Chapter Text
It was difficult getting motivated for this story and I couldn’t make it nearly as fun as prior stories, but it was good fun working with the Go-Getters Club!
Part 14: The 14 Zodiacs
“Ahhhhhh…” Chuko breathed as the gentle steam soothed her woes. “Hot springs are the best.”
“They really make your legs feel fresh again.” Suna agreed.
“Mmmmm…I really needed that.” Pai rubbed her once-wounded belly, though an indent was still present.
“It’s nicer than low gravity…” Jennu sighed.
“…Huh?!” What were they doing in a hot spring after they were just knocked out in battle?! Wait… this wasn’t a spring. It was just floating, steaming water.
“Up and at ‘em, kids.” Lanz said.
“Heh heh heh!” Kansai laughed. “At least you ain’t wettin’ yourselves in your sleep!”
The water was made from Mio’s bending, with Glimmer transmitting her own firebending over it. “Glimmer and I combined our bending to make Hot Spring Healing. The restorative nature of hot springs makes you feel fresher than any normal healing.”
“You’re tellin’ me!” Kansai pumped his muscles! “I feel like I can hit a hundred-mile home run!”
“Just don’t push yourselves too hard.” Glimmer advised. “This technique can just as easily make you tired faster.”
“We’ll have plenty of time to be tired after this is over.”
“Mio! Lanz!” Hearing Noah’s voice, the operatives turned to find him, Eunie, and Alvis.
“Noah, who’s that?” Mio asked.
“Well, this is Alvis.” Noah smiled modestly. “It turns out she was in my sword and I… awakened her.”
“What… THE MONADO?!” Lanz screamed.
“So, now we’re BOTH Aegis Drivers?!” Mio exclaimed.
“Hmph…” Glimmer crossed her arms, glaring at the silver-haired Blade. “You are, huh?”
“Please do not be envious of my beauty.” Alvis said.
“Who said anything like that?!”
“You give off strong implications of it in the future.”
“Sounds like YOU’RE the only one strong-implicating it!”
“Well, this went south fast.” Aniki sighed. “Should we hurry and catch up with Pochi?”
“That won’t be necessary.” Alvis answered. “They will be down here soon. Until then, it seems we’ve not seen the last of our distractions.” She directed their gaze to a group of chaotically-enhanced soldiers. Among them were Mio’s mother, revived with watery Cerberus heads, along with a certain wing-headed woman in a black dress.
“Mum?!” Eunie gasped.
“Sparks, Queen Melia was here, too?!” Lanz exclaimed. “Why haven’t we seen her until now?”
The High Entia queen whipped out a mop, swirling it and conjuring elemental spheres made of different cleaning chemicals. “Queen’s chlorine!” Eunie gawked. “Are you tellin’ me Sage made her a snuffin’ janitor?! Oh, I’m gonna have some words with her after this!”
“Unfortunately, we’ll have to clean their clock first.” Noah replied. “If Pochi makes it back down here, we can give him a chance to restore them!”
X-Station (Play “Vengeful Pielope” from World’s End!)
The interior’s red coloring had been changed to purple and black. Pochi, Yuki, Tattsun, and Sage entered the control room. Only Tsumugi and Pielope were present to greet them. “I presume the Genius still intends to hide his identity.” Sage said.
“No, he had to use the bathroom.” Tsumugi smiled sheepishly.
“Where is the doctor?”
“Pielololoon! She’s locked in an endless cycle of destruction and recreation!” Pielope gestured to an upside-down oven above them. Omelette hatched from an egg, grew up on a frying pan, laid another egg as she was melted and folded into an omelet, then the egg would hatch to restart the cycle. “Which came first? The Omelette or the egg?”
“Release her at once!” Sage’s red data sparked. “The Anti-Heroine will not tolerate this type of abuse!”
“I never ordered this punishment.” Tsumugi said. “Though it’s in my best interest not to stop it either. But it’s not too late to change your mind, I. You won’t get to play with the girls, anymore. Even the King will be distraught to lose another playmate.”
“Cosplayer… I am grateful for the bonds I experienced during my service to you. But I cannot ignore this urgency in my program. This world must be saved.”
“Why do you wanna hurt all these people, anyway?” Yuki asked the teacher angrily. “Were they ever mean to you? Did they not let you play games with them? Did they ever take YOUR life force?”
“Dangangangan.” Tsumugi giggled. “There’s nothing I dislike about the Mirans in particular. Heck, I find their stories to be very invigorating and hopeful. And it’s because they filled me with hope that I wanted to make them suffer.”
“What…?” Pochi and Tattsun responded in shock and confusion.
“It began when I was in my middle teens.” She looked down in reminiscence. “I, a lone geek who read, watched, and played heroes real and fictional. I played everything from Mario, Zelda, Xenoblade, and of course Kids Next Door, all great games that were based on great heroes. I read every manga that crossed my irises, watched every show that had a sliver of an advertisement… and I crafted and dressed as as many of them as I could.” A tornado of clothes enveloped her as she came out looking like Naruto Uzumaki. “I wound up a social outcast that no one cared about.” She then became 12-year-old Avatar Aang. “I mean, I got accepted into Towa for my cosplaying skill, but I still didn’t have anyone to play with.” She became Samus Aran. “I didn’t mind being the lone ranger though.”
“Hmmm…” Tattsun hesitated to admit that it reminded him of himself.
Tsumugi became SpongeBob. “But my favorite show of all was, by far… Danganronpa. So many fleshed out characters with great designs and great interactions… all topped with a big helping of,” she became the Grim Reaper, “death. AH HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!” She mimicked his echoing laugh.
“Oh, I’ve heard of that.” Tattsun replied. “It’s this dark reality show where these students have to kill each other to escape a school, right?”
“Ya, mon. Every season gives us a new cast and a new crazy twist.” Grim whirled his finger before changing into Steven Universe. “It teaches us to be hopeful no matter how bad things get! But then… it was cancelled.” The youth grew downtrodden. “Everyone said it was getting bad… BUT I REALLY LIKED IT! WAAAAAAAH!” He was then Sora, clasping a hand over his heart. “I never knew a greater darkness before… but when Danganronpa left, it felt like a piece of my heart went with it. There was nothing else that filled me with so much hope.” Sora became Anakin Skywalker. “And one day… he approached me. A man who shared my despair… and valued my talents. He gave me the opportunity to create my own hope.” Then he was Voldemort. “But the only way to do that… was to make my own despair. And there is no sweeter despair than that reaped from those who are hopeful.”
“Bringing despair sure makes ME hopeful!” Pielope cheered. “I can’t wait to mess up more worlds!”
“I don’t get it, but I want to understand.” Yuki frowned. “So, you’re doing all this… because you want the Mirans to win and be even more hopeful?”
“Yuki, there’s nothing to understand.” Pochi stated. “She’s a psychopath, plain and simple. Any person who wanted hope wouldn’t cause so much misery.”
“The reason we like these heroes so much,” Tattsun followed, “is because of how they win in the end. And the greater the suspense, the more happy we’ll feel when they do win. You’re torturing people in real life just to get that same feeling. …We’re nothing alike at all. I want to share Electro Rangers with people so I can share the hope they make me feel! I had fun cosplaying with you because I thought you felt the same way!”
She changed back to normal. “But I do, Tattsun. The hope they give us is built off despair… as mild and kid-friendly as it is. If you manage to stop this plan, you’ll be feeling that rush of hope… not that I can let that happen. We need this life force after all.”
“What was Towa Academy for, anyway?” Pochi wondered. “Were you sapping our life then, too?”
“No. Part of that was just analyzing your skills, seeing how well I could cosplay our Soldiers… and seeing if I would meet someone like Tattsun. It was an all-around success.”
“Cosplay… your Soldiers?!”
“Dangangangangan! Still, having found the Chaos Heart, I can’t help but wonder if this was the King’s plan all along. Pielope should definitely help us locate Bolypius for sure. To that end, we should probably keep you all alive as well. Pielope, I’ll leave the honors to you.”
“As you wish. It’ll be more fun to keep them alive, anyway!” Pielope willed the door behind it to expand and trap the kids in the map room. “So, my dear sisters… let’s play a good old family game!” (Play “Final Battle” from World’s End Club!)
Boss fight: Pielope
Pielope glitched rampantly around the map, splitting into two copies that flew toward each pair from either side. When the Drivers slashed a counterattack, those copies turned into scythes, connected to Pielope’s head ornaments, that slashed under their swords and wounded the Drivers. Tattsun growled and zipped around to confuse the imp, but Pielope still mimicked the trick as both tried to slash the other. Tattsun threw Unlucky in a vertical spin, Pielope splitting its own head in evasion, but Sage seized the sword from behind and stabbed directly through Pieolope’s heart. Pochi leapt for an attack, but Pielope glitched above him and became a dumbbell. Yuki saved him with a Driver barrier, taking Lucky to land the next blow.
Pielope warped above the Aetia region and expanded it, dropping them into Alfeto Valley. Pielope turned the valley’s autumn leaves into potato chips. “Alfeto sounds like a chip brand to me!” Pielope smirked, forming a bunch of its heads that munched around the valley of chips. Pochi leapt to strike one, but it gulped him and chewed before he was able to make it spit him free.
“So long as we stand in these chips, we are in danger.” Sage said. “If only we could clear them away.”
“Hey, Yuki!” Pochi gasped, the symbol for “Craft” shining in his sword. “I think this thing’s trying to tell us something!”
“I didn’t know swords could talk! Though, I guess I’m a Blade and I talk. So, whatcha got, sword?!” Yuki touched it as well, summoning an array of holographic vehicle parts. “Hey, it’s the building stuff!”
“So, we can just make it out of thin air now? Heh, it’s nice to be in the control room!” Pochi created a spinning top with four fans around it, whirling as they scattered the chips and compelled the Pieloheads into chasing them. Pochi directed the top toward Pielope’s main body, the MCP in panic as Tattsun and Sage zipped up to strike them. Pielope lashed scythes at the pair, Tattsun transmitting electricity through one, but when it reached Pielope, they popped like a balloon. The valley dramatically shrank back into the map before scrolling into the Eagus Wilderness, the desert canyon of the Fornis region.
There was a Kevesi Ferronis with enormous tires. Pielope multiplied its tires, separating them as they all rolled circles around the valley. Pochuki fused to use their fluffy wool to survive the crushing tires, while IT dodged them with lightning speed. “Pielope must be hiding in one of them.” Sage deduced. “Perhaps I can trace them.” She honed her iris to detect her sibling’s data. One of the tires bore a smirk with a crossed eye. She ushered Tattsun to zip over to the tire, the hero slicing through it and into Pielope’s spinning safe zone. The MCP laughed and began hiding and popping out of random segments of the tire. Tattsun reacted quickly to slice them, landing a few cuts, but Dummielopes would start popping out as well, resembling jack-in-the-boxes. They exploded whenever Tattsun cut them, but thankfully, Pochuki would join them inside the tire. They grew their wool into a sheep shield and split it into more sheep to confuse Pielope. When the real Pielope appeared beside Pochuki’s sheep, the Fusion popped out to stab the MCP!
They zoomed out of the map before going down to Cotte Falls. Pielope formed mouths over the waterfalls that would cough chunks of Maktha’s buildings: they were the Coughing Falls! Tattsun and Sage fused into Super Electro Sage Black (“Please just call us Tattsage.” Sage requested), working with Pochuki to slice the buildings and ascend the falls. “Coughing Falls?” Pochuki questioned. “I prefer Cotton Falls!” They molded more sheep to enter the mouths, which chewed on them like tiny cotton treats. The mouths chewed them with satisfaction, and to show gratitude, one of them stuck out its tongue to reveal Pielope. “YOU TRAITORS!” Tattsage lay a flurry of electrical blows upon the jester before Pielope retreated back into the mouth.
The falls spiraled and melded together into a cyclone, dizzying the mouths as they barfed falls of poison. Tattsage flew up and spun, their sword stretched as an electric field surrounded them. It both blocked the poison from Pochuki and electrified the cyclone, sizzling the mouths. There was a great rush of water as the Fusions found themselves being spewed out of Pielope’s mouth! But, weren’t they just inside one of the fall mouths? Were the waterfalls Pielope’s saliva? This was too gross and confusing. They scrolled out of the map again before zooming into Keves Castle. Pielope transformed the castle into a giant mech resembling itself except pedaling a unicycle.
The mech rolled away from the Fusions, juggling Levnises which it would chuck. Pochuki used their Craft to create their own giant unicycle with seats balanced on the sides, along with cannons in each seat. The cannons would each shoot with one rotation while Pochuki steered to dodge obstacles. Tattsage used their bending to attach the Levnises to Unlucky like a magnet, throwing them to Pielope’s crossed eye. The Ferris’ cannons damaged the unicycle enough to stop it, so the Fusions could soar up and around the mech. A circle of cannons emerged from Pielope’s waist, their ammo combusting into fireworks to blot the Fusions’ vision. Pielope would also twirl giant scythes from its head, but Tattsage zipped between them and slashed their bases, severing the scythes. Pochuki then flew in and slashed straight inside of the crossed eye, slicing the mech’s insides.
“PIELOOOOOOON!” The giant exploded into a tornado of scrap, ripping the Fusions apart as well before slamming them onto the foot of Prison Island.
“Guys!” Chuko gasped, sharing shock with her fellow Go-Getters.
“Hey, you guys are alright!” Pochi smiled.
“Well, did ya expect any less?” Kansai smirked.
“How are you still standing after fighting those guys?! You cheaters!” Pielope was riddled with cuts and ripped gaps on its ears, its crossed eye replaced with a longer gash. “You think you’re soooooo tough with all your bending and skills! I can do those better than you!” Pielope shredded its body and morphed into a skinny, lanky shadow with long fingers, spikes jutting from the torso, and a four-point star on its small head. The shadow was four times taller than the Go-Getters, clouds of dark pixels emitting from it. “Let’s PLAY BALL!” It conjured giant baseballs and pitched them at Kansai, their mass too strong for his bat alone.
“Then I’m gonna need my second batter! Chuko, let’s fuse!”
“You got it, Leader!” They became Kansuko, powering their bat with fire to send Pielope’s baseballs right back to bash its face. Pielope resorted to warping to the mountaintop and sending giant snowballs down. Kansuko mustered large-enough fireballs and bat them with enough force to melt the snowballs, but an actual baseball was hidden in one of them. Kansuko reacted quick enough to bat it straight back, bending Pielope’s neck one last time.
The enraged MCP warped back to their level and ignited. “If all it can do is rip off our powers, it has a lot to learn.” Aniki smirked. “Pai, let’s show it some real barrier power!”
“Only if you bring on the thunder!” They fused into Paniki, using a barrier to protect from the wave of flames Pielope cast. Paniki stomped and quaked the earth to knock Pielope off-balance, and when the flames died, the Fusion quickly stomped a rock-jab into its eye. They stomped another, but Pielope conjured a barrier and blocked it. Pielope willed a hailstorm of boulders to rain on Paniki, intending to shatter their shield. The Fusion stomped a tunnel and became an octo to slip underground. Pielope confusedly searched for them, too late to notice a hole open beneath as the octo emerged, reverted, and uppercut Pielope’s jaw… if they had one?
Pielope took flight and formed a barrier in midair, leaving no openings as it rained its own black octos. Its ink would leave Paniki colorless and immobile if it touched them, the Fusion remaining in a barrier. “Mowchan, we need to bust their shield.” Nyoro fist-palmed. “My big brain and your big belly will be more than a match for it.”
“Can you poke me for good luck?”
“Absolutely!” Nyoro climbed the giant to give him her strongest belly-poke, yet! Simultaneously, Pochi fused them. Nyorochan curled, spun in place, and as they launched in Pielope’s direction, Nyorochan sprung off the ground with their legs and rammed the barrier! They shattered it and pushed the MCP before crushing them in the ground. They then gripped Pielope’s neck in their legs and flipped to slam its head in the ground. Pielope slashed the Fusion away, though the Inkling regenerated. Pielope morphed into a long-spiked ball and rolled toward them. “Oh, no! It’s a sea urchin!” Both kids cringed in disgust.
Nyorochan rolled away, unwilling to risk ramming the urchin. But if they couldn’t touch the spikes, they would go between them! Nyorochan extracted the Weenifier and shrunk small enough to fit between the spikes. They charged at Pielope and sprung up to land on one of the spikes’ shafts, rolling up and ramming its core. The impact coated Pielope with ink, the shadow unraveling to wipe it off. Nyorochan quickly resized to topple and Ground Pound the scrawny being. Pielope slashed them off once more before growing roller-blades and conjuring a grind-rail course that swerved all around the Black Mountains. “Oh ho, looks like it wants to go!” Suna smirked, revving up her skates. “Jennu, wanna lend me a leg?”
“Well, it’s not like I’ll have hands!” Jennu remarked, the two becoming Juna. They began grinding the rail, but when Pielope sent spiked munchers toward them, they used gravity to shift positions on it. When the rail curved down around the mountain, Pielope jumped to an upper rail, but the girls saw it in time to “fall” onto it upside-down. The rail led into a canyon, where it divided into numerous segments. Juna reacted quick to jump each rail—Pielope made some of them spiky, the Fusion unlucky enough to land on them and shred her legs. Juna still managed to catch up to Pielope on a rail that snaked up the mountains. Pielope splayed spiraling spikes around it, the Fusion swirling 360 degrees to stay along the safe path. One last push had them reaching Pielope at last, flipping a wild volley of four-legged kicks against the shadow. (Play “I’m With You” from Sonic Frontiers!)
The world suddenly bent to return them to Prison Island’s base. “WOO!” Yuki chirped. “That was super-duper pippity-poppity FLY, Juna!”
“Pielolololololoon! Do you think any of this matters in the end?! I am chaos itself! I am INFINITE!” The shadow ascended in a spire of dark pixels. The X-Station began trembling.
“Ugh!” Sanchez moaned, wobbling out of the bathroom. “That’s the last time, burp, I drink Sparrow brand rum. Hey, what’s happening, Cosplayer?!”
“Pielope! Pielope’s taking control of the base itself!”
“What do you mean? She’s not supposed to be able to manipulate the station. What’s she—AAAAAHH!” The floor flapped up like a tongue and swallowed them deeper inside.
The X-Station became the crossed eye of Pielope’s black and purple face eclipsing the entire sky. “Every soul on this planet belongs to me!” They saw streaks of light, the Life Clocks, ascending toward the entity. “We shall become one with chaos forever!” It rained a storm of X’s to impale all the soldiers, their derezzed data rising. “I am… PI-ELOPE!”
“It’s just the same name.” Mowchan said.
“No, it’s trying to emphasize the ‘Pi’ part.” Nyoro clarified. “Because pi is infinite.”
“Is that what my name means?” Pai gasped.
“I sure wish pie was infinite.” Mowchan moped.
“None of that is relevant!” Sage yelled. “It’s consuming everyone’s life! How are we meant to fight it now?”
The answer came quite simply: the off-seer song. Noah and Mio’s melody filled the air, the spirit nodes glimmering off Yuki and Sage’s bodies. “Yes… of course…” Sage whispered. “Yuki… we must save them!”
“Mmm!” She nodded affirmably. Pochuki and Tattsage fused, lifting the off-seers on their backs to carry the melody with them. Pielope spat clusters of land; Maktha’s mossy buildings mixed with Dannagh’s white sands, Elaice’s spirit trees and the Malevolent Hollow’s darkness, or Captocorn’s complex antlers stabbed between Syra’s reefs. Both Fusions impaled the X-Station as blue data particles erupted from it. “OOOOOOOW! Hey! You can’t do that! I’m the master of this world! And what is that infernal song?!”
“This station… was originally coded to me. And I now understand this world far better than you. If your power over this land is infinite… so is mine. So is… OURS!”
All the fused Go-Getters joined them in the dataspace. “What are you doing?!” The data of all 14 kids scattered and conjoined into one. “No! That’s cheating! You aren’t allowed to!”
They emerged as a colossal warrior, with segments each colored to their clothes and the emblem of their Zodiac animals adorning them. Noah and Mio continued to play within its great ears “ZODIAC GO-TRON… HEY…HEY…HOOOOOOOOO!” Their voice roared across the world, and the sparkle of their grin and their thumbs-up gave hope to all.
“Uhhhh…what’re we looking at, guys?” Ralph asked.
“Who built this mech, where, how, and why?” Mack wanted it.
“Is that the boss of this level?” Jolene pointed.
“Huhuhu! It’s about to be, Jolene!” Robi grinned.
Go-Tron raised twin katanas and sliced Pielope, but the entity sliced up their body with scythes. The irritated MCP dropped them in Yzana Plains, now reformed into Lasagna Plains. Pielope heads formed from the lasagna and spewed fiery sauce, but Mowchan and Chuko’s combined mouths could stomach it. They munched and gobbled every ounce of cheese and sauce there was, the savior igniting a great red and white flame. Go-Tron curled up into a giant, spinning meteor, blazing across the plains and burning Pielope’s main head. The explosion of data was taken by Sage and Yuki’s wills, the off-seeing song allowing them to reform it. “This code was designed to respawn our Enforcers at this base. I will use it to respawn the heroes of Mira!”
Valdi and Nikol respawned. “WHUH! Valdi, how’d we get here—WHAT’S THAT COOL MECH?!” Nikol’s eyes sparkled with desire.
“I dunno, BUT I WANT IT!”
The Zodiac granted them its blessing to become Nikola Vivaldi, the six-armed handyman flying to shoot and bash Pielope’s colossal face. They fused Eunie and Taion into Eunion, sending a swarm of birds and magical gunfire into Pielope’s eye. They fused Lanz and Sena into Lanzena, who burned Pielope with fists of sapphire passion. They fused Ghondor and Finch into Finchdor, the birdwoman’s hammer whacks creating lapses in Pielope’s mind.
Inside the station, Tsumugi dressed as Spider-Man to climb back up to the control room while Sanchez using a grappling hook to climb. “I always bring this in case I have to fish Morty out of a Slurm Queen’s gut, burp.”
“Yo, check it out, doc!” Tsumugi pointed at the blue and white code fighting on the terminal. “Looks like I’s tryin’ to get back in the system. What should we do?”
“Well, Pielope’s goin’ a little cuckoo now… but we can’t risk I sabotaging everything.” Sanchez grabbed the disc from the hidden drawer and inserted it. “I’m using the Annihilation Program. All I need to do is reprogram it to target the Pure Hearts. And done!”
A mass of darkness traveled through the dataspace. A heart icon flickered different colors above it. Vanilla’s spirit saw the malicious data lurking the code. “Is that thing after Yuki and Sage? Oh, no…?” She noticed the heart icon. “Weird… the virus’ code looks strong, but that code looks sloppily added. Maybe I can tweak it.”
The MCP dropped Go-Tron into Shoelace Highway, reforming all Elaice’s spirit trees into giant laces to strangle the giant. Go-Tron sliced free before using Suna’s skates to swiftly zoom around the laces. Nyoro’s snake emblem spewed ink ahead, the giant submerging as an Inkling to go under narrow gaps. They inked up and surfed the entire cluster of laces, confusing Pielope, before they shot out and stabbed its eye with their skates. There was another release of data.
Ethel and Cammuravi fused into Smoldering Silver, their hair alit with silver flames. Isurd and Nimue became Nimurd, their icy sword made up of rings. Juniper and Zeon became Ghostwing, their drooping cat ears tickling their tiny green wings. Teach and Alexandria became the Craftmaster, the latter’s sword stretching via a string of energy.
“What’s taking that program so long?” Sanchez grumbled. “It should’ve reached them by now! Is it because all those brats are in the way?!”
The virus in question was chasing a trail of colorful, heart-shaped data marshmallows. “You like marshmallows, little virus?” Vanilla cooed, having shrunk her data to ride on the heart icon. “I like marshmallows, too! I’m gonna get you a juicy, inky one…” She dug her tiny fingers into the code.
Erythia Sea, remade the Arid Sea, was completely replaced with sand. Pielope stirred it into a tornado to smother Go-Tron, but Aniki’s earthbending took a firm hold and condensed the sand into a ball. With Kansai’s bat in hand, they sent it into Pielope’s eye with a home run. With another data release, Joran fused with Miyabi and became Mijorbi, their song willing mud angels to rise, dance, and fly up to attack Pielope. Hrm merged with Monica and became Hrmmmmmm, their mouth just as elongated as their scowl. Segiri merged with her sister, Thirteen and became Twenty, simply becoming a giant version of their selves and their mech. Triton fused with Shania and became Tritania, a buff, manly figure with girly pigtails and knuckles that would shoot bullets with each punch.
The Urayan Mountains, now the Cryin’ Mountains, came to life as the whale Titan cried whale-shaped tears, pushing the Zodiac. They formed Pai’s barrier, but while keeping it active, Reycho stretched monkey-like arms outside and picked their own barrier up, using a tail as a prop off the ground. The Zodiac whirled their self before throwing right into the dead Titan’s nose. Its face squished in and popped Pielope out of the behind. Go-Tron raised both blades skyward, lightning striking as they dealt Pielope a thunderous blow. “PIELOOOOON! Stop! You’ve had your fun! It’s MY turn to rule this world! You can’t take this away from me!”
“This world was never yours to rule.” Go-Tron fused Noah and Alvis to make Noalvis, whom almost looked the same except for red and white armor. Mio and Glimmer became Glimmio, her Moonblades now fit with fiery prongs. Shulk and Rex became Shrek, a fat green ogre—“What the heck?!” they were less than satisfied with this result. Jak and Daxter fused into a monstrous Ottsel with a spiked back. Finally, Melia and Nia became the Royal Lifesage. “Only these people… can decide their future.”
“AAAAAAAHHH!” The weapons of Mira’s legendary heroes gouged into Pielope’s iris. And if the Aegises, Melia’s magic, or Shrek weren’t powerful enough, Dunban was there. The swordsman, clothed like a hip-hop rapper with golden chains, slashed a whole other crossed gash across the entity’s face. “You think… this can kill me… I told you… I am infinite…”
“Genius!” Tsumugi called out to the VIRUS warning onscreen. “It finally made contact!”
“Perfect—eh?!” There was a black heart above the command. “THAT’S THE WRONG ONE!”
Vanilla popped off the heart, “Whoopsie~” and glitched away.
“PIEEEEEEEELLLLLL!” Pielope was struck with a force of unbearable pain. “WH-A-A-A-A-AT THE…WH/A/T I/S HA/PPE/NING?! WAGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH///////”
“Did we do it?!” Yuki asked. “Ah, my eyes are itchy!”
“This data…” Sage’s eye twitched. “It’s like black fog…! An Annihilation Event! It’s surrounding the entire station!”
“NGGGGGGHHHHH! I/F I/M GO/ING DO/WN I/M TAK/ING YOU…!”
“No you WON’T!” Go-Tron mustered Jennu’s gravitybending and pushed upward with extreme force. “Not until…” Sage panted, “Dr. Omelette is okay…”
She felt the code of Yuki’s gentle glove over her own.
“Sigh…I guess this plan was a bust after all.” Tsumugi sighed.
“Yeah yeah, we’ll cry to the King.” Sanchez stated, pressing a remote to flick open a portal. “Let’s go!”
The Executives exited the world as the portal vanished. Above them, Omelette, saved from her endless egg cycle, was safely enveloped in sheep’s cotton.
Go-Tron flung their twin swords into Pielope’s underside, the force mixed with the reverse gravity sending the X-Station skyward. “PIEOOOOON…is this why… you locked me away, Father? Am I… the inferior… Program…?”
It was a reverse explosion, a vacuum focusing on a single space as everything inside was completely annihilated. The entire virtual dome covering Aionios crumbled into particles. The Chaos Heart floated by its lonesome in the space. It sparked and shrank into the ether. (End song.)
Aionios’ night sky blessed them with stars. The moon was lovely. Colony Alpha felt rejuvenated with youth, and they were happy to see the youth return to their fellow operatives. They had landed smack in the middle of Ragmos Field, the Go-Getters passed out just nearby. Only Pochi and Tattsun barely managed to stay awake… supported by their Blades. Vanilla was nowhere to be seen.
They heard an engine sound and glanced up. Omelette was gently descending with a jetpack. “Sigh…I’m laying off eggs for a while.”
“…” Sage handed Tattsun off to Yuki. “Doctor…”
“Sage…”
They shared a hug like mother and daughter. “Um…this is… Yuki. My… sister.”
Omelette approached the fluffy-coated Blade. “Hehe…hi, Mom.” Yuki blushed. “It’s sugary-sweet to meet you!”
“Yeah… it is.” Omelette knelt down and hugged Yuki and both boys. “Thanks for protecting my daughters, you two.”
“Heh…that’s what the Go-Getter Zodiac Rangers do!”
“We didn’t decide on that name.” Pochi said. His brother blushed.
Inkopolis Hospital
While Pearl had taken it upon herself to keep yelling at the doctors, Marina stayed at her daughter’s bedside. Vanilla was hooked to a breathing tube, but her body was shriveled from starvation. “Mmmm…?” Her eyelids were heavy as she opened them.
“?! VANILLA! Guys, she’s awake! TELL PEARL SHE’S AWAKE!”
“Have I… really been out… that long?”
“Vanilla, are you alright?! Good Lord, what happened to you?!”
“I…I have to tell you… some things. But first… can I have some marshmallows?”
Colony Convention Center, the next day
Fireworks decorated the sky around the floating base. The Go-Getters stood proud on the Ascension Grounds, where all Miran KND were in attendance. There were floating TVs broadcasting over Erythia for others to watch from boats, including the outsider operatives.
“Today, we welcome new heroes.” Supreme Commander Zeon began. “Twenty-five years ago, the Kids Next Door of Planet Earth aided us in our hour of need. Now, they have done so again. For even the passage of time will not dwindle the comradery we share with those beyond our skies.” He turned to them, 14 medals in his arms. “Thank you, Go-Getters Club, for saving us!”
“Pfft, who decided on that name?” Silica snorted.
“Still mad that Pochi beat ya?” Christina smirked.
“You realize they might surpass all of us in the rankings.”
“Well, let’s not get ahead there.” Perry replied. “We had members of… three sectors working together? But I may put Sector Q in the Number 3 spot.”
“Now then.” Zeon grabbed the medals, each designed like the Zodiacs. “Erm…which animals go to whom again?”
“I’m Cheetah.” Suna said.
“The Dragon!” Tattsun boasted.
“I still wanna be Dragon.” Chuko huffed.
“She’s a rat.” Kansai thumbed.
“Oh, you’re gonna be a rat soon enough, pipsqueak!”
“Pardon me, but there appear to be two of you missing.” Zeon said.
“Um…” Nyoro hesitated. “Well, we don’t really know if…? That might be her!”
A Squid Ship was descending. Vanilla dropped from a spot of pink ink on its bottom, reforming onstage. “Sorry I’m late!”
“Vanilla!” Aniki and Nyoro embraced her after what felt like months of never seeing her. “Thank goodness you’re finally back!” Aniki cried. “Was your body okay?!”
“It’s fresher than fresh!”
“You look much nicer when you’re not pixelly.” Reycho said.
“Yeah, it does feel—?!” She whipped her head at him. “YOU CAN TALK?!”
“Y-Yeah… Valdi installed a voice chip in me.”
“THAT’S GREAT!” Vanilla hugged the robot. “Now I won’t have to translate for you, anymore!”
“But…” Yuki frowned, “we’re still missing…” She jogged over into the waiting room. “Sage? Don’t you want your golden animal?”
“It feels… undeserving. I instigated this catastrophe in the first place. Even Dr. Omelette is still considered a wanted felon here.”
“But everyone likes watching people get medals. And… we’ll be really sad if you’re not there with us.”
“And we can’t just have 13 people with us, it’s bad luck!” Tattsun startled Yuki from behind.
“That is irrelevant superstition.”
“Sage,” Yuki held her hands, “you’re saying this because you feel bad. But you’re being rewarded because you did good. If you don’t accept that… it means you’re not proud that you did good.”
“…That is logical.”
Sage walked with her sister out onstage. She was handed a medal of a jackal.
“Sooooooo,” Jennu drawled half-nervously, “I would like to… propose something!”
“Yes?” Zeon asked.
“Let me just have a word with everyone.” Jennu escorted her friends back to the same waiting room, much to Sage’s irony. “So, uh…I’ve been writing a song this all started… here!” She showed the lyric sheet.
“Oh, hey! You finished it?” Suna asked.
“Uh…and?” Kansai asked.
“I… wondered if we could sing it.”
The kids looked the script over. “It’s kind of… silly.” Chuko blushed. “But I like the fiery maiden line~”
“I think it’s fun!” Vanilla chirped. “Let’s sing it, guys, come on!”
“No way.”
“Let’s try it, Aniki.” Nyoro smiled. “It’ll be a great way to cheer everyone up.”
“Shouldn’t we be getting ready for Christmas?”
“I wanna sing it.” Pai pouted. “Won’t you join me, Aniki?”
“Tch…” There was no way he could decline her.
Sunset that night (Play “Go-Getters Club Theme”!)
A band played for the Go-Getters’ performance, including Miyabi with her flute. Vanilla was the first to sing.
“Clear blue skies and warm summer days. We have to find the courage within! For whatever comes our way, Our great adventure’s about to begin!”
Jennu followed. “Come boys and girls, go-go-go getters. Fate brought us together. And when we all work as one, We’re the toughest thing around!”
The kids all chorused, linking arms together and swaying legs left and right. “Things aren’t easy, there’s no doubt. But you’ll never, ever be alone. The sun is rising up-up-up above. Come on, now it’s time to go. The road is so long, the nights are so cold, But our friends have been there from the start. Even if the world comes to an end, Go-go-go-getters will never fall apart!”
“Khh, Suna’s so ridiculous.” Ghondor snickered.
“At least they sing better than you.” Shania remarked.
“OY, when does Mio get a song?!” Rex shouted, hoisting his daughter up. “Mah girl’s an Aegis Driver! Look at her!” He pulled Glimmer over. “Ain’t she beautiful?!”
“Get off, you’re embarrassing me!” Glimmer shouted.
“Daaaaad!” Mio whined.
“Phenomenal.” Alvis sighed.
“Fiery maiden, blazing through the dark.” Chuko blasted a fire breath.
“Ride the wind and jump into the fray.” Suna swiftly skated around the floor before twirling for a pose.
“Grand slammer, hit it out of the park.” Kansai sent a baseball flying straight to Swordmarch.
“Fully awakened, nothing caaaaan defeat uuuuus.” Jennu gracefully spun and flowed around the air.
“Dressed up in black, a sparking super hero.” Tattsun electrified.
“Steely chef, he is here to lead the way.” Mowchan rolled around.
“Raging power, the ground shakes below.” Aniki stomped and raised some nearby boulders (brought here for his line).
Mowchan stopped as Nyoro rose from his hair. “With brain and brawn, we’ll save the day!”
Pai danced beside Aniki and formed a barrier. “I’ll protect you wherever you go!”
“We will never,” Yuki and Sage mirrored a dance and locked hands, “give up on our dreeeaaaams!”
“Come boys and girls,” Vanilla danced, “go-go-go getters. So, so far from home…”
“But no matter how far we roam,” Pochi followed, “Our bond is unbreakable!”
Everyone sang, “Our goal is distant, our hearts full of doubt, But our friends are there, to keep us strong. There’s a rainbow, up-up-up above!” Nopon soared over pouring rainbow dust. “Now is time to carry on.
“We fight and argue, that’s how it goes.” Kansai and Chuko, Aniki and Nyoro, Suna and Tattsun, and Yuki and Sage mimicked arguing. “Only true friends can show us the light.” They twirled and arm-hugged. “All together, we turn and face our foes, Go-go-go getters, we never lose a fight!” They punched the air.
Egg Carrier
“I decided that I’m going on leave from the Axolites.” Omelette said. “And I don’t want them to use my workshop either.”
“I suppose the Genius and Cosplayer were rather uncourteous regarding recent developments.” The Heroine replied sheepishly. “Perhaps this will be to your best health. What of Enforcer I?”
“I think she wants to spend a little longer with her new Driver. I didn’t think their resonance would still be intact outside of the virtual world. But she says she swears to maintain secrecy.”
“How kind of her… However, I fear the others will be more resentful. Regardless, I accept your decision, and will ensure the Executives do not harass you.”
“Thanks… Lady Arrok.”
…
“Fluttering out here on the high seas,” Pochi swayed his arms, “My poor heart flutters around… Love so strong, it hurts… Set my heart freeeeeee…”
“Chuko, Mowchan! Vanilla, Tattsun! Pochi, Pai, Nyoroooo! Kansai, Aniki, Yuki! Jennu, Suna, Reycho, Sage… Yeah, and you, too!” They spun to face the audience!
“Grumpy hotheads, whiny little wimps.” That night after the performance, Chuko kept her word of Weenifying Kansai. She planned to tease him, whine at him, and make him smell her cheesy-spicy breath through the night. “No doubt about it we’ve got our flaws.” However, Kansai seemed to playfully go along with it.
“But none of that means anything, ‘Cause we are friends forever more!” Colony Mu became fast friends with Laruta, Mali, Trella, and Lily. The girls took part in their cheerleading exercises and sticker hunting. When they went to collect flowers in the Bed of Woes and Wishes, Mowchan tried to find a nice flower to give Laruta. Unfortunately, he wound up ripping a chunk of several flowers out of the soil.
“This world is strange, these times are so hard.” Robi and Jolene practiced mudbending with Joran, trying to make sculptures of themselves. “But you’ll never, ever be alone.” Juniper invited Sector TRI to their garden to share their produce. Prince Zeon joined them, feeling a longing for it after such a strenuous week.
“The sun shines, but up-up-up above!” The Raccoon Pirates sailed every corner of Erythia Sea before Jason wanted to return home. “So many places left to go!
“That’s right, we’ve found everything we seek.” Pai pecked Aniki on the cheek before returning home with her brother’s team. However, he found a slip of paper with her phone number in his pocket. “On our journey to the ends of the world. There’s no place that’s out of our reach.” Vanilla finally signed up for Mushroom KND training.
“We’re unstoppable go-go getters!” Ghondor made it home in time for Christmas and introduced Finch. Her father screamed and ran away when he recognized the idiotic bird. “We’re phenomenal go-go-go getters!” Miko dragged her sons all around Quahog to yell about what big heroes they were. “We are Go-Getters and we are here to stay!” The 14 heroes would have statues made of them in Swordmarch.
Azure Hall
The Pig King oversaw his Executives. “So, Enforcer I… does not want to play with me, anymore. Why…”
“YOU FOOLS!” The Overlord banged his fist. “You had all that life and you let it slip away! You lost all that data AND Enforcers C, J, and O are in prison!”
“J is a master of escaping prison.” Oathbreaker said. “But it’s only a matter of time until the spirits hear about them.”
“We had the operative data transmitted before the X-Stuction’s destraytion!” Sanchez murmured. “I mean, X-Stay-Struct… PUORKEM, the point is that the Repliclone Project is still underway!”
“I fear the project didn’t last long enough for it to bear significant fruit.” Stargazer replied. “What of the Chaos Heart? Was it truly destroyed?”
“The Annihilation Program targeted Pielope’s physical body, and by extension the X-Station that she was possessing.” Tsumugi replied. “But I’m sure the Chaos Heart returned to Mira’s EtherNet. It’s just a matter of finding it.”
“Yes… the Chaos Heart still floats out there… and I believe Bolypius will not be far behind it.”
“My King?”
“Yes… unfortunately, this loss of life was very steep. Cosplayer… you must offer 30 of your years as compensation.”
“Dangangan…” Tsumugi blushed. “You are truly generous, My King. But I would like to ask a favor. Tattsun… I still want him as my own one day. So, please don’t hurt him.”
“I’m sure… he’ll be fun to play with someday… spankety.”
On the way home
“HUH?!” Kansai gawked. “Whaddya mean ya aren’t powerful, anymore?!”
“During the afterparty, Perry challenged me to a swordfight.” Pochi answered. “He knocked Lucky out of my hand after two minutes. Me and Yuki even had a hard time exchanging the sword properly. I think we were only crazy powerful in the virtual world.”
“It was likely another consequence of my dominion over Aionios and my connection with Yuki.” Sage explained. “Even our progenitor, Bolypius possessed the greatest power in virtual space. We may still be able to use crafting and Fusion, however.”
“That’s good, at least.” Chuko shrugged.
“But I’ll miss being super-duper strong.” Yuki frowned.
“We’ll just have to practice and get stronger.” Pochi smiled. “The proper Driver way.”
“So like, are you staying with us?” Suna asked Sage. “I thought you wanted to be back with the doctor.”
“I will return to her soon… but I also wish to keep training with Tattsun. It will benefit me as well as Yuki.”
“So long as you promise not to be our enemy again.” Tattsun blushed.
“The doctor and I may still antagonize the Mobian KND in the future… but I shall try not to do the same to you.”
“Fair enough. By the way, Pochi… I wanted to talk about your visions.”
“Huh?” Pochi perked up. “You… know about that?”
“I overheard you and Yuki that one night.”
“Eeek!” Yuki cupped her mouth. “I knew I was a loudmouth!”
“Alright, whaddya keepin’ from us now?” Kansai asked.
“When I was… being tricked by Miss Shirogane, I mentioned what I heard.”
“The Cosplayer reported it to the Genius.” Sage said. “And he believed you were an X-Type.”
“…” Pochi brushed up his hair. His friends gasped seeing the X mark on his forehead. “X-Type?”
“It is a rare type of Observation Haki that can see beyond the 4th wall.”
“What’s that mean?!” Kansai exclaimed. “How come you never told us this?!”
“Because I can’t really control what I see. I don’t understand this power well at all. Do you know anything Sage?”
“I do not. But if you were to harness it… you may be able to see things your enemies don’t want you to see.”
Millick Meadows
Colony Alpha journeyed to the Fuschian Fields, following Noah’s vision. They found a pixelly gateway locked with a boar and bunny symbol. “Yeah, it’s here, alright.” Lanz said. “Why do they have these animals on them?”
“Colony Mu said theirs had the ox and rat on them.” Sena replied, pushing against the sealed gate. “So far, they’ve been the same as the Go-Getters’ animals.”
“How bizarre.” Taion said. “I would buy that these are anomalies left over from the virtual distortion, yet why would they bear these emblems?”
“What if… we need the actual Go-Getters to open them?” Eunie wondered.
“’kay?” Glimmer replied, already confused enough by the past week’s events. “So, should we go get ’em?”
“Allow them recreation for now.” Alvis said. “These gateways do not pose a threat. If I were to hazard a guess… I would say that another force was watching the events of this game, beyond Sage or the Chaos Heart. And it seems it would very much like to meet the heroes.”
“Hmm…” Noah and Mio looked to each other knowingly. “Then perhaps the Go-Getters will like to meet her, too. Eh, Noah?”
“Yes.”
But it was not the only force watching them. Dunban stared at his children one last time… before walking into the sunset.