Their newest soldier marched out of the digitizing pod, a strong red blare in his right visor. He was thin with black armor and a blue bolt streaking down the chest. His red visor was askew with a taller right half. Sage stood directly before him, her glowing iris mirroring his own. "Ain't he a sight?!" Rex expressed exuberantly. "A mite smaller than actual size, but it's like he jumped right out of the screen!"
"This isn't one of your plays." Dr. Omelette's hologram said. "If you said Tattsun couldn't resonate with a normal Core Crystal, I'm still concerned if this can work. Even with Artificial Blade resonance, Sage might not-"
"It will." Sage said. "You can feel it, can't you, Tattsun?"
"Tattsun? That's a child's name. Call me…" he raised his right arm as a gauntlet formed, "Electro Black!"
Sage smirked as a gauntlet formed over her right. "We don't know if Pochi could bond with a normal crystal either. Some Drivers are simply meant to be with certain Blades. If Pochi was meant to wield Yuki… then Tattsun shall wield me. Together…" she held the fist forward, "we will annihilate those evil-doers!"
"Go, go, Electro Rangers!" Tattsun knuckle-touched!
"I!" Consul U rushed in from the auditorium. "Pochi's team is on our doorstep. Colony Alpha is with them, and we're still dealing with the 'glitch' downstairs. Orders?"
"I only want Pochi and Yuki. Perhaps I'll rearrange things to cut their numbers. I'll be counting on you and AA as well. Are you two ready?"
They turned to the long-haired man floating upside-down in the dark. "It still astounds me that they've made it this far. Perhaps I should have gone out sooner."
"If ya weren't such a lazy blighter." Rex retorted. "But on the bright side, we got some good intel out of this kid. I sent C to take care of that city. I don't know how they plan to contact the outside, but we won't give them the chance." (Play "Wishes in the Wind" from Sonic Frontiers!)
The pavilion of Agnus Castle was a massive landing deck, intended for as many ships as needed for the Miran KND. Now it was only occupied by tons of Levnises. "AVAST!" Captain Triton was first to storm into the swarm, his mighty fists sending them flying. "Those who abduct Triton's crewmen be declaring war!"
"Don't you think you should stay back this time?!" Monica defended him from an Avis's laser. She wielded a huge, body-length shield on her left arm and a mechanical, key-like claymore in her right. "You took that Titan's hits head-on last night!"
"And I'll be takin' a hundred more!"
"Captains gotta lead from the front, I guess." Lanz said.
"Oh, dear." Pai frowned. "I just noticed a problem. There's no earth for Aniki to bend again." The Octoling flinched and blushed.
"You seriously need to learn metalbending." Chuko snickered.
"I still have the ink weapons Nyoro whipped up this morning! …Just won't be as effective as intended." Aniki threw out Inkquakers, small balls that would heavily shake the ground while splashing puddles of ink. They were meant to help rattle the earth and improve Aniki's bending, provided there was proper earth here.
There was a pile of equipment available for Pochi to craft a buggy equipped with auto-locking cannons and shield projectors with limited durability. This helped bring them to the front gates without much trouble. There were flights of wide stairs that would lead to the upper area. "The auditorium will be directly above us up those stairs." Taion said. "Inside, there are facilities for different kinds of weapons or elementals. This place doubles as our cadet training and graduation center."
"I wish we came here to train instead of that chilly Arctic Base." Chuko said.
"Does that mean there's earth in there?!" Aniki exclaimed.
"Oh, Aniki…" Pai blushed.
Unfortunately, the stairs, sparking with red pixels, folded in upward and sealed the way. "That shelves that plan." Jennu said. "Unless I try to lift you guys up and around-"
"MEHMEH! Monsters stop!" Pochi abruptly stopped the buggy: a single Nopon in blue overalls guarded the entrance.
"It's Oosoo!" Noah gasped. "Be careful!"
"Of that little guy?" Mowchan smiled in adoration. "But he's so cute and squishy!"
"No! His Blade is-"
"Ino-Ino, strike large one first!"
"Yes, Masterpon!" They looked up in shock as a robotic girl dove, slashing a scythe at Mowchan, only for Jennu to fall up and kick her back. The girl was tall and skinny with green hair, wearing black and red armor, and her scythe had a black handle and long red blade of the same material, with green triangles marked in some parts. Ino landed at Oosoo's side as he took her scythe, Pochi clashing with his swings.
"That's Ino, his Artificial Blade!"
"Monsters won't lay a hand on Masterpon when Ino-Ino around!" Ino took the scythe back and danced behind Pochi, but Yuki blocked her with her own sword.
"Well, Yuki-Yuki protect Pochipon from Ino-Ino!"
"Mowchan, care to join me in a tag team?" Jennu said, catching Ino's long neck between her legs and flipping to slam her head on the ground. "The rest of you can go ahead!" Ino threw Jennu off before Mowchan grabbed the Blade like an action figure, but Oosoo jumped to bash the giant's face and roll him back.
"Ouch! He's less fluffy than I thought!"
"Then I guess it's an even match." Pochi said. "'kay, we'll leave you to it. Is there another way upstairs?"
"Ideally, provided Sage hasn't folded them as well." Taion answered. "It seems she's expected our arrival."
"Hmm…" That had Pochi worried if they would even find his brother or Suna. "That won't stop us."
The remaining ops hurried into the castle, but as they feared, the rooms pixelized and shuffled over the corridor. Even if they could find a way up, Sage was making them fight through these rooms first. The first was Water Training, which had a long swimming pool and fountains. These fun amenities would be their enemies as Agnians commanded their Water Blades to attack. Pai shielded Aniki from them while Mio returned the water. The door ahead was sealed, but they noticed a large switch deep under the 30-foot-deep pool. "Sorry, Aniki, but I think we need to put our own weight into this." Pai pushed their bubble into the pool, rolling down the sloped floor to build momentum and ram the switch. Afterwards, they jump-pushed against the top of the bubble to "float" back up to the surface, Mio bending them onto land.
The experience left Aniki seasick, so he hoped the next room would be Earth Training. "Uh…" But he didn't expect it to be so gauzy and decorated with colorful jewelry.
"Goodness!" a woman gasped in a posh accent. "How could these abominations taint my glorious chamber?!" Her white hair was done in triangular loops and bangs dyed blue, as were the ends of the flowing braids at the tips of her triangles. She wore a white-collared, yellow and black gown with black, shiny, tight stockings going into open-toed, yellow platform shoes. On her hips were large, ring-shaped blades with intricate, black insides consisting of gems and gaps. She had a black diamond-patterned choker with a blue crystal in the center.
"Lady Masha?!" Eunie exclaimed.
"Agate, let us be abolish them immediately!"
"Yes, milady!" Her Blade, a woman with a brownish-white dress with pink crystals jutting out, chopped her axe of the same material into a mass of gems. She raised it as some gems latched on the axe, taking a swing that Pai would block.
"She still sees us as monsters!" Noah said. "But why isn't she wearing the Agnus armor?"
"Perhaps the same reason we still remembered our off-seeing melody." Mio reasoned. "Masha is very passionate about her looks, so that instinct must've stuck with her."
"Masha's a lapidarist and her Blade is a geologist." Taion explained. "She's not an earthbender, but she can attach stone to her axe to compensate."
"That won't be enough to stop me!" Aniki grabbed the axe's gems in his bending and used it to bash Agate. Masha tried to slash him with her Dazzling Rings, but the sudden recreation of Pai's barrier left her dazzled instead. "We're good here. I'll give this lady a makeover!"
"Er, we hope to restore her after this, so don't hurt her too much." Noah requested.
The group pressed on to Fire Training, a room full of ovens that were overheating and spouting flames. Some Fire Blades charged at them with fire daggers while others shot fireballs from behind the ovens. Sena swatted the dagger Blades away while, "Kansai, gimme that!" Chuko swiped Kansai's bat, imbuing it with fire to hit the fireballs back.
"Since when were you good with that thing?!"
"Since I've been fusing with you, duh! Wuh—whoa!" She threw the bat after one swing.
"Your arms are still too tiny though!" Chuko growled at the snide boy.
Mio's waterbending would dowse the burners of a series of large oven platforms, ascending them up the tall kitchen. Chuko and Sena would deflect the fireballs as they tried to reignite the ovens. With steady work, the gang reached the entrance to the next chamber. The open sky was exposed to their left and right as intense wind blew through.
"YEAH!!" They were slammed with an even stronger gust, cast by the massive axe of a Blade with standing white hair, a matching open robe with light-green edges, and blue horns. "You monsters actually made it up here! Now I get to TEAR THROUGH ALL YA!"
"SPARKS!" Lanz blocked the next gust. "It's Zenobia! But she's supposed to be-"
"ME BLADE!" Triton, having at last caught up, leapt over Lanz's shield and met Zenobia with his fist, blasting her into the opposite wall.
"She's your Blade?!" Pochi asked.
"Aye, and we both love a good scrap, we do! She were elsewhere when the shower fell and I've been worried ever since. I'll settle this with her!" Zenobia shot straight back, each swing of the axe blocked by his fists as the wind ripped the space beside.
"Mr. Triton?" Yuki spoke. "I may be remembering wrong, but don't pirates usually have parrots?"
"What of it, lassie?"
"'Cause I was wondering if that birdy over there was your parrot."
A child-size bird wandered dizzily out of the next door. She had a human face with blushed cheeks, goggles, and green and yellow feathers. "Hoo boy…that last hit was a doozy. Was it always this windy out-" she went rolling and blowing away.
"AH! SAVE HER, LADS!" Triton ordered. Kansai dashed and grabbed the bird by the talons before she could blow off the edge.
"Finch, where'd you go?! Get in here, you brainless bird!" a snarky voice called from the next room.
"Aha! It's her, maties!" Triton beamed, wrestling Zenobia to the ground as her 60-mph breath blew against his face. "She be the bird's Driver!"
"That voice…" Pochi remembered that ear-grating voice from Suna's phone. "It IS her!"
They charged into the next room. It was full of electric generators and cords. A tan-skinned Agnian girl was harnessing them with her green-haired Electric Blade, defined by her lightbulb buns, shoulders, and toe-ends. "It's Panacea and Linka!" Mio recognized them. "And…"
They were striking lightning at a dark-skinned girl with pigtailed brown hair. She wore white martial artist's pants with a black sash, her thin, strong hip made bare beneath a grayish-blue top. "HAH!" She dodged Linka's electric sword and socked her in the jaw with mechanical fist gloves. She kicked the Blade aside and leapt to slam Panacea. "So, cavalry's arrived, huh?" She acknowledged the group. "Well now, didn't think the Bitchqueen would send Colony Alpha. But since when'd they recruit you pipsqueaks?"
"I think you meant that singular." Kansai shook his fist. "'Cause you ain't much taller than us!"
"Singular?" Chuko glared at him.
"Hey, Gonny, guess what!" Finch chirped, her droll expression unchanging. "I hit my head so hard, that it felt like really windy, and suddenly these weird guys came outta nowhere."
"Just give me your hammer, stupid!"
"Yokey-day!" Finch tossed her hammer to "Gonny," the girl throwing a powered swing to Panacea and Linka's noggins.
"Nyuuuh…why are we fighting again?" Linka mumbled.
"You're Ghondor!" Pochi exclaimed. "We're Suna's teammates!"
"Huh? Did that Lusa seriously come here? Didn't she have any idea what was happenin'?"
"She wanted to rescue you!" Chuko shouted.
"Ah'm fendin' for myself just fine. Ah was just about to conquer this whole castle singlehandedly!"
"Yeah, we conquered everything in the kitchen this morning!" Finch laughed.
"Consumed, ya nitwit. We kinda had to crash in there last night."
"After you left your teammates to drown." Eunie stated. "Lucky for you, we managed to save them. Shania didn't seem keen on rescuing you though."
"Well, spark her then. So, where is ol' Sunavabitch, anyway?"
"Watch your mouth, young lady!" Monica stormed in the doorway. "I'll have you know your sister just fell to her possible death!"
"Who you fooling?" Ghondor glared skeptically. "You'd be a lot more teary-eyed if she were."
"Only because we hope Suna would respawn if she did." Pochi said. "Maybe in this very castle. …Wait, Ghondor, how do you have a Blade? Your parents aren't Miran."
"No, but I was born on this planet. Came here during a little vacation, they said."
"Then Ghondor had the 'brilliant' idea to try opening a Core Crystal." Monica sighed. "I can't believe it worked."
"And it didn't even work for Tattsun…" Pochi said regretfully.
"Let's restore these two while we have the chance." Noah suggested. "We have a strong shot at conquering the castle at this rate!"
"I tell ya, nothing makes a bird hungry like a good white castle." Finch said. (End song.)
Swordmarch
Shania's teammates made a full recovery as she briefed their rescue to them and Nyoro's group. "But we have to back them up!" Cyma reasoned.
"We risked our necks enough for Ghondor as it is. I was already done with her after that Tirkin business. Bloody Gogols…"
"This isn't about Ghondor." Nyoro argued. "Pochi and Yuki are the only hope we have of restoring this world, so they need all the support they can get."
"She's right." Kryto replied. "Especially if that upside-down man is still out there."
"Upside-what-now?" Baxter questioned. "Wait, is it one of those conditions where your mouth is on the forehead? Those guys are creepy!"
"No, there was this enemy ship with an upside-down man. He shot at us with this staff and some of us turned against each other. It was only thanks to Finch we were knocked back to our senses."
"That almost sounds like what Sage is doing to everyone else…" Nyoro said. "Huh?!" The alarms blared.
"Trouble!" Mar brought up a camera display. Gray was injured against the wall at the bottom of the elevator shaft. He checked the top as a cyborg burst out of the elevator. "Attention all citizens, an enemy's heading for the city! Soldiers get ready for battle! All non-combatants take shelter!"
The cyborg burst into the city entrance and skimmed, his mechanical right eye analyzing the facilities. He had long ears and only the left half of his head was somewhat human with cracked skin. He had a tall green dome on his head with a satellite inside, sharp silver wings, and a huge left, claw-ended arm. His sensors narrowed on the building labeled 'Control Station.' "That must be it!" He fired energy beams at a group of soldiers and flew straight for the station.
"HE'S COMING FOR US!" Nyoro screamed.
"Baxter, into the Precrusher!" Mar jumped out of his seat into another room.
"Uh, Mar, you got that stronger windshield I asked for, right?!" Baxter followed.
"Vanilla, get out of there." Nyoro said, Reycho nodding in agreement. "It must know what we're up to."
"I can't stop now! I'm so close!"
"Vanilla, we can't risk it!"
"This might be our only chance! I won't leave until I contact GKND!"
"Nngh…" Perhaps this was how Aniki felt.
Shania mustered timebending to stop the cyborg, allowing her teammates to rush him with their weapons. The effect quickly wore off as C spun and slashed them with his wings. Feeling a landing crash, C spun to face a taller mech, piloted by Mar with Baxter in a cockpit between the legs. "Well, isn't this a pleasant surprise?" C sparked as his eyes reddened and his voice turned loud and maniacal. "I've been dying to meet YOU, BOOOOY!" His eyes turned orange as he assumed another robotic voice. "How delightful it will be to crush Jak's lineage…"
"How do you know Mar's dad?" Baxter asked. "I don't remember him squarin' with any half-baked tin cans!"
"Doesn't matter." Mar balled the Precrusher's fists. "If we don't stop him, this haven is toast!"
Agnus Castle (Play "Moebius Cutscene" from XC3!)
While Monica remained downstairs and worked with Panacea and Linka to hold back swarms of Agnians, Ghondor joined the rest of Pochi's band to the Ascension Grounds, the graduation stage that overlooked Erythia and Swordmarch in the distance. "?!" The one who awaited them onstage should have been expected. "Sage!"
"I didn't understand." Sage began bluntly. "Even despite your initial resistance from my control, I didn't understand why you thought you could flee from us. But when I saw that power… when I saw her with you…" Yuki flinched from her look, "I realized that you posed a true threat to me. And I grew afraid to face you… because there was something I lacked. But not anymore…"
Sage stepped aside. They saw the back of a small, black-armored figure. "Rebels of Aionios." His head half-turned as his right visor flashed. "You have fallen to the evil Yuki's juvenile deception. I, Electro Black, will STRIKE you down!" He spun with a small flash of lightning, Sage jumping to his right and mirroring his balled gauntlet pose.
"Whoa!" Yuki beamed. "He's looks cool! Do you think we can beat him, Po…chi?"
Her Driver could see through the façade. Kansai and Chuko, too, couldn't believe what they were facing. The anguish was abundant in Pochi's eye. "You…" Pochi immediately formed Lucky, wanting no more than to lash his anger at Sage. "What did you do to my brother?!"
"Brother?" Ghondor questioned. "The snuff?"
"That's Tattsun's ranger costume!" Chuko knew. "That's Tattsun!"
"So, our theory was correct." Taion said. "And yet… this is concerning. He and Sage… possess the same gauntlets they do!"
"I granted Tattsun's wish." Sage said. "And made him a Driver. My Driver."
"What?! You made… It can't be…"
"AHAHAHAHAHA!" a manly, English voice chortled. The grouped had been too shock-ridden to look at the stands, where two consuls "stood" before a man upon the top throne. They recognized U, but not the upside-down man beside him, his flowing green gown and silver hair flowing upward. More importantly, they recognized… "Aren't ya proud of him? I like that kiddo's attitude!"
"D…Dad?!" Mio gasped. "Dad, what're you doing?! Why are you with these guys?!"
"That can't be your father, Mio!" Noah said. "He's probably a fake Sage created!"
"I'm as real as they come, kid." Rex stood to stretch. "All I am is passionate about my craft… and if it's not a good costume, nothing excites me like a little despair. Like watching two close brothers fight to the death!"
"You're not Rex at all…" Sena said with restrained anger.
"I can't help but break character when I'm excited. After all… he's mah new protégé in the making."
"Whoever you are, Tattsun is NOT your protégé!" Pochi yelled. "And we're not fighting to the death! Except maybe YOURS!" He lunged straight for Sage, but Tattsun blocked the sword with his gauntlet. Sage flew for a punch to the gut, blasting Pochi across the arena before Yuki caught him. "KUAH!" He hacked.
"Mr. Pochi… I think that's Sage's real body. The other times, I didn't think she was 'really' here… but she really is this time!"
"Okay, well, headache aside," Chuko said, "that means we can finish her off this time, right?!"
"Yeah!" Kansai grabbed his bat with vigor. "We're goin' all out on ya this time!"
"Don't interfere." The upside-down man, Consul AA, raised a silver staff with an askew shaft and swirling spikes around a cyan core.
"Finch!" Ghondor ducked behind her Blade's shield-hammer. The light flashed over the group except Pochi and Yuki.
"Eh?" Kansai looked at Chuko in disgust. "Oi, what're you lookin' at, redhead?"
"Eeeek! N-N-Nothing! Please don't hurt me!" Chuko cowered as Kansai approached her threateningly.
"Ew, cut your hair, nerd!" Eunie tugged Taion's hair.
"OW! Hey, my mommy worked hard on my hair!"
"W-What happened to them?!" Pochi gasped. Noah began to tug on Mio's ears, making fun of her for being a furry, while Lanz was rudely spitting in Sena's hair. Sena cringed and cried in a whimpery tone as she tried to run from him (her falling cry from the actual game).
"Archetype Control." AA said. "I can force people to act out archetypes and make them oppose each other. North and south, good and evil, alien and invader… or in this case, bullies and victims."
"Yeah, you did the same thing to my pals out there!" Ghondor remembered. "And I did THIS!" She took Finch's hammer and whammed the operatives. Their heads spun, cartoon birds flapping around them, as they immediately forgot why they were fighting.
"Huh?!" Kansai let go of Chuko's hair. "Wait, I didn't mean to do it that time! What happened?!"
"At least you were normal, why was I acting like a squeamish girl?!"
"Well, that's irritating." Sage said. "But nothing more. A, U, dispose of these extras." She channeled her power.
"They're fusing!" Kansai exclaimed.
"I am he who rejects the gods." AA spoke as his matter scattered. "The Anti-Arceist."
"And I am the one who rejects the future." U's matter merged with his. "The Unchanging."
"Together, we are…" Their bodies combined into a tall, thin man with golden armor, no shoes, and a bright silvery-white bald head against pitch-black sunglasses. He flashed a thumbs-up pose and pointed at the operatives with a rotten grin. "'EY, YOU!"
"Haha, I get it." Ghondor laughed sarcastically. "He's golden. 'ey, you."
"He'd look cooler without his rotten teeth." Eunie cringed. "Mudder hasn't brushed in ages."
"You don't stand a chance before the Gold and Black Rangers!" Tattsun declared. He and Sage raised their gauntlets as they disassembled and reformed into their own katana: a replica of Lucky, it was more black with Sage's glitchy red pixels around it. "I will cut Yuki from the face of reality! And if you stand against me… I will do the same to you, brother."
"No you won't!" Pochi flashed the Restore command, yet Tattsun was unchanged.
"That won't work. I've hard-coded him as my Driver." Sage said. "And thanks to him, I can already feel my power growing!" She rose into the air as the entire blue sky reddened. "Until now, I was the Iris who oversaw this world… but I have evolved into the Infinite," a Moebius symbol brimmed in her iris, "who will rule this world eternal! Alongside my user, T."
"Ahem, he would be TT, actually." Rex corrected.
"Well, if I know anything about IT departments, something always goes wrong." Pochi joked. "If we can just destroy her, Yuki, we can save Tattsun."
"But I…" Yuki hesitated. She knew Sage had to be stopped… but she didn't want to destroy her. Now that she was looking right at her… something in her heart wanted to reach out. "I don't know what's wrong with you, Sage… but I want to save you, too!"
"Tch…" Sage glared. How dare this lesser Blade assume anything!
Pochi focused the Fusion command on the allies behind them. He conjured Kansuko, Noamio, Lanzena, Eunion—much to their surprise—and Ghondor and Finch. "Wait, I didn't consent to-!" They evolved into a thin, strong fighter with feathered arms, talons, and a beaked forehead. "On second thought, I kinda dig this!"
"I wish we had time to practice first!" Taion said. Eunion was a being with huge, violet-red head wings, cyan feathers at the cuffs of their sleeves and collar, large dark-purple rifle, and paper birds circling them.
"The only true practice is life or death!" Eunie declared.
"Get ready, Tattsun!" Pochi made the first strike. (Play "Find Your Infinity" by GalactixMay!)
Boss fight: Iris and Driver of Aionios, IT
Tattsun reacted to counter Pochi's flurry, swinging a cut at Pochi's legs, which he jumped before chipping Tattsun's right shoulder. Pochi couldn't believe how adept Tattsun already was at using the sword—which they would refer to as Unlucky. At least Pochi had the excuse of practicing with motion-controlled sword games. Then again, there was always a feeling that made Yuki's sword natural to use, on top of the athleticism Pochi never knew he had. Perhaps their skill had to do Yuki and Sage's guidance, or even the game world itself. Both swords met in a shoving match, but Tattsun would channel electricity and shock Pochi. Tattsun went for a head strike, but Pochi was protected by Yuki's Driver barrier. Sage swiftly took Unlucky and threw the next strike, but Yuki took Lucky and blocked her.
Sage seemed to grow five extra arms with swords, all striking at Yuki individually. They each carried their own weight, except they would scatter as soon as Yuki countered them. This would cause her swings to go farther than expected as the other swords cut her. The real Unlucky managed to dig into her hip, but Yuki would spin Lucky to push it out before it got too far. "Yuki, duck!" Pochi yelled when Tattsun mustered an Electro Sphere. Yuki fell leftward and evaded, and when Sage's sword swung over her, Yuki was able to swat Unlucky out of her hand. At this moment, she could direct her sword at Sage… and yet, she didn't. Her instinct told her to attack a different way.
"BAD!" She smacked Sage in repetition. "Bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad!"
"Y-Yuki, what're you doing?!" Pochi asked.
"When people do a bad, they get smacked!"
"GRRR!" Sage reached both hands for Yuki's neck, but she tossed Lucky back to Pochi and grabbed them. Both wrestled for a second before headbutting. "?!" In that instant, an image popped in Yuki's mind.
"Who… are you?"
"I'm… Dr. Omelette. The greatest scientific genius on Mobius!"
"Mobius… Omelette. Huh! You're the one Father spoke of!"
"Father?"
"You are the daughter of Dr. Eggman… the man my father served."
At that moment, Omelette knew. "You're… Infinite's daughter?"
Tattsun retrieved Unlucky and swung at Yuki, but Pochi blocked him. Both girls returned to their Driver's backs. "Pochi, I just saw a fat lady!"
"Yeah, head trauma would do that!"
"No! I think I was in Sage's memories. The lady called her Infinite's daughter."
"Huh? You don't mean…!" Pochi dodged as Tattsun began slashing electric streaks. Tattsun zipped his way closer while slashing streaks at each position, but Pochi dodged his direct attack by leaping behind his brother and striking his back. Tattsun leapt onto Sage's shoulders as she uplifted into the air. He raised Unlucky skyward as clouds form, striking red lightning around the field. Pochi and Yuki did their best to evade, but suffered a few bolts.
"If Sage can fly… I should be able to fly, too! If I just believe…" Yuki shut her eyes tightly, "I can do it!"
"Yuki, I don't think it's gonna work like… and I'm wrong?!"
The blue wing on Yuki's right shoulder glowed and grew! "Ah! Pochi, get on! We can reach them!" Pochi leapt on as Yuki took them up to IT's level. They resumed their clash; IT would zip behind Pochi to take him by surprise, but Yuki flew them away in time. They shot back for a counterattack, but IT zipped underneath, only for Yuki to take Lucky and block their attack. Their blades locked in stalemate, but Pochi would drop down and grab Sage's ankles. He pulled up and punched her iris repeatedly, but Tattsun would zap him off. Yuki back-flipped and dove down to rescue him, clashing with Sage along the way. But once near Pochi, she threw Lucky to him, allowing him to lash a surprise attack just before Yuki grabbed him. IT crashed, and Yuki would plop right atop Sage and wrestle with her again. The two headbutted repeatedly as another vision flashed.
Sage and Dr. Omelette stood in the center of a chamber of six people. "Awe, can't we add her?" cooed a girl who looked like Sailor Moon. "She's so cute!"
"She's your responsibility then, Cosplayer." Oathbreaker said. "I have my hands full as it is with students."
"You've had her two years before this, Doctor." Stargazer said. "Has she any experience?"
"Well, I've had her hijack the Mobian Army's security networks and even their robots. Put her in charge of some of my own networks, too. But, she's still a bit… wet beneath the keyboard. Some brats in the KND were able to out-hack us. That's why I was hoping she'd attain good training working here."
"Programs shouldn't need 'training.'" Overlord glared. "If they're poorly designed, then they're trash."
Sage bowed her head with a solemn stare. "Let's not jump to conclusions." Sage looked up at the source of the hoarse, ominous voice. "She is a child… born from the essence of a Firstborn. I'm sure… that we can find a use for her. Can't we, Genius?"
"HUP, yepep, puh?" The Genius jumped awake from a drunk slumber. "Yeah, sure, King, I'll, burp, get them dry-cleaned in a jiffy."
"A child of Omelette's is certainly welcome in my book." The Heroine spoke kindly. "But I suppose we must vote first."
The score came 4-3. "It's decided!" said Lady Despair. "Now, about her codename…"
Sage blasted Yuki off. "Who were all those people… Some of them seemed kinda mean to you."
"Tattsun!" Pochi flashed the Restore command with each slash he dealt Tattsun. "Snap out of it! I know you're in there!"
Sage thrusted a storm of Unluckies, Pochi countering with great speed even as some cut him. Yuki formed the Driver barrier, forcing herself to maintain it as Tattsun zipped around and shocked her from multiple angles. Pochi rushed forward, dodging the swords and lashing a flurry onto Sage before she escaped. Sage grabbed Tattsun and took flight again, Pochi riding Yuki and pursuing. They hid behind one of the castle's pillars, but Pochi and Yuki wouldn't find them once they arrived. IT suddenly zipped above and struck down, Pochi countering, but they would zip down around the pillar. The duo chased, and IT would zip beneath the second pillar, to the back of it, around the third pillar, then the tip, but in that instant, copies of IT would appear all around the eight pillars.
They all began to muster a giant ball of lightning. The duo quickly flew around and slashed every one, but they all broke into pixels. But when they targeted the ones at the bottom left of the 7th pillar, they cancelled the electric and pushed up against them, sword against sword. They soared level with the castle's roof as a strong swing on Pochi's part knocked IT above it. Yuki flew after, but IT zipped above and struck down, crashing the pair onto the roof. IT landed with a stab, Pochi and Yuki dodging. Both Drivers charged and clashed a fast and forceful battle until their swords locked again. Pochi's eye locked with Tattsun's glowing eye, the latter's helmet glitching.
"Did your visions see this, Pochi? Did they ever see me… being a hero?"
"What?!" Tattsun zipped behind, Pochi quickly defending the next flurry.
"Or were you blinded by your own heroism? You thought you had it all because of Yuki's power… but little do you know she's using you! If you don't open your eyes, I'll have no choice!"
"Is that what she told you?!" Pochi dealt an Omni-Slash, knocking Tattsun back. He tried to knock Unlucky out of his hand, but Sage projected a Driver barrier. Sage took the sword and dueled Pochi.
"When I bonded with him, I saw his feelings and memories. Deep down, he wanted to surpass you. He wanted what you had. Not even your allies supported him. So, we gave him a hero that would… and the power he wanted."
"That's not nice!" Yuki took Lucky and continued the duel. "You used his own feelings to make him a bad guy!" With a parallel upward swing, the hilts of their swords met as they glared through the glowing gaps. "But I'll use yours… to make you good!"
The intense, opposing powers caused the sky to glitch between red and blue.
…
"Look at these readings!" Omelette exclaimed as the red and blue code melded and glitched on the monitors. "The two hearts are actually drawing out their full power! But if this keeps up, it might create a system shutdown!"
"Then that brat needs to pull back!" Dr. Sanchez shouted, trying to tamper into his own monitor. "Cosplayer, tell A and U to…huh? Hey, is this showing up on yours?"
"Eh?" Omelette turned. His terminal was flashing pieces of black code. "That… data looks different. Wait, look at them now!"
Sage and Yuki jumped back, mustered power, and slashed a powerful blow to each other. Their data nearly completely shattered as six hearts orbited them. The red, orange, and yellow hearts came out of Sage while the green, blue, and indigo ones came out of Yuki. "Are these… our hearts?" Sage whispered.
"Ohhh…" Pochi was in awe.
"What?" Omelette gaped. "I… had it wrong? I thought Yuki was made from the Pure Hearts and Sage from the Chaos Heart… but they were both born from Pure Hearts? Then… what happened to the Chaos Heart?"
"Wow, Sage… you have such pretty hearts." Yuki reached and touched the red one.
"Hello there!" A purple-haired Lilliputian girl hung upside-down before Sage's eye.
"Huh?"
"I didn't think there were other girls here! I'm L, the Little! Who're you?"
"I'm… I, the Iris. This is M, the Mirror." Sage looked to the ghostly girl with the round mirror.
"Are you two Yōkai? You're a weird one!" L climbed up and shuffled around Sage's hair.
"No, I'm… well, an AI."
"But you can't have two letters in your codename, haha! So, do you two have sleepovers?"
"Sleep…overs?"
"We don't sleep." M said.
"Wow, that's so creepy! No wonder you look so tired! Then you're gonna stay up all night with me! To my room!" The tiny dropped down to the floor and raced ahead.
"Um…" The door to L's room was only large enough for a puppy to crawl through.
"Come on in! It's really spacious inside! Just jiggle your tushy a bit if it gets stuck!"
I and M exchanged silent baffled, but curious glances.
"Awe, you have friends, too!" Yuki cooed.
"GRRRR!" Sage called her hearts back while Yuki's returned to herself. Surging with fury, she assaulted Yuki with a storm of copied swords, the Blade deflecting them with blinding speed. "YUKI!" Pochi screamed—Tattsun took the real Unlucky and zipped behind to slice across Pochi's torso.
"POCHI!!" (End song.)
His body flew cleanly in two… and began to become red pixels. No…no, this can't be happening! Is this really… how it ends?!
Seven minutes before…
"So what, is this 10 against 2?" Lanzena smirked. "Shouldn't be a problem."
"Don't underestimate them." Eunion advised.
"Hmph." AU scoffed, the head of his silver staff swirling. "I have a special move that can beat four opponents at once. But I'm sure I can manage five or ten. These teenagers don't stand a chance." (Play "Power of Jin" from XC2!)
Boss fight: Golden Defier AU
Noamio made the first move, but AU was swift in dodging the Veiled Sword before kicking Noamio's hip. He went for a head punch, but Noamio slashed a Moonblade at the arm, afterwards bending Water Whips out of the air; there was a benefit to having the sea level so high. AU withdrew a S.P.I.C.E.R. from his armor to counter and steam the water, but Lanzena would bend the fire in their favor before scorching AU. The Enforcer leapt in the air and hung upside-down as he drew a minigun, firing onto Lanzena. "Now that ain't fair!" Lanzena said as they shielded the onslaught. "AGH!" The bullets pierced right through their shields.
"Hey, what's wrong with you two?" Kansuko asked, hitting baseballs up at the enemy.
"What do you mean, he's sparking shooting at us!"
"No he isn't!"
"What?!"
"I'm picking up energy readings from his staff." Eunion said. "Perhaps we should target it!" He sent birds to swarm AU, but his suit drew a large pair of scissors, a H.A.I.R.C.U.T.T.E.R., to quickly slice them down. Eunion would still use this distraction to blast him with a rifle she crafted in the city. The shot met his stomach, after which Finchdor would flap up and swing her hammer, holding it in her talons. AU blocked and pulled himself over to chop the back of Finchdor's head, but she would lean forward to mitigate the blow before returning to punch his head. She tried to take his staff, but was cut by his scissors and kicked away. His silver staff was about to flash again, so Eunion tried to swallow him in a sphere of birds. Sadly, the S.P.I.C.E.R. burned through them, but the flames nullified most of the light as it only touched Eunion.
"Uck! Why am I working with this filthy Bladeborn, anyway?!" Eunie asked disgustedly.
"As if I would associate with you Entia nobility!"
"Their Fusion's coming undone!" Noamio shouted.
"DROP IT, you dags!" Finchdor thwacked the Fusion and kept them intact.
"Ow! Not sure what happened, but thanks, Ghondor."
"Hey, we're Finchdor now! But you're welcome, You-Moron."
Lanzena helped spring Kansuko up to AU, the flying tiger lashing a flurry of fiery baseball swings. AU countered the bat with his arms while his suit extracted a S.P.L.A.N.K.E.R. and S.L.U.G.G.U.H. to pummel the pair. "Chuko, those really are classic KND weapons!" Lanzena blasted up with a Rocket Boost to deal a powerful blow from their Comet Mallet, sending AU flying a short distance. Noamio, from their ground position, sent their Moonblades up with large Water Rings to slice the Enforcer. AU conjured shurikens and tossed them down in a similar manner, Noamio screaming in pain.
"Mimi, what's wrong?" Lanzena asked.
"He's throwing bladed stars!"
"I don't see anything!" Kansuko said.
"It's another kind of hypnosis attack!" Eunion deduced. "That staff is emitting powerful light frequencies that mess with our minds!"
"Correct." AU replied. "This technique is Spiritual Tripping. In correspondence with my gestures, I can strike you with illusory weapons, hurting your very conscience. But even that truth won't protect you."
"Why do ya need that if you have real weapons?!" Kansuko rocket-pounced and tried to drag AU down.
"Attacks to the psyche oft do worse pain."
"Whatever, Baldy!" Finchdor flew down to hammer Noamio. "Feel better now?"
"Why? What was wrong?"
"That bird has to go!" Rockets extracted from the suit's ankles as AU shot over to Finchdor, their hand-to-hand combat at odds. Eunion's paper birds swarmed him in diagonal formations while Noamio stretched a Water Whip to wrap him, successfully dragging AU back to ground level. The five Fusions tried to jump him at once: AU squatted and spun on his rear, thrusting his arms out to karate chop all five, along with an upside-down kick at each of their heads. AU then swiftly leapt in the air and shot a G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H., wrapping around the group and closing them together, then kicking them away all at once. "Heh. It worked."
AU drew a S.C.A.M.P.P. and G.U.M.Z.O.O.K.A., unloading the laser and gumball weapons until the group broke free of the rope and scattered. AU ran to engage Kansuko and conjured a lightsaber, the sword phasing through their bat to burn them directly. Finchdor, knowing it was another illusory weapon, hurried to the rescue, but AU kicked on his rockets to grab and push her skyward. Finchdor furiously tried to shake him off, but his weapons would also keep shooting, all the while his cane was charging for another Archetype Control. The flash exploded, AU looking down to see the fruits. "?!" Instead, there was a large green turtle shell where they used to be. "Nice origami, Taion!" Lanzena praised, the shell opening to reveal the Fusions.
"It's nice to have some shade around when you need it." Eunion kicked the shell up to Finchdor, who blasted and scattered it, but Eunion had the pieces swarm and cut him, anyway. Lanzena carried Noamio before rocketing up, while Kansuko rode Eunion. They joined Finchdor in battling AU up the castle; the Enforcer conjured a ball-and-chain to whack Lanzena while using the G.R.A.P.P.L.U.H. to yank Finchdor away. They flew level with the castle's roof by the time Finchdor could shake free and hammer AU.
"POCHI!!"
The group spun, horrified at Pochi's derezzing body. "What?!" Lanzena gasped.
"NO!" Noamio screamed.
"Seems that it's over." AU said.
"The spark it is!" Eunion shot their rifle at Sage, who blocked it with Unlucky, while Kansuko pounced onto the roof and charged them. Tattsun zipped to grab Unlucky and strike them at several angles, bringing the tiger on their knees.
"You were fated to lose here. Finish them, Tattsun."
The boy raised his sword. …He hesitated. "…But they… didn't mean to do wrong… A true Electro Ranger… spares the innocent…"
"It seems there are some faults in this new program. But we'll fix it in time."
"Pochi!" Yuki grabbed his fading hand. "I'm sorry! I was so focused on Sage, I forgot to protect you!"
"I guess this means… I'll be thrown back into the game again. I don't know… what'll happen to you."
"You can't!" Yuki clutched him more firmly, some of his red pixels turning blue. "It can't end like this! Not when we're so close!"
Lanzena and Finchdor combined their strength against AU while Eunion swarmed IT, leaving Noamio to heal Kansuko. During this, they saw Pochi's pixels change. "Mio, look! Yuki is keeping him from disappearing!"
"Noah… those blue data particles kind of look like spirit nodes, don't they?"
"Huh? Mio, do you think…"
"We already know she glows from the melody. Maybe something will happen, let's try!"
"We've got no other options." Once Kansuko was restored, the Fusion rushed to the duo's side. (Play "Life Sent On" from XC3!)
Noah and Mio diffused and retrieved their flutes. Their pleasant melody filled the air. "Uhn…" Sage stumbled. "Not again… Tattsun, cut-" Tattsun defended from Kansuko and Eunion's elements, both going airborne to make it difficult for him to reach.
Yuki's body brightened… and her soft blue spread to all of Pochi's pixels. "I'm not… disappearing!"
The off-seers grew hopeful. Somehow, Yuki resonate with the melody… and since people lose a bit of life when they derez, the song must be working with Pochi because of that. So, with both of them together, perhaps a miracle will happen. Either way, Pochi kept holding Yuki's hand, believing she was the only thing tethering him to this current life. But as he grew entranced by Yuki's glow, his data fully dispersed… and entered her crystal. She was in awe as her own matter began to morph.
"OMG, Eddy, Pochi's playing his first game!" Miko exclaimed giddily, her 3-year-old son armed at the controller.
"Since you are a new conscience, and I am bringing you into conscience… you may call me Father." The hands softly embraced the two hearts. "As for your name…hmm…perhaps…"
Pochi and Yuki gasped: they were surrounded by memories amidst a space of blue data. "Yuki! Are we… fusing?!"
"Is this what it feels like?! Gosh, it IS weird!"
They would leave their allies awestruck as they became a tall knight, with dark-armored limbs, narrowed blue eyes, a green "X" on their forehead, a flowing blue-white ponytail… and most definitively, a fluffy white coat. "Wow… this is… AWESOME!" They slashed the air with vigor. (Play "Weight of Life" from XC3!)
"WATCH OUT!" Kansuko screamed.
Tattsun made it to Noah and Mio, the two dodging his strike, but Sage came out of her stupor. She cast copied Unluckies at Pochuki, but they easily slashed them down and leapt to strike Sage. The Program flew back with a worried breath. Tattsun rejoined her and clashed with them, but a weighty spin attack sent him and Sage flying and falling off the roof. They pursued and leapt down to attempt a crashing punch, Sage withstanding it with a Driver barrier.
"Ho now!" Rex gasped. "I don't remember that one!"
Grounding AU to the roof, Kansuko and Lanzena ran circles to burn him while Lanzena pelted paper birds. AU raised his staff for another Archetype Control—"AAAAAHH!" Mio charged, leapt, and socked the back of his head; she was surprisingly strong for her soft-looking frame! Noah, right after, jumped and slammed his sword into AU's staff claw, knocking it free as it fell off the roof and depowered. Finchdor tackled him toward the opposite side of the Ascension Grounds.
Sage and Tattsun zipped around Pochuki for consecutive slashes, but no matter how much they cut the fluffy coat, they couldn't seem to find the center. "UGH!" They tried to stab directly through, but the cotton would morph and wrap around them. Its hold was firm, but warm. "Sage, you should retreat! We didn't expect this!" Omelette called.
"NO!" IT pushed backwards and escaped the coat. "If they can do it, we can, too! AH!" Pochuki swat them out of the air. Sage and Tattsun held Unlucky together and unleashed a fierce, lightning-powered flurry, but the electricity barely carried through the coat. Pochuki's sword was the victor as IT was on their backs once more. "But I…I was so close…"
The other Fusions leapt after Finchdor and smashed AU with combined force. Growing fatigued, the operatives diffused and backed away… while AU trembled getting back on his feet. "Man, this creep just won't stay down!"
Pochuki raised their blade. They glared at Sage… before returning to Tattsun, his armor glitching. They mustered the Restore command in their sword and, "TATTSUUUUUN!" aimed to sever his guise at last. But Rex took the blow instead. (End song.)
The hero's body shred to pieces. The ops were surprised by his action, but felt no remorse for the phony. …But beneath the guise, someone fell to their knees. A young woman with dark-blue hair divided in long, wavy strands, glasses, and a teal-black school uniform, torn from Pochuki's slash. The Mirans were dumbfounded that such a plain-looking woman was inside the fake Rex… but Sector Q was even more shock-ridden. "Miss… Shirogane?" Pochi spoke.
Axolites Executive III – The Cosplayer
TSUMUGI SHIROGANE
"Awww…I was really proud of that costume."
"Y…You… What're you…doing here?"
"Dangangangan… I didn't plan to go out in the field for this… but when I saw my little Tattsun here…" She turned to him, "I had to."
Pochi couldn't process her words… or her being here. Shirogane gently wrapped arms around Tattsun and pulled him into a hug. "He's a spitting image of me… like a son. I want him as my own."
". . . . ." Pochuki raised the sword and chopped down—Shirogane sensed their motion and dodged with Tattsun in hold, getting behind Sage. "Retreat now." Sage grabbed them and teleported.
"I believe those orders were for us as well." AA said. "Fighting that one may prove tasking in our current state."
"Unfortunate… but I agree." AU kicked on rockets and flew to grab his staff before fleeing across the sea.
"…AaaaaAAAAUUUUUUGH!" That was the best way Pochuki could let out their frustration.
"Yeah… me, too." Chuko frowned.
"What was that noise?!" They heard Jennu's voice, seeing their allies enter into the grounds, looking tattered as well. "WHAT IS THAT?!"
"Take it easy!" Kansai said. "It's Pochi and Yuki! They fused!"
"Oh…haha, I've been meaning to ask if they could do that. But good news, we finished knocking out those Agnians. I shrunk them and tucked them in Mowchan's backpack." The giant patted the pack.
"So, what happened up here?" Aniki asked.
"Um…how to begin…" Pochuki wondered.
However, their communicators rang. They were met with Nyoro's distressed voice. "G-Guys… City was… atta…coughed… Vanilla…"
"What?! Nyoro, what happened?!"
"Aniki… I'm sorry…"
Swordmarch
C leapt and befittingly crushed the Precrusher. Unfortunate that Mar and Baxter escaped from it, especially with the amount of damage C had taken from it. But C was satisfied knowing he'd done more. He'd slaughtered every soldier that came to stop him, except for Shania who lay defeated on the floor, Mar and Baxter who fled like rodents, and… the pitiful octo who wormed out of the Control Station's wreckage. Nyoro morphed back into human shape, gasping through sobs. "AAAAHH!" C squashed her legs into brown paste.
"Awe, what's wrong, girl? Your little SOS plan fail? Heh…" He smirked once more at Shania. "The rest of you aren't worth finishing. You'll never survive on your own." And so, the cyborg took his leave. Nyoro's legs would reform… but her heart wouldn't.
GKND H.Q.
"Huh?" Supreme Leader Star received an email from UNKNOWN SENDER. "I'd say it's spam, but… you never know." He clicked on it.
"WORLD TREE! WORLD TREE! WORLD TREE!"
"GAH!" Star blew himself back when Vanilla's pixelly face slapped onto his screen.
"Wear eyepatches of World Tree metal to get into Aionios!" She banged on the screen. "The eyepatches are the answer!"
"Uhhhhhh…" Star wasn't sure if he was buying an Internet scam by responding. "Vanilla, is that you?"