Our first crossover will take place in Jenny LeClue, a short, sweet, but great detective game with a suspenseful story!
Twilight glimmered as another day in picturesque Arthurton came to an end. To the casual observer, Arthurton seemed like any other small, quiet town. It was nestled in a valley between two mountains, lined by lustrous forests, and perched on the edge of a pristine lake. It had all the essentials from a school, beauty salon, or a church. It was typical, maybe even forgettable.
Or at least… that's how it should've been.
Madotsuki and April landed at the doorstep of a college. Students were zooming by on bikes and adults were going about their business. They almost looked like hand-drawn cartoons with beady eyes, big blocky heads, but rather thin bodies. "Are we still in the Dream World?" Mado asked. "This place looks so… ordinary."
"Maybe, but at least it looks like it's still in shape." April smiled. "Hmm…it's called Arthurton, isn't it? There's something familiar about this place…"
"Have you been here before?"
"I'm not sure…"
"Hey, guys? I don't feel so good…" Marshadow spoke sickly. "I feel like… that explosion did something to me."
"Being right up against an explosion would hurt." Mado figured. "It's like hugging a bomb."
"Hehe!" April giggled at the analogy. "That's one way to put it. But I guess you won't be able to battle like this. We'd better keep you safe."
"I know! I can keep you in here." Madotsuki opened her chest window and placed him inside.
"Haha! I didn't expect that!"
"This feels weird…" Marshadow said, his head peeping out.
"At least you aren't too heavy." Mado smiled. "So, which way is the Chiptoon?"
"I can kinda feel something that way."
"Then let's get to it!"
Dream 2: Arthurton
Mission: Search for the Chiptoon!
Act 1: Gumboldt Drive
The duo began a relaxing walk up the street. A fire hydrant obstructed them, but it was as easy as jumping over. "Whooooaaa!" A boy screamed as he zoomed up on a bike, the girls jumping over. Afterwards, they were blocked by a tall lamp post. Mado struck a nearby hydrant with a Bubble Burst, causing water to spurt out of it. They could use the spout to shoot up and over the lamp. "Hey!" A chubby cop shouted at them. "You kids can't go breakin' fire hydrants!" He ran at them with a beating stick, April keeping him back with Paint Fists before Mado KO'ed him with a bubble.
They reached a destroyed part of the road, now sunk into a dirt gorge. There were spiked, blue quartz crystals within it, Mado gliding them over the first ones. Landing in the gorge, more cops tried to stop them, only to be beat down as necessary. After jumping a small pit, they landed on a minecart track. "Whoa!" Similar to the bikes, a man in a cart rolled down, the girls jumping as he crashed against the pit and flung out. They jumped a few steps in the cart track, but were rammed by a cart-rider who appeared out of nowhere. They endured the damage and got back up, being more wary for more carters. Afterwards, they could climb out of the gorge and continue on the sidewalk.
Their next obstacle was a large statue of an obese man with a jovial, smile-shaped mustache. Some workers were in the process of hauling it up on its pedestal with rope, and yet it seemed their tugging animation was in an endless loop. Mado shot bubbles at the statue's leg until the whole thing fell over, the head snapping and rolling off.
The action caused the world to flash, and the workers suddenly blipped out of existence. "Uh-oh…did we do something wrong?"
"We're restricted to 2D movements, so we didn't have much of a choice." April replied. She looked around the peaceful, painted town, seeing none of the happy-looking citizens anywhere. "But something is wrong here…" (Play "The Man in Black" from Jenny LeClue.)
The duo kept going as the sidewalk led onto a pier over the pristine lake. They walked calmly, but worriedly, the ominous silence of the town steadily weighing on their hearts. The pier led nowhere else but the glimmering waters… but that glimmer soon faded when the sun vanished behind the mountains. Now, the lake was dark and unwelcoming. "I'm not good at swimming, April."
"Me either. But maybe we can cross along the lakebed. Can you make a bubble to take us underneath?"
"What if you guys drown?" Marshadow asked. "You know you won't wake up, right?"
"We have to find the Chiptoon somehow. Let's just go…" Madotsuki blew a large bubble to envelop them. With that, they calmly walked off the pier and splashed into the lake. They carefully rolled the bubble along the sloping ground. Fish swam away from them, and as the lake grew darker and darker… there was light.
A series of alien lights gave the visual of what appeared to be an underwater fortress. The friends shared curious glances and patiently rolled toward an opening. They rolled up and out of a surface, able to dispel their bubble. There was a paint canvas nearby, so April made a big cookie to heal their earlier damage. "So, your paint powers do still work?"
"I can't freely draw anything in the air. It looks like I have to have a canvas. Either way…"
The inside of this base looked like the hall of an ordinary house, their curiosity growing. They stepped ever deeper… and heard the faint sound of dripping. Madotsuki walked first toward a cracked-open door. …She peeked inside.
"What have I done…?" Madotsuki was behind a chubby old man with glasses, a yellow shirt, and brown knitted overalls with a diamond pattern. "I…I killed him." There was a puddle of red ooze dripping at his feet. Parts of his clothes and his grey mustache had droplets of the ooze. "Why did this happen… I'm not a murderer… and he expects me to kill another? I…I can't do it…"
Madotsuki looked upon him with concern. This man… killed someone? Or rather, someone compelled him to kill. But who… and why?
"Um…Madotsuki?"
Mado turned back to April, who was facing down and away. The Bubble Dreamer cautiously approached… and was treated to a grotesque sight: an obese man laying with a crooked neck. He resembled the statue they had knocked down earlier. A glowing, purple substance seemed to be growing from his neck. "What on earth happened to him?"
"Maybe… that guy did it?" Madotsuki nervously turned to the kitchen. With hesitation, the duo entered the kitchen… "Huh? He's gone!"
April approached the puddle of red ooze. …On the counter beside was a spoon left in a bowl of jam. "It wasn't blood. It was-"
"WHO GOES THERE?"
They whipped around. A large, cloaked shadow man stood in the doorway. "Stop where you are, kids."
Mado shot a bubble at him, but it merely popped against without so much as budging him. "Run!" They fled as the man pursued at a slow pace. They ran through the kitchen and into a taller room stacked with boxes. They jumped up the stacks starting from the shortest, eventually finding a white lever on the ceiling. April used a Paint Fist to color it, allowing them to flip the lever and unravel a ladder into a ceiling hatch. They climbed up into an attic-like room where a giant teddybear blocked the way. Mado jumped to hang from the bear's nose, using her weight to pull it down. "There's a way through!" April noticed. "Let's hurry before—AAAAH!" The Shadow Man suddenly appeared by the hatch they came from. "How'd he get up so quickly?!"
They rushed up a flight of stairs and into a dark chamber, glancing back to see if he was still following. But almost immediately, Mado tripped over something short, with April halting to observe the aftermath. Mado seemed to have tripped over a blonde girl in a blue sweater. Mado pushed herself up and looked over her fallen frame. "I'm sorry!" Mado bent down and pulled her to her feet. "I was running from a-"
The girl had a mouth and nose, but no eyes. "AAAAAAAGH!" The duo screamed.
"AAAAAAAAGH!" The girl screamed. "…What is it, what're we screaming at?"
"Y-Your face!" Mado stuttered. "You have no eyes!"
"Huh?" The girl felt her face. "Oh yeah. My glasses are missing. I was just looking for them when you guys tripped me."
"Uh…we're sorry?" April said, confused by her casual demeanor to the situation. She looked back, and it seemed the Shadow Man hadn't followed. "Do you remember where you lost them?"
"I was attacked by this ugly-looking bug. He had two arms and this big mouth, and he talked in this really dumb voice."
"Who're you callin' a dumb voice, No Eyes?!" a whiny voice shouted.
The girls faced up, seeing a black bug with rectangular glasses floating with bug wings. "That must be it!" Mado exclaimed.
"Hey, I recognize that creature!" April pointed. "That's a Black Lum! They're evil Dream Spirits!"
"I ain't just any Black Lum, toots! The name's André, boss of all Black Lums! And I reckon you brats are looking for the Chiptoon, too."
"Doing the Nightmare King's dirty work?"
"The timing couldn't be better! I guess I'll nab that Firstborn from you, too. Let's see, which ordinary object looks fun to possess?" André looked around the room. There was a lamp, a mop, and a photo of a mother and father, and the top half of a spectacled girl's head, peeping up from the bottom. "Aha!" André swooped into the photo. (Play "New Foe" from Rayman Redemption!)
Before their eyes, the photo grew to a gigantic size. The upper part ripped opened, growing rows of needle-like teeth. The monstrosity hissed venomously, so the girls did as before and ran, with Mado holding the blind girl's hand and pulling her along.
Sub-boss: Family Photo
The path was rather straightforward except for the fire hydrants trying to block them. As they jumped over, Mado shot bubbles to make the hydrants spurt out water. This didn't seem to impede the photo much, but she realized that the spurts could shoot her level with the monster's mouth. She could shoot a Burst Bubble in to hit its uvula, damaging the beast. Mado landed and kept running, about to use the next hydrant to—"RAAAAH!" The monster suddenly charged and rammed her, forcing Mado forward as pain coursed through. Hunters in light-brown coats and scarecrow heads ran up to shoot them with rifles. April and Mado dodged the hoodlums' shots and knocked the Black Lums out of them, though Mado had no time to Bubble.
"Hey, what's that?" April noticed a floating blue ball above a hydrant. She hit the hydrant and used the spout to jump up and grab it. "Hey, this is paint! I bet now I can give you a power-up!" She painted Blue Strength over Mado to enhance her attack power. Mado ran far enough ahead before using a spout to shoot her up. The photo charged, but she shot a bubble at its uvula, the enhanced strength pushing it back. Mado used this chance to score another hit off it, subtracting two more HP. The photo closed its mouth and resumed chase, the girls taking down some more Hoodlums on the way. "RAAAH!" The monster suddenly leapt overhead, curved down, and crashed with the girls between its teeth. It was about to snap, but Mado attacked its uvula just in time and made it leap back off.
As they kept running, a Hoodbomber was walking backwards and throwing bombs at them. Mado Bubbled one of the bombs as it floated level with the photo's mouth. "RAAAH!" The beast had decided to charge them once more, but its open mouth had accidentally swallowed the bomb. The bubble popped as the bomb exploded in its throat, burning the photo into two. (End song.)
"YOWCH OUCH OUCH!" André flew out of the monster with his wings on fire. "Ow!" He bumped into a ceiling vent. "Bah! Glasses are for nerds!" He threw them away before escaping up the vent.
"Phew…that was terrifying." Mado said.
"Well, whatever happened, I hope we can stop running." The girl replied. "Now, can we get my glasses back?"
"Yeah. …April, did you see where he threw them?"
"Not really." April smiled sheepishly.
"Well, you guys sure aren't useful."
The two realized they were in a room full of boxes and book shelves. "Maybe they landed behind something?"
"Look, since you guys aren't good at using your eyes, you can use this." The blind girl withdrew a magnifying glass from her pocket. "Just give it back when you're done."
You got the Magnifying Glass! You can now spot hidden collectibles in the background! Zoom in on the object in question in order to retrieve it.
Madotsuki smiled and peered her eye through the glass, magnifying the red iris. Madotsuki examined the background thoroughly before spotting a spectacle sticking out from behind a box. When she zoomed her vision in, the glasses warped to her hands. "Aha! Here you go!" She put the square glasses over the girl's face, the specs already complete with pupils.
A victory jingle played, the girl smiling as her vision returned. "Phew! In spite of your sloppy performance, I appreciate the help. Come to think of it, who are you? You're not from Arthurton."
"Arthurton…" When April remembered the town's name and associated it with the girl's appearance… it all came back to her. "I remember now! You're Jenny LeClue! The main character of the Jenny LeClue series!"
"What are those?" Mado asked.
"Jenny LeClue is a series of children's books. Mary and I used to read them when we were little. We always loved the art style and the characters… but after a while, we stopped following the series. In fact, I remember hearing that book sales started dropping due to mediocrity. But that could only mean this dream belongs to the author!"
"Well, anyone could figure that out." Jenny remarked, folding her arms with a snide glare. "I mean, who wouldn't recognize me? I'm the world's greatest detective!" She sported a grin, which was cutely missing a tooth.
"Tehe! Well, I am getting a bit nostalgic seeing you here. Maybe I'll pick up the series again."
"So then, you really aren't from around here." Jenny deduced. "Are you guys from the real world?"
"Pretty much."
"Let's see…" Jenny pulled out a notebook. "Magnifying glass, please." Mado handed it back. Jenny began to look the duo over, starting with April. "Paint brush and palette indicates you're an artist. The crumbs around your mouth look like they're from a cookie. Your clothes seem heavily worn out from intense stress, as if you've seen a fair share of battles. But your build doesn't seem very sturdy, so you probably utilize a strategy-based fighting style using paint. Though, since this is a dream world, you can probably use paint-based powers. Your skin feels unusually soft, so I imagine you take care to avoid taking damage. In fact… are you a hemophiliac?"
"Yep! All true!"
"And as for you… you're carrying a strange black creature in your chest, so I assume you're on some important quest for its sake. The bags under your eyes indicate you sleep a lot, and you don't seem like you've been in combat as much as April. That bubble wand makes me think you're a Bubble Dreamer, which could explain how you got here to begin with."
"That's pretty much it." Madotsuki confirmed. "We're looking for a gem called a Chiptoon. We have to repair the Protoon, or the Nightmares will destroy the Dream Realm!"
"Really? Then… I wonder if that's why this is happening?" Jenny looked down and thought aloud.
"If what's happening?"
"Arthurton always used to be a peaceful place. Everyone was… mostly nice, and it was a great place to live. But then, something terrible happened. Something that's never happened in the history of my story."
"What?"
Jenny narrowed her tiny eyes and spoke sinisterly: "A murder."
"Murder?!"
"I couldn't believe what I'd seen… It was only a week after I completed my latest case: The Case of the Missing Marmalade. When that sandwich went missing, it shook the whole town. No one knew what happened. Everyone thought it was Keith, but I knew, all along, that it was-"
"I think we're getting off topic." April interrupted. Maybe this is why the book sales started dropping.
"And I thought things were going to be more of the same from then on… but before I knew it, the Dean of Gumboldt University was dead. After 38 books, nothing like this has ever happened… and I still have no idea who did it."
"Earlier, I saw somebody." Madotsuki said. "An old man who was spilling jam on the floor. He was saying that he killed someone…"
"Wait, you mean Mr. Finklestein? That can't be right. He's the author. And he doesn't insert himself in his own story."
"But wouldn't the author have say over someone dying in their own story?" April wondered.
"That's impossible! He's never killed off anyone, except for offscreen characters! It has to be because of the Nightmares you mentioned! Normally, my stories don't have supernatural aspects, but since we're not in one of my stories, it's the only answer that makes sense!"
"I remember that man saying that someone made him kill someone." Mado mentioned. "And just now, we were being chased by a strange Shadow Man."
"A strange Shadow Man? I don't know anyone like that. …Eureka!" Jenny exclaimed. "That Shadow Man is the true murderer! He must be a Nightmare!"
"In that case, maybe you could help us?" April suggested. "I'm sure the world's greatest detective could find the Chiptoon in no time."
"Do you know what it looks like?"
"Not exactly. Maybe a magical energy shard?"
"Well, let's find the way out of here first. Let's go up there." Jenny pointed to a passage above some box stacks, the trio jumping up them. They reached a small passage with a sealed door. It was locked, but by using her magnifier, Jenny spotted a key sticking out from behind a loose brick. (Play "Nothing Will Ever Be the Same" from Jenny LeClue.)
Act 2: Lake Noware
The door seemed to exit out onto a small island within the lake. There was a further island with a lighthouse, and what appeared to be several blimps flying around the air, belonging to the Hoodlums. "They seem to be gravitating around the abandoned lighthouse." Jenny noticed.
"If it's abandoned, why is the light still active?" April wondered.
"That's always been one of Arthurton's greatest mysteries. But I bet we can get there on this speedboat!" There was a parked motorboat nearby. The trio hopped in as Jenny steered the boat along. (From the player's perspective, the camera would switch to an overhead view, in which they could steer the boat in multiple directions.) However, the lake would soon become a mazey river as they had to steer around curving walls and rocks. Hoodlums came around the corner on their own boats, but it seemed there was a turret built in as Jenny shot the monsters down. "Why would the Glatz Foundation install this?" Jenny wondered.
"Who?" April asked.
"They're like a rich family that owns everything in town. At least this comes in handy for us." They avoided some explosive buoys and turned down a left path, leading to an open, but secluded area of the lake. Piranhas jumped and lashed out at the girls, suffering some bites before Mado and April used their powers to K.O. them. The shadow of a whale could be seen lurking beneath the waves. When Jenny flashed the boat's light at the whale, the beast's red-colored back emerged for a brief moment. There seemed to be a monochrome tail sticking out of its blowhole. Jenny flashed the whale again and used her magnifier to zoom in on the tail.
A floofy round kitten flipped out of the blowhole, wearing a detective hat with her own magnifying glass. The Kittentia flipped onto land and trotted away, skimming the ground through its lens on her search for clues. There was nothing else in this area, so they changed direction. They steered the boat into a spirally part of the lake, where an Electoon Cage floated in the center. They shot the cage, destroyed it, and made their way out of the spiral. A blockade of Hoodlum boats lined up and fired bullets, Jenny quickly steering in evasion while returning fire. They sunk the four boats and steered around a curving river with multiple explosive buoys. "Why can't the turret destroy those as well?" Mado asked.
"Shoddy design, I guess." Jenny shrugged. A thick, wooden barrier seemed to surround the skull-shaped lighthouse island. "Darn it. Hmm…I remember hearing about a secret cave that led under the island." Jenny steered the boat around the island, shooting down a few boats before sailing into a narrow, snaky path. After carefully steering around the close walls, they found the cave at the end of the passage. Piranhas leapt out, but they suffered quick defeats by the heroes. Jenny carefully parked the boat before the cave's entrance as she and her new allies climbed in. (Play "Crystal Cavern" from Jenny LeClue.)
Act 3: Crystal Cavern
The cave was lined with beautiful blue quartz crystals. Not long after entering, Mado noticed an Electoon Cage behind a crystal in the background. Jenny used her lens to zoom in and bring the cage to the foreground, breaking it open afterward. The cave grew wider as wooden scaffolds would serve to lead the way upward. "How could you expect me to do this, Richard?" They looked up to a higher ledge, seeing the Shadow Man nudging Mr. Finklestein along. "Destroy everything I've built up over the last 30 years…"
"No one wants to read the same boring drivel…"
"Arthur…" Jenny spoke sadly. "I…I have to save him!"
"Wait, his name is Arthur, and the series takes place in Arthurton?" April noticed. "I wonder how long it took him to think of that name?"
"Does that really matter?! Come on!" The girls jumped up the scaffolds to reach an upper tunnel, which would slope downward. The girls jumped down some platforms, but boulders dropped after them, one of them hitting Mado's head. "Ow!"
"You okay?" April asked.
"Yeah…I hope we find a cookie somewhere."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Jenny asked.
"Oh, cookies give us health."
Jenny glared at the readers. "Dream logic." Once at the bottom of the shaft, the tunnel led onto a cart track. A mine cart blocked the way, but they could push it forward. It rolled down a hill in a wider cave, but it was too dark to see clearly.
"Hold on, I still have my Glow Paint!" April pulled out a shiny paintbrush.
"Thank goodness. I'm not a fan of the dark." Jenny said. April painted her fist with the Glow Paint and could punch it forward to get a clear sign of where to step. They avoided some pitfalls, then had to jump across some small scaffold platforms. Doomtoons patrolled those platforms, but April's fists knocked them off easily. They jumped onto a lift beside a lever, and flipping the lever would allow the lift to rise. A cage passed by them, but they missed. Mado jumped off, broke the cage, and landed back on the lever's platform, having to sit through the process again. Further into the cavern, they had to break open some wooden boards blocking a doorway. Afterwards, cops charged them from the darkness, the girls quickly retaliating. Once they passed the cops, quartzes alit the cave again. There was a canvas that April used to paint a big cookie, the friends sharing with a smile.
They jumped platforms across a beautiful pond reflecting the glow of the crystals. The ceiling hung rather low, with stalactites hung between platforms. Simply striking the stalactites would make them fall and clear the way. "Of course you don't understand, Richard… You never cared about my characters!"
"Richard… That name sounds familiar." Jenny said. The pond came to an end as they landed on a large, crystalline foothold. They jumped up stairs within the large crystal and overlooked a shiny slope. There was a ramp at the bottom that would fly them to a C-shaped crystal. "Now… how to get up this?"
"We use our socks." April answered as she and Mado removed their shoes. "We slide down and use the momentum to shoot up."
"You realize my stories are supposed to be grounded in realism, right?"
"Realism is a very loose term in our world."
Jenny shrugged and removed her shoes as well. The girls held hands and slid down the smooth crystal, flying up the ramp and to the C-shaped crystal, which flew them up higher. They landed and slid up another crystal slope, performing one last jump at the top. Their jump was just good enough for Mado to grab the ledge of a cage platform, freeing the Electoons. Afterwards, they dropped down to land in a minecart. The cart steadily rolled forward, but gained speed after rolling down a brief hill. (Play "Suspense" from Rayman.)
In the background of the cave, there was another cart rolling along the track: Mr. Finklestein and the Shadow Man were riding in it. "Hide!" April pulled Mado and Jenny down. The man perked up and looked toward the other cart, seemingly empty as it rolled in unison. The man held some kind of gun ready, ready to shoot the other cart if he suspected pursuers. They were driving to a gap in the track, with another cart parked on the other side. Fortunately, there was an arch-shaped wall that was in line with the girls' jumping path, allowing them to stay hidden while changing carts. The next cart began moving, but Doomtoons hung from the ceiling and would drop down. Their drop points would be just behind some small walls, keeping them hidden for just a brief second so they could K.O. the Doomtoons, making the Shadow Man simply believe they landed in the "empty" cart.
The track would run out again, and the girls would have to jump up a series of carts going from right to left and so on. They stayed behind the conveniently-shaped walls while making the jumps, having to rely on Mado's Hover Bubble a little, but they eventually settled on a cart going left. They sighed in relief, believing the Shadow Man wouldn't spot them up here—but once they cleared a wall, they ducked again, seeing his cart and track rolling along the background again. Boulders crashed down on the track, requiring them to carefully jump behind the stone arches and land in following carts. They traveled behind a short barrier, and just as they passed it, an Electoon Cage magically appeared behind them. Mado barely had time to shoot a bubble and break the cage before re-ducking.
The area grew dark, making it safe for them to stand up. The Shadow Man used a flashlight to skim around the area, and it strangely provided X-Ray vision. Whenever it shone on the cart, the girls would have to jump and hover until it passed by. This routine repeated two more times, but on the fourth time, the shadow kept his flashlight on the cart. Thankfully, the girls could grab a vine wall and climb up. Crystals lit the upper shaft, and they could hide from the villain's vision. Afterwards, they jumped up some scaffolds and finally exited the cave. (End song.)
The girls viewed up a long, spiraling staircase. They were no doubt within the lighthouse's interior. They ran up the stairs, seeing Hoodlum ships beyond the windows, and reached the top of the tower. "ARTHUR!"
It seemed that Arthur and the Shadow Man had already arrived, the latter holding him at gunpoint. There was a Portal Pedestal across the room. "No one wants to read your boring stories anymore, Arthur. Nothing ever changes in Arthurton. It's always the same, predictable drivel!"
"I can't go through with it, Richard! There must be another way!"
"Wait… now I remember!" Jenny gasped. "Richard is the name of the publisher!"
"The publisher?" April repeated. "…I think I see what's going on here now."
"If you will not, there is no reason for this world to exist, anymore!" Richard aimed his gun at the lighthouse's source. "I am cancelling this story!"
Madotsuki gasped: a small, white electrical sphere was shimmering in the core. "That's the Chiptoon!"
Jenny jumped to grab his arm and pull his aim downward. "Jenny!" Arthur exclaimed.
"Leave Mr. Finklestein alone!"
"Ah, Jenny drolue. Perfect! Perhaps we'll just kill YOU off! The readers will love it! The beloved, adorable protagonist meeting an unfortunate end, leaving a great hole in all the hearts of Arthurton. Yes… let's bring life back to Jenny LeClue, by killing Jenny LeClue!"
Richard shook Jenny off and trained his gun on her, but Madotsuki and April jumped to block him. "We don't want any part of your story!" (Play "Mr. Dark's Dare" from Rayman Advance!)
Boss fight: Richard Inkwell
Richard fired missiles from his gun at varying angles, the trio either ducking or jumping. Madotsuki blew a bubble to catch the last missile, followed by April punching the bubbled explosive toward Richard. The missile exploded and damaged the Shadow Man. The villain snapped his fingers and suddenly blacked the area out, with only the Chiptoon retaining light in the room. The lights flashed on as Richard appeared behind Jenny, bashing her with his briefcase. The area darkened again, but April withdrew some Glow Paint this time. She was weary as Richard landed near Jenny, pulling the detective away and punching a Glow Fist against his briefcase. When he leapt to the air again, the paint gave away his position in the dark. April let him target Jenny and ran to a position that would be behind him. She threw a punch at the back of his head and damaged him.
Light returned, but Richard was nowhere to be seen. Missiles were raining from the ceiling, and while Mado was able to Bubble a few, they had no place to direct them, and they would be destroyed by other missiles. As Mado Bubbled two more, Jenny used her lens to study the background. She spotted Richard's head poking out from under the tower's edge, and by zooming in on him, he was warped back to the foreground. April knocked the two missiles against him. A helicopter emerged from his hat as he levitated in the air, while Hoodlums landed on the tower and charged them. As they KO'ed the Hoodlums, one of them dropped a red paintball, which April promptly collected. Jenny used her lens to spot a hidden fire hydrant in the background, warping it to the field.
Mado struck the hydrant, made a water spout, and shot up to strike Richard's propeller, making him drop to the ground. April promptly punched a red Paint Fist, and while Richard blocked with his briefcase, red was painted on it. The villain fired more missiles, but they were homed in on his briefcase, destroying it while damaging himself. On his last leg of health, the villain jumped and landed behind Arthur and took him hostage. "This is your last chance, Arthur! If you do not kill them, I am ending this world! For good!"
With a gasp, Jenny looked for anything that could help. All she could surmise was the Chiptoon, so she used her lens to focus on and bring it to her. However, Richard shot a missile at her, Jenny dodging while tossing the Chiptoon. Marshadow shot out of Mado's window to grab it. "AAAH!" He screamed as power surged through him.
"Marshadow! Not again!" April exclaimed.
"Ahhh…no…I can do it…I can…AAAAAHH!"
An explosion of chi ruptured and swept across Arthurton, destroying all the Hoodlums that heard his cry. "What the hell is that?!" André yelled, clamping his ears shut. "Crud! Time to vamoose!"
"NNNGH!" Richard fell to his knees, his head aching from the scream. After a moment, the scream faded into silence. Mado caught Marshadow in her arms, placing him and the Chiptoon into her window. Seeing Richard's weakened form, she hurried over and molded a bigger Sleep Bubble. She enveloped the Shadow Man, his form falling into slumber as it ascended to the sky. (End song.)
"Phew…I think we won." Madotsuki sighed in exhaust, resting on the ground. …She imagined the appearance of the Shadow Man once more. Why did he look… so familiar, though?
Jenny rushed over to her creator's side, helping the elder to stand. "Mr. Finklestein, are you okay?"
The author wiped his glasses for a moment. "I'm fine, Jenny. But it's no use. They won't publish another book unless someone dies. It was never supposed to be this way. All I wanted was to create a nice, happy world for my characters to live. What's wrong with repetition, anyway?"
"Repetition isn't really a bad thing." April said. "Most series I know tend to follow some kind of formula. In the Mario games, Peach always gets kidnapped by Bowser, but most people buy the games to explore the new levels and gameplay elements. And most shōnen anime follow an arc-by-arc formula that involves defeating a villain who's antagonizing the town or something, but people are still fascinated by the 'why' and 'how' and the context behind it. It all depends on what you want to do for the story; there's no one 'right' answer. But I guess if you're working for a publisher, it's more problematic, huh?"
"Indeed. I had no real ending in mind when I began writing Jenny's stories. So long as I had ideas, I would keep going. And with all the horrible things happening in the world, what's wrong with a little lighthearted story about a young detective? There are plenty other stories where characters die left and right! If people want that, they can easily read something else! I wanted to keep my stories pure and wholesome… Isn't that what you want, Jenny?"
The spectacled child looked down in thought. "To be honest… the repetition was getting a little boring."
"It…It was?"
"I mean, missing marmalade? Who cares about that?" she asked with a glare. "I know this isn't an epic fantasy series, but Arthurton's been the same place for 30 years. Everybody's stuck in the past. Guys have to become scientists or football players, and girls have to be prom queen. I'm not sure if killing someone off is the right answer, but… I wouldn't mind some real excitement. A real mystery."
"I see. Hmm…wait!" Arthur perked up. "I've got it! I've got the perfect story in mind!"
"You do?"
"Yes! Get ready, Jenny! It's time for a new story arc: The Secrets of Arthurton! Oh, I've got to wake up immediately!"
"Um, about that!" April spoke up. "Uh…we're kind of on an important quest ourselves. Nobody can wake up right now. We're all trapped in our dreams, and if you die… well, you should really be careful not to die."
"Ah…oh, dear. That does sound foreboding."
April giggled. "But we hope it goes well. As soon as we get back to the real world, I'll make sure to buy your whole collection! I'll show my friends the world of Jenny LeClue!"
"That's delightful to hear!"
"Thanks for your help, you two." Jenny smiled. "If you want, you guys can keep my magnifying glass." She handed the item to Mado. "You can probably find a ton of secrets with it!"
"I bet you're right!" Mado replied, placing the lens into her window. "We'd better start looking for the other Chiptoons. We'll see you later!"
The duo approached the Portal Pedestal as Madotsuki spun a portal into being. They jumped in and vanished from the dream.