My friends, we are officially beginning the Xeno Saga! This next arc will consist of heavy Xenoblade Chronicles crossovers, and the events of the games are mostly canon… with a few unique changes by me. Even so, beware of potential spoilers as you proceed.
Planet Mira; Alcamoth; Miran High Council (May 15)
A world once strife with war and division between its peoples, Mira had been largely unexplored by outsiders for nearly 10,000 years. This all changed about 4 years ago, when peace between most of its races was found… and the universe became open to them. Outsiders couldn't set foot on Mira due to the many dangerous and powerful, autopilot robots that defended the atmosphere. Mira's landscape, even from outer space, looked very unique compared to other planets in the Nintendia Galaxy: the people lived on the bodies of tremendous Titans, made of earth and growing natural flora and fauna like any normal landscape. The Titans primarily made home on the Alrest Cloud Sea, which took up the northern hemisphere. But two Titans, the Bionis and Mechonis, were rooted in a part of the normal ocean, linked together via the latter's enormous sword. There were other islands and continents in other parts of the sea.
Alcamoth, a floating mechanical city that served as the capital of Bionis, stationed above its head, was welcoming ships of different origins from the world. The Miran Leaders gathered in a great chamber with a wide table, headed by Queen Melia, ruler of Alcamoth. Melia was a young lady with white hair and small wings growing from it; she was of the High Entia race.
To her left was the leader of the Machina, Vanea, a gray-skinned woman with complex black armor, skinny with a large, wide crown.
Empress Mòrag Ladair was the ruler of Mor Ardain, a woman with black hair, narrow brown eyes, and a white emperor's garment with a red cape.
Eulogimenos was a large man with heavy, almost winter-like clothing, with brown hair, beard, and gold crown consisting of horn designs. He ruled the snowbound Tantalese race.
Raqura, ruler of the Urayan race, was a portly queen with cyan hair, pointed ears, and scales around her eyes.
Finally, Maurice Chausson was a human man, the Governor of the Earthling colonists who established New Los Angeles on the Ganglion Continent.
…Oh, and there was Chief Dunga, a Nopon with a pink beard and hair done up in a tall, pineapple shape. Only said hair was visible above the table.
"It's been a busy year, but I'm happy to be able to meet with you all again." Melia began. "It's time we talk about the recent… incidents, involving the outer worlds. At first, the thought of 'opening' our planet, opening our eyes to the greater cosmos, was both thrilling and terrifying. It has brought us a great many new friends. Such as Governor Chausson and his American race."
"We didn't exactly get off on the right foot." Maurice acknowledged. "Even now, the Ganglion and their allied tribes wish to antagonize us. The Xeno Colonization Project was initiated decades ago, to help the Earthlings evacuate from the threat of the demons. We founded Station Square on Mobius, and New Donk City on Mushroom, and have been welcome with mostly open arms. When I learned of this planet's 'opening,' I pled President Jessie to resume the project. There were many who grew tired of the recent 'happenings' on Earth and sought an escape to someplace new. So, the president agreed… and now, my fellow Americans live among many welcoming Mirans, despite our oppression by the Ganglion."
"Metal-shooting soldiers keep Spacemen safe, too!" Dunga perked up.
"Our BLADE troops, you mean. Yes, Commander Gunkan provided the best volunteers." Earth's primary military force was called GUN, but the band of troops that migrated to Mira were renamed BLADE, after the special "weapons" that were popular here. "Even our child prodigy, Lin has made outstanding achievements."
"And thanks to her, Mira has established another united fighting force." Melia smiled. "The Kids Next Door. A protective organization that spans much of the universe."
"Even though our Blades seem to make up the most of its members." Mòrag added, her accent a refined Scottish.
"Yes, but it has inspired our children to join, build new skills, and learn cooperation." Vanea said. "It still brings me joy to see the young Machina playing with their Homs and Entia peers. Just years ago, we could only wonder if a world existed beyond Bionis and Mechonis."
"Yes, opening our borders has yielded many boons." Eulogimenos agreed. "But it has caused many detriments. First, there were those agents of the organization 'Schnee Dust' who performed uncouth experiments on the man who is now Malos' Driver. Then, this very capital was abducted by those sky pirates, where Your Highness spent many months imprisoned on their ship."
"Yes…" Melia bowed her head shamefully.
"And now we face yet more invasions, from other such pirates as well as this current threat of alien robots!"
"The wars that encapsulate the grander universe," Mòrag followed, "do indeed dwarf those once waged on our own."
"But, speaking of those sky pirates," Melia looked up, "something happened while I was imprisoned there. One of their officers would regularly check up on me… and he assured me that 'King Mickey would protect us.' I became acquainted with this Mickey during my Galactic Council visits. He hails from the world of Avalar and is much beloved by many of his colleagues. And he offered to help protect our world against invaders if we agree to ally with his kingdom."
"And this Mickey is a trustworthy fellow?"
"That's what I wanted to discuss. I would like to invite Mickey to this world and arrange a meeting with you all."
"Mickey Mouseman, no?" Dunga asked. "Dunga like to meet with him!"
"Mickey owns a great corporation called Disney, which itself owns many properties and sub-groups." Maurice inputted. "He's very popular on Earth alone. I shouldn't take part in such a meeting without President Jessie's approval."
"And I think there's a simple solution to ridding the threat of enemy xenos." Raqura said. "We should have the Aegis reactivate the Artifices."
"You mean to set them on autopilot once more?" Mòrag asked. "How will they distinguish good from evil? Unless you mean to disallow contact from outsiders entirely?"
"Well, I don't mean like that… or else, that would prove problematic to Maurice and his people, should they welcome more visits to or from Earth. But I'm sure there must be something the Aegis can do."
"Even so, I cannot approve such a notion." Vanea said. "Reactivating the Artifices may cause mistakes. It will send a bad message to the outsiders, and it may betray the dreams of my brother."
"Our peoples have struggled to find peace after centuries of fighting." Eulogimenos reasoned. "And now we struggle to find peace with outsiders. On some level, I support Queen Raqura's suggestion… but my people have spent too long in isolation. Perhaps… we should meet with this Mickey and see what he has to offer."
"In any case," Mòrag said, "the decision of whether or not to activate the Artifices ultimately falls to our Aegis Drivers. Perhaps we should seek their counsel…"
Makna Forest
The most famous aspect of Mira were its Blades, or Xenoblades in a more distinct sense. Scattered about the planet were blue gems called Core Crystals, and by resonating with said crystals, people could awaken the Blade inside and become its Driver. However, only Mirans could pull this off, and even then, those unfit for the Blade would suffer severe injury. Blades could be thin, muscular, or feline, but they almost all bore the same common shapes. But among the thousands of Blades, at least 50 of them were unique and rare. If a Blade bonds with a special Driver or develops a unique skill that's very precious to them, they will evolve into a more unique form. If any new Rare Blade were discovered, they would be added to a special compendium.
When a Driver dies, the Blade returns to the form of a Core Crystal and their memories are lost. But any valuable skills they acquired in their life, any talents they were naturally born with, will be retained. However, there were three Blades said to be the "epicenter" of them all, imbued with God Chi, and said to contain the data of every other Blade: they were the Aegises.
Shulk, a blonde young man with a red vest and shoes, charged bravely toward an Egg Viper, a floating red-and-gray robot with spiked gears and a tail. Within Shulk's grasp was the Monado, a red sword projecting a blue blade of energy, and an open circle with a blue Japanese symbol. Shulk's eyes shone blue as time slowed around him: the Viper shot its gears to knock him down, before they would return. Returning to the present, Shulk jumped on the first gear, then leapt on the second, allowing them to carry him to the Viper for a swift stab into its core. The Viper shook Shulk off and tried to stab him with its tail, but his Monado turned yellow as a barrier protected him. Shulk struck it in the tail, the Viper flying to the air. It rained rapid lasers, but Shulk cast a blue aura around himself, enhancing his evasion. Eventually, the Viper dove straight down toward him: "MONADO CYCLONE!" A whirling slash ruined the robot's trajectory as it crashed into the earth.
Rex, a teen in a blue diver's suit, wielded a white sword of golden light, while Mythra, a blonde Blade in a white suit with green lines, matching the †-shaped crystal in her chest, channeled chi through him. Rex clashed his sword with the Egg Emperor's lance, casting slashes of light for ranged damage. Egg Emperor flew back, released a barrage of missiles, and lunged at Rex, who quickly ducked and stabbed the sword into its core. Mythra raised a hand to the sky, and a storm of Light Beams rained down to destroy the missiles. The Emperor kicked off from—"Rex, look out!" Mythra alerted the dark-purple Egg Nega-Wisp aiming to shoot a Cyan Laser.
A man with long ears jumped in the way, dispersing the laser with a dark Monado of his own. Jak had yellow-green brushed-back hair, a goatee, a blue shirt, fingerless gauntlets, and large brown boots. "Come on, kid, I thought you were better than that!" retorted Jak's Blade, Malos. He was a muscular man with black hair, a purple Core Crystal, and black armor.
"Aha…thanks, you two!" Rex smiled.
The Nega-Wisp dropped an array of Blue Cubes, but they were easily destroyed by the Monado's Destruct Chi. Jak leapt and struck the robot directly, but its armor was strong enough not to immediately succumb to destruction. The Nega-Wisp shot flamethrowers, Jak using Monado Shield to block them, but the Wisp fired Pink Spikes to shatter the shield and damage Jak. Anger fueling him, Jak's eyes darkened, his skin morphing a pale color. With enhanced strength and ferocity, Jak lashed the Nega-Wisp enough to disperse the matter of pieces of its armor. Jak tossed the Monado to Malos by its left tentacle, the Aegis surging great power through his weapon and slicing the tentacle off. Jak threw a punch at the mech's head, his strength flipping it on its back. He and Malos linked with the Monado, leapt, and landed a clean chop to the Nega-Wisp. "MONADO EATER!" Their burst of chi expanded a dark bubble around the mech, disassembling its matter.
Rex, after laying the final blow to the Egg Emperor, saw the outcome of Jak's battle. The soil around the Nega-Wisp was relatively intact. "Amazing! You destroyed that thing without hurtin' the land around it!"
"I mean, it was already pretty destroyed, anyway." Malos remarked. "But I gotta give this kid props. He handles my Destruction Chi quite well."
"It's all about practice." Jak slung the Monado over his shoulder.
"Yeah…" Rex had only heard the story, but it was quite an intense one. Jak's tribe, the Long-Ears, had discovered an ancient portal device and were able to use it to travel to another world, making them the first ones to leave Mira. They wound up on Coruscant, a planet with bigger cities and far more technology than even Mira's most advanced places. A militia who worked for Schnee Dust arrived to arrest and question them, and while his friends evaded capture, Jak was imprisoned. He was forced to tell them about his home island and how they relied on Nature Crystals for power. It was then they decided to experiment on Jak and pump him full of Dark Chi from Evil Crystals, wondering if they could make a weapon out of him. When Jak inevitably escaped, he would make it his mission to destroy every Schnee Dust facility, driven by hatred and vengeance.
Eventually, Jak found his way back home and would meet Rex and Shulk, who at first were speechless over how much he had been through. In that sense, Jak was no different from them or the rest of their friends… least of all his very Blade, Malos. The Aegis of Destruction was once infamous and feared, but after he was reverted to his crystal and his memory wiped, Team Rex hoped to find him a new Driver, one that would help him begin anew. They wondered if Jak was capable of such a role. Last month, Jak awakened Malos during the crisis at the Cooking Festival, and though the opportunity was sudden, Jak had shown sufficient control over his darkness and hatred. Of course, he had a good friend to help him with that.
"You still got a ways to go before ya can keep up with Jak!" A small, orange and yellow-furred animal crawled up on Malos' shoulder, the Aegis glaring. Daxter was an Ottsel, a weasel-otter hybrid, and Jak's closest friend and sidekick. "But hey, ya'll run him up in the looks department. Just look at that chin, so chiseled!" He rubbed Malos' strong jaw. "Jak, I keep tellin' ya to shave that beard! You don't want all the ladies to focus on him, do ya?"
"Hey, guys!" Shulk greeted, his Monado strapped to his back. "I see we've all wrapped up here?"
"Sure have!" Rex affirmed. "Let's head back to the village."
A massive tree dwarfed all the others in the lush Makna Forest. Inside was a vertical village of small houses where the Nopon dwelled… and several broken robots around it. "Hey, Reyn! Nia!" Shulk greeted a silver-haired catgirl in a yellow suit and a tall, muscular redheaded man with a shield. "Nobody was hurt too bad, I hope?"
"Only a few cuts and scrapes." Nia said in a Welsh accent. "Nothin' Dromarch can't heal." She turned to her Blade, a white tiger.
"I'm flattered that My Lady still values my low-grade healing." Dromarch replied.
"Oh, knock it off, you."
"ALRIGHT, CHUMS!" A silver-haired man danced down the village stairs, wearing an open black jacket and eyepatch, and raising two 6-packs of Flurp in his hands. "Guess what the Zekenator got?! Imported from a distant planet, this drink is said to be the favorite of the Pirate King!"
"Toss one over here then, Zeke!" Reyn jovially raised his hand, catching a soda can. "Eh…how do you open it?"
"I think this part is some sort of lock." Zeke tried to turn the can-opener on top. "But I don't know how it works. Hnnnn—URH!" He pressed his thumb into the top and popped it open, soda bursting over his hand. "Alright, you just need to press it real hard."
"HUUH!" Reyn brutally pressed and spurted his can. Both men chugged the purple sodas down, releasing a manly, "BUUUURP! Man, it felt like my stomach became the Bionis' acid geyser!"
"Just what kinds of bodies do those xenos have?!" Zeke exclaimed.
"You guys are disgusting." Mythra scoffed.
"Come on, Mythra, you know you wanna try it." Rex teased, smirking as he nudged up with a can in hand. "What kind of Aegis can't handle a little alien ale?"
"Only if it'll shut you up." Mythra took and squeezed the can open, chugging the Flurp down. "…BUUUURP!" Her hair flashed upon burping.
"HA HA HA!" Reyn laughed. "That's more like it!"
"And wasn't the Pirate King a lightbender, too?" Zeke asked. "Perhaps this drink was meant for you."
"Don't be ridiculous!"
"Don't we have someplace to get to?" Jak asked, rolling his eyes.
"Yeah." Rex agreed. "Let's see how the meeting's going."
The team traveled up the tree, gazing up at a glistening ocean in the sky. There was a pond at the top with a water geyser connecting to the ocean. "The current's all ready, My Prince!" chirped Pandoria, a green-haired Blade with lightbulbs on her small hat, shoulders, tail, and toe ends, and round glasses. "Hey, did you drink the purple juice without me?!"
"Had to make sure it was safe, Pandy. But don't worry, this stuff's awesome!"
"But please don't drink it." Nia sighed.
The group rode the geyser up to the Eryth Sea, swimming the rest of the way until they reached the surface. The ocean was expansive, surrounded by cliffs atop the Bionis' head. Alcamoth floated above the sea, and several other floating islands and Entia-made buildings, horizontal elevators, and defense cannons dotted the region.
The group swam to the beach and made their way to one of the elevators. "You know what they're talking about up there, don't you?" Zeke asked, assuming a slightly more serious demeanor. "The incidents we've had lately?"
"I know…" Shulk looked to the remains of another fallen Egg Pawn. "But why are these robots attacking? Just where did they come from?"
"I can wager a good guess." Rex answered. "Remember that Dr. Eggman? The one the Phoenix Angel asked us to help with? I'm pretty sure these were his robots."
"Is he just out for revenge then?" Nia wondered.
"No… I feel like he's after something. The other day, when we were fighting that blue robot, it just retreated, as though it already got what it was after."
"Yeah, but it isn't just these robots." Zeke said. "It's those pirates, those undead monsters, and the potential threat of anything else from out there. I get the feeling, right now, our leaders are talking about cutting ties with other worlds. They could ban travel to and from our world and find ways to enforce that rule. By which I mean… our Aegis Drivers."
"Hmmm…" Rex bowed his head anxiously.
"If it came to that, chum, what would you do? Do you think we'd be better off just blocking off those worlds?"
"Well… even if we blocked off the people who wanna hurt us, we'd be blocking all the new friends we made, too. Like those kids Ursula hung out with, or Crossette's fireworks friend, or those two angels. Jak, even you did, too."
"You aren't talking about that Augustus jerk, are you?"
"Hey, he was pretty cool at the festival!" Daxter said. "You see how he handled that crazy angel guy?"
"I'm still not very fond of him." Shulk replied. "But after helping everyone back then, I can see he's not a bad person."
"Even that Skaios kid wasn't such a bad fella! Tyrannical sky gods who steal islands are pretty nice once ya get to know them."
"All I'm saying is," Rex resumed, "there's plenty of good people out there, too, just as there are still bad types here. And they should be given a chance!"
"Just what I thought you'd say." Zeke smiled. "You'd best remember that, 'cause I'm pretty sure the council will ask you, too."
Mythra transformed into Pyra, her hair and armor red and her demeanor softer. "I'd like to hope most of them will understand."
Alcamoth
With the meeting suspended, the Miran leaders broke off for refreshments. Mòrag went to coerce with her Blades, Brighid and Aegaeon, and Raqura with Roc, a mercenary birdman Blade assigned to guard her. Melia and Vanea walked to a window overlooking their down and the sea, as well as the Mechnonis' head in the far distance. "Vanea, I wondered if you would want to come with me to the next Galactic Council meeting."
"To meet King Mickey, you mean?"
"Well, yes… but you haven't had the chance to travel much lately, have you?"
"Not with these recent events… Even we had some of our technology stolen by those strange Gourmet Hunters. Still, I guess that's not as bad as being trapped in a cell for almost a year."
"No, I suppose not." Melia chuckled. "But, you know… whenever I think about Mickey and that man's words, my head feels rather foggy. I'm not sure why…"
"Hmm…did that pirate officer do anything peculiar?"
"I…I don't remember. I just recall feeling rather sleepy when he checked on us."
Vanea wondered if some type of hypnosis was at play. Her race was immune to most hypnosis forms, so maybe there was reason to accompany Melia. "In any case, I'd be glad to come."
"That's great! Now, I'd like it if our friends could join us soon. Though I presume that they'll-"
"Brighid! Aegaeon?!" They turned to Mòrag, seeing her Blades collapse on the floor.
Melia and Vanea rushed over. "What's happened?!"
"They just passed out all of a sudden!"
"Is there anyone we can…?" Before Vanea could finish, a Mechon spider drone skittered up to her, beeping frantically. "The Artifices?!"
Eryth Sea
Team Aegis rode lifts across the first set of floating islands. "Ugh, can't we just call one of our new ships to carry us?!" Pandoria complained. "Like how we've been traveling the planet the past few years?!"
"Nothing wrong with a good walk once in a while!" Zeke cheered. "Those ships are nice, but they can be a mite loud and stuffy."
"Besides, I never get tired of looking out at Eryth Sea." Shulk smiled, admiring the view. "…Hey, that's Dunban over there!"
On a distant island, Dunban was staring blankly, wearing red and black gladiator's armor. "Uh…what's he doing?" Pandoria asked.
"He has a new hobby of wearing funny costumes and staring at people from afar."
"Well, if it makes him happy. …oh." Pandoria's lightbulbs went out and she fell over.
"Pandy?!"
"M-My Lady…ugh."
"Dromarch?!" Nia bent over her fallen Blade. "Agh…" Nia put a hand to her chest, growing ill as well.
"What's happening?!" Reyn questioned.
"Rex…" Pyra spoke. "I'm feeling… some kind of disturbance. I'm not sure what it is, but I can't connect with any other Blades…"
"I can feel something, too…" Malos said.
Shulk bowed, concerned as he felt a discrepancy in the air. …Then, a vision:
"This world was created through Bolypius." Shulk vaguely recognized Eggman's figure, sitting atop a complex mech with its head resembling its likeness, and an Aegis crystal on its chest. "And the Blades are merely walking computers. After analyzing Aincrad's data, hacking them was easy."
Shulk's vision flashed, seeing a girl with violet hair and a cat on her shirt. "We have a SCORE to settle, Eggman!" A violet hammer grew from her gauntlet.
Another flash. "What is that thing?!" Shulk saw himself ask.
"It…It looks like…" A girl with a biker's helmet and curly brown hair looked on with growing bewilderment.
Shulk saw himself and the others fighting off a horde of large, almost angelic mechs while the world leaders fled. Unfortunately, they would be overwhelmed by some of their very own Blades.
Shulk gasped. "The council! The council's about to be attacked!"
"What?! Then let's get a move on!" Reyn knew they could always trust Shulk's visions. "We'll have to carry the Blades!"
Zeke lifted Pandoria, Jak got Nia, while Reyn carried Dromarch, hurrying to the next lift. "Wait!" Shulk stopped them. "We need to restrain the Blades! In my vision, I saw them attacking us!"
"We… attacked you?!" Nia's eyes shrank in horror.
"Not you; I think it was just the normal Blades. Malos, can you use your Art on them?"
Jak raised his Monado as Malos focused chi to it. "Monado Jail!" He cast a soft wave of darkness that bound Dromarch and Pandoria in dark chains.
"What else did you see?" Rex asked as they resumed rushing.
"The Sirens! I saw the Artifice Sirens attacking Alcamoth!"
"The Sirens?!" Pyra exclaimed.
By the time they arrived at Alcamoth, the Sirens—white, angelic robots with bright-cyan "feathers" and wide halos—loomed above the city, blasting lasers to counter the defense cannons. The Sirens were once guardians designed to keep invaders off the planet, but Mythra had disabled that command years ago. "Just when we were talking about reactivating them." Mòrag glared. "But why?! …Rex!"
"Mòrag!" Rex's group rushed to her. "Your Blades fainted, too?!" Two Ardainian soldiers were carrying Brighid and Aegaeon.
"I can't contact the Sirens!" Pyra said. "There's some kind of interference! Same with the Blades!"
"Malos, we should shackle them, too." Jak suggested, drawing the-
The Blades' eyes popped open, their eyes red and dark with Eggman logos. Brighid, with dress and hair of sapphire flames, burned her soldier, while Aegaeon, white-armored, black-faced, and watery tendrils, used them to whip the other soldier away. Their first instinct was to flee from the Aegis Drivers, shooting their elements from far away. "What is wrong with you two?!" Mòrag yelled, grabbing her—"My swords?!"
Her Blade weapons disappeared off her person. Brighid reclaimed her whips and Aegaeon his katana. "Lady Mòrag… I'm sorry! My orders are… to attack and capture anyone in my sights!"
"THE BARRIER!" Rex screamed as Alcamoth's protective window dome shattered, the Sirens landing as they began to shoot up the town. Mechon were arriving to engage the Sirens outside, showing little luck, and as Entia citizens fled before a Siren's aiming cannon, Vanea jumped in the way and blocked it with her sword. Melia ran past, raised a scepter, and cast a spell hoping to restrain the robots. "We have to split up and try to hold them off!" Rex said as his sword grew into a bright green.
"Yes!" Pyra's hair grew long, green, and ponytailed, with white and black, shiny armor with green lines. Pneuma helped Rex move at lightspeed and swiftly strike the first Siren, but the mech withstood to combat him. Shulk and Jak divided to battle other Sirens.
"ATTENTION, citizens," Daxter announced as hordes of citizens nearly trampled him, "our forecast today calls for laser storms with a chance of rampaging Blades! Please evacuate to the nearest shelter and mind the Ottsel! Eh?"
A pair of talons landed before him, Daxter looking up at the orange hawk, Roc. "I AM ROC! And I am EVIL!"
"WAAAAAH!" Daxter ran as Roc tried to strike him with sickles.
"Oi, you!" Ardainians raised guns at the hawk. "Stop what yer doing!"
"I'll attend your funerals!" Daxter zipped between them.
"Think you can take me?!" The first soldier tried to shoot Roc, but they evaded swiftly, throwing a gust to blow him away. Roc swept the other soldier in a tornado, uplifting and throwing him out of the broken dome.
"DON'T FORGET MEEEEeeee…" His words would go unforgotten across the Eryth Sea.
Tantal
The snow-covered kingdom was built inside the shell of a turtle Titan, its town built on ancient ruins that towered and spanned deep into the frostridden abyss. Two Blades, KOS-MOS—cybernetic with pastel-blue hair and white armor—and Herald—a woman merged with a black dragon mech—assaulted Tantalese guards with cannons of light and lightning. "KOS-MOS! What are you doing?!" Astelle, a girl with brown hair, blue eyes behind glasses, and a brown coat ran to her Blade. "What are you doing?! KOS-MOS!"
As KOS-MOS faced her with Eggman eyes, training her guns, Astelle was wrought with betrayal. A Darkball struck KOS-MOS and negated her attack: Mikhail, a man with blonde hair and black and dark-red armor, grabbed Astelle's arm and helped her run. "All the Blades are going haywire! We have to contact Rex and the others!" They quickly ducked beneath a flying boulder, thrown by Mikhail's Blade, Cressidus. "This almost reminds me of Haze's ability…"
New LA
The soldiers of BLADE mounted large robots called Skells to battle Eggman's mechs, as well as red robots with wide halos. "Masterpon!" Poppi QT, a robotic girl with a maid's outfit, gold eyes, and purple hair used a drill to stab one of the Artifice Colossi. "These machines from orbital station!"
"What make them come down here?!" asked Tora, a Nopon with blue overalls.
"Tora, Poppi! Something's wrong with Ursula!" The two saw Rock rushing toward them, a large, beefy alien with a bat-like head, carrying Celica, a blonde girl with long, furry ears, black stockings, and a frilled white top. They were pursued by the snowgirl, Ursula, riding her polar bear, Beary, who pierced Rock with icicle claws. Ursula released a wave of snow-colored musical notes, toppling the Gaur down. Celica dropped down and tried to hypnotize Ursula with psychicbending. "I can't get her to listen to me!"
"Tora get the feeling friends in very bad danger. If Blades and Artifice turn against us… can we win all by selves?"
GKND; May 19
A successful return from a reckless invasion and hasty escape called for a meal cooked by Yuzu and Jasminka. Maddy sat on Mocha's knee, admiring its hardness to get a feel for how strong her bestie had gotten. "And I'm sure Vweeb was quite enthralled by your performance, too." Arianna said with a sarcastic smile.
"Do you not agree?" Vweeb cocked a brow. "Watching Mocha and Hancock was like watching a clash between gods!"
"It's a pity you couldn't have got a bit closer."
"Hey, I can survive your soft steps, but I ain't takin' no chances with a real monster."
"A real monster, you say?" Ari grew a Piranha Plant from her pot, gnashing at Vweeb.
"YIPE! Of course, you won a lot quicker than they did. My big plum tree is packin' lots of juice!" Vweeb carried Arianna's neck.
"A… plum tree?"
"You're sweet like a plum and strong like a tree! Plus, you're showin' a bit of plumpness in some areas."
Arianna squeezed the Kateenian in her fist. "Well, at least plums are stronger than berries!"
"Too… tight!"
In her office, Nebula had contacted the leaders of several KND, including Glomour's Liaziana, Kateenia's Minksman, and Amazonia's Chrysundra. "I'm glad my mom's onboard with it." Lia said. "But Minksman… I guess we're enemies again."
"H-Hold on, I didn't wanna be enemies! I just wanted to stay outta this war, but I ain't helping Dad side with Mickey! Hey, Lia… can some friends and I stay at your place until this is over? Like, friendly sanctuary?"
"Sure!" Lia smiled at her cousin.
"Seeing that battle has given me second thoughts." Chrysundra smiled. "I'll join this war. …But, do you think you can get Cheren to temporarily transfer Mocha to us?"
"I think Mocha feels more fit for her own team. Yes, I do mean that ironically!"
"Fair enough."
"I'm sure their own armies were watching the broadcast, but the allied leaders are going to officially make the announcement and determine who will side with the KND. 'A battle for the fate of the universe' is a pretty hard calling card to ignore though. Keep me updated if anything happens. I've got more things on my schedule."
"Numbuh Eternal!" The Earth Moonbase's screen came on, displaying Francis. "We've got multiple reports of attacks on KND towns! Are any of our operatives available?"
"Y-Yes, I'll go get them-"
"Numbuh Ete—Nebula!" Jerome warped in. "Numbuh Eternebula! There's an unidentified robot outside the base!"
"YA SEE?! Lots of things on my schedule! Jerome, get me a display of this robot!"
A monitor displayed the vastness of space with nearby GKND patrol ships. The camera closed up on a small robot girl, who seemed to have several broken, sparking parts. She used hologram eyes to project "KND" in big letters.
Nebula asked the available operatives to come down and meet the visitor after she was let inside. Poppi, reverted to her Alpha form with a beanie hat and a bare, metallic torso and legs. She seemed out of breath as she dropped to her knees. "A robot?" Vweeb jumped off Arianna and approached her. "Hey there! What happened? Are you from Mechanos or something?"
"This…this Galactic Kids Next Door H.Q.?" Poppi looked around the array of strangers.
"A-yep." Cheren chirped. "Would've sucked if you made that projection and we were an enemy treehouse."
"Poppi take ship and fly here from Mira. But Poppi chased by evil machines and ship destroyed. She barely make it here on her own…"
"Your name's Poppi?" Nebula asked. "Hmm…you were with the Miran operatives that helped resolve the incident on Etheria."
"Wait!" MaKayla gasped. "Are you here to tell us about those Xenoblades that were with Bowser?! Like Ursula?"
"Y-Yes!" Poppi straightened up. "Poppi friends really need help! All Blades turn bad and hurt Drivers! Friends think man named 'Dr. Eggman' responsible."
"Eggman?!" Sector Q jumped.
"We not know what do." Poppi's eyes saddened, a hint of said emotion in her otherwise stoic, but innocent voice. "But friends think alien KND help with alien threat. Poppi been in space for three days, according to internal clock. Have no idea how friends are!"
"Well, you can rest easy, little lady!" Vweeb pounced on her shoulder. "We'll be happy to fix this little mess!"
"Huh?" Poppi looked around. "Who speak?"
"Down here! On your shoulder!" Poppi tried to crane her head down and see. "Ugh, hold still!" Vweeb bounced onto her tiny nose. "Yo! Name's Vweeb!"
"Eh??" Her sweet, shiny gold eyes lit up. "Poppi not think people get smaller than infant Nopon!"
"My people may be small, but we never ignore a cute girl in need! If you can't trust these guys, you can always trust Vweeb to make you happy!"
"Poppi… feel adored by tiny alien!" Poppi lightly picked Vweeb up and pressed him to her cheek. "Poppi feel Chi Furnace overheat from sight of Vweeb."
"Oh, for the love of Celebi!" Arianna groaned.
"So, Eggman really did turn Mira's Xenoblades evil." Cheren said. "In that case, I think we have our next mission."
"Cheren, about that," Nebula began, "just before this, we received another call from Francis. Jerome, can you relay us the message?"
"Yes, Sister." Jerome's voice echoed from the PA. "Several Earth treehouses are under attack by groups of strange, android-like people. A majority of them have gray and white coloring, blue gem-like chests, and seem to possess various elements."
"That… sound like Common Blades!" Poppi exclaimed.
"Sounds like Eggman is trying to divide our forces." Maddy figured. "What should we do?"
"Well, we're taking care of this is what we're doing." Cheren affirmed. "We'll send some of you to apprehend the Blades at the treehouses… and some more volunteers to infiltrate Mira. Jerome, have Francis ask if other treehouses are available!"
"Do we actually have time to go to war with Eggman?" Lola asked. "Like, JUST Eggman? How many different enemies are on our list for this month again?!"
"You know, Kael says we're gonna have to fight all these guys by the time this month is over." Cheren said. "So, why shouldn't we take them out ahead of time if we can? Not only will we take Mira back… but maybe we should just knock Eggman out for good."
"That's a pretty tall order." Aurora replied. "Like… do you KNOW this guy's survival rate?!"
"Uh, hey, Cheren…" Miko raised her hand. "Can me and Boly go on the Mira mission?"
"Why?"
"Because… Boly said she had ties to Mira. That Kayaba originally found her there."
"He… did?" Nebula questioned. "But, Hinobi's had Boly for over a decade, right? People couldn't visit Mira until a few years ago. That seems a little odd to me…"
"But you think if you go there, you might find something helpful?" Cheren asked.
"Maybe… besides, I kind of have a score to settle with Eggman." Miko fist-palmed.
"That goes double for me." Eddy nodded.
"You know I'm game for this." Jenny smirked.
"Me, too!" E. Carmine cheered.
"And me." Quill said. "…What about you, Kazuma?"
Their new Japanese teammate balled his metal-braced fist. "I didn't fly up here just to sit around."
"Then I approve." Cheren decided. "Now, let's discuss who else wants to join on the mission and who wants to help with the treehouse raids. Let's plan wisely, get the job done effectively, and come home safely!"
"Poppi very thankful for alien friends!"
"In the meantime, I think someone can use some repairs." Artie noted.