Thank You, Aunt Mandy

As Cheren expected, Mandy split her own body using Logia, then floated away from his sword to reform herself. "If you think I'm going to show you mercy, like I usually do, you are starkly mistaken, Cheren."

Koko weakly helped herself up, facing the queen with weeping eyes. "Mandy-sama… you saved Koko's life."

"Koko! Get down here!" yelled Dorian, her father. "Those boys are dangerous!"

"You heard him, Koko. Get! And don't ever try to take a blow for me again!" Mandy ordered.

"Koko will cook you the greatest cake ever, Mandy-sama!" The Sheikah eagerly jumped off the edge.

Cheren, Killua, and Karkat readied their weapons. "Aunt Mandy… I don't know if your whole shtick is legit, but I don't care, anymore. I'm not going to ask you for help or surrender to you. You and those Emperors caused nothing but pain and despair for my operatives. You're ruining the worlds we worked so hard to save!"

"Cheren, wasn't your greatest wish for all children to live in peace?" Mandy inquired. "Why would it matter if you had to surrender to me? I wouldn't have captured your operatives if they didn't try to fight me first, but if you worked for me, I could guarantee peace for-"

"Shut. The. HELL. Up." Karkat interrupted. "It ain't a matter of living in peace, pride, or whatever! It's a matter of 'We fuckin' own this world'! We designed it with our own brains and you're nothing but an Idea Thief!"

"Talk about being full of yourself." Killua remarked. "But me, I just wanna find out where you hid Gon. So, let's get started."

"Master Cheren," Fi's voice echoed from the sword, "Mandy's Power Level measures up to 23,848. Your Level of 7,042, Killua's 5,083, and Karkat's 6,969 give you an approximate 70% chance of victory."

"That's my lucky number." Cheren's glare was as sharp as his blade. "You're not the only one who cares about their people, Aunt Mandy. So, let's find out whose care is stronger." (Play "Rivers in the Desert" from Persona 5!)

Title Match: Emperor of the Boogey Pirates, "Grim Glare" MANDY MCKENZIE

Cheren ran up for the first attack, Mandy drawing a cutlass to counter his quick swinging. He rolled behind for a Parry Attack, Mandy still blocking, so Cheren resumed his assault. The others were now behind the queen, so Killua studied her to plan his move. He threw a Haki-imbued yo-yo, but a demon hand erected from Mandy's back and smacked it away, then it stretched to try and grab him. Killua Shaved away, leaving various afterimages in attempt to confuse Mandy, who was otherwise distracted by Cheren. Multiple arms grew out of her body, all reaching for the many Killuas, scaring the boy as he barely dodged some by a hair's breadth, and Karkat had to evade some hands as well.

Cheren could tell it was difficult to focus on three opponents at once, even if her eyes were directly on him, so in the midst of clashing, he thrusted his Mirror Shield and knocked the sword out of her hand, following with a diagonal slash. Mandy divided her body to dodge, then grabbed his sword to lift and slam Cheren into the—Karkat caught Cheren in his Clawsickle, immediately swinging him and Mandy overhead, leaving Killua to thrust up and stab her belly with Haki Finger Pistols. Though he left no wound on her durable body, it was still a successful first attack.

Mandy screamed and blew the boys away. Though she was robbed of her sword, the queen formed monstrous mouths around her body, all spitting Fear Spheres in all directions. The boys hid behind Cheren, who kept his shield ready to bounce them back. However, the spheres merely circled around to hit them, including the ones from mouths that weren't even facing the boys. Quick-thinking Haki was required to sense from where balls would come from, with Cheren not needing to twist his whole body and simply hold the shield in whatever direction necessary.

The Fear Chi was amassing in the mirror, which was glowing red and black. Killua whipped a yo-yo at Mandy, who merely evaded its grasp, but Karkat was running behind, enduring the Fear Spheres as he whacked a Clawsickle at Mandy. The queen flew upward, to where Killua tossed his 2nd yo-yo, Mandy dodging down diagonal, and that was when Cheren released all the Fear back at her. There was so much that it blocked her vision, but she merely allowed it back into her Logia body, questioning Cheren's intent in—he had passed the shield to Killua, who kept it shooting at Mandy while Cheren ran to shoot a Light Arrow into the shield. The magnified arrow bounced off, through the fear-smog, and shocked Mandy with light.

Cheren lay three strong strikes against Her Majesty, but once the light wore off, she kicked the boy painfully in the stomach. Killua kicked a Tempest at her head, but Mandy ducked, shooting a Scare Stare, but Killua merely closed his eyes and relied on Haki to sense her. "?!" To his shock, Mandy's aura possessed glaring eyes, able to puncture his eyelids and trap Killua in a nightmare. Killua had the vision of a black-haired man with creepy, soulless eyes, recognizing it as his brother, Illumi. Illumi poofed around the dimension, trying to grab Kill, who could do little but dodge.

Cheren tried to shoot a Light Arrow at the groveling Killua, but Mandy zipped up for a punch, Cheren dodging to shoot the arrow at her, but Mandy split her body. She grabbed his neck and began to choke, but Karkat was able to catch the arrow in a claw and throw it at Killua, waking him. The assassin lashed a vertical Tempest at Mandy, who merely held Cheren to block it, but then Killua leapt to throw the Mirror Shield through the Tempest's wave. Since it didn't have Haki, it merely flew through, but Mandy's vision was distorted enough to where Cheren could cut her arm and escape her grasp.

Mandy flew away from the boys, spreading Fear Chi along the ground like spilling liquid. It flowed like rivers and homed in on the boys, catching Karkat first as a spire of fear sprouted up and trapped him in a nightmare: his ancestor, Kankri was there, beginning to spew hundreds of text boxes' worth of dialogue. In real-time, Karkat was clamping his ears and wriggling where he stood, but the Fear Chi was still homing on the others. Killua Shaved to escape the one after him, but seeing Cheren was about to be caught, the assassin hurried over to lift him on his shoulder, then used Moon Walks to float them above the ground where the fear couldn't touch them.

Mandy simply threw more Fear Spheres, Cheren bouncing them with the shield. He focused on Karkat and readied a Light Arrow, but Mandy simply extended an arm, grabbed Karkat, and threw him off the edge. Cheren jumped off Killua to slice down at Mandy, who knocked him away with a stretched-arm punch, then stretched to grab Killua as he ran to rescue Karkat. She only grabbed an afterimage, the assassin jumping off the edge and clambering along the side. Even in his nightmare state, Karkat was able to stick his claw to the side and hang on, so Killua was able to rescue him.

Cheren used Quick Perception to dodge Mandy's stretched arms, making his way to the queen and throwing slashes. She naturally divided herself, but his slow-motion vision was able to catch this and redirect his sword, landing a cut. He then flipped back to avoid a grab, then whipped out his bow for a Light Arrow. Mandy opened a hole in herself, but the arrow's true target was Karkat right behind her. The second he was out of his trance, the troll clapped his Clawsickles around Mandy, who dissolved into a Fear Puddle, slithered up, and rose to grab the troll's legs. Killua stabbed three Finger Pistols in her head, but Mandy endured as she slammed Karkat into him, flinging both boys away.

Cheren threw a Skyward Strike, Mandy evading and growing bladed shards of Fear Chi along her arms. She zipped at Cheren, who held his shield at the appropriate angles to block her. He had no way of backing up, not until Killua unloaded multiple Tempests, prompting Mandy to block them. Cheren could get away, or so he thought as Mandy extended an extra arm and tried to cut him with its own spikes. "Alright, time to use my mom's classic trick!" And so, Cheren utilized the Soul Surge, time slowing around him as he focused on the arm. With strong, precise slashes, he chopped down the arm a bit at a time, advancing toward the queen and clashing with her spiked arms directly. Their attacks were simultaneous and equal, but Mandy had no intent on opening a gap.

Karkat came from one angle and Killua's Tempest from another, so Mandy's only option was to dodge to Cheren's side, intending him to take the blow from either. Cheren kept focused on Mandy, his Soul Surge active, though the shield on his back was in perfect position to block the Tempest. Karkat, still in motion, swung a Clawsickle from over Cheren, Mandy dodging right—Killua was set to attack, but she was willing to endure as she still fought with Cheren. "Killua" faded into an afterimage, while the real one was on the left side, able to snag Mandy's leg in a yo-yo.

Mandy slipped out of it, but the 2nd yo-yo threatened to catch her neck, so she ducked diagonal—Karkat swung his other Clawsickle from below, so Mandy dodged back, then was hit by a small Tempest from Killua, after which Cheren was able to bypass her offense and lay a succession of blows upon the queen. Karkat was able to ensnare the queen in Haki-imbued Clawsickles, and Cheren's Light Arrow hit Mandy's head so fast that the queen was forced out of the sickles and over the edge. "Break-time-drink-up!" Cheren yelled, the boys pulling out milk bottles and enjoying a fast drink. Though the milk could replenish their chi and stamina, they would be ever-more wary on how much they exhaust.

Mandy didn't climb back up, but they weren't followed. Indeed, reddish-black fire began to flare from the abyss, and a gigantified body of Fear Chi, shaped like Mandy in a Reaper's hood, arose wielding an artificial scythe. The Man-Reaper swiped the scythe along the ground rapidly, the boys dodging backward. She opened her mouth, Fear Spheres flying out of her throat and around the field before exploding with screams. The kids kept their ears covered while dodging, but Mandy slid around to their end and slashed them all, trapping them in a nightmare.

They were in the same fear dimension, seeing hordes of Mandy clones. The others grabbed Cheren as he charged a Hurricane Spin, beginning to whirl around and slice the clones. With Killua sending a constant 360 Tempest and Karkat extending his Clawsickles, they were like a three-bladed fan, chopping up all the clones in no time until they woke up. "Screw it, I'm going in!" Killua declared, bravely jumping into Mandy's Logia mass, swallowed by her sub-dimension. He allowed his nerves to rise to their peak, his Haki only sensing Mandy and Illumi clones flying from all directions, and his body practically worked on its own to slice them.

He also sliced up the Mandy arms that tried to grab and throw him out. Though Killua was not literally inside her body, dealing harmful attacks within the Logia space would weaken her chi, along with minor damage to herself. The queen was also preoccupied in dodging Cheren's Skyward Strikes. She willed Scare Stares to grow around her and prevent them from looking at her, but by holding his Mirror Shield up, the eyes were easily reflected and scared their selves into vanishing. Mandy simply grew tentacles from her body, eyes forming on said tentacles as they stuck around the field. Cheren closed his eyes and swung his shield around in every direction to blind the eyes, but because he couldn't have Haki active, Mandy was able to grab him in a tentacle and throw him off the field—

Except Cheren entered Quick Perception the instant he was grabbed, so when Mandy threw him, he got his Hookshot, imbued it with Haki, and latched it at the tentacle. The Scare Stare was able to take him, but he withstood his vibrating nerves as the hook pulled him in. Mandy shook the tentacle and forced the hook off, but Cheren was on-flight back to the field as he readied a Light Arrow midair and loosed. Mandy opened a hole to let it pass—Killua reached out of the Logia dimension to grab the arrow, having sensed the very point he should reach out through, and then stabbed the arrow into the Logia mass.

Mandy was stunned just long enough for Cheren to charge and throw a Skyward Strike at her face, cutting right where the nose should be. An angered Mandy furiously slashed her scythe at Cheren, the boy countering normally at first. He then grabbed a Light Arrow and stabbed it into his sword's gem, the blade now glimmering gold. This temporary Light Chi helped to distort Mandy's scythe with each hit, so the queen erected spikes to stab him, Cheren dodging and slicing them with a vertical spin. He charged straight for the queen, who flew to the other side, so Karkat grabbed Cheren in a Clawsickle and hurled him at her. Mandy flew away, but Cheren shot his Hookshot. Mandy opened a hole so the chain would miss—Killua grabbed the chain from in the dimension.

Cheren was yanked toward Mandy, the hero spinning his blade like a disc of light—Mandy punched Cheren away, but he threw his shining sword straight into her forehead, then Killua shot out of the Logia to catch the sword in his yo-yo and return it to Cheren. The power-up on the sword wore off, the blade only shining a faint color now. Mandy shrank back into her normal form, holding her forehead, which only showed a light wound. "Hm… feels like I bumped my head on a nail. You're doing better than I expected."

"Queen Mandy, are you hurt?!" a Hylian woman asked.

"You brats done crossed the line now!" a Goron yelled.

"Why can't you idiots open your eyes?!" Killua shouted. "She doesn't care about you, all she wants is your service! Don't you realize she's been forcing children into servitude?!"

"Queen Mandy let me visit my daughter." a rich man replied. "She found herself to be highly enjoying her labor."

"The children were given three meals a day." a Zora followed. "It may have been back-breaking work, but my kids never looked stronger."

"That's because children need the right amount of discipline and sympathy." Mandy affirmed. "Your accusations are based on misunderstanding. Though I left the wrong first impression, I realize now how much the Hyruleans mean to me. These are my people, and I WILL protect them."

"I wish I could grow up to be like Mandy instead of a dumb tree creature!" a Kokiri boy declared.

"Kyu-kyu… I wish I could've been as admirable for my younglings." Hestu, a tree-like Korok, hung his head in shame.

"Your operatives see you as a Beacon of Hope, Cheren?" Mandy asked. "Well, now I know how it feels. I will not let their hopes go to waste." Her dark gown began to glow and morph into gold. "And you ungrateful brats will beg me for mercy… and drown in Gratitude when I finally grant it!" Crystal-sharp angel wings grew from her back, altering between blue and gold colors: the Gracious Queen ascended to the sky. (Play "Galeem" from Smash Ultimate!)

"You guys, look!" Wendy pointed up at the mountain, seeing a golden angel rise to the dark sky. "What in the world is that?!"

"It's…It's Mandy." Kiki's eyes welled up with tears of guilt. "Lord Mandy… she's so… beautiful…"

"Now you're jealous of her looks?" Phil remarked.

"I'm sorry!" Kiki fell to her knees and bowed. "Queen Mandy, I'm sorry for being so neglectful! Thanks to you, I learned how to take my duties more seriously! I've learned to be much more cautious in my deliveries, thanks to-"

"Kiki, snap out of it!" Oliver shouted. "It's just her fearbending, don't let it control you!"

"Lord Mandy, thank you for not killing me!" Wendy cried and bowed as well. "You had the perfect opportunity to kill me, but you didn't! Thank you for letting me live!"

"Not you, too!"

"CALLING ALL AVAILABLE OPERATIVES!" They jumped when a voice rang from their communicators. "This is Cheren, your Supreme Leader! Heh… I guess I went a little hard on Aunt Mandy. She had to go into her super form. But we're not done, yet!"

Hearing his voice, brimming with confidence, filled the operatives with hope. Was their leader this close to taking down an Emperor? Would the war finally be one-fourth of the way finished? "Just keep fighting! Put your faith in me and I'll have this witch down in a few minutes!" The hero in question raised his sword skyward. The Skyward Strike took more time to charge up due to its weakened state, but more important were the flocks of golden butterflies amassing on the blade.

"That's it, Cheren! The Rukh are all being attracted to you! All you need now is a way to actually reach her." Index said, using lightbending on his sword to attract said spirits.

"Wait, you mean this power-up won't give me wings and fly?!"

Cheren's words filled Kiki with passion and courage, the witch getting off her knees and rising firmly on her feet. "So, he needs a way to fly, huh? …Wish me luck, team." After quickly gulping a potion, Kiki mounted her broom and flew for the mountain at full speed.

"Kiki…" Phil couldn't believe she was willingly flying to Mandy's battle zone. Seeing his friend acting so bravely even after all his teasing felt more encouraging than Cheren's vow. "…KNOCK HER DEAD, KIDDO!"

"Chereeeeeen!" The hero looked right, seeing Kiki zooming with the speed of a missile, until she halted beside him. "Cheren, I'll carry you while you fight her!"

"Kiki? …Are you su-"

"JUST GET ON!" Karkat placed Cheren on the back of the broom, and Kiki instantly flew up.

"'Guess I'm carrying the lobster." Killua figured, mounting his hoverboard and allowing Karkat on.

"For the record, Cheren is your god, but I'm HIS god." Karkat noted.

Mandy was intrigued to see the little witch again, but more-so that she was risking facing her wrath all over again. This was more odd than the transformation of Cheren's sword: the hilt shaped like butterfly wings, and the blade shone with neon colors. "Alright, Mandy… let's see whose hope is stronger!"

Phase 2: The Gracious Queen

The dark clouds cleared away to welcome a golden ray of sunlight for the queen. The holy angels were singing for Her Grace as Mandy flew up and lashed her crystal wings, Cheren meeting them with his Rukh Sword, each impact creating a flash. Kiki shut her eyes from the light and ducked her head; as bold as she was, this was still not the ideal situation to be in, smack between two powerful forces at work. The sword and wing locked in a stalemate, though it was likely Mandy's superior strength would prevail—Cheren willed Haki through the sword and its light suddenly stretched, poking Mandy in the face.

Cheren signaled Kiki to fly back, the witch obeying as Cheren charged and threw a Skyward Strike. Mandy evaded and flew at them, but realized too late that the golden beam homed in on her and struck her back. Cheren shot a Light Arrow immediately after, but Mandy dodged and stretched her wings, turning them into a barb wire-like form in attempt to strangle the two. Kiki backed away, leaving Cheren to slice up the wires, though more of them kept spreading, soon swallowing them in a crystalline bramble bush. Behind her, Karkat had caught the Light Arrow in a Clawsickle and whirled it to build momentum. He threw the arrow with great speed, but Mandy sensed it and opened a hole—the arrow punctured her crystal wires, bounced off Cheren's shield, and shot Mandy in the head.

The wire dispersed as Kiki flew up to let her leader deal three blows against the queen. Mandy smacked them several yards away, her mouth agape as she released multiple golden Fear Spheres. They closely surrounded the broomstick riders, beeping as Cheren sensed they would explode. He used Quick Perception to shoot the spheres down with Light Arrows, though some were still able to scream, stunning the two for a moment. Mandy zipped up with a Torpedo Spin, and would've been bound to shred Kiki's broom were it not for the Mirror Shield. Though Mandy hit the shield directly, her wings stretched above and below the broom, slicing from both sides, but Killua jumped in the way and blocked them with Iron Body, while Karkat pushed the riders out with a Clawsickle.

Mandy decided to strangle Killua in her wings and blow a Fear Scream at Karkat. Cheren sent a Skyward Strike at Mandy's wings, the queen holding Killua to take the hit—the beam simply looped around to cut the wings, freeing Kill as he Moon Walked to save Karkat and land them back on his board. Mandy scoffed and began to fly around the area, leaving giant mirror crystals wherever she desired. Those crystals reflected her crying eyes, all using Gracious Stare to make the four cry with guilt.

"Kiki… wasn't it true that I spared your life, even after your harmful mistake? Cheren… didn't I let Sheila get away with the Licorice Stalks? Didn't I help them defeat Big Mom? Didn't I help protect your precious Noah? And for my kindness, you all feel grateful, too. Even now, that eternal gratitude is empowering me. You are filling me with energy while wasting your own."

The two wept, remembering Mandy's kind deeds. How could they even think of hurting her after all she's—no… Cheren brushed these thoughts away. "It's true that we'll always be grateful for you, Aunt Mandy, but I can't allow you to win. The only one who can restore hope to the KND… IS ME!" He loosed a Light Arrow at a crystal, which flashed and reflected it to another, the arrow growing faster as it bounced around multiple crystals before returning to Cheren. The boy was quick to raise his shield and bounce it at Mandy, who was far enough away to dodge it despite its speed.

Mandy willed the crystals to close in on both pairs, Killua rapidly throwing Tempests and Cheren slashing his Haki sword. While they were distracted, Mandy dove at her nephew with a Torpedo Spin with a speed that would be impossible to avoid. But what she didn't know was that a couple Rukh were riding the Light Arrow Cheren fired, tilting it down to keep it within the planet's atmosphere. With the speed it was going, the arrow was able to orbit around the entire world in no time at all, eventually returning to the battle site just in time to ram Mandy's face. Her attack came to an abrupt halt, the queen suffering terrible dizziness and helpless to Cheren, Kar, and Killua's combined attacks.

Upon recovery, the queen shot to the sky in the form of a shining snake, gracing the sky in a slithery fashion and leaving a constellation trail. The stars transformed into vertical beams, forming a complex curtain that the group struggled to find their way out of. "Seriously, why do all these fearbending attacks look like lightbending?!" Killua complained.

"Might wanna chuck Space on top of that." Karkat said as tiny stars rained from the sky, whizzing through their bodies like soft bullets. The stars were actually Gratitude Crystals, and they used Haki to dodge them as best they could, but there was still little room to maneuver between the light curtains.

"Everyone, get by me!" Cheren ordered, the other two floating beside him and Kiki. "Rukh, shield!" The Rukh moved from the sword to the Mirror Shield, forming an umbrella of light that shielded them from the crystals. When the rain and curtains finally faded, the Rukh returned to the sword, the four kids surrounded by six angels, resembling Mandy, but five of them had orange, hollow faces. The six spun like torpedoes and whirled around the four, leaving streaks of light that launched smaller torpedoes, prompting the group to either dodge or Cheren to deflect. The only way to distinguish the real Mandy from these angels was with Haki, so Cheren focused until he could make out a stronger presence from the one. He used Quick Perception to shoot an arrow, but another angel was already flying to intercept it—Killua kicked Karkat to catch the angel in a Clawsickle, thwarting its plan as the arrow struck Mandy's head.

Mandy was only stunned for a second, enough for Cheren to slice her, the queen whacking him and Kiki away after the fact. "Kiki, you okay?" Cheren asked, knowing the pilot had low durability.

"I drank an endurance potion before coming, so I'll be fine… pleh." She coughed a little blood, her nose bleeding as well, but Cheren decided to trust her answer. Mandy grew two extra wings, flying far away as she shone like a sun in the horizon. An entire ocean of Gratitude spread beneath them, the water crystal clear and reflecting the gold clouds beautifully. Mandy flapped her four wings and willed waves to rise, sweeping along the surface. Drowning in this "water" would trap them in a Gratitude Trance, so the four shifted up above the waves. The waves rose like towering walls, so Cheren charged a Skyward Strike to split the first one, quickly charged another to split the second—the split halves molded into gushes and lunged at Cheren, Kiki sinking to dodge.

As Cheren continued cutting down waves, the four closed in on the queen, but a ring of water rose from the ocean and encased Mandy in a glittery, clear bubble. She willed smaller bubbles to float out and home in on them, but Mandy's shield wasn't shrinking a bit. Killua decided to be the fall-guy and dive in; since it wasn't actual water, he had to use Moon Walk to maneuver through, but the dense Gratitude caused him to cry. He was so thankful that Gon recovered from his condition, so happy to spend more time—Killua forced himself to feel angry at Mandy for splitting him up with Gon, mixing Shaves with Moon Walks to pursue the queen.

Mandy increased the density of the chi around Killua to bind him in place, so Cheren shot a Light Arrow through, carving a tunnel in the bubble and freeing Killua, who quickly resumed evasion and pursuit. That tunnel quickly repaired, but it gave Cheren an idea: the Rukh empowered his Light Arrows, and when one launched through the bubble, it split from the center and became a donut shape. Riding the hoverboard, Karkat caught the arrow in a Clawsickle and threw it through another segment, further splitting the bubble, then Cheren used the shield to bounce it through another.

They kept it going back-and-forth, and as the bubble continued splitting, the reflections became distorted, and Killua used this along with afterimages to his advantage. Mandy grunted in anger and formed eyes around her body, using the reflective chi to her advantage as well—Cheren threw his Mirror Shield for Killua to catch, and because the Gratitude reflected it so well, Mandy's many eyes glared at herself from all directions. The eyes were blinded simultaneously, the bubble spilling completely as Mandy floated dizzily. To top it off, Karkat had been holding the Light Arrow, his Clawsickle spinning like Sheila's fist to keep its momentum, until he saw the moment to return it to Mandy.

The light punctured her heart, and Cheren followed it with a Skyward Stab. Killua grabbed her neck and riddled her back with Finger Pistols, then Karkat leapt forth to CLAP her head between the Clawsickles. "AAAAAHHH!" A deafening scream blew them all away, Cheren falling off Kiki's broom. The witch dove down at high speed and grabbed his arm, hauling him back on. The Gracious Queen took to the sky, a ring of angels welcoming her to their core. The ring began to shape like a mouth with a throat, as Mandy was taking a tremendous breath of chi.

The angelic chorus grew louder as Mandy readied to unleash the Cry of Angels, the most devastating Fear Scream of all. Karkat united his Clawsickles and caught Cheren and Kiki in a giant claw, while Killua swung a powerful, hardened, non-lethal Tempest Kick to blast Karkat skyward. Karkat spun during his ascent, building enough momentum to hurl the broomstick even higher and faster. Kiki forced all her magic through the broom and flew as fast as possible. Meanwhile, Cheren stuck his sword through the Mirror Shield's handles, then stuck a Light Arrow in as well, combining them into a blinding blade called the Three Sacred Fusion.

He held the blade around Kiki's side, the witch shutting her eyes and trusting Cheren to keep her focused on the target. Mandy was all finished molding her chi and… just barely had time to dodge Cheren's devastating attack. The two hurriedly pursued the queen, who decided to recycle her chi and create a scythe longer than her body, a blade on both ends as she twirled it like a disc. Kiki bravely flew forward, ducking as Cheren and Mandy clashed their godly blades with deadly speed, the boy's Observation the only thing protecting them both. Still, Cheren could feel the fear and panic welling inside his teammate, so he ordered Kiki to back away.

With that, Cheren jumped off the broom, activating the Soul Surge to lunge at Mandy. Each strike of his Sacred Fusion against Mandy's scythe caused the angels to gasp, and the sky flashed rapidly, preventing anyone from staring at their bout. Cheren looked Mandy right in the eyes, and in a flash, a sea of Gratitude welled within him: he was thankful to still be alive after all that's happened, thankful that everyone still wanted him as a leader, thankful to become so strong that even Aunt Mandy had to use Fury Mode. "You're not the only one… who's filled with Gratitude, Aunt Mandy! I have never been more grateful… to be part of… THE KIDS NEXT DOOR!"

The Hyruleans and Nextgen Pirates were in tears as the very Triforce itself formed in the sky, an illusion created by the collisions of gratitude. Then, the Triforce shattered like glass, and the angels cried as Cheren and Mandy fell. Karkat and Killua opened their arms to catch the hero, while the Queen of Hyrule, her wings broken into shards, fell into the deepest, darkest chasm of the Dark Continent. "QUEEN MANDYYYYYYYY…!" The light that warmed the people of Hyrule's hearts shrank into the abyss, doomed to fade into darkness. (End song.)

Cheren, Killua, Karkat, and Kiki lay flat on the ground, their lungs the only muscles working. "Huff…well… that's one Yonko down." Cheren smiled.

"YEEEAAAAAH!" Hordes of operatives raced up onto the platform, surrounding their heroes with beaming faces. "That was incredible!" Wendy cheered.

"I'm giving you all my cheese for a month, Kiki!" Phil lifted his friend and shook her excitedly.

"No way, Phil, I'm gonna get fat!"

"Let me taste you just a little bit, Karkat!" Rawberry pled.

"Don't put me in the same stomach as that spider."

"Think I'm just gonna chill here for a bit." Nagisa casually sat on Killua's belly. "Morgiana, join me."

"Gladly!" Morg sat on the legs. "Finally, a real use for this boy."

"Hey, I ain't your make-out mattress!" Killua shouted. "Get the hell off!"

"They got the right idea." Panini rested on Cheren. "It's great to have ya back, Cheren. Can ya get up on your own, or do ya need me to lift you to the flag?"

"Regardless of the fat rabbit sitting on me, I'm all spent. OOF!" Panini did a sit-jump on him.

"Whatever." Pan stood to help him up. "At least the hard part is over with."

Then the earth began rumbling. The Haki users were in a panic as they felt a terrific power rising from the depths. "UUUUUUUUUUGH." moaned the four victors, who were clearly not hoping for a 3rd phase.

"Resistance is useless." Geysers of Fear Chi erupted from the darkness. "Obey, obey. You must obey. You can't resist. Do what I say." Light was mixed with fear as a pair of eyes brimmed in the depths, and a tremendous mass was elevated. "Obey, obey. Do as I say. You cannot win… you'll have our way." What rose from the darkness was a Divine Beast, built with black Sheikah Tech, red and orange lines between the gaps, and a pig-like head. "Give up, give in, do what we say. You must obey…You must obey." The pig head morphed to resemble Mandy's, catching them all within her glare.

"I-Is that a… Divine Beast?!" Hange questioned.

"Apparently, its name is Vah Gaon." Goombella Tattled. "It's the only Divine Beast that uses a dark element, fearbending. It was very hard to control, so I assume that's why the Sheikah buried it out here; but why would they build a monster like this to begin with?!"

"Heh… I musta really pushed Mandy if she resorted to using this." Cheren smirked. "Too bad I'm… beat…"

"It's up to us now, gang." Karin decided. "It looks like Mandy's still getting used to it, so let's hurry in and tear it up!"

"I'll stay out here to heal these four!" Oliver offered.

"Me, too." Froze replied.

"Wait!" Cheren grunted, clasping the Master Sword. "I can still… use the Light Chi in my sword to damage her. Just… carry me… and I can…"

"Boy, if you think we're gonna-" Panini tried to argue.

"I'll go in first." Wendy decided, lifting him over her back. "You two keep the others safe."(Play "Master Porky's Theme" from Mother 3!)

Phase 3: Vah Gaon

Wendy raced down the mountain and sped toward the titan, spires of fear sprouting out of the ground. Wendy dodged them and spotted an opening within the beast, bravely charging into it. They were inside a nightmare dimension, where a giant Mandeye scanned Wendy and created nightmarish zombies of Charle and Facilier. Apparently, they were trying to pull the typical 'We never loved you' trick, but the only thought on her mind was blowing these impostors down. The fear-made monsters took damage from her airbending, but they were durable. The Charles swung their bladed high-heels, cutting Wendy's stomach, and the Faciliers cast spells, Wendy evading both types and striking until they disappeared.

Some headless Carlas flew down from above, so Wendy Home-Attacked her way up them to reach a new floor. She raced across a narrow track that sloped up and into a loop, then found herself in-between cackling, demonic Chelia clones. Wendy countered the left one's kick, then ducked under the right's air gust, stretching her hands to hit them both with wind. The left Chelia slashed bladed wind at her, Wendy slowing down to evade. The Chelias U-turned in a heartbeat, ready to rip her in half, but Wendy saved herself and Cheren with a Protego. She blew a Dragon Roar at the monsters and finally destroyed them, resuming the race.

Wendy halted before what appeared to be a generator, flowing with Fear Chi. What appeared to be an unborn infant spawned from the generator, scowling like Mandy. "AAAAAAAHH!" The two felt their ears dying from its cries, so Wendy spammed blast spells desperately. Cheren took this time to charge a Skyward Strike, though had trouble keeping it steady with the screaming. To their fortune, Wendy was able to destroy the baby, and Cheren slashed the generator with a streak of light.

The beast rumbled as Fear flooded the chamber, rising and spewing the two out of its being. "CHEREN!" Wendy cried, having accidentally dropped her leader, but he was saved in the arms of Morgiana.

"Now it's our turn, Morgie!" Nagisa declared, the couple leaping into another opening. Cheren rode Morg's back, watching as illusions of Tivan and Mrs. Shiota appeared. Morg evaded the Tivans' extendable chains, greeting them with furious kicks to the head or groin. Normally, her legs could shatter Tivan's bones easy, but these nightmares were far stronger. One snatched Morg in its chains and tried to squeeze her, but Nagisa sliced them with a Tempest Kick, allowing her to readjust herself and beat them into submission.

The mother clones wielded scissors, targeting Nagisa's privates, the assassin using Paper Art to evade. His expression mixed with rage and horror, he slashed Tempests at the clones, his mother enduring and landing a few cuts. "I am SICK of having nightmares about my mom!" Nagisa Shaved behind the clones and stabbed their necks with Finger Pistol, then finished them with one last Tempest. "She's expecting a man to come home. Nothing less!"

The three faced up at a tall shaft. Morg squatted and performed a great leap, planting her feet against a wall and kicking up higher, then off the next wall, and one more until they were up top. A Red Lion illusion ambushed them, the giant beast swiping claws at her legs, Morg evading. She stomped and entered Red-Foot Fury, landing a burning kick to its face. The lion smacked Morg away, and while she was grounded, the lion pounced to catch her legs in its teeth. Morg desperately spread her legs to force the mouth open and pull them out, the teeth snapping shut as Morg then stamped down on its nose.

She swiftly flipped up and leapt over its back, stomping down on the spine, followed by a flurry of kicks against the head until the Lion disappeared. She reverted her Fury to conserve strength, and Nagisa caught up with them as they proceeded to the generator. A chubbier, bubblier version of adult Mandy molded like a blob, jiggling and giggling as bouncy Fear Spheres detached from her being. Nagisa destroyed the blobs with Tempests, focusing just as much effort on the main body and slowly trimming it down. Some blobs got close and burst into screams upon touching, but Nagisa wouldn't let a mild ear pain deter him from clearing a path for his leader. He was able to destroy the Mandy entirely, so Cheren could strike the generator with another Skyward Strike.

A wave of Fear forced them out of the machine, but Karin swooped by as a ghost to catch Cheren, already holding Jinta in her other hand as they flew into a new opening. Sadly, attacking Mandy's creations was technically outside her legal boundaries, so Karin became a human. A swarm of Hannibal Beans were waddling up to her, the athlete stomping them as fast as she could. Though they were small, two strong stomps were required to finish each one, and some managed to jump and punch her knees for surprising damage. Karin withstood the pain and furiously squashed the deadly Beans. Jinta, meanwhile, was bashing his bat against illusions of a younger Karin, all of whom were trying to kick him in the crotch. The memory of that incident put a shameful frown on Karin's face.

The Karin clones were as durable as the one they represented, but Jinta's relentless batting smashed them all. He spared a spirited grin to his leader, indicating there were no hard feelings, to which Karin giggled. Proceeding through the beast, Fear Spheres launched with the speed of cannonballs, but Jinta and Karin were well-equipped with a bat and gym shoes respectively. The Sports Stars returned the balls to the cannons they spewed from, destroying each one and breaking the wall down.

A steep slope with multiple platforms was revealed, the two jumping and climbing their way up while giant Fear Boulders tried to bowl them off. They evaded the boulders and reached the top, discovering a giant Mandy head crawling on four arms. The head spat Fear Boulders at them, Jinta hardening his bat to whack one back. This caused the head to spin and bowl him over, squishing him flat. He groggily got to his feet, the head rapidly rolling back to squish again, but Karin pulled him out of the way. "Together!" she stated, pulling back her foot and Jinta his bat. When the head rolled back, both swung at once, locking in a stalemate with the head until their force was able to prevail, destroying the Nightmare.

Karin carried Cheren to the generator, fulfilling their role once it was corrupted with light. A wave of Fear washed them out of the beast, but then Cheren found himself shrinking and landing in Vweeb's hovercraft. "No offense, but you're way too heavy." The Kateenian remarked, following Makava into the next opening. His younger sister swiftly slashed down Fear Tentacles that tried to grab her, though they soon ran afoul of Trunchbull and Anthony clones.

Vweeb had the honor of lunging at the Anthonys with Kateeny Strength, but Vweeb in turn was clapped between stone-like Fear Slabs. He pushed them off and kept up his assault. Sadly, his shrink ray couldn't affect the strong Nightmares, but he was able to destroy the Anthonys. Makava worked to dodge the Trunchbulls' mighty fists, stabbing their legs with every opportunity. She cut them down like tree trunks, and the principals fell over with like force. The only way to advance was up a tiny maze within the wall, but it was behind glass, so Vweeb minimized Makava, the former carrying Cheren as they trekked up the vertical maze.

Fear Ants skittered up from either direction, proving to be a fair test for their swords and fists. It was a struggle to solve the maze, but they finally found a secluded room with a generator. A Mandy Toad dropped from the ceiling, lashing its tongue and swallowing Cheren. The aliens panicked as Vweeb leapt to choke the beast, its tongue forced out for Makava to slice. The toad shook Vweeb off and leapt to Ground Pound them, Makava dodging behind and climbing its back to stab the eyes. Vweeb pelted it with his laser gun and destroyed the toad, freeing Cheren. Vweeb resized his friends, and Makava helped Cheren to stand so he could imbue the generator with light.

Outside, Nagisa Shingetsu was frozen with terror at the sight of Gaon, unsure of what to do. "Hey, Nagisa!" Masaru and Jataro hurried to join him and Kotoko. "You actually made it!"

"What are those things in your hands?" Shingetsu noticed.

"They're Skaios." Jataro presented the spine and the brain.

"Mandy ripped him apart and used him to power the robots!" Masaru held the bladder and heart. "But he should come back together now, right?"

"But he isn't." Kotoko said. "We must be missing a part."

Shingetsu's pupils shrank once he figured it out: if those parts were inside the beasts… then the final part was inside the nightmarish Mandy robot. If they had any hope of saving the captain, they would have to confront that thing. "…I won't let you down, Monaca. I will save the CAPTAIN!" The vice-leader threw away his fears and raced for the titan.

"N-Nagisa!" Kotoko tried to call. "A-About that, I need to talk…"

Cheren was blown out of the beast, this time to land on the back of Yosafire, who flew for the fifth entrance along with Kodama. "I'm making so many new friends today!" the troll beamed. "Come on, Kody, show me the fireworks!"

"Your wish is my command!" Kodama's fireworks flew like shooting stars, blasting the illusions of her zombie parents. However, the parents broke into small bombs, rolling at Kodama, so Yosafire swept fire along the ground to blow them up beforehand. Ivlis clones materialized, some breathing Fear Fire and others throwing forks. Yosaf dodged and extended her tail into a flame, whipping the devils to pieces. She felt a fork about to stab her from behind, but Cheren's shield was in the right position to block it.

With the clones destroyed, the girls used Rocket Jumps to advance up high platforms, but said platforms threatened to collapse if they weren't fast enough. To add to tension, the shaft was flooding with Fear, and Fear Bats were trying to push them off. Kodama conserved her ammo and relied on Yosaf to burn them. Once up top, they were faced with another Mandy Reaper. Yosaf created her own flaming scythe of equal size, clashing with Mandy's. To aid her, Kodama threw Flashworks to weaken the body of fear.

"Oh, I have an idea!" Kodama borrowed one of Cheren's Light Arrows, tied it to a firework, and launched. The missile punctured the Reaper arrow-first, and Yosaf finished it off with a cut down the middle. Cheren and Yosafire shared a smile as the boy raised his sword skyward and sliced the last generator.

The entire beast was rumbling as its knees, arms, and chest bent. The light in its veins caused it to spark and malfunction. "You… stupid… beast!" Mandy grunted, her control over the titan failing, with she herself already exhausted. "Obey, obey… you must obey!"

The kids had no strength to fight any more, so the last one to lift Cheren over her shoulders was Panini. "Let's go for the kill, Panini!"

"AYE!" The Irish girl blasted to the head with a Rocket Boost, dodging all the spheres that Mandy sent at them. Cheren stabbed another Light Arrow into its gem, the sword growing bright; it would only last 10 seconds, but that was all they needed. The mouth of the beast had opened from malfunction, so Mandy bellowed one final Scream to blow them out of the air. Panini screamed with just as much ferocity, showing no desire to fail Cheren now. The moment they passed the opening, they saw the core behind Mandy, a throbbing eye inside it. Panini landed, dodged Mandy's sphere, and threw Cheren straight at the core.

Seconds earlier, Shingetsu had gone into skunk form, his rage boiling the gas inside him as he channeling it to his tail. "TAKE THIS, MANDY!" He halted his four-legged running, whipped around, and aimed his rear. "ULTRA SKUNK BEAM!" An acidic beam of gas blasted Gaon in the chest, resulting in a mini explosion. At the very same time, Cheren's Sword of Light punctured the core. (End song.)

The humongous titan sparked its last, finally collapsing. Shingetsu gasped, realizing he was about to be crushed, scampering back as fast as he could lest Mandy take his life with her last breath. "WAAAAAAH!" The head crashed just inches from the boy and blew him forward. The lines on Gaon's body faded, so everyone could only wait for the smoke to fade to reveal the results.

Shingetsu was on his rear, legs spread and wetting his own shorts in fear. Just before his quivering shoes was Lord Mandy… on the ground, bloody, and beaten. The Emperor's chi was all but exhausted. "…I did it." Bravery coursed through Shingetsu, slowly rising to his feet. "I defeated… the Yonko Mandy. …AAAAAAAAAAAHHH!" Unable to contain his joy, he screamed to the heavens, standing proudly, which felt awkward due to his wet pants. "VICTORY IS FOR THE SKY GOD PIRATES! Are you watching me, Skaios?! Are you watching me, Monaca?! YOU SEE THIS, MOM AND DAD! PLEASE EXPECT MORE FROM MEEEEEEEEE!"

"You're loud." Those two words were enough to destroy Shingetsu's confidence. Fearfully looking down, Lord Mandy pushed herself up, trembling just slightly from fatigue. "…You wet yourself. Disgusting."

Shingetsu whimpered. He went from the strongest boy in the world to a helpless skunk in less than a minute. To fit this moment, he shrank and assumed the full form of a skunk. He cried, slowly crouching down and covering his head under his paws. All he could do was beg for mercy.

"Oh, Mandy!" The queen glanced up to the platform where they started the fight. Panini had flown Cheren there after escaping. At the top of the flagpole, Cheren burned down the Boogey flag with a Fire Arrow and replaced it with his Jolly Roger. "I… am the conqueror of Fear!" And with that, they glided down using the Pirate Sail, Shingetsu seeing them and cowering away while making skunk chirps.

Cheren weakly balanced himself, Panini releasing him as he held the faded Master Sword. "Well… let's finish this."

"…Whatever." Mandy bowed her head. "Go ahead. Being unable to control that Divine Beast of my own element… is a disgrace to my people."

Cheren approached the queen, sword ready, until a chubby Hylian man ran to block him. "That's enough! You won't do any more harm to our queen!"

"Lord Mandy, have some milk!" A little girl ran up to give her a bottle.

"We'll protect you the best we-" A Rito woman flew down—Cheren caught her with his Hookshot and knocked her away in one punch. He then punched the chubby man, the girl with milk, slashed a Zora, kicked a Kokiri, swat a Minish using a leaf propeller, then a Hylian, a Goron, a Gerudo, a Kokiri, a Korok.

"S-Stop… you fools…" Mandy grunted. "I didn't ask… for your help."

"Get away from the queen, you ungrateful brat!" A Goron shielded her.

"Queen Mandy played with me!" A Korok boy blocked her.

"I made new friends thanks to her!" A Bokoblin boy followed. "I won't let you hurt-"

"I said STOOOOOOP!" Mandy blew them apart with a scream, anger and exhaust burning in her tearing eyes. "You fools… OBEY YOUR QUEEN! I'm the one who's protecting you, not the other way around! I still have plenty of strength to spare!"

"We can't!" a woman stated. "We can't stand selfishly behind you and let you hurt yourself for us!"

"This kingdom would be nothing were it not for you!" a Rito declared, readying a bow.

"Just stop hurting Mandy-sama, Cheren-kun!" Koko pled. (Play "The Choice" from Undertale.)

The hero wasn't sure what move to make next. Knocking these people away was pointless. They would keep getting up and protecting their queen. No doubt it was because of Mandy's chi… but even so, Mandy's words and feelings were genuine. Cheren sheathed his sword and took a calm breath. "You really do care about them… don't you, Aunt Mandy?"

"Haven't I already made that clear? Even if I took over this world for selfish reasons… in my heart, I'm a sympathetic weakling. I need people to make me stronger, or else I'm nothing. That's why I was so desperate to earn their respect. And after I had gotten it, after I was empowered by their gratitude, I felt the same gratitude for them. I was obligated to become a worthy queen for their sake."

"But your crew killed Drake and some alien operatives! You almost killed Aunt Eva!"

"Smaug was always a wildcard. I might have killed him myself after this war was finished. All I wanted to do was teach you kids some respect by putting you to labor. Most of my crewmen know that if they go against my orders, they receive the most severe punishment. Still… I suppose that doesn't excuse the lives that had been taken. As for Eva, that was merely my petty attempt to detach myself from my old acquaintances. The Hyruleans are my new friends… but I only permitted such a punishment in order to scare the other pirates, so they would hesitate to attack us. What a fool I was. I'm sorry… Cheren. Perhaps I'm unworthy as a queen after all."

"NO, Queen Mandy!" Koko yelled. "Even if you made mistakes, even if Koko was scared of you at first, I still love you!"

"I've never felt greater courage until you came along!" the Rito archer said. "You've filled me with hope!"

"Please don't leave us, Queen Mandy!"

"Ay-ay-ay." Cheren shook. "She's got you all wrapped around her finger."

"Perhaps not, Master." Fi replied. "I sense that, although Mandy's chi is influencing both parties, it is not by her will. There is a 65% chance the Gratitude Chi merely acts on its own accord, as if by a natural force."

"She's right. I use the Gratitude to make me stronger, but I don't have complete control over how people feel. Their feelings are natural, just as my desire to protect this kingdom. In fact… I've given it some thought, and I realize… this war is beneath me."

"Beneath you?"

"I only entered this war to prove myself as the greatest pirate, to have all the riches in the worlds. How could I let myself succumb to such greed? I have the only treasure I could ever need: the love and admiration of my people and crew. And one planet is hard enough to manage as it is. So long as I have the Hyruleans, I'm already the greatest pirate in the universe. The rest of you Four Emperors are beneath me. This war is a child's game, and I will endanger my people no longer. I… withdraw."

"You're… not gonna fight, anymore?"

"Not unless you or those lesser pirates pick a fight with me. I'm still bound to protect my people. Otherwise, I'd advise you four to keep it between each other and leave us alone. But still… the children of this world are rather rambunctious." Mandy half-closed her eyes and looked away. "If they wanna build treehouses and beat up criminals, that's their game. Just means less work for me."

She flinched when she felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist. Cheren leaned his head against her belly with a sweet smile. "Thank you, Aunt Mandy."

The people were in awe at this heartfelt moment. It was like watching a child reconcile with his mother after an intense argument. A single patch of sunlight touched the family, highlighting Mandy's flush. Even the Hope Pirates felt their hearts be touched by this pleasant union. "…You have no dignity." Mandy sighed, patting his head. "But I still want you to return my daughter."

"Yeah. Will do." Cheren kept hugging. (End song.)

A raging gust of wind ripped up the ground, blowing away all the citizens and operatives, utterly destroying the warm atmosphere and Mandy's gown. The wind halted as the queen faced Skaios, returned to one piece as his left eye throbbed with insatiable rage. "HEY! GET THE FUCK-!" Cheren ran to attack, but Skaios smacked him away with a smaller gust. The young god pushed Mandy on her back and brutally drilled into her stomach with a tornado. The tornado dug a hole in the ground through Mandy. Red substance splattered everywhere, and some of it drenched the face of a horrified Cheren.

That substance… was Fear Chi. Mandy had opened yet another hole in her Logia body to let Skaios' attack pass, but her fatigue was too great to be able to fight back. "I won't miss again." Skaios hissed. "I'll scatter your flesh and soul all across the universe."

"CAPTAIN, WAIT!" Kotoko ran to block Mandy. "W-We need to lock her in the King's Brig!"

"Screw that! She's gonna learn how it feels to be TORN APART!" A bladed gust shot down from the sky and shredded Mandy's skin, the queen ultimately losing consciousness.

"NO, CAPTAIN!" Masaru jumped to pull him down, Jataro joining.

"What's the matter with you lot?! Have you been corrupted by her sorcery?!"

"It's not that, it's… There's a spy!"

"A spy?"

"Yeah!" Kotoko nodded. "We found out that Mandy has a spy in the Sky God Pirates! We need her to tell us who it is, so we can stop them."

"But we already know it's Mon-"

Kotoko shut Jataro's mouth. "We need to hear it straight from her mouth, so Skaios will believe it." she whispered. "Please, Captain, we need to keep her alive, or else the spy will take revenge. Won't you please?"

Skaios grit his teeth, desiring nothing short of revenge. But for his friends' sakes, he decided to restrain his anger. "Alright, maties." He pulled his phone and called, "Vaati, it be Skaios. I've captured the wretched Emperor Mandy!"

"Skaios?! You've been saved?!"

"Yes, and it were all thanks to me mates! I'll be returning shortly, but I want you to bring out all the chi-blocks you can. I ain't taking anymore chances with this witch!" With that, Skaios conjured whirlwinds beneath his friends, the skunk Shingetsu, and Mandy. They whisked across the dark shore and fled the island's waters.

"Nnng…Aunt Mandy…" Cheren was unable to stand after that.

"Don't worry, Cous." Melody lifted him up. "The Hope Pirates said they would talk to Skaios. They'll try to convince him to spare Mandy… but I don't know if they'll succeed. It looks like we'll be targeting them next."

"Yeah…let's go back to H.Q.. This war isn't over, yet."

Light of Hope

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Kokichi couldn't contain his laughter, tears, snot, and saliva flinging everywhere. "L-L-L-Lord Mandy got captured! Y-Y-You thought you were gonna ditch us and go back to her, but now she's captured! HAAAAAA HAHAHAHAAAAA! Better hope she doesn't rat you out!"

"Hmmm… how disappointing." Monaca shook her head. "Oh well… Monaca can carry out her plan without her. At least now she knows where to go…"