WARNING: Starting this chapter, we'll have major crossovers from the cartoon Life as a Teenage Robot, and will have spoilers for "Escape from Cluster Prime" and other episodes. There will also be other robot-themed crossovers, but they aren't connected to their canon selves, so don't worry. But until we get there, play "Beautiful Ruin" from DR2!
Towa Academy
Izuru Kamukura's body was reported dead on the top of a skyscraper after falling from the apex of his flight. Though police were baffled that his body had the texture and volume of a rubber doll, but they thought it best not to ask questions.
A GKND saucer landed outside the school. "Man, this place's seen better days!" Masaru boasted, his crewmates marching out and leading the Gifted Juveniles.
"I, um…I'm scared of being here…" Jataro muttered. "…What happened to those guys?"
"We got punked man…" Harry moaned, he and Miguel in a daze. "We got punked by magic…"
"HEY, GUYYYYYS!" Ibuki hollered with an ecstatic wave of her arm. "When we heard you got captured, I thought the KND would probe you or something! Like, don't aliens do that?! Hey, where's Kiyo?"
"Kiyo's dead." Kaede answered. "They killed him in self-defense."
"Oh, that's good. I didn't like him. I thought I would wake up one morning and find him hiding under my bed!"
"Their friendship is so deep." Mason remarked.
"Waaaaah! Let me goooooo!" Hiyoko's voice had been tuned down to an acceptable volume. She had been shrunk and tied up like a ring on Kirie's finger. "Fat-fingered bitch! I'll crawl in your ear and gouge up your eyeballs!"
"HIYOKO!" A red-haired girl with a camera rushed over, leaning worriedly over her friend. "What happened to you?!"
"I was shrunk by an ugly white bug! Find it and kill it, Mahiru!"
Kirie clarified, She means Vweeb. Speaking of which, where is the little guy? Her hand-signing only sent Hiyoko into more discomfort.
"Awwwweeeee!" Aoi was fondling something tiny to her cheek. "You are the cutest, teeniest little thing I've ever seen!"
"I've been told~" Vweeb swooned, the nearby ops casting looks of disbelief. "That's quite an assortment of doughnuts you have."
"Uh-huh! By storing body fat, it enhances my Water Chi. But I still try to keep my figure."
"I thought as much." Vweeb dropped onto her cleavage, bobbing on the bouncy surface. "You just wanna make sure not much of it goes to your chest, or else that would hinder your maneuverability in water. But I'd say it's at a reasonable depth right now."
"Oh, OK! Are you a physical health expert?"
"Of course! This size gives me a closer perspective on these matters; discrepancies in the bloodline and whatnot. Do you mind if I get a look at your legs? That's the part you wanna make sure doesn't get too fat."
"Well, I guess you can—AAH!!" Vweeb was suddenly swat off by Mahiru.
"GET OFF HER, YOU CREEP! You're even worse than Teruteru!"
"Curses! He was even that close to Hina." Teru cried. "That lucky little grape…"
"Calm down, Mahiru!" Chihiro ran up and gently scooped Vweeb in her hands. "He's an alien. Maybe he didn't have anything dirty in mind."
"I question that myself…" Arianna mumbled under breath.
"Are you okay, little guy?" Chihiro held Vweeb close, sympathy in her hazel eyes.
"Agh…I'm just fine. At least some girls in this school are nice~"
"Haha…I guess?"
"That's a nice shade of hair, by the way. Almost the color of a cinnamon roll. Only fitting for a sweet girl."
"But, I'm-"
"Sheesh, you setting a record today, Vweeb?" Nagisa sighed, approaching them. "Heh, sorry about this. Truth is, this guy hits on any girl who'll hold him."
"That's nice, but… I'm a boy."
Both boys' faces fell. This was the 3rd time this month Vweeb made this mistake… Why do guys just look cute now? "Y-Yeah, well, I'm not gender-biased, anyway!" Vweeb jumped to Chihiro's shoulder. "Your neck seems a little stiff. How's this feel?" He began to massage it.
"Ah…it feels good, actually! Since I sit at computers all day, I do get pretty stiff. Could you get my upper back, too?"
"Yes, Sir!"
Arianna rolled her eyes nonetheless. Well, if he was gonna do this, only fair that she flirt with two boys of her own. "Lord of the Insects!" she heard Gundham address Gonta in his epic voice. "I see you have returned from the Realm of the Stars! Tell me, how go the Great Battle of the Kingdom of Adolescence?!"
"Gonta not know what Gundham mean, but Gonta meet nice boy who friends with Pikmin! Gonta even got to become one with bugs for short time."
"Ha ha ha! Soon, you will hold the Secrets of the Forbidden Firefly! Our powers combined will breach the gates of Gehenna and break the seal of the Lord of Sin!"
"Uhhhh…" Gonta still not know what Gundham saying.
"Wow, you seem really great with bugs!" Arianna cooed, nestling up to the wild-haired Gonta. "They're all saying they like you very much!"
"Y-Yes… Gonta love bugs very much. Purple girl love bugs, too?"
"I love all animals! And especially the men who care for them!" She put arms around both boys (having to pull Gonta down a tad). "Care to share a girl your secrets?"
"Er, I… might be able to indulge you, Maiden of the Plum." Gundham blushed.
"Fine, have fun with that, Arianna!" Vweeb yelled. "…Chihiro, wanna go get some cinnamon rolls?"
"They're my favorite!" Chihiro took out a pack of them.
"You're the sweetest!"
"HAHAHAHAHA!" Masaru pointed and laughed ecstatically at his cousin. "You got beat up by Jinta! 'Guess you ain't the Ultimate Baseballer, anymore!"
"SHUT UP, ya little turd face!" Leon shouted. "I never even wanted to be the Ultimate Baseball! I wanted to be the Musician!"
"Too bad ya didn't have the voice instead of the balls!" Ibuki teased. "YOWZA!!"
"That appears to be everyone accounted for." Kiyotaka said. "Except… where are Kaito and Maki?! They're VERY late to class!"
"Take it easy, Hall Monitor." Kaito himself came rolling off the ship in a wheelchair, pushed by Shingetsu. "We're just a little out of shape."
"KAITO! The Kids Next Door broke your legs?!"
"Nah, it's just a hospital rule thing. They gave me medicine for my Netherosis. That's the sickness I had. As for Maki Roll, she's a little tied up right now."
Killua hauled Maki out, tightly bound in chains and gagged. The Ultimates were agape; even the KND wouldn't take a chance with Maki's skills. "Wow, uh…you really got her good." Kazuichi said.
"It was the least we could do." Killua replied. "After she killed the Firstborn Mew." He tossed Maki on the ground.
"YOU DID WHAT?!" Mahiru stomped up and ripped Maki's gag off. "What do you mean you killed Mew?!"
"I was acting under my masters' orders. But, in reality, I began to harbor a personal vendetta against them. The gods are-"
"It's always been my DREAM to take pictures of the Firstborn! I heard Mew was the most camera-shy of them all! And you… How could you do something so awful?! Killing such precious children?!"
"There's a girl that's speakin' our language!" Killua exclaimed.
"Shut up, degenerate!" Tenko yelled.
"Ugh, her again." Kazuma sighed. "…Wait. JUBBLYJAY. I still can't say his name. Why can we say Mew's?"
"You better not've touched my Meloetta or I'm gonna be Melancholyetta!" Ibuki shouted.
"I've always wanted to meet Goddess Uxie myself." Chihiro said. "But I guess I won't get the chance to…"
"I was hoping to at least save JDYDY from the KND." Kaito said. "The whole killing Firstborn thing just didn't sit right with me, but I at least thought…"
"Yeah, well, you guys can do whatever you want with her." Killua replied. "I doubt she'll be bothering us, anymore."
"Well, I don't very much wanna be around her." Mahiru returned to the school in a huff.
"Hey! Mahiru!" Hiyoko shook. "You're supposed to help me!"
"I'll help you, Tinyoko!" Himiko leapt up, pointing epically. "Unhand her now or I shall curse you with my Dirty Nails Spell!"
Whatever. She makes my finger itch. Kirie untied Hiyoko and flicked her to Himiko's hand.
"Ewwww! What's this icky stuff on your hand?!"
"Oh, sorry. I was picking my nose on the flight."
"KIRIE! COME BACK! Get me away from this ugly snothead!"
…
"Alright then." Kyoko responded to Cheren's story with calm, hands folded over the principal's desk. "It all makes sense now… the news' biased stance against the KND, those postings… and now that you've 'conquered' our school, we're officially with you in this war."
"I mean, it's not like we wanted to force you to join…"
"I know. We attacked you first and the opportunity presented itself. I shall try to explain this story to the others… in a way that makes sense. You can be certain that you have my support, at least."
"That's nice." Cheren smiled. "I don't wanna burden you guys with our battle, but honestly, you'd all make great operatives. I almost want you to join."
"That we would. I guess the least we could do is spread your influence to other schools in Japan. We'll 'conquer' them in the KND's name… unless you're afraid of being painted as villains?"
"Do whatever you want. We need a bunch of numbers to win Kael's Game."
"Then we'll consider it."
"Until then, I guess we can look forward to more propaganda, tomorrow. Imagine just how giddy they are seeing the footage…" (End song.)
Intergalactic News
"BIG WOOHOOOOOOS!" Big Bird had just finished reviewing the footage the Earth studio sent him. "Such THRILLING exchanges! Skill against skill! Power vs. power! Clashes of superminds and superhumans alike! Just look at the smirks on Mocha and her opponent's faces! They are sisters in arms! And the bikers are brothers in arms!" A picture of Mike and Mondo snickering with arms around the others. "And just how cute are those computer girls?!" A picture of Chihiro shaking Carol's hand. "So many thrilling exchanges, it was almost two-sided! I can't wait to excite my viewers with-"
"What are ya getting all excited for-hoho?!" Mickey snapped. "The KND attacked an innocent school and you better let the universe know that!"
"Yes, yes, I know, but what about the majesty of it?! How can you see a Fanalis girl break a sword with her foot and not think-"
"For Pete's sake, you're a reporter, not a fight promoter! So, do your job and report on the KND's tyranny! Any of that flavor text will give people the wrong idea-hoho."
"Y-Yes, Your Majesty… you're right."
"If ya want good news, I got a headline for ya. Just wait'll ya hear who we put in charge of the Galactic Army."
War Meeting Room
"In these trying times, the KND are showing their true colors." Chancellor Phyronix told the officers. "They've been exposed of their true desires and have taken an aggressive stance against our worlds. In our efforts to aid and contact the Miran government, the KND have already swayed them over."
"It's only fair, isn't it?" asked Admiral Aurelia, the silver-haired woman donning a knowing smirk. "The KND were there first while we sat keeping our own planet secure."
"Admiral…" Wallace shirked at her direct statement.
"Ahem, even so!" Phyronix huffed. "If their Supreme Leader's words hold true, war is on the horizon. We must all be ready to fight for King Mickey and bring peace to our worlds. And that's why… I am appointing a new Grand Admiral."
The officers lit up in anticipation as the door opened behind him. A handsome man with blue skin, hair, and red eyes, wearing a clean white military suit with a blue tie, cape, and adorned with medals marched in. "Meet… Grand Admiral Thrawn."
"Admiral… Thrawn?" Aurelia repeated in concealed shock.
"What?!" gasped General Lucy Hare, a Mobian rabbit from Corneria City (from Star Fox). "Is that the same Thrawn who served Palpatine's Empire?!"
"What in tarnation?!" yelled General Guy, a normal-sized Shy Guy with a white coat and hat. "I ain't leave one corrupt government to work for another!"
"Relax, my comrades, relax." Thrawn spoke in a calm tone. "The Star Wars is a bygone era. The philosophies of Jedi and Sith are all history, as are everything involved with them. No matter the era, I live to serve Galaxia's government."
"Indeed." Aurelia said. "You were the apex of loyalty, even in those trying times, according to the books. A master strategist, superb martial artist and moonbender, and as a Lunarian in his prime, you could serve for thousands of years. Though to be honest, I always thought the Emperor only appointed you for your species. And yet, you never showed them how to find Lunaria, did you?"
"I may have left my homeworld to seek strength and power, devoted myself to this government, there are some lines I will not cross. Still, it is quite astonishing to see how much has changed."
"Admiral Thrawn was only released from Zordoom yesterday." Phyronix explained. "It was only because of his high position and loyalty to the Empire that he was given such a long sentence. Heh, I fear to imagine what would happen if Tachyon had enough time to free him. Regardless, I believe his skills and experience will be crucial in the coming days. We've briefed him all we could about the current situation and adversaries, but there is more you'll need to fill him in on."
"I believe I have enough to get us started." Thrawn stepped around the table and took his place on the high chair. "Unless, of course… there are any objections to my being here?"
"If your leadership will lead us to victory, I will accept." Aurelia said.
"I guess I will, too." Wallace replied casually.
"It's fine by me." answered Zapp Brannigan (from Futurama), a blonde human in a red uniform. His white boots were propped up on the table, the captain leisurely laid back. "Still, I doubt you ever steered a cruise liner smoothly through a black hole."
"Excuse me?" General Ironwood questioned. "What I heard is that you veered off the instructed course and destroyed the whole thing!"
"Eh, that was Lieutenant Kroker. But I can assure you I evacuated 99% of the passengers with greatest efficiency!"
"I'm sure you did… In any case, I accept this proposal. You, Admiral Kong?"
"OOG! OOG! OOG! OOG! OOG!" A huge, scarred gorilla with blonde, pineapple-shaped hair pounded his chest.
"Fine, fine, I get your jib. I'll roll with it." General Guy huffed.
"Hmm…" Lucy sighed.
"I'll leave things to you. Do us proud, Grand Admiral." Phyronix turned and exited the room.
"To give a general rundown… several planets' governments have already declared loyalty to the KND, correct? These would include Amazonia, Legola, Mobius, Wisp, Glomour, Secco—or at least the Osiris Country…"
"That doesn't necessarily mean every officer in their armies agree with the leaders' decisions." Aurelia said.
"But we suspect those loyal to the cause are monitoring our army." Ironwood followed. "If we mount any attack on the KND's H.Q., they will intercept us. It may even lead to war right then."
"In the olden days," Thrawn recounted, "the GKND was considered an independent organization who targeted criminal factions that our armies had no official place in dealing with. Because of that, both the Old Republic and Jedi Council alike rarely saw reason to get in their way. And it was thanks to the KND that the Irken situation was kept under control while we could focus on the Sith-led Separatists."
"Until, of course, the Empire took over and made that same arrangement with the Irkens themselves." Ironwood recalled his studies. "'We claim this country on Flora, but you can have this country on Flora.'"
"Until the Irkens became righteous allies, only to wind up our enemies again." Thrawn chortled. "Ah, how times change. But under these current circumstances, their place as an independent organization has become loose and questionable. So, if the opposing armies insist on defending them from a mounted attack, that will leave some of their bases vulnerable to sneak attacks. If we send a small platoon to attack them, we can test to see which army will react and determine which base they came from. But, we're getting ahead of ourselves. King Mickey wanted me to assign some of you to guard duty for the Corporate Presidents."
"Yes." Ironwood affirmed. "General Winter has already gone to safeguard her father."
"I see… but familial relations can get in the way of the assignment. Could I count on you to assist her, Ironwood?"
"I… suppose, but… to tell the truth, I'm not exactly on the best terms with Schnee."
"In that case… I'd like to have a word with you after this."
"Welp, someone's in trouble." Zapp remarked, Ironwood casting a look at him.
"I should have somebody supervise you, too." Thrawn glared. "For different reasons. Oh, and there's one other planet we shouldn't overlook: the homeworld of the most infamous operatives, Earth. Since Earth is not affiliated with the Galactic Council, their armies shouldn't get involved with our intergalactic warfare. Nonetheless, securing a hold on the planet will certainly hamper their progress. We should send agents down to investigate Earth's military, so we may plot an attack on them."
Moonbase
"Guess who's baaaaaack!" Mocha sang as she jovially marched into the cafeteria, Miguel rested on her open palm.
"Oi, you look terrible, Mochan!" Chimney said. "Did you challenge a steamroller mixed with a bulldozer?"
"No, but I feel like that would've been easier!"
"What's that thing in your…" Aisa began before realizing it was a person in far worse shape. "MIGUUUUEEEEEL!" She scrambled up Mocha's body and across her arm, shaking the magical-punk-dressed boy by the collar. "What in the world happened to you?! Are you trying out a new style?! A new form of music?! Stick to the Mexican acoustics I know!"
"I'm too dang tired of talkin' stuffed lions~ Givin' me shit 'cause I let all them cards run away~"
"Those lyrics don't make sense! COME BACK TO ME, MIGUUUEEEEL!"
"Oh, hey, Mary!" Mocha beamed. "I almost didn't see you there."
"Guess what, Mocha! We're going to Mechanos!"
"Mechanos? The robot planet?"
"Uh-huh! Back on that Heroes Day, Mary was visited by a girl named Penny! She was from Mechanos! I wanna see the robot planet!"
"Really?" Mocha asked in interest. "I mean, it sounds fun, but it just sounds a little out of our element. It's not like any of us are mechanics. I always felt like we were a naturalistic sector. Like Amazonia, Mobius, or that camping trip."
"Whaddya mean?!" Chimney yelled. "I make cool trains with cool weapons! Mechanos is totally my element! I tell you what was weird, the art gallery! We didn't feel right there at all."
"Uhhhh, pretty sure April did." Apis reasoned.
"Between the six of us," Aeincha smiled, "well, I guess seven now with Miguel, I think we fit in just about any environment!"
"Especially you!" Apis poked the Lilliputian, sparking a giggle.
"I guess it would be a cool change of scenery!" Mocha grinned. "Alright! But can we wait until tomorrow? I need to rest my bones after that battle. …And Miguel needs a makeover."
"A wise decision." A Jamaican voice acknowledged. The girls were approached by a certain monochrome-skinned boy with puffy hair. "But additional preparations will be necessary. As Mechanos is a 98% robot-populated planet, there are almost no edible foods for us organic types. For the few humans that live there, there are restaurants that provide imported foods, but I think we're safer bringing our own meals."
"All Mary needs is a bucket of paint to drink!" Chimney retorted.
"'We'? You mean you're coming, too, Jerome?" April asked.
"Well, my sister considered going originally, but I insisted she needed a break after the Mira mission. At least she let me borrow her weapons." Jerome smirked, drawing out the T.O.P.M.A.N.. "Of course, we will be operating separately. I plan to bring my own handpicked operatives who should excel in this environment… including-"
"BENDER IS BACK IN ACTION, BABY!" Jerome was suddenly crushed by a mountain of luggage. Bender, GKND's robot operative with flexible limbs and can-shaped body, posed atop the luggage with a vacation shirt, hat, and sunglasses. "Tomorrow, we set off for the home of my forefathers! The greatest planet in the entire cosmos! And since I, Bender, am the creator of this planet, they may honor me like a god!"
"Technically, I created it." April smiled. "Based on your ideas. But it's not like any of these New Planets honor us as gods."
"Man, that blows. Whoa!" The luggage collapsed and Bender with it as Jerome warped out from underneath.
"Ahem…yes, it is only fair Bender join me on this excursion. I would like to ask the Gilligans to come, too."
"So, our target is Mom the Corporate President, right?" Mocha asked. "I remember Empress Hancock has a bad history with her. Does she rule her own territory on Mechanos?"
"Correct. In fact, Eggman also had his own base down there, so they were likely already at war before this. In spite of the doctor's demise, there's a chance we'll still have to deal with minions of his."
"Then what was the point of killin' him?!" Chimney asked.
"Uh, to save an oppressed planet and enslaved species?" Aisa remarked. "Speaking of which… will we have to kill Mom, too?"
"Well, Mom has always been a mixed bag." Jerome reasoned. "She'll side with whichever side is convenient or profitable for her, like she did during the Seven Lights Quest. If she realizes that she can't beat us, she just may side with us again. Quite unlike Eggman, who was unfortunately too dangerous to let live."
"So, we should try to capture her instead." April decided.
"But aside from Eggman's remnants, Mechanos has its own Brotherhood branch who we'll no doubt be at odds with. On the plus side, we'll have Mechanos KND agents as allies. Our first objective should be to meet up and confirm their situation."
"And that means Penny!" Mary cheered. "This is gonna be so much fun! I can't wait to meet all the robots!"
Mechanos; May 16 (6 days earlier)
Once a desolate planet with very minimal, visible life, Mechanos was founded 3,000 years ago as a haven for robots who wanted to govern and live among themselves. Scientists who specialized in robots were given special status, and major manufacturers such as Mom or Eggman could rule large territory. Aside from them, there were other small "countries" ruled by robotic leaders, such as Robo-Hungary ruled by Emperor Nikolai, the Granbell Kingdom under Castellan's reign, the anti-human region Chapek, or in this case, Cluster Prime.
Aside from its artificial appearance, Cluster Prime and many other places were no different from the average human town. Young droids went to elementary and high school, riding school buses who were also robots (the planet asks that you please hold in your controversial questions). There was a town park, animal droids to frolic in the semi-natural environment, and metal trees that produced sonic frequencies designed to resonate with droids a feeling akin to cool breeze through the trees. And no city would be complete without villain attacks.
Cluster Prime had bug problems. Giant Beetle Drone problems. What used to be the proud and somewhat-competent soldiers of the kingdom had turned renegade after the fall of the former regime. Fortunately, Cluster had heroes who were always ready to save them. Such as the mighty Silver Shell! A large, broad-chested silver-plated robot, he would send beetles flying with mighty strength! "Hah! You'd have an easier time if you were flies! Jenny, the park infestation is clear!"
A thin robot resembling a teenage girl, with blue and white metal and sharp pigtails, smirked after receiving the transmission. "Thanks, Sheldon! But we got bigger bugs approaching on 01001101 01100001-"
"Okay, Jenny, I love binary as much as the next bot, but you can just say 'Main Street.'"
"Oh, have some culture, Sheldon." Jenny rolled her eyes.
What looked like a royal procession came marching up the street, carried by Elite Beetles and led by Smytus, a large yellow-green beetle with a long black antenna. They carried what looked like a hive-shaped tent, and from it, a thin robot with a pharaoh-like design flew out in a grandiose manner. "CLUSTER PRIME! Your queen has returned! Renounce XJ-9 as your so-called 'hero' and redeem yourselves of your treachery!"
Leader of Brotherhood's Mechanos Division
QUEEN VEXUS
"This old song again, Vexus?" Jenny asked. "Why don't you and Smytus just get hitched and move to an asteroid farm or something?"
"How dare you implicate such a thing?!" Smytus shouted.
"The Brotherhood is making major waves, XJ-9! So, now's the time to take back what's mine!" Vexus sent a swarm of Bee Drones, Jenny morphing into a bug zapper to eradicate them. Vexus flew behind and shot lasers at Jenny, who suffered the first few before growing a shield from her arm. Jenny spun her head and sent her pigtails like boomerangs around the shield, slashing Vexus' hip. She dropped the shield and punched her extendable arm into Vexus' face, then turned her other arm into a gun to shoot lasers at her. Vexus lunged at Jenny, her antenna orb projecting an energy sword. Jenny dodged as her arms morphed into multiple sabers, but despite the odds, Vexus swung her head with enough precision and speed to counter the array of swords.
"Do not fear, Jenny! For I am here!" The Silver Shell charged up the street, leaping to land a silver-loaded punch upon Vexus. But he was denied by a fist of red metal, denting the Shell's hip as he crashed into a holo-ice cream stand.
The Shell cried as his assaulter, a muscular gold and red robot, ripped his armor to shreds. "SHELDON!" Jenny enlarged her fist to strike the mech's back, but Vexus would seize her in a whip and throw her away.
"This feeble human dares to impersonate us?!" The giant easily picked Sheldon out of his mech: he was a thin boy in a red sweater and freckles. "No hollow robot can challenge the likes of ATLAS!" (from Teen Titans)
"Then try ME on for size!" Atlas' arm was stabbed by three thin, black swords with green lines. The swords were attached to wires, connected to the backpack of a tall girl in a green dress, black boots, white blouse, and puffy orange hair. Penny Polendina (from RWBY) spun five swords like a pinwheel and chopped Atlas' faulty arm, freeing Sheldon as the geek scrambled to escape. "So, your name's Atlas, too, huh? I was made on Atlas! And we have a friend named Atlas! I wish we brought her along!"
"How DARE you cut Atlas' arm!" The villain grabbed the arm and used nanomachines to reattach it. He clapped his wrists at Penny to send shockwave blasts, the swordsgirl evading in the air as she fired a green laser in return. A furious Atlas molded nanomachines over the targeted area, turning his armor black like Haki. He would use the same armor on his fist, throwing a punch that blew Penny to the roof of a building, hitting the corner of it. However, one of her swords had already wrapped his leg via the wire, so she used it to "retract" herself toward Atlas with fierce speed, tripping him before stabbing him in the back.
"Atlas!" Smytus gasped. "I'll help you-"
"CHAAAAAA!" A small, purple-haired girl headbutted Smytus in the gut. She had glasses, blue overalls over a red shirt, and had peach skin like Penny. She was Sector Prime's Gag Master, Arale Norimaki (from Dr. Slump). "Super Fist of Shōnen Jump: One Piece Arc Climax!"
"What?!" Suddenly, Smytus wound up in the hallway of an enemy base. "Where am I-"
"EEEEEEEEEEKKKK!" Zoro, Nami, Usopp, and Brook of the Straw Hat Pirates came dashing, dragging Smytus with them as they hall exploded behind them at a rapid rate. "RUN, SMYTUS!" Nami screamed. "The bad guy is destroying the island with his Splode-Splode Fruit!"
"What?! How long do we have to run?!"
"For about a year until Luffy beats him!" Usopp cried.
"IT TAKES THAT LONG?!"
"In actuality, this 100-chapter arc takes place within an hour! Yohohoho!" Brook laughed.
"Watch out! It's one of the side-villains!" Nami panicked, the crew halting as a swordsman named Henchy ambushed them. (The explosions stopped temporarily.) "He ate the Slice-Slice Fruit! Protect us, Smytus!"
"AAAAAAAAAHHHH!" Smytus was painfully sliced by Henchy's swords.
"I'll stop him!" Zoro clenched his swords firmly. "Three Swords: 10,000 Pound Phoenix!"
"GYAAAAAAAAAHHH!" The blow was so powerful that the entire Arale-shaped island was sliced in 8 different directions. A piece of Smytus flew off to each of them.
The queen's commander lay unconscious in reality. Arale saluted the audience and said, "Did Zoro's attack finish Henchy off?! Find out after a 2-week break!"
And with that, this story is going on a 2-week hiatus! See you then!
…
…
…
…
…
Just kidding! This was actually part of her Bo-bobo gag!
Jenny morphed her arms into an array of laser guns, unloading a storm of energy upon the swarm of Elite Drones. "WOO!" Sheldon fist-pumped. "Take THAT, ya overgrown bugs!"
"I wouldn't celebrate just yet." Vexus smirked.
With the strum of a guitar, the punctured drones rose with no power coursing through them. They animated like zombies as they charged at Sheldon, the geek in panic as he tried to shoot them with his own rifle. "How are they moving?!" Jenny asked, using a chainsaw-arm to dice the drones, but their parts would continue to animate like undead.
"Thanks to my Steel String, of course!" Another woman emerged from Vexus' carriage: a skeleton with a red sombrero, black sparkly dress, and golden guitar. "With this string I acquired from a special source," she showed off a metal guitar string amongst her gold ones, "I can control the 'dead' robots!"
Leader of Brotherhood's Miracle City Division
SARTANA DE LOS MUERTOS
"That's just like that bonebending woman!" Jenny remembered.
"I'll just have to cut that string to pieces!" Penny launched at Sartana, but a quick strum had the undead vanish in a puff of smoke. She reappeared above a roof and strummed the Steel String. The dead bee drones took flight and swarmed around Penny, and in her struggle to swat them away, Atlas grabbed her by the legs and slammed her in the ground. However, Penny surprised Atlas by directing a sword directly into his throat, then cutting up to barely hit his brain before he yanked it out.
"Dammit! I need repairs!"
"Relax, you oaf!" Sartana said. "If you die, I'll just reanimate you."
"Atlas will not be controlled like some puppet!"
"Then squash that girl's head and I'll reanimate her!" Sartana was about to strum the string and reanimate more drones.
Until a wad of sticky gum-like substance latched onto the base of the string. "What?! Who threw that?!" Her glowing red sockets faced an opposite roof.
A small pink-headed robot with a blue dress and rabbit ear-like antennas was holding a gum popgun. "Pino! You're back!" Jenny cheered.
"My mission was successful!" declared E.M. Pino (from Edens Zero).
"Wanna finish the job with a good old EMPlosion?" Jenny asked.
"Then clear the area immediately!"
"SARTANA!" Vexus immediately flew to the undead witch. "Time to retreat!"
"You're lucky Giant Robot Sanchez had to go to his kid's birthday!" Sartana yelled, she and Vexus poofing with one last strum.
"Leaving Atlas to carry the dead weight." The golden robot hoisted Smytus' fallen frame and flew away with jet shoes. "Atlas demands premium oil tonight!"
"PINOOOOO!" Penny shot up and squeezed the little robot in a hug, spinning in the air. "You did it! If you hadn't gummed up her string, we would've been stuck fighting those zombie-bots forever!"
"Haha!" If Pino could blush, she would. "I'm glad I was on time to help."
"But as soon as they get that string ungummed, I'm sure they'll be back." Jenny said dejectedly. "But more importantly, were you able to find it?"
"Yep!" Pino opened a compartment and withdrew a heart-shaped chip with blue lines of digital energy. "I acquired the Mother Chip from the Chapek Museum!"
"SWEET!" Jenny beamed. "Now we've got six of them! One more and our dream will finally come true!"
"Let's go show Dr. Wakeman and the others!" Sheldon suggested eagerly. "…Right after I fix up old Shelly."
MomCorp; Repair Branch
The scientists of the Repair Branch weren't fond of mass-producing service droids for Mom's army or otherwise. The best line of work they could ask for was providing treatment to damaged robots. "There you are, Lisa." Pietro Polendina said as he installed a waterwheel into a female robot. "Now you know why it's important to get a wheel checkup." He poured a gallon of water into her top, bringing her to life as the wheel began churning.
"Thank you, Doctor." Lisa would smile if her mouth could be animated. "I'll be sure to come sooner next time."
Pietro was a jovial, dark-skinned man with a grey beard and green cap. He was crippled in a high-tech wheelchair and wore small glasses. He used to work for the Galactic Army branch on Atlas, Coruscant, but left when the army demanded that his greatest creation and daughter Penny work for them.
Nora Wakeman, a short woman with a pointy nose, standing white hair, and a yellow coat fixed the front-right leg of Hedonismbot, a golden robot lain attached to a walking lounge chair. "I don't even want to know how you got that hole in your leg, so just pay up and go." she told him reproachfully before handing him a bill.
"Oh! Your brash allegation pierces hard-drive! I must respite in my chocolate icing bath, hoho!"
"Eesh. I don't get what some creators were thinking with these things. What good even is a waterwheel robot?"
"Every artist has their own imagination." said Professor Moshimo (Robotboy), a thin man with a bald scalp and white hair around the back. "A robot born from the heart is better than one born from conveyors."
"That's… an odd analogy, but I agree." Pietro said.
"Like you guys got any original ideas!" argued Senbei Norimaki, a chubby man with a white labcoat, messy black hair, and thin mustache. "'Ooooo, my robot has a zillion weapons, it can fly and destroy asteroids!' When I designed Arale, I wanted her to be nothing more than a sweet little girl like all the others!"
"PUMPKIN CANNOOOOON!" A giant pumpkin suddenly crashed through the ceiling, exploding as the Sector Prime operatives popped out. Arale was dressed as a kunoichi.
"XJ-9!" Nora screamed. "What is the meaning of this?!"
"S-Sorry, Mom! We tried to stop her, and before we knew it, we were already in the pumpkin!"
"It's a jutsu I learned from the Fairy Godmother!" Arale said.
"Dang it, Arale!" Senbei stomped up in a rage. "I told you to stop taking jutsu lessons from that woman! Don't do it again or I'm gonna spank you in the-" he raised a hand to bonk her head-
And Arale turned into the Fairy Godmother, her glare spiteful. She had used a Transformation Jutsu to deceive him. "I think you're the one who needs a spanking, young man!"
"Aaaaaaahhhh!" And a spanking he received.
"…Uhhhh…" Jenny opened her tummy and found the real Arale. She was tiny as she was operating a laundry mat for hippos. "Well, we wanted to tell you that Pino found the 6th Mother Chip!"
"The sixth?!" Nora gasped. "Jenny, that's fantastic news!"
"That means there's one left!" Pietro exclaimed.
"One left and we'll be able to meet Motherboard!" Penny cheered.
Jenny mounted herself on one of the operating tables, recounting the legend in an epic tone. "Somewhere deep under the planet's mantle rests an ancient hard-drive. A machine blessed with the power of shooting stars. A machine that can grant the wishes of any robot. Eons ago, there was a robot named Pinocchio. Free and adventurous, he explored the world and found the mysterious Mother Chips. He was the first robot to find this machine: Motherboard. When asked what he desired most, Pinocchio made a wish no robot ever wished: 'I want to be a real boy!'"
"And so we founded the Real Girls Club!" Penny embraced Pino and Jenny in a hug. "Our goal: to find Motherboard and wish to become real girls! I can already visualize it!" Penny imagined herself skipping barefoot along a beach.
Jenny imagined herself in a blue dress with orange hair.
Pino imagined herself taller with bunny ears.
Arale imagined herself as Sheldon. "WHY ME?!" Sheldon screamed. "Anyway, after you become human, that means we can go back to Superbia, right?"
"That's right! Imagine the looks on Brad and Tucker's faces!" Jenny smiled.
"But aren't you going to miss being a robot? I mean… that's basically your entire power set. You won't be able to fight villains and stuff, anymore."
"I could learn to operate a suit like you. But even if I end up having to retire, this is what I've always wanted. To feel how humans feel. To grow up with my friends and… get married someday." A blue blush formed on her cheek plates.
"We still don't know if this Motherboard legend is real." Nora said. "And even if it is, I don't know how I feel about losing one of our greatest fighting forces."
"Yeah, but we're more than just a fighting force. In the first place, we were designed like normal girls and we tried to blend in with them. It's only fair we finally get what we trained for."
"Yes, yes, I know… but what if we get attacked by Vexus or other villains?! I better not hear you say, 'Oh, I wish I was a robot again! Why did I ever think this was a good idea?!'"
"Then why don't you build another daughter or something?!"
"Well, it wouldn't be right to just 'build' another daughter. But what about all the nanomachines inside you? Your entire arsenal? If you make this wish, will they all just disappear? I hope you empty them out before you do! Or else that would be entirely wasteful!"
"Fine! I would hate it if they get transformed into body fat."
"Even if they can't become human," Pietro said, "meeting Motherboard is bound to be an educational experience of its own."
"I hope you will invite my children along when the time comes." Moshimo replied. "They hope to become real kids as well."
"Of course we will!" Pino chirped. "No real kids left behind!"
"You're such a sweetheart, Pino!" Fairy Godmother "pinched" Pino's little cheek. "Well then, I'm off to turn more people into pumpkins." The fairy swayed her hip and waved her wand on her way out, singing, "Sala-gadoola-menchicka-boo-la, bibbidi-bobbidi-booooo…" while turning other workers into pumpkins.
"Attention! All workers please report to the main lobby. An important guest is here with an announcement."
"Ugh, I wonder what this could be." Nora huffed, she and the others leaving the room. "Time is bolts, you know!" Pietro repulsively put the pumpkinified Senbei on his lap to carry him.
Jenny folded her arms, scowling as she tapped her foot on the floor. "Ah, relax, Jenny." Sheldon rested a hand on her shoulder. "Every parent's scared to watch their child grow up. Especially if they're parents of robot children. That means they rarely get the experience!"
"Do you think we should go down and see the important guest?" Penny asked.
"I'll just hack into the camera feed." Jenny plugged her finger into a slot and changed into a TV.
"Well, I need to visit the imported lunchroom, anyway." Sheldon marched off. "Pretty soon, you guys will know how this feels!"
The human grabbed a hamburger with a small cup of salad. He hid in the lobby doorway, sharing his shocked expression with his teammates upstairs. None other than Corporate President Mom stood in the entrance, joined by a band of Mom's Friendly Executives: Otomo Kamikazi, a short, bald Asian man with a red robe and large green sunglasses; he was accompanied by his larger blue-robed henchman, Constantine. Arthur Watts, a dark-haired mustached man with a grayish-blue overcoat, cordovan undercoat that matched his fingerless gloves, and a yellow undershirt with matching buttons socks. He once worked for Schnee Dust before resigning out of frustration for his employer. Dr. Locus, a wide-bodied man with cyan overalls, white puffy beard, and a big red nose.
"Good news, nobodies!" Mom announced. "You're all being mandatorily promoted! King Mickey has commissioned us for a special project and I need all my best mechanics on the line!"
"Eh? Surely you don't mean us, right?" Senbei asked.
"You? That's debatable." Watts replied. "We have been commissioned to design a new line of Disney Defender Bots… or Disneybots for short. Modelled as child forms of famous and classical Disney heroes, designed to not only be appealing to all the lovely youths, but to serve as symbols of peace and hope as they protect worlds from evil forces!"
"O…kay?" Nora cocked a brow. "Don't we already have armies or Kids Next Door for that?"
"Ha ha ha, Ms. Wakeman." Mom chortled. "Sending naïve children out to fight dangerous wars? What kind of parent does that? Well, I suppose you all wouldn't understand since your kids are machines, but those parents of real children should be ashamed of their selves. King Mickey wants to fix all that and I would like to help him. And that's why…" she unraveled a paper, "your contracts state that you may be ordered to change and adapt with new jobs or locations in special or emergency situations."
"We're not exactly fans of mass-produced models, but…" Pietro began, "under this premise, I suppose it isn't so bad."
"What exactly is the long-term goal with this project?" Nora asked. "They aren't intending to replace the KND, are they?"
"Why does that concern you?" Mom asked. "Between the children you've created, you were on the verge of replacing the KND yourselves."
"That's not exactly what we intended." Moshimo said.
"Well, too bad!" Kamikaze yelled at his rival. "You will make Disneybots or we'll strip you of your positions and confiscate your creations! Those children might as well be considered company property, shouldn't they?"
"YOU CAN'T DO THAT!" Sheldon yelled, startling the group.
"Who's that?!" Mom yelled. "Are you one of the workers? Get out here, attendance is required!"
"No, that's just Sheldon, he's a visitor!" Nora stated.
"He's one of the local operatives!" Locus remembered. "He's got quite the skill in engineering, too. Would you like a job, Mr. Sheldon?"
"I already have a job! I work part-time at the Happy Holo!"
"The holo-smoothie shop? Funny that you mention that." Mom smirked. "That store brand is one of my subsidiaries. And they have the same contract! Sheldon, starting today, you're coming to work on Disneybots!"
"WHAT?! But all I do for that job is click and organize the images for the holograms! Why would we be asked for advanced engineering work?"
"I wasn't sure if it would come in handy, but it seems it has. And that means your creations are also company property! Failure to comply will result in confiscation! And I doubt you'll be very useful to the KND after that."
"Why… you…!"
"It won't be so bad." Watts shrugged. "You get to work in colorful factories and make colorful characters. And so long as you comply, your kids can keep doing as they always have. And we don't plan to actually oppose the KND with these creations, just actual villains. Who knows, the KND may come to thank us for our work. The benefits outweigh the costs. Of course, the one downside is you'll all be separated. We can't grow too much fruit on one branch, after all."
The mechanics shared worried and skeptical expressions. At the moment, there was no definitive reason to argue about this… and more importantly, they wanted their kids to accomplish their goal and not have to worry about this. "Alright. We'll go."
"But Nora!"
"Jenny has more important things to do than getting involved with these bigwigs. Wouldn't you agree, Sheldon?"
"I…I guess so. But as an operative, I'm compelled to go on leave if duty calls!"
"You can take that up with Robot Resources." Mom said. "Alright, mechanics, move out! We've already transferred droids to fill in for you here."
The Prime ops watched as their parents and Sheldon left the building. "Well… it doesn't seem so bad." Penny said.
"Maybe… but I have a bad feeling about this." Jenny replied.
"Let's just check up on them when we can." Pino suggested. "We still have Vexus to worry about… and finding the last Mother Chip."
"Hoyo…" Arale bowed her head in sadness.
Current time
The land between Mom and Eggman's territories reeked of burning oil. Following the death of the doctor, his soldiers on Mechanos had fallen into a wild, incontrollable frenzy, running the innocent citizens off the residential zones as they engaged Mom's Killbots in war. "Sector 2501 is secure!" a Killbot yelled. "Let's revolve around and-"
"SOMEONE SAID REVOLVER!" Another Killbot shot its comrade to pieces.
Sector Prime didn't expect things to escalate this terribly. When they learned about the drama between Disney and the KND, they already wanted to rescue their parents… but Vexus' Brotherhood allies were already invading other treehouses, and now this war suddenly broke out. "Jenny… Sector Vega has been compromised." Pino reported. "That's the 4th one this week…"
"What do we do?" Penny's emerald eyes curved sadly. "What… can we do?"
"We…We may have to split up." Jenny said hesitantly. "We need to cover as many bases and save as many operatives as we can. I'm sure GKND has heard about this by now. Any day now… they're going to send support."
"Yeah." Pino nodded affirmably. "Let's have faith that they will. Until then… let's meet up again soon."
"I can at least go with Pino!" Penny cheered. "The two of us will be safer together!"
"I don't doubt that! The one I'm worried about is Arale."
"N'CHAAAAAAA!" The violet-haired android had already stormed into battle with her army of toilets!