Chapter Twelve: Lit from Under
Beside Larry's rooftop, the lighthouse stretched. The second-tallest building in Downtown Bikini Bottom, behind the Sea Needle. The lighthouse distinguished Downtown Bikini Bottom from cities above ground. Who needed a lighthouse in the middle of a city that would be lit at night? Apparently, these fish in Bikini Bottom did.
Bikini Bottom wasn't as different from above ground as Rei had once thought. Even Patrick wasn't as different as people above ground; like most people, he had good intentions, but the results didn't always turn out well. The starfish wasn't out to sabotage their efforts, no matter how destructive his "helping" was. And by helping, Rei meant hurting. Badly. Especially herself.
How did the gears inside the starfish's brain turn? If she could take a day to explore his brain, she'd be satisfied.
Nevertheless, the frustrating Patrick was growing on Rei. She no longer felt the desire to stuff him in a box, where he couldn't do any harm.
Speaking of boxes, one stood beside the lighthouse.
"That's a teleport box," Patrick had explained when they had seen the first one near Larry. "If you open one and open the other, then you can jump inside and teleport to each box."
The first thought Rei had had was whether to stuff Patrick inside the box and keep going or not. But Patrick had his uses, like his throwing skills, and his occasional bouts of genius, such as his idea to float through the chimney using the balloon and to break through the D1000 despite Rei's flames engulfing the machine. Besides, trapping a living being into a box because he was annoying was awful.
Patrick stepped toward the lighthouse's door. "We go in through here." Entering a lighthouse through a door. Who knew?
Rei should give the starfish some slack. He was only guiding them since they weren't from Bikini Bottom.
The robots inside the lighthouse were loud, sounding like they were playing tennis with steel balls. Causing chaos. Possibly holding more boat wheels so that the fish couldn't evacuate.
"Is everyone ready?" Mamoru said.
Chibi-Usa tightened her grip on her Chibi-Moon Kaleidoscope so much that veins protruded from her hands, visible from underneath her gloves. "I am." Although her voice quivered, Chibi-Usa was ready if she said she was. She might feel scared every once in a while, but she pushed through that fear to do what needed to be done. Her stern expression showed how much she tried to act older. Chibi-Usa was 902 on paper, but she behaved like a child. Philosophically, Rei could say that adults were bigger versions of kids. But mental age versus physical age was a topic to ponder over the flames in Hikawa Shrine.
Patrick clapped his hands, jumping up and down. "I wanna play, I wanna play."
Rei scowled. "Patrick, we are not going to play."
"Aww."
Maybe playing equaled fighting in Patrick's mind, but Rei didn't want to risk Patrick not taking the upcoming battle seriously because he had somehow gotten the words "play" and "fight" confused with each other.
"Anyhow, I'm ready, too." Fire crackled within Rei, ready to burst. These robots had caused enough damage. Had almost killed Chibi-Usa using those sinks. Bikini Bottom was much different than Japan, but the fish's nature wasn't much different than human nature. The robots had angered her to the point where she might hurt herself or her friends if she attacked without thinking. When it came to her powers, Rei had taught herself self-control. For the most part.
"So am I." Mamoru walked to the door, placed a hand on its knob that resembled the boats' wheels that the group had found, Mamoru stashing the wheels under crevices in buildings, holes, anyplace where the robots might not find them. Once they defeated the robots in the lighthouse, the four would give those wheels to Mrs. Puff.
Rei's heart battered her chest. She needed to burst. As soon as Mamoru opened that door, it would be like he released a bull from its pen.
Mamoru opened the door.
As expected, robots wheeled, floated, flew everywhere, Ham-mers banging their heads of ham against the walls, Chucks throwing water missiles onto the ceiling, Fodders cheering them on, their mechanical voices echoing throughout the lighthouse. A Duplicatotron 1000 stood across from the four, on the wooden floor, popping out a seemingly infinite number of robots.
Time to pay back these robots for the pain they'd unleashed.
Mamoru outstretched his arm, letting the palm of his hand face the robots. "Tuxedo La Smoking Bomber!" The white beam shot out of his hand, Mamoru sweeping his beam around the lighthouse, blowing the robots and the D1000 apart.
Chibi-Usa blinked. "That was easy. Too easy."
"There might be more robots below," Mamoru said.
"How do we get below, though?"
Creaking sounded under their feet. Rei looked. Cracks formed in the floor.
"I think your question will be answered very quickly, Chibi-Usa," Rei said.
Chibi-Usa drew in a breath. The floor shattered like glass. The group fell through the air, landing on another wooden platform, Patrick busting his behind on a Stone Tiki, yelping. Another D1000 stood on a platform, creating more robots.
Fire burst, surrounding Sailor Mars. The flames were coming out, regardless of friend or foe near her. "Mars…"
"Wow, you exploded in flames." Patrick's eyes twinkled. "I wanna explode, too. Teach me how to explode."
Couldn't let Patrick steal her focus on the robots, or her fire would torpedo everywhere, including on her friends, burning down the lighthouse. "Snake Fire!" From her hand erupted snake-shaped fire, shooting to the D1000. The machine exploded, pieces and debris bouncing off robots.
A Tartar Sauce robot tried to shield itself using its funnel, but Rei's flames shot inside the funnel, reddening its backpack full of tartar sauce, the tartar sauce also reddening. The robot aimed its funnel at the four.
Chibi-Usa gulped. "This might not turn out well."
The Tartar Sauce laughed, shooting the red-hot tartar sauce. The four jumped out of the way, the tartar sauce slopping onto the wall, the floor. Smoke rose from the floor, and the floor began to melt. The four scrambled away from the melting, Mamoru taking Chibi-Usa's arm to help her. Patrick was moving faster than Rei had seen.
The robot kept shooting its sauce, laughing. Relishing the four's plight and Rei's mistake.
The sauce shot toward Patrick. Rei dove for the starfish. The Guardian of Flames could take the attack better than Patrick. No matter what rules Bikini Bottom operated by, even if Patrick could withstand the attack, she couldn't let him get hurt because of her.
Rei was too slow. Patrick wasn't moving fast enough. Realizing he wouldn't be able to get out of the way, Patrick stopped, opened his mouth.
"No, Patrick, that'll make things worse." Her flames would melt his mouth.
"Might as well take this chance to eat something good." Patrick kept his mouth open, moving into place so that the tartar sauce shot into his mouth, sending him flying back. He crashed into the metal wall, bending it. He hollered. "Hot. Hot. Hot."
Was Patrick expecting already hot tartar sauce made hotter by Rei's supernatural flames to be ice cold?
Patrick screamed, "It burns, it burns. Tastes good, though."
The Tartar Sauce robot jumped in place, and the floor cracked. Patrick fell onto the floor, breaking it, the group plunging below. Another D1000, more robots.
A Chuck lobbed a missile. The group dodged. Rei reached for Patrick. The starfish rolled onto his back, the missile exploding inches from him, water showering him. He yelped once more.
"Water's not s'posed to hurt."
Patrick had to be more careful. If Rei had to babysit the starfish, so be it. He may be a pain, but he was their pain.
The Stone Tikis from above fell toward the group. Chibi-Usa, who stood underneath the falling Stone Tikis, gasped, leaped sideways, Mamoru tackling and hastening her flight. Mamoru and Chibi-Usa rolled into a human ball. The Tartar Sauce jetted out more sauce, and Mamoru and Chibi-Usa slammed into it, smoke rising from their skin, both yelling.
After making the Tartar Sauce more powerful earlier, Rei would have to be more careful. A more precise attack like Mars Snake Fire might work to their detriment. "Burning Mandala!" A ball of flame appeared in her hand, spread into eight flames in a circle surrounding Mars, shot onto the robots. Rei commanded her flames to stay away from the Tartar Sauce Mamoru and Chibi-Usa were flying toward, a collision between the parties imminent. The robots jumped, another Tartar Sauce breaking into a tap dance.
The floor cracked once more from the robots jumping from Rei's flames. Here came another fall.
The flames surrounded the Chuck's missile. The Chuck holding the missile yowled, threw the missile into the first Tartar Sauce, the Tartar Sauce bursting into flame. Rei's heart plummeted.
Mamoru and Chibi-Usa slammed into the dancing Tartar Sauce, into Rei's flames. She should've waited to attack.
The floor broke, and the group fell once more, onto the fourth level. How many more levels were there?
A D1000 stood on a raised platform. Mamoru, Chibi-Usa, and the Tartar Sauce fell in a heap. Patrick landed on his back, jumped onto his feet. Grabbed a Chomp-Bot, which roared rancid breath into his face, but the noseless Patrick was unaffected. He threw the Chomp-Bot into the Tartar Sauce, missing Mamoru and Chibi-Usa, who were twisted inside.
"Nice aim," Rei said.
"Thanks," Patrick said.
The Tartar Sauce broke into pieces, freeing Mamoru and Chibi-Usa. They untangled themselves from each other, but a G-Love smacked their cheeks repeatedly, spittle flying from their mouths, their eyes bulging with each hit.
"Burning Mandala!" Aside from the incident before, Rei's Burning Mandala had worked well, destroying all the robots in one go. This time, several robots dodged, including the G-Love attacking Mamoru and Chibi-Usa. Despite being smacked, Chibi-Usa launched Pink Sugar Heart Attack. The dodging robots, including the G-Love, collided with the hearts, being destroyed. Patrick rushed to another G-Love's side, grabbed two of its hands, hurled it into the D1000. The machine exploded, Mamoru wincing from the heat. After being burned by Rei, the effects of its explosion had to hurt ten times worse than it should've.
Rei looked at Mamoru and Chibi-Usa as the floor creaked, ready to break. Mamoru was sweating, eyes watery, like he was trying to keep himself from crying. On the other hand, Chibi-Usa cried openly, tears coursing down her cheeks.
Rei had caused their pain.
The floor broke, sending the group down. A door was on this floor, at the other end of where the four had landed. They had reached the first floor of the lighthouse.
Two D1000s stood on raised platforms, both producing robots. Under each platform, lightning arced from the platform's bottom to the floor. On one side, the lightning guarded a Golden Spatula, while on the other side, the lighting surrounded a button on the floor.
"Oooh, a button," Patrick said. "I wanna push it."
"Don't try now," Rei said. "You'll hurt yourself."
"Nonsense." Patrick ran to the lightning, reached toward it. "All I have to do is reach through, like this—"
Mamoru tackled Patrick, not only away from a Chomp-Bot, which was trying to tear off a chunk of Patrick's arm, but also from the lightning.
Mamoru climbed onto his feet. "Trust us, you don't want to try." He panted. "We're injured enough as is." He glanced at Rei. She cast her eyes downward.
She'd been the cause of their troubles, not able to control her powers thanks to what some would call passion, but what was anger. When she had first become a Guardian, she'd never hurt one of her friends accidentally. But now, having been a Guardian for over a year, as her attacks grew in power, she'd started hurting her friends.
She no longer wanted to attack. Her fire was gone.
"Keep going, Rei," Mamoru said. "Don't worry about us."
Rei's head snapped up. Of course Mamoru could read her. He'd known her for over a year, too.
"There's nothing to worry about. We're all Guardians, Patrick included. We'll be fine."
Beside Mamoru, Patrick punched away a Chomp-Bot, the robot smashing against a wall. "I'm made of water, so your attack didn't hurt that bad."
Everyone was made of mostly water, but Rei kept her mouth closed. The sentiment was there, and perhaps Patrick truly hadn't gotten badly hurt.
Chibi-Usa ran to Rei's side. "Come on, we'll attack them together. I know you'll protect me like you have so many times before."
Even after hurting Chibi-Usa to the point where she had cried, the small Guardian trusted her. Rei smiled.
Chibi-Usa smiled back. "You look so much more beautiful when you smile, Rei-chan. You should do it more often."
Maybe Rei should. She was mostly serious, frowning to keep people from getting close to her and then abandoning her like her politician father. But Rei had opened up a lot in the past year, thanks to her new friends and fellow Guardians, especially the outgoing Minako. Usagi acted happy and opened up as far as her personal life went, but not as much about being a Guardian. Behind Usagi's smile was a sadness, a reluctance and fear of being a Guardian. She never told her friends how afraid she was and tried to stay strong for everyone's sake.
Maybe Rei could learn from Usagi, that it was okay to open up about your fears. Walling herself off only worried others. Rei was afraid that, by opening up, she would slow her friends down, like she had in the lighthouse. Mamoru noticed her feelings, even though Rei had done her best to keep them hidden behind a wall of stoicism. By opening up, Rei and her friends could help one another get through their internal struggles.
Rei stood tall. Her fire returned.
She lobbed fireballs at the robots. The robots tried to dodge, but Patrick grabbed one Fodder and held it in place, allowing a fireball to burn it. Patrick found the sense to drop the robot before the fire spread to him. Chibi-Moon launched Pink Sugar Heart Attack, smacking the robots with hearts and distracting them long enough for the fireballs to pelt them. Mamoru held out the palm of his hand, shooting Tuxedo La Smoking Bomber, the white beam mixing with the flames, creating a reddish-white beam that eradicated the robots upon impact, the robots dissolving.
Rei didn't have to go it alone. She could reveal everything to her friends because they made her stronger.
Only the whirring D1000s remained, about to pump out another round of robots.
Mamoru aimed his beam at one of the D1000s, but not before it released more robots. Thankfully, Mamoru destroyed the D1000. The lightning cage below the platform faded, revealing the Golden Spatula. The Spatula wouldn't help them now; they could get it later. What couldhelp them was the button that the other lightning cage guarded. The only way to end that lightning cage must be by destroying the D1000 on top. Snickering robots surrounded the duplicating machine.
No matter.
Until the robots that the first D1000 had released opened the lighthouse's door. A G-Love hovered to Chibi-Usa, smacked her into the wall. A steering wheel fell from the wall on which it was attached, and the G-Love caught the wheel. Another G-Love entered the lighthouse, carrying the other steering wheels that Rei and her friends had gathered in its umpteen hands.
They'd found the hiding spots.
The G-Love that had smacked Chibi-Usa laughed, Mamoru and Patrick rushing to Chibi-Usa, who slid down the wall until Mamoru caught and cradled Chibi-Usa in his arms, Chibi-Usa laughing like getting hurt was funny.
"I don't think the robots are playing anymore, Chibi-Usa." When had Patrick thought that the robots were playing? When they took over Bikini Bottom, or when they electrocuted Patrick instead of greeting him with a handshake?
Fire raged within Rei. They'd hurt Chibi-Usa to get another steering wheel. These robots were willing to do anything to accomplish their goals. Unforgiveable.
"Burning Mandala!" Fire surrounded Rei, burst in all directions. Despite releasing her fire, Rei wouldn't feel relief until these robots were destroyed once and for all.
Somewhere along the way, Rei had started caring more about what happened to Bikini Bottom, to its citizens.
The robots deflected the flames, the G-Love slapping some of the flames onto the floor, where the flames danced before puttering out. Rei grinded her teeth. She couldn't fail again.
The wheel-carrying robots flew out of the lighthouse, Chomp-Bots, Chucks, and Fodder following. Rei cast a look at Mamoru, Chibi-Usa, and Patrick.
Patrick hurried to Rei's side, his eyes brightening. "Ooh, they've started playing my favorite game—tag."
Rei kept her mouth closed. As long as Patrick stopped the robots, it didn't much matter what he thought was happening.
Patrick rushed out the door. Mamoru carried Chibi-Usa, who traced patterns in the air, singing softly. The robots had really gotten Chibi-Usa.
Chibi-Usa slapped herself, clearing her eyes. Rei's breath caught.
Mamoru stiffened. "Chibi…Usa?"
Chibi-Usa jumped out of Mamoru's arms, managing to land on her feet. "I'm here. I live." Crimson flushed her cheeks. "I mean, I'm ready to fight." Her eyes focused on the open door, the robots rushing past a bubble with two legs, arms, and a top hat (the hell?), except a Chomp-Bot, which snapped at the bubble. Patrick punched the Chomp-Bot, breaking it.
"Tag, you're it." Patrick laughed. Hadn't realized how strong he was, which had proven to be both a blessing and a curse.
The bubble swept off its hat. "Thanks, Patrick. You saved my sweet bubbles." The bubble could talk. And the bubble sounded like a grown man.
"It wasn't fair that they didn't tell you that you were a part of the game, too, Bubble Buddy. So I tagged him before he could tag you."
Chibi-Usa tore her stare away from Bubble Buddy, to the robots. "We should go after them."
Mamoru stayed close to Chibi-Usa—wasn't going to let her out of his sight for the rest of her life. "I agree. Chibi-Usa, stay near me. We'll be a team."
"Right," Rei said. "I can go on ahead."
Chibi-Usa beamed. "All right, that sounds good."
An engine roared. Rei's heart dropped to hell.
The robots had found the boats.
Mamoru stayed near Chibi-Usa. No way was he was letting her out of his sight for the rest of her life. Even after Mamoru died, he wouldn't let his daughter wander freely. He'd keep a tight rein on her from the afterlife.
The roar of the boats' engines made Mamoru step closer to Chibi-Usa. He wasn't letting her, Rei, or Patrick be run over. Rei could take care of herself well, although Mamoru had no problem keeping a tight watch on her, too. Patrick had somehow survived into his adult years, so Mamoru could trust Patrick to keep himself safe, too.
Mamoru, Chibi-Usa, and Rei ran outside.
The robots had taken over the boats.
The boats roared past them, causing Patrick to spin in place like a top. Fish ran in all directions, several being chased by the boats, getting hit by the nose of the boats and being sent spiraling into the air. If Mamoru used Tuxedo La Smoking Bomber, then other fish might get hurt in addition to destroying the robots and the boats, leaving the fish stranded in the downtown area, at the robots' mercy.
Mamoru squared himself. "Everyone, the only way to defeat the robots is to get inside the boats and then defeat the robots up close. That way, they won't harm anyone else, and the boats will stay in one piece."
"I agree." Rei flexed her fingers. "My own attacks could end up hurting innocent fish. Besides, I'd like to hit them from up close, anyhow."
"I can throw stuff at them." Patrick cupped his cheek. "That wouldn't be a fair way of playing tag, but driving boats isn't fair, either, so it all evens out."
"Good idea," Mamoru said. "Patrick, you have great aim. Hit the robots, though, not the boats themselves. Once the robots are destroyed, we can load the boats with the fish and send them away. Even the robots shouldn't be able to catch up with the boats. Chibi-Usa, Rei, and I can fly. Patrick, I'll carry you and let you pick up things along the way to throw at the robots. We'll get a better vantage point from above, and we'll be able to keep up with the robots."
"Okey-dokey." Patrick saluted Mamoru. "I really feel like your sidekick now."
"I'm ready." Chibi-Usa jumped, hovering in the air. Her eyes grew distant. Was she thinking that her knight, Helios, would save Bikini Bottom? She shook her head, de-clouding her eyes. Mamoru's heart softened. She was trying hard to be a great protector and princess.
Rei and Mamoru jumped, Mamoru carrying Patrick by the shoulders, Patrick carrying a hunk of metal that had broken off a skyscraper and fallen on the pavement.
Sailors Mars and Chibi-Moon, alongside Mamoru, raced through the air, Patrick lifting the hunk of metal like it was a feather. Patrick's tongue lolled out, brow creasing—concentrating on the robots. Patrick was taking the fight seriously so that he didn't harm the fish that were being barreled aside from the robot-driven boats.
A G-Love drove one of its boats, two of its six hands on the wheel, two others feeding itself a fast food meal of fries, a burger, and a soda through an opening on its top, and the last two hands massaging its back, its actions as mesmerizing as its colored pattern. Patrick chucked the hunk of metal, and it smashed through the G-Love, its hands and fast-food meal scattering, the boat skidding into a ditch and then skidding back out like the ditch was a half-pipe ramp. Spinning, the boat flew directly up, peaked, and then began to fall, toward a fish who had screamed about his leg when the robots first took over. Fred froze, gazed up at the falling boat, eyes growing to the size of dinner plates.
"No, not my other leg." Fred cowered.
Mamoru lowered himself to the boat's level, took one hand off Patrick's shoulder and aimed at the boat. "Tuxedo La Smoking Bomber!" The beam slammed into the boat, which faded inside the beam. Fred slowly stood, eyes growing bigger, pieces of the boat falling, one falling on his healthy leg. "Ouch!" He hopped in a circle. "My leg!" At least the damage wasn't as bad as it would've been if the whole boat had fallen on him. Then he might not have a leg to cry about.
Mamoru, Rei, and Chibi-Usa continued forward, Rei and Chibi-Usa several yards ahead of Mamoru. Rei dove into one of the boats driven by a Chuck, Chibi-Usa diving into another. Chibi-Usa launched Pink Sugar Heart Attack, smacking a Chomp-Bot that was driving the boat with its rancid breath—its breath was puffing out onto the wheel, powerful enough to turn the wheel and, thus, control the boat—and the boat swiveled, crashing against walls.
Meanwhile, since Rei's attacks would torch the boat into ashes, the Guardian of Flames kicked the Chuck, propelling the Chuck out of the boat. The robot smashed on the ground, once, twice, three times, pieces of it breaking each time, and then stopped, motionless, electricity crackling around it.
Mamoru neared the ground, and Patrick grabbed another hunk of metal. Mamoru returned to the air, flying near the top of one skyscraper. Five other robots drove boats, fish rushing to get away.
Patrick raised an eyebrow. "Is there a way to split this metal into five pieces?" Before Mamoru could reply, Patrick answered his own question. "Of course there is." He ripped the metal into one piece, threw the piece at one of the boats. The metal bounced off a Chuck, launching it out of the boat, the vehicle spinning out. The metal bounced between the five boats like a pinball, hitting the sides, the backs, the fronts, the tops of the boats repeatedly. After being struck, the hull of one of the boats opened, spilling coins like a pinball machine when the jackpot was hit. Mr. Krabs scurried out from behind a piece of rubble, salivating. He swept the coins into his arm, nestling them.
Mr. Krabs ripped his gaze away from the coins to look at Mamoru and Patrick, who zipped above. "Keep at it, lads. I'll be stayin' to collect the spoils—I mean, clean up any mess the robots leave behind."
Mamoru suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. What if those coins had belonged to someone?
"Aye, aye, sir," Patrick said. "This is so much fun, Mamoru."
Mamoru didn't think so, mainly because carrying Patrick hadn't gotten easier and, in general, he didn't think fighting was fun. Regardless, in a way, this fight was...something. To watch. To participate in.
Mamoru would certainly never forget it.
Oh, how Patrick enjoyed flying with Mamoru. The world blurred by, but not so fast that he couldn't aim at the robots. He was playing a game of darts, throwing the metal at the robots.
Throwing things at the robots was the most fun Patrick had had in a long time. Since the humans had come, Patrick had been having fun nonstop. Compared to watching guys get hit in the head with coconuts on T.V., flying and throwing things was a blast.
Patrick broke off another piece of metal and threw that at a G-Love. The metal smashed the G-Love's middle—bull's eye. The robot broke into rings corresponding with its different colors. The boat spun into another boat, which spun into another boat, ejecting the Chomp-Bot Chibi-Usa was fighting and, in turn, Chibi-Usa herself. Chibi-Usa released a yelp and then channeled her energy to stop her flight, hover in place. At the same time, Rei threw a fireball; the Chuck she fought swerved, and the fireball exploded on the back of one of the boats. The boat burst into fire, flames firing off the boat and then exploding in midair like fireworks. Mamoru's jaw dropped.
The lights reflected in Patrick's eyes. "Ooh, pretty colors."
"Oh, no." Mamoru flew higher, away from the firecracking boat. Chibi-Usa did the same, one golf ball-sized flame shooting past inches from her hair. Mamoru winced, but Patrick imagined Chibi-Usa's hair bursting into flame, all her hair spewing fire instead of being pink. Patrick almost wished that her hair had caught on fire so he could see what it would look like, but a head of fire wouldn't feel good to Chibi-Usa.
Rei bit her lip, flew out of the boat, leaving the robot behind. The Chuck lobbed a water missile at her. She threw another fireball at the water missile. The fireball and the missile collided, both exploding in midair, the explosion spreading to the Chuck and causing it to burst.
Rei flew in front of Chibi-Usa. "Stay behind me, Chibi-Usa-chan."
"It's okay. We can still fight separately." Chibi-Usa peered over Rei's shoulder. Her eyes bulged. "Mr. Krabs, you should move. Really. Rei-chan's flames hurt very badly."
Patrick looked in same direction as Chibi-Usa. Mr. Krabs gathered coins from the boat that had exploded earlier, trying to hold three treasure chests' worth of coins in his two knobby arms. Every time coins dropped, he'd pick them up, dropping more coins, and then bent to pick those up, dropping more coins. The pattern continued, flames blowing past him. Mr. Krabs hadn't gotten hurt yet, in contrast to the robots that the flames had burned.
A Fodder wheeled behind Mr. Krabs, electricity crackling around its wand. Mr. Krabs' focus on the coins kept him from seeing the Fodder.
"Damn it." Mamoru dashed toward Mr. Krabs. Patrick threw his metal at the Fodder. The Fodder's radar-like eye brightened at the coins, and it reached for the money. Mr. Krabs whirled around, snatched the Fodder, flung it into the flying hunk of metal. The Fodder's pieces scattered like the fireworks Rei had created.
Mr. Krabs shook one of his pincers, coins falling. "All these are mine, y'see? Mineminemine."
Rei's explosion had caused civilian fish to run away; none were around for miles on end. Maybe they had gotten away.
"We have to get out of here." Rei flew toward Mr. Krabs, Mamoru hovering near the crab but, thanks to Patrick, unable to carry the crab. "Mr. Krabs, I'll take you away from here."
"Not without me money."
"Yes, without me money," Rei barked and then cringed. "I mean, you have to go without your money." She hooked her arms under the crab, swept him above, coins trailing onto the ground.
"No." Mr. Krabs wept. "Me precious money."
"You should be glad I'm saving your precious life."
Patrick didn't see any more boats or robots. Rei's flames had destroyed them all, so the game was over for Patrick, for now. He wished this were a video game so he could play again.
Chibi-Usa looked over the smoking Downtown Bikini Bottom. She didn't see any more robots or fish.
It was over.
A little part of her wished that she had gotten in trouble, though, so she could see Helios again.
What a selfish thought—she would've made her father, Rei, and Patrick worried again.
A screeching noise echoed from up ahead. More robots.
The largest boat the group had seen howled through the downtown area, toward the residential one. It ran over debris; no fish were in the way for it to crush, since most had left thanks to the four distracting the robots. Spikes protruded from the boat's wheels. Metal music emanated from the boat, and two Ham-mer robots sat in the front seat, bashing themselves on the head with their heads of ham in time with the music's beat.
The Guardians, Mamoru carrying Patrick, chased the boat.
Waving two bright orange cones, Mrs. Puff led a line of fish into the residential area. She blanched at the monster-truck-like boat rushing toward them. "Oh, my."
Patrick threw a hunk of metal, smashing the boat's hull, but the boat didn't slow.
Rei launched Burning Mandala. The flames dissipated against the boat.
Mamoru released Tuxedo La Smoking Bomber. The white beam encased the boat and then faded. The boat and the robots, which had ducked into the boat, remained intact.
Even though she knew it wouldn't help, Chibi-Usa spewed Pink Sugar Heart Attack. Upon getting close to the boat, the hearts darted away, like they were afraid of the big bad boat.
The monster boat was of a different caliber than the other boats.
Separately, they couldn't stop the monster boat that rapidly approached Mrs. Puff, the fish scampering away, Mrs. Puff taking shelter being a house. But together, they might have a chance.
"Let's combine our attacks," Chibi-Usa said.
"I agree," Mamoru said, not because she was his daughter, but because he was thinking the same thing.
"I have one last piece of metal," Patrick said.
"On three, we'll launch our attacks at the same time." Mamoru reached toward Rei's outstretched hand. Chibi-Usa did the same. Patrick lifted his metal, ready to throw it into the Guardians' attacks.
"One…"
Chibi-Usa gripped her Chibi-Moon Kaleidoscope tighter. She wouldn't let them down.
"Two…"
Chibi-Usa could not let them down. Because if she let her friends and the fish down, these despicable robots would keep roaming free without consequence.
"Three! Tuxedo La Smoking Bomber!
"Mars Snake Fire!"
"Pink Sugar Heart Attack!"
"The Star of Pats' Giant Metal Throwing Attack!"
The white beam shot out of Mamoru's hand. Mars' fire combined with the beam, tinting the beam scarlet. Chibi-Moon's hearts spiraled around the beam. Patrick's metal flew into the middle of the beam, not dissipating but staying solid.
The combined attack slammed into the boat, which screamed to a stop. The metal smashed into the middle of the boat, just behind the robots, halving the boat. The vehicle was engulfed in flames and pink hearts, the robots screaming instead of cackling like they did when they hurt someone else. The beam eradicated the boat, the robots dancing in the beam like they were covered with flames which, in a way, they were, since Rei's flames had been mixed into the beam. The robots melted, their remains combining with the pavement, solidifying, creating new road for people to drive on.
The attack faded, leaving only the slightly raised pavement.
Chibi-Usa let out a breath. The fight was truly over. If Helios had come too, they could've all combined their attacks, and…
She shook the thought out of her head. Distractions, distractions.
The Guardians landed on the ground, Mamoru letting Patrick down, looking like it was all he could do not to drop the starfish.
Patrick sunk. "Can't you carry me a little longer?"
Mamoru wiped the sweat from his brow. "You've been carried enough today."
Mrs. Puff walked to the humans. "For the second time, in one day, no less… You humans, you actually saved us." Some of other Guardians must've saved Mrs. Puff while she was looking for boats.
"We weren't going to let you die at the hands of these robots," Chibi-Usa said.
"I can see that you're doing your best to defeat them all. And thank you for gathering the wheels. Even if the robots did end up stealing them in the end." She sighed. "Since most of the boats have been destroyed, we'll have to find another way to escape from these robots, Neptune forbid they come after us again like they did before."
"We're willing to help in any way we can," Mamoru said.
Her expression grew softer. "I know you will. If there's one thing I learned about humans, it's how reliable they are."
Other fish emerged from their hiding places, gathering around the humans, Mrs. Puff, and Patrick, faces bright.
"They did it."
"They got the robots. They saved us."
Bubble Buddy bowed. "Awesome job."
Chibi-Usa beamed, their praises filling her. She wasn't useless. Maybe she had never been.
"This calls for a victory screech," Fred said, a cast wrapped around his leg that had been hit with the piece of debris. "C'mon, everybody." Before Chibi-Usa could ask what the unpleasant-sounding victory screech was, he, the other fish, and the human bubble demonstrated, ululating the worst ululation Chibi-Usa had ever heard, made Chibi-Usa's ears feel like blood poured out of them. But the so-called victory screech was for her, Mamoru, Rei, and Patrick, so she couldn't cover her ears, no matter how much she thought her ears would implode. Besides, the victory screech sounded a little nice; the four had earned it.
"Oh, my goodness!" Rei placed her hands over her ears, not caring how rude she looked.
To his credit, Mamoru remained stoic. Even though Patrick joined in the victory screech, screeching directly into his ear, Mamoru didn't twitch. Chibi-Usa wished she possessed his level of self-control.
Fins gripped Chibi-Usa's arms, and the fish lifted her into the air so that she faced Bikini Bottom's sky that was as blue as Japan's. They raised Mamoru, Patrick and Rei, the Guardian of Flames saying, "You don't have to touch me. I was fine on the ground."
They all faced one sky, were lifted by one people, were part of these people. Were part of one world.