Play "Approaching the Ruins" from Ori and the Will of Wisps!
Sector SA's group ventured to the desert on the outskirts of Gun Gale. It wasn't frigid under the night sky, just a muggy kind of hot, though they could see the embers amongst the giant bones of Dead Man Valley. "It's not as pretty as Secco." Morgiana said, burying her toes in the sand. "But I do feel right at home here."
"I've never been to a desert," Fie said as she brushed her own feet along the sand, "but it doesn't feel much different than a battlefield on a summer night."
"Between Fie and I, both our races are faster at night." Killua said. "And since Nagisa is trained in the ways of the Sheikah, he can apply that boost, too."
"Lucky you!" Millium shouted, squinting her eyes in the blowing sand. "I can barely see anything. Carry me, Nagisa." She climbed on his shoulders without asking.
"Well, Fie, ready to show these boys who the real night masters are?" Morg asked with a smirk.
"You bet." Fie shared a knuckle bump with her.
"Aww, our girls are getting along." Nagisa grinned.
"They're gonna team up against us, you know."
"Then it's another incentive to get stronger!" Killua rolled his eyes at him.
Stage 7: Dead Man Valley
Mission: Search for and eliminate Death Gun!
The team crossed a narrow pathway over a chasm. Green birds called Hrok flapped overhead and barfed boulders down. Fie used Morg as a spring to jump up and slice two of their necks, while Killua roped one's neck with his yo-yo, tugged down, and slammed it against the side of the path. The path led into a trench where they had to jump giant bones jutting out of the wall. They leapt the bones in a ninja style, but one of them was bent up against the cliff. Morgiana bellowed a soundwave to shake the bone and make it fall and hang, allowing them to jump it. Afterwards, they had to jump the tops of some bones standing from the abyss, but they threatened to lean and fall, so the group followed each other quickly.
They could rest on a stable path and follow it out of the trench. A giant worm emerged from an open area of sand, its mouth opening to a minigun. The team scattered as it let fire, confusing the beast. It had to stop to reload its bullets, so Nagisa rushed up and allowed Millium to shoot ink into its mouth. As it coughed and gagged on the ink, Fie and Killua combined their Tempest Kicks to slice the worm and derez it. The following area was covered in black ink. By squirting it with blue ink, Millium was able to patch up a pathway, but each blue puddle would only last a few seconds. She and Nagisa led the way as she squirted a path across the blackness. "Bad time to be barefoot, huh, girls?" Killua smirked. Morg groaned in anger.
The group could rest on a platform, but sadly found that Millium was low on ink. "That's a shame. If I was still an Inkling, I could…" Millium squirted some ink on the platform and sunk in. "Hey, I can still swim in ink!" She was able to refill her pistols and proceeded to squirt out the next trail. Smaller Gunworms rose from the ink to squirt them, but by shooting them, Millium could make them explode into larger puddles of blue ink. They could rest on another safe platform and would have to jump other, ascending platforms. "Watch out!" Killua yelled as a black cannonball dropped on a platform. It was actually a black inkball, bouncing once before bursting and drenching the platform. They rushed up the other platforms as other inkballs bounced on them. The group jumped to a thin ledge along a cliffside, having to sidle along. The cannon responsible for the inkballs tried to shoot them, so the assassins sent Tempests to intercept and pop the balls.
They could escape onto a pathway leading past the cliffside, and toward a tall hill of flowing sand. The teens had to jump giant skulls flowing down the sand, but as soon as one were stepped on, it would turn over and reveal an inky underside. They had to jump quickly while otherwise taking separate routes. There was a safe strip of land to stand on as they viewed up the next segment: all the skulls were covered in black ink, so Millium had to quickly shoot them with blue ink and make them safe to bounce up. They reached the top of the sand hill and caught their breath after the tricky segment (along with Millium's ink).
They walked around a cliff wall, but held back once they spotted an enemy camp. There was a short, yellow-robed figure patrolling outside with a rifle, his glowing mechanical eyes skimming around. Fie checked that no other guards were around, rushed up on swift, silent feet, and lopped its head off. Fie crawled up some stairs to the camp, glancing left down a path to see two more Spy Guns standing guard, facing opposite ways. She took one of her daggers and tossed it straight into the head of the robot facing her direction. She then raced up and sliced the head off the one behind. Killua snuck up to join her, the two peaking around the next corner to see Spy Guns patrolling the camp, with a lookout situated on a tower. The two ducked their way behind the tents, killing robots whenever they could. Killua eventually made it to the lookout tower, climbed up, and killed that robot.
After steadily killing all the Spy Guns, the other operatives could catch up. They crept around another wall and viewed a wide bridge with more guards. When a gust of sand swept across the bridge with the wind, it blocked the robots' vision, so Fie and Kill ran to climb under the bridge. Once on the other side, the two climbed up and silently slaughtered all the robots starting from the back. The bridge led to a large wooden gate that Morg could easily thrust open with a strong kick. (Play "Bubble Blowing Baby Hunt" from Spongebob Movie!)
The inside of the building was a rough and tough bar with bullet holes in the dart boards and broken tables. As soon as the mechanical bargoers heard the door burst in, they turned toward the rude, underaged intruders. One hoisted up a ball-and-chain and lashed it at them. Morgiana rolled underneath and kicked her leg up to catch the weapon around her leg, then spin and kick the robot away. Nagisa jumped in front of her and used Iron Body to defend her from bullets. Killua leapt over them and swung his ink-loaded yo-yos at the robots. Millium sent her own trail of ink, swam along, and jumped out to shoot more of them down.
Once all the mechs were dealt with, the group approached a ledge over an oily pit. A big rotating dartboard was on the other side, with a nearby bucket of darts to throw. Killua simply had to toss them at the spots labeled 1, 2, 3, 4, etc., and once complete, a staircase opened to the second floor. "I actually know what that dartboard was trying to reference, but it'll take a while to explain."
"Good for you." Morg replied. They proceeded up the stairs and entered a passage with a bridge leading over an oily river. The bridge was in a slight curve with a Muscle Gun situated at the end, manning a minigun. Nagisa and Fie dashed up together, using nimble evasion to dodge the minigun. Once they reached him, Fie sliced both the minigun and the robot's head. The next room required them to jump some platforms sliding along the wall, waterwheels, then some treadmills, while another Muscle Gun would try to shoot them. The group hid behind a metal barrier. Millium shot ink onto a platform sliding on the left wall, then jumped to hide in the ink, staying safe from the robot's bullets. When it stopped to reload, she jumped the waterwheels and reached another moving platform, squirting some ink to hide from another bullet flurry.
She then jumped to a treadmill and ran up it before the gun could finish reloading. She squirted ink onto a wall under the next treadmill and could hide in it for a moment. She then ran across the next treadmill and reached the Muscle Gun, shooting him until he splatted. The others were able to catch up, but the passage only seemed to lead to a vent. "Looks like we have to crawl!" Millium cheered as she pulled open the vent and crawled in first. The others lined up and followed.
"Euh, somebody stinks in here." Killua cringed. "When was the last time you guys bathed?"
"We didn't know that our bodily odors would transmit to this game." Morg remarked.
"Hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm hmmmmmm~" Fie hummed an innocent little tune.
The vent let out on a platform overlooking a large bar room. "ON YOUR MARKS… AIM… FIRE!" The bargoers were divided in two squadrons, using the tables as shields as they let fire. The sounds flooded the air and would make their voices inaudible. The operatives would have to jump and swing ceiling fans, only going one at a time to keep them from breaking off. Bullets were fired upward between some fans, forcing the group to wait a bit. There was an explosion that seemed to send tables toward the ceiling, and they seemed to stay airborne long enough for them to jump across. "Physiiiiiics!" Millium cheered.
The tables led to another platform at the base of some thin, grated stairs. The stairs led toward an opening near the middle of the ceiling. Bullets were fired up and through the grates. Morg got atop Killua and Millium atop Fie, while the three assassins used Iron Body to prevent their soles from being punctured. The bullets possessed the pattern of starting from the top of the stairs and shooting along downward. The group stepped upward during the lulls in the bullets until they were eventually able to make it into the ceiling. (Play "Here Comes Trouble" from Banjo!)
They had entered a dark room with neon lights, a cracked mirror, and the faint ray of window light. The operatives froze in surprise and slight terror: Death Gun himself was slouching on a couch. Faced away from them, he had his arm around a glowing green heart. "Then Ah shot the little ho in the leg, and she was like, 'What dis black stuff on mah leg? Whut? Now it's on mah head. Oh dang, Ah'm dead!' Shoulda seen the look on her face, baby, she done knew she effed up!"
"Is…is that really Death Gun?" Morg asked.
"He sounds like… a totally different person." Fie whispered. "Like some gangster who's just having a good time."
Morgiana grit her teeth. How dare he recollect Constanze's death in such a manner. With a stomp that shook the room, she yelled, "HEY!"
"YO!" Death Gun jumped out of his seat and faced them. "HUH?! You the little twerps from the Turf War! Come to take another crack at me?"
"You… How could you talk like that after killing our friend?! Don't you understand? Constanze is dead in the real world!"
"All Ah know is, big boss man ordered me to kill," he pointed upward, "so Ah kill. Ah dunno if it's in mah program or whatever, but Ah love killin'. And Ah dig the Reaper shtick, too. Bein' a big bad harbinger of death is livin' the dream!"
"We have something in common." Nagisa admitted with a glare. "I like pretending to be an assassin. There's a weird little thrill with pretending to kill people. But you know something? Killing someone for real is a much different feeling. It shouldn't feel good. It should leave a scar in your heart. Even if you don't think you have a choice… there's no way you can just laugh it off."
"And whaddyou know? You don't got a speck of that feeling in yo' eyes, son."
"Even if I did decide to kill… I would save that bloodlust for someone far more deserving. I wouldn't do it for some sick laugh. You killed an innocent girl who just wanted to get back home to her friends. A heartless Program like you deserves your punishment."
"Heh! I got your heart right here!" He took the Pure Heart and tucked it under his cloak. "We'll see who's heartless after my black ink melts yours!" (Play "King Bulblin" from Zelda: Twilight Princess!)
Boss fight: Death Gun
The Reaper vanished, and they could see the glow of his red eyes appear in the corner. The group ducked behind the couch as jets of black ink were fired. Nagisa ran out and used Shaves to dodge his ink and distract him. This allowed Morg to run out from the other side, leap, and slam a kick to his metal head. She dealt a flurry of kicks as his voice grunts recorded as, "Dwoh, dwoh, dwoh, d'oh…" in a monotone fashion. They saw that a fair chunk of his HP bar depleted, and Morg didn't feel as big a strain as before.
"So, you really are weaker in your own boss room!" she smirked. Death Gun warped to the couch and kicked it away to expose the other operatives. They tried to attack him, but he leapt away and shot at Killua, who dodged and bashed his head with a yo-yo. Fie charged to stab him, but Death Gun warped over to the window, blocking its light as he unloaded a flurry of ink all over the room. As Millium and Killua tried to cover it with blue ink—"DWOH!" a bullet seemed to shatter the window and hit Death Gun's head. The red-eyed Reaper turned with a glare.
There was a distant cliff nearly shrouded by the sandy wind… but it was just clear enough for a sniper to take aim. "Hey! It looks like they caught up after all!" Nagisa beamed, the group seizing the chance to dice the Reaper.
Sinon had one boot planted to the ground as her rifle locked dead on the window. "Did you get him, Sinon?" Goombella asked.
"Yeah! He didn't go down, but he lost a ton of health. I'll wait for another chance to-"
"S-S-SINON!"
With a start, she turned, horrified as the Reaper loomed over her. Goombella used psychic to pull her out of the way before Death Gun shot. "Benjamin, get your ass over here!" He jumped away and landed on the back of his horse. Benjamin whinnied and galloped away from the girls, rapidly firing. Goombella was able to catch some ink bullets in psychic, but only a few managed to hit the horseback rider when she tossed them back. Death Gun warped behind them and charged, but Goombella thrusted herself up to headbutt the neck of the horse, causing it to reel up and knock Death off. The horse galloped away in panic. "Yeah, screw you, Benjamin!" Death Gun vanished again, and the girls worriedly searched around.
"Sinon, check back in the boss room!" Goombella ushered. She did so and viewed through her scope. She could see the other operatives scrambling to dodge attacks again.
Death Gun was now camouflaged, blending excellently into the dark. He spammed his teleport function along with this and tried to shoot them from various corners. He would instantly warp whenever one of them came. Millium remembered the partly-cracked mirror in the room. She was able to convey a plan to her team, so Killua offered to grab and move the mirror toward the window while the others distracted Death. They could reflect the faint window light onto Death Gun and partially reveal his silhouette. He still kept up his routine, but thanks to the mirror, Sinon was able to pinpoint his location. She fired, and the bullet ricocheted off the mirror and struck the boss.
Killua ran up and electrified Death Gun, but he eventually broke free and teleported. The group couldn't sense his presence in the room, so they gathered at the window and signaled Sinon. "He returned back here!" Sinon gasped. "But where?!"
Distant galloping was heard, originating from beneath the ledge opposite of them. Sinon hurried over and viewed down the bumpy hillside they had used to get here. Death Gun was riding up on his horse, and his path was rather erratic up the complex hill. His red glare drew ever closer in Sinon's magnified vision, filling her with panic. Her finger trembled on the trigger, her mind too frightened to focus a clear shot. But as Death Gun was seconds from range, she nearly felt her heart stop.
Goombella pulled her out of the way before the ink could fire. Death Gun galloped around them and shot rounds of ink as Goombella helped herself and Sinon avoid. By the time he warped, Sinon began to clutch her heart and gasp heavily. Death Gun appeared at the top of a nearby mound, switching to using a sniper rifle. Goombella shielded them in a psychic barrier and used the Friend Code to dial them. "Guys, Sinon's having a panic attack!"
"Morgiana, throw me over there!" Nagisa ordered. "I'll help them!"
"Okay!" Morg lifted her boyfriend, spun around, and hurled him out the window.
He grabbed the edge of the cliff and pulled himself up, taking cover behind Goombella's barrier. "Sinon, calm down! We need you to focus!"
"H-H-He…he could've killed me… I almost died… almost…died…"
"We're here for you! Just breathe and calm down."
"Huff…hah…huff…hah…" Sinon tried to ease her heart, but the sounds of gunfire and epic boss music didn't help. She had to calm down… and shoot Death Gun… or else, they would die…
"AH!" Goombella screamed when the barrier finally gave way. Nagisa pulled them both aside and helped them dodge further shots.
"Sinon, can you get a good shot if I carry you?"
Sinon took a gulp and tried to swallow her fear. "Yeah… just keep me steady." Nagisa hoisted her legs up, she rested an elbow on his shoulder and the rifle on his head. She focused upward, but Nagisa's dodging made her aim zip around, dizzying her. Nagisa stabled himself in one general position as Sinon took the shot, wounding Death Gun's shoulder. He seemed to retreat. "Phew… you know, for a boy, you're really skinny."
"I could easily make a rude comeback~" Nagisa teased, letting her down. "Now, where did-"
An ink jut fired from over the building, the group barely dodging. "He's further away!" Goombella yelled. "Let's climb on that ledge!" She used psychic to lift the two up onto the mound where Death Gun was stationed. They ducked behind some weak stalagmites that would be shattered by the boss's shots. They maneuvered partway around the bar until Sinon could more clearly make out Death Gun's eyes. She waited for him to fire once more before taking aim herself. With a pull of the trigger, she punctured his right eye. That chunk of his mechanical head was ripped off, exposing the sparkling wires within, while his left eye shone with a more vengeful glare.
He disappeared again, but the whinny of the horse was heard far behind them. There was a rather long bridge that faded into the dark, but the tiny glow of Death Gun's eye was visible beyond it. Sinon planted her foot back down and aimed. The boss was rapidly warping between left, right, and middle, intending to confuse her. Sinon glanced left and saw Nagisa crawl behind a stalagmite near the bridge, grinning at her as his fingers positioned to snap. Sinon waited for his signal, and though she felt nervous as Death Gun drew closer, she maintained composure, ready to shoot whenever and wherever. Death Gun had finally crossed the bridge's threshold—
The snap of Nagisa's fingers mimicked the blast of a gun, prompting Death's horse into jumping left. Sinon angled her rifle that way and fired. The moment of deception served as her bullet pierced the Reaper's chest. (End song.)
"DWOH!" He dropped his gun and gripped his chest, wobbling unstably. "No… Who are you?!"
Sinon propped the rifle upward and answered firmly. "I'm the Phantom Bullet."
"That's… a much cooler name. You are the real deal…heh…" he gave a thumbs-up. "Grrr…" then a middle finger. "Dwoh…" He made a Cross gesture over his chest, shortly before falling back and plummeting down the cliff. His body exploded, and a giant golden key flew up and bounced on the ledge.
"Haaaaah…" Sinon released a sigh and relaxed on the ground.
"Good job, Sinon…" Nagisa reached down to her with a smile. Sinon smiled back and took his hand. As she stood, a green heart had risen from the abyss as well. "I guess these are our rewards. Maybe the key is the game's MacGuffin while that's a Heart Container to give us more health."
"Probably…"
"Well, I think you've earned both. Go on and take them!"
"Heh heh…" Sinon walked up and grabbed the Boss Key, which shrank into her inventory. She reached for the heart and pulled it into her arms. "Hmm…I can't put this one in inventory."
"Oh. I wonder what it does then? Might as well keep it with us. Let's meet back with the others."
The operatives made their way out of the bar and regrouped with Goombella, Nagisa, and Sinon on the bridge. "Hopefully now, they'll be able to play their Turf Wars in peace." Fie said. "Sigh…now there's just 99 more bosses to kill."
"We need to see if there's a way to check if other bosses were killed." Goombella suggested.
"Um…can I ask you guys something?"
"Yeah, Sinon?"
The sniper clenched her lips tight and had eyes hanging down in guilt. "If I…If I had shot Infinite… do you think I could've saved everyone?"
The group shared looks of sympathy. Most were unsure how to answer, but Nagisa replied with, "I'm not sure if he would've gone down that easy. Maybe it's good that we got away from him when we did. Though we're still not sure why that Chadley kid was able to hurt him…"
Sinon was mildly surprised by his straightforward answer. She decided to ask another question on her mind. "As KND operatives… do you always have to make hard decisions like that?"
"To be honest… our general code is not to kill anybody. But sometimes, we don't have a choice. We've never really killed ourselves, but we're worried if we'll have to make that decision someday. When we do… we'll just have to accept the guilt and try to understand our own reasoning. Maybe we did it to protect someone, maybe the enemy was just too strong… who knows?"
Sinon sighed. "I try to tell myself that sometimes… that it was just an accident, or I thought Mom was gonna die… or I was gonna die… but I wasn't just ashamed of what I did… I was afraid. My own classmates started to fear me. I thought someone would try to kill me out of fear… and that's why I play these games. To kill that fear. But even if I log out of this game, that fear is just gonna come back. I don't want to feel that way, anymore."
"I'm so sorry…" Goombella said, unsure what to really say.
"But you guys…you witnessed someone die… and chose to confront the killer. You probably deal with this sort of stuff every day. You're much stronger than I am."
"You confronted him, too." Morg said. "You are strong."
"I want to be stronger. I…I…" Sinon stood up straight and faced them with resolved eyes. "Can I… join your sector?"
This question had them taken aback. "Y…You want to be an operative?" Nagisa asked.
"I felt something… when I was fighting that boss. I felt braver than I've ever felt with these games. I want to learn how to really stand strong. So, if it's alright… I'd like to join you."
"Are you sure you want our sector?"
"What do you mean?"
"What if I told you that we're a pretty infamous team? That we had something super powerful or important that a lot of villains are trying to hunt us? That's why that Infinite guy attacked us in fact."
Sinon processed this for a moment. She wasn't sure if he was being rhetorical… but if he was serious, it would be biting off more than she expected a few seconds ago. "…I'll take a chance." She decided. "I feel comfortable around you guys. Well, maybe except him."
"Okay, I'm sorry I said that!" Killua said.
"I can beat him up for you if you want." Morg cracked her knuckles. "He could use a bit more discipline."
Sinon cracked a giggle. "Even so… it would be hard to get to know a whole different sector, anyway. I want to give it a try."
"Then we'll be happy to have you." Nagisa smiled, approaching her with a raised hand. "Sinon… welcome to Sector SA!" As she slapped it, the hands grasped each other to signify the bond of friendship. The words Sinon joined the party! flashed above!
The team made their way out of Dead Man Valley and rode separate dune buggies to cross the desert. "Morg, where did you learn how to drive?" Goombella noticed the Fanalis driving the other buggy.
"I seem to be a natural at it."
"Hey, guys! Check it out!" Millium called attention to her U.I. screen.
"What is it, Mill?" Fie asked.
"I can access my options again! Didn't Infinite make it so we couldn't do that?"
"Wait, can we log out?"
"No… but I can change back into an Inkling!" She clicked the button and shrank back into her Inkling form. "Woomy!"
"Oh, cool! Maybe we can, too." Nagisa brought up his screen. "Sweet! I can become a Sheikah again!" In a moment, his clothes transformed into a Sheikah suit with the red eye symbol on the shirt, his eyes red, ears pointed, and hair white. "Sweet! It gets tiring being a human every day, you know?"
"So, I can change back, too!" Goombella brought up her U.I. and transformed: she became a more round, vanilla, ghost-like creature with a wiggly antenna. She had big, pale-red eyes with her hint of vibrance.
"What the heck is that?" Killua asked.
"I was lucky enough to have a rare race in my settings! I'm a Luff, an ancient culture from Mushroom World."
"Pretty awesome!" Fie said. "As for me, I'm just a wolf." She turned into a Mobian wolf.
"And I'm a silver hedgehog!" Killua turned shorter and changed as well. "I think Mobius has a silver hedgehog king, right?"
"Yeah, the Sol Kingdom." Goombella answered.
"I didn't really choose a race myself." Morgiana said. "But I can turn back into my new clothes."
"Didn't feel like getting creative?" Killua cocked a brow.
"I'm proud of my birth race, so I had no reason to change."
"These avatars aren't because we aren't proud of our race, it's just fun to be something different. It's like dressing up for Halloween. Also, you realize that since Infinite recognizes and is trying to hunt us, it's good to have disguises?"
"You have me there, I suppose. Still, if you can change back into your avatars, it would seem like Infinite's control is weakening."
They parked their buggies at a garage at the edge of town. Morgiana changed her white clothes into a fiery top and skirt with a red lion's head around her own, her face visible through the mouth. "At the very least, this should serve as a nice disguise."
"Disguise?! You freakin' stand out with that parade outfit!" Killua yelled.
"Hey, my girlfriend is a feisty Red Lion and I love her."
"Thank you, Nagisa~"
"Ugh, cringe." Sinon scoffed.
"Hey, you asked to join. Get used to our dynamic."
"Are you gonna change back, Sinon?" Goombella asked.
"Hmm… to be honest, my avatar is somewhat famous. Maybe I should stick to my plain form."
"Okay. If I can be honest myself, I think you're much cuter in your normal look. You got a kind of vibe that says, 'I may look cute and approachable, but I know how to stand my ground if you push me.'"
Sinon blushed and giggled. "Well, I am carrying a rifle on my back. …Hmm…" She frowned and held her arm meekly.
"It's okay." Nagisa said comfortingly. "Once you've warmed up to us, you can talk more about it. Maybe that will help."
"Thanks, but… how could I even use this skill when I join for real?"
"We have non-lethal bullets. Or you could get another ink gun! Enemies can't fight if their clothes are messy."
"Heh heh…" She cracked a smile.
They began to make their way through town. It seemed that news was already spreading of Death Gun's defeat, so people were steadily calming down. Furthermore, Infinite didn't seem to be present, anymore, so they hurried to the Elevator Tower quickly and discreetly. "You know, should I give you guys my real name and address, if I'm gonna be joining?"
"It's bad to give your personal info online." Killua remarked.
"The real name should be fine." Goombella said.
"It's Shino. Shino Asada."
"Sounds like Shiota Nagisa!" he smiled.
"Hah, almost."
"Whoa, check it out!" a Gungan man called near a bulletin board. "The boss of this floor got defeated!"
"It must've been that guy again!" a Gerudo woman pointed.
Sector SA approached the board. It seemed to list all 100 floors, in which golden dots were lit next to some. "Whoa! Over ten floors' worth of bosses were defeated!" Goombella exclaimed.
"Dang right, kids!" the Gungan replied jovially. "Just look! Apparently, that guy's been wiping them all out."
The nearby screen depicted a grinning, energetic boy with spiky brown hair, blue eyes, puffy black pants that went up into a matching shirt, and red edges on his black jacket. He proudly crossed a Boss Key with another large key of his own, gold with crown-shaped teeth and a silver hilt. "This kid's been the MVP of Aincrad! He took out seven bosses so far! Top that with the ones that already fell, we'll be out of this game in no time!"
"People of Aincrad! Leave everything to me!" the boy declared. "I am Sora, knight of the Kingdom of Disney! I'll defeat the evil Infinite and save everyone! So, please, stay out of harm's way and leave fighting the bosses to me!"
"Sora…" Nagisa recognized the boy. "He was… in New Galaxia. And he was there when Index fought Hoopa!"
"He's also a character in Disney's Kingdom Hearts series." Goombella reminded. "No way that's the same Sora! He's probably a character that Disney asked Hinobi to add."
"It looks like Disney is trying to prove their innocence in this matter by helping to resolve it." Morg deduced. "It's good, but… I have to wonder if they're doing this for our sakes or for theirs."
"That's how corporations are." Killua agreed. "But the more bosses that go down, the better. Where should we search next?"
"You can search right behind you~" a loudish, bubbly voice said.
The group turned with a gasp. Behind them was… a rather tall and rotund lady with puffy cheeks, Arabian attire that consisted of white pants, brown curled shoes, and a black top with gold edges. Her belly was pink and round like a large piece of gum. "Whoa! It's a Majin!" Goombella exclaimed.
"A clever disguise, wouldn't you say? No one's sure to recognize me now~"
"Haha! Index!" Nagisa laughed. "Wait, if you've entered the game, then who's…"
"Not to worry! This avatar is actually being controlled via a computer. Carol learned how to do this and passed the info around to other computer users. Of course, I couldn't work a computer for the life of me, so I've asked Xedni to help me."
"What up, guys?" She spoke again in a slightly lower tone. "Xedni here."
In the real world, Index and Xedni were on the couch together, sharing sandwiches. "Been a while since we got to meet up. You wouldn't believe everything we've been through."
"Our story's been pretty crazy, too." Index said. "But we don't have time to catch up."
"How did you even recognize us?" asked Nagisa.
"I recognized Nagisa's Sheikah clothes and Morgiana's legs. But we already knew you were here because of this level's news. We saw what happened…"
"To Constanze?"
"So, it was Constanze. I thought she looked familiar. That means she's probably dead in the real world."
"Do you wanna call and ask them about that?" Xedni asked. "I can fill them in."
"I think I will. Thanks, Xedni." Index stood and left for the terminal.
"Anyway, we've been keeping in touch with other sectors. You guys should try to find Sector Q. Sector Q has…"
Disney Castle
"Hoho! This game is pretty easy!" Mickey laughed. His NerveGear was attached to a high tech computer as he used a controller to control Sora. "It was nice of Barbara to tell me the locations of the bosses. I don't know what force is behind Infinite, but I'm not about to let him make Disney look bad. …Or hurt anybody else-hoho! But with Data Sora here, maybe people will start to like Re:coded a lot better. …Nah, it's still a pretty pointless game. I still haven't heard of any KND operatives in here, but they're around somewhere. And if we're still following the pattern… there might just be another Firstborn around the corner."
Elevator Tower
Sector Q boarded an empty elevator and enjoyed a relaxing ride upward. They watched a few floors go by before Carmine stared down at the tiny Eddy in her pouch. "Haha! Eddy, you look like a baby kangaroo!"
"He's probably asleep by now." Quill said.
"I'm still gonna pretend!" Carmine lifted Eddy to suspend him by the arms over the rim of her pouch. "Hop! Hop! Hop! Hop!" She began to gleefully bounce like a kangaroo. Miko and Jenny giggled at her joyful demeanor.
"Man, why are you so cheerful?" Kazma asked, sitting back against the wall with his legs stretched out.
Carmine happened to hop in his direction and- "Whoa!" tripped on his legs and fell on her belly. "Oh no!" Feeling Eddy's weight beneath her, she quickly pushed up and off. "Uh-oh… I squished out some of his HP."
"Uh…my bad." Kazma blushed.
"We better make sure to feed him when we get up there." Quill said. "But at least he wouldn't die for real, anyway."
"Eddy, I'm so sorry! I'll buy you all the food you want!" Carmine yelled consolingly as she hugged and patted him.
"What would actually happen if an A.I. avatar died?" Miko asked, having turned away from the window. Because of this, she missed the view of the Ant Hill floor, with Lexi and Kalluto in view outside the tower.
"I presume the NerveGear device would still explode." Boly answered. "It is advised that Eddy remain away when this happens."
"Yeah…" Miko frowned as she looked at Boly. After their talk with CLU, she felt as if Boly knew some things that she didn't.
Carmine decided to rest on the floor next to Kazma, her legs spread out in the same manner as him. "I'm just excited by how well we're doing. To be honest… I've been a little under the weather lately."
"Yeah?"
"Uh-huh… remember when we mentioned that our first leader died?"
"Carmine, don't." Miko said. "It was an accident. Drake wouldn't be mad at you."
"That's what I keep trying to say, but it's hard. That's why I wanna do a good job… so, he'll be proud of me."
"Awe, he totally is proud." Jenny said, rolling up to ruffle her hair. "We're glad you're still sticking with us."
"Haha! I'm really glad to have you guys. Though I kind of wish we brought Jataro with us. I wonder if he got the game…"
"Who's Jataro?" Kazma asked.
"He's this boy that I hang out with. Well, we… kinda kissed." She creased up cutely, cheeks flushed. "Hehe, he's really cute! He thought I was ugly, but in a good way."
"Ugh, cringe." he chortled.
"What does that mean?"
"Romantic stuff is gross. People bein' all mushy-mushy kissy faced…"
"Someone's never been in love." Jenny sneered.
"H-Hey, take that back! For your information, I…"
"Hwow, this elevator sure takes forever!" Miko yelled to break the tension. "Let's see, there's a big black city," Level 55 was Granzam, a city of black steel with a medieval theme, "there's a big mountainy place," Floor 56 was Pani, a region of towering mountains, "and there's another place… another… almost there, aaaaaaaand FLOOR 62!"
The group disembarked and left the Elevator Tower. Cutie Park appeared to be enveloped in eternal twilight. All kinds of rides and circus tents surrounded the central square, but there appeared to be a handy amount of heart and "xoxo" symbols. The central colors appeared to be red, pink, or chocolate. "Uhh…what kind of park is this?" Kazma asked worriedly as they walked forward.
"Hello, friends! Welcome to Cutie Park!"
A vibrant, pink-haired girl seemed to pop up on a hologram projector. She had a colorful hair ribbon with plugs at the ends, wore carney's attire, and resembled a stereotypical girl from an anime dating sim. "My name is .GIFfany, but you may spell me as Giffany. Cutie Park is the magical world where romance blooms and true love is born!"
"Oh, you gotta be kidding me!" Kazma shouted, earning a laugh from the girls.
"Hey, Giffany!" Miko greeted. "We're looking for a Pure Heart."
"I could be your Pure Heart if you wish~ I swing both ways!"
"Yeah, thanks, but we're looking for an actual…"
"Unable to discern approximate location for the Pure Heart." Boly said.
"Well, do you know a good place we can explore?"
"All individuals are required to pay 100,000 Cor entry fee." Giffany said.
"WHAT?! We don't have that kind of money! Ugh, do we have to start farming Slimes?!"
"Is there any way we can get in cheaper?" Jenny asked.
"Well, of course! Cute couples get in free! So long as you're with a special someone, no fee is required! This is a poor business practice!"
"Ah, well, that works." Miko smiled. "Because we're a group of three boys and three girls. We just gotta triple date!"
"Uh, excuse me??" Kazma gawked.
"Teehee! Then may I please see the couples in question?"
Quill sighed. "This is ridiculous. In that case… I pick Carmine." He took her hand.
"Aww, Quill! I'm flattered!" She bent down to peck his cheek with a kiss.
"And here's my boyfriend!" Jenny rolled next to Kazma, hand grasped.
"What? I don't wanna date yeeeeeeeee…!" His teeth grit as Jenny smooshed his toes beneath her rollers.
"Uhhh…" Miko noticed she was still dateless. Trying to think of who was still available, she glanced down at Carmine's pocket. "And here's my boyfriend!" She snatched up the motionless Eddy. "Haha! He's as cute as a doll and I couldn't resist him!" She pecked him with a few kisses.
"Teehee! You all look like super adorbs couples! And that's all the admission I need! Please, enjoy the park!" She disappeared.
"Thank you, Gif!" Miko waved as the group merrily bypassed the gate.
"Hokay, obstacle one breached." Quill said, holding Carmine's hand to look the part. "If you can't pinpoint the Pure Heart, then is there at least a place we can eat?"
"If we proceed in approximately this direction, there should be an eatery."
They proceeded as directed and eventually found an outdoor restaurant: it was called 'Locked Lips,' and it depicted a silhouetted design of Lady and the Tramp, during the spaghetti kiss scene. "God, I'm gonna be sick!" Kazma cringed.
"Shut up!" Jenny tugged on his hand. "There are worse ways to force a pairing."
"I don't think so."
The tables were set up on a platform and naturally heart-shaped. They would have to order food from the lower stand before carrying it up to the platform. Miko ordered a large burger and fries, picking off a few pieces to stick in little Eddy's mouth. Naturally, sharing the food would bestow more HP and stat boosts. Quill and Carmine ordered a hot fudge Couple's Cake and fed each other to bring out the full taste. "It isn't as good as the festival cake, but it's so sweet!" she cheered as chocolate oozed from her mouth.
"It'd probably be stronger if we were actually an item."
"Ooooo, look what I got us, Kazzy!" Jenny bore a teasing smile as she rolled up with a bowl of spaghetti in hand.
"Ugh, you got that Lady and the Tramp crap?!"
"Hey, I know I ain't much of a lady, but yooooouu sort of look the Tramp part~"
"Forget it, I'm not hungry, anymore." He pushed himself up and walked away.
"I'm only teasing! Come on, you need a health refill."
"Then I'll get my own thing." Kazma proceeded down the stairs on that statement.
Jenny frowned in dismay. As the others stared after him, she could already suspect what was wrong. "That's not the only reason he hates romance, is it?"
His head was hung as he slowly stepped down the stairs. He wasn't sure why he was so frustrated… It was only an act just to get into the park. And Kazma himself didn't "love" anyone, anyway. He might've seen a few cute girls here or there, but it was nothing. He never knew any girl that…
Just as he stepped off the bottom of the stairs, a person in a dark-green, cat-earred hoodie passed him, head down as they focused on a handheld game. "…?!" Kazma's pupils shrank at the familiar hoodie. His mouth cracked open in a small gape. As she ascended the stairs slowly, he studied her pale-beige skirt and long, black stockings with pink Mary-Janes. But she… no, she couldn't be… she couldn't-
"Hey!" His voice escaped him before he could think. The girl stopped. Sector Q looked over the rail curiously, wondering why he called out.
The girl reached up and pulled back her hood. Kazma grew breathless at the back of the pale mauve hair. The girl calmly turned, staring with a pair of pale, pink, tired eyes. "Is something wrong?" she asked in a soft, tired, gentle voice.
The sound of that voice against his eardrums tugged at his heart. He had to be going crazy, only seeing an illusion. But it was then that Miko spoke up: "No way!" she gasped. "That...that looks like…!"
"Ch…Chi…Chiaki!"