3. A World Under Your Nose

Gallagher Elementary

"See you TOMORROW, Miss Stuffum!" Chris waved with a fake bright smile as they left the cafeteria. "Can't wait for your Scream-of-Spinach! Ahhh, beating her up is the best joy every day. Even if Sheila did all the work."

"Yeh, but, didn't you blokes see that thing?" Sheila asked.

"The Horsebutt Beef?" Artie asked. "Sorry, I ate that."

"No, Oi mean the-" But at that instant, Sheila, Chris, and Mason were trampled by a team of three buff teenagers dressed in conchshell armor, pulling a conchshell carriage.

"OUT of the way, less-graders!" exclaimed the girl on the carriage, dressed in a blackish-purple two-piece swimsuit, purple towel-cape, purple bucket crown with a shell crest, shell bracelets around her wrists and legs, and bare feet. She had black hair and black eyes. "Make way for your Fourth Grade QUEEN of the School, Princess SHELLY Johnson! Make sure to gather in the gymnasium after school for a one-on-one block-building tournament with First Grade President! In which I will once again take the crown. LAUGH with me, Knights, AH HAHAHAHA!" Their laughs echoed down the hall.

The three operatives were flat as pancakes as their friends helped them up. Man, that Shelly is such a nag. Kirie signed. I can't believe they elected HER president.

"I can't believe they let her wear a bathing suit to school." Harry said.

"I can't believe her three uncles each had identical kids born on close dates and are serving as her knights." Mason noted.

"At least her dad didn't marry Aunt Mushi." Haylee said. "Otherwise we'd be related."

"Who was her mom, anyway?" Chris asked.

"I heard her parents actually got divorced and Sandy took full custody." Harry replied. "Guess we'll never know."

"Mates, are we gonna talk about bloody Queen Nag, or are we gonna go look for these 20 Keys? ?" questioned Sheila.

"Well, it's not like we know where to look." Aurora replied. "We're not really sure what a 'Light' or 'Darkness' is."

"Well, they could be light and darknessbenders." Mason noted. "Like…Like Sheila! Remember that whole lightshow that happened when we found that cube? Maybe that has something to do with it…"

"Oi, ripper! AH'M one of these Lights!" beamed Sheila.

"We don't really know that, yet." Aurora replied. "But I bet I know someone who could tell us: Mr. King."

"The successor of the guy that knows everything?" Harry asked. "Probably."

"Let's go to visit him after school." Haylee suggested. "I'm sure Her Highness won't notice a few missing her oh-so-famous block-building contest. She always wins, anyway."

"How come?" Sheila asked as they walked off.

"'Cause the other presidents' blocks always fall at the last minute. Not sure why."

"Maybe she's Irish." Artie said. "Ha ha! Get it? 'Cause-"

"IRISH ARE LUCKY." they chorused.

Chariton Household

"AAAAHH!" Sunni lashed her saber at her sleeping mother, but Mika whipped out her own lightsaber and blocked.

"Awwwww Mr. Hatter, did you remember my unbirthdaaaay?" Mika moaned in her sleep.

Sunni swung her blade around every direction, but Mika was quick to defend, not peeping her eyes open for a second. When Sunni swung at her legs, Mika flipped overhead and landed on her feet. "Absalom, you smoke's makin' feel oopsy whoopsiiiiee." She wobbled in place, drool leaking from her mouth.

Sunni tried to stab Mika with her saber, only for the woman to defend again. Sunni wondered if Mika was secretly conscious, or if her very instincts told her to fight in her sleep. Either way, it made Sunni very furious. Sunni threw a Psycho Sphere, but Mika kicked it to the sky, and when Sunni tried to slice her leg, Mika warped behind, then Sunni tried to slice again, but Mika snapped her fingers and warped her. Sunni was suddenly dangling by her hair in Mika's fingers, the size of a golfball.

"Yooooouu silly mousyyyy, of course I'll have the cake. Yom, yoom, yoooom."

Sunni shook like an angry rabid mouse. "PUT ME DOWN, MOM, LET ME GO!"

"Ahhhhhh but can YOU stand on YOUR head, Cheshire Caaaaat." She wobbled loopily again.

Sunni calmed down and focused her own energy. She warped away from Mika's hand and back to normal size, quickly pulling the lightsaber to her hand and thrusting at Mika's back. "AAAAH!!"

Mika finally snapped awake, the sword piercing her chest. Before Sunni's eyes, Mika dispersed into pink light and reformed behind her. "Yaaaaaawn. Sigh, Sunni, what were you doing?" She rubbed her eyes. "Were you trying to cut me again?"

Sunni was at a loss for words. She had no idea how Mika survived that just now… but it further goes to show her extreme talent. She switched off her lightsaber and banged her head against the tree. "NNNNN! WHY, CAN'T, I, BEAT, YOOOOU?" Tears started to leak. "Why can't I become as STRONG as you, Mom? Why can't I be TALENTED?"

Mika walked over with a warm smile, patting her daughter's head. "Sunni, there's more to life than just being really talented. And I keep telling you, you have to quit chasing after me and be your own person. People will like Sunni whether she's me or NOT me." She grinned. "And I rather she isn't me."

"Siiiigh… to tell the truth, Mom, there's more to it."

"Hm?"

"I kept trying not to get obsessed over being like you… but… everyone else in the KND had the same story. And…"

Three years ago, when Sunni attended Arctic Training. Wearing a blindfold as she tried her best to sense the enemy dummies and destroy them. But no matter how hard she tried, she ended up killing a few friends. "Ally slain, ally slain, ally slain." The alarm kept ringing, putting a sense of doubt in her heart.

"Nnn!" She looked over as a young, 6-year-old Cheren got wounded in the shoulder by a robot's laser. With a fierce look, he gripped his sword and ran to chop it to bits, but the robot was quick to dodge Cheren's predictable movements and kick him to the ground.

"Come on, Bro, can't you swing better than that?" Aurora asked. "You're not becoming Supreme Leader with THAT arm."

"Well, who said I WANTED to be Supreme Leader?"

"You did… after hearing your mom's stories numerous times. Heck, why else are you a mama's boy?"

"I am not! Who wants to sit in a boring office all day, anyway?"

"Keep saying that, but it won't change a thing!" She ran away laughing.

"Whaddoes THAT mean? Hey, COME BACK here, Aurora!" He chased her.

Sunni knew that Cheren idolized his mother, too. Training hard with the sword in the hopes of following her footsteps. Seeing how much he failed… Sunni was glad at least she wasn't like that.

Then 2 years later, inauguration of the new Supreme Leader. Cheren Uno marched up on stage by his subordinates, Francis and Panini. "Boys and girls, it is with great honor I accept the office as your Supreme Leader. Numbuh 100,000's traitorous actions have struck us all, but it's important that we move on. I can't promise I'll be as great a leader as he was, but I will see that this organization remains prosperous. KIDS NEXT DOOR RULEZ!"

"KIDS NEXT DOOR RULEZ, SIR!"

As the stadium erupted in cheers, Sunni kept a slight smug look. How did the biggest screw-up in training get to be the former leader's favorite? …That deceiving little weasel.

"You wanted to see me, Sir?" Sunni asked, in his office 6 months before the current time.

"Numbuh 33-Arrow, it's come to my attention you and January-14 haven't been pulling your weight. When you first joined, you were appointed with our team of Telepathic Transmission psychicbenders to scan the Earth for any signs of danger. You two were assigned with the Philippines, but a lot of distresses were noticed days after they were given."

"Well, SHE GETS IN THE WAY OF MY CONCENTRATION!" she screamed.

"I'm just saying, our files show your mom had the same job when she was a kid, and she was-"

"GHHHHH." His desk was crushed under her psychic.

Cheren became stiff with fright. "Is there something… going on, Sunni?"

Sunni sighed, her psychic fading down. "How come YOU get to be a mama's boy and still be so great?"

"Uhhhh… 'scuse me?"

"Come on, I know you're trying to copy your mom, the 'greatest leader that ever lived', and now you saved the world TWICE from all-powerful superfreaks! How can YOU be so much like your mom when I CAN'T?"

"Oh… heheheheheh." He scratched his head. "Yeah, I was kinda takin' after my mom at first. But… you know, after all this… I really forgot about ever following her. It didn't become about being as great as my mom, it became about, well, saving the world from certain doom. And protecting my organization. …Maybe that's what's wrong with you."

"Don't you think I WANT to help out?? But the reason I try to follow my mom so badly is 'cause I'm a lousy psychic. Better than Darcy at least, but, how can I help with my fullest potential WITHOUT being like her?"

"Hmmm… Well, I don't really care if you're like her or not. I just want you to help out more. But listen, Sunni… how 'bout I give you and Darcy some field missions? Get better control of your powers. And when the two of you become stronger, I want you to help us out on Moonbase."

"What kind of field missions? Tracking down worn-out villains and throwing them around with psychic? That'll help us train."

"Point taken. Alright then… I challenge you to a fight!"

"What?"

"You know what I can do, and I'm still nowhere near as tough as mine or your mom. So why don't you make it your goal to get as strong as me? Then if you're able to make me sweat, you'll know you've improved." He winked.

"Are you implying you're tougher than me already?"

"Well… yeah." Cheren smirked. "Yeah I do. I don't see YOU goin' all god mode."

"WELL, NOT EVERYBODY GETS CRAZY WEAPONS!" She lit blue.

"Doesn't matter." He flicked her nose. "They still beat your measly psychic."

"Grrrrr BRING IT!! I'LL GET SO POWERFUL YOU WON'T SURVIVE A MEASLY PSYCHO SPHERE!"

"It's a deal then, Sunni." He held a hand out. "Come back when you think you can kick my butt!"

"…" Her psychic died down as she took his hand, still with a frowning look.

"…" Mika finished analyzing her daughter's story, "So you got yourself a rival, huh!" she grinned.

"No he's not, I just felt like satisfying him. Haven't really talked to him directly since… I don't think I've improved at all."

"Okay, Sunni, I'll help you train." Mika rubbed her hair. "But why don't you go take a nap first, you just got back from school and you're already trying to kill me. A strong mind needs rest!"

Still frowning, Sunni decided to head inside. "Yaaaaawn. I was still taking my nap." And with that, Mika sat back against the tree and returned to Dreamland.

KND Moonbase

Cheren hurriedly flew back to Moonbase and ran to his office. "You wanted to see me, Numbuh…"

"No-o way, you actually read Dora Fanfiction?" Nebula laughed, viewing Cheren's computer.

"HEY, I'm learning… Spanish.. okay??" He slapped his hands over the screen. "Whaddyou want, Nebula?"

"To know why somebody didn't warn me of some impending doom that threatens our very existence."

"Well, I was going through a lot of stuff… okay? I mean, it's not the kind of news people would like to hear."

"WELL, IT'S CERTAINLY NEWS THAT'S WORTH TALKING ABOUT!"

"Okay, okay, calm down…" Apparently, 'okay' was his word of the day.

"Siiiigh." She pinched her nasal bridge. "Well, the point is, I got the news to the other Supreme Leaders before I came, so now they're doing research on these Keys. I don't suppose you have any leads?"

"Well, I was kinda going to go down and ask Grim."

"That'll need to wait first. I've been wanting to set up another alliance for a while, with the Minish Kids Next Door. Arianna thinks they can be valuable producers and suppliers, and Vweeb wants 'em for their strength. I don't exactly recall Minish being durable, but better than none. Jesbi confirmed that the Minish Leader resides in the Tree of Beginning, so let's head down."

"Heh, the Tree of Beginning." Cheren smiled. "Reminds me of Mom's old story."

"Yes, except we're going a lot earlier than they did. I just hope the Minish have a way to really help."

Dickson Household

After finishing his bath, Rupert scrappily wiped his hair dry and slipped his clothes on. "Gyah!" He jumped at seeing his dad just outside the bathroom. "Oh, Dad… you're probly still pretty mad at me for, uh…"

"Nah, it's alright, Son." Chad assured. "At this point, I've come to realize… you're too young for me to force all this exercise on you."

"Oh… Really?" This sounded a little out of the blue.

"Yes. And your mother has faith you'll know how to handle yourself in a real situation, so I'll have faith, too."

"Well… Great!" Rupert had a new positive aura. It sounded as though all the pain and suffering was finally through.

"Heheh. So while your mom is out shopping, I thought I'd take ya somewhere special."

"Really! Where?" He felt more excited by the minute.

Chad knelt down and knocked out his son with a Vulcan nerve pinch.

Virginian Forest

His son lay asleep for the whole drive to the deepest part of the forest. Chad finally parked, carried his son out, and set him on the ground. He quickly drove away before Rupert could awaken. "Ohhh… what happened. Dad? Where am I?" He searched around with great worry. He felt something in his shirt and discovered a folded note. "'Dear Son, I realized the only way to teach you to be stronger is to put you in a real situation. I have taken you to the farthest part of the forest I could find, and it'll be up to you to brave the dangers and find your way back home. Good luck, Sincerely Your'—AAAAH!" He crumpled the ball up and threw it against the tree.

"Stupid Dad, leaving me out in the forest." Rupert grumbled as he stomped through. "Just 'cause I'm not big and tough like HE is. If he was like me, I'd make HIM stay in the forest. What does he expect me to… Mm?" He spotted a lone, empty tree stump in a slight barren area. He approached the stump, and his curiosity peaked when he noticed the small hole in its center. Rupert crawled on the stump, and his wide eye peeked into the darkness within, seeing nothing. He sat up, still wondering what could've made this. He eyes perked when tiny, glittering sparkles suddenly floated up from the hole, and began to surround his form. "Wh-Whuh?" At that moment, he was swallowed in a cloud of green dust.

"WAAAaaaahhh!-" Before he knew it, Rupert was sent falling through a storm of the green dust, feeling as if he were suddenly miles above the earth. The world went dark as he fell into a hole, and went bouncing down a set of leaves. "Ooh—aah—aie!" He landed on his belly on a surface below, standing and rubbing his head. "What happened?…"

He exited through an archway in the wall, and came out of a giant tree stump. "Whoooooaaa!" his eyes and mouth grew into wide "O's". A jungle of grass lay in his wake, and towering over him, trees as high as skyscrapers, with trickles of sunlight seeping through the leaves. A plane-sized dragonfly fluttered overhead, amongst many other bugs that were unnaturally huge. "I'm…I'm tiny!!"

Rupert couldn't believe his eyes. This was the same forest, except now he was… he couldn't even measure. He wasn't good at math. However big an ant was, he was that tall. His head filled with more and more wonder as he stepped forward, viewing the amazing sights. "This is inCREDIBLE! That stump musta shrunk me… I'm big as an ant! I wonder how… GYAAAH!!" He unknowingly walked to a giant worm, and had a close-up view of its round mouth of endless jagged teeth. He dashed to the side, shivering with fear as the worm slithered by. "THAT was SCARY!" He got up and walked further ahead. "Just what HAPPENED to me, anyway? One minute that stump was glowing, and the next—AHH!!" He approached a hungry-looking praying mantis, backing away frightfully. "AHH!" He turned around, spotting a gargantuan green snake, and ran away. "GYAAAHH!" he spotted an even MORE terrifying gigantic spider on a web, running as fast as his tiny legs would allow.

"YEOW!!" He wasn't focused on his path, frightfully looking behind, so he bumped into someone and caused them both to fall. "Hey, watch it!" the Minish boy yelled, standing up, as Rupert did the same. "I'm trying to gather here!"

"Gather?" Rupert looked behind the Minish, and saw that a band of colorful creatures were mercilessly beating a bee on the ground. The creatures succeeded, and began to carry its unconscious body away. As Rupert watched, he couldn't help but think they looked familiar. He's seen these creatures before. But where?… "What are those things?"

"Duh, they're Pikmin. What're you NEW in town?"

"Uhhh… kind of."

"Hey, wait, you're a human, aren't you?" The kid finally noticed Rupert more closely.

"Duh, I'm a human. And you're a chipmunk."

"Minish." he stated in annoyance.

"Whatever. So what's with the Pikmin?"

"Well, the Pikmin are our main means of defense or offense. We Minish are normally too miniscule against bugs or other gigantic creatures, so we use the Pikmin to fight." The boy walked away to follow his Pikmin, and Rupert joined.

"Use them to fight?" Rupert questioned. "But shouldn't you be fighting your own battles? You can't use people to fight for you." Even though they were his father's words, not his, it felt weird using them.

"They don't do ALL the fighting. Besides, there are some things Pikmin can do that Minish can't. It's not about being lazy, it's about combining different strengths for a greater good. …Well, it's not TOTALLY lazy—what I mean is—ugh…" He was getting lost in his own words. "Look, I got stuff to do. If you wanna learn about Minish, talk to Sappo and Gibli. They're the Pikmin Instructors." With that, he hurried off.

Rupert only stood by and watched him leave. He passed through a few blades of grass to find an open field where Minish boys and girls were ordering their Pikmin companions around, having them attack bugs and carry stuff while the Minish blew whistles and made hand gestures. The way these Pikmin did their work for them... how they banded together to fight enemies for their masters… a smile appeared on Rupert's face. He had to get in on this. He hurried to the closest Minish girl and asked, "Excuse me. Where can I find Sappo and Gibli?"

KND Museum of Artifacts

"So as you can see, the Battle of Sir Wigmire's Mansion ended tragically for these 3rd Age operatives, and hundreds of children were forced into the most humiliating powdery wigs at that time." concluded Emily Garley, displaying the ancient image on the projector. "It miraculously sparked many high-class British accents, and fans became an invaluable want. Any questions?" She smiled eagerly.

Her fairly small audience conked out about an hour earlier. "Oh- huh? …Is it done? Come on, guys, let's go to the snackbar!" The awakened crowd was quick to pile out of there.

Emily lazily slapped the projector off and went to roll up the screen. "Yaaaaawn." Mike Strongarm yawned as he walked up to his friend. "That was amazing, Emmy…"

"Siiiigh. I don't know why I even bother."

"What, I liked the part where Sector E got trapped in the Cavern of Wiglings…"

"Kids just aren't interested in learning things anymore. I feel like an outcast. Before you know it, they'll be accepting me to a college."

"Someone's got a high opinion of herself." He smirked.

"Why not, I always smoke all the other kids in the science fair. Like when I invented that laser that divides peoples' atoms into smoke."

"Oh yeah. Did we ever catch those kids?"

"Yes, but one of them's missing his nose. But I guess things aren't so bad… 'cause my mom's taking me on a trip to see our relatives!" She spoke with a more excited tone. "Her dad's the boss of this big science company! Imagine being in the same place as all those smart guys!" Her mind became adrift in the clouds. "Talking about creating protoplasmic discombobulators, seeing if robots develop feelings when given human cells, or even solar-powered baseballs that absorb the kinetic energy of the bat and fly thousands of miles across the country… huhuhuhu. My skin cells react just thinking about it."

"A truuue, incomparable paradise." Mike said with a disbelieved sweatdrop.

"I'm already packed and everything! Borrowed this Infi-Cube from Sarah-Jane." She held up a blue cube with a hole at the top, and what seemed like a wavy dimension inside. "Reeeeeal convenient when packing."

Mike curiously peeked inside the hole and- "Waaah-WAAAH!" was sucked inside.

"Whoops. Hehe. Careful 'round that thing, Mike." She pressed a button that shot Mike against the wall, with several other items.

"Owwww. Sheesh, if you can do that, why not sneak me with you?"

"He he he! You know I'd love to, but all the science and calculations and such might make your head explode."

"Point taken." He smiled coolly. "Oh well, 'least I tried."

"Anyway, tell Numbuh 192 he's in charge. I gotta go get ready!" She ran off ecstatically. "I hope my mom found my tri-dimensional notebook!"

Every time he spoke with her, Emily knew how to make Mike smile. Why did his best friend have to be a big and total nerd?

KND Arctic Base

A peaceful night over the coldest part of Antarctica. Things were calm, and no one would suspect danger is about to come. A pair of purple eyes blended with the water beneath the ice, swimming to the lowest part of the Arctic Base. (Play "Dark Clouds" from Naruto: Shippuden.)

While guarding the entrance to the prison wing, Aaron and Rhilliane Doblemitz noticed water started to leak in through a hole in the ice. "Yo." Aaron said.

"On it." replied Rhilliane, hurrying off.

Aaron approached the hole curiously, and watched the water reform into a familiar white-haired teen with sharp teeth. "This place isn't very stable, is it?" Suigetsu smirked.

Aaron shot him with his S.C.A.M.P.P., but the laser merely phased through Suigetsu's liquid body as he launched a Water Fist and sent Aaron across the room. Rhilliane arrived with another guard, gasping at this, and when they noticed Suigetsu, the guard launched an ice beam. Suigetsu easily grabbed and melted the ice to water, sending it back at the bender. "So there're more benders in the KND than I thought."

Rhilliane furiously tried to shoot him, but Suigetsu grabbed the ground and melted a path of ice, straight to Rhilliane and letting the boy sink. Afterwards Suigetsu froze him solid before heading to the prison wing. He sliced open the doors and calmly marched down, observing the many prison cells upon the walls. He forced his hand through the ice ground and channeled a powerful surge of energy. The prison wing trembled before the icy walls within the cells melted into many waterfalls, and the cells collapsed haphazardly. Suigetsu stretched the walls further beyond the cells, allowing the prisoners to move out. "Okay, guys, you can come out."

A particular band of Teen Ninjas wobbled dizzily out of their cells. "Uuugh. I thought I sensed an incredible amount of Water Chi. It was just you, Suigetsu." said a girl with blood-red hair, red eyes, glasses, and striped prison garb.

Sensory Teen Ninja

RED-EYED KARIN

"Nice to see you, too, Kar. Did my presence give you the chills?"

"LIKE I'D EVER BE CHILLY FOR YOU!"

"Whatever…" followed a dark-clothed teen with sunglasses, short brownish-blond hair, and a goatee. "But I've been in stiffer situations." He stretched his arms.

Teen Ninja Computer Expert

GAGE DAVIDSON

A girl with smooth bluish-black hair, white fur coat, metal boots, and white eyes with pale skin shortly approached them. "It's amazing a bunch of kids can handle this cold. But then again, they'll do anything for snow days."

Teen Ninja animal trainer

ASHEI WINTERS

"Hold it right there!" A swarm of KND guards were charging in.

Karin fixed her glasses and observed them. "Four of them are waterbenders, and three shadows are creeping on the ceiling."

"Ashei!" Suigetsu tossed her a horn, then used bending to make a hole in the ice. The Eskimo girl stuck her horn in the water and blew a sound that echoed for miles beneath the waves.

"RAAAAH!" A seasnake suddenly emerged right beneath her as she stood firmly on its head and made it shoot ice darts at the guards. Meanwhile, Suigetsu dove in the hole and maneuvered around the base's walls, leaking into a storage room. He grabbed a laptop, bottle of lotion, and a Spanish guitar before throwing them in a sack and forming a water tunnel back to the prison wing. He tossed the laptop to Gage, lotion to a blonde-haired teen, and guitar to a Hispanic teen.

"This didn't get wet, did it?" Gage questioned.

"No, just use it!"

"Okay." Gage flipped it open, logged on to the Wi-Fi, and opened Flash. After some quick adjustments, a 2-dimensional ninja emerged from the computer and flipped to the guards, swiftly knocking them out as if he were real.

"Have a load of THIS, boys!" exclaimed the blonde teen, throwing off her prison wear. "TA-DAAAA!" She made a pretty pose in a red bikini.

Teen Ninja gymnast

SUSANNE SUAVE

"WHOOOAA! SO PRETTY!" exclaimed the male operatives with heart eyes.

"That's not all!" Susanne sprayed herself with the lotion, making her skin appear very glossy. She glided across the ice on a single foot, swirling around and kicking the guards out with the other. They tried to grab her, but she slipped from their grip and skied across the wall.

"Okay, keep them busy, Rodrigo." Suigetsu ordered.

The Hispanic teen readied to play his guitar.

Teen Ninja Musician

RODRIGO AÑORGA

Rodrigo began to play a peaceful, harmonic tune on his guitar. The tension eased within the wing as the operatives felt no sense or readiness to fight, merely swaying their heads to the rhythm. It was a tune that made them lost in thought.

"Great, just keep them there." Suigetsu said. "Come on, there's one more we gotta save." The rest of them hurried down the hall and reached the deepest part of the Arctic Prison. Suigetsu sliced down the doors, breaching the small room with a single cell. "There he is. Let's-"

"HYAH!" Marcus Drilovsky dropped from the ceiling and punched the Fishboy in the face, sending him across the hall. The teen stood firmly and glared at the others with balled fists.

"EYAAAH!" Karin screamed. "It's Marcus Drilovsky, the Armament user! Ooo-o-o-o-h-h-h, his Haki is so stro-o-o-o-ong." She began to sweat, face red as his sheer, sexy power. "How's it goin', Marcy, hahaha-a-a."

"You freaks aren't getting any farther." He stated.

But Susanne swiftly snatched the keys on his waist and flipped over, Marcus unable to grab her sleek leg as it slipped from his grasp. She quickly unlocked the cell and pulled it open. "Abram, let's go!" Marcus punched her away with Armament.

"No."

Suigetsu slithered below the ice beneath Marcus and pulled him in a hole, his upper half reforming. "Dude, I didn't risk my neck breaking in here just so you-"

"I told you I'm not going. I'll stay here as long as it takes."

"Dude, why you still hung up on these guys, they're doomed, anyway." Gage stated.

"I don't care. No matter what happens, I will keep my promise to him!" A pair of piercing blue eyes glared at them.

"EEYAH!" Karin kicked the back of Suigetsu's head, making it watery for a few seconds. "I TOLD you we shoulda ditched him!"

Susanne slipped away from Marcus, who was breaking from Suigetsu's ice prison. "Hmph. To think you still matter to him." Suigetsu huffed. "Let's go."

They decided to leave the prisoner and return to Rodrigo. "Time to go, Guitar Boy!" Suigetsu said rushedly. (End song.)

With a fierce guitar strum, he said, "Bueno." He quickly strummed his instrument as the gang hurried out of the base. Once outside, a man-sized sombrero saucer came down from the sky as the teens got in, the sombrero spinning quickly as it flew back to the sky, Rodrigo's tunes echoing in the distance.

As the wind brushed their hair, soaring the sombrero across the Arctic air, Gage and Ashei were engaged in a deep, long kiss. Suigetsu glanced at this with a look of annoyance. "Seriously? Already?"

Back within the cell, the prisoner named Abram looked in thought. Father… I still want to believe… there's a chance for them. If your predecessors… accomplished so much… maybe mine can… too.

Gallagher Gymnasium

Once the school day was over, the First Grade and Fourth Grade teams gathered in the gym, where hundreds of blocks lay scattered around both sides. Queen Shelly's cousins carried their leader to the center of her pile and set her down, smirking in the direction of her rival. Jessie Sidney blew a stream of bubbles in his path as he marched to the center of his blocks, smirking at his older rival. Jessie glanced at Joey Beatles (Kuki/Wally's son), who winked and thumbs-upped. It was time for Jessie to put his block-building lessons to the test.

"BOYYYYS and girls!" announced Sandy Sidney (not to be confused with Shelly's father). "Welcome to the final round of the annual Presidents' Block-Building Battle Royale! Today, our two finalists finally face off, and the victor will take home the crown! Whooo will it be? The beach-hogger, Shelly Johnson?"

"BOOOOO!" moaned the first-graders.

"Or potty-mouth Jessie Sidney!"

"YAAAAAY!"

"During which, our two reporters, Zach and Dip, will be offering play-by-play! Oooon your mark!" The two presidents narrowed their eyes on each other. "Geeet set." Their hands slowly reached for the first block. "GO!!"

"Aaaaand they're off!" Reporter Zach announced. "What a lovely day for a block-building, eh Dip?"

"You betcha, Zach!" Dip agreed. "With near-perfect precision, Jessie's throwing stacks together left-and-right, while astonishingly, Shelly insisted on doing this whole contest, BLINDFOLDED!" Indeed, Shelly snapped her fingers, and her knights wrapped a blindfold around her eyes. "How she does it, Zach, I do not know."

"There can be no perfect time to stay for an after-school activity."

"Say, Zach, you think we'll get replaced by those Nick and Zach guys again?"

"I am almost certain they're dead, Dip."

"Let's only hope so, Zach."

Jessie dashed across his field of blocks and stylishly threw 'em onto each other, and his model of Goofy Goober's was nearly complete. Meanwhile, Shelly was constructing her own blockcastle, her vision completely blind. The contest lasted for several minutes, and almost no block was left unused. "They're neck-n-neck, Dip, but it seems like Shelly has this match-"

"WWWWUH-OH! Looks like we got an uncounted block, Zach!" Shelly flinched, realizing the discarded block several meters from her castle. "But can she reach on time before Jessie puts the last touch on Goober's hat?" She sensed Jessie climbing up his structure, seconds from putting the final block on the block-made Goober statue.

The beach princess merely smirked, approaching the block with forceful stomps of her feet. She added more force to the third stomp, and before he knew it, Jessie's block fort crumbled beneath him. "WHOOOA!"

"AND what an INCREDIBLE stroke of rotten luck!" Zach exclaimed. "Just like all others before him, Jessie's block fort has miraculously FALLEN!"

"Shelly must have luck of the Irish!" Dip said. "'Cause HER match is pretty much GREEN." And just like that, Shelly tossed the last block onto her fort with no trouble.

"YAAAAAAAY!" The fourth-graders cheered for their queen.

Sandy looked at her brother with sympathy, but Jessie wore a grumpy face and stomped away. "Hmph… that DUMMY." Timmy Gilligan huffed.

"YEAH! What a cheater!" Hikari agreed.

"She stomped the floor on purpose. She must've set it up so HER fort didn't fall."

"But how did she build it without seeing?"

"Holes in the blindfold? I'm not even sure if I wanna go to the beach anymore…"

"Aww, let's go, Timmy. We'll build our OWN sandcastle, and dedicate it to Jessie!"

"Yeah! And we'll write 'Shelly Sucks'!"

"YAAAY!" The duo excitedly ran off to do so.

Minish World; Sappo and Gibli's treehouse

Sappo and Gibli were in a small living room, feeding bits of nectar to Pikmin. They heard their door open, and turned to see a dark-pink-dressed Minish walk in. "Um, Instructors… someone wants to learn how to use Pikmin."

"Ooooh, a new operative?" Gibli asked hopefully.

"Um, I dunno. Actually it's… a human."

"Huff, huff…" Rupert made it up the stairs after much struggle. "Why do you ant people have to live so high."

"A human??" Sappo jumped. "What's a human doing here?"

"Not my problem." The Minish girl walked away.

"So you're Sappy and Chibi?" Rupert asked.

"Not exactly." Sappo said with disbelief.

"Well, come on! I wanna learn how to use these Pikmin, too!"

"That's coming out of nowhere. I mean, humans don't usually wander into our world at… our size."

"Yeah, but my cousin Sally did! I saw HER with the Pikmin 6 months ago!"

"Ohhh! One of Sector W!" Gibli remembered.

"So one of the boys at the park was her cousin?" Sappo asked.

"AHA! You DO know her!" Rupert pointed.

"But how would he've gotten in our world, anyway? You need a Minish to activate the portals."

"I just got sucked into your tree-stump. After my stupid DAD left me in the woods…" He folded his arms.

The twins exchanged confused glances. "Wait, let us look at something." Sappo said, the two leading Rupert to another room.

Inside was a garage of many small, colorful pods, each with three legs and flower propellers. The twins approached a particular one and blew a whistle to signal all the Pikmin down. "Try this." Sappo tossed Rupert the whistle. The human stared at it curiously and blew. Already, the Pikmin gathered up around him. "Aha…" Sappo observed. "So you are related. The Pikmin in this storage are only loyal to whoever plucked them, and whatever teammates that person was with."

"But if someone were related to a Pikmin master, the Pikmin recognize their DNA and follow their whistle!" Gibli bounced.

"So these were all Cousin Sally's Pikmin?" Rupert asked.

"Hers and her friends', yeah." Sappo confirmed. "But with this many, you won't have a hard time starting training. Wanna still learn?"

"YEAH!!"

"Heh heh heh. Then let's go down. Training course is just below." The Minish led Rupert outside and down the tree, his Pikmin following. (Play "The Impact Site" from Pikmin.)

Stage 2: Pikmin Training Course

Mission: Learn the ways of the Pikmin!

"Well, let's start with the basics." Sappo began. "These are the Pikmin, duh. The Pikmin are our main means of combat and labor. We use them to carry things, fight, the stuff." Sappo reached over and held a single Red Pikmin by the antenna. "Pikmin are light enough to carry. To set them on a task, we mostly throw them." He threw the Pikmin onto a flower with a red pellet with a '1' on it, knocking the pellet down. Rupert watched as the Pikmin carried the pellet away. "What I just hit was a Pellet Posy. They're a common thing in the Minish World, and they're used to make more Pikmin. They take it to their ship; the Onion, and let it get absorbed." The Pikmin brought the pellet to a small pod with a flower propeller. The pellet was sucked inside, and two Pikmin seeds came out.

"The number on the pellet says how many Pikmin are needed to carry it, and also how many Pikmin it'll produce. Also, any colored Pikmin can carry any pellet, but if the Onion absorbs a pellet of the same color, it'll make more. And even though they're small, the Pikmin are strong enough to lift anything. But depending on the weight of the object – like the pellets – it'll take more. Anyway… let us show you the combat."

Gibli led her Pikmin to a large, red, white-spotted creature. She blew her whistle and sent all the Pikmin to attack and knock it out. "That was a Bulborb." continued Sappo. "You'll see a lot of them. Anyway, it's best to send as many Pikmin as you need to in a battle. They work stronger in bunches, and you'll need a lot for taking down big enemies. If the enemies knock your Pikmin down, call them back before they get eaten." He held up his whistle. "We control Pikmin using these whistles. After we throw them or send them to do a task, they're no longer in our group. So we blow these whistles to summon them back. We also use them to send whole bunches to attack an enemy or grab an item."

Rupert watched the Pikmin carry the Bulborb to their Onion and sprout more Pikmin. "Enemies make more Pikmin, too, so that's why it's good to knock 'em outta the way. Anyway, ya might notice some have flowers on their heads. The Pikmin's favorite food is nectar. You find nectar in eggs or something, and when they eat it, their flowers bloom, and they get stronger. They also bloom if you don't pluck them from the ground."

"But what about their colors?" Rupert asked.

"Well, that's the next step!" Gibli jumped. "Each colored Pikmin has a special ability or two. Red Pikmin are fire resistant, and they're the best in combat. Blue Pikmin can swim in water, and breathe in it. Yellow Pikmin are electric-proof, and can be used as batteries. They also throw the highest. Pink Pikmin have wings and fly, and can go just about anywhere! White Pikmin can run really fast, and they're poisonous: if enemies eat them, they'll be knocked out, and White Pikmin can also sense things better, like buried treasure. There's other types, too, but you'll learn on the way!"

"So do the training course!" Sappo encouraged. "Sally's friends whipped up 12 Red Pikmin, 7 Yellow Pikmin, 15 Blue ones, 15 Pink, and 11 White, making 60 total. Oh, but you can only have 100 on the field, other Pikmin will just be stored in the Onion. So good luck, and try to whip up a lot!"

There was a bit more complexity to this Pikmin thing than Rupert thought. But it was still something worth trying out. He hoped he would learn on the way. He started by summoning each of the Pikmin from their Onions, then having some Reds and Yellows take down some Posies, leading to 17 Reds and 12 Yellows. He got all the Pikmin together and proceeded to a large cardboard box that required 20 Pikmin to push. He was able to do so easily with more than enough Pikmin, but the box ended up blocking another path, only allowing Rupert access to a small, narrow enclosing. But this enclosing had Pink Pellet Posies, so he sent the Wing Pikmin to collect and bring them to their Onion.

This created 15 Wings, making 30 of them, with 85 total Pikmin. The Wings could fly over the box and push it back, this time having it out of the way completely. He led his Pikmin to a more open yard where Dwarf Bulborbs roamed, and the creatures were easy to defeat with a single hit to the head. They came to a more menacing Large Bulborb, but it was fast asleep. Rupert went behind and hurriedly threw his Pikmin onto it, but his lack of coordination caused him to miss a few throws. Regardless, they were able to knock the Bulborb out before it could swallow any, and the creature coughed a huge strawberry (Sunseed Berry) from its stomach. Rupert had 6 Wing Pikmin take it back, then 10 Whites take the Bulborb.

Rupert noticed another route on a high ledge, much too high to climb. But lain before it was a giant discarded clipboard, so he had Wing Pikmin lift the clip end up and lay it on the ledge, creating a hill for his other Pikmin to go up. Across a small field was a rock wall, and when he sent his Pikmin to attack it, they couldn't make a dent. He decided to return to the previous yard, and hurried back to get his other Pikmin; the Bulborb led to 21 total White Pikmin, 95 total. He guided them further across the yard, where a sand gate blocked the next area, so he sent a group of Pikmin to work on it. Meanwhile, he noticed a particular electric mushroom on a high foothold, and figured that was a job for the Yellows.

He threw all 12 Yellows onto the platform to carry the Volt Shroom (Risky Defender) to the Onions, then checked up on his other Pikmin who had finished breaking the gate. It led them to a pool area where Skeeterskate (3-legged insects with big water bubbles) glided across the surface, aiming to shoot the Pikmin with waterballs. Rupert first had the Blues take out the bugs, then began to find a way to help the other Pikmin cross the pool. A broken bridge started from their shore, and a pile of parts were in the pool. He had the Blues bring those parts to the bridge, but it still didn't add up enough. When he swam across to the other shore, he noticed another pile of parts on a high ledge. He was able to guide his Wing Pikmin over the pool and had them work on it.

While they did so, Rupert returned to get his 12 Yellow Pikmin, and had them take all the fallen Dwarf Bulborbs to produce more. The Wings finished fixing the bridge, so Rupert gathered the other Pikmin up and crossed to the other shore. A poisoned gate blocked the next path, so it was up to the White Pikmin. Once they finished tearing it, Rupert guided the Pikmin up a huge, spirally path that led up a tree. At the path's end, a grouping of acorns lay before the cave of a snoozing squirrel. He knew the squirrel would be on their tail the minute they grabbed the acorns. But recalling Sappo and Gibli's explanation, White Pikmin were the fastest, so he would trust them for this task. He hid the other Pikmin in a small enclosing and sent the Whites to grab the 12 acorns (only one had to carry each). Rupert hid back in the enclosing as the squirrel awakened and dashed after the Pikmin, but the Whites hurried away successfully.

Rupert led the others out and noticed the squirrel's cave had Bomb Rocks. There were 7, so Rupert had 7 Reds carry them. They made their way back to the yard and to the field where the rock gate was. It took 3 bombs to destroy the gate and open way to a new area. He first returned to the Onions to get his 12 Whites and 17 Yellows, now 100 in his group. They ventured to the new path, a wide road with many tree root slopes. There were holes in the trees where spiders called Arachnodes protected with webs. Rupert could easily throw Pikmin onto the spiders and knock them out, revealing nectar and pellets inside, but one particular web had its spider on the opposite end, and a berry inside. When Rupert threw Pikmin on, they only got stuck, so Rupert called them down before the spider could eat. He decided to leave that spider 'til he figured out a solution.

They reached another yard occupied by four Pyroclasmic Slooches, fiery slugs. Rupert used his 4 remaining Bomb Rocks to take out the slugs, then had the Reds take them back as prizes. In one of the corners, Rupert noticed a discarded bag of Flamin' Hots, but when Rupert sent his Pikmin to take the treats, they ended up getting burned. Rupert blew the whistle to put out the flames (MAGIC!) and figured he would have to wait for his Red Pikmin. For now, he led his Pikmin up a fairly steep hill, overlooking a vast field at the top, miles below their cliff.

In the distance was a tremendous, peaceful, roaming deer, who seemed to wander around a particular area. Rupert blew his whistle, making the animal direct its attention over. It calmly stepped toward Rupert, looming its head down, the boy a little intimidated by its size. But it seemed to have no evil intentions, placing its nose beside the tinies' cliff. Rupert led his Pikmin onto the creature's head, and the deer began to roam around again. It passed by several trees with fruits, first one with an apple hanging from a branch, so he sent his Wing Pikmin to take it. He then passed a tree with a tunnel-like plant with water inside, so he quickly tossed all his Blue Pikmin in before the deer passed. They passed through the tunnel on their own and started to carry a small banana bud (Developing Greatness). They were forced to walk off that ledge to the field below, but there was apparently a slope leading back to the slugs' field.

They came to the tree with the next fruit, a small bundle of green grapes (Dawn Pustules), but the ledge was much lower than their point atop the deer. Rupert tossed all his White Pikmin down, each grabbing one grape, but since they couldn't get back up, they rushed around a spiral path to a mini spring pad the Minish likely placed. The pad flung them to a path around another tree, and they kept up and bounced a spring pad to a third tree, and at the top of its path was a plank that dropped them back onto the deer's head, right on time. When the deer finally made the full loop, Rupert and the Pikmin hopped off, and the Whites carried the grapes back. 'Course, they couldn't get all the grapes, but they would hop back on the deer on their own, make the loop, and go up the paths again. Rupert thanked Pikmin 3 for that mechanic.

He went back to grab his 17 Red Pikmin (the slugs produced 8, making 25 total, but he couldn't use them now), then hurried to the Flamin' Hots to make the Reds collect them. Meanwhile, Rupert brought his Blue Pikmin to the water pool and had them take the three Skeeterskates, which all produced 6 Blues, making 13. To further populate them, he had the Blues take the fallen Arachnodes on the tree path, leading to 22 Blues. Once all the Pikmin were finished with their tasks, Rupert led them all down to the field where the giant deer roamed. They were careful to avoid its stomping hooves, but the field seemed pretty barren. However, something seemed to be attracting the White Pikmin, so Rupert followed where they pointed, and they began to dig up buried treasure in one of the deer's hoofprints. They dug up a buried quarter (Artists' Gems) and carried it back to the Onions.

With that, Rupert brought the rest of his Pikmin to another path across the deer's plain, bringing them to a 'Finish' line where Sappo and Gibli waited. He approached the twin instructors to complete the stage.

Stage Progress: Red Pikmin: 25. Yellow Pikmin: 24. Blue Pikmin: 22. Pink Pikmin: 30. White Pikmin: 21. Total: 122.

(End song.)

"Great JOB!" Gibli jumped.

"You're a natural!" Sappo bounced.

"Eh heh heh heh…" No one ever told Rupert he was good at something. "It was pretty easy, really…"

"Well DOY, it's only your first level!" Gibli beamed.

"Um, first level?"

"What she means is, now that you're pretty used to them, it's time to train with the Pikmin in a more dangerous environment. A human environment, so to speak. But may I ask… why're you suddenly so into Pikmin, anyway?"

"Hmmmm… I'm not sure, really." Rupert scratched his head. "Maybe 'cause of how helpful they are. …Hey, if you're talking about human environments, I know where we could go! In fact, is it okay if I bring some friends?"

"Friends? Like who?"

"I'll explain later. Let's go!" The trio began the walk back to the Onions.

Dickson Household

"-and Ish Taylor rushes in for another touchdown, but the Blitzers won't let him-" Chad couldn't be in a better mood to watch football. The front door creaked open as Emily walked in with bags of groceries. "Boy, traffic is so much better when you can just fly over it. Hey, where's Rupert, I got 'im those cheese muffins he likes."

"In the deepest part of the Virginian Forest."

"WHAT?!?" The groceries plopped on the ground.

"Wuh-oh. Seems we're getting some bad weather, Chip." The TV announcer continued.

"I realized you were right, Em. The only way to teach him real strength is to put him in real danger. So I took him to the deepest part of the woods so he'll have to find his way back. It may take a few hours, but if you have faith in him, I will t- MMM!" Emily's foot was then planted on his crotch.

"Well, I have faith you're going to drive out there and bring him home, if you don't wanna go to your friends with a new feminine voice."

"Urk… can I have a Scottish voice?" he grinned.

"GO GET OUR SON!!"

"Yaaa okay, okay!"

Airline Gilligan

A shipment of passengers were on the flight to Düssenheim, Germany, among them Kimberly and Emily (not to be confused with Rupert's mom :P). The latter had a box of Nerds, her favorite candy, as she poured some onto her open palm and started to eat. She stared at the fluffy clouds past the window; which brought up her question on Nimbis' opinions on airplanes. Her mind was still adrift… going to a place where a lot of smart guys were. Guys who were smart like her… or maybe more. She was nervous about sounding too stupid to them. Or maybe they would sound stupid to her. She kinda hoped it was the latter. When the clouds cleared away for a moment, Emily glanced down, mouth agape.

A band of bikers zipped across the grassland, each in a set position so they spelled the words GOOD LUCK, EM! She pulled out her binoculars and saw the purple dot leading the bikers was Mike Strongarm, who seemed to sense his friend looking at him as he looked up and winked at her window.

Emily felt her heart race, her cheeks red as sweat dripped down. She was sure glad Mike wasn't up there to see that. It was hard enough talking to him without increasing in temperature, but this whole scenario made it hard to breathe. After calming down, Emily pressed her face to the window and waved. Once again sensing this, Mike gave a wink and thumbs-up. The bikers couldn't follow long before the plane soared past the shore, across the blue sea. Mike watched until the plane was beyond the horizon. He really hoped she would have a fun trip.