8. Death of Miyuki

Planet Glacia

A mountain swallowed in a storm. Any soul wandering in this endless blizzard will no doubt be lost in the colds. No one would suspect, in the center of this freezing blackness, lay a marvelous blue castle made of sparkling, solid ice. Walking along this castle's balcony, a queen with hair white as the snows, skin pale and cold, high-heels made of ice, and a flowing, sparkling blue dress that matched her icy blue eyes. She glowed with an eerie green aura as her voice echoed beyond the mountains.

The snow glows white on the mountain tonight

Not a footprint to be seen.

Kingdom of iiisoLATION

And it looks like… I'm the queen.

Don't let them IN, don't let them SEE

Be the good girl you always HAVE to be!

Conceal, don't FEEL, don't let THEM know

WELL, NOW THEEEY KNOOOOOOW!

Let it goooo. LET IT GOOO!

She released a storm of ice across the mountains.

Can't hold it back aaaanymoooore!

Let it gooo! LET IT GOOO!

Turn away and SLAM the dooooor!

I don't care… what they're GOING to say! The queen soared over the mountains as a shining blue star, releasing sparkling snow all over the land.

Let the stoooorm rage OOOOOOONNN! She hovered miles over the mountain, and let her voice be heard to all corners of the continent.

With that, she flew down, spun to the castle's front gate, and sang with a confident smirk, "The cold never bothered me, anyway." She slammed the gates shut. And so the mountains lay swallowed in the endless storm. A town long-since ruined lay on the grounds below this castle. Within these ruins stood an ice statue of a girl who reached out in despair, her face looking as if it was desperate for warmth.

Sector IC's S.C.A.M.P.E.R.

The blizzard blew powerfully in the skies above and they saw no ground in this darkness. "Lola, how far are we from target destination?!" George yelled.

"Dude, I'm blind as a BAT in this storm, I can't even SEE a destination!"

"I can't believe we're about to die following THIS girl AGAIN!!" Terry shouted.

"I second that." Miyuki remarked.

"Suki, are you SURE we're supposed to be going here?" Kayla asked.

"YEEEES! We just HAVE to beeee!" Suki whined. "I KNOW Jack Frost wanted me to go this way, I just FEEL iiiiit!"

"Right." Terry eye-rolled. "And WHO should we trust?"

"Look, I know it feels outta nowhere," Kayla began, "but I have a feeling Suki's vision meant something, so we have to try and-"

At that instant, the ship shook. "Something just hit us!" Lola screamed. "An overgrown snowflake?!"

"What's the status on the engines?!" George yelled.

"Not good… we're going down any minute. In the escape pods."

She smashed a button that locked everyone in an escape pod, Miyuki wrapping arms around Suki as they shared a pod. They shot from the ship and flew random directions. "DAAAAAAAHHH!" The sisters' pod hit a mountain, and they were suddenly spiraling out of control.

"Sister-chan, what's going ooooon??" Suki cried.

"I dunno, but just hang—AAAAAAHHHH!" With another forceful bump, both girls went flying out of the pod.

"MIYUKIIIII!" Suki cried, flying in the darkness.

"SUKIIII!" Miyuki called back, reaching for her younger in despair.

The explosions of both ships were the only light visible on this mountain.

Poshley Heights Train Station (Play "K. Rool Battle Intro" from DK 64.)

The city was roaring with rich types and fans alike as the Excess Express pulled to a stop. A team of four limos stopped on the street before the red carpet that led up to the train's entrance, the ecstatic fans blocked by thick red rope fences. The four big business tycoons were about to make their appearance and board the luxury train. The first to step out was Don Quixote Doflamingo, President of Doflamingo Inc., the Italian man in the pink feathery coat waving to his fans and sporting the twinkly smile. His son, Junior, daughter Sugar, and their friends Aeral and Bison joined him down the red rug, many women going gaga over them.

"Hnn hnn, just smile and wave, kids, give them a show." said Doflamingo.

"Ahhh, it's nice to be known and respected by those you don't care for!" proclaimed Doffy Jr.. "Isn't it, Sugy?"

"These people are loud. Tell 'em to die." She ate some grapes.

"Okay! HEY ALL OF YOU DIE!!" screamed Aeral.

"That's kinda rude-daizokun." Bison sweatdropped.

The next president was the gruff old man with white hair, a mustache, big triangle nose, and blue business suit. President of Pewterschmidt Industries, Carter Pewterschmidt, and his wife Babs in a red gown. They wore half-interested frowns as they walked the aisle. "Carter, please tell me you didn't order the strippers again."

"Look Babs, you get a hot-tub with Ted Turner, I got my own wants, you want things to work out between us we need to make some arrangements."

The next man to walk out was the tan-skinned man in a gray suit, black hair around a bald cranium, and triangle glasses. Ted Wassanasong, Laotian President of Ted's Golfing Galaxy, with his wife Cindy and son Chane, casually walked up to the train. "Now Chane, don't forget to mention your straight A's and head of the Pop-culture Club."

"Ahh, relax, Pops, the Chane Train rolls where the ladies roll." Chane smiled smoothly.

And finally, the purple-haired mustached man in the red suit, holding a laptop faced forward. Gozaburo Kaiba of Kaiba Corp. kept stern and cool, the face of his son Noah appearing on the laptop screen. "Wow, Dad, my first time going to a Presidents meeting! Will there be law books?"

"Just keep calm and work on your studies, Son."

All four presidents and their guests gathered on the walkway before the door, guarded by a black-haired man with a big chin and blue suit with a tiny American flag badge. "Where the hell is Mom?" Carter asked.

"Already onboard." Stan Smith saluted. "I mean, you know how women get, gotta get on early. My daughter, Hayley should be done with inspections any moment."

Right on cue, Stan's daughter came out, a black-haired 19-year-old, in a simple blue suit, black high-heels, and toneless face. "All luxury cars inspected twice, food prepared from 5-star Chef Shimi, a peaceful, pampering ride is ensured."

"That's good, Hayley. Now go pick up my dry-cleaning, and keep the socks organized." Hayley ran off to carry her order. "Well uh, seems like everything's in order, I wish you safe travels!"

"Thank you, Agent Smith." Babs told him as the rich types all entered the train.

Sugar spared a glance at Stan and said, "That chin is creepy. I hope you get beheaded." He glared spitefully as she entered.

Within seconds, the wheels whirred to life and began rolling across the tracks. "Agent Smith to Director Bullock," Stan spoke in his walky-talky, "the bigheads are on the track."

"Well done, Agent Stan. You can expect your bowl of sugar-cubes on your desk."

"WAAAAAIIIT!" Everyone looked when Donna Tubbs, a woman with black hair (wig), white shirt, and blue pants, rushed up the steps and bolted after the train. "TAKE ME WITH YOOOOUU! Ah don't want the humdrum life anymore, Ah wanna live the high life!"

With a desperate leap, she grabbed the back of the train and held on for dear life. She looked up when a security guard appeared and stomped her face hard. "AAAAAAAAHHHH!" She went plummeting down a steep chasm which the train rolled over on a bridge. Donna's husband, Cleveland Brown was waiting below.

Cleveland watched carelessly and expectantly as his wife smashed onto the ground before him. He hoisted her beaten and bloody body over his shoulder. "Let's go fix our house, Donna." He carried her away. (End song.)

Onboard the train

"FUUUUUU fufufufufu!" laughed Doflamingo, legs rested atop a curtained table, Mom seated across from him with fingers folded. "Ahhh, isn't this the GOOD life, Mom? You would know, otherwise you wouldn't be on here first!"

"Hmph. I reluctantly agree." She really didn't like him one bit.

"BRRRRREAKFAST is SWEEEEERRRVED—I mean, SEEERVED!" announced Chef Shimi, a brown Cheep Cheep with a chef's hat, and the train's chef. "And only the finest for the fine Corporate Presidents, from the very cookbook of Maitre Delish! A classic apple pie for one who can really appreciate it," he placed the pie in front of Mom, "the most chocolaty of Choco Cakes, the deluxe delicacy of the Chef Dyllis series, some Fried Shroom, Frozen Fries, Fruity Cakes, Hamburgers, anything fruity!, and what rich types wouldn't eat without a Gold Meal?" The tabletops were soon completely cluttered by bunches of the most fantastic, elegant foods anyone would ever hope to eat. "But shave your appetite, because more tummy-fulfilling goodies await you at the meak! DOME, this tongue of mine! I meant PEAK! Oh, and also 'save'."

Walt picked up a grouping of food bunched in a dark-green shell. "We'll just eat this in our room." He said with his evil smile, the trio heading to the back.

"GOOD, we don' wanna eat with the PIG sty!" Doffy Jr. taunted.

"Nuuuiii! Go eat back there-daizokun!" exclaimed Bison.

Walt, Larry, and Igner returned to their far back room, where Cheren sat on the low bunkbed and played his 4DS. "Hello. We brought you a Courage Meal." Walt said with his hoarse, maniacal tone, setting the food beside Cheren.

"Oh, cool." His eyes were glued on the game.

"What are you playing?" Larry asked.

"Mario Kart 4-D. So I can enjoy the smell of Panini's defeat as I ram her with my Mega-Wheel."

"Mommy lets us play with kindergarten girls so they'll buy cheat codes that rip them off- Ow!" Walt smacked Igner.

"Quiet, Igner. …You should eat, Cheren." The eldest brother smirked. "You will need your strength, for your secret assignment."

"The only thing I need to give me strength is squishing Panini flat." He looked more furiously and desperately drove his kart. "DAMMIT! Sigh, blue turtle shell. Weeell, uhhhh, eating's better any day than hearing Panini's taunts." He slammed it shut quickly and ate his Courage Meal. "Mmm. This good courage."

"It's made with loooove and Mommy Juice!" Larry was smacked for his stupid comment.

"So why don't you guys hang out with the other kids?"

"Because we are grown men." Walt stated. "And have no time for the silly squabbles of children."

"That's not what Nebula told me." He swallowed. "How're those prep-school girls doing?"

"We're done talking about this." Sweatdrop. "Just keep hidden until Mom says to come out. The train will make it to the Midway Peak at 7pm tonight. We're keeping the door locked so no one will see you. This is a very important mission for Mom, and we intend to help her complete it. Bring you lunch later." The three left and sealed him inside.

Cheren set what remained of his Courage Meal on the nightstand and kicked back on the bunk bed. A peaceful, boring train ride to go and kill someone. That's what it was. He had to think long and hard about this whole plan, but had to hold onto the positive vibes Sheila helped him remember. He picked up his DS and opened it. "HA ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!" Panini hadn't stopped laughing for all that time.

Glacia; blizzard mountains

Miyuki groggily awoke in the vast, snowy wilds somewhere on the planet. "Mmmnn…" She held her aching head and tried to make out her position in the darkness. Even though it was dark and snowy, she oddly didn't feel that cold. Must be used to being around Suki. …She jumped to remembrance. "Hey, Suki. George? Where are you guys?" she called into the colds. "Huh?" Finally, she noticed a body a few feet away, sloppily lain in the snow. She hurried over to turn it face up. "Hu!" Her unconscious face bore its usual frown, eyes closed. "It's… me." She felt her body for warmth. "Am I… dead?"

A light, vicious growl was heard, and she jumped around to find herself surrounded by terrifying monsters with skull masks, and big holes in their chests. She tried to shoot a Chrono Beam, but nothing came out. She stared at her slightly intangible hand. "I am a spirit…"

With no way to defend herself, she crouched as the monsters dove in for attack. "AaaaaAAAH!" Right then, the first three monsters in front of her were struck by a sword, and they faded into darkness.

The other three sneaking behind her were surrounded by little rag dolls, which unwound and tied them in their stitching. Their yarn originated from a skinny girl with black hair and a black coat with an orange shirt underneath.

Next, a band of green, ghastly ghost skulls soared in and flew through the monsters, causing them to stop and shudder with fear. The ghosts were commanded by a short boy with brown hair that stood up straight, dim blue eyes, and a red coat.

"Merry CHRISTMAS!" This guy needed no introduction, Jack Skellington, in his Santa Claus outfit, threw present bombs that stunned all the remaining monsters.

"I think we've got 'em all." said the girl with the voodoo dolls, her and the others throwing the creatures in a single bunch. "All yours, Rukia."

The one who wielded the snow-white sword had jet-black hair with violet eyes, and a long black robe. "Then it's time your souls were free." She stuck her sword in the ground and began to wave and whirl her arms. Miyuki stared with wonder when two lines of snow began to rise and spiral around the creatures, glowing with a radiant light-blue. Rukia waved faster as the light grew stronger, quickly encasing the foul creatures. They roared to the heavens before they scattered into light particles toward the sky.

Rukia pulled the sword from the ground and said to it softly, "Thank you… Sode no Shirayuki.", then sheathed.

"I could work with you for a hundred years and never memorize all these names." The short boy said.

"Whoa…" Miyuki was still speechless.

"Sorry about that." Rukia told her. "You aren't hurt, are you?"

"No…" Miyuki stood up. "Who…Who are you guys?"

"We're the Spirit Kids Next Door. I'm the leader of Sector SOUL, Numbuh Hado-33, Rukia Kuchiki. That's Norman Babcock, Numbuh August 2012," she pointed at the short boy, who waved, "and Coraline Jones, Numbuh February 2009." The slim, voodoo girl waved with a bright smile.

"Don't forget about me!" Jack proclaimed. "Numbuh October, Jack SKELLINGTON!" He made a pose.

"He's not actually one of us." Rukia said. "He's just a friend of ours."

"But I was dead at a young age." He noted slyly.

"The Spirit Kids Next Door? Why've I never heard of you…" Miyuki asked.

"Probably because no one among the living has. We were started about 15 years ago, by Death the Kid, for children that have passed too early before their time. Our jobs are to help other children who've had such fates to find peace. And normally, our deaths are the results of stupid actions done by adults, anyway."

"Wait! Are you saying I'm dead?"

"That would be the case… why else would the Hollows be on you so fast?"

"Hollows? Those things?"

"Yeah." Norman answered. "You know how people either go to the Spirit World or stay in the Underworld, depending if they were good or evil? Well, in both cases, some people are still really attached to things in the Mortal World, so they leave the Spirit World in a desperate and hopeless attempt to resolve that thing."

"Spirits are supposed to be free from the bonds of the world after their death, but if they remain too attached, their spiritual energy becomes dark and distorted, and their hearts are lost. Afterwards, they become a Hollow." Rukia explained.

"That sounds familiar…" Miyuki recalled. "It sounds like the Heartless my mom told me about."

"Heartless and Hollows are in the same class. But while Heartless are born from still-living hearts, Hollows are born from spirits' hearts. But they both possess the same level of darkness, almost."

Miyuki looked down with sadness. It all revolved around the fact that, she was dead.

"Don't feel so sad. Your spirit may be here, but we're still sensing plenty of life force in your body." Rukia smiled.

Miyuki gasped, head shooting back up.

"Norman and Coraline are still alive as Halfas. Half-ghosts, half-humans. But even so, they're still able to assist the Spirit KND. And each Halfa is born with special powers that're mainly known in their spirit states. Just like how spirits are allowed to keep elemental powers if the gods say so. What I just performed on the Hollows there was spiritbending. I can scatter their disheartened souls in light so their energy may be reborn anew in the Spirit World."

"But it looked like you were… icebending there."

"Actually, the icebending is from my sword, Sode no Shirayuki. The spirit inside is an icebender, and she lends her power to me. Spiritbending is actually a sub-form of waterbending, though icebenders can use it, too. Not only can it scatter distorted souls, it can change the hearts of spirits who are on that verge between darkness and light."

"Hmm…" So much info for Miyuki to take in. She hasn't really trained with a longer attention span yet. "So, um, this Spirit Kids Next Door… you have your own treehouses?"

"Oh, you don't know the half of it." Coraline winked.

"Methinks we ought to show her." said Norman coolly.

"It's gonna be a blast!" Jack beamed.

"Would you like to see?" Rukia inquired.

"Uhh… okay."

Rukia took Miyuki's hand as they all formed a circle. "WHOOOOOAAA…" Faster than she knew, a beam of light swallowed them and propelled them to the heavens. "…OOOOAAAAOH." And as fast as it came, it stopped. Even though Miyuki couldn't have blurred vision as a spirit, she still felt the sensation to.

"We're here… Miyuki." Miyuki stared up in wonder, mouth partially agape. A forest of giant trees, many pathways connecting to others, their branches filled with houses among the leaves where kids frolicked and played. It wasn't just all wood, but houses were brick, and marble, whatever material they wished, and there were hundreds of slides and fields for them to play games. Miyuki thought a utopia like this could only exist in dreams… but it was true.

"Wow…" Miyuki still had no words as Rukia led them up a path.

"This is the utopia we've created for these children, should they pass early. We've ensured them… a peaceful afterlife."

Miyuki's spirit suddenly felt no woes, no reason to frown. She smiled and basked in all the positive energy in this realm. …So this… is the afterlife. …But then she remembered something, "Wait a second, if these are all children in the afterlife, then…"

"Yes. Children die more often than you think. Whether it's wars or adults' selfish desires… their time comes far too early. This is what we've designed for them, to give them what they couldn't have while alive."

"Then it's a cruel world after all…"

"I'm afraid it is. But Light exists at the same time as Darkness. Otherwise this Spirit World wouldn't exist. Everything in this world, from the oceans to forest, is made of a special energy generated by the positive feelings of the Mortal World."

"And the negative feelings make up the Underworld." Miyuki deduced.

"Actually, both feelings have an influence on both worlds. They exist on the same plane, so they share the same energy. But the Underworld's purpose is to contain the negative energy, so it doesn't leak into here."

"Is that why the Judgment System is held? Why some souls are thrown into prison, or into Sanzu?"

"Yes. This whole realm is based around happy thoughts or dark thoughts. If the souls of this world are happy, the Spirit World can flourish and ensure the Mortal World can be peaceful. But if souls are sad or angry, the Spirit World will become dark, and drastically hurt the Mortal World. And even though death brings peace to mortals, some build up great, evil energies during their lifetime, and the Judgment System is meant to sense that energy, to stop it from reaching here. Depending on the magnitude of the energy… the souls could remain in the Underworld as citizens if it's fairly low, they could be thrown in Sanzu if it's higher than that, but if it's really bad, they could be thrown in Underworld Prison."

"What's Underworld Prison next to Sanzu?"

"As a prison, it's built more for the purpose of containing negative energy, but it's mostly meant for souls who had powers in their lifetime, benders per se. They connected to nature with their powers, therefore their influence spread to nature. That's why they had to be imprisoned. And in the deepest confines of that prison are the souls with the greatest concentration of dark energy, so great that the Underworld wants to forget their existence."

"Yeah, and that's where they messed up." Coraline mentioned. "Last year, there was a break-in, and one of the prisoners of that level escaped. Wanna guess who it is?"

"It was the dread pirate BLACKBEARD!" Norman exclaimed. "SCOURGE of the seas who rivaled Davy Jones, commanded hundreds of giant monsters and SCORCHED many towns with his dragon ship! RAAAAAAHHHH!"

"Yyyyyyeah." remarked Cora. "Anyway, the people who broke in to save him tried to free others, but things became too chaotic."

"So now Blackbeard is running free in the Mortal World?" Miyuki asked.

"They've determined he's still in the Underworld, but can't get any leads. Either way, it's out of the KND's boundary." Rukia replied. "We're focused on other matters. You do know what a 'ghost' is, right?"

"Yeah, it's…it's what we are?"

"Not really. A ghost is a fallen soul who never faced judgment, and may've returned to roaming the Mortal World as a half-dead body of ectoplasm, which is tainted Spirit Energy. Sometimes, they've still got a burden within the world, or they just like to run around and create chaos. But those that have burdens, and cling tight to them, will eventually become a Hollow. There's one particular ghost we've been focusing on for a few years, but it's been around for over 3 centuries. You saw the immense blizzard that was happening on Glacia's mountain?"

"Yeah?…"

"There's a ghost on that mountain with powerful Ice Chi that stayed with her after death, and her deep burden is causing her to create an eternal storm. It's been our duty to subdue this spirit, but we're never able to get close. And her negative energy has attracted many Hollows."

"So do you want me to help you stop it?"

"It's not your responsibility… but the fact your spirit showed itself to us while your body's alive, must mean there's power in your spirit."

"I should help, anyway. My friends and sister are still in that blizzard, I have to help them before they freeze."

"You don't need to worry!" Jack Skellington assured. "A friend of ours is already looking into 'em!"

"Hm?…"

With Suki, back on Glacia

"Mmmmm…" Suki woke up facedown in a mound of snow, having created a crater shaped like her body. "That coulda hurrrrrt. Good thing there was a lot-a soft, coooold snow to cool my fall."

Light footsteps slowly crunched through the snow, and Suki whipped to attention as a slim, shadowed figure approached her. "You're never one to stay down after you fall, huh?"

"Oh!" She jumped to her feet. "Who are yooooouuu?"

"It's me…" His body alit to reveal his shiny white smile, clear blue eyes, and snow-white hair, "Suki."

"Huuuuuuu!" And once again, her eyes and mouth took the form of wide O's. "Jack Frooooost!"

"Hey." He just loved seeing those joyful eyes.

Wonderland

Sunni indeed felt like she hit her head. Spinning and spiraling down an endless hole, where clocks, tables, couches, and TVs floated in a waving red dimension. In her swirls, she noticed a red and pink patterned floor down below, which seemed to be growing bigger as she grew closer. "Mmmf!" She landed facefirst on that floor, standing up and rubbing her head with annoyance. She looked up the endless shaft she had just fallen down. All those floating chairs and such were actually glued to the wall.

'Twas really an odd place to have built below the park. Wondering what it was meant for, Sunni walked down the snaky hall. A red rectangular door sat at the end, so Sunni turned the knob and opened. Behind it, a yellow door half as tall, and Sunni opened to find a blue door even shorter, and then a green door, a yellow door, until finally a tiny dollhouse-size purple door. "Hmmm…"

She whipped out her lightsaber and sliced the entrance down in general, entering a very small and cramped living room-like chamber, very arguably meant for dolls. She looked down, seeing the white rabbit—smaller than she remembers, rush into a small door and close it. She walked around the mini round table in the room's center and knelt down, tugging the door's golden knob to force it open.

"Mm-nn I say!" exclaimed the knob, making Sunni flinch. "You don't certainly intend to fit in me with such luggage."

Sunni blinked her wide eyes a couple times. "Hey it's not MY fault the architects made it just to scale!"

"Now—if you really want to fit, why not try the bottle." Sunni turned as a small blue bottle poofed on the table.

She took it in two fingers and held it by her nose, a faint, funky smell. With a raised brow, she gulped it down. "WHOA!" In seconds, she zapped to 3 inches tall, the large bottle bouncing off her head. "OUCH." With another annoyed rub, she stomped to the door and gripped its knob in both hands.

"Nn- Now-now, I forgot to mention I'm locked. The key is up there."

"GHHHHHH!" Trembling with anger, she looked as a key magically appeared on the table, many stories above. A bowl of small candies also appeared on the floor as Sunni approached. She took an orange sweet that read 'Eat Me', so she swallowed in one bite. "WAAAAAH!" She became the very size of this room, bumping her head on the ceiling and crushing the table beneath her Mary-Janes.

"Mmp, I don't mean to offend you, Miss, but your bum is quite large, and it is…"

She glanced down backward, feeling the door's knob poking the seat of her skirt. "Oh SCREW all this, why don't I use psychic?!" So with that, Sunni just closed her eyes and imagined herself shrinking, small enough so she can just enter the keyhole and forget about- "WOOP!" She shrunk in a single blink, so small she could crawl right under the tiny door. "Uhhh… bit too much. Oh well, this will do." She jumped and tried to float to the keyhole- "WAAAAAAH!" Smashed against the bottom of the hole like a bug hit by a swatter. "Oaf!" She fell to the floor, shaking off the dizzy. She then just decided to crawl under the gap, seeing only pitch-black around her until she came to the light of the world beyond.

She was definitely in a forest, as grass towered miles over her like trees, and the real trees were impossibly tall. "This seems oddly familiar… Well, better fix this first." She imagined herself growing larger, slowly though so as not to overshoot it- "WHOOOOA!" But alas, all of the normal trees were as small as grass at her feet. "MAN, WHAT IS WITH MY PSYCHIC TODAY?" her voice echoed for miles. "I COULDN'T FLY TO A CANDY STORE WITHOUT FALLING, NOW I REACT FASTER THAN-"

"I say! How RUDE of you!" Sunni narrowed her eyes to the center, seeing a very tiny birdhouse on the tip of her nose. "My worm stew was READY for waning before your sudden, interruption!"

"UHHH… SORRY. I'M A LITTLE-"

"WHAT ARE YOU, anyway?! SERPENT!! SerrrrPEEEEEEENT!"

"HEY, CHILL OUT, I'M NO SERPENT, I'M A HUMAN GIRL! I would say little, but I've been… well, really shifty lately."

"POLICE! Firemen! Milkmen! SERPEEEEEEENT!"

"OKAY OKAY, I'll put your house back, CALM DOWN!" So with more focus, Sunni zapped back down half as tall as the grass. "Oh, man! Why can't I shift back to normal?!"

"I daresay, you've gone positively mad." Sunni turned, her heart nearly stopping at the sight of the ferocious beast. It was a giant fat cat with dark- and light-pink stripes, sharp yellow eyes, big fluffy tail, and a wide grin.

"! …'scuse me?" she asked quizzically.

"What a peculiar head on your shoulders." He rolled onto his back. "It looks very unstable." He stood up, leaving his head on the ground. "Can you… stand on it?" He then began dancing on his head.

"…If I could, I'd rather not have anymore headaches."

"But it looks like it comes off." He put his head back on, standing on only his hind legs. "Looks very unstable. Like I can unscrew it with but a few turns."

"Yah—technically, but I assume you're implying that my mind is unbalanced, that's why my powers are suddenly hard to control."

"Actually, your powers exist because you're mad." Got back on his belly, resting his chin on his wrists. "Like this whole world. Everything you see was created by mad people. Everyone here is mad. Your powers, in and of themselves, are pure madness. So it would just be mad to let them roam here."

"So you're saying that… this place concentrates strong Psychic Chi, that's why my powers are acting so strongly and out of control."

"No, they're acting more in control than ever. They were founded by madness. Your madness. This world helps to emphasize that. Since you so constantly ignored it."

"Ugh! Look, if you're such an expert on that, teach me psychicbending!"

"Why do I need to." A sly grin. "You're already taught. Deep inside your head. Perhaps if you unscrew and take a look…"

"Look, I DON'T know psychicbending, okay?? I could NEVER control it, I REALLY can't control HERE, so I can really use help before I get eaten by a flower or a pebble or whatever the f&*% is ALIVE around here!"

"Strange… your head is awfully familiar. I was wondering why you hadn't remembered the key this time. I guess four times isn't a charm."

Sunni raised a brow. "You're saying that… my mom was here a few times?"

"It could be your mother." Rolled on his back. "It could be others. Different people, each time. Same people, a few or more times. All your heads looked the same to me. Maybe one of them left theirs here. If you search around, you may find it."

She cocked the other brow. "Meaning there's somebody here that can help me?"

"I don't know. No one's much help here. Even you. Even me. They're all mad. So you might lose your head trying to talk to them. That should help you some. Mmmmmm, 'twas Brillig…" The cat's body faded to nothing, and slowly, his head was disappearing, "And the slithy toves, Did gyre and…" Only his shiny grin was left, before it was gone.

Sunni rolled her eyes. Well, no sense using her powers now. Guess she would just have to find this person and get their help. This'll be fun… (Play Wonderland's theme from Kingdom Hearts.)

Stage 13: Wonderland

Mission: Find some stranger to get their help.

Act 1: The Rabbit Hole

Sunni started her adventure through the Lotus Forest, passing many colorful flowers whose petals were closed. She decided to approach a yellow one to ask why it was closed. It said, "Do a shockwave for me," so Sunni jumped and slammed the ground with a Psycho Shockwave. The flower opened and spit out a bunch of bubbles that filled her energy meter. She didn't bother with other ones yet, but when looking around she found this area was fairly enclosed, only a large boulder, platforms too high to reach, and a small pond. She talked to a red flower beside the pond that said, "Give me red berries and I'll make you bigger." She looked around, seeing some red berries growing above a high platform, but in her attempt to pull them down with psychic, her immense power squashed them.

They grew back, but she knew she had to look for another way, anyway. In a small, back enclosing was a whitish-blue flower that requested Bubble Berries. She looked around and found said berries growing above the door, jumping up to cut them down with her lightsaber. She brought the berries to the plant, and as it chewed them, released a large bubble that Sunni could hop onto as it floated to the high platforms. It was a matter of simple jumping before she got to the red berries, cutting them down before feeding to the red flower.

It sprayed a magic dust that stretched Sunni to normal size in seconds. The forest felt a lot more cramped, as if it was literally meant for mini people. The boulder she had encountered was smaller than her hand, so for no reason, she decided to kick it in the pond. Two lilipads in the pond suddenly stretched into platforms, which would let her hop over a wall of grass if she were little. She tried to walk to the other end of the path and- "Ow!" hit her head on a branch with a round platform. "Ugh! …" She noticed the tiny coconut on said platform, deciding to take it. Out of annoyance, she decided to push that branch, but this turned the whole tree- "Oh!" bumped her head on the branch that came around. Having enough with this height, she munched the coconut and shrunk back to 3 inches.

She bounced up the risen lilipad platforms and over the grass to reach an enclosed area. There was a row of bellflowers that requested lightning, but Sunni had no such power… yet. She entered a doorway that seemed to have warped her- "Whoooa!" for she was suddenly in the Bizarre Room on one of the walls, having slipped out of a hole on a shelf. On the wall, meaning, she literally stood on it like a floor, for her gravity seemed to have shifted. All that was on here was a blank white canvas, some unlit torches, and a teddybear sitting on a (sideways) shelf. Curious, she decided to cut the rope holding up the shelf, letting the bear fall onto a seesaw below that flung a paint can up to the empty canvas, and created a beautiful picture of a starry, nighttime hillside.

Sunni dove into the painting, and before she knew, was swimming in a liquid dimension miles above the vast fields under the calming night sky. Though to Sunni, it felt just like flying, swimming in the air, except she had to hold her breath. She was swimming directly up to the full moon, where the current seemed to push her, until she swam straight through and fell out of a small waterfall in the Lotus Forest. She resurfaced in this small pond and climbed back onto a new land, discovering she was on the second floor of the forest. She had to jumped across a few platforms that seemed like wide lilipads, then found herself on one side of the tree she turned earlier. Its platform branch helped her in crossing a gap, though if she glided over, she would slam forcefully into the parallel wall. Her shockwave earlier stretched a little farther than it should have.

The following lilipads were smooshed under the thick leaves, so Sunni was forced to sidle across what little thin bits remained. Naturally, Snapdragons waited in holes above and tried to snack her, so she beheaded them with her lightsaber. She made it to a vine-made ladder and climbed onto a higher path, which was very wide and had three different doorways at the end. She hurried over and peeked inside each one; the left seemed to drop her back into the first part of the forest, the right dropped her back in the Bizarre Room along the wall, but the middle one was too high to reach.

But Sunni then noticed the red flower seated near the entrance to this path. She walked over and asked of its query, and it replied, "I'll make you big if you cut my hair." Noticing the out-of-place green vine growing from its top like a hair, Sunni jumped up and sliced it off. It sprayed a dust that stretched Sunni to "normal" height. She was too large to fit back through the gap to the lower forest, but when she approached the now-tiny doors, it looked as though they were dominos leaned against the wall. She took the left one and set it on the ground below the middle, then laid the right one on it diagonally against the wall, so it served as a bridge to the middle. She saw another coconut on a ledge, having to reach her arm all the way up to grab it, then took a bite to shrink back to normal.

She was able to enter the higher door, finding herself on the parallel wall of the Bizarre Room. She was on the right side of the chimney shaft, having to find a way to climb up it. A wilted plant was on the floor below, and above it was a shelf with a cup of water. Since it was sideways where Sunni stood, she got underneath and pushed up, shoving the cup off its perch and onto the flower, making it stand to life as vines stretched up for Sunni to climb onto the chimney's exterior. The other side had a (sideways) faucet aimed at an empty pot, but its handle was round and fairly large. Instead, Sunni walked to the chimney's entrance and jumped inside, ended up sliding up the shaft and out the top hatch, suddenly right-side-up and using the hatch as a foothold.

From here, Sunni jumped to a lower dish shelf, then jumped to the faucet handle. The arrow pointed counterclockwise, so Sunni ran in place in that direction, turning the handle as a result. Water came pouring into the pot, and on pure instinct, Sunni jumped in with the current. She ended up coming down a short waterfall into a sewer pipe, where she stood up on its floor where the shallow river flowed. The pipe eventually ended over a chasm where the water streamed down, but when Sunni turned a small lever on the right, the water suddenly flowed across the rightward wall after leaving the pipe. This allowed Sunni to cross this wall along the river's flow, eventually into another pipe that appeared dark and bottomless. However, she could walk on the pipe's side with the river flow, passing through carefully as she was blinded within this darkness. She came to a lit area, and, to her distaste, the water flowed into a trollface. Entering said face would probably lead her to an unwanted area, so she went back.

Outside, Sunni turned another lever and made the flow shift right again, so she could walk UP the wall. The river made it to the ceiling, where it flowed up vertically from Sunni's view, but allowed her to shift gravity nonetheless. The river flowed past the ceiling, up (down) the following wall into another pipe. It also flowed past a lever on the ceiling, but Sunni first decided to follow it into this pipe. After passing another wall of blackness, she found another trollface. Angered, she returned to the ceiling and turned the lever right, causing the river to make a complete loop around that area. She was able to get to another lever, which she shifted to make the looping river go up (down) an alternate wall, into a pipe. However, this pipe had river come out from the opposite end, signifying it's the pipe she came from. She walked down, entered this pipe, going across its ceiling 'til she made it to the mini waterfall, which the new river flowed up and into.

Sunni crouched and entered, ending up falling to the ceiling of the Bizarre Room. After roaming around, she discovered a wood door lodged into the chimney's top. She went inside and found herself at a beautiful hedge garden under a sparkling night sky. The smell of tea catching her nose, Sunni passed through to the center, where a curtained table stood. (End song.)

Sunni made it to a peculiar Tea Party, where all the chairs around the rectangle table were different shapes and sizes. A pale woman with light-blonde hair and a blue dress stood motionlessly, holding a teapot with three mouths over six cups, pouring. "Ummm… excuse me?" Sunni walked up and asked with confusion.

"… … … .. . Hello." It took her a while to respond. She spoke with a quiet, British accent.

"Is this, um… you live here?" The answer was probably 'no'.

"… . Am I alive?"

Close enough. "So, umm… thing is, I'm a psychicbender, I'm not very good, my powers are really wonky in this world, and someone said… someone could…"

"… … . . Did you try painting your powers?"

"Uh-… what?"

"Paint them a different color. You might like them better."

"How will THAT help?? For one thing, it's intangible energy so I can't paint, and I never had problems with the color blue at all, what does it have to do with my-"

"Then perhaps try talking to them. Understand each other."

"… … …" The magic cat was right, she isn't helpful.

"Would you like some tea? .." The woman presented the six cups, stopped pouring.

"…" Sunni walked over and had a seat, drinking a cup.

"So what seems to be the problem?"

"I told you, my powers are acting crazy in this world. I guess 'cause there's a lot of Psychic Chi. This cat said someone could help me—I think—but I've been getting lost every which way, and I need to get better at psychicbending so I can save my mom." Another long sip.

"… . . Did you say 'please'?"

Sunni slowly put the cup down with a disbelieved stare. "What?"

"Did you ask your psychic kindly to help you? All you'd have to do is ask."

"… … . Literally ask my psychic to help. You're serious?"

"Nope!" A black-haired man walked by just then and had a seat at the farther end. "I'm over here! A cup for me, Alice!" He grinned brightly.

Alice hopped up, walked across the table, kicking several cups, and poured some tea in Sirius's cup, the other mouths pouring tea onto his lap as he flinched. "Wait a second, what's HE doing here!" Sunni yelled. "Sirius isn't in Wonderland!"

He put his cup down, "Just thought I'd drop by 'fore my weekly bowling trip with Chronicler. Funny, the oldspaper reported someone mad coming to visit, but I was expecting someone else."

"You mean my mom?"

"Well, yes…" Sirius looked down, "though there is someone else I had wanted to meet. If you see your mother again, do ask her to drop by, will you?"

She slammed her cup down, "Well I CAN'T unless someone helps me with f&*king PSYCHICbending!"

"Is it wearing a condom?" Alice asked.

"… . . . . ." Sunni had no words at all to reply to that. "Could you please show me the exit?"

"Over there." Sirius pointed.

Sunni looked at a mirror behind her chair and walked over. Staring longingly at her own reflection, it felt as though her very vision began to zoom on her reflection's pupil. Zooming closer on the pitch-black dot, her vision began to spin, going closer and closer to the light at the very end of the darkness.

Sunni blinked, suddenly awake at the table in Roxas Park. She turned to the tree that had the strange hole she fell in, wondering if it was still there. …She decided to get up and walk away. "What a waste of my time."

Sabaody Park, Canada

With what remained of Jessie's bubbles, he and Sandy floated all the way to Canada on a bubble boat, the morning sun just coming over the horizon. "Yaaaaaaawn." yawned the First Grade President. "Fin'ly, sigh… we m'de it."

"Poor Jessie." Sandy patted his back. "You should rest. Let me gather the bubbles."

"Nnn, I m'h not be able to beat some *** 4th-grader, but I can sure as *** git me some f'kin' bubbles. Now c'mon Sandy, le's get enough I can sh'vve down Shelly's… rrrrREAR side!" He wobbled forward.

Sandy shook her head with worry and sadness. "Oh, Jessie." But decided to follow. (Play "Downtown Bikini Bottom" from Spongebob: BFBB.)

Stage 14: Sabaody Park

Mission: Get more suds for Jessie's bubbles.

Act 1: Bubble Park

Sabaody Park was a lush green forest of vertical striped trees, with green and cyan stripes. It reeked of what smelled like bath soap, as thousands of bubbles puffed from the soapy trees and were hovering across the air. There were Fodderbots roaming this small enclosing, in which Jessie went around and knocked them all out with a swing of his Bubble Wand. There was no way out of the enclosing except for a few platforms of varying height that emerged tiny bubble jetstreams, too light to lift the twins up. However, both hopped onto a floating Bubble Bike, rode over the lowest stream, and let it gently lift them higher so they could glide to another platform, then another, before they could float to the new ledge.

But an inconvenient tall step prevented their bike from going further, so they climbed off and up the step. They overlooked a village area of colorful tents in a gorge, in which Sandy whirled a lasso like a helicopter and held onto Jessie as they floated down gently. An Arfbot was roaming the village and releasing mini Arf-Dawgs, Sandy roping each one and tossing them aside. Jessie, still unbearably tired, hurried forward to deal a quick whack against the robot, making it jump a few feet back. Jessie waved his wand around to send a Bubble Torpedo his way, but recalled that his supply was a little decreased at the moment, so he just had to chase the Arfbot and whack him again. But then the Arfbot leaped onto a higher ledge, where he could throw Dawgs at the kids safely, but Sandy simply roped a Dawg in her lasso and tossed it up at him.

The robot exploded, a trampoline seemed to slide out of one of the tents. The siblings bounced up to the roof and landed in a cannon, in which the only place to fire was a spring pad on another roof. They shot there and were bounced to a snaky metal pathway, where they had to jump thick bubble boulders as they progressed up. The path sloped upward while still snaking until they were finally brought above the high cliff, where the Fodderbot working the bubble cannon waited beside a Soap Tree. Jessie rushed up, knocked out the robot, and disabled the cannon. Having arrived at the first tree, he scraped some of its suds off into his bottle.

With that, they returned to the village as Jessie was now able to make Bubble Bowls. The only way out of here was a narrow, snaky road between close walls, but no actual path, just bubbly rails. Beside it was a small cannon which Jessie swung a Bubble Bowl into. The sturdy, round ball was inflated to three times its size, allowing Jessie and Sandy inside. With this, they could roll down the rail trail, going whipping fast before they launched off a ramp onto a carved trail in the ground. They carefully navigated around robots and large holes, in which one of the holes had a small bridge over it which they could cross slowly, and retrieve a sock. The trail eventually ended over a deep canyon, where the kids had to roll the ball over floating slow-spinning platforms.

Naturally, some platforms moved up or down, forward and back, and much trickier to get onto on this ball. The platforms eventually brought them to a U-shaped slide and could barely alter their speed as they were going down. It was a matter of dodging spikes and pitfalls before they went up more rails and through a hoop of fire. "WHOA!" cried Sandy when the bubble instantly popped, grabbing Jessie and swinging the convenient bubble hooks above, to land them on a new ledge. Tar-Tar robots were shooting their infamous sauce around another tent village, and threatened to swamp the whole area. Jessie whirled his wand and sent Bubble Bowls to take out each one; but upon finishing, the siblings looked to the cliffs above the village as robots appeared to be sawing Soap Trees down, throwing them in wagons. "Hu! Why are they cutting down the forest?" gasped Sandy with horror.

"Because they're bitches…" Jessie wobbled. The twins progressed to a lower, playground area with bubble-used rides, which were hovering several feet. They got on the mini merry-go-round and spun it around and around, a bubble stream coming out its bottom as it hovered. From there, they hopped across the midair rocky-horsies to a floating swingset, both taking a swing and building momentum. They then flew up to a bubble-lifted slide, which was thin, long, and curvy, kept aloft by several bubbles. It was just their size, making it easy to slide down and fly off onto a new ledge. They were on a cliff overlooking another deep chasm, but to the left, Jessie first scraped more suds off a Soap Tree. Then the siblings crossed a plant that ended under a floating stack of bubble blocks. Using a Bubble Bash, Jessie leapt and hit the stack, causing them all to fall and stay in place over separate parts above the chasm. The kids could jump across them, followed by Sandy swinging a bubble hook to land them on a soapy slide.

They couldn't stand on this solid slide soaking with suds, so they had to dodge bubble boulders being fired from cannons, spike traps, and the average enemies. The slide ended at one part and forced the kids to jump far-apart floating bubble fountains, still sliding as they made the careful jumps. On the following slide which curved left, they had to bounce bubble springs that propelled them to higher parts, lest they fall to their death, but this final slide would soon bring them to a grassy spot at the forest's edge, overlooking the distant sea. (End song.)

But a shining light many miles in the heavens caught their eye, so they jumped the steps to the coast for a closer look. Whatever this bright thing was, the moment it crashed into the sea, it created a tremendous explosion, Jessie creating a bubble shield to block the resulting strong wave. Jessie lowered his bubble when the area was swallowed in steam. A huge, dark force began to rise within the gray, growing closer, before it came to a halt with a loud release of steam. A door opened as a bridge stretched over for them to cross, and they saw lines of lights in whatever just opened. "…J-Jessie!" whispered Sandy as her brother was lazily walking forward. Mind racing with thoughts, Sandy reached the conclusion to follow him. (Play "Mansion of the Deep" from Rayman Legends.)

Act 2: Undersea Mansion

The siblings rode a large elevator down a diagonal shaft lit with lights. It came to a stop before a huge, wide corridor where robots were on patrol, in this case Sleepytimes, snoozing robots encased in a searchlight. Jessie and Sandy quietly tiptoed through their lights and across the floor, reaching a center wall where they grabbed and climbed across three different ledges before getting on top. The next part of the room was a floor of red tiles, with a single yellow one beneath them. They dropped down to it, causing a trail of yellows to flash to existence before they became red. Seeing this before, the siblings carefully memorized the yellow trail and followed where it was, lest they be shocked by the reds. Jessie's Bubble Bowls actually got shocked by the reds, so they used them to see the path better. Once safely on the other side, they noticed another sock on a far left tile, so another hidden trail would lead them to it. After testing several tiles with the Bowl again, Jessie soon found his way to it.

With that, they continued to a round-ceiling corridor that went up and curved right, leading to a hall with aquariums within the walls, containing unique and exotic fish, and a dark chasm for a floor. A platform was beside the foothold across the chasm, and Sandy could rope its hook and pull it over, letting them ride it across afterward. For the next chasm, some pegs were stationed all around the left wall for Sandy to swing across, but the following tunnel was barred shut. Sandy roped her way up the pegs to the ceiling, then swung some hooks on the ceiling to a platform with a switch. But when she pressed the switch, she was barred inside, while the tunnel opened. She was free when she stepped off, but the tunnel sealed again. "Um… Jessie?"

"Mmmm…" Still half-awake, Jessie inflated a bubble to float him across the chasm, passing the tunnel to an enormous room of fishtanks and pipes flowing with suds, as the substance behind the glass bared that smeary, colorful presence. "With Chum Industries' special Squeaky-Clean Suds, we can safely assure the future well-being of your ocean and wildlife. We've taken the liberty of giving the fish new homes until we can work out the pollution issue, we promise to return them all to their rightful places as soon as I am made supreme ruler! Eh he he he he!"

Jessie didn't understand nor care what that message was. He began roaming around the room as Monsoon robots and Chucks sent storm clouds and missiles at him. Jessie spotted a vertical pipe in a far right corner, and a platform around it several stories above. Jessie climbed a ladder onto a nearby fishtank, having to balance a thin board over a tank of Bonefish. Once across, he climbed a ladder onto a tank filled with jellyfish, where several large ones rested at the surface and sank up and down. They also electrified for a few seconds, so Jessie was careful in hopping across. He made it to a series of metal poles, having to climb them and kick to the next, while avoiding the Sparkies; little electric balls that moved around the poles. He finally made it atop the platform around the pipe, where a faucet conveniently was. Jessie turned it, let the suds flow into his bottle, and had more to go on.

Jessie was able to send Bubble Buddies around the room and distract the projectile robots trying to kill him. He then dropped down and returned to the previous room, telling Sandy to get off the switch. He then blew a Bubble Buddy up to where she was, and she pulled and positioned it above the switch before jumping down, letting the bubble press it down instead (wow, he was bulkier than he looked). They returned to the huge room where Sandy roped a high peg between two fishtanks, pulling Jessie up with her as they landed on the higher tank. They had to swing a row of hooks across the tank of electric eels, but with two Chucks threatening to blow them off, Jessie blew a Bubble Buddy to distract them.

Once across the tank, they jumped a few platforms to a tunnel that curved downward, made of glass as they had a terrific view of the sea, er, aquarium outside. The tunnel eventually led into the water itself, so Jessie threw a Bubble Bowl against a pump cannon to increase its size, the twins getting in and rolling around inside the aquarium. They had to zoom past 3 propeller switches while avoiding Torpedo Teds, opening the gateway to a new tunnel. They rolled up a slope and across a flat floor, carefully avoiding red security lasers that scrolled up and down, left to right, and/or both. They reached a chasm with two small platforms that floated up and down, having to wait for them to get low so they could carefully roll off, their bubble floating softly across the pit due to the water.

They rolled off on the new path, up a slope that curved right, and resurfaced in a small room alit by torches, touching their bubble to a fireplace to pop it. A pair of huge wooden double-doors sat before them, Sandy roping their handles to pull them open. They progressed down a torch-lit hall to a small, pumping room where another faucet lay on a pipe. Jessie held his bottle underneath and turned the handle to collect more suds. (End song.)

"HNN hnn hnhnhnhnhn!" But instead, a huge, brown bubble with a devilish grin grew to existence and out of the faucet. "Hnn, he was RIGHT!"

"J-JESSIE! That's the.."

"Dirty Bubble." The boy glared.

"Hrnhnnhnn, what're a couple of KIDS doing in our mansion?" the bubble grinned wickedly. "Well, I know just what to do with you. IN TO THE BUBBLE DOME, huhohoho!" He floated overhead and smashed the kids into his dirty bubbly body.

"Nnnnn! Jessie, do something!" cried the sister, but Jessie appeared more tuckered out than ever.

"Awwww little guy's tired. That's whatsa get fer stayin' up so late, kiddies. But don't worry. I'll make sure you get plenty o' rest, hohohohohohnhooohhn."

Glacia; with Suki and Jack

"Jack FROST Jack FROST Jack FROST! YYYAAAAAAY!" Suki alternated between feet as she hopped in place. "I KNEW you wanted me to come here, you NEVER lie to meeee!"

"Heheh. I just thought the summer heat was making you melt, you wanted to get your toes cold again."

"You BET I do!" Remembering the extreme cold around her, Suki joyously kicked off her shoes and socks and wiggled her toes in the snow. "I feel JUST like an ice cube agaaaaain! Thank you for bringing me here, Jack Frost! I- …" Her face sunk a little. "But what about my sister? And my fwieeends?"

"They're all fine, Suki. We wouldn't let anything bad happen to them."

"Then we GOTTA go FIND theeeeem!"

"Later, Suki. But first let's talk about the reason I led you here: to hone your icebending."

"But I'm a GREAT icebender! Seeeeee?" She swirled the snow before her and created a mini snowcastle with tiny citizens.

"Heh heh heh! You're very talented, but you don't even know the basics of bending! And even the greatest benders need to know how their power works to be perfected at it." Jack spun and swirled a snowy throne that raised him to the air, taking a seat. "Then you'll realize you never felt closer to the cold."

"But I ALREADY feel so cooooold!" she whined with her joyous smile. "Do I really need to feel so shivering, my blood stooooops?"

"Maybe you do, Suki." Jack still smiled. "I just want you to know, there's a thing as being too cold. And depending on how in tune you are with your chi, that extreme cold could be your greatest ally, or the tool of your destruction."

"Why would the cold destroy me? I though the cold LOOOOOVED me." She frowned in mock sadness.

"That's why it's important for you to learn about chi." He hopped down from his throne. "So you'll learn how to bond with it."

"What's chiiiii? Is that short for chiiiiiilly?"

"Haha. Yeah, that's a good one." He laughed. "Just come over here."

Suki quizzically approached Jack as he held his cane staff ready. "You see, people are able to bend elements by their chi, and each element's chi has a particular flow throughout your body, and is concentrated at a certain point. But while people have Personal Chi, the outside world, like the ocean, sky, or space, contains Natural Chi. Benders release their chi to the Natural Chi, and in the process, allows them to bend those elements. Benders can strengthen the bond between their Personal Chi and the Natural Chi through experience or meditation. And when the bond between chis is strong enough, they'll ultimately fuse together. Thus, the bender's body will become one with their element. When this Logia level is reached, the chi takes on a different flow depending on the element. For us icebenders or earthbenders, the chi will appear relatively frozen or stiff. Firebenders' chi would become more active, airbenders' more scattered, and Space Chi would appear almost hollow or nonexistent. But while the chi flows take on this drastic change, the bender is more powerful than ever."

"But if I became a Logia… I couldn't hug my sister without freezing her, could I?" Suki asked with big sad eyes.

"Well, with Logia, it's a complex thing. Your body only possesses the illusion of having become your element." Jack Frost used his staff to draw Suki's shape in the snow. "After you become Logia, an invisible shield encases your whole body." He drew another line just outside of Suki's shape, in the same shape. "You still have a normal body, and can eat or touch things, so if you shook hands with somebody, the shield allows harmless outside forces to pass. But when you want it to, or danger comes your way, the shield will kick in." He drew a line coming directly at Suki and passing the shield. "When that danger is detected, that part of your body will transform into ice and the danger will be avoided. But your body is still there. It just becomes invisible and intangible while the ice takes its place. But the shield only protects the outside; the inside is still vulnerable. Something hazardous could enter through your ears, nose, or mouth. If the danger becomes active in say the entrance of those areas, the shield will still detect, but if it gets too far in you can't see it, it won't pick up. And of course, the shield can't protect against Haki, chi-blocks, or the element's natural enemy. So even as a Logia, you still need to be aware."

"So I can become a Logia, and STILL hug Miyuki-chan, right?"

"Yeah, you could. But that's where the hard part comes in…"

"Ohh?"

"When benders are on the very verge of Logia transformation, sometimes it requires the ultimate step. To finally test if that bond is real, and you're so in tune with your element, you have to put yourself in a situation that could mean your death."

"Hu!" she gasped.

"To name a few examples… a waterbender might submerge their self and completely drown, an airbender could drop from an airplane without a parachute, or an icebender may lock their self in the coldest darkness until their blood turns to ice…"

Mikaela Chariton took the most powerful blast from Mewtwo's psychic beam, but in just a blink, her body had become psychic itself.

Caesar Clown hacked and coughed within the fog of toxic Bang Gas. He had inhaled so much, and it was overtaking his lungs. But a grin appeared on his face, when it became so breathable. "Oh. I'm a Logia. Not what I was trying to do, but, I'll take!"

Dozens of boulders were rolling to the unsuspecting village at the mountain's base, and Angie McKenzie was doing all she could to send them away. There came to be too many, and the woman felt the storm of boulders bouncing and crushing her body. Her bones would give way any second, but to her utter amazement, her body shattered like stone. A great stone entity that shaped her form emerged from the earth and crushed the remaining boulders.

At 13 years old, Mandy McKenzie had acquired numerous syringes of Nightmare Toxin. She injected them all in her body and let the magic happen.

Suki gulped, eyes wide with terror.

"That's why becoming a Logia can mean the ultimate sacrifice. Sure, if it works, your life's the same as normal, but you're just more powerful. But if it doesn't work… if you're not as sure as you thought you were… it's the end."

The sadness was clear as day in Suki's adorable eyes. "Is that what… happened to you? Sniff."

"Well… yeah… a long time ago, when…"

"…" Suki listened patiently.

Jack shook, "Let's not worry about it now. Your training should come first."

"What kinda training are we doing?"

"I'm going to teach you about the Ice Element. I know you have a good grasp of it, but it's important you hear it out, too. Ice, in a way, is close to Psychic, as it needs an imaginative mind to work." He took some snow and mended it into all sorts of shapes, a hammer, a DNA, lipstick… "Psychicbenders need to endure loads of training before they can create stuff out of their chi, but any active icebender can make things ages early. True, it's made of ice and won't make any long-lasting contributions, but when there's something we need on the spot, we got the advantage." He made it into earmuffs, which he placed over Suki's ears. "We call this Ice-Maker Style. And the same way psychicbenders can create Imaginary Friends, icebenders can give life to snow entities if their imagination's strong enough. Just look." Jack created a snowman half Suki's height, who bowed.

Suki beamed and created a team of tiny snowpeople as high as her feet, skiing and dancing around the larger snowperson. "Which you already understand! And the stronger our chi is, the more realistic we can make a person or thing. The reason icebenders are rarer than waterbenders is because ours possesses magical properties, just like Psychic. Icebending just sounds like 'controlling ice', like any other element, but even other elements have hidden powers inside them. And icebending has another property, too: the power to freeze time."

"Huuh?"

"You know that when something is completely encased in ice, its very motion or aging stops until the ice is totally melted. It was this power that kept Avatar Aang in a time stasis for a hundred years, which thereby stopped his Negative's aging, but allowed him to roam free. So it would be in regular timebending."

"So I have powers like MIYUKI-CHAAAAAN!"

"Heheh ha. To an extent, really. You more-or-less keep Time in balance, by freezing it, the same way you already do with your sister. If something is out of control, a river, a volcano, even time itself, you need to freeze it."

"Huuuuuu!" Suki's eyes and mouth grew wide in remembrance again. "Miyuki-chaaaaan! I gotta go SAAAAVE her, can't wait AROOOOUUUND." She jumped impatiently.

"Suki, calm down, your sister will be fine." Jack smiled assuringly. "I want you to help me with something first. Can you trust me?"

Suki calmed down and stared at him. She really wanted to save her sister… but if Jack Frost says so, she could believe in him. She nodded.

Jack narrowed his eyes and bent down discreetly, gesturing to the blizzarding mountain above. "There's this girl up there that I really like, and I want you to help me talk to her." He spoke in a hushed tone, as if they were in high school and he were whispering to his friend about the pretty girl at the other table. "I've been trying to get up the courage to, but I always get so nervous. So will you help me?"

"Awwwwwww!" Suki pressed her cheeks and sang like a nosy little sister. "Jack—ie-chan's, in LOOOO-ooooove!"

Jack's heart sank in a beat, his smile faltering. "What's wrong, Jackie?"

"Uh-h… nothing."

"Well let's GOOOOO! Don't be shy, I'll tell you JUST what to SAAAAY!"

"That means a lot, Suki." He smiled. "Now let's go. I'll teach you about icebending on the way."

Spirit World; KND treehouse

Miyuki followed Norman down to a basement of the treehouse, which grew darker as torches only lit the halls. "So when did you become a Halfa?"

"Three weeks ago, actually." Norman said with a cool, casual smile. "I helped transfer this ghost to the Spirit World last year, and her spirit came back to give me this power. I think she can help you out, too."

"Is that where we're going?"

"Yep. A little tidbit though, Coraline's actually older than she looks. Her ghost body has a manifested child form made of strings and stitches and junk. Some Nightmare King gave it to her for helping catch some rogue Nightmare, I think 22 years ago? Jack's mostly hanging with us as a pastime, and Rukia, not sure where she's from. Probly Japan."

They made it to a large, dark room with a single curtained table lit by a small candle. On one side, a pale 11-year-old girl with a black dress and sleek black hair. Across from her, creatures Miyuki was familiar to: white, round-topped beings with little eyes in red circles, and floating hands. Okay, she wasn't exactly familiar what they were, so she called them the Thing Chorus. Why, you ask?

The dark girl picked up a cup of tea on the table and shook it lightly. "How should I live my life? That, appears to be the question, of the evening." She sounded half-interested.

The more you think about life

The sooner you might diiiiie.

"But why shouldn't I think about death. When that's the way I'm gonna be spending most of my life."

It maaay be the way you are fated to live

But why shouldn't you liiive in the mooomeeeent?

"Because I got nothin' interesting going on. Let's get it over with now. Where's the nearest cliff. Deep river. A knife might work."

But the faster you rush into sooomething

The harder it will be for yooou tooo aaaadjuuuust.

The girl sipped her tea. "If I were good at it, I would adjust. If I'm not, why can't I start now?"

Death comes to taaake when it's ready toooo

For deaaath iiiis the lot of uuuus!

The lot of everyone that we hold deeear.

So WHY pass the time thinking of the value of your liiiife?

"Hey, Numbuh 1712!" Norman greeted as he led Miyuki in. "This is Miyuki. Miyuki, this is Aggie. Our, uh, witchcraft specialist."

"Yes." Aggie stood up, stretched her arms, and rubbed her eyes. "Just got up from a really long nap. And I guess you have, too."

"Actually, Norman's friends brought me here. But I think I'm still… alive."

"I'll let you two get to know each other." Norman walked away. "Rukia wants me for mission reports."

With that, Aggie and Miyuki began a long, unenthusiastic walk down the opposite hall. "So if you aren't really dead, what are you here for."

"I don't know. Me and my friends were flying to an ice planet during a mission. We crashed and I died, but not really. I was a timebender back in living."

"A timebender. I'm kinda feeling that from you. Your spirit has small fractions of the chi. A little grayer than I remember."

"You've met other timebenders?"

"This girl named Olive used to live with me at Blithe Hollow. She was my only friend. After the townspeople executed me for witchcraft, a girl named Muffy Jenkins killed her for being a timebender."

Miyuki's eyes grew wide, "Olive? THAT'S my mom! And that Muffy Jenkins girl, that was Dimentia."

"I know. I heard she came back to life. 'Course, she was already in the Spirit World centuries before I was. I didn't want to go. And I wouldn't let anyone else. Now that I'm here, I don't even remember being alive. You learn to forget these things… when they no longer concern you."

A bright light shone at the end of this hall, and Miyuki gaped at what it was. She thought they were miles underground, but it was a peaceful forest of lush green trees and grass under a golden sky. Aggie walked up to a lone tree in the middle of a barren region, and sat with her back against it. "This is the tree my mom used to read me stories under. It's dead in the Mortal World, so it came here. I take long naps under here. But time never passes."

Miyuki sat beside her, "Is your mom here, too?"

"I haven't seen her since I got here. I've been sensing it. Something is happening to the spirits. Bad people in the Mortal World are interfering with the Spirit World."

"That's…That's awful! How can any mortal mess up the Spirit World?"

"The Spirit World is closely connected with the Dream World. People can shape it to their deepest desires. To make a happy afterlife. Normally people can't do that while they're still alive… but some mortals found a way. And I'm not sure how."

"Does it have to do with… the Apocalypse?"

"I'm feeling a lot of fear… in the Mortal World. In a month, the Spirit World will be destroyed. If the mortal dimensions are gone, the Spirit Worlds can't exist. There will be nothing to give it energy. All of it is going to die."

"Then…Then I can't waste time here. I need to stop the Apocalypse. We all promised Cheren we would help." And… I told Zanifr I'd…

Agatha looked up. "You don't look like anyone who would be concerned about anything."

"I…I used to be. But I…I found a new importance in life. It's to live for my friends, and be happy for the spirits. Then when I pass on here, my spirit can help the world flourish. I want to save the Spirit World… so everyone can have someplace happy to go when they die. So the Cycle of Life.. can continue."

Aggie closed her eyes. "I've always been afraid of something happening to this forest. I can never go to sleep with the promise that… it'll still be here when I wake up. I want to sleep here forever… in peace…"

Miyuki looked at her when Aggie became silent. Her eyes closed, she lay back against the tree, as if in deep sleep. If Miyuki lived here, she might want to sleep forever, too. It was so peaceful… the afterlife… just the thought of it made her eyelids grow heavy…

Aggie woke up, "Let's go." and began the walk out. "Energybending won't teach itself."

Miyuki startled back to attention, "E-Energybending?" She got up and followed.

"A lot of Spirit KNDs master energybending as their means of combat. Rukia even knows a bit."

"Isn't that… light or darknessbending?"

"They're closely related. But Energy is the essence where all chi comes from. It's the only part of our bending we keep after we convert into spirits. It's what our souls, and everything in the Spirit World, is composed of. When spirits search deep inside their selves and that which makes this world, they can control that energy. It can become the most powerful of elements…"

"And could I use that power… while I'm alive?"

"It's a little more difficult, because your normal chi is concealing the Energy Chi. The only mortal I've heard that was able to bend the direct energy is the Avatar, who is half-spirit to begin with. But mastering energybending should have an effect on your Time Chi, too, make it stronger. And that grayness I feel in your chi… I wanted to take a look at it."

"Well… okay. As long as I can get back to my friends soon."

"Relax. You will. As long as your body isn't eaten by wolves."

"But… Agatha." The two stopped. "Who is it exactly… that's messing up the Spirit World. Do you know who's behind it?"

"…" Aggie turned, still with her gloomy face, "He calls himself King."

Sand Castle

The sky was bluer and filled with even more stars above this vast desert. A Kargarok messenger cawed across the air as it flapped to the castle with a conchshell within its talons. It flapped into a window and dropped the shell in the hands of the castle's owner. King Sandy Johnson sat back on his couch and opened the shell's hatch, displaying a holographic image of a shadowed, knight-like being with dashing armor, a cape, and a pointy crown. "Hello, Sandy."

"Ahhh if it isn't my good friend," said Sandy with a snobbish smile, "His Royal Highness King—"

"You would know better than to speak my full name. There is power in a name, you know. Or shall I spill YOUR filthy, disgusting secret?"

"Sigh, you will never let that go, will you?"

"Are you absolutely sure what you told me about the Minish Princess is true?"

"No, I was just making crud up. If you don't wanna see, I can just squish her, one less nuisance."

"Don't joke around with me. You know that the princess's powers are vital in what we have planned. If you are mistaken, you WILL pay the price."

"Relax, I'm absotively posilutely certain. Are you coming to take the brat away or what?"

"Tomorrow night. After the presidents' meeting. My special squad will be over to bring her to me. Do not disappoint me… and destroy this Dial." Switched off.

Unbeknownst to Sandy, a single tiny Blue Pikmin watched him from the doorway.

Cleveland neighborhoods; daytime

The sun was finally rising over Cleveland as Team Rupert lay fast asleep, their fire having gone out and their Pikmin inside the Onions. Rupert was the first to regain consciousness, half-awake at the sound of a distant, nearly deafening screech, and some doors squeaking open. Rupert got to his feet, seeing what was clearly the top of a yellow school bus. Timmy and Hikari slowly recovered too, at the echoing creak of a giant door. "Bye, Mom, I'm going to school!" The slamming of the door pulled them awake completely. Through the giant grass was a blonde, freckle-faced girl in a dark-pink shirt, and the sound of wheels crossing the sidewalk let them know her bookbag was on wheels. "Whoops, forgot to tie my shoe." She stopped midway and bent down.

"!!! GUYS!! NOW'S OUR CHANCE, COME ON!" At Rupert's cry, the three kids dashed to the girl as fast as they could, the Pikmin Onions fluttering after them. Once they were through the grass, they found her backpack lain on its back while she tied her shoes. "And oooover, and loop-di-loop, and oooover.."

"HURRY!" Sprinting with all the strength in their legs, they rushed for the small net on the side of the pack, leaped, and grabbed hold of its very thick lining at their size. The Onions latched their selves onto the side of the pack as well. The girl stood, picked up her pack, and casually rolled and lifted it into the bus, the swift turns and movement forcing the tinies to hold on tight. She slammed it haphazardly against the wall beside a seat and sat down, the tinies dropping as the girl began talking to a friend.

"Sigh. That was close." Timmy panted.

"Is Jessie and Sandy on this bus?" Rupert asked. "We can look around for 'em and get their-" But a sudden shake knocked them off their feet. The bus was in motion.

"Mmmmmmaybe that's not a good idea now." Timmy said as they grabbed the floor tight.

"We'll have to look for Jessie in school." Hikari knew.

Rupert seemed to shrink more at this idea. The last thing he wanted at a quarter inch tall was going to school this way.

Planet Poké

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH…" It's true that flying as a beam of light across the very light-years would induce screaming. Such was the case of Darcy Chariton, and Lucario didn't enjoy it so much either. "AAAAAAAHHHHHHH…" Even after they finally landed, she still went on. "-UUH!"

"STOP IT!" yelled Lucario, smacking her. "Honestly, I expected that from Sunni, not you…"

Darcy shook back to senses, helping herself to stand. "Wh…Where did you take me?"

"Planet Poké." Fluffy white clouds filled the sunny sky, grasslands and mountains lay every direction. And hundreds, thousands of the creatures we all know and love roamed everywhere.