Kazuma's head was high, eyes on the Elevator Tower as he subconsciously gravitated toward it. He really didn't have any set desires or intentions at the moment, merely walking forward on mild instinct. "Huh?!" He was stunned to find several players lain weakened on the ground, with tiny fragments of HP. "What happened to these people?!"
"Oopsie!" He whipped around, seeing Giffany flickering from a hologram projector. "It looks like they came under a cold! It was probably-"
Her head was ripped off by a muscular, tan fist. "LOVE SICKNESS."
Kazma cowered before the shirtless being with grinning sharp teeth and a fiery crown over its black face. It had black line designs along its abs and wore a large orange sash over its black puffy pants. "What are you?!"
"I am Love Machine. Dr. Eggman's orders are to destroy the MCP. By absorbing the data from these useless players, I'll become strong enough to defeat her! I'm especially interested in you… for defeating that piece of me I placed in Rumble."
"Rumble? I thought your face looked familiar! So, you're the reason Rumble almost drained me!"
"Don't worry… I won't kill you, boy. If you derez, the data I stole will be lost. You look like you're enjoying yourself here, so let me make this quick…" Love Machine materialized a two-sided trident.
Kazma turned himself into his rabbit form. "Sorry, dude. My data belongs to me!"
Love Machine jabbed his trident, Kazma dodging before throwing a punch at his face—Kazma glitched in place and quickly pulled his arm back. Realizing he couldn't touch him, Kazma merely ran from the Program, going into a circus tent. There was a ring of fire suspended on a pole, so Kazma grabbed the pole and clashed the ring against the trident. Love Machine charged him, but Kazma dashed away, spun, and managed to catch him inside the fire ring. His arms binded, Love Machine struggled to escape, suffering burn damage, but the ring ripped apart eventually. Kazma saw a box of fireworks beside some matches, running to light them up and throw the box at Love Machine. The hostile Program endured the colorful explosions as he leapt to stab Kazma in the stomach.
Kazma pulled himself free and smacked the trident away, tearing through the tent wall to escape. He dashed around the park in search of something that could help. "Wait… that trident didn't drain my data. I guess it's safe to touch." He saw a dunk tank full of mud nearby and ran to hide behind it. Love Machine searched the area for the runaway rabbit, but once he was close to the dunk tank, Kazma dashed and shoved the basin over. Love Machine was crushed and drenched with mud before breaking through the glass. Kazma raced over the mud and swiped the trident, spinning to stab his eyes. He dealt further jabs to the chest, but Love Machine jumped and wiped the mud away. He dodged Kazma's further attacks and grabbed the trident, yanking it out of the rabbit's grasp.
Love Machine charged directly, but a strong gold laser struck his face. "There you are!" Kazma turned left to find Mitch Williams. "What sort of mess have you gotten in now?" He shot more lasers that Love Machine blocked, afterwards stabbing the trident at the pro player.
"What are you doing here?!" Kazma yelled as he ran against the trident's handle in attempt to steal it, but Love Machine kicked him away.
"Your friends thought you might've come up here. Listen, Miko is searching for all the Boss Keys, including the one you have. I came here to get it." Mitch materialized a large, gold, holo-fist over his glove and leapt to punch Love Machine in the teeth.
"Don't let him touch you, he'll drain your data. And why should I give you my key?!" During Love Machine's knockback, Kazma was able to snatch the trident away.
"Because I don't trust you to hold onto it when she comes for you." Love Machine grabbed Mitch's holo-fist, forcing the boy to withdraw.
"I can take care of myself!" Kazma jabbed at Machine's hip, but this allowed him to take the weapon and jab Kazma again.
"Not from what I've seen." Mitch shot Machine's wrist, allowing Kazma to take the weapon back. "You know those guys have been chasing Miko nonstop. You could be helping them instead of cowering!"
"Just let me have your data!" Love Machine hissed, countering the trident jabs with punches. "I'll destroy her! Then you can all go free!"
"How do we know you won't try to absorb HER data?!" Kazma countered.
"Yee hee hee!" Giggling gleely, he lunged and tackled Kazma. His avatar began flickering, but Mitch punched Machine off.
"Even if destroying Miko could fix all this in a heartbeat," Mitch began, "I'm not about to let that newb kick the bucket. We already lost one teammate, and that Haneesh ripoff is no replacement!"
Kazma remembered the dark-skinned boy that appeared at the palace. He was an old friend of theirs that died? Just like Chiaki… "Hmph. That's right." The rabbit balled his fists in conviction. "You're not getting anywhere near her, you smiling creep!"
Danceopolis
The players of Danceopolis were attacked by Fighting Polygons as soon as they tried to assault Bolypius. Once they were preoccupied, Boly located Sayu's band. The four geeks cowered before the virtual goddess. "Yo, Tila! Get this, I was the MCP all along! Isn't that just wild?!"
"Yeah, we were watching the news! I can't believe you tricked us like that!"
"Whoa, I wasn't tricking you! I mean, I didn't mean to… well, sort of. Look, it'll all work out, alright? Just let me have that Boss Key you have."
"Nuh-uh! I want you to let us log out first!"
"Yeah!" Remi followed. "We don't wanna stay in this world! Let us go home!"
Miko sighed, "I don't wanna have to go over this again, so let's get it over with." She conjured an energy sphere in her hand. "I'll just derez all four of you, take the key, then you'll permanently be part of Aincrad."
"N-No no! Wait!" Sofa stuttered. "J-Just give her the key! Don't destroy us…"
Tila shot a glare at Miko, opening her inventory. "HYAH!" Jenny's rollers STOMPED Miko in the jaw, sending her smashing through the window of a saxophone store.
"You!" Tila gasped. "But you're one of her friends, right?"
"Miko's being controlled by the MCP. Don't take what she did personally—whoa!" A yellow Light Cycle zipped between Jenny and the band.
CLU tossed a Light Disc at them, but Dodo knocked it away with his sword. "You're lucky Bolypius allowed you to hold onto that key, now hand it over!"
"Ask a little more nicely, dick!" Jenny tried to kick him, but he raised his disc in defense. Carmine subtly rolled a bomb under CLU to blow him up. Jenny evaded the explosion and rolled to Tila. "Give the key to me. It'll take the attention off you."
"Y-y-you're gonna stop her, right? Will we be able to get home?"
"Yeah, we promise. Just hand me the key and get somewhere safe."
"Okay…" Tila withdrew the key from her inventory and gave it to Jenny. She then slid to snatch Carmine as they made their escape.
"Eh, whatever." Miko shrugged. "Those guys keep following me, anyway, so I'll get that key back easy. What about you, Teal? Feel like joining my Boss Rush? They're all super hilarious and memorable~" she offered temptingly.
"Forget it! Miko's supposed to be my friend, not whatever you are."
"Dude, I am Miko. I was just missing, like, 80% of my data or something. It's sort of like how you need your bandmates to sing. The four of you together make your own perfect being! That's why you're super cool!"
"I think you're completely missing the point." Remi argued.
"Don't waste time with them, Your Grace." CLU said, mounting his cycle. "I'll take the keys from these brats, so hurry to the next floor!" He zoomed after Jenny and Carmine.
"We won't be making any dents in Miko unless we take out these guys." Jenny said, ducking a Light Disc as they turned a right corner. "I say I'm a pretty good match for this guy."
"But how will we beat him?" Carmine asked. "If his HP goes down, he'll die for real. And I don't think we can knock anyone out."
"What choice do we-"
"Jenny, above!"
"Huh?" She glanced up—but was too late as a wad of orange goo slapped her in the face, having been thrown by CLU from the rooftops. Jenny instinctively shoved Carmine off as the goo molded into a solid cube, trapping Jenny.
"Hm hm ha ha ha!" CLU laughed as he drove off the roof, approaching them threateningly. "Caught like a rodent. I'll have to take those keys the hard way!"
Carmine tossed two more bombs, prompting him to jump back. Carmine blocked him from Jenny. "You think you're a match for me, kid?" CLU smirked. "There's only two ways to open that: either using my disc or by derezzing me!"
Carmine bit her lip. "…Are you sure you want me to do that? Are you sure you don't have a life to live?"
"The only life this old man has is the virtual life. My system was state-of-the-art back at ENCOM. It was more than just a game: I was going to change the universe, change the fundamentals of science, medicine, even religion. But when those fools at Disney started running things, it all went to trash!"
CLU changed back into Flynn. "I couldn't bear to work with them, anymore… and I couldn't even face my family again after that failure. I wound up scrambling for work and decided to join that up-and-comer Hinobi. But once we discovered Bolypius… I knew I could get back what I lost. I could build an even better system!" He became CLU. "The ultimate system! A new planet where everyone can live perfect lives! After all, just what true form are you hiding under that shabby avatar?"
He fired a laser from his disc, changing Carmine into her brown contamination suit, save for the helmet. Her shriveled, pink, fleshless head was exposed, missing teeth and possessing dry pink eyes. "So, that's your true form. Would you really rather not stay here?"
"Fine… I'll admit I was enjoying Aincrad. After we stopped Infinite, I was planning to come back here every night for fun. But it would've been just for fun! The KND need me in the real world. I may feel more beautiful in this world, but I'm not going to trap myself here. Otherwise, I'd just look pathetic!"
"Don't you imagine that others with your condition would rather stay here? What if they don't want you to stop Bolypius?"
"Then they'll have to remind their selves that they're beautiful on the inside. And I'll help them if I need to! After I beat you and help Jenny!"
"So be it! The sooner you join this world, the better!" (Play "Rinzler Recompiled" from Kingdom Hearts!)
Boss fight: CLU
CLU performed flipping maneuvers in attempt to kick or cut Carmine with his disc, but her Observation Haki allowed her to evade his combo. She dropped a bomb and escaped so it could damage CLU. She ducked his disc throws, but the weapon began circling the air above her, burning a laser along the ground. Carmine tried to dodge its rampant motions, but the laser grazed her once. CLU suddenly rolled over to kick her, but she dodged, dropping a bomb to blast him. CLU threw his disc again, which she dodged, but he simultaneously flipped over and dropped four shock rods, electrocuting her. They disabled in time for her to dodge CLU's next disc throw, followed by consecutive ones, in which she stuck a mine to the disc to blow him up upon return.
CLU threw four devices to far corners of the area, creating a huge square barrier to trap them all. He then remounted his Light Cycle and attempted to run her over, leaving a solid wall at his back. Carmine took cover in the light wall's corners, but panicked as CLU set the segments to burst. She ran, but the blast knocked her over. She gasped as CLU drove at her again, dashing away—CLU drove around the bomb she dropped. He steered back to her as she flipped the opposite way, unknowingly driving over some mines she planted. CLU was knocked off the cycle, but he kicked away the grenades that Carmine threw afterward.
He hopped back on the cycle and drove up the barrier's wall, then on the ceiling, holding his disc "above" him as he drilled the laser down. Carmine evaded the laser as CLU steered around, but as he couldn't drive back into his own walls, he made them burst before trying again. Carmine evaded the lasers once more and waited for CLU to make the roundabout. She dropped a Spring Bomb to blast herself skyward, followed by throwing a bomb against the base of CLU's laser to damage him. He crashed on the ground, but got up to dodge Carmine's following attacks. CLU saw that his HP was down by half.
"Even if you derez me, I'll just respawn. You can't defeat us!"
CLU turned into Flynn. "Kayaba probably rigged our capsules to explode, too."
Back to CLU. "So, what? We already knew what we were signing up for! This is the perfect world. You should be proud!"
Then to Flynn. "I wonder if my son is in this game somewhere…"
And CLU. "Of course he should be! After all, we've resurrected your wife from memory. Sam will be happy to see her again."
"I feel like I'm missing some context." Carmine said, confused by the self-argument. She reacted to dodge the disc throw. The disc rapidly ricocheted around the barrier, though seemed to home on Carmine when possible, and was bashed in the head once. CLU reclaimed the disc and mounted it, light blades and a top forming around it as he glided about the ground. Dropping bombs against the top would make it bounce away, while CLU would quickly swerve it back around, throwing shock rods. Carmine ran from the rods and threw bombs at CLU when he was close, but he ducked his head aside each time and tried to ram her down. Carmine dropped a Spring Bomb just then and blew them both to opposite sides.
CLU forcefully bounced against the wall and returned to Carmine, but she used another spring to blast herself directly into him. CLU was forced off the disc, then she planted a mine on him before escaping. The disc returned to its normal form, but Carmine grabbed it before it could return to CLU. "Now, how do I turn the barrier off?!"
"RAH!" CLU mounted his cycle and zoomed by to snatch the disc, but she held onto it. CLU tried to bash her against the ground, but Carmine grabbed another bomb threatening to blow them both up. CLU impulsively dropped his disc to escape the explosion… but the bomb merely released a cloud of smoke. "A fake?!"
"Aha!" Carmine laughed, stepping out of the smoke. "You really are afraid of dying!"
"Only because it would be inconvenient right now!" CLU zoomed squares around Carmine in attempt to enclose her in the light walls, afterwards setting off the burst button and leaping off the cycle. Carmine escaped with a Spring Bomb, attached a mine to the disc, and threw it back to CLU, blasting him once more. His HP was reduced to a small amount as he recovered to face her again.
"If we keep fighting, that'll be it for you. Do you really wanna stay here forever?"
"Of course I do! This is the perfect system. This project is my life!"
He changed into Flynn. "CLU… do you even hear yourself? You sound like a madman."
CLU argued, "I am what you made me! You said we would change the world together. That we would make your boy proud!"
Flynn sighed. "He probably doesn't even know what I look like, anymore."
"We'll remind him! You may have aged, but I'm still the same old Flynn. And the same Jordan is here, too. It'll be like all those years apart never happened!"
Flynn stared at his own aged hands. "…But Sam will have changed. I won't even recognize him. I wonder… if he'll even want this."
"Why not?!" CLU balled his fists. "This is the perfect world!"
Flynn sighed once more. "No… it's not." He pulled up his disc and inputted some commands. Jenny's prison disabled, and Carmine's flesh returned to her. He was about to input another command, but-
"No!" CLU's finger restrained itself. "Why are you turning your back on me?! Just like when Disney bought you out… you're a coward!"
"All this time in front of a computer… I should've seen what was right in front of me. That perfect world… was always right in front of me!" After pressing the button, the beam fired on himself.
"NOOOoooo…" CLU's data was slurped into the disc. (End song.)
Flynn sighed and dropped to his knees in exhaust. "Kids… I'm sorry we caused all this. Ever since this project began… I've been trying to tell myself this was for a good cause. I needed CLU to keep me focused… but I should've stopped myself a long time ago."
"Whatever." Jenny rolled up to lift Carmine. "Just go get your health treated before you kick the bucket."
"Before you go, there's something else I want to tell you. I know how to break Bolypius back into her eight hearts again."
"Whoa, you do?! How?!"
"A special program that Kayaba developed long ago. We used it to separate Boly from her Chaos Heart, as well as the heart that would become Miko. We developed that program by harnessing chi from a DNEgg, similar to how Infinite scattered Boly using his own egg. But now that Bolypius possesses her new body, I'm not sure if it will work."
"It's worth a shot! Where can we get this program?"
"That's the problem… it can only be inputted from outside the game. By now, the Hinobi officers at H.Q. are trapping the other workers inside Aincrad. They're all prepared for what's about to happen."
"Th-Then does that mean… that Phil guy is already trapped, too?" Carmine asked worriedly.
"We'll have to look for his avatar and see."
"Let's keep in touch through our Friend Codes." Flynn suggested. "In case there is someone on the outside, you'll need instructions on how to input and find the program."
"Alright then." Jenny acknowledged. "For now, we gotta keep trying to slow Miko down."
Cutie Park
Mitch formed a gold spear from his glove to match Love Machine's trident in range, the two exchanging jabs. The hostile Program was weary of Kazma prancing circles around them, and when the rabbit dove for the trident, Machine stuck it to the ground to deal a whirling kick. Sadly, Kazma already jumped back and allowed Mitch to stab the Program's leg. Love Machine pulled back, but Kazma charged again and took the trident, thrusting the back end into the Program's stomach. He leapt back to avoid Machine's counter-punch, the Program dashing forth, sliding under the trident, and kicking Kazma off his feet. He took his trident back and threatened to use it. Mitch took this time to charge a stronger laser, but Love Machine remembered to check him and decided to move away from Kazma.
Mitch was anxious as Love Machine began to move about erratically, having to run as the Program dodged toward him. It was then Kazma charged from behind and bound Love Machine in place. His data was absorbed, shrinking into his human form, but he held Machine in place enough for Mitch to blast the laser and incinerate his legs. Kazma let go and swiped the trident back as Machine fell on his front. The boy spun the trident and impaled the back of Love Machine's head, followed by consecutive stabs around the back. With this immense damage, the last of Love Machine's stolen HP depleted, and his body derezzed. Kazma's data flowed back into him, and they watched as streams of data flowed back into the other victims of the park.
In Eggman's base, the doctor ran back when he saw Love Machine's computer flashing. Its explosion signaled the end of Love Machine. "Hmph…perhaps that was for the best. That one was a little too unpredictable…"
Love Machine: the creation of this hostile Program was commissioned by Earth's World Government back in 2009. It was meant to bring disaster to their enemies' networks, but the Program developed a craving for power and turned against its masters, nearly driving Earth to destruction. Love Machine was defeated and shut down by GUN agents, but was kept in a Flashdrive in case the Government decided to use it again. Dr. Eggman eventually learned of its existence and had the Flashdrive stolen, waiting for a good chance to use it.
"Phew…" Kazma sighed with relief as his HP restored. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but… not bad, dude."
"Heh! 'Not bad,' he says." Mitch boasted to the shorter boy. "Classic words of a newb."
Kazma glared. "You wouldn't-a beaten him without me."
"What were you doing here, anyway? Besides being a coward."
Kazma grit his teeth. "That's none of your business! Besides, I don't suppose Miko is any closer to being stopped?"
"Unfortunately not. They've been chasing her around for 12 hours and she's already beaten 15 bosses. I don't want to destroy her, but if you're not gonna help slow her down, then give me your Boss Key."
Kazma looked down in guilt, almost considering opening his inventory. They were interrupted by a call from Mitch's screen. The call came from Five. "Hey, Mitch, we've got good news! Oh, is that Kazma?"
"Not important. What's the news?" Kazma blew a raspberry at this.
"We learned that there's a program that can break Boly back into pieces. But it's at Hinobi H.Q. and has to be put in from the outside. Do you think Phil is still there?"
"Get one of those outside operatives to call him! I know his number."
"Got it! Hey, Eddy, come over here!"
"Hey, Mitch." Kazma spoke. "That Haneesh guy… who was he exactly?"
"He was a cocky brat who liked to sass me behind my back. But after he died, I…I started to miss that." Mitch answered with a hint of sympathy. "Then Hinobi started using his death to make them look better. I didn't tolerate that, and I don't tolerate that darn clone! Especially since it keeps defending Miko like some lapdog."
In that sense, the Haneesh clone sounded much different from the Chiaki clone. And though Mitch possessed the usual arrogance of a pro gamer, Kazuma could still feel the remorse inside him. In a way, Mitch almost reminded him of himself… not that he would say it out loud. "I'll give you my key if you want. But I'm coming to help you stop her."
"Suit yourself. Won't be my fault if you get wasted."
"Yeah, screw you."
Later that night; Sector $
Carol was using a separate laptop to survey the Aincrad situation, having sent Game-and-Watch in as her avatar. But she would repeatedly glance at the other laptop, growing ever more worried at the glitched, distorted screen.
A downtrodden Pacifica walked in with some ice cream. "Hey, Carol. Any word on Vanellope?"
"No. My computer's still stuck on this same screen. I still have no idea…"
"Have you told Dillon?"
"No… besides, I heard Dillon was injured at Twilight Town along with his aunt. I don't think it's the best time."
"Man, I can't believe how much is happening. …I got you this."
"Thanks." Carol took the ice cream and licked it, the sweet taste lightening her mood.
Aincrad; Granzam
"Just take it! Take the key and let us go!" a Rito man shouted.
"Y-You can have it! Just don't kill me!" a short pig man pled.
"Yes, you can have it, I just wanna go home!" a Legoan lady screamed.
"Ho MAN!" Miko laughed, looking over the 6th Boss Key she had gotten from other gamers. "They're just handin' them right over! Now we have almost SEVENTY of the effing keys!"
"They seem to believe they'll be allowed to go home as soon as the Lost World is opened." Kayaba said. "Honestly, My Lady, why not just destroy them? They'll have to become part of the game eventually."
"Yeah, but the fact they ain't dead means they're on a no-death streak! I don't wanna ruin that. It sucks I won't be able to fight those bosses myself though."
"Not to worry. The bosses are designed to reset once they've all been defeated, at harder difficulties."
"So, we have that on top of a Lost World? Man, the challenge is never-ending! I don't think I'll EVER get tired of this game!"
…
…
…
"Boy, I can't believe I held off playing this for so long! This is the best game ever!"
Miko's violet form floated amongst a complex sea of code. There were seven other gigantic masses of multi-colored code. "…Is…is that how I feel?" Miko asked herself. "I…I can't tell… Is this… really me…?"
…
"Oh, man! I can barely find anything in here!"
Vanellope was wandering the code in the sky-blue region. Her glitching body was indiscernible amongst it. "Can't believe I was only able to possess a few tiny digits. I hope I'll be able to make it out of here. Hmmm…?" She looked up at the region of violet code, hearing and seeing a cheering girl of matching color. "Is that Miko? What's she doing here? And why's she so happy? HEY! MIKOOO!" She raced up to the gamer.
…
Miko had taken flight over the black steel city of Granzam."WAH!" A mass of dark chi suddenly weighed her to the roof of a building like enhanced gravity.
"Boly!" Kayaba yelled, Wall Jumping up the buildings as he caught up.
"About time we found you!" a teen boy's voice declared. "It's time to bring your game to an end!"
"Who…?" The two looked curiously at six figures wielding giant keys.
"Who is gon-na fight the darkness? KEYBLADE HEROES!" Sora twirled the Kingdom Key.
"Beating villains and the Heartless, KEYBLADE HEROES!" Riku thrusted the Road to Dawn forward.
"Saving all the worlds, Keyblade Heroes!" Kairi performed a dance.
"Who's got the power?" Terra flexed his muscles.
"Who's got the magic~?" Aqua's Keyblade sparkled.
"Who's got courage and FRIENDSHIIIIP!" Ventus cheered.
The six heroes chorused and posed epically. "Keyblade Heroes! Keyblade Heroes! Keyblade Heroes! Keyblade Heroes!"
". . . ." Miko's pupils assumed the form of "…"s repeatedly loading in. "Unable to visually process strange phenomenon. Kayaba, who the heck are these Kingdom Hearts wannabes?"
"They seem to be King Mickey's little advertisement tools."
"Quack! I told you we didn't need a song!" Donald's voice could be heard from Riku's camera.
"So, that's you, Kayaba! I don't know what possessed you to pull off this crazy plan, but you'll have hell to pay once I pull you out of there-hoho!"
"You were using my game to brainwash people to begin with. You're just as guilty in this as I am, Mickey."
"As if! But these fellas are about to make me a hero. Riku, now!"
Riku lunged at Kayaba and began clashing with him—Riku suddenly opened a dark portal and shoved Kayaba inside, warping them across town. Sora and Ventus combined Stopaga to freeze Miko in time, the five Keybladers proceeding to whale on—
Morgiana blasted into Terra with a forceful kick, Fie slashed Aqua's hip, Goombella seized Kairi in psychic, Killua choked Sora in his yo-yo, and Nagisa intercepted Ven's Keyblade with a Tempest Kick. "What is the MEANING of this?!" Mickey shouted. "Are you brats in league with her?!"
"No, but we ain't gonna let her die either!" Nagisa declared.
"You got this, Sector SA!" Miko cheered. "Knock 'em dead!" And she flew away.
Riku warped back and sliced the string of Killua's yo-yo, but suffered a shock from his lightning. Sora tried to cast Stop on Killua, but a Light Beam shoved his aim away. "We noticed you making quite a name for yourself, Sora." The spike-haired boy turned curiously at a chubby, genie-like girl, hands lit with Light Chi. "Or should I say, Mickey Mouse?"
"We know you were brainwashing the people on Floor 91." Nagisa declared. "But we'll make sure to expose what you did."
"We'll see about that!" Ven retorted, shooting six Light Beams from around Nagisa, who withstood them with Iron Body.
Kayaba ran along the town streets to catch back up with Miko—"AGH!" but was blasted in the face by a wad of blue ink. "Damn! Not that sniper again!"
Sinon was stationed in one of the steel buildings, smirking at her own skill. "Did ya get him?!" Millium yelled.
"Of course. …Uh-oh! He's spotted us!" Sinon saw the giant robot that belonged to the Toymaker. "Time to change position!"
"I'll distract him!" Millium leapt out the window and splashed on the ground. The little Inkling shot paths of ink and surfed up the streets as Toymaker released karts and Pogo Frogs from the robot. The karts were driven by little spiked robots called Tinker Toys.
Near the Elevator Tower, Bergy stayed behind to battle Commander Sark, while his teammates hurried ahead. "You picked the wrong gamer to mess with! Think your puny Frisbee can take me down?" Bergy grew to giant size and readied his hammer firmly.
"Do not underestimate me, boy!" Sark enlarged himself as well, matching Bergy's size. "Master XANA gave me quite the upgrade!"
"I'm still better than you!" Bergy swung his hammer, but Sark flipped back and tossed his disc to trip Bergy. Sark then rolled forward, caught the disc, and stabbed it into Bergy's stomach.
While Quill and Eddy were driving in the robot's direction, Jenny and Carmine sped around another part of town. "I know Miko can plow through a game nonstop, but this is ridiculous!" Jenny said. "Isn't there any word on that emergency program?"
"Phil's probably dealing with a lot of guards up at H.Q.." Carmine said. "Just give him time. Huh?" They halted when a call came in. "Oh, maybe that's it!"
However, when they answered the call, a frantic Raleigh was on the other end. "Sector Q! There's an emergency at the Restoration Center! Some kind of robot is possessing all the patients!"
"Huh?!" Carmine gasped. "What does the robot look like?"
"It has a computer head and a cape! And it's got this really annoying cackle."
"XANA!" Jenny realized.
"Jenny, Carmine, go to the Restoration Center and try to back them up!" Quill ordered through comms.
"Got it! Carmine, let's scrap this computer once and for all!" Jenny about-faced and raced back to the Elevator Tower.
Level 9; Dark Elf Castle
The tower was stationed in the center of a dark, ominous castle crawling with black and purple, elvish creatures. Returning from the depths of the dungeon, Kalluto stared at a katana dripping with black ooze. "Kalluto…" He faced forward at a reprimanding Lexi. "You're not… planning to use that against my sister, are you?"
"Our best chance of defeating such a strong opponent is an insta-kill-"
"HEY! That's my sister, Kalluto! She's being possessed by a glitch!"
"How do we know that for sure?"
"I think I know my sister better than YOU, thank you!"
"Even so, what if her will is irrecoverable? Do you want to escape this place or don't you?"
"I won't let you use that on her. Why don't we talk to Miko? Figure out what's wrong?"
"And what if I think talking is pointless?"
Lexi narrowed her vision. "Then I'll…I'll take that sword from you by force."
Kalluto glared. Knowing he couldn't waste its one attack on her, he stashed the sword in his inventory. "Lexi, I have no desire or obligation to fight you. But I… have to do what I must to escape this place. Even if it means fighting a god. …So, move."
Lexi remained rooted to the spot. "You're fast, you can go around me."
"…Can I now?" With that, he tried to Shave past her—Lexi immediately made an effort to tackle and block him, channeling lightning to her feet to match his speed. He swiftly blocked her chops with his palms, then whipped out flower petals to pin her clothes and push her away. Lexi electrocuted the petals and flapped her wings to return to him, Kalluto evading with Paper Art. Lexi stopped herself as the two faced each other determinedly.