Chapter 45 - Warriors of Justice

Villainia was a planet-sized paradise for pirates and villains alike. It was naturally flowing with Bang Gas, causing a majority of the population to be born with some metahuman ability, along with the usual element bending. But such a super-powered society paved way for crime and wild activity. While governments worked to capture and detain the outlaws, it was an endless struggle.

A certain country suffered a great flood thanks to a powerful waterbender, leaving only the higher pieces of land to make towns on. Those towns were wood and built like classic ships to further capture the spirit of piracy. Ufatusum was one such town: it was the territory of the Awful Underdog Pirates (or A.U. Crew for short). The crew was composed of teenagers and divided into several divisions, each about as big as school classrooms.

"Shishishishi!" laughed Uked, the captain of Division A-1. He was a blackish-green-haired boy in a traditional black hat and coat. "What a fine day it is, maties! Where shall the winds take us?"

"C-C-C-Captain!" stuttered Lizzy, a chameleon girl with bulbous eyes that twisted every direction. "I-I-I see a navy ship!"

"Oi, they look like another band o' rookies!" said Urweighty, a chubby brown-haired girl staring through a telescope. "And they're 'eaded right for us!"

"Lookin' to pick a fight with us, eh? Then let's show 'em who owns these waters!"

"We're going to fight them?!" exclaimed Ogukab the Pushover, a timid-looking boy with light-blonde spike hair. "B-But look at that logo! That's one of Silver-Foot Eniram's ships! And I have 'Must not fight Admiral Eniram' sickness."

"They can't be much tougher than us, mates, they're only rookies!" Uked said. "Let's sink that fancy old ship of theirs!"

But they weren't ordinary navy rookies: they were Sectors -V and -W7. "I guess this'll kill any chance of setting a DNK up on this planet." Asia said.

"Man, Sheila's gonna kill me for doin' this." Aliehs said. "She'd go crazy over this place."

"She'll rest well knowing it's a means to an end." Arorua replied. "Let's get this over with.

The ships sailed beside each other for a good, honorable swing-across-and-duel. Of course, if you don't know your U.A. kids and can't recognize the Negatives, don't worry 'cause they probably won't be relevant after this.

Arorua battled Uked, who had rubbery stretching powers to enhance his attacks. Arorua's swords were capable of cutting his rubber.

Sirhc battled Shiroyami, a lightbending chicken mutant. They had knocked each other off the ships and wound up in a lot of comical incidents in the midst of their fight, but that requires a whole other session.

Aliehs had trouble chasing the crafty, evasive Lizzy, who landed several strong hits with her tongue whip.

Urot the Over-Visible Girl was bright gray and projected an aura that just tempted people to look at her. Asia was getting frustrated looking at her, so she struck her with furious airbending.

Otohs was a peculiar double-bender of Steam and Coal, who lured Yenmihc into his relaxing bathhouse to attack her with both elements. The foggy fumes of her poisonbending ruined his sauna, however.

Pushover had the power to thrust his palms and emit a repelling wave. Ahcom whined as she struggled to get close to him, but realized she could thrust her own palms and counter the repelling with her Gentle Fists. Once she got close, her natural chi-blocking techniques won the battle.

Cherry Juice was an impish boy who loved bigger, stronger boys, so he was excited to battle Eitra. His dark-red hair could drop cherry bombs to blow down Eitra's hamsters with small bursts, but Eitra gave him a royal pounding in the end (much to Cherry's delight).

Inkjet was a blonde boy who could secrete and bend ink, using it to combat Nosam's tearbending. "I fight for all the brave men of Ufatusum!" Inkjet cried. "I fight for Lorac's honor!" Nosam returned. His stronger emotions overcame the ink boy.

Urweighty increased Lirpa's weight with each attack, remarking that she should work out. Lirpa mustered the will to stand, thrust herself at Urweighty, and pin her down beneath her own weight, crushing her unconscious.

Nostril Pump was a dorkish girl with tubes in her nose. She attached them to Akurah's nose to pump her full of nasal spray, but Akurah countered by pumping her own Poison Chi through and sickening Nostril.

Omom was a hungry girl who could eat any object and take on its properties before being forced to eject it. She did this with a cannon to blast ammo at Eelyah, who dodged and chucked cement blocks. Omom simply ate the cement, but when she morphed her arms into the substance, Eelyah was able to bend her into submission.

Adok was a strange-headed soundbender who could mimic animal noises and enforce the noise into a target's ears. He tried this with Eirik, but she mimicked his technique at an even worse noise.

Aynet had horse legs and carried a wagon at his back, using it to carry Anim, a Harnitan girl who could secrete glue. He challenged Yrrah and Sipa to a race across a half-submerged highway, the former using a race-kart. Sipa used magic to counter Anim's glue traps and sent nasty spell traps of her own.

Stringliner could launch strings from his body to bind opponents. He was unable to catch the tiny Ahcniea, who threw small needles into parts of his body to prevent his strings from coming out. She then made it onto his head to "hack" his brain and force Stringliner to beat himself.

There were a few other crewmen onboard, but they're irrelevant and were defeated as well!

The navy troops onboard the operatives' vessel proceeded to chain and imprison the juvenile pirates. Smooth Etep, a thin robot lieutenant, addressed the ops. "Marvelous work, DNK! You handled them better than I would've expected. But there are plenty more like them on these waters. We can't rest 'til we bag every last pirate in these waters!"

"Aye-aye, sir." Arorua replied in sarcasm. As the ops headed to their resting lounge, they shared glares of guilt and frustration.

Two days ago

Aliehs was called to come to her home in Rojotown. Knowing the occasion, her teammates agreed to come with her. Her mother, Admiral Eniram was there for a visit. A squad of troops, including the fat robot, Commodore Gals, accompanied her. "Well, if it ain't the wannabe hero of the navy." Aliehs folded her arms. "Ya need something, Mum?"

"Your tongue has gotten sharper, I see." Eniram stated. "I'm sure you can guess why I called you here."

"If you were goin' to abduct me into your justice charade, you shoulda just been straight and invaded our treehouse."

"I'd rather have tested your sense of duty and compelled you to come here. And I expected these brats of yours to be on your tail."

"If you were gonna abduct her, ya might as well take the whole load!" Eirik sneered.

"I don't suppose you have news about our other kidnapped sectors?" Arorua inquired.

Eniram sighed. "I'm sorry to say the Black Lotus lost Sectors -L and the others to the Meta-Beasts. Nega-SA and the group harboring the Goddaughter seem to remain in the Mushroom Mafia's custody."

"That isn't nearly as bad as what happened to Lorac!" Nosam yelled. "WHAT'VE YOU DONE WITH HER?!"

"I don't know anything about that! Regardless, the Fleet Admiral believes that a war with the Three Emperors is just over the horizon, and your organization is already swept up in it. I've no doubt you lot are planning to get yourselves into trouble over this, so I'd rather take the initiative. So, buckle up, because you're joining the navy!"

"You might wanna run that by ME first!"

Nerehc Onu, in his Fierce Deity robe, sent a slash of white flames, which the raccoon admiral countered with a streak of silver light from her heeled boots. Nerehc flew and clashed his looped sword against Eniram's heels. "You navy chumps egged us on long enough! I demand an audience with your Fleet Admiral!"

"How dare you attack the admiral!" Gals yelled, raising his large sword at the boy.

"Stand down, Gals!" Eniram ordered. "Supreme Leader Nerehc… I understand your frustration, but the Fleet Admiral can't just meet with anybody."

"I think I'm infamous enough that he would wanna meet me. But I ain't letting you take any more of my operatives until I do. Try to take 'em and you'll regret it."

"Hmph. Very well… allow us to send a call."

Eniram returned to her base in town and sent the message to headquarters. After over an hour, the strict-toned admiral returned. "Well… it seems the Fleet Admiral will accept your audience… if your operatives could aid us in one last mission."

"You're seriously pushing my buttons!" Nerehc grit his teeth.

"Calm down, bro." Arorua said. "What is it he wants?"

"Have you ever heard of Villainia?"

"The pirate planet?" Aliehs asked. "Heh, I might've 'eard of it."

"Pirates and other scoundrels, the like. There's a certain region on Villainia the Admiral wants conquered. All kinds of adult and juvenile pirates roam those waters without a care, and we fear it's only a matter of time before the Emperors set sights on them. The Meta-Beasts most likely. Of course, the rest of that world is in just as much danger. But I've been told if your lot can help us capture those pirates and take over that sea, the Admiral will gladly meet with you."

"Hmm…give us some time to discuss this."

Nerehc brought Nega-V to Moonbase and decided to summon his girlfriend's sector as well. "You want us to become navy dogs?!" Sipa asked.

"The navy's going to keep harassing us. Sooner or later, we'll be going to war with them along with the pirates. I'll have Emorej keep other DNKs up-to-date in case they need to rescue you, but I would like to get to know my enemy a bit better."

"Can't we make Ururu's sector do this?!" Lirpa shouted. "I was NOT feeling up for this today!"

"I'd like to keep Nega-JP around for a different matter."

"It's fine." replied Asia, Nega-W7's leader. The black-winged, street-clothed Nimbi bore a confident, strict, and dedicated glare. "Beating up pirates sounds like a fun way to vent some anger, don't you guys think?"

"At least we'll be on water." Yenmihc shrugged. "Let's get to it, I guess."

"I hope we'll be able to help, Nerehc." Sipa smiled.

Present time

"Workin' for the legendary Silver Foot." Yenmihc said, grabbing a soda from the fridge. "Must be a thrill, huh, Aliehs?"

"Yo, Yenmihc, toss me one, too." Akurah requested. Yenmihc got another soda and tossed her one.

"Don't even joke about it." Aliehs stated, eating some chips. "Mom's almost never home, and when she is, she's a slave-driver. Plus, she's so annoyingly loyal to the navy it makes me sick."

"I can imagine." Lirpa replied as Ahcniea helped treat a blister on her toe.

Eelyah peeked outside. Some soldiers were escorting the cuffed A.U. Crew away. "Eelyah feel bad for Eh-yoo Kids."

"They're probably gonna be taken to Tnacsuroc." Asia replied, approaching the Neanderthal. "This whole thing is a clean-up operation in the end."

"It better work out or there'll be some hell to pay." Eirik stated, twisting a finger in her ear as she could still feel the buggish sounds inside. "By the way, Acne."

"It's Ahcniea, Ear-wreck!"

"What was that thing you were doin' with those kids after we KO'ed 'em?"

Indeed, Ahcniea had stuck her needles into each of A.U.'s brains and seemed to work her usual craft. "Oh, that!" She smiled mischievously. "I was just testing something."

"Testing what?" Lirpa asked.

"A special new support technique. In fact, I was going to ask if I could tweak your brains just a tad. Sirhc, would you like to go first?"

"Uh, n-no thanks." Sirhc backed up from the approaching tiny. "I like my brain—AH!" Sipa cast the Jelly-Legs Curse to make him fall over.

"He's all yours, Ahcniea!" The witch pinned him down.

"No no! Aaaahhhh!"

Dream Realm (Play "Deep in the Caves" from Rayman.)

Lorac, Leic, and Atuy rode the latter's motorcycle through the cavernous expanse. The vacant tunnels of dark sand seemed to stretch on like an endless limbo, the whirring of the bike's engine livening the dead silence. "If we still can't wake up," Atuy said, "I guess Ydnam managed to keep control of her dream."

"I still don't really think we're in her dream, anymore." Lorac replied.

"Why not? Look at all this sand, this has to be beneath the Sand Sea."

"It just feels different."

"Where are we even headed? You say you hear voices, but all I hear is my engine."

"Just keep going."

Turning several wide corners within the cave, they saw what appeared to be a darker tunnel deep within. They approached it, and realized it was an exit to a sandstorm, a dark-blue sky looming over a desert of darker sand. The teens braved the storm and drove forth in the hopes of finding a way out. Eerie moaning reached their ears, and through the sand, they could make out faint cyan lights moving. "AAAH!" They nearly drove into a huge sand monster, but Atuy quickly maneuvered around. The cyclops was limping around without much interest in them, and around them were numerous other cyclops with various alien shapes.

"What are these things?" Leic asked. "They're giving off a spiritual presence. Almost like…" The angel approached one of the creatures and used his sword to cut through its sand.

The sand dissolved and unveiled a bushy-black-haired gym coach with a well-toned body. "Oh…hey…" He looked at them with dull black eyes. He spoke Japanese, but Atuy could understand him. "You kids look broke… I guess the Phantom Thieves got to you, too."

"Ph-Phantom Thieves?!" Lorac exclaimed.

"Who are you, Mister?" Leic asked.

"Kamoshida… used to be an Olympic medalist… and a real asshole. The Phantom Thieves took that part of me away… now I'm just trying to atone for what I did."

"Wait, who are they? These Phantom Thieves?"

"A couple of brats… it don't matter…"

"Are all these other people victims of them?"

"Yep… though some of them are… a lot older than we are… Stay in school, kids…" The sand monster formed back around Kamoshida and he resumed wandering.

"This place is… the Valley of Lost Dreams." Lorac knew. The fleet-footed thief ran further, her friends following. There were skinnier sand monsters lain dead. Lorac brushed one of them off, unveiling some British guy in a wig. "I recognize this guy from our family records. He was a corrupt governor who received the Phantom Thief treatment as well. That was about two centuries ago."

"That's why this doesn't feel like a real soul. More like a shadow." Leic said, bending over him. "The real one must be in the Spirit World. Did you know that when people die, their dreamscapes get moved up to Spirit World?"

"That may be… but I think these peoples' dreams crumbled before that could happen."

"You're starting to creep me out with all this talk." Atuy said. "Who even ARE you kids?"

"Why, they're destroyers of dreams their selves."

A voice guided their gaze to a golden object across the valley. Lorac ran for it, Leic gesturing her to wait up. The object surrounded by several gazing cyclops was a wooden cane of a certain shape. "The Nosretsam Cane…" Lorac approached her family relic…!

The sand around it stirred and rose, Lorac stepping back. It shaped into a giant owl with glimmering, glaring orange eyes. "I had a feeling you would fall down here someday…"

"Clockwerk…" Lorac glared.

"That's Clockwerk?!" Leic exclaimed. "He was trapped down here?!"

"Indeed… I thought there was something unnatural about that shabby little cane." Clockwerk spread his wings imposingly. "It was a magical relic that lets you directly invade a person's dreamscape. From there, you steal their very soul and leave their dreams and bodies to crumble."

"The Art of the Phantom Thief is meant to steal your desires, but it can take souls just the same. I didn't really have time to take your desires the proper way."

"But my fate remains the same either way. This realm is where dreams fall when the people have given up on them. For more reasons than just the Phantom Thieves… but I like to think your art contributed."

"That's why I refrain from using it. Even for villains… robbing someone of their desires is too sad of a fate. A fate that no one deserves."

"Surely, you DNK have killed your fair share of enemies. Those too dangerous to just let live. Even your ancestors tried to kill me. Do you honestly believe death is a more merciful fate than a life of apathy and monotony?"

"Er…" Lorac couldn't deny he had a point. "I don't know if it is… but stealing someone's desires is no different from brainwashing."

"No different from what Ydnam does." Atuy argued. "You know, I feel like there aren't really as many dreamscapes as there should be under her rule. I get the feeling several dreams of ordinary citizens already crumbled. Now they're just floating through life in forced happiness, having lost any aspirations they had. Those people are probably here, too."

"The Golden Dreamer? I've heard of her. And if that's what she's done, why not do the same to her, Nosretsam? Take her desires."

"Even if I wanted to… the Nosretsam Cane has a limit to how much it can hold. I'd have to take the desires into my own dream, and they might wind up corrupting me."

"But would it be effective in beating Ydnam?" Atuy asked.

"Hey, be a little more considerate!" Leic scolded.

"Frankly, I don't care if she dies, becomes a zombie, or whatever. She needs to be stopped."

Lorac bowed her head. One of the DNK's core principles was not to kill unless there was no other choice, so for the likes of the Four Emperors, stealing their desires seemed like a great alternative. "Even so… I can't pull it off unless I get in direct contact with the target, so by then, we'd have to beat Ydnam down, anyway. And before that… we need to wake up and escape from her clutches."

"Which begs the question of how we get out of here."

"I can fly, but I sure can't push up through that sand." Leic said.

"Then it seems you'll be trapped down here with me forever~"

"We'll find a way out! Just watch us!" Lorac balled her fist determinedly.

"Go ahead. The Pirate Emperors will crush you either way. I hope I'll be able to witness that. Still, they don't make them like they used to. I wonder if my old friend is still around."

"Your old friend?" Leic asked.

"The one who designed my metallic body while my dying form lay frozen. A pirate who has since become legend…" (End song.)

Villainia

Nega-V and -W7 watched as two flagships sailed toward them: Admiral Eniram was posed on her keel and a young, tan-skinned boy, Admiral Uub, was perched on his. The two admirals jumped down to the operatives. "You did well, Aliehs. But the battle's not over. There are plenty more strong pirates on these waters. Admiral Uub will be joining us in the mission."

"Another admiral?" Sirhc said. "He doesn't look much older than us."

"You couldn't be more wrong. Admiral Uub is a 5,000 year old mage."

"WHAT?!?"

"I am of the Najin race." Uub said. "Though we possess magic, we cannot hold wands. We train our bodies and minds to focus the Magic Chi as we please. And through intense meditation, we've learned to halt the aging process."

"A Najin?" Sipa perked up. "But I heard your race only stays secluded to their Sky Island."

"I was personally sought and recruited by the Fleet Admiral for my exceptional talent. Defeating the evil-doers of the universe seemed like a fair bargain. Which is why… I reject the likes of you!"

Uub flicked his finger, casting a spell that straightened Sipa stuff. "H-hey! What's w'th you?" she asked through grit teeth.

"My kind detests you dark mages." Uub marched forth to take her wand. "I can smell your sinful soul from-"

Lirpa blocked his arm with her foot. "No one bothers our friends but us."

"Yeah." Arorua raised a blade at him. "That's our brother's girlfriend, so back off."

"Put those down at once!" Eniram ordered. "You'll show better respect to him!"

"My Lady!" called Commodore Gals. "Two elite vessels to the port-bow!"

The admirals turned. One of the ships was alit with white, frosted flames, where a very thin pirate captain with a snowflake head crest waited on the keel. "Captain Shivers." Eniram said. "One of the strongest men on this sea. And those other colors belong to Mt. Pebble. Uub, let's take care of this first."

"Aye-aye." Uub shot a glare to the kids. "You know what an Animagus is, right, kids? When a wizard embraces the traits of a certain animal, they can attain a perfect Transfiguration spell and become that animal. Well, my races uses a more advanced version."

Uub jumped off the ship, and transformed into the five-headed white elephant, Airavata. The kids were gawking as the mythical beast stormed through the water and bombarded Captain Shivers' ship with water. The frosty pirate unleashed a terrible blizzard, but Uub endured the cold and slammed his five trunks against his ship.

Eniram grinded across her streaks of silver light and landed on Mt. Pebble's ship. She swiftly KO'ed the pirates onboard, but couldn't find any sight of—"AAH!" she was slammed to the deck. Eniram hopped up and jumped around, and she could barely notice the pebble-sized pirate zipping around. Eniram chased and tried to crush the woman, but Mt. Pebble kept dodging in the arches of Eniram's boots.

"HEY!" yelled Vice-Admiral Mada, his volcano-y head boiling. "Heads up, you brats! Another ship full o' brats is comin'!"

The operatives turned to starboard: the ship in question belonged to Division 1-B of the A.U. Crew. "More of them, eh?" Aliehs said.

"Let's break some more heads!" Eirik cracked her knuckles.

Now, if you don't know the Positive 1-B kids, you are SCREWED—not really, I'm only gonna make Negatives for my favorites. Okonik was a girl who could make crystals grow on targets and give people a drugged sensation. Akurah countered this effect with her bending and used this technique against her. Odnek could enlarge her feet and enhance her kicks, but she still wasn't a match for Lirpa's strong legs. Donkey was a blonde girl with a donkey face, who could control horseshoes in the air. She attempted to capture Ahcniea, but after winding up a victim to the Lilliputian's whims, she was forced to kick some of her allies.

Arabi was a Ganonist girl with a pine-cone head, who shot spiky pines at Sipa. Unfortunately, Sipa was still paralyzed from Uub's spell, so Sirhc protected her in his Armordillo while still fighting his own foe, Odnob, who tried to make Sirhc steer out of control with his slippery grease. Eventually, Sipa recovered from the spell, then she whipped up a curse to make Arabi's insides just as spiky, giving her cramps.

Meanwhile, Uub was eventually able to crush Captain Shivers. Eniram used lightspeed to catch up with Mt. Pebble and quite literally crush her. Once the admirals had finished, they returned to address the kids. "That's three more crews down and out!" Eniram smiled. "I'm proud of you, kids!"

"Peh." Aliehs spat. Eniram frowned at her daughter.

"Don't you show that kinda 'tude, kiddo!" Vice-Admiral Mada stomped directly to Aliehs. "In this biz, you'd be scrubbin' all the decks in our fleet! Same goes to the two of you!" He pointed at Arorua and Lirpa.

"Indeed. A dark mage has no place in our fleet." Uub stated. "I demand you hand over your wand. And if you agree to purify your style of magic, I'll consider giving you a replacement wand."

"Sorry, but dark magic is what I grew up with." Sipa stated. "It's the most efficient way I can fight. But I don't follow Ganon or the evil demons, anymore. I use my magic to fight evil the same as you."

"The weakness in your tone says otherwise."

"She did eat my rabbit." Yenmihc mentioned.

"You said I could!"

"I know, but even though you toned down, you haven't completely changed. You still play your share of 'pranks.'"

"Grrrr…" Sipa grit her teeth. "Well, this was how I was raised, okay?! I'm trying to be better, but I still want to feel some form of pride in myself! What if I need to undo evil curses, huh?! Dabbling in dark magic is a good way to learn about them!"

"The words of a misguided mage. But this is why I left my homeland… to bring the truth to such fools."

"Yeah?! Well, when's the truth gonna come out that you navy jerks take bribes from criminals and bully your citizens?!"

"Ghh…" Uub bit his teeth.

"Your magic might be 'purer,' but it's no different from mine!" Sipa stomped into the ship's cabin.

"GET BACK HERE, YOU!" Mada fumed.

"At ease, Mada." Eniram stated. "We'll include this in our report to the Fleet Admiral."

"Yeah, the IMAGINARY Fleet Admiral." Aliehs eye-rolled.

"Speaking of darkness, Aliehs, I'd like a word with you, too."

"Well, maties, it's time for 'the talk.'" Aliehs expressed and shrugged her arms like a sarcastic teenager.

Aliehs followed her mother up to the deck of her flagship. "Look, Aliehs… I know you're tired of hearing the same dribble, but the truth is… I'm proud of the work you've done for the DNK. Your help in stopping the Little Dads, and that interdimensional invasion last year… Despite your attitude, you've done great things. The navy could really use you and your friends."

"Sure, we'd love to help you bully innocent people and cover up crimes."

"That's my point, Aliehs. The navy…nnnhh!" Eniram slumped over, clutching her head.

"Mum?"

"Th…the navy is just in all they do." Eniram narrowed her eyes, depicting the navy's symbol. "Someday, you'll understand."

"…Mom, are you okay?"

"I'm just fine." Eniram straightened up. "Under the Fleet Admiral's command, the navy has established a new order of justice. It would be great if you could 'assist' in our justice."

"…" Aliehs stared at her mother knowingly. "Why does the Fleet Admiral want to meet Nerehc?"

"He didn't 'want' to, I'm sure he's merely considering it. But if I could wager a guess, he's thinking of asking Nerehc to 'join' him."

"Uh…huh."

"Admiral!" Gals called. "We've got a lead on another juvenile crew!"

"Then you have work to do, Aliehs. We'll talk again later."

"Yeah…" Aliehs returned to her ship.

As the operatives made sail, Aliehs met with Ahcniea in the bathroom, holding the doctor as she recapped the convo in a stall. "Hmm…so, there really might be brainwashing involved." Ahcniea thought aloud. "You think your mom might let me poke at her brain?"

"Even if she would, what if her 'brainwashing' has some kind of security thingy?"

"But if I could just study it, it would really help. Either way… this Fleet Admiral doesn't sound like a nice guy. And I should know!"

"Yeah… serves my mom right for being such a justice nut." Aliehs glared and glanced away.

"…" Even Ahcniea felt slight pity for her.

The venture stretched on to the next day as they aided the navy in clearing the sea of crooks. One of the most dangerous juveniles was "Oblivion" Oirim, who could make targets vanish into the void. He caused the operatives' ship to crash in the middle of the night, for they rammed into a jagged rock that had spawned back into existence. Oirim invaded the ship and made most of the sleepy operatives disappear, but Aliehs managed to fight and defeat the villain, allowing her friends to respawn. Yrrah and some shipwrights fixed the vessel by morning.

Following this, the villain "Moonvomit" was a boy who could transform objects into living things, mustering his power to change a submerged building into an octopus. Arorua sliced the octo's tentacles, then had to chase Moonvomit into a floating harbor town. Moonvomit was evasive as he turned numerous objects into animals, confusing Arorua amongst them. Eitra decided to join her, using his hamsters to fight through the animals and eventually track Moonvomit down. He turned Arorua's sword into a snake as it gnashed at her face, but a hamster jumped in defense. Arorua flicked the snake like a whip to drop the hamster, then gnashed it at Moonvomit.

The admirals searched for and captured other supervillains on the sea, and before long, the operatives defeated the rest of the pirates. However, there was still one villain left.

Swooping in with a pair of falcon wings, he was a manic supervillain known as Fawkes. The DNK were awestruck as Fawkes was slurping a cyclone up from the sea, along with ship debris, into a small-looking vacuum cleaner. "MWA HA HA HA! I'VE DONE IT! I'VE CREATED A VACUUM THAT SUCKS THE FABRIC OF REALITY!"

The powerful vacuum threatened to slurp their vessel, but Asia mustered the peak of her airbending to counter its succulation. Asia flew at Fawkes (based off a YouTuber) and soared circles around him, throwing kicks wherever there was an opening. Fawkes blasted masses of debris, some injuring Asia as blood dripped and her clothes tore. Asia had to resort to using Storm Bird Fury, her black wings seeming to stretch with the wind around them. She bent the vacuum's fierce wind against Fawkes, causing the vacuum to suck itself up and explode.

The injured Fawkes was recovered by the navy, who also picked up the injured Asia. To thank the DNK for their bravery, the soldiers offered to treat Asia personally. …But first, Lirpa ran up to the defeated Fawkes and grabbed his neck, getting up to his face as she hissed, "'Guess you shouldn't have Fawked with us."

Ahcniea slipped out of Lirpa's shirt and into Fawkes'.

The DNK would wait around for one more day, enjoying a good meal and relieving their stress. Sipa would stay onboard Admiral Uub's ship, watching as the Najin fed Asia medicinal herbs, along with healing spells to speed up the recovery. "I promise your friend is safe in my hands." Uub assured. "Safer than she'd be in yours."

"As if. The people who act as pure as you are the most suspicious of all. So, you'd better not do anything to my friend."

"You don't have to worry about that… not yet…"

"What do you mean by that?"

"Just be on your best behavior… and on your guard…"

"…" Sipa figured he was a victim of it, too.

By the next day, the navy began to build radio towers over the towns. A gang of high-schoolers called the Tax Collectors arrived to bully the citizens into paying the initial Protection Fee. The leader of the Taxers was Two-Face; there was a hunched boy named Spine, a carriage-riding girl named Maiden, a girl in a jackal suit with an apt alias, a blind karate girl named Nightwatch—they're the Negative Phantom Thieves, figure the rest out.

"You kids have done a fine job." Eniram smiled. "In fact… I have some good news. The Fleet Admiral has agreed to meet with your leader, and you've all been invited as well."

"The Admiral… wants to meet all of us?" Sirhc asked nervously.

"Yes. We'll be leaving in an hour, so you'd best dress nicely. And come with an appetite~"

"We'll dress as we always are." Lirpa remarked.

"I LIKE BRAINS!" yelled the "Ahcniea" in Yenmihc's blouse.

"What do you think, Arorua?" Eirik asked.

"We better be on guard. I'm sure Nerehc will try to have backup ready. I'm mostly worried how we're gonna regroup with Ahcniea. I hope she knows what she's doing."

…

Meanwhile, Vice-Admiral Mada had been using his lavabending to create more islands and make land for more homes. However, a certain time of the month had come for Mada: his men went an fetched Anneis Nahk, a cute, tan-skinned tiger Faunus in a white dress. Though she was timid, she acted happy to be Mada's next sacrifice. The bull Faunus morphed into a lava monster and ate Anneis alive.

Mada's lavebending stemmed from the Human-Human Fruit, Model: Cherufe. It was made from a lava spirit that would cause volcanic eruptions, unless it were fed virginial maidens. Ever since eating the fruit five months ago, Mada required such a maiden every month to maintain control of himself.

Tnacsuroc

The DNK rode with the admirals to Jargenford, the Navy H.Q.. Though it bore the high-tech architecture natural to the planet, it was painted with sailor's white and indigo colors. The canals in this city possessed saltwater, the scent of sea wafting over the kids. A band was playing a chorus of classic drums and flutes, like those at an old British base.

Nerehc Onu, Nega-V, and -W7 rode a parade-like platform to the stairs of the base, troops marching on either side in unison. Once at the stairs, the ops traveled up to the base's pavilion, a vast training ground. Many high-ranking officers appeared to be present and socializing. Eniram went to address Rear-Admiral Reknoc, a kid-sized, middle-aged Moebian squirrel. "So, how goes things on Toadstool, Reknoc?"

"No suspicious activity goin' on, Madame Silver, nothin' but the norm!"

"I see… very good." Eniram walked away with a knowing frown. Reknoc bowed his head in shame.

Reknoc had followed the Separate Proprietors, Trombo-Ocarina down to Toadstool to investigate them, meeting up with their favorite business partner, Yeknod Gnok. "'ey, Mister Reknoc, old buddy old pal." Yeknod put a hand over his old acquaintance. "You won't tell anybody we was here, will ya?"

"We just here for a drink, uck-kuk-kuk," Trombo babbled drunkily, "care to join us?"

"We've got booze and a nice, juicy wad of gems just for you!" Ocarina smiled.

A voice in Reknoc's head told him to accept. "Sigh…sure, you old codgers."

The DNK were allowed to explore the grounds for a short time with Smooth Etep, Gals' right-hand mate, as their escort. Etep pointed out the many officers: Vice-Admiral Ade the Robin Lady was a mage from Netheria, with flawless white skin, a nun's dress, and grey hair underneath. She was with her apprentice, Zul, a Hispanic human girl. Uub seemed to briefly talk with the mages, as they were part of his division, and they shot dirty looks at Sipa, the dark mage blowing a raspberry.

Admiral Avlis Kcydloz looked muscular and stern in his uniform, his hair trimmed into the traditional, flat-topped military style. "Admiral Avlis, sir!" His son, Lieutenant Ikullim ran up with a salute. "Aullik is surfing the canals again!"

"Why you crying to me, Ikullim?! Dive down there and stop that little shit!"

"SIR, AS YOU SAY, SIR!" Ikullim sped off.

"And if your sister seizes him first, it's a thousand whoopins!!"

Aullik was a shirtless and barefoot boy with soggy white hair covering his eyes, wearing a pair of large trunks with ocean and fish designs. As he surfed the canals with ease, washing over several soldiers on boats, his little sister raced after him on a hoverboard. "You're embarrassing Dad, Aullik! Get back here!" Akulla demanded. She had black hair in pigtails and a black karate uniform. Aullik brushed waves back at her, but her Fishman Karate style cut through the waves.

Meanwhile, Ikullim raced across town on a skateboard and got to a slanted building. He zoomed straight down and readied a football: using his Throw-Throw Fruit, he could see the football's trajectory line and manipulate it. The distance would depend on his momentum, but Aullik was close enough in range. Sliding down the slope built up speed, and with a sudden stop, he threw the football. It swerved around the air as he intended, the hair-faced surfer too dim to predict it. It got behind Aullik, impacted him, and the ball finished its throw by returning straight to Ikullim. The older brother grabbed and slammed Aullik to the ground.

The siblings returned to their father with their shabby-looking brother in a daze. "That's more like it, Ikullim! And Akulla, you couldn't do better than that?! Looks like YOU'RE getting the thousand whoopins!"

"AIEEEEEEE!" Akulla ran in fear, but her father used the power of his Whoop-Whoop Fruit to conjure large Whoopie Cushions. He threw dozens at his daughter, bursting and punishing her with fart-like combustion.

The DNK feared they had just witnessed a moment they shouldn't have. "Er, let's move on!" Smooth Etep encouraged. He showed them to Vice-Admiral Dump, a Y-Naut alien who managed the base on Toadstool's moon: his blue helmet had horns, he wore a white cape, and a brown jagged scarf. Vice-Admiral Raaxul was a Clublion alien, who managed the base on Planet Arim.

"Hey, it's Itaav!" Nerehc saw the Black Lotus leader talking with Raaxul, running to the white-caped Minish. "Itaav!"

"Nerehc! It's… good to see-"

"So, what happened on Arim?! What happened to Ikuyim's team?!"

"They were captured by the pirates! We tried to fight them, but we were ordered to retreat after a while."

"Ugh, I should've known. The Fleet Admiral has a ton to answer to, I tell you-"

"Nerehc, please!" Itaav hissed. "I'm sure the Fleet Admiral will hear you out, but you must be respectful. And no matter what… keep your head on straight."

Prisoners' Redemption Facility

The supervillain Fawkes was strapped to a machine. A skinny robot with a large cranium and eerie big eyes very softly cut around his forehead and peeled the flesh off. With his brain exposed, it carefully implanted a chip. "Aaaahhhh, what's happening?!" Fawkes twitched. "I don't think we're in Sasnak, anymore! Enaj, stop this crazy thing! Stooooop!"

Once the mech finished, it reattached the skin. Fawkes was then wheeled off to a chamber full of cubicle cells, where he was allowed to rest. Ahcniea was hidden above a ceiling vent, having watched the sight in horror. And it seemed the other people in those cubicles were the many pirates and villains they had captured… and the A.U. Crew were in the process of it.

Ahcniea watched as one of the robots pulled Uked away, the boy strapped to a crate lift. Curious, Ahcniea pulled out a small device called a M.I.C.R.O.B.E. and chucked it straight onto Uked. Now able to listen to him, she waited patiently in the vent. The robot rolled him all the way to a secure room with a reinforced door.

Inside that room was a mechanical brain inside a glass cube. "Smiling Uked… Captain Shivers has already told me. He told me you hold the Key to Pirates."

"I don't know what you're talking about! In fact, brains shouldn't be talking at all!"

"Don't play coy with me, boy. I know you know where the contract is hidden… and with a dab of mind-control, you will bring it to me."

"Huh?! You… even know about that?!"

"Of course I do. And along with it… I can also reclaim my body."

"Your body?! Wait… no… you can't be-"

Metal wires flew up to seal Uked's mouth. The brain telekinetically raised small knives up to peel off Uked's head.

"I~ had~ strings~ But~ now~ I'm~ free…"

Ahcniea could hear muffled screaming as she feared the worst for Uked.

"I've got no strings… To hold me down… To make me fret… or make me frown…" The brain noticed a small device on Uked's neck. "I had strings… But now I'm free…" The brain studied the many camera monitors in its room. Some of the screens seemed blank, but it willed metal plates to fall off those cameras.

"HU-!" Ahcniea screamed when a camera exposed itself in the vent.

"There are… no… strings… on… me."

Ahcniea escaped the vents before they could compress, beginning to dodge all the robots that tailed her. Unfortunately, even the floor would betray her as it bent up and sealed her within. "Ah…it's about time, isn't it? I'd better help with the performance…" Another screen lowered, displaying a view from someone.

Jargenford

The sound of horns silenced the conversation. Everyone faced the fortress gates. "Hey, what's happening?" Arorua asked.

"He's here…" Itaav gazed in awe.

The gates slowly opened as trumpets seemed to build up in tune. The first platoon of troops marched out, rifles raised skyward. "MAAAKE WAAAAY… for Sir OVIIIII!"

The next platoon came tossing swords. "Say… HEEEEY! It's Sir Ovi!"

The drum and flute band played at a faster tempo. A platform rolled out, carrying a muscular nobleman with a brown beard, Utab. "Hey, clear the way in the training ground, hey you! Let us through! Don't just stand around, oh come! Be the first on the lines to meet his eeeeye!"

As the chorus strummed, the DNK looked all the more dumbstruck by the theatrics. "Make way, here he comes, ring bells, bang the drums!" Utab banged a drum. "Oh, you're gonna love this guy!"

A set of four large, mechanical legs marched out with a throne at their center. A bald man with a white mustache, an apparent muscular physique, and a black Admiral's uniform decorated with medals occupied the throne.

"Sir OVI! Fabulous he! Ovi Kintoboooor!"

Raising their brows, Nerehc and Aliehs found him a tad familiar. "Genuflect, show some respect! Down on one kneeeeee!" With a motion of Ovi's hand, the admirals dropped to their knees against their will. "Now, try your best to stay calm! Brush up your Moonday salaam." Sirhc was starting to enjoy the song, Eirik glaring in disbelief. "Then come and meet his spectacular coteriiieee!"

Uub used magic to make the kids levitate to the admiral, who kindly shook their hands. "Sir Ovi, mighty is he, Ovi Kintobor." As they dropped to the ground, the ops gasped as dozens of men fell toward him. "Strong as TEN dozen MEN, definitely!" Ovi seemed to raise them without struggle.

Reknoc bounced up to Aliehs and said, "He faced the galloping hordes!"

A little boy took Arorua's sword. "A hundred bad guys with swords~" She took it back.

Avlis raised Sirhc and Yrrah and choked them in a hug, "Who SENT those goons to their lords, why, Sir Oviiiii!"

"He's got seventy-five golden medals…" Ovi willed the medals to levitate around the air. "Feathered hats, now he's got fifty-threeeee!"

A line of ships hovered overhead, carrying missiles. "When it comes to Copperhead Missiles…"

Smooth Etep danced around the ops. "And just after he, built the factory, the job market was satisfactory!"

"Sir OVI! Handsome is he! Ovi Kintobor! That physique! How can I speak? Weak at the kneeee!"

The girls scoffed in disgust as Ovi flexed his muscles… but Eitra was kind of jealous. "Well, get on out in that square! Load your arms and prepare! To gawk and grovel and STARE at Sir Oviiiii!"

A troupe of vicious wolves with knives marched out. "He's got 9,000 trained, vicious war dogs."

The Y-Nauts jigged, "He brought the doggies! Let's see the doggies!"

"And to use them, he charges a fee!"

"His budget's amazing!" Ade and Zul waved fans at their blushing faces. "So amazing!"

"He's got millions of soldiers and flunkies… Proud to work for him, they bow to his whim, take a bullet for him, they're just lousy with loyalty to OVI! Sir Oviiiiiiiiiii…"

The song seemed to be in a stalemate. The drummers kept pounding, the troops were all waving hands… and they were looking at the kids. "Go on, young ones!" Utab told them.

"Ugh, are you kidding?" Nerehc sighed.

"Give us a firm salute! You can do it!"

The operatives shared glares. This eccentric entrance wasn't helping the situation much at all. But they had to get it over with… so, they gave a halfhearted salute.

"Sir OVI… AMOROUS HE… Ovi Kintobor!"

The throne descended as the man marched off. "Heard you kids wanted an audience with me~"

"Ugh…" Nerehc grunted.

"And that, good people, is why," Utab sang, "he got out of bed and dropped by…"

"With SIXTY warships, lasers galore! With miniguns, knives, brass bombs and more! Armored robots, stealthy black ops, and snipers up in the trees! Make WAAAAY… for SIR… O…VIIIIIIIIIIII!"

Following the show, everyone was invited into the base, where a feast had been thrown to celebrate the victory over the Ufatusum area. The operatives didn't turn down some nice cooking, but it honestly didn't feel like that big of a victory. Either the navy was trying way too hard to pamper the operatives, or they just had too much time to waste in not helping to save their friends or fight the Emperors.

"Hey, you dudes are, like, in Anaigrom's sector, right?" Aullik asked Nosam and Arorua dimwittedly.

"Huh? No, she's in Nega-SA." Arorua answered. "But yeah, I do remember seeing you at Field Day."

"Ah, right." Aullik scratched his head. "Say, how's she been? Haven't heard from her in a while."

"She was taken prisoner by the Mushroom Mafia. Haven't they told you?"

"Oh? No, dude… man, that sucks."

"At least we know where she is!" Nosam argued. "I can feel my sweet Lorac is in terrible danger! Oh, why wasn't I there to save her?! Why?!"

"Because she doesn't want you around." Arorua remarked. "Which I guess may've helped her in this case…"

"Mark my words, I will save her! And I'll never leave her alone again!"

"Wow, dude. You're, like, totally devoted to this Laura, I'm kind of jealous."

"But you have a lady of your own, don't you? Isn't Anaigrom your special someone?"

"Like, yeah, dude… Anaigrom cut my hair and made it feel nice and cool. I wish she would cut my hair again."

"You must save her, no matter what!" Nosam raised a fist. "Let's both vow to save the girls we love! May our feelings empower our water and give us strength!"

"Ha ha, yeah, dude!" Aullik fist-bumped him. "I'll work like totally hard!"

"Wow, these two are, like… the perfect boy friends." Arorua admitted in surprise. …She looked up at the second level of the room, where her brother and Aliehs had gone.

The two in question sat across from Fleet Admiral Ovi. "You know… I DO remember hearing about you, now that I think of it." Aliehs said.

"Is that so, my dear?" Ovi folded his fingers.

"Hey, Aliehs, d'you know Eggman Nega?" Sheila asked her Negative.

"Eggman Who?"

"Me mum says he's Dr. Eggman's Negative, and he used to bother her mates. Figured he'd be causin' tons of trouble there, eh?"

"Ah, yes." Ovi smirked. "I did know your mother's Positive."

Eggman Nega charged the Planet Buster of his Egg Wizard. A Light Sphere flew and PUNCHED the side of the robot, causing the Eggmen to fall over and stop the charge. "Hah! How do you like that, Eggman?! Sonic! Blaze! Now's your chance!"

"On some nights, I can still feel the bump on my head. But that doesn't matter! After all, the laws of the Posiverse and Negaverse are independent of each other! I can commit a hundred crimes in that world and still be an innocent man here. And just as well, I harbor no ill will toward you."

"Glad to hear it." Aliehs propped her feet up on the table with a smirk. "'Cause my twin is the best there is."

"Hurrr…" Ovi's grin curved into a frown.

"It's no wonder you let the three Emperors get away with things." Nerehc stated. "You're a villain, too. You're probably in league with them!"

"My boy~" They were approached by the nobleman, Utab (he sounds like the Hyrule King from Zelda CD-i), "you don't understand the complexity of politics. The Pirate Emperors are rulers of the criminal underworld. They have unbelievable power and resources, and we need to at least keep it filtered."

"Of course, we need to remind those pirates there's law in this universe." Ovi said. "So, whenever we see them outside their property, we give them a fair message…"

"Nerehc, why're we wasting time with this arse? This is why he was trying to split the DNK up. He probably ordered his troops to hand them to the pirates."

"I can assure you that the loss of your operatives is not the fault of my navy. Maybe they were captured because they were simply not good enough~"

Nerehc slashed his blade at the admiral, but Ovi raised a hand to block it. "Now, my dear boy, we can still talk this out rationally. It was all good fun letting you kids pretend to be heroes, until your subordinates killed General Kroy and Commodore Tterb. I understand they may have antagonized you and you acted accordingly, but my agents borrowed your operatives as a way of establishing good relations. But, if you would pledge the DNK's allegiance to the navy altogether… then naturally, we will do everything to rescue our new soldiers. Granted, the group that sided with Don Shrew's daughter may be branded as traitors."

"I'm just here for the free food." Aliehs took some gold-buttered bagels and munched them.

"Do we even gotta bargain, buddy?" Nerehc reasoned. "We don't trust you one bit. We're gonna leave and rescue our friends on our own terms."

"It will be a pity if we lose such potential to the Four—ahem, three Emperors. But, you've done us a favor in capturing those pirates, so we might be willing to forgive your past transgressions. If nothing else, maybe your friends would at least be willing to stick around for some special training. That's the least you'll need if you plan to fight the pirates."

"Hyeah, saving the universe from interdimensional invaders was chump training."

"My boy, one must never overestimate their selves!" Utab raised a grail. "It's important to keep your bodies fresh with regular training, and no training is more quality than what the navy can offer!"

"You know, I haven't properly introduced you." Ovi said. "This man is Lord Utab of Ralava. He's one of our most prominent benefactors."

"In fact, Mister Onu, would you care to join my daughter in a dance? She's been looking most forward to it."

"Your daughter?"

"Ah, there she is now! How good of you to join us, Inat!"

A girl with long, maroon-ish hair walked up the steps. She wore a pink and white dress, white high-heels, and a polite smile. "Mr. Onu! It's wonderful to finally meet you. I am Lady Inat of the Gravelroad Household."

"'Kinda family name is that?" Aliehs snapped.

"A-hem." Inat scoffed at the Faunus. "Mr. Onu, I would be honored if you danced with me."

"Fine, I'll bite." Nerehc stood and took the girl's hand.

She walked him downstairs as the guests viewed the couple. Naturally, Sipa shot Nerehc a gawk, to which Nerehc grit his teeth and gestured upward. Sipa vaguely understood, but still folded her arms frumpily. "I lick the residue off my needles!" 'Ahcniea' licked.

Nerehc and Inat took stances in the middle of the room. They performed the kind of elegant, twirling dance one would expect at fancy parties. It certainly left a bad taste in Nerehc's mouth, and most of his friends weren't impressed for more than one reason. However, Nerehc took note of the downtrodden expression on her face. "Ahem, so, Inat… how did Ovi end up becoming Fleet Admiral? Has he been with the navy for a while?"

"But of course!" She perked up. "Sir Ovi has been the leading scientist for decades. His robot troops were so formidable that he earned the position of Admiral despite not being a proper soldier. By that time, the previous head, Admiral Drahnoel, attained the promotion. Sir Drahnoel was a Moebian lion, quite a strict and surly sort who inspired fear in his troops, but he was nonetheless fit for the job. Why, he was even close with my father, so he naturally had a hand in the promotion. But around four years ago, Sir Drahnoel began suspecting treason amongst the navy. He had no evidence to prove himself, but he would take his own personal flagship and destroy numerous bases. The other admirals knew he had gone mad with power, so Ovi personally saw to his destruction. For his brilliant strength, as well as having some of the bases evacuated before their doom, he received the promotion he has today."

"Well, that sure was convenient for Ovi."

"Heh, indeed." Her eyes faltered. "And under his new laws, we live obediently and loyally…"

"And does your dad enjoy this newfound loyalty?"

"Er…unfortun-" Her head began to ache as she sank to her knees.

"Are you okay?" Nerehc knelt down.

"K-Kiss me!" Inat suddenly embraced him in a kiss, drawing gasps from those in attendance.

"OH, THAT'S IT!" Sipa cast a dark spell at Inat, but Zul jumped in the way and blocked it.

"Looks like I have an excuse to punish you, dark mage!"

"Make me proud, Zul!" Ade cheered. "Purify her ass!"

The mages engaged in a magical duel: Zul was hit with a nose-twisting jinx, Sipa threw up under a vomit spell, Zul suffered a swelling eyes hex, and Sipa burned in sapphire flames. In the midst of the battle, Zul dropped several papers with runes in a circle: she lured Sipa into the circle and called a spell to make strings of light erect and suspend Sipa. "Hey!" Sipa yelled as Uub marched up and swiped her wand.

"If you apologize for your brash behavior, I'll happily give you a new wand." Uub walked away.

"Give that back! Ergh, get me out of here!"

"Nave!" Utab called. "Be a sport and clean that mess, won't you?"

A blonde-haired Faunus with cat ears, a tail, and a butler's uniform began to scrub the mess left by their scuffle. Inat was horrified, seeing him with soulless, will-free eyes. Nerehc felt her despair and sensed a connection… and he also felt some folded paper in his mouth.

"Ah ha ha ha ha!" Ovi laughed. "Our young cadets are still wet behind the ears. But you've made this a lively dinner if nothing else. Since you haven't decided whether to join the navy, how about you stay in our hotel? I'll have the admirals stick around to give you advice or even brief training sessions. Who would like to show them?"

"I'll do it, Fleet Admiral, sir!" Smooth Etep saluted.

"Such a sport, he is!" Commodore Gals spiritedly raised a jug of cola. The kids tried to enjoy the rest of their feast as Asia asked for Sipa's wellbeing.

Jargen Suites

The kids were given shared, but separate rooms on the first floor of the hotel. There were cameras inside the building and the outside grounds, while their rooms were a safe place. They stayed on guard, fearing the navy may try to kidnap them in their sleep. They hadn't received any calls from Ahcniea, and Yrrah's tracker wasn't able to pinpoint her either, so they feared for their friend. However, they set their communicators to go off in case any of them strayed too far from the others.

Nerehc read the paper Inat had stuck in his mouth: My friend works in the hotel's boiler room. "She definitely wasn't onboard with this whole thing." he said to Sipa. "We need to try to find this friend and see what's up."

"Why did she already have this written? I don't trust her!"

"Come on, she's obviously in on what the navy is doing. She knew we'd be coming and she wants to work with us."

"Will they even let us go down to the boiler room? I can't use magic now, so I can't shrink us or anything."

"That's why you have a genius with you~" Yrrah smiled proudly. "They didn't confiscate my equipment, so I'd wager they still want us to feel comfortable. And I have this!" He pulled out a small racecar. "With the attached camera, I'll zoom around and try to search for the boiler room."

"Technically, we seem to be allowed to roam the hotel at this time." Nerehc said. "Just that there's guards watching. Maybe if we 'explore' a little, they won't notice that little car."

"Yes, that's perfect! In fact…"

Some of the operatives casually explored the hotel, studying its amenities like the pool, dartboard-shooting gallery, even the gym. A few of Eitra's hamsters were cutely tailing their master, with Yrrah's RC car hidden under one. Eitra roamed by a staircase with the sign 'Boilers' beside it. He was thankful they made it obvious, but with a camera nearby, he walked away. Yrrah drove his car behind a vase and kept along the wall, hoping the camera wouldn't notice. The car bounced down the stairs and landed upright at the boilers' door. The car slipped underneath.

There were several people scooping up coals and chucking them into boilers. "For such a high-tech planet, they're really going all-out with the rustic style." Yrrah commented, his sister looking over his shoulder. "Who are we supposed to find, anyway?"

The camera had trouble providing visual of the dim-lit room… but Yrrah raised a brow, seeing a thin, raggy-clothed person scooping coal up with their large, bare hands. They were squatted down on their booted legs in a manner that resembled… Eelyah. Unfortunately, the person glanced over and seemed to notice the little car. Yrrah tried to back away, but the person already moved to grab it. Holding it up to their face, she was a pink-haired young woman with a big forehead that partly covered her clueless green eyes.

The two could practically see into her dimwitted mind as she held the car close to her eyes and twisted it at other angles. "Duh…?" It was then she noticed the paper tightly folded and inserted into the car's windows. She pulled it out and unraveled it. Inat – Bathroom.

"Eeeeeee…nat?" The woman couldn't read very well, but at the very least, she knew her friend's name. "Oh…Inat bring me candy."

Yrrah panicked as the inside of her mouth zoomed in. "Hey! No no no no!"

The woman chomped off the front half of the car. "!" Appalled by the taste, she spat the ruined chunk into the fire. "Nekcarb hurt teeth. Need mee-ruh."

The Neanderthalic girl left the room and clambered upstairs. "Need potty. Me eat weird candy." She told a passing guard, who sighed in disbelief.

Eelyah had already left her room and watched as the woman entered the first floor bathroom. She calmly headed in after her. They seemed to be the only ones inside and Eelyah hoped there were no cameras. As Nekcarb was checking her teeth in the mirror, Eelyah greeted, "Hi."

The woman turned. "Oh…are you stupid, too?"

"Eelyah not stupid! Eelyah born with… smaller brain…"

"Nekcarb sorry. Nekcarb hurt brain in axe-dent."

"Nekcarb… you friend of Inat?"

"Eelyah Inat friend, too?"

"Hey, girls, don't mind me!" Akurah casually kicked the door and strolled in. "I get the feeling this exposition is going to be hard to interpret, so I'm doing the others a favor."

Eelyah recapped Nerehc's dance with Inat and asked if Nekcarb could tell more about her. Nekcarb explained they had moved to Tnacsuroc while Inat was about eight. Nekcarb used to be a maid for her family before the accident, so she was eventually transferred here, though Inat would come to visit her now and then. When Sir Drahnoel moved to this world as well, he brought his son, Nave. Nave was a wild and unruly child who always robbed people on the street and smashed windows. One night, six years ago while they still lived on Ralava, Inat caught him breaking into her mansion to steal their fine china. Just as Nave thought he got away unseen, Inat tailed him. She followed Nave to a field where he would play "baseball" with the china, smashing it into pieces.

Six-year-old Inat felt kind of excited watching the china smash to smithereens, so she asked Nave if she could play. The two ended up bonding over their mischievous behavior, so for the next few years, Inat would sneak away with Nave whenever she could, causing trouble without ever getting caught. Their playtime became more difficult to pull off after they moved planets… but Nave's behavior would only grow worse after his father was killed by Admiral Ovi. A year after Ovi took Sir Drahnoel's position, Nave was ultimately captured and taken to the Redemption Facility. He would undergo "extensive treatment" and be nearly completely stripped of his free will, unable to even speak out.

"Nekcarb think they put things in our heads to make us be good." The woman continued. "They put one in Inat's head, too, and I think everyone. But it no good for Nekcarb 'cause I stupid."

"The mind-control… doesn't work for stupid people?" Akurah asked.

"Me think no. But Inat really sad that Nave not Nave, anymore. Nekcarb wish she do something, 'cause Inat no can do nothing. But Nekcarb too dumb to help. No know what do."

"Eelyah understand." The shorter Neanderthal patted Nekcarb's knee. "Eelyah friends try do something. But Nekcarb know where Nave go when put head thing in?"

"Nekcarb think it… Pri-sun Red-emp-shun Faccy."

"Hey!" Someone banged the door. "Boiler Monkey! You've been in there long enough! I mean, 'You been potty long nuff, get back work.'"

Akurah glared and opened the door, finding a guard. "Sorry, sir, my friend had to potty, too, and she's kind of in the same boat. They kept sniffing each other all this time."

"Of course they were. Alright, move it!"

The woman shared a sad look with Eelyah before following. The girls decided to head up to the pool. "I wonder who else could be immune to the brainwashing…"

Akurah's brother was at the pool, along with Lirpa and Arorua, the two girls sparring each other in underwater combat. But it proved to be pretty annoying with Nosam and Aullik having surf faces. "With feeling, man!" Aullik yelled. "Put all your feelings in your arms!"

"I'm trying, man!" Nosam yelled, waving his arms to muster the waves at his back. "I just can't get my arms to cry!"

"Maybe if you, like, bend your tears back into your head, you can bend them down the arms!"

"Hey, maybe you're right, man! For Lorac, I'll make my whole body cry!"

". . . . . ." Akurah and Eelyah were dumbfounded (which was saying something for the latter's case) by the boys' logic. At the very least, Aullik was another candidate they could enlist to help.

Ovi's Office

Now by his lonesome, Sir Ovi brought up a screen, displaying the metal brain in the display. "Captain… the DNK seem to be behaving for the most part, but we're keeping watch. There hasn't yet been an opportunity to seize Nerehc or any of them."

"Worry not… I have one of them in my custody."

"You do?"

"A Lilliputian girl. Ahcniea, I believe. She must have snuck in with the A.U. pirates."

"But I thought I saw her with them."

"Do not fall for their deceptions. Regardless… I have completely the extensive treatment on Smiling Uked. Once his mind has adapted, have a ship ready to take him. He will lead us to the graveyard… where both my body and the Contract rest. And don't let those kids out of your sight. They will try any brash and crafty methods. You may need to order the admirals to prematurely arrest them."

"Aye-aye, sir. This plan has come too far in the making to let them mess things up. But soon, you will have the entire navy dancing for you."

"You've been a most faithful subordinate, Ovi. And once the DNK are under our control… perhaps Clockwerk may yet be able to rejoin us."

"I'll await your next command… Captain Jarg."

Redemption Facility

Ahcniea had been strapped to a small tray, gagged, and even stripped of her communicator and equipment. Whoever was running this place seemed to be focusing on the pirates at the moment. She struggled, but had no way to escape her binds. However, since she had some time to think to herself, she concluded something: the person running this place had to be a metalbender. If they used psychicbending to move everything around, they could've easily grabbed her. But they could only control the metal in this base, and they used cameras to get visual on the whole facility. Benders could transmit their chi through monitors and telekinetically bend elements beyond the screens that fit their chi.

Division 1-A of the A.U. Crew were lined up to parallel walls of a room. Their expressions wrought with anger, they were compelled to do squats, touch their toes, and do small dancing motions. "Sir Ovi, yes it is he, but not as you know him~" The brain sang. "Just a pawn, need I go on, take it from me."

"Gah, why are we dancing for these machines?!" Aynet yelled. "I'm outta this joint—agh!" His attempts to escape were thwarted against his will.

"You'll not fulfill any desire that opposes my own. Things seem to be in order with this bunch. You'll be ripe for the navy before long! Now, to operate on this new guest…"

The brain switched to a camera inside Ahcniea's room. Her gag was pulled off as the brain hovered her own needle and scalpel ominously above her. "It was reckless of you to infiltrate this place. But now that you're here, those friends of yours will have no choice but to stay. Stay and serve the navy… in exchange for your safety."

"Don't be ridiculous. They wouldn't throw everything away for a crazy little girl like me."

"We'll see about that. For now, I would be remiss if I could not… 'toy' with someone as small as you."

"T-Toy?!"

"I could just manufacture a smaller chip and brainwash you just the same. But I think I'll have a bit of fun… and convert you into a cyborg."

"WHAT?!" Ahcniea panicked as the scalpel was raised above the base of her left leg.

"You'll make a nice toy for the young ones. Maybe we'll make you a mascot if you're popular enough. Jar har har har har!"

"No! Please don't! I'll take the brainwashing! Don't cut off my-"

Alarms went off. "What?!" The brain faced the other cameras and saw the 1-A group going berserk and thrashing the robots. Anim even shot glue at any cameras she saw. "What's happening?! Did the chips malfunction?"

Ahcniea sighed in relief as the utensils were merely dropped beside her. "Is it working?" she asked herself. The Lilliputian had actually filled her needles with a special light-purple medicine. The needles released samples of this medicine into her patients' brains, designed to impede mind-control. However, it is mostly effective against chi- or hypnotic-type mind-control: the chips were still wrestling for control over the A.U. Crew, so their rampage would be interrupted for short periods.

Urweighty shoved open the door to Ahcniea's room. "Captain, are you in here?! Wait, you're—agh—hey!" She lost control, and the robots dragged her away.

The mastermind quickly resealed the room, but upon diverting attention from Ahcniea, the tiny girl gasped: the bulbous-eyed face of Lizzy suddenly appeared above her. "Hey! Y-y-y-y-you're were with those navy guys, weren't you?"

"Please, get me out of here! I was trying to save you guys! You're resisting the brainwashing thanks to my medicine!"

"Ruh-ruh-really? You friend?"

"Yes, me friend! Hurry! And get my stuff on that table!"

Lizzy noticed the tiny boxes on the nearby table. "Okay! G-g-g-get in my mouth?!"

"WHAT?!" Ahcniea and her tray were immediately caught in Lizzy's tongue and pulled in. The lizard did the same for the equipment before turning invisible. "Ewwww! Gross-gross-gross-gross-gross!" Unable to stay calm in this circumstance, she could only put her faith in Lizzy as the chameleon snuck her way through the base. Lizzy skittered down some stairs, but her mind-control began to kick back in as her visibility sparked back. The mastermind saw this and bent the stairs back up like an escalator.

"Lizzy!" Omom caught her friend and started munching the stairs. She used those stairs to lift herself up and smash the camera. "Girl, don't let him control you! Fight it!"

"Plah!" Lizzy spat Ahcniea out.

"EW, what'd you eat?!"

"Omom! T-t-t-tiny girl friend! She help weaken brainwashing! Can you get her off thing?"

"Sure!" Omom picked Ahcniea up and brought her to her mouth.

"AAH!" Ahcniea screamed. "YOU GIRLS HAVE SERIOUS PROBLEMS!"

However, Omom only wanted to bite off the metal straps binding her, allowing Ahcniea to slide off onto Omom's arm and climb to her shoulder. As she requested her to pick up her gear, which Lizzy also spit out, robots came from around the corner. Omom grabbed Lizzy and dropped down where the stairs were, running away. "Girls, I think the boss of this place is a metalbender; he's using the cameras to transmit his power around the base!"

"Won't do any good to use this metal I just ate!" Omom said. "You don't know where they took the captain, do you?"

"All I know is the boss interrogated and tortured him. And I think I heard something about a… Key to Pirates?"

"HEY! You scamps better get back here!" The falcon villain, Fawkes was flying after them. "By order of the navy, you're under arrest! I'm totally doing this by choice!"

The girls turned another corner, but a wall bent to block them. They about-faced the opposite way, seeing a camera. Omom reactively threw Ahcniea at the camera before another wall could seal them, the tiny breaking the device's lens. She dropped as Omom caught her and they kept running with Fawkes in pursuit.

The falcon raised an apple and spoke poetically. "She is beauty. She is grace. I'll throw an apple at her face." He threw an apple at Lizzy's head, but she shot her tongue up to eat it. "She is beauty. She is best. I'll throw a coconut at her chest." Fawkes threw a coconut at the wall up ahead, bouncing off and hitting Omom's chest. She stopped to clutch her chest, but just as Fawkes was swooping in for the attack-

"PALM BLAST!" Pushover rushed over from the corner and forced Fawkes against the wall. The girls caught him up with a brief recap, which came with the realization that they couldn't leave without their captain. Ahcniea requested they at least help her escape; if she could regroup with her friends, they could all come back to help. Unfortunately, Omom and Lizzy succumbed to the chips again, so Pushover took Ahcniea and kept going.

Pushover met with Urot, her bright gray aura compelling the robots to focus on her while the boy shoved them down. Urweighty used her strength to force down any walls that tried to block them. Eventually, they made it outside to an airship landing platform, but there were no ships to steal, only robots to attack them. "Hey, Pushover, can you launch me to the sky or something?" Ahcniea asked, putting on a pack among her equipment. "If you wanna stay and protect your captain, I can fly away on my own! I promise we'll put a stop to the navy!"

"Okay… but you better not let me down!" Pushover shouted, blasting down the robots. "I've got 'I Don't Wanna Be a Mind Slave Syndrome' like you wouldn't believe! Now!" He positioned himself and aimed both palms upward with Ahcniea in them. "REPULSION ROCKET!"

Ahcniea flew several dozen meters to the sky. The greater city was still a great distance away, the facility set in a walled lake. Ahcniea pulled open a glider and made flight under the night. There were small boats with cannons patrolling the lake, and their sensors detected the tiny. Ahcniea expertly maneuvered around their ammo, maintaining good height as she flew for the wall.

"Huff…huff…" Pushover began to succumb to the control. "Even if you control me… you'll never break my will! I… am a brave warrior of the sea!!"

Jargen Suites

The DNK knew they couldn't just stay up all night, or else they'd be even more weary when the inevitable happened. They shared rooms and took the chance with sleep. Around -4:45m.a., Aliehs and Asia heard a knock at their door. A guard had woken them, telling Aliehs that her mother wanted to speak to her on the balcony. Asia insisted on going with her, and she checked in and woke up the other ops via communicator. They all seemed to be okay (albeit groggy from the rude wakeup), and Asia informed them of the meeting.

They walked out to a balcony, a stairway leading to an upper one. There, Admiral Eniram stood with a boot perched on the railing. "Oh, you brought a friend, eh?"

"Always safe to have a mate at your back."

"Even though she DIDN'T take a bath before bed."

"Yeah, yeah."

"It's only wise." Eniram agreed, looking out at the dawn barely visible above the horizon. "Indeed… the Fleet Admiral is very adamant about you joining the navy. But I'm sure you lot have other plans. After all, once you're in, you won't wanna leave."

"Right… By the way, whatever happened to those pirates we captured?"

"They…nnn." Eniram clutched her head. "They're being redeemed at a special facility. It's confidential."

"Hmmm…" Asia hummed to herself. Maybe one of them should get captured and be taken to this facility, if they hoped to find Ahcniea.

"Anyway, Admiral Ovi has given you the rest of today to make your decision. Though he hasn't said what'll happen if you refuse. You've basically got until this evening."

"We don't exactly want to leave, yet." Asia reminded.

"Yeh. More time to 'decide' and all." Aliehs followed.

"I see…" Eniram looked knowingly. "Well… before you do leave… I would like to train you, Aliehs."

"I don't need training from you." Aliehs returned to the stairs. "We aren't even the same element."

Eniram zipped beside and blocked Aliehs with her boot. "Look, Aliehs… ever since you were little, you were lazy, rude, selfish, and displayed nary a talent. Those dull, shabby clothes of yours, and I agree with your friend about your scent!"

"Hm!" Asia huffed arrogantly, Aliehs glaring.

"Yet, by some miracle, that hopeless DNK made you stronger. Despite carrying yourself like a crude street gangster, you've found purpose in your life."

"So, my life has worth to you now?"

"Aliehs, I never doubted that it did. You just never let yourself see it."

"Well, I don't need your judgment!" Aliehs kicked her leg down and proceeded down the stairs with Asia.

"Aliehs!" The daughter rolled her eyes and stopped. "No matter what course you choose, you plan to fight the Four Emperors. If you hope to stand a chance against them, you should test your resolve against me. That's the logical thing, anyway. But, personally… I want to see how far my daughter has come. I want to know the extent of your darkness. I know you don't owe me anything… but it would make me happy."

"Heh. Serving the navy made me happy. Wanting me to join the navy would've made you happy. And look at you now: you may not be able to say it, but you regret it. And you're gonna regret asking me to fight you."

Eniram looked up in mild surprise. Asia faced Aliehs curiously. Aliehs faced her mom with a glare. "But fine. I've been holding back on you long enough."

…

During their conversation, a ship had left Jargenford and headed for the Redemption Facility. The mastermind had already detained the A.U. Crew again. Afterwards, the brain had robots carry its container out to the ship, and the mind-wiped Uked followed. They landed in a cloaked space station, where the brain was dropped off. "Whisker… I leave the rest to you."

"D'arr har har!" Whisker saluted. He was a rotund robot pirate with a white mustache, red jacket and hat. "I won't fail ye, Captain! Today, ye will be restored!"

Whisker took Uked and flew all the way down to Villainia. "Now, matey. Bring us thar. Bring us to Isla de Fortuna."

They landed on Villainia's sea as Uked steered the ship. He steered into a fog and began to make a series of particular turns. Those patterns formed a uniquely-shaped key before leading straight to a great skull island. Within that island lay mountains of treasure. Whisker searched thoroughly within the treasure until he found… an ancient, rusted robot, shaped like a pirate captain with a beard.

…

By -6:00m.a., the other ops had woken up. Zul personally came to greet Sipa and offer her a brand new White Dragon wand. Sipa would vehemently demand her real wand back, to which Zul responded, "I seriously pity your upbringing. But honestly, I kind of hope you don't join the navy, because Lady Ade shouldn't trouble herself trying to purify a hopeless child like you. At least try to make your burden easier and take this wand." Zul flicked the wand at Sipa's head, bouncing on the floor as Zul haughtily walked away.

But she immediately stopped before the tip of Nerehc's sword. "Hey! Sheathe that weapon, boy!" yelled one of the guards.

"Stow it." Nerehc stated. "Now, sweetheart… why don't you apologize to my girlfriend?"

"Uck. I will do no such thing. And don't think I don't know who you are, demon spawn."

"Sipa may practice dark magic, but she's a good person. Even when she was a Ganonist, she was loyal to her friends. She's using her power to help this universe while you play puppet to your navy. And if you do anything to hurt her again, that'll be it for you!"

"…" Zul hesitated to speak and glanced back at Sipa. "Er, whatever…" She walked around Nerehc and left. The boy sheathed his sword.

"Nerehc!" Sipa embraced him in a hug.

"Hope you're still not mad about the party~"

"No way!" The two shared a kiss. When they broke off, Sipa turned back to the wand on the floor. "Still… I guess I do need a wand now." She picked it up. "Nollid would kind of like this one, though…"

Eelyah was able to meet up with Nekcarb during another bathroom break. Eelyah asked if she knew where Inat lived, to which Nekcarb pulled out her own map of the city and pointed at a spot with a smiley face.

Throughout that day, Aliehs battled her mom on the training pavilion of the H.Q.. The daughter imbued her kicks with darkness, but not enough to drain her mother's silver light. Eniram zipped across her own streaks of silver to kick Aliehs, and she conjured silver daggers to pierce her from above. Aliehs formed large vortexes with her stomps and used her fists to bend up a barrage of Dark Fists from the portals. She swung waves of darkness from her tail and tried to seal them in a Dark Curtain to block the sun. Regardless, as the sun rose higher, Eniram gained the advantage and would best her daughter twice. Aliehs gave herself an hour to rest and tried again.

At around -1:00m.p., the hotel received a small package. Lirpa jogged through the lobby when a mailman was bringing it. "YAAAH!"

"AAAAH!" Lirpa screamed when something burst out of the package: "AHCNIEA?!"

"Lirpa!" The battered, exhausted Lilliputian ran to her friend's lowered hands.

"Isn't that the Lilliputian girl?" a guard asked. "How did she end up in a box?"

"I flushed myself down the toilet by accident!" Ahcniea lied. "Speaking of, I would like a bath! Lirpa, bathroom, please!"

"Excuse us, sirs~" Lirpa raced off, leaving the guards in confusion.

…

Admiral Ovi watched from his office window as Eniram battled her daughter once more. "Hmm…wear yourself down as much as you like. But your playtime is just about over, kids."

Whisker Station

Whisker brought the rusted body back to the station. The pirate morphed into an Octorok with a rock on its head; he had eaten the Squid-Squid Fruit, Model: Rocktorok. Whisker sucked the rusted body into his mouth and began crunching and sapping the rust. With that, he spewed the body back out, freshly cleaned. The robotic body was a posh chrome, with a traditional captain's coat, pegleg, crane claw on its right arm, and thick, pointy-fingered left hand. It had a sharp white beard with bluish highlights.

The metal brain levitated itself out of the glass case using a plate controlled by its bending. It willed the cap to come off and situated itself inside the head. The hat returned… and the pirate began to rise to his feet. His eyes lit with a cybernetic blue with green irises. "Jar har har har har… Jar har har har har! JAAAAAR HAR HAR HAR HAR HAAAAR!"

"It be good to meet you… Cap'n Jarg." Whisker bowed. "To deny me this honor for so long… Eggman Nega is a cruel man."

"As cruel as a Robbo should be." Jarg smirked. "Sniffff…my nasal sensors haven't wafted the cold space in so long-ah."

"Thar be nothing to whiff in space!"

"You're wrong. I smell… YOUNG MEAT-AH. Aye…it be time to stretch the old space-legs. Now… shall we crush the DNK's center of operations-ah?" He viewed in the direction of DNKG with malice.

Jargenford

"Dammit!" Admiral Avlis thundered, stomping around the base. "Where did that boy go this time?!"

"Admiral Father, sir!" Ikullim and Akulla ran up with a salute, the brother reporting, "Aullik has taken the crying boy and one of the poison girls surfing the pipelines, SIR!"

"THEN GET AFTER THEM OR YOU'LL BOTH GET DOUBLE WHOOPINS!"

"KYAH!" Akulla screamed, already bolting. "No double whoopings, sir, please!"

The day flew by as Aliehs and Eniram continued their battle. When -7:00 hit, both ladies were panting in exhaust. "Hah…I'm proud of you… Aliehs."

"Stick it up your tail…" Aliehs would've fallen had Asia not flown down to support her arms.

"Ah ha ha ha!" The admirals all faced the entrance as Sir Ovi marched out on his spider-legged Egg Throne. "Like mother, like daughter! Aliehs has the makings of an admiral! How about it, my dear? Won't you join the navy?"

"Hey, now, that's my call to make." Nerehc said, marching up with some of his friends.

"Come now, my boy!" Lord Utab jovially approached from behind the mech. "Your friends are bottles of potential! We would save all your comrades in no time! Just say the word and we'll enroll you now! After a few technical procedures, of course."

"Hmmmm…" Nerehc tapped his foot and thought intensely. "It iiiiiiiiis a tempting offer…"

"Yeeeees?" Ovi drawled out impatiently.

"I kiiiiiind of want toooo…"

"So, wiiiiiill you?"

"Weeeeeeellllll…" His own friends groaned in cringe. "I guuuueeeess we could… afteeeeeeerrrr a feeeeeew-"

"DAH, the hell with this! Admirals, I command you to-"

"This is Port 08 reporting to all admirals, I repeat, Report 08—I mean, Port 08-"

"STOW IT!" Eniram shouted back into her comms. "What's the matter?!"

"One of our ships has been hijacked by Admiral Avlis' son!"

"WHAT?!" Avlis bellowed. "That damn boy, when I get my hands on him!"

"Who told you to interrupt me?!" Ovi yelled. "I order you to-"

"YOOOOOO!" A naval ship scraped against several buildings as it flew straight toward the base. "YAAAAAH!" Nosam screamed, he and Aullik clinging the brigging. "Yenmihc, we're gonna crash!"

"Hang on! We're going OOOOOVER!" Yenmihc twisted and tugged up on the helm, flipping them upside-down. Their altitude shifted up as they steered away, cannons bombarding the renegade vessel.

"GO!!" The operatives linked hands as Asia blew them up with wind, combined with Akurah's poison and Eirik's soundwave. Nosam stretched a Water Whip down to grab Asia's arm and pull them the rest of the way. Admiral Uub transformed into Airavata and tried to suck them in his trunks, but Nerehc flew to SLICE the trunks, thwarting him. "Sorry, friend, but no deal!" Nerehc smirked.

"STOP THEM!" Ovi ordered. "STOP THEM AT ONCE!"

Eniram and Avlis twitched in the mind and tried to use their powers to fly up, but Nerehc struck those admirals as well. "Nerehc, I'm sorry I have to do this!" Itaav yelled, bending the matter of the ground up into spikes to puncture the boy.

"Nerehc!" Sipa screamed as the ship flipped back upright.

"He ordered us to escape without him!" Arorua said. "He's the only one who can hold them back. Now, hurry, we have other stops to make!"

"I'm setting up the satellite!" Yrrah declared, placing a device on the deck that extracted said device. "'Soon as I get in contact with the DNKG, they can send our backup!"

"Hey, are there any aircraft on this thing?" Eitra asked. "Eelyah's still at the hotel, right?!"

"I didn't see any!" Nosam replied.

"I hate to say it, but it wouldn't be the worst if they brainwashed her." Akurah said. "She should be immune to it."

"Once backup is here, they can help with that, too!" Yrrah said.

"This shipjacking is so sick, duuuuude!" Aullik cheered.

The kids flew straight to the Gravelroad Estate, Yenmihc using expert helmsmanship to outmaneuver the incoming vessels. "Some of those ships are using radio jammers!" Yrrah yelled. "Someone shoot them!" Yenmihc steered higher to get visual on the jammers, while Eitra manned the cannons to shoot them down.

Closing in on the Gravelroad Estate, a forcefield was set up to protect the mansion. Sipa couldn't muster a good spell to breach the barrier thanks to her new wand. There were generators around the estate, so Lirpa and Sirhc dropped down. The athlete carried Sirhc in dashing around the barrier, using his armor to block gunfire from soldiers. With her swift speed, she made it around and kicked Sirhc's Armordillo against all the generators, destroying them.

It was then that Nave lunged up and exchanged kicks with Lirpa, the athlete fighting back. "AAAAHH!" Inat rushed up in attempt to slice her with a fencing blade, but Sirhc defended. "I'm sorry! I can't—uuurgh!" Inat grunted against her will. "What are you doing here?!"

"We're here to save you!" Lirpa caught Nave's head under her sneaker and stomped him unconscious. Sirhc thrusted his armor against Inat enough times to take her down as well. "Don't worry. Ahcniea can fix you." Seeing their ship returning around, Lirpa lifted and sent the two flying like kickballs. Unfortunately, she and Sirhc were bound by the floor molding up.

"By order of the Fleet Admiral, you're under arrest!" Itaav yelled, eyes throbbing with the navy's symbol (they thought it was the shade of a seagull, but now they realized it looked like Ovi's nose and mustache).

"Lirpa! Sirhc!" Arorua screamed.

"Sis, just go!" Sirhc insisted. "We'll be fine! There's too many ships after you!"

"Nngh…" Arorua knew they couldn't hang around, but to have to leave so many behind… "Yrrah, have you contacted the base, yet?!"

"I'm trying, but they're not coming through!"

It was then they received a call from Nerehc. "Guys, if you're still on the ship, I need you to drop everything and get back to base!"

"What?! Why?!"

"Because, it's…"

A few minutes beforehand, Sir Ovi ordered the admirals to pursue the ops on their flagships. The Fleet Admiral took the liberty of dueling Nerehc, his superb robotic body on par with the Fierce Deity blade. "Well, boy, I hope you didn't have any friends waiting up on that DNKG tree!"

"What?!" Nerehc gasped.

"Ah ha ha ha! By now, the Emperor has already squeezed the life out of your fleshy friends!"

"I…I thought YOU were the 'Emperor.' You mean you're working with another of the Emperors?!"

"ME, an Emperor? AH HA HA HA HA HA!"

Arorua and Asia shared an expression of hesitation and rage. "Gaaaah…DAMMIT… YENMIHC, GET US UP TO SPACE!"

Yenmihc steered the vessel straight skyward. …However, little did they know that the Kcydloz siblings also caught up, running onto a tall building that the ship was passing over. With no other way, Ikullim used his Throw Fruit power to hurdle his sister straight up to a chain dangling from the ship. She hurriedly climbed up and managed to sneak up on Yenmihc, KICKING her away from the helm. The ship briefly steered off course, but Yrrah jumped to grab it and straighten up. Angry, Yenmihc engaged Akulla in battle, while their friends manned cannons to shoot down pursuing vessels. They would make several jumps through hyperspace to confuse the ships; if Yenmihc and Akulla's battle were a videogame, the hyperspace backgrounds would be a fantastic aesthetic. With Yenmihc's fumes vs. Akulla's Fishman Karate, the latter used speed to evade the slow, stuffy smoke. However, Yenmihc made a smokescreen to sneak into the ship and find some backup oil drums. She returned bending some of the oil to make Akulla slip on the deck, thrusting some Oil Whips against her face, and was able to K.O. her with fumes afterward.

"Lock her up." Arorua ordered. "Ugh…an 'Emperor' attacking DNKG… Should we even go back?!"

"Hey… guys?" Ahcniea spoke. "Where's Ahcom?"

". . . . ." They had just realized their impish -W7 girl wasn't present. "WHERE IS AHCOM?!"

"Wow, I seriously don't remember seeing her anywhere!" Eitra clutched his head. "I know she's tiny, but even Ahcniea's more noticeable!"

"I like dissection!" yelled the fake Ahcniea. "Let me dissect you!"

"Are we keeping this one?" Yenmihc asked.

Jargen Suites

Eelyah molded two cement blocks to punch down the guards trying to capture her, she and Nekcarb escaping the hotel. "Operative Eelyah!" A blue-haired woman in a Black Lotus suit used her own earthbending to subdue the cement. She was Imorih Atoihs. "You and your friends are under arrest! Surrender quietly!"

"Hyah!" Ahcom leapt up from behind and stamped her palm against Imorih's leg. The woman bent the stone ground to clap her between rock slabs, but Ahcom evaded and dealt more Gentle Fists to weaken her chi. Eelyah proceeded to yeet her into the canal with her own bending. "I fell out my window and got stuck in the dumpster!" Ahcom whined, running to stomp Eelyah's big foot with her little one. "I landed on and broke my communicator! Why didn't anyone help me?!"

"Eelyah sorry." She patted her head.

"Nekcarb think we go now!"

"It sound like others had go!" Eelyah said. "Let hide and wait for come back!"

"Nekcarb think we hide in sewer! Sewer always good hide!"

"Yeah! Ahcom already smell like sewer!"

"YOU GUYS STINK!"

DNKG H.Q. (Play "Davy Jones Techno Theme" by iamfreddl!)

Operatives from several DNKs were gathered and awaiting command, including Mermaid Leader Amiak, Nimbi Ibsej, Namsknim of the Naineetak, Sector ZR, and Moonbase officers Ininap, Yddam, and Sicnarf. "H-hey? Yddam?" Ininap stuttered. "What's that?"

Their monitors displayed an incoming, ancient, metal galleon with the figurehead of a thin, bald mech. There were all kinds of junk on its deck. "They don't look friendly." Yddam said. "All ships, shoot down the strange vessel!"

The ships let fire on the galleon, but all the junk onboard bent up into spacecrafts as well, blasting the ships with their own lasers. The galleon flew around and bombarded the base with its own cannons. Captain Jarg constructed a catapult to launch him directly against the metal tree fortress. "Jar har har har har! The Elders of the End… it's good to see you again. Oh, wait, you're the DNKG now. Sorry. My software has not fully UPDATED-AH!"

Jarg molded himself into the tree and emerged right in the center of some operatives. The Psiw shot him, but Jarg bent the metal guns to choke them. Some Naineetak charged at him with swords, but he bent the tiny blades to cut them. He bent the floor to push them away like waves. Eel Nosyarg raced in to bend the floor back with his own bending, taking the swords from the Naineetak to slice the robot, but to no avail. Jarg reclaimed the tiny swords and punctured them around Eel's body.

"Hey, Ulul, doesn't he look familiar?" Ynned asked.

"Nuh-uh! It can't be! No way!" Ulul exclaimed.

"It is…" Atawid glared.

"EEYAH!" Eel yanked up some of the floor to TRAP the pirate. "Our parents should've scrapped you! What're you doing back… YVAD SENOJ?!"

The pirate laughed and broke free of his trap. "Simple boy! 'Yvad Senoj' ceased to be -200 years ago. You will know me by my new name… DAVY JARG!"

Amiak burned the robot with sapphire embers, and Ibsej crushed him under boulders, but Jarg phased into the floor, emerged behind Imiak, and caught her neck in his claw. He willed some metal blades to emerge from her tail, but Ibsej bashed him away with a boulder. Jarg grasped the floor and bent the very base against them, twisting the entire tree to his whim.

"Did they say… Davy Jarg?!" Yddam gasped. "Wasn't he… defeated?!"

"…" Ininap got to her knees and began to pray.

The DNK finally arrived at the base, horrified to see the galleon circling it. "What is that ship?!" Arorua exclaimed.

"Admiral Eniram!" Commodore Gals shouted. "Someone's already here ahead of us! Whose ship is that?"

"…!" Eniram's irises shrank. "No! It's the Swimming Swede! Ugh!" Against her own control, she bent streaks of light and used them to skate toward the DNK's ship.

"Put on your helmets, gang!" Eitra yelled. "I can toss you to the hangar from here!"

"ALIEHS!" Eniram landed. "Don't go in there! That ship belongs to—!" She forcibly kicked light at them, but Sipa conjured a magic barrier to block her. Eitra hurriedly grabbed and chucked Asia to the hangar first. Once inside its oxygen zone, she readied a whirlwind to help bounce the others as they were thrown in, landing them on a pier. Sipa's barrier inevitably shattered under Eniram's strength, so Aullik and Nosam combined waterbending to push her back, with Eirik applying sound for greater pain. Nave, Inat, and Akulla's unconscious bodies were thrown in, along with Yenmihc and Ahcniea. Eitra chucked the others through and made time for Nosam and Eirik. The ones to not make it through were Sipa, Eitra, and Aullik.

"EIRIK!" Akurah screamed. "Hey, someone throw me back out there!"

"No!" Asia yelled. "There's too many, we need to save the base first!"

"Hurry up, you idiot!" Akurah dragged her brother along. Eniram kicked Eitra and Sipa to the deck, hacking out blood. The hamsters tried to swarm her, but Admiral Uub zapped them with stunning magic.

The Nega-V and -W7 kids rushed into the base foyer. To their shock, Captain Jarg stood victorious over the ZR kids. "Jar har har har har!" he laughed, bending needles up from the floor. "There is no safe haven for you kids-ah. This tree is powerless before my metalbending."

"Metalbending?!" Ahcniea gasped. "Th…the one from the prison… Was it this guy?!"

"It… can't be!" Arorua gasped. "The old robotic pirate from the legends!"

"Aye…and now, I will have the DNK as my slaves."

"You will not."

His cybernetic eyes perked up and twisted around. Ininap bore a strong face and folded hands. "Jar har har har…your prayers mean nothing before me."

"You'll be amazed what the power of prayer can bring."

"It will bring you a…?" Jarg felt a presence. Right behind Ininap, the floor molded like a portal, a bright light shining from it. A huge entity emerged from the floor. "WHAT?!"

As the light faded… the operatives gawked before Regigigas, the God of Earth. "Source of prayer signal located. Analyzing area. …Reason for prayer detected: Davy Jarg. Subject of greeting: why, hello, Jarg. Did you wake up from your nap?"

"REGIGIGAS!" Jarg sneered, extracting a large blade. "You have no place interfering with ME!"

"We are obligated to answer the Call of Heaven when she has need of us. I may not have the power I once had… but this child's prayers are invigorating. Sending request: shall we make this a fair game, Jarg? Initiating command: Regis, get out here!"

The Earth God summoned five more spirits: "Regirock." "Regice!" "Registeel." "Regieleki!!" "Regidrago."

The spirits unleashed forces of energy and PUSHED Jarg out of the base. "JAAAAAAARRR!"

A colorful barrier expanded around the base, preventing the ships' cannons from puncturing. The operatives outside, however, were able to fly into the hangar. "Wait, our friends are still being held by the admirals!" Asia shouted.

"There's… nothing we can do." Arorua said, too exhausted to keep fighting.

"Arrrrrrrr…" Jarg growled.

"What shall we do, Captain?!" Whisker asked.

"Bah…let them cower for now. Did you bring the contract, Whisker?"

Whisker pulled a rolled-up paper from his throat. "Right here, sir."

"Good…" With a smirk, Jarg faced up at the admirals' ship, holding the three operatives captive. "At least we have a few new crewmen. Now… let us resume the war that my twin started-ah."

"It really is you… Davy Jarg!" Eniram gasped.

"Admiral Eniram! You were quite a nuisance back in the day! Such a noble child, you were! So much that I even sent my subordinate, Razorbeard, to hunt down your opposite in the Posiverse-ah! Knowing him, he probably got sidetracked-ah. Probably long been scrapped. Still, I'm delighted you got to live long enough to become my crewman! I'll just have to build a new Razorbeard… and the Robbos will rise again!"

"AAAGH!" As Jarg rose his hand, the admirals forcibly bowed and pinned the kids to the deck.

"Jar har har har! JAAAAAAR HAR HAR HAR HAAAAAAR!"