AN: Ladies, Gents and Nonbinary Pals, welcome to the fourth part of this shindig, the team's going to Strato Port, where they're gonna find an angel, a middle school student, a con man, a space dragon, a gamer, a scientist, a wolf, a snake, an eyeball monster and his pet amoeba, a demon, a crow girl and a tire and face off against Megafin, Sketchy, Kronos, Calamity, Ink Blotch, Shuma-Gorath, Yuika, Blackbeard, Ito, Vic, Enmu, Lamu, Zora Salazar, Kurohonema, Douglas and Wanna but also a probably crazy Inkling, a frog witch, a werewolf, Nightmare, Yoomtah Zing and five deranged Kwamis and another of the Ravenous Phantoms, this time, a wolf/knight-themed monster. Hold on to your ass.

"Okay, so Roman, why did you, Neo, Pecos and Roald freak when Skeletor's more evil twin showed himself?" Satsuki asked.

Roman grit his teeth. "There's a reason, I had to KILL him."

"Roman," Lune said hesitantly. "I understand your fear must be almost too much to bear, but-"

"It's not about fear," Pecos said suddenly. "It's about guilt. We feel guilty for what happened to Brunswick Farm."

Everyone gave him confused looks. "What are you talking about?" Mera asked.

"What happened there, all those years ago… We feel responsible for it. Like we HAVE to face the demon who did all this, because otherwise the only person we can blame is us." Roald said.

Neo blinked in surprise, then slowly nodded. "Yeah, what he said." She signed.

Indus blinked. "What? But… Roman, that's-" He stopped himself, realizing he'd been about to call him silly, which might not be the right word at the moment. "That's… What happened wasn't your fault."

Roman's face hardened again. "You didn't know what it was like."

"So, you think you were the one who released Deathbringer in the first place," Laura spoke up.

Roald's face twisted into a mask of anguish along with Pecos, Roman and Neo.

It took several seconds for the implications to register. "Holy shit," Grim swore.

Laura nearly fainted. "Wait, I wasn't… I wasn't being serious!"

Hibiki's hands rushed to her mouth, aghast.

Kanade blinked, stunned. "Wait, what?" She blinked again, jaw dropping. "Wait, WHAT?!"

Drakus shook his head in denial. "No… no, that's… That doesn't…"

Dazed, Hajime took off his glasses, cleaned them, then put them back on. "I'm sorry, WHAT?"

"I don't… Why… why would you…" The shocked Indus whispered.

"What?" Ruler whispered in disbelief.

Seeming to crumple in on himself, a look of abject despair on his face, Roman explained.

"See, when I was just a kid, Pecos, Roald, Neo and I got picked on a lot. I was clumsier than everyone else, and Neo didn't like talking because she has this bad stutter, Pecos acted like a loner and Roald's voice was really high for a boy, so the other kids were never short of reasons to make fun of us. Things sometimes got… Physical, and while I could easily have won all my fights since I was tougher than everyone else, I couldn't exactly show everyone just HOW strong I was without getting all sorts of uncomfortable questions asked," Roman continued. "So I got a bit of a reputation as a coward, and of course the teachers never did ANYTHING about it and made out like I was the bad guy and-"

He paused, took a deep breath to calm himself, and decided to keep going with his story rather than going off on a tangent about how ineffectual the education system was at dealing with bullies.

[how the fuck did this pretty boy crime lord make it out with the system stacked against him?]

[my man, how the fuck does anyone not know]

[touche random internet homie]

"So, eventually, we got fed up with it and decided to do something so audacious nobody would ever call me a coward again."

He turned to look outside. "For as long as Brunswick Farm has existed, there've been countless stories about an ancient evil buried in the well. For generations, stupid kids and sometimes even stupider adults have tried to see if there was any truth to the rumors, only to chicken out, either due to their own fears getting the better of them or the efforts of my family, who knew good well all the legends were true and the thing that slept beneath the well must never be woken up. We did our best to stamp out all the stories, but more just kept materializing out of the ether. Sometimes we thought that the Deathbringer was whispering to people in their dreams, enticing them to come and free him." His face turned grave. "Sometimes we had to use a more… Permanent solution to keep anyone from getting too close."

"And, being stupid kids yourself," Sora said slowly. "You got it into your head to try and do the same thing."

Roald nodded miserably. "We figured it would be different if we went, since my family is in charge of protecting the well in the first place," he said. "All the wards and spells are keyed to our bloodline, so I would be able to go in without setting off any alarms or traps, and my parents wouldn't know I'd been there. And I was just going to take a picture to show the other kids. I wasn't going to remove anything or disturb anything or do anything that might break the seal."

"But you did," Lune said solemnly.

"But I did," Roman agreed. "But like Sora said, we were just stupid kids."

"What… What happened?" Akira demanded.

"We snuck into the well," Neo signed them. "And when we got there, and laid eyes on the Deathbringer, one of the most horrifying demons Hunters have ever faced, we were… Disappointed."

"Disappointed?" Everyone repeated.

"Disappointed, Roman echoed. "There was just a skeleton. A skeleton wearing rusty armor that looked like it was falling apart, wrapped in chains suspending him from the ground, covered in charms and pierced with hundreds of holy blades. I wondered if this was a mistake, if maybe this was a dummy tomb and the real Deathbringer was buried somewhere else. He certainly didn't LOOK like a monster who'd been murdering people for thousands of years. He just looked… Dead. Really dead, not undead dead."

"Looks can be deceiving," Kanade pointed out.

"I know," Neo signed wearily. "But we didn't at the time, or, since we were stupid kids, didn't really think it through. I assumed that he must have died for real years ago, but nobody had checked on him because they were afraid or something. I thought that maybe that thing was dead, had been for ages, and we just never realized. So, I took a picture, figuring that even if this didn't impress the other kids it would convince my folks that our sworn duty was at an end and we could move to the city and I could finally make friends my own age with kids just like me. And then, as I was about to leave, I heard it."

"Heard what?" Edda inquired, enthralled.

"The whispers," Neo signed.

Satsuki winced. "Whispers? That's never a good sign in any movie."

"At first I thought it was the wind or something, except that was impossible since we were deep underground," Roald explained. "So I looked around, trying to figure out where it was coming from, and it took me longer than we'd like to admit to realize it was coming from the Deathbringer's corpse. I couldn't make out what he was saying, so we… Moved a little closer…"

Everyone groaned. "Really?" Kanade asked incredulously.

"I know, I know," Roman said, looking embarrassed. "Rookie mistake. Though… A lot bigger than most rookie mistakes, in our case… So I moved as close as I dared, straining to hear what he was saying. And when I did, I didn't understand at first. He was saying names. A list of names, over and over and over again."

"… Whose names?" Red asked slowly, filled with dread.

"Everyone on the farm," Neo replied. "Our parents, our neighbors, the kids at school, the teachers…EVERYONE. Everyone, that is… But us. And then suddenly his head moved, looking right at us, and he said, 'I will kill every last one of them. Everyone except for you.'"

There was a long, horrified silence. "Well, I for one am not going to have a good night's sleep tonight," Malcho said with fake cheerfulness.

"That's…Holy fuck, that's terrifying," Momoko whispered, shocked.

"What did you do?" Hajime asked.

"We ran," Pecos said, as if it were obvious. "And didn't stop running until we made it home, where we spent the next few hours hiding under our beds. That night, the Deathbringer walked Remnant again. You know what happened next, desolation, violence, Neo's tongue being cut off and us having PTSD, Even now, we suffer from flashbacks, nightmares… For a while, we even managed to convince ourselves that it hadn't been our fault. After all, nobody else blamed us, nobody else could figure out how the Deathbringer broke free, and it's certainly not the first time he's escaped from a seemingly inescapable prison. How could a little blood possibly have been enough for him to break his seal and come back?" he said.

Roman seemed to collapse on himself. "But eventually we had to face the truth, that everything that happened here was on us. Yes, I know he killed everyone, but we gave him the key to unlocking his cell door. And after all those years of keeping quiet, we just… we couldn't say anything."

"NO!"

And suddenly, Zap was hugging them. "Sparky?!" Roman said, startled.

"Don't say that!" He wailed, staining his jacket with tears. "Don't you EVER say that!" Sniffling, he looked up at him. "Roman, what you did, it… It was stupid and reckless but it was an accident!"

"An accident that led to the death of hundreds of people!" He protested.

"But it was still an accident!" Julie insisted. "And we don't chew out people for accidents!" She paused, then glanced at the others. "Do we?"

Momoko shook her head. "No, we only condemn those who refuse to repent for their misdeeds. While what you did is… Pretty bad, and the fact that you never told us about it is also not good, it's clear that this has been eating you up for a very long time, and the fact that you stayed with us to try and atone for your actions rather than doing the cowardly thing and running away from your responsibility… Well, again, your choices might not necessarily have been the right ones, but you are trying to make amends."

"Roman, Neo, Pecos, Roald, you're our friends. You made a mistake… A really, REALLY big mistake, one which I'm still struggling to process… But as long as you're trying to make up for it, then you're still one of my pals, and as Prince of Drakonia, I refuse to allow ANYONE to harm those under my care!" Drakus vowed.

"You would… You would even go against that level of madness?" Roman asked incredulously. "For us?"

"Without a doubt," Zap, still hugging him, said firmly.

"So, what about Lune and Mystle?" Pecos asked.

"As you already know, my name is Lune," the girl stated in monotone, neither leaning towards any one emotion, matching her stone-faced expression. "Horned devil, and former executive of Vintage."

Amanojaku perked up at this, rubbing a tired eye in contemplation. "Wait a moment… Vintage… why does that ring a bell?"

"If blunt observation is to be believed," Satsuki chimed in, looking from Amanojaku to Lune. "I think she's also from Hell."

"Correct," Lune nodded. "My organization's goal was to restore Hell to its former, chaotic-filled glory."

Amanojaku groaned. "Oooh. Okay. I get it, you're from one of THOSE Hells."

"Hells?" Zap poised, confused. "There's more than one?"

"Well, if you want to get technical, Hell may have nine circles, but those circles are vast. Never-ending, really. They have realms within realms, existing alongside one another. Imagine separate biomes, all distinctively hellish with similar traits, but still wildly different in inhabitants, ideals, and customs. Though many may as well believe they're the one true Hell." Amanojaku explained. "My Hell was linked to a vast majority of others."

"Our Hell is also sometimes referred to as the Underworld as well," Lune added plainly.

"Let's… try to get back on track," Red sighed. "Lune of Vintage, was it? Would you mind telling us how exactly you managed to infiltrate the tower?"

"I'll have you know upfront that my plan to interact with you held no malicious intent whatsoever, though I understand you may find that hard to believe after what occurred tonight," Lune admitted. "I wished to lie low alongside my," A short pause accompanied by a grimace. "…companion and observe you all until the time was right to put on an appearance."

"You see, I'm a dream demon, a phantasmal spirit that can either bond with or infect a vessel through their dreams. Of course, I'm a rare case where I can force dream demons into hosts, which made for fun little hunts back in the day. Even the head honcho of the more nefarious side of our kind, Pharos Hercules, made special mention of my power. And he's been trying to find a way to topple the Gate that separates us demons from fully entering the world of the living without the need of vessels since forever. Good luck with that, Mr. Lighthouse."

Neo hummed a response. She closed her eyes, knowing she was in for a speech longer than any of Roman's from before.

"Me, on the other hand, had far straightforward goals. I liked to hurt people, plain and simple. I paired with a weirdo of a teacher who thought he was just the coolest guy around, and we went about our happy days with me taking out dream demons and him rendering their vessels into depressed, despair-ridden husks, and stuffing said dream demons into jars, their goals and dreams so thoroughly crushed by my wonderful, perfect hands."

"Don't hurt yourself with all that self-congratulation." Drakus joked.

"But then, in a shocking turn of events, some new, fairly interesting toys entered my playpen!" Mystletainn spread her arms open. "And here I thought I'd have to go and fight Hercules himself to finally find a worthy enough opponent."

"Didn't you tell me these new guys were weak and barely worth your time?"

"Oh, no, you're right there. They were super weird. Thinking friendship would be their strength and teaming up, thinking they could beat me like that." Mystletainn stuck out her tongue before giggling. "They were nothing but a bunch of posers…"

She rubbed her head in embarrassment. "I'll admit, did get cocky, though. They pulled off something I didn't actually expect them to. And that girl. With her weird hat and her freaky non-vessel friend…"

She stomped her foot into the ground, shaking the ship.

"You lost," Lune finished with her usual, deadpan cadence.

Mystletainn's body shook before responding. "Yeah. I lost. But not in the usual sense. Normally, when we dream demons are ousted from our vessels, we return to the Dream World, and recover from there. Not me, though. That brat Merry's punch was… something else. They thought it killed me. It actually sent me across dimensions, and I'm pretty sure it made me high as a kite." Mystletainn looked at her hands, clenching and unclenching them into fists. "I never thought I'd be flung across space-time."

"Must have been a real wake-up call."

"Oh, you're sooooooo funny."

"Kind of."

"Well, maybe you've forgotten, but this here's the part that's all thanks to you."

"Oh, joy."

"Whether it was because of my special, one-of-a-kind nature, or just pure happenstance, I wandered around multiple worlds. Flitting in and out of dreams, like dust in the wind. Unable to pass on. How lucky was I to find a big city with an enormous undead person problem like Hellsalem's Lot? And, not only that, but so quickly find someone who was an even more perfect match than that jackass Iijima ever was?"

Kanade felt something hovering over her face. She already knew what it'd be, but opened her eyes anyway. Mystletainn's smiling face looked down upon her.

"What a lovely story," Lune mumbled. "That me and Drakus already knew."

"Well, it's still not over, you know?" The dream demon chirped. "Really, ol' Lighthouse Head may have had the right idea all along. Knocking down the Gate so we can run free as birds and do whatever we want in our own bodies. No vessels required! But then I met Lune and Drakus, and we became known as the Devil's Trinity. The Dragon, Snake and Unholy Spirit."

She smirked. "And why go through all the trouble of doing that, when there's a whole multiverse of magic, spells, and other arcane voodoo witchcraft that can get me a thrill more easily?"

"Anyway, we must make haste to Strato Port immediately." Nelson said.

"Uh, Nelson? Don't suppose you could give us some info on why we're heading there?" Blue said.

"Besides it being under enemy fire, a very important member of the team is onboard as well." Nelson said. "Well, that and the super reactor on it."

"Let's hurry then. One moment wasted here could make all the difference." Lune said.

"Agreed. GDA has mobilized, and also some shuttles are under attack. You need to push them back while we handle any enemy aircraft." Nelson said.

"Wait, we're 2000 feet in the air, how're we supposed to fight them?" Mera said.

"Deploying assets now." Alice said as a trapdoor slid out from under the teams.

"Uh…how did I get here?" of all the people asking that question was Xavier-Yves Roth. Though he looks like he fell on hard times. He is unshaven, his hair long and messy and his clothes ragged. It certainly looks like he was homeless for a while.

"I don't know, I don't care. Things have become really interesting. Better than the mundane life in juvie. Even more after they put me in isolation. Not my fault I kicked some bitches in the teeth to pass the time." Sarah Benoit, the unstable girl said. Her hair was dyed purple and she looks more athletic than before.

Noel LeGrandé on the other hand looked like he had seen better days. He had dark circles under his eyes, was quite lanky but still athletic and was mumbling. "Please don't beat me up…I will stop being stupid." as he cradled in a corner.

"No worries, everyone! Gia the Glorious will save you! I am the hero of Paris!" Brie Larson looked more unhinged then before, with a smile too wild for her face, half of her head was shaven and the other half long and wiry with blonde hair. Her eyes were unfocused, and her grip on reality was as slippery as a waxed frog. "Isn't that right, Missile Marten?" she said as she turned to an empty spot.

"I want to get out of here, she scares the bejeezus out of me. If it is one of my last remaining fans who did this, I'm not that desperate to get back on my legs!" XY said.

"You had those in the first place?" Sarah asked.

"You can have the top bunk Pedro…" Noel said as he flashed back to the beatings given by his cellmate.

"What an odd group you are." A new voice sounded. Kiko appeared before them, leaping down from a balcony. "Guess you the best I can work with at the moment. After all...I haven't seen this much fear in a room since Phobos discovered himself. Anyways, baboom. Name's Kiko Kibutsuji--Winterfoot, daughter of Muzan Kibutsuji, hi, howya doin'?" Kiko said.

"Hello, gorgeous!" XY said, trying to fix his dirty hair by licking his hands and running it through his hair. Kiko gave him a death stare that made him run backwards in a wall, pressing against it to get as far away from her as possible.

"You're the one who broke us out? Should we be thankful?" Sarah asked. Half annoyed, half intrigued.

"You should. Saved yo asses from jail, or wherever that punk-ass bitch was in, and I'm offering you power beyond anything you can imagine." Kiko noted.

"At least she's honest about it." Sarah muttered.

"It's better than being back in jail…I was the big guy once…but out there they're much bigger than me." Noel whimpered pathetically.

"I am the hero! I'll protect you from this super-villain!" Brie said as she ran forwards…then tripped and failed to get up because she was still in her straightjacket.

"If I had anyone else I could use, I would have done so. But you are perfect. The fact you were Akumatized, or whatever those people in Paris called it, meant you have compatibility with magic, and so that way I don't have to worry about the popes." Kiko said.

"I'm innocent, I'm not a bad guy!" XY noted.

"We all know that's a lie. I know I'm not a good girl and I won't deny it." Sarah noted. "So…what's your plan?"

"Oh, you'll love this." Kiko said, smiling as she pulled out a box. "You know, I haven't been this choked up about meeting new people since I got a hunk of ice caught in my throat!"

"That's not menacing at all." Noel noted.

Kiko opened the box and showed off what was inside. Five pieces of jewelry. A toad-themed bracelet, a centipede-themed earring, a scorpion-themed necklace, a gecko-themed brooch and a coral snake-themed ring. "Allow me to show you what these are capable off…" Falcon went to the corner of the room, where there was something covered in a tarp. She pulled it off to reveal the corpse of Gabriel Agreste, his throat slit, blood dripping from it.

"Dude, they got Hawkmoth?" Noel asked.

"What's left of him, that is." Sarah said as she pointed at the side of her head.

Kiko grabbed the brooch out of the box and planted it on Gabriel's body. A burst of light…if it was light, it was more something green, liquid and venomous that burst out and took the form that was similar to a kwami, but with the motif of a gecko. "Oh, are we going to play? Yay! I've waited for this. And oh, you even gave me a new toy, I'm so happy!"

"...That thing scares me!" XY said. After all the gecko thing was talking about a corpse. "How many people have you put through this?!"

"Oh, it's nothing big. Just three thousand, three hundred and eighty seven, and going up!" Kiko said, as if it was no big deal. "Besides, you've seen nothing yet." Kiko grabbed a device with a microphone attached to it. She spoke into it, but her words came out in the voice of Gabriel Agreste. "Gakko, scale the walls!"

Gakko, the gecko kwami, entered the brooch and Gabriel's body sprung up. He sported a wide grin and a giggling overcame him as he grabbed his skin and tore it off, coming off like a reptile shedding his skin. There was green oily energy, not unlike an Akumatized villain transforming but looking more toxic. Once it died down, someone resembling Hawkmoth stood there. Only the suit was made of reptilian leather. The gloves had claws and pads, and the head was lizard-like. The visible skin was light green and his eyes sickly yellow with slit pupils and sharp teeth. "Oh wow…" the transformed Gabriel said with a childish glee. "This toy feels good!" he then climbed onto the wall in a lizard-like fashion and turned his head to the others. "You will like the other toys, brethren!"

Malevozard - Chaos incarnate, violence happy, sees it as playing

"I think I soiled myself." Noel said.

"I like this." Sarah said with a demented grin.

"Gia the Glorious will never stop!" the insane Brie said as she had failed to get herself up.

"We are not taking those jewels!" XY said.

"You ain't got any choice here." Kiko said as four globs of green glowing venomous liquid came from the remaining gem and congealed into four more Kwamis.

A purple centipede Kwami emerged first, a twisted grin on its face. "This world shall burn and I'll have front row seats for it." It let out a giggle, but unlike Gakko's, it was more maniacal then playful.

There was a toad kwami who merely looked calm and serene. Then it spoke in a very eerie voice. "Corruption of youth is nigh. The end of the world is upon us, it will be the most amazing sight."

A black scorpion Kwami came out with a maniacal grin. "Ooooweee! This is gonna be rip-roaring fun better than a hoedown at a cantina." It said in a cowboy accent.

Finally, a coral snake with a smug look on its face smirked. "We are taking the stage, our next performance will literally be earth-shattering. It will be glorious!" it spoke like it was about to do a performance rather than a crime.

"I want to get out of here!" XY said panicking. The kwami-like creatures grabbed their Venomous and rushed at the four that remained. XY found the Toad bracelet forcibly put on his wrist. "No!"

"Didn't say thank you, my name is Gamma, and I shall be the one inhabiting your body." The toad Kwami said.

Brie found her remaining hair tied with the Scorpion Venomous. "What? They planted an explosive in my hair? Missile Marten, get it out!" she said to her invisible friend. "Hurry!"

"Whoa now, little missy, I'm Jabb, and I'm gonna be your Kwami." The scorpion said, chiding Brie.

Sarah just chuckled before it became maniacal laughter as she spread her arms and allowed the Centipede Kwami to put the earring on her.

"The name's Muukad, kid, I can tell we'll be good friends." The centipede said, smiling as he shook Sarah's hand.

Noel whimpered in the corner, defenseless as the Snake Venomous were put on him.

"I am Mircruu, and together, the stage of Strato Port is where we will shine!" The coral snake Kwami said, spinning and smiling.

Kiko held the voice changer to her mouth, and she spoke in the voices of the other four to activate the toad Venomous;

"Muukad, Bring the pain!"

"Gamma, Chill Out!"

"Jabb, Battle Fever!"

"Micruu, strike out!"

Muukad merged into the earring. Sarah's body became overwhelmed with pain sensations but she continued to laugh, as her sclera turned black and it spread out in the forms of cracks across her face as she doubled over, still laughing. A large centipede construct appeared from out of her back and wrapped around her like a cocoon and hardened into a crystalline material. It shattered and now she stood there, in a purple suit styled like an assassin, with markings resembling an actual centipede. The sclera of her eyes still white and with green eyes, her mouth covered by a purple bandana and her hair covered by a hood.

Lady Centipede - Sociopath, menace to society, glass and light is her forte.

Gamma merged into his Venomous as suddenly a chill overcame XY and he started sweating. Or rather oozing, he oozed slime which started to engulf him as his screams became distorted and gurgly, as his soul was being destroyed. His slimy body inflated like a goopy bubble. Then it popped and in its place sat someone with grey skin in a toad-themed bodysuit. Bulbs resembling warts adorned his body. Red goggles instead of a domino mask, and a cowl with the same slimy toad motif.

Buffobub - Loves poetry, can and will slap a bitch.

Brie burned up as Jabb entered her. She felt her body heat rising and burning up from the inside…So much so that her skin turned red, she was steaming. The pain made her break free from her restraints, her arms free for the first time in months. But as she was engulfed in bluish flames, she enjoyed it. When the flames died down, she emerged, now in a black scorpion/cowboy-themed suit, with carapace armor not unlike a scorpion, claws instead of hands, and her hair in a long black ponytail resembling a scorpion stinger, and an actual scorpion tail sporting from her lower back.

Vaejovis - Cowgirl scorpion, loves duels at high noon and whisky, psychopath.

Micruu entered the coral snake Miraculous ring and Noel screamed in a high pitched tone. He tried to get up but felt nauseous…vertigo. He threw up, and what he threw up wasn't normal. It was a glowing rainbow-colored poison. And it was more than what he spat out. It expanded into a pool which he sank into. It was like he was sucked into a wind tunnel, with psychedelic colors all around as he didn't know up from down. From the puddle of poison a figure rose eventually, in a stage magician outfit in black, yellow and red. His hair was now white, a domino mask with snake fang accents, yellow snake eyes and fangs in his mouth.

Ourobouros - Showman, loves to perform and commit acts of violence, gets drunk off milk.

One by one the transformed teens joined the reptilian Hawkmoth-like wielder and stood before Kiko. Noel, or at least the thing wearing his face, made some theatrical gestures as he spoke up. "Oh, this will do nicely. Not as handsome as my kwami visage but handsome by human standards. It will do great for the role of a lifetime." Noel's hair turned back to normal as he took over. "Hey! Say what you will, I take good care of it."

"Oh, this feels so nice. I'm gonna have so much fun with her." Muukad said through Sarah, her eyes going black with purple sclera. "Well, if you're having fun, Muukad, I'll be too, can't wait to break some legs." Sarah said, her eyes turning to normal and smiling maniacally.

"Yay, now we can all play! Will those funny humans want to join the game? Will our kwami cousins join in? It has been so long since we played together." The reptilian Hawkmoth-like warrior inhabited by Gakko said.

"They might not , but there are other people there you can play with, I won't cap on that." Kiko said, Gakko smiled more.

"It has now begun, now let's get down to work!" Gamma said through XY. "We have an universe to conquer, and we will not stand idly while heroes ruin our chance for glory."

"Hope we get to duel at high noon, it's been a rough long time since I got to stretch my claws." Jabb spoke through Brie. "Welp, might as well play the part of evil, as heroism didn't bode well." Brie said, her hair turning blonde.

"New allies…" Kiko spoke. "Like the animals you represent, poisonous apex predators who keep the pest population under control, you will have to use your prowess to prune this world of the competition and opposition of my rule. The gods gotta have a weakness, because everybody's got a weakness. I mean, for what? Pandora, it was the box thing. For the Trojans, hey. They bet on the wrong horse, okay? But the gods are immortal by fate's design, so the only way to do it is to destroy the Fate Tapestry, which will make the immortal gods...mortal."

"What about you?" Noel asked.

"I will be the one leading it to a new age." Kiko noted. "Soon, they will all remember to tremble at the name 'Kiko Kibutsuji-Winterfoot'."

Kiko turned to each of them one by one.

"Malevozard…" She turns to Gakko.

"Lady Centipede…" She turns to Sarah/Muukad.

"Buufobub…" She turns towards Gamma.

"Ourobouros…" Towards Noel/Micruu.

"Vaejovis…" towards Brie/Jabb.

"Together we will end the old era and usher in a new one under Deadlight control. Go meet with Megafin, Birch, Kronos, Calamity, Ink Blotch, Circe, Shuma-Gorath, Yuika, Blackbeard, Ito, Vic, Enmu, Zora, Lamu, Nightmare, Nicole Evans, Badley, Rem, Agdaros, Killia, Eruka, Free and Douglas, your three other allies will meet you there."

The three Venomous wielders (and two possessed ones) laughed maniacally as they ran to a wall, making them shake and become dizzy.

"Uh, guys? The portal would be that way." Kiko said, pointing towards a portal.

The soul awaiting Anubis in his hall was not that of a patient man. He paced back and forth, his low-heeled leather shoes clicking ominously on the floor as he did so. His intricately embroidered red jacket billowed. It was rather funny, he thought, that the dead should get to keep some form of clothing when they arrived in the Underworld. What was not funny was that he'd ended up with a red top hat, of all things. Had his death been at all fair, he thought, he at least should have gotten to keep the white one. They always said you couldn't take it with you, but for some cruel reason, fate had decided he could take the wrong one with him.

He stopped by Anubis' table, looking down at the chessboard pattern and tiny figurines that studded it. It was all intricate work, and he couldn't resist picking up a miniature carved chimaera to get a better look.

"Huh, what are you doing?" Anubis asked from the door, already realizing that this man has potential.

The soul set the manticore back down quickly. "Only a look, milord," he said innocently, his voice deep and thick with a British accent. "Quite well crafted, that is."

"Yeah, yeah, let's cut to the chase," Anubis sighed. "Explain. What don't I know here?" He crossed the room so he could lounge on the throne while he heard the soul's plaintive excuse.

Once Anubis was seated, the soul cleared his throat. "You see, milord, death can only have come to claim me by accident. One moment, I was sitting in the Tasting Room of my dreams, about to dine on the finest cheese known to mortal man, and the next, I found myself down here, with absolutely nothing to indicate that any sort of death had occurred. I only figured that with so many souls coming into your domain on a daily basis for so many years, occasionally, there are mistakes made!"

"Death doesn't make mistakes," Anubis sighed, as he pulled out the man's death card. "Let's see. Name: Archibald Penelope Snatcher. Cause of death: Allergenic attack to dairy."

"Now, that's where the mistake's been made, you see," Snatcher elaborated. "For I'm not actually ALLERGIC to anything."

"File said you were. File's not wrong. Death doesn't make mistakes. Only thing that happens is that some people can't accept how they died. And you're dead. End of story." Anubis explained. "Now, tell me your story of how you got here."

"By complete and utter mistake," Snatcher grunted. "I was reportedly given a sentence of death when I did not, in fact, DIE."

"So, what, you just got teleported down here at random?" Anubis asked.

"The last thing I remember before coming here," Snatcher reminisced, "was at long last achieving my dream of becoming one of the White Hats of Cheesebridge, with all the power I could want at my disposal, and enough status to ensure I'd be cheered and praised by the whole town!"

"Are you saying you took over this…kingdom of Cheesebridge?" Anubis asked for clarification.

"More or less," Snatcher confirmed. "The White Hats and their Cheese Guild oversee all that goes on in that town, from dawn till dusk and after. Course, most of them were absolute blowhards with no respect for the men who TRULY worked to keep the town in order, such as myself, and I took my fair share of insults from them, I did, but I digress. I'd concocted a brilliant plan to ensure myself the seat. The local Boxtrolls had always been hated and feared as monsters. All I had to do in order to obtain permission to capture them was to pin a crime upon them. A crime such as…the theft of a child. For ten years, I worked down to the bone capturing every last Boxtroll in order to get them to fashion me a machine that would allow me to be unstoppable. A sort of…large riding machine, tall as a building, from which one could cause the appropriate amount of destruction."

"Like a Zord." Anubis nodded. "Go on."

"Then, once the Boxtrolls had served their purpose, I was to make a show of crushing them and showing off the boxes of the dead to the head White Hat, Lord Portley-Rind, and in turn, he would be so grateful, he would make ME the next head White Hat," Snatcher went on. "However, the slippery little beasts fled at the last second. I was forced to simply use the machine and take Lord Portley-Rind's daughter hostage instead. Still got me the hat. And so I found myself at last in the Tasting Room, where the elite conducted their business while sampling only the finest and most elegant of cheese." His demeanor took a sudden downturn. "And these...Lords of death have the NERVE to accuse me of being ALLERGIC TO CHEESE TO THE POINT OF DEATH! It's all been a cruel mistake!"

Anubis couldn't hold back a smile. "You know, I like the way you think," he told Snatcher. "I was looking for people to save the omniverse from a psycho ice girl gangster. Turns out I could use somebody as smart and ruthless as you."

"Well!" Snatcher straightened his coat, looking pleased as punch to receive such a compliment. "I thank you, milord!"

Anubis then teleported him back to the living world, plummeting as he did.

Then, the X-Squad, along with some dude wearing a red top hat, plummeted, some of them deciding to play cards as they fell.

"Okay, where in the shit did we end up?" Roman asked.

"There! Go for that shuttle!" Red said. They all landed on the shuttle as it passed by.

"That was close. I saw my life flash before my eyes." Mystletainn said. "But, it was both lives!" She then started laughing.

"Besides that. Let's head inside." Drakus said as they opened an emergency exit.

"Well, we're at least classy." A voice said.

A white beam of light blazed down.

"The hell?" Kanade spat.

The light dimmed, leaving in its place a feminine figure, Stocking Anarchy. She was rather unimposing for an angel, short in height and free of any of the Biblical Eldritch features one might assume. She looked more like a human woman in her twenties, truth be told. Long, straight hair cascaded from her head, reaching down past her hips – from the back, it would have looked purely navy blue, but from head-on, one could see that the hair on the inside was a vivid pink. She wore a ruffly black dress that seemed to have come from the more expensive end of a Gothic Lolita catalog and was wearing a black and blue sock on her left leg. There was no such sock on her right leg. The angel clutched a shimmering white katana, bracing it in such a way that it was clear she was out for blood. And with her was a monster resembling an emaciated purple pterodactyl-dragon with glowing eyes, Ridley, a young girl probably in middle school with a bucket on her head, Kanna Kizuchi. She has pale lime-colored hair with a yellow clasp shaped like screws on her right with big green eyes and delicate features. She was wearing a school uniform that consists of a long-sleeved green sailor-style seifuku with a pink ribbon and a grey skirt with red striped accents with stockings and brown loafers, and a short, young fellow with black hair and brown eyes, dressed in an off-orange vest with a green undershirt, a brown trenchcoat with matching hat, black pants and shoes and finally a bandage on his broken nose, Casey Halloway. Stocking then registered Drakus' existence along with Louise's.

"You're…you're so…" Stocking sped over to them. "ADOOOOORABLE!" She ran toward Drakus and Louise, arms outstretched.

Stocking Anarchy - Fallen angel, sweets addict, gives great hugs.

Ridley - Space Pirate, chooses violence everyday, loves to eat raw meat.

Kanna Kizuchi - Middle schooler, just tired, wears a bucket as a hat.

Casey Halloway - New York Con Man, can and will buy his way out of a situation.

"OW, MY WINGS!" Drakus bellowed. Stocking didn't listen, just flinging her arms around the two at random.

Louise mrgled, as she got stuck in Stocking's bosom. "Founder's sake, why must my life involve dastardly boob demons?" she lamented quietly.

"You're so soft and squishy!" she gushed.

"You're crushing me!" Drakus snapped.

"I just wanna adopt you two!" Stocking went on. "Not as kids because that'd be super fucking weird but definitely as siblings to replace my trash bitch whorebag sister who I killed!"

"I'm an only child." Drakus pointed out.

"Only one of my sisters is nice to me. The other can jump off a cliff for all I care, you can replace her then." Louise realized.

[oh my god she's adorable]

[baby 2: angel boogaloo]

[god look at her she's so cute!]

[Aria marry this girl]

Pyromania: [You should, she's very adorable.]

"Oh, you are preaching to the goddamn unholy choir," Stocking gushed.

"It looks like we have a lot to talk about." Monty glanced up to the sky. "We should seek shelter."

"Oh trust me, I know a place." Ridley explained.

"This is pretty classy." Mera said as they saw the inside of the shuttle.

"I wouldn't mind crashing here again if I had the choice." Monty said.

"Stop fantasizing! You guys gotta fight, don't you?" came a voice. They all saw Luka come out from between the team.

"Luka? You're supposed to be in the infirmary!" Red shouted.

"How do you know my name?" Luka asked him.

"Uh...because that's what all the kids at school call you?" Red said.

"Not a good comeback, man." Drakus said walking over to Luka. "So, what are you doing here anyway?"

"Well, I was feeling better, but then I heard you guys were gonna fight those aliens. I know you need all the help you can get. I'll go with you." Luka said.

"Huh? Didn't you say you hated these guys?" Drakus said.

"True." Luka said. "But, you guys don't have any other choice but to take me with you. I can't go anywhere, and though I don't like you guys, I suppose I can let you guys mask me."

"Luka makes a good point." Red said. "Give him a mask and bring him with us. Everyone, cover him and keep him out of danger. Now let's move!"

"If I didn't know better," Roman muttered, "I'd think everyone back at Blossom City was staring at our invisible girl."

"That's because I wasn't invisible there or here," Symonne huffed. "Seraphs were invisible where I'm from because the land was tied to Maotelus' domain, and Maotelus is what keeps us suppressed. Now, there's no Maotelus, so there's no suppression."

"This Maotelus," Snatcher clarified. "He's somewhat of your god?"

"One of them," Lunarre confirmed. "Unfortunately. For an entity with supposedly the top dog in our divinity, he certainly doesn't appear often. The resonance you used back in Blossom City must have cut through the last of his influence."

"Ah, I see," Snatcher realized. "Then, er…it's rather unfortunately apparent why we're drawing stares."

"Because people can tell your intent simply by a glance?" Maltran asked haughtily.

"Well, erm, no," Bangray corrected. "Rather because of…er…well, how Symmone's dressed. It's not entirely dignified. Definitely far too revealing for a girl her age. Some men, you know, they've got vicious minds, and that's coming from someone older and more experienced in the matter. Wouldn't want to know what they were thinking of someone like you."

"Are you insulting my ensemble?" Symonne snapped.

"Manta, let the kid dress how she wants," Roman urged. "We're the X-Squad! Doing good with no rules, remember!"

"And make her easy prey for the truly vicious and vile?" Snatcher spat. "Not a chance. There's little possibility she's chosen to dress like that of her own volition, as well!"

"Oh, because she isn't old enough to dress herself," Mera argued.

"She's still suggestible," Snatcher told her. "Why, when I was her age, I was told in no uncertain terms that being seen in a dress would result in a severe beating! You think I could've chosen what I wished to wear in that case?"

"Your parents are dead, right?" Drakus asked. "Because if they're not, I think I have to commit homicide."

"Not my mother," Snatcher said quickly. "She was also suggestible. My father, you could have."

"The point is," Roman sighed, "you can't make her responsible for what the pervs are thinking. If she wants to wear that – "

"She CAN'T truly want to – "

"Why don't you ask HER what she wants to wear?" Symonne huffed.

The band of misfits exchanged a rather guilty glance. "Okay, Sym," Satsuki told her. "Does that outfit stay or go?"

"There are many things I like about this aesthetic," Symonne replied. "For example, it's a suggestion that I am neither demure nor submissive. Black, violet, and red are the only colors I really think suit my soul, untainted by the metaphysical forces of malevolence but corrupted by cynicism and bloodlust. However, the cut was designed by one of my elders in our seraph clan, and he was insistent I wear it to keep up appearances with the group's look."

"This…elder," Mystle asked. "Was he...straight? Like, painfully?"

"Yes," Symonne answered. "And yet couldn't keep a wife down."

"And how old?" Lune asked.

"Slightly younger than Roman and Snatcher," Symonne told them. "But in seraph years, to be clear. In reality, much older than that."

[damn she got stuck with some freaky geezers]

[oh my god, she's so innocent]

[she needs fashion advice]

Roman bristled. "Agreed, chat. We're DEFINITELY getting her a wardrobe change. Also, that guy's dead too, right? Because he also just made my shit list."

"Perverts, I tell you, all of them," Snatcher insisted.

"If he's not dead and gone, then good luck trying to kill a house-sized dragon singlehandedly." Symonne told him.

"Then let's just assume he is for our own sakes," Snatcher suggested. "As for the changes, I've got a few ideas. We needn't alter much, just add a bit more layer, cover the essentials. She's got it right about the colors…"

He stopped when he noticed everyone else staring at him. "And what's all this about?" he asked the group at large.

"How do YOU know so much about fashion?" Pink asked.

"Having to pose as a fashion forward seductress in order to further my goals of deception left me with quite a bit of knowledge in that department," Snatcher explained. "Not to mention growing up the son of the town tailor and dressmaker."

"Well, you might make one hot woman," Robin pointed out.

"Though it's…only for the purposes of deception," Snatcher quickly covered. "The majority of the time, I couldn't care less."

"Why do I get the feeling that's not quite true?" Kanade pressed.

"I am a man among men," Snatcher asserted through gritted teeth. "And if you're implying – "

"It doesn't MATTER!" Drakus broke in. "Wearing dresses even if you're a guy, I don't care! And none of us SHOULD care! But if you have an opinion to weigh in on this, then OUT WITH IT!"

"It doesn't matter," Snatcher mocked, looking around the group…who all appeared to be largely nonchalant, merely awaiting his answer rather than stringing themselves out from tenterhooks to snap at the first opportunity to mock him. It then occurred to him that he was far away from the jeering judgments of his hometown. Perhaps, just perhaps, here was a place he could risk acknowledging the freedoms he enjoyed with his alternate persona. "Though the matter may be…somewhat of a hobby as well as a tool of deception."

"And the clothes?" Pecos pressed.

"A jacket is a good choice."

After getting some cloth and sewing supplies, Snatcher went to work immediately. And then, Symonne slipped into the new garments he'd made her, changing in a restroom so as to keep decency. Her chaperones, of course, insisted she needed her privacy.

Some time passed, and Symonne stepped out. Really, most of her prior clothes had been fine; she was just given four extra pieces. One was a pair of lavender under-leggings that finished the job started by her stockings and shorts, so now she had no upper leg exposed. The next was a cropped blouse to sit beneath her leather top – a little fluffy, edged in purple ruffles, black with lavender plaid stripes, off the shoulder and still bearing midriff. And finally, a pale red and purple leather jacket.

"As far as costume design goes," she sighed, "this isn't terrible. I think I prefer it." Though her face was still blank as ever, she did truly appreciate the new pieces. She gave a twirl to show off.

"So where's fedora dude from?" Roman asked.

"For your information," Casey replied, "I'm from New York City."

Some of the X-Squad looked at Casey in silence.

"The Big Apple," Casey reiterated, "The City That Never Sleeps?"

[oh you have got to be kidding me]

[of all the things]

[seriously, what asshole just kidnaps a man from his home like this?]

"No clue either, buds." Mystle explained.

"To the ones that just met us, this is the Twitch Chat." Drakus introduced.

The ones that didn't know New York just kept staring at him. Casey was about to speak again when he noticed a sniffing sound coming over his left coat pocket. He moved his head down towards the sound, seeing a sniffing bird man near his pocket. He looked back at skekSil, seeing his nose.

"Ehh." Casey hummed cautiously, "What's that thing doing?"

"Just sifting through your coat." skekSil replied.

"My guess is looking for something to eat out here." Kenny suggested.

Casey glowered, "Well I don't have any bread on me so-" Casey said before brushing skekSil away, only for him to move towards the other pocket. Casey grimaced more as he lightly smacked the hand away, which then made skekSil reach inside his coat. Casey yelped in surprise, "Get yer mitts outta there!" he shouted angrily before grabbing the hand and forcing it out of his coat.

"I just said I don't have any bread, Tweedy!" Casey asserted before throwing the hand away.

[PogChamp]

[PogChamp]

[PogChamp]

[PogChamp]

[skekPog]

[PogChamp]

[PogChamp]

[one of these is not like the others, one of these does not belong]

[PogChamp]

[PogChamp]

[PogChamp]

As they moved further down the ship, something slammed their fists onto the hill, breaking through. The girl riding a mech may have been the physically smallest in the room as she was a Twilight Elf, but thanks to her mech suit, she cut the biggest and most imposing figure. "When I get my hands on that absolute casual noob NECKBEARD that sent me here, I'm going to terminate his account so quickly that he'll die in his overpriced gaming chair!"

She then jumped onto the top deck, her massive suit shaking the whole vessel. "LISTEN UP!" she screamed. "I'VE COME BACK TO TAKE WHAT'S MINE! THIS WILL BE THE LAST TIME YOU STEAL FROM EVELYN CLAYTHORNE!"

[my ears]

[if this is the last thing i hear before i go deaf, then it will be a good thing]

[god she's so angy]

[fucking warn us next time before you do an ear rape like that]

[just like drakus]

[will he and Celeste just fucking kiss already?!]

[i know right?!]

Evelyn was then aware of a cutlass point being waved up at her glass dome by someone who apparently felt no fear. "Um…yarr!" Linda said. "Or whatever pirates say!"

"Linda…" Cronus marched over, withdrawing a sword from his own belt. "Learn the script before you do anything stupid like this!"

Looking back and forth from the green-haired woman to the pale skinned boy and to the entire band of misfits, Evelyn began to laugh. "Oh, this is going to be FUN! Prepare to walk the plank!"

She squared up, balling her fists.

Evelyn Claythorne - Probably a gamer, willing to kill someone, probably not an elf.

It might've been a brawl for the ages had someone else not come down the stairs from the captain's quarters at that very moment, yelling, "WHO'S CAUSING A SCENE ON MY SHIP?"

Evelyn froze. It couldn't be. Her mind was playing tricks on her. It was far too good to be true.

It was a dashing man, dressed in a billowing white coat. Approximately half of him had been replaced by mechanical parts – a brass peg leg, a copper arm, and most notably the telescope lens that replaced one eye, set on a background of shining metal that covered half his face and head. What remained of him was definitely a sprightly, slender man with luscious dark hair. Even though he'd never had steampunk prosthetics in life, Evelyn recognized him immediately.

"What?" Lune could only ask.

DrakBot: [What?]

GatorGirl: [What?]

Paladin Head: [What?]

Pyromaniac: [What?]

Crescendo: [WHAT?]

IceCream Maiden: [Nani?]

GatorGirl: [Neo…]

IceCream Maiden: [Bow before my memes.]

DrakBot: [Why do I even bother?]

[the fuck a hobo doing here?]

[that has got to be the most tired and chaotic man i have ever seen in my life, and i have insomnia and a mirror]

[you think he does too?]

[probably]

"Because I'm ALREADY in a mood today!" Captain James Sheridan barked. "Do you have ANY idea what I've been through? I had to LITERALLY die! So you know what? I'm kinda in a nothing-to-lose mood, so prepare to be – "

Evelyn leapt over the X-Squad, closing the distance in three steps. Then she scooped Sheridan up into her mech's arms and squeezed him tight.

"Okay, OW, that's uncomfortable," Sheridan protested.

Then Evelyn set him back down and backed up two steps. "That never happened. We don't speak of it."

Sheridan's jaw dropped. "…Evelyn? Is that YOU? You look different somehow. Is it the hair?"

"It's literally everything except the voice, you moron," Evelyn replied. "And how dare you do that to me?"

"Do what? Give you the best job ever in the whole wide world as my right-hand woman?"

"No!" Evelyn spat. "Die on me! I woke up and I tripped on your fucking corpse! And then they arrested me, and I had to go to JAIL, and I don't even know how people SURVIVE there because it's so austere, and Daddy wouldn't talk to me and the worst part was that every time I thought about you, I started CRYING FOR SOME GODDAMN REASON!"

Like she was doing now, ugly sniffles and all.

"My friend, you might have crippling depression." Mera added.

"You…you missed me." Sheridan realized. Then he rocked back and forth on his heels. "You miiiiiiissed me!"

"No I didn't."

"Yes you did. Because you like me."

"No I don't."

"You la-la-la-liiiiiike me."

"As an employer," Evelyn insisted, though that act was getting harder and harder to keep up.

"Well, you know what?" Sheridan walked over and put an arm on her mech-arm – she supposed he was aiming for her shoulder. "I'm glad to have my MVP back in the house. Shericorp's top-scoring Meta Runner! And finally someone I can complain to about the raid structure in this game."

"Why Wonderful 101?" Evelyn asked. "Why come here? How were you ABLE to come here?"

"How was I able?" Sheridan shrugged. "Iunno. I guess I poured a little too much into that gorgeous digital avatar, so now I'm kinda…data-y. Why Wonderful 101, though? Because every single time I watched you play it, I was like…really gets me in the mood to just be crazy. You know, take over a ship with a ton of cannons and use it to BLAST OTHER PEOPLE INTO SMITHEREENS, WATCHING THE CARNAGE RAIN DOWN TO THE WORLD BELOW AND IMAGINING IT'S ALL TASCORP!" He then held up two handfuls of jewelry; "And get shiny accessories!" His attention was then diverted by those very accessories. "Ooh, I forgot how shiny they were."

James Sheridan - Kinda insane, plays with fire, probably hacking.

"Then maybe Tari blasting me over here was a blessing in disguise," Evelyn sighed.

"I feel like you just said something I need to do a double take on," Sheridan replied, "but I'm too busy looking at all the colors in this diamond."

"Give me those!" Evelyn swiped the accessories. "You can't wear this many anyway. I'll give you back the ones that are your color, AFTER you hear that we're apparently NOT DONE with Tari. She's literally dead, but managed to make herself a gamer's paradise in this bullshit 'Final World' where she can't die! I was TRYING to use it to get to a different game, but I'm fairly sure she sent herself there instead. After we find out where we are, I'm going to move revenge on her up on my priority list!"

"Maybe join us instead, you can go far with the X-Squad." Drakus suggested.

"Oh, DEFINITELY!" Sheridan agreed. "She can't get away with this! We have to call the X-Squad on this one! X her UP!" A pause. "What's the X-Squad?"

"I'll tell you on the way," Louise promised.

"Hey Dr. Sheridan, You wouldn't happen to know a route to the super reactor, would you?" Red asked.

"Are you kidding?" Sheridan boasted. "Sheridan's back door is always open!"

The X-Squad snickered at that while Evelyn rolled her eyes; "Did you HEAR how that sounded coming out of your mouth?"

"Um…what was wrong with it?"

"Let's just say if you say it at a gay bar, you'll get much better results."

"Casey, no rational person would dress like you, you look pretty trashy." Lune retorted.

Casey narrowed his eyes, "I'll have you know that this is proper business attire where I'm from," Casey said as he grabbed the edges of his trenchcoat, "I just lack a tie is all."

"You say businessman." Lune said. "And yet your clothes scream clown, mostly from that shirt."

Casey scoffed, "I happen to have had a good deal on this shirt."

Just then, a silver haired girl and a werewolf in prison pants leapt out of a portal in front of the squad. "Well, well. What do we have here?" Eruka smirked. "Some little gnats have walked right into our little spiderweb, ribbit."

"Oh, wow, how long did it take for you to come up with that one?" Celeste scoffed with a roll of her eyes.

"Now, now, we're all friends here," Drakus stated calmly. "We'd rather not start anything messy if we can avoid it."

"Awfully confident of you to say, considering your situation," Eruka mused, motioning towards the dozens of jets in a dogfight that surrounded them. "Well, if your matters are dying by our hands, we're more than happy to oblige," Eruka threatened. "I'm afraid that we're far from our little secret hideaway, and we can't just have people showing up and telling others about it, now can we?"

Drakus chuckled. "Vicious and to the point. I like that. That's a personality I can trust."

The frog witch flinched at that. The composure even in the face of danger, the outfit, the white hair, the laugh… this possible weapon was just as unnerving as Medusa. "Just who exactly are you? You don't strike me as a weapon, and I'm sensing magic from a lot pf your pals, lizard man."

"I'M AN ALIEN!" Drakus stamped his foot into the jet, leaving a small dent. "I'm DRAKONIAN! Is the whole shebang not enough of a dead giveaway? Plus, do you know about the Omniverse Theory?"

Eruka tapped her chin. "There was always a purveying theory among the Witch Order that our world wasn't the only one out there. That the universe is filled with thousands upon thousands of worlds. Rumors say only those of extremely potent magical ability, like Old Witch Mabaa or Death himself, would be capable of crossing to another realm…" She scowled. "So you're world travelers, are you? Well, if you came all the way here, you must either be looking into souls or magic tools. Those would be the most prominent sources of power where we're from."

"The former, yes," Mera said. "The X-Squad, that's our little band's name, is here to save this world from, let's just say, an invasion."

"An invasion huh…" Hearing that word, specifically from the bluenette, made the frog witch's skin crawl. "How large-scale are we talking here?"

"Total destruction, which I think is because of the future being so shitty that GEATHJERK is willing to nuke Earth to keep it from happening." Drakus said.

Eruka blinked. "Oh. That's… ambitious."

"That's quite big," Free agreed.

"Well, enthusiastic and driven as you might be, there's certainly nothing for you here." Eruka waved her hand in a shooing motion. "We're all done being pawns for someone else, and we certainly don't want to incite the Grim Reaper's wrath anytime soon. So take your little conquest scheme and rope someone else into it."

"Erm… Eruka…" Free whispered to her. "Isn't this… exactly the kind of thing you've been hoping for?"

"HUH?" The frog witch rounded on him. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well… it just seemed you've been so bored and out of it, lazing around in the castle day in and day out. You said it was a lifestyle that didn't suit you." The immortal man scratched the back of his head, an eye – his normal one, not the one he stole – flitting to Takano and the other Federation members. "Maybe they can get you, and us, out of this slump."

"I-I'm not in a slump! You're crazy, ribbit!" Eruka stammered. "It's like you said, I'm just playing it safe, is all! Staying under the radar!"

"But is that really what you want?" Eruka and Free looked to Drakus, approaching them, an earnest look in his eye. "I know the feeling of having to wait in the shadows, helpless and anxious, waiting for an opportunity to arise." He cast a hand towards the others behind him. "We all do. It's a dreadful feeling. Questions begin to bubble up – is this all there is? After all I worked for, is that my life was leading to? Surely, I deserve more."

His gaze fell on Eruka exclusively. "You give me the impression of someone who was kicked around for too long. Under someone else's thumb when, really, you were strong enough to do whatever your heart desired. Am I wrong?"

"Are you asking us to join you?" Eruka asked skeptically.

The prince grinned. "Normally, I'd ask you to simply aid us. Offer your assistance in our mission, one that involves enacting some level of illegal assault on this organization called Deadlight, and then I'd make you the offer for partnership. However, something tells me you'd fit in with our merry brood quite well. And we can always use some more magical expertise on our team."

Eruka didn't like the warm feeling coming to her cheeks. Medusa would never have given her such praise. "I, well…"

A bump to her left and a tug on her right. She looked, finding Free beaming at her. "You're the boss, Eruka. I'd follow you no matter what your decision is," Free smiled a toothy grin. "Think we already know what your decision is, though."

Eruka sighed. "You guys…"

She faced Drakus. "Alright then. You've swayed us. We'll help you, Mister…?"

"Drakus Hydrax, Prince of Drakonia," the dragon grinned. "Drakus will suffice."

"Just promise me one thing," Eruka stated. "Let me destroy something by this mission's end. Really blow something up, ribbit."

Drakus' grin went from mischievous to downright psychotic. "Oh, I'm sure we can fit that into our schedule."

Then, the X-Squad rushed through the cargo bay and found citizens trapped under rubble. They quickly freed them and found an old man with goggles under one of the pieces.

"Bout time you fellas showed up. I was wondering when I'd get assistance." the man said.

"Oh! Professor Shirogane!" Red said.

"THE Professor Shirogane?!" Drakus said. "As in the one who made the pendants?!?!"

"Yeah. That's right. I've been waiting for a long while now." he said.

"What are you doing here, kind sir?" Free asked.

"I figured them Jerks would pinpoint a super reactor eventually, so I packed up a new gizmo of mine and came to the port. Didn't expect them to attack here so early, though." Shirogane said.

"Well, whatever you made has to be good. Strato Port has shields, right?" Drakus asked.

"Fraid not. The Jerks took them out when they invaded." Shirogane explained. "We gotta hurry to Shuttle No. 1 and get my gear, fast. If we do, we'll be able to hold out a little while longer until my greatest weapon gets into position."

"What weapon?" Eruka asked before the Shuttle took a hit.

"I'll explain when this is over, just hurry and get over to Shuttle No. 1." Shirogane said.

The group acknowledged and ran forwards, taking out any resistance. They eventually came into a small room with no other way out.

"Guess we took a wrong turn." Evelyn said before a purple gas began filling the room. "And now the room's filling with poison gas, great, now we're getting into Portal levels."

"Run for that storage bay!" Red said as they dashed their way into it.

"Okay, we're here, now what?" Sheridan said, then a man in winter clothing dropped down from above.

"Ow-ow-ow-ow-ow! Where...where am I?" he asked.

"Okay, I did not expect this to happen." Zap said.

"Well, look what the cat dragged in." Pink said.

"Ah! You are all so late." the man said getting up. "This time I have been waiting!"

"Wait, you're a Wonderful One too?" Roman said.

"He is. This is Mr. Ivan Istochnikov, aka the Hammering Russkie, Special Combat Agent, Siberia Field Office, CENTINELS Planetary Secret Service...Wonder Yellow!" Red said.

"Wow, I can't believe it's actually you!" Drakus said in excitement.

[kill him]

[shank that bitch into the next life bro!]

"Chat, no!" Kenny tried to plead with the chat for a peaceful option.

"Oh, I see new faces among comrades. Please to be meeting you." Yellow said.

"Likewise, we're the X-Squad." Mystletainn introduced. "Pleasure to be working alongside you."

"No-no. Pleasure is all mine. Sorry to get lost on you, comrades." Yellow said.

"Hey! A little less talking, more action!" Blue said.

"Oh yes. Quite right. Wonder Eyes...Yellow!" he shouted.

He then began flexing his muscles before a similar uniform appeared on him. He continued flexing even after this, striking a final pose with a sparkling explosion.

Wonder Yellow - Proof that hammer time is a universal concept, dad with 2 kids.

"And now to set us free! Unite Hammer!" he shouted as the Wonderful Ones formed a large yellow hammer, smashing through the floor into a new room.

Just then, a large metal sphere dropped from the ceiling. It came down behind him before splitting in two. The two halves sprouted legs and head and turned right side up before growling. "I think Oogway's drunk cousins appeared." Satsuki joked.

"Not quite. Those are Metangs, and they serve GEATHJERK." Yellow said.

"So, still on my side." Kiko said on a transmission as the creature went towards the heroes. "You should know, we reached a no killing each other treaty with the GEATHJERK. Deadlight is now an ally of theirs."

"Ah, great." Blue said.

"Oh please, these things tick me off." Mystle justified. "Now, time to cook up some death."

[... out of all the things you decide to do a metaphor for, fucking cooking?]

[brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr]

[oh don't you fucking start]

Pink's whip struck the three all at once, knocking them out of a nearby window. The Metangs stood their ground.

"Their shells are made of an extremely hard metal, so it's no surprise they are resilient." Red said.

"Then I guess is time for helping." Yellow said. "Unite Hammer!"

His hammer then struck one of the Metang's, knocking its armor off. "What in the?! HOW?!" Snatcher said.

"My hammer is made from Peta Omorium, toughest metal ever created." Yellow explained before smashing the robots cores.

"He's a bit shy and embarrassed easily, but we all know he can still pack a punch." Blue said.

"No cap." Most of the squad said.

"Aw, you make me blush." Yellow said.

"Look at us! We are the top dog now, maybe now they respect us." Robin cheered as Kenny watched as they pushed the corpses off into the pit after stealing their money. "Well, great. You killed all the weird turtle guys. Y'know, we're free to move along now, like we were before we killed them." Kenny added.

"Technically, they did fight us," Roman pointed out. "It just was a very hard fight."

"Now though, you could say we were way harder than them," Sheridan agreed.

"OH my God, do you HEAR these innuendos when you say them out loud?" Evelyn barked.

Just then, a wolf and a snake fell down from a portal, breaking the cuffs on them and dressing them in medieval clothes.

"We're free?" The snake, Sir Hiss, said incredulously. "WE'RE FREE!"

"Well, Crimenently!" The Sheriff, a wolf, picked up his old cuff and locked it around thin air. "This some kinda magic?"

"Here's our deal, you two," said Drakus. "I'm guessing you have particular skills and aesthetics that match a little…group we're putting together. We're going to save a whole lot more than just this town. If you want to be part of a cosmic hero force centered around luxury, having fun, drinking, doing good and sadism, then I would suggest you come with us."

"Also, other worlds are real, and we're from a lot of them." Kanade added. "Get used to the idea now. It gets weirder from here."

"Can we trust this, do you think?" Hiss asked.

"Well, whatever they got planned for us, it's gotta be better than sittin' around breakin' rocks," the Sheriff said. "Y'know, this could be a golden opportunity! The two real brains of the operation move onward and upward, and the Phony King of England gets left behind!"

"Are we certain?" Hiss asked. "The prince – he's – well, we go back a long way, and – "

"Oh, not this again!" the Sheriff huffed. "Just 'cause you got a thing for him!"

"I do not," Hiss argued, "and I resent the accusation!"

[i guess play rough is super effective]

[i dunno snake-bro looks like he lost all his brain cells]

[so this is what the confusion status effect looks like]

[he can't lose all the brain cells, we will give them to him so he'll be smart]

[i invest my brain cells in the right person]

[then everything changed when the squad attacked]

[pfft]

[XPog]

[wait, when was that a thing?]

[uh, yesterday]

[oh]

"Every fella just wants a catch like Prince John," the Sheriff said sarcastically. "The kinda fella who manhandles ya, tosses you around, throws you in baskets, yells 'You ain't here when I need ya!' and all that. What a charmer!"

"I'm picking up a certain vibe here," said Satsuki. "Namely that…" She pointed to Hiss. "You're in over your head trying to get noticed by someone who doesn't care."

"Oh, he notices, all right," said the Sheriff. "Hiss is the Prince's favorite punchin' bag and claims to like it."

"Honesty time," said Mera. "Are you, you know, like some of us who like getting beaten up because it's kinky, or is it the other way?"

"I mean…I never appreciate being at the business end of his wrath," Hiss admitted. "But if I just tried harder, and got a little luckier!"

The Sheriff rolled his eyes. "You see what I gotta deal with? Sometimes I feel like I'm the only reason Hiss here ain't a nervous wreck!"

"Is there something going on between you two?" Kanade asked. "Romantically."

"PERISH the thought," said Hiss, gagging.

"If we started up somethin' like that," said the Sheriff, "our friendship goes right out the window and we'd both kill each other within the week. See, I'm a law-abidin' man…or a law-enforcin' man is more like it. But Hiss is a particular little fella who wouldn't want the slightest thing outta place! A fella can't just let his fur down livin' like that."

"I would argue the point, but rudely as it was phrased, it is true," said Hiss. "We're really just better off friends. Though I, erm, do owe the Sheriff my life, as it were."

"And don't you forget it!" the Sheriff said with a fanged smirk.

"What happened there?" Kanade asked.

"Well…you see, it's…" Hiss shuffled his coils in the dirt. "There was this fire, you see. An outlaw invaded our castle and robbed us blind!"

"All the hard-earned tax money we'd collected off the poor!" said the Sheriff. "We turn around and suddenly, none of 'em are poor anymore! Now that just ain't fair!"

"And, well, ONE of us grabbed a torch and ran after him – " Hiss glowered at the Sheriff.

"Now don't you start!" the Sheriff snapped. "Sure, there was a fire, and it happened while I was chasin' down that rogue, but it's what had to be done! …The rogue-chasin', not the fire."

"And, well, even knowing this, I was rather fed up with taking all the beatings verbally and literally," Hiss said, "so I said to the prince, 'Look what you've done to your mother's castle!', because he's sensitive about his mother, you see. And then, erm…things went a little askew."

"John started chasin' Hiss into the burnin' castle tryna' knock his block off," said the Sheriff. "Woulda been funny if they weren't headin' for certain doom. So I go up to John and I grab his weapon arm and I say, 'You knock that off.' And 'cause he's such a scrawny little fella and the place was on fire, he backed down."

"Leaving us to escape with our lives…right into Richard's clutches," Hiss sighed.

"When do we start the job?" asked the Sheriff. "I sure have missed roughin' up the peasants for every last farthing. There's a certain kinda fun in it!"

"Immediately!" Cyclonis exclaimed. "…after you get a tour of our airship, well it's more the CENTINELS but you get the point, and we save a super reactor. You're going to love the airship. It has 13 hot tubs."

"Why would you heat up that many metal tubs?" asked Hiss, kinda scared for the heating and water bills.

"Oh, HONEY," Roman sighed.

"I think if they can afford to waste that much cookware," the Sheriff mused, "they gotta be the cream of the crop! Sittin' on piles of coins!"

"…Yes, that's what we're going with," Eleanor said. "Trust me, you're not going to believe half of what you see when we get there."

"Why don't we go save the super reactor now?" Drakus asked. "The sooner it's safe, the sooner we can get to the shakedown. After you kind sir."

"Why, thank ya kindly!" The Sheriff started to stride through the ship. "You know, you ain't missin' much. I'm the Nottingham archery champion! You won't find a surer shot than me!"

[sheriff wolfy fast monkas]

[fat man speedrun]

[i still think we probably shouldn't know about this]

[we can't say anything about it without the info being thanosed, it's fine]

[are you sure?]

[yeah bud]

DrakBot: [Hola bitch :)]

[oh god what'd i do this time]

[i dunno but rip you]

"Oh, one more thing!" said Hiss. "I understand that this is, well, a gathering of... less-than-desirables, but we are all god-fearing people of faith, are we not?"

"Oh shit," Hibiki groaned.

"You're going to learn very quickly not to care about that much," Momoko told him. "Trust me."

"Think of it like this," said the Sheriff. "That ol' holy book says we gotta play nice with the peasants, let 'em have their collection boxes and all that. I don't think the man upstairs will take kindly to us these days anyway."

"Oh, I suppose you're right," said Hiss. "Well, we might as well not delay the inevitable, then, if I'm to burn either way."

[oh shit]

[that's not good]

[hiss you might want to cover your ears]

[i detect imminent hallelujah]

[the singing, the memories]

[i don't think i could do that again bro]

"Agreed," said Drakus, "jump ship to one of the other pantheons and you can just avoid the whole shenanigans altogether. Maybe worship Anubis, the god of death, it'll save you so much trouble."

"God of DEATH?!?!" Hiss winced. "Are you mad? Perhaps YOU may be, but I could never!"

"Baby steps," Minami told Mera.

She nodded. "Baby steps."

"Just – show me where I'm to go!" Hiss groaned.

On top of the Port, the teams found the Goddess of the Sky statue and the super reactor intact, but the weather had taken a turn for the worse.

"Man, this weather's nasty. Wasn't it sunny a moment ago?" Kanade asked.

"We're in the stratosphere. It's bound to be home to more dangerous weather than down below." Mera said. Just as a blue squid alien leapt out of a pipe, making Cyclonis yelp and making Zinnia blush.

"Oh my god! Hello! Thank god you're here! My name's Dr. Joopy! Douglas and Wanna kidnapped my whole family and I'm trying to sneak in and save them! But I just can't get through some pipes in the next room. Oh my god, I'm freaking out!" Joopy explained.

"Hey! Whoa, whoa! Li-listen, little guy! We're tryin' to find Douglas too! You know, maybe we can help each other." Kenny negotiated.

"Nope! I'm having calamari tonight!" Cyclonis said, trying to shoot at Joopy.

"Oh shit, how did she figure it out?!" Joopy said, in a deeper voice.

"Huh? I was hungry, and this didn't help matters." Cyclonis clarified.

"Well anyways, you'll never take me alive!" Douglas said, hurrying into a jet, which held his power suit.

Douglas - Squid Alien, loves torture, and drinks like nobody's watching.

"I'll cut off your arm and nail it to my door! Like one of those lion door-knockers rich folks got! That will be your arm!" Cyclonis said.

"Sssso, these are the heroes that are in our way." a voice came.

"Who said that?" Sheriff asked as a fly alien flew out from behind the statue in a vehicle.

"You're an officer of GEATHJERK, I take it?" Drakus asked.

"Correct. You have the honor of talking to Officer 4th class, Wanna!" it introduced itself.

"And I'm Douglas!" Douglas said.

"This is your first and only warning! Surrender your fleet, or we'll have to use force!" Red said.

"It is you who's gonna surrender to us, Earthlings." Douglas laughed. "Take a long good look!"

Out in the sky was a large battle station with spikes all over it. "That there is the Flagship known as Diejah. When its main laser cannon is fully charged, it will blast you and your precious goddess right to the afterlife!" Douglas said, as he and Wanna flew towards it.

"Hey, where are you going? Take me to your leader!" Luka shouted.

"We need to go after the living sushi platter and that Brundel knockoff!" Drakus said.

"But how? It's too far away!" Hiss said.

"I think our next guest has an idea." Mera said pointing to a ship approaching from behind. Appearing from within it was the same alien species as Vorkken, but female and had heart aspects on the uniform and three others leapt off in front of Drakus.

"You could at least buy me a drink first."

Drakus pouted a little.

"I just wanted to get here before you did. For once."

"You wanted to stop me from getting what you think I want?"

Drakus stayed silent as he tried to parse the slightly awkward grammar of the question.

"As if I don't always get my way in the end."

The purple-haired woman laughed nastily, and for a moment, Taylor was sure they saw a flicker of something at the back of her throat - not just a shadow, but the radiance of an impossibly black light, undulating just beyond the horizon of her tongue. Then the woman pressed her immaculate, purple-nailed fingertips to her lips, swallowed dryly, and chuckled into her palm. She had sly, narrow features that made Taylor's heart skip a beat, and the casual-but-clearly-calculated way she spun a finger in circles just oozed confidence. Everything about her, from her tailor-made ill-fitting sweater to her mussed hair tying off in an immaculate drill, made it clear that she was making it clear that she absolutely cared that you knew she didn't care. The air around her seemed to shimmer imperceptibly, like hot concrete on a summer's day, and it left a too-sweet taste in Taylor's mouth that made them blush even harder.

[holy shit]

[that's impossible]

[welp that's another one for apocalypse bingo, we saw Zone-Tan herself]

[you get bingo yet?]

[no]

[damn]

[that's rough buddy]

[bingo skekPog]

[skekPog]

[skekPog]

[skekPog]

[skekPog]

[you cheated]

[how the fuck do you cheat bingo?]

"Well damn, guess we're stuck with these people, Amoeba, might as well have fun." The eyeball man, Azfk, said as Amoeba chirped and squeaked. "No, it's not because the Hat guy's hot, I'm out of his league!" Azfk shouted, blushing and his eye opening to reveal sharp teeth.

As a grumbling explosion sounded, everyone focused on the sight of the explosion, jet behind them. They couldn't see through as there was a cloud of smoke covering the hole. But then, almost instantaneously, they heard something. It was laughter. Evil laughter. And as soon as the laughter had ceased, something immediately crashed the top. As it landed, dust particles flew up, clouding the object from everyone else. Then, the voice spoke.

BGM: Nature of The Beast (My Darkest Day)

"Well, well, well... Hope you don't mind us crashing your little party." A voice said.

As the dust cleared, everyone was finally able to see who was talking. They saw Megafin, Birch, Kronos, Calamity, Ink Blotch, Circe, Shuma-Gorath, Deathbringer, Yuika, Blackbeard, Prosecutor Ito, Vic, Sharkbit, Wickblaze, Nicole Evans, Monster Carrot, along with Malevozard, Lady Centipede, Vaejovis, Ourobouros and Buffobub.

Drakus then facepalmed. "Why are you here?"

"Wait, who are they?" Zone asked.

"Oh, we're part of the villain organization Deadlight, and we're here to rule the omniverse. But, as they say, it's all about taking small steps. So step 1 is simple: Kick your asses." Kronos explained.

"I'm Malevozard, wanna play?"

"Lady Centipede, that's me and Muukad. And we love to bring the pain."

"I am Buffobub, stagnation comes forth by my hand, in battle you will fall!"

"I'm Vaejovis and I'm something of a romantic type, duels at high noon, battles of destiny, fights to the death, you name it, I'm all for it. Burning pain is a forte of mine."

"Ah, the stage has been set, the set pieces are there and oh…I believe it will be the performance of a lifetime. Mark the grand entrance of Ourobouros."

"Oh, we'll see about that!" Zone said. "Let's skip the foreplay, and get in the ZONE!"

Zone-Tan - Demon, hornball and fan of tentacles

Zone immediately ran towards them, jumped up, and got ready to break Kronos's neck with a deadly kick.

"Oh dear goofs... Did you ever think, we came alone?" Birch asked rhetorically.

Just then, something jumped out from behind a table. Whatever it was, it then morphed into a shape that was more human-like, and then proceeded to summon what appeared to be a big hammer, which the mystery person then used to swat Zone away, causing her to crash into Taylor, who grabbed her. It was a cyan haired girl with squid-like hair who jumped out. It's also revealed that she smacked Zone with a cyan-colored mallet. Just then, a silver haired woman, her black dress covered in white polka dots and her odd looking hat looking like a smiling frog face on it and a well-built man with short dark hair with a red symbol-like eye with the eyebrow above reading 'NO FUTURE' and a brown eye in a black shirt and black and white striped pants; a ball-and-chain was shackled to his left ankle, further painting him as some sort of escaped convict, jumped down from the hole in the ceiling and stood beside the villain group. They all had some serious firepower on them.

"I've been doing bar fights longer than you," Roman said as he braced the Melodic Cudgel. "Watch the shiv."

"WHAT SHIV – "

Symonne cracked her wine glass against the counter and rammed the broken stem into Blackbeard's back, a glass stinger.

"YOWWWW!" He leapt as high as the ceiling, crashing down hard enough to jostle the jet. "THAT DOES IT!" Yuika reeled back her fists.

"You wanna go?" Roman danced back tantalizingly, swiping another flagon from an unsuspecting patron. "Then LET'S FUCKIN GO!"

"Kurohonema."

Lune blinked. "What?"

"Call me Kurohonema," Deathbringer repeated. "'Deathbringer' is just a title, albeit an impressive one, one of many things people have called me over the years, along with 'monster,' 'demon,' or even 'oh God why.' My name, however, is Kurohonema."

"Black bone demon…" Mystle whispered, eyes wide and pleasantly surprised.

"Well, it's certainly an appropriate label," Zap observed.

"Kurohonema," Drakus started again. "You said that you're disappointed in how strong Roman, Pecos, Roald and Neo have gotten, or rather, how strong they haven't gotten."

As he dashed a flagon against him, Snatcher climbed atop a table; "THEY'RE HAVING A ROW, AND I DOUBT ANY OF YOU WANTS TO BE LEFT OUT OF IT!"

[here it comes]

[all hands, brace for impact!]

GatorGirl: [NO RETREAT, NO SURRENDER, FOR THE GLORY OF THE EMPEROR]

[i mean same but like, that's a fair bit of caps my girl]

GatorGirl: [Say what you will, Warhammer is surprisingly a fun game.]

At the notion of a bar fight, the entirety of the cantina leapt into action. Glass broke, beer sloshed, and weapons were drawn all around. Roman was now firing indiscriminately, blast after blast, leaving holes in the jet as the villains slipped away into the crowd.

Buffobub's hands crept up around the Sheriff's neck from behind, and started freezing him. "HELP!" the wolf cried. "MY NECK'S GETTING COLD!"

Buffobub was shoved roughly aside by an entire team of Symonnes. Illusions, yes, but with enough magic inside of them to make them tangible, and the points of the Symmone clone squad's staves sharp. Symonne, atop the bar, swung the real staff to conduct them, making them stab the toad Venomous wielder en masse.

"Okay, THAT'S IT!" Taylor yelled. And no one, least of all Taylor, expected the change that came over Taylor. Their skin lost some bits of color, their eyes going jet-black. Lines of blood red patterned their face, and their hands lengthened into dark claws. "I am FUCKING DONE!"

They leapt, tearing at Eruka with a claw. But Eruka quickly danced out of the way. "What's up with you?" she asked sardonically.

Taylor then took an assessment of their claw. They knew what this was. The features of a Dream Eater. And they had a vague idea of how they'd gotten like this.

Seeing this made Casey take a step back shouting, "JESUS CHRIST!" before looking at Albert.

"You mean," Casey said frightened. "You did that!?"

They screamed to the heavens, "ALBERT KRUEGER, WHAT IS THIS FUCKERY?"

"Dream Eater power, my friend." Albert calmly explained, slugging a Dough-Goo in the throat, cracking his windpipe.

"Holy shit, you just became my type." Zone realized, blushing hard at how amazing Taylor looked as a Dream Eater.

"Okay, now you're cheating! I call shenanigans!" Malevozard said.

[look at that skeleton]

[hey, at least she's not trying to violate anyone that moves like a crazed lunatic anymore]

[i guess that's true]

[what caused her to stop]

[she probably got the awakening to the fact she fell in love]

Ito growled before turning into his Cross-Fused form. "Free, Eruka – DESTROY THEM!"

"IT'S GO TIME!" Free said.

Free - Werewolf, immortal, horrible with directions, feels like he needs to repay the person he works for.

Eruka Frog - frog witch, has no clue what she's doing, tadpoles go boom.

With Free's rancorous howl as he turned into a wolf monster with mostly dark fur; with his chest area, abdomen, hands, face, and ears all being gray and with sharp claws and teeth, the jet plunged even more into a chaotic frenzy. The immortal werewolf charged at Ghostface, fangs and claws at the ready. Ghostface had experience dodging blows from tough guys, but Free was much faster than the average tough guy, keeping the spirit on the defensive. Azfk and Eruka clashed, eldritch horror against destructive magic. Vaejovis, Ourobouros and Lady Centipede zipped through the crowd, hot on Roman's heels, while Malevozard and Buffobub faced Ridley and Stocking. Kanna, Evelyn and Sheridan fended off Yuika, Vic, Blackbeard and Ito, though it was more accurate to say the Cross-Fused quartet chased the student, elf and pirate in vain while peppering the foot soldiers with friendly fire.

Neo rushed in to try and help him but she got obstructed by the hammer-wielding figure once again as she entered the room.

"Trivia Vanille; The right hand of Roman Torchwick. You sure got up quickly. But then again, you've never been known to stay down." The girl said.

Neo then got into a fighting stance as her adversary put away her mallet.

"Who are you? And why are you doing this?! Why would you be helping those maniacs?!" Neo signed.

"For one reason and one reason only. Kiko said that if I joined her, I would have a chance for revenge against you. And it's been long overdue..." The girl explained.

"What do you mean by revenge? And who are you?" Neo signed.

The girl then stepped closer and turned her mallet into a rocket launcher.

"Wait a minute... I remember you! You were the leader of that criminal group, Killer Ink! What was your name? It was Natalie, right?" Neo signed.

"It's Killia now..." Killia clarified.

"Wait, is this because Roman kicked your ass? Cause to be honest, you needed that." Neo signed.

"Oh, it's about much more than that." Killia clarified. "So tell me, what made your little promise more important than mine?!"

Neo then turned her head quizzically.

"Lizzie Senshi, my sister, died when she was held prisoner by that piece-of-shit bull that's probably burning in hell right now. I still remember that day... vividly. My sister, died all because Adam thought we were against him, because mom married dad, a human. She made me promise to take over Killer Ink and make her proud, but now Killer Ink's gone, and I'm ruined. So now, here I am. Getting ready to fight you in order to at least try and reclaim my honor."

Natalie Senshi - goes by Killia, wants to reclaim her honor, probably insane.

"Nat- Killia, I'm sorry for the loss of your sister. From what you said, I could tell she was a great person. And I know that dealing with loss is hard, but please, don't take your anger out on others. I did that once and... it's not a pleasant thing. Just... put down your weapons and maybe we can talk this out." Neo signed.

"Nope." Killia said. "You could never understand how I feel. You were able to keep your promise. I was not. Your friend got his promise fulfilled. My sister was not. So now, I'm reclaiming that honor."

"You really want to fight your way out of this, don't you? Think you can keep up?" Neo signed, brandishing Hush.

"Of course I can. Besides, my last name literally means "warrior"." Killia joked.

'Huh, didn't know that." Neo signed.

"Enough talk, let's dance!" Killia exclaimed. So then, they started sword fighting, Killia using her mallet as an improvised sword.

Then Malevozard shot out his oversized shuriken again as Peepers snatched it out of the air.

"Hey, that's mine! Give it back!" Malevozard jumped off a table as he pounced.

"Try and catch me." Peepers replied cockily. "Cause I am VERY GOOD AT TAG!"

Malevozard twisted this way and that in an attempt to make enough physical contact to paralyze Peepers, but Peepers evaded each time, bending his body around the extended claw skillfully and crying out triumphantly all the way. If Malevozard didn't know better, he'd think Peepers was having fun with this. Malevozard sure was having fun, after all, even if he wasn't landing his blow.

Roman decided to forego subtlety and just swatted Buffobub and sent him flying. However, when it seemed that Buffobub was about to hit a table, he stopped a few inches in front of it, like something invisible cushioned him. He just dropped to the ground, cracked his neck and moved towards him again.

"You wanna play? Okay, let's play." Lady Centipede jumped down and pulled out her chain whip again and lashed, they all avoided the blow. She yanked it back over her head, and it seemed to get longer as she lashed again, the heroes dodging once more. However, they found that the chain-whip moved unnaturally. It moved more like a living being, rather than a weapon.

"She is trying to keep out of reach, we better close the gap." Mera noted.

"I can do it with my whip, but the rest of you need to draw the attention of her weapon." Pecos said. "I have the best chance."

The combination of the Kwami Jabb and the body of Brie Masterson, the Scorpion Venomous wielder, Vaejovis, leapt in front of Hibiki. "Howdy there."

"Please tell me you ain't a liar." Mera said. "Cause I read the scorpion and the turtle."

"Okay, did inspire that, and didn't see it coming." Vaejovis said. "And wanna see my skill?" She said as she planted her tail into the ground. A sick purple glow came from it, and a purple scorpion tail shot from the ground. And then another. And another…and they kept coming up.

"What are those?" Mera asked, even if she wasn't sure if she wanted to know.

"Oh, copies of my stinger tail, filled with a deadly poison that can wipe people off the census with just a sting. Plus, a nice bit of gothic…decoration." The scorpion villainess said as she threw a wicked grin, as Mera leapt towards her.

"Oh, trying to upstage me at my big recital. Well, I can't have that. LET'S DANCE!" Ouroboros discarded the theater robe he had on and charged at the heroes. He sported two snake fang-like claws on his hands and it didn't take a genius to know what he wanted to do with it.

Minami was fighting Ourobouros and a few more Paraxis. Ourobouros swung his claws at Minami with a spin and some fencing techniques, but Minami was able to block the strikes, and kicked him in the face.

"Oh, man! This is awesome! It definitely feels like I'm living one of my daydreams!" Minami said.

"This is no daydream though, this is as grand of a performance as it gets!" Ourobouros said, as he got up, and charged at Minami. But Minami quickly kicked him in the gut. "Alright, who's next?" Minami taunted.

Then, Eruka fired off a blast that opened a portal in space time, dropping a bunch of strangely shaped artifacts of all kinds. These, the X-Squad not knowing, were the Shen Gong Wu: magical tools that had been the subject of the Xiaolin-Heylin conflict for centuries.

"Okay," Roman said softly as he retrieved a pure blue sphere from the table it crashed upon, "how do these things work?"

"You say anything that comes to mind," Drakus theorized, "and it activates. Let's call that the Orb of Tornami."

"Okay then," Roman replied. "Orb of Tornami."

A rush of water erupted from the sphere, drenching Killia, who screeched. Then, Neo kicked her in the gut, sending her into Eruka, before they crashed into Free, and then into the other villains.

"Okay, now this isn't fair." Malevozard said as he was sandwiched between Free and Yuika.

END BGM

"Excuse me, but por qué diablos did you just fling those freaks into each other?!" Grim asked, terrified for his immortal life.

"Well, we had to get rid of them, somehow." Roman snarked. Then, the X-Squad rushed after the Diejah.

Just then, Muty bumped into a girl around her age dressed like a goth with a tire. Just then, Enmu, Lamu, Zora, Badley, Rem, Agdaros, Nightmare, Rozoson, Gelgieden, Orvomon, Grunemitt and Vistosam along with some Fanglars and Stooges appeared, and just then, a blonde android in a white suit, gave a high-pitched giggle. "Even you can't handle this! This is the perfect time to pick you all off like fish in a barrel!" Yoomtah Zing danced in place, feet jogging up and down.

Yoomtah Zing - Android, deranged maniac, probably homicidal, likes gumballs.

"That's as far as you'll get to me, weirdo!" The girl said.

"Give us the coordinates to your world, child, unless, of course, you want to die." Nightmare said to her.

Then, Muty started signing. "Stay away from her, or you'll meet your worst nightmare!" Then she turned to the goth. "Just have to remember what my dad told me." She thought. Then, Muty finally spoke. "Were Powers! On!"

BGM: Monster (Skillet)

Muty fell face-down on the floor, as her face started to burn with how one side was being forcefully and painfully stretched, twisting to resemble that of an alligator. Some of her teeth were forcefully pushed out, replaced by pearl fangs. Muty felt her left human eye drying and shrinking, before refilling itself, but now being an alligator's eye with all its animalistic properties. scales grew uncontrollably out of her right cheek, as black and green scales jumped out in random spots on her body. The tip of her hand-bones were piercing her fingers. To top it all off, her spine elongated out of her body, only to be covered with muscle and then scales, thus forming a tail. Then, reddish crests grew on her back. What was strange was that her clothes grew to accommodate her body.

"Wow! I got my Weregator mode! It's like I'm living in one of my daydreams!" Muty said, her voice not fitting with her appearance.

"Wait, you can speak?!" Drakus said.

Enmu was shocked by what just happened. "What the hell?!" Enmu realized.

The most shocking part was how...calm the goth girl seemed. While the girl had an expression of surprise plastered on her face, it was more of interest than what Muty was expecting.

"Erm, aren't you afraid?" She asked. While it was weird to talk with her half-gator face, she could still do it.

"No, actually" The girl responded, and that made Muty even more confused. "I'm actually...kinda glad that you're like me."

Every word out of the goth girl's mouth seemed to make Muty super confused. "What?! How come you aren't scared of me?"

Nightmare stopped and flinched. "What is that noise?"

"Noise?" Yoomtah looked at the tyrant, then to Lamu, then Enmu, then Zora and back. "I don't hear a noise! Or maybe it's me. I creak sometimes!"

"I'll tell you why," the girl responded, before taking a quick glance at her pulse clock, "in 2 minutes."

"And that is?" Enmu said, just wanting to eat her now.

"Oh, you'll see...you'll see." The goth girl said. She scratched her nose before looking at her clock again. "And here it comes."

"Oh, it's like a…clickin'." Zora said, then she realized. "Or a TICKIN'."

She quickly looked at the clock. "NO!"

Digital displays on the cylindrical frames counted down the seconds, and they were about to run out.

"ZORA!" Yoomtah yelled. "SUNDIAL HER, NOW!"

But by the time Zora thought to use her power, it was too late. The countdown reached zero. And –

The girl's chill expression suddenly changed into a painful one. She fell on her back, with her body bending and twisting with loud bone-cracking noises. The girl's arms, legs, torso and neck started to stretch out to uncanny measures. Both her hands started to change colors into a raven-black tone; her 3 main fingers growing, and the tip of them turning into sharp claws, while her thumb and little finger decreased into insignificant sizes. Her legs also changed to the same color as her hands, but horrific bone snaps followed as they were bent and snapped. The fishnets ripped holes by how stretched it was becoming. The beak of her boots was ripped open by her toenails being transformed into claws. Suddenly, feathers started to jump out irregularly out of her body, before purple veins started to blossom out of them. A small black dot grew on the tip of the girl's nose. The goth girl used her claws to not only rip off her nose, but to now open her face in half, a black crow skull emerging and replacing her once normal human face. One of her eyes fell off and was dangling by the optic nerve (by how big the skull's eye orbit was), while the other was still inside, but being equally as nerve-racking.

Thus completing Zoe Aves' transformation into a Werecrow, Black Cuervo.

Zoe Aves - Secretly Black Cuervo, Werecrow, possibly insane.

Robert - Psychic Tire

END BGM

"Oh, that's just, wrong." Lamu said, getting flashbacks to being experimented on by his dad.

"Ah shoot. I just got these boots." Zoe commented, frustrated. With her footwear being destroyed anyway, she reached down to remove the boots that were now only getting in the way.

"Y-You...You..." Muty tried to say anything, not believing her eyes at what just happened.

"Yes, I know, I look horrific and disgusting, and you probably won't want to talk or get near me again after this." Zoe commented with a deep sigh, looking down. "But this is what I wanted to tell you..."

"You...look so beautiful."

Zoe snapped her head back to Muty, now being the one in disbelief. "W-What?!"

"Yes! I could have never imagined that you could look prettier than when I first saw you, but I guess I was wrong then."

"Awww, thanks. You know, you're also pretty cute."

Muty extended her arm, giving out her claw for her, and Zoe happily took it, now being pulled closer to the other were-creature. They stared at each other's horrific eyes, before exchanging deep kisses on the other's lips.

It was cute...if you don't count their deformed appearance and the disgusting noises they were producing.

The monsters broke away after minutes of just pure kissing.

[errrrrmmm]

[congrats, we witnessed horror furries kissing]

[MutyZoe confirmed]

[aren't we gonna comment on the cyborg and monster knight?]

[let them have their moment]

Badley was getting impatient. "Are you done, yet?" He asked.

"Alright, now let's kick some butt!" Drakus said.

Then, the X-Squad started charging into battle against the villains.

"Get them, you fools!" Badley said to the Fanglars and Stooges.

BGM: Cage the Beast (Adelitas Way)

Then, the Fanglars, Stooges and Paraxis begin to attack the X-Squad, and the fight ensues. First, Eruka was tossing tadpole bombs a couple of Fanglars that were charging at her with their laser shivs. Then, a few winged Paraxis aimed their laser spears at Eruka, but as they fired, she was able to flip out of the way of the blasts, and was able to roundhouse kick them to the ground.

"I never thought you'd be dumb." Eruka joked. Then suddenly, she sees Orvomon charging at him with his mace raised. "Oh, boy!" She quickly dodges as he strikes at her.

"Hold still so I can hit you!" Orvomon demanded.

"No thanks! I prefer to be active." Eruka snarked.

Orvomon keeps flailing his mace at Eruka, and she continues to dodge the strikes and strike back at him. Meanwhile, Robert was fighting his way through the Paraxis and rolling through them. He gave a few psychic breaks to the Paraxis until he came face to face with Gelgieden, who had brandished her sword whip at him.

"Nice moves! But, you still don't have what it takes to beat me!" Gelgieden said.

"We shall see." Robert retorted, as he leapt at Gelgieden and hit her in the stomach, despite having no mouth.

Then, Gelgieden gets back up, and lashes her whip at Robert as he dodges it. While that's going on, Zoe was fighting her way through some Paraxis and pecking some of them until she sees Grunemitt, who draws his two twin swords to battle her.

"Hey, Fido! Ever familiar with the term "house-broken"?" Zoe joked.

"The only thing that's gonna be broken is your spirit, you freak!" Grunemitt said as he charges at Zoe with his swords. But Zoe blocked the strikes, and pushed him back repeatedly.

"Come, my brethren! Defend your commander!" Grunemitt ordered the Paraxis. Then, a couple of Paraxis came to Grunemitt's side, and they joined him as they fought Zoe. But she thought fast, and started defending herself against the attacks.

"Very cute, man. I'm sure we'll be good friends after enough classes in obedience school." Zoe snarked.

"I don't need this junk from you!" Grunemitt kept striking at Zoe as she dodged them.

Meanwhile, Edda was using her magic and agility to fight the Paraxis, and dodged the blasts from the laser spears. This caught the attention of Vistosam, who drew his laser rapier to do battle with her.

"My, such grace. Such beauty. You will be perfect to be my mate when we conquer this city." Vistosam said.

"Uh, ew. No thanks, I'll pass. Besides, I'm already seeing someone." Edda said.

"Then, allow me to change your mind. Besides, I can handle two wives." Vistosam joked, as he starts striking at Edda, but she keeps dodging them gracefully, and he eventually starts firing his laser blasts from his rapier at her. But, she keeps dodging them, and uppercuts him in the chin.

Free was fighting Rozoson and a few more Paraxis. Rozoson swings his spear at Free with as much rage and hatred as he did in the comics, but Free was able to block the strikes, and kicks him in the face.

"Oh, man! This is awesome! It definitely feels like home!" Free exclaimed

"This is not home though, child! This is as real a hell as it gets!" Rosozon said as he got up, and charged at Free. But Free quickly kicked him in the gut.

"Alright, who's next?" Azfk said.

"I am!" Badley throws a punch at Azfk, causing him to get knocked over. but he got back up, and continued to fight Badley then smelled his breath "Man, there's something you ought to consider, bat freak: toothpaste, cause your breath is shit!"

"The only thing I smell is your inevitable defeat, boy!" Badley said as he backhanded Azfk, causing him to fall over.

"Alright! Reach for the skies!" Drakus shouted as he turned BlueBlaze into a tommy gun and started shooting.

"Shit! They got some guns!" Yoomtah said as she got knocked back.

Then, the X-Squad started firing away at the remaining bad guys, destroying the Fanglars, Stooges and Paraxis, and sending the villains flying.

"It seems that we have a roadblock in our conquest of the galaxy." Gelgieden realized.

"This is merely just a small taste of what I do. Once I give you children the main course, this universe will surely fall." Badley vowed as he teleports back with the generals.

"Wait, that other Rhulloian? Is it a friend or a foe?" Kanade asked.

The other ship then fired a missile with hearts on it towards the flagship. "Definitely friend! Grab on!" Muty said.

END BGM

The heroes jumped onto the missile and rode it to the ship, ramming it into the laser cannon. "Well, that solves one threat, now for the other one." Drakus said as they marched towards where Wanna and Douglas were.

"You will pay for damaging my ship, earthlings." Wanna said.

"Hey, fly-face, squiddy! Listen to me for a minute! I wanna see your leader! Don't you speak english?" Luka said.

"Stay out of this, kid. This is our fight." Aria said.

"I agree with the blonde. Neither Miss Kiko or the supreme overlord Jergingha don't have time to console with an earthling kid. Now you shall feel the burn!" Douglas said.

"Jergingha, huh?" Free realized.

The base began to shake, uncoiling and changing into something freakish. What Diejah was now was a metal serpent made out of the metal of the base itself. "The time for games is over! The time for feasting on foolish Earthlings and heroes, begins!" Wanna declared.

BGM: Disguise (Motionless in White)

"We won't surrender that easily! Activate Unlimited Form!" Red said, entering the mode himself. The Wonderful Ones soon wore masks as the groups began to fight the snake robot.

"We're falling behind on this thing! Keep running up this thing and don't stop for anything!" Red shouted as they fought off smaller serpents that were on the large one.

"Let's see how you deal with my trained recruits, who are also my torture victims!" Douglas said.

"Oh great, Orgons. I hate these things!" Blue said as they finished off each one as it attacked.

Just then, a wolf in silver and gold knight armor leapt down in front of them.

"Know this, you impudent intruders." The Wolf knight said. "I, Sir Raijuu, shall strike you down, for Lady Kiko!"

Sir Raijuu - His species is the ancestor of Raijū, follows a code of honor, willing to stab people.

Raijuu shot strings of fishing hooks at Mystletainn, who leaped back to avoid being wrapped up by the enchanted hooks. When one of the tendrils came too close, she started violently clawing at it, tearing it to dust. She kept clawing and pushing forward, clawing and shredding until she got close enough to the wolf, she took a swipe and shredded his armor. Raijuu growled. He then took out a sword and fired an energy blast out of it, hitting Mystletainn and knocking her back.

Raijuu raised his sword and tried to cave Lune's face in. "Demon see, Demon do..." Lune said as she jumped up to avoid it. She then smacked her hagoromo in his head vertically and sort of pole vaulted over him. "Demon be screwing with you." Lune taunted. Raijuu growled and let out a huge roar that stunned Lune, before he rammed into her, knocking her back before Mystletainn leapt onto him.

"Ah, get off me!" Raijuu howled as Mystle decided to piggy-back ride the knight.

"Hi-ho, dicky-bird! Away!" Mystle happily squealed as Raijuu was too frazzled to keep standing, just keeling over and dropping to the ground.

[is this a fight we shouldn't be seeing?]

DrakBot: [ :) ]

[please don't purge us again robot overlord]

Jafar: [Maleficent, Hades, please tell me I'm not the only one seeing this.]

FlamingHot: [Twitch Chat?]

OogieBoogieMan: [Oh please tell me this isn't what I think it is.]

MistressofAllEvil: [I think it is.]

OogieBoogieMan: [Please kill me. Again.]

[what the fuck is going on, I leave, come back and now there's Disney villains everywhere]

Jafar: [don't worry about it]

Yellow followed up with his hammer, smashing Diejah's head and making it bite its own body off.

"I think you just made it angry." Drakus said as it produced two giant saw blades. "Better hurry and deal with this." Louise said summoning a pale blue crossbow. "Frost Arrow Hurricane!" She shouted, freezing the saw blades in place. "Nailed it! Attack!" She said.

The heroes bull-rushed the saw blades on either side, attacking the weak points until both blades blew up. They then took it to Wanna, hammering his vehicle.

Diejah, having enough, produced an electro-cannon from its mouth and fired four projectiles at the heroes. "Unite Sword!" Blue said as the large sword absorbed the shots before firing them back.

"Unite Gun!" Green shouted as he shot the beast as it charged.

"Repent Motherfucker!" Stocking shouted, slashing the beast multiple times.

The heroes then combined their weapons, adding Red, Blue, Green, Pink, Yellow, Stocking, Kanna, Ridley, Casey, Symonne, Maltran, Lunarre, Evelyn, Sheridan, Zoe and Robert's weapons to the mix, turning it into a dragon skull connected to a whip linked to a giant bazooka.

"Go to hell, furry." Drakus said.

[THIS IS NOT THE TIME FOR JOKES YOU ASS]

"Drake Jawslammer… Ready!"

"Kill them!" shouted Raijuu.

"Hey look!" cried Wanna, as the heroes stood ready for the kill. "Time to die!" shouted Mystletainn, and she and the heroes all shouted together…

"DRAKE JAWSLAMMER, HYPER STRIKE!!"

As it flew into Diejah, it blasted right through, and before it exploded, knocking Wanna and his vehicle out of it in flames and Douglas into a portal.

"You rock, angel girl! C'mon Yellow, catchphrase time, let's hear it!" Blue said.

"Ohh! Sorry...but we have no such phrase in my country." Yellow said blushing.

"Urgh, I can still complete my mission!" Wanna said, charging to the Port. "GEATHJERK FORRRRRRRRREVVVVVVVVVVERRRRRRRR!"

Drakus' eyes widened in alarm as an energy ring bearing the emblem of the Happiness Charge PreCure encircled Wanna, his entire body pixelating and transforming into a monster. "No… You're… A Hitotsuki?!"

Wanna, or rather, Hapcharyuki, roared, the entire plane rattling from his power. The majority of his body resembled a blue Hitotsuki. His torso and shoulders, however, were covered by moss-like black wings, a sand-like left claw, a candy-like right claw, and fog folded in such a way as to look like the upper part of a clown, with a hood from which a Tyrannosaurus skull made of glass emerged, lacking eyes. His ship had transformed into a twisted mass of moss, sand, sweets and fog covered in spikes which he slammed against the deck again and again, the plane shaking with each impact, the chat paying attention to the muscles.

MistressofAllEvil: [Okay, Hades, stop analyzing his muscles. I can feel the chat's thirst from here.]

[those abs tho]

[crush me daddy]

[bro you want some of the memories of that chat to be us simping over a monster?]

"Not yet, Yamimech, feast! Fortissimo!" Raijuu growled, getting eaten by the snake robot along with Diejah and Hapcharyuki, then was spat out, with fly and sweet, moss, sand, and fog motifs and a snake tail.

A small octagonal shape appeared and before anyone could question him about it, the object appeared above the battle zone, and expanded to a larger size.

"Hey, what's that?" asked Roman.

"It's a Mugic!" cried Drakus. "A powerful magical music; I've heard of these."

The others still didn't understand, but the object began to spin round and around while simple notes of a small song were heard. The song then replayed in a remix-symphonic form, like something from a Chaotic world.

As the song played, Raijuu's body glowed in a bright light, and suddenly… in a bright flash, Raijuu was bigger.

"Ah, yes, this is the stuff." boomed Raijuu, and stretched his long arms out, and then he looked down at the tiny X-Squad. "I wonder what squashed heroes will be like." He joked, and he raised his huge sword to swat them.

"What happened?" asked Drakus. "Where did that magical note come from?"

"I can answer that…" hissed a voice. The heroes looked and saw someone walk up from the deck -- A mage, though shorter than the others, about up to Mera's upper-body. His skin was gold colored, he wore a black witch hat, a red cape, a green robe, and he carried a long metal staff with an upside-down crescent-moon with a large red ruby in the center at the top in one hand and a spell book in the other.

"Who are you supposed to be?" asked Kanade.

"Name's Don Korneil Keto, Master Mugician and humble servant to Master Kiko; but just call me Keto. Many decades ago, in the Zetara Galaxy, though I seem small in stature, as a Mugician I was able to use my powers to gain anything I desired from anyone and maybe find some happiness along the way -- I stole from women and children, I robbed a few intergalactic banks, I even broke some kneecaps -- my life was perfect, until Starfleet interfered and sent me to prison."

"Well, better pack up your bag of tricks, Shorty, cause you're getting sent back to jail." Eruka snarked.

Keto chuckled. "Really now?"

"Yes, really." Drakus said.

"But seriously, you poor soul, how have you managed to make it out still possibly sane?" Kermit asked.

"Simple, breakout due to someone trying to undermine Starfleet." Keto explained.

"Oh, thank god, did they get overthrown?" Drakus asked.

"From what I've heard, yes, the riot got so bad that Sobek himself had to step in and exile the Grand Ruler and the Starfleet heroes to the deepest depths of the Aether." Keto said.

"Oh good, those ASSHATS had it coming to them for a long time." Drakus said.

"Let me show you." Keto said, but as he waved his staff to try and boost Raijuu's power. nothing happened, hardly even a few flickers. "Oh, snickerdoodles."

"What?"

"I've used so much Mugic, my power's running too low!" Keto clarified.

The heroes were delighted to hear this. "You two want power? Well, you got it." Drakus called to them. "Argana Megazord." The squad leapt into the Megazord and shot at Raijuu.

"Whoa!" Keto cried as he leapt into a portal, and Raijuu got hit by the force. "You did try your best, mage!" he thundered at Keto before he teleported, leaving Hapcharyuki to fight at giant size. He tried to grab the statue when suddenly it disappeared from sight.

"What the hell just happened?" Free said.

"Ha! It works perfectly like a charm." Shirogane said. "That there was my Subspace Stealth Circuit, the ultimate defensive weapon!"

"So basically, you put the port inside of subspace so it can be protected." Mystle said.

"Correct! You know your stuff, misty!" Shirogane said.

"Misty?" Mystle said looking surprised by that nickname.

As the Megazord got some altitude and the Squad leapt inside of it, eight zords appeared and merged with it, then ten figures appeared in the cockpit, four of them carrying a palanquin with the fifth seated on a motorcycle on top, with the other five standing rather awkwardly off to the side. Humorously, the palanquin was massively lopsided due to one of the bearers being twice a man's height, and the other being less than half that.

[hello there, Donbrothers]

MistressofAllEvil: [General Kenobi!]

[yoooooooo]

[hi haruka!]

"Why are we doing this again?!" Oni Sister demanded, frustrated.

"One of my usual bearers had a medical emergency," Don Momotaro, the man on the motorcycle, explained. "Everyone else took the day off to support them, so I needed someone to take their place."

"Couldn't you just hire some temps?" Kiji Brother, struggling to hold up his end of the palanquin.

"Or, you know, maybe not do this at all?!" Inu brother snapped.

"Of course we had to do it, how else would anyone know it was a festival?" Don Momotaros asked seriously.

"Look, there's the Hitotsuki!" Don Dragoku announced, pointing at Hapcharyuki. "And… Um… what the hell?"

Everyone stared.

Then they dropped the palanquin, dumping Don Momotaro and his bike onto the ground, leaving him to yell at them for their lack of discipline, but they were too busy gawking at the band of misfits and the massive monstrous Hitotsuki staring at them.

"DIE, DIE, DIE!" Hapcharyuki roared, trying to stab the Megazord.

"Did… Did we take a wrong turn somewhere? Because right now I'm not sure we are on Earth anymore!" Kiji Brother cried a little shrilly, comically hiding behind Oni Sister, which didn't work because he was much taller than her.

"Did you guys know about this and not tell me again? I'm tired of always being dropped into battles with zero context!" Inu Brother yelled.

"Don't worry, pupper, everything will be okay," Stocking said as she patted him on the head.

"Woof woof! I'm not a dog, don't pet me!" He snapped, tail wagging happily as one of his feet excitedly tapped the ground.

"Shining silver sky/What wonders you will show us/Life is beautiful," Saru Brother said serenely.

"How do you do that?!" The extremely envious Oni Sister demanded.

He shrugged.

"None of that matters!" Don Momotaro declared, kicking Oni Sister aside for no real reason. "We're here for the Hitotsuki!"

"He's flying away," Inu Brother pointed out as Hapcharyuki suddenly took off. "And it looks like there's people already on this… So, maybe we should just leave it and go home-"

"Fly true, dragon shuriken!" Saru Brother yelled as he pressed some buttons, the Megazord turning into a shuriken and throwing itself at Hapcharyuki.

"NOT AGAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIN!" Kiji Brother wailed.

"Or we could do this, I guess," Inu Brother grunted.

[better hope that motherfucker Ono doesn't show up]

[we can still sell him on the dark web, just saying]

[dude, we've been over this, no!]

[that's it, i'm calling the hitman]

[don't]

Higher up, Drakus stared down at Wanna in disbelief. "You can fly now?! Well, let's see if I can't ground you! Hurricane Surge!"

The Megazord spread its wings, which grew considerably larger, and started beating them rapidly, generating a powerful gust of silver wind which blasted down at Hapcharyuki. The Hitotsuki grunted in alarm as the wind buffeted him, starting to push him back, and he frantically beat his wings even harder to stay airborne.

Then, Hapcharyuki grabbed the Megazord and dragged it down to the water with him.

"Inadequate!" Don Momotaro yelled after them. "Come, maybe together we can-"

Without warning, Hapcharyuki broke through the glass, and Don Dragoku started slashing at the tendrils. "ONLY I GET TO KILL TARO!"

"But, but why?" Mystle asked, fending off the frenzied tendril swings with her spear.

"He told me my rice pilaf was barely edible and that I should never try to make it again!" Don Dragoku shouted.

"Well, you shouldn't!" Don Momotaro insisted.

For some reason, this just made Don Dragoku angrier.

[aaaaand there it is]

[fuck man, Taro had a good run]

[damnit]

[we were this close to greatness]

Without warning, Don Murasame started using a chainsaw to cut some tendrils. "I am getting myself some sashimi."

A moment later, the Cerebran generals Sonoi, Sononi, and Sonoza stared at the chaos going on around them as they fought off the tendrils. Sonoza started laughing like a robot who had never heard laughter before but read about it somewhere, which was not wholly inaccurate, until Sononi glared at him and he shut up.

Finally, Sonoi sighed and shook his head. "Gaim, help us."

Sononi nodded in agreement. "Agreed, I've got a date."

"The human world is so weird," Sonoza added.

Then Hapcharyuki grabbed the Megazord by the neck and smashed him into the ground, then a wall, then the floor again, then a wall again. The Megazord tried to stab him with a blade, but Hapcharyuki petulantly tore it out of his hands and flung it away, then slammed him into the ground once more and started punching it in the face repeatedly.

"YOU DIE NOW," Hapcharyuki growled, taking visceral pleasure in what he was doing. "THIS PLANET WILL BURN… AFTERWARDS… THE NIGHTMARE ENDS."

As he roared in fury and anguish, he caught a flash of yellow out of the corner of his eye. He quickly raised a hand, grinning to himself as he caught the blade in it…

And stopped smiling when the blade just kept going, slicing through his arm and cutting it in half lengthwise. As the Hitotsuki bellowed in agony, the Megazord lashed out with the blade half a dozen times in succession, each slash cutting into his hide and destroying part of his thick armor and skin. Hapcharyuki breathed fire directly in the mech's face, but the zord wrapped his wings around him in a shield, the fire deflecting off of it and back into Hapcharyuki's face, causing him to shriek as his own breath burned him, sending him flying back.

"Dragon Kick!"

The Megazord slammed into the back of the sword with their foot, searing Hapcharyuki's wings in the process.

Screaming, energy particles flaking off of his body in droves, he hurtled downwards, slamming into one of the larger coral-covered islands, the surprisingly tough and sharp coral and rocks tearing through the hide like a blade through flesh.

The Megazord headed toward the islet, and spat the squad and Donbrothers onto the sand, gasping for breath. "That," Kiji Brother gasped, flailing his wet wings, "was not fun."

"It would have been easier if more of you had known how to swim," Inu Brother complained, shaking himself off like a wet dog.

"Maybe if a certain someone had actually explained how to swim instead of just yelling at us that we were doing it wrong," Oni Sister snapped, glaring at her leader.

"But you were doing it wrong," Don Momotaro pointed out, confused as to why she was angry at him.

"Which fool is greater?/The fool who claims to lead us/or those who follow?" Saru Brother mused.

"You," Don Momotaro said immediately.

"Taro," Don Dragoku gasped, feebly trying to poke Don Momotaro with his spear. "I'll kill you…"

"After we deal with the Hitotsuki, companions!" Don Momotaro cried, immediately jumping to his feet, somehow already fully recovered. "Up! We must fight!"

They groaned. They groaned even harder when he started kicking at them to get up, not understanding why they weren't already on their feet.

Hapcharyuki cried in anguish and collapsed to his feet, exploding.

"Get back!" Kiji Brother cried. "Any moment now, he's going to come back as a giant monster-"

In a flash of light, Hapcharyuki changed back into Wanna. A HappinessCharge PreCure Sentai Gear fell out of the air and landed in front of Don Dragoku, who grabbed it, causing it to transform first into a HappinessCharge PreCure Avataro Gear depicting Megumi, then Mirage.

"Or not," Kiji Brother said lamely.

"You know, why is it that sometimes they turn into giant monsters, but other times they don't?" Inu Brother wondered. "I never got that."

"Well, I guess we're done here?" Oni Sister asked uncertain.

"It's not over yet," Drakus said, turning back to the fly alien and raising his foot.

"Wait," an alarmed Saru Brother started. "What are you-"

Drakus stomped on Wanna, crushing him flat, a couple times over.

Kiji Brother threw up and passed out, which is rather unfortunate because that meant it was stuck in his helmet with him.

"You… You killed him!" A horrified Inu Brother cried.

"He's… He's actually dead!" Oni Sister screamed. "Not banished to the Shadow Realm, but actually dead!"

"Why would you do such a thing?" A stunned Saru Brother asked. "Are you not a hero? You… You're supposed to kill monsters, not people!"

"I am a hero," Drakus asserted. "But the thing is… Sometimes people are the worst monsters of all."

"I do not understand," Don Momotaro said, baffled.

"It's a lesson everyone must learn sooner or later," Mera said, not looking at him. "The world isn't as black-and-white as we might wish it at times."

[faith in humanity restored]

[wait, someone fact check this]

[can confirm that he's right, life ain't always fair]

[no shit]

[yeah he's right]

Yarhar: [ah yeah, let the chaos and plundering commence]

[who the fuck]

FlamingHot: [Not actually a bad idea, Hook.]

[what the fuck]

"Mission complete! Good work team, dinner's on me!" Red said.

Don Momotaro stared after them, lost in thought, completely ignoring Don Dragoku, who was trying to stab him in the shin.

"What is a monster?/Is it a demon from hell?/Or our own darkness?" Saru Brother mused.

"You're such a freak," Oni Sister complained. "Then again, I just had a great idea for a new manga…"

"Tell me more," Eruka said suddenly next to her, causing her to scream.

The throne room of the fortress had undergone massive renovations. Balloons and streamers were everywhere, banners with "Congratulations!" or "Good job, Keto!" were hung between the support pillars, a band was playing the latest hit from the Youkalien idol group Flower5, a splendid buffet had been laid out, and everyone was wearing party hats.

"Your Cold Excellence, all this really wasn't necessary," an abashed Keto told his boss. "You really didn't need to go to all this trouble for me!"

Kronos downed a glass of wine and scoffed. "Nonsense, dude! You've risked everything to help Wanna break that super reactor! You've more than earned yourself some rest!"

"But, Kronos, I don't need the rest!" Keto protested. "I just need a little time to regenerate my mugic, and then I'll be back in the fight-"

"Oh, don't be silly," Kiko purred, patting the mage on the head, causing him to blush. "You've done more than enough."

"And besides," Zoey remarked, leaning against her lover's shoulder. "The X-Squad are wise to all your tricks now, so next time you might lose."

"Oh, I hadn't considered that," Keto admitted, looking distressed. "I certainly wouldn't want to hinder the war effort. Very well, if you insist, then I shall accept this down time without complaint… But I will not rest for a moment longer than necessary, and if you have any need for me, do not hesitate to tell me!"

Free shook his head and raised a glass. "Your work ethic and devotion to duty are an inspiration to us all. To Keto!"

"To Keto!" Everyone in the room chorused.

AN: Didn't expect things to be wholesome for Deadlight, did ya? Well next, the squad's going after Vijounne, and this time, Blue ain't letting her get away.