Diddy kept going until he reached an area of the snowy cavern that kept getting foggier. It was growing thick, making it hard to see, and he had just thought of heading back into town to see if there was a way to cross easily when a voice spoke up.

"Tail."

"Tiny?" he responded, squinting. Several feet away, he could make out a faint figure. "Is that you over there?"

"Yes, and I'm afraid I've got something... very conflicting to tell you about," Tiny said. Her figure shrunk some, probably twiddling her fingers. "Is that OK?"

"Sure. I feel like I can trust you."

Tiny stiffened. Oh.

"W-well... It's odd. I know where my priorities have and should lay." Diddy steadily got closer until he could see her at least a little clearly. "And it's OK, for you to feel like you must hate me for that."

"I don't? Literally everyone I've met has been really nice?"

"But, even if the feeling of finding someone who loves banana pudding and puzzles as much as you is the most amazing feeling in the world, because let's face it I'm totally awesome, I'm afraid our friendship is just not meant to be. You must have a lot of them already, you know? F-friends, I mean." Tiny looked up to see him closer, the look on his face one of clear confusion.

"Tiny, what the fuck are you talking about?" Diddy asked.

"I couldn't ever imagine what all those people must burden you with," Tiny continued, as if not hearing him. "You poor, poor Tail. But not to worry, because I, the wonderous Tiny, will...!"

She paused, and Diddy's confusion only deepened as she turned away.

"Tiny?"

"I-I can't! I can't be your friend, Tail! It's simply not something meant to be. My desire to be a royal guard, and thus my duty to my king... It is necessary that I capture you!"

Diddy went silent, and the confusion disappeared from his face. Was she trying to make him not want to be friends? Because it honestly wasn't working, but at the same time, he felt bad. Was that really the best way to ensure she achieved her goal?

"Let me fight you," Diddy said calmly. "I just want this to be fair. I want to go home, back to the surface. I know it sound selfish, but... it's like you keep pointing out. I have a tail and you don't. Someone else will surely get me if you fail."

"You're on," Tiny nodded. She struck a pose then that Diddy could only think to describe as 'like a magical girl'. "Tactful! Talented! Thrifty!" She lowered the pose and maneuvered her head so she appeared to be glowering at him as one eye began to glow purple. "That... is Tiny, the newest Royal Guard and the greatest it has ever seen!"

The little soul emerged from Diddy as he smiled and checked her stats.

TINY

ATK 15 DEF 15

THE BEST ROYAL GUARDSMAN

She giggled at him, making him smile as he dodged the bananas she sent his way. He thought about his options... maybe flirting would work?

"Hey, sexy?" he grinned in a seductive tone.

"EH?!" Her face flushed. "S-so you finally reveal how you truly feel about me! Well, I can't let you just have at me like that!" She crossed her arms and turned her head. "I have very high standards!"

"I have, like, zero redeeming qualities." Tiny flushed harder.

"YOUR HUMILITY MEETS ALL MY STANDARDS!" She turned away, rubbing at her face in an attempt to make it stop turning red. "W-would it be OK to have, um... a date later? After I capture you maybe?"

"Sure, honey buns."

The redness returned and she sent double the attack after Diddy's giggling form. He braced himself, making sure her face calmed down before he made his next move.

"Blue isn't your color!" Diddy shouted from across the area, cupping his hands around his mouth so she could hear him.

"Aw, how that's so nice of you to try to make me feel bad!" The point obviously didn't get across, and he honestly felt some of his own HP dwindle a bit at her response.

They went back and forth like this for a good five minutes, before Diddy began to repeatedly pass his turn. When Tiny finally noticed, she became confused. The challenge had been his idea, had it not? What was going on?

"Tail, what's wrong? You won't fight me?" she asked.

"I am fighting you," he pointed out. "I'm killing you with kindness."

"All right, then! Let's see how you handle my blue attack!"

Diddy smiled, and quietly thanked Enguarde for challenging him earlier. Blue attacks were some of the easiest for him, seeing as how as long as he stood still he'd be fine. The blue items ran across him at a decently-set pace. At the end, he began to feel weird, and suddenly dropped to the snow. Tiny's giggles sent him into a high-alert mode, making him aware of the banana headed straight for his now-blue heart. When it was his turn, he looked at her, confused. She was pointing at him, grinning widely.

"Boop! You're blue now!"

Oh good. Now THAT song was stuck in his head.

The fight continued on for a rather long time, with Tiny's mulling over what she should wear and what she should cook for their date as well as her new future as a guardsman actively distracting him. The new attack came with an odd restriction: instead of free movement like his soul had been previously able to do, he was now limited to jumping. Once each jump had ended, the now-blue soul landed daintily near the bottom of his stomach. While listening to some of the shit Tiny was saying proved hard on his concentration, he did like what he was hearing, even if it meant death.

Although, he wasn't too sure art of her image would come about if she joined. Seemed like something that would only happen in the right circumstances.

She also seemed to babble on about what would happen to him if she won, calling him 'rare'. Whether she was referring to him having a tail amongst species and sub-species that apparently didn't or her words on 'his' feelings for 'her' from earlier, he couldn't be sure, but his heart did break a little.

"Dating will be a little hard too," she murmured. "After Kalypso collects you and sends you away."

"Maybe we can go on it before she gets me," he responded.

It felt like another hour had passed before Tiny unleashed a big attack on him. Once he somehow managed to survive it, she knelt to the ground, panting.

"That's... that was amazing!" she gaped. "I... I don't think I want to even fight you anymore. I don't think I can win."

"Cool!" Diddy winked, his soul returning. The fog cleared, and he could see how sad Tiny looked.

"I hope Kalypso won't be too disappointed in me. I don't want this to ruin my chances of joining the guard..."

"Ah, come on." He placed a hand on her shoulder. "If anything, the valiant effort you exhibited today, would help you more."

"Y-you think so?"

"I know so."

Her faced turned red once more.