Mechonis' right arm
Lady Vanea dashed boldly toward an Egg Emperor, its lance challenging her scale Mechonis Sword. If flipping the lance out of its hand wasn't enough to prove its strength, then finding the Mechonis Sword through its core would. Even then, the stubborn Emperor would try to push her with its jetpacks. From the left, Queen Melia cast a blinding ray of magic from her scepter, destroying whatever circuitry kept the robot intact. As the queens took each other's side, two more Emperors and a Golem would close in on them. "Where does Eggman find the time to build all these?" Vanea asked.
"I could ask you the same thing."
"Very funny."
The robots were all shot in the back by lasers. They faced their assaulters, who appeared to be children wearing shirts with a heart-like logo. "What are they?" Melia asked.
"I…I don't know."
"Your Majesties!" A brown-haired Machina appeared on a holo-screen. "A group of unknown, child-like machines have entered the Mechonis! They're attacking Eggman's machines!"
"Don't get close to them. We can't assume they're friendly just yet." Vanea ordered.
"I have some good news, too. A Homs carrier landed at Wrist Station. It looks to be Shulk and Reyn, with another unfamiliar group of kids."
"Shulk!" Melia beamed. "Vanea, let's go-"
A buzzing, blue blur zipped around in a circle and toppled the child robots. The spiked, blue ball unraveled, Metal Sonic's red eyes flashing at the queens.
Sector Q's arrival at Wrist Station was rewarded with a grandiose view of a mechanical city. Patrolling black robots called Mechon were in battle with Eggman's mechs. Among the Mechon were humanoid people with gray skin and metallic armor, wielding weapons of their own. "Are those more of those Face Mechon pilots?" Carmine asked.
"No, those are the Machina, the natives of Mechonis. They're something of a semi-organic machine race."
"Semi-organic…whuh?" Jenny asked dumbfounded.
"Haha, I don't get the biology either." Reyn laughed.
"Oo-oo-oo, I get it!" Finch exclaimed. "It's, like…" she flapped her arms cutely, "when a male Machina inserts his screwdriver inside a female Machina-"
"Okay, Stork, don't give us one of your stories!" Kazuma cringed.
"At least Quill here will fit right into this place." Eddy propped his feet up on Quar's steering wheel, his rump comfily nestled in the seat.
"Do I go to a hospital or a mechanic…" Quar cried.
"Boy, my first mission with my Driver!" Sena perked up. "I'm so nervous! I only just awakened, my skills are so rusty…"
"Relax, Sena, you and I are gonna kick BUTT!" Miko slammed Sena's hammer against her own! "My first Blade! I'll get you up to Level 99 in no time!"
"I suppose my assistance is no longer necessary…" Boly bowed.
"Awe, don't be like that, Boly." Miko tipped Magearna's chin up. "It's not that I don't want to… it's that if I do, a dark baby god will come down to kill us. But hey, I can still use your Pixl powers for level uses, right?"
"Affirmative."
"Then let's move! Time for a little double-hammer action!" Miko swung at the air.
"I also have firebending!" Sena lit the hammer's head aflame.
"ROCK OOOOOONNN!" (Play "Mechonis Field" from Xenoblade!)
Act 7: The Dominant Arm
A mechanical level wouldn't start by first jumping a sequence of platforms moving on rotating tracks. Small robots with heli-helmets, Buckots, would hover above some parts and dump hot pellets, but Miko would get to them first by swinging fireballs from Sena's hammer. The team landed on a stable road as numerous Heavy Riders (mace-wielding robots riding one-wheel motorbikes) zoomed to intercept them. Jenny skated up first, doing an upside-down twirl as her blades kicked the maces away, followed by fast vertical kicks to crush the robots' heads. A treadmill sidewalk would quickly carry them up the path, but some robots at the opposite end flipped the reverse switch, sending them back. However, Jenny had readily leapt on the side rail, grinding up to punish the robot and flip the treadmill to normal!
The road would fork, except the drawbridges in either direction were up. But Miko saw a path above the wall in the center, so she had Boly use a Laddie to climb up. Here, she found a Riddler challenge designed like Whack-a-Mole, except it was Hedgehog Hammer! She and Sena had to hit either the blue or gold hedgehogs, but hitting the Eggmen would deduct points. Still, they were able to land 6,000 points and win the trophy! Down below, Carmine threw a bomb at a weak point suspending the right bridge, causing it to drop and pave the way. The friends would have to cross a field of pump platforms, in which random ones would drop into a poison river. Shulk used a vision to determine the ideal route to take, so they all made haste!
As they did, they saw a crane carrying Quar and Eddy high up on their left. "He's leaving his sock smell all over my seat! How's that going to affect my insides?!" The group would land on a treadmill suspended over the river, and would have to make the far jump to the next using its momentum. On the second treadmill, an Egg Keeper would send its head to float over it, projecting a traction beam that would lock whoever got in, in this case Shulk. "Gah! It's got me!" Carmine quickly threw a small bomb at the head, Shulk regaining motion in time to make the jump. Before they leapt to the 4th treadmill, Shulk had a vision of a robot immediately flipping its direction to push them in the poison. "MONADO SPEED!" Shulk granted the Speed buff to all present allies, but it was barely enough to get them up the treadmill. Since Jenny had more 'oomph' in her skates, she could make it up first, destroy the robot, and flip the treadmill back.
They were fortunate to rest on a stable ground and proceed to a tremendous, round door connecting the next part of the town. Even the way the door opened was complex. A large platoon of Egg Hammers and Egg Guardians marched out. The mechs were surprised as Eddy rammed Quar from their right, toppling some of the mechs over. "Whoever came up with Thomas the Tank is a twisted bastard!" Reyn dealt Shield Bashes to deflect the Hammers' weapons and Kazuma locked fists with the Guardians. Their combined efforts disposed of the mechs with ease. The bridge beyond the platoon was up, but Shulk saw the switch would be above a sequence of gears beside them. Miko rode the first gear up, but to survive being crushed against the other gear, she used the Slim command to thin flat.
Even in her slim state, Miko could jump onto the second gear as it rotated upward. It would connect with a tall, horizontal gear, but Miko could jump on its thin edge and rotate with it. From there, she could drop onto a platform with the bridge switch and flip it. She rejoined her friends and crossed the bridge. However, the rest of the path was destroyed except for the very left, requiring them to sidle along the fence. Steam pipes would pop open and threaten to blow them off, so they would wait for them to close. One of the pipes would blow Miko onto a platform with a Riddle Trophy, and there was another steam geyser to send her to the next path!
The team entered a wide pipe where an Egg Crosshair lurked on the other side. Miko used the Barry to survive its bullets as she proceeded up. "Haha, I guess you don't need my own barriers, huh?" Sena asked. They destroyed the Crosshair, and the pipe would curve left through a rotating portion. Bladed Spinners lurked in the pipe. Jenny was best in skating up while maintaining her composure and destroying the propellered mechs. She hit a switch to stop the pipe's spinning, allowing her friends to catch up. The pipe let out into a wide chamber where hordes of Beatbots charged them at an alarming rate. They were small, pink robots that would aggressively shove the group back down the pipe, but Kazuma's fists would fly faster than they could approach, destroying each in one hit. It wouldn't be enough to stop the endlessly spawning hordes, but with his rabbit-like reflexes, Kazuma hopped over the crowd of Beatbots and slammed a switch that would seal their hatches.
"Wait, Finch isn't here!" Carmine exclaimed. "Where is she?!"
"I told her to check another path a while back." Kazuma answered.
"You DITCHED her?!"
"What was your plan?"
"That's mean! Didn't Finch save you back in town?!"
"Yeah, but she's still annoying."
They followed a stairway up to a bridge leading to an open ground. They saw a High Entia girl with small wings and silver hair tied in curls, and a Machina woman, in battle with a hedgehog robot. "MELIA!" Shulk called. "Lady Vanea!"
"Shulk!" Melia cast a storm of fireballs at Metal Sonic. The robot curled in a Spin Dash to survive, but one of the robot children sent it flying with a kick! The three robots turned attention to the new arrivals. "Thank goodness you're alright! Are these children with those friends of yours?"
"What? …No, I have no idea who they are. Do you?"
"Yyyyyeeeeah…" Miko's answer slowly drawled itself out the more she analyzed the mechs. "That's Sofia the First!"
"Greetings!" Sofia greeted in a mechanical voice. "I'm Sofia! Friendship request initiated!"
"And those two look like Hercules and Aladdin!" Carmine exclaimed.
"My statistics are currently 31% Zero and 69% Hero!" Robo-Hercules twitched.
"Robot Disney kid heroes?" Jenny questioned. "Ugh, this has Mickey's stench all over it!"
"Miko!" Boly alerted. "The logo on their chests! Identified as MomCorp's brand!"
"I should've known!"
Metal Sonic Spun Dashed the androids once more. "You're saying those are Mickey's machines?" Melia asked, casting a Thunder Spell at Metal. "That means they're friendly!"
"NO THEY'RE NOT!" Miko smashed Sofia-bot with her hammer.
"Mickey's a dirty cheat!" Kazuma pummeled Mechaladdin.
"Stop that!" Melia shouted. "Those children helped protect us from-"
"Melia, watch out!" Vanea and Shulk crossed swords to block Metal's Home Attack. "These kids have been faithful allies. They wouldn't say such things without reason."
"Yeah!" Miko batted Metal with both hammers. "After this, we'll tell you all about Kael's Game!"
"?!?" Melia and Vanea fell to their knees as all the knowledge came coursing through them. "Melia?" A confused Shulk was forced to counter a flurry of Metal's kicks. Shulk spun back and passed the Monado to Alvis, who went for a stab into Metal's chest. The hedgehog grabbed the Monado's beam and struggled to push it out, scanning Alvis' Core Crystal meanwhile.
"Analyzing Aegis data…."
"Analyzing?"
Metal glanced over at Miko and Sena. "You." His eyes flashed at the Blade. "Obey Eggman at once!"
"M-Me?" Sena pointed at herself confusedly. "Ah-!" Her head began to ring terribly.
"Sena, what's wrong?!"
"Eggman… is… my master!" Sena tackled Miko and swiped her hammer back. She swung the flaming weapon at her Driver, Miko blocking with her open gauntlet.
"No he isn't! Come on, Sena, fight it!" Miko rolled out of their stalemate and shot lasers from her glove. "I know! Maybe I can neutralize it like a glitch!"
"It's useless!" Metal Sonic pushed the Monado off and Home Attacked Miko, knocking her several feet away and leaving some cuts. "Our control over Common Blades is stronger. She is ours now!"
"You're the one that took Pyra's 'Aegis data'!" Shulk realized as he slashed Monado Cyclone. "You're the main one controlling the Blades, aren't you?! We can end all of this if we destroy you!"
Metal flew farther away. "Sounds like a great excuse to do THIS!" Eddy proclaimed as he RAMMED Metal with a face-full of Quar.
"DAH, I think I swallowed some of his oil!!"
"You're a car, it should be tasty!"
Metal recovered in time to fend off Shulk's next onslaught. "Monado Data at 15%. Will need time to process the rest." The hedgehog retreated down a nearby slope and up a track.
"And just WHERE do ya think you're going?!" Eddy spun the Quar around and zoomed after the hedgehog.
"Activating holo supply boxes!" On Metal's command, several neon ? Blocks appeared along the track. "Requesting backup!"
"Backup coming right up!" Eddy saw three karts incoming, manned by Scratch, Grounder, and a red monkey robot called Coconuts.
"You won't stop Metal Sonic on OUR watch! Bagawk!" Scratch chortled.
"We'll grind you and your stupid talking car to scrap!" Grounder taunted.
"My stupid car will make scrap of you FIRST!" Eddy declared.
"I can already feel blisters on my TIRES!" Quar screamed. (Play "Vs. Metal Sonic" from Sonic Generations!)
Boss fight: Metal Sonic
Eddy maneuvered around some large pumps before having to curve left. He would hit the first row of ?-Blocks before ramp-jumping over a series of platforms along a poison river. His first item was a Green Shell, but Scratch got three Green Shells, Ground a red one, and Coconuts a Bob-omb. Eddy kept his Green Shell as a shield, so by the time he was passed the poison river, he would evasively dodge Scratch's shells, sacrifice his own to block Grounder's, and by the time he needed to curve right, he could dodge Coconuts' bomb. The gravity would bend to their need as they drove off the track and along the very side of the Mechonis' arm, the expansive sky and Titans splayed around them. They hit another round of blocks, from which Eddy earned Triple Bananas. Crossing a canyon toward the Mechonis' hand, Eddy drove through three arches and opened a shortcut inside the wall of a left turn. He sped through the tunnel, up a ramp, and just as he exited, Metal Sonic was in view after taking the long way. Eddy launched a banana to dizzy and ground the hedgehog, ramming Quar right into him.
However, Scratch had Triple Reds, sending all shells after second intervals. Two of them destroyed Eddy's other bananas, and when he was trying to dodge a large patrolling Mechon, he was struck by the third shell. Grounder was able to get ahead and use his item: a Gatling Peter. "Hehehehehehe!" Peter Griffin spawned on the back of his kart, shooting a gatling to prevent Eddy from catching up. To make matters worse, Coconuts was about to ram Eddy with a Bullet Bill—before lightning suddenly struck the bots and shrunk them. "HEY! What happened?!" Scratch squeaked.
"Just evening the ODDS!" Jenny Strongarm raced up in a giant roller skate, squashing Scratch and Coconuts.
"Thanks, Jen!" Eddy sped up without issue. They saw a secret path to the right, driving up and crossing a thin, diagonal bridge—Metal Sonic left a banana on it, causing Eddy to slip off. Jenny kept going and drove off a Glide Ramp, flying over a Mechon canyon and dodging the robots' lasers. She snatched a ? Block with a Red Shell, launching it for a successful hit on Metal. She would glide down to another Glide Ramp on the main track, where she would reunite with Eddy. This ramp would send them out of the Gravity Zone and down the Mechonis' towering body! They dodged Metal's missiles as Eddy judged the best time to use his Triple Greens—made worse by the fact Grounder was shooting fireballs from above. Scratch attained a Quagmire, which spawned the big-chinned pervert in his own flying kart. "Giggity-giggity-giggity-giggity!" When Scratch closed in on Jenny, Quagmire flew down, grabbed her, and- "NOT AGAAAIIIIN…" dragged her off-screen.
Eddy followed Metal inside an opening on the Mechonis' hip, driving a roadway with a view of a Machina city on their right. He shot all three Green Shells in spread-out directions, and one of them conveniently ricocheted right into Metal. "HEY!" That was when Eddy was hit by a Place Swap, winding up behind the bots while Coconuts stole his position. The racers would curve right and cross leading into a lake of steaming water. On the way, Eddy dodged Scratch's shells, Grounder's Bob-omb graced Quar's right. "Dude, what're you doing back here?!" Jenny asked as she caught up.
"I got cheated, that's what! Do you have any items?"
"Just this Boo."
"Well, use it, I guess, we gotta make room for something useful. Get ready to dive!"
Protective bubbles went up over their seats as they drove into the steaming water, their engines switching to propellers. "Ga-a-a-a-a-ah, it's all going in my mouth!" Quill gurgled. "It's seriously gonna hurt peeing all this out!" They drove over bubble geysers for elevation over the deep lake, and Eddy seized a ?-Block with a Blue Shell. Hoping it would help, he tossed it forth. Jenny's Boo stole a Super Horn from a further racer… and that happened to be Metal's Super Horn. He had nothing to defend himself from the Blue Shell, suffering a serious blow. Beaming at their combined effort, the racers exited the lake onto a long, fast waterslide! They had no room to maneuver around the three robots; Grounder activated a Star and became invincible. He tried to slow down and trick the ops into crashing him, but the river caused him to curve sideways. Grounder tried to nudge his pedal into straightening his kart, but the enhanced speed the Star gave him caused him to drive right off the slide.
Eddy hit a ?-Block with a Bullet Bill, immediately using it to catch up. The slide would grow wide and dive into a waterfall with shifted gravity, Scratch and Coconuts clearing a way for the Bill to pass. Once Eddy changed back, Scratch switched on a Piranha Plant, attached to the front of his kart. The waterfall made a tight curve up into a gravity tunnel, where Eddy caught another ?-Block with Triple Mushrooms. Scratch was just on the verge of gnashing Quar with his Piranha, but Jenny caught up and blasted him with the Super Horn. Eddy quickly boosted to stay ahead of the pack. Metal Sonic was in view, so without any items, Eddy used his new slingshot to shoot him. They passed another row of ?-Blocks upon exiting the tunnel, the gravity shifting as they drove up the Mechonis' back. Metal earned three Mushrooms while Eddy got a Gatling Peter. "But this is only good for enemies behind me, I can't-"
"EDDY, DODGE, EDDY!!" Quill's shrill cry alerted Eddy to Metal trying to Drill Boost into him, the driver barely dodging in time. Now that Metal was behind him, Eddy activated the Peter, "Hehehehehehehe!" twisting his kart at good angles to constantly hit Metal. It didn't help that this part of the track required them to quickly drive into gaps between rising walls, but once past that, Metal boosted and struck Quar, destroying the Peter.
"Eddy, share my mushrooms!" Jenny drove close to him as her orbiting Triple Mushrooms empowered his kart. They hit a Glide Ramp that would curve left and upright as they landed on a track going up the Mechonis' left.
"Nehehehe!" Grounder chortled. "Check out what I got, Scratch! A Crazy 8!" He pressed the item button as one of 8 items orbited his kart.
"Hey, Grounder, gimme a Star and I'll ram them!"
"All yours, buddy!"
Scratch steered his kart close to Grounder's as they glid. "S-Slow down! I can't get close!"
"I can't slow down when we're flying, dummy!"
"I-I almost-" Scratch stretched a wing over, and just as they landed back on track, his wing missed the orbiting Star and touched the Bob-omb. "Oh?"
"DWOOOOOOOOOHHHHH!" The explosion scattered the items and sent the bots plummeting to the sea.
"Haha, chumps!" Coconuts snatched the dropped Star, his speed increasing. "You two are MINE!"
Unfortunately, Eddy had no items left and Jenny only had a Spring Pad from the last block. Metal Sonic was set to use his last Mushroom to ram Eddy. Jenny panicked as she saw Coconuts closing in behind them. "Eddy, get ready to jump." she said as she steered behind him.
"Jump?"
Metal Sonic launched, and Coconuts would soon touch Jenny. "NOW!" She quickly hit the Spring Pad, launching Eddy with her because he was close! The spring poofed, and Coconuts and Metal were too late to dodge each other as they made collision. Coconuts' invincibility earned him an unfortunate victory in that confrontation. (End song.)
The mechanical hedgehog shattered to pieces. "WHAT?!" Coconuts panicked, his Star wearing off.
"SLUH-AM!" Jenny's giant shoe squished the ape flat! She and Eddy stopped their karts with bumpy landings as they approached Metal's head.
"Sorry, Metalhead!" Eddy proudly picked it up. "But I'm the only worthy Driver here! …Hehe, I just realized Quill is kind of like my Blade! Get it?"
"I'm gonna kill you when I get back to normal."
"The point is, your control over the Blades is over!"
"Hahahahaha…" Metal's eyes shimmered red. "Fools. I may have copied the Aegis Data… but the data was already downloaded into Eggman's Egg Aegis. Destroying me will accomplish nothing. I was only a small conduit of the power."
"What?!"
"It is unfortunate I cannot send this new Aegis's data to the doctor. Well, it doesn't matter…" The robot began to beep. Eddy quickly threw him off the edge before the head exploded.
"AAAAAAGH!"
"Quill?!" Jenny gasped.
"Aaaaahhh…" Quill's tires turned into arms and legs. His face and engines stretched into each other to become his head and hair. The rest of his bulk popped back into his normal, tiny body! "Huff…huff…huff…"
"Hey-hey, you're back to normal!" Eddy approached his buddy in joy. "I guess the universe knew you had an important task to fulfill before you did! Welcome back, bud-" Quill immediately riddled him with a storm of elemental blasts from his weapons.
"Uhhhh, I'll call the others." Jenny shirked.
…
After recovering from their shocked state, the queens listened to Sector Q's story. They learned the general scope of the 'Smash Bros.'… and what King Mickey did to their friends. "So, then… this Mickey is as much our enemy as Eggman."
"Now, wait a minute, Shulk!" Melia argued. "They said that Mickey publicized secrets about them! If such secrets could turn the universe against them, then they must be highly illegal!"
"No, they're not!" Carmine stomped. "Er, at least… not that illegal. And technically, it wasn't Mickey, it was one of our friends—I mean, our former friend who turned traitor. But Mickey still profited off it!"
"The point is," Kazuma recapped, "Mickey is trying to paint us in a bad image, despite all the good we've done for everybody!" Although, he only saved the universe once, but that detail wasn't necessary.
"How do we know you aren't the true enemy?" Melia questioned. "You may be against Eggman, but that doesn't mean you have our best interests."
"Yes we do!" Miko shouted, forced to hold Sena in a chokehold to shoot her with her glove. The Anti-Glitch function was having a steady effect on the Blade, weakening her rebelliousness. "We're only playing this game because we can't let the other players win! We don't want to rule over anybody, but Mickey's just going to take everybody's freedom!"
"Mickey never seemed like an evil sort. His words were pure."
"Mickey's going to make everybody follow Disney's formula." Kazuma hissed. "Nobody will be allowed to cuss, say anything offensive, or…or fight…" He feared that his own words were betraying him.
"And… how is that bad, exactly? Our peoples always dreamed of the day we could stop fighting."
"You don't get it! Yeah, I know cussing and fighting is bad, but we still have the freedom to do it! It's like… you know those Internet dweebs who whine whenever someone says the tiniest insult, like 'That's so dumb' or 'I dig this chick!' and they fuckin' delete your comment? That's basically what the whole universe will be if Disney rules!"
"None of that… made any sense to me at all."
"UGH!"
"I may not understand," Shulk said, "but… I don't want to doubt them. Mickey's goal may seem idealistic, but are we really sacrificing our freedom to follow it?"
"Melia," Vanea began, "to be honest, I've always been a little… suspicious ever since you returned. The way you speak so highly of Mickey, and when you talked about feeling 'sleepy' when you spoke to his agent… Melia, I can't help but feel like you were being brainwashed."
"Brainwashed?!"
"Perhaps it's a little farfetched to say-"
"It is definitely farfetched! My mind has always been in check, thank you very much! I would know if I were brainwashed!"
"I did not mean to…"
"For all we know, these kids are trying to deceive us. Are you going to believe them or me?!"
"I…" Vanea spared a glance at the operatives… and to Shulk, Reyn, and Alvis. And Dunban was there, too. He was wearing a janitor's uniform and mopping the floor. "…Well, I'd rather not be against you. So, I'll go with whatever you think is right."
"And what about you, Shulk?"
"I…" Shulk would like to use his visions to see who was right in the end. Which path do they follow? But with both sides eying him so expectantly, he didn't even want to be sure. "If we did side with Mickey… what would you do?"
"We… You would be our enemy." Miko answered. "We would have to fight and defeat you, so we could win."
"Yeah…" Carmine somberly agreed. "But when it's all over… I hope we can be friends again."
"All right…" Shulk felt the weight of their words. "Then I've decided to put my trust in them."
"You have?" Reyn asked.
"Even if Mickey is the right choice in the end… I just can't doubt all the help these kids have given us. Poppi chose to ask for their help, not Mickey's… so, I will, too."
"A'ight then. I got your back."
"But, Shulk!"
"I'm sorry, Melia. You don't need to come with us. You can rally all of Bionis and Mechonis to side with Mickey. But this is the path I choose."
"I…I…" Melia had never been at odds with Shulk. His words weighed on her… The queen needed to plant the hilt of her staff to the ground to keep herself steady. "I don't… know… what to…"
"People of Mira!" A squadron of Disneybots landed around them, speaking with the voice of a tender, loving mother. "You don't need to worry. Everything will be all right."
"Your Majesties! A large ship is approaching the Titans! Bringing up an image now!"
The screen displayed a massive, heart-shaped ship, which itself had a holographic image of Mom. Her voice was so kind that it was deceiving. "I am Mom of Mom's Friendly Robots. Here to lend my support to all Mirans in need. You don't need to fear my robots, which are sponsored by the Disney Corporation. My robots are friendly. They'll make all those bad Eggman robots go away. So, stay calm, be happy, and please be mindful of the Killbots' line of fire. Oh, yes: if you happen to see any visitors from Earth, they're bad, too. And my robots will destroy them accordingly."
The Disneybots aimed palms at the operatives and fired, the kids hastily dodging. Shulk slashed them, Carmine threw bombs, and Kazuma pummeled a Tianabot with knuckledusters. "WOOHOO!" Finch flew and SMASHED Tiana with her hammer!
"Ugh, you again?"
"Yep! A good Blade never leaves her Driver!"
"I'm not a Driver."
"Really? But I could've sworn we've always been partners, through thick and thin."
"Your Majesties!" A large Mechon ship with "KND" painted in white letters came down. "We're here to take you someplace safer!" the brown-haired Machina said. "If Shulk is attacking the child robots, does that mean they're our enemies?"
"They…" Even Vanea was unsure how to answer. Melia was knelt, fighting with her own emotions. "Never mind that now. Mwamba, I want you to take Shulk and his friends; take them wherever they need to go! I'll stay here with Melia."
"But, My Lady-"
"We'll be fine, Mwamba. We have to stay here. But you need to help these people stop Eggman! Go, now!"
"Er, I… Yes, of course! Everybody, get on!"
Mwamba lowered the ship enough for the operatives to leap on, Miko carrying Sena and Kazuma begrudgingly pulling Finch up. The ship rose and made flight for an exit hatch. "Let's find Eddy and the others!" Miko said. "Then we need to contact the other teams!"
Eggman's base
"Grrrrrr!" That was the most mature response Eggman could give for Mom's announcement. How dare that heart-haired harlot rain on his parade?! If she thought her robots were superior to his, she was in for it! "SIRENS! Blow that heart out of the sky at once! Omelette, what's your statis?! Come in, Omelette!"
The child's bruised, sniveling face came onscreen. "D-D-Daddy… that mean pirate girl beat me up! She ruined my Ferronis! Waaaaahhh!"
"Damn… Alright, report back to the Walrus at once. At this rate, there's no telling what the Aegises and the Newborn can do together. There's only one option left." Eggman changed transmission to, "Team Rocket! What's the situation with Deoxys and that Ztar Child?"
The three agents showed their selves with wary faces. "Uh, we, chased them around the world, and now we're at the Cloud Sea's edge." Jessie answered. "Their fight is so intense, they're making whole new continents! Haha! We're still waiting for the chance to capture the Ztar Child-"
"Never mind him! Capture Deoxys at once!"
"D-Deoxys? But, sir, we…"
"Our net's specially designed to electrify Firstborn because of their weak bodies!" Meowth explained. "It can't work on a full-grown god!"
"Use whatever means you need to! Deoxys' chi will be the perfect fuel source for my Aegis. It's our last chance to destroy those meddlesome urchins! As for that Ztar Kid, it was obviously Kael who brought it here as the KND's penalty. It's already on our side. And it's giving you an opportunity to capture Deoxys!"
"B-But…" James gulped. "He's so big and bendy…"
…
Jessie's words were no exaggeration: Ihcarij called down meteors from space, and Deoxys bent up matter from the deep sea. The godly forces melded together with every impact, creating brand new masses of land. A cliffside valley, a white desert, a deep forest of dense trees, and islands sprinkled along the ocean. Deoxys slammed the corrupt god into a cliff behind the Cloud Sea's edge; a strong, steel cliff that Deoxys himself spawned. The DNA God stretched a cluster of tentacles to rapidly pummel the Ztar Child into submission. The mission felt even more hopeless as Team Rocket loomed close. "Hooooh…I wish there was an easy way to do this." Jessie moaned.
Her words reached the child's ears. Ihcarij blew Deoxys off him and cast a ztar up at Team Rocket's ship. "AAAAAAHHH!" They feared they would be blasting off in a second… "Eh?" But instead, the ztar peacefully entered their hull and popped in Jessie's hand. "It's a Darkball!" A Pokéball imbued with Dark Chi that Iron Mask specialized in. "Does this mean we can…" The three agents snickered maliciously. "Wooooobbuffet!"
Mechon sector's ship
The Eggman irises faded from Sena's eyes. She tiredly met the eyes of her relieved Driver. "Hey! Are you feeling better?"
"Miko… did I just try to hurt you?"
"Yeah, but it's fine! I think I broke Eggman's control on you! Maybe I can do that to other Blades!"
"Heh, and he said his control on Common Blades was stronger." Eddy smirked.
"It could still be because Miko is a special case." Shulk reasoned.
"Well, whether it was me or Boly, we have a shot at saving them all! Ya ready to take the fight to Eggman, Sena?"
"Miko, I shouldn't go with you." Sena bowed in regret. "If I do, I might fall under his control again."
"I'm not worried about that! You've fought by my side for, like, 30 whole minutes, I'm not just gonna abandon you now!"
"Oh, I'm not worth the trouble, Miko. I'm just an ordinary Blade."
"You are NOT just a Common Blade!" Miko passionately clasped her shoulders. "You're my FIRST Blade! And a first Blade is like a first Pokémon, you just feel that deep, virtual attachment that you can't let go, the kind you'd just cry over if they died in a Nuzlocke challenge!"
"Heh…heh heh heh!" Sena never expected to hear something so flattering in her short lifespan. "Well, if you mean that, then… my hammer will be with you the whole way! Thanks, Mimi."
"Awwwww, I get a nickname now! That's so sweeeeet!"
"Alright, dudes!" Lanz, a tall, 10-year-old Machina with white hair addressed the crew. "Just finished callin' our buds and your buds are A-OK! But they're kinda pooped from fightin' all day, so they kinda wanna take it easy."
"Today's been so busy, I forgot what time it is." Carmine agreed. "But it is pretty late. We can't beat Eggman if there's crust in our eyes!"
"Then let's land somewhere an' get some shuteye! Even little Valdi's tuckered out." A smaller, 7-year Machina was sat against the wall, bobbing his head in and out. He wore a blue shirt and brown shorts with black shoes, and had a small Mechon toy in his lap.
"Let's camp out at Colony 6 then." Reyn suggested. "Get some grub while we're at it."
…
At morning's first light, all three ships met at a designated area close to the Cloud Sea's edge. It was difficult sleeping under the tremors of Deoxys' battle, and the new continent hadn't gone unnoticed. "Blimey, we only just got here and there's ALREADY a new place?!" Sheila exclaimed. "Man, this planet can't get any better!"
"Save the adventure for later, Sheila." Cheren advised. "I can't believe Mom is trying to steal our glory. I never should've saved her back then!"
"We'll get our chance at her, I'm sure." Nebula reasoned. "More importantly, do you think you guys can do anything about them?"
This question was directed at Miko and Vanellope, who studied the shackled Blades: Dromarch, Roc, Pandoria, KOS-MOS, Ursula, and the others. "You know, I've been reborn inside Boly's data." Vanellope recalled. "Though I did wind up kinda small, hehe. But if these guys came from her data, maybe I can help fix them."
"Then the two of us together should make this a piece of cake!"
"Hey, that's my slang!"
"Whatever you're doing, you'd better make it snappy." Mwamba said. "They could escape and attack us any time."
"Relax." Malos shook. "They even try to break free of my shackles, I'll clobber 'em."
"You're scary!" Artie panicked.
"Perhaps focus on freeing Nia's and Zeke's Blades first." Mòrag suggested. "Sadly, it seems Brighid is still unaccounted for."
"Could we free Ursula, too?" Celica asked.
"Ah, of course!" Zeke grinned. "We'll need the both of you, too!"
"Well, yes… but she must be hurting very badly. I just want to be able to comfort her."
"D'AWW, THAT'S SO WHOLESOME!" Miko screamed. "Alright, Ursula comes first! Vanellope, get hacking!"
"YEAH!!" The glitch zipped into Ursula's crystal.
"I kinda wanna check out Mechonis later." Haylee smiled as she studied Lanz. The Machina was as tall as her despite their 6-year age difference. "Semi-organic robots? And it provides all the metal you need?"
"I ain't really a mechanic." Lanz shrugged. "But I don't think the metal is infinite, we just make good use of it. You're better off asking Valdi than me."
"Who's—huh?" When Haylee turned, her legs bumped into a small force. She found a 7-year Machina who was hip-level with her.
"You have a wrench, miss." Valdi said with a sweet voice. "Are you a mechanic?"
"Sure am." Haylee squat to his level. She made note of his goggles and slight tubby frame… almost like a miniature version of her dad. "And I bet you are, too, huh?" She poked his chest.
"Uh-huh! I made this." He placed a tiny Mechon with a pointed head on the floor. Haylee was awed as it walked around her sneakers. "He's Mechafriend. He's my little helper."
"Awe, he's cute." Haylee lightly tapped his point. "Eek!" And drew a bit of blood. "As long as you wear shoes around him."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, if you stepped on him without shoes, that would seriously hurt."
"Oh, right… I suppose Homs have fragile skin. Okay. Maybe I'll take the needle off." Valdi picked Mechafriend up.
"No problem. So, do you make other machines?"
"I've made my share of combat Mechon. But my mom mostly teaches me medic stuff. So, I'm sorta the team's doctor."
"You're a pretty talented kid!"
"Hehe! Well, I've only been at it for 738 years."
"That's still pretty…ZUUUUUUH?!"
"What?" Reyn asked. "You didn't know Machina live for thousands of years?"
"So, like… you're seriously older than me?!"
"Oh, yeah." Valdi smiled sweetly. "I guess I am."
"His mother is Linada, correct?" Alvis asked.
"Yeah." Shulk smiled. "The woman who treated Seven back then. I'm sure Valdi will be a great doctor like her someday."
"OI, COBBERS!" Sheila called. "Crazy cool beastie on the starboard-bow!"
"That's no beastie!" Cheren exclaimed. "That's Deoxys!"
"And…" Nebula couldn't believe her eyes.
Thirty meters ahead of them, the God of DNA was suspended by dark magic… and above him, a white infant with a black ztar head. "That's him!" Quill shouted. "The creature that attacked us for using Boly! It looks like…"
"JDDLY! JDDLY, is that you?!" Nebula exclaimed. "M-My voice! Why can't I…"
"Is this what… Medusa meant about the Firstborn?" Arianna asked. "Does that mean CLILU is alive some…huh?"
"NEBULA!" Cheren and Vweeb screamed as the Supreme Leader flew closer.
"JUBBLEJAY! JUBBLEJAY, it's me! Nebula! Do you recognize me?! Neb-u-la!"
". . . . !!!" A headache coursed in Ihcarij's mind. The ztar clasped it, losing his grip on Deoxys. In a dark flash, the Reborn disappeared, and the god plummeted toward the sea.
"He's gone!" Jenny gasped. "Should we help Deoxys?!"
"Yes, let's!" Boly agreed.
However, Deoxys suddenly turned into a mass of darkness, sucked into a little black ball. "What?!" (Play "Team Rocket Motto" from Pokémon!)
"Hahahahahahaha!" The ball was beamed back into a cloaked ship, designed like a Meowth. An all too familiar fanfare resounded in the air. "Prepare for trouble, we're on this world, too!"
"And make it double, we'll make no rest for you."
"Since Xenoblade is technically a Nintendo franchise-"
"We'll make sure that it meets its demise!"
The rocket changed course for the Cloud Sea. "To protect the world from devastation!"
"To unite all people within our nation."
"To denounce the evils of free will Blades!"
"To turn them into our obedient maids!"
The scarlet-haired woman raised a makeshift greataxe. "Jessie!"
The blue-haired man wielded twin rings. "James."
"Team Rocket are the best Pokémon Drivers around!"
"Surrender now or we'll flip this world upside-down."
"Meeeeeowth! Let's get Deoxys back to the Eggclown!" ("Woooobbuffet!" "Chiiiiime.")
"Who the bloody hell are they?!" Zeke exclaimed.
"They're Team Rocket!" Aurora answered. "They're bad guys who always try to kidnap the Firstborn!"
"But since when are they able to capture a normal god?!" Artie asked. "Did Deoxys get weakened that much?"
"Nebula, hurry back to ship!" Cheren ordered. "We'll chase 'em down!"
Team Rocket flew to a stormy region where the Cloud Sea was dark and unwelcoming. But that darkness wasn't because of the storm… they could almost make out a tremendous shape underneath it. And as Team Rocket dove their ship down, the shape rose from the clouds. "It's a Titan!" Rex realized. "A Titan we've never seen before!"
"THAT'S no Titan!" Mythra said. "It's… a machine!"
"It's a walrus!" Haylee said.
It was the size of a Titan and the shape of a walrus, but its head bore the shape, nose, and mustache of Eggman's head. In fact, the head itself looked like a mini Death Egg. The rest of the Titan was a metallic black with a city of defenses strewn along it. "Eggman built an entire Titan in the Cloud Sea?!" Rex questioned the reality of the sight. "Without anyone knowing?!"
"I've always heard he was a technical wizard." Vweeb said. "I'm sure he uses his robot army to build most of his stuff, but he must be crazy rich to afford all the material."
"Mehmeh! Tora almost jealous of mechanical majesty!"
"At least he's saved us the trouble of finding him." Miko smirked. "We've finally made it to the boss level! It's time to complete this world once and for all!"
"What does that mean?" Mythra asked.
"Gamer lingo! Roll with it!"