A/N: Welcome to this week's edition of "Heart, Soul, and Mind"! Today, we're taking a look at Liam and Matt's meeting with Madame Misterie while they prepare to storm the casino. What will they find? Stay tuned!

(Liam's P.O.V)

After finding the Cup boys near the bridge, and learning about Lexie's situation, we took to the skies once more, hoping to get some help and come up with a rescue mission. While I was relieved we had a starting point, my mind was still on Lexie.

The thought of her in the clutches of the Devil made my skin crawl, and with Dice flirting with her, it made things worse. I clutched to her hat, just praying for her safety.

My thoughts were interrupted when Hilda called up,

"Coming in for a landing!"

She swooped down to the ground, coming to a screeching halt. We all slipped off her back, and she transformed back to her original self.

"Here we are!" Hilda beamed.

We then looked around and saw a small shop nearby. It was unlike anything I've ever seen. It was very…mysterious, so to speak.

"Wow, pretty cool." I stated.

"Cool!" Matt beamed.

"What an interesting place." Mugman added.

"Wonder what it's like in there…" Cuphead wondered.

"Well, only one way to find out!" Hilda mentioned. She stepped to the door and knocked three times. From the other end, a woman's voice replied.

"Enter."

We opened the door, slipped inside, and our jaws hit the floor. The shop was a decent size, but had a variety of different beads, gadgets, you name it. She had it all. And they seemed to be from different franchises like Mario, Kirby and even The Legend of Zelda!

"Wow, she's got more stuff than Nintendo World…" I mused.

"Ohmigosh, so COOL!" Matt squealed.

I saw Matt have a heart attack as I could've sworn I saw literal stars in his eyes. Like he was starstruck.

"Wow! No offense to Porkrind, but his Emporium would have nothin' on this place!" Cuphead mentioned, as he looked over a figurine statue of King DeDeDee.

"Yeah, Cups, you're right...amazing." Mugman added, aweing a cool Mario plushie.

Matt zoomed around the room, gazing at different items from different shelves.

"This is so cool! Man, oh man! I wanna get this! And this! And this! And this!"

I had to smile. He always wants to get the best Nintendo stuff no matter where he's at. Once, he wanted me to drain my entire bank account just to buy Nintendo World itself. I thankfully got him out of that and told him we'd buy stuff from there from time to time.

"Welcome to Misterie's Mystic Grotto. How may I be of service to you?"A voice asked us.

I turned around and saw who was speaking to us. I have to say I was rather a bit surprised, not gonna lie. It was an anthropomorphic painted wolf dressed in green and holding a staff with what appeared to be the carving of a silver-winged eagle.

I opened my mouth to explain but was interrupted by Matt asking her:

"Yeah! Can I have this?! And this plushy!? And this cool snow globe! And this wand and-?!"

I quickly placed my hands over his shoulders and said:

"Easy, easy, big guy. No need to swarm her with questions."

"Well… Someone is certainly enthusiastic about shopping for one so young." The woman chuckled.

I couldn't help but laugh along with her. I then claimed to Matt, "Okay, okay, big guy, I'll get you something but we kinda need to get back to why we're really here."

"Awww…okay…"

Matt gave a slight pout and bowed his head.

I turned my attention back to the shop owner with a sheepish look.

"Forgive him. He's young."

"Have no worry, it's good to see energy in one so young. How can I help you?"

"We've come asking for your help, Madame M." Hilda responded. "These humans here have came another world with three others, and one of their friends was nabbed by King Dice."

"Her name is Lexie Luthor and, look it's a long story, but we fell through a book, got separated, and now Lex was taken hostage by Dice, and I'm scared to know where Natty and Katie are." I stated, my voice now becoming scared again.

The shopkeeper, apparently named Madame Misterie, widened her eyes as her expression contorted into anger. Next thing I knew…wait was that bird from her staff flapping its wings?!

Then without warning, it began to screech, so loud in fact, we had to cover our ears.

"Whoa! What the-?!" Mugman cried.

"Argh! Ow!" I shouted.

"Oww…that hurts!" Matt whimpered.

Then, the bird flew around, pulling down the blinds of the windows, the room becoming a bit more darker. I started having a bad feeling and felt Matt cling to me. When he was really little, he was scared of the dark and I would usually spend some nights with him to make sure he was safe.

"Lee, I'm scared." He trembled.

"It's okay, bro. I gotcha." I kept assuring him.

"It is alright, Aren is gentle with pure souls." Misterie assured us as she took out a lantern and lit it. "Although I cannot say the same for those who are the polar opposite of pure."

She then walked over to the door, locked it and placed charms around it. Now, I was really confused. First the bird carving coming to life, now the charms? What's going on?

"If my suspicions are proven correctly, I'm afraid even the walls outside have ears." Misterie replied.

She paused for a second, her back still turned to us.

"If HE is up to something most unspeakable… I fear I will have to relocate my shop somewhere else on the Isles to keep some distance from that blasted casino as much as possible."

"But I need to know! Why did he take Lexie? Is-is it because of…the gems?" I asked.

Misterie turned to us, letting out a gentle sigh as she replied, "Yes. I'm afraid Alexis, Natalie and Katie are indeed in terrible danger."

She then added, "And if the Devil has gotten his hands on all three of them… I fear the worst for these fair isles… and many other worlds beyond them…"

"But what about those gems?" Cuphead pondered.

"He's not gonna hurt them, is he?" Matt asked with sad eyes.

Misterie gave Matt a gentle smile, "No, little one. Due to their connections with the gems, they are far too valuable to the Devil.

I took a sigh of relief.

"Okay, that makes me feel less stressed out for the moment."

"Well, what're we waitin' for? We gotta get 'em outta there!" Cuphead declared, a hint of impatience in his tone.

"Hold it, Cuppy! Let's not run into things we need a plan ok?" Mugman protested.

"He is correct, young cup." Misterie acknowledged. "Despite his defeat, the Devil is still a powerful entity… the embodiment of all that is purely evil."

She then gestured at me and Matt, "Despite the cups having magic finger guns, you two are still regular humans that lack magic and other means to combat the Devil's demonic magic."

Matt arched an eyebrow in confusion.

"Huh?"

"We can't fight because he's big and powerful and we don't know how to fight." I explained.

"I can take him! I ain't afraid of that old kitty cat!" Matt declared bravely.

"Hey, I like this kid." Cuphead smiled.

"Don't even think about it." Mugman argued.

"It's going to take more than courage to face the Devil, child." Misterie warned. "As I said, neither you nor your brother have any magic or proper equipment to defend yourselves from his powers… but perhaps I can remedy that."

"Really? How?" I asked, feeling stupid I keep asking her questions. But from the look on her face, she wasn't annoyed, not even in the slightest.

Suddenly, the bird, I guess named Aren, flew around and nabbed a handful of items off the shelves in his talons before hovering over to hand them to Misterie.

"Thank you, Aren." Misterie smiled as she pet Aren, who let out a happy coo.

"What are those?" Mugman asked.

She then held out two items to me and Matt. The first one was a red yo-yo that had a white long string, and the other was a brown watch with a tan wrist band. The nice thing was the band was adjustable so one could fit it to their liking.

She handed Matt the yo-yo and me the watch.

"Awesome! A yo yo! Thank you!" Matt smiled.

"Uh thanks for the watch? I mean it's cool." I commented, trying to be polite.

But in the back of my mind, I was doubtful. How was a small yo-yo and a wrist watch supposed to help us fight against the Devil and his goons? I mean, we could use the yo-yo to try and give them a black eye? I dunno.

Cuphead looked over and arched an eyebrow.

"Uh… what help would they do?" He asked.

"Things are not always what they appear, young cup." Misterie smirked. "You could say they have some…. magical properties in them."

"Cool! A magic yo yo! Maybe if I twirl it, I'll get cake!" Matt cheered, swinging the yo-yo while squeezing his eyes shut. Actually, having cake does sound like a good idea.

Misterie shook her head as she replied, "I'm afraid it doesn't work that way. That yo yo can provide you a means of defending yourself, but yes, it can be a powerful weapon based on pure imagination."

Misterie then gave Matt a kind smile, "And you certainly have quite an active imagination."

Matt gave a big grin at her while I smiled and rolled my eyes. But then I drew my attention back to the watch.

"Sooo, what does my watch do?" I asked. "I mean, besides telling time."

"See for yourself…" Misterie mused with a knowing smile.

I shrugged and began to tap it a bit

"Ok I'll see what I can-" but before I could finish, suddenly, it began to glow and right in my hands was a sword!

"Whoa! Did-did that just happen?!" I gasped.

The boys' jaws dropped to the floor, while I was trying to wrap my mind around it.

"Whoa! Okay, THAT'S COOL!" Cuphead exclaimed.

"Okay, either I've been playing too many Zelda games or this is real." I cautiously replied.

"Zelda, hm?" Misterie mused. "I presume you mean Princess Zelda of the land of Hyrule?"

"Erm, yeah. It's one of my favorite game series." I answered.

"This watch has taken on many forms, but it is said to be forged by the greatest Hyrulian blacksmiths. I think you will find it useful."

Holy Moly! Hyrule is real! That's awesome!

"Oh oh, what about my yo yo?!" Matt chirped.

"If my memory is correct, I found that yo yo during my time on the planet Popstar. A certain pink star warrior was kind enough to donate his after a battle he had."

Matt let out an excited gasp, "Cool! I have Kirby's yo-yo! Awesome!"

I looked at the Cup Brothers, who just scratched their heads in confusion.

I promised I would explain, but that's for another time.

"But keep in mind, you will also need to think things carefully." Misterie warned. "While you have some means of defending yourselves, I'm afraid you're still greatly outnumbered between the Devil's imps and finest demons and the employees working at the casino… even his good for nothing lackey."

"Ok I'll keep that in mind." I promised. "I guess my mind was still on Lex and how I wanted to protect her."

Misterie nodded with a smile as she said, "She's very lucky to have one such as you to be her significant other. You are truly a loyal, noble and devoted young man."

I felt my cheeks warm up. "Oh, uh, thanks."

"Hey…" Matt arched an eyebrow. "How'd you know my bro and Lexie were dating?"

I blushed harder as Misterie replied with a shrug, "Just a hunch."

Cue the squawks from Aren, almost sounding like laughter. Matt giggled as I felt my face grow hot. I couldn't tell what kind of laugh it was.

Misterie then cleared her throat, stating, "Getting back onto topic, once you rescue the girls and get far away from that foul casino, meet me back at my shop so I may provide them some means of protecting themselves until their magic reveals themselves. I will relocate my shop near Cagney Carnation's territory on Isle 1."

That caught me completely by surprise.

"Whoa whoa whoa! They have magic?" I repeated. Oh great, as if this day couldn't get more complicated this happens. I've known Lexie for so long, and I never saw her do magic tricks or anything like that.

"There'll be time for answers later, but now is not the time." Misterie replied. "You all must hurry. Even as we speak, they must be at the Devil's complete mercy."

We quickly nodded, thanked Misterie for her help, and ran out of the store. Once Hilda transformed again, we hopped on her back and flew off towards the casino. While I was happy I got some new tricks up my sleeve, I knew the Devil was not one to show mercy to those who fight him.

I knew we were in for one heck of a battle. And to be honest, I was not looking forward to it.

(Kaichi's P.O.V)

It had been several minutes since I had to wait outside until Katie would come back out from the casino with Lexie and Natty. But it suddenly felt like hours, and I was getting extremely worried that my fears were proven true.

What if something did happen in there and Katie is now taken as the Devil's prisoner as well?

I can't stand it any longer! I gotta go see if she's okay!

There were a lot of downsides to not wearing a watch (hey, there aren't any watches built for little guys my size, okay) as I was rather surprised to see a huge crowd of people gathered outside the casino as it was suddenly alive with dazzling lights and jazz music.

Okay, this was getting weird. Last I checked, it was once an empty and spooky place. Now it suddenly appeared as though it had never been empty at all. What gives?

I perched myself on the roof of the casino just above what appeared to be a balcony that overlooks the sea of awaiting patrons, ranging from some people who are sleazy, most uncertain but curious and some who look desperate to make ends' meet.

"I really don't understand these people," I thought. "Surely they know this casino is under the ownership of the literal Devil here! No heavy amount of money is worth risk gambling away their souls!"

My eyes fell upon a meek looking anthropomorphic sheep, who looked uncertain but also desperate. As though he didn't have a choice but to risk coming here to gamble… to earn enough to feed a family. I felt really bad for that guy.

"I guess greed isn't the only thing that drives people to come to this place. But surely such people could have found a much more honest and safer way to feed a family…"

My train of thoughts was cut short when two figures appeared from out of an elevator that just appeared in the balcony as the murmuring of the crowd died down into silence.

One figure had a dice for a head and was wearing a seemingly snazzy purple suit, but the seemingly welcoming smile belies a sleazy aura about him. I know that I already hate that guy just by looking at him.

Without a doubt, he must be the casino's sleazy manager that Katie had mentioned while we were following Lexie's pocket knife after Misterie placed a tracking spell on it. King Dice? I don't understand how he got such a name, really. I mean, Dice, I get it, but I'm not entirely convinced he's even a king.

But the much taller and bigger (from a self-respecting Sprigon's perspective of course) figure actually unnerved me. For one thing, he has thick, pitch black fur darker than even the deepest abyss of the lowest trench in the ocean, a long tail tipped with a spade and long horns white as bones. If I'm seeing this right, one of those horns had a golden cuff bejeweled with blood red gemstones. What makes this furrier character much more unnerving was his wide and obviously nasty grin was lined with a mouthful of sharp teeth that could put even those of a shark's to shame.

The Devil himself.

The big, hairy demon stepped onto the balcony, his fanged grin wider as he held a large golden pitchfork as it and his horn ring thingy were brightly illuminated by the blinding casino lights. I think it could be the trick of those lights, but I swore I saw a brief spark of green magical light radiating from between the spiked pongs.

"WELCOME TO THE GRAND REOPENING OF THE DEVIL'S CASINO!" The Devil roared, making my fur puff up in shock. Yikes! That was loud even for me!

Earsplitting cheers erupted in answer. I felt my ears droop down as I clapped my paws over them, trying to muffle out the noise. This was a bit too overwhelming for one even my own size. Over the uproar, I could still hear the Devil. At first, I thought he was gonna do one of those cheesy grand reopening speeches and make lame jokes, but what he actually has to say made my blood run cold.

"No doubt you're all surprised by my decision of reopening my beautiful casino so soon, but rest assured despite an unfortunate yet minor… setback, I am not one to easily give up on running an honest business!" The Devil announced.

I rolled my eyes as I muttered, "Honest business, my fluffy tail…"

"Despite what you might have heard about what had happened, I'm still all powerful! Because I'm still the Devil! Nothing — NO one! — can ever defeat me!" The Devil thundered. "Those two little boys… their so-called victory was just a hoax! They're merely children who don't play fair and cheated me outta a deal!"

I couldn't think the Devil's grin could get any wider as his rows of fangs highlighted that demonically smug face of his. But there it was much more predator-like and more challenging, as though daring all of the uncertain and skeptic crowd to challenge him.

"But please, by all means, try to scam me outta a deal yourselves. But know the consequences," he sneered. "So, will you try to cheat in my casino?"

A nervous silence hung heavily in the dim atmosphere. For a second, I heard someone in the crowd coughing awkwardly. Again, it could be the trick of those casino lights, but I was sure that the Devil's black pie-cut eyes suddenly turned red with pupils as his grin was more menacingly demanding.

"WILL YOU?!" He repeated, his voice suddenly more demonic.

Startled, the crowd frantically answered, "NO!"

"THEN COME ON IN AND TRY YOUR LUCK!"

Satisfied, the Devil slammed his pitchfork down onto the floor of the balcony, evaporating the barrier. I shook my head as I watched the horde rush inside, some pushing past one another to secure a good spot. The sheep guy was the last one behind as he slowly and meekly walked, rubbing nervously wringing his hands and his eyes darting around anxiously.

Once all the patrons had entered the casino, the Devil and King Dice turned to step back into the elevator. Flapping my wings, I got up from my perch and followed them inside while keeping well away out of their sight.

I clung onto the corner of the ceiling above the Devil and his good for nothing lackey, both of them completely oblivious to my presence.

Being small does have its advantages.

Once the elevator reached their intended floor with a ding, the Devious Duo stepped out into the hawally. Quickly, I swooped over their heads, making a dive into an air vent close by.. For a split second, the Devil's left ear flickered like that of a cat's before he grunted questionably, looking about himself.

"What is it, Boss? What's wrong?" Dice asked in confusion.

Behind the grate in the vent, I saw the Devil frowning in suspicion as he looked around before he shrugged, "It's nothing."

Whew! Close one.

"Anyhoo, it certainly looks like Lady Luck's finally decided to smile upon us today, eh, Boss?" Dice commented. "Business sure is gonna be boomin' and not to mention we've got ourselves quite some… catches."

I frowned in confusion. What did that blockhead mean by… "catches"?

The Devil's frown contorted back into that nasty grin as he said, "Indeed. And now that I have all three of the very ones I need to truly get back on top, it's high time to move onto the second phase of my plan…"

At that very moment, a chubby looking purple demon with a long, beaky nose, a tail similar to that of the Devil's, elephant-like feet, very small bat-like wings and wearing white loose gloves came flying in. I was in complete shock that despite their size, his wings were actually strong enough to support his weight as his arms and legs comically dangled underneath him.

"Duh, hey, Boss, the arrangements in your throne room are done." The demon reported.

A wicked and almost predator-like grin splitted across the Devil's features, which actually freaked me out.

"Ah, good! Thank you, Henchman," he replied. "Have the imps bring my honored guests there immediately. I'll be joining them shortly. I'd like them, my lovely Katie most of all, to be most comfortable when we have a little… chat."

That evil chuckle he made left a chill running down my spine as I watched the creep turning on his heel and began to saunter down the hallway.

"While I get down to business with our pretty guests, Dice, I trust you can manage things back here?"

Dice bowed as he replied, "But of course, Boss."

And without so much of another word, that sleazy blockhead disappeared into a black hole that just up and appeared beneath his feet as the Devil continued to walk down the hallway.

"Oh, no! He really does have Katie and the girls!" I realized.

A part of me was tempted to charge in and save them, but I knew I was too small to do anything and it was also too dangerous to stage a rescue all by myself. I then remembered Katie told me that I should go look for Lexie's boyfriend, Liam, should anything happen.

Although it pained me to have to leave Katie and the other two girls alone at the Devil's mercy in this terrible choice, I knew deep down that I can't do this alone.

I need help.

Navigating through the air vents, I eventually made my way back out of the casino and began to fly out through the cave, determined to find Liam. The sooner I find him, the sooner we can rescue the girls.

"Don't worry, Kate. Once I come back with help, we'll get you, Lexie and Natty outta there. I promise!"

A/N: Oh yikes! It seems the Devil's re-opened his casino! What wicked deeds are in his mind this time? And how are Katie, Natty, and me involved in this? Find out next time on "Heart, Soul, and Mind"!