Chapter 50 - Pirate Wars, Part 4: The Tactical Magician

Arim

The Gungi board sat in eternal stalemate. The white and black pieces were patient and ready on their respective sides, but no orders were issued. The Ant King expected no less after returning to his base. He had begun to fear it would remain in stasis forever. But now there was hope. "Sire." Ridley walked in. "Why did you let the DNK have the Gungi Champion? With our equipment, we could've easily treated-"

"The DNK are more honorable than our crew, Ridley. Our equipment is primarily designed to physically or genetically remodel people. I want no such things done to Komugi."

"But the DNK are our enemies! They'll find a way to save Ydolem and keep Komugi protected. One of us needs to go and supervise them!"

"You and the other officers will remain where I assigned you. The DNK have their duty to fight this war, as do we. And victory will go to whoever's the strongest… and the smartest." He thought of that girl from the moon. "And I have a feeling… our matches are already set."

…

The commanders were stationed at different areas around the Bioless. Other DNK ops, including rescued Arim prisoners, were on other parts of the Titan, fighting Meta-Beasts. Half the Gem Pirates, consisting of Nega-IC and Atnort, started from the left shoulder protrusion that was situated against the ground beneath the sea, while Yddam, Ylime, Okam, and the other aliens (minus Annaira and Avakam) ran up the right protrusion.

"Ah, welcome back, my little runaways!" A giant, orange dragonfly ambushed Ikuyim's group. "Here to return to your cozy little prisons? If I capture all you, I'm bound to get a marvelous promotion!"

"You know the plan, guys." Atnort said. "Run ahead and I'll deal with him."

"Alol, stay behind for support." Ikuyim ordered. "The rest of us will run ahead."

"Got it!"

"Not so fast!" Ripto spat fire at them, but Ikuyim stomped up some boulders in defense. Atnort shot Ripto with a jolt of lightning, leaving his team to keep going. "Fine, forget it! Separating is only gonna make you weaker in the long run!"

"We're just being efficient, that's all!" Atnort lit up. "The faster we take you all down, the faster we'll win this war!" (Music: "Dogadon 1" from DK64!)

Ripto flew quick circles around Atnort, spitting fireballs. Atnort dodged with lightning speed and zapped bolts at Ripto's face. The dragon grew fatigued and flew up onto a tall pillar to rest. Atnort tossed his two Shock Discs up, shooting lightning at them before they directed it against Ripto's horn like a rod. Ripto growled and took flight again. He began to muster huge sums of chi in his breath and spit walls of fire, but Atnort rode his discs up and over the walls. He flew at Ripto, who swung his tail, but Atnort aimed the discs like a shield and flashed an electric barrier, stunning the dragon. Atnort zapped his wings and made him fall to the ground.

As both landed, Ripto began to bounce around the ground and make forceful shockwaves. Atnort tossed a disc to drill along the ground, sending an electric current to it as it got underneath Ripto to zap him. Atnort followed with another shock to the horn. Ripto recovered his flight and flew higher, his whole body igniting with Fury as he spat meteors around the earth. Atnort, remembering his battle with Nerehc, rode his discs and engaged the dragon in the air, activating Thunder Rod Fury. He tanked Ripto's tail whacks with electro jolts, but Ripto himself endured them and kept on the offensive. Atnort was swatted away, but he zipped around the air until he recovered his discs, zapping fast laser-bolts at the dragon's center.

As the exchange went on, Ripto decided to finish this with a, "DRAGON COMET!" He encased his body in a ball of flames and zoomed around the air to build momentum. Atnort hovered in place to muster a huge sum of lightning, so when the dragon came, he would blast with quick, but compact force. The lightning pierced down Ripto's body, and Atnort barely dodged as his form was grazed by the fire. But the dragon would slow his spin as his body understood the fact that its brain was fried, the horn snapping off. Ripto and Atnort crashed on the earth. Alol hurried to pour water over and cool him down, calling the DNK to arrest Ripto, who had shrunk back to his Riptoc form.

…

Yddam's group had encountered Commodore Krawq on the other protrusion, commanding a giant robot that looked like Alil. "Hey, if it isn't Mr. Justice's little fangirl! Ready to join your hero in the afterlife?!"

"Alil, that thing looks like you!" Beewv exclaimed.

"I-it's my big sister, Asor!"

"Sorry, but I already had my fill of you." Yddam stated. "I'll let Okam play with you this time."

"This guy's my opponent?" Okam scoffed. "I've taken out a dozen villains with bigger chins than this."

"I'll show you a big chin! Squash 'em flat, Asor!"

"Super Fist of the Jest Star, Asor's ex-boyfriend!" Okam summoned her own large chibi robot, resembling a punk boy with a pompadour. He tried to swoon Okam into riding his new flying donkey. Asor flushed in anger and kicked them both away, yelling that a donkey took her father's keychain. Distraught, the boyfriend flew into the moon, which spun from the impact and revealed a casino full of donkeys.

"Wait, you're another one of those clowns, aren't you?" Krawq asked. "Andross warned me about you, but don't even think that… HUH?!" He panicked, realizing he was sitting on a donkey and not Asor. "ASOR, WHAT ARE YOU DOING UP THERE?!"

Asor was up on the casino, playing Donkey Poker. "The only way to eliminate them is from the inside!"

"Heh heh." Okam smirked. "Looks like I've found an audience. Hcaz, I hope this battle starts a little fire in your laugh box."

…

Ikuyim's group made it to the Earthyth Sea. (Music: "Sky Troops" from Shadow the Hedgehog.) It was an archipelago of artificially floating islands, underneath an upside-down sea. The capital island was Htomacla, once home to a tribal race called the Low Aitne. Nollid soared around the islands on Mr. Noskcaj's broomstick and shot down Pegasi, fauns, and other enemy Ralavans with his White Dragon wand. The others crossed the islands via catapults or wood bridges. Both Ikuyim's and Yddam's groups would meet up on Htomacla. There was a great elevator that would lift them up through the sea.

"Mwah ha ha! So, you really ARE coming up the long way!" The Negatar Dragon, Oryps soared down. "The king suspected you would."

"Well, we do enjoy a good walk!" Ikuyim cheered. "Besides, it's like a videogame. We'll encounter more bosses as we keep working our way up."

"Hey, Negatar Ripoff." Nollid stated. "I gotta ask you something. When you captured us before, I noticed you didn't have a shadow. And that was just after the king realized Komugi was gone, even though I just saw her in her room."

"What of it, brat?"

"I'll tell you what! It was YOU! You kidnapped her and tricked the king into chasing us!"

"What a wild accusation! And where's your proof, boy?"

"Actually, Atawid figured it out, after we recapped the events. And she's usually never wrong. 'Course, after Komugi comes to, maybe she'll have a better memory."

"You kids can go on and keep her! His Majesty was a lot more focused with her absence. He was vengeful! He was determined to burn those lesser Emperors! Or at least one of them. But if she is to return, we will win this war before that! We'll crush you weaklings, and His Majesty will burn your leader and all the other pirates!"

Nollid crafted a complex magic circle and summoned a spiked dragon to fly up and ram Oryps, who caught it in psychic and attempted to squeeze the beast. "I figured out why we can't warp on this planet. That Ain girl explained that this planet has specific exit points to the Ley Lines, and people have to locate and 'connect' with them first. Still, I was able to summon that dragon before. Summon Magic usually works via the wizard's own 'private' Ley Lines, and it's only temporary before they warp back. I guess that's why I can still use that magic here."

During the Voyage, Ynnad brought Nollid to Ralava. He led Nollid around the planet to introduce him to his dragons. Ynnad made Nollid a backup contractor for each of these dragons, so that he may summon them whenever the need arose. "The DNKG helped me find these guys back when I worked for them. I don't plan to go on missions, anymore, but they can still help you out."

"Well, they'll be handy to have in case of emergency. Heh, let's hope we get along!"

Oryps took the spike dragon down as it warped away. "How clever! Yes, not many are aware of that, which made this planet an ideal base. Huh?"

The other operatives had already run onto the elevator, rising up through the sea. "Your friends have abandoned you? That's a shame~"

"I got plenty of backup, smarty! Some dragons of Ralava don't take kindly to you."

"Well, I didn't ask to be stuffed full of Nature Crystals and turned into an advent of darkness! Go ahead and summon them! I'll show them all the hatred I was forced with!"

"Whatever. Willing or not, it sounds like you enjoy your darkness plenty." (Music: "Dogadon Rematch" from DK64.)

Oryps first tried to take Nollid's wand with psychic, but he already used a spell to glue it to his hand. Oryps telekinetically squeezed him instead, but Nollid remembered Alol's lessons and thought carefree things to escape his grasp. Nollid summoned a Frost Dragon to blow a blizzard over the Negatar, but Oryps' toxic vomit singed the dragon. The icebender endured and flew up to bite Oryps' neck, freezing part of it before disappearing. Nollid flew up on his broomstick and summoned an Earth Dragon to Ground Pound Oryps, pinning him down. Nollid used another spell to create a huge block to drop on Oryps, but an expanding psychic bubble pushed both away.

Oryps bellowed a Scare Scream at the earthbender, followed by a glob of poison saliva, but Nollid cast Protego to block the poison. Oryps shot Fear Spheres, but Nollid tanked them so his dragon could stomp a rock jab at Oryps' jaw, followed by a Rock Clap that Oryps broke free of. The earthbender disappeared as Oryps sent his shadow to gnash at Nollid, who cast Lumos Solem in defense. Oryps knocked Nollid off his broom with a Psy-Sphere, but he used Accio to summon it back. He remounted and barely dodged the shadow's fangs, and he used Fumos to cast a large cloud of smoke to evade them both.

Nollid got far enough to summon a Fear Dragon, bellowing its own Scare Scream that Oryps countered. He stretched his shadow to snag the fearbender in a Possession, but Nollid snapped the bind with Solem. Oryps choked the dragon in psychic, but it broke the psychic with Fear Spheres and launched at Oryps. Getting directly in his face, the dragon used Scare Stare, giving Oryps the vision of Ant King stabbing him in the throat. An enraged Oryps breathed a cloud of toxic gas, sickening the Fear Dragon. Nollid had it disappear and conjured another block, shoving it down Oryps' throat to clog up his gas. Oryps crunched it, covered him in a barrier, and thrusted at Nollid. He dodged, but Phantom Oryps caught him, allowing his master to deal a successful thrust.

Nollid fell toward the ground, but recovered in time to cast a spell to break his fall. He ran from a shower of Psy-Spheres, but they were loaded with poison to enhance their explosions, Nollid coughing from the smog. But amidst this smog, Nollid summoned a Cloud Dragon to cover the whole ground in white fluff. It spat thicker clouds at Oryps, but he strangled it in psychic. The cloudbender shook free and flew circles around Oryps, spreading a sphere of clouds. Oryps expanded a bubble and split the sphere, barfing more toxic over the white dragon.

As it disappeared, Oryps saw several more dragons rise from the fog: a Web Dragon, Mud Dragon, Water Dragon, Song Dragon, and a Bone Dragon. "It must use a lot of magic to summon that many dragons at once! But if an Avatar battle's what you want, it's what you'll get!" Oryps entered the Negatar State, surrounded in a bubble of his five elements. The Web Dragon tried to trap him while the Mud and Water ones smothered him, the Bone one blew a dusty breath to make Oryps cough, and the Song countered the fearbending. The many elements clustered so intensely that Nollid couldn't keep track of it all, and he needed the time to rest with all that loss of chi.

Ultimately, Oryps was able to KO all the dragons, half of which sans the Web and Bone Dragons teleported away. The Negatar panted in exhaust, smirking over Nollid's weary form. "Quality over quantity… kid… you…yaaaaawn…"

"What's wrong? Feeling sleepy?" Nollid smirked.

"W-what…?!" He realized a tiny, light-purple dragon was puffing soft clouds into his left ear.

"Didn't know I summoned a Sleep Dragon, did ya?"

"NNN!" Oryps shook it off, but the small dragon flew quick in evasion. The Web Dragon recovered and caught Oryps' tail in a web, slamming Oryps against the ground. The Bone Dragon flew high and dove down, dealing a Skull Burst! The action cracked both their skulls, KOing the foggy-headed Oryps. The three dragons disappeared. "Sigh…thanks for the gifts, Ynnad." Nollid smiled. "Sorry… but I'll have to trust the others to help Ydolem."

"OI! There's one of the operatives!" A band of pirates came rushing.

"Whoa, is that Commander Oryps?! Did he take him out?!"

"Crud…" Nollid grunted.

"UAH!" Their metal armor was ripped off, and then a swarm of Razor Leaves flew to slice the exposed aliens.

"Nollid!" Eel and Ulul of Sector ZR ran up.

"You two?!"

"Yeah, Atawid said it was just about our cue."

"The Aknam Forest is just up there, right?" Ulul asked. "Then my match should be up there, too!"

…

The Gem Pirates fought their way through a Nopon fortress after riding the elevator. Professor Oosoos ambushed them with a horde of artificial Blades. Alil took the liberty of getting revenge on her creator, while Beewv took out the robots. They reached the "bottom" of the tree and entered the decayed Aknam Forest. But suddenly, a wave of blue whisked across the forest, filling it with lush plant life and vicious fauna. They battled hordes of animals, Dinosoids, and Mantids from the Primagen's division. (Music: "Primagen" from Turok!)

The big-brained alien in question ambushed them on a cliff near the forest's end. "I can't believe those wretched reptiles weren't able to stop you. But here's where-"

"Here's where I come in!" Ulul came swinging on a vine, bending a giant flower to bash Primagen away.

"Ulul!" Ikuyim beamed.

"Once we learned about Primagen's Past-Past Fruit, Atawid predicted he'd be waiting in a dead forest. Of course, only the Bioless could have such a forest!"

"Atawid's predictions always astound me." Yrret said. "Can we leave this to you, then?"

"Yep! And don't worry about the others, they've just about wrapped up their fights."

"Then good luck!" Ikuyim cheered, the ops continuing on.

"You were already planning to fight me yourself?" Primagen asked. "An unwise decision, little girl."

"You're the unwise one, bringing all these plants to the present!" Ulul bent the flora to her whim, binding Primagen down and shooting Bullet Seeds and Razor Leaves at his brain. Primagen would cut free and use bug wings to fly, drawing a laser blaster to shoot explosive shots. Ulul dodged and drew a cooking pot blaster, shooting steamed carrots to puncture his wings. He called for his minions to attack Ulul, but she used Animal Telepathy to command the ancient fauna to defend her. Ulul bent a large tree branch to swat Primagen to the ground, followed by a wave of boiled vegetable soup to his brain.

The Primagen still preserved against all her direct attacks, but by this time, morning was rising just under the cliffs. As sunlight highlighted the plants, Ulul entered Sunflower Fury, wearing a pot on her head with a huge flower on top. She spread her chi to all the surrounding plants, ensuring they would absorb all the sunlight they needed, while she had the animals gang up on Primagen. Ulul aimed all the buddings plants at him, lights rising within them. "SOLAR STORM!" A storm of Solar Beams rained against Primagen, knocking the alien out cold. This caused the forest's life to return to its original time. "Huff…" Ulul noticed the Primagen had cut some of the past animals' limbs off… and those limbs were still around. "Maybe they really can… use his power."

Sector ZR would bind Primagen in chains and load him onto their ship. With that, they returned to DNKG.

Ztar Hazard

Xof McSun and Oclaf were keeping Ydolem leashed and cuffed on the dark island. Xof would often pass apologetic looks to her, while Ydolem returned looks of understanding. Xof's ears perked up, hearing a ship coming: it was Avakam's. She landed across the island and approached the Moebians calmly. "H-hey! We didn't get the call from our teammates!" Xof yelled. "Is Komugi healed?!"

"Yeah, she's just about fixed." Avakam assured. "We'll be taking Ydolem now."

"AAH!" The two were shoved by Dnis and Narod, the tinies assaulting them with their elements. They grabbed Ydolem's feet and carried her with great strength, zooming straight back to her ship. "OCLAF, HURRY!"

"I'LL STOP 'EM, I WILL!" The two boarded their Arwings and pursued.

…

With Komugi finally healed, Yppils and Katsyrk carried her unconscious form back to the hangar. At the same time, Eel and Ulul returned to DNKG and dragged their new prisoner to the hold. "HEY! Isn't that General Primagen?!" Yppils asked.

"Hey now, we can't have you lockin' him up!" Latsyrk placed Komugi down and drew a minigun.

"I'VE GOT YDOLEM, GANG!" Avakam dashed in, the tinies hoisting Ydolem above them.

"WHAT HAPPENED TO THE OTHERS?!" Latsyrk aimed at Ydolem, but Avakam shot her own gun to redirect the fox's aim at the wall. Yppils bent up the metal floor against her, but Eel pulled that floor away to slam it against Yppils.

Eel bent up more pieces of floor to crush Yppils, but the toad fought back and turned the metal to rust. He broke the rust into dust and bent it against Eel, who bent up a metal shield. Yppils ran to dissolve that shield to rust, but Eel escaped and ran. Yppils slapped the floor and stretched a trail of rust until Eel fell through. Eel hit the lower floor as Yppils smothered him in rust. Eel calmed himself and tried to focus on the rust, feeling its grainy, uncomfortable texture. And soon, Eel was able to bend the rust off him, bending some of it into a spear to jab Yppils.

Oclaf was flying around the outside of the base, his manic piloting bashing against several windows. Just as the TG operatives finished freeing Ydolem of her binds, Oclaf smashed through a nearby window, and his cockpit popped open as it smashed over Ydolem, knocking her dizzy. "I GOT HER, YESH!" Oclaf grabbed her in the cockpit and took off again.

"NO!" Dnis screamed. "Everyone, the crazy bird guy just took Ydolem back!"

"There he is!" Ynned spotted Oclaf from another window. He tossed a baseball up, swung his bat, and smashed through the window! The ball smashed through Oclaf's cockpit and knocked him clean in the head. Ydolem recovered and tried to take control of the ship, putting a helmet on herself and Oclaf. But Xof flew by and linked his ship to Oclaf's, flying away.

"Yppils, Latsyrk, are you still in there?!"

"Xof, they're taking Komugi on another ship!" Latsyrk responded. "You have to-" Another Antikill Bullet struck her head.

Xof saw the ship in question taking off, Atawid passing a smirk up at him. "HEY! Don't you care about your friend?!"

"Only if you care about yours." Atawid remarked, taking her leave with Komugi.

Xof grit his teeth. Eel had knocked Yppils out with a Rust Fist, blooding the toad's face, and Avakam took Latsyrk's bazooka to knock her over the head with it. "Nnnnn…AAAAAHH!" Xof tried to chase the fleeing tactician.

Arim

The Gem Pirates had to cut through a cave to leave the forest, seizing the chance to camp and rest. They woke up around evening that day to continue their quest. They followed a route toward Kalav Mountain, which sloped up the arm of the Bioless. (Music: "Furious Fire" from Donkey Kong Returns.)

Kalav Mountain was a charred landscape with rivers of magma and boiling volcano tops. Ikuyim walked first. "HEY, PUT SOME SHOES ON!" Yddam screamed.

Ikuyim's bare feet settled on the scorched surface. "Yep, that's a volcano alright!"

"ARE YOU INSANE?!"

"Don't forget my little sister's a lavabender! I'm trained for this type of heat."

"We aren't. That's why Nollid made these!" The friends pulled out red Fireproof Elixirs and took a drink. It wouldn't protect them from direct fire, let alone lava, but their bodies became adjusted to the volcanic heat.

"Hey, what's that?!" Yrret pointed. Looming in the ash-covered sky were huge, robotic Andross heads, eyes glowing eerily against their silhouettes. The heads zapped lasers down at the intruders, but Yrret protected them with psychic shields.

"Yrret, you handle the air, and I'll take the ground!" Ikuyim said. They began their perilous venture up the mountain, the leader using earthbending to make platforms in the lava, block lava spills, etc.. They fought dark robots with built-in flamethrowers and local lava-dwelling creatures. There were many ominous, flaming statues of the Ant King and Andross.

Near the top of the mountain, they saw what appeared to be another Mecha Andross… but this one was shaped different and had floating hands. …!! It was the real Andross! The disembodied ape zapped Force Lightning against the mountain, sending boulders down. Ikuyim bent the boulders away while Yrret shielded his friends from Andross's direct lightning. Andross loomed closer once they neared the top, his imposing size sending chills. The ape tried to suck them into his vacuum mouth, until Yrret chucked a Psy-Sphere to explode inside and stop him.

"You will do NO SUCH THING, MISTER!" Yrret yelled. "By the smell of your breath, you haven't had a dentist appointment in centuries, let alone no stomach!"

"HA HA HA! Don't tell me this ragtag band of misfits intend to challenge the Ant King? Ah, but I seem to recognize a few faces." He studied Yddam and Ylime. "Where's the rest of your troupe? They get chomped by the competition?"

Ylime shot a glare and bravely marched closer. "YOU KILL PURPLE! You big, mean ape! Ylime make you pay!"

"And what'll you do about it, dimwit?!" Andross focused his mind and tried to probe hers. "Oof!" He got a headache. "I see that mind is already broken."

"Pardon me, Dr. Andross," Yrret said, "but do you recall that machine you had me hooked up to back in Rightheria? The purpose of that device was to hook me up to the Titan's mind, wasn't it?"

"Indeed. Waking that Titan from its slumber and submitting it to our bidding has already been a side-project of ours. With a fresh psychicbender prisoner, I thought it was worth attempting."

"Intriguing. It's just a shame I was on the verge of tapping its mind."

"You were?!"

"Yes. And thanks to that, I've picked up a new skill." Yrret tapped his noggin. "Do forgive me if I try to use that technique against you."

"Hah! No brain is stronger than mine, boy! Especially not after the genetic enhancements. I'll fry your brain to a crisp, just as His Majesty will fry all you pathetic kids!"

"Fry me if you dare, but you'll find I have quite the noggin!" Yrret conjured a huge brain of psychic around himself, levitating.

"Say your prayers then! Ha ha h…ahem, excuse me." He cleared his throat. "Ehehehehe! Hehehehehehehehehe…" His laugh was like that of an otherworldly demon.

"Goodness, THAT'S how you laugh?!" (Play "Andross Battle" from Star Fox Adventures!)

Andross thrusted his giant fists, which Yrret countered with psychic ones. Andross shot his hand behind to grab Yrret, and he struggled to blow up a bubble under Andross's tight grip. Andross hammered the other fist down from above, Yrret blocking with a Psy-Hand. Yrret escaped the grip and blasted Psy-Spheres at Andross's eyes. "AHH mm-mmmmm!" Andross rubbed his eyes and waggled a scolding finger at Yrret, followed by Force Lightning. (Naturally, Andross makes all his sound effects from the N64.) Yrret grabbed the hand and struggled to twist it, but once he did, he directed the lightning directly against Andross. The ape stunned himself for a moment long enough for Yrret to brain-butt him. He and Andross played tug-o-war against each other's minds, but Yrret grew fatigued first and backed away.

Andross flew close and tried to suck the weakened Yrret in. He nearly flew down the throat before he regained himself and struggled to fly away, just evading the chomp of Andross's teeth. Andross shot streams of lasers from his eyes while still swinging hands at Yrret, swatting the boy once before charring him with the lasers. Yrret barely survived with a barrier, but when the hands returned for another clap, Yrret sunk down and gripped both. He squeezed both hands and bent their fingers one direction. Andross lunged at him for a bite, but Yrret dodged and moved the hands in the way, causing him to chomp his own fingers. Yrret seized some burning rocks from below and threw them against Andross's eyes, burning as he tried to spit saliva on his hands and wipe them.

Yrret headbutted Andross again, probing his mind, and he made contact just long enough to twist a few brain cells. Andross smacked him away and conjured a cylindrical barrier of transparent, psychic tiles. Yrret pelted the barrier with spheres, but they barely left a dent, while he himself dodged the stream of tiles Andross shot at him. Yrret found a less stable tile and smashed through it, breaching the barrier, but quickly defended from Andross's electricity. Andross punched the other hand, but Yrret shifted up and began to loop vertical circles around him. He was making a psychic hoop, but Andross grabbed and ripped it, only for Yrret to get close and squeeze his eye area in a smaller hoop. Yrret bent the fingers of Andross's right hand back and snapped the mechanical digits off. Yrret took a finger and shoved it into Andross's right ear, drilling it inside to his displeasure. Yrret dodged the hands and grabbed two more fingers, shoving the circuitry into Andross's eyes.

Yrret tried to probe his mind again, damaging and destroying the tile barrier. However, Andross smacked him to his head like a fly, then swatted Yrret to the ground. As Ylime stared over him in worry, Andross tried to probe the boy's brain. Ylime linked her forehead to Yrret's, breaking Andross's concentration. With Yrret still down, Andross tried to suck them both up. But he fell for Yrret's trick: the boy quickly caught a burning boulder and threw it up into Andross's throat. Steam erupted from his ears as he shook and cried in pain. Yrret grabbed the other hand and compressed it with a bubble, crushing it as sparks flew. Yrret grabbed the circuitry and shoved it against Andross's eyes.

Andross moved the palm of his previous hand behind Yrret and shoved him right into his mouth. Andross bit his teeth down, but Yrret struggled to suspend it with psychic, feeling the heat from the boulder. Yrret escaped and flew behind Andross, and he kept circling as the ape kept twisting trying to find him. He spotted Yrret just in time for the boy to slam his Psy-Brain against Andross's, and the two wrestled each other in probing. "I'll sap you of ALL your intellect!"

"Nnnnno…you…WON'T!"

"Hnnnnn…?! Wait! What's-?!"

In truth, Yrret placed Ylime in his Psy-Brain just now. He directed Andross's brainwaves into hers, causing him to sap from her mind, and Yrret assisted in the flow of "knowledge." "AAH! YOU…!" Yrret refused to let Andross shake free, the contrast of intellect causing a surge of lightning. "AAAAAAAAHHH!" (End song.)

Yrret and Andross crashed on the earth, with Ylime landing on the ape's nose. "…!!" Ylime tensed up as Andross's wide eyes narrowed on her innocently. "Duh…what this thing? Are you bug? Me name is Andy…"

"Ugh…I think both of our brain cells need some therapy." Yrret sighed. "Sorry to… put you through that, Ylime."

"Huhu. I no feel nothin'."

"Heh heh…would you be so kind as to carry me somewhere cooler?"

"Okay, Yrret." The dimwit jumped down and lifted Yrret. She carried her friend around Andross and followed after the others.

"Ooo…it that juice?" Andross acknowledged the lava. "Juicy-juice… Mommy says it becomes pee-pee." So, the overgrown head rolled down the volcano hillside.

…

From the fingers of the Bioless, the Gem Pirates could travel across Polearm Canyon. It was a long staff held by the Mecholess, meant for the Bioless to pull itself back upright. "Hey… what are these things?" Ikuyim asked. (Music: "Bobbing Basalt" from DK Returns!)

Hordes of skeletons were fighting Gnosis across the valley, and Smile Pirate ships blasted the Meta-Beast structures from above. "Hey, you guys made it!" Annaira Eerfnud descended on a parachute.

"Welcome back, Anna!" Ikuyim waved. "Check out all these skeletons!"

"We didn't expect the Smile Pirates to invade. I think Aluben is somewhere nearby!"

"What if we end up having to fight some of Ydnam's commanders?" Yddam asked worriedly. "Heck, what if she's here herself?! I mean, it wouldn't be bad if she fought the king again…"

"We need to stick to the plan." Annaira said. "Tachyon should be at the end of this valley, and beyond it, we can enter the Mecholess where the Ant King waits. The natural heat of that Titan makes a perfect base for him. Atawid and Hgielar will meet up with us at the end."

"We survived the volcano," Ikuyim said, "so I think we can handle whatever heat His Highness throws. You ready, team?"

"Just be careful around those aliens. They can turn you to salt if they possess you."

The DNK fought their way along a route above the conflict. They still had to take down their own Gnosis, Mechon, and dodge distant cannons. Somewhere below the valley, Admiral Azure from the Mushrooms was sneaking his way amongst the scuffle. "Bronzebob! Bronzebob, where are you?!" his high English accent yelled.

"Azure! My comrade! Is that you?!" replied a Russian voice.

"Bronzebob!" He saw the bronze Dya-Namite through a window in a guarded hut. Azure ran between the Gnosis guards and exploded, destroying them. While his strength recovered, he planted a timed bomb to destroy the hut's door, freeing Bronzebob. "It's so good to see you again, my chap!"

"Da, I feel the same! Let's get the hell out of here!"

The Gem Pirates reached Dahalag Fortress at the end of the valley, but if they followed a route overhead, they could travel to the Mecholess. "HEY!" Annaira saw Aluben herself infiltrate the fortress. "She really is here…"

"But she's not technically our enemy, right?" Yddam asked.

"Even so… we do need to capture her, too. You might need to come anyway, Yddam."

"Okay. Ikuyim… be careful."

"Uh-huh!"

Annaira and Yddam entered Dahalag. Like most of Mecholess, it mostly ran on steam engines, pipes, and possessed a rustic aesthetic. Annaira used her bending to freeze geysers of steam seeping out of pipes, which they used to swing over chasms (it was quite a long drop down from the Titan). They would have to swim through tunnels of boiling water, but Anna made the temperature around her cooler. Yddam, meanwhile, handled the underwater combat, fighting patrol bots or alien fish. There were certain platforms and areas that were shifting based on Tachyon's matterbending, so they planned their jumps carefully.

In a private suite of the base, Tachyon fed his ill wife a warm bowl of soup. "Those filthy Mushroomians…" Miyuki scoffed. "And I thought trying to conquer their Positives was a pain in the arse."

"I dread to think what effect those drugs will have on the baby." Tachyon replied.

"Oh, did I hear the 'B' word?! How wonderful!"

Tachyon gasped and turned. Aluben's innocent smile haunted them from the doorway. "Nebula's twin!" Tachyon hissed. "This is an awful time, my dear, I'll have to destroy you later."

He bent the floor up to block her out, but Aluben smashed it back down with a dinosaur skull. "As an alleged enemy of my twin, I made it my personal duty to destroy you!" (Music: "Grand Finale" from Bowser's Inside Story!)

"As I said, I am not in the mood right n-!" Tachyon was seized in her bonebending grip, but he dispersed his matter to break free. Miyuki weakly mustered psychic to grab a lightsaber and try to stab her, but Aluben cut the sword's hilt with a jagged bone. She caught the Irken's shoulder bones and tried to snap them, but Tachyon smothered her head in a drawer's matter. "DON'T YOU DARE attack her!"

Aluben smashed the drawer off. "I dread to think what awful things you'll force your baby to do! Children shouldn't be born under such evil parents. If they are, they should be taken away and raised happily!"

"That child will carry on our legacy!" Tachyon molded the floor into liquid, but Aluben floated up with a bone-copter. "Our lost Irken and Cragmite ideals will live within them!"

"A child should live for happy ideals!"

"That's not for YOU to decide!"

Yddam and Annaira had just caught up, overhearing the conversation. "I won't hand my child over to the likes of you!" Miyuki stated, bending more sabers that Aluben cut down. "I'll raise them as I see fit!"

"Growing up under such cruel ideals," Aluben cracked the back of Tachyon's skull, knocking him dizzy, "is an awful life. That child will wish it were never born. Maybe it would be happier… not being born at all!" She reached toward Miyuki and tried to contort her bones, but her own limbs were bent, breaking concentration.

"Aluben!" Annaira had her in a blood grasp. "Sorry… but I can't allow you to kill them."

"Why not, Anna? They're evil people who only wish to raise an evil child. Bad parents… deserve to die."

"Aluben… is that what you think? Do you wish you were never born?"

"Well, I used to! I was made to bring misery and everyone hated me. Most everyone, at least. Even Mom didn't love me! Some children are just tools for their parents to fulfill their own desires, and these two are no different!"

"Agh…it's true that we have our own ambitions for the child." Tachyon panted. "But more than that… we just want to leave something behind. We lost our empires… In the Posiverse, we'd be hunted down and executed! We just want to leave a memory of our existence!"

"As if I could pity such selfish adults!" Aluben cheered. "All you'll leave behind is more evil. Even if we take that child away, who's to say it isn't already corrupted!"

Anna pinned Aluben to the floor before she could act. "Aluben… my planet has an overpopulation problem. I've heard about more abortions than I can comprehend. The crowd was so noisy and unbearable… that we wondered if we'd be better off dying. But then you appeared and gave us a purpose!"

"I only used you to fulfill my mom's purpose! You were tools just the same. And now you're fighting for better causes! You have no attachment to the old ways!"

"Both of you, just GET THE HELL OUT!" Tachyon turned the floor into liquid and forced them to sink, dropping them into a secluded dungeon. "Annoying urchins."

"EYAH!" Yddam seized the distraction to leap in and land quick punches to Miyuki's head.

"ANOTHER?!" Tachyon bent the furniture at her, but Yddam punched it away with karate attacks.

"Don't worry, I just chi-blocked her. I don't want any harm to come to that child. But… I'm afraid we still have to capture you two."

"Good luck doing that on your own!" Tachyon caught her in his bending. However, as it felt like psychicbending, Yddam imagined herself swimming underwater, freeing her mind and freeing herself. Yddam spin-dove at Tachyon and thrusted her palm. Tachyon felt his insides bend back, the Cragmite hacking out blood. "Was that bloodbending?!"

"Annaira helped me practice my Fishman Karate. My chi can strike the opponent's bloodstream directly."

"And what if you can't find my blood?!" Tachyon merged into the floor and liquefied it again, but Yddam was able to swim through. She thrusted her palms against any "currents" she felt moving on her. Since he was merged with its matter, Yddam could therefore strike small parts of Tachyon's body, knocking him around via the blood inside. Yddam returned to the surface, launched to the air, and performed a Shark Tile True Punch against the liquid floor. It waved wildly as Tachyon choked from the impact. Tachyon solidified the floor and bent it up as spears to stab Yddam, but her Sharkskin Palm Block pushed the spears away with thrusts of the palm.

Below, Annaira and Aluben began to wrestle each other with their bending. Annaira bent her own blood to straighten her bones up, while Aluben bent her own bones to fight Anna's bloodbending. "Even you have to agree that those two shouldn't raise a child!"

"Maybe, but they still deserve a chance to live! Even if they wind up hating their parents or their birth… they should try to live!"

"Those Earthlings sure got to you, didn't they?" Aluben snapped Anna's wrist, Anna made blood spurt out the back of Aluben's leg, Aluben crunched Anna's ribcage, and Anna squeezed Aluben's nose into bleeding waterfalls. Annaira used Water Slices to cut the bones Aluben threw at her, but Aluben bent the boney dust and shoved it into Anna's throat. Anna seized Aluben's blood and willed it to cool, weakening her resolve.

"Cough…you must've hated everything in your life… if you'd rather not be born!"

"Of course not, Annaira…ack… I love Captain Ydnam… and you guys, too! You were always… my best friend, Annaira!"

"And you… were mine! You made us feel special out of those billions of Pumparians! I felt like living… and thanks to Nerehc, I felt like living again! Just like Ydnam made you want to live! And now, those parents… want their child to live. And it will!"

Annaira froze Aluben from the inside. The purple alien collapsed on the floor, coughing the dust out.

Upstairs, even after Tachyon changed into fire, Yddam sent shockwaves through the structure and forced mist to burst out against him. Tachyon's flaming body cooled, and Yddam thrusted more punches to rattle the blood inside him. "I can't believe this! I'm a Logia! I'm supposed to be invincible!"

"When a Logia thinks they're invincible, that's when they're most vulnerable!" Yddam leapt and dove at Tachyon with a drilling punch. His own blood spun like a maelstrom, spiraling Tachyon furiously. He smashed against the wall and pierced straight through, the Cragmite plummeting to the ground outside the fortress. As he passed out, beaten by his own blood… he couldn't help but remember a similar sensation.

…

Ikuyim was able to rest on the fingers of the Mecholess. She faced up at the head of the Titan with both worry and resolve. "Hope I'm not late!" Ikuyim smiled and turned back to see Avakam.

"Hey! I didn't think you'd be far behind Anna! I'm guessing things went all at H.Q.?"

"Yep. Everything's going as Atawid planned. And by the time we get up there… they should arrive."

"Then I better not slow us down! I'm so pumped, I have more energy than ever!"

"Just don't let it go to waste. Sigh…let's get this over with." (Music: "Central Factory" from Xenoblade.)

The girls crossed the arm of the Mecholess, where DNK were already fighting hordes of Meta-Beasts. The rebel Machina had already banded with them to reclaim their home. The eyes of the Titan's head flashed like a sun, and golden comets came descending onto the arm. "Looks like he can already see us coming!" Ikuyim bent rubies out of her cube to block the flames, but the gems would melt after a few hits. The operatives otherwise worked to dodge the flames. Traveling up the arm alone took as long as Kalav Mountain, and they still had plenty more to go after entering the Titan.

The interior was a vast factory with countless floors. An Arwing flew through an opening and headed toward the central elevator. Earthbending pirates attacked the girls with burning coals used to power the Titan's machines, but Ikuyim was a natural counter to this. Climbing higher up the Titan, dense waves of scalding steam began to fill the floors, bent by the Ant King himself. Ikuyim bent up sapphire shields to protect them until the steam went away. A great elevator would carry them to the Titan's head.

"You kids are frustratingly persistent!" Captain Ridley crash-landed before them, bouncing the girls on their bums.

"Hey, it's the Riddler!" Ikuyim joked.

"I haven't been able to contact any of the officers! I refuse to believe you defeated them all! And that Xof… he's gone to see the king empty-handed. How foolish could he…?!"

Descending the elevator was the fox in question… and the Ant King.

Xof dropped to his knees before His Majesty. "I'm sorry… My King…"

"What happened… Xof?" His pupils throbbed.

"Komugi… she was taken. She was taken by one of the DNK! I tried to chase her through an asteroid field, but she set up an ambush! And she… was able to take Ydolem back, too."

"… … …You must be very foolish… to return here and deliver such news. You should have chosen to run and hide…"

"I…I…I…I…" Xof choked. He knew that was an option… and he considered it. He definitely should have… and yet…

The king calmly walked past him. "Come… Xof." Xof raised his head and turned, stunned by the response. "Let's go ask them some questions."

The king marched off the elevator, Xof at his back. "You two… DNK. Where has the blonde human taken Komugi?"

"B-Blonde human?" Xof said. "She was blonde, but I never mentioned…"

"It was her, Xof. That girl from the moon… she wishes to challenge me. No… she already is. It was her that organized this very invasion, wasn't it?"

"Heh heh…Atawid is a Tactical Wizard!" Ikuyim smiled. "Honestly, I'm surprised her brain doesn't expl-"

King's tail lashed, Ikuyim barely dodging with a cut cheek. "TELL ME."

"It's right here." Avakam tossed an envelope. The king picked it up and opened. It displayed a picture of Planet Solaria with a location marked.

"Hnnnn…" King smirked. "Atawid… yes… I knew the DNK were honorable… I know you won't harm a hair on her head. And I knew… you would lure me like a fish. That glimmer in your eye… that arrogance… you were a greater predator than I."

King burned the map. It was already engraved inside him. He marched toward a pier, boarding his flagship, the Tyrant. Xof joined his king and steered the helm, riding to the heavens. …A black and blue spaceship tailed them.

"You twerps think you're CLEVER, don't you?!" Ridley hissed. "His Majesty is the Ultimate Creature! His destiny is to become the best at everything! For all these months, not once could he beat Komugi at Gungi. And so long as she evades his grasp, he will always be a loser at Gungi! Your plan is to torture the king with this knowledge. But you will suffer for it! I will make you pay for humiliating the king so!"

A breath of fire surged in his throat. "AEROOOOO!" But another pterodactyl crashed on top of him, sealing his mouth. "OH, YEEEEAH!" Hgielar leapt off Aerodactyl and PUNCHED Ridley's head. (Play "Vs. Ridley" from Smash Brawl!)

"Right. On. Schedule." Avakam smirked.

"How about some dactyl-on-dactyl action, Riddle Boy?!"

"RAH!" Ridley shoved them both off. "Kids back in the day used to be docile! Made nice, little snacks. But now, I had better get my belly's worth from the lot of you NUISANCES!"

Ridley soared circles around them and spat fireballs, Ikuyim raising rubies in defense. Hgielar rode Aerodactyl as the Nomékop gnashed Ridley's stomach. Ridley tried to bite down on him, but Hgielar ran to grab his jaw and restrain him. Ridley breathed fire, so Aerodactyl dodged them both. With his wing, Aerodactyl flipped Hgielar onto Ridley, the muscle thief choking the captain. Aerodactyl forced Ridley to the ground, but both were shaken off. Ikuyim attached sapphire knuckles to her fists and leapt to PUNCH Ridley, and as he sat himself up, Ikuyim swung her foot, bending a larger sapphire to bash his jaw. Ridley flapped to the air, immediately seeing Aerodactyl charging. Ridley spat a huge fireball to steer Aero off-course, then he changed position himself before slamming down against Ikuyim.

Ridley grabbed her in talons and rose back to the air. Aerodactyl engaged and wrestled him, dodging his head to avoid Ridley's fireballs, but Ridley began squeezing Ikuyim. But a bullet struck Ridley ankle, causing him to drop her. Ikuyim plopped on the ground and smiled at Avakam in thanks. Ridley bashed his head to Aerodactyl to knock him off, but Hgielar jumped on the purple avian to pound his head. Ridley hardened his head with Haki to withstand Hgielar's Haki, then dove headfirst at the ground to smash Hgielar. The thief withstood the impact, but hacked blood. Ridley flapped up and tried to thrust his tail in him, but Ikuyim pushed Hgielar away with gems. She then bent a jagged emerald at Ridley's hip.

The pterodactyl spat a storm of fireballs around the girls, trapping them. Aerodactyl returned, but Ridley swiftly whacked him away with his tail. He landed in the fire and spun again, the girls ducking. Ikuyim bent some garnets out to grab Ridley's tail, twisting it, the dinosaur struggling before smashing the gems. Ridley tried to bite Avakam, who dodged several times before shooting a bullet in his eye. Aerodactyl flew to flatten Ridley, grab the girls, and lift them out of the fire, but Ridley SLASHED Aerodactyl in the back and took him out. The girls tumbled against the ground, crying out the dino's name in worry. Hgielar returned him to his Pokéball.

Ridley flew across the field to have all three foes in view. He took a deep breath and spewed a fiery beam along the ground. Ikuyim bent gems forward, then thrusted back to shove her group back, dodging the beam just in time. Ridley lunged at them, but Ikuyim held a crystal flat, Hgielar leapt on it, and allowed her to launch him. Momentum built in his Haki fist as it impacted Ridley's iron head. Hgielar's arm sprained, flying back, but Ikuyim pelted Ridley with gems to the chest. The gems shattered upon impact, but Ikuyim bent all the shards together into a large fist. Ridley blasted fire at the fist, but Ikuyim maneuvered it before slamming punches. Ridley headbutted the fist and shattered it, but Ikuyim quickly reformed them over the dino and forced him to the ground. Ridley charged another fire breath, but Avakam shot a bullet down his throat, the beast gagging before spitting a fireball at Ikuyim.

She dodged as Ridley escaped the gems. Ridley hardened his entire body, becoming a sleek black pterodactyl. His left arm still broken, Hgielar transformed into a Machamp hybrid, growing two extra arms. "Ahh! You must be one of the Noméman experiments." Ridley observed. "I was hoping to buy one of you at the Proprietors' auctions."

"He's not for sale, buster." Ikuyim glared. "But if you want something to put money on, feast your eyes on THIS gem!" She stomped and kicked on Crystal Fury. Gems flew out of her cube, forming a sapphire skirt, emerald shirt, garnet gauntlets, opal head ring, ruby ankle bracelets, and long topaz nails. Hgielar lunged at Ridley first, the dino clashing a claw, but Hgielar grabbed it in hardened arms and tried to twist it. Ikuyim's ankle-lets helped her launch like rockets, and as her topaz nails (hah, just noticed it's a pun!) slashed the eyes, it sent electric jolts through Ridley's system. Ridley knocked them both away, then tried to Ground Pound Ikuyim, but she blasted up and double-punched him in the stomach. She was still forced down, her gauntlets breaking, but Hgielar grabbed his tail and was able to swing him around. Ikuyim reformed her garnets and punched Ridley's jaw with each roundabout.

Hgielar tossed Ridley, who became airborne and coated his body in flames. Ridley spun-drilled toward Hgielar, but Ikuyim bent her emeralds over Hgielar's arms (also bracing the broken one), and her sapphires to pelt and cool Ridley. Hgielar barely dodged Ridley's beak and grabbed the neck, spinning with the steaming dino as he tried to choke him. Ridley redirected his drill at Avakam, who couldn't find a spot to shoot, and she was scraped by Ridley's wing in trying to dodge. Ridley flew at Ikuyim next, heating back up, but Hgielar helped to slow him down. Ikuyim combined her garnets into a drill and forced it directly against Ridley's beak. Ridley could almost feel it piercing his skull, so he flapped away, Hgielar falling off him.

The thief's clothes burned off from the heat. "Agh!" Ridley hissed, pinning him beneath his talons. "A quick snack will restore my cells!" He gnashed down, but Hgielar was able to push his mouth up. "My body heals easily with a helping of meat! That mage I swallowed a while back was very satisfying, I can't imagine how-"

Ikuyim leapt and stamped his head with both feet, forcing him off. "So, it's true… you really did eat Ydolem's dad."

"Rah hah hah! So, he was that kid's dad! Maybe His Majesty will let me have her, too. Of course, I plan to save the rest of you for him. A band of powerful benders like yourselves will certain whet his appetite! You…?!"

Ikuyim willed several sapphire shards to mold over the base of his wings. "FRIENDS AREN'T FOOD!" Ikuyim SNAPPED the wings, which now barely hung on by a thread. Hgielar grabbed the end of his tail and STABBED it into its own base, Ridley crying out. Ikuyim bent the garnet gauntlets up against the jaw, bending his neck back, and she pierced the topaz nails into the bases of Ridley's talons, electrifying them to hold him in place.

"I slathered some Softening Spray on my bullets." Avakam smirked, still weak on the ground. "Despite your Haki body, I shrunk your defense just enough to cut through."

"And dividing your Haki evenly around doesn't make it stronger!" Hgielar leapt to grab the head, helping the garnets bend it back. "Got it, SMART GUY?!"

"Kaaaahhh…" Ridley's neck snapped. "The Meta-Beasts… will not fall. We… are…"

Ikuyim pulled the fists back and dealt one more punch with a forceful snap. Ridley passed out on the ground. Hgielar reverted to normal and passed out, and Ikuyim switched off her Fury. She shared smiles with her friends over their victory.

We have already… planted the seeds of the future. Your Majesty… you must… succeed… (End song.)

Meta-Beast soldiers rushed onto the scene. "C-Captain Ridley! Impossible! Those kids defeated the captain?!"

"We can't let the king deal with these imbeciles! Shoot them while they're-"

Beewv and Alil cut the pirates down while Alol kicked others down with swift dancing. "Let's hit the road, Captain!"

"Hah, aye-aye!" Ikuyim beamed. "Still, I thought Atawid was going to show up personally. I didn't think she would try to lure him someplace."

"Yeah, she's a sneaky one." Avakam said. "We'd better try to catch up with them."

Solaria

The landscape of this sunny planet didn't help the mood weighing over Xof and the Ant King. The closer they flew to its atmosphere… the more Xof questioned this whole affair. Until eventually, he asked it aloud. "Why are we even here?"

"…" Only the side of King's left eye greeted Xof. "What did you say?"

"You're doing all this… just to become a Gungi champion. As soon as you do… you'll just kill her… just like you did the others. You're so determined to be the best… you'll even fall for this obvious trap."

". . . . . ." The king faced the planet. "Xof… why did you wait so long… to reveal my name?"

"I…I…" Xof took a hard gulp. "You didn't… have a right to know."

"…"

"You killed Yppep… on a whim. Deep in my heart… I hated you. I hated… all the monsters in this crew."

"Then why does it concern you whether I fall for this trap?"

"Because ever since you started obsessing over her… you've felt different. She actually seems… important to you. And I want to know… why you want to save her so bad."

"…Even I am unsure of the answer. But know this… no matter what trap they have set for me… I will have Komugi back. And when I do… I…"

"…" Xof swallowed.

"We're almost there. Hurry and land us, Xof."

The coordinates marked a nearly empty valley close to a coast. The king couldn't sense anyone else nearby… until he saw the tower. It was a gargantuan, sun-colored rectangular tower. The king and Xof approached the entrance. There was a tablet on the ground, and on it was a recorded video. King tapped 'Play,' and Atawid's smug image appeared. "Greetings, Mister, Mistress, or mutant ant. Before you stands the Puzzle Prism, a structure crafted from blueprints of MY design. Should you solve the most complex Rubix Cube of all time, you shall find that which you seek. But if you want my advice, turn away. You'll need a very big brain to solve this fortress. Good luck~"

The king placed a hand to it. With his Haki… he could sense a presence at the top. "Is this how you intend to battle me?"

King flew to the top of the tower. He could feel the presence just a few stories beneath the top. He pounded the tower with golden comets, but it completely withstood him. "Specially fortified… Is it thanks to magic or the actual material? Wait…mmmm…I see what this is." He cracked a wry grin. The king returned to the ground. "It's rare for an opponent to challenge me so boldly. I must give this Atawid a fair game. Xof… where do you suppose she is hiding?"

"Well… she would have to be close to observe, but just out of sight. Maybe… in those hills over toward the coast."

"Yes…" The king took a few steps that direction. "While I play Atawid's game… I need to give her a challenge of my own." Xof backed away as her surged with a golden aura. He began to shoot fire directly at the small suns in the valley's sky, thrusting his fists repeatedly and quickly. When the flames struck the suns, the king willed them to burst. Then, a storm of meteors began to fall all around the valley. "King K. Rool once told me a legend of a powerful pirate: 'Land, sea, or sky, Kaido is the strongest man alive.' Let's see if I can apply my flames to that legend!"

The king cast walls and waves of flames across the valley, leaving the area just around the ship safe. Then, the king stabbed his tail into the ground and flame-drilled to dig deeper. Xof was kind of disgusted as His Highness pumped flames from his tail and into the ground. The flames traveled underground like a rupturing volcano, spires of fire beginning to burst out of various areas. "Y-Your Majesty! That's… a lot of fire."

"Don't worry. I reserved enough chi to get by. While I deal with whatever traps she laid for me, she can deal with the force of my Solar Shower. You'll be safe if you stay near the ship, Xof. But you might want to turn on the A.C.."

And with that, King entered the tower. "Your Majesty! Are you sure?"

"Xof… thank you for my name." He was soon gone within the structure.

The first couple turns were pretty basic, even climbing a ladder to the next floor. But then he found the first Control Panel. By moving the tiles, he could rearrange the individual, cubic rooms himself. He could connect horizontal and vertical paths to create new routes, and using Control Panels in different rooms would help show the way forward. However, it seemed he also needed to find four different keys around the tower. "There's no way you had this built in the short time since we met." King said as he crossed to the next room. "What sort of-" He stepped on a switch, causing a trap to blow fire in his face, the king blocking it after a second. "What sort of genius are you… Atawid?"

…

From the very hill range in question, Atawid and Ydolem saw the Tyrant descend moments ago. "Atawid… I'm thankful you saved me, but I still don't feel right about this. Using the woman Meruem loves to trap him."

"Is that his real name?"

"Ah! Er, well… Xof already told him, so there's no reason to keep the secret, anymore."

"From the way you described it, I'm amazed the king treasures her so fondly. But I imagine it's for the purpose of birthing another Ant Queen. He must have decided she's the ideal mate to create a perfect queen. Then the cycle will continue."

"I suppose you're right…"

"And it's because of that we need to defeat him. It's true that we could get Nerehc and other strong operatives to gang up on him… but if this works, we can save those strong fighters for the rest of the war."

"I see… Honestly, you're incredible. You wrote out several battle strategies for everyone, at the same time plotting this trap for the king. How do you do it?"

"Easy." Atawid faced her, pointing at her eyes: the choco irises were as dry as a dull sun. "I haven't slept for WEEKS."

"WHAT?!"

"Yes… that's how dedicated I was to helping you all win this war."

"You poor thing…"

"Of course, my strategies only depend on how skilled my fellow operatives are. That's why I know… you'll be able to handle the rest of this war on your own."

"Atawid… I-?!"

Flames began crashing around the valley! Walls of gold towered over them, and spires burst from the ground. "Geh…I anticipated this, too."

"Did he find out where we are?!"

"He left us a little gift while he's searching the tower. We're not safe here, run!" (Play "A Mighty Power" from Cold Steel!)

They ran across the valley as flames bombarded the ground at their back. They ran right to evade a meteor, then shifted left when a wall of spires erupted. The road grew more narrow as the very ground at their sides split, and their own surface sank. Meteors crumbled parts of the path, requiring the two to jump the swaying platforms that remained. The stem of a platform was burned, so they fell toward a cliff on the left. They jumped to grab a ledge and clamber across, for the cliff would crumble as they went. Atawid lost her grip, but Ydolem's shadow grabbed and pulled her back up, though said shadow had limited mobility in this brightness.

The ledge led to a tunnel, serving as their only way to keep running. Bursts of flame pierced the tunnel, but they would burn on and off, so they could jump across between intervals. But a rush of flame flooded the tunnel from up ahead. As they panicked for an escape, Ydolem saw the gap under the right wall, so she grabbed Atawid in a Veil to slide under, entering a new tunnel while the previous one burned. This tunnel sloped down and let out over a golden chasm. They jumped to a platform, which fell across the chasm under their weight. They jumped to a lower platform, and the flames began to push up boulders from below, which they used to jump further. A sudden burst sent one boulder flying up onto the cliffs, landing them on stable ground.

The girls dashed through a wavy trench between fiery walls, from which flame-made snakes emerged and gnashed them. Atawid helped Ydolem dodge appropriately, and would do the same in jumping up a stairway of platforms with fiery jump-ropes. "At least the king added a bit of fun to his fire." Past the ropes, they had to jump small platforms going over and under flaming pinwheels. They landed on a stable path and ran past more crashing meteors. One exploded behind them and blew them forward, landing at the edge of an open area.

"I'm sure the area around the tower is safe." Atawid said, pulling herself up. "We'll have to make it-"

A dark laser pierced the flames, blasting between the girls and blowing them apart. A shiny black ball leapt through and unraveled. "If it ain't little White Eyes." Sumas Nara said.

"The Dark Hunter!" Ydolem exclaimed.

"I'm guessing that tower is where you hid the king's girl. Probably a handful of traps in there, I'd wager. You've got the makings of a good hunter, little one. Too bad I-"

Ydolem stretched a Shade Fist to punch in the visor. "I heard you killed Ycrad."

"That girl with the game? I was just doing my job, hon."

"And what about Miss Hpot?! Where is she?!"

"Let's just say I tied her down." She made a stretching gesture. "You're next, sweetheart. And I doubt your shadowbending works well in this bright light."

Sumas shot dark lasers, Ydolem Veiling in evasion. She threw another Shade Fist, but Sumas dodged and slid up to her, Ydolem dodging her own punch. Sumas shot a barrage of energy bombs, some grazing her, then Ydolem suffered a swiping kick that knocked her toward the path between the flames. Ydolem exhaustedly pushed up, looking around that turn. The path led down into a gorge area, sparking an idea. Sumas charged at Ydolem, so she ran down the path. Ydolem reached down the back of her pants and pulled up a wide, black cape, which Nollid used magic to help compress a while ago. Ydolem flailed it above her, Sumas cocking a brow as she caught up.

The cape provided good shade from the flames, allowing her to stretch curved Shade Fists and punch Sumas. Sumas rolled right and tried to shoot the cape, but Ydolem dodged, following with an angled Shade Kick to Sumas' knee. Sumas stumbled, but got up and bolted right for Ydolem, charging a beam. She Veiled and slid behind, but Sumas shot the beam at the ground behind her. It expanded, the hunter leaping back, and Ydolem just barely got out of range with the cape intact. Sumas encased herself in an energy barrier, preventing Ydolem's attacks from breaching while she herself launched more spheres. The barrier disabled on its own, so Sumas went for a leaping punch. Ydolem dodged back, but an electric shockwave released and zapped her. Sumas reached to grab the cape, ripping it partly, but Ydolem recovered in time to tackle her, Hsa taking the cape away. Sumas kicked Ydolem the other way, and began to burn without her shadow. Hsa flew to rejoin her, evading Sumas' shots and succeeding.

Managing with the rip, Ydolem stretched a kick at Sumas' knee. The hunter slid up for a kick, Ydolem Veiling and retreating into Sumas' own shadow. Sumas shot weaker blasts at her feet, causing Ydolem to retreat and run up the path. Sumas chased while charging another strong blast. But just before firing, Ydolem faced her, cape at her back, and stretched Hsa to catch Sumas in Shadow Possession. It was only strong enough to hold her cannon arm, but that's all she needed. Ydolem struggled and aimed her fingers at her own head, Sumas' cannon mimicking the motion. Sumas tried to push her cannon away, but Ydolem made a clicking motion and shot Sumas in the head with her own cannon.

Sumas reeled and fell on her back. Ydolem caught her breath, still on alert. Sumas curled up into her Morph Ball, rolling for Ydol. She stretched a Shade Kick, but Sumas bounced aside, then bounced across the air while dropping bombs. Ydolem Veiled further up the path, but Sumas quickly unraveled and did another shockwave, forcing Ydol out. Sumas jumped to stomp her stomach, aiming her cannon at Ydol's head. But just then, another Shade Fist flew and PUNCHED Sumas off.

"Mom!" Ydolem was both joyed and surprised to find her dark-clothed mother behind her. "What're you doing here?"

"I hitched a ride with the others."

Atawid was forced to follow an alternate route, flames crashing behind her. She tripped and fell on her knees, her tired eyes gazing up at an incoming comet. "BACK OFF, sun!" Ikuyim jumped through the flames in sapphire armor, using it to block the comet, but the gems melted afterward.

"Ikuyim!"

"Haha! We rushed back to Avakam's ship as soon as we beat Ridley. My friends had to get treated, but I still had energy to spare! So, I hitched a ride with Mrs. Noskcaj and your team."

"Hey, Ikuyim!" Eel and Ynned came around a turn up ahead. "This way's safe, I think!"

Ikuyim pulled Atawid up and kept running. "You guys have a ship?"

"Well, we did… but we kinda got hit after passing the suns. Haha, the sky's really on fire today!"

"This is all the king's fire, right?!" Eel asked. "We saw a big ship over by the tower, but we didn't see where the fire was coming from."

"The king must be inside the tower. But he decided to sacrifice a huge sum of chi to cause this disaster. It's only natural he'd vent a bit of rage."

"Yeah, no kidding!" Ikuyim bounced on one foot with the left raised up, for a sudden fire spire burst from under it. "Even the ground's going crazy!"

"Solaria's surface is naturally flowing with Fire Chi, so it makes a nice conductor for his flames."

"Follow after me!" Ikuyim ran first. "I can feel weak points in the ground with my Seismic Sense!"

"Come on, Eed-Eed." Ynned lifted his friend and carried her. "We gotta survive long enough so this tower can pay us back."

"Yeah… thanks."

Ydolem ran to her mother's side. "Now I get two shadow ladies for the price of one? I'm really on a roll."

"Ydolem, I have something that can help." Ave pulled out a hand mirror. "Look into this."

"Oh?" Ydolem stared at her reflection curiously. "!" Two shadows swirled out of the mirror and merged with her own.

"That's a Shadow Catcher. Last year, your dad went to the Shadow Realm and found your brother's shadow, after he died. He lent it to me after we rescued Nollid, and I caught Ycrad's shadow after she died. They may be gone, but their shadows still want to help."

Ydolem grew slightly taller from the additional shadows. She stared at Ynnad and Ycrad's eyes alongside Hsa's. "Thank you…"

Sumas fired a charged beam, but the ladies split and Veiled. Ave helped suspend the cape over Ydolem as her daughter threw a Shade Fist barrage. Sumas evaded most, but took some hits, then tried to roll past their left and shoot Ave. They dodged, but Sumas switched on another barrier and threw spheres all around them. The ladies took some burns and part of the cape was destroyed. The shield disabled, Sumas rolling up, but Ave tossed the cape up, Veiled, and once Sumas got under the cape, Ave grabbed and tried to tug the ball in her Veil. Sumas unraveled, but was halfway in the ground as she tried to struggle. She tried to shoot the cape, but Ydolem took it back and dodged the blast.

She held what remained of the cape at a good angle, and her mom joined her as they seized Sumas in Shadow Possession. Both used the same finger motions on the cannon hand, and seemed to find the button to hold down and charge the lasers. Against Sumas' own will, she aimed the cannon at her stomach. The ladies bent their fingers, and Sumas blasted herself. She blew against the wall as her armor crumbled, the woman falling to hands and knees. Revealing her black ponytail and matching jumpsuit, Sumas pushed up and whipped out twin nun-chucks. "Sounds like you're asking for a dance."

Eel bent some malleable metal plates to spread back some flames, and when a comet soared down, Ikuyim sacrificed some gems to block it. The road ahead seemed wide, but Ikuyim led them in wavy directions to avoid the unstable parts. She could bend a bridge out to cross a small pit. A meteor came down and burst behind them, the friends flying forward with Ikuyim scraping her knees. Eel used bandages to patch the wounds, helping her walk. The next area would have smaller comets raining all around. Eel bent the already-burning metal up like an umbrella. Unsure of when the storm would end, the friends could only persevere forward. (End song.)

…

"AGH!" A bomb dropped on the king's head upon entering a new room. He had to start rearranging another Control Panel, all the while a scorched floor burned his feet. He emitted his own flames to resist it. He eventually found the room with the second key, but he had to solve a safe lock combination, all while a flamethrower burned down on his head. He held an ear close to the safe to listen for clicks, while keeping the flames blocked. He retrieved the second key. The floor of an upcoming set of rooms was covered in gasoline. He stepped through calmly, but a wrong panel set a spark and set the gas ablaze.

"Huff…huff…" The king wandered lost in the oven for two hours. Moving the rooms every which way and finding all kinds of wrong routes. "How did she have time… to make all this…" His hard skin was slowly covered in burns, but the fire in his heart pressed him to keep going. "Komugi…"

Why…why do I want to save her? If she died… then I would be the only champion of Gungi. Even the other champions must have had late superiors. I can't help if my opponents die before victory. …Except… after all this time… I had barely thought about Gungi.

After an eternity of wandering… endless thinking… After suffering purgatory…! He'd done it. He had all four keys. And he set the route to the top-center room of the tower. He could still feel that presence within. "Komugi…"

Meruem inserted the keys into their holes. He twisted them. But as he made to open the door… he was anticipating the worst.

Komugi was seated inside a large birdcage, moaning her usual sound. "H-hu? Who's there?"

"Komugi…"

"S…Supreme Leader!"

Opening the door caused the cage to lower via rope. It pressed a switch with a rainbow fire design. Holes opened in the wall: colored flames began to rise from each of them. "This really IS the Day Tower!" Meruem realized. "Then this is the Bask in the Rainbow challenge I've heard about." Ridley told him about such a challenge long ago, but Meruem had no interest back then. To think Atawid tried to use THIS to trap him! He cut Komugi's cage off the rope and pulled it off the switch…?! The switch was still pressed. "It was set to stay held down?!"

And worse, Komugi's cage didn't fit through the door. The flames grew bigger and began to fill the room, burning right against Meruem. He tried to resist them with his own bending, but to open Komugi's cage, he had to solve a complex code lock with a long combination. He listened for the clicks as he turned the dials, withstanding the heat and keeping it from reaching Komugi. Though she couldn't see, she could already feel the pain he must be going through. "My King! Please, leave! You can't torture yourself for me!"

"Silence! I must have you back… I must have you with me. So I can understand… why…"

"Your Majesty…" (Play "Tears of Life" from Pokémon: The First Movie (4Kids).)

The cage opened. Meruem pulled Komugi out, threw the cage back, and rushed down the corridors. He had to re-alter some of the Control Panels to shape the way back. He remembered all the correct inputs and simply did the inverse, and he remembered all the traps, either avoiding them or at least shielding Komugi from them. It took much faster to solve his way out of the maze than figuring it out the first time. "At last… the exit is just a few turns ahead! We just have to drop down this floor and-"

The first floor was completely covered in rainbow flames. A mechanism had redirected the flow of fire all the way down here. "Hur…you…" Meruem let Komugi stay behind and jumped down, shielding himself with gold. The density of the colorful flares merged with his shield, fought against his chi, and covered him. "It can't be… I can't be out of power already. Did you actually rely on me to cast that Solar Shower?! I should still have plenty left! I…! The fire's growing hotter? No… it's absorbing into me?! These are spirit flames! AGH!" He mustered more power in attempt to restrain the flames. "You had them directed down here… so I would be forced to Bask in the Rainbow?! I cannot lose… I cannot lose…I…AAAAAAAHHH!"

A stream of rainbow erupted from the entrance. "YOUR MAJESTY!" Xof cried.

As the flames continued to pour out, the golden embers covering the valley began to dissolve. The suns stopped flaring and shrank, turning the sky a dimmer, more relaxing hue. The ocean waves washed over the ruptured shore to cool the land.

Ave and Ydolem knocked Sumas out by combining Shade Fists, grabbing her legs, and whirling her around like nun-chucks before slamming her against the ground. The operatives limped their weary selves toward the tower. Seeing the ash-covered ground before the entrance, Atawid knew it was done. Xof was at a loss for words.

A rainbow glow shone from the entrance. King Meruem limped out… covered in colored flames. His dark eyes burned with insatiable passion. The DNK could do little but choke against their own failure… or so they thought.

Atawid approached him. She approached her opponent with an unfazed glare, as though this were exactly as she predicted. "Huff…huff…augh." Meruem clutched his chest. "Y…you… Why… did you have this… built?"

"About -4 years ago… I lost my friend to the Day Tower. She tried to Bask in the Rainbow, despite not being a firebender… and she died. Ever since, I've had nightmares. I couldn't get the vision out of my head. It was… my most foolish moment. That I just stood… and watched. And then I became irrational. I hated this tower with all my gut. So much that I wanted it out of sight. I wanted it hidden so well, no one could find it. Even if I didn't live on this planet, I wanted it. So, I went to court. I deemed this tower as a safety hazard to the casual explorer and highly misleading to non-firebenders. Even knowing it was technically Ennael's fault for being reckless, I made my point loud and clear. The court weighed in my favor when they realized something else: even firebenders who had passed the test would meet their ends.

"I convinced them to construct a complex maze using blueprints that I drew. That way, only the 'smartest' firebenders could receive Victini's Blessing. However, I was entrusted the keys to the maze, including the entrance which I already opened. I knew the way through, so I dragged Komugi through it and planted several additional traps, like that gasoline or the bombs."

"You had this built… out of simple hatred and grief?"

"What can I say? I can be very perceptive when I'm grieving. Having watched my own friend die so foolishly, I think I wanted compensation. I wanted this lesson to mean something. And partway through drawing the blueprints, I began to realize… this would make a really neat prank someday. In case there was a villain I needed to use it on. It was just a hunch."

"Cough…cough…" The king slumped on his knees.

"Still, elaborate contraption or not… this is still a sacred trial. Only worthy firebenders may benefit from it. According to legend, strong firebenders attempted the trial and survived the flames… but these Sacred Flames found their bodies unworthy. The flames burned them slowly, from the inside… and they died within a week's time."

"Huff…huff…" He could feel it… this fire within his skin… He could feel it eating away at him. "So… as soon as I entered this building… no… as soon as I entrusted Komugi to you… I already lost."

"I swear I didn't know this would happen!" Ydolem yelled. "I really wanted to bring her back! I-"

"Silence. It's because you didn't know… that you were a perfect pawn in her plan."

"I'm sorry… but… you were too dangerous to be kept alive." Atawid said. "You killed innocent people… and were a threat to the universe. You were a better man than I expected you to be… but that only made this easier."

"Mmm…" Meruem bowed. "For a long time… I never understood the purpose of my life. A king with no name… Subjects who used me for their own desires… who swore loyalty with no real fealty… I thought becoming the strongest was my goal. Then I desired to be the smartest. But even though I stand before you… a child who utterly outsmarted me… it is not the same."

Komugi felt her way out of the building. "S…Supreme Leader?" She stumbled to her knees upon exiting.

"Komugi…" Meruem approached and pulled her to her feet. "At this moment… there are three people I've never been able to beat. But of those three… there are feelings I have for you… that I don't quite understand."

"Feelings…?"

"When I first began playing Gungi… my only desire was to beat you. I thought… after I won… I would have no more use for you. But from the moment you were captured… not once have I thought of winning. My only wish was to have you back. And when you were back… when we were playing Gungi, again… I find myself hoping that I would never win. Or else… the one thing that brought me joy would disappear."

"Y…Y…Your Majesty! Sniff…" Tears and snot leaked, an expression that had been long ingrained in his mind. "I don't know… what to say. No one's ever… wanted me… like this…"

"Komugi… call me Meruem. In my final days… I want to hear that name as much as possible."

"Meru…em…" At last, her own wish had been fulfilled. "Wait… final days?"

"Komugi… there are things you must know about me."

And so, he told her the truth… about his identity, his crimes, and his punishment…

…

…

"Mmmm…a Chimera… Ant?" She felt around his torso. "Wow… I don't think I could've told you apart from a normal man. Always thought ants were smaller."

"But now you know… I'm a monster."

"Well… I don't see a monster. All I hear… is a person who's lonely… who wants someone to play with."

"Komugi…"

She put a hand around his head. "I'll make your final days… the happiest you've ever known."

They kissed. Even listening to his words, the DNK couldn't help but feel a tinge of disgust. Without context, this would seem pretty gross. But Atawid smiled… and Ikuyim shone with delight. They knew their love was true…

They released… and Meruem turned to them. "Xof… thank you for telling me my name."

"Nnn…y-yeah, well…" Xof sniffled. "I still don't forgive you for killing Yppep! Andross made me serve you just to spite me! I was scared every day of my life! You were so short-tempered, and…sniff…and I can't believe I'm gonna miss you! Your Majesty…"

"At ease, Xof. You have been a most loyal servant… and I'm grateful."

"Heh heh…" Atawid smirked. "In the end… I guess I was… the monster."

And with that, she collapsed. Too exhausted from the battle, from lack of sleep… she fell on the ground and snored away. Ynned lifted her up. "Ydolem… is there a place we can be alone?"

"Of course." Ydolem smiled.

"Oh, by the way," Ikuyim withdrew something from the cube, "we got this before coming here, too!"

"The Gungi board…" Meruem smiled.

DNKG

They rode the Tyrant up to DNKG H.Q.. The operatives were on immediate alert as the Emperor casually passed by. "IT'S THE ANT KING!"

"HE'S NOT EVEN CUFFED, WHAT THE HELL?!"

"Wait, he's got burns! Who fought him, none of them are firebenders!"

"Ikuyim!" Nerehc raised his sword at the king. "The heck are you thinking?!"

"No, please!" Ydolem said. "He won't harm us… I'm sure of it."

"Yeah, guys, it's fine, we promise!" Ikuyim cheered. "Um…by the way, Nerehc, the Negatar Dragon was brought up here, wasn't he?"

"Y-yeah. He… should be in the prison."

"You think you can bring him here?"

Nerehc did had some guards drag out the purple dragon, bound in chains. "Nngh…Y-Your Majesty!" Oryps gasped. "Y-You're here! Now we can burn these kids to-"

"It was him." Ikuyim pointed.

"'It was him' what?" Meruem asked.

"The one who took Komugi was him. That's what Atawid worked out."

"Oryps…" Meruem narrowed his gaze. "It was you?"

"Y-Your Highness… of course not! Why are you suddenly believing these kids' lies?"

"You were always impatient…" Meruem stepped forward. "You were always demanding me to step away from our game. Thinking you could give me orders."

"Y-You got it all wrong! S-Sire, it was all them! The DNK did it, they-" Meruem's tail punctured his neck. "Please… Your Majesty…ahhh…"

Oryps' head plopped on the floor. The operatives looked upon him with slight remorse.

Meruem and Komugi were led to the top office, a marvelous view of space around them. "You guys gonna behave up here?" Nerehc asked.

"I have no desire to antagonize you." Meruem said. "I only wish to spend my last days… with Komugi. So long as we have each other, and this Gungi board… I shall want for no more."

"Okay… So long, Your Majesty. I'll win this war, so your soul can rest in peace."

"Thank you…"

Meruem set the playing board up. First, he took a moment to look at the stars. "Komugi… sometimes, you are lucky. Your blindness removes you from so much pain… so much darkness in the universe. Without such darkness… you can even love someone like me."

"Yes… but I can't see beautiful things, either… like rainbows or sunlight."

"Rainbows and sunlight… aren't always so beautiful."

"Maybe… but you are… Meruem."

"Mmm…" He looked down at the Gungi board. "Then… let's play…"

…

"4-4-1, pawn."

"6-5-1, knight."

"2-7-2, new spy."

The war went on. As the days flew by, the DNK were still hard at work beneath them. And all the while, Meruem and Komugi played blissfully in the office.

"Komugi… are you tired?"

"I can play… one more, Meruem. 4-5-1, lieutenant general."

Though they weren't quite undisturbed. Naturally, Xof would come up every few hours to serve them food. Ydolem and Ikuyim came to check up on them, but Atawid was still unconscious.

"That's checkmate." Meruem said. "Komugi… I…cough…" His heart felt inflamed, clutching his chest.

"Do you need a refill, Meruem?"

"Yes…" Right on time, Ikuyim brought Meruem a glass of cold water, taking his empty one. Meruem drank. "Are you tired, Komugi?"

"No, let's play another one! The loser goes first."

"Komugi…"

"Yes?"

"After all this time… I never defeated you."

"So, what? We've just gotten started."

"Yes… 1-5-1, marshal."

"9-5-1, marshal."

"Are you sure you're not tired, Komugi?"

"Of course not. It's your turn, Meruem."

"I'm a little tired… I think I need to… lie down… Will you lie with me?"

"Yes…" The room's lights were off. The stars glittered beautifully above them. Komugi crawled to join him on the floor. "Like… this?"

"Oh…Komugi…" He embraced her.

"Meruem… you're so warm…"

"It's… not too hot, right?"

"No… it's just warm…"

"Mmmmm…" The fire inside him grew. "Komugi…"

"Meruem… my king…"

"Komugi… stay with me… until the end…"

"I will… Meruem…"

The sun was glorious on -28 Yraurbef. It shone a lovely hue of gold on the top floor. Nerehc, Ikuyim, Ydolem, Ztar Xof, and the other Arim heroes rode up that morning. The sun glittered their tears like precious gemstones.

King Meruem was emblazoned with rainbow flares. He stood tall and proud… and his queen's blind irises basked in his warmth. "Xof… DNK… Tell my crewmen… thank you… for bringing me into this world. Thanks to them… I was able to find it…"

He reached for the golden sun that illuminated him. "My flame… of love…"

And with a final, soft flash of gold… the Ant King, Emperor of the Meta-Beast Pirates… turned to ash. Floating peacefully under the warm light. "Good-bye… Meruem…" Komugi put a hand to her belly. The ash tickled her fur. Though his shell had molted… he would be with her… always…

…

"Wait, we never found Miss Hpot!" Ydolem realized. "Let's go ask Sumas where she is!"

…

"Nnnnuh…where am I?"

Hpot woke up on a heart-shaped bed, wrists chained to the corners. "Ugh…dammit, Sumas."