King Kazma shoved open the tower gates and marched into the first floor. Awaiting him was a younger boy in a blue ripped shirt and black shorts, his teeth grit. "I am Kid McSkirmish, the guardian of the first floor! I won't let some amateur walk into Dad's tower!"
"Whatever, kid. Let's just get started!" (Play "Battle Time" from Super Paper Mario!)
Act 2: Tower of 100
The gates sealed just as Sector Q made it up the stairs. "Crud! We're locked out!" Eddy exclaimed.
"Glitches detected on the roofs!" Boly alerted.
"To the roofs!" Jenny declared.
They hurried around the right side and followed a staircase up to the 2nd floor. A troupe of Egg Pawns were ready to shoot into that floor's window, but the operatives smashed them before they could get the chance. Kazma would win his battle and come up to the 2nd floor, so the team jumped some platforms to the 3rd floor. Ring Snakes flew about the air, spitting fireballs. Eddy chopped them to pieces and released a Laddie. Miko easily formed a ladder to the 4th floor, where a series of Thwomps were attempting to smash into the room. Miko timed and dodged through all the Thwomps, making it around the tower to find a Barry. She used her barrier to bounce the Thwomps away as the spikes made them derez. Kazma reached this floor by the time she was finished.
There was one more Thwomp that appeared below the edge, thrusting up and down. They jumped on as it launched them to a spring, which bounced them to the 5th floor. Several Egg Mages would channel magic over the room and drain Kazma's HP, so Carmine threw bombs at the airborne robots and destroyed them. "Miko, can you refill my bombs?" Miko nodded and flashed the glove on her friend. Afterwards, they had to jump some Ring Snakes to the 6th floor (though it seemed the snakes were otherwise harmless). Boly detected Snipebots on distant towers, but also alerted them to a Pixl nearby. They broke open a vase and found a round, green Pixl designed like a crosshair. Its name was fittingly Crosser.
Miko gave the Pixl to Quill as a rifle formed for him. He could lock on the distant mechs and shoot them down. They could afterwards Wall Jump two pillars to the 7th floor. There were several vases placed around with robots hidden in a few. Carmine's Observation Haki could sense where the robots were and tossed bombs into those vases, destroying the mechs. They had to take a Barrel Cannon route to the 8th floor, having to shoot to the next ones with good timing as the cannons rotated. The world glitched as the giant fire wheels from before began dropping and rolling down the roof. The kids dodged past the wheels until they could find a ladder, leading to a platform with a Pause Switch. The next roof's edge was blocked with fire, so they had to Pause the wheels and jump across them to find the way onto the 9th floor roof.
Boly alerted them to small turrets hidden inside the actual combat ring. They would begin shooting at Kazma once the fighter arrived to challenge the next foe. Quill noticed a small hole in the wall and drove his RC car inside. He shot the car's small turret to take out the mechs once they stuck out. Destroying them all seemed to free a small, round Pixl with blue and green sun rays. "Me_K.O., this Pixl is designed to reduce the dimensions of your avatar."
"So, it shrinks us? Let's find a place to use it." They jumped some platforms to the 10th floor. There were no apparent glitches, but Kazma's opponent appeared to be a tiny samurai. It was swift in dodging Kazma's stomps while leaping to land strong hits. "Aha! Kazma, have this!" Miko transferred the Dottie Pixl through the window and shrank Kazma. Taken off guard at first, he regained himself and dueled with the samurai on equal ground. After KOing the fighter, Kazma grew back to normal size.
"Hmph…thanks." he said before hurrying to the 11th floor. The world glitched as the roof scattered into several panels, one of them carrying the group away from the tower. There were robots stationed on some platforms, shooting into the ring, so Miko quickly jumped around to knock the robots off. She then destroyed a generator to restore the roof. A normal ladder led them to the 12th floor: inside the ring, the floor was covered in spikes, which Kazma's gangster-looking opponent could apparently walk on. Miko ran around the roof and found a Carrie inside a vase. She sent the Carrie to Kazma, who could ride the resulting platform around the spikes and defeat the gangster.
The spikes retracted, and as Kazma proceeded, he smashed his own vase and freed another Carrie. "At least that's one favor repaid." The group could use Carrie to jump some spiked platforms to the 13th floor. They gasped at seeing a bunch of dynamites aligned around the ring, but their lit fuses were all different lengths.
"There's one over here that's about to go off!" Carmine ran as Eddy followed, the boy using his sword to cut the short fuse. Carmine led him to the next one quickest to detonate, and the process repeated as her Haki, combined with her pyrotechnic knowledge, ultimately prevented the floor from exploding. The 14th floor had some Camerons, the turtle bots shooting cannons in the ring while otherwise shielding their selves. Miko located a Thudley and used Ground Pound to press a Quake Switch, flipping the turtles upside-down as her team destroyed them. On Floor 15, a Rhinotank was zooming around the roof in evasion. The kids went separate ways to corner the robot and strike all at once. The Rhinotank freed a Dashell.
However, as soon as Miko grabbed it, the world glitched as they felt their selves become completely immobile. There was a sudden fizziness before everything returned to normal. "Hey, where did Kazma go?!" Miko panicked.
"I am detecting numerous glitches along the dragon that snakes around the tower." Boly alerted. "With multiple signatures on Floor 50 in particular."
"Wait, are you saying Kazma is up there?! How'd he get up that fast?"
"Finally, I can move again!" Eddy shouted.
"Move? What do you mean?" Quill asked.
"My computer froze for, like, the LONGEST time! …Hey, where did Kazma go?"
"Huh? Did we just get frozen in time without realizing it?!"
"And Kazma made progress without us!" Jenny shouted. "Miko, the Pixl!" The skater absorbed the Dashell and raced up the small dragon road that started on their roof and snaked several floors up and around the tower. She kicked down several Egg Pawns, then had to bounce up a stairway of Ring Snakes. She duck-slid under some flamethrowers, then stylishly rolled under some Thwomps. At Floor 45, she hit a Spring Pad chain that led her up to Floor 50. Five XANA Krabs were shooting at Kazma through the window, but Jenny kicked and sent them all off the roof. Unfortunately, the game glitched: Kazma disappeared, but Jenny's team had caught up.
"Oh, not again! Guys, I think I paused again!"
"Glitches detected on Floor 75!"
"Hey, there's a Pause Switch!" Miko pointed. "Looks like it's our turn to do the pausing!" She leapt to hit the switch and freeze time.
"Leave the rest to me!" Jenny rolled up the next dragon road, but it thinned into a dragon rail. Keeping her speed, the rail curved vertically as she jumped off it onto another, which continued curving up the tower. She jumped spiked portions, then leapt off to another rail before that one ended. Jenny leapt off on Floor 75 as the Pause wore off. Egg Mages were about to drain Kazma's HP, but Jenny flew around and pierced them all with her roller-bladed kicks. Alas, the world glitched: Jenny's team caught up while Kazma had gone ahead. "Gah, dang it! Are there any more power-ups?"
"Pixl detected on Floor 99." Boly answered.
"I can sense a threat on that building over there!" Carmine pointed. "I think it's a sniper!"
"Uuuuugh! You three, with me!" Jenny threw Miko, Carmine, and Quill onto her shoulders and raced up the next dragon road. There were some firework robots on platforms, so Carmine chucked bombs to blow them up. There were gaps in the road, but there were ziplines overhead, so Jenny jumped as Quill grabbed and zipped them across. The road curved onto the roof at Floor 83, where they had to speed past giant flame wheels. The following dragon road would end at a series of Thwomps, having to ride them as they rose up and momentum-jump to the next ones. A leftward Thwomp launched them onto the 90th floor.
Each of the next roofs had a spring to bounce them to the next, with Quill having to shoot down the XANA Hornets protecting each one. Once they had finally reached Floor 99, where Kazma was battling a fighter named Suggesica, Miko grabbed the Crosser Pixl and passed it to Quill. "It's over there!" Carmine pointed to the distant tower in question. Quill locked onto the Snipebot and shot it down before it could land its shot on Kazma. The fighter in question was able to defeat his foe as well. (End song.)
"Phew…that was a close one." Kazma sighed.
"I'll say!" Jenny shouted. "Can't you at least wait on the stairs while we take out these enemies threatening your life?"
"How's your HP doing, anyway?" Quill asked.
"There's a refill right here." Kazma walked up to a table and grabbed a bottle of juice. It restored his nearly-depleted bar to full health.
"Dude, if you could barely beat that one, you sure you're up for fighting the boss?"
"I'm not about to back down after making it this far! We gotta destroy all these bosses eventually, right? I'd rather risk my life here than keep lying helpless in my own room. Thanks for the help so far, but I got this." The rabbit turned up the last flight of stairs.
"He is right." Miko figured. "Right now, he's the only one that can get the Pure Heart. We'd better make sure he wins."
"Huff, huff, wait up, guys!" Eddy panted as he caught up. "Phew…I got tired of mashing the dash button."
"Jerk." Quill snapped.
"I gotta say, that was a cool idea for a level." Jenny praised. "I was afraid it was gonna make puzzles out of all 100 floors and quickly lose its appeal, but instead, we ended off with a nice speedy section. The general idea lasted just long enough before it got boring."
"Good point!" Eddy agreed. "This was good level design."
"Is this really the time to admire level design?!" Quill shouted. "Move it!" (Play "Here Comes Trouble" from Banjo-Tooie!)
They raced to the 100th floor and viewed into the window. Rumble's room had chandeliers, dragon pillars, a refrigerator, and some vases. Kazma was now face-to-face with the boss. "So! You have bested, all the others, and have to face me!"
"Darn right, Rumbi! Better say your prayers!"
"This is the sacred tower, of my ancestors! My comrades, and I, are sworn to protect it! I will not be defeated by y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-…"
"Looks like someone forgot his script."
"I think he's glitching." Miko observed. "I guess that should make the fight a bit easier."
"Is this the best the great Rumble has to offer?" Kazma grinned snarkily. "I guess I'm about to be the new Fight Fighter!" He leapt to swing a roundabout kick to Rumble's head, but as soon as it made impact, the paw became glued to the head via a glitchy force. Kazma gasped and was able to pull it away, but watched as the foot shrank into its human form.
"Ha, ha. Ha, ha. Ha, ha…" Rumble seemed to laugh like a maniacal robot as he sported a wide, sharp-toothed grin. A pixelly black aura surrounded him as he punched at Kazma, the rabbit dodging and ducking before punching at Rumble's stomach. The fighter grabbed his arm and struck Kazma with a glitchy force. "AAAAAHHH!"
The rabbit fully shrank into his human form before he was able to pull away, falling on his rear. Feeling naked and exposed once more, Kazma cowardly crawled backwards. He noticed his body fizzing and looked at his HP meter. "What?! I'm already at a quarter health?!"
"Foolish user." Rumble said in a sinister voice. "I have absorbed the data of your avatar into my own. Rumble McSkirmish has made an unwilling deal with a dastardly demon and has mastered the dark arts! Once I become powerful enough, I will crush that puny heart!" He indicated the red Pure Heart on the pedestal.
"The heart you were giving away as a prize? Why do you wanna destroy that?"
"That should not matter, now that you are about to be derezzed!" Rumble stepped forward imposingly.
"W-Wait!" Kazma crawled back in fear. "This isn't fair! That guy said we had to beat all the bosses!"
"So long as the true MCP exists, the 'Treasure' of the Lost World is in danger to it."
"I think Infinite must've hacked that guy somehow!" Eddy deduced. "It sounds like he wants to destroy the Pure Hearts."
"KAZMA! RUN!" Miko began pounding the window with her glove.
Kazma growled and pulled himself up. "There has to be a way to beat you! I can't… run away now!"
"This is no game where you can lose a life and try again." Rumble sneered. "Once you are crushed, you are crushed, FOR GOOD! The unworthy gamers do not get to survive! People who spend all day in their underwear do not know the ordeals of true combat. You cannot use virtual reality to simulate such a stimulation. This is your last chance to run away, boy."
Kazma's single exposed eye quivered with worry, his feet inching toward the exit. He hated to show such fear before an opponent, especially an A.I., but no opponent had ever threatened his life. He had to wonder if his real body was sweating with anxiety.
"I am detecting some Pixls approaching the boss chamber." Boly said. "One has already arrived. The Pure Hearts emit a gravitational energy that draws them in. The Pixls may prevent the abilities of the glitch from taking effect."
Miko spotted the Barry Pixl on a chandelier. "Kazma, grab that Pixl and bring it to me! I can use it to power you up!"
"Shouldn't he just leave?" Quill suggested.
"If he did, then someone else would have to fight their way up the tower again." Jenny said.
Kazma glanced to the spiked fairy on the ceiling. "I…I can't run away! I survived all the way up here! I can't look like a coward in front of these people!"
"Then you, will, perish!" Rumble declared. (Play "Monkey Red Face-Off" from Ape Escape!)
Boss fight: Rumble McSkirmish
Kazma ducked Rumble's grab and dodged his kick, running to the wall that had a chandelier beside it. He Wall Jumped off and grabbed the chandelier, swinging the others as Rumble searched for him. "Ah! I have no, looking up, animation!"
Kazma reached the chandelier with Barry. He shook the Pixl off as it flew to Miko's glove through the window. She transferred the power onto Kazma as a barrier formed around. Kazma charged at Rumble with spin attacks, the spikes stabbing him as he was bounced away. The possessed fighter jumped onto one of the dragon pillars, shooting condensed chi spheres. Kazma's barrier could bounce them back, stunning the fighter. Kazma then shoved against the pillar and knocked Rumble down. "His dark chi appears to have waned!" Boly said. "Now's your chance!"
Kazma punched and stomped the downed fighter with a relentless combo, but jumped away when Rumble regained himself. The chamber glitched as large blocks formed along the walls, blocking the window and giving little room to maneuver. Rumble began launching at Kazma with dash attacks, so he returned to evading. He backed against one of the blocks and tricked Rumble into ramming it, destroying it. He tricked Rumble into destroying the ones blocking the window, but it seemed the blocks would slowly respawn. Kazma saw a glowing block and had Rumble destroy it. The Cudge Pixl was freed, it flew to Miko, and she gave it to him. Kazma formed a giant hammer to smash Rumble as he charged him again.
The fighter recovered and leapt atop the giant blocks, beginning to shoot chi blasts. Kazma hammered and smashed some blocks as he ran leftward, but Kazma cut the corner and crushed the blocks ahead of him. He steadily limited Rumble to one block and knocked him off it. As the fighter landed on his back, Kazma hammered him against the floor. The Pixl wore off, but Rumble was vulnerable as Kazma lay the beatdown on him. He retreated before Rumble recovered. "Low on HP! Must, eat, FRIDGE!" He jumped to the refrigerator and hoisted it up, dumping all the contents down his throat. Kazma dashed up, leapt, and kicked the fridge away from his grasp. He half-expected to stub his toes big time, but his little foot seemed to possess the strength to accomplish the task.
A furious Rumble began jumping to down-punch him, and each time he struck the floorboards, a group of them would fling up like seesaws. Kazma ran and searched for a means to thwart this pattern. He saw a glowing floorboard and lured Rumble into flipping it. A Thudley was released as Miko allowed Kazma to use it. With the ability to Ground Pound, Kazma could flip the floorboards himself. He tricked Rumble onto one and flipped the fighter against a wall. He crashed down with a thud as Kazma Pounded him directly. The dark chi dispelled as Kazma beat him more directly, jumping away once Rumble recovered.
"No! You are cheating! Cheaters never win in legal contests!"
"Not true, unfortunately." Kazma remarked. "Besides, there is no cheating when your life is on the line."
"Then I will stop holding back! I will use my strongest attack, but first I must prepare!" It was then that a car dropped in the middle of the room. "I will gain power, by smashing this car!" Rumble began punching and crushing the car from all angles. "It sounds counterintuitive, but it works!"
Kazma wanted to run in and stop him, but feared Rumble would simply stop and grab him. The car was steadily crumbling as he searched for a solution. (Fittingly, the car was called the Crumble McSkirmish.) He noticed one of the vases glowing and ran to break it, releasing another Barry. He was allowed to absorb it just as Rumble finished breaking the car. "Stamina charge complete! Prepare for destruction!" With an explosion of aura, Rumble assaulted Kazma with a storm of punches, the boy hurriedly spinning his spiked barrier to deflect and endure the flurry. "Super Power Ninja Turbo Neo Ultra Hyper Mega Multi Alpha Meta Extra Uber Prefix COMBO!!!"
He could feel his bones rattling from the displaced force, his barrier inevitably shattering. Rumble's dark chi disappeared as the fighter returned to attacking normally. Kazma recomposed and dodged his punches, throwing one at Rumble's stomach. Rumble guarded the next low blow, but Kazma shifted aim at his head, followed by a swipe kick to knock Rumble down. Kazma tried to jump on his stomach, but Rumble flipped back up. He landed two punches to Kazma's head, followed by a low punch, but Kazma caught his fist and threw him behind himself. Kazma ran for a flurry of punches to the chest, Rumble blocking them, but when Rumble swung a kick, Kazma jumped and kicked his head. The boy sprung like a rabbit and stamped Rumble's head with both feet, knocking him down with depleted HP. Rumble's body derezzed as pixels were absorbed into Kazma, restoring his own HP. (End song.)
"Wow… he won!" Miko beamed.
"I told you he was the best!" Eddy cheered. "Way to go, man!"
"Heh…" Kazma passed them a smile. His gaze was drawn to the red heart over the pedestal. He walked up to touch the heart… but it thrusted out a small force and flew out the window, breaking it open.
The heart flew a good distance over the town. The whole floor turned dark as some blue and pink platforms formed a trail to it. (Play "Forsaken City Cassette" from Celeste!)
The two colors were beeping in and out to a jaunty, 8-bit tune. Miko jumped the first blue one, then to the purple once it appeared. She timed her jumps carefully with the rhythm. She had to quickly Wall Jump two blue walls and land on a purple platform. This was followed by low, far-apart platforms that required well-timed long jumps. She landed on a normal walkway with a long row of Thwomps crushing it, divided into the same colors. Miko timed it to get under the Thwomps that would switch off, surviving their crushes. Afterwards, Miko had to journey up a staircase with the giant flaming wheels. These wheels were all blue and would blip on-and-off. She would step backwards when they were active, then run through when they switched off.
Miko arrived at a snaky dragon road segmented into these same colors. She progressed up it in the same, careful fashion. The road steadily thinned and led up to the Pure Heart. Once on the tip of the dragon's tail, Miko leapt and seized the heart. There was an epic flash of light as a pixelly wave washed over the whole floor, erasing all the hostile glitches. An 8-bit victory fanfare played as the heart absorbed into Miko's chest, shining a lovely red. The city's normal light began to return as Miko was slowly lowered onto the ground. Both Sectors Q and Hinobi hurried over to her. (End song.)
"Uh…so, what the heck was that?" Kazma asked.
"That was a Pure Heart." Miko answered. "We're collecting these to fix the game."
The group briefed him on the basic quest. "So, if we want to log out, we just have to find those eight hearts? We don't have to beat the 100 bosses?"
"No, only eight of them." Eddy shrugged. "I don't know if it'll work, but it's a lot less of a load than the former."
"It sure sounds a lot faster. In that case… you mind if I tag along with you guys?"
"Why?" asked Quill.
"Why not? I was already risking my life to get out of here. I just took on 100 floors of fighters, for crud's sake!"
"Honestly, he's totally right." Eddy said. "We're already looking for other operatives who are trapped in here, what's wrong with adding a new teammate?"
"You just want him because you're his fanboy!" Quill argued.
"So, what? Dude is strong!"
"I guess if we're risking our lives, too," Jenny figured, "other players have a right to do the same. But I still don't know…"
"Whatever, I'm coming with you." Kazma decided. "Partly because I owe you for helping me in the tower… but also, if I help save the world, maybe people will finally start to respect me!"
"People would respect you for being more respectful to your betters." Mitch stated.
Kazma grit his teeth. "Well, you could learn some respect yourself, you dick!"
"Can we not start this again?" Five shirked.
Kazma turned away in a huff. "Maybe I shouldn't come, if I have to hang out with this guy."
"Hey, Boly, what other floors have Pure Hearts?" Miko asked.
"Pure Hearts detected on Floor 70, Floor 51, Floor 23, Floor…"
"Mitch, why don't you guys search for the heart on Floor 70? We and Kazma can go to another one."
"What about your sister, Miko?" Five asked.
Miko sighed, "I don't know, maybe she isn't even on this floor. But we have to fix this game for everyone. I just have to hope she hasn't…"
"Well, maybe she's hiding in an inn somewhere." he said optimistically. "But we'll keep an eye out."
"Then I guess we're off to Level 70." Mitch decided, beginning to contact the others. "Playing these levels out of order is giving me some whiplash."
"Skipping levels is what you wannabe pros do best." Kazma remarked.
"Will you lot just take him and leave?"
"We might as well." Quill shrugged. "Welcome to the team, Kaz."
"Yeah!" Eddy cheered, inviting Kazma to a high-five. The words, King Kazma joined the party! appeared overhead.
The sectors wished each other luck as Sector Q proceeded back to the Elevator Tower. "It looks like you got the data back that Rumble took." Miko noticed. "Want me to change you back into your avatar?"
"I'd rather he stay in his base form." Quill said. "If he's that infamous online, he'll attract too much attention."
"Whatever, shorty." Kazma snapped.
"Hey, I'm the leader! I wouldn't make too many comebacks, or I'll kick you off."
"Just don't start with him." Eddy suggested, leaning down to the shortened Kazma. "I won't tell the whole story, but we lost one of our friends not too long ago. He was the first leader."
"Oh…sorry." Kazma bowed his head guiltily.
"It just goes to show this is a dangerous job." Quill reminded. "Even when we feel confident, we could die in any battle."
Kazma was hesitant for a moment. They really weren't just average gamers like himself, they were used to this sort of threat. "I still won't be afraid. In the virtual world, I'm still strong. So, I'll do whatever I can to help fix this game."
"You're not too bad, kid." Jenny smirked, rolling backwards. "Want us to get you some shoes though?"
"Hm…nah, I'm fine like this."
"Haha!" Carmine laughed, agreeing with his sentiment.
"But there is something that I want."
"Oh yeah? Anything on the customizer?" Miko shone the glove light on him.
"Let's see… there we go!" Kazma selected a pair of headphones. Said pair formed around his neck. "Yeah! Now I feel complete! If we find any cassette tapes lying around, let's pick 'em up. I like some good level music."
"You are remarkably chill." Quill said.
"And you're dressed like a racer. I guess you've been to Level 51?"
"Isn't that where one of the hearts is?" Miko asked.
"I haven't really been there, what's that floor?"
"It's the racing floor." Kazma smirked. "All the kart lovers fly there."
Quill perked up. "Racing? Karts? Racecars?"
"Now he's happy!" Carmine grinned.
"I think you need some cheering up, Quill." Eddy said. "Why don't we make that our next floor?"
"I'm way ahead of you on that!" Quill raced ahead to the tower.
"Better not keep him waiting!" Miko ran after. "We're one heart down and seven to go, so let's set a record!"
"I think the current record is one night!" Jenny yelled. "It's too late to beat that!"
"Second place is good, too!" she returned as the friends shared a laugh.
Floria
Lexi and Kalluto swung a series of dandelions that ascended around a very tall, thick flower. The dandelions led them onto the gigantic petals, from which they could see into the bud. The bud contained its own, vast flower garden. The air was very windy at this height and the sky was ominously dark. "I sense a strong presence." Kalluto glared. "Let's see if it proves a decent test."
"Can you teach me one of your moves first?"
"Ugh. Why are you still asking that? Perhaps if you prove yourself in this battle first…"
"Can I at least have a little preview?"
Kalluto sighed. In a flash, he zipped behind Lexi, the girl gasping and whipping around. "That move is called Shave."
"You're so fast! How do you do it?!"
"You have to focus a small burst of chi into your leg at a quick pace while simultaneously moving that leg as if to sprint. Make sure you lean your body in the direction you want to go."
"Ahhh…" Lexi nodded as if it were the simplest thing ever. "I see… so, just focus to my legs and-" She thrusted herself forward and stumbled. "Uh, was it one leg or both? …Kalluto?" The Sheikah was already going down into the garden. "Hey, tell me if I was doing it right!"
Kalluto crossed the garden alertly, ready to strike whatever creature lay in ambush. Both jumped to attention as a cluster of flowers started swaying and rising: they took up the garden hat of a giant, light-red, elderly mole. She spoke with the voice of a grandma. "Oh, my goodness. What are these naughty little pests stepping over my garden?"
"My name is Kalluto." The boy whipped out his fan. "And I've come to-"
"Who are you calling pests, old lady?!" Lexi jumped in front of him.
"What are you doing?"
"Pre-battle banter!"
"Now, now, that's no way to treat your elders. I'm going to have to call your parents for misbehaving, dearies."
"This is a joke." Kalluto sighed.
"The only one you should be calling is a hospital, once we're done kicking YOUR butt!" Lexi declared.
"Goodness, this vulgar behavior is unhealthy for the flowers. I'm afraid I'll have to get the pesticide."
"The only pesticide here is US! …That sounded better in my head."
"Just fight." Kal said. (Play "Major Burrows" from Mario Galaxy!)
Boss fight: Granny Mole
The mole burrowed underground, and they could see the flowers swaying along her trail. Kalluto chased those flowers and used his bending to rip the petals away. Granny sensed the flowers wither and sprouted up in a panic. Kalluto spun a twister of petals around the mole and riddled her with cuts. Granny screamed and blew the petals away, using a watering can to restore those flowers. She dug underneath once more and sent earthquakes in their direction. Kalluto jumped the first one, but Lexi was sunk halfway in the ground. Granny Mole dug over to her and grabbed Lexi's legs. "Whooooaaa!" She was dragged around the soil and forcibly slammed into a boulder before the mole let her go.
"Grrrr! Well, here's what I think of your flowers!" Lexi began to karate chop and behead the flowers, spinning like a fan to clear a good amount of them. "If I can chop cinderblocks, flowers are nothing!" She ran from the clearing as Granny returned and tried to water the flowers. "Now try some of my lightning!" She channeled lightning onto her fingers and electrocuted the giant mole like a Taser. Her fur rattled for several seconds before a burst of rage knocked Lexi away. Granny watered the flowers and burrowed again. Kalluto had already bent the petals away from other flowers, but his Stamina Meter prevented him from getting too many. When she came to rewater them, the petals didn't seem to do any damage. The mole furiously smacked him away while he attempted this.
"It seems we can't reuse the same attacks. Clever game design."
"Then I guess we HAVE to work together!" Lexi chopped away the flowers and jumped Granny's earthquake attacks. When Granny rose out, she fired cannonballs of water at either kid. Kalluto used Shaves to dodge his way to the mole, and once at her stomach, he bombarded her with Finger Pistols. She retreated from him before blasting a storm of water balls to the sky. The balls rained as the kids ran in evasion, but they would forcefully bounce once and toward them before exploding. Lexi tried to kick one away and succeeded, so she kicked the next one to Granny and struck her face. She kicked two more before the angry mole ceased the attack.
Granny began to jump and send waves of earth that would push the kids against the edges. Kalluto jumped these waves with single Moon Walks, but Lexi struggled to gain enough height. "Maybe if I…" She tried to focus energy in her leg and thrust herself toward the wave, but stumbled again as the wave pushed her. "Crud! It probably wouldn't make it, anyway."
Kalluto reached Granny and struck her with his Japanese fan, imbuing chi to make it sharp enough to cut her. Granny burrowed and would begin popping up in random areas, shooting quick waterballs at them each time. As Kalluto tried to plan his attack, he saw Lexi stumbling. "Is now really the best time to practice that technique?"
"But it looks so easy, I wanna get it right!"
"Rokushiki requires more precise concentration than karate! Whoa!" He jumped when Granny emerged from beneath him and sliced a Tempest Kick, but she burrowed just in time. "But let's see if my stamina will allow me to do this."
When Granny emerged the next time, the area mysteriously grew silent. There was an entire circle of Kallutos slowly and menacingly pacing around the garden. He was using the Rhythm Echo technique to mute the sound within the garden. 'Whoa, is this Shadow Clone Jutsu?' Lexi mouthed. 'Wait, I can't hear myself talk! This guy's moves are nuts!' She noticed Granny wasn't going back underground, looking around confusedly. 'He's confusing her. I have to do something.' Lexi stared at her hands and willed electricity to form. 'I already shocked her… but maybe I can try a different move!'
She rushed at the mole's back and started landing lightning-powered chops. The lightning enhanced her speed and allowed her to maneuver around Granny, landing strikes at all angles as the mole seemed to take damage. "Hi, YAH!" She concluded the combo with a kick against the nose, smashing it inward.
"Aaaaaahhh!" Granny Mole spun around in a dizzy fashion, the Rhythm Echo dispelling. "Oh, my nostrils… how am I to smell my pretty flowers now? You'll regret this day, you brats! May the flowers have revenge on yoooouu…!" Her voice echoed as she derezzed. (End song.)
"Ha ha! Did you see that combo?! Lightningbending plus karate equals awesome!"
"I suppose you gave yourself that bending."
"Yeah, so? Didn't you give yourself that plantbending?"
"In real life, I possess paperbending, a rare sub-form of the element. I couldn't seem to give myself that power in-game, so I chose normal plantbending so I could utilize flower petals in a similar way. But your lightning doesn't exist in real life, does it?"
"One of the cool features of the game is giving yourself an element."
"But what's the point if it doesn't exist for real? You should use this game to perfect your natural skills. Of course, my idiot brother gave himself lightning, too…"
"Your brother's here?"
"Forget I said that."
"Well, even if I can't have bending in real life, what's the big deal? People were supposed to have fun with this game, do things they couldn't do in real life. I kind of thought about joining the KND a few times, but then all these bad things started happening, like the Pirate War and… it sounds like a lot to be responsible for, you know?" She grinned sheepishly.
"Well, I'm in this game to perfect my skills. If you're not going to take it seriously, then you're just an escort mission."
"Wow… that's surprisingly insulting."
Kalluto looked to the spot where Granny disappeared. A large golden key with a big "B" in a circle on its head was floating in place, and when he touched it, it shrank to enter his robe pocket. "I guess we collect these from the bosses. Time to pick another floor." He began to leave the garden.
"You could at least thank me for helping you!"
"I would've preferred to work alone. It's true that we're sometimes required to use teamwork, but we clearly don't share the same ideals."
"Man, you're stubborn. I feel like hanging around you even more just to teach you about friendship."
"Will you not?"
"You still gotta help teach me that Shave thing! I proved myself in battle."
"Very well… if you're going to be a nuisance, you should at least try to be useful."
"Blah, blah," was Lexi's only response at this point.
Gun Gale H.Q.
The other SA operatives were contacted about the incident and agreed to meet at the central building, which functioned as a mall for clothing, eating, and equipment. The ops were sitting at a table near the clothing store. "Seriously, Nagisa?" Killua asked. "We've barely been exploring and you're already looking at other girls' butts?"
"I only glanced for a bit and thought I should let her know!"
"We're just getting sidetracked at this point." Morgiana sighed. "Why did we have to take her shopping?"
"Because Nagisa is responsible for getting her some better pants now." Goombella figured. "Even though Fie is taking her."
"Aaaaaand we're back!" Fie called as she and Sinon returned, the latter wearing some taller waist armor.
"And according to her, you can't see it now." She stated.
"It's kind of too bad. I was sort of digging it."
"Of course you were! Look at your shorts! I can see the ridges of your legs!"
Indeed, Fie's shorts were nearly falling off. "What? It looks cool."
"Are you happy now?" Morg asked. "We have other people to look for."
"She did say she would help us." Nagisa reminded.
Sinon sighed. "Well, we spent so much time on this that it's almost time for my match."
"You have a match? With who?"
"Just some opponents. Our teams and enemies are randomly assigned, but I signed up for this time."
"Wait, it isn't a gun match, is it? I thought you said they weren't holding those."
"They aren't holding the traditional kind. Some players have resigned to playing the kid-friendly games. It's better than nothing. Who knows, maybe you'll find your friends there."
"Wanna check it out, guys?" Killua asked.
"Yeah, why not?" Nagisa agreed. "We'll follow you down!"
"Just keep your eyes up." Sinon glared. Nagisa shirked in shame.
Sinon led them downstairs to a wide, round elevator. An Inkling girl and a Kateenian man were guarding it. "I've brought some guests for the audience." Sinon told them. "Here's my pass."
The guards nodded and allowed them onboard. The group patiently rode the lift downward. It let them off in a dark hallway that led to a lobby. It branched two other directions, and there were also some terminals. "The audience stands are that way." She pointed right. "If you feel like it, you could try to sign up for a later open match with these terminals."
"We'll be rooting for you!" Nagisa smiled. "But… are you sure it's safe?"
"Yeah, but it does sting a little bit. See for yourself." Sinon aimed her rifle at him. Morg pulled him aside as the gun fired a jet of blue ink.
"Ink?!" Goombella exclaimed. She remembered the Inkling guard outside. "Wait…"
Sinon branched off from them as Sector SA entered the audience stands, trying to blend in with the aliens in attendance. It seemed the matches were between a blue team and pink team. The pink team had "Mine," a girl with pink pigtails; "Constanyou," a tall girl in a green military top, shorts, and black boots, with navy-blue hair and mechanical goggles; "Mayyouperish," wearing a beanie that covered her left eye, a red and white sweater, and dusky-rose hair; and "Sogeman," a tengu boy wielding a slingshot.
"I knew it! This is a Turf War!" Goombella realized. "The ones the Inklings hold!"
"I guess no one dies in a Turf War." Nagisa figured. "And these guys couldn't really be 'splatted' either."
"There's Sinon's team!" Fie pointed.
The blue team marched onto their side of the field. Sinon was unmistakable, but there was another light-blue-haired girl, short and kid-sized with the squid bangs of an Inkling. Fie's eyes narrowed on the ink-haired girl, her vibrant yellow eyes and cheerful smile one she could recognize anywhere. Even her gray-and-black dress and boots were a fitting match. "That's her! That's Millium!"
"Huh? Which one?" Nagisa asked.
"That Inkling one!"
"You didn't tell us she was an Inkling."
"That's just her avatar!"
"Three… two… one… SPLAT!" At the sound of the bell, a messy tournament began.