I put a self-insert OC in this chapter! How naughty of me!

Part 2: Our Chance to Grow

Cleveland Hospital

"No faaaiiiir!" Jason whined, kicking and punching on his bed. "Why do I gotta stay in bed until tomorrow?! I wanna get back at that star guy now!"

"Sorry, Jason." Dr. Haruka smiled, ruffling his hair. "I don't know what exactly you were fighting, but you took some heavy damage. You'll all make a quick recovery by tomorrow, especially if you suck up this sunlight!"

Jason and Christina's bandaged frames were brought up to the roof, basking in the warmth of the day. "I can't believe I got wrecked by that V-dork." Chris said. "He was a frickin' cheat!"

"You'll have another chance at him, I'm sure." Haruka consoled. "Just give your mind a chance to refresh itself. I'm going to check on Ralph, be back in a bit."

The doctor returned inside and found Mali crouched outside Ralph's room, listening to him and Laruta recap each other. "It's scary that these Mamodo seemed to know exactly where we'd be. You and Perry were still at school, Isabelle was ambushed on her run through the woods, and they just lured out the rest of us by attacking a high school. This 'Milordo-Z' must've done their homework… which I fear neither of you will feel like doing."

"Girl, I don't think you should want to do homework either. Those Mamodo can come back any time."

"He's not wrong." Haruka replied, stepping inside. "But I won't let them take a step in this building!"

"Dr. Gray-san…" Mali frowned. "I'm scared. Jason and Chrissie are really tough… but they still got beat. If we can't beat these Momomo… can our parents do it for us? My mommy's really strong, too… She could beat them…"

"But then you wouldn't have a chance to grow, Mali. That's what the KND is all about."

"But it was too hard… even for the big kids."

"But they're still alive and they'll be able to fight again. They'll have a chance to try again and be prepared. …You know, I told Laruta this once, but I bet you'll like to hear it, too, Mali."

The doctor faced the ceiling, Mali and Ralph following her gaze curiously. Laru, meanwhile, already recalled this speech. "When we were your age, we were all about getting stronger and seeing how high we could go. But the older we got, the more we realized there was a ceiling above us. We grew so well that we felt like we couldn't go much further. It was different when we were kids. The ceiling was so high that we felt we had plenty of room to jump. We were determined to jump as high as possible. And before we knew it, we were jumping pretty high up."

"That doesn't make sense." Ralph said. "I mean, I get you're trying to make a metaphor of 'getting stronger,' but wouldn't it be more inspiring to jump outside and try to reach the sky? Not some tiny ceiling?"

"You're missing the point!" Laruta argued. "The idea is that kids have more freedom to grow and try than adults do! If an adult jumped under a ceiling, they'd just bump their head, and they'd get tired as a result, whereas kids could keep it up much longer because we're smaller!"

"Oh, I get it, the reason you like this lesson is 'cause you're tiny, and it helps you feel stronger than the big kids."

"THAT'S NOT IT!"

"But I'm already big." Mali said. "That means I won't get any stronger…"

"No no no!" Haruka tried to rebuttle. "Okay, this lesson is still a little iffy, but it makes sense in my mind! The point is children have more freedom to grow, and that growth can help you exceed those that have already grown. The idea is not being swayed by the ideas of limits or even power differences. And it isn't literally about growth so much as it is about age. Mali, you're still a little kid, but you're already fighting alongside these older boys and girls! You all need to tackle these challenges yourself, 'cause if you do, you might grow even higher than us!"

"Um…I still don't get it. So, if I pretend I'm stronger than the bad guys, I'll win?"

"I get the message, Mrs. G," Ralph followed, "but power differences are still a big deal."

"Yes, that's true… but there's also power in teamwork and planning. Once you guys are up on your feet again, you kids will be able to topple that ceiling!"

"I thought the point was reaching the ceiling!"

"Okay, Ralph, it's time for your physical therapy, and it's gonna hurt!" Haruka clapped. "As for you kids, there's still plenty of day left. You oughta go play a bit. You can also have one of the Megalollies downstairs!"

"Yaaaaay!"

Mali would be walking outside with a giant-sized, colorful lollipop, swaying her head in delight of its taste. Laruta jogged to keep ahead of her friend's big steps. "But I have to admit, there's kind of a flaw in Mom's logic." Laruta said. "Those Mamodo we fought kind of looked like kids themselves. And if they are, they're basically under the same ceiling as us."

"Oh…" Mali was drawn out of her joy.

Laruta spun to her with a hop, fists pumped passionately. "But that doesn't matter! We may be both jumping, but one of us will bump our heads first! We just have to make sure it isn't us! We're gonna keep jumping, but that ceiling is gonna stay above us!"

"Hahahaha!" Mali was still confused by this whole metaphor, but Laruta's optimism reinvigorated her. The giant opened her mouth to welcome the lollipop once m-

"OH, WHAT IS THAT DELICACY?!" A rope of pink goop snatched the candy right out of her grasp. It flew into the hands of a big-headed boy with blue-striped regal clothes, his chest bare, and a crown. His wide face was in a smile with curved, teary eyes. "Mmmmm!" He lay the sweet down and brushed his tongue along it. "The Tallest never let us have such luxurious eatery! Zoboron, please come try this!"

A green lizard crawled up and slurped the sweet. "Zob, zob!"

"HEY!" They were startled by Laruta's shout. Mali's lips quivered on the verge of crying. "You realize my friend was eating that, right?! What kind of sick adult takes candy from a kid?!"

"HAH! Shows what you know, stupid! I'm 6 years old, so I'm entitled to this candy as any kid!"

"WHAAAAAT?!" The jaws of both girls dropped. "I thought you were a short man, that isn't the face of a kid at all!"

"Well, I am! And this sweet is the food of kings!"

"Grrrr…even so, that didn't belong to you! Besides, it's already got Mali's spit on it!"

"Well, SPIT ON THIS!" The boy spat a stream of the pink liquid.

"AAAAH!" Laruta cringed as the goop totally drenched her. "Huh?! I'm stuck!" She struggled to step off that spot. "It's so sticky!"

"Laru-chan!"

"Poopoopoo! Now, Zoboron, proceed to-"

"Wait, I can bend it off!" Laruta did so.

"AAAAH! THAT'S NOT FAIR!"

"ZOBOOOO!" Surging energy in her mouth, the lizard unleashed a massive sphere of purple energy.

"LARU-CHAN, WATCH OUT!"

"WAH…uh?" The sphere in question was approaching very slowly.

"Oooo…pretty!" Mali beamed.

"…That stuff was meant to stick me…" Laruta thought aloud. "So, this slow attack…! MALI, RUN!"

"Huh?! AAAAH!" They both bolted apart. The sphere barely touched the ground where they stood… and a blinding explosion swallowed a chunk of the parking lot, leaving a crater outside the hospital's entrance. The shockwave blew the girls off their feet, twisting toward the crater in horror.

"Poopoopoopoo! Now do you see our power?! Apart, we may be weaklings, but together, Purio and Zoboron are the perfect team!"

Laruta shot him a glare. "It's too bad your little strategy doesn't work with our bending! Mali, we can do this! Just hit them from long range and we'll be safe!"

"Hai! I gots the soda!" Mali opened her fanny-pack and bent out a couple Flurps, squirting one down her throat and giving the other to Laruta. With their chi paths heightened, the girls belched Gas Bombs at the Mamodo duo, Purio crying as he carried Zoboron around the crater's rim. Seeing them distracted in panic, Laruta dashed up the slope with a Gas Rocket. "HOH!" She rammed Purio with a headbutt, the Mamodo reeling over and throwing Zoboron into the air. With a laugh, Mali rocketed skyward and grabbed the lizard. "Sorry, Mr. Lizzy! But I gotta squeeze you!" She only allowed the head to poke out, keeping it faced away as her gentle hands squeezed Zoboron.

"Poopoopoo! She called you a boy, Zoboron!" Purio laughed, wrestled down by Laruta. "Let's see if you're immune to THIS poison!"

"OUCH! AAAH!" A scorching sensation forced Laruta off, panicked as the lower parts of her shirt and pants melted. Purio jumped up and spewed a cloud of smoke over Laruta, the gymnast quickly bending it skyward. "AH!" Purio latched his sticky rope on Laruta, hauling and slamming her into a car. "Laru-chan!" Still squeezing Zoboron, Mali rushed to help. However, the child halted seeing a huge, blue sphere inflate from Zoboron's mouth. "Uh…aaaaahhh!" The sphere lifted both up into the air like a balloon.

Laruta bent the stick off her and dodged Purio's acid. "Mali, just let go!" Mali did so and dropped, blasting gas to soften her landing. Mali squirted some Bubbly Flurp inside her, enabling her to burp large bubbles that quickly rose and exploded against Zoboron. Despite the damage, Zoboron was stubborn and her bubble stayed intact. After reaching a good height, Zoboron sucked the energy back up into a small ball, spitting it straight down. "YOOOOW!" It punctured right through the spot below Mali's left eye.

"MALI! Quick, this way!" Laruta dashed across the parking lot. Mali put a hand over her wound, holding in her feelings as she hurriedly followed. Once a safe distance away, Mali got down on her hands, bending low enough for Laruta to bend some medicine over the wound. "That looks bad… Mali, do you wanna back out?"

"Uh-uh…" She tried to restrain her tears, wincing from the stinging medicine. Once Laruta finished applying it, Mali grabbed a big Band-Aid and carefully applied it. "I gotta… be stronger than the bad guys."

"Mali…" For being so young in body and mind, Laruta was proud that she was trying to stay strong. "…! THE HOSPITAL!" She saw another purple sphere heading for the hospital's second floor. "THAT CHEAT! Mali, Volleyball Maneuver, now!" She curled up as Mali snatched her off the ground. The giant tossed her up and lay a swift smack; her palm was gentle, but forceful enough to fling Laruta across the lot. She unraveled and landed on her feet, the Mamodo facing her.

"If I can't hit you, I'll hit the hospital instead! It's too late for you to stop it! But now that you're here, I'll-"

Laruta evaded Purio's acid and shot a rope of snot at Zoboron. Leaving Purio agape, Laruta whirled the lizard in the air and flung her toward the sphere. Zoboron was frantic as she opened her mouth, chomping the sphere. She slurped it right down her throat. "AHA!" Laruta shot more snot to trap Zoboron once more, swinging her into Purio. "I thought she would suck it up, just like she did the other one! Otherwise, looks like she's afraid of popping it!" Laruta sucked in some nasal spray and shot snot to try and glue them down, but Purio countered it with acid. Mali had launched up with a Gas Rocket and dropped down with feet aimed at her foes. Seeing her, Purio grabbed Zoboron and dodged, while also belching a cloud of smoke. Mali bent the smoke away, but a terrible sensation plagued the child. "Laru-chan! I'm itchy! So itchy!"

"Let's use that smoke against them!" Laruta flew up to catch the smoke in her own bending, directing it down at the Mamodo. Purio slurped it back inside him, but beyond the smoke, he didn't see as Laruta dropped with a Ground Pound, flattening the bigheaded youth. Laruta yelped when Zoboron bit her rump, pushing her off at the cost of her pants' seat (the underwear was fine though). Withstanding the itch, Mali leapt and Ground Pounded them as well, giving a few more extra bounces to squish the stamina out of them. However, the Mamodo eventually rolled out, with Purio leaving a puddle of acid to burn Mali through her dress.

"I'm hurting, Zoboron! Kiss me!" With that, Purio locked with his partner into a kiss. Laruta's only conclusion was that it was meant to weird them out. "Ahh! I feel much better now! Okay, Zoboron, use it! Shoot the smaller one! She's been harder to hit!"

"ZOBOOO!" Zoboron bellowed a pink sphere with a green gem, the same large size as the purple.

Laruta made an evasive dash. "It may be faster, but it's still too slow for—huh?!" The sphere curved in her direction. "IT'S HOMING IN?!"

"POOPOOPOO!" Purio was already taking Zoboron far away. "That's Zoboron's strongest attack, which she can only use after absorbing enough pain from herself or others. All the damage you dealt on us will be used against you! POO POO!"

Mali picked up an empty car and dashed after. "Sorry, Car-san!" She tossed the car at the sphere, but it merely bounced off.

"Sorry! It won't explode until it hits somebody!"

"Grrrrr!" Mali couldn't care about these annoying itches until she made those two pay. The child grabbed the next soda and swallowed. "SORRY, CAR-SAAAANS!" She determinedly stormed over the cars; frankly, any logical person should've fled after this dangerous fight started. A panicking Purio released another smoke cloud, but by the time Mali bent it away, the Mamodo were gone. "Sniff, sniff…" The smoke gave off a gross smell. Even after raising it to the sky, she could still smell it. She closed her eyes and followed the scent… to the underside of an RV.

Mali picked the car up, the Mamodo screaming upon their discovery. "LARU-CHAN!" Mali grabbed Zoboron and ran. Purio spat globs of acid, but only succeeded in melting Mali's shoes. Even as her soles were riddled with bruises, she passionately ran toward her incoming friend. Mali hurdled Zoboron straight at the sphere. Knowing her survival was at stake either way, the lizard bit and slurped the energy back up. Unfortunately, the pain coursed through her in a sudden flash, and her unease only heightened when Mali CLAPPED hands over her. When Mali opened them, the lizard lay unconscious.

"YOU'LL PAY FOR THIIIIS!" In a last ditch effort, Purio barfed a vortex of acid. While Mali used bending to repel it from herself, Laruta launched through the center with a Gas Rocket, spinning the whirlpool's direction so as to bend it away from the center. She flew above Purio, latched a Boogerope on him, flipped, and flung Purio into the roof of the RV. The roof was smooshed in, but it knocked the last of Purio's senses out.

"Huff…huff…" Laruta fell to her hands and knees.

"Laru-chan…" Mali crawled to her, her feet too weak to keep walking.

"Mali-chan…" She felt warm as Mali's hands cupped over her. Both were a mess, both were injured, both tired… and both had total faith in each other. Proud of their selves, they could only smile. "You seem a little… bigger."

"I do? But you still look the same size."

"Then I guess… I grew with you!"

"Hahahahahahaha!"

"Ack…ack…ah…" The girls looked as Purio and Zeboron began to gag.

"What're they doing?" Mali asked.

"I don't know… maybe we should bring them to Mom. We need a few Band-Aids ourselves…"

Virginian Forest

Coated in stone armor, Baransha sniffed out the Shandian. She traced the scent of her leaking blood until she narrowed it down to a cave within the base of a thick tree. Baransha blasted a laser and sent the tree tumbling. However, Isabelle had only let a small puddle of blood spill while she climbed the tree. She used the noise of the laser to jump down in ambush, planting a conch shell-like device against Baransha's armor. "It's Quake Dial time! And with soundbending, it gets especially irritating!"

The vibration penetrated the armor, and Isabelle's claim held merit as Baransha felt her insides shaking terribly. It kept reverberating within her armor, so she made the stone burst off, with the added benefit of blowing Isabelle off. Baransha then spun and whipped her away with her three tails. Isabelle rolled back on her feet and ran, dropping down a short cliff and onto the interstate road. She ran partway up the road, facing back worriedly as she heard Baransha jump down. The panther was cloaked… but, Isabelle saw her purple paws visible against the street. It seems her camouflage didn't work against manmade surfaces. Isabelle played the part and acted cool, glancing about as though she couldn't determine Baransha's location. The panther herself kept her breathing low with light steps, and once close, she swiftly pounced Isabelle. Alas, the Shandian ducked and thrusted an arrow straight into her stomach.

"AHH! Cough!" Baransha crouched down, conserving what little strength she had left. Her visibility returned. "So, you were playing me… what a fool I was… Child, who are you?"

"I'm Isabelle, of the Shandian Tribe! The Hunter of KND Sector V!"

"The Kids Next Door… truly have impressive operatives. Alright… finish me."

"A hunter must finish their prey, but the rules are a little different for sapient creatures. The KND don't kill villains if we can help it. Besides, you seem like a pretty unique panther. I wouldn't wanna kill you either way. If you can hold on, we can treat these wounds."

"You would do that for your foe? Regardless, it's a waste of effort. By the day's end, I'll revert back to stone, and I wonder if our superior will revive me for my failure."

"Superior? Wait, were you sent by someone?!"

"I'm too tired to tell you anything. But if you want to preserve my life, it'll be faster to knock me out. I'll become stone and my injuries will seal. I'm sure by now, your friends can answer your questions."

Isabelle grit her teeth. She was called about an attack sometime ago. "Have it your way…" Isabelle lay a firm kick to Baransha's head, KOing her.

Road outside the forest

"So, uh…you guys lost or somethin'?"

That was the best question Shimmy could ask the two jesters, blocking the way into the forest so the small train couldn't proceed. One wore a purple tunic with puffy blue pants, his pale-pink head balloon-shaped with purple hair swept back into a point. The second wore a pink jumpsuit with black boots, shorts, red gauntlets, and a sharp-toothed clown face with four long, black spikes. "A fair greeting to you all." The first curtsied. "My name is Fein. This is Alm. We'd like to put on a performance for you."

"We don't got time for the circus, buddy." Silica sneered. "But it's pretty obvious you two are Mamodo, so… Shimmy, just ram them."

"OKAY!" Shimmy hit the gas and boosted. Fein leapt and kicked Shimmy off, but suffered a Shade Fist from Silica. Alm fired twin lasers to blow the train several yards off road. Silica leapt off, diving into a Veil, leaving Fein to be ambushed by Shimmy's karate chops. Off guard at first, the jester reacted to block her attacks, afterwards thrusting his palm to blow Shimmy into her train.

"Looks like you kids barely survived our first attack!" Alm said, tossing yellow spheres at Shimmy. "In the first place, Milordo-Z sent us against operatives who couldn't match our powers! You might as well give up-"

Shimmy flipped onto her train and pressed a button. The two back cars moved to the sides, and Shimmy thrusted twin levers to make the cars thrust like fists. Still in Veil, Silica grabbed Fein's ankles and dragged him away, ramming him into a sign. Fein blew a puff of air downward and blew himself out of her grasp. Alm struggled to push back the left Train Fist, but would ultimately suffer when the right fist punched him from the side. Alm slammed his palms into the ground, channeling power beneath the surface. Shimmy felt the ground quake, frantic as beams began to rupture from the ground. Her train withstood the damage as she tried to maneuver between the gaps. However, since Alm was locked in that pose, she steered toward him, fists outstretched for a spin attack. This maneuver helped dodge the ground beams and lay a solid thwack on the clown, cancelling his attack.

Alm recovered and retreated, inflating his nose to a huge size and surging with yellow chi. Sensing its intense strength, Shimmy crossed the train cars in an "X," blocking and withstanding the impact. "YAH!" But Alm rode with the ball, flipping over the shield and smashing a colorful circus hammer onto Shimmy. It was rubbery, so she withstood it, but Alm made a dive for her with his sharp teeth open. Shimmy jumped back with a start, the teeth clenching in a forceful snap. He dove at her for another bite, but Shimmy stamped a double-kick at his nose, prompting him to reel back and clutch it. Shimmy dealt a brief kick at Alm's knee before going for the controls, pressing a switch that would spring Alm out of the train. Once he was airborne, she swung the right car to swat him away.

"If you're hungry, have a taste of my Coal Cannon!" Shimmy faced her car toward Alm as a chimney-like cannon emerged, blasting lumps of coal. Their rapid velocity grew irritating on the clown, so he switched to evasive tactics: the spikes of his hat stretched while he bundled up, the spikes serving as a wheel to roll him around. He was too fast for Shimmy to aim, and Alm could still shoot small spheres from his nose. Shimmy merely reverted back to a proper train to chase him. While his spheres couldn't hit her toward the side, Alm could aim his hands at that angle and shoot lasers. His shots would hold her back, and even dodging slowed her down a bit… fortunately, Shimmy had a plan. A hidden "gas pedal" would launch the back train wheels, rolling individually as they homed on Alm. He didn't see them coming at first, so the wheels wound up tripping up his spikes. "NOW I GOT YOU!" Shimmy detached the other cars to allow her front one a boost, ramming the slowed Alm hard enough to send him on his back. "Ever see a bouncy TRAIN?!" Another switch sprung the train up, smashing the clown flat. "Goes over roadkill just fine! Hee hee hee!"

Meanwhile, Fein used airbending to stay afloat, puffing his pants for maneuverability. Believing shadowbenders were more effective on the ground, he believed he was safe while he could blow whirlwind missiles at Silica. However, Silica simply maneuvered toward his shadow and stretched Shade Fists to grab his ankles. Fein felt the invisible force grab him, and was brought to ground level in a forceful thud. "You say that we're bad matches for you? Clearly, you didn't do enough research!" Silica pulled him closer, but Fein kicked out of her grip and began to race at high speed. He zipped behind Silica and kicked her, the pudgy gamer coughing saliva. Fein landed another kick, but couldn't land a third before Silica Veiled. Fein retreated and mustered up a huge tornado, wondering if it would draw her out. The visible wind cast a shadow of its own, catching Silica in its whirl and forcing her out in a dizzy manner.

Fein rushed to grab her by the arms, springing into the air and curving upside-down, lifting Silica so she would land first. She stretched Inky's arms back to grab Fein's ankles, twisting them so that Fein landed on his back. Inky bit into Fein's neck, forcing him to release. Silica got up, but Fein rushed behind for a surprise attack, only for Silica to Veil. Fein and spat small whirlwinds at the ground, and when Silica tried to maneuver toward his shadow, he simply flew away. The winds sucked her out of the Veil, and Silica suffered direct hits from them, shredding her sweater. Silica wondered how she could get closer… and the answer came in the form of a flock of geese, cawing and gliding from an angle that passed the sun. Silica Veiled and hid in one of their shades, Fein gasping as they carried her to him quickly. Silica emerged and stretched a Shade Fist down at his shadow, punching the spot between the legs.

Scrunching up in pain, Fein dropped down with a Screw Kick, stomping her flat in the face. Her nose would be more squished than before, especially as Fein kept spinning her around. Silica's game console flew out and haphazardly bounced on the road. "HEY!" Inky swiftly bit Fein and flung him off. Silica ran for her console, finding the screen cracked and glitchy. "AAAAAHH! I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF A NO-HIT RUN, YOU BASTARD!"

Fein had no way to fly away in time before the vicious shadow dragged him back to earth and gnashed away. He puffed up a wind shield in attempt to keep her off, but both shadow and bender cleaved through with the unbridled rage of an unaccomplished gamer. The rest of the battle seemed set in stone as Fein's uniform was ripped to shreds, his last line of defense before the ravenous teeth reached his skin.

"Silica-chan!" Shimmy rode to her friend. "Oi, don't bite too much out of him! It'd be nice if we could ask him some questions! I kind of squished the other guy."

"That's what you think!" Startled, Shimmy spun to find Alm up on his feet, tattered from the flattening. "We may have underestimated you kids, but I won't admit defeat 'til I show my REAL trick!" Alm crouched as his four spikes bent behind him. A blackish-purple pyramid formed over his face as the spikes attained orange and yellow stripes, their points connected with electricity. The pyramid enlarged as Alm launched it forward.

"Rocket-chan, TANK FORMATION!" Shimmy's lead car perched itself atop the other two like tank wheels. "BIG MOUTH CANNON!" The inner parts opened and channeled energy into the center, blasting a powerful laser. It managed to hold the pyramid back, but the projectile persevered until it was at the train's nose.

"SHIMMY, GET OUT OF THERE!"

"AAAAAH!" Shimmy leapt off the back, but the pyramid was already set to explode. Silica dragged Shimmy into a Veil and fled, but the explosion had barely reached them. Forced out of the Veil, the two were charred and robbed of the will to move.

Using what strength they had left, they brought their eyes up at Fein, who returned crawling. "Watch it, Big Nose… I barely had time to recover."

"Heh…she really ate you up, Fein!"

"Big talk for someone who got flattened! So, we gonna finish these two off or what?"

"Those were… our orders. But y'know… isn't it better to let them wallow in their failure?"

"You have a point there." Fein approached the fallen duo. "Besides, just beating up losers like you is all the victory I need." He planted his shoe on Silica's head. The gamer closed her eyes. "After 1,000 years, I'm glad I get to enjoy this a…gain?"

Still able to muster chi, Silica expanded a field of shadow around herself, wide enough to reach Alm as well. As soon as he was in, Inky lashed out with wild speed, her teeth slashing them in the faces. The Mamodo would join the girls on the ground.

"Silica… Shimmy!" Isabelle had dragged herself and Baransha's still body out of the forest. She raised her communicator and sent a call to whichever teammates were available.

Milordo's Lair

"Now, Leila… Erujo… remind me why I revived you from your stone prisons, again?" requested the cloaked lord, his hissed voice resounding disappointment.

"Because we… You need us to beat the KND…" Leila answered, head bowed.

"Yes… and after 1,000 years, we have found your stones and a way to revive you, to give you the second chance you deserve. After all, if not for that Star Child, you might have won. But we can't keep letting so many operatives get away. If you can't bring us good results, it may become too big a hassle to keep reviving you."

"We're sorry…" Erujo said.

"There, there~" Milordo patted their heads. "In spite of these grievances, we're crushing the KND little by little. If they couldn't handle you up-and-comers, my Elite 10 will crush them like flies. Already, Demolt has toppled three sectors, and the others are sure to bring good results. And at least you finished off 3 of them… didn't you, Leila?"

"Y…yeah."

"Ehhhh…" Milordo's grin curved down in a sneer. "I should hope so… or else… you may not wake up again…"

"I…I understand… My Lord."

Quahog, Rhode Island (Sector Q are crossovers from World's End Club.)

Sector MG landed near the parking lot of a shopping center, ravaged and nearly abandoned after the Mamodo attack. Their concerns had come to light, seeing Pochi and Chuko down on the ground, while Kansai was panting, using his baseball bat as a prop to stay standing. "Sector Q!" Aria exclaimed, squatting over them. "You're not hurt too bad, are you? What kind of enemies are here?"

"That big monster over there… was wreckin' the stores." Kansai said. "He totally overpowered us. But Tattsun…Tattsun's still holding him off."

"You mean… THAT monster?!" Lucas pointed. The teammates understood his terror: the monster in question seemed to be a giant mummy with a pharaoh crown, sitting in a stone throne. It was scary in both impression and power. Tattsun, meanwhile, was a scrawny and bespectacled nerd. Though his abilities were good, he certainly shouldn't have enough power to face such a foe. Just knowing he was managing on his own was impressive.

"Now, here's the theme to Electro Rangers: Jungle Thunder!" Tattsun declared prior to his song and dance. "YO! Here comes the Electro Rangers, JUNGLE THUNDER!"

"JUNGLE THUNDER!" The giant mummy spun in his throne, ecstatic by the song.

"Working HARD to be, the best that we can be~"

"ELECTRO RANGERS!"

Letting the performance proceed, the mage sector… was speechless. "Eh, OK?" Ness reacted. "What happened exactly?"

"When we got here, we tried to swarm him…" Pochi panted. "He was too strong… and Tattsun was the only one left standing. Suddenly, the monster demanded him to sing a song. …Now, here we are."

"Stand up for what we know is right," Tattsun sang quickly, "we will never lose a fight—Shi-Dai-"

"GO AWAY!"

"We're here to-"

"SAVE THE DAY!"

"He said his name was 'Belgim E.O.." Kansai explained. "And that he was one of the 'Elite 10 Mamodo.' The heck is a Mamodo?"

"I dunnodo." Karma joked. "But we're gonna cut this dance short if you don't mind." The Fanalis charged and flew at the mummy

"DON'T RUIN MY GROOVE!" Belgim spat a white, ghostly orb, blowing Karma clear out of the air. "AND YOU! DON'T STOP!"

"Uh—'cause weeee're the Electro Rangers…" Tattsun resumed.

"Okay… THAT one kinda stung!" Karma grunted, Aria helping him to stand.

"As long as he's singing, he's not really hurting anyone, right?"

"But he can't keep this up forever." Lucas reasoned.

"Should we all just attack him at once?" Charmy asked.

"Without an idea of his strength, it's too risky without ticking him off." Veronica answered.

"Be careful." Chuko said, lifting herself up. "He isn't the only one. There's another monster here!"

"Another?! Where is it? What does it look like?!"

Veronica's answer would come in an unwanted way: she felt the back rim of her dress be lifted up. "?!" Almost not wanting to know for sure… the culprit seemed to be a kid with a pink rabbit hoodie, a yellow flower pot shirt, and red overall-shorts. "What… the HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" Veronica smacked the creep away with her staff.

"Fehfehfehfehfeh!" laughed the rabbit.

"That's it!" Chuko pointed, fully upright with a reddened face. "That little weirdo kept trying to pull my shorts down!"

"Then I'll burn HIS shorts and then some!" Veronica cast fireballs from her staff, but the rabbit—Momon—sank into the ground like water. He swam under her attacks and up to the red-hooded mage, getting another view. "AAAH!" She slammed the hilt of her staff at his nose, but Momon retreated.

"Is that thing… really the mummy's accomplice?" Aria wondered.

"He needs to be stopped either way!" Veronica argued. "Keep your pants up! Don't let him get close to-"

"Feh!" Momon stretched his arms like rubber and caught Veronica's boots. The mage was hoisted up in the air and upside-down, her dress gravitating downward to expose her underpants. "AAAAAH! PUT ME DOWN THIS MINUTE!"

"You left yourself open!" Chuko rushed the rabbit. "I'll burn you to a crisp!"

"FEEEEH!" Momon cast a wave of red chi and slowed Chuko down in time. Powerless to stop him, the rabbit ran up and pantsed her. Slowly, the blush on Chuko's face grew.

"YOU'RE DEAD, RABBIT!" Veronica stormed at him, but Momon was all ready for his getaway: his ears became propellers and whisked him to the sky. "How many powers do you have?! Chuko, come with me!" The slow-down wore off after a few seconds. The two shorties sat on the staff and took flight after the long-earred trickster.

Between that and the dancing mummy, both sectors weren't really sure what to make of today. "Huh?" Ness felt his phone ring. "My sister's calling. Wonder what's up…" Since they weren't in immediate danger, he didn't mind a distraction.

Twoson Groker's

As twilight hours fell upon the local supermarket, Kagura clocked out for her break and walked out to the sidewalk bench. The orange-haired, Chinese-looking teen wore a standard, blue Groker T-shirt with white shorts. "Man, morning hours stink." She complained to her spectacled coworker, already waiting on the bench.

"Ten o'clock isn't that early." Jeremiah replied.

"It's just hard to carry carts around with my umbrella. Well, at least I'll have a night to myself."

"Right…" Jeremiah thought the girl peculiar. Always having her umbrella up the past few sunny days. Not to mention the way she carried stacks of carts above her like nothing. "How do you… do that exactly? Lifting carts? Do you work out or something?"

"Not much." Kagura munched some pickled seaweed. "By the way, I noticed customers keep tripping over that big crack in the sidewalk, so I put empty soda cans in it and squished them down."

Jeremiah looked to the crack in question, seeing people stumble over the cans. "That's… creative."

Crossing the half-crowded parking lot, the martial arts Mamodo, Tsao-Lon was stoic, passively surveying the setting. "The last sector wasn't any good… I wonder if this one'll be any better?" He twirled his red staff. "Let's get started."

The two employees reeled back in shock as cars began flipping into the air. Incoming customers would make a run from the store, and those coming out decided not to head to their cars. "The hell is that?!" Jeremiah exclaimed. "Hey—Kagura!" His coworker ran toward the source of the problem.

"Maybe I should've attacked something close to the treehouse." Tsao-Lon figured. "I wonder how long they'll take-"

One of his swings was halted. Questioning this folly, he found a purple umbrella meeting his staff. Kagura met his eyes in a casual stare. Raising his brow, Tsao spun his staff away and swung from a low angle, but Kagura stepped on it and lunged forward, socking him in the mouth. Tsao reeled back from the impact, craning back up and rubbing the mild pain off his teeth. "Huh…now we're talkin'." Tsao extended his staff and swiped at Kagura from multiple angles, but she positioned her umbrella the right way as she ran to him. When close, Tsao shrunk his staff and thrusted in rapid succession, but it was fruitless when Kagura opened her umbrella as a shield. As a bonus, she shot bullets from its tip, grazing Tsao-Lon, but one of his staff thrusts got under the shield and hit Kagura's knee, tripping her. He seized the chance to leap and SLAM her in the head, flying her into a stack of two cars.

Tsao hammered his staff down, flattening the cars, but Kagura had dodged off, going for a punch to the head. Tsao stretched his staff against the ground to propel himself and away from the Yato. He landed near a cart corral and grabbed a white self-scan cart, chucking it at Kagura. She swung her arm in a karate chop and sliced the cart in half. "I don't like those carts, anyway." She unloaded another round of bullets, to which Tsao twirled his staff in defense.

"Look, Mommy!" a young girl pointed in glee. "That's the fighter girl we saw at school! When I grow up, I wanna beat people up, too!"

"Uh, let's go to a different store, sweetie."

Kagura leapt for a jump slash, Tsao-Lon blocking, after which his free hand blocked her kick. Their eyes met as they locked in stalemate. It then occurred to Tsao that he never properly introduced himself. "I am Tsao-Lon… of the Elite 10 Mamodo."

"Kagura… of the Groker Front-end."

Several other customers grew engaged to the fight… including the young delivery witch, Tracy. "Um…I better call Ness." She took out her phone. Jeremiah, also, pulled out his phone and recorded the epic brawl. He already thought Kagura was interesting, but he may just be falling in love.

Ashland; Ice cream café

Perry called his cousins and explained his talk with Leila. "If this goes well, we can gather up any available operatives and invade the Mamodo's base. Are there any updates?"

"One of Sector Q's ops contacted and said they encountered a giant mummy. Sector MG recently arrived, so we're waiting to hear how it turns out. Sector RT were just called out to a fight, and Sectors H, P, and E were terribly injured by what was reported to be the same monster. There haven't been any casualties."

Perry bit his lip, feeling anxious. "The same monster… attacked three sectors? Sigh…I wonder if we can even wait for our friends to recover. We may not have enough members to stage an attack."

"But, we did get a call from the GKND. Star says that he promises to bring his best team by tomorrow. They're tired from fending off the aliens, so they can't come, yet, but they promise to."

"They can't get here soon enough. Alright, I'll be heading up to Moonbase in a bit. See you." Perry hung up. "Sigh…I really don't have time for this."

The five W kids insisted on visiting the outdoor restaurant to relax after the tiring battle, their eyes closed and tongues happy from the frosty tastes. "Here ya go, Sir!" Kent placed Perry's ice cream on the table. "Half-pear and cherry-flavored!"

Perry took a few bites, but the taste wasn't enough to reinvigorate him. "Sigh…I dunno, you wanna finish this for me? I should really see how everyone else is doing."

"Dude, you worry too much." Spike said, his feet propped on the table while his own sea-salt ice cream dripped down his torso. "If these Momos are so tough, why they keep running away? They're wimps, and once we got 'em cornered in their house, they'll have nowhere to run. So, just eat your cream, man."

"Your dirty soles are killing my appetite, too."

"Puh."

"Perry," Robi began, "whenever I get out of school, I like to take a nice nap. Did you get a chance to nap today?"

"No… I played with Ralph, then we were gonna get-… ice cream." He'd just remembered that, ironically.

"Then, after we're done eating, you should take a nap."

"Robi, you know I can't. As long as I'm awake, I need to do everything I can to hold off these attacks and keep everyone else awake."

"But everyone's gotta go to sleep tonight, right? I mean, we're not gonna attack the Momo place tonight, are we?"

"Well, no… not when our best ops are still injured."

"Yeah! Sector V and the other kids who were beat up have to sleep now. But they're gonna wake up, and they're gonna help us. Y'know, the Momo prob'ly have to sleep, too. I dunno what they are, but they look like kids, too. And kids have to sleep if they work too much, right?"

"Kids who don't sleep," Jolene followed, "get pinkeye, where your eyes get covered in crust and you go blind, and then the nurse scoops the crust out and puts it on crumble. But I ate some apple crumbles sometimes, and they were good. So, when I wake up from a nap, I like to pick out my eye-crust and eat it…"

"And there goes my appetite, too." Kent said. "Oh, well." He kept eating regardless. "Gotta stay cool, anyway. Dad says snowcones are a family favorite, y'know."

"Heh heh…" Their optimism was welcome, and the calm twilight sky flavored the enjoyment of this dessert. This whole ordeal had been stressful… but as long as he could still enjoy a good ice cream with his cousin and friends, things weren't terrible. He just had to have faith that his friends would recover. "I still need to get back to Moonbase. I have to make sure… everyone can sleep well tonight. So, everyone can be ready for tomorrow."

"And when I see Jason again, I'm gonna say, 'Haha, you got beat up!'" Spike boasted.

"That's mean, Spike." Robi said.

"Nuh-uh, I'm gonna laugh at him, and he's gonna punch me in the gut."

"I'll be sure to catch that!" Perry grinned.

…

A tall boy with pale blonde hair and button-up shirt calmly approached the café, eying the friends with a smirk. Even though they were earthbenders, they were undoubtedly tired from the first attack.

Ultimately, their ice cream banquet ended with the arrival of a giant stone snake. "AAAAH!" The kids barely dodged it in time, several tables crushed by the attack as customers fled. "Lily, you okay?!" Robi asked, having just snatched her in time in a handful of cream.

"Heh, can't believe you dodged that." The boy said, receding the snake back so he could approach. "Name's Eshros. You're the Earth Sector, right? I've been itching to tear you up."

"Are you a Mamodo?!" Perry asked.

"Whaddya think, loser?" Eshros willed the ground to flap up and clap the group like a closing book. Spike jumped and did the splits, pushing the walls back with arms and legs, and a push from Robi's hands brought them back down. Perry rushed the older earthbender, who erected a stone wall, but Perry stabbed through it and barely pricked Eshros' arm. Eshros pushed the wall and forced Perry back, then held back Spike's Sand Fist. "And I ain't the only one here! My boss is waiting for ya at the volcano!"

Indicating Mt. Malladus in the distance, smoke seemed to rise from it. "But Mt. Malladus is usually dormant!" Kent said. "Is it a lavabender?!"

"Our neighborhood's close there!" Lily exclaimed. "We should go!"

"Go ahead!" Eshros stomped boulders up. "I'll just wreck things here while you're gone!"

Perry raised his shield in defense against them, and afterwards, Spike punched one into sand, spun, and slammed it back into Eshros. "Did ya hear about what happened to that Giant Sector?" Eshros asked. "It got turned into a lava land and burned down! That's the same guy! He's one of the Elite 10, Grisor!"

"What?!" Perry remembered the shadowed image of the giant, three-eyed monster. "So, that thing is here… One of the 10?!"

"Perry, let me deal with this chump!" Spike stated. "You guys take care of whatever's over there!"

"I'll stay and help, Spike!" Robi offered.

"Me, too!" Lily cheered. "You never know if more will come!"

"Whatever, just stay outta my way! Wouldn't want you squirts to get squished."

Perry hesitated to divide their numbers, but they weren't given much option. This was no doubt part of the Mamodo's strategy. "You three… be careful. Kent, Jolene, let's go!"

They two and himself leapt in the R.O.A.D.S.T.A.R. and raced toward the volcano. On the way, he called Jas and Frasmine to inform them of the situation. "Is Sector IC available? They could lend us backup."

"Actually, we were just about to call you about that: Sector IC just started fighting their own Mamodo swarm. We don't know if an Elite 10 is among them, but it's possible. And Sector MG…"

…

Veronica and Chuko chased Momon to the outskirts of town. "WHOA!" They barely evaded a huge fireball, cast by a pudgy green dragon. "Fehfehfeh!" Momon stretched his arms and grabbed Veronica's staff, forcing the girls into a landing. A band of Mamodo surrounded them, consisting of a muscular knight, a purple centipede, and said dragon. "Th-th-there's more of them!" Chuko stuttered.

"We're gonna need help…"

…

"The problem in Quahog escalated, and they're sort of at a stalemate with another Elite 10 member."

Perry pulled the car over, needing a minute to think. The stress came rushing back to him. There were too many enemies… too many things to think about… And if everyone was in the middle of battle, it's not like he could properly address everyone. "I… We need to focus on one thing at a time. Just… tell them to make their best judgments and do everything they can to survive. We're going to take out this Elite 10 at the volcano… and when I'm back, I'll try to address everybody."

He could only wonder what Milordo-Z was doing behind the scenes, plotting all the right routes for his minions to take. He thought he had all Perry's operatives worn down and surrounded. "We'll see… whose team is better in the end… Milordo-Z!"

The following section was a Valentine's Day present for Sarstar98. It is part of the Mamodo Arc, but it's optional if you wanna focus on the main arc. It features Sar's character, Astere from the Christmas chapter, along with a few new crossovers.

Concert Crashers

Singapore's KND sector hadn't been home to anyone for a couple decades. It was therefore the perfect place for a band of musical operatives to make base. Sector SG now stood for more than just the country's name: the operatives hosted at least one concert every month since their founding back in spring.

"Now praying for your painful cry… Fu-ooh, yeah… Fly! Even the thousands of millions of prayers, even with the warm light…"

Two such operatives were Kirika Akatsuki and Shirabe Tsukuyomi (from Symphogear). The former had messy blonde hair and a dark-green shirt with disconnected sleeves, a yellow skirt, and tall striped stockings. Shirabe had black pigtailed hair with a pink and black, long-sleeved dress. Though they were Japanese, they hailed from the distant planet of Symphonia. Their songs were noteworthy for feeling violent and action-packed.

Under her mother's wishes, Astere came here on the notion of letting loose and having fun. …This place was a little more loose than she would like it. Her mother often gave her peppy music CDs to play while she was reading, and to Dimentia's delight, Astere would have them on a fair volume and would subconsciously bob her head. She couldn't imagine going crazy like these adolescents. In fact, the lyrics didn't even feel appropriate for some of these kids. In the end, Astere only did what she usually did, bobbing her head and catching up on reading with a pair of headphones on. She heard that one of the singers liked to conjure up Song Roads for the audience to ride on, so she would try to participate in-

"AAAAAH, THAT'S WHAT I LIKE TO DO!" The book was snatched out of her hands. "When I'm at a concert with lively music and flashy effects, I just wanna stand and stare at my book!" A dumbfounded Astere was looking at the back of a silver-haired boy, his hair in corn rows and skin tan. He wore a yellow sleeveless hoodie and was taller by a head's length.

"Ahem!" Astere reached over the boy. "It's rude to take someone's book when they're-"

"Let's see," he walked out of her reach, "'blarbity-blarby harby-dar.' Yep, that's some fine gibberish you're reading!" He spun and raised the book out of reach.

Astere warped the book back in her grasp. "Can you please go bother someone else?" She could almost accuse the older boy of being one of her brothers in disguise. "I'm only here because my mom made me come."

"Wa-hey! My mom made me come, too!" He slid behind her. "Said Cruella De Vil was gonna mess around the concert and I should mess her up. Haven't seen anyone like that, have you, Dalmatian Head?"

"What?! Who even are you?"

"I'm LOKI! King of Lies! But if the Birkans ask, tell them I'm Thor."

Now she was positive it was her brothers. "…" The first strategy to employ with his type was to ignore him, so she returned to reading… her blankened book. "Ugh." She flipped some pages to find—"PPPBBBBTTTHH!" a raspberry in her face.

"HA HA! That's a little Trickery Magic, darling! Give it here, I'll fix it." Loki swiped the book from her and converted it into a card, proceeding to shuffle it amongst a deck of similar cards. "That is, if you can find it. Which one will it be? Is it this one or that one?"

"…" Astere didn't feel like playing along with this delinquent. "Well, since you want it so bad, keep it. I'll just read something else." And with that, she warped.

"Well, she ain't as fun as I thought. Eh, I'll give it one more go. First just need to find…" He skimmed the audience in search of the monochrome-haired girl. She wouldn't have been close, but worse case is she left the concert entirely. "Know what, who even cares." He removed the book from the magic card and plopped it on the grass, walking away. Squeezing through the audience, the book was soon out of sight.

…A small portal opened as a hand reached out to reclaim the book. Astere calmly pulled it in and resumed reading in her new corner of the audience. "Like playing dead with a bear. …Huh?" Something stuck out from the pages. She pulled out one of Loki's cards—"BUUUURP" and was hit with a blast of gas.

"EEEEEWWW!" The nearby attendees withdrew in disgust. Astere's peach cheeks reddened, doing her best to hold in her aggravation.

"Oiiiiii oi oi!" Loki came pinching his nose and waving a hand from the sea of people. "Who left the cheese out here?! We need a nice breeze to blow it away!" Loki flicked another card beneath Astere, releasing a whirlwind. She let out a yelp as her dress flipped upside-down, Loki snapping a quick picture on his phone. "Alright, that'll do, love, farewell." And he casually, but quickly retreated through the crowd.

Astere knew then that she couldn't let him get away with such injustice. She clamped her book shut and stomped in his direction. She could feel Loki's aura close by, but couldn't find him… only a squirrel looking up her dress. "AREN'T WE TOO YOUNG FOR THIS?!" Unconcerned by everyone's weird stares, she kicked the squirrel, but it recovered and escaped through the crowd. Astere warped to impede his path, pushing down attendees. Loki changed course, and in her attempts to catch him in portals, the squirrel dodged around them while adolescents slipped into the small portals and became half-stuck. She ambushed him once more, but the squirrel clambered up an obese boy and pounced against her face, at the same time morphing to human form to smash her to the ground.

"This is why you don't chase squirrels, love." Loki hopped off and kept running. "Don't you watch cartoons?"

"GHH!" Astere warped and snapped him between a thin Space Block, his front and back squished against it. "Now… if you'd like to get out of there, kindly hand over your phone."

"I'm not in a position to reach it, darling. Perhaps you can. It's right here in the-"

"I better not let you finish that thought. Now, could I ask why you picked me of all people to antagonize? Just who is your mother, and why did she put you up to this?"

"Does the word 'Bayonetta' ring a bell?"

"…Oh. What of it?"

"It ain't nothing personal, darling. It's just a good bit of family rivalry."

"Feels more like petty vengeance. I'm well aware of how my mother wronged yours… but do you really want to harbor your mom's hatred?"

"Sheesh, how did this get so angsty? I don't even know what you're talking about, Mum just said we were rivals and that I should bug you."

"Oh…" He was motivated by nothing shy of the impulse to annoy. It was a step above revenge, but nonetheless unwelcome.

"Who even is your mum? Anyone I'd know?"

"I don't see why I should tell you. How did Bayonetta even know I would be here?"

"She said a little butterfly told her. Blind dates are the worst, ain't they?"

Astere dispelled the barrier, Loki dropping on his rear. "Just delete that photo." She turned to leave. "If they wanted us to meet, they should've picked a better setting. It's already obnoxious here."

"You just have bad taste in music." Loki followed with hands in his pockets. "I bet you listen to classy opera or whatever."

"I enjoy this music just fine. I'd just rather hear it from the comfort of my room and not surrounded by-"

"Huh? Oh, hello. Can we help you, little one?"

They looked toward the stage with a hint of curiosity. After the song had ended, a small boy climbed onstage. He wore a green suit and hat with a feather on top and note on the chest. "Yo! Yopopopoi!" the boy cheered into the mike.

"Uh…Yopopo-what?" Shirabe questioned.

"Awe, I think he's saying he wants to sing!" Kirika beamed.

"How did that sound anything like wanting to sing?"

"He probably doesn't know how to speak right." The boy had to be about four years old. If anything, he was mimicking something he heard from a cartoon. "Hehe, alright, before we begin our next song, we'll let our little guest have the stage!"

Smiling widely, the Yopopo boy performed a dance. "Yopopoi! Topopoi! Supopopoi!"

"Haha!" Kirika delightedly mirrored him, "Yopopoi! Topopoi! Supopopoi!"

Against her better judgment, Shirabe followed, "Yopopoi! Topopoi! Supopopoi!"

Before long, the entire audience became engrossed in the silly chant. "Uhhhh…" Loki's visage burned with a loss of faith in humanity. "On second thought, I'd rather listen to opera. …Huh? Hey, what's…?" The silver-haired boy had joined in the craze. "Yopopoi? Topopoi? Supopopoi?"

Astere grew tense. That child was sending his own Music Chi through the speakers, hypnotizing the audience. Even the singers were wrought with frowns of discomfort, unable to stop their selves. She could faintly hear the music through her headphones, but the hypnosis fell flat because of them. So, was that kid a villain? What was his aim now that everyone was in his trap?

"This planet has bad taste in music." A new figure walked onstage. His hair was long and blonde, matching that of the large ring protruding from his back. He wore a white robe, bore glaring red eyes, and a pair of goat-like horns around his neck. "It's nice that we can treat them to something more tasteful. Yopopo, you might want to step off now. We can't let the party end early."

"WHO ARE YOU?!" A purple-haired girl danced onstage and blew a Song Beam at Yopopo, but the robed man blocked it with his own hands. Yopopo took the mike and leapt into the audience, becoming lost among them while he kept up the hypnosis. The man withdrew a card from his sleeve and returned the beam at Serena, who dodged left, but another card was flicked at her, exploding and blowing the SG leader into a stage-light pillar.

"I didn't think his song would affect the musicbender, but your allies can dance as they watch you fall to my hands!"

"Hey, Cruella!" Loki yelled. "Those headphones are protecting you, aren't they? If you aren't gonna do something, toss 'em over here!"

"I'm not allowed to interfere with mortal conflicts." Astere mumbled. "Though, he's technically in this mess because of me—wait, no he's not, I didn't make him come here!"

"Yopopoi! Topopoi!" The singing imp danced to their presence. "Supopo…poi?" Seeing Astere drew him to silence.

"That's better!" Loki jumped the imp as soon as he was free, Yopopo jumping and bellowing a Song Beam.

"Yopopo, why did you stop?!" the robed man shouted.

"Shirabe, we're free!" Kirika exclaimed, whipping out a black and green scythe and slashing the villain.

He endured the scythe and leapt into the audience. "Are you sure you wouldn't rather protect your fans?" People were already fleeing the concert, but several were being attacked by a giant, red monster with a clay-like body.

"Shirabe, Kirika, take care of that monster!" Serena ordered, skiing after the man.

"Hai!" A pair of saw-like roller-blades extracted from Shirabe's boots, racing toward the monster with Kirika at her back. Shirabe's pigtails became large yo-yos, clashing against the monster's lobster claws.

Yopopo cowered behind the boss, who conjured a shield in defense against Loki's kick. This was a ploy as Loki tossed a card over the shield, bursting into a magic monster hand that strangled the villain. Loki grabbed his pyramid necklace, which stretched a handle from the bottom as he held it like a wand. He cast Fire Spells at him, but with a block of the hands, he converted the fire into a card. "Hey, you have the same power I do! Except I can only turn my own spells into cards. And bodily functions." Loki became a squirrel and ran under him, quickly crawling around under his robe against the man's attempts to catch him. Loki emerged from the collar and shot a Blast Spell, afterwards jumping from an explosive card. "Name's Loki, what's yours?"

"I'm Wiseman of the Elite 10 Mamodo! And my Copy Cards have won many a battle!" He dropped a card that sent a Moonerang, Loki dodging before throwing three Reducto cards, but was stabbed in the back by the moon's rebound. Wiseman dropped a card under Loki's shoe, releasing Purio's sticky goop to bind Loki in place. He tossed two cards that burst into ice, freezing all but Loki's head. "That should hold you! Let's play a small game, shall we?" Wiseman got far back and opened a card with a purple sphere. This released the sphere in a much larger form; it was Zoboron's. "Can you escape before this reaches you?"

The sphere moved rather slowly, Loki's head squirming desperately with each passing second. Wiseman, meanwhile, observed the other bouts between Serena and Yopopo, as well as Kikuropu against the other two girls. Astere oversaw everything from the air, having warped as soon as the hypnosis ended. Admittedly, the situation had gotten tense, but she was certain Loki could break out of… "Wait… he's not even trying!" she had just realized. Loki was only shaking his head, not making his body struggle in the ice. And that was assuming he couldn't use magic in that state. "Is he planning to surprise him? …No…" Loki kept glancing upward every few shakes. "He's looking at… HE EXPECTS ME TO SAVE HIM?!"

"What was that?" Wiseman looked up. "Who are you?!" He threw cards that would become lasers, Astere warping away.

"Oh, won't somebody save me from this horrible predicament?!" Loki cried.

"You didn't even yell for the other operatives?!" Since Loki was technically officially in this mess because of her, sort of, Astere reappeared and shot a Starburst to break the ice.

"OH, MY HERO!" Loki gleefully fell back and limbo'd under the purple ball.

"AH!" Astere was hit with a card that released a noxious gas, intoxicating and dizzying her.

"You seem suspiciously familiar, young lady." Wiseman grabbed her by the collar. "Milordo-Z mentioned that the KND was still ruled by the children of that girl. I think I'll take you with me…"

Whatever gas he used, Astere didn't have the motivation to warp. "You know, gassing a defenseless little girl isn't cool, man." Loki said. "If ya don't put her down, I'll have to floof you."

"And what is that supposed to mean? …W-What in the-?!" Wiseman's robe seemed to swell, and a tickly, fuzzy substance overcame him underneath.

"I slipped one of my cards in there while I was a squirrel. Nifty little spell my mum taught me."

"AAAAHHH!" A swarm of round, monochrome cats came bursting out of the robe. Astere fell onto a group of said cats, their warmth and fuzziness drawing her into slumber. The last she saw was Loki engaging Wiseman in battle, growing further away as the kittens carried her to safety.

…

…

…

"WHAT IS THAT SMELL?!"

Astere hoped to wake from her slumber with a headache, not another unwanted stench. "'eeeeyy, you're awake!" At her bedside was a tan-skinned cowboy, blonde and waving a gassy gun. He was rugged as though he were just in battle. "You feelin' alright? Loki said you got knocked out by that Wise Guy's burp."

"What?! That isn't what…what happened? Where am I?"

"You're in our treehouse; Sector SG. My name's Rango. Loki tucked you in after the battle. …In my bed of all ones. You a friend of his?"

"Um…no. I was just here to enjoy a concert and he started bothering me."

"Well, looks like he just saved you, too."

"The only reason I got caught was because he lulled me into saving him! I would've been safe if he'd just helped himself!"

"Whatever you say. I gotta get going with my friends, but you can stay here if you need to rest longer. Oh, and he left you that candy, too." He pointed to a gold, rectangular box. "See you later."

After Rango left, Astere reached for the box: it was Esther Price chocolates. There was a note tucked under the ribbon. She pulled it out and unfolded. Hey, Cruella! Sorry you were drugged by a madman, but here's some candy to make up for it. Sincerely, there was a tiny picture of Marvel's Loki stuck to it.

"What does that boy think he's playing…" Sighing, Astere opened the box. The chocolates seemed genuine. They were supposed to have different fillings… and when she bit the first one, she was rewarded with hot sauce. "Cough, cough!" She hurried out to the treehouse's kitchen and found a half-drunk pink juice, drinking it. "Of COURSE he would…?" There seemed to be another note under the chocolates' plastic tray. She reached in to pick it out. P.S., you owe me for saving your life.

"NO I DON'T, I SAVED YOU FIRST!"

There was another note under the second layer of chocolate. P.P.S., you saving me made up for smashing me in those barriers, but now you owe me again.

"UGH, THIS WAS THE WORST CONCERT EVER!"

A certain squirrel sat on the branch outside the kitchen, his ears dancing to her frustration. He would be back to annoy her again~