X-Squad: Carmen Sandiego

by garshishoe

Prepare for laughter-induced side effects, spontaneous dance routines, and an insatiable craving for popcorn as chaos reigns supreme. If you start to plan heists in your sleep or feel an urge to bust out some sick dance moves, contact your local holy figure for backup. Viewer discretion is strongly advised – this musical escapade might just be too catchy for your own good!

4. Yellow brick roads and Chinese feathers

AN: Like MK247, Coelodonta is pretty rare, so I decided to use it, don't worry, elasmotherium is coming soon.

---

Giff has seen everyone looking at their phones and laughing. He couldn't really figure out what it was, and frankly, he felt that he shouldn't try and ask. However, this occurred all day, and Giff was tempted to ask. He decided to meet with Azuma and ask him why everyone is like this.

"I am not sure. They have been acting as such all day and-" He was interrupted by the X-Squad laughing, which finally prompted them to take a look at what it was: it was some kid, who had a starfish stuck to his face, with the caption #RiseOfStarro. But it apparently wasn't the only one: there were a lot of other videos like this. Giff was equal parts surprised and bamboozled and Azuma's jaw dropped.

"Seems he's shocked by this," said Giff, surprised. "Why do you laugh?"

"Because it's funny," Yuina said bluntly.

"'Funny'? Is this what humans find funny? The suffering of others?" Giff asked.

"Oh, it's just an embarrassing moment, Giff. We all have them." Hime clarified.

Before Giff could ask, however, Lois Lane came by, snickered and name-called by people. Leslie Willis, the resident punk of the school, called out to her.

"Hey, Lois! Guess coffee doesn't wash out easily huh?!" Lois only scoffed and attempted to open the door. However, she suddenly got a shock from the doorknob, causing her to drop her paperwork. Everyone laughs or chuckled at this except for Giff and Azuma, who were just confused.

"Huh," said Giff. "This confuses me in ways I don't comprehend." He walked off.

---

Azuma could just stare in confusion at the videos of Leslie's shenanigans on full screen, admittedly some were pretty comical, but all just looked senselessly cruel.

And speaking of looking… Quite a lot of people were staring at him and Giff as they walked around the mall to get some food. "My Lord…" He murmured, his assassin's instincts feeling very uncomfortable with being the center of attention. "We seem to be drawing an awful amount of attention."

"Well, that's to be expected, Azuma," Giff said dismissively. "We don't dress like them, so naturally we would stand out more."

Azuma stared at his master, who was wearing a nun's habit, tacky shades, the Star of David, a giant orange on his head, and had a bindi painted on his forehead. He was also waving a gohei around, and utterly oblivious as to how none of these accessories belonged together. "I'm not certain that's why," he said carefully. "Remind me, my Lord, why you chose to dress up as a nun?"

"Well, I don't want to overuse my human disguise lest people start to draw a connection between it and myself," he explained. "Hence why I am now a nun! Nobody will ever suspect it's really the great demon king Giff beneath this cunning disguise! Besides, I look dashing in it."

"… And you don't think any of them will think it's just the great demon king Giff wearing a nun's habit, among other things?" Azuma asked slowly.

Giff laughed. "Ah, Azuma, but that's the beauty of it! People will look at me and think, 'Hold on, is that Giff wearing a nun's habit among other things? No, there's no way he would ever dress like a nun, it's so obvious, so this must be someone who happens to resemble him.' It's foolproof!"

"… That's… One interpretation," Azuma said hesitantly.

"The correct one!" Giff said confidently.

He was interrupted by the sound of people screaming. Seeing that the elevator was about to crash onto the floor, the two quickly jumped into action, with Azuma using a nearby lasso to slow the descent while Giff summoned a giant spring made of his energy for the elevator to softly land on. It worked and the passengers were escorted off safely as Leslie came up.

"Oh come on! You two ruined my shot!"

"'My shot…'? It was you?" Giff started walking slowly towards Leslie, though she wasn't intimidated, mostly because of how he was dressed. "Okay, so you may believe that these videos are funny, and I admit, they could seem comical. But for others, your videos seem a tad mean in spirit."

"'Mean in spirit'?" She gives a fake-sounding gasp. "Golly gee willers! And to think all those poor losers on my website who keep getting laughed at over and over! What was I thinking?"

"Well, I am pleased that you see the error of your ways."

"Tell you what? Why don't you watch my channel tonight for an extra special announcement? Just for you…"

"Very well."

---

LATER..

---

"Hey everyone out there in Leslie Land. Tonight I've got a special announcement to make. Someone so thoughtfully pointed out my channel is mean in spirit. So, therefore, I'm retiring." She left her seat. And quickly returned. "...And handing over the site to new management! I'd like to introduce your new host…" A storm thundered as we got to see Leslie's new form.

"What up, Seinarushima?! The name's Livewire! And you thought what I did in Metropolis was cruel. Well, you ain't seen nothing yet. I'm gonna charge things up here in Seinarushima. As in super-prank, super-laughs, and super-humiliation. And whoever this Giff guy is, just try and stop me!" Giff, who was at Yuina's home, was surprised, to say the least.

"She's an electropath?" Giff was shocked (get it?) by this revelation. Then decided to see a 'Superhero Compilation' she did a month back.

---

A girl dressed in blue and red did initially block her electrical attack, but after Livewire drew more power, she was eventually knocked back into a garbage truck.

A Green Lantern blocked her attack using a tire construct, prompting Livewire to sneak up behind her and literally kick her butt, swirly-eyeing her.

A mage made a grand entrance, but Livewire simply electrocuted her, making her hair stand up, as well as swirly-eyed when it was over.

A girl dressed like a bat's scooter ends up becoming overtaken by Livewire, giving chase as she tries to run away.

A girl dressed in bee armor flew down and prepared herself, but her suit was also overtaken by Livewire, forcing her to dance.

---

"This is unexpectedly pretty comical." Giff realized. The squad was interrupted by another announcement from Livewire.

"Waddup, Seinarushima?! Livewire here with a major-razor invite for all my shockateers. Town Square. Midnight. Come see my most epic prank yet. And Giff... You should come too. If you dare." And her closing was her kicking Green Lantern's butt on loop.

"This Livewire dares to challenge me?" Giff gave it some thought. "Very well, I shall grace her with my presence."

---

As the squad stood at the town square, waiting for Livewire along with a lot of people. At this point, Livewire appeared on the stage.

"Waddup, Seinarushima?! You ready for the prank night of the century?" She was answered with cheers from the crowd. "So you may be wondering what Livewire has in store for her beloved shockateers? Let's kick things off as the queen of mean memes unleashes some mean memes!"

"Oh boy, here comes the mean memes…" Satsuki realized.

First was Supergirl from her trash incident.

"Ha! Explains her recycled outfit!" The squad chuckled at that. Next was Batgirl's scooter incident.

"I guess Batgirl still needs her training wheels!" The squad was giggling as Green Lantern's literal butt-kicking was shown.

"Look, everyone! We found the cause of greenhouse gases!" The squad was laughing. Zatanna was next after her hair mishap.

"Who wore it better? Zatanna or the porcupine?" The squad was cackling. And Bumblebee was last, but not least, from the #BeesDontDance fiasco.

"Looks like bees don't dance, huh?" This drove the squad to wheezing, as Giff was just confused by all these and Azuma chuckled at some of them.

"Livewire, I am here for your challenge!" Giff stomped forward. "Face me, and prepare for your fall!"

"Oh, I will…" Giff immediately rushed forward, claws out. But Livewire knew what he was going to do and used wires to grab him and electrocute him, slamming him onto the stage. As he tried to get up, he got to hear everyone actually laughing at him getting curb-stomped, and Giff, surprising Livewire, laughed alongside them.

"Huh? The people love mean, how are you laughing with them?!" He saw that they were laughing, but didn't care, because this girl was giving him the battle of his life, and he intended to honor the duel. "Hear them laugh? Laughing at you? You're just a joke to them. A total joke! And now, for the punchline…" She drew power from a stage light, with the intention of murdering Giff! As she shocked him, he surprisingly shrugged it off, the energy from his dimension keeping him alive. Everyone kept laughing… until they stopped, seeing how painful it was for him.

"What's wrong? Ran out of batteries?" She blasted him, sending him into the crowd, smashing onto the pavement, only for him to get back up. "I thank you for this duel, Livewire, but now, time I finish this."

"Hey, what gives? Why aren't you laughing? This is hilarious. Whatever, losers. If that didn't grab your attention, maybe this will." She prepared to use her powers again… but they don't work. Everyone notices this and starts taking pictures of and laughing at her. She can only command everyone to stop laughing before escaping into a cell phone, claiming she'll be back. Everyone cheered on Giff as he got up to applause.

"Thank you, Seinarushima, for showing me your comedy." Giff said, smiling, as he thought they were harmless fun.

---

Next day...

---

It took some time for Giff to heal his wounds and eventually, the day went on as if nothing bad had happened.

Meanwhile, Leslie noticed a newspaper headline entitled 'Demon Shocker, Leslie fell to GIff's durability'.

"I'll show that thing. Just wait till I get my shockateers," Leslie crumpled up the newspaper before checking her website. To her shock, the count of her followers that were on her site was rapidly declining until it finally reached zero followers.

"My shockateers! Where are they going?" She noticed a comment from an anonymous person, saying 'Click here to see a cute sight!'

Leslie clicked it and noticed posts of Giff and the X-Squad being cuddled in a mass of adorable little kittens.

"SERIOUSLY?!"

"Azuma had to pay good money for those cats. So might as well post them" A voice said.

She turned around to see Eruka in her room.

"Hey there, ribbit." Eruka said.

Leslie was shocked to see one of the X-Squad in her room that she tripped over her chair. Afterwards, she got up.

"Wait, who are you?!" Leslie asked.

"First off, name's Eruka Frog. And I know you, Leslie Willis...or should I say, Livewire."

Leslie was shocked to know that this girl knew her secret identity.

"H-h-h-how did you know I'm Livewire?" Leslie asked.

"Punk look, odd use of lightning, adorableness." Eruka clarified.

"Okay so you know I'm Livewire, so what? What are you gonna do, arrest me?" Leslie snarked.

Eruka shook her head.

"You're not? Then why are you here if you're not gonna arrest me?"

"I'm just here to say your vids were pretty funny and admittedly, Drakus was glad to help with the latest one." Eruka said.

Leslie blushed profusely, sparks flying off her, and not just because Eruka was very cute and was triggering an intense reaction in her disaster lesbian heart as she giggled and twirled her hair. "Oh thanks, yeah, I guess they are pretty funny, I mean, I was the one who made them and...wait what do you mean 'glad to help'?"

"Ever wondered where that extra spark came from?"

Leslie was confused at first until she put it together.

"Wait...that was that dragon kid?!"

"Yep." Eruka said, rolling her eyes.

"So that's where that extra spark came from, but why would he help me?" Leslie asked.

"Well, we don't really hate the vids that much. They were pretty funny, but you went a little off the deep end." Eruka explained.

"Oh..yeah, guess I went a little too far, huh?" Leslie realized.

"You kinda did, but you can do some form of good." Eruka added.

"But how? Everyone hates me." Leslie asked.

"That's easy. Post an apology vid, and maybe join the X-Squad to do some good without the law getting on your back and maybe you can get your shockateers." Eruka explained.

Leslie started to smile a little knowing this girl saw the good in her.

"Huh, good idea. Think I could make that vid, and maybe do some good." Leslie realized.

---

Voidlon leaned up against the side of the wall after Eruka brought Leslie over to the mansion and got out a vodka bottle, and started chugging it. It did wonders to calm his frayed nerves.

'Drinking's a nasty habit.'

"Who are you?" Voidlon hissed as he put down the bottle, his eyes scanning every inch of the mansion. "And where are you?"

'That's a bit of a long story. And I'm afraid it's going to upset you. But I can assure you, I find all this equally distressing.'

"So..." he continued, in a leading tone, "what the fuck?"

'Indeed. Well. My name is Ozpin.'

"First off, why are you in my head?!" Voidlon asked.

'I suggest you make yourself comfortable. As I said, it's a long story. Our story begins long ago, in an era when history and legend begin to blur...' Ozpin began.

Voidlon banged his head against the wall behind him. "You have got to be kidding me."

---

Eventually...

---

"Okay, let me get this straight," said Voidlon, when Ozpin had finished regaling him with overelaborate bedtime stories. The man sure loved a captive audience. "You're an ancient, powerful wizard—"

'I never used the word "ancient".'

"I'm using it. And you created these Maidens that some Cinder and Amy gals both have the hots for, to help you protect humanity from your psycho ex-wife. This would be Salem, Cinder and Amy's boss, who packs power that makes Cinder and Amy look like they're playing with sparklers, and they're after the Maidens because those four magical girls are the only ones capable of opening four secret vaults containing four divine Relics which together could send the world into oblivion, so you locked them up in the Huntsman academies. And you need my help in this fun game of keep-away because Amy and Cinder torched your ass off the census and you reincarnated by attaching your soul to mine like some kind of parasite—because we're soulmates, or something?—and we're now, somehow, the same person after your world was deleted after RWBY crashed here, with the Ace-Ops, Ironwood and some Penny girl being lost to the wind. What I'm concerned about is that all of humanity in your universe was getting pressed by endless hordes of psychopathic equality symbols…because you had a bad breakup with your wife?"

"She's the one who decided to start a spat between the gods just because she couldn't leave well alone and LET ME DIE of sickness like every other forty year old person on the planet!" Ozpin thundered back. "If anything, she's the one to blame for all of this, not me!"

"Wait, why didn't the gods just resurrect you and be done with it?" Voidlon asked. "It's not that hard to resurrect someone from the dead, you know. Also, you died at only forty?"

"This was some ten thousand or so years ago when medical science had barely advanced beyond bloodletting and leeches," Ozpin sighed. "And as for why they didn't resurrect me at first… they said it was to preserve the balance. And then after a while, they said my resurrection was a punishment for her. Considering that she's gone literally insane in the last couple thousand years, I'm inclined to believe it didn't work out as they expected it to. And how did you figure the ex-wife part?"

"Yeah, that part I inferred from the fact that she's spent all this time trying to murder you and sabotage everything you touch." Then Voidlon came to the realization that Salem would send her minions after him.

'...Fair enough. Although the fact that that was your first guess raises concerns for me about your past relationships.'

[L, rip bozo]

[them fighting words]

"OH DEAR LORD, if Salem finds us, we're both screwed! I have to stop this before my anus becomes a potential victim!" Voidlon cried.

'Oh. Well, that's...awkward.'

"But, well, have you seen Cinder and Amy?"

'Quite recently.'

"Ha. Right. Well anyway, it was fun while it lasted, but man, if you think I have an unhealthy attraction to danger—"

'That's—all I need to know. Really.'

"Then I just have one question."

'Yes?'

"Are you high?"

Ozpin sighed. 'No.'

"Am I high?"

'No. If you were, I would be as well.'

Drakus chuckled. "Really?"

'Don't get any ideas.'

"Then you seriously expect me to start believing in fairy tales about gods and magic? Legendary heroes and evil villains? Nothing is ever that black-and-white. Besides, I've committed countless amounts of war crimes before, some involving murdering numerous robots with BlueBlaze, basically a chainsaw sword designed to make the wounds last for a while, as well as burning them, putting them through the periodic table, and with barbed wire added, could mangle someone's body, poison them with Manticore venom, and when lit, can bomb someone into oblivion, oh, and have I mentioned BlueBlaze was homemade, with lots of radioactive materials you've never even seen before."

"You're right. It's not. And you will start to remember it all yourself, in time. I know it sounds far-fetched now, but future generations will speak of these times in fairy tales. That is, if there are future generations to tell the stories. And how did you even get that thing approved, anyway? I'm not sure how that weapon is allowed in warfare!"

"Yeah, you seriously think I can take on flaming bitches and your ex—"

'Do you mean the Fall sisters and Salem?'

"—That's what I said—where you couldn't? Also, before you ask, I am cut out for the hero business, just ask Anubis."

'You will have me. And we will have allies, if all goes well.'

Voidlon couldn't help but laugh. This was all too surreal. "Already have them, doc, along with trained dinos and prehistoric mammals, and some cave people."

'Yes. This could be one of many obstacles before us that we must overcome.'

---

When Kiko asked Zoey to find Deadlight a new ally, she expected an assassin, a hitman even, not this.

Zoey brought in a doll.

Kiko had expected this could be an assassin who had been instructed to remain very still. She wasn't sure if she was more, or less, uncomfortable with that reality. A smooth skinned woman, albeit a manufactured one, dressed cutely. Almost childlike, which did make Kiko a little flustered. However, there was no denying that the doll was a woman. Albeit a manufactured one.

Red hair done up in short, sprightly pigtails and bound in red bows. A multi-colored striped t-shirt pulled down past her shoulders and covered by her blue overalls. Big red buttons dotted the denim fabric. Her overalls formed into a skirt rather than shorts that didn't cover much. Red socks of wildly different lengths. On the right, her sock was just barely able to cover her shin, though its wrinkled appearance made Kiko think it could reach her knee if it was pulled taut. On the left, the sock reached all the way to her thigh. The tightness of the garment pressed into her soft leg, creating a slight bulge of her thigh over the hem of the sock. Two big red shoes with white laces covered her feet.

What drew Kiko in the most was her open-smile face. There was a playfulness there in her eyes. An allure she couldn't deny. As if her hidden, but obvious, curves weren't enough to entice her. The reason her mouth was made to be open dawned on Kiko quickly, causing a blush. She was pretty cute, and clearly sexy. Kiko couldn't deny the attraction, though she was still taken aback.

"Isn't our new teammate great?" Zoey beamed.

"She's a doll," Kiko unnecessarily pointed out.

"A sex doll!" Zoey was sure to point out. "This is top of the line. This is a Good Lay brand sex doll. Super realistic. The skin, the softness, the firmness. It's all there! Not that I'd know the difference, mostly because you know none of us are smart enough to know the difference between real and just a really good sex doll, it's kinda on brand." Zoey self-deprecated.

"How much did this cost you?" Kiko asked worryingly. The way Zoey talked it up, she made it sound like it was a very expensive purchase. Kiko wasn't sure she would be comfortable accepting such a gift. Often Zoey wanted a return favor of matching generosity, mostly by having sex with her. Something as generous as a top of the line sex doll could put Kiko in a frisky situation.

"Practically nothing!" Zoey reassured.

"So, what's wrong with it?" If it was practically nothing, as Zoey said, it was either defective or stolen. Kiko wasn't sure how a sex doll could be defective, other than missing parts, and everything looked in order, according to her lingering stare.

"Nothing's wrong with it," Zoey groaned, knowing Kiko would be that way. "I'm just a great haggler." She wasn't. She had just stumbled across a shady character in a shady alley hocking shady goods. One such item was the sex doll. Zoey asked where the man had got it from, but the man was quick to dismiss such invasive questions. Zoey shrugged off the weirdness and made the purchase, and then stabbed the man with his own marrow, gotta leave no witnesses. She had forgotten Deadlight needed some new recruits and she needed one fast. The sex doll was perfect.

"Oh!" Zoey blurted. "Here, check this out." She reached down to the doll's hand and squeezed her palm tight.

"Hi! I'm Chucky. Wanna play?" The voice emanated from inside the doll, spilling past its motorized mouth. Her tone was a perfect blend of playful and sexy. The words were innocent, but the tone wasn't.

"Really?" Kiko asked, grabbing her and lifting her up, bridal style. "Are we sure this is a good idea?"

"Hey!" came a sudden, feminine, and upset voice. "What the fuck do you think I am, kid? Chopped liver?"

What she thought she was doing was carrying a sex doll. One that was meant to be silent, still, and willing. Chucky was proving to be none of those. Stumbling back, Kiko watched as the redheaded sex doll wriggled out of her grasp to stand and face her. Hands on her hips and ire in her eyes, she spoke.

Kiko was freaking out.

"What kind of girl do you think I am that you can grab my ass on the first fucking date?"

Kiko kept freaking out.

"You…you can talk!" Kiko pointed out as if it needed to be.

Chucky had realized her mistake. Her plan was to let her tire herself out after a fling or two. Then, while she rested, she'd transfer her soul into her. However, as depraved as she could be, surprise butt grabs startled even her into breaking her act, then she looked at her body.

"Well ooo, la, la." Chucky's hands explored her body, passing over her curves and squeezing what was squeezable. Her skin, fake as it was, was taut and malleable. Her breasts bounced easily in her juggling hands. Her ass jiggled briefly and resumed its enviable shape after a testing spank. "Chucky's got curves in all the right places now." Her human body was far from the most desirable. She often had to resort to liquor, drugs, threats, and outright force to get laid. "Check out this plastic fantastic body," Chucky commented to herself, cackling under her breath. Her attention was snatched by the sight of Kiko, who, she admitted, was very pretty and was triggering something in her that made her realize that yep, she's in love.

Her realization of this was interrupted when someone else yelled, "WHAT THE FUCK DID I SIGN UP FOR!?!?"

The trio turned to face the newcomer. He looked to be human, though under all that armor, no one could be sure. Gray armor, tinted with bright traffic-cone-orange stripes.

He gestured to the palace that was made; "Are you goddamn serious? You know, this isn't the wildest way to make a first impression. I was looking forward to getting to sit down for once. But noooooo, no chair for Felix because someone decided fuck it, standing's better!"

"That is NOT the reason," Zoey clarified.

"Ooh, scary bone girl," the newcomer – Felix – replied. "Anyway, are we gonna get to WHY you invited me to be the fourth wheel on your date, or are you three just into menages? Because lemme tell you, I kinda could get into it."

Kiko edged closer to him; "Keep being rude and you'll get to be frozen in the way you DON'T want."

"You received an invitation," Chucky realized.

"Yeah," Felix affirmed. "All fancy-like, on blue paper. Told me to come to this EXACT place. You wrote it?"

"No," Chucky told him, "but I was dragged here by this bozo." Chucky murmured. She then gave the man a glare; "Felix, huh?"

"Yeah," Felix affirmed. "As in Felix of Felix and Locus. Ah, Locus. May he rest in peace. Is he dead? To me, he is. And if I ever see him again, he will be. But I'm the most efficient merc you're going to find this side of Chorus. The problem being my contract with Charon Industries was ended without my consent when the CEO got fucking bumped off by a bunch of nimrods. Also, I wish I could show you the totally badass and awesome sword I wielded, because it was this whole chosen-one thing that could activate total planetary destruction, but seeing as some rift not only sent me to this place but SEVERED MY FUCKING CONNECTION TO IT, you're just gonna have to take my word for it that I had one. So, what's your angle here?"

Chucky also stood up. As she did, another rift opened, and several villains stepped out, each of them representing a different world.

The first was an old man with a long grey/white beard dressed in white robes, holding a staff, he was Saruman the White, once an old friend to Gandalf the Grey, but now servant to the dark lord Sauron.

On his right was a man that had on a grey samurai armor full of spikes that covers his entire body, with two claws on his left gauntlet, aided with him were several mutants, one a skeleton-like dog, a tiger, a warthog, rhino, a human fly and a fish with robotic legs, he was none other than Ch'rell, the Shredder, the leader of the Foot, along with his minions from another world similar to his, Razor, Fishface, Bebop, Rocksteady, Tiger Claw and Baxter Stockman. While on his left, were two clowns, one with wild tuffy hair that resembled fire, and green makeup on his white face above his eyebrows suggesting an unfriendly attitude. Evil, orange eyes glared out of dark sockets, and he grinned with a green-rimmed mouth of yellowed, protruding teeth under a big red nose. His fingernails are long and dirty, wearing a red leather jacket, his pants with polka dots with multiple colors. He also wore torn, fingerless gloves, the other was female, dressed in a red and blue leather dress, with makeup on her face, leather black gloves and boots, another was a tall middle-aged man with long black greying hair, a mustache and beard. He wore a long tattered brown coat with a beige shirt underneath, brown trousers, boots, gloves and a wide-brimmed hat, as well as what seems to be a compass, an old fish scale and a dog tag around his neck, wielding a huge custom-made hammer assembled from different mechanisms. He also had on old-fashioned sunglasses. The last one was a tall man with a lean built and auburn hair that spikes backward in a windswept way with two reddish black horns on his head. While most of his hair was red, he had streaks of brown. A noticeable trait of his appearance was the mask he wore, which obscured his entire upper face above his nose. He wore an asymmetrical black, long-sleeved, double-breasted stylized high-collared blazer with slit sleeves along with red thorn sigils adorned with a white crest that lined up on his left shoulder. His suit jacket had crimson lining atop his red shirt, with red thorn sigils atop a black flap attached to the bottom of the left hem and his wilting rose emblem on the back over an emblazoned white sigil resembling the curved stems and flower of the deadly nightshade plant. His blazer was half-buttoned, exposing a red shirt with a black line running parallel to his collar under it. His mask was whitish-tan with red, Japanese style, horn-like symbols decorating the front and two slits on each side presumably to allow for vision. This is a redesigned version of the Grimm masks typically worn by most members of the White Fang. He also wore long black dress pants, black shoes with red soles and black gloves with red sigils resembling the Greek letter Ω, the last letter in the Greek alphabet.

"Bad guys?" Kiko asked, getting their attention, "If so, go right."

"So, you're the one who summoned us?" Adam Taurus asked, getting Kiko's attention.

"Yep." She replied.

"As I explained," Ch'rell said to his new minions, "Kiko says that she holds the key to defeating the turtles, as long as we co-operate with these people."

Professor Proton took a good look at the mutant henchmen, as he grinned with interest, "I must say, this selection of troops of yours are quite the specimens, Shredder."

"So, two are clowns, one's a very old LARPer, some are furries and a samurai, and one's horny." Birch snarked, before looking at Adam. "No offense, ox boy."

This immediately became the only time in his life that Adam Taurus was ashamed of being an Ox Faunus. And frankly, it was no wonder why, he immediately made a mental note to keep this crazy bitch as far away from him as possible, preferably with a concrete wall.

"You can go examine them whenever you like," Kiko said. "Right now, you would be so kind to get comfortable, so I can bring you all up to speed on why-"

"Just a moment," Saruman spoke up, sternly, "I want to have you know that I am Saruman the White! And I am no one's servant."

"Please… We all know you're an asshole." Jack muttered, rolling his eyes.

"If you say so-" Kiko said, only to stop midway, as she suddenly got startled as she said, "Look! It's motherfucking Sauron!"

Turning to realize that Kiko was right, as he saw a giant floating eye appear behind him, Saruman kneeled before it. "My Lord Sauron! It's I, your faithful servant, Saruman. What bidding does thy master wish to be fulfilled?"

The eye of Sauron glared to Saruman with the kind that could strike fear to all to all… until it surprisingly spoke, "Well, since you've asked, I would like two number 9s, a number 9 large, a number 6 with extra dip, a number 7, two number 45s, one with cheese, and a large soda."

The white wizard was a little stunned and confused about what he just heard, until the eye suddenly shrank, and the black mist that was surrounding it formed into a monster with a body made of sand and dust with a cow skull for a head, as the demon laughed at the prank he pulled on Saruman, while Jack and Chance laughed along with him.

"That was pretty funny!" Chance laughed.

"Yeah, eye got you good!" Dustern chuckled.

"Got you there, didn't he, beardy?" Karl said to Saruman, who turned back to Kiko, who slowly shook her head a little, with a small smirk (even if it was not shown).

With a grumble of anger and humiliation, Saruman asked, "To the right, you say?"

"If you don't mind." Kiko said, as she gestured to villains to where she was pointing, showing a large pile of various weapons, some basically slapstick like a frying pan and both a boxer glove and plunger gun, to lethal ones like laser swords, crossbows, laser guns and even medieval weaponry, as well as various robotic creatures, like Badniks, and other weapons of destruction, as the Fanglars, Feargulls, Clurkrahnnas, Elfwolves, Stooges, Wildclaws, Medicinals, Smashers, Scopers, Dough-Goos, Soldier Heartless, Dragoon Nobodies, Scrapper Unversed, Beowolves, Zakennas, Uzainas, Kowainas, Hoshiinas, Nakewamekes, Desertrians, Negatones, Buffoons, Distains, Saiarks, Zetsuborgs, Yokubaaru, Nendos, Oshimaidas, Nottoreis, Epidems, Yaraneedas, Ubauzos, Ranborgs, Zolders, Crimers, Cutmen, Dustlers, Machinemen, Spotmen, Tail Soldiers, Mechaclones, Hidrer Soldiers, Zolohs, Ungler Soldiers, Jimmers, Ular Soldiers, Batzler Soldiers, Grinam Soldiers, Putties, Tenga Warriors, Cotpotros, Dorodoros, Cogs, Chromites, Pirahnatrons, Craterites, Quantrons, Stingwingers, Swabbies, Tyrannodrones, Triptoids, Batlings, Cyclobots, Putrids, Kelzaks, Krybots, Hidiacs, Chillers, Lava Lizards, Rinshis, Marauders, Spitfangs, Zombatants, Treshers, Trenters, Vivix, Vigorx, Kudabots, Tronics, Hengemen, Kuros, Pordermen, Indavers, Moebas, Bechats, Kudakks, Anonis, Sanagims, Droans, Ohneeders, Stormtroopers, B1-series battle droids, Tactical droids, Droidekas, Moth Drones, Hanbungers, Scorpbots, Mannequin Drones, Cyber Raptors, Links, Formica Pedes, Raydragoons, Rat Imagin, Fanghouls, Riotroopers, Darkroachis, Salis Worms, Byakkos, Masquerade Dopants, Kuzu Yummies, Ghouls, Plain Roidmudes, Leo Dustards, Gamma Commandos, Kurokage Troopers, Bugster Viruses, Elementary Inves, Guardian Bots, Kasshines, Dodo Magia Chicks, Shimis, Giff Juniors, Jyamaoto Riders, and Bikrows were giving out small demonstrations on them, "You'll find lots of fun weapons and we can offer you some excellent opportunities to use them."

"Well, well," Jack said, intrigued, as he looked back to Kiko, "We have to be crazy to refuse that offer!"

Kiko smirked, "So, you're in."

"Dibs on one of them crossbows!" Bebop said, as he and some of the others approached the weapons, Chance made a dive into them.

"We want you to join Deadlight," Kiko stated after they picked their weapons. "What is Deadlight, you ask? Well, allow me to explain, help me out, gang!"

"Oh, Snowflake's is gonna sing!" Zoey realized, pulling out a keyboard and started playing, as the members of Deadlight joined in playing rock and heavy metal instruments. The Dark Masters wondering how the hell is Zoey bad at any other rock instrument, but on keyboards she does amazing.

"Here you are on Foundation Prime. You're a wreck, you're broken, one might even say you're stuck." Kiko sang, her voice melodious. "Well I don't want to gloat but I would like to note that you're in luck. You've been saved by the gal that runs this here group. So forget about your career failures right now! Zoey, introduce me to them, would you kindly!"

"Yeah, boss! She's the big and scary," Zoey sang.

"Elegant yet twisted," Dr. O sang with Zoey.

"Fear inspiring," Zoey warbled.

"Gang war startin'," Lixdan played on her guitar.

"Looting, stealing," Zoey added.

"Show runnin'!" Kronos added.

"Undisputed top dog of Deadlight!" The villains sang.

"The hell?" Adam said.

"That's me!" Kiko said.

"Tis' she!" Kosexry said.

"That's me!" Kiko said.

"Tis' she!" Erxkadnmlae said.

"That's me!" Kiko said.

"Tis' she!" Xsowshiha shouted.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah." Kiko said, Kuroto playing the flute and Basco playing the trumpet. "I'm a cold-hearted demon pioneer and this is my family, all of whom were once lost souls like you."

"That's right!" The villains shouted.

"She freed us!" Los Dark added.

"She saved our hide!" Yuika noted.

"For that, we owe it all to her, and assuming she doesn't kill you." Zoey explained.

"You'll owe her too!" The villains cheered.

"What?! Kill them? Nah, I'm not that sick." Kiko clarified, rolling her eyes. "Anywho, here we are in a palace, moving at quite a clip, through the ever-shifting terrain."

"Come along, on a trip." Arem added.

"That's a hint!" Wild noted.

"That's a tip!" Zora added.

"That's good advice!" Sudni cheerfully added, Yoomtah drumming on Rocksteady.

"In a world that's going under, to survive you must learn to plunder." Kiko and Zoey warbled.

"Luckily, that's my field of expertise." Kiko noted.

"She's the best." Zoey bragged.

"She's the robbing, thieving..." Yoomtah sang.

"We really should be stopping..." Saruman noted.

"Weapon-throwing..." Lady Centipede sang.

"We gotta get going..." Felix noted.

"Life-taking..." Ourobouros warbled.

"Welp, better be staying..." Karl noted.

"Undisputed, uncontested, truly demonic..." The villains chanted.

"Yeah, you guessed it." Kiko snarked.

"Top dog of Deadlight!" They cheered.

"She's hot." Chucky murmured.

"That's me!" Kiko said.

"Tis' she!" Kronos added.

"That's me!" Kiko said.

"Tis' she!" Birch chanted.

"It's who?" Kiko asked.

"Tis' you!" Megafin and Light answered.

"Just testing, I knew. It's me!" Kiko said, leaping into the throne.

"Good shanty, sir!" Calamity added.

Kiko bowed politely. "Oh, and Harlequin will be out to interview you once he finds out where Voldemort hid the first Horcrux."

"...And that means what?" Karl asked.

"He's been meaning to catch up on the Harry Potter series," Kiko said. "He's about done."

"We're being put aside for a HARRY POTTER BOOK?" Jack shouted.

"He likes to take notes from Tommy Riddle," Kiko replied.

With a glare, Jack looked into the palace and screamed, at the top of his lungs, the most infamous of three word spoilers in the history of literature.

A loud roar came from inside the palace. Seconds after it, Harlequin burst through the doors, shattering them into a thousand pieces (give or take) that reassembled quickly. He had two swords drawn out, his eyes red with rage. "WHO'S THE DEAD MAN WHO SPOILED THE STORY?"

Kiko backed away slowly and cautiously, scanning the area for cover. She did not see this ending well.

"ALL Y'ALL DEAD!" Harlequin threw his swords at Shredder. They bounced off his armor with a loud CLANG. "...Oh, made of metal, are you? ...I love a challenge!"

"Try this on!" From Shredder's gauntlet came a bright red beam of energy. Harlequin leapt into the air, easily avoiding it.

"Trump Sword!" Two swords were thrown at Jack, this time buzzing the hair on his head.

"Hey, not cool! No-one messes up my hair!" Jack said. Harlequin made a landing on the top of the first floor of his palace, over the doors. "Burn bitch!" A flamethrower was aimed, intent to roast the demon. Harlequin dodged easily.

"CLOWN TRICK!" Harlequin raised his hands over his head, a ring of fire appeared over him. It hovered over to Jack, going over his head and wrapping tightly around his body. The clown barely reacted.

"Hot, but I've gotten burned by hellfire, and let me tell ya, it was barely even hot!"

"...That is the best banter you can offer?" Harlequin asked, putting his hands to his side. He shook his head, sighing, "Really?"

"Eh, couldn't think of anything good and well... Yeah, it's been a long day...Can I get a do-over?" Jack said.

"Hm, no, I think we've covered the feats of strength well enough," Harlequin leaped down from the roof, landing casually on the ground. He waved one hand and the ring of fire vanished.

"Thanks," Jack came back down to the ground and stood up. "Sorry 'bout the spoiler."

"Oh, actually, it's my second read of the series. No harm done. I do appreciate the 'chutzpah' if you will." Harlequin said with a smile. "It takes a lot of that to do what you did to one such as I."

---

"Okay, I need to ask. What is this?" Voidlon asked Louise as she drew a circle and sprinkled some dust on it.

"You know how I never had a familiar?" Louise replied. "Well this'll change everything! Time we see if this works."

Then, she breathed in and out. "My brave familiar that exists somewhere across time and space," she chanted as she channeled her magic, "my bold and divine familiar, I summon you. APPEAR!"

A magic circle glowed beneath the girl's feet and, for a moment, there was nothing, but suddenly there was a violent explosion that made everyone cough from the smoke.

"Looks like a fubar, Louise," Voidlon coughed. "Wait, what did you do?!"

Louise appraised the ice statue and the strangely dressed girl with a furrowed brow.

Frankly, she didn't expect to actually summon something successfully, let alone such a mystifying thing. It stood there, towering and powerful, droplets falling off it as it taunted the sun with its mere presence. A figure made entirely out of ice, this large, just sitting there in the warm springtime sun? It depicted a man of some kind, no doubt an esteemed figure – but Louise couldn't for the life of her recognize it.

How curious. Nobody in her family had a Water aptitude, and her own seemed to be that of Failure until now. Or perhaps she was still a talentless Zero? Upon closer inspection, the statue appeared completely inert, still like the ice it was made out of. It wasn't a golem awaiting an order. It was… just a statue. A weird, strange statue that had no place here.

This was her Familiar.

"Well, Zero, pretty impressive." Voidlon snarked. "We'll only need an entire workforce to lug that back to our quarters. Maybe make a cold pit for your new bed ornament. No clue on the girl though, but it worked."

Louise rolled her eyes, knowing she had to get this over with.

"...Pentagon of the Five Elemental Powers. Bless this humble being and make them my familiars." She didn't recognize her voice as it came out of her mouth, nor did she feel the biting chill on her lips when she graced the frozen folds of the statue's robe with a kiss and then the girl on the lips. And yet, she felt something.

Something stirred in the statue. Something that had no right to be.

"Yoo-hoo!" The duo looked up sharply to appraise the figures sitting perched atop the ice statue. One dressed in samurai clothes with six eyes, one man in strange and foreign clothes hid his face behind a fan; not paper, but a mix of that, iron, and some other materials. The other remained closed in his other hand, one was a rather underdressed girl with white hair, while her brother was emancipated with green hair, one was a man in a vest with marks all over his body with good muscles, one was a girl covering her eyes in a kimono, and they all had fingers and nails too long to be considered human.

[WAIT]

[IS THAT?]

[IT IS]

There was the crown, and there were the strangely-colored eyes. What was that seared across them? "My, you look ravishing, if I may say so." Voidlon's eyes widened as he realized these six people are very cute yet seem homicidal, and must have been the real familiars.

[MY MAIN ONES!]

[THE ICE MAN]

[DOUMA IS HERE]

[NAKIME, GYUTARO, DAKI, KOKUSHIBOU AND AKAZA TOO!]

[just as impish as I know 'em!]

Across their eyes stretched a sacred word Lífþrasir. A familiar of the Void, summoned by her. Monsters in a holy raiment.

The six descended from the statue, carried by the icy fog, gently gliding down to the ground. A pleasant smile stretched across the man dressed like a holy man's face as he appraised them from behind the fan. "Mouthwatering. Ah, but where are my manners? Allow me to—"

Then, a groan stirred as the girl woke up. She had magenta hair with pointed ears and paler skin, the hair having sharper bangs and two tented forelocks that reach her chest. Her hair forms two loops, and is held with a yellow diamond. She wears a two-piece outfit composed of a tank-top with a pink butterfly sewn to the center that has a pink gem on a green base. The skirt is a black flower shaped tutu over dark fuchsia shorts and a fuchsia trim V-shaped trim. Her long finger-less gloves end beneath her shoulders with a large opened cuff and a pink diamond on top of the hand. She has long black boots with violet toe and heel, while a large pink gem rests at the knee.

"Wh-where am I?" The girl asked.

"Seems she's awake." Voidlon snarked.

"What are you?" The girl asked.

"Voidlon Shingetsu, Prince of Barian World and soon to be top tier fashion designer, and you are?" Voidlon asked.

"Doma, as you can see, I'm a demon." The demon replied. "The others are Kokushibou, Nakime, Daki, Gyutaro and Akaza."

"Call me, Dark Dream." Dark Dream introduced, snapping her fingers, accidentally sending off a surge of light that fried Doma into chunks, somehow that didn't kill him, even though his guts sprayed all over the room. "Well… you certainly don't mince words. I do like that in a woman!" He laughed like he wasn't just blasted to shreds.

"Well, at least you aren't dead, that's a good sign." Louise said.

"Alright, you don't have to be so cold. That's more of my shtick, see?" The icy fog must have been the creature's power. Voidlon lifted the upper half up, watching as the body and clothes somehow rebuilt itself. Not the only power he had; he was already reconstituting himself with disturbing ease – and yet he still felt the need to pretend he had issues, pawing around for its waist and legs. "Come on, you… haha, this is embarrassing. Give me just a moment—"

"Look, Doma, was it? Please tell me you're not gonna start grave robbing to eat flesh." Voidlon prayed not. A self-satisfied smile stretched across Douma's pallid face.

"No, it's not like that. See, if I eat someone, I make them a part of me. Even if you grind my body to dust, they're still one with me. It's almost like saving them from the grim realities of the world!~" Douma explained.

"Yep, called it." Voidlon realized.

[Yep, this is gonna be fun.]

[FEED THE DEMONS]

[I would give Akaza my socks if he asked.]

"Chat, please don't." Louise begged.

"Oh jeez. Honestly, it's just that you look so much like a friend of mine, that I kinda thought how you talk is funny, given how she speaks normally." Drakus told her as Dark Dream looked and nodded. It made sense. Before Dark Dream could respond to what Drakus said, her stomach growled as she felt embarrassed by the noise. "Oi, it seems you have an appetite like Nozomi after all." Voidlon said before he showed the two a plate with pancakes on it.

"What is that?" Douma questioned as he looked at the plate confused. "Oh..um I figured you'd know but anyway, this is a stack of pancakes." Voidlon said. "Pancakes?" Dark Dream said, tilting her head in confusion. "Yes, it's a type of food. We usually eat them for breakfast." Voidlon said, as she was even more confused. "Food?" Dark Dream questioned as he looked at her shocked. "Wait, you're made from Nozomi and you don't know what food is?!" The squad, mostly Mystle, gave her a shocked look. "Oh hello, I just learned that food exists. Could you explain it to me?" Dark Dream questioned.

"Jeez, well, um, it's something you consume to gain energy. It's probably why your stomach's growling, you're hungry." Zap said, as Dark Dream looked and nodded. "I see, so it's like an energy source for the body. It seems my energy is low since me and Cure Dream fought." Dark Dream said as Voidlon nodded. "Seems like it. Anyway, eat up this first plate while I wake up Yuina. She can't sleep in today. We have a lot to do." Voidlon told Dark Dream and Douma, as they nodded and sat down at the eating area in a chair. As they did, Zap sat next to them. "How are you feeling today?" He questioned, as Douma looked at him.

Just then, they saw a young man that looked part-Japanese, part-European. And he was dressed in very modern clothes in the circle as well. The man gave a very wry grin.

"I'm Assassin. Are you the guy who summoned me?"

Louise was a little surprised.

"I think so."

Assassin's grin turned very goofy.

"All right then. Our contract is complete. Gotta say, I never expected to be summoned by a magician."

He then noticed a mask in Zap's hand.

"Hey, I recognize this doo-dad."

He picked up the mask.

"I was commissioned to swipe it from a museum in Syria by an old man by the name of Tohsaka. The National Museum of Aleppo if I remember correctly."

Voidlon started to realize how Louise had gotten this man in the summoning. Brimir had interpreted the catalyst, not as an item belonging to any of the demons, but as an item stolen by this man.

"Just who are you, exactly?"

Assassin grinned.

"I'm Arsene Lupin III, world-famous Gentleman Thief."

Then, a portal appeared and sucked the X-Squad, Yuina, Hime and Iona through it, Douma, Akaza, Nakime, Kokushibou, Daki, Gyutaro, Hiraldo, Eddie, Beddy, Lupin and Dark Dream following after them as the SS Bloodlust flew in.

---

The Bridge of Khazad-dûm, under the Mines of Moria: Middle-Earth

"You cannot pass!" shouted Gandalf the Grey, as the Balrog came closer to taking him down on the bridge.

For while he succeeded in getting the rest of the Fellowship to the other side, the wise wizard had to stay to cover for them, though the others were scared, practically Frodo, who didn't want to leave without his friend.

"Gandalf!" the young hobbit shouted, but the wizard was still standing his ground, refusing to move until the Balrog was dealt with, either it leaves or faces the consequences.

"I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the Flame of Anor. The dark fire will not avail you, Flame of Udûn!" Gandalf declared himself, while defending himself from the flame monster's attacks.

"Go back to the shadows." He demanded, but the Balrog was still not turning back, as it prepared its whip, it took one step forward, that was then that Gandalf the Grey unleashed all his might.

"YOU! SHALL NOT! PASS!!" he shouted like he was screaming to the heavens, as he brought down his staff (while holding his sword) as it unleashed a wave of bright light.

As the monster took another step, the bridge collapsed underneath it, as it let out a mighty roar as it fell to its demise.

Believing it was over, Gandalf turned to the others… only to get caught by the Balrog's whip as it started to drag him to the edge.

"GANDALF!!" shouted Frodo, the others looked in fear, as Gandalf, before losing his grip looked to the others.

"Fly, you fools!" he said… before finally falling into the chasm, Frodo shouted in despair to what had happened, as the wizard fell, grabbed hold of his sword (which fell along with his staff), spotted the fire demon and fell towards it, fighting it in free-fall.

Suddenly, a vortex opened up above the fight, and the SS Bloodlust came out, flying down the chasm with them, barreling through the sides of the rocky walls.

Inside the ship, everyone was in a bit of panic as they were bouncing off the walls due to what was happening outside, "What just happened?" asked Akaza, who was trying to hold on tight, despite getting bashed and bounced off the others.

"I don't know, but it seems we're all bouncing… and not in a good way!" Roman cried out, who was currently bouncing off the walls.

"Never mind that," explained Yuina, "we need to get out of here, right now!!"

Iona, nodding to the idea, was preparing to unlock the door, until she turned to the others and called out, "Alright, get ready to jump on the count of three!"

"Ready…" Iona started, only to be interrupted by Akaza as he quickly shouted "Three!" punching the doors open, and the passengers jumped out as the SS Bloodlust flew into a portal, only to begin falling as well.

Gandalf, though while fighting the Balrog, was pretty surprised about what he was seeing, but couldn't get distracted from the fight, but during the commotion, the Balrog was about to do a sneak attack from behind, when the wizard heard someone shout "Heads up!"

As on cue, Zap landed behind Gandalf and started spitting lightning at the Balrog as Lupin shot at it, ruining the monster's element of surprise.

"Thank you, my boy…" Gandalf said, before becoming confused about encountering a water dragon, "though, I must say that I've never met a creature like you before…"

"Don't mind us," said Voidlon, who was falling down, but acting a little relaxed, as if he was lying down on thin air, "We're just, you know, dropping by!"

"Jokes?!" said a flustered Dark Dream, still fighting, "At a time like this?!"

"Don't worry," Voidlon replied, "I'm just rolling with it, like I'm gonna roll like THIS!!"

At the last statement, Voidlon spun and struck the Balrog on the head, as it let out a roar of anger for getting attacked.

As Voidlon, Taeko, Robin and Snatcher landed on different parts of the beast, they began their wave of attacks, which basically amounted to just hitting it without rhyme or reason.

"Hey, Giff," Voidlon called to the demon, "doesn't this fire-spitter remind you of an Ifrit?"

"It does," said Giff, only to get grabbed by one of the Balrog's claws, as he was struggling to escape, he then stated "if an Ifrit walked on two feet."

Then, our heroes had to use the gravity to their advantage, for when attacking the Balrog, they would jump to avoid getting attacked or grabbed, then try to dive back on to continue attacking it.

"Where are we?" Douma asked calmly, using ice to freeze the fire parts of the Balrog.

"What?" Gandalf asked, before noticing the Balrog about to strike again, "Behind you!" he shouted, only for the demon to react slowly as he was then grabbed.

"I said, where are we?" He said, as the Balrog swung him around, like a naughty child playing rough with its toys.

"My dear fellow," the wise wizard responded, "I have no idea what you're talking about…"

"We got sucked into a weird hole in Yuina's house, and it led to you!" Jay explained, trying to slice the Balrog to shreds.

Soon, Jacques released some C4 from a secret compartment onto the creature's face, injuring it, before calling out to the others, "If anyone has grapple guns, shoot 'em and head up!"

Grabbing hold of Gandalf, Jacques used his grapple gun claw, sending them upwards, with the X-Squad used theirs while carrying some of their group members, leaving the Balrog to fall into the abyss.

Following that bizarre experience, everyone made it back to the broken bridge, most of them painting from the close call. Voidlon's breath escaped in a hiss. "Everything hurts. I'm blaming you for this, too, just so you know."

'You're friends with someone who detonated a powerful explosive at near point-blank range. The blast force was probably equivalent to being hit by a truck. It certainly felt like it.'

Voidlon began gingerly to make his way down to the ledge. "So you felt that, too, huh?"

'Of course I did.'

"Good."

"My thanks, dear friends." Said Gandalf, after getting a helping hand from Esdeath, once he was back up, with his staff in tow, his surprise return thanks to these new strangers gave quite a surprise for the rest of the Fellowship, who were all glad and happy to see, practically Frodo, who instantly ran to him, happy that he was alive.

But the happy reunion was instantly swooped away, as suddenly a wormhole appeared behind Frodo, pulling him in while the Hobbit was holding on to dear life.

"Frodo!" shouted Gandalf, with worry and fear at what was happening.

Before he was sucked straight in, Frodo cried, "Help! GANDALF!!" before the pull of the vortex won over him and sucked him in.

Gandalf was horrified, not only that his dear friend was vanished into the unknown, but the One Ring, that Frodo was still possessing, had been sucked in as well! If anyone were to find it, it would mean certain doom!

"The Ring!" he shouted in fear, "Frodo has the One Ring! It cannot fall into the enemy's hands!" before the others could ask what the ring was about, Gandalf charged after Frodo, and without hesitation, the others had to follow him as well.

"Quickly! Fly!" he shouted to the others, who were following behind him.

"Wait for us!" shouted Yuina, who was then put in thought 'That ring must be very important to that guy's cause', as they entered the wormhole.

Then, the wormhole vanished, leaving the Fellowship confused, worried and distressed at what has happened, two of their friends have suddenly vanished, and they have no idea what's going on and what's going to happen.

The silence was then broken when Sam thought aloud, "I suppose we just wait for them then?" for he too, was uncertain of what was to come.

Back in the vortex rift, the others were flying to who knows where, one of them was scared and the others were bored and wanted to be done with this.

"We're at this strange beast's mercy and I do not trust where it is leading us!" called out Gandalf as they went, "We must get out!"

"Don't worry. I got this." Voidlon said, as he then turned to skekSil, "Sil, get me a scanner." the chamberlain understood, though with a bit of caution, as he threw a scanner to the dragon prince, as he caught it and began his own calculations.

"If I can locate what is generating this rift…then we can be able to disrupt it." He explained.

Soon he began working on the scanner, and as Taeko did the final touches, the vortex began to warp a little, meaning that they did something.

"Does that mean it worked?" asked Gandalf, confused, as the group were whisked into the unknown, as their incredible journey really begins.

---

Great Tomb of Nazarick

All is quiet in a cavern, somewhere on an unknown planet, in an unknown dimension.

All is silent, on this quite-possible lifeless planet, while the only thing that exists, is a strange machine, for what looks like a gateway portal.

Its main section was a large, inverted metal triangle with lights dotting along its edge. Other features included a large hole in the center and symbols encircling the hole.

Around the circularity of the hole, seven crystal-like panels were attached to the machine, glimmering well, with different markings on them.

The bottom tip of the triangle is connected to a base which was basically a giant platform, almost like what you see from dance floor video games, with several thick cords sticking out from the back of the base.

Next to the machine, and also between it, were what looked like four giant hoops, two were on the floor, while the other two were on top.

All around the room and by the machine, it looked like there were bits and pieces, with several equipment around, almost like there were experiments around there.

No one knows who made it, or where it came from, it is just there, motionless…

Until it began to hum…

The humming was very small and quiet, until it suddenly grew louder, and louder, until the gateway began to open up.

At first, it remained still active, until suddenly a huge group emerged out of the portal, some landed on the platform, while others crashed onto the floor next to the base, and only a small few landed on the feet nicely.

As he, Mera, Taeko, skekSil and Seryu were gaining their surroundings, Drakus looked back to where they came out of, only to discover something up with the machine.

The machine's gateway began to shake and rattle, with static electricity going everywhere, and the sound of humming began to grow louder and high pitched, as if something bad was about to happen.

As Seryu saw this, she realized what was about to happen as she cried out "WATCH OUT!!"

Suddenly the machine exploded sending everyone and everything flying scattered everywhere.

Then it seemed that gravity was gaining a bit of control, as it suddenly pulled the seven panels (and almost few of the travelers) into a collapsing wormhole, before it imploded, once it was over, everyone, either dizzy, startled and/or a little bruised, began to recover from what happened.

"Well," said Roman, as he was the first to speak while dusting off his arms and hat, "don't know what that was you did there, but we're still alive."

"Are you sure…?" groaned Mera, as she almost felt like she was sent flying by force.

Soon everyone began regaining him or herself, Wave and Bols were helping out Gandalf (after all, he is an old man, besides being an angel), Kurome helped get Minami, Rémy and Grany up, and the X-Squad eventually got themselves up, clinging to each other for stability.

"Well, now that's settled," said Mysterio, pretending that nothing happened, "What exactly happened, anyway?"

Iggy had looked back to the now broken machine that they came through as he thought aloud "This technology looks very advanced, a lot like that of the Blood Games arena," he then began studying it as he continued. "My guess, that gateway created the rift that brought us here…"

Indus, having been through what almost looked like an inter-dimensional rollercoaster, was acting a little dizzy while regaining himself as he asked "Uh… which gateway…?"

"The one that exploded…" deadpanned Mera, as her friend was getting his head on straight.

Suddenly Hime popped up, feeling over-excited as usual, "Woohoo! That was amazing! We were all like 'whoosh, aaahh!' and then we crashed with a 'Oof, ow, oof!' and then the thing went 'Kaboom!' and it was the GREATEST RIDE OF ALL TIME!!" she spoke as she was describing the journey in her own way.

"Yeah… that's great and all…" said Iona, as she pulled her cuff to stop her girlfriend in her tracks in a way to calm her down, then she turned to the others. "However, does anyone know where we are exactly…?"

"Oh god, not here…" said Voidlon in an embarrassed tone.

"Seems a bit new to us." Hibiki added.

"I would remember this place if I've been here, but I'm afraid this place doesn't ring any bells." Stated skekSil, as he looked around.

"Hmmm… this is an odd place to be, indeed." Gandalf spoke, as he used his staff to light the cavern a bit, looking around.

"Voi!" An energetic and exhilarated shout rang from the VIP box as he caught a glance of a figure leaping from above and landing gracefully, stopping for a moment to give a victory sign before sprinting towards him with amazing speed.

'Aura… ' He could not describe the happiness and warmth the word managed to spread inside his cold, sociopathic heart.

Voidlon didn't expect the dark elf to jump into his abdomen and hug him with all her limbs like a baby Koala. But the collision of her tiny body against his didn't even register in his mind, he didn't even move a muscle.

"I missed you so much…." He heard her whispering faintly, yet happily against his chest.

'Eh? It has been a while. Can't say I'm complaining though.' Voidlon thought as his lips curved upwards. Aura hummed in delight when she felt her brother gently caress her head.

"I didn't expect you to be so clingy." He stated in mock seriousness, trying to make a joke.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to be a bother!" Aura, however, took it literally and climbed off him with a worried expression. But before she fully released her hold, the hand on her head swiftly came down to wrap around her body and press her back into the figure of her father.

"I was not reprimanding you, Aura. You are my sister, how can you ever be a bother? When it comes to me, you can do whatever you want, even take hold of my hand and drag me to wherever you want, and I promise you that I will never think of you as a bother." Aura stared up in awe at her brother's small smile.

'Please don't become all prim and respectful, I still can't believe I found one of you who interacts with me like a real family member.' Voidlon pleaded in his mind.

"When a sister thinks of herself as a bother to her own brother, isn't it a tell on how horrible that brother must be?"

"No! You're the best step-brother ever! I'll kill anyone who says otherwise!" Aura actually yelled at him, her expression murderous.

'Whoa! That escalated quickly…' Voidlon would be lying if he said that he wasn't a little freaked out by that last sentence. Aura thankfully didn't notice and buried her face into his chest once again, inhaling his fragrant scent.

"I love you." She exhaled softly. Voidlon's small smile became a bit bigger as he stroked her back.

"I cherish you as well, young Aura." He raised his head to look around the stadium, searching for the other guardian of the 6th floor.

"Where's your brother?" He finally asked. Aura gasped, being too distracted by savoring the 'moment' with Voidlon, she forgot about her brother. She let go of him and jumped down to the ground, looking up at where her brother was standing on a balcony.

"Mare! Voi's asking for you!? Come down here!" She yelled out.

"I can't, Onee-san! I-It's too h-high!" He responded whilst fidgeting.

"Mare!" She shouted in a warning/threatening tone.

"A-Alright! Alright!" Mare jumped down and began running towards them.

'How clumsy… why did Bukubukuchagama make him into a subservient, cowardly person? That is kind of cruel.' Voidlon thought, raising his eyebrow as he witnessed Aura scolding her brother for being late.

"W-Welcome to our floor, everyone." Mare said with a little bow and a shy smile. The two elves were a bit surprised to feel their heads being patted, the touch of their undead father's palms didn't bother them at all, them being too engrossed in feeling happy to be shown affection to notice.

"You two are quite lively. Can I ask you to help me with something?" Voidlon smiled gently and glanced at BlueBlaze.

'Primal Fire Elemental, awaken.' BlueBlaze glowed purple, bringing into existence a humanoid level 87 fire tornado spirit monster. Voidlon's silent magic, granted by his bloodline, allowed him to perform the spell without saying a word. This was quite an annoying and overpowered ability in the minds of the heroes hunting him down since it made it near impossible to disrupt his spell casting since he didn't need to recite incantations. Due to the fact that most of his spells were mind-type; he can also move while casting his spells without the restriction of having to stand still while casting, couple all of that with his unreasonable stats which even allow him to stop a punch from a being like Destroyah with merely a finger, and his ridiculously wide range, destructive attacks which ignored all resistances as befitting of any final boss of any action/adventure game, and not to forget his immunity to World Items as a World Enemy.

For these reasons and many more, he was feared by all the Players in YGGDRASIL, even top guilds like Trinity and 2CH Alliance hesitated to attack Nazarick. Most of the guilds respected him and referred to him as worthy of being the true final Boss after they fought him themselves, which dispelled any notion they had of him not deserving the privilege of being named the final Raid Boss by the devs. They experienced firsthand how difficult it is to fight him for mere thirty seconds without dying instantly, and that's when they realised that he truly deserves to have the highest level of difficulty in the game, God Level Difficulty, a difficulty level superior to any other Boss in YGGDRASIL, even the previous final Boss Devourer of the Nine Worlds paled in comparison.

Whenever a Player was asked about the power of Prince Voidlon of Nazarick, the True Final Boss, all of them would describe it in more or less the same way: "A living embodiment of malicious intent, Keep playing down here, but never try to trespass on his abode, be glad he doesn't see people like us as free XP, or he and his guardians would stat pad us disrespectfully."

Such an intense warning was always issued to new Players or hot-headed veterans in guilds, they all knew fighting Voidlon meant an instant loss, that's without even taking into account the possibility of never even getting to him because of his also impressive ancestors and 'unfair' NPCs residing in his Dungeon's 8th floor.

"Do you want to fight it, Aura?" Voidlon asked, not only taking notice of Aura's excitement but also reading her thoughts, a Barian skill.

"Yes, please! Let's go, Mare!" Soon after dragging her little brother along, the two began fighting the summoned monster.

'As expected, a mere level 87 is but a joke to them.' Voidlon thought while watching the two destroy the summon and come running back to him.

Voidlon was about to reach into his inventory and give them some water but he felt a tug on his arm, which caused to glance down at Mare's shy face. The prince smiled and gently rubbed the boy's head, marveling at how short he was compared to him.

"What is it, Mare?" He asked.

"I-I want you to c-carry me." The dark elf child said bashfully while looking at the ground, refusing to stare up at his 'brother'. His sister simply shook her head with a smile instead of reprimanding her younger brother. Voidlon was actually surprised by the sudden boldness of his 'brother'.

'A demand? That's reassuring, at least Chagama didn't program him to have a completely subservient personality.'

"Alright, come here, little man." The so-called Prince of YGGDRASIL bent down and picked up the male guardian, holding him firmly to his chest by having his hand under his thighs. The boy's expression of extreme happiness made his sister and brother smile at his cuteness. Voidlon then proceeded to pull out a water jug along with two cups from hammerspace, giving them to the children to drink.

"Aura, I've sensed that the other awakened Guardians are coming to this floor, they'll be here shortly." He stated.

"Eh? Will Shalltear come as well?" The girl had somewhat of a dismayed reaction to the news.

"Hmmm… You don't like Shalltear?" Momonga asked. The dark elf girl shook her head in response.

"It's not that. I love Shalltear a lot; she's my sister after all. She just teases me so much it's annoying." She pouted, which made her look like a chipmunk in Voidlon's mind.

"I see." He replied shortly.

"Oh? Am I the first to arrive?" A voice stated after a pale-skinned woman appeared out of a portal. As soon as she saw Voidlon, she threw her umbrella which turned into bats and flung herself at him, narrowly avoiding Mare, and clung to his side.

"Prince Voidlon! The descendant of Ainz himself! The Dragon Prince! Bestow your grace upon me!"

'Shalltear's still clingy?!' Voidlon was noticing something. 'Well, shit. Might as well deal with this.'

"Give Voi some time to rest, Shalltear, can't you see he's busy holding Mare? Or did ya overstuff your top too much, bug bites?" Aura said with a haughty tone.

"Haa!?" The enraged Vampire immediately went to the dark elf and started debating/arguing with her.

"Everyone, this is Nazarick, the Dimensional Tomb of Ainz Oal Gown, my great great grandfather." Drakus explained, as he put down Mare as the other two guardians arrived shortly after. Cocytus, followed by Demiurge. "Most of the denizens are in hyper sleep unless awakened, which doesn't include Miss Battsy, the Elf Twins, Ice Bug Man, and Pinstripe Demon over here."

"Shalltear Bloodfallen, guardian of the first, second and third floors. At your command." The vampire was of short stature and has the appearance of a fourteen-year-old girl, which made Julie feel flustered. She has pale shiny skin, seductive crimson-red eyes, and fine facial features. Shalltear's silver hair is tied in a ponytail through a large ribbon on top of it all, allowing others a full view of her face. Shalltear wore a soft black evening dress with a big heavy skirt. Her upper body is dressed in a lace embellished ribbon and a short tailored jacket. Her hands are donned with long lace gloves, not exposing any bit of skin exterior.

"Cocytus, guardian of the 5th floor. At your command." Having an enormous body size of 2.5 meters, Cocytus has the appearance of an insect walking on two feet - a fusion between a mantis and an ant. With a tail twice as long as his height, Cocytus is covered in sharp spikes like icicles and has a strong jaw that can easily snap people's hands. Two of his hands held a silver halberd. With a breathtaking cold air, the pale blue, hardened bone armor oozes out diamond dust like bright light. His shoulders and back look like uplifted icebergs.

"Aura Bella Fiora, guardian of the 6th floor. At your command." Aura had dark skin and pointed ears, a signature trait of the dark elves. She has golden hair and heterochromia, her left eye blue and right eye green. She wore reddish-black dragon scale leather covered by a white and gold vest embroidered with the sigil of Ainz Ooal Gown. Below it, she has a matching set of white trousers and gold plated shoes, and around her neck is an acorn necklace emitting golden light. She is equipped with a whip around her waist and a giant, decorated bow on her back.

"Mare Bello Fiore, a-also a guardian of the 6th floor. A-At your command." Like his twin sister, Mare also has dark skin and pointed ears. He has golden hair and heterochromia, his right eye is blue and his left eye is green. He wore a blue dragon scale leather full-body suit, covered by a white and gold vest embroidered with the sigil of Ainz Ooal Gown and a forest green-leaf cloak. Below, he has a matching short white skirt exposing his thighs, and on his neck is an acorn necklace emitting silver light. His slender hands are donned with shiny white silk gloves and he wields a twisted black wooden staff.

"Demiurge, guardian of the 7th floor. At your command." Demiurge is a demon with dark skin and nicely combed black hair. Behind the round glasses are eyes so squinted that they are not normally visible. Wearing a British suit with a tie, he is dressed like a gentleman. Behind his back is a silver tail, covered with metal plates and six long spikes at the end. Demiurge's eyes lack eyeballs, in fact, shining jewels with numerous small cuts take the place of his eyeballs.

"All right, stand back yoctograms," said Sho, as he immediately went to work fixing the portal, which surprisingly enough just needed to be plugged in, "let's see how this equation goes!"

As Sho turned to a control pad nearby and pressed several buttons, the symbols on the gateway began to light up in different colours, several of them had what looked like those of the Greek alphabet, while most had some of the Behenian fixed stars on them.

As if lightning had struck, the engine began letting off energy, sending it into the gateway, as it flashed and another wormhole had been opened inside, the group was awe struck, the dimensional gateway had been repaired.

"Re-routing from back-up power. Limited system functionality restored." A robotic voice echoed out, surprising most of the team, until Akaza began realizing what the last part meant what the voice said.

"Wait, "Limited system functionality"? Will I lose an arm if I go through that thing?" He asked.

Snatcher then turned to the others as he had a solution, "I saw some gears get sucked into it," he said, as he turned back to the gateway. "Could be important…"

"Well," said Gandalf, "it seems to be… alive, at least." Sho then got out a device, which he added a few extra leftover parts from around the strange tomb while looking for a way to fix the gateway.

"This inter-dimensional scanner is saying that there is definitely a prime integer through there, if we go in, we may find it." As the group looked at the portal ahead, they all had their thoughts.

"Could it get us some cookies?" asked Coco.

"Could be." Answered Sho, knowing Coco meant the missing parts.

"Or maybe Frodo?" Gandalf suggested.

"Quite possible, maybe." Voidlon answered, liking that suggestion.

Soon the team rushed into the portal, with brave action faces at the ready, as they prepared for what the unknown had in store for them as they were once again in the vortex rift, flying to who knows where.

---

"Get ready, folks," said a pumped Voidlon, "because here we…"

The portal opened up, as our heroes landed by a paving road, some skidding and some falling with a thud as they did, and some landing on their feet.

As they got up, most of the others had a good look at where they were, and they were quite surprised at the scenery of their destination.

Where they were, they were somewhere in a lovely country side, on a small hill top, while not far was a small forest, and up ahead, was what looked like a set of silos, all colored green.

And the path they were on looked like a yellow brick road, seemingly leading to the green silos ahead, and as they looked around, it seemed that the place looked a bit calm, "…go?" said Voidlon, looking around with confusion.

"Huh," Cocytus then said with a little disappointment, "I was expecting something more… perilous."

"Honestly, same." Akaza said.

Taeko had a good look as well, "Well, it's pretty nice around here." She said, as the rift snapped shut after dropping them off.

"I would have had a more pleasant journey on the back of that Balrog." Gandalf grunted, who grumpily compared the journey through the rift wormhole to the Balrog fight a while back.

"Hmm," said Mera, looking around, "I don't see home anywhere…"

"Or a bakery…" said a disappointed Pecos.

"Or even some diners…" said an equally disappointed Namakelder.

"Well, I say we take a look around," suggested Demiurge. "At the very least, we'll be able to know where we are."

"Good idea," said Sheriff, as he looked at the device, "there must definitely be something around here that the radar is detecting…" soon the group moved forward, towards the woods, as they looked around, it all seemed calm and nice, like any forest would be, for there were even a few birds tweeting the trees as well.

"Charming place," said Gandalf, as he looked at the forest, "reminds me of some of the forest paths I used to take during my travels…"

Voidlon had a thought as he then turned to Mera and asked, "Do you think that if we head straight on, we might find something that you might remember?"

"I think so," Mera replied. "Let's head on down and-"

"Why hello there, dear travelers!"

Before Mera could finish, a voice interrupted the motive, startling the squad a little, and as the group turned to where the voice came from, they saw a very small man in very colorful clothing, strolling along the brick road.

As he approached them, he tipped his hat politely as his way of saying hello as he said a little bit high Irish voice, "Top in the morning' to ya!"

"But it's 2 o'clock in the afternoon!" Hiss stated, as he looked at Taeko's watch.

"Is it, really?" the little man said. "Begging my pardon, lass."

"Uh, who are you?" Aura asked.

"But of course." He said. "My name is Marvin Munchkin, and I like to wish you a very good day!"

"Thanks, uh, Marvin." Roman spoke up. "But could you tell us where we are, exactly?"

At that, Marvin let out a small chuckle. "Where are ya?" he said. "Why you must be new here, so I'd be the first to welcome yee to the Land of Oz!"

"Oz?" Snatcher asked, a bit confused about an odd name like Oz.

"Indeed, Oz is a proud and mighty kingdom," explained the Munchkin. "From my home country of Munchkinland, to the territory of the Winkies," he then pointed forward to the far off silos, "over at the center, lies the Emerald City, the proud crown jewel of the Land of Oz!"

"Emerald City!?" gasped Pecos, as he began to wonder if there were emeralds there.

"That's right," Marvin nodded. "And it is there, lives the Great and Powerful Wizard of Oz, himself!" He added, as he took off his hat and placed it over his chest in respect.

This gained a bit of interest in Cyclonis, Gandalf and Hime at what Marvin said. "A wizard you say?" Gandalf asked, stroking his beard with curious interest.

"That's right!" said Marvin, putting his hat back on, "He is quite wise and he is known to help those in need of his advice."

Iona then had a small thought until she turned to the Munchkin, "I don't suppose that this "Oz" person could help us with finding Gandalf's friend, or a way home if that would be all right with him…"

"That's not a bad idea." Voidlon said with a smile, which made her very happy to hear that as he turned to Marvin, "Do you think that this wizard could help us?"

"Why certainly," the Munchkin answered cheerfully, as he began to walk down the path, "I was just doing a little exploring on my travels from home, so I could help you with getting you on your way, follow me!"

The group then followed Marvin down the yellow brick road as he asked, "You wouldn't happen to be from the star Kansas, would you?"

"I don't think so…" Yuina replied, unsure about what he meant as she gestured to herself and her friends as she said. "Me and my friends come from Seinarushima, if that's what you mean!"

"Ah, so you come from the star named Seinarushima, quite interesting!" the Munchkin said with a happy grin, unaware that it earned a face-palm from Yuina while Iona, Kokone and Leslie looked to each other, a little baffled by what he said.

"You see," Marvin explained, "there was a young girl who came down from Kansas, the name of the star she came from, in a house, and in hopes of getting back there, Glinda, the dear Good Witch of the North, sent her on her way to see the Wizard of Oz so he can help her get home."

"Well, if this Oz chap is powerful as you say he is," Gandalf spoke up, "then I'm sure that he wouldn't mind the presence of another wizard in his city, I would very much like to meet him."

This surprised Marvin a bit, "You be a wizard also?" he asked.

"But of course," Gandalf replied as he introduced himself, "though you may not know me, I am Gandalf, Gandalf the Grey."

"Though I've never heard the name from these parts, I still say it be a pleasure to meet you!" the Munchkin admitted, as he tipped his hat politely to Gandalf.

"Well, I guess you can say that we all come from our own respected "stars" around here." Drakus spoke up, as he gave a small wink to Gandalf and Taeko, who nodded in agreement to play it for now.

"So you like to see the Wizard about your friends, is it?" Marvin asked as he turned to them, "What ever happened?"

"Well, Gandalf's pal was kidnapped by a possible cartel, so we're going around looking for him." Vanoss explained, avoiding making things confusing and complicated for the Munchkin if he mentioned about the rifts and the worlds.

"While we do that," Drakus said as he stepped in, "we're searching for some pieces of a gateway that got… well, broken, and we think one of them is here."

"Interesting," Marvin said with curious interest, "I'm sure that Oz the Great and Powerful would be glad to help you."

Soon they came up to a fork in the yellow brick road, one leading going left and away from the forest leading to the Emerald City and one on the right going towards it.

As they went up towards it, Marvin began to walk a little to the left before turning to the others.

"Well, it looks like we part ways from here." He said.

"So you're not coming with us?" asked skekSil, which the Munchkin shook his head a little.

"Thank ye for the offer, but I'll be ok with where I'll be going," he explained, "I like a nice bit of exploring, don't ya know?"

"But how do we go on to the city?" Neo signed.

As he turned away from the group and continued down the path on the left, he turned his head to them as he called out, "Don't you worry," he said, "Just follow the yellow brick road, cheerio!"

As the Munchkin continued on his merry way (while humming an oddly catchy tune as he went), the others looked to the right where the small forest was.

"Well, you heard him," Neo signed, "seems that the one way to get to the Emerald City is to follow the yellow brick!"

"Very well, lead on." Gandalf said proudly, as Drakus led the group down the path.

"Ooh, this is so exciting!" Sora squealed, as she oddly began to sing the catchy tune Marvin was humming, "Follow the Yellow Brick, follow the yellow brick, follow, follow, follow, follow…"

"You better not sing all the way to the city, honey." Lune said, hoping her girlfriend would take the hint that it could get annoying.

Just then Marvin came rushing back a bit, catching them before they could head off.

"Oh, dear lad!" he called out to Voidlon, as he turned to him.

"Yeah?" asked Voidlon, as the Munchkin came up to him.

"A small bit of advice," he explained. "Once you go through the forest, you'll come to a field of poppies, which grows beyond the boundaries of the Emerald City, when you get there, stay on the path, don't go through the fields."

"Oh, ok, thanks!" Voidlon said, unsure what he meant but felt certain it was important, while Marvin went back on his way, hoping that they understood his warning.

As they continued their walk, most of the squad enjoyed the scenery as they went through the forest, until they reached the forest's exit and saw a yellow brick road leading to Emerald City.

"There it is! The Emerald City!" Roald said, as she pointed out with his hand, most of the others were looking on in amazement (while the others were still looking around the forest scenery).

"So beautiful!" Pecos squealed with excitement. "I hope the people there won't mind if I take a few of their emeralds."

"And our wizard is bound to be there." Snatcher said, as he looked at the scanner.

"C'mon!" Indus said, excited, "Let's get going! We could race down the path and through those fields to get there!"

As he said that, he pointed out to the open fields, as they were blooming with red flowers…

Hearing this, seeing the flowers and suddenly remembering Marvin's words, Mera suddenly spoke up, "I don't know," she said. "I think it's best not to go through the fields…"

"Oh, I'm sure the flowers aren't bad," Indus said, "they could probably be in season right now!"

"No! No! No!" Mera cried out, as she waved her arms at Indus. "Don't go through! Don't go through!"

They suddenly began to hear something, which led to Aura, Mare and Shalltear clinging to Voidlon, shocked by the sudden singing.

As the group looked around to see where the singing was coming from, they looked to see four figures skipping along down the yellow brick road.

The quartet was revealed to be formed of a young girl (who had a little black dog walking by her side), a lion, and to some of the other's surprise, a tin man and a scarecrow.

As they continued down the road, they were singing a merry, catchy tune…

"We're off to see the wizard, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, We hear he is a whiz of a wiz, if ever a wiz there was, If ever, oh ever a wiz there was, The Wizard of Oz is one because, because, because, because, because, because, Because of the wonderful things he does…"

"It's not just singing," Gandalf said, "it's a singing scarecrow. Amongst other oddities."

"Oh my," Demiurge said with amazement, "I've never seen a scarecrow sing, but I've never seen a lion sing before either."

"Welp, better go see what's with them." Voidlon said.

"We're off to see the Wizard, the wonderful Wizard of Oooooooooooooooooz!" the group finished singing, as Voidlon then flew by to them with the X-Squad running up to them.

"Hello there," Voidlon said, a little on edge on meeting new faces, but a bit surprised to see the strangely cute man made of iron with them. "Nice to meet you."

"Why, hello there, sweet one," the young girl said, "Are you wanting to join us in our travels?"

"Maybe, the name's Voidlon. This is the X-Squad." Voidlon introduced.

"Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Voidlon." Said the Scarecrow.

"Would you like to tell us what you are missing?" the Tin Man asked.

"Well, there's a sense of self preservation and will to live, mental stability, sense of direction and lots of things wrong with us." Voidlon added, giving Dorothy a long list of what the X-Squad's severely lacking in. "And also there's a severe lack of heart in us, mostly due to lack of conscience."

"Hey," the Tin Man then spoke up, "I'm also trying to get a heart," he then pointed to the scarecrow, "He's the one that doesn't have a brain."

"Am I, though?" the Scarecrow said in confusion.

"Uh, D-d-dorothy, fellas!" The Cowardly Lion said, as he pointed to the hole, "I t-t-think I s-s-s-see something scary!"

"If it's Toto again, I told you," the Tin Man explained, "there's nothing to be scared of."

But soon, the vortex's pull got the four and the dog by surprise, as they began to get pulled in, catching the squad's attention.

"What the-?" cried the Scarecrow, as he lost his hat and then tried to hang on to the Tin Man.

"Oh no! Not another tornado!" Dorothy cried out, as she caught her dog, Toto, and hugged on to him, as the group was instantly sucked into the rift, just as the rest of the team rushed in.

As the rift closed, a wicked laugh echoed all around them.

"What on Middle-Earth was that?" Gandalf asked, surprised by what happened.

"And who was that laughing?" Mera added.

"I don't know…" Voidlon said, as he looked around for the laughter's source.

Just then, Kanade spotted something shining not far from them, as she looked she instantly recognized it.

"Guys, look!" she cried, getting the others attention as she pointed to the direction of the city, allowing the others to look that way. "It's a gear with a dragon on it!"

"But what about that nice girl and her friends?" Muty asked with worry.

"And who did that laugh?" Roman added.

"We'll find a way to get them back soon," Hibiki said, "and whoever laughed sounded pretty wicked, like a witch!" Then the realization dawned on her. "Wait a second."

As the group turned, they gasped in shock, as there, up in the sky, was indeed a witch, the Wicked Witch of the West to be exact.

As she flew on her broomstick, with her flying monkeys by her side, she let out another wicked cackle.

"Now that that meddling girl is gone, all of Oz is now mine! So long, Dorothy, so long!" the Wicked Witch said with a laugh.

Just then, one of her monkeys spotted the group and the gear, and then called out to its master as it pointed them out.

"What's this?" the witch said as she saw the emerald, "Something magical?"

She then scented the power from within the Gear, and grinned, "It looks so pretty, yet feels so powerful!"

She then spotted the group, guessing that they were after the gear as well, "They can't have it!"

"Oh shit, brace yourselves!" Victor called out, as the others got into fighting positions, "We've got monkey dive bombers!"

"Get away from my property! Whatever it is." The Witch sneered, though a little curious about the gear.

"Damn!" Pecos said as he saw the flying monkeys, "I've heard of flying pigs, but this is ridiculous!"

"Tell me about it!" Sho said in agreement, "This equation could possibly make Shibuya's chaos look like a word problem!"

Soon many flying monkeys, all poised to attack, surrounded the group.

"Keep them away from the gear!" Voidlon cried out, seeing two of the monkeys getting close to the emerald, "Who knows what would happen if she gets her hands on it!"

The group understood, and they took on most of the monkeys after some of them transformed, with Cyclonis and Gandalf using their magic to blast them away, while Zinnia did several plasma blasts to scatter them.

Sho had two spinning red discs of sharp red blades loaded up into his hands. "CRUNCH!" he yelled. "I'LL ADD YOU ALL TO THE HEAP! YOU'RE NOTHING BUT A LOAD OF GARBAAAAGE!"

Coco flew in, wings extended, with a cry of "COCOOOOOOOO ATARAAAAASHIIIIIII!"

Voidlon then got out BlueBlaze, then activated a compartment containing Rathalos gas, spreading it to several monkeys that were surrounding them, he then ignited it with the spark and the monkeys were blasted away.

Most of the others used their own fighting styles and weapons as they took on several more, such as skekSil and Esdeath using ice to send skekSil barreling into the monkeys, Mera grabbing monkeys and breaking their bones, and Yuina using her sword to slice apart monkeys.

The others gave those who couldn't fight, mainly Giff and Kanna, some cover as more enemies came closing in.

As most of the monkey army began to dwindle, the Witch decided it was time to step in.

"So you won't take a warning, eh?" she said, as raised her hands from her broom and up to the skies as she then cried out, "Then I'll take care of you now!"

At that, she brought her hands down, and a wave of green flames came down, forming a giant, green blazing circle, surrounding the group.

The witch then came down to them, firing away several magical blasts of fire, and there would have burned some of the group if Cyclonis, Maltran and Gandalf hadn't got up some magical shields to protect them.

"ZETTA SLOW!" Sho unleashed a disc, then teleported across the field, then unleashed another. "ZETTA SLOW!"

"NOT THAT AGAAAAIIIIN!" Coco yelled as she summoned cutesy hearts to pummel the halted monkeys, pushing them back alongside Sho's energy attacks.

"I make you pay for that, you pests!" the witch snarled, as she called up more of the monkey cavalry.

Voidlon was using his sword to make things a little harder for the monkeys. He learned they couldn't be killed by dismemberment, but it sure would slow them down trying to put the pieces back together as he hacked off limb after limb. "It was a very clever plan," he told them, "but it's lacking in execution!"

"At least he has some fresh material!" Coco yelled at Sho.

"Shut up, Mersenne!" Sho barked back, dealing another magical blow to the slowly rampaging monkeys as Seryu shot a tank missile at the witch.

Hit by said missile, the witch was sent flying into her minions, and oddly to everyone; a bowling sound effect was heard at the timing of collision.

Once back in position on her broom, the witch looked at the group, angrily.

"I'll get you, my pretties," she said, and then turned to Shadow, "and your dogs, too!"

"Hey! I'm not a mutt, I'm death itself!" Grim shouted back.

As the witch looked on, she then thought up a wicked plan, as she saw where the group were nearby: the field of poppies.

"Now, take the jewel and fly!" she ordered some of her minions, "Fly back to the castle!"

At that, the monkeys began flying towards the group, distracting them as one monkey flew to the emerald, seeing this, Ruler rushed into to stop.

"No you don't!" she cried, but it was too late, as the monkey grabbed the gear before him, and gave it to the witch.

"Such pure power…" the witch said in amazement, before turning to the others, "Better luck next time, fools, without my sister's ruby slippers, you are no match for me!"

She took off, with the gear under her hood, as she called out to her monkeys, "Away, my pretties! Away!" They flew off as she cackled like mad.

"We have to protect this world from her and get that gear back." Fury thrummed through Akaza's veins at what had happened. "The witch is a threat, plain and simple. What happens when she decides to use it to conquer this world? If she already tried to kill us once, she will be willing to do so again. We have to kill her," he stated. "It's the only way. She knew she couldn't beat us in a fair fight, and resorted to this. This won't stop if we let her live."

Then, the squad followed her into a forest, with Kokone and Dr. Stylish almost falling asleep as they did.

As they looked around, they were shocked as pieces of wood and rock from everywhere, until they all reassembled into what looked like a giant wolf made of wood.

"Oh, come on!" Taylor cried out, as the Timberwolf roared at them, causing the group to scatter as it chased after them.

It then caught eyes on Hibiki, who was scared stiff, and sensing her fear, it charged at her!

"Look out!!" cried Coco.

Before the beast could strike, however, something sped up and grabbed hold of Hibiki, and as it stopped, it revealed to be a humanoid white-skinned monster of unimaginable horror, who had now just put Hibiki, who was stunned to see him, down.

"You okay?" The monster asked, resulting in Hibiki being speechless, but nodding in response.

The alien abomination glanced up towards the squad, feigning surprise. "Oh! Hello there! I didn't see you there! I was distracted saving this girl and reading one of my favorite books…"

He paused and did a double-take at the book he was holding. "Atlas Shrugged?! What the… Dogranio!"

A giant old Tyrannosaurus monster laughed like a maniac.

Evolt immediately threw the book into the nearest fire. The flames blazed up, and for a moment the tormented face of Ayn Rand appeared in the fire, her tortured screams filling the area as she burned in hell.

"I don't care if I'm setting a "bad example," I did the right thing and you know it!" Evolt snapped.

"Oh, you most certainly did," a bat monster replied, much to his surprise. "If anything, you were too lenient. But seriously Evolt, do you want the network to pull this show as well?" He insisted.

Evolt groaned and reluctantly shook his head. "No… Still can't believe they turned down Magical Girl Evolto-Chan… It was pure genius, a cerebral and subversive take on the magical girl genre! But I guess it wasn't generic or child-friendly enough for mainstream media. Either that, or those executives were transphobic or something, considering all the shit PreCure did with Healin'Good, Heartcatch and Hugtto, Sentai with Liveman, Osama and Timerangers and the Kamen Riders like Amazons, Build and Gaim or even Puella Madoka, Magical Girl Site and Magical Girl Raising Project."

"Yes, I'm sure that's why they didn't pick up the pilot," Dogranio snarked in amusement.

"We might be able to get it picked up off-world, but in the meantime, this is all we have to work with," Abrella reminded Evolt.

"Fine," Evolt mumbled. "So, are we doing another take?" Evolt then shuddered in dismay. "And lenient?! Me?! Yikes, must be losing my touch."

"This is going out live, so no."

"Eh, whatever." Evolt clasped his hands together. "Anyway! My name is Evolt, the last known member of the Blood Tribe, one of the most feared and powerful races in existence! And I have to say, it's a pleasure to meet all of you!" He paused. "Don't know why you're still here as I would probably murder you for the fun of it."

"Good luck trying though." Voidlon added.

"Say hello to dear old grandpa Dogranio Jaboon, who isn't actually my grandfather and totally isn't the infamous Gangler crime boss Dogranio Yaboon in disguise."

Yuina frowned and leaned next to Kokone. "Hey, that is the infamous Gangler crime boss Dogranio Yaboon in disguise, right?" Kokone groaned and rolled her eyes.

"Howdy, kids!" Dogranio said cheerfully, opening the safe on his chest and rummaging around it. "Who would like some candy?"

"I would! I would!" Eagerly exclaimed Indus. Dogranio was more than happy to give him some candy, and distributed some to Hosshiwa, Shalltear, and Coco, who had raised their hands.

"You're really going to eat that?" Asked the alarmed Sho.

Coco shrugged, unwrapped a piece, and popped into her mouth. "I need the energy to get through this."

"Oh, and of course we can't possibly forget my producer, Rainian Agent Abrella, without whom none of this would be possible," Evolt spoke up, nodding at the bat. "Abrella, do you want to come out here and say a few words?"

"No, I might be put on a list for the shit I pulled."

Evolt shrugged. "Oh, all right. Viewers, I highly recommend you check out his website, where you can find plenty of official merchandise for this show you are currently watching along with other fine, totally legal products."

"The link flashing on the bottom of the screen will take you to my website," Abrella spoke up as a hyperlink appeared on the bottom of the screen. "It is also completely legal and on the books, because I am no longer a heinous criminal mastermind who is completely and totally reformed."

Kokone leaned toward Yuina. "I'm pretty sure he actually still is a heinous criminal mastermind who isn't even close to reformed."

"Ya think?" Yuina snarked.

The Timberwolf king noticed where its prey went, and was about to swipe Evolt, until something sticky roped around its arm, stopping it in its tracks.

The big wolf and the heroes looked to see Abrella, using strings to keep hold of the wolf from making a slice.

"Sorry, wolf," Abrella said, struggling. "We're off the menu!"

The Timberwolf king snarled as it gained the upper hand and swung Abrella into the air, before wanting to eat the bat in one gulp, until Evolt grabbed him.

Just then, a shout came from behind the Timberwolf king, crying out, "Yippee ki yay!"

Landing on the back of the wolf, a man dressed in black and red was saddled and holding on tight to the wooden beast, as the Timberwolf king, having spotted him, tried shaking him off.

"This is much more fun than since that dino rodeo in the Savage Lands!" The man cried in happiness.

As the man was enjoying himself, the others had to clear the way as the Timberwolf king tried to get rid of him, until someone hopped out, a girl with pale grey-white skin, pink blush marks on her cheeks, and pink eyes with cat-like pupils. Her hair is pink, horseshoe-shaped, curving outward at the tips, and sectioned off with metallic black bands near the top of her head.

She wore a short, black, long-sleeved dress with a jagged trim and a jagged, violet collar that covers her shoulders. She also wore black-and-violet striped leggings underneath her dress, black platform boots with violet soles, and a black choker with a violet charm that sent a magical pink wave from her hands, which in contact, struck the legs of the beast, causing it to tumble over and crash into pieces again.

The man, having jumped out of the way, did a simple somersault and made the perfect landing.

"Ta-da!" he cried, "Just like in rehearsal!"

"Wow," Aria said, as she approached the two, "that was kinda cool."

Everyone gathered around as they looked at the new group that showed up.

"Take that you wild wooden splinter," He called out to the remains. "May you rest in pieces!"

"Ugh, enough with these wood jokes." Lunarre groaned.

"But still, we should at least thank you," Maltran said, "you really helped us out there."

"Anytime." Evolt said with a thumbs up.

"Not sure how any of us are fine after that scuffle." Jinx said, as she stepped in, "my name's Jinx, by the way."

"When you say Jinx, as in you do bad luck and stuff like that?" Taeko asked.

"Just because I have powers that do bad luck, doesn't mean I'm a bad guy." Jinx explained, remembering what Kid Flash said to her during their first encounter.

"So, how did you get here?" Voidlon asked.

"You see, this rift showed us where to go, and led us here!" The man jumped into the conversation. "Anyways, I'm Deadpool! Ain't no fool and I'm best there is at what I do!" With the last statement, he got an eye mask similar to that of Wolverine's.

He then gave out a business card to Lunarre as he stated, "I'm available for missions, black ops, assassinations and birthday parties! Remember to call me!"

As Lunarre discarded the card, Voidlon looked at the Merc with the Mouth as he asked Jinx, "Is he a friend of yours or…?"

"Actually," Deadpool said as he cut in, getting out a script book, "according to my script to the Marvel Comics series, my job role is being an anti-hero who's job is to be a cool, butt-kicking action dude who loves money, ladies, action, money, pizza, ladies, money, bullets, swords, money…"

"Didn't you already say money once?" Kanade asked.

"Yeah, money means a lot to me," Deadpool said, as he started to draw his arm around Aria, "especially the ladies, like cute little Aria here could be my-"

Suddenly, Aria changed her expression to a demonic yet calm face. "If you say angel or have your arm around me, I'll PERSONALLY break half the bones in your body and make you wish for death." Aria replied.

"Good acquaintance!" Deadpool said in what looked like a nervous tone, moving his arm away from the noble.

"There, now he'll behave." Aria said, her face returning to her normal smile.

"Wow, you could make a Lagiacrus shit bricks, Aria." Voidlon remarked, Aria smiling smugly.

"And why were you here?" Hiss added.

"Oh that's simple," Satsuki said as she popped up with a script book of her own. "The author decided to drop them in after thinking that Deadpool, Jinx and the other three could have fun with us."

"Waitwaitwaitwaitwait!" Deadpool cut in, "Did you just break the 4th wall too?!"

"Well duh!" Satsuki said with a roll of her eyes and a smirk. "It's part of the job description like yours, and Hajime, Leo, Momoko, Keiichirou, Amanojaku, Zone, even Kenny, too! It does seem weird to everyone, but the fans do love how I do that."

"Say no more, redhead," Deadpool said, "on the count of three, say what your fav food is."

"1, 2, 3…"

"Chimichangas/Flamerchanga!!" both of them shouted their favourite food.

"…The heck's a Flamerchanga?!" Deadpool asked Pinkie.

"Only the best thing you've ever eaten!" Satsuki said, as she then slapped Deadpool with a flamerchanga (basically a chimichanga but stuffed with hot sauce and rolled in pizza dough) on the face.

After a small taste, Deadpool was then stunned, "It's so amazing…"

"Does that mean we're friends, now?" Satsuki asked, as Deadpool cleaned the stuff off his face.

"Uh, yeah, we're gonna be friends!" Deadpool said, giving her a side hug, as he said, "I tell you we're gonna have so much fun like me and Pinkie Pie did in that-"

"Death Battle episode?!" Satsuki asked excitedly.

"You saw that episode too?!" Deadpool said, also gleefully.

As the two shared notes with Hajime, Momoko, Keiichirou, Amanojaku, Leo, Zone and Kenny joining in, the others looked at them with utter confusion, then back to each other.

"Tell me that this guy is not completely weird…" Evolt asked, a little worried.

After getting the new buddies back on track, Voidlon explained a bit to their new allies about what had happened, explaining to those from his world about what happened with the portals and Deadlight.

"So you're saying that all reality is in trouble?" Jinx asked, taking most of what was said in.

"That's right," Voidlon replied, "so the only way to find out where Frodo is, is to try and find the keystones that had scattered from the gateway."

"Indeed," Gandalf said, as he introduced him, "this is Marvin the Munchkin, for it is he who set us on our journey, only for us to encounter the wicked witch."

"Did you say you saw the Wicked Witch of the West?" Marvin said, looking a little concerned.

"That's right," Mera said, "and she stole some sort of gear, possibly to her castle."

"Hold up," Taylor said, "you know that green skinned weirdo?"

"Indeed," Marvin said as he explained, "the Wicked Witch is a terrible and malicious being who resides here in the dark woods of Oz. With her terrible flying monkeys and her loyal Winkie soldiers, she would not rest until Oz is under her rule."

"And that doesn't exactly sound nice," Voidlon spoke up, "you see, she also took with her a powerful gear that's from… well… my 'star', and that if she were to use it, I guarantee that nothing exactly legal would come from it."

"I see…" Marvin said, concerned at what he heard.

So the group arrived outside the castle of the Wicked Witch of the West.

As they looked, they saw the routine changing of the Winkie Guards, as they did their known chant.

"Oh-we-blow, we-blooo-ooowww...Oh-we-blow, we-blooo-ooowww…" the chant went, as the winkies marched around the courtyard of the castle.

"Man, never seen so many guards here." Drakus said, as he looked.

"Are you sure we are going to do this?" Mera asked, a little nervous, "What with those monkeys and the witch inside?"

"Alright," said Voidlon, "I've got an idea."

"That's good." Mera said.

Voidlon then turned to her as he said, "And you're going to be part of it with me."

"That's goo-WHAT?!" Mera said, as she suddenly looked worried.

Then, as the guards did their march and chant, Voidlon passed by them, dragging a sleeping Mera.

"GET HELP! PLEASE! MY FRIEND IS DYING! ANYONE! WHY IS THERE NOBODY IN TOWN?!" Voidlon ranted. "HEY! HELP HER!"

Voidlon hurls Mera at the guards, who fall over due to the knockback.

"Follow me." Voidlon said, the squad following him.

"This is almost too easy," Lupin noted, "I'd have expected someone to attack by now…"

"You seek to stand on the same ground as me, Mongrel?" came a haughty, arrogant voice.

Lupin whirled around, just in time to get seemingly impaled by several steel swords. Archer landed on the floor in front of them.

"You are not even worthy of seeing my face, let alone facing me in battle."

He then gasped as the smoke cleared, revealing his treasures missing and a cloth doll where Lupin should have been, as Lupin was standing beside Louise. On its head was a cartoonish depiction of his face, its tongue sticking out. Archer growled.

"That Mongrel dares to mock me! I swear I will… Hold on…"

He suddenly realized his treasures had not returned to his vault.

"Did… Did you actually dare to steal from me!?"

With a rage more fitting of the Berserker class, he roared into the heavens.

"ASSASSIN! I SWEAR I WILL KILL YOU SLOWER THAN YOU EVER THOUGHT POSSIBLE! YOU WILL RUE THE DAY YOU DARED TO STEAL FROM GILGAMESH OF URUK!"

Even in his anger, he didn't bother venting his frustrations. Archer leapt into a portal.

"Sleep with one eye open, Assassin. It will be the only chance you have of escaping me."

It was then that the group heard a cackle of laughter, as they looked up to see the Wicked Witch, giving out a sneering grin as she looked down at them like they were ants.

"So, I see you managed to show yourselves the way in," she said, in that sly, cunning voice that most witches would use in their schemes, "but you are far too late!"

She then held up the Grid Gear as she said, "I have been studying the magic of this thing, and with it, no one, not even my goodie-two shoes sister can stand in the way of my power!"

With lots of focus, the witch watched as the gear glowed, and sparks of purple lightning came from it, forming around her arms.

"That… is not good." Roman stated, wide-eyed.

The witch then turned back to the heroes as she said, "So, you've come to steal my new little treasure, have you?" she asked, as she sat in her broom, as it raised up, then she began summoning the gear's power in the palm of her hands as she started teleporting across the room.

"And you think you'll escape with it, do you?" the witch then asked, before cackling, "You won't even escape with your lives! Hahahahahahahaha!!"

'Well shit.' Ozpin realized. 'She's as bad as Salem.'

"Who's Salem, and is she hot?" Deadpool said to Ozpin as he… wait, what?!

"Wait?! You can hear Ozpin?!" Voidlon asked, surprising him and the old wizard.

"Well, duh," Deadpool said, "you're not the only guy who has voices in his head!"

(Aw, that's so nice of ya to say that!)

(I suppose we'll take that as a compliment.)

"Hang on," Ozpin butted in, taking control of Voidlon for a moment. "Were you… trying to figure out where my ex-wife is and if you could date her? That… is just weird… also creepy…"

The others were a little shocked on seeing this, until Taeko turned to Gandalf, "Why can't you do that kind of magic?"

"I'm pretty sure that he can," Roman said to the gambler. "She's just going faster than we can see."

"Well, let's find a way to stop her!" Voidlon said, BlueBlaze at the ready.

BGM: Dead Don't Die (Shinedown)

The witch cackled some more, as she then used the gear's power to conjure up purple lightning, which in turn, struck several gargoyle statues nearby, following being hit by them, the statues instantly came to life, before turning to the heroes with sinister eyes.

"Interesting," the witch grinned before calling out, "GUARDS!!!"

Soon, more flying monkeys and Winkie guards, weapons at the ready, blocked the door to the witch's chamber and the heroes knew that they had to fight their way once more to get the emerald.

The gargoyles pounced towards the group, as the squad battled both guards and the statues.

Roman, Neo, Voidlon, Jinx, Nui, Pecos, Roald, Snatcher, Mera, Seryu, Ryuko, skekSil and Iggy did their best on breaking the gargoyles, but the trouble was that everytime they took one or two down, the witch's magic kept bringing them back together.

"Oh, come on!" Jinx groaned, "They're just as bad as those Timberwolves!"

"I like to continue my little sword fights," Deadpool added, "but it seems odd that every time I strike one of those troops, I don't see a single bit of blood and all that, I mean, I've killed them for pete's sake! Shouldn't there be a sign that says 'Hey, I'm dead!'?"

"Well, it is a fanfic, and the author doesn't exactly want blood in Oz," Zone stated.

"If you say so," Deadpool shrugged, "'sides, I was just coming by to give you a tip beating the witch."

"You know how to?" Taeko asked.

"Of course," Deadpool said as he explained, "if this is the Land of Oz, and if my knowledge is correct (which it is), we need to take her down with..."

"ENOUGH!" the witch shouted out, as she blasted the Merc with a mouth away with a magical blast, sending him flying into Dogranio.

"Deadpool!" cried out Abrella.

Soon Voidlon and the Witch soared across the room, blasting beams of magic at each other, while dodging the other's attacks, but as the witch's broom flew, it left behind black smog, which tried to blind Voidlon's flight path.

"Try and catch what you can't see, my dear." The witch cackled, only to be struck by a wave of magic (though stayed her ground on the broom while holding a firm grip on the gear), as she looked to see Jinx responsible for it.

"Mind if I tag in?" she asked with a smirk.

Lupin then did a big jump, catching the gear in his hand as he landed and swiped the crystal ball too. "We'll be taking that, thank you very much."

"Curses! Curses! My new found powers, gone!" The witch ranted as she accidentally flew out the window as her broom fell down

She looked at the group as she snarled; "You shall pay dearly for this, fools!"

"Erm, witchy, look down." Kanade said, seeing the witch hovering directly above the moat, as the witch stared downward and had a look of shock on her face as Akaza leapt above her.

"Oh, fiddlesticks." The Witch could only say before she was kicked into the moat, screaming bloody murder as she splashed into the moat at around mach 5, and started melting away as Akaza grabbed the window and climbed back in.

"Well, that is her weakness," Deadpool explained, "as I tried to tell you before she interrupted. Rude!"

"You will regret this, fools! You will regret defeating me!" the witch shouted, as she was finally melted to a mush of green and black goop, with her black witch hat sinking to the bottom and her last words echoed.

"Man, with water as her weakness, how do you suppose she took a bath?" Evolt asked.

Seryu then smelt something, and then had a look of disgust as she stated, "Are we sure it's monkeys we smell?"

Sure enough, a rift opened up in front of the witch's chair and started sucking stuff into it.

"Whoa, where do you think this will lead?" Aura asked.

"My guess would be probably back to Nazarick or Prehistoric Park." Roman explained.

"Or maybe somewhere less dangerous and scary than this place?" Mare suggested.

"Nazarick?" Evolt asked, "What's that?"

"Maybe their base of operations." Dogranio stated.

"That's right," said Daki. "We'll tell you everything when we get there."

"Then we better hurry!" Abrella said, "I'm sure we don't all want to be here when the guards find out what's happened."

"The bat's right," Pecos said, "C'mon!"

As most of the group jumped into the rift, most of the newbies were a little nervous about it.

"Are you certain it's safe?" Jinx asked.

"Don't worry." Wave explained, "It's not so bad once you get used to it."

"That's right." Bols nodded in agreement, as the Jaegers jumped in, Evolt and his friends, Jinx and Deadpool followed afterwards.

---

Prehistoric Park has come along. The residents include an irate hibernating cave bear, a herd of Triceratops and mammoths. Bob the park keeper, however, has found a way to feed one of the carnivorous residents, without getting eaten himself.

The trebuchet made of wood flung a giant cow carcass over the top of the exhibit. The pink feathered youngster, Tempus, excitedly darted after the cow as the crew reset the trebuchet into its original position.

"We have to feed this guy and the two adults an entire cow carcass a day," Bob sighed. "I might use this for the big ones. I'm a bit worried though with the meat supply, especially when the bear wakes up. He'll want a big meal when he stops hibernating."

His radio then turned on, urging the Head of Staff of the park to go to the security room. It was nestled in by the main entrance, away from the rest of Prehistoric Park. The security room was filled with computers and security cameras showing footage from all over the island, the room had a magnificent view of the tops of the jungle. The man who ran all this was John Ray Arnold, a famous technician who had run safari parks and theme parks, he even helped program the rides at Disney World, and heavily resembled Samuel L Jackson. The head of security, Robert Muldoon, stood next to him, a world famous park ranger who had lived for most of his life in Botswana and had an amazing mustache.

"What's the problem?" Drakus asked.

"Well, I saw, on the cameras, mind you, a small mammal last night, but it struck me that only birds live on the land on these islands and you haven't brought any small mammals back. Then I looked at the portal to the holding pens and saw him scampering through the portal with the crew when you went to rescue the Tyrannosaurus," John explained.

The Late Cretaceous animals were rescued over three weeks ago so this little stowaway has been here undetected for a while.

John Arnold then showed Nigel some footage of the stowaway from the night before. It was sniffing around some meat in the couple Tyrannosaurus exhibit. It resembled a badger in almost every way down to the colors of an European badger, except that it was slightly larger and had a dog-like head.

"Didelphodon," Brandon explained. "A marsupial that died with the dinosaurs. Lived like a badger and no wonder we didn't spot him, he would have always had to avoid big dinosaurs. With us all here, I'll tell you about the next mission. Hammond has tasked me and the squad about going back 120 million years to Late Cretaceous China to rescue two recent feathered discoveries: the feathered bird like Microraptor Mui and the feathered tyrannosaur Yutyrannus. Without that discovery, seeing our resident Tyrannosaurs like they are would be a shock. And before you ask, yes, we did get new recruits, please treat them with respect."

China has been a hotbed for new dinosaur discoveries but they all have one thing in common: they have feathers. In this area, the squad and their new recruits will be encountering the most bizarre and interesting dinosaurs to ever live.

They emerged by a volcanic lake with a massive rainforest next to it. It was obvious that they would have to trek through the forest; a forest infested with bizarre dinosaurs. Maya had done some research and had found out that the area was extremely volcanic so had packed gas masks for everyone in case. The forest was beautiful though. Just like a modern day forest it was hot and humid, sunlight just fighting through the canopy to reach them below. In the trees above unseen entities scurried through the leaves.

"Okay, with the Microraptor, are we expecting a dinosaur or bird?" Evolt asked.

"A bit of both, actually. They could glide with a bit of powered flight, but would also scurry across the undergrowth. Millions of years ago, an animal would have evolved into two paths: one into birds and one into microraptors and similar dinosaurs. Wait, what's that?"

There it was. A metre long bird-like animal was standing in the undergrowth, most of its feathers black except for the wings which were white. A bold scaly face with red eyes darted into the bush to catch grubs. Roman took off his jacket and edged slowly towards the small dinosaur. When he was a metre away, the microraptor looked at him, shrieked and darted up a tree.

Back at Prehistoric Park, Dogranio, Abrella, Bob and Muldoon have tracked down the Didelphodon but it happened to be in an awkward area.

Muldoon saw the mist of his breath before him. He aimed his tranquilizer at the pesky marsupial, while Bob, Dogranio and Abrella stood with a cage to put it in. He had to aim well though as it was standing right in front of the bear cave. He fired, but the marsupial ran off at the last moment and the dart hit the cave wall with an unnervingly loud ping. Suddenly a roar emanated from the cave as the trio ran off, Abrella swearing to his ancestors that he gets a good paycheck for this. Catching an animal that spent its entire life hiding from Troodon and T-Rex was going to be harder than first thought.

Back in Prehistoric China, the crew have thought of a plan to catch a Microraptor.

"I had this plan," Yuina explained. "The Microraptor has limited powered flight so if we put up this tarpaulin and place some grubs in the centre we can box them in and take them to Prehistoric Park."

The plan was set and it seemed to work. 3 dozen microraptors glided down from the treetops. It was a good time to see how they glided. Like flying squirrels they held out their arms and legs to catch the wind but slightly fluttered their wings as they descended. They instantly started digging into the grubs as they descended from the trees. As the crew stepped into the tarpaulin trap the proto-birds started shrieking and panicking. A giant foot crushed one side of the tarpaulin and they scurried out. A nine metre long tyrannosaur with gold and black feathers covering the entire body was standing there. A slightly smaller one with a red plume on the head accompanied it.

"Two Yutyrannus!" Brandon whispered to them. "The crested one must be a male. Don't panic but I'm going to offer myself as bait." He ran into the centre of the failed trap and waved his hands above his head attracting the attention of the two carnivores. As they charged he opened the portal and they ran through. "Let's go back," Nigel sighed "We need to rethink our way to catch a microraptor."

Back at the park, the staff were admiring the two feathered arrivals.

Bob had set up the Yutyrannus exhibit in one of the rainforest areas of Isla Nublar with a small lagoon in the middle of the exhibit. They were now tearing apart a chunk of meat and swallowing them whole. Their feathers were very primitive, thinner than that of modern birds. The tyrannosaurs were also much smaller than the infamous cousins from America with longer arms to match.

"These were one of the first tyrannosaurs," Brandon commented. "Have you managed to catch our little stowaway yet?"

"No," Muldoon replied. "He's a slippery fellow. What have you got in your hands?"

He pointed at an orange metre long gun which he had in his hands. "This is a net gun," Brandon replied. "Some people use this to catch Peregrine falcons so I'm going to use it with the microraptor."

However, on the return to China, it turns out the volcano has become very active.

The lake was spewing out more noxious gases and a giant earthquake shook the land. A nearby tree became uprooted and landed in the lake with an almighty splash.

"We need to catch these microraptors, fast," Brandon remarked. "I'm worried about how active the volcano is."

"Well, I'm worried we're gonna be deep fried!" Evolt snarked.

They re-entered the forest but after ten minutes saw a very unusual dinosaur. There was a pack of theropods, two metres long and three metres high which walked like a chicken. They had long necks which ended with a small head with peg-like teeth. Their forearms were massive ending with short claws and were covered in primitive green feathers.

"Beipiaosaurus!" Brandon exclaimed. "A therizinosaur and a theropod. Despite those claws, they are adapted to stripping leaves from trees and are adapted to eating lizards as well. Those big claws are also an excellent defence against Yutyrannus."

"Guys, look!" Kokone exclaimed.

As the Beipiaosaurus walked through the forest they churned up dead wood with their feet leaving grubs and meal worms on the surface attracting the little microraptors to glide down for a feast. Nigel took advantage of this. The squad fired the net gun at the proto-birds, snaring them in the folds of the net. They quickly took the dinosaurs and tentatively placed them in small cages to transport them to the 21st century. The plan went swimmingly and quickly they had fifty four males and females, (males had little red feathers in the tail to attract a mate). Nearby the feet of the Beipiaosaurus were metre long birds with a long tail and bright blue feathers. They were pecking at the undergrowth where foliage and bugs fell from the trees where the big dinosaurs were eating.

"I've seen that with giraffes and antelopes," Brandon remarked. "The antelope would eat the leaves that dropped down from when the giraffes were eating like with those birds."

"They're actually dinosaurs," Yuina replied. "Caudipteryx zoui. Although you are almost right with saying they're birds. They have the exact look, behaviour and genes as modern birds. Come on let's go…"

There was a giant rumble and an explosion. They saw through the foliage that the volcano had erupted. A pyroclastic flow made of boiling ash and rock was hurtling down the side of the mountain towards them and the forest. White ash flowed down from the mountain as if it was raining deadly snow. Nigel set up the portal but he had some guests, seventy of the Caudipteryx and eighty of the Beipiaosaurus rushed through with them.

"What are they?" Bob asked. "Giant turkeys?"

Bob quickly settled the new arrivals. Bob had built a small aviary for the microraptors near the main block, while the Beipiaosaurus and Caudipteryx were given their own exhibit together. However, Bob has one final problem to sort out.

Bob stood in the exhibit of Tempus the young T-Rex. He was asleep by his lagoon while Terrance and Matilda, the adults, stared at him from beyond the fence. The little Didelphodon was sniffing around the pen absent mindlessly. Bob had borrowed the net gun and shot a net at the marsupial with a bang. It was making little yapping sounds as Bob picked up the netted mammal.

"There you are!" he laughed.

There was a roar behind him. The bang had woken Tempus up, who was now charging at Bob. Just in time, he managed to get out of the exhibit and get the gates closed, just before it was on him. Tempus started pacing the fence roaring in defiance.

"Got you, you little gremlin! Hey, that can be your name, Gremlin."

The marsupial was put into a little pen with a little hole dug in it for a home for him. Everything had settled down ready for Hammond's briefing.

"Brilliant work," Hammond exclaimed. "I'll have to come by soon to see them in person. However, for your next mission, there was a particular species of cat that I fancied. A smilodon."