Augustus, Yuzu, and Tama traveled opposite of Imuchakk Village and toward the tail of Whale Mountain. Within the region where the tail began to curve up, there was a vast lake, and all the way on the other side of that lake was a waterfall-covered wall. Its light-blue colors shimmered from the refraction of light against the icicles. Indeed, icicles were constantly pouring down those falls, melding nicely with the water. The falls ascended all the way up the tail, originating from the incline of the fins.
The trio's eyes were drawn to the fins of the tail that stretched high in the heavens, mesmerized by its size and scale. "Nature sure is incredible…" Yuzu could only say.
"It sure is…" Augustus smiled, his new lollipop already prepared. "Alright, let's throw on our swimsuits and get going."
"Captain, we can't just swim in that! It doesn't have the warm bubble jets this time."
"Canst we find another entrance along the land?" Tama asked.
"I dunno, but if we were going to be swimming in an ice region, we should've asked the GKND to summon Melody or somebody. Maybe somebody from the village can help us."
"Oi! Hunter Augustus!"
"Hm?" Augustus cocked a brow and turned. They recognized the long-haired and muscular frame of Hina, equipped with several satchels along the rim of his blue tunic, as well as a harpoon in hand. "Hey, you're that Hina guy! Did you forget something?"
Hina approached them, brushing his bangs aside to reveal his sharp amber eyes. "You were the one to deal the final blows to the Raging Unicorn. But you said nothing."
"Oh…that was you?" Yuzu asked the captain.
"I mean, yeah. So what?"
"My sister and the villagers mistakenly believe I am the victor. My honor is built on a lie."
"What's the big deal? You were already fighting the thing, so it was probably pretty worn down by the time I got there."
"You don't understand. Ever since the year started, I have struggled to slay that monster. The art of hunting and combat comes naturally to my brethren, and they have already slew their beasts. Everyone, even my own father began to doubt me."
"I guess we ruined an important tradition for you…" Yuzu replied with sympathy. "Cough, andbyweImeanCaptain!"
"Oh, real clever." August remarked.
"You probably didn't know what was happening." Hina understood. "It was probably your instinct to help a person in danger. And I saw Kona carrying you, so if she likes you, I can already tell you're a kind warrior."
"Yeah, but it wouldn't be right for me to steal your glory. Like I said, you were already fighting the thing, so it's not a total lie."
"It's not enough. I've decided I'm going to enter the Shiverspine Falls and challenge the strongest beast within."
"So, you wanna tag along or something?"
"Well, it does raise the question… are your bodies built for these temperatures? If you have to wear coats to walk on land, it gives the impression that the cold is intolerable for you."
"That is 100% accurate." Yuzu nodded simply.
"And even us Imuchakk could not survive the punishing icefalls without special training. However, there is a spot under the lake where the falls are blocked. A stone that we can swim under and get behind them. I can generate bubbles with my body hair, and they can serve both to maintain your oxygen and keep you warm in the chilling waters, so long as you stay close to me."
Augustus cringed, "Urk! So, we have to breathe your bubbles?"
"Captain, why don't we just buy a fishing rod and catch something from the normal waters?" Yuzu asked.
"Because this place looks figuratively cool! So, I guess we'll suck it up and do it…"
"Why did you have to phrase it like that…" Yuzu cringed.
"Mmmm…" Tama seemed to moan in hesitation. "August'n… is it okay if O-Tama remains hither?"
"How come?"
"O-Tama canst not swim on her own, anyway, so I doth not want to trouble thee in these harsh waters. Mayhaps Tama wilt befriend yonder fishies or explore the lakeside."
"That's alright, Tama-chan." Yuzu smiled. "Everyone needs a break once in a while. I'll carry Gourmerry, too." She took Tama's backpack and placed it on. "Plus, I'm not thrilled at the idea of breathing someone's man-bubbles, either. Better hold your breath."
"Goooouuur!" Gourmerry's cheeks puffed to small balls as she inhaled.
"Thanketh thee, O-Yuzu!" Tama agreed.
"Don't worry." Hina smiled awkwardly. "I take regular baths and I'm told I smell fairly good. But I think I'll only be able to carry her. You'll have to follow from behind, Augustus."
"Well, Yuzu, you wanted another man in the crew, you got your wish."
"I'll never wish for anything again…" (Play "Underground" from Yoshi's Island!)
Act 2: Shiverspine Falls
Yuzu clung to Hina's shoulders as he dove into the lake, his hairs leaving a trail of bubbles. The bubbles provided a moderate warmth for the explorers, but the unforgiving chill of the waters still left them riddled with goosebumps. There were starfish swimming around that resembled snowflakes, but these unfriendly Starflakes were attempting to fly at and hurt them like shurikens. Augustus could use his Gob-Spinner underwater, and Hina dealt away with his spear. There were Clambos on platforms and on the ground, spitting pearls up that would freeze the intruders upon touch. They swam the distance toward the falls, where the hunks of ice and icicles fell with deadly speed even through the surface. Hina guided them lower underwater, showing them a stalactite sticking out of the wall and blocking part of the falls. The gap was somewhat narrow, but also fairly long as the interior of the falls was 20 feet thick. Hina carefully swam through the gap and made sure Augustus caught up. They stayed behind the frosty falls and ascended to the surface, finding a cave entrance.
Yuzu released from Hina to catch her breath on the ground, she and August changing back to coats. The entrance provided a pleasant and sparkling welcome, leading them to a greater interior with numerous clean, roaring waterfalls that glimmered like the bright blue ice they reflected. Hina was the first to cross the thin, snaky path that wrapped between the falls. "This place is rather lovely." Hina said, his gaze going multiple directions. "Is it really as dangerous as they-"
A barracuda called Bazza shot out of a waterfall and gnashed at him, but Hina dodged by a hair's breadth. Several lines of Bazzas flew from one fall to the other, over and over in synchronized succession. Even as Hina cut some down, there were still plenty more coming, so the group either jumped or crawled under them. The path reached a dead end, but there was a freezing fountain and several vertical lines of Bazzas dropping from the ceiling. Yuzu shot a Soul Arrow through the fountain and toward the Bazzas, freezing one in each column in place. They froze in ice cubes in midair and served as platforms for the crew to jump. During that time, no other Bazzas came down.
"Uh…how did they not fall?" Yuzu questioned.
"I… don't know." Hina answered. "Weird science, maybe." From here, they entered a tunnel that sloped downward, where a shallow river flowed along the ground. "Be careful. I see mantas underneath." He began to step and jump along some small stones above the river. They could see the Snomantas, and Hina stabbed some with his harpoon as they threatened to jump up and freeze them. Yuzu decided to collect some of the dead mantas, thinking they would be good for a recipe.
The tunnel led to a wider chamber with a deeper pool. Water spouts rose from the chilly water, serving as platforms for the group, but there were Clambos spitting pearls from underwater at bullet speed. They took a few hits from the pearls, but managed to reach a safe platform. They overlooked the pool and could see to the bottom: a giant Clambo was down there, surrounded by numerous smaller ones. "I remember hearing about that beast from the warriors." Hina said. "They call it Babysitter Patricia."
"Weird name, but okay." Yuzu shrugged. "Should we go down and fight it then?"
A long-bodied eel swam above Patricia—the giant clam opened its mouth, bombarded it with cannonball pearls, and then ate the dead eel's remains. "Um…perhaps we'll find a different beast." There were thin icicles hanging over the pool, so the trio jumped to grab, twist around them, and jump to corresponding icicles. There were Ice Keese flapping around certain icicles, so the group would have to clamber around and jump quickly. They could set foot on a safe ledge and cross down to a long bridge going over a wide river. They took the first careful steps over the bridge as Yuzu glanced down-left. "Hu-!" She gasped seeing a horde of giant fish swimming through the river, sporting huge, creepy grins with oversized teeth, and eyes just as wide.
"Let's get down!" Hina crouched, the others mimicking. "Those are Big-Tooth Bass. They'll chomp us to pieces if they spot us."
"You think one of them will be good prey?" Augustus asked.
"They… usually attack in a group, we wouldn't be able to handle just one." With that in mind, they continued crawling, albeit August and Yuzu shared a concerned glance. Gourmerry tried to peep over the bridge siding to look at the fishies—"Merry!" she yelped when a Big-Tooth flew over the bridge in a perfect arch. The trio stayed low as more of the giant fish were jumping over, but they safely made it across. They arrived at a frosty pool that led further underground, with no choice but to dive in.
Yuzu held onto Hina while August tailed behind, using the Imuchakk's bubbles for warmth. The tunnel led several meters down before reaching a bottom, after which they followed a horizontal tunnel. They began to swim underneath an ice ceiling, Hina nearly flinching as the Big-Tooth Basses swum directly above. There seemed to be Cork Puffs asleep on top of small craters, holding in steaming bubbles that would melt the ceiling and leave them vulnerable to the Big-Tooths. The trio would have to keep away from the Cork Puffs so as not to wake them. The activity made Hina rather nervous, but he maintained himself and his focus enough for them to reach the other end.
They swam into a passage on the left and could resurface within a cavern with a tall, wide waterfall. "Phew, that was an exercise." Augustus caught his breath. "Come to think of it, what is the strongest creature in this cave?"
"I…I'm not sure of that either." Hina answered lowly. "I often hear warriors debate about who's the strongest."
"But you have to pick one eventually." Yuzu said. "So do we, in fact."
"I will, don't worry. …It seems we must go up this waterfall."
The Combo could feel the uncertainty in his voice. Regardless, it seemed that hunks of ice were falling down this waterfall, and there was another Ice Fountain that Yuzu could shoot an arrow through. The entire waterfall froze with the hunks remaining inside, so they used those hunks to jump and climb up the waterfall. They entered a tunnel up above, where the waterfall originated from the ceiling and poured in two directions, with the other side pouring into a deep chasm.
The tendrils of what looked like jellyfish hung from the ceiling, possibly meant to be swung on since they were lined up that way. With another Ice Fountain available, Yuzu used more arrows to shoot and freeze the tentacles. Afterwards, they could be safely swung without being stung, because that's how jellyfish work in this region. They reached a ledge and overlooked a river of whirlpools, having to jump small platforms along the water's surface. But it was then that spirally eels, shaped like whirlpools, shot out from the water and charged the crew. They reacted quickly to cut them down, proceeding on their journey with wariness.
Near the end of this passage, they overlooked a greater area of water with a far wider whirlpool, conjured by a huge, swirly sea-dragon. "I think I remember hearing about that monster. They call it, 'Merry-go-Round Rider Albert.'" Hina said.
"Very cultural naming schemes you got." Augustus remarked. "Sooooo, gonna beat him up?"
"Er…its special technique is motion sickness. I don't think I…"
"Yeah, yeah…" Yuzu sighed. They continued to the next cavern, which sloped down and led underwater. Hina led them under once more, the tunnel stretching into a wider passage. There were several blue fish asleep on the ground; known as Rip Van Fish, they would attempt to rip the intruders to pieces should they awaken. Unfortunately, they were approaching a Whistle Fish: alerted to their presence, the fish "RHEEEEEEEEEE!"ed and woke all the Rip Vans. Hina lashed his spear in every direction and Augustus his Knife technique, desperately keeping the fish at bay. They sliced enough to clear a way forward, so they swam hurriedly as more Rip Vans came.
The tunnel curved upward as ice hunks were flowing down, the crew having to evade them lest they be pushed back to the fish. As they were nearing the surface, a larger ice hunk threatened to stop them, so they quickly swam around the right to avoid the hunk. The trio resurfaced in another cave and switched back to coats. They proceeded into a normal tunnel with little to hinder them. (End song.)
"Sigh, this far in and neither of us can decide on a good catch." Augustus said. "Might as well just settle for one of the weak fish."
Hina sighed as well, choosing to rest on the ground. "I shouldn't have come in here. If I couldn't even slay the Raging Unicorn, I'm not fit to battle any of these creatures. I'm just not worthy. Not for adulthood… not to be a warrior."
With furrowed eyes, Yuzu marched in front of him and smacked his chin up. "But you were fighting the unicorn long before we showed up, didn't you? Even if you couldn't land the finishing blow, you still had the courage to accomplish what you did. If this is really important to you, then suck it in and pick a monster already! And if you end up being overwhelmed, we'll jump in to pull you out! But I wasn't sucking in your bubbles this whole time just to watch you give up!"
Hina was almost taken aback by the little girl's assertiveness. "…Are you Augustus's sister?"
"HUH?" She perked up. "No! What made you say that?!"
"It's just… you reminded me of Pipirika just then. She always scolds me like that… some even say that she could become a warrior before me."
"Yep, girls are just the best, ain't they?" Augustus plopped a hand on Yuzu's head. "They get way too smart and strong too fast." Yuzu puffed her cheeks and flushed. ("Gourmer?")
"…" Hina bowed his head and stood, his sharp eyes piercing through his veins. "Alright… the next monster we see, I will fight it. For my sake and for yours… I must be a true warrior."
August and Yuzu smiled as the giant marched forward. The Combo followed him.
Outside
A figure was surveying the mountain from the sky, wearing a mechanical suit with jet wings. The feed from his binoculars was displayed on Iron Mask's device, the hunter standing on the figure's back. "Hmm…there's a little purple-haired girl down there." Skulker said, spotting Tama.
"I know that girl." Iron Mask replied. "She was with Augustus's group. In fact, she was the one carrying the Firstborn! Fly us down there, Skulker! And signal the others to begin their attack!"
"Sure." Skulker smirked, curving them downward (from Danny Phantom).
Tama was making snowballs and trying to skip them in the water… only for them to splash and disperse. "Hmm…is this trick not possible with snowballs?"
"Hahaha! Are you trying to skip stones?"
"Oh?" Tama turned and found herself dwarfed by a yeti child. "O-Kona! …Canst thou understand O-Tama?"
"Tressa put a tiny thing in my ear, so I can! Watch Kona!" The hybrid went to pick up a hefty stone. She spun around and chucked it to the lake, the stone skipping twice before splashing.
"Wow! Very good!"
"Hahaha!" Kona jumped into a sit. Tama decided to sit on her leg like a log. "Where are you from, Tama?"
"Tama is from very far away. She left home with August'n to see the big, wide universe!"
"You got to see the universe? Haha! My parents said I'll get to go with Pipi and Hina to the Cooking Festival. Is the universe pretty?"
"Yes! And it has so many tasty foods! O-Tama wants to see all of it!"
"But why is Tama here? Where are your friends?"
"Oh…O-Tama canst not swim, so she decided to remain behind. I didst not want to burden August'n."
"It's okay. I can't swim good, either. O-Tama will learn some day!" Kona petted Tama's head in comfort.
Closing in on them, Skulker switched on a satellite to eavesdrop on their conversation.
"O-Tama is different." The ninja explained as she popped a dango from her cheek. "She hast eaten a mystical fruit that allows her to produce dango. It has cursed me with the inability to swim. However, Tama's dango has the power to tame animals. They become obedient to Tama!"
"Whoa! Can you have any pet you want?"
"That's a very good question." A deep voice spoke from behind them. Kona picked Tama up as she stood and turned to their visitors. "I wonder if we could use that?" Skulker inquired.
Tama gasped, recognizing Iron Mask beside him. "KONA! Those art evil men! Thou must beware!"
Skulker flew to seize her, but Tama jumped away, and Kona grabbed the ghost's leg and slammed him to the snow. Iron Mask summoned a Mega Scizor to attack Kona, its hefty crab claws grabbing her arms and crushing. Konayuki kicked the Pokémon away, but Skulker electrified the hybrid. The ghost phased underground and ambushed to grab Tama by the neck. "Where are you hiding the Firstborn?"
"AAAH! HEEEEELP!"
Skulker slapped goop over her mouth. "Weren't you saying your friends had to swim somewhere?" The hunter looked toward the Shiverspine Falls. "Don't tell me they swam in this freezing lake?"
"Skulker, I'll take the child!" Mask stated. "Go investigate that lake. Find them!"
"Sounds fine to me." Skulker wrapped Tama in a net and tossed her to Mask's hands. Scizor kept wrestling with Konayuki, preventing her from helping. "And listen, about that girl's ability… we actually know an acquaintance who could use that. He could probably help in this operation, too."
"And who would that be?"
Imuchakk Village
Kohaku flipped up for an overhead kick to Pipirika's head, the taller girl blocking with an arm and punching the other arm up. Kohaku bent her legs in evasion and kicked away, but once she made distance, Pipirika whipped out a bow and (harmless) arrows to shoot the Historian. Kohaku sliced the arrows out of the air and raced to slash at Pipirika, but could only move at partial speed with her winter clothes. Pipirika intercepted her arms and whacked her daggers away.
"I like how we're just fighting in the middle of the street and no one cares." Tressa commented.
"If it weren't for these clothes, I would have you on the ropes!" Kohaku vowed, throwing a kick at Pipirika's leg and knocking her over. Pipirika rolled onto her front and shot a successful arrow in retaliation.
"Yeah, blame the clothes all you want!"
"Kohakuuuuu! Look up here!"
The call of Suika took their attention away, because everyone knew you should never ignore the call of the Great Suika. "WHOA!" Kohaku gaped. "That's one big snowman!"
Suika's tiny melon peeped out of the head of a gigantic snowman. Two Imuchakk kids climbed up to stick horns beside her. "Kids, what did you make her do?" Pipirika shouted.
"This tiny girl made us giant snowballs!" the girl cheered.
"Suika is the Snowman Champion of Imuchakk!" the boy announced.
"Hahaha! Suika made a bigger snowman than the giants!" Suika shook in her ball with glee. "Suika is honorary giant!"
"ROOOOAAAAR!"
Unfortunately, their admiration for the snowman was interrupted by the howl of a beast. The tribesmen were agape at the sight of the titanic beast that dwarfed their village from beyond the fences. It possessed a body of white, gooey substance with pink hands, chocolate feet, and horns, claws, and a spiked shell composed of ice cream cones. "What the HELL is THAT thing?!" Tressa questioned.
"WAHOOOOO!" A band of Ice Cream Men were gleefully shooting guns into the air, riding the beast. "The Ice Cream Monster is BACK from retirement, baby! Let's serve them the old quadrillion decker!" The beast hurled its strawberry fist at the village and smashed a house in ice cream.
"They must be Gourmet Corp.!" Tressa deduced as warriors were already charging to battle the titan. "Let's do something to help!"
"Kids, hurry up and take shelter!" Pipirika ordered the children as they climbed down from Suika's snowman. "Come to think of it, where's Kona? I haven't seen her since…"
"Sniffle…" Suika cried. "Now Suika isn't the biggest snowman. Suika isn't giant, anymore. Waaaaaahh!"
"You'll pay for ruining Suika's glory!" Kohaku declared as she raced out alongside the warriors.
Shiverspine Falls
Hina, August, and Yuzu entered a rather vast chamber with a white, chilling lake. There were a few hunks of ice floating along it, large enough to stand on. However, the unmistakable form of a giant polar bear was asleep on a chunk… though its claws were more fin-like and its husky body was made of scales as opposed to fur, with another fin along its spine.
"That's a polar sea-bear." Hina recognized. "I heard it was named Baron Fluffy."
"I'm not even gonna question that name." Yuzu rolled her eyes- "?" but upon doing so, she saw something fascinating on the ceiling. "Hey… it's an aurora!"
An auroras borealis was waving on a dark ceiling with tiny, star-like sparkles. "How is there an aurora here?" August wondered.
"Wait, I know about this, too." Hina said. "I wasn't certain if it was real, but… they say this aurora is a curtain to the Spirit World. In fact, it's almost midnight."
"Midnight?" Yuzu asked. "But we're still wide awake… Boy, time zones sure are confusing when you fly between multiple planets."
"And look! There are fish in the aurora!" Augustus could make out the shapes of fish barely visible and swimming through the curtain.
"Yes, those are Aurora Breams." Hina confirmed. "They're spirit fish that drift through the aurora, but on the stroke of midnight, they assume physical forms and can be captured. That's what I've heard…"
"Perfect! I think we found our fish, Yuzu!"
"Yeah! Is it alright if we take them, Hina-san?"
"Yeah, it shouldn't be illegal. Be my guest."
"Okay! …And what about you?"
Hina faced down at the sleeping sea-bear. "Okay… I'm going to do it. …But before we do, perhaps you should collect the breams first. They can only be grabbed on the hour of midnight. A minute later and it'll be too late. If I'm still fighting the bear by then, it could be troublesome to collect the breams safely."
"I guess you have a point there." Yuzu held up her watch to check the time (it was designed to correspond to the current time zone). "We have about 12 minutes. Let's go up there, Captain."
"Sorry, kids, your fishing trip is over!"
The silence of the chamber was killed when Skulker soared through the walls, hovering above the lake on his jets. "What is this thing?!" Hina readied his harpoon.
"That's Skulker!" Yuzu exclaimed. "He's a Brotherhood member!"
"Brotherhood, and honorary Ghost Hunter for Gourmet Corp.! And Firstborns are spirits, so they just about fall into my jurisdiction, so why don't you hand the little one over?"
"Sorry, buddy, but you're mistaken!" August tossed his lollipop away. "All ghosts are spirits, but not all spirits are ghosts, so you're wasting your time hunting Gourmerry!"
"Instead of worrying about that, you should be worried about your friends. My associates are already making a mess of that village!"
"No!" Hina defied. "Imuchakk won't fall to rogues like you! They'll succeed and so will I!"
"I doubt it. So, you wanna collect those aurora fish without waking that bear, huh? But that wouldn't be fun AT ALL!" Skulker aimed a wrist gun and fired an Ecto Beam at the sea-bear's head.
"ROOOAAAAR!" The second it was awake, it splashed a huge freezing wave onto the shore, the humans retreating back into the tunnel. Hina endured the wave, but Baron Fluffy charged at the cliff and rammed it with enough force to knock Hina into its lake. Hina submerged as the bear charged to gnash him, Hina blocking its teeth with his harpoon. He punched the bear's jaw, prompting it to retreat.
Hina resurfaced and climbed on one of the floating ice chunks. "I won't run from you! Come out and face me!" (Play "Vellumental Battle" from Mario: Origami King!)
Boss fight: Baron Fluffy
The sea-bear's spine was visible above the surface, swimming rampantly and splashing waves in Hina's direction. Hina punched against the waves and kept his footing on the platform. This was meant to distract Hina until Fluffy would swim up and flip his platform. Hina timed it and threw his harpoon where the head would be, but because it was mis-angled, only a light scratch was dealt. Fluffy finished its objective in flipping Hina's foothold over, the warrior splashing in the lake. The bear returned to gnash him, Hina grabbing its mouth to hold it open. Hina kicked up at its neck five times before Fluffy retreated. A huge, thick icicle had fallen into the lake, so Hina swam to grab it.
Hina spun like a torpedo as he swam toward the sea-bear. Sensing the threat, Fluffy swam in circles to outmaneuver him, then it swum underneath to bite. Hina shoved the icicle down and into its mouth, but couldn't shove it much further before the bear clenched it in its teeth and pushed Hina upward. They shot above the surface as Hina flew into the air, but he thrusted himself down to force the icicle down the bear's throat. The bear roared and bit the ice to pieces before retreating. Hina splashed back in the water and swam down to recover his harpoon, but Fluffy was swimming to intercept him.
Luckily, Hina had swum level with a sinking ice chunk, and he quickly punched it down to bump Fluffy's face. It was enough distraction to swim around and reclaim the harpoon, stabbing at the bear's fluffy tail-fin. Fluffy swam to grab other ice chunks and spit them at Hina like cannonballs, so the warrior swam quickly in evasion. The beast then grabbed a large icicle and spun toward Hina in the same fashion as he just did. Hina swam to the wall before quickly dodging down, causing the bear to drill into the cliff. It slowed to a halt, so Hina dealt multiple jabs to the monster's belly. Only a couple holes were punctured by the time the bear retreated.
Hina swam after Fluffy with the speed of a dolphin, and when the bear charged him again, Hina performed a Torpedo Spin with the spear stretched forward. The bear shut its mouth to ram and face the spear, both swimmers reaching a stalemate. As both forces struggled to overpower, Hina was unable to keep his harpoon steady, and it suddenly shifted askew and stabbed Fluffy's eye. The bear furiously shook Hina off and retreated. The warrior returned to the surface and climbed on a platform to get his bearings.
He saw that Augustus and Yuzu were fighting Skulker. Hina hoped they could finish before midnight. Fluffy was coming to flip Hina's platform over, but Hina jumped and shoved at an angle where the pointed tip of the platform's bottom would stab Fluffy. It scraped against the side and left a cut in its scales. Hina then dove under and swam to lock his arms around the bear's neck, clenching his harpoon in his teeth. He kept a firm hold to choke the sea-bear as it tried to smash Hina against the cliff. Hina turned his head to angle the spear to stab Fluffy's face, managing to jab out its other eye.
Hina broke free from the blinded creature, leaving Fluffy with no choice but to sniff for him. Unfortunately, Fluffy could only smell the blood that leaked from its own cuts, so it began to swim in circles. Hina held his harpoon ready and tried to decide the best time to stab its head. He would have to determine how fast he could swim there when the angle would be just right… but the math was giving him a headache, so he decided to charge and land the cut. Hina missed the head, but the tip of the spear poked into one of the belly holes and continued to scrape along and through the belly up to the tail.
The spearhead snapped off, but the sea-bear had lost so much blood that it slowed down. Hina grabbed the spearhead, but Fluffy managed to bite his leg in its teeth. Hina endured the pain and shoved the spearhead into its skull, Fluffy shaking vehemently before it ultimately ceased and released Hina. Its dead body drifted to the top of the pool. (End song.)
Skulker blasted missiles that were taken down by August's Gob-Spinner. The Ghost Hunter turned intangible and lunged at him, but August's Haki punctured the intangibility and dented Skulker's jaw. The hunter growled in anger, his mechanical suit sparking. Having taken too much damage from the captain, Skulker felt it would be time for a retreat soon. "?" He glanced up and saw Yuzu carefully sidling a ledge to reach the aurora ceiling.
Skulker shot a beam below Yuzu's feet, the chef screaming as she took the fall. Skulker shot up and snatched Gourmerry off her back. "This was fun, but I gotta fly!" He turned intangible and attempted to escape—Gourmerry bumped against the wall and remained physical. "What?!" Skulker returned. "Can Firstborn not become intangi-"
Yuzu had become Yuzunite, and Augustus quickly whirled and chucked her up to Skulker. She drew her knives and SLASHED the head clean off the robotic suit. She then kicked off the suit and flipped up onto the thin ledge. "Yeesh, that was close!" she yelled as she regained herself. "Heh, let's send that to the Olympics!"
"Yuzu, hurry! It's 11:59, get some of those fish!" Augustus shouted.
"You don't have to yell!" Yuzunite quickly sidled up to the highest point until she was just under the aurora. Right as the hour of 12:00 struck, the faded fish in the aurora became solid with harder colors. "Here we go!" Yuzu whipped out a net from her Infi-Cube. "Hup!" She thrusted it up as the fish was at the right position. She flipped the net to discard the fish into the cube. "Hup!" She caught the next one.
"Nice! Catch as many as you can!"
Skulker's head reignited and blasted up with the intention to ram Yuzu. "Gourmerry!" The Firstborn intercepted the head and pushed Skulker back.
"Move it, you little brat!" demanded the tiny ghost that controlled the robotic husk. Skulker remotely controlled the headless body to stand and launch fists up at Yuzu, so she had to distract herself to flip and kick the fists away.
Still maintaining balance, Yuzu stuck the net up to catch another fish and deposit it. She hurriedly tried to catch another, but 12:01 arrived, and the fish phased through the net. "Dang it! 'Guess I'll settle for head instead!" With that, she jumped down toward Gourmerry, who moved aside as Yuzu collided with Skulker's head in a seating position. The head flew out of control before crashing on the ground. Augustus jumped to grab the head and slam it, snatching the tiny ghost from inside it.
"Let me go, you fools! Or you'll never see-"
Augustus crushed the ghost within a fist-palm and splattered its ectoplasm. "I'll wash you off on the swim back."
"HURRRRRAAAAHH!" Hina miraculously rose up onto the shore with the sea-bear on his shoulders. "Augustus… Yuzu… I DID IT!"
"YO!" Yuzunite gaped. "Who's this muscle body?! His fish looks WAY cooler!"
"Ahem, your other self will know." August coughed.
"Fine." Yuzu jolted back to her normal self. "Hina! You defeated the sea-bear?"
"I have…" Hina spoke with a proud smile, some of the creature's blood dripping on him. "Augustus, Yuzu… thank you. Thank you for being here to witness my rite to manhood… and for inspiring me to prove myself."
"Thank you for helping us make it this far." Yuzu smiled in gratitude. "And we're glad you could do it!"
"Did you catch any of the fish?"
"Oh, yeah!" Yuzu sat down and withdrew a small tank of water, where the four breams had been stored. "It looks like they're still in physical form."
"I guess the portal itself is what's intangible and not the actual fish." Augustus wondered aloud. "It only becomes fully open on midnight. Until then, you can only partially see through it."
"But didn't that ghost say Imuchakk was under attack? We have to get out of here! Hina, we can fit the sea-bear in the Infi-Cube, too!"
"The Infi-Cube can't hold something THAT big!" Augustus stated.
"Then I guess we'll have to start cutting!" Yuzu whipped out her knives.
"Somehow, that feels far more terrifying than the bear." Hina cringed.
Outside
The Ice Cream Beast threw its fist down at Kohaku, the warrior jumping on top and jumping up the arm with ease. Ice Cream Men flew on jetpacks to try and shoot her, but she leapt to their level to knock them out of the sky. She then landed to slice up the beast's eyes, while on the ground level, Pipirika was shooting arrows through its knees. Tressa channeled wind into the holes and expanded the gusts to spread the ice cream apart, causing the beast to topple over. "DIG IN!!"
Once more, the Imuchakks dog-piled the monster, stuffing their faces with its sweetness. "Bleeeeeehhh!" But when Suika tried to take another bite, she turned cold, shivering on the snow. "S-Suika has brainfreeze! How come giants can eat so much?"
Kohaku landed beside Suika and carried her away. "Their bodies are probably built to swallow large amounts of cold foods, too. Just let your stomach settle, Suika, I think it's just about done."
Iron Mask rode the back of his Dark Lugia, holding Tama's unconscious body. He grit his teeth as his communicator was unable to contact Skulker. "Bah, screw these guys. As long as I have this girl, we can lure Augustus to us. For now, I'll ask about this 'Wonderbeast World.' Let's go!" The Lugia turned to make flight back to his plane.
The tribesmen began to apprehend and imprison the Ice Cream Men and place what remained of the beast into their storage. "Hey, you think something happened over where Augustus's group went?" Kohaku asked.
"We better go see!" Tressa agreed.
"I better come, too." Pipirika said. "I don't know where Konayuki ran off to, and I haven't seen Hina around either."
…
The trio made the journey back through Shiverspine Falls and escaped through the same entrance gap. They swam across the lake, seeing their friends at the shore. "HINA!"
"Pipirika!" Hina called back to his sister.
Once they had returned to shore, Pipirika was quick to ask, "Hina, we were attacked by some kind of ice cream monster and some human men! These girls said they were Gourmet Corp.!"
"You really were attacked?!"
"Hina, why didn't you tell me you were going with them?"
"I would have, but…hmmmm." Hina calmed himself. "Listen, Pipirika… Augustus was the one who slayed the unicorn, not me."
"Oh…" Pipirika was too stressed from the recent attack to be able to process this.
"I tried to tell you, but I couldn't. But, I went with them, and I slayed a giant polar sea-bear, all by myself! Look!"
Yuzu dumped the mass of severed sea-bear meat around the snow. "I'm sorry for not telling you. But with this, I can still prove myself a man! I can still be worthy of the name 'Hinahoho'!"
Pipirika scoffed and slapped her brother. "That doesn't matter now, you idiot! I think Kona wandered off again, she could be hurt!"
"Yaaaawn…" Konayuki rose from a mound of snow, rubbing her head. "Kona has a headache…"
Pipirika gasped. "Kona! There you are!" She ran up and embraced the child in a hug. After reopening her eyes, she saw the bruise on the hybrid's head. "What in the world? Kona, were you attacked?"
"Come to think of it, where's Tama?" August asked.
"Shouldn't she be with you?" Tressa asked.
"She wanted to stay behind this time. I hope she didn't fall in the lake."
"Tama…oh!" Konayuki perked up with a smile. "Tama is okay! The evil man took her to a 'wonderful' place!"
"E-EVIL MAN?!" Suika yelped, questioning her statement.
"What do you mean a wonderful place?!" Yuzu shouted. "Is she… Did she go to Heaven?!"
"No!" Kona clarified. "There were two evil men, and one of them told the other one to take her to 'Wonder' something. What was it…" The hybrid rubbed her sore head. "Wonderfeast…Wondercheese…oh!" She gasped. "Wonderbeast! Wonderbeast World!"
"Then… Tama was kidnapped by Gourmet Corp. and taken somewhere?" Yuzu asked fearfully.
"Oh, my…" Kohaku spoke lowly. "Poor Tama…"
"Dammit!" August cursed. "I should've told her to go back to the village or something! Why the hell is Gourmet Corp. showing up everywhere we go?!"
"Why is everyone sad?" Konayuki asked. "Did Tama not go to a 'wonderful' place?"
"I've never heard of Wonderbeast World." Tressa said. "But it sounds like the kind of name that would attract hunters. Maybe they have a base there or something."
"Augustus, I feel that I owe you a debt." Hina spoke determinedly. "Allow me to join you! I will help you rescue your friend!"
"Take it easy, big guy." August assured him. "I don't wanna rope you into our problems."
"But I must! I…"
"Just be there for your villagers. It looks like Kona was hurt trying to protect Tama, and there might be others. Don't waste your energy helping strangers like us."
"Hmmm…" Hina looked to the bruise on Kona's head. Pipirika made a little snowball and put it over the bump, Kona giggling from the sensation. "Very well… but promise you'll save her."
"You bet we will!" Yuzu vowed. "But Gourmerry… I'm sorry, but you'll have to wait a little longer before we serve you the Aurora Bream. We just can't eat it without Tama. Not until she's safely back with us."
"Gour…" The spirit was certainly upset by this fact. After all that swimming, she was especially looking forward to a tasty fish, and fish from a pretty aurora were especially promising… but even she could understand that it would feel lonely without their missing friend. "Gourmerry!" With a passionate nod and furrowed eyes, she agreed.
"And Hina, we promise to serve you your share at the festival." Augustus smiled.
"I'll have this sea-bear prepared for you as well. Good luck, Captain Augustus."
Hina picked up some pieces of the sea-bear, and Konayuki decided to help, merrily following the grown-up. …No one noticed the tiny green ghost that phased up through the snow and behind Konayuki's hair. "Trying to wash me off, huh? I think I'll hide out here for a while!" Skulker sneered, tucking himself in the curtain of yeti hair.
"Don't let him down." Pipirika told the crew. "My brother cares a lot about children. He doesn't forgive anyone who hurts them. Hey, I know a shortcut back to the shore. Want me to show you?"
"Yes, please." Yuzu nodded. "We have to hurry!"
"Then let's go!" Pipirika rushed across the snowfields as the crew tailed behind.
Wonderbeast World
The strums of a piano echoed throughout the palace. The brown-furred fingers danced gracefully across the keys, their owner performing with serenity.
An orange Mobian orangutan in a red-frocked coat approached the stairs where the piano and its performer rested. "My Lord, some people from the Brotherhood are here. They request an audience."
"Ah, so now the Brotherhood has come groveling at my doorstep." The pianist was a rather large mandrill Mobian with scars along his head and the same red-frocked coat. He spoke in a high, refined accent. "Were they so dependent on His Majesty that they've exhausted all their funds?"
"I don't know, sir, but they wanted to request your aid with a 'special operation.' They said they've brought a gift that could benefit the Krew."
"Ah, I do love gifts. Alright, let's see what these lower-class simians have to offer." The mandrill spun in his seat. "Oops, can't forget my perfume~" He wiped off some droplets of pink sweat and discarded them into a small bottle of perfume of the same color. "Come along, Gerard." The mandrill marched down the stairs and across the foyer to the palace entry. "Let us see if this is a worthy gift to the new king."
A grand painting of his likeness was displayed above the foyer, and above that, a swamp-green banner displaying the Kremlings' Jolly Roger.
…
…
(Play "Fluff Festival" from Mario Sunshine.)
The grounds around Shiverspine Falls were completely free of people. Only the roaring falls sounded and the snow was left to blanket the land. …But somewhere under that snow was an ice cube. It was located near a grouping of dandelions that blended with the fluffy snow. Inside that ice cube… the Kittentia remained abandoned. Its cute little smile was frozen. Unable to leave its ice prison, it could only wait for someone to come by. Some day…