Sector W7, Part 4

Chapter 4: April, the First and the Last

Sector W7 Treehouse

Another peaceful day on Water 7. Man, this town is nice. It was noon as four of the team members, plus Gonbe, stood together and posed, while April Goldenweek studied them and carefully painted on her canvas. They've had a good past few days, so Chimney decided they should have a group photo. But who would want that if they have their own professional painter? Normally, it's a process that would take hours or days, but April only started a few minutes ago, and she was close to done.

A few minutes more, April painted the last whisker on Gonbe's face. She turned the canvas around, and the sector beamed, wide eyes and mouths, at their beautifully painted selves. "OOWAAAAAHH!" Chimney's eyes sparkled. "IT'S SO LIFELIIIIKE!" ("Gyom-gyooooomm!")

Aeincha was impressed as well, but after a while, she frowned. "Uhhm… there's something missing."

The others' smiles faded, as they noticed as well. There was only four of them, plus Gonbe. "Oiiii! April-chan's not in this picture!" Chimney exclaimed. ("Gyom, gyom!")

"But we're Sector W-Seveeeeen! You should be in it, tooooo!"

"Are you sure, April?" Apis asked. "You're part of the team, too."

"It's no big deal. Besides, adding extras to it will make it less of a masterpiece."

"…Well, you're the artist…" Apis figured.

"Ahhh, you're a baka-chan. Oh well, le's watch some KNN news!" Chimney grinned.

"Gyom, gyom!" The rest of the kids hurried excitedly to the couch, while April walked over less ecstatically. Chimney grabbed the remote and switched the TV on, and Melody and Danny's images were shown.

"And so ends the tale of the silly chipmunk who tricked a corporate businessman into signing away his rights to the sock-sewing company." Danny spoke. "Well, there's our random story conclusion for those just tuning in, you Mel?"

"Um, thank you, Danny, in other news, there has been a recent increase in assaults from Candy Pirates on unsuspecting Kids Next Door candy shipments. A report from Sector W7 cautions everybody to be on the lookout for notorious pirate, Commander Fat Jack. Rumored to be extremely dangerous, obsessed with candy, and very mean to tiny people. …In unrelated news, Sector I sees its last few days as their second-to-last teammate has gone rogue, and is scheduled for decommissioning." This caught April's attention, but her expression didn't change. "The remaining operative will be temporarily moved to a new sector."

"Awww. Poor guy." Apis frowned.

"Gyom, gyom." Gonbe was just as sad.

"It's so sad when friends have to part ways like that because they get too old." Aisa said.

"Good thing WE'RE not growing up for four more years! Even MORE!" Chimney exclaimed.

"YAAAAY!" the girls, except guess-which-one, cheered excitedly.

"Oh!" Aeincha's smile vanished, remembering once again. "Except…"

The kids looked at April with sad, apologetic looks. "April… we-" Apis tried to speak.

"It's okay." she said, still not changing her look. "Our time still has to come eventually. You guys will be just as good without me."

"'ey, whatchu talking about, anyway?" Chimney asked. "You don't get decommissioned just for turnin' 13, anymore, you gotta turn traitor! You ain't gonna turn traitor, are you?"

"Um… I-"

Chimney wanted to say something otherwise, when the alarms suddenly rang. Panini Drilovsky's face appeared onscreen. "This is Moonbase calling Sector W7. There are some Teen Ninja warships passing close to your sector, and they're loaded with boxes of sick chickens. They might be trying to use them for a new Chickenpox Cannon. Ya have to stop them."

"Oi, we can't ever have a day off here." Chimney said exhaustedly. ("Gyom-gyom.")

"Alright, team! Let's goooo!" The rest of the team hurried off excitedly. April looked at the screen for a few seconds, lost in thought, before chasing after them.

Warship squadron, middle of the ocean

Indeed, the Teen Ninjas were sailing off to whatever destination, carrying loads of bawking chickens. Nya LaMar and Hoagie III were in the control room of the flagship, staring out at the sea.

"Ugh! I can't beLIEVE that Maddy brat kept us in her toy box for 3 weeks!" Nya shouted in anger. "What took Shade so long to come get us, anyway??"

"Why you so mad, Nya? I kind of liked being an action figure." Hoagie III said coolly.

"Ugh. Well, as soon as we power up our cannon, HER neighborhood is gonna be FIRST to go."

One of their monitors started to beep all of a sudden. "Unknown vessel coming from the south." a girl reported.

"It's those KNDorks!" Nya concluded. "Ready the bikes! Oh, and DON'T touch my CDs!"

The R.O.C.K.E.T.-T.R.A.I.N. was zipping toward the warships at high speed across the water. The ships began to blast their cannons, but the train swerved around and dodged before shooting to the sky, going just above the ships' towers. The teens got in bikes and started to fly after the sector, but the train endured the laser strikes as they kept flying. "Oi, time to drop in, chans!" Chimney exclaimed.

"Remember, we gotta get the chickens onto our train and take them to be treated." Apis reminded.

"Yeah, yeah. LE'S GO!" Chimney set the train to autopilot as the five girls and rabbit dropped to the decks of individual ships. Chimney whipped out some M.A.R.B.L.E.s and started to throw them around her ship, bombing holes in the floors and cannons. Aisa whipped out her Conache Pumpkin, tied to her rope, and hurled it forward to bash a row of Teen Ninjas. Another ninja tried to grab her from behind, but she jumped back and bashed the iron pumpkin at his face.

"OW! How do you people EAT those-" Aisa bashed him again and knocked him out.

On another ship, Aeincha stood confidently as a group of Teen Ninjas surrounded the tiny child. "Ugh. We have to put up with THIS again?" Tracy asked. "All right, Teens: don't show ANY mercy." They all drew out lasers and took aim.

"GYOOOM!" Gonbe jumped on Tracy's head and bit on her nose, making her shoot her laser upward aimlessly. When the teens were distracted, Aeincha ran and climbed up one's body, going to his chest and pressing the switch on the right nipple. His armor deactivated, so Aein got inside his clothes and began to crawl around. As the ninja tried to grab her, Gonbe jumped over and bit hard on his ear. The other ninjas chased him and tried to help, but Aeincha slipped out of his clothes and grabbed on to another one.

Coincidentally, April Goldenweek landed on the flagship. As she broke into the storage, gangs of Teen Ninjas began to swarm her, but she swiftly dodged around and painted black marks on their armor. They looked confusedly, and were about to attack again, when- "Don't help bring those chicken crates onto our train." April said. Against their own will, the ninjas stopped attacking and began to haul the crates away.

"Guys, what're you doing?!" a female ninja yelled, who wasn't hypnotized. "Don't help them! !" The ninjas worked harder to carry on their task, and April proceeded to hypnotize this girl as well. With that, the 12-year-old decided to head to the upper floors.

In another ship, Apis was surrounded by more ninjas as she looked to the crates of chickens. She closed her eyes and spoke telepathically, and the chickens suddenly broke free from the crates and began to tackle the teens, forcing them to catch chickenpox.

Meanwhile, Aisa was using her new Jet Dials to fly as she held the Conache Pumpkin down and bashed the heads of the Teen Ninjas that were hit. Suddenly, Aisa was kicked down to the floor by another ninja, recovering to see it was Shade. Aisa glared and got up, aiming to throw her Conache when- "Straight throw, then left swing." Shade dodged the predicted throw, and when Aisa swung leftward, Shade attempted to jump over and kick her.

Aisa gasped, sensing Shade shooting upward and shooting down, knuckles first. Shade stopped mid-kick, shot upward, and shot down to strike with her knuckles, but Aisa dodged right right away.

"Huh?" Shade was a little surprised. She began to run around and around Aisa in circles, going faster and preparing a strike. Aisa sensed Shade coming from the left, so when the ninja attempted the attack, Aisa swiftly turned and flipped backward and avoided. Shade's eyes widened, and she felt she understood. "So, you know Observation."

"Huh?" Aisa asked.

"But I believe you Skypians call it Mantra. Perhaps a true test is required." Shade zipped to the other side of the room and extracted a series of lasers from under her armor (how do they fit all these weapons?). They looked around aimlessly, ready to shoot in random directions. With that, they let fire, and the room was storming with lasers. Aisa sensed where each shot would be, and she moved quickly to avoid the ones coming at her. She dodged her way over to Shade and swung her pumpkin, knocking the ninja upside the head, and backward. Shade got up as her lasers retracted. "Hmmm. Seems yours are enhanced. I shall see more later." The ninja threw a bomb down that flashed and blinded the whole area, and when the light faded, she was gone, leaving a confused Aisa.

April made her way to the control room on the flagship. Nya and Hoagie stood in the center as some ninjas tried to attack, but she dodged and painted pink on them, forcing them to become sad. "I won't hurt you if you choose to surrender." she said to Nya and Hoagie.

"I give." Hoagie raised his hands. Nya immediately bashed his head. "Oww!"

"Say… how old are you, anyway?" Nya asked April, raising a brow.

"I'm… 12." she answered. "My birthday is in six months."

"I see…" a witty smile appeared on Nya's face. "So, let's say I let you catch me. After six months, you won't even be recognized for it. You'll be hanging with us and kids will think of you as ANOTHER smelly teen."

"It happens to everyone eventually." April said.

"DON'T you have any EMOTION, Girl?? YO' friends won't care about you anymore and they'll be forced to attack you. That's what happens with ALL 13-year-old operatives. Your friends today become enemies tomorrow."

"Sunni and Marcus are thirteen years old. They were allowed to stay."

"That's because they still acted like brats. Look at yourself. You don't even SOUND like a kid. You ain't whiny like yo' little teammates. And HOW many kids would rather PAINT instead of eat ICE CREAM? ? …Besides the French."

"Painting is an enticing and concentrative sport."

"Right. You ain't cut out to be a kid, Kid. Why don't you just ditch yo' lame friends and hang with us? That's what Ms. Abrams did when she was young."

April stared at her for a few seconds. Her frowning, toneless expression didn't change. "GYAH!!" Suddenly, Chimney bursted through the door, startling April and the teens. "Oi, April-chan, I got finished early!! We takin' these pizza-sans down??"

"…Right." April nodded and immediately slid over and painted yellow on Nya's and Hoagie's chests.

"PAAAAH HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!…" The two were forced to laugh uncontrollably, and couldn't focus. Nya fell to her hands and knees as April looked at her with her usual frown. As Nya wiped a tear from her eye, she fell to her front as she held a small, folded paper at April's feet.

"HYAAAHH!" Chimney jumped high and stomped Nya with great force, knocking the teen out as the smile stayed on her face, but some of the paint began to fade. "Oi, what a saiko-chan. April, can you paint them so they lose their dumb teen brains? Or, do they need NEW brains."

"…" April stared at Nya for a few seconds. "Let's leave them be. Without the chickens, they won't be very much."

"Ahhhh. If you say so, Chan. Le's go home." With that, Chimney walked off.

April bent down and picked up the tiny slip. She stuffed it in her pocket, sparing one last glance to the ninjas before walking off.

Sector W7 Treehouse

"HOOOO-yah!" Chimney sighed in exhaust as they returned to the treehouse, the sun setting over Water 7. "Those chickie crates were HEEEAAAVY."

"Gyom, gyoooom."

"I'm glad we didn't catch chickenpox." Apis said. "Who wants to watch Avatar?"

"You guys go ahead." April said, walking off. "I'll be in my room."

"Doing WHAT, April-chaaaan?" Chimney yelled.

"Just to mellow out." And with that, she was gone down the hall.

The four kids and rabbit looked at each other curiously.

In April's room

April closed her door and went to sit on her bed. She would normally use her alone time to paint… but she didn't feel like it. Her head was clouded with thoughts and memories. Deep down, she was secretly worried she would be decommissioned, and never get to play with Sector W7 again. It's just like with her old sector… (Play "Chopper's Sad Theme" from One Piece.)

Several years ago

Sector GD, stationed in Gobi's Desert. That was where April was stationed. A team of five: Numbuh 5-Kegs, Trenton Boom. Numbuh February, Selina Valentine. Numbuh 1-1, Paula Doublefinger. Numbuh 11-Long, Dazun Sclice. …And then there was April.

Trenton was the team's weapons expert. He was mostly into bombs and blowing things up. Wasn't really right in the head, but he was still a good kid. Selina was a rather cheerful girl, the combat specialist, and probably the light of the team. She was very swift and nimble, not to mention really thin. Paula was pretty goth and tomboyish. She wore a spiked black jacket, which could shoot actual spikes. And Dazun was the big, strong leader. He was the oldest, and he was skilled with swords. Then April, she was the Artist and Hypnotist, and the youngest of the team. But they all seemed pretty old, even before decommissioning.

On a regular spring's day (though they couldn't tell seasons in the desert), April was happily painting a portrait of her team, a smile on her doll-like face. The four members were bunched together, making their own poses, as April carefully painted their images. It didn't take long before she was finished, and she turned the portrait around to show them.

"Hey, not baaaad!" Selina beamed.

"Hm. Pretty slick, Girl." Paula said.

Trenton frowned, noticing something. "Um… ain't there someone missing?"

The others frowned, noticing as well. April was absent from the picture. "You… didn't paint yourself." Selina said.

"Well, I wasn't standing there." April said, still keeping a smile. "An artist has to paint what they see."

"But you're part of the team…" Selina spoke once more. "All of us should be in it."

"It's no big deal." April shook. "Painting the four of you is just as good."

"Hm. You're way too nice." Dazun said coolly. "Care about yourself every now and then."

"Hm hm hm, okay." April laughed. "Let's do something else."

"Ahhh, anyone wanna go to the pool?" Trenton asked, the African-American boy picking his nose. "These desert climates ain't doin' it right for me."

"I rather like it." Paula said with a smug look. "The idea of dehydrated organisms baking in the heat, their bones rotting away for hundreds of years."

"How dark." Trent remarked.

The alarms suddenly blared across the treehouse. The Moonbase Missions Debriefer appeared on their TV. "Listen up, guys, there's a rogue teen operative by your area. Our Decommissioning Troupe is too preoccupied, so we need you guys to stop him.

"Kids Next Door, LET'S GO!" Dazun cheered, and they all hurried off.

They hurried to the nearby desert town, where a renegade operative, turned 13, was frantically sneaking around. As he hid behind an alleyway, he flinched when someone spoke from behind. "Hands in the air, Teenager, it's time for decommissioning." Numbuh 11-Long said as Sector GB stood, ready for battle.

The teen hurled M.A.R.B.L.E.s at them, blowing Paula and Selina back. Dazun zipped forward, swiftly swinging blades, but the teen hurriedly dodged his attacks and countered with a metal staff. He eventually jumped back, but Trenton hurled two bombs by his sides, exploding and blowing him further. Through the smoke, Selina flexibly flipped over, leaping behind the teen as she caught his head in her legs. The teen bashed the girl with his metal staff and escaped, but found April standing behind.

"Heh. What're YOU gonna do, Painter?" he said smugly.

April zipped over and quickly painted a pink mark. The teen fell into depression. It was hopeless… he would be captured either way… what life is there without the Kids Next Door, anyway… there was no point in running… it was over.

With the teen defeated, Sector GD brought him to Moonbase. There, the Head of Decommissioning led him to the chambers. The sector only watched with pity, emotionless looks as the plunger device sucked away everything he ever knew.

"Thanks for the help." The Decom. Head congratulated. "Sorry we had to drag you in our business, but… what can you do with so many rampant teens."

"Yeah, yeah, no prob." Trent said. "'ey, le's go down to Spiders' Soda Shop!"

"YEAH!" the sector (except April) cheered and hurried off. April stayed to look at the memory-washed teen before following them.

They went to the Spiders' Soda Shop, to have drinks of their favorite brews. "Ahhh… someday, I wanna OWN this joint." Trent said, kicked back on his stool as he clutched a glass's handle.

"That'll cost ya quite a few Pokémons." The owner, Spider Nickey, replied.

Dazun Sclice chugged a whole glass of soda in one round before noticing the still-full glass on the counter beside him, seated before a frowning April, her head down. "What's wrong, April?"

"…When we get too old… will we end up like that teen?"

"Man, relax, April. You know there's still TND."

"But… we can't hang out together… can we?"

"Well, not usually. But… not all friends can hang around together all the time. Sometimes… we're forced to go separate ways. But we'll still always be friends. You know that, right?"

April looked up at him with a light smile. "Yeah… I guess you're right."

"That's more like it." He slapped her back. "Come on, just drink yo' soda. Can't be a kid if you don't like soda." April did so and drank, but only lightly. Part of her still felt upset.

Three months passed. Daz's 13th birthday had come. The sector stood before him in the living room, sad looks on all their faces. "We're really gonna miss you…" Selina said.

"It'll be a'ight. If I'm lucky, I'll remember not to attack you guys too much."

"Too bad our success rate isn't the highest." Paula said. "You coulda been a TND."

"Well… not everyone can reach the stars." Daz said. "But it's all about the journey. …A'ight, let's go. Better off ta save them decommissioners' trouble."

And so, they flew up to Moonbase, and calmly walked to the Decommissioning Chambers. Daz willingly sat on the chair and strapped on. The Decommissioning Head was ready to push the button as he spoke, "Any last words?"

"Yeah…" He looked at April, who only frowned. "I just wanna say… don't worry about the future. Live in the moment. …Got it?" he winked.

April's emotionless expression didn't change. But she was sad deep down.

Without another moment, the operative pushed the button, and Daz's memories were sucked away. The friends knew it wouldn't be the same.

"You sure you wanna be leader?" Selina asked Trent once they arrived back at the treehouse.

"Yeah, it's a'ight." he said. "Ah mean, Ah'm just a boom guy, but it shouldn't be too hard, right?"

"Well, then don't whine to us." Paula remarked. "Besides… it won't be too long."

In reality, Trenton's birthday was only four months away. They seemed to have gone by TOO fast. Trenton was always a good kid. He liked to make fireworks and launch them as victory for their missions. He knew how to be creative and colorful with them, always making fancy shapes. Of course, he had help with the colors using April's paint. When they lit a firework show in the sky, April memorized the patterns quick, and painted them. She had quite the collection. And one time, Trenton blew himself up while being a daredevil, and the result was rather silly. April giggled as she painted his goofy, soot-covered form.

Sadly, due to unexplained reasons, Trent decided to turn traitor, going to attack another treehouse with his bombs. Trent's decommissioning time came, and his pleasant memories were lost from his mind. Selina was the most upset, it seemed.

"Well… who's gonna be leader now?" Selina asked when they returned home.

"Well, I don't wanna do it." Paula decided, even though she was the oldest.

"I'm not cut out…" April already knew.

"Well, girls, I guess we're going leaderless." Selina figured. "Ho well… why don't we go get some drinks."

They never did pick out a leader, and their success rate dropped lower. Without the two boys, things weren't the same. In two more months, it was Paula's birthday, choosing then of all times to attack a popular toy store. April heard it was something about her family needing money. It was her turn for decommissioning. April remembered coming to Paula's house often. They shared a lot in common. Her goth theme was something April was into, painting Paula in so many dark, freaky poses, some of which involved her spikes. It was good practice for April painting pointed objects. And they liked to think dark, depressing poems or haikus.

When Paula was decommissioned, April was sad they couldn't do that stuff anymore. Still… at least she had Selina.

April spent almost every moment of the next three months hanging out with Selina. Her positive attitude brought some light to April's heart. In the old days, Selina taught April some yoga, of course the blond, thin girl was more flexible than April was. Instead, April mostly painted images of Selina bent in different angles. It wasn't uncomfortable at all. The blond gymnast always put a smile on April's face.

"Sigh, well it was now or never." Selina said when decommissioning time had come. She hadn't gone traitor, but she claimed she wanted to enroll in this fancy cheerleading school that would take up too much of her time. April couldn't understand why, for a couple reasons.

"I'll miss you…" April frowned at her taller friend.

"Hmhmhm, it's okay!" Selina put on a grin. "Remember, April: keeeep smiling!" Still keeping her bright smile, Selina sat on the chair and was strapped on. Even after the plunger finished sucking her memories, she still kept her silly smile.

Finally, April was all alone. She was 11 years old… her birthday was six months away, and then it'd only be a year left. Her room was stashed with so many paintings of her friends. Looking at them over and over, only made April feel more sad. So many memories from so many moments… April wished she could make more. She wanted to keep her collection going.

Being only by herself, April didn't receive any missions for a few days. In time, she was called to Moonbase, where the new Supreme Leader, Cheren Uno, met with her in his office. Cheren spoke professionally. "April, there can't be only one person in a sector. I've decided to relocate you to Sector W7, in Water 7. We've arranged for your family to move there, wink-wink. You'll have one day to get your stuff together, and the next, you'll be moving."

April turned away, not changing her frown. "I'll get prepared, then."

Cheren frowned, feeling April's sadness. He stood up and put a hand on the tall girl's shoulder. "April… your sector was one of the nicest. I know how it must feel for you… but they would want you to keep going."

"…I want to leave my paintings in the treehouse. …I don't want anyone coming in."

"…Okay. I'll mark it as off limits. And set securities around it, just in case."

April returned to the treehouse and had finished gathering her things. Her paintings were left piled in her room. She looked at them for several minutes. Dust began to form on the dried paint. The treehouse was dark, almost all power was off. April was hoping it'd stay this way. She'd want no one tampering with her history. She debated whether or not to take her paintings with her. She decided not to… it was too painful to even touch one.

The following day, April and her father moved to Water 7, much to his chagrin. Her mother died a few years ago, so it was just the two of them. They weren't close at all… he was pretty mean and self-centered. They weren't rich. Her father worked as a sculptor, so that's the closest they are, their interest in art. But April felt like she was closer to her cousin, Mary. Her parents were rich, but they refused to lend April's father any money, due to bad tension. April always loved playing with Mary, but they didn't see each other much since April joined the KND, and without her friends, April felt more alone.

As their small family settled into their new home, Cheren had brought April up to the treehouse atop the enormous water fountain. "Everyone, this is April Goldenweek. Her sector was recently decommissioned, we had to relocate her. I'm sure you'll all get along nicely. April… good luck."

"OI, a new FRIEEENNND!" Chimney screamed as the girls and rabbit immediately ran to greet her. ("Gyom-gyoooom!")

"Hi!" The very tiny member smiled and waved. "I'm Aeincha! I'm from Lilliput."

"I'm Chimney!" Chimney grinned. "These are Aisa, Apis, and my cat, Gonbe!" ("Gyom, gyom.")

"Isn't he a rabbit?" April asked.

"Nnn? …Rabbit?" Chimney and Gonbe looked confused.

Chimney was pretty clueless, April observed. She spent the next year, hanging out and playing with them. They were such fun kids. Chimney liked to pounce on her shoulders and ride her whenever they had victory. She painted Aisa's dirty fingers and toenails. She used different color symbols on Aeincha, making the tiny girl dance and do all sorts of fun stuff, which the girls giggled at. She painted pictures of Arceus and other spiritual references for Apis. And in general, she painted many pictures of them.

Chimney sitting at her control station, a wide grin on her face. Aeincha peeping out of April's big shoes. Apis, eyes buried in her book. Aisa, holding a bow and posing like cupid as she stood along the shore, with the skies in the background. Chimney about to stuff Aeincha inside her big mouth. Apis on her hands and upside down, while Aisa stood on the soles of her big shoes. Aisa giggling at Gonbe trying to eat a Conache Pumpkin. Apis and Chimney both making wide grins, trying to mirror the other. And not a one had April herself…

April had so much fun with her new friends. They were so energetic. So carefree. …But April couldn't feel that way. Soon, she would be getting decommissioned as well. Her good times with Sector W7 would end. She would be leaving them, and another stash of paintings would lay and gather dust. She didn't want to forget them. She didn't want to forget her friends. If her memories were gone… it would just be her and her dad. She would forget all the nice people she ever knew. Her heart would always have an empty spot inside. Dazun… Paula… Selina… Trenton… Chimney… Aeincha… Aisa… Apis… Gonbe. So many spaces… empty.

Current time

April strongly resisted the urge to cry. She didn't want to leave her memories behind. She wanted to keep remembering them. There was only one way to…

April unfolded the paper and studied the map with a circle on one spot. Without a second thought, April stood and headed to the hangar. (End song.)

Unknown forest area

Stars lit up the blue night sky. April took Sector W7's backup S.C.A.M.P.E.R. and took land in the dark woods. She studied her map as she walked several yards forward. It wasn't long before she found Nya, Hoagie, and their Teen Ninjas, standing in a clearing with some ships.

"Awwww. You decided to come after aaaaall." Nya cooed.

"Yes… I've decided to join you. But on one condition: your ninjas won't attack Sector W7."

"Alright, fine, we'll let your bratty friends go. It's just GREAT to have you along, April! And have WE got a surprise for YOU!"

One of the ships' hatches opened, and a gang of teenagers stepped off, dressed in armor. Their helmets were off, and April's face was stricken with horror. They were Dazun, Selina, Paula, and Trenton, in Battle Ready Armor and looking like your everyday teens. Trenton nodded his head to some music in his headphones, Selina smiled as she texted mindlessly on a cellphone, Paula had a cigarette in her mouth, and Daz looked bored as he was munching on nachos.

Seeing her old friends hurt April greatly. She couldn't believe they were with the Teen Ninjas. The ones she spent her greatest moments with, the ones she loved, were enemies of the Kids Next Door. April wonders how much crime they've caused against the KND. How many times they avoided arrest. They barely looked the same anymore. They looked like the lazy, disrespectful teens the KND, and even adults, hated so much. They didn't look like they engaged in childish activities, the activities that filled them with spirit. They were… old.

"It'll be just like old times!" Nya beamed. "Sector GD is BACK again! Fightin' for the GOOD team this time! And with their good ol' hypnotist, the teens'll be STRONGER than ever! We can force ALL the brats to spill their secrets! And some upgrades for OUR side wouldn't be bad, either! So COME ON, April! GET IN and let's go for a pizza!"

April wanted to spend more time with her friends… but not like this. She didn't want to do… smelly TEEN stuff. No playing Frisby or splashing in the pool. (Even if April didn't swim.) …Not like Sector W7.

"OIIII!" April gasped and turned around with a start. There stood Sector W7 their selves, all looking angry and serious. "April-chaaaan! Don't GO with THEEEEM!"

"Gyom-GYOOOOooom!"

"How did you guys…"

"Ahem!" April looked down and saw Aeincha holding the heel of her left shoe. "Good thing there's so much room under your nose!" she smiled.

"She stowed away on your S.C.A.M.P.E.R. and we tracked her." Apis explained. "April, don't join them! You don't know what you're getting into!"

"I don't care!" the artist shouted. "It's better than forgetting all the good times I had with you all! Besides… I'm just not right for your team. I already feel like a teen myself. I'm just… not as excited as you four are. Knowing I have less time than you, I should join them and get it over with. And at least this way… you guys will be safe. I won't have to fight you."

"I DON'T CAAAARRRE!" Chimney screamed, angrier than ever. "YOU ARE still part of Sector W-SEVEEEENN! YOUR LEADER didn't dismiss yoooouuu!"

"April… we know you're not as enthusiastic… and you're older… but you're still our friend." Aisa said. "We wanted to spend the next six months playing with you, too. It wouldn't be the same."

"FRIENDS STICK together, APRIIIL! Are you our FRIIIEEEEND?" Chimney screamed.

"Uh… I-" April felt conflicted.

"QUIT WHINING, kiddies!" Nya shouted. "April's practically a teen now! SHE belongs with her REAL friends. Come on, April! We had a pizza party all set up for you!"

"April, YOU'RE still a Kids Next Door operative!" Chimney stated. "YOU'RE a kid-chan! Do you wanna stay with us and go down supah big water slides?? Or you wanna listen to loud cruddy TEEN music?!"

"APRIL!" Nya shouted.

"April!" Chimney yelled.

"Gyom-gyom!" Gonbe shouted.

"April!" Apis shouted.

"April!" Aisa yelled.

"AAAPRIIIIL!" Aeincha screamed.

April fell to her knees, gaining a headache. If she stayed, she would forget everything. If she went, it wouldn't be the same. Her old friends had changed. She would abandon her new, energetic friends. She was so upset when Sector GD left. Sector W7 helped to fill up their void. She loved being an operative… going on missions and fighting villains with her friends. She never wanted to be against them. But Sector GD… wasn't Sector GD anymore. But Sector W7 would still be her friends for 6 more months… and even beyond then, they would still be her friends. She knew it.

"April!" Daz shouted, happy to see his friend.

"April!" Selina exclaimed.

"Yo, April!" Trenton greeted.

"Hey, April!" Paula greeted.

"Apriiiill!" she heard Aeincha say.

"HOAGIE!!" Hoagie III exclaimed.

April stood up confidently, clutching her paintbrush as she raised her arm in defiance to Nya.

"I'm staying with Sector W7." She stated.

WHHHHHAT?!" Nya looked furious. "After ALL this crud we set up… you're STAYING?!"

"I'm sorry. But… you guys stink."

"GrrrrrRRRRAAAAHH!! Teenagers: ATTACK THEEEEM!" Before their eyes, swarms of hidden Teen Ninjas flew out from beyond the bushes. They swooped down, blasting lasers, but the sector was quick to dodge as Aisa whipped out her Conache Pumpkin and swung it upward to knock some ninjas out of the air. Chimney jumped and landed on a ninja's back as she flew it around and rammed other aerial ninjas. Some ninjas landed and tried to step on Aeincha, but the girl dodged and jumped onto Gonbe's back as she rode him and made him bite their noses.

"Grrrrr!" Nya grumbled, looking at Sector GD, who were uninterestingly carrying on their own business. "DON'T just stand there, TAKE those kids out!"

"Siiigh." Daz sighed, putting his nachos aside. The decommissioned team finally jumped in and began to battle the operatives.

As Aeincha hopped off of Gonbe, she turned when Trenton Boom suddenly appeared behind her. "Hey." He smiled and waved before trying to stomp on the tiny girl. She dodged and attempted to climb up his leg, but he was able to swat her away. He pulled out a few simple firecrackers and chucked them at the Lilliputian. Since the bombs were much bigger at her size, the small explosions were deadly, so she ran quick to avoid.

Apis saw her friend trying to run, so she spoke telepathically with Gonbe, and the little rabbit nodded and ran to her aid. He helped Aeincha on his back as the two ran to avoid firecrackers. Gonbe grabbed one of the explosives in his mouth, and Aeincha yanked his fur as he pounced over to Trenton. The rabbit leapt and shoved the firecracker in his mouth just as it popped. Trenton frantically tried to shake the burn off, but Aeincha leapt off Gonbe's back and onto Trent's hair, then hung upside-down as she threw her grappling hook into his mouth, down his throat. She dropped down and hung as Trent coughed, making him aimlessly rush forward, and bash his head into a tree.

Apis smiled, but suddenly encountered Paula. The goth teen extracted spikes from her armor's knuckles and started trying to punch the Arceist, but Apis was quick to dodge. Apis quickly spoke to the nearest animal, and a squirrel came charging from a tree to crawl up to and around Paula's head. The girl frantically tried to shake it off, and when she tried to grab it, she accidentally scratched her face with her spikes. She was able to shake it off and run at Apis, aiming to punch the child, but Apis ducked, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her forward, making the teen stab her spikes into a tree. She struggled to pull herself free, so Apis was able to jump over and kick Paula's head against the tree, knocking her out.

Aisa faced Selina Valentine, glaring up at the teen, while she gave a snarky grin. Aisa swung her Conache, but Selina dodged nimbly as she landed on the pumpkin, jumped, and kicked Aisa in the face, knocking her backward. Aisa wiped the blood from her nose and became more serious, knowing to make use of her Mantra. She got up and put on her Jet Dials, flying around the air as she pulled out her Impact Dial and shot gumballs at Selina. Selina evaded the bullet gums as she hopped on Aisa's cloud path and chased after her. She swung her foot, but Aisa ducked and flew downward, causing Selina to fall, but she landed on her feet. When she turned around, she was too late to dodge as Aisa rammed her from the air.

Selina got up and growled, deciding to use her armor's jetpacks to fly instead. She swung her feet at Aisa as the two engaged in aerial combat, but Aisa swerved and dodged on her Dials as she flew circles around Selina. The thin teenager was tangled in the twin cloud paths, making her fly uncontrollably as she collided with the ground. Aisa shot down from the air and rammed her, knocking the girl out.

Next, Chimney faced Dazun Sclice. The buff ninja whipped out his blades and swung down, and Chimney yelped in fright as she narrowly avoided. Daz chased as the pigtailed girl ran, slicing several bushes as he did so. Chimney then ran up the tree and kicked off, kicking both feet against his face. Daz was barely fazed as he ran after her again, but Gonbe leapt in front of him as Aein jumped off and grabbed his face. The huge teen grabbed the doll-size girl and pulled her off, but Chimney ran over, carrying a heavy discarded tree branch as she bashed Daz's head and knocked him back.

April smiled at her friends' success. Suddenly, the 12-year-old was punched by Nya from the side of the head, knocking her into a tree. "NO ONE double-crosses Nya LaMar and gets away with it!" April weakly recovered and looked at her. "I'm takin' that little dish and makin' you eat PAINT."

April stood up and glared hatefully. "You can attack us as much as you want… but you'll NEVER get me to turn against my friends. An artist paints what they feel. Their emotion is expressed through their work. The pain I endured, watching my old sector's decommissioning. The void that opened in my heart. It's time you see it with your own eyes." And April put her paint dish away, and pulled out a new one with black, purple, and other dark colors. The artist zipped around Nya, painting the ground in various dark colors. Nya only watched confused as the ground around her became black and purple.

When April stopped, Nya suddenly found herself in a terrifying realm of evil and darkness. It was an endless black void, and anyone who's fallen in is destined to drift forever. A purple tentacle lashed out from the void and took Nya's right wrist, and she struggled to pull it off. Another tentacle from the left, and her left wrist was binded. Soon, her ankles followed, and her limbs were stretched away as a terrifying demon of darkness made itself known. Nya's eyes widened with horror. This demon fed off the evil and hatred that lied within peoples' hearts. …And it was hungry, for Nya.

"AAAAAAAHHHH!" Its jagged, black teeth gnashed, and she was swallowed into its vortex.

Sector W7 only stared as Nya lay knocked on the ground, face frozen with fear. They spared a glance to the only teen remaining, Hoagie III. Hoagie's face sparked with remembrance, and the boy fake-hacked and did a fake-stroke before making the gesture of hanging himself, and falling down.

A clap was heard behind them, and with a start, they jumped around to see the recovered Sector GD. "Nicely dooone!" Selina beamed, clapping.

"Man, who knew little people hurt so hard?" Trenton said.

April's mouth dropped slightly. "Uh… guys?"

"Nice to see you again, April." Daz smiled.

April couldn't find the words. They… remembered. "You are…"

"Yeah, we're TND." Paula replied, blowing out smoke. "Apparently you don't need good mission success, so long as you go willingly. …Oooorr, maybe they just thought we were nice."

Tears began to form in April's eyes. "Guys!" she dropped to her knees.

"Hey, don't cry." Selina smiled, getting to her knees and touching April's shoulders. "None of us could ever forget you. Even if we do smelly teen stuff, we're still the same sector."

"You see, April?" Daz spoke. "Everything always gets better so long as you keep moving forward."

"Thanks to this little bitch, we're a team again!" Trenton followed. "And none of them even know!"

"But you're handling pretty fine without us." Paula observed.

April turned around, seeing the smiling and waving Sector W7. She looked back at Selina, still crying. "I've never forgotten you! I've thought about you guys every day! Ever since you…"

"Calm down, April." Selina smiled. "You could never leave our hearts. Even when we're teens… we're still a team."

"Yeah." Trent nodded. "And maybe when yo' time comes, Nya's gonna wanna put you with us."

"And having those brats in in a few more years wouldn't be bad." Paula said.

"But until then, you need to KEEP smiling!" Selina grinned.

"Just keep hanging out with your friends for now, and we'll see you in maybe a few months." Daz assured.

And for the first time ever, Sector W7 saw April smile. Selina kept her grin as they both stood up. "Well, we should probably bring these pizza-heads back to headquarters." she decided. "All Nya needs is a little cocoa."

The sector approached the fallen Nya and Hoagie, as Hoagie got up slightly. "Am I still playing dead?" he whispered.

"Yeah." Selina said. Hoagie went back to being unconscious.

Daz put Nya's arm over his shoulders while Selina held up Hoagie. "We'll see ya later, April." Daz told her. After gathering the rest of the ninjas, Sector GD boarded the teens' ship and were flying off, disappearing into the night.

As April watched them leave, the smile stayed on her face. "Oi, April-chaaaan!" Chimney exclaimed. "We still gotta watch Avataaaahh!" ("Gyom-gyoooom!")

April turned to them, still smiling, and nodded. "Yes. Let's go do that."

"OOOOYAAAAHHH" As Chimney raised her arms in victory, the team of five plus one rushed back to the ship.

Sector W7 Treehouse

Upon their return to the treehouse, Chimney went to get the painted portrait of her and her team. Using some paint of her own, she added April Goldenweek to the picture. She then showed it to April herself, and the 12-year-old giggled at how choppily drawn she looked, compared to everything else. Her beady black eyes were different sizes, she had a silly smile, and she had short, stubby arms holding a brush and paint dish. April grabbed a nail and hung this painting in the living room. This would always be a reminder of their friendship.

Unknown Location

A shadowed man sat alone in his dark office, a lollipop in his mouth, when his phone rang. He reached for it on his desk and spoke, "Hello? …What? You got beaten?? D'oh, whaddo I pay you ninjas for?? Ahhh, just return to base, we'll get more chickens later. You still got those CDs, right?? Hnnn-niiiiice! A'ight, I can let this one go. Later." With that, he hung up. The buff teenager stood up from his desk and went to stare out his wide windows, overlooking the peaceful ocean under the blue night sky.

"Hnnn… those Kids Next Dorks have gotten stronger. Too strong. We'll need to step up our game if we're ever gonna beat them. Heh… good thing I have just the plan. The perfect, unstoppable team of assassins." The teenager, Eldwin, spun around and pointed a finger. "CP10!"

There stood a group of seven figures in dark, hooded robes. Their faces weren't shown, at the moment… but Eldwin had total faith in them.

Gonbe: Little Wanderer

Sector W7 Treehouse

Another peaceful morning on Water 7. Just like always. Chimney was peacefully at rest in her room, a blindfold over her eyes and a smile on her face. Asleep on her belly, her loyal cat Gonbe, who was actually a rabbit. The sounds of a train's horns echoed from the distant station below, so far away, but the sound reached Gonbe's ears nonetheless. His big ears perked, and he awoke first, eyes and smile as wide as his master's.

As he awoke, Chimney also sat up, removing her blindfold to reveal her wide, wakened eyes. "Uwwwaaaaahh!" she stretched her arms, and her mouth grew wide. "Another DAAAaaaay, GonBEEEEHHH!"

"Gyom-gyoooooom!"

Gonbe hopped off the bed to let Chimney throw off her covers, the girl hopping off and slipping on her sandals. A grin on her face, she walked out to the living room, alongside her bunny. "HEEEY, Sector-chaaaaans! What's new today??"

"No new missions, yet." Apis responded. "Oh, and Chimney: your grandma called and said she needed help loading coal again."

"Ahhhh." Chimney sighed in exhaust. "Oi, I'm comin' Kokoro-san. Gonbe, watch after the on'nanokos."

"Gyom-gyom." Gonbe nodded. Still wearing his grin, he watched as his master left.

Of course, almost instantly, Gonbe became bored. Normally, he would always stick by his master, but he wouldn't go against her orders. He would stay and look after the girls. But they barely needed looking after. They were just doing whatever like usual.

He decided to approach Aisa first, and the girl was currently organizing different-colored apples at the kitchen table. He climbed onto the table and pointed at the apples. "Gyoooom?"

"Oh?" Aisa looked at him, then smiled. "Oh hi, Gonbe! These're Skypian apples! They're supposed to be magical and each has a special effect. I'm thinking of trying them."

The one that caught Gonbe's interest was the orange one. In his eyes, the orange apple looked like a big, juicy carrot. ...He wasn't sure why he liked carrots, being a cat. Regardless, he snatched the apple and gobbled it in his huge, wide mouth. "Oh, Gonbe, be care-" Aisa tried to say, but Gonbe was already chewing.

"Gyo?" They looked as a mustache suddenly appeared on Gonbe's upper lip.

In seconds, Aisa began to giggle. "Hehehehehahahaha! You silly rabbit! ...Cat. Thing."

"Gyo-gyoooo!" Gonbe angrily ripped the mustache off. He looked around, and decided to approach Apis, who was once again reading her holy book on the couch.

"..." Apis peeped over the book and noticed the rabbit grinning at her. "Hm hm hm! Hi, Gonbe! What's new?"

"Gyom, gyom."

"Hahaha! Good point! Nothing's new that we don't know! ...You probably feel lonely, with me being the only one that understands you."

"Gyom, gyom." He shrugged.

"Yeah, I guess it doesn't matter. I mean, we're all different, right? And we're still friends!" she grinned.

"Gyoooo, gyo!"

"Uh, huh!" she agreed. "Anyway... wanna hear a few passages?"

"Gyo, gyo." Gonbe shook his head. "Gyoooo..."

"I guess some people wouldn't find it exciting. Well, have fun!" Apis waved as Gonbe walked away.

Gonbe then approached April, who painted on her canvas from the corner of the room, eating a rice cracker. The painting was of the current scene itself, with Sector W7 doing their own thing. April looked down and noticed the grinning rabbit. The 12-year-old smiled and said, "Hey, Gonbe. Wanna be in a picture with me?"

"Gyoooo, gyo!" he agreed.

They went to April's room where the girl stood before a mirror, with Gonbe rested happily on her head. April carefully painted the image, and every now and then, she gave light chuckles. This is the first time she's painted herself in any of her pictures. It was a warm feeling. Painting a picture of herself with a friend. She wishes she'd done it more often.

Soon, April finished the portrait, and she held it up to show Gonbe. "So? How does it look?"

"Gyoooooom!" Gonbe really liked it.

"Hm hm hm! I think I'll hang it up here. Come and see it again if you want." With that, Gonbe hopped off April's head as she hung the painting on the wall.

Gonbe returned down the hall, and on his way, he ran into Aeincha. The tiny Lilliputian smiled and waved at the huge rabbit. "Hey, Gonbeee!"

"Gyo-gyoooo!" he grinned and waved back.

"Hm hm hm hm! Got anything to do today?"

"Gyoooo… yo." He shrugged.

"Oh. …Wanna go for a ride??" she asked excitedly.

"Nnnn…nya?" He asked. Aeincha grinned.

"WHEEEEE!" Moments later, Gonbe was scampering excitedly throughout the treehouse, his tiny passenger on his back as she raised her arms in the air. Gonbe scampered into the living room, where he pounced on Aisa's head and made her hat slip off, but she slipped it back on. He then jumped onto Apis's lap, startling and making her drop her book. As April was walking down the hall, Gonbe came charging by, running around the girl's long legs before speeding further down the hall. Gonbe then went into Aeincha's room and started bouncing and kicking off of almost everything. The whole world zipped before Aeincha's vision as he did so, bouncing up-and-down on his back, and her excitement grew and grew.

Eventually, Gonbe stopped for a rest, lying on his front on the floor while Aeincha lied on his back. The soft, warm, furry back of the tired rabbit was more comfy than any bed (or pillow at her size), and his soft purring eased her mind. "Hehehehe! You're really soft, Gonbe! Like a stuffed bunny-kitty!"

"Gyoooo…" Gonbe was still too tired.

"You know, Gonbe, when I first saw you, you looked kinda scary. I mean… big cats eat little people. Er, and big rabbits, too. But you're really fun, Gonbe! And SOOPER cuddly!" she hugged the giant rabbit tight.

"Gyo-gyoooo!" he blushed.

"Anyway… yaaaaaaawwn… I woke up kinda early… I think I'm gonna sleep a couple more hours… yaaawn." And the Lilliputian was fast asleep, feeling warm and cozy on the rabbit's soft back.

Gonbe turned his head back, smiling at the tiny, peaceful Lilliputian. The bunny crawled onto Aeincha's bed and gently set her before the pillow, pulling the huge blanket over her form. "Gyo, gyo…" He patted her head lightly with his paw.

Gonbe returned to the living room and stepped out onto the balcony. He rested his head on his arms as he lay on the breezy balcony, staring at the great horizon in the distance. His huge ears picked up almost every sound from the town below, from the happy, laughing children, the neighing of Yagaras, and the ringing of bells. The rabbit was slowly drifting to sleep from the calm wind blowing through his fur. Even without his master, this was such a great day. Chimney really cared about her friends… and Gonbe could see why.

"Ha ha ha ha!" came Aisa's joyous laugh, seeing the mustache grow on Gonbe's face.

"Hm hm hm hm!" Apis smiled at the rabbit, sitting with the holy book on her lap.

"He he he!" April chuckled, painting the picture with Gonbe on her head.

"WHEEEEeeee!" Aeincha screamed with joy, riding Gonbe's back.

"Gyoooo…" His master had such great friends. He loved playing with them. But neither of them compared to his master herself. He hoped she would be back soon. Then maybe, they could all play together. Until then, Gonbe would rest peacefully, and awaken at the sound of his master's footsteps, and the shout of her loud voice.

Gonbe's ear shot up, catching another sound. Gonbe sat up and looked around frantically: it was the sound of the Puffing Tom's horn. He looked past the balcony's fence, seeing the smoke rising from the train in the distance. "Gyom, gyom!" Gonbe felt excited as the train sped toward the city. Was his master coming back?? Was she home?? Gonbe hopped on the fence, squinting his eyes hard, desperate to see if Chimney was crossing through the distant town.

A strong wind suddenly blew, and Gonbe lost his balance. "GYO-O-O-O-O-O!" The rabbit went tumbling over the edge, taking land on one of Water 7's many gigantic waterslides, which came from the giant fountain. The rabbit went zooming down the slippery slide at high speeds, going faster and faster as he would soon shoot into the ocean. Gonbe nudged his way to the right of the slide, and took a mighty leap, landing on one of the smaller slides as he zipped around, narrowly dodging Yagaras that were passing by.

After zipping around a few more turns, Gonbe was thrown over the slide's ledge. Meanwhile, as Grandpa Banban was cooking fish at his floating boat restaurant, the old man was startled when something crashed through his roof, knocking down a pile of barreled supplies. The man jumped around, still shaking with shock, when Gonbe rose up from the pile, looking dizzy. "Gyooooo…"

The man stopped shaking and sighed in relief. "Aaahhh… just you."

The rabbit grinned as he shook his head and hopped out of the pile.

"Hmm… where's your master, anyway. She didn't throw you out, did she?" he asked.

"Gyom-gyoom!" he shook his head.

"Ahh… well, anyway… here's a fish for the road." He tossed the rabbit one of his cooked fish. "Still don't get why a rabbit likes fish…"

"Nnnn… gyo-gyoooo." He shrugged and hopped out of the restaurant.

The little rabbit went to an alleyway corner to begin munching on the tasty meat. His ears perked, hearing another sound. He abandoned his tasty fish and walked around the building, finding a group of six kids, three on either side of the river, kicking a ball to each other. A brown-haired girl on the farthest side from Gonbe got the ball, and after a few kicks, she sent it flying straight over to Gonbe, bashing the rabbit in the face. "Gyoooo…"

A boy went over to retrieve the ball, but- "Huh?" took notice of the dizzied rabbit. The rest of the gang hurried over to see what their friend found.

"It's a rabbit." A girl observed.

"Aww, you knocked him out, Abi!" another boy shouted at the brown-haired girl.

"Ayako's the one who didn't catch it!" Abi yelled.

"Gyooo…" Gonbe's vision began to fade.

"Oh no! You probably gave him brain damage!" the other girl yelled.

"Don't be silly, Yoko!...." In seconds, the world went black around Gonbe.

Sunset…

Dusk was falling over Water 7. When Gonbe finally came to, he found himself on a soft blanket in a basket, inside someone's house. "Gyom-gyoooom?" He hopped up and curiously walked through the open door. There was a rather obese woman with orange hair, cooking at an oven. She turned around and smiled at the rabbit.

"Oh, helloooo! My, you sure can sleep a while!"

"Gyom-gyooooom?"

"My kids brought you here after they knocked you out. It's why I keep telling them to be careful." She turned around to resume her cooking. "I sent them out to get some groceries a while ago. I hope they didn't get lost." A thought occurred, and she turned and smiled at the rabbit again. "Perhaps you could go out and look for them for me!"

"'yoooo… Gyo, gyo!" Gonbe smiled and nodded, hopping out of the house.

"Hm hm hm! What a sweet rabbit!"

Sector W7 Treehouse

"OOOLAAAAA!" Chimney screamed, kicking open the door to the living room. "I'M BAAAAACK!"

"Hi, Chimneeey!" Apis cheered as all four girls smiled at their leader.

"Oi, why does Santa Clause send so much coal?" Chimney said exhausted, falling back on the couch as her sandals slipped off. "Heeeey… where's Gonbe?"

"Hmmm. I haven't seen Gonbe since this morning." Apis said.

"Last I saw, he was giving me a piggy-back ride!" Aeincha cheered.

"That is what he was doing." Aisa remembered.

"Nnnnn. Where'd that neko-chan go?" Chimney asked.

Water 7; close to the shoreline

Nighttime soon came over Water 7. Gonbe continued to search for the kids, but had no luck. The alleyway he was in was nearly pitch-black, and the rabbit was becoming terrified. "Gyo-o-o-o-o-o!" he shuddered.

A sound reached his ears, and he kept following the path. He soon reached one of Water 7's shores, where strange men dressed in yellow protection suits stood on the deck of a ship. Gonbe stepped closer, and his eyes widened in shock: those men were leading the children onto the boat.

"But Mister, I don't feel sick." The girl, Yoko, said.

"Can't we say 'bye' to Auntie first?" Ayako asked.

"It's too dangerous, kids." One of the men spoke. "Unless you wanna infect her, too."

The children and men were soon all on the ship, and Gonbe hurried over quickly. Before the ship's plank was lifted back up, Gonbe hurried on and made it on the deck. The rabbit hid behind some crates, gone unnoticed by the men. He turned around and peeked past the fence, as Water 7 drew further and further away. "Gyo… (Chimney)?"

Unknown Laboratory

A woman stared at the tiny monitors, watching as the ship returned from Water 7. She stepped away.

In the darkness of a lab, several glasses of potions and chemicals boiled on a table, releasing steam that poured and spread along the ground. A scientist experimented with the chemicals closely, and he himself was emitting a strange, pink gas that spread along the ground and mixed with the steam. The woman walked in, and spoke quietly. "Shipment 4 is back. And they've brought the kids."

"Mmm, from Water 7, yes?"

"That's the one."

"Make room in the Biscuit Room! I'll get the candies ready…"

"Will do… Master Caesar."

"Shurororororo!" The scientist held a tiny piece of wrapped butterscotch, and stared closely through his goggles.