Talent Showcase

This one-shot properly introduces Sector Q, along with some Silica screen time! All but Suna are from World's End Club. Nothing really serious in this chapter, except at the end. This is a prelude chapter to Operation: AIONIOS.

"Man, how does that freakin' work?" Christina asked, awed as Cheren Uno flipped his way through the walls of Pirates' Grotto.

"So, when the bomb explodes on him mid-flip, he sorta gets locked in his intangible damage animation, in midair…" Ralph tried to analyze it.

"Yeah, it's why Mom designed the physics like the N64 games." Silica said. "Gives the player a lot more versatility and freedom."

"Yeah, freedom to clip Perry's dad through the fabric of reality. Hey, think I can fight this boss? I really like-"

"NO!!" Silica snapped at Ralph like a mad dog, her shadow snarling at him venomously.

"GEEZ!"

Watching Silica game it out was a fun, lazy pastime for Sector V. They barely had time to play the Kids Next Door game series their selves, so watching Silica zoom through the games in her speedrunner style was the next best option. The only downside was that she skipped all the cutscenes. "Ya know, Melissa is the Termina parallel for your mom, right Ralph?" Christina asked. "So, I wonder if there's a parallel of you or somethin'?"

"I'm more scared of having another 'you' around."

"And ya better be nice to us or we'll both pop ya."

"IMPORTANT EMAIL FROM SUPREME LEADER PERRY!" Laruta Grayson charged into the living room, hollering like a town crier. "IMPORTANT EMAIL ALERT!"

"Pipe down, ya walking blowhorn!" Christina clenched Laruta's lips. "Silica's in the zone! Ya know ya don't break the emperor's groove."

"Mmm-mmmmmmmpuh!" Laruta spread enough saliva through her lips to slip free. "But Perry has a special message for everyone!"

"If it's not an emergency, it's not relevant now." Silica sneered.

"And while Jason is on leave, I'm temporary leader, so I order you guys to look!"

"Just read it, loudmouth."

"Uuuuugh! Fine, here it is." Laruta pulled up her phone.

FWD: Towa Academy Talent Showcase

To Mr. Perry Uno,

I am a representative of Japan's Towa Academy, a school designed to search for and nurture talented young individuals. I write to you in the hopes of inviting you and your operatives to our school to showcase your talents. We hear many great things about the Kids Next Door, and seeing their talents in person may be a great inspiration. Please let us know if any of your operatives would be interested. We would be willing to compensate for your time, and if our professors are impressed, we may even offer scholarships to your operatives. We would like to hold this gathering by next week.

-Ms. Shirogane

P.S.: Despite what your parents may have told you, this is not an antagonistic ambush and we are not asking you to beat up our students.

Perry's P.S.: Dang it.

"I would trust it better if it DID say it was an ambush." Christina said, Ralph shrugging in agreement.

"Oh, I know Towa Academy." Silica said. "Two of Mom's workers went there… and," she ducked right when doing a forceful maneuver, "I think a few other parents—FRICK YEAH, saved a whole millisecond!"

"Well, if it's legit, I guess we could." Ralph replied.

"Meh, I don't need to." Silica replied. "They can already watch me online."

"But these are scholarships, Silica!" Laruta argued.

"So? We can get plenty just doing what we do."

"Well, as much as I dislike your addictive gaming, there are also many who admire it and would enjoy meeting you in person. I think this would be a healthy activity for both parties, so I'm responding 'yes.'"

"Keep your yesses to yourself." Chris stated. "But hey, I couldn't turn down a chance to show off my new fire." She burned some emerald flame in hand.

"Eh, fine." Silica sighed. "It's not like it's interrupting my usual routine. If they wanna see a speedrun in person, so be it."

"It's sad that a school would even accept gaming as a sport." Laruta eye-rolled. "But I'd better brush up on my fitness routines! I'll get those kids in such good shape, they'll do better in geometry! HOOOOOH!" And she zoomed off to her gym room!

Sector Q Treehouse

"That's some crazy stuff, Pochi!" Kansai shouted, dumbstruck as Cheren flipped his way through the walls of Pirates' Grotto. "I didn't know Cheren could do that!"

"I doubt he knew how to back in the day." Pochi replied calmly.

"How did you learn this technique in the first place?" Tattsun asked, tipping up his large glasses. "Looks like it takes a lot of experimenting and practice."

"I just watch Silica pull it off. It's fairly easy to replicate."

"I hope Towa's offering scholarships to gamers," Chuko beamed, "'cause you'll get one easy!"

"I don't know about that…"

Pochi Flores was an easygoing boy with a reserved mind and focus. He would always be found gaming in his free time, but he never made himself the center of attention like Silica, nor did he have as short a temper. He was skinny and pale at 12 years old, with blue-black hair with red highlights that was cut into a puffy mushroom-like bob with long bangs, barely only leaving his left eye exposed. Said eye was amber with a light-blue irises. Pochi wore an athletic style short-sleeved shirt that was black with a white bib and powder-blue piping on the cuffs and pocket. He had white cycling shorts with black cuffs and black spot detailing. He wore powder-blue low top slip-on sneakers with black detailing and white soles, and ankle-length white socks with red elastic hems. He had a black scarf around his neck that faded to powder-blue at the tips and with a red band around his face, a bright yellow fanny pack around his waist with black piping on the pocket, a red zip, and with a black and red strap.

"Yeah, well you gotta come and show off that talent, man!" Kansai said fervidly. "If we're lucky, we can all get into Towa someday! It's where my dad went, after all! I'm gonna be the new Baseball Star!"

Kansai Kuwata was Sector Q's loudmouthed, hotheaded leader, topped with a backwards black cap that was yellow underneath, matching his yellow T-shirt with black undershirt. His pants were white with black tiger stripes, which were puffy and ended below the knees, his wristbands matched the pants, and his white boots had black straps and yellow tips. He had a pronounced snaggle tooth on the left of his mouth, unique puffed, yellow eyebrows that were always curved in the angry slant, but branched into grayer brows. The pride of his attire, the blue Leader's Badge, was sewn on the left of his short.

"Yeah, unless Joto knocks you out of the park!" Chuko retorted, pointing at Kansai tauntingly.

"Whatever! You'll have a hard time competin' with Laruta yourself."

"Competing with her in what?!"

"As the Ultimate Midget!"

"THAT'S NOT A TITLE!" Chuko flared up. "And you're not supposed to call people that!"

"Fine! But ya both got the Ultimate Annoyin' Voice."

"Well, forget Ultimate Baseball! You're just the Ultimate Rude-mouth!"

Chuko was small at 12 years old, measuring only 3'6". She wore puffy, sleeveless yellow overalls to fit her pudgy thigh area, a heart-shaped key necklace hanging over them. She had burgundy hair in a thin ponytail, defined by a huge-looped bow that was blue with red spots, matching the colors of her red shoes with blue laces. She had red wristbands with white spots, and her flushing face pronounced her freckles.

"Well, y'all can both break through walls with those voices." Suna Strongarm remarked, gliding into the room on her roller-blades and looping around the couch before spinning to a stop. She was tan-skinned with black hair in braided pigtails, sticking out of a black biker helmet with pink rim. She wore a black top that pronounced her thin, sturdy arms, an orange bunny marked on the chest, fingerless black sports gloves, and tight short pants with Velcro. Her shoes had orange straps and wheels. "My dad says they might not even hold the Ultimate Gamer title, anymore. First one who had it was the best gamer in the universe or somethin'… but then she died in an accident."

"Yeah, they still have her marked as such in the Galactic Gamer Rankings." Tattsun Flores replied. Pochi's year-younger brother was a skinny dork with big blue round glasses, with thin cyan hair with rows styled like scales. He wore a white button-up T-shirt under a dark-blue sweater vest, marked with a lightning bolt on the left. His beige shorts had + and - symbols. He wore dark-blue loafers with white soles, and his white socks had red and blue mismatched cuffs. He was most notably equipped with a gold utility belt. "But you know, our mom ranks at the Number 3 spot and Silica's only Number 6. If you let yourself be known, you might have a shot at ranking above her."

"Yeah, that's right!" Kansai stomped. "She's totally gonna go for that scholarship, too!"

"I mean, does she even need to?" Chuko shrugged. "They can already watch her stuff online."

"Well, she is going." Pochi said.

"How do you know?"

"Uh…just a hunch."

"Then you can't let her show you up!" Kansai stated. "We gotta show them she ain't the only big gamer 'round here! It'll totally boost our sector's creds, I tell ya!"

"That's all this is about." Tattsun sighed.

"Well, I'm no leader if I ain't makin' my team the best they can be! So, I say we're goin'! We're gonna show them Towas what we got!"

"If you insist…" Pochi said in half-interest.

Towa Academy, one week later

The school grounds greeted the Kids Next Door with a welcome banner, balloons, and best of all, snacks! The branch campus students wore normal uniforms while the talented main campus students wore very distinct attire; far too many to describe.

"We're so delighted you accepted our invitation, Kids Next Door!" A woman with glasses and teal hair that stretched down her legs greeted them with a sweet smile. She wore a teal-black uniform with a long skirt, and was 5'9". "I'm Shirogane Sensei! But you can call me Ms. Shirogane or just Tsumugi."

"Hello, Tsumugi!" Perry reached a hand. "I'm Perry!"

"Then you must be the Supreme Leader!" She barely needed to raise her arm to shake Perry's. "You seem younger than I imagined."

"I could say the same."

"Well, I'm only 27. Did you picture me as some granny?"

"I dunno. Did you picture me as some hot teenager?"

"I'm not legally inclined to answer that."

"Ha ha ha!"

"Man, you're trying your luck on older girls now?" Ralph asked.

"N-No!"

"Now, what could that mean?" Tsumugi asked teasingly.

"He talks sweet to any girl he bumps into. Though he only ever kissed one."

"W-Well, what's wrong with being nice to girls?! At least they don't use me like a baseball."

"Shut up, man!"

"Then shall I escort you to the Ultimate Host's room?" Tsumugi giggled.

"No! I want the swordsman's course!" Perry drew the Gilded Sword.

"Hehe, of course. You've certainly brought quite the party. We'd better sort you guys to the respective courses. Speaking of, I don't suppose you have any aspiring actors among your ranks?"

"Look no further!" They were both stunned when a boy in a black ranger suit with a sharp red visor leapt beside them. "Electro Ranger Black is here to strike foes from the shadows!" Electricity surged on his fingertips as he waved it clockwise.

"Tattsun?!" Perry yelped.

"My gosh! You're PERFECT!" Tsumugi delightedly raised him by the shoulders. "You're the spitting image of Ranger Black! Specifically the episode where they were regressed into children! Your lightningbending makes it even more authentic!"

"Haha!" Tattsun blushed. "I'm glad someone has an eye for talent!"

"But I bet you've never had the opportunity or the team to act out your own episode."

"You mean… there are other Electro Ranger cosplayers here?!"

"I can get my team in costume in a heartbeat! Which episode would you like to perform?"

"The one where they battle the Helicopter Beast from Helicia!"

"Splendid! Let's get started!" Tsumugi rushed her new star to her studio in a heartbeat!

"Well, there goes your new date." Ralph remarked.

"E-yep."

The other operatives branched off to the respective clubs. Kansai and Joto took turns in the pitching cage, deflecting storms of baseballs from a high-powered turret. They competed for the highest number they could hit in a row before striking. The activity left them with several bruises, but Joto was greatly outsizing Kansai's score with faster swings. Mazu Daimon and Mowchan Colins tried the cooking club, Jolene tried out as the Ultimate Jigsaw Puzzle Pro, Ichigo Diego and Suna competed as the Ultimate Skaters, Doris Dodley as the Ultimate Farmer, Alfur the Minish showed off his knowledge as the Ultimate Mission Reporter, while Jason, Christina, Karma, and other fighters showed off their strength in the ring.

"Silica! Silica! Silica!" The gaming room was full of red-fingered fans greeting the Masterson Heir like a celebrity. They even had a beanbag chair in front of a big T.V., just the right size for her portly frame.

"This is why I don't make public appearances." Silica said. "It feels less weird online." She sat on the beanbag. "So, you guys just wanna watch me do a speedrun or what?"

"SPEEDRUN! SPEEDRUN! SPEEDRUN!"

"Well, I wasn't gonna waste our day with a casual run. You guys wanna pick the game or what?"

"MASKED! MASKED! MASKED!"

"An Any% run of Operation: MASKED it is. Simple enough, I got a chance to practice that last week."

"Ahem! Excuse me! I would, um…also like to play." They all looked to the entrance, Silica raised a curious brow. Pochi presented himself with a relaxed aura.

"Pochi? You want an Ultimate Gamer scholarship?"

"My teammates insisted. …And so did my mom."

"WOOOO!" Miko Flores burst in and plopped herself in the stands, pushing some gamers aside. "GO, POCHI! THAT'S MAH BOY! WOOOO!" She wore a hat and waved flags depicting her son.

"Mmmmmhhh…" Pochi shrank in humility.

"A challenger approaches?!" exclaimed one of the students. "He thinks he can take on the champ?!"

"Let's have a Speedrun Race!" another cheered. "First one to beat the game wins!"

"Does anyone have another copy of MASKED?"

"Right here! Let's hook his console up to that monitor!"

"I'm surprised you want the scholarship yourself." Pochi said.

"Well, you can have it if you want. I don't really care."

Both gamers took seats at their own station. After quickly mashing through start-up screens, the race began. During the stealth sections, they employed quick side-dodges to become undetectable to the guards. When they got the M.A.R.B.L.E.s, they used them to perform and exploit the "flip through walls" trick. They could even use this trick in the Fairy Fountains, which were connected to each other on the same load zones, allowing them to quickly "warp" between the worlds. It was a good few hours watching two fast runs of a fun game.

"And boom, Majora's dead, for now, the game's over." Silica announced. "And… I got the exact same time as my record. I guess I am tricky to beat."

"HOLY I-FRAMES!" exclaimed the announcer. "The race finishes with a solid millisecond difference!"

Silica cocked a brow. "Huh. Way to stay on my tail, Poch-"

"POCHI WINS!"

"W-WHAT?!" Silica whipped her gaze at Pochi's screen. "O…O…ONE MILLISECOND?!"

"Huh…I guess I won." Pochi observed neutrally. "Cool."

"H-How?! What route did you take?!"

"I… remembered what you did on your best run and just… replicated it. Though I tried to react faster on the flip-jumps, but I wasn't sure if I… did them perfectly."

"YUR! THAT'S MAH POCHI!" Miko screamed. "Champion of the Majora World! Dululululu!"

Silica went completely still except for her twitching eye, her breath going dead. "You both performed exceptionally." What seemed like a short woman with light-brown hair, a green uniform, and a soft, kind expression.

"Is she… a teacher or a student?" Pochi questioned.

"He is one of Mom's employees." Silica corrected. "Hey, Mr. Fujisaki. Shoulda known you'd be here."

"They informed me of the event, so I felt obligated to drop by. I know the KND series is popular and extremely fun… but I was wondering if you'd like to try a separate game." Chihiro pulled out two copies of Bliss Evening. The cover depicted a dark-green cat with a pink backpack and soft expression.

"That game?" Silica asked. "Yeah, I played it once. It was okay."

"That's Suna's dad's favorite game." Pochi said. "He lent it to me once."

"It was a special side project I worked on while I attended this school. If you still have the energy, perhaps you could play?"

"I dunno. What do you feel like-"

"'Course I do!" Silica quickly answered. "I still remember it pretty well, it's a short game, it'll be easy!"

"Then I guess I'll play, too."

"That's great." Chihiro smiled.

The game was a 2D exploration side-scroller where they explored a neighborhood to find game disks. There were secret places they could dig underground to find, fantasized dog and hawk enemies, an arcade and coffee shop level…

A quick run of the game took about 40 minutes. Silica's eye twitched at the time difference: five seconds. "Looks like Pochi wins again."

"I-I must've forgot a few of the layouts." Silica stuttered. "I mean, it's not that exciting, so I don't stream it or anything…"

"It's alright." Chihiro smiled. "I'd say both of you are qualified for an Ultimate Gamer scholarship. But you know… this school has never had an Ultimate Gamer ever since Chiaki passed away. It wasn't just her skill… she had a special 'heart' for games. A spirit that no one else could match. Of all the gamers we've had admitted to the Reserve Course, none ever came close. Bliss Evening was a game I designed in her image. It can be hard to understand without the right 'heart.'"

"Or you just need enough hours and practice." Silica eye-rolled. "Gimme another round and I can show you how to-"

"DWOOOOH!" Suddenly, Tattsun was blown into the room. "Oh, no! The arcade! And I don't think that Helician has enough fingers for it!"

"Papapapapapapapapa!" Tsumugi came spinning into the room dressed as a helicopter monster.

"Sorry about your games, kids, but it's time to reset this copter!" Tattsun touched one of the wires and drew in all the electricity from the room. "Gigabyte GIGAWATT!"

"ZZZZZZZZTTTTTT!" The Helician suffered the full jolt of electricity.

"Tattsun!" Pochi yelled. "Isn't that going too far?!"

"The arcade set pieces weren't strong enough to handle our acting! This is the most authentic way!"

"Zaaaah…" Tsumugi, her costume in shambles and head wrought with soot, fell down. "Although I may die… we have brought Episode 22, 'Helicopter Hijinx' to life."

"Uhh…sorry, kids, I'm afraid the contest is over." Chihiro said.

As twilight fell over Japan, the KND piled out of the school. Serena Beatles earned a scholarship as the Ultimate Singer between her and Isabelle, though the Shandian still earned one as the KND's Ultimate Hunter. It became too hectic to determine an Ultimate Fighter, but Jason still earned some credit as the Ultimate Pirate.

"Poor Kansai, all covered in booboos." Chuko cooed, dabbing the limping boy's wounds with medicine-dipped cotton.

"Ouch! At least I'm the 2nd-best Ultimate Baseballer, what did you get?"

"How does a bighead like that skate so well?" Suna wondered, looking to a victorious Ichigo. "Well, at least you stuck it to old Silica, Pochi. Always thought you were hidin' somethin' from us."

"I played like I usually do. There was nothing special about it."

Hearing this, Silica glanced over in spite.

"Thank you for visiting us, Mr. Fujisaki." Tsumugi shook the short man's hand.

"My pleasure. I must say the school looks much cleaner than when I attended. Makoto's done a great job taking care of the place."

"No matter the setting, a clean stage is a healthy stage. …Unless the show takes place in a bar or alleyway."

"Hahaha! Tell 'em to call me if they need a lesson in programming!"

"Okay! Take care!" Tsumugi waved the alumnus farewell. "Hm?" She felt her phone vibrate. The sender's profile pic depicted an eye. "Oh! Looks like it's starting!"

Sector V

The Top Sector slept soundly and proudly. Laruta cuddled with Mali that night, but otherwise the operatives slept undisturbed in their own rooms. …Except Isabelle. Noise disrupted her sensitive ears. Noises that sounded like snotty grumbling, button-tapping, and fun, but chill music. The Shandian swung out of her hammock and rushed out to the living room. Silica was vehemently playing Bliss Evening. "Silica? It's 2:00 in the morning, you need to go to bed."

"39 minutes, 50 seconds, and 53 milliseconds! That's my record now! Still doesn't beat Pochi's though! Why can't I get it right? I know all the ins and outs by now! Except these stupid floofs. They're in RNG locations every time, that's the real problem here. I can't find these—THERE'S the little fleabag, he's in the SECOND flour bag this time, that's where!" A monochrome cat peeped from a bag in the coffee shop storeroom. "What're you this time," she had Bliss Kitty examine it, "oh you're a pizza baker now, hahahaha it's funny 'cause this isn't a pizza shop, go floof yourself ya little…"

"Silica, you'll play better after a nice sleep. You'll only get worse the more you play. So, go to sleep."

"I've got this formula down to a science, it's fresh in my mind, and if I pass out now, it'll all be gone by the morning!"

"Then you give me no choice…" Isabelle drew her harp and strummed a lullaby.

But Inky slithered up to Isabelle's shadow and whispered, If your master continues to disrupt Master's focus, she will not wake up with her feet intact.

The Shandian's shadow panicked, grabbed Isabelle's arms, and dragged her away. "Waaah! Hey, what's happening?! SILICA!!"

Sector Q; next morning

Refreshed from a nice sleep, Pochi spent his morning doing what he always did. His teammates treated their selves to breakfast. "Kansai, get off my chair!" Chuko demanded.

"There's one open."

"You know I like the higher chair!"

"I'm the leader, so I should get the higher chair. Got more room to stretch the old legs."

"But I can't reach over the table from the short chair!"

"And why not?" Kansai smirked.

"Because…'cause you know!"

"Kansai, let her have the high chair before I bust you in the shins!" Suna ordered.

"Fine, I was just kiddin'!" Kansai got down- "Ow!" and bumped his knee before going around to the short chair. Chuko smiled as she climbed up to a seat equal to her friends' level.

Suna's phone buzzed. "Oh, it's my sister. She sent me a video." She clicked on it.

"WHAT UP, SUNAVABITCH?" Suna's face fell from her older sister's brash tongue. "Check it out! We're havin' a meteor shower today!" The video depicted a shower of stars falling over a sea with alien islands. "Mira's the best, ain't it? Way better than the smelly 'hood I'm from. 'Think I'll wish for a better tutor!"

"Yeah, well you're gonna make that school stop accepting exchange students!"

"INTRUDER ALERT! INTRUDER ALERT!" The treehouse alarms started blaring.

"Uh-oh!" Tattsun gasped. "Battle stations, everyone! Pochi, can you log into the camera feed?"

Pochi was already on it. "…Oh, it's fine."

"F-Fine?"

"Yeah. Looks like it's just-"

"POCHI!" Silica burst in. "You and me. Bliss Evening. Rematch. RIGHT NOW."

"Silica?" Suna asked. "Shouldn't the treehouses recognize all operatives?"

"Yes, but they're also designed to detect forceful entries." Tattsun affirmed. "Especially hostile ones."

"I'm sorry about the scholarship, Silica." Pochi said calmly. "I thought you didn't care about-"

"Yeah yeah yeah, you got lucky. That's all it was, just dumb luck, no way you're better at this cheap game than me. Let's play again and I'll show you, you won't get your five seconds this time."

"Uh…if you say so."

So, another 39 minutes, 49 seconds, and 83 milliseconds of Silica's life passed, but only 39:44.92 of Pochi's. "HOW?! How do you know where all the frickin' floofs are, why don't you miss any of the jumps with these stupid floatie controls?!"

"The way this game works is… peculiar and hard to explain. It constantly reads the speed, force, and space between your inputs and it affects Bliss Kitty's response and friction. You have to find the right rhythm to be consistent. As for the floofs, their placements depend on whatever time is on the clocks, how many birds fly in the background, what some of the NPCs are doing, because each playthrough follows a cycle."

"Cycle, shmycle, what does any of this bologna have to do with a cat collecting games?!"

"I don't really know."

"Well, you must've looked at a guide or something, show it to me!"

"I didn't! I just… figured these out as I played."

"Fine, Mr. Smartycat, if you can figure out something this stupid, I can too, I can do it in like two more tries!"

"Sure."

Another 40-so minutes passed. "Drat! Still a 4.20 gap. One more!" And so on. "A 4.21 GAP?! GAG! ONE MORE!"

"Ugh, this is never gonna end…" Suna sighed, still watching the meteor shower video. "Whatever. I'mma head down to the skatepark."

"Yeah, I'll be at the park." Kansai left.

"Wait for me!" Chuko followed.

Hours passed until the sectormates returned. They feared to think Pochi and Silica were locked in an eternal stalemate, frozen like statues except for their fingers. "…Huh?" They were still sat… but their heads were bowed. Controllers were dropped and hands lay limp. "Oh my gosh!" Chuko gasped. "They played themselves to death!"

Suna hurriedly skated by. "…Nah. They're just sleepin'." Thin waterfalls of drool formed lakes between their legs.

The other three came to see. "Ugh…you dummies." Kansai sighed.

"They sat for so long, their bodies thought they were enlightened."

"Tahaha! They're so adorable!" Chuko chirped.

"Snoooo…" Silica fell toward Pochi. Her heavy thud caused him to fall on her, her belly making a good pillow. Pochi would find himself with itchy hair because of Silica's smelly sweater… but for now, they were in peace. The friends felt warm from watching them.

The video continued to play on Suna's phone, left on the table. "Yo, that's a big one!" her sister exclaimed. "Looks like it's heading straight for us! …It…it is heading straight for…! OH, SHI-!" The camera whipped around, a loud sound playing just as she accidentally clicked the 'Send' button.