I never thought I would reach 50 chapters in this story. I thought it would be around 40, but I had a lot of ideas and things to cover in the story, including sidestories and relationships between different characters. I also added backstories to it, so yeah, this is about right. I think I deserve a gold medal or a Golden Banana (DK 64, anyone?) for reaching 50 chapters (Gold is the color for 50, after all.). That being said, I'd like to say thank you all for sticking with me for the past two years and giving comments about how I'm doing, what I'm doing wrong, and/or what improvements I can make that I can carry over to future fics. And I do have three new fics coming up after the completion of this one. More details will be explained after the end of this story.

Now for the last gasp, after this chapter, we will be in the FINAL FIVE CHAPTERS! And I can promise you, they will be interesting. I am also in the process of having cover art created for this story. My beta reader has been kind enough to do rough sketches, and I would like to thank her very much for that and for helping me out along the way with the first 25 chapters. She has taught me a lot about the basics and how I can improve myself in my writing and once again I want to thank her. Finally, the full thank-yous will go out to each and every last one of you at the end of the story. I hope you guys will continue to stay with me in the last five chapters and enjoy this chapter and them.

Chapter 50

"Okay, guys, let's move." Ness instructed as he, Mega Man Volnutt, Lucas, Gretel, and the other underage characters snuck out of the hideout. Lucas stayed behind Ness, hugging his shoulders and shaking.

The free characters were initiating their plan, where the underage characters were starting by sneaking out and creating their distraction so the adults would zero in on T.K., the cages, Ralph, and the guards surrounding them. The plan had to work; it was all they had.

All of the guards were asleep, even the ones stationed at the vital areas such as the rain sanctum and Surge's office, allowing the underage characters the perfect opportunity to execute the first part of the plan.

"PK Fire!" Ness yelled, aiming a plume of flame at one of the nearest guards – a group of infected Kritters, who woke up immediately upon the bonfire striking inches away from them. They jumped to attention, alerting some of the other guards surrounding them.

Volnutt followed suit, firing at a cluster of Shy Guys on the other side of the hub, with Lucas following up with a PK Thunder. Gretel blanketed the Shy Guys with breadcrumbs that gave off a peppery smell. The masked foes sneezed upon contact with the breadcrumbs, jumped to attention, and focused on the underage characters, who began to charge at them. The guards' numbers grew one-by-one as the children rushed them with all of the attacks they had.

Their distraction cleared a path for the adults. "Alright, ladies, now's our chance!" Calhoun ordered as she and the other adult characters passed the distracted back line of guards toward the center, where more guards awaited. They were just starting to awaken upon hearing the racket, making their reaction time slow. This allowed Calhoun and her troops to steamroll them relatively easily, with Dedede hammering his victims and Citrusella wrapping some in her blueberry whip. Calhoun fired at the slow minions, using just enough force to knock them out instead of kill them.

The others were doing the same, merely knocking them out so as not to risk killing them and putting any more games in jeopardy. Adorabeezle trapped a group in an ice block, and Lucina used the hilt of her sword to make easy work of any characters that gave her trouble. Others followed their example, quickly reducing the numbers of T.K.'s forces.

But their progress was cut short by a whip striking Calhoun, who collapsed to her knees.

"Sarge!" Bowser started to rush to her aid, but was stopped by another group of demons led by Daisy. "Hey, get the fuck out of my way!"

"Make me!" the flower princess spat.

"Don't make me torch you! This ain't you, Butch!"

"It may well be," Takeru said. "And if you think you'll free my decorations that easily, you're mistaken." The succubus regarded her infected soldiers. "Now, my pets, subdue those rebels and ensure my reign." Then her gaze fell on a slowly-recovering Calhoun, who glared up at her. "In the meantime, Ralph and I will take care of this one, and I can promise you, what you'll experience will make you scream for your game over."

"You wish, bitch." Calhoun regained her footing, assuming a fighting stance.

"What the...?" Vanellope was jolted awake by the noise below her. She craned her head forward in her cage, wincing against the multiple lashes she'd earned from T.K. during the succubus' interrogation about how the princess was immune to the virus. And each time she'd refused, she'd felt spikes digging into her skin and her shredded clothes. She'd finally caved in and told T.K. the possibility she and the others had come up with, making the succubus stop her attacks. Afterward, the princess had fallen asleep.

The lead racer glanced down at the melee below her, free characters holding their own against T.K.'s infected warriors, Calhoun, Bowser, King Dedede, and Gretel among them. The sergeant was struggling against Takeru, who delivered a series of lashes while Tamora rolled and ducked, looking for an opening.

"If only there was something I could do." Vanellope slammed her fist on the cage floor. "Sergeant Smiles can't take on T.D. by herself." The princess then looked at the healthy characters, most of whom were swallowed by the infected ones. The rebels' numbers were slowly decreasing, and Vanellope sighed at the fact that she couldn't do anything to increase the numbers. A sudden rumble of her cage startled her. She maintained her balance in the cage.

"Anyone need saving?" The princess heard a familiar voice.

Vanellope looked up to see Citrusella and Adorabeezle on top of the cage and holding on to Citrusella's whip. The blueberry recolor wrapped her whip around the chain holding the princess's cage and the popsicle racer wielding a sword made of ice.

"Citrusella! Adorabeezle!" Vanellope leaned forward, taking care not to touch the bars. "But wait, you can't touch the cage!"

"We can't?" Adorabeezle touched the lock on the cage with her frozen sword to feel a shock come from it that coursed through her body. She jumped back, almost losing her hold on the whip. "Well, what do you know?"

"Is this another way of telling us we can't spring you?" Citrusella folded her arms. "Well, I'm sorry, but I can't take that for an answer." The recolor glanced up at the chain hanging from the ceiling holding Vanellope's cage. "How about above? What happens if we cut the chain? Is it protected like the cage itself?"

"Don't know. Never got a chance to try," said the president.

"Well, we're trying, anyway," Adorabeezle decided, grabbing Citrusella's whip. "Cit, toss me up!"

The blueberry recolor swung her whip upward, propelling Adorabeezle to the ceiling. The popsicle racer closed her eyes, swinging her ice sword at the chain, which snapped apart to everyone's surprise. The cage shattered against the floor a few inches from the throne. Vanellope slowly rose to her feet, wincing every second against the pain suffered from T.K.

"You okay?" Citrusella and Adorabeezle helped her, and Vanellope nodded.

But the princess's liberation did not go unnoticed, as T.K.'s gaze moved from Calhoun to Vanellope. She had Tamora in her whip, ready to take the sergeant's head, with Ralph ready to punch her.

"How did you escape?" T.K. hissed, still holding the struggling Calhoun and approaching the three racers, with the Bad Guy following.

"Who wants to know, lady?" Citrusella challenged.

"You really don't want to piss me off today, cavity." T.K.'s emerald eyes narrowed. "Especially when I'm seconds from killing this bitch." She tightened her whip around Tamora, emitting a scream from the Hero's Duty lead.

"Let her go!" Vanellope demanded, sparks dancing along her fists. She then regarded Citrusella and Adorabeezle. "Go free everyone else! I'll take her on!"

"Are you sure?" the popsicle racer asked.

"Look at all those cages! We need all the help we can get! Now go!"

"Okay, Pres." Citrusella nodded, as she and Adorabeezle proceeded to help the other prisoners.

"I'm ready for you this time," Vanellope stared the succubus down, then hazarded a brief glance at the still-dazed Ralph. The wrecker didn't flinch upon the second-long eye contact. The princess looked at the weakened, bound, no longer struggling Tamora afterward.

"Runt..." Calhoun managed, slipping and out of consciousness.

"Sarge..." Vanellope replied, realizing what she had to do now. More intense sparks crawled up her fists and then her arms, as if in agreement. When she regarded Ralph and then T.K. once again, she knew she had little choice now. It was all out of friendship and possibly something more. Something that had stirred in her heart for a long time but she had been refusing to acknowledge it...until now.