Gentle Reassurance

A valley in Hyrule

The only reason the stars would glitter so beautifully in the night sky would be in the presence of pure majesty. The earth was rumbling under the feet of the Divine Beasts, whose shadowed forms, given depth by the blue lines of chi coursing through them, eclipsed the heavens. One would look upon their mighty forms in the distance and know that their lands were blessed. To be up close to them, however, would be more of an inconvenience and a danger.

Skaios had fled after his attack on Gerudo Town, and a tremendous cyclone had formed where his battle with Mandy and the Anti-Fairies continued. The Divine Beasts were charging stalwartly to serve their queen, leaving the Story Pirates' ship literally in their dust. A Zero Cycle zoomed across the valley at high speed, with Morgiana's foot on the pedal and Nagisa hugging her waist. The sidecar was carrying Hange with Goombella tied to her back, along with Killua. "UUUGH, Riju gave us no time at all to catch up!" Hange yelled crazily. "Doesn't she know this is an important research experiment?!"

"You sure we'll be able to climb them?!" Goombella asked.

"Yeah, with this ODM gear, we'll scale those bad boys easy! Haha, we just gotta worry about their defense systems!"

"Hey, Nagisa," Killua smirked, "you know what they call the back seat of a motorcycle?"

Morgiana scowled at him and asked, "Do you know what happens to a boy who makes a vulgar remark around a girl?"

"I love you so much, Morgie." Nagisa snuggled into his girlfriend.

"We're comin' up on Rudania!" Hange exclaimed. "Let's ROCK AND ROLL!" (Play "Bullet Bill Express" from Mario 3D World!)

Stage 24: March of the Divine

Mission: Research the Divine Beasts!

The swaying of Vah Rudania's tail unleashed flaming meteors, Morgiana evasively steering left or right to evade them. Of course, pursuing the Divine Beasts would naturally garner the attention from surrounding pirates, so Gorons were rolling in from the side to bowl them down. When they came from the left, a swift kick from Morg's mighty leg sent them rolling, but if from the right, a Tempest Kick from Killua sent them off course. Rudania crawled into a canyon and along the left cliff, so Morg steered along the ledge. Hange decided to jump in, launching a grapple hook from a device on her belt to swiftly pull herself to that point on the cliff.

She only had split seconds to study the route ahead, watching out for falling rocks or flames, and grappled or swung accordingly. Midway through each flight, she would retract the hooks and launch to a different point when hazards showed up. It was like an amusement park ride to Goombella, her tiny heart racing with adrenaline, having only to rely on the belief Hange did this every day and was well-versed. Now she was within range of Rudania's tail, launching herself to it and landing on its swaying side. The Divine Beast felt a disturbance and released Guardian Sentries. Hange twirled her sword to block their laser bullets, running along the tail. "Any data, Goombella?"

"Only that this thing is super ancient, can channel fire, and withstand lava. But it looks like it draws in heat from the earth through its feet, as well as solar panels on its back."

"Let's see how these bad boys do!" Hange swung for the solar panels and bashed her sword against them, doing nothing as she dropped to dodge a blast of fire, then swung up again. "So, if anything blocks the panels directly, it burns it off. So, we'd have to block up those little flamethrowers before mucking it up. The question is, does ICE work?" Hange threw small grenades at the flamethrowers and at Rudania's feet, exploding with ice. It would melt within seconds, but Hange felt a mild drop in speed. "Yes, it does… Make it too chilly in the tootsies and it might grow sleepy. Salamanders do hibernate during winter. Well, let's move on to the next one!"

Hange launched herself up the cliff, landing gracefully into the cycle's sidecar. They bypassed the trench and Rudania, but a great divide separated them from Naboris. "Hey, Vah Medoh is up there!" Killua pointed to the airborne Beast directly above, roughly 5,000 meters in the sky. "How do we get to it?!"

"It's too high to jump to, even from Naboris' humps." Hange replied.

"I have a plan for that. Let's keep goin'!" Nagisa stated, Morg following his order. Even at its height, Vah Medoh was able to drop small whirlwinds on their path, but Morg's expert maneuvering saved them from going off course. Other motorcycles were in pursuit, carrying Shadow Assassins. They would leap off their rides and land gracefully on the cycle, but Nagisa and Killua stood to clash with them, proving ever efficient in such close quarters as the assassins fell off. As they were gaining on Naboris, small thunder clouds started to form and strike lightning.

"I had a dream one time where I was a lightningbender." Killua mentioned. "Tried to do it myself, but nothin'. Maybe this is my chance to-" He stood and tried to summon some lightning—it did indeed strike him, but only due to the metal yo-yos in his pocket, scorching the boy. "…'Guess I'm not a bender."

Morgiana drove up ramps in the ground to gain speed, gaining ever closer to the towering camel. The stomping of its hooves sent electric shockwaves from the ground. "Hange, could you use those grapple thingies to hook the cycle between its legs? Afterwards, Morg can take us up from there if we get in the Infi-Cube."

"Get us close and it's done!" declared the Gerudo. Once Morg was close between the hooves, she swerved left and right to evade its shockwaves. Hange shot both grapplers to wrap around the legs, then she tied her gear to the cycle to hoist it up, allowing it to keep moving with the Beast. With that, the group jumped in the Infi-Cube, carried by Morg as she squatted down before making the terrific leap. She pressed her feet to the left leg before kicking up to the right, then to a foothold on the camel's underside. Three Gerudo warriors attacked with spears, but strong kicks from Morg knocked them out, though she made sure they didn't fall off the edge.

Naboris's entrance was sealed, but Morg noticed a chain hanging by the bottom's edge from the camel's side. She planted her feet against the foothold's side, let herself fall, and then leapt to firmly grab the chain. She climbed to a narrow walkway, but Shock Lizalfos charged from both ends, so Nagisa jumped out of the Cube to help his girlfriend. They climbed up to the camel's back as Hange and co. jumped out, the scientist examining the camel. While she worked, Killua sensed a prisoner by the camel's rear.

"HEEEEEELP!" Hearing a girl's cry, they looked down over the rear, seeing Tomoyo of Sector TD tied and hanging upside-down. "Please, get me down! I just wanted to find Sakura-chan!"

"Hold still, I'll save you!" Killua dropped down and cut her rope with a Tempest Kick, then he launched his yo-yo down to catch her before she fell. He brought Tomoyo up to his arms, lifting her effortlessly as he jumped back to his friends.

"Wait a second, you're from Sector SA, aren't you?" Tomoyo recognized the group.

"Saving the day one soul at a time." Nagisa smiled. "You'll be safer in here." He offered the Infi-Cube for her to take refuge.

"Based on my research," Hange began, "Naboris uses the hooves and its humps to build and charge energy, and electrical circuits flow all throughout her body. I believe strong explosions or other lightning attacks could disrupt the flow. I know that Lady Riju wouldn't use it against us, but in case something unexpected happens… Anyway, how do you suppose we get to Vah Medoh?"

"Hange, you and Goombella get back in the Cube. The rest, follow my lead." Nagisa ordered.

He, Morgiana, and Killua jumped their way up the back hump. They began with Killua tying his yo-yo to Nagisa, and then Morgiana, "I've been waitin' to do this," reeled her foot back and KICKED the Sheikah straight into the sky! His yo-yo hauled Nagisa with him, the momentum flinging him past Kill and closer to Vah Medoh. With that, Nagisa relied on Moon Walks to carry him the rest of the way, but Carrier Kargaroks were diving down. Hange jumped out, surprising the Bulblin rider with a swift cut, and she took the Kargarok for herself. She and Nagisa took down the others and flew up to Medoh.

They landed on a foothold on the underside, the whirring of propellers consuming the atmosphere. "Good thing I brought backups!" Hange withdrew an extra pair of grapplers from the Cube, she and Goombella swinging along the bird's underside. Laser turrets locked on and tried to shoot them, but Hange evaded as she swung her way up to the back. Shadowy red, alienish demons called Speedemons zipped out and around pillars, Hange thinking fast with her blade to cut them down. "Vah Medoh relies on its propellers to stay airborne," Goombella Tattled, "and naturally, they're used to harness the Air Chi. As fast as they are, they're still extremely strong."

"Probably fast and strong enough to knock projectiles away, especially with airbending to help it." Hange figured. "If only we could slow 'em down somehow."

"You'd need a timebender for that." Nagisa inputted. "Let's hope the ops on Sweetopia managed to rescue IC."

Their research done, the pirates dove off Vah Medoh, down to Naboris, and descended toward the Zero Cycle, unlatching it as Morgiana quickly steered them away from Naboris's shockwaves. The largest Divine Beast, Vah Ruta, remained in their vision, the elephant's body almost like a small mountain. "I heard Mobius has a giant elephant of its own." Hange said. "Remind me to make a trip later!" Their cycle was zooming over a shallow water ground, which Vah Ruta used to its advantage as waves were brushed at the pursuers.

The Beast willed Ice Blocks to rise from the water, so Morgiana quickly thrusted her legs forward to shatter them as they blasted through. Ice spikes were also forming around the elephant and launching at the group, but Killua could throw yo-yos to knock them off course. Octoroks emerged from the water and spat bombs at them from afar, Morg steering away from the blast radius. She was able to swing by a treasure chest and swipe it, barely avoiding a bomb in the process. Seahats were looming around the area, giant floating fish with massive mouths and helicopters. The Seahats dragged along the surface, aiming to slice the riders with their choppers, but Killua would sever those choppers with precise Tempest Kicks (don't worry, they grow back).

Ruta had two waterfalls on each side, and it began to channel the water to gush at the pursuers. Morg dodged the blasts and sped past them, moving ceaselessly as the water was in pursuit. Now close to the Beast, Hange latched onto a back leg, and from there pulled their selves up to a foothold on the rear. She dueled with Zora Warriors as she and Goombella flew around the great elephant, and they could hear disco stereos booming inside. "I think the pilot of this Beast is a Zora dancer." Hange mentioned. "She does not seem dignified, but she is a capable waterbender."

"It looks like Ruta can use those generators to absorb moisture in the air and convert it to a more liquid state." Goombella observed.

"And it uses these waterfalls to continuously spread water around it." Hange said. "I wonder if it wouldn't do so well in drier environments? We'd need a firebender to heavily dry the air around it. As for those generators, maybe a good jolt of lightning could weaken them, too."

As Hange and Goombella leapt off the beast, they noticed a Boogey flagpole. Hange latched her grappler to the top of it, swapping their Jolly Roger with the Story Pirates'. Morg kept a steady distance from the Beast until the two swung down and landed in the sidecar. "I think we've collected enough data. Get us out of here before we drive into that tornado!"

"Aye-aye! Mission accomplished!" Nagisa declared as they swerved off the divine path, allowing the Beasts to freely close in on their destination.

Little did they know that Shiva was studying them from the distance. "What were those people doing with the Divine Beasts?" She pulled out a communicator and spoke, "Lord Rā's, I've identified some new targets." (End song.)

The clashing of Mandy's Gracious Sword with Skaios' Wind Sword crackled the air, breaking all other sounds. The golden glow of the Gracious Queen made her seem like a mini sun from outside the tornado, while Skaios' angelic, wind-made wings gave him extra mobility within this space. Skaios spun his arms and sent Wind Shurikens that curved around and closed in on Mandy's neck, but they were scattered thanks to Sivam's Misfortune Magic. Skaios tossed another shuriken to behead the surrounding Anti-Fairies, while Sivam defended herself with a barrier.

Skaios could see the glows of the Divine Beasts around the outside of the maelstrom. This moment of distraction allowed Mandy to slice him in half, but a sudden wind bullet pelted her in the face, denting it for an instant, but she recomposed in time to avoid Skaios' next flurry. "Yer little Beasties don't got nothin' over me!" the captain taunted. "I can easily absorb the wind and lightning from those ones, and I can chill the air to destroy the fire one's flames, and create a cloud to catch the elephant's water. Face it, queenie, I'm undefeatable!"

"Exactly why a god doesn't deserve the title of 'Emperor.' Unlike you, I had to train and harness my fearbending, I had to experience years of hardship before I could become this strong. Not just physical hardship, but humility. Even K. Rool and Fatty had to build up their strength, as incompetent as they are. A god like you would never know what real struggle is, that's why we mortals are superior."

"WHAT?!" Lightning cracked under Skaios' rage. "I don't know what struggle is?! You REALLY think I've never faced a day of hardship?! AAAAGH!" With the fastest gust of wind to ever exist, Mandy just barely avoided being torn like paper. "Don't you DARE insult me! I could barely go ANYWHERE without mortals or gods trying to kill me!" The four Beasts were shining with chi, welling up in their mechanical mouths. "No one ever wanted to play with me, for millions of years! Everyone was afraid of me, it was all the same until I met me first mates. Thanks to them, I was able to make a bunch of friends, and I got to meet my big sister, everything was changing!"

"The god finally found some worshippers, is that it?"

"They are NOT me worshippers! Even if I'm a god, I'm equal to all my mortal friends. And together, we will rid the worlds of selfish adults like y-"

The Beasts all fired simultaneously, trapping Skaios in a four-way force-field. "What?! 'ey! What are ye… doing to me?!"

"The Divine Beasts were specially designed to defend the world from any threat, including rogue gods! Since the beginning of creation, your kind is forced to be helpless in the Mortal World, especially you almighty Firstborn. Your gods' desire to coerce with mortals, with your creations, is your downfall. And now your power is mine!"

"So unfortunate!" Sivam teased, poking her cheeks. "If you weren't monologuing, you coulda avoided that shot and we woulda had to re-aim. So duuuuumb!"

"AAAAAGH!" Skaios felt as if four powerful vacuums were sucking him from different directions. Chi spurted out of his body, flying straight to the Divine Beasts. "NOOOO! THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING! I… can't go out like this! I CAN'T LET IT END HERE!"

"You Firstborn amount to nothing more than power sources, whether to your Guardians or whoever's lucky enough to catch you. Once we finish harnessing your chi, the remaining Four Emperors will be helpless before us. And what better way to end the Sky God Pirates than by using their captain's own power against them?!"

"NOOOOO! MATES… SAVE MEEEEEEEE!"

Free Kingdom; Towa City

Maria and Louise climbed out of a portal within a dark tunnel, which had a somewhat plastic texture one would find in a playground. They crawled through a labyrinth until they could peep out into an indoor playground of some kind. "Towa was the first city the Sky Gods took over," Louise explained, "and the entire place was converted to a giant playground. It's the Hope Pirates' main territory."

"Which means that Monaca girl is probably around. It'll be tricky to take Kotoko without her noticing."

"That part will be up to Haruka. Hopefully Yuta is right about her wanting to cooperate. I'm just worried about one of the Commanders getting on our case."

"That's why we've got Dogmom and Diwata on standby." Maria smiled optimistically. "Let's just do the job quickly and we won't have to worry."

"Take your shoes off first." Louise said, already doing so.

"Why?"

"The playground just has a 'No Shoe' rule, it triggers alarms. Granted, the robots will chase us anyway, but this should make it less complicated."

"Did one of the captains make that rule?"

"They just all agreed it makes playgrounds more enjoyable."

"Playgrounds are sacred grounds, after all. We must comply!" And so, Maria's shoes were off. (Play "Let's Play With Monokuma" from Danganronpa!)

Stage 25: Towa Playground

Mission: Meet with Haruka and seize Kotoko Utsugi.

This playground was designed like an underground forest, where children were climbing ladders in hollowed tree trunks. The floor had a smoothish, but prickly texture that tried to resemble a forest ground. The largest tree seemed to carry up to the second floor, and Guardkumas (Monokumas with shields) were letting children pass, but when the sisters tried to climb the ladder, a Kuma blocked and threatened to bump them off. The two decided to enter a dark cave, which had giant rubber stalactites. Maria was a little scared of them at first, until Louise assured, "Relax, they're just punching bags. There's nothing scary in this-"

"RAAAAH!" A hideous Monokuma with a bulging eye and severed bottom half crawled after them in hunger.

"AAAAAAHH!" The girls cried and ran, the ravenous Junkuma pursuing around the playground. "Quick in the ball pit!" The girls dove into a ball pit and held their breath, only Maria's hat poking out. Despite this dead giveaway, the Monokuma looked confused, having lost its prey, so it decided to crawl back to its cave. The girls climbed out and sighed in relief. They explored the playground, trying to find a way up, but the staff elevator was guarded by Kumas. They eventually found a lonely boy sitting in a little wall cubby, so Maria threw her hat to possess him. She used this disguise to climb the central trunk, fooling the Guardkumas and reaching the 2nd floor, while Louise waited below.

Maria released her captive and looked around. The upper floor was made of wooden plank bridges. There was an area that resembled a western village, with a fake horse-drawn carriage, a jail containing a blue cat Faunus warrior, and a cabin with rubber crates and flour sacks. "Oi, you there!" the Faunus woman called. When Maria approached her, electric barriers formed between the cell bars. "You don't look like the other kids. Mind finding me a way out of here?"

"That window's open, why can't you jump out?"

"Because of the bloomin' spikes?" When Maria looked over the edge below the jail window, she noticed a floating spike platform that seemed designed to catch whoever jumped out. Maria thought for a moment before remembering the flour sacks in the cabin. She lifted one of the sacks and threw it down for the spike platform to catch. The woman could safely jump down and land on it, and from there drop to the lower floor. Maria returned to the cabin for another look at the fort of rubber crates, knocking them all down and discovering a treasure chest hidden among them.

She then dropped back down to her sister as the Faunus asked, "Thanks for that, girls. Those little hoodlums kept shooting gumballs at me. Name's Moggie. Any way I can repay you?"

"Kill that monster in the cave?" Louise inquired.

"No problem! I am a huntress, after all." Moggie gladly went into the cave, where she was instantly charged by the Junkuma. The girls heard loud, metallic bashing and tearing, fur and bolts flying, and when they nervously peeked in, they found the Junkuma in pieces and Moggie bruised and panting. "Hoof… I think I'm a bit out of practice, girls…"

"Well, you were good while you lasted. Get in the paint." Louise drew up a portal for her to seek refuge in, then washed it off. They could safely enter the cave, and they had to punch the stalactites into wall switches in order to open a tunnel. The girls crawled in to the dark, tight space, lit by small lights. They stopped in caution, seeing a flashlight approaching from a right turn, and a Beastkuma crawled by and toward the left path, its eye serving as the flashlight. Cheadle contacted them, for her Haki could sense if a Kuma threatened to spot them. With her guidance, they could make their way through the tunnel without encountering the guards.

They crawled out to a towering, round shaft, in which the only way up was for the girls to Teamwork Wall Jump. Using the walls and each other for props, they grabbed a rope at the top and climbed out of a well on a rooftop. A swingset was suspended between this building and the next. With a joyful expression, Maria hopped on and swung the first swing, jumping to the next, and so on. However, these next swings had spikes on them. Maria noticed a floating whirlwind flower above her current swing and swung up to grab it.

Maria became Spin Maria, with a twisty hat, green clothes, and wind-up sleeves! She could punch spin fists at the swings to flip them over, their flat sides facing up as she swung to them. She did so for the next swing, but a Monokuma blew a whirlwind to flip it over again, so she would have to swing it quickly, then do so again so Louise could follow. A Guardkuma was standing on the next swing, but Maria spin-punched the swing to flip it off. The girls landed on a platform, viewing a series of propellers that staired up around a building. The spin fists could whirl them and make wind gusts to carry the girls upward.

They reached an opening of the building and entered another playground. This playground was a huge Jungle Gym, where Monkeykumas hung by their tails from bars. Maria jumped to grab one's hands, since it was practically inviting her to!, and the ape whirled and hurled her into a wall. Maria shook off the dizzies, glaring angrily at the monkey and throwing a spin fist. The monkey spun and stopped, its head now facing upward at another monkey. When she grabbed it, she was thrown up to said monkey, who threw her to a series of hanging hoops. Amps tried to zap her off as she clambered across, and the hoops eventually led back around to the previous monkey. She could punch and change its direction to a higher monkey, but she changed it once more to throw Maria to a treasure chest.

Afterwards, the girls were thrown up to the higher monkey, who threw them to a floating trampoline. A group of monkeys hung above them, and there were floating springs that could bounce Maria's spin fists up and change their direction. She had to get them all to face an appropriate path before they used an available monkey to chuck them up, swinging to each one before landing on another wooden bridge. This led to a more loose, hanging, rickety bridge that a Monokuma was bouncing on the other side, sending "waves" along the bridge. The sisters would Ground Pound a wave and send it back to knock the Kuma off, but others would take turns until the girls reached the other side.

The duo approached a Tic-Tac-Toe device, where they could spin the segments. Of course, it would only spin via Maria's power, and she had to get all the X's to become O's. Once successful, the segments broke off and became a stairway, which Maria could punch again to make whirlwinds and lift them up to a new walkway. The girls found a large ball pit, a Sirenkuma studying it with searchlight eyes. Since Maria's hat would stick out, Louise dove into the pit and "swam" her way to the Kuma. The sound and rumbling of the balls prompted the Kuma to look over, Louise stopping as a result. She waited for the light to look away before continuing, keeping her movement as calm as possible.

Louise then flipped out and squished the Kuma with a Ground Pound, then Maria swam to join her. The path led to a merry-go-round situated on a rail above a large net, wherein a bunch of Junkuma were snoozing. The sisters spun the merry, causing it to move along the rail. There were several turns and angles, as well as electric beams threatening to shock them off, but Maria could punch and rotate them long enough for them to pass. The girls felt like puking after this trial, but it was better than waking up the Junkumas. Once past, they waited for the sickness to wear off before grabbing onto a wooden rock wall.

This wall curved as it led outside the building, and seemed to extend to the next building. Climbing across was no hassle, but Cheadle called, "Girls, there are electric creatures on the other side of the wall, don't pass under them." Indeed, there were Electrokoopas on the opposite side, and if they felt the girls' presence, they would zap directly through. With Cheadle's guidance, they avoided passing under the shock-shelled turtles, eventually setting foot on the entrance to a new building. This building contained a cluster and complex of slides, hearing the joyful screams of children echoing inside. "Maria, I'm sensing more robots in parts of the slide. Be careful not to slide toward them."

"Hey, what's this switch?" Louise asked, approaching and pressing a switch that was on a part of the platform sticking out. She saw a part of a slide change direction into a secret room, but a timer was ticking. The girls began to slide down, the dark, echoing tunnel kept lit by red eyes that whooshed overhead every half-second. Several forks composed the slide, and Cheadle cautioned which routes would lead straight to the claws of a Beastkuma. (If this level were on Hard Mode, they wouldn't get Cheadle's guidance, and this situation would be a lot more heart-stopping, the constant worry they could zoom right into death with any wrong turn.)

The girls made it to the secret room before time ran out, sliding into a passage that curved right to a torture room. "SOMEONE HELP!" cried a black-haired woman, who was tied to a-

"OH MY **** GOD!" Louise was horribly appalled by the device being used to torture her—Maria almost fainted with disgust. "What kind of sick joke is this?!"

"That pink-haired girl tied me to this-"

"Whatever, let's just save her before we get banned!"

One rescue later

That entire room and everything in it was set on fire, and the woman (Beast from Noah's Ark Circus) escaped through a portal. "What sick fuck at Spike Chunsoft thought that was a good idea?!" Louise yelled.

"Let's just pretend we never saw it." said Maria. With that, they returned to the slide, doing as before and picking the correct paths. The slide became flat and straight, going outside and leading to the base of a flagpole. However, Maria could punch spin fists at propellers on the left or right, causing the slide to tilt up until it reached the height of the pole. Once again, the girls spun around the top and swapped the Monokuma flag with one of the Mario Sisters.

"Perfect, there's the hospital." Louise pointed. "Haru and Kotoko should be in there. Let's take care of the Monokumas first." (End song.)

Towa Hospital

A tranquil smile graced Haruka's face, knowing her job was nearly finished. She was rather surprised to receive this patient and even more shocked at her condition, but the amount of progress she had made filled Haruka with pride. "There, that should do it. Wanna take a look, Sakura?" She held a mirror up for Sakura Kinomoto to study her once-flawless face, now riddled with stitches.

With a soft, euphoric gasp, Sakura carefully felt around her face. "It's like… nothing was ever wrong… You're amazing, Haruka-chan."

"Thanks. Unfortunately, you're still technically a prisoner. I can't help you much more than this."

"It's okay. At least… my friends will be able to look at me again."

"I'm sure they would still love you either way. Anyway… see you later." Haruka left the cell, the Monokumas locking it up again.

She traveled upstairs until she found the dentist office. "Arigato, Dr. Utsugi!" a boy cheered, eagerly rushing out, his right cheek swollen after a cavity removal.

"Anytime!" Kotoko beamed. "Oh, hi Haru-chan! Here for a check-up?"

"No worries, I brush and floss every day!" Haru sported a sparkly grin. "But maybe I'll give myself a cavity on purpose, just to see your technique up close."

"That would be highly irresponsible of you!" She flushed in anger. "It's like those creeps who get their selves arrested just so they can hit on the judge!"

"Ha ha ha! So, between being a dentist, an actress, and a fighter, which one do you like doing best?"

"I don't know. In my heart, I like all three the same way." Kotoko twisted her index fingertips into each other. "I'm like one of those people with dissociative identity disorder. Which is a LOT safer than having a split personality, where you don't even know what your other half is doing! Or maybe it's because I'm an actress that I can assume so many roles. Perhaps if I experiment, I can do more things!"

"Just don't start acting like Kokichi!"

"Oh, goodness no! That annoying creep can keep his own shtick!"

"Hahahahaha!" Both doctors shared a giggle. Kotoko turned and began to reorganize her equipment.

Haruka frowned, a bit hesitant to ask the question. If their info was wrong, she would be in serious danger. Still, the Marios would be here any minute, so they would have her either way. "So, Kotoko… feel like packing up?"

"Hm?" Kotoko looked at her with a brow raised. "What are you talking about… Haru-chan?"

"The war really seems to be heating up. It won't be long until this city is really under fire. I bet you'd really like to ditch, wouldn't you?"

"Hehehe… it does seem to be getting worse, but I couldn't possibly abandon my friends."

Haruka stepped closer and whispered, "Kotoko, I know you don't wanna be here."

"W-What?"

"Earlier, I won't explain how, but we were contacted by our fellow KND. Yuta's with them, and he passed us a little tidbit about you."

"You…You don't like it here?" Yuta asked.

"It's not that I don't like the Free Kingdom. It's just…it's Monaca I don't like. I just…I can't stand to be around her!" She spoke in a hushed yell, eyes flaring with anger. "She keeps saying that…that word around me, a-and then the memories start flooding back… I-I mean, she says it's an accident, and she apologizes, but I…I-I just don't know, anymore, I-I can't take it. All the others love Monaca, but I…I don't. And I don't know what to do…"

"Hey, it's okay." Yuta smiled and reached to pat her in comfort. "I won't tell-"

"Don't touch me!" She slapped his hand hatefully.

"I-I'm sorry, sorry!"

"! … N-No, I'm sorry." Kotoko looked away in regret, rubbing her fingers. "It's just… a nervous reaction. …Hehehe, look how nervous you look." She sported a grin.

"Uh… nervous?"

"Tee hee. When you said 'sorry' just now, you sounded so… honest." Kotoko faced him with a sweet smile. "A lot different from how Monaca says it."

"I mean… it just felt natural." Yuta grinned confusedly. "I just wanted to comfort you, but I just… forgot for a moment. And I was sorry."

"Hehe…" Her smile faded as gloom eclipsed her face. "I-It's not enough… I need you to punch me."

"What?!"

"The memories are already coming back." Kotoko grasped her head. "Yuta, I need you to punch me. Please!"

"I-I don't wanna hurt you!"

"Then I'll hurt myself!" She began to punch her own jaw left and right. "Get out of my head! Go away!"

"Kotoko, stop hurting yourself!" Yuta gripped both her wrists, the passion in his eyes burning into her irises.

She was taken aback by his assertiveness. In that moment, she forgot her past and could only see Yuta. Her eyes watered as she grabbed the boy in a hug, Yuta raising his arms in fear of touching her. "What's wrong with me, Yuta?" Kotoko sobbed. "Why can't I move on? I already killed my own parents, I'm free from that life. Am I going to be like this forever?"

"N-No, just calm down! I-I don't know what to do either, I don't know how to help. Just calm down, I promise I'll think of something."

Kotoko released him, wiping her tears with a soft smile. "You're really not like the others. Your soul is pure, Yuta. You're the kind of boy who wouldn't think about committing murder."

"Hah, yeah…!" Yuta's heart raced, realizing what he said. "I-I mean-!"

"Mm!" Kotoko raised a 'hush' finger, her eyes closed and her smile shining with intuition. "Mmmmmm-hm!" In a cutesy manner, she 'zipped' her mouth shut, locked it up, and threw away the key. Yuta, understanding the gesture, felt a huge weight lift off his heart. Both hearts were linked by a bond of trust, sworn to secrecy. They smiled through their 'zipped' mouths, mentally promising that they would survive.

"…Yuta-kun…" Kotoko stared at the hand that had slapped him, the memory clear in her heart.

"We have reason to believe Monaca is a traitor. If you guys keep following her, something terrible might happen. Yuta wants us to help save you guys. We have a way to get out of here. …Will you come with us?"

". . . . ." Haruka's words filled Kotoko with hope. Were her prayers truly answered? Did Yuta… keep his promise?

"Kotoko-chan?" And despair flooded both girls when Monaca's voice touched their ears. Haruka was afraid to face the doorway and look at the face of terrors.

"…Oop, excuse us, Monaca-chan!" Kotoko said perkily, an arm around Haru. "Haru-chan and I were just having some girl talk. Even in the midst of war, it's easy to get lost in conversation. The two of us were going to take a walk. A good stroll really clears the mind, you know?" She cracked her eyes open at Haru, who could sense the grave seriousness within her pupils.

"Oh… Monaca sees." The crippled girl twisted her chair around. "She doesn't mean to interrupt. You ~ two ~ just ~ enjoy yourselves. Oh, but Kotoko-chan?" Still not facing them, a cold shadow fell over her eyes. "Just kill Haru-chan already."

Pure dread filled Kotoko's eyes, but her skill as an actor prevented this fact from showing. ". . . . Isn't Haru-chan . . our friend?…"

"Monaca thinks… Haru-chan is a traitor… if she stays here… our crew is in danger… You are in danger, right now, Kotoko."

"That's just silly, Monaca." Kotoko struggled to maintain the fake, bubbly smile. "Haru-chan is a great doctor. She only cares about helping people. How could someone like that be a traitor?"

"Oh, is she really? Then I wonder if she would like… to ~ play ~ with ~ Kotoko?"

Kotoko's next word was so quiet that it was barely audible. 'Play?'

"You know how we like to tease Masaru? You know how Monaca uses her power to make him small? We play catch with Masaru and dress him like a little dolly! …I wonder if Kotoko would like to be small, too?"

Her smile and even her pupils began to shrink as she visualized the meaning in Monaca's words. 'Small?'

"Smaaaaall… Like this." Monaca faced them, revealing a little Kotoko doll in her hand. As Kotoko's eyes absorbed the sight of herself in Monaca's hand, fear was threatening to rupture her heart. "Kotoko is so small… so soft… so adorable…" She tenderly brushed the doll on her cheek. "So… gentle…"

Her nerves were trembling dramatically. Haruka was appalled by this, horrified as Kotoko began to take quick, but soft breaths. "What are you doing to her?! Stop it!"

"Yes… we like to play with Kotoko." She softly brushed the doll's hair. "Kotoko is soooo cute." She rubbed the doll's foot. "We love Kotoko…" She pecked the doll's face with a kiss.

Black and red hatred, pure despair, that was all Kotoko knew. With lightning reflexes, she grabbed one of the scrapers in her drawer, and Haruka barely realized her motive in time to dodge: the scraper sliced the chest of her dress and left just the thinnest cut. "I'LL SHOW YOU GENTLE!! I'LL KILL YOU!"

"Kotoko, wait! I'm not your enemy, I wanna help!"

"Yes, Kotoko, allow Haru-chan to hold you and hug you." Monaca teased, swinging the doll in her fingers. "She wants to cuddle you so badly~"

"LEAVE ME ALOOOOONE!" The actress awakened as a true demon.

"Ufufu! Have fuuuun." Monaca left and shut the door.

Boss fight: Hope Pirates Fighter, KOTOKO UTSUGI

Kotoko screamed and chased Haru around the office, whipping her scraper with such speed that Haru could almost see the air cutting. With no choice but to fight, Haruka began to release gas, but the whipping of her arm waved the gas away, essentially creating her own shield. "'Guess I'll have to get stinky." Haruka released gas from her entire body and swallowed the office in a smokescreen. After a moment, Kotoko started to lose sight of her in the fog, but she kept swinging in order to keep the gas away from herself. Haruka was able to sneak behind and tackle her, sticking her with a tranquilizing syringe as her resolve seemed to soften. Haru decided to swipe her scraper and store it in her pocket.

The gas was sucked away by a vent, turned on by Monaca outside. "RRRRRAAAAAAHHH!" Kotoko fought the effect of the syringe, her chi flaring up as she swung a mighty KICK up at Haru's chin, the doctor reeling back headfirst into the wall. She recovered in time to dodge Kotoko's stomp, running around and away. Kotoko leapt, her legs spinning like a propeller as she flew at Haru, who ducked just under their radius. Kotoko gracefully landed on one foot and danced her way to Haruka, legs whipping each time. "Mommy always said my Fanalis heritage really showed! That's why my legs are so long! AND GUYS LIKE LONG LEGS, DON'T THEY?!" The memory imbued her with rage and she flew at Haru again, this time landing a kick to the back of the head as Haru rolled forward.

Kotoko back-flipped to try and stamp Haruka's spine in half, but she dodged in the nick of time and sprayed gas in the fighter's face. Kotoko coughed, but quickly waved it away and covered her mouth. She began to deal heel-jabs at Haruka, who dodged and tried to fill the room with gas, but it kept getting sucked in by the vent. Whenever she shot gas puffs at her face, the actress would wave it away. However, Haruka glanced at the toothpaste tubes on the table and used her bending to whip the paste out of it, blotting Kotoko's eyes. The fighter stopped to try and wipe it off, but her weakness gave Haruka the chance to tranquilize her again.

"No…no…no…" Kotoko dropped to her knees, her nerves and conscious going numb. "S-Stay awake… I-I refuse to be… h-helpless. S-So… helpless… nnn…"

Haruka felt a bit of regret in her actions. Kotoko was trying desperately to stay awake, fearing that if she were to pass out, she would never be able to defend herself from whatever trauma she was remembering. "You poor thing… I think I understand what happened with you. I know a couple people who've been in your shoes. …And… one of them was me."

"N-n-n-n-n-n…" Kotoko forced herself to her feet and threw weak kicks at the nurse. "Get away from me… don't you ever touch me."

The kicks were still notably fast, but Haruka wasn't as concerned about evading. Her nerves were ultimately forcing their selves to move, regardless of the numbing medicine in her veins. "Kotoko, please calm down. You can trust me." Her words failed to reach the fighter. Haruka worried for her health in this state and saw no choice but to spray sleeping gas on her. Kotoko couldn't defend from it as well as before and fell to her knees again.

"L-Let me go…let me go…" She was walking on her knees, throwing weak punches. Haruka, feeling more regret with each word, sprayed a little gas puff, fogging Kotoko's mind just a bit more as she fell on her hands. "Never…Never…"

"Kotoko…" Haruka wondered if sleep was even the best option at this point. It would do her no favors, only leave her at the mercy of her own nightmares. With this question in mind, she couldn't bring herself to shoot another gas puff.

"Ooo? It's gotten quiet in here." Monaca creaked open the door. "Are we growing sweepy?"

"Is this how you treat your own teammates?!" Haruka shouted. "Using their own trauma against them?!"

"What's wrong with that? Isn't the entire point of a tragic past to make you stronger and be able to move on from it? All I'm trying to do is train poor Kotoko."

"This isn't anything like that, you're just making her feel worse—OW!" Kotoko was able to reach up and take back her scraper, cutting Haruka's leg with it. Haruka reactively sprayed gas at her face, causing Kotoko to drop completely on her front. It felt as if she had become more sensitive to gravity, unable to support her own weight, yet she would never allow herself to succumb to the poison.

"Nnnn…nuuuu…nuuuu…" She used whatever remained of her will and trembled on the floor. It was all she could make of a resistance, no matter how fruitless it was.

"Oh, poor Kotoko. You're so soft… so numb, like… a doll."

Haruka snarled and sprayed gas at Monaca, but she brushed it away with psychic, then squeezed Haru in a telekinetic grasp. With her other hand, Monaca made Kotoko float over, her pink eyes dull as Monaca touched a gentle hand to her face. "Monaca will caress you in her hands. Just let yourself become a happy little dolly… and let Monaca dance with you."

"STOP IT!" demanded Haru, desperately trying to escape the psychic grasp. "She might die of shock if you keep doing this, stop!"

"Shhh… let Monaca focus." The green-haired child gently focused her chi and pictured Kotoko minimizing. "Kotoko just looks ever-so cute when she squirms. Monaca wants to feel her squirming always…"

There was no point reasoning with this deranged little child. Haruka wriggled her fingers, using her bending to will a blue syringe to float out of her Cube. Monaca was too busy to notice this, so Haru was able to position the needle to aim at Kotoko and inject. The blue serum coursed through her veins, nullifying the numbing serum. "RAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" All the fury that had built up, but was unable to be unleashed, came EXPLODING out all at once! So much power was imbued in her foot, and it was all released at Monaca's face, the kick so swift and sudden that she blew through three walls. "Grrrr… I will never be gentle again. NEEEVEEEEEEEERRRRR!"

A fiery pink aura was burning her body! Haruka mistook this for firebending at first, but came to realize this was Kotoko's own aura, flowing with pride and power. …What was most unfortunate is that her raging eyes locked on Haruka. "I WILL FIGHT! I will fight until all scum-ridden adults are DEEEAAAD!" She lunged at Haruka, who thought she felt part of her pigtail burn off as she ducked to the left. Kotoko shattered the opposite wall, so Haruka knew her best chance at this point was to run.

She bolted down the hall, the Dramatic Demon hot on her tail, cartwheeling with the speed of a car and carving a trail in the floor. Haruka dodged right, but Kotoko quickly caught on to her mistake, stopped, and stamped her foot, puncturing a gaping hole in the floor when she missed her target. Haruka decided to jump in, surrounded by Monokumas. Kotoko followed, and in missing Haru, her kick destroyed a Kuma. The others panicked and tried to grab the girl, but Kotoko's natural reaction was to destroy them.

Haruka waited until she finished before rushing out in the next hall, where Ballkumas tried to bowl her down. She would dodge and allow Kotoko to kick them like soccerballs. Haruka entered a door to a stairwell, sitting and sliding down the railing, but Kotoko grinded the rail on her own shoes like a train on rails! She would have sliced Haru, had the latter not fallen backward and down the stair shaft, spraying gas directly down to weaken her descent. She landed at the very bottom, but Kotoko was shooting down with a Screw Kick, Haruka dodging as she nearly drilled into the floor.

Haruka bolted out the exit to the hospital lobby, where Guardkumas ran to push her with shields. Haruka ran up to them and dodged, letting Kotoko take care of the rest, their shields useless against her legs. The Monokumas were scrap by the time Haruka bolted outside, the entrance shattering behind her when the actress gave chase. "There she is!" Maria pointed as Haruka evaded kicks by a hair's breadth. "And that's Kotoko. But I thought she would've wanted to come along, why are they fighting?"

"I guess we anticipated having to knock her out." Louise figured.

Haruka formed a Poison Whip to grab Kotoko's ankle and swing her into the ground, doing only minimal damage as she flipped back up for a kick to the head, which Haruka ducked before shooting a gas puff to her face. Kotoko coughed briefly, giving Haru the chance to jump her from behind. Kotoko fell back and smashed her against the ground, but Haru endured the pain and sprayed gas in Kotoko's face, the girl squirming and shaking off. She flipped and succeeded in stamping Haru's gut, the doctor hacking blood, but it didn't do nearly enough damage as it would have before. "Your Fury is wearing off. Kotoko, just snap out of it. Everything's fine, we've escaped from Monaca."

"Huff…huff…" Her aura began to die down, as did the fury in her eyes. "Haru…chan…" She clasped her head and shook. "Hit me. Please hit me again."

"Excuse me?!"

"They won't leave my head, Haruka! Not the adults… and not Monaca. Please, just hit me. I can't take it."

"I…I couldn't…"

When Monaca saw her begin to struggle from the building window, she frowned in disappointment. So, she snapped her finger.

It had to be the slowest second in history when Kotoko's shirt began to glow red and yellow. Both hers and Haruka's eyes fully absorbed that glow, and knew, in that one second, what was about to happen. Haru was already too close to avoid that blast, and even if she could, Kotoko's life was all but lost. And in this dire situation, even with only one second, Haruka's gut did the only thing it could do.

"BLAAAAAHH!" Vomit gushed out of the poisonbender's mouth, forcing Kotoko into a hydrant with the force of a hose. Her clothing was completely drenched, so wet that the bomb failed to ignite. Maria and Louise, too, wanted to vomit from just seeing it.

Kotoko, naturally, was appalled and horrified, but for different reasons. "That was… Monaca's Bomb power. Monaca… tried… to kill me… Why…why…she…"

"Kotoko." Haruka said to her grimly. "We have to leave. Now. It's clear where her allegiance belongs, is it not? She'll sabotage this whole crew before long and not give a damn about you."

"…Yeah…" Kotoko saw no option but to obey. "Let's… go…"

"And where are we going, exactly?" inquired the voice of a man, the girls whipping up at a streetlight. A black-cloaked man stared at them with cold, red eyes.

"It's Commander Uchiha!" Louise gasped. "Maria, be careful! He's the strongest one under Skaios!"

"So, Louise, you really have been sneaking into the kingdom. That explains why Serket was attacked by that psychicbender. You've been sneaking in operatives all this time, but your treachery ends here!" He drew kunai.

"Wait, Commander Uchiha!" Haruka shouted. "Monaca's a traitor, she just tried to kill—OW!" A kunai was stabbed into her foot.

"You and your crew are my suspects as well, but don't think I haven't had my eyes on that green-haired child. No doubt, she's planning something as well." And perhaps she could be useful in that regard.

"Then do us a favor and off her!" Louise retorted, drawing a portal on the ground behind her.

"Not until I deal with you first!" The ninja leapt down for a punch.

Cheadle Yorkshire burst out of the portal and impacted Sasuke's fist with a Haki boot, Louise ducking out of the way. "TIME FOR A COMEBACK!" a blue-skinned blonde girl, Diwata Uno, flew out next and blasted a Moon Burst at Sasuke, the ninja swiftly evading. "I ain't letting you possess ME again, Madara!"

"Madara?" Sasuke was baffled that this child knew his ancestor's name. "Hmph, how nice of you to return to us, Chancellor. You're overdue for a therapy session."

"You caught me off-guard last time, but there's no escape now. I'll crush you with Primal Fury!"

"Are you blind? It's only a crescent moon, unless you plan to lose your sanity."

"That's where you're wrong, buddy!" Diwata smirked, hands glowing as chi surged within them. "Moon Phase SKIP!" She fired directly at the crescent moon, her beam melding with its light magnifying its glow, creating the illusion of a full moon.

Her pupils absorbing and shrinking under the lush, soft light, Cheadle's fur became a pure white. She fell on all fours, her green hair extending and shining, the rims of her dress growing spiked, and her boots and gloves tearing as her sharp claws carved the street. "'OOOOOWWWWWWWWLLLL!"

"Oh my God!" Maria's eyes watered in admiration. "Dogmom is a… WEREDOG!"

"You'll learn the hard way, Mister Uchiha," Cheadle snarled at the ninja, her sharpened fangs drooling, "never to mess with a dog's puppies!"