Noctilum
Northwest across the fields of Primordia, the dense forest of Noctilum would rise before their gaze. "Malos chased them into the forest." Jak said. "Floren is a plantbender, so he has the advantage."
"Then we should've carried Arianna with us." Vweeb replied. "Her bending would make this area a synch."
"Yeah, but we don't need bending when we got guns." Jak attached a flat, red device on top of his Morph Gun, transmitting red energy through it.
"What's in that thing?" Nebula asked.
"Nature Crystals. After I stole a bunch of these things from Schnee Dust, my new friends learned how to copy the technology."
"What's this about stealing from Schnee Dust?!"
"It's a long story, kid," Daxter answered, "and we don't have the budget to write a flashback. Author blew most of it on this new game."
"It's not like we like Schnee any better." Vweeb noted. "What'd he do? Try to make a bathmat from your pelt?"
"That's better than bein' a grape in his fruit bowl." Dax snapped at the Kateenian.
"Don't fall behind, kid." Jak hopped out and marched his first steps into the forest. "I can already smell the oil off these mechs."
"Don't forget who you're talking to." Nebula said, armed with the T.O.P.M.A.N. launcher. (Play "Noctilum Day" from XCX!)
Act 5: Noctilum
Mission: Find Malos and save Jak's comrades!
A trio of Acid Dilus ambushed them at the forest's edge. Nebula sent a single top to bounce between and dizzy the reptiles, leaving them open to Jak's Scatter Gun. As they traversed the dense shrubs of the forest, Carmine Forfex would ambush them with claws against Nebula's ankles. Vweeb ran around the ground, unnoticed by the large crustaceans, and shot them in the eyes to give them away. The duo traveled up a tremendous root, the leaves rustling above them as monkeys swung the 20-meter trees. "Hey, monkeys!" Vweeb cheered.
"There aren't monkeys in this forest!" Jak gasped. "Watch out!"
They were Kikis, robotic yellow chimps who threw bombs down at the root road. Nebula tossed N.I.N.S.T.A.R.s to minimize the monkeys' footholds, causing them to hang from the fragile remains of the branches. Jak inserted a light-blue capsule into his gun, turning it into the Vulcan Fury: a flurry of rapid bullets would have raining Kikis around the area. The root would lead them to the edge of a cliff, a lush pond beyond it. A pond couldn't exist without Piranhax, unfortunately, but Vweeb's Stun Gun would ensure the fish wouldn't bother them for a minute. The pond branched toward a river within a trench, with Jak using his yellow Blaster to destroy the dead branch debris blocking the flow. Beyond the river splayed a great lake, a cliff of waterfalls in the distance. The falls glistened a pure white in the sun, and tall mushrooms could be seen standing above them.
What they thought were more Piranhax headed toward them were actually Choppers, robot piranhas. There were too many for Jak's comfort, so he equipped his Gyro Burster, which shot a floating drone that fired in multiple directions. "Y'know, it's time to bring out an oldie, but goodie!" And so, Nebula summoned a small, floating droid equipped with a gun.
"Mr. Zurkon is back by popular demand!" the droid exclaimed, blasting the incoming Choppers delightedly. "Filthy aliens thought they were safe, but Mr. Zurkon is back to finish the job."
"Hey, even that guy's a better mascot than you." Daxter teased. "WAH!" Zurkon shot him.
"Sorry. Mr. Zurkon confuse for parasitic weasel."
"I'll show you parasitic!"
They swam the distance all the way to the falls, taking heed to avoid the giant sea serpent lurking in the lake. "Hey, I can feel a small Gravity Chi flow between those falls." Nebula said. "Think we've just found our way up!" Channeling gravity onto that strip of cliff, she, Jak, and their little riders shifted 90 degrees and landed on it! Kikis sat on thin ledges up the cliff, but Jak caught their bombs and hurdled them straight back, the mechs' remains flying past them into the lake. Their vision finally flipped upright at the top—in time for a flaming spear to come flying. "WHOA!" They barely dodged it.
"Those who defy the will of Dr. Eggman must perish." He was a white ninja-like Blade, tall and thin with four arms. Each arm had a weapon: katana, spear, axe, and hammer. "Especially you, Aegis Driver."
"It's Perdido!" Jak readied his blue Needle Laser. "He's the only Rare Blade able to use four different weapons."
"I'm glad you acknowledge my prowess." Perdido twirled his spear behind and held his sword forward. "I've always wanted to fight you, Jak. Can your guns hold up against my-"
"HYAH!" A yellow-skinned, antenna-headed girl leapt from Perdido's left and slashed twin swords, blocked by the axe. A frisbee followed, tripping Perdido's leg as Makava slashed him in the stomach.
"Makava! Tronta!" Nebula exclaimed. "How'd you all catch up?!"
"Arianna bent the trees to throw us around, duh!"
"If you want four weapons, we got ya covered!" Tron danced and threw both Light Discs, Perdido swatting one with his hammer, while the sword elbow was bumped away, allowing Makava to slice it off. Perdido jumped away and shot fire at the duo, waiting for his arm to regenerate.
"We'll leave this to you!" Nebula cheered in confidence. "Let's check out that big tree!" They crossed the river left of this islet and ran to an elaborate tree with several twisting trunks. Scirpos, giant insects with bulbous bottoms, would greet them as they climbed the first sloped trunk. Nebula and Jak combined their Blaster and S.H.O.O.T.E.R. to pipe the insects' obvious weak points. Afterwards, they needed to jump their way up some available platforms; some were too high to reach, but Jak demonstrated a skill in grabbing the small branches, swinging around them, and flying up to the platforms with momentum. The only hindrance were the Saltats, bird-like creatures that with eye designs on their wings and trumpet-like mouths. They tried to blow the kids off with condensed puffs of air. "Okay, I need you two to work together!" Nebula slapped Vweeb onto Daxter's back. "You climb and Vweeb shoots!"
"Well, I've always wanted a steed!" Vweeb teased.
"And I've always wanted my own little sidekick. I used to have a tick once, but our friendship got a little one-sided." Daxter easily climbed the bark, giving Vweeb a good vantage to shoot the Saltats. Jak would then kick them clear off their perches once he swung up. After Nebula caught up, they proceeded along a bridge of branches leading from the top of the tree. It would lead to a series of branch bridges, all connected via circular platforms of the same formation. Axe-wielding robots called Hey-Ho would chop the support branches along the edges and send the chunks flying at the duo. The Hey-Hos would fly away from the approaching ops, so Jak equipped his Beam Reflexor, its yellow bullets bouncing off the side branches to strike the unexpecting mechs.
They followed the bridge down toward a path under the lakeside cliff. Two more Hey-Hos waited at the bridge's end, but the branches were suddenly bent to seize and squeeze the robots to death. "You robots have no business hurting these bridges!" yelled a thin, young Blade with minty-green hair, pink eyes, and armor of green and pink floral clothing. "The Orpheans worked hard to weave these branches for everyone's sake. How could you ruin their hard work?"
"It's Floren!" Jak said. "One of the Blades we're looking for! HEY! FLOREN!"
"Huh?" They looked up the bridge. "Jak!"
"Floren, where's Malos? Or Ursula?"
"Backup arrived to hold Malos back. Ursula told me to sneak away. And it looks like I'm in luck!" Floren bent the bridges' branches in attempt to grab the ops, Nebula slicing them with N.I.N.S.T.A.R.s and Jak with his Scatter Gun. "Maybe we can stop Malos if we deal with you!"
"Wait, if she's possessed by Eggman, why did she destroy his mechs?!" Nebula questioned.
"Floren's the biggest tree-hugger on the planet!" Daxter yelped, dodging the branches with haste. "Even that probably tops Eggman's control! …Uh, hey Monohair, where's the little guy?"
"Vweeb?!" Nebula searched around for the Kateenian.
"Hey there, cutie pie!" Floren heard a voice, but no immediate source was nearby. That was until they looked down, spotting a small waving figure. "What is it with plantbenders being so gosh-darn cute?"
"Oh, my!" Cheeks flushing in adoration, Floren bent down. "I didn't see you there!"
"You've got a real passion for trees, don't ya, Floren?"
"Well, I…I do." Floren folded hands and swayed on one foot. "I can hear their voices… They get sad when they're hurt, and it makes me sad. So, I really don't like it when people hurt trees."
"But would you say it's right to make trees hurt others?"
"I mean, I…I try to avoid it when I can… and I always apologize afterward… but it's the only power I was born with. And as a Blade, I have to do my best to battle…"
"I see your point, Floren." Vweeb bounced onto their nose, Floren flushing as they narrowed their eyes on him. "And behind those… Eggman eyes of yours is a soul pure as the lushest forest. But if you'd just let my pals pass, we wouldn't have to be hurting these trees."
"I know, but…but I have orders to destroy the KND. In fact, I…I have to crush you, too, but…" Floren's hands twitched rising up to their face, their eyes tearing and the Eggman symbol glitching. "But I couldn't hurt someone so cute!"
"Look, sweetie, no girl could live with my stain on their hands." Vweeb patted Floren's nasal bridge. "How about you just let us pass and I'll buy you some nice flowers later?"
"That would be great, but… I'm actually a boy."
"Da-…" Vweeb fell backward and hit the bridge. This had been the second time this month he made this mistake.
"VWEEB!!" One of the branches whipped Floren into the cliff. Arianna Dunfree had just shown up behind Neb and Jak. "Don't think I didn't see that!"
"I DID NOTHING WRONG, ARI! He's a boy, I just had a gentleman's talk with him!"
Floren returned and bent the webbing of the bridge to ensnare the operatives, but Arianna willed the effect to undo. "How could you make the trees betray me?!"
"Nebula, keep going! I'll detain this one!"
"Gotta take that anger out on something." Nebula grabbed Vweeb off the bridge as they raced by. The path along the lake's edge was littered with Mushmeanies; mushroom robots. They rapidly bounced around to crush the group, Nebula using bombs and Jak his Plasmite RPG to destroy bunches of them at wide range.
The path would eventually lead into a wasteland between cliffs. Thunder roared, as if to accompany the unsettling view of this valley. They had only just noticed the sky had gotten cloudy. There were craters embedded in the ground and even the thick trees. "Look how smooth the insides are." Nebula said. "What kind of bomb could do that?"
"Malos." Jak said with a certified hunch. (End song.)
A towering spire of light burst into the cloudy sky, its origin around the corner of the valley. The gunners raced over, in time to see Malos be knocked back by a blast of light. "THERE YOU ARE!"
"Huh?" Malos turned, a neutral glare on his features. "Oh, hey. Ready to apologize?" An answer wouldn't be had before Malos dodged a light ray and slashed a dark wave at his opponent, KOS-MOS, a white-armored Blade with twin guns.
"Don't turn your back on me!" Another Blade, a blonde boy with a black-feathered cape and red pants, slashed his Durandal blade at Malos' hip. The effort would backfire as Malos spun, snatched Corvin's neck, and pinned him to the ground.
"Then how would I have got you to come over?" Malos reached down to his hawk-shaped Core Crystal. "Hold still while I-"
Jak shot Malos off with his Blaster, Corvin quickly flipping up and retreating to KOS-MOS' side. "What the HELL, Jak?! I'm only trying to revert them, not destroy them! Do you think they'd rather stay under Eggman's control?"
"We shouldn't do this without asking Rex and the others!"
"And what about these Blades?" He blocked KOS-MOS' shots and ran to her, the woman dodging his Monado Cyclone. "Even if we stop Eggman, they won't be able to live with their selves after all they've done. Don't you think they would rather forget?"
"La la la la, la laa laa laaaa!" Snowy music notes danced around KOS-MOS and Corvin. Malos shot a glare at Ursula, who cowered behind a tree. "You can't hide from me, ya little-" Just after Malos sliced the tree down, its thick exterior fragile to his Destruct Chi, Ursula's bear, Beary slashed icicle claws, leaving gashes in Malos' face. He sent Beary away with a kick before leaping at his little master. He would be denied the snowy-haired child when Nebula warped in his wake, briefly conjuring a Space Block that would be shattered by Malos' hand.
"Wiping memories isn't the answer to erasing trauma! These Blades must have a lot of great moments they don't want to forget, so I won't let you."
"Why not? That's exactly what they did to me. It was the only way to end my misery… so, why can't I do the same for my brethren?!" Malos pushed Nebula down and tried to grab the fleeing Ursula, but was tackled by Jak in his Fury Form.
"J-Jak?!" Nebula was almost terrified by his monstrous makeover.
"MALOS! I am your Driver and you will do as I say!"
Malos slashed Jak off. "Make me, Long Ears!" (Play "Uncontrollable" from XCX!)
Dark Jak's claws and Malos' Monado flashed bolts of dark lightning. The Long-Ear leapt and Ground Pounded, sending a powerful shockwave that blew Malos off his feet; Nebula rose skyward to avoid it, angered at his reckless maneuver. Jak leapt to punch Malos' stomach, the Aegis grabbing his face and slamming him into the ground. "Monado Armor!" Malos conjured a dark shield around himself, holding up against the onslaught of Jak's claws. The Long-Ear drew his Morph Gun, channeling his Dark Chi through it and shooting a spherical ball of purple lightning. The lightning penetrated the armor, and Nebula would contribute by throwing B.O.O.M.E.R.s at the shield, shattering it for good. "Stay out of this, Monohair!" Malos shouted.
"Hah, Jak really is your Driver!" Nebula tossed N.I.N.S.T.A.R.s around Malos, the Aegis slicing them, but would surprise him with a T.O.P.M.A.N. to knock him down. "Look, Malos, I'm not sure what happened to you, but wiping their memories isn't gonna save these Blades! Defeating Eggman and breaking his control will save them. Until then, I don't think they want their memories wiped!"
"And what would you know?" Malos asked as Jak shot his Wave Concussor, striking him with a red shockwave. Malos jumped upright and slashed airwaves, each missed shot annihilating strips of trees or the cliff. Nebula shot her S.H.O.O.T.E.R., the bullets a minor nuisance to Malos, but they broke his focus enough for Jak to kick his Monado away. The Long-Ear rolled to reclaim the sword, taking a slash at Malos, who would lunge forth to grab the hilt in his own hand. Their dark auras burned greater as they wrestled for control.
"Because I know tons of people that've done terrible things!" Nebula argued. "And some of them feel awful about it! They didn't erase their own memories, they tried to make up for it! They tried to become better people! If they could make it, these Blades don't have anything to worry about."
"Then WHY did they erase MINE?!" Malos forced control of the sword and spun, sending a dark cyclone that blew Nebula into the cliff. To her fortune, no part of her was destroyed. He must've had good control of his ability. "They told me that I tried to destroy the world. That was why everyone was afraid of me. What kind of pain was I suffering? Why did I want to kill everything? And who…WHO IS JIN?!" Malos stabbed the ground and spread a wide field of darkness.
Daxter's logical instinct was to sprint from the destructive bubble… but the Ottsel was dumbstruck at his friend's choice to stay. "JAK! Get outta there, ya blockhead! Did he freakin' destroy your brain cells?!"
Jak grabbed the hilt, standing firm inside the dead zone. "And you're going to take it out on these Blades?"
"Isn't that our life cycle? Don't we lose our memories all the time? For hundreds of years? Isn't our purpose to keep starting anew? To forget our dark pasts and keep starting again?"
"It's not time for them to start over. And besides, do you know how long it took Rex's crew to bring up all these Blades?! Do you wanna put them through all that crap AGAIN?!"
"That's the real reason." Nebula remarked.
"Kid, don't you have something better to do?!" Jak asked.
"I'm just giving my input!"
"I mean that you're letting them get away!"
"What?!" Nebula had just realized KOS-MOS, Corvin, and Ursula had vacated the area. It could be no coincidence that a small Egg Lift was lifting off from further into the valley.
"Liftoff successful." KOS-MOS reported. "Beginning return to-" The lights flickered, and the engines seemed to die down. "Error detected!"
"Uh-oh!" Corvin gasped. "Did we forget to refuel?!"
"Always check for any unwanted Kateenians in your wiring." Vweeb said to himself in pride as he tore apart the insides. "Not doing so could result in emergency landings."
"Hey, I think I just heard a voice." Ursula pointed. "In that wall!"
KOS-MOS equipped her visor. "Heat signature detected. Commencing extermination." She blasted a hole through the wall.
"YIKES!" Vweeb barely survived, holding onto a dangling wire.
"Oh! What is that?" Ursula curiously approached the hanging alien. "Are you… a person? You're so tiny."
"I'm almost scared to flirt with you 'cause SOMEBODY might get ANGRY at me!"
"Hehe! You're so cute!" Ursula grinned. "You remind me of… someone else…" She remembered visiting Terry's house after the Great Reduction incident… playing him a soothing melody, even carrying the tiny boy to his room afterward… Her Eggman eyes began to flicker. "Is…is Terry… okay?"
"VWEEB!" Nebula showed up in the ship's hole. "There you are! Great job stopping the—AH!" She ducked just after grabbing him, KOS-MOS's gun barely grazing her hair.
"Resuming extermination." Nebula ran from the ship and further up the valley as KOS-MOS and Corvin pursued. "Target is…" KOS-MOS' eyes flickered, focusing on Nebula's monochrome hair. "Target is… familiar… Do not want to… destroy, but I…"
"YOU'RE MINE!" Corvin bravely leapt into the air, his sword a flash of light. "The light of good will cleanse you!"
But a different blade would deny him from Nebula: the Master Sword. "Girl, why'd you make us take this roundabout path?" Cheren asked.
"Because you need to learn to keep up! Now, help me fight these two!" Nebula ran circles in evasion from KOS-MOS' light guns, returning bullets with her S.H.O.O.T.E.R.. KOS-MOS spun toward Nebula with light spears ejected from her guns, but just when it seemed Neb's head was cut clean off, she had actually used a portal to "split" her own head before reattaching, later knocking KOS-MOS away with a T.O.P.M.A.N.. She summoned Mr. Zurkon to deal extra damage to KOS-MOS, but swatting the droid proved easy work. She took several more shots at Nebula, who quickly opened a small portal to redirect a beam, only for KOS-MOS to dodge. Her attempt to redirect KOS-MOS' beams with a larger portal merely resulted in straining her chi paths. She took a blast to the stomach and crashed into the cliff.
Cheren relied on Observation Haki to predict the movement of Corvin's dual Uchigatana, using sword and shield alike to deflect his swings. Corvin flipped back and swung a Light Slash, Cheren raising his shield to bounce it—"CRUD, I forgot this is the Hylian Shield!" Its reflectability wasn't as impressive. There was a flash of lightning in the clouds, so Corvin performed a downward slice to bend its light into a ray, missing Cheren. "It's kinda weird that lightbenders can't bend lightning." Cheren stretched his sword and channeled chi through it. Corvin recognized it as a spin attack and agreed to do the same with both swords. Cheren's Hurricane Spin and Corvin's Divine Cyclone collided like two galaxies, their sparks like scattering shooting stars. They were at it for a couple minutes before slowing to a halt, to which Cheren immediately chucked his shield at Corvin's head, dizzying him long enough to leap and slash the lightbender.
Ursula had stayed inside the Egg Lift; between Malos or those other strong Blades, she feared she didn't stand much of a chance. Instead, she approached the prisoners in the back: strapped under several chains was Rock, a giant Gaur with a broad body and batlike face. Beneath him was Celica, a golden-haired girl with a white frilly top, long, pointed, and furry ears, and a bang covering her right eye. Her black stockings had gold, intricate designs. "Celica… would you rather we forget everything if it would stop us from hurting everyone?"
"Ursula… why are you asking that?"
"Deep down, I know I'm not serving Eggman because I want to… I can't even feel horrible about it if I want to. If I break free of Eggman's control, how will I feel? Would I be better off forgetting?"
"Ursula, your friends want to be able to comfort you, because you feel bad. They want to see you smile, hear you sing again. Everyone will understand what happened, they'll forgive you. But if you're asking that, it means Eggman can't control you completely. Let us go free."
"I can't… because I…I must serve Eggman…"
"Well, I guess we have to do this the hard way." Before Ursula had a chance to register the small voice, Vweeb jumped and punched her in the stomach, his Kateeny strength blowing Ursula into Beary, with both flying back against the controls. "Surprise, Nebula didn't actually take me with her!"
"Celica, what just happened?!" Rock asked, his voice rather soft for his size.
"That little thing just pushed Ursula!"
Vweeb jumped to hang on Celica's bang, the Qlurian gasping. "I'm Vweeb from GKND! You must be Celica and Rock."
"Um, yes! Can you get these chains off us? I'm a psychicbender, I can help."
Beary charged, threatening to gouge his claws through all of them, but Vweeb kicked off Celica's face to uppercut the bear's jaw. As he fell, Vweeb grabbed Beary's ear, hauled the mountain-sized bear overhead, and crushed Ursula beneath him. "How could he be so small and that strong?!" Rock asked.
"I can be gentle when I need to be." Vweeb smirked. Beary climbed off his master as Ursula tried to sing Song Beams, the Kateenian too fast and his ears clamped shut. When he got close, Ursula gracefully danced in evasion, but such a big target would have a hard time evading Vweeb. He jumped and grabbed her fluffy hair, pulling and flipping Ursula onto her back. "You know, those footsies look more solid than you let on~" Vweeb ran to Ursula's half-tangible feet…
And Celica and Rock would only look on in bewilderment. "Ha…hahahaha! Hahahahahaha!" Ursula's steps were light and graceful, but that left her with a major weakness. "Hahahaha! Stop it! Please! Hahahaha!"
"Tell Beary to free the prisoners!"
"Hahahaha, okay! Beary! The keys! Get the keys! Please hahahahahurry!"
"That's… not what I expected at all." Celica smiled awkwardly.
"At least he doesn't have to hurt her too much!" Rock said hopefully.
KOS-MOS took to the sky, locking her sights dead on Nebula before launching several homing Light Beams. Nebula dodged some of them, distracting KOS-MOS as Cheren shot a Fire Arrow straight into her face. "THAT'S PLAIN DIRTY!" In return, Nebula threw N.I.N.S.T.A.R.s to cut Corvin's arm and leg, stopping him from stabbing Cheren in the back. Cheren spun to slice Corvin's head, and KOS-MOS would shoot down with a pointed, light-made spaceship. Nebula took the front lines, a palm open forward. The spaceship seemed to stop against the palm directly, but Cheren noticed the tiny, but powerful vortex on it. "Endless Vortex: 1,001 Lightyears per second!" The Lightship spun with KOS-MOS on it, the Blade forced to disperse it. Nebula's technique wore off, the leader kneeling in pain, and Cheren followed by throwing a M.A.R.B.L.E. at the crashed KOS-MOS.
"You're slipping, Nebster."
"Hey, don't act like you were never depowered! Boy, I wish Aurora had given me Galaxia!"
"KOS-MOS, let's combine our power!" Corvin leapt on her shoulders as both linked their twin guns and swords. "GUN-SWORDS!" The guns shot swords of light at a high rate of fire. "Bet you've never seen that!"
"Actually, Weiss has a gun—SWOOOOORD!" Despite the duo's efforts in dodging, the swords would lodge into the ground around them and explode into wide spires, swallowing them in brightness. Cheren was still standing strong, but Nebula was brought down. If not for the stormy sky, their Light Chi could be much worse. Cheren lifted his leader and retreated behind a half-broken tree. "You alright, Neb? I can handle them if you want."
"Don't be stupid!" Nebula pulled herself up. "I may not have much chi, but I'll darn well use it all before I pass out!"
"Okay…heh, I kind of have a team-up idea, actually." The boy smirked.
"I don't like that look…"
"You can't hide from us, evil-doers!" Corvin-KOS-MOS slashed their right gun-sword and destroyed the tree with an explosive slash. Cheren quickly bolted out in the open. "Where's the other one?!"
"With our powers combined," Cheren rose his sword skyward, "I use the Spaceward Strike!"
"Couldn't I have been normal size for this?!" a little Nebula asked, hugging the sword's front.
"Use every ounce of your chi!"
"My chi IS an ounce! Ugh!" She transmitted dark-pink aura up the Master Sword, which simultaneously filled with white light for his Skyward Strike. He even kept his sword in position while evading the Blade duo's flashing cuts. Finally, Cheren swung a clean cut down, dimensionally cleaving the stacked Blades in a perfect half.
"AAAAH! KOS-MOS, WHAT HAPPENED TO US?!"
"We are seeing from two separate points of space, but physically, our bodies are intact. Perhaps if we lean in a single direction, we can-"
Cheren went for the left half and a resized Nebula took the right. "There's no safe direction! And I can't focus my attacks!"
"DOUBLE-TEAM TAKEDOOOOOWN!" Cheren sliced his halves into quarters, and Nebula bombarded hers with the S.H.O.O.T.E.R.'s bullets… and Mr. Zurkon got some hits in, too. ("Mr. Zurkon hopes for much paid leave after so many years of disuse. But only pay Mr. Zurkon take is DEATH to evil aliens…") (End song.)
The lightbenders were left unconscious by the time they had reformed. Cheren and Nebula turned to the more pressing matter: the ball of darkness where Jak and Malos fought over the Monado. "Malos… this isn't about the other Blades, is it? What's really the problem here? Tell me!"
"I told you a thousand times! The Blades are under the control of an evil Driver! The only way to save them is to reset them and start again! Isn't that what happened to me? Didn't my old Driver want to destroy the world? Isn't that why I had to be reset? And yet, I had other comrades. Akhos, Patroka, Mikhail, and…"
"Jin?"
"He was our leader." Akhos explained. "He was… a most brilliant Blade. There were none stronger and none kinder… and none closer to you."
"YAH, and like, I kind of felt like he had a THING for you." Patroka teased.
"But he's gone now." Mikhail sighed. "He died… defeating your former Driver. Heh, it's poetic, thinking about it."
"Hey, that's my line." Akhos remarked.
"Jin…" Malos let the name roll off his lips again. "Heh…nope, doesn't ring a bell."
"Huh…" Mikhail frowned at the notion. "Well… I'm sure he'd be happy for you."
"How much did Jin… did those people mean to me? What did my ambition mean? Was there anything else that I loved? Just because you remind me about who I was, the feelings are lost to me. So, why…why should I care about their feelings?!"
"I don't effing know, Malos!" Jak stated. "I wasn't there when it all happened! I don't know if there was another way! But I know there's a way now, and that's STOPPING Eggman! So, you need to BACK OFF!"
"You heard him, big guy!" Daxter scampered up Malos' armor and slapped the chisel-jawed man. "Ya know, Jak may be your Driver, but I'm his!" The ops were impressed by his bravery inside the darkness sphere. "And this is what happens when ya let the bus boy order chumps around. Malos, I don't think you got a wink of sleep since this whole thing began. You're gettin' crow's feet and pinkeye in all the wrong places. No wonder you're gettin' such a 'tude. Ya know what gets me to sleep? A good cup of Sandover coconut milk and a nice night at the massage parlor~. Oh, when those ladies get that nice spot between the fur, row! I think NLA has one of those, let's pay a trip right now. And hey, that's Dunban over there!"
The muscular Homs was already prepared with a massage table, chopping his hands in a warmup motion as he stared blankly.
"Huff…haugh…" Malos didn't understand his own feelings… he didn't understand what he really wanted. But did he really want to enforce his problems over the Blades? They were happy with their real Drivers… they never asked to be trapped under a villain's control. And continuing to fight over it would only waste time. Malos eased himself as the darkness faded away. He let go of the Monado, so Jak could calmly pull it up from the ground.
"I… feel really weird watching this without knowing the context." Cheren sighed.
"I just roll with the flow." Nebula shrugged, returning to the Egg Lift. "Vweeb, are you okay… in…"
"Hehehehehehe!" Vweeb and Celica worked together to "punish" poor Ursula. Even Rock was having fun, tickling Beary. "Stop! I surrender! S-Save meeee!"
"Nebula!" She looked as Arianna came hurrying up the path, carrying Floren's KO'ed body. "Is everything alright up-"
"ARIANNA, where are Makava and Tronta?!" Nebula outbursted.
"Huh? Uh, they're still fighting-"
"THEN GO BACK THEM UP! Enemy reinforcements could arrive at any moment, don't just leave them alone!"
"Ah! O-O-Okay!" She dropped Floren and ran off. Nebula glanced a glare at Vweeb's activity, mumbling that he owed her one.
Colony 4
Based on the Bionis' left elbow, Colony 4 was a shiny, silver-coated town with posh paved paths and a High Entia fountain. The Homs intermingled with Entia citizens; if not for the latter's wings, it would be hard to tell any of them apart with their silver hair. "Welcome to my colony." Alvis announced. "We're quite fond of the color silver."
"At least we won't be getting bit by werewolves." Jenny remarked.
"You mean Werevolffs?" Reyn asked. "That's just a myth."
"You haven't been off this planet for long then."
"Colony 3 shares our color, too. Meanwhile, Colonies 1 and 2 are blonde-haired. One is where Shulk originates from."
"Not that I remember growing up there."
"Yo, check out this big old birdbath!" Finch happily splashed and danced in the fountain, where a Homs and Entia kid were playing as well. "Hey! Tazma! Come dance with me, the water's delicious!"
"Maybe when there's not an annoying bird in it."
"Oi, look, it's a Tirkin!" the Homs boy pointed. "Must be from the village down low!"
"Huh?" Finch turned, hands raised. "I'm not a Tirkin! …Am I? Who am I again?"
The kids gasped. "IT'S A BLADE! AAAAAAHHH!" The kids bolted through town, drawing worried attention from the townsfolk.
"What's that?! There's a Blade here?!" Soldiers quickly marched out, surrounding the fountain with guns raised. "It's disguised like a Tirkin, but its eyes are…"
"Wait! Everyone calm down!" Shulk ran in their wake. "This Blade is harmless! We have her under control."
"It's Shulk!"
"What's going on?!" A blonde boy who seemed to be 10 years old with black clothes raced past the soldiers. "M-Master Shulk!" He had blonde hair and wielded a sword and shield.
"Ahoy, Zeon!" Reyn greeted jovially. "Didn't expect to see you down here!"
"There's nothing wrong." Shulk assured. "This is Finch. She's a Blade, but she's resisting Eggman's control."
"Is 'resisting' the right word in this case?" Eddy cocked a brow as Finch licked water off her arm.
"Oh…er, well, should we at least contain her?"
"She'll be fine, I think." Shulk answered. "But since you're here, I think we'll introduce you. Zeon, this is Sector Q, offworlders who came to help us. Sector Q, this is Prince Zeon."
"Prince?"
"Of the High Entia." Zeon smiled politely and sheathed his sword. "But I guess you couldn't tell at a glance."
"HUUUUU!" Miko gasped loudly. She zipped up toward the shorter boy and… poked the tips of his tiny, blonde wings. "Those are such cute little wings!!"
"Miko!" Quill shouted.
"Please excuse her, Your Highness." Alvis said.
"It's… quite alright." Though Zeon would much like her to stop. "It's part of being half-Homs, after all. And I never knew about my royal heritage until a few years ago."
"Zeon leads the KND sector in Colony 2." Shulk explained. "Speaking of, how are things up there?"
"Er…not good, I'm afraid. Eggman's forces have nearly occupied the Bionis' shoulders. We could only evacuate so many citizens. Right now, we're sort of split between here and 3."
"It doesn't seem that Eggman is intending to kill anybody from Mira." Alvis mentioned. "Rather, he needs them alive, presumably hoping to awaken more Blades."
"Speaking of which… I snagged this from the robots." Zeon withdrew a blue, glowing crystal from his pocket.
"Ooooo, what's this little shiny?" Miko took it, mesmerized by its glow.
"Be careful, Miko!" Shulk gasped. "That's a Core Crystal! Only Mirans can resonate with them."
"GYAH!" Miko frantically dropped it.
"Take it easy." Reyn picked it up. "I think it only happens if you stare at it too long. …Or are you supposed to squeeze it? Or twist it? Never tried to myself."
"And until this mess is resolved, we shouldn't awaken any Blades." Shulk affirmed.
The sound of the colony alarm would only disrupt the peace further. "Oh, come ON, guys!" Reyn exasperated. "We told you it's flippin' fine, don't raise the alarm!"
Shulk's eyes flashed blue: a figure in red armor would fly in and punch Miko in the skull, accompanied by a squad of robots. "Wait, over there!" Carmine's voice called him out of the vision, alerting them to the incoming invasion. In particular, one came rocketing at a high velocity, the sight of its single red eye locked on-
"MIKO, WATCH OUT!" Shulk jumped in front and protected them with Monado Shield. The red-armored figure bent the matter beneath them, causing Shulk and Miko to fall. Carmine threw bombs at him and Kazuma jumped to punch him with his Mechon knuckledusters. The figure spun to kick them away, but Miko would spring out of the hole for a strong punch! The figure bounced several meters, and upon returning to his feet, his mask dispersed into matter. Beneath it was another, silver mask and black hair, done into spikes, sticking out the back. Bits of blue crystals were embedded in his armor, with a purple one in the chest.
His mask was unmistakable to the Q-Crew. "In…Infinite?!"
"Miko Kubota." He greeted in his calm, dark voice. "It was a matter of time before we met again. Why have you come here?"
"You know exactly why." Miko folded arms. "At least, I hope you do 'cause we're tired of explaining it."
"It's as I feared…" Infinite took a few steps forward. "Miko, you're an honorable girl. You saw the truth of Hinobi's evils. You destroyed them, and you spared me. But my loyalty resides with Eggman, the man who saved me. So, I would like to resolve this peacefully: surrender yourself and come with me. The Monado boy, too. Do so and I will leave this town in peace and give you all a chance to leave the planet."
"If you were gonna threaten us, you should've brought more robots." Quill said.
"This new suit the doctor granted me shall be more than a match for the lot of you."
"Those lights…" Shulk studied the blue gems. "Those are Core Crystals!"
"Indeed! Eggman cut several crystals into pieces and used them to power this Moebius armor. It amplifies my matterbending. The Blades are beings of condensed matter, after all, with Program-like aspects. And it's because I was made Aincrad's MCP that these crystals resonate with me well. Aincrad and this world possess the same origins, as you no doubt know."
"His assessment is logical." Boly's eyes curved worriedly.
"Huh?" Infinite focused on the robot. "…What is this feeling? That robot… IS THAT BOLYPIUS?!"
"Uh, NO NO!" Miko blocked Boly from him and waved her arms. "It's just a robot! That we made! 'Cause we like robots!"
"So in the end, it attained a physical form! Then I guess I'll be taking it as well. Last warning: surrender yourselves now!"
"Sigh…" Miko looked to her friends, but their minds all read the same thought: no way in heck! "Sorry, but even if I do, these guys aren't gonna leave the planet. We're stopping Eggman for good, and I'll stick with them to the end!" (Play "Consul/Moebius Battle" from XC3!)
"So be it!" Infinite's mask reformed, the jackal levitating. "Then you'll perish in the name of the Eggman Empire!"
An Egg Walker, Wyvern, Beetle, and Hawk landed around town. Sector Q and Reyn divided to fight them while Miko, Shulk, and Alvis stood before Infinite. "Hn…" Eddy hesitated to join the others. He was technically Boly's Guardian, but what he could he do besides give the order to fight? "M-Miko! Boly! Go all out if you have to, okay?!"
"Mm-hm!" Miko thumbed up. "You got it, Eddy!" Cords linked her Hinobi glove to Magearna, downloading Boly into it. "You won't be so infinite for long!"
Boss fight: Infinite
Miko extracted her K.O. Hammer, but Infinite scattered his matter in evasion, then did so again when Shulk went for the cut. Infinite spawned three clones of himself, each staticky as they conjured Homs tanks and slammed them around the ground. Miko and Shulk would swat them away, but the Infinites would only recreate them. However, Shulk's vision kicked on, seeing an Infinite conjure a spear and stab Miko's leg mid-jump. When Miko made the jump in question, Shulk memorized the clone that would do it and leapt to slice him. Once exposed, Miko furiously bashed him with her hammer, watching in disgust as the other clones collapsed into flesh piles. Infinite forced both off and bent the flesh's matter back into his chest crystal, which flashed the mobius symbol. Infinite conjured his spear anyway and swung it at Miko, who struggled to evade as her clothes were cut. Shulk directly clashed with the weapon and knocked it off balance, swiftly throwing his Monado up at Alvis. The silver-haired landed and dealt an array of blows at the jackal.
"Miko, new programs have appeared in my memory banks!" Boly said.
Infinite took to the air and tossed another spear at Miko, who saw it a split second too late… or so she thought. An orange Japanese symbol shone on her glove as a barrier appeared to block the spear. "WHOA!"
"The Monado Shield?!" Shulk gasped.
"I see." Alvis smiled knowingly.
Miko smirked and shot lasers from her glove, Infinite bending his own matter to evade. He landed and slapped the ground, twisting it to trap Miko in an earth twister. She had a second to escape as soon as her barrier dispelled, and Shulk would leap up the twister to surprise-drop Infinite! He yelled against the beam-sword's stab, bending the ground to carry Shulk away, but he tossed the sword back to Alvis. With he and Miko charging from two different sides, Infinite conjured Greataxes, twirling them with ease and deflecting the two's onslaught. Infinite took flight around the town, but Miko's glove flashed another symbol: Speed! Her shoes seemed to morph into smaller, sturdy running shoes with wings at the back, emitting a holographic glow. She dashed like a hedgehog, maneuvering around town and—"OW!" hitting a dumpster.
"Miko!" Shulk and Alvis caught up using Monado Enchant.
"She hasn't borrowed all of our powers. Allow us to find the way." Alvis said. Miko followed them as Shulk kept his future seeing consistently active, dodging dumpsters, spike traps, Piranha Plants, or whatever trap Infinite had waiting around the corner. Shulk used hand signs to direct Miko left, right, right, left, and keep going straight. Meanwhile, he would keep chasing Infinite into a route where Miko would crush into him, enlarging her gloved fist to pummel the jackal! Infinite bent rockets to attach to her, sending Miko flying skyward. He would then dispel the rockets and conjure a helicopter for her to fall into. "WAAAAAAH! Boly, shield, Boly, shield, BOLY SHIELD!"
"It still needs time to recharge!"
"THEN USE ANOTHER SYMBOL, HURRYYYYY!" Miko's glove flashed pink, and just as she seemed to touch the blades, she was gone.
"MIKO!!" Eddy screamed, the sight stopping him from shooting the Egg Hawk.
"Where did she…" Infinite glared.
"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!" A tiny Miko had landed right on the copter's propeller, clinging on tight. "What?! I can shrink now?! That's so—COOOOL!" She finally went flying off, splashing in the central fountain.
"Eh?" Finch saw the splash and curiously approached. "WHEW!" Miko blew up back to normal, Finch falling on her rump. "I get it! I don't have the Monado's powers, I have the Pixl powers from Aincrad! I'm not sure how, but I'll take it!" She jumped out of the fountain, watching Infinite take flight after enduring Shulk's onslaught. Infinite's eye shone and sharpened after spotting Miko, who blew a taunting raspberry. Infinite lowered just 20 feet above Miko, conjuring five hi-tech cannons that shot particle beams. Miko evaded and used Boly to stretch a tall ladder, riding it to Infinite's level. The jackal evaded her and grabbed Miko in his own giant hand, spinning to throw her a far distance. However, Miko used another function to flatten herself paper thin, floating gently in the breeze. She puffed back up and dropped, and since she hadn't flown too far, Shulk could catch up and break her fall.
The Egg Wyvern flew headfirst at Kazuma, but a timed jump landed him atop the head. His attempt to punch the robot's brain circuits out were returned with rash shaking, flinging Kazuma right into the fountain. He sat himself up, groaning in sickness. "OOOOOH, NOW I REMEMBER!" He was startled as Finch shot up. "YOU guys are my enemies! Thought you could trick ol' Finch, eh?" Kazuma grit his teeth as the dimwitted bird raised her hammer. "We-heh-hell, looks like Finch got the jump on you first, Ka…Kazra…Katsuma? Uh, wait…" Her Eggman irises flickered. Kazuma could almost see a faint glimmer of regret. "Do I… wanna hurt you?"
As her eyes continued to flicker, the Wyvern came for another divebomb. "Hu-! Feather Brains, look out!"
"Huh?" Finch lazily saw the Wyvern coming. She stuck the hilt of her hammer into the fountain's ground and projected a barrier, completely blocking the charging robot as its head smashed and sparked. Kazuma would lay in awe as the Wyvern depowered and collapsed. "…" Finch returned to him with a smile. "No worries, C-Man. Finch's got your back! You are on Dr. Eggwick's side, right?"
"Haha…yes." For once, her cluelessness was appeasing. "I am definitely on Eggwick's side."
Infinite landed and spawned claw weapons, clashing Shulk's Monado and Miko's hammer. He would will the ground to emerge spikes, but Shulk's visions combined with Enchant would save him, while Miko projected a Carrie platform to glide along the spikes! Infinite ascended and threw numerous spikeballs, but Miko's Carrie could bounce over them all, reach Infinite, and bash him to the surface with hammer! Shulk and Alvis linked hands to land a powerful jump slash, "Monado BUSTER!" but after tanking the blow, Infinite mustered a katana to slash them both across the stomachs! He flipped the ground up like a closing flower in attempt to crush Miko, but her shield was reactivated, protecting herself. Infinite poured more power into crushing it, but Shulk's return would prohibit him.
As Miko struggled inside the stone trap, she remembered another function of Aincrad's Barry Pixl: she spun around as spikes erected from the barrier, spinning with her as they grinded the prison into rubble! Once free, she lunged at Infinite and spun again, slicing him with the spikes. "HUUUR!" Infinite flew into the air and morphed his armor into a larger, more muscular shape! He violently smacked Shulk away before stretching a fist at Miko, blasting her across town and close to Eddy.
"MIKO!" Just after sniping the Egg Hawk's propellers, Eddy horrifically ran to his injured friend. The Hawk's propellers exploded from the force of his supercharged slingshot pellets. "Miko… you're…!" Her body had been broken into particles, huge gaps in her everywhere.
"Ah…ah-ah-aaaaahhh…!" Her eyes creased, feeling she would pass out and die at any second. "A-A-Am I bleeding? Is this what my blood looks like? E-Eddy, do I call a doctor or a developer?!"
"E-Easy, it's just an effect of his matterbending! I-I'm sure it'll wear off!"
"What's wrong?" Infinite approached, materializing a giant hammer. "Damaged beyond repair? This should be easy."
Eddy tried to shoot pellets, but the giant Mobian bent them into particles. "Come on, Boly, aren't you a matterbender, too? Can't you fix her?!"
"My power is primarily restricted to data!"
"But you were using those powers just now! You can manipulate Miko's body in this world now!"
"Energy levels depleted… need time to recharge…"
"Eddy… I-I think I'm gonna die. I-I can't feel my legs! Or my fingers! How will I ever play rhythm games now?!"
With Infinite nearing, the scrawny gamer was pressed for options. He touched the Spirit Ball in his pocket. How could Boly be low on juice? Wasn't she a Newborn? Was it because she didn't have her Pure Hearts? Did he need to do something? What could Eddy do? He was just a dork, how did he even get made Boly's Guardian? Miko's Guardian? She was way more epic than he was, why did it have to come to this? Eddy had no way to help, but he…he couldn't let Miko get taken! He couldn't… "AAAAAHH!" Eddy mounted himself firmly over Miko, shut his eyes from the impending hammer, and threw hands up to fruitlessly block it.
"?!? What?!" There was a flash. Eddy found himself in a strange, digital space… and he was standing on the soles of an upside-down Miko. Both were equally baffled searching around the space, with screens showing glimpses of their respective pasts.
"Eddy, what's happening?!"
"I have no idea!"
A pair of beady blue eyes gazed upon them. "New function unlocked!" Boly announced. "Fusion underway!"
When their view of the real world returned, it seemed Infinite had fallen back. In fact… they seemed to be level with his enlarged form. Shulk, Reyn, and their friends were smaller, looking their way aghast. "?!" Their hands were different. No… they had the same hands! They had transformed into a large, digital, colorful entity: their "face" was only a pair of big glasses, blue under flowing violet hair. Their pupils were Q-shaped. They were thin with a blue shirt and tied green sweater around it, and their legs were cross-sat, thick, socked, and violet. A giant game controller sat in their lap… and as they took it in hand, they only knew one desire. "QUESTER EDIKO! GO!"
Mashing the controller's buttons assaulted Infinite with a flurry of invisible melee attacks. Infinite bent his matter to evade them, grabbing the Quester by the neck and throwing it through some buildings. They flew back and withstood Infinite's hammer volley, grabbing it in place. Shulk and Alvis would run circles around the Moebius, throwing the Monado to each other in spins to slice his legs. "MONADO CYCLONE!" The repetition would give rise to a great cyclone, tearing up Infinite's concentration as Ediko flipped him on his back.
"And now for a new trick!" Alvis took the Monado and stabbed Infinite in the hip. The jackal was shown a vision of Ediko bringing their hammer right down on his chest gem. Infinite materialized a shield to protect it, but in actuality, the Quester would "grab" him by the ankles and bash him around the ground. They would swing him to Shulk and Alvis, who raised the Monado together to stab him in the back, piercing the gem on the other side. Only then would Ediko raise the Big K.O. Hammer and put the nail in the coffin! (End song.)
Ediko's matter scattered, reforming into a laying and exhausted Miko and Eddy. "Huff, huff…THAT WAS SO AWESOOOOOOOME!" But Miko had just enough to kick the air.
"Hueh, hyeah! That was… so good!" Eddy almost wondered if he were dreaming! He never imagined doing something so awesome with Miko; he still wasn't really sure what just happened.
Similarly, Infinite returned to normal. His central gem shattered and his Moebius armor fell apart, the crystals with it. "What? …Was that… the power of Bolypius? But how… did that boy use it, too?"
"Maybe 'cause… I'm just too awesome." Eddy weakly sat up. "Ain't I, Quill?"
"Up yours." He and Carmine had taken out the Walker.
"Huff…the fight is yours… I need to… recover…"
A pair of medical bots arrived, lifting Infinite. Shulk wondered if Sector Q would want to finish him during this moment of weakness… but they made no moves, so he didn't either. "I wonder what… penalty you'll receive…" were Infinite's last words before he was taken across the sky.
"Penalty?" Shulk questioned.
"Man, Boly, why didn't you tell me you could do that?" Miko asked.
"You never queried."
"I think you were just testing my bravery." Eddy replied.
"So, like, can we change into other forms?"
"Data unavailable."
"Whew, I think that calls for a meal!" Jenny rubbed her tummy, she and Reyn sitting atop the crashed Egg Beetle.
"Now you're talkin'!" the brute agreed.
A dark star came shooting toward the planet.
"Master Shulk!" Zeon raced outside. "Everyone is safe and accounted for!"
"Excellent work, Zeon. Looks like we're A-OK."
Alvis gasped, looking skyward. "Something's coming!"
"What?!" The others were drawn into alert.
The black star crashed in the Arbrick Alpine outside town, quaking the Bionis' arm. The friends viewed over the edge. A mass of darkness emerged from the crater, rising to their level. Though the source was very small… the amount of dark aura it projected was horrifying. "What is that thing?!" Shulk asked.
"It…It looks like…" Jenny's eyes grew with bewilderment.
It was infant-size, with a black star head and a white body. Its eyes were a curved white along the borderline of the black and white, and purple ribbons fluttered from its star tips. "It's… JGLUGY."
"What?" Reyn asked confusedly.
"Huh?!" Jenny tried to glance at her own mouth. "I can't say his name?! Why not?!"
"I can't either…" The only thing to come out of Carmine's mouth was gibberish. "But… I thought he was…"
…
"Kinginginginging!" Kael was in glee over Sector Q's shock-ridden expressions. "For using the Newborn's power against other players… you must be punished by the Reborn. Go get them, Ihcarij!"