Welcome to the 4th story of the Viridi Saga. This story introduces a brand new future kid to the Nextgen Series, and one of my favorites.
The Gang
Heartly Household
It was relatively quiet outside today. The day was rather sunny as a car pulled into the driveway of the home. The grown, married woman, Kami Heartly stepped out of the car and proceeded to open the trunk. A dozen bags and such of groceries cluttered the trunk as Kami hauled a couple into her arms, struggling with them as she carried them to her front door.
Inside the house, the sounds of piping loud music and rock-and-roll ruined the quietness of the outside. Up in her room, a young girl with very short, blond hair and a black baseball cap relaxed on her bed, nodding her head to the music. The girl wore a black, sleeveless shirt that exposed her bellybutton, thin, black pants that cut off around the ankles, black socks, and had spiked wristbands. Her black shoes were lying turned over on the floor, and she also had a black collar around her neck.
Once Kami entered the house, the sound of this loud music met her ears as she set the groceries on the floor, stopping to catch her breath. "KIMAYA, dear! Can you help with the groceries?"
Upstairs, the girl continued nodding to the music, her eyes closed as she totally ignored the woman's call.
Kami, realizing she wasn't coming down, sighed and followed the music upstairs to the girl's room. "Kimaya?" she called as she opened the door to the room, decorated with stereos and posters of gothic-like bands, poisons, and other such things. She found the child still ignoring her as she nodded to the music. Kami rolled her eyes and immediately entered to push the button and turn the stereos off.
Kimaya Heartly ceased her nodding and opened her emerald-green eyes to look up at her mother. "Yo, Mom, what gives?"
"I need help unloading the groceries."
"So, git Dad to do it."
"Dad isn't home. So, if you want your supper, I'd suggest you help." Kami stated as she was about to head downstairs.
"Pssh, I want YO' supper…" Kimaya mumbled.
"What was that?"
Kimaya sighed, "Nothing." and got up from bed to go downstairs with her mother.
Cleveland Train Station
The train station was bustling with people as a train pulled in and stopped precisely at its point. Crowds and bunches of people piled out, the last one being a strange, slim man with black, slick clothing, silvery white hair, a very long, silver mustache that stretched around 20 centimeters, in which both sides were bent at an angle, black shoes in which the sharp toe-ends were curled upward, white gloves, and a monocle on his left eye. If that didn't make him sound like he stood out from the crowd enough, perhaps the fact that his skin was a bluish-purple will.
"Mmm, I say, that sun is awfully bright." The man said in a low, British accent, using his right hand to block his view of the sun from his face. "Regardless, this seems to be a fairly nice town."
"Remember the mission, Arlon." A female voice spoke through his communicator in his ear. "You can't let anyone know who you are."
"Why, of course I do, Mistress Viridi. Why, what we need is a serene, subtle approach. I shall not fail you, I shall promise you that."
"I should hope not."
The slim man reached in his pocket and pulled out a circular locket, which had a mysterious design of the crescent moon. The man stared at the locket for a while before hiding it in his pocket, then proceeded to make his way through the crowds of people, while uttering, "Oops, so sorry, my good fellow," "Ahh, bonjour, my good sir," and "Wonderful weather, eh wot?" As he walked away from the huge crowds, his eyes brimmed an eerie red.
Heartly Household
Kami had placed the last brown paper bag in the kitchen, afterwards wiping the sweat off her forehead. "Well, that's all of them." She then watched as her daughter lazily dropped the last plastic bag on the floor. "Kimaya, don't just drop them on the floor like that."
"So, they in a bag, ain't they?"
"It's not like that." Kami sighed as she grabbed the bag and placed it on the table.
"Whatever." Kimaya waved it off. "Are we done, yet? I need ta go." The girl turned and was about to head to the door, when-
"Hold on, Kimaya." Kami said suddenly, making the child groggily turn around and roll her eyes. "I wanted to talk to you about something."
"About whut?"
"Your English teacher called and said you refused to do a writing assignment."
Kimaya rolled her eyes and sighed again, "Man, it's just some bull about a personal narrative or whatev', I don' do that shit."
"Kimaya!" Kami furrowed her eyes. "What did I say about watching your language?"
"Yeah, yeah." She rolled her eyes again.
"Kimaya, you know you're gonna need to focus more on school if you're ever gonna make it through 4th grade."
"But Ah GOT ta 4th grade, didn't I? Who needs school, anyway, man, it's so pointless…"
"Look, Kimaya, if you need help with homework, you could always ask me."
"Yeh, yeh. I'm goin' out." Kimaya stated as she continued toward the doorway.
"Going out? Where?"
"Pssh, jus' goin' out, Ma, chill." was the last she said before shutting the door behind her.
The mother sighed and sat down. "Oh, what am I going to do with that girl…"
Downtown Cleveland
The black-clothed girl leisurely walked downtown, blowing and popping a piece of gum in her mouth as people passed by, sparing her odd looks. Kimaya turned down a filthy alleyway, stopping beside a dumpster. She turned and looked around for a bit before stepping to the wall beside the dumpster. She tapped her knuckles on a few of the bricks, causing the ground before her to reveal a secret slide. She jumped and slid down the slide, the trapdoor closing as Kimaya landed in a secret underground chamber.
Inside was a tall boy in a white jacket, yellow shorts, black and red shoes, a black skull necklace, and a black knit cap with a skull on it, dancing to some loud music from a radio. There was also a young girl, about seven years of age, with deep blue eyes, yellow hair, a reddish-orange sweater, white shorts, yellow and black shoes, a bell necklace, and her own knit cap with a smaller skull, sewing together a tiny, stuffed cat. Finally, another boy, wearing a dark-yellow hoodie, dark-green jeans, white shoes, short brown hair, and dark-yellow eyes was calmly nodding to the music.
The tall boy opened his blue eyes and noticed Kimaya walk by them. "Kimaya!" he exclaimed, running beside her. "Man, we're hittin' the big score today, yo! They got a whole shipment of new Wii U II's comin' ta GameStop, yo! We're gonna break that bus and grab one for each of us, ain't that right, guys? Rhyme, you with me, right?"
The little girl turned and faced them with a positive smile. "It's only fair!"
"Yo, Kimaya, you havin' problems wit' yo mom, again?" the boy asked.
"That ain't none of yo' business, Beat."
"Okay, okay! I jus' sayin'."
"So, what's the plan, Boss?" the little girl, Rhyme asked.
"Ooh, ooh, I know!" the hooded boy perked up. "I say we, we, we TAKE unicycle lessons! Or I do! And I can distract them, a-and you guys grab the games, ooor-"
Kimaya immediately smacked the boy. "Man, Kaleo, you as dimwitted as that dumbass dad o' yours."
"You big meanie!" Kaleo put on a grumpy look, glancing his eyes to his left. "Quiet, Stewie!"
"Yo, Kimaya, why don' we jus' git them KNDorks to nab us a few?" Beat asked. "Them dumb brats fall for anythin', man!"
"Y-Yeah, yeah!" Kaleo grinned. "My cousin, Dillon works for KND! He can use his shadowbending to swipe some!"
"Man, you know them KNFools ain't that dumb." Kimaya stated. "We gotta do this ourselves, yo. We gotta stay in secret. We rob the truck the old-fashioned way, but don't let anyone see us, ya dig?"
"Is that ALL, yo?" Beat asked. "Well, whatev', sooner the better."
"It's tradition!" Rhyme reminded.
"Oh, yeh, Kim, we was wonderin'," Beat spoke again, "we was gonna go out and get burgers later, and me and Leo was confused. Should we get the kind wit' da meat, bacon, cheese, bacon cheese, bacon, bacon, meat, bacon, cheese, or the cheese, bacon, bacon, bacon, meat, bacon, bacon, bacon, cheese, meat, bacon, bacon. But Rhyme was also thinkin' we get the cheesy meat, bacon, bacon, meaty cheese, bacon, cheese, bacon, bacon, with some cheese!"
Kimaya thought for a minute. "…Meat, bacon, cheese, bacon cheese, bacon, bacon, meat, bacon, cheese."
"AH-HAALLLRIIIGHT!"
"'kay, enough foolin' around. Let's git out and trash this truck!"
"I get to knock the driver out!" Kaleo beamed.
Outside of town
A delivery truck was on its way into town, its crate packed with stacks of Wii U II's as the driver remained focused on his route. Beat was crouched down, hidden behind a bush. The skull-capped boy pulled out and switched on his radio, unleashing a powerful beam of sonic waves that caused the driver to come to a halt. He fell out of his seat, and as he climbed up, Kaleo unleashed a cloud of poison into his windows, the man coughing before falling into deep sleep. Once he was out, Kimaya hurried behind the truck and burped a Gas Bomb, blowing the doors open. The other three members met around the back, wide grins on their faces as they gazed upon the stacks of game systems. They each climbed in and took one, hurrying away from the truck.
As the driver was about to wake up, Rhyme noticed this. The little girl snapped her fingers and sent out a single neon note, which danced beside the truck driver and kicked him in the head to knock him out. Afterwards, Rhyme hurried after her friends.
Heartly Household
"And that's the story of the Little Farmer That Could." Kami Drilovsky was seated on the couch in front of her TV, listening to Kade Jackson speak.
"In other news, more chaos in the infamous town of Cleveland, Virginia." Eva continued, the tiny screen behind her showing a picture of the invaded delivery truck. "Earlier today, a shipment truck of game consoles has been invaded by an unknown assailant. This attack was likely caused by the ones responsible for other such robberies earlier these past few weeks."
This put Kami in a state of worry. She turned towards the door, the sound of keys jingling catching her attention. In seconds, the door slid open, and in stepped Kami's husband, Jeremiah Heartly. "Man, what a day." He grunted.
"Hey, Jermy." Kami walked over to greet him with a kiss on the cheek.
"Heh, you wouldn't think orphans could wear you down, but they can." He chuckled. "So, where's Kimi?"
"Kimaya isn't home, yet." Kami sighed. "I'm worried about her, Jeremiah. She's always going out to who-knows-where… I just saw a report on the news… What if she's hanging out with a bad crowd?"
"Come on, Kam, our daughter might not be the sweetest, but I doubt she'd go to being a criminal."
"But what if she is? What if they catch her, and put her in jail? She'd never survive in there."
"She's only 9½, Kam. I think you're just over-reacting."
"Well, I think you're under reacting. You should be more worried for her. After all, she takes after you."
"But that was before I met you." He smirked. "Only difference is, Kimaya has a family, and we both love her. And besides, with someone like you as her mother, she'll do just fine."
"Hm, you're too sweet." She lightly chuckled. "If only she would actually listen to me. Sigh, I'm going out to look for her. Love you." And on that note, she left and closed the door.
Downtown Cleveland
The sun continued to loom brightly in the clear sky, making the town seem lively as the sleek man with silver hair sat down at an outdoor café, a steaming cup of tea at his table. The man calmly took the cup by the handle, holding it beside his mouth as he allowed a sip inside. "Ahhh… this town is a wonderful place." He sighed, staring out at all of the crowds of people. "I do have trouble seeing what disgusts Viridi so greatly about this place. Still… I can understand. These humans can act so uncivilized at times. And the odor from some of their factories can be so unpleasant. Sigh… still, they don't have to be all bad. Why, with the proper teaching, I'm sure their ways can be changed for the better."
"KIMAYAAA?" Kami called as she passed along a sidewalk downtown. "KIMAYA? WHERE ARE YOU?"
The slim man placed his tea on the table and opened a newspaper. "Videogame robbery? Now, what sort of rubbish is this?"
"KIMAYA?" Kami called once again, looking around the street. Not seeing where she was going, she tripped on a chair leg in the outdoor café, falling and grabbing onto a table as her hands pushed the cup of tea onto the man's lap.
"Oof, I say!" the man grunted, quivering with pain on the burning lap.
"Oop! I-I'm sorry!" Kami said quickly.
"No, it's quite all right." He coughed, trying to help himself stand. "My suit's… not penetrable enough."
Kami sighed, "Sorry… I'm just feeling a little distracted. My daughter's gone off somewhere, and she never says where."
"Mmm, is that so? Care to inform more?"
Kami raised a brow at the strange man, taking notice of his purple skin. "Who are you, anyway? Some kind of alien?"
"Oh-ho, yes, forgive me. My dear, I am referred to as Arlon. And I hail from the distant planet of Lunaria."
"Lunaria? Never heard of it."
"It's, erm, it's a moon planet."
"Pssh, what will the Galaxians think of next?" Kami mumbled. "I'm Kami, by the way. Anyway, my daughter's sort of… I really don't wanna say 'bratty'… and she keeps running off somewhere. I feel like she's hanging out with criminals or something."
"Hmm, this daughter of yours seems rather disobedient."
"Oh, she is. I guess I can sort of be that way, too, but for Kimaya, it's different. She never does her homework, she rarely does her chores, her socks are starting to stink up the place…"
"If… I may, dear…" The man slid behind Kami and wrapped an arm around her, presenting her a card, "I have a solution."
"What?"
"You see, Dear Kami, I am in charge of a school specifically designed to put snobby children in their place. No, not like the views of these 'evil adults,' oh no. Meaning children who, participate in 'gangs,' make graffiti art, and other such property damage. Those kinds of kids. I arrived on this planet a few years ago to set up a campus, and it has been quite successive. If your daughter should attend this school, perhaps I could have most of her rebellious roots, shall we say, worked out?"
"Hmmm…" Kami took the card and studied it. "I dunno… it doesn't really feel like the school I'd send her to."
"The decision is entirely up to you, of course." The man stated as he started to walk away. "But just remember…" he turned and faced her, "if all else fails, my school may be the only thing that can save her. Why, I remember when I was such a rebellious youth. Now, I'm living the pleasant, peaceful life of a butler."
"A butler? To who?"
"Er, that information is highly confidential. And before you get the wrong impression, it's not my intention that your dear Kimaya becomes a lowly servant. Though, it is just one measure that can save her from something worse. I bid you adieu, milady." With that, the man slid away.
Kami spared one last glance at the card before having another skim around the area for her daughter. She slipped the card in her pocket and began the walk back home.
Heartly Household
After another hour passed, Kimaya had finally come inside. "MAA, I'M HOME."
Kami stood up from the couch and glared at her daughter. "Kimaya, where were you? I've been looking for you."
"Gee, Ah was jus' hangin' out with Kaleo, Mom, relax." Kimaya shot back, walking past her mother and toward the staircase.
Kami sighed, "Well… you want me to help you with some homework?"
"Man, Ah'm tired, Ma, maybe later." Kimaya said before leaving up the stairs. Kami only stood and listened as her daughter slammed the door to her room. The house was once again erupting with loud music, and Kami only sighed in frustration.
That night, Kami was lied back in her bed, their bedroom lit up by a dim lamp as Jeremiah was brushing his teeth in the bathroom. The card which Arlon had given Kami was rested on her nightstand. "I dunno, Jeremiah. Should we send her to that school? That Arlon seemed a little… strange."
"Beats me. It's not like she pays much attention in her own school, anyway."
"Still, if she doesn't learn how to behave, who knows where she'll end up? She might spend the rest of her life in prison for…for poisoning people or something."
After Jeremiah was finished in the bathroom, he joined his wife in bed. "Kami, quit being so negative all the time. I'm sure our daughter will be fine."
"You always say that. You can't just not worry about this stuff, Jeremiah."
"Well, you know what happens to kids who don't have the right amount of freedom."
"I think Kimaya's gotten too much freedom…"
"Kami, maybe you're just a little stressed from running errands all day. After a good night's sleep, I bet tomorrow might be a little easier." He smiled.
"I hope so…" Kami sighed. "Good night, Jeremiah."
"G'night, Honey." Kami switched the lamp off as both turned on their sides and went to sleep.
After a few minutes of peace and quiet, a rather annoying sound burst through the hall. Kami's eyes squinted groggily open at the sound of the loud rock-and-roll coming from Kimaya's room. The aggravated mother reached back, grabbed her husband's pillow, and pressed it over the other side of her head. Jeremiah shot awake at this, simply shrugging before laying back down and going to sleep.
Viridi's Lair
"Ahh… poor human." Viridi sighed as she studied the barely-sleeping mother in her crystal ball. "Having to deal with a simple, spoiled offspring of her own kind. I almost feel bad. Those Drilovskys are probably some of the few humans I like. They actually have a special bond with the animal kingdom. Even Kami was able to befriend that crazy Kong Family. …" Viridi shook it off, "Oh, what am I saying? All humans are the same, and they all deserve to go. Oh well… that time'll happen soon." She said as she relaxed her arms behind her head, kicking back in the throne. "Just so long as Arlon stays on track…" She smirked in the direction of her crystal ball, which now showed the image of a KND S.P.R.A.Y.S.H.I.P. flying through space.
KND S.P.R.A.Y.S.H.I.P.
"For the last time, Mad, Yippers are not 'dorky.'" Zach Murphy argued to his sister. "It's a complicated strategy game that requires the highest amount of skill and knowledge to fully master."
"The only complicated thing requiring a lot of knowledge to understand is your BRAIN, Zach."
"Yeah? Well, for your info- AAH!" They were smashed against the windshield when their ship came to a halt.
"W…What just happened?" Maddy exclaimed.
"I think we hit something."
"I don't see any…" Maddy immediately stopped herself when she heard the engines shorting out. "AAHHH!" The ship immediately fell straight to Earth.
The area where the ship had crashed strangely became wavy just then. The image of a gigantic cloaked sphere sparked before turning back invisible.
Heartly Household, morning
"I just don't know what to do, Ava…" Kami spoke to her alien friend over the phone. "Every time I try to reason with that girl, she's always talking back or going somewhere. How do you and Vweeb get along so well?"
"Because Vweeb knows whenever he doesn't listen to me, I can squeeze him like a grape."
"What?"
"Haha, I'm just kidding! You just gotta get to know her better. Try taking an interest in her interests. Maybe then you'll each influence the other, she'll start listening to you, and you'll start to get along better."
"I'm not really sure. She listens to a lot of… rap. And a lot of other things that… feel sort of inappropriate."
"Hm hm. Maybe you oughta give it a try."
"Well, if it'll get her to listen to me… I'll try."
"Great! Oh, and one more thing… why did you want me to send Vweeb over?"
"Well, you know… just to be safe."
"Um… okay? Talk to you later, I guess."
"Later, Ave." With that, they both hung up. Coincidentally, the doorbell was rung. When Kami walked over to answer, she found no one waiting outside. However, when she looked down, she found the little Kateenian waiting on her doorstep. "Ah! Here already!"
"Hey, aren't you the lady that used to beat up my dad?" Vweeb asked.
Kami giggled lightly, allowing the alien onto her hand. "Those were the times…"
"So, what did you want me for?"
"Well, I have a feeling Kimaya's gonna walk off again, so when the time comes, I want you to sneak into her pocket or something, go with her, then come back and tell me where she went."
"What am I, one of those eavesdropper microphone bugs?"
"Well, you are one of those things. …Oh! Here she comes." Kami quickly slipped Vweeb into her pocket when Kimaya entered the living room, having headphones over her ears.
"Yo, Ma, what's cookin', we gonna have some breakfast or what, Ah'm starvin' here."
Kami turned away and silently took a deep breath. "Remain calm, Kam…" She turned to face her daughter again and said, "Listen, Kim, I'm sorry if I was a little hard yesterday. I was thinking we could… have a little mother/daughter time. You know, hang out or something."
"Ahh." Kimaya smirked, placing her headphones on the table. "You wanna go downtown and teach them drummuh boys how like they don't got no spirit like diiis and show like how ol' Kimmy Kam ain't showin' no dipshit 'bout what dey got in them li'l trousers, mm-hm."
"….Uhhh…." Needless to say, Kami was baffled. "Well, the important thing is you tried, sweetheart."
"…" Kimaya was unimpressed.
"…So, uh, what music is that? I bet I can get into it!" With that, she grabbed the headphones and placed them over her ears. She was hoping for something decent, but frowned at what she was hearing.
"I was brought up on the streets, no moms and dads. I had to fend for myself with my own two hands! Each day Ah'm hurt, and Ah'll tell you why, Ah gotta HANGNAIL-"
"HANGNAIL!"
"-hangin' from my cubicle, a hangnail-"
"HANGNAIL!"
"-it ain't beautiful, it hurts like a bitch that I did last night…"
Kami removed the headphones and stared at them with confusion. "Um… what is this?"
"Aw, tha's just Snoopy-Doopy-Poopy Doggy G, man, he some kinda Scooby-Doo-like shit, I dunno whut, he doin' that HO-DOWN, somethin' 'bout diggin' G, know whut-whut?"
Kami gave an emotionless stare. "…Okay…"
"Pssh." Kimaya rolled her eyes. "Maaan, Mom, you don' know what I'm talkin' about, with all the rappin' over here, you don't even give a shit. Say, who was you talkin' on da phone wit', anyway, dat alien bitch?"
Kami snapped out of her confusion and yelled, "I've about had it with that language of yours, young lady!"
"Pssh, same shit you said dat other time, and dat one time before dat, and dat other time. And I think that one time, you-"
"Okay, look, just…" she sighed, "Forget about it. Is there ANYTHING you like to do that doesn't involve cussing, rap, or… anything along that?"
"Hmmm… Well, we could egg da teachuh's house."
Kami stared off into nothingness again. "…Not quite what I had in mind."
"Whatevuh. Mom, if you ain't gonna make any breakfast or whatevuh, Ah'm goin' out." And she was headed for the door.
Kami gasped quietly and quickly grabbed Vweeb from her pocket, lightly tossing him to the back of Kimaya's backwards cap. "W-Wait!" Kimaya turned her head to look up at her. "…I don't supposed you'd wanna take me to wherever it is you're going?"
"Pssh, hn-NAAH, you won' like it, Mom, it's just some music store and all that bullshit." While she talked, Vweeb carefully dropped down into Kimaya's back pocket, which was a tight fit due to her skinny jeans. With that, Kimaya continued off, shutting the door on her way out.
Downtown Cleveland
As Kimaya strolled down the street, hands stuffed in her pocket, Vweeb poked his tiny head out from the backseat pocket, glancing around the town. "I hope Kami had the right idea about this…" he said worriedly.
He crept back down when Kimaya turned down the alleyway, once again searching around for anyone watching. The black-clothed child tapped the bricks and opened the secret trapdoor. She slid down the slide on her feet, the entrance closing as she continued through a passage in the sewers.
Kimaya soon entered an underground chamber decorated with game consoles, music CDs and stereos, and other valuable items as Vweeb peeked his head out, gaping in amazement at the colorfully lit chamber. Kimaya approached Beat and Kaleo, the two boys testing out their new Wii U's. "Maan, check it OUT, Kimaya! This coin battle thing is da shiz, yo! I'm whuppin' Kaleo's ass like no tomorrow."
"Nnnngh!" Kaleo growled through his teeth, struggling to beat Beat at the game. "…NOT FUNNY, STEWIE!"
"Jus' hurry up. Ah wanna steal me somethin' to eat." She then sat on the crate beside Beat.
"Ow!"
"What the-" Kimaya heard a little yelp, standing back on her feet as she searched the chamber. The punk girl reached into her back pocket and held the tiny alien up by the shirt.
"Watch where you're sitting next time!" Vweeb yelled.
Kimaya immediately slammed the Kateenian to the ground, the alien looking up in fright as the four kids towered over him. "'ey, lookathis. Some li'l SHRIMP wanted ta sneak into our hideout."
"'o the 'eck is this little twerp?" Beat asked.
"Apparently someone who doesn't like getting his pants wet with his own urine." Vweeb snapped back.
"Boy, whatchu say to me?" Beat glared.
Kimaya squatted closer to Vweeb with a glare. "I think someone's 'bout to end up gum-squash on somebody's shoe."
"Better than being under your big ugly butt." Vweeb remarked.
"Ooooooh!" The three gang members moaned.
"Man, shou' we stuff 'im in a boom box and blow 'is teeny little eardrums out or somefin'?" Beat asked.
"Hang on, Beat… I like this kid." Kimaya smirked. "He's got guts in that li'l bitty body."
"He's kinda cute." Rhyme smiled.
"We-ell," Vweeb proudly smirked, "they may be little to you guys, but in Kateenian terms, they're more than you have in your brains."
"OOOOOOHHH!"
"Alright, kid," Kimaya picked the alien up in her fingers and set him on her shoulder, "you're alright. You wanna join our gang?"
"Your gang? What's it called?"
"We The Gang."
"Yeah, but what're you called?"
"No, really. We just The Gang. We thought we keep it short and sweet, like some writers or somefin', know what I'm sayin'?"
"I think I do…"
"Anyway, name's Kimaya Heartly, Ah'm the leader. This one's Beat," she gestured to the tall boy, "his li'l sistuh, Rhyme," she motioned toward the younger girl, who grinned and waved, "and this stoopid one here is Kaleo."
"A-HEM!" Kaleo coughed.
Kimaya eye-rolled, "And Stewie."
"My name's Vweeb!" the Kateenian smiled. "So, like… are you guys some kind of Terrible Toxic Four or something?"
"Ehh, somethin' like that. Bu' me and Kaleo are the only poisonbenders. Beat 'n' Rhyme got dey own ding, ya dig?"
"What's that?"
As a response, Beat and Rhyme took a pose, unleashing musical note waves from their arms. "We gots the beats-" Beat sang.
"-and the rhymes!" Rhyme sang.
"We bring the dirty treats-"
"-and hard times!"
Their little dance ended as the notes vanished. "S'yeah, me and Rhyme are SONGbenders, ya dig?"
"Musicbenders is more accurate." Kimaya stated. "Still, don't see many o' them around. S' what c'n you do, Shorteh?"
"Um…" Vweeb pulled out his Tri-gun, "I have a ray gun that can shoot, stun, and shrink things down to size!"
"Hm, not bad." Kimaya said. "That c'n be useful."
"So, what do you guys do, anyway?" Vweeb asked.
"Eh, mostly rob stuff." Kimaya shrugged.
"We got dese Wii U II's yesterday, yo!" Beat exclaimed.
"So… you're criminals?"
"Naah, not criminals, jus' some kids wantin' to have a good time. It just ain't good where we from, you know? So borin'." Kimaya explained.
"Yeah, you should see this one kid we met." Beat said. "He was a freakin' skeleton! I ain't shitting you, he was all bones! Man, we gotta introduce you!"
"Uh-huh…" Vweeb had a hard time believing that.
"Come on, Vweeb, wanna play wit' us or what?" Kimaya asked.
"I can kick YO' butt in this Mario U II, bra!" Beat declared.
"Or I can dress you like one of my dollies!" Rhyme grinned.
Vweeb smirked at Beat's challenge. "You are SO on!"
Unbeknownst to them, a monocle stood in the entrance to the chamber, glowing red as it spied on The Gang.
Heartly Household
About an hour passed after Kami had Vweeb sneak off with Kimaya, and the woman was worriedly laid back on the couch. "I hope Vweeb is all right…"
A knock at her door was heard. At first, she thought it was Vweeb, but then she remembered she wouldn't've heard a knock if it was. When she answered the door, she found Arlon waiting on the other side.
"Ahh, Dear Mrs. Heartly! So good to see you again! I do hope I'm not intruding on anything."
"Oh, no, I'm just… How did you know my last name?"
"Hmm? I could've sworn you mentioned it… er, in any case, have you considered my offer?"
"Well, not yet, but… I've been trying to work things out with her."
"Perhaps, but, forgive me, but I did a little snooping. Have a gander at this." The purple-skinned male held up a glass eye, dangling from a golden chain. Kami bent over and stared into it, the eye showing the image of the four Gang members in their secret chamber, along with Vweeb as the little alien succeeded at beating Beat at his Wii U II.
"W…What is this?"
"It appears your daughter has been shanghaied to a life of crime. These hooligans are known as The Gang. A rather nasty bunch I've kept close watch on for quite some months."
Kami was nearly speechless. "Kimaya's involved… with criminals?"
"Oh, yes, a striking tale indeed. Seems your concern was well-placed after all, my dear Heartly."
Kami collapsed onto the couch, feeling more stressed than ever as she placed a hand over her forehead. "I can't believe it… after all I do for that girl, she's committing crimes behind my back."
Arlon stood over the woman, holding another card between his fingers. "The offer still stands, you know. My school can work wonders."
Kami raised a brow and sat up to face the man. "Show me the school."
"Ahh, I was hoping you'd ask." With that, Arlon reached under his suit and presented Kami a picture of a brownish-orange school with two floors, and a flagpole with a crescent moon symbol. "As you can see, it is a fine institution. Emission's free, we provide free lunches, and our own method of transportation should you choose to have her attend."
"Hmm… It… looks nice."
Arlon stuffed the picture in his suit and continued, "Personally, I would much recommend she go. But of course, the decision is entirely up to you."
Kami thought for a second, and was seriously considering. However, she released another sigh and said, "Let me try to talk to her first."
"My number is written on the card. Feel free to call anytime once you make your decision." The butler made a bow before leaving the woman to herself.
The Gang's Hideout
Beat and Kaleo were at another match, and Kimaya sat and watched on the crate with Vweeb sitting beside her. "I have to admit, you guys have a nice place."
"Thanks, man." Kimaya thanked.
"So, Kimaya… you and your mom. I heard you don't get along very well."
"How d'ya figure?"
"Well, my mom's friends with your mom, and… I sort of pick up on what they talk about."
Kimaya sighed. "Man, my mom jus' doesn't git me. She always gettin' me to do whatevuh an' she never lets me do what Ah want."
"Maybe she's just trying to protect you."
"Protect me from whut? Hangin' out wit' friends, listenin' to music? She don't evuh let me have any fun."
What about hanging out with criminals? Vweeb thought to himself. "I'm sure she isn't totally like that. She probably just wants to be friends with you, like any mom would."
"Man, if she wants to be friends wit' me, she gotta stop bein' so LAAME."
"Hehehe." Vweeb chuckled. "Trust me, moms can be cool once you spend enough time with them. Me and my mom get along pretty well."
"Well, dat's goody f' you, Mama's Boy. But mah mom jus' ain't fun. She don' even trust me."
Vweeb actually had to agree with that, seeing as Kami sent him as a spy. "Well, maybe you should try. Come on, just go home, try to get to know her better, and you'll be best friends in no time."
Kimaya sighed and looked at a nearby clock. "Well, might as well. She might go bitchin' about where I was. Ah'm goin' up, guys, later."
"Okay, sorry you have to miss me beatin' Leo's butt again!" Beat exclaimed as Kimaya left the hideout.
An explosion was heard, and Kaleo grumbled. "GNNNNNRRR!"
Heartly Household
The sun started setting over the town, and Kimaya finally returned home. As she closed the door upon her way in- "THERE you are!" She flinched at the sound of her mother's booming voice. "What on Earth have you been doing, young lady?!"
"Jus' hangin' wit' buds, Mom, relax."
"You mean," Kami reached under her shirt and pulled out the glass eye, "THESE buds?"
Kimaya's eyes widened, the glass eye showing the image of her and The Gang, what they were just doing. "How didju get this?!"
"It doesn't matter where I got it."
"Oh, so I gotta tell YOU stuff, and you won't tell me when you've been EAVESdroppin'?"
"Is this how you plan to go the rest of your life? Being a criminal?"
"Man, they ain't bad people, Mom, stop over-reactin'." Kimaya waved her off as she passed her mother and headed up the stairs.
"Hey! Don't walk away from me!" Kami demanded as she stomped after her daughter. "I am talking to you!"
"Whatevuh." Kimaya entered her room and fell back onto her bed, grabbing a magazine.
"Kimaya, I work hard to take care of this family, especially you, and you have been nothing but ungrateful!"
"Well, no one ASKED you to take care of me, I can take care of myself!"
"Well, whether you can or not, it's still my job to protect you, and…" Kami stopped, noticing her daughter seemed to ignore her while reading the magazine. Immediately, she snatched the small book away.
"Hey!" Kimaya yelled. "You know what your problem is, Mama? You ain't cool!"
"It's not my job to be 'cool,' my job is to make sure you grow up to be a good child, and not as some common criminal like those boys you hang out with."
"Shows whatchu know, one of them is a girl."
"Even so, you're forbidden to hang with them anymore."
"Uh, Ah'll hang out wit' them if Ah want! I ain't some will-free bitch you c'n order around."
"Well, whether you are or not, you live in MY house, and live under my rules, so no more cussing, or any of that rap music you listen to." Kami was then about to take her headphones away.
"Hey, gimme those!" Kimaya yelled, trying to pull them back.
"You'll not get these back 'til you earn them-"
"I want 'em NOW."
"The first you can do is take a bath and-"
"Give 'em BACK!"
"You will listen to me, stop complaining about what I cook, and-"
"FUCK YOU, MOM!"
Kami froze with shock, eyes wide open. The nine-year-old glared at her mother with cold, hate-filled eyes. Without another word, Kimaya stomped across the hall, pushing her father aside as he was walking through, before stomping down the stairs, and slamming the door on her way out.
"Heh… sure gets a lot from her mother, hasn't she?" Jeremiah joked.
Kami angrily jabbed a finger at his face. "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!"
"What?" Jeremiah became baffled as he watched Kami head down the stairs.
The woman snatched the phone into her hand and started to dial Arlon's number on the card. "Mr. Arlon? I decided to accept your offer."
The Gang's Hideout
Vweeb and his three new friends were still down in the sewers, watching television on their widescreen TV. Vweeb heard the door slam shut and looked over as Kimaya stomped into the room, taking a seat beside the tiny alien on the crate. "Whoa… back already?"
"Yeh. Mah mom is a bitch." Kimaya stated, her arms folded with rage.
"What happened?"
"She's all spyin' on me! Maan, I tol' you she ain't trust me, now she goin' and gettin' in mah business."
"Spying on you?"
"Yeh, she usin' some glass-eye thingy, I dunno whut."
Vweeb began to feel suspicious. He was also feeling a little guilty. "Kimaya, I have to tell you something… your mom actually wanted me to sneak in here and find out what you were doing. That's why I was in your pocket."
"Huh? She was usin' YOU to spy on me?"
"Yeah. But I dunno about the glass-eye, though. She just wanted me to come back and tell her what happened."
"Hm… so why didn't you?"
"Well, I dunno… I like you, I guess. You guys may be, well, criminals, but you still seem like a cool group. Heh. I don't meet a lot of bullies that actually like and respect me. So, I didn't feel like ratting you out."
Kimaya smiled slightly. "Aww… thanks, little man. But man, mah mom wanted ta spy on me?"
"Well, now you gotta admit, you can't blame her for being worried. Don't you think she'd be concerned about you stealing from people?"
"Man, you sound jus' like her, now."
"Heh heh. Hey, I don't wanna play that boring mom type, but you've gotta give them some credit, don'tcha think?"
"Yeh, but I don' see why they gotta be so bitchy. You jus' lucky YO' mom ain't like that."
"Oh, yeah? You just lucky you ain't all tiny like me." He tried to talk like a gangster. "My mom can be pretty scary sometimes…"
"Yeah, but jus'-" Kimaya was interrupted, hearing a loud knocking at their hideout door. Kimaya put on a look of shock and surprise. "What the-… Beat, did y'all order pizza?" she asked, going to answer it.
"Not me." Beat replied, still focused on the television.
Kimaya answered the door, gasping in utter shock. "Good evening, children." Kimaya was bashed in the head in an instant.
Moments later, several soldiers in green armor had gathered the four Gang members into the back of a truck, driving into the night. Arlon stood in a dark alley and watched this, his right eye brimming with red in the darkness.
Heartly Household
Kami heard the bell and answered her door, where Arlon stood in wait once again. "Ahh, good evening, Miss Kami. It pleases me to inform you that your dear daughter has been shifted off to my humble school, as was the rest of those ruffians."
"Well… good." Kami replied, still feeling unsure. "But why is it only held during the night?"
"Ah, well, you see, the students have a rather difficult time focusing on their work with so much sunlight beaming through the windows. We much prefer to have sessions at night, when their eyes have the most strength."
"The most strength at night?" Kami questioned, having an even harder time believing this man. Wouldn't kids normally be sleepy at night? "Um, couldn't you buy curtains? Besides, you should have ceiling lights, anyway. Otherwise, kids couldn't see their work at all."
"That is a negative. The moonlight provides us with enough light. Ahh, and it is looking ever so lovely tonight."
"Mm-hm…"
"Do not fear, for I promise to have your daughter returned first thing in the morning. It shan't take more than one night of sessions to rid her of her evil nature…" And on that note, the well-mannered gentleman left their home.
Arlon's Lunar School For Learners
After several miles of driving, the truck arrived at Arlon's massive school. The four kids were tied in white ropes, shoved out of the truck, and led into the building by the armored soldiers. The inside of the building seemed purely white, beautifully paved walls and floors with fancy chandeliers hanging on the ceiling, paintings of likely-deceased people in big, white wigs, and black and white chessboard decorated floors. Arlon stood in the center of a room, watching as the armored beings dumped the four kids out of boxes. They each landed on their feet, dressed perfectly in large, dully-colored dresses and trousers (respectively), makeup that made their faces pale, and each wore long, white wigs.
"HUH?..." Kimaya studied her new outfit with utter shock.
"The f-… HUUH?" Beat was just as surprised as Kimaya.
"So wonderful that you all could be here." Arlon announced.
"Who ah YOU?" Beat asked.
"My name is Arlon. Headmaster of my school for putting young ruffians like you in your place."
"In our PLACE?" Kimaya shouted. "Aw, man, is this one of them military schools?"
"Along those lines. Each of your parents have humbly requested I straighten you kids out."
"Maan, this ain't no military school." Beat said, studying his uniform. "Militaries don't do this shit."
"Most indeedidly." Arlon said. "I do not support the means of which military schools discipline their young. Rotten children these days need to enter society with a more civilized manner."
Kimaya then felt something crawling under her dress, a tiny lump trying to force its way above her shirt. Vweeb poked his head above her shirt collar, gasping loudly for breath. "Man, it was so stuffed under there…"
"Ahhh. Well, well, well, what have we here?" Vweeb toppled over, landing on the floor on his rear, looking up as Arlon stepped over and bent over to observe him. "An extra runt. Learning such a miniscule brain shan't be much difficult."
"Hey, my brain is much bigger when you're scaled down to my size." Vweeb corrected. "And if you're a teacher, you would know the term isn't 'learning' in that sentence. It's-"
"Whatever." Arlon cut him off, lightly picking the alien up by his shirt and handing him to another soldier. "Take this scrappy fellow and give him a uniform. I shall proceed to start class."
"Hey!" Vweeb tried to shake away, but the soldier carried him off. "Let me go!"
"Now, then." Arlon stood straight before the four students and clapped his hands. "Let us begin."
They heard light piano music begin to play, and Arlon began doing squats, following with the music. The four kids put on confused expressions as they felt the strange sensation to dance as well. "Uh… what's happenin'?" Kimaya asked.
"That's right." Arlon smiled. "With the beat, now. Good hypnosis doesn't work itself."
"These beats are low, man." Beat said. "Kids shouldn't listen to this garbage. This is bull, man."
"It's not so bad! This is kinda fun!" Rhyme said with a positive look.
"Stewie's legs are getting tired." Kaleo whined. "I…I WANNA GO HOME!"
"That's right! No stopping, now!" Arlon grinned. "Ready… AND… Oom-pa, Loom-pa, doopity-doo. I've got, quite a, puzzle for you. Oom-pa, Loom-pa, doopity gee. If you have sense, you'll listen to me." The kids forcibly followed with his movements, wearing expressions of pure nervousness. As Arlon danced, he lightly gripped the locket of the crescent moon in his fingers, letting it dangle back and forth.
Heartly Household, the next morning…
When they awoke the next morning, Jeremiah was reading the paper while Kami was cooking breakfast at the oven. Kami's face perked up when they heard the doorbell. "That must be Kimaya!"
She hurried and answered the door with an excited look. However, her excitement died down, seeing the strange garb her daughter was now wearing. "Good evening, Mother." Kimaya greeted in a polite tone. "Could I perchance take in the humble presence of your home?"
"Um… of course? It is your house…" Kami allowed her daughter in, confusion spread across her face. "So, um… did you.. learn anything?"
"Ah, quite so that I did. I do graciously apologize for my behaviour before, Mother. It was quite unladylike of me."
"Um… sure it was. But, you aren't… mad that I sent you off without warning?"
"Ah, most indeedidly not. 'Twas quite a wise decision, Mother. I've never felt better in all my life. Say, but that I'm here, is there perhaps any work I can do around the house?"
She… sounds Delightfulized… Kami thought to herself.
"You can organize my laundry!" Jeremiah said perkily.
"Very well, Father." Kimaya bowed. "I shall get to it posthaste." And with that, Kimaya proceeded upstairs.
Kami grabbed a cup of coffee and sat at the table, having a drink of the steaming liquid, and releasing a sigh. "Heh… Well, you wanted her to be more respectful." Jeremiah said.
"Yes, and now that she is… she sounds totally different. It's like… she's not even herself anymore."
"Hmm… where did I see something like this before?"
Kami gasped. "Lucinda! …Oh, I hated that woman! If I knew that school was going to change her that much… I wonder if I can call Arlon and get him to drop her out?"
"Probably. But if you did, she might go back to the way she was before. That's a tough decision…"
"It is… Sigh, I need to think this through. I'm going to the Milk Bar." She stood up from the table and headed for the door.
"Who actually thought of a bar for milk?"
"I dunno." Kami said upon closing the door.
As Jeremiah went back to his paper, a burning smell was caught in his nose. The fire alarm rung, and he gasped, seeing the burning pancakes on the oven. He quickly switched the oven off and grabbed the pancakes, screeching from the burning food as he hastily snatched a plate and placed the food on. He ran over to open the freezer, and shoved his hand inside, catching a breath of relief.
Cleveland Milk Bar
In the solitude of the dairy-themed bar, Kami was left to her thoughts. "I thought that school was what she needed… but that was before I knew what it would do." She said quietly. "I didn't want to send her to some… butler school. I just wanted her to act like…like any other kid. Being crazy about candy, some toys, all that usual stuff, and she would still be a sweet child. Not being into all of that… trash. Still, compared with this new… well-mannered phase… I'm not sure which I'd take."
"Mmm… seems like somebody's facing a little… regret."
"Oh?" Kami glanced behind her. Sitting at the table behind her was some chubby being, shrouded in a tan cloak, the darkness of the bar hiding his figure. "Oh… it's you."
"It's been a while…" the figure turned his head and spoke. A green-scaled snout stuck out of his hood. "I never thought I'd see you mature into a fine, young woman." His head leaned closer to Kami's, and he whispered softly in her ear, "You look beautiful…"
Creeped out, Kami scooted away. "Um… no."
"Regardless… it seems you're having family problems. Regret regarding your daughter… is it?"
Kami sighed. "Yes. She never listens to me, and she's always talking back. I sent her to that school to help improve her behavior, but… it's nothing like I imagined. To tell the truth… I've always dreamed of having that kind of daughter… I can be girl friends with, you know? That kind I could have that special bond with. But this butler thing… sigh, it totally ruins it."
"There's something you must know, Kami…" the shrouded figure said. "I knew your father… and many others before me knew many others before you. Your family is a very strong-willed bunch of people. The Drilovskys have always been that way. Your daughter is no different. Even under a different name…" the figure gripped a glass of swamp water, and held it by his snout, "she remains the same…" His lips touched the edge of the glass, sipping the swamp water.
"So, what you're saying is… there's nothing I could've done to change her." Kami said. "But… then how did that school do what it did?"
"It's obvious, isn't it? Arlon is not who he says he is. He is not concerned for the behavior of little kids. Not entirely… His school is a sham. A trap. My forces have analyzed the current status of this world. We make sure we know what is happening, and be prepared. There is a disturbance in the force… if you know what I mean."
Kami's cellphone rang. The Caller ID read that it was Ava. "Hello?" she answered.
"Kami, it's me. Vweeb never came home last night. Any idea where he might be?"
"Umm, he- Oh! Got another call." She tapped the button and answered.
"Kami, it's Jeremiah. Vweeb's here."
"Oh! I just found him." Kami told Ava.
"You better get over here." Jeremiah said. "He's got stuff to tell you."
"Ava, I have to go. Talk to you later." She hung up. "Well, it was nice talking to you." She said to the shrouded figure as she began to leave.
"Hold on." She stopped at his call. "Take this with you." Kami held her hand open as the hooded figure walked over, dropping a tiny keychain in her open palm.
"Hey. It's my…"
"Me and the others have been holding onto them. We hoped they would aid in searching for… You-Know-Who…"
"Right… him."
"But… we no longer need it." The figure said as he proceeded to the other exit. "We have our own problems at the moment."
"Those monkeys, again?" Kami questioned.
"You could say that…" He stopped for a second, turning his head slightly. "Have you ever heard of Specter?"
"Um… no."
"Just asking." With that, the hooded figure continued to the exit.
Kami only shrugged at his mysterious question, hurrying home.
Heartly Household
"Guys, I'm home." Kami called, hurrying through the front entrance as she found Jeremiah on the couch, and Vweeb standing on the living room table. Kami was taken by surprise at Vweeb's sudden appearance. "Wow, Vweeb, that's… a strange new look for you."
"Hey, I didn't ask for it, okay?" Vweeb yelled, dressed in a tiny fancy wig and black-and-white slim suit. "I snuck off with that Gang to that butler school, and they forced me to attend! That school isn't natural. They hypnotized your daughter and those kids!"
"They what?"
"He was making us do these weird dances, and then he opened the ceiling and made us stare up at the moon! The only reason I wasn't affected was because I had my eyes closed most of the time, since they… don't have any mechanical claws big enough to hold me."
Now, Kami was seriously reconsidering this school for her daughter. "That's it! I'm calling Arlon, getting him to cancel this deal, and then I'm calling the other parents to tell them what happened." Kami already began dialing the number. It didn't take long until Arlon answered on the other side.
"Oh, Kami, hello! To what do I owe this call?"
"Arlon, I don't want my daughter attending your school, anymore." She said with an angry tone. "You've done your best, but I think I'll stick to raising her my own way."
"Are you quite sure? We truly enjoyed having your child as part of our curriculum."
"Well, I don't care. We're returning the uniform, and anything else you've used to influence her."
"Ohh, that seems quite the contrary, my dear Heartly. You see, as I've already discussed with the other parents, the deal cannot be undone. New students are always so absorbed into our system, they never want to leave. My school is the only placed they feel at home. These new traits are their own now, and they ever-so look forward to each new session, such as the one tonight. I deeply apologize for the inconvenience, but after a period of time, you may just understand, too. Are we clear?"
Before answering, Kami glanced to her daughter by the stairway. Seeing her beautifully dressed, pretty makeup, and a pleasant odor, made Kami feel disgusted deep down. She answered Arlon's question with a non-agreeing tone, "Yeah… we're clear."
"Good! I look forward to your daughter tonight." After hearing him hang up, Kami hung up as well, her expression filled with guilt.
"Oh, you mustn't be so glum, Mother." Kimaya smiled. "I quite enjoy the new school. I am ever-so glad that my rebellious side is long passed. I shall not rest until I have repaid you for all the disrespect I have brought."
Kami's look became serious. She looked at her daughter and said, "Good. I'm proud of you, Kimaya. This school did you good, so you should show Arlon the best of your respect."
"I agree completely. Hm, now to pick up those socks… I must get to that posthaste." And on that note, Kimaya hurried up the stairs.
Kami watched her daughter leave, and thought to herself, Because when we go tonight, Arlon's gonna learn a whole new meaning to respect.
Arlon's Lunar School For Learners
Nighttime soon came, and the full moon was hanging bright over the sky. Dressed in her fancy school uniform, Kimaya Heartly approached the school in a casual fashion, eager to learn more about good manners. As she passed down the bright white halls, a tiny Kami and Vweeb poked out of one of the pockets of her dress. They gripped and slid down the wavy fabric and took land on the floor, hurrying to creep under the door of a closet. Once there, Vweeb aimed his ray gun at Kami and restored her normal size, the woman having to squat to fit in the janitor's closet. "Everywhere else is clean..." she mumbled, bending down to pick Vweeb up. "Now, let's go find Kimaya and her friends."
As Vweeb was placed on her shoulder, he said, "Now that we're at this, can't you rip this suit off me? It's starting to itch..."
"Maybe later. There's something off about Arlon's school, and we're gonna find out what."
Kami creaked the door open a crack and glanced around the hallway. As she carefully stepped out- "Ahh, Miss Kami! I did not expect to find you in here." They both winced, turning to face Arlon, who stood by two of the armored soldiers.
Kami put on a serious look and declared, "I'm taking my daughter and the rest of her friends back. And you're going to undo whatever it is you did to them."
"I'm afraid that's entirely out of my purview. Unfortunately, hypnosis on a rowdy bunch of kids like them only lasts so long. Thankfully, classes are in session for each of them as we speak, so they'll surely have another good dose in time."
Vweeb noticed a painting on the wall to their left, his eyes widening. "Lady, check it out!" Kami turned, and saw it was a painting of none other than Viridi. Vweeb faced Arlon again and yelled, "You're one of Viridi's henchmen, aren't you?!"
"Oh, it seems I've been caught." Arlon sighed. "Miss Viridi is the person whom I serve. I only arrived on this planet based on her orders."
"Where are you really from?" Kami asked.
"I'm afraid you've been given enough information. My Hall Monitors here will have you dealt with. Gentlemen:" the soldiers loaded and took aim with their cannon-arms, "attack."
Kami grabbed her keychain in her right hand, allowing it to spawn into the Jungle King Keyblade. Vweeb dropped to the floor and pulled out his Tri-gun, ready for battle. (Play "Razoff's Mansion" from Rayman 3.)
Stage 5: A Servant's Paradise
Mission: Rescue the Gang members and catch that crazy butler!
Kami dodged the cannons and sliced one of the arms with her Keyblade. She afterwards kicked off the soldier's head and knocked it over. Vweeb leaped around the floor to avoid the other one's cannon, afterwards leaping on and running up its arm before jumping into its eyehole and blasting it. When both soldiers were defeated, they watched as Arlon sprinted down the hall, turning down a left corridor. "After him!" Kami yelled as they engaged pursuit. They hurried down a very long hallway of vases, statues of peoples' heads, and paintings of white-wigged people. To their surprise, some Bumpety Bombs dropped from the ceiling, lighting their fuses as they rolled toward the two. Kami swatted them away with her Keyblade while Vweeb blasted them, and they all self-destructed in seconds.
"Mmm, the porridge is quite good-"
"Yes, quite good indeed." At the sound of these voices, Kami and Vweeb hurried down the hall. They peeked into a room where Peter Griffin, Brian Griffin, Stewie Griffin, as well as Kaleo Anderson were sipping tea, all dressed in smooth uniforms, with a view of the full moon hanging over the opened roof. They took notice of a switch and slid down the stairs to flip it, but some Hall Monitors appeared and shot giant acorn bombs. Kami back-flipped and tossed her Keyblade like a boomerang to slice one of the guards in two, while Vweeb shot at the other's feet and made it dance before it tripped. Kami ran to flip the lever, causing the ceiling to close. However, Kaleo still appeared hypnotized.
"Now, I say, that's as far as you go." Arlon appeared on a platform high above the floor of that room. The silver-haired butler started tossing cards at the woman, but Kami ran around and evaded them. She took notice of the chandelier on the ceiling, so when Arlon tossed another card, she spun her Keyblade and deflected it towards the chain from which it hung, the card slicing the chain and causing the chandelier to drop. One of the candles lit up Kaleo's fancy clothing, disintegrating it in seconds before the sensation caught on to him.
"EEYOOOOOWW!" Kaleo leapt into the air, dropping and rolling on the floor to put the flames out. From jumping that high towards the ceiling, the smoke drifted to one of the ceiling faucets, causing them all to activate. Meanwhile, one of the other candles lit Peter Griffin up.
"Oh dear, what's this?" Brian asked in his British tone.
"Oh, it seems I've spontaneously combusted." Peter replied.
"Are you quite all right?"
"That's okay, I've grown quite tired of living."
"Ahh, all good, then."
"Oh, is it raining again?" Stewie asked.
The sprinklers quickly flooded the room, leaving the other three men to drown. The water allowed Kami, Vweeb, and Kaleo to float, and as it rised higher, they got closer to Arlon's platform. The butler immediately dashed away, the three climbing onto the platform and dashing after him. They made turns down various hallways as Dibble Dops appeared and launched bombs, creating powerful water spouts. Kami and Kaleo immediately skidded to a halt just inches before the water spouts. However, Vweeb was caught in one and propelled to the ceiling, where the alien had a good view of the Dibble Dops for him to blast each one of them in the eye.
"Today, some sporting good news for the Lunarian Frondon Flompemwonglers, after scoring 20 yonks to 40 lings, thanks to Fraton Trombwiggler, in today's sporting game of cricket. Is that good? We don't know! It's what we do!" Arlon's voice sounded through the intercom.
After knocking out some Nutskis, the three peeked down the alternate hallways as the corridor split in two. Arlon peeked his head out of a closet behind Kami, gliding across the floor as he zipped past Kami, making some sort of windy sound as the three chased him down the hall. They chased him to a theater room, where Beat sat among the many rows of chairs as the screen projected a view of the moon. "Today, the moon remains one of our many good friends." Arlon spoke on stage. "For thanks to its riveting beauty, people do not have to harm their eyes as they try to see, and great hypnosis is exercised everywhere."
A couple of Captain Flares poofed out of thin air and started launching meteors. Kami tried to strike a meteor, but her Keyblade couldn't penetrate as the rock pushed her back. Kaleo simply burped Gas Bombs at the fire monsters and destroyed one. The other one avoided and prepared to launch another meteor, but Vweeb shot his stun ray and made it vanish. At this time, Kami hurried onto the stage where Arlon was, proceeding to lay a series of blows against him, then finally knocking him through the screen, causing the projection to vanish. Arlon stood up, and bolted down the passageway behind the screen.
"How do we wake him up?" Vweeb asked as he and Kaleo got to Beat's side.
Kaleo thought for a second before his mind sparked. He engulfed some Purple Flurp, and- "BUUUUURP!"
"DYAAH!" Beat was blown out of his uniform, standing and glaring angrily at Kaleo. "Dammit, Leo, you KNOW I hate smellin' yo' stinky-ass burps!"
"HE'S BAAACK!" Kaleo exclaimed, embracing him in a hug.
"Then let's keep going." Kami instructed, and the others ran after her down the passageway. They progressed down a labyrinth of nicely polished halls, making turns every which way and having to take down Bumpety Bombs. Along the way, they passed another painting of Viridi, a painting of Phosphora, Cragalanche, Mighty Poo, as well as some grey rabbit in a butler suit and monocle.
"Today, in Memorial Week, we honor the esteemed Mr. Herriman." The intercom sounded. "His bunny brilliance of putting imaginary hooligans in their place shall not be forgotten. His routine continued for years before he met an unfortunate end by the fangs of the vicious Werehog that ensnarled him."
"Sorry." Sonic the Werehog said out of nowhere.
"Oh, yeh? We', here's what I gots to say to dat!" Beat exclaimed before unleashing a sound wave to blow a hole in the painting, revealing a secret passage.
"Good find." Kami said before crawling through the tunnel, followed by the others. They crawled their way to a chamber where Rhyme and a few other captured children were sewing together puppets of animals with monocles and top-hats.
"Jus' a few more before yer all ripe and crikey, Mr. Dingo, wot-wot!" Rhyme said in a British/Australian accent as she fixed the puppet of a dingo.
Over behind a cardboard counter, Arlon seemed to be playing with a puppet of a donkey and one of a penguin. "'I say, Mr. Pengy-Poo, that's quite a full moon we have out tonight, yakka-yakka.'"
"'You bet yer gizzards, Mr. Ding-Dot-Donk, wakka-wakka!'" Hanging over the puppets was a tiny, cardboard full moon, hanging by a string.
Just then, a bunch of Puppits dropped from the ceiling, and the floating monsters proceeded to drift over to Kami and start dealing smacks. Several of them surrounded her, but the woman performed a spin attack and wiped them all out in one swing. A group of Flages appeared to take their place, the Nature ops specialists poofing all around the room and striking the heroes from all sides. Kaleo made a Poison Whip and wrapped it around one's wrists to swing it into another. Beat then jumped and slammed down on both of them, leaving Vweeb to shoot their eyes. Kami ran to attack Arlon, but a Flage appeared in her path. However, the ghost-like enemy was suddenly smacked from both sides in the head by an unseen force, which then smacked it against the wall. Kami raised a brow in confusion, but Kaleo yelled, "THANK YOU, STEWIE!"
Kami shook her head and ran to lay more blows against the blue-skinned butler, tearing up his puppet booth in the process. He recovered and bolted down another hallway.
"Chim-chim-cherio!" Rhyme cooed, playing with her puppet puppy.
Beat ran, grabbed her arm, and said, "Yo, Rhyme, we gotta git!"
"Okay, then." Rhyme simply pulled off her fancy dress and placed the knit-cap on her head. "Let's go!"
"Wait… you weren't even hypnotized?"
"Not really. Talking British was fun! Especially when you were doing it."
"Gyaaaahhh!" Beat freaked out in embarrassment.
The four kids proceeded to follow Kami as they chased Arlon down the hall, the butler panting as he ran as fast as he could down the mazy corridors. They scampered down several more pathways, and by the time they reached a wider hallway of historical people statues, the man was long gone.
"I say, why don't we play a little hunting game?"
"AHH!" Kami yelped and jumped away when a laser shot down from the ceiling, nearly hitting her feet.
"One's coming at the little rodent."
"IPE!" The ground where Vweeb stood was zapped, becoming black with soot, but the tiny alien was shown to have jumped to Kaleo's nose.
"AAHHH!" Kaleo screamed and ducked before a laser could strike him.
Beat looked up and noticed the small turret about to shoot him, but he instantly tossed a music note and wiped it out. With that, the kids proceeded down the halls in search of Arlon. "You know, for one of Viridi's henchmen, none of this really even seems to suit Viridi's version of nature." Vweeb said. "Just what's Arlon's deal with Viridi, anyway?"
"Let me tell you what my 'deal' with Viridi is. She is disgusted with humans' unruly behavior much like I am. In the process of wiping them out, it is my job to teach them the proper ways of what a society with their existence is supposed to be like. Sadly, humans have already come too far. So despite my efforts to teach them the proper ways, they all have to go, anyhow. This whole thing just keeps them from fighting back like the ruffians they are."
"Well, it's a step up from all the regular fighting you guys've been doing." Kami replied.
"Nn, yes. I wish I could say the same about you."
"Well, you should've thought twice before brainwashing my daughter."
"What befalls you or your family is no concern of mine. I am beholden only to Mistress Viridi. And you all are thorns in her side."
"A loyal butler until the end." Vweeb said.
"Boy, this guy IS lame! Let's take him out fast!" Beat exclaimed.
Kami kicked open the double doors to find the school's library. They made their way through all of the mazelike aisles of books, in which Dibble Dops popped out and launched more water bombs. Kami flipped over one of the spouts and sliced a Dibble Dop while Rhyme blew music notes through the water and knocked the other one out. Kami then decided to climb up the book shelves like a ladder, then hop her way across the shelves before dropping down in the center. Kami gasped as two Hall Monitors were trying to force her daughter to gaze into a telescope, aimed directly at the full moon.
"Kimaya!" She raised her Keyblade and ran to strike the two guards, releasing Kimaya, and afterwards slicing the telescope.
"Hmm, that won't do at all." Arlon said. The man snapped his fingers, and Kami was instantly pulled backward by an invisible force, which revealed to be a Flage. Kami tried to shake away, but was unable to, and she was about to be sliced by another Flage.
Arlon smirked at this, but gasped when he viewed over the many aisles of books, seeing them all topple over like dominos. "TIMBERRRRRR!" Beat called on the other end. Before the Flage struck Kami, they felt the shadow loom over them, gasping before the gigantic shelf came down and crushed them all. (End song.)
"MOM!" Kimaya's eyes widened, and the girl hurried over to the fallen shelf and started tossing books out of the way. Kimaya stepped back when she saw an arm stick out from underneath, and Kami pulled herself out from under the heavy shelf, grunting with pain as she helped herself up.
"I'm all right." She gasped. Kimaya sighed with relief.
"KIMI!" The two looked across the fallen shelves to see Beat and the others running across.
"Beat, you dumb shit! You coulda killed mah ma!" Kimaya yelled.
"Ahh, come on, Kimi, ain't you gotta admit that was awesome."
"Ah know one thing, Ah'm gettin' outta this shit." Kimaya stated as she proceeded to rip her uniform off.
"Well… that's everybody." Kami observed.
"Um, not quite." Vweeb corrected.
The six entered a doorway where Arlon escaped through, gasping with utter shock from what was inside. An auditorium of dozens of kids was lit up by the enormous full moon hanging in the heavens over the open roof, and the hundreds of children were entranced by its beauty. "Well, this…this ain't cool." Kimaya said.
"Okay, you kids get out of here." Kami instructed. "It's not safe for you. I'll deal with Arlon."
"Man, you sure about that, Mom? That dude be on a crackhead if you know what Ah'm sayin'."
"Kimaya, I already messed up by sending you all here in the first place. I'm not risking your lives by letting you come to fight Arlon with me."
Kimaya sighed and eye-rolled. "A'ight, whutever, Mom. But if you ain't come home, Ah'm tellin' Dad Ah told you so." With that, the Gang members left, and Kami chuckled to herself at that statement. Once they were out of sight, the woman made her way through the audience room, around the audience and onto the stage as she was about to enter a backstage chamber.
"Waa-a-a-a-ah!" Kami toppled over at the sudden tremor.
Outside, the entire school trembled as it slowly rose off the ground. Roots and dirt dropped from beneath the establishment as it was finally off the ground, rising into the starry night sky.
KND Moonbase
The Moonbase felt quiet around technical nighttime, and Cheren remained in his office signing papers as he released a yawn. "Think I'll grab me another soda." When the operative left his office and crossed the bridge, he found his second-in-command gazing out the large window. "Hey, whatcha doin', Panini?"
"Oh… nothin'." The Irish girl rested her head on her hand and sighed. "Just gazin' at the full moon."
Cheren went to stand beside her, looking up at the beautiful moon as well. "Yeah… it sure is pretty." But at that instant, Cheren realized something. "Um… Panini?"
"Yeah?"
"We're on the moon."
"Oh. Then what's…" Suddenly, the moon vanished from sight, making the two gasp.
The moon zipped back into existence as the floating school was on its way there. "Oh, blast! Has that invisibility shield been faulty all this time?" Arlon exclaimed. "Hmm, must be when those two hooligans crashed into it before. No matter. I will proceed with the plan, anyway."
After a few more minutes, the school finally took land onto an open spot on the fake moon's surface. Kami was able to stand up again, and the woman curiously entered the doorway. She gasped in surprise when she found herself in an open area above the school, high up in outer space. In the distance was the real moon, where the Moonbase rested, and standing in the center of the arena was Arlon himself.
"What…What is all this?" Kami asked.
"Kami, I humbly present to you, the Lunar Sanctum. You see, my dear, when I first arrived on this planet, I decided to take this little space station with me. My plan was to guide the little hooligans into my school and mold their rebellious minds into more polite ones, using good old-fashioned hypnosis. Of course, anyone knows that true hypnosis, and entrancing of the mind, can only be done by the glorious beauty that is the moon. Along with my very own special mix of moonbending."
"Moonbending?" Kami questioned. "You mean like… waterbending?"
"Oh, goodness, no. Cresselia controls both the moon and the waves. It is its own element. Moonbending is gifted to ones with a serene mind such as my own. Requiring calmness and tranquility. Much like the Jedi in a way, but moonbending is different from psychic. Moonbenders possess mystical powers that can alter the night, and many other features that our great moons give us… such as your ability to see." The serene man waved an arm, and the area around Kami became pitch-black. When her vision reappeared, Arlon glided behind her, startling the woman as she jumped around to face him.
"Since the moon is such an entrancing body, that's where the hypnosis comes into play. The moon can slowly ease the mind to become weary, and the mind can even be molded to do whatever we want. And so, I hypnotized the young ones by a demonstration of my power. Sadly, though, if I had used the moon that hovers over this world, the children would have suspected something. …Which is why I brought my OWN moon from Planet Lunaria, using this beauty!" Arlon held up the crescent moon locket in his fingers. "The Lunar Locket grants anyone a version of artificial moonbending, and in the hands of a moonbender can be quite deadly. The moon is also able to create nonexistent visions, which was how I designed it to be invisible… for a time. Were my moonbending powers strong enough, this could have been empty space."
"Hmm…" Kami took a moment to absorb all this into her head.
"And now, the grand unveiling." Kami shook as the entire moon began trembling again. In a few moments, the massive station opened up to reveal a gigantic glass eye, glaring directly down at the Earth. "I have watched all of these hooligans transform into fine, young, high-class individuals. From the heavens, the Lunar Sanctum saw through my eyes, absorbing every detail of the result of my hypnosis. On my command, it shall emit a fantastic beam, and all on Earth shall be transformed into well-mannered butlers and maids, much like myself. Then… there will be no one to interfere with Mistress Viridi's plans."
Kami faced the man with a serious glare and gripped her Keyblade tight. "Not as long as I'm here to kick your butt."
"Ahh, they never change." Arlon sighed. "I had hoped you were more mature… but sadly, you have just the same heart as you did when you were a kid. But if that is how it shall be… I guess I have no choice. So, enguarde, Missus Heartly." Arlon bowed. "It is my greatest honor to represent Mistress Viridi…" Arlon looked up, his right eye brimming with an eerie red light, "and the Forces of Nature…" (Play "Power-Hungry Fool" from Super Smash Bros. Brawl.)
Boss fight: Arlon the Serene
Kami charged and swung at the butler, but Arlon swiftly leapt over the woman and landed behind. Kami performed a spin attack, but the butler glided backward and unleashed a bunch of cards at her. Kami dodged the cards and made her way to the man, dealing a couple of blows against him. Arlon glided around the area, leaving pitch-black along his trail. Kami walked around aimlessly in the total darkness, but Arlon appeared behind her and zapped her with a laser. She jumped back to her feet and ran to swing at him, but Arlon already avoided. The butler kept jumping around the room, releasing trails of blue flames that exploded on the ground. Kami paid attention to where the blue flames were coming from and was able to find Arlon, running to deal him some blows.
The light was restored to the area, but Arlon slipped away from Kami's grasp. She ran to try and strike him some more, but Arlon ducked and slid smoothly along the ground, performing a spin-kick to knock Kami off her feet. Arlon backed away and punched his arms upward, conjuring blackish-purple spiked crystals around the field. Kami stood up and jumped over the crystals to swing at Arlon, but the butler grabbed her Keyblade and attempted to push her into the crystal. She suddenly released her own grip, causing Arlon to stumble forwards a bit, and Kami took this moment to kick him off his feet and make him fall against the crystal.
Arlon recovered and made all of the crystals vanish before sliding in the center of the field. There, he spun around at high speeds, unleashing a series of flying cards which Kami had to duck to avoid. Lots of the cards stuck into places around the battlefield, and once Arlon stopped, he glided over in attempt to kick Kami down onto the sharp projectiles. Kami fell, but pushed the Keyblade against the floor to keep herself up, then flipped overhead to land on a safe spot as Arlon walked over to toss more cards at her. Kami shielded from the cards and swung at Arlon, but the butler back-flipped several feet away. Black roses emerged from his sleeves, and he tossed them at Kami, but she held her Keyblade up and caused the sharp roses to stick to it. She noticed the flowers beeping and immediately shook them away before they exploded on the floor.
The explosion blew the cards away, and Arlon ran to throw some kicks at Kami, but she defended before sliding behind and laying a few blows against him. Arlon jumped away and darkened the area once again, leaving only a dim light. In the dimness, Arlon held up his Lunar Locket and used it to move the moon around. The moon brimmed and emitted a blue glow onto the arena, creating several Arlon copies. Kami swung her Keyblade and hit all of the Arlons she could, but they all turned into puffs of smoke, and they kept moving around, confusing her. At last, the real Arlon shot up from behind and kicked her away, but Kami stood her ground as she turned to face him, running to swing her blade, but Arlon dodged out of the way once again. The butler was lost among the dozens of clones, so Kami kept aimlessly swinging.
The real Arlon jumped over her and dropped more blue flames, and Kami barely dodged before they could explode. When the smoke cleared, Kami was nearly out of breath, covered in soot, but all of the Arlon clones seem to have vanished. She ran to attack the man, but he vanished into smoke, and Kami was kicked away from the right side by the real Arlon. She weakly recovered as the butler launched two cards that stuck into the ground in front of her. The cards grew to Kami's height and grabbed the woman, pinning her to the ground. Kami struggled to get away, looking up as Arlon flew into the heavens. The man came down, quaking the ground with a crescent moon wrecking ball, which dangled from a chain. He rode the wrecking ball as it swung around the field, and the cards forced Kami to stand up so it could knock her around. Kami had little recovery time as the crescent moon kept coming back and bashing her around.
After enough beatings, Kami was knocked to near unconsciousness. Arlon held a devious smirk, levitating the small, sharp moon above the woman, and about to bring it down. Before he could crush her, however, Beat suddenly flew into the area and punched the man clear in the face, knocking him off of the wrecking ball. When Arlon tried to recover, his face was instantly met with a Poison Whip, leaving a red mark on his cheek as he bounced further away. Kami looked up to see what saved her, finding the Gang members surrounding Arlon, and her daughter bending over her. "You okay, Ma?"
"Kimaya?..." Kami rubbed her sore head, "What happened? I thought I told you to escape."
"Ma, when was the last time Ah ever listened to you?" Kimaya smirked. "And i's not like we COULD with the school goin' inta space and all! DUUHHH!"
Kami chuckled as she allowed her daughter to help her up. They all faced the fallen butler as Kami readied her Keyblade. "It's six against one." Kami announced. "What're you gonna do, now?"
"Very impressive, Mrs. Heartly." Arlon spoke, standing to brush himself off. "But I believe it's time I show you the true extent of my…" he gripped a rose in his teeth, knelt down on one knee, and used his Lunar Locket to make the moon's rays shine directly on him, "Lunar Magic…" The man stood and threw his arms out, creating blue flames all around the area. Arlon glided around the field and launched all of the blue flames he could at the kids, but they avoided as quick as they could. When Arlon launched two flames at Kaleo, he quickly burped a Gas Bomb and destroyed the fires, blowing the flames and everybody away.
When the smoke cleared, Arlon was shown to be surrounded in blue spiraling flames, smashing his hand against the ground several times and launching fiery shockwaves. Kami jumped the shockwaves and dealt a few more swings against the butler before he jumped away. He split into three clones, and those clones split into more. Several of the copies tried to stomp on Vweeb, but the little alien shot each one he could and made them vanish into smoke. Kimaya whipped out her Poison Whip and rapidly swung it around, slashing all of the ones she could.
The clones' numbers were growing shorter as Kami finished off a few more. "Where did he go, now?"
"Look!" Rhyme pointed. "He's up there!"
Arlon was at a higher point in the school, kneeling down as he fixed his monocle, glaring straight at the Lunar Locket. "I say, I am quite behind schedule. Best get this done now."
The Lunar Sanctum turned until it was aimed directly at the United States down below, Arlon's gigantic eye keeping a steady stare as it filled with a red energy. "He's about to blast the Earth!" Kami exclaimed.
"C'mon, Rhyme, Ah gotta plan!" Beat yelled. "Yo, dudes and Miss Heartly, git up there and stop him!" They nodded as Kami and the others climbed onto the school's roof, while Beat dragged Rhyme into the building.
Kami rushed headfirst toward the butler and took her swing, but the Arlon illusion vanished. Kaleo noticed him several feet to the side and burped a Poison Bomb, but once the smoke cleared, the illusion vanished as well.
"Over there!" Vweeb yelled, noticing another Arlon. While he was focused on his Lunar Locket, the group ran over to strike him, but he waved his arm and created a shroud of pitch-black. "Crud. Now how do we find him?"
Within the school, Beat and Rhyme beat away several Royal Guards before finally arriving at the office. "Finally! Man, Ah dunno what's so rockin' 'bout this harpsichord bull, but le's see how Arlon feels about a little rock!" Beat smirked.
"I don't think he'll like this!" Rhyme said.
The two placed their boombox before the PA microphone. They switched the PA on and placed hands on the boombox, channeling their musicbending energy. The boombox was fueled with power, unleashing a powerful sonic wave of loud, obnoxious rock and roll.
"Dwah!" Arlon winced at the sudden sound of the blasting music. The darkness vanished, and the sounds of the boombox shook the entire school. Arlon cupped his hands over his ears, wobbling uncontrollably as the building shook.
The massive laser that was charging within the eye suddenly blacked out, and the gigantic glass began to crack.
"Well, guess that's it for this place." Kami figured.
"Well, Arlon," Kimaya smirked, "looks like yo' moon just got whupped."
"No!" Arlon jumped to his feet. "If this fortress falls-" He was unable to finish as the floor gave way, causing them all to drop into the auditorium below. "OOOOFF!" The crescent moon wrecking ball fell through the hole and landed on Arlon's cranium. Tears welled in his eyes from the pain, and the butler fell backward unconscious, the Lunar Locket bouncing off of his neck.
"So, uuh, any way off this thing?" Kimaya asked.
"You know, we have survived quite a few explosions back in the day." Kami remembered.
"Den Ah guess we goin' down!" Beat grinned, folding his hands behind his head.
After a few more minutes, the gigantic sanctum plummeted towards the Earth, catching fire as it fell through the atmosphere and crashed into an open green field. (End song.)
Sanctum Ruins
Within the burning wreckage of the Lunar Sanctum, the many captured children, all covered with soot, hurried out to meet with their parents. Rupert Dickson ran up to hug his mother, Emily, Berry Bean scampered over to tackle her mother, Terry Stork grumpily walked up to his parents, Bartie and Ginny, and Kaleo excitedly ran up to his relieved parents. Francis brought a S.P.R.A.Y.S.H.I.P. down to the wreckage, and Zach and Maddy had Arlon in handcuffs, leading the defeated butler into the ship. "Well-p, that solves the case of the mysteriously missing kids." Cheren stated.
"And another one of Viridi's commanders in prison." Panini smirked.
Kami and Kimaya dizzily walked out of the wreckage, their clothes torn and burned. "…How the heck did we survive that shit?" Kimaya panted.
"Oh well… all well and good." Kami gasped.
Kimaya finished catching her breath and brushed some dirt off her singed clothes. "Mom… you were pretty cool in there."
Kami smiled. "Thanks, Sweetheart."
Kimaya glanced away in guilt. "Mom… Ah'm sorry for bein' such a bitch. I won't listen to that shit, anymore…"
Kami sighed and got to her knees, placing a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "No. It's my fault, Kim. I wanted you to be like how I envisioned, but… it was wrong of me to change who you are. You can still listen to what you like, and… all that other stuff. But… can you at least focus more on school? And no more stealing… please?"
Kimaya smiled. "Sure, Ma." The two embraced in a hug.
"AW, YEAH! FAMILY RECONCILANCE!" Beat exclaimed as the Gang members walked over.
"I think you still need to go back to school." Kami stated.
"Ahh, don't kill the moment, man! We jus' kicked Arlon's ASS! Tha's what we do! Kickin' butts and takin' names, that's The Gang's way!"
"Taking names?" Kimaya smirked. "Liiike…"
Kami smirked. "Daisukenojo Bito?"
"KYAAAAHH!" Everyone laughed at Beat's sudden reaction. "Kimaya! You SWORE you wouldn't tell her!"
Kami giggled. "Come on, you all. Who wants ice cream?"
"ICE CREEEAM! I'm first, Stewie!" Kaleo exclaimed before running off.
"I get the chips!" Rhyme smiled.
"Banana sundae fo' me!" Beat grinned.
"Heh! I can chow down two cones full!" Vweeb exclaimed.
"Man, that is SO fake."
"Ah'll help pay for it, too." Kimaya offered.
"Aw, thanks, dear." Kami smiled.
When everyone had cleared from the burning wreckage, the Lunar Locket was left lying on the ground. A shadowy being stepped up to the misplaced locket and picked it up. A wide, creepy grin was spread across his round head.
Yeah, I couldn't really think of a way for them to escape. XP I mean, they HAVE survived quite a few explosions on some occasions, like when the Moonbase crashed. I also hope to go a little more into the new element, moonbending later, as well as musicbending. Sequel series need new elements. Kaleo is the son of Leopold and Katie, and Beat and Rhyme come from The World Ends With You, but I only know them from Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance.
Bonus: Like Mother, Like Daughter
It was a warm, sunny day on Cleveland's beach. 'Course, when isn't it sunny in this world? It was another day when the… um… whatever-Kweeb's-last-name-is family decided to come down and visit with friends. The oldest, but smallest child of the family was laid back and relaxed on the scorching sand, in only blue swim trunks, as the sun warmed his tiny skin. Sure, at his height, the sun was hotter, but since he lived on a beach planet anyway, he was used to it.
Unknown to the bite-size alien, he wasn't totally at peace. From beyond the sand dunes, a giant figure was crawling up to him, a mischievous look on her face. Vweeb felt a large shadow over him, and he opened his eyes, worried that a tidal wave was about to wash his tiny form away. However, it was a giant hand, but it was already too late.
Kimaya Heartly smashed the tiny alien under her hand, adding enough pressure to shove him below the sand. The punk girl wore a black, two-piece swimsuit, and she wasn't wearing her hat. "Haha! Ain't those big ears work, little shrimp?" she laughed.
"Kimaya!" Kimaya flinched at her mother's angry voice. Kami Heartly stared at her with a scolding look, as was Kweeb, who stood by her feet. "Thanks for telling me, Kweeb." Kami said as she approached her daughter. Kimaya stood up and looked away in shame. "Now, Kimaya, just because they're small, that isn't how you treat them."
"Yes, she finally gets it!" Kweeb exclaimed exasperatingly.
"What you need to do is act like it was an accident. You know, like crushing a regular bug."
"Yes, make it seem like—Wait, what?" Kweeb asked.
"For example:" Kami casually stepped toward Kweeb, turned around, and fell backwards, crushing the adult Kateenian under her back. "Ahhh, this spot is nice." Kami smiled as she rested her head on her hands.
"Mmmm-mmmm? Mmmm!" Kweeb was squirming around beneath the tall woman, desperate for breath.
"Oh, sorry, Kweeb!" Kami said innocently as she sat up, seeing the alien squished in her crater in the sand.
"Ohhh, I see whatchu gettin', Mom." Kimaya exchanged smirks with her mom. "Jus'-Jus' act like it wa'n't intentional, you know? yeah, tha's what it was." Kimaya looked at Vweeb, squirming out of her handprint, and casually walked over and stepped on him, getting him stuck under her foot as she walked further. Kimaya eventually stopped and peeled Vweeb off her foot, acting like nothing happened. "Ohh, Ah'm sorry, Little Man, I ain't see you there. Man, you look like a li'l BUG from up here, Man!"
Vweeb angrily spat sand out and hopped out of her hand. Kami walked over and knelt beside her daughter, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Good work, Kimi." Kami said proudly. "He barely saw it comin'."
Vweeb looked at them frustrated as his father walked over, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Now, Son, when giant women act like this, it's easy to get back at 'em with little quirky remarks. For example… Hey, Kami! If you want someone to hide your PIG tail, you should find someone taller!"
"Uhhhh, whuut?" Kami asked, disbelieved.
"Oh, let me try, Dad!" Vweeb said, eager. "Ahem… Hey, Kimaya! If you're competing for World's Smelliest Foot, go walk in a dump!"
"Maaan, is that the BEST you got?" Kimaya asked.
"Ohhhh HE said it!" Kweeb exclaimed as both boys laughed hysterically at the women.
Kami knelt down again and said to her daughter, "Now, when shrimpy boys get like this, it's time to show 'em a little dominance."
The two Kateenians' laughing was cut short when the girls pinned them under their toes. "And the best way to do THAT is to remind them that we're bigger." Kami stated.
"Yeeeaah I see, Mom! They ain't feelin' so tough when we got 'em down, huh?"
"Nnnngh!" Vweeb tried to lift Kimi's toe up, but she was keeping him down tight.
"Now when they do THIS, Son, we just get 'em back with a little bugbite!" With that, both boys bit hard into Kami and Kim's flesh.
"YOW!" both women raised their feet, rubbing their sore toes.
"Now what?" Vweeb asked.
"Laugh and run!" Both boys immediately hurried away, laughing in victory.
"Grrr! Squash 'em!" Kami yelled. The girls chased the tiny aliens all around the beach, trying their best to stomp them.
