It's time to begin a brand new story, gang! I don't really plan to get too complex with this story, just make it a nice, simple adventure that takes place in the Dream World. Probably be somewhere between 10 and 20 chapters. The "gameplay" for this story is heavily inspired from the original Rayman game; in fact, the remake Rayman Redemption was released this year, and that was the primary motivation to make this story! The main protagonist of this story will be Yume Nikki's Madotsuki… of course, I'll try to keep Seven Lights Saga spoilers to a minimum. The thing is, with these new stories, I don't like spoiling events of previous stories unless it's actually relevant, because you never know who might be reading out of order. XD That being said, there will be certain plot elements from Madotsuki's arc that'll come into play. Just as well, this story heavily draws on from the plot of The Horrorverse.
Good evening, my children. I am Polokus. For a time, I was the Spirit of the Dream World. I was given my position by the gods who created this world, to fight the evil Nightmares who plagued it. This Dream Realm was to be a haven for the mortals of the universe. A place to escape in their subconscious.
The illusions of five deities cast twinkling rays of energy over the realm, resembling constellations. One was pink and had two tails. One was white and catlike. One was yellow with a star head, but fast asleep. One was blue and resembled a crescent-winged bird. The last one was purple and resembled a ghostly cloak. Polokus named them as they appeared.
Feelings… Imagination… Wishes… Peace… and Fear. These were the five forces that birthed our Dream World. The powers of these five gods were combined to create the Great Protoon, the very core of this world. But Fear was the most dangerous of them all. It corrupted the hearts of the mortals and birthed powerful Nightmares. That is why I, the Bubble Dreamer, was assigned to stop them.
A constellation of an impish, but long-armed and tall-hatted being brought a wand down. He softly blew bubbles from the wand, and those bubbles captured the dark, sharp-toothed monsters.
By my power, the Nightmares fell to sleep, and the mortals could enjoy their dreams in peace. But I knew… my time in this universe was limited. I could not fight the Nightmares forever. And so, I cast my power onto the children.
Polokus waved his long-fingered arm as stardust sprinkled the moonlit earth. Amongst the billions of slumbering children, certain ones began to rise in their slumber.
I chose special children to carry my power and fight the Nightmares in my place. Today, I only exist in the hearts of these Bubble Dreamers. And tonight, one such Bubble Dreamer will begin her adventure.
Polokus's constellation turned into a single light. It swirled down onto the earth below and entered the heart of a slumbering, brown-haired girl.
Madotsuki was a poor young girl plagued with terrible nightmares. Nightmares too horrific for the common person. But that past is no more. Now, a new destiny awaits her…
Madotsuki had always enjoyed the warm embrace of slumber. She lived the life of an ordinary girl, adopted by her family, but the struggles of daily life tired the 13-year-old. She would always look forward to a warm night's sleep, her dim lit room quiet and undisturbed.
…
Her sweet red eyes opened. She calmly pushed off her covers and climbed out of bed. Wearing a pink sweater with a window design, purple skirt, and soft red socks, she viewed around her room, lit only by the crescent moon through her window and a snowman nightlight. Her small TV and game console were turned off. Madotsuki approached the door and slipped on her red boots before stepping out.
The hallway was dark, and her parents' and sister's rooms were closed. She walked past them and further into the darkness. Their rooms drew further and further until they disappeared. And before Mado's eyes… a portrait appeared.
It was a grand portrait possibly designed for a landscape, but it was almost completely blank. The only piece of the painting depicted some kind of shiny brown building on a green hill. "What… is this?" Madotsuki reached and tapped the painting. In an instant, her body shrank and was sucked into the building. (Play the Reading Rainbow Intro!)
Dream 1: Reading Rainbow
Mission: Exit the Great Library!
Thousands of books lined the shelves of this posh, colossal library. But while there were plenty for the books, there was little floor for Mado to cross before an abyss awaited her. It seemed that little butterflies formed a path up the shelf beside her. There was a "?" sign beside her, so she read it. You can make bubbles to capture creatures! Use these bubbles to give you a step up!
Mado pulled out a wand and blew bubbles to trap the butterflies. These bubbles allowed her to bounce up higher and reach a path. To the left, a butterfly was placed below a cage. She bubbled that fly and bounced up. She blew a bubble-shaped key to unlock the cage, freeing the trapped Electoons (round, pink ball-shaped creatures with blonde ponytails). Madotsuki then headed right. There was a book on a pedestal that she simply had to hit to open. A rainbow stretched out of the book and some painted UFOs escaped as well. The rainbow would slope down into the abyss, but the next area was too far to jump to. There was another sign to help her.
Some floors are really polished and slippery. Your boots will keep you safe, but be careful when wearing socks. However, it seemed that the slipperiness would benefit her here. Mado ran backward and removed her boots. She ran toward the rainbow slope, feeling her socks slip against the floor. With her momentum, she slid down the rainbow at great speed and performed a great JUMP, cartwheeling in the air as she crossed the chasm and landed on the far platform. She slid along that floor, but stopped before a UFO's laser shot her. She put her boots on and evaded the airborne enemy. An open book platform served to help her jump up and hit the saucer with bubbles. Once it was weakened, she Bubbled it, watching the foe float up to the sky.
Madotsuki continued to a stairway of closed, floating books. She couldn't stand on them like that, but a simple hit with her bubbles made them open. One grew flowers, another had a sandcastle, and the third released butterflies that flew left. …Mado backtracked and realized those flies led to a different path. She Bubbled them, jumped up, and reached a platform with an Electoon Cage. After freeing them, Mado returned to the main path.
There was a short, cartoony king in orange garb. He sat on the floor with a depressed expression: beside him appeared to be a blank, white structure shaped like a castle. "All the color in my castle is gone. I can't rule my kingdom like this."
Madotsuki felt bad for him, but she didn't seem to have anything that could help. All she could do was move on and open another pedestal book. A collection of clouds floated out, making bouncy platforms for Mado to cross. However, small storm clouds with angry eyes loomed overhead. These eyes winked to strike lightning at Mado. She evaded them as she bounced, but noticed some clouds led downward. She followed them down to a platform with a cage—a large group of Flash Eyes spawned below and struck lightning upward. Mado avoided their initial strikes, quickly opened the cage, and jumped back up before she could take damage. At the end of the cloud path, a wall of Flash Eyes blocked her. Mado shot bubbles at the upper two, the droplets searing the eyes and making them shut. She could then jump over them and land on a stable foothold.
Madotsuki was behind a chubby, green, snoring dragon. Its snores generated soft gusts of wind. There was a sign that read, Blow a big bubble from your wand to float over long gaps! Madotsuki blew a big bubble and kept it attached, letting the wind of the dragon blow her across the chasm. Blue, round creatures called Doomtoons floated with their helicopter hair and tried to impede her. She briefly shot them with bubbles before restarting her Hover Bubble, continuing to glide until she landed on the next platform. Some floating books would lead up some shelves. When Mado hit them, C-shaped rainbows stretched out. She could jump, grab, and climb those rainbows.
Madotsuki noticed a monochrome tail sticking out of a book in a shelf. However, she had no way to "officially" interact with it, so she kept jumping. Madotsuki reached a high floor that seemed to stretch all the way to the exit. Behind her, there was a series of rings leading high up to another cage, but she couldn't interact with those, yet. All she could do was cross to the exit. More UFOs spawned and shot lasers at her, but Mado stayed true and ran. A troupe of Doomtoons poofed and charged at her, but Madotsuki jumped and glided across. With that, she reached the exit, going out into a beautiful, bright green plain under a pink sky.
The great, brown library was built atop a hill, a posh pathway sloping down and across the field. Madotsuki could hit a switch nearby, which would make a cage accessible across the field. Her time was limited, but she wasn't fast on her own. Madotsuki removed her shoes and slid down the hill on her socks. The momentum dramatically picked up as she WHOOSHED across the field! She flew on her feet and made it to the cage, breaking it open before the barrier could reseal it. Mado continued to slide across the path, coming to a graceful and perfect land on her knees as she sat on a picnic blanket. (End song.)
An older girl was sitting on the blanket, sipping a cup of tea. She had dark-red hair in two pigtails, a wide pink hat, and a sunset T-shirt under an open, sky-blue jacket with clouds. She wore tall, blue-striped socks with her large pink shoes placed aside.
"Hello, Madotsuki." The girl smiled, her face like that of a doll. She had blush marks on her cheeks and wide, somewhat plain, but friendly dark eyes. "You must be wondering where this is."
"April-chan?" April Goldenweek was one of the first friends Mado had come to know following her memory loss. She was a talented artist who displayed little emotion, but was a peaceful and friendly person of 16. "Yeah… I don't think I've been to this dream."
"This dream belongs to another friend. All those books tell stories from countless different universes. You know, being a KND operative and seeing so many fantastical sights, it's hard to appreciate the beauty of reading and immersing yourself in other worlds. But these dream worlds aren't nearly as dangerous as the real world. That's why they're so much fun!"
"It depends on what dream we visit." Madotsuki replied, taking a chocolate chip cookie and biting it.
"Yeah. There are plenty of awful dreams." April took a cracker and bit. "Anyway, we have something important we need you to do, Mado."
"Another villain?"
"Not really… but I brought this." April reached into her jacket pocket and withdrew a small, shiny, grayish-black ball. It clearly looked like a Pokéball, which Mado knew from Pokémon. She handed it to Madotsuki.
"A Pokéball?"
"A Spirit Ball. Mado, do you remember Darkrai and Marshadow?"
"Yes, I do. Are they still asleep?"
"My friend said they were going to wake up soon. And if we head just across the valley, we can meet them."
"But what do I do with this?"
"Well, Madotsuki… we need you to be his Guardian."
Chamber of the Protoon
The Great Protoon resembled a spherical, pink glass orb with electrical currents inside. It levitated between the hands of a great statue that resembled Polokus. Hundreds of Electoons were levitating around the Protoon.
A small, black spirit with a fiery head approached the Protoon, his eyes yellow and orange. The Protoon possessed an almost hypnotic glow. Above him, a larger spirit floated, a similar dark cloak to make his body, but his head resembling a thin white flame with a blue eye. "That is the Protoon, Marshadow." Darkrai said. "Created with the chis of Mesprit, Jirachi, Mew, Cresselia, and our father, it holds the weight of all mortals' dreams. Now that you have attained control of your own powers, the test is now. Touch the Protoon… and let its dreams warm your heart."
"But what if I ruin it? What if my fears are too strong?"
"Then I will set things right. In any case, you have nothing to fear… heh heh." He chuckled at his own pun. "But we have known the warmth of dreams, Marshadow. That is thanks to Madotsuki."
"…" Months ago, Marshadow had cursed the world with terrible nightmares and was responsible for mass despair. He was locked in a deep sleep with his little brother, Darkrai. Marshadow's very aura compelled others to fear him, including his own father, and their fears drew Marshadow to rage. Now, the small spirit wished only to quell his aura. He drifted up… and reached his small hand to the Protoon.
"HA HA HA ha!"
A giant, pale-blue, long-fingered hand CLASPED the Protoon, squeezing it painfully as Marshadow was forced to the ground. "So, he's calling you 'Marshadow' now? What a sentimental little boy." Marshadow gaped at the looming, terrifying entity. "Well, I can't let him outdo me! I won't be afraid of you anymore, either! On the contrary…" The Nightmare King's demonic, long-chinned visage formed in the darkness, his sharp teeth in a wicked grin. "It's time I reclaimed what is RIGHTFULLY MINE!"
"FATHER!" Darkrai exclaimed. "This is impossible! How did you escape your seal?!"
"Simple. With the two of you in deep sleep, the universe had no Nightmare God. It seems I was able to recover enough power to enter the Dream Realm. With the energy of the Protoon, I will be able to free myself entirely!"
"NO! Marshadow, we must stop him!" Darkrai drew his sword, Exor, and flew up to slice his father's arm.
"How dare you attack me! You owe me quite a bit as well, boy!"
"AAAAAGGGH!" Darkrai was overpowered by his father's energy grasp. "Marshadow… please! Protect… the Protoon!"
"I…uh…" The little Nightmare hesitated, backing away. With fear rising to his chest, he was now more afraid to touch the gem.
Outside the library (Play "Mr. Dark's Domain" from Rayman Redemption!)
Madotsuki and April felt the field rumbling, looking around in panic. "Look!" In the far distance, there was a titanic explosion, forming the shape of the Nightmare King as its eyes flickered. The sky began to darken. "April, what's happening?!"
"I don't know! But that explosion came from where Darkrai and Marshadow were supposed to be! We have to go see! …Madotsuki, the ground!"
The ground to the library began to collapse. The girls quickly got off the picnic blanket and ran. Parts of the ground crumbled, but they jumped as necessary, with Mado having to carry them with a Hover Bubble at one point. Mado hit a book to make a rainbow stairway stretch out, but some Doomtoons landed on it with straws and sucked the color out. This made the rainbow intangible. "Don't worry! I picked up a new trick from Sheila." April said as she dowsed her fist in shiny paint. With a twirl, she punched a neon fist at the rainbow to repaint it! They were able to go up the stairs, and afterwards April punched the Paint Fist at some blank book platforms. Doomtoons flew up and down, but Madotsuki's bubbles took them down so they could cross.
They reached new ground as Nightmare Butterflies swarmed and bit them, the duo suffering some hits before Mado could Bubble them. They found a blank canvas as April decided to paint a cookie, which would become real. They ate said cookie and got some health back. But with a few more steps, masses of darkness appeared behind them: they took the shapes of dark versions of April and Mado, their eyes blank and creepy. As the duo had to Bubble and jump up a series of butterflies, the Dark Clones mimicked their every move, though if they were to be touched, immense pain would shock them. Once up the butterflies, the girls ran along a rainbow path, but would have to duck and crawl under a gap beneath a wall. However, they found it easier to switch to socks and slide underneath after building momentum, greatly outpacing the clones.
The socks would prove handy as the rainbow became a slope that would whoosh them down. With this speed, they could leap and fast-glide over a series of gates they would have to waste time trying to bang open. After crossing a checkpoint, the clones disappeared. The girls were closer to the Protoon's temple, so they kept running.
"Roar!" But it was then that a chubby, dark-blue dragon crashed before them. Mado recognized it as the sleeping dragon from the library, now corrupted by darkness.
Sub-boss: Gruff the Evil Dragon
The dragon took a breath and coughed a fireball, the girls ducking. There was a glowing orb on its tail, implied to be its weak spot, but the dragon wouldn't let them over. It leapt and smashed the ground with a shockwave, the two jumping to avoid the sensation, but the force caused a jagged rock to burst out of the ground. April hit the rock with her Paint Fist to make a red target. The dragon was compelled to ram the rock, the duo ducking. The dragon became dizzy, allowing Madotsuki to climb over its back and strike the tail with a Bubble Burst.
The dragon flapped up with its wings, its tail dangling as it blew a continuous gust with its breath. They were unable to run close, but they saw a book blow up against the rock. Mado hit the book and released a tall, C-shaped rainbow. She took off her boots and let the wind blow her up the slippery rainbow, flinging her high above the dragon as she glided over, dropped behind, and quickly hit the tail. The dragon took to the sky and smashed the rainbow with a Ground Pound, keeping its tail bent up over its back. It repeated its Ground Pound in quick succession, trying to crush the duo. April punched a red target on the ground, compelling the dragon to only smash there for three turns. Madotsuki was able to time a good shot and strike the tail.
The dragon landed away from them and spat quick fireballs, propping itself upward, and painting targets on the ground would only work for one shot each. More Biterflies came and tried to bite them, but this gave April an idea: she rushed toward the dragon's belly and punched a red target on it, prompting the butterflies to attack it. The dragon shook and danced around in trying to shake them off. Madotsuki punched its tail on the turn, finally shattering the orb. The dragon's body changed back into green. Terrified by the storm around it, he shuddered in fear.
However, April struck him once more with the Chartreuse Color of Friendship. She and Madotsuki climbed on as the dragon obediently carried them to the Protoon Temple. (End song.)
They could feel tremendous power surging within, accompanied by screaming. Their faces were pummeled by Electoons who were blown out of the temple, soon to scatter all over the world! The dragon refused to fly farther, allowing April and Mado to jump off and rush into the center. Marshadow turned when he heard their footsteps. "Marshadow! Darkrai?! What's happening?!" April yelled.
"AAAAAAHH! It's my father! He's trying to take the Protoon! And he's… draining me as well!"
"The years of work have made you quite stiff, son! But don't worry. I'll happily care for your creations!"
"No way!" April exclaimed. "It's Darkrai the First, the original Nightmare King!"
"How do we stop him?!"
"I don't know…" April certainly wasn't expecting this type of threat. She was about to paint a giant robot or something and try to attack him, but remembered… "Madotsuki, catch Marshadow with the Spirit Ball!"
"This?"
"Yeah! Then you'll be able to borrow his power and beat him!"
"Okay!" Madotsuki threw the ball at Marshadow. The spirit turned into energy and was sucked into the ball. It shook and beeped on the ground as they waited with anticipation. However, April followed through on her first plan and painted a giant, colorful mech. The mech flew up to attack the king's arm, wrestling him away from holding Darkrai.
Unfortunately, the ball popped open and released Marshadow. "Um…he got out." Mado said.
"It didn't work!" April yelled. "Does that mean… you're not ready?"
"YAAAAAH!" An explosive Scare Scream blew April and Darkrai away. "Yes, the Firstborn have always been a nuisance for us, but it seems you aren't quite worthy, yet. And you will never have the chance! The Protoon is MINE!"
"STOP!" Marshadow flew up and caught the gem in a hug, his impish body barely wrapping around it. The chamber rumbled violently as power swelled dramatically in that small space.
"What?! What are you doing?! What's happening to the Protoon?!"
"AAAAAAHHH!" Against his better control, the Protoon flashed a deep red before ultimately self-destructing. The girls were blown off their feet, and the temple burst into pieces, exposing them to the dark sky. Five lights soared away with the explosion and across the Dream Realm.
Flashing red and blackness enveloped and dizzied Madotsuki like another dimension. Marshadow's form appeared to be awash in the dimension, a dark-blue cloak flickering over him, before eventually disappearing.
Mado and April came to their senses, viewing the smokey aftermath of the event. "Marshadow!" Madotsuki saw the spirit on the ground and ran to lift him up. "Are you okay?!"
"Ow…that… really hurt… I don't think I can… move…"
"MWA HA HA HA! You fools! You've destroyed the Great Protoon! Without its stability, the Dream World will fall into chaos! My Nightmares will have the run of the place, hahahahaha!"
April firmly grabbed her brush and tried to paint another mech, but… "My powers aren't working?!"
"Yes! Without the Protoon, no mortal can do as they dream, anymore! But that isn't the best part. With it destroyed, the gates between Sleeping and Waking are no more. That means any sleeping person will never wake up! Conversely, all awake mortals can never enjoy the sweet embrace of sleep. Imagine all the pinkeye! The crankiness! The stamina they will never recover, ah ha ha ha!"
"We can never wake up?!"
"I…I knew this was a bad idea." Marshadow said weakly. "I'm… sorry."
"Don't worry, child! I'll put you out of your misery!" The king raised his hand to impale them with his fingers.
"AAAAHH!" Darkrai intercepted the hand with his sword. "Hurry, girls! Take Marshadow and escape! Use that portal over there!"
They saw a portal pedestal nearby and ran to it. Madotsuki spun her bubble wand and was able to conjure a portal over it. "How do we fix the Protoon?!" Mado cried.
"Find the Chiptoons! There are five of them. Find the dreams they landed in and bring them together! Madotsuki, you still have a fraction of your Bubble Dreaming left, but you must be careful! If you die in the dream, you will not be able to wake up. Your bodies will enter a comatose state as your souls are scattered!"
"Will you be okay, Darkrai?" Marshadow asked.
"Yes, Marshadow, but you must stay with them! Fix the Protoon… and destroy the Holy Nightmare with dreams. You can do it!"
"I…I will! I promise!"
"Hurry!" April dove into the portal, and Madotsuki carried Marshadow inside. The portal immediately disappeared.
"Ha ha ha ha! Go ahead and run! My Nightmares are already running rampant across the dreams! I may not have the Protoon's power, but the fear that will result from this catastrophe will be the perfect nourishment. I shall rule from here in the center! The Nightmares will rise again!"
"So you think… but I will do everything in my power to stop you!" Darkrai mustered his power in full and began to transform.
The Holy Nightmare's form loomed over the plain like the darkest cloud, a symbol of true despair that could be seen by all. A young nun in a white and gold habit viewed the terrifying sight from her library. "I didn't think Madotsuki could capture Marshadow that easily… but I didn't think a disaster would happen already. This was probably fate at work. That means other disasters will happen when we try to capture the others. For now, we'd better be really careful."
Madotsuki's Room
The girls flew out of the library painting and expanded to normal size. "We're back in here?" April noticed.
"Did you make this painting, April-chan?"
"Yeah. I thought it would be a cool way to travel dreams, besides using the Hall of Doors. Sigh…but I can't believe this happened. I hope my friends are-"
They flinched, hearing a knock at the door. The two shared a look of concern. Madotsuki calmly approached the door… and answered.
"YAAAH!" A fairy with a big grinning mouth and green head zoomed in. "Mado! April! The manual for the latest Gameverse story just came in, and you won't BELIEVE what's gonna go down!"
"You're too late, Murfy." April said. "It's already happened. The Protoon was destroyed!"
"WHAT?! I was just gonna tell you who the Gourmet Boss is! I didn't get anything about this!"
"Murfy, maybe you can help! Fly to the dreams of all our friends and warn them what's happening. Tell them that they can't die, or they'll never wake up!"
"You betcha! Man, this ain't gonna look pretty for anyone. Their bodies are gonna have to get hooked to feeding tubes and everything. And don't get me started on that bathroom stuff! Wellp, see you in the Phantom Thieves DLC!" Murfy flew away in a hurry.
Madotsuki released a sigh of distress and put a hand to her forehead. "This is horrible… people are supposed to feel safe in their dreams. They could die… I could die…"
April looked with sympathy. While Madotsuki didn't fully remember, she's had experience with something similar. And even then, on the few occasions that Madotsuki's helped them, she's never had to worry. Most of her work took place in dreams, where "dying" would simply scare her awake. April felt awful to burden her friend like this.
"Hey… I think I'm feeling something." Marshadow spoke up. "I'm getting a vision of… some kind of town."
The Firstborn glowed in Mado's arms, causing her window to glow as well. April stared into the shirt's window: it displayed a town named 'Arthurton,' with a pristine lake and a beautiful valley under a twilit sky. April turned and painted something new on the wide canvas, continuing on from the library. She drew Arthurton as it appeared on Mado's shirt. "I wonder if Marshadow is sensing the Chiptoons' locations?"
"Is that why?" Marshadow asked.
"Then let's hurry and find them!" Madotsuki ushered. "Before anyone dies!"
"Yeah… I promised my brother I wouldn't hurt anybody, anymore. I don't wanna be a bad Nightmare, anymore!"
"Tehe!" April smiled at his enthusiasm. "Then let's start restoring everyone's dreams!" She held hands with her friend as they both faced the painting. Their bodies were compressed and slurped into the Arthurton area.
…
…
…
"What's up, readers! Deadpool here!" greeted the red and black assassin. "First off, when the heck is CP0 gonna do anything?! Like, I get Gamewizard is savin' us for a certain role and it ain't time for us, yet, but at least remind people we're still here! But anyway, he wanted me to let you guys know that this next part of the trailer may not be added to the story. He wants to officialize it as canon, but when he gets to writing this, he'll really just wanna focus on the main story. With that said, here's some DLC that's totally worth your money!" (Play "Get Out There" from Persona!)
"Joker! The Nightmare King is corrupting all the dreams in the universe!" Morgana exclaimed.
"They had to have been planning this for a while." Queen said. "That explains why the Phan-Site has been blowing up with cases."
"Let's leave the Nightmare King to those girls." Joker decided. "We have our own job to do, gang. Let's steal some hearts!"
"Hell yeah!" Skull cheered.
…
The Phantom Thieves cut down hordes of Plughounds as they cross the valleys of Planet Drool. Upon reaching a Power Plant, they follow a boy in a black cloak. "Linus! Hand over the Dream Journal!"
"First of all, my name is Minus." The elementary school student said with emphasis, guiding a finger along the minus sign on his cloak. "And second, I'll do with this loser's dream world as I please."
"How can you be so cruel?!" Panther shouted. "What do you get out of ruining someone else's dreams?!"
"I was just doing it for fun at first! But after discovering the powers of a Bubble Dreamer, I wanna see how far I can go! Oh, and it looks like a thunder tornado will appear," he wrote something in the journal, "right where you're standing."
"WHOOOAA!" An electrical tornado swept them to the sky!
…
Textopolis was a digital city populated by sentient Emojis, with buildings that resembled apps on an iPhone. The Phantom Thieves approached a dark-clothed boy named Alex, glaring at them with spite as a dark aura surrounded him. The Emojis surrounded the thieves to protect Alex. "Alex, you can't spend your whole life on your phone!" Queen yelled. "These Emojis won't make you happy!"
"Screw off!" Alex argued. "Why should I bother when real people are so complicated?! My parents always yelling at me, my friends just ditching me, this phone is the only friend I have!"
"Man, his argument is rock solid!" Oracle gasped.
"Of course you would be agreeing with him!" Skull remarked.
"Frankly, I think all of you look at your phones too much." Morgana said in disappointment.
…
The Phantom Thieves wandered through an island of stone ruins under a dull sky. Looking atop a slanted pillar, a figure with an open black hoodie, and an otherwise half-naked body, peered down at them with glowing blue eyes. "Is that… the Black Rock Shooter?" Queen asked.
The thieves flinched as red eyes seemed to open in the sky. The Black Rock Shooter aimed a large gun and fired.
Joker grapple-hooked a Twitter Bird as it flew him across Textopolis. The scene cut to him jumping small pegs across a pool of electric eels. Mr. Electric, a robot with a magnified human face, stretched his electrified claw at Joker, but Oracle switched on an EMP blast to stun the arm. This allowed Joker to run across and attempt to tear off Mr. Electric's face.
A Phantom Thief logo slapped under the title and read,
BONUS: The Phantomverse
The bottom of April's painted map unraveled, revealing an additional map with the thieves' logo.