The Overtale; Inkopolis
Nagisa dragged Callie and Roger through the Quickwarp and out onto the deck of the black ship. Undyne was there, clad in her knight's armor, and Commander Serket floated down from the sails shortly after. "Are these the tr8ors?"
"Yes, Commander." The boy nodded. "Callie here was feeding information to the Kremlings, and Roger helped the Big Mom Pirates set a trap for us. I would like to ask the captain how to go about punishing them."
"That won't 8e necessary, Nagisa. I'd rather get this over with now, since the captain is still preoccupied."
"Get what over with… Commander?"
"The execution." Aranea brimmed with an eerie psychic aura. "Let's quickly ensure they can never damage the crew again."
"Wait!" Roger pled. "Before you kill me, may I go home and bid my mother good-bye?" I'm sure I can find some loser to swap in my place.
"Wait, Commander Serket," Nagisa said, "as unforgivable as their actions were, I would at least like to hear their testament, and ask the captain's opinion."
"Nagisa, either way you look at this, they pro8a8ly won't 8e serving the crew of their own accord, anymore. But if I kill them and reanim8 their corpses, they can still 8e of use to us! Just ask these fellas."
Callie was disgusted to see her fellow Inklings moaning and oozing ink, eyes glowing blue under Aranea's control. But besides them, there was a large, muscular human pirate with a mustache: Batu, the father of Tani. "You're forcing them to fight after they've already died?!" Callie exclaimed. "This is cruel! Just bury them and let them rest in peace!"
"Nagisa, unlock her chi-cuffs."
"Y-Yes." Nagisa bent down to unlock the cuffs. For a moment, Callie was relieved, thinking she would be forgiven.
"AAAAH!" The squid screamed when Aranea snatched her by the neck in psychic.
"Since we're a8ove Inkopolis anyway, why don't we execute you first? We'll make you an example."
"STOP!" Marie cried, rushing out of the cabin with Squam, Off the Hook, and the Gilligans behind them. "Please, this is a huge misunderstanding! She doesn't deserve to die!"
"Yeah, put her down!" Haylee yelled. "Give her another chance!"
"Perfect timing; go and alert the rest of the town." Aranea grabbed the group in her psychic and lowered them to the city in a quick fashion.
"WAAAAH-!" They screamed before landing in the town square, the citizens jumping in surprise.
"Hey, it's Marie and Off the Hook!" An Inkling boy pointed. "Where'd you all come from?"
"CALLIE'S IN DANGER!" Pearl screamed, shooting her finger at the flying ship. "They're gonna kill her!"
"KILL CALLIE?!" The square was thrown into panic.
"CITIZENS OF INKOPOLIS!" Undyne's voice bellowed across the city, her captain psychically holding Callie up for everyone to see. The news crew got their cameras and zoomed in on the situation. "Your beloved Callie is a traitor! Not only has she been feeding intel to the Kremling Krew, but she promised Inkopolis to King K. Rool himself! Isn't that right?!" The Fishwoman tipped her spear to Callie's neck.
"IT'S NOT WHAT YOU THINK!" Callie cried. "They forced me to do it! I didn't know what else to do! Please forgive me, I don't wanna die!"
"PUT CALLIE DOWN!" Squam yelled.
"Somebody do something! That's my granddaughter!" yelled Cap'n Cuttlefish.
"PUT HER DOWN!" "LET HER GO!" "FORGIVE HER!" Everyone's varying responses clustered together.
"Pearl, the Princess Cannon!" Marina said. "We can shoot them down with that!"'
"She'll be dead by the time we have it ready!" Pearl argued.
"Last month," Undyne continued, "the Warriors 4 Evermore tried to rebel against the Emperor, but failed! Now those warriors are imprisoned, and Captain Batu, one of our former officers who took part in the rebellion, was executed to set an example! Now, you Inklings will learn the same lesson once we kill your Callie."
"HELP MEEEEE! PLEEEEAAAASE!"
The protests grew louder as Undyne was about to throw her spear through Callie's head. "Whoa!" The ship was struck by a cannonball, the pirates losing balance as they rocked. Aranea looked over the side to the ocean below, seeing a fleet of ghost ships.
"Yo ho ho! A direct hit, lads!" Cortez laughed. "Blast them out of the sky and take that island!" A storm of flaming cannonballs flew to the heavens.
Aranea formed a barrier to block them. "I'll take care of them. Carry on with the execution, Undyne." She dropped Callie on the deck and flew down.
"Yes, well," Nagisa didn't feel comfortable staying for the execution, "perhaps I should lend her aid. I'll send for the Monokumas." He ran into the cabin to go back to the Quickwarp.
Undyne raised her spear above the Inkling once more, Callie shutting her eyes from her fate.
Zapfish Plant; 10 minutes ago
A Paint Portal was tucked behind an old generator. Louise's mustache dangled out first, her narrowed eyes glancing left and right. She pulled back and told the girls, "The coast is clear, but Maria and I will have to be stealthy from here on. You two will wait in the Infi-Cube."
"Why do WE have to wait in that tiny thing?!" Sunni asked impatiently. "It'll be faster if we just psychic it up and blast through the whole plant."
"Guess again! You'll find that most plants are chi-blocked to prevent dangerous benders from wrecking the place, and this one is no exception. Most Inklings don't even get bending, anyway. You two can spend this time warming up if you're going to fight Aranea."
"She's got a point, Sunni." Darcy smiled assuringly, already doing stretches. "I feel like you don't give your legs enough attention. Always so floatie~"
"Oh, bleh!"
"Yeah, so just get in." Louise demanded. The psychics complied and jumped in the little cube. "Ready, Maria?"
"Aye-aye!" Maria saluted. "Dogmom, we're coming to save you!" (Play "Acid Hues" from Splatoon 2!)
Stage 21: Zapfish Plant
Mission: Save Dogmom!
Maria and Louise crawled out of the portal to a small storeroom of a blue-colored power plant. The door was sealed, for the generator powering it was empty. Louise pointed to a Zapfish jar sitting atop a tall column, so Maria Wall Jumped up there to collect it. She dropped down to set the Zapfish in the generator, its electricity flowing as the door opened. The girls peeked out, seeing they were at the base of a narrow staircase, in which a White Seal crawled past the top, a flashlight and gun on its back. The two snuck past the seal before it turned back, hiding behind a box. A river of electric jelly divided them from the next floor, and the only way across was an open drawbridge.
"Maria, I think I sense someone who would like to join your cause. They're somewhere above you." Cheadle called. Maria looked at some walkways along the wall and near the ceiling, where an Octoling boy was on guard. They snuck over to the stairway on the left, but found a seal patrolling the first walkway. The seal crawled their direction, but the girls made their move when it returned the other way. They opened a grate on the walkway to go into an interior part, which led under the seal and came out the other side. They headed up the next staircase, which would curve right, but a seal was at the top. The girls opened another grate to go underneath, then clambered along the bottom. They could climb back out from behind the green-lit Octoling.
"Hey!" Louise whispered, gun cocked to his head. The boy gasped and froze in place. "Wanna destroy the Sky God Pirates?"
"U-Uh-huh…" He nodded nervously.
"Good. Maria, hat him." The sister tossed her hat and possessed the Octoling! She used octo form to drop through the bars and land back on the lower floor, Louise dropping after her.
"Sneaking around should be much easier as Octo-Maria!" she said in the boy's gurgly voice.
"Attention all seals and Octowings awike." An adorable voice sounded through the speakers. "This is a weminder to be on the wookout for anyone wearing a funny hat, because they are pwobably being possessed by Pwincess Mawia."
"There goes that idea. Just keep out of sight, Maria. Go up that drawbridge and find a way to lower it." Maria nodded and shot a path up the vertical bridge, swimming up it. Once at the top, she shot ink along the opposite part of the bridge and made a tricky octo-jump over the river to land in the ink, then could swim around to the main floor. She stole a Zapfish from the bridge's generator, causing it to lower and allow Louise across.
Near their left was a closed door, but its generator was across the room. There was ink forming a path around this floor, and seals rotating in place in search of weird hats. Maria put the Zapfish in the Infi-Cube, then sank into the ink to hide from sight. "Maria, don't move too fast or your splashes will alert them." Cheadle cautioned. Maria obeyed and swam slowly, generating little friction in the ink. A more narrow ink path led between two seals, Maria slowly and carefully traveling along as it ended at the generator. She put the Zapfish in, sinking back in ink before the seals noticed. She returned to Louise as they entered the unlocked door.
They were in a room full of jellyfish aquariums, providing the only light in this dark passage. There weren't any guards, so they could calmly walk around and examine the colorful jellies. "Louise! Teeny-tiny merman!" Maria pointed excitedly at a rectangular aquarium. There was a small, muscular green-haired Fishman shackled and caged on a stage, surrounded by tinier jellyfish.
"He must be one of the Avalarans. There must be a Mini Shroom somewhere." Louise looked until she found a box beside another tank. Inside was a Mini Shroom, and after she shrunk down, Maria tossed her above the tiny jellyfish tank so she could dive in. Louise maneuvered around the jellies, entered the cage, and unshackled the Fishman. The two swam out as Maria let the man jump in the Infi-Cube, and Louise's Mini Shroom wore off. They approached a short aquarium that took up the width of the room, but saw that it also took up a large portion of the floor, narrow planks leading across in a square pattern. Ink was laid out along some planks, and seals were on platforms, feeding the fishies.
Maria hid and swam through the narrow ink, being extra careful not to slip out and be discovered. There was a Zapfish near the right side, so Maria swam there and stuck her Infi-Cube in the water to catch it. She then returned to Louise and stuck the fish inside a generator, opening a door. This room was wider and brighter, and they were on a platform overlooking a long aquarium. The only entrance was on their platform, and it seemed they needed to guide a Zapfish across the tank to a generator. Maria decided to release her Octoling, dive in the water, and possess the Zapfish.
"Whoa…" The Octoling was dizzied. "What are you even doing here?"
"Potentially going to off one of the Commanders." Louise replied.
Maria had to hide behind decorative castles and clams to hide from seals that were watching the cage, only moving when they crawled to a different spot. She also hid behind a treasure chest, which was actually real, but she couldn't collect it now. She made it to the generator and released the Zapfish inside, opening a door above the other side of the tank (as well as a hatch for Maria to leave). She first returned to the chest to collect the gold before reuniting with Louise, repossessing the Octoling, and entering the next room.
This tall, cylindrical room resembled the inside of a lava lamp, magenta bubbles of ooze floating everywhere. Maria could go octo and dive in the ooze, swimming up one of the bubbles as it was in the process of detaching. It did so and floated up to connect with another bubble. "Maria, I sense marksmen up there. Don't jump around too much, wait for the bubbles to connect naturally." There were indeed Octolings perched on the platforms with rifles ready, but they hadn't noticed anything. A smaller bubble came to connect with Maria's, so she swam onto it, but it would slowly bounce off. An upper bubble stretched down to connect, but it was about to sever, so Maria quickly swam up to the larger body. A stairway of bubbles drifted down for her to swim up, but then she had to go up vertical bubbles that were evenly spaced. Maria was able to jump up them, doing so while the Octo Sniper was looking away.
Maria reached the top of the shaft, finding a sleeping seal. She released her Octo and possessed the seal. "Ahem, attention, guawds, it is time fow a shift change. You may take a nap now." The Octolings sighed in relief and exited the shaft via doors on their platforms. Then Maria could hit a switch to lower an elevator for Louise. She released the seal, KO'ed him, and repossessed the Octoling. Through the next door, they were on a walkway overlooking a wide room, a pool of ink that Octos were swimming around in. To their right were three generators, and they noticed the glows of Zapfish around the pool.
Maria dove in some nearby ink, swimming down the short stairway into the pool. The Octolings were all swimming fast, giving away their position, so Maria knew where to avoid them. Three were swimming circles around a Zapfish, so Maria swam through the opening and caught it in the cube. A Zapfish was atop a three-layer fountain, the Octolings swimming up them and jumping down, so in going up them, Maria would have to jump quickly before they bumped into her. She claimed the Zapfish, and the last one was down a hole Octolings were swimming around the side of. She swam down without touching, got the Zapfish, and swam up in the same manner. Before leaving, Maria noticed a white puff floating between two rows of Octolings. She swam between their narrow trail and confirmed it was a prisoner, who called herself "Doll" of Noah's Ark Circus.
After catching Doll in the Infi-Cube, she returned to Louise and inserted the Zapfish into the generators, activating a door. Through there, the girls viewed up a towering column with narrow, zigzag paths going around and up it. Other parts of the column had Squee-G's cleaning it, with barriers blocking them from the main path. "Maria, I think I'll hide in the cube this time. That's the only way up to the roof."
"Why didn't you hide in it before?"
"I don't like it any more than the psychos. Just be quick about it." Louise jumped in the Infi-Cube. Maria began to swim up the column, still needing to be slow to avoid detection from the seals on platforms. Some of the path segments were moving (as expected in this situation), and Maria also had to keep shifting her body up with gravity trying to pull down, but she succeeded in reaching the top of the column. Louise jumped out as they climbed through a roof window, reaching the top of the plant.
Maria inked up a Sky God flagpole to swim to the top and swap the flag with a gold one of a hat and mustache. Maria released her Octoling for good this time as Louise told him to jump in a portal to the base, along with the other prisoners. "Finally, we're out of there." Sunni said, the sisters jumping out of the cube. "So, where to next?"
"I dunno, but what's going on up there?" Darcy asked, pointing up at a black ship. It seemed that a black and magenta Inkling was being held by psychic, and the townspeople below were protesting.
"Hey, that's Callie." Louise said. "Is she…Is she about to be executed?!" Just as she finished asking, Aranea flew down to deal with Cortez's crew.
"I'd say we're right on time." Sunni declared, lightsaber ready. "Darcy, let's go!"
"Aye!" The psychics lifted the Mario Sisters and flew up. (End song.)
Callie shut her eyes, expecting the spear to impale her any moment. She heard a forceful impact, but felt no pain. She opened her eyes and, to her astonishment, two strange human girls were defending her with a psychic shield. "What?! Where the heck did you come from?!" Undyne asked.
"Forget that, why are you hurting this poor little girl?" Sunni asked.
"She's 19, actually." Louise commented.
"This girl is a traitor! The punishment is death!"
"Look!" Pearl pointed, the citizens gasping at this development. "Someone just saved Callie!"
"It's Sunni and Darcy!" Haylee exclaimed. "They're friends of ours!"
"SUNNI! DARCY!" Artie yelled at the top of his lungs. "I don't know how or why, but YOU MADE IT!"
Sunni glanced down behind her. "I think I just heard Artie. Yeah… I can almost sort of see them down there. HEY, ARTIE, who is this girl?!"
"PLEASE!" Marie cried. "SAVE CALLIE! SAVE MY COUSIN!"
"YEAH, SAVE CALLIE!" Squam screamed.
"WRECK THAT FISH BITCH'S SHIT!" Pearl cheered.
"SAVE HER!" "SAVE CALLIE!" "Don't let her songs die!" "FUEL THE MELODY!" A great wave of hope washed over Inkopolis. They had no idea who these human girls were, but if they were sticking up for their Squid Sister, they were their last hope!
You guys… Callie was reduced to tears from these undeserved cheers. After I almost sold you out just to save my own skin… I don't deserve your wishes. I'm so sorry… for causing all this to happen!
"Well, Darcy, the people have spoken." Sunni smirked. "Let's do what we've always done."
"Leave this to me." Darcy offered. "I can take this fish."
"By yourself?"
"We both know you're the better psychic, so you need to save your strength for the boss. Let me handle the small fry."
"Small fry, huh?!" Undyne grinned viciously. "Let me give you a little history lesson." She grasped the eyepatch over her left eye and ripped it off. To their surprise, there was not a dry patch, but an apatite gem! (Play "Spear of Justice" from Undertale!)
"My name is Undyne the Undying! I was raised by King Asgore in the Land of Caves and Silence. My mother was an Apatite Gem from Emera, while my father was a Fishman from Treasuria. My father left before I was born, and Mom died giving birth to me. To repay Asgore for raising me, I became the strongest knight in the kingdom! Some crazy events happened, and Asgore ordered all his people to be free. Now, the Free Kingdom is my new kingdom, and I will defend all who threaten it!"
"And I am Darcy Chariton! Daughter of Earth's strongest psychicbender and master of the Nature Style! And my job as a KND operative is to defend all who are in danger! So, HAVE AT YOU!"
Boss fight: Serket Pirates General, UNDYNE
Undyne furiously jabbed her spear as Darcy whipped her lightsaber in defense. The Fishwoman's attacks were as fast as bullets, but Darcy read each move. Undyne eventually jumped away, her gem glowing as a storm of spears flew out. They hovered in the air, surrounding Darcy, who furiously swung her saber to slice each one. Since the spears were made of energy, they would simply vanish without debris. About a hundred spears tried to impale Darcy, but just as it was about to end, Undyne lunged and stabbed down, missing Darcy and piercing the deck! The Chariton unleashed a flurry on Undyne's armor, chopping pieces off before the hybrid jumped away.
"Not bad, Human! 'Guess I need to harden up!" Undyne channeled Haki into her armor, charging at Darcy head on. Knowing her saber couldn't pierce such a defense, Darcy sheathed it, charging at Undyne and locking arms with her. She rooted herself to the ground, forcing her chi to become as heavy as a rock. She used Earth Style to bash her head against Undyne's chest, cracking the Haki defense just a bit. Undyne tried to bite her, but Darcy flipped away, then dodged to avoid a flurry of spears. She used the moment to charge at Undyne with a headbutt, using one final Earth Style attack to shatter the defense.
Undyne swung a punch at Darcy's head, knocking her away, but she was up on her feet again. Undyne extended her spear and charged directly at Darcy, the psychic twirling her lightsaber to chop it piece by piece, then laid another round of cuts on the armor. Undyne's arms and legs were now fully exposed, leaving only the chest plate. More spears emerged from the apatite, but they phased through the deck. Darcy gasped and used Air Jump to spring into the air, going out and away from the spears' reach. She landed, but quickly jumped again before the next cluster of spears could stab her, then did so a third time, but Undyne had the spears fly up after, Darcy twirling the saber to cut them.
Undyne ran under the Chariton and punched her away, Darcy hitting the railing as she was bent back slightly. Undyne performed another jump attack, but Darcy rolled behind and sliced the armor. Undyne recovered in time, only one portion of armor left. She had spears completely surround herself, rotating like a fan. Darcy made a wink and teleported, reappearing right in front of Undyne, who was too late to defend as Darcy sliced off the last piece of armor, fully exposing her black top. "That's it! Time to stop showing you MERCY!" Spears fired at Darcy like a minigun, the girl hurriedly dodging and defending, until one lucky shot was able to destroy her lightsaber.
Undyne smirked and made spears surround Darcy, launching all at once, but she jumped to dodge, then again, and once more. "White Dolphin's Wrath!" Undyne moved her arms in complex fashions to mold chi, causing steaming globs of water to appear in the air and lunge at Darcy. The psychic screamed as some made contact, singing her skin. She dodged some, then used her own Fishman Karate to push the globs right back. Undyne took a hit to the face, boiling in anger as she sent more globs. The two began shoving the same globs back and forth before their conflicting chis caused them to burst and burn them both.
Undyne ran up and threw punches at Darcy's head, the latter retaliating with her own. Darcy kicked Undyne's left leg, nearly knocking her over, but the Fishwoman clasped the human's shoulders and flipped over Darcy while swinging her into the deck. Undyne stomped Darcy's face, but was grabbed in psychic and thrown off. Darcy got up and lit her fists aflame with Fire Kung-Fu. Undyne used White Dolphin's Wrath to mold steaming water over her own fists, both pairs locking in countless punches that would only cause their fists to redden. Darcy was able to firmly grab Undyne's fists and push herself up, switching to Earth Style as she BONKED Undyne in the head. The Fishwoman stumbled backwards, leaving herself vulnerable to a kick in the gut.
"Huff. What do they feed you humans over on Earth? Wait, what am I saying?! You think I fear someone like you?! I'm not through, yet!" Undyne conjured twin spears in either hand, dancing on her way to Darcy as they sliced the air. Darcy watched their movements carefully, waiting for a chance to slip under a spear. Undyne quickly noticed and repositioned her spear to stab down, Darcy spreading her legs apart as it stabbed just under her skirt. In this brief second of recompose, Darcy clacked her feet back together, aimed them up at Undyne, and channeled chi to her arms to perform an Air Hand-Jump. She KICKED Undyne with terrific force, sending the fish flying over the edge.
Undyne lunged a spear at the ship while holding it, pulling herself back and flipping back up to the deck. She was greeted with a Fire Fist to the gut, Undyne returning with a Dolphin Wrath punch to the head, the two breaking into a close-quarters fist fight. Undyne grabbed and slammed Darcy on her back, trying to pin her down, but Darcy channeled Earth Style to her legs as she clenched Undyne's hip, weakening her for a brief second as Darcy rolled them over and crushed Undyne beneath the enhanced weight of her body. Undyne tried to bite her face, but Darcy grabbed the sharp teeth in her hands. She used a mix of Earth Style to hold the teeth in place, with Fire Style to make the inside of her mouth dry.
Darcy's hands bled with the teeth trying to sever them, but with the Fire Style active, Darcy's blood became steamed and heated, singing Undyne's mouth. Darcy released her legs, stood, and used an Air Jump to spring above the sails. She made herself heavy again with Earth Style, crashed down, and STAMPED Undyne in the face, squishing it in a hilarious fashion! Darcy hopped off, watching as Undyne got back up and massaged her face for a restructure. "Huff…huff… I'll never be defeated by you!"
The two engaged in another fisticuffs, channeling no chi to their fists, and Sunni could see their attacks were slower. Darcy punched Undyne in the knee, Undyne punched her in the head, but with a significant decrease in damage. "I'll never… be defeated… but I sure am… thirsty…"
"Huff… me… too…" Darcy sighed.
"Huff… Drink break?" (End song.)
The two were later on lawn chairs, enjoying a cold bottle of water. "Aaaaahhh…"
Sunni and Callie exchanged baffled glances. This was truly strange. "Great, now I feel hungry." Darcy said.
"Want some of Muffet's muffins?"
"Sure, if you don't mind."
With that, Undyne went into the cabin and brought out two spider-muffins, one for her and one for Darcy. They enjoyed the pastries. "Mmm. Not bad."
"Yeah, Muffet makes the best. Wonder where she is…" Undyne tried to recall. "When I was in there just now, a lot of our zombies were knocked down. Are there more people with you?"
"Uh… No?"
"Must be a lack of exercise then!" Undyne grinned humorously.
"Hehe, yeah! So… wanna get back to it?"
"…Eh, the vibe's kinda gone."
"Oh. So, who won?"
"I dunno." Undyne shrugged.
Sunni wasn't sure how to weigh in. "Uh… So, you mind if I save this girl?" She gestured at Callie.
Undyne faced the Inkling, who scooted back in fear. "Go ahead." Undyne sighed, putting her eyepatch back on. "Executing a helpless opponent just isn't my style."
During the battle, Maria and Louise fought their way through the ship's interior, the latter using Lava Paint to burn the undead trolls, but against the Inklings, Louise only knocked them down. "There it is!" Maria spotted Papyrus, his back facing them as he was totally oblivious to the invasion taking place right behind them. The girls raced into the door he was "guarding" and found a cell wrapped in psychic webs. "Dogmom!"
"Careful, Maria!" Cheadle yelled. "These webs are very sticky!"
"Reach and grab my brush!" Louise held her brush through the bars, careful not to touch the web. Cheadle was able to pull it in, and with the neon paint already set, the chancellor drew a portal. "Okay, now send it back through."
"Won't they just follow us through the portal?" Cheadle asked.
"No, we can erase it from the other side."
"Okay. Get out safely, girls." Cheadle passed the brush back through before jumping in the portal.
Louise raced out first, Maria about to follow, until she stopped and remembered, "Thanks, Papyrus! Mwah!" She jumped and pecked his skull. The skeleton reddened and collapsed on the spot.
…
"If you're ever up for a rematch," Undyne said, "you should drop by my house on Overground Island."
"I'd be happy, too! After the war, of course." Darcy replied.
"It's only a matter of time until we win though!"
"Haha, we'll see about that!"
Sunni and Callie merely watched them. Their casual demeanor eased all the tension in their hearts. "Undyne!" They jumped with a start when Aranea suddenly appeared in the air. "8ellum just showed up, I need some help to…?" She acknowledged Darcy and Sunni, her milky eyes seeming perplexed. Callie hid behind the taller Chariton in fear. "Oh… we have guests."
"So, you're Aranea Serket." Sunni deduced, lightsaber drawn. "Vriska's… mom?"
Aranea released a loud gasp. "YOU know my descendant, TOO?!" :::: D Her face beaming, she grabbed Sunni's right hand in both of hers and shook. "It's so wonderful to finally meet all Vriska's friends! And my, what a mind you have." She began to brush all around Sunni's head. "I've never met a psychic8ender so a8undant with imagin8ion. Even I'm not that cre8ive most of the time, thinking of ideas is hard. That's why I 8ecame a pir8, to see the 8ig wide universe for myself! I've heard all kinds of amazing stories and legends and I wanna see them all!"
"Hehe, okay, okay, you can stop petting me!" Sunni giggled as she shook her head free. "You actually seem kinda friendly. I don't sense much hostility from you."
"Helping people is my passion! Of course, every8ody's always at each other's throats, so you can't help everyone without hurting some. So, I decided to only help the people I consider my closest friends. Like my Fishm8 over here!" She went to pick up Undyne and huggle her.
"Haha, stop it, Nea, you're squeezing my pride!!"
"Heh, get a room, you two!" Darcy teased.
"8ut yes, for the years I've 8een sailing with my friends, they've 8ecome like family to me, and our family only grew after we met the Sky God Pir8s. No one can deny we were off to a rough start with our young captain, 8ut I think this crew is finally coming around. Within a few years, I guarantee the citizens of our Free Kingdom will love living here!"
"I'm sure they will," Sunni said, "but as far as our intel is concerned, you're our enemies, and you're hurting innocent people."
"Innocent's definition can change depending on where you are. 8ut I understand; we are on opposing sides in a war, so o8viously we have to 8attle. However, I 8elieve I have unfinished 8usiness to take care of." Aranea used her psychic to pull Callie over and drop her on the deck. "I won't allow tr8ors to endanger my crew." She telekinetically lifted Undyne's spear and aimed it at Callie's brain.
"NO, PLEASE! Give me another chance, I'm begging you!"
"What do you think you're doing?!" Sunni jumped in the way, a sharp glare on the troll. "You just said your crew was your family! Even if this girl's a traitor, this isn't how you punish family!"
"And why does her well-8eing concern you? For all you know, this squid is completely faking her sadness. She could 8e a cold-hearted murderer."
"I feel it, okay? I may not be an emotionbender, but I know tears of regret when I see them. All I see right now is a person in danger, and the KND doesn't ignore someone like that, no matter who they are!"
"Hah! Even if one of your despica8le villains are in danger? You don't help them, you do everything in your power to stop their heinous plans, even if it means killing. And that's exactly what I'm doing to this filthy tr8or!" Aranea psychically slapped Sunni far across the deck, then forced the spear straight at Callie.
"NOOOOOO!" Callie's life flashed before her eyes.
The sound of metal piercing flesh was heard, and there was a spill of blood. …Blood? Not ink? When Callie's conscience returned, trying to process the situation, she realized… she had not been stabbed. Rather, she had been pushed from the left, away from the spear's blade. She looked left—her pupils shrank in horror.
Darcy Chariton was in a belly-sliding position, arm out-reached… and the spear through her back. Time in Sunni's eyes was frozen, her vision solely focused on her sister. Undyne's pupil shrank at the sudden event. "Nnn… I don't know you…" Darcy gasped. "I don't know… if your feelings are true, or if you're lying… but if you have regrets… don't waste them…" Her violet eyes faded to a dull color. Callie was unable to think of how to feel, struggling to breathe.
"Hmmm… This is sad." Aranea said simply. "War enemy or not, I don't enjoy punishing an innocent party unrel8ed to the case. Still, she was free to make her own choice in this situ8ion. And now her spirit is free." She withdrew the spear and focused on Callie again. "Let's not miss a second time."
Time had frozen for Sunni. Seeing her sister die before her eyes… it was just like that time.
Darcy heard sobbing from inside Sunni's room. "Sunni?" She knocked on the door before walking in. "Sunni, Cheren has a mission for us. Heh, Brotherhood doesn't take vacations."
"Okay…" Sunni wiped a tear away. "I'll be there in a minute."
"Sunni, it's been a month. I know she was our mom, but… you have to accept it."
"Easy for you to say! You never spent time with her, you never took your training seriously!"
"Sunni, I want you to ask yourself: why did you love Mom?"
"W-Why did I love…?! SHE WAS OUR MOM, DUMBASS! She raised us, she trained us, taught us everything we know—I wouldn't know a thing about psychic if it weren't for her! And if you were any grateful, YOU would step up your psychic, too! How long are you going to slack off?!"
"But I haven't, Sunni. I'm already at your level."
"W-What?!"
"Yeah! Come outside, I'll prove it."
They engaged in a 10-minute sparring session, throwing Psycho Spheres at one-another. Darcy swiftly dodged Sunni's and struck her sister with perfect aim. She easily escaped Sunni's grabs, but her own psychic grabs kept Sunni pinned to the ground. "No way! I can't believe you got this strong in only a month!"
"Then I guess you're the one not showing Mom enough gratitude."
"I'LL SHOW YOU GRATITUDE!" Sunni carved the Creative Summons into the ground, channeling all her psychic to summon the strongest Imaginary Friend in her arsenal!
But all that came out was Peas. "Oh, hello, Sunni! Are you playing a game? Hehe, I hope you didn't bring me here to fight."
"Sunni, have you already forgotten what Mom wanted us to do? What all our parents wanted? We have a job to do, Sunni, so no other kids will lose their families. You've always been dedicated to your training, Sunni. Did you only care what your mom thinks of your talent? Did you not care yourself? Do you think you're free because she's not around, anymore?"
"I… No, of course not."
"Then why did you train, Sunni?"
"I…She didn't want me to rely on her… She wanted me to discover my talent on my own…"
"And she still does. So, quit slacking off and get back in the game! For Arceus' sake, how could you let me get ahead of you?!"
"Yeah, enjoy it while it lasts, because I'll be the top psychic again by week's end!"
Later, Sunni realized Darcy barely did any training with her psychic; it was she who was too upset and unfocused and let Darcy get the upper hand. She couldn't let her mom's death slow her down… and she couldn't slow down here, either. Not, yet. There would be time for crying after this war was over. She had to keep her mind in focus.
For the third time, Callie's fate was spared: a Psycho Sphere flew like a bullet and blasted Aranea miles away before exploding. "Don't worry." Sunni told her calmly. "We'll save you."
The explosion did little damage to Aranea, who was quick to fly back over. "You really like to help people too, I see. 8ut I'm afraid our ideals contradict each other. I would h8 to crush one of Vriska's friends."
"Yeah… and I'd hate to crush one of Darcy's." Sunni raised Undyne by the neck, choking her with psychic. The Fishwoman gasped, struggling to tear off the invisible hold.
"You expect me to fall for this?!" Aranea asked. "You wouldn't kill someone in cold 8lood."
"No… I wouldn't." Sunni bowed her head in defeat. "…But they might." Sunni teleported Undyne in a heartbeat.
"WHAT?! Where did you send her?!" D::::<
Undyne suddenly appeared above Cortez. "ARGH!" She crushed the ghost captain, but he recomposed in a heartbeat and grabbed her. "AH-HAR! WE GOT ONE, BOYS! TIE HER DOWN!" Undyne squirmed, helpless as the ghosts piled on. Bellum latched himself to her back, squeezing her in his tentacles, and Cortez buried her in gold to weaken her resolve.
Aranea grit her teeth in fury, glaring at Sunni. It was a choice between trying to kill Callie and fighting Sunni, or saving her friend. "You'll pay for this!" The captain threatened before flying down to Undyne's aid.
Maria and Louise made it back outside, distraught at seeing Darcy's dead form. "I…I'm sorry." Callie said, bowed on her knees. "This is all my fault… I don't deserve to live after this."
"So what, Darcy just died for nothing?" Sunni asked.
"I… N-No, I…"
"Do what my sister asked. Resolve all your regrets and live. There's a lot of people down there who really care about you."
"…Yes… you're right."
"I wanna live, too!" Roger ran beside them. "I'll do anything to be with my Pringle again! Let's work together for a brighter-!" Callie stuck her ink gun in his throat and fired, knocking him out as his mouth became an ink lake.
"Should we save him, too?" Maria asked.
"I guess, but he's still an asshole." Callie replied.
Louise drew up another portal. They carried Roger and Darcy's bodies and jumped in, erasing the portal afterwards.
Inkopolis News Studio
After having the other Raccoon Pirates gather (save for Dillon), they broke the bad news. The operatives were mortified. "Darcy's dead…" Harry said lowly.
"Maddy was right." Chris growled. "Sheila, too. These people… we never should've trusted them. They don't care about us at all!"
"I feel the same way." Aurora replied. "But we can't leave. Not yet. There are still people here who need us, including Miyuki and Suki. And Aunt Eva…"
"Hey… didn't Dillon go to investigate Monaca?" Haruka asked. "I haven't… heard from him…"
The others didn't weigh into this… but they assumed the worst. If they lost anyone else… it would be hard to go on. "Well…" Marie spoke, "we're extremely grateful to your friend for saving Callie. We're so happy that you did so much for us… even though we're complete strangers."
"This is what we do." Aurora smiled. "We sacrifice our own happiness so others can live happily. That's what the KND is. This is what Cheren wants…"
Squam stepped forward, showing resolve in his eyes. "Then let us help you. Let's take down all the Four Emperors. Let's get revenge for all our friends!"
Chris faced him and nodded. "Yeah. Let's make Cheren proud."
Mobius
The Rocketship had been fleeing from the Sharpclaw for almost three hours. Having exhausted their ammunition, they could only sail from the pirates as fast as Chimney could muster, but were suffering too many blows from the dinosaurs' cannons.
Then, a miracle: cannonfire rained down from the heavens, striking the Sharpclaw's ships. "HUH?!" Scales faced up with a baffled expression: Sector AC's ship, the Level 10,000, was flying overhead. Fybi flew off the ship, striking lightning upon the dinosaurs.
"Alright, FYBI!" Anthony cheered.
"We've got more trouble, guys!" Apis yelled. "More ships are coming!" In the distance, a small fleet led by the Mogeko Kremlin was approaching. "AH!" she yelped when a mermaid seemed to launch out of the ocean. "Watch out, enemy mermaid!"
"No!" Mocha yelled. "It's Melody!"
Melody landed stylishly on the deck. "Where's April?!"
"Down inside!" Apis led Melody into the cabin. Seeing the weakened and bloody state April was in, Melody immediately willed the blood to flow back into April's body, then used healing to repair the wounds.
Aisa, Tristan, and 'Gonbe' were still attacking the red mark on Mocha's leg, drawing them away from April. Then, to their own confusion, their ravenousness died away. "Hey… I don't smell it, anymore." Aisa said.
"Me either! What on Earth could have happened?" Tristan asked.
They went down to check on April, seeing her wounds mostly healed thanks to Melody's water. They no longer desired to feast on their friend, but the only thing Aisa could deduce was, "Maybe when Melody started soaking April in water, the scent was washed off."
"But what happened to April to make her smell like that to begin with?" Tristan asked.
The ship rocked again. "Whatever the case, we have to escape." Aisa stated. "April, just rest for now." They returned upstairs to reassess the situation. Fybi used her bending to stir the ocean and cause the Sharpclaw ships to crash into each other, but she had to flee from a group of Cloudrunners.
Chimney steered her ship left to avoid an eventual collision with the Mogekos, but little did they know that Moge-ko had her megaphone at the ready, eyes a bright red. "No one escapes Moge-ko~"
The troll hybrid suffered a flying kick to the back of the head, knocking her into the ocean. The culprit was Carrot, and the rabbit Mink was immediately swarmed by Nyakuza and Mogeko. The Kremlin was blasted by a pirate ship with an elephant figurehead, the Baby Zunisha.
With Melody using Water Fury to push the Sharpclaw ships away with waves, Fybi was able to return to the Rocketship. "Fybi, did you save Nea?" Anthony asked.
"Yea, the mission was successful, she is with AC as we speaketh. Now our only objective is to save Harvey, verily?"
"But Harvey is being guarded by K. Rool directly." Mocha informed. "We'll have no choice but to fight him now, but first we need to get away."
"Hey, guys!" Aeincha yelled, coming out of the cabin on Gonbe. "Incoming transmission from King Evan!"
"Melody!" Yuta spoke into his communicator. "Come back to the submarine! There's a message from that Evan guy!"
Both bands of pirates gathered inside their ships to view the monitors. The same was true for Sector AC and Aranea. Across the other worlds, Killua viewed the transmission inside the Story Pirates' ship, the Sky Dragon Pirates in their ship, the Shiny Pirates with George in theirs, and the Luxury Pirates in their submarine, the Marzipans with them.
All their monitors displayed a blonde boy with cat ears, their temporary leader. "This is King Evan, calling all available Nextgen Pirates. Everyone is ordered to return to GKND H.Q.. Please, send us your coordinates and we'll have a GKND ship collect you. I am pleased to inform you that I have completed my mission! Your Supreme Leader, Numbuh 3621 Cheren Uno, has been successfully rescued!"
The camera turned to reveal Cheren himself, the boy smiling sheepishly as he waved. All it took was one look at their leader to fill almost everyone's hearts with hope. "Sorry I'm late! You guys are probably all set for your counterattack by now, but I wanna see how everyone's doing first."