Reviews :

Snake557 : Thank you!

BanannaSammich : Thank you! No, Tatum isn't related to Kepa, Kepa is a purebred gargoyle. More is expanded on that as the 5th story comes :) Libby Von Swirlz's coding was hot pink before she swapped with Turbo, the red and pink meshed and made for an unusual mixture of hot yellow. Kaji was 'born' with said hot yellow coding, thus when her and Ace swapped, with his silver coding, it made gold.

Misterthex : Uhg, I'm sorry. Your previous name was hard enough as it was. I currently have hay fever so I'm like WAY out of it. Thank you! I hope that you guys enjoy the future TeddyxTatum chapters to come :)

faolan1230 : Okay great! That's awesome. Thank you! Yes, let the ship set sail! Woohoo!

chuckiboo : Aww, wow! That's so sweet of you! Thank you so much. Tatum and Theo have fun scenes coming up a little after the 200 chapter mark, but yes! I expand on them as a new pairing :)


*Chapter 177*

"User, I'm so nervous," Berri hissed quietly as her and Tatum softly stepped down their tower's gentle, few-stepped stoop. Hovering in kind wait, near the tower's glowing, much larger outdoor teleport pad, was Tessa and Zed, kindly awaiting to say their temporary goodbyes. Berri glanced back in Wren's and Theo's direction, everyone looked primed and ready to go, though they were dressed in rather casual clothes due to the simple fact of the evening ahead of them; to simply get to Arcadia, have a proper look around, and attempt to get some rest before the big day tomorrow. Berri quietly carried on as Wren and Theo bickered behind both girls, "The largest stage we've played at, yet, was one of our last shows inside Dig Dug... And I thought I was going to die."

"Yeah, Arcadia? Sheesh," Tatum hissed, she shook her head and gave Berri a sheepish, apologetic smile, "Especially since that venue is inside the game station... Have you been to Arcadia Station yet?"

"No, I've only heard people talking about it," Berri staggered in soft nervousness, though Tatum looked off and continued to hold true to a wide, apologetic smile.

"Yeah, that... Station has an entirely see-through ceiling. The housing of the top of the power strip is clear, so... Any sunlight beaming into Litwak's will be beaming down into Arcadia and, thus... Into the venue," Tatum grit her teeth and blurt a chuckle as Berri finally washed a look of realization, "You'll be able to see everything..."

"And everyone," Berri mumbled nervously, she eyed Tatum in sheer terror and shook her head, "I-I've never played on a stage during daylight before. It's always been dark enough to where I can hardly see the crowd. That's made things a little easier for me. Not that I can't handle a crowd, but..."

"Y'guys excited?" Tessa chimed with an eager smile as both Tatum and Berri pressed closer, though Tessa sagged in gentle realization once she saw Berri's demeanor begin to look nervous, "Bear, what's wrong?"

"Oh, no, nothing, I just... Realized that our show is going to be in broad daylight," Berri staggered a giggle as Theo and Wren finally caught up, they huffed knowing, nervous notions of agreeing.

"Yeah, I guess that whole amphitheater is at the far end of Arcadia Station, under the glass ceiling," Theo mumbled, he inhaled a shaky breath and looked dewy with nervousness, "I've seen pictures of that venue... We're, uh... In for it."

"Midnight Moon Theatre," Wren recited in a grumbly tone, Zed gently gripped his shoulder and squeezed, alongside a lazy side hug both men softly fell into. Wren sagged and glossed his nervous, smiling attention to Zed's eyes in needy apprehension, "We're almost at capacity, too..."

"Welp, we'll be there," Zed stated proudly, everyone perked up.

"You guys are coming to this one?" Berri chimed in a spike of excitement, to which Zed and Tessa beamed and nodded. Berri was well aware they made it to whichever show they could, though their duties here, inside Sugar Rush, were also very important. Berri smiled in easy gratitude and softened, "User, this is... Going to be huge."

"Everyone's coming, Rancis, Taffyta, all the racers, your grandparents," Zed listed, he gave Tessa a warm smile and nodded, "The game will be just fine."

"Wait, you're... Going to leave it on autopilot?" Berri staggered in sharp concern; only a very few times in Zed's and Tessa's ruling, alongside Ralph's and Vanellope's, was the game ever left to it's own devices, and though Berri inquired, Zed began to look regretful giving such information due to his billowing, impending words.

"Yeah, we're... We're leaving Turbo in charge, in case something goes wrong, but... I-I told him to leave the game on autopilot in case he, well..." Zed trailed off nervously, though Berri sharply furrowed her eyebrows and began to feel billowing frustration, for this topic, come rushing back to her.

"Safe to say he won't come, guys, you don't have anything to worry about," Berri urged darkly, though Theo warmly took her arm, as if to quietly beg her not to get riled about it, not to get too over her head in this issue before their big day. Berri inhaled a deep, long breath through her nose, lulled her eyes closed and shook her head in shooing thoughts, "It's... Fine, it's fine. He'll take care of the game."

"I left him the option, it's... Really out of our hands, love, I tried," Zed stated nervously, to which Tessa bobbed a sorrowful nod, as if to assure to Berri that Zed was, indeed, telling the truth; Berri sighed, nodded and looked down.

"A worry for another day," She concluded with a twinge of sorrowful bitterness, "But, for now, we should probably get going."

"Yes, go ahead, we'll be there tomorrow," Tessa urged with a wide smile as her and Berri sagged into a big hug, one that became grippy and swaying in excitedness. Tessa eased a giggle and gave her daughter a few firm kisses on the side of her head, "I'm so proud of you guys... You're gunna hit it out of the park."

"Thanks, mom," Berri cooed with a smile as the two softly pulled apart.

"We'll be backstage before the show, just to see you guys off and wish you good luck and such," Tessa assured with a grin, Zed equally nodded with smiling, excited fervor, "It'll be awesome. We'll text you."

"Sounds good," Berri nodded as everyone began to slowly pile towards the glowing teleport pad, which hovered in anticipatory wait.

Tatum began to sag back and understand that she would obviously be hanging back, though she raised her eyebrows in soft, piqued contemplation as she watched the soft, loving family group quietly run over directions and times to meet, for tomorrow morning, and though Tatum knew to properly hang back and let said family unit say their loving, temporary goodbyes, Tatum inhaled a readied, bashful nervous breath, raised her finger a little and cleared her throat in rising, cute stage fright.

"Uh... Theo?" Tatum gently called, from the now dozen foot gap of distance between her and the moseying group; Theo whirled around and urgently peered to her through the dimness of Sugar Rush's lovely, nighttime glow.

"Yeah?" Theo cutely wondered as he directed his whole attention to Tatum, and though she opened her mouth and looked as if she was prepared to shyly usher him a cute goodbye notion, she finally sagged and very bashfully waved him over, as subtly and quietly as she could. Theo raised his eyebrows in further surprise, and without hesitation, he hustled to close the gap between the group he was melted into, and Tatum, who stood in cute solidarity by their tower's warmly illuminated stoop. Once Theo closed their gap, and the two were now just barely out of earshot of Tessa, Zed, Berri and Wren, Theo slowed his roll, softened his disposition and eased his eyes tight to hers in cute curiosity, "Is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine, I just... I wanted to thank you for this morning," Tatum quietly and politely conveyed, her sweet, dark maroon eyes glinted to his amidst the patio's lovely warm light, something Theo cued to in hovering, anticipatory inquisition.

"Oh?" Theo softly pressed, he peered down to her, she was almost a staggering two feet shorter than him.

"Yeah, about... What you said about your hands, you made me feel a little better about myself and my condition, and... I just wanted to properly say thank you, I didn't get the chance earlier," Tatum shyly eased, her sweet eyes narrowed in a further show of expose, something she was definitely not used to.

"Oh, yeah, of COURSE," Theo huffed a gentle chuckle and kept his disposition easy for her, he laid his hand to his chest and bobbed a nod, "If anyone understands maybe feeling as if they don't fit in, due to physical constraints, it's definitely me, but... I've got the people around me that love me. I hope you come to feel that way about us, too. You're great. Don't even worry about it."

Tatum softened into goo and knew she had to further convey a gentle prickle further of gratitude. In silence, she long-blinked in bruised, blushed delight and gestured her fingers in a motion to inquire Theo to come closer, as if she had a secret. Theo cocked an eyebrow and hesitated, though with ease, he took a step closer, filled their gap and turned his ear closer to her, as if to be certain that she, indeed, did have a secret to whisper in his ear, though much to his surprise, Tatum warmly cupped the other side of his face and eased a loving smooch into Theo's cheek instead. Theo raised his eyebrows in boyish, delirious surprise and hovered tight before her, though as he slowly stood back up and kept his doughy, bewildered emerald eyes into Tatum's, she beamed a sweet, wide grin and lulled her eyes closed in knowing tenderness.

"Knock 'em dead, Teddy," Tatum eased quietly to him, to which he crowned the widest, dorkiest smile.

"Teddy hit drum," Theo mumbled in a deep, grumbly, playful caveman-like tone, something Tatum very freely let loose a happy giggle up to his disposition, and as the two kept their smiling, blushing gazes tight to each other, Theo finally bobbed her a nod and began to pull away, however hard that was.

"... Okay, casanova," Wren muttered quietly as Theo finally was in range of his voice, though far enough away so Tatum couldn't hear, "You, uh... Do a secret side quest all of us are unaware of?"

"Yeah, that's where all the gems are, duh, I'm just trying to level up," Theo mumbled back, a grinning, blushing mess.

"He's not wrong," Berri volleyed, to which Tessa and Zed cutely peered back to Tatum in sweet, delighted surprise; her tiny, adorable figure stood poised on the stoop in shy observing, though Theo inhaled a deep, readied breath and bobbed a nod.

"We got a show to win, guys," Theo urged with all of the excited, positive fervor in the world.


In the quiet of the night, when the majority of every gamer was safely tucked in their own games, Berri and crew silently traversed Arcade's train stations with ease. Lucky to get a train cab just for Berri, Wren, Theo and the few body guards that met them inside Sugar Rush's outlet, they felt safe and secure in their trip all the way to the end's of Arcade. Litwak's largest, newest game station, it sat securely at the very front of the Arcade and housed some of the biggest, greatest most current Arcade cabinets. Alongside some massive titles, newer titles comfortably clad with much older titles that had been revamped and renewed, the station was a hub for everything Litwak's was made of. A massive world in of itself, trains to get to Arcadia were limited and only left a very short few times of the day, due to the incredible journey to get there. Almost a forty-five minute journey, the crew grew antsy, though as they finally pulled into the station, they held their breath and finally excited into Arcade's hugest, most glorious station.

With wide eyes, child-like wonder, Berri and crew slowly stepped into Arcadia station as if they had just stepped into a different, much sparklier universe. A station easily three times the length of Game Central Station, their eyes were lost in the sheer distance of said lovely, pristine, modern game station. Crowned with said highly spoken about clear, domed ceiling that seemingly reached miles above their heads, the universe practically beveled the plain sight of Litwak's Arcade above them. Seeing the sheer height and volume of weighted arcade cabinets, hefty planetoid-like structures that went on for an entire eternity, the group nearly went dizzy-eyed at the unlimited amount of information hitting their coded retinas. Although happening upon Midnight Moon's gorgeous amphitheater was another endeavor, the crew held their breath, pressed through the quiet, silent arched entrances to said 'outdoor' amphitheater and finally came to the threshold of the highest point.

"Guys," Berri murmured in cute, terrified delight as she gripped the railing, down below her was a swathe of thousands of seats that bevelled down into a pit of a never-ending sea of silent, pristine quiet, though easily promised a very real, scary crowd.

"Yeah?" Wren staggered shakily, him and Theo stood on either of Berri's sides and easily gripped the railing, as well, quietly crowned with their raw reality, the sheer amount of opportunities this mess has gifted them, they remained silent in prickled, humbled shock.

"We did it," Berri whispered in sweet cheek as she eyed both Theo and Wren with a knowing little smirk, to which they easily huffed her quiet notions of agreeing and linked arms with her.

"Hell yeah, we did," Theo mumbled as the crew quietly peered down to their destiny.

Prickled in the quiet of Arcadia's Station, the amphitheatre so silently twinkled underneath the lights of their nighttime ambience, though in noticing the sheer size of literally everything, even the big outlet hubs that lined each side of the station beyond the dug-out of the massive amphitheater, Berri's eyes trailed from their massive stage to the arch, see-through ceiling of the station and quickly noticed something. Beyond their safety of a power strip, on Litwak's Arcade's colorful floors, the view from said powerstrip was that of the sheen of a floor-to-ceiling window, inside the Arcade, just next to the front door where excited Arcade-goers would enter. Although faint and not entirely prominent, Berri felt her breath catch at the sheer sight she was now witness to. Actual stars from the outside world just barely twinkled in frozen delight, and it was in this observation did she quickly realize that tomorrow morning would bring a genuine splay of true, California sunshine. Berri shook her head and allowed her eyes to gloss the massive, dim, tidy stage just beyond them, outfitted with a proper straight away that eased down the center of the lucky individuals that got center stage and front row seats, a place Berri wished she could traverse during their impending show, how badly she wanted to reach her hand into the crowd and truly show her fans some love.

"Otherworldly, ain't it?" Gunner's voice tenderly pressed, to which Berri, Wren and Theo all easily perked from their quiet atmosphere of simply soaking it all in.

"It's... Insane, I'm genuinely nervous," Wren staggered a shaky laugh; although the three now very easily viewed Gunner in a whole splay of a different light, due to the truth that had come out about the issues between him and Tatum, the group knew that they had to bite their tongues now more than ever.

"I know, I got here a few hours ago," Gunner grit his teeth and looked down to the other end of the station, where Arcadia's train station lay, "I didn't realize trips here were so incredibly limited."

"I'm certain tomorrow will be different," Berri mumbled in nervous humility, her eyes continued to trail the thousands of empty seats they hovered over.

"I have a bit of an inquiry," Wren started, to which everyone honed their now apprehensive eyes to him in a string of collectedness, "This station is... MASSIVE. And, we're not technically IN a game, for safety. How does this play out with the deleter protection?"

"I'm glad you asked," Gunner's deep voice pressed, he slowly looked up and about the station, "Arcadia Station is the only station in Arcade that is its own hub and world, in of itself. Although we can see out, it's so advanced that this station has it's own accessible code room."

"So, security has talked to all the right people, have gotten all clearances, we're good to go?" Berri questioned, she peered to Gunner in soft anticipatory wait and crossed her arms.

"Yep, everything's squared away," Gunner bobbed a hesitant nod and looked down the length of the station, "This is our hugest show... I'm sure everything will be just fine, but damn, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't shellshocked, borderline terrified."

"I think we're right there with you," Theo mumbled as he looked down and inhaled a shaky breath.

"I think I'd like to have a proper meeting with security, go over every entry point, really make sure we stay safe, as well as all of our attendees," Berri instructed in calm authority, to which Gunner bobbed her a nod and gave her an almost impressed smile.

"Damn, Bear, I'm glad you care about those details," Gunner pressed kindly, he gave her his typical soft, sweet and gooey look of bottled adoration, praying one day it'd all pay off.

"Why wouldn't I? I'm Sugar Rush's Queen-to-be, I kind of HAVE to have this mindset," Berri stated cutely, though she held a very stern, womanly air of almost taken aback, poised confusion; Gunner shrugged and began to back-step away, in which all three individuals slowly began to follow.

"I'm used to being the only one that cared about that stuff, I guess, I'm glad we're on the same page," Gunner's heart-melting smile coat the group in warmth, though he cocked an eyebrow and gave her a disappointed, annoyed look, "Sama never gave a shit about any of that stuff. She would always usher me away and tell me to lighten up. Glad that's over with."

Gunner nonchalantly turned heel and began to walk in the direction to begin leading the crew to their rightful spot, though with Gunner's string of words, both Berri and Wren bugged their eyes and very apprehensively peered to Theo. With slowly clenching fists, Theo grit his teeth begin a purse of brewing, wrecking irritation and shot the back of Gunner's head the hardest, meanest glower either Wren or Berri had ever seen from him. In silent warmth, Berri's face washed flat in soft, sorrowful apprehension as she lovingly tucked her arm into Theo's, though as they all hesitantly began to follow Gunner's lead, Theo so silently muttered Gunner a few stewing, heated obscenities that only Berri and Wren could barely hear. Eager to pummel Gunner to a pulp and prove to him that he was the monster that allowed that whole situation to go sour, all three individuals did absolutely everything they could to bite their tongues and sail through this last, final show with as little bad media press as humanely possible.