Dancing Through Sunlight
(Based on the It's Always Sunny Episode 'The Gang Dances Their Asses Off')
Today started out as a beautiful day! Thanks to yesterday's wrestling match, Sojiro had the money needed to save Cafe Leblanc. Sojiro, Futaba, and Ren were walking down the street towards the cafe, the ¥71,132,500 in hand.
"This is perfect," Futaba said, "We have the money needed to save Leblanc, we're going to call the CEO of Triple Seven to tell him to meet us there later today so we can give him the money, and we'll all live happily ever after."
"Thank you for all of your help, Futaba, Ren," Sojiro said, gratefully, "I really couldn't have done it without the help of you, your friends, and your families and their families."
"Cafe Leblanc was always like a second home to all of us," Ren said, "We were honored to help save it."
"Hey, what do you say when this whole mess blows over we have a big party to celebrate," Sojiro suggested.
"I like the way you think, Sojiro," Futaba smiled, "Will there be curry?"
"Of course," Sojiro smiled back.
As they approach the cafe, however, their smiles will soon fade as they see a construction crew and a bulldozer with the CEO of Triple Seven overseeing the job.
"What is all this?" Sojiro asked in shock as he, Futaba, and Ren ran over to the CEO.
"Stop! Wait!" Ren shouted as the CEO turned to face the trio, "What's going on?"
"We've moved up this place's demolition date," the CEO explained, "If you three want to run in there and save a memento or two, we'll give you ten minutes to do so, but after that this place is coming down!"
"But we raised the money needed to save this place, sir," Futaba said as she showed the CEO the money, much to his surprise.
"Oh…you actually came up with the money," the CEO said, "I'll be honest I didn't think you could get that money within the deadline so I just moved up the demolition date because giving you a deadline just kind of delayed the inevitable."
"Well we made the money, we made the impossible possible," Sojiro said, "So you can call off your bulldozer and go home!"
"Yeah, about that, I already signed the paperwork and paid this demolition crew so…bye-bye cafe!" The CEO said callously.
"That's not fair!" Futaba yelled.
"You can't do this!" Ren shouted.
"Forget it you two," Sojiro said, heartbroken, "We've done everything we could, but I guess saving Leblanc just wasn't meant to be. Let's go home."
"No, screw that!" Futaba yelled, "We've already come this far in trying to save this place and we're not going to stop now! We're saving that cafe one way or another!"
"So you care about this cafe that much, eh?" the CEO said as the three before him nodded their heads, "Alright, I'll tell you what. Since you went to all that trouble to raise the money to save this dump, we're going to give you a fighting chance."
"How so?" Ren asked.
"As I'm sure you're aware, the Triple Seven Corporation hosts a Dance Marathon at Miura Beach every year, with the next one happening this weekend," the CEO explained, "If you want this cafe so badly you're going to have to not only dance for it, but outlast any other fool who wants it."
"You're offering my cafe as a winning prize?" Sojiro asked.
"Technically it's not your cafe since I gave you the notice to vacate a few weeks ago," the CEO boasted, "It's my cafe, I can do what I want with it. So, dance marathon, what do you say?"
Sojiro, Futaba, and Ren looked at each other and then back at the CEO.
"Let's dance!" Sojiro said with a determined look on his face as he shook the CEO's hand.
That weekend, at Miura Beach, where a giant dancefloor and stereo system was set up, crowds of people gathered so they could try and win Cafe Leblanc. Among this crowd, we see our favorite group of 27 as they approach the dance floor, water bottles in their pockets so they have something to drink and keep their hydration up during the marathon.
"I can't believe it all comes down to this," Yuuki said, a feeling of dread coursing through his body.
"There sure are a lot of people here," Hotaru said, nervously, "You think we can outlast them all?"
"We don't really have a choice, Hotaru," Sojiro said.
"You guys are worrying about nothing," Ryuji said as he reached into his pocket to take out a CD, "We're going to win Leblanc back with this baby!"
"What is that?" Himari asked her father.
"It's the song that I danced to in my Middle School Dance competition," Ryuji answered, "I won to this song."
"Babe, it's not a dance contest it's a dance marathon," Makoto said, "It's an endurance competition, you're not going to win with some dance you did years ago."
"Still though, I'll keep this song in the back of my mind in case this suddenly turns into a dance contest," Ryuji said as he put his CD away.
"So, who else do you guys think we'll be up against?" Ichiro asked.
As if on cue, two familiar duos showed up; Sae Niijima and Ryuta Watanabe as well as Sadayo Kawakami and Yamato Hashimoto.
"Well, aren't you lot a sight for sore eyes," Ryuta said as he approached the group of 27.
"Sis, Ryuta, Sadayo, Yamato," Makoto said, surprised, "What are you guys doing here?"
"We heard about this contest where Cafe Leblanc was up for grabs so we decided to participate," Sae answered.
"That's great!" Himari said, happily, "You guys can help us win the cafe back."
"We hate to break it to you, Himari, but Ryuta and I are hoping to win the cafe for ourselves so we can convert it into a house for us to move into and live in," Sae said.
"For real?!" Ryuji said, outraged.
"Hey, buying a house isn't cheap," Ryuta said, "We'll take freebies anywhere we can get them."
"That goes for us too," Kawakami said, "Yami and I are hoping to adopt a child one day and we need a bigger place if we were going to do that."
"Oh geez," Yuuki said, not liking the idea of facing off against four people that he thought were friends.
Speaking of friends, Makoto's friend Eiko appears along with Tae Takemi, Shinya Oda, Ichiko Ohya, and Lala Escargot.
"Hey, everyone," Eiko said.
"Eiko, what are you doing here?" Makoto asked her friend.
"I'm here to win Cafe Leblanc so I can turn it into a hair salon," Eiko said, "It's always been my dream to open up my own hair salon."
"I'm here so I can open up another arcade," Shinya said.
"I want the Cafe so I can open up another clinic," Takemi answered.
"And Lala and I are teaming up so we can open up another bar," Ohya said.
"This is crazy," Minato said, "People who we thought were on our side are looking to screw us."
"It's okay, Minato," Mitsu said, "It just means we have to work harder to win Leblanc back."
As everyone continued to talk, more recognizable faces showed up. This time it's from a group consisting of Suguru Kamoshida, Sugimura and his daughter Naomi, Sota Hayashi, Kouga, Youji Isshiki, and Mika. Sugimura has metallic leg braces on his legs from when Kas hit them with a log in the last episode.
"Well if it isn't my ex-fiance Haru and her merry band of misfits," Sugimura said as the group of villains approached the main cast.
"Oh great, these guys," Ryuji said, displeased, "What reason would you all have for wanting Cafe Leblanc?"
"Easy," Youji said, "Since you lot are thorns in our collective sides, we want your cafe so you can't have it."
"How petty and immature," Kaito said.
"Serves you right for stealing my title as Shujin Academy Class President," Naomi said to the youngest Watanabe child.
"And for punching me out," Sota said.
"I haven't forgotten the beatdown you gave me all those years ago, Kas," Kouga said, "Consider this my way of returning the favor."
"You all may as well give up now, because I have this competition on lock with these babies," Sugimura said as he pointed at his metallic leg braces, "The best leg braces that money can buy."
"See you all at the demolition," Kamoshida said as he, and the rest of the villains went over to the dance floor.
"This is not good," Ann said, "Pretty much our entire rogues gallery is coming to ruin our lives."
"Almost makes me wonder who else we pissed off over the years," Ren said as suddenly, a portal appeared in the sky and from it fell a 14 year old girl with a yellow shirt, gray skirt, black shoes, black hair, glasses, and a pearl necklace. The girl gets up and takes a look around to reveal that it's Lyra Marsh; the same girl from when they tried to make a school club."
"Finally back," Lyra said as she took a camera out from her pocket, "They called me a liar for saying I've been to another world, well wait until they get a load of this."
As she took pictures, she turned around to find the main characters looking at her.
"Oh no, not you jerks again," Lyra said.
"Do we know you from somewhere?" Ryuji asked.
"I was that little girl you bought here when you were trying to make your school club!" Lyra reminded the group.
"Oh yeah, Lyra!" Sumire said, "It's been a while, hasn't it?"
"Wait, how do you know this girl again?" Hotaru asked.
"Yuuki accidently created a portal that brought her here from another dimension or something," Hayato explained.
"But what's she doing here?" Haru asked.
"And why does she look like she aged only five years when meanwhile more than 25 years have passed since we last saw each other?" Yusuke asked.
"Maybe time flows differently between universes," Daisuke said, "Like one year for her is five years for us."
"Who cares," Lyra said, "And to answer your other question, I'm here to finally get photographic proof that I have been to another universe."
Lyra then looks over at the dance floor on the beach to see crowds gathering.
"What's going on over there?" Lyra asked.
"A dance marathon to see who gets my cafe," Sojiro said.
"That cafe has been a part of our respective histories for years," Riku said, "We're here to try and win it back."
"Is that right?" Lyra asked, a mischievous grin appearing on her face, "Then surely you won't mind if I compete, right?"
"Are you kidding us?!" Daisuke asked, annoyed.
"Consider this payback for you guys taking the spotlight away from me!" Lyra said as she went over to the dance floor.
"What is she talking about, 'spotlight'?" Ichiro asked.
"Who knows," Ren asked, "Let's just get over to the dance floor so we can win Leblanc back."
The group of 27 go over to the dance floor where all of the other competitors have gathered. As they stood there, waiting for the marathon to start, Ryuji looked out of the corner of his eye to see a young boy, about 8 or 9 years old, wearing a black hoodie that covered his face, black pants, a black and red backpack, and black rollerblades with red wheels standing there. Ryuji couldn't help but feel a strange connection to this boy.
"Hey, Makie, Himari, look at that boy," Ryuji said as he showed his wife and daughter the strange character, "I don't know what it is but I get a weird feeling from him."
"Try not to think about it too much," Makoto said, "It might distract you from the contest."
"Alright," Ryuji said, taking one last glance at the strange child, before the MC showed up on stage.
"Hey there, hi there, ho there!" The MC said, "Welcome to Triple Seven's Annual Dance Marathon at Miura Beach, everyone!"
Everyone cheered before the MC continued speaking.
"Here's the rules," The MC continued, "All dancers must remain on their feet and be dancing at all times. If you fall to the floor or leave the dance floor for any reason, you're out! This could take hours, it could take days, it could take weeks, but one thing's for certain, the last one standing wins the charming little hole in the wall known as 'Cafe Leblanc'!"
Everyone cheered once more as the main 27 characters had looks of determination on their faces.
"Now, when I press play, the dance marathon will have officially begun," The MC said, finger hovering over the play button to the stereo, "Ready, steady, go!"
(BGM: '(Not Just) Knee Deep' by Funkadelic)
The MC hit the play button and music started blasting over the stereo as everyone started dancing. As the main group danced, they looked at not only the other dancers around them, but also the 18 dancers that were either close friends or mortal enemies.
"I'll be the first to admit that we might be in trouble," Shiho said.
"I know what you're saying, mom," Nariko said.
"If folks like Kamoshida, Sae, Lyra, Sugimura, and all of them are in this game, then they're playing to win," Hayato said.
"Guys, we can't let either of them win the cafe," Ren said, "So, to ensure our victory, as much as it pains me to say this…we'll have to cheat."
"But how do you cheat at a dance marathon?" Kimiko asked her father.
"I'm not sure, but we'll figure something out," Ren said, "Come back to me in a few and I'll be sure to have an answer."
"Okay," Kimiko said as, suddenly, a loud alarm was heard blaring over the area.
(End BGM)
"What's happening?" Mana asked.
"News flash, boys and girls, we have our first dance off challenge of the day!" the MC said, "Would a Mr. Yusuke Kitagawa step up to the center of the dance floor?"
"What?" Yusuke asked, curiously, "We've only been dancing for less than a minute. Who would challenge me to a dance off?"
"Ahem," Sugimura said, catching Yusuke's attention. The artist turned to face the Diet member as he smirked wickedly at him.
"Uh-oh," Yusuke went.
Dance-off #1: Yusuke vs. Sugimura
As Yusuke and Sugimura stood face-to-face in the middle of the dance floor, the MC was at the mic ready to explain the rules.
"Alright, folks, our two dancers get one song to dance to, and the dancer with the weakest moves is out of the game," The MC explained.
"Sudden death, eh?" Yusuke said, "Alright, no pressure."
The main cast watch Yusuke as he continues to try and stare Sugimura down.
"This isn't going to be easy," Mitsu said.
"Sugimura is basically a cyborg with those leg braces on," Ryuji said,
"Alright, gentlemen, are you ready?" the MC asked as he pressed the button, causing music to come out of the speakers, "Go!"
Yusuke and Sugimura start dancing, but when Sugimura tried to do a jumping move…
SNAP!
"OW! MY LEGS!" Sugimura cried as his leg braces broke, causing him to fall to the floor, "Ow, oh! The technology failed me!"
"Daddy!" Naomi cried.
"Don't look at me, Naomi," Sugimura cried as paramedics came to take him away, "Don't look at me!"
"Don't worry, daddy, I'll win for you!" Naomi yelled out to her father.
With the first dance-off over and done with, Yusuke rejoins his friends and family.
"Wow, I guess fate just threw us a bone on that one," Mai said.
"It looks that way," Yusuke said happily.
"Alright folks, one dancer down and a whole lot more to go," the MC said, "How about we mix things up a little by slowing things down! Everybody couple up and hit the dance floor! Don't be afraid to get 'sextra' close, now!"
As everyone partnered up so they could dance, the MC hit the play button as more music came on.
(BGM: Senorita by Shawn Mendes and Camilla Cabello)
"Oh my God, babe, our song!" Kimiko exclaimed.
"I know," Kaito smiled, "Brings back good memories, doesn't it?"
"It really does," Kimiko said as she cuddled up close to her boyfriend.
"Focus, you two, I think it's time we make our move," Ren said as he danced with Ann.
"Alright, dad, what's the plan?" Minato asked as he danced with Mana and Mitsu.
"We need to get in the heads of our competitors," Ren said, "In particular, the 18 that we're up against."
"Cool," Futaba said as she danced with Yuuki, "So, how do we do that?"
"Some of us are going to need to drop out of the game," Ren answered, "Any volunteers."
"I'll drop out," Sojiro said as he danced with Morgana in his arms, "Only because I'm starting to feel a little tired. I'm not the spry young man I used to be. Sorry, everyone."
"It's alright, dude, you'll be helping us plenty," Ryuji said as he danced with Makoto.
"Who else is going to drop out?" Makoto asked.
"I will," Nariko said as she danced with Riku, "But not to get into people's heads. I have my own way of shaking the game up."
"Color me intrigued," Riku said, "Mind if I come with?"
"I could use some help with what I have planned," Nariko said.
"Yusuke and I will help as well," Haru said as she danced with her husband, who nodded his head in agreement.
"Okay, great," Ren said, "You five should be more than enough."
"Whenever you guys are ready, take a knee," Sumire said as she danced with Ichiro.
A few seconds later, Sojiro, Nariko, Riku, Haru, and Yusuke pretended to fall, getting them out of the competition.
"Another five bites the dust," the MC said.
"Alright, Riku and I are out of here," Nariko said as she left the area with Riku, "We'll be back."
"And we'll get to work on getting into the other competitor's heads," Sojiro said as he, Haru, and Yusuke went to different parts of the dancefloor to work their magic.
"They're probably going to go after older contestants," Kas said as she danced with Mai, "Mind if I drop out so I can take care of the younger ones?"
"Go for it," Mai said as her girlfriend let her go and fell to her knees.
"And one more!" The MC said.
"Alright, guys, wish me luck," Kas said as she walked off to sabotage the other dancers.
Not far from the main cast, however, Lyra and the rollerblade kid, who were dancing together, noticed the likes of Sojiro, Haru, Yusuke, Kas, Nariko, and Riku 'dropping out' of the competition.
"You know they have something planned, right?" Lyra asked.
"Yeah," the rollerblade kid said, "It's a little weird how the six of them dropped out at the same time. You think they plan on cheating?"
"It's likely," Lyra said, "They want their precious cafe back, and I'm not going to let them have it."
"Why?" the rollerblade kid asked, "I have my reasons for wanting this cafe but what are your reasons?"
"Never mind my reasons, you wouldn't understand," Lyra said, "I want those guys, kid, I want them! And I will stalk the streets and hide in the shadows of the night until the streets of this city run red with their blood!"
"Yeesh, you've got a lot of anger in you, " the rollerblade kid said.
"Damn right I do!" Lyra said, "What do you say you and I join forces and we put that lot in their place once and for all?"
The rollerblade kid thought for a few seconds before giving his answer.
"Alright, let's do it!" The rollerblade kid said as he and Lyra shook hands.
(End BGM)
(BGM: Cold Heart by Elton John ft. Dua Lipa)
In one part of the dance floor, after the 'partner up' is over, we see Kawakami and Yamato dancing, with Eiko dancing not far from them. As the teacher and janitor danced together, Sojiro came up to them.
"Hey there," Sojiro greeted the couple.
"What happened, Sojiro," Yamato asked, "I thought you were out of the competition?"
"I was, but I figured I'd let you know of something since you plan on turning Leblanc into your home," Sojiro said, concocting a lie, "I've had a black mold problem for the longest time, and I've done everything I could think of when trying to get rid of it."
Hearing that caught Eiko's attention.
"Did you say black mold?" Eiko asked in disgust.
"That's right," Sojiro answered.
"Nope, screw that," Eiko said, "I don't want your cafe if it has black mold. I'm out!"
With that, Eiko takes a knee before getting up on her feet and walking off.
"Well," Sojiro said, turning back to the teacher and janitor, "Does my mold problem bother you as much as it did her?"
"I haven't met a single spore of mold that hasn't been destroyed by my hand," Yamato said, "I owe it all to a little concoction my grandfather made. It destroys most, if not all, molds on contact."
"I see," Sojiro said disappointedly, "Well, carry on."
As Sojiro walked away from the couple all he could think was, "At least I got one of our main competitors out."
In another part of the dancefloor, Kas is watching Sota dance all by his lonesome.
"I can't believe I'm about to do this," Kas said as she walked up to Sota, "Hey, you!"
"Hmm?" went Sota as he turned to face Kas.
Once she had his full attention, Kas lifted up her shirt and bra, flashing Sota her breasts, causing him to go wide eyed as his mouth hung open. He started to shake and sweat in excitement…which became too much for him as he was soon passed out on the dancefloor. As Kas lowered her shirt and bra, she watched as paramedics carried Sota off, eliminating him from the competition.
"Another one down," Kas said proudly to herself.
In another part of the dance floor, Haru and Yusuke are seen trying to reason with other business owners like Takemi, Shinya, and Lala Escargot.
"Why would you guys try and take away Sojiro's business," Haru asked, "Don't you care that you're taking away someone's livelihood by competing in this marathon?"
"Sojiro is getting pretty up there in age," Shinya said, "I think it's high time he retires and hands his shop over to someone else."
"But to turn such a wholesome place into something like an arcade or another bar is deplorable," Yusuke tried to reason, "And Dr. Takemi, isn't your clinic enough?"
"Well, truth be told, I not only want to win Leblanc and expand my clinic," Takemi explained, "But I also want to give it to Minato when he graduates college and becomes my protege."
"As sweet as that is, we still have to oppose you," Haru said, "That cafe means a lot to us and we're not about to give it up."
Suddenly, Sojiro came up to the artist and floofy haired couple to see if he can lend a hand.
"How are we doing over here?" Sojiro asked.
"Okay, I guess," Yusuke said.
"Were you telling these two about Leblanc and how the roof leaks whenever it rains?" Sojiro asked.
"The roof leaks?" Escargot asked.
"Oh yeah, lots," Sojiro said, "I never got around to fixing it because it's just so expensive to buy a new roof. And no doubt all that rain has caused a lot of black mold to form."
"Uh, I think I'll pass on this contest," Shinya said as he took a knee.
"Me too," Escargot said as she took a knee.
"I'll just have to find Minato a better place that he can call his clinic," Takemi said as she took a knee.
With all three out of the competition, they left the area.
"That was amazing," Haru said to Sojiro, impressed.
"There's nothing that'll turn a potential buyer off faster than mold and leaky roofs," Sojiro said.
We then cut to Lyra and the rollerblade kid as they watched Mai Mishima dance.
"Look at that girl," the rollerblading kid said, "That girl has two left feet. Perfect to take on in one of those sudden death dance-offs."
"You don't expect one of us to take her on, right?" Lyra asked.
"Of course not," the rollerblade kid responded, "We have to convince one of the other dancers to compete against her. But which one?"
Lyra and the rollerblade kid look around at the other dancers and they find Naomi Sugimura expertly dancing along to the music. Upon seeing the bratty Sugimura girl, the two of them look at each other and smile.
(End BGM)
Dance-off #2: Mai vs. Naomi
"You don't want to do this, girl," Naomi said in a haughty tone.
"I think I do," Mai said, confidently, "Prepare to get knocked down a peg!"
"Alright girls, here we go!" The MC said as he started to play music on the loudspeaker.
As 'Toxic' started to play, Naomi danced with such finesse and poise that the crowds cheered with each twirl and flip she made. Mai on the other hand kept stumbling and danced clumsily all throughout the song. When the song ended, Naomi was crowned winner of the second dance off as Mai was swiftly eliminated. With the dance-off over, everyone resumed their dancing.
(BGM: Party Up by DMX)
"I'm sorry, guys," Mai said remorsefully as she joined the rest of the main cast.
"It's alright, Mai, you did your best," Yuuki comforted his daughter.
"We'll be sure to avenge you," Futaba said as Nariko and Riku returned carrying platefuls of baked goods.
"We're back guys!" Riku said.
"What have you guys got there?" Ichiro asked as he looked at the baked goods in Riku and Nariko's hands.
"We made brownies," Nariko said.
"The drug filled kind," Riku said naughtily.
"We baked these brownies with all of the essential ingredients," Nariko said, "Chocolate, sugar, flour, eggs, and enough sleep inducing cough syrup to knock out a gorilla."
"We're going to pass these out to some of the other dancers," Riku continued, "They'll drop like flies within minutes of consumption."
"While that does sound like a good idea, in theory," Himari said, "Who do you think would be dumb enough to accept brownies at a dance marathon from complete strangers?"
"Who said we're going to go up to the dancers and distribute them face-to-face?" Riku said, "There's a refreshment table over there with energy bars and energy drinks. We're going to leave these brownies there for people to take."
"Smart thinking," Hotaru said.
"Thank you," Nariko smiled, "Riku, be a doll and take our brownies to the refreshment table?"
"You got it babe," Riku said as he took the drugged brownies to the refreshment table. The moment he turned around to walk back to his group, he noticed Naomi Sugimura coming up to take a brownie, and she wasted no time in gobbling up her treat.
"Look, guys," Riku said, proudly, "Mine and Nariko's gambit is already working!"
Everyone looked to see some of the other dancers taking and eating brownies, among them Kouga, Kawakami, Ohya, and Yamato.
"This is perfect!" Kimiko smiled, "This competition will be over in no time and Cafe Leblanc will be ours again!"
"Aw yeah, baby!" Mana cheered.
"As awesome as this is, I think I'm going to go after another one of our most dangerous competitors," Ryuji said as he eyed Kamoshida dancing from across the dancefloor, and near where the MC was stationed, "I think it's time I took a proper swing at our old 'friend' Kamoshida."
"Don't do anything stupid now," Makoto warned.
"Relax, I've got it all under control," Ryuji reassured his wife before going over to Kamoshida, "Yo, Suguru!"
Hearing the blonde man call his name made Kamoshida turn to face him.
"What do you want, Sakamoto?" Kamoshida asked.
"You, me, dance-off, now!" Ryuji said as he took the music CD out from his pocket and handed it to the MC, "MC, play my song for a dance-off challenge!"
"You got it!" the MC said as he put Ryuji's CD in the CD player.
"Hope you're ready to get schooled, old man!" Ryuji boasted.
"Bring it on," Kamoshida smirked.
(End BGM)
Dance-off #3: Kamoshida vs. Ryuji
Everyone awaited the third dance-off to begin, especially those who are members of the main cast. The likes of Ann, Daisuke, Yuuki, and especially Shiho were eager to see Ryuji beat Kamoshida in this dance off, especially since it was a song Ryuji was very familiar with; it was the song that won him first prize in the middle school dance-off after all. But what was the song, you ask?
…
Motownphilly!
As the hip-hop song started playing, Ryuji immediately began break dancing; he remembered the routine he did all those years ago and he did each move flawlessly. As Ryuji continued dancing, the audience was cheering, Himari was pumping her fist in approval, Makoto was swooning, and Kamoshida was taken aback.
"You've gotta be kidding me," Kamoshida said in disbelief; he knew he lost.
Ryuji continued pulling off top tier breakdancing moves, much to the enjoyment of everyone around him.
"I can't believe Ryuji still remembers this dance all these years later," Ann said, impressed.
"He can't remember basic math but he can remember this," Shiho joked.
As Ryuji's friends continue to watch him dance and beat Kamoshida in the dance-off, they weren't paying attention to what was going on right behind them. The rollerblade kid took out some laxative powder from his backpack, and he and Lyra managed to pickpocket the water bottles of Minato, Ichiro, Sumire, Yuuki, and Himari and put powdered laxatives in them. Lyra and the rollerblade kid managed to return the water bottles and get away in time for Ryuji's song to end. Once Ryuji's song ended, the audience was practically roaring they were cheering so loud.
"Well now," the MC said as he got ready to put on more music, "The crowd has spoken. Suguru Kamoshida, you're out!"
(BGM: National Anthem of PC Master Race (Instrumental))
Angrily, Kamoshida gritted his teeth before storming off as Ryuji rejoined his dancing friends, some of them taking sips from their water bottles…Sumire, Ichiro, Himari, Minato, and Yuuki included.
"Aw man, did you guys see me?" Ryuji asked, "I totally schooled Kamoshida!"
"You sure did, babe," Makoto said, with a smile.
"This is amazing!" Mana exclaimed, "We've taken out most of our most threatening competitors."
"Not only that, but look over there," Kaito said as he pointed at some of the dancers that were sound asleep in the middle of the dancefloor, courtesy of Riku and Nariko's brownies; among these dancers were Kawakami, Yamato, Naomi, Ohya, and Kouga.
"Riku and Nariko's brownies are working!" Hotaru smiled, "Trust me, guys, from here on out it's going to be nothing but smooth sailing!"
As soon as he said that, however, the main cast heard the sound of stomach's gurgling. Ichiro, Sumire, Yuuki, Himari, and Minato stopped dancing to hold their stomachs in pain.
"Urk, does anyone else have a stomach ache?" Minato moaned.
"Yeah," Yuuki groaned, "Something ain't right here!"
Their stomach pains worsen and before they knew it, they were racing for the nearest bathroom. But since they left the dancefloor, that meant that the five of them were out of the competition.
"What was that all about?" Futaba asked, worriedly, "They were just fine a minute ago."
"Call me crazy, but did you notice how their stomachs didn't start hurting until they took a sip from their water bottles," Makoto asked.
"What are you saying?" Ren asked.
"Maybe while we were all distracted with Ryuji's dance, someone sabotaged their water bottles and loaded them up with laxatives," Makoto explained, "I guess what I'm trying to say is that we're not the only ones looking to cheat to win."
"Aw man, this dance marathon is really heating up," Daisuke said.
"Keep your guards up, everyone," Hifumi said, "Things are about to get ugly."
(End BGM)
(BGM: Copacabana (At the Copa) (1993 Remix))
What follows is a montage that shows how Lyra and the rollerblade kid are screwing everyone out of the competition.
Ploy #1: The rollerblade kid goes over to an area of the dance floor where Ann was dancing, and behind her was Youji Isshiki. The rollerblade kid delivers a quick smack to Ann's rear end, causing her to turn around. The rollerblade kid points at Youji, and Ann tackles him to the ground, getting her and Youji out of the competition.
Ploy #2: As Lyra was dancing, she was getting close to Mana Kitagawa. When she gets close enough, Lyra bumps into Mana hard enough with her hip that it brings Mana to the floor, getting her out of the competition.
Ploy #3: As Daisuke glided across the dancefloor, the rollerblade kid took a marble out from his backpack and threw it onto the dancefloor, rolling into the path of Daisuke. The Watanabe patriarch stepped on the marble and ended up losing his balance, causing him to crash into Sae and Ryuta in the process; that's three more out of the competition.
Ploy #4: We see Shiho beating Mika in a dance-off challenge, getting the model out of the competition. As Shiho made her way back to her friends, however, and everyone started dancing, Lyra, stealthily stuck her foot out, causing Shiho to trip, getting her out of the competition.
Ploy #5: Hayato, Hifumi, and Hotaru are dancing together as a family. Not far from them, The rollerblade kid took a small paintball gun out from his backpack and, when no one was looking, shot all three members of the Yajima Family with the paintball gun. The impact from the paintballs was so great that it sent all three of them to the floor, getting them out of the competition.
Ploy #6: When Mitsu had her back turned, Lyra snuck up behind her and poked her in the rump with a thumbtack, startling and hurting her enough to bring Mitsu to her knees and getting her out of the competition.
(End BGM)
(BGM: 'ily (i love you baby)' by Surf Mesa
We eventually cut to midnight and the dance marathon is still going on. The only dancers left are Ren, Makoto, Ryuji, Futaba, Morgana, Kimiko, Kaito, Lyra, and the rollerblade kid. Everyone was looking tired, but nowhere near as tired as Kimiko, Kaito, Morgana, and Ryuji right about now. Kaito was trying to support Kimiko as best he could while Ryuji and Morgana just stayed in one place on the dancefloor and swayed in a lackadaisical manner. The rest of the main cast stood by and watched the conclusion of the dance marathon.
"I cannot believe how long these guys have lasted," Hifumi said.
"Especially that multiversal brat and that other brat on the rollerblades," Ichiro chimed in, "Doesn't the latter have parents or a bedtime or anything like that?"
On the dance floor, Kimiko was finding it hard to keep going.
"I'm so tired," Kimiko whined, "Is the marathon over yet?"
"Not yet," Kaito yawned, "But I got you babe. We can do this!"
"You're doing great kids, keep it up," Ren encouraged.
"Karate…" Ryuji slurred as he did a series of poorly done kung fu poses, "Snow machine chops it!"
"Why are you chopping, dude?" Futaba asked.
"I'm chopping with all of my action," Ryuji slurred, "And mostly power."
"Makoto, your husband has lost his damn mind," Futaba said to Makoto.
"I know," Makoto said, "He's usually like this when he has 'a few too many'."
"A few too many drinks or a few too many rounds with you?" Ren joked.
"Yes," Makoto responded before looking back at her husband, "Babe I think you need to stop dancing right now. Go take a nap or something. We've got this."
"What, you don't think I got this?!" Ryuji slurred, "I'll show that I got this! I gotta dance move that'll knock your socks off! I call it 'Ryuji's Twist and Shout'! It's where I spin in circles and then run around the dancefloor, like this!"
Ryuji started to spin around while running across the dancefloor, but in doing so he wasn't looking where he was going and he ended up crashing into Makoto, Ren, and Futaba. All four of them were on the floor, meaning they were out of the contest.
"Oh! Quadruple Whammy!" The MC said.
"Damn it, Ryuji," Futaba scolded, "Now look what you did!"
"Are you happy now that Lyra and that rollerblading brat are going to win?" Makoto asked.
"Girls, calm down," Ren said, "We still have Kimiko and Kaito."
THUD! THUD!
The four adults looked to see Kimiko and Kaito passed out in the middle of the dance floor, meaning that they were out of the competition.
"Well, we still have Morgana," Ren said, not losing hope.
"Really?" Hayato asked, "Our final hope on saving Leblanc lies in the paws of your cat?"
"Have faith, Uncle Hayato," Minato said, "I know Morgana can do it!"
As Morgana struggled to stay up on his four legs, his 26 human friends were cheering and shouting words of encouragement to him.
"You've got to be kidding me," Lyra said before turning to the MC, "He's a cat! Why is a cat competing to win a cafe?! He shouldn't even be in this competition!"
"Hey, they didn't give me a rule book for this competition," the MC said, "As far as I'm concerned, the cat stays."
"That's okay," Lyra smirked, "Because I have one final move to ensure that they lose. Skater boy, do it!"
"I'm on it!" The rollerblading kid shouted as he skated around the dancefloor before dropping down to do a sliding kick move. In doing this, the rollerblading kid is out of the competition, but he was looking to kick Morgana, who was in the path of his sliding kick.
Seeing this made Morgana use whatever energy he had left in him to hop out of the way, getting out of the rollerblade kid's path, causing him to kick Lyra right in the leg. Lyra screamed in pain and agony as she was brought down to her knees, getting her out of the competition and causing Morgana to be the last man…cat standing.
"AAAAAHHHHH!" Screamed Lyra as she clutched her shin, "OH MY GOD, MY LEG! OH GOD!"
"Morgana!" Ann cheered, "You won Leblanc for us!"
"Morgana won it!" Minato cheered.
All of Morgana's human friends, with the exception of the unconscious Ryuji, Kimiko, and Kaito, ran up to the cat and picked him up with pride. Morgana wore a cute and proud expression on his face, happy that he won not only the competition, but saved Cafe Leblanc.
"Congratulations, you guys," the MC said, "Enjoy your cafe!"
"We will, sir, thank you," Sojiro said as everyone continued to celebrate Morgana's victory.
"My leg is probably broken," Lyra said, still in pain, "Don't any of you care?!"
"As if," Kas said, "You cheated and you tried to take our cafe away from us."
"Grrr," Lyra snarled as she took out a pen and paper so she could make a multiversal portal (the same one Yuuki accidentally created), "Alright, fine, you all win this round. But I'll be back! And when I return, you'll all be sorry. Every last one of you will be sorry!"
With that, Lyra created a portal back home and she jumped through it, sending her back to her own universe. Seeing that made the likes of the 11 kids, the rollerblading kid, and the MC look on in awe.
"Wow," the 11 kid said, amazed.
"Now I've seen everything," the MC said, befuddled
"Yeah, I'm out of here," the rollerblade kid said as he got up on his skates and disappeared into the night, with Ryuji waking up just in time to see him skate off.
"Just who is that kid?" Ryuji asked himself.
With Cafe Leblanc saved, everyone returned to their homes for a well deserved and much needed rest, ready to put this whole ordeal behind them.
(End BGM)
END