The siblings were carrying their luggage down Halibut Harbor, looking for a ferry.
"So, why are we doing this again?" Lily asked.
"Because Porter won a raffle and apparently, one of the prizes is a three-day trip to the whimsical island of... Whimsical." Bro explained. "Sounds sorta redundant."
"Whimsical..." Zaire sighed, shaking his head. "The concert that never ends. We're gonna spend the next three days headbanging ourselves sick."
"Aww, don't be like that," Amelia smiled, looking up from her tour guide. "There's a lot more to the island than one would expect."
Bro looked around. "Where is that ferry..?"
The boat they were looking for was small, black and gray, with gold around its hull, bow, and stern with the name on the back- Tempo Tempest.
"Is that it?" Porter asked, pointing at a boat at the far end of the dock.
"Yep, there it is. Good eye, Port," Zaire answered, patting his head.
The five walked up to the ferry and saw a woman who could be the captain, asleep at the wheel. All five looked at each other.
"Uhh, ma'am?" Bro asked, gently trying to shake her awake.
"Miss..?" Amelia added, poking her cheek a couple times.
"Hey, lady!" Lily shouted, shaking the lady harder than Bro, causing her to lean off the wheel and fall on the floor, emitting a loud thud.
"Ow! Hey, what gives?" the woman shouted, getting up. "What's the big idea, waking a tired lass from a much needed power nap?!" As her vision cleared up, she took a long look at Porter and his ticket.
Before anyone could open their mouth to speak, she said, "I'm not taking tourists today. Or folks like you rich pretentious folk, so unless you're the coast guard or at least the mechanic here to work on my boat, we've got no business with each other."
She then looked at Zaire, then back at Porter, adjusting her attitude.
"Actually... The mayor did ask me to pick up the raffle winner while I was here- fairly short, white shirt, has a giant mouse following him... You must be it." she added, looking at Zaire.
Porter nodded. "I thought the giant mouse was a dead giveaway. I'm Porter, and it's nice to meet you."
"Right-io. I'm Claire," she said, shaking his hand. "Sorry about the rant, after boating this thing for 7 hours in the night, I'm just beyond exhausted. Anyway, enough about me, this must be your family," she added, pointing to the others.
Everyone else nodded in agreement.
"Well then, are you ready to get your vacation started?"
"Yay..." Zaire and Bro cheered flatly.
Porter, Lily, and Amelia were actually excited, shouting a big, loud, "YEAHHH!"
"That's what I like to hear!" Claire nodded.
She gestured to her ferry. "Just hop on and I can get you to Whimsical!"
The youngest three hopped on, but the other two were reluctant to follow.
"I'll just fly," Zaire said.
"Do you even know where the island is?" Bro questioned.
"Can I act like I do and go home instead..?"
"Get on the ferry," Bro replied, shaking his head. "If you don't know where it is, you'll just end up flying in circles."
Zaire grumbled, folding his arms.
"Look..." Bro stated, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I don't want to go just as much as you. Frankly, I don't like leaving the house, but this isn't about us. It's about Porter. The least that we can do is join him and celebrate his win."
"I guess..." Zaire shrugged and got in the ferry. Bro followed suit.
"Besides, it's only three days. How bad could it possibly be?" he added.
As the ferry pulled out of the harbor and waves were made, the six talked about various things. After 15 minutes, Claire reached for the radio, only to realize there was only a radio-sized hole in its place.
"Well, rats... I just remembered I left the hi-fi in one of the shops here. Does anyone here have a Walkman, or one of those blue-teeth speaker things, or..?"
"Who needs a radio when you have some homemade tunes? I've got plenty!" Lily declared, getting up from her seat.
"Oh no..." Bro and Zaire thought to themselves as Lily started to sing.
There are some who see Lily's singing voice as a treasure. Others see it as an atrocity. Amelia and Porter didn't mind most of the time, but in Bro and Zaire's case, there was 'Regular annoying Lily' and 'Pink-nails-on-the-chalkboard-annoying Lily'. For both of them, her singing was 'Nails-on-a-glass-window-while-the-radio-plays-that-song-for-the-27th-time-today Annoying'.
As Lily was singing, a storm started to brew.
"Woah! Hold on to your hats, kidaroos!" Claire shouted, steering into the storm. "This storm looks like it won't hold back any punches!"
Bro looked over at Zaire. "What's going to get us first- the storm or her singing?" he asked.
Zaire looked over at the surge of clouds and replied, "Definitely her singing."
8 Hours Later
The ferry finally pulled into Delicato Dockyard, the shipping port of Whimsical. Music notes could be seen drifting along the water. The six got off of the ferry, and all were okay except for Zaire, who was noticeably green.
"Does this happen every time?" Amelia asked.
Claire nodded. "Indeed it does. This ferry ain't called the Tempo Tempest for nothing!"
"I like to think it was the sirens telling Lily to stop singing," Porter teased. All Lily could do was pout in response.
Claire pointed to a trail leading up to the mountain. "If you follow that trail, you'll get to the town soon. When you do, head to the town hall and show the mayor your raffle ticket."
She laid next to some nearby crates, yawning, "Maybe now I can finally get some rest."
The five waved goodbye and began their hike up the trail. Although they just started their walk, they saw a number of wondrous things that they wouldn't see at home. Trees grew music notes, the fences were staffs with treble clefs as supports, and even the blades of grass were shaped like music notes!
Although it was still daytime on the island, the black sky above chock full of stars.
As they continued their trek up the mountain, Lily saw a large, stone wall with grates shaped like bass notes attached to it.
"Wow! Look at that!" she said, pointing to the wall.
"According to my guide book, that's the Groover Dam," Amelia stated, looking at a page. "It was built in 1954 by Mayor Gerald B. Groove, and acted as a barricade during the Cacophonic Conflict in 1966. It was repaired and renovated by Mayor Clefford Bossino in 1984 and is now a popular tourist attraction."
"I guess that's one place we can go during this vacation," Bro reasoned.
Lily climbed on a fence to get a better look when suddenly, the ground started to shake violently.
"Sis, watch out!" Porter yelled.
But it was too late. As the others lost their balance and fell on the ground, the fence rocked forward and caused Lily to tumble over it. She screamed as she fell down, down, down the cliff...
Zaire was still a sickly shade of green (either from seasickness or Lily's singing) and couldn't do anything. Meanwhile, Bro turned into a ball of light and zoomed down the cliff when the shaking stopped. There was no sign of her, and it didn't look like she fell all the way down...
When Bro zoomed back up the cliff, he and the others saw a young boy Lily was holding on tight to.
"Wow!" the boy exclaimed. "You sure are heavier than you look."
The other four hurried over to the scene, and Lily rushed over to Amelia and Porter, her eyes watering a bit.
"Uhh, what just happened?" Bro asked the boy, totally lost.
"Well, I was gliding to the dockyard to see if there was any mail..." the boy started to explain.
"Wait, don't you guys have mailboxes?" Porter interrupted.
"Not here, we don't," the boy answered. "Anyway, I was off to check the mail, when BAM! Something landed on my back! I thought it was a squirrel and tried to shake it off, but it grabbed onto my legs! When I looked back to see what it was and found out it was a person, I had to land."
The boy looked back at Amelia and Lily, then added, "The forecast didn't call for raining people."
Bro sighed, relieved Lily wasn't injured, albeit shaken up a bit.
Zaire (still green) pointed at a hole in the young man's wingsuit. The boy could do nothing but groan in disappointment.
"Oh, man! This was my favorite wingsuit. I'll have to walk back home and fix it, then grab the mail," he muttered as he started his long trudge back to the town.
As he saw the boy walk away, Bro got an idea.
"Hey, kid!" he called, getting the boy's attention.
"We happen to be visiting the island and we were wondering if you could help us navigate the town. You seem like a local."
The boy's eyes lit up.
"Sure!" he squealed in glee. "Oh boy, oh boy! I can't wait to show you around my town and introduce you to the rest of my Whimsician buddies. We're gonna be great friends!"
The siblings looked at one another in confusion.
"Whimsician..?" Lily asked.
"Amelia..?" Bro looked at his sister, the only one with a guide to the island.
Amelia looked back at Bro, confused for a second, but turned to a page in her guide after getting the message.
"Ah, there it is!" she announced, pointing to a paragraph. "Whimsician: The average citizen of Whimsical Island. The term is a combination of the words 'musician' and 'whimsical'. Whimsicians are easily identifiable outside by either their ability to sing or play instruments with adept skill or their music note-shaped limbs."
The five looked back at the boy again. He looked just like any other normal person, but with one exception: He had a music note for a head.
The boy could easily feel the five silently judging him.
"Um, I can't sing yet..." he felt all eyes on him, leaving him blushing. "But I'm trying! Anyway, we should get to the town! We're not going anywhere standing here, right?"
"Right!" Zaire said, still green of course. "Let's get goin- OW!"
He felt his stomach cramp up, leaving him on his hands and knees and heaving loudly.
"Oh, brother..." Bro shook his head, picking up and carrying Zaire in his arms. "I think the trip here did a number on you, man," he added.
"I think we're ready to go now," Porter said.
The boy nodded, leading the five on the way to the town. A couple minutes later, the boy stopped, turned to face them and said, "My name's Hilo, by the way."
Before anyone could respond, some shouting could be heard from behind. It was Claire.
"Ah! It's Clarry! Hello-io, Clarry!" Hilo waved.
Claire reached the six, completely out of breath.
"You know... I hate... when you... call me that..." she huffed, looking like she was about to pass out.
"Did you net up anything on the big, blue sea..?" Hilo asked, eyes full of curiosity.
Claire could do nothing but smile at the boy and his innocence.
"Other than these five tourists, nothing that interesting," she shrugged.
As the conversation went on, the ground started to shake again, causing everyone to fall over.
"Okay, this can't be normal," Bro said.
"It's not," Claire replied. "This shaking has been going on for a couple of days now. And there's no volcano on this island either."
"What's a... vol-kain-oh..?" Hilo asked.
"How old is this kid?" Zaire thought to himself.
"Maybe the mayor knows something about it," Amelia mentioned. "We should get going."
"Right," Everyone nodded.
"This is the third time someone said we should get going. Let's stop stalling, yeah?" Bro mentioned.
A Half Hour Later
On the way, the seven talked about more various things, such as if Claire is also a Whimsician, her life and how she became a fisherwoman, and what Whimsical is like to outsiders, all while listening to Lily's singing on the way.
Soon enough, they reached Treble Town, the bustling heart of Whimsical.
The town was large and spacious, with a jazz club, and a park with a tall building in the center which was likely the town hall.
The ground shook again, this time more violently.
"We've got no time to waste," Bro said, taking the lead.
Turning around to face the others, he noticed a large stone wall that looked similar to the wall of the dam.
"Hey, is that wall by any chance part of the Groover Dam?" he asked.
Claire looked in the same direction he was facing. "Hm? Oh! Yeah, it is," she answered. "Why do you ask?"
Bro shrugged. "Just curious."
As the seven got closer to the town hall, they noticed a man blocking the doors.
This man was tall, bald, wearing a top hat and a black suit. He had a gold-colored tie with black stripes and held a cane with a music note on one end.
"That must be the mayor," Lily whispered.
The man easily saw the group as it approached him.
"Greetings, everyone! Welcome to Whimsical Island!" he greeted.
He pointed at Claire and Hilo, smiling.
"Not you two, although it's always nice to see how you two are doing," he chuckled.
"Um, Mr. Mayor..?" Porter stepped closer to the man, holding out his raffle ticket to him.
The man took the ticket, inspected it a bit, and gave it back to Porter.
"The three-day trip prize winner... I didn't think you'd show up so early. I apologize, we're facing a bit of an issue on the island right now," he responded with a frown.
Zaire (who wasn't green anymore but still had stomach pain) spoke up for the other four, saying, "Tell us what it is! We can't enjoy a vacation if the island is in potential danger!"
The man thought about it for a moment, then opened the doors of the town hall and motioned for the siblings to follow him. Claire and Hilo stayed outside.
"Wait, we're not going with them?" Hilo asked, looking at Claire.
"Nah, it's probably boring contract stuff," Claire responded, patting his head.
As the man led the five through the halls of the building, he said, "I'm sure you probably guessed by now, but I'm the mayor, Clefford Bossino. However, the citizens just call me Boss Clef."
After a while, they reached the mayor's office. As Boss Clef took a seat at his desk, Zaire, Porter, and Amelia sat on the opposite side. Lily sat on Amelia's lap while Bro stood, leaning on the chairs.
"It has come to my attention that a convict by the name of Punk Rocket has escaped the Rockin' Jailhouse," Boss Clef explained.
The siblings looked at each other, confused but attentive.
Clef pulled a headshot of the man from his desk, explaining further. "This man has been wanted for 17 charges of attempted arson, violating 12 restraining orders, and committing several other felonies."
"Okay... Sure, people have to be more wary now, but what does that have to do with the island as a whole..?" Bro asked.
"Because apparently, his escape wasn't entirely his doing," Clef replied, going through the details. "Someone carrying a sword and a quiver of arrows broke him out. From what the sources told me, this person was wearing a cloak and their eyes were the only thing you could see. They were also surrounded by four or five bodyguards. They all looked exactly the same, except for one, who had a large, metal jaw. My best guess is that they know each other and have some sort of plan to disturb the peace in a very aggressive manner."
"A cloak..?" Porter replied.
"Yellow eyes..?" Amelia thought a bit.
"A sword and arrows..?" Lily added.
"You know, that almost sounds a lot like..." Zaire looked up at the ceiling.
"Do you know where they could possibly be?" Bro looked at Clef.
"I'm not certain of their exact whereabouts," Clef responded, "but chances are they're somewhere in the urban area of the island."
"What are we waiting for, then? Let's go stop them!" Zaire cheered, pointing to the door. He only made so many steps before falling to the ground and doubling over in pain.
Bro helped him up and said, "Congratulations, you've survived the seasickness. Now you have to deal with the prolonged effects of Lily's singing."
As the five left the town hall, Hilo approached them with another Whimsician. They were a girl roughly the same height as Hilo, and wore a dark green sweater too big for her body, denim jeans, and black glasses.
"Where's Claire..?" Porter asked.
"She went home," Hilo replied. "She said something about needing to get some rest after 14 hours of work, I think."
He then pushed the girl closer to the group.
"Guys, this is my friend, Bea. She can be a bit quiet sometimes, but she's really nice."
The girl covered part of her face with the sweater and waved.
"So, done anything fun?" Hilo asked Bea.
Bea nodded her head, then whispered, "I went to the museum today. The Crescendo Cannon is missing."
"The museum?" Hilo frowned. "Borrrrring! I thought you'd be somewhere fun, like the arcade or the library. School doesn't start for another week and you spend it like thi- hey, what do you mean the Crescendo Cannon is missing?"
Hearing the unfolding news, Mayor Clef burst outside, looking extremely distraught.
"What?! That thing hasn't been touched since the Cacophonic Conflict!"
"So..?" Lily didn't look concerned. "Isn't it just an artifact at this point?"
"It was never properly decommissioned!" he yelled.
"Wait, what does that mean?" Hilo asked, still confused as ever.
"It means everything in it still works," Bro explained.
"No, I mean what does... 'ka-koff-on-ik' mean?"
As Clef brought Hilo somewhere else to explain the definition, the others got to thinking.
"What would Final Rouge want with a cannon?" Porter thought.
"Speaking of, why do we call him 'Final Rouge'? Why not 'Shadow' or 'Blade'?" Zaire wondered.
"We ought to remind him he spelt his name wrong when we see him," Bro joked.
"The cannon must be strong, but I don't think it's strong enough to make part of an island shake..." Amelia believed, trying to break the silence. "There must be something else..."
"Whatever it is, something tells me now that they've got a cannon, they're gonna make cannonade," Bro pointed at the dam, still in view. "And it'll wreak major chaos on the town if nobody does anything about it," he warned.
Clef, Hilo, and Bea walked up to the siblings and talked more about this cannon.
"So, tell us more about this Crescendo Cannon," Zaire requested.
"Well, it was created and used as a last resort against a group of hostile invaders," Clef explained. "It wasn't like other forms of weaponry at its time. It was as big as a rocket launcher, but had the firepower of a cannon, hence the name. Along with this, it had several ways of firing cannonballs, from fast and pelting, to slow but destructive."
"Honestly, with that kind of firepower, I could see why monsters and villains would want it so much," Lily admitted.
"Why didn't you make a replica?" Bro questioned.
"To be fair, there is not a lot of conflict on the island, so only a set few would actually try to steal anything. That, and because they have cameras dotted throughout the museum, so if someone did try to steal something, they'd be spotted and stopped before they could leave," Hilo reasoned.
Bea shook, tears forming in her eyes as she said, "With the cannon missing, everyone's in danger!"
As she spoke, the ground shook erratically until she stopped.
"No offense, but are we sure she's not the cause of the shaking?" Lily asked, causing Bea to hide her face in her sweater.
Amelia wiped her face, smiling reassuringly and patting her head. "Don't worry, we'll stop the bad guys and get the cannon back."
"Right. Let's get going." Bro nodded.
Someone's stomach began to growl audibly.
"Uhm, can we 'get going' to a restaurant first?" Lily asked, blushing.
"Actually, how long has it been since we ate?" Porter added.
"You should try the Jukebox Tree," Hilo suggested. "Their fries are the best you'll ever try. And their milkshakes? My mouth is watering just thinking about them!"
"If you're going to go there, you might want to take this," Clef advised, reaching into his pocket, and pulling out a golden ticket with his face on it.
"A way of telling the staff to send me the check," he explained, smiling.
Lily's stomach growled again. "Thank you so much, Boss Clef!"
"Let's go and eat!" Zaire yelled.
20 Minutes Later, Upbeat Uptown
The five and Hilo (after stopping home and getting a new wingsuit first) were busy chowing down at the Jukebox Tree. The Jukebox Tree was a diner with a 1960s style- black and white tiled floor, neon lights everywhere, the spinning seats at the bar- all built inside the bark of a tall tree. in the center of the city. Zaire was sipping on some ginger ale as "Hey Dude" by The Ladybugs played in the background.
"Hey, I don't feel sick anymore! This is great!" he chuckled, getting up on the table and flexing.
Bro was chuckling at the scene, stuffing his face with fries. He glanced over at Amelia, who was eating a salad, concern on her face.
"Something wrong, Am?" he asked.
She nodded, still focused on her food. "Something just doesn't seem right. Just what are their motives for stealing a cannon? Who are they planning an attack towards? Why would Final Rouge help a fugitive escape?"
Before Bro could respond, another voice got his attention.
"Hey! You gotta try out these milkshakes!" Lily called from another table with Porter and Hilo.
Suddenly, everything began to shake violently. Even for a structure in a tall tree, the vibration could be felt as if it was on the ground.
"There it is again!" Zaire shouted, getting up from the table he just fell from.
"We must be really close," Porter said.
"Yeah! Now that our bellies are full, let's get the cannon, stop the baddies, and save Whimsical!" Lily cheered.
"Hey, I've got an idea," Zaire proposed. "Lily, why don't you and Hilo get to ground level? We'll check what's causing the shaking up here and meet you down there."
Lily and Hilo nodded and hopped into a nearby elevator.
Porter squinted at Zaire. "Did you do that just so you wouldn't hear Lily's singing again?"
Zaire didn't say anything, but he did smirk on his way to the balcony.
"That's not nice..." Amelia frowned, following him.
The two looked over the city, searching for any suspicious buildings. Bro and Porter followed after.
"Anything?" Zaire asked the other three.
"I don't see anything yet..." Bro replied.
"Me either..." Amelia added.
"What about that?" Porter asked, pointing to a junkyard far from Treble Town, from the urban area, or anything for that matter. Right next to the junkyard was a red, brick building, likely an abandoned factory.
"Okay, just how did we miss that?" Bro sighed.
"Hey, it's still worth a check!" Zaire yelled, leaping off the balcony and taking flight. Bro grabbed his legs, followed by Porter, then Amelia.
"Wait! What about Lily and Hilo?" Amelia asked.
"Don't worry about them, we can stop Final Nouge and Dunk Rocket ourselves!" Zaire smiled, slowly carrying everyone to their location.
"You really don't like her singing, do you?" Bro looked up at Zaire.
Meanwhile, Hilo and Lily were sitting on a bench, waiting for the other four.
"Hey Hilo, you said earlier you couldn't sing..." Lily glanced over at him.
"I can't yet, no," Hilo nodded.
"Would you mind trying for me?" she asked. "Just so I can gauge your skill."
"I'd love to, but we'll need to go somewhere else. Last time I tried singing in public, my voice broke every window in town and I had to pay it all with my own money..."
He paused and added, "My parents said I'm not getting an allowance for the next thirty years."
Lily nodded, getting off the bench and thinking. "Where should we go then?"
"There's a junkyard far from here where I can show you my singing," Hilo replied. "It's great! The dogs like my singing so much, they howl along and smile!"
"Ooh, sounds fun! Show me!" Lily smiled.
"But what about the others? Shouldn't we ask them too?" Hilo asked.
"Nah, Zaire's had enough of my singing since we got here," Lily replied. "I don't think he wants to hear any more singing. The others probably don't either..."
"Okay then, their loss," Hilo shrugged. "Follow me!" he ran off through the alleyways, gesturing Lily to follow him.
Meanwhile, Zaire, Amelia, Porter and Bro landed just outside of the junkyard and building.
"Phew, we made it," Amelia sighed.
"Just outside the Funky Junkyard..." Porter added, pointing to a sign.
"It feels empty, the building is abandoned, it's far away from everything else, this would be a great place for sketchy stuff to go down," Bro pointed out, looking down the cliff when some nearby chatter caught his ear.
"As I said..." he added, pointing to a window.
The four peeked through a window of the building and saw four Clones, one big Clone with large, metal hands and a steel jaw. Along with this, they saw Final Rouge, Punk Rocket, the Crescendo Cannon, and a strange drilling machine.
"Now we know what's been causing the shaking!" Porter whispered. "They must've been tunneling under the island!"
They leaned in closer to hear an ongoing conversation between Final Rouge and Punk Rocket, careful not to bring attention to themselves.
"...You been listening to any new bands, dude?" Final Rouge asked.
"Naw, man. Just sticking to the classics- Mean Day, Bad Comedy, Nirv-Wrak... I tell you, these new-age pop songs are killing radio, man..." Punk Rocket replied, shaking his head.
"Yeah, I agree. It would be fine if they played those every once in a while, but you hear those 20 times an hour! Give it a rest!" Final Rouge folded his arms.
The two looked at each other, then Punk Rocket smiled and hugged his ally.
"It's so great to see you again, bud," he laughed.
The four moved back from the window, all looking shocked.
"I don't believe it!" Bro whispered. "They're friends!"
"I knew it!" Amelia mentioned.
They went back to the window to hear more from the two.
"...It's gonna be so much fun causing trouble in town again!" Punk Rocket snickered.
"...And it'll be even easier with this thing!" Final Rouge replied, picking up the Crescendo Cannon and placing it on his shoulder. "I don't know how it works, but I hear it packs a punch! We'll be practically unstoppable with this thing!"
"So let me know if I got the plan down..." Punk Rocket gently pinched his forehead. "We use the Megadrill to tunnel to Treble Town, then use this rocket launcher thingy to destroy the wall of the dam. Then find higher ground, sit back, and watch the madness. If anyone tries to interfere, the Clones will stop them."
Final Rouge nodded. "Yep, you got it. Those braindead Whimsicians won't know what hit 'em!"
The two fist bumped, and made some last minute preparations as the Clones stood by and watched.
Again, the four moved away from the window, looking angry.
"Oh, not if we anything to say about it! Let's go, guys!" Bro motioned.
The four burst through the window, catching the attention of everyone.
"What the- You guys?!" Final Rouge screeched.
"You know these bozos?" Punk Rocket asked, looking at the siblings.
"Indeed I do, Rocket... although, I think there's one missing.."
"We heard about your little plan, and we're not gonna let you take action!" Zaire shouted, stepping forward.
The two pals looked at each other and turned around.
"Plan B?" Punk Rocket whispered.
"Plan B," Final Rouge whispered back.
Without warning, Final Rouge turned back and used the Crescendo Cannon, launching a fireball at the siblings.
"Look out!" Bro and Porter yelled, pushing Zaire and Amelia out of the way.
The fireball splattered on the wall before exploding, leaving a gaping hole in the factory wall.
"That must be one of the cannon's modes of attack!" Porter gasped.
"Yeah, no garbage, Sherlock!" Bro responded.
"Modes, huh?" Final Rouge looked at the weapon and saw a gear on it, likely to change the way projectiles are launched. He turned the cog to a mode that read 'laser' and aimed it at Zaire. Just before the cannon fired, a heart Amelia threw collided into the side of it, redirecting the laser's path.
Instead of Zaire, the laser pierced through the wall before combusting violently.
Everyone was shocked.
"Woo-wee! That's some mighty fine firepower!" Final Rouge exclaimed.
"I know what we're using to take down the dam!" Punk Rocket laughed.
Zaire growled and lunged toward Punk Rocket, pulling out his katana. Final Rouge tossed the Crescendo Cannon to one of the Clones and parried Zaire with his blade.
"What am I supposed to do with this?!" the Clone yelled.
"Put it in the Megadrill! We'll get it after we take out these guys!" Punk Rocket yelled, running deeper into the factory, Bro following him.
As Amelia and Porter took down the other Clones, Zaire and Final Rouge were still locked in their sword match. Suddenly, the giant Clone who was sitting on the Megadrill hopped down to the ground and grabbed Amelia and Porter in his humongous hands. The two struggled to get free as the Clone climbed onto the crumbling scaffolding.
Meanwhile, Bro reached the largest point of the factory and saw Punk Rocket strapping a large, purple and yellow rocket to his waist.
"It's so good to have you back..." Punk Rocket whispered to himself, unaware Bro was following him.
"Well, now I know why you call yourself Punk Rocket. I'm surprised you didn't name yourself after that Skeleton John song..." Bro taunted.
"Oh, don't you dare..." Punk Rocket hissed, looking agitated.
"Let's see, what was it..?"
"Don't do it."
"It's right on the tip of my tongue..."
"I'm warning you..."
"Oh yeah! Rocket Man!" Bro shouted, his voice echoing throughout the factory.
Punk Rocket hit the ignition of his makeshift jetpack and glared at Bro.
"As soon as we bust down the dam, you'll be my next target," he charged toward Bro, missing him and heading back to the front area of the building.
Zaire and Final Rouge were still parrying away when he saw Punk Rocket flying from the depths of the factory. Seeing an opening, Final Rouge jumped back to create space from Zaire and got close again, kicking him into the wall.
"Is that it..?" Punk Rocket looked over at the Megadrill.
Final Rouge nodded. "Let's go. You handle the cannon. I'll stop anyone who gets too close."
As the two got into the Megadrill, they got knocked back by a zooming ball of light, which was Bro.
"Don't you people know when to stop?!" Punk Rocket groaned, looking over at the giant Clone, who still had Amelia and Porter in his hands.
"Hey, Big Boom!" he called. "Send these sour notes into the air where they belong!"
Big Boom roared and leapt high into the air. Instead of trying to land directly on Bro, he landed right next to him, bouncing him into the air and whacking him into the wall like a racket hitting a tennis ball.
Bro and Zaire peeled themselves off the wall and lunged at Big Boom, all while Final Rouge and Punk Rocket snuck off and started the Megadrill.
As the two brothers fought to free Porter and Amelia, Zaire rammed Big Boom's leg, knocking him off balance while Bro struck his arm, releasing the two captives.
"Big Boom drop new toys! Big Boom will destroy you!" he roared, enraged.
Bro and Zaire rushed at Big Boom, not being able to get close as he pushed them back. Amelia's hearts didn't stagger him either, even when thrown at his face. Zaire blew several strong gusts of wind while Bro sent out several piercing orbs of light, all doing nothing to him.
"Is that your best?! You no stop Big Boom!" he chortled.
"Our attacks aren't doing anything!" Bro frowned, gritting his teeth.
"Hey, I got an idea," Porter proposed.
"I'm down to hear it," Zaire replied. "What is it?"
"You know those power moves people do in anime when a battle is getting super heated?" he asked the others.
Everyone nodded slowly.
"Why don't we do something like that to stop Big Boom?" he suggested.
"Sounds cool, but this fight isn't even mildly heated..." Bro admitted.
"Worth a go, though," Porter shrugged. "Just follow my lead."
Amelia pulled a cardboard heart from her pocket, while Bro shot orbs of light at it, slowly causing the heart to turn white and glow. After a nod from Porter, Amelia tossed it high in the air followed by Zaire and Bro throwing Porter nearly as high as the ceiling. When he was close enough to the white heart, he closed his eyes and shouted something similar to the cartoon characters he saw on TV-
"Take this! Radiant Heart-Bomb!"
Porter kicked the heart with full force straight at Big Boom. Big Boom caught the heart as it detonated immediately. The factory's interior went a pure white and slowly faded back where everyone could see again. As Porter gently floated down to the ground, they saw Big Boom flat on the wall.
"I didn't think that would actually work!" Bro remarked, surprised.
"Was that last line really necessary?" Zaire looked at Porter, snickering.
"Sorry, I was in the moment," he giggled.
Bro looked around, searching for Final Rouge and Punk Rocket, only finding a hole and punching a wall when he realized they're weren't in the factory anymore.
By now, Lily and Hilo finally made it to the factory and saw the siblings, the knocked-out clones, and Big Boom.
"What happened..?" Hilo asked.
"Final Rouge and Punk Rocket got away!" Zaire groaned.
"They're on their way to Treble Town!" Amelia added, pointing to the hole in the ground.
"Who's Punk Rocket?" Hilo asked.
"We'll explain on the way!" Porter said, looking into the hole.
"There's no way we'll catch up to them in time if we go that way!" Bro sighed.
"Can't you just use your bands to fly us back to town?" Amelia asked Bro.
"I could..." he paused. "But if I carry more than one person, chances are the bands will break apart."
"What sort of rule is that?" Zaire asked.
"You act like I made this up on the spot!" he replied. "It's what I've been warned when using these bands."
"So that's it?" Lily looked at the ground. "They've won? Treble Town will be no more?"
Hilo perked up. "Don't worry, I know a shortcut!"
He pointed to a tunnel with a minecart in front of it and added, "That tunnel was part of a cave system at one point. It can get us to Treble Town if we take the right route."
"Well, that sure is convenient," Lily sighed, wiping her brow in relief.
Bro and Zaire pushed the minecart as the others hopped in. The six cruised through the caverns, led only by Hilo's directions and Bro's orb of light.
"Left, right, left, left, right, left..." Hilo instructed.
"Do you even know which way you're going?!" Bro complained.
"Don't worry, I've been down here at least four times. No need to fidget," Hilo reassured.
23 Minutes Later
The two partners in crime drilled into the park of Treble Town, in clear sight of the dam. The Whimsicians in the park fled, some on their way to notify Mayor Clef.
By now, the siblings and Hilo also reached their destination, a cliffside overlooking the park and Harmonic Heights, Hilo's neighborhood.
"There they are!" Porter exclaimed.
"Hurry! Don't let them shoot the dam!" Amelia shouted.
With a nod, Bro and Zaire dove towards the two troublemakers.
Meanwhile, Final Rouge climbed out of the hatch, then Punk Rocket, who was holding the Crescendo Cannon. He set the weapon's mode to 'Laser' and took aim at the dam.
"You ready?" Final Rouge looked over at Punk Rocket, who was charging the cannon.
"Absolutely. Today's the day Treble Town goes under and Rebel's River takes rise!" he cackled.
Right before Punk Rocket could fire the laser, he was struck full force in the side by Zaire.
Meanwhile, Bro rammed the Megadrill in the same manner, knocking the machine over.
Punk Rocket shook off his injury and picked up the cannon, trying again. Zaire swooped over and grabbed the cannon. As Final Rouge rushed toward him, Bro intercepted and parried him with his scythe.
A look of fury flashed in Punk Rocket's eyes as he shook Zaire off the cannon. He took aim again and was tackled by Bro. Zaire tried to approach the cannon but was taken down by Final Rouge. Despite being on the ground, Punk Rocket still adjusted the cannon and locked his sight on the dam. Bro couldn't reach far enough to throw him off target.
Porter, Amelia, Hilo, and Lily were watching the fight, panicking as it turned downhill.
"Someone, do something!" Porter yelled.
"Wait, Hilo, I never got to hear you sing! Why not try here?" Lily smiled.
"Are you nuts?! I can't do that here!" Hilo declined, shaking his head in fear. "I'll destroy the windows again!"
"But you'll save Treble Town and the rest of the island! What's a few windows over the innocent lives of the town?" Lily pointed at the dam, then the neighborhood, then at Punk Rocket, who was charging the cannon again.
Hilo looked reluctant.
"Come on, for Treble Town," Lily begged. "I'll even sing with you."
"Oh, okay..." Hilo nodded, closed his eyes, focused his vocal chords and opened his mouth, letting out a series of very shrill shrieks similar to a dog whistle. It was an auditory firestorm, damaging ears and windows alike. Lily also sang, but her voice was easily overshadowed by Hilo's.
Everyone covered their ears, including Punk Rocket, letting go of the Crescendo Cannon, causing it to fire straight into the ground. The blast sent all four flying. Bro kicked Punk Rocket and Final Rouge midair while Zaire caught the Crescendo Cannon.
The two enemies crashed into the ground, Punk Rocket unconscious and a crowd starting to gather around them. Final Rouge tried to shake his buddy awake but noticed the mayor and authorities slowly approaching.
"Sorry, Rocket..." he whispered, ditching his friend and running off as fast as he could.
When Punk Rocket woke up to see the crowd, he asked, "Where's my friend..?"
Bro and Zaire looked at each other, smirking and said, "Let's just say you're gonna need better friends."
The other four cheered from afar, giving Hilo a pat on the back.
"You did it, Hilo!" Lily cheered, hugging her buddy.
Amelia shook her head as if she was trying to get imaginary water out of her ears. "Anyone else's ears still ringing?" she asked.
"What? What did you say?" Porter asked loudly.
A while later, the six stood in front of the town hall with Mayor Clef thanking them profusely.
"Thanks to you kids, Punk Rocket is back behind bars, the Crescendo Cannon is recovered, and the Whimsicians are safe again," he stated. "Sure, there's a bit of damage to the windows in certain neighborhoods..."
Lily giggled and nudged Hilo jokingly.
"But compared to all the damage that could've happened if Punk Rocket fired the cannon and destroyed the dam, it's nothing more than a simple window replacement," he continued.
He then walked up to Porter and handed him another shiny golden ticket.
"My deepest apologies for the chaos you had to witness. Please enjoy your vacation at the Ensemble Estate, Whimsical's most prestigious hotel up north," Clef offered before going back into the town hall.
"Well, that was quite an adventure, wouldn't you say?" Bro asked the others.
The others all chattered in agreement.
"Now, enough stalling! Let's go check out this hotel!" Zaire cheered.
The siblings waved goodbye to Hilo, who then ran off to his neighborhood, and started their way up north, when Amelia realized something.
"Hey, where's our luggage?" she asked.
Sirens went off in Bro's head. He realized nobody brought any of the luggage onto the ferry. It was all the way back at Halibut Harbor!
After Bro explained, Porter simply replied, "Guess we'll have to make a note of double-checking our luggage next time!"
Everyone groaned at that pun.
"Please don't..." Lily shook her head.
"You're gonna get us band from the hotel with these jokes!" Amelia chimed in.
"Maybe we should've made an arrangement for this," Porter joked further.
"These puns are worse than Lily's singing!" Zaire screamed, covering his ears.
"Hey!" Lily pouted.
"Hey, don't fret, sis! We'll stop eventually!" Amelia giggled.
"Someone's gonna be in serious treble if this doesn't stop.." Bro warned jokingly.
And the pun-fest kept going until they reached Ensemble Estate, where the five spent the next three days enjoying themselves on the whimsical island of Whimsical.