Disclaimer: All Bust-A-Groove elements belong to Enix. I own nothing.
Note: The "Moonlight Party" lyrics are courtesy of Enigmaopoeia and her awesome website, BAM Global. Thanks a bunch!

Pander Forever
Chapter 4: Heart-2-Heart
by the ArchFaith (formerly known as the ArchPrincess of Saturn)

The woman known as Kelly playfully tossed her blonde hair. "So you're my opponent, huh?"

"Yeah. I'm Pander," I responded shyly.

She eyed me. She must've recognized me as the guy that everyone stared at. "I'm looking forward to dancing with you," she told me.

"Yes, me too," I replied, not knowing what else to say.

She flashed a smile and walked away, swinging her hips. She was a good distance away, but I heard her mutter under her breath, "He's gonna a piece of cake."

I walked back to Robo-Z and Capoeira stood. "So you've got Kelly," Capoeira observed. "She sure looks different than the last time I saw her."

"Yes, remember that baby costume?" Robo-Z added. He turned to me. "Kelly is a tough opponent. She came in fourth place last year. She will not be easy to beat. Be careful."

"I will," I replied. Deep in my mind I was thinking. Kelly looked like she had lots of experience. She was in the competition last year; she knew how to rack up points and perform perfect solos. This was my first time in the competition; would I be able to defeat her?

"Capoeira!" a voice called. It was Michael again, calling from across the hall. "Caps darling, you're in the first match against Comet. Get ready and be onstage in...oh, two minutes."

"Right!" Capoeira shouted back.

"Do you think Comet will be easy to beat?" I asked.

"I think so," Kiki answered. "She's new. She doesn't have much experience."

"But if she's as good as his sister Frida, we're gonna have a problem," Lala countered. "C'mon, Kiki, let's go."

By now the rest of the dancers had dispersed to wait for their matches. The stage's backdrop was being changed from a neon pattern to what appeared to be a print of a night sky. Props were being pushed in. One prop, lowered from the ceiling, was a gigantic billboard with Comet on it. Next to her image was a list of various foods. Another prop, raised from under the stage, looked like a small fast-food stand that read "Sushi Planet". A small dog sat behind the counter, wearing an apron.

As we watched from the wings of the stage, Comet herself came on, smiling coolly. Bending down to examine her rollarblades, she noticed us standing to the side. "Hey Capoeira," she greeted. "Looks like we're enemies now."

"Don't think I'll go easy on you because you're a beginner," Capoeira remarked.

"I wasn't expecting that. You," she said, pointing a star-shaped wand at them, "are the ones who should be careful. Comets can blow UFOs outta orbit anyday."

"Are you ready?" Michael asked, coming onstage. "Okay then. Commie, stand here. And Caps, stand here. Jamie is going to explain the rules, then we'll begin the match. Shine darlings!" he yelled, running back into the wings.

"Say, Mike?" someone asked. Heat and Tsutomu emerged from the hallway and stepped up into the wings. "Can we watch Comet from here?"

"Sure," Michael replied. Noticing Z and I, he added, "You guys can watch too."

"Thanks," Z answered, but Michael was already dashing down the hall and up the stairs.

Tsutomu fiddled around with something on his wrist. Looking closer, I realized it was a tiny TV, attached to a strap and worn like a watch. Tsutomu flipped it on. "Instead of listening to James, we can watch him too," he said. Everyone leaned down to get a better look.

The BAG Stadium appeared on the screen, along with thousands of people sitting in the seats. James was already standing in front of the closed curtain. The commercials must already be over. We flipped on just in time to hear:

"-we begin, let me clarify the rules of the competition. Number one, the dancers must follow a set of four beats, no more, no less. Number two, not more than two dancers may compete at the same time. Number three, the dancer with the most number of points by the end of the song is the winner and will perform a Fever Time. The loser will be disqualified from the competition.

"Now that the rules are clear, let's get started!" James yelled.

A voice boomed through the speakers: DJ Dangerous. "Our first match for tonight will be: Comet vs. Capoeira! It's rollarblade vs. capoeira in the match to kick things off! Let's go!"
-
Kelly
Real name: Kelly O'Connor
Age: 24
Height: 168 cm
Weight: 49 km
Origin: New York, New York, USA
Dance type: Sexy hip-hop
Likes: baby bottles, police cars, lollipops, raves, shrimp
Dislikes: deskwork, onions, burping, answering to the boss
-
"Match 14 is over! Strike is the winner!"

The night had progressed smoothly. Capoeira managed to beat Comet by less than 1,000 points, which resulted in a double fever time. Comet was a good sport about it, but underneath I could tell she was furious. Backstage, I saw Heat pat her on the back, and Tsutomu gave her a small hug.

As for Robo-Z, he had no trouble beating Kitty-N. Kitty's dance moves apparently hadn't gotten any better since the last competition. Her clunky mechanical suit didn't fit her style, and she kept on stumbling. Z beat her by 5,000 points.

Kitty was devastated. She ran backstage to Strike, who comforted her and held her until it was time for his match. Match 14. The one that just ended.

It was time for me to go on.

I took a deep breath, then exhaled. Capoeira and Z stood silently beside me, knowing they had used up their words of encouragement for the remainder of the night.

I could see the backdrop being changed to that of a busy street intersection. One of the props was a pile-up of cars. Another was a streetlight.

"Are you ready?"

I jumped. Kelly was standing behind, twirling her hair with her fingers. "Sure," I answered. "I'm ready."

She let out a husky laugh. "Yeah," she replied. She whisked onstage. Frowning, I followed her and took my place on the floor.

I could hear James announcing our match: "And now folks, the final match of tonight, Match 15: Pander vs. Kelly!"

The red curtains split. The sea of faces was once again in my view. But I was no longer afraid. I just really wanted to win. If I lost this first match, all my hard work would come to nothing. NOTHING!

Uh uh.

"Alright now! Dis last match needs somethin' a little slower," DJ Mix Deadly yelled. "Da song is Kelly's theme, Moonlight Party!"

I heard a slow-paced melody start to play. Soon the signal came to start. I slowly swayed back and forth to the beat:

Gathering the memories from the missing recollections
Take my hand and hold on tight, and we'll be as one
The everlasting aching pain that been clinging all 'bout you
Cast to the side, and just one now! And look up to the sky!
Moonlight party! Dance until the end!
Moonlight party! Under the shiny moon!
Moonlight party! Till we fall asleep.
Moonlight party! Night party! C'mon clap your hands!

It was slower than what I was used to. But I found the melody easy to keep and didn't miss a beat. It was actually kind of soothing.

Kelly had already missed two beats. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed her glaring at me. "You're better than I thought," she said haughtily.

"I'm full of surprises," I returned, gracefully scoring a Freeze.

"Oh really?" she replied. She whipped out a mini microphone that had been concealed in her pocket.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" she screamed loudly into it. But I was too quick. I dodged the attack, much to her dismay.

Everyone else in the audience had to cover their ears from the noise. "Oh goodness, that was really loud!" I heard James saying from backstage.

"But look! Pander dodged it!" Capoeira cried.

"He is doing well," Z's neutral voice encouraged.

I smiled. The song was going into its final stages. I tried to steal a look at the score meter located to the right of the stage, but I couldn't. I had to concentrate on my dancing.

Moonlight Party! Let's just all get high!
Moonlight Party! Right up into the sky!
Moonlight Party! Until we are through!
Moonlight Party! Night Party! C'mon, clap your hands!
Moonlight Party!

It was over. Thank goodness.

I gave a breath of relief. And of anxiousness. Next to me, Kelly was dusting off her shorts. She appeared a bit frustrated. She looked up and caught me staring at her. She gave me a dirty look and tossed her hair.

I glanced at the scoreboard. PANDER-25,000. And KELLY-

"And our winner is...Pander!" James boomed, coming out on stage. "Congratulations! You did an excellent job! That fan throwing move was the bomb!"

I blushed and smiled. "Thanks," I said softly, ignoring his use of outdated words.

"You were great too, Kelly," James added, looking at the blonde. "You got 23,500 points. That's pretty groovy!"

Kelly's frown slowly turned upside down. "Yeah, I guess," she admitted, shuffling her feet. "I lost to somebody who is pretty unique." Was that a compliment or an insult? I wasn't sure.

Kelly turned on her heels, swinging her police stick in front of her. She strutted off the stage, leaving James and I alone.

"Well folks, our battles are over!" James shouted into the mic. "Weren't they all fantastic? Well, let's bring out our remaining competitors!" From the right of the stage, the winners of the matches emerged to stand next to James and I. They were Heat, Strike, Tsutomu, Shorty, Hiro, Columbo, Michael, Robo-Z, Capoeira, five others whom I did not know, and I. Fifteen of us.

"There you go! Fifteen of the best dancers in the world! They've beaten out their first opponents, proving themselves up to the challenge! But," James whispered ominously, "can they beat out their next matches? We'll have to wait and see! That's all for tonight, folks! Keep watching tomorrow for new matches broadcast from the competitor's stages! I'm James Suneoka for the BAG Competition! Good night!"
With that, the curtain closed. I sighed and looked around. Everyone looked tired and fatigued. I went over to Z and Capoeira. "I won," I announced happily.

"Good job Pander," Z said, patting me on the back.

"Yeah! You burned up the dance floor!" Capoeira added.

I grinned for about the thousandth time that night. "I'm pretty tired. Can we go back to the hotel yet?"

"Not yet," Z answered. "You see-"

"Everyone!" Michael's high pitched voice rung out. "Be sure to go over the bulletin board before you leave! Your new matches for tomorrow are posted!"

"-we have to see who our next opponents are," Z finished.

I trudged over to the board. A new paper was posted. With seven rows. I located my name:

PANDER VS. BI-O
3:30 p.m.
S.S. Blackbeard, Tokyo Bay

"Bi-O," I said, testing the name. I looked around at the five people I hadn't known. One of them was my next opponent. Which one was it?

Capoeira had moved up to the board. "We're versing Sushi Boy at 11:00 a.m. at the Sushi Planet," they read.

"Who's Sushi Boy?" I asked.

"I dunno. I think he's Comet's friend," Kiki answered.

"He is." We turned to see Comet behind us. Heat's arm was looped in hers. Tsutomu held her other hand. Standing directly in front of Tsutomu was what appeared to be a crudely built mechanical doll. It was small and round, with a tiny rod glowing built into the top of his head. Like Comet he wore rollarblades, and he grinned an evil grin.

"Howdy," he greeted in a high voice. "I'm Sushi Boy."

"He's my good friend. In fact, he's Sushi Plant's mascot," Comet explained. "Tomorrow, Caps, he's gonna avenge my defeat by beating you!"

"Yeah right," Lala replied, yawning.

Z brushed up next to me. "Well, are not I the lucky one?" he asked sarcastically after looking at the list.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Every year, they have fifteen competitors after the first round. Fifteen is an odd number, so the judges decide on one competitor that scored the most highly on their match. This year it was I. So instead of giving me only one opponent, they have given me the two opponents who scored lowest in their matches and still managed to win."

"Sounds confusing," I replied, trying to make sense of what Z had just said.

"It is," Z answered. "I'm going against McLoad and Hustle Kong at 5:00 at the Disco Fashion."

"McLoad and Hustle Kong?" I asked. I looked around, but the competitors had already left. Except for-

"Hustle Kong is the Disco Fashion's mascot," Hiro explained. "He's one of the best! Well...maybe he did score kinda low, but he's still really good. I'll be there to see the match, so see you, Z. Ciao!" He turned and walked down the hall.

"I know you'll do well against two people," I told Z. "But I wonder what this Bi-O's like..."

"Bi-O," Capoeira repeated slowly. "Isn't he-"

"You're still here?" Michael interrupted. "Everyone else is already gone."

I looked around. I spied a janitor sweeping the stage floor. Even the sounds of the audience departing from the Stadium were gone. "We were just leaving," Z told him.

Michael smiled. "Well be sure to get rested darlings! This is just the beginning! See you later!" he called, ushering us down the hall and towards a door marked EXIT.

We walked out the door and into what appeared to be an empty parking lot. One lone pink cadillac raced out of the lot, going at a reckless speed.

I checked my watch.Eleven o'clock. "Time to go," I muttered.

"I agree," Z responded. "Let us go."

The walk back to the hotel was short, but seemed a long time to me. My feet shuffled along, but soon grew too heavy for me to pick them up again. The nervousness, coupled with the dancing, had made me so tired...

"Z," I murmered, my knees buckling.

"Pander?" I heard Z ask.

I passed out. I don't believe it! How could I have done something so stupid? Well, it was my first time dancing in the BAG Competition. So maybe it was alright.

The next thing I was aware of was Z pulling the covers over me. He must've carried me back to the hotel and up to my room. I opened my eyes half-way. He was kneeling next to my bed. I slowly sat up and reached for him. He gave me a long embrace. "Rest now," he whispered into my ear. "You have a long day ahead of you."

"Yeah," I muttered back. I leaned back on my pillow. The covers were pulled close against me and I felt comfortable. Z rose and quietly walked to the door.

I felt my eyes closing, but forced them to stay open. "Z...one more thing."

He turned.

"You did a really good job today," I whispered, my eyes shutting.

Before drifting into sleep, I heard him whisper back, "You did even better than I, my love."

-
Sushi Boy
Age: 12
Height: 42 cm
Weight: 30 kg
Origin: San Francisco, California, USA
Dance type: Rollarblade
Likes: sushi, bubble gum, reading comics, billboards, cherry soda
Dislikes: nosy people, ceramics, hamburgers, nerdy people
-
James Suneoka
Age: 32
Height: 174 cm
Weight: 50 kg
Origin: Osaka, Japan
Dance type: none
Likes: sequins, TV, microphones, the color red, his corny jokes
Dislikes: sports, being late, stage hogs, good jokes
-
I had breakfast in bed the next morning. Z decided to join me, and we ate together. "So what do you think of Bust-A-Groove so far?" he asked me as he buttered a piece of toast.

"It seems exciting. But challenging," I replied, drinking a glass of orange juice.

"Ha! You should have seen yourself yesterday! You were a wreck! I was afraid you were going to fall apart!" Z laughed.

"Aw c'mon! I wasn't that nervous," I denied, giggling.

"Yeah right," he replied, biting into a piece of bacon. "Are you ready for today?"

"I suppose," I answered. "But I don't know who my next challenger is. Bi-O."

"Bi-O? I have heard about him. I was talking to Michael while you were dancing against Kelly. He told me that Bi-O is the father of one of last year's competitors. He is the oldest opponent in the contest this year. And he has a strange appearance."

"Oldest? Then he should be a piece of cake."

"Do not take him too lightly, Pander. He is probably very good."

There was a knock on the door. "Who is it?" I asked.

"It's us," Capoeira's shrill voices called. "We just wanna tell you that we're leaving now."

"Is iteleven o'clock already?" I asked, glancing at the clock. It was. "Hold on! We will come with you." I began to rise from the bed, but Z pulled me back down.

"Oh no, it's alright," Kiki said.

"We like to do our matches alone," Lala added.

"See you later!" they said together. I could hear their footsteps going down the hall across the padded carpet. Then they faded away.

"Capoeira is more aloof when it comes to battling," Z explained.

We stayed quiet for a few more minutes. Our breakfast was finished, and we had nothing to say or do. Finally I broke the silence.

"Z."

"Yeah?"

"Well, Kiki and Lala are gone, and there are no distractions."

"What do you mean?"

"You know..."

Z looked into my eyes. Through his visor I could tell he was calculating something. I wondered how long it would be before he figured out what I was trying to say.

"Let us think about that after the competition," was what he finally told me.

"...You're right," I agreed reluctantly, sighing.

There was silence until I picked up the remote. "Wanna watch TV?"

"Sure. What is on?"

I flipped on the TV and began channel surfing. There was absolutely nothing to watch. I decided to stop at a channel called the N-Network.

"Oh, Litterbox Warriors 5," Z told me as he gazed at the screen. "It is Kitty's show."

I stared at the screen. Kitty-N was wearing her pink mech suit, beating up a couple of bad guys in ski masks.

"This must be taped live," Robo-Z commented as he watched the scene.

"How do you know?" I asked.

"Well, she still looks a little angry about being beaten last night."
-
3:30 p.m. exactly.

I gazed up at the old-fashioned ship stationed at Iriyuki Pier, in Tokyo Bay. It was made of wood, had a mast and several tiers, and a huge pirate flag tied to the mast. It looked like something out of an old horror movie.

Painted to the planks near the bottom were the faded words, S.S. BLACKBEARD.

"This must be the place." I turned to speak to Z, who had accompanied me. We had taken a taxi to the pier and arrived only to find no one there. Earlier we had received a call from Capoeira. They had won their match against Sushi Boy, much to Comet's dismay. They decided to do some antique shopping after the match, but wished Z and I good luck.

"So? Where's Bi-O?" I asked, looking around. No one appeared to be on the ship at all.

"Oh, I'm sure he's around," a familiar voice said behind us. We turned to see James, Michael, and a couple of people with cameras standing behind them. The whole entourage appeared to have arrived by way of a van which was parked next the one of the warehouses.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Did you forget?" James answered, coming towards me. "Every match needs to be hosted by me. Without me, the match can't start."

"Plus, we also need to show it on TV!" Michael squealed, motioning to the cameras. "Jamie, lemme borrow your mic," he requested, taking the microphone into his hands.

"So Pander, how do think you've done so far?" he asked, coming up to me. The camera people moved in closer to get a shot of me.

"I think I've done especially well, considering my so-called strangeness," I answered cleverly.

"Do you think you'll do well against Bi-O?"

Feigning modesty, I replied, "I really can't say for certain. I'm sure Bi-O is a very good dancer, but I think I'm going to-"

"To what?" a loud, raspy voice asked.

I stopped short and looked up onto the ship. A strange being had appeared on the bridge. He had crawly, green skin, and a few black hairs hanging on his head. He wore a faded blue sea captain's uniform, and one leg was cut to expose the bone underneath. His eyes were bloodshot and bulged with veins. His most noticeable feature was the axe that stuck out of his head. Part his skull was chopped open to reveal thick red blood. He looked like a zombie. Hewas a zombie.

It was a horrifying sight.

"Are you Bi-O?" I asked.

"Yes," he replied, looking down at me. "And you must be Pander."

"That's right."

"Bi-O! Any comments before the match begins? How do you feel about being the oldest competitor in this year's competition? What do you have to say about your son's attempt to murder you?" Michael questioned, the cameras adjusting their lenses.

"Well, I-"

"D-Doctor!" Z asked, surprised. He had been silent, but now was staring straight up at Bi-O.

"Dr. Fitchenstein, is that you?"

TBC

Notes: That was pretty quick. For some reason, I think this chapter is better than Chapter 3. Please make sure to review, so I'll be a little more encouraged! The next chapter will be up as soon as I can get it written!

To all Kelly fans: I hope I didn't mess up Kelly's personality. I didn't try to make her appear haughty or a sore loser, but I tried to think of how she'd really act if she versed Pander. Which is that of a confident woman who'd be disappointed if she lost.

In case you're wondering, the title of this chapter, Heart-2-Heart, refers to Pander and Z's little talk at breakfast. I couldn't come up with a better title, so...

XOXO, Archie.

In the next chapter, Pander vs. Bi-O and Robo-Z starts remembering...