Historia; Stone Kingdom
There were some worlds in the universe that strictly limit travel. These were usually "primitive" worlds, ones with limited technology. These worlds were thought to be close with nature and were to be respected as such, and unless these worlds were to somehow contact and accept an alliance with Galactic Council, they were left to naturally develop their worlds and their technology. The intergalactic government, meanwhile, would protect these worlds from invaders and manage travel operations.
Historia was unique in that sense in that it was composed of ancient Earth cultures. No technology was allowed here, but benders were still natural.
"And yet, crooks and supervillains somehow manage to find their way onto this planet and cause a mess." Dimentia remarked, she and Leic walking through a cave. "Still, I would hope we're exempt from the rule, provided we do our job."
"But I wonder why that Stylistic girl came here?" Leic asked. "Unless she really likes caves. …Ah!" A drop hit his nose. "That tickles!"
Dimentia stopped, facing forward. "Something's coming."
The cave sloped up and shifted leftward up ahead, but they could see something rolling: it was a green object with wide eyes. It was being chased by skeletal raptors. "Aaaahh!" To their surprise, the object—actually a melon—grew a human body and stumbled on their feet. They appeared to be a small nine-year-old, wearing a knotted rope necklace, a blue dress over their whole body (there were no holes for the arms, so the dress was suspended by the arms), and small stone platform sandals. "M-More weird monsters?!"
"Look out!" Dimentia drew her bow and shot two of the raptors while Leic stunned the last one with butterflies, finishing it off afterward.
The melon-headed child turned around with fright, but was relieved to see the monsters were gone. "Suika was almost eaten… Thank you for saving her." She bowed to the two.
"What are you doing down here? Is your home nearby?"
"Suika promised to bring Senku a diamond she found. She almost had it, but a strange, gray woman attacked her. She tried to eat Suika, but Suika barely escaped and lost her in the caves. Then a bunch of skeleton lizards tried to eat Suika."
"Sylistys." Dimentia knew. "She… tried to eat you?"
"That's bizarre." Plex said. "I don't feel any particular flow of chi in this girl. She's completely ordinary, no bending, no magic, anything."
"Who are strangers?"
"Oh…we're, um, angels." Dimentia thought it best to give a simple answer for the girl. "We're here to slay those monsters. You should run home; are there any strong people in your village?"
"But Suika promised to bring Senku a diamond. She wants to go back and get it."
"Whoever Senku is, I'm sure he would care more for your safety. Just explain to him what happened."
"But Suika wants to be useful. She doesn't wanna be afraid of monsters."
"Suika, just worry about your own health-"
"Wait, Dimentia!" Leic gasped. The young angel slowly walked up, bending over the curious melon-head. He looked her very closely in the big, blank eyes. Why, her head almost resembled a big, silly bug. "… … …I understand!"
"Understand what?"
"Dimentia…" Leic turned to her: his expression appeared unusually serious and strict, and yet his tone possessed its usual bubbliness. "We have to PROTECC Suika."
"P…Protecc?" Dimentia couldn't believe what she just heard.
"We have to PROTECC this girl at all costs… I feel that, if anything bad happens to this girl, something terrible will happen to us. I feel as if the universe would never forgive us if this girl were hurt. We have to PROTECC her… but at the same time, we need to behave ourselves around her."
"You have been nothing but a nuisance." Plex sighed in aggravation. "Dimentia, find where this girl lives and just warp her with an arrow if you have to, or just protecc—PROTECT her in a sub-dimension, something! We can't just let her run around with the Styles everywhere. …Dimentia?"
The woman had been quiet for a moment. She was focusing… intently on the curious child. Her big, melon-covered eyes, and her tiny 'o' shaped mouth… "I understand."
"Pardon?"
"Plex… there are some people in the universe that are more than what our senses tell us at first. You really have to look… really have to think… This girl possesses a nutritious chi. An extremely rare variety. I'm positive this is what attracted Sylistys to this world. No matter what… we must PROTECC her."
"I…I don't even know you, anymore." Plex shook his head.
"Suika… you're looking for a diamond, right? Then let's go and find it. We promise no harm will come to you."
"Suika doesn't understand." the child swayed her head. "But strangers seem friendly, so Suika accepts their help. It's easy to get lost in the caves, but Detective Suika knows the way!" (Play "Central Cavern" from Banjo-Tooie!)
Stage D-2: Stone Cavern
Mission: PROTECC Suika!
Suika stumbled on her unbalanced sandals up the cave, tripping every few steps, but would be up on her feet with a Melon Roll. Skelo-Lizards crept up along the ground and ceiling: Dimentia shot down the ceiling ones while Leic butter-fied those on the floor. The road was blocked by a stone gate, and there were three vines lodged into the ground. "One of these opens the way. Detective Suika will find it."
"It's the right one, just pull the right." Plex pointed.
"Shhhh." Dimentia hushed him. "Detective Suika will find it."
Suika examined each vine thoroughly, unaware of the Skelo-Lizards trying to bite her. She studied the middle one first… then went to the right one… She rolled over to the left… the middle one again… no, maybe it was the left… "Suika is positive!" She pulled the left vine—"Aaaah!" only then did she notice a lizard crawl up to her, so she jumped back in a haste—pulling that vine caused a large rock to fall. It crushed the lizard in place of Suika. "Uhhh…or maybe this one." Suika went to pull the right vine. The gate opened. "Aha! Suika knew it!"
The gate led to a watery cavern. Suika climbed onto a stalagmite, balancing unstably on its tip. Afterwards, she leapt to a platform with a frail stem, and there were a series of such platforms along the water. Dimentia, meanwhile, made a Grav-Path along the left wall for her and Leic. Dimentia saw the Skelo-Piranhas lurking in the water, but would snipe them before they would dare have their fill of Suika. "AAH!" A Skelo-Spider latched onto Dimentia from above, but Leic quickly cut it off. Dimentia gasped, seeing a piranha quickly bounce along the platforms from ahead of Suika, and she barely shot it in time. Suika seemed to be mindlessly twirling on one foot, halting her own progress. Ten piranhas jumped her from all directions—Suika bounced across the platforms quickly, dodging as they all bit into each other.
The spirits were quick to catch up once she had made it across. The cave would turn left… there was a brutish, terrifying Triceratops Style guarding the next passage. Dimentia was ready to attack it… before Leic called her attention to Suika. The little melon-head was bouncing up some platforms toward a huge wasp nest. "SUIKA!" Dimentia cried. "Don't touch that! Don't-!"
Alas, when Suika's curiosity compelled her, there was no stopping it. She made it up to the wasp nest and tapped it… It fell off its perch. "Waaaah!" Seeing the wasps buzzing in anger, Suika stumbled down the steps and rolled toward the triceratops. The wasps chased her in a fury, while the undead dinosaur opened its mouth to welcome her. Suika rolled directly toward the mouth, stopping in front as her melon faced the bees. With the swiftest motion, she dodged around the dino, tricking the wasps into flying into the mouth. The bugs stabbed their stingers through the bones and black chi, causing the dino's corpse to fall apart.
"Wow… those are deadly bees." Dimentia remarked. With that, they hurried after Suika. The child was mindlessly running around a dim cave in panic. The eyes of giant Skelo-Turtles glowed in the darkness, curling in their spiked shells to spin at her. Dimentia used the Arrow Warp to get the turtles away from her, which became rather tricky as she couldn't predict Suika's random course of movement. She was patient with the child regardless, and she found her way through the cave.
Suika immediately halted, stumbling on one foot before she could fall down an imposing cliff. When Dimentia and Leic caught up, they saw that the cliff sloped down and curved along the right. Suika curled up and rolled down that slope, picking up speed as Skelo-Earthworms emerged to bite her. Dimentia's quick snipe work saved her from the overgrown worms, but one of them popped up in surprise—when Suika rolled over it, her tucked-in hands grabbed the worm and yanked it out. The worm rolled with her into the next cave. "!" Sensing danger in that cave, Dimentia bolted down the slope.
There was a ravenous Skelo-Mammoth awaiting Suika, and it would've slurped her in its trunk—Suika chucked the earthworm up the trunk. The mammoth felt an awful sensation coursing through it, shaking furiously as Suika managed to get around the beast. When the others caught up, Dimentia trapped the mammoth in a Nega-Zone and spatially split its body into pieces. The earthworm flipped out, only for Leic to cleave it into an earth-butterfly. They caught up to Suika, who was stopped at another stone gate with a key-shaped slot. To their right was a tunnel. Up along the ceiling corner was a narrow path leading to the key.
"Suika will get it!" She curled up and rolled into the tunnel, a perfect fit as she flowed through like a ball in a machine. She would come out on the top path, in which Dimentia would shoot down Skelo-Bats flying to bite her.
"You could easily just jump up and take it." Plex stated.
"I could've, but Suika volunteered to get it." Dimentia replied with a simple argument. Leic fought against the Skelo-Hounds that tried to thwart Dimentia's protection, and the Inviere knew she was safe with the butterflies fluttering around her. Suika grabbed the key-shaped stone, dropping back to the ground and raising it proudly. She put the key into its slot, triggering an ancient mechanism that opened the gate. Suika skipped her way up some stairs, leading to a tunnel of glittery crystals.
The crystals were big and sharp, so Suika would stay away from them. However, opposite of the crystals, Skelo-Toads were puffing their black chi throats and trying to blow Suika into the spikes. Dimentia wouldn't dare let her melon be punctured, so she shot the toads without mercy. Some toads tried to rudely crush Suika from above, only to end up with an arrow through their throats. One more toad blocked the exit tunnel, but Dimentia couldn't get a lock on with Suika in the way. However, the child curled up, building momentum as she rolled against the toad's gust. She plowed through and blew the toad down. Dimentia killed the remains, having to crouch to crawl through the tunnel.
The three exited into a wider crystal cavern, light poking through gaps in the crust. "There it is! Suika's diamond!" She pointed to a small, shiny, posh clear gem on a flat-stopped stalagmite. Suika simply hopped up some steps above a pond and waddled toward the diamond. Dimentia and Leic smiled for her and followed behind- (End song.)
"AAAAAHH!" The head of a skeletal leviathan, what could only be part of a giant ancient fossil, exploded from the ground and snatched the spirits in its mouth.
"Angels?" Suika turned to them. At that instant, Sylistys emerged from the ground, grabbing the child by the neck. "UAAAAH!"
"LET HER GO!" Dimentia demanded, Arrow Warping herself out of the beast, but it was quick to attack her again.
"I don't know what it is, but the scent of this girl's chi is exotic." Sylistys said. "When I taste it, it may finally give me the strength I need… to consume the Heart of a World!" Hissing like a vampire, her fangs bared, she loomed to bite through Suika's melon.
"Waaaah! Waaaaaah!" Suika shook and vibrated frantically, helpless to escape—SLOOP! Her body was instantly sucked into her melon, out of Sylistys' tight grip as she flipped and hit the ground. The woman growled and tried to grab her, the melon maneuvering swiftly around her. Sylistys bent giant bone fists from the ground, shaking the cave each time they missed Suika. She rolled against the pedestal with the diamond, and said pedestal was shattered by another Bone Fist! Little did Sylistys know of the large stalactite above herself, and the rapid quakes caused it to loosen and fall.
"?!" The bonebender was crushed beneath the stalactite's tip. Suika uncurled from her melon and faced the assaulter confusedly. Sylistys pushed herself off the ground and the stone away as well.
"Oh?" Suika noticed her diamond was discarded on the ground. She picked it up. Suika noticed a tiny sun ray above her and curiously held the diamond up into it. It exploded with light, shooting multiple directions.
"AH!" The light hit one of Sylistys' eyes, a mild irritation at best. "You little-!" She threw another Bone Fist that Suika dodged, then thrusted one up from below to propel her to the air.
Suika spun in her melon-head, but swiftly unraveled as she fell toward the woman and STABBED the diamond's point into her eye. "AAAH! Little BRAT!" She KICKED the child, sending Suika's curled melon form bouncing around the walls and bones. A stroke of luck would bounce her into Sylistys' face, further forcing the diamond through her skull. "AAAAAHH!"
Meanwhile, Dimentia was able to carve the leviathan's head into pieces, which were then made into butterflies. To their surprise, Sylistys was writhing in pain, digging her boney fingers into her eye as she yanked the diamond out painfully. "AGH! UCK!" She slammed it to the ground in a fury. Sylistys sensed the spirits approach and turned to them, her bleeding eye pulsating with rage.
"Heh…I guess my work's already done." Dimentia smirked.
"?!" The remark touched a nerve in Sylistys' mind. "I won't be outdone by that little brat! …L-Little… brat… little brat, little brat…"
Dimentia and Leic exchanged a curious look. The culprit was beginning to twitch, holding her aching head. "Brats… kids… little…"
"What are you mumbling about?"
"Grrr…with you around, I'll never have a chance to eat that child, anyway. What a waste of time for this wretched insect. This isn't over, Dimentia!" With a quick motion of her hand, she grabbed and dropped another marble—Dimentia lunged to grab her, but only smoke seeped through her fingers.
"S…Suika is… confused…"
Dimentia sighed, unable to sense Sylistys' presence on the planet. …She looked down at Suika with a smile. "That was amazing, Suika!"
"Amazing?"
"You beat that scary lady all by yourself! She ran away crying!"
"Suika did… Suika beat her?"
"You sure did!" Leic beamed. "And look! You even found the diamond you were looking for!"
Suika remembered the diamond on the ground. She wobbled to pick it up. It was dirtied from the attack, so she wiped it on her dress. She then popped out a lens from her right melon socket to magnify its beautiful texture. "…Hey." Suika turned to them. "Why did the monsters wanna eat Suika?"
"It's because…because you're a very special child." Dimentia replied earnestly.
"Suika is… special?"
"Yes." With a smile, the Zathurian approached and sat before Suika on her knees. "I can tell you're a blessed child, Suika. I may not understand why, but… you possess an aura. A special kind of aura that gods envy."
"The gods envy… my aura? What does that mean?"
"It means you're pure. You're a child whose purity outshines even a god's. It's because you're so pure that those monsters tried to eat you. Monsters like them are jealous of such purity. They wanted it for themselves."
"Then… if Suika keeps being pure, more monsters will come?"
"Well, there is a chance of that. But you needn't worry. Like I said, we're angels, Suika. The angels serve the gods… but the gods serve the humans. That means you have both of us to serve and guide you."
"Gods serve humans? Suika didn't know that."
"But it's true." Leic winked. "The gods make land for humans to live and make food for humans to eat. It's their job to make the perfect world for good children like you. But while the gods may work for you, you mustn't overly depend on them. Believe in yourself and you will succeed, just as you helped us scare off those mean monsters!"
"Believe in… myself?" Suika pointed at herself with a little smile. "Then… Suika will keep being useful! She will do her best for the Children's Club and all her friends! She won't be afraid of any monster!"
"That's the spirit, Suika!" Dimentia cheered.
"Hey… is it okay if Suika gives a gift to the angels?"
"Uh…is it?"
"But of course!" Leic beamed. "After all, mortals deliver gifts to gods and spirits all the time, for like holidays and stuff! It helps them stay close to the mortals. Plus, who are we to turn down a gift from this blessed child?"
They followed Suika to the beginning of the caves. The dank depths had been cleared of the monstrous Styles, ensuring a pleasant trek back. Once at the outside of the forest country, Suika reached into a gap within the wall. She pulled out two fine glasses like those at a bar. They had an apple juice inside them with a straw, and a cucumber decoration on the rim, resembling Suika's helmet.
"Suika was saving these to drink when she got back." She held them up to the spirits. "But Suika wants to thank the angels for helping her."
Dimentia and Leic politely took either glass. "When you drink half of it, put Suika's helmet in the glass."
Following her instructions, they sipped the straws. The first taste alone felt refreshing enough after such an excavation. Then, with half the drink gone, they put the cucumber helmet in. They sipped the rest.
A taste of watermelon flooded their mouths. With apple transforming to watermelon, thanks to an addition of cucumber, it was a magical feeling with a heavenly taste. A sun was shining over their hearts as they felt their souls drift to Melon Heaven.
"Suika's friend made it for her. It's called 'Two-Side Sunshine.'"
"Two-Side Sunshine… It really is." Dimentia said with bliss.
It was clear that Suika was a blessed child… but to receive such a divine gift from her… the spirits also felt blessed. To be thanked and rewarded by such a pure soul… there was no greater feeling. …Though now that Dimentia thought about it, this type of glass was very unusual for this region of Historia… or even the planet in general. It felt… too modern. If she didn't know better, she would've suspected these were snuck onto the planet by someone… Well, it probably wasn't her problem, either way.
With a final farewell, Suika began to roll her way back home. "Honestly, how could you fill her head with such ludicrous thoughts?" Plex asked. "Calling her a blessed child, saying the gods will serve her, she'll think she can get away with anything! What if Sylistys and her goons return, she could never survive on that dumb luck forever!"
"Plex, there are some powers in the universe that go beyond gods or demons." Dimentia replied with a knowing smile. "There are many people in this universe alone with that kind of blessedness… and Suika is one of them."
"As if 'blessedness' alone ever stopped the Daemonis. If you weren't around, Dimentia, she would've been killed, simple as that."
"Hee hee… you really don't understand, do you?" She giggled at the apparent obliviousness.
"Excuse me?"
"Dimentia, not to interrupt you and your Imaginary Friend," Leic cut in, "but should we try looking for Stylist some more?"
"Oh, yeah, I guess we should. What do you think was going on with her just then?"
"She prob'ly had to use the bathroom!" Leic grinned.
"Ha ha ha! Then let's ambush her there!"
"Good idea!" Leic hopped onto her shoulders and Ascended them to the Spirit World.
Spirit World; Coffee Lake
The Coffee Lake resembled exactly what it was named for, a great lake of boiling chocolate with waterfalls of cream or sugar. People rode on cup-shaped boats, dipping smaller cups in to take drinks.
A group of high schoolers occupied a table. There was a blonde boy, Ryuji, rather strong and lean; Yusuke, a slender boy with dark-blue hair, dressed cleanly with a handsome frowning face; Ann, a perky blonde girl with pigtails and light clothing; Makoto, a mature-looking girl with short brown hair and a white blouse; and Futaba, a frail girl with long orange hair, big round glasses, and heavy pants and shoes. Futaba was positioned on her seat like a frog.
Joker, wearing glasses and a modest uniform, joined his friends at the table with Morgana; the short Mobian cat looked rather out-of-place compared to the humans. They waited for a while until Joker acknowledged Nolan approaching their table. (Maria's carriage was casually strolling far behind him.)
"Stranger, twelve o'clock!" Futaba alerted, darting her eyes like a sniper gun.
"Relax, this is the man I was waiting for." Joker assured. "He calls himself Sandman. Sandman, these are my friends." He went over their names.
"This guy has a beef with Skull Face the same as we do." Morgana informed. "And he wants to help us."
"We can't just have some old guy crashin' our style." Ryuji remarked. "Hell, the whole point of us is we don't let adults tell us what to do."
"Honestly, I'm not that old. I didn't even live to be 40. Anyway, you said you've found where your friend is being held, right?"
"I've drawn a map of Silent Hill." Yusuke splayed it open on the table. "This hotel is where they're holding Haru captive. We are expected to get on a boat near Rosewater Park, and be transported to this island on Toluca Lake. Once Skull Face sees that we have the Voice, he claims he will send for a man to bring Haru from the hotel."
Nolan could see that small island was perfectly in the path between the park and Lakeview Hotel on their opposite shores. "Listen, we may have the Voice, but we can't hand it over to him. My friend is working to construct an identical copy."
"But is that really going to fool Skull Face?" Makoto asked.
"And what's to stop him from doing the same? One of Skull Face's accomplices has the power to summon replicas of people. There's a chance he could bring a replica over and not the real Haru. Joker and I are going to sneak over to this hotel and investigate it. When does the meeting take place?"
"He said he was a patient man. He said to take our time, so long as we bring it before too long. And that he'll be waiting."
"That's very strange… considering how tight his schedule must be. Hmm…Joker, you and I are going to ride there together. We'll approach Silent Hill from the northwest and make our way to the hotel. We'll sneak in and rescue Haru. Meanwhile, one of my other friends will be on standby with a sniper ready, watching the island and the route to the hotel. When we rescue Haru, you'll make your way to the island and lure him out for the meeting. He'll shoot Skull Face, either if he sees through the trick and tries to attack you, or if he rows to the hotel to retrieve Haru. In either scenario, one of our groups will have to jump him immediately after the surprise attack. Do everything you can to subdue him."
"But there's all kinds of dark spirits roaming that town." Ann said. "What if he trained them as guards?"
"Meager dark spirits aren't much to worry about. The only concern is if he has his accomplices with him. If the situation appears too dangerous, make your escape. Since you're not really dead, you should easily be able to return to the Mortal World."
"Not if we're in a dark place like Silent Hill." Morgana replied. "We can't Descend from a place with bad chi."
"Perhaps we should consider my plan to remodel Mona into a helicopter." Futaba suggested.
"Don't tear apart my soul like that!" The friends chuckled at Morgana's frustration.
"I have a car that works with remote control." Nolan mentioned. "Goes over water, too. If we keep in contact with each other, I'll send it over if things go south. If we focus and cooperate carefully, we'll keep both Haru and the Voice out of Skull's hands."
"Wait, excuse me?" Ryuji replied with a scowl.
"You know, Skull Face?"
"Oh, right." Ann chuckled awkwardly. "I just realized, Ryuji's codename is Skull. …That's gonna be a little confusing. Maybe we'll just stick to calling him Skull Face."
"I run across that problem a lot." Nolan replied. "I had two friends named 'Crystal.'"
"Speaking of Skull Face," Futaba began, "even if we attempt a sneak attack, it may not go that easily. When I examined him the first time, he had a Power Level around 19,000."
"For real?!" Ryuji exclaimed. "That's, like, Yonko Commander level!"
"Yonko Who?" Nolan asked.
"It's Japanese for 'Four Emperors.'" Makoto clarified. "Ryuji was a big fan of the Pirate War."
"Damn straight! Just look at my Zanpakutō. Captain Kidd used to be a pirate way back in the old days. Fought with all kinds of big names back then, like Kaido or Cavendish."
"Regardless, that's pretty strong." Joker replied. "I'd advise retreating before anything else. Saving Haru takes priority at the moment. That being said… what vehicle will we be using, Sandman?"
Within a few moments, Joker was invited into Maria's dollhouse. "…" He was staring awkwardly out the window at his friends, who studied him like an identical figurine.
"Fascinating…" Yusuke said.
"Oooooo! A magical, portable storage house!" Futaba expressed in awe, her enormous glasses completely blocking Joker's view. "How do we get one of these?! I can be the same size as my action figures and do fights with them!"
"Don't stand around for too long." Nolan said. "We're trusting you with the secret, but we don't want too many outsiders to be wary of Maria."
"Right." Joker smiled awkwardly. "So, why don't we get started with the mission? …And give me some personal space."
Silent Hill
Silent Hill resembled a town from Earth that had long been shut down. This horrific town of mutant monsters also existed as the dreamscape of a man named James Sutherland. Perhaps due to some traumatic past, he envisioned his hometown as a world of nightmares, longing for punishment, and when he died, this dark representation of Silent Hill moved from the Dream World to Spirit World.
The Phantom Thieves were hidden in an alleyway as Futaba studied a digital map. They were all dressed in their thief attire, with Futaba wearing a skin suit with green lines and big red goggles. "It's hard to get a read on the life-forms here with all this fog in the air. Keeps interfering with my sensors."
"At least the snow makes this place feel pretty." Makoto said, entranced by the gentle flurries drifting in the fog.
"Pardon me, but… this does not feel like snow." Yusuke replied somberly, catching one of the flurries to taste it. "It feels… more like… ash."
"A-a-a…ash?!" Makoto paled behind her black mask. "Is this air polluted or something?! W-Why would you just taste that?!"
"Hey, settle down!" Morgana ordered in a hushed tone. "Let's keep a low profile until Joker sends the signal. We really have to be on point with this operation."
Solid Snake had made his way to a coast along Sandford Street, close to the hotel, on his front and eye trained in his sniper. He was studying the island, the meeting point in the middle of the lake, intently. "This fog is unbearable… but I still have a decent visual on the island. Skull Face won't go down with just a sniper shot… but it'll give us a better chance at subduing him. I better be on point for this…"
Maria was calmly steering her carriage around the northwest side of the foggy town. Sandman and Joker were treated to a meal prepared by Gohda, complete with coffee from the lake to keep their energy invigorated and their minds focused. "So, Joker… you say all your friends learned Zanpakutō abilities?"
"Yes. It was quite simple, once they had been introduced to this world."
"Simple? Heh…I've been dead for almost five months and I still haven't been able to learn my Zanpakutō's name. Just how much training do you have to accomplish?"
"It isn't really a matter of training or Power Level. From what I understand… the Zanpakutō decides when you're ready to learn its name."
"But how does it decide?"
"It differs from person to person. However, each of my friends had similar desires: we decided to free ourselves of the oppression set by our superiors and stand against them."
"Stand against our superiors, huh? Well, that's something I've mastered since I was a kid… so, that's probably not the answer."
"I'm sure it'll awaken to you soon." Joker smiled in support.
"York-san, this seems like a good place to get off." Maria reported, driving through a small gorge in the ground.
"Maria, protect the Voices for me. Signal us if you're attacked or anything."
"You can leave it to Maria and Gohda-san!"
Stage 3: Silent Hill
Mission: Rescue Haru and attempt to subdue Skull Face.
Sandman and Joker exited the dollhouse, discretely approaching Silent Hill. The first creatures to bother them were Creepers, insects that were larger than their shoes, but rendered useless with a few strong stomps. They followed a road within a small trench, but hid behind a rock: a Feral was sniffing along the ground, a skinless canine creature with blood dripping. The Feral felt their scent and sniffed toward them—Joker nimbly pounced the beast for a Silent KO. They were nearing a tall fence with barb wire, with nurse-like monsters guarding the other side and faced away from them. Toward the left were some thin ledges going up the cliff wall. Joker leapt up those ledges and onto one of the poles of the fence, so Sandman followed the young man's example. They positioned their selves on poles directly above the Bubble Head Nurses, and at the same time, they dropped on the nurses and KO'ed them, with Joker yanking off one's face into a mask.
They progressed, seeing the Lakeview Hotel forming from the fog. There were three monstrous patrol cars circling the perimeter, and humanoid monsters called Lying Figures slogging around the hotel's back patio. The duo ducked and crawled immediately after a car passed, crossing the road and hiding under one of the patio tables. There was no way to avoid a direct battle, so they jumped the first two Lying Figures. The others retaliated by shooting poison mist at the intruders. Luckily, Sandman's gas mask protected him from the poison, so he sliced the monsters to down them. Joker dodged behind one to slice it up, then threw its body into another.
After defeating the beasts, the two crept down and peered through a window into the back room. There was a four-legged creature creepily crawling around the room (resembling a woman's legs connected at a center), and the door was locked. They searched toward the right and saw a strip of building broken off. Joker hopped on a table, then leapt to the gutter along the wall, from which he could crawl into that opening. Now above the backroom, he dropped from a vent onto the Mannequin creature, KOing it. He unlocked the door for Sandman.
They followed a passage to a stairwell that had security lasers along the steps. They would have to jump and clamber across a ceiling grate, setting foot on the floor above. There were multiple doors to different rooms, but nothing to obstruct them.
Thump…thump…
They heard footsteps from the corner ahead. Sandman and Joker hid behind separate doors: a pyramid-headed monster with a muscular body and large knife stomped around the corner and down the passage. Sandman looked to Joker, who shook his head 'no' in the narrow gap of his door. They were simply patient as the monster slowly passed them, trudging down the stairs. Once they were sure it was gone, they stepped out. "That thing possessed a powerful aura." Nolan whispered. "I see why you didn't want to fight it."
"Let's be sure to avoid it. Still… I have to admit, it would make a pretty cool mask."
They crouched before that right corner, seeing a security camera. Joker noticed an electrical outlet in the wall. "I have something." He plugged a charger into it, connected to his smartphone. "Oracle, this is Joker. I need your skills."
"Right away, Bro." The phone became static as Futaba appeared to be hacking it.
"Wow, her name's Oracle." Nolan remarked, thinking of a Batman reference. "Wait, did she call you 'Bro'? Are you related?"
"She's my Coffee Sister."
"Coffee Sister." Nolan nodded, pretending to understand that meaning. "Yeah…"
"Her Zanpakutō has the power to hack networks, and she can hack them through our phones as well. She's going to make the cameras repeat static recordings, so we won't be spotted. Of course, I'll have to take the phone with me, so we only have a minute." With that assured, they passed the camera before it could regain sight. They were shortly stopped by a door with a code terminal and another outlet. Joker plugged Futaba into the system again. "Oracle, could you open this door for us?"
"That's a negatory; it's one of those old-timey terminals. However, there is a camera on the opposite side. Give me a sec." In a sec, the phone played a recording of Pyramid Head coming down some stairs. The creature inputted a code in a terminal on the opposite side: 9182. Sandman typed that code, but it was unaccepted. …Wondering if it worked the opposite way, he typed 2819, and it unlocked. Futaba also made sure the camera wouldn't notice them as they passed the door and up the stairs.
They stayed down as they crossed the next hall and peered into a dining room. "…!" Sandman recognized the blonde man at a table, President Valentine. Across from him was a girl with fluffy pink hair under a cavalier hat with a large black feather, a mask, and a pink blouse under a black corset.
"America has become a rather pitiable place thanks to the World Government's corruption. My wish was to become one of them… but I was sorely mistaken. Never once did they value my influence."
"I'm terribly sorry." The girl bowed her head sadly. "You seem like a very kind man… and yet, with your own position of power, even you were under the leash of corrupt adults."
"Indeed… but even as I lay dead, I will ensure that America remains the strongest country in the world. A country of peace and prosperity. Terrorists like Skull Face will not have their way with my people."
"Then I'll do my best to make sure you succeed."
"You have my thanks, dear Noir."
Sandman and Joker returned downstairs and hid in a room. "That was Haru. But… why was she just talking to him like that?"
"That's the man I was talking about. That must have been a clone of Haru." Sandman deduced. "He's probably going to hand the fake over and keep the real one for leverage."
"Then where could the real Haru be?"
"She couldn't be far from here… but if Valentine's around, it'll be difficult to get her out. …Joker, I think we should begin the tradeoff now. Maybe we can trick him into leaving and search for the real Haru before they realize what's up?"
"Very well…" Joker called his friends and explained the situation.
…
"A fake Haru?" Ryuji questioned.
"Just as he predicted." Makoto replied. "Okay… let's go. Joker's going to have a pretty tight window to save Haru and pull that sneak attack on Skull Face. …That's even assuming it won't be left to us."
"Hey, it's the six of us against him, he don't stand a chance."
"But he's over 19,000!!" Futaba exclaimed.
"Just leave the talking to me." Makoto stated. "We need them to lure that Valentine person out of the building."
The Phantom Thieves made their way to the coast near Rosewater Park. There was a collection of rowboats, so the boys occupied one while the girls took another. They felt nervous as they rowed across the misty lake, with only a faint light to serve as their guide. "Hm? Is this a radio?" Yusuke asked, pushing a button on the device.
"Row, row, row your boat, gently down the stream! Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream~"
Ryuji turned it off. "Don't just give us away like that!"
"But they should already know we're coming, anyway." Ann replied.
"I know! But in this type of place, that song don't settle my nerves at all."
The thieves docked at the central island. From his position, Snake could vaguely make out their forms. "Skull Face! We have what you want! Now, bring Haru back to us!" Makoto called out.
A shadowy figure calmly walked out from behind a hill. Skull Face stepped into their full view. "Show it to me."
"…" Makoto nervously opened the case, exposing the blue orb with a song note. "It's right here. Now, show us Haru."
"…" He seemed to stare at the orb for a moment. The thieves were alert as he reached into his pocket… and withdrew a communicator. "Valentine… bring the girl."
In the hotel, Valentine stood from his seat and said, "It's time to hand you over. Come."
"Yes, Mr. President." Haru smiled politely and followed him.
As Sandman and Joker listened, they could only hear a single pair of footsteps passing the room. …They carefully peeked out the door, but confirmed that both Valentine and Haru were leaving. "Valentine's footsteps… make no sound?" Nolan whispered.
"Let's hurry." Joker exited and returned upstairs. Sandman followed, the two studying the dining room and finding another stairwell behind a door. The stairs were filthy with dried blood, and they led to a wide, empty chamber covered by a decorative red carpet.
"JOKER!" a voice suddenly called out. With a gasp, they faced up, seeing two Pyramid Heads on an upper level. A girl was suspended upside-down, resembling the one who was just with Valentine.
"Noir!" exclaimed Joker. "So, that other one really was a fake!"
"Joker, be careful! These are copies of the strongest spirit on Silent Hill, Pyramid Head! That man used his power to make them!"
"Their auras don't feel as strong as the one we just saw." Nolan said. "We can take these two together, Joker!" (Play "Mini-boss" from Spongebob: BFBB!)
The twin Pyramid Heads faced each other. With spears in hand, they leapt off the ledge, twirling them in a mirrored fashion as they faced their foes vigorously. They twirled and danced in the center of the room, a circle of spears piercing the floor and ceiling. "They're… quite groovy, aren't they?" Joker asked.
"Now I'm positive these are clones." Sandman remarked.
"Sandman, my Arsene has another ability: if I manage to rip off two masks at the same time, I can fuse them into a single mask with a stronger spirit. Do you mind if we try to do that, in case we'll have to face the main Pyramid Head?"
"Your call, kid."
Boss fight: Pyramid Twins
The twin monsters did a little jig as the spears thrusted in and out with their movements. After every few seconds, the Pyramids would jab toward the duo, the spears doing the same, prompting Sandman and Joker to duck and get between. However, it was during these jabs that they were stopped briefly enough for the two to jump in. The heroes got to opposite sides and clashed with either Pyramid Head simultaneously. Sandman zapped Pale Lightning against one's chest, but the beast endured and jabbed. Sandman grabbed the spear and tried to tug it away, and at the same time, Joker donned the mask of the Bubble Head Nurse to be impaled by his Pyramid's spear.
Both heroes saw the backs of either Pyramid and launched energy ropes at them. They latched the heads of the opposite ones and forcefully pulled them into each other. With that, Joker pounced on the conjoined Pyramids and struggled to tear their heads off, but the monsters shook him away. They willed spears to stick up and push them away. Spears were circling around and enveloping the whole inner circle of the room. Sandman tried to Line Launch at them, but quickly changed course when they nearly stabbed him.
Nolan noticed that he accidentally kicked the heads off some of the spears, but they would reform from energy. Sandman used the Launcher again, changing course repeatedly to kick the spearheads off. Joker then used Flash Steps to jump across the hilts, and when a Pyramid tried to jab him, he grabbed its spear. The rotating hilt he was on continued moving, causing him to pull the spear around and against the other Pyramid. They stumbled as the other spears sank into the floor. Sandman and Joker roped the opposite Pyramid and tugged them into each other. Joker pounced the twin monsters and pulled their heads. Sandman could see faint lights appear, signaling Joker's power take effect, but they were able to shake him off again.
Both Pyramids jumped to opposite ends of the room, their spears on fire as they quickly rotated, maintaining their exact distance. They halted, leapt, and threw their spears at the duo. They dodged, the spears left stabbed in the ground, but the Pyramids conjured new ones. The heroes tried to search for some sort of opening, dodging once more when they threw the spears again. "Joker, like this!" Sandman latched a rope to an opposite spear's hilt, and Joker latched the spear on Sandman's side. They waited for the Pyramids to rotate to their ends, and both forcefully tugged their ropes at the same time, yanking and flinging the discarded spears into the monsters.
The Pyramids were impaled in the stomach, but still standing and groaning. The heroes roped the hilts again and ran past each other, pulling the Pyramids over via the spears. They forced the Pyramids into crashing, leaving Joker to leap and grab both heads again. With one final tug, the Pyramid Heads were completely unmasked. Their heads fused into a single, six-sided pyramid. (End song.)
Joker leapt up onto Haru's ledge and untied her, allowing her to land right-side-up. "Thank you so much, Joker. I'm so sorry to have troubled you like this."
"It's all right. But we have to go, the others will need our help."
"Oh, of course!" Haru followed them with a gasp as they headed downstairs. "But might I ask what's happening? Who is this man?"
"Snake," Sandman picked up his Soul Phone, "how's the tradeoff going?"
"Sandman, Maria just called! The Voices, they…!"
"What happened to the Voices?!"
Maria's carriage
A few moments beforehand, Gohda was helping the stuffed dolls clean the living room. "Huh?" He noticed the Voice of Lingering Regrets began to shake inside its bag. "…?!" Arms and legs sprouted out of the orange orb. The butler backed away in fear as the Voice seemed to grow a body: an orange, robed creature with wide, sad eyes. "M-M-M-Maria-chan!"
"Huh?" Maria peered into the window, curious what Gohda's concern was. "WAAAAH!" The Voice suddenly jumped out of the dollhouse, carrying the Voice of Lost Time in its arms as it scampered off. "Th-The Voice! Wait, come back!" Maria whipped the reins of her rocking horse and tried to give chase.
"Maria-chan, wait! Call the grown-ups, this could be dangerous!"
Toluca Lake
The Phantom Thieves watched patiently as a boat was sailing from the lake behind Skull Face. …Haru was riding the boat, but the person with her wasn't Valentine, it was Pyramid Head. They nearly shirked at the sight of the imposing spirit, and its presence felt heavier as they stepped on land. "…You thought you could trick me with that fake Voice?" Skull Face smirked.
The thieves flinched at the question. "Accusin' us of bringin' a fake?!" Ryuji shouted. "Well, look who's talkin'!"
"Oh? So, you already know this isn't the real Haru?"
"You were never planning to honor your agreement!" Morgana shouted. "You'll never get your hands on the real Voice!"
"I already have, Kitten. But I'll leave Valentine to retrieve them. Pyramid Head can have you all." Skull Face ducked behind his hiding place and seemed to disappear in a flash.
"W-Where did he go?!" Ann exclaimed.
"Foolish thieves!" proclaimed the fake Haru. "That was merely a parallel summoned by Valentine!"
"WATCH OUT!" cried Futaba as Pyramid Head raised its Great Knife. The knife sent a deadly shockwave that split the land. Fake Haru used her Zanpakutō, Milady, to attack Makoto and split her into three copies.
"Captain KIDD!" Ryuji summoned his sword's spirit, a red-haired, roguish young man with an open jacket. His right, mechanical arm punched Fake Haru, turning her magnetic as Pyramid's knife was drawn to her, weighing Haru down.
"Grr, dammit!" Snake cursed at the dire situation, shooting the sniper at Pyramid's head. The head bent as the beast stumbled, and then Yusuke used his paintbrush Zanpakutō, Goemon, to try and trap him in a painting. Pyramid Head fought out of the frame and leapt to reclaim his knife, forcing Haru off and kicking her away. Ann attacked him with her whip, Carmen, and each blow would add an extra layer of clothing over the beast, causing him to grow heavy and struggle to swing his weapon. Ann jumped away from a forceful swing, and Pyramid began to cut the clothing off.
Morgana KO'ed Fake Haru while she was down, allowing the three Makotos to reform into one. Makoto mounted her motorcycle, Johanna, which conjured energy spheres on the ground. She spun as the cycle hit the spheres into Pyramid with strong force.
"Guys, Sandman is sending his Soulmobile to your location. We have Haru, but it sounds like the Lost Voices were stolen!"
"Stolen?!" Makoto yelled into the communicator. "How did they figure out our plan?!"
"I don't know, but for now, we should make our escape. Is it there, yet?"
They saw a vehicle zooming along the lake, driving up on the island and swerving to a halt. "WAAAAAH!" Morgana cried, nearly flung over by the turning craft. "IT'S HERE, IT'S HERE!"
"I'm calling shotgun!" Ryuji jumped into the seat.
"Super less dorky!" Futaba ran and tripped, her front falling against the rim of the car.
"Less dorky than what?!" Mona yelled in defense, scrambling into the car. The other thieves hopped in, and Futaba pushed the rest of herself in, flipping up and lying across Yusuke and Ann's laps. Makoto took the driver seat, but merely held onto the wheel as the car zoomed itself away from the island.
Meanwhile, Valentine had taken another car and was blissfully driving away from the town. In the foggy expanse, an orange light was running around the field. Valentine drove to catch up and park in its way. He held a phone down to the creature. "Your master is on the phone."
"It's alright, precious. No need to fear this man." Skull Face's voice said.
The creature made a confused sound and cocked its head in such a way. "(Mas…ter?)" it spoke in an unusual language.
"My parasites have grown accustomed to you well, I see. Rest assured, young Voice. You will be remembered soon."
"(Remembered… soon?)" the curious creature asked. "(I'll… be… remembered?)"