Operation: MAMODO, Part 5: Dr. Riddles

Ruins pavilion (Play "Ryu Stage" from Smash Ultimate!)

Karma flew at Tsao-Lon with a cartwheel kick, the Mamodo dodging to swing his staff at the Fanalis' head, but Karma expected this and stopped, grabbing the staff and kicking it out of Tsao's grasp. Tsao reacted to grab Karma's ankle, lift, and throw Karma into Aria. She readily grabbed and threw Karma up with a gust of air, and already had defensive magic in place when Tsao assaulted her with rapid punches. Tsao dodged Karma's Ground Pound, but Karma used the force to squat and spring toward Tsao, tackling the Mamodo and socking his jaw. Tsao-Lon punched Karma off, but as he kicked up, Aria spat a wad of purple spit into his left eye. The mage blew a scorching wind at Tsao-Lon, who spun his recovered staff and stirred the heat away. He expected Karma to lung from his blinded left, catching a glimpse of the Fanalis and taking a swing, but it was only a mirage stirred by Aria's wind.

The real Karma had leapt to lay a firm kick down on Tsao's crown, followed by a wind-powered punch from Aria. Tsao-Lon flew several yards, but recovered in time to block another spit wad from Aria. This one was linked to her mouth like a rope, the other end of which Aria grabbed and yanked to pull the staff from his hands. Karma's next flurry of kicks was combatted by Tsao-Lon's arms, and the Mamodo swiftly willed the staff to return to him—Aria cast a Rubber Spell on the staff, resulting in a flabby whack against Karma. The Fanalis kicked Tsao's knee to stumble him forward, with one more up at the face, but Tsao's other foot flew up to kick Karma's knee. Aria charged Tsao and punched, but Tsao grabbed the arm and swung her into Karma. His staff returned to normal as he slammed it into the duo.

While they lay in fatigue, Tsao channeled chi into his staff. As an impulse decision, Aria jumped up front with a Protego ready. Tsao-Lon thrusted his staff with rapid speed and repetition, eventually shattering the barrier, but Aria stood to tank the rest of his combo. When it ended, Aria fell on her front. Karma had been squatting behind her, and once his view was clear, he kicked toward Tsao-Lon with a headbutt to the chest. Tsao punched Karma's back as they flew, but Karma flipped in that position to catch Tsao's head in his legs. A quick twist cut down some of Tsao's stamina, but Karma was pushed off afterward. "Arms!" Aria cast an enhancement charm on Karma's legs, the Fanalis recovering to kick with greater strength. "Or legs, in your case." Aria cast the charm on herself as both ganged on Tsao-Lon from front and back, but his swift maneuvering with the staff blocked several of their advances.

But Karma was able to stomp the staff to the ground with a well-timed maneuver. Aria joined Karma's side at the same time, and both swung a kick and punch that sent Tsao-Lon skyward. Karma kept the staff down while Aria used Ascendio, swinging a kick that was negated by Tsao's own. He dove toward Karma with hands clapped, spinning like a drill. Karma dodged and dealt an easy kick, but this was necessary for Tsao to reclaim his staff. "Zao Gir Erudo!" The Mamodo conjured a large shark from his own chi, ramming Karma dead and blowing him backward. "Hey, that's a cheap shot!"

"I'll have to conjure my own!" Aria declared. "Avis Engorgio!" She cast a giant bird that homed on Tsao, who whacked and dispersed it, afterwards flipping the staff to strike a charging Aria, who duck-slid to knock Tsao off his feet. He made a quick recovery, only to take an Air Fist to the face, followed by a freezing Cyclone Roar. Tsao-Lon lay a beatdown on Aria, who tried to run from the growing staff, and the Mamodo quickly spun to whack a charging Karma. Karma flicked up his elbow to knock the staff upward, surviving and jumping to stamp Tsao in the face. The Mamodo extended the staff and began to rapidly hammer it at either foe. Aria leapt on the staff amidst one swing and grinded it like a rail, blowing wind for an extra boost and ramming Tsao-Lon with a momentous punch.

Tsao flipped onto his feet and stretched to the sky using his staff. He rescinded the staff once high enough, staying airborne as he channeled a greater surge of chi. "Good luck avoiding this!" Tsao cast an even larger shark, homing on the duo. Aria blew a strong cyclone up while Karma performed an upside-down breakdance, building the strength to kick up against the falling shark. Tsao-Lon could feel the resistance of their strength, but was determined to crush them regardless.

"If you think a falling shark is cool, try a falling rabbit!"

"What?!" Tsao recognized the voice and faced up to confirm—but was met with a bloated belly to the face. "DWUH! YOU!" The belly belonged to Kagura. "What did you eat?!"

"A TON OF RICE WITH OMELET!" Kagura smashed him into the ground.

Tsao's shark had already finished its charge, leaving Karma and Aria down and exhausted. "K-Kagura…heh, you came…" Karma smirked.

She jumped away before Tsao-Lon could strike back. "Here for a rematch?" He swung, but Kagura blocked each thwack as she advanced. "You sure you have the resolve this ti-" She stood in place and began to pick her nose. "What are you doing?! OW!" She flicked a booger in his eye, and his distraction resulted in a bash from her umbrella.

"Did you know Yato boogers are hard as rocks?" She kicked up at his face, Tsao-Lon flipped a fair distance back and using another flurry of thrusts. Kagura opened her umbrella to defend from most, waiting for him to finish before dashing. "And I got somethin' else to tell ya, too!" She grabbed his next swing and used the staff as a prop to flip and kick him. "Groker's has to close down to fix all the damage you did!" She pulled the staff away and furiously bashed him with it. "Which means I gotta work at the doughnut shop now!"

Tsao willed the staff to return, thrusting it at her pudgy belly. "Why does that concern m-" She threw up on him. "AUUUUGH!"

"Because I," she kicked, "can't," again, "help myself from sneaking a few bites!" They exchanged a round of fists before Kagura kicked him off his feet, afterwards landing a double karate-chop to his stomach. "I'M GONNA GET FAT!" She jumped to evade his recovery swipe and STAMPED his face.

Aria used healing on herself and Karma, recovering a bit of strength. She grabbed his arms and spun, and Tsao-Lon saw them about to throw. He blocked Kagura's following attacks and anticipated when Karma would fly. Aria released him—"KUUUOOOH," and Karma's feet rammed Kagura in the stomach. Tsao stood confused by this misaimed tactic, but Kagura grabbed Karma after a moment, spun, and SLAMMED him into Tsao-Lon at an angle. The Mamodo fell stunned and lost for energy.

"Keh…using your own allies as weapons… that's what I would call a cheap shot."

"Well, the KND is about teamwork and trust…" Karma panted. "You gotta take a few risks and pull risky moves if you wanna win. At least we make the choice to be weapons."

"Hey, I didn't choose to be a kick-prop!" Kagura shouted. "You did it so suddenly, I got mad and wanted to hit you with something!"

"Heh…too bad… the Mamodo didn't get that choice." Tsao sighed. "I didn't mind serving the empire… and getting to fight… but I get why the others didn't want to…" He passed out. (End song.)

"Well, I hope you get that choice soon." Kagura said. "…And I hope I get money for comin' to help you guys."

"Depends on how the government feels." Karma remarked. "Now, carry us."

"Nah, you can take a nap there."

"We're in the middle of a battlefield!"

"Then play dead."

"Heh heh heh!" Aria spared a laugh from her spot on the ground. "But it would be nice if you carried us somewhere comfy."

Underground dungeon

Perry and Joto had come to a room with five statues, each with a lever beside it. "Eeny-meeny-minie, try second from the left." Joto suggested.

Perry pulled the lever. The statue opened—"AAAAH!" A flock of bats swarmed him. He frantically lashed his blade to cut them out of the air.

"Uhhh…my bad." Joto cringed. "Let's try the very right."

Perry was nearly squished by a giant ball with a face, luckily surviving in its mouth (though saliva dripped on him). "Alright… how about the very left?"

There was a flight of stairs. "How about you go up first? That'll make up for making me carry you this whole time."

Joto groaned and walked up the steps. "Okaaaaay. It's safe."

"And we'll never know how we were supposed to solve that."

The two had spent half an hour navigating the obstacle course. Since Joto's wing was broken, she couldn't fly well and chose to ride Perry's shoulder for convenience. "By the way, Perry, before I fell down here, I had a chance to scan Milordo's Power Level. It was 4,500. And yours is only 1,300…"

"I cut a hand off, didn't I? Did you know my Gilded Sword is 3 times stronger than my initial training sword? I wonder if that makes my Level 3 times stronger? Besides, no matter how strong he is, I ain't gonna let him get away with bullying Leila!"

"I get that, but here's what's weird: two of the Elite 10 we scanned were higher Levels. Yet, he's still in charge…"

"That's not totally weird. Plenty operatives are tougher than me, and they still let me lead."

"Hah! Touché."

"But the problem is Milordo's controlling them with a common fear. If he didn't have that, I wonder how many would follow him…"

The stairwell led to a long, wide chamber. "Uh-oh!" Joto gasped. They were faced with a giant, pharaoh-like mummy on a stone throne: Belgim E.O..

"'EEEEEY! How'd you get down there?! If you want to pass this room, you must sing me all the Electro Rangers theme songs!"

"What?!" Perry shouted. "I don't know any of those! Joto, do you?"

"I don't watch that dorky crud."

"DO NOT INSULT THE RANGERS!" Turrets grew from Belgim's back, Perry's shield raised in defense—the bullets phased through the shield and damaged him, leaving no wounds however.

"OUCH! Wait… isn't this the Ghost-type?!"

"Ichigo, this is Joto! You there?" Joto called. "Me and Perry are in the room with the mummy monster!"

…

"Okay, Joto. I'm shifting now!" Ichigo replied, sitting in a hidden area. "If what we learned is true, we'll be able to track his energy."

"You can count on me to protect your body, big guy!" Mazu grinned.

…

Mika Gilligan oversaw the battle from a high vantage point. Rudy and Snap battled Cut-n-Paste, the former drawing a large pair of chalk-scissors for Snap to counter Cut-n's. "There he, Chuko! After him!" She saw Veronica and Chuko chasing Momon past some windows.

Mika didn't want to expend energy, not until she was certain of Gabriel's situation. But her concerns would be answered in the form of a rushed text. In a desert looks like New Mexico there's big crater.

"Hmm…" A big crater in New Mexico? Mika heard about the incident that happened a while back. Now that she had a good lead on them… "Guys, I'm going to back Gabriel up. We'll try to get back when we can!" Mika took off on that note.

"YOU'RE vamoosin' on us, too?!" Snap shouted. "Sheesh, good operatives are too hard to come by!"

…

On his way to find Jason's group, Robi was ambushed in the sky by a Light Beam. "The earthbending angel!" Erujo flew up and stamped a kick into Robi's stomach, the fuzzy-haired Nimbi falling before regaining himself. "You can't do anything up here!" Robi braced himself as Erujo zipped around and kicked from multiple directions.

"I can, too!" Robi bent rocks out of his Infi-Cube, forming a snake out of them as they swum around the air to whip Erujo. The Nimbi-Mamodo would shatter Robi's rocks with an array of beams. Knowing his ammo was limited up here, Robi tried to dive toward the surface, but Erujo would shoot down to kick him back up.

Machu Picchu

The Mamodo had destroyed Jason, Chris, and Isabelle's ship, but the monsters were either cowering or KO'ed by the strong operatives. "We'll either have to get there on foot or call someone to get us." Isabelle said. "I can see the battle from here, at least. Maybe I can carry us with…?"

It seemed that a shooting star was soaring their way. Feeling a familiar aura, Jason smirked, happy to greet Pamoon. "Hee hee! It's the Starman again!"

"It's Pamoon. What was your name again, Raccoon Boy?"

"I'm Jason, the Rising Sun! And you owe me a fair fight!"

"I wouldn't call 3-on-1 a fair fight."

"Nah, Jason can have you alone." Christina replied. "Isabelle, you said you could carry us?"

"I'll use a Song Road. Stay close to me!" Christina did so, the Shandian strumming her harp as they surfed the air on a Song Road. They had a fair distance to go across the mountain, but Isabelle would keep her song up as long as needed.

"Return to the fortress and help with the battle!" Pamoon ordered the Mamodo. "You can still handle the weaker operatives!" They grabbed their fallen comrades and hurried off. "Jason… I'm sorry for all we've done to you. I know you're only fighting for your lives, and your world… and that's why we didn't kill you even when we were ordered to. But we can't let you get away either. Our freedom… Leila's freedom is at stake. We have to do our job if we want to stay free!"

"Hey, I feel ya. I love freedom more than anything else in the world! If that's what you maties want, why don't ya help us beat that boss of yours? We'll make sure you get to stay free!"

"I can't. Milordo-Z has the backings of the empire."

"The Irken Empire is gone, man. All you're working for is a liar!"

"No… I'm certain there's a force behind the scenes. He's working on a project for somebody, and he needs the KND defeated to see it through. Even if you KND can defeat him, how do we know that-"

"So, you're just gonna work for whatever drongo comes along and keep hurtin' people? Fine, forget workin' for us, mate. If you wanna see how strong we are, just wait until the end of the day! In fact," the junior pirate cracked his knuckles, "stick around for the next few minutes!" (Play "Boss Battle" from Kirby Superstar!)

Pamoon flew circles around Jason, shooting stars that were thwarted by his lightened fists. Jason caught two, spun, and threw one to Pamoon's face, halting his flight. Jason kept the other star clutched, spinning that arm and building a large Light Fist. Pamoon formed stars that would shoot lasers, but seeing it was ineffective, Pamoon conjured a prism shield around himself. The Star Fist flew on Jason's cue, piercing the shield, only for a weaker impact on the cyborg. Pamoon fit his fists with stars and flew down for direct combat. Jason's punches were faster, but he feared Pamoon's were stronger thanks to his armor. Jason jumped and pressed Pamoon's face with a Light Foot, but the captain suffered a laser to his left hip.

Pamoon had stars circle Jason and shoot lasers at random timings, the captain jumping or ducking as he punched spheres to break them. Pamoon suddenly lunged and grabbed Jason's arms, squeezing them. He failed to squirm free as Pamoon headbutted him twice, so Jason instead planted his feet to Pamoon's chest, shooting Light Beams from the soles to force him off. Pamoon assumed Flight Mode and zipped at Jason in quick bursts, leaving streaks of light that would form tight angles. Jason punched Pamoon amidst dodges, but the few strikes he tanked knocked Jason dizzy. Pamoon sent Jason through ruins wall and off the cliff, the captain spinning his tail to land safely on a thin ledge. Pamoon saw him below and threw stars down, Jason jumping left. There was a vine conveniently hanging, Jason holding for support as he ran along the cliff.

He reached a lower layer of the ruins, allowing himself a second of rest. It was cut when Pamoon's stars hovered above and shot lasers, crumbling the ancient structures. "Hey! The Pichus won't like you for breaking their home!" Jason leapt onto a pillar to block a laser with his hands, reflecting it at Pamoon. He was too low to jump to Pamoon, but Jason formed Light Ropes and used them to tug down some of the stars, using them as platforms to reach his foe. Pamoon took to the air and crossed several stars in a large "X." Immense chi built up, Jason scrambling to run as an X-shaped beam fired down. "This technique was inspired by Victoream's."

The "X" left a great scar on the surface… but Jason was safe by one of its corners. "It doesn't cover much area though." Pamoon grumbled and threw normal stars down, Jason evading. The cyborg coated himself with a star aura and shot straight down. Jason jumped, but Pamoon gracefully curved up and made a rebound with building speed. Jason waited for him to shoot down again, this time doing a mini jump with good timing and landing on Pamoon's back. "Hey!" Pamoon tried barrel-rolling, but Jason put his left arm around the shoulder and used his right fist to bash Pamoon's head. Pamoon flew to the ground and would curve upside-down to scrape Jason along it, but the pirate already leapt off. "UH-OH!!" The momentum sent Jason flying over the wider region of ruins below. In fact, he flew a little too far and quickly spun his tail to slow down, returning to grab the cliffside below the edge of the grounds.

Pamoon began to cast a Star Storm over the field, and as Jason ran across en route to him, the Faunus spun both fists and charged chi. Maneuvering around the ruins made it more difficult to evade stars, and by the time he would run up the stairs to where Pamoon was, the cyborg would take flight again. However, Jason rebuilt his speed atop the ledge and leapt off, taking flight with his tail spinning. "Huh?!" Pamoon didn't think he could fly, and was caught too off guard to dodge Jason's charged punch. He tried to hold the huge Light Fists back with Star Power, but they penetrated and sent the cyborg falling to the ground, his body dented. Jason stayed in the air and slowly lowered with his propeller tail; Pamoon realized Jason couldn't really fly, but could take off into a high glide after building speed.

Jason aimed his hands at the sun during his slow descent, slowly amassing its light into a great sphere. Pamoon threw stars up as Jason maneuvered around the air, and after a while, he realized the growing Light Sphere was hidden against the sun itself. Pamoon sealed himself in another pyramid shield, but Jason slammed his sphere against the star core on top, breaking the shield and smashing Pamoon. Jason caught his breath, wondering if the fallen cyborg was defeated. …Pamoon pushed up and conjured a ring of stars around Jason, linking a barrier that bound the boy in place. "That was a crafty move just now." Pamoon said, taking to the sky. "Let me show you my own version!" Another star ring circled the sun, charging a laser.

"DARN IT! HNNNNN!" Jason struggled to spread his arms and push the barrier open. But, instead of jumping out, he chose to quickly duck down under it. Jason then pushed up against it and mustered a surge of chi, using his own strength plus the barrier's to keep the laser suspended. Fortunately, Pamoon couldn't even see Jason's ploy through the laser. The effort kept that portion of laser elevated, but it burned down enough to damage Jason. Once it faded, Jason quickly assumed a "play dead" position. Pamoon landed, studying the Faunus's fallen frame. "Hm…is that really all you-"

Jason sprung up, caught Pamoon's collar, and slammed him in the ground! He dealt an extra face punch before Pamoon shot Jason to the sky on a star. Jason took hold of the star after a moment and fell, Pamoon shooting one more up. Jason threw the star to counter it, but he also had another hand shaped as an 'o' and up toward the sun. To an unsuspecting Pamoon, Jason tugged the hand down and willed a sun ray to shoot from the heavens, striking the cyborg right in the face. Jason spun his fist for one more solid punch, knocking Pamoon through an ancient wall before he fell on his back. "Huff…huff…you may be a shooting star… but this sun ain't ready to set."

"Heh…" Pamoon pulled up. "Maybe, but you look pretty tired, too…"

"Ah, I'll be apples after a break. 'Long as I have places to explore, adventures to have, I ain't gonna lose to you. Tell me… do you like working for that Milordo guy? You wanna work for this 'empire' or whatever?"

"No… but-"

"But nothin'. If I met an enemy who was stronger than me, I ain't gonna work for them if I don't like them. I'm gonna beat them up, even if I get beat up myself. 'Cause a real pirate lives free! We're gonna beat Milordo and set you guys free! Then, I wanna go on an adventure! But if you guys win… what are you gonna do? Just gonna find more kids to beat up?"

Of course Pamoon agreed with him… that was all he wanted. To be free of the stone, and free from the Irkens. He feared it would be foolish to defy them… but maybe it was time to be free of that fear. Jason's light helped open his eyes. "…If you still have the confidence to stand… get on me." Pamoon turned. "I'll take you to the palace."

"Heheh…that's what I thought. You know, if your name's Pamoon, why aren't you the moonbender?"

"Yes, everyone asks that question."

New Mexico desert

Gabriel warped rampantly around Gorm and flicked Starbursts, but he could tell they were doing minimal damage. He texted Mika his location, but could only hold out until potential backup arrived. Gabriel warped straight up to Gorm and made a Block Wall, which the Mamodo promptly destroyed, but Gabe warped behind and painted a hypnotic design on another Block. Gorm was mesmerized by the art, giving Gabriel time to make a full Block around him and burst it. A grumbling Gorm cast waves of blackness, Gabriel opening portals to redirect some of the chi at him. Gabriel warped behind Gorm and painted a spot of purple on his back, causing gravity in that spot to compress.

Gorm tried to drop to the sand to ruin the paint, but Gabriel quickly warped a cactus beneath him, albeit it only pricked Gorm a little. Gorm retreated into a portal: if he didn't reappear, Gabriel planned to return to the ruins. But Gorm instead poked out of a portal above and threw black balls down, and he would reappear from random spots to throw more. Gabriel kept an eye as to where and would warp large rocks to drop on him. Gorm would only swat them away, but one such "rock" was actually a cactus repainted, causing Gorm to hurt his hand. In his distraction, Gabriel warped beneath the Mamodo, painted Grav Paint on a Block, and forced Gorm to fall onto it. He left more such paint on Gorm's back to compress him.

Gorm aggressively wiped the paint off and threw black balls, Gabriel warping in retreat. Gorm was hit by Starbursts from afar, seeing the spacebender's small, distant figure. Gorm warped right above Gabriel and unleashed black chi, but wound up only smothering a painted illusion. The real Gabe painted a vortex in the back of Gorm's head, embedding into him the urge to spin uncontrollably. Gabriel formed a Block around the Mamodo and burst it for additional damage. "(Y'know what, you asked for this, kid!)" Gorm warped to the ground and spread his wings. A cube formed in the air, and said cube branched into several dark orbs and pyramids. Gabriel thought it best to warp away from the zone, agape as the shapes began rapidly sweeping up the space and sucking it all into that cube. Gorm saw a car driving up the road and threw the cube at it. A frantic Gabe warped to conjure a multi-layered Space Block around himself and the car. The condensed space inside Gorm's cube exploded, rupturing the Blocks. Though Gabe and the driver survived the endeavor, the boy was left wanting for breath.

"(Hoof…think I'll rest in my Black Room for a bit. There's gotta be some food I can steal-)" A Psy-Sphere rammed him in the head.

"You took one HEEEEEEECK of sidetrack, Gabe!" Another car was blazing up the desert road, powered by both a high-speed engine and Mika's psychic. The car seat sprung her out as she used the momentum to fly toward the buggy Mamodo. Gorm didn't plan to give her the time of day, so he began retreating through his portal—Mika suddenly teleported beside and flew in with him. She tried to crush him in a psychic grip, Gorm fighting free to bash her. Mika leapt back from one swing and flashed her camera, surrounding Gorm with the illusion of the desert. "(How did we wind up back here? At least now I can…!)" But Gorm was aback at the fact his attacks didn't come out. Mika formed bubbles over her feet and spun in the air for a combo of kicks, Gorm's head flapping at each impact. She maneuvered behind and threw a Psy-Sphere at his back before the illusion wore off.

"Take us back to that desert!" Mika demanded, waving her hand.

"(Screw it, I'm going back to the ruins!)" Gorm opened an exit and leapt through, Mika getting sucked out with him as she flashed the camera. They landed before the Devolo Ruins as Gorm conjured a barrier to block her next spheres. Mika ran for Gorm as he spread black energy toward her- "!!" he was stabbed in the back by cacti Mika had telekinetically pulled over. She leapt, stamped, and shoved Gorm against the desert ground. "(What?! I was sure I tried to warp to the ruins!)" But in actuality, Mika's mind-trick compelled Gorm to subconsciously warp to the desert, while her camera did the illusory work.

She grabbed a boulder and tried to smash him, but Gorm threw up an energy field to warp and distort the rock until it broke. Gorm pushed up and formed a barrier around himself. While safe inside, the Mamodo mustered his chi and conjured a massive black, spiked ball. Mika's psychic couldn't negate the ball, but Gorm knew she would easily teleport in evasion. However, there seemed to be a convenient town in the distance. Gorm rolled the ball in the town's direction, carving a trail through the desert as it sucked up any matter into its subspace. "(Well?! Aren't you going to save them?!)" Gorm gurgled. But all Mika did was resume attacking him after his barrier dispelled. A strong push sent Gorm backward and above some Grav-Paint, pulling Gorm against it as Gabriel burst a Space Block above him.

"Did you like my painting?" Gabe asked. In actuality, he had set up a Space Canvas of a distant town, planning to misdirect Gorm in case he would attempt such a cheap tactic.

"Heya, Gabe!" Mika made a Psy-Hammer to squish Gorm. "Thought you were beat!"

"That driver I saved had a REALLY good energy drink!" He raised the bottle in question. "Recommended by Dr. Haruka. But I don't think I can keep it up much longer."

Gorm tried to retreat through a portal, making a barrier to stop them from following, but Mika warped herself and Gabriel past the barrier and quickly joined him inside. "Wait, I just remembered, where's Mali?!" Mika asked, throwing Psy-Spheres that Gorm swat away.

"Not here! Quick, stop him!" Gorm tried to escape, but Mika telekinetically grabbed and held him back. "He can't use any powers while we're in here." Gabriel got his sketchpad and began to draw. "And if he leaves, anyone inside is forced to go with him. His strategy was to abduct us and drop us off somewhere. So now," he ran up and showed him the picture of Mali, "you'll take us to where this sweet little girl is! Look at the precious little way she runs!" He flipped the pages to show an animation of Mali running. "Listen to the way she laughs!"

"Hahahaha! Hahaha!" Mika mimicked Mali's laugh, waving her hand to trick Gorm's mind. "Laru-chan! Where are you?!"

"(No!) Gor…gor…grah!" Gorm reopened his exit and fell through into a night desert. The kids fell with him as Mika slammed him to the sand.

"Hey!" The psychic perked up, seeing a shivering figure further away. "That's Mali! We found her!"

"GOR!" Gorm pushed up and blew Mika away with a ball. "(You can stay here with her! You won't have the strength to warp back…?)" He felt a weight on his legs when trying to walk. His legs had become stone. "(What?! No, it shouldn't be time, yet!)"

"Oh, dear." Gabriel frowned. "I guess our constant warping around made time fly faster, so you're getting petrified. Either that or you're just spent."

"(I am not-)" Mika flashed her camera at him, making Gorm see sunrise across the desert. "(B-But it was still night here! When did it get…no!) Gooorr!" His torso was coated in stone now. "(I don't want to…I don't want-)" Mika landed one last firm kick to his eye before Gabriel painted the head in gray paint. "Goooorrr…"

Under the illusion of being petrified, Gorm lay still. "M-Mika-chan! Gabey-kun!" The two looked as the giant child scrambled to run against the sand and cold.

"There's our little Mali!" Mika flew to her side. "Brrrrr, it's so cold out here! You must be freezing!" She squeezed Mali's neck in a hug.

"I was so scared, Mika-chan! I was all alone! I thought I was gonna be gone forever!"

"You'll never be alone, Mali! The KND is full of friends, so there's always someone to help you! Now, let's figure out where we are, so we can get back to help the others!"

"Can we warp?"

"I'm a little unsure of the distance at the moment… and my stamina."

"Ho, boy." Gabriel sighed. "We should've tricked him into bringing us back first."

Devolo Dungeon

Belgim E.O. was adamant in stopping Perry and Joto from leaving, keeping the exits covered with cannonfire or yo-yos. "If he would just unblock that right door!" Joto shouted, the duo doing their best to evade him. "Pochi found this room during our recon, that way leads up to the main temple."

"But what I'm wondering is what's in that other door?" Perry saw the closed temple door in the back wall. "He was sitting in front of it before we came."

"Milordo told me to guard that door when I'm here!" Belgim shouted. "Don't let whatever's in there get out-"

He was interrupted by a kick through his chair and into his back, sending himself falling forward and pulling his seat onto him. "What just happened?!" Perry asked.

"I don't see anyone… I bet it's Ichigo!" Joto exclaimed.

"Oh! Is he in spirit form?"

"Sorry if I'm late!" the big-headed giant smirked. Ichigo was clad in heavy sports gear, standing on a flying skateboard with flaming wheels. "Too bad you guys can't see us, yet."

"This mummy really is part-spirit." There was a smaller boy on Ichigo's shoulder. He had dirty-blonde, spiked hair, orange overalls, black boots, and held a small red dagger. He was very short for 8 years old and was practically hamster-size compared to Ichigo. "But he's got high power. Don't hold anythin' back, Ichi-nii!"

"Only if you don't, Hana-kun."

"HURRRR!" Belgim pushed his throne back upright. "Hey, I didn't ask to fight no ghosts! Someone oughta put you back in your coffins!" Belgim barfed a Ghost Orb, but Ichigo's bulky shoe kicked it back with ease.

"Yep, no one kicks balls like that." Joto said. "Definitely Ichigo. C'mon, Perry, the way's open now!"

"Wait! I wanna know what's in that other door. What was he asked to guard?"

"Who cares, we got fights to win!"

"I'm just gonna check real quick. Maybe it's something that'll help us stop Milordo." Perry rushed to the door and was able to stick his fingers under to lift it up.

"Ugh. Then I guess I better stay to make sure you come back up." (Play "Targitzan Battle" from Banjo-Tooie!)

Belgim morphed his arms into yo-yos and lashed them at the Spirit Ops. Hana jumped up front and conjured giant, red arm plates, like those of a samurai, and blocked the yos from Ichigo. The giant spun his skateboard and swung a chain-linked soccerball attached to it, squishing in Belgim's face, and Hana followed by leaping and slashing his dagger down: though the small blade didn't reach, it stretched a long, orange aura that carved down Belgim. The enraged mummy extracted his shoulder guns and unloaded rounds upon the spirits, Ichigo grabbing Hana and skating circles around the room. It was then Belgim noticed Ichigo's chain stretched far behind his board. Hana flew up the chain and whacked the ball toward Belgim's head, the mummy raising a hand to block it, and bringing up the other to block a direct attack from Ichigo…'s skateboard? The half-Spanish boy flew above and directly stomped through Belgim's crown.

The throne spun to shake Ichigo away, afterwards sliding to the other side of the corridor. Belgim took a breath and spat a Ghost Orb fast as a baseball. Hana batted it back, but Belgim swat it toward Ichigo, who kicked it, and the routine kept repeating between all three. Little did Belgim know a Tiny Devil was climbing up his tunic over the left leg. Once on the knee, Joto quickly resized and leapt to wham her bat into his jaw. "URH!" His momentary weakness resulted in a Ghost Ball to the face. Belgim tried to swat Joto, but she shrunk small enough to stay under his palm. Hana lunged for a stab, only for Belgim to punch the sword off course. The mummy spun rapidly, swinging Joto off, and he maneuvered around the room to ram both Hana and Ichigo. He kept spinning and bouncing off the walls, but Joto was able to stay safe in a floor crack. Ichigo decided to use the technique against him and have his soccer-chain wrap around the mummy, tangling him until he slowed. Ichigo grabbed Hana and threw him like a baseball to slice Belgim.

The mummy breathed spiritual fire breath over Hana, forcing a retreat, and unraveled Ichigo's chain off him. His chair rolled around the room to spread flames everywhere. Fortunately, Ichigo had a giant, ghostly sports drink ready, taking a sip and spewing saliva to douse the fire. "EEEEW!" Hana cringed, becoming soaked himself.

"Uh, sorry."

"Can't you just pour the drink on the fire?! WHOA!" Belgim charged to ram him into the wall, the boy using arm plates to hold Belgim back. "Wait." He remembered he could just phase through the wall. However, Belgim was still able to lash a Gho-Yo through and knock Hana further away. Ichigo swung his soccer-chain from overhead, Belgim raising a wrist in defense, but Ichigo then hurdled his skateboard below and past the same wrist. As the soccerball was tugged up, phasing through the ceiling, it pulled up Belgim's arm and caused him to tumble out of his throne. Ichigo sprung up and stamped down onto his head. "Can't do much without your chair, can ya?"

Belgim grabbed Ichigo's ankles and slammed him through the wall as he helped himself up. Belgim leapt backward and slashed his Gho-Yos with more mobility as the spirits tried to return. Just as Hana was able to fly behind him, the small boy was struck by a third yo-yo from Belgim's right ankle. "I don't need that chair to move! It's just comfy is all!" Ichigo kicked the soccerball at the right knee, prompting Belgim to jump left, but Joto seized that chance to resize and hit a baseball at his left knee, tripping him. Ichigo rolled to ram his skateboard into his mouth, the mummy retaliating with a Ghost Orb that blew Ichigo back. Belgim pushed up, but sensing Hana flying from behind, he shot turrets backward. Hana blocked either with arm plates before getting close enough to stab, but just as the aura sword pierced Belgim, the mummy spun to kick him.

"Where's that red one keep disappearing to?!" Belgim demanded. "Find her, you wretched ghosties!" The mummy released a cloud of ghostly smog from his lungs, becoming a swirly cloud on the ceiling. The ghosts rained down in snaky fashions, targeting the two spirits to embrace them. Their touch filled Ichigo and Hana with an air of depression. Belgim couldn't use any more attacks until this one ended, but they would stay depressed for a minute at least. What's more, two of the ghosts were squeezing a small target: the red girl must be there. The tiny Joto had fallen into depression just the same, but in his dreary state, Ichigo caught on to his plan. Belgim would raise his pointed shoe to squash Joto, but Ichigo mustered the will to push over and protect Joto with his plump head. Belgim smashed his face into the floor, but luckily, his ghostly face phased through his tiny teammate. The downtrodden Joto wondered why Belgim didn't bring his shoe all the way down, but reached the obvious answer that her big lug of a leader was protecting her. (She would be pretty grossed to think she was just inside his head though.)

"Ichigo!" In actuality, Hana kept the ghosts off him with more defensive armor and used a pair of giant gauntlets to grab and bundle them up. He grabbed the ghosts off Ichigo and Joto, and once his motivation returned, the giant molded a bubble around them to make them a new ball. "CURSE YOU!" Belgim's attack hadn't officially ended, yet, so he made ready to evade them for 40 seconds. He grabbed his fallen throne to use as a shield, but Ichigo merely kicked the ghostly ball through the solid mass. The Depression Ball was lodged in his mouth, and Hana flew up to punch it further inside. "Byoooog…" His own effects backfired on him, the mummy sulking in sadness. Joto resized and climbed to his shoulders, bashing the giant nails lodged within to bend them askew, the wrapped arms hanging limp. Hana stabbed him in the left knee, whereas Ichigo had conjured a large skate ramp from his chi (phasing up the higher floors).

Ichigo shot down the ramp, launched up, and performed a wild multi-flip technique while his ball left a streak like a comet. He surrounded himself in a complex sphere before dropping onto the stunned mum, squishing Belgim with such force that his body flattened like an empty carcass. "Ooog…what's the point of living if I can never hear Electro Rangers again… Maybe they'll sing to me… in Heaven…" The light in his eyes disappeared. (End song.)

"We did it!" Ichigo fist-pumped. "Thanks, Hana! We couldn't have won without you!"

"Back at ya, big guy! I'd say the same to Bug Girl, but she can't hear us."

"MAN," Joto beamed, "I can't believe I beat him AAAALL by myself! I'm the only physical person in the room, so the credit goes all to me! Ain't no fat-head giants around here! Nope!"

Ichigo knew she was teasing him, but it still partly aggravated him. So, he spat ghost-saliva over his teammate.

…

After Perry had entered the dark passage, hearing the fight wage behind him, the boy was cautious of whatever may lie in wait down here. "Rokukuku. I see a lost little lamb has wandered where he shouldn't be."

Perry gasped, searching for the owner of the whimsical voice. A lantern burned, highlighting a man in a black suit, a top-hat with a "?" on top, and wavy grey hair. He had a thin mustache and monocle, and more notably a child-size puppet on his shoulder, wearing glasses and a graduate's hat. "Uh…didn't expect to find a magician down here."

"You may call me Dr. Riddles, dear boy. And this here is my boy, Kido."

"Oh, boy! I finally get a new friend!" Kido's mouth flapped up and down between two lines, as expected of a puppet.

"Errr…cool act. What are you doing down here?"

"Milordo-Z imprisoned us down here because I was too dangerous to control. You heard there were Ten Elite Mamodo, correct? Well, I would be marked as Number Zero."

"WHOA, WHAT?!"

"That's a lie. I'm just an old human man."

Perry collapsed in dejection. "Ugh! Then why are you REALLY down here?!"

"I am actually a curator from the Museum of Alien Artifacts. One day, while I was presenting a rare Moon Stone to some patrons, there was a particular one among them, wearing a purple cape. By the same time tomorrow, the Moon Stone would be stolen, and I would come to learn it was the very same fellow! My crew and I tracked them to these ruins, where we were soundly captured. But, during our time here, we overheard some nifty intel. Intel that I'm sure could benefit you, child."

"Really? What is it?"

"Not so fast. First, you have to prove yourself worthy, by completing my challenge."

"You mean a riddle?"

"Something of the sort. Let me present to you… the Majestic 12!"

More lanterns lit, and before he could gasp, Perry was surrounded by 12 powerful-looking fighters! "Erza Scarlet, the Fairy Queen!" a beautiful, red-haired knight. "Detective Sebastian Castellanos!" A rugged-looking, but handsome man with several guns. "The Saiyan warrior, Vegeta!" A muscular man with fiery black hair. "The ninja, Gaara of the Desert!" A red-haired man with a narrow gaze. "Elite hunter, Netero!" A thin old man in a martial arts pose. "Cyborg mercenary, Raiden!" A silver-haired cyborg slashed his sword. "Shinra SOLDIER, Cloud Strife!" A man with spiky blonde hair clashed his large sword with Raiden's. "Uncle 'Jackass' Joe!"

"Huhuhu…" An obese man with an orange shaved beard, red shirt, and backwards cap picked his nose.

"Harry Osborn!" The man in question wore his Goblin suit. "Street fighter, Ryu!" A muscular fighter in a karate robe. "Master Splinter!" A rat-man in an orange robe. "And alchemist, Roy Mustang!" A black-haired man with a blue uniform and a flame lit on his glove.

"Wow, Professor! How did you get all these cool fighters?" Kido asked.

"They were drawn to me by my infinite wisdom and charisma! For I am a man who knows everything in the universe!"

"WOW!! THAT'S AMAZING!"

Perry was totally unprepared to face such an array of strong-looking people. Worrying about the Mamodo was bad enough… but what would he do? "Now, my boy… which of these fighters is the most unusual?"

"…" What kind of question was that? "…Uncle Joe."

"Huhu…" The man snickered at Perry's dumb response.

"DING! THAT'S CORRECT!" Riddles exclaimed. "You've defeated my warriors!"

They all bashed their selves in the head and were knocked out. "Huhu…Mooching off this guy is fun." Jackass Joe said. He punched himself and fell on his back.

"Wow, Professor! How did he win so easily?!" Kido gaped.

"It's simple, Kido… they're just cosplayers."

"Guh-…" The poor young puppet felt betrayed.

"WHAT KIND OF CHALLENGE WAS THAT?!"

"Simmer down and listen closely, child. I've got three vital pieces of information for you. The first correlates to how Milordo is controlling these Mamodo. Supposedly, he ate a 'magic' fruit that allows him to manipulate victims through their own past trauma. Secondly, he's used a certain spell to increase the effects of that power: the True Name Charm. So long as he hides his true name from his adversaries, his power will have ample effects."

"Hmm…" Perry thought he heard about this trick from somewhere. "So, what's his name?"

"Well, my third piece of info is… I have no idea what his name is!"

"DAAAAH!" Perry fell again.

"Either way, it shouldn't matter. You may be young, but I can tell you're a courageous, capable child. And, you are not here alone. With the friends you have, I'm certain you will be victorious. Believe in your strengths… believe!"

"Right…" This Riddle was a real weirdo. Still… he had already seen the flaw in the Mamodo's reason, and this info made everything else clear. Now, he just needed to… answer the call on his comm. "Perry, it's Jasmine! Are you okay? The GKND just showed up, they're fighting Leila upstairs!"

"No! I'm on my way up! Professor, if you can't fight, just stay here 'til it's over!" Perry raced back the way he came.

"Mokukuku. So, he's the leader of this new line of heroes… What boiling potential brews inside him?"

"Do you think he's the hero our people waited for, Professor?"

"Positive, Kido!" His puppet was in awe. "…But he also couldn't be." And he was dejected again.

Upstairs

Tiffi, the GKND's Lunarian op, willed Leila's moons to spin around herself before sending them back. Leila deflected the moons with her wand, and fortunately, a smaller moon had snuck past Tiffi's radar and returned to stab her spinal area. Taken off-guard, Byonko spat slime to stick Tiffi to the wall. Goombria dashed and dealt a Torpedo Headbonk to the frog, flipping to evade Leila's moons. Nyoro threw an Ink Bomb to drench Tiffi and wash her of the ink. Byonko shot his tongue at Goombria, but Nyoro swiftly tossed another bomb to be eaten by Byonko, filling the frog with ink.

GKND leader, Star Winkiebottom observed the battle from midair. The KND had scored several victories, but those operatives had run themselves tired as well. Even Mazu had gotten beat up trying to defend Ichigo, and Koda was burnt in more ways than one. But, what was most interesting… was that the whole temple had transformed into a giant refrigerator with a bunch of letter magnets attached to it. "Those Q's will only leave you in confusion!" Victoream declared, his lower 'v' now upside-down. "But my X's will the neXus of my victory, MaX!" He fired a round of X-Beams at the Murphy, riddling him full of marks.

"Joke's on you, Vicky! You've turned my body into a treasure hoard! Think I'll dig this one first…" He poked one of his X's. "WHAT?! Dentist-approved healthy candy?! THIS HALLOWEEN SUCKS!" He threw the candy into a sewer.

"STOP!" Victoream dove after it. "I need it to stop my tapioca addiction!"

"Well, it won't help you. That candy was approved by an old folks' dentist."

"No! I'll eXecute you for thiiiis!" Upon eating it, Victoream's teeth turned into dentures, flowing away along the sewer river.

…

Milordo had wrapped up his broken arm, but it did nothing to ease his fury. In just a few hours, the satellites would be here… and he would need to make his broadcast. "Now that they're here… I'll be able to broadcast their mangled corpses directly. If these useless wretches can't finish them, I'll just get Demolt to do it. I will succeed… and then Father will see how 'useful' I am!"