"Mmmmm…goooouuurr…"
It was perhaps the second time Gourmerry had been eaten… and it was just as unpleasant as she remembered. However, the inside of Acacia's belly was remarkably different. It was like being in a whole other dimension, foods floating everywhere in the surreal space. Perhaps it was everything Acacia had ever eaten. Is this how it looked inside the body of a god? Is this what it looked like inside Gourmerry's own little tummy? There were giant bubbles securing the sacred items of Acacia's Full Course… including Gourmerry herself.
"Mmmmm! Mmmmm!" She tried to push the barrier open, but it was locked tight. "Merry?" But a scene began to form on the bubble: Cheren, Zebra, and Maddy fiercely clashing against the Gourmet God himself. "Merry! Gourmerry!" she yelled as if calling for help. "Merry…ry?" When she bowed her head in sadness… she spotted a strange pile far beneath her. It was a pile of colorful eggs with unique designs. "Gourmerry?" She thought they were Easter Eggs, which had been used in some of her recipes in GKND H.Q.. But they were rather strange…
Gourmet Dining Kitchen (Play "Origami Castle" from Origami King!)
Menu 10: Defect God
Recipe: Rescue everyone from Gourmet Dining Kitchen!
A squad of Mechon were guarding the castle gates. Kat used her bending to make Nel and Kohaku float, lunging them forward as they stamped the robots' faces with their heels. The robots fell over, but recovered as they tried to shoot down the flying girls. Wolf was able to dash up secretly and used her new whip to yank them off their feet once more, leaving them vulnerable to more stomps. As the mechs were swiftly scrapped, the earth began rumbling as K. Lumsy was charging toward the gates, Senku on his nose and Tressa on the tail. The armored giant tore down the gates and charged into the first corridor. A horde of large, obese Gluttons began storming toward them. These Nightmares resembled grotesque humans with clay-like, molded faces.
"We'll leave this to you, big guy!" Senku said as Kat made her friends float.
"We'll take the lower route!" Wolf declared, she, Tama, and Suika headed towards the Nightmares. Nel shrunk to child form and went with them.
"Be careful, you guys!" Yuzu called.
The children's small statures helped them dodge the clingy hands of the Gluttons, though it was a struggle to maneuver around their hefty frames. Wolf dealt jabs at them to make them stumble and Suika was ever evasive with her Melon Roll. A Glutton grabbed Tama and tried to eat her, but it turned out to be a clone. The children managed to dodge into a left room: a huge, long-armed Nightmare was placing cans and boxes up into cabinets. The containers were shaking, indicating they had people trapped inside. The Janitor had bandages over his eyes, but as Tama ran across the floor, he could hear the clopping of her sandals.
While the Janitor attempted to catch Tama's clones, Wolf and Nel made little sound on their bare feet. They ran to some posts in the wall as Wolf used her whip to pull herself and Nel up. They slipped into the cabinets as Nel used her strong teeth to rip the cans and boxes open, freeing some captive festival-goers, including Pacifica. "Thanks for the save, but I can't move, for some reason!" Pacifica said, her stiff self wriggling.
"Better get inside this." Wolf suggested, pulling out the Infi-Cube.
The teenagers followed a corridor where some prisoners were hung up along a ceiling conveyor, like packaged pieces of meat. Kat borrowed Kohaku's daggers and flew up to gracefully cut them down in a row, the prisoners plopping on the ground. The others worked to cut them free, and one of the trapped people was Koa. "Grrr, I can't move!" Koa squirmed. "A little help?" Kohaku lifted and set her in their Infi-Cube. The crew hurried to what appeared to be a butcher's room. Yuzu gasped in horror, recognizing Kiki Yamaka. The witch was being tied to a table as a duo of Grim Cooks were trying to feed her pancakes. "KIKI!"
"Yuzu?! Please help, they're trying to fatten me up!"
Kat flew to stomp one of the Cooks in the eye, and Senku flew to drop gunpowder on the other. Kat dropped Courage on the table for him to free Kiki, but because her body was stiff, they placed her in the cube. Once the cooks were subdued, they recovered the other prisoners and entered the next door. The crew found their selves over a passage of fire. Kat channeled gravity onto the left wall to allow her friends to walk across. Pyro Guys rocketed up from the furnace to take them down, but Tressa dizzied them with whirlwinds and blew them down instead.
The children escaped into a vent, and when it curved vertically, Wolf tossed her whip up to a nail sticking out and pulled her friends up. They found an exit vent overlooking a bakery. Grim Cooks were pouring Kateenians into a pie pan, ready to pour in dough, and Minish were being stuck to cupcakes like sprinkles. Nel grew to adult form to land on the Nightmares with a firm kick, beating them down as Wolf jabbed and stunned them. Suika rolled onto the tables and poured the Kateenians out of the pie pan, then she carefully picked Minish off the cupcakes.
"Don't worry, tiny people! You're safe now!" Suika assured.
"Who are you, Melon Giant?!" a Minish exclaimed.
"Is she a guardian spirit?"
"Praise be to the Melon Giant!"
And with that, a ton of squeaky cheers filled the room. "Why are they calling Suika a giant? Suika is small."
"But Suika!" Tama cheered. "In their eyes, we art giants!"
"We art?!" The very idea filled Suika with a sense of pride and responsibility.
"The Melon Giant must be the shield for yonder tiny people!"
"Then Suika will be the most useful giant ever! Quick, everyone into Suika's melon!" She collected handfuls of the tinies and compressed her body into the melon. "Yaaaaay!"
"Just how much room is in that thing, anyway?" Wolf asked.
The children proceeded to the next room, which had a wet floor and was slightly cool as it was used to store produce. There were Hip Ghosts (ghosts that looked like hippies) trying to capture Maria, the Hat Kid nimbly outmaneuvering them. There were some fruits dropped around the floor, so Suika was easily able to disguise herself, remaining still whenever the ghosts chased Maria in her direction. "If only I could get to Uncle Luigi! He'll slurp you ghosts right up!"
Suika climbed a hanging stalk up to a table, observing other packaged prisoners, such as Goombella. Suika searched for someone who looked like Uncle Luigi, staying still if the ghosts looked her way. Suika found a red man and green man inside a pepper bag. Noticing the "L" on the latter's hat, she asked, "Mister, are you Uncle Luigi?"
"Yes! Please get-a us outta here, little melon head! I can't move, but you can-a borrow my Poltergust!"
"Okay!" Suika pulled the bag down and ripped open the top of it. Luigi was wearing the Poltergust on his back, so the melon head took it. When the ghosts saw the prisoners escaping, they flew to recapture them, but Suika stunned them with Luigi's flashlight and slurped them into the vacuum. The others jumped up to free Goombella, some Goombas, and Kikwi prisoners.
"Goombella!" Maria jumped up. "Were any of your teammates captured?"
"Yes, Index was. Honestly, I hope this place doesn't kill her appetite. When I was first captured, I was able to move around a bit, but it looks like these packages nullify our motion after a minute. I don't know when it'll wear off."
"I guess they keep you frozen long enough to cook you and stuff." Wolf figured. "Man, these guys are sick."
The teenagers landed right-side-up at the doorway to a new passage. An unfenced path would lead over a strange floor that looked like closed mouths. "Guys, look!" Yuzu pointed toward a kitchen area to their left. There were several chefs at work, wearing electric collars. "Iizuka! Mera! Over here!"
The two in question looked over. "Mera, it's Yuzu!"
"Hey, it's that goil from the Biotope!" Chef Kawasaki called. "OUCHIE!" His collar electrocuted him.
"Those must be all the chefs who were on the hunt!" Yuzu said. "We have to help—WHOA!" The giant mouths on the floor began to fly up and across the path, threatening to munch the intruders. This path was chi-blocked, preventing Kat from flying, so the teens could only run across and dodge. Once they were close to the kitchen, a group of Gourmet Guys (obese Shy Guys) charged in attempt to shove them off the path. Kohaku shoved them back with her beefed-up hands while the others bounced across their heads. Senku whacked the EMP Hammer against the chefs' collars, causing them to detach from the captives. "Hey, what about the hunters that were with some of you?"
"Down in the dungeon, I take it." Iizuka answered. "We'll go rescue them. You're probably busy with your own stuff."
"We heroes have a tight schedule." Senku agreed.
The crew hurried into a freezer chamber, crossing a passage with gusts of freezing air. Tressa used her bending to hold the air back. As Kohaku and Kat fought some yeti guards, Yuzu called attention to the frostbitten containers of ice cream and frozen foods. She distinctly noticed Pipirika trapped in a sushi package. Thankfully, Courage had a lighter to help melt the frozen containers. Afterwards, Yuzu could cut Rika free, along with Ursula and other snow-type captives. "Pipirika, are Kona and the Imuchakk okay?"
"I think Kona was possessed by a ghost and forced to fight Hina. I don't know what happened to them afterward."
"Uh-oh. Well, wait in here until your stiffness wears off." She lifted Rika into the cube. "Sorry…"
"That voice! Is that Yuzu?!"
Yuzu looked up at an egg carton with a White Seal marker. "Kat, get that down for me!" Kat did so and floated up to get the carton. "Who's in there?"
"It's me! Cules!"
"Cules? You really were at the festival?!"
"Yeah, I was waiting for you to arrive! But I'm a bit unpresentable at the moment…"
Yuzu tried to cut the carton open. "The seal on this one's pretty tough. Can you guys-"
"EGG." A large White Seal with a haunting face dropped down. "EGG." It violently flopped around to smash the group. "EGG." It clutched the carton in its teeth, but Kohaku bashed its head, followed by a kick from Kat. Tressa lifted the large carton and tried to hurry forward, the former two struggling to fight the seal.
"We can figure it out later!" Senku said, freeing King from his meat package. "Maybe if we beat Acacia, these packages will-"
The castle began rumbling. "Microwave Cannon charged. Awaiting command."
"M-Microwave Cannon?!" Yuzu exclaimed. "Wait! Was the island moving toward…"
Cooking Island
Maddy used Observation to evade Acacia's attacks, but when she threw a punch, he dodged right. Cheren leapt to slice him, but he anticipated this and batted him away with his War Fork. However, Nebula opened a portal to warp Cheren toward Acacia's back and stab him. Acacia reached back to grab the boy and tried to squeeze him, but Zebra blasted Cheren away with his voice. The Fanalis came flying with a downward kick, blocked by the spoon and fork. The knife flew to stab him, but Zebra grabbed and held it back. He dealt another kick to push the other utensils down and threw the knife into Acacia's head, followed by Maddy punching him in the knee.
As Acacia flew from his attackers, a series of Chopsticks materialized from his chi. All the recipes on the island had been safely packaged as well, and those Chopsticks flew to collect and bring them. Acacia quickly ate the meals, his injuries quickly recovering and his aura flaring. "Don't you get it? So long as there is something to eat, I will never fall! With the power of a Firstborn in my system, I'm already invincible. But as a Gourmet God, my stamina increases far more quickly. I can absorb all possible nutrients from anything I consume!"
"The power of a Firstborn?!" Nebula exclaimed.
"He means that puny Food Firstborn that Augustus had." Zebra stated.
Hearing this, Skaios gasped. "You mean... Gourmerry? HE ATE GOURMERRY?! YOU BASTARD! You'd better cough up my sister, or else-!"
Acacia chucked several Forks down, but Tani grabbed the Firstborn in vines and yanked him away. "We don't want him to eat you, too! That'll just make him worse!"
"So, he's a god with infinite calories, huh?" Jak overheard. "We'll see about that! Malos, let's destroy-!"
Dark Lugia's hurricane breath threatened to blow Jak away, the Long-Ear using his Monado to split the wind. "Can't let you do that, kid!" Iron Mask stated. "With the power Acacia possesses, he's got more leverage than Team Rocket or anyone at Team Gnaa. Maybe I'll just ditch Team Rocket and become a full-time member of Gourmet Corp.."
"I don't give a crap what you do." Jak grit his sharpened teeth. "But I'm still gonna kick your ass!" (Play "Visions of the Future" from Xenoblade!)
Boss fight: Dark Lugia
Lugia dove headfirst at Jak, but when he threatened to slice, Lugia dodged upward and blasted a cyclone directly down, skewering the area where Jak stood. Malos defended him with a shield, then Jak leapt for an Air Slash. Lugia flapped higher and dealt wind-slices from afar. Jak switched to a new symbol on his sword and used Monado Jail, wrapping dark chains around Lugia and effectively chi-blocking it. The Pokémon crashed on the ground, so Jak ran to start dishing slices. Lugia could still counter him with its wings and tail, followed by a head swing to send Jak flying. As Jak ran back toward him, Lugia shook free of its chains and could spit Air Bombs. Jak dodged them and sent dark slashes at the Legendary. With each miss, the slashes decimated buildings and ground behind Lugia.
One of the buildings destroyed exposed Beerus inside a bathroom, looking panicked by the whole event. "You know, maybe the 'God of Destruction' shtick is a little old--AAH!" He leapt as a slash destroyed his toilet.
Jak leapt high and tried to stab down on Iron Mask on Lugia's back. As the bird dodged, the Monado punctured the ground and burst with a darkness that left a wide crater. However, Daxter managed to jump and land on Mask's shoulders. "Hey! You little-!" Daxter crawled within his clothes and impeded his balance. "Hey, Lugia, slow down!" he yelled as he nearly fell off. But this order allowed Jak to catch up and land successful strikes against the Dark Pokémon. "AGH! Dammit, just fly higher!" Lugia obeyed and flapped to the sky. Iron Mask managed to seize Daxter and frantically threw him off, but Daxter grabbed onto Lugia's right foot.
Lugia slashed its wings and cut the air toward Jak, but he countered those waves with darker ones. Daxter clambered back up and quickly climbed up to Mask's shoulders. "AAAH!" Daxter bit his neck and thrusted sideways with enough force to pull Mask over. "Lugia!" His pet dove down to save its master, but Jak was able to land a strike to the head. A dizzied Lugia landed, and as Jak passed the Monado to Malos, the Blade called, "Monado CYCLONE!" A whirlwind of darkness spun and swept Lugia up, sending it flying afterwards.
As Mask recovered from the knockback, he gripped Daxter by the neck in his gloved hand. "That's it! You better back down or I'll squeeze this rat's guts out!"
Anger fueled Jak as he slashed more destructive waves. Lugia dodged, but when Jak was up close, the Long-Ear vehemently clashed with its wings. Bursts of darkness erupted with each swing, prompting Lugia to quickly retreat, and parts of the ground incinerated. Malos ran to Lugia's left, so Jak tossed the Monado to the Aegis. Malos raised the weapon and chopped down against Lugia, greatly damaging the spirit and leaving a long indent in the ground.
"Jak, don't get carried away!" Daxter tried to yell in Mask's grip. "Jak!"
Meanwhile, Shulk had alerted Rex and Pyra about the situation. They watched as their long-earred friend clashed viciously with Lugia, the spirit too exhausted to fly from the previous attack. "So, Jak was able to bring back Malos after all?" Rex asked.
"We should've practiced first!" Pyra said. "If Jak loses control, we could have another problem on our hands!"
It was then that Shulk's Monado gave him a vision: Dark Lugia flying up and doing a Torpedo Dive, followed by a great, destructive explosion. "JAK! WAIT!"
"Lugia! Torpedo Dive, now!"
The spirit wailed and mustered the strength to take flight. Once at the peak of the barrier, Lugia spun and dove down like a windy drill. "AAG-G-G-G-G-G-GH!" Daxter stuttered. "I have mooooootion sickness!"
Jak and Malos clasped the Monado and called, "Monado... BUSTER!" The darkness erupted just as Lugia made impact. The Mirans looked on in horror, fearing that everyone within its radius was gone.
However, they were all still stabilized, with Lugia's head having hit the ground inches from its foes. With a sickened caw, the darkness eclipsing its body shattered, its majestic white self plopping on the ground. "What?!" Iron Mask gasped: the Darkballs on his vest were disintegrating.
"I only focused my Destruction on those black balls." Malos stated. "You're lucky my Driver was merciful, or we would've gotten you, too."
"Well, we did a little bit." Jak said. Right then, the agent's iron mask and shirt disintegrated, exposing his brown hair and bare chest.
"No! Scizor! Sneasel!" The villain could see his Pokémon fainting after being freed from the dark control.
"Looks like you ain't got JAK, buddy!" Daxter remarked. "But don't forget your dessert!" He jumped off just as Jak grabbed the agent in his long-nailed fingers. Jak spun around and chucked Mask into the air, followed by a firm kick once he fell. "AAAAAHHH!" Mask flew to the ceiling of the barrier, but Jak cast one final slash that bypassed Mask and ruptured an opening. Mask flew beyond the barrier with a classic Team Rocket sendoff. Twinkle. (End song.)
"Huff...thanks, Malos." Jak panted. "I'd love to play more, but I... don't think it's time, yet."
"Yeah yeah, I get ya." Malos scoffed. "Just don't keep me waiting." With that, Jak reached and pressed the crystal on his chest. Malos deactivated and returned to gem form. Jak's skin returned to its normal color.
"Jak!" Rex called as he, Pyra, and Shulk rushed over. "You did it! You used Malos!"
"I told ya they were a perfect match!" Daxter said. "They both had serious anger issues. They were a match made in heaven~"
"We're not done, yet." Jak said. "We still have monsters to take care of. Might as well keep fighting until I pass out."
"Yeah!" Shulk readied his sword. "We can definitely win this!"
If there was a benefit to all the goers being captured, it left more room for the KND to go all-out on their battles. Anthony stood victoriously atop Barrygamon's fallen form. Morgiana had crushed Bogie Woods' bones with her superior legs. Suki Crystal was beaten by Bile, so Konayuki rushed in to finish the fight. Kona had gotten the help of Sugar, using her musicbending to help guide the hybrid's movements and strike the larger yeti. The tiny Rupert was able to topple the gigantic Boneless, but had lost 300 Pikmin in the battle. Fybi needed Misaka's help to fight Elg. They had no choice but to kill the regenerative horse-man, mustering a great surge of lightningbending to incinerate him completely.
Dillon was beaten by Kuromado, so Kokichi jumped in to finish the battle. Harry and Kariu's rap battle ended in a draw, but both found a new respect for each other and shook hands. Melody lost to Dores, so Weiss Schnee offered to finish her battle, her single sword vs. Dores' three swords. Klubba was defeated by Bei, so the Namekian focused on squishing Eric next. However, the scrawny nerd learned that one of Bei's spikes was very sensitive, so he performed maneuvers to climb up Bei's back and hit that spike with a S.P.L.A.N.K.E.R.. Aurora Uno had destroyed Girim's armor with Galaxia, so she then focused icebending attacks on the firebender.
Cheren viewed around at his fellow operatives. Despite some of them having fallen, there were just as many falls on the enemies' side, and still plenty of operatives to continue the battle. "It doesn't matter if you have a Firstborn or whatever! You'll never be able to beat all of us!"
"You're right!" Acacia declared, exchanging fists with Zebra and blocking a soundwave. "I never expected the universe's strongest to go down easily. But it's about time to begin cooking!" The God Tier flew to the barrier's ceiling. "LICORICE! Activate the Microwave Cannon! Now!"
"Microwave Cannon?!" Cheren exclaimed.
The island had stopped moving directly under the Dining Kitchen, which remained unseen from the island in the dark sky. "As you command, My Lord!" Licorice declared, his finger raised over a button. "Farewell, Kids Next Door!" With a smash of the button, a powerful beam of heat descended and struck the barrier. The temperature inside began rising like a microwave.
"Uh-oh!" Skinner exclaimed. "Sounds like eet is time to run!" The rat-man scurried toward the edge of the island. "I hope you kiddies enjoy being fried like a—wah?!"
"Huh?" Acacia gasped: the ray of heat was suddenly overpowered by a ray of blue chi, causing the microwave to Rewind. "YOU!"
MaKayla King gripped the Chrono Staff and summoned the power of the Great Clock. "I had a feeling they were planning to use some kind of superweapon! Somebody better do something!"
"Don't disrupt the Boss's plan, you brat!" Mohyan tried to counter her power with his own timebending, but Miyuki Crystal jumped in the way to intercept him.
"Just hang in there, MaKayla! I'll handle this guy!" she yelled to her friend. Kayla grinned in gratitude as Miyuki tried to cast Age Regression over the spider-man.
Acacia swooped down with the intent to pierce MaKayla—"AAAGH!" Nebula shot up from a portal to pierce him with her sword, Vistium Augrium. Nebula stabbed Acacia against his barrier, and she ferociously landed as many blows as she could. "AAAH! AAAH! AAAH! AAA—OMP!" Acacia suddenly gripped the sword in his teeth, trying desperately to chew it. However, once a 10-second mark had passed, the sword disappeared. Nebula's armor vanished, and Acacia seized her in his fist. He tried to eat the Supreme Leader, but Karin Kurosaki whooshed past and saved her.
"That kid can't hold the cannon back forever!" Tommyrod said. "Let's get out of here so we don't get-"
"NOBODY LEAVES!" Acacia bellowed. The Boss sent his Forks to capture some of the fallen agents. Harry gasped as Kiriu was packaged, George watched as Gur was packaged. Others like Boneless, Zaragira, a de-armored Gido, a gassed-out Grinpatch, and some of the monsters flew up to Acacia. The KND and Gourmet Corp. alike were horrified as Acacia devoured them. "Until that cannon lands, trounce as many of these twerps as possible! Or you're next!"
"Tu es fou!" Skinner exclaimed.
"You know, that sounds like your cue to team up with us!" Apis shouted.
"I'm not about to be part of his diet!" Skinner resumed throwing bombs that Apis either evaded or threw back. Acacia tried to Fork the fallen operatives next, but their friends worked to protect them. Nono used her bending to make ice shields around the unconscious allies and further prevent the Forks from reaching, but she also did the same for other fallen Gourmet Agents.
From the sky, Haylee could see that the Chrono Beam restraining the Microwave Beam. "Maybe we can destroy it from out here!" She flew straight up and tried to shoot the cannon's interior, only for Muntz and Washer's ships to shoot at her and steer her away.
"Not so fast, Gilligan! Your friends are gonna fly and you're gonna join them!"
Haylee mumbled lowly, "They're not gonna lose, you'll see…"
"Eh? Did we turn our speakers down?" Washer asked, turning it up. "You'll have to speak up, kid, we didn't catch—EEEEE!!" An earsplitting soundwave ruptured their drums, so they quickly switched the radios off.
"Looks like you gonna need some new hearing aids!" Rallo retorted.
"Damn you!" Muntz rubbed his ear. "Washer, turn off radio communications with them! Maybe I can stop that blue beam by draining its color!" He changed into his peacock form and flew to the Chrono Beam. He fired Color Rays and was able to suck up some of the blueness. Haylee gasped and quickly flew after to shoot him. The Baby Trio, manning their own ship, tried to take down Washer.
Haylee grabbed her communicator, "Yuzu, if you guys can hear me, the castle's trying to shoot some kind of heat cannon at the island!"
…
"That answers that question!" Yuzu responded. "We have to find the control room! Wolf, how are you guys doing?"
"A control room? Microwave Cannon?"
"Yes! Do you…"
The four children were standing in front of a giant glass door that resembled a microwave. "Um…we might have found it."
"Oy! Excuseth me!" Tama banged her little hand against the thick glass. "Wouldst thou prithee let us in?"
Lord Licorice whistled a merry tune as he strolled by with a cup of cocoa in hand. "Ahh, murdering a bunch of people can sure make a man thirsty. Hah, and the World Leaders thought a Microwave Cannon was a crazy idea."
"Oyyy! Let us in!"
"?!" Licorice perked up and looked over at the entrance. "What?! How did you little rodents make it up here?!"
"Are you in charge of that cannon thingy?!" Wolf shouted. "Let us in!"
"Give back Captain Augsus!" Nel grew to adult form and kicked against the glass.
"Wait, I remember that Neanderthal…" Licorice glared. "So, you're Augustus's crewmen. You know, I just cleaned in here, I don't want you to track mud in my control room. Honestly, your attire is filthy! I can even smell you through the door! Janitor, sweep these rodents off my porch!"
The girls about-faced as the long-armed Janitor came swinging in. He landed and swept the children in his arms, but Nel leapt and stomped him in the face. Wolf roped her whip around his neck and tugged herself free, stabbing the arms with Stalky as Tama and Suika escaped. The Janitor grabbed Nel's arms and tried to rip her apart. "?!"
There was a sudden rumbling as K. Lumsy's gigantic form came charging around the corner. The Gluttons were clinging and piling on him, trying to rip off his armor, but Lumsy shook that armor off for the sake of freeing himself. "Mister Giant!" Suika yelled. "You gotta open this big door! Augustus is in there!"
"Cabain?!" Lumsy looked over at the glass doorway. The giant rushed over and squished the Janitor, grabbing the handle on the right. "Huuuurr…I pwomised to protect Cabain… with my big, strong hands…" The Gluttons were climbing back on and biting his soft scales. "I'm not good at fighting… but I can help my fwiends fight!"
The microwave door opened slowly. Suika and Tama were able to squeeze into the narrow gap. However, the Janitor pushed Lumsy off him and reached to grab Nel and Wolf, pulling them back. The Gluttons shoved Lumsy forward and forced him to seal the door. "Oh, no!" Suika exclaimed.
Licorice bent up cocoa from some barrels and splashed it over the two children, but they dodged separate directions. "Where didst thou place August'n?!"
"Tama?! Is that you?!" a voice called.
They gasped and looked to a higher platform. There was something like a large lollipop wrapping taped to the wall. "Tama, are the others with you?"
"Only Suika was able to come in with me!"
"Then it's up to you! Take this prick down and stop the cannon!"
Licorice formed a hammer of melted candies and tried to smash Tama, the ninja dodging. "I wilt saveth thee first!"
"But Tama, August won't be able to move!" Suika reminded.
"You can do it, Tama! This guy's a pushover! You too, Suika!"
"Enough!" Licorice declared. "I was all set to throw Augustus into the cannon and burn him alive! I don't mind doing the same to his Children of the Candy Corn. You will join your captain in the depths of Acacia's bowels!" (Play "Boss Egg Dragoon" from Sonic Unleashed!)
Boss fight: Lord Licorice
Licorice formed five Candy Hammers, sending two to attack the girls while keeping three to defend himself. The stairs that led up to the controls and Augustus were covered in sticky candy, so they couldn't stop the cannon, yet. Tama made Shadow Clones and dodged closer to the villain. Two of them were crushed by the hammers, but the real Tama made it and tried to whack his legs with her staff. Licorice jumped in evasion and whipped out his gun to shoot Tama. The bullet struck her head, but Tama used Substitution with one of the barrels. She appeared behind and knocked him off his feet. She angrily and repeatedly bashed his head, but retreated before he could grab her in a candy hand.
Unfortunately, Licorice succeeded in grabbing her on the second attempt. Suika rolled up from behind, evading his attacks, but he swung a swift kick to the melon like a kickball. Suika unraveled dizzily, enabling Licorice to catch her in a candy hand. He begun to squeeze both girls, but despite her tight position, Suika was able to shrink into her melon. She air-rolled and bounced against Licorice. He growled and tried to catch her again, but Suika merely jumped on the hand. As it rose up, she removed her helmet and leapt to force it backwards over Licorice's head (bending his own hat as well). Also, Suika's tiny passengers were safe in her blonde hair.
"AAAH!" the villain cried, running around in panic. "Th-th-the dark! Get this thing off me!" As he tried to tug it off, Tama divided into clones. They ran up and knocked Licorice down, beating him with their staffs. Licorice tugged the melon off and threw it, waving candy to knock the clones away. "You'll pay for that! Or should I say, your captain will!" Licorice ran up the sticky steps to Augustus's platform. He began to shoot him through the wrapping, but the bullets bounced off. "What?! You can still use Haki in that state?!"
"I'm the best, buddy!"
"Suika, I shalt help thee up thither!" Tama declared. Her three clones formed a circle with hands in the center. Suika put her melon back on and curled inside, getting on her hands. Tama flung her hands up several times, steadily bouncing Suika higher, until one strong fling was able to make it to the platform. Suika grabbed on and pulled herself up, and with Licorice still trying to wound Augustus, she rolled near him. Licorice took a light step back. "WAAAH!" He tripped on Suika and fell off the platform. Tama's clones bashed his head, so Licorice swat them away. Licorice growled and faced upward.
Suika was struggling to untape Augustus's wrapper, but Licorice rose up again and swat her off. "Why don't I just burn him instead?!" The candy lord jumped down and opened a flight of stairs that led under the floor. The girls rushed after him, the stairs leading toward the cannon's heated interior. Suika rolled down the stairs, Licorice trying to shoot her, but she evaded and shoved his legs with enough force to make him fall over the side. Licorice used a Licorope to grab a pipe, but allowed Augustus to fall. "So long, boy!"
Tama made clones and dove down after. She caught August's wrapper in her teeth, another clone held her legs, and that one's legs were clutching a platform. With effort, they managed to haul August and the real Tama up to the platform. Licorice, still hanging on the pipe, tried to shoot the Tamas. They carried August and jumped across thick pipes, but when Licorice's bullets pierced the pipes, steam began to leak out. Suika looked over Licorice from above and, with a courageous breath, jumped down to land on him. "AAH!" He was forced off the Licorope and crashed through several more pipes before landing on a fenced, circular path around the cannon's generator.
"Warning: Damage to Pipes 42, 21, and 21b (I put 21 twice, sry). Entering emergency shut-down. Backup pipes will activate shortly."
"Why you…" Licorice furiously grabbed Suika and threw her over the edge. He attached candy to his hands and climbed up to Tama.
"WAAAAAAHHH!" Suika cried for help as she took the fall. "D'WHOA!" She crashed on the wing of the Baby Trio's plane.
"Suika!" Stewie exclaimed. "What happened up there?!"
"S-Suika was—AAAH!" A bullet from Washer's plane shook theirs, causing Suika to fall backward.
"What the-?!" Washer gasped when the strange melon flew and plopped on his windshield, the helmet flying off Suika's head. "Where in the world did you…?!"
Her vision weak, Suika's face scrunched up with her eyes in a tight squint. "AAAAH! What is this thing?! Abandon ship! Abandon ship!" Washer opened the cockpit and dove off, activating a parachute.
Suika fell into the seat, the windshield closing. Still struggling to see, she took the wheel and tried to get her bearings. "Mmmm…Tama still needs Suika's help…" She tried to turn the plane up toward the faint light of the recharging cannon.
Licorice reached Tama's level and shot at the clones. Two of them poofed, causing her to lose balance with Augustus's weight and fall over the side. They landed on the walkway, but Licorice landed and stomped Tama's leg. "This is what happens to fools who follow Augustus!" He shot the child, but she poofed into a broken pipe piece. Tama got behind, leapt to kick off another pipe, and shove Licorice from the side. "AAAAAGH!" Both ended up falling off the railing and the great drop to Cooking Island.
In mid-fall, Licorice formed a gummy parachute. Tama pulled out her glider to fly around, dodging his bullets. However, he remained distracted as Suika was steering the plane his direction. "AAAH!" The propeller swallowed up the gum and spun Licorice around before sending him falling toward the island. "WAAAAaaaaaahhh…"
"Waaah! Suika is falling!" she panicked as the propeller was blotted with gum. "Suika needs to…?" She saw a spare aviator's helmet on the floor. It was just big enough to fit her big head. She found the button that opens the cockpit, compressed, and rolled out, leaving the plane to crash somewhere below. Tama then swooped down to catch her friend in her arms, and the Baby Trio returned to catch both on their plane. (End song.)
With the Microwave Cannon having been weakened, MaKayla decided to dispel her timebending. "It's stopped?!" Muntz exclaimed, his peacock feathers having become blue. "No matter! I can still put good use to this!" He turned back around to face Haylee's ship. "See how this Time Beam does on you, Gilligan!" He fired the blue colors as a laser.
"Deflector Shields!" Haylee extracted solar panel-like shields from the ship and bounced the ray back against Muntz.
"AAAH?!" The impact caused Muntz's plane to slow down. Haylee dove downward and steadily curved up to process the sight.
"Looks like you're slow for your age, Muntz! Let's see how YOU like being immobile!" Haylee focused and fired bullets at Muntz's wings and propellers, the pieces falling slowly due to the Time Chi. However, she still had time to slow her ship beside him. She turned on autopilot and jumped onto Muntz's plane, whacking the peacock's head with her wrench to KO him. Haylee then fixed him with a parachute, pulled it open, and pressed the Eject button to slowly fling him away. "Up here, we Gilligans are fast as the wind!" She jumped back to her ship to regain control.
Yuzu's group were using Kat's bending to run along one of the castle walls. They smashed the window to a storage room, seeing some prisoners trapped in plastic grocery bags, along with paper ones. "Hey! There you are, Yuzu!" Rawberry called from an apple pack.
"Yuzu's here?!" Macarona said from a macaroni box. "Thank goodness!"
"At least you guys are okay!" Yuzu smiled. "Let's just toss their bags into the cube, we need to hurry."
"That voice… Is that really Yuz-" a voice spoke from a paper bag.
"OH, I will have Big Thank Yous to give," Big Bird announced from a chicken bag, "if you would so kindly free me from this cramped confinement! Why am I in a chicken bag, I'm not a chicken! Granted, I can't fly worth a dang, but I am quite the jogger!"
"Yuzu, this is O-Tama! We hath August'n's package with us!"
"Great! We'll meet you down where you are!" Yuzu replied, quickly throwing the packages into the cube.
"Yuzu, wait, open-!" the voice in the paper bag failed to reach her ears in time. However, Courage's ears seemed to perk up at the sound.
The trio of Wolf, Klumsy, and Nel were able to stomp the Gluttons into submission, exhausted by the battle. They were relieved to see Yuzu's group make it down to join them. "Looks like you guys had things covered!" Senku said. "Think you can open that big door?"
"O-K!" Lumsy cheered, his thick fingers grasping the microwave handle once more. He struggled to tug it open all the way, allowing his friends to get inside and cramming in himself.
The Marzipans stood in a circle with Augustus's wrapper lain on the floor. Tama grabbed the top of the wrapper and peeled it open. "Uuuuuhh…" Augustus allowed breath to enter his lungs. Lain on his side, his first sight was of Tama's sandals, before tilting up at the child's beaming face. It was then that Suika's bulbous, aviator-hatted head eclipsed his vision, sparking a giggle at her demeanor. Suika backed away, and Augustus was greeted with the relieved smiles of Yuzu, Nel, the babies, Kohaku, Senku, Tressa, Wolf, and Kat. "Ahhhh…what a beautiful sight this is. My precious fangirls… allowing me to look up their skirts."
And with that, spiteful frowns were triggered on the girls as Kohaku kicked his stomach. "Ow!"
"We came all this way to save you, Augustus, and you thank us with perversion?!" Tressa shouted.
"You don't know what it's like being stiff as a board and forced to listen to Licorice rant on and on. I missed the company of my lovely ladies."
"I don't wanna know what goes on when I'm not around." Kat said.
"We have to find a way to make this stiffness wear off." Yuzu said as she cut open the rest of the wrap. "Let's call Haylee and…"
"Ah-bu-bu!" Courage muttered. "Abubububu!"
"What're you saying now, Courage?" Kat asked. "Is Prince Abubu nearby?"
"The heck does that mean?" Wolf questioned.
"Wait, you want the Infi-Cube?" Yuzu noticed he was pointing at her pocket. Courage nodded as she withdrew the cube. The dog reached inside and pulled out the paper grocery bag.
"Yuzu! Cut me out of here!"
"Huh? Someone in there knows my name?" Yuzu ripped the bag open and freed a 13-year-old nun with a white and gold habit, and a false mustache, nose, and glasses. "Who are you?"
"Pull this stuff off my face."
Yuzu did so, exposing Index's green eyes and panting mouth. "Index?! I didn't recognize you at all!"
"Yeah, this is a top tier disguise. But I'm glad you came, Yuzu. Reach into my hat."
Yuzu reached under her hat and grabbed a small Pokéball with food designs. "A Pokéball?"
"A Spirit Ball. I visited the Chronicler and collected ones for all the Newborn. When the Cooking Fest started, I had a feeling it would involve that new Foodborn somehow, and it might even involve her Guardian. I predicted it a while ago, but now I'm positive that it's you."
"M-Me? I'm Gourmerry's Guardian?"
"Why're you so surprised?" August questioned. "At this point, there's no one else it can be but you. You cooked most of her meals and took her on this big adventure!"
"Well, you had a hand in the adventure part." Yuzu smiled. "But I guess you're right. I must be… Gourmerry's Guardian…" She calmly took the Spirit Ball with honor.
"Do I know you from somewhere?" Tressa asked Index. "I feel like I saw you on TV…"
"Er, you can ask her later!" Yuzu quickly dropped Index back in the cube. "Let's call Haylee and head back to the island!" The group nodded, Kat lifting Augustus as they rushed out of the castle.
"AAH! You're that girl from Bowser's Castle!" Big Bird screamed. "The one who…"
"Oh, put a button on that beak!" Index shouted.
With Licorice's defeat, the candy protecting the cannon controls had dispelled, so the Marzipans disabled the cannon completely and destroyed them. They returned to the lower walkway of the cannon and used Kat's power to float down. Haylee flew by to catch her friends. "All we have to do now is figure out how to take on a Gourmet God!"
"If I really become Gourmerry's Guardian, then there is a chance." Yuzu said. "We just have to get her back first!"
The crew flew down and landed on the island barrier. Lord Licorice's unconscious body was lain plopped nearby. "HEY!" Augustus yelled, Kohaku helping support him. "Gourmet Phony! Let us in and fight us like a man!"
"Do we really have to provoke him?" Tressa asked.
Acacia and Zebra glanced up at the group. The Boss noticed Licorice's body. "So, he lost after all, did he? Well, I'm a little busy, so why don't you kids stay out-"
"I'LL let you in!" Acacia gasped, seeing a winged figure soaring up to the barrier.
"Masaru!" Yuzu exclaimed. The red-haired boy was soaring up with a pair of windy wings, originating from Skaios.
"His chi-block wore off?" Acacia observed.
"I gave him a Stamina Cappuccino!" Tani stated. "It didn't seem to restore him completely, but…"
"But Ay can still mix me air with Masaru's wind!" Skaios declared. "And together, we can do THIS!"
A whirlwind spiraled around Masaru's flaming fist. His sapphire flame impacted the barrier and managed to shatter a small opening. Kat lifted August and Yuzu and floated in with them, but Acacia sealed the barrier before the others could follow. He sent Knives up at the group, evading as they flew a fair distance away to land safely. "Do you have any more of that coffee?! Augustus needs some!"
"Yeah, I'll bring it!" Tani yelled, racing over. Zebra swung a punch at Acacia to stop him from following, but Acacia caught Zebra's fist in his mouth. Zebra cried out in pain as Acacia applied more force to bite, amplifying his scream with the hope of damaging the god. However, Acacia succeeded in chomping the fist off, followed by kicking Zebra away.
Tani made it to August and Yuzu and tossed them an insulated coffee container. Yuzu poured the drink down Augustus's throat. Nerves returned to his body as he mustered the will to stand. "Boy, that really killed my appetite for lollipo-"
Acacia lunged forward to brutally punch him in the face. Kat flipped to choke Acacia in her legs, but he grabbed onto her and conjured a food package to wrap her up. He discarded Kat to the side and pinned his foot on Yuzu. Skaios and Masaru swooped down for another attack, but he sent three Forks to knock Masaru away, causing Skaios to fly straight toward the hunter and be dealt another chi-block. "There's still time for you to change your mind." Acacia raised his War Fork over Yuzu. "Become my chef or-"
"Get your boot off my sister!" Karin flew to shove Acacia off, but he swiftly punched her away afterward. Yuzu crawled backward and stumbled to stand. Jinta ran up to bash his head with his hardened bat, barely budging the god as he kicked him back.
"All this fighting has made you fatigued." Acacia smirked as energy coursed from his stomach around his body. "With the Firstborn's infinite calories, I will never tire. This workout is merely making my appetite stronger. Soon, you'll…"
"Mer…ry…mer…ry!…"
A small crack began to form on his stomach. "?!" He looked down as Gourmerry became visible within her bubble. "Merry! Merry!" She was struggling to stick her tiny hand through the small crack.
Huh? When that spacebender girl cut me with her sword, it left a rip in my body's dimension? At least it's only a small one, but- "AAH!"
Kipo, in a slightly smaller Purple Jaguar form, pounced Acacia, but was shoved off. Kodama shot Cheeseworks at Acacia's boots to stick him, Karin flew to catch his neck in a chokehold, and Kipo leapt back to clasp his body from the sides. Yuzu gasped, seeing Gourmerry's hand sticking out. …She calmly took Spirit Ball in her hand.
"Man, I need plastic surgery after this." Augustus limped back up, his face broken from the attack. "Hey, Yuzu, Gourmerry's there. Think we can cut his stomach open?"
"Her hand is sticking out. If we hit it with the Spirit Ball… you think we can catch her?"
Acacia summoned Forks to stab his attackers, but Zebra shot tiny soundwaves to knock them away. He channeled more sound to Acacia's ears and tried to dizzy him, but power was surging within the god. "Let's do it, Yuzu." Augustus put his hand over the ball. "We'll make the shot together!"
Yuzu nodded, eyes narrowed on the tiny target. Both pulled the ball back as August channeled a gentle flow of Haki. They threw with a twist of their hands: like the Gob-Spinner, the Spirit Ball spun en route to Acacia's stomach, curving around the air a bit. Regardless, it drill against the god's stomach, directly against Gourmerry's hand. "Nnnnnn…!"
"Gooouuurr…" Gourmerry resisted as Acacia was trying to suck her back into his gut. She allowed the ball to drill against her hand, her body slowly turning into energy. "MERRY!" Her body was light, and she slipped gracefully through the gap. Acacia burst with power and forced his attackers off, watching as Gourmerry was sucked into the ball. He tried to grab it, but Zebra ran to tackle him.
Yuzu firmly caught the ball as it returned. The food-designed ball vibrated in her hand, beeping with a red light on its lock. After a moment, the ball bonged…
A colorful light flashed from the ball, and it began to glow with a gentle light, warming Yuzu's hand. "Whoooaaa…" Karin, Jinta, Ururu, and Kodama gawked. "Did Yuzu just…"
Yuzu captured a NEWBORN! Only 8 to go!
"No… WAY!" Kodama screamed. "OUR Yuzu… captured a Newborn! Is she like the first one?!"
"Ha ha HAAAAA!" Jinta cheered. "Sector JP is IN THE LEAD, baby!"
"Yeah!" Karin yelled. "That's my little sister for ya!"
Acacia sported a grin, cracking his neck. "Well now… taking another man's food is mean." The seven orbs on his being shone as Gourmerry's chi flowed into them. "Then show me… what that Firstborn can do!"