Koopa Kore
Roughly 25 years ago, a band of warlords and their armies were united under Negatar Gnaa, master of the Dark Elements and an Avatar of Supreme God Arceus's power. Bowser Koopa, Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik, King K. Rool, The Brain and his Brotherhood of Evil, Evil King Ganondorf, and some extras. Though Lord Gnaa still lived, sitting beside Bowser's giant throne at this very moment, his great power was lost. Bowser now acted as supreme commander of the armies, though some of their prior leaders were now gone.
Ganondorf's seat was succeeded by Majora, but the Masked Demon met his end a month ago. King K. Rool passed in the Pirate War, but the Kremnants listened to Bowser still. Giovanni, leader of the Pokémon-hunting Team Rocket, had joined their crusade several years ago, though spent most of that time acting incognito under another group. Gruntilda joined around the same time, while also doubling as one of the Corporate Presidents under Mickey. As for the Brotherhood, they had cycled leaders a few times, but their current one seemed rather promising.
Lord Gnaa opened several Dark Portals around the chamber, allowing their allies entry. Eggman, his mustache greying on his cyborg body; Gruntilda, feeling refreshed in her restored, green flesh, wearing her traditional black witch's clothes; Giovanni, clothed in his orange business attire; and finally, the Brotherhood's leader, Tomura Shigaraki, his skin and hair pale with dry lips, and his clothes black.
"Fellas, it was bound to happen sooner or later… but a new Battle for the Universe has begun." Bowser's domineering tone was more calm and serious than usual. "First… we have to address the most pressing issue." He slammed his drink to the floor and stomped, quaking the structure. "WHY IS MY PEACH SIDING WITH THAT WRETCHED RAT?! WHAT DOES HE GOT OVER ME?! GRAAAAAAAHHHH!"
"STOP IT! ENOUGH!" Grunty screamed. "Don't take it on us! I know that's rough, but stop the fuss!"
"Mickey has no doubt 'swooned' the queen behind the scenes." Eggman said. "Does he have a way with words or is he applying some sort of soft hypnosis?"
"Mickey is not beneath underhanded tactics." Grunty replied. "The KND Council, with my suasion, he attacked it."
"And that plan backfired, yet he allowed you to stay in the Corporate Presidents." Giovanni said. "You were lucky to get away with such a reckless plan. You joined the Corporate Presidents to keep tabs on them, didn't you?"
"I'm sure, by now, Mickey is aware of Grunty's true allegiances." Eggman figured. "Perhaps he only keeps her around to keep tabs on us."
"WHAT?!" Bowser thundered. "YOU DON'T SHARE INFO WITH THEM, DO YA?!"
"Relax, relax, I don't tell him a thing! I hate that mouse and all his bling!"
"Perhaps what Mickey's thinking is that, by letting Grunty in on his own plans, he can anticipate attacks and countermeasures." Eggman reasoned.
"Then he shouldn't let her linger around him at all." Giovanni argued.
"Having friends even amongst your enemies can yield good intel." Tomura inputted. "And so long as she can spy on them, I'm not entirely against it. More importantly… you said you were going to introduce us to someone special, Bowser."
"Indeed." Lord Gnaa agreed. "It's only fair we all know what we're in for."
"KAEL! SHOW YOURSELF!" Bowser commanded.
The chamber disappeared, replaced by a vast, cosmic space where they floated beneath the looming gaze of a child god. The Team Gnaa members were much more used to the infant-sized Firstborn, but he certainly looked the part of one with his crown-shaped head and pudgy belly, decorated with thick black, circular lines. "The Firstborn to end all Firstborn." Giovanni smirked. "Team Meowth will get a kick trying to capture you."
"Hi, Bow-wow's friends! I'm glad we finally get to meet! I've been watchin' all your armies, you're making me Super Smash Bros. really fun so far!"
"I thought this was called the Game of Thrones?" Giovanni asked.
"There's gonna be a lot of fights between lots of different people, and that's what Smash Bros. is! But you can call it Throne Wars, too."
"Yeah, yeah, I just need you to clear something up with my buds here." Bowser said. "You have control over the Newborn, right? So, if we win the war, we get to command them, too."
"Uh…" Kael blushed. He began to fiddle his tiny, though giant fingers. "About that… there's an eensy-weensy problem."
"Yeeeeeees?"
"Skaios managed to stay free of my control… and he broke my control over the other ones, too. So, the KND can still use the Newborn."
"WWWWWHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!" The combined roars of the warlords even rattled Kael. "You mean we STILL have to worry about the Newborn?!" Eggman banged his fist. "That makes this battle completely one-sided! We should've had them destroyed after all!"
"On top of that," Tomura hissed, "there's Deku and that timebending child he used against the Animal King…"
"I'm sorry, guys… really, I am." Kael's eyes sank, his lips pursed shamefully. "I'll try to find some way to fix this…oh? Hmmm…" He closed his eyes, the lids shimmering as he saw through space. "What… I thought they…oh, I see. That's what they were planning…"
"What are you mumbling about?" Eggman asked.
"Heh heh…I think I found a way to even this game out a bit. If any of the KND try to use their Newborn, I'll use it. Heck, maybe you'll be able to use them, too."
"Quit beating around the bush and tell us!" Bowser ordered.
"It's a surprise, Bow-wow! Besides, I don't wanna mess with the game too much. I won't tell you what the other sides are doing and I can't do anything to mortals, anyway. But I can bring in some extra help in case the Newborn help the KND. Just keep playing and have fun! I really wanna see what you do! See ya later!"
Kael faded, and they were back in Bowser's throne room. "It's a good thing I've already completed my Egg Aegis." Eggman said. "The Miran KND is in shambles. Perhaps it's time to put those Blades to the ultimate test."
"All I can say is you all better be worth the time I'm investing." Tomura said. "I've got my own goals to accomplish… liberating Superbia of the justice system and ensuring freedom for all metahumans. In that sense, it's too bad we couldn't have been Skaios' allies. Those heroes will no doubt side with either the KND or Mickey, so our dreams will fall if they win. My only concern, now, is if you really have the power and will worthy to be King of the Universe."
"Then test me right now."
"Heh…maybe I WILL!" Tomura lunged at Bowser's head, clasping it with all 10 fingers. By now, Bowser's flesh would dissolve into nothing, yet it remained strong and sturdy. The Koopa King seized the skinny man in his right claws, Tomura struggling just enough to escape his grip. Bowser then released a wave of Conqueror's Haki, lighting his reptilian body with violet flames to heighten the effect. "Heh…there are no Superbians who carry an aura like this. Even Endeavor would shrivel out in your presence."
"You mean that guy Kroctus beat up? Gwah hah har! His Haki was way stronger than mine, and Endeavor still stood up to him! 'Course, if Kroctus can tank my firebending, it's no wonder Endeavor stood no chance."
"Too bad our Negatar no longer possesses such power." Gruntilda sneered. "When our foes arrive, will he cower?"
"I still have enough darkness to influence villains to our side." Gnaa said. "In fact… after this, there's another meeting I should get to."
"At some point, we ought to take over your homeworld as well." Giovanni said.
"I doubt Aang will sit by and let that happen. Perhaps our final duel is just around the corner. I never did get the chance to see the new city he developed… this seems like a good chance to."
"And what of King Mickey's broadcast just now?" Eggman asked. "It seems he's planning to invite the KND to his own game… but after those accusations, I'd be surprised if they came. Perhaps we'll watch it and see just what Mickey plans to do."
"Yeah… and maybe we'll look for a chance to crash his party ourselves." Bowser smirked.
Moonbase (Play "Under Moonlight" from Trails in the Sky.)
While all other sectors had returned home, Cheren contacted High Supreme Leader Nebula and reported the incident. "Do you think… Aranea, or the rest of these Spider Cells, could be working for Mickey?"
That was the most logical conclusion to draw to, based on the prior conversation. "Maybe they are. She didn't seem to have secrets on everybody… but some of them seemed meant to weaken the trust between teammates. Mason's naughty fantasies, Jinta's, Emily's, Haylee's… and some controversial views here and there. Kodama apparently blows up the houses of classmates and neighbors she doesn't like, Eddy criticizes gamers on the Internet, Carol thinks Lilliputians and other small races make good pets…"
"Funny thing is Arianna's sort of tired of Vweeb's 'interests,' too." Nebula shirked. "It really is awful, what Nea did. In other news, the Kid Council is pretty divided on this war, too. The Superbians are already dealing with the Brotherhood, so they're on our side for the most part… except for the amount of dropouts in their ranks. The Kateenians don't wanna fight another war, the Harnitans wanna side with Mickey… 'course, I'm only speaking for the leaders, there could be some exceptions. But, um…" Nebula figured she wasn't making him feel any better, so she changed topics. "About that Field Day Mickey's hosting tomorrow…"
"Well, of course we're not going. It's obviously a trap. I don't think anyone else has the spirit to, either…sigh…" It hurt Cheren to think such strong friendships could end so suddenly and unfairly. He could only hope they were working it out down there.
…
Anthony and Fybi knew Aranea and Harvey's families fled town after Ashland's destruction at the hands of Sephiroth. Perhaps Nea considered that the perfect time to act and get away with it. Frustration filling him, Anthony stomped up chunks of ground and crushed what remained of Nea's house.
…
"OI! MASON!" Sheila banged her hand on the door to Mason and Haruka's room; normally, her immense strength could easily break it, but she felt the need to show restraint. "Why are you ignoring me?! Did I do somethin' wrong? Is that what was on the Internet?"
Sooner or later, Sheila would find out the truth and she would be disgusted with him. Mason cowered under his blanket, knowing that. He couldn't help that he had such thoughts… Everything about Sheila was great. Her loud personality, her carelessness, her light and shabby clothing… there was no girl more awesome. Whenever she burps in his face, or jumps on his bed in the morning, or beating up a sorry villain… it's true that Mason was annoyed with her for a time, but he was long over that. But even that sunny personality couldn't possibly accept…
"Well, how 'bout I go beat Nea up? Would that make ya happy?! Oi dunno, but one thing's for sure, I'm never goin' on another adventure without you! So, until then, I'm not the Pirate King, anymore!" He heard her stomping away.
"Sigh, Sheila…" Aurora listened regretfully.
"So… you think rap is a disgrace to all music?" Harry Gilligan asked her.
"I mean, your songs are pretty good. But, I've heard other rap songs, and… they're just not? Like, you can't possibly tell me this is an irredeemable secret?"
"I mean, I don't really mind it… but I get the feeling other people will spin it the wrong way."
"You think so?"
"Kind of… but, so ya know, I ain't planning to back out of this battle. I know I'm the weakest one of the team, but I'm no coward."
"Thanks." Aurora smiled. "I just hope these two can pull through."
…
"YOU KNEW ABOUT ARANEA ALL ALONG?!" Eddy Flores shouted, grabbing Quill by the shirt.
"Sh-She only got to me after the war, b-but I backed out of her plan after the Aincrad incident." Quill Ramsey cringed tensely.
"And you didn't tell us?!"
"I still kind of agreed with her, okay?! I didn't wanna sabotage her, but I would feel worse if I went against you all! I still chose you guys in the end!"
"Knock it off, you two!" E. Carmine yelled. "Quill was just trying to apologize."
"Ever heard of too little, too late?!"
"IT'S NOT TOO LATE!" Carmine threw a weak bomb in the center of them, blowing them apart with light soot. "Just… promise you'll still be friends by tomorrow. We don't want Miko to feel any worse, do you?"
…
Miko Kubota had retired to her shared bedroom with Lexi, downtrodden as she swung her Wiimote, pretending to toss and bounce balls against the wall. "Heeeey, Sis." Lexi walked in. "You're just in time for dinner. …Need help hooking up a classic console? Wanna get back into motion controls and drawn-out levels?"
"We had a bad day…"
"Uh, heh…we saw the news broadcasts, and the mass Twitcher alerts. Crazy things happening… again…"
"You're gonna leave, aren't you?"
"The KND? I dunno about fighting any war or whatever, but I can still do light operative duties… I hope."
"You might as well quit now, when you have the chance. Anyway, I'm not hungry. I just know the fam's gonna pester me about this."
"I know, but… we actually have a guest with us tonight. I'd like it if you come."
Miko looked at her sister curiously. Lexi smiled, as though Miko already knew the answer.
She expected an unsettling air to weigh over dinner table, Miko's parents an older sister passing her nervous smiles. It was obvious Lexi requested them not to talk about today's posting. "Aaaaaand let me introduce:" Lexi danced by the door as if putting on a show, "Kalluto! Presenting his first family dinner!"
A young, scrawny boy walked in, effeminate in appearance, wearing a black kimono with sakura petals. His pink eyes were cold, but soft, his dark hair casting a shadow. "Um…hello."
"Hey, hey, kiddo!" Dad perked up. "Welcome to the table!"
"You can sit on the boys' side." Mother smiled.
Lexi passed a smile and jumped to her seat. Kalluto slowly took the seat between Lee and Geoffrey. "Hu-!" Cloud, the family's large white dog, stuck his face up in Kalluto's and sniffed. As though feeling familiarity, the dog licked him. "Haha, don't be scared, he doesn't bite." Dad laughed.
"I-I see…" Kalluto much preferred Cloud at this size than the previous size.
"Sooooo, tell us about yourself!" Mom drawled. "How'd you two meet again?"
"We met… in the Aincrad game. We-"
"He was SUPER awesome!" Lexi chirped. "He helped me clear a lot of levels! He might even be better than you, Miko."
"Hah, we'll have to see about that!" Miko laughed. "'Course, any kid that can stand up to an assassin must have some skills to pay the bills!"
"Ha ha…" It wasn't often that Kalluto could smile so genuinely, surrounded by such a nice atmosphere. Yet, still… he could feel a cloud over their hearts. Was it because of him? Or something else?"
…
"Jinta-kun?" Ururu knocked on the baseballer's door. "It's time for dinner. Yuzu-chan made your favorite. Come on. No one's gonna say anything."
There was no response on the other side. "Just leave him be, Ururu." Karin said. "Maybe he needs to get over the shock…" She turned to their newest teammate, Megumi. "Not the best start to this, is it?"
"To be honest, lots of people at Tōtsuki had their weird quirks. It's… interesting, to say the least." The blue-haired chef blushed. "I don't really know how I feel about it… but I feel awful about what happened. …How 'bout I just bring his food here so he can eat by himself?"
"He won't be by himself." Ururu replied, facing the door. "Jinta-kun? I'll be outside if you wanna eat with me. …And, um… I sort of have something to tell you, too…"
"I prob'ly shouldn't be around for that." Karin left.
…
Cheren ended transmission with Nebula and began to retire to his office. "Oh!" Until he was approached by a certain, chubby nerd. "Larry…" Larry MayHence, his assistant. Now that he thought about it, Larry was Aranea's cousin… "Did you need something?"
"Uh, just letting you know I… finished organizing the files."
"Um…oh, yeah, that."
"And I… didn't know anything about Aranea's plan, I swear."
"Heheh…okay."
"She kind of made some good points… about operatives being undershadowed." Larry scratched his head sheepishly. "When I first took this job, I sorta thought we would be best buds. But you mostly hung out with Pan, Francis, and your girlfriends…"
"Yeah, yeah." Cheren was used to the old joke. "What, do you wanna hang out right now?"
"It's prob'ly a bad time now…ahem, well, I should go home. Wanna ride down together?"
"Actually, I'm… just gonna stay up here tonight."
"Wh…How come?"
"Space is a nice place to be alone for a bit." The leader retired to his office. "I'll see you tomorrow… if you're here." Larry looked on in sorrow as Cheren disappeared behind the door. (End song.)
Butterfly Grounds, Avalar; 11:40a.m. the next day
The stands were filled with patrons who paid a hefty penny/coin/Rupee/gem/whatever currency they used to fly to this planet and country and see the heroes for their selves. Other people were relegated to watching Intergalactic News. "The games are slated to begin at high noon!" Mickey announced. "But, uh…I was hoping the KND would've shown up a bit earlier. Hoho, it wasn't really easy to line up their time zones. Heck, it's hard enough subtitling this in a million different languages; Disney respects all cultures-hoho! Perhaps while we're waiting, we can skip to the fan interviews. Anyone who would like to have your thoughts on the KND pronounced, raise your hands!"
Hundreds of people in the audience threw their hands up. "Big Hoo, that's a lot!" Big Bird chirped. "Alrighty, boys, let's split up and try to cover this whole army!" The Sesame Street News Crew divided. "You there, good fellow." The president approached a nobleman with a classic, white British wig. "How are you doing today, Mister…?"
"Wordsworth. W. Wordsworth." He answered in a low, refined tone.
"Mr. Wordsworth, how do you feel about the KND?"
"A disturbing Twitcher post was brought to my attention… about one Miss Aurora Uno, who seems to detest the art of rap. I find her views to be quite… insulting."
The camera cut to a short, pudgy girl with glasses and pigtails. "Uh, like, I just learned the KND are kinky weirdoes, and like, that's disgusting, and I think we should, like, ban them!!"
"I find that Morgiana is a poor representation of our ethnic Seccoan cultures." A Dryan wearing a baseball jersey inputted.
"If I see that Jinta brat here," a Gerudo fist-palmed, "I'm gonna RAM him with my spear!"
"No, that's just what he wants!" her shorter, Hylian bestie replied.
"Nagisa's the most disgusting of all of them!" a black-haired girl named Elise stated.
"Haylee learned crafting from Lord Business himself." A Legoan carpenter said awkwardly. "I've always wanted to meet her, but uh…I dunno if she's right for this business."
"Is it true that Violet McCleary thinks Kateenians are popcorn?!" a Kateenian asked.
"Bartee, Violet was in the previous gen." His friend corrected.
"Who cares, they're all the same to me!!"
"Golly, the crowd is on fire!" Big Bird proclaimed. "Is this because of the mysterious web of Twitcher postings that went up yesterday? Or have these thoughts been burning in our fans all along? All I know is, these folks have BIG VIEEEEEWWWWS!"
Moonbase
It sickened Cheren how well they were playing into Mickey's game. Were these people being hypnotized? Were they paid to say these things beforehand? Or were they just that ingrateful?
Either way, Cheren spent the night in the sleeping bag of his office, now he was wasting his morning watching Mickey's propaganda. He knew he would grow stiffer and less motivated the longer he spent in here. He didn't have any good options to proceed in the war after what Aranea did to his friends. …So, maybe he should just throw caution to the wind. Whether it was the courage he inherited or simple foolishness, he was going to give the news something real to report on.
Cheren stomped out of his office—"'ey, Cheren!"
"Panini!" Cheren started, having just stopped himself from walking into them. "Francis!"
Panini was holding bacon and pancakes and Francis some cherry pie with a blueberry on top. "We cooked ya some breakfast! Since ya prob'ly didn't… eat, yet."
"…" For a moment, Cheren forgot his anger and smiled. "Thanks. Heh, nice blueberry."
"Ah, that was Larry's idea." Francis thumbed.
Cheren looked around and saw the nerd in question. "Awe, thanks, Lar."
"Glad I could help…"
"I'll be sure to eat these on the way." Cheren took the food and walked off.
"Where're ya goin'?" Panini asked.
"Going to Avalar to beat the crap out of Mickey."
"Heh heh heh…you're not serious?"
"No, I am. Gonna try to cut him with my sword and maybe beat him with my Mirror Shield. The sectors are in shambles, we're already losing the war, so I'm just gonna throw it all away. Tell the rest of the operatives they're free to join Mickey at this point."
"…" Eyes curving in anger, Panini dashed in his way. "Cheren, don't get a swelled head! We'll get everyone back on their feet soon, don't just go walkin' in ta Mickey's trap!"
"I don't fucking care. Whether we go to his Field Day or not, Mickey's gonna make us look bad. So, I'm just gonna go there and be bad. Then all the other operatives are gonna get mad at me and they can decide once and for all to drop out of this gig. You might as well leave now while you have the chance. Later, Pan." Cheren walked around her and marched down to the hangar.
Francis raised his comm and said, "Maddy, run to the hangar. Cheren's about to…"
Right as he entered, an arm thrusted in his wake like a railroad bar, Cheren running nose-first into it… granted, Maddy had to squat to get the angle right, else her tiny leader would've walked right under her. "Going somewhere, boss?"
"Maddy, I have kept this to myself all these years, but you NEED… DEODORANT!"
"You aren't really going on a reckless flight to Avalar by yourself, are you?"
"I'm having one of my 'rage' moments and I need someone to take it out on. I ain't making anyone come with me. If everyone's friendships are hanging by a thread, then I might as well cut the thread completely."
"Fine… as long as I can cut it with you."
"Why?"
"I've always loved Disney. I grew up with Lion King; I even internally geeked out when I realized I was fighting 'Scar' back in Enies Lobby. But what Mickey's doing, trying to defame all our hard work… it's just upsetting. I'm not gonna stand for it."
"Neither will I." Panini put an arm around her leader. "Let's go be reckless idiots together, eh? Can ya permit that, Leader?"
"Ha ha…well, whenever this happens, there's no use arguing."
"Nope." Francis affirmed with a pronounced 'P.' "So, let's go sock a mouse in the nose."
"Heheh…thanks, guys."
Watching them board Cheren's ship, the King's Reign, Larry felt a renewed hope… yet, still he felt dejected. Did Cheren not want him to share the burden, or was it because Larry didn't offer to help, too? Either way, it's not like he had anything to offer. "Lookin' fer someone ta help?"
The mocked country accent drew his attention. There sat Zach Murphy, donned in a wild biker uniform, mounted on his skull-faced motorcycle. "…Then you can help me get gas. I used it all up driving up here."
"ALL TO MAKE A DRAMATIC ENTRANCE?!"
Sector V
While most of his other friends were watching the broadcast, Dillon expected Mason to still be in his room… but it seemed a certain someone else slept outside of it, sat grumpily against the wall. "Still waiting for Mason, huh?"
"He's gotta come outta there eventually. And when he does, I'm gonna tell him what's wrong with me!"
"Sigh, Sheila, I… might've read what was posted about him, and-"
"Nope!" Sheila covered her ears. "He said not to listen to anyone who starts talkin' about him! Yohohoho, a pirate's life for meeeee!"
"Ugh." Dillon stomped up and knocked on Mason's door. "Mason, just get out here and tell Sheila the truth. Or else neither of you are gonna be able to get over it!"
"What is all that racket?!" Aurora was the next to join the party.
"Aurora, you want a turn talking to him?"
"I just want you all to come and eat breakfast! We'll put fricking gags over our mouths if that'll make you feel better!"
"Um, then we won't be able to eat."
"Then we'll shove all the food in our mouths so we can't talk!"
"No, I'm going on a hunger strike!" Sheila yelled.
"Quit trying to mimic Luffy!"
"Great, my phone's buzzing again." Dillon huffed, pulling it out. "Wonder what Aranea's done… It's from Maddy. 'We're going with Cheren to beat up Mickey,' EXCUSE ME?!"
"WHAT?! Oh, leave it to Cheren to do something like this!" Aurora sighed in exasperation.
"Then I'M going to beat up Mickey, too!" Sheila stood. "Will that make ya feel better, Mason?! But you can sure bet I won't be enjoying the adventure!" She was quick to run to the hangar.
"Sh-Sheila…ugh, who are we kidding, we're gonna have to save Cheren, anyway. Sheila, let's at least ask the others if they wanna come!" Aurora pursued.
"'Guess I better go, too." Dillon said. "Later, Mason."
Mason had sat up when he heard the news, their voices and footsteps fading. A few minutes longer, he would hear their ship leaving the treehouse. "Hmmmm…" He knew he couldn't stay glued to his bed forever… and Sheila would hear the truth one way or another. "Gah…dang it." Leave it to him to wait until it was too late. Maybe one of the other sectors was available at the moment.
Butterfly Grounds
With the interviews proceeding as hoped, King Mickey sat with his four closest comrades at his personal table, sharing lunch and sweets: the royal mage, Donald Duck; the captain of the knights, Goofy; Mickey's queen, Minnie Mouse; and Donald's girlfriend, Daisy. "Gawrsh, fellas, I don't think the KND are showin' up." Goofy said. "D'ya think we hurt their feelings?"
"Ah, who cares, Goofy?!" Donald quacked. "This'll just make them look worse! These people came all this way to Mewni only for their heroes to not show up! Quahahahaha! Quahahahaha!"
"It's not going to look good for us either!" Minnie scolded. "They'll think we ripped them off!"
"Hoho, I didn't promise them refunds for nothing." Mickey smiled intuitively. "Or perhaps we can still turn a profit. We'll invite all our biggest fans in this audience to come out and compete for cash prizes! And toys! These folks paid to watch kids and teens goof off, anyhow, we might be seeing some new heroic faces."
"What kinda prizes you got?" Donald perked up. "Maybe I'll try to compete!"
"Don't tell me you didn't buy an anniversary present!" Daisy shouted.
"Uh, er, I…"
"Uh, say, Mickey." Goofy looked around worriedly. "A lot-a folks in the audience seem to be wearin' hoods…" He saw eight people in white hoods, two younger folk in a brown and green hood respectively, a large crowd in multi-colored hoods. "But it don't feel that cold."
"People of all tastes come 'round-hoho."
"Well, folks, the hour of noon is upon us!" Big Bird announced. "Noon-o-2 to be exact. They're 2 minutes late! Where are the KND?!"
The crowds hollered with boos, moans, and demands for refunds. As the camera turned on Mickey, the mouse composed himself. "Well, I was quite positive the KND had gotten the message, but I… guess they cancelled on all of us. But don't worry! Your investment shall not go to waste! I shall invite boys and girls ages 17 and under to come down and compete for wonderful prizes! The sign-up booth is-"
"Your Majesty! Up there!"
"Huh?!" A flying pirate ship descended from the sky, and four figures seemed to jump from it. Francis held onto Cheren as he used the Pirate Sail to parachute down, while Maddy relied on Panini's firebending to soften their landing like a rocket. They set firmly on the ground, casting glares at Mickey. "Hoho, why…it's the Supreme Leader of Earth's KND, Cheren Uno himself! And with him appears to be Maddy the Conqueror, along with two extras."
"TWO EXTRAS?!" Panini screeched.
"So, Kids Next Door, care to explain why you're fashionably late?" Big Bird held his microphone to them. "Or can you explain the string of Twitcher posts that appeared the night before? Are other operatives going to show up? If not, why? Do the KND not care about their fans?"
"DID YOU FIRE JINTA AND NAGISA, YET?!"
"I don't want those kinky weirdoes on this planet!!" the pigtailed girl panicked.
"Will Miss Aurora be taking a lecture on the importance of rap?" Wordsworth wondered.
"The fans are on fire, boy!" Big Bird exclaimed. "What do you have to say to these Big—HOOOOOO!"
The audience was speechless as Cheren kicked the president in the stomach. He swiped the microphone and declared, "SHUT UP! You have no right talking about my OPERATIVES that way!"
The broadcast had the full attention of everyone watching, especially fellow KND sectors. Even Sector V were almost distracted midflight to witness it. "Does it make you feel good?! Shaming us for our personal secrets?! Calling us freaks?! Calling us bad people?! YOU'RE the bad people! You're ungrateful to everything we did for you! You're ungrateful to all the friends we lost! You all… You didn't DESERVE to be saved!"
"HE'S THREATENING US!" Pigtails screamed. "Ban him! BAN HIM!"
"If that's how you feel about us, if you can't forgive our simple quirks, then fine! We're done being your heroes. You can just let Mickey save you when Bowser comes crashing down. …" Glaring once more at the mouse king, Cheren clutched his sword. "If he can save himself FIRST!"
Gasps filled the stands as Cheren dashed toward the royal table, his brunt approach surprising even Mickey. Donald jumped upfront and whipped out his Wizard's Relic (a yellow wand with violet wings), casting a spell that caused lightning to rain around Cheren. With Observation Haki, Cheren predicted and evaded the bolts. It was then Panini jumped into the fray, her fingers raised to catch one of them. "Panini!" But Cheren's concerns were unneeded as his vice-leader channeled the lightning through her veins. "S-Since when could you use Redirection?!"
"Few weeks ago. Ya never asked." She shot the lightning back at Donald, allowing Cheren to make it around him. The hero bravely slashed his sword at a shock-ridden Mickey, but hitting Goofy's Herc Shield (golden with a lightning cloud design) dizzied Cheren with knockback.
"Hyuck-hyuck. I always wanted to get ahold of your Mirror Shield someday!" Goofy performed his Goofy Tornado, spinning with the shield outstretched. Cheren ran from and tried to strike back, but the shield would always be angled to block him. However, as Goofy came out of his spin, Maddy dashed up to the dog. Herc's golden shield was raised to block her golden fist—"HOOOOOIIIEEEE!" An incomparable bone compression rewarded Goofy for his efforts. Maddy was surprised he only flew 100 yards backward. That dog could hold up better than she thought.
When it seemed nothing else would stop Cheren, his blade flying at Mickey, a large, golden key flashed into being and blocked the Master Sword. "A… Keyblade?!" Cheren remembered when the Seven Lights wielded them. "Why do you have…"
"You're crossing some very thin ice, young man-hoho." Mickey flipped back and channeled lightbending through his Keyblade, casting a storm of beams at him. "You think attackin' me now is gonna make things easier for ya?! You're gettin' the entire universe to hate ya right now!"
"You think I give a fuck about that?" Cheren deflected the beams with his Mirror Shield before attempting a Soul Surge on Mickey, the mouse matching his swift attacks. "When my sectors are falling apart because of those postings?!"
"Hoho, I had nothing to do with that! All you're doing now is proving us RIGHT!" A burst of light blew Cheren backward, and Mickey would lock his limbs to the ground with Light Keys.
"WOOOO! GO, MICKEY, GO!" a crowd of fangirls screamed.
"Kids his age shouldn't be cussing!" a parent shouted. "Didn't his parents teach him better?!"
"Apples don't fall far from the tree, my dear!"
"Now, Cheren… I'm going to undo those locks, and you had better sheath your weapon." Mickey ordered. "No matter who posted those Twitches, the good people should never accept such naughty kids as heroes."
"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" A boy in a brown hood lashed his sword at Mickey, the mouse flipping backward.
"Who's that?!" Maddy exclaimed.
The boy threw off his hood, exposing his blonde hair and cat ears. "EVAN?!" Cheren gasped.
"Is that King Evan, leader of the Ni no Kuni Union?!" Big Bird gawked.
"Not just him!" Arrows were shot at Big Bird, courtesy of the girl in the green hood: she had maroon hair in pigtails with leaf braids. "His fiancée, Tani the Forest Princess!"
"People of the universe!" Evan announced to the cameras. "I speak for the people of Ni no Kuni when I say, the Kids Next Door are our heroes and our friends!"
"That's right!" Tani followed. "The KND saved us from the Sky God Pirates! They helped Captain Skaios change for the better! Sheila the Pirate King and ALL of them are our heroes!"
"K-King Mickey!" Big Bird stuttered. "I think our channel is being hacked. Our cameras are-"
"WHAT UP, BOYS AND CODS?!" The Inkling singers, Squid Sisters Callie and Marie, were recorded atop the stands. "We, the Inkling race, offer the Kids Next Door our full gratitude and support for all they've done for us!"
"CHECK IT, NERDS!" Two other singers, Pearl and Marina, appeared atop different stands. "Same goes for us and all citizens of Inkopolis!"
"No matter which race they belong to!" Marina followed.
"It's Marina!" a 20s boy screamed. "The exotic singer! I love her 'cause she's an Octoling!"
"Ugh, and that's the little Inkling brat who bosses her around." A Goomba woman scoffed. "Why hasn't she been cancelled?!"
"Pearl, may I finger them?" Marina asked politely.
"You know what to do, Marina." Pearl smirked.
"Just making sure." And with that, Marina fingered the audience.
Evan sliced off Cheren's restraints, smiling as he offered a hand down. "Haha…" Cheren delightedly accepted the offer. "Decided to surprise us, eh?"
"Yep! We didn't wanna draw attention, so we wore the hoods. Ever since Mickey started spreading those negative broadcasts, we thought it was only fair to come and support you all. Although… we weren't expecting you to take that approach."
"Not having second thoughts, are you?"
"Nope!"
"THE REVOLUTION IS NOOOOOOW!" The people with colored hoods threw them off: the Inklings unloaded their messy weapons upon the audience. Cheren saw Squam and cyborg Squitaba among them.
"GUARDS! Stop them hoodlums at once!" Minnie ordered. "Someone call Sofia and Elena!"
"Heh, looks like we had more allies than we expected." Francis smirked, using karate motions and Haki to counter Daisy's martial arts.
"And I see more on the way…" Maddy glanced up with a smile.
"You're a FRAUD, Mickey!" The king spun to the group of eight figures in white hoods: they were the eight witches of Luna Nova, Atsuko Kagari at the front.
"A-Akko! My dearest friend…"
"You're a liar and a hypocrite!" Akko stormed up in a rage. "Your company always preaches about open-mindedness, representation, accepting peoples' flaws, but you're as small-minded as anyone! How many times have you done this in the past?! Throw away good people and workers because of a few harmless 'quirks' or bad opinions you might've heard about? And now you're expending all this effort to make us look bad?! You're AWFUL!"
"S-Stay back, all of you!" The witches at his front and Cheren and Evan at his back, Mickey projected a shield of light on all sides except on top. "Hoho! I'll put you all on wanted posters if I have to!"
"Hey, what's that in the sky?!" a man pointed. Sensing the presence, Cheren and Maddy gazed upward.
"Zaaaaaach?! This isn't what I had in MIIIIIIIIND!" Larry was plummeting toward the planet on a garbage can made into a rocket, with squirting jugs of milk as the engines.
Kids Next Door: D.A.R.T.
Dairy Accelerated Rocket Thingy
By the time Mickey saw the flying nerd, it was too late: Larry rammed the mouse with such force that both went rolling a couple hundred yards, crashing into some stands. "LARRY!" Cheren immediately rushed over, helping his assistant stand.
"Ch…Cheren… was I… awesome… for once?"
His leader could only smile. "Sigh…you overdid it, man."
Mickey had no words as he recovered with a bump on his head, angered and astonished by all their reckless behavior. "You really know how to start a show, don't ya, Bro?!"
The ops smiled as another welcome surprise arrived from the sky. With Aurora's voice, Sector V came dropping from their ship, the Sunny Day. "Sector V is here!" Lotte smiled. "Kirie!"
"Diana… you know what this means?" Akko smirked.
"Right now?"
"Yeah…" Akko's red eyes flared up; an ethereal fire literally burned before them. "Let's give them a real show. SHEILAAAAAAA!"
The Pirate King was met with either cheers or boos. "Her attire is disgraceful!!" a lady shouted. "YO, MY PIRATE BAE!" a chubby boy cheered.
But Sheila had her eyes on an old rival of hers… her fellow witches at her back. "Hehe! Ahoy, Akko!"
"Guess what, Sheila? Sector LN is the Number 1 sector of Avalar now. Do you know what that means?"
"Um…not really?"
"Heh, I know." Aurora approached the witches, drawing Galaxia in a flash of lightning. "It's time for our rematch, right?"
Diana Cavendish, LN's leader, approached and drew her wand, Divine Sword. "It is."
…
"Sector V is there!" Wendy exclaimed as Sector MG watched the broadcast. "W…what're they and Akko's team doing?"
"Victi…" Rested in Romeo's arms, Victini's V-shaped head caught aflame.
"Victini? What's wrong?"
"(Romeo… a Rivalry is starting!)"
"What does that mean?"
"(I remembered it after Kael's return. That golden Sacred Flame I absorbed doesn't just make me stronger. It ignites peoples' competitive urges. It was designed to make Kael's game more exciting!)"
…
The Luna Nova witches all drew wands, fires in all their eyes. "And don't think we're leaving Constanze out of this!" Amanda said. In the sky, their Stanship extracted weapons, piloted by their late friend's Stanbots.
"Shall we begin, Aurora?" Diana asked.
"Ready when you are!"
"Is this really the best time for you two to have your rematch?!" Panini asked.
"Ah, let 'em, Panini." Cheren laughed, sheathing his sword. "It's not like this mouse had anything better planned!" And so, he helped lift Larry and left Mickey at their backs. The King of Disney still had no words to comprehend their idiocy and arrogance.