Sector LN, Part 5: That Ever Slight Smile

Sector LN

"Metamorphie Faciesse!" Akko shouted, eyes shut tight. "Huuuurrrr!"

"I can't believe you're actually trying wandless magic." Amanda remarked, waving her own wand as chips floated in circles above Jasminka's head. The Russian witch remained still and refused to eat them.

"Sigh… I can't either." Akko rubbed her forehead. "How can anyone learn wandless magic, it's impossible."

"It's not really." Lotte corrected. "You see, Akko, mages like us have each found a wand that chose us as its master. When a wizard finds a suitable wand, they will be able to use any other wand they come across. But you'll find that some wizards just aren't able to find a good wand, and so they're left with no other option but to use their bodies to harness magic. To name an example, the dark wizard Voldemort was able to fly without a broom."

"Our magic is a composition of numerous natural chis mixed into our bodies." Diana continued. "Because of its disorganized nature, it's very difficult for us to control it with our bodies. That's why we use wands to begin with. Even I haven't reached that level."

"Then let's have a race!" Akko fist-bumped. "Diana, let's head outside and train as hard as we can! The first person to perform a wandless spell has to order the other person to do something embarrassing! You on, Diana?"

"…Hm." Diana smirked, brushing her hair back. "Well, I'm not about to let you upstage me."

"Say, where did Hannah and Barb run off to, anyway?" Sucy asked, tending to her mushrooms.

"Barb texted me and said they went for a walk in the Forest of Niall." Lotte answered. "They'll be back soon."

Forest of Niall

Niall was a beautiful forest that was home to aquatic creatures that floated about in the air, from yellow jellyfish that looked like ghostly lanterns, blue anchovies that looked like bundles of fairies, and pink snails that left trails on trees with their glowing slime. These creatures would only appear from twilight until dawn.

Barbara Parker had donned a glowing yellow dress with frills, posing in front of the jellyfish as though she were one of them. "So, Hannah, how do I look?"

"Positively amazing!" Hannah beamed, saving the memory into her camera. She was wearing a red top with a rose collar and a pink flower skirt. "You were right, Barbara, I'm getting so much inspiration from this place, I can't bear it! Just imagine, shock-proof jelly dresses, a slime-secreting cloak for Sucy, and Lotte looks great in anything that glows! Say, what do you think Diana would…"

Hannah stopped herself, the hurt rising back in her heart. Barbara's expression told her that she felt the same. "How about we just enjoy our walk for now?" the dark-haired asked.

"Yes…" Putting their feelings aside, the two resumed their walk through the forest.

Gigantic branches stretched and curved around parts of the forest, serving as natural pathways for the girls to explore. "You know something, Hannah?" Barbara asked, smiling as she was collecting flowers. "Since we're Kids Next Door operatives, that means we can practically go anywhere in the universe! And I've always wanted to go to the Steam Gardens on Planet Flora!"

"Steam Gardens?"

"They're gigantic greenhouses built for preserving and caring for plant life. It isn't just Flora, but other planets have them, too. And hey, didn't you say you wanted to visit Planet Yarn?"

"Oh, yeah, I did, didn't I?"

"We could totally pay a visit there, too. Ooo, Hannah, check it out!" Barbara jogged up a sloping branch, a rather difficult task in high heels, but she managed. "Do you see that giant cliff?!"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"It looks like a cliff, but it's actually Mountwood! It's one of the strongest materials on the planet! I would say universe, but that's overdoing it, don't ya think? Oh ho ho ho!"

"It certainly does look impressive. …" Hannah released an upset sigh. "Barbara, I'm sorry, but I just can't stop thinking about what Diana said."

"Well, what was the point of bringing you here if you weren't gonna clear your mind?!"

"I know, but…but she never insults us. Especially not after complimenting Akko. It makes me so angry! I mean, we were her best friends WAY before Diana could stand to breathe the same air as her!"

"Yeah, but WE weren't the ones who helped her shoot a missile down from the sky!"

"I-I know that…" Hannah felt a tug in her heart. "But…But we're still her friends, right?"

Barbara faced down at the grass, glaring. "…Are we, Hannah?"

"What do you mean?"

"Hannah, why did we join the Kids Next Door in the first place?"

"Because… well, because Diana wanted to."

"And why did Diana want to? Why, when all she cared about were her grades and school work before?"

"Because…" Hannah bowed her head. The answer was all too obvious. "Because Akko wanted to join."

One year ago…

"Oh my gosh!" Hannah exclaimed, her and Barbara gaping. "Y-You're… Diana Cavendish!"

"We read all about you!" Barbara followed, eyes sparkling. "You're more beautiful in real life!"

"Thank you, I'm flattered." Diana replied, brushing her hair back. "I don't believe I'm familiar with you two, however…"

"Oh, I'm Hannah – Hannah England. This is Barbara Parker."

"So, anyway," Barbara began sheepishly, "since we were lucky enough to meet you like this… and, well, given that students need to be in groups of three… Uh, do you think we could be your team?"

"Unless you already have partners!" Hannah said quickly. "We don't mean to impose or anything, y-yeah."

"I don't see why we couldn't. Very well, I'll accept you as my partners."

"AAAAAAAHHH!" They were beyond joyous. "Oh, Diana, thank you so much, this is such an honor!" Both girls bowed.

"We promise you won't regret it!" Barbara finished.

"A-Alright, girls, take it easy. I'm human just like you two."

…

"Boy, Diana, can you believe they let a clown like Atsuko in this school?" Hannah asked as they were washing hands in the restroom.

"She got written up three times yesterday." Barbara followed with a haughty smile. "I get that we're having budget problems, but Muggle-borns like Atsuko are only gonna make things worse."

"I couldn't agree more." Diana replied with a huff. "She has no respect for our customs or our heritage. But if she doesn't at least learn to behave, she'll have no hope here."

"Metamorphie Faciesse!" Akko waved her wand, praying that her spell would work this time, but nothing changed aside from new bulging eyes. "Cribbit!"

"Poor Atsuko." Diana sighed with sarcasm. "Perhaps you need someone to hold your hand. Would this help?" She tapped Akko with her wand, changing her into a toad in an instant.

As the students engaged in laugher, Hannah planted a foot on the toad. "Hey, Diana was kind enough to help you, the least you can do is bow."

"Get off of me, you stupid croak! I'll get you for this, Diana! Ribbit!"

During a Dungeon Explorer session, Hannah and Barbara cowered behind Diana as they were faced against a giant mushroom monster. "INCENDIO!" Diana cast a powerful flame spell and burned the beast to cinders. "Not too difficult. Plants are weak against fire, after all."

"Yeah, but only YOU could pull it off so perfectly, Diana!" Barbara exclaimed.

Of course, months passed and several events took place. Developments were sparked in certain students. "I can't believe Kagari ruined the festival like that." Hannah scoffed, showing disgust. "They HAVE to expel her now, they just GOTTA!"

"To be honest, she kind of took me by surprise." Diana said. "The way she was transforming like that… I never thought she was capable of such skill."

"Come on, Diana, that act was ridiculous!" Barbara shouted. "She humiliated herself AND Luna Nova!"

"Well, I'm sorry if you feel that way… but I couldn't help but smile when I saw that." She cracked a smile even now. Her friends were royally baffled.

Sometime later, they received terrible news: "What do you mean you're leaving?!" Hannah shouted.

"It can't be true! Tell me you're joking, Diana!"

"I'm sorry, girls… but my mother has passed away. It's time for me to become the head of the House of Cavendish. I won't be able to continue my education here. …I'm going to miss you two." She hugged her friends.

Hannah and Barbara had been sobbing ever since. Without Diana, they realized they were nothing. None of the other students admired them like they did her. They were merely two girls who followed Diana around. Their lives were empty without her.

But then, before their very eyes, a familiar presence approached them: "D…Diana?!"

"Hello, girls!" she greeted with a sweet smile.

"Y-You're back! Did you forget something?!" asked Hannah.

"No, I… decided to come back."

"Diana!" Barbara cried, both hugging her fondly. "Did you miss us that much?!"

"Well, yes… but I have Atsuko to thank for my decision."

They released her, shocked by the statement. "A…Atsuko?"

"Yes. She…She saved my life."

That's when everything started going downhill. As far as they were concerned, anyway. Diana began to sit at Akko's table more often at lunch. Diana showed disgust at Akko's undignified manner of eating, a fact that Akko acknowledged as she would open her mouth and expose the half-chewed food inside. Diana responded by casting a spell to seal Akko's mouth with a zipper.

Sometimes, Akko would ambush Diana in the hallway; a frog landing on her head, a giant spider with a monkey's tail, or a rhino with a clown nose and polka-dots. Hannah and Barb would cower behind Diana, who would only show anger and annoyance for her "misuse of magic."

But whenever Akko was no longer around to see her, even as Diana buried her eyes in a book, she had the warmest smile. They've never seen her smile this much, not from reading, not from her own two friends, and it wasn't even a proud or arrogant smile. In the past, Diana would always show irritation for Akko's antics, but now it was no secret that Akko made her happy. More happy than Hannah or Barbara ever made her. And if they wanted to keep being Diana's friends, they had no other choice:

"Today's the day, team!" Akko announced to her friends. "Today, we join the Kids Next Door! ARE YA READY?!"

"Akko, you know we have to go through training first, don't you?" Diana sighed.

"Yeah, but we'll pass that in a heartbeat. After all, we're the best Luna Nova has to offer! So, you better get excited if you want any hope of passing!"

"Hm hm hm. As if I will let you pass before I do." Diana smirked.

…

"Hey, did you guys hear?!" Akko exclaimed. "The Kids Next Doors are having a Field Day on Aquaria! We HAVE to join them!"

"Akko, I think they're only holding that in honor of the Earth operatives." Lotte replied. "I'm not sure if we would be welcome. And even if we were, those guys are going to get all the attention."

"Who cares about that?! We get to have some fun, show ourselves off, and we'll get to see how other KNDs do things! C'mon, Diana, we have to! Pleeeeaaaaase?"

No one could say 'no' to a face like that: not even Diana. "Hmm, well a bit of recreation never hurts. Very well… just please do not do something to humiliate us, Akko."

"Come on, Diana. 'Humiliation' is my middle name! And THAT'S why we're gonna be the STARS!"

"Hm hm…" Diana cracked the lightest chuckle.

…

"Hey, Barbara, have you ever heard about the Rukh?" Lotte asked while holding a book.

"The Ruke?"

"No, Rukh. According to legend, they're invisible butterfly spirits who only gather around certain people. It says that there are some people in the universe who are said to emit very pleasant and warm auras. And the longer you were around one of these people, you would want to follow them more and more. This is because the Rukh are attracted to their aura. Those Rukh would land on you, and they would secretly make you attracted to that aura."

"So, like… do you know any person like that?"

"Not exactly… but if we did, I wonder if I could see the Rukh with my Ghost Whispering? I guess first I would have to find out what kind of person they would be."

…

"Hurry up, girls!" Akko cheered, skipping merrily. "Last one to the Butterbeer Tower gets the bottom of the barrel!"

"Honestly, where does that girl get all her energy?" Diana sighed, the eight witches keeping up at a much slower pace. However, Han and Barb couldn't help but notice Diana's feet moved faster than theirs, as if she were determined to catch up to Akko. And as she faced Akko's direction, she had that ever slight smile.

Currently

Officially, Diana was their Sector Leader. She had the proud and strict aura of a leader, and they all followed her orders. She disciplined Akko whenever the need called for it… but the fact was, no one in their team was following Diana. They were following Akko. Diana was following Akko. And after everything that's happened, it was no surprise that Diana would want to be around her, while still upholding the guise of a superior and more sophisticated witch. It was no wonder that Diana would look down on the two of them.

"GROWLLLLL!" A deafening roar broke them out of their thoughts, and they faced up at the top of the Mountwood to see a giant white gorilla with huge fangs. The gorilla leapt down and CRASHED before the girls, pounding its chest. Han and Barb fell on their behinds, scooting back in total fear.

"WHOOOAA, easy there, tiger!" The beast was tamed by a teenage girl on its back. She had messy pinkish-red hair in large pigtails, tied by leaf braids, green eyes, white claw-mark makeup, and wore a green and orange dress with leaf designs and green open-toed boots. "Don't tear them apart before I have a chance to examine 'em first."

"He-e-e-e-e-e-e…" The duo were shaking in the knees, hugging each other.

"Judging by the fancy getup, I take it you're rich girls. Probably with those 'Totally Spies.' Let's see now…" The girl put on a purple eyepiece, which projected a star design that locked onto the witches. It scanned Hannah as numbers were calculating. "Your Power Level is 1,524." She then scanned Barbara. "And YOUR Power Level is 1,418. Hm, that's not bad." She smiled knowingly. "But MY Level is 3,040. And that's not factoring in THIS bad boy! Alright, sick them!"

"GROOOOWL!" The beast raised its fists and smashed down, but Hannah and Barbara had already bolted down the branches. "What?!" The girl realized that her pet's hands were glued to the ground. "Is that sap?! Resourceful little buggers!" She waved her hand and willed the sap to detach.

The girls were forced to carry their high-heels in order to run faster. "I don't know how long that sap will hold him." Barb panted. "Let's get our brooms and esca-"

The gorilla crashed in front of them and severed the branch. "AAAAHHH!" They all took the fall, but there was ground below to save them. Hannah quickly got on her feet and cast "REDUCIO!" to shrink the gorilla down to size. However, the forest girl had leapt high in the air, pulling back a large bow and loosing a Haki-imbued arrow between the witches. The force caused a small explosion that blew them apart, and once the girl landed, she waved her arms and wrapped the duo up in vines from the ground.

"You're a plantbender?!" Barbara realized.

"Glad you noticed!" The girl then turned as her steed grew back to normal size. "Didn't think that would hold on you. Orright, big guy, let's squash these spies into paste! WHOA!" The gorilla fell over when a laser shot down at them.

"So, this is where you ran to, Forest Princess." They all faced up to see a blonde girl in a red jumpsuit on a hover pad. "You're gonna pay for messing up Grunty's operations! And considering how cheap that dress looks, I hope you have money to spare."

"What is this, the Firstborn Saga?" Barbara asked, disgusted by that line.

"I've got your friends captive, Clover! If you wanna see them alive, you better back off!" The girl grit her teeth.

"Uh, and why would I be friends with THOSE weirdoes? Heck, all three of you smell like yucky forest jelly! Too bad you aren't going to the juice factory!" Clover shot more lasers from her vehicle, the forest girl dodging and shooting arrows up.

Barbara used her wand to unravel the vines binding them. "Protego!" The girls whipped up a shield when Clover shot a laser at them. "Reducto!" Afterwards, they destroyed the hovercraft with an explosive spell.

"WAAAAH!" Clover activated a jetpack and took off. "Man, dealing with you alone is a pain! Time to call for backup!"

"You better GET YOUR ARSE out of this forest!" shouted the forest girl. "Ugh… blimey, I hate to say it, but I guess Oi owe you two. A little bit, eh?"

"I would hope so." Hannah folded her arms. "For your information, we're Kids Next Door operatives."

"Oh, is that roight? Well, why didn't you say so?"

"You attacked us!"

"Hee hee hee! Well, my name's Tani! And I'm the vice-captain of the Cloudcoil Pirates."

"A pirate, huh?" Barbara cocked a brow. "No wonder you talk like Sheila."

Tani blinked. "YOU TWO KNOW SHEILA FRANTIC?!" Her eyes shone like suns.

"Uhh-h-h-h…" The duo were baffled, speaking in monotone: "We might have met."

"Oh my gosh, I am SUCH a huge fan of Sunny-Fist Sheila!" Tani twirled around, imagining the proud raccoon posing against the sun with a grin. "She gets mentioned all the time on Pirate T.V. and the KND's websites! A scrappy young pirate with a strong will and Australian accent! She's just SO relatable!"

"And we thought we were fangirls."

"So, are you really a Forest Princess like that girl said?" Barb asked.

"No, it was just a quirky nickname. Though, come to think of it, I was proposed to by a king once." Tani smirked.

"Hold on!" Hannah spoke. "What did that girl say about Grunty's operation?"

"Oh, that. A bunch of goons that work for Grunty Industries are chopping trees down in the forest. My captain sent me to put a stop to them, but I had no idea Grunty hired the Totally Spies."

"The who?" they chorused.

"They're these stuck-up spy girls from Aquaria or something. Heard they're some of the richest people in Galaxia. Anyway, Oi can handle them. You lot oughta head home in case it gets messy." Tani hopped onto her steed. "Toodle-oo!" The gorilla made a great jump across the forest.

"Sigh… it is getting a bit late." Hannah said.

"…" Barbara furrowed her eyes. "Hold on, we can't just leave! If a mission falls in our laps, we have to take it!"

"But… shouldn't we call the others?"

"…No." Barbara balled a fist and faced up determinedly. "We're not cowards, Hannah. We can do this ourselves. …And with Tani's help, but more importantly, we need to make Diana respect us again."

"…Yeah. You're right." Hannah shared her expression. "Let's do it!"

Luna Nova Sports Field; nighttime

"Metamorphie Faciesse!" Akko called, clapping hands and shutting her eyes.

"Aguamenti!" Diana called, throwing arms forward.

Both girls had been uttering their spells over and over, trying their hardest to muster their own energy. "Huff, huff, I didn't think wandless magic would be this difficult." Diana gasped.

"You should take your shoes off, Diana. That's what I do." She raised her left foot for emphasis.

"That might be how you were raised, Country Girl, but such a vile demeanor would attract disease."

"First of all, I'm not a country girl, I grew up in an apartment. Second of all, Wendy tells me that this is a good way to bond with nature. It's what all benders do, and using our bodies is basically bending. Besides, you can't be a strong witch if you're too afraid to get scars, ya see?" She indicated the scar on her foot.

"Sigh… maybe you're right." Diana sat down and pulled off her shoes and socks. She stretched her toes out and let the grass stick up between them. "Hmm… there is a pleasant feeling to it. Perhaps feeling the moisture would help me imagine the water better."

"That's the spirit! Now then… Metamorphie Faciesse!" The girls resumed training, repeating their words every two seconds. It became confusing when they were speaking at the same time, causing Akko to say "Metamorphiementi!" at some points.

Eventually, both girls collapsed on the ground, panting heavily. "I can't believe I'm breaking a sweat." Diana huffed.

"Maybe the water's just coming out in the wrong place." Akko grinned.

"Oh, shut up."

"What are you girls up to?" In their upside-down view, Professor Ursula was approaching them. "Haven't had enough exercise this morning?"

"Hey, Professor Ursula!" Akko rolled on her front. "We were practicing wandless magic!"

"Wandless magic? Hm-hm, that's quite a big step. Having any luck?"

"Unfortunately, we find it a bit more difficult than we had hoped." Diana answered.

"Professor, can you do wandless magic?!"

"Not really." Ursula blushed. "Typically, wandless magic involves a lot of physical training. However, if you really want to get good at it, you should visit the Majin Tribe."

"Majin Tribe?"

"They're a tribe of genie-like creatures who live in the skies above the desert country, Sindria." Diana responded. "They contain powerful magic, which they use only with their bodies."

"Then we should totally go visit them!"

"I don't think that's a good idea. I heard that the Majins can be rather dangerous when provoked."

"Come on, Diana."

"We can train on our own just fine, Akko. At any rate… I'm starting to get worried about Hannah and Barbara. Professor Ursula, I know it's late, but we must go search for them."

"Of course, do whatever you need to do." the teacher replied with a smile. "Just be sure to come back safely."

Forest of Niall

Gruntilda's Gruntlings were marching around thick trees, using energy saws to steadily cut them down and load them onto trucks. Two more Totally Spies, an orange-haired girl in a green jumpsuit, and a black-haired in a yellow suit, were hovering around on jetpacks. "Look, Alex, there's Clover!" said Sam, the orange-haired.

"IT'S ABOUT DAMN TIME!" yelled a fourth spy, Mandy, who had blackish-blue hair and a magenta suit. "Did you finally trash that little tramp?!"

"Geez, pottymouth, much? Anyway, I was about to get her, but she had these two other girls with her, and they totally blew up my new hoverpad!"

"That's totally lame!" Alex shouted. "But don't worry, we'll just buy a new one!"

"I just love being filthy rich! It goes great with being super beautiful!"

"Don't forget, super smart." Sam tapped a finger to her head.

"And I'm an athlete!" Alex said.

"Sounds like an engaging conversation!" The spies gasped, seeing a gorilla prancing their direction. "But I'm afraid the fun's over!" Tani declared.

"Grrrr!" Clover growled. "I swear, if I get gorilla breath on me, I am SUING the forest people. Get her, girls!" The spies flew at the pirate, swinging Tempest Kicks to try and slice the ape from afar.

The gorilla performed a great leap to dodge, flying to a truck and smashing the driver's seat. The spies were too distracted to see Tani above them, launching three Haki arrows to strike them. "AH! Hey, that was totally cheap!" Sam yelled.

"And you're totally annoying!" Tani landed on the ground, but the spies quickly surrounded her and prepared to fight.

"KYAH!" cried Clover when lightning struck her from above.

"Don't start without us!" Hannah yelled, her wand sparking.

"Hehe, well by all means, feel free to help." Tani grinned, swinging her spear to knock Alex and Sam off their feet. The pirate jabbed the spear at Sam, who was quick to avoid before stamping her sharp heel at Tani's stomach.

"Well, don't just STAND there, you idiots!" Mandy shouted at the Gruntlings. "Shoot those witches or this operation's a bust!" The minions all drew guns and shot energy bullets, but Han conjured a shield to protect them both while Barbara threw three seeds down. Those seeds grew into giant Piranha Plants that began devouring the Gruntlings whole.

"Aguamenti!" The witches rained water over the spies, drenching them from head to toe.

"Uck! You are, like, SO lucky these suits are waterproof!" Clover shouted. "I got a hundred boys lined up for me, and I don't need any rashes!"

"GLACIUS!" The duo cast ice spells to freeze the three in place.

"Nice job!" Tani praised. "I guess it was lucky to run into you!" She then ran toward the Gruntlings and began cutting them down with her spear.

"F-f-f-f-f…" Clover stuttered. "If I stay like this any longer, the suit will fuse to my skin. My modeling career will be over!"

"I have an idea!" Sam said. "If we focus enough chi to our feet, we'll be able to will our bodies to perform stationary Shaves. The kinetic energy will build up enough body heat and thereby melt the ice off our bodies! And the best part is, no one will notice our sweat through all this melted ice."

"Of course! Because ice melts when it's too hot!" Alex realized. "Wow, Sammy, I knew you were smart, but they have to put you in Scientists Weekly if you keep that up!"

"Well, I do look pretty in glasses! Okay, let's do it-"

"Stupefy. Stupefy." The witches cast Stun Spells to make their bodies even more stiff. "You know, for these three to be successful as spies, they would have to face some pretty incompetent villains." Hannah said.

"Hehe, this might actually be easier than we thou-"

Before Barbara could finish, Mandy used Shave to zip behind them. "Like, Finger Pistol!" She crossed arms and impaled both girls in the hip. As they clasped their wounds, Mandy jumped and stamped the backs of their heads with her heels. Now bleeding from two areas, Han and Barb could only lay in exhaust.

Tani's Scouter examined the fourth spy. "10,240?! Crikey, why is HERS so much bigger than the other three?!"

"Look, luh-oser, I don't come to a smelly forest like this out of pleasure." Mandy stated in a haughty tone. "I came here on a job, to make MONEH." She planted her heel on Hannah's back. "And money is for spysassins ONLEH."

"GROOOOWL!" The gorilla flew forth, threatening to squash Mandy regardless of Han and Barb's safety, so the spy jumped to his height and perfectly severed his lower and upper halves, the ape falling dead on the ground. The witches viewed the sight with horror.

Mandy landed and set her sights on Tani. Still fearing her Power Level, the pirate kept a distance and shot arrows, but the arrows were grabbed by Mandy's own living hair. "Your hair can move on its own?!"

"It's a nifty little trick called Life Return. Not that YOU deserve to know!" Mandy jabbed her hair strands at the pirate, shooting Hair Pistols that Tani blocked with her spear. Sadly, the spy Shaved behind her and KICKED the side of her head. Once she was down, Mandy pinned her heel on her head. "Any last words before I kill ya, you tramp?"

"Grrrrr!" Tani grabbed her foot and used every ounce of Haki to try and push her off. "I won't die… I can't! Not until…Not until I've saved him!"

"'Saved him'?" Hannah repeated, wondering what she meant.

"Who, your boyfriend? Whoever he is, I'll take care of him for ya! So long as he's a cutie!"

"STUPEFY!" A spell flew at Mandy, but she was quick to react and avoid. Hannah fought the pain and the bleeding, forcing herself to stand up. "It sounds like someone is relying on her… so, you'll have to get through us first!" She held up her camera and clicked on a picture of the gorilla, bringing to life a magic hologram of the beast. Mandy needed less strength to slice this illusion, but Barbara had thrown seeds at the spy that sprouted into spikeball plants.

"ACK!" Mandy cried, desperately shaking the Spike Puffs off, but the ones on her face caused it to swell.

"That's the spirit!" Tani used her bending to grab the Spike Puffs and continue throwing them against Mandy, but the angered spy Shaved far away and shot Finger Pistols to destroy them. Afterwards, she used Life Return to will the swelling to shrink, but she was sent flying by a punch from another holographic gorilla.

"You don't have a chance against the three of us!" Barbara declared. "AAAH!" As if on cue, both witches were hit by a bomb that burst into clay, inflating and ensnaring them.

"Never underestimate the science of kinetic energy." Sam said with a wry smile, wagging her finger. The Stun Spell had worn off on them.

"So, are you girls up for a little blackmail?" Clover smirked, getting out some makeup.

"I dunno… I don't feel so good." Alex groaned, rubbing her forehead. "Like, I'm getting a super weird vibe in my brain…"

"Now that you mention it, me too…" Sam replied.

"Dammit! Chase's power is wearing off on them already?!" Mandy observed. "Grrr, suck it up, girls, and just kill those bitches already!"

"Laaaaaa, la la, la, laaaaa la laaa…" A gentle tone flowed across the air, almost captivating their souls.

"That voice… it's Lotte!" Barbara faced up, seeing their friends flying under a swirling, rainbow cloud.

"Laaaa, la la laaaa…" Diana was holding a magical megaphone to Lotte's mouth so that her voice could be heard across the forest. Her spirit Will-o'-chan was ignited on the tip of her wand, and hundreds of spirits from across the forest were amassing around it. Those on land could only gape in awe, for the swirling cloud grew wider and wider.

"We don't know who you are, but those two are our teammates!" Diana shouted. "As you can see, Lotte here is conjuring a Spirit Storm, and she will hit you with the force of hundreds of angry spirits unless you retreat!"

"THAT'S RIGHT!" Akko followed, riding Amanda's broom. "We're Sector LN of the Kids Next Door! And if our Spirit Storm doesn't scare you, we bust powerful magic up the REAR!"

"The Kids Next DOOR?!" Mandy exclaimed. "Well, that certainly puts a shit in our plans. It's time to go, you three!"

"Good idea!" Clover agreed, activating her jetpack. "I don't want those witches to give me scales with their freaky magic. That would TOTALLY ruin my date tomorrow!"

"They're so one-dimensional." The Nine Witches sans Constanze chorused with dull expressions.

"Bye-bye!" Sam winked, taking off with her friends. "And whatever you do, PLEASE forget to write!"

Tani used her spear to get back on her feet, watching as Diana turned the clay into water and freed her friends. "The question is, who is this one?" Diana asked, indicating the pirate.

"Her name's Tani. We were… helping her save the forest." Hannah answered.

"And I'm grateful for the help." Tani smiled. "Anyway, I'm afraid I must be off now. Toodle-oo."

"Wait!" The two witches limped over with ecstatic expressions. "You were totally amazing!" Barbara said. "Are you in the Kids Next Door?"

"No, I'm a pirate from head to toe."

"Then you should totally join!" Hannah suggested.

"First of all, drop the 'totally.' I don't want those hags to infect you. And secondly, I can't. I'm on my own little mission."

"Oh, that's right… Tani, you have to tell us. Who are you trying to save?"

"Sigh… I'm trying to save my king. His name is Evan. It's kind of a long story…"

"Just remember the important part." Hannah said, raising her wand. "I'll use my magic to see your memories. If you… don't mind us having a look."

"Well, orright." Tani closed her eyes and tried to remember that day.

"Memoria Bibendum!" Hannah cast the spell, and this caused a screen to project from Tani's mind.

King Evan stood upon the castle balcony and addressed his people. Legions of faithful citizens cheered for him: he who ruled Evermore and led the Union of Ni no Kuni. For a 14-year-old to accomplish this much was an amazing feat. And Tani was so honored to be able to stand beside him. It was an odd feeling, but being around Evan, it felt as if butterflies were fluttering over her heart. Tani must have been going cuckoo to think that. Still, who would have thought that a raggedy band of pirates such as her own could be a part of it?

And that's when a shadow was cast over the kingdom. A tremendous galleon composed of alien technology loomed over their peaceful domain like a cloud of death. "QUICK! EVACUATE THE CITY!" Evan cried.

"YOU HEARD HIM!" one of the guards yelled. "All citizens, EVACUATE!"

People were screaming and fleeing the town, but fortunately, the pirates only cared about storming the castle. Lasers fired down, blowing holes open as the pirates descended, and Evan and Tani did their best to cut the cutthroats down, sword and spear in hand. That was when a great gust of wind blew into the castle, taking the form of a dark-cloaked figure with silver hair and a red eye. "Wh-Who are you?!" Evan asked.

"My name is Vaati of the Sky God Pirates, and I am here to put an end to your reign. Knowing you are a kind ruler, I will not kill you, but I must demand that you abolish your government and ensure true freedom to your citizens."

"My citizens are already free! And in any case, I WON'T let you HURT THEM!" Evan swung his sword at his neck, but Vaati's Logia wind body was unaffected.

The wind mage grabbed Evan by the neck and soared outside. "EVAN!" Tani shouted, trying to chase them. However, an earthquake suddenly transpired, and the ceiling above Tani collapsed. "AAAAAH!"

"TANI!" Her father, Batu swooped by on an aircraft and grabbed her.

As Vaati carried Evan outside, the king was horrified as his precious castle was demolished by a tremendous tornado. The symbol of his kingdom, pride of Evermore, was slowly crumbling under this raging wind. "This is the power of Emperor Skaios." Vaati said. Within the cyclone was a bright blue glow, and Evan could see a tiny, shadowed figure in the center of it. "His wind blows with pure freedom, and soon it will sweep across the entire universe! If you refuse to accept freedom, King Evan… we must enforce it!" Vaati raised the Declaration of Interdependence, which bore the signatures of all the continent's united kingdoms. The wizard burned the Declaration with a simple spell.

"Mmm…ugh…" Light slowly returned to Tani's eyes, and she found herself in her father's arms. "D-Dad? What happened?"

"We couldn't beat them, Tani. I had to get you away from there."

Tani viewed across the fields, mouth agape as their castle was a crumbled shell of its former self. "W…Where's Evan?"

"They took him, Tani. Took him aboard their ship. But don't worry. I 'ave a plan to save him."

"You…You think we should JOIN them?!" Tani shouted after hearing his proposal.

"Only until we have a chance to save Evan! It'll be fine, Tani; we'll just make up a little fib and with any luck, they'll let us be their allies. Now, do ya want to save Evan or don't you?"

"…" Tani faced the kingdom with passion in her eyes. "Orright. Let's do it, Dad."

"The Union of Ni no Kuni?" Diana asked. "Right… I know about the Evermore Incident. It was back in September. According to KND reports, there were no reported casualties. But the king had indeed been captured."

"We spent who knows how long trying to help Evan create the perfect kingdom." Tani spoke with anger. "And after all our hard work of building weapon shops and shrines, it all comes down in a day! It's scum like that who make me ashamed to be a pirate! But one day, I'll save him and we'll all go back home. Even if I have to shoot Emperor Skaios in the head!"

Tani threw down a small capsule, which burst into an aircraft with propellers. "Anyway, it was nice to meet you. Hopefully you'll get to visit Evermore one day. See ya!" She hopped on the craft and took off.

Sucy gave Han and Barb healing potion, repairing their wounds. "WHAT WERE YOU TWO DOING?!" Diana forcefully grabbed them by the ear. "If you were under attack, you should have called us!"

"We know!" Hannah wept from pain. "W-We just… we wanted to prove we weren't cowards!"

"…" Feeling guilty, Diana let go. "Sigh, we'll discuss this later. Let's return to Luna Nova."

Meanwhile, Mandy had returned to a spaceship in the woods, and had knocked out her three henchgirls. "It wore off on them, did it?" asked a man in dark-yellow armor and long black hair. "Still, given their vainness, it lasted a good long while."

"Well, hit them again if you want me to keep working for Grunty! If I gotta be stuck with that hag, then so do they."

"Very well." With that, Chase Young whipped a lizard tongue at the three spies. They started awake as a purple aura brimmed in their eyes.

Sector LN

The other girls were up in Akko's room for a slumber party. Meanwhile, Hannah and Barbara were sitting in the meeting room, bowing their heads and awaiting Diana's scolding. However, rather than look on them with shame, Diana felt regret. "Hannah, Barbara, listen… I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

"It's okay, Diana." Hannah replied. "In fact… do you remember what Tani said? How she wants to save her friend? Well, I realized something. I realized you're always there for us, always there to help us. But we're never there for you. Not the way that Akko was."

"So, you were right." Barbara followed. "We are cowards. It's no wonder you respect Akko more than us. We've never done anything to be deserving of your friendship."

Diana released a sad, regretful sigh. "You two may not be as courageous as Akko, but I've always valued my friendship with you, and I could never favor either of you over the other."

"Yeah, right." Barbara remarked with a slight glare. "We see how you get around her lately."

Diana blinked twice in bewilderment. She honestly didn't know what they were talking about. Honestly. "Listen, this might sound rather petty… but whenever you two are around, praising me as you do… it makes me happy to know that all my hard work has paid off. And I felt as if I had to keep proving myself to you, or else you would be disappointed. So, in a way, you girls have been helping me, because you kept me from slowing down."

"Well, I appreciate that…" Barbara replied. "But when you put it like that, it makes us feel more like your fans than your friends."

"We wanna do more to help you, Diana. We wanna help you the same way Atsuko does. The same way real friends would."

"Well, if you wish to get stronger, then I welcome that. But all I can really ask is that you're around to support me. Even though it hasn't seemed like it, you helped me more than you think." Diana bent down and hugged her friends. "You gave me a reason to keep trying and you kept me from feeling lonely. I don't mind that you rely on me in the face of stronger enemies, but if I were truly in need of your help, I know I can count on you to help me."

Hannah and Barbara smiled and embraced their leader. Unbeknownst to them, a little orange mouse with red eyes watched them from the entrance, smiling at their tender moment.