This next stage crosses over with Danganronpa! Since this is a transitional arc, the characters won't have heavy focus, and the games' stories are non-canon. I'm also cutting the major characters from this event.
Almost every afternoon, Chris Uno would stroll to the Hunger Burger, buy a large patty, and return home with crumbs over his mouth. He had welcomed every day that he could take it easy, the world peaceful around him. "BGAAAAHHH!" Except for the man with dark-green hair, matching jacket, blue tracksuit pants, and chain necklace being blasted away by Sector V's treehouses defenses. "SECTOR VEEEEE! I'm warning you, for the last time, let me in your treehouse now, or your front yard's gonna be REAL messy!"
Chris was intrigued. No villain was ever bold enough to invade the Top Sector's treehouse, anymore. Nor was this guy smart enough. "What the hell are you doing, buddy?"
"Eh?" The huge man faced Chris. "We-hell! Chris Uno, the Demon Prince… You finally acknowledge my strength."
"I acknowledge you gettin' yourself killed. If you're trying to invade us, my friends aren't home."
"That's alright! You'll make the perfect example!" His eyes flaming, the man pulled back a Haki-hardened fist. "Towa Academy has sent me, Nekomaru, to DELIVER ITS GREETINGS!"
Chris lazily raised a hand to absorb part of the impact: although the blonde teen went flying up the street and between several houses, he'd seen much harder punches. Landing on his back, Chris found himself beneath a pair of tan, firm legs. Sheila's head leaned over him. "Chris? What're ya doin' down there?"
"Just a villain, Sheila. …Why do you have a pizza box?"
"The mates sent me to get one. Wanted me ta bring you a slice."
"I just had a burger."
"'ey, they bugged me into doing this, make it worth my while!"
"Tryin' to hide from ME?!" Nekomaru leapt from one house over. "Oh! Looks like the party's even, Akane!"
The ops looked the other way: a tan-skinned girl with wavy brown hair, red skirt, and strong legs assumed a fighting pose, her eyes also aflame. "Coach, that's the Sunny Fist! Now, I can REALLY test my mettle!"
"Why are their eyes like that?" Chris asked.
"It's something Victini did."
"Victini? That thing from Field Day?"
"Blimey, you're really a few pegs behind, Chrissy."
"NOW, AKANE!" Nekomaru dashed. "TWO-PRONGED ASSAULT!"
The coach flipped and crushed Chris into the street, while Akane punched Sheila across the jaw repeatedly. "We're in the middle of another war, Chris." Sheila explained as Akane sent her to the air with a kick. "We could sure use your help."
"I'm not coming back, Sheila." Nekomaru gripped Chris's head like a basketball, did a midair flip, and slam-dunked him. "Besides, my chi paths still hurt."
"We 'ave a way to fix bending, y'know!" Sheila was kicked away upon landing. Akane then jumped to catch her neck in a chokehold.
"You guys can handle it without me." Chris was pummeled with hardened fists.
"I hope you're happy that a lot more people quit!" Akane bent Sheila's legs above her back and struggled to twist them. "Even if we win without them, it ain't the same without their support! It'd be a lot easier if they weren't selfish drongos!"
"Sheila, you have all my support." Nekomaru wrapped Chris in his chain, whirling him around the air. At the same time, Akane grabbed and swung Sheila by the tail. "But I can't take it, anymore."
Both former friends were slammed into each other, collapsed on the street. "This is the best of the best?" Nekomaru cracked knuckles. "Nothin' but talk. But listen, kid… I didn't want in your treehouse just to attack you. I really need… TO USE YOUR BATHROOM!" He flared up intensely. "I REALLY need to take a shit!! When I have to go this bad… MY CHI SWELLS TO THE MAXIMUM!" Haki coated his muscles as lightning flashed in his eyes.
"Imagine if I could take out a legend!" Akane smirked, drawing two hunks of meat and swallowing them in seconds. "They'll be all over me! I'll be in movies, talk shows, hired to coach gym by a thousand schools! I WON'T let this chance slip away!" The meat fueled her chi to the max, her blood boiling as steam seeped from her skin.
"THEN DON'T HOLD BACK!" Nekomaru's fist projected illusory lightning from intense aura. "LET IT ALL OUT!"
Chris briskly dodged the fist and clenched Nekomaru's chest. "SHUH-!!" His chest pained as though a dragon were squeezing it… and worse, Chris was channeling bending directly inside, in a sensation reminiscent to extreme heartburn.
"Demon's Heartache." Chris uttered.
"Sh…Shuh…SHIIIIIIIIIIITTT!" With speed like a rocket, Chris banished him far to the edge of Virginian Forest, a claw mark on his charred chest… but Nekomaru's chest didn't suffer nearly as bad as his pants.
"Coach Nekomaru!" Akane gasped. "You'll PAY for this!" With greater speed, viciousness, and a full stomach, Akane delivered everything she had unto Sheila, but whether evaded or attacked, Sheila amassed Light Chi in a circle around her right fist. "For imprisoning our friends, today is when the KND fall from grace!"
Sheila was blown several meters by a clean kick. But, by the time Akane leapt for the next onslaught, she fell agape at the seven Light Fists orbiting Sheila's. "Sunny Fist of the SEVEN SEAS!" The impact of all seven at once was like an adventure, all around the world, but in a single moment, watching the sun rise and set seven times. Sensational, radiant, and above all powerful, Akane went flying the same distance as her teacher, lain inverted atop his torso. …Her legs were spread open past his head, while hers lay over his pants.
Nekomaru's Level was 4,100, and Akane's 3,900. By all respects, they were terrific fighters… but the strongest operatives had been in far worse fights.
Sheila raised her hand to catch the pizza box. "Kept forgetting to use that one. Well, it's too bad you don't want this, Chris." She opened the box and pulled out a crusty, saucy slice. "Mmmmmmm, mmmmmmmm." Her lips sealed over the whole piece, chewing, savoring, and swallowing. "'Cause it suuuuuuure is ripper."
"Fine, fine, I'll take one." Chris ripped a piece out and ate. "…Thanks, Sheila."
"Yeh, yeh." She curved her foot, "Hm?" and stepped on something. It seemed to be a Flashdrive labeled For the KND. "Did that sheila drop it?" She picked it up.
"'Guess you came at a pretty good time. Hope whatever that is goes well."
Chris turned to head home, Sheila glaring after him. "Planet Mira was awesome, Chris! Too bad you didn't get to see it!"
"Maybe you can take me there after all this or something."
"And we sacked Eggman, too! We finally got rid of him, and we had a big party to celebrate!"
"Great job, Sheils."
"And the party wasn't just for that! IT WAS YOUR BROTHER'S BIRTHDAY PARTY!"
Chris halted. He faced her, looking a bit downtrodden. "You… already had Cheren's birthday?"
"Uh-huh! We thought we weren't gonna get the chance to in the middle of all this, but it was perfect! We got to invite our new Miran friends! It might not've been about him, but 'ey, it was more than he could've asked for! Too bad his useless mope of a brother wasn't there! See you later!" Deciding to treat herself to another bite, Sheila returned to her ship. Chris, bowing his head again, dragged himself home.
Moonbase
Cheren inserted the Flashdrive into the main computer. There was only one video, so he played it for all operatives present. A large-headed, shadowed man with wild, wavy hair projected above them. "Kids Next Door: I am Izuru Kamukura, headmaster of Towa Academy. As my two students have shown you by now, we are no ordinary high school: ours is funded for the nurturing and perfection of talented individuals. Our goal is to breed students that surpass the KND in every capacity!"
"Stroooooongly doubt that." Mason drawled, Sheila nodding affirmably while twisting a finger in her ear.
"It's come to my attention that you've taken one of my classes prisoner. I won't ask for them back… but I do believe we have one of yours in our custody. If you want Kokichi Oma back-"
"Not really." Dillon said.
"-then come to Towa Academy. My students wish to formally challenge you, to prove their talents are superior to your own! Prove that our studies and our funds were well spent! You may come anytime."
"Can Kokichi at least be in a birdcage, dressed as Princess Peach?"
"And before you ask, we sold our Peach costume to some football-headed baby, so we dressed him up as Prince Zuko." The camera panned to show the birdcaged, scarred "prince."
"Oh, save me, Kids Next Door! I'm losing Honor Points! Ooooohhh!"
"So basically," Cheren clapped, "this principal wants us to come to his school and beat the snot out of all his students. Show of hands?" He raised his.
"Uhhhhh…WHY???" Aurora wondered.
"If they're under the influence of a Rivalry, we can't just ignore them." Romeo reasoned. "It could mean we get new allies, too."
"I'm cool with it!" Mason smiled. "I'd love a warmup before the next big mission!"
"My sister goes to that school!" Yuta cheered. "Melody, we HAVE to go!"
"We have to get Kokichi back, anyway." Carol said. "So, I'm heading down!"
"He said 'come anytime,' so we leave in 20 minutes!" Cheren fist-palmed. "If you haven't eaten yet, we'll just raid their cafeteria! All volunteers, suit up!"
Operatives piled out of the auditorium, the chamber radiating with eager gossip. "Sheesh, everyone's really happy to raid a high school." Aisa remarked, the W7 group hanging back in their seats.
"We've already decided, didn't we?" April asked, munching a chocolate-glazed cracker. "Since Mickey is trying to band people against us, we'll show them how strong we really are."
"Does that mean we're joining in?" Mocha asked.
"I mean, I already helped Sugar beat two of them, so I don't need to."
"Meh, what good does invading some overzealous high school do?" Chimney asked. "We need to join in on one of the big missions! Let's pick one of the planets!"
"Let's not be hasty." Aeincha blushed. "No one else has picked a planet, yet, and it'd be safer if more than one sector went."
"You're not wrong." Miguel agreed, rising from his seat. "I think I'll join in on this mission. It'll help speed things along, and it's good practice!"
"Then I should come for insurance." Mocha rose, stepping carefully over the seats to follow him. "Call you when we get done!"
"Hehe, stomp 'em dead, Mochan!" Chimney cheered.
"Hmmm…" A thought occurred to April as she stood. "If we're gonna pick a planet, I should invite my cousin along. Been a while since Mary joined on a mission!"
"Noooooo!" And Chimney was heartbroken.
Towa City
Were they looking at a high school, a military base, or some kind of crazy playground? Those were the only good ways to describe Towa Academy as the small army of ops approached the front gates. It had a small rocket station, a radio tower, casino section with neon lights, it was practically a city condensed into one building! The ops intentionally walked a fair distance through town to attract the onlookers, showing them their every intention to challenge the prestigious school. "Hey, if this school is a big deal," Harry said, "how come we never saw it in the Free Kingdom?"
"Because the ground beneath the school has rockets and a protective dome that allows it to fly away in case of emergencies." Yuta answered.
"I heard U.A. has something like that, ribbit." Tsuyu said.
"Hey, Cheren, what do you think of my new Bulldozer Armor?" Larry MayHence asked, rolling beside his leader in a modified garbage can suit.
"Isn't that the same as the D.A.R.T.?"
"This is all-purpose armor built for air, land, or… well, it doesn't work for sea, yet, but we'll get there!"
"Heh heh!" Cheren chuckled as they stepped through the main gate. "Just don't get motion sickness."
"By crossing this gate, you have chosen your fates!" A man with a cow mask stomped firmly beyond the gate. Surrounding him were a squadron of students, bearing swords, bows, or elements. "Before you stands some of our many Reserve Course students, trained in whatever skill befits them. But the ones you should truly fear are the main campus students and staff: the Ultimates! Including I, the Great Gozu! So, send your greatest!" The cow charged like a mad bull. "Who can take on the Wrestling Cow?!"
"Maddy." Cheren said.
"Yep." Maddy jumped upfront and stuck her pinky between the mask's ring and up its nose. After flipping him on his back, Maddy channeled Paper Haki through her pinky, turning the entire mask white. Gozu was desperate to punch her arm off, but it was immovable. "Lars, want some EXP?"
"YEAH!" The Beach City operative ran to bash the cow relentlessly. "Finally, someone to beat my insecurities onto!"
Seeing an Ultimate handled so trivially filled the Reserves with fear, quivering as the invaders marched further. "Hahahahahaha!" The PA echoed with Principal Izuru's laughter. "You have the advantage in power, any moron can see that. But power isn't everything. Can you match my students in pure talent? I doubt if you—" REEEEE! There was a high-pitched noise. "Damn voice modifier." He said in a more whiny voice. "Hey! Kazuichi! You didn't fix the speaker problem! If you want that permit to install cameras in the girls' locker room, you better—shit, my hand's still on the-"
"Well, there goes the tension." Melody shrugged.
"Wait a minute…" Dillon recognized that voice. "Oh, you gotta be kidding me."
"I think I'll go have a word with this Izuru guy." Cheren decided. "The rest of you take care of the Ultimates as you see fit. Time to do what our parents used to do and terrorize a high school!" (Play "Danganronpa Main Theme"!)
Invasion 3: Towa Academy
Mission: Defeat the Ultimates and rescue Kokichi! Match them against the appropriate operatives to ensure victory!
Cheren expended a Hurricane Spin to mow down the Reserves. He could only take down a few while others leapt or ducked to avoid him, and one managed to trip him while the archers loosed arrows. Even so, they were only light wounds as Cheren quickly drew his bow to snipe them in turn, afterwards thwacking the teen who tripped him, followed by the Fire and waterbenders. "Um, Sir, you didn't draw your sword." Larry mentioned.
"I mean, I don't wanna lop any arms off." Cheren said, the Master Sword still in its blue and yellow sheath. "Now, let's see how fancy this place is!"
His expectations weren't betrayed: the school's interior had an uncommon color scheme, architecture, not to mention a wild layout that mixed a bunch of occupations together. It was comparable to their own treehouses, rooms specialized to suit whoever resided in them. Just the opening hallway was a baseball field, where Reserves were controlling mobile pitch machines, bombarding the ops like miniguns. As Cheren positioned sword and shield to block them, he ordered, "Jinta, you're up!"
"I'm FIRST at bat!" The red-haired baseballer twirled his bat like a fan, deflecting the balls back to break the turrets! Some maneuvered more evasively, so Larry made use of his new invention to bowl them over against their paths. Jinta saw a moving target above the end of the field, and it took a few attempts before he was able to hit it. A door unlocked on their left, labeled the Pitching Cage. "And I think I smell my match. Don't keep me waiting too long!" Jinta bravely marched inside.
"Wait, I think I know who's in there!" Yuta exclaimed. "It's Masaru's cousin!"
Jinta almost literally met his match: a fellow red-haired teen in a white shirt and jacket. "Whoa!" Jinta was aghast. "You're Leon Kuwata, the top high school baseballer! I've seen you in magazines!"
"That's right… and I know you as well, Jinta Hanakari." Leon cracked his knuckles, his teeth grit spitefully. "The Home-Run Champ… who STOLE MY LOOK!"
"WHAT?! I didn't steal anyone's look, this hair is natural!"
"Then let's hold a wager! If I beat you, you have to dye your hair!"
"Whatever, man. So, are we gonna fight with baseball, 'cause I'm game with that!"
"Yeah, but this won't be no ordinary pitch-off. This is a pitch-off of talent!" Leon pulled a lever, dropping a barred barrier of square gaps in the middle of the room. Before Jinta could express his confusion, Leon took the first ball and pitched! It flew clean between the bars and struck Jinta's chest.
"Ow! Holy frick!" Stunned by its trajectory, Jinta grabbed the ball, hardened it, and threw back—it bounced off the bars.
"Sorry, but you won't be breaking that!" Leon grabbed the next ball. Jinta moved around, hoping to confuse his aim, but this ball tripped him in the knee. Growling in frustration, Jinta stood and readied his bat. He met the third ball with a direct hit, but it still bounced off the bars and ricocheted wildly from the momentum, Jinta guarding himself before it hit.
"You even add Haki to your pitches, too! MAN, this is cheap! I never had to do anything like this!" Jinta really wished Masaru joined on the excursion; his Poof Power would make this a snap.
"Then say goodbye to your red do! I'm thinking a hot pink would fit you!" Leon grabbed the 4th ball and threw it at Jinta's left thigh.
While most of the others took a long way around, Cheren climbed and swung his way up some gym poles and hoops that would lead to the 2nd floor. Cheren saw a classroom that seemed more his speed: a sword dojo! As soon as he broke in, the students leapt at him with swords unsheathed. Although they posed no threat against his hilt, Cheren disarming and knocking them down with ease, he had to question this school's safety precautions. The room curved into a left corridor, where training statues would spring out of panels, spinning with swords outstretched. "Okay, REALLY bad safety precautions." Cheren made sure to dice up each one, afterwards kicking the fallen swords to the side so no one could step on them.
Cheren opened a double Japanese sliding door, entering a room where a single woman was knelt. She wore a green uniform and had silver hair, a sheathed sword on her back. Yeah, she's definitely an Ultimate, Cheren thought. "Hey, don't mind me. Just passin' through." He hoped to walk past briskly, until she suddenly drew her sword, forcing him to block with his sheath. He did so as necessary as Peko slashed her blade from different angles, and before he knew it, the sheath was laden with scratches. "HEY! This is a historical relic!"
"You shouldn't underestimate us." Peko rolled back and slashed airwaves, Cheren evading. "Although we are naturally skilled, we follow the KND's exploits as much as possible so we may train to surpass them."
"You say that, but I never hear about your school making waves. Running and hiding when the pirates attacked." Cheren threw his shield to have it ricochet around, only for Peko to swat it away.
"That was the headmaster's idea! And I'll have you know my class wanted to fight! One of our own classmates died because of those pirates!"
"I'm sorry." Cheren dodged a stab and pushed off Peko, grabbing his shield back in his dance to the room's exit. "I'll be sure to confront your principal about his cowardice. Meanwhile, Morg can be your opponent."
Gasping, Peko barely blocked Morgiana's flying kick in time, the Fanalis' strong ankle pressing the blade down. Peko jumped back and took a swing at Morg's head, who ducked and went for a sideways swing, knocking Peko into the next room. When Morg climbed in after her, the band of gunmen in black suits stunned her speechless. Nagisa Shiota jumped in their wake, shielding his girlfriend with Iron Body. "Bringing guns to a sword fight ain't fair. But I guess neither is bringing legs, eh, Morgie?" He drew twin pistols and shot the gunmen with Antikill bullets. Peko leapt out to strike him, Morgiana flipping up her foot to deflect the blade. Peko would dodge the spin-kick that followed and slash a cut to Morg's hip.
Cheren followed an exit door to a rooftop garden. Giant carrots called Toppers would pop out and lung at him with drill attacks; he sliced the first two up normally, but he peeled the third one by holding his sword in the right position. Embarrassed by its nudity, the Topper fled. To reach the next floor of the roof, Cheren saw a Colliwobble (a floating cauliflower) float over the edge of it. Cheren snagged it with his Hookshot as the Colliwobble returned to its garden. Fang-toothed tomatoes called Doomatoes popped out and gnashed him, their juice soaking his sword. "What kind of monster garden is this?!"
"My Rooftop Defense Garden!" answered the gardener, a dark-skinned man with a green afro and big grin. He was Daisaku, the Smiling Shrub. "Eat up, my darlings!"
He grew more Doomatoes with his plantbending. Cheren hastened to shoot his Hookshot at a vine along the wall, worried as they tried to jump and nip him. Garden Worms crawled up or down the vines, Cheren minding them when climbing. When the vines ended, Cheren hooked another Colliwobble that would cross a gap to the next roof… unfortunately, a Doomato leapt to bite him. "AAAAHH!"
But it was smashed between a pair of orange hands. "I was hoping this school would have a garden, but this is ridiculous."
"Doran!" Cheren beamed at the orange-skinned, green-haired giant. "Perfect timing! You can take care of that one!"
"You got it!" The Sector GT gardener ran to engage Daisaku.
The Colliwobble dropped Cheren off at a ledge with a door back inside. The walls were painted like an African savannah, a herd of yaks charging from the opposite end. Cheren jumped his way across the yaks' backs, reaching a wider room with several open chicken cages. The chickens would either flap or run at Cheren, and his efforts to grab and sooth one proved futile. There was another sealed Ultimate lab and it likely wouldn't open until these chickens were put away. "Ugh, Arianna, come to this location, there's an animal problem up here!" He transmitted coordinates before rushing through another door and slamming it.
"Cheren! There you are!" he heard Larry's voice call. "Guess who decided to join us?"
"I thought ya knew better than to leave me behind, Cherry." An Irish voice said.
"Panini?!" He saw both pudgy sectormates race up the hall… wait. Panini was a lot bigger than he remembered. "Wow, you… really put on some pounds?"
"'EY, ya don't insult a girl's weight, ya stoopid boy!" Panini bonked his head. "Ay found the way up to the principal's office. Follow me!"
"Uh…" Cheren had many questions… but he followed Panini and Larry. They returned to the main hallway, but instead of going to the stairs to the left, Panini led them rightward. "Aha! This should be the way!" Panini chirped, walking into a boxing glove door. This passage had a dark ceiling with stage lights and consisted of several boxing rings. Reserve students with either boxing gloves or karate uniforms attacked, proving a difficult force for Larry to bulldoze.
"Hey, Panini, you wanna lend Larry a hand?"
"Oi, do Ah have to do everythin' around here? Let the boy manage."
"Veeeery suspicious." After KOing the Reserves, Cheren crossed a bridge to the first boxing ring. Four Reserves in football uniforms dropped down and charged him, Cheren ducking out of the center and to a corner. When they all charged again, Cheren whipped his sheath in a Mortal Draw, KOing them all at once. Cheren crossed a bridge to the next ring, which had a single, big-gloved boxer. When Cheren approached, "I'm a Chuckster!" the man chucked him to the next ring at an odd angle. Another Chuckster waited on it, and the way to the next ring had floating rubber fences floating left-and-right before it. Cheren had to time the Chuckster to throw him between the fences.
At the end of this long ring, a Chuckster would be stationed. A rubber fence moved up-and-down on their right and the next ring was to the left. After reading the area, he surmised he needed the Chuckster to throw him against the rubber bars. He timed this while the bars were up, which would bend in when Cheren was thrown against them. They launched him like a slingshot to the largest ring! "YIKES!!" The master of this ring seemed to be a huge person with thick muscles and red skin riddled with scars. They had white hair in long, wild strands, bandages on arms and legs, and wore a white shirt with a black skirt.
"You're a pretty small child… It's hard to believe you're such a formidable leader."
"It's hard to believe YOU'RE just a high schooler! Seriously, how old are you, man?!"
Fi jumped out of his sword. "Master, you may like to be informed that the individual present before you is a woman."
"WOW, Fi, you come out at the BEST times! …Wait, seriously? That's a girl?!"
"I am."
"You should also be aware that Sakura Ogami's Power Level is 5,500."
"Now, that's a girl who takes her vitamins. Say, this wouldn't be a shortcut to the principal's office, would it?"
"You came the wrong way, if that were the case. But if you plan to confront Principal Kamukura, you must prevail against me first. He's no ordinary man, you know. They say he is a man of many talents. The supreme pinnacle of our school."
"Maybe, but just like he has all of you to fight us, I've got friends to fight for me."
"HYAH!!" The wall behind Sakura was blown down by Mocha. The muscular martial artist was dumbstruck by the colossal warrior. "Hey, Cheren! I got kind of lost and started breaking walls down, hehe…"
"You're… the Amazon I heard about!" Sakura said. "Such incredible power… You'll suit me beautifully."
"Heehee! Thanks, but Maddy and Sheila are way tougher than me. …But you might have more muscle than both of them."
"Then challenge me, Amazon!" Sakura flared with a white aura. "I must become the strongest girl in the world!"
"You're too late to make THAT claim!" Mocha threw a punch down, Sakura impacting it with her own as Cheren felt the breeze of the shockwave. Sakura grabbed Mocha's left leg to haul her down, afterwards leaping to stamp her back, but Mocha flipped and smashed Sakura beneath her back. Mocha stood and checked if she was okay, only for the smaller warrior to leap and punch her in the nasal bridge. Mocha followed with an uppercut that blew Sakura through the ceiling, but she would crash through a different hole and slam-dunk the giant's head. While grounded, Mocha spun to kick Sakura, her weight equivalent to kicking a bowling ball. Mocha reached an arm to grab Sakura, the latter fighting her squeezing grip.
"At Level 7,900, Mocha has the advantage in this battle. Neither she nor Sakura are using their Haki."
"I guess they want this match to last awhile. Just don't wreck the school, girls! This place looks expensive!" Cheren had to wait for a safe chance to run past the brawling pair and get through the hole Mocha busted. It seemed to be a backstage area, where Perry was attacked by Reserves playing guitars or drums. They were attached to stereos that would shoot sonic waves, but according to Fi, it was just makeshift musicbending. Shooting the stereos was all it took to dismantle their power, forcing the musicians to retreat. Cheren traveled through a door along the right wall, where he found himself above a musical stage, a loud and lively song flooding the air. This room intersected with the wrestling area… which, again, was needlessly huge.
Cheren saw Harry and Miguel in a music battle with two Ultimates. "Master Cheren, targets identified as Sayaka Maizono," Fi identified the blue-haired singer in a pink dress, "and Ibuki Mioda." The guitarist with long hair with sharp strands of a white and dark-greenish color, with magenta front bangs that matched her eyes.
"WHAT?!" Cheren screamed. "SPEAK LOUDER, FI!" He could barely hear himself over the song. "…ARE THEY MIXING MUSIC WITH PSYCHICBENDING?" Ibuki provided the Music and Sayaka the Psychic Chi, transforming the room into some kind of punk magical girl setting. The magical punks battled rapstar mariachis Harry and Miguel conjured; between the two of them, Miguel was the only musicbender while Harry could only redirect the chi, but this fight seemed very one-sided with the girls' advantage in chi. "Should've invited Sugar or something… or even Sunni. You'd think she could support Harry with—I CAN'T HEAR MYSELF! LET'S GET OUTTA HERE!"
It seemed the Psychic Chi was making tables and equipment fly up to Cheren's level before launching down, but he could hurriedly jump across them. He landed on a slippery, psychic-made platform with a ramped edge—a sentient, imaginary trumpet spawned beside him. "UU-AAA!" It blew a high-pitched sneeze that blew Cheren up the ramp, landing on another slippery path that would curve left, a wall to guide him along. Another path would fork backward from the end of it—"UU-AAA!" another Trumpet sneezed him back to cross that path, with Cheren having to manually jump at the end. He would hit a safe wall to stop his momentum, "UU-AW," and another Trumpet would "yawn" him into the corresponding wall, Cheren bumping his head. It became clear he had to crouch to slip under the wall's gap, letting the horn yawn him again. After jumping off the end ramp, Cheren flapped open his Pirate Sail to glide the chasm. He would glide a great distance to reach the exit door, but would need to veer toward other yawning Trumpets to keep his momentum, lest he fall into the chaotic mess below.
Cheren immediately shut the exit door, free from the mesh of music. "Hey, Cheren!" Mason approached him. "Man, you look beat. What happened?"
"Like you said, there were so many beats. Where's Sheila?"
"We've been exploring the school. Sheila was so excited that she kept running off without me. Heh, it's like the ONLY time she's been excited for school. But I lost her somewhere in the-"
"Oi, Mason! THERE you are!"
Mason beamed, looking the direction of his captain's voice… "Uhhh…" Sheila put on quite a few pounds. She was so plump, they were surprised her already-ragged clothes were snapping off.
"C'mon! There's this ripper computer room! Ah wanna jump on them!"
"Sh-Sheila!" Mason knew once his wrist was in Sheila's grip, there was no escaping. …Even though it felt way weaker than usual.
"Okay, clearly someone in this school has the power to make people fat." Cheren said. "…Now I'm really worried for Larry."
Sheila dragged Mason into the computer room, immediately finding three other familiar faces. "Carol! Eddy! And…?" Mason forgot Kazuma's name.
The three gamers/computer experts faced them. "Hi, Maseyfai…Sheila?" Carol stumbled in her cheery greeting.
"And it's Kazuma, dude."
"I didn't think I'd see you three together."
"The others wanted a break after Mira." Eddy answered. "I'm only here 'cause Kazuma wanted to come."
"This is the school that Chiaki went to." Kazuma explained. "I hoped to ask the students about her… but all these flame eyes tell me that's not gonna happen."
"Check it out, Mason!" Carol hacked into a computer. "These have solid hologram technology! We can climb up with this!" As rotating digi-platforms materialized in the air, Mason realized this room went up several levels with computers on each of them. They jumped the platforms to a walkway, where Tileoids (pixel blocks with eyes) materialized from the computers and slithered to them. Carol conjured Game-and-Watch to fight the pixels, leaving Eddy to shoot a Spring Pellet that could bounce the group to a higher platform. Carol hacked a computer, downloading tiny block platforms and Tileoids to slither clockwise around them. They needed to bounce the Tileoids with careful timing to reach the next safe foothold.
"Hey, Sheila didn't come." Kazuma noticed. "I guess she was too husky to make the jumps."
"Seriously?" Mason asked. "Fat or not, that ain't like Sheila at all."
"Am I the only one who sees anything weird about that?" Carol asked. The four needed to jump normal platforms that Eeligons (red worms of holo-blocks) were rotating around, but Eddy shot them to pieces to make their jumps safer.
They reached the top floor as Mason blissfully walked to a lit-up tile—he was sealed inside a blocky, digital cage. "What the-?! Guys, I'm trapped! There's even a chi-block in here!"
"Mason! Don't worry, I can hack this open!"
"Not while I'm around."
Two figures stood within a circular, multi-screen desk to their left. One was a short girl with light-brown hair, a green shirt, and brown skirt, and the other was a light-orange-haired boy in a brown business suit. "I'm Chihiro, the Ultimate Programmer." The girl introduced. "Try to undo my digi-prison and I'll fix it right up."
"And I'm Ryota, the Ultimate Animator."
"I've heard about you, Carol Masterson. There are pictures of you from Halloween, defending your hometown armed with only a computer and Programs at your side. I heard rumors of how Sector $ broke complex encryptions of enemy or even governmental bases. We started calling you the Master Hacker."
"You mean… all this time, I've had secret fans?! Even though 'Master Hacker' makes me sound like I throw up a lot!"
"Oh…I guess it does." Chihiro blushed. "But, yeah. I've always wanted to meet you, Carol. People used to call me a loser, for spending so much time on the computer, instead of exercising or being social. I made better friends when I came to this school, but when I started hearing about you… I got a little jealous."
"Aw, don't think that way. I'm sure you're a great programmer. Recently, I kinda started dabbling in game design myself!"
"I was going to ask about that. I had my friend lure Mason here to trap him and lure you here. I saw your pictures together on your profile. He is your boyfriend, right?"
"NO, I'M NOT!" Mason screamed.
"I want to challenge you to a programming battle." Chihiro's eyes, though soft and kind, burned with a flame of Rivalry. "Ryota will be assisting me. Your station is over there." She pointed at the opposite round desk.
"Uh…okay!" Carol was a tad worried. "Then Eddy will be my assistant! You're pretty knowledgeable in design, right?"
"Relatively! Plus, it'll be a synch if we use Boly."
"That would be cheating! We need to win this the right way. …Uh, what exactly are we doing?"
"We're going to design a videogame level, fleshed out with characters, animations, and interactables. The game that plays the best will be the winner. Maybe that other boy could be our judge."
"I know a good game when I play it." Kazuma smirked.
"Then let's… game on!" Carol posed.
"You can still let me outta here!" Mason argued.
After parting from them, Cheren took a detour through the swimming pool; it was very long and took up the width of the floor. Cheren had to hit a switch and make rings appear along the pool, either under or overwater. Cheren would have to swim through them all to open the next door, even while avoiding the bobbing rope blockades. He was already skilled in the Torpedo Spin, but he had to change angles, jump out of water, and recompose himself so much that Cheren just missed the time by half a second. "Ah, Dang…anronpa."
"Hey, Cheren!" a voice reverated across the pool. "That you?"
Cheren saw the minute forms of Melody, Yuta, and Tsu over the pool. "HEY, MEL! You think you can beat this challenge for me?"
"Oh, my sis told me about this!" Yuta said. "She takes this course all the time to get to her private pool."
"This school looked cool at first, but navigating it's a pain." Tsu said. "Melody, can I try the challenge?"
"Absolutely!" With that, they activated the rings and watched as Tsu made the motions and jumps necessary to get through them. Cheren flinched as Tsu splashed onto his shore, the door opening.
"Haha! Reminds me when you helped me at Field Day."
"Ribbit!" She made the peace gesture in agreement.
Melody and Yuta made the swim in no time at all, the four entering a wide, round pool. A slender, tan girl in a blue swimsuit and brown ponytail flipped out of the water and made numerous cannonball spins before splashing back in. After making a full rotation around the pool, she leapt to their shore and landed perfectly on her feet. "Aoi!" Melody chirped in recognition.
"SIS!"
"YUTA! Melody!" Aoi squeezed them in hugs, smothering them to her chest. "I'm so glad you two came! I missed you so much!"
"We missed you, too, Sis! This is our new teammate, Tsuyu!"
"WHOA, YOU'RE A FROGGY!" An excited Aoi knelt down and pinched Tsu's cheeks. "Are you an alien?! You're so adorable!!"
"D-Dank you! Call be Tsu! Rooboot."
"Anyway…" Aoi released her and rose up, "I'm sorry if Akane and Neko hurt any of your friends. When we suddenly agreed to challenge the KND, they were super pumped to make the first move. They're sort of mine and Sakura's rivals."
"I think they're the ones who wound up hurt." Cheren affirmed.
"But I have to fight for my class, too." Aoi's eyes flamed. "It would do me no greater honor than to challenge the princess. But before I do… please tell me. Is Manaphy okay?"
"Yes. He's one of the only Firstborn that survived."
"I'm glad. There's hope for Oceana, at least. So… will you challenge me?"
"Duh!" Melody ditched her sandals and dove into the round pool, immediately becoming a small tsunami as both splashed each other with fearsome waves-
"HEY-HEY-HEY!" The fight abruptly halted at Cheren's shout. "Do you, uh, know a way back to the main hall?"
"Well, my personal bathroom has a secret passage to the girls' bathroom… but you better hope no one's in there!"
Cheren entered the bathroom, small with only a sink and toilet. "…So, do I sit on the toilet and the wall flips?" He sat on the toilet and flushed it. "WAAAH!" A gush of water propelled him up before sucking him right down.
The other ops and Reserve Students throughout the hall were confused as they heard an intense flow in the pipelines. "WHOOOA!" One of the toilets in the girls' room gushed Cheren out. "What the FRICK WAS THAT?!"
"Master, further analysis dictates these toilets were imported from Mushroom World."
"Going to the bathroom there must be a nightmare! At least nobody's in here," he hurriedly scrambled outside, "let's see where we… I'm by the dojo again?!"
The sword dojo was just a short distance down. Annoyed, he instead went into an intersecting, Japanese corridor with several Reserve girls dressed in kimonos. They would dance at Cheren, dodging his swings in their attempt to chi-block him. Fortunately, another operative arrived to level the playing field with similar skills: Kirie Beatles, her light-green kimono suited for this environment as she chi-blocked the dancers with swift moves. "Just in time, Kir! I bet you'll find your 'Ultimate' match in here."
Or maybe we'll find the kitchen! Kirie signed.
"What makes you think that?" To answer his question, Kirie pointed to a short, tan chef, hiding behind a silhouette screen on their side.
"Heh heh heh…fell for it, hook line and sinker." Teruteru mumbled.
"Hello there?" Cheren greeted.
"Ah! More guests." The cook faced them, combing his pompadour. He was a few inches taller than Cheren. "Greetings. I'm Teruteru, the Ultimate Chef."
"Cool. You going to challenge Yuzu to a cook-off?"
"Actually, I just reunited with my Festival Friend, Vweeb." He smiled smoothly. "We're holding a contest to see who can score the most girls."
"Ugh, you have gotta be…" Cheren groaned. "Well, what're you doing here?"
"I'm just, uh, observing his technique from afar! I certainly didn't send him to his death, no, no, haha! What kind of gentleman would I be?"
"Great… Kirie, you better check this out. I need to find a way back upstairs."
Parts of the floor had spiked gaps, requiring Kirie to dance lightly over pegs across them. This was followed by thin, horizontal footholds; they were actually folded fans, and the sliding of Kirie's feet would open them as they carried her partway over the spikes. When Kirie swung a pair of hanging Japanese lanterns, she landed on the main dance floor.
A young-looking girl with blonde pigtails and orange kimono waited at the end, not noticing Kirie as she petted something small in her hand. …To Kirie's cringe, it was Vweeb. "So, Vweeb, are other aliens cute and tiny as you?"
"Unfortunately, I'm one of a kind~" Vweeb swooned, enjoying the gentle poking. "And I see you're one of a kind, too. I didn't expect this school to have such a purehearted cutie~"
"Awwwwe, you're too much, Vweeb. You know, Minish are supposed to show their selves to sweet-hearted children, but I've never been able to find one. All I get to squish are dumb Mr. Ants."
"Well, thankfully, I… Squish? HOUUUCK!"
The gentle pressure became intense and murderous as Hiyoko pressed him into her palm. Her sweet, pale-orange eyes became hollow, a sadistic grin curved up at them. "I've always wanted to feel a Minish crunch beneath my fingers… but you feel much crunchier. I hope your blood splatters like a little grape~"
"S-Stop, stop! I don't wanna… get forceful on you!"
Kirie tossed her folded fan at Hiyoko's wrist, knocking Vweeb away. "OW!! What's your problem, you stupid bitch?!"
The only one who's allowed to punish Vweeb is Arianna! At least be polite and tell him off-
"What're you doing?! Use your mouth! Are you deaf or does your breath smell like monkey shit?"
Sounds like the only shithead is you, you ugly little shrimp.
"Whatever you're saying is probably pointless and dumb. Can I get a better opponent?"
You asked for it, bitch! Both engaged in the traditional dance-off of the ages, their fans and petal shurikens flying. Normally, Vweeb would sit back, relax, and enjoy a graceful battle between lovely ladies, but the only thing on his mind was, "Staying the frick away from that creep."
Cheren decided to make his way through the dojo and garden again. Nagisa had KO'ed all the yakuza backing up Peko. Afterwards, a shorter yakuza, a boy about Nagisa's height, stepped in. "Not bad, Pigtail. Those were some of my best boys. I almost want you in my family."
"If you're asking to marry me, I'm a boy."
"Th-That's not what I—wait, you are? N-Never mind! I'm sure you've heard of the Kuzuryu Clan."
"Uh…not necessarily."
"We're one of the biggest yakuza clans in Japan!"
"Yakuza?!" Nagisa flinched. "Those guys just now were… This school is seriously nuts!"
"Relax, we're not gonna put a hit on you. But I heard about you, Nagisa. The KND's top assassin, huh? And what's the story with Morgiana here? Based on what we know, you two always seem to be together."
"Morgiana and I vowed to protect each other. To always be together and fight by each other's side. It's a love thing. Not sure if you would understand."
"Tch…" Morg saw Peko wince at the statement. Did she relate to it somehow?
"And yet, she doesn't need your help to fight Peko. So, I might as well even the odds." Fuyuhiko took off his buttoned shirt. "Let's see if your assassin arts can match my Yakuza Arts!" His hands emitted a small aura, his motions swift as he evaded Nagisa's Finger Pistols. His fists struck Nagisa with the kind of brutality and punishment known to yakuza.
When Cheren finally returned to the main hall where Panini led them astray, he turned left toward the stairs. On his way, he saw Larry come out from a left passage. "Hey, Larry! You're just in time to join me upstairs."
"Ch-Cheren? How did you get… in front of me?"
"Larry, watch out!" A bigger, fat Cheren came from behind. "That's an impostor! I think he's a disguising Ultimate!"
"WHAT?!" Cheren gawked. "So, that's who you are! Larry, get him!"
"B-B-But…" Larry looked between them both, anxious. "Which is the real one?"
"Are you kidding?! Forget that he's fat, try to draw the Master Sword! And I can see some brown paint on his neck from when he copied Sheila! That's just wrong, dude."
"I don't need to pull some phony sword to prove that I'm real." Fat Cheren argued.
"Screw you! Come on, Larry, I know you only just started going on missions with me, but you have to know me better than this."
"Exactly!" Fatren chirped, patting Larry's back. "And I'm really glad we get to know each other better!"
"Nnnnn!" Larry started quivering on his knees. "I…I can't tell! Panini might be able to tell you apart, but I…I never got to know you at all!"
"Oh, Larry…" Cheren sighed with both sympathy and disbelief.
"It's okay, Larry." Fatren patted his back. "We can become real friends now. Maybe after this, we'll invade Shujin. Or Hakoniwa. Heck, we'll trash the White House the same way we did Galactic Council! We'll find everyone who scorned us and make them regret it!"
"…" When Cheren made those spiteful declarations on Avalar, it wasn't like he enjoyed saying it. He was angry. He just wanted to let out some latent feelings. But this guy… he didn't understand at all.
Larry rolled behind the impostor, charged momentum, and rammed him so hard that he flew over the railing, crashing on the first floor. "…Or maybe I know you better than I thought."
"Heh heh! I guess friends don't have to recognize each other to… I dunno. Let's just find this Izuru guy."
The stairs led to the highest room of the tallest building; unless one counted the rocket. Cheren and Larry (at a much more exhaustive pace) climbed until they were at the doorstep of Kamakura's office. Cheren forced the doors open and approached the man at his desk, the back of his chair facing him. In one corner, Kokichi, in his Zuko costume, hung in a birdcage. (End song.)
"Cheren! You must free me from this cage so I may reclaim my honor! This cage is a metaphor of my banishment from the Fire Nation!"
"Yeah, in a minute, Kozuko. Izuru Kamakura… the Man Loved By Talent… what kind of person are you? Why did you suddenly decide to challenge us?"
"Simple, my son." The chair spun: Izuru had a bulbous gray head and wavy hair. "It's all for good profit!"
"?!" Cheren fell aback. "That voice! You're that…"
"IT'S BENDER!" Kozuko exclaimed. "It was Bender all along! I can't believe it!"
"No, no! You're that freakin' Roger guy! So, YOU'RE the principal of this school?!"
"Principal, founder, and loved by way more than talent! And thanks to my time in the KND, I got to tell these chumps how you fight."
"Heh, with all the good it'll do them. And what do you mean 'profit'?"
"Do you know how much dough this business rakes in? This type of school's the perfect place to show off all the best talent in the country, and the safest place to practice without gettin' involved with you kids! And other parents pay a fortune for their kids to take the Reserve Course and find some talent. And what better way to show them off than having them challenge the legendary and despised KND?"
"I kind of figured as much." Cheren folded his arms.
"That's not all. I made a little bargain with the local news branch. Our security cameras are sending all the feed straight to them! 'Kids Next Door Attack School of Talent!' The press will love it! The parents will donate even more to support their stars! And you know who else will love it? King Mickey? Bowser? Hell, why not both? Whether my students beat yours or get their asses beat, they'll be so impressed, they'll wanna buy them off me. Then I'll REALLY be rakin' in the dough! …Hey, are you listening?"
Cheren casually walked to the miniature fridge and found some soda bottles. "Welp, 'guess people get to judge us all over again. Kokichi, heads up." He tossed a bottle to him, the prisoner catching it through the bars.
"I like it more than tea!" Kozuko chugged the soda down.
"Fine, ignore me! But no one touches my Ultra Flurp Deluxe!" Roger hauled out a giant jug from under his desk.
"Roger, there's one thing you're overlooking: my friends are good at making friends. Once our one-on-ones are over with, we'll all be sharing drinks and hobbies. Just like we once did, eh, Zuko?" They touched bottles and drank.
"Well, here's something YOU'RE overlooking: your secrets got posted because of me."
Cheren choked on his drink, facing Roger in shock. "What?!"
"That friend of yours put me up to it. She came to me, asking to 'get' the secrets from Kokichi. And the only reason she thought to do that was because he confronted her after the war. She remembered I was one of his crewmates."
"And however did you manage that?" Kokichi smirked. "I never wrote them down anywhere. Are there certain powers you've been keeping from me, Roger?"
"In the game of chess, you can never show all your pieces."
"What do you mean you confronted Aranea?" Cheren asked Kokichi.
"I knew for a while that she harbored treacherous thoughts. The darkness from her lies was more powerful than anyone else. After the war, I could feel that hadn't changed; rather, it was even worse. So, I told her… not to ruin everyone's good time."
"You didn't try to stop her or anything?"
"I mean, if I tried to tell you guys anything, you'd probably assume I was lying. Plus, it's not like Aranea wasn't righteous in her anger. Her best friend just died. I didn't want to make things worse… but I guess a part of me had a tiny bit of faith that she would keep her distance and not do anything."
"In the end, you were both played for fools." Roger boasted. "Now, I'll just sit back, relax, and enjoy some high school violence." He propped his feet on the desk and flipped on a big TV, displaying camera footage of the various battles.
Mike Strongarm was racing Mondo Owada through town; despite Mike's normal bike against the Ultimate's motorcycle, his legs were still strong and fast enough to match him. Eric Horvitz had been trapped in a cage by Hifumi Yamada, forced to solve a quiz about his fanfictions. …Cheren could tell how much Eric knew about the topic, given his low score. Francis was in a fist fight with Kiyotaka inside a hot sauna, a battle of strength and endurance until the loser would leave the sauna. Artie was having a mecha battle with Kazuichi Soda, the Ultimate Mechanic, his muscular Mechamaru vs. Artie's Slinktron, a thin mech with spring-loaded fists. Haruka found the Ultimate Nurse's office—she flinched, seeing Mikan Tsumiki trapped in an unsightly pose with her hands tied and legs spread open, a picture of human innards lain over her underwear. Apparently, she had tripped. …Haruka knocked her out with Sleep Gas before helping untie her.
"You know, I think I will, too." Cheren kicked back on the carpeted floor. "I'll enjoy my kids in action before I punch you a new one." (Play "Class Trial Turbulent" from Danganronpa!)
Jinta's muscular frame was covered in light bruises, the floor around him littered with baseballs. "Wow, you're still standing?" Leon smirked. "That was my last ball just now. You can pass them through the bars if you wanna keep going… or you could just leave if you can't take, anymore."
"…" Like Jinta would give in to a cheap prick like this. Still, throwing the balls through such a tight space with great aim… there had to be a trick to it. Was it Observation Haki? …It reminded Jinta of something, as a baseball rested in his hand.
"So, Augustus could make his Gobstopper spin and fly in the air?" Jinta asked Yuzu.
"It was some kind of Haki trick. He could use his own Willpower Chi to dictate how he wanted it to fly. He said it only works with round objects. Something about… feeling your chi move in a smooth, clean rotation."
Jinta usually imagined Haki as a basic strength increase with a coating of armor… but maybe it was time to open his mind. He shut his eyes and spun the ball in his palm. He let his Haki flow into it… and could actually feel the flow of chi. He thought back to all the games he played… watching the ball come flying and hitting with his best shot. Or, holding the ball at pitch, his eyes were set on the umpire. He would throw with his best aim and curve, hoping the batter would miss. And his arm dictated that curve. Flicking, spinning the ball as he intended…
Jinta willed his Haki to keep flowing around the ball. This kept it spinning, even as his fingers folded over it. He made a throwing motion, eyes focused on Leon, who mentally questioned his opponent. He wanted to hit Leon's jaw… through that gap. He wanted the ball to fly through that gap. That gap… This ball… His Haki…
Jinta threw the ball with great vigor—it scraped the bar, but kept flying, the trajectory veering and hitting Leon's ear. "OW!! Lucky shot! Try that again!" Leon hurdled the ball back, Jinta punching it away. The Ultimate began sidestepping, hoping to confuse Jinta's aim… but his sight was on something else now: the lever on the wall. He needed to flip it upward to open the cage. Jinta sat to get a better angle, honing his Haki and picturing the trajectory. As he threw the ball, he flicked his fingers down to make it spin upward. The ball slipped between the gap and got under the lever. As dictated by his spin, it veered directly up and flipped the lever. "W-WHAT?!" Leon gawked as the cage opened.
"THERE we go!" Jinta sprung up. "Thanks for all these BALLS, CHUMP!" He began to bat the mess of balls straight into Leon, pummeling him.
"LIKE HELL IT'LL BE THAT EASY!" Leon vehemently began to bat the balls back, the room becoming a warzone!
The four corners around Sakura's ring rose and sealed her and Mocha with more rubber bars. Mocha, wanting to test their elasticity, grabbed Sakura and chucked her into the bars. They flung her like a slingshot back into Mocha, who raised an arm in defense, but Sakura's momentum pushed her own arm into her. Mocha stumbled into the opposite bars, and Sakura grabbed her arm to flip the giant on her back. When she tried to twist Mocha's arm, the giant hardened herself to resist, standing to slam Sakura down instead. "It's about time you used it!" Sakura hardened her own arm and threw a punch, Mocha raising her leg to evade and stomp Sakura. As she lay flat for a while, Mocha climbed the bars and, once on top, dropped down with Haki imbued in her feet. Sakura dodged, but the shockwave knocked her into the bars.
Sakura growled and ripped off her bandages, her white aura flaring up incredibly. Her unrestrained body lashed at Mocha with great power and speed, so Mocha reinforced her Haki and delivered stronger blows. Without regard for her size, Mocha delivered the power Sakura wanted to see, and Sakura likewise punched Mocha's jaws and knees without holding back. Even if Mocha was still a tiny smidge brittle from her brawl with Hancock, she was more than ready to win this battle. When Sakura grounded her, the Ultimate leapt and crushed her stomach, but Mocha would grab her, leap, and slam her down next. Over and over, they leapt and crushed the other, so much that the ring's pillar couldn't support their weight. When Sakura climbed to the top of the bars and fell with a divebomb, the shockwave spread from Mocha to the ring and the pillar.
It collapsed, sending them to the bottom of the dark pit. Mocha felt a strong aching in her bones, but still had no problem rising back on her feet. In the end, it was Sakura who was too tired to stand, Mocha holding her gently. "It seems I'm… still too early to call myself the strongest."
"You were amazing." Mocha smiled. "And besides, your strength is natural… I'm only like this because of a science experiment."
"No, Mocha… that willpower you possess is your own. Not a product of mere science. Dueling you… was an honor."
"You, too. …So, why are these rings built so high? Isn't that dangerous?"
"The Ultimate Architect was more creative than he was convenient."
Aoi's swimming pool had grown into a cyclone, Yuta and Tsu retreating to the previous room to watch from the cracked-open doorway. Inside the cyclone, Aoi puffed huge Water Bombs out of her mouth, exploding near Melody with violent force. Melody bent away the ones she could, but Aoi would use these openings to Torpedo Spin her. Aoi flexibly swam and dodged Melody's Water Whips or fists, but to negate this, Melody used her legs to bend the current and disrupt Aoi's flow, allowing her to strike the Adabatian's back. The force knocked Aoi out of the cyclone, hitting the wall and falling on her rear. Melody shot gushes from the cyclone, Aoi flipping the first one and landing upright to run counterclockwise around the pool.
"My SWEETIES!" Aoi grabbed a box of doughnuts running by, quickly stuffing herself with the tasty pastries while running.
"Won't those just make you heavier?" Melody asked. "You'll be less flexible if you get fat."
"Actually, increasing my body fat increases the water in my body! In turn, that enhances my chi! I still eat vegetables to manage my figure. But doughnuts are just so tasty!!"
"Never thought of it like that."
After dodging a round of water bullets, Aoi thrust her hands in the cyclone and ripped the entire thing in half, Melody falling to the bottom. Aoi bent the split waves and forced the top parts down first, flattening Melody with the momentum. Aoi jumped into the pool with a Screw Kick, crushing and twisting Melody directly. Fighting the pressure and pain, Melody managed to seize Aoi's head in Water Fists, squeezing her air bubble until she couldn't keep the spin. Melody quickly pushed her off, swam to the surface, and shot several meters above it. She had dragged Aoi with her, flipping her in the air before throwing her to the bottom of the pool. Landing in the pool's center, Melody spun rapidly to stir a stronger current, willing it to press downward to pin Aoi. The pressure was so intense that the bottom of the pool cracked, drilling all the way into a sewer.
Melody tried to flow back to land, but Aoi was able to throw up a Water Whip and yank her down with her. As they surfed the sewer, their splash brawl prolonged, bending the waves to their flexible whims to strike each other. Unfortunately, Melody had experience with filthy water in Mermaid Swamp, while Aoi was too sick to keep up the fight. Somewhere in Towa City, they would flush out through the pipelines… with Melody standing victoriously, and disgustedly, atop Aoi.
"Uh, I'm not going down there." Yuta said.
"Ribbit." Tsu agreed.
Team Carol and Team Chihiro finished developing their levels. Kazuma played Carol's: a Sandman level taking place in CIA Langley. "I based it off my first mission with Sandman!"
"It's pretty good!" Kazuma said. "Yeah, the stealth mechanics feel nice… the layout and concepts are creative. I loved the Bullock's office section, the funny song really contrasts the mostly serious level. The animation feels nice, but… a little finicky in some places. Some of the breakable objects just float in midair, but you still get the points. Doesn't really disrupt gameplay any. I can give this level a 9 outta 10."
"No game is ever perfect!" Eddy grinned. "But that's what gives it flavor."
"I like games, too!" Mason yelled from his trap. "Can I play?"
"Yeah, no doubt. Alright, let's see what you two made." Kazuma went to Chihiro's desk next. "…What? This is…" The player character was a dark-green cat with a soft expression and pink backpack.
"I based the character off a late friend of mine. She was the Ultimate Gamer… Chiaki. We went hand-in-hand, you know… Heh, she even had parts of my name in hers. I promised I would make her the greatest game of all time someday… but I never had the chance to."
Kazuma played it. It was a 3D platformer that involved finding collectible game disks in a neighborhood. He could get to other layers by climbing stairs like "ladders," fight fantasized dogs, cat, or hawks, and do mini-objectives for neighbors to earn game disks. "It… plays pretty good. It's a nice, fantasized Metroidvania style. The music's really charming… kind of got a nostalgic feel, like… just sitting in your room and playing those charming classics… it's cute how she can dig underground and find these creative hidden rooms, like the carrot restaurant or the gopher mining village, and the…it…"
Kazuma dripped tears, the four sharing looks of sympathy. "Chiaki…Chiaki would love this…"
"You… think so?" Chihiro smiled.
"Yeah… it's creative and… relaxing…"
"Stealth games are relaxing, too!" Eddy argued. "And it's… also based on a late friend of ours."
"Come on, Eddy. We lost…" Carol sighed.
"I know she meant a lot to you, but you shouldn't decide a score based on personal feelings!"
"You knew Chiaki, too?" Chihiro asked.
"We only talked online… she…she was great. She was." Kazuma brushed his eyes. "But, yeah… both your levels had a lot happenin'. The collectibles were fun to find, there's lots of potential for more levels, they're both pretty addicting… but I think Chihiro's level had more life and detail in its environment. But it is lacking a clear story, I guess. So… I give it a 9.3."
"An entire .3." Eddy wept. "That's almost perfect."
"Then we concede this match to you." Carol approached the opponents. "You two will make great developers someday… so, I want you to work for me!"
"W-Work for you?" Ryota stuttered, he and Chihiro aback by the proposal.
"My dream is to turn my friends' adventures into a game series. I want to show everyone the things they've accomplished through fun, exciting games! We may have the technology to make it possible, but we need a lot of working hands to really flesh it out. So, I hope you'll work for me someday!"
"A series about the KND's adventures?" Chihiro smiled. "I guess that would be pretty exciting, huh? Alright… I'll consider it." She stood and offered a hand. "But only if I have time to make my game!"
"You bet!" Carol shook it.
"I'll play it, too, if you let me outta here!!" Mason cried.
Kirie threw kicks that Hiyoko blocked with her fans, allowing Kirie to throw Saffronia Shurikens, but only one hit while Hiyoko ducked the second. Hiyoko threw a fan at Kirie's knee to topple her, the dancer going for a chi-block at Kirie's arm. Kirie used her other palm to block it, afterwards throwing Hiyoko into the wall. Kirie flipped over to chi-block Hiyoko's right arm, but Hiyoko was able to block Kirie's right as well, both arms hanging limp. Both drew folded fans in their left hands and clashed them like a sword fight, but after Hiyoko whacked Kirie's away from below, she flipped to kick Kirie upside the jaw, then chi-blocked her left arm. "Ew, some of your spit got on my foot! Now I might get Mismatched Eye Disease like you!"
Spited by the insult, Kirie decided to start spitting. "Ewwwww!" Hiyoko shielded her face with her fan, but the blind opening allowed Kirie to leap and stomp Hiyoko on her front. Kirie slipped her foot to snag and unwrap the knot of Hiyoko's sash, so by the time Hiyoko flipped her off and back upright, her orange kimono fell off. "HEY! That's not fair! I can't tie this by myself!" Kirie resumed swinging kicks, Hiyoko blocking with her palm, until the mute kicked the fallen kimono up over Hiyoko. Frantic to shake it away, Kirie leapt to kick the back of her head and knock her down. She felt dizzier and took longer to recover, so Kirie reinforced the feeling with a sit-landing. She kicked her heels against the backs of Hiyoko's legs to chi-block them, leaving the dancer almost completely limp. "Get your fat ugly monkey butt off me! Nngh!" The most she could do was swat her left arm, but Kirie would reposition to lay on it. "MAHIRU! MAHIRU, HELP ME! WAAAAAAAHHH!"
In a devastating final note, Harry and Miguel lay atop the other, redecorated with magical punk makeup. "THANK YOU, THANK YOU!" Ibuki cheered. "That was our hyper extra super performance of 'I Spilled All the Milk in the Barnyard and Now All the Animals Are Pregnant!' Now, HOW ABOUT AN ENCORE?!"
"No more…no more, por favor…" Miguel moaned.
"Don't worry, boys, I'll save you!" Mocha, having to leave the boxing area via the music hall, grabbed the boys off the floor and rushed out. (End song.)
Cheren did a headcount. Mike lost the race against Mondo by one second. Doran was flattened under Daisaku's Doomatoes. Hifumi took a selfie of himself and Eric, the latter wearing a Dunce cap. Arianna had been tied in the hands and ankles by Gundham's Dark Devas. Leon lay pummeled beneath a panting, but smirking Jinta. Artie's Slinktron crushed Mechamaru with a pressurized spring snare. Francis knocked Kiyotaka out with a solid punch. Megumi lost to Teruteru in a Food War, relishing in his Twin Owari Peaks, round-shaped meat topped with hot brown sauce with a side of warm milk. "That's 12 wins and 9 losses. And that's without counting the Ultimates we already beat. They reminded us we aren't invincible… but we're still the winners."
"Yeah, but to everyone else, it'll just look like you beat up a bunch of prodigies." Roger smirked.
"Unless your students back us up and say you staged this whole thing as a training exercise. Not everyone will believe it, but some will."
"Whatever the case, my school will shine brighter! That means more money for me… and for my paradise on Aquaria!"
"Is that so, Principal Kamakura?" a female voice asked.
A girl with pale skin, lavender hair, purple eyes, and darker purple clothes entered the office. "Kyoko? Why aren't you down there fighting? Use Detective Vision to find out their weaknesses or something!"
"Apologies, sir, but I've been away on a personal project." Kyoko withdrew a paper from her sleeve. "I've noticed that a large amount of school funds have gone missing over the last couple years. About 11 billion yen worth. I did some digging and learned you owned your own island with a nude beach on Aquaria, complete with a personal estate with a bar, a washroom of quality soaps, and a spaceship that looks like a naked gentleman… all worth the approximate same amount of money that went missing. As evidenced by these receipts."
"That's an invasion of privacy! I'm taking 100 points away from Gryffindor!"
"Furthermore, with the help of some special friends of mine, I learned about outgoing messages to the alien Disney and Koopa Kingdoms with proposals to sell the school, which you have no authority to do without the board of directors' approval, and the fact you are having the news broadcast the events transpiring here, with forged signatures of the students' approval, whilst in reality, they've given no official consent."
"Th-That has nothing to do with-"
"On top of that, you took up an insurance policy for the school in the event the KND caused mass damage to it. But in case they don't meet your expectations, I've found receipts for explosives and a Sparkling Justice mask. You intended to destroy the necessary property yourself and blame it on a Spanish supervillain, complete with an elaborate setup that she won an all-expenses-paid trip to Japan." Kyoko unveiled the papers as evidence. "The resulting sum would allow you to pay for a real live Lewdicorn from Bobopolis that you already bid for online."
"I…I…I…"
Though her accusations and arrival were sudden, Cheren was satisfied seeing him speechless before the proof. As if on cue, a platoon of GUN troops charged into the office, guns trained on the principal. "Izuru Kamukura, you're under arrest for misuse of funds and… well, all the stuff she just said!"
"…" Stay calm, Roger. You can think of a way out of this. You trained a school full of Ultimates, for Pete's sake. The answer is right there in front of you.
…Roger grabbed the jug of Ultra Flurp and chugged it down. The soldiers were confused, but saw no harm in letting him finish. Roger set the empty jug down. …His insides gurgled, and his body twitched.
Roger went blasting out of the back window, launching to the sky with soda spewing with the force of a rocket. "It would seem the case is closed." Kyoko smiled. "Well, Mr. Uno… we'd better round our peers up. We have introductions to make."
"Hahaha! You're right!"
The Towa Academy flag was taken down. A KND flag rose in its place! The Donkey Kong victory fanfare played to signify another base conquered!
Moonbase
"Just got the call from Cherry." Panini told the High Supreme Leader. "They've all wrapped up down there. 'Twas another victorious mission!"
"Let's hope we've made more friends than enemies." Nebula said. "Make sure they report back soon. We need to get back on track."
"Actually, Ah might need your help with somethin'. They're requesting that we get those juveniles locked up in your base. 'Guess they want 'em back."
"I'll ask the Hope Pirates to escort them back. Might need Killua to manage that Maki girl."
"Heeeey! Miss Nebula! Hey!" The two saw a blonde girl in a green dress racing their way.
"Slow down, Mary!" April yelled, the W7 girls falling behind her. "We should at least wait for the others to come back!"
"Uh, hello, Mary!" Nebula flushed as the shorter, unaging child halted inches before her. "It's been awhile. What do you need so suddenly?"
"I wanna go to a planet!"
"Uh…okay?"
"She means she wants to come with us to one of the targeted planets." April replied. "We've decided on one."
"Yes!" Mary chirped. "I wanna go to Mechanos! I have a pen pal there!"