Gameverse: Legend of the Eight Firstborn

by Gamewizard2008

Second saga of the Gameverse crossover series. The Dark Master has returned, and his armies are ready. The Kids Next Door and all their allies must work together and find the Eight Firstborn Spirits before they do. The journey begins...

68. The Earth God

We have a song on this one!

---

Chapter 51: The Earth God

G.U.N. H.Q.

Amanda Bynes calmly walked onto the stage of a dark, gray room, facing the camera as she spoke with a serious tone. "Good evening. My name is Amanda. You may know me as the actress that was recently arrested for drunk driving. There is a tragedy sweeping our nation not many may be aware of. The problem is, not many know what to do…" the TV behind her showed a picture of Jedi Knights wielding lightsabers, "when psychicbenders attack! Caught on camera are actual video clips of attacks from these actual psychicbenders just as they actually happened. Let's watch."

The TV showed thousands of aliens gathered at the Geonosian stadium, cheering away at something the camera would not point out. "You see these many alien citizens, happily watching and raving over a baseball game. They probably have peanuts and cracker jacks. When out of nowhere: the psychicbenders attack!" The screen showed Jedi jumping from over the stadium walls, the audience running and screaming as the Jedi ran in the field and started slicing robots. "Fortunately, there weren't so many casualties… until THIS happened." The camera closed up on the Jedi, Mace Windu, dashing to the armored bounty hunter, Jango Fett, and right when he reached him, the Jedi sliced his head clean off his body.

"It pains me to see such horrible scum doing such things. So, let's watch it again in slow motion." The clip rewound and played once more, this time in slow mo. "Watch as the vicious Jedi Knight rushes over, the harmless bounty hunter too slow to defend himself with his gun, and even too stupid to shoot Mace while he was grabbing his lightsaber off the ground. The psychicbender runs in, swats the gun away from him. Then… off with his head."

"Sniff, sniff." The screen switched to Boba Fett sitting on the floor in a room, rocking back-and-forth in a fetal position as he spoke in a weepy tone. "A-Ah just w-wanted to see t-the e-execution—I-I mean, the baseball game… b-but then, out of nowhere… the psychicbenders attacked!"

Amanda turned to the camera and said, "What a sad, pathetic grown man."

"Hey, Ah heard that!"

"If you witness some of these attacks from actual psychicbenders, please dial this hotline: 1-800-I-just-saw-some-psychicbenders-attack/kill-some-person-so-I'm-calling-this-number-to-report-what-I-saw-" At that instant, Penelope ran up on stage, fired the ray at Amanda, and caught her inside the DNA Revitalizer. She then took out a pen and crossed "When… Attack Amanda" off her list. "THREE down!" She dashed off the stage, but came back right away and stuck her crazy face in the camera. "Please."

Commander Gunkan kept his fingers on his chin in thought as he and Boba finished watching the video on Gunkan's computer. "Whaddya think, Brett?" the hunter said cheerily, playfully smacking the commander's back. "I figured using an actress from an old sketch show oughta spread the message to younger viewers."

"Hmm… Well, psychicbenders were always the most vicious of these monsters. You aren't the only one who knows that."

"Exactly! And this video will be just enough to show 'em."

"Alright." Brett decided, standing up from his chair. "We'll send out the clip. But I'd like to know where that family of freaks is right now."

A soldier suddenly barged in and saluted. "Sir: the latest shipment of mutants has just arrived. Would you like to see them, Sir?"

"Very well, Private. Let's go."

Down in the base's prison wing, the inhuman prisoners held miserable expressions on their face as the soldiers led them into cells, closing the doors and locking them in. The Foster's Gang was locked in one cell. "PLEASE don't lock me in prison, Señor Soldier Man!" Eduardo cried. "I no hurt anyone. I LOVE the humans. Like Señor Mac!" He grabbed the 8-year-old human in his arms and began to hug and squeeze him. "See? I love you, Señor Mac! You mi best amigo!" Mac tried desperately to shake free, his skin turning blue from the crushing.

In the next cell, they locked up Frida and the Riveras, taking away Manny's belt so he couldn't transform. "Okay, okay, you caught me. But can you at least let Frida go?" Manny asked. "I'm the one that dragged her into it."

"Eh, how very noble of you." The gruff soldier replied. "But any human associating with mutant affairs is enemy as well."

"Er, let me go!" Violet demanded, trying to shake free as two GUNs held her and Scarlet by the arms. They were thrown into another cell, and afterwards had steel containers placed over their hands to prevent them from using their claws. An electric beam connected the holders to cuff them as well.

"Why are you throwing me in here?" Scarlet asked. "Violet's the only real monster in this place."

"Oh, again with that?" Violet replied.

"CAN IT!" The soldiers saluted when Commander Gunkan and Boba entered the hall. "As far as I can see, you're ALL guilty."

"Hey, you're the bounty hunter." Violet recognized.

"Haha, that's right!" Boba laughed. "Looks like someone finally put YOU down, Kitty Face!"

"Um, Sir? We still have a couple more." A soldier reported as others led in Emily Matthews, handcuffed and wearing an ecto collar to keep her in human form. Along with her, the hideous Hulk-like form of Chad Dickson, who kept angrily trying to shake free from a net, only to get zapped by his shock collar. "And this one's a new breed. We saw him inhale the Bang Gas just moments ago, Sir."

"E-yugh. It's disgusting. But… a new breed? I bet it could be useful. Take him down to the research lab. We're gonna run a few tests."

"Wait! You can't take him!" Emily pleaded.

"We-hell. Looks like we got a little metahuman looove." Boba chuckled, making Emily blush in embarrassment.

"I don't care who's in love with who. Er, wait, is it 'who' or 'whom'—never mind. All I know is, as long as there's metahuman, no one is safe." Brett decided.

"Hey, Boba." Wolf greeted as he approached his best friend. "We just interrogated this family, apparently falsely arrested because they looked like The Quads. They told us that the real Quads were seen heading to Langley Falls."

"Aw, dang it! Uh, y'all guys go on ahead without me, Wolf. I wanna finish work on mah new battle armor."

"Very well. Once the others are done bringing in the army's supplies, we'll ship off." Wolf said before walking away.

Another soldier then came and reported, "By the way, Sir, one of our spies claimed that this other psychicbender, with this weird fox thing were headed for the Tree of Beginning. In search of some being called Mew."

"Mew?! Ready my craft, Soldier." The troop saluted and ran off. "And you: tell the men in the lab to begin the experiments I instructed them on Chad." he told the other soldier, who saluted and left. "I'll be back, Boba. I'm going on a little hunt." The rest of them walked out and left the mutants in their cells.

"AUUGH!" Scarlet cried, using her steel cuffs to pin Violet against the wall by her neck. "This is YOUR fault! If it wasn't for you, Aunt Victoria would still be here, and none of us would've ever become hideous mutants and locked in here."

"You have… no one to blame… but yourself." Violet choked.

"UGH." Scarlet just pulled her hands away and stepped to the other side of the cell. "If only I could kill you right now without having to sit in this cell with your rotting corpse. My one and perfect chance to stab you with my claws and present your head to Ganondorf and I can't do it."

"Peh." Violet spat out some saliva as she stood back up. "You wouldn't do it either way."

"And why not?"

"Because we're family. With my mother gone, we're all we have in the world. You can hate me all you want, but you still love me like the cousins we are."

"Oh, don't make me laugh." Scarlet shot a glare. "You're the worst person in my life. If not for these cuffs or this cell, I would take my claws, reach inside your chest, yank your heart right out, feed it to the Bulblins, rip out your eyes and feed 'em to rats, let the crows dine on your sockets as you just lie there and rot, and allow the dogs to suck on your bones once I finish carving the skin off them. I'd be surprised if Bruce still even wants you…"

"Okay, gross. Second of all, Bruce cares about me. And I'm sure there's someone that cares about you, too. Both of us have lots of friends, and sooner or later, they're gonna come and save us…"

Down in the storage chamber of the base, the Star Wolf Team tiredly carried heavy crates of supplies and stacked them upon the many others. "Hoo. Is that all of them?" Leon panted.

"Almost." Jake replied, dragging in a single box and placing it in front of all the others, not on a stack. "There we go."

"Finally. Now let's get us a decent meal. I could go for some psychicbender brains right about now. Growl." Panther growled. The bounty hunters left the storage room, the doors shutting and leaving it in the dark.

Once they were gone, a pair of eyes peeked out of the hole in the box that Jake brought, glancing left and right, patiently awaiting the perfect moment to strike.

Bowser's Castle

Mr. L held the caged Sector R up in his hand, followed by Bowser Jr. as he merrily entered the chamber where every other miniaturized child was held, watched by Lord Bowser. "Mmm, here you are, Lord Bowser: another capture of pintsize wimps just for you, brought to you by Hannibal."

"Gwah hah ha! This makes me so giddy, I can't stand it!"

"Then why don't you sit?" inquired Mr. L.

"Mmmrr. Don't push it."

"What should we do with 'em, Dad?" Junior asked. "We think some other people might be comin' to rescue 'em."

"Hmm… then we'll relocate them to the Neo Bowser City, too, trap them if they come. Set 'em down for now and go get the airships ready, Mr. L. While I go have a little chat." The Koopa King smiled as he stepped over to a human-sized birdcage, holding the Princess of the Mushroom Kingdom herself, who was angrily turned away. "Hey-hey, Peach! Come on, don't look so glum. At least you aren't sharing the fate of these other chums. Can't you smile for old Papa Bowser just once?"

"As if I'd ever!" Peach yelled, turning at him. "You've kidnapped me again, and are using these poor peoples' fear to keep an even worse person healthy. If you wanna make me smile, let all these people go."

"Grar har har! Aw, you know I can't do that, Peach! Especially when Gnaa is this close to his freedom. By the end of this, I'll finally have Mario destroyed for good. And we can finally get married and rule over the Mushroom Kingdom together! Gwee heh ha hah!"

"Hey, Dad. The poisonbenders are here." Junior called as he walked in with The Terrible Toxic Four.

"Ah, perfect timing. You guys help carry these pests to the airships, and get some supplies. Oh, and keep that poisonbending of yours at a 0 while in this castle! One little puff of gas near my torches will make this whole castle crumble. Now get going."

"Hmph." Matt huffed, grabbing the caged team and starting to carry them off. "Dumbass."

The shrunken Sector R then realized who was carrying them. "Hey, it's Matt!" Flynn squeaked. The rest of them also called for his name in their little high-pitched voices, the toxic leader hearing this and stopping to hold them up by his face.

"G…Guys?"

"Where've you been, Man? We've been worried about you." Sam yelled.

"We've been looking forever!" Ria shouted.

"You have?"

"Hey, Dad!" Bowser Jr. approached his father. "Speaking of kidnapping, you oughta give a few pointers to King K. Rool. I heard he just kidnapped Kami and lost her again!"

Jeremiah instantly heard this and gasped. "Oh yeah?" Bowser asked.

"Yeah, it mighta been the Kongs. They're probably headed for DK Island."

"Er, guys? I gotta go." Jeremiah said to his friends before running off.

A nearby screen on Bowser's wall then started to beep, showing an Eggman symbol connecting a call to a Bowser symbol. "Oh, it's Eggman! I wonder if he's got what I want yet?" Bowser said as he answered, showing Eggman onscreen.

"OH ho ho ho! Good news, Bowser! I disguised my robots as GUN drones and they've located the Forest Spirit! She's currently at the Tree of Beginning. I'll capture her for you and take her to Neo Bowser City."

"We also caught that raccoon sheila!" Bokkun appeared and shouted.

"What?" Elijah gasped.

"Great work, Eggman! We'll meet you there, too!" Bowser replied, ending transmission.

"Umm… where's Katie?" Leo asked, approaching the Koopa.

"That Nightmare girl? I dunno. Probably hangin' out with that Mandy chick or somethin'. In that case, Ganon's probably after them."

"LATER, GUYS!" Leo yelled, running off.

"YOU KNOW, I THINK SCARLET GOT CAPTURED BY GUN." Elijah yelled.

"Screw her!" Leo called.

"Okay, well… later, Matt." Elijah said, waving him 'bye' as he ran off.

"Uh-huh… guess I better go, too." Matt said before carrying his former team away.

"Boy, those guys were in a hurry." Bowser Jr. said.

"Whatever gets them outta here the faster. Powers like those are way too dangerous to have around this place…"

Dathomir, Lucinda's Cave

Lucinda Talzin had returned to her lonely cave within the depths of the swamp, her shadow pouring strange items into her magic cauldron as she stirred with her wand. "Gallon of Obedience…" her shadow poured the ingredients in. "Pint of Knowledge… a Pinch of Willpower…" She grabbed a box of the last ingredient herself, proceeding to pour it in. "And just… a hint… of… lust…" She began to cackle maniacally as smoke erupted from the cauldron.

"Hello, Lucy!" Rumpel smiled as he and Yuki walked into the cave. "Hope we aren't interrupting anything."

"Oh, Rumpel and Yuki. Come, come right in. I have just whipped another potion. Let's see if this is strong enough to break the seal…" She took a cup and filled it with some potion, holding it over the black Genie Lamp and dumping it on. "Yes, YEEES…" she exclaimed as the lamp began to glow. "NO!" A barrier popped up around the lamp and blew the liquid off, blowing the witch and her shadow back.

"Ooohh…" Rumpel squinted and looked away.

The witch recovered and saw that the lamp was still intact. "Oh, it's no use…" she moaned sadly as her shadow patted her shoulder. "Nothing will break this curse."

"Uh… what curse?" Yuki asked.

"The Curse of the Genie, of course. My poor shadow must remain bound to the lamp, as must I in that sense. If I cannot be free, I will never be able to grant the marvelous gifts I used to. Granting that one to the Ice Climbers took too much out of me. I'll barely be able to last. Oh, if only I were free…"

"Ahem, about that, Lucy." Rumpel spoke up, approaching the witch with a spellbook. "I've been looking into that. I think I may have a way to find a cure. This is a book I found of different magical deals. Check this page out…" the elf smirked as Talzin took the book and began to read.

"…'How to take away someone's bending and use it as your own'?"

"We already got most of the requirements! All we really need is a good old-fashioned timebender." He spared a wicked glance to Yuki. "And I've already picked out the perfect one…"

Yuki shot him a suspicious look. "What are you two talking about?"

"Oh, nothing, my dear child." Lucinda responded in her motherly tone. "Oh, Rumpel, could you go out and pick some frog warts for me? I wish to speak to Yuki…"

"Whatever you say. Mmmmadam." Rumpel bowed, stepping backwards out of the cave.

"Yuki… let's go for a walk, shall we?"

The ugly fairy and the icebender went for a walk around the poison swamp, in a part where strange sacks with limbs sticking out hung from cages. "Yuki… I noticed how… grumpy you've seemed since we first met. What's on your mind, Boy?"

Yuki grumbled a little and glanced away. "I've been living in a icy wasteland for months in exile. All because of these dumb ice powers. I couldn't control them and froze everything I touched. Including the Supreme Leader's stupid little brother. And no one helped me. Not even my own best friend."

"Oh, Yuki. You and I have so much in common. I remember when I was just a happy fairy living in Avalar. Using my magnificent powers of selflessness to grant the people gifts. Things went so lovely. I granted many marvelous gifts. Such as that of eternal love, never separating a married couple, giving people a simpler life as an animal… but then there was her."

"Who?"

"Ella of Frell, whom I granted the most marvelous of my gifts, and was the only one to receive such a spell: Imperioloso."

"Huh?"

"It's an enhanced form of the Imperio Curse, which allows the caster to control people. That enhanced version gave her total obedience. I created the perfect child. But perfect or not, she was still an ungrateful brat. Just like everyone else was. After they found a way to break my spell, they turned to the spirits and the Star Fairies. I was brought before the Fairy Council Court, where I stood trial for my 'crimes'. I was found guilty, and was sentenced into exile. That accursed Fairy King, Jorgen von Strangle, stripped me of my shadow and locked her in a lamp, cancelling out my magic. I begged him to let me keep some magic… and he did. But at a price. I was never allowed to use my magic to grant gifts again. I made… the Unbreakable Vow."

"The Unbreakable Vow?"

"I vowed I would never grant another gift. And I granted one to those kids. It's an incredible thing that I stand here right now. But being exiled has its upsides. Over time… I started my very own clan. The Nightsisters. An entire tribe of witches. You see them before you now." She directed his attention to the sacks of dead limbs. "One day, something terrible happened. We were attacked, and all the Nightsisters have been wiped out. They were the only family I had in this world. But I mustn't despair. No one ever truly leaves your life. Their spirits live on within me. Maybe they are why I continue to live…"

"Ummm."

"The point is, Yuki, you and I were both banished for our incredible powers. And like me, you know what fools the people who have cast us aside have been. When I look at you, I see my own flesh and blood. In the form of a boy of course. It is only fair that your inner darkness be unleashed. Your cold-blooded hatred for Jagar King and all the Kids Next Door rages inside your heart, waiting to be released in the form of all your fury."

"Well… it's not like I came all the way out here with anything else to do. But just, what happens if you break… the 'Unbreakable Vow'?"

"…You die."

Langley Falls

The Quads and Noah kept riding in the latter's blue Camaro, finally exiting the desert and coming into a town, passing a sign that read Langley Falls. Terrorist free since…, but the rest of it was blown up. "So, Langley Falls, huh?" Buddy said to himself. "I used to watch a show about this place, actually. Something about an alien."

"Let's just hope they don't have too many wanted posters of us here." Athena said.

"Ummm… what's that?" Noah asked, noticing a crowd of people gather by a window on a building. She parked by that place for a closer look, peeking through the crowd and seeing it was the same video Gunkan was watching moments ago. It was just now getting to the part where Boba was sitting in the room and weeping.

"Wow, Boba. You are pathetic." Sophie chuckled.

"Pathetic or not, that guy seems to be getting desperate on stopping us. Or any psychicbender, really." Morgan figured.

"Well, what are we supposed to do?" Noah asked. "Hide out like sissies until one of our friends show up?"

"No thanks." Morgan said. "I'd rather kiss Voldemort."

"Anyway, we just have to go without being recognized. And if we are, we'll try to use mind tricks. So… where should we go now?"

"I know, I know!" Noah jumped. "Let's go see a movie! I think The Hunger Games is still showing. I never got a chance to see that yet."

"Sounds good to me." Buddy agreed.

Minutes later, they found the Langley Falls theater and proceeded to head inside. But as they went in, they were secretly watched by a strange man and woman, dressed in business-like uniforms and wearing sunglasses. Under their holographic disguises, however, was Bane and Aurra. "So… a movie, is it?" Bane observed.

"I'm actually curious as to what passes for entertainment among these people. Let's go in and watch 'em from there." Aurra decided.

The family plus Noah approached the list of shows on the wall and saw The Hunger Games was in Theater 13 to the right. "Alright, they still have it." Morgan observed. "Let's get some tickets and-" But as she turned toward the ticket counter, she noticed a wanted poster of the five of them. "Umm…"

"Great. What now?" Buddy asked.

"It's okay. Let's just head on in. I have a plan." The four shrugged and decided to head down the hall toward the theater. Before Morgan followed them, she turned back at the wanted poster, squinted her eyes, and nodded her head, using psychic to make the top of the picture come off and just hang there, so that they could only see the back.

They were about to head into the movie until a guard stopped them. "Hold on, kids. No movie without a ticket."

Morgan just waved her hand by his face and said, "You will let us pass."

"I will… let you… pass."

Morgan gave her siblings a smile and thumbs-up before walking past him. The others were about to follow until the guard stopped them again. "Hold on, kids. No movie without a ticket."

Morgan sighed, tapped the man on the shoulder, and said, "You will let the five of us pass."

"I will… let the… five of you… pass." The guard stepped aside and let them all go in, with Noah blowing a raspberry while his back was turned. The man was then approached by the disguised Bane and Aurra, holding his hand out and asking, "Ticket?"

"Oh. We, uh…" Bane just decided to punch the man unconscious, allowing him and Aurra to follow The Quads in.

As the six of them were looking for a good seat, Noah asked Buddy, "Hey, Buddy, um… wanna just sit in our own seats, close to the screen?"

"Umm, okay." Buddy shrugged. His sisters just smiled and shook their heads in disbelief, going up to sit in a higher row. With them away, Buddy and Noah took their seats closer to the screen. As they waited for the previews to end, the blue-clothed girl sighed as she leaned against his shoulder, making him blush. "Uh, hehe. This was a really good book."

"I know! I wonder what the movie's like? Too bad we don't have any popcorn."

Buddy then looked up in a row above them, seeing a lonely bucket of popcorn in a holder. "Hold on a second." Making sure no one else was looking, he used his psychic to lift the bucket and guide it over, placing it in the holder between them.

"Oooh!"

Buddy also noticed a cup of Pepsi, using psychic to bring it to them as well. "And with that, we can enjoy the movie."

Noah gave a grossed look, however, when she picked a half-eaten corndog from the popcorn. "Er… sort of. Hehe." He chuckled.

Flying Krock

Team Alien continued to fly over the seas as Ava piloted the Flying Krock. She kept an annoyed look on her visage as Kami kicked back in the other seat, munching on Pringles and flicking some crumbs at Ava's head. "Will. You. Stop that?"

"Whatever." she mumbled, then started flicking crumbs over at Kweeb on the control desk, in which they were much larger at his size.

"Don't flick them at Kweeb, either!"

"Why, or he won't taste good enough for you to eat later?"

"Hey, for the last time-" Ava started, turning to her.

"Hey, watch out!" Dixie yelled, quickly grabbing the steering wheel before they crashed in the ocean, causing several barrels in the back to fall over on Vector. "Phew. Probably should let me drive."

Ava got up to let Dixie have her seat as she went over to Kami and pointed her sword at her face. "That's it, Kami. I don't care if you were hit with a Darkness Cannon. You're rude, you're crude, the way you chew your food, snappy attitude, and being a plain jerk. And when we get there, I hope Cranky knocks some serious sense into you, because you've certainly lost it."

"At least I didn't join King Fatso anyway, unlike you, Ms. Betray-my-friends-for-a-bunch-of-crazy-world-conquering-adults."

"I did that to save my planet, Genius! At least I know how to-"

"SILENCE!" Espio shouted at them. "Perhaps peace and quiet is what we need at the moment. Until we reach DK Isles, I just want to have a nice, safe, gentle, conflict-free, cru-"

"HAAAAAAAA!" Dixie immediately stomped the ship's brake when a flaming force emerged from the ocean. The flames vanished, revealing none other than Dogadon, red and fuming with rage. He glared at the hijacked ship and saw the ones who bested him before. "ROOOOAAAR!"

"AAAAHH! It's Dogadon!" Diddy screamed.

"AAAH-aaaah!" Chunky cried.

"Didn't he learn his lesson the first time?" Ava asked, grabbing her swords.

"These guys usually need two lectures." Dixie replied.

"Alright then. Let's go." Ava, Kweeb, and the Kongs climbed to the roof of the craft while Dixie still piloted. (Play the "Forest Boss" theme from Donkey Kong 64.)

Boss fight: Dogadon

"ROOOOAAAR!" Dogadon furiously blasted fireballs that the team quickly dodged, but lost their footing when the dragon slammed the roof and shook the craft. Dixie maneuvered the Krock away as Donkey Kong whipped out his Coconut Shooter and blasted the dragon's head. Dogadon took the shots and flew beneath the ship, shooting up and pushing the ship to the sky. He stopped after a few meters, flipped around, and began pushing the ship to the ocean at high speeds.

"Hnnnngh!" Dixie struggled to drive the ship away from his grasp. "Kami, press that button and drop a bomb on him!"

"You ain't the boss of me."

"Grrrrr!" Dixie swung her ponytail and managed to press the button herself. A hatch opened beneath the ship that released a bomb and blew the dragon away, and the ship flew back right-side-up as Dogadon fell into the sea. As usual, the dragon recovered, flying at their level and unleashing a storm of fireballs, making Dixie tilt the ship rightward and slide away. Dogadon flew around them in circles and unleashed fireballs, but Ava blocked with her swords before hurling them directly at the dragon's head, only for him to duck. He inhaled a bigger breath of fire, but Ava summoned her swords back and pierced the dragon in the neck from behind, causing him to blast his flames skyward. They exploded and rained smaller flames down, which the roof team evaded before flying above the dragon. Dixie glanced at Kami, still kicked back in uninterest, so she sighed and pressed the button herself.

Another bomb dropped and sent the Dogadon falling to the sea. Ava called her swords back in the meantime, but Dogadon recovered again and shook the water off of him, creating a huge cloud of steam. The team struggled to see in the fog as Dogadon threw fireballs from random, unseen directions. They dodged okay at first until a fireball exploded close to Kweeb, sending him flying. "WHOOOoooaa!"

"Kweeb!" Ava cried.

The little alien found himself saved in Charmy's hands, smiling at the bee. Charmy flew back to the Krock and handed Kweeb to Ava before expanding a huge bubble of air that blew the steam away. Dogadon was nowhere to be found, until he suddenly whipped across them and flung Charmy away. He aimed to blast the others again, but felt something on his face, as Espio was invisible and climbing around, sticking shurikens in the dragon's body.

Furious, Dogadon shook him away and flew further ahead of the Krock. With another surge of flame breath, Dogadon released an enormous wall of fire, sending it directly at the ship. The crew panicked, but Vector started chugging down two bottles of hotsauce. The crocodile ran to the front of the ship and unleashed his own breath of fire. His grew larger than the Flying Krock and blocked the part of the flame wall coming at them. The rest of the flames passed by, but their ship was kept safe. The flames vanished, and Dogadon was disappointed to see the crew okay. He tried to catch his breath, but the Krock flew above him and dropped another bomb, sending him to the sea.

Everyone nervously peeked over the roof to see the bubbling water below. Dogadon shot up once again and started furiously beating the Krock, bashing it from all directions as the crew struggled to stay on. Finally, the dragon gripped the Krock and started flying headfirst into the sun. (Play the "Forest Boss" Theme sped-up.)

"Hrrrrrr. Wha-a-a-at's he-e-e-e doi-i-i-i-ing?" Ava rumbled.

"He's flyi-i-i-i-ing into the su-u-u-u-un." replied Tiny.

"But he-e-e-e-e wouldn't survi-i-i-ive in spa-a-a-ace." Kweeb followed, gripping tight to Ava's dress.

"Neithe-e-e-e-er would we-e-e-e-e."

Ava held the metal roof as tight as her fingers would as she crawled to the ship's windshield. "Kami-i-i-i-i. Get out he-e-e-ere. We need you for thi-i-i-is."

"I ain't need y'all."

"Kami-i-i-i. Stop being a pe-e-e-est and get out here no-o-o-o-ow." Kweeb yelled.

"Why ain'tchu become window splat by now?"

"Kami, ju-u-u-ust get out he-e-e-ere." Ava told her.

"Nnnnope."

"Will you just QUIT being stubborn and get out there-" Dixie began.

"No." Ava stopped. "If that's how it i-i-i-is, then do-o-o-on't. Don't… come up here. You were always useless from the start. How could you otherwise since you were human? I always thought aliens were superior. And we are. Even Kweeb has more potential than you. He can kick your butt… any da-a-a-ay of the week."

"Oh, you wanna bet? ?" Kami declared, suddenly convinced. "I'll come out there and squish 'im right now."

She struggled to climb out the broken windshield, but once on top, she stood tall and raised her foot above Kweeb. "Any last words, shrimp?"

"I'd rather you wear sandals." He winked. "NOW, Ava!"

The Glomourian forced her other sword in Kami's hand, raising both their blades together. Kweeb charged a huge blast in his ray gun and fired directly at their hands. Kami and Ava's swords grew bigger than the ship, Dogadon gasping as the girls fell off. "Hey, Kami!" Ava yelled. "Bet you can't block THIS!" She lashed her tremendous sword at Dogadon, and Kami did the same in attempt to block her. Dogadon choked frantically as both enlarged blades pierced his side. The girls struggled to keep their giant hands in place, and could barely raise the swords any higher. They let their hands drop, but seizing the moment, they spiraled around and BASHED the dragon with their swords from above. The momentum pushed Dogadon directly into the blue sea, and the Flying Krock was free.

The ship flew beneath to catch Kami and Ava, wobbling due to the weight of their giant hands. "HOO! That was WICKED!" Ava cheered as Kweeb shrunk their hands back to normal.

"Good thing I took the time to charge the reverse feature!" Kweeb perked.

Charmy flew back to the roof with Espio in tow. "Hey, guys. What happened?" Espio asked.

"We just used our new Team Blast!" Ava declared.

"It wasn't that special." Kami said.

"Ugh. STILL the same? ?"

"Let's get to DK Isles NOW." Dixie decided. (End song.)

DK Isles

The sun was beginning to set by the time the lot of them arrived at DK Isles. The Kong Krew had set up a fire along the beach as they began to eat their preferred fruits, Donkey with coconuts, Diddy with peanuts, Chunky's pineapples, and Dixie and Tiny's watermelons. "This island's a really nice place." Ava said, gazing at the orange sunset sky.

"DK Island's always been one of the nicest settings." Dixie replied. "We always believed it was one of the first created by earth spirits. That's why our bananas taste so good, and why we thought people like the Kremlings tried to steal them, to always satisfy their needs."

Kami spotted one of said bananas on the ground next to her. She picked the fruit up and removed the peel, proceeding to bite it. She felt taken aback by the marvelous taste of the pure yellow fruit. Any anger she might've had previously seemed to go away.

Everyone stopped in their activities when they heard rustling though the bushes, looking to see Funky Kong come out of the jungle. "Hey, dudes. Cranky's waiting for ya. He's not in a happy mood, but I think he's got something that'll help."

The tech-knowledgeable Kong led them to a house in the jungle, labeled 'Monkey Museum'. Inside was some bit of lab equipment and a lab table with a monitor, as well as several videogame systems in the back, mostly games from the old days. They watched as an elderly ape slowly limped down the stairs with a cane, wearing glasses, a white lab coat, and had a long white beard. "Well, if it isn't my lazy oaf of a son, DK. So, these are the little munchkins you told me about, Funky."

"So, you're Cranky Kong?" Kami asked.

"You bet yer bippy!"

"Ow!" Kami yelped when he clonked her in the head with his cane.

"You must be the human he told me about, too. Figured since you're the only human. Why don't ya go lie down on that there bed-couch thingy while I have me a talk with these here creatures?" Kami sighed and went over to lie on a recliner, while Cranky led the others to the other side of the room. "So, what seems to be the problem with this young missy?"

"Well, she's a jerk. To put it simply." Ava answered.

"But it's not her fault. She was shot by a Darkness Cannon." Kweeb said.

"Yes, yes. I heard about them Darkness Cannon thingies. Manipulates any heart to the Dark Side. Ruins plenty of good friendships, they do."

"Well, what do we do?" Dixie asked. "How can we reverse the effects?"

"I'm getting to that, Missy! Anyway, it's not that she's brainwashed or nothin'. The purpose of the Darkness Cannon is to take the negative feelings in a heart and make them overcome the positive feelings."

"Basically, she does hate aliens." Ava figured, folding her arms.

"Watch that tongue of yours!" Cranky yelled, bashing her head. "True, she did have her minor distaste in aliens and people that looked different. But she never really let those feelings out before. She put those feelings aside and focused on the good ones, like her friendship with you. She had a strong heart. Unfortunately not strong enough to fight the affects of darkness. But don't worry. Old Cranky knows how to fix it."

"Got any lightbenders?" Kweeb asked.

"Eh, lightbenders only get part of the job done. The only real way to heal the effects of a Darkness Cannon is to show that person that their negative thoughts are all a bunch of hooey! I'll take care of that." The old ape limped his way to the recliner Kami lied on. "So, little missy, you think hanging out with aliens makes you different from your kind, does it?"

"Um, yes."

"And when was bein' different ever a bad thing?"

"Well-"

"NEVER! That's when!" He clonked her again. ("Ow!") "If there's one thing wrong with the younger generation nowadays, it's their lousy fear of bein' different. Always worried about how they dress or how they look or what other people think."

"I do not care about what other people- OW!" He clonked her.

"No, you just hate them for being different. And you think hanging out with them makes you inhuman. But that's bull-plucky! Even if they are of a different species, can you honestly say they're really any different from you?"

"Why am I listening to a talking ape- OW!" He clonked her again. "Grrr!"

"Don't get snippy with me! You're a talking ape, too. Eons ahead of my generation, but still a kind of ape nonetheless. In fact, the only ape around here who DON'T know how to speak is my lazy son o' mine! And maybe Chunky, but…but that's it, really. Those alien friends of yours aren't so different. Sure Ava may be able to kiss people to learn their language, and Kweeb's as small as a beetle… but you still speak English, you're both rotten kids, ya like them videogames, and the three of you are all living creatures in this universe that interact. It's what's inside someone that matters. Who cares what color skin they have, what kind of clothes they wear, or if they have antennas? I know your father didn't care when he came here, that's true."

"Wait, you knew my father- OW! Enough with that cane already, geez…"

"Of COURSE I knew your father! We all did! When he fought in the Kremian Wars back in the old days, he was purdy good friends with the Kong Klan, and all the other animals, too. He didn't care that Donkey wore nothin' but a tie, Funky was a surfer dude, or that Candy Kong liked to pose all pretty like that. All he cared was they were an alright gang to hang out with. So, why shouldn't you?"

"Okay, I see your point, but- OW!"

"BUT NOTHIN'! Now you listen to old Cranky now!" The elderly ape switched on a stereo, playing some music as he began to dance and sing.

Cranky: Don't matter what ya look like!

Don't matter what ya wear!

Cranky put on a bunch of clothes and threw them off in this next verse.

If ya wear a hat, some glasses, some leggings, some flip-flops

Well, we don't care!

Animals: NO, WE DON'T CARE!

A bunch of animals, like Rambi, Expresso, and the Kongs' Animal Buddies stood on ledges on the walls as they sang. Cranky took out an eyedropper and dipped it in a potion, filling it up.

Don't matter where ya come from

Don't even matter what ya are!

He went over to Kweeb and started dipping drops of the potion on him, changing him into many animals.

A rhino, an ostrich, a swordfish, a parrot, no

Not even an aardvark-bear!

Animals: NOT EVEN AN AARDVARK-BEAR!

A swarm of birds and other animals began to run and fly around him as he danced.

And they all knew what they wanted

What they wanted ME to do!

I told them what they needed!

He got behind Kami, jabbing his cane at her face.

That's what I keep tellin' you

He grabbed and flung her upwards as the animals chorused.

Ya gotta-

Animals: DIIIG a little DEEPER!

Cranky: And look inside your heart

Animals: Ya gotta DIIIG a little DEEPER!

Cranky: It really ain't that far! He pulled out a mirror and held it in front of Kami's face.

When you find out who you are

You'll find out what you need

The mirror showed a vision of herself with Jeremiah appearing behind her. Her eyes widened, looking around, but only seeing Kweeb on her shoulder. The alien gave a disgusted look, shaking his head 'no' before jumping off.

Animals: BLUE SKIES AND SUNSHINE!

Cranky: Indeed!

Rattly the Rattlesnake got under Kami, Ava, and Kweeb and flung them upward.

Ya gotta dig! (DIG!)

He did the same with Donkey, Diddy, and Dixie.

Ya gotta dig! (DIG!)

"WOOHOO!" Donkey Kong cheered, flying through the air.

As Kweeb began dancing on the lab table, Cranky danced around him.

Cranky: Old Kweeby's a big li'l boy!

You wanna be big, you say? Kweeb smiled and shook 'no'.

Whether he's big or small, real fat, real tall

He's still real fun to PLAY with-

Animals: HEY! They yelled in Kami's ears.

Cranky then danced to Ava, pointing his cane at her.

Cranky: Then there's Ava! White skin, big ears

And a tongue of a thousand tongues

She gotta burning passion for her people

Can't say that's much different than you then, Hon'

Cranky held his cane up and let Squawks the Parrot grab it in his talons, carrying Cranky above Kami, and allowing him to grab and carry her, too.

(You gotta DIIIG a little DEEPER!)

Don't you munchkins know?

The parrot dropped them on the other end of the room, a slight smile appearing on Kami's face.

(Ya gotta DIIIG a little DEEPER!)

Tell them young people Cranky told ya so!

Cranky directed her attention to Ava dancing and swinging Kweeb around.

I can't tell you what you'll find

Maybe it's love, new friends, you'll be surprised!

(Dig a little deeper-)

And you'll know

"Now, Miss Drilovsky?"

"Huh?"

"May I have a word?"

"Um, okay." Cranky wrapped his cane around her neck, leading her to the TV on his lab table.

"Now, you's a hardhead. That's what I heard." He switched on his little TV and swat the back of Kami's head with his cane, making her face the screen. It showed an image of her father playing with her and Patton when they were younger.

Your daddy was a lovin' man!

Family through-and-through

You yo' daddy's daughter!

What he had in him, you got in you!

Suddenly, Expresso caught Kami on her back, Rambi caught Ava on his, Squawks carried Kweeb in his talons, Diddy carried Dixie on his jetpack, and Donkey lifted and carried Cranky as they all dashed up a cave in the back of the cabin.

(You gotta DIIIG a little DEEPER!)

"For you, it might be tough." Cranky said to Kami.

(You gotta DIIIG a little DEEPER!)

"If ya don't get FAR enough!" Cranky rode Donkey up some vines while the animals just helped the others up platforms.

Look deep down inside yourself

And find out what you need

(Blue SKIES and SUNSHINE!)

Indeed

"OPEN UP THE WINDOWS! LET IN THE LIGHT, young WHIPPERSNAPPERS!" The lot of them passed through some vine curtains, finding their selves in a part of the jungle atop a cliff, high above the beach they were at before, and had a spectacular view of the sunset over the seas.

"Blue skies 'n' sunshine!" Chunky grabbed a bunch of Orange Grenades in his arms and threw them up into his mouth.

"Blue skies 'n' sunshine!" Kweeb and Tiny both bounced on a lever, flinging two melons to Ava and Dixie, who caught them in their ponytails.

"Blue skies 'n' sunshine!" Team Chaotix held their mouths wide open as Diddy fired peanuts perfectly into them.

"Blue skies 'n' sunshine!" Donkey banged his bongos rapidly before standing on them, grinning and making a muscle pose.

Kami sang in a high note, "Blue SKIES and SUNSHIIIINE!"

Cranky concluded with, "GuaraaaanTEEEEEEEED!"

"So, Kami. Did ol' Cranky make it clear enough? Do ya understand, now?"

"Well… I was kinda confused… but I do get the point. Ava and Kweeb may be weird aliens, but they're the best friends I ever had!"

"THERE YA GO, MISSY!" Cranky leapt above Kami and bashed her on the head with his cane again.

"OW! !"

"Heh heh! Now Mama Odie owes me 35 Banana Coins on that deal!" Kami rubbed her head of the sore, but then chuckled and made a smile.

Once the song was over, everyone returned to the beach and returned to eating fruits around the fire. "So, let me get this straight: there's an ancient tower with an all-powerful… Tetris… that's supposed to contain the spirits of all animal beings, and K. Rool wants to use this power to make a world where everyone has the same traits?" Ava summarized what Kami just told them.

"As far as I recall. You know anything about this, Cranky?"

"Boy, do I! The Leptys is a sacred relic among the animal species of DK and Tiki Island. Kept in a dangerous volcano to keep the balance of diversity. If one were so acquainted with different species like K. Rool is, he could control it. But what he's thinkin' is a bunch of hippie-dinGAH! People might have their differences, sure, but that's what keeps the balance! All what really matters is if you're able to overlook those big differences. Same goes if you're a metahuman, too."

"Yeah, but if you keep preaching about it, the effect's gonna wear off." Kami said as she started to eat another banana. "Boy, these bananas are good, though."

"Well, I should figure they are." Cranky said. "These bananas are grown by light spirits. Made with that special magical power to heal the deepest internal wounds. Why, just one bite o' that stuff will lighten the darkness in even the bleakest hearts."

"'Guess that explains a lot."

"But let's not get off subject." Espio reminded them. "What are we going to do about defeating Kroctus?"

"Can't we just go over to his base and kick his butt?" Kami asked.

"Let's not be rash now." Cranky said. "He's got the Tiki Tak Tribe on his side. Not to mention he's working with several other villains. Ah, but don't worry, you'll put a stop to his plans. But first, you still need to rescue Lanky Kong. For ages, the Kong Family have been the protective guardians of the Leptys. It's always been our job to make sure it was protected. We'll need all the members of the Klan to make sure Kroctus doesn't succeed."

"But how do we know where to find him?" Ava asked.

"I might have an idea." said another voice. Everyone shot their attention toward the edge of the water, seeing Jeremiah Heartly standing by a boat.

"Jeremiah!" Kami beamed. "What are you doing here?"

"Hehe." He grinned lightly at her outburst. "I heard that K. Rool kidnapped you again. I took one of the airships' lifeboats and came to see if you were okay."

"Aww, that's sweet."

"Anyway, I think I know where they're keeping Lanky. Bowser and the Koopas fixed up their own city out on this uncharted island. And I think he's letting K. Rool hold Lanky there."

"Then I guess we know where to go then." Dixie figured.

"O-kay, dudes! Let me go fire up the Gyrocopter and take all of us there!" Funky cheered, running off to his workshop.

Sector V's C.O.O.L.-B.U.S.

"WHOOPS! SORRY!" Facilier shouted, nearly crashing into a plane as he drove the C.O.O.L.-B.U.S. uncontrollably.

"Hey, watch where you're flyin'!"

"Sorry!"

"Umm… Mr. Facilier?" Hoagie spoke up as the Sector V members plus Ice Climbers were holding onto their seats. "M-Maybe I should drive."

"Don't worry, kiddies. I'll have us to Mama Odie's as soon as possible."

"Mama Odie? I thought we were headed for this tree?" Abby asked.

"Tree later. But Ah bet Mama Odie will know how to deal with Mother Talzin. She's the only one who had experience."

As the operatives kept bouncing around, the Ice Climbers were pulled apart for a bit until their spell brought them back together. "Gulp… I think I'm gonna be sick…" Numbuh 4 groaned.

Badness Bayou

Jagar, Misty, and Olive had finally awakened from the crash, finding their selves in an eerie swamp. "Where are we?" the male timebender asked.

"A swamp, most likely." Olive joked. "And apparently, someone crashed their boat in the trees."

"Huh?" They turned and noticed the old wooden boat sitting within the branches. "It doesn't look abandoned." Jagar said. "Let's see if anyone's in there."

The trio made their way toward the tree-boat, climbing in and seeing the wrinkly old blind woman, Mama Odie mixing stuff into her bathtub. "Aw no!" she yelled in anger. "That Cranky Kong just stole mah SONG! What in tarnation does he think he is? Ah'm suin' for copyright infringement!" She yelled to the heavens, "COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT! No way he gettin' his Banana Coins now, Ah hope he knows that!"

"Um, excuse me?" Jagar called.

"Ooh?" Mama turned to them. "Wah, hello! I thought I heard me a couple Time Spirits crash into mah swamp. Ahem, Juju? Fix our good friends up some cups of tea." she told her snake.

"Wait, you're Mama Odie." Misty recognized. "You were a teacher at Hogwarts."

"Mm-hm, and y'all kids lost yer way, it seems. Where are y'all three headed?"

"LOOK OUUUT!" They quickly moved away as Facilier crashed the C.O.O.L.-B.U.S. right through the wall. The adult and kids stepped out of the smoking vehicle, coughing and covered in soot. "Mama Odie! We have a problem!"

"Well, Ah should say. Ain't anyone ever tell you how to knock, Harvey?"

"Ah know, Ah know, but we got bigger trouble! It's Mama Talzin, she's back!"

"That old witch-fairy? Ah thought she was banished."

"Yeah, but Rumpel Stiltskin broke into mah shop and stole her shadow's lamp. I'm sorry, Mama Odie. Ah tried to stop him, but he had an accomplice with him! An icebender!"

"What?" Jagar gasped.

"Now, now, Harvey, they ain't no need to over-react. Mama Talzin still has her curse placed upon her. Her little gifts won't be given that easy."

"Wait a second. Who's this icebender?" Jagar asked.

"It was Yuki." Popo answered. "He's teamed up with Rumpel Stiltskin and that witch. She used her magic to make his icebending powers even stronger."

"He's probably going to use his powers to bring destruction to the KND." Nana followed.

Jagar immediately felt responsible and guilty, holding his head down in shame. "I'm sorry, Jagar…" Misty told him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Do you know him?" Nigel asked him.

"We were best friends back in the KND, and I was his only friend. During a mission, he was hit by this ray gun that gave him ice powers. He couldn't control them and was banished for freezing Numbuh 362's brother. I wouldn't stick up for him after he was banished, and… things never went so well between us since then."

"Plus dying and becoming a spirit didn't help too much either." Misty said.

"But if you're a cruddy timebender, why can't you just go back in time and stop him from getting hit- OW!" Odie bashed Wally with her magic club.

"Because that would ruin the space-time continuum. And every timebender knows not to do that!"

"Actually, I've… been thinking of- OW!" Odie whacked Jagar.

"Listen here, you two: y'all can't change the past. Timebending or no. And if they is ONE thing I don't like about ol' Lucinda, it's that she always tries to make everything go her way. She can't accept the fact that some kids aren't as obedient as others, or that not all couples get along perfectly. And she usin' her powers for all the wrong reasons. But listen, son: just because you can do something that others can't do, like that timebending, it doesn't make you powerful. No, but the secret to bein' strong is havin' such power, and choosin' not to use it. Unless the case were to helpin' people Ah suppose. But real power comes from the heart. And if you's usin' it fer the wrong reasons, why that ain't right now. D'ya understand, Child?"

"Y…Yeah, I do. But can you at least use your magic to take away his curse?"

"Us too." The Ice Climbers said in unison. "Lucinda made it so that we can't separate."

"Hmmm… Ah am sorry, kids. Ol' Mama may know what's best, but she ain't no match for that old hag's magic. Her heart just ain't strong enough."

"But Mama, you were one of the most powerful teachers at the school." Facilier said.

"Now what did I just say about power, Harvey? I tell you who IS powerful though. You." She pointed at Jagar.

"M-Me?"

"That's right. You were the only friend Yuki ever had. It's up to you to remind him of what he had, and teach him how to use his powers wisely."

"That hasn't exactly gone well so far."

"Oh, Ah know you can do it. Friendship is something that never truly dies, Jagar. But ya better be quick. Knowin' that despicable elf, he's definitely cookin' somethin' up that won't benefit old Yuki."

The Death Egg (Play Eggman's Theme from Sonic Unleashed.)

The spherical space station was quiet as Dr. Eggman was hard at work with a machine. "HEY! WALRUS FACE!" Marine shouted from a prison cell nearby. "'ow about bringin' me a drink?! Maybe some Purple Flurp?"

"Grrr. ZIP IT!" He threw his wrench at the cell bars and making Marine jump back. "Can't you see I'm trying to work?!"

The doors to the chamber opened as Eggman's five henchmen walked in with two Mobian rabbits, a mother with a purple dress and her 5-year-old daughter, wearing a red dress. "Dr. Eggman. Your opposite stopped by with a little present." Cubot informed.

"Oh ho ho! Why, if it isn't Cream and Vanilla." Decoe and Bocoe pushed the handcuffed rabbits to their knees. "Since you hadn't decided to join Sonic's crusade, I figured you would make the perfect test subjects."

"You have a lot of nerve attacking two defenseless girls!" Vanilla shouted.

"You tell him, Mom!" Cream shouted with adorable anger.

"You won't act so defiant once you see what this baby's about. Do these small platforms seem familiar to you?" He directed their attention to a row of circular platforms, that looked like the kinds tubes would cover over.

"Wait! Are those… Roboticizers?!" Vanilla said worriedly.

"Roboticizers? Whut the…" Marine looked puzzled.

"One of my oldest, though greatest creations. These spectacular devices are able to transform any flesh being into a magnificent robot! Robots that serve only me. For what better way to dominate your will over people than making them into creatures who HAVE no willpower?"

"You're freakin' loony!" Marine exclaimed.

"Heh heh!" The madman directed Decoe to grab Vanilla and shove her onto a platform. Eggman pushed a button, making a cylindrical mechanical capsule come over the hedgehog. "And with the power of these Chaos Emeralds…" he placed the white Emerald next to the purple one in a slot on the control pad, "I'll be able to make MILLIONS! GAAH HA HA HA HO!" He pulled down a lever, causing the machine to spark with life. They could all hear Vanilla's screams from the inside, a small monitor on the control pad scanning her body, showing that it was changing. When the machine and screaming both stopped, Eggman pushed the lever back up and opened the container, revealing the rabbit's new robotic form.

"MOOOOOOM!" Cream cried.

"What is your command, Master Eggman?" she spoke in a robotic tone.

"OHH ho ho ho! Finally, my Metal Sonic can have some playmates. Of course, it'll take me forever to transform each individual person into robots. Which comes to my need for the Chaos and Sol Emeralds. The powers of the Chaos Emeralds will power my Sooper Gihugic Roboticizer Cannon, installed within this very Death Egg. With it, I'll be able to zap entire planets, turning billions of people into robots in the blink of an eye! OH ho ho ho! And using BOTH sets of Emeralds, I'll be able to travel between dimensions and zap other planets into my rule in minutes. It'll be an ultimate Eggman Land beyond this dimension!"

"…You're…You're insane!" Marine said, nearly speechless. "You've totally crooked your noggin! And I still ain't sure what Eggman Land is!"

"As for you, Cream… I'll Roboticize you later. Lock her up in another cell." Bocoe saluted and dragged him off as Eggman was headed for the door. "I must head down to the Tree of Beginning in order to- huh?"

"Good evening, Doctor."

"Sh-Shadow!" The scientist stepped back in fright when the black hedgehog appeared out of nowhere. "Uh, wh-what a nice surprise! Uh, you didn't hear anything about an evil plan or nothing, did you?"

"Forget your stupid plans. They'll never prevail anyway. I actually have a few questions, Doctor. Questions about Lord Gnaa. And you're the closest one I know well enough to give me answers."

"Oh. Hehe." He snickered. "Putting your faith in me, I see?"

"Perhaps so. Now tell me… what do you know about Gnaa's relationship with this Morgan girl?"

"Hnn? You came all the way up here for that?"

"Curiosity peaks my interest."

"Hmm." Eggman turned away as he thought. "All I know is that Gnaa seems to have a little kiddie crush on the girl. Whether she is vital to his plans or not, I cannot really say. However…" he turned back at Shadow with a smirk, "during my research of the Eight Firstborn, I have come across something interesting: certain emotions fit into the categories of Light and Darkness as well. Like how Happiness, Friendship, and Trust goes into Light, whilst Hate, Anger, and Greed goes into Darkness. As designed by the Goddess of Emotion known as Mesprit."

"Hmm…"

"However… there is one emotion that falls into both categories: Love. The strongest… and deadliest emotion. Whether it falls into Light or Darkness. And depending on where it falls, your Light OR Darkness could be at its strongest. And I have reached a conclusion: it's possible that Gnaa wishes to unleash the negative side of this emotion, becoming the ultimate Master of Darkness. And yet, it seems weird to me why someone would fall in love just to get their selves emotionally hurt. Which is why I'm still debating if the idea is true. I may actually discuss it with the others."

"Hmm… interesting info, Doctor."

"There. Have I answered all your questions? Then leave me be." He ordered, walking past the hedgehog. "I have big plans to work on. Dark Masters to serve. Speaking of which, I would be careful around your GUN buddies if I were you. They've decided to turn on aliens like you and lock them all up. Who knows what tests they'll be performing with them?"

"Wait! There's one other thing I wish to know. What kind of weapon was Lord Gnaa wielding?"

"Hmm. The Keyblade? Can't say I know much about that. In fact, I think the only other person who knows is Rumpel. Gnaa apparently had a much more secret mission to do with him. If you find him, go ask him for me. I have to go and- Oh?" he stopped when Elijah Frantic approached them. "You? What are you doing here?"

"Um, Bowser sent me. To… look after the lightbender while you were off helping him."

"Hmm. Very well. But I'm taking the Chaos Emeralds. Just don't stink up the place." With that, Eggman left down the hall, followed by his henchmen. Shadow spared a glance toward the poisonbender before leaving as well.

Once he made sure everyone was gone, Elijah breathed out an acidic gas, sending it toward the camera (facing away so it didn't look on purpose) and causing it to melt. Afterwards, he ran over to the control pad and pushed a few buttons, opening Marine's cell. She instantly ran over to embrace him in a hug. "Thanks for the save, Mate!"

"No problem. Now come on. We don't have time to rescue the rabbit girl. Someone called me and said they would get your friends on Avalar and bring them to Neo Bowser City. We'll regroup with them there, let's go." With that, he and Marine ran off.

"Hey, Marine, I baked you some dessert- Oh?" Bokkun flew in shortly after with a plate of cakes. He saw that the prisoner was gone. "Awww… she left before she had a chance to try my recipe. NOW SHE'LL NEVER LIKE MEEE, WAAAAH!" He cried a waterfall of tears. (End song.)

Outside the Tree of Beginning

Rachel's group finally arrived at the colossal mountain range, seeming to have no way through. "How do we get across?" Angie asked.

"Earthbend, of course." Chiri replied. Angie stomped the ground and blew a hole into the stone wall, allowing them entry on the other side. They looked up and gaped at the enormous tree before them, far bigger than any of their treehouses. Chiri then noticed something else atop one of the mountain tips. "Oh. Somebody else is here."

They all looked up at Lucario balancing on the tip with Mika and Rainier floating beside him on Moskito. "It's Mika and Rainier!" Rachel smiled.

The ninja fox hopped his way down to them as the mosquito carried the two kids down, dropping them off and waving good-bye as he zoomed to the top of the tree. "Hey, you guys are here, too!" Mika perked.

"Who's the fox?" Lee asked.

"He's Lucario, an Aura Spirit." Mika answered. "He brought us here to look for Mew."

"I am able to sense auras." Lucario said. "Mika and Mew bear a similar aura. Surely they are connected by fate. …I sense good in you kids, too."

"Well, we ARE the good guys." Fanny replied.

"And we need to see the Earth Spirit, so lead us in, Chiri." Angie demanded.

"Hm hm hm! Okay then. The entrance is just over there."

They followed where Chiri pointed and entered a cave within the great tree. They stopped to gaze at the lovely sight: the interior of the tree was filled with colorful blooming flowers, water flowing into a pond from a darker tunnel, and many strange bees, worms, and other creatures frolicking about. "…Huh?" Angie then noticed a crowd of other creatures that looked like Chiri gather around by her feet. The others looked down at them as well.

"Awww! They're so cute!" Rachel smiled, bending over for a closer look.

"These are my people, the Minish." Chiri told them. "Dwellers of the earth and protectors of nature. While this is their main home, they actually secretly live within all of your treehouses. They obviously know Rachel quite well, since she is Supreme Leader, and descendant of the Hero of Time. They recognize Angie, too, from the prophecy. That's how they know you're friendly."

"I'd be careful around Fanny if I were them though." Patton smirked. "She squished plenty of houses during her moment as a giant."

"Hmm. I regret not squishin' you." She retorted.

"I must admit, they are interesting creatures." Rainier said. "You definitely wouldn't find creatures that small survive long on Secco."

"But enough about that. Any idea where we can find the Firstborn, Mew?" Mika asked.

"Or Regigigas?" Angie asked.

"Well, Regigigas lives at the highest part of the tree." Chiri said. "He mostly sleeps during the day, but wakes up whenever he senses intruders come in. He'll probably send his drones after you. But I don't know where Mew is. Probably hiding among these many other Pokémon."

"We'll just look for Regigigas first then." Rachel decided. "Let's go, team." (Play "Coral Cave Act 1" from Sonic Rush Adventure.)

Stage 46: The Tree of Beginning

Mission: Find Mew and Regigigas!

The group started their venture into the first cave of the tree, in which boulders rolled down at the them from the other side. Mika used psychic to hold them back and let them crash into each other while Angie stomped them away with earthbending. At the end of the cave, they arrived at a spiral walkway up a tall cylindrical chamber, in which some gray robot was using earthbending to kick boulders down toward them. "Whoa. Is that one of Eggman's robots?" Sonic asked.

"No. That's Registeel." Chiri replied. "One of Regigigas' protectors."

"Regissteel." The robot muttered in a distorted voice, kicking more boulders their way. Angie just used earthbending to kick the boulders straight back, able to knock the robot over. When the heroes made their way up the slope, Registeel backed away through a door outside, using his bending to make some kind of metal door close them in.

"Hey! Come back and let us in!" Angie demanded, banging on the door.

"It's no use." Chiri said. "You have to use metalbending to open the door. Use your Seismic Sense to feel the fragments of rock inside the door."

Angie decided to try this, pressing her hands against the door as she closed her eyes. She was able to feel tiny fragments of rock within the door, smiling as she squeezed the metal and was able to rip it open. "Hey! It worked!"

"It's as easy as that!" Chiri smiled.

The team passed through, now on a ledge on the outside of the tree. To their right was a stairway of crystals sticking out of the wall, using them to jump their way upward, but as they did so, the fragile crystals quickly crumbled beneath them. When the ledge at the top was in sight, they spotted another robot that was orange, who mumbled, "Regi…rock" before he unleashed a spiraling flame, chopping off the last of the crystals. Mika quickly used psychic to hold up the crystal they stood on, levitating them. Regirock unleashed more fire from its cannon, but Lucario conjured an Aura Sphere and threw it, cutting through the flames and attacking the robot, making it retreat. Afterwards, Mika levitated the crystal toward the ledge before letting it drop and shatter.

The kids entered the tree again, this time on a much higher point in the first room they were in. They progressed along the path around the wall until they reached a dead end, seeing the next path far on the other side. Rachel noticed the massive crystal hanging over the center and fired a Hookshot to grab the tip of it, then used the other Hookshot to grip onto the wooden wall on the other side. As a result of her weight on the crystal, the crystal fell from the ceiling and stabbed right into the floor below, serving as a platform for the others to cross.

As they approached a wall of icy crystals, it was suddenly blown down by another robot, this time bright-blue and designed like a crystal. "Regice, R-R-Regice!" The kids dodged as the robot fired another crystal from its cannon, sticking it in the ground where they stood. Fanny punched some flames at the robot, making it wince in pain from the heat before it ran off as well.

"It's kinda weird that an 'Earth' God would have protectors that use different elements." Patton commented.

"He's got all of them except air!" Chiri chuckled.

"I kinda like the ice one, though." Mika replied. "He sounds funny."

The kids entered another cave, which was far too dark to see. They all held hands as Angie used Seismic Sense to see their way through, leading them around all the pitfalls. Lucario also used Aura Sense and saw Regirock coming from the other side. "Watch out!" he yelled, making them jump to the side to avoid a flame blast. Angie stomped the ground afterward and sent a shockwave to the robot, making it fall beneath the ground.

"I still don't understand how his name is 'Regirock' and yet he uses fire." Sonic commented.

"Rock reserved for Steel, I guess." Rachel shrugged.

They made it to another outside area, standing on a massive circular ledge, decorated with grass, and seeing several similar ledges leading upward. They appeared too high to reach, so Angie flung her arms up and made a platform rise beneath them, lifting them to the first ledge. Registeel, however, stood atop the highest one and stomped the ground, making boulders crumble from the platforms above them. Mika used psychic to hold them back, then bunched them into a pile they could use to reach the next foothold. Angie made a rock wall from the wall to protect them from other falling boulders, making them slide over the edge. Afterwards, she made her own platforms to take them up higher.

When they reached Registeel's platform, he sent a shockwave toward them that they dodged. Angie then made the ground beneath him pop out and send him flying over the edge. They entered the tree once more, on an even higher floor of the central room. They saw and grabbed onto a vine wall, using it to climb higher. As they progressed, Regice stood upon the ledge at the top, shooting crystals into the vine wall, trying to hit them. They were able to avoid the incoming crystals and go around them, eventually reaching the foothold at the very top of the room. Regice fired a ray of ice, freezing the spiral path that led the rest of the way up and making them slip. Blaze used her fire to melt the ice however and dashed up to the robot, getting behind it and throwing flame-punches while he defended, but this allowed Fanny to shoot it with flames from behind and damage it.

The robot retreated up the stairway in the cave beside them, following it up and arriving outside again, between two trench walls with gargantuan crystals that led upward. They carefully balanced up the slippery crystals as they proceeded upward, but spotted the three guardians on the ledge at the top. The three all blinked their lights and uttered their names as they unleashed their respective elements. Mika grabbed Registeel's rocks and tossed them back with psychic, Fanny countered Regice's ice with flames, and Lucario cut through Regirock's flames with Aura Spheres as they made their way up. Angie dodged a flame blast and fell to a lower crystal, dashing up the path and making it to the wall, punching it and making the ground beneath the robots crumble.

The robots were quickly able to recover and stay on the ledge, retreating into the next cave. The pile of rubble served as a path for the others to make it onto the ledge. After Angie climbed her way up beside them, they continued into the chamber ahead. (End song.)

They arrived at a massive circular chamber, almost like an arena with crystals decorated around the sides. There was some kind of painting of an entity on the ground, standing between a series of mountains. The entire chamber suddenly became much darker, with the only light coming from the crystals around the room. The three robots stood side-by-side in the center as Regirock was the first to speak. "Your performance was well, in making it this far."

"Data analyzing. Possible outcome: chosen heroes of legend." Regice followed.

"Data confirmed. O Chosen Ones…" Registeel finished.

Before their very eyes, the stone wall on the other side of the room flew open. A massive white robot, with leaves on its shoulders and feet, golden parts around its arms and down its center, and six lights parallel on the left and right sides – two red, two blue, and two gray – stomped its way to the center of the room. "Is that… Regigigas?" Rachel asked.

"It's a robot…" Sonic observed.

"A robot god? Cool!" Lee said.

The other three robots glowed and merged with their leader, the deity's lights blinking to life as he spoke. "Chosen earthbender of legend. Chosen Hero of the Triforce of Courage. Accept this final challenge…" With that, Rachel and Angie got ready for battle. (Play Gohdan's Theme from Zelda: Wind Waker.)

Boss fight: Regigigas

The two stepped away as the Earth God stomped toward them, flinging his arms up to make the ground below them shoot up to the ceiling, but they dodged in time. Angie conjured a Boulder-n-Chain and swung it at Regi's legs, but had to dodge when the spirit attempted to crush her with its hands. Angie popped a sharp rock up from the ground and jabbed his hip, but Regigigas stomped the ground and sent a shockwave to knock her over. Rachel took out her bow and fired two arrows at both his red lights, making him wince a little.

"Those lights must be his weak points." Rachel figured, shooting two more arrows at the gray lights. Regigigas waved his right arm, causing Rachel to fall and get caught in a tight ditch. Angie then kicked the ground and sent two sharp rocks at the last two blue lights, knocking them out. She used her bending to help Rachel out of the ditch as the robot started to weaken. They ran around and spotted a weak spot on its back, so Angie grabbed onto him and used metalbending to rip it open, exposing the glowing core.

Rachel took her sword and stabbed the core, causing the three robots to pop out of Regigigas. They each attacked them with their respective elements, and Rachel ducked under Regirock's fire as Angie flung herself over it, landing on the flaming robot and using metalbending to rip his chest open. This caused the fire to cease, allowing Rachel to run over and stab his core. Regirock fell unconscious as they all merged back with their god, bringing him back to life.

Regigigas stomped the ground and caused stalactites to come down, nearly stabbing the two. Angie levitated some stalactites and stabbed them into his red lights. The god threw his arms up and made stalagmites pop from beneath her, the girl hopping around to avoid being poked. She performed the same maneuver and flung two of them at his gray lights. The two quickly ran for it when he extracted cannons from his hands, unleashing a barrage of rapid bombs along the ground. Rachel dashed up the wall and jumped toward Regigigas, drawing out her bow, and shooting arrows at his blue lights.

Flames suddenly sprouted from his feet as rockets activated, using them to hover around the room. The robot hovered over to them and lowered down, trying to burn them with the rocket flames, but Angie used her Boulder-n-Chain and hit the engines, causing them to shut off and for the robot to land on his back with a thud. Angie got on his chest and ripped it open, allowing Rachel to stab the core. The robots were released from him again, but with Regirock stilled knocked out.

Regice shot out some ice crystals and caught the two of them stuck in an ice cage, but Rachel used her sword to cut the ice, then swung it at any more icicles he threw. Angie dug beneath ground and made her way to the ice robot, coming back out and ripping its chest open. Rachel dashed over and stabbed the core, knocking Regice out as well. The three of them went back into Regigigas, the Earth God sparking to life and getting back to his feet. The spirit jumped and burrowed beneath the ground, the girls looking around before he shot right up below them, flinging them away.

Regigigas dug beneath the ground again, but Angie just dug and chased after him. The spirit sent some earth drills toward her, but Angie shot between and made them ram each other, then spun into her own earth drill and hit a blue light, backed up, and hit the other blue light. The two of them came back above ground as Regigigas formed three earth walls around him, making them spin around him as he shot toward the kids, who jumped aside as he crashed into a wall. Angie quickly used Boulder-n-Chain to break two of the walls, so with only one wall going around him, Rachel was able to shoot arrows at both his gray lights.

The Earth God started to spin around rapidly, twirling his fingers as he launched swarms of tiny speeding pebbles from them as fast as bullets. Angie got close enough to swing her Boulder-n-Chain, slowing the spinning down so Rachel could shoot an arrow at a red light. He started to spin again, the bullet pebbles bouncing all around the room as Rachel ducked. Angie swung the boulder at him some more and made him slow down, then used her bending to lift several of the pebbles and shoot them all at his other red light.

Regigigas made two Boulder-n-Chains in both his hands, twirling them around with his fingers as he swung them at Angie, who dodge-rolled. Angie rolled along the ground on her side, forming rock-arms over her arms. She grabbed one of the boulders, resulting in a tug-o-war between the two, but Angie hauled the boulder to her right, causing the Earth God to tumble over. Angie ran over and gripped onto his head, the robot standing and trying to grab her as she ripped the last weak spot open. After she jumped off, Rachel ran from behind and jumped onto his head, stabbing the core.

The spirit fell unconscious, releasing the three guardians, but Registeel being the only conscious one. The earthbending robot engaged in hand-to-hand combat with Angie's rock-arms, the two grabbing the other and trying to hold them back until Angie was able to throw him on his back. She threw her rock arms off and ripped his chest open, allowing Rachel to leap overhead and stab right in the center.

The three defeated protectors were absorbed back into Regigigas. "Re-gi-gi-gaaas…" He sat up and tried to recover, but the defeat of his guardians caused him to faint, defeated. Angie and Rachel smirked and made poses, Rachel stylishly twirling her sword before sheathing it behind her. (End song.)

A few seconds passed, and the lights on Regigigas alit with life once again. The robot god slowly stood up and faced down at them, beginning to speak. (Play Laruto's Theme from Wind Waker.)

"Challenge completed… identities confirmed… chosen ones of legend…"

"Uhhh…" Rachel looked confused.

"I am Regigigas. Great Guardian that protects the Earth. The one whose hand is responsible for the movement of Earth's continental plates. You have passed the challenge and confirmed your identities."

"Uhhh, did you really have to fight us?" Angie asked.

"It was a necessary gesture. If you were the earthbender of legend, your bond with the earth would be strong enough, that you can rescue the soul that is controlled by the Dark Master."

"And I prove that by kicking your butt? Not that I'm not happy I passed a test, but it felt kind of easy."

"I have sensed your bond with the earth. You possess great strength and a strong heart. Much like the Earth. The Earth is more than a great chunk of rock. It is a loving and caring spirit. It uses its strong heart and sense of willpower to keep its children alive and prosperous. And in turn, they work to keep it alive as well. You share similar qualities. While your spirit is stubborn and sharp, it possesses great care for those around you. Even to the one who has currently lost his way. Your love for him is strong. You must use that love to break the curse Gnaa holds on him." He then pointed at Rachel. "And you…"

"Whuh?"

"Different eyes, but same heart. You are Link's descendant. You share his spirit. The spirit that would risk anything to save his friends and family. You have a strong love for your brother, just as Angie has. You, Angie, and the rest of your friends must all come together to vanquish the darkness in his heart."

"Um, excuse me?" Sonya spoke up. "Not all of us are here, actually. Paddy's heart was taken by Gnaa. And his body just… disappeared."

"Yes… I have seen this upon your way here. A terrible thing has happened. Paddy has been transformed into… a Heartless."

"A Heartless?"

"A creature that feeds off the darkness in peoples' hearts. Eons ago, they were all over the place, wreaking havoc upon the many innocent citizens of the world. They were all vanquished long ago… but they secretly lived on within the darkness of hearts. And now, it seems Gnaa plans to awaken them again. If he succeeds, the worlds may be plunged into darkness."

"What do we do?" Rachel asked.

"You must stop the Dark Master from proceeding. You must rescue Harvey's soul from his clutches. I have one more gift to help you along the way." The spirit stomped the ground, popping out a shield with silver around the edges, blue in the center, with a pink phoenix below the symbol of the Triforce. "This is the Hylian Shield. The shield Link used to defend himself." He explained as Rachel went over and picked the shield up. "It is yours now. Now… I believe you've come here for something else. I sense the Firstborn Guardian is with you as well."

"Right here." Rainier spoke as Mika raised her hand.

"The one you seek is within the chamber behind me. I wish you luck in trying to find him." The kids looked toward the stairway in the cave where Regigigas had first come out of.

"Thanks for the shield." Rachel smiled as they walked past the Earth God, heading up the stairway.

"Take care, Mr. Gigas!" Angie cheered chipperly.

"Hmm… such wonderful souls, these children… Were it not for this darkness… the world would be a better place…" (End song.)

Top of the tree

Annie Wilconson's mind still flowed with wonder as Vaati guided her around the tree. The tree was already gigantic itself, but at such a tiny size, it seemed like a whole different world. So many forms of life lived inside the tree. But they were all so gigantic, from the Minish's point of view. She thought it scary, being at a height where almost anything could crush or eat you. But it was also so beautiful, and so amazing, looking at the world from a different view. It made her find a whole new fondness in life. If only her friends were here to see it. "Are you enjoying it?" Vaati smirked.

"I am…" Annie smiled. "It's just so great down here. It's almost as if… no harm could come to this place. I don't see why anyone would want to harm it."

"People are evil. There's no denying that. But the view's pretty lame under all these flowers. Let's get a better view." And with no weight on his feet, Vaati leaped onto a pink flower. Annie gripped the tree-sized plant and climbed up to join him.

The view truly was magnificent as all the flower tops lay in their wake, almost totally hiding the ground beneath. The tremendous Pokémon frolicked across the plains, but one thing caught Annie's attention: the soles of two pairs of shoes facing upward, connected with two bodies. The further one was blocked by the other, but Annie scanned the pair of red pants and orange shirt that made its own landscape. She couldn't see the head, but an arm was lied down, with a familiar pink hand. "Hey, it's…it's Nova! And the other must be Cosmo!" Her smile vanished when the earth quaked. The two turned as a band of tremendous giants entered the field. Annie immediately recognized Rachel McKenzie and Sector W. "GUYS! !"

"Hold on, Ann." Vaati stopped her. "The important thing for Minish is to remain hidden."

"But they're my friends."

"I know that. But just stay hidden for now. And let's move away, otherwise we'll get squashed." Vaati leaped with her across the many flowers.

Rachel's group was finally at the very top of the tree, a field where many different Pokémon were running about. Rachel looked across the other side, smiling at the familiar faces. "Hey, look! It's Cosmo and Nova!"

The team immediately ran over to greet the unconscious aliens, waking them up. "Oh? Rachel? Where are we?" Nova asked.

"Tree of Beginning, long story. Anyway, there's a Firstborn here."

At that instant, Celebi popped out of her Spirit Ball and looked around. "Bi? BII!"

"Well, she's excited." Cosmo observed.

"Must be because there's another Firstborn here." Rainier guessed. "All we gotta do now is find it."

"Lucario said Mew uses illusions to hide among the other animals." Mika remembered. "So what are we supposed to do?"

"You must use your Aura Sense." Lucario answered.

"Um… I never really learned how to do that. But wait, why can't you do it yourself?"

"Mew is a Firstborn Spirit. It was designed so that only his rightful Guardian could sense him when not in his normal form. You can do this. Close your eyes and use your mind to sense everything around you. You can detect the auras of others and find Mew."

Rainier touched Mika's hands and looked into her eyes, making her blush. "I believe in you, Mika."

That was all she needed. "Okay… let's try it." The Filipino slowly shut her eyes and envisaged the surrounding area in her brain. She smiled when she was able to see her friends and the creatures around her in the forms of their aura. She walked around the field, looking desperately for any auras that seemed different, checking each Pokémon. She checked a Bulbasaur, a Pikachu, a Pidgey… and finally a strange football-headed boy dressed as Snoopy.

"Whoops, I'm in the wrong story. See you later!" Stewie said playfully, walking off.

"Ugh. I can't find him anywhere."

"Keep looking. He must be around here somewhere." Lucario told her.

"Come on, come on…" Rainier mumbled, tapping his foot impatiently.

"Gee, what's wrong with you? Gotta go to the bathroom or something?" Rachel asked.

"Er, it's nothing."

"Zzz-bzz-zzzt!" came the familiar cry of the giant mosquito, flying down beside them.

"Oh! It's Moskito!" Nova smiled.

"Oh yeah, you're the one that took us here!" Mika smiled. "Wait…" A suspicious look appeared on her face as she used her Aura Sense again. When she detected Moskito's aura, it wasn't shaped like him at all, but rather… a floating catlike creature with a pink aura? Mika smiled, opened her eyes, and declared, "I found you!"

The giant mosquito's eyes widened as it glowed with light, slowly transforming into its regular form. "Mew!"

The gang instantly gasped. "Th…That's-" Rachel tried to say.

"I can't believe it." Nova gaped. "Moskito was… Mew all along?"

"And he's been helping us this whole time?" Cosmo asked.

"Mew! Mew Mew Mew! Mew Mew Mew!"

"BII!" Celebi cheered, flying over to tackle and dance with her fellow Firstborn.

"Well, I'll be darned." Rainier smiled.

"Hehe. I still don't understand why I was picked to be his Guardian." Mika said.

"It's quite simple really." Lucario smiled. "Both you and Mew emit pink auras. The aura of pure good. You were the only mortal psychicbender who never let the darkness get to you. You remembered only happy feelings, and possessed an imaginative and playful spirit that only someone else like Mew would have."

"Meeew." Mew smiled.

"Then this means you guys can complete another part of the quest, right?" Chiri asked.

"Sure does!" Mika exclaimed, pulling out her Spirit Ball. "Let's do it, Mew!"

"Mew!"

"WHOOA!" The ground suddenly shook when large bombs were fired at the tree.

"Oh no!" Sonya looked in terror as a fleet of GUN ships were coming straight at them.

"It's the military!" Sonic exclaimed. "How did they find us?"

A silver aircraft with a blue line on its sides came over and landed at the top of the tree, several feet from them. The hatch door opened, and the kids kept their guard as the Commander himself stepped out. "Alright, kids. Hands in the air and nobody gets hurt. That spirit's coming with me."

"YOU!" Mika already recognized the man, drawing out her lightsaber and standing in his way. "You wanna get Mew, you have to go through me- OOF." She was suddenly attacked with rapid punches from behind. Everyone gave wide gasps. Mika was swallowed with hurt when she saw who it was. "R…Rainier."

The boy quickly pulled out an electric rope connecting two balls, throwing it around Mew and giving the Firstborn a painful shock. "MEW MEW MEW!"

Rainier picked the spirit up afterward and presented it to Gunkan. "Here you are, Sir."

"Well done, Agent 12-Arrow. I knew we could count on you."

"Wha-… Rainier! What are you doing?"

"Sorry, Mika, but I had to lie to you. I made up all that stuff about winding up with Watto. The truth is, not too long ago really, my parents were arrested by the military for reckless earthbending. The Commander here saw my exceptional battle skills and wanted me to join his group. So I did. He heard about your little quest and sent me to Secco in the hopes I would encounter you there. And now…" he faced Brett, "you need to hold up your end of the deal. Let my parents go free."

"We'll get to that as soon as we get back to base. Men: grab the rest of these aliens- AHH!" They were suddenly attacked by other cannon shots from above.

"Oh ho ho ho!" Dr. Eggman laughed, hovering above them in his pod beside Bowser in his Koopa Clown Car. "Not so fast, Bretty! They aren't the only ones meta-ing around today."

"What? Dr. Eggman!"

"BOWSER, TOO?" Patton and Fanny exclaimed.

"Gwah ha ha ha! The Firstborn belong to Gnaa only!" Bowser stated. "We ain't letting any other weirdo take 'em! Koopas: grab Celebi!" A squad of Fire Bros. slid down on ropes, coughing fireballs at the Forest Spirit and making her weak with pain.

"Celebi!" Nova gasped. Bowser Jr. then came down and threw Minish Dust over her and Cosmo, shrinking and catching the two in a jar before leaping back up. Kammy Koopa swooped down and grabbed Celebi, carrying her to their airship as Eggman's robots battled with GUN.

"Hmm! Forget the metahumans. Let's get outta here." Gunkan ordered as he and Rainier took Mew and boarded their aircraft.

"Hey, hold on!" Mika yelled, attempting to throw a psychic blast, but couldn't conjure anything. "Wh-Wha-"

"I blocked your chi when I attacked you." Rainier yelled as the craft was hovering into the air. "You won't be using your psychic."

"YOU!" Lucario yelled. "I knew the aura I sensed in you was evil! Bring back Mew at once!"

"Sorry, Foxboy. But this spirit's gonna be very important to us. Catch ya later." Mika could only watch with hurt and sadness as her traitorous friend flew off. Soon, both enemy sides were gone, and she still felt helpless.

---

Wow, this WAS a long one! But yeah, that song Cranky sang was Mama Odie's song from Princess and the Frog. And yes, that boss fight was WAY better than Rayquaza's! :P But boy, bet no one saw that comin', huh? Even I didn't. :/ Next time, we'll head to the Neo Bowser City. Also, try and guess who that person was inside the crate.