Kinda wanna just do a kart-racing side story. Way back, I wrote The Great Galactic Race, and holy fuck was that badly executed. I can definitely do a better one and not even tie it to the main series. It'll be a game that Carol develops in the future.

Chapter 4: Destinies of Hope and Fear

GKND H.Q.

Sector MG returned to GKND and met with Vice-Leader Jerome. Upon their request, he led them to the Planetarium, which could project holographic maps of any galaxy. "I believe the Avatar Realms are located in the Nicklodia Galaxy." He brought up a map of said galaxy and zoomed in on a particular world. The planet's nations were color-coded: the North and South Poles were blue, Earth Kingdom was sandy-yellow, Fire Nation was red, and three certain archipelagos were white.

"We actually get to visit the world of the Avatar!" Wendy said eagerly.

"But if you go there, Wendy, Aang won't be the last airbender, anymore." Oliver mentioned.

"Technically, we heard that one of Aang's sons is an airbender." Jerome mentioned. "And I think his bison already was one, too."

"Do the Realms have a Kids Next Door?" Romeo asked.

"Well, yes. But they're not a part of the Kid Council, so we almost never commune with them. The Avatar Realms are considered a traditional world, and a highly sacred one at that. The laws around it aren't as strict as with Historia, but they greatly limit the amount of ships traveling to the planet. It's been protected by invaders for millenniums, both by the Galaxian government and by its guardian dragon."

"Guardian… dragon?" Wendy repeated.

"A Stratos Dragon, to be precise. It's a spacebending entity trained by God Palkia to guard worlds such as this."

"I don't remember anything like that from the Firstborn Quest!" Romeo stated. "Didn't Team Gnaa attack the Avatar Realms?"

"There must've been quite the handful of invaders. But because the White Lotus and affiliates are capable of leaving the world via Gummi Ships, this Stratos Dragon is a little more lenient than others. Although it's minimal, the inhabitants do occasionally involve their selves with other worlds. That being said, I'm certain it would allow your ship to enter the atmosphere. Since it looks like a traditional pirate ship; sort of, it can fit in decently well."

"Alright, that's good. So, where on the Avatar Realms would we find the Sun Warriors?"

"That part I couldn't tell you." Jerome hovered a cursor around the red continent, in which names popped up. "This chart only names major or known regions of a world, but it doesn't say anything about that. I would naturally assume they're somewhere in the Fire Nation."

"Victini, do you know where they live?" Wendy asked.

"(Beats me. Those islands look way too tiny from over here! If we can get in a little closer, it might jog my memory.)"

"I mean, the planet is bound to be different after 10,000 years, I doubt it will."

"Hey, while we're here," Romeo began, "another planet was supposed to be Xadia. Where's that at?"

"Xadia is actually in the same galaxy." Jerome zoomed out the map and clicked one that was close to the Realms. "From what we've researched, it's a sister planet that also studies the elements. However, travel rules are a bit more strict, and the Stratos Dragon is far less friendly. Only a few operatives have been to travel here, but the best we can gather is some basic history and geography."

Victini made a wry smirk, about to say something. "I think we'll just focus on the Avatar Realms for now." Romeo had already cut him off, so Victini bore a grumpy frown. "But if we don't have info on the Sun Warriors, where can we find them?"

"The only ones I can think to ask would be the royal family." Jerome replied.

"Another royal family?" Phil questioned. "Well, here's hoping they'll know the Rainbow Flame story and let us in."

"Why don't we just find the Avatar?" Wendy suggested. "Doesn't he usually get a free pass to everything on the planet?"

"I'm certain the Fire Lord would hear you out." Jerome smiled. "He's well acquainted with Earth's KND."

"Then should we get going?"

"Nah, let's wait until tomorrow." Romeo answered. "If we try to visit too many planets in one day, we'll run ourselves dry!"

"Nothing wrong with that!"

"If that's your plan, then perhaps I can run ahead." Jerome suggested. "I'll travel to the Realms myself and try to have a meeting arranged."

"You would do that for us? We wouldn't want to trouble you like that."

"Relax, nothing's happening up here. Nebula can look after things for a while while I go for some fresh air."

"Hah, is that what you want?" Kiki laughed.

"We appreciate the help!" Romeo said. "Try to make it back soon!"

"I'll try!"

Poshley Heights, Earth

Poshley Heights was a luxurious town located in a peaceful mountain range. Weiss Schnee boredly sat on the rim of a fountain, stirring her fingers in the water. The sky was rather bleak, so she wasn't motivated to do anything. All she could think to do was hypnotize herself with the ripples of the unreflective water.

Weiss heard steps approaching and turned to Ciel Phantomhive, a thin boy with an eyepatch, top-hat, blackish-blue hair, and a coat over his noble attire. "Hey, I saw a ship take off." Weiss mentioned. "Something happen?"

"Carol's gone to assist Dillon with something." Ciel withdrew a coin from his pocket and flicked it into the fountain. "And Raleigh's locked himself in that stupid game. You know, what's even the point of crafting toys if children would rather play those TV games?"

"Well, if you wanna play with Raleigh, just go into Aincrad yourself." Weiss smiled sweetly.

"Because there's no benefit to—who said I wanted to play with Raleigh?!"

Weiss giggled. "Come on, you're always showing him the new toys you make, getting his Pokémon to play with them. You're just upset that something else has his attention now and he's not playing with your toys."

"Khh! Why does that matter?!" Ciel flushed. "My point is that Aincrad won't improve our stamina at all. Videogames simply make our muscles grow soft or break our focus. Meanwhile, playing with toys is a relaxing, but active exercise for the muscles and inspires us to use imagination to stretch our brains."

"Then would you like to play toys with me?"

"S-since when do you play with toys?"

"I dunno, I need something fun to do."

"Mmmm…" Ciel puffed his cheeks and turned away, mumbling, "won't be as fun with you…"

"Awwww." Weiss cooed. Deep down, Ciel was no different from any other picky boy his age. He was the kind that tried to act proud, but actually wanted someone to play with, preferably a fellow boy he could adapt to. She found his friendship with Raleigh to be pretty cute.

"…" Ciel rose up as his eyes lit. "Do you feel that?"

"Feel… what?"

"I smell something… like darkness."

"Uh…okay?"

Ciel turned to his left. When Weiss followed his gaze, she lit up at seeing two familiar girls. "Miyuki! Suki!"

"Hi, Miss Sneeze!" Suki greeted cheerily.

Weiss stood to approach them. "It's nice of you to visit us! What's the occasion?"

"Well… I sort of need a favor, Weiss."

"What kind?"

"…" Miyuki calmly withdrew the mask from her dress, Suki frowning.

"!" Weiss took a step back in shock. "The mask! Araea's Mask!"

"What?!" Ciel gasped. "The mask we tried to retrieve from Schnee Manor! YOU were the one who stole it?!"

"No, I didn't steal it! It was given to me. By… Majora."

"Now, hold on!" Verglora said. "What was that about trying to steal me?"

"I-It talks." Weiss stuttered.

"So, you were already trying to find it?" Miyuki asked.

"It was Cheren's orders." Ciel answered. "He knew of Weiss's family history and questioned the mask's whereabouts."

"Yeah." Weiss followed. "We've been guarding the mask in secrecy for generations, even after we moved to Coruscant. Though, to be honest, I didn't know what our secret 'treasure' was until Cheren talked to me about it. All we were really told was that we had origins in Hyrule. Though I guess 'Termina' would be more accurate now. But after Cheren explained that the mask was a Newborn, we agreed to go retrieve it."

"We were also filled in on the trouble it caused. No doubt a true offspring of Majora."

"And what would you know about Majora?" Miyuki asked. "You've never met him."

"Hah, have we not?" Ciel chortled. "We're no strangers to Majora's crimes, and not to your involvement with him either."

"That's not her fault!" Suki shouted. "Sissy was sleepwalking!"

"Was she really?"

"What do you need, Miyuki?" Weiss asked.

Miyuki explained the seal of the Four Maidens. "And Weiss… I think you're the Winter Maiden."

"Heh…me?" She cracked a weak smile.

"You wouldn't remember specifically. The Spring Maiden didn't either."

"You already met the Spring Maiden?"

"Um, yeah. In fact, we know a way to call up the Maiden inside you: we have to turn you into a mask."

"A mask? W-wait, doesn't that mean that I… That I'll die?"

"N-no, no! That's a different power… sort of. With you, it would just be a temporary transformation. Just until I can get the Maiden to break the seal."

"Now, why should we let you do that?" Ciel inquired. "That spirit is dangerous, isn't it? We couldn't be guilty of setting it loose upon the world."

"But they're a Newborn. The KND has to capture all the Newborn, right?"

"After that mess with Hoopa and subsequent disasters, I've considered something: I don't care much for these Newborn at all! We've been threatened repeatedly by their abuse of power, and even if their Guardians keep them under control, enemies from all directions will be gunning us. Only reason I participated in that heist was because I didn't really trust a Newborn in Mr. Schnee's hands. No offense, Weiss."

"I mean, I wouldn't want my dad to have something like that." Weiss agreed. "But you have a point. I don't really trust that thing either."

"I've been keeping them under control." Miyuki reasoned.

"You were Majora's puppet." Ciel glared. "And it would appear you're fulfilling the role all over again. Majora gave that thing to you because there was no better person, no will more vulnerable!"

"Zanifr gave Verglora to me because he trusted me to help them!"

"It sounds like you took the bait hook, line, and sinker."

Miyuki glared. "Look, I can agree that they're dangerous, but these kinds of things always work out in the end. Just help me break this part of the seal."

"Even if I do, I'd rather wait until we're in a nice, secure holding cell."

"Fine. I guess I'll have to-" Miyuki raised the mask.

A lean, shadowy figure whooshed by to swipe it, landing several feet away. "Apologies, Miss Crystal, but I'll be confiscating this." Sebastian Michaelis faced them with the mask in hand.

"Hey!" Miyuki drew her scythe and leapt to slash the black-haired butler, Sebastian flipping the first swing. He tossed a bladed card and cut Miyuki's leg, then he cartwheeled as he tossed several more. Miyuki slowed down time to better focus and hit the cards back, using a Rewind Deflect to cut Sebastian. Miyuki flipped over to cut the butler's hip, causing his memory to play the same maneuver, but he sensed the illusion and dodged toward Miyuki, evading her real attack.

Miyuki was shot in the face by an Antikill bullet, courtesy of Ciel's gun. "Sebastian, take that mask and flee!"

"Don't you dare!" Suki erected an ice wall to block Sebastian's escape, afterwards shooting icicles. Sebastian swiftly grabbed the icicles and tossed them into the wall, using them to jump up and over it. Suki broke the wall down and skied after Sebastian. Weiss skied past her and blocked with an ice wall. Knowing ice wouldn't hurt the Logia icebender, she pressed a red gem on her sword to shoot fireballs from it, the first few damaging Suki before she began to evade herself.

"Suki, why are you helping Miyuki do this?!"

"Because this is important to Sissy! I'm trying to stop her from hurting anyone, and it would be a lot easier if you let her change you!" Suki spiraled up a mini snowstorm and expanded it, covering the surrounding area as she disappeared. Weiss dodged before Suki could jump out from behind, assuming the form of a snowy serpent.

"And tell me why it's so important." Ciel retorted, dodging Miyuki's swings and kicking her jaw. "Is there a powerful demon that can only be destroyed by 'Verglora'? Is Majora threatening your friends for you to do this? I might've believed any of these motives, but just saying it's a Newborn isn't good enough."

"Fine then. I'm doing this because I want to. I'm doing this because I want to embrace the darkness again. When I first met Zanifr and got roped into his plan, it was the first time I felt excited. I was lost at that time, I didn't even want to live, but Majora gave me that motivation. He gave me a purpose. And now I have a new purpose!" Miyuki tossed her scythe like a wheel, sawing against Ciel, and she Rewinded the weapon back like a boomerang.

The attack trapped Ciel in a memory of that horrible night when the cultists performed their ritual. Ciel shook his head to fight free of the memory, making out the faint image of Miyuki and evading her next attacks. "You want to embrace the darkness? I can respect that."

"I can't!" Weiss shot icicles at Miyuki, but Suki caught them in her own bending and redirected them at Weiss. "Isn't serving the KND a good purpose for you? Isn't helping people a good purpose?!" She skied swiftly around Suki and damaged her with fireballs.

"That's how I know it'll all work out in the end. And it'd be a lot easier if you just helped!"

"Setting a rather good example for yourself!" Ciel remarked, landing a shot to Miyuki's eye as the numbing bullet made it go to sleep.

Sebastian was currently dashing down the mountain road leading to Poshley Heights. "You know, our initial understanding was that you were an Ice Newborn. But it seems Majora's influence has corrupted you with additional powers."

"Don't be silly, silly pooch~" Verglora replied in Pea's voice. "Father improved me! Ice is such a boring element, you know? Darkness is so much nicer! But to tell the truth, I've only got a little bit of Ice Chi. I mainly specialize in curses~"

"Well, I doubt my Young Master is looking to be cursed any more than he-"

A pair of monstrous cars zoomed up in attempt to ram the butler, Sebastian leaping over them. The cars swerved around, exposing their glowing-eyed, hedgehog masks. They extracted gloved hands and charged with the aim to take Verglora. Sebastian dealt a strong kick against the first Hedgecar and bounced into the air, afterwards tossing shuriken cards against the second one's left wheels. It was then that a red jester with a court mask flipped from behind: it lashed a sticky-ended whip around to catch the mask under his coat, at the same time kicking the butler's back. Sebastian flew forward while the jester took Verglora, landing on a Hedgecar to speed back up the mountain. Sebastian was about to give chase, but a line of Hedgecars drove down to impede him.

Suki thrusted an icicle up to knock Weiss' sword out of hand, afterwards making the ice slide it away. She sprouted more icicles out at Weiss, the Schnee nimbly dodging, but she was pounced from behind by a pair of White Wolfos, the masked wolves pinning her down.

Ciel activated Demon Earl Fury, surrounding himself in a black aura with sharp shoulders and claws. He slashed at Miyuki rapidly, the girl twirling her scythe in defense. She tried to maneuver away from the furious Earl and focus chi, but had to keep defending in the process. She was able to Stop time, get behind, and slice Ciel before time could resume. Ciel saw the memory of Miyuki's boomerang attack, but he ignored the illusion and predicted Miyuki's swing from the side, catching the scythe in his claws.

Miyuki glanced over and saw the Hedgecar and jester returning with Verglora. However, Sebastian was on their tail, having hijacked his own Hedgecar. Miyuki forced Ciel to Stop and rushed over, the jester tossing Verglora's Mask like a Frisbee. Sebastian lunged to seize it first—Miyuki slapped on Pea's mask and willed a barrier to block Sebastian. "I am a wise star known for my seven points, and a member of seven who protected the wishes. Who am I?"

"Wait, isn't that the power of that girl from the Big Mom Pirates?" Ciel wondered, having become mobile as he leapt to slash Miyuki, who endured the cut to the face to cut his leg. Fittingly, he saw a memory of their battle with Pea. "And that mask! Did you capture that girl?!"

Miyuki was able to retrieve Verglora and put them back on. Miyuki held her scythe out, gesturing for Suki to build ice over it and turn it into a larger, frosted blade. She spun and stabbed the ground before Ciel, exploding a wave of ice that froze the Demon Earl. With that, Miyuki began to focus Verglora's dark powers over Ciel. The earl squirmed inside the ice, feeling the entangling sensation. Within moments, Ciel turned into an eyepatched mask, complete with a top-hat. Suki broke the ice, so Miyuki could retrieve it.

"One of seven who protects wishes…" Sebastian thought aloud. "Those would be the Star Spirits…" One of the spirits had a mustache, which gave him two extra points. "Eldstar!" The barrier dispelled, so Sebastian lunged at Verglora's Mask—Miyuki immediately swapped to the Earl's Mask and opened the eyepatch, exposing Ciel's Faustian Eye.

"Sebastian, stop!"

The butler halted in place. While Suki was helping Miyuki, Weiss was able to fight off the wolves and reclaim her sword. "Now, hold Weiss still!"

Gritting his teeth in anger, the butler leapt to bind Weiss's arms. "Sebastian, what're you doing?!"

"Forgive me, Miss Schnee. I can only do as my 'Young Master' commands."

"What?! So, when Miyuki puts on someone's mask, she can use their powers?!"

"Indeed. The Earl's chi has been condensed into that mask, but he possesses no will to use it."

"Good." Miyuki said, switching back to Verglora. "Now hold… still?" Something was wrong. She could barely sense the aura of Weiss or Sebastian… or at least, not in the same way she did Pea. "Hey… Verglora… does something feel weird to you?"

"Yeah, what gives? I can't sense any Maideny powers in her or whatever! With Pea, it was super obvious! I can only sense her basic aura."

"What're you saying?" Weiss asked, struggling in Sebastian's grip.

"Is Weiss… not the Winter Maiden at all?"

"HUH?!" Suki screamed. "You mean we were just chasing a wild duck?!"

"You mean goose, Suki." Weiss replied.

"Duckies are nicer than geesies!"

"Then… who could it be?" Miyuki wondered. "It's not Suki either. Maybe it's someone else in Weiss's family."

"Leave my family alone! Miyuki, snap out of it! Do you really think helping that spirit will do us any good? Or for YOU? Even if we DID have to find all the Newborn, I remember some of them showing a shred of decency. We shouldn't free Verglora until it feels genuinely sorry for its crimes!"

Miyuki placed Ciel back on. "Sebastian, do you know any other females in Weiss' family? Tell me."

"I only know of Miss Schnee's mother, who resides in her family manor, and of her elder sister, who serves as an officer of the Coruscanti Galactic Army."

"Do they have icebending?"

"I do believe so."

"Sebastian!"

"Hmmm…" Miyuki looked down in thought. "Checking both of them would be pretty difficult. She might not've reincarnated in her own family at all."

Weiss stomped the ground and sprouted an icicle from behind Sebastian, stabbing the butler as she escaped and tossed icicles at Miyuki. She took the first few hits before hammering her scythe down on Weiss's shoulder. Weiss retreated to freeze the fairly light wound, but was bound by Sebastian again. Miyuki placed Verglora back on and trapped her in a dark grip. Weiss transformed into a ponytailed mask.

Suki calmly approached and picked Weiss up, staring solemnly. "I'm sorry, Miss Sneeze. Sister-chan is just confused. When I had a destiny, I was confused, too. But it'll be okay in the end… just like she said."

"Sebastian," Miyuki put the Earl Mask on, "I want you to investigate Weiss' family. If possible, determine a possible way to have the females gathered together so I can examine them both. And don't inform anybody of what we're doing, or what you're doing."

Sebastian narrowed his eyes. "As you command, Not My Young Lord. However, I must warn you of the risks of antagonizing the Schnee Family. It could leave a grave mark on, not just yours, but the KND's name."

"I'll be sure to take full responsibility."

"We will see if the fates allow it." With that, Sebastian returned to Sector $'s treehouse.

Miyuki dispelled all the Faceless spirits. "Let's hurry back to the ship. While Sebastian's busy with that, we'll try to figure out the other Maidens."

The sisters made their way down the other side of the mountain to return to their ship. …However, another ship was parked near it, one designed like a bat. George and MaKayla King, and Lola and Terry Stork awaited her. "So, what're you girls up to?" MaKayla asked casually.

Avatar Realms

Jerome had returned sometime after Sector MG woke from their slumber. He explained that a special meeting had been arranged for them on a certain island, so with the coordinates handy, the mages made the flight to the Nicklodia Galaxy. With the Avatar Realms in view, they closed in on the Fire Nation's region. "That should be the place he told us, right?" Kiki asked.

"Yep!" Wendy nodded. "Just land us in the sea nearby."

"Aye-aye! Hmm…" Kiki viewed the planet in thought. "You know, seeing it up close… this is a really small planet."

"What, are the people like Kateenian size?" Maria asked, pinching her fingers.

"I mean, they're just four nations. The Earth Kingdom is fairly big, but between it and the Fire Nation, they only seem to fill up one side of the planet."

"Yeah, I guess you got a point. Compared to Earth and Avalar, it is a bit on the small side. And not to mention Mushroom World!"

"Hehe, I think Mushroom is the biggest planet out of all of them." Wendy noted. "WHOA!"

Kiki halted the ship when a massive, black and pink entity swooped by. The spatial dragon gazed at the operatives curiously, chills running down their spines. …The dragon resumed its flight patrol. "Th-That's the Space Dragon?" Kiki asked.

"(Good to see that Lillian hasn't changed much.)" Victini said.

"Huh? Who's Lillian?" Romeo asked.

"(The dragon, duh! Natsu and I met her ages ago.)"

"Wow! It's the same dragon?"

"(Yep! They have super long lifespans. Though I think she was only a kid before the planet was split.)"

"The… what was split?"

"(Whoops! Hehe, forget I said that.)"

"Okay, we're entering the atmosphere!" Kiki announced. "We'll be switching to pirate ship mode in a second!"

They soared through the clouds and landed the Witch's Delivery on the surface of the ocean. "Helloooooo, Avatar Realms!" Wendy did a dance, wearing the orange and yellow Air Nomad's uniform. "What do you think, guys? Think I'll blend in with this getup?"

"No way." Phil answered. "The outfit is all wrong!"

"HUH? What do you mean?"

"We have to shave your head and paint an arrow on!"

"I DIDN'T WANNA GO THAT FAR!"

"Come on, just let me cut it real quick!" Phil grinned deviously and snapped a pair of scissors at Wendy.

"NO! Don't, Phil! I don't wanna go bald!"

"Ki ki ki!" Kiki laughed. "You know, I've always kind of thought of myself as an airbender, too. Not that I wanna go bald or anything."

"It's not hard to guess why." Wendy replied. "Have you considered practicing wind spells? I bet you'd be great at them!"

"I do sometimes. But it doesn't give me the same feeling that I imagine with airbending. I want to feel the wind circulating through my veins, I want to really feel one with it!"

"Meh, you're being picky." Phil remarked. "I mean, since you have magic, you can basically use any element you want."

"Yeah, but mages can't attain the same mastery that benders can over elements." Wendy reasoned. "Even with magic, some mages are more adaptable with some spells than others."

"Yeah, just look at me." Romeo said. "I can't even adapt with a wand!"

"You don't even need a wand with how strong you are!"

"Yeah, but if I did, I could probably do all the amazing stuff you do."

"Come on, Romeo, you're amazing, too." Wendy replied with a blush. "You worked hard to get where you are, and you're just as strong."

"(He's gonna be way stronger than you once he becomes my Guardian!)" Victini stated cockily.

"Victini, even if I do, I'm still gonna rely on my own strength. And I wouldn't wanna be cursed with bad luck or anything."

"Tiii…" Victini slumped over in sadness.

"I-I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

"(No, forget it. Wouldn't want a repeat of last time…)" Victini fluttered up to the crow's nest.

Wendy looked upon the Newborn with sympathy. "He can only grant good luck at the cost of bad luck. He must be pretty lonely."

Romeo glanced at her knowingly. Wendy grew up with a life of misfortune, having to run and hide from the government all her childhood. And given his invisibility power, Romeo imagined Victini was in hiding a lot, given what he was. "But Victini, you can still be friends with us." He tried to say in comfort. "You don't have to grant us luck to be-"

"Guys, what happened to that mushroom pizza I was saving in the fridge?!" Maria stomped out in a huff. She was wearing a red top and skirt, matching slip-ons, and a fiery crown around her ponytail.

Victini munched on a pizza slice. "Buuuurp. (Ooo, a Mushroomian likes mushroom pizza. How original.)"

"YOU LITTLE BRAT! Spit out my pizza!" Maria jumped up the sails.

"Never mind…" Romeo sighed.

"Haha, he sticks to the beat of his own drum." Wendy laughed.

"We're almost at the island." Kiki pointed. "Let's dock over by the left side of the beach!"

Ember Island was a famous vacation resort for the people of the Fire Nation, full of palm trees and luscious vegetation. The operatives walked barefoot across a beach of dark sand, seeing other beach-goers either relaxing or playing a kind of volleyball. The sky had become rather dense with clouds, blocking out the sun. "You know, the weather isn't even that warm." Romeo said. "But the sand feels naturally heated."

"It looks more like soot." Oliver replied. "Almost like it's from a volcano."

"This is firebender country." Phil said. "Maybe it's dark because they use their element a little too much."

"Just about makes sense."

"So, we need to look for a man under a sun-shaped umbrella, right?" Wendy asked. "That's who's meeting up with us?"

"I bet I can spot that easily from the air!" Kiki mounted her broomstick and took flight.

"Um, should she do that?" Maria questioned. "People on this world don't use magic, right?"

"Hey, look at that!" a boy pointed. "That girl is flying!"

"Flying?" a girl replied. "Is she the Avatar's daughter?!"

"Why is she flying on a broom?"

"She must be really good!"

Kiki squinted her eyes and viewed around. "Aha! Guys, it's over there!" Kiki pointed. "Just across the-"

"Hey! Hey!" Kiki saw a crowd of beach-goers shouting up at her. "Are you the Avatar's daughter?"

"How are you gliding on a broom?"

"Hey, my birthday's tomorrow! Wanna come?" a boy asked flirtingly.

"Your birthday was two days ago!"

"Shut up, dude!"

"Ki ki ki ki…" Kiki chuckled nervously. "Now now, guys, you're kind of misunderstanding…"

"Well, Kiki's made some fans." Wendy said. "Better not use my element or they'll be after me, too."

"Should we help her?" Romeo asked.

"Nah, she'll be fine." Phil smirked. "Let's just go where she said."

The friends walked around the crowd and crossed the beach. However, Victini glanced over at a pair of boys in their twenties; a cool-looking one with smooth brown hair and a dorkier, big-headed one with bushy black hair. "Check it out, Josh!" Drake said, showing him some scraps of paper. "I scored dates with all the rich girls on the island!"

"Dude, you blew me off at the kuai ball court! The other team hit the ball against me so hard that I flew into the ocean! Then a turtle-crab grabbed the back of my trunks and ripped the back left off!" Josh turned to show that he was trying to hold the ripped part to his rear.

Victini raised a brow: a light-orange aura was radiating around Josh, but was magnetically drawn into Drake. That boy is a Luck Parasite! Hmmm…

Sector MG found a strong, robed man with long black hair resting on a beach chair under an umbrella. "Um…excuse me?" Wendy spoke. "Are you the person who wanted to meet with us?"

"I think I am." The man smiled, facing them. His left eye was heavily scarred.

The kids gasped. "Fire Lord Zuko!" Wendy exclaimed.

"What gave it away? Was it the scar?"

"I-It's an honor to meet you, sir!" She bowed.

"Haha!" Romeo laughed nervously. "Jerome said he would try to contact the royal family, but I didn't expect to run into the actual Fire Lord."

"We aren't keeping you from anything, are we?" Oliver asked.

"No, of course not!" Zuko stood from the seat. "It's an honor to be assisting the KND. Now, I wasn't filled in on all the details, but that Jerome boy mentioned something about a 'Firstborn'?"

"Yeah. This is Vic…?" Romeo looked around in worry. "Victini?"

"Oh, COME ON!" Maria shouted. "Can't that little idiot stay put for one second?! Ugh, I'll go look for him, be right back!" She stomped off in a fury.

"Eh, hehe." Romeo laughed. "Anyway, I'll just explain."

…

"So, that's why you want to find the Sun Warriors." Zuko acknowledged. "Still… I'm a little blown away by the fact of these 'Newborn.' I still remember all the chaos that transpired around the 'Eight' Firstborn."

"Believe me, these Newborn have been way more chaotic." Phil said.

"In truth, the Avatar has been sensing bad omens as of late. I can only imagine what life has been like for the outside KNDs. In any case, I want to do what I can to help… but I'm a little hesitant."

"How come?" Wendy frowned.

"The Sun Warriors are a secret civilization who wish to honor and maintain the ancient ways of firebending. They don't want their culture to be publicly known. I made a vow to not disclose their secret to anyone… so, I'm not sure how I feel with bringing five alien kids there."

"Actually, six aliens. Kiki is over there." The witch in question was doing twirls on her broom to impress the beach-goers.

"Then, would it be safer if only I go or something?" asked Romeo.

"Well, the Sun Warriors are a rational people, so I doubt we would be severely punished. If there are problems, I'll vouch for you kids."

"You know, we are wizards." Oliver mentioned. "We have a spell that can wipe memories. So, after we leave, we could wipe our memories of the Sun Warriors!"

"But then we'd lose all the experience we gained!" Wendy argued.

"Heh heh! We would at least let Romeo remember."

"If you kids are ready, we can sail to the Sun Civilization now. We'll have to sail northwest from here."

"I'll go let Kiki know!" Oliver hurried over.

"I finally found him!" Maria raced back with Victini held firmly. "This punk was drinking from a coconut he stole from a tree!"

"Anyone can have those coconuts." Zuko replied.

"(Told you they were free! Now, bug off!)"

"Those trees worked hard to grow those nuts!"

Victini rolled his eyes… but glanced wryly over at Drake & Josh. It appeared that several cute girls were hitting on Josh. Meanwhile, Drake was screaming and running from a swarm of baby turtle-crabs.

"My ship is docked across the island." Zuko mentioned. "It'll take a few hours to reach the Sun Warriors."

"Could we just take our own ship?" Wendy asked. "We could probably get there faster."

"Really? How fast?"

…

"WHOOOOOAAAAA!" Zuko clung onto the railing as the Delivery zoomed across the sea like a motor boat. "It's like a giant version of Appa!"

"We like to travel fast!" Kiki cheered. "But we still make time to enjoy the breeze!"

"Slow doooooown!"

"Victiiiiiiii!"

Poshley Heights

Seeing no need to lie to her friends, Miyuki admitted to what she had been doing. She showed them Verglora's Mask as proof, as well as those of Weiss and Ciel. "You… attacked Sector $?" MaKayla King asked in shock. She was defined by her thin blue cap over pink-blonde hair. She had a very thin frame and clothes to fit, such as a light-blue T-shirt with "MK" written, dark-blue skinny jeans, and matching slip-ons. The Chrono Staff suspended in her hand dwarfed her in height.

"Only these two. They're still alive, and even their injuries won't worsen as long as they're in this form."

"Are you fucking nuts?!" Terry Stork shouted. He had brown hair and violet eyes, a light-blue T-shirt over a darker long-sleeve, black pants, and gray rubber shoes. He was 14. "Newborn Guardian or not, you attacked fellow operatives!"

"At the very least, you should've told us." George King said. Older than Kayla by one year, the 16-year had light-gray skin with brown hair and a purple headband. His purple shirt matched his eyes, and he had black pants and shoes. "To tell the truth, Miyuki… Index thought you might be a Guardian, too. She gave me this during that leader meeting last week." George pulled out a blue Spirit Ball with snowflake designs.

"Hmph. It doesn't match my color at all~" Verglora sneered in Ciel's tone.

"Huh?!" Terry gasped. "You mean you knew about this?!"

"We were sort of getting over the shock of the Cooking Festival, and then the dream thing happened! Excuse me for not wanting to stress you guys out."

"I bet you knew, too, MaKayla."

"I thought George was hiding something, but I didn't wanna pressure him. But why wouldn't you tell us, Miyuki?"

"'Cause Sissy wants to be a bad girl!" Suki cheered.

"Seriously, what's the deal?" Terry asked impatiently.

"Actually, that's generally it." Miyuki said. "I want to immerse myself in darkness. I want to remember the thrill of being 'evil.'"

"I don't know if you're being sarcastic, but I ain't digging it either way. We've been through way too much shit this year for you to decide that you're evil."

"I feel the same way you do, Terry. All these crises and the war, happening in quick succession… it's made me miserable. I thought we could finally be happy. But now I keep worrying when the next disaster's going to hit. No matter how positive we try to be, we can't escape the darkness. So, I want to embrace that darkness. After all, it's one of our most integral laws: when darkness grows, the light will put it to rest. And a stronger light will rise from a great darkness. Maybe that's how I can reform Verglora here."

"I mean, I'm up for being a bad girl, but I dunno about this." Lola Stork said. Terry's twin had inherited their mother's vampire features, with pale skin, fangs, and bat wings. She wore a gray shirt with black sleeves, a matching ballet skirt over soft pants, gray socks, and ballet flats. Her sandy-blonde hair was tied in blue-braided pigtails.

"I'm keeping injuries to a minimum."

"You should keep them to a NONIMUM!" Terry shouted.

"What's that mean?" Suki questioned.

"Ugh, NONE! Bad joke! The darkness ain't gonna get any better with you making it worse! Your philosophy isn't gonna do our reputation any favors!"

"That's why I didn't tell you guys. There's no reason you all should share the blame. In fact, if you want to, you can try to stop me."

"You know, we should." George said. "For all we know, that mask is brainwashing you to say these things and do this stuff. We should stop it from causing any more harm."

"You could, but then it would only take longer to capture all the Newborn. The sooner we catch them all, the sooner we can fulfill our destinies. Maybe then we can go back to peace."

"And what if that mask decides to go crazy after it's freed?" Terry asked.

"If I capture them with the Spirit Ball," Miyuki reached out, "they should listen to my commands, right?"

"Not all Pokémon work that easily."

"Either way, the other Newborn will be found. We could try to hold it off, but that's like damming a river. It's only going to put a strain on us. But once the river's allowed to flow, things will progress smoothly. I don't intend to waste time. I will free Verglora and become their Guardian. Once that duty has been fulfilled, you can lock me away."

"I can't deny that you're right." MaKayla said. "If a destiny is inevitable, it's better to come sooner. I can sense that May will be an important month, and even June."

"Hm…alright then." George tossed and caught the ball. "Then I guess we're your next obstacle. You two think you can take us?"

"W-wait, we don't wanna fight you guys!" Suki yelled. "You're our friends! I promise to stop Sister-chan from-"

"It's okay, Suki." Miyuki readied the scythe. "After all… we're just cutting ties."

"For now, anyway." Kayla smiled lightly.

Terry shared a worried look with his sister. "Sigh…we're really doing this, aren't we?"

"Power of friendship, bro."

"Meh…"

York Household

"WHAT?!" Dillon shouted. He and Carol were watching an emergency news broadcast. "Aincrad's been taken over?!"

"This must've just happened!" Carol yelled, sharing his panic. "We were allowed to log out! Oh my God, Raleigh was still playing! Dillon, I'm sorry, but I need to hurry back to the treehouse."

"Wait a minute!" Vanellope jumped out of Dillon's H.E.A.D.S.E.T.. "Are we still gonna figure out how to upload me?"

"Vanellope, didn't you hear?!" Dillon asked. "Aincrad's been hijacked, it's not-"

"DUH! You realize I'm a master hacker, right? I might be able to do something if I go in there!"

"But, we don't even know if…"

"Look, why don't you two just come with me?" Carol suggested quickly. "We can talk about this after I check with the team."

"'kay!"

The three boarded Carol's ship and hurriedly returned to Sector $. On the way, she received a phone call and answered. "Carol, it's Pacifica! Did you see the news?"

"Yeah! Raleigh's still in the game, I'm flying to check on him! Are you still at Gravity Falls?"

"Yeah, and Mabel and Dipper are trapped, too!"

They landed in the $ Hangar and rushed out, "I wonder if Kokichi is still visiting… Sector IC?"

They had just then noticed the bat ship parked in the hangar. The IC operatives had ice frozen over their light cuts and bruises. "Hi." George greeted simply. "Miyuki turned evil and kicked our butts."

"Gotta hand it to her, she's real careful with that scythe." Terry said.