion." Darcy stated, stepping out of the toilet and stabilizing on her feet.

"Quit your worrying." Sunni ordered. "Now let's find our mom and grandparents."

It soon became nightfall hours later as the two were now roaming around a casino area aboard the ship. "Sunni, it's been hours, and we still haven't found our-"

"There she is!" Sunni excitedly pointed over at the 6-year-old Mika, standing with her parents as she held her mom's finger. "Mom-" Darcy quickly stopped Sunni before she ran over.

"Sunni, are you crazy?" Darcy whispered. "Running up to a little 6-year-old girl and calling her 'mom'? Are we supposed to let her see us?"

"Calm down, she's only six. She'll never remember."

"And what if she does?"

Sunni sighed. "Fine. But we have to save 'em somehow."

"Let's go look at stars, Mommy!" the 6-year-old Mika excitedly jumped.

"Hm-hm, okay, Sweetheart!" The mother smiled as both parents led her outside. Sunni and Darcy exchanged quick glances before hurrying after them. They hid and watched as the family of three gazed up at the stars of the indigo sky.

"Where do stars come from, Mommy?"

"Well, it's said that, whenever somebody leaves this world, their spirit becomes a star in the heavens, to always watch down and guide you. A lot of your ancestors are up there, and a lot of everyone else's, too."

"Like Grandma and Grandpa?"

"Hm-hm, yes, Sweetie."

Mika happily continued gazing up at the stars. However, her bright visage dulled when a huge, thick fog began coming in. "Well, that's unfortunate." Mr. Corella said. "The weather seemed fine to me."

That's when everyone took notice of a strange ship within the fog. Sunni and Darcy stepped closer to get a good look. Mika pulled out a telescope and studied the ship, taking notice of the silhouette of a strange man with a tentacle face.

"WHOA!" The ship quaked all of a sudden and everyone fell over.

They all recovered their ground as Darcy asked, "What was that?"

"Mmmaybe we should all head inside and-" Before that passenger could finish, a tentacle had shot up and dragged the man down into the depths.

In mere seconds, everyone was running around and screaming for their lives as more tentacles came above and started tearing up the ship, pulling more people down with them. Mika stared in shock as a tentacle was about to come down and grab her, but her father quickly grabbed and carried her to someplace safe. "Mika, you just stay here and-" However, the man was grabbed by a tentacle himself.

"DADDY!" the 6-year-old yelled.

But to his good fortune, Sunni Chariton leapt up and swung her lightsaber, slicing the man free. The chopped tentacle shook around in pain before retreating to the sea. "Whoa! Thanks!" the man thanked.

"Hehe." Sunni chuckled.

"Come on, into the boats." Mika's mother yelled, guiding the two over to the lifeboats. However, they were destroyed in an instant. In mere moments, the entire ship had been torn piece by piece as everyone fell in the water.

Mika resurfaced and held onto one of the floating ship pieces as she looked toward the mysterious ghost ship. However, Sunni quickly grabbed the child and pulled her below water.

Onboard the pirate ship, the Flying Dutchman, the zombie-fish pirates had taken hostage of the survived members of the ferry. As Mika's mother was being held in place, the dreaded captain, Davy Jones approached the woman, looking her dead in the eye. "Do ya fear…" But at that moment, the woman vanished in some flash. "What?!" The pirates looked around questionably for where the woman had disappeared to. Davy Jones walked over and stared over the edge at the sea. The tentacle-faced captain found no trace of the woman. "Hmmnn…"

"Oi, look, guys!" one of the pirates excitedly yelled, holding up a pizza box. "Oi stole a pizza off the ship!"

"YAAAAAY!" The pirates all went off to devour the pizza as the ship sailed away.

Sunni, Darcy, and the Corella family quietly drifted inside the psychic bubble that gave them air below the sea.

Eventually, the five of them were able to make their way all the way back to shore. The little Mika immediately dashed up and wrapped her arms around Sunni. "Thank you so much." Her mother tearfully thanked. "If you hadn't been around, we would've been done for."

"You two are psychicbenders." Mr. Corella stared with amazement. "That's great! Our daughter's a psychic, too!"

"My name is Mik-a!" Mika stated cheerfully. "What's your names?"

"I'm Sunni, and this is my sister, Darcy." The older sibling grinned and waved. "It's nice to meet you, Mom, er, Mika."

"Sunni and Dawcy? Those awe nice names!" Mika grinned.

"Anyway, we're really grateful." The mother stated once more. "Our little girl just turned 6 today, and you just saved her life."

"Eh, you got it kinda backwards there…" Darcy mumbled through her teeth.

"Anyway, we'd love to stick around, but we need to get somewhere." Sunni said as she removed the T.R.A.V.E.L.E.R. from her pocket.

"Are you sure? When we get home, we'd love to have you for dinner." The father offered.

"Thanks, but there's no time to lose, right? But don't worry, I'm sure we'll meet again pretty soon." Sunni assured as she began setting in the dates for their own time. "Take care, now!"

"Good-bye!" The family waved as the girls were sucked into the portal, vanishing in a flash of light.

In front of Chariton home

The portal spiraled open before the home of Sunni and Darcy, and the two girls dropped out as it vanished. "We made it!" Darcy exclaimed.

"We'll return this time machine to Haylee later." Sunni decided. "Let's go see how Mom feels!"

The two girls approached the front door and used their spare key to open it. "Mooom, we're ho…huh?" As they entered the house, they found two kids sitting on the couch: a boy in a red T-shirt, brown eyes, black plants, and black hair, and a girl with mocha skin, midnight-blue eyes, long brown hair, and a purple skirt.

The girl called, "MOOOM, there're two strange girls at the door!"

The psychokinetic woman herself walked in, offering a smile at Sunni and Darcy. "Oh? And who might you be?"

Sunni and Darcy exchanged confused glances. "M-Mom… it's us." Sunni said. "Sunni and Darcy Chariton. Your daughters."

"Sunni and Darcy?…" Mika began to think. "Why do those names sound familiar… Anyway, I only have one daughter, and a son. These are Hannah and Jason. And this is the Dimalanta home, not the Charitons!" The boy and girl grinned and waved.

Sunni and Darcy's mouths dropped. "DIMALANTA?"

"Matthewww. Could you come in here?" Mika called.

Mr. Matthew Dimalanta walked in. "What is it, Mika?"

"MR. DIMALANTA?!" the sisters screamed once more.

"Honey, do we know these kids?"

Matthew observed the two girls. "Hmm…can't say that I do. Why?"

"They… say they're our daughters."

"Hm… maybe they're orphans. Like my friend, Jeremiah."

"WHAT?!" Sunni shouted. "We're not orphans! We're your kids, Mom!"

"Mr. Dimalanta, what happened to Yin?" Darcy asked.

"Yin?" Matt questioned. "Hmm… I remember I met a girl named Yin. And yeah, we hit it off for a time… 'course, that was before I met Mika in sixth grade, after I came back to Philippines." Mika grinned at this.

"Well, what about Rainier?" Sunni asked.

"O-kay, don't remember anybody named Rainier." Mika said, looking baffled.

"Uuugh! This is ridiculous!" Sunni cried, grabbing her mother by the skirt. "Mom, it's us! We're your daughters! We're psychic, like you!"

"H-Hey, take it easyyy!" Mika yelled as Sunni shook her.

Matt hurried to grab the phone. "I don't know who you kids are, but I'm calling the police if you don't leave."

"BUT THIS IS-" Sunni was silenced by Darcy.

"Um, we're sorry to disturb you. We'll get going now." And with that, Darcy led her sister out, quietly closing the door.

The sisters ran several yards away from the house before stopping to catch their breath. "I don't think they'll listen." Darcy said.

"I don't underSTAND!" Sunni yelled. "Why is Mom married to Mason's dad?!"

"Well, obviously, when we went back in time to save her parents, something must've happened to cause her to be married to Matthew. …And WE no longer exist."

"WHAT?!" Sunni screamed once again, taking her sister by the shirt. "WHADDYOU MEAN WE DON'T EXIST?! THEN WHY ARE WE HERE?"

"I'm guessing we're in Limbo," Darcy figured, "and cut off with the actual timeline. Even though we can talk to people. But there's no reason to panic."

"NO REASON TO PANIC?!" Sunni grabbed and shook her sister by the shirt again. "WE'RE TWO SISTERS TRAPPED IN LIMBO AND THERE'S NO REASON TO PANIC? WE COULD FADE AWAY AT ANY SECOND, WE-" Sunni finally stopped when the two felt the earth begin to shake.

An explosion of smoke appeared several feet away, revealing the image of a tall being in a dark cloak. "It…IT'S THE GRIM REAPER!" Sunni screamed.

"No it's not. It's the Fairy King!" Darcy exclaimed.

"It is true!" said the muscular fairy, pulling off his hood. "I, Jorgen von Strangle, toughest fairy in the universe, have caught on to your meddling with the timeline. Now, as punishment, I will have you banished to the Realm of Kids-Who-Interfere-With-The-Timeline-Preventing-Themselves-From-Ever-Being-Born!" He looked away and said to himself, "MAN, that's a breath-taker! I really have to come up with shorter names. Anyway, you are…HUH?" When he turned back, the girls had vanished. "No! They must have escaped when I vas talking about how I need to come up with shorter names! I must get after them and take them to the place with the really long name I just told them about!" The powerful fairy bolted down the street.

Sunni and Darcy were crouched behind a bush, watching the fairy vanish around a block corner. They breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay, let's start piecing this together." Sunni suggested. "So, somehow, by rescuing our mom's parents, she ended up meeting Mr. Dimalanta, falling in love, and getting married to him."

"Oh!" Darcy sparked with realization. "I think I get it! Since we rescued our mom and her parents, our mom never wound up on New Island, where she stayed with Mewtwo! Then I guess she never got pulled into that quest, where she met our dad on Planet Secco. They must've returned to the Philippines, where our mom eventually met Mr. Dimalanta in school."

"Oh, no! Then they ended up getting married and having their own kids!" Sunni realized. "We've gotta go back and fix this!"

"That's gonna be a problem." Darcy stated, pulling out the worn-out time machine. "The time staff returned to Mr. King. Or Clockwork… whoever's using it in this time. Boy, time travel is confusing." They then watched as Time Dust spilled out of a slot in the machine, grey and worn out.

Sunni observed the grey dust and scooped it in her hands. "If only we knew where another timebender was. They could make us some Time Dust. Or something…"

Darcy's mind sparked again. "Wait a second! I remember… hearing this story… about a timebending alien in some town in America."

"Oh, yeah!" Sunni beamed. "That one that supposedly lives in Langley Falls? Wasn't that just an occult rumor?"

"I dunno, but I say we look for him. All rumors have some kind of origin." Darcy smirked. "If there's a chance he doesn't exist… then he definitely exists."

"Heh. Well, we have nowhere else. But how're we gonna get to Langley Falls, teleport?"

"We can't teleport to places we haven't been. But look, I still see Sector R's KND treehouse. We'll just… commandeer one of their ships and fly there. The same you 'commandeered' that time machine."

"Heh, good point. Let's go."

A lone male citizen then walked by the bush they hid behind, becoming startled when Jorgen ran up to him from behind. "Vait! Excuse me. I am looking for two telekinetic girls who are not supposed to exist. Have you seen them?"

The man stared creepily at the towering figure in the dark cloak. "POLIIIIICE!"

Squads of cop cars and ambulances sped out of nowhere as cops stepped out and took aim at the fairy. "No! Vait! I must find them and take them to a horrible place with a long name! Dyaaaaahhhh!" The tall fairy hurried away as the cops gave chase.

Langley Falls

The girls landed on a town rooftop… but as they stepped out, they slipped off the edge and into a dumpster, which fell closed. They slowly creaked the dumpster lid open, all covered in trash as Sunni looked aggravated. "Hehe… our piloting skills are as good as our teleporting." Darcy joked.

The girls climbed out as Darcy brushed the garbage off, while Sunni exploded a barrier to blow hers off, getting Darcy covered again. The mocha-skinned psychicbender then picked up a discarded newspaper. "Hm…well, we're in the right place. And Darcy, check this out!" Darcy brushed her garbage off and looked over her sister's shoulder. "'Sightings of a strange, gray alien in the woods.' Taken by Parker Peters." A picture showed the image of a naked, chubby alien with six fingers, six toes, and a huge, round, bald head.

"'No one knows where this strange being originates.'" Darcy read. "'Suspicions continue to surround… the Smith home.'"

They exchanged curious glances. "Hmmmmm…"

Outside of Smith home

The girls made their way out of town and passed down a neighborhood. They approached a yellow house with a flagpole, and a mailbox that read The Smiths. They quietly approached the house and crouched down as they peeked through a window. Inside, a big-chinned man in a blue suit was angrily yelling at a gray-skinned, short man in a red shirt, khaki pants, brown hair, and brown goatee. "Roger, I told you to be careful with these personas! Snapping photos of yourself? Didn't you learn your lesson the first time?"

"Gee, sorry, Stan, but you know me." the short man replied. "It gets so cramped in those costumes, I need to let the fanny hang out now and then.

"And what's this license for setting up a motel for Turkish immigrants in OUR house?!"

"Oh, that, heh heh, that's for Vincent. Speaking of which, I need to reroute our cable for Turkey T.V.." The alien retired upstairs.

"Could that be him?" Darcy whispered.

"Maybe. Let's check the attic."

The two snuck around and looked up at a window below the roof. They floated to the top of the roof, where Sunni hung her head upside-down to look through the window. The man pulled a bag of some kind of dust from his drawer, dumping it onto the table as he tried to inhale some through a straw into his nose. "Ahhhh…" he exhaled in relief. "Jack Fenton, you are a godsend."

Sunni and Darcy swiftly flipped into the window, drawing their lightsabers as Sunni yelled, "Freeze!"

The man turned and held his hands up, looking terrified. "Oh gods… I knew it was only a matter of time before two Filipino women would try to shank me. Look, ladies, there's plenty of spare change in the jar, just don't take my old films!"

"Nooo!" Sunni yelled. "We're not here for THAT! We need to ask you something, Roger."

"Roger? My name is Parker Peters, and the only alien is this bastard I'm trying to catch."

"Oh, cut the act, we were eavesdropping downstairs." Sunni stated.

Roger sighed. "Welp, there's no hiding it now." The alien took off his wig and clothes, revealing his true form underneath. "Hi, my name's Roger. I'm an alien."

"Coulda left the clothing on…" Sunni mumbled, shielding her eyes.

Darcy shook her head and replied, "Listen, we need your help. You're a timebender, right?"

"Well, I dunno about that. But I can move really, really fast. It's like time is slowing around me."

"Sounds timebender-ish to me." Sunni shrugged. "Listen, my sister and I sort of… messed something up in the past, and we need a timebender to help us get back so we can fix it."

"Well, kids, you're all outta luck there." Roger said. "I only know how to slow time down, you want me to warp anywhere, find me some grounded Mexican bull horns."

"Can you at least make us some Time Dust?"

"I can make protoplasm." Roger smiled as gallons of goo exploded from his body.

"Euuuuhhh!" the girls groaned. "No, we need some Time Dust to try and get this machine working!" Sunni yelled. "This is all we have!" She then presented the bag of grey dust to Roger.

Roger observed the bag intently and took it in his hand. "You know, I think I may be able to help you."

"You… can?" Darcy asked.

"E-yep. One whiff of this stuff, and I'm set for Rush Zone." The alien dumped the dust along his table and grabbed his straw. "I have problems controlling this stuff, so you'll need to tell me how far back you wanna go."

"Take us to about July 12 of 200-" Darcy was about to say.

"No!" Sunni intervened. "Take us back to the city of Roxas in, maybe, September 1, 2011. That's about when our mom would be in sixth grade."

"What?! Why are we going there?" Darcy questioned.

"To stop her from falling in love with Mr. Dimalanta! Duuuh!"

"Sunniii! Haven't we ruined the past ENOUGH? We have to go back and undo what we did before!"

"You mean letting an innocent little girl's parents die? We can't do that! We just have to make sure our mom falls in love with our dad again, and everything's all better!"

"Sunni, I'm really not sure about this. Frankly, in the past, your plans have gone a little… astray."

"Pssh, is that supposed to be a time travel joke?"

"Heh." Darcy chuckled. "You know, it kind of is."

"Darcy, I know I might've messed up a little, but this time, I'm sure we can fix things! You just gotta trust me!"

Darcy sighed. "Well… what if it doesn't?"

"Then we'll keep trying! Roger, take us to September of 2011!"

"Welp, if you say so. 9/11 it is."

Sunni and Darcy exchanged worried glances. "N-No-no, SEPTEMBER of 2011!" Sunni corrected.

"I know. Isn't that what I said?"

"No, you said… never mind."

"Okay then." With that, the alien stuck the straw into his "nose" and proceeded to inhale some of the worn Time Dust. Suddenly, his pupils expanded in size and his eyes widened. "Grab my arms."

"Get the Time Dust!" Sunni ordered quickly. Darcy quickly scooped the dust into the bag before they both grabbed onto Roger's arms.

"Okay, girls: hold on tight!" And in the blink of an eye, all three were gone.

The girls held tight onto Roger as the alien soared them across a colorful dimension of flowers, unicorns, and many wavy patterns. Sunni and Darcy stared with amazement, while Roger's expression was of peace and serenity. As they flew across the colorful plane, a feeling of calmness and relaxation overtook them. It lasted for a few more seconds before they appeared along the sidewalk of a street, where Sunni and Darcy dropped into two trash cans. They poked their heads out as Roger turned to them.

"Well, here we are. Roxas of September 1, 2011. Now, I'm gonna check if this place has any restaurants for Vietnam veterans, look for me downtown when ya wanna go back." The alien left them to themselves.

Sunni and Darcy climbed out of the trash cans and proceeded to shake the garbage off. "Okay… now we just need to find the school our mom went to and stop her from falling in love with Mason and Haruka's dad." Sunni said.

"Right." Darcy brushed a banana peel off and replied, "But if we mess things up again, we're going back to stop ourselves from saving them."

Sunni released a sigh, unsure about this. But, she nodded anyway. "Okay."

Roxas Elementary

The school bells rung throughout the grounds, and all of the students that were playing around outside piled in. Once the grounds were clear of kids, Sunni and Darcy stuck their heads out of a dumpster, once again covered in garbage. "Okay. So, the plan is to sneak in the school and kidnap our mom before she and Mr. Dimalanta get to know each other?" Darcy whispered.

"More or less. But we need to be stealthy."

"Not so fast!" They flinched at this sudden loud voice. Standing over their dumpster was Jorgen von Strangle. "You have meddled with the past long enough, and it is high time I banished you! And let's do so quick, before my nose is succumbed to this smelly dumpster. YAAAH!" He lunged at them.

"AAAH!" the girls quickly slipped out, causing the fairy to miss and fall in the dumpster. They ran as he stuck his head out and glared at them.

"You think simple trash will hold ME? You-" He silenced himself when he heard a strange beeping sound, and the dumpster was suddenly lifted into the air by the dump truck. "GYAAAAAHHH!" Jorgen screamed as the dumpster was turned over, dropping him under piles of garbage in the truck. "No! I have just vashed this cloak! Vait, I cannot find my vand! Turn back! Gyaa-haaaaaah!" The truck drove away, ignoring Jorgen's echoing cries.

Meanwhile, Sunni and Darcy were now creeping through the school's air vents. "How are we supposed to kidnap our mom in the middle of school?" Darcy asked.

"We'll use mind-tricks again. First, we need to find her classroom. You search down that way," Sunni pointed down an alternate duct, "and I'll keep this way." Sunni continued down the straight path, while Darcy went through her instructed path.

Sunni found another opening in her path and peeked through, finding herself above a classroom where Mikaela Corella herself stood at the front of the class. "Class, allow me to introduce our new student, Ms. Mikaela Corella." the teacher announced. The red-spectacled girl grinned and waved.

"Hiii!" everybody waved.

"Mika, why don't you take that seat next to Matthew?" Sunni gasped, watching as her mother did indeed sit in the open chair beside the dark-haired boy with blue highlights.

Matthew smiled at his new classmate. "Hey."

Mika turned and smiled back. "Hey there."

"My name's Matthew. Where'd you move from?"

"Not too far. I'm from Parañaque."

"Cool!"

"Hey, is that your pencil?"

"Huh?" Matt confusedly looked at his pencil. "Um, yeah, I-" He stopped himself when the pencil suddenly flew into Mika's hand.

The choco-skinned girl grinned. "Now it's mine!"

Matt gaped. "How did you do that?"

Mika gave the pencil back and said, "I'm a psychicbender! You know, controlling things with your mind and stuff."

"Whoa! I can bend poison!"

"Really?"

"Okay, enough talking class." The teacher announced. "This assignment's due by the end of bell. So, get to it!"

The two faced down at their desks, but glanced at each other as Mika whispered, "Talk later."

Sunni started to panic, but quickly calmed herself. While the teacher turned away to organize books, Sunni quietly opened the vent. Using her hands to channel psychic, she positioned her right to gag Mika's mouth and her left to squeeze her arms together. She quickly yanked Mika into the vent. "Sorry, Mom." She slapped a Psychic Stun to knock her out.

Matthew glanced to his left. He gasped at the empty desk. "Mika?…"

Meanwhile, Darcy was searching down another corridor of the duct, coming up to another opening. "Hey, Rainier, you hear about that new girl that's in Ms. Francine's class?" Darcy gasped, hurrying over to peek down into the classroom.

"Oh, yeah. She's a psychicbender, isn't she?" Rainier asked.

"Is that… Dad?" Darcy asked herself quietly. "He looks a lot different in this time. Well, might as well kidnap him, too. Heh. I'm really getting into this plan." When the students began their Start of Year assignment, Darcy pulled the same maneuver and yanked Rainier into the vent, knocking him out.

Outside, Sunni and Mika reappeared via teleportation above the dumpster, falling inside. She saw Darcy reappear beside her, sticking her head above the trash. "Great, Darcy! I found Mom!" Sunni said, presenting the still-unconscious psychic.

"Cool! And hey: I found Dad!" Darcy presented an unconscious Rainier.

Sunni appeared shocked. "What? I don't remember Dad going to this school."

"Well, a lot of stuff changed. Maybe he transferred here, too."

"Eh, maybe. Well, we might as well introduce 'em. Hey! Mom! Wake up!" Sunni yelled, proceeding to smack Mika across the cheeks.

"Wakey, wakey, Daddy." Darcy called, slapping her 'father.'

"Whuh?" Mika shot awake.

"Who's there?" Rainier snapped awake.

"Mika, this is Rainier, Rainier, this is Mika." Sunni said quickly. "Get to know each other, have fun!" They immediately climbed out and hurried from the dumpster, leaving Mika and Rainier to stare confusedly.

"…Uhh…" Mika drew out.

"Hehe. This dumpster stinks." Rainier blushed.

"Heehee, yep!"

"…Hey, you're that new girl. The psychic."

"Hee, yeah, I am!"

"Cool!"

"Hehe…" Mika blushed.

Sunni and Darcy hid behind a bush and smirked as they watched this. "Well, I think our work here is done." Sunni whispered.

"Should we stick around and make sure they… fall in love?"

"No way! That'll take forever! Come on, let's just go find Roger."

"Well… okay." Darcy hurried after her sister, once again feeling uncertainty.

Somewhere downtown

Roger was currently selling Vietnam medals in some new disguise when Sunni and Darcy approached him. "Oh, hey, you're back! Did you get finished?" he asked.

"Yeah, we think so." Sunni replied. "We can go back, now."

"Super, I just made a killing in selling medals to mentally ill adults with war obsessions. Spoiler alert, deviantArt's about to see a lot more spam posts. O-kay, let's go!" Sunni pulled out the Time Dust and scattered some on the table for Roger to inhale. The girls took hold of him, and were once again floating through a realm of colorful flowers and cool air. The affect lasted for a few more seconds before it ended.

In front of Mika's house

"Annnd, we are home." Roger reported once they were on their feet again. "Now, if you'll excuse me, time to put this money to good use." The alien walked away.

"Alright, let's see what's changed." Sunni said. The two approached the home as Sunni opened the door. "MOOOM, we're HO-…WWWHAT?!" They stood shocked at the sight of two OTHER strange kids, sitting on the couch. "WHO are YOU?!"

The woman of the house came in. "What's with all the shouting?" Mika asked.

"Mom? Who are these kids?!" Sunni shouted.

"'Mom'?" Mika questioned. "RAINIER, HONEY! Do we know these kids?"

Mika's husband, who was certainly NOT Rainier Chariton, came in. "Hm…can't say that I do."

"HUH?" Sunni shouted again. "Oh, COME OOON! WE'RE YOUR KIDS! WE-" Darcy immediately cupped a hand over her mouth.

"Whoopsie, wrong house. Sorry to intrude you, Miss." Darcy apologized before leading her sister out of the house.

Sunni and Darcy hurried away and jumped behind the same bush from before. "I don't get it! What other Rainier WAS there?"

Darcy thought for a second, and her face perked up. "Ohhhh! You know what, I just remembered Mom telling us about how she used to go to school with a Rainier Narboneta! And laughing how he had the same name as Dad! Heh heh heh…" She chuckled nervously.

"NNNNNGH!" Sunni grabbed and shook her sister by the shirt. "I KNEW our dad didn't use to go there! He used to work for GUN, dang it!"

"Okay, okay, calm down. We'll go find Roger and fix this again."

"My thoughts exactly, let's go!" The girls quickly bolted down the street.

Somewhere downtown

Roger was dressed up as a girl with a bra and panties in a strip club, sitting on a table as he and a man stared longingly at each other. "You ever find mystical elves frolicking in your chesthair?"

"ROGER!" The alien jumped when Sunni and Darcy charged in.

"AHH! Oh, you two again?"

"The plan failed, we need to go back to that same date again." Sunni said quickly.

"Huh? No we don't! We need to go back to the date when we CAUSED all this chaos!" Darcy corrected. "You promised!"

"This was just a simple mistake, which YOU made, and we can easily have it fixed, so back to September 1 we go!" Barely giving Roger a choice, she dumped the Time Dust onto the table.

"Ugh, fine!" Roger sighed, gesturing for the other man to go away. "Sorry, hot stuff, call me when your wife want a three-way. Alright, let's go." The girls took his arms as Roger inhaled the dust, and colors and flowers surrounded their bodies once again. The affect seemed to last even shorter before they were right back in front of the school. "There, now don't interrupt me until AFTER I'm hung over." The alien grumpily walked away.

"…Look, they're still in the dumpster!" Sunni pointed.

"Wow, so your ship was attacked by some giant octopus?" Rainier asked Mika as they were still indeed in the dumpster. "But how did you escape?"

"Hm… I'm not sure. I think-" Rainier and Mika were instantly bashed from behind the head and knocked out.

Sunni and Darcy hurriedly teleported them to inside the school, landing on and smashing their desks, startling the other students. "MIKA?!" Matthew screamed.

"Oh, dear!" the teacher gasped. "Her desk must've been loose! I told them we should've bought new ones!"

"Boy, our mom is going to have major brain damage when she grows up…" Darcy sighed with worry. "Sunni, I really think we should forget about all this. Let's just go back and-"

"No! I'm not going to have our mom grow up without parents. Look, Darcy, the pieces are all here, we just need to put 'em together! Trust me…"

Darcy gave an exhausted sigh. "Fine…"

"Great, now let's check up on our mom."

Inside, Matthew helped a groaning Mika to stand. "Mika? You alright?"

"I…I don't know." Mika rubbed her head. "I think something hit me."

Matt sniffed her. "Euh! You smell like the dumpster. …I like it." He smirked.

"Um…heehee." Mika grinned and blushed.

Mika was allowed to sit at the teacher's desk to finish her assignment. When the class cleared out, Matthew approached her. "Listen, if you don't have any plans… maybe we can go see a movie."

"Really?"

"Yeah. You hear about that Last Airbender movie?"

"Oooh, yeah! I heard the director based it off real events or something! And it's about element bending! Though, I dunno about that rumor that it took place on another planet."

"Hehe, me either. Still, it's only fitting since we're both benders. See you later?"

"Right, see ya!" The two went separate ways, secretly watched by Sunni and Darcy from a window above, their eyes wide.

"Oh, no! We can't let them go on that date!" Sunni whispered.

"Well, what're we supposed to do?"

Sunni thought for a second. "…We need to find Dad! Okay, you try and sneak into the G.U.N.'s hideout, and I'll go to Sector V to help me stop that date."

"Sunni, are you crazy? Talking to Sector V of the PAST?"

"I've got no other option! But we need to make sure they NEVER fall in love, and get Dad to like Mom!"

"Uuugh! But how am I supposed to sneak into GUN's base without getting caught?"

"Just wipe out soldiers as you go, it's easy."

"But this is the PAST! We can't just wipe them out!"

"Please, they have a hundred soldiers, they won't notice a few go missing."

"Huff! Fine! See you in a bit."

"Good luck." Both girls teleported.

Sector V Treehouse

Sector V was watching cartoons on the T.V., but directed their attention over to the trash can when they heard something fall in it. "Ugh! Can I teleport ONCE without falling in…?" She took notice of the operatives staring at her. "What?"

"Teen Alert. Teen Alert."

The operatives drew their weapons and took aim at the teenager. "FREEZE!"

"Nonononononono!" Sunni raised her hands in defense, toppling out of the dumpster and standing up. "Kids, I'm not here to fight you, but I really need your help."

"Sorry, but we don't help teenagers." Numbuh One replied smugly.

"Numbuh 5 helped Maurice!" Kuki reminded.

"Er, THAT doesn't count!"

"Listen, guys, I can't explain everything, but… wait, hold on, Numbuh 1 is supposed to be in GKND at this time, wasn't he?"

"Uh, GKND?" the bald boy in question asked. "What're you talking about?"

"The German Kids Next Door?" Hoagie asked.

Sunni was about to respond, but hesitated and looked away. "It didn't happen in this time?" she mumbled. "Ergh, never mind! Look, I really need your help, in, keeping this girl from falling in love, with…er, this guy."

The five exchanged confused glances. "Is this some sort of crush thing?" Nigel asked.

"Sorry, girly, go solve your lovey, mushy problem yourself." Wally stated.

Sunni sighed. "Okay, to be perfectly honest, that girl is…er, that girl is in possession of a powerful gem that can…uh…er, that can take away snack time for all kids…er, forever! And that boy wants to see that happen, so, we need to stop her from liking him."

"EEEEEEEK!" Kuki screamed.

"Sounds kind of suspicious." Nigel said.

"Yeah, Numbuh 5 ain't diggin' it." Abby said.

"I know one thing." Hoagie began as he approached the psychicbender. "I don't turn my back on a little lady in need." He said with a smirk, getting his face close to Sunni's, who stared speechlessly. "You're kinda cute."

"Umm…"

"MAN, why is it that you like to flirt with teenagers?" Abby asked.

Sunni shook it off. "Look, will you guys help me or not?"

"Well, what's your plan? You can't expect us to keep these two apart forever." Nigel said.

"My sister's going to get this other guy that likes her, so we only want you to keep at this until she's officially in love with him, okay?"

"Okay, but-"

"Good, then let's go! They're going to see a movie, so we have to keep them from… making out or something." With that, Sunni headed first to the hangar, followed by a confused Sector V.

"Man, what is with this chick?" Abby asked.

"I dunno, but I'd like to share an ice cream with her." Hoagie said coolly.

"D'aw, man. This is gonna be a looong journey."

G.U.N. HQ

Helicopters and GUN robots patrolled the top-secret-but-not-all-that-secret base all around the perimeter. As a helicopter's searchlight passed by an area, Darcy appeared, backing herself against a wall. "Well, at least I'm getting this teleporting thing under control. No garbage-" She was interrupted when a pile of trash collapsed onto her from a pipe above. She put on a frustrated expression and said, "Well, that killed the moment. Well, I guess I better look for Dad." She climbed into a nearby air vent.

A group of GUN soldiers passed down a hallway as Darcy dropped from the vents and crept behind some crates. "Lucky they have a lot of crates lying around." She whispered as she quietly crawled forward. "I'll just find where Dad is and-" Once more, she was cut off when the alarm sounded, having been spotted by a security cam. Squadrons of soldiers came from all directions and aimed their weapons at the girl. They all unleashed fire, and Darcy immediately protected herself in a psychic shield. The shield disabled when she teleported away, dashing down a hall while GUN soldiers shot bullets behind her, forcing her to defend with her lightsaber.

"Sunni's plan had better work this time…" she mumbled to herself. Another squad of troops appeared in front of her, so Darcy started to jump around and slice anyone she could with her saber. She then grabbed a group of soldiers using psychic and hurled them into a pursuing group. When a GUN Beetle charged at her, she sliced it with her sword and kept going. "Sigh, guess I'll have to cut up this entire base until I find him."

She ran to slice another door in two, startling an onyx-haired boy with a blue jacket and glasses on the other side. "Gah! Who're you?"

"Well, that didn't take long." Darcy said before slicing a Laser Hunter. She grabbed her future father by the wrist and began dragging him down the hall.

"Um, can I ask what's going on here?" Rainier Chariton asked.

"If all goes as planned, it's gonna be true love." Darcy replied.

"Heh. Sounds fascinating."

Darcy kicked her foot forward and blew another squadron away using psychic, continuing to pull Rainier as they ran up a wall and over a ceiling to avoid laser barriers. When a door tried to close in their path, Darcy teleported them to the other side.

"You're a psychicbender!" Rainier exclaimed.

"If you're amazed now." Darcy gripped Rainier's arm with both hands, swinging him to knock away several robots.

Darcy eventually sliced her sword through the front gates, hurrying out with Rainier. When the troops tried to chase after her, they had already teleported. "Grrr! We lost them!" a soldier grumbled.

The two reappeared in the forest just outside of the base. "Well, that was… exciting." Rainier said, still slightly amazed. "Was that some sort of rescue?"

"Well, not technically. Anyway, there's someone you need to meet. Someone special."

"Oh, I think I already found my special someone." He said coolly as he took Darcy's hand in both of his. "You."

"Oh?" Darcy was speechless.

"And I have to say, you are probably the prettiest girl I've ever met. The rose really looks good on you."

Darcy felt like she was about to throw up right now. My DAD is in LOVE with me?! "Um, that's great, but you really need to meet this person! Hehe!" She grinned in nervousness. "Come, let's go to the movies!" She grabbed his wrist and began to hurry off with him again.

"Ooh, already on a first date! This girl works fast."

Roxas Movie Theater

Mika and Matthew were already hand in hand as they entered the theater. Sunni and Sector V kept watch on them from a bush beside the entrance. "Those are the ones?" Nigel whispered.

"Yes, that's them. Now, just keep those two apart at all costs."

"Y'know, Sunni, now that we're here, we COULD find an empty theater and have it all to ourselves—ow!" Hoagie was about to put his arm around Sunni, but Abby smacked him with her hat.

"Mmman, le's just get these two broken up so we don't evuh have ta see 'em ever again." Abby decided as the five entered the theater.

Sunni waited outside, having suddenly received a cellphone call from her sister. "Hey, Darcy."

"Sunni! I got Dad, we're on our way to the theater. How're things coming?"

"Good. We're about to break up their date. Meet me outside the theater, I'll bring our mom out. Later." She hung up, then proceeded to climb over the roof, and sneak into another air vent.

The psychic crawled around until she was in the theater where they were showing The Last Airbender. It wasn't long before Mika and Matthew came in, taking a seat beside the other. "Ugh… previews." Matthew groaned.

"Yup, they are annoying." Mika agreed.

"Still, though… it never hurts to fool around beforehand." He smirked, taking her hand.

"Heehee!…" The two stared at each other's eyes for a few moments.

"Come on, come ooon…" Sunni sweated with anticipation.

Before they knew it, bombs flew in, and the entire theater was shrouded in smoke. "There he is, grab him!" Nigel's voice yelled, and the sector laid siege upon the poisonbender's form, pushing Mika away.

During all of the havoc, Sunni charged in, grabbed Mika, and quickly carried her out.

Mika gasped for breath once they arrived outside, Sunni setting her on her feet. "What is going ON? I was in the middle of a date, and-" Darcy reached behind and turned Mika around, making her face Rainier Chariton.

"Mika, this is Rainier Chariton, Rainier, Mika. Enjoy!" Darcy grinned.

"Whoa-whoa-whoa, hold on, now." Rainier stopped. "What is this?"

"Listen, we can't explain now, but it's absolutely CRUCIAL that you fall in love." Sunni stated.

"Who, with her?" Rainier asked. "That's awfully nice, buuut… I'm more interested in this girl." He smiled at Darcy.

"What did you DO?" Sunni asked through gritted teeth.

Darcy raised hands in defense. "Don' look at me. Anyway, Rainy, I'm sure you and Mika would make a GREAT match!"

"Umm, o-kay, but I'd like to get back to my own date first." Mika stated.

"Meanwhile, we could have a little date." Rainier said to Darcy.

"But-"

"Mika!" They turned and saw Matthew running out, but was tackled by Numbuh One.

"You're not going anywhere, Matthew!" Nigel yelled. "We know you're after a gem that will end all snack time, and you're not gonna get it!"

"WHAT?!" Matthew shoved the Brit off. "I'm not after any GEM! I was just on a date with my GIRLfri—I mean, hanging out with my friend!"

"Matthew!" Mika ran over to his side. "You OK?"

"I think so. These kids are crazy!"

"Don't try to trick us! This girl said you were after some kind of gem she has!" Nigel yelled, pointing at Sunni.

Matt stared confusedly at her. "Who is she?"

"I don't have any gem." Mika stated.

"You…You don't?" Nigel questioned.

"Nooo! I may be psychic, but I'm not rich or anything like that! Now can we just get on with our date, please?"

"Err…go right ahead." Nigel decided. With a 'huff,' Mika and Matthew turned and reentered the theater.

"But-But-" Sunni stuttered.

"Look, I don't know what's going on, but we're going home." Nigel decided as he and his sector turned and walked away.

"Hey, Sunni!" Hoagie ran beside his new crush. "If you want, I can show you my plane collection! Yipe!" Abby dragged her friend by the ear as they walked away.

"When we get home, Numbuh 5's showin' you a new collection of footprints in yo' butt."

"Call me!" he yelled once more.

"Uuugh! We failed again." Sunni whined. "Come on, let's go."

"Darcy, wait." Rainier called before Darcy walked away.

"What is it, Rain-" Darcy couldn't speak, for the boy had pulled her in for a deep, long kiss. Darcy's eyes widened with absolute disgust. If she felt like throwing up before, she felt like her entire stomach was going to explode with barf now. By the time the kiss ended, Darcy remained shocked and speechless.

"Even though it wasn't a date, this night was pretty exciting. I'll look for you later." He assured before walking off.

Darcy stood there for several moments, her sister having to drag her off by the arm. "Come, OOON!"

"Okay, Sunni, that's enough of this." said Darcy once they arrived in an alleyway. "We're going back and undoing what we did."

"No! We'll just have to go back and try again."

"Sunni, just FACE it! You can't, change, the past. This was all a pointless journey, and our best plan is to ensure it never happens."

"Hey, YOU can throw in the towels if you want, but I'M gonna keep trying, dang it!"

"That's it, Sunni! YOU are, OFFICIALLY, OBSESSED!"

"OBSESSED WITH WHAT?! Trying to save TWO innocent lives from DEATH?!"

"You're obsessed with trying to accomplish something you can't possibly do! It's IMPOSSIBLE to get the kind of future you want. Now, I know giving up isn't usually a good option, but for SOME cases, it's probably the best idea."

"NNNNO! You can say what you want, but I will NOT stand back and let two innocent people die! Now, I'm gonna find Roger, and-"

"Eeehhhh…"

They looked around in search of the source of this creepy moan. Sunni pushed aside a trashcan, finding the alien himself, pale and laying in a puddle of beer. "Roger!"

"Kiilll meeee…"

"Roger, what happened?" Sunni asked worriedly.

"All that dust.. must've fogged up my brain somethin' fierce. I was so dizzy, I couldn't help but drink and drink… I can usually withstand it, but I've never even inhaled Time Dust before… now I see what it does."

"No! You have to take us back in time again!" Sunni yelled.

"Sorry, kids. I'm…" He fainted.

"No! Roger! Wake up!" She smacked him.

"Sunni, he won't. It's pointless." Darcy stated.

Rage filled her mind, desperateness in Sunni's eyes as she repeatedly slapped Roger. "Wake up! Wake up! Wake up! Wake up! Wake up! Wake up! WAKE UUUP!"

Darcy immediately grabbed her hand. "Sunni. It's over. We've failed."

"NNNNO!" Sunni shook her off. "I refuse to quit! I'll keep trying until the END OF TIME ITSELF!"

Darcy switched out her lightsaber. "I can't let you destroy yourself like that, Sunni. I'll fight you if it'll get you to quit."

Sunni switched out her saber and said, "You will be destroyed FIRST."

"Sunni, please. I don't want this to happen. Just call it quits and let's find a way home."

"We HAVE no home! Not when we don't exist! And I refuse to exist WITHOUT OUR GRANDPARENTS!"

"Sunni, I'm begging you. Just… forget about it. Let's go home."

Tears welded up in Sunni's eyes. "NEEVEEEEERRR!" (Play "Anakin vs. Obi-wan" from Star Wars III.)

Boss fight: Sunni Chariton

In just a moment, Sunni's laser sword began clashing with Darcy's. Darcy defended from her quick strikes, jumping when Sunni sliced at her legs. Darcy swung at her, but Sunni kept her sword back. Sunni kicked her sister upside the head and shoved her away. Darcy leapt and attempted to impale her, but Darcy jumped out of the way. The two clashed their blades once again, and Sunni used psychic to grab a nearby trashcan, throwing it to her sister. Darcy ducked, then watched as the can hit a car and made it crash on the road. She turned back and quickly ducked before Sunni stabbed her, running out onto the street. Darcy grabbed more cans on the road and hurled them at her psychotic sibling, but Sunni sliced the cans in half as they came.

A bunch of cars crashed as a result of them running on the street, their swords colliding with the other again. Sparks were made as the sabers shoved each other, and both girls began jumping around cars, using psychic to levitate some and hurl them at each other. Getting more desperate, Sunni levitated a tanker truck, aiming the tank's side at Darcy before throwing it, causing an enormous explosion. Through the smoke, Darcy shot a Psycho Sphere and shoved Sunni into a building, exploding. The smoke cleared, and Sunni was battered and torn, her anger growing stronger. She used her psychic to levitate a bunch of trees that were growing around the area, launching them all at Darcy.

Darcy ended up tangled within the branches, gasping in horror when she saw Sunni's bloodshot eyes glaring at her. The older sibling charged at the trapped sibling, but Darcy teleported before Sunni's sword cut the branches. Sunni kept her sword raised, searching around for Darcy. She finally spotted her sister when she slipped into a sewer hole, leaping to pierce the lid open and drop inside. She saw Darcy running along a bridge of sewer pipes, desperately cutting open the pipes to make Darcy slip. Sewage spilled onto Sunni as a result, but Darcy jumped to the sidewalk and ran.

Sunni kept after her sister, launching Psycho Spheres straight ahead to blast the younger sibling. Darcy leapt to the other side and ran the opposite way, but Sunni jumped ahead of her and swung her sword, forcing Darcy to defend quickly. Sunni kicked Darcy away, and Darcy tried to recover and attack her, but was too late as Sunni levitated her with the Psycho Choke. Darcy desperately gasped for air, but rage and desire remained in Sunni's eyes. Darcy was merely moments away from death, but to her good fortune, a crocodile emerged from the sewer rivers and tried to snack on Sunni, who dodged and was forced to release Darcy. Sunni slashed her blade at the crocodile, eventually killing it, but then Darcy grabbed Sunni in her psychic and launched her above the sewer lid.

Sunni flew above ground, taking land on the concrete street, jumping to her feet when Darcy shot back up. Sunni felt more rage than ever, trembling with psychic energy as the earth began to crack. Fire hydrants spewed water everywhere, and spouts of water emerged from below the ground. Darcy charged and attempted to grab her sister, but the two locked hands and struggled for a while before Darcy was thrown and slid along the ground. Sunni leapt to slice her, but Darcy rolled over and pushed her away with a psychic barrier, sending her flying back. Darcy jumped to her feet, as did Sunni, and both siblings ran and clashed their blades again. Darcy back-flipped to avoid a strike from Sunni, and the two were still at it. Sunni shoved Darcy against a building with psychic, but Darcy stood firm and levitated several more cans, chucking them at her sister. Sunni jump-rolled and avoided, shooting and slicing at her sister.

Darcy protected from the strikes and grabbed her sister in psychic, chucking her into an alleyway. Sunni looked up and gasped at the levitated dumpster, which Darcy turned upside-down before she dropped it to catch her. With that, Darcy spun the dumpster around and around herself before launching it at a wall, the dumpster falling to the ground with a thud.

Darcy took this time to catch her breath, but gasped when Sunni warped right behind her. She jumped around and clashed with her sword, but Sunni kicked the lightsaber right out of her hand. As Darcy looked up to try and grab it, her eyes and mouth dropped wide open: Sunni's lightsaber had impaled her chest. (End song.)

The joy and life was slowly leaving Darcy's violet eyes. Sunni grinded her teeth in anger and frustration, her hands gripped tight to the sword that went through her sister's heart. It didn't take long for Sunni to realize what she did. Her anger and frustration left, and was replaced with regret. "Darcy!" She switched the saber off, catching her sister before she fell down. Tears started to well up in her eyes as she stared over her deceased sister's form. "No… What have I done?! I killed my sister… and for WHAT?! Something I could NEVER hope to do?!"

Smoke burst forth several feet away, and Sunni stared up at Jorgen von Strangle's form. "NOW do you see my reasons for my actions?! You see the consequences for interfering with the timeline?! People who mess with the timeline never rest until their satisfactions are met! They are overtaken by their obsessions, and end up destroying all that they ever cared about." Sunni's eyes remained with tears, and she sobbed. "AND NOW… YOU… VILL PERISH!" The Fairy King raised his wand and brought it down on the child.

Before it made contact, the King Wand was held back by the Chrono Staff. "Okay, Jorgen. I think she's learned her lesson." Sunni gaped. Jagar King had come to her rescue.

"Vhat? I cannot just let this go. She has broken a dangerous balance, and she must-"

"Leave this in the hands of the professionals. If I recall, you still owe me for saving you from Lucinda."

Jorgen sighed. "Fine. I vill leave it to you. …We're still up for '80's disco, right?"

"You know it." Jagar smirked. On that note, Jorgen poofed away.

Jagar looked down as Sunni was still weeping over her sister. "Changing fate always has a price. And the price may never be what you expect."

"I…I don't know what came over me. I was just… so… obsessed! I should've listened to her before it was too late."

"We're never always proud of the things we've done in the past. And there's never a way to make that pain go away. …But true, while we can't see that the pain goes away… we can still see that the pain never comes."

Sunni looked up and faced the timebender, a reassuring look upon his visage.

Roxas Harbor, 2005

It soon became nightfall hours later as the two were now roaming around a casino area aboard the ship. "Sunni, it's been hours, and we still haven't found our-"

"There she is!" Sunni excitedly pointed over at the 6-year-old Mika, standing with her parents as she held her mom's finger. "Mom-" Darcy quickly stopped Sunni before she ran over.

"Sunni, are you crazy?" Darcy whispered. "Running up to a little 6-year-old girl and calling her 'Mom'? Are we supposed to let her see us?"

"Calm down, she's only six. She'll never remember."

"And what if she does?"

Sunni sighed. "Fine. But we have to save 'em somehow."

"Let's go look at stars, Mommy!" the 6-year-old Mika excitedly jumped.

"Hm-hm, okay, Sweetheart!" The mother smiled as both parents led her outside.

Sunni and Darcy were about to follow them, until two hands caught their shoulders and held them back. "Wait."

They turned and gasped with utter shock. Another Sunni Chariton stood behind them. "What-… Who…?!" Sunni couldn't find the words.

"TWO Sunnis?" Darcy exclaimed.

"Listen. I'm you from the future." Future Sunni told them.

"But… we're from the future." Sunni replied.

"I'm from the further future. I'm here to stop you from doing this."

"What?! I can't turn back now! I have to save our-"

"I know." Future Sunni cut her off. "Trust me, it's not worth it. The past can't be changed. And even if it can, you can never get the kind of future you want. It's best to just call it quits."

"I can't call it quits!" Sunni stated. "I can't go back when my mom is still upset. I have to try."

Darcy then realized something. "Um…shouldn't there be a Future Darcy?"

Future Sunni looked down in shame. "Look… there are just some things… that can't be accomplished. The only thing to do is… live with what you have. And… be happy you still have a loving family."

Sunni tilted her head down, beginning to have second thoughts about this plan. But right then, the entire ship quaked, and people began screaming as Kraken tentacles emerged to drag people down. "AAAAHHH!" Sunni and Darcy gasped, watching as one of the tentacles grabbed Future Sunni, pulling into the depths.

"Well, what should we do?" Darcy asked as Sunni glanced over to their future mom and grandparents. She only stood and watched as her grandfather was snatched by a tentacle, pulled into the depths.

"DADDY!" six-year-old Mika cried.

"Come on. Let's get out of here." Sunni decided, reaching in her pocket to pull out the T.R.A.V.E.L.E.R.. "AAHHH!" However, both girls were grabbed by tentacles, and were being swung around. Sunni pulled out her lightsaber and sliced herself free, then proceeded to save Darcy. As they dropped to the floor, the T.R.A.V.E.L.E.R. fell into an open hole. "Come on!" Sunni yelled, her sister following as they both dove into the hole, going beneath the sea.

They swam around for several minutes, avoiding the destruction caused by the Kraken as they searched for the T.R.A.V.E.L.E.R.. Sunni tapped Darcy's shoulder and pointed to said item, sinking several feet away. They swam for it, but two Dutchman Pirates dove down, grabbed it, and swam for the surface. Before the girls could give chase, two pirates had grabbed them as well.

Moments later, they were taken aboard the Flying Dutchman. A pirate was holding the T.R.A.V.E.L.E.R., while both psychics were on their knees, staring up as the disgustingly fearsome captain stood over them. "Well, lookee here, boys… two little birdies whom have yet to fly." Davy Jones spoke in his thick Scottish accent. "I have no time for games with such inferior servants. To the depths with them."

The girls shut their eyes tight, awaiting for the pirates to cut their necks open. "Unless…" They poked one eye open, looking at the captain. Davy Jones grinned as he said, "they can sing me a jaunty tune."

Darcy grinned with glee, jumping to her feet to the center of the deck as she began to dance. "OOONE TIME, I WAS a-"

"JUST GET IN THE FREAKING TIME MACHINE, DARCY!" Sunni screamed, standing over a defeated pirate. The portal spiraled open, and Darcy dashed in, vanishing into the vortex with her sister.

Chariton Household

After their little failed adventure, and returning the time machine to the Gilligans, Sunni and Darcy returned home, kicked back on the couch. "Weell, that didn't really go as I'd hoped." Sunni said. "We didn't save our grandparents or anything. I wonder why that Future Sunni was there to stop us?"

"I dunno. But she must've had a good reason. And Sunni… I'm proud of you." Darcy smiled, putting a hand on her sister's shoulder. "You learned something today. I don't know what happened, but today you learned that... certain goals just can't be reached. I'm not saying it's great to give up… but it is important that some people know their limitations. And now, you know yours."

"Hehehe." Sunni blushed, still very confused. Today, she learned something, without actually learning anything. "Thanks, Darcy… I think."

"Hey, girls!" Mika greeted, coming in to greet them with a smile. "What've you been up to?"

"MOM!" Sunni and Darcy jumped up and embraced her legs in hugs.

"For some reason, we're really happy to see you!" Darcy said.

"Hehehe… it's only been a couple hours!" Mika laughed.

"Hey, Mom…" Sunni began to ask, "if… things have been different… and there was a way to bring your parents back… would you do it?"

Mika's smile went down. The woman sat down on the couch and pulled up the picture of her and her parents. "Well… I do miss them a lot. And sometimes, I do wish I could bring them back somehow… but oh well. I don't need them. Not when I have two sweet daughters like you." Mika smiled, hugging her children once again. "For some reason, I'm just really glad you two are okay… and that you actually exist!"

"Heh heh, so are we." Darcy laughed.

"Yeah… thank goodness everything is back to normal." Sunni said.

Just then, the ceiling broke open, and Roger the Alien collapsed through a hole, glaring drunkily. "I'm LIVING here now, so GIMME some pecan sandies!" He fainted.

Several feet away from the house, Jagar King and Jorgen von Strangle watched this lovely reunion. "Well… all's well that ends well." Jagar said.

"Yes. But Jagar, I've been meaning to ask… why didn't Uno go to GKND in that time?"

"Perhaps because Jirachi, and by extension GKND, didn't exist there. Gods have no business in parallel universes doomed to collapse. That's what was created by Sunni's tampering. Alas, she paid the price for it. She became a variant that died with that universe. But now fate is set on the correct course. Hopefully the Sunni and Darcy of 'now' can attain a better future."

"Hah! The same lesson Danny Fenton learned from Clockwork! I love putting mortals through roundabout journeys where they accomplish nothing!"

"Heh heh, yeah."

"Well, at any rate… disco?"

"You know it."

In a flash, both beings were in the '80's, dancing to the funky beats of disco. Some cop sirens sounded, and Jorgen gasped at a squadron of policemen, quickly fleeing away from them. "Vait! I can explain! It is all fixed! The girls exist now! GYAA-HAAAAIII!" Jagar ignored the fairy's cries and continued dancing.

 

[Gamen Watch]

This is another size-changing chapter, starring Maddy Murphy and introducing some important characters/concepts.

Maddy's Lesson

Downtown Quahog

Chaos was taking place in Quahog one afternoon. "Faster, troops, don't let 'im get away!" Francis Drilovsky, Numbuh 686, yelled as he and his battalion of decommissioners sped after a runaway teenager, all wearing jetpacks. In the modern KND, operatives were no longer decommissioned simply for turning 13, but as it so happens, this newly-turned teenager decided to make off with top secret files. His treachery would earn him a memory-wiping. The teenager hurled M.A.R.B.L.E.s behind him and did his best to take down the pursuing operatives. Francis was able to dodge them okay, but his troops were having a rough time.

After making several turns around buildings, the teenager took cover in an alleyway and slipped behind a dumpster, watching as the troops zipped by without bothering to look. The teen took a moment to catch his breath, glancing up to see a Teen Ninja bike ship hovering overhead, with several ninjas standing in the open hatch. "Come on, before they come back!" an African-American ninja yelled, her face concealed behind her mask.

The teen smirked and was about to fly up, but a pair of eyes peeped out from inside a trash can. "YAAAAH!" Zach Murphy hopped out and grabbed the teenager from behind. The teen's jetpack zoomed out of control, but Zach was able to rip it off as they fell to the ground. "Hah! And Maddy said the trash can was so overused! All yours, Sis!"

"WHOOA!" the teens aboard the ship yelled as M.A.R.B.L.E.s suddenly hit their engine, forcing them to fly away. When the renegade teen recovered, he watched as Maddy Murphy landed firmly on the ground.

"Oh, crud." The teen kicked Zach off and attempted to make a run for it. Maddy ran at the teen and tackled him, but he was able to shake her off. He ran and tried to punch the Murphy girl, but she dodged his blows and kicked his shin, then uppercutted his chin to knock him back. Before he could get up, Maddy ran, kicked the teen on his front, and grabbed his wrists as she quickly tied them in rope.

Zach went to stand by his sister as she stood victoriously over the teen, taking in the cheers of her fellow troops.

KND Moonbase

The teen was immediately taken to the Decommissioning Chamber, where the troops watched as the plunger sucked away his memory. "Sigh, it's sad when operatives get like this." Francis sighed. He smiled at Maddy and said, "Another job well done, Numbuh 58x59." Maddy kept her proud smile. "If not for you, who knows what these traitors would do."

"Always happy to help." Maddy stated as she and Zach left. "Now if you'll excuse me, it's time for our well-earned candy and soda."

"Ehh, that guy wasn't that tough." Zach said as they pulled off their helmets. "I bet the janitor coulda taken him."

"Well, they aren't joining the Teen Ninjas for nothin'." Maddy said as they pulled off their uniforms (their normal clothes were underneath). "Hey, can you drop this in the closet for me?" she asked, handing Zach her uniform. "I'll go grab us the drinks."

Maddy got to the kitchen and grabbed two sodas. "Back already?" Maddy turned to find Chris Uno behind her, giving his friendly smile.

Maddy shut the door and replied, "You're not burning my butt, are you?"

Chris grinned, "Nah, I'll remember to do it next time. You really like your job, don't you?"

"Well, I am the best." Maddy stated proudly, popping her soda open. "And you know it."

"I won't deny that. Still, a lot of operatives would normally hate your job. Traitors or not, the idea of wiping memories is…"

"Yeah, yeah, but who cares? If someone doesn't capture these teens, you know they'll go traitor. That's why we have decommissioning."

"But doesn't it add insult to injury if you… you know, act like that? People will think you LIKE taking away everything they ever believed in."

"Of course I don't like it! It's just… you know, it's just the same as capturing villains. And when we do THAT, it's always fun! So… why not have fun with this?"

Chris chuckled. "Fighting villains is fun. Just be careful what you say, Mad. Don't want anyone getting the wrong idea."

"Eh, if something happens, I'm sure I can help myself."

"Still, why do you think the Teen Ninjas are still active? We stopped the overage decommissioning 20 years ago. They should've been gone with the Brotherhood."

"Well, the Brotherhood was unfrozen."

"Yeah, but the Teens were unfrozen before that and quickly decommissioned. Then they purportedly went on to normal lives. So, why do you think a new faction of Teen Ninjas started? Holding onto old traditions?"

"If they wanna cling to the past, then we just have to do our end and stop them. Still… can't say I'm much different." She cast a narrow look at the firebender. "Later, Chrissie." She walked off with the sodas.

As she was leaving, Chris shot a little fireball at her bottom. "AAHH!" she turned and glared angrily at him.

"Hahaha!" he snickered softly.

Northern Icecaps, teen hangout

The Teen ship landed outside of an ordinary Wal-Mart in the middle of the snowfields (place must not be good for business), and the Teens stepped off and sat on the parking bumps, allowing them to shoot them into the secret slide that would lead to their underground hangout.

The Teen Ninjas deactivated their masks and took a moment to breathe. "Crap." The brown-skinned teen said with a frustrated look. With their helmets off, she was revealed to have long hair, tied in braids. "Another teen lost thanks to that Maddy twerp. Maaan! ALL those chances to nab some info from the KNDorks WASTED."

"Ahh, calm down, Nya." A male teen said coolly. He had brown hair, a light-brown hat, and wore yellow goggles. "Why you so mad about Maddy, don't we have a problem with all of 'em?" The boy snickered at his little pun. "Mad at Maddy! Wonder how many of them thought of that?"

Nya rolled her eyes. "If you haven't been up to speed, Hoagie, the World Leaders consider her a special threat. I don't really know why, but they want her gone. And it's because of her we lost so many recruits! If we don't do somethin', she might have us all caught by the end of the month!"

"Why don't we ask Eldwin to lend us You-Know-Who?" a female teen asked.

"If we do something that extreme, it'll cause a lot of trouble for our superiors. Besides, I kind of wanna beat her myself. Not just defeat her, I wanna STICK IT to her. That little brat thinks she's so special, I wanna make her REGRET ever taking that job!"

"I'd sure like to cut her down to size myself."

Nya's face beamed. "Heeey, that's it! We'll shrink Maddy down!"

"What? How?"

"Don't you think the World Government would have a shrink ray or two, Tracy? I'm sure Eldwin could get one for us."

"Heh, if you wanna try. But, um, we're not gonna hurt her too badly, right?" Hoagie asked, half-curious and half-worried.

"Something wrong, Hoagie?" Tracy cocked a brow.

"I know the KND are our enemies, but like… I don't really wanna hurt any of them too badly."

"I guess so. But even if we get a shrink ray, it's not like we can just waltz up to Maddy, force her in a trash bag and bring her over. She's our main problem for a reason."

"Just leave that to me." The Teens looked over at a ninja that was hidden in the shadows.

Nya smiled. "Oh, there you are! We can trust you to take care of Maddy. Right, Shade?"

The mysterious ninja, Shade, stared at them with glowing, purple eyes through her strange armor, curved horns in the back of the head. "Of course. She'll be much too blinded by her pride to see me."

Murphy Household

"HA! Hwuh!" Maddy was in the backyard of her house, excitedly punching the air. The sun was setting over Quahog, but Maddy didn't seem the least bit tired.

Zach came out through the back door and called, "Yo, Mad, Mom wants you to come in soon, it's almost dinner."

"I will, Zach." Maddy panted, performing some dodge-rolls. "Just as soon as I take out this teen. Ha! Take THAT! You aren't stealing any info TODAY, pizza-face!"

Zach shook his head in disbelief. "Geez, and I thought I was crazy. Well, time to go feed my anteater-unicorn." He went inside.

"HA! YAH! Eeeeee-YAH!!" Maddy concluded her pretend-battle by punching the ground, then stood up to catch her breath. "Pretend-battles are almost better than regular battles! Almost. Huh?" She turned when she heard a rustling in the bushes.

The Murphy carefully stepped closer, squinting her eyes for a better look at the bush. Another rustle was heard, and Maddy stepped a bit closer. Suddenly, a shadowed being shot out at her. "AHH—mmph!" the ninja tackled her, cupping her mouth shut. The ninja forced its hands over her mouth and nose long enough until she lost consciousness. She slipped Maddy into a sack and performed several long, high leaps across the rooftops, disappearing in the night.

Teens' Hangout

The ninja dumped Maddy out of the sack as she gasped for breath. "Ladies and gentleteens, our guest of honor!" Nya exclaimed as Maddy looked up. "We don't bring many brats here, Mad. You should feel lucky! Too bad THIS is where we finally take you down!"

Maddy smirked. "So, you guys wanted a little more of me? I still got energy to spare, so I'll make it count! AYYYAH!" Maddy flipped up and kicked the two teens on her sides away. The others ran at her, but Maddy threw punches and kicks any way they came.

Nya nodded at Hoagie, who nodded back as he walked off.

Maddy began jumping around and kicking off all the teens' faces. A good number of teens were knocked out now as Maddy landed on her feet, looking fierce to fight. "Oh yeah! Who's next? I'll be glad to drag ALL of you to your decommissioning!"

"Then you better have Hercules strength, 'cause you'll need it after what WE'RE doin'. FIRE IT UP, Hoagie!"

Maddy looked up as a strange ray gun hovered overhead, charging a green beam. The beam launched and Maddy felt herself surrounded in green. The green blinded her version, so she couldn't see what was happening, but she felt really weird. The teens however smirked, watching as Maddy's height grew smaller and smaller.

Finally, the green vanished, and Maddy shook her head to regain her vision. She was a little confused what the ray did. But when she looked around, it seemed like the area grew a lot bigger. The ceiling was as high as the sky, and all of the fallen Teen Ninjas were getting back on their feet… except they looked hundreds of feet tall. She looked around and saw all of the Teen Ninjas were now gigantic, and smirking down at her.

"!!!" Maddy's eyes widened. The pride and confidence she felt moments ago was all gone. It was replaced with horror… and fear. As all the Teen Ninjas got back up and towered over her, she soon realized she stood only 1.68 inches tall, the size of a golfball.

Nya stepped forward, her feet making quakes at Maddy's height, as she smiled cockily. "Now, how many of us were you dragging?"

"Nnn!" Maddy immediately made a dash for the exit. She ran as fast as her tiny feet would run. She's never felt more determined to run away from anything. She didn't stop or look back for even a second, she just ran. But from the Teen Ninjas' view, she didn't get very far.

Maddy's running came to a halt when Tracy dashed over and snatched her in her hand. Tracy clutched her tight like a little doll as Maddy desperately tried to shake away. "Aww, wook at wittle Maddyyyy." Tracy cooed. "Not so big and tough now, huh?"

"Awww, dude I can't believe we got 'er!" the male ninja said excitedly. "After all this time! She's ours!"

"Yeah, I know! What should we do with her?" another female asked.

"We could lock her in a freezer until she… you know, freezes."

"OR we could bake her in a cake!" a female said.

Maddy decided to stop shaking, knowing it was pointless. But every word they said made her shiver. Maddy looked around at all the giant, merciless Teen Ninjas, never feeling more scared in her life. She was so small and helpless now. She felt so weak in Tracy's tight hand. These ninjas could do whatever they wanted with her, and she could never defend herself. She was as helpless as a doll to their will.

"Why don't we just hold her for ransom and lead the others into a trap?" Tracy asked. "Then we can shrink them all!"

"Eh, those plans never work." Nya said. "I just wanna dispose of her quick."

Hoagie looked worried by this. "Um, but I thought we were gonna torture her or something?"

"Yeah, we can do THIS stuff with her!" the male exclaimed as he took Maddy, held her upside-down by the legs, and began to pull on them as if she were doing the splits.

"AAAAAHHH!!!" she felt immense pain as the teen bent her legs, praying that he would stop.

"Or THIS!" a girl said as she took Maddy and cupped her hand over her entire face. Maddy was desperately trying to shake away and breathe, but her hand was much too massive to be budged.

"Aw, STOP IT, you guys!" Nya yelled, taking the doll-size girl. "We aren't dungeon masters. We already tortured her by taking away her pride. And this way, she'll be easier to get rid of without making a big mess."

"So, what'll we do?" the male asked. "Stomp on her?"

"Not THAT big a mess. But since she's a special case, we'll use the BEST method we can of taking her out. Now, Little Maddy… how 'bout you tell us your biggest fear and we'll get this over with nice and easy?"

"No way!" Maddy yelled, trying to shake away again.

"Oh, don't worry. We know how to make you squeal." Nya walked over to the fridge and pulled out a glass of water. She set it on the TV, and held Maddy upside-down above it. "You must be thirsty after all your gloating, so how about a little drink? And the more you refuse to talk, the more you'll HAVE. Enjoy!"

"AHH! NOT WATER, ANYTHING BUT WATER—mmmm-mmmggg!" she was forced into the glass, struggling to shake away as she was held under the liquid.

"Wait a second." Nya pulled her out. Maddy immediately gasped for breath. "So, you hate water?"

"Maybe she can't swim." Tracy said. "Like one of those fruit users."

"Oh, this is perfect!" Maddy was shivering more at Nya's devious smirk. "If she had trouble swimming BEFORE… let's go, Hoags!" Nya and the other ninjas hurried for the ship, eager to finally be done with her.

Hoagie stayed behind for a bit and pulled out a watch, beginning to type something in.

Somewhere over the ocean

The Teens' ship was flying high over the ocean as Nya stood on the edge of the hatch, Maddy squirming in her hand. "This is for ALL the operatives that couldn't join our ranks 'cause of you! Say hello to Davy Jones for me! …Oh, and when you do, ask him if I might have any magic powers, mah uncle was Ursula's grandson. See ya, Mad!"

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!" Maddy was sent hurling to the ocean, making only a tiny splash upon her landing.

Maddy resurfaced above the water, but was struggling to swim against the waves. The waters were actually calm right now, but at her size the waves were huge, and her arms were too tiny to fight them. She breathed more heavily, panicking more and more. The ocean was just too strong, and it would soon claim her soul.

Soon, Maddy was sunk below the surface, and it became even harder to swim. The water quickly slipped into her tiny mouth, and everything began to fade to darkness. As Maddy's vision totally faded to black, a giant figure swam down and took her in its giant hands.

Later…

"Cough! Hu-uck. Huack!" Maddy sat on all fours as she did her best to cough the water out of her throat. Her tiny body had just ingested gallons of salt water, and the water was a lot more thick at her small size. She doesn't know where she ended up. She probably washed up along a shore or something. Either way, she doesn't know how she survived. But as Maddy regained her vision, her breath returning, she found herself on a strange, fleshy surface. This surface turned out to be two, very large hands. She looked to her right to find what seemed like a giant, soft blue sweatshirt, and as her eyes directed upwards, she finally found the massive, concerned face of Christopher Uno.

Maddy caught her breath before finally speaking. "Chris…"

"Are you okay?" Chris asked, lightly rubbing her disheveled hair. His voice was magnified at her height, so he tried to speak lowly. "I got a message that said you were in trouble."

Maddy sat on her rear and replied, "From who?"

"Beats me. But everyone else was either gone or asleep, and I was the only one who got it. I swiped my bro's R.O.A.D.S.T.A.R. and came as quick as I could."

Maddy held her chest and tried to catch more breath. She could still hear the gentle sea waves outside, the starry night sky looming overhead. Chris was indeed seated in Cheren's R.O.A.D.S.T.A.R., and it was floating in the middle of the ocean.

"You're still pretty wet." Chris said. "Let me warm you up." While Maddy sat in his left hand, Chris conjured a flame in his right hand and held it beside her. "Here."

Maddy's eyes widened at the sight of the massive flame, having spawned out of nowhere like that. "AAAAAHH!!" Maddy got to her feet and immediately jumped off Chris's hand, getting to the car's floor where his feet rested. "D-DON'T BURN ME!!" she yelled, cowering behind his brown shoe.

Chris dispersed the flame and moved his foot to look at her. "Maddy, why would you think I would burn you? We're friends, aren't we?"

"I HATE BENDERS!"

"Sheesh, Mad, I thought you'd know me better than that." Chris stated, sounding a little offended. Chris calmly reached down and took Maddy in both his hands, and the girl shuddered with fear as he lifted her to his face. "Maddy, I'm not gonna hurt you." He spoke more sympathetically. "I want to help you."

Tears began to water in her eyes as she stared at him. She started to sob suddenly, burying her tiny face into the side of Chris's huge hand. "I-I'm sorry, Chris!" she cried. "I-It was just… so scary!" a sniffle. "Those teens were BIG and…and HUGE and… I-I felt so helpless!!" she couldn't stop crying.

"Maddy, don't worry. You're safe now."

"Doesn't matter! What am I gonna do, Chris?? How can I fight when I'm like THIS?!"

"Maddy, it's okay-"

"I CAN'T be in the decommissioning team, I could be STEPPED on by anything… the only use I'll have for the KND now is to be a HAMSTER! I'll get my butt kicked by any villain 'cause I'm only as strong as a doll!" She began to cry more, wiping her tears along Chris's hand.

Chris couldn't feel more sad for his shrunken friend. Just yesterday, Maddy was sporting her strong-willed, powerful spirit. She was one of the toughest fighters in the KND, and was always eager to kick any villain's butt. Now, she looked so different. A whole different person. She never looked so small and feeble. Even in his hand right now, she looked so helpless. If he wanted to, he could squeeze the little life out of her. No, but of course he would never do that. …He wouldn't do that. Maddy was his friend. And he was going to help her. He didn't wanna see her like this anymore. He was gonna help her, no matter what.

"Maddy." Maddy looked, tears still dripping down her face. "I'm going to help you get big again. You're not going to stay like this. I promise."

Maddy sniffled, slowly calming down. As she wiped more tears away, she had a clearer view of Chris's face. His choco-brown eyes never felt more full of honestly. More full of trust. If she was going to stay like this the rest of her life… she knew she would always be safe in Chris's hands. His hands felt so warm. More warm than drinking a hot cocoa under her blanket beside a fireplace. His hands felt like the warmest substance in the world… and she wouldn't wanna be anywhere else right now.

Quahog, close to Maddy's house

It took about an hour or so, but the speedy water-worthy racecar made it back to Maddy's neighborhood. It was a long and boring journey across the sea, and the night air made Chris feel tired, making it hard for him to keep going. But he was determined to at least take Maddy home, where she would be safe. The whole journey, Maddy was lain asleep on Chris's lap. It was no doubt this whole experience made her very exhausted.

Chris parked the R.O.A.D.S.T.A.R. in Maddy's front yard as he shook the tiny girl awake. "Hey, Maddy. We're here."

"Mm, nnn?" Maddy groggily awakened, her eyes blurry from not fully recovering from her sleep. This sleep seemed to calm her down a lot, as Maddy wasn't feeling as upset or terrified as before. She still lay on her back as Chris scooped her in his hands, carefully hopping out of the car and going to ring the doorbell.

Zach answered the door, surprised at seeing Chris on his doorstep. "Chris? What're you doing here? Did you take Maddy out for a date?!"

"Actually, she's right here." Chris lowered his hands and revealed the tiny Maddy sitting up. Zach squinted his eyes and stared closer at the doll-sized girl, and Maddy stared up at his huge, green eyes with concern.

"…Mad?"

Maddy waved at him, still looking depressed.

"Hey, Mom, Dad, Maddy's back." Zach called to his parents. "And, ya might wanna see."

Doug and Gwen Murphy came over, curious what Zach meant. They bent down and stared surprised at their shrunken daughter. "Honey?" Gwen asked.

"Bark bark!" Zach and Maddy's little puppy, Sparky ("Hers." Zach said), excitedly scampered in at hearing his master's returned home. He sat happily before Chris, panting excitedly with his tongue stuck out. Chris smiled at the puppy's antics, bending down to show him the little Maddy.

Maddy looked worried as her giant dog loomed closer, sniffing her with its large nose. She could feel the wind generated by his sniffing, and could clearly see the inside of his giant nose. "Nnnnn-nn-nn!" Maddy backed away in fright, slightly afraid of her dog from this view. "E-Easy, Sparky!"

"Hey, bad dog!" Zach yelled, lightly smacking him. "My sister's not a chew toy! Maddy, if you want, we can take him back." He half-joked.

Gwen gently took her daughter in her own hands and asked Chris, "Any idea what happened?"

"The Teen Ninjas decided to get a little payback." He answered simply. "It shouldn't be a big problem. First thing in the morning, we'll call the spacebenders at GKND to stretch her back to normal."

"No!!" Maddy yelled hatefully. "I'm not accepting those aliens' help!"

"Maddy, can't you put your prejudice aside for ONCE?" Gwen asked as she carried her inside.

"It's not like you have a choice." Chris stated, eyes furrowed at her stubbornness. "Sector V's size ray has a time limit… though, I have to wonder if this one doesn't have a time limit, too."

"Hey, if she says she doesn't want 'em, she don't need 'em." Zach stated, looking just as spiteful.

"He's right." Maddy agreed firmly. "I can't let ANY benders or aliens see me like this."

"You trusted ME, didn't you?" Chris argued.

"W-Well…" Maddy stuttered, having been caught off guard, "y-you're my friend! So, you're an exception!"

Chris rolled his eyes. "Maddy, if you JUST gave Nebula a chance, you could trust her with your problem."

"Look, we'll just get the shrink ray back from the Teens and use it to biggify me." she said simply.

Chris sighed. "All right. If that's how you want it." The Uno child released a tired yawn. "I'm a little too tired to fight about it. You mind if I stay here, Ms. Murph? My brother can live without a R.O.A.D.S.T.A.R. for one morning."

"I don't mind." Gwen responded, still sounding ashamed in Mad's hatefulness. "You can stay in Mad's room, actually. You and Sparky can watch over her."

"Hold on, why doesn't she stay in my room??" Zach asked. "I don't trust her with that fire-freak! Not to mention the four-legged monster."

"Zach, if I stay in your room, I'll be bombarded with Bo-bobo all night. Chris, to my room we go."

Chris shook his head playfully. "Sorry, Zachy." He remarked, following them.

"You're just jealous because Bo-bobo's funny and you're not!" Zach argued.

Maddy's room

Gwen calmly set her daughter onto her bed, pulling her tiny shoes off and pulling her covers over her. Gwen gave a warm smile as she planted a kiss on Maddy's little forehead. "Good night, sweetie." The mother left and shut the door, leaving Chris and Sparky to watch her.

"Yaaaaawn." Chris pulled his boots off and settled into the sleeping bag left by Maddy's mom. "Boy, tomorrow's gonna be somethin'."

"W-Wait! Um, can you sleep with me, Chris?" she asked, blushing madly at her own words. "I'm afraid of sleeping by myself like this. What if a spider comes and eats me?"

Chris laughed. "Maddy, quit acting so afraid! You'll be fine!"

"Well, what if the TEENS come back? They might go for Zach next and find me in here."

"Maddy—"

"Pleeeeaase, Chris?"

Chris could see the pleading look in her teeny, blue eyes. Even if she was far away from her height, Chris couldn't help but fall for that look. …Heck, her small size might actually make that look stronger. "Oh, all right." He complied, shaking his head. Chris got up and climbed onto Maddy's bed, doing so lightly so as not to shake her too much. He helped himself under her covers and rested his head on her pillow, then picked Maddy up and laid her on his chest, under the covers. "Happy?"

Being in a position like this, at her size, Maddy went from warm to just plain sweaty. She was blushing madly, feeling more hot by the minute. Maybe this is how firebenders actually were, she figured. Chris's hands felt so warm, and his chest, even though it was under his sweater, felt sweltering hot. She couldn't think of any other reason she felt so warm, so it must've been a common thing. …Right? Yeah, yeah, that had to be it. Why else? (Although, for some reason, her heart began to race at a rapid pace.)

Maddy tried to ease her racing heart by taking a deep breath. "Oh, Chris…" she sighed, sounding depressed. "What if I never get big? What if all the operatives think I'm too weak to fight?"

"Maddy, you need to stop worrying. You'll be fine. And you're probably just as tough at this size. But tomorrow, we'll round up the troops, and we'll have that shrink ray back in no time. Now go to sleep."

Maddy could detect all the truthfulness in Chris's magnified voice. She didn't know if it was the heat from his chest… but for some reason, she had total faith in him. And she felt totally safe with him. Maddy smiled and settled onto her spot, falling into deep sleep on Chris's chest.

The next morning…

Early that morning, Gwen Murphy was up cooking soup as Chris walked in, yawning. "Morning, Miss Murph." He said, tired.

She chuckled, "Morning, Chris. Can you take this to Maddy?" she asked, holding up the soup.

Chris took it and said jokingly, "Is this for her to eat or to bathe in?"

"Ha ha ha!" Gwen laughed. "I don't think this will get her clean!"

In Maddy's room

Maddy Murphy lay slumped on her jagged bed, left messy after Chris got up. She awoke tiredly, feeling the surface she lain on was uncomfy and unkempt. It took a moment to realize Chris had left her; she must've really been out if she couldn't feel him. It made her sad, though, not to lay on the warmth of his chest, compared to her massive, messy bed. She may not've liked benders, but she had to admit sleeping with them felt so warm at that size. …She refused to admit that it was Chris in particular that kept her warm, and said it was simply because he's a firebender.

A huge light peered onto her as her door creaked open. She squinted her tiny eyes and sat up to see Chris come in to her dark room. "Your mom made you soup." He said with a smile.

Maddy stood up and stretched her arms and back, trying to climb onto the bowl. Chris chuckled and said, "Don't worry, I'll feed it to you."

"I don't need to be fed." Maddy stated angrily.

"Do you wanna risk falling in?"

Maddy remembered the bowl might be deep at her size, and the steaming soup would fry her puny body in seconds. "Okay…"

Chris scooped a tiny amount of soup in his spoon, holding it beside Maddy. Maddy looked angry and offended. Even if it was big at her size, she hated having to eat such a tiny amount to get full. Regardless, she bent over and stuck her mouth in the soup. Immediately, her tiny tongue burned incredibly, feeling as though it caught on fire. "AAAHH!! AAAHH!!" She frantically waved her hand by her tongue.

"Wuh-oh! Hold on!" Chris quickly grabbed the girl and spit on her mouth.

His huge glob of spit cooled the burning down, but she frantically shook it off, looking disgusted. "PUT ME DOWN!" He grinned sheepishly and set her on the bed. "I'm not hungry…" With that, she slumped down on her back.

Chris lightly put the soup on the floor and knelt to her level. "Well, aside from that… feeling better today, Mad?"

"A little." Maddy released a depressed sigh. "You know, Chris… I've been thinking. Maybe this is a sign."

"A sign for what?"

"That I've been too… you know, stuck up. I've always been the gloatiest one on the team; maybe this whole shrinking thing is a sign I shouldn't be so… gloaty."

"Come on, Mad, you just had fun doing your job. Confidence like that is what keeps us fighting."

"But what if I've been OVER confident?" she asked, sitting up. "I always felt like the strongest one on the team, just because… I was… and, this is a sign telling me, I'm not as great as I think I am."

"Maddy, of course you're great. And you can't let a little revenge plan from dirty teenagers make you think otherwise. You may be smaller, but you're still as strong as you've always been."

"I wasn't even strong enough to eat a millimeter of soup. I didn't last a chance against those buhmillion-foot teens. How am I supposed to defend myself?"

"Well… you've got me." Chris smiled warmly.

"Yeah. But we can't trust you." Zach Murphy said, suddenly coming into the room. "You might burn her. Trust your bigger bro, Maddy." The brother smirked. "No teen's coming near you."

"Bark, bark!" Sparky shot awake and jumped onto Maddy's bed, excitedly licking his tiny master.

"Hehe haha!" she giggled.

"And you've got the mutt, too." Zach said smugly.

"And the rest of the Decommissioning Squad, right?" Chris asked. "The Kids Next Door's job is to stick together. As long as you have friends by your side, it doesn't matter if you're big or small."

"Yeah, like we haven't heard that enough." Maddy remarked with a smirk. "But still… you guys are really nice."

"Anything for my little sis." Zach said, playfully poking her belly.

"Heey, stop it, Zaach!!" Maddy laughed, smacking his giant finger. She got to her feet with a look of pure confidence. "Let's go and teach those teenagers a lesson!"

"There's my little sis!" Zach exclaimed.

"We're twins, you moron." Maddy stated.

"Wasn't I born first?"

"Yeah, by like seconds! I'm still not sure how I'll fight like this."

"Well, you can have some training!" Chris suggested. "We can teach you how to fight like, well, Vweeb."

"Except if THOSE two fought, Mad would swamp him." Zach remarked.

"All right, guys!" Maddy declared as she flipped off her bed and landed gracefully on her feet, "To Moonbase we go!"

KND Moonbase

They had gathered in the gym on KND Moonbase, and Francis and his soldiers had joined, too; after he was given an explanation. Francis and his soldiers surrounded the tiny operative in a wide circle, all holding weapons ready. "Are you sure this is safe?" Maddy asked.

"Well, it might not be every day when one of our operatives gets shrunkified," Francis explained, "but when they do, it's important they get the right training. Each of our, um, downsized operatives need a good feel for battle in the more expansive field. We'll blast you with harmless darts, and you have to dodge them as if they were real blasters. At your size, one shot will make you explode."

"Hold on, just HOW many operatives GET shrunk around here??" she questioned.

"Actually, it's not just the shrinking ones. A few operatives are born 3 inches tall. Like Aeincha from Sector W7, for example. Since that makes 'em disadvantaged, we gotta make sure they're ready."

"I've never seen any tiny humans who weren't shrunk."

"That's because we never look DOWN!" Zach exclaimed jokingly.

"Ready, Mad?" Francis asked, readying his dart gun.

"Can we at least play 'Be A Man'?" she questioned.

"Sure, Mad, you can be a man!" Zach joked, and he snickered at her tiny glare.

"Someone else already used that, so we're playing the theme from Rocky. Ready arms, troops!" the room was filled with the simultaneous sound of gun-cocks. "Aim…" each troop focused on their inch-tall target. "Fire!" (Cue the workout song from Rocky. )

A storm of tiny, suction-cup darts came flying at the Murphy girl, who began to frantically dodge. Each dart that zipped past her made a breeze, considering their size. Eventually, a dart struck her face, swallowing it whole, and blinding her as she was pelted with several more darts. "Well, boys, way to annihilate a golfball-sized child." Francis joked.

"Ahem." A female troop coughed.

"Sorry."

Later, Maddy stood in a battle stance as she faced a giant, growling Sparky. The dog attempted to bite her (but not really), but she rolled to the side and ran away, and she could feel the pounding of his giant footsteps as he chased. Maddy stopped, and Sparky ran right over her by mistake, but she stayed between his legs. Once behind him, Maddy grabbed the puppy's back right leg and climbed to his back, sitting on and riding him like a horsie. She held onto his thick strands of fur like they were reins, and was rapidly bumped up and down as the giant dog ran around the room. He was too big to hang onto, and she ended up bouncing off. The massive puppy ran over and pinned her under his paw as he began to lick her miniscule face.

"Nnnnngh!" Maddy sweated tremendously, struggling greatly as Francis kept her pinned under his giant fist. He didn't add very much pressure, but his strength compared to hers was enough to keep her trapped. Maddy had no luck in budging the giant hand of her commander.

Maddy faced Chris as the giant Uno boy readied to attack her. He ran forth and began to stomp his feet in attempt to smash her, but she quickly evaded. Chris's shoes were off, leaving only his socks, so if he flattened her, it wouldn't be as hard. Maddy was fast on her tiny feet to dodge, but as fate would have it, she eventually slipped, and Chris had her pinned. She tried to shove his socked foot up, but it was far too big and heavy. The stench didn't really help either, and Chris gave a sheepish grin.

Maddy's arms and legs were wrapped tight around one of the metal poles from the ceiling. She did her best to climb straight up, but since her arms and legs were too small to wrap around the width of the pole, it made it very difficult. She had to inch up a few centimeters (to her) at a time, and she felt it would take hours. Eventually, her arms couldn't keep hold, and she plopped onto the matted ground, panting.

After another failed training session with Sparky, the puppy had taken his master by the shirt and began swinging her around in his mouth. Maddy tried to shake away, but Sparky's mouth held a tight grip, and Francis shook in disbelief as the dog began running around with her.

"Nnnnngh!" Francis had her trapped under his fist again. He wasn't sure, but it felt his fist budged a little.

Zach lied on his belly and held his right hand open as Maddy fiercely punched it like a punching bag. She didn't stop for a moment, and her fists kept flying, as if she was expecting to bruise the thick, giant hand. Francis was impressed by her fiery spirit, and how noticeable it was, even though she was so small.

Again, Maddy was surrounded, the band of giant troops fixing dart guns on their tiny target. They let fire, and Maddy swiftly dodged and flipped the massive projectiles. She used both arms to pick up one of the log-sized darts, and batted away other incoming darts before chucking her dart at an operative's goggled eye. She did the same and quickly chucked other huge darts at their faces, panting heavily after doing so.

Maddy and Sparky faced each other once again. The dog gnashed at his miniscule master, but she leaped quickly and got on his head, turning and sitting down as she tugged on his fur. Sparky ran around, but Maddy held tighter than before, riding the dog at high speeds around the room as her hair blew in the wind. Zach raised an arm in defense as Maddy made Sparky charge and bite his arm, and Zach yelped as he shoved him off. Sparky held a piece of his shirt in his mouth, wagging his tail as Maddy laughed, and Zach glared in annoyance.

Maddy faced Chris more confidently this time, and he returned the smirk. He began to stomp his socked feet, and Maddy jumped around and dodged like a grasshopper. She dashed between his legs, and when he reached down to grab her, he missed, looking upside-down between his legs as she ran. Maddy smiled excitedly, but Chris put on a devious smirk and leapt, crashing in front of her, the quake causing her to slip. He successfully pinned her under his foot, but Maddy opened wide and forced her teeth through his sock, able to breach and bite his toe, forcing him to step off. Maddy coughed and wiped her tongue, having caught a few tiny strands from his sock.

Maddy ran a good distance back, and dashed at the metal pole as quick as she could. She jumped, grabbed the bottom of it, even though it was several feet high, then flipped upside-down while holding the pole before jumping to the parallel one. For the rest of the way up, she barely used her hands as she performed a series of flawless Wall Jumps. The poles were a far distance at her size, but her light weight seemed to give her an advantage, as she took hold of the bell-ringer at the top, holding on with both hands as she swung and rung the bell.

Maddy was trapped under her commander's fist again. She sweated greatly, using every ounce of force she could muster to push him off. She never knew how strong Francis's fists were. If hers and his fists collided at the same time, while she was still big, she wondered how the impact would feel. This went on for a few more moments, but what happened next surprised them: Francis's fist was pushed upward, and Maddy smiled brightly. She quickly rolled out from underneath and got up, jumping on his hand, and then to his face as she bit his nose. He frantically tried to shake her off, her tiny teeth feeling like a bugbite, and ended up flinging her over to Zach, and then biting his nose. Zach clutched and yanked her off, rubbing his nose with an annoyed look as Chris and Maddy laughed.

Afterwards…

"Sooo was there really any point to that?" Zach asked. "I mean, if a bunch of us break into a teen hangout and kick all their butts ourselves, we can fix Maddy and she wouldn't-a NEEDED all that training."

"Well, it's not about helping her fight NOW, but, in case she gets smallified in the future. It never hurts to be prepared." Francis replied.

"All I know is, I don't want to spend ANY more time like this." Maddy decided, seated on Chris's shoulder. "But at least I'm strong enough to hold my own now."

"That's only if a couple of us are with you." Chris smirked. "You aren't as good as Vweeb, yet."

"Anyway, it's time for us to look for the Teens' hangout." Francis decided. "Did you see where they took you when you were captured?"

"No." Maddy shook. "But it felt kinda cold."

"It's a few miles from the Arctic Base." Chris told them.

"How d'you know?" Zach asked.

"I got a text from some anonymous guy." he said, pulling out a cellphone and showing a map. "He has it marked."

"Well, THAT'S obviously a trap." Zach concluded.

"Well, if ZACH knows it…" Maddy remarked.

"Heeey!" Zach glared.

"Sigh, we'll just have to risk it." Francis decided. "We'll bring all the decommissioners and take them all together. Kids Next Door:" he raised a fist, "let's move!"

Northern Icecaps; outside teen hangout

The Decommissioning Troops crouched behind a mound of snow as they stared confusedly at the Wal-Mart. "Are you SURE this is the place?" Maddy asked.

Chris looked at his map and said, "This is where he had it marked."

"TOLD you it was a trick." Zach stated.

"Hang on." Chris spoke, standing up and approaching the shop, with Maddy still on his shoulder. "I remember my dad telling me about this." He had a seat on one of the parking bumps. "I… think he said he and Mr. Dickson sat here, and some kinda-"

"WAAAAAAAAAHHHH…" Suddenly, the two of them went sliding down a trapdoor.

Francis and his troops exchanged surprised glances, before he shook his head to reality. "Okay, we found the entrance… I think. Remember the mission: take out all the teens you can, get the shrinkifyer, and escape, simple as that. Our strongest member might be downsized, but that shouldn't matter. Okay, let's move!" The squad of troops ran and slid down the slope.

They found Chris and Maddy on their backs, and both operatives shook their heads as they recovered. "Well, LOOK who decided to join us!" Lights came on suddenly, and dozens of Teen Ninjas were shown to be around them. "Awwww, wook at bwave wittle Maddy." Nya LaMar taunted as she paced on her platform, with Hoagie III standing on the lower platform. "Survived the ocean, huh? And I guess your bratty friends decided to help their pwecious dowwy. HAA ha ha! Now you ALL can be SHRINKified! Brilliant plan, Hoagie!"

"Hey, it was MY plan!" Tracy yelled.

"That was before she survived. TEENS: CHAAAARGE!"

The swarm of ninjas gave battle cries as they ran at the operatives. The Decommissioning Troops immediately began shooting and fighting with each of them. Chris set Maddy onto Sparky's back and said, "Watch over her, boy." The Uno boy ran and did a spin as he lashed a wave of fire at a ninja, then began punching ninjas with fiery fists.

Maddy yanked Sparky's fur and said, "Go get 'em, boy!" Sparky let out rapid barks and ran around, leaping and kicking off all the ninjas' faces. The puppy then kicked off and sent Maddy flying, and she grabbed onto the male ninja's (the one who pulled her legs earlier) ear with her teeth.

"OOOOW! YOW! YOOOW!" he shook frantically and flung her away. Maddy landed on her feet and rubbed her teeth; she would never get them clean. She looked up as a group of gigantic ninjas charged her way, and she swiftly dodged to the left and right as they slid to try and grab her. Tracy readied a laser blaster and began trying to shoot her, but Maddy jumped every shot before getting behind a rock that was her size. She was able to pick the rock up, spin around and throw it up, breaking the laser turret on Tracy's armor.

"COME ON, guys, she's just one snotty little brat that's just THREE times the little and bratty!" Nya yelled.

"Nnnn! Oooow!" a male ninja yelled in pain as Francis stood on his back and pulled his arm behind him.

A ninja with a zit-face threw a punch at Chris, but Chris smirked as he caught his fist and began to burn it. The ninja struggled to push further, and finally let go as he shook his hand, crying. "Yow-ow-ow-ow-ow-ow-ow-ow!"

"YOU stop it!" a teen girl yelled to Zach.

"You stop it." Zach snapped back.

"I'm warning you!"

"I'm warning you."

"UUUUNNNN!"

"Nnnnnnn!"

"Pbblllth."

"PBBBLLLTH!"

The teen girl smirked. "I'm a snotty doody-head."

"YOU SAID IT! NOT ME!" Zach pointed. "HAHAHAHAHA!"

"GRRRRR, that DOES IT!" The teenager unveiled a series of laser turrets from her armor, making Zach look in fright. Sadly, she was punched from behind by Francis, and was knocked out.

"Nice mocking." Francis complimented.

"Siiiigh." Nya lightly face-palmed, disappointed with her associates. "Why do they make minions so low-level? Alright, Shade! GET IN there!"

The short, armored ninja with glowing purple eyes stepped out from the shadows. "Hokay then…" she sighed. The mystery ninja leapt forward and began to punch and kick many Decom. Troops in a matter of seconds. She then turned to face Francis, who looked at her with a surprised look, while Shade's expression remained hidden. "The leader, huh? Well, why don't you take someone around your level?"

"Gladly." Francis said. "YAAAAH!" The redheaded boy charged forward, ready to punch Shade, when-

"A punch from the left." Shade bent backward as Francis's right fist flew over her face, and she proceeded to kick him upside the chin. Francis stepped back and rubbed his chin, dashing at her again. "A dodge-roll behind, and then an upper-cut." Shade's prediction came true as Francis swiftly rolled behind and attempted to punch her, but Shade flipped overhead and kicked Francis in the face, knocking him back.

Francis panted as he said, "How is this girl reading my moves? …Is it Haki?" Francis ran at her, throwing a series of rapid punches, but Shade swiftly avoided each one before kicking the boy in the crotch, making him fall over.

"That should teach them." Nya smirked. "Hoagie: fire up the shrink ray. Target that group of troops."

"Ha ha! You rhymed! Firing up shrink ray." Hoagie pushed a remote, and the Great Puttinski's shrinkifyer levitated, preparing to unleash the green ray. He aimed and took fire at a pile of fallen operatives; however, he missed by a few feet and shot the buff male ninja who Maddy just bit. They watched as he shrunk to only slightly taller than a golfball.

_"Heeeey!" he yelled, his voice squeaky.

"Hoagiiie!" Nya yelled.

"Oops. My bad." Hoagie activated the ray gun again, and this time hit the fallen operatives. The troops looked around in terror as they shrunk to the size of golfballs.

<sub>"Holy crud! We're tiny!"

"Thank Zero my sister isn't here."</sub>

"HA HA ha ha!" cackled Nya.

Shade still stared at the fallen Francis when- "Hey, mystery girl!" she looked over at Chris, who came running over. "See if that armor is FIRE-proof! Arraaaahhh-!"

"A midair horizontal flame-wave kick." Shade ducked the foreseen fire wave and avoided Chris's kick, grabbing his foot and chucking him away. Chris got back up, becoming angrier as he charged for another attack. "A jump, and then rainstorm of fire-punches." Chris jumped in the air and rapidly punched fireballs from his fists at the ninja girl. She dodged as fast as lightning, suddenly going above Chris and kicking him down to Francis.

"Gnnn…" Chris grunted. "What is this girl, a psychic??"

"Let ME try!" Zach declared, running in for a punch. "AaaaaAAAHH-" Shade grabbed his fist, bending it downward, and then throwing him over to the others.

"Hmm. I didn't even NEED to predict THAT one." Shade remarked.

"I think they've learned." Nya decided. "Fire it up, Hoags."

Again, Hoagie III activated the shrink ray, and shrunk Francis, Chris, and Zach down in one shot.

"Guys!" Maddy yelled. Her face filled with fright as the ground quaked, a group of towering Teen Ninjas surrounding her, all smirking.

"No one to protect, Bug?" Tracy smirked.

"Bark, bark!" Sparky leapt at the teenage girl, but she threw a punch back to his nose to knock him away.

"Sparky!" Mad yelled.

The puppy fainted, unable to stand. No one saw this, but his body sparked a little.

Maddy glared up at the towering teens as they raised their feet, preparing to stomp on her. They brought their feet down, but Maddy swiftly dodged, jumping her way up the ninjas' bodies and kicking their eyes, forcing small yelps out of them. Maddy landed and dashed away, feeling the ground shake as the giant ninjas chased, but as they swung their feet, they failed to kick the tiny girl, and ended up kicking each other.

"Oh, COME ON, guys! Can't you step on ONE silly rat?" Nya exclaimed.

"But Nya, why would anyone wanna squish a rat? The mess'd take forever to clean!" Hoagie joked.

"Ugh. I'LL do it myself!" With that, Nya leapt to the battlefield, taking a firm land in front of Maddy, causing a tremendous shake to the girl as she looked up. "Alright, brat, you may've gotten faster, but you STILL ain't gonna outrun me!" Nya began desperately trying to stomp the girl, but Maddy was still quick to dodge. Maddy jumped, grabbed Nya's leg, and attempted to climb up, but the teen swung and bashed her against a table leg.

"Uuuh!" Maddy grunted, dropping down in pain. She lie on her back, and felt great pressure as Nya placed her foot upon her. "Aaah!"

"You shoulda KNOWN ya couldn't beat us, Mad!"

Maddy tried to push Nya's foot off, but she added too much force.

"After all these years you've been stompin' us, looks like WE finally get to stomp YOU!"

"Nnnn…let me go!"

"Your reign is OVER, Maddy, and SO is the reign of yo' decommissionin' BRATS." Maddy looked as the Teen Ninjas were each holding a shrunken operative, with Tracy holding Zach and Francis (the shrunken male ninja was also standing on her head). "After we get done with you, we ain't NEVUH have ta worry about decommissionin' again! I'd like to just CRUSH you now, but I'll make you SUFFER first. WHO should we kill first? OOH, I know! HOW about your whiny little brother!"

Tracy brought the doll-sized Zach over and handed him to Nya. The tiny boy desperately tried to break free from her fingers, but Nya's grip was tight.

"Awww… wook at wittle Zachy-poooo." Nya cooed, making Zach furious. "REDUCED to a pesky little doll! The kind that little girls play with and BUG the crud out of us teens. And what do the big brothers and sisters do? TEAR their pesky little heads off! …The dolls I mean."

Maddy tried even harder to push Nya's foot off. "LET him GO!" She bit her teeth forcefully into Nya's toe, but the soft jumpsuit that protected her body was too thick at her size.

"We had so much trouble tryin' to escape you brats… but NOW it's as easy as RIPPIN' your HEADS off!" Nya exclaimed, slowly reaching over to clutch Zach's head, her massive hand fitting perfectly over him.

"NOOO! DON'T!" Maddy screamed, becoming more and more desperate.

"All I gotta do is just TURN his head a little to the right…" she very lightly turned Zach's tiny head; it now faced directly right, as his head wasn't supposed to turn more. "…then add a little MOOORE, and THEN…" Nya gently began to turn his head back MORE. Zach was absolutely terrified, fearing this was where it ended. Maddy stared with total horror, as only a few more inches would easily snap Zach's tiny neck. She didn't think Nya would actually do it, but she was on the very thin line. Zach's neck would crack at any minute, and even if Maddy escaped, she could never jump up there in time. Her mind filled with anger, rage, and sadness. Her twin brother was about to die, and she was too small to do anything. It was her fault she got captured, and it was because of her they ended up here. She would've gotten Zach killed, and she couldn't do anything about it. The only thing she had strength left to do is-

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" She screamed louder than her tiny lungs could have mustered. All of the Teen Ninjas, from Tracy, the shrunk ninja, to Hoagie III, and even all of the Decommissioning Troops, all lost consciousness, collapsing to the ground. The only ones still standing were Nya, Shade, Francis, and Chris.

Nya's eyes widened, surprised that someone so tiny could scream that loud, but was more surprised at how her ninjas all fainted. "W…WHOA! Tha's some loud LUNGS, girl!"

"She has… Conqueror's Haki!" Shade said quietly, shocked.

Maddy felt the pressure from Nya's foot die down, and immediately rolled out. Maddy jumped her way up Nya's body and grabbed to her face, punching her in the eye. "Aah!" she dropped Zach as a result.

Francis grabbed Chris's arm and yelled, "Come on!" as they quickly ran toward the fallen Hoagie III.

Nya began trying to step on Maddy some more, but the girl kept dodging, jumping her way up the ninja and biting her ear. "Ouch!" Maddy began slipping swiftly around her neck as Nya failed to grab her, then took a bite in the side of her neck. "Ooof!"

Chris and Francis climbed their way up the giant stairs, finding the collapsed, titanic body of Hoagie III. They looked up on the desk to see the shrink ray's remote control. "Ahhh man! He dropped it all the way up there!" Francis yelled. Unbeknownst to them, Hoagie cracked an eye open. "How're we gonna-" Suddenly, they were each grabbed in a giant hand, which lifted them to the desk. They were startled at this, but as they were set on the desk, they looked down to see Hoagie III still unconscious. They exchanged shrugs and ran onto the remote. "Okay, just set it to 'Biggify'." Francis said.

Nya frantically tried to grab Maddy as the girl began climbing around her head. "Gyaaah! Don't just stand there, Shade! Hurry up and grab her!"

Shade shook back to reality, seeing Maddy clutch to Nya's face. The ninja ran forward, leaping for a mighty kick, and Nya's eyes widened. "WAIT, DON'T-" Maddy jumped off just as Shade's boot came in contact with Nya's face, and the Teens' leader was knocked out.

"Umm…oops." Shade blushed.

"Alll RIIIIGHT!" Maddy jumped for joy. Sparky woke up just in time, running over to lick his master. "Ahh ha ha ha ha!" Still looking at her fallen leader, Shade backed away in embarrassment, and was quickly gone in the shadows.

"Yo, Maddy!" Chris yelled from the desk. "Stand still!"

Maddy smiled as the shrink ray was aimed at her. Chris jumped on the button as a red ray launched at his friend, and Maddy was back to normal in seconds. She smiled in extreme relief, seeing everything around her back to its regular size. She approached the desk, smiling at the tiny Chris, who smirked and gave a wink. Maddy picked him and Francis up and set them on the floor, taking the remote and unshrinking them as well. Afterwards, they unshrunk Zach, and the rest of the decommissioners.

The many fallen troops regained consciousness, holding their heads. "What just happened?"

"Maddy totally kicked butt." Chris said.

"She did?" Zach asked.

"Of course, Zach! Are you surprised?" Maddy winked.

"…Ehh…well, anyway, what'll we do about these teens? Take 'em for decommissioning?"

Maddy thought for a minute. "…Nah…maybe we oughta give 'em a break. You know, so we don't go out of business. Wouldn't you agree?"

Francis shrugged. "I guess. I don't think Cheren'll like it, though."

Maddy looked at the shrink ray, and a smirk formed. "Al-THOOOUGH!"

KND Moonbase

Maddy's face was bright and beaming as she approached the cafeteria's soda machine and dropped a quarter inside. "Hey, Mad." She turned around to see Chris. "Enjoying your day off today?"

"Yeah." she replied, taking her soda. "I'm glad we put aside that whole business… but I don't think I could've fought well if you guys weren't there to support me. Thanks, Chris."

"Don't mention it." Chris brushed off.

"That STILL doesn't mean I'll like firebenders any better."

"You know you enjoyed sleeping on me." He winked. "Anyway, I better go help Aurora with mission debriefing. Catch you later?"

"Yah. See ya!" Maddy waved as she began to walk out of the room. She jumped when Chris flung a small flame, looking back to see him smirking. She gave a disbelieved smile and continued the walk back.

She returned to the decommissioners' room and cracked her soda open as she sat down with her fellow troops. "So, where were we guys?"

"Pizza Man was trying to deliver his pepperoni supremes to all the lovely ladies!" Zach exclaimed, holding his action figure (the zit-faced teen) high.

"Not if Big Boss Bully gives you a wedgie!" Francis exclaimed, holding the buff Teen Ninja.

"Oh yeah??" Maddy smirked, raising her own doll. "You'll have to face HIM and his sidekick, Delivery Gal!"

Nya LaMar felt utter humiliation as Maddy clutched her like a doll. "Let me go, you whiny brats! Ah'll tell all yo' parents and you'll be in so much-"

"It won't be so easy!" Francis said, pulling out another figure; Hoagie Gilligan III. "For Big Bully has GOGGLE MAN at his side! With his sooper VEGGIE laser!" He held his mouth closer to Hoagie and whispered, "Thanks. I owe you one." Hoagie smiled and nodded.

Zach's ninja began to lightly clash with the buff ninja, and Maddy made Nya clash with Hoagie. "Well, I've always wanted to be a superhero." Hoagie joked.

"Oh, SHUT UP, Hoags!"

 

[Gamen Watch]

Welcome to Nextgen's Halloween Special!

Now loading…
Kids Next Door mission…

Operation:
S.C.A.R.Y.
Spooky
Creepy
Abominations
Roughhouse
Youth

Loading transmission…

The morning sun was rising over the mid-space realm of Nightmare Land. Actually, Nightmare Land didn't have a technical sun, but it was morning nonetheless. The monstrous citizens of the town were up and about, all piling into the Fear Factory which belonged to their renowned king, Darkrai the Second. As everybody piled through the town, the Nightmare citizens sang a song.

Boys and ghouls of every age

Wouldn't you like to see something strange?

Come with us and you will see!

It's our town of Hallo-weeen!

The citizens all gathered into an auditorium, taking seats as lights lit upon the stage. Customer Service, a very short man with sunglasses, a business suit, and purple skin, sat at a piano, ready to play. The Nightmare King appeared in the center, known for his black ghostly body with a thin white flame for a head, and a single blue eye at the base of it. He was alit by a spotlight as he took a bow, a cane in his right hand, and a top-hat on his thin head. He tilted his head back up as he began to sing.

"Friends. It is, with great honor, that I say, thank you all for coming. Today. Most joyous of all days. No one would want to miss, this most momentous of all days… Today.

"Alright, that's the last time I let Corpse Kid write my lyrics." the king said, flipping through his script. "Um, anyway!" He tossed the script away as he began walking back and forth upon the stage on his stubby legs.

"Today. Is. Halloween! Everybody make a scene! Trick or treat 'til the neighbors die of fright! For tonight! Is the one night a year, to go spread our fear. Without having worries of humanly queries. No nightlights, no stuffed bears. Not even full moon! We're FREE to roam the Earth! To nighttime from noon!

"Eh, Customer?" The spotlights shown onto Darkrai's assistant, who began to sing and play his piano.

"That's right there, Big Boss! This day, we cannot have loss. As kids eat candy and hurl, we put them in a scary swirl! And all, their, dreams, let them see, what this holiday MEEEEAAANS!"

More spotlights shone upon the stage, making Jar Jar Blinks' presence known to the audience as he began to dance around the stage.

"Hewwo. Good day. Can me-so come to play? Weally? I can? Well, le's get down to hand! I-sa… Me-sa named Jar Jar Blinks! I-sa goes with Da'ky, drinks the milky, scares the kiddies, until dey hardly dinks! I! Am! Me-sa Blinks, cannot dinks, and play tidily winks! I here to party… Ha'ween wit' you!" He jabbed fingers toward the audience. "And I has a dead body, too!" He held up the headless skeleton of Legion.

"Jar Jar!" Darkrai yelled. "I told you to get rid of that thing 20 years ago!"

"Awwww." Jar Jar was disappointed.

Meanwhile, deep within the dark dungeons of the factory, Oogie Boogie, a husky and sentient sack, hung by his "wrists" by a chain from the ceiling, dangling over the floor as a row of hanging skeletons beside him bounced back and forth on his sides. He held an aching scowl as he listened to the singing.

"Well, well, well. What have we here? Nightmares and human children… having fun and cheer! They 'noy me. They ache me. I don't know which is worse. I might just split a seam now… if I don't die… from a headache FIRST!"

Oogie's head swelled up, until-

POP!

Up on stage, Darkrai continued to sing and dance. "We must be slick, go out and trick, all the kids we can! But not to harm, it's really a charm, the fear across the land!"

Customer raised a finger and spoke, "But should anyone be forgetful of this one, little splendor… They must know, before they go, and see they remember…"

Everyone's eyes widened as they all moaned eerily.

"Oooo…" Darkrai moaned.

"Ooohhhh!" followed Customer.

"Ooooo…"

"OOOooo." Jar Jar moaned.

"Oooo-ooohhh…" the Nightmares chorused.

Darkrai raised his cane in the air and announced, "I'M THE NIGHTMARE KING!"

Quahog, Rhode Island

The morning rose over Quahog. Crystal Wickens lay asleep peacefully in bed, awaking as the sun shone through her window. The purple-haired woman opened her golden eyes, smiling with joy as she pushed off the covers. She got out of bed and pushed her window open, resting her arms on the windowsill as she stuck her head outside. She breathed in the cool autumn air through her nose as brown leaves continued to drop from the trees outside. The woman danced around her room in her bare feet and began to sing.

"Halloween, Halloween, would it be all right? If a single grown woman took interest in your delight? Ever since I was a girl, this was my favorite day in the world! Every night, I'd bring fright, as I dress like a little witch." The woman threw off her nightgown and began dressing in her regular clothes, still singing and dancing. "I'd pretend to go flying through the night, taking candy like a little…"

She spared a glance toward the camera and said, "Well, you get the drift." She sighed and continued,

"Ay, but alas, I'm afraid I'll have to pass. As every year now on this date, I go on patrol with me mates. Nolan as Sandman and I take watch up from the skies. But with hope and being lucky, the bad guys don't feel so plucky, and I can do like in the old days and rejoice my childish ways!" She smiled happily.

The Brotherhood's Hideout

"YO-HO! YO-HO!" The Candy Pirates danced to accordion music as Stickybeard sang. "Halloween's the best date for me and me mateeyys! Every year we take candy from ALL the little kiddies! We sail through the night, goin' from house to house! And all me pirate swabbies show off every fancy blouse!"

The Candy Pirates each exposed their blouses underneath.

Knightbrace sang with disgust, "Blech! Halloween is so disgusting. Every single pair of teeth, gets ruined by rotten candy! That really makes me seethe!"

Count Spankulot followed, "OH, cheer up, Knightbrace! Why, for my race, Halloween is sacred! We scare the little kiddies out of their LACEEES!"

York Household

Dillon York kicked open the door to his room and excitedly dashed down the hall and down the stairs. "Halloween is finally here! My favorite day of the year! And as soon as I get my costume! I can join in the fun that comes after NOOON!"

Nolan and Danika watched their son sprint out the door. "Whyyyy is everybody sinnngiiing?" Nolan asked.

"IIIII don't know, it's quite intriiiiguiiing." Danika replied.

"It doesn't matter nonetheless, no way my son is going to miss-"

"-his favorite of all holidays, where, at the end, he gets in a haze."

Sector W Treehouse

"'Tis another day I go-a soaring through the skies!" Fybi dashed into her bedroom closet and jumped out, her angel wings now dressed in bat wings as she wore black clothing. "Dressed like yonder bat! Who wouldst hath thought of that?"

"Goin' Mister Frankenstein!" Anthony sang.

"Pretty little ragdoll!" Sally followed. They were each dressed in their respective costumes.

"Cool polar bear." Harvey dressed as a polar bear with sunglasses.

"And a lovely little angel that soars across the air!" Aranea danced out, dressed like an angel, wearing a white, flowing dress and Greek sandals. She looked up as Fybi looked down at her, the Nimbi glaring angrily.

"HA, thou thinkst thou can stealst my act? Pray, watcheth thineself lest thou be bitten by a BAT!"

KND Moonbase

Cheren Uno stood atop his throne, overlooking the Moonbase bridge as he dressed as his ancestor, Link. "Kids Next Door all around! Let's take this party above the ground!"

Panini Drilovsky hopped around him, dressed like a certain pink bunny-rabbit. "Hoppin' on little bunny feet! As I wait for lots of treats!"

Mason and Haruka Dimalanta dashed in; Mason dressed like a tiger while Haruka dressed like a dragon. "We do the Yin-Yang thing!" Mason started.

"Showing off that bling!" Haruka finished.

Zach and Maddy Murphy then entered, Zach as a tiger and Maddy as a dragon. "Time to party as little monsters!" Zach started.

"'cept we're not really-"

However, the two danced their way to Mason and Haruka, the two pairs of siblings studying the others' same outfits. "…Well, one of us is gonna hafta change." Zach said.

"We aren't changing!" Mason refuted. "We're descended from an actual Yin-Yang Spirit!"

"Shyeah. An EVIL spirit." Maddy replied.

"Whatever. Me and Haruka aren't changin'."

"Besides, I fit really well in the dragon outfit!" Haruka smiled.

"That's 'cause our dad was a dragon one time." Mason replied.

"Ugh. Metahumans." Maddy complained.

"Ah, crud! Mad, I left my favorite candy bag down at our house."

"We were going trick-or-treating, anyway, we'll get it when we go back to Earth."

"I can't leave it at home! What if our dog goes in it?"

"Ugh. Fine." Maddy begrudgingly led her brother back to the hangar.

Cleveland, Virginia

Groups of children all piled into a single small shop as a red-haired man in a purple garb and a sparkling grin handed masks out to many boys and girls. "This is the holiday I make all the greatest sales! My Happy Little Mask Shop, it never fails!"

As Leanne Andrea stepped up to buy a mask, she took notice of a strange, heart-shaped mask that was decorated with spikes around the edge, and had a dark coloring, sitting on a back shelf. "Hey, Mister, how much for that mask back there?"

The Happy Mask Man turned around, his eyes widening with shock. "AAHH!" he ran over and covered his hands over the mask. "Th-That one's not for sale, little girl!"

"Ah, come on." Lee Andrew whined, stepping up with some cash. "I have 5 bucks."

"NO! Buy something else!" he yelled with anger in his eyes, though still keeping his grin.

"Okay, sheesh! Give me the skull-faced one." Lee handed over the cash and bought the mask, while Leanne bought a creepy black, shadowy mask. As the Grayson kids left the shop, their shadows, Ash and Damien, glanced back toward the strange mask on the shelf, thinking it looked very familiar.

Nightmare Land

This is Halloween, this is Halloween

Halloween, Halloween, Halloween, Halloween!

Bug-a-boo, a horned monster with many eyes jumped up from beneath a bed. "I AM THE ONE HIDING UNDER YOUR BED! Teeth growing sharp and many eyes RED!"

Mr. Pettibone, a skeleton wearing a top-hat and holding a cane danced out of a closet. "I am the skeleton in your closet! I need to go make a bank deposit."

A family of vampires—a mother, father, and son, awakened from their coffins and sang, "In this town, we call home… Everyone hail to the Pumpkin Song."

Customer Service announced across the town via intercom, "IN this town! Don't we love it now! Everybody's waiting for the night's surprise, so-"

As a blue ghost cat was flying by a trash can, a white werewolf wearing blue pajamas jumped out and scared it. "SCR-R-REAM, it's Halloween!"

"Grey and black and-" Yaridovich followed.

"-red and green!" Bowyer said.

"Oh, AREN'T you scared?" Harry asked.

"Well, that's just fine!" Scary Godmother sang.

Orson the Vampire used a guillotine to chop the head off a doll and sang, "Tender lumplings everywhere. Life's no good without a good scare!"

"That's our job-" Count Max said.

"-But ve're not mean." Countess Ruby followed.

"In our town of Halloweeen."

"In this town! Don't we love it now! Everybody's WAITING for the next surprise!" Customer sang.

"Great King Darkrai's gonna make you die from a TERRIBLE scream, so listen to our KING!"

The spotlights shone upon Darkrai on the stage as the Nightmare King spoke. "And now… ladies and gentlemonsters: the coup de grace to the greatest holiday in the universe! I present to you, the greatest of all Nightmares, the true King of Halloween. MY SON! My own non-flesh and bone, the heir to my throne, who makes every Halloween the SCARIEST Halloween in history…" The Nightmare King stepped aside as a hatch in the floor opened behind him, the spotlights aiming there. "Please, give a nightmarish moan for…"

Everybody's eyes widened, and all began moaning again.

"Ooo-oooo…" Darkrai started.

"Ohh-ohhh…" the Nightmares followed.

"Oo-ooo-"

"OOO-WEE-OOOO!" Jar Jar screeched.

"Ohh-OHHHH!"

Fire exploded from beneath the stage, and Darkrai's prized creation, Jack Skellington, emerged from below. "I'M THE PUMPKIN KING!"

The whole of the Nightmare audience burst into loud cheers.

"Jack…" the skeleton turned as his creator approached him, "after another year gone by, it's always good to see you… Son."

"It's always a pleasure to return to my hometown, Father." The bone man smiled. "Now to give these ghoulies the show they've been waiting for!" The skeleton jumped down into the audience, making them all gasp with astonishment.

"WELL, I'm BACK, everyone's favorite Jack! No one can deny I am the best, I scream the EARS right off those pests! As I look forward every year, to spread all the kiddies fear! Every year on Halloween, I really want to make them SCREAM! For no woman or man-" He waved his hand toward some female Nightmares, who fainted instantly. "Can SCREAM like I can! As our great king's son, I deliver greatest fright, and by OUR GOD… I REALLY WANT TO GIVE IT ALL MY MIGHT!"

The Nightmare citizens applauded as Jack took several bows.

"Thank you, thank you." Darkrai spoke. "As always, our Nightmare Prince will be leading all operations in spreading fear to all children on Earth, and providing our fair city with enough Fear Chi to last us another year. And now, to help plan the Halloween after-party, the wickedest witch of the west, the Scaryyyy GODMOTHER!"

Smoke beams erupted from the stage as a red-haired witch appeared on stage, making a pose as she hovered a few feet off the ground with bat wings on her back. "Thank you, Darkrai!" the witch cackled. "No way I'd miss out on the most important holiday of the year. Ahem, now, as you all know, it's every Nightmares' responsibility to scare as many kids as you possibly can. I don't think I need to explain we're not supposed to eat or HURT anyone. But once we're all finished, we'll have a feast of Fear Chi prepared, and lots and LOTS of candy!"

"YAAAAY!"

"Ooh, we can't have Halloween without candy, now, can we?" Harry the Werewolf cheered.

"Not for you, Harry." Scary Godmother scolded as she glared. "You ate a whole chunk of our candy last year, you're only getting a few pieces today. And aren't you supposed to be hanging cobwebs down at the Fright Side?"

"Hmph." Harry 'huffed' and grumpily made his way out of the audience. "Always with the Scary Taskmaster force, isn't it?"

"Uh-hum, yes, well…" Scary Godmother turned and faced her king, "There're still a few treats I need to tend to myself. I'll be down at the Fright Side. Happy Halloween!" And in a flash of smoke, the witch was gone.

"Ahh, this Halloween is going to be glorious, I can sense it." Darkrai spoke as his son stood beside him. "With you, I can always expect the best. On Halloween, Nightmares are stronger than ever, and kids are faced with their greatest fears. By facing those fears, they eventually gain the confidence and courage to stand up to anything. Plus, a good scare is always fun. And above all things, the Spirit of Halloween must live on. Humans dressing in costumes, imagining themselves as something else, getting sick and barfing on buckets of candy, and of course shivering with fright. Take care of it, Jack." The Pumpkin King nodded as the Nightmare King drifted away.

York Household

After Nolan and Danika had come downstairs, their excited son dashed over to Nolan. "Hey, Dad! Um, I was wondering… if you aren't too busy, you wanna go trick-or-treating together? I was thinking you could dress up as Batman, and I could go as Robin."

"Hehe." Nolan chuckled. "Sorry, Son. Gotta go on another stakeout with Crystal and Yuki. You know how villains get around this time."

"Oh…" Dillon looked down with disappointment. His smile returned, however, and he looked up and said, "Well, it's okay. I can always go with Leanne and the others." They heard the doorbell ring, and Dillon scampered over to answer it. "Hey, Ms. Wickens!"

"Hey, Dillon." Crystal smiled, rubbing the boy's head. "Ready for Halloween?"

"Yep! Going as Robin! In fact, I gotta go see if Leanne's ready. Later!" The boy happily scampered off.

The purple-haired woman had a seat on Nolan's couch and asked, "So, I guess we're all ready for another stakeout?"

"E-yep." Nolan nodded.

"Again, Nolan?" Danika asked, squatting down to his eye level. "This'll be the tenth Halloween you skipped with your son. He really wants to spend this day with you."

"I want to, Danika, but villains get really active around this date. The Candy Pirates, Affright and those other guys, like Holiday. There's just no resting on this date."

"But you hardly ever spend time with your son in general. Would it hurt to skip just one Halloween of staking out?"

"I'm all for that." Crystal commented, resting her feet on their living room table. "I wouldn't mind going out for a little tricking myself. I already got a certain somebody in mind." She smirked at the window, toward the direction of the Murphy household.

Nolan looked across the street to their house, watching as Zach was getting his tiger costume's butt chewed by their dog. "Gahh! Sparky! It's me! Gyaaahhhh!"

Nolan chuckled. "I think they already accomplished that themselves."

"Still, Nolan, you really oughta go with your son." Danika said once more. "He's excited now, but someday, he might get tired of Halloween. This could be your last chance."

"Sigh…" Nolan sighed depressedly. "Maybe…"

"Aw, do it, Nolan." Crystal smiled. "Batman was your favorite comic. You and Dillon'd look cute together, a little boy and his daddy. And not many kids take interest in their parents, you're lucky."

Nolan spared a glance to the door in the direction his son ran off, lost in thought over the women's words.

Fiery dungeon

Within the fiery depths of the Underworld, a lone shadowy figure stood before a magic cauldron. He watched the cauldron as visions of the Nightmares and the many Kids Next Door operatives sang in celebration of their favorite holiday. His pale-green eyes glared at the excited younglings, and his pure white fangs stretched into an evil smirk.

Breathing mortals, blood-filled necks

Soon to be mine down here in Heck

Let them have their fun upstairs

Because soon, they're doomed for a frightful scare

"JACK O'Lantern…" the being angrily called out.

From the fires, a man in a white shirt, gardening gloves, a hat with a feather, and a jack-o-lantern head, stepped out with a sack of some unknown ingredients. His jack-o-lantern head was riddled with cracks, as it looked like he was broken and fixed together recently. "Patience, Dracy! A good prank takes time to perfect."

"Just hurry. The sooner we're out of this dungeon, the better."

Jack O'Lantern poured the ingredients into the cauldron and proceeded to stir with a stick. He then rose the stirring stick into the air, revealing it to be a silver scythe with a light-brown hilt, similar to the Grim Reaper's. "Ahhh… it's not the Grim Reaper's scythe, but it looks just as brilliant. This'll be enough to give those kiddies the ultimate scare." he said with a smirk.

"Very soon, the Nightmares will regret having ever banished me to this Hell. And this time… there will be no bats…"

"OH, no one likes bats, no sirree!" The jack-o-lantern broke into wicked cackles. "Ohh, just wait, Dracy! Once this prank goes through, this'll be the greatest Halloween ever! AHH HAHAHAHA! BAHH HA HA HA HA!" The shadowy man kept his devilish smirk as the pumpkin man laughed.

Nightmare Land; Customer's Office

"I would like to thank everyone who has participated in this year's Halloween Festival of Fear." Customer Service spoke into his microphone, his voice being heard all around the city. "As per Halloween tradition, we must make everyone's Halloween the best it can be, and that includes us Nightmares. Let us take a moment and remember some of the fine tributes to our holiday throughout history. Such as the classic Charlie Brown special, where Linus tried to see the Great Pumpkin. The Robot Chicken parody of said Halloween Special, where Linus brings the Great Pumpkin to life, and it eats everyone. The Ed, Edd, 'N' Eddy special, Ed, Edd, 'N' Eddy's Boo Haw Haw. Scary Godmother's very own movie, Halloween Spooktacular, along with its sequel, Scary Godmother 2: The Revenge of Jimmy.

"And let's not forget, a world-renowned classic, The Nightmare Before Christmas, starring the Nightmare King's glorious son himself." Customer's voice echoed across the city as Jack Skellington struggled to make his way through crowds of crazy Nightmare fans.

"Jaaack… the halls have never been so haunty without you…" a woman moaned.

"You were cool in Kingdom Hearts!" a child said.

"Yes, yes, that's all very nice, now-" Jack carefully backed up and tried to keep away.

"-and, of course, the videogame sequel to said movie, The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge-" Customer still spoke.

"You OOOZE with greatness, Jack. OOOOZE-" another zombie lady moaned.

"Uh, yes, well, greatness would love to stay longer, but greatness has places to be, so…" As Jack was backed up against a wall, he quickly drew out a green flubber-like whip and yelled, "Soul Robber!" latching it to a building across the street and swiftly swinging away from the fans.

Jack swung into an alleyway and peeked out at the desperate fans before hurrying further along, quickly escaping their vision. As he looked further down into the alleyway, the skeleton could make out the shadow of a woman with long hair. The woman appeared to be facing him. Jack's relieved smile returned to him as he stepped further into the darkness, having a better look at her form. "Finally, somebody who isn't mentally obsessed with me."

"Jack…" The beautiful ragdoll creation of Dr. Finkelstein stepped into the light as Jack took her hands.

"Sally…" Jack stared beautifully into Sally's big, round eyes. "Even in our place of origin, in the depths of space, its darkness would mean nothing if you weren't around."

"Your father seems very excited this year."

"Aye, that he does. Perhaps due to the great amount of sales he's made lately. Still… my friends in the Spirit KND feel an ominous presence in the atmosphere. They fear dark times are on the horizon."

"Oh, dear. Is it something like what happened 20 years ago?"

"That is what I fear. Regardless, Halloween is here. I must continue what I love and strike fear in the hearts of children!" Jack raised his head up confidently. "The show must go on. There's no use stopping a sacred tradition which has kept our race going for generations. I'll see you later… Sally." And Jack walked away, leaving Sally as she looked at him with a proud smile.

KND Moonbase

After stepping off his throne, Cheren Uno, still dressed as Link, was having a walk around the Moonbase, studying the operatives and seeing what they dressed as. His cousin, Melody was dressed up as a Zora, and her brother, Danny was dressed as King Zora; a fitting costume, Cheren thought. Aurora was dressed as a Charmander, while Francis dressed as Commodore Norrington. Lola and Terry Stork were here; Lola dressed as the Digimon, Lopmon, while Terry was Terriermon. The GKND were here: Makava was dressed as Medli the Rito, who was a bird person. Arianna dressed as a flower, and Vweeb sat on her shoulder, dressed as simply a piece of candy. As the Supreme Leader was about to walk off, he was suddenly pushed over when what seemed like a rock rolled over.

The rock stood to its feet, standing on and holding Cheren down as he looked up at who it was. "Lin?"

"Whaddya think?" Lin Beifong asked, wearing a suit of stone attached to her back while her entire front was painted a light brown color. "Pretty cool, huh? I dressed up as one of those Goron things I've been hearing about. I heard they were a tribe of rock people, so I thought, yep: that's what I'm goin' as! I have to say, the paint feels good on my feet. So, what do think about my costume?" she asked, showing off her side as she still kept Cheren down.

"Looks great. Now will you please get off of me?" Lin did so and allowed Cheren to stand up. When the Uno boy was about to walk away again, he stopped in place and yelped when a black-hooded figure switched out a red lightsaber and nearly swung it to his neck.

"Cheren Uno… submit to the powers of the Dark Side…" the being spoke in a hoarse tone.

"Huh?"

"Haha! Just kidding!" The girl turned and pulled off her hood, revealing to be Nebula, whose skin was painted a pale grey. "Surprise! I borrowed a red lightsaber from the school's historical closet, now I'm going as Emperor Palpatine! Whaddya think? I almost got ya, didn't I?"

"Heh, you sure did! I almost thought you were possessed or something."

At the same time, Mason was standing around, looking at other kids' costumes in boredom. "Hoi, Mason!" he turned around at this chipper Australian voice, finding his friend, Sheila wearing a blue shirt with a zipper, blue and white shorts, and painted orange-red.

"Sheila!" he smiled. "What are you supposed to be?"

"Oi'm Conkuh! From Conker's Bad Fur Day!"

"Oh yeah. You look neat!"

"Thank ye, Mate! Oi couldn't decide between this or Rayman, but me mum decided to take the Rayman costume. And check it out: I taped a beer sign over the Purple Flurp can!" She held up said can, showing that it had the Pawtucket Patriot logo taped over it as she proceeded to drink. However, she instantly stopped in her drinking, and studied the soda. "Urp…um… Oi think I mighta grabbed the wrong can."

"Uh, hehe. Hey, you haven't seen Lee around, have you? Haruka's looking for him."

"Oi think he an' Leanne are still at home; Dillon's wantin' ta go trick-or-treatin' with 'er, eh?" Sheila replied, still drinking the 'soda'.

"Poor Dillon." Mason said sadly. "Ever since he first got into Halloween, he's been wanting to go trick-or-treating with his dad. But his dad's always busy with his Sandman stuff, so he's always missed out."

Sheila drank a little bit more 'soda,' then stopped, wobbling a little as she wore a drunken expression. "Ahh, bloody bloke, urrp's, gonna someday…eh? 'ey, Mason: ya ever notice 'ow, mmmm, Lilac and Berry 'ave cat ears, a-and human ears, too… Oi wonduh, wh-which ones do they use, ah? D-Do they use both of 'em? …A-And, how come Oi don't get both sets of ears? …Oi-oi don't get that, eh?"

"Okay, Kids Next Door, listen up!" Cheren Uno announced as he stood upon his throne, with Lin, Nebula, and Panini standing around him. "There's a lot of really neat costumes being worn today, and it's almost around sunset. Before we all head back to Earth for trick-or-treating, I just wanna remind everybody to return here for the Halloween after-party, where we'll have our annual costume contest. So, grab the last bits of candy you can up here to take home, and until then, have the best Halloween you possibly can!" The kids erupted into cheers as Cheren stepped off his throne.

"Welp, guess that's our cue to leave." Mason decided, beginning to walk away. "Might as well go meet up with Dillon and the others."

Sheila followed him, still drunk as she said, "A-And wot about our weapons? Hm? W—How can we hold a bunch o' weapons in our pockets when they're so much bigguh? D-Do the weapons shrink or something? A-Are they programmed to do that? Hm? Ahh, you old drongo."

York Household

At hearing a knock at their door, Dillon walked over to answer it, finding Lee and Leanne. "Hey, Leanne!"

"Hey, Dillon!" Leanne was wearing a blue hooded cape, blue boots, a black one-piece swimsuit, and the black mask she bought at the shop. "I'm going as Raven!"

"And I'm Beast Boy." Lee said, his skin painted green, and his hair dyed a darker green.

"Wouldn't that imply you two were dating?" Dillon asked.

"Er…that'd be weird."

"Oh well, we'll just consider ourselves the CHILDREN of Raven and Beast Boy." Leanne decided. "He was actually going to wear a skull mask and be a skeleton, but he thought it was a little cliché. Anyway, you all ready for trick-or-treating? You got your costume ready?"

"Oh yeah! I'll go get it!" Dillon proceeded to hurry up the stairs.

Nolan York watched him leave and spared a glance to Dani and Crystal, who sat on the couch with hopeful expressions. Nolan gave a sigh and called, "Wait, Son." Dillon came back down to look at his father. "Do you mind if I… go with you?"

Dillon's eyes widened. "But… aren't you busy?"

"Yeah, but… I guess it wouldn't hurt to skip ONE Halloween of staking out. Right?" Dani and Crystal nodded at this.

Dillon's excited smile returned. "ALL RIGHT! Come on, let's go get our costumes!" Dillon scampered up the stairs.

"Hmph. If you're going trick-or-treating, I might just dress up as an actual witch myself." Crystal decided.

"I'm glad you changed your mind, Nolan." Danika smiled.

"Hehe. Well, I'd much rather hang out with my son than fight the same bad guys over and over. Well, I'll see you guys later. Gotta try and fit in the costume." Nolan rolled his way up the stairs.

The Underworld

The shadowy being and Jack O'Lantern faced ahead as the green portal spiraled before them. "It is time." The shadow spoke.

"Time to teach these kiddies what a REAL Halloween should look like!" Jack grinned.

"But vhat of the sun?"

"THAT'S why I have THIS." The pumpkin man pulled out a locket with a moon design. "Behold: the Lunar Locket. One who holds this will have complete control of the moon." He handed the locket to the shadow as he studied it.

"Very good. Now… go, Jack. Unleash the transformation spell. Make sure it touches all corners of the planet. Let this night last forever… and see the sun never rises again."

"Don't worry, Dracy! If anyone knows a good prank, it's JACK." The pumpkin man laughed maniacally as he stepped into the portal, the shadow man, 'Dracy,' glaring in his direction.

Heartly Household

While Kami was busy washing dishes in the kitchen, her daughter, Kimaya called, "Bye, Mom, I'm goin' out!"

"What are you dressed as?" Kami asked, turning to her.

"This!" Kimaya wore pink shorts and a pink bellybutton shirt, a pink hat, blond ponytail wig, and had her arms and legs painted brown.

"You're going as Dixie Kong?" Kami asked, raising a brow.

"What? It's a good game."

Kami smiled and chuckled. "Okay, then. Have fun, Sweetie."

As it was everywhere, children were leaving their houses for their night of trick-or-treating, dressed in various costumes. Michelle McKenzie accompanied Sector W, skipping out of her home dressed as a Minish. Lilac and Berry dressed up as dogs, while Rupert Dickson dressed like a cat. Kirie Beatles was dressed like a pink butterfly, and the Gilligan Triplets dressed like the Three Stooges. Even Nigel Uno was getting into the fun; the adult dressed as Avatar Aang, having painted an arrow on his bald head.

York Household

Lee and Leanne waited downstairs for Dillon and his father to come down. In a few moments, Dillon York dashed down the stairs, making a victory pose as he dressed like Robin. "Ta-da!" Out of nowhere, a trumpet victory sound effect could be heard. "Well, come on, Dad! Let's go!"

In a few seconds, Nolan York rolled down the stairs, dressed just like Batman. "Aww, how adorable!" Crystal cooed.

"The adventures of Crippled Batman and Robin." Danika joked, making Nolan blush.

"Heh heh… just like old times. Ready to go, Son?"

"Heck yeah! Come on, guys, let's go!" Dillon dragged Lee and Leanne out the door as Nolan quickly followed them.

Over the next half hour, Nolan and Dillon were trick-or-treating across the neighborhoods of Quahog, along with Lee, Leanne, Mason, Sheila, and Haruka. "Boy, this is awesome! After 10 years, we finally get to spend a Halloween together, Dad!"

"Well, you're growing up so fast, Dillon, I gotta make the most of it when I still can." Nolan smiled.

"Still feels weird having an adult with us." Lee commented.

"Well, he's cool. So, what's wrong with Sheila?" Leanne asked.

"She taped a beer sign over a Purple Flurp and got the two mixed up by accident." Mason replied.

"'ey, 'ow come Dillon l-lives all the way 'ere in Quahog, a-and he still gets put into Sectuh V, i-in Virginia? Hah?" Sheila asked, still drunk. "W-Why ain't he be put into Sectuh Q? HUH?" She drank some more.

"I just hope Crystal and Yuki can do fine without me."

"Ah, come on, Dad! Don't worry about them! They'll be fine!" Dillon said cheerfully. "Heck, for all we know, the bad guys probably got bored by now."

Nolan smiled at his son's positivity, but still felt worried for his two allies.

Downtown Quahog

"Ahh, the night is wonderful, isn't it, Yuki?" Crystal sighed as she and Yuki took watch from atop the skyscrapers. While Yuki dressed in his regular superhero outfit, Crystal had her skin painted green, and she wore a black dress, black boots, and black witch-hat.

"Uh-huh. So, why are you dressed like that?"

"Got to get into the Halloween spirit, haven't I? I might not be going trick-or-treating like Nolan, but there certainly will be tricks if any villains show up again. You ever gone trick-or-treating when you were a kid?"

"Not really. Never had the friends to go with. In fact, I'm kind of in the same position as Nolan was. My daughter always feels real lonely, and I never spend enough time with her because of this Coldman stuff. I always wish I can go trick-or-treating with her like Nolan with his son. She can be very- Wait! I see something." Yuki pulled out his binoculars and faced down.

"What is it?"

"There's someone hopping across rooftops." Crystal looked down as a thin, shadowy figure was indeed hopping across skyscraper roofs, holding a scythe-like item. "Let's check this out." Yuki conjured and surfed along an ice path while Crystal rode across with her staff. As the shadowy man ran by, the two took land on the rooftop behind him, and Yuki yelled, "Hey! Who goes there?"

The mystery being stopped, turning to face them as a smirk was visible upon his pumpkin-headed feature, the moonlight shining upon his form. "Who are you?" Crystal asked, her eyes wide.

Rather than respond, the pumpkin man swung his scythe, and Wiccan and Coldman ducked to avoid an air slash. The man turned and continued to run, so Coldman and Wiccan gave chase. The pumpkin swung more slashes from his scythe, but the two heroes ducked as Coldman eventually tackled him to the ground. The man kicked Coldman off of him and stood, making quick dodges as Wiccan tried to bash him with her staff. The pumpkin man attempted to swing his scythe as Wiccan's neck, missing by just a few inches as the witch's eyes widened with fright. Afterwards, Coldman was able to deal a few punches against the pumpkin man, then successfully kicked the pumpkin right off his head, flinging it to the air as the body fell over the building.

The two heroes watched with amazement and wonder as this happened. As the man's head spiraled around in the air, falling to the ground, the body quickly regained composure as it stuck its scythe into the side of the building, scrapping along the way down. When it was near the ground, it pulled the scythe out and kicked off the building, landing on his feet as he ran as fast as he could, successfully catching the head in his hands. Coldman and Wiccan landed down as well to watch the being screw the pumpkin back on its body, still keeping his smirk. "Well, don't want to go through that again."

Wiccan and Coldman glared at the pumpkin man and continued to chase it down the streets.

Back with the others…

"And, ya know, h-how come Nolan and 'is pals 'ave to keep their identities secret, w-when WE know who they are? Hm? A-And why doesn't everybody know? Oi mean, sh-shouldn't Crystal Wickens, a-and Wiccan be obvious? HM?" Sheila drank some more.

"Boy, we have got LOADS of candy!" Dillon exclaimed.

"Honestly, I don't think Sheila should have any for a while. She's looking pretty sick." Haruka said.

"Ahh, whaddyou know, you old…mmm, whatsoever?"

The kids all stopped as screaming was heard in the distance, and Nolan faced ahead toward the town as a pumpkin-headed man was hurrying out with a scythe, being chased by Crystal and Yuki. "Looks like trouble." Nolan said, rolling quickly forward.

"Dad, wait!" Dillon reached out in his direction. He looked down in disappointment. Ditched on Halloween again.

"Don't have time to go back and change costume." Nolan said to himself as he kept rolling. "I guess this'll have to do. Hey, stop!" he yelled to the incoming pumpkin man. Nolan tried to grab him, but the pumpkin man flipped onto the nearest house rooftop and leaped all the others, making Crystal and Yuki nearly run into Nolan. "Guys, what's up?"

"We saw that man jumping buildings." Crystal panted. "We don't know what he's doing."

"Let's follow him." With that, Nolan began latching his grappling hook to rooftops to shoot across as the three heroes gave chase.

Dillon was about to call after him, but held his head down in sadness when he realized it was pointless. "I'm sorry, Dillon." Leanne apologized, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Dillon spared a glance to her and said, "Come on, let's keep going…"

The trio of heroes continued to pursue the pumpkin man as he was making his way downtown again. He kept swinging more slashes from his scythe, but the heroes ducked and kept chase. "Hey, doesn't that look like the Grim Reaper's scythe?" Nolan asked.

"Yeah, but it's colored differently. We'll see what he knows when we grab him." Yuki decided.

The jack-o-lantern head dashed into an alleyway and kicked his way up the walls, easily reaching the top of the buildings. Nolan shot his grappling hook to pull himself up, followed by the others as they once again jumped buildings to chase after him. The man looked back and smirked toward them, using his scythe to conjure a portal ahead and jump inside. The heroes stopped and stared at the portal for a little bit, and the pumpkin man shot out of a portal behind them and shoved Crystal inside the one ahead. "Ahh!"

"Wiccan!" Nolan yelled as the portal vanished. He and Coldman angrily faced the jack-o-lantern, trying to throw punches as he easily dodged them. He laid a few punches and kicks on Coldman before pushing the superhero over the edge, dropping him into a dumpster. Nolan shot his grappling hook to try and latch him, but the man swiftly dodged to the side and let it pass. Afterwards, he ran behind Nolan and grabbed the handles on his chair, swinging him around before sending him flying over a couple buildings, dropping him down another alleyway.

"That's enough playing for now." Jack O'Lantern smirked. "Time for the REAL fun to start." The pumpkin head stood atop the ledge as he gained the town citizens' attention. "PEOPLE OF QUAHOG, LISTEN UP! 'Tis I: JACK O'LANTERN! After more than 20 years of time wasted, I have returned to this world to give to you, THE GREATEST HALLOWEEN IN THE UNIVERSE!"

"YAAAAAY!" the many kids of the city cheered.

"I hope you like the costumes you picked, because you're NEVER taking them off again, EVER!" Jack raised his scythe skyward as dark storm clouds surrounded him.

Spirit of Darkrai, ghost of Dragmire

Make them the creations they so desire

Let the daytime suns never rise again

Let Halloween night be UNTIL world's end!

The clouds spiraled around the pumpkin man as lightning struck down and engulfed his form. A bright beam of greenness launched into the sky, exploding as the clouds all brimmed with the green energy. All around the world, clouds formed, raining tiny specks of the green down across the land. Dillon and his friends studied their sparkling forms as the green specks touched them. Before their very eyes, Mason and Haruka transformed into a tiger and dragon, and Sheila transformed into an actual red squirrel, just like Conker. Kimaya watched as her body transformed into that of an ape's; Dixie Kong's, Aurora turned into a Charmander, and Lola and Terry Stork turned into Lopmon and Terriermon.

Arianna watched as she was turned into an actual flower, Makava sprouted wings as she became a real Rito, and Vweeb shrunk into his costume, becoming a simple piece of candy. As Sector W stared beautifully at the raining greenness, the effects were slowly taking on Anthony, and the Frankenstein child suddenly began moaning and walking like an actual Frankenstein. Michelle felt the effects as well, the child beginning to shrink smaller and smaller until she had the size and body of a Minish. "Eek!"

Fybi and Harvey's bodies poofed and turned into an actual bat and polar bear, and Aranea's angel wings flashed as they began to flap. In a few moments, Aranea was taking to the sky as an angel.

Quahog Graveyard

"Whooa!" Crystal fell out of the open portal and landed face-first into Quahog's graveyard. "Ow…" she stood up and rubbed her face. "Well, that was a rough landing. What's going on?" The woman took notice of the green specks raining down from the heavens. Her eyes focused on a single tiny green speck that was slowly drifting toward her. She squished her eyes together as the green light gently took land on her nose. "Ohhhh…." The witch-clothed woman felt a dizzy feeling overcome her mind, the world becoming blurry around her.

She faced in the direction of the city as the buildings oddly became like that of a drawing. The stars sparkled brightly in the sky as the theme to Bewitched started to play. Crystal watched as another version of herself flew out from the city, sitting on a broomstick as she wore a sparkling grin on her face. Crystal soared around the sky and formed the word 'Bewitched' in sparkling bright letters. She continued to fly as she looked toward the real Crystal, wiggling her nose with a grin. The Crystal witch's expression turned to horror when she suddenly flew into the propeller of an airplane. The wing exploded as a result, and the plane was sent crashing to the ground.

Crystal's eyes began to grow weary, and the woman fell into a deep sleep.

Back in the city

"Gah ha ha haaa! It worked like a CHARM!" Jack O'Lantern exclaimed.

Coldman flew back onto the rooftop, shooting an angered glare. "WHAT did you do?!"

"I just enacted my new plan! It's completely original in every way. I transformed everyone… INTO THEIR COSTUMES! AHH HA HA HA!"

"They already did that on The Simpsons!" a random kid yelled.

"And Fairly OddParents!"

"Oh, well, uh…" Jack frowned, "whatever! Besides…" his smirk returned, "you're going to get a real kick out of what we have planned!"

"Grrr! Change everyone back!" Yuki demanded.

"You'll have to catch me first! Gah ha ha hah!" Jack excitedly flipped across the rooftops, followed by an angry Yuki.

As they left across the rooftops, Nolan York began to recover from his fall. The man rubbed his head as he stood and lifted his chair up, setting it up right as he was about to sit down. However, the man stopped himself when he felt something funny: his legs suddenly felt very functional. He studied his body and noticed he's gotten a bit buffer. "Turned everyone into their costumes…" The man pieced together what was going on. He looked down into a puddle on the ground, studying the Batman mask on his reflection. Nolan stared with amazement and studied his gloved hands. "I…I'm…I'm Batman!"

Nolan looked in both directions, seeing no one was around as he spoke. "I am…" he raised his fist in victory, "Batmanta!" Trumpet victory music could be heard from nowhere. "…Man, I hope no one heard me say that."

"I did."

Nolan flinched, jumping around as a pair of red-green eyes stared from the blackness. "It's been a long time…" The shadow man stepped closer, his form hidden under a pitch-black cloak, jet-black hair on his pale-skinned head.

"Umm… have we met?" Nolan asked.

"Batman… do you not recognize your fellow bat? It is I… Dracula." The man opened his cloak, revealing his dark tux as fangs stuck out from his mouth.

"Y-You…" Nolan backed away in fear, recognizing him from a Batman comic.

"Ever since you laid me to rest a second time, I have burned in the fiery depths of Hell, lusting for revenge." Dracula spoke in his dark tone, stepping closer.

"W-Wait! You got it wrong, I'm not Batman. I'm…" Nolan tried to remove his mask, but it was glued tight to his head. "Umm… I'm gonna need some butter or somethin'."

"It is far too late to try and trick me… Bruce Wayne. Never have I desired anything more than blood. Years have a vaited to return, and you banish me to the depths again."

Nolan tried to run away, but Dracula suddenly appeared in his path. "You've done vell in keeping my vork during my absence… but your good-natured soul tampers my legend. But that vill all change very soon…" he grew a smirk, "vonce I drink your blood."

"Not on your afterlife." Nolan grabbed his, er, Batman's grappling hook and shot it upward, latching the top of the building. He hauled himself upward and attempted to run across the rooftops, but Dracula zipped in his path again.

"Becoming a vampire is to heighten the senses. How ve run so fast… it is a feeling of freedom."

"Shyeah, except you guys don't have it under the sun. I prefer to work nights AND days."

"You really do not have a choice. I vill drink your blood. You vill become my slave: a Child of the Night!

"I vas vonce the most feared Nightmare around." Dracula sang as Nolan tried to throw punches, the vampire swiftly dodging. "My fangs sucked the blood of many a neck!" Nolan kicked at his legs, but Dracula leapt right over Nolan, landing behind. "But vhen the new King took the crown… I vas kicked RIGHT out of town! And I vas sent to the depths, down into HEEECK!"

Nolan punched at Dracula's chest, but the vampire grabbed his wrist and hurled him across several buildings. As Nolan recovered, he flinched when Dracula appeared beside him again.

"But then, out of blue, a miracle hath occurred!" Nolan ran and jumped another building, but Dracula reappeared again. "My heart filled with blood of a penguin man that's absurd!" Nolan drew out his grappling hook and attempted to slice the vampire with it. "But THEN my plan went awry! When ANOTHER bat caused me to die! And now look here. What do I see? The bat has RETURNED to me!"

Failing to land a blow against the monster, Nolan decided to try and escape across the rooftops again, the full moon shining bright and large across the sky.

"I am the Night! I am the Darkness! People who see me never pull through! Soooon, you will kneel… To the VAMPIRE feel! I am the Night, I AM YOUR DEATH!" Nolan fell over when Dracula popped in front of him again. The Batman fell off the building, into a dumpster, jumping out as he hurried down a street.

"I originally vanted to turn everyone into Children. But NOW a new plot, I vould think better sell!" Nolan looked to the rooftops, seeing Dracula no longer there. "I vill take control of the throne. The Nightmare King will be ALL but alone! And through the eternal night, the kids'll forever have MONSTER might!"

Dracula jumped from the shadows and tried to grab Nolan in his arms, but the man ducked and continued to run. "I am the Night! I am the Darkness! No one can run from vhat I do! Revenge vill be sweet… As you BOW to my feet! I am the Night, And YOU vill DIE!"

As Dracula gave chase, Nolan quickly turned and swung his grappling hook, which Dracula dodged, and continued to dodge as Nolan swung some more. "I am the Night. I am the doom. All my Children see nothing but gloom. NOOOW, it is TIIME… You BECOOME one of MIINE!"

Dracula grabbed Nolan's arm and threw him against a car. Before he could recover, Dracula leapt onto Nolan, forcing him against the car. "Now you vill join me, in the ranks of the undead." Nolan struggled to break free as Dracula opened his mouth wide, looming closer and closer to his neck as his fangs were ready to sink in.

But Drac's plans were foiled when Dillon York, dressed up as Robin, swung over with his grappling hook and kicked the vampire into the wall. "You leave my dad alone!"

"So, you have a son now." Dracula observed, fascinated. "Interesting. You vill make an excellent family of Children." Dillon backed away in fear as Dracula hissed and approached him. "Eh?" he sensed another presence and looked to his left. There stood Danika Anderson, holding a cross in one hand and a pack of garlic in the other. "You are a beautiful woman." The vampire smiled and approached the goth woman. "The night is worn magnificently upon your skin…"

Danika aimed her vampire repellents at the monster, keeping him back. "Hehrr… you vill not be taken so easily. Very well. The three of you live. For now. Enjoy your night, Batman. It vill not be long before you are mine." The vampire wrapped his form into his cape, transforming into a bat that flapped its wings and flew into the night. It flew in the direction of the wide full moon, and vanished across the distance.

Danika and Dillon helped Nolan onto his feet, brushing the broken glass shards off his suit. "Nolan. Are you okay?" his wife asked.

"I'm fine. If it wasn't for you or Dillon, he woulda got me."

"Hehe." Dillon grinned and gave a thumbs up.

"What's happenin'?" Yuki asked, hurrying to their side. "Are you guys all right?"

"Everything's good, did you catch Jack?" Nolan asked.

"He got away. But it looks like you found something bigger to worry about."

"Jack's curse and Dracula's appearance have to be related somehow." Nolan deduced. "Let's find Wiccan and try to figure this out."

"If everybody's been turned into their costumes…" Dillon stated with a look of worry, "I'd hate to see what kind of trouble that would lead to. We better be careful." The group of four left the battle site and walked slowly out of the city.

Viridi's Lair

The childlike Goddess of Nature excitedly dressed like a witch, holding a pumpkin basket as she looked at her crystal ball. "Ahh, Halloween! One of my favorite holidays. Do you know why, Arlon?"

"Mmm, children dressing up as little monsters as they go from house to house, getting free candy?" Arlon replied.

"Um, no. It means that autumn's beginning! When leaves change color, and plummet to the ground, as the winter approaches. And all the weak-willed humans SUFFER from the cold, ahh ha ha ha ha!"

"Mm, yes, yes, no one likes the cold." Phosphora replied, smoothening her nails as usual. "But Halloween's looking to be a little different this year. Check it out."

Viridi raised a brow and looked at her crystal ball. She watched as the beam of greenness shot into the sky, raining down tiny lights of green as they transformed everybody into their respective costumes. "Well, THAT'S… unnatural."

"Yes, it appears some Underworld outlaws are up to no good." Arlon observed. "They've brought a nightmare of reality to Halloween. And what's more than that, they've even gone as far as to tamper with the moon. I thought my Lunar Locket went missing when those brats defeated me."

"Uugh. Can't you get sent to prison without losing something ONCE, Arlon?"

"Mmmy apologies, Mistress Viridi." Arlon bowed.

"You know, I think I've seen a curse like this before." Phosphora said. "Transformation spells come with us a price. The people become so adapted to their new form, they lose all sense of what they were supposed to be."

"Is that so?" Viridi asked, looking at her crystal ball with interest. "Hmmmmm…"

Nightmare Land Dungeon

The Oogie Boogie Man continued to hang from chains from the ceiling by his wrists, his head held down in boredom. "W-Whuh?" he shot his head up at the sound of the dungeon doors creaking open, seeing a rather chubby figure with wolf legs approach him. The Boogie Man's eyes widened when the figure pulled out a metal skull on a chain. He launched the chain forward as the skull snapped its jaws, the Boogie Man closing his eyes in fright. In an instant, Oogie dropped to the ground, his shackles having been broken as the skull returned to its owner. "Well, Ah'll be jiggered… WHO are YOU?"

The chubby being stayed in the shadows as he spoke. "Someone who's tired of being the lower Nightmare."

"Oh? Mmmmm…" Oogie smirked with delight.

Sweet Revenge

"Boss! Look at all the pretty lights." Dumb John Silver goofily smiled as he watched the green lights slowly drift from the sky.

"Yarr, that's strange." Stickybeard observed. "Where do these lights be comin' from, mateys?"

"Yar, methinks it be the work of an omen brewing, Boss." a pirate replied.

"Well, whatever the case may be, it won't put an anchor on our plunderin'. Let's grab our first sack o' the night, boys. I see a couple o' scallywags right now."

The Sweet Revenge came to a halt as the Candy Pirates set foot on the ground. Dumb John Silver looked ahead with fright as several green zombified children weakly limped along the streets as they moaned, drool dripping from their wide open mouths. "ZOMBIES! AAAHH!"

"QUIET down, Dumb John! They're just costumes!" Stickybeard told him. "Now let's grab one of 'em." The pirates followed their captain as he approached the nearest zombie child. "You thar! Kid! Hand over your loot."

"Braaaaiiiins."

"DEH! They want brains, Boss!" Dumb John yelled.

"'e couldn't take brains from ya if they WERE real, John! Okay, kid, cut the act." Stickybeard ordered, taking and holding the kid by the wrist. "And gimme the candy, before I cut off yer-"

Stickybeard couldn't finish before the kid split from his arm and dropped to the ground. Stickybeard studied the arm in his hand with interest. "Whoa, neat costume."

The Candy Pirates shivered with fear. "B-Boss? I don't be thinkin' those're costumes, anymore."

"D'arr, now where's yer sugarbone, mateys? These kids won't be havin' me fooled for long." Stickybeard grabbed the kid by the shirt collar and held him to his face. "Alright, kid: you've taken this far enough. So hand over yer candy, or ye'll not be havin' another gumdrop for the rest of yer-" The head of the kid fell back and rolled along the ground.

The pirates' eyes widened with surprise as a foul odor came from the headless neck. Stickybeard released the body as all of the other child zombies slowly approached and reached for them. The headless body stood to its feet and picked up its head, screwing it back on its body. "Braaaiiiins." it moaned, releasing the foul stench from its mouth.

"Th-They are real!" Stickybeard stuttered.

In a matter of seconds, the pirates were back on their ship and sailing off into the night as the brain-hungry zombies chased as fast, though slow, as they could.

Quahog Bank

"HEY, HEY, everyone!" the Sandman rogue, Holiday exclaimed as he stood before the bank, holding several pumpkin bags. "Holiday is BACK in town! And what better way to celebrate Halloween, than with my very own, though slightly predictable, PUMPKIN GRENADES!" The villain tossed his first grenade from the bags into the window, blowing up the inside. "What's that? Robbing banks is overdone? Well, if that's the case, allow me to BLOW your mind, as a replace all of the cash with my very own…" he reached into his pocket and held up a dollar bill that was decorated with cobweb designs and skulls, "BOO BILLS, ha ha!"

"Mmm-BOO!" the dollar sounded.

"Ha ha, they'll love it." Holiday was about to grab another grenade, when suddenly- "Huh?" He felt a presence and looked behind him, seeing the count himself wrapped in his cloak. "We-ell, looks like we gotta Dracula type. Aren't you a little too old for trick-or-treating?"

Dracula made a smirk, exposing his fangs as he loomed closer to the holiday villain.

"H-Hey. What's the big idea? What're you doing—Don't—D'AAHHH!"

Dracula sunk his fangs into Holiday's neck, and the villain was transformed into a vampire in seconds as Jack O'Lantern stepped out of the shadows. "My first Child of the Night."

"Lucky for me I have no blood flow!" Jack joked.

"Some people vere not wearing costumes, and therefore vere not affected by the curse. They will be mine before long." Dracula explained.

"Hey, we got plenty of time! It's a forever night, Dracy!" Jack smiled excitedly.

Dracula reached into his tux and held the Lunar Locket up towards the moon. "With the Lunar Locket, the moon vill always remain in place if I tell it. With your spell, Earth is at a standstill in time. It vill always be Halloween night, even if months have passed."

"But now there's still a problem regarding the Nightmare King." Jack reminded. "He'll catch on eventually. He won't stand for any tampering with the balance. If you're gonna seize the throne, we gotta do something about him."

"I already have somebody vorking on the other side. He vill help bring the city down from the inside, if things go accordingly."

"The King, too?"

"I have plans to turn the Nightmares against their king. Jack…" he turned to face the pumpkin head, "you said the Nightmare King has human descendants… did you not?"

"Oh, yes! Virginia Sims and her children! Buuut… what does that have to do?"

"Did you know, whenever I bite some vone," Dracula smirked, "and I absorb their blood, not only do they become Children of the Night, but I also gain vhatever possessions belong to them." As he said this, the Vampire Holiday kneeled down as he presented his supply of pumpkin bombs, which Dracula took. "The King's descendants have his blood. If I bite them, and take their blood… I vill have absorbed the King's blood. And his possessions, the Nightmares, vill be mine."

"But… couldn't you just suck the blood of any Nightmare?"

"Nay… most of the Nightmares do not have blood of their own. But Virginia and her children are Nightmare-born. They have blood, vhich I can drink. The whole of Nightmare Land will be under my control."

"It's… still a little confusing… but I think I get it."

"I vill first find her children. They have likely been transformed, too." The count walked past Jack, leaving the pumpkin to himself as Holiday followed him. "Oh, yes." Drac stopped and smirked. "Did you not notice the behavior of those zombie children?"

"Oh, yeah! Boy, they sure were getting into the act."

"It is an effect of the curse. If the spell is not reversed, the humans will lose their sense of humanity… and become vhatever it is they have become."

"Ooooh! And once you've turned everyone else into vampires, you really will be the Nightmare King."

"And as long as the sun remains hidden behind the moon, I vill never have to sleep again." With that, the dark count disappeared into the darkness.

York Household

The Yorks, Grayson kids, Dimalanta kids, and Yuki finally made it back to the York house, where they all sat down to have a rest after their already rough night. "Boy, that was a close call." Nolan sighed.

"So lemme get this straight, that Jack-O-Lantern dude transformed everyone in the world into their costumes?" Dillon asked.

"Would explain why Mason and Haruka are a tiger and dragon, and I strangely feel more like Raven." Leanne said. "And yet, I'm still voiced by Kerry Williams."

"And I feel more like Beast Boy." Lee smiled coolly, transforming into a rat and deer, then back to human. "That curse really did its tricks."

"But how do we stop it?" Mason asked, in the form of a tiger. "How're Mom and Dad gonna react when they see us like this?"

"Yeah, and Sheila totally bailed on us, too, the drunk!" the Haruka dragon complained.

"And as if that wasn't bad enough, Count Dracula's back from the dead." Danika said.

"But the good news is, Nolan's his favorite superhero." Yuki smirked.

"And I'm Robin!" Dillon cheered, standing on the table and making a victory pose. "Isn't this great, Dad? Now we can REALLY kick butt, together!"

"Hehehe. I don't think so, Dillon." Hearing this made Dillon frown. "Against someone like Dracula, I don't think you should get involved. You got lucky back there, but I can't risk getting you turned into a vampire."

"Awww…"

"Nolan…" Danika looked with disappointment.

"Hey, this isn't like your usual Kids Next Door villain. This is more DC Comics, if anything."

"Well, we have to fight some pumpkin-headed guy, too." Dillon reminded.

"Even so, I'm not gonna risk your life. Anyway, I'm going down to The Q to see if Mario has any tips that could help, and I need to make sure he's all right, anyway. Yuki, you go out and look for Crystal. I'm hoping she couldn't've ended up too far." Nolan instructed as he and Yuki were about to head out the door. "I just hope this curse hasn't already gotten too far…"

Los Angeles News Station

"This just in, terror on the streets of EVERY where as trick-or-treaters everywhere are magically transformed into real monsters." Eva Roberts announced. "Reports from Quahog, Rhode Island talk of a mysterious pumpkin-headed being, wielding a scythe, unleash some mysterious beam into the sky and send these tiny droplets of green raining everywhere, turning each person into whatever costume they were wearing." The screen showed these events happening as Eva spoke.

"Children everywhere have taken into the curse," Kade continued, "and while some are enjoying, others are not. Here is some footage of some of these transformations, taken by invisible people who so happen to be there at that exact place and time."

L.A. Beach

"WOOHOOO!" Melody Jackson cheered, surfing in and out of the water in her brand new Zora form. The Ocean Princess dove beneath the surface and came back up, shooting water from her mouth. "THIS IS SO AMAZING!!!" Melody continued to swim around some more. "Come on, Danny, get in with me!"

"Nah, I'm good right here, Mel." Danny Jackson replied, sitting on the beach as he was in the form of the fat King Zora.

"Hey, Melody, look! I'm a Cylon!" Eric Horvitz replied, indeed in the form of a Cylon. "WHOA!" The nerdy boy jumped when a gunshot fired and hit the sand beside him, looking over to see the creator of Battlestar Galactica wielding a gun.

"Rousy, lousy, son of a bitch, you DIE, you Cylon!!"

"WAAAH!" Eric began running around the beach as the crazy man chased and fired his gun. "MELODY, HEEELP!"

"Eric!" Melody was about to swim to Eric's aid, but remembered that they were on land. "H-Hey! Y-You better quit that! Or else!"

"For Kyogre's sake, Melody, heeelp!"

Melody reached below the sea and grabbed a starfish, throwing it to the beach, and missing the man by several feet. "Ahhh! If you hate starfish, you will NOT like what I just did!"

"MELODYYY!"

Quahog, Rhode Island

Sheila Frantic limped her way all the way to the Drunken Clam, in the form of Conker the Squirrel as she was drunk out of her mind. She entered the bar and sat down at the booth beside Peter Griffin as the bartender, Horace brought them both beers. "We now return to Twilight." the T.V. said.

"Bella. I'm a vampire, and I love you."

Bella stared blankly at Edward's statement.

"Bella. I'm a werewolf, and I love you."

Bella stared blankly at Jacob's statement. She continued to stare as Jacob randomly took off his shirt. Afterwards, Edward went over to stand in the sunlight, brimming with diamond skin.

"AHH, what the hell is with these chick-flicks lately?" Peter Griffin asked drunkily.

"These blokes have NO sense of story arc whatsoevuh." Sheila, in a mix of Conker's and her own voice, stated, having another drink. "Why, I oughta go up to the makers of that movie and…mmm-BLEHHH!" Sheila threw up on the floor in front of Peter. "Whoops… Sorry, old chap."

"Ahh, that's okay, I gotta—BLEEEHHH!" Peter threw up in front of Sheila and fainted.

After having one more drink, the red squirrel-raccoon fainted as well.

Frantic Household

Marine Frantic had fallen asleep, but awakened at the sound of her alarm clock. She tiredly pressed the 'Off' button on her alarm clock and got out of bed, limping toward the bathroom, unaware that she wore cartoon gloves and shoes. As she made it to the bathroom, looking into the mirror, her eyes widened as she had been transformed into Rayman, the limbless, hand-drawn cartoon hero without arms, legs, or a neck. "AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Her eyes and tongue shot out as she screamed very loudly in a cartoon style.

Her husband, Elijah walked in then, and- "AAAAAAAHHHHHH!" His eyes and tongue shot out in an equal cartoon style.

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" a bunch of cartoon monsters broke in through the window, door, toilet, and other entryways, screaming like crazy. Marine, as Rayman, leapt forward with a battle-ready expression. The area blacked out as many stars and other shapes flashed as cartoon beating sounds were heard. The beatings went on for about 10 seconds, until…

"There, that's much better." Elijah said, switching the lights back on. "…Whoa…" He looked at the ground and found his cartoon "wife" terribly beat up. "Uhhh… I'll just go." He left the limbless creature to his/herself.

Heartly Household

Jeremiah sat at the table, reading a newspaper, while Kami was still doing dishes as something climbed onto her kitchen window. "Hey, Mom."

Kami looked up and- "AAHHH!" she screamed at the sight of her daughter, having grown lots of fur on her arms and legs as she was transformed into an ape.

"Yeah, I mighta ran intooo, a problem." Kimaya said, in Dixie Kong's form.

That's when Beat jumped in through the window, in the form of Chunky Kong. "Kimaya, man, Ah TOLD you we shouldn'ta gone as the Kong Family, yo!"

Rhyme then climbed in, in the form of Tiny Kong. "Still, I feel a lot more agile this way."

Kaleo Anderson climbed in as well, in Diddy Kong's form. "You think we'd be able to eat head lice off of people without being judged?"

"I know I sure am." Kimaya said, standing on her father's head as she dug around and ate head lice.

"Well, guess I won't be washing my hair tonight." Jeremiah figured.

The Chunky Kong Beat searched around the fridge and asked, "Yo, Kimaya's Mom, you got any 'nanas or somethin'?"

"NO!" Kami whacked the gorilla with a broom, then whacked Kimaya off of Jeremiah. "And NO eating off your father's head, young lady!"

This angered Kimaya, and the female ape began screeching frantically like one. The rest of the Gang members began screeching crazily as well, creating a ball of smoke as they rapidly began tearing apart the kitchen. Once they finished, they made a gaping hole in the wall which they escaped through, leaving Kami and Jeremiah ripped and torn. "Your daughter takes after you." Jeremiah said.

"Maybe I need to lay her off the sugar…" Kami figured.

Chariton Household

A pair of big, blue eyes peeked at the front door of the Chariton home from a bush in the front yard. The white, catlike spirit, Mew came out from the bush, flying around as it yelled, "MEW! Mew Mew Mew! Mew Mew Mew! Mm-MEW!"

"Darcy, quit playing!" Sunni Chariton yelled, in the form of Lucario. "Uugh. I KNEW we shouldn't've gone trick-or-treating. Such a waste of time…"

"Aww, you're already sounding like him!" Darcy joked.

"Whatever. Let's just see if our mom and dad can help…" Sunni approached the door and knocked with her fox paw. Coincidentally, Lucario answered the door, and was surprised at the sight of his second… self.

Both Sunni and Lucario stared at each other with interest and curiosity. They began to mirror the other's actions, first turning both cheeks and exposing their teeth, checking for any food in between. After doing so, the two turned around, then jumped around to face each other again as both stuck out their tongues and made goofy faces. After a second of this, the two jumped behind both sides of the house's wall, slowly peeking behind to face the other again. They tiptoed in front of each other, making slow movements that mimicked the other. Both Lucarios stared closer at each other as they carefully walked around the other in circles. They stopped, and the two immediately cupped their hands over their eyes and faced away. The two jumped around and started dancing goofily and making goofy faces at the other, and then both faced each other with fierce expressions, gritting their teeth as their fists trembled. The real Lucario was unprepared when Sunni punched him across the face and knocked him down.

"Ha! Got ya!"

"Grrr! YOU!" Angered, Lucario tackled Sunni to the ground, and the two began wrestling.

Rainier peeked his head out the door and watched this with confusion. "RAINIEERRR!" He winced at the sound of his wife's screaming, hurrying into the bedroom.

"Mika, what's wr—Oh…" Mika was in the form of a Barbie girl.

"WHAT did you DO?"

"…Um… I thought you would look cute if I dressed you up as Barbie…"

"CUTE?! LOOK AT ME! I'm…I'M…" Some music started to play, and Mika began dancing. "I'm a Barbie girl! In the Barbie worrrld, annoying toy, now. It's a joy, now, come on, Rainy, let's go party, oh-oh, oh, yeah!"

Murphy Household

Doug and Gwen Murphy were currently outside in the front yard, watching with terror as many monsters roamed the street. "Heh. And Zach thought Coraline was scary." Doug commented.

"Mom! Dad!" The Murphy parents looked over and noticed a dragon and a tiger dashing toward them.

"AHHH!" Gwen immediately grabbed her rake off the ground and began to swing it against the dragon. "Get away! Stay back!"

"Gah, Mom, it's me!" Maddy yelled, shielding herself with her dragon wings.

That's when their dog stuck its head out the doorway, snarling at the sight of the tiger. The dog barked rapidly as it ran out the door, trying to bite the tiger in the leg. "GYAAH, NO, SPARKY, IT'S ME! D'oh, I told Maddy we shouldn'ta got you—GET OFF!"

"Let's get out of here, Zach!" Maddy yelled as she and her brother scampered as fast as they could away down the road.

Ashland Junkyard

A tiny, orange, helpless kitty-cat ran for dear life as it hid and quivered behind a cardboard box. The kitty, Rupert Dickson, peeked out as the two vicious, snarling dogs searched around for him. Rupert backed away and accidentally tipped over a can. The two dogs, Lilac Farley and Berry Bean, heard this, and immediately began chasing after the screaming kitty-cat.

Uno Household

Avatar Nigel Uno stood high atop the tip of Sector V's treehouse, stationed above their own house. Nigel's eyes and arrow glowed with powerful energy. He bended some water from down below, made shards of earth reach up, released some fire, and blew some air straight into the heavens. He brimmed with the almighty energy of the Avatar, master of all four Elements of Light.

"Nigeeel! Time to take out the trash!" his wife, Rachel called from below.

The Avatar dress-up jumped his way down the treehouse to do his duty.

Downtown Cleveland

The sounds of trumpets and drums played as Commodore Francis Drilovsky, along with his squad of navy troops which appeared out of nowhere, marched down the street, holding their weapons upward. The commodore was marching toward a man in a white wig and fancy English getup, who bowed as he presented a black box to the commodore. Once Francis arrived, he proceeded to open the black box. Commodore Francis removed the 3DS from the inside and studied it intently. Opening it, the commodore peacefully continued his game of Pokémon Black/White.

"Was there really any point to all that?" Aurora the Charmander asked.

"Mind your own concern, Miss Uno." Francis spoke in a high British accent. "Now be a good little Charmander and warm my legs."

Aurora rolled her eyes and went over to put her flaming tail near his legs.

Drilovsky Household

Patton Drilovsky had also fallen asleep. The man awoke to the scent of burning eggs in his nose, smiling peacefully as he got out of bed and went downstairs. "Faannyyy. Are you making my favorite, boiled eggs and-" However, his face turned to horror when he walked downstairs, seeing a huge, black bear, which had torn up Fanny's clothes, growling ferociously at him. "AAAAAHHHHHH!"

Patton also watched as two smaller bears came in from the living room. "Hey, Patton. Thought we'd come over to visit." The second shortest bear said in Paddy's voice.

"Did somebody tear up a quilt?" the smaller bear asked in Shaunie's voice.

Patton only sighed and fell unconscious.

Ashland Park

The Sector W team was gathered in the park, watching as children in the forms of their costumes roamed the area. "Boy, this Halloween got a lot scarier…" Sally shivered, now transformed into an old ragdoll.

"This is actually kind of sweet." Harvey said, sitting on the ground in the form of a polar bear with sunglasses.

"What about me?" Michelle's tiny voice squeaked, the children looking down at her tiny Minish form. "I'm teenier than Vweeb! How am I supposed to bug Anthony when I'm like this?"

"Nnnnnn…" Anthony mumbled, still walking around like a Frankenstein.

"And speak of the Frankenweirdo." Sally remarked.

"Nnnn, you're beautiful…" Anthony said to her. "I would go out with you if I wasn't already in a committed relationship."

"And, if you weren't, I wouldn't go out with you." Sally told him.

"Ay, 'tis truly a frightful adventure." Fybi said, flying around them as a little black bat. "But pray, at least I still hath the wings to fly."

"WOOHOOOO!" Aranea Fulbright soared around in the heavens, having the time of her life as an angel. "FYBI! I KNOW WHY YOU LOVE TO FLY SO MUCH NOW! THIS! IS! SO! AWESOME! WOOHOOOO!"

Fybi rolled her eyes in disbelief at Aranea stealing her act. Aranea flew as high as the clouds as she stretched her arms and legs, keeping her eyes shut as the wind blew through her hair. When she opened her eyes, she screamed and was too late to slow down as she came in contact with a bird person. The two of them fell and crashed onto the land below. The rest of the Sector W gang hurried to see who Aranea crashed into, noticing the bird person dressed very familiar. "…Makava?" Sally questioned.

Makava recovered and frantically searched around the grass, picking up a dropped orange piece of candy. "Phew."

The kids looked as Tronta Dunfree, Arianna's brother, hurried over from behind, carrying a pot with a purple flower that was green around the edges. Tronta was dressed as Tron, and therefore was in the form of a younger Tron. "Makava, you all right?"

"Tronta?" Sally questioned.

"Yep, I'm Tron." The alien said, setting the flower down as he pulled out his disk. "Back in the game. Running executable!" At this, he made several stylish flips with his virtual body, swinging his disk around.

"Uh, where's Arianna and Vweeb?" Harvey asked.

"We're right here!" The kids gasped at Arianna's voice coming from the flower.

"And while I may look it, I'm not in a sweet mood right now." Vweeb's voice said, coming from the candy.

"They were turned into a flower and a piece of candy." Makava said. "And me and Tronta got turned into… these." Makava studied the bird wings on her arm.

"Oh, you're a Rito! Cool!" Harvey recognized.

"Nnnnn…" Anthony smiled at the little piece of candy, picking it up as he was about to have a bite.

"Hey!" Makava smacked it away from him.

"I'm guessing Anthony just got a lot dimmer." Vweeb remarked.

"And this Halloween got a lot scarier." Sally said with fright.

"You think YOU'RE scared? What about me?!" Vweeb exclaimed. "I'm candy! Now people really DO have an excuse to eat me."

"I know I almost did…" Tronta said.

"Don't worry, Vweeb, no one's eating you on my watch." Makava assured.

"I expect the winters to be very cold." Arianna said worriedly.

"Eh, we'll plant you on Flora or something." Tronta shrugged.

"I hope everyone else is coping well with their transformations." Sally said.

Cleveland Park

Cheren Uno wore a determined expression, drawing his sword and raising it high in the air. Cheren dressed in Link's clothing, the Hero of Time making several stylish swings with his sword before sheathing. He then stared at the back of his left hand as the mark of the Triforce of Courage revealed itself. The Supreme Leader smiled as he said, "Man, do I feel so epic."

"Hey!" Cheren looked as a glowing, white, tiny fairy flew out of thin air. "Hello, Cheren. My name's Navi. I'm going to be your partner from now on. My job is to follow you around and constantly yell 'Hey,' so I can tell you useless information."

"Ummm…" Cheren wasn't sure about this.

That's when another fairy flew out, making a ringing sound. "My name's Tatl. I'm a fairy like Navi, but I don't constantly call you, and instead of yelling 'Hey,' I make this ringing sound, so it's not as annoying."

"Well-" Cheren was considering this. "WAH!" He jumped at the feel of a rumble in his pocket. He reached in and pulled out a glowing, light blue stone.

"Cheren. It is I, the King of Red Lions. You can't see me, but I'm a creepy, talking boat that guides you across the Great Sea. I can only move with a sail, in the direction the wind blows. But you have to constantly play a song whenever you want me to change direction."

"Hmm." Cheren looked down at his shadow as Midna came up.

"Hey, Cheren, it's me, Midna. You remember, the Firstborn of Shadow, the Twilight Princess? I can turn you into a wolf and ride you like a pony. I make witty remarks on our travels, but I actually have more character development than these other guys."

"Okay-"

That's when a pointy green hat with a beak jumped in front of him. "Hello, old chap. My name's Ezlo. I'm a weird talking hat that can shrink you down to Minish size. You'll be able to go into small places and whatnot."

"Umm-"

That's when Fi jumped out of the Master Sword. "Master Cheren, I am Fi. I was created by the gods to serve the Hero of Time in his journey. I am gifted with incredible knowledge about the land, and I can help you dowse for certain objects. I can also record how many of a certain enemy type you have defeated, should you be interested."

"Eh hehe. Sorry, guys, but in all fairness, Fi was here first." Cheren said. Fi jumped back into the sword while all of the other partners begrudgingly left the area. "WHOA!" Cheren was then tackled by a rolling rock, which stood up to reveal itself as Lin Beifong, in the form of a Goron.

"Oor? WAWR, RAWR." Lin sounded as she stood up to reveal her rocky form. "I dunno about YOU, Cheren, but this Halloween is rockin' for me!"

"Ack… will you please get off of me, Lin…" Cheren croaked, barely able to breathe under Lin's heavy rock form.

Lin stepped off and allowed Cheren to stand. "You know, I don't think I've ever seen a female Goron before." he said, studying her form.

"Really? Well, lucky I picked this one, huh?"

"Ahem." The two turned their attention as a certain pink bunny-rabbit hopped its way over. "Hellooo, Chereeen-"

"I'm NOT your BOYFRIEND!" Cheren yelled randomly.

"Say whuh?" Lin asked.

Panini giggled. "It's from this show we watch."

"O-kay…" Lin still looked confused. "Anyhoo, Cheren, any idea what's going on here?"

"Well, obviously, everyone's been turned into their costumes." Cheren pointed out. "How, I don't know, but I can tell it could lead to some VERY disastrous results. However, if anyone would know how to fix something like this, it'd be the Gilligans' uncle, Facilier, so let's find him before anything-" Cheren jumped away before a ball of lightning could hit him.

The three of them turned around as a hooded figure in a black cloak held its open, pale hand out. The figure looked up, revealing itself to be a kid-sized version of Emperor Palpatine. "…Nebula?" Cheren asked.

"You will face the powers of the DARK Side…"

"Not anymore. Run!" Panini yelled, the three dodging in separate directions as "Palpatine" released another lightning sphere.

EiznekCm Household

A simple little beetle was flying its way toward the home of Lehcar EiznekCm and her family. The beetle landed on the kitchen window, looking inside as Lehcar used her purple flames to roast a turkey. Arorua and Sirhc were sitting down at the table, Arorua reading a magazine, while Sirhc was quivering from the idea of monsters outside. The beetle flew toward the front door and landed on the ground, struggling to squeeze himself through the underside of the door. When he finally made it, the beetle—Nerehc EiznekCm—took time to catch his breath. The little beetle child flapped his wings some more and flew for the kitchen. Seeing his mother still roasting dinner, Nerehc quickly flew and landed on her back, walking up onto her shoulder. "Mooom!"

Lehcar heard a tiny squeak by her ear, glancing to her shoulder, taken by surprise of the beetle. "UGH!" Lehcar immediately smacked the beetle away, Nerehc crashing full-force against the wall before dropping to the floor. Nerehc's head spun with dizziness. He felt a shadow loom over him, looking up in total horror as Lehcar towered over him with her sword aimed directly down.

"MOOOOM!" Nerehc flew out of the way just before the sword could penetrate him. Nerehc hurried began flying all around the kitchen, and through the living room as Lehcar chased him, desperate to kill the puny bug.

"Come here, you little piece of squash!" Lehcar demanded, missing Nerehc as she sliced part of the couch.

"MOM, IT'S ME! AAAAHHHHH!"

Somewhere else in Cleveland

The Gilligan Triplets, as the Three Stooges, ran crazily down the streets of Cleveland, with Harry in the front, until he skidded to a stop and caused the other two to knock him over. "Hey, watch where you're goin'!" Harry yelled, about to punch Artie, but the boy ducked and caused him to punch Haylee.

"You can't hit a girl!" Haylee yelled, swinging her arm to smack Harry, but Harry ducked, too, and Haylee fell over on top of Artie. Artie stood and hauled Haylee off, landing her on Harry and pushing him down.

"Why I oughta!" Harry yelled, poking Artie in both his eyes. Pretty soon, all three Triplets were in a battle of poking eyes.

"Wait a minute, wait a minute, this is ridiculous!" Harry yelled, stopping the fighting. "We gotta quick actin' like clowns and fix this fast."

"Rrright! We gotta find Uncle Facilier's workshop!" Artie decided. "And I believe it was…" They all turned to point in separate directions. They then turned to point at each other and-

"THAT WAY—D'OH!" They poked each others' eyes upon turning.

"You flabby-" Harry whined, kicking Haylee off her feet. The female triplet proceeded to bite his toe, and Harry began leaping and crying around in pain. Artie pointed and laughed, but Harry hopped over and stubbed his toe, so both began doing it as Haylee stood up and laughed. The two stopped as Artie smacked Haylee backside the head, and she tried to smack back, but Artie ducked, and Harry smacked her backside as well. Haylee turned to growl at him, but that's when Artie tickled her hips and made her laugh. Soon, all three were in a slapping fight.

At the same time, Kirie Beatles was happily flying around them, flapping her wings as a tiny, pink butterfly. Her time of flight was short as some big-nosed guy with a big grin snapped her inside a jar. "I shall put you in a glass case and present you on St. Trimming's Day!" he declared in a high British accent.

"Heey, that's no fair, give her back!" Artie complained.

"And to add insult to injury, I present to you my fanny." At this, he pulled down his butt flap and shook his rear end at them. "Hahahahaha! Nnnn-NYAH!" The British man then scampered off in a frantic fashion.

"Quick, we gotta go af-" Harry was about to point in the man's direction, but accidentally poked Artie's backside. Artie twirled his fist and tried to punch him, but swerved too far to the right and punched Haylee. Pretty soon, all triplets were in another Stooges fight.

While they were fighting, they didn't notice a couple of frogs hopping their way down the street and into an alleyway.

Meanwhile, Dr. Facilier kicked back in his Voodoo Emporium, resting his feet on the table as he fiddled with his cards. "Man, business is oddly slow today." He then shot his attention to the door at the sound of some small knocking.

"Uncle Facilier, it's Abby. We need yo' help."

"OOH, time for business." The voodoo man perked up, hurrying over to answer his door. "And HOW may I-" He stopped midsentence, gasping loudly as he looked down at two familiar frogs, which he recognized as Prince Naveen and Tiana. "WAAAAIIII!" The frantic shadow man zipped into his shop. "No, no, NOT AGAIN! LEAVE ME ALONE!" He opened the green portal in the Gateway Guardian's mouth, jumping inside as the guardian's mouth snapped shut.

"Uncle Facilier, wait!" Abby yelled as the two tried to hop after him.

"Well, on the bright side, we have a candlelit table all to ourselves. And look what I found!" Hoagie pulled out a banjo made of small twigs and web strings. He began to play and dance to a catchy jazz tune while Abby shook her head in disbelief.

Quahog Graveyard

Crystal Wickens began to recover from her unconsciousness, the woman awakening to fog in her eyes. Crystal stood and rubbed her head, looking around as fog covered the grounds of the graveyard. "What just happened..." The woman reached down to pick up her staff. As she grabbed her staff, however, she began to study it as it no longer felt like the high-tech staff she wielded, and instead felt like a plain, old wooden staff. She also looked at her hands, which her skin was painted green. She picked at it a little, and oddly enough, it didn't feel like paint, but her actual skin. The woman carried her staff as she approached a small, nearby river to study her reflection. She noticed that her hair was now dyed black as well.

"That is strange... what if-" Deciding to test this, she held her staff out and called, "Lumos." The tip of her staff alit with a light. She decided to test it again, and called, "Incendio." A fire jumped out of her staff and lit the ground. The woman studied her staff and her hands again, then looked down at her reflection. "I must be crazy..." Crystal bent down and was about to splash some water to her face, but- "AHHH!" Upon touching the water, her hand began to sizzle and burn, melting a little as Crystal backed away. She then began to understand what was happening. "I...I'm a real witch... Wicked!" she smiled in excitement. "Boy, wait until Nolan gets a taste of..." She stopped herself midsentence as she heard a grunting sound.

Crystal looked across the river towards the pumpkin patch. In the darkness, she could make out a very thin woman in a hat struggling to pull up a pumpkin. She carefully hopped across the river and stepped a little closer, seeing it was another woman dressed as a witch, with bat wings, trying to pick up a really large pumpkin. She appeared to be using those tiny bat wings to levitate above the ground. After a few seconds of struggling, the woman stopped to catch her breath. "Great. The one pumpkin that's big enough, and it's stuck like ooze. I knew I should've brought Harry along to help me pluck it; the one time I give him a break. Oh, what to do... Oh! Magic, duh!" Crystal watched as the lady shot some energy hands from her own hands and made the pumpkin levitate off its spot. With a snap of the fingers, the pumpkin vanished into thin air, and Crystal's eyes widened. "There! I'll leave the carving part to Harry." she smiled proudly.

Crystal then approached the woman with curiosity. "Um, excuse me. Miss?"

The witch turned and took notice of the other witch. "Ohh! I didn't think I'd find another witch out here! Are you a newer model?"

"Newer model? M-My name's Crystal, C-Crystal Wickens."

"Well, nice to meet you, Ms. Wickens!" the witch smiled happily, proceeding to shake Crystal's hand. "I'm Scary Godmother, and I'm one of Darkrai's... Oooh..." She took notice of Crystal's partially melted hand.

"Yes, I touched some water earlier."

"Ahh. Careful around those liquids. I'm guessing you were only created recently. Darkrai likes to make us using a special substance that's very dissolvable in water. It helps us work our magic."

Crystal was confused. "W-What are you talking about?"

"You know, Darkrai. Our creator?"

"Creator?" Crystal shook her head, "N-No, no, you don't understand. I'm not a real witch. I'm a human that was... somehow turned into a witch."

"Turned into a witch?" Godmother folded her arms in a confused fashion. "That's a different story. And come to think of it, what are all these green things that just dropped from the sky?"

"That's what I'd like to know. One of those touched me, I think, and then I fell into sleep."

"Sounds like some Halloween pranksters are up to mischief. And not the good kind. Ah well, we'll figure this out together! Come on, Wiccan!" Godmother cheered as she got onto her broomstick. "We're going to the Fright Side!"

"The Fright Side? What's that?"

"The Fright Side is where me and my broommates live. It's in the farthest side of Halloween Town, in the Realm of Seven Holidays."

"Broommates? Seven Holidays?" Crystal shook her head and laughed a little. "This Halloween's getting more… unnatural by the second."

Crystal was about to have a seat on Godmother's broomstick with her, but- "Uh-uh-uh." The witch stopped her. "If you were a little girl, I MIGHT be able to fit you on this. Can't that staff of yours fly?"

"Well, yes, but…"

"Well, then, come on! I'll race you there." With that, the winged witch shot off into the heavens, cackling in the distance.

Crystal held her staff so it would levitate above the ground, then proceeded to sit on it. "O-kay… go." In a second, Crystal was hanging on for dear life as the staff shot like a bolt into the heavens.

The wind rushed through Scary Godmother's hair as she flew fast above the clouds, looking to her right as Crystal caught up, clutching her staff tight. "What's wrong, Wiccan? Don't you know how a witch staff works?"

"It's acting differently! I've never rode it like this before!"

"Aw, it's easy. Come on, I'll show you the basics." With that, the Scary Godmother shot below the clouds, and Crystal carefully flew after her. "WHEE HEEEEEE!" the excited witch shot up and down and above and below the clouds at high speeds.

"WHOOOAAAA!" Crystal did her best to keep up with her, already becoming dizzy at this pace. She watched as Godmother spiraled around some clouds, creating a swirly ice cream sundae. Wiccan tried to mimic her, spiraling around some clouds. However, rather than a sundae, she created some DNA.

"Time for some skywritin'!" the witch announced. Crystal watched as smoke emerged from the godmother's broom, and the witch began flying all around in circles as she wrote something out. "EEHHH heeheeheehee!"

From the ground below, people could read 'Witches of the Night' as it was written in the sky.

Crystal tried to mimic her movements, smacking her staff so that it would also erupt smoke. "Waaaahhhh!" She began to fly around and zoom uncontrollably as she left a trail. From the ground, someone could read 'Warning: Student Driver. May crash into you'.

"Alright, Wiccan, that's enough playing around. Let's go to the Fright Side."

"O-Okay." Wiccan still held tight to her staff as she followed the Scary Godmother. They continued to fly above the clouds, and Wiccan wondered where they were headed.

"There it iiis! Ah ha ha ha ha!"

Crystal eyes widened. "AAAHHH!" Before her eyes, a puff of clouds rose from below and formed a giant jack-o-lantern, brimming with green eyes and a mouth as Godmother flew straight into the mouth. Crystal shut her eyes and followed after the witch. They began flying through a swirling vortex of nightmarish greenness. Crystal weakly opened her eyes, seeing they were now flying out of the clouds, over a vast field of pumpkins as they were closing in on a very tall, 5-story house. Crystal followed as Godmother slowed down and came in for a soft landing in front of the house. They stepped off their brooms and were about to step inside.

Dracula's Dungeon

The vampire lord stood in his quiet, pitch-black dungeon, looking down into his cauldron as visions played of the battle he just endured. It then showed the image of Danika, the goth woman looking fierce as she repelled him with the garlic and cross before. He heard the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs, sensing that Jack was behind him. "Well, Dracy, I found out who the kids were. They turned into little Digimon creatures, whatever those are. When do we…"

Jack noticed that Drac was staring at the image of Batman in his cauldron. He turned and faced the pumpkin man. "I specifically asked for no bats… and here is, Batman alive and well, as if he has not aged a day…"

"Hold on, Dracy. Chances are, that's just another victim of the curse. Before I unleashed it, I was fighting some guy in a wheelchair, dressed as Batman. I think you may have gotten the wrong guy."

"As I suspected… he is not the Batman I remember. He cowers before me… his blood does not smell as fresh."

"Actually, I may have a feeling on who he REALLY is. Guy in a wheelchair, he must be the one and only Sandman. He's not much of a hero. You'll have him dealt in no time."

"Indeed… and vhat of this… nighttime angel which repels me?" he asked, showing the image of Danika.

"Oh, that's Danika Anderson. She's a shadowbender that used to work for the Brotherhood of Evil, before she and her friends betrayed them. She's currently married to Nolan York."

"Ahhh… how fate divides us all." Dracula sighed, calmly pacing around his cauldron. "And yet… a name could not sound so pure. Her dark radiance… looms brightly in my undead heart." The vampire angrily looked down in his cauldron as the image of Danika and Nolan showed. "Vhy must you be vith someone… who could never match the darkness upon your form?

"So many years have I vished to return. No other feeling in my heart had aches and burns. But now, as I make a comeback here… MISERY overtakes me, quite drear."

Dracula looked down at the vision of Danika with a depressed expression. "Sweet Danika, vhy von't you be my DEEAR?"

A swarm of bats emerged from the darkness, beginning to fly around and sing with Dracula. "I am the Night! I am the Darkness! People who see me never make it through!"

"SWEEET DANIII! My heart YEARRNS for YEEE!"

"I am the Night-"

"SHE IS MY WIFE! Sweet Danika, how you repel me so." The image played of Danika repelling Dracula. "I come begging for ye, and you tell me to go. Had that man not married you first!" The image of Nolan showed. "Your blood, I vould have thirst! Nolan York, I come to kill you. Your family, TOOO!"

In the middle of a vast graveyard, a column of green smoke arose as Jack and Dracula emerged from the earth, along with Holiday and the army of bats. "I am the Night. I am the Darkness."

"And I'll soon have a QUEEN for that spot, too!" Dracula announced.

"People who catch my scents never pull through."

"SHEEE vill be MIINE! Vhen the EEEND is TIIME!"

"I am the Night-"

"I vill DRINK her blood!! Sweet Danika, how I desire you! Your eerie blackness haunts me so! You vill have eternal life, As you BECOOOME my WIIIFE!"

"I am the Night—Prince of the Darkness!"

Dracula faced the Vampire Holiday and ordered, "GO, my minion, destroy ALL who oppose me! Bring me Batman's bloood!" Holiday nodded and scampered off into the night. "SUCK his BLOOD, yes, All the vay from head to knee. And all vill see… The fair Daniii… VILL BE MIIINE!"

The bats cheered for their master and flew off, disappearing into the full moon.

 

[Gamen Watch]

The Fright Side; Scary Godmother's House

(The upcoming song is based off of "Robot Hell" from Futurama, so just imagine that soundtrack as you're listening to it.)

"Make room, gang, we got a new witch in town!" Scary Godmother announced, pushing open the front doors and allowing Crystal inside.

"Oh, now I have to make an extra batch." A skeleton in a top-hat complained.

"Mr. Pettibone, this is my new friend, Crystal Wickens." Godmother introduced. "Crystal, this is Mr. Pettibone."

"Call me Skully!" the skeleton greeted, shaking Crystal's hand.

"It's, nice to, meet you?" Crystal greeted/questioned.

"Ah, so His Highness was toying with the magical goo again, ahh?" a baldheaded vampire with dark red eyes and a brown cloak questioned.

"Vell, it is nice that he still makes his creations look beautiful." A female vampire said, wearing a black cloak over a red dress, and had long, raven-black hair.

A younger vampire levitated over to Crystal and observed her form. He wore glasses around his glowing red eyes, wore a black T-shirt with a skull design, white shoes, and indigo jeans. "Wow, you're pretty! Are you single?"

"Ehh…" Crystal grinned nervously.

"Crystal, these are the Vampires." Scary Godmother introduced.

"Count Max." the male vampire bowed. "My wife, Ruby." He directed her attention to Ruby.

"And our son, Orson." Ruby introduced. "Orson, honey. Please do not sniff our guest's neck."

Crystal looked creeped as Orson was sniffing her neck. He stopped at his mom's request. "Oh, Mom…" he rolled his eyes and drifted back beside his parents.

"Oh, and uh, Crystal's not really a witch. She's a human!" Godmother mentioned.

"Vell, she certainly LOOKS like a witch." Count Max replied.

"There's some kind of misunderstanding. We'll work it out in a little bit, but there's still a little work to be done. Oh, where is that werewolf? Ahem… Har-RYYY!"

"What's going on?" Crystal asked.

"Well, every year, my broommates and I are in charge of planning the Halloween after-party for the Nightmares." Godmother explained. "It's never an easy job…" she said as she looked toward the stairs with an angered look, "but if SOMEONE would pull their weight…"

They heard someone panting and looked to see a white werewolf in blue pajamas hurrying in through the back. "Sorry I'm late. I had other 'BUSINESS' to attend to."

"Harry… this is Crystal." Godmother introduced. "A new friend."

"OH, 'tis truly a pleasure." Harry greeted, walking over to shake Crystal's hand with both of his. "It's about time we had another witch around here." He put his head closer to Crystal's and said in a smooth tone, "And I must say, you are looking FANCY this night! We don't have very many witches of your beauty and-"

"Ahem." Harry looked with fright at the angry Scary Godmother. "Harry, aren't there jack-o-lanterns you need to be carving?"

"OH, yes, yes, how rude of me. Erm, RIGHT AWAY, Your Frightfulness." Harry bowed as he left out the back door.

As he left, a blue, ghostly cat soared in from the window, releasing a ghostly, moaning meow. "Oh! And this is my cat, Boozle." Scary Godmother introduced.

"Hey, Boozle." Wiccan smiled and waved. The cat released another meow before flying out through the back. "So, what's your deal with that Harry guy?" Crystal asked as Scary Godmother led her to the couch.

"Oh, Harry's working off a little… debt. He's got this huge obsession with candy, and last year, he ate a giant chunk of it. There was hardly any left. So, now he's busy doing extra work around the Fright Side."

"Hm-hm, better candy than flesh, wouldn't you say?" Crystal chuckled.

"Well, true that. Anyway, have yourself a seat, Crystal." Crystal did so and had a seat on the couch, resting her feet on the table. "Can I get you anything? Cookie Cobwebs, Spider Ice Cream, Bloody Sandwitch?"

"Umm…I'll just settle with some candy at the moment."

"Ooh, yes, nothing eases the troubles like some tasty candy!" Harry exclaimed as he stuck his head in the living room.

Scary Godmother smacked him away with her broom. "OH, and we should probably do something about that melted hand of yours, huh?" Crystal studied her hand, remembering its deformed appearance. "Thankfully, Darkrai gave me these to carry around in case I would need them." Scary Godmother pulled out a syringe with some red toxin. She stabbed it into Wiccan's hand and said, "'ere you go!" Wiccan winced as the potion absorbed into her skin. As Godmother pulled it out, Crystal watched as her hand slowly formed back to its normal, unmelted witch-like self. "There! You're just like one of the Nightmares now!"

"Hehe…sorry… this is still coming off as quite a shock to me." Crystal said as she waved her hand a little. "This whole thing with flying on broomsticks, witch magic, and… King of Nightmares… I never really believed any of this was real."

"Never believed it was real? You were dressing up as a witch earlier. You had the staff and everything."

"My staff usually worked with, well, high-tech stuff." Crystal explained as she held up her staff. "I had this little monitor thing on the end which I can change to make it shoot fire, ice… And it can also defy gravity and create holographic clones of myself. There was never any REAL magic to do with it. I may like this witch stuff, but I'm a woman of science."

"Well, Ms. Woman of Science," Godmother smirked, "you're a real witch, we're real monsters, we're all real creations of the Nightmare King, it's all real."

"Hm-hm. My friend, Nolan told me about them, but I never believed that the Nightmare King, or any of those gods existed."

Harry shot into the room with a surprised look. "'Never believed the gods EXISTED'?"

"Sounds like someone needs a song and dance number." Godmother suggested with a smirk.

"Hit it, boys." Mr. Pettibone instructed to a band of skeletons which appeared out of nowhere. The skeletons all began playing music as Godmother sang and danced.

"So ya don't believe magic, Or that other stuff—Well get ready, Wiccan, This witch's gonna prove you wrong!" Scary Godmother grabbed Crystal's arm and pulled her to her feet, spinning her over between the vampires as they danced. "We're beings of Darkrai's heart and mind and soul, As well as many toxins, but that sounds quite too droll."

"I'll say, I never believed it a bit." Crystal said.

"Well, girl, prepare for your mind to be hit." Godmother said. She grabbed Crystal and spun her over to Skully, who pulled her in with his cane.

"Where do you think we go when we die, Down to the Underworld so that demons may decide our fate."

Skully released Crystal and spun her away. "Demons? That sounds fairly strange." Crystal said.

"Well, just look who's calling WHO deranged!" Godmother sang. "Solaris is sun, Polaris has snow, my dear—They had fights after fights, then decided their perfect time of year!"

"But I thought it was the sun and Earth's relation?" Crystal asked.

"It's merely coincidence, no correlation." Godmother replied.

The vampire family then moved their heads closer to Crystal, creeping the witch out. "My wife and I-" Max began.

"-To have eternal life, we must-" Ruby followed.

"-Remain in the dark-"

"-Or we'd turn to diamond dust." Orson finished.

Godmother put on a grin and exclaimed, "Come on, Wiccan! Don't be a chicken!"

The music silenced for a brief moment as Wiccan watched Ed limp by, bent over as two chickens rode on his back. "Cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck."

"It's as real, serial, and surreal as cereal gets!" Godmother exclaimed as the music started back up.

Wiccan watched as each of the broommates had a bite of some spider cereal. Before she knew it, Wiccan and Godmother were going down a roller coaster coffin. "It's much too straaange-"

"There's not much more that I can say." Godmother said.

"Will we run into Bellatrix Lestrange?"

"'Far as I can tell, she's gone and hit the hay."

"I'd rather hang with Angelie Lemange."

"Come on, Wiccan, don't be scared. If anything, human lives are always spared. Just kick back, relax, enjoy the show."

"Just how far does this coffin go?"

Scary Godmother put on an excited expression, and Crystal had a horrified look as the coffin was coming to the end of the track, into an endless, orange, nightmarish abyss. "AAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Her screams echoed as she dropped the long drop, but was caught by Godmother just a few inches from the bottom, where all the broommates continued to dance.

"The gods have blessed the mortals with a magic shower, You've seen it yourself with their elemental power!"

"Well, I at least believed Spider-Man and radioactivity." Crystal said.

"Well, you at least believe something, quite intricately."

"On Christmas, presents get delivered by Sandy Claws, I'd like a new broomstick, and Harry wants new claws."

Harry nodded excitedly at this, showing his claws. "But I heard Santa used a transportation device?" Crystal asked.

"It was magic once, and it's magic twice!" Godmother grinned. "Gods created continents and the oceans, How do you think land chunks move from place to place?"

"Convection currents and tectonic plates!" Crystal yelled.

"Thanks to Regigigas, and Groudon, his mate." Godmother corrected.

"But how do I know I'm not simply dreaming?"

"Sorry, dear, but all you're doin' is singing. And you're singing in the scariest place of all."

"Most exciting time in all of fall." Harry followed.

"Scaring little kiddies right down the halls!" Skully sang.

"Wanna go play some Vampire Ball?" Orson asked.

"So ya better get right here, in the game!" Godmother sang.

"'Long as you're down here in Scary Godmother's DOMAAAIIN!"

Once the song ended, Scary Godmother flipped a light switch, and the entire nightmare dimension switched back to the house's living room. "SO, do ya understand better, now, Crystal?"

"Hm, well thank you for disproving all reasonable logic." Crystal smirked, sitting back down on the couch. "Of course, the fact that I'm a witch must mean something."

"Mm, that's right. We need to figure out what caused you to turn into that."

"Before this happened, my friends and I were fighting this pumpkin-headed being. He was holding a magical scythe, and used it to transport me to the graveyard."

"Pumpkin-headed being? That sounds very familiar…"

"OH, it's probably nothing." Harry assured them. "Probably just a common thief getting into the holidays. Now… WHO wants some candy?" he asked with a hopeful expression, sticking his tongue out like a dog.

"Keep asking, and all you get is butterscotch." Scary Godmother told him. "Anyhow, Wiccan, because of your little 'situation,' I think I should help you train with some actual magic. Whatever caused this to happen to you, trouble can't be far behind. You'll need a way to defend yourself the old-fashioned witch way. Let's go outside and I'll show you!"

"Okay, sure!" Crystal left with the witch through the front door.

As they left, Harry glared in Scary Godmother's direction with a spiteful look before leaving out the back.

Cleveland; Nugget River

Zach and Maddy Murphy kept running until they arrived at the river where supposedly gold nuggets are found. They stopped to catch their breath as Maddy said, "Well, that could've gone better."

Zach took this time to get a drink from the river, licking the water in with his tiger tongue. However, the tiger's eyes were drawn to the attention of a lone rabbit that had hopped its way through the bushes. Zach furrowed his eyes, his tiger instincts kicking in as he growled at the tasty-looking rabbit. The rabbit took notice of him and scampered away, and Zach immediately gave chase.

"Zach, where're you going?! ZAACH!" Maddy just stopped, realizing it was pointless. The dragon child looked down at her reflection in the river, frowning at the sight of her dragonified form. She sighed and held her head down in depression. "This is the worst night of my life. All I wanted to do was go trick-or-treating with my stupid brother. And now look at us! We're monsters… our parents kicked us out… now I'm just another freak like the rest of them."

"Sounds like someone's run into a little karma."

Maddy's ears perked, turning to see a lion come in through the bushes. Maddy jumped around and backed away in fear, but the lion said, "Maddy, relax, it's me."

"Chris?..." Maddy rose a brow, recognizing the voice.

"Yeah, I dressed up as Simba. Pretty neat, huh? So, where'd Zach go?"

Maddy sighed, "I don't know. He's always running off. 'Course, pretty soon, they'll have us taken to a savannah in Africa. He'll have plenty of room."

"On the bright side, now you know how it feels to be one of us."

"No! I am not one of you. I'm part of the race of normal humans. I have nothing to do with you metahuman freaks."

Chris only smirked, the lion jumping onto a rock. In the distance, some music started to play. "You don't have to be a metahuman freak. You're still not much different from us." Maddy watched as Chris pounced further down the river.

"What do you mean by that?"

"You'll get it, eventually. Anyway, let's go visit Dr. Facilier. I don't know if this comes close to voodoo, but it's worth a shot." The three animals hurried into the city.

Downtown Cleveland

A lone man hid in the darkness of an alleyway, hiding with fright from all the monsters that roamed the streets. The man was caught by surprise when a being in green armor slammed a bear mask over his head. In a few seconds, the man was transformed into a bear. The bear roared and started aimlessly roaming the streets as more of Viridi's Royal Guards came out from the darkness of the alleyway.

Viridi's Lair

"AHH HA HA HA!" the Goddess of Nature laughed at what just happened. "This is too perfect! We can easily use the curse to our advantage! By dressing humans up as bears and other animals, we'll soon be rid of the menace of the earth! It'll be, good-bye disgusting humans, and HELLO creatures of nature! And as for the rest of the monsters, we'll just dispose of them afterward."

"Mmm, I see. There's just one problem, Mistress Viridi." Arlon spoke. "It seems that young Mister Nolan is looking for a way to resolve this matter. Should he succeed, what then?"

"He won't succeed. Not if my Forces of Nature have anything to say. This curse is staying in effect. And we are getting our Lunar Locket back from that Underworld outcast. No supernatural powers in the world can stop the powers of nature."

Downtown Cleveland

"I said he was this way!" Artie yelled, earning another smack from Harry.

"And I say you have no sense of direction." Harry retorted, earning an eye-poke from Artie.

The Three Stooges continued to battle as Chris, Zach, and Maddy found their way to Facilier's Voodoo Emporium (which was in the alley only a few feet from where the stooges were). Chris pounded on the door like the cat he was, calling, "Mr. Facilier, we need your help."

The witch doctor creaked the door open, gasping at the sight of the ferocious animals. "Dr. Facilier, it's us." Maddy told him.

"Oh, thank God…" Facilier sighed, pushing his door open. "Come in, kids. Already got a couple others."

The three operatives approached the candlelit table, and Chris stared closely at a couple of frogs standing on it. "Tiana and Naveen?"

"Nnot quite." Facilier said, shutting the door.

"Anyone of you seen our kids?" the Naveen frog asked.

"Mr. and Mrs. Gilligan?" Chris questioned.

"Yeah, Hoagie wanted us ta go as Princess and the Frog." Abby, the Tiana frog, stated.

"Methinks we should find Eva." Hoagie suggested. "She is a princess. And kissing her would be niice, yeees?" This earned a smack from Abby.

"And before you kids ask, I can't fix you right now." Facilier told them. "I was just down in the Underworld seein' Grim. Jack O'Lantern's escaped from prison."

"Jack O'Who?" Abby questioned.

"That's not important right now. But he's unleashed an irreversible transformation spell. He's created a replica of the Grim Reaper's scythe and unleashed the Curse of Monsters, an ancient spell which the original Nightmare King casted upon the people a long time ago. He was sick of people dressing up and making fun of his monsters, so he cast a spell that turned everybody into their costumes. And now it looks like Jack is repeating what he did."

"Irreversible? You mean we're stuck like this?" Zach asked.

"Not quite yet. But we're still trying to look up what it was that broke the curse. All I know is, we need to reverse it before midnight comes. If it ain't reversed in time, the spell becomes permanent. The humans lose all sense of who they were, and become whatever it is they have become."

This became the most dreadful thing they heard all night.

The Fright Side; Scary Godmother's House

About an hour passed, and Crystal was still hanging with the broommates at the Fright Side, with Scary Godmother's theme playing on a record. Since her technical staff had been turned into a magical one, Scary Godmother's been helping her train with her new powers. At this moment, a rat was sitting on the table, and Crystal had her wand focused on the rodent as it slowly changed shape into a cup, but still had the fur and tail on it. "Well, still a few touches, but you're comin' close!" Godmother complimented.

"I bet I could make my real staff project the illusion that the rat really turned to a cup." Crystal smirked as she thought aloud.

"But regardless, it would still be a rat. It wouldn't have changed." Godmother corrected.

"I hardly believe it's changed now." she smirked, tapping the witch with her staff.

"Well, Little Miss Science, there's one particular magical spell that can't be projected by just a few nuts and bolts."

"And what might that be?"

"The Patronus Charm." she stated simply with a grin.

"Patronus Charm? The one that conjures light? My staff can do that easy."

"No, no. The Patronus Charm isn't just some light. It's a powerful light, a very special light created by your happiest of memories. You know how fire can be produced through a deep passion, or ice can be conjured by a cold feeling. Well, the Patronum is a feeling that comes from the heart, and is powered by your most wonderful memories. It produces a powerful light that banishes the power of evil."

"Mmm. Still, it sounds just the same as that spell that conjures sunlight."

"Oh, you'll get it eventually." They were interrupted when a loud knocking was heard at their door.

"SCARY GODMOTHER! There's something crazy goin' on that you need to hear about!"

"Is that you, Bug-a-boo? Runnin' late again?" Godmother asked.

"HEY, HEY, HEY!" A large monster, covered in grey fur with a blue head burst in. He had horns on his head, had many yellow-red eyes, had dozens of sharp teeth around his mouth, blue claw-hands and feet, and a blue devil tail.

"AAAAAHHHHH!" Crystal jumped across the table in great surprise and fright of the monster.

"Oh, another witch. Is she your sister?" he asked Scary Godmother.

"N-No, no. This is my new friend, Crystal. She's a human. Crystal, this is Bug-a-boo. He's one of Darkrai's scariest monsters." she introduced with a grin.

"Oh, goody, you're just in time! I got my teeth sharpened! Check it out." The monster exposed his rows of steel-sharp teeth.

"AAAHHHHH!" Crystal decided to make like Scooby-Doo and run.

"Gee, if I'm scaring adults now, I'm asking for a promotion. Hey, wait!" Bug-a-boo charged after the woman.

"Bug-a-boo, don't! This is just like last time." Scary Godmother called, flying after them.

"Scary Godmother, I'm back with the-" Harry came in from the back door with some supplies, spinning around as the group charged past him. "Oh, Bug-a-boo! Have you got any candy?" He charged after them, still carrying the supplies.

"Not for you, Mister!" Mr. Pettibone yelled, going after Harry.

They ran past the Vampire Family, and Orson yelled, "Oh, boy, chase!" and ran after them. Ruby then raced after Orson, pulling Max along with her.

In the background, some classic Scooby-Doo music played as everyone ran down the halls of the house from their respective pursuers, with Crystal in the front. They all went up and down and all around the many entries into the living room before they suddenly split up and rammed into each other. They were knocked in a daze, but Crystal recovered and dashed up the stairs as the chase continued.

Crystal looked back as Bug-a-boo was hot on her tail, running as fast as she could to get away from the monster down the long, narrow hallway. As they zipped past a stand with three drawers, the bottom drawer slid open as Crystal peeked her head out. She looked up as Harry peeked out of the middle drawer, then widened her eyes when Bug-a-boo came out of the top drawer, and Crystal continued to run while Bug-a-boo chased, and Harry chased him. Crystal quickly dashed into a door and slammed it shut, then Bug-a-boo opened and dashed into it as well, slamming it shut. When Harry ran over and opened the door, he jumped in surprise as Skully angrily stood in the doorway, the skeleton raising his cane to whack him as the werewolf turned tail and ran.

Harry ran one way down the hall at the same time Crystal and Bug-a-boo were coming from the other way. Crystal and Harry skidded to a halt before ramming each other, the two of them looking back as their pursuers were coming close. Quickly, Harry leapt into Crystal's arms and held tight as Crystal zipped into a door, making Skully and Bug-a-boo ram each other. Crystal ran and carried Harry up a flight of long stairs, and as the others were giving chase, Crystal and Harry suddenly slid down the stair handles, slipping right past them.

They were hurrying across the halls again as Bug-a-boo, and everyone else gave chase. They made it to a chamber of many coffins, and Crystal jumped into one on the ground, followed by everyone else, then came out of one on the wall, slipping into another. Bug-a-boo stuck his head out one, looked around, and went back in. Count Max tried to grab his son as Orson slipped out of a coffin, but evaded his father and went into another one. The vampire slid back into his as Harry hurried to another coffin, jumping in surprise as he opened it to only find Skully, who chased Harry as he leapt into another coffin. Ruby became a bat as she flew out of one coffin, then into another, and Skully's bones were scattered and hopping around as they came out and hopped into another coffin. Bug-a-boo came out of a coffin in the front, becoming as large as the room as he crawled his way over to another coffin and squeezed in. Crystal came out of the very back coffin, having been shrunken to doll size as she hurried over to the floor coffin, shoving it open and kicking her tiny legs around to climb in.

In an instant, everybody began zipping around coffins as fast as lightning. At one point, they all peeked their heads out at the same time, looking around as they all switched clothes/looks with each other. Some more zooming around occurred, and Crystal was struggling to carry the very heavy Orson on her shoulders as she gave him a piggy back ride, the vampire raising his arm in victory as they went into another coffin. Some more zipping around as Scary Godmother ran into a double of herself, both of them shrugging. Harry then came out of one coffin and barred it shut tight, listening to see if Skully would try to break through. However, Boozle phased through the coffin instead. Harry cracked it open just a peek in curiosity, screaming in horror as a hideous monster shot out instead. It went back inside, and Harry looked back to see Skully, quickly running away from him. Pretty soon, everyone else dashed out of the coffin chamber as well.

They hurriedly dashed down the stairs as Crystal skidded to a halt in the kitchen, catching her breath. Bug-a-boo skidded to a stop beside her, catching his breath as he put his hand on Crystal's shoulder to hold himself up. When they were finished, he tapped Crystal's shoulder, gesturing for her to go. Crystal nodded in remembrance, and zipped away, the monster giving chase. The Fright Side gang was now running up the many stairs of the 5-story home, their shadows clearly visible in the windows. When Crystal reached the dead end at the end of the highest hall, she quickly climbed out the window as Bug-a-boo was close behind her. Crystal looked around with worry, seeing nowhere else to run up on the roof. Seeing Bug-a-boo desperately trying to crawl through the window after her, Crystal saw no other option.

"AAAHHH!" The woman leapt off the roof, dropping to the ground below.

"NOO!" Bug-a-boo leapt down after her, reaching his arms out. Scary Godmother flew down after him, Harry leapt after her, Skully leapt after him, Orson leapt after him, then Ruby, then Max, and Boozle remained at the top as her tail wrapped around the wind antenna at the top, her teeth grabbing Max's cloak as they all gripped hold of whoever was in front of them. It ended with Bug-a-boo gripping Crystal's legs, and the green-skinned woman was just inches away from the ground, the combined weight of all of them slowly making the house tilt down, until…until…

"…BWAAAAAHHHHHHH!" They were all sent flying high into the sky. "AaaaaaaaaAAAHH!" In a few moments, they all came crashing through the roof, falling through all the floors and straight into the living room.

"HAAHAHAHAHA!" the big-toothed monster laughed. "Boy, that was somethin'! I haven't had a good chase like that in years! You and I need to work out more often." As Crystal looked up, having been knocked on the floor, she found Bug-a-boo offering a hand down. "Put 'er there, pal!"

"Um…thanks?" With a baffled look, Crystal took his hand and allowed him to help her up.

"But could you keep it down with the scaring a little?" Godmother asked.

"Um, who is this, again?" Crystal asked.

"This is Bug-a-boo, the scariest monster in the Fright Side. He's a monster that crawls under children's beds and scares them."

"I don't eat them if that's what you're thinkin'." Bug-a-boo assured.

"Well, you could have said that a little earlier." Crystal replied.

"Um, Bug-a-boo, didn't you have something to tell me?" Godmother asked.

"Oh-OH! That's right! I was out scarin' kids, see, when suddenly, the CRAZIEST thing happened! All of the kids turned into monsters!"

Hearing this made Crystal gasp. "So, I guess Crystal wasn't the only one." Godmother figured. "Any idea what happened?"

"Er, well, I was in Quahog, you know, where you were goin', and I saw this weird, pumpkin-headed guy cast some kind of spell with a scythe. I-I think it was JACK!"

Scary Godmother's eyes widened. "Of COURSE!" she snapped her fingers. "I THOUGHT he sounded familiar! Jack O'Lantern."

"Jack Who?" Crystal asked.

"Ever wonder why people started playing tricks on Halloween, Crystal? Legend tells of a man named Jack, who lived in a town called Endsville. The man was obsessed with pranks, laying a trap wherever he went. He was so obsessed, the Queen of Endsville ordered his execution. He was executed, but when the Grim Reaper came to take his soul, he played a trick and took the Reaper's scythe. He made a deal with Grim to grant him eternal life. Grim gave it to him, but at a price: he cut off Jack's head."

"And then Jack replaced it with a pumpkin." Skully followed. "And since then, he's been laying tricks and traps every Halloween night on."

"Last we heard," Godmother continued, "Jack was finally banished to the Underworld after he stole Grim's scythe again. That was a little over 20 years ago. But how could he get the scythe back?"

"Mmmaybe Grim got bored with it." Harry said.

"But if Jack transformed everybody into monsters, then…" Godmother looked frightened again, "we might not have much time. Quick, Boozle. Fly to the King. He needs to know what's happening."

"Mrroooww." The cat turned and soared out the door, into the starry nighttime heavens.

"Boozle?" Crystal questioned.

"Boozle serves as the perfect messenger cat. I'm hoping the King will be able to do something about this before it's too late. Otherwise, Wiccan, I don't think you'll be going swimming again…"

Virginia Seaside

The drunken Sheila/Conker the Squirrel/Raccoon wobbled her way unknowingly all the way down to Virginia's beach. She looked down as a fleet of ships gathered along the coast, with Commodore Francis Drilovsky standing before a troupe of military men. "Men… today is a very important day." He announced in a high British accent, his loyal Aurora Charmander standing beside him. "We will be going to war. We are at battle with a new enemy. An enemy, the likes of which we've never seen before. We don't know who they are… or where they come from… but we must prevail. Please know that you may not come out of this alive… but know that your children's children will know you have fought the great battle. Now, be prepared… for we will be going to war. With an enemy, the likes of which we…erm…" he realized he was repeating his previous words. "Ahh, sh**."

The commodore looked as Sheila Frantic was limping his/her way over. "And who are you?"

"M-My name's Conker… or somethin'." Sheila replied, sounding more like Conker.

"Mm. Well, Conker, it seems you've come at a perfect time. We are in need of your assistance. As you can see, our exit out of this coastside appears to have been blocked off by the opposing side." He directed her attention to a series of boulders blocking the ships' way out of the beach. "Your assignment is to find a way to clear these boulders, so that our ships may leave for battle. Ahem… anyway, Conker, it seems you've come at a perfect time. We are in need of your assistance. As you can see, our…er…ahh, sh**." The commodore decided to leave for his ship.

Sheila the Squirrel drunkily looked toward the boulders, then toward the packs of explosive powder on the ships. With one more drink of beer, the squirrel-raccoon limped her way aboard the ships.

The Q

The bookstore was awfully quiet this night, having only a few customers while everyone else was celebrating Halloween. Mario Ramsey was sitting bored at his front desk, looking up when he heard someone enter the door. "Heh. Sorry, dude, no costumes in the bookstore."

"Mario, it's me." The guy in the Batman suit said.

"…Nolan?" Mario raised a brow. "Nice costume! And hey, looks like your legs are working."

"We were fighting this jack-o-lantern guy and he unleashed this curse that turned everybody into their costumes. I turned into Batman, so my legs started working. Also, I'm… a lot more buff." He smiled, pumping his left arm muscle. He shook his head back to reality and said, "A-Anyway, there's something else, too: you'll never guess who I ran in to: Dracula!"

"Dracula? You mean the vampire?"

"Yeah, same one from legends. And he apparently fought Batman just like in the comic; thought I was the real Batman, and he wasn't happy to see me. We were able to scare him off, but he'll be back, and I think he has something to do with what's happening. Do you have any books about vampires and their weaknesses?"

"Hold on, let's see…" The former operative rolled his way over to a bookshelf and began skimming along a row of V's. "Vampires, vampires, okay, here's something." He pulled off a book and began reading. "Well, for one thing, it says that vampires can't enter your home unless they're invited in."

"So we'd be safe if we just stayed at my house or something?"

"To some extent, probably. It also says they're weak against wooden steaks, crosses, sunlight, rushing water, garlic… but other than that, they're pretty much invincible. They have diamond-hard skin, and each of their senses are far more heightened than a regular human's."

"Well, sunlight's definitely out of the equation. Apparently, they've blocked out the sun."

"Actually, it says any light can weaken them, but sunlight's more efficient. Oh, but look at this: it says that, usually, whenever a vampire is awakened from its slumber, they seek out a bride to marry and be with for the rest of eternity. Obviously, they suck the bride's blood, making them a vampire."

"Hmm…" Nolan began to think. "When Danika saved us, Dracula did seem a bit… attracted to her."

"Well, that makes sense. She's goth… she shows little emotion… she's got shadow powers… yep, she and Drac are like a better-developed Bella and Edward."

"Well, he can't have her. 'nuff said."

"I think that's up to her." Mario remarked.

"Mario…" Nolan sighed.

"I'm just kidding. Ooh, but check this out: it says, whenever a vampire bites someone, and absorbs their blood, they get whatever possessions belonged to the person whose blood they drank."

"So, theoretically, if he bit Rachel or something, he would gain possession of the Master Sword?"

"Possibly. Or if he bit-" Mario was interrupted at the sounds of screaming outside.

They hurried outside to find people running and screaming as another vampire ran about, grabbing and biting everyone he could catch. The vampire grabbed his latest victim and took a bite, hissing in the direction of Nolan York as blood drooled from his mouth. "Holiday?!"

Holiday tossed the victim away and crawled closer to his target. "Batman-ah… my master vill be pleased, vonce I have drank your blood."

"He's become a slave of Dracula. Watch out, Nolan!" Mario yelled, getting back into his bookstore.

Nolan jumped to the side as Holiday tried to grab him. The vampire leapt at him, but Nolan grabbed his arms and tried to keep him back. Holiday pushed Nolan away, and he slid against the wall of a building as Holiday leapt at him again. Nolan rolled to the side and back to his feet as Holiday was about to jump him again. Nolan readied his guard, but Holiday didn't have a chance as a series of bombs flew down and exploded between them. As the smoke cleared, Holiday's eyes widened at the smell. "Garlic?!"

Dillon York dropped to the ground on his feet with an excited expression. "That's right! Not so tough now, huh?"

"Dillon! I thought I told you to stay home!" Nolan yelled.

"I wasn't gonna give up, yet, Dad. I'm not letting these weirdoes mess up our Halloween."

Holiday recovered and hissed at the boy wonder. The villain was once again taken by surprise when a bull charged from behind and shoved him against the building. "Azarath Metrion ZINTHOS!" Leanne used her new shadow/psychicbending to grab the vampire and toss him far into another building.

"Woohoo!" Haruka cheered as she and Mason hurried onto the field. Lee turned back into his regular (Beast Boy) form and kept his cool look.

Holiday recovered from the throw and wiped any blood from his mouth, then licked it off his hand as he stood up. At that moment, all of the people he had bitten started to turn into vampires themselves. The operatives backed away with fear as all of the vampires crept closer. To their relief, however, a bunch of crosses dropped from the heavens and stuck into the ground. The vampires looked around with confusion, and all began to grow weary, holding their heads in pain.

The heroes watched as a flying saucer landed on the road, and a skeleton being with a jet-black tux stepped off. "Everyone, get in."

"Wh-Who-" Nolan was about to say.

"There will be time for questions later, but we must get to Nightmare Land. Come on, fellas, let's go."

With questioning glances, the group of operatives hurried onto the saucer, and Mario watched as it took off into the starry heavens.

"Well, looks like Nolan's off for another adventure." Mario figured. The crippled man looked to the weakened Vampire Holiday and calmly rolled over. He took one of the crosses and took Holiday by the sleeve, slowly leading him off. "Come on, Mr. Holiday… have I got some things for you."

Crystal Household

In the darkness of the home of Yuki Crystal, a young girl sat on her bed in her dark, lonely room. The girl had icy-white, spiky hair that went below her shoulders, and big eyes that were a gradient of white and orange, free of any emotion. She wore a flowing dress that was grayish-black on the upper half, and the lower half, the skirt, was pinkish-orange. She wore a white bow on her chest, long, black socks, and black shoes. Her shirt had white cuffs around her hands, which were barely visible, except for her fingers.

The girl sat quietly in the dark of her room, a blank, emotionless stare upon her face. "It's Halloween… and no one wants to go trick-or-treating." She spoke in a dull and depressing tone. "Everybody is pretending to be monsters… while all I have is the darkness."

The vision of her room disappeared, and the child now sat in complete and total blackness as the silhouette of a gigantic woman with snakelike hair made itself known. "And now all the humans are cursed like the little monsters they are."

"But, if I have gone… could I have been there to save my friends…?"

"Hm, don't waste your time. Those people aren't your real friends. Humans are all alike, really. They're all just a fickle bunch. But you, you're different. You see them for what they truly are. Those eyes of yours, they're a gift. They see the truth."

"And… these ears…" the child looked up to face the entity, "they hear what they say. They hear… what you helped me to hear."

"Yes, dear, I did. It would've been sad to see another human fall victim to the age-long curse. I felt it high time I… helped a poor soul see the light for what it truly is. Darkness is the only power that drives these humans. But they blind themselves to the truth. And they refuse to befriend you because only you can see the TRUTH."

"Hmm…" the child looked down in sadness.

"Ohh, but don't worry!" the woman perked up, leaning her head closer with a comforting tone. "I know someone who would be your friend."

The girl looked up. "Who?"

"Go to the Happy Mask Shop that just opened in Virginia. You will know his face… when you see it."

The dark vision ended as the girl was back in her room. There was a knocking at her door as her mother, Olive Crystal came in. "Miyuki, honey. Is everything okay? There's still plenty of time for trick-or-treating, if you want."

"Yes, Mother… I think I will go see if Sector V is available…" Miyuki stood up from her bed and slowly walked past her mother, leaving down the hall.

"Okay. Be careful, Miyuki." As her daughter left for her treehouse, Olive could only stare with worry.

Fright Side; Scary Godmother's House

Scary Godmother and Crystal Wickens stood in the house's front yard as Crystal stood before a copy of Legion which Godmother had created. The nightmare-crazed psychotic gave her a grim look, holding a syringe ready as he calmly approached the frightened witch. Crystal began to sweat (not literally) with anxiety, the staff trembling in her hands. She took aim at the fake and called, "Expecto Patronum. AHH!" However, the staff ruptured an explosion, blowing her back.

"Ugh." Godmother rolled her eyes and snapped her fingers, making the illusion vanish as she flew over to help Wiccan up. "No, no, Crystal, aren't you doing it right? The Patronum can only work when you think of a really powerful memory. What memory did you think of?"

"Well, when I got this new Encyclopedia of-"

"No, no, that won't do! Happy memories aren't just any desires that can make you happy. That true happiness dives into the deepest section of your heart, and gives you that light that guides you when there seems nothing left but darkness. Don't you have any memories like that?"

"Hmm…" Crystal started to think, "Well, the only thing that comes to mind is when I first met-"

"Scary Godmother!" Mr. Pettibone yelled, shoving the door open. "Boozle's reached the Nightmare King! He's waiting for you."

"Uh-oh! Break time, Crystal. We have to tell the King about what's happening."

Nightmare Land

The flying saucer had arrived at Nightmare Land, and Nolan's group followed the skeleton man as they stepped off in Town Square. "Boy, that was a close call. Thanks for saving us, Mister." Leanne thanked.

"Who are you, anyway?" Lee asked.

The round-headed bone man turned and faced them. "My name is Jack Skellington. I'm the Nightmare King's son."

This caught them by surprise. "His… son??" Nolan questioned.

"But aren't ALL Nightmares technically his children?" Dillon asked.

"Well, sort of. Only Nightmares that are very special to him does Darkrai consider his own blood-related children. A long time ago, Darkrai reached deep into his very own insides, and pulled out an ancient fossil of one of his former bones. He mended it into a ball, poked holes and a mouth in, and placed it on the body of a headless skeleton. He then sprinkled parts of his own DNA on the body, and I came to be. It was his deep desire to have a son of his own that caused him to create me."

"But how come we've never seen you?" Nolan asked. "My friends and I have known the Nightmare King forever, and he's never told us about you."

Jack looked down and scratched his head with a saddened look. "We've… grown apart, over the years. But that's not important. I assume you've already run into Count Dracula."

"Once. And more times than I would want." Nolan replied.

"And this pumpkin guy! He turned everybody into their costumes!" Dillon exclaimed.

"Yes, we know. Let's go meet the King. He should inform you on what's happening." The bone man led the operatives downtown toward the Fear Factory. "But Lord only knows how far the curse has reached now."

Cleveland Park

The soundtrack "Duel of Fates" played as Cheren and Nebula Palpatine clashed with their swords at the park. Nebula grabbed a bench with her psychic and tossed it, by Cheren jumped to the side. The Hero of Time drew out his Gale Boomerang and tossed it, spinning and blowing Nebula all over the place. Nebula crashed into a hotdog stand, quickly raising her lightsaber in defense when Cheren leapt at her for a strike. She stood up as the two continued swinging at each other, while Lin Beifong and Panini hid and watched from behind a fountain. "WOOHOO! Go Cheren!"

"Shouldn't we help him?" Panini asked. "The way they're fighting, one of them could actually kill the other."

"Well, I doubt those bunny legs of yours can do any good. I'm just enjoyin' the show. Come on, slice him!"

"Oh well. Either way, Cheren just looks soooo dreamy." Panini said, staring beautifully at Cheren.

River somewhere in Iceland

Lola and Terry Stork, in their Lopmon and Terriermon forms, were currently wandering about a natural setting in Iceland. Lola carefully approached the river, looking down and studying the reflection of what she had become. "Man. This is the worst Halloween ever!" her brother, Terry complained as he paced back and forth. "I always thought it'd be cool to be a Digimon, but this is ridiculous! Why can't we celebrate a holiday without something crazy happening?"

"Geez, relax, Terry. I'm sure this won't last forever." Lola assured him.

"It better not. How are Mom and Dad gonna react when they find us like this? 'Course, MOM probably won't be any help, anyway."

"Why don't I help resolve this matter?" a mysterious voice asked.

"Well, if you have something that'll help, we'll… Huh?" Lola wondered who was speaking.

"AHHH!" the Digimon screamed when the pumpkin-headed man, Jack O'Lantern, jumped out from the bushes, wielding his scythe.

"Some fresh Digiheads for the road!" The kids jumped to the side as Jack stabbed his scythe to the ground. Terry ran around the area as Jack zapped magical rays toward him. As Terry distracted him, however- "YOOOW!" Terry's shadow, turned to a Digimon as well, shot over and bit Jack's shadow's leg, resulting in the pumpkin man getting hurt.

"I still question how you got to be a shadowbender, not me." Lola commented.

Stork Household; about 10 years ago

The newly born Terry and Lola lay peacefully asleep in their little crib as Midna emerged from a shadow in the room. The Shadow Firstborn wobbled drunkenly as she stood on the floor, holding a bottle of whiskey. "Boy, Nolan has got to try this, mmmm, new whiskey stuff." she said with a burp. "Okay. N-Now, which one of the little brats is gettin' new powers, huh?" The Firstborn wobbled over to the crib and levitated above them.

Midna studied both of them intently, still drunk and confused out of her mind. "Lessee, I think it was…ahh, forget it. I'll just… pick one at random… lessee, eenie, meenie, miney…" And with a few more wobbles, she touched her finger to the more volatile boy, Terry, making a spark. "Theeere, that should do it. 'ave fun with your new powers, you… mmm, little munchkin." Her business done, Midna drifted over to the window, using her powers to smash it open as she then dropped to the ground outside.

Right now

Jack grabbed and yanked the shadow off of him before tossing it back at Terry, while Lola continued to hide behind a rock. "You kids are getting on my last nerves." The man raised his staff in the air and began charging a powerful jolt of magic, which he took aim at Terry. "Have fun being a pile of DigiDUST!" But before he could fire it- "OOOW!" A purple hand flew over and struck his rear from behind.

"Not my children." Virginia Stork told him.

"MOM!" Terry exclaimed.

"How'd you know it was us?" Lola asked.

"I heard what happened on the news and I ran out to find you kids." Ginny told them. "Okay, freak," she began as Jack stood up, "I don't know who you are, but the only way you're gettin' my kids is over MY dead body!"

"A very fair deal." Ginny gasped at the sound of this dark voice. A hand was cupped over her mouth, and another hand grabbed around her waist as Dracula appeared behind her. Ginny tried to shake away, but Dracula kept his tight vampire grip. "You are a stunning woman… but I am after much more. Still… your blood smells tasty enough." Virginia quivered in fear as the vampire gently licked against her neck. Lola and Terry were watching with fright, and as they felt a shadow loom over them, they screamed in horror as Jack's scythe came down.

Fear Factory; Darkrai's Throne

"So, you've seen it yourself, have you?" Darkrai asked as the hologram projection of Scary Godmother showed from Boozle's mouth.

"Yes. Bug-a-boo told me, and I even have someone here that fell victim to the curse."

"Hi!" Wiccan appeared in the projection, waving at the king.

"Hmm. Then it's clear that Jack O'Lantern and Dracula are working together. And since the sun has been blocked off, they clearly both have something to gain from this. Dracula's freedom to roam the night, and Jack's very desire for pranking. But is that all?"

The doors to his chamber suddenly opened, and Darkrai drew his attention to Jack Skellington, who led the heroes inside. "Jack."

"He's there?!" Godmother asked, surprised.

"Not THAT Jack. My son, Jack. And I see you've brought the others along."

"And right on time, too." Nolan said.

Crystal looked from behind Scary Godmother in the projection. "Is that you, Nolan?"

Nolan looked closely at the projection. "Crystal?"

"Oh! So, that's who your friend is!" Godmother observed.

"Is that Batman?!" Skully asked, getting in the projection.

"No! We've been cursed to turn into our costumes." Nolan told them.

"We've already figured that out." Crystal replied.

"Do you have any idea how to stop it?" Lee Andrew asked.

"The Curse of Monsters is something my father used long ago." Darkrai explained. "To get revenge on the humans for making mockeries of our kind. It was kind of laughable, really. Hrm hur ha ha. But the curse is very powerful. It behaves like any transformation curse. In the olden days, it was my father himself who broke the curse. It wasn't any fun scaring humans when they weren't human."

"So, that means YOU can break the curse." Nolan figured.

"No. It can only be broken by whatever it was that caused it, plus more. My father was a god, so his power alone was enough to break it. But when it comes from an alternate power, you need more. To break the curse, you need whatever magical item was used to unleash it. You must cast the same spell, but mix it with a strong burst of the Patronus Charm."

"So, we need the Grim Reaper's scythe." Dillon figured.

"Or more specifically, the identical replica of the Grim Reaper's scythe which Jack O'Lantern has created. But we must hurry. If the curse is not reversed in time, the ones affected will lose their sense of self. Their costumes will become who they are, they will gain the mind of whatever they have become, and lose whatever mind they had. It will be the end of humanity."

"So, like, I would really turn into Raven?" Leanne asked.

"And I would be the real Robin?" Dillon asked.

They exchanged glances, smiling with interest. "Cool..."

"But how did Dracula and Jack O'Lantern escape from Underworld Prison in the first place?" Jack Skellington asked.

"A good question." Darkrai replied. "There must be somebody else involved. But who could-" At that instant, all of the lights in the factory suddenly blinked off, and everybody looked around frantically.

"What?! A black out?" Jack observed.

"WAAAAHHH!" Jar Jar Blinks frantically dashed in, dressed as an old English person with a fancy getup and white wig. "OOH, DA'KY!" The Gungan pounced and wrapped tight around Darkrai's head. "We-sa got it bom-bom pretty baddy WAADDY!"

"OH for Heaven's sake, Jar Jar!" Darkrai yelled, throwing him off. "What's wrong?!"

"De power's out for de whole city!"

"I kind of figured that. This factory supplies all the power."

"Is worse den dat! We-sa bein' attacked by ooky-SPOOkies!" At this, everyone walked to the window to view the city down below. Nightmares everywhere were running and screaming in terror as gangs of evil skeletons and ghosts wrought havoc everywhere.

"Those monsters look familiar." Jack noticed.

"Hee hoo hoo ha ha. Aww, just like old times, eh, Jack?" This echoing voice made everyone look around again.

They redirected their attention towards a T.V. screen, where a certain bag of bugs made itself known. "Waaah ha ha ha! A pleasure to see you again, Your MAJESTY!"

"Ah, Oogie!" Jack exclaimed. "I should've known you were behind all of this!"

"Who, meee? Naw… I just got caught up in the action. But I've got news for you, Darkrai. YOUR time of King is over, so why don'tcha pack yo' things and git!"

"Many have tried to seize my throne," Darkrai said with a fierce look, "and all have failed. What makes you think YOU stand a chance against my power?"

"Hmm, good point. WhatEVUH shall I do? What have I that you don't? But perhaps this… DOLL face!" He directed their attention to a certain ragdoll girl behind him, who hung from a chain over a boiling pot of soup.

"Sally!" Jack exclaimed.

"This little lady got Oogied into the action, too. So unless you want to see her in Snake and Spider Stew, I suggest y'all git yo' selves outta that factory and this city PRONTO!"

"We will find you, Oogie." Jack promised him, looking determined. "Wherever you are, we'll—You're in the basement, aren't you?"

"Uhhh…" Oogie rubbed his head in a false-confused look, "I dunno. But try and find me and the little lady gets it! OH! And leave that rusty old sword of yours there, too! See you in a bit… Darky." And with another chuckle, the screen switched off.

"What shall we do, Father?" Jack asked.

Darkrai thought for a moment, then looked back at Scary Godmother's hologram. "Scary Godmother: gather your broommates and meet us at the playground behind Gallagher. We'll discuss a plan to stop Oogie and locate Dracula and Jack O'Lantern. Be quick." The hologram switched off, and Boozle flew out the window.

Fright Side; Scary Godmother's House

"Let's go, everyone." Scary Godmother ordered her broommates, and they and Wiccan charged for the door. However, as they tried to push through, the door was locked tight, and Scary Godmother was unable to open it. "Locked in? What's going on?"

Orson tried to open the window, but it was glued tight, and the vampire child felt around it. "Hey! It's made of rubber."

"Hmm, now vhat could've happened?" Ruby asked.

Mr. Pettibone looked around, putting on a worried expression. "Umm… where's Harry?"

"Huh—AAAAHHHHH!" all of the broommates and Wiccan screamed as they suddenly dropped into a trapdoor to an abyss of darkness.

Unknown Dungeon

Crystal and Scary Godmother were knocked unconscious from the fall, and by the time they had awakened, they found their selves dangling from the ceiling by a long chain that cuffed their wrists, hanging over a pot of water. They looked around the dungeon area, gasping at what had become of the rest of the broommates. In one corner of the room, the Vampire Family was surrounded by a bunch of crosses and garlic, and were groaning from the affects it had on them. Bug-a-boo was trapped in some kind of electric cage, and every time he tried to break free, the bars gave him a painful zap. Mr. Pettibone was locked inside of a glass case, his many parts separated on different shelves inside.

Scary Godmother tried to shake free, but her hands were glued tight, and her wings were tied as well. "No good. I can't cast any magic."

Crystal looked worriedly down at the water below them. "I wouldn't shake too much if I were you."

"Who could-" Godmother was interrupted when a spotlight suddenly shone in the room. Everybody's eyes widened at who was standing on the doorway stairs. "HARRY?"

"Oh, yes, the cruel irony of it all, that feeling of betrayal that's ever-so tearing from within your hearts." The werewolf spoke in a false depressing tone.

"What's the meaning of this, Harry?" Godmother asked with a hateful look.

"Isn't it obvious, Scary Taskmaster? I'm through being the lowly Nightmare slave, doing ALL the work around the house just because I can't have a few pieces of candy. You've been treating me like your dog for too long now. It's time I took charge for a change, and I did. It was I who snuck into Underworld Prison and set Dracula and Jack free. I also took time to fix Jack a new head, too. And recently, during one of my 'errands,' I paid a visit to Nightmare Land Prison and set the old bag of bugs free. And by the sound of things, he's done his part in driving the worn-down king out of there. And now that His Majesty is heading to Gallagher, it won't be long until we seize the throne and take over all Nightmares! Mmm, bon voyage, Miss Godmother." Harry snapped his fingers, summoning a squad of fierce skeleton guards. Harry left the dungeon and shut the door, leaving the guards to watch after them.

Gallagher Playground

Darkrai, Jack Skellington, and Nolan and the operatives took the flying saucer back to Earth, taking land behind Gallagher Elementary, where the playground was located. "Curse that Oogie… thinking he can drive me away from MY city without consequence?" Darkrai stated in anger.

"Don't worry, Father. He won't be getting away with this." Jack assured him. "Now where is Scary Godmother?"

"Over there!" Leanne pointed over at a being in a witch hat, who just limped out of the bushes with their head held down. Jack Skellington looked curiously, and approached the figure with caution.

"Scary Godmother?" he asked, slowly touching the tip of its hat and raising it up.

"Nope! Just your favorite prankster, Jackie!" Jack O'Lantern announced as he blasted Jack Skellington away with his scythe. Everyone readied their guard to battle the evil pumpkin. "I brought a couple of friends along, too." Jack snapped his fingers, and out from the bushes came a parade of walking pumpkins.

Nolan leapt forward, and the muscular hero began punching and beating away any pumpkin that came at him. Mason used his new tiger agility to pounce and tear away some pumpkins, while Haruka made them melt with purple dragon gas. Leanne used her shadow/psychic powers to make pumpkins levitate, and afterwards toss them into Lee's mouth, who had become a T-rex with his Beast Boy powers as he munched the pumpkins to pieces.

"Heh." Jack O'Lantern smirked, snapping his fingers and this time summoning a squadron of Skeleton Soldiers and armored ghosts. Jack drew out his-

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Lee stopped the fighting for a second. "Which Jack?"

"Ugh. Not this crud again." Dillon whined.

"Okay, I'm Jack L., he's Jack S.." Jack O'Lantern decided.

"Fair enough." Jack S. agreed, drawing his Soul Robber and beginning to whip the skeletons away. Dillon drew out his—er, Robin's staff and twirled it around as he began to stab it in some pumpkins and hurl the pumpkins at the skeletons. The armored ghosts tried to gang up on Darkrai, but the Nightmare King expanded a dark shield and pushed them away, then began throwing Dark Void spheres around and knocking them out.

"Quick, get the scythe." he ordered.

Jack L. readied his guard as Jack S. landed in front of him. The Skellington twirled his Soul Robber and made several side-dodges as the pumpkin man shot magic rays. Jack S. launched his Soul Robber and latched the scythe, using all the strength in his bony arms to yank it away from Jack L., who tug-o-warred back. However, the pumpkin man was foiled when Nolan came beside him and punched him, knocking him down and allowing Jack S. to take the scythe. "Haha!"

"Face it, Jack." Darkrai spoke to the fallen prankster as he lay knocked on the ground. "No matter what you or Oogie do, you can never seize what isn't yours. I'M the one and only Nightmare King!"

"I beg to differ." Everyone turned their attention to behind. There stood Dracula himself, still holding Virginia hostage.

Jack L. quickly jumped to his feet, snatching the scythe away from Jack S. before kicking him to the ground.

"Dracula! Release my granddaughter right now." Darkrai ordered with a glare.

"You vill never be my king. My loyalty is only to your father. You are a disgrace. He has created me as one of his prized creations. He treated me like a son. The throne should belong to me. Vampires and monsters must rule the vorld, and all others. And it vill be mine, vonce I drink your blood."

"Ha! I have no blood to drink."

"No… but your granddaughter does." Dracula smirked at Virginia. "All Nightmares are born from you, the King. As long as Virginia is Nightmare-descended, she is Nightmare-blooded. Your blood. And vonce she is my vampire slave, your blood will be mine. As vill all that you treasure most. Including your throne."

"Don't do this, Dracula. It will only end badly."

"NAY! As the first King's most valuable creation, I hereby claim vhat is rightfully mine!" Dracula opened his mouth wide and exposed his fangs.

"AAHHH!" Virginia tried to shake away, but his fangs dug right into the skin of her neck.

"NOO!" Jack Skellington exclaimed.

Virginia struggled even more, but Dracula continued to bite away at her. After a few moments, however, the count began to feel an odd taste on his tongue. "BLAHH!" He released Virginia and pushed her to the ground, coughing the burning taste from his tongue. "That vas terrible. No matter…" he looked down as Virginia panted on the ground, holes left in her neck from the bite, "Now the throne will be mine."

Virginia gripped the bite in her neck, looking up at the vampire and still gasping for breath.

Dracula stared for a few moments as nothing happened. "Vhy isn't it working?!"

"Joke's on you, Dracy." Dracula gasped at Darkrai's words. "Virginia is the daughter of Count Spankulot, a spanking vampire." Dracula gasped with shock and fright, backing away. "And a vampire… CAN'T suck the blood of another vampire."

"Wait, so, Virginia's a vampire?" Leanne asked.

"Half-vampire." Darkrai replied. "She doesn't have the enhanced strength, but she's vampire nonetheless."

"Well, this was a wild goose chase." Jack L. said with a glum expression.

"And now, as I stated before… I'M THE NIGHTMARE KING!" Darkrai unleashed a cloud of darkness along the ground, and several Nightmare soldiers rose up, like Sir Kibbles, Poppy Bros Jr., Bronto Burts, etc., as they all surrounded Dracula.

Dracula grit his teeth in anger, glaring at the monsters. Just then, the sounds of screeching apes caught his attention, and he looked behind to see a pack of four apes running frantically across the street. "Those damn annoying apes."

"Hey. Isn't that The Gang?" Lee recognized.

"Oh yeah. Boy, and I thought they were all ape before." Leanne said.

"Ha ha! Hey, Dillon, it's your cousin, Kaleo!" Haruka laughed, pointing at Kaleo, who was in Diddy Kong's form.

Jack L.'s eyes widened at the sight of the boy dressed as Diddy Kong, who was currently scratching his head for lice. Once he found some, he proceeded to eat it. "DRAC!" Jack L. shouted and pointed to that ape. "THAT BOY IS KALEO ANDERSON! HE'S KATIE'S SON! SHE'S A NIGHTMARE!"

Dracula jumped around, his attention drawn to the Nightmare-descended boy. Before he could run at him, Darkrai flew in his path and grabbed his arms, trying to keep the vampire back. Dracula jumped back and swung a kick at Darkrai's head. The King dodged, but Jack O'Lantern shot and stunned him with his scythe. Dracula smirked at the opportunity and ran for the boy as Darkrai screamed, "NOOOO!"

Dracula took hold of the monkey boy and bit deep into his neck, sucking the blood and pushing him to the ground. In just a few seconds, Kaleo's brown fur turned to a pitch-black, and fangs grew, and his eyes glowed red as he was now a vampire slave. "HAA ha ha! Finally!" Dracula laughed with joy. "The throne of Nightmare King is mine! I am the King of all Nightmares!"

"You are over exaggerating. The Nightmares will never obey you."

"Is that so? Nightmares?" Dracula smiled evilly down at Darkrai's Nightmare minions. The minions ceased approaching and stood saluting the dark count. "About-face." At his command, the Nightmares turned and faced the group of operatives and began to gang up on them. A squad of Water Galboros and Kibble Knights appeared from the darkness and started to gang up on the King.

"You can't do this to me! I am Darkrai! The Nightmare King!"

"Sorry, Darkrai. We work for Count Dracula now." A Kibble Knight told him.

"Grrrrah!" Darkrai was struck once more by Jack O'Lantern's scythe. The Nightmare King dropped to the ground, tied up in ghostly, ectoplasmic-like chains.

"Father-" Jack Skellington was silenced when a Skeleton Titan bashed his bony head with his club, knocking the bone man out cold. By this time, the rest of the operatives were overcome by the other Nightmares, and were knocked out.

"Heehee, we did it, Dracy!" Jack beamed, dancing and waving his scythe in the air. "Now there's NOTHING to stand in our way!"

"Indeed." Dracula smirked. "Now all that remains is to take my queen. Nightmares: load the prisoners onto the ship. I vill make them Children in due time. First, ve must find my queen."

The Nightmares followed their orders and loaded the captured operatives on the ship, throwing them into the prison hold. "Good thing Sheila isn't here." Mason said. "Though she might actually be able to help us."

"Where is she, anyway?" Haruka asked.

Naval Fleet, middle of the sea

My name is Conker. Conker the Squirrel. I'm nothin' special. Just an ordinary guy. An ordinary guy… in a world of war. It started just a few hours ago. It was Halloween Night. It was just like any other Halloween… but nothin' like. Monsters roaming the streets… angels and talking pieces of candy… and a war like none you've ever seen. I don't know how I got involved in this. All I knew… was there was no turning back.

Sheila Frantic, aka Conker the Squirrel sat ready and determined as all of the navy soldiers sat aboard their ship, guns loaded and ready. It was only a matter of time before the ships came to a stop, and the hatches opened. Conker and all of the military men stood and faced the enemy waiting on the island's shore: before them stood legions of deadly, fierce teddy bears, all wielding and holding guns ready.

"LET'S GO! GO, GO!" Conker yelled, and the men charged forward as the teddy bears unleashed fire from their machineguns. Bullets flew everywhere, and many men on both sides fell. Conker dodged to the side and fell in the water. Below the surface, the bullets shot down, shooting other men as blood leaked all around the water. Conker's expression became a lot more fierce and deadly, and the squirrel jumped above the water and began unleashing hell upon the Tediz. Stuffing flew everywhere, and many stuffed bears dropped. Conker smoked his cigar and rapidly fired his machinegun everywhere.

Yeah… there was no turning back… No turning back…

Downtown Cleveland

People screamed and ran from the city as a brown-furred werewolf rampantly tore apart the inside of the Happy Mask Shop. The Happy Mask Man cowered in the corner with fear, his joyous grin having been turned to a terrified frown as he whimpered. The werewolf tore apart the table before facing the man, releasing a deafening roar. "WAAAHHHH!" The Mask Man screamed at the top of his lungs and made a run for it, leaving his shop. The werewolf hurried out as well, saliva dripping from his mouth as he viewed the many citizens.

"Lulu, stop!" Daniel Whitby yelled, dressed as a strong football player as he hurried to his sister, alongside some guy in a brown coat.

"Is that her?" the man asked.

"Yeah, that's my sister. Can you do something about her?"

"Yeah, just hang on a sec." The man said, pulling out a gun and taking aim at the wolf. The werewolf howled in fright as the bullet barely missed, and started to dash away.

"Hey, what are you doing?! That's my sister!" Denny yelled.

"DIE, FOUL BEAST!" the werewolf hunter yelled as he gave chase.

"I wanted you to help her! COME BAAACK!" Denny chased the man in attempt to save his monstrified sister.

As all of the chaos cleared, Miyuki Crystal walked alone across the street, seeing and calmly approaching the Happy Mask Shop. The white-haired child entered the ruined shop, looking around as masks lay fallen on the floor. However, one mask caught her attention. Under the debris, some spikes stuck out from below. She approached the debris and shoved it away, finding a heart-shaped mask with spikes around the edges, dark patterned coloring, and yellow-red eyes that seemed to be staring at her. Miyuki bent over and picked the mask up, holding it in her hands as she stared into its wide eyes. Her blank, lifeless eyes continued to meet its as Miyuki could feel a strange power emitting from its form.

Nightmare Land

Already, Nightmare citizens were setting up massive posters of Count Dracula all around the buildings. The vampire lord himself stood within the Fear Factory's throne room, smirking as he overlooked the city which had fallen to his control. "Oooh, hoo hoo, we did it, Dracy!" Jack O'Lantern laughed once more. "The Nightmare King has fallen! The Realm of Nightmares belongs to US, now!"

"Us?" Jack looked with fright as the vampire suddenly got in his face with a terrifying glare.

"I-I mean, you, Count Dracula."

"But I should hope you haven't forgotten OUR parts of the bargain." Both villains turned to Harry the Werewolf and Oogie Boogie.

"After all… you wouldn't have gotten that sword if it hadn't been for Yours Truly." Oogie told him.

"Argh…very well. Let's discuss this." Dracula decided. "Since I have drank the blood of the Nightmare King, the throne of Nightmare Land belongs to me. Jack O'Lantern vill be the new Pumpkin King," Jack smirked and nodded at this, "and rule Halloween Town. Oogie Boogie vill be in charge of all Nightmare Production." The Boogie Man chuckled evilly and rubbed his stubby hands together. "And Harry-"

The werewolf stuck his tongue out like the excited dog he was.

"…will control the Fright Side and have all the candy he desires." Dracula said with an annoyed look.

"Hooray! Oh, most joyous of occasions!" Harry cheered.

"Now GET back to your posts!" Dracula demanded, making the two wince. "I vill have nobody ruining this night. The night… of my wedding."

"OOH, a wedding!" Harry exclaimed. "Will there be cake? Blood-red punch? Just so you know, I can't eat with anything silver."

"There vill be many treats, and much more." Dracula claimed as he raised the Nightmare Sword up high. "Vhen Danika and I are wedded, I vill take her blood and lay it on the sword. Her blood soaked on my sword vill symbolize our equal reign as King and Queen of Nightmare Land. Of course, I will have the most power." He whispered to Jack, who snickered. "But first, I must end the marriage she is currently entitled to. It is… until death, do us part. My sword shall end the life of Nolan York… Vonce he is gone, there vill be no one to take Danika away from me."

"Erm, are you quite sure that's sanitary?" Harry asked.

"Just make sure the prisoners remain at bay. It vill not be long before Jack's curse becomes permanent. Vith all mortals transformed into monsters, whilst the remaining ones become my Children, I vill be the King of Nightmare Land and the Earth. And there will be no one to stop me…"

Ashland Park

"YAAAAHH! WAHOOOO!" Aranea cheered, the angel child excitedly soaring across the skies.

"Aranea, wait!" Sally yelled, the Sector W crew trying to give chase. "Slow down!"

"Yeeaahh!" Aranea soared higher into the sky, going above the clouds.

Meanwhile, the angelic hero, Pit Icarus was in his room in Skypia, playing his Nintendo 3DS. The angel heard some cheering outside his window and looked outside, seeing the Aranea angel flying around his room in joy with her angel wings. Pit put on an annoyed expression and mumbled, "Pfft. Showoff."

Aranea spread her arms and legs out and closed her eyes in peace as the wind brushed against her face. When she opened her eyes, "Waaah!" she screamed once again as she nearly came in contact with a blue ghost cat, skidding to a halt in the air just as the two phased through each other. Aranea turned and looked curiously at the cat.

"Huh? What is it?" Sally asked as Aranea floated down with the cat.

"I found this cat up there." Aranea said. "I'm not sure what it's doing here."

The cat proceeded to open its mouth, exposing the holographic image of the Fright Side broommates trapped in the torture chamber. The crew took particular notice of the two witches hanging over the pot of water. "Hey, doesn't that look like that Ms. Wickens lady?" Harvey asked, looking behind his sunglasses.

"Whoever they are, they look like they're in trouble." Makava observed.

"Then we have to help them somehow." Arianna said.

"Oh, Kitty? Can you take us to wherever they are?" Sally asked politely.

The cat opened his mouth even wider, and the kids stared mysteriously into a green, haunting portal.

Fright Side; Scary Godmother's dungeon

The chain holding Scary Godmother and Wiccan swung back and forth as Crystal looked worriedly down at the water. "Don't worry, Crystal. The most important thing in a situation like this is not to panic."

"Says a full supporter of Halloween? And what happened to human lives being always spared?"

"Ashes to ashes, and dust to dust, Scary Godmother." Harry spoke as he paced back and forth in the dungeon. "And to think this all started with a few simple pizzas." The werewolf popped out a piece of candy from a pack and flipped it into his mouth, chewing away.

"You won't get away with this for long, Harry." Scary said sternly.

"We shall soon see. After I take over the Fright Side, I'll be dining on candy like never before. I… ooh?" The werewolf took notice of a tasty-looking piece on the ground just then. "Speak of the delicacy! Come to me, my tasty treat…" He slowly reached down and approached the candy. "Oh?" But to his surprise, the tiny piece hopped its way to the stairs. "Come, now, don't be shy!" Harry continued to approach the candy as it hopped up the stairs.

"Don't go, my little gumdrop." Harry said as he chased it across the living room. "I only wish to dine on your delicate sweetness." The candy hopped its way to the door and slipped its way through the gap. Harry tried to open the door, but realized it was locked tight. He tried to open the windows, but remembered their rubbery substance. So instead, he backed up a few feet, and charged right through the door, falling face-first to the ground outside. He saw the candy still hopping away from his reach and quickly stood to give chase. "Wait! Come back, my tasty treat!"

Once the werewolf was gone, Aranea took careful aim from inside an air vent with her bow and arrow. Her sights focused on the pot of water, waiting until all the skeleton guards were turned away. Once they were, she let loose the arrow, striking the pot and successfully piercing a hole, in which all of the water slowly began to pour. The surrounding guards approached the pot to study the hole. As they were distracted, Tronta Dunfree, as Tron, slipped down the stairs in his agile virtual body, quietly flipping his way to the glass case which held Skully's severed parts. Tronta stood straight and quiet, backing up against the case as the Minish-sized Michelle ran along his shoulder. She slipped inside the tiny lock and looked around the many mechanisms that made up the inside. Using powerful earthbending, the teeny girl was able to break the lock's interior to pieces, and the glass case slowly opened as Skully's parts hopped out.

The skeletons continued to observe the hole, picking up and studying the arrow as Tronta backed up towards Bug-a-boo's electric cage, followed by Skully's bouncing parts. When they reached the cage, some of Skully's parts formed into a skeleton key. The key inserted itself into the cage's lock, and the electricity died down as the cage opened. "RAAAHH!" The skeletons jumped around to see Bug-a-boo escaped, too late to defend as the monster charged straight through and pummeled them all. Bug-a-boo then went over to the vampires and proceeded to destroy the crosses, and eat the garlic that trapped them. The vampire family stood up, more non-alive than ever as Orson hovered over to the witches, using his fangs to pick and bite the shackles which binded their arms. Afterwards, Max grabbed Godmother, and Ruby held onto Crystal as they were set free. After Fybi the Bat helped get the gooey gunk off Godmother's wings, by gnawing it with her bat fangs, the witch flapped her wings and hovered on her own, sighing with relief.

"No! Please come back, my sweet!" Harry pleaded as he chased the candy further down the road. "Just imagine, the TASTINESS you would have on my tongue! You'll like my stomach, you know. It has a hot tub and everything! And you take a slide to get there! And when I swallow you, I shall nominate you for the reward of 'Tastiest candy in the world'! Now that sounds good, right? Oh, please come back. PLEASE! I'm begging you, I…"

The candy kept trying to get away, but was unfortunately stuck between a crack it had jumped into. Harry smiled with glee, licking around his lips as he ran and finally snatched the candy, holding it up in the air. "Finally! Now, into my…" His mouth was wide open, ready to swallow it in one bite. "HEY!" To his bad luck, a white-feathered bird with a black ponytail and purple dress swooped down and snatched the candy in its talons. "Come back!"

Makava looked down and smirked as the werewolf was chasing her, flying back the other way. "Come back here, you stupid bird! I'll-" Harry was silenced when he tripped over the extended vine from a purple and green flower. Arianna lightly giggled to herself and stayed still.

Back in the dungeon, Scary Godmother had conjured a magic mop and bucket which she used to mop all of the water up, making the floor nice and dry for her and Wiccan to stand on. "Perfect." she grinned.

"Thanks for the save." Crystal smiled at the Sector W team and aliens.

"Happy to help." Sally nodded.

"Thank you, too, Boozle." Godmother said to her cat. "Told you he was a smart one."

"Well, I'd certainly prefer him over dogs, in more ways than one." Skully remarked.

"But what about the Nightmare King?" Orson asked. "We've got to save him from Count Dracula."

"Yes! Dracula is a disgrace to our family!" Max declared.

"He's right. We've gotta get to Nightmare Land and do something." Godmother announced.

"Let's go grab the others and get going." Tronta declared, and the lot of them hurried up and out of the basement.

But with a start, they immediately stopped in their tracks when they reached the living room, barely dodging fire from a Red Skeleton Soldier. "Ah-ha!" They turned their attention to Harry, standing in the doorway. "I should've known, you can never trust delicious candy."

Before the flaming skeleton could strike again, Harvey the polar bear was able to grab it from behind and chomp its head under his teeth as he dragged it out of the house, and Harry winced with fright. "That's the end of the line, Harry." Scary Godmother told him, looking fiercely at him, as did everyone else. "You're back to helping me sow cobwebs, and we're going to Nightmare Land to help put an end to this nonsense."

"I see. But you should know, Scary Godmother, I have a few tricks of my own." (Play "Majestic Wings" from Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance!)

Harry got down on all fours, and everyone watched with curiosity as the werewolf began trembling. Slowly, the werewolf started to expand in size, his blue pajamas ripping apart as his white fur became much more wild and disheveled. His fangs grew, drooling with hunger, and his eyes looked bloodthirsty. Harry completed his transformation into a far more vicious werewolf, howling into the heavens as everyone looked in fear.

"Um… when did he learn how to do that?" Skully asked.

Harry snarled with anger, grabbing Crystal Wickens and tossing her straight out into the front yard. Scary Godmother quickly flew to her side as Crystal stood up, and both of them faced the werewolf as he crawled toward them, still snarling. Scary and Wiccan readied themselves and prepared to battle.


Boss fight: Harry

Crystal and Godmother kept their guard up as the werewolf snarled. He ran at Crystal and smacked her to the side with his claws. Scary tried to zap magic at him, but Harry defended and swatted her away as well. He turned his attention back to Crystal as the witch stood up, quickly shooting flames at Harry's face as she backed away. Harry took the hits as he crawled closer to Crystal, gnashing his fangs at her. His teeth grasped onto Crystal's staff, and Crystal held onto it as Harry swung her around and sent her flying several feet.

"Fighting big dogs isn't as easy as they make it look." Crystal said, recovering once again. "How do you kill a werewolf, anyhow?"

"Hmm…" Godmother tapped her chin in thought before a moment of realization occurred. "Oh, I remember! You're supposed to use a silver-"

"-bullet?" Crystal asked.

"Spoon, fork, coins, anything silver will do. Bullets are just more efficient."

"Agh." Crystal grunted as Harry pounced in front of her again, raising her staff in defense. "Better get some out here, then." she said, trying to beat Harry with her staff.

"Skully! We need silver!" Godmother called.

"Coming right up!" Mr. Pettibone yelled, zipping into the house.

Crystal rapidly dodged around as Harry kept trying to scratch her. "Lumos Solem!" she called, unleashing a ray of sunlight from her staff, which made Harry shield his eyes. Squinting his eyes slightly, Harry faced the witch and tackled her to the ground, cancelling the spell as he pinned Crystal down, snarling over her face.

Skully ran out just then and yelled, "Here!", tossing some silver spoons to Scary Godmother.

The witch caught them and flew over to aid Crystal. "Har-RYYY!" The sound of the clattering spoons caught his attention. Harry turned and whimpered in fright at the sight of the spoons. He backed away, and Crystal was able to stand up. Godmother tossed her the spoons, which Crystal swung towards the werewolf, making him wince every time. Harry was stunned when the witch tossed the spoons right at him, allowing Wiccan to lay several blows against his face. Eventually, Harry recovered and jumped away from the silver spoons. Crystal aimed her staff and shot more fires, jumping back when Harry scratched at her. She noticed the pumpkins around the yard and aimed her staff at one of them. "Wingardium Leviosa!" At this, the pumpkin levitated, and Crystal sent it flying at Harry's face, engulfing his whole head before he could gnash at her.

At this time, Skully was hurrying out of the house again, loads of silver kitchen utensils in his arms. "Scary Godmother, I've got the- WHOOA!" Sadly, the skeleton tripped over the stairs and sent the items flying up in the air. Harry ripped the pumpkin off his head to see the fallen skeleton, growling at the tasty-looking bone man. Skully stood up and looked in fear as Harry glared at him. "Uhh… nice doggy- AHHH!" Skully ran as Harry gave chase.

Crystal hurried after the werewolf and leapt, grabbing hold of the branch of a tree close by and spinning around, launching herself toward the wolf and landing on its back. She sat tight and gripped his fur, trying to control him as he still chased after Skully. Skully was now heading for the pile of silver, leaping over it, and Harry was about to leap as well, but Crystal forced him to skid to a halt, ramming Harry through the silverware and into the tree, knocking him in a daze. During this daze, Crystal took this time to beat him with her staff, and Harry shook back to normal after a few moments.

The werewolf howled into the heavens before glaring back at Crystal. Harry rapidly began swinging his claws at the witch too fast for her to counter, jumping all around the field and slashing her from all directions. After a while, Harry had her knocked onto the ground, and proceeded to pin her down and snarl in her face. Harry was zapped by a magic blast by Scary Godmother, and was forced to back away as the witch kept firing. Crystal was able to stand up and grab her staff. She took aim at the werewolf and focused as she called, "Expecto, Patronum!" But to no avail. "Expecto, Patronum!" she called again, but nothing happened. "AAH!" Harry was about to gnash at her, but Orson flew by and grabbed her, setting her a few feet away.

"Maybe a little more training before we get to the big stuff." Godmother suggested before refocusing her glare on Harry. The evil werewolf snarled at his taskmaster and was ready to charge at her. But right then, Scary Godmother smiled as she pulled out two crackers with some kind of reddish-orange substance sandwiched between them. Harry suddenly smiled at the tasty treat, panting and wagging his tail as he awaited the godmother to toss it to him. The witch did so and tossed the cracker above Harry, the werewolf jumping and snatching it in his mouth. He licked the substance clean off his lips as he was suddenly shrunk down back to his regular size and form. (End song.)

"Uuh! You call that a Blood Cracker? I've heard of zombies who make tastier treats than you." Harry complained. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm locking you back in your-"

"Harry?"

"Yeees?" Harry turned to face an angry Count Max.

"Look deeply into my eyes." He instructed as his eyes began swirling with red.

"Okay! Looking!"

"Now, cease your chattering… and sleep."

"Sleep? But I haven't even got my candy, yet! I-" But with that, the spell clicked, and Harry was fast asleep.

"Scary Godmother's very own Monster Tamer Cracker." Bug-a-boo smiled. "Calms your average angry, candy-crazed werewolf right down and puts them to sleep."

"Of course, you had a little help vith that last part…" Max reminded.

At this time, Makava took land in the front yard, holding the candy Vweeb between her feet and the potted Arianna plant in her arms. "Is everyone alright?"

"I would hope so." Godmother replied. "Count Max, Ruby, lock up and watch after Harry. Crystal, let's go check up on the town."

Boozle once again opened his mouth wide and created a portal to Virginia. The lot of them stepped inside and swirled away into the greenness.

Cleveland, Virginia; in front of Gallagher Elementary

Everywhere you look, zombies and other monstrified creatures continued to roam the streets, bringing terror and fear to the hearts of almost every other regular human. "Guess the situation is just as bad here." Godmother observed.

"It's just like Bug-a-boo said!" Orson noticed.

"And if it ain't fixed fast, I'll be outta business." Bug-a-boo said.

"Looks like Darkrai and Crystal's friend are long gone." Godmother figured. "They must be trapped in Nightmare Land by now. Boozle: take us to-" But before the witch gave her command, the ghost cat was suddenly trapped inside some kind of spherical barrier.

"NNOPE! That's as far as you go." called some female, echoing, childish voice. The lot of them looked around for the source, and suddenly found their selves surrounded by Forces of Nature troops. They looked into the heavens as the apparition of the goddess herself was seen.

"Viridi!" Sector W and the aliens exclaimed.

"This curse is unnatural as unnatural gets." the goddess spoke. "But it does provide the benefit to my side. Because of this curse, I can ultimately put an END to the plague of humanity, and replace them all with sweet wildlife. As long as a single human remains in this world, this curse shall live on! I plan to put a stop to it afterwards, and also exterminate any Nightmare creatures still hanging around. And once it's finished, the Earth will finally be MINE again to dominate, not those wretched humans. So I have to do everything I can to stop you FREAKS from ruining it. That's why I'm keeping your little ghostie cat." The two gangs then noticed that Boozle was trapped in the barrier of a Mahva.

"Oooh. I've heard of you, Viridi." Scary Godmother started angrily. "You're that no-good goddess that used to cause trouble during the Old Demon Wars. Now you're doing the same thing as before. You'd think Palutena woulda taught you by now."

"Lady Palutena is blind by her own light. She refuses to see what filthy creatures the humans are. She refuses to see the selfishness in their hearts. AND she has the gall to call ME AS SELFISH AS THEY ARE! That's why I have to exterminate them for GOOD, and show her how much more pleasant the Earth is without them."

"Of course! Wanting to kill an entire race for the sake of repopulating your own race doesn't sound the LEAST bit of selfish!" Crystal exclaimed with sarcasm.

"ARE YOU trying to IMPLY something?!"

"Look, Viridi, you DO have a point, and I can understand your hatred." Crystal told her. "But there are better ways."

"Perhaps you should spend less time trying to exterminate humans, and more time thinking about why this 'Palutena' had you locked away in the first place." Arianna suggested.

"Better ways, my foot. I believe I've let you monsters live long enough. FORCES OF NATURE, PLUCK those freaks from the earth, and SEVER THEIR-"

"REDUCTO!" The Forces of Nature had no time to attack as a series of magic blasts shot over and disintegrated some of them. One of the Royal Guards looked around frantically before he was suddenly tackled by a lion, Chris, who gnawed away at his face. The guard pushed the lion off of him, but Maddy ran from behind and burned the guard's rear with her dragon breath, making the guard run around crazily.

"Dismantlo!" Facilier called, shooting a spell that disabled the Mahva's barrier, releasing Boozle. Zach the tiger then proceeded to tackle the Mahva and bite away at it.

"Is that even a real spell?" Maddy asked the Shadow Man.

"Girl, I don't have time ta look up what the real spells are, so I'm just sayin' whatever *** works."

"Grrr! I should've brought more soldiers. More COMPETENT ones!"

"We're comin' at you next, Viridi!" Chris yelled up at her.

Viridi's Lair

"Those darn operatives. They always have to ruin everything." The Nature Goddess complained.

"If it were up to me, I'd have them burned to soot in no time flat." Phosphora said. "But… you know…" she sighed, looking at her powerless hands.

"I have to keep them busy until the curse is permanent." Viridi stated. "But who to use? Ooh, I know! Oh, Spidermankeyyy!"

At her call, a very tiny, spider-sized ape with eight arms and five eyes crawled out from a tiny hole in her ceiling, dropping down and beginning to crawl all around Viridi's face.

"Aw, who's a cute wittle Spidermankey?" Viridi cooed as she made all sorts of 'cute' sounds, catching the animal on her fingers as it crawled around some more. Viridi then held the animal up above her crystal ball, allowing it to drop inside.

Back in front of Gallagher

"OOO-AAAAHHHHH!" The gigantic Spidermankey dropped onto the field, landing with a thud with its many fists.

"THIS is my Spidermankey." Viridi introduced as the mutant ape glared with its five green eyes. "What's a cuddly little bug to ME, is ten times the brawn of an average gorilla to YOU."

"Would that not be 'eight' times the brawn, Mistress Viridi?" Arlon asked.

"Ohh, whatever, Arlon. Spidermankey, just attack them."

"Man, we so don't have time for this." Tronta complained.

"Y'all kids do whatcha gotta do. We'll handle this ape." Facilier told them.

The broommates and operatives nodded as Boozle opened his mouth to a portal to Nightmare Land. The monsters stepped into the portal and vanished, and Facilier, Chris, Zach, and Maddy were left to deal with Viridi's monster.

"Aww, it breaks my heart to have to bring pain to a bunch of poor, defenseless animals. But it won't be long until you're all a part of the natural food chain, anyway. So… SPIDERMANKEY, MINCE THEM!" The eight-armed ape roared and charged at the four.


Boss fight: Spidermankey

The Spidermankey leapt and slammed its fists down at them, but the four jumped out of the way as Chris leapt to bite on its head. Spidermankey grabbed the lion and bashed him against the ground before Maddy ran up and blew fire on its tail. The monkey leapt and yelped before batting Maddy away with Chris, then was forced to release Chris when Zach bit his arm. As they fought, several Forces of Nature troops came out and cheered for Spidermankey. Spidermankey grabbed a chunk of the earth in his arms and hurled it at Facilier, who quickly fired a spell and blew it to rubble. Spidermankey jumped through the debris and tried to punch him, but the agile witch-doctor jumped around and avoided.

Zach ran up to bite Spidermankey's tail, but as his teeth held onto the tail, the monstrous ape swung him around and sent him flying at Chris, who leapt overhead and landed beside the monkey's leg, swinging a scratch with his lion claws and leaving a scar. The Spidermankey roared in pain and punched the lion away. The ape then ran for Facilier again and swung a punch at him, but Shadow Facilier pulled his master into the ground and slid over to a garbage can. Facilier then used a levitating spell to pick it up, and stuff it over the Spidermankey's head.

The monkey pulled off the garbage can as Chris and Zach pounced on his head and began to bite at him. Spidermankey shook them off, but couldn't defend when Maddy leapt up and blew fire in his face. Spidermankey twirled its many fists around before leaping in the air and laying a powerful punch onto the ground, causing the land to shake and create a shockwave that blew the four heroes away.

The Spidermankey tried to crush Zach with its fist, but Maddy flew by and grabbed him out of the way, distracting the monster as Chris leapt and chomped its head from behind. It grabbed Chris and threw him off, but the monster was suddenly being punched by an invisible force, which happened to be Shadow Facilier punching at his shadow. The Spidermankey took hold of Zach and sank its fangs into his back, but Maddy burned his butt from behind again. Zach scampered away as Chris ran and bit the ape's other leg.

The Spidermankey grabbed Facilier by the leg and rapidly swung him against the ground. Zach pounced and bit the ape's arm, and Facilier was released. The witch-doctor quickly grabbed his cane and yelled, "REDUCTO!" causing the ape to explode into pieces.

"NOOOO!" Viridi screamed.

"Hah! Strength of ten gorillas?" Zach taunted. "That Phosphora chick was a MILLION times stronger than THAT lug, and we still took her out!"

"Aww, I have my own fan club." Phosphora remarked.

Viridi's teeth were grinded in anger. "Grrrr! The night still isn't over, yet! Enjoy your victory now, 'cause soon, you'll all be part of the animal kingdom!" With this last note, the apparition faded away.

"Um, Facilier? Why didn't you just do that at the start of the fight?" Maddy asked.

"Needed to weaken it first, kiddo. Wasn't gonna risk a strong spell at the start of a fight."

"Well, here lies another one of her favorite pets." Chris said, approaching the scattered dust of the Spidermankey. The lion bent down and took a whiff of the dust, putting on a curious look. "Yo, Doc… this stuff smell familiar to you?"

The witch-doctor approached the dust and scooped some up in his fingers, taking a whiff. "Yeah… it does…"

 

[Gamen Watch]

Nightmare Land

Nolan York, as Batman, and Darkrai II were now tied up in ectoplasmic chains, hanging from a chain as they were lowered into a giant glass container, looking angrily as Jack O'Lantern held an evil smirk. "Ah, what more perfect way to end the two blackest blacks of the night, than drowning them in gallons of white?"

"You have any idea how wrong that sounded?" Nolan asked.

"In only a moment, this entire container will be flooded in fresh, warm milk." At this, the two captives looked at the large tanker of milk, hooked up to a machine that had a large pipe, leading into their prison. "The all-powerful Nightmare King will be submerged in the biggest poison to Nightmares, and Batman will drown along with him. Then, no one can intervene between the wedding of Count Dracula and Danika Anderson."

"Your moment under the moon will not last, O'Lantern." Darkrai assured him. "The Nightmares are loyal to only one King."

"Also, there's no way Danika would marry a freak like Dracula." Nolan said.

"I beg to differ. It sounds fitting." Jack smirked. "Count Dracula, Countess Danika… has a nice ring to it, wouldn't ya say? Nevertheless, even if she does refuse at first, Dracula has quite the… eye when it comes to the ladies, wouldn't ya say? Anyhoo, farewell, Darky! And you, too, Batty. Start the machine, Lawrence!" Jack instructed to a skeleton, who stood atop a platform. The skeleton gave a thumbs-up and pressed a few buttons on the control panel. In a moment, the container began filling with gallons of milk, which were slowly rising higher to flood and drown the two inside.

Jack happily twirled his scythe and walked out of there as he sang to himself, "Ohh, wetty ghosts, kings roasts, Batman jam, soggy suits, milk boots, Batman jam…"

"Well, ain't this a fun way to go out?" Nolan asked sarcastically. "Caught in a cheesy Batman deathtrap with King Can't-Even-Defeat-A-Simple-Vampire-And-Now-About-To-Die-In-Milk."

"DON'T pin this whole thing on me!" Darkrai yelled furiously. "I'm not the most powerful being in the cosmos. Instead of arguing, why don't we try to find a way out of this mess?"

"Waaaaaaaahhhhhhhh…" they heard a high-pitch voice crying from down the halls, "-AAAAAHHHHHHH!" Jar Jar Blinks dashed in face-flat against the glass container.

"Jar Jar!" Darkrai exclaimed.

The Gungan pushed himself off the glass and said, "Da'ky! Me-sa no Nightmare, so I-sha no hafta listen to Dwacy-wacky! He-sa taken over deh whole bombad town! WAIIIII!" he frantically shook around.

"JAR JAR! Just save our arses, you stupid arse!"

"Oook-sie-DOKSY!" The crazy Gungan shook around as he scampered up the stairs to the controls.

The skeleton guard turned and noticed him and said, "Hey, you're not allowed up here!"

"Supah Gungy Rappy KICK! AI-YE-YE-YE-YE-YE-YE-YE!" Jar Jar leapt in midair and laid a series of quick kicks upon the skeleton. When he finished, the skeleton continued to stand in place, seconds before he cracked into a million pieces and fell apart. With him gone, the Gungan approached his control station, looking confusedly around all the strange contraptions. "Uhh… lessee: ummmm…"

Darkrai and Nolan's eyes widened as the milk was reaching their heads. "Hurry UP, you stupid donkey-fish thing!" Darkrai demanded.

"Mmmph! Bop!" He pushed a button, dunking the two into the milk, and pulling them back out. "Aaaahhm…" He pushed another button, making a metal device come down beside the two, and a punching glove began popping out and beating them repeatedly. Jar Jar then started pushing all of the buttons he could aimlessly, and Nolan and Darkrai were swinging back and forth, bashing against the glass, had their "hair" cut up by scissors, had their "teeth" brushed, water shoved down their mouths and forced to gargle and spit, and were powdered with makeup.

"Will you STOP messing around, JAR JAR!" Darkrai boomed.

"HMPH! I-sa gots BETTER plan. HMMMMMMM…" Jar Jar zipped down the stairs and zoomed far away down the hallway, his body shrinking in the distance. Suddenly, the Gungan was dashing straight back, going faster and faster. "WAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIII!" The two men/spirit shut their eyes tight, and with his full force, Jar Jar's head collided powerfully with the container, his open mouth pressed against the glass. The collision was able to crack the glass a bit, leaving a hole where his mouth is now. The level of the milk was getting lower, as the white, liquid substance was flowing straight into Jar Jar's mouth.

The Gungan's body grew larger and fatter, and once all of the milk was drained, Jar Jar was a massive, round ball, half as big as the container. The Gungan shook around a bit, some slight milk drooling from his mouth. In an instant, Jar Jar was flying around the room, his body shrinking as milk spewed out everywhere. Soon, he was flat as paper, and slowly drifted down into the container beside the two. "I-sa OKAY!" he exclaimed, jumping to his feet in his 3-D form.

"Great…" Darkrai said, both he and Nolan disbelieved, "Cut us down."

"Okay." Jar Jar pulled out a glowing green ectoplasmic knife and cut them free.

"Oooogg…" When they fell to the ground, Darkrai struggled to hold himself up.

"Ooh, Da'ky…" Jar Jar put his boss's arm around his head and helped him up. "You-sa all baddy-beddy…"

"Yes… I am sick. Even the slightest touch of milk on a Nightmare's skin can make them weary. Jar Jar… take me to the storage so I may drink some Fear Energy. Nolan… you'll have to go without me. You must save our sons. And I fear… your wife may be in danger, too."

"You got it." Nolan nodded.

"Ah-ah!" The Gungan hauled the fallen Nightmare over his head. "Time-sa for a glass of warm fear and beddy-bye. WEEEEEEEEEEE…" Nolan watched as the Gungan bolted down the hall with his master.

The Batman-clothed man chuckled and shook his head. The man turned to a nearby vent and walked over to pull the duct open. "Well… doesn't get any creepier than this." He said as he stared into the darkness. (Play the "Magma Maze" Theme from The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge.)


Stage 6: Dungeon of Horrors

Mission: Save Dillon and his friends, and find a way out of the dungeon!

Act 1

Nolan dropped straight into the vent and landed inside of a dangerous dungeon of dozens of traps and flowing magma. The Batman sidled along a small ledge over the river as fireballs shot up. Several round buzz-saws moved up and down along the ledge, so Nolan carefully moved through to avoid them. He reached a narrow pathway and progressed over the magma, reaching a platform shaped like a skull. Nolan rode the platform up to a higher point, where he had to quickly jump across other platforms before they fell into the magma. He then jumped onto a large skeleton hand sticking from the wall, which moved and allowed him onto a pathway.

"Good evening, citizens of Nightmare Land!" Jack O'Lantern's voice announced over the intercom. "This is Jack O'Lantern reporting for the 11:00 news, reminding you all not to miss the wedding of our new, glorious dictator with his new bride, tonight at Gallagher Elementary!" Nolan looked up to a large screen by the ceiling, which showed the image of Danika chained to some wheel. Nolan gasped. "That's right! Tonight, Count Dracula crowns his queen! And afterwards, watch the grand execution of Nolan York and his meddling lackeys! Our bold hero appears to be scuttling about the dungeons right now. Let's only help he doesn't meet his end before we have the chance to trap him, he-he-he."

Nolan gritted his teeth in anger, glaring at the screen. The man hurried across the pathway, jumping over buzz-saws that swung back and forth over the path, and were littered with blood and skeletons. On the other side of the path, he had to climb a ladder of bones, dodging either left or right to avoid descending balls of ooze. At the top, he jumped onto a small platform and saw several branches sticking out from the wall before him. He pulled out his grappling hook and used it to swing across the branches. He was about to swing off onto the ledge ahead, but a giant, blood-covered knife stabbed down in front of him, startling the man and causing him to plummet below.

He landed on a ledge that was just inches from the magma. He quickly recovered and ran onto a higher point as the magma rose a little. A gang of Heat Skeletons were gathered by a small magma fall, and the monsters spotted Nolan and hissed at him. The skeletons launched flaming boomerangs, but Nolan evaded and shot his grappling hook to slice one's head off. The head bounced its way toward him, but he simply kicked it at another one, causing both to fall in the magma. Two other skeletons ran to grab his arms, but he shook them off and stomped one's head. The other one grabbed his leg and tried to burn him with the boomerang, but Nolan kicked it in the face. The last skeleton ran to strike him, but he punched it into the magma as well.

A tall chunk of the wall was broken, making it barely climbable. Nolan used it to climb back to the ledge where he fell from. Once up top, there laid another pathway, seemingly clear. But when Nolan stepped forward, a spiked fence shot up inches from his face, giving him a good view of the bloody skull attached to it. After taking a moment to catch his breath, having nearly been scared to death, he cautiously trekked through a maze of spike traps. Beside him, dangling over the chasm, were skeletons hanging from rotten nooses. Spikes seemed to pop up every which way, but Nolan still made it to the other side.

Nolan's next route seemed to be a giant scorched plate, which was lifted up by a skeleton arm. It was lifted to another arm, which dealt several jabs into it with a giant knife. When another plate came, Nolan was hesitant to get on it. When it lifted him up, he quickly jumped onto a platform to avoid the knife, and when it finished slashing, Nolan got back on the plate and continued upward. He was taken to a straight hallway that seemed clear of any pitfalls or traps. However, as he passed forward- "AAAAAAAAIIIIII!" a demon puppet popped out of a cell on the wall, startling Nolan with a high-pitched scream. When the puppet went back in, Nolan continued, and- "KILL MEEEEEEEE!" The living, rotting corpse of a man popped out and surprised Nolan again. The man cautiously stepped forward, and flinched when another cell flung open. However, nothing came out.

Nolan then looked as a simple ghost was hurrying in from the other end of the hall. "Sorry I'm late, I- D'aw, dammit, did I miss it again?"

Nolan sighed in disbelief and continued onward. When he reached the end of the hallway, he overlooked another dastardly chamber of the dungeon, where flames jumped from the boiling magma river, and scorched skeletons hung from nooses. Nolan proceeded along the ledge on his left and carefully balanced his way across a rusted pipe with nails sticking out. He stopped for a second and glanced to his right, seeing the hanging skeletons. Weren't they just… a little farther back? He shook this off and continued across the pipe. Steam was blowing out of other pipes, so Nolan had to wait for them to die out before he could move across. As he was nearing the end of the metal pipe, the tiny path suddenly collapsed to his weight, but he immediately grabbed hold of the bottom of the pipe as he dangled just inches away from the lava.

He watched as a giant skull drifted along the magma river and dropped onto it. The skull slowly sank beneath the flames, but Nolan jumped to a small platform in the lava. He then continued across a series of bone bridges. He stopped and looked to his left, seeing those same hanged skeletons floating in midair. Were they… following him? He shook this off once more and continued. There was no path over the flaming river ahead except for a few giant skulls that were dropping from the ceiling. Nolan hopped across these skulls, avoiding leaping fireballs before reaching another rocky wall for him to climb. He climbed to a higher ledge and found a series of branches go across the magma river. He shot his grappling hook and swung across each branch until he reached a platform.

Before he could go on, the hanged skeletons decided to fly and attack him. The Hanged Men slapped and kicked him across the face several times, but he grabbed one by the legs and threw it against two more. They stayed airborne and grabbed Nolan by the neck, attempting to choke him, but the Batman was able to shake away and pull out his grappling hook, tossing it to chop the heads off the skeletons, watching their bodies drop to the ground while the heads remained airborne.

He decided to leave them be and keep going as he shot his grappling hook to reach another high ledge. From there, a series of skeleton hands were holding platforms, but only for a little while before retracting back into the wall. Nolan had to quickly jump his way across the platforms, and also use his grappling hook to swing to some of them. Finally, he reached a ledge at the end of the hall, where a bunch of Heat Skeletons, Blue Skeletons, and Orc Skeletons stepped out of prison cells. The Heat Skeletons launched flaming boomerangs, which Nolan evaded before running to punch them, only to be tackled by the Blue Skeletons. He grabbed and tossed each of them at the Orc Skeletons, who in turn turned angry and started spinning and swinging their clubs wildly.

Nolan was bashed against the wall, but jumped away before a Heat Skeleton burned him. When the Orc Skeletons became dizzy from the spinning, Nolan grabbed one by the legs and swung it around to knock all of the others over the edge. When they were gone, some Halloween and King Ghosts came out. Nolan tried to punch the Halloween Ghosts, but they only phased through him and grabbed his neck from behind. A King Ghost smacked him with its large hand, but Nolan pulled out some flash-bombs and tossed them at the ground, making the ghosts dizzy. As a result, he was able to punch and kick them and knock them into the magma down below. The last King Ghost attempted to punch him, but he grabbed its fist and pushed him downward, afterwards stomping its ghostly face.

The ghosts were then followed by a swarm of Baby Spiders. Nolan hurriedly stomped them as they crawled over, but some were able to crawl up his body. He shook them off and jumped away quickly, tossing a bomb to blow them all away in an instant. Finally, two Troll Skeletons came out, along with a King Skeleton. Nolan rolled away before a troll could smash him with its club, rolling behind the skeleton and stabbing his grappling hook in its back. It spun around and knocked the man into the wall, but he dodged before the King Skeleton sliced him with its ax.

Nolan tossed his grappling hook to swipe one of the troll's clubs. He then swung it around and bashed the troll's head several times before it was defeated. Nolan dropped the club and jumped on the other troll's club when it tried to smash him, then stabbed it several times in the face. He swiped the club and knocked the troll out, then started swinging against the King Skeleton. After a few strikes, the monster was able to swat the club out of Nolan's hands, roaring in anger. However, Nolan took this time to toss a bomb into the monster's mouth and blow its head up, the body falling dead.

Nolan then watched as the middle cell opened, and a skeleton in a top-hat stepped out. "Man, Darkrai really needs to clean up around here." Nolan raised his grappling hook and prepared to slice it, but-

"NO, NO NO, no, my good man, I'm on YOUR side!"

"What? …Oh, wait, you're that skeleton that was in the hologram."

"Exactly. Mr. Pettibone is the name. But call me Skully. And my, aren't you a hunksicle?" he said, observing Nolan's muscular body. "Crystal sure is wise in her choice in boyfriends."

"What?! I'm Crystal's friend! Not to mention I'm already married."

"Mm-hm, keep telling yourself that now. Anyway, Crystal and the others are here, they're saving your son."

"Good. They can catch up. Let's hurry and find Dracula!" (End song.)

Oogie's Dungeon

Dillon York and Jack Skellington were currently tied to a chain and dangling over a giant pot of stew in the horror-filled dungeon of Oogie Boogie. "Ashes to ashes, and dust to dust... eh, Jack?" the Boogie Man chuckled, rolling two dice. They totaled up to "4", so Oogie pulled the lever four times, lowering the duo closer to the pot. "'til now, I've only dreamed of adding YOU to my snake-and-spider stew. And ya know the one thing that'd make it oh-so nice? A superhero wannabe boy to add a little spice."

Oogie pulled the lever once more, moving them an inch closer. On the other side of the chamber, Sally was tied and hanging from the ceiling by some spider-web rope. "Jack! I'm sorry I let this happen…"

"Don't be, Sally. It's not your fault. We'll find a way out of here."

Oogie Boogie grinned and snickered. "You won't be dupin' me now, Dollface. 'Cause this sandy man's gonna get fat on-" Oogie silenced himself, hearing a painfully loud scratching sound. The bag of bugs turned and took notice of some kind of ragdoll leg sticking from a crack in the wall. "Eh… huh?" He glanced back at Sally, who was still tied up, but still in one piece. He turned back to the other leg and asked, "What, have, we, here?" The Boogie Man stepped over to the leg and began examining it.

During his distraction, a pair of doll hands slid down the chain holding Dillon and Jack. A Minish-size Michelle was shown to be riding the hands, and the little girl crept into the lock on the chains. Meanwhile, Crystal Wickens hid behind the entrance to the torture chamber. The witch mumbled a spell and twirled her wand, launching a ray of magic at the pot of stew.

By this time, Oogie had pulled the severed doll leg from the wall, and became angered. "YOU TRIED TO MAKE A DUPE OUT OF MEE?" He turned towards Jack and Dillon again as the doll hands immediately scampered up the chain. "Well, ENJOY your DIP!" Without rolling the dice, Oogie decided to kick the lever, sending the two dropping all the way into the boiling pot. Oogie only snickered evilly, while Sally gave a horrified gasp.

"HAHAA!" Suddenly, Dillon and Jack popped out of the pot, free of their loosened chains as they were floating in heated water.

"WHAT?!?" Oogie screamed.

The two jumped out of the pot and readied for battle. "You've lost again, Oogie." Jack stated.

"Hnn, think again." Oogie jumped, grabbed Sally, and pulled her from the ceiling, then proceeded to carry the webbed ragdoll into a minecart, which instantly sped down the track.

"Jack!"

"Sally!"

When Oogie was gone, Crystal entered the room and yelled, "Reducto!" blowing open the cage that imprisoned Mason, Haruka, Lee, and Leanne. Fybi Fulbright, the little bat girl, then flapped in and allowed the tiny Michelle onto her back.

"Ms. Wickens!" Dillon exclaimed.

"Dillon, we have to go after Oogie!" Jack told him.

"Dillon, where's your father?" Crystal asked.

"They took him and Darkrai somewhere else. You guys can go save them! Me and Jack'll go after Oogie."

"Good luck, Dillon." Leanne told him before the five ran off.

"Let's get after him, quick!" Jack yelled once more. He and Dillon hopped into a long, flat skeleton train, then sped after Oogie along the parallel track. (Play "Demon Resident Mine Cart" from Donkey Kong 64.)

Dungeon of Horrors, Act 2

The torch-lit hallways whipped by the two as they chased at high speeds after the bag of bugs, who stood in his minecart with Sally in his arm. "Ooh, still giving me the chase, eh, Jack? Well, let's see if you can get through this." They watched as Oogie's cart took a turn down another hall, while they kept going straight. Dillon and Jack gasped as flames spewed out from the walls ahead, forcing the two to duck or jump. When the flames were passed, they looked back and saw a group of fiery spirits fly their way. The ghosts coughed flames, but the two jumped as Dillon tossed mini bombs and Jack whipped them with the Soul Robber. They chased the ghosts off, but the coaster was suddenly going up and down several slopes. They held on tight as it did so, and also went up several loop-di-loops. At the end of that segment, the momentum sent them flying in the air, but they landed safely on the coaster.

They took this time to catch their breaths (assuming Jack had some), but gaped in fright when the head of a giant skeleton ghost, and its arms, glared at them with fiery eyes. The flames blared larger as the beast cackled, raising its hand to crush them. The two flipped backward to avoid it, and Dillon attempted to chuck flash-bombs at it. It seemed unphased as it tried to smash them again, but they rolled forward. Jack readied his Soul Robber and prepared to whip the beast, but it flew away as the coaster sped into another tunnel. They made several twists and turns around the halls, and Dillon became dizzied, but the hall thankfully became straight. They came to an open area of the hall, where Dillon became nearly white at the sight of a gigantic psychotic demon with a bloody knife. "I'M GONNA STAB YOU TO DEATH!" Jack grabbed Dillon and jumped to the front of the coaster just before the demon sliced a huge chunk of the coaster off, leaving only a small portion near the head.

The track went around a few turns before it was speeding over another chasm of total oblivion. Scary scenery continued to whip by as they were passing by another track that was a few feet above. A ghost train sped along the track, which came down and started moving ahead of the coaster on its track. Oogie Boogie stood on the edge of the back of the train. "Nice view from over here…" His voice echoed. The Boogie Man grabbed spiked mines off his train and tossed two at a time, parallel to each other as they connected via electric beams. The beams rested along the track, so Dillon and Jack had to jump them. This pattern repeated itself several times before Oogie stopped, and Dill and Jack's coaster sped closer. Oogie whimpered in fright before turning his train down another pathway, and the two heroes kept straight.

They swerved left to enter a tunnel and did another series of turns. They sped straight down a hallway where gravestones stood in their path. They stared in fright for a bit, but Jack noticed the levers along the side. He swung his Soul Robber to flip the levers, causing the gravestones to open. Dillon also noticed levers on his side, so he extended his shadow, Mario to flip them. They sped outside again, where the colossal skeleton phantom appeared in their way again, cackling maniacally. The beast unleashed five Fire Phantoms from its mouth, which flew behind the coaster and charged to burn the two. Jack transformed into his Pumpkin King outfit, and as the demons came at them, he used his powers to absorb the flames into his form. When they were vanquished, he reverted to normal as they faced the demon. The monster growled in anger before going away, and the two sped into another hall.

Another series of twists and turns lay in their way, and the duo was back in the black expanse as other bone coaster pieces entered from other pathways, connecting to form the long coaster once again to allow them more room. The two looked above to see another track, which the Oogie Train was using to zoom above them. "That's right, away you go!" Within his train, Oogie began stomping on switches, which extended electric beams down below onto the bone coaster. Jack Skellington swiftly dodged around the beams while Dillon became a shadow to let them slide over. They eventually got far enough for the beams to be ineffective, to which Oogie only 'huffed' in frustration. His train sped down another route, while the heroes went an alternate path. They remained in the dark expanse and gasped in horror as a tremendous spider-web stood in their way.

Jack grabbed Dillon's wrist and yelled, "Soul Robber!" as he quickly tossed his flubber at branch dangling from a rock pillar. He used the Soul Robber to swing them across other branches before landing them on a platform. They watched the bone coaster go under the spider-web, then begin speeding around a series of loops, where the track would then come to pass by another platform. The two jumped across the towering pillars as bats swooped down. Jack used his flubber to swat the bats away as the two made it to that platform. They got ready to jump, and as the speeding coaster passed by, they jumped and got successfully back on track.

They turned into another hall and made more turns before going straight. A series of gravestones and fires emerged from the sides, but the two ducked and jumped each one before they were over the chasm again. The road ahead appeared pretty linear, however, their attention was directed to the massive wall on the side. Dillon screeched at the sight of a penguin having its head exploded. The next image was of a vampire squirrel eating the eye out of a zombie janitor. There was then a vision of a rat with a large brain, and a more dimwitted rat. "G'day, mate! Whut you wanna do today?" the dumb rat asked. There was then a vision of a blue blob dressed like a robot. "You will bring me presents, beep-bop-boop!" Finally, it revealed an image of the Legend of Korra logo.

At that moment, the skeleton phantom returned. The beast raised both of its fists and tried to crush them, but it missed. It tried to clap the two in its hands, but missed, tried again, but missed again. Finally, it decided to reach out and clutch the two tight in its palms. Jack and Dillon tried to shake away, but it was too strong. The demon held its mouth wide open, exposing its flaming insides and sharp teeth dripping with green ooze as it slowly prepared to snack on Dillon. However, Jack broke free and stood on its hand, calling, "Merry Christmas!" as he dressed in his Sandy Claws form. The Pumpkin King launched a colorful present into the mouth, and the beast's eyes widened as its mouth snapped shut.

It munched on the gift as candy canes and snowflakes burst from his form, eventually coughing it all out as Dillon and Jack were dropped on the coaster. A Santa hat appeared on the monster's head, and a candy cane in its left hand, as it sighed in relief before soaring away. The bone coaster sped into a hall and made a few more twists and turns before coming outside. The Oogie Train sped overhead as the bag of bugs stood atop the ledge.

"Let's craze things up!" he yelled before tossing big, exploding dice onto the track. The two did their best to successfully avoid the dice. Oogie's train was then on the same track as theirs, but still ahead, as the Boogie Man sent ghosts over to their train. Dillon jumped a ghost's swipes, still trying to stay on the coaster, as he sent Mario up to lay some punches on the ghost. Jack simply whipped a ghost with his Soul Robber, causing it to blow away due to the momentum. Two more ghosts prepared to grab Dillon, but the Robin-dressed boy tossed some flash-bombs and blinded their vision, allowing him to jump and kick them in the face, blowing them back. Oogie Boogie only moaned in dismay as the bone coaster got closer enough to his train, and the two leapt onto his cart. (End song.)

"Give up, now, Oogie, and return Sally!" Jack demanded.

"Oh, Jack? But you supposed to be dead by now. I guess I'll have ta make you… DOUBLE DEAD!" The bag of bugs stomped on a spider-shaped switch, causing a series of walls with spinning knives to emerged along the side of the train carts. Oogie hurried to the front, leaving the two to try and catch him.


Boss fight: Oogie Boogie

Dillon and Jack jumped the train carts in pursuit of Oogie, evading the spinning knives. Walls popped up everywhere in their way, but Dillon could easily slide past with shadowbending. Oogie kept jumping train carts, but the bag of bags looked back to see Dill and Jack catching up. "Oooh-hoo-hoo-hoo." Oogie laughed cockily as he stomped a switch, and as Dillon and Jack were about to jump to his cart, they skidded to a halt when they suddenly split from the rest of the train. "BOOM VOYAGE!" At this, the duo turned and saw that the carts behind them were exploding. They looked to a lower track and found a bone coaster about to speed by, so they immediately jumped down to it before their train cart exploded.

The bone coaster went up a loop and across a twisted track, turning them right-side-up as the coaster chased Oogie's train from a higher track. Oogie looked back and saw the smoke emitting from where the carts exploded, smirking in victory. "Oooh-ooh!" He flinched when he saw Dillon and Jack catching up to him from the coaster above. The two jumped down to him, but Oogie stomped a switch before jumping off to another coaster. "FIRE!" A bunch of turrets popped up on the cart and unleashed bullets upon the two, but they jumped across the turrets and caused them to shoot each other.

Oogie Boogie glared at the duo from his coaster, then faced ahead and jumped in fright. The coaster was driving into a flaming wall, so the bag of bugs ran as fast as he could the opposite way. Above, he saw a minecart passing by with a hook dangling down, so he jumped and grabbed hold of the hook, safely avoiding the flames. Jack watched as Oogie passed over them, but saw another minecart with a hook overhead, so he tossed his Soul Robber and gripped the hook. Oogie and Jack glared at each other as Jack's cart chased Oogie's, and the bag of bugs was quickly losing his grip. When they saw another coaster passing down below, they both released and landed on it. Jack tried to run after Oogie, but he jumped to another coaster. Jack jumped to a parallel coaster, then jumped to Oogie's when they passed by, and Jack continued to chase him across various coasters.

At this time, Dillon hurried to the front of the Oogie Train and used his grappling hook to cut Sally free from her webs. With Jack and Oogie, the two were high above the Oogie Train and riding on parallel coasters. However, Oogie's coaster went up a higher route, successfully evading Jack. "You've been Oogie to a side no one else has, Jack. Now I'll see that your girlfriend will Boogie no more. Euh!" Jack watched as the Boogie Man leapt off his coaster, dropping the very long drop to his train. However, the Pumpkin King took notice of a long string dangling from his stubby arm, so when Oogie dropped, Jack immediately ran to grab the string.

Oogie Boogie smirked as he fell closer to Dillon and Sally, who were staring at something with interest. Oogie raised a brow, wondering what they were staring at. But to his surprise, his seams were quickly unraveling, for Jack was holding tight to his string as he fell. By the time Oogie landed on his train before Sally and Dillon, his bag was gone, revealing his million bugs.

"D'AW, look what you've done! Ooh, not again. My bugs… MY bugs…"

"My bugs…my bugs…my bugs…my bugs…my bugs!"

As the tiny creatures cried, they were blowing off of the speeding train. Soon, all that remained was a simple little cricket. The cricket tried to scurry away, but Dillon stomped the bug with great force. The shadowbender kept stomping and jumping on the bug until it was flat, gooey splat. "Phew!"

With the battle finished, Jack dropped down to join the others. "Jack!" Sally beamed, running to her prince.

"Sally! He didn't hurt you too much, did he?"

"No. I'm just fine."

Eventually, the train came to a complete stop by a small stairway. They went up and entered a door into a prison chamber. "Ooh! Prince Jack!" The three stopped and found Customer Service trapped in a cell. "Thank goodness you're safe!"

"Customer Service?" Sally questioned.

"Did Dracula throw you in here? Why did he?" Dillon asked.

"Hm… it's because I wouldn't follow him. Lots of other Nightmares were brainwashed into following Drac… but me: I'm loyal to only Darkrai."

"So are we!" In the next-door cell, Mack, Bowyer, and Yaridovich were trapped. "Follow Count Drac, we didn't, nah-ya! Trapped us in here he did!" Bowyer said.

"Heh… guess Dracula ain't so great, after all." Dillon smirked.

"Sally, can you get them out of here?" Jack asked. "We need to stop Dracula."

"Of course." Sally nodded.

"All right! Let's go!" Dillon cheered.

Fear Storage

Jar Jar had carried Darkrai up to the storage chamber and set the king onto a chair. The Gungan grabbed a glass of the red liquid and cupped a suction cap over it. "Dere, dere, Da'ky." The Gungan said, patting Darkrai's back as he shoved the bottle into his nonexistent mouth. "You-sa gwow up big and strong if you dwink the baby botty-wotty—EH!" Darkrai angrily punched the Gungan across the room. He took the bottle and ripped the suction cap off, proceeding to pour the drink down his head, afterwards sighing in relief.

At the same time, Dillon and Jack were passing through the same hall. "With Oogie out of the way, I hope we still have enough time to stop Dracula." Jack said.

"I hope my dad is okay. This is the one Halloween he decided to spend time with me, and Dracula had to ruin it!" Dillon whined.

They flinched when a snarling sound caught their attention, turning to see a Troll Skeleton standing in their way, holding its club ready. "Reducto!" a high-pitched voice called, and the monster exploded in an instant. When the smoke cleared, Jack and Dillon found Scary Godmother, who blew out her wand, with Nolan, Crystal, and the broommates and operatives standing behind it.

"Dad!" Dillon exclaimed, running to his father.

"Mr. Pettibone found him in the cellar," Godmother explained, "but no sign of Darkrai."

"Wa-saaay!" Jar Jar suddenly jumped out of the door to the storage room, holding the Nightmare King above him. "Me-so right here! Uuf!" Darkrai punched his head, escaping Jar Jar's grasp.

"So, I see everyone's OK?" he asked.

"Yes, Father." Jack nodded. "We've all escaped. And Sally's downstairs helping the rest of your loyal Nightmares."

"Now let's go and kick some Dracula butt!" Orson exclaimed.

"Yes!" Count Max supported. "Kicking his heinie vould be a… groovy idea?"

Haruka and Mason snickered while Orson blushed. "'Groovy'?" Haruka questioned.

"Ugh, they're so embarrassing, I could just live!"

"Jack O'Lantern's earlier broadcast came from the control center. We must get up there." Darkrai stated.

"Then let's go!" Nolan announced.

Jar Jar Blinks zipped through the doors to the control center and went headfirst into the wall. When the others followed in after him, they looked around to see it deserted. "There's nobody in here." Lee stated.

"Oookay." Jar Jar stood up, wobbling with a bucket over his head. "If anybody mines tellin' me why we in dis bucket, I be happy to listen… WAAH!" he tripped and fell over.

Darkrai then flew over beside the monitors. "They've taken the transporter down to Gallagher Elementary. It seems Dracula plans to marry Danika there."

"Hmph. I had a feeling she wouldn't stay interested in you, Nolan." Crystal remarked. This earned her a punch in the arm from Nolan.

"If Dracula thinks she'll fall for him, he's gonna hafta keep dreaming. Let's get down there and stop him. This curse is going on long enough."

"I'm setting the transporter to take you to Cleveland." Darkrai said as he typed a code in, causing the transporter to alight. "From there, it's up to you. Beware Dracula's powers. His diamond skin and enhanced senses are a true force."

"Yeah, yeah, bad guys are tough." Dillon said. "Let's take him down!" Everyone jumped into the transporter and warped, with Jack being the last to follow.

Chariton Household

Meanwhile, things weren't looking up for Sunni Chariton. She, in her Lucario form, and the real Lucario were still at it. The real aura fox grabbed the back of the fake's head and proceeded to smash her face against the sidewalk. "Err…Darcy…help…" she grunted.

A few feet away, Darcy Chariton, in her Mew form, just stared curiously at the real Mew, who stared back. Both Pokémon just cheered, "Mew-Mew-Mew!" and flew around in the air, mimicking the other's movements.

Frantic Household

Elijah Frantic was backed against the corner of the kitchen, totally freaked out and speechless as his wife, turned into Rayman, rapidly beat away all of the invading monsters. However, one sneaky Nightmare smacked her from behind, and she suddenly puffed up into a balloon. "Marine!" Elijah yeleld as his wife floated out the window. Elijah followed her outside, desperately jumping up to grab her as she floated higher, and puffed larger.

Junkyard

Rupert Dickson was caught in a corner of a pile of trash. The tiny kitten quivered as the monstrous dogs, Lilac and Berry, snarled viciously.

EiznekCm Household

Lehcar, the furious woman, was still desperate to kill the beetle that had intruded her home. Her eyes filled with lust and hatred, she ran around and swung her sword every which way, hoping to end the beetle's life, unknown that it was her own son. The beetle took land on Yllaw's nose, the goatee man rolling his eyes together to see it. "AAH!" He ducked before Lehcar stabbed her sword at him, and the Nerehc beetle flew for the lower part of a shelf. Lehcar immediately swung, but he dodged, causing the woman to cut part of the shelf. This, in turn, caused the shelf to topple over and crush her.

Nerehc hurriedly flew back to the kitchen and landed on Arorua's shoulder. "Arorua, help!" Not hearing him, the sister smacked the beetle away, so he flew near Sirhc's head. "Sirhc, it's me!"

"AAH, BEETLE!" Sirhc yelped, hastily smacking the insect away.

Nerehc decided to land on the kitchen counter to catch his breath. When he felt a shadow loom over him, he gasped when he saw his mother wielding a kitchen knife, zipping away before she could bring it down on him. "DIE, YOU STUPID BUG! YOU DON'T DESERVE TO LIVE!" she yelled, chasing her beetle son around the house and swinging her knife aimlessly.

Cleveland Park

Cheren Uno, as Link, was struggling to stand his ground against Nebula in Emperor Palpatine's form. He gasped for breath as his sword clashed with her lightsaber, and was finally pushed to the ground. He looked in horror as Nebula was prepared to stab him, but Lin Beifong used her Goron form to roll over the crazy Sith Fake. Lin hopped off of Nebula when she was down, and Panini proceeded to keep her down by bouncing on Nebula in her pink bunny form. Nebula smacked the rabbit away and hovered to her feet, and quickly defended as Cheren came and swung his blade. Soon, the two were at the sword fight again, with the two girls watching from behind.

Teddy Moses Island

"COME ON, LET'S GO!" At Sheila/Conker's cry, the tank blew open the massive steel doors. The squirrel/raccoon drove the tank inside and proceeded to climb out, alongside her military partner, Rodent.

"Hey, Conker! I think we're gettin' close to da enemy's base!"

The two ran into the center of a massive arena, where a football-headed infant sat in some kind of hole in the center, his head turned away. The baby twisted its head to face them, glaring at the two with a devious expression. "Well, well, Conker and Rodent. I applaud your work at infiltrating my facility, but I'm afraid your valiant efforts were futile."

"Stewart Griffin." Conker stated with a fierce look, aiming his gun. "20 years, and you're still that whiny baby who always tried to kill his mother."

"Indeed. And tonight, victory shall be mine. You see, I've taken my own advantage of this Halloween curse, too. And now, to unleash true Hell. Oh, Rupert?" A circular hatch open beneath the baby, and the two gaped in shock when a giant, robotic teddy bear monster emerged from the floor, with Stewie Griffin attached to his right arm like a puppet.

Conker and Rodent stood their ground and readied to battle the abomination. In just a second, bullets were flying everywhere.

Gallagher Elementary Auditorium

The auditorium was quiet at Gallagher Elementary. The audience of vampires and other monsters sat and watched patiently within the pitch-black darkness. Jack O'Lantern walked upon stage as a spotlight lit up his appearance. "Thank you all for coming. Today, we witness what will be history's most memorable union. The marriage… of Count Dracula… and Countess Danika."

The audience applauded as Jack stepped aside. The spotlights shone on the center as the floor opened up. Smoke was released as a roulette wheel rised from below, and Danika Anderson was cuffed to it. Her head was hung down as Count Dracula walked upon the stage. The Vampire Lord approached his would-be wife and touched a finger to her chin, making her look up. "My beloved…" he grinned evilly.

"Hmph." She turned away with her grumpy look.

"Vhat is wrong, my sweet?"

"Like I'd ever marry you. Some soulless demon like yourself. I only have one husband, and Nolan will send you back to your grave when he gets down here."

"Your faith is questionable. Nolan vas doomed before I had even anticipated this. Now chin up, dearie. You and I vill be very happy together. Allow me to sing… what has dwelled in my soul for oh-so very long." Jack O'Lantern played a piano as he spoke, and continued playing as Dracula began to sing upon the stage.

"Vhen I vas born in this vorld… knew I only pain and tears! My heart lay in sorrow… for hundreds of years. A beast I had become. Feeding off blood. Of innocent souls who vere as tortured as MINE. I lived in darkness! The cold of the night I knew only the sound of fear and fright. But lo and behold, a miracle! Warmth had entered my heaarrt! An angel! Black as night itself! A will stronger than Azelf! And I had decided… she must be mine now. I had to marry her. But alas, fate betrays me! For one already holds her! And so I knew… Not so soon that I vould be dating herrr…"

Dracula fell to his knees with a look of hopelessness. The audience, as well as Jack O'Lantern, began to drip tears.

"Ugh! Are they actually buying this garbage?" Danika said, disgusted.

"Just shut up and look pretty." Dracula ordered. Danika rolled her eyes.

Outside

The transporter dropped the heroes off just across the street from the school. Several monsters and vampires tried to attack them, but Scary Godmother launched spells to keep them away. "Crystal, Jack, we're going in to put a stop to this wedding." Nolan decided. The two nodded. "Dillon, you and your friends just stay with Scary Godmother and try and find someplace safe until this is over."

"Why can't I go in?" Dillon asked. "She's MY mom…"

"There's no guarantee we'll survive this battle."

"Even though we usually do." Crystal mumbled.

Nolan rolled his eyes, "But if we don't, I'm trusting you to keep everyone else safe. Just find someplace to hide, and… leave it all to me."

Dillon thought for a second, then nodded. "Okay, Dad. I know you'll come back to us!"

Both groups split up as Nolan, Jack, and Crystal headed for the school. Before they could get enter the front doors, a vampirized Teen Tornado jumped in their way. The vampire snarled and hissed, and the team of three readied for battle. But suddenly, a sword flew over and penetrated the vampire's side. They looked to their left as Mario Ramsey rolled toward them in his wheelchair. "Ya gotta love it when convenient crap like this happens."

The crippled man removed the sword from the vampire's body. The group watched as the white and black colors on Tornado's form slowly reverted back into their regular colors, his clothing still torn as he lay unconscious. "I thought you'd be needing help." Mario said. "So I whipped up my own anti-vampire toxin, and hid the syringe inside of this sword. It's made of all the stuff vampires hate, a few wooden splinters, and even holy water. Mixed with some special healing medicine, it's able to cure the effects of vampires. And when used on someone like Dracula, it won't come too pleasant."

Nolan smirked as he took the sword in his hand, studying the blade. "It doesn't have much left, so better use it on Dracula. Killing Dracula will cause all of the other vampires created by his curse to change back. Of course, while it may be able to damage him, there's no guarantee of destroying him without a handy bit of sunlight."

"I've got a plan for that." Crystal said. "But let's get in there before Danika ends up having two husbands."

In the auditorium

"So long I have vaited, For a chance to be mated. Someone to SIT by! Upon my carriaaaaage!" Dracula sang upon the stage, earning eye-rolls from Danika. "As I take now your hand, Like sweet contraband!" He knelt down on one knee before Danika with a pleading look. "I ask for your hand… in marriaaaage."

Danika cocked a brow. "What?"

Dracula stood up and got his face closer to hers. "You vill give me your hand…" He faced the audience and exclaimed, "IN MARRIAAAAAGE!"

The audience burst into cheers.

"Can I divorce you afterwards and get half of your fortune?" Danika asked. A joke-drumroll soundtrack was heard, and part of the audience laughed.

Dracula glared and grit his teeth in anger. "You vill not vant to. You will feel so much more satisfied, married to me…"

"I consider taking safety precautions having relations with a diamond-skin man." Danika joked. Another drumroll was heard, and the audience laughed some more. Dracula became more angered, but continued to sing.

"I vill feast on your neck and confine you to Hell! Vonce YOU ARE a vampire, you'll feel so swell! Marriage vill bond us 'til death do we part. 'Course, eternity for both, see, if ve have no heart! SO MARRY ME, DANI!" He zipped beside her and pressed her head to his as he waved his hand out. "YOUUU VILL SEEEE!"

The music stopped for a minute as Jack O'Lantern led Black John Licorice on stage, the pirate holding what looked like a Bible in his hands. "I told ye. I'm only a licensed priest on my ship."

"Just marry them!" Jack yelled, sitting back at the organ.

"Fine." Jack strummed the organ's keys as Black John opened his Bible and sang, "By the power vested in me, By the state of Virginia!"

Danika shut her eyes as Dracula proceeded to bite into her neck. But just then, the orchestra sounded again when Nolan, Jack Skellington, and Crystal dropped on stage. Jack S. kicked Black John away while Nolan grabbed Dracula and pushed him away from Danika.

"AVAST! Ye SAVAGE beast!" Nolan sang, drawing his sword.

Dracula drew his Nightmare Sword and sang, "NAY! Vhy art thou here?! Thine should be DEEAAD!"

Everybody gasped in utter shock.

"Actually, it's either 'thee' or 'thou.'" Crystal corrected.

"Nay! I have returned now! To take Dani back, now! For you see:" Nolan faced the audience, the music stopping at the sudden strum of violins. "She is my WIIIIIIFE!"

The audience gasped, and several vampire ladies fainted from the surprise.

Jack Skellington skidded to the middle of the stage and rapidly flipped pages of a dictionary. "A revelation of a fact that was not ex-PECT-ed! THAT… IS… A PLOT TWIIIIIST!"

The audience erupted with applause.

"Ugh! I have captured her husband and left him for dead. 'Tis true. 'TIS TRUUE. I vanted to surprise her and bring her his head. On my blade, it vould rest, and symbolize our love. DON'T YOU SEE? I LOVE HER, like a… VAMPIRE DOOOVE."

Dracula's emotions made members of the audience weep.

"Ugh. This has got to be the worst excuse for an opera ever." Danika said.

Nolan sang, "You have wasted your journey in winning her heart, HOW DROLL. HOW DROOOLL. She loves me so, and she loves you not. Your heart could never be something that came close to hot. A man with a nose that produces no snot. NOW DEMON! May I destroy you ON THE SPOOOT!"

Crystal waved her staff and called, "Lumos Solem!" Everybody shut their eyes when a powerful explosion of sunlight emerged from the staff, causing Dracula to back away. The vampire squinted his eyes and glared at the heroes. The sunlight seemed to have no effect as he fully uncovered his vision.

"NAY! For thou hath failed… Artificial light does not hurt MEEEEEE!"

Crystal cancelled the spell as the audience cheered. Nolan stepped forward with his sword drawn.

"Surrender, right NOW. Or face the tip o' my blade!"

"Go ahead! Lest before you fall in my SHAAADE!"

They both raised swords and began to clash. Tension rose in the audience as Jack Skellington launched his Soul Robber to wrap around Dracula's wrist, but the vampire grabbed the green flubber and swung Jack into Nolan. Nolan jumped up and launched his grappling hook upward, hauling himself up to the stagelight area. Dracula spun around and shot up to his same platform as both faced each other with swords raised on the narrow walkway.

"You shaaan't succeeeed, mi amigooo." Nolan sang.

"I viiiill proceeed, mi amigooo. I vill have her as my bride, I vill not stand aside."

"Vampire or no, She will never love you, so, GIVE HER BAAACK!"

"Uck. Someone kill me…" Danika mumbled, annoyed at all of this singing.

"NAY! Vhy should I? Vhen I can't have one of my OOOOOWN."

Once more, the audience gasped. Dracula dropped down onto the stage. The spotlight shone on him as he walked forward and sang.

"I vonce vas betrothed to a beautiful maid. She vas the apple of my eye, and I thought I'd get laid."

Crystal and Jack S. exchanged weirded glances.

"But alas, I have passed, stolen from my beauty. But great miracle! King Nightmare hath taken his duty! He gave me a brand new liiife! My skin cold. But my emotions remain freeesh! I had to go greet her! I had to come meet her, And reveal my newly revived soul! But alas! She vas betrothed… to another."

Everyone gasped. Dracula glared at Nolan and sang, "And so, if I could not have mine… VHY SHOULD YOOOU?"

"I can't believe Count Dracula, so unforgiving." Crystal sang.

"I can't BELIEVE everybody's just ad-LIIIBBIIING." Jack S. followed.

Nolan dropped down on stage and aimed his sword as he sang, "Thou shouldst not blame me, For troubles of the past. You could have found another, You still could have last."

"BUT I HAVE, don't you see? I'm in LOVE with Dani! By taking one who was your own, I'll kill two BATS vith vone stone! Vhen she vears ring on her finger, and you no longer linger! Just listen, as the audience cheers! They vant ME, their ruler, to end their fears! And I vill, vonce you are dead, Watching as you die in your dread, Danika vill vatch me mount your head ON-"

Dracula raised his sword and was about to strike Nolan, but stopped when he noticed Danika was no longer cuffed on the wheel. "VHAT?! Jack O'Lantern!" He angrily faced his accomplice.

Jack O'Lantern glanced both ways and sang, "I didn't see… A THIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!"

They all looked toward the audience as the many monsters and vampires were starting to pile out. "Well, that was a rip." a Nightmare said.

"Worst play ever." a vampire man said.

"Come on, let's go watch a movie about blood!" a vampire kid exclaimed.

Soon, all of the seats were cleared of viewers. "No! Vait! Arrrgh!" Dracula angrily faced Nolan. "Thanks to you, Batman, Count Dracula now looks like a fool. No matter… I vill destroy you yet. If you have the will, come up… and face me." On that note, Dracula glided to a dark corner and vanished.

"Heehee! Buh-bye!" Jack O'Lantern grinned and used his scythe to vanish in a cloud of smoke.

Danika Anderson then emerged from a shadow behind the roulette wheel. "Dumbass clearly forgot I was a shadowbender. And why the heck was I strapped to a roulette wheel?"

"Doesn't matter." Nolan said. "You guys look for Jack. I'll go after Dracula. I have a feeling where he might be." Nolan ran through the exit and shot his grappling hook to the roof, flying upward.

Clocktower Balcony

The Batman dress-up climbed onto the school's roof balcony, the area barely lit up by the large full moon and the light emitting from the clock upon the tower. Nolan York stood in place and kept his guard up, searching for the vampire. "I am impressed… Nolan." Nolan jumped around and faced the side of the clock tower. A pair of orange-green eyes stared at him from the darkness as Dracula stepped forward. "In my entire existence, I have encountered only two mortals who could last many moments within my presence… and not become Children of the Night. I vould almost assume you are the very reincarnation of Batman."

"Hehe… that's kinda funny, since I'm sort of reincarnating some other hero at the moment."

"Yes… I know of your miserable existence as Sandman. Vhat a shame your life must be… having to tire yourself out daily. Forced to ignore your precious offspring…"

"Well, it's worth it… to protect him from bloodsucking scum like you."

"Oh, but you vould do so much better." Dracula smirked. "Join me, Nolan. Allow me to taste your blood. Vith powers like mine, you could be invincible. You vould never grow tired… you could have all of the free energy you desire. Enough for bringing justice to all who oppose you… and being vith your son. Or… vould you rather avoid him… for your entire life?"

"I gotta say, Genious was better at persuasion than you. I don't need to sign my soul away to some monster just to spend time with him. Even though I'd rather spend more time with him… I'm still okay with working to keep his world safe. And I will make time. But only after I've finished you." He raised his sword.

"Hmm… such bravado for a simple… human. You possess the heart… but you lack the common sense. To challenge a being like me. Then be prepared to face your end under the darkness. Take a long look at the moon, Nolan, for it vill be your final glimpse of light… as all of the blood is spilled from your throat." (Play the Count Spankulot Boss Theme from Kids Next Door: Operation: VIDEOGAME.)

Boss fight: Count Dracula

Nolan lunged forward and swung his blade, but the vampire dodged aside and kicked him away. Dracula drew out his Nightmare Sword and ran to strike Nolan, but the Batman jumped to his feet and started clashing against the sword. Nolan was able to make Dracula swerve to the side, and was able to lay two strikes against the vampire before Dracula flipped back into the darkness. Nolan entered the shade of the clocktower, swinging in attempt to strike Dracula. However, the vampire jumped out of the darkness from behind and kicked Nolan against the wall. Nolan stood up and turned to face him, but Dracula had vanished, and Nolan was kicked from behind again.

"There is no vay you can vin, you know." Nolan searched the balcony for him, but found no sign of Dracula. "There is novhere you can run." Nolan quickly swiped behind him when he felt Dracula walk past, but missed. "But I have many places to hide." He felt Dracula's figure slide by his side and attempted to strike, but missed once again. Nolan faced ahead as the vampire appeared before him under the clocktower. "Vhen I discovered you vere not the real Batman… I vas disappointed. Vhen I had returned to this vorld, I vanted so desperately to end his life, and drink his blood. …You are a dissatisfying replacement. It might not be a satisfying kill, even… your son vould not even miss you. But ve will see how he feels vonce you are gone… then, you vill wish you had become vampire."

"I won't have to find out!" A voice suddenly spoke. Nolan and Dracula looked up in surprise to see Dillon York standing atop the clocktower. "What's wrong, Drac? Afraid what people will think of that costume? Don't be shy! Let's shed a little light on it!" The Robin dress-up shot his grappling hook at one of the balcony spotlights and made it tilt and aim against the wall where Dracula stood, the vampire shielding his eyes from the brightness. Dillon launched at all of the other searchlights and made them point onto the balcony, so Dracula had nowhere to run.

When Dracula uncovered his vision, he was too late to avoid as Nolan ran and kicked him against the railing. With his defenses weakened, Nolan proceeded to lay a few punches and kicks against the vampire before he recovered, slipped behind Nolan, grabbed him by the shoulders, and threw him aside, but Nolan flipped back up and drew his sword as he and Drac began to clash.

"All right, Dad!" Dillon cheered, unaware as the shadowed being rose behind him. Dillon's shadow, Mario, tapped Dillon's shoulder and made him turn around, and Dillon dodged just in time before Jack O'Lantern brought his scythe down.

"YOU'RE done interfering, kid!" Jack began swinging his scythe aimlessly in attempt to slice the shadowbender, but Dillon leapt and kicked the pumpkin man, knocking him over the edge. Dillon looked down and watched as his dad grabbed Dracula by the neck from behind and hauled him overhead, slamming him to the ground. Dillon became excited as Nolan leapt in the air and attempted to stab Dracula, but the vampire was able to flip back to his feet and avoid him.

That's when Jack O'Lantern climbed back up and tried to strike Dillon, who yelped and ran away just in time.

After avoiding the Batman's deathblow, Dracula glided away to the other balcony. Nolan followed and kept his sword raised as he searched the darkness for the bloodthirsty monster. He saw Dracula pop out, but the vampire quickly retreated into a shadow. Dracula popped out beside him, and Nolan jumped away as Dracula opened his cape and released a swarm of bats. The black bats surrounded Nolan, forcing him to aimlessly swing around to knock them away. Dracula grabbed Nolan from behind and hurled him behind, but Nolan was still standing as he went to clash with Dracula some more.

After knocking Jack out of the way, Dillon shot his grappler to make the spotlights aim onto the balcony, alighting Dracula's form. The vampire defended quickly when Nolan started swinging his blade. Nolan crouched and did a spin-kick to knock Dracula down, then leapt into the air in attempt to pierce him again. Dracula swiftly avoided and glided around the balcony, trying to strike Nolan from all directions, but the Batman was quick to avoid as he tried to strike back. When Dracula launched at Nolan again, Nolan threw gas bombs at the ground and exploded smoke everywhere. Dracula flinched slightly, and Nolan dashed behind to lay blows against Dracula. Dracula grabbed his arm and attempted to haul him overhead, but as he did, Nolan was able to catch Dracula's head between his legs and tried to twist it. The vampire's head was too strong, however, and the Batman was shaken off.

Up above, Dillon kept jumping and dodging Jack O'Lantern's swings. Dillon pulled out a flash-bomb and threw it before Jack, stunning the pumpkin for a brief moment. When the flash died down, Jack searched the area for Dillon. The boy used Shadow Veil to sneak behind Jack, then jumped, gripped his head, and cupped hands over his eyes. Jack wobbled around, swinging aimlessly, until both of them fell over the edge of the tower. Dracula and Nolan watched as the two fell and broke through a ceiling window, dropping into a classroom below.

Jack jumped to his feet and bolted into a hallway as Dillon gave chase. Jack halted when a flubbery whip lashed in his path, wielded by Jack Skellington. Jack S. wrapped his Soul Robber around Jack L.'s scythe and attempted to pull it away, but Jack L. allowed him to pull it, along with himself, abling Jack L. to kick Jack S. directly in the face and knock him back. The pumpkin man grabbed his scythe and hurried away.

As Jack L. turned down another hall, he stopped when Chris, Maddy, and Zach, in their animal forms, stood in his way, Zach giving a vicious snarl. Crystal Wickens dropped from the ceiling behind Jack, who jumped around to face her just in time. "HUMOS!" She yelled a spell that released some dark pink gas from her staff around Jack's head.

Jack O'Lantern stood in place, wondering about the purpose of this gas. He gave an evil smirk. "HA! I'm not effected by laughing gas! Take a look: no nostrils!" He pointed two fingers at where his nostrils would be.

"Well, that was rip- WHOOAA- UUH!" Zach suddenly tripped on a discarded banana peel and slid headfirst into a closet. "Ohhh… OOF!" A metal bucket then fell from a shelf and covered Zach's head.

Jack smirked lightly, feeling the chuckles coming on. "Huhuhuhuhu…"

"Oww…" Zachary moaned, wobbling out of the closet with the bucket still on his head. "Who puts a banana peel in the middle of-" The tiger stepped in the janitor's mop-bucket and slid across the hall, hitting the wall again.

"Hehehehehehehe…" Jack chuckled.

"Hey, what's goin' on? Yo, Maddy, where the heck is-" Scary Godmother smirked and launched an ice spell at the floor, causing Zach to slip and flip upside down, the water from the mop-bucket getting all over him.

"HA ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

"Heeey! Stop laughing at-" Scary Godmother cast a spell above Zach, dropping a safe onto his body.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! WAAAH hahahahaha! AHH hahahaha hahahaha!" Jack continued to laugh and laugh.

While he was laughing, he was too distracted to notice as Crystal approached him and took his scythe. "They say there's nothing sweeter than a child's laughter. BUT, I suppose a laughing pumpkin man suffices, too."

"HAA ha ha ha ha ha ha!..."

Back on the roof

Nolan and Dracula were still throwing punches and kicks at the other. Nolan grabbed the vampire's arm and pushed him forward, making him wobble, then ran to deal sword blows against him some more. At this time, Dillon climbed back to the ledge below the clocktower and continued to watch the fight. Dracula vanished into a shadow and retreated to the next balcony, and Nolan followed. The Batman kept his sword raised and readied to strike him again. Dracula suddenly appeared from the shadows and kicked the sword away from Nolan's hand and over the railing. Nolan spun around and tried to punch him in the face, but when his fist made contact with Dracula's hard skin, no light to weaken him, Nolan felt pain surge through him.

Dracula smirked and immediately grabbed Nolan's arm, wrapped it behind him, then kicked the man to the ground. Nolan tried to stand, but Dracula pounced and kept the man down.

"Dad!" Dillon yelled. He went beside the clock tower's gears and yelled down, "My dad's in trouble! We've gotta do something!"

Below the gears of the clocktower, Crystal and Scary Godmother heard his echoes, the moonlight shining down and giving the dark room a dim light. "What can we do?" Crystal asked. "Vampires are weak against sunlight, but Lumos Solem was no good."

"Well, actually… the only other light that could work is a holy light, like the Patronus Charm." Scary Godmother said.

"Aw, great! I still don't know how to do that!"

"You can do it, Crystal." Scary Godmother encouraged. "Just think of your happiest memory. Focus your energy, and release it in one big burst of light."

Crystal took a breath. "Okay." The green-skinned witch stepped directly below the tower's geared shaft. She closed her eyes and did her best to focus her energy as she aimed her staff upwards. "Expecto… Patronum… Expecto… Patronum…"

"Errgh!" Nolan grunted as Dracula gripped his head, making him face up.

Dracula whispered closely in Nolan's ear, "Vhen I am finished eating… he is next." His mouth loomed closer, wide open as his fangs were ready to bite. (End song.)

Crystal shot her eyes open and cried, "EXPECTO… PATRONUM!"

Crystal's staff exploded with a powerful light that shot up through the clocktower. Just before Count Dracula could finish Nolan, he turned and stared wide-eyed at the explosion of light. "EEEUUUUAAAAHHH!" His eyes burned from the brightness, and his skin began to sizzle. He gripped his head and shook around in intense pain as Nolan took this time to recover. Dracula's head already began swelling, and the vampire fell and wobbled around on his back. He felt a shadow come over him, squinting his eyes at a faint look of Batman's image. "You… vhat ARE you?..."

"I am… the Night." Nolan spoke softly. "I am… Justice. I am… the Sandman. …And you're just dust." Nolan raised his blade, leapt high into the air, and penetrated the sharp metal through Dracula's chest.

"EWUUUUHHH! EEAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHAAAAACCKK…" Dracula shook and shuddered even faster. Quickly, his skin and clothes dissolved, and only a skeleton remained. The remains of the evil vampire continued to shake until it was totally dissolved into dust. A calm wind came and made Nolan's cape blow along, and the dust that was left of Dracula blew off into the distance as the full moon shone in the heavens.

"…I have always WANTED to say that!" Nolan exclaimed.

From above the clocktower, Dillon chuckled.

Nolan then proceeded to pick up the Nightmare Sword from where Dracula stood. He looked down again and also took notice of the Lunar Locket, and took that as well.

In front of the school

Jack O'Lantern was on the ground, gripping his stomach as he cackled wildly. Tears nearly dripped from his eyes as the band of operatives surrounded him with angry glares. "Huhuhu, what're you gonna do?! I have eternal life! AHH ha ha haa!…"

The kids stepped aside as Darkrai appeared from the shadows. Nolan and Dillon approached the newly restored Nightmare King as Nolan presented him the Nightmare Sword. Jack O'Lantern continued to laugh uncontrollably as Darkrai calmly approached him with his sword. "HAA hu hu hu hu, AACK HA HA ha ha ha… WAAH HA ha ha ha ha…"

In just a split second, Jack's head was clean off his body. While his laughing stopped, his face kept that excited grin as Zach Murphy and Mason pounced over in their tiger forms, proceeding to eat away at the smashed pumpkin.

"It's so sad how such sweet pumpkins can become so evil." Mr. Pettibone sobbed.

"Okay, Crystal! Are ya ready?" Scary Godmother grinned.

Crystal Wickens raised the magic scythe skyward and exclaimed, "Transfiguro! Expecto PATRONUM!"

A beam of light whooshed into the air and lit up the night sky. Everybody watching stared with amazement as a blue aura lit up the land, and tiny, blue sparkles began to drop everywhere.

Outside Chariton Household

Lucario kept bashing the fake's face against the ground, but as the blue sparkles came down, he stopped when its body suddenly changed back into Sunni's, her expression dizzied and her hair messy. "Thank GOD."

"Waaah- uuh!" Darcy, having turned back into her old self, fell to the ground with a thud.

"Mew?" Mew raised a brow, questioning what just happened.

Heartly Household

Kami and Jeremiah were on the ground, their hair rapidly tugged by the apeified members of The Gang. But when the sparkles came down, the apes changed back into humans, who stared in confusion. "Uuuh… why am I tugging mah mama's hair?" Kimaya asked.

"Well, so much for getting my hair cleaned." Jeremiah said. However, Kaleo suddenly jumped on his head, digging through his hair for lice to eat.

Somewhere along coast of Los Angeles

"Aaaahhh!" Eric screamed, running from the Cylon hunter.

"Howwwwllll!" Lulu howled, running from the werewolf hunter.

"OW!" The two bumped into each other and fell on their behinds, staring at each other. In just a few seconds, the blue sparkles touched their bodies, and they changed back to normal.

"Hehe… I'm back!" Eric exclaimed.

"Me too!" Lulu exclaimed.

Just then, both hunters popped out from behind opposite bushes. "Haha! Gotcha, Cylon!"

"DIE, WEREWOLF!"

"AAH!" Both kids yelped, ducked, and caused both hunters to shoot each other. The kids glanced up, making sure the two were dead. They sighed in relief.

Dickson Household

Chad Dickson quivered under his blanket in the dark of his room, terrified of where his ghostie wife would pop out. Emily Dickson was phased through the ceiling, the white ghost giggling mischievously. However, her body flashed, and she was back to normal. "Waaah!" she fell with a thud atop her husband. She grinned nervously at him, and Chad smirked, pushing her to the floor. However, she turned into her own ghost form, and went- "BOO!" scaring him from behind.

"WAAAH!" He fell out of bed, and Emily giggled.

Louisiana Bayou

A gang of crocodiles danced giddily to the music coming from Hoagie's tiny banjo as the tiny frog strummed the strings. "Hoagie, shouldn't we be getting outta here?" Abby whispered.

"Relax, Abs. Long as Hoagie's got the goods, these crocs will party 'til it's-" He silenced himself when they suddenly changed back to normal. They glanced both ways in fear as the crocodiles snarled. "WAAAHH!" They zipped away at high speed, the crocs chasing after.

Downtown Cleveland

The Three Stooges were still at their struggles of poking eyes and other parts of each others' bodies. However, the curse wore off, and the Gilligan Triplets stopped and exchanged stares. After a few seconds, the kids resumed their poking fiasco.

Sweet Revenge

Stickybeard and his Candy Pirates whimpered with fear in a corner of their ship as the zombies drew closer and closer. However, the blue sparkles caught the pirates' attention, and before their eyes, the zombies turned back into regular children. "WE'RE SAVED, me hearties!" Stickybeard cheered, hugging his crewmen.

"Uhh, what's happening?" one of the boys asked.

"YARR, GIVE US yer CANDY!" Stickybeard ordered as the pirates raised their swords. The kids screamed and ran as the pirates chased.

Outside Frantic Household

"MARINE! COME DOWN!"

Elijah kept desperately jumping for his Rayman-wife, but she was far too high in the air, her balloon form puffing higher and about to pop any second. However, the blue sparkles poured down, and Elijah shielded his eyes when his wife popped. He gaped in horror, but was relieved when he saw that she had actually turned back to her regular form, falling with a thud to the ground. "Blimey… if I wanted ta be full of hot air, Oi woulda dressed loike you."

Junkyard

Rupert Dickson continued to stare and quiver in fear at the vicious dogs. The monsters hissed, and the little kitty shut his eyes to avoid seeing his death. "AAAAHH-!" In just a split second, the three flashed. Rupert opened his eyes to find himself back in human form, and Lilac and Berry were adorable half-kittens again as they tackled and licked him playfully. "Haha, g-girls, cut it out, get offa me!"

EiznekCm Household

Lehcar had smacked the tiny beetle against the wall, and it fell to the floor. Nerehc felt too weak to flap his wings or stand up now. The beetle-boy's eyes widened with horror as his mother's foot loomed over him. The psychotic woman slowly brought her foot down, hearing the bug crack and squish beneath it. However, just in time, the blue sparkles poured in, effecting Nerehc's body. Before he was completely flattened, he poofed back to his regular self, and Lehcar was blown back.

Nerehc stood up and studied himself, amazed and relieved. "I…I'm back!"

Lehcar stood up and gaped in shock. "Nerehc?! That was you?!"

"Yes!! I've been trying to get your attention! What other bug would be dumb enough to come by you?"

Lehcar began to feel horribly guilty. "I…I almost crushed my own son. I'm really sorry, Nerry." She got on her knees and hugged her son.

"It's okay, Mom." Nerehc smiled, hugging back. "You wouldn't be doing your job if you let a worthless bug live."

"Aww… you're too sweet, Son. We're gonna need to improve that…"

"Ugh. I knew I should've killed him." Arorua stated.

Cleveland Park

Cheren was nearly out of breath, but held his sword ready to battle with Palpatine some more. However, the blue sparkles began to pour down. Lin and Panini looked with curiosity as they changed back into their human forms. Cheren was also taken aback by the sparkles, and his body of Link flashed back into his own. He watched as Palpatine's body also flashed, the short emperor groaning as he wobbled. "Nebula!" Cheren hurried over to catch his friend before she fell.

When Cheren pulled off the hood, he found that Nebula's true face had returned as her mismatched eyes looked up into his. "Cheren? What was I just doing?…"

Cheren chuckled. "Nothing. It was all just a little Nightmare, that's all…"

Nebula only giggled, and Lin and Panini smiled.

Teddy Moses Island

The side-war was finished. Lots of ruin lay about the teddy-infested island. As the blue, glowing dots calmly drifted down, the squadrons of naval soldiers' bodies sparkled, and they all transformed back into KND soldiers. Commodore Norrington and his Charmander were also touched, and they were back as Francis Drilovsky and Aurora Uno.

Stewie and Conker lay unconscious, tired from the battle, and Stewie's monstrous abomination was blown to pieces. "Ooohhhh…" Stewie, the hideously amalgamated baby, brimmed with blue as his body returned to normal.

The same thing was happening to Conker, his squirrel body becoming that of a raccoon again, and was once again Sheila Frantic. The wereraccoon groaned in exhaust, wearily helping herself to stand. "Oii… tha' was a wooly… Rodent?" She searched the battlefield for her squirrel comrade. "Oh, no…" She found the armored squirrel lying on his back in a slight puddle of blood. With a saddened expression, she approached and stood over the squirrel, placing a hand over her heart. "'e was a noble warrior… brave… 'eroic… strong… and yet… 'e was mortal…"

That's when Francis and Aurora rushed in. "Sheila! We gotta go! The bomb'll blow up any second!" Francis yelled.

"Ooh! Roight!" Sheila rushed out of there, after her friends.

By the time they all left, however, Rodent the Squirrel awakened, groaning as he studied the puddle of red substance. "Aww… I knew bringing that Jell-O was a bad idea. Conker? Where'd you go?" he called out as alarms blared. "Oh, wait… isn't a bomb supposed to go off any sec-"

The Kids Next Door operatives were finally off the island, sailing away on their ships. They all watched in amazement as the enemy island vanished in a massive explosion.

"Euuhh…euuhh…" Sheila could barely stand, having become sick on the beer she unknowingly drank.

"Hey, Sheila… check this out." Francis said. The Head of Decommissioning helped Sheila to stand, as she, Francis, and Aurora stared beautifully at the explosion which lit up the dark night sky, its light reflecting along the sea. "War… it's a cruel thing, Sheila." Francis spoke softly. "It's amazing what we go through just to protect the kids of this world."

"Yeah…"

"And some people think we're a joke. Some kids just don't understand. While they're safe at home, playing their videogames, eating candy or watching their favorite cartoon… while we're out here, risking our lives just so they can do that. Who're they to say we're a waste… who're they… to tell us…"

"Oi… the beauty…"

"The horror… the horror…"

Sheila reached in her pocket and stared at the can of beer in her hand. Shaking it out of her mind, she tossed the can into the ocean with the rest of the debris.

In the distance, Rodent's screams could be heard as the little squirrel shot like a rocket, creating a straight line of smoke into the sky.

Unknown Location

A slim, shadowed man kicked open the doors to a darkened chamber. There was a toothpick in his mouth, and he was flipping a nickel. "We've gotta problem, Mama. Our secret teddy base was blown ta smithereens."

"Whhhaaaaat?" A huge, husky, shadowed female hissed with anger. "I gave Stewie all of the supplies he needed. How could he have lost?"

"I'm not really sure on the details, Mama. But it appeared to be some British guys. But when we scanned the area, the people leaving the island were a bunch of little tykes."

"Hnnnn… send Maggie and Rallo to look for Stewie; see if he survived. We may need to run some investigations…" She sighed to herself. "Heeeeh. This Halloween was a total waste. Meeeh. We'll just have to charge more from the candy stores......."

In front of Gallagher Elementary

Sector W, the aliens, and all of the other operatives were suddenly changed back to normal, staring in amazement at their restored bodies. Chris raised his fists in victory, and Zach and Maddy embraced in a hug. Aranea, who was flying around in the sky, fell to the ground with a thud.

Just the same, Nolan York, Crystal Wickens, and Dillon York changed back into their regular forms. Crystal studied her peach-colored skin and rubbed it, smiling in relief. "I'm sorry, but green doesn't do it for me."

Suddenly, the scythe was snatched away from Crystal's hand by a shadow, which happened to be Facilier's shadow as it presented the scythe to its master. Facilier twirled the fake scythe as the Grim Reaper appeared from a puff of smoke, and the witch-doctor passed the scythe into the Grim Reaper's hands. "I'll dispose of THIS in the Sanzu River. Ahem… well done, kids. Seems you've taken care of things as always. Now then… time to take ol' Jackie back to the Underworld." The reaper grabbed Jack's headless body by the leg and began to drag him into a portal. "But, anyway… Happy Halloween!" And on those last words, Grim vanished into the portal.

"Irk! Oh, God!" Nolan grunted suddenly, hunched over. "Legs hurt again! No more Batman."

"Here you go." Danika sighed, pushing the wheelchair over for Nolan to sit in. "Though I have to say, I was hoping you'd keep the curse a little longer. At least until we went to bed."

"Ewww!" Leanne, Lee, and Dillon groaned.

"WELL, at any rate… you actually came through for me, Dillon." Nolan said, removing his Batman mask.

Dillon removed his Robin mask and scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Eh, it was nothing…"

"Heh… sorry this Halloween didn't turn out the way you expected."

"Are you kidding? This was the best Halloween ever! We saved the world and took out four different bad guys! And hey… all I wanted was to spend time with you. Whether that's trick-or-treating or fighting bad guys… I'm okay with that."

"Well… I'm glad I could make it happen." Nolan smiled.

Several feet away, some Skeleton Soldiers were leading Harry the Werewolf into a Nightmare cop van. "S-Scary Godmother! There's no reason to be rash. I was only kidding! A good trick is perfect for the holiday season, don't you know? Isn't misleading trickery what Halloween is all about?" Scary Godmother rolled her eyes at Harry's petty excuses as the werewolf was shoved into the van, the doors slamming him in. His head popped up behind the barred windows as he dragged on, "I'll make it worth your while! I'll give you whatever you want! I'll pay rent! I'll advertise the Scare Games! You'll have a new broom! A Tromulunimbus 5000, was it not?" Scary Godmother waved her hand, gesturing for the van to drive off. "CDs! DVDs! Old videos of them rockin' musicals, like School House Rock! And it's just…" Harry's voice slowly faded in the distance.

"Well… I guess that wraps up this story!" Godmother grinned and shrugged.

Crystal Household

In the dark of her room, Miyuki was seated on her bed. Not a sound was heard as she stared blankly at the dark, spiked mask which rested on her nightstand, which seemed to stare back with an eerie look. The room seemed to turn blacker, and in the distance, the colossal, snake-haired figure stood, watching over the white-haired child. "So… this is the one that understands my pain?" Miyuki lowly asked.

"Yes… this poor soul was shunned years ago by his own people. He was a powerful entity whose heart was torn by the pain and suffering he endured through his discrimination. Seeing no other way, he put his own soul into a mask, awaiting the day someone would wear it, whose heart had suffered the same sadness and turmoil as his own."

"I should wear it then…"

"Yes, you should…"

"But… what kind of being was he? What kind of pain… cursed his heart so much?"

"There's no question what kind of pain. All there is to know is… he can ultimately end your pain. End all's pain…"

"Hmmm…"

"I'll let you decide when to wear it… I need to be somewhere. Oh… but you can hear him calling for you… Mm, hm hm hm hm, hm hm hm hm…" The entity faded, and Miyuki's room returned to normal.

Miyuki stood and approached the dark mask. She stood in place and stared into its eyes for several minutes. She could feel its cold stare touching her soul.

In front of Gallagher Elementary

"So, the Lunar Locket is what Dracula used to create an eternal night." Darkrai observed, holding the magical item in his hand. "This device was a creation of Cresselia, which she granted to Arlon."

"Oh yeah, he used that to control that giant sanctum." Chris remembered.

"I will use it to put the moon back in regular position. Still, it seems this night still has more to go."

"So, Dillon… how'd you like to come with me, Yuki, and Crystal and help us fight other baddies?" Nolan smirked.

"Heh heh… no thanks. I'm already swamped with Kids Next Door duties."

"Well, then we'll both be doing our jobs. Still, there's… quite a bit of time left 'til this night is over. Whaddya say we go for some last-minute trick-or-treating?"

"Would I?!"

"Hm-hm, go on, you two." Danika chuckled.

"You are a couple-a little boys." Crystal smirked.

"Whatever. But we hear you singing to yourself every Halloween morning." Nolan smirked.

"Uhh…" Crystal blushed.

"Let's go, kids. There's plenty of candy out there, and our buckets are empty."

"YEAH!" The operatives cheered and followed Dillon and Nolan as they resumed their trick-or-treating.

"Hey, I only sing to relieve the autumn fever!" Crystal yelled, running after them. "It's really awful! I'm even coughing right now! Cough!" she fake-coughed.

A few feet away, Darkrai and Jack Skellington stood and watched other kids resume their trick-or-treating. "It's a shame these kids got a little more than they bargained for this Halloween." Jack said.

"Perhaps… but thanks to Dracula's curse, the fear that these people expressed was enough to fuel our city. It seems we barely even had to do a thing. Huhu." Darkrai chuckled.

"I suppose I'll return to Sally. See you later, Father."

"Until a moonless night… Son."

"Oh, Crystal!" Wiccan stopped and turned when Scary Godmother approached her. "When you performed that Patronus Charm… what did you think about?"

Crystal smiled and glanced in Nolan's direction. "When I first met Nolan…" she said with a blush.

"Hey, whatever happened to Yuki?" Nolan asked.

Quahog Graveyard

"Errrrgh…" Yuki Crystal awakened with an aching head, finding himself in the middle of a graveyard. "That Jack guy must've… ditched me here. Hello? Danika? Nolan? Anyone?"

"AaaaaaaaaaAAHHHH!"

"D'OH!" Rodent shot down and bashed Yuki in the head, knocking him clean out.

Back with the others…

"Ah well. Let's get going." Nolan shrugged.

And sho, Da'ky and his son make fwiend. Dracy and Jacky meets terrible end. De kids walk out for twicks and tweats. Den Sheila comes home wit' blood on her feets.

And Scary and Crystal did flare, their screams echoing through the night air.

Crystal and Scary Godmother flew around in circles on their staff and broom, and they flew in front of the screen as Crystal called to us, "Happy Halloween to all-"

"-and to all a good-" Scary Godmother was interrupted, having to answer her cell phone which suddenly rang. "Hello? What? What do you mean it's December?"

"HO HO HO!" The two witches were blown away when the evil Robo-Santa zipped by them on his rocket-sleigh. The psychotic cyborg glared at the readers and declared, "This is Robot Santa wishing everyone a very horrible Christmas! And now, I expect a story NEXT YEAR. HOOO HO ho ho ho ho!" The evil Santa rode off under the full moon, and disappeared into the night.

So, yes. There's a little preview of a future story, and it'll be written when you LEAST expect it: NEXT CHRISTMAS! XP Jack O'Lantern is from Billy & Mandy. Dracula's first song was actually based off of "Dark of the Night," from Anastasia, which is funny since Davy Jones already had that song, only this was a different version. Jack Skellington and Oogie are from Nightmare Before Christmas, and Scary Godmother's crew are from her titular series. And the whole thing with the Murphys' dog was Numbuh 227's idea. ;P The Miyuki scenes basically set up the plot for Operation: MASKED. Happy Halloween to all, and very spooky holidays! ;D

 

[Gamen Watch]

Hello, everybody. Welcome to the 8th story of the Viridi Saga.

Code: X.A.N.A.




Sector V Treehouse

The treehouse was still and uneventful. With no calls for missions, the sectormates were merely doing as they pleased. The quietness was broken when Dillon York suddenly kicked open the door with a positive, excited look. "Oh-hoo, yeah!! Did we show it to Drac last night or what?!"

Dillon's smile disappeared when nobody seemed to be listening.

"Come on, guys! Show a little more enthusiasm! That guy wasn't easy to beat!"

"Okay, we get it, Dillon, he's gone now." Chris told him, his eyes focused on his 4DS. "But some of us are a little worn out."

"Um…hehe." Dillon chuckled nervously. "Okay then." The shadowbending boy approached Chris on the couch, staring over his shoulder to see him playing Sonic Colors. "Um…can I play?"

"Maybe later, Dillon. This level's a little tricky."

Dillon watched a bit longer. "…Oh, I remember this part! Let me try, I know a little trick!"

"Er, let me just try and finish first."

"Come on, Chris! Just Boost here, and then jump right about-" As he spoke, Dillon tried to pull the device away from Chris's hands.

"Stop! You're going to mess me-" Chris was too late as Sonic ended up dying.

"Oops…" Dillon blushed.

"Ugh! Can't you go bug somebody else, Dill?" As Chris attempted to retry the level, Dillon walked away sadly.

He saw Mason and Sheila at the breakfast table, getting drunk on cans of Purple Flurp. "I-I think y-you should… get those curls in your… a-ear hair." Mason said drunkily.

"Ahh, shucks, ya old…mmm, BELCH, party snatcher. You speakin' da… mm-mm, lickin'."

"Umm…" Dillon nervously approached them. "So, what're you guys doin'?"

"Havin' a drinkin' contest, what's it look like, ya… mmm, ding-dot?" Sheila replied.

"Yeah, and we…" Mason murmured, "and she got ta burp all that beer that she drank… when she was a squirrel, mmm, BLEP!"

"Well… can I have one with you?"

"Noo, no… we're, BLEEHHH!" Sheila barfed and fainted.

"Sorry, Dillon, but—BLEEHHH!" Mason fainted, too.

Dillon only stared oddly before leaving the two.

The shadowbender walked to Aurora's room, finding the Sector Leader filling out papers. "Hey, Aurora. Wanna do something?"

"Not now, Dillon. I still need to fill out mission specs for that Candy Pirate business. They were active all October."

"Come ooon. Can't you do those later?"

"Maybe go ask somebody else." With a glum look, Dillon decided to leave her to her work.

Dillon's next stop was the Gilligan Triplets' room, finding the three fixing up some kind of machine. "Hey, guys! Whatcha doin' in here?"

"Building a matter transporter so we don't always have to fly everywhere." Haylee replied.

"Cool! Can I help?"

"It's pretty complex stuff, Dillon." Harry told him.

"Come on, I bet I'd be great!" Dillon approached an open slot in the machine, where plenty of wires were sticking out. "You just attach this wire to that one, and…"

This resulted in all four of them getting painfully zapped. They were covered with soot, all of them falling to the ground as the machine fell to bits. "Uhh…eh hehe." Dillon blushed as all three siblings glared at them.

"Why don't you go someplace else…" Harry stated slowly. Dillon leisurely made his way out of the room.

He continued to Haruka's room, where the Gothic Lolita child was sitting at her dresser mirror and slowly combing her pigtails with a brush. "Hi!" he startled her, causing Haruka to jump and mess up her comb, her pigtail becoming frizzed.

"Ugh! What do you want, Dillon?"

"Um…wanna paint each other's nails?"

Haruka only glared at him with a look that said 'Really?'

Dillon grinned in nervousness. "Um…I'll just go now."

"You should." And so, Dillon backed up slowly toward the exit, leaving Haruka to brush her hair.

"Man. Today is the worst, Mario." Dillon whined to his shadow as he walked down the hall. "No one wants to do anything." He stopped when Kirie Beatles walked up to him.

The Beatles child smiled and began making gestures with her hands, saying something in sign language that translated to, Aw, cheer up, Dillon. I'll hang out with you! Let's go to the new go-kart track they just opened at Rainbow Monkey Sugar Land! I hear they got a new dragon, and if we fall off track, we end up in a pit of chocolate magma! It's gonna be awesome!

"…" Dillon stared confusedly, head held down in gloom as he walked away. "I can never understand what you're saying most of the time." Kirie only looked down in disappointment.

York Household

Dillon decided to return home. He had a seat and rested his head on his hand on the table in the kitchen, where his mom was cooking by the oven. "Hey, sweetie." She grinned. "You home already?"

"Yeah. No one wants to do anything. They just wanna play games or drink soda; heck, even Sheila's boring."

"My boy~!" his father, Nolan, began jovially with a jug of rootbeer raised. "This peace is what ALL men strive for!"

"Huh? Whatever. They could at least let me help."

"Ah, what'd you expect?" Midna asked from the seat beside Dillon, her feet rested on the table as she chewed on a cookie. "Little children are always too busy with games, computers, anything antisocial. When they aren't in school, they wanna spend all free time to their selves."

"Hm. I don't suppose you wanna do anything?"

Midna smiled and tapped her cookie to Dillon's forehead. "Nnnope!"

"Well, sorry about that, Dillon. But hey! I got a surprise for you." Nolan said as he led his son upstairs to his and Dani's room.

Nolan reached below his bed and pulled out a small box. Dillon stared at the box as Nolan opened it, presenting a helmet-like device. "I wanted to thank you for helping me stop Dracula. This is the H.E.A.D.S.E.T. II that I modeled after my first one. I want you to have it."

Dillon smiled with amazement and took the device in his hands. "Ya mean it, Dad?"

"Sure I do!" Nolan smiled. "This thing was always precious to me. I never trusted it to anyone. Now, I want you to have it to help on your way to being a great operative. It contains links to all files in the Kids Next Door. Make sure to use it wisely."

Dillon nodded excitedly. "Okay, Dad! I won't let you down!"

KND Moonbase; Cheren's office

The Supreme KND Leader was filling out reports on his desk before turning his attention away from his work to look at his computer. The screen showed a little chatroom, where Lin Beifong was texting him, Yo, Cherry, jus figured out how dese phones work, yo.

Cheren chuckled and typed in, lol good for u. The nearsighted boy then pushed 'Enter.'

Immediately as he did so, deep within the cyber network of the KND's computer system, a squad of two-dimensional, shadowy creatures were organizing files inside a virtual realm, making little bops and beeping sounds as they moved. Cheren's message stuck up from a slot, in the form of a letter, and one of the creatures beeped a sigh at the constant messaging. It took the letter and delivered it to Lin's slot. It sighed again as another letter with a chat message came out.

Deeper in the darkest parts of the network, a little ponytailed girl, covered in shadow, typed a code into a computer. When she 'Entered.' the screen read ACCESS DENIED.

"Awww!" the child groaned. "It doesn't work."

The child winced in fright when the chamber sparked with static, a pair of angry eyes looming over her from the ceiling. "Gyahh! Insignificant Program! Why do I bother designing you when you deliver me nothing?"

"I-I'm sorry, geee! M-Maybe if I type another…"

"No! Just stop there. Arrgh… It's hopeless. For 45 years, I've been trapped inside this realm. Long abandoned by the Seventh Age of Kids Next Door. Without the proper code, I am trapped forever. And my only spark of hope left me 20 years ago. …Even a simple glitchy Program can't break it."

"Well, I tried-" the child made a digital spark, "didn't I?"

"After I wasted power in restoring you from digital nothingness, I expected more. I do not expect this type of failure in the future. Do you understand?"

"Y-Yes… Master." The child nodded. With that, she continued to try and break the code.

KND Moonbase

"Boy, this is awesome!" Dillon said as he stared amazed at the helmet device in his hands, walking down a hall of Moonbase. "A link to all KND files! I bet Francis would wanna see this."

He found the Decommissioning Head himself studying a monitor on the bridge. "Hey, Francis, check this out! My dad gave me a H.E.A.D.S.E.T.!"

"Everyone has one, Dillon. And I'm actually a little busy. This teenager's been on the run for months…"

"Not this one! This one lets you look at secret files and everything! I bet it can track that teenager, too."

"Heh heh. Well, we never exactly needed it. I'm gonna round up a squad and look for him. Later, Dill." The redheaded boy was off.

As Dillon frowned grumpily, a voice was heard behind him. "Oh, yeah. It's one of those H.E.A.D.S.E.T.s." Dillon turned and found the voice belonged to Maddy Murphy, who was with her brother. "Our mom and dad told us about those. Never saw much point in them compared to a normal headset."

"Yeah? Well, THIS one contains info that can ultimately destroy the KND, and in the wrong hands could bring total destruction." Dillon told them while jabbing his finger at the helmet.

"Then why do you have it?" Maddy asked.

"Because my dad trusts me with it."

"Well, I'm sure that'll work out good." Zach snickered.

"Like you and your little rabbit diet?" Dillon smirked.

Zach scoffed. "C'mon, Mad, let's go help Francis." With hateful looks, the two officers were off as well.

Dillon only sighed depressedly and looked at his gift. "Aw, man. I know I'm supposed to use it wisely... but how can I have fun with it without totally messing something up?" Just then, an idea sparked. "Wait…"

In another chamber of the Moonbase, Aaron and Rhilliane Doblemitz were standing guard before the safe that protected the Code Module. As a shadow, Dillon slid along the walls, sneaking into the room and behind the twin guards. Dillon crept through the safe's crack before sneaking out and making his way toward the audience chamber. There, Dillon reemerged, revealing to have gotten the Code Module. He stashed the Module into its pedestal before walking over to pull up a chair, then started hooking wires up to the Module and H.E.A.D.S.E.T..

"My dad said that, one time, he used the H.E.A.D.S.E.T. to hack into the KND Cyber Network. I bet if I was in there, I could look in everyone's computer! …But I won't mess with anything. That counts as using it wisely if I don't touch anything, right?" His shadow, Mario, only shrugged. "Okay, Mario," Dillon began as he sat down and placed the H.E.A.D.S.E.T. on, "let's virtualize!" Dillon pressed a button, and both devices began sparking.

Dillon was sent flying through a digital realm, his body wavy and staticky as he flew around at hyper, dizzy speeds.

KND Cyber Network

Dillon landed on his feet, the sensation gone as soon as it was over. He was startled out of his senses, finding himself in a brand new realm. Dillon stared with amazement at many towering buildings, beams of light that stretched across the realm, and almost everything in it was a light blue with a blurry white scan running across, and many square tiles that were separated by white lines.

Dillon stared at his left hand, studying the rest of his body, as did Mario. They had become 3-D and virtualized. "Cooool!" Dillon faced up at the virtual city again. His shadow keeping behind him, Dillon walked down the first street of the city, while still observing the buildings. Everything seemed to have the KND logo, having labels such as 'Laws,' 'Trash Dump,' 'Museum of Operative History,' other such things. "This place is amazing! It's like… a whole 'nother world created by a spirit that loved playing on his computer! Oh?" He stopped when he noticed two robotic-like beings directly ahead of him.

The yellow, robotic tarantulas raised their fronts legs and began firing lasers. "Gyahh!" Dillon yelped, jumping behind a building. When the tarantulas came around to look for him, they saw that he had vanished. They proceeded to search down that street, not noticing that Dillon hid inside Mario's Veil. He peeked and came out once they were gone. "Boy, that was close. Those must be the virus hunters or something. We better be careful."

Dillon quietly moved along the alleyways, until he crossed a bridge that led into an opening in the wall. He gazed around the virtual tunnels, blue with white scans like the rest of the world, as he walked up some stairs and crossed over a bridge that went over a virtual river. He was led into another cave entry, going through a series of halls.

"The Internet really is a confusing place. I'm not even sure where to begin in all this. …Maybe I can look into Numbuh Zero's private files. Or have a peek at Chris and George's online chatrooms! Or see how Ms. Winkiebottom turned all crazy! Or-"

"You could tell me how you found your way in here."

"WAAH!" he yelped at this sudden voice. With a new curious expression, the boy stepped even further down the wide, empty hallway, to a tall entryway that had a bright blue light brimming from it. The light illuminated Dillon's body a light blue as he gazed with amazement. He slowly stepped through the doorway, entering a massive, circular chamber, where a towering beacon of blue light spiraled in the center. A huge chasm took up the center of the floor, leaving the only foothold being around the walls of the room. The light went through a hole in the ceiling and seemed to go all the way into the virtual heavens, and extended deep into the chasm. Spinning rapidly with the beam appeared to be some kind of dark blue face. And just below the face is where the beam shrunk into a point, attached to the lower part of the beam via a sphere with a strange eye.

The face quickly slowed to a halt, gazing at Dillon with a curious look in his big, blue eyes. "Who are you?" it asked in a deep voice.

"AI!" Dillon screeched, falling to his rear. "Wh-Who are YOU?!"

"I am Master XANA. I was the original KND MCP for the Seventh Age of the Kids Next Door's computer network system, designed by an operative by the name of Franz Hopper and approved by Numbuh Zero himself. You look familiar, little human. Is this not our first encounter?"

"Master XANA…" Dillon helped himself up as he thought. "WAIT a second! My dad told me he talked to you when he first came here."

"So… you are the son of the crippled human who visited me earlier. Then you must have a means of coming here. Am I not correct? It was the power of the H.E.A.D.S.E.T., was it not?"

"How do you know about the H.E.A.D.S.E.T.?"

"Your father and I were… good friends during our time. He promised to divulge me the secrets of development of the H.E.A.D.S.E.T., but he never returned. …Perhaps you could…"

"Um…I really don't know how to make it myself. I barely know how to work it."

"How disappointing… such a device could be my only chance at freedom."

"Freedom? Whaddya mean?"

"The Kids Next Door of the early days believed I was out of date. They wanted more advanced software. So they sent me to the trash bin. Forever secluding my powers from the outside world. Perhaps their reasons were that I sounded too adult. I lacked that childlike spirit."

Dillon watched as the eyes and mouth closed on the face, vanishing as a wave of light flowed along the ceiling and down the wall. The light absorbed its way into a robotic body that was close to Dillon, sitting on a chair. It was a robot with the head of an old computer, its face a rectangle. It had a light blue face with the dark blue eyes and mouth, many wires making up its arms and legs underneath armor. Its hands had sharp, pointy fingers, and it wore a blue cape along its back, decorated with many computer symbols and designs. Its face sparked to life, his head spinning as XANA wobbled around in his robotic body.

"Bl-bl-bl-bl-bl-bl!" it sparked. "Whoa, need to get used to that!" XANA said in a higher pitched voice. He looked down at Dillon and said, "This is a more physical body I designed for myself sometime in the past. A good Program needs its exercise."

"Well, at least being trapped in here isn't totally boring."

"Oh, I wish it was." XANA sighed, putting a hand over his screen. "But even this body has limits. I can't go outside of this building. It's to keep me from interfering with other 'newer' software. …But there are a fair share of wonders inside here! Let me show you around…"

XANA led the curious shadowbender across the hall, to a room littered with many drawers of files. Dillon looked curiously at the kid-sized shadowy creatures working the chamber. They were two-dimensional with round heads and big noses, round hands, and round feet that were flat on the bottom. They were pitch-black with white outlines, and their movements were like that of pixelated game characters, making little beep sounds as they moved.

"What are these?" Dillon asked.

"These are called Game-and-Watch." XANA introduced. "They are a very special type of Program species, first developed in 1980. They were creatures who worked the very first handheld game system. Before the system stopped being developed, the Kids Next Door transferred them here, to see if they could look after their files. And they succeed."

"Cool!"

"Yes, they are a fascinating species. So very intelligent and sophisticated for seemingly underdeveloped lifeforms. Draw your attention to that one in the center."

Dillon did so and studied the middle Game-and-Watch, who appeared to be switching his direction from left to right as he beeped commands. He was also a few inches taller than the others.

"That is Mr. Game-and-Watch. The leader. He was the most developed out of all of them, it seems. Somehow, he was designed for combat, and judging by quite a few scans, his prowess is sensational. Ahh…" XANA sighed again. "Poor creatures, the Game-and-Watch. Their original designers wanted to delete them into digital nothingness. But the Kids Next Door thankfully saved them, and gave them a new home. And yet, they accuse me of being outdated. Humans can be so cruel…"

"Yeah… but those original creators were adults."

"Yes…" XANA placed a metal, pointed hand on Dillon's shoulder. "So, tell me, boy… why are you here, anyhow?"

"Well… my dad let me have the new H.E.A.D.S.E.T. II, and none of my friends wanted to hang out with me. I guess I was just… bored."

"Mmm. Too tired of you, too, hmm? Were you a Program, they would've tossed you to the trash bin as well, I bet."

"Well, I wouldn't say THAT."

"Regardless, you and I have something in common." XANA grinned evilly. "And perhaps you are the ticket to my freedom. A loyal operative, no doubt."

"But… how?"

"You see, the only thing that can revive my lost data is a certain… 'code.' And I have no idea what that code is. But with that nifty little H.E.A.D.S.E.T. of yours, perhaps the secret…"

"Um… I'm not sure. I promised myself I wouldn't mess too much with the KND computer system. I just… wanted to snoop around a little. …I'm sorry."

"Ay…" XANA sighed. "I understand. No need to stand against your honor. But… perhaps I can show you something else before you leave." XANA said as he led Dillon down another corridor.

"Wh-What's that?"

Dillon was led by XANA toward a doorway with a bright, blinding light. The boy shielded his eyes as they passed into the whiteness. When Dillon reopened his eyes, his mouth grew wide with amazement. A vast world of candies and desserts lay before him, mountains of hamburgers, a licorice forest, a chocolate river, and in the center of the field read the words in big, tasty letters, Sugar Rush.

"This used to be an arcade game known as Sugar Rush." XANA explained as Dillon's eyes were wide in excitement. "This cyber network houses all sorts of arcade games. Sadly, this one hasn't been played in ages. But its existence remains." He directed Dillon's attention to a small, chocolatized go-kart. "Have a ride across the valley if you wish."

"Heck, yeah!" Dillon cheered, running to jump into the kart as he started it up.

"Oh, and be careful!" XANA warned him. "My XANAbots like it here, too. They don't take well to users like yourself, so watch your back."

Dillon nodded enthusiastically, and without another word, the boy sped off into the sugary wonderland. (Play "Sweet Mountain Act 1" from Sonic Colors!)

Stage 7: Sugar Rush

Mission: Zoom across the candy wonderland!

Dillon sped across a roadway paved with icing cement, zooming through a tunnel of chocolate. A couple of XANA Hornets followed him and spat lasers, but the kid blew Shadow Breath back and blinded them, causing them to crash. Dillon was soon out of the tunnel, going up a ramp and flying over a chasm to the other side of the road. He barely landed on the edge, however, before the road gave way and caused him to fall into a giant ice cream cone. The cone toppled over, the ice cream rolling like a ball with Dillon trapped inside it. It eventually broke and caused Dillon to fly out, his car landing speeding down a candy hill. He was about to drive off into an abyss, but as he drove over the edge, Dillon jumped and grabbed onto one of the platforms.

He encountered some XANA Bloks, which spun their heads and fired lasers. Dillon grabbed a sharp candy cane from the ground and spun it to deflect the shots, then proceeded to pierce the robots' eyes with the sharp cane. Once finished, he looked to another platform with a tall candy cane sticking up. Dillon tossed his weapon into the bottom of it, causing it to crack and topple over toward his platform, creating a bridge. Dillon hurried across the bridge as XANA Creepers shot him from the other side. Dillon plucked huge jawbreakers from the ground and chucked them like dodgeballs, smashing the robos. Dillon then saw a gummy bear rope-chain, grabbing on to swing over the abyss. As he dropped over the other side, his go-kart sped by on the road, catching him safely in it.

Dillon sped along the cliffside before entering a licorice and candycane forest. Some of the tasty trees were falling down, but Dillon was swift and quick to avoid them. He watched as two Megatanks were rolling his way up ahead, the cannonball robots launching wide, red barriers as they opened. Dillon evaded the barriers and sped past them, but the Megatanks engaged pursuit. They were closing in on Dillon, but the boy watched as he was drawing close to a tight turn in the road that went around a pool of chocolate. He smirked and swerved around the pool, causing the Megatanks to take a dip. Dillon was coming into another dark cave, where XANA Kankrelats roamed the ground. Dillon's kart was easily able to smash the tiny creatures, the boy smirking as he did so, but gasped in shock when he was driving toward a blocked part of the road. He bursted through the roadblock and drove down a hill, coming outside of the cave and ending up in the chocolate river.

Leaving his vehicle, Dillon began jumping across the series of giant marshmallows. XANA Hornets buzzed down and tried to shoot him, but Dillon dodged the shots as he jumped, leaping up to kick the robots away. As Dillon made it to the other end, his kart had somehow glitch-warped over to land. Dillon shrugged and sat back in, proceeding to speed along the road again. He was coming out of the licorice forest and across the field, drawing closer to the great hamburger mountain. The road led him around and around the gigantic buns, burger, salad, and other dressings, going higher and higher up the humongous meat. XANA Krabs had ambushed him at some points, but Dillon sped through the robots' skinny legs and caused them to fall. Eventually, Dillon crossed the finish line at the top of the huge burger, doing a victory dance as the words VICTORY! appeared in bright letters, and confetti was thrown everywhere. (End song.)

Dillon later climbed down the hamburger mountain, laid back and relaxed on the pink candy field, his stomach filled with sweets. "Boy… who knew virtual food would taste just like regular food? A little fizzy from digital stuff, but whatever." The boy sat up and observed the vast, empty candy world before him, the realm having suddenly turned quiet now that he was finished racing. With a long, tired yawn, Dillon was about to lie back down. But as his head touched the ground, facing directly upward, a little girl's face loomed over his. "GYAAAAHH!" He jumped up and backed away.

"HA! Scaredja!" the girl cackled.

Dillon recovered to his feet and asked, "Who are you?" The little girl had shiny, raven-black hair littered with candy, wrapped in a ponytail by a red licorice ribbon. She had a cyan-colored hoodie, a black skirt, black boots, and thin, cyan leggings with white, swirly stripes.

"I'm Vanellope von Schweetz, but call me Vanellope." Right as she spoke, she zipped to right behind Dillon in a digital spark. "So, who're you?"

"Ahh!" Startled, Dillon fell to his rear again. "Uh…I'm Dillon."

She zapped to his other side, startling the boy again. "Dillon, huh? Sounds like a baby's name. Babies are adorable." She suddenly zapped behind Dillon again as he stood up. "So, you new around here or what?"

"Um…how are you doing that?"

"Oh, this?" She sparked. "The thing is, I'm sort of a… faulty Program." She sparked again.

"Faulty?"

A sad look appeared on Vanellope's doll-like face. "A long time ago, I was deleted by my original creator." She sparked. "I was turned into digital nothingness, but then XANA put me back together. He couldn't find all the data, so this is why I'm like this. And why I have no memory of what happened." She sparked again, and her excited mood returned. "But boy, I'm so excited! Now I have someone ELSE to hang out with! It gets boring in here by yourself, you know?" She sparked. "I mean, sure I have XANA, but…"

Dillon shook his head in confusion, trying to keep up. "Wait, slow down! You apparently know XANA… what's he like?"

"You ever met him? He's a great guy. He's not as bad as some people might make him out to be. The truth is, he really cares about us Programs. It's why he brought me back. Ever since, he's treated me like his daughter. …Or at least, how I figure adults treat their children."

"What do you mean by that?" Dillon asked, raising a brow.

"Oh… it's nothing." She sparked again.

"Well… either way… that does sound kinda familiar." Dillon said, thinking of Darkrai II.

"So, wait, you're a user, aren't you?"

"Yeah, I'm an operative. None of my friends wanted to hang out, so I decided to come here."

"Ahh. Well, I'll hang out withcha." Vanellope smirked, punching his arm. "You seem like a cool guy."

"Hehe." Dillon blushed. "You seem pretty cool, too… for a Program."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Um…nothing."

"Ahh, you big silly." She smirked, pinching the boy's cheek. "Say, you wanna race? I'm killer on the racetrack, and I haven't felt a sugar rush in so long! …Get it?" she jabbed his arm, "Sugar Rush? It's the name of the game, Dill!"

"Hehe. Thanks, but… I should probably get home. They might wonder where I am. I'll come race with you later!"

"Okay! See ya!" Vanellope waved excitedly as the boy vanished into the distance.

As Dillon left, Vanellope looked around before running toward the chocolate wall along the cliffside. She phased through the wall as it blinked glitchily, and Vanellope found herself inside a dark, blue virtual chamber. There, she had a seat on a chair as XANA in his robotic body paced around her. "So… how did it go?"

"Oh… he didn't wanna hang out, yet. But he'll come back later."

"Good…" the robotic Program smirked with malice as he wrapped an arm around Vanellope, "Just continue to befriend him and get him to trust me. It won't be long before that boy gives us that code and frees me—I mean, us, from this prison forever! THEN those fools will pay…" The robot waved his cape and walked away, cackling, while Vanellope held a look of concern.

Moonbase Audience Chamber

Dillon rematerialized out of the H.E.A.D.S.E.T., seated back on the chair in the auditorium as he unhooked the device from the Code Module and stood up. "Dillon, what're you doing in here?" Dillon lightly flinched at Cheren's voice, seeing his Supreme Leader enter the chamber with Zach and Maddy by his sides. "And what's the Code Module doing here?"

"He was probably using it to steal information and give it to the villains." Maddy replied smugly.

"I was using it to test something in my new H.E.A.D.S.E.T., thank you." Dillon stated with a glare.

"Well, could you test something else?" Cheren asked, taking the Code Module back. "With a war going on, we need to make sure this thing stays protected at all costs.

"If you want a safe place, why don't you take that thing down to GUN's base." Zach said. "They're a decent bunch of people. Keep it safe from all these metahumans."

"That's enough, you two." Cheren told them. "Now, I want you to fly down to Dr. Facilier's workshop and see if he figured out what kind of dust that was you guys found."

"Ew. I'd rather visit the REAL circus." Maddy replied.

"Come on, guys, be serious. We need to do anything and everything we can to see if Viridi has any weaknesses. Not to mention finding her hiding place. And Dillon, this Code Module stays in its safe, okay?" With those last orders, Cheren took the Module out of there.

"Meh. I need to get home, anyway." Dillon said to himself as he proceeded to exit the massive chamber after them.

KND Cyber Network

A keyboard was extracted from the robotic XANA's chest, and the skinny Program was searching through a list of 4x4 and 2x4 weaponry on his face-screen. "Grrnn! Nothing!" XANA yelled, his face becoming a real face again as he sheathed his keyboard. "Nothing at all about the H.E.A.D.S.E.T.."

"Maybe you just imagined it." Vanellope retorted.

"Oh, shut up, girl. You know it's real, he said so. Argh, but how can such a device be seen nowhere in the Kids Next Door's files? It truly is one of a kind." XANA looked away and thought out loud to himself. "A device with no imprinted background that can allow mankind into our world. With no records, I must gain information on it. Such an intricate device may contain… the secret."

"The almighty code you've been whining about to get yourself out of this prison-"

"NOT THAT, FOOL!" XANA yelled straight into her face. "Well, that is one thing, but…" he said in a calmer tone, starting to pace around the child, "What I had in mind was… The Source."

"Blech! You want TOFU?"

"Not TOFU! The Source to all things virtual and computerized." XANA explained with a maniacal grin. "The entity which brought our very world into existence. Everything Program you see in here, every virtual body, originated from that one Source." His grin became more wide, his expression more devious as his robotic hands rubbed together. "With that source in my fingertips, I will be able to shape the reality that makes up our world. I will be able to control ALL networks. And, by doing so, I will be able to shape the human world as well."

"How will the Source of all computer things help you take over the REAL world?" Vanellope asked.

"Humans rely too much on technology these days." XANA responded. "Too fixed on computers. With me in control, the humans will go mad. They will have to submit to my rule, like the inferior beings they are. I will control all, and Programs will dominate the Earth."

"Pfft. REEEEEAL original, big guy." Vanellope retorted. "No bad guy EVER takes over the WORLD anymore."

"Ohh… quit ruining my fun." XANA frowned. His grin soon returned, and he said to himself, "And with little Dillon's help, it's ALL gonna be possible! This is just too PERFECT! I'll finally be free!"

Vanellope looked confused as a platform suddenly lifted them and spun slowly, and XANA started to sing and dance.

"Userrrs. Loserrrs. Wretched humans uninvited. Work and references never cited. Where's the H.E.A.D.S.E.T. from? WHERE'S IT FROM? Humaaans, PUmaaans. So unrequited! Burnin' me out ALL around, printers all over town, but look who I found!"

A picture of Dillon appeared on his face-screen. "Dillon YOOORK! He's the human of my dream!" He danced down on one knee before a hologram of Dillon, who wore the H.E.A.D.S.E.T.. "Little shadow boy got virtual beams. A special toy got him to my lands, NOW I WANT IT IN MY HANDS!"

He tried to snatch the H.E.A.D.S.E.T., but the hologram vanished instantly. "Sticks and stones… No good since I don't have bones. Once that boy is all alone, I'll get that hat today. Then get out to play! Children and teen boys… Mashing keyboards, not giving a hoot. Messing up my CPU. Who needs that, XAN? WHO NEEDS THAT, XAN? Dillon York! Now I'm scanning on Cloud 9! Soon, I'll be drinking human wine, walking solid earth is MIGHTY fine! If you're a Program that's trapped forever and… There's a way to never come back again—SCREW all that! This world belongs to me! From the Great Walls and to Americas, every computer will beeee miiiine! THIS is not their virtual paradise! BEECAAUSE IIIT'S MIIIIIIINE!"

Vanellope and many other XANAbots burst into applause, and the Master Control Program took one more bow.

York Household

It soon became nighttime in Quahog, and Midna, Nolan, and Danika waited in the kitchen, where Danika was preparing dinner. "Why is it every story I'm in has some kind of song?" Nolan asked.

"What?" Danika questioned.

"Nothing."

They heard the door open and slam closed, and Dillon soon charged in in less than a second. "I'm back!"

"Well, you've been away awhile." Danika observed. "Having fun with that thing?"

"Yeah! I figured out how to get into the computer network like you did, Dad!"

"Really? Wow! You're learning how to use that thing fast. You didn't touch anything while you were in there, did you?"

"Uhhh…nope! …Um, so, Dad. It can look up secret files… but what else can it do?"

"Well, it can decipher friend from foe, and detect weaknesses. Is that what you mean?"

"Well… I was hoping for a bit more."

"Hehehe." Nolan chuckled. "I'm sure you can figure that out on your own. Heck, maybe even more."

"Hehe… Oh, yeah! I just remembered! When I was in there, I met this-" Dillon was interrupted when Nolan's cellphone rang.

"Hold that-" Nolan instructed, answering his phone. "Hey, Crystal… Ahh…" he sighed, "Alright, I'll be there in a bit." Nolan hung up and began to roll out of the room. "Sorry, guys, Mad Mod and Mumbo are up to no good again. I'll catch you later."

"What about dinner?" Danika asked.

"Eh, I'll grab a bite with Crystal and Yuki. Later." And so, the man left.

Dillon only slumped his head on the table in depression. His eyes glanced to the left when Midna patted his shoulder. "Don't worry, kid. Lots of dads make excuses to not spend time with their kids."

Sector V Treehouse, the next morning

When Dillon had entered the treehouse the next day, all of his friends were lying around, doing whatever once again. "Hey, guys! Any, uh…missions today?"

"Nnnnope." Chris responded simply, eyes fixed on his 4DS.

Kirie Beatles jumped beside Dillon, grinning excitedly as she carried a bunch of Rainbow Monkey snacks, drinks, and merchandise in her arms. She put the stuff down and signed with her hands, EEEEEK! I just went to the Rainbow Monkey Fair yesterday, IT WAS SO AWESOME! You have to go with me again, Dillon! I fell and wound up in a chocolate cavern that had a bunch of paths, and every dead end led to a new toy! We have to go right now!

"…Okay, if there aren't any missions today, I guess I'll… hang out in the mission prep room for no reason." The boy took his H.E.A.D.S.E.T. and walked off, putting a frown on Kirie's face.

"Hm… what's he up to?" Chris asked curiously. Kirie only shrugged.

Upstairs, Dillon set his H.E.A.D.S.E.T. on the circular couch that went around the hologram projector, proceeding to hook wires up connecting the H.E.A.D.S.E.T. to said projector, as well as a computer. "I may not have the Code Module anymore, but I bet a regular KND computer would work just fine. And using the Gilligans' own computer (which I… 'borrowed' from them), maybe I could access Internet networks OUTSIDE the KND as well!" After he finished connecting the devices, Dillon set the headpiece on. "Okay… here it goes!" He flipped a switch on the device, and was transported instantaneously.

Cyber Network; Sugar Rush

"WOOHOOOO!" Dillon cheered with excitement, racing around the candy fields in his own shadow car, against Vanellope Schweetz, who was using her chocolate car. The two were spiraling around the hamburger mountain, both kids wearing a smirk as they tried to ram into each other. When Dillon tried to bump Vanellope again, the girl's car glitched through him, and he rammed the wall. He remained on track as they made it up the mountain, launching over the ledge on the other side. They took heavy land on the road below and sped for the finish line.

Just as they were closing in, neck-and-neck, Vanellope started sparking again. "Whooo-whoooAAA!" The girl ended up spinning and crashing into the wall on the side.

Dillon simply skidded to a stop and walked over as the girl helped herself up. "Um… you okay?"

"Yeah." Vanellope shook some dirt off and sparked. "My glitch gets in the way every now and again… but hey, that race was FUN!"

"Haha, YEAH it was! Anyway, now that we're done, wanna check out something else?"

"Hm?"

Dillon led the glitched Program to a strange, white door just outside of the city. "I don't remember this here. What is this?" Vanellope asked.

"I tried to use the H.E.A.D.S.E.T. to connect the KND network with the Internet. I think it works."

"So… you can go into other places outside the Kids Next Door?"

"More importantly is, YOU can."

Vanellope's eyes shot wide open with shock and amazement. She turned and exchanged an excited smile with Dillon, taking the boy's hand as they entered the doorway together.

Secretly, the two were watched by Mr. Game-and-Watch. The two-dimensional being slanted its head in curiosity, seemingly raising a brow as it beeped.

Dillon and Vanellope gazed around with amazement, a vast, white computer network laying before them. Links to Wikipedia, ViewTube, and other tons of other websites floated everywhere. "WOOOOWWW!" Vanellope drew out. "This place is giHUGIC! OOO-OOH, let's go in that one! NO, NO, that one! OR that one!"

"Heh, easy, Vanellope." Dillon laughed, trying to control the jumping girl. "We don't wanna mess with anything."

Vanellope stopped walking when she spotted something to her right. She smirked and said, "Hey, Dillon, check it out! The Adult Zone… HEH heh!" Dillon peeked around the girl, spotting a door labeled 'XXX.'

"Um…my dad doesn't want me looking at that stuff."

"Come ooon…" Vanellope put on a devious smirk, getting her face into Dillon's. "Your dad isn't gonna know. Let's just have a little peek…"

"…Well… I was always curious. I guess we could."

"Okay! Let's go in!" Vanellope reached her hand out, about to touch the knob.

Somewhere in Quahog

Glenn Quagmire sat at his bedroom desk, gazing longingly at his computer. "Okay, girls, show me what's cookin' today. Hehn-hehn. All riiight…"

Cyber Network

Once Vanellope's hand made contact with and opened the door, she began to spark wildly, and the entirety of the hallways inside turned all digitized and malfunctioned.

Quahog

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO…"

Cyber Network

"WHOA!" Dillon quickly slammed the door shut. "What was that?"

Vanellope sparked a little more. "I-I dunno."

"AAH!" they screamed at hearing a deafening ringing sound. They turned around and found Mr. Game-and-Watch shaking a bell, which was 2-D and pitch-black just like him.

"Mr. Game-and-Watch?" Dillon questioned. "What're you doing here?"

Mr. Game-and-Watch responded by making several beeps and gestures, and Dillon could only watch in confusion. "It's like Kirie as a robot. I can't understand him." Dillon said.

"Huh?" Vanellope cocked a brow at the creature. "What do you mean we're not supposed to be here?"

Mr. Game-and-Watch jabbed his fingers through his hands, then made his fingers look like they were walking. He then threw his arms in the air with one last beep.

"Oh…that makes sense." Vanellope realized.

"What does?" Dillon asked.

Vanellope sighed, "I was only designed for the KND's network. I'm not allowed to enter other websites, otherwise they get all… glitch. And since I'm already faulty as it is, that makes it a kajillion times worse."

"Oh…" Dillon was filled with disappointment. "Well, I guess we should go back, then."

"Yeah…" Her head hung down, Vanellope slumped out of there, followed by Game-and-Watch and Dillon as the 2-D Program beeped with each step.

Once back in the KND network's city, Dillon closed the door to the Internet. "It really stinks, too." Vanellope said. "I've wanted to go out and see what the rest of the Internet was like. I figured, if I did that, I might even find my memory out there. Sigh, but what does the rest of the world have for a broken Program?"

Dillon placed a hand on her shoulder in comfort. "Hey, you're not faulty. You're a great person."

She looked up at him. "I am?"

"Yeah. Sure you have that glitch, but, even humans are sort of faulty in their own ways. It doesn't mean you aren't fun to hang out with."

Vanellope sparked, and a smile was on her face. "Thanks, Dillon." Another spark, "No one's ever told me that before."

"Well… I'm sure if you had more friends in here, they would think so, too. Maybe I should try to bring some of my friends here! 'Course… they don't really seem so interested, anymore."

"Whaddya mean?"

"Well, it's just, my dad and me saved the world a couple nights ago, and none of my friends care. It's like they barely even want me, anymore."

"What are ya, a glitch?" Vanellope remarked.

"Heh heh. I might as well be. Er, no offense."

"Don't worry 'bout it."

"It doesn't matter, anyway. I've still got my dad to hang out with."

"Your dad actually likes you?"

"Yeah… why do you ask?"

"Oh… no reason."

"Eh, but actually, my dad rarely has any time for me. He sort of has this… job as a superhero. And he's really busy. He couldn't stay for dinner last night, and he wasn't around this morning either. I don't mind much. I'm sure he'd wanna spend time with me if he could. He's a great guy."

"Sounds great. I'd sure like to meet him…"

"Heh… too bad you couldn't meet him when he came here the first time. Anyway, I'm gonna go grab me a bite; virtual food doesn't sit right after a while."

"Heh heh…" Vanellope blushed.

"I'll be back in a moment! Okay, H.E.A.D.S.E.T., ready to leave." At his command, Dillon was transported from where he stood.

Vanellope exchanged glances with Mr. Game-and-Watch, the 2-D Program beeping before making his way back to his workplace. Left to herself, the little candy girl sighed and started to head back.

XANA's Domain

"So… did you discover anything?" XANA asked as he paced around the child.

"Well, the H.E.A.D.S.E.T. can get into other Internet networks."

"But what about the code?"

"Uh… I forgot to ask."

"GRRRR!" XANA tossed a sword, barely missing Vanellope by a few inches above the head. "I WANT that CODE! The sooner I have that code, the sooner I can take the H.E.A.D.S.E.T. for myself. I can use it to track down the one thing that will make me the most powerful Program in the world. I will get the H.E.A.D.S.E.T., and you WILL get me the code!" he yelled into her face. "You understand?!"

"Okay, okay! Gee!"

"Peh. What I wouldn't pay to build better henchmen…" XANA mumbled to himself as his back turned to Vanellope, flapping his cape as he walked away.

Sugar Rush

"So, how was your meal?" Vanellope asked after Dillon returned.

"Decent as human meals get. I tried to bring you back a couple French fries, but it… doesn't seem like they came."

"Eh, no big deal. So, um, if you got nothing else going on, wanna play around with the H.E.A.D.S.E.T.? We could, oh, I dunno, mess up Numbuh Zero's background, turn Numbuh One into a girl… look up XANA's reactivation code… ooh, OR we could post the blueprints of the H.E.A.D.S.E.T. all over the network! I bet that'd tick your dad off!"

A thought sparked in Dillon's mind. "Wait… that's a great idea!"

"Uh…it is?"

"We can try to fix your glitch!"

"Oh! Well, actually, I was hoping we could do that along the lines of looking up XANA's code, so…"

"No, listen! I can probably download you onto my H.E.A.D.S.E.T. II, and from there, I'll link it directly to the others' computers and videogame consoles and then we can try and download data and stuff onto you and see if it'll better support your body!"

"Oh! That does sound pretty cool! I may find something helpful…"

"Okay!" Dillon eagerly stood up. "Let's get to it! Come on!"

Secret File Storage

Dillon brought Vanellope to the station where the Game-and-Watch organized files and gestured her to stand on a platform. "Now just wait here, and I'll go outside and get you downloaded."

"You really think this'll take care of my glitch?"

"Hey… it's worth a shot." Dillon smiled. "I'll have you fixed in no time!"

Vanellope chuckled and grinned as Dillon hurried outside.

"Sooo, searching for a cure, are we?" XANA's voice sounded from the walls.

"If he hooks me up with others' computers, I might find your code somewhere."

"An ingenious plan indeed!" Vanellope didn't notice as two tentacles slithered up from behind. "Which is why… I will download the data from you!"

The Scyphozoa's tentacles shot into Vanellope's ears. XANA's cackles echoed throughout the base as Vanellope's eyes turned digitized.

Sector V Treehouse

Once back in the real world, Dillon was able to locate his friend standing within the files, then proceeded to download her onto the H.E.A.D.S.E.T.. Once the download reached 100%, Vanellope teleported from her pad.

The Program child suddenly found herself floating within the vast expanse of the H.E.A.D.S.E.T. II. Computer screens surrounded her from all directions, and she could only gape in wonder.

Outside, as Aurora was organizing mission files in her room, Dillon York quietly tiptoed in, grabbed her computer, and bolted back to the mission prep room. He hooked it to his H.E.A.D.S.E.T., and a screen with Aurora's image appeared near Vanellope. The child glided over and pressed a hand to it. Already the info and hard drive support was passing through her arm and into her brain.

In his chambers, the Scyphozoa's tentacles touched to XANA's head. The info that Vanellope was loading was being passed to the giant squid's brain, and from there, XANA was able to learn it. A single XANA Krab began typing in a series of codes like Charmander, Bianca, Dawn, and borealis. Nothing came up, and XANA was furious.

Dillon saw that Chris was still focused on his 4DS. The shadowbender quietly crept over and blew Shadow Breath in Chris's eyes, quickly swiping the handheld device before Chris regained his vision. The DS was soon hooked up to the H.E.A.D.S.E.T. II, allowing Vanellope to download all sorts of Pokémon and other game data. XANA tried codes like PokéDex, Sonic, Deep Typhoon, and Ocarina, but to no avail. Afterwards, Dillon snuck in to Mason's room and went over to swipe his Xbox 360. The console was later hooked up to the H.E.A.D.S.E.T. for Vanellope to load. XANA found codes like Garek, Beans, and Origins, but still no success.

Haruka lied on her bed on her front, shifting her feet in the air as she toyed with an iPhone Touchpad. Mario slithered over and swiped the device, and Haruka watched confusedly as it glided away on its own in midair. Dillon hooked it to his H.E.A.D.S.E.T. for Vanellope to view. Codes like Facebook, MySpace, and Reallydumbshowaboutcrazymindlessgirls were discovered by XANA, but they didn't help his case. Finally, Dillon swiped the PS3 that was in Sheila's room. After hooking it to his H.E.A.D.S.E.T., Vanellope absorbed the data, and XANA found codes like Specter, Nefarious, and Hoodlums. Finally fed up with this failure, XANA grabbed his Scyphozoa by the tentacles and swung it into the Krab before angrily stepping out of the room.

Secret File Storage

"I… kind of feel a little better." Vanellope said, stretching and bending her left arm. "Though I still feel a little fizzy."

"Ah well. We came close, right?"

"I guess so…"

"So, let's take a break. I bought us some online sodas!" Dillon said as he held up two virtual POW cans.

Dillon and Vanellope went up onto a balcony in the virtual city and sat along the railing. They cracked their sodas open and began to drink as they overlooked the vastness of the virtual city. "Boy… the world you live in sure is awesome, Vanellope."

"Ahh, it's okay, I guess. It gets old after a while. Especially when you barely have anywhere to go. You know what I've always dreamed? Going out into the real world! I can go to a bunch of new places, and… meet a bunch of new people!"

"You'd like it a lot, probably."

"But at the same time, XANA says it's a bad place out there. He said that the humans outside are mean and they backstab each other a lot, and they like some people over others. And judging by why you came here in the first place…"

"Heh heh…" Dillon grinned and blushed. "Y'know, I guess it is kind of true. But there's good stuff about it, too. The sun and moon look pretty, the food is really tasty… and having lots of friends makes it all worthwhile."

"I wish I could go there." Vanellope sparked, causing her to drop her soda. "I don't think I'll be getting anywhere with this glitch."

"We'll work it out somehow." Dillon released a yawn. "Boy, it's getting late. I should probably head home."

"Yeah. I better get back to Sugar Rush, too." They both got up from the railing as Vanellope asked, "So, I'll see you same time tomorrow?"

"You know it!" With that, both kids entered the building and walked separate ways.

As Dillon made a turn past the filing room, he was stopped by Mr. Game-and-Watch. "Huh?"

The creature made several gestures with his hands and several beeps.

"Wait… I could understand that!"

Game-and-Watch smiled and made more happy gestures.

"You know how to find Vanellope's memory?"

At this, Game-and-Watch presented him the handheld console that was once his home.

"Hey… it's a Game-and-Watch!"

The Program jabbed his finger at the tiny screen. Mr. Game-and-Watch entered the filing room and set the device on a table. With a graceful 2-D, limited-animation dive, he vanished into the tiny console.

"Whoa!" Dillon was taken aback. Curiosity overtook him. After taking a few steps back, the York child dove headfirst into the Game-and-Watch, and shot through the portal.

Stage 8: Flat Zone

Mission: Follow Mr. Game-and-Watch across the pixelated path!

The pixelated Dillon followed the excited Program across a 2-dimensional town of citizens that were as flat as Game-and-Watch. Dillon moved like a videogame character with little animation as he jumped up black platforms to the top of a building. He then jumped across the roofs of several buildings as 2-D birds flew overhead, dropping "bombs." Game-and-Watch climbed down a ladder, and Dillon followed as they walked under the buildings, having to avoid falling cans of paint.

The two soon entered the street, and had to jump onto safe platforms as pixelated cars sped by. Dillon saw Game-and-Watch jump over an odd black spot on the ground, which Dillon assumed was slippery oil, so he jumped over, then jumped onto a platform before a car came. Once they were clear of the street, they were in the construction site. Game-and-Watch climbed a black chain onto the scaffolding, and Dillon followed. 2-D cranes were hauling platforms of what looked like steel beams either up-and-down or left-and-right, which the two had to use to jump across. As Game-and-Watch moved along weak parts of the walkway, holes fell open, so Dillon had to jump across.

Both players got onto a platform held by a crane and allowed it to lower them down. Mr. Game-and-Watch gestured for Dillon to come forward into a cave, and the boy was eager to follow.

Dillon followed Game-and-Watch down a long, straight corridor that led to a thin, towering doorway. The Program stopped before the doorway and turned to face Dillon. "So, where are we?"

Game-and-Watch made more arm gestures and pointed at the door.

"What? This altar has been here since the very beginning of virtual existence?"

More beeps, bops, and 2-D gestures.

"Inside is The Source of all pixelated imagery itself?"

"Oh, IS IT, now?" Dillon gasped at the sudden high-pitch voice. "These last-year Programs were more helpful than I realized!" Dillon turned and glared as XANA himself stepped forward.

"What're you doing here?" Dillon asked.

"Nothing goes on in the Internet without my knowledge. I followed you two into this zone of old-timey gaming. And now I see its purpose." XANA observed the big door behind Dillon. "So, this door houses The Source of all computers and Programs everywhere. To gaze upon its beauty has always been my dream! STEP aside, kid!"

"Hey!" Dillon was smacked out of XANA's way as the Program charged for the door. Game-and-Watch stepped out of the way himself as XANA pressed his hands against the double-doors. Using all of his strength, XANA shoved the doors clear open. His eyes fixed on a single light that shone from the ceiling onto a small pedestal. He hurried down the walkway, and that which he long sought sat before him.

"I don't… believe it… The Source of all virtualization itself! BEHOLD!" Seated upon the pedestal was a teeny-tiny pixel. "So much detail…" XANA spoke, eyes wide as he stared in pure amazement, "Such a marvelous figure, too amazing even for words. We stare into the eyes of the God of Virtualization itself." XANA paced around the pedestal that rested the pixel. His head still loomed close to the speck-sized figure. "From this marvelous beauty came all that we know and will know in the virtual realm." XANA picked the pixel up between his fingertips. The tiny pixel was as big as his pointy fingertips, and his dark blue eyes were massive in comparison as he held it close. "Imagine all of the knowledge of the ages… in this one little speck."

"Why do you want that little pixel? It doesn't look much."

"Oh, doesn't it? Then I suppose you know what to do with such a gem. A simple user. I only search for the code to my freedom because I feel it may help me in curing Vanellope's curse. I wish to be released into the human world, and I intended Vanellope to come with me! Isn't that what you want, boy?"

"Um…"

"Only an intelligent and powerful Program like myself can understand its complexity. With The Source's power, not only could the both of us enter the human world, but Vanellope would be cured. Wouldn't you love to have her with you?"

"Well, yeah… I think my friends would really like her."

"GREAT! Then I'll just take this and get to work immediately. You've done me a wonderful service, my boy!" XANA patted Dillon's back and walked away. "A most wonderful service, indeed!"

A confused Dillon shrugged and headed out of the Flat Zone. Mr. Game-and-Watch only rang loudly and fainted.

Sector V Treehouse

By the time the sun was setting, Dillon rematerialized in the Mission Prep Room and unhooked the H.E.A.D.S.E.T. from the treehouse's computer. "Aah!" Dillon yelped, suddenly noticing his friends glaring at him with angry looks, holding their respective gaming consoles and devices which Dillon stole.

"Our stuff is all glitchy." Chris stated. "Mind explaining?"

"Dillon, what've you been doing up here?" Haruka asked.

"I haven't been doing anything." Dillon said, walking past them. "Anything you guys would take interest in." On his way out, Kirie Beatles got in his path and began making sign movements with her hands.

Dillon, if you're upset about something, you can tell me. I'm not all MEAN like these jerks.

"It's late, Kirie, maybe we'll go to the amusement park later." Dillon bypassed the mute girl.

…Kirie looked with disbelief.

"Anyway, I'm going home. Later, guys." The kids watched as the door shut behind him. They looked worriedly at their treehouse computer.

XANA's Domain

"Ooooh-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!" XANA cackled as he and Vanellope arrived back at his lair, the villain holding the pixel between his fingertips. "Tricking that child was far too easy!" The robot sat in his throne and opened the computer keyboard in his chest. "With this Source, I will possess unlimited knowledge and power over computers EVERYWHERE! No longer will I be forced to reside within the infernal network of a bunch of babies! After 45 long years, I can control ALL networks and free myself! There are legions of Programs out there, Vanellope, and I am the grand Programmer!"

"Uhh, wouldn't the 'Programmer' person be the one who created you?" Vanellope asked.

"It's basically the same as saying 'Program King,'" XANA corrected, "like how Darkrai's the Nightmare King. Darkrai IS the king, but he was created by Arceus, yet no one calls Arceus the Nightmare King."

Vanellope smirked. "You sorta just implied that the humans are a lot higher up than you."

"Bzzzt-zzt-zzt! THAT'S NOT THE POINT! Now shut up and let me insert this pixel! The ultimate source of knowledge I have sought for decades," XANA said, holding the pixel closer to his eye, "is just in the tips of my fingers! In ya go, now!" The MCP inserted the pixel into a small slot on his keyboard and closed his chest. XANA's face fell frozen as a series of numbers and other symbols began blinking across his screen, his eyes becoming dizzy from being so close. "Yeees, yes, that's beautiful. Now be a good Source, my tiny little pixel, and show me the code to freedom!"

The series of symbols disappeared on XANA's face as it seemed like words were about to type. "This is it! Get ready, Vanellope! The code is mere syllables away!"

Vanellope rushed to the computer by the wall and readied to type. Before XANA's very eyes, the code made itself known: XANA XANA XANA.

"… …" XANA fell speechless. The large domain was very quiet. Vanellope stared with curiosity, waiting for XANA to speak. "YOU MEAN ALL I HAD TO DO WAS TYPE MY FREAKING NAME THREE TIMES?!?"

"Hey! It's like Beetlejuice!" Vanellope said.

"WHO'S THE BLOCKHEAD THAT CAME UP WITH THIS INFERNAL CONTRAPTIOOON?!"

"Uuuh, Tim Burton?"

"Oh! Well, that works." XANA smiled. "Alright, type it up."

Vanellope quickly typed the code into the terminal and pushed 'Enter.' Already, the central core that was connected to XANA brimmed with a powerful light that could be seen across the vast reaches of Cyberspace. XANA's wicked cackle echoed across the realm.

York Household, next morning

When the sun began peeking in Dillon's room, the shadowbender awoke and rubbed his eyes. He excitedly grabbed the H.E.A.D.S.E.T. and ran downstairs, eager to go back to the cyber dimension. "Today's the day!" he exclaimed. "XANA has to be finished downloading that pixel by now!"

Upon his exit, Dillon heard his wristwatch beeping and looked to find Chris's face appear on the tiny screen. "Dillon, grab your S.C.A.M.P.E.R. and get up to Moonbase! There's crud going on and you need to see it."

When the transmission ended, Dillon put on a look of worry and hurried to his S.C.A.M.P.E.R..

KND Moonbase

When Dillon arrived, he took land beside the C.O.O.L.-B.U.S. that belonged to his sector. His friends were already standing outside waiting for him. They seemed to glare angrily as Dillon stepped off his ship. "Hey, guys. Is… something wrong?"

"Let us just show you." Chris said as they walked toward the bridge.

Dillon gasped in absolute shock as the Moonbase was overrun by all of XANA's monsters. Operatives either ran from them or tried to fight them in all the destruction, but evil Programs ran amuck and changed all of the terminals to show images of Eyes of XANA, and hung posters that read Hail XANA, which showed his eye logo as well. XANA's maniacal face appeared on the large computer screen at Panini's station.

"Greetings, Kids Next Door! After 45 years of incarceration, I am pleased to announce that I am finally back to wreak havoc on you all for disabling my power. You have Operative Numbuh 13.2036, Dillon York to thank for giving me the means to restore my true power. The Kids Next Door's Internet system will come first, and will be followed by the rest of the world's cyber network. Today, you will ultimately see who the superior beings are, ahh HA HA HA HAA! This message is brought to you by the XANA Program Conquest Foundation, and is responsible for all content, as well as the ultimate destruction of your organization. Thank you and have a nice day." The last two sentences were spoken really fast.

The Sector V group hurried over to Cheren, Panini, Francis, Zach, and Maddy, who watched the message up close. "I KNEW it!" Maddy exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at Dillon. "I knew he was no good, and that little H.E.A.D.S.E.T. just made him worse!"

"Dillon, was what that XANA thing said true?" Cheren asked.

"Well… yes, but I was only trying to help Vanellope! That guy tricked me!"

"Who the heck is Vanellope?" Chris asked.

"She's the Program girl I met in the virtual universe. And… there was also this MCP Program in there that was shut down or something, and I helped him get this pixel thing that could fix him and Vanellope, and-"

"Dillon, don't you think that Program was shut down for a reason??" Cheren asked. "He was a virus, a dangerous one, and that Vanellope girl was probably spawned from him."

"That's not true! She was sick, and XANA was helping her!"

"All these Programs look like monsters to me, and I say they have to go." Maddy stated.

"Grrrr." Dillon grinded his teeth in anger.

"Guys, leave Dillon alone." Haruka stated, walking beside her friend. "He was just doing something nice for a little girl. Isn't that the Kids Next Door's job, no matter the race?"

"Well… it's not the first time it's happened, I guess." Francis said.

"Panini, Francis, let's try and hack into the system and see if we can fight back." Cheren said. "The rest of you do what you can to keep back the invaders."

The three commanders hurried away, and the operatives focused sights on Dillon. "Anyway, the reason your devices were all glitchy was because I tried to download data onto the H.E.A.D.S.E.T. and fix Vanellope's glitch. But just for the record, I probably wouldn't even have gone there if you guys weren't being such jerks."

"Well… we have been pretty preoccupied with stuff… and lazy." Aurora said sheepishly.

"I just wanted to relax after Halloween." Chris said.

"Me, too, but now my stomach's sick." Mason said guiltily. Sheila released a loud burp.

"Well, if you're done feeling guilty, we have a virus to stop." Maddy reminded.

"I have an idea." Dillon said. "Well, not really… but maybe I can hack XANA's system with the H.E.A.D.S.E.T. and dismantle his programming."

"Hasn't that thing caused ENOUGH trouble?" Zach asked.

"Well, all of the computers are pretty much infected, so hacking into him might not be easy." Harry said.

"Then I'll have to confront XANA in the virtual world and try and hack him directly."

"It's probably dangerous in there, so I think I better go with you." Chris offered.

"And since we still don't really trust you, we're coming, too." Maddy stated.

"Wait, we're going in the game?! COOL!" Zach beamed.

"Guys, I… appreciate the offer, but I don't think I can bring ALL of us into the virtual world."

"Well, we could probably borrow the Code Module and hook it and the H.E.A.D.S.E.T. to the Moonbase's hologram projector, allowing it to transport multiple people." Artie explained.

"I guess that's our plan." Chris figured. "The rest of you help fight the monsters. We'll do what we can to shut this Program down."

"Kids Next Door, LET'S GO CYBER!" Dillon raised his fists in excitement.

KND Cyber Network

The five operatives went along with the plan and were transported into the virtual city. "Whoa…" Chris and the others stared in wonder around the digital atmosphere. "If I knew about this earlier… games would be so much more epic."

"Meh, our missions are like games already. And hey, I brought the H.E.A.D.S.E.T. with me, too." Dillon said, holding the device in his hands. "I hope I can hack into XANA and disable him."

"Um…who's the black thing with the flamethrower?" Zach pointed out.

A few feet away, Mr. Game-and-Watch was burning XANA Creepers with a 2-D flamethrower, and bashing others with his hammer. "Hey, it's Mr. Game-and-Watch!"

When the gaming Program knocked out the last Creeper, he turned to Dillon and rang his loud bell. "What's he saying?" Maddy asked.

"He's saying the city's overrun. We… kinda figured that."

"Dillon!" Up ahead, Vanellope rushed toward them, her body glitching like normal.

"Is that your friend?" Chris asked.

"AHH, there's my favorite user!" XANA's image appeared on a giant holographic screen above them. "And he brought friends. Allow me to introduce you all to the Program who so cleverly tricked Dillon under my instruction."

"Tricked? Wait… you KNEW this would happen?" Dillon asked.

"Well, I-" she tried to speak.

"Of course she did! The only reason she befriended you was to get the freedom she so desperately desired. After all, a Program has far greater needs than meaningless friendship. But it seems that she was so glitchy that even such a task as this was far beyond her limit. And sadly, MY cyberspace has no room for faulty Programs, so Vanellope is scheduled for immediate de-rezzing. That is, as soon as I'm through with the rest of your organization. If you want to have a shot at de-rezzing me, come meet me in my lair. But it seems that hologram projector dropped you off a little too far. You'll have to fight your way across my glorious city if you wish to try. AIEEE HA HA, HA HAA!" The transmission ended.

"Vanellope, how could you trick me like that?" Dillon asked. "I thought you were my friend."

"I am your friend, Dillon! I wanted to fix my glitch so we could spend more time together, and I didn't think you'd help if you knew."

"Well, maybe you shoulda thought about it. Now the whole world's in danger because of me. A real friend wouldn't let that happen."

"I'm sorry, Dillon. I…"

"Shut up!" Maddy yelled, aiming a S.P.I.C.E.R. at her. "You're as bad as any other metahuman. Let's just forget this glitch and move on."

"Hey, does this place have any Yipper games we can go into?" Zach asked as they walked away and left the Program alone.

Vanellope's head hung low in shame as she limped her way to an empty alleyway. The Program sat down with her back against the wall and sighed. She reached in her sweater pocket and held the power-drained pixel in her palm. She pinched the pixel between her fingertips and stared at it closely. It was hard for her to believe that something so tiny could cause so much chaos. Knowing what XANA was like, she should've expected something like this, and wished she could've swiped it from his hands and disposed of it forever.

As a tear escaped from her eye, she noticed something strange about the pixel. Her huge eyes picked up a glowing spot on the tiny structure. She held it closer to her massive eye and observed it more closely. Indeed, there was a light-blue glow coming forth from it. The glow seemed to grow bigger, and before Vanellope knew it, she was floating around in an infinite, dark blue cyberspace, surrounded by 0's and 1's, and many small computer screens. She stared in silence as black, robotic lifeforms that were about her height, with bent antennas and big blue eyes, emerged out of thin space.

"Her past is inside…" They spoke in a monotone, alien-like voice.

"My what?" Vanellope questioned.

"Do not fear. We are Zoni. We are here to help you destroy it."

Vanellope remained confused as the lifeforms circled around her. They threw their hands open, catching the child in their beams of energy. Vanellope's eyes flashed open. Many memories began to flow through her mind, and she saw them all in her huge eyes. She saw herself racing across the Sugar Rush fields at high speed, a tyrannical virus king that removed her from her own game, another friendly Program with huge hands that helped her to restore her place, and a squad of Kids Next Door who stole her arcade game when the adults were about to shut it down.

All of the visions disappeared, her eyes still wide with shock as she found herself back in the alleyway. "It all makes sense now…" (Play "Access The Grid" from Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance.)


Stage 9: Cybernetic City

Mission: Make your way to XANA and shut him down!

The band of operatives began their venture down the first city street as a squad of XANA Tarantulas crawled toward them, already shooting lasers. The kids dodged the lasers as Dillon hid in his Shadow Veil and snuck below the first one, pulling it down with him and laying blows on it before tossing the defeated robot above the surface. Maddy rolled around and avoided another one's shots while Zach leapt up and smashed its head. Chris shot flames at another Tarantula as he made his way behind it to rip its head off. The last one kept trying to shoot Mr. Game-and-Watch, but the 2-D Program made quick dodges with his blinky animation and ran toward the robot, leaping above to smash a hammer in the robot's noggin.

The kids then approached an escalator that led to a much higher point in the city, allowing it to carry them up. They overlooked a great view of the lower parts as XANA's high-pitched voice could be heard over the intercom. "Attention prisoners of Cybernetic Prison. Anyone caught toying with Aura Knight figurines will be chopping virtual stones that never really break no matter how much you hit them. Also, will Kenkak Xefro please report to the northern wing? You have been relocated to Cellblock GE. Kenkak Xefro, to the north wing please."

The kids entered what appeared to be some kind of prison. As they passed through a hall of cells, a group of XANA Blocks crawled forward as one shot a freeze ray at Chris, freezing him solid. Another one shot fire rings at Maddy, who jumped through them before making it in front of the Block, shooting it dead in the eye. She fired her S.P.I.C.E.R. to unfreeze Chris, who then blocked a Block's freeze ray with his fire, shooting more flames to knock it out. Mr. Game-and-Watch bashed another Block's eye with his hammer before grabbing it by the legs and throwing it at the other one.

The kids proceeded to the massive central chamber, where large prisoner containers moved along a series of beams, from a central core to the many corridors of prison cells. They crossed the long, narrow bridge to the platform around the core as XANA Kankrelats popped out of boxes and crawled toward them. Chris, Zach, and Maddy easily shot them away with their weapons while Dillon and Game-and-Watch kicked the small robots over the edge. They headed over to a ladder and climbed to lower walkways of the core. They kept climbing down until they were above a line of prison containers. They dropped onto one of the containers and rode it along until they were inside the tunnel.

They stepped off on a platform that led outside to a docking area. They went down a few stairs to a platform along a digital river, where a submarine waited. "We can probably get across town in this." Dillon said.

"We're going underwater?" Maddy asked. "Um…can we not do that?"

"What's wrong with you?" Chris asked.

"Nothing… I get seasick, that's all."

They entered the submarine and submerged as they began sailing below the Digital Sea. The underwater was pitch-black, and they were only able to see using the submarine's headlights. Out of the darkness, a couple of XANA Kongres popped out, gnashing their huge teeth at the small sub. Dillon locked onto the weak spot on the robotic eels' tails and shot torpedoes at them to blow them up. "Since when do you know how to work a sub?" Maddy asked.

"Since I played Star Fox 64. It's basic N64 controls." Dillon replied.

A few groups of XANA Sharks swam over to try and snack on them, but Dillon was still able to shoot them away. When the monsters were cleared, their undersea voyage went along peacefully in the darkness for a few moments until the XANA Kalamar appeared from the darkness, stopping the sub dead in its track. Dillon kept locking on and shooting its core, but the robotic squid remained floating as it caught the sub between its legs. It activated the drill on its head and attempted to breech the hull, doing serious damage to the sub. Dillon switched on a shield and shook them away, afterwards continuing to fire on the central weak point. When the shield ran out, the squid being captured them again, but Dillon was able to land enough hits as the squid started exploding and sinking to the abyss, allowing the sub to keep moving. They drew closer to the surface and eventually resurfaced by the dock of another building.

"Ulp… BLEEHCK." Maddy barfed into the digital waters.

"Careful, Maddy, you'll glitch up the game." Chris remarked. The group of operatives proceeded up a staircase that led into the KNN News Network Station, which had the KNN logo in light blue, holographic letters rotating around the top of the building.

"Coming up at 11," XANA's voice announced, "how a totally mysterious and ominous villain can turn into such a joke through the whims of a fanfiction writer. Featuring, Yours Truly! HA HA ha haaa! Sigh, oh, how I envisioned my life this way, I will never know."

The kids entered the first hallway of the news station and were already led to a walkway over a vast chasm in a tremendous chamber where T.V. projections appeared all over the room. The screens showed previous news broadcasts with Eva & Kade and Melody & Danny, replaying various news stories such as when Sector Q beat Common Cold, or Numbuh 86 turning into a giant, or Nerehc's and Viridi's appearances. When they reached a circular platform in the center of the chamber, a bunch of XANA Hornets flew out, followed by a couple of Krabs, as they began shooting lasers at the group. Game-and-Watch flipped sausages while Chris shot fireballs to easily take out the Hornets. Dillon caught some Krabs in his Shadow Shockwave and wiped them out in one fell swoop.

After beating the monsters, a platform appeared to take the group over the chasm. As they slowly moved across, green barriers appeared to block their way. "We're going to crash! Zach, Maddy, shoot those barriers with your weapons."

"No, we were thinking of letting it crash." Maddy remarked as they were already shooting the barriers down. They were able to pass, but yellow barriers appeared in their way this time, but they were still able to blast them. As they were coming to some blue barriers, some XANA Mantas flew out from the walls, making hawk cries as they shot lasers at the group. Chris punched fireballs while Game-and-Watch batted baseballs to keep the Mantas away, leaving the siblings to shoot their path open. The Mantas kept coming as red barriers appeared in their path, but the firebender and game Program kept taking out Mantas and Zach and Maddy kept shooting them through.

When the platform came to a drop-off, the kids stepped off and continued onward to the Game Central Station. "Welcome back to Gaming Central News!" XANA's voice announced. "Another miraculous comeback of the Sonic Storybook Saga, thanks to Sega's new president and CEO, Kris Hallows. In other gaming news, game designer, Jared Warner is working on another project. A remake on world-renowned Zelda game, Majora's Mask. More details are to come after this break."

The inside of the Game Central Station appeared to be a vast virtual field of square tiles, and several Light Cycles were parked in a straight row. They each took a Light Cycle and began to speed across the fields, leaving a wall of light in their path. Already, Megatanks began to roll after them. They rolled ahead and emerged red barriers to get them to crash, but they immediately zipped and split up to the left and right. A group of Megatanks chased after Chris, but the Uno son swerved left and right and got them to crash into his light walls. Dillon sped up a ramp and performed several flips in the air, creating a light wall loop in midair. Maddy made her cycle leap and get onto Dillon's wall, driving along it and going around the loop as she caught up with the boy and began to drive alongside him.

A couple of Megatanks chased Maddy as the Decommissioning Officer shot her S.P.I.C.E.R. at them, but the hot-sauce weapon dealt no damage against the armored spheres. The robots began ramming her from both sides and knocking her around. "Hang on, Mad!" Chris yelled, speeding toward the Megatank on her left. He made a quick turn and caused the Megatank to crash. When the other Megatank sped ahead and created a barrier, Chris immediately pulled Maddy onto his bike and zipped to the left, letting Maddy's bike crash. "You okay?"

"I guess we're even now." Maddy said, holding onto him.

As a Megatank chased Dillon, the boy smirked before zipping by and crashing the tank in a dead end. Zach and Game-and-Watch rode by each other and exchanged glances as they were coming to a ramp. "Heh. Bet I can do a better flip than you."

Game-and-Watch smiled as he rode ahead and shot up the ramp. The Program kept a frozen pose as he flew through the air, his cycle making loops around him in a blinky fashion before landing back on the road. The midair light path that was left behind was curved like squares. "Pssh. I can do that." But when Zach sped forward to go up the ramp, the cycle flew across the air and landed perfectly on the road before keeping forward, while Zach slipped off and landed on the ground. "Oooog…"

The others zipped by as Dillon grabbed him and helped him onto the back of his cycle. The crew kept speeding along as they zipped left down a corner and approached the station's exit. Their cycles automatically slowed to a halt, allowing the group to step off and leave.

Upon their exit of the Game Station, the group arrived at a couple of curved walkways that led to a large ship with sails designed like solar panels. "Thank you all for choosing to ride the Solar Sailer. Our next stop is the Cyberspace Central Core. Please remember to keep all arms and legs inside, even though we move too slow for them to be blown off, and only digital cameras may be used for any photography. Film cameras are strictly prohibited, as our HD graphics are far too evolved. Thank yooou!"

The kids proceeded across the curved bridges as XANA Guardians, bubbles of digital energy, drifted toward them. Maddy shot at an approaching Guardian, but her shots missed as it expanded and encased her. Zach tried to shoot another, but ended up captured as well. Dillon expanded a Shadow Shockwave and sent Mario to attack Zach's prison, while Chris blasted Maddy's with fire, their elements laying waste to the digital bubbles before they vanished. A few more Guardians kept coming, but Chris set some on fire and caused them to retreat, while Dillon captured the rest in a Shadow Shockwave and wiped them out.

Finally, the kids made it to the Solar Sailer and allowed it to sail them away. They calmly sailed under the virtual skies for a few minutes until XANA Roachsters started to come onboard. This time, they were green and brown, and as the kids attacked them, the bugs started to beep and blink. In seconds, the Roachsters exploded, blowing the heroes back. When more Exploding Roachsters crawled onboard, the kids backed away and shot them from a safe distance, letting them explode out of range.

Once they were gone, a couple of Scyphozoa floated onboard. Chris and Maddy fired at the squid Programs, but their attacks did little damage against them as one wrapped its tentacles around Chris. It began sucking out his memories, and before Maddy could shoot it, she had to flip and dodge the tentacles of the other squid. Mr. Game-and-Watch leapt in the air and slashed Chris free with his 2-D sword. The other Scyphozoa caught Dillon, but he slipped away in his shadow form and floated onto its dome. He latched a timed M.A.R.B.L.E. to its head and flew away, the micro bomb beeping wildly before it blew the glass dome up. The remaining Scyphozoa still tried to grab Chris, but the Uno son grabbed and swung upward using its tentacles before tossing a M.A.R.B.L.E. at the dome, blowing it up.

Their sailing continued peacefully for another few minutes. However, the kids toppled over when the Sailer suddenly quaked and stopped in place. Immediately, the Kolossus' mighty form made itself known as it climbed up the front of the solar-powered vessel. The beast raised its massive fist and brought it down, but the kids rolled out of the way. Zach and Maddy began shooting at the target that was on its head, but the Kolossus swept its arm across the deck and smashed them into a wall.

Game-and-Watch got onto its arm and ran up to its head, using his 2-D flamethrower to blow fire in its eye. Chris noticed a similar target on its left elbow and blasted flames at it. The Kolossus seemed to feel the pain as it roared and blew the kids away. It pounded its right fist onto the deck and created shockwaves, while also taking swings at the group with its left sword arm. Dillon flew onto its head and blew Shadow Breath in its eye, blinding its vision. He went back to the deck and tossed M.A.R.B.L.E.s at its arm target, while Chris set fire to its head. The Kolossus roared and waved its arms in the air as it plummeted to the ground. The virtual earth trembled down below upon his landing, and the Solar Sailer was off once again. (End song.)

"Phew, glad to have that over with." Chris sighed as he and the group kicked back on the deck of the Solar Sailer. "We just need to shut down XANA and get going."

"And just how are we going to do that exactly?" Maddy asked. "We don't even know if Dillon's H.E.A.D.S.E.T. will work."

"Eh, my family's been known to take chances." Chris shrugged.

"Well, we know those demons certainly took their chances."

"You know what I mean."

"I still can't believe Vanellope tricked me." Dillon spoke sadly. "I guess you really can't trust online friends…"

XANA's Domain

The four operatives and Game-and-Watch finally made it, running into the cyber world's core as they stared up at the massive pole of energy that was XANA. The Master Control Program was back in his true form as the core, his face spiraling around as he flowed with even more energy. "XANA! We're here to shut you down!"

"Yeah, always polite to let them know ahead of time, Dillon." Chris remarked.

"Ewww! This is XANA?" Zach asked.

"Boy, it's ugly." Maddy said.

"So, this is the feeble resistance you have brought to me?" XANA asked, using his deep voice again. "Just what can a pack of mere users hope to do? I have evolved with a new form of power, far beyond your own. We Programs are the dominant beings now. We are advanced. You are superfluous."

The energy left the core, and XANA's face disappeared as it flowed down into his robotic body. The computer screen came to life as the Program drew dual swords and readied for battle. "So I won't need my Master Form to do away with you." he said, back in his high-pitched voice. "Not even four humans and a worn-down game Program can shut ME down."

"Don't sell us videogame Programs so short." a voice said. The kids gasped in surprise and stepped aside when Vanellope entered the chamber, a smirk on her face.

"Vanellope?" Dillon questioned.

"I remember now! My name is Vanellope von Schweetz. Princess of the KND Cyber Network! During the beginning of the Seventh Age of KND, I was invented in an arcade game, where I was a princess. Another game Program, a rogue one, invaded my game and removed me from the programming, taking my place, and becoming a virus. But I was restored, and the evil virus was derezzed. Or so I thought. A small portion of his data stayed alive in the game. The arcade workers were about to shut down the game, but the Kids Next Door of that time saved me and stole the game. The Supreme Leader downloaded me onto their network and asked if I would run it as the Master Program, and I said 'yes'! The scientists then created an assistant Program and called it XANA. The small bit of data that was left of the virus possessed XANA, infecting his mind and programming. Now, he wants to continue where he left off, but take his revenge on the human world, too. So, he glitched me up and made me forget again, stealing what was supposed to be my own power. Isn't that right?"

"Ouui… it's true." XANA admitted. "I wasn't going to let a little brat steal my glory again. But when I began spreading my disease across the rest of the network, they shut me down and suspended me in here. And Vanellope locked herself away, too, so that her true power couldn't be used for evil. Then the Kids Next Door designed a more lifeless Master Program for their network. And all other treehouse computers were designed with the same amount of emotionlessness, that is, until Sector V's computer fell for Numbuh One 20 years ago. Love conquers all… even lifeless Programs, it seems. And it was Vanellope's sorrow and care for Dillon that brought life back to The Source and restored her memory. But when Vanellope disabled herself, she still kept a portion of that power sealed inside her. The power that I needed to free myself. So I brought her to existence, without her memory, to see if she could break the code that would restore my data. In the end, she couldn't, and it was Game-and-Watch who led me to The Source. But Cyberspace has no room for faulty Programs, now, does it?"

"Hey! Vanellope is just as awesome as anyone!" Dillon declared. "You were just jealous of her, and that's why you took her place. Whether she's broken or not, she still deserves her place."

"Really? Even after she betrayed you? She'll use her power to bring civilization to end if she could."

"She never betrayed me. She was just led down the wrong path. We've all had that problem…" Dillon smiled at Vanellope, who blushed.

"And besides, isn't destroying civilization what YOU'RE doing?" Chris asked.

"Looks like you're the only faulty Program around here." Maddy stated.

"Oooh!" XANA quivered in a sarcastic motion. "You're terrifying me with your determined stares! I can feel your anger touching my hard-drive. Heh heh…" his smirk returned, "emotions are what drive a human to destruction. We Programs have no real emotion. Ergo, we have the advantage."

"Yeah." Dillon said. "But humans have heart. If we put our hearts in it, we can accomplish anything. And that includes stopping you."

"Meh. You users never have anything new. Very well, then. It will be an honor to see what's left of your particles as they drift into digital nothingness." The Program raised his right hand and snapped his fingers. Energy flowed from him into the core, restoring XANA's face on the beam of energy, while he still remained in his robotic form. (Play "The Encounter" from Kingdom Hearts II.)

The core was surrounded by a circle of square-shaped barriers. XANA leapt over the barriers and twirled his swords as the operatives readied their selves. "What's better than XANA… than TWO XANAs? AIEEE HAH HA ha haa!"


Boss fight: X.A.N.A.

The kids flipped back when XANA began rapidly swinging his swords, with Zach and Maddy countering with the S.C.A.M.P.P. and S.P.I.C.E.R.. XANA twirled his blades and defended as the Core XANA zapped electric beams and stunned the two officers. Mr. Game-and-Watch tried bashing XANA with his frying pan, but he flipped overhead and avoided. Dillon used Veil and crept up to XANA, but when he popped out, XANA turned ghostly and slipped behind him, grabbing his shirt-collar and zapping him with electricity.

The robot was suddenly pounced by Vanellope from behind as she grabbed onto his head and tried to get him to malfunction. XANA shook her off, but was too late to defend as Dillon leapt and kicked him dead in the face, bouncing him back as his keyboard opened up. Mr. Game-and-Watch then walked over and poured 2-D water onto his keyboard, causing him to short-circuit. "Aerrgh! Error… detected!"

"Great, now let's attack the core." Chris ordered. He began launching fire while Zach and Maddy fired their weapons at the gigantic face, although the attacks didn't seem to faze him. XANA's barriers spun around and launched lasers all around, blowing the kids away.

"Is that the best the users can do? My programming is far superior than lesser beings."

"At this point, I'd welcome a soda to accidentally spill on the keyboard." Zach said.

"Me, allow me to repair your data." The Core XANA sent a wave of energy to repair his robotic self.

"Oh! Why, thank you, Me!" XANA smiled to him. The robot grinned evilly and performed several flips before landing in the center of the kids, doing a spin-kick and knocking them down. "It's no use! My self is powered by The Source, there is no way you can win!"

"Guess again!" Vanellope declared, suddenly glitching onto XANA's head. Her form sparked a little bit, causing XANA's screen to become all fuzzy. Mr. Game-and-Watch hurried over to pound XANA's legs and was able to knock him out.

"Core Chamber Southeast Corner, Deletion." XANA commanded. Right away, a chunk of the floor vanished into pixels where Dillon was standing, causing him to fall into the pit.

"Hold on!" Vanellope bounced her way down the sides of the ledges. She was able to reach and grab Dillon before turning into pixels and zipping them back to the foothold.

"Alright, Vanel!" Dillon cheered.

"I have an idea! Toss me the H.E.A.D.S.E.T.!" Dillon did so and tossed his friend the H.E.A.D.S.E.T. as she placed it on her head. "And someone get rid of those barriers."

Mr. Game-and-Watch smiled and beeped as he pulled out a 2-D chainsaw to begin sawing a barrier, while Chris and Maddy had the other ones. "What are you doing?"

"H.E.A.D.S.E.T., activate!" Dillon cheered, flipping a switch.

Vanellope faced the Core Program as she called, "Data Download Initialized!" Her form and the H.E.A.D.S.E.T. became pixelated and glitchy as an energy beam was released at the very thin core between XANA's lower and upper halves. The massive core started flashing with electricity as its eyes and mouth grew wide with pain, the entity screaming as it was being glitched. Sparks flew all around the room until XANA was able to release one at the kids, blowing them back. The Program spun around as it recharged itself, gasping for breath.

"Data downloaded 30%. Proceeding with further defense measures." The kids hurried away as part of the floor began exploding, and more of the foothold was derezzed. The robot XANA was repaired as he dashed along the wall, leapt high above the kids, and shot down with a shockwave, knocking the kids back as his swords pierced the floor. XANA flipped over the edge and clung to the wall below as large smashers from the ceiling began shooting down around the foothold and creating more shockwaves that knocked the kids around.

XANA flipped back up to slice Vanellope, but she glitched away as Chris pounded him with fireballs. XANA blocked the flames and slide-kicked Chris off his feet. When Zach and Maddy tried to blast him, he dashed up the wall and tossed his swords down like boomerangs to slice their clothing, the swords then flying back to his hands. He dropped down and slammed his blades to the floor, sending a straight shockwave to knock Dillon back. Maddy leapt on XANA's back from behind and tried to pull his head back. While he was distracted, Mr. Game-and-Watch opened his keyboard and punched in random keys, causing the robot to cease motion as his screen filled with the various symbols.

When Chris attempted to throw flames at one of the barriers, they already started spinning and blocking any fire. The Core XANA then started making certain rows of the floor electrify, forcing the kids to jump around to safer ground. When the spinning barriers started slowing, they began to fire lasers along the wall. Mr. Game-and-Watch took out a 2-D bucket of glue and started dumping it on the incoming walls, blocking the lasers. When the barriers stopped spinning, Vanellope pressed her hand against one and made it glitch out.

"Let's go again!" Vanellope cheered as Dillon tossed her the H.E.A.D.S.E.T.. "Download reinitialized!" The beam of energy connected with the center and began dealing damage to XANA again. Sparks flew everywhere from his glitchy body as his face swirled around in all of the static. After a while, Vanellope ran out of strength, cancelling her download as her body glitched and she gasped for breath.

"Further damage exceeded at 67%. Initiating defense measure Level 3."

"Buuurr! Do something, you useless big lug!" the robot XANA yelled.

"Don't yell at me, I'm you. Why don't YOU pull your weight more? Annihilate that Program."

"Blll, 'Why don't you pull your weight more,' blah blah blah? Bah!" XANA raised his swords and leapt at the Program child, rapidly swinging his blades as Vanellope dodged. When he tried to stab down at her, Vanellope glitched behind him and ran down the walkway. XANA tossed electrical mines at her, but she kept glitching through them as she ran, but came to a halt when she arrived at the foothold's ledge. XANA charged and attempted to slice her, but Vanellope glitched upward and clung to the wall. XANA jumped after her, but she zipped to the other side of the room, so XANA shot over. She zipped to the ceiling, then the floor, then across the room again before clutching the ceiling.

She noticed XANA suddenly disappeared and looked around for him, but the hostile Program had become a ghost as he snuck over, returned to normal, and grabbed Vanellope on the ceiling. "Gotcha! Now I'll glitch you out, Princess!" He shot over to high above the foothold and twirled in the air before diving directly down. As they fell at high speeds, Vanellope smirked and glitched away from his grasp, and XANA's face was met with Mr. Game-and-Watch's giant bell. XANA's head vibrated for a few seconds before he fainted. Game-and-Watch rung his smaller bell in victory.

"Initiating fire walls." Core XANA called as a huge wall of pixelated fire rose up from the left of the team. The group hurried away from the fire wall, which already disappeared, but XANA then called, "Eliminate northwestern corner." At that instant, the floor disappeared from beneath their feet. Mr. Game-and-Watch dropped lower down the pit, and before their eyes, the 2-D Program transformed into a large, 2-D black octopus, catching the ops in his pixelly tentacles.

"What's this?!" XANA exclaimed.

"Whoa! Didn't know he could do this." Dillon said.

"He says it takes power and he normally uses it once." Vanellope replied. "Quick, toss me the H.E.A.D.S.E.T.!" Dillon did so as Vanellope caught the device in her hand. She placed it on and took aim at the central weak spot where the Eye of XANA was located. "Download reengaged. Take this!"

The energy beam locked with the Eye and started to malfunction XANA again. His body started blinking on and off, more digital static flashing across him. By the time the download was at 80%, Vanellope was feeling weak, her body sparking as she struggled to stand. "You will not infect me… your limit is nigh."

"C'mon, Vanellope, hang in there!" Dillon encouraged. "You may be a Program, but you have as much human spirit as the rest of us. And when you have spirit, you have no limit! Only when you've reached your goal, and more."

Hearing these words gave Vanellope the energy to keep standing. Her body kept glitching, but she kept focusing energy into XANA. "Download at 95%. 97%. 99… 99-and-a-half… 99-and-three fourths… 99.977147234126-"

"JUST LOAD THE CRUDDY THING ALREADY!" the operatives yelled.

"100%." (End song.)

Vanellope instantly stopped the download as XANA's form began to glitch more than ever. "Data error. Virus detected. Losing… e…e…n…y…y…"

The floor around the chamber returned, allowing the kids to step off for Game-and-Watch to change back. XANA's form continued to sizzle with static, his face making several twitches. "Virus error increasing. Transfer to counter-virus. Counter-virus infected. Send in emergency defense hamsters. Defense hamsters caught diseases. Numbers are dropping. Attempting to retouch with Photoshop tools. Tools rusted. Edit using auto-correct. Auto-correct broken. Always was, in fact. Energy levels decreasing. Life-force of minions decreasing. Deep, serious voice decreasing. High-pitched voice catching cold. I-… Cough, heck, hack!" He was using his high-pitched voice. "Oh, I feel so…sniff. Eck. Oh, Motherboard, is that you? I think I have a fever… cough. Ol' fever for poor Xannypoo… shopping online for medicine. Enter street address, email, and phone number. Site deemed untrustworthy. Internet Explorer cannot access webpage. Internet access… failing… failing… failing… failing…"

"…"

"…"

The chamber was slowly becoming dark as XANA's color was fading out.

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

Good-bye.

The powerful entity instantly vanished in a flash. The robotic body of the devious Program was drained of all energy, its face blanking into a black screen as it wobbled and fell over the edge. They watched as the body dropped into the pit and exploded into digital nothingness.

Vanellope gasped for breath as she removed the H.E.A.D.S.E.T.. "Hey… I did it!"

"Yeah! And with your glitch, too!" Dillon cheered.

"I did, didn't I?" Vanellope smirked, observing her left hand. "I almost forgot how useful this was." She sparked. She turned to Dillon and said, "But listen, Dillon… I'm sorry about tricking you before."

"Hey, no sweat. Especially after you kick major butt! You're like… a glitchbender!"

"Glitchbender… I like it!" Vanellope perked.

"So, you were the real MCP." Chris said. "Then I guess this means the network belongs to you."

"Hey, if you stick around to run it, you can probably get to know everybody!" Dillon said.

Vanellope walked forward, looking away in thought. "Well… I guess I should just to make sure XANA doesn't try to come back. But then again… getting to know everybody wouldn't be fun unless I was actually there to meet them. I really wish there was a way I could enter your world…"

"Well, with the H.E.A.D.S.E.T., anything is possible." Dillon said. Mr. Game-and-Watch smiled and made ringing sounds.

"You mean we're gonna have ANOTHER mutant running around?" Zach whined. Angered, Dillon's shadow rose up and smacked the boy, pushing him into the pit. "Waaaaaahh!"

"Umm…will he be okay?" Maddy asked.

"Oh, yeah, sure. He has a few extra lives." Vanellope said.

Sector V Treehouse, Mission Prep Room

"Download at 95%. 97%. 99. Download complete. Enjoy your new friend."

The Sector V team stared in amazement as Vanellope's form slowly generated in the hologram projector. When the green scans vanished, Vanellope opened her wide eyes. She stared in awe around the room, totally different than what she was used to in the virtual world.

Dillon stepped forward and said, "Vanellope von Schweetz, welcome to-"

"AWW, THIS IS SO AWESOME!!" Vanellope excitedly began zooming around the room, touching all of the various contraptions. "What's dis do, what's THAT do, what does this thing do, OR this thing??"

"Well, we always needed another one." Mason said sarcastically. This made Sheila grin.

"She's got more energy than GIR." Aurora said. She smiled when Mr. Game-and-Watch touched her shoulders from behind, making beeps and boops.

"So, are we gonna keep them here?" Chris asked.

"Nah, I'll let 'em stay at my place." Dillon said. "I've always sort of wanted a sister… and a pet."

Mr. Game-and-Watch made a questioning beep.

XANA's Old Domain

The circular chamber remained in darkness, the only light coming from the infinite abyss. Within the digital nothingness, a series of pixels came together, slowly forming the robotic body of XANA. Reboot at 5%… 7%… Several cracks and holes covered the Program as his arms weakly reached above the pit, clutching the wall and doing his best to climb up.

"Huff… that boy's H.E.A.D.S.E.T.… is imbued with Vanellope's data." He barely reached the top of the foothold as he grunted, "I… must… have it…?" A metal hand reached down to help him up. XANA looked questioningly at the shadowed, robotic figure, his glowing red eyes revealing his smirk, and the stranger's butler standing behind him.

So yes, introducing Vanellope Schweetz from Wreck-It Ralph! ^.^ And of course XANA from Code Lyoko and Nintendo's very own Mr. Game-and-Watch.

 

[Gamen Watch]

Welcome to the first multi-chapter adventure story of the Nextgen Series! This story will be themed around the Zelda game, Majora's Mask, and will be written like a full Zelda game with dungeons, bosses, and the like! But to be clear, you don't need to know the original game to understand this story: trust me, I'm gonna be taking some very unique creative liberties with these crossovers.

Prologue: Majora Awakens

They say there are many dimensions that intersect with our own. An endless array of universes that come in the same or many different ways. One example is the Twilight Realm. The Realm of Shadows that exists between our own world and the opposite Negaverse. For a long time, people have feared what may lie in wait deep within the Shadow Realm. I never understood why. I heard it was always a peaceful place. A serene beauty, where the sun always sets in the vast expanse, and the shadows of the world lived in peace. People always believed it was a cursed place. And now, I understand why. Centuries ago, when wars still reigned over the world, the Shadow Realm was a place of cursing. Beings who sinned within that world were met with cruel punishment. The price… could never have been worth it.

The realm between worlds that existed in beautiful twilight seemed ever darker today. As shadows drifted blissfully, heavily armed guards guided a cuffed prisoner into a dark palace. The prisoner dressed in pitch-black robes with glowing green stripes, brownish-yellow shoes, sleeves that covered his hands, and wore a metal helmet designed like an eagle. The guards led him into a throne room, where the Firstborn of Shadows, Midna watched from the side. Sitting upon the throne was a black-skinned queen with a huge crown and dark-purple and blue sparkling robes, and no eyes. The guards stepped away from the prisoner as he fell to his knees.

"You stand accused of an attempt to kidnap our beloved Firstborn Deity in a bid to dethrone your ruler. Minister Hant, how do you plead?"

"I was right to." The being called Hant stated coldly. "Your rule has led us nowhere. We must take revenge on the overworlders for forcing us to live in this darkness. Why wait here, when those demons are up there, partying away and laying waste to their precious world?"

"Each race must exist in its realm to help preserve the balance." Midna stated. "The demons are a savage race that have been ruining the balance for ages. To be anything like them would be to-"

"Still your tongue, Midna." The queen spoke. "The demons have their reasons for doing what they do. As do the Nightmares. Why, even our little friend here provided valid reasons for his actions. However, it was not his place to try and overthrow his queen. He will have to be severely punished. We must ensure that he never tries something like this again."

Midna's eye widened. "Queen Malevolous… you don't mean-"

Malevolous stood and turned, reaching for a stone box behind her throne. The lid slid off, and the queen pulled out a dark, heart-shaped mask with spikes around the edges, and bright, yellow-green eyes. Midna's eye widened further as the queen held the mask high in both hands.

"No! That mask wasn't meant to be used 6 times-" Midna tried to speak.

"Spirit of the Mask! Hear my words: execute this soul in the name of your glory! Let his soul be banished to reaches that far exceed the darkness of the Underworld! Make sure he knows the severity of his crime…"

Silence overtook the throne room. All of the guards watched intently, awaiting what may. Midna felt nervous about what was to come, Queen Malevolous wore a wicked grin, and behind his helmet, Hant only glared at the object in the queen's hands. Suddenly, the eyes of the mask flashed, and Hant's body immediately brimmed bright. Everyone shielded their vision as the room grew brighter. Hant's maniacal laughter echoed as the light eventually swallowed the throne room. Finally, the light vanished, and everyone could see again. All that remained of Hant was his metal helmet, which fell to the ground.

"Thank you, Majora." Malevolous spoke. "Your powers are-… Huh?" Suddenly, the mask exploded with dark energy, blowing the queen and everyone else against the wall.

Darkness quickly engulfed the mask in a cloud. In just mere moments, four arms were extracted from the cloud, and a hideous, gargantuan demon made its appearance. Malevolous and Midna gaped in terror as the entity grew larger. The entire Realm of Shadows was soon smothered in dark once the demon emerged beyond the roof of the castle.

"Heeeh heh heh heh heh hah hah ha hah ha ha!" Its dark cackles echoed across the realm. "Foolish shadows… if only they knew: the face speaks more than the heart. Now is my chance… to consume… everything…"

It didn't take long before the demon's arms were seen rising above the ground of the mortal world. It hovered into the air, dark storm clouds spiraling around his figure and drawing the attention of several demonic hordes. "LISTEN to me, my demons! The worlds will soon fall under a new cloud of darkness. No one will survive. But if my plans are to proceed, you will assist me in reaching my dimension of origin. Either you agree to serve me… or die a horrible death. And furthermore-" The demon silenced himself. Off in the distance, a white, heavenly light was shone. The light revealed the black silhouette of a fierce-looking figure with a mighty sword and a pointed hat. "NO! You… IT'S.. NOT… POSSIBLE!!"

"Eaaaaaahhhh!" The other entity gave a cry and charged at the demon. As both powers clashed, they vanished into an explosion of light.

Now loading…
Kids Next Door mission…

Dim rays of sunlight shone onto the dark mask as it slowly fell to the ground. The evil that had just emerged from the mask seemed to have faded, and it once again had the form of an ordinary object.

Operation:
M.A.S.K.E.D.

The mask hit the ground with a light bounce and a light sound before it fell into silence and motionlessness.

Masked
Avatar
Seeks
Katastrophic
Evident
Destruction

A pair of soft, gentle hands scooped the mask from the ground. The sun shone brighter onto a shadowed being who held the mask up in the air, and looked at it with a gentle grin. "Ho ho ha ha ha!…"

Loading transmission…

The one telling the prologue was Cheren Uno, since he's the main character. And you may recognize Malevolous from other Gameverse lore, and yet you may not, but we'll get into that. The following segment is a one-shot meant to be a prelude to the story, introducing the major characters.

Miyuki's Sadness

She heard them laughing. She heard them sharing exciting stories. She heard them happy. But those same people only looked at her with disgust or fear. Even now as she walked through the Moonbase, operatives spared creeped glances at her. The Murphy kids, along with some Decommissioning Troops, whispering, as did many others who caught a glance of her her cold, lifeless eyes.

Miyuki Crystal wore a flowing dress that was grayish-black on the upper half, and the skirt was pinkish-orange. She wore a white ribbon on her chest, long black socks, black shoes, and had long white hair, which was somewhat spiky. The sleeves on her shirt had white cuffs around her hands, which were barely visible except for the fingers. She had big eyes that were a gradient of orange and white, free of any emotion.

Eventually, the white-haired child reached the office of Cheren Uno. She closed the door behind her and stood before the desk as the Supreme Leader faced her. "You wanted to see me, Sir?" she asked, her voice lacking as much emotion as her eyes.

"Yes. Your sector's been telling me you haven't been pulling much weight on missions lately."

"Figures they would speak of me when I'm not around."

"Yeah. They said it might be because of a few… 'emotional' problems."

"If one is to blame, it is merely them."

"Right. Anyway, Miyuki, the reason I brought you up here today is because I was hoping to help."

"And what business do you have with my life?"

"Well, I'm Supreme Leader. And part of my job as Supreme Leader is… being able to help fellow operatives with problems. It's what my mom did; and my dad. If I'm going to be as great as them, I have to be able to listen."

"Fascinating. But tell me something: why do you wish to hear my woes? Is it because you would like to be my friend? Or do you just take pity on me, and your job requires that you speak to me nonetheless. Or maybe it's just in your own desire to follow in your mother's footsteps…"

"Miyuki…" Cheren sighed. "If an operative is troubled, I want to do everything I can to help them. Whether it's 'pity,' my desires, or otherwise, I just want everyone to be happy and make the best of things. So… I'd like you to talk to me."

Miyuki kept her blank, emotionless stare as she spoke. "I see things that no one else sees. I see… dark things. Very dark things. I see Maddy drowning. I see her leaving dog droppings by benders' houses. I also foresee her bones getting broken."

"Umm…"

"I see Haruka ripping one in the school hallway and blaming it on Mason. And I foresee her crying over a dying child. I see my teammate, MaKayla witnessing death… and I foresee her own death. Because I see so much, they fear me. They whisper things… and I see their darkness."

"Oh yeah… you're a timebender, aren't you?"

"Yes. My timebending allows me to see what has befallen them. My power is not very good… but I can use it… to make people relive those memories. So, anyone who taunts me, rues the very moment not long after."

"Miyuki, you shouldn't use powers like that. It gives people reason to fear you."

"I can see your memories, too, Cheren." Miyuki spoke with a more creepy stare. "I can see you frightened. Very frightened. Soooo helpless as you cowered from the giant spider."

"Eh, hehe." Cheren nervously chuckled. "O-kay, let's not go too far…"

"AM I creeping you out, Cheren?" Miyuki asked, shooting over to Cheren's desk to stare in his face.

Cheren shook this off and said, "Miyuki, whether you can control your powers or not, you shouldn't use peoples' pasts to get to them. And you may not think it, but some people do care about you. Like your sector. The reason they called me was so I could help you, because they care. You do have friends that care, Miyuki."

Miyuki stood in place, still up close with Cheren and keeping a blank stare. "This Halloween… I heard them. I heard the darkness… calling to me. Crystal clear. It spoke to me… it wants me… to be its friend."

"You shouldn't befriend the darkness, Miyuki. It'll only lead to disaster. You need to open up and trust people. Like your friends and family. Your family cares about you, right?"

"My mother says I'm named after an Irken Tallest. She didn't like the person… but she had a nice name."

"Hehehe." Cheren chuckled a little.

"So, you laugh at me after all."

"N-No, I was just…ugh." Cheren sighed again. "Miyuki, please. I'm just trying to be a friend. I don't want any of my operatives to have a bad time. Please, Miyuki. Give me a chance."

"Why, when all I have is sadness."

"No you don't, Miyuki. I know your friends care about you—your family, too. Now, I have other work to do, but just remember… I really would like to be your friend." Cheren assured, touching a hand to her shoulder. "And I'm sure other people do, too. And instead of using their past to scare them, maybe you can comfort them. Like how Drake Puncture lost his hand, or how Maddy almost got hurt by those Teens."

"Perhaps…"

"Great! Well, good-bye, Miyuki. Hope to see you soon." With that, the white-haired girl stepped out of the office.

As the door closed behind her, Miyuki stood in place, looking in both directions. Seeing no one was around, she reached into her dress and pulled out a dark, heart-shaped mask with spikes around the edges. She held the mask and stared into its round, red eyes, which seemed to be staring back at her. Miyuki shut her eyes tight and clutched the mask to her chest. Looking both ways again, she hid the mask down her dress and proceeded to walk out of Moonbase.

 

[Gamen Watch]

In this first chapter, we actually focus on an extremely minor KND villain!

Chapter 2: Bright Idea's Big Mistake

Crystal Household

Centuries passed since that day. The mask which had struck terror amongst the mortals and the shadows was now seated upon a nightstand in the dark of a young girl's room. It was only alit by the weak daylight from the open window, the sky gray and gloomy. The girl sat quietly on her bed, staring blankly at the wide-eyed mask. For hours each day, she sat there doing nothing else. Her blank eyes focused on the mask, which only stared back. Miyuki was just as motionless as the mask.

The silence finally ended when someone knocked on Miyuki's door. Her eyes directed away from the mask. "Miyuki? It's Mom. Can I come in?"

Miyuki gave a quiet, muffled sigh. That was her mom's cue to come in. She was a dark-haired woman in a gray sweater.

"Just wanted to come and say good morning. How long have you been up?"

"About as long as the mask…" She spoke hoarsely.

"Oh…" Olive glanced questioningly at the mask. "You've sure spent a lot of time with that thing… Where did you say you got it?"

"The new mask shop that opened in Virginia. I was… called to go there."

"Well… that's great. Maybe you can wear it for next Halloween. By the way, you have a visitor."

Miyuki's little red-haired sister ran in and yelled, "Your boyfriend's here!" She laughed, running away.

"Suki!" Olive yelled. She sighed and continued, "Anyway, yes. The Unos' son is here. You should come down and talk to him."

Miyuki fell into silence at his mention. While every other operative in the KND shunned her, the Supreme Leader was the only one that wanted to willingly speak to Miyuki. However, she felt there was something about him that wasn't totally honest.

In a minute, Miyuki was downstairs at her living room table, seated across from Cheren Uno. "Hey, Miyuki. I wanted to check up on you." he said. Cheren had chestnut-brown hair and eyes behind red glasses. He wore a red jacket and shoes, white T-shirt, and black jeggings.

Miyuki muffled a sigh, staring blankly.

"So… is everything all right down here? I'd like to know if my words are getting to you."

"Often words become dust in the wind. To all humans, some things mean nothing to them."

"Well, I can't disagree with you on that. But you can trust what I say is true. If you spent a little more time with your friends, and ignored what everyone else says, you'd see that they care about you, too."

"Mmmmm…" Miyuki only gave another sigh. Cheren's words seemed to be lost to her.

Cheren only frowned. He glanced around the room before his eyes focused on the mask, which Miyuki had brought down and placed on the table. "…Cool mask."

"Mm?" Miyuki looked up slightly.

"What is it?"

"A friend…"

"Hehehe. Like, an imaginary friend?"

"You mock me for it?"

"No! Having an imaginary friend is cool. Kaleo and his dad have one, and not to mention that giant foster home. They say it's a natural thing for shy people to have. And inventive people, too."

"My friend is all but imaginary…"

"Hehehe." Cheren grinned. "Okay, Miyuki. …Have you ever put it on?"

"The need hadn't arised…"

"Well, put it on! Here, lemme help." Cheren grabbed the mask and slipped it onto Miyuki's face.

Miyuki's vision went black once the mask was on her face, but her vision returned shortly, though having become red as she looked at Cheren. "Hm… there aren't any holes for your eyes. Can you see through that okay?"

"My vision has never been clearer…"

"Hehe! Okay." Cheren grinned. "It looks cool! Fancy designs." He said as he lightly rubbed his hand against the mask. "I wonder what it's made from? Almost looks like something Dr. Facilier would design."

"Facilier's magic means nothing…"

"Heh, come on, Miyuki, he's pretty cool. You should show it to your friends. They'd probably like it."

Just then, something under Miyuki's sleeve started beeping. She rolled up her sleeve and stared at her wristwatch communicator. "Numbuh 6:00 a.m., we need your help." someone yelled on the other side. Explosions were also heard. "Bright Idea is attacking Sector N and they called for assistance. Grab your transport pod and get down here fast!"

"Heh, speaking of which." Cheren said. "Well, you should probably get going. I mean, they are your friends, too."

Miyuki sat in silence for a few moments, staring blankly at the reassuring smile on Cheren's face through the red vision of her mask. Something inside of her told her to listen… and she did. She stood up from her seat and left outside, heading to the small ship in her garage.

"Is she feeling better?" Miyuki's mother asked as she walked in.

"I think so. I'm hoping she'll hang out a little more with her friends after she's done. Anyway, I have work to do up on Moonbase. I'll see you later, Mrs. Crystal."

Cheren stood up and walked toward the front door. Just as his hand touched the knob, a sound rang through his head. His entire vision became blurry as the image of a dark figure waved around in the blurriness. A dark, sinister voice made itself known as it sang, "Rooock a-bye Cheeerry, ooon the Earth top. Wheeen the dark blooows, the moooon will rock. Wheeen space breeeaks, the moooon will fall…"

Cheren flinched, his eyes widening. "Did you… hear something just now?" he asked.

"Oh? Not… that I'm aware of." Mrs. Crystal said.

"Okay… bye." Cheren left and walked to his parked R.O.A.D.S.T.A.R..

Sector N Treehouse

"Come awn, pardners! This bulb-head an' 'is Bulbots ain't any stronger 'an a middle-aged lady liftin' up her husky son." Numbuh 14.1589, leader of Sector N, screamed as she and her sector blasted robots, designed like huge, glowing lightbulbs with robotic tentacles.

"What's taking Sector IC so long?" her nerdy, bucktoothed brother yelled. "You'd figure a couple of timebenders would have this guy wasted by now."

Outside the treehouse, the Sector IC team, consisting of George King, MaKayla King, Terry Stork, and Lola Stork, fought a series of Bulbots. George was an albino boy with brown hair, black pants, and a purple shirt. MaKayla was very skinny with thin jeans and a lighter blue shirt, matching cap, and pink-blonde hair.

Meanwhile, an even bigger Bulbot, hovering in the air, used lasers and tentacles to lay siege against the treehouse. The massive bulb turned and faced Sector IC down below. Bright Idea, a villain in a yellow jumpsuit and giant bulb mask, sat in the cockpit. "The technology Dr. Light gave me served wonders. Soon, I will have revenge on that Mary-Lou brat by taking out her precious children and their friends! But just so this doesn't end too quickly, I'll happily deal with you benders first."

The Big Bulbot fired missiles at George King, but he slowed them down in time as he ran out of the way, letting the missiles crash on nothing. Terry Stork used Shadow Glide to fly onto the deck around the cockpit bulb, while Lola transformed into a bat and flew on with him before changing back. "Lights out, bright boy." Terry said before blowing Shadow Breath around Bright Idea's bulb, trying to blind his vision. The supervillain merely activated the enormous bulb and blew the shadowy fog away, forcing the Stork kids to shield their eyes.

"Can't you think brighter than that, shadowbenders?!" Bright Idea taunted.

"Dude, one more 'bright' pun, I'm gonna nip his neck." Lola said, still covering her eyes.

"MaKayla, throw a Time Bomb at that generator." George ordered.

MaKayla put her hand behind her back as she charged a ball of blue energy in her palm. Once it was as big as her hand, she hurled it at the electrical generator below the machine, causing a sphere of the blue energy to expand around it. The robot seemed to slow slightly as the huge lightbulb switched off.

"Crud! Leave it to Dr. Light to leave an extremely exposable generator." Bright Idea complained.

Having regained vision, Terry used Shadow Shockwave to take out one of the metal straps holding the bulb, while Lola threw spanking hands to take out the other one. Both twins worked together to wipe out the third one, causing the giant glass bulb to come off, exposing Bright Idea's cockpit.

"You may have busted my bulb, but I'm still in enough control to stump you!" the villain yelled as two lightbulbs rose up in front of his cockpit. They alit as they fired electrical rays at the two siblings, stunning them in place. "Hahahahaha!…" His laughing slowly faded when the machine started to malfunction, the electrical rays shorting out. "Argh, Dr. Light, you are the worst inventor ever…" he mumbled.

Lola regained composure as she turned into a bat. She flew around Bright Idea as he tried to fix up his machine. "Ouch!" he yelped when Lola bit his neck from behind. "Yow! Hey! Get off you stupid-" he wobbled around the deck of the ship before falling over the edge. "Waaaaah!" He landed with a thud.

Lola flew off and changed back as Bright Idea got to his feet, seeing the two timebenders approach him. He drew out a lightbulb staff and declared, "It's time your bulbs were fixed."

"Oh, haha, a double pun." MaKayla remarked.

"Huh? Oh yeah, I guess it was…" Idea mumbled, realizing what he said. "It's lights out, kiddies!"

Before the operatives tried to fight him, they looked to see a small ship coming down for a landing. When the ship touched the ground, they watched as Miyuki Crystal stepped off, still wearing her mask.

"Oh, you called for backup!" Bright Idea noticed. "Just another snot-nosed kid to learn." he said as more Bulbots appeared by his side. "So, little girl. Are you ready for your first lesson?"

Miyuki said nothing as she calmly walked past her teammates and approached the villain. "Miyuki!" George reached out for her, but she said nothing.

Bright Idea put on a look of curiosity as the operative approached him, stopping just a few feet away. Miyuki reached her right arm out and opened her hand. "Huh?… Hur!" Bright Idea began shaking, feeling some kind of strange force overcome him. "Hurrrrrr! Haaaaaah!" Miyuki's teammates gaped as Idea's body shook more and more, the villain falling to his knees. The mask glowed and shook with a dark energy, and that same energy was engulfing Bright Idea. "AAAAAHHH!" A light expanded and blinded everyone.

When the light vanished, all that was left of the villain was his lightbulb mask, which fell to the ground before Miyuki's feet. The Bulbots fell unconscious, and the four other operatives remained speechless. Miyuki turned to them and said, "I made him suffer for his… crimes…"

The four operatives exchanged horrified glances.

KND Moonbase

"Welp, that about wraps things up." Cheren said as he finished the last bit of paperwork. "I'll bring these to Larry later." The 9-year-old Supreme Leader got up from his desk and walked out to the bridge. He saw his Global Tactical Officer, Panini Drilovsky, working at her usual station as he walked over and greeted her. "Hey, Panini. Any news to report?"

"Oh, Cheren! Sector N just called and said they resolved the problem with Bright Idea."

"Great! Was Sector IC able to help them?"

"Oh, ya. In fact, they said they're comin' up here for a more detailed report. Sounds urgent."

"Hm. Well, at least I'll get to see Miyuki again."

"Ya've sure spent a lot of time with that girl." she said half-suspiciously.

"Only twice. I'm just trying to make sure she feels at home with everyone. I only want her to be happy here."

"Riiight. Anyhoo, I did a little research, ya know what I found? Taday's sort of the anniversary of when your dad came home from GKND."

"Oh yeah! Hehe, one of the greatest stories in KND history! He ended up saving the universe from an evil black hole."

"Hm-hm, right! Too bad Ay don't see ya doing that anytime soon."

"Yo, dudes." Zach Murphy greeted the two commanders as he approached them. "The freaks are here."

Cheren rolled his eyes, "Numbuh 59+58, what do I keep telling you?"

"Okay, okay. Sector IC is here. And they brought their creepy goth friend, too."

Cheren gave a light smile at that last part. A few moments later, Sector IC was walking in, escorted by Maddy Murphy. "Great job, you guys." Cheren congratulated. "How was the mission? Was Bright Idea apprehended?"

George King stepped forward and said, "Yooou… better have a look at this." The albino boy tossed the lightbulb mask before Cheren's feet.

The Supreme Leader picked up the mask and observed it. "Okay… what happened to the villain?"

"He just sort of… vaporized, or something. That's all that was left…" MaKayla said.

"But… how did that happen?"

The four operatives stepped aside and shot stares at Miyuki, wearing her mask.

"Miyuki… you did this?"

"I was reported for not pulling weight for the mission… I pulled weight, by making him suffer." Miyuki said, emotionlessly.

"But, Miyuki, death isn't the way to stop criminals. If anything, it should only serve as a last resort, if nothing else can stop them. But I don't think Bright Idea had the potential to do anything that would leave us to kill him. I mean, did he?"

"Nothing but invade a treehouse in attempt to destroy some operatives out of revenge." MaKayla replied. "Nothing we haven't dealt with before."

"Huhuhu… death? Death means nothing. I have done something far steeper…" Miyuki said.

"Well, this doesn't look like something that could be accomplished through timebending, could it?"

"No. What she did didn't look like any timebending I've seen." George said. "In fact, when she did it, her mask sort of… glowed. And it was sparking, too."

"That mask?" Cheren asked.

"Where did she get it?" Panini followed.

"I think she got it from that mask shop in Virginia." Terry replied. "But we've never seen her wearing it until this morning."

At this, Cheren slouched a little, glancing back and forth in a nervous fashion.

"Dude, I'm up for goth stuff, but that mask looks a little too creepy." Lola said.

"Ya think it was made by the Underworld?" Panini asked.

"I'm not sure. But I feel like we should study it." Cheren said. "Miyuki, hand us the mask."

As Cheren reached his hand out, Miyuki quickly backed away. "No."

"Miyuki, please." Cheren said with pleading eyes. "There's something unnatural about that mask, and I think you might be in danger."

"There are many unnatural things around here, Cheren. Why not take them away?"

"Yeah, why don't you." Maddy remarked.

Cheren rolled his eyes at the decommissioner. "Because this is an evil unnaturality. And I'm worried about you, Miyuki. Please, take the mask off."

"But I have found a friend… you wanted me to make friends… didn't you, Cheren?"

"I don't think this is the type of friend you should be associating with. If you don't take the mask off, I'm gonna have ta take it from you myself-"

"NO!" Miyuki sent an energy blast that blew Cheren across the bridge.

"SIR!" Panini cried.

Zach and Maddy grabbed Miyuki's arms and tried to cuff her as Maddy said, "All right, mask girl, you just earned yourself a-" Before she could finish, the twin decommissioners felt the same force overcome them. Miyuki held her arms out toward both of them as the mask started sparking and shaking. The dark aura surrounded the Decommission Troops as they struggled to fight the strange force. In mere seconds, light swallowed the area, and when it cleared, the helmets of the twin decommissioners dropped to the floor, their bodies vanished.

Everybody watching made a loud gasp.

"Geh!" Miyuki's body started to shake itself as she drifted away from the other operatives. "Hnn! Hrrr-nnnn!" A dark aura surrounded the operative. The eyes of the mask started to glow as Miyuki's head shook painfully.

"Miyuki, please! Take off the mask-" Cheren tried to say.

"NO!" Miyuki threw her arms out, emitting an explosion of the dark force. Her body stopped shaking as it levitated into the air. "All of you… selfish humans… biased in all of your decisions." She spoke in a strange, monotone voice of her own and someone else's. "You favorite people over others. You make fun of those you don't like. And even those you DO like. Grrrrrrr!" Her body shook some more. "Why do I continue to linger with these mortals? Why, knowing they don't give a damn about my needs? IIII have more important things to do… than to waste time with these so-called 'friends.' I will ensure… that you ALL pay… for your sins!"

"Miyuki! Come back here!" Cheren yelled, trying to chase her.

"Maybe if I Rewind her, we can-" George said as he tried to channel his power on Miyuki.

"No." MaKayla spoke up suddenly, grabbing her brother's wrist.

"What?" George looked confusedly at his sister. "MaKayla? Why?"

"Relax, George." she said, her eyes glowing an unrealistic blue as she looked away from her brother. "Things will be resolved in time…"

"Uuuh…"

Her blue eyes returned to normal as she looked at her brother with a positive grin. "Just trust me!"

"…" His sister was so weird sometimes.

Meanwhile, Miyuki had hurried into the Moonbase hangar, Cheren on her tail as she dashed into her S.C.A.M.P.E.R.. "Miyuki, stop!" Cheren called.

As Miyuki activated her ship, a dark aura from her body transferred onto the ship's controls. Cheren stopped and watched in amazement as the ship lifted off the ground, engulfed in the aura. In a second, the ship flashed, becoming a black-painted color with purple streaks across the sides, black spiked wings along the top and sides, and engines that emitted purple flames. Cheren only stood there as the ship turned towards the hangar entry and shot out to Planet Earth.

By the time the ship was a long ways from the Moonbase, Panini and the Sector IC operatives made it downstairs. "Where's Miyuki?" George asked.

"She took your S.C.A.M.P.E.R. and left." Cheren stated.

"Well, what do we do?? We can't let her go running around with an evil mask on her face." Terry shouted.

"You're right. I'm going after her." Cheren decided. "Panini, you're in charge until I get back. Go ask Numbuh 65.42 what the S.C.A.M.P.E.R.'s flight path was."

"But, Sir! By yerself? Ya can't expect ta take on Miyuki all on yer own."

"If anyone can get through to her, it's me. Besides…" Cheren smirked as he walked to get in his R.O.A.D.S.T.A.R., "I'm bringin' someone along."

"Well… okay." Panini still felt worried for her leader, but decided to trust what he said.

Sector V Treehouse; Numbuh Zero's Chamber of Coolness

Cheren entered the secret chamber below his parents' house and approached the Sacred Casket that lay under the dim shining light. The Uno child smacked the purple gem on the box, and it flashed open, instantly equipping him with the Mirror Shield, Light Arrows, and Master Sword. "Don't worry, Miyuki. I'm comin'." he said with a confident smirk.

Somewhere over the ocean

In just a few moments, Cheren was flying in his R.O.A.D.S.T.A.R. overseas, his tiny screen making a beeping sound as he answered a call from Panini. Her image appeared on the small screen as she spoke, "Larry just tracked the coordinates. He says that Miyuki's landed in some forest in Japan. In fact, I think it's-"

"The Forest of Light."

"Yah. …How'd ye know?"

"Had a feeling."

"O-kay… are ye sure ya don't want any of us comin' ta help ya?"

"It's better that no one else gets hurt. And if I'm lucky, I won't need to use violence to get through to Miyuki."

"If you say so. I hope ye know what yer doin'…"

Cheren gave an assuring smile before ending the transmission. "Heh heh… I hope so, too, Panini…"

Mysterious Underground

After landing her ship, Miyuki appeared inside of a dark cave, only dim rays of light piercing through the surface. "Hmmm…" She looked over at a single gravestone beside the wall. The masked child approached the gravestone, the eyes of her mask still alit as they viewed the inscription: Here lies Gekko, our favorite frog-loving minion.

Miyuki placed her hand against the gravestone, channeling the dark power. "Gekko, you lazy slime. Get up here."

The ground below the gravestone appeared to be thumping as a sound was heard. "Sdiqoop-sdiqoop-SI-DAAAAAH!" Immediately, an orange, black-striped lizard monster, with sharp teeth in purple lips, claws, and thin spikes on its back shot up from the ground, coming down with a thud. "Dur-dur! Mashter, Mashter!" it yelled excitedly. "It'sh been agesh! How have you been? Me, it'sh been AWWful! I haven't had froggiesh in eonshes! I'm STARVING, Mashter! I need FOOOD! I need-" Miyuki snapped his lips shut with her fingers.

"Quit croaking, Toady. You're lucky I woke you up at all. Not leaving you to starve…"

She pushed him away, spinning the lizard around. "Oh, it was jusht so AWful, Mashter. Having been beaten by that foresht boy. I think I have me cutsieses from his shword. …But pleashe, enough about me. Lookie at you." Gekko grinned as he crawled around the girl. "Your new body looksh sho PLUSH!"

"Yes. My new body feels far more powerful than that lifeless puppet. This girl… so sad and rich with delicious gloom… is just the vessel I need… to take my revenge. Tell me, Gekko. Is the entrance to the other world still intact?"

"Jusht how we left its'! Uhh, I thinks… No-no! We should definitely be able to come in theresies!"

"I hope… you are right. I will look for it myself. Why don't you be a good minion… and round up the rest of the hordes? The demons will be partying well tonight."

"Mashter, Mashter! I'm misshing my friendsh! I go now! Ha-daaaaah!" At his cry, a giant turtle popped up from beneath the ground. The Gekko hopped on it and waved his fist, and the turtle burrowed beneath the ground with the excited monster on its back.

Miyuki's monotone voice sighed as she continued further in the cave.

Forest of Light; outside the cavern

After a while of flying, Cheren's R.O.A.D.S.T.A.R. touched the surface of the forest, parked just a few feet away from Miyuki's ship. He looked around this section of the forest, which seemed much darker compared to the rest of the woods, but still had a calm, peaceful aura about it. "Feeling rested today, Fi?" As Cheren spoke, the blue slender spirit woman, Fi, jumped out of his sword.

"I am well-rested today, Master. How are you this fine day?"

"Feeling good. But we have a mission on our hands."

"I have analyzed your concern for the Miyuki girl. I project an 89% accuracy she is inside this cave for unverified reasons. May I presume extreme caution when tracking her whereabouts in the darkness ahead."

"Yeah, yeah." Cheren playfully rolled his eyes. "Come on, Fi. Let's get in there and help Miyuki before something bad happens. If this is Underworld work at hand, I'll need you by my side." The sword-wielding child entered the cave, with Fi drifting close behind him. (Play "Cave" from Xenoblade 3!)


Stage 1: Mysterious Underground

Mission: Track Miyuki through the cave.

When Cheren entered the first room of the cave, they already found a series of platforms leading to a door on a ledge. Before he proceeded, Fi jumped in front of him. "Master, I am sensing a series of minor hazards up ahead. Since these puzzles should be of no challenge to you, Master, I project they make the perfect course for you to remember your skills."

Cheren looked toward the camera and said, "Do we really need this type of tutorial crud right now?" He looked at Fi and said, "Okay, do your stuff, Fi."

"Very good, Master. To start off, these platforms before you are too out of range for simple walking. You should easily be able to navigate over them if you jump."

"Right, jumping. Wouldn'ta guessed that." Fi flew across the platforms as Cheren did as she said and jumped over the simple platforms. He made it to his spirit friend, who waited beside the door.

"Master, this door is a different model than certain house doors you're used to. However, it can just as easily be opened by grabbing the bottom end and pushing it upward to allow yourself entry."

"Ooh, opening doors." Cheren sarcastically remarked as he pushed the door up from the bottom, walking under it. "My brain is already succumbing to these challenging puzzles."

In this next room, there was another door on the other side that had metal bars in front of it. In the center of the room was an open floor with a large block and a blue switch, each baring a symbol of Miyuki's mask. "Master, entry into this door seems impossible unless we can find a way to remove the metal bars shielding it. I project the switch will serve this purpose, however, the bars will seal the door again once your weight has been removed from the switch. Therefore, I suggest using an alternate weight to hold the switch for you. This block appears heavy enough, but it can be easily pushed by you, Master."

"Yay, I'm learning how to push things." he remarked once more. Cheren pressed his hands against the block and used his strength to push it across the flat floor. He pushed it straight ahead until it was beside the switch, then had to push the block from the side to get it onto the switch. Just like that, the metal bars opened, and Cheren was allowed inside. The next room appeared similar, only this time the door was shut with metal chains with a lock in the middle.

"This door, Master, appears to be locked. To open it, I presume we-"

"LET ME GUESS, we have to find a freaking key somewhere and use it to gain access to the next room."

"Your humorous sarcastic remark is accurate, Master. Signs indicate that the key is rested on the ledge above you." Cheren looked up and saw a small ledge just below the ceiling. "The wall under the ledge looks climbable, Master. You can easily reach the key using this rugged surface."

Cheren did so and gripped the rocky wall before him, using it to climb his way up. It didn't take long until he reached the ledge up top, stepping off to find a small, silver key on the ground. He grabbed the Small Key (as it is aptly named) and jumped down to the lower floor. He stuck the key into the keyhole and the chains broke apart in seconds, allowing Cheren entry. The next room was a lot longer, but more straight. On the other side was an entryway sealed by metal bars, and a crystal switch on the floor before Cheren.

"This is a Crystal Switch, Master. They serve a similar purpose to regular switches, but can be activated when struck with any force. I can conjecture it will open the barred archway ahead of you, but there is a 90% chance the gate will begin closing in seconds. I suggest you run in order to make it under the bars in time."

"If you have time to worry, then run, I guess." Cheren said as he struck the switch with his sword. It flashed and caused the metal bars to open up. The Uno son ran as quick as he could to get into the next room as the bars began closing. When he was getting close, the bars were just inches away from closing, so he wasn't able to run in. However, he was able to get in using a- "YOUTH ROLL!" rolling and slipping under the bars just before they closed.

After getting to his feet, Cheren watched as a bunch of green and red blobs dropped from the ceiling. The Red and Green Chuchus revealed their eyes and wide grins as they wobbled toward Cheren. "Now is time to test your combat skills, Master. Vanquish the enemies using your knowledge of the sword."

Cheren grabbed the blade in his left hand and charged at the jelly blobs. Using the skills he was taught by his mother, he sliced the bunch of blobs into pieces, with vertical slices, horizontal slices, and diagonal slices. More blobs dropped from the ceiling and surrounded him. As they all leapt at him, Cheren wiped the blobs out with a simple spin attack. He then watched as another group of Chuchus formed up into a slightly bigger Chu. Cheren merely smirked, readied his blade, and leapt in the air, cutting the blob in half with a jump attack.

Cheren sheathed his blade as he went with Fi into the next room. They appeared atop a ledge over a bottomless chasm, their only way seeming to be a rocky ledge along the wall. "You already know how to climb across rugged surfaces, Master. Still, beware of your footing and be cautious as you navigate across the endless abyss."

Cheren gulped, terrified at how high he was. "No kidding." He grabbed the side of the rocky wall and carefully began to move sideways over the dangerous pit. The rocky ledge continued downward, so Cheren had to glance below him to see where he was stepping. The path went sideways again, so Cheren had an easier time seeing his way. Eventually, he came to a stop on a small platform, still hanging over the chasm.

"Master, there is a slight, grabable ledge sticking from this wall." Fi said, noticing the tiny ledge that went further across the chasm. "It is possible to grab and hang on as you make your way across. A slightly more dangerous action than climbing, so I'd advise extreme caution."

Cheren did so and gripped the tiny ledge, holding on tight as he dangled over the abyss. As he made his way across, there was a hole in the wall above the ledge ahead of him. When he drew close, a blue creature with a long mouth and huge teeth stuck out and tried to snap him, scaring Cheren. Thankfully, the boy was a few inches too far.

"Snapdragons are a common enemy in some areas, Master. They dwell inside the walls, awaiting their prey. If you grip your sword in your free hand, you can strike it." At this, Cheren released his left hand's grip on the ledge and grabbed his sword. He swung and sliced the Snapdragon, causing it to retreat. Cheren sheathed his sword and quickly grabbed the ledge again before his right arm would get tired. Finally, he was able to make it over a ledge with a cave, where it was safe to let go.

The two proceeded into the cave, where they came to a chamber where the cave split into five paths. Cheren noticed a small, heart-shaped locket on the ground. He picked it up and opened it. It revealed a beautiful picture of the crescent moon in the starry night sky. Little gears below the picture started turning, playing a peaceful, relaxing, jingly tune. Cheren stared at the music device in his hand for a few moments. The peaceful tune seemed to calm his mind after the stress of making his way through this cave, and having almost fallen down a dark abyss. Soon, the music stopped, and Cheren snapped it shut.

Fi drifted in front of him and spoke, "Master, I sense that the caves ahead of us are split into a labyrinth. I am also detecting an aura from this box that may be similar to the one Miyuki emits. Using this information, I project I am able to track her using dowsing. Would you like to know how dowsing works?"

"Yeah, yeah, I aim the sword around until it starts beeping, and I go in that direction."

"Your basic, idle summarization is once again accurate, Master. Track Miyuki's whereabouts through the maze using this ability."

Fi jumped into the sword as Cheren held it out. It glowed slightly as Cheren aimed it around. When he pointed it at the left cave, it started to beep and blink. He followed the signal down that direction and came to another split in the path. There were four directions, but Cheren aimed his sword as it started beeping in the top-right cave, following that direction. He came to three separate paths, but the sword beeped toward the middle one. He then came to a room with 10 different paths. His sword pointed to one of the left caves, but when Cheren entered that one, it stopped beeping when he walked further. He aimed his sword around and saw that it beeped toward a round rock by the wall. He shoved the rock out of the way, revealing a secret hole.

Cheren sheathed his blade as he climbed a ladder down the hole, continuing through the underground passage. He held his sword out and followed the signal straight ahead. "Ugh, my arm's tired." he said, sheathing the blade again. "Meh, it looks pretty narrow to me. …Wait, what's this?" Cheren glanced down and saw something on the ground. He walked over and bent down, finding what looked like a petrified Kateenian's body. He scooped the body in his hands and looked at it more closely. "This is… disturbing. I wonder what coulda happened to this guy?" He placed the body back on the ground. "Oh well. Gotta catch up."

Cheren walked a little further, the cave growing darker with each step. He eventually came to a dead end, feeling around the rocky wall in search of a clue. "Hm… This place feels familiar. And at the same time… not familiar. What could Miyuki be-" His sentence was cut short when he felt the ground crumple beneath his feet. In an instant, the floor collapsed, sending him falling and screaming into the dark abyss. "Aaaaaaaahhh…"

As his screams echoed through the darkness, colorful, blurry images passed his eyes. One looked like some kind of flute, one of a pirates' skull, one of a headband with a swirly symbol, one of a banana, one of Miyuki's mask, and several other images as well.

"GYAAAH—UUH!" Cheren slid down a rocky slope at the bottom and collided with the ground below with a thud. The Uno son weakly stood up and brushed the dirt off of him, then grabbed his sword and shield as he pressed forward. Cheren struggled to see his way across the pitch-black cavern. He heard splashing sounds beneath his feet, and realized he was walking across some shallow water. Cheren flinched when spotlights suddenly flashed on in the room. Cheren stared across from him as someone appeared to be feeling around a dead-end wall. It was Miyuki Crystal. (Play Majora's Theme from Majora's Mask.)

"Miyuki!" Cheren called out.

The child ignored him and felt around the wall. "This is strange… they have sealed the entrance to this place long ago. The only entrance linking this world to the other… gone."

"What?" Cheren was baffled.

After she was finished, the child levitated in the air, turned, and approached Cheren. The mask was still on her face as her limbs hung dry, and her head tilted sideways. "What a strange turn of events that I would end up here again. Same place… different time… but same people." She spoke in her monotone voice.

Cheren stared creepily as Miyuki drifted closer, circling and observing his form.

"But what is this? You are a different mind… different form… and yet… you possess the spirit of the fierce warrior who vanquished me long ago."

"Link?" Cheren said lowly.

"How appropriate that we would meet upon my return. …It can only be called fate. That I would have to settle my life-long score with you. Oh, but what is this?" Miyuki studied him closer. "There is another scent about you. Your soul… smells like the queen. That foolhardy queen who acted as my ruler. I had hoped to vanquish her when I was freed the first time. But as a legacy lives on, it seems I will have my chance."

Terrified, Cheren jumped backward. "Who are you?! What've you done with Miyuki?"

"The child's soul was a must for my survival. It serves me well, better than the other soul I once commandeered. And yet… it is no substitute. I hope not to keep it for long. And I do not wish to waste precious energy on you. So, Child… I promise not to destroy you… if I am promised one thing: tell me how to reach the Termina Dimension."

"The… Termina Dimension?"

"Yes. The dimension that intersects with your Hyrule."

"I… don't know what you're talking about…"

Miyuki… or rather, the being that was controlling Miyuki, released a sigh. "Very well. It would be a danger to let you linger around longer. And so, I am forced… to show you a piece of my power." An eerie cracking sound echoed across the caves as Miyuki's head shook. The mask brimmed with a dark energy, and Cheren felt a strange force overcome him. Pain began to flow through his body. He fell to his knees and shut his eyes tight, struggling to break free of the painful force.

Cheren began to have a vision around him. Thousands of Kateenian souls surrounded his body in the pitch-black darkness. Cheren desperately tried to smack them away as they began piling onto his form, but to no avail. The more he smacked away, they just kept piling onto him, and soon, his body vanished under the piles of souls.

"Oooh…" Cheren groaned, holding his throbbing head as he looked up dizzily at Miyuki. Cheren now seemed only half as tall as Miyuki, having been placed in the body of a Kateenian.

"MMmmm hmm hmm hmm! This look is far more suited for you. You'll stay here looking like that forever!" Cheren's mind slowly fell into subconsciousness as Miyuki vanished into the darkness. (End song.)

As Cheren's shortened body lay in the puddle of water, slight ripples flowed from the darkness as another figure made steps through the liquid. The shadowed being bent down and picked the unconscious Cheren up in his arms. His light giggle echoed in the caverns as a pearly white grin gave form to his face.


I know we haven't officially been introduced to George and MaKayla King yet, but they are going to have their own story later (MaKayla at least).

 

[Gamen Watch]

Majora's wasn't the only iconic face from his game.

Chapter 3: The Masked Demon

Uno Household

"Ohhh…" Cheren groggily awakened on the bed in his room. He was surrounded by Panini, Francis, and the members of Sector V, including their new member, Vanellope Schweetz.

"You okay, Bro?" Aurora asked, helping him to stand.

"I'm just fine." Cheren stood up so that his eye level was with his friends', but noticed that he was standing on his bed. "Wait, did you guys get taller? What happened, anyway?"

"You were unconscious in that cave after Miyuki cursed you. At least, that's what the guy that found you told us." Harry Gilligan said.

"Cursed me?"

"Yeah. Miyuki left you looking like this." Aurora said as she held up a mirror in front of Cheren.

"GYAH!" Cheren fell over at the sight of his new look. He now had the body of a Kateenian. His skin was yellow, he wore the upper half of a red jumpsuit, he still had his jeggings, his glasses, his brown hair, and he wore red boots. "Well, this isn't something that happens every morning."

"AWW, you're so cuuute!" Vanellope cooed as she embraced the Supreme Leader in a hug. "I wanna HUG youuu, and SQUEEZE youuu."

"Stop it, stop iiit!" Cheren yelled, shaking away from the Program girl.

"Be thankful you're not the size of a real Kateenian." Aurora said.

"Hold on, you said somebody found me. Who?"

"Hmhmhmhm." came a light giggle from outside.

Everyone directed their attention to the open doorway. The silhouette of a mysterious man stood in the entrance to Cheren's room, a wide, white grin on his face. The kids stepped aside as Cheren walked off his bed and approached the man. The man stepped into the light of Cheren's room. The redheaded man wore long, purple shoes, a shiny, smooth purple robe, and wore a huge pack on his back that was loaded with various masks. His face was covered up by his large hands as he bent closer to Cheren. "AAH!" Cheren screamed; in a flash, the man uncovered his face, revealing its hideous appearance, with a tilted, squished nose, and tiny pupils in wide areas where his eyes should be.

"Hahahahahaha!" The man removed the mask that was covering his grinning visage, his eyes closed in a joyous fashion. "You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you?"

Cheren, after falling on his back, stood up and shook to his senses. "Wait! You're that guy that runs the new mask shop, aren't you?"

"That is correct. I travel the world in search of many masks. As I set up shop in this town, a very important mask was taken from me. Now, do not think me rude, but I have been following you as you ventured into that cave."

"Well, that isn't creepy at all." Aurora remarked sarcastically.

Suddenly, Midna came out of the man's shadow. "Oh, you learn to get used to him after a while."

"Midna? Where'd you come from?" Dillon asked.

"Your little friend was kind enough to point me in the mask's direction." The Mask Man smiled. "And further helped me to follow your ship to that forest. That poor child wandered off with it…" his grin turned into a frown.

"What kind of mask was it?" Aurora asked.

"It was Majora's Mask." Midna spoke seriously. "It's a dark mask that was given to the people of the Shadow Realm long ago. We don't know where it came from, or why it was created. All we were told was… it wasn't to be used six times. My tribe only used it to curse the worst of criminals. After only a few curses, our Queen Malevolous felt power-hungry. She wanted to use it in every opportune moment. I tried to caution her, but… you know how they get. She used it for the 6th​ time on a dangerous traitor. The mask brought destruction across the world, and… then it just vanished."

"'Just vanished'?" Dillon questioned.

"I was knocked out. I don't remember what happened. But I still remember the horrors it brought. I always thought the mask was lost forever. But then… this man found it."

"Why would you have something like that in your shop, anyway?!" Aurora asked the Mask Man.

"I searched years for the legendary mask." The Mask Man said, still with his frown, though exposing his teeth. "I went through great lengths to get it. I was going to make a fortune off of it! But as I lay my hands on it… I could feel the dark omen brewing. I had to keep that mask out of mortal hands at all costs. And now that girl has it." The man started waving and shaking in an uncontrollable motion. "IF I DON'T GET THAT MASK, SOMETHING TERRIBLE WILL HAPPEN! I'M BEGGING YOU, YOU MUST-"

"OKAY, OKAY, CALM DOWN!" Cheren yelled, causing the man to stop in place. "We'll get your mask back. Even though it's not our policy to help crazy adults, we still have to save Miyuki."

"You would do that for me?" the man asked with a gracious, teary grin.

"Well, there's still the matter of Cheren looking like that." Panini reminded.

"He won't be able to help much without his own body." Aurora said. "Speaking of which, you should probably go downstairs and let Mom know you're safe."

"Yeah, I… guess." Cheren walked around the tall man and went downstairs.

In the living room, Mrs. Rachel Uno was sitting calmly on the couch and watching T.V.. When her youngest son walked in, she turned and looked down at his shortened form as he looked up. "Heh… well, on the bright side, I'm not injured." Cheren nervously grinned.

"Will I have to bring out the highchairs again?" his mother remarked.

"I don't need to be treated like a baby." Cheren said as he jumped and gripped the ledge of the couch, pulling himself up beside his mother.

The Mask Man, Aurora, Chris, and the Drilovsky kids came down afterwards. "Will he be stuck forever like this?" Panini asked.

The Mask Man grabbed a cup of coffee from the stand beside the couch and sipped a drink. "Hmhmhmhm…" he grinned and chuckled. "I know of a way to return him to his former self…"

"Umm, I wasn't finished with that." Rachel said as she watched the man drink her coffee.

"Long ago… there was a mystical instrument created by the spirits. One could perform songs on this instrument… and incredible things would happen. The Spirit Flute was designed by the spirits of old long ago, to heal terrible curses like this, and bring peace."

"Well, there we have it." Aurora figured. "Show us the Spirit Flute and let's get our leader back."

"Hmhmhmhm… that is to say… I have no idea how to find it." At this, everyone did the classic anime-style fall-down.

"But you said you could change him back!" Aurora yelled.

"I said I knew of a way to change him. I never said I had the means." he said, the grin still plastered on his face. "I have only heard tales. The Spirit Flute is said to lie somewhere in the Dream Realm, in a region far beyond the reaches of the human mind. Why, not even The Chronicler and his amazing powers could send someone into such a distant place."

"So, in other words, Cheren's as good as stuck."

Cheren sighed. "'Guess we better phone the scientists and see if they can whip something."

"Ah ha ha ha! No, dear boy. Majora's powers are far too terrifying. His curses could not be broken any other way. Even Sacred Treasures are deemed useless."

Cheren gasped at this. "Wait! What happened to all my weapons?"

"Oh, we forgot to mention." Midna spoke up. "After Miyuki knocked you out, she sort of… robbed you."

"Oh, man…" Cheren bore a look of guilt as he looked up at his mother. "Mom, I…I lost the Master Sword. …I'm sorry, Mom."

"Don't be, Cheren. You probably wouldn't've wanted to use it against Miyuki. Besides, if she could just take it, maybe it wouldn't've worked, anyway."

"Hmhmhm." The Mask Man laughed. "Well, the Master Sword would've served useful… but Majora is a far advanced species of demon. His powers may succeed those of even Ganondorf."

"But he was Underworld-created… so the demons must know a way to stop him." Rachel figured.

"Oh no…" The Mask Man shook his head. "Majora was not born in the Underworld… Though he's won the respect of many demons, the origin of his existence remains elsewhere."

"Hmm… down in that cave…" Cheren thought aloud, "Miyuki—I mean… Majora said that he wanted to get into the Termina Dimension. That's why he—she—they—were down there. …But the entrance was sealed off."

"Well, so Majora's trapped in this dimension." Francis summarized. "But why would he wanna get back? Isn't a demon just happy spreading destruction… wherever?"

"But Majora isn't your usual demon." The Mask Man reminded. "His idea of destruction is far more terrifying. And whatever reason he may have for wanting to return to his home of origin, may surely effect your world, too."

"And in all frankness, it's not safe to let any sort of dangerous demon run around." Rachel said. "We should find a way to stop him."

"But how will I be able to do anything when I'm like this?" Cheren asked. "Without that Spirit Flute, they'll be kicking me around like a… Kateenian Gummi."

"Well, the mask dude said the flute was in a distant part of the Dream World, right?" Chris asked.

"Yeah?…"

Chris cracked his knuckles and smirked as he said, "All right, let's gather everyone up and give Cheren the pounding of a lifetime!"

"Uh, Brooo!" Aurora yelled scoldingly.

"I'm only kidding." He raised his hands in defense.

"I think I just need a walk." Cheren said, getting off the couch. "Maybe then, I can think of a way to solve this mess."

As he passed by him, the Happy Mask Man bent down and placed a hand on his little shoulder. "Do not worry. I am almost certain you will find the Spirit Flute. I can see you are a bright boy with tremendous courage. Surely you will find a way soon."

Cheren stared creepily at the man's bright grin and hopeful, sparkling eyes. He gave a nervous chuckle before continuing to the door. When the shortened leader reached the door, the knob was too high for his short body to reach. Panini smiled as she walked over and opened the door for him. Cheren gave her a slight glare before going outside.

Nugget River

Cheren was later at Cleveland's golden nugget river, lying on his back as he stared up into the clouds. The calm wind that blew across the grass, trees, and his hair was enough to ease his mind a little… but it wasn't enough. Being shrunk into a half-sized Kateenian was the least of his worries, on top of that, Miyuki's been brainwashed by some demon, and he wasn't able to snap her out of it. Not to mention he just lost two operatives to Miyuki—or whoever's, power. As the boy sat up and stared at his reflection in the river, he begun to lose hope. In his lesser height and lesser form, he saw no way in resolving this problem. With a depressed sigh, he fell backward to continue staring at the clouds. But instead of clouds, he was caught in the shade of a freckled face looming over him.

"AAH!" he jumped at the sight of Panini.

"Haha haha! That never gets old!" the girl laughed in her Irish accent.

"Panini…" Cheren rolled his eyes and sighed.

Panini walked out onto the river and picked out two golden nuggets. "I was feelin' a wee bit hungry." she said, eating her nugget. "I don't know where these nuggets come from… but they're mighty tasteh." The girl walked over and sat beside Cheren, grabbing the toddler-sized boy and setting him on her lap. "Ha ha ha! Ya look like a wee 3-year-old!"

It's true, Cheren felt like a 3-year-old sitting on his older sister's lap. And around Panini, that didn't feel so bad. Her lighthearted attitude brought a little more spirit to his heart. He smiled as Panini handed him the other golden nugget, which he had to hold in both his little hands. He started chewing on it as Panini spoke again. "What's wrong withcha, Cherry? Ya normally don't come down here without eatin' nuggets 'less yer sad."

"Well, I am sad. Sort of. I couldn't help Miyuki be happy and I lost my mom's weapons. After she trusted me with them… I'm a terrible leader."

"Nooo ya aren't. Me mum says that your mum made a lot of mistakes in her time. Losin' the Kids Next Door ta Father, gettin' Mr. York ta join the Brotherhood, and that whole thing with Rumpel and Mr. Crystal… but she always picked herself back up and things worked out. Heck, this is nothin'." She rubbed Cheren's hair. "Ah know ye'll fix things up."

"Maybe. But I wish we had a way to get to this… flute thingy." A warping sound caught Cheren's attention. He looked to his left, finding a strange, short, black, robotic creature, with big blue eyes and two antennas, warping around the bushes. "Did you see that?"

The creature continued warping around as Panini looked over. "See what?"

"That thing. Right there."

"Ah don't see anythin'. Oh?" Cheren got off Panini's lap and ran for those bushes.

The Kateenian child hauled himself over the thick bushes, falling on his behind as he shook his dizzy head. Before his eyes, four of those strange creatures appeared around him. "ZONI."

"What? Who are you?"

"Do not fear, Sire. We are friends. We are here to help you destroy it."

"'Destroy it'?"

"Please… sleep."

"Sleep? No-no-no." Cheren shook his head and waved his hands in defiance. "I'm not goin' to sleep until I get answers. Who are you, and why are you-" Before Cheren could finish, one of the creatures touched his chest, giving him a painful shock. "BZZBBZBZLZLZBZBLZZLBZLZZLBZ!" His eyes widened, body covered in soot, before he fell totally unconscious one second after, snoring loudly as he drifted into slumber.

The Zoni surrounded his form and circled him in a light.

Dream Realm; Kingdom of Light

Cheren's vision was blurry as it returned to him. When he came to his senses, he found the four creatures hovering over his form. He curiously stood up and looked around. He was in the center of a vast, golden city, the sky more bright-blue than it's ever been on Earth. When he looked down and studied his clothing, he saw that his clothes had changed into some kind of golden jumpsuit with a strange symbol on the front of his chest: it was a "C" with a tiny 'x' on the spot between the two endpoints.

"Where did you bring me?" he asked the strange creatures.

"Welcome to Prospit: Land of Light. Beyond is that which will break the curse. We are Zoni. We will help you."

Cheren stared around the golden city of towering skyscrapers. Seeing no way to go, he figured that he had to trust the Zoni. "Okay then. Maybe I could get used to this new body while I'm at it…" (Play "Clank and the Zoni" from Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction.)


Stage 2: The Kingdom of Light

Mission: Follow the Zoni and find the Spirit Flute.

Cheren followed the Zoni across the strange, golden realm, his Kateenian body causing him to move slower than usual. The alien-ish creatures guided him to a bridge that looked cracked and unstable. "Your shortened stature gives you access over weak terrain, Sire. Use it to advantage." Cheren listened and carefully crossed the rugged walkway. The bridge seemed to withstand his short weight, and he was able to cross without trouble. The operative then came to a small pit with thin, wobbly platforms leading across. "Jump to proceed, Sire. Need no fear for lighter weight." As they said, the platforms seemed to withstand Cheren's weight as he hopped across. He couldn't jump as good as in his regular body, but it was enough.

The Zoni flew over to a set of tall stairs, which Cheren had to climb up before reaching the roof of a building. On top, a glob of blackness bounced on the ground and formed into a strange shadow being with a jester's hat, white, maniacal eyes, and grinning sharp teeth. "You must face the threat. Use your height to your advantage, Sire." The Shadow Jester readied himself as he faced Cheren. The Kateenian boy charged at the creature and slid between his legs. From behind, Cheren pounced onto its head and covered its eyes with his hands, making it run around aimlessly until it hit a wall and knocked out.

Cheren kept following the Zoni as two more of those creatures showed up, wielding knives. The first one swung his knife at him, but Cheren rolled around it and latched on from behind. The monster swung his knife aimlessly, and Cheren made him strike at the other monster. When he was knocked out, Cheren kicked his monster to the ground before bouncing on his head, smashing his face on the floor and knocking him out. Cheren followed the Zoni up some stairs and into a room on a tower. They flew outside of a window, which had a wire connecting to a building across a distance. Cheren stood on the wire and carefully moved across in his Kateenian body, overlooking the vast city of gold, which seemed to disappear over a horizon across a distance.

He was able to reach the building on the other side of the wire, where more Shadow Jesters appeared atop buildings. He ran to the first one and kicked its shin before punching it upside the jaw. He proceeded to jump the other rooftops and knock out other jesters as he moved along. He watched the Zoni fly down into an open window and carefully jumped down inside as well. He was in some office where a group of shadowy beings in trenchcoats and hats stood guard. They noticed Cheren and immediately shot guns at him, but he covered behind a fallen table. He carefully snuck out behind other pieces of debris while they still focused on the table. He snuck up to one of the men and pounced on his head, making him fire aimlessly at the other men. When they were down, Cheren proceeded to knock out the last one.

He saw the Zoni drifting outside the cracked window and saw a small hole fit for him to squeeze through. He crawled through and was outside on a rooftop. Before him was a series of shadowy men, wielding guns as they patrolled around trashcans. One of them turned at him, but he crouched behind a trash bag as the man kept patrolling. Cheren snuck past him and went behind some golden trashcans. Two more guards patrolled the same next row. When they passed each other, faces in opposite directions, Cheren hurried between them and crouched into a fallen recycle bin.

The next set of guards up ahead had no trashcans around them, and it was an open space. Seeing the holes in the fallen recycle bin, he used that bin for cover as he snuck across, using the eyeholes to see. When the first guard looked at him, he stopped moving. To the guard, it looked to be an ordinary misplaced recycle bin. He turned away and kept patrolling. Cheren quietly walked across to two men who turned in different directions. When they faced Cheren, he stopped in place. The two men raised brows at each other, but agreed that the other guy probably kicked it over. They turned away, and Cheren kept moving. He came to another guard and stopped in place when he looked his way. That guard was awfully suspicious about that bin, and wanted to observe it… but, he figured that his job came first and continued to patrol.

Cheren soon made it to the end of the path, where the last guard turned and looked at his bin. When he turned away, Cheren moved, but the guard immediately took notice of this slight movement and stepped closer. He bent down and studied the bin closely. "…Hey… is anybody in there?"

"Uhhh, no." Cheren's voice echoed from inside.

"…You see anybody walk by here?"

"Nnnope. And I'm certainly not some human in a Kateenian body sneaking by, nope."

"Okay. Sorry to bother you. Just had to be sure. Trying to control a city is hard work, y'know?"

"Ehh, it makes a living, right?"

"Yeah, I guess. But you have the intruders, and people tryin' to kill ya, it's just so hard, ya know?"

"It sure is. Listen, what's in that building?"

"Oh, just some flute thingy the boss wanted us ta protect. Looks pretty. I kinda wanna play it."

"Hehe. Better make sure the other guys don't try ta take it. Welp, see ya, buddy."

"Later." The guard waved Cheren off as he snuck away under his bin.

Cheren finally arrived at the building and quietly removed the bin as he snuck into the door. On the desk before him, a dim light shone on something on the table. (End song.)

Cheren walked over and hauled himself onto the chair by the desk, then hopped on the desk. He stared in wonder at a golden, sparkling, six-pipe pan flute. He grabbed the instrument in both hands. The pipes lined up from longest to shortest, and each had a different color on the tops and bottoms. From longest to shortest, it was Green, White, Blue, Red, Yellow, Purple.

You found the Spirit Flute! A mystical instrument created by the spirits, whose mysterious tunes can perform many wonders! Blow in the short pipes for high notes, and the long pipes for low notes! Make sure to play the notes in the correct order when a new song is learned!

Cheren then found the Zoni surrounding him. As they circled his form, they touched him with their electrical hands. There was a flash, and a vision appeared before him.

It was a vision of legions of demons gathering into a large chamber with a rotatable chair seated on the stage. The lizard demon, Gekko, crawled onto stage, smirking as he grabbed the chair and spun it around, revealing Miyuki Crystal seated on it, wearing the mask. The demons gasped.

"Hail Majora! The Masked Demon!" Gekko called, shooting a fist in the air.

"HAIL MAJORA! THE MASKED DEMON!" the demons repeated his words.

"Brethren from Hell," Miyuki spoke in her new monotone voice, the possessed child raising both hands in the air, "many an eon it has been since last I saw your despiseable faces. Look not at the lesser body that is my vessel, but the face which now inhabits this body. This face promises destruction and misery for all mortals everywhere. Your past rulers have failed in their duties. Without my presence, the Underworld fell short to the humans' power. But I will bring destruction unlike any you have ever seen. When this is over, you'll be staring into a brand new world. As a matter of fact…" she threw her arms up in the air, "that is just where we're headed. BEHOLD… the gateway to… the TERMINA DIMENSION!"

Miyuki shook, channeling dark energy from her mask. Before the eyes of the demons, a portal of darkness and electricity grew open upon the wall behind Miyuki. The demons burst into wild cheers. "Demons, just beyond this swirling darkness lies the key that will end all things mortal. You, my malicious hordes, will lay waste to this next realm, and ensure that no happy feeling is felt ever again. Prepare for our journey, minions, as all mortals will know the true terror of… THE MASK!!"

And with another explosion of cheers, demons began marching into the swirling darkness. Miyuki drifted in first, followed by an excited, leaping Gekko. "She has gone to Termina." The Zoni said. "You must follow…"

Nugget River

When the vision ended, Cheren found Panini standing over him, waving a hand by his face. "Cheren? Ya just sort of… conked out there." Cheren got to his feet as Panini helped him to stand. "Are ya okay?…" Panini stared with wonder as Cheren pulled out the mystical instrument. "W…What is that?"

"It's… the Spirit Flute."

"The Spirit Flute?? How didja find THAT??"

"I was put to sleep, and I…"

"Ugh, never mind! Let's getcha to the others and show 'em!" Panini said quickly as she lifted her friend in her arms and hurried off.

"Hey-hey, careful!"

Unknown Location

In the darkness of a quiet room, the silhouette of a male figure with small horns stared at his computer screen, which showed the image of Cheren's venture across Prospit. "HUH. IS THAT A… WHAT IS THAT?"

A female being stepped in the room, feeling her way with a walking stick. "WH4T'S TH3 M4TT3R, K4RK4T? 1 SM3LL SUSP1C1ON…"

"SOMETHING'S WRONG, TEREZI. A CREATURE'S APPEARED IN THE KINGDOM OF LIGHT. BUT THAT'S NOT POSSIBLE. THERE'S NO WAY INTO THAT SPACE…"

"4R3 YOU SUR3?"

The male, Karkat's eyes widened in wonder. "COULD THIS… PERSON BE…"

Uno Household

"Whoa! You found the Spirit Flute??" Aurora exclaimed as she, Francis, Rachel, and Sector V were gathered in the front yard.

"Dude, how'd you find it??" Francis asled.

"I had help from the… Zoni?" Cheren answered, still confused himself.

"What are they?"

"What is anything, really." grinned the Happy Mask Man as he stepped out to join them. "I just had faith that he would find the Spirit Flute. When one expresses strong faith and determination, anything can happen."

"Great. But you said the Spirit Flute can change me back. Can it?" Cheren asked.

"Hmhmhm. It can. There is a special song that, when played by the Spirit Flute, can cure such poisons. I would happily teach you… if, I am promised one thing."

"What is it?" Cheren rolled his eyes.

The Mask Man bent down, his grin as wide and bright as ever. "All I ask… is that you help me retrieve my mask… and bring it back to me. Do you promise?"

Cheren stared up at the man's trustful, promising eyes. While Cheren was totally creeped by him… he supposed there was no other way. "I promise."

"Hm hm hm. I knew you would…" he said, happily. "Now then," the man dropped his huge backpack on the ground, "to perform the song that touches all hearts." They watched as he reached his arms into the top compartment, grunting as he struggled to lift something. They gaped as he brought out an enormous organ, its pipes even taller than a house. The organ shot up into the air, stretching to its full width. Francis screamed, the organ right above him, and dashed away quickly. However, the huge instrument flew overhead and smashed the boy.

"Oopsie." The Mask Man said as everyone shut their eyes. "That should be easily fixed." With Francis still groaning, the man walked over to the organ and seated himself on the stool before the keys. His arms, however, appeared to stretch too short compared to the three wide rows of keys. "Follow these notes on your flute." The man tapped a few keys. While it was an organ, it made the sound of a piano, but Cheren listened closely.

Do. Do. Dooo, Do. Do. Dooo… He tapped the keys again. Do. Do. Dooo, Do. Do. Dooo…

"Use the same notes on your flute to match my organ. You'll get used to it quickly."

Cheren stared at his Spirit Flute and blew into a few pipes. When he blew into the three pipes that matched his notes, he repeated the notes. The pipes that matched were Red, Blue, White, Red, Blue, White.

Do, Do, Dooo, Do, Do, Dooo. Do, Do, Do-Do-Dooo.

The Spirit Flute emitted a dark pink glow. Cheren began to grow dizzy as a light feeling overcame his mind.

He found himself drifting in the plane of darkness, back in his regular body as the thousands of Kateenian souls drifted away. The tiny spirits waved at the Supreme Leader, who decided to wave back as they faded away.

In seconds, he was back in his regular body, a Kateenian mask plastered on his face. The mask fell off and bounced on the ground, and Cheren's eyes were open to the surprised looks of his friends. "You're back!" Aurora beamed, hugging her brother, while Chris punched his shoulder.

"Hehehe." Cheren grinned.

"That was the Song of Healing." The Mask Man smiled. "An ancient melody that heals wounded beings, sealing their souls into masks." The man picked the Kateenian Mask off the ground and held it to Cheren. "Please. Take this mask as a memento. Do not worry. The mystical powers have been sealed inside the mask, but Majora's evil touch is long gone. When you wear it, you will change back to the form you previously were, but you can take it off anytime."

Cheren smiled as he took the mask, stuffing it in his jacket.

You got the Kateenian Mask! This mask inhabits the soul of a fallen Kateenian. When you wear it, you will shrink to half your own height in a Kateenian's body.

The group gathered inside the house afterward. Bright Idea's mask and Zach and Maddy's helmets were seated on the kitchen table. "So, what did Majora do to them?" Harry asked as he stared at Bright Idea's mask, while Chris looked at Maddy's helmet and Kirie looked at Zach's.

"The Song of Healing works as sort of a counterattack to what Majora's powers can do. Majora is able to suck the soul out of a being completely, leaving only a simple mask, or a piece of headgear. With no face, Majora would give them new masks. Give them new forms." The Mask Man explained. "The Song of Healing is meant to keep those safe inside their own masks. And those masks would grant power and hope to whoever might need them."

"Poor Maddy…" Chris said quietly. "So, these guys all turned into… monsters somewhere?"

"Majora is creating an army. And turning innocent souls into monsters will add to his numbers."

"It's worse enough that he took Miyuki. I'm not letting anyone else fall victim to his powers." Cheren said determinedly. "I'm going to stop him!"

"Shouldn't we try to find them first?" Aurora asked.

"Won't matter. They're already headed for the Termina Dimension." Cheren said.

"How do you know?" Rachel asked.

"It was in the dream I had. I mean, in the vision… of the dream I had."

"Riiight…"

"So, we have to track Miyuki to a different dimension." Francis figured. "How're we going to do that? We don't know where Termina is. And you said that the cave entrance or whatever was closed off."

Cheren thought for a second. "…Yes we do."

New GKND H.Q.

The Galactic Kids Next Door's base was an enormous, chrome-blue tree with numerous domed facilities around its branches. Splendid and phenomenal though it was, the day was boring. High Supreme Leader, Nebula D. Winkiebottom, was at her desk in her office, signing papers as she listened to Galaxia T.V.. There was a commercial on, featuring the image of a short alien with a bug-like body, with six insect legs, and a large, red head and yellow eyes. He also wore a black tux as he spoke.

"Tired of bounty hunters roughing up your store? Space-pirates robbing your loot? Tired of scary black holes sucking away all your relatives and valuables into an unorthodox dimension with no way of return? Hi. I am Senator Percival Tachyon. As you know, the galaxy is struggling to revive itself after the likes of Emperor Palpatine or the Irken Empire. Our fair Republic is falling. Our recent chancellors have done little to resolve the conflicts between neighboring planets. But I assure you, this era of wars can soon come to pass. If I am elected Chancellor, I will promise you a stronger military, spend taxes on galactic reconstruction, and work hard to ensure peace treaties between conflicting planets in our fair solar system. It may take years… but with all our sources together, Galaxia will see an era of peace. Far better than what those pitiful Kids Next Door could bring."

"Brought to you by the Tachyon For Chancellor election committee."

"I am Percival Tachyon and I approve this message."

"Uugh." Nebula rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out.

"Sir," Nebula's younger brother/second-in-command, Jerome Winkiebottom, stepped in, "Numbuh 3621 and his friends are here. They request an audience with you."

"Oh, good." Nebula switched her T.V. off and drifted to the doorway. "I'll see Cheren any day over boring political propaganda."

The two commanders met with Cheren Uno and the others down in the cafeteria. "Sorry for dropping in unannounced, Numbuh Eternal." Cheren said.

"You know you don't have to call me that, Cheren." Nebula said. "Too much saliva buildup. Um…but who's the adult?"

They looked over at the Happy Mask Man, who gave Nebula a grin as he waved in her direction. "Oh, uh, he's this creepy adult we met, and… look, Nebula, we have an emergency. This demon appeared down on Earth and kidnapped one of our operatives. They escaped into another dimension, and I need to go after them."

"Hmm…" Nebula thought for a second. "I think I have a way to help you… But it's a little risky."

The Supreme Leader led them into a room with a huge machine that had a giant, open circle in the center. "This is a machine our scientists have been constructing. We call it the Dimension Transportifier. We constructed it as a means to jump and observe various universes, and possibly make peace with the beings of those universes, maybe start other Kids Next Doors. Universes that exist on a parallel plane to our own, similar to the Negaverse: same people, some changes. Except the dimensions this thing can target are further than that."

"And it can get to Miyuki's dimension?" Cheren asked.

Nebula faced him and said, "That depends on where she is… We might be able to track her, if you have something that belonged to her."

Right away, Cheren grabbed the locket-music box from his jacket pocket. He held it to Nebula, who took it and placed it onto a scanner. As the locket was scanned, the small monitor above it showed what appeared to be the dimensional plane. The image zipped across the plane, a crosshair examining the various coordinates as they passed by. The screen came to a sudden halt when the crosshair locked on to a single dot. "It's picking up a similar signal. It's a little far… but if we add my own powers to it, it should create a pathway that leads to it. There's… just one other thing."

"Hm?"

"The portal is sort of… a one-way trip. If you cross the dimensional plane… there's no guarantee you can return. You might be trapped in that other world forever."

Everyone grew worried, including Cheren. But it only took him 3 seconds to decide, "I'll do it." Everybody's mouths widened.

"WHAT?!? But… Cheren!" Panini exclaimed.

"I have to rescue Miyuki. If this is the only way, I'll do it."

"You can't go NOW, dude!" Francis yelled. "We're in the middle of a war!"

"As far as I know, Majora's a bigger deal than Viridi right now. Besides, I'm sure you guys can take care of her while I'm gone."

"But… ya might be gone forever." Panini said, tears welling up in her eyes.

Cheren gave her an assuring smile. "Heh… no I won't, Pan… I'll come back."

"Alright then. I'll get it started." Nebula decided. "Better prepare yourself."

The black-and-white-haired girl placed her hand on the side of the portal archway and channeled a surge of Space Lightning. The lights around the machine sparked to life, and a swirling pink and white vortex grew wide open, becoming as large as the archway. Jerome stared at the monitor while this happened. A red circle was slowly closing in on the locked coordinates. "We haven't linked yet. We need more power."

"If I give anymore lightning, my hand will blow up!" Nebula exclaimed, her hand pressed flat against the archway.

"Zoni." Unseen by everyone, the Zoni made their appearance. They gathered around the top of the archway and zapped it with their energy. Immediately, the circle on the monitor closed in on the coordinates in half a second.

"It's working! Great work, Sister!" Jerome praised.

"Nnnn…great… Now get inside before I short-circuit!"

Mrs. Uno walked over to her son and handed him a small sword and the Hylian Shield. "At least you'll have these to defend yourself with. I don't know what's in there, but I hope there's at least people that'll help you. But whatever happens…" Rachel hugged her son, "you'll always be in our hearts. Remember that."

"I will, Mom."

Aurora walked over to him next. "Bro, I just want you to know… I always thought you were pretty cool. You're a brave kid, and… I know you could accomplish anything if you wanted to. …I'm proud of you, Bro."

"Thanks, Sis." They gave a light hug before Aurora left, and Panini approached him next.

"Um, ya know… one of us can come with ya. In case ya need help."

"No thanks. I believe there's a chance I could return, but if there isn't, I shouldn't get anyone else involved."

"But, do ya really want ta leave everything behind just to fight this demon? I mean, Ah know Miyuki's important 'n' all, but…"

"Panini, relax. Nothing bad's gonna happen to me, I promise."

"Well… okay." Panini hugged her friend, though the worry didn't leave her. "Be careful, Cheren."

"I will, Panini." He hugged back.

"Hrrrrgh…hurry up!" Nebula demanded.

Cheren hurried onto the platform before the portal, turning to face his friends, Mom, and the Mask Man again. "Don't worry, guys. When I come back, Majora will be history!"

"No worries here!" Aurora cheered. "Besides, we knocked out Dracula in one night, you'll have Majora done in in, like, two nights tops!"

"Heheh. I would hope so."

"Never have doubt in yourself!" shouted the grinning Mask Man. "Believe in your strengths… believe…"

Cheren snickered at the weird adult. The sword and shield latched on his back, Cheren turned and stared into the swirling pinkness. "Okay… here goes…" Without a moment's more hesitation, Cheren jumped into the portal. (Play "FunkyBoard 1" from Rayman 3.)


Stage 3: Dimensional Byway

Mission: Get to the other side of the path to the Termina Dimension.

The dimensional plain was a vast expanse of bright, flashy colors, neon glows that wobbled in every direction, almost like a lava lamp. Cheren found his feet skidding along a neon pathway of light, his hair blowing behind him as he zipped across the byway, his body squatted like he was on a skateboard. The path was broken into small paths ahead, so Cheren had to jump side-to-side to stay on track. He saw some walls coming up ahead, but he swung his sword to cut them apart and keep going. The neon path was coming to two parallel neon walls, so when Cheren skied there, he kicked his way up the walls and reached the top, skiing along the upper path.

There were more separated paths up ahead, so Cheren had to jump them again. However, some of the paths were cracked, and they collapsed at Cheren's weight, so he had to jump quickly. When he was back on the main path, there was a section up ahead that was also broken. When he skied across it, it collapsed and he fell into the colorful chasm. "AAAAAHHH!"

"Zoni." The 9-year-old leader was rescued when the Zoni flew by, grabbed him, and set him on the path as he kept skiing. He watched as the Zoni flew ahead before his eyes focused back on the path. He went up a slope, down a slope, upward, then kept straight again. He then saw a group of Bokoblin on Kargaroks flying overhead, attempting to shoot him with arrows. Cheren jumped the arrows and held his shield out to block them. The demons then flew down to strike him their selves, but Cheren gave a single whack with his sword on each of them before they fell into the chasm.

Another gargantuan gateway opened before his eyes, and he started skidding into a plain where colorful images moved across a black background. The pieces of the pathway were floating around the plain, all facing different directions from the main path, but Cheren jumped his way across them. He came to a road that was hanging sideways above him, so he flipped upside-down and latched onto the path with his feet as he kept going. That path was coming to an end, so he dropped down onto the upcoming lower path and turned right-side-up again. He stared in amazement as he was skiing closer to a giant disco ball, its lights sparkling in his eyes.

The lights from the disco created more platforms for Cheren to jump on, so he hopped to each one as they lit up. The platforms were tilted and moving with the direction of the disco, so Cheren kept turning sideways as he jumped up higher. He eventually came to a sideways path that guided him to the top of the disco ball. He skied across the slow-spinning orb, becoming dizzy as he slid along the side and turned sideways again. Losing track of which way was upward, he desperately searched for an available path. When he was near the bottom of the disco, he saw one coming up and decided to hop on, turning right-side-up again.

He was approaching another expanding gateway as he skied along a part that twisted into a Mobius strip. The plain around him went from black to red, and he began sliding up an upward slope. The track was coming to an end, and he could see that this was the link to the next dimension. Cheren squatted and ready to make the leap as he drew close to the end. When the track ran off, he made his jump, falling into the colorful abyss.

"Whooooooooaaaa!" He landed firmly on his feet on the path down below, regaining himself as he continued to ski along. The track went perfectly straight as it went into another portal. He caught his breath and eased himself as he allowed the path to take him into the gateway. His eyes closed as he drifted into a vortex of swirling red. (End song.)

EiznekCm Household

"Aroruaaa. Can you tell your brother I got him his favorite bird steak?" Lehcar EiznekCm called upstairs to her daughter.

"I'm a little busy, Mooom." Arorua yelled down, lying on her bed on her front as she read a magazine. "Not talking to Nereeeehhc." she said quietly.

"Arorua! Will I have to come up there MYSELF??"

She sighed. "No, Mom. I'm on it." She called as she grudgingly got out of bed and slumped down the hall.

She knocked on Nerehc's door and said, "Hey, Stupid, your mom's calling you, get downstairs."

"Tell Mom I'm busy. I'm trying to singe an ant."

"Listen, dumbass," there was a flashing sound just then, "either you come down or I-" she gasped horrendously when she entered his room and found a slight puff of smoke on the spot where Nerehc was.

"Aroruaaa. Is everything all right up theeere?"

"Uhhhh, yes, Mother." Arorua said worriedly. "He's just doing homework, and I'm helping him finish."

"Well, tell him to hurry up. A bird's suffering's only tasty if it's nice and hot." As she spoke, Arorua poked her head out Nerehc's window and searched around for him. She leapt out the window and frantically ran around outside, desperate to find him.

Cleveland, Virginia; Dimension Termina

The portal spiraled open over the nighttime skies of Sector V's neighborhood. Cheren came flying out of it, his body falling full force to the ground as wind blew hard against his face. "WAAAAAAAAHHHHH-" He fell faster and faster toward a white house with a red roof. He shot into the roof like a meteor, causing the front of the house to collapse, and Cleveland Brown to be exposed in his bathtub.

"What the hell??" Cleveland exclaimed, the tub sliding down his tilting floor. "No no no no NO NOO!" His tub collapsed and shattered on the ground. "You'd think escaping to another dimension would be a safe getaway from these punks."

"Ohhh…" Dizzy, Cheren fell unconscious.

Sector V Treehouse…?

Cheren dizzily awakened the next morning, finding himself on the wooden floor of the treehouse. He stared around his friends' treehouse in confusion, rubbing his head from the aching bump. "Start talkin'. Who are you, and where'd you come from?" a voice said.

Cheren turned around, finding a group of six kids with their weapons aimed on him. "What?!?"

You might recognize the Zoni from Code: XANA. They come from Ratchet & Clank, but we'll learn a little more about them. And as for that Prospit place… I may have neglected to mention that Homestuck will be a big crossover here. Again, you don't have to know that series, but this is already shaping up to be a WEIRD Zelda game, isn't it?!

 

[Gamen Watch]

Here, we will meet Alternate Sector V.

Chapter 4: A Brother From Another Dimension

Cheren was surrounded by six strange kids, wielding 2x4 weapons. The one in the middle had dark-blonde hair, a red hoodie, baggy jeans, and sunglasses.

The next one, a girl, had sandy-brown hair, hazel eyes, a black shirt, white undershirt, red pants, and black shoes.

The second girl, who looked Asian, had wavy black hair, green eyes, a light-purple shirt, dark-purple skirt, and white shoes.

The third girl had dark-brown hair in a ponytail, aviator cap, blue eyes, a pink T-shirt with a plane, blue jeans, and white shoes, and was slightly pudgy.

The second boy wore a black T-shirt under a green jacket, khaki pants, black boots, had auburn hair, and black eyes.

Finally, the third boy, who was the shortest, had smooth-combed blond hair, blue eyes, wore glasses, a white T-shirt with black sleeves, black shorts, and black shoes.

"I said, who are you." demanded the blond boy wearing sunglasses.

Cheren shook back into reality and replied, "My name is Cheren Uno, Numbuh 3621 and Supreme Leader of the Kids Next Door."

At this, the five kids shot looks to their leader. "Well, don't look at me! He isn't my brother!" the sunglasses boy shouted.

"Maybe your parents ditched him." the pigtailed girl said.

"Look, dude, we already got a Supreme Leader, and he ain't you." The sandy-haired girl said.

"I AM Supreme Leader! And you guys aren't supposed to be here! This treehouse belongs to Sector V!"

"We ARE Sector V! Stupid!" the yellow-capped boy shouted. "You're the one that came shooting out of the sky at Mr. Brown's house down the street!"

"Huh? Wait a minute…" Cheren looked away and thought to himself… "What Nebula said about parallel dimensions…" he said quietly to himself. "Same people, some changes. Or in this case…"

"Wanna speak up there?" the leader asked.

Cheren turned around and faced them. "Okay, I'm going to try to explain as best I can: my name is Cheren Uno, and I come from an alternate universe that's parallel to this one. In my universe, a friend of mine was possessed by a demon that lives inside this evil mask, and they gathered a bunch of other demons before creating a portal that supposedly jumped to this one. That's when I followed them here using a Dimensional Transportifier that my friend created—she's a spacebender. I was told ahead of time that parallel universes could have similar appearances or people to mine, but with some changes, so I think that's why you guys are a different Sector V than the ones I appointed."

The six kids just stood there speechless, confused as heck. "…So, when do the men in the white coats come and take you to the happy hotel?" Melissa asked.

Cheren smacked his forehead. "How simple do you want me to get??"

"I dunno, guys. He might be telling the truth." the sandy-brown girl said.

"Is he??" they all chorused.

"I dunno. But remember when we went back in time and met our parents? And then that crazy thing with Anne-Marie and Nixon started? What if he's… I dunno, related to Harry or something?"

"Who're your parents?" the leader, Harry, demanded.

"Nigel Uno and Rachel McKenzie." Cheren stated.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "That's impossible. My parents are Nigel and Rachel!"

"So, you're the 'Uno' of this dimension." Cheren concluded.

"Uugh!" Harry shook his head. "This whole thing with alternate universes is driving me crazy! Look, if you're really from another universe, you're gonna have to show us proof."

"Warning. Warning. Disturbance at the park." The computer spoke just then as red alarms blared. The T.V. screen in the living room projected the image of several monstrous figures terrorizing children at the playground. Leading them appeared to be the Gekko, who waved his arm excitedly as he rode on his giant turtle.

"NOW do you believe me?"

"We'll hold you to it. C'mon!" Harry ordered as the lot of them hurried to the hangar.

Gallagher Park

Dozens of kids screamed and ran frantically around the playground as demons stormed in, grabbing one by one. A little girl was snatched by the shirt by a muscular Moblin, who pulled her over between himself and another Moblin as she shook for freedom, terrified. "Aww, don't be scared, little girl. Majora just feels bad for bein' away for too long."

The other Moblin peeled off a Majora's Mask sticker and said, "Here. Buy yourself a souvenir." as he pressed the sticker to her forehead.

She ran off crying as the Moblin cheered, "Hehehe, yeah!" and high-fived, squeezing the other's palm.

As other kids ran by, a single, gray frog fearfully backed up against a fence. He shivered with fright as the massive turtle approached him with the Gekko on its back. The hungry lizard licked his lips, smiling deviously. "He-e-ok. HAGAAAAHHK!" He was ready to snatch the frog in his mouth when a shield flew over and bashed him in the head, knocking him off the turtle. He recovered in time to see the shield return to Cheren, who caught it on his right arm as the Alternate Sector V team stood behind him. "Sdiqoop." Gekko yelped, leaping onto his turtle. "Hmrink. Hmrink. Hmrink." He smacked his turtle and ordered it to get away.

"Kids Next Door, battle stations!" Cheren exclaimed.

"Hey!" the sandy-brown haired girl yelled. "You ain't our leader!"

"That's me." Harry said. "Ahem: Kids Next Door, BATTLE STATIONS!"

The demons charged forth as the operatives began the assault. A squad of Miniblin surrounded Harry and poked him with pitchforks, but he sent them running by burning them with a S.P.I.C.E.R.. A group of Chuchus slowly wobbled over to the Asian girl, who easily froze them solid with her F.R.A.P.P.E. before kicking and shattering them. The gooey substance was scattered around the ground as she stuck her finger into one and licked it off. "Mmmm! This is tastier than the new Rainbow Monkey Rainbow Jelly!"

The short blond boy was approached by the two buff Moblin, who swung spears which he swiftly flipped and dodged. "Take this!" the sandy-brown girl declared before shooting a teddybear from her T.H.U.M.P.E.R. at the back of one of the Moblin. The stuffed toy had no effect on his hard skin as they turned around, the Moblin grabbing the girl by the shirt collar.

"Looks like this one forgot to get a sticker." the Moblin said as the girl tried to shake from his grasp.

"I got a nice big one… for her face!" the other Moblin said as he presented a rather large Majora's Mask sticker. Before he could stick it on, Cheren Uno leapt over, sliced the sticker with his sword, then sliced the Moblin holding the girl across the chest.

"OW!" he yelped, dropping the child. The sandy-brown girl punched the Moblin upside the chin before leaping and kicking off the other one's face.

"Thanks for the save." she said to Cheren. "Oh, and my name's Celeste, so you don't have to keep calling me 'sandy-brown girl' or whatever."

"I never called you that."

"Really? Must be something else, then."

Two other Moblin grabbed the yellow-capped boy by the arms, but he flipped overhead and made them bash faces against each other. Swarms of Kargarok were flying overhead with Bokoblins riding them, shooting arrows down below. The aviator-hatted girl dodged the arrows and fired juice cartons with her B.A.J.O.O.K.A., knocking the demons off of their birds as they collided on the ground, covered in OJ. "Blech. Vitamin C." one said before fainting.

By this point, the demons' numbers were shrinking, and Gekko watched this as he sat on his turtle in the center. "Aaarrrgh. Come on, you guysh! Mashter Majora wantsh you to win! Howsha can you loshes to a bunch of mortalshesh?"

Cheren smirked as he approached the lizard demon. "You're not messing with any old mortal." He extracted his sword and yelled, "I'm the Hero of Time! Yaaaah-" He lunged at the monster with a jump attack.

"NYAAAAAHH!" Immediately, Gekko had the turtle about-face, and they ran away before Cheren could hit.

"Heh. Wasn't even gonna hit him." Cheren smirked.

The Uno child twirled and sheathed his blade as the park children came out of hiding, bursting into cheers. The little froggy came out of hiding as well, jumping and ribbiting for joy. "Well, Cheren, that was pretty cool." the yellow-capped boy said with a smile.

"Thanks. But you see what I've been trying to tell you?"

"Yeah, we think so." Harry said. "But tell us again later. Supreme Leader just called. He's gonna wanna hear about this."

"Good. I'll like to tell him." Cheren replied.

Sector V C.O.O.L.-B.U.S.

In a moment, the seven kids were riding the C.O.O.L.-B.U.S. up to Kids Next Door Moonbase, with the aviator-hatted girl piloting the ship. "Sorry about the mix up down there." Harry apologized. "Why don't we introduce ourselves. I'm Harry Uno, Numbuh 361 and Leader of Sector V."

"The name's Celeste Stork!" the sandy-brown girl announced with a salute. "Numbuh 58 and Spy of Sector V."

"Melissa Gilligan." the pilot said. "Numbuh 52 and Technology Officer of Sector V. I'm also second-in-command."

"Thomas Drilovsky." The yellow-capped boy saluted. "Numbuh 80 and Combat Specialist of Sector V."

"Kellie Beatles!" the Asian girl cheered. "Numbuh 43, Diversionary Tactics, and Nurse of Sector V."

"And I'm Truman Kirman." said the short boy. "Numbuh 40 and Snacks and Confectionary."

Cheren recognized all of their names… except for Truman's. He also noted how some of their Numbuhs should've been already taken by operatives from the previous gen, but perhaps they weren't in this world. "Wow. I'm gonna have a lot to learn. Well, let's wait until we get to your leader first."

Moonbase

They traveled to the Global Tactical Station, where the six Sector V kids saluted to their leader. "Numbuh 679, Sir!" Harry spoke.

"Hi, Jeremy!" Melissa grinned and waved.

"At ease, guys. Who's this boy?"

"His name is Cheren Uno." Harry responded. "And he has a lot to tell you."

"He your brother?" Jeremy asked.

"No. Parallel universe."

"Ah-ha… Well, before that, we have a few things to show you." The boy pressed a button on the control panel, and the massive screen showed images of various regions of the world, and demons running amuck. "Treehouses everywhere reported sightings of monstrous beings. They're attacking everything in their wake, kid AND adult. But mostly kids. And they're posting pictures of this weird face everywhere." The screen showed images of a jungle area, an ice field, and a ruins area before showing the image of the mask.

"Majora's Mask!" Cheren exclaimed.

"Alright. You better start explaining." Jeremy suggested.

"Ahem: To start off, I come from a parallel universe that has its own Kids Next Door, but I'm Supreme Leader, and you guys don't exist. Instead, we have a different Sector V. And in my universe's history, our organization's been having wars with the Underworld, and the world's been invaded by terrifying demons on more than one occasion. I know it sounds a little extreme for us, but it's the truth, and now it's happening again. A friend of mine, um, put on this mask that she got at the mask shop, and the mask was actually this demon which possessed her body. They gathered a bunch of other demons, and my friend—er, the demon I guess, opened this portal that led to this dimension. I was able to follow them using a dimension warper thingy that the GKND built. That's how I ended up here and was found by your Sector V."

"Hmmm…" Jeremy took a moment to sink all this info in. "Okay… I think I understand… So, basically, we have a demon running loose on Earth, and you're here to put a stop to it and take it back to your dimension?"

"Yyyyeaaah…" Cheren drew out, a little unsure about the "taking it back" part.

"Do you know why this demon wanted to come here?"

"Not… really…" Cheren scratched the back of his head.

"Ah… Well, normally, stuff like this would be out of the Kids Next Door's league… But, these things are harming kids. And it wouldn't exactly benefit us to let them run around, so I guess we have no choice. The Kids Next Door will help in any way they can."

"Thanks, but I'd rather search for Miyuki on my own. No one else should get involved in this."

"Okay, then my team will help you ourselves." Harry decided.

"I said-"

"You can't fight a bunch of monsters on your OWN, silly!" Kellie argued cheerfully. "Who knows, it might be fun!"

"Heck, our parents once took on Grandfather." Celeste said. "This is basically the same thing. Except no one's getting Citizombified."

Cheren sighed. "Well, I guess I don't really have any leads. I guess it wouldn't hurt if you helped."

"Well, Cheren, as Supreme Leader, I welcome you to the Kids Next Door of… eh, our universe." Jeremy said.

"We should come up with names." Melissa suggested.

"Right then. I'm from Universe A." Cheren decided.

"How come YOU get Universe A?" Thomas complained.

"Hey! I'm the one coming here!" Cheren argued.

"Yeah, so WE should get the 'A'!"

"Hang on, hang on." Cheren spoke up again. "Miyuki called this place the Termina Dimension, so that's what we'll call it. And since she said it intersected with my 'Hyrule,' we'll call that my dimension."

"Hm… I guess Termina works." Thomas shrugged.

"I kinda like 'Hyrule' better." Kellie said.

"Whatever, it's decided." Jeremy said. "Since Sector V will be helping you, I propose you stay at their treehouse."

"Oooh! Do you like Rainbow Monkeys, Cheren?" Kellie asked. "We could stay up and have slumber parties! I have ALL the kinds! My mom's president of the company!"

"No way! He probably wants ta hang out with us boys, don'tcha?" Thomas asked.

"Heheh." Cheren blushed. He was certainly warming up to this group. "Thanks, but I'm kind of tired. I think I wanna turn in for the day."

"But you only just woke up." Melissa reminded.

"After falling from the sky and getting knocked out. I'm still achy."

"Alright then. You guys should head down and get some rest." Jeremy suggested. "You'll need all your strength for something like this."

"I didn't wanna get you guys involved." Cheren said.

"Relax. It's our job to fix stuff like this." Harry assured as they left for the hangar.

Alternate Sector V Treehouse

The team laid a sleeping bag down on the living room couch for Cheren as stars hung in the heavens. "Not the comfiest." Harry said. "I'd invite you to sleep down in my house, but I don't think my mom would take it well meeting her son from another dimension."

"Heheh. Yeah, my mom can be crazy sometimes."

"Not as much as Thomas'."

"Hey!" Thomas yelled.

"Sure you don't wanna stay with one of us?" Celeste asked.

"You can sleep on my Super Sumo Slammer Rainbow Monkey!" Kellie grinned.

"Maybe tomorrow night. Until I get used to things."

"Okay. See you in the morning." Truman told him before they all left to their rooms.

Cheren threw off his socks, shoes, and jacket before fixing himself into his sleeping bag. He set his glasses on the table before resting his head on his pillow, closing his eyes. He lied there for several minutes, but failed to get to sleep. He only stared up at the ceiling, thoughts clouding his mind.

Drilovsky Household; Hyrule Dimension

As nighttime loomed over the heavens, Panini depressedly stared out at the night sky through her open window, elbow rested on the sill, dressed in an orange nightgown as her mother walked in. "Hey, sweetie." Fanny yawned. "Are ye still up?"

"Yeah." Panini replied, not looking away.

Rubbing her tired eyes, Fanny walked over beside her daughter. "What's wrong, Pan?"

"It's Cheren… He… went off to another dimension to stop this demon." she said quickly.

"Ahh." Fanny yawned. "Must be rough."

"Aye… and he took a one-way portal, too. What if Ah never see him again? What if he didn't make it?"

Fanny put a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "Ay wouldn't worreh… Cheren may be a stoopid boy… but he is Rachel's son. Ay know he'll find a way… and Ah know he'll come back to ya."

Panini gave a light smile.

"Can ya get ta sleep?"

"In a while. Ay think Ay'll just stay here a little longer."

"Okay. Just don't stay up too late."

Fanny left her room as Panini stared more out the window. The Irish child's eyes were fixed on the full moon, glistening in her eyes.

Sector V; Termina

Unable to get to sleep, Cheren was out on the balcony, on his knees as he stared at the full moon through the railing. "You still up?" Thomas asked, rubbing his eyes as he came out to see him.

"Yeah. I'm having trouble sleeping."

"I'll bet. It must take some time to get used to jumping to a different dimension."

"It's not just that. When I came here, it was sort of a one-way trip. And I… kind of left a lot of important people behind."

"Anyone you really cared about?" he smirked.

"Uhhh whaddya mean?"

"Liiike… a girlfriend?"

Cheren blushed. "Oh, I dunno. Several."

"Several?"

"Ha ha, just kidding. Still… I kind of wish I could've taken them with me… but I didn't wanna endanger them."

Thomas yawned. "Don't worry. We'll find a way to get you back. If we invented the time machine… you'll get back to see them in no time."

"Yeah… I know." Cheren smiled.

"Well, get to bed soon. Don't wanna be sleepy if we're tracking down that Miyuki girl tomorrow." he said before leaving back to his room.

The moon glistened in Cheren's eyes as he stared at it. His eyes then directed below at what he recognized as the Drilovsky household in the distance, at the dark, closed window on the second floor. In the Hyrule Dimension, Panini stared out that window, looking up at the empty balcony on the Sector V treehouse. Both friends looked back at the moon, hoping to see each other soon.

From the shadows across the street, the glowing eyes of the evil mask stared at Cheren. "So, the prince followed me here. Just like old times. But my swarms have already secured the temples around this land. It's only a matter of time before my plans are complete." The possessed child stared up at the moon, which illuminated her mask. "The moon's wishes are already giving me strength. It won't be long before it sees Earth's suffering. MMmmm hm hm hm hm…" The child faded from the darkness, their laughs drowned by the calm wind that blew across the trees.


Introducing the 'Time' trilogy characters that belong to CodeLyokoIsTheBest, another KND fanfiction author who made her own future kid series! I asked her if I could use them a long time ago!

 

[Gamen Watch]

Welcome back, and today's when we begin the first world! Just know that these levels are going to get REEALLY long. Frankly, as far as the videogame gimmicks go in my series, this is one of my proudest stories.

Chapter 5: Jungle Slag

Alternate Sector V Treehouse

Cheren and the Sector V team were up early the next morning, but much wasn't going on. After eating breakfast, Cheren was seated on the couch while he and Celeste watched Kellie and Thomas play videogames. "So, in your universe, each of our parents still get married, but they all have different kids from us. Also, in your universe, some people have the power to bend elements like Air or Poison, while others have genetic metahuman properties?" Thomas tried to summarize.

"Pretty much, yeah." Cheren said. "Don't you guys have bending in this world?"

"Not that we know of. I guess the only one who comes close is Father being a firebender." Celeste said.

There was an explosion on the game. "Yaaay!" Kellie cheered after her victory.

"Guys, not that I'm not having a great time, but I was hoping we could get started searching for Miyuki." Cheren stated.

"Chill, dude, Harry's looking into it." Thomas said. "He's trying to find any lead he can. Shouldn't be hard to spot a girl with a fancy dress wearing a terrifying mask that causes doom and destruction wherever it goes."

Cheren sighed and got off the couch, proceeding to head upstairs to the mission prep room.

Harry Uno was studying a hologram projection of the Earth when Cheren walked in. "Hey, look who's up! Got tired of playing videogames?"

"I'm tired of waiting around. I wanna start looking for Miyuki now!"

"Alright, don't worry. Listen, we've had trouble finding leads, what with demons running loose all over the world, but the Supreme Leader's having our best operatives search for clues. And one of our squads talked about some white-haired girl in a strange dress, wearing Majora's Mask."

Cheren's eyes perked. "Where was this??"

"She was walking into some jungle, on the south part of Africa. Should we gather up the guys and get going?"

"Yeah, could we not bring everyone onboard?" Cheren asked.

"Why not?"

"I mean, I'd like the rest of your team to hold the fort or be ready to pursue other clues. And, the thing is, when our parents told us about their past adventures, they always brought a lot of people with them, and I could not keep track of that many people."

"Heheh, okay. I'll go with you myself. And it is a good idea for my team to be on standby. Meet me in the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. when you're ready." Harry said, beginning to walk out of the room.

"Oh, I've been ready." Cheren said sternly.

"Hehe, okay. Race you then!" Harry scampered off. Cheren took a moment to catch this before chasing after him.

Somewhere in an ancient temple

"You fool!" Miyuki Crystal/Majora yelled as Gekko trembled before him/her. "How could you let the prince get away?! You DO know who he is, don't you?"

"He-He ish de Hero of Time, Mashter."

"He's MORE than that, don't you see! He is the son of the Black Queen… or should I call her the Shadow Queen. And I can sense the 'potential' inside him."

"But he cannot deshtroy you, Mashter! The agesh have broken him! He ish jusht a normal human! The shtrength of de bloodline hash begone him-shes!"

"Hmm… you are right, Gekko. But I am no fool. Dispose of him, immediately! And if you succeed…" the girl smirked behind her mask as she pulled out a terrified, light-blue frog behind her back. The Gekko smirked and licked his lips as Miyuki tossed the shivering froggy upward, and Gekko leaped to snap it in his mouth. "There will be plenty more. Now GET GOING!" Gekko saluted and hopped away quickly.

Sector V S.C.A.M.P.E.R., over the seas

Aerial Defense, Act 1

Mission: Get to Jungle of the Apes!

The sun's rays reflected off the calm seas as Harry and Cheren rode in the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. under the vibrant day. "I wonder why Miyuki would go to a jungle in Africa?" Cheren thought aloud. "Probably has something to do with Majora wanting to come here."

"Well, whatever reason she had, Cheren, long as we got this baby, we'll be able to catch her in-" The ship shook just then, and the operatives nearly fell. "What was that??"

The mini screen on Harry's controls showed the image of a chubby robot with a metal pirate's skull and captain's hat. "Argh, reach fer the heavens, Kids Next Darr. This be Captain Slag, scourge of the seas and stars! And whatever cargo ye be holding, it belong to I!"

"Great. Who is this bozo?" Cheren asked.

"Beats me. But they sound like space pirates. Man those turrets, Cheren. I'll fly us through here as fast as I can!"

Flying pirate ships already began surrounding the S.C.A.M.P.E.R.. The 2x4 ship performed barrel rolls as it dodged incoming cannon fire, and Cheren fired missiles at the smaller ships. A series of bigger ships flew in the S.C.A.M.P.E.R.'s way, forcing Harry to navigate around them and evade the cannon shots. Before their eyes, the massive flagship rose out from beneath the ocean. A pair of cannons extracted in the front of ship and began firing at the operatives. Harry kept dodging the shots as Cheren locked on and fired missiles, destroying the cannons after a few shots. The flagship sent out a group of smaller ships that launched slow-coming cannonballs, which Harry easily dodged. Cheren shot lasers and blew away the small ships before they began flying past the flagship.

They flew around the flagship's side on their left as cannons began appearing along its outer wall. Once again it could only get a few hits off of them as Harry avoided the shots and Cheren blasted the cannons. Eventually, they were able to make it around the flagship and keep flying ahead. Immediately, the flagship started to turn as more ships came at them from behind. "Cheren, activate the S.C.A.M.P.E.R.'s absorbo shield." Harry ordered. Cheren held down a button and projected a shield around their vehicle, allowing enemy shots to strike it and build up energy. A meter began filling up at Cheren's station, and when it was at its max, Cheren pressed the button and released an explosion at the surrounding enemies.

"Ahh, the good old CHICKEN-SOUPLOSION. A KND classic." Cheren said. The flagship began to come after them as it released more cannon fire, but Cheren kept the shields raised to absorb the fire. As the pirate ship drew closer, Cheren released the shockwave and pushed it back. The flagship didn't take long to recover as it came after them some more, alongside a group of smaller ships. More cannon fire was unleashed as a result, enabling Cheren to fill the meter up easier. He released another shockwave that blew back the flagship and wiped out the small ships.

"Attention lads! It be time for pirate pageant auditions down at the bar. Let Sea-Salt Saul take care of 'em."

A ship came down from the sky, designed like a pirate skull attached to two arms with big hands holding giant containers of salt and pepper. It aimed the salt container at them as it released a swarm of spike balls that exploded in midair. The S.C.A.M.P.E.R. took some damage, but the operatives stayed airborne as they fired missiles at the salt container's cap. The pirate ship pulled the salt back and aimed the pepper at them, which unleashed a wave of fire. Harry barrel-rolled and avoided the flames while Cheren shot the cap. The pirate switched back to the salt, and Cheren shot at it the cap some more, eventually breaking it and exposing a blue, shining core. Cheren shot the core and destroyed the salt container. Sea-salt Saul used the pepper to blow flames at them again, but Cheren repeated the process, destroyed the pepper cap, then destroyed the core inside.

The huge pirate skull then opened its mouth, revealing another blue energy core. The core started to charge power, preparing to blast the operatives, but Cheren was easily able to defeat with a few shots to the core. "Daarr, I knew only one should be used on a meal." Explosions appeared around the ship as it sank to the ocean.

"Well, this was totally random." Cheren said. "What were space pirates doing here?"

"Eh, they're pirates, they mess with anybody. Get ready to land, Cheren." The S.C.A.M.P.E.R. crossed the rest of the seas easily on their way to the jungle.

Coastside; Southern Africa

The S.C.A.M.P.E.R. touched the beach as the two operatives stepped out, the sight of a thick, green jungle not far from their landing. "So, in your universe," Harry began, "the Uno family is descended from a demon family, and so are the Fulbrights, and you're the latest in a line of Demon Princes?"

"Yup, that's my family history."

"Wow, that is cool! And you can shoot fire like everyone else??"

"Well… no. Though I do seem to kind of… heat up a lot."

"But if you're the prince of all these demons, why can't you control them?"

"Because my dad discarded that heritage, so we're basically 'normal' kids… in a sense. Some demons even got distaste in my family since my dad turned the throne over. …What's your family history, anyway?"

"I dunno. For one thing, we still had Grandfather in this universe, though he passed away, and I'm not sure about the demon thing. If I was demon-related, would I be able to bend fire?"

"I don't see why not."

"Okay… lemme try it!" Harry turned and walked a few feet away from Cheren. The boy took a few breaths, clenching his fists shut tight. And in one swift motion, he punched his right fist forward. Nothing.

"Heh. Power doesn't run in the family." Cheren chuckled.

"Well, if you couldn't do it. Besides, my S.P.I.C.E.R. is good enough. Anyway, this was the jungle they saw Miyuki heading into. I heard this place is really well-known for its ape population. Maybe we'll get turned into Rainbow Monkeys like my dad was one time."

"Ha ha, I hope not. Let's just figure out why the demons are occupying this place… and take out any along the way." (Play "Shy Guy Jungle" from Paper Mario: Sticker Star!)


Stage 4: Jungle of the Apes

Mission: Traverse through the thick jungle and find Miyuki!

The operatives started their venture into the thick jungle, having to push past giant shrubs and vines hanging from trees. Harry touched one of the vines, which turned out to be a snake, but Cheren sliced the hissing creature as they kept moving. Green Chuchus formed up from the ground ahead, a couple of them latching onto Cheren, but Harry burned them with his S.P.I.C.E.R.. Cheren pushed away other Chuchus with his shield as they leaped at him before slicing them in half. The two continued past a few more shrubs before they reached a trench with a rapid river down below.

"Any ideas?" Cheren asked.

"This is why I come prepared." Harry smirked as he revealed his G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H.. He grabbed Cheren's arm as he shot the device at a tree branch on the other side, hauling them over. They continued along a clear path between two rows of large rocks. Just then, a giant crab crawled out from behind the rocks, blocking their way. Its left claw was larger and made of stone.

"No, nono, nope, nono, nope, nono." It said quickly, skittering back and forth.

"Come on, let us pass." Cheren demanded as they tried to walk around.

"No, nononono, nope, nononono, nope." It still blocked their way.

Harry tried to shoot it, but its huge claw protected. "No nononono, no nononono."

"Darn. We'll have to find a different route." Cheren said.

"Hold on! There's two of us, right?" Harry asked.

"Yeah…?"

"So I'll go around the right, you take the left, and he can't block both of us! To make me go around, tap the little icon on the Touchscreen and draw me a path for me to walk-"

"WHAT??" Cheren yelled.

"Hehe! Just kidding! I feel like we're playing Zelda."

"Ugh. Just do it." Harry did so and walked to the right, and the crab tried to block him.

"No no, nope-nono, nono." Cheren hurriedly ran left, and the crab zipped back-and-forth, confused which way to go. "No no, nonono, no-!" Cheren struck him from behind and knocked him out. Harry was able to get by as the two high-fived.

The duo kept moving along as they found an area with five large tree stumps, each at different heights, with a Miniblin dancing on each of them, wearing grass skirts. Cheren ran and rolled into one of the tree stumps, causing them all to jump down. The crazy creatures tried poking the operatives with spears, but Cheren and Harry were still able to take them out in one hit. The operatives then noticed two separate roads between huge stone walls. They decided to follow the right path first, finding an area where the ground was covered in long sticks. Oddly enough, across the pile of sticks was a huge container of coffee. "Cheren, look!" Harry pointed to the other side of the sticks, noticing a mask that was designed like a cobra snake. "It's some mask!"

"Hm. I wonder why that's here? Another Majora victim?" Cheren tried to walk over to the mask, but as soon as he stepped on the first stick, a giant jade snake, camouflaged with the scenery, gnashed its long teeth at Cheren. "Aah!" he jumped back.

The snake took the cobra mask in its tooth and curled it in its body. "Hoooo… You thought you could ssssneak here and take Sssslithersss' masssk."

"Um, we were wondering if we could take a look at it?" Cheren asked.

"Hnnnno. A dark wizard gives Sssslitherss this masssk long ago. Normally Ssslitherss sssleep. But he keep himssself awake by drinking highly caffeinated coffee." The large snake stuck his head over the coffee container and proceeded to drink it. "Slithers hasn't sssslept in yearsss. No one getsss by me anymore. Thisss masssk ssstays with me. Now leave… before you become Ssslithersss' nexxxt dinner…"

They backed away from the giant jade snake, leaving it to guard its mask. "Well, I guess we're not going that way." Harry said as he and Cheren proceeded to follow the left path, though Cheren made a mental note to come back later. The left road was a straight path with spike-traps hiding in tiny slots in the ground. The two operatives ran straight ahead and leapt over the spikes fast enough to avoid being pierced. They came to a dead-end area where a rope went over a wooden beam, then was tied around the top of a tall stone, which seemed to serve as a door. The operatives both grabbed the end of the rope and stepped backward, using all their strength to pull the rope and lift the stone door upward. "Think it'll hold?" Harry asked.

"No. We'll have to run and roll under." When the stone was at its highest point, they let go, ran for the open way, and Youth Rolled under the stone just before it closed. They appeared on a small cliff that was over a waterfall in an enclosed area. They noticed a tall log standing upright on the cliff on the other side. Harry simply shot his G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H. at the top of the log and pulled on it, causing to topple over and make a bridge. They carefully balanced across to the other side and entered a swamp area with huge lilipads in the water. The swamp went only up to their waists, so they tried to just walk across, but that's when a swarm of piranhas swam over and tried munching on them.

"AAAH!" they screamed, hurrying back to land as they smacked the piranhas off.

"Blaarr. Git yer smelly-ass human parts out of our swamp." a piranha said hatefully before going back to swim with the others.

"Oookay. So, we aren't walking across."

"Those lilipads look big enough to hold us." Cheren pointed. The two shrugged and attempted to hop on the first lilipad, but it immediately collapsed to their weight. "NOT BIG ENOUGH TO HOLD US!" Cheren yelped as they were attacked by piranhas again. "Okay. Guess I'll have to go by myself." Cheren figured as he pulled out the Kateenian Mask. "Wait here until I find something." He placed the mask on his face and immediately transformed into a half-sized Kateenian.

"Ooooh!" Harry's eyes widened with interest. Cheren ran to jump on the first lilipad, and this time it was able to withstand his short weight. The Kateenian-human proceeded to jump the series of lilipads, going between two rock walls to another area of the swamp. He looked up as a swarm of Keese were bunched together among the branches. The monster bats awakened and flapped down to attack Cheren, but they were immediately scared away when a light stream of water was squirted at them.

Cheren looked up to his left to find a monkey wielding what looked like a 2x4 squirt gun. "Hoo-ooh-aah-aah!" the monkey jumped, raising the squirt gun in the air. The excited chimp tossed the device down to Cheren before leaping away amongst the trees. Cheren picked up the squirt gun and studied it closely.

The Supreme Leader hopped his way across the lilipads again and made it back to Harry, showing him the device. "Any idea what this is?"

"Oh yeah!" Harry recognized it. "It's something the scientists have been working on. It's a squirt gun with two kinds of special water: water that makes plants shrink and water that makes them grow. They built it as a way to reduce the spread of broccoli and other vegetables. But I guess they decided to ditch it in case adults stole it and used it against us."

"Well, it's serving us now! Let's take it!"

Kids Next Door: S.Q.W.I.R.T.
Squirts Quenchable Water Into Respiring Terrain

Cheren saw a thin plant that sprouted a leaf dangling over the swamp. He tested the S.Q.W.I.R.T. out by watering this plant, causing the leaf to grow to the size of a boat and even bend into the shape of a boat as it placed itself on the water. The two exchanged smiles before hopping in the boat. Cheren squirted behind the boat to make it push in the direction they wanted to go. They floated to another spot of land and stepped off the boat, but shortly arrived at another part of the swamp. With only a single big lilipad to work with, Cheren, in his Kateenian body, stood on the weak platform and used the squirt gun to push himself along the water. In the water were Bio Boko Babas, hungry plant monsters that waited for Cheren to approach, but the operative carefully navigated around them.

Cheren made it onto some land with another Leaf Boat Plant, watering it and making it grow to its boat size. Cheren got into the boat and floated his way back to Harry, allowing his partner to get in with him. They floated over to a left area of the swamp as Keese swooped down to try and nip them, but Harry scared them off with his S.P.I.C.E.R.. They drifted over to another piece of land where a Big Boko Baba was guarding the path ahead. Cheren reverted to normal and tried to swing his sword at the giant plant, but it snapped the operative in his mouth before tossing him away. Cheren growled as he recovered, looking at his S.Q.W.I.R.T. and switching to the other water setting. He ran to the giant plant and shot the reverse-growth water, causing it to shrink to a regular Boko Baba.

Cheren easily sliced the plant and defeated it as the two continued to another enclosed area. The path seemed to continue on an upper area, but all they could find were three patches of dirt and three seeds, a pink one, a blue one, and a yellow one. Cheren went to grab the yellow seed and toss it onto the middle dirt patch, shooting water onto it to make it grow into a flower platform. Cheren shrugged to Harry, who shrugged back before grabbing the blue seed and tossing it onto the furthest dirt patch, Cheren watering it afterward to make it grow into a taller platform. Their eyes widened with amazement before grabbing the pink seed and throwing it on the closest dirt patch, watering and making it into a medium sized platform.

"Well, this doesn't help us." Harry said. Cheren studied the relatively easy puzzle for a second before nodding and using the reverse-growth water to shrink the yellow and pink platforms back into seeds. He tossed the yellow seed onto the first patch and the pink seed onto the middle patch, watering them to make them grow to their respective sizes. "That works!" Harry said after the platforms made a staircase. The two operatives climbed onto the short yellow platform, jumped to the pink one, and then jumped to the blue one before reaching the ledge above.

Up there, they found two Miniblin with spears and grass skirts, bashing each other on the head. "I'm Dirty Dan-"

"No, I'm Dirty Dan-"

"No, I'M Dirty Dan-"

Cheren was about to strike them, but was stopped by Harry. "Wait! We gotta play this right!" he whispered. The alternate Uno child rolled over to the Miniblin and took aim with his S.P.I.C.E.R.. "OKAY! Which one of you is the REAL Dirty Dan?…"

The two monsters exchanged glances. "I AM!" They both raised hands. Immediately, Cheren jumped out and did a spin attack, taking them both out.

"So you both are." he said, sheathing his sword. Next to them was a rapid-moving river, and another Leaf Boat Plant. Cheren watered the plant and made it grow into a boat, and they quickly hopped on as it began moving down the river. The boat was difficult to maneuver as it surfed across the rapids, with the operatives having to swerve it left and right to avoid rocks, and having to duck to avoid branches. There were Foothold Plants coming up ahead, so Cheren quickly fired the S.Q.W.I.R.T. and minimized them to avoid crashing. Octoroks popped out of the river ahead and spat rocks at them, but Cheren bounced them back with his shield to knock them out. The river was easy going the rest of the way, but it quickly came up to a waterfall. Harry grabbed Cheren and shot his G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H. onto a tree branch to swing them to a ledge, while the leaf boat was sucked in the mouth of a Big Octo down below.

"You guys always do this extreme stuff in your universe?" Harry asked as they stopped to catch their breath.

"Let's keep looking for Miyuki." Cheren stated simply as he walked ahead.

Harry rolled his eyes. "So serious." (End song.)

The sky started to become dark after more venturing into the jungle. The sky was orange in the distance beyond the trees, and Harry could see the sun was setting. "It's getting late. We should stop and get rest, then keep moving in the morning." Harry suggested.

"What? We can't stop now! Not when we're this close to Miyuki! I'm…" Cheren released a yawn.

"Heh heh. Okay, workaholic, you really need to settle down. Let's make camp."

The duo put out sleeping bags and had their weapons placed on the ground. They made a pile of firewood as Cheren furiously rubbed two sticks over the wood. He grunted angrily, unable to make the fire. "Come ooon! Light, you son of a-" Just like that, the sticks flashed, and the fire burst forth.

"Whoa!" Harry fell back a little, surprised. "Nice fire!"

"Heh…" Cheren blushed and brushed his hands off.

Harry then grabbed a bag of marshmallows and tossed one to Cheren. They stuck them onto sticks and began to roast them over the fire. "Miyuki's pretty important to you, huh?"

"Well, yeah. My job as leader is to protect all of my operatives, and that includes her."

"Yeah, I'd do the same for my team. Still, I can't imagine being Supreme Leader. I'd rather just manage a small group of people, not hundreds of them."

"It's definitely a big job."

"…But, does Miyuki have any other teammates? Why would you come instead of sending one of your operatives?"

"I…I just thought it was my responsibility is all. And I… It all happened so fast, I didn't have time to ask Sector IC what they wanted to do. And I probably should've because… Miyuki needed to see that other people care about her."

"Hmm…" Harry pondered what he meant by that. "Well, at least she has you, right?"

"Yeah… so, um, in this world, do your parents still have their memories?"

"No, they were decommissioned. But their stories were preserved in the Book of KND. I'm surprised your world got rid of that rule."

"It's not completely gone. We still face a lot of teen traitors, though we don't know why."

"Decommissioning's not a thing I'm looking forward to." Harry frowned. "You know, I got a new baby brother recently. Name's George. If he ever joined the KND… well, I guess I couldn't mentor him."

"Yeah… really is a sad system. But funny, because my older brother's friends with a George. One of Miyuki's teammates, actually."

"Hahaha! It all comes around. Anyhoo… better turn in. Good night, Dimension Bro."

"You, too." Cheren smiled.

The two operatives fixed their selves into their sleeping bags. In the skies above, a shooting star was quickly dropping toward the earth.

The next morning…

As the sun touched the horizon, Cheren awoke to the sound of chirping jungle birds. He yawned, rubbed his eyes, and put on his glasses. As he turned to notice Harry still asleep, another sound caught his ears. It sounded like singing in the distance. He quickly crawled over to shake, "Harry, get up."

"Mmmn, no, Mom, I wanna sleep for 10 more minutes…" Harry snored.

"Get up!" Cheren yelled, standing and stomping the boy's stomach.

"Oow!" Harry whined and sat up.

"Do you hear that?" Cheren whispered. The two faced ahead as the singing drew closer.

"We stealing, carousing, sea-farin', ship jumping, and DRIINKing EEEVeryDAAAY!" Through the shrubs, a band of robotic pirates cut their way through. The one slicing the bushes and leading the way was Captain Slag, a chubby pirate with a sword for a right hand, and cracked, steel belly. His left arm was wrapped around a shorter, skinnier robot, with two big eyes and a long lower lip. The two pirates' heads were close together as they sang. "But drunk on her beeed, our muuums once saaid, a life, of crime, don't PAAAY. But stealing, carousing, pillagin' and roughhousing, are fuuun times ALLL the WAAAY!"

"D'arr, it won't be long now, mateys! Somewhere beyond this jungle lies the ancient ruins, home to the Earthican apes of old as it were…"

"But what could a bunch of apes be holding in there that's so special?" the skinny pirate said with a hiccup.

"Ay, something tasty, Rusty Pete. Why, with all these spawn from the Underworld crowdin' this here jungle, Ay can sense it be somethin' worth slicin' a few heads fer, aye?"

"Oi, boss." One of the pirates spoke up as he walked over to Cheren and Harry's campsite. Their sleeping bags and some of their clothes were left on the ground. "Methinks some poor souls be after that treasure, too, aye?"

"Arrgh, it be those meddlesome Kids Next Darr that be escapin' our fleet. Arr, can't go anywheres wifout the likes of them in our way, aye? Scour the area and search fer clues."

But at that moment, Harry Uno dropped from a tree and onto Rusty Pete, knocking the first mate out before beginning to burn pirates with his S.P.I.C.E.R.. Captain Slag turned to face him, his sword raised, but turned around when Cheren dropped down behind him. "YAAAAH!" Cheren leapt at the pirate, his leg stretched straight at him, ready for a kick. When his bare foot made contact with the pirate's steel belly, he froze. Pain surged through him, and the Supreme Leader gripped his foot as he hopped on the other, grunting in pain.

Slag immediately grabbed his leg and held him upside-down. "Sooo, yeh tryin' ta lay the smack on me, yeh wee squishy? Why I oughta ball you up, squeeze ye into a cannon, and BLAST ye all the way into the sun! Yeh mangy bilge rat-" The captain dropped Cheren when he was suddenly attacked by a bunch of monkeys which fell from the trees. "AYYRGH! What manner of trickery be this?! OFF me, ye filthy undeveloped scallywags!" Slag cried as he tried to shake the apes off him.

At the same time, a pack of apes began pounding on the other pirates as Harry looked confused. Just then, a female ape with a red rose on her head and gray fur climbed down and jumped around the operatives to get their attention. "Come with me. Ook. Ook."

The two exchanged glances and quickly put on the rest of their clothes and gathered their camp equipment, hurriedly running after the little monkey.

"Arrrr!" Captain Slag roared again, trying to pull off the monkeys. "Begone with ye, ye miserable man-rats!" At that instant, a wave of purple flames was thrown, and the apes cowered away. The pirates were able to recover, looking confused. "Aaaye? What sorcery be this-ah?"

"Look, Boss!" a pirate pointed. "That boy be back fer more!"

"'old on! A different air be surroundin' this one, lads." Slag noticed. "Who are ye?"

Nerehc EiznekCm Onu smirked. "Just your fellow roughhouser."


I was going to include another stage along with that one, but I wasn't really sure how to end it afterwards. I figured that was a good ending there. Anyway, Captain Slag is a new villain in this story, he comes from Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction (I missed him ). And the whole 'Youth Roll' thing is from Homestuck. It is so awesome. X)

 

[Gamen Watch]

Alright, people, we got a LONG chapter here, it's an action stage, a whole dungeon, AND the first boss!

Chapter 6: A Giant's Call

Jungle of the Apes

Cheren and Harry hightailed after the little monkey girl, having to push away giant shrubs and tree branches as they ran through the thick jungle. "AAH!" The monkey's face shot into Cheren's face; he screamed and stopped, causing Harry to bump into him and both operatives to fall. They dizzily looked up as the monkey hung from a tree branch by her feet. She let go as she jumped excitedly in front of the operatives as they stood up. "Stop!" Cheren yelled. "Who ARE you?"

The monkey ceased jumping. "Ook-ook. Who are pretty humans, ook?"

"Harry and Cheren Uno, ook." Harry introduced, mocking the ape. "What's it to you, ook-ook?"

"Ook. We no get humans much in jungle, ook-ook. Daddy Gorilla no like humans much. They bad, ook-ook."

"Well, we aren't bad humans." Cheren replied.

"Cheren might be though." Harry remarked, causing Cheren to shoot him a look.

"Couldn't be as bad as demons or pirates, ook-ook. Me watch you chase demons away in jungle."

"One of your friends actually gave us this squirt gun to help, I think." Cheren said.

"You going to chase away demons for us, ook-ook?"

"We'd like to. But more importantly, we're looking for a white-haired girl wearing a mask. Seen anything like that?"

"Ook-ook. Me see little human in scary mask go into sacred temple, ook-ook."

"That must be her!" Cheren exclaimed happily. "Please! Take us to this temple!"

"Ook-ook. Need special song to get into temple, ook-ook. No idea how other human get into temple. Only Daddy Gorilla know it. Need get it from him, no?"

"Okay, then. Will he give it to us?"

"You need earn it from him. He no like humans. They dangerous, no?"

Cheren sighed, "It's never that easy, is it?"

"Okay. Follow me, ook-ook." (Play "Zolar Forest" from Ratchet & Clank: A Crack In Time.)

Stage 5: High Jungle

Mission: Meet with the Daddy Gorilla.

The monkey excitedly jumped her way up a vine wall, followed by Cheren and Harry, who struggled to climb up. They had an incredible view of the vast jungle as they were climbing to the top of a massive tree. They looked around the area and saw that several equally massive trees were standing over the jungle as well. They made it onto a ledge around their tree and watched as the monkey swung across some vines to another ledge, mimicking her movements as they swung across as well. There were some Bokoblin on the other side, terrifying the monkey, but Cheren immediately rolled over and swung his sword at them, kicking the monsters over the edge. The monkey jumped for joy before proceeding to swing across some more vines.

These next vines appeared to be floating using propeller leaf petals. The monkey swung across this long row of floating vines to make it all the way to the next large tree. The operatives shrugged and swung after the monkey on the airborne vines. They made it onto the ledge around the giant tree to find the monkey being threatened by Miniblin. The monkey looked up and saw that Harry was burning all of the Miniblin with his S.P.I.C.E.R.. The monkey jumped and clapped before climbing the wall onto a higher ledge. She threw a vine down to them, allowing them to join her. The monkey was then shuddering at the sight of a group of Boko Babas. Harry easily wiped out the Babas by setting fire to each of them. The monkey stepped closer to the next series of floating vines, but looked afraid to swing on them. She pointed ahead, and they saw that some of the vines were actually floating Boko Babas.

Cheren decided to swing ahead on his own first. When he made it to the first Baba, he dodged as its mouth gnashed at him before slicing its head clean off. He was able to swing to the next vine and kept going before encountering the next Boko Baba. He dodged it and sliced its head off before swinging forward. He reached the last vine, but didn't jump onto the ledge since there was a Boko Baba waiting to snack him. He was too far to slice the plant monster, so he squirted it with the reverse-growth water from his S.Q.W.I.R.T., causing it to shrink and vanish. Cheren jumped the ledge, watching as Harry and the monkey soon followed him. They now stood on what seemed like the biggest tree in the jungle. The monkey jumped and clapped some more before leading the duo into a cave entry in the tree.

"Hey, uh, Monkey Girl, quick question: do you guys throw your poo around like other monkeys?" Harry asked randomly.

"Ook-ook, no. That ape stereotype started by maniac zoo apes, ook."

"Well, that's good." Cheren said.

"Awww." Harry looked saddened.

The duo was led into the center of the tree. Above them was a series of branches where many gorillas gathered upon. In the center was a huge, black gorilla, who stared at the operatives with hateful eyes. They gulped at the sight of him as the monkey girl stepped forward and jumped onto a branch. She turned around and asked the operatives, "You speak Monkey, no?"

"Uhhh…no?" Cheren questioned.

"I can act like a monkey! Ooh-ooh-aah-aah!" Harry yelled, dancing around like an ape.

"Stop iiit!" Cheren yelled, smacking the boy.

"You stand before Kerchak. Daddy Gorilla, ook-ook."

"Oh, good." Cheren walked closer and spoke, "Mr. Kerchak, we're looking for a friend of mine. Your monkey said she went into your temple, so we were wondering if-"

"ENOUGH!" Kerchak suddenly spoke in a gruff voice. "Humans are not welcome here… They bring dangers to clan. Human friend lead demonic hordes into jungle… and take members of our clan. Wife, Kala… niece, Terk… and son, Tarzan…"

"Oh, so you DO speak English…" Harry observed.

"Well, we aren't with the demonic hordes." Cheren tried to tell him. "I know it doesn't look it, but I'm the Hero of Time. Sort of… I fight demons."

"Humans hateful… to all creatures…" Kerchak spoke. "They lock us apes in zoos… and kill pigs and cows for food…"

"But isn't that the Circle of Life?" Harry asked. "And hey, we are in Africa, so…"

"Humans different. Many humans responsible for breaking balance in the world… Humans responsible for destruction in the world. They hate bring power to demons. Lead them to destroy the world…"

"(Kerchak, wait.)" A female gorilla spoke, using what looked like sign language to speak to the Daddy Gorilla. "(How are we any different? We've shown hate and distrust toward the humans. Are we very different from them?)"

"(They've grown out of their place in nature, Talia. They've brought destruction. They started wars out of selfish desires and robbed the land of its beauty.)"

"(Our kind is not so noble. Do you not remember Specter and Mojo-Jojo? They have brought bad name to our clan. There are good apes like Tarzan. And good humans, too. Let us trust them.)"

The operatives watched as the gorillas signed to each other. "Wait… so ape language is SIGN language?" Cheren asked.

"Where you think signing comes from, ook-ook." the girl ape said.

Kerchak thought for a second before looking at the operatives. "If want me to let into temple, you prove yourself. Save clan members from demons. If successful, we teach you song that let into temple. Me give you this for good luck." Kerchak pulled out a slingshot and tossed it to Harry, who caught it.

Harry got the slingshot! This fun toy can shoot pellets to a certain distance!

The operatives left the cave and went back onto the ledge around the tree. To their right was a path that led to another set of floating vines. The operatives began swinging the long row of vines as Kargaroks soared around the area. The bird monsters swooped down to peck at the operatives, but Harry gripped his vine with his legs and shot pellets from his slingshot, dizzying the birds and making them plummet. They were able to swing the rest of the way and reach the next towering tree. A few Green Chuchus appeared along the ledge, but Harry set fire to the jelly blobs with his S.P.I.C.E.R.. They looked up to the higher ledge to their right and spotted a curled up vine. Harry was about to pull it down with his G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H., but- "Ahh, crud! I left my G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H. at camp."

"Use the slingshot." Cheren told him. Harry aimed his new toy at the vine and shot a pellet, making it unravel. Cheren went first and climbed to the higher ledge, followed by Harry. They found another cave and entered the huge tree. The inside was a deep pit with thin tree logs leading all the way down. However, the pit was also littered with several giant spider webs. Harry shuddered. "Big spiders are big."

"The only safe way down is through these logs. You just stay here." Cheren ordered as he put on the Kateenian Mask. He shrunk to his half height and began crawling through the first log. As Harry waited, his eyes widened when giant spiders—Skulltulas—slowly came down and tried to crawl into the logs. Harry protected his friend by shooting the spiders and making them fall. There were also spiders sneaking up behind Harry, but the boy kept them away using his S.P.I.C.E.R.. He kept defending Cheren until the Kateenian boy was all the way at the bottom.

He unmasked himself as he saw a pack of Skulltulas surrounding a shorter, grey gorilla. Remembering his mom's words on how to beat these things, he ran to the first one, swung his sword up, and flipped it upside-down. After stabbing the underbelly of the bug, the other spiders redirected their attention at him. He ran at the nearest one and flipped it before stabbing its belly. One of the spiders latched onto him from behind, and many others started swarming him as well. Thankfully, the grey gorilla grabbed one of the spiders and swatted them all away, proceeding to jump and smash each one it could. Eventually, the Skulltulas decided to retreat.

"Thanks." the female gorilla said. "I'm Terk. You're a human, aren'tcha? Where'd you come from?"

"Uhhh, a parallel universe?"

"Eh, they come from somewhere." She shrugged. "Good luck saving the others." The gorilla proceeded to climb her way out of there.

Cheren made his way back to Harry as the group left the tree. Terk stood over the edge and pounded the tree's cliff, causing a bunch of floating vines to come out, forming a path that led downward and to the left. Terk was headed for Kerchak's tree as the duo proceeded to swing this new set of vines. They swung down to a hillside in the jungle, going below the trees again. They found a small ruin up ahead with some smoke coming out the top. They walked up the small stairway to this ruin when a giant crab suddenly came out from the side at the top.

"Nono, nope, nono, nono, nope." It said as it blocked their way. Both operatives got on either side of the staircase with the crab zigzagging back and forth. They both ran, and Harry made it behind, burning the crab's backside. They entered the ruin to find a bunch of Miniblin Dancers, who have a brown gorilla tied by her wrists with some rope which they were slowly lowering into a roaring fire. The rope was lowered by a Miniblin on a high platform, who turned a lever. All Miniblins' eyes were focused on the gorilla, dancing with spears raised.

"If they spot us, they'll probably just cut the rope." Harry whispered.

"I have a plan." Cheren spoke quietly as he crouched down. "Stay hidden." Cheren crouched to the first Miniblin, and when he was close, he shot up, covered the creature's mouth, and stuck his sword in its back.

"Whoa…" Harry's eyes widened. Cheren quietly made his way toward the stairs on the right, silently stabbing every Miniblin he snuck up to. Some of the Miniblin on the side were about to glance at the operative, but Harry shot them with the Slingshot and made them dizzy. Finally, Cheren made it to the stairs and walked onto the platform. The Miniblin at the lever spotted him, but Cheren ran, sliced the monster, and pushed it into the fire. He then turned the wheel the other way and raised the gorilla to safety while Harry set fire to the other Miniblin.

The gorilla woman was set safely on the platform as Cheren cut her ropes. "Thanks. I'm Kala. Kerchak… send you?"

"He send us." Cheren replied.

"Is… son… safe?"

"Tarzan? No, not yet."

"They take him… up, ahead. I return to Kerchak. You save." Cheren nodded as Kala left the ruin. The operatives left the ruin as well and spotted a cliffside to the left. They approached the cliff, overlooking a lower area of the vast jungle, and found a small soil pouch with a little sprout. Cheren used his S.Q.W.I.R.T. to water the plant, and it transformed into a flat, leaf platform, which seemed to float in midair. They stood on the plant, and it started making a weird sound as it levitated in the air, going high above the trees and floating away, past the ruin. They saw their selves drifting closer to another huge tree ahead, more far off than all the others.

A group of Furnixes flew their way and began to shoot fire towards the platform. Cheren held his shield out to defend the floating plant from the fire and also hurl his shield at the birds' heads, with the shield bouncing right back. The birds flew past and went behind them, continuing to shoot fire, but Cheren kept defending. A Furnix flew around and shot fire from the side, while another shot fire from behind, but Cheren pushed back the first one and quickly blocked the other one.

The Furnixes retreated as the platform made it to the large tree. They immediately found a bunch of the space-pirates clashing with the demons. After watching a nearby pirate slice a Bokoblin, they ran behind him and Harry singed his bottom. The pirate jumped around and swung his sword at the duo, but Cheren performed a jump attack and sliced him down the middle. They watched a Bokoblin victoriously dance on a fallen pirate, and Cheren snuck up and stabbed him from behind. "Looks like the pirates haven't left yet." Cheren figured. The two left the pirates to fight the monsters and approached a steep slope on their left. When they tried to walk up, they slid down, so the duo decided to dash up and make it. (End song.)

They found another cave and entered the tree, finding a wide, circular chamber where they watched a tall man with a muscular body, long, messy brown hair, and no clothes except for a loincloth, fighting a bunch of demons and pirates with a long spear. "Hey… it's a human!" Cheren exclaimed.

"Hey… are you Tarzan?" Harry shouted.

"Mm?" The human knocked away one more pirate before turning to the kids. He felt a shadow loom over him, and looked up and gasped, rolling out of the way before a large robot pirate with an oven on his chest and a cannon for a right arm crashed on the ground.

"Ayee, this be the favored son of the head gorilla." The pirate said. "If Ay catch 'im, Kerchak will 'ave ta let us into the temple in exchange. Many doubloons be lookin' for ol' Sprocket. And Ay will have them, after I deal with ye meddlesome swags!" (Play "Having a Wild Time" from Kingdom Hearts.)


Sub-boss: Sprocket

The large pirate launched giant cannonball bombs at the three as they dodged. Tarzan ran at him, leaped, and stabbed against his head with his spear. Sprocket swatted the man-ape away as Cheren ran forward. Sprocket shot a bomb at him, but Cheren leapt onto the area around his head and tried to slice him. Sprocket spun his upper body around and blew Cheren away, launching another bomb at the operative. The bomb landed beside Cheren and began ticking, but he and Harry ran toward it and 'Youth Rolled', pushing it toward Sprocket. It exploded close to him and did a little damage against the pirate before he used his left hand to launch a grappling hook, to the ceiling, pulling him upward.

Sprocket was safe on the high ceiling as he launched more bombs at the three opponents. Tarzan climbed up the vines and hung on to the ceiling as he went over to Sprocket in attempt to kick the robot down, but he smacked the ape man and made him hit the ground below. Harry noticed the set of vines leading up to Sprocket, so he used his S.P.I.C.E.R. to set fire to them. The fire went all the way to Sprocket and began burning the robot's claw. It was forced to drop, landing with a thud, and began shooting cannonballs at them again. Tarzan got behind the robotic stove and was able to stab holes in his back with his spear. Sprocket felt the pokes and spun around to smack him away, but he dodged back on his own.

Harry ran up from behind and sprayed fire at his punctured back. Sprocket felt his temperatures rise and quickly turned to shoot at Harry. The buff robot began jumping around the area and creating shockwaves, knocking the operatives off their feet. He bounced closer to them, but Cheren got up and hurried away, tossing his Hylian Shield at the robot's head and getting it lodged horizontally in his mouth. Sprocket banged on his head to get the shield out, but that's when Tarzan leapt onto his head and poked holes into it, also scooping the shield out.

Cheren grabbed his shield as Sprocket tried to shoo away Tarzan. While he was distracted, Cheren pulled out his S.Q.W.I.R.T. and ran at him, shooting water between the bars of his stove. The flames that were in there slowly died out, and Sprocket fell powerless. Finally, Harry hurried over and unleashed a huge stream of fire from his S.P.I.C.E.R., greatly igniting Sprocket's insides. "YARRG! IT ISN'T… SUPPOSED TO GO UP THAT HIIIIGH-" His eyes catching flames, Sprocket exploded. The robot's parts flew everywhere as Cheren and Harry did high-fives and a knuckle-punch, with Sprocket's head landing beside them. (End song.)

The two sheathed their weapons and approached Tarzan. "Humans come here… save gorillas?"

"Yes… We save gorillas." Harry grinned.

"But you're a human." Cheren noticed. "Why would Kerchak…"

"Kerchak, father. Save, me… You, humans… save, us."

"We can't be any clearer." Cheren said, scratching his head.

"Tarzan, thanks… Who, humans?"

"Me, Cheren. Him, Harry." Cheren said, making hand gestures. "We come here, looking for Mi-yu-ki."

"Mi…yuki?"

"Ye-es. She is a friend of mine. Frriiieend."

"M'yuki… friend?"

"Yes. Miyuki is friend."

"*&&X%. (Hee. Hoo. Hoo-ooh-ah.)"

"What?"

"*&&X%. (Hee. Hoo. Hoo-ooh-ah.)"

"Oo…kaay… Well, let's get back to the others. Kerchak will be happy to see you."

Kerchak's Tree

The operatives and Tarzan arrived back at Kerchak's treehouse, the Daddy Gorilla looking down at them from the branches beside Terk and Kala. "So, Tarzan was actually a human?" Cheren asked. "Why didn't you mention this? Why do you hate humans so much if…"

"Tarzan… abandoned as child." Kerchak replied. "Find him in jungle… could not leave him. Raise him ourselves… It mean nothing. He is ape on inside. Humans are human…"

"But Tarzan is a human, too. The inside AND the outside." Harry began to explain. "He's the perfect example! We all have a little ape inside all of us. And apes have a little human. I mean… I was raised by humans, but I'm sort of an ape! OO-OOH-OOH-AAAH!" he screeched, dancing around a little.

Cheren shook his head and snickered slightly.

"The point is, our two species aren't so different. And humans aren't all bad. And the same probably goes for other cultures, too."

"It's true." Cheren nodded.

"Hmmm…" Kerchak looked away thoughtfully.

"They did… fight demons…" Kala reminded.

"Hmmm…" Kerchak looked at them again, "You save clan… members… Perhaps humans good, too… Maybe you help recover our temple, too… We teach you song that allows you entry. Gorillas." Kerchak and five other gorillas pulled out different-sized drums and began to play them. The order played was second-largest, third-largest, third-lowest, third-largest, largest, second, first, second, and then first largest. They sounded like this:

Boom-bom-dom-bom-BOM! Bom-BOM-bom-BOM! They played it one more time as a refresher.

Cheren readied his Spirit Flute and repeated the notes: White, Blue, Red, Blue, Green, White, Green, White, and Green.

Dooo-doo-do-doo-DOOO! Dooo-DOO-dooo-DOO!

After Cheren repeated these notes, all of the gorillas began pounding on drums, repeating the notes several times and making lots of noise. Cheren was catching on to the beat and followed them on his Spirit Pipes. Harry was waving his finger like a conductor's baton, also moving to the catchy tune. After a few more extra notes and verses, the music came to an end.

You learned the Apes' Waking Cry! This song is so noisy, it can wake the dead!

Kerchak afterwards led the operatives outside to the tree's ledge, followed by some other apes. "Here." Kerchak handed Cheren an Empty Bottle. "Take this. Use to hold stuff."

Cheren studied the small, clear bottle confusedly. "Um…thanks?"

You've got an Empty Bottle! Use this to store water and capture Stray Fairies!

"You go… to temple, now. Play song… in Empty Treeland."

"Great. How do we get there?" Cheren asked.

"Only way apes know how! Ook-ook!" the girl monkey chirped.

"Huh?" As both operatives looked confused, they suddenly felt Kerchak's large hands grip both their puny heads. Kerchak slowly turned around and- "WAAAAAH!" their screams echoed as Kerchak hurled them into the distance.

Empty Treeland

The operatives crash-landed in a large, empty field area of the jungle. Across the field was a very short tree with a wide amount of branches growing around. "Well, the name seems to fit." Cheren observed.

"So, what? We play the song here?"

"Hold on…" Cheren noticed a peculiar owl statue, with closed wings, leaning against a nearby wall. Cheren approached the statue and read the inscription: O Hero who shall bring peace to this land, strike with your sacred sword here.

Raising a brow, Cheren raised his sword and struck the owl. It brimmed and released a blinding light. When the light cleared, the owl's wings were open. "Huh… Wonder what that did? Oh well. Guess we better play this song." Cheren walked further out in the field and replayed the notes of the song.

Dooo-doo-do-doo-DOOO! Dooo-DOO-dooo-DOO!

Nothing happened for the first few seconds. Then, the ground started to rumble. The earth around the short tree ahead started to crumble, and the tree began to rise. They soon realized that it wasn't just a tree, but a massive ruin, crumbled and covered in flora. The quaking slowly came to a halt as the ruin stopped rising.

"Whoa… nice temple." Harry said, eyes wide with amazement.

"I wonder how Miyuki was able to get in. You think she knew the song?"

"Let's go in and ask her. If she's still around."

"I hope we at least figure out why she came at all." The duo approached the temple and went up the steep stairway to the entrance. They entered the temple's rectangular entry. (Play "Woodfall Temple" from Majora's Mask.)

Dungeon 1: Jungle Temple

Mission: Get to the center of the temple.

The inside of the temple was cracked and rugged, with sunlight shining through the crumbling walls, and trees and flora growing through the ruin. The first room was just a narrow hallway with trees coming through the floors and ceiling. The duo cut straight through to the first door, where a Skulltula immediately dropped down from the ceiling and blocked their way. They fearfully backed away from the giant spider as it gnashed its fangs at them. Cheren ran around the spider as it turned, and Harry was able to kick it from behind. The spider turned back and glared at him, but Cheren ran and did an upward strike, knocking the spider upside-down. The Uno child then proceeded to leap and strike its weak point on its belly.

They entered the next room, which was cube-shaped, and they appeared on a ledge over a pool of water down below. Small flowers were scattered around the pool, and Cheren already proceeded to water them with the S.Q.W.I.R.T. and make them grow into platforms. The two proceeded to hop the platforms to the ledge on the other side. However, Cheren took notice of a little green fairy inside of a colorful bubble over one of the platforms. "What do you think that is?" Cheren asked. Harry shrugged, and Cheren decided to jump over. He popped the bubble and freed the fairy as it excitedly flew around Cheren and shot into the Empty Bottle he received from the monkey girl.

"You saved me! Please find all the other fairies and take us to the fountain outside this temple."

"Ooookay. This just got a lot more complicated." Harry said.

Cheren sighed, "Guess we better search for 'em, too." The two jumped to the ledge and entered the next door. They appeared inside of a central, circular chamber with a gaping pit down below. Up above, sunlight shone through a hole in the ceiling. There were several doors on ledges around the chamber, but the only accessible way appeared to be on their right. Before they moved forward, a banana fell down from up above and bumped Harry's head. The boy picked the fruit up and studied it strangely.

"Aaaack! Aaaack!" a monkey screeched as it dropped down and started beating Harry for its banana.

"Hey-Hey, get off!"

During his assault, the monkey swiped Harry's S.P.I.C.E.R. and tossed it into the pit. He took his banana back and climbed away as Harry raised his arms in defeat. "And NOW I am S.P.I.C.E.R.-less."

"Just use hand-to-hand combat. Besides, you still have a Slingshot." Cheren said. They continued down the path and found a door. The door had a lock on it, so they had to cross a wooden board bridge and enter the next door. They were inside another room with a watery floor, which had several monstrous-looking plants soaking in the liquid. Cheren jumped first, but the Demon Flytrap immediately snapped him in its petals, munching and crunching on the Uno child before spitting him back onto the starting platform. The brown-haired hero then attempted to shoot the plant with reverse-growth water, but it only smacked it away.

"Well, these plants mean business." Harry said.

"Sigh, at times like this, I wish I had Fi to give me helpful info. Okay, let me try something else." Cheren then placed on his Kateenian Mask and shrunk to Kateenian form. He jumped to the first flower and shut his eyes in fright, but peeked open when the plant wouldn't munch him. "Whew. I guess they must sense my weight. Just wait here, Harry." Cheren said as he jumped across the plant monsters on his own.

"Greeeat, I'll keep watch for any more monkey thieves." Harry called.

Cheren entered the door on the other side, finding a room that was totally inhabited by Snappers, which were giant turtles with spikes around their shells. "Dac-quack." They all said as they curled in their shells and spun at Cheren, the Kateenian boy rolling out of the way. The Hero of Time descendant quickly leapt onto one of the turtles and began to ride it. He held on as the turtle spun around the room to try and shake him off, ending up crashing into a wall. Dizzied, the turtle fell upside-down, leaving Cheren to jump and pound its belly. The other two turtles spun around and launched at him again. Cheren dodged and grabbed on one's back, making it spin around the room and knock out the other turtle before crashing it in a wall.

When the turtles were finished, Cheren watched as a treasure chest spawned in the center of the room. The chest was large, but Cheren was able to open it in his short Kateenian body. He had to climb and go into the chest to retrieve whatever was in there and jump back out. He held up a brown map of the dungeon.

You got the Dungeon Map! This map shows the layout of rooms in the dungeon. Rooms you've already been in are lit green. The yellow arrow shows where you are on the map.

Cheren left the room afterward and back to the room with the evil water flowers. On the other side, he saw that Harry had fallen asleep. He rolled his eyes before taking notice of another, small chest on the side of the room. Cheren jumped over to that platform and opened the chest, finding a Small Key. He smiled at this find before jumping back to Harry's platform, where he did a forceful jump on the boy's stomach. "Ow!"

"Get up, lazy." Cheren stated before reverting to his human form. They stepped back out into the center room and went to the locked door, using the Small Key to open it.

"Hehehe. Small." Cheren rolled his eyes at Harry's remark and entered the room. This room was darker compared to other parts of the dungeon. A zigzaggy wooden walkway went across a long hallway of water, leading to a spider web doorway.

"I don't think we're getting through there without some fire." Cheren figured. With Harry's S.P.I.C.E.R. gone, the only source of fire appeared to be a lone torch that was beside them, which attracted the attention of moths. They also noticed a tiny Baba sprout on their right. Cheren watered the Baba with his S.Q.W.I.R.T. and watched it grow into a regular-sized Boko Baba, its stem sticking straight up as it snapped its mouth. Cheren sliced the Baba's stem, leaving the plant as a dry, wooden stick. "This could help." Cheren grabbed the stick and lit the tip of it on fire with the torch. But when he did, he was immediately assaulted by the swarm of moths.

"Better make a run for it." Harry suggested. Cheren did so and hurriedly ran across the wooden walkway, careful not to slip off the zigzagged path. He was able to make it to the spider web and burn it down. He then quickly lit a nearby torch on fire and dipped the stick in the water, putting it out and causing the moths to gather around the new torch. Harry hurried over to Cheren's side shortly after. "Hey, dude, there's something underwater." Harry pointed to another bubble with a fairy inside it under the water.

"I'll get it." Cheren sighed as he dove into the water. He swam toward the trapped fairy and popped its bubble, setting it free and allowing it into his bottle. He swam back over to Harry as the boy helped him out of the water. The two continued past where the spider web was and stepped up a set of winding stairs; there was a gentle waterfall on the way up, which would prevent them from bringing a lit torch. They reached a second-floor room that was pitch-black, with barely any light to guide them. They did notice the glow of another green fairy on one side of the room, but that was it. They noticed there was water over the edge of their platform, and Cheren attempted to jump across and land on something. He ended up landing on another Demon Flytrap as it munched him and sent him back at the start.

"Heh. You never told me how popular you were with the plant life." Harry smirked.

"Lemme look at this map." Cheren pulled out the Dungeon Map and glared at it closely in the thick darkness. There appeared to be a path on their left leading around the water. The two followed the walkway that lay behind a vine-covered fence and came to a dead-end area. In the blackness, pairs of tiny, red eyes stared at them and slithered over. The Black Boes, little puffy balls of blackness, approached and jumped at the operatives, but Harry and Cheren were easily able to kick them away. They searched around the ground until they found a patch of dirt. Cheren watered the patch and watched as a bulbous yellow plant grew out, immediately glowing with a bright, yellow light.

Cheren lifted the Bub-Bulb and carried it to the start of the room. He set it down, became a Kateenian, and picked it up before trying to jump to a Demon Flytrap. However, the extra weight from the Bub-Bulb alerted the flytrap of his presence and munched on him. He and the bulb were chewed before being shot back to the ledge. "Ookay… just leave it. Makes enough light, anyway." He proceeded to jump his way across the flytraps with lighter weight. He first went over to where the fairy was floating and caught it inside of his bottle with the others. Cheren then hopped over to a smaller platform where it was safe to revert to a human. Above him was a small, ropey vine dangling from the bottom of a ledge. He aimed his S.Q.W.I.R.T. upward and watered the vine, making it grow longer.

Cheren jumped and grabbed the vine, holding on tight as he dangled over a flytrap. He turned around and swung back and forth to build momentum, then launched himself toward a higher vine that was noticeable in the darkness. He climbed a little higher and turned around to face the other ledge. He built enough momentum before launching himself at the top of that ledge. The light from the Bub-Bulb didn't reach, so the area above was still a little pitch-black. A few Black Boes slithered over in the darkness, but Cheren easily kicked them away. The boy searched around the dark area before his feet stepped on a switch, which caused the metal bars on the other end of the room to open. When Cheren stepped off, the bars only returned. Cheren felt around some more before finding a big block about his height. Cheren grabbed the block and pushed it to where he found the switch, and was able to hold it down.

Cheren became a Kateenian and safely dropped down to a flytrap below. When he turned around, he flinched at the sight of a shadowy demon with sharp teeth on the wall. When he looked over, he saw it was just Harry making shadow puppets. "Harry! What're you doing?"

"C'mon, you know I couldn't resist. Besides, I get bored waiting for you to finish puzzles."

"Hang on, I'm coming to get you." Cheren turned around and noticed a platform where a Leaf-Boat Plant was sprouting. He watered the leaf and grew it into a boat before climbing in and floating his way over to Harry. The alternate Uno child grabbed the Bub-Bulb and hauled it into the boat with them as they began floating down the opposite direction. The safely drifted past the Demon Flytraps and closer to the doorway. A few Bio Babas were waiting beneath the water in the darkness, so they carefully floated around them before they eventually reached the door.

The next room was a wider hallway with many trees growing through the ruins. There were vines dangling from the branches, lined up in a row to lead to other platforms above a lower floor. However, they noticed lots of snakes curled up on those vines. "You know those snakes are gonna get you when you try to swing." Harry said.

"Then it's teamwork time. Hit them with your Slingshot when they come down." Cheren ran to the first vine and jumped to grab onto it. As he built up momentum to swing across, snakes already began to slither down the vines. Harry took aim with his Slingshot and hit the snakes with pellets, causing them to get dizzy and fall. Harry repeated this process until Cheren made it safely to the next platform. There, he found another giant treasure chest. He opened the chest and peeked inside before pulling out a small, blue compass.

You got the Compass! This handy accessory marks the locations of treasure chests and fairies in the dungeon, and also shows the location of the boss!

With that done, Cheren prepared to swing along the next set of vines. Snakes were still crawling down to get him, but Harry was able to shoot between the open spots between the branches to knock them out. Cheren soon reached the next platform, but remembered he had to think of a way to bring Harry over (since he couldn't shoot the snakes and swing at the same time). Luckily, Cheren found another withered plant on a soil spot and watered it. It grew into a floating leaf platform, which levitated and flew over to Harry's ledge. It allowed the boy to step on and carried him over to his alternate-universe brother. Cheren faced the next set of vines ahead and jumped to grab the first one. Already, Harry noticed the Keese watching him from the walls.

"(Hey, Marty. There's some kid swinging on vines over there.)" one of them said in a squeaky bat language.

"(Where, where, I can't see.)"

"(Oh, you dumbass! Use your sonar!)"

The Keese flew over and tried to knock Cheren off the vines, but Harry easily knocked the bats away with Slingshot pellets. Cheren had to keep turning to swing to vines in different directions, but Harry defended him from bats long enough for him to reach the ledge by the door. Cheren found another Float Plant and watered it. The magic plant drifted over to Harry to carry him to his teammate. Before they entered the door, they noticed another green fairy inside of a bubble behind a tree. Harry tried to shoot at it, but it was too far for him to get a good angle. "Just leave it, we'll come back later." Cheren said.

The two entered the next room, which was smaller and cube-shaped, and also had a watery floor. They walked down a wooden pathway to the lower floor in the room, on a ledge where another door sat. They looked up in the corner across from them and saw a monkey sitting atop a branch that led behind a vine-covered fence, which totally blocked whatever was on the other side. The only other way to go was in the door beside them, so that's where they went. Immediately, metal bars sealed them inside. The room was slightly darker with a large puddle covering most of the center. (Pause music.)

"Bamp." They watched as a lizard-like demon with yellow skin and a jacket dropped down from the ceiling, wielding a sword. The Dinolfols didn't look menacing to the operatives, but that was before it sprouted a second head, third leg, and second sword. The two-headed monster breathed fire from both heads as it spun around. "MAMP!" (Play the Mini-boss theme from Majora's Mask.)


Sub-boss: Dual-Dinolfols

Cheren charged at the lizard monster, but the two-headed beast rapidly swung their swords at him and kicked him back. Harry ran at the monster, but it spun around, whacked him with its tail, and slid him backwards. "Okay… Together!" Cheren exclaimed as they jumped to their feet and charged at the monster at the same time. The beast kicked both of them with its three legs, stunning them, and then proceeded to flip forward and strike with their swords.

"Try going around!" Cheren suggested. Both operatives ran in separate directions around the monster, but each head kept an eye on an operative. Cheren tried running back the other way as they both charged to attack him, but one of the heads swung its sword at Cheren while the other attacked Harry. Cheren was kicked away by the one's leg while the other caught Harry in its tail and tossed him beside his ally. Cheren got up and put his Kateenian Mask on afterwards and ran at the monster. He tried to roll behind it, but the lizard(s) easily caught the short boy in its arms. The right head used its arm to bounce him like a ball, then passed him to the other head's arm. They both passed Cheren back and forth before grabbing him in both arms, running forward, leaping, and slamming him down onto Harry.

The Dual-Dinolfols stepped back and waved its arms in victory as Cheren removed his mask, gasping for breath. "Hokay… we can't take turns and we can't go together. These two attack together better than we do."

Harry's eyes perked in realization. "Maybe we can't attack together, but I'll bet THEY can't attack apart!"

Cheren looked up in realization, exchanging smirks with Harry. "Split up!" The two ran at the monster and immediately ran in separate ways around it. Cheren got on the opposite side of Harry's as they circled around, with a head watching each of them. They approached the monster, but immediately ran back, and when they tried to strike at the operatives, they pulled each other back, causing the two-half monster to topple over. When it was down, Cheren hurriedly lunged forward and dealt blows against it.

The Dual-Dinolfols flipped back to its feet and spun around unleashing two breaths of fire around their area. The operatives dodged the fire before running at the demon, running around in opposite circles to confuse it. When they were on opposite ends, they ran at it, then jumped back, causing the two heads to lunge at opposite directions and fall over. Cheren once again leapt over to deal more blows against it. The Dinolfols got back up and screeched in rage. Both sides charged and began rapidly spinning into a sword-tornado, moving around the room in attempt to slice the two operatives. Cheren and Harry 'Youth Rolled' around the room and stayed away from the two-headed lizard until it got tired and stopped spinning.

The two operatives went back to opposite ends of the beast as they each faced a head. The heads kept a steady eye on their operative, ready to strike at any time. Cheren ran at it first, then jumped back before he struck, Harry ran at it next, then jumped back to avoid the sword. They each took turns dodging their respective heads before they both ran at the same time, jumped back, and made the heads force each other back and fall over. Cheren then leapt into the air and dealt a fatal blow into the monster's chest. (End song.)

"Baamp… Mant…" The lizard's heads gasped as they stood up, wobbling back and forth. "Aamp…" When they tried to wobble in opposite ways, their attached body prevented them, and they fell over defeated. "Ba-lamp." (Replay the Woodfall Temple Theme.)

The metal bars opened as a giant chest appeared in the center of the room. Cheren and Harry high-fived before the Hero of Time descendant walked over and opened the chest. A golden light shone from the chest as Cheren stared with amazement and wonder. Cheren reached into the shining chest and held his new item up in victory. It was a yellow banana bent into a boomerang.

You got the Bananarang! This tasty little toy emits a scent that no monkey can resist. On top of being able to hit and grab distant targets and objects, this is one toy to go ape over! To equip it, select it to 'Y', 'Z', or—wait, whuh?

"Great! We did all that for a banana!" Harry exclaimed. "Are you sure you aren't half-ape yourself?"

"Well, my mom turned into a monkey one time. But let's see what we can do with it." The two left the mini-boss chamber and looked up at the monkey that was in the corner of the outside room. Cheren got an idea, holding up his Bananarang and tossing it above the fence across from them. Immediately, the monkey spotted the tasty banana, jumping excitedly as it leapt to grab it. The boomerang already flew back to Cheren and the monkey fell behind the fence. It hit a switch on the other side and made the fence fall flat on the ground, revealing a door on the other side.

"Before we go on, let's head back real quick." Cheren said as he led them up the wooden path onto the higher floor, then back into the wide hallway with the vines and trees. Cheren looked to the Stray Fairy behind the tree and tossed his Bananarang around it, popping the fairy's bubble and bringing it back to him. He caught the fairy in his bottle before the two proceeded back to the fence's room. They crossed the fallen fence and entered the door that was on the other side.

They appeared atop a ledge behind some metal bars, overlooking a room with yet another watery floor, and several circular log platforms hanging from the ceiling via vines. Cheren readied his Bananarang and tossed it around the room, slicing the vines and dropping the platforms as they began to float on the water. Cheren noticed another monkey down in one of the corners and tossed the Bananarang down below to grab its attention. When the boomerang flew back to him, Cheren then tossed it in the direction of a switch in the opposite corner, guiding the monkey over to the pressable and getting him to stand on it. The middle part of the bars opened as a result, allowing the operatives to climb down a ladder.

As they stepped onto the floating platforms below, Cheren noticed a Stray Fairy's location was marked in this room. He jumped around to the right side of the cage they were just in and found another fairy floating in a bubble. Cheren tossed the Bananarang up and popped the bubble, catching and bringing the fairy down. After putting it in the bottle, they entered the next door and found their selves back inside the round central chamber. They were on a slightly higher ledge behind a fence, and on their right was the path they first followed in this room. They found a standing wooden board and Cheren rolled into it, making it topple over and land on the lower path, forming a shortcut.

Wondering where to go next, they studied the map. "…Hey Har, check it out. There was another area in that room with the bridge and those moths."

"What d'you think's in there?"

"I dunno. A Boss Key?" The duo crossed the shortcut and went back into the room with the zigzaggy bridge. They looked up and saw that there were two ledges on opposite sides by the ceiling, linked together by a bridge. Cheren spotted a monkey crawling around up there and tossed the Bananarang above the bridge. The monkey became excited and crossed the bridge to try and catch it, but it went back to Cheren. Cheren tossed it to the ledge on the other side of the bridge, making the monkey crawl over. When the Bananarang went back, the monkey grabbed a rope ladder that was rolled up, and pushed it over the edge as it unraveled, making a way up.

Cheren and Harry jumped to and climbed the new ladder, patting the monkey on the head. They walked across the bridge and went down a stairwell on the other side. In this next room, they were on another ledge behind metal, vine-covered bars. Down below was another monkey in the corner, and a switch in the other corner, but the monkey had to cross a pool filled with Demon Flytraps to get across. There were logs dangling from vines above some of the flytraps, so Cheren tossed his Bananarang to cut the first one. The flytrap snapped the log in its mouth and chewed, so Cheren quickly tossed the projectile down to make the monkey jump onto the closed flytrap.

Cheren quickly cut the next log down to make the flytrap catch it, then had the monkey jump to that closed flytrap just before the first one reopened. Instead of a log, a regular vine was curled up above the next flytrap. Harry had to shoot his Slingshot to make the vine unravel, then Cheren threw the Bananarang down to make the monkey jump and grab the vine. The ape held on tight as Cheren chopped down the next log for the flytrap to eat, then had the monkey swing off and land on that flytrap. With one last jump, Cheren repeated the process one more time, having the monkey jump the last flytrap and make it to the switch. The bars opened as a bridge extended to the ledge on the other side. As they crossed the bridge, Cheren studied his map and pointed to a beehive at one of the walls. Harry was a little hesitant at first, but he fired his Slingshot and broke the hive open, releasing another fairy. Cheren tossed his Bananarang and brought the fairy over, putting it in his bottle.

The two crossed the bridge and entered the door, with metal bars immediately sealing them in on the other side. They proceeded down a straight, empty hallway until a voice was heard. (Pause song.)

"Datsh far enough, you mortalsh!" The orange demon chameleon, Gekko, exclaimed as he dropped from the ceiling. "You've interfered long enough!"

"Hey! You're Majora's minion!" Cheren exclaimed.

"Yesh! My name is Gekko! And your pitiful attempts to rescue the girl have already been washted! Miyuki hash already gooone, ha-ha!"

"Darn it! I KNEW we shouldn't have slept!" Cheren stomped in anger.

"And to make shure you shtay out of our minds for good, it'sh time to deshtroy you! He-ge-gek. GEKAAAHK!" (Play the Mini-boss Theme from Majora's Mask.)

Sub-boss: Gekko

The Gekko lunged at Cheren and started throwing punches and kicks, but the operative was quick to dodge as he grabbed and swung his sword. The Gekko back-flipped and crawled up the walls, over the ceiling, and dropped down on Harry, pinning and smashing the boy's face against the floor. Cheren ran to strike at him, but Gekko back-flipped again and kicked off the walls before doing an aerial-kick at Cheren. The Uno child slid across the floor, but shot back up as Gekko hopped toward him. Cheren gave a cry as he ran at Gekko, swinging rapidly, but the lizard demon swiftly dodged his attacks before sliding behind the operative.

Cheren, his back still turned, suddenly ducked as Harry charged at him, and Gekko's eyes widened as he was tackled. The two rolled along the ground until Gekko threw Harry off, only for Cheren to come and deal a blow against his chest. Gekko stood up and crawled up the ceiling again before dropping and latching onto Harry's head. Cheren tried to slice at the monster again, but Gekko jumped back. Cheren then pulled out his Bananarang and hurled it at the monster, who jumped to the side and cackled. However, the boomerang flew right back and bonked Gekko on the head, making him dizzy. Cheren seized the moment and ran to strike him.

"Uguck-uuck…" Gekko grunted as he leaped over the operatives and hopped down the hall. Cheren and Harry hurriedly followed him to a dead-end room with a gaping hole in the wall, exposing their view to the tree branches outside. "He-ge-gek: GEKKAAAAHK!" At his call, Gekko's loyal Snapper popped out of the ground as he hopped on. "Dur-dur!" The Snapper extracted spikes and spun around rapidly before shooting at the operatives, who dodge-rolled and made him crash. The Snapper spun around again, and this time, Cheren stood before the edge over the ruined floor, and dodged out of the way before Gekko could ram him.

The giant turtle nearly slid off the ledge, so Gekko stopped him as they wobbled over the jungle chasm. Cheren ran forward and 'Youth Rolled' into the turtle's behind to knock them both down below. The Snapper grabbed a tree branch in its mouth as the Gekko began climbing around the branches outside. That's when Cheren watched as the girl monkey swung down and into the room. Cheren smirked as he waved the Bananarang in the air and tossed it at the Gekko. The Gekko caught the boomerang and laughed cockily as he waved it around, but the laughing was ceased when the monkey climbed over and latched onto Gekko's head. The monster frantically tried to shake her off before falling off and bumping his head on a lower branch.

Gekko tossed the boomerang back to Cheren before crawling back onto the floor. The Snapper had swung itself back to the floor, and Gekko crawled onto its back. They repeated their previous pattern and spun around, lunging at Cheren and Harry. When they came around again, Cheren tossed the Bananarang into Gekko's mouth, making the monkey leap and tackle him off the turtle. Gekko threw the monkey off before beginning to crawl around the ceiling. Cheren noticed the abandoned Snapper and slipped on his Kateenian Mask, leaping on the turtle's back.

"Dac-quack." The turtle chirped as it rapidly began spinning. Cheren held on as tight as he could as the turtle zipped all around the room in every direction. Its rapid spinning went on for ten more seconds until they finally collided with the wall, making the Gekko drop from the ceiling. The turtle fell unconscious as Cheren got off and reverted to normal. With one final cry, he leapt and struck the Gekko with a jump attack. (End song.)

"AI-AI-AI-AI-AI-AI-AI-AI-AI-AI-AIIEEE!" screamed the Gekko as it jumped with extreme pain. It gripped the wound in its hip as its throat suddenly swelled. The swelling went up to his mouth before he finally barfed out the light-blue frog from earlier. "Blaaaah… You-sha giving me WO-O-O-OUND! Mashter Majora no-sha be HAPPY!" The defeated minion hopped away across the tree branches. (Replay the Woodfall Temple theme; yeah, we're not done yet. XP)

The two then directed their attention to a barred gateway on the left side of the room. The gates slowly opened and allowed them access to a blue chest with fancy yellow stripes. "They really went all out with that one." Harry observed. Cheren walked over and cracked the chest open. A golden light shone from it as Cheren pushed it open all the way. The glowing stopped when Cheren pulled out the item inside.

You got the Boss Key! Now you can get inside the chamber where the boss lurks!

Having gained the Boss Key, the duo proceeded to leave the room, leaving the frog to hop in its place. They hurried all the way back to the central chamber and saw that the only other way to go was the northern most door. They looked up and saw the monkey that took the S.P.I.C.E.R. sitting atop a tree branch. Cheren tossed the Bananarang to the lower part of the branch and made the monkey walk over, where he pressed a switch and activated a bridge connecting to the northern door.

They crossed the bridge and entered the next room, which was rather short. There was a gap in the path to the next door, and down below was a single Demon Flytrap sitting in the water. Directly above the plant was a large pot attached to a rope. Cheren pulled out his S.Q.W.I.R.T. and shot water into the pot, the extra weight slowly making it sink. When it filled with enough water, the pot plummeted down onto the flytrap, giving it water and making it rise. Cheren put on the Kateenian Mask and jumped the flytrap. Harry tried to follow him, but ended up caught in the plant's mouth and spat back to the start. As Harry recovered, Cheren shot him a smirk. "Oh, ha ha! I still got less than you!"

Cheren pulled off his mask and walked over to a small plumb on the ground ahead. He watered the plumb and made it expand in size. Cheren picked it up and hurled it over to Harry's side. The alternate Uno child caught the bouncy plumb and set it on the ground. He stepped back and ran at the plumb with enough momentum to bounce to the other side. Harry brushed himself off as they entered the next door.

This next room was their last. Before them was a dark abyss, and on the other end of this massive room was a large door with a huge lock with horns. There were several tree branches around the room that led up above the middle of the chasm. Cheren noticed the first monkey on a tree branch on the left side of the room. He tossed the Bananarang to lure it up to the top above the chasm. As the Bananarang returned, they noticed another monkey on their right trapped behind a spider web. To their left was a wooden walkway that led up to a torch. Cheren spotted a tiny Boko Baba and gave it some water. When it shot straight up, Cheren sliced it and robbed its stick.

Cheren hurried up the walkway and lit the stick on fire, making the moths immediately swarm all over him. Cheren jumped down and hurried to the spider web and burned it, setting the monkey free. It jumped excitedly before heading up a branch to join the first monkey. They then noticed a set of vines that led over the chasm to a caged monkey. When Cheren ran to grab the first vine, snakes began to slither down, but Harry kept them away with his Slingshot. He kept defending his ally as Cheren swung the vines and made it to the platform with the monkey. He pressed a switch and set the ape free as it crawled up to join the others.

Cheren swung back to his friend and noticed another monkey trapped in a cage in a small cave above the room's entrance. There were two seeds and two soil spots. Cheren put the red seed in the furthest spot and the blue seed in the closest. He watered both of them as they grew into a short and tall flower platform. The platforms were grown so that the tallest was further from the monkey, but it was still close enough for Cheren to jump. He pressed a switch and released the last of the four monkeys.

He made his way up beside the others as one grabbed the bottom of the branch with its feet. The other monkeys climbed down each other and held on upside-down, swinging back and forth. The two exchanged nods and ran to grab the lower monkey's arms, with Harry holding Cheren's legs. They swung across and landed before the Boss Door. But before they continued, Cheren noticed a Stray Fairy in the corner of the abyss below the ledge with the torch. Cheren tossed his Bananarang and caught the fairy, bringing it over to catch it. They noticed another fairy floating over behind the right side of the Boss Door's wall, and Cheren once again tossed his boomerang to grab it.

"Time to fight the big bad 'boss' of this place?" Harry asked.

"Umm, not yet. I wanna return these Stray Fairies first." Cheren said, studying the map. "And we missed one in the first room. Guess we're heading back."

And just like that, they returned to the first room. Cheren studied the map and pointed to an opening above a tree branch. He tossed the Bananarang, popped the bubble, and caught the fairy.

"Hooray! You've found all my parts! Take us to the fountain outside the temple!"

Cheren stuffed the fairy bottle in his jacket as the two headed outside. (End song.)

Outside the temple

The two stepped out onto the temple's porch and searched around for any sign of a fairy fountain. They noticed a cave with a dim green glow across the plain. Harry and Cherry exchanged shrugs and headed over to the cavern. Inside, they found a circular pool of pure water where a group of green fairies drifted around. The fountain was surrounded by three stone archways and a bright, green light shone from the forest leaves in the background. The two stared with wonder, the light reflecting in their eyes as Cheren approached and popped the bottle open. The fairies shot out of the bottle and flew around Cheren in excitement.

The lot of fairies spiraled around the center of the fountain and fused together before vanishing in a flash of light. Cheren and Harry stared curiously as the fountain glowed with a green light. Before their eyes, a figure emerged from the fountain. It was a little girl, with pure white skin, white clothes, and long, white hair that covered her eyes. She wore a shirt made of leaves and grass that exposed her bellybutton, a dress also made of white flora, and was barefoot. The girl grabbed the middle of her long hair and pulled it back, exposing a playful smirk and sharp black eyes that stared at Cheren. The girl brushed her hair behind her head and made a few stretches before speaking. "That was unneedidly rough. You couldn't have carried my parts in a bigger container?" she said with a serious tone, in a little girl's voice. "Even so, I thank you for saving me. I am the Great Fairy of the Jungle. My name… is Ashlyn."

Cheren shook his head. "You're the Great Fairy? You're just a girl."

She frowned grumpily. "Well, you're just a boy. Or were you expecting an older woman with little-to-no clothing? I thought you'd be better than that dirty ancestor of yours."

"Ancestor? You mean you knew Link?"

"No. My brethren knew him. But I'm much better. I don't very much care for your tone, either." she said as she slowly stepped closer to the operative, her feet making light splashes as she moved. "You're much too serious for your own health. In my jungle, things are more alive. Just because you're a meat creature, you shouldn't feel any less lively."

Suddenly, she zipped onto Cheren's head, her toes clutching tight to his hair as she bent over and looked Cheren in the eyes, her head upside-down and in his face as her hair dangled. "After all, how can you expect to save that friend of yours when you yourself don't even live to your fullest?" She giggled and breezed back to the center of the fountain, her arms stretched into a horizontal line. "This jungle is rich with a special light. If you listen closely, you can hear everything breathing with the life force that the gods blessed the beings of this earth with."

Cheren rolled his eyes and said, "If I wanted a lesson on how to live life, I would've brought Sheila with me."

"Even so, you won't be able to save your friend without a little more spirit. You're too serious." Ashlyn then zipped over beside Harry, putting an arm around him. "Look at this boy for example. You can learn a few things from his upbeat attitude. And he's cute, too." Harry grinned as Ashlyn lightly pinched his cheek.

The fairy spirit zipped back to the center of the fountain. "Regardless, it seems thanks are in order. So, I will grant you this to be on your way." The fairy made a few gestures with her hands as the area turned darker, the only light being from the ripples of the water. Ashlyn balled her hands together and opened them, revealing a flower with closed green petals. She inhaled a breath and blew on the plant, scattering the petals as they circled Cheren in a whirlwind. The child rapidly spun around in the wind before coming to a stop. In its sheathe, Cheren's sword began to glow.

You learned the Great Spin! Charge up enough energy in your sword to unleash a powerful shockwave!

The light returned to the area as Ashlyn spoke again. "Oh. And I want to give you this, too." she said as a ball of light formed in her right palm. "I wanted to change the design on it, but… well, it'll do." The ball of light grew and became the mask of a woman with three long, pink strands of hair. Cheren took the mask as it drifted over to him.

You got the Great Fairy's Mask! This mask can summon lost Stray Fairies to your location. When a Stray Fairy is nearby, the mask's hair will start to glow.

"The reason I was so scattered like you found me was because Miyuki came and used her powers to destroy me. It's my guess she did the same to my brethren around the world."

"Why would Miyuki do that?" Cheren asked.

"I don't knoooooow. Though it's probably because we fairies are spirits of good. We keep positive energy around our lands, and Miyuki—or should I say Majora—wanted to stop that. I want you to use that mask to find the lost fairies within the temples. Each one should grant a new special power, and hopefully some advice. I wish you luck, Kids Next Door. If you need to be refreshed, this fountain should heal your injuries. May your journey be a safe one." A wind breezed across the fairy's hair and dress, a smile on her face as her eyes closed peacefully. The young spirit transformed into leaves that gently blew away in the wind.

Back inside the Jungle Temple

Cheren and Harry shortly arrived at the huge Boss Door and stuck the golden, horned skull key into the lock. The big door opened and revealed a stairway that led straight upward. "I'm not even sure why we're here anymore." Cheren said as they proceeded up the stairs. "Miyuki's gone, there's nothing else to do in this temple."

"Maybe we'll find a giant golden snowcone."

They reached an outside at the very top of the temple, surrounded by trees as the sun shone down from a gap above. They flinched when a door suddenly sealed the stairway, blocking their exit. (Play "Boss Battle Stagnox" from Zelda: Spirit Tracks.)

A few twigs fell from up above, and they looked up and gaped as a gigantic monkey in a terrifying, wooden mask, with fierce eyes and sharp teeth, glared at them from the treetops. The monkey dropped to the center of the battlefield and panted furiously. Before their eyes, two more arms emerged from the monkey's back, wielding sharp swords shaped like bananas. The monstrous ape danced crazily and gave loud, angry screeches, wagging its spiked tail at the two operatives.


Boss fight: Masked Mutant Monkey, MUKAK

The two slowly stepped side-to-side as the monkey glared and made the same movements. It swung its spiked tail, but they ducked, and then attempted to crush them with its right sword, but they back-flipped and avoided. Cheren, already sensing the monster's weakness, raised his Bananarang in the air and waved it around. The monkey stood on all fours- er, all sixes, and panted as he stared at the luscious banana. Cheren threw to the side of the field, causing the monkey to follow it and stare. When its back was turned, Cheren leaped and sliced its huge behind, the monster screeching and gripping its bottom as it hopped around. It stopped and angrily glared at Cheren. He reached its bottom right hand behind its back and pulled out a wooden covering, slapping it on its bottom.

They jumped around and dodged as the monkey slammed its fists into the ground, trying to crush them. The ape's long arms slammed quickly, but the operatives safely avoided them as Cheren pulled out his Bananarang again. He caught the monkey's attention and tossed the fruit-toy to the side, making it follow. Cheren ran to try and attack the monkey's behind, but the wooden covering served as a great shield, and when Mukak felt Cheren attacking it, he grabbed the Uno child in its lower right hand and furiously shook him around. The ape screeched as it rapidly banged Cheren against the floor several times. He took Cheren in both free hands and shook him in the air before hurling him at Harry. Mukak hopped in the air and clapped at its own successful attack.

Harry helped Cheren up as the brown-haired boy gritted his teeth in anger. Just then, they heard the familiar cry of another monkey, and the female ape from before jumped her way up the trees and made it onto the battlefield. She presented to Harry his stolen S.P.I.C.E.R., who smiled as he took it back. They focused their attention on Mukak again as Cheren grabbed his attention with the Bananarang, throwing it to the side. As Mukak followed it, Harry ran over and unleashed flames at the wooden covering with his weapon. The monkey's behind caught fire as he leapt into the air, hopping around in pain. He brushed his hands across and put the flames out of his scorched behind. The operatives laughed as the monkey steamed with rage. A lightbulb appeared above his head, for he formed an idea, but he first noticed the bulb, grabbed it, and tossed it away. Afterward, he pulled out two corks and stuffed them in his mask's nose.

Cheren tried to wave the Bananarang around to grab the monkey's attention. The scent didn't pick up in his nose, so he opened his mouth and unleashed a swarm of moths, which formed a cloud around the child as Cheren tried to swat them away. Mukak leapt and tried to smash the operative under its fists, but Harry pulled him out of the way. He used his S.P.I.C.E.R. to set fire to all the moths and destroyed them. When Mukak swung a sword at them, they dodged it, then performed the split-up technique. Mukak turned and faced Cheren, but Harry pulled out his Slingshot and shot the ape's back. Mukak turned as Harry began moving crazily like a monkey, making the angered ape come closer. Quick on his feet, Cheren dashed over, sliced the ape's behind, and zipped back before the monkey could snatch him. Mukak chased Cheren, but Harry ran over and burned his rear with his S.P.I.C.E.R..

The mutated ape unleashed a deafening scream from his lungs in pure rage. They watched as the ape leapt over the edge of the battlefield. In the distance, he was climbing the towering trees in the background, going high above the battlefield. His arms gripped the leaves as he aimed his tail down, which formed a cannon that launched a series of bombs at the duo. Cheren and Harry rolled around and avoided the bombs, looking for a way to stop him. They then noticed their girl monkey friend jumping for their attention. She was bent over, gesturing to her back. Cheren caught the hint and placed his Kateenian Mask on, shrinking to his alien form. The monkey turned, and Cheren leapt on her back.

The female monkey leapt over the edge and began climbing the trees as well, Cheren clutching tight to her back as they slowly turned upside-down. They made it nearly to the top of the leaves as Mukak crawled around like a spider with its arms. The ape aimed its tail at the operative and girl monkey and fired its bombs, the monkey evading as quick as it could. They approached the mutant monkey as it took a swipe with one of its left hands. As the hand came at them, Cheren hopped off his monkey, careful not to fall into the abyss above, and grabbed the monster's hand. He held on tight as the beast tried to shake him, then bit into the giant hand with his big Kateenian teeth. Mukak tossed Cheren off for the monkey girl to grab him, shaking his aching hand.

Mukak was now forced to use only three arms, and two legs, as it aimed its tail and fired more bombs. One of the explosions nearly hit the monkey, almost causing her to fall. She held on with one hand, and Cheren kept a grip on her back as she pulled herself up. Mukak approached them, but Cheren leaped onto his face. The ape shook its head around and tried to grab him with a right hand. Cheren jumped to its hand and took a big bite, making the monkey shaking him off onto the girl monkey.

Mukak used its other two arms to grab its swords and held on with its feet. He walked toward the upside-down group and swung its blades horizontally, but the female monkey quickly crawled away. Unable to catch them, Mukak decided to hang on with its tail, build momentum, and swing over at them, spinning with its blades. The two narrowly avoided the blades as Cheren's monkey kept crawling, Mukak continuing to chase them via swinging. As they evaded the monstrous ape, they noticed the large hole in the leaves that was letting the sun in. They quickly crawled over, and Mukak chased them as they went beside the hole. Mukak built up momentum one last time before swinging at the two, who dodged to the side. (End song.)

When Mukak missed, he felt himself frozen in midair. He looked to see the sky and clouds below his feet and remembered he was upside-down. He glanced toward the… us, and said, "Aah?" With that, the ape went falling and screaming straight to the battlefield. Harry ran out of the way as the ape's head collided with the floor. He went into a state of dizziness as his body lay on the ground.

The female monkey brought Cheren back down as the boy changed back into a human. They approached the fallen monster as its head spun dizzily. Cheren held a curious look as he stared at the mask on the monkey's face. He pulled out the Spirit Flute and calmly played the Song of Healing.

Doo doo dooo, doo doo dooo, doo, doo, doo-doo-doooo.

The monkey brimmed with a light as it reached its arm toward the sun above. "Aaah…Aaaah…" The ape totally fainted as it was engulfed by blue flames, fading away.

The mask that was worn by the ape shrunk to a regular face size and dropped on the ground. "Well, I dunno about you, Cheren, but that was pretty fun." Harry stated with a smirk.

"Heh. Yeah, it was. …Weird mask, though."

"Why do you think he wore it?"

Cheren walked over and picked the mask up, studying it.

You've seized Mukak's Remains! You've just freed the spirit that was kept imprisoned within the body of evil Mukak!

Cheren suddenly felt the mask shaking in his hands. "Huh? AAAAHHH!" The mask exploded into a flash of light.

Spirit World (Play the Giants' Theme from Majora's Mask.)

Cheren found himself atop a platform, towering over the vast jungle below. Birds and bugs chirped for miles. Columns of water rose into the heavens, and tiny bubbles drifted about the realm. "What…What is this?" Cheren asked, looking around the strange realm.

"ROOOOOWWRR-rr-rr-ROOORR."

Cheren gaped. In the distance of the realm, the blurry image of a colossal figure appeared. It was a red-skinned Giant, with long legs, green, short hair and a small green beard, a nose that went down its whole face, and tiny, black eyes. "What is that thing…"

"ROOOOOWWRRRR…"

Before Cheren's eyes, Fi appeared from the light. "Fi?"

"I speak for the Giants, Master. '...You… saved… me…'"

"Saved you? From what?"

"'The curse… returns… Only we… may stop it…'"

"You mean… Majora's Mask? But, what are you things?"

"'…Save… the others…'"

"Others? You mean… other Giants? W-Where are they?"

"'Inside… the temples… Save them…'"

"If… I save them… will you help?"

"ROOOOWWWRR-rooo-rooo-ooor-OOOR-ROOOORR!"

"What?? I can't understand! Fi, what's he saying?!"

Fi disappeared. Everything around Cheren turned into pure white. "Hey! W-Where're you going?! Fi? Hello? WAIT!"

Believe me, people, these dungeons and levels aren't easy to write. I try to visualize the map and layout in my head the best I can, but overall, the effort speaks for itself. Frankly, these are the kinds of lengthy and creative dungeons I miss in Zelda, and the later ones in this story will only be better. And obviously, Kerchak, Tarzan, and those other guys come from Tarzan. The Great Fairy is based off of Aisling from The Secret of Kells.