Chapter 8 – Falling Couches and Getting to the Engine

"In...The Island?" Netto looked confusedly at the floor. "I don't get it."

"Well..." Meijin had moved into the scene, beginning with a hint of discomfort. "When we were designing and building the island, the staff kind of... Got drunk after finishing the main plans." Everyone stared at him on the screen blankly. "So, by the time we woke, it had already been constructed. We decided it would cost too much to revert, so we just sealed it off and invited you all to test it."

Everyone was silent for a moment.

"Well, exactly what should we expect to see down there?" Enzan asked.

"Well, we were embarrassingly very drunk. All I can say is, it can't be described in words."

"That bad?" Glyde had a worried look on his face.

"Half of the men working on it quit their job, claiming it was too crazy."

Everyone shivered at his or her own concept of what would be down there.

"Well, I need my final part back." Rockman said, hesitating due to his lack of courage. He really wanted it back.

"I wanna go too! Rock needs us, so we should go through whatever it takes, just like he does for us!" Roll said, clutching Rockman like a rag doll. The others pretty much agreed to this.

"Let's go, de gutsu!" Gutsman went off to get to the Engine.

"Follow us!" Dekao followed Gutsman, waiting for the others to join them.

"Dekao, Gutsman..." Meiru said kindly. "We don't know how to get there yet."

The two big guys blushed. "Oh yeah. Meijin, how do we get there?" Dekao asked into the PET.

"Get to the hotel lobby. The entrance is there. Go there, and I'll take care of the rest."

The gang nodded, and the transmission ended. They then made their way back to the hotel.

"Okay, we're here." Netto had called Meijin back after reaching the hotel lobby. "Now what?"

"You will notice that there are many couches placed around the room. Five, to be precise. Each couch can hold two people." Everyone looked at the couches.

"Okay, but what does this have to do with getting to the Engine?" Yaito asked.

"Each of the couches is an entry into the Engine. However, they can only be ridden once, as they cannot go back up. For some reason, we designed like that in our... Less respectable state. In other words, if you plan to go down, you'll have to find another way out."

Needless to say, just about everyone put some thought into this.

"I don't care if won't come back up! I'm going down there, and I'm gonna find that Rockman!" Netto was disappointed that everyone were having second thoughts.

"Yeah, you're right, Netto! Sorry for seeming like I wouldn't do it! Gutsman and I will go! Right, Gutsman?" Dekao raised his fist to Gutsman, who hit it with his own.

"Right, de gutsu!" he said happily.

"So you're all going? Very well, then. Please divide into teams of two and sit on the couches." The group complied to Meijin's order.

The groups in the end were Rockman and Roll, Netto and Meiru, Enzan and Yaito (Everyone decided to put one of the toughest with... Enzan. A/N- LOL get it?), Gutsman and Blues, and Glyde and Dekao. They thought these would be the best balanced teams to give everyone equal chances of surviving whatever was down there. They all took their seats and awaited Meijin's instruction.

"Everyone ready?" They nodded. "Activate Fall!"

"Fall???" they said simultaneously, as the floor beneath the couches suddenly disappeared, letting the couches hurtle down at a fast rate into the Engine.

"Good luck."

"Arggghh!" Netto and Meiru yelped as they hurtled down at intense speeds towards the floor, where a deep pit of confetti met them. They sunk in safely, the confetti breaking their fall.

"Urgh... I feel dizzy." Netto was clutching his forehead, feeling queasy. Meiru was in basically the same condition. Netto grabbed her hand and hauled them both out of the pit.

"Jeez, saved by confetti. Now there's a party story." Netto rested Meiru on a wall before joining her. "You okay, Meiru?"

"Uh-huh... I think. Just gimme a sec." Meiru looked pretty shaken up from the fall. Shaking slightly. Netto took a deep gulp and slowly worked his arm around to her shoulder.

"Just relax, it's over now. And besides, I'll protect you from whatever is down here!" Netto pointed at himself with his free hand. Meiru looked at him and smiled.

"Thanks, Netto. You can be so nice sometimes!" she giggled and got up. She was already feeling better.

"Hey! I'm always nice!" Netto laughed, and they headed out the only way, a long, dimly lit corridor, hiding whatever was at the other side.

"Arghhh!" Rockman and Roll yelled, as they plummeted down on the couch. They landed on an obscenely large recreation of a pillow. It looked like a giant's pillow. They landed with a plop, bouncing up and down before reaching a stop. Roll sighed in relief. Rockman, however, was still feeling a little shaken up.

"Rock? Are you okay?" Roll asked the bumbling blue bomber.

"O-O-O-Of course! I-I-I-I'm fine!" Rockman was shaking uncontrollably. "Argh! I'm so pathetic!" he cursed himself.

"Don't be like that Rock! You're not pathetic!" Roll said kindly.

"Hah... You're right, Roll. Sorry for acting so childishly." Rockman apologized. Roll looked at him and giggled, pulling his cheek.

"It's okay, because you're my widduw boy!" she said with a motherly tone. They both broke out in laughter.

"Well, let's go! Nothing can stop us, right Roll?"

"You bet!"

"Kyaaa!" Yaito was clutching onto Enzan, who was sitting there patiently. They ended up falling into a pool of water. They landed with a splash, falling into the water. Enzan was the first to surface.

"Hmm... A pool in the middle of an island. That's pretty pointless." He then noticed Yaito hadn't surfaced yet. "What the hell?" He dived under, and found her floating around, limbs flailing. He grabbed her and pulled her to the surface. He then dragged her out of the pool and lay her down, before pumping the water out of her by compressing her chest.

"What's with you? Can't swim or something?" Enzan said with a worried tone, which he tried to disguise as annoyance.

"Ahh! Sorry, I just took in some water when we landed and started choking. Thanks." Yaito sat herself up, breathing deeply.

Enzan examined his surroundings. Apart from the pool and a hallway out, the room was virtually empty. The walls were fairly plain, having a metallic sheen to it.

"Well, if you're ready, we should move on." Enzan gave his hand to Yaito to pull her up.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Let's go!"

"HOLY CRAP!!!" Dekao screamed uncontrollably. Glyde was panicking a little too, but had thought of a plan. He called out his Navi wings, and proceeded to glide (A/N – Hey, pun) down to the bottom.

Dekao continued falling on the couch, landing on a heap of mashed potatoes. Very old mashed potatoes.

"Eww! Gross!" Dekao got out of the rotten potato fill, trying to brush off all the bits and pieces.

"I would've picked you up, Dekao, but... Well, I'm not as strong as Gutsman." Glyde tried to apologise.

"Are you saying I'm fat?" Dekao eyed Glyde evilly.

"N-No! I'm just saying, you're much heavier than Yaito. Not that you're fat, of course!" Glyde said laughing. Dekao didn't get it, but he laughed anyway.

"Well Glyde! Let's move it!" Dekao stomped off, reeking of old potatoes. Glyde was careful to keep his distance.

"DEGUTSUDUGUTSUDEGUTSU!!!" Gutsman was in a state of panic as they fell, flailing around like a gorilla. Blues on the other hand, sat patiently until the last minute planning to jump off and break-fall at the right moment. He hadn't taken Gutsman into account, though.

"Hah!" Blues was just about to jump, when Gutsman had flailed into him, knocking the two of them off the couch. As the couch landed safely on a pile of mattresses, Blues proceeded to fall on the hard, marble floor, with Gutsman falling on top of him. Blues was in a state of pain he wasn't used to. Being crushed by 300 pounds.

"Phew! It's over, de gutsu!" Gutsman sat happily, sighing.

"Get... Off... Me... Please..." Blues wheezed. Gutsman saw him and blushed, getting off him.

"Sorry, de gutsu."

"I think I broke something." Blues was fighting to hold back tears of pain. He did a couple of stretches until he decided he was okay.

"Let's go then, Gutsman." Blues walked out, followed by Gutsman, who was still rubbing his butt from the impact. You could faintly see a mark of Blues' face in a state of horror engraved onto Gutsman's buttock.

END CHAPTER 8