The upcoming backstory was provided by Sarstar98!
"In hindsight, I don't think falling off this thing was a good idea!" Yuzu cried as they plummeted along the edge of the pillar with terrific velocity. "We're going to hit that platform!"
"Hey, a little freefalling never hurt anybody!" Kat exclaimed with enthusiasm before willing them all to float in place. She safely lowered them onto the platform.
"Hoo…well, that was a thrill!" Augustus perked up, letting his heart settle for a moment. "It's like skydiving without a parachute!"
"O-Tama believeth she hast gone to Heaven…" Tama moaned.
Yuzu held her stomach as she looked over the edge of the platform. There appeared to be red and black clouds circling the pillar, striking pink lightning. "Are those clouds? Just how high up are we?"
"That's a Gravity Storm." Kat replied. "They exist all along the pillar. The only way past them is through the Temporal Tunnels."
"Temporal Tunnels?"
"Basically, time is frozen, but we'll be alright. But we still have more platforms to drop down."
"Oh, boy…"
Kat shifted gravity toward the next platform as they took the fall once more, and shortly after landing, they fell to the next one, the town of Hekseville drawing further and further to the sky. The atmosphere grew more unsettling the further they fell, like falling into a void of no return. With one more fall, they were nearly at the looming Gravity Storm, but Kat directed them to a wide branch jutting from the pillar, the end of it open to reveal its hollow interior. She landed them on the rim of the branch. "My bending will be hindered in the Temporal Tunnels, so you'll have to watch your steps."
"We'll be able to make it back up, right?" Yuzu asked worriedly.
"Yeah, we will. Don't worry." Kat smiled. "Just stick together and we'll be fine." (Play "Strange Universe" from Gravity Rush!)
Menu 4: Cosmonuts
Recipe: Follow the Gourmet Corp. agents down the pillar.
Act 1: Temporal Tunnels
Kat bent the gravity along the tunnel to allow her friends to sit down and slide along the vertical entrance. "I can only think of one thing those hunters would be searching for in the core: the Calaziali."
"Calazi…whaty?" Augustus asked.
"Some call it the Starmaker. It's an ancient space squid said to be able to consume planets and create stars, as well as draw in huge quantities of Space Chi. Some say it's the very reason Zathura is so abundant with Space Chi."
"A giant squid that ate planets?" Yuzu replied.
"That's what the legends say. But as you could expect, the Starmaker was extremely dangerous, so God Palkia created the planet that would be known as Zathura to seal it away. …We're here." They had arrived at a strange, wavy entrance. "My bending won't work well past here. Careful not to fall."
They passed the waviness and entered an extremely vast, deep chasm composed of a white, bone-like interior. The crew had to carefully balance along a rounded path, following other such paths that sloped further down. There were round Nevi called Minaye that were jutting out spikes, floating around the cavern. Augustus had to wait for their spikes to retract before throwing his Gobstopper at their eyes.
"They couldn't risk the Calaziali escaping from its prison, so the gods harnessed the power of Jirachi and created two Star Spirits: Estelle the Winking Star and Nostura the Bottomless Star. Estelle used her melodic voice to put the Calaziali to sleep. Nostura was a dark matter Ztar that created a sub-dimension, a 'cradle' to hold the beast. And the entrance to that dimension was in Zathura's core."
"Sniff, sniff, sniff…" Still in Kat's arms, Courage caught a whiff of something. "Aroo! Aroo!" He jumped out and pointed across a path to a tunnel.
"Are you saying they went that way?" Kat asked. "Alright, lead the way!"
Courage sniffed along the ground as the crew followed carefully. "As the ages passed, Estelle and Nostura had developed love for each other, and they sought to do other activities beyond their endless duty of securing the Starmaker. They began to take longer and frequent breaks, but this caused their hold over the beast to wane. It began to awaken and tried to breach its sub-dimension, and it had accumulated so much chi in its slumber that they were unable to put it to sleep again. So, the two lovers combined their power, both to reseal the sub-dimension and to knock it into eternal slumber. But in doing so, their spiritual bodies were destroyed, but their scattered remnants would give birth to the Zathurians."
"Hang on, how far back does this story go?" Augustus asked. "If that's how the Zathurians were born, then this dates back to Old Zathura, right?"
"Wait!" Yuzu gasped. "You said the Starmaker was sealed in a sub-dimension. On the way here, our friend explained that, when Old Zathura was destroyed, some of the inhabitants were blown into a sub-dimension: it was this one. And they landed on this planet and established New Zathura."
"Yeah, I know about that story." Kat replied. "…Oh!" She perked up in casual realization. "You mean that this is the same dimension as the squid, right?"
"Didn't you already piece that together?!" August exclaimed.
"I mean, they're just bedtime stories, I don't really think about them too much!"
"But that means we're on top of the squid right now, ain't it? Is it still asleep?"
"I would sure hope so." Kat shrugged simply. "Or else the planet would've ripped apart by now."
"Then that means Gourmet Corp. is trying to wake up the Starmaker!" Yuzu exclaimed.
"Well, with any hope," August said, "they would actually kill it first, if they're planning to eat it."
"Captain!"
"Relax, we'll stop them either way!"
They followed Courage to an exit with a similar wavy appearance. They were led back outside as Kat could feel her bending return, and it seemed they were under the Gravity Storm. They dropped down onto a platform as Courage sniffed to the left edge. There was a platform to either side and several hundred yards down, but they followed Courage's nose and dropped toward the left one. Small, bug-like Nevi called Are attacked with their whip-like appendages, but Kat easily dealt away with them with kicks while Tama bashed their eyes with her staff. Courage sniffed toward the right, so the group made the long drop down that side as Kat landed them safely on the platform.
Courage's nose directed to another entrance into the pillar. They leapt inside and passed the gate to the Temporal Tunnel. Staying cautious on the ledge above the bone-like chasm, it seemed their only way across to the next platform was via some frog-like Nevi, hopping on smaller platforms. They leapt and bounced across the Fugare to reach the ledge. From there, they jumped into a hole, plummeting to a lower level as their fall was broken by a huge, bouncy flower. Afterwards, they carefully stepped down a thin, sloped bone leading toward a tunnel.
They exited the temporal zone as the tunnel became steeper, so Kat used the Gravity Slide to carry them down faster. The tunnel led outside, but Kat kept them sliding along the side of the Great Pillar. A wall was about to impede them, but some Mosui Nevi were lined up like stairs, allowing the group to jump up the insects and get over the wall with aid from the momentum. "Huh? This way?" Kat asked as Courage was sniffing toward the left. She shifted their sliding in that direction as they went partially around the pillar.
"Hahaha! O-Tama hast found new joy in falling!"
"You've never been to any playgrounds, have you, Tama?" August asked. "I'll bet Zathura has tons of gravity slides!"
"Yeah, but they don't measure up to this scale!" Kat cheered. "Hah, if only this place weren't so dangerous, it would be an epic playground!"
The crew would have to momentum-bounce up a stairway of more Mosui, leading into another hollowed branch. Kat steered them in a circle as they looped around and down the tunnel, but once they landed on a stable ledge, she finally stopped the sliding. The group viewed into the deep, seemingly endless pit. "Man, this place even gives me the creeps." Augustus said. "What's with these giant bones? Outside, it looks like a giant tree, but did it used to be some other creature?"
"Oooohhh…" Courage whimpered and shuddered at the very idea.
"Aww, it's okay, little guy." Kat smiled. "Even if it did use to be a creature, it's been dead long enough for us to build society on it!"
"(Gee, that's comforting…)" Courage remarked sarcastically.
"August'n, O-Tama is wishing she hath stayed above." Tama shuddered, clinging the captain's leg in comfort.
"But you were just having fun, Tama."
"Sliding was fun, but O-Tama fears falling where she canst not see."
"I could bring her back up real quick if you want." Kat said.
"But we need you to get us down before they get to the Starmaker." Augustus reminded. "Tama, just relax." The teen put a comforting hand to Tama's shoulder. "There's nothing we'll find down here that's scarier than anything we've dealt with. You'll be safe with us, okay?"
"Mmm…" Tama gazed up at her captain with worry brewing in her eyes, trying to find solace in his confident smile. "O-Tama trusts thee, August'n."
The child climbed up onto his back and held on for safety. With one last breath, the group dove into the abyss. Kat made sure she was close to them, ready to use her bending to save them if danger came. UUUUUURRRR… A portentous, whirring sound vibrated the air.
"AAAAAAAHH!" screamed Courage.
"Calm down! It's probably just another Nevi!" Kat assured him.
They fell for a moment longer, the air relatively quiet. However, the tension they felt from that echoing sound kept them extremely alert. Uuuuurrr…
"Awoo-woo-woo-wooooo!" whimpered Courage.
"Hey, if anybody's in here, just show yourself already!" Kat demanded.
"Doth not anger ravenous beastie!" Tama panicked.
"It kind of sounds like a ship." August replied. "Like when it's sailing up to port and has to make a complete sto-"
"EEEEHHH!" A giant robot lunged down from above and slashed claws, but Kat was quick to redirect gravity and land them on the side of the tunnel. (Play "Obstacle in our Path" from Xenoblade Definitive!)
"I can't believe you snot-nosed kids got here already!" yelled the cranky, elderly voice of Eustace. "And what're you doing with the enemy, ya stupid dog?!"
"Woh-woh-woh!" Courage cowered.
"It's the robot from Mira!" Augustus recognized.
"So, you're the 'owner' of this sweet little puppy?" Kat inquired.
"Bah! Muriel found this mangy mutt abandoned and let him into our house. Makin' me spend mah money on dog food and useless… Courage, get yer butt back over here! You wanna see Muriel again or not?"
"Who's Muriel?" Yuzu asked with a glare. "Are you holding her hostage?!"
"What? No! Muriel's my wife, dagnabbit! Oh, but SHE didn't wanna come with me to outer space, even after I got this sweet new job at Gourmet Corp.. But I tells her, if you ain't comin', I'm takin' this stupid dog instead! She always liked Courage more than me. And I tells Courage, you better make yerself useful if you wanna go back home!"
"I think we can take him back ourselves." August smiled, discarding his lollipop. "You, on the other hand, can bugger off."
"You kids are gettin' buried alive! And since we're already underground, that saves me money on renting a gravesite! Ehk kek kek kek!"
Sub-boss: Eustace Bagge
Kat resumed their descent down the pit, but Eustace flew ahead of them. The Mechon launched missiles upward, but Augustus tossed his Gob-Spinner to strike and destroy them in a combo. Eustace readied his claws and flew up to slice them, but Kat suddenly pulled the group up in evasion. Once Eustace sliced, she then STAMPED her heels into the robot's eyes. "Eeeeeehhh!" Eustace's head spun around, and the group could fall past him. Kat saw a wide ledge coming up, so she decided to land her friends on it to catch their breath.
Eustace floated several meters above them and across the pit, shooting bullets. Augustus took the lead and hardened himself to withstand the bullets. "Abababa!" Courage blabbered as he pulled out a bombshell from his pouch.
"Ah! That should help!" Kat said, making the bomb float with anti-gravity. She then flew toward Eustace to land a kick, but the Mechon saw her coming and dodged, only for Kat to then direct the bombshell at him and explode his chest. "That's it! I'm gettin' me mallet!" Eustace extracted a large mallet and flew toward the Marzipans. Augustus smirked and thought it best to counter him with his Mallet technique, keeping Eustace's weapon aloft. Eustace poured more strength into his mallet, but Kat flew up to kick his chin from the side, spinning it around. His hold on the mallet weakened as the robot flew dizzily around the pit.
"Yuzu, change to your other self!" August ordered.
"Huh? Okay!" She cranked the dial and jolted. "SHYAH! Whatcha need, Cap?"
"Off with his head!" Augustus grabbed Yuzu's arm, whirled her around, and chucked her at the Mechon.
"Get ready to be butched, metal head!" Yuzunite whipped out a butcher's knife in mid-spin and sliced the robot's skinny, frail neck.
"EEEEEEHH!"
Kat caught Yuzu before she could fall, then flew to retrieve the others. "I could've helped with that!"
"Yeah, but we're the Combo!" August said.
Unable to see with the monitor, Eustace opened the chest of the robot, exposing himself. The angry elder chased them down the pit and readied his claws. Kat made them stop falling as August intercepted the claws with Fork, then Kat flew underneath to stamp her heel into his armored chest. The action forced Eustace away, then Kat resumed the fall for her friends. Eustace lunged downward, but August grabbed Yuzunite and kicked her straight up to grab onto the elder. "HEY, don't break my spine, man!"
"Ehh! Get off me, you wretched brat!" Eustace squirmed.
"Make me, Big Chin!" Yuzu clung onto Eustace and banged her head against his, while also using her knife to slice up the Mechon's wires.
The Marzipans finally landed at the bottom of the hole, watching as the Mechon crashed away from them. Yuzu leapt off, but Eustace recovered from the crashed heap. His suit extracted its own claws as he lunged at them, Augustus countering with his Fork technique. Kat leapt up to stomp down on him, but Eustace dodged, using his claws to defend from her kick attacks. Eustace kept backing up in the process, but Courage snuck behind and pulled out a banana peel from his pouch. Eustace tripped on the peel and fell back, allowing Kat to flip onto his stomach. "EEEEHH!" He hacked out a glob of spit.
"HYAH!" Tama proceeded to bash the man in the cranium and KO him with her staff. "O-Tama is not afraid of big-chinned beastie!" (End song.)
"Phew! Nice teamwork, ladies!" Augustus praised. "He didn't stand a chance!"
"You were a good little Pocket Pooch!" Kat knelt down and scratched the dog's ears. "Your name is Courage, huh? Well, you certainly have some, standing up to that mean old man!"
"(Aww, it was noth…)" Courage was about to reply modestly. "…Sniff, sniff." But a foul odor touched his nose. "Huh?! Oh-woo-woo!" He cowered behind Kat.
"Huh? What are you smelling now, boy?"
"You old men are useless." A gruff voice said.
Everyone directed their attention to a tunnel. A magenta-haired man with an orange tank-top and ripped cheek marched out, scratches all along his muscles. The man cracked his beefy neck. "So, are you the KND operatives tryin' to mess us up?"
"No way…" Augustus whispered. "Dude, that's Zebra! He's one of the Elite 4!"
Yuzu jolted back to Day Yuzu. "You mean the Gourmet Elite 4? Like Toriko?"
"You don't have to remind me who I am. Already had those amateurs, Iizuka and Mera to do that."
"Those two we met on Historia?!" Yuzu exclaimed. "What did you do to them?!"
"And what's with that hair?" August found a hint of familiarity. "You wouldn't happen to be a Linlin, would you?"
"Don't be ridiculous! I'm from the Fanalis tribe, dumbass. And if you don't wanna be ripped to shreds, you'd better turn around and climb back up."
"Why are you down here?" Kat asked.
"It's just like you were talking about. I'm here to kill the Calaziali."
"You heard us talking?"
"I have extremely good hearing. Don't tell me you're gonna try to stop me? If that Starmaker is just as bad as the legends say, the universe ain't gonna miss it."
"Figures you would say that." August smirked, unwrapping a new lolli. "This guy was locked in Zordoom for bringing 26 species to extinction."
"Twenty-six?!" Yuzu gasped. "That's awful! Even a Gourmet Hunter should have limits!"
"It ain't about limits, kid." Zebra stated, marching toward them imposingly. "Some monsters in this universe just ain't worth having around. If there's a really bad villain who has no redeeming factors, of course you're gonna kill them. Monsters like the Calaziali are no different. Monsters that exist to eat and destroy, killing billions for their own fulfillment. Instead of leaving this sleeping beast to itself, why not destroy it so it never has a chance to awaken and destroy everyone?"
"Why run the risk of letting YOU awaken it?" Kat glared. "And even if you could kill it, what if it destabilizes the planet in some way?"
"Heh. Why would God Palkia rely on this monster for the stability of Zathura? Didn't they already lose one?"
"I still can't agree with this." Yuzu said. "The Starmaker has been asleep all this time and it hasn't bothered anyone. It's probably happier this way, so can't you leave it in peace?"
"And what would be the difference if I kill it, anyway? Sleep and death are almost one in the same. And besides… I need a Fish item for my Full Course Menu. Squids count as fish, right?"
"I don't know, buddy." Augustus approached him with a cool smile. He stopped mere inches from the muscular man, having to crane his head up to meet his eyes. "I think we want the Starmaker on OUR menu. Fish dish."
"Then go ask those pansy Imuchakk for some, punk." Zebra jabbed a finger at August's chest and pushed him back. "You still suck on lollipops? I won't let some baby hunter take my prey."
"Lollipops keep me pacified. You could use about a million. Puh." August spat the stick onto Zebra's face.
"Oh, Captain…" Yuzu sighed.
"…" Zebra flicked the sticky stick away. "I guess baby needs a whooping." And he swung his arm and brutally SMACKED Augustus across the chamber and into the wall.
Augustus pushed himself out with an ecstatic smirk. "Wow, smacked by an Elite! What an honor!" With arms hardened, Augustus rushed up and threw punches at the older hunter, but Zebra had formed a Sound Shield around his body to withstand his attacks. He swung a hulking punch into August's abdomen and sent him flying several meters up. Kat attempted a Gravity Kick, only for Zebra to grab her legs, swing her around, and hurl her away. August dropped to the ground and returned once more. Zebra blasted a sonic wave, but August dodged and chucked his hardened Gobstopper straight at Zebra's teeth. This successfully stopped the sound, but Zebra was quick to unleash a Sonic Typhoon, blowing August, Kat, and Yuzu across the room.
Tama was low enough to avoid the wave, so she bravely rushed up with her staff raised. "Ayyyaaaahh-!"
Zebra easily gripped the child's head in his hand, which was roughly the same size as it. "Sweetie, this isn't a place for little kids, and it's rude to hit grown-ups." He yelled a gentle Song Road down at Tama's feet to whisk her across the room. Zebra then marched up to hoist Eustace over his shoulders, the lanky man going over him like a towel. "You picked the wrong prey to hunt, brats. Now, get lost and leave the Starmaker to me." He turned and charged back into the tunnel, Eustace's unconscious head bobbing and bumping against his back.
"Grrrr…" Yuzu growled, stretching herself up. "You know, I'm starting to think the Elite 4 are nothing but show-offy chumps!"
"Even if they are, it doesn't change the fact that they're strong." August replied. "Zebra may even be the strongest soundbender in the universe."
"But we're not letting him get away with this, are we?!" Kat yelled.
"You bet we aren't! Let's hurry, girls!" The crew raced into the tunnel, the inside of which seemed to sparkle like starlight as it sloped down. The tunnel grew ever steeper until they were falling down a bright, deep chasm. The chasm swirled like a portal, dizzying them as they fell.
"I think this is the portal!" Kat yelled. "This should bring us to the center of—OOF!" They collided with a surface.
"Ay-ay-ay…" Augustus sighed with a grunt, pushing himself up. …They were on some sort of bluish, rounded ground of an odd, rubbery texture. Augustus bopped it a few times with his fist. "…Whoa…"
Taking a moment to survey their surroundings, the rounded surface seemed to stretch for miles and make multiple, snaky curves. They could vaguely make out other such paths in the distance. They were splayed over a vast pool of bright pink ooze, and the "sky" of this realm appeared like streaks of galaxies and stardust in space.
Tama was a bit mesmerized by the sky, stepping forward a bit. "…Whoa-whooooaa!" She stumbled when the surface became steeper, but Kat rushed to grab the ninja by the hand. One of her sandals slipped off and fell into the pink ooze, causing it to implode in on itself.
"Looks like Spatial Magma. This is definitely the core." Kat said.
"Gourmerry…" the Firstborn sighed as if thinking that were obvious.
"That ain't the only thing." August said. "I think we're on the tentacle of the Starmaker."
"AIIIIYOO!" Courage yelped, pouncing into Yuzu's arms like Scooby-Doo.
"Captain, you may have to reconsider eating this thing. It's way too huge!"
"That only means we'll be able to prepare a bunch of it for the festival!"
"There's no way we'll be able to load this all onto our ship, not to mention actually getting everything out of here!"
"Don't we have more important things to worry about?!" Kat shouted. "Look! Zebra's already ahead of us!" She pointed to the far distance as Zebra was currently making a turn along the tentacle.
"He's probably going for the head!" August deduced. "Let's get 'im!" (Play "Purple Coins" from Mario Galaxy!)
Act 2: Cosmic Parade
The group began their race along the tentacle—"Guys, wait! What's that?" Yuzu suddenly stopped them. The others turned back around, seeing blue clouds of mist form where they just stood. These clouds poofed and became strange blue bodies decorated with stars, almost depicting a night sky. These bodies even assumed the shapes of the crew, including the Gourmerry shape on the Tama shape's back.
The Cosmic Clones were making strange movements reminiscent to what they were just doing. It was then the August clone charged forward and—"OW!" injured the teen upon touching him. It poofed into nothing, but another clone was forming to replace it. "Don't touch those things! Run!"
They sprinted faster than ever upon realizing the danger they were in. Their Cosmic Clones were in ceaseless pursuit, mimicking their speed and actions to the last detail. To make matters worse, dozens more clones were appearing after one-another, each mimicking every action. The tentacle was sloping downward into the Gravma, so Kat had to lift the group in gravity and quickly fly them to the other side before the clones could catch up. "Wait, why don't we just skip the whole course?!" Kat decided to try this and fly them up higher—Zebra blasted a soundwave from the distance and struck her, causing them all to plummet. "Whoooaa!" They slipped down the side of the tentacle until Kat recovered and changed gravity for them to stand on it. The Cosmic Clones were falling down in the same fashion, so the group hurriedly dodged and kept running.
There were long rows of large stars gracing over the tentacle. They saw a gap come up in the first row, so they jumped through it. They waited for a gap in the next row—"OW!" Tama was struck by her clone.
"Whoa!" Kat yelped, the others dodging as their clones caught up. "Man, we can't just stay and wait! These guys suck!" They were forced to move around in evasion, waiting impatiently for the gap to appear until they could charge through. The tentacle would curve down into the Gravma again as they would have to jump rotating rows of flat stars. The first one flew clockwise as they waited for the next row to appear, and they jumped to it as soon as it came out of the Gravma. The following row had fewer stars, so they were careful in jumping to one. The fourth row would carry them to the next part of the tentacle, but they had to jump Ztars that flew from the opposite end.
They could finally return onto the tentacle, sloping upward at a steep angle. Kat simply bent gravity to where they could slide upward, maneuvering around huge meteors that were rolling down. From atop the hill, the crew then had to slide a downward slope—Kat halted them as rows of Ztars were rotating to impede their progress, but with the Cosmic Clones closing in, Kat had to steer them around the segments in weird fashions to keep them out of the clones' path—"OW!" Unfortunately, Yuzu accidentally touched an August clone and was hurt. "I'm getting really claustrophobic!"
They were impatient as they awaited the gaps in the Ztars and were quick to go through them, but August scraped his arm on one of the dark stars. The tentacle led them into a tunnel within the Gravma, but a waterfall of the substance threatened to block them. Kat got them under in time as the Gravma fall destroyed the lines of clones behind them. The path reached a dead end with a gap above them, so Kat shifted gravity to fly them to a floating asteroid beyond the gap. Kat flew them to following asteroids, some of which had Ztars flying between them, so they had to go between gaps once more. However, Kat couldn't keep them elevated for too long or else Zebra's sonic wave would blast them, so they had to stay hidden behind the asteroids.
Kat then landed them on a platform within the Gravma, and there were multiple star pathways to carry them back to the tentacle. "I bet those clones are gonna come back. Let's split up!" Kat suggested. The teammates took separate Star Roads, and as they expected, Cosmic Clones were forming again. Unfortunately, it seemed there was a blue force-field up ahead, but when the clones crossed the stars, they turned blue. Perhaps turning all the stars blue would deactivate the barrier?
With this idea, Courage broke away from Kat to follow a separate route and lead his clones. Curiously, a set of platforms led to an island of dandelions, so Courage headed that direction. As he crossed through the giant dandelions, his clones disappeared, so he could give himself a break. …However, he felt a gentle paw pat his back. Courage nervously turned to find… a Kittentia smiling at him. "AAAAAHHH!" Courage bolted back across the platforms, but the Kittentia was chasing him, mimicking his movements just as the clones did.
The separate teammates followed a complex maze of Star Roads as an endless line of Cosmic Clones continuously crossed as well. From far away, it was rather fun to watch them all in synch, not a single one diverging from the paths set by their leaders. Eventually, all the stars were turned blue, so the group could bypass the disabled barrier. They regrouped on the tentacle and ran together with their parade of clones tailing behind, albeit Courage was only being chased by the Kittentia. They ran full speed toward the vast main body of the Starmaker, and by the time they were there, the Cosmic Clones poofed into dust. The Kittentia, meanwhile, hopped aboard a mini, star-shaped saucer and flew away to a little planetoid, where it proceeded to beat up some alien squirrels. (End song.)
The crew rushed toward the center of the squid, where Zebra awaited them. "Didn't I tell you chumps to beat it?" Zebra asked gruffly, cracking his knuckles.
"Snoooore…why don't I get a doggy mat…" Eustace mumbled, asleep on the ground behind him.
"How come those things didn't chase you?" Kat wondered.
"Must be because I made my footsteps soundless." Zebra pointed down at the waves around his shoes. "I didn't wanna wake it up too early, but I didn't expect a system like that."
"Don't you see that the Starmaker doesn't want to be disturbed? Why can't you leave it alone?"
"I already told you, Dollface. One day, this monster is gonna wake up, kill everyone, and not give a crap. I'm doing you a favor by ending it now. Besides, don't those Nevi things bug your town every day? You prob'ly wouldn't mind if I exterminated those things just the same."
"Some Nevi are friendly and can be domesticated. And even then, I wouldn't wish death on the whole species. They're a part of Zathura's nature."
"Don't be dumb! Monsters that live to kill for their own sake should be killed. Just ask the Rancores and that little village of Dryans on Secco. They don't miss those beasts one bit. Made good eatin', too. And speaking of eatin'… well, we got a small problem on our hands."
"You forgot to pack your lunch?" August asked.
"Piss off. What I'm sayin' is this Starmaker's skin is a little tough. Too tough for me to rip through. I might have to get inside this thing to destroy it."
"Ew, we shouldn't have come here." Yuzu cringed in disgust.
"But the only way in is through the mouth, and it's submerged under the pink stuff. Looks like the only way to bring it up… is to WAKE it up!"
"NO!" Kat flew at him.
"AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRHHHHHHHHH!" It felt as though a storm of sound were pounding them, crushing every single area of the squid's body.
"ARROOOOO!" Courage cried, clamping his ears shut. "(Wait!)" He just remembered he had several bundles of cotton in his pouch, so he placed them over his own and his friends' ears.
"That coulda helped us before!" August yelled, thankful that Zebra's vocals had become quieter. "Ugh, but I can still feel the vibration!"
Zebra's screaming eventually came to a halt, but the slumbering mass began to tremble. Several gigantic eyes popped open along the head of the Starmaker. "BLOOOOOOOOOOO!"
"Snoooore…meh, meh, I ain't leavin' mah chair…" Eustace mumbled in sleep.
"Better get to a safe place and watch!" Zebra said as he lifted Eustace and flew away on a Song Road. "You can stay if you want!"
The crew got down to maintain their selves on the rumbling surface. "Crap! How're we supposed to knock this thing back to sleep?!"
"…" Yuzu glanced down as she nervously contemplated a solution. "?" Along her right arm appeared to be some bluish stardust. It was probably left from when the clone hit her. Curious, she licked some up. "It's… tasty… and it kind of makes me lightheaded…! WAIT! Captain!"
"Huh?" August pulled the cotton off his ears.
"Those clone things were made of some sort of powder! I think it's a powder that helps you sleep!"
"It is?!" Kat pulled off her muffs to make sure she heard right. "Then it must be a security system designed to keep Calazala—coizoli—IT KEEPS THE SQUID ASLEEP!"
"We need to get some more and lead them over the eyes!" August declared. "Uh-oh! Watch out!" (Play "Black Doom" from Shadow the Hedgehog!)
Boss fight: Calaziali
The waking of the beast caused meteors to be drawn to its body, threatening to crush the intruders as they ran in evasion. Kat used her bending to stop some from crashing, but they could find no way to make Cosmic Clones appear. Kat viewed up at the "sky" to see a small Ztar Comet crossing overhead. She sent one of the meteors up to strike the comet, causing a cloud of dust to rain down and form into Cosmic Clones. Only one clone chased each teammate, and since there were five eyes on the Starmaker's head, they ran across those eyes. Tama cringed at feeling its squishy texture beneath her foot, but once each clone crossed an eye, they poofed into dust that eclipsed the eyes.
The wide, bloodshot eyes of the Starmaker became a bit calmer and softer. The titan released an eerie, echoing murmur as it raised smaller (but still large) tentacles up in attempt to crush the "creatures" on its face. Augustus struck some of the tentacles with Haki, using gentle attacks to prevent it from waking up further. Kat watched as some meteors came down, knowing she needed one to hit the comet, but Calaziali grabbed the meteors in its tentacles. It carefreely swung them about the air, so Kat took Augustus and flew up to one of them. They managed to land on the swaying meteor as August used his Mallet technique to bash it free, and Kat quickly directed it up to the Ztar Comet.
Dust rained onto the field again, magically reacting to the intruders and becoming Cosmic Clones. The team led them over the eyes once more, and when the clones poofed, the eyes half-closed. It was then the massive field began to suddenly curve left and right repeatedly, as if trying to shake its head awake. Kat could simply use her bending to keep them stable on the shifting field until it slowed to a halt.
"What do you clowns think you're doing up here?!" Zebra asked as he returned onto the field. "Can't you see this guy wants to wake up? Maybe it needs a little more encouragement! AAAAAAHHH!" The crew quickly placed their muffs in to withstand his scream, but they struggled to move toward the hunter.
Yuzu cranked her wristband dial and jolted to Yuzunite. "No biggie! I listen to loud music every night!" The chef charged toward Zebra, raised an empty pan, and swung it over his mouth. The soundwaves vibrated directly back into Zebra, but destroyed the pan in the process. "Dang it! She's gonna kill me for that!"
"Not before I do!" Zebra grabbed Yuzu by the head and threatened to squeeze her, but August tossed his Gob-Spinner to twist against Zebra's arm. Kat then dropped and wrapped her legs around his neck, trying to twist it, then Yuzu kicked up at his arm to force his grip off. Tama then slipped under Zebra's legs and whacked his crotch with her staff, making him flinch for a moment, but within that moment, Kat got off and stamped him in the head. "Argh! Well, let's see you put it to sleep without this! AAAAHH!" He bellowed a soundwave up at the Ztar Comet, steering it away from the area.
"You freakin' suck!" Augustus yelled, throwing a punch across his jaw. He was met with a kick from the Fanalis's beefy leg, bending August's hip as he flung away.
Yuzu gasped, looking toward the tentacled path they had come from: there was a great trail of the powder left by the swarm of Cosmic Clones. "Hey, Gravity Lady, can you use all that powder?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah!" Kat gasped at seeing the trail of powder and ran to use her bending to lift it all up. She flew skyward and directed the horde of powder at Calaziali's eyes—they were blocked by soundwave barriers. "OH, COME ON!"
"You're gonna give him serious pinkeye if you do that!" Zebra smirked, bellowing a wave up at the gravitybender.
"Thou art a very bad man!" Tama yelled. "WHOA!" She yelped when a smaller tentacle tried to grab her. "August'n! O-Tama is not looking to be snack!"
"Wait…" Yuzu jolted back to Yuzudaay. "What if it IS hungry? Tama! Throw a bunch of your dangos into the air!"
"Verily?" Tama questioned her motives, but was quickly pulling her cheeks for dangos and tossing them up.
"Teaspoon Style!" Yuzu whipped out two little teaspoons. She swiftly scooped small amounts of the powder Kat just sent and was flicking them up into the dangos. "That should flavor them! And now Chopsticks!" She danced up with chopsticks ready, catching the dangos and tossing them into a tentacle's suction cups. The Starmaker moved the appendage down to the mouth area, slurping the dangos off in its half-awake state.
Kat saw the eyes close further. "Yeah! It's working!"
"What's working?!" Zebra looked away from August. "You little-!" But Yuzu flicked some powder into his mouth.
"You're past your bedtime, too!" Yuzu yelled, flicking some into his eyes.
August swung a kick into Zebra's stomach, but he grabbed the boy's leg and tossed him elsewhere. "AAAAAHH!" He bellowed a Sound Beam at Yuzu.
"AAAAAAHHH!" Courage intercepted the beam, stretching his mouth to wide proportions to counter it with a scream of his own. Tama ripped out more dango for Yuzu to flick powder onto, afterwards tossing them up at suction cups. The Calaziali lazily ate the tiny treats off its tentacles, growing more lightheaded, more calm, and more still. Eventually, its eyes had completely sealed, and its tentacles submerged in slumber. (End song.)
"Snoooo…snoooo…snoooo…"
"I think it's back to sleep again." Kat said cautiously.
"Yeah… until this prick wakes it up again." Augustus replied, glaring at Zebra with fists ready.
"And what was the point of doing that?" Zebra asked. "If we can't get in the mouth, we can't kill it. And if we can't kill it…yawn, it's just gonna be way harder to eat."
"Yeah, well I lost my appetite for this thing. Honestly, Zebra, let's assume that you're right. Let's say that killing this thing wouldn't have any effect on Zathura, except the planet would be much safer and happier with it gone. But what if the Starmaker didn't like eating planets at all? Maybe it just felt painfully hungry and had no choice. Maybe it wants to sleep forever, so it can never feel hungry again."
"So, it feels bad for what it does? Then it should just let itself starve. Or better yet, let someone kill it."
"But maybe it doesn't want to die, either. Maybe it just wants to live a life of peace and solace. Who can understand giant space squids? I won't pretend to. But we also can't rely on you to kill it either. You could've been digested before you got the chance, and you would've doomed the whole planet. So, we'll just have to keep beating your ass until you leave."
"Heh. Beating MY ass. Of course you are. Yawn…but I ain't up for it, anymore. Getting too sleepy… Reckon I'll just head back and hit the hay."
Zebra jumped down to a platform where he set Eustace. He stomped the slumbering man and startled him awake. "Ehhh…keep yer boot off me, Zebra, I'm nappin'!"
"Shut up and fly us out of here, lazy bastard."
"Meh? Did we get the Starmaker?"
"We're holding off on that plan for now. My voice hurts."
"Meh?! But I was hungry for Calaziali! Meh, just the name is makin' me mouth water…"
"You'll have to settle for Glomourian, gramps! Now, get up!"
"Meh, meh…" Eustace pushed himself up and activated jetpacks, struggling to lift the bulky hunter.
"You may not be afraid of the Starmaker, kids," Zebra called to them, "but come the seventh day, you'll see what a REAL monster looks like! Just wait until you meet the Boss!"
"And you ain't gettin' no more treats, Courage!" Eustace called from the distance.
"Huff…huff…" Tama had collapsed on the ground, her body frail and shriveled from using so many dangos. "O-Tama is so hungry…"
"Merry…" Gourmerry patted her shoulder in comfort.
"You were a big help, Tama." August smiled, lifting the child and Firstborn without effort. "I think we all need a bite after that. …That said, we came all this way and I guess we're not gonna eat this thing after all."
"We may not be eating calamari tonight…" Yuzu smiled as she raised a jar of the cosmic powder, "but I could bake us something sweet with this!"
"Then we'd better get moving." Kat suggested. "It's a long way back up."
Hekseville
"And we color this in… there we go!" Tressa said aloud after nearly fully coloring Haylee's pants with a brown marker. "Do your legs work now?"
"Huuurrr…" Haylee struggled to move her legs, even as Kohaku tried to help her up. "Sigh, it doesn't work. Now my pants are even more ruined."
"I've never seen science like this…" Kohaku said.
"That's the 'science' of Devil Fruit powers." Haylee smiled awkwardly. "But I don't really know a peacock that can sap people of color… I'm starting to think Caesar's getting more creative with his Devil Fruits."
"Who's Caesar?"
"A crazy scientist who likes giant kids."
"Another scientist? Hmm…" The tribe girl seemed to look to the sky with fantasizing eyes, imagining a clone of Senku with white skin and black hair.
"You really don't want to imagine him like that." Haylee said.
"Uh, excuse me? Is this shop open?" A teenage Zathurian boy approached the stand that they were behind.
"Ah, yes!" Tressa jumped up. "See anything you like?"
"How much for this pop-up book?" He opened a large book that popped up a paper display of a dark, stormy castle. "I wanna get it for my little cousin."
"How's 25 Starbits sound?"
"Cool! Also, eh…what's going on back there?"
"Oh, she just lost her color, so we're trying to bring it back."
"Oh…okay."
"Heh, now that I think about it," Haylee laughed, "I wonder if the Zathurians would be affected by that power? Heh heh."
"Guys! We have trouble!" Uraraka called, floating above the girls. "There's a huge ship and a fleet of smaller ships approaching the city!"
"Uh-oh! Here, I'll put this on your tab!" Tressa yelled as she dropped the book in the customer's hands.
With Kohaku to carry Haylee, the girls hurried to the edge of town, seeing a large ship that resembled a three-layer plane. The voice of Muntz was heard from the plane. "Guess what, Gilligan?! I'm back for more! And I brought a guest with me!"
"So, Haylee Gilligan is here, is she?" echoed another elderly voice. "Let's see if she likes my newest line of Fridge Bombs!" Missiles were launched from the ships, carrying refrigerators that would explode.
"Wait, is that Mr. Washer?!" Haylee exclaimed. "I know Muntz mentioned him, but I didn't think he would actually…"
"Wait, are the missiles exploding or the refrigerators?" Tressa asked. "And they're not even ice explosions, so what's the point of-"
"Isn't there something we should be doing?!" Kohaku exclaimed.
"Right, let's find Maggie." Haylee said. "With my legs like this, we'll need her to fly us back."
"Miss Kohaku, could you help me fight off these guys?" Ochaco asked.
"Yeah! Tressa, take Haylee." Kohaku passed her to the merchant. Ochaco flew down and touched Kohaku, allowing her to float. Ochaco directed her toward the missiles so Kohaku could slice them out of the air.
After regathering Tressa's merchandise, she and Haylee climbed into the latter's biplane, still being driven by Maggie. "I really don't feel safe having a baby-" Tressa tried to say until Maggie cocked a gun at her. "Okay, okay! Totally safe—WOW!" The gun shot, blazing past Tressa's head and piercing the cockpit of a dogplane.
Muntz boarded his plane and flew toward them. Maggie passed a gun back to Haylee for her to help shoot the enemy craft, but Muntz barrel-rolled underneath. He tightly turned up to try and ram their plane, but Maggie dodged left. "You know, I never pegged Washer to be a Gourmet Hunter." Haylee said. "I can't imagine he would be working with you just because you're cousins. But what if you have the whole Brotherhood working with you?"
"Quite an observation." Muntz smirked. "But yes, we are allies with the Brotherhood, and we've invited a few over for our special plan. Not that you'll be-"
"HA-CHYA!" A leg suddenly kicked the underside of the plane and thrusted Muntz upward.
"IT'S KAT!" Tressa exclaimed.
"And ME!" Bullets fired down at Muntz's cockpit, originating from Augustus's Ace Flyer.
"We didn't make you wait too long, did we?" Yuzu asked, she and Tama riding the backseat.
"Just long enough!" Tressa beamed.
"We're heading back to the ship!" August ordered. "We have what we need, and I'm sure they'll be leaving soon, too."
"What did you go after, anyway?"
"A giant squid!" Kat replied. "But we left with powder! And we beat up this puppy's owner!" She held Courage up.
"So, uh…" Haylee tried to form a question.
"Anyway, you guys hurry and go! Ochaco and I will chase these guys away. Let's promise to meet up at the Cooking Festival!"
"You brats ain't going anywhere!" Muntz turned back around to blast at—"DAH, NOT AGAIN!" His windshield was pierced by Kohaku's stone heel, stamping Muntz's head as he steered askew.
"Can we please take them with us?" Kohaku pled. "Flying is awesome!"
"Sorry, Gorilla, they have their mission, we have ours!" Augustus cheered.
"Aw, man."
"Haha, maybe some other time, Koha-chan!" Ochaco beamed. "Listen, I just got a call, some KND operatives are on the way!"
"Then it's about time for us pirates to split~!"
Ace Hunter
The crew dealt a few blows to Washer's ship before making their retreat, and it seemed their foes had decided to pursue. Tama was resting on the couch as Suika was serving her a banana with juice. "But are you sure they're not gonna try to go after the Starmaker again?" Tressa asked.
"Once the KND arrive, they won't be able to stick around." Augustus replied, piloting the vessel. "Besides… call it a hunch, but I got a good feeling about that Zebra guy."
"If you say so. …It's a shame we couldn't take Kat with us. She was pretty cool."
"Yeah, she was!" the captain perked up. "Hah, the way she was making us fly around was pretty fun!"
"You really know how to pick your ladies~"
"Or are the ladies picking me~?"
Tressa rolled her eyes. "Um, Captain, I wanna ask…"
"Guess what, guys? They're ready!" Yuzu announced as she danced onto the bridge with two plates. "Who's hungry for Cosmonuts!"
The plates carried several donuts made of sparkling, starry powder. "You made donuts with that powder?" August asked.
"I sure did! Though, I also applied some Yakow Butter to help nullify the sleeping effect."
"I dunno, we've had a pretty hectic day already…" Augustus said as he took a donut and ate it. "Phew! Now, that's cosmitastic!"
Suika took two and gave one to Tama, the starved child beaming as she could feel her mass and stamina returning. Everyone's faces were of delight as their mouths relished in the cosmic pastries. Kohaku flushed at the taste, imagining she were actually eating the stars she saw in the sky every day.
"Mmmmmmm…!" Gourmerry's eyes displayed an illusion of shooting stars. She could feel a meteor shower grazing inside her mouth, her insides becoming an observatory. She made a wish to these stars, a wish that the taste would never end!
And with that, Augustus marked the Cosmonuts in the Dessert section of Gourmerry's menu. "Well, we didn't get one for Fish, but Calaziali paid off for us in the end."
"Does a squid really count as a fish?" Tressa asked.
"Mw-mw-mw." Maggie was gesturing something.
"Maggie's saying we should hide the rest of these donuts." Rallo translated. "Apparently, her dad has Donut Haki and he'll be able to smell them-"
BAM! They jumped at the sudden sound, looking up at the windshield: Homer Simpson had latched onto the ship with his mouth agape. "Oh, too late."
Haylee flicked on the windshield wipers to brush Homer off. "Sigh…" She looked down at her monochrome legs. "Am I gonna be stuck like this for the rest of the-"
"Oh yeah, here you go." Stewie shot Haylee with a ray gun and restored color to her legs.
"WAH!!" She sprung up on her feet and swayed her legs. "What the…"
"That's my Meta-Nullifier, it removes metahuman effects."
"You coulda told me that earlier?!"
"Yeah, but I would've had to get on a ship, fly to town, fly back, I just wasn't up to it…"
"You dick!"
"Alright, Haylee, steer us out of here." Augustus stepped aside to allow his helmsman to retake the wheel. "This planet is a little too swirly to sleep under. We'll need some shuteye before we head after our next game."
"Outer space has so many cool things!" Suika cheered with a twirl. "Suika is so excited!"
"But wherein art we headed next?" Tama asked.
Augustus thought back to something Zebra said. "I do have a small idea…"
Gourmet Dining Kitchen
Zebra cracked his neck and whirled an arm to relieve his body of tension, stepping into Lord Licorice's chamber with a nonchalant glare. "How could you fail to crush that boy?!" the scrawny lord shouted. "I thought you were one of the Elite 4?! Or are those muscles just for show?"
"All I wanted was to try some Calaziali." Zebra replied half-heartedly. "But then it got annoying and I got bored."
"Listen, you imbecile. The Boss specially ordered us to rescue YOU from prison. But if you don't play your part, you-"
Zebra squeezed Licorice by the neck. "I don't remember the Boss saying he wanted that boy dead. That's all YOU want, you petty old man. But he ain't worth my time. I got bigger food to fry."
Licorice waved his arms as hordes of candy emerged from several barrels, grabbing Zebra and trying to tug him away. Zebra merely let go himself and swatted the candy off him. "Heh…besides, that kid is way less of a pushover than you." With that, Zebra marched away.
"Hmph…wretched oaf." Licorice huffed, turning around. "I certainly hope this pays off in the end. I assume, by now, most of the KND are attending the Cooking Festival. Let's hope they stay there until the very end…"
He was facing a withered statue of a muscular figure. The name Acacia was inscribed at the bottom.