B-32. Mother?

Climbers House; Facilier's Emporium

Five days had passed since Wendy spoke with her father. While Vaati was attending to business with the White Lotus, Dr. Facilier resumed giving Wendy magic lessons. Holding a blue rubber ball in hand, Wendy focused her power and thoughts and cast Transfiguro on the ball. It morphed into a blue toad. "Only thing wrong is the color." Wendy said. "Hey Carla, maybe if I get good at this, I can turn you into a human like me!"

"It's any Familiar's honor to be their master's guinea pig." Carla remarked.

"Heh heh." Wendy blushed. "…Is your wing feeling better?"

Carla flapped both wings and lifted off the floor. "I think I'm alright. I suppose I owe Lapis my thanks. Still, I believe the more pressing concern was that display in the sky."

"I'm worried about that, too. I wish my dad would come back soon."

"Wendy, why on Earth do you want to join the Revolutionaries? You haven't even started your first year at school, you're far too young to be a war hero."

"I wasn't sure about it at first, but if my dad thinks it's best for me, maybe I should trust him. Besides, he said that I would be helping the Kids Next Door this way."

"I see. But I have to wonder what your father would have said if you refused?"

"If she did not, it wouldn't change the fact she is my daughter." Carla gasped when Vaati seemed to appear out of thin air.

"DAD!" Wendy jumped up and hugged him.

"WHERE did you come from?!" Carla shouted. "Mr. Facilier said no one could Apparate in here!"

"We Minish tend to be very stealthy." Vaati smirked. He patted his daughter's head and said, "Moving on, whether she is a White Lotus or not, I planned to teach Wendy what I know and help her become stronger. You may not think highly of me, Cat, but don't forget who enrolled Wendy into Hogwarts."

"I've been meaning to ask about that." Wendy said. "Dad, if you're a wanted criminal, how did you get them to accept me?"

"That's one of the beautiful things about that school: they don't care about a person's origin, as long as a body is brimming with magical potential, they will take it. Once they see what you can provide for them, they won't regret their decision." Vaati smiled with confidence for his daughter. "But there is still more to prepare until that day. As a future member of the Revolutionaries, I want to give you a mission."

"Absolutely! What's the mission about?"

"In Las Vegas, there is a casino called Casinopolis. It's a massive casino that draws in even the most modest of men. My spies have done recon on the facility, and have realized there is mind-control in the works. The casino lights manipulate the customers into gambling away all their savings, and it all goes to the wealthy nobles. I was never a fan of casinos, but this makes me hate them more. I would like you to find the source of the mind-control and destroy it."

"You can count on me." Wendy nodded seriously. "But, if it's okay… I want to take Carla with me. It wouldn't feel right doing a mission without her."

"Hmm… Very well." Vaati frowned slightly. "Then it's a good thing I acquired two of these." He pulled out sunglasses from his cloak. "The casino employees wear these to keep from being affected by the lights. Wear them and you'll be safe."

Carla took a pair and studied them, suspicious at this story. "You know, the last time you gave Wendy a mission, it turned out to be ludicrous and one of her friends was captured. Why should we trust your intel this time?"

"Because it's true. But rest assured, I plan to make it worth your while." Vaati smiled at Wendy. "If you complete the mission, I'll introduce you to your mother."

"Why do you need to REWARD her with that?! After all you put her through, you should let Wendy meet her mother NOW!"

"Carla, it's okay!" Wendy consoled. "I can wait a little longer until I meet my mom." She put the sunglasses on and flashed a grin. "After all, I feel lucky tonight!"

DNK Moonbase

Cheren Uno and Panini Drilovsky climbed through the mirror to Nerehc's office. As if he were expecting them, Nerehc was standing there waiting. "Nerehc, we have some news." Cheren said.

"Does it have anything to do with that business in the sky?" Nerehc asked.

"You saw it, too?" Panini said with surprise.

"Yeah. I got two people who might know something about all this."

Nerehc led them to the prison wing, where the Gnik siblings sat patiently in their cell. "Egroeg, AlyakAm… are you finally ready to spill?"

"The cat is out of the bag, Alyak." Egroeg said.

"Very well, we confess." AlyakAm followed. "Yes, Nerehc. We knew about Lord English all along. Our father spoke for English, so by extension, we were his pawns as well. My father did not want anyone to speak of English until it was time, so I entrusted English's identity to Ydolem, along with the Octogan locations."

"In hindsight, it was a meaningless gesture." Egroeg continued. "There is nothing that can prevent Lord English's return."

"We can prevent it." Cheren assured. "If Mr. King defeats your father, we can save everyone!"

"Even if that were possible, the Apocalypse would still transpire. Without the Twenty Keys, only those under the Will of Sixes would live to see the future."

"Then we have no time to lose. Nerehc, who's the last Darkness? How do we find him?"

"You're gonna love this." Nerehc remarked. "The last Darkness is Ganondorf."

"GANONDORF?!"

"Well Cheren, you wanted an excuse to make Azelf like ya." Panini shrugged.

"But our moms destroyed Ganondorf! What are we supposed to do, bring him back?!"

"Don't ask me, ask Medusa! She's the one that's been treating us like lapdogs all month. I don't suppose you guys have any ideas."

"Afraid not, Nerry." Panini replied. "Brave little Cherry here is in the middle of planning his climactic battle against the World Government's King." She nudged Cheren's arm. "He lost the Fierce Deity Mask to that monster, so he's totally in over his head!"

"I am not! I just have to figure out the Octogan's weakness."

"HA!" AlyakAm laughed. "You are in over your head. The Octogan's power is limitless. No god in this universe can challenge it."

"Then we need a god not from this universe." ;;;; ) a girl's voice said. Nerehc, Cheren, and Panini turned to find a Zoni, whose left eye had seven pupils. "Hellooooo! I haven't seen you three since Termina."

"Termina?" Cheren raised a brow. "You were one of those Zoni?"

"Allow me to properly introduce myself: I am Vriska Serket, a mem8er of the trolls, and a special friend of Majora." :::; )

"I haven't seen Majora since January… Do you know where he is?"

"Majora has 8een captured and trapped in Underworld Prison, on the same floor as most of the Thirteen Darknesses. Medusa organized his 8eing there with the hopes you would attempt to rescue him, Cherry Cakes."

"Why would I want to rescue Zanifr?"

"8ecause Zanifr knows a way you can overpower the Octogan. If I were you, Cherry, I wouldn't pass up the knowledge. Granted, it would be easy to tell you myself… 8ut don't you think Majora owes it to you?"

"This sounds a little too suspicious."

"Think what you want, 8ut you're missing the 8ig picture here: the Thirteen Darknesses are in Underworld Prison as well, and eventually Medusa will want you to help rescue them. You might as well get started. Trust me kids, I'm on your side. I wouldn't 8e telling you this if we didn't know exactly what we were doing." :;:: )

"What do you think, Cheren?" Nerehc asked.

The former was silent for a moment. "…Majora's the one who started all this. I think it's only fair he comes to watch the end with us. I say we go to Underworld Prison and speak with him. Him AND the Darknesses."

"You think Grim will even let us?" Panini asked.

"He doesn't have to. I know someone who can help."

Las Vegas

"Call me the Gamblin' Girl!"

Wendy Marvell wore sunglasses, a black jacket, gold "$" necklace, and black leggings that went into white shoes. Her hair was tied in a ponytail, and she made a snazzy grin. "That outfit is positively atrocious, Child." Carla stated. "Mr. Vaati said that all you needed were the sunglasses."

"He says it's cute when I dress up! And if we're going into a casino, we can't stand out."

"You'll stand out by wrecking the place in search for a mind-control device."

"Well, now I'll do it with style."

The city was full of flashy people with money suits, gold cars, and even colorful hair, so no attention was directed at Wendy and her winged cat. "Wendy, don't you find it a bit insensitive that he's making you earn the right to see your mother?"

"I like to think of it as positive reinforcement. It's better than a crummy piece of candy."

"There's just no reasoning with you, Child." Carla sighed. They stopped when they found the casino in question, labeled with big white letters. "Well, there's Casinopolis. The sooner we complete this mission, the sooner we get to meet your mother. Ready, Wendy?"

"More ready than I've ever been before!" (Play "Casino Night" from Sonic 2 HD!)

Stage B-28: Casinopolis

Mission: Break the mind-control spell over the casino!

Wendy charged through the front doors and had to sidestep various aisles of slot machines. She would soon jump on a large roulette wheel over a gold coin pit, running in place on the spinning wheel as a ball was thrown onto it. Between the three different directions marked by color, the ball landed on the "green" path to the left, so a claw grabbed Wendy and threw her that way. The path was curved like a "U" on either side as Wendy had to dodge giant pinballs rolling up and down. "Look, Carla! A giant pinball machine!" Wendy pointed with excitement.

"I have to agree with your father on one thing: this place is ridiculous! Do they think bigger is better or something?"

"I don't think that's what they were going for! Protego!" Wendy jumped down to the ball slot and encased herself in a bubble shield. "Carla, you push the buttons!"

"Are you insane, Wendy?! Ugh, the lessons that man has taught you." Carla flew to the control panel and pressed the spring button to send Wendy up and into the sloped machine. Carla had to alternate between left and right buttons to make the respective flippers keep Wendy aloft, as it seemed the top of the playfield would make the stage progress. Wendy fell into a slot machine, whose icons represented Pikmin, KND, Pokéballs, 7's, Pipo Monkeys, and 13's. Wendy got two KNDs and a Pipo, earning her 5 coins.

Wendy tried to maneuver herself as Carla bounced her up toward the top, but with all the bumpers in the way, it was an annoying and time-consuming task. Wendy fell into the slot machine and lost 3 times before Carla managed to bounce her to the top. Unfortunately, the trial was not over as Wendy was forced to roll down a great slide. Her position was recorded on a camera for Carla to see, so when the child was about to roll into a pit, Carla pressed a flipper to fling her over it.

Now on a wider path, Wendy maneuvered her ball right to hit an intangible '9'. There was a '7' on a narrow bridge between two long gaps, but she braved the danger and hit the number without falling. Wendy was rolling to a zigzaggy path with tight turns and no fencing, but there were flippers available for Carla to bounce Wendy onto the curved path. There was a hidden path under a left curve with a '5'—Carla didn't see it in time before bouncing Wendy right. The road sloped down and swerved left as Wendy kept balance within her ball, hitting a '6' on her right but missing a '4' on her left.

The slope dropped Wendy on another pinball playfield, whose only purpose was to hit the 1, 2, and 3, but since she already missed the other Bingo numbers, Carla let her roll to the bottom. The kitten flew to reunite with her owner as Wendy dispelled the shield, and they found a cage holding a Fire Soul that would open if they had passed the Bingo challenge. They continued to a large, rotating roulette wheel-like floor where Groove Guys were dancing, and had a shining glass container with little star beings in the center.

"Carla, aren't those Star Children?" Wendy recognized them from a book. "They look upset."

Carla flew over the edge to see the electrical pipe underneath the wheel. "Perhaps the Star Children are being used as a source for the hypnotism. We ought to free them, Child."

"Reducto!" Wendy cast the explosive curse on the capsule's bottom, but it backfired and blew Wendy back. "OW!" The Groove Guys took action and attacked the air mage, so Wendy blew them apart with an air gust while Carla used Torpedo Spin to knock some down. Wendy leapt around and defeated the Shy Guys with Cyclone Fists and Kicks, so the only matter remaining was the Star Children.

"Smash the purple spaces to free us!" they told her. Wendy noticed purple spaces on the roulette and proceeded to stomp them. The capsule opened and the Star Children flew free.

"That's one down." Carla said. Beyond the wheel was a pinball tunnel, which slurped the two in, passing under the casino and releasing them back in the starting room. Wendy raced back to the roulette wheel as the ball landed on the north "blue" path, so the claw threw her in that direction. A downward path led Wendy outside to a great, Golden Sea of Coins. "Don't fall in the coins, Child. According to your father's notes, the coins have a magic curse that is meant to draw out a person's greed and prevent them from wanting to leave."

"Well, if I can tread water, coins will be no problem." Wendy used her Sonic speed to dash over the Golden Sea. She avoided the people who had fallen victim and were swimming in the sea, as well as the Shy Guy pirate ships that were shooting pinball cannons and creating huge coin splashes. Wendy ran up a green path designed like a shuffleboard table and could rest without fearing the coins' spell. There was another distant platform and a Fly Guy available to jump off. Wendy was propelled and whirling through the air upon doing so, but she would sink before long, tempting Carla to grab her. There was another available Fly Guy, so she dropped Wendy on it to continue her flight to the platform.

Carla caught Wendy before she would fall again and landed her on the foothold. The following path had Limbo Guys with high, low, and medium bars. Wendy ran and tried to jump a medium bar- "Ow!" she tripped, stumbled forward, and bumped her head against a high bar, causing her to fall. Wendy recomposed and resumed, jumping the low bars while sliding under the middle and high ones. At the end, she could run off a ramp that would lead her into an enclosed area within a wall. There was another Star Child container in the center of a golden fountain.

There were Fly Guys catching coins in their buckets whenever the sprinklers erupted, and the fountain was divided in two levels. Wendy noticed three purple switches around the wall, and she would have to wait for a Fly Guy to get lined with it, use the fountain to shoot her up, and kick the Fly Guy into the switch. There was a switch level with a low fountain and two level with the high fountains, but once Wendy had them pressed, the Star Children were free.

Wendy ran across the Golden Sea to get back to the main room, but on the way she noticed more intangible Bingo chips. If she found them all scattered across the sea, she would get a Fire Soul, but this wasn't her concern at the moment. Wendy arrived in the main room and ran onto the roulette wheel once again. The ball landed on the right "red" path and the claw threw Wendy towards. She was brought outside, gaping at the marvel standing over her. "WHOA! It's a giant house of cards!"

"Be careful running up it, Child! Too much momentum will make it lose balance." Carla cautioned. Wendy ran up a sloped walkway onto the first floor of the house, and like the kitten said, the flimsy structure was wobbling. Wendy slowed to a fast-walk as she looked around, finding a stack of cards under a hole in the ceiling. She bounced off the stack quickly before Carla lifted her up through the hole. The second floor had Snipe Guys hiding in card forts with the beam of their guns sticking out. They were situated in a maze of card stacks, so Wendy needed to find ways around them.

At the end of the maze, Wendy ran up a card stairwell to the third floor, where she needed to make quick leaps over card fences. She ran while doing this so her momentum would carry her over the room quicker, and made gentle but effective leaps so as to avoid disturbing the house's balance. Carla carried her up through a hole to the roof, and a bridge of tiny cards led across to the Star Child capsule. Wendy used Reducio to shrink herself and run over the cards before her small weight would overcome them. "Couldn't you have shrunk and let me carry you up here?" Carla questioned.

"Might as well get the full experience!" Wendy resized herself once across and had to deal with three Gun Guys perched on top of card towers. Wendy cast Protego to block the bullets, got near the towers, and used Ascendio to propel herself up and Ground Pound the Shy Guys and smash their cards, hitting the purple switch underneath. The Star Children were free, and Wendy jumped to the ground around the Card Fortress to avoid toppling it.

When she ran on the roulette wheel in the main room, it was levitated upward, bringing Wendy to a new hallway. She sidestepped to avoid incoming giant pinballs, the hall sloping up until she was outside again. 40 meters over the Golden Sea, she was viewing a giant roulette wheel with a bigger shining capsule in the center. "OH YEEEAAAH!" The casino's master – a Goomba in a pink top-hat named Gamba – was dancing around the capsule. "Get your GAMBLE groove on! Well, Jirachi?! Are you IN the GAMBLE mood?!"

"I – am!" Jirachi the Star Child was dancing on a platform in the capsule, not knowing that his magic was being sapped at a slow pace. "I got, the, gamblin' GOODS!"

"IN – the – gamblin' HOOD!" Gamba sung.

"This one must be the core." Wendy observed. "Hey, if Goombas get stomped in the head, they don't die, do they?"

"No, they just get knocked out. Don't get spotted, Child."

As Wendy ran down onto the giant wheel, Gamba sang to the stage's music. ♪ "Take me hoooome… to New Goom Cityyyy… Where the lights are flashin', guys are bashin', and girls just look so dashin'. Take me tooo the laaand… where I have a haaand… as Miiister: Gaaaamblin': Maaaaan!" ♪

The roulette was divided into multiple segments and had searchlights alternating between segments. Wendy ran counterclockwise around the first segment, jumping spiked tiles and halting when searchlights appeared. She stopped at a card wall that shielded her from a Snipe Guy's vision, standing back-to-back with another Snipe Guy, and both were on a purple switch. Carla lifted Wendy above to stomp down on both of them, then pressed the switch. She kept running and jumping pinballs before a spring bounced her to the second level.

♪ "I have millions of buckers and I'm dancing!" Gamba twirled. "I have millions of suckers and I'm dancing! I got more hoc-key puckers than Kaptain Kruckers—WHY can't I stop DANCING?!?" ♪ On the second segment, Wendy had to jump or duck limbo sticks, because touching them would set off the alarms. Halfway through, the sticks went in and out, requiring Wendy to watch them carefully and make the right moves. A low stick retracted above a purple switch, with only two seconds for Wendy to press it, but she did so in time to dodge the stick.

♪ "Who's your favorite King of Shambles – Mister Gamble Man?" ♪ Gamba was unaware of the intruder running across the third segment of his wheel. ♪ "Who's the greatest King of Scambles – MIS-TER GAMBLE MAN?" ♪ Coin fountains sprung up on certain tiles and would shoot Wendy up into Gamba's line of sight. Fly Guys swooped down in attempt to lift Wendy up into his vision, but Carla quickly knocked them out when they were low enough. They soon located the third and final switch, smashing it.

Gamba jumped in fright when the giant capsule opened, with Jirachi still dancing. "WHAT?! Did somebody—" He turned around.

"HYAAAH!" Wendy leaped above and STOMPED Gamba in the head, squishing his hat.

"OOOOG!" Gamba hacked spit and fell defeated. Wendy and Carla lowered their sunglasses, taking in the sights of the City of Lights from this view, and not affected by the hypnotic casino. Both girls exchanged winks. (End song.)

"Dat dah dah, gamblin' man, BAM!" Jirachi jigged. "Huh?" He realized Gamba was knocked out, floating down to him. "Hey, what happened? Partied out?"

"You realize this person was holding you prisoner, don't you?" Carla asked.

"He was? I was wondering why he kept me in that glass." He scratched his star head and smiled sheepishly. "Ha ha ha! It wouldn't be the only time I was tricked like that. But thanks for helping me, I guess." Jirachi floated skyward. "I was heading somewhere else and got kinda sidetracked. See ya later!" He became a star and shot into space.

"So, are we done here?" Wendy asked.

"We combed the whole casino and found all the Star Children we could. We should return home before authorities arrive."

"I'm with ya. Race ya, Carla!" Wendy ran off first.

Climbers House

"Heh heh heh heh…" When Wendy and Carla returned to the Climbers' basement, Vaati was on the floor, laughing at papers. "My, my… they've really outdone their selves."

"Is something funny?" Carla inquired.

"Oh, you're back!" Vaati about-faced. "I was just looking at these wanted posters." He threw a stack on the floor beside Wendy. She knelt down and founds hers among posters of other children.

"Cheren Uno? Sheila Frantic? MaKayla King? Aren't these Kids Next Door operatives?"

"It seems the Government has grown to hate the Kids Next Door so much, they marked them as criminals. It's really quite a humorous act on the Government's part. They're so close to losing, they'll try any sort of desperate maneuver. These kids have done nothing but help people, will anyone actually believe this garbage?"

"We're still trying to believe YOUR garbage!" Carla snapped. "You made a promise to Wendy, do you intend to keep it?"

"Right, the mission! Were you successful?"

"Yep!" Wendy beamed. "That casino was using Star Children to power their machines. But we saved them all!"

"They kidnapped Star Children? Those monsters…" Vaati glared. "Well, Wendy, a deal's a deal. Are you ready to meet your mother?"

"I certainly am!"

"Great! Luckily, Annie has returned from a mission of her own, that's why I couldn't introduce her sooner. But hey, the positive reinforcement helped, didn't it?"

"See, Carla? I told you." Wendy remarked.

"Ugh. Where is she?" Carla asked with annoyance.

Vaati approached the fireplace and called "Palace of Winds" as he threw Floo Powder inside. When the emerald flames ignited, Vaati stuck his head inside, telling someone to come out. He got back to his feet, and the person to climb out of the fireplace was a brown-haired woman with a green shirt and black hi-tech pants. "Wendy Marvell… meet Annie Wilconson."

Wendy was at a loss for words. She couldn't believe it was her… standing here… "Are you really my…"

"Wendy…" Annie had an emotional smile, her green eyes brimming with love for her daughter. "I haven't seen you since you were a baby… I missed you so much."

Wendy smiled as tears welled in her eyes. "MOM!" She and Annie grabbed each other in a hug. After years of loneliness and running, Wendy was finally with her whole family.

Carla stared at the warm moment. She should be happy Wendy found her family… it's the only thing Wendy's ever wanted. But Carla wasn't happy. She only felt anger and hatred, in a form she couldn't comprehend. Because she didn't understand it, she couldn't unleash it, and the anger began to grow inside. "… … Ooooh." Carla fainted.

"Carla?" Wendy turned to her friend. She released the hug and knelt down to put a hand on the kitten's head. "Carla, you're burning up…"

"What happened?" Facilier came and picked Carla up, putting one hand over her head. The cat was gasping for breath.

"I don't know… Dad, can you do something?"

"Try Reparifors. It heals ailments."

"Okay." Wendy aimed her wand at the cat. "Reparifors." A purplish-white light touched Carla's body.

"Ahh!" Carla shook. "Come back… come…come…"

Facilier raised a brow. "It looks like more than a headache…" He carried Carla to his table, and Shadow moved the crystal ball aside for him to lay her on it. "I'll try to heal her."

"Will she be okay?" Wendy asked.

"We can trust Dr. Facilier." Vaati said assuringly, placing a hand on his daughter's shoulder. "Come with us, Wendy… we have more to show you."

"I think our mother/daughter time is long due!" Annie said positively.

"But I wanted Carla to share the moment, too. I would feel bad leaving her…"

"Don't worry, Wendy." Facilier smiled. "I promise I'll help Carla, it probably ain't nothin' big. Go spend time with your family."

"Okay… Bring her back soon, Mr. Facilier." She was guided upstairs by her parents.

"Sigh…sigh…sigh…" Facilier laid a wet towel over Carla's head.

"If it were any old fever, a quick spell like what Wendy just did could fix her in no time. I think Carla's remembering somethin'. Don't you agree, Shadow?" Shadow nodded. "This requires special help…" He got his phone and dialed a number. "Heeey, Eva! It's Dr. Facilier. Is Melody around? I need to ask her a favor. …Yes, I'm in Iceland. YES, I know long-distance is expensive, just tell your daughter to come to my shop in Cleveland!"

Vaati, Annie, and Wendy entered the bathroom, which was steaming due to someone taking a shower. Vaati used airbending to clear the mist off the mirror and cast a spell to make it into a portal. "Where're we going?" Wendy asked.

"A place you've been before." Vaati answered, nudging his daughter inside.

After the parents followed and the portal vanished, the man in the shower – Fegan Floop – opened the curtain and peered around, wearing a pink shower cap. "You hear somethin'?" he asked his blue back-scrubber.

"Look, man, we gonna do this thing or not?" the scrubber asked.

"Alright." Floop closed the curtain.

Underworld; Castle Hell

The demons allowed Cheren, Nerehc, and Panini to enter the royal palace. In the castle's throne room, they saw Spider Queen Velma Green resting on her ceiling web. The Arachnimorph saw the humans and descended via a web rope. "Cheren… Welcome back. My husband is in our room… he's been under the weather as of late. More than usual, of course, he seems more than dead. Shall I bring you to him?"

"No thanks. We're here to see your son, actually."

"Oh, well Death is in his office. You know the way."

Cheren led his friends to a door designed like a coffin. "This isn't just any office." he explained. "It's a Supreme Leader's office. Death the Kid is the Spirit KND leader. …Panini, you stand in the middle." He moved her to said place. "Nerehc, stay on her left, pose exactly like me, show the Triforce, oh and Panini, better brush your ponytails like this." Cheren fixed her rabbit ears to bend in opposite side directions.

"Why are we doing this?" Nerehc asked.

"He likes it this way. Alright, let's go in."

The office had skull candles lined perfectly parallel on the walls, drawers and paper stacks in symmetrical position, and even the desk items mirrored one-another. The Spirit KND Supreme Leader, Death the Kid, was a black-haired boy with scowling yellow eyes, a black tuxedo and pants, and pale skin. White horizontal lines crossed around the left of his hair. His hands were folded on the desk as he observed the three humans. Panini was the most different, she stood in the center. Cheren and Nerehc mirrored each other. A Triforce mark on Cheren's left hand, one on Nerehc's right. They were…

"No, no, not perfect, not perfect at all!" Kid walked around the desk. "Look at this girl's skirt, it's a MESS, totally asymmetrical!" He indicated Pan's camouflage skirt. "Cheren, your glasses are totally different from this kid, your shirts are opposite, your EYES aren't even the same! I told you 88 times, don't approach me if you aren't going to appear presentable! Look at these candles, I designed these candles so the flames would sway exactly parallel to each other, I print off backwards versions of my paperwork to lay in stacks parallel with my main paperwork, tell me you have not SEEN a more perfect office!"

"Dude, who are you to talk 'perfect', look at those lines in your hair." Nerehc pointed.

"HUU!" Death sat on the floor, hugged his knees, and looked depressed. "You're right! I'm NOT perfect! I'm a disgrace!"

"Nerehc, you hurt his feelings." Cheren said reprovingly.

"He's a nutcase." Panini remarked.

Cheren helped Kid to his feet. He passed the Spirit Leader a smirk, and Kid matched it as they locked same-size hands. "Hi, Kid. Sorry to come in unannounced."

"You're not here to ask me to join Nebula's council, are you?"

"Nah." Cheren chuckled. "Kid, do you have a record on the Underworld Prison inmates?"

"Yes, I've been keeping tabs ever since the incident last year." Kid opened a drawer on his desk and grabbed a file. "Prison escapees are a concern for we operatives as well. Who were you thinking of finding?"

"Majora."

"Yes…" Kid pulled up a paper. "The Masked Demon Majora, whose true name was learned to be Zanifr Mimchi. Showed up at Underworld Prison under mysterious circumstances on January 6."

"That was the day after I talked to him!" Cheren exclaimed. "It's… way too big of a coincidence."

"We're looking for others." Nerehc mentioned. "Do you have names like Madara Uchiha, Sōsuke Aizen, Thanos, Yellow Diamond…" He named the others.

"Yes, we have papers on those names. 'Blackbeard' Teach was freed by Goddess Medusa, there is a man named Baldy Bald in a remedial English class… However, Voldemort was not collected, and Zeref appears to be absent. Why do these names fascinate you?"

"We have a need to break into Underworld Prison." Cheren answered. "Those people down there are the Thirteen Darknesses. They're vital to the prophecy. And as for Majora… We were told he has something that can help us defeat The King."

Kid looked up in shock. "You mean The King of the World Government? He's been taking spirits using his Octogan for the past several months, tarnishing the Spirit World…"

"Well, Majora might know a way to beat him. I don't know if it's true, but we have to go down there and save the other Darknesses, anyway."

"Even so… I cannot simply allow this." Kid set the file in the middle of his desk, perfectly aligned. "As the Reaper's son, I have a duty to the Balance. This business with the Octogan and even my father's actions have done much to disrupt it. Disaster would befall us if a break into Underworld Prison created too much chaos."

"There's enough chaos with the Apocalypse happening around the corner!" Nerehc argued. "If this is our only chance at saving the universe, we have to get in there!"

"I know!" Kid yelled, irritated. "I know that it's important… but my father has grown ill, and if the worst should happen, it's up to me to preserve the Spirit World balance. This sort of thing wouldn't look good on my record."

"You know we're just going to break in there, anyway." Panini inferred. "It would be a million times easier if you help us."

"Yeah, Kid. They'd have to let YOU in." Cheren reasoned.

"Well, yes… but they wouldn't let you in." Kid turned to them. "The second you're discovered, the guards will be after you."

"Then help us sneak in so we can find the Darknesses."

"Sigh… check back with me in a couple days." Kid looked away. "I want to discuss it with my operatives. Just be warned… it will be extremely dangerous."

"Then we oughta bring our own help with us." Cheren nodded.

"The other thing is Ganondorf." Kid continued. "Ganondorf is in Underworld Prison, but he's in a lower level where the Sanzu River flows. He has been completely sapped of his former power. If you intend to fish him out of the river, it will not be easy to dry him off. And frankly, I advise against it."

Nerehc stared at the Triforce mark on his hand. He felt like he knew the solution to reviving Ganondorf… and he wouldn't like it.