Nextgen Pirates Top Commander

Hyrule Castle; a day ago

A Bullbo-drawn prison carriage was approaching Hyrule Castle. The town was still in ruins and mostly abandoned after the invasion at the start of the war. Wizzrobes were driving the carriage, led by an orange-robed one with an Incan crown. "Bluh bluh bluh bluh!" laughed Master Wizzrobe. "We're almost there! Lord Mandy is going to reward me handsomely for this capture! You're lucky that you're her nephew or I would've done you in much worse, Cheren."

Cheren Uno and Panini Drilovsky were chi-cuffed in the carriage. "A bit stupid of you to let me keep my weapons, don't you think?"

"Oh, we believe the queen will find some use for them. Not like we can touch that dreadful Master Sword, anyway. Oh, I'll never forget the day Link cut me down with that thing. Ganon would have really let me have it! Luckily, he was killed, and I think he kind of forgot by the time he revived, so it all worked out—OOOOH!" A Haki arrow stabbed the Wizzrobe in the chest, and his drivers were shot as well.

"AY-YAH!" Tani the Forest Princess leapt onto the carriage and kicked them down, and she slashed the reins so the Bullbo could run free. "The coast is clear, Evan!"

"Alright!" The young king leapt atop the carriage. "It's time to fulfill my promise!" Sword drawn, Evan carved a hole in the carriage roof.

"'ey, what's going on?!" Panini yelled, seeing the roof being suddenly torn open.

"TA-DA!" Evan stood above them with a beaming expression. "We're here to RESCUE YOU!"

"Oh… great." Cheren replied in a mildly downbeat tone.

Evan happily helped the two out of the carriage and cut off their cuffs. "So, you must be the great Cheren Uno." Tani climbed up and remarked. "Honestly, I was expecting a bit more."

"And just who the heck are you critics?" Panini asked.

"My name is Evan Pettiwhisker Tildrum, and I promised your operatives that I would find you!" Evan spoke with a radiance that implied he was long awaiting this moment and his exciting first meeting with the legendary leader.

"Um, thanks, but… I didn't really wanna be rescued."

"WHAT?!" Evan's jaw dropped.

"I actually let myself get captured on purpose so I would be taken to Aunt Mandy. But since you 'rescued' me, it means I'll have to fight my way through the castle. A minor inconvenience, if anything, though I hoped to enjoy the ride a bit longer."

"Cheren, the backup is coming!" Panini alerted them to swarms of Bullbo and horses, carrying both demons and Hylians.

"Great, you guys can help Panini fight them off, I'll only be a minute!" Cheren jumped off and ran for the castle.

"W-WAIT!" Evan chased him. "Tani, help Panini!"

The girls watched the boys run off, then faced the incoming hordes. They exchanged a disgruntled glance as Tani said, "Nice man ya got there."

"Yours, too." And with that, the girls would continue to bond as they fought the pirates. (Play Ike's Theme from Smash Brawl!)

Stage 22: Hyrule Castle

Mission: Find Queen Mandy.

Twin Fatblin were guarding the gates of the castle with metal shields. Cheren imbued the Master Sword with Haki: the hilt turned black like iron, while the glowing sword and yellow gem remained unchanged. He pounded the metal shield, his enhanced strength causing the Fatblin to lose his grip and drop it. To protect his friend, the other Fatblin jabbed his spear—the moment Cheren dodged it, time seemed to slow down in his vision, yet he had limited control of his speed. With this, he lunged at the Fatblin and dealt a round of stabs in two real-world seconds, destroying him.

Cheren then flipped above the remaining Fatblin for a cut through the head, followed by multiple Haki stabs to the back. With them gone, Cheren charged a Skyward Strike and blew down the gate. "Cheren, wait!" Evan caught up. "What you did just now… that was Quick Perception! That's advanced Observation Haki that few people are trained to learn."

"Yeah, Bisky taught it to me. Took some time to get it right. So, you know it, too?"

"Yes, it's a technique that my caretaker learned, and I-"

"Okay, no time for a backstory." Cheren hastily told him. "If you wanna help, feel free." He hurried through the castle courtyard, Evan scurrying after with a 'W-Wait!' There were Silver Tallblins at work in the garden, but were forced to turn their tools on the intruders. A Tallblin whipped its ho at Cheren, the boy dealing a Shield Bash to knock him off balance, followed by a cut to the leg to knock him down. The demon did a spin attack along the ground, Cheren jumping to stab its stomach, followed by a quick beheading.

Another Tallblin was trying to blast Evan with a hose, the young king swiftly evading as he ran up for some speedy cuts to the legs. The demon endured before kicking him away, Evan getting back up for the next round. The demon threw a kick—Evan dodged and entered Quick Perception, landing three strong blows on the beast, but he was still standing once it stopped. After one last dodge, Evan was able to take it down with two more hits. He saw Cheren heading for the entrance and ran after. The human used his Haki to cut open a locked door when Evan said, "I've heard some great stories about you, and while you seem to be a talented leader, I must advise against taking on the Emperor directly. Their strength is not to be-"

"Mandy's my aunt, she won't hurt me that much."

"YOUR AUNT?! I wasn't expecting this at all!"

"Really? Huh, I guess my operatives didn't tell you much." Inside the foyer, Lizalfos archers sniped Cheren from the rounding 2nd-floor walkway, the boy using Observation to dodge while sniping back. A Summoner Wizzrobe was also in the room, casting a spell to summon three Moblin, but Evan was quick to cut them down before they can be a nuisance to Cheren. With the Lizalfos down, the two rushed up the stairs, but the door was sealed by a magic barrier conjured by the Wizzrobe. Said Wizzrobe was hiding behind ceiling banners with Mandy's logo, but Cheren sensed his location and shot him with three Fire Arrows to destroy him.

The barrier opened, leading to a corridor where Hylian guards ran to attack. They imbued their spears and swords with Haki, but Cheren sensed each attack and blocked each with his shield. Evan ran behind and cut down the soldiers, this time without killing of course. "Ow!" A pot hit him in the head; he realized that the many pots in the hall were levitating and flying at them, the swordsmen simply dodging. They could not advance further due to another magic barrier blocking the hall. "Grab on." Cheren told Evan, the king doing so as he shot a Hookshot at a wall target. They were pulled up, then Cheren shot the 2nd Hookshot to a target in a windowsill.

From here, they jumped off, Cheren opening his Pirate Sail to land them on an outer walkway. The castle shook—they looked up with a start when a massive, armored dragon landed on a roof! "Who dares to trespass on Lord Mandy's castle?! I'm going to enjoy feasting on your bones." Smaug spat meteor-like fireballs at the intruders, Cheren raising his Mirror Shield to absorb them as they bolted up the path. Smaug crawled down the castle until he was above the door they were going to, intending to chomp their heads off if they came. Cheren shot Light Arrows at his eyes, but Smaug merely closed them. Cheren kept shooting to keep the dragon blinded until he and Evan ran underneath and into the castle. "You think you can escape from me?!"

"Oi! No destroying the castle!" Creeper yelled from the upper tower. "Lord Mandy's orders!"

"Growllll…"

The two leaders arrived at a library, interrupting the reading time of some Sheikah. The ninjas threw kunai, the leaders evading as Evan ran to cut the first one, but he used Substitution Jutsu with a stool. He leapt from behind Evan, who still sensed the attack, ducked his kunai, and sliced him in the stomach. A Sheikah was leaping from bookshelf to bookshelf, Cheren tracking his movements, dodging his knives, and shooting with arrows until he was down. The third Sheikah made five Shadow Clones charge at them, but even after cutting them down, five more came. Cheren felt a presence behind one of the bookshelves, so he used his Haki strength to push it aside, discovering the cowardly Sheikah and KOing him.

"Cheren, I sense a presence behind this one, too." Evan directed him to another bookshelf, but it couldn't be pushed open. They pulled down some of the books, eventually discovering a hole to see into a hidden room.

There were two Stalfos and a Stalmaster interrogating Neku of Sector REAP. "Those two traitors had to be one of you Spirit Ops." a Stalfos said. "Tell us where they are!"

"I don't know anything about them!" Neku argued.

"That angel boy was your leader, right? We'll do some nasty experiments on him if you don't-" They were startled when an arrow launched into the room and hit an Eye Switch, opening the bookshelf. Cheren and Evan rushed in, using Haki to cut down the Stalfos, then working together to crumble the Stalmaster. Cheren then sliced up the Ecto Cage binding Neku.

"It's about time someone came." Neku said. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a team to save." The spirit boy flew away.

"You're welcome!" Evan yelled angrily. The two climbed to the second floor and pushed open another bookshelf to find a hidden passage. The passage was rather dark, and black puffballs called Boe slithered up to nip them, only to be easily cut down. They came to a large chamber with a torch highlighting a magic-sealed door. To open it, Cheren simply had to shoot unlit torches with his Fire Arrows. "Watch out, Cheren!" Evan yelled when a swarm of moths fluttered down to start biting them, and they couldn't cut them as they dodged their blades. The magic door opened, so the duo rushed through to escape the bugs.

The door led outside, and the other side of it was disguised as part of the cliff wall behind a waterfall. Cheren saw a chest underwater and dove down to get it, but he had to carry Evan as they swam down the short river and climbed up on land. "We can follow this path up to the throne room!" Cheren pointed.

"THERE you are!" Smaug saw them from overhead and set the entire road aflame. "Flare Dancers, you get the first serve!" Flare Dancers leapt out of the flames, spinning gracefully and tossing flames.

"Evan, take care of the dancers and I'll clear a way!" Cheren began to shoot Ice Arrows through the flames, cooling paths. The boys ran through while Evan sliced the dancers in their cores. Small flares lit their cape and jacket on fire, but they rolled and put them out before the damage worsened. Cheren saw Smaug charging breath in his throat, mouth wide open, so he shot an Ice Arrow straight up. The ice burst inside Smaug's throat and cooled the flames.

The dragon decided to land on the path, blocking their way and blowing them back down with a normal breath. The dragon breathed in some of the other flames to warm his throat, then set the path on fire once more. "Dammit! I'm wasting arrows at this rate." Cheren said. "Wait… Evan, look, those flames are making an updraft."

"Yes, so what?"

"So, there's an easier way up this road, grab on!" Evan hugged the boy again, Cheren throwing up his Pirate Sail and jumping above the flames as the draft lifted him. Though Evan's body weighed them down, they stayed above the flames as they glided up the path. Smaug snarled and flapped his wings to keep them at bay, generating a mighty wind that blew the flames out. Cheren let them drop back on the path, the boys dashing stalwartly through the wind, but Smaug ceased, raised his head, and smashed down on the duo.

Cheren thrusted his shield up at Smaug's chin, and though the dragon's size was far superior, the Mirror Shield's magical properties stopped him and caused mild pain to the jaw. Smaug looked down, wondering where they had gone, but the boys had crawled under the dragon and were running for the throne room. Smaug tried to smash his tail down, but the leaders dodged to either side. There was a flagpole within the gateway, but Cheren sensed it was about to close, so he quickly shot his Hookshot to the top of the pole and pulled himself and Evan to it, swapping the Mandy flag with a gold one of the Nextgen Pirate symbol (a star and crossbones). (End song.)

A band of six Mighty Darknuts raised their swords at the intruders. "Stand down, men." Creeper ordered. "This boy is the queen's relative, he won't do much harm." The Darknuts stood down and marched aside.

Queen Mandy was slumped back on her throne in exhaust. "Here you are, Mandy-sama!" Koko excitedly scampered up with a glass of milk. "Chateau Romani is highest quality milk! Even Koko's finest drinks cannot compare!"

"Meh…" Mandy took the glass and drank. "Still isn't enough to revive my fighting spirit. …?" She glanced down to see her guests approach. "Oh. Cheren. Nice new pet."

"E-E-E-Emperor Mandy!" Evan stuttered, sword trembling in his hand. "W-W-We come meaning no harm, and wish only to-"

Mandy's foot flew off her Logia body and stamped him in the face, the king sliding back. "Well, Aunt Mandy… you look like you've been busy." Cheren said.

The queen sighed, forcing herself to stand and walk off the throne stairs. "When hordes of your operatives began invading parts of my planet and fighting my crewmen, I knew for sure you would be among them. However, I'm surprised you didn't show up at the Brethren Court."

"I was preoccupied; I've actually been on this planet for a while. I saw you, Mandy, when you fought that fairy lady. You were… impressive. The way you were glowing, I could tell you were a different person. You learned what it really means to lead, didn't you? To have so many people relying on you."

"…Yes." Mandy bowed her head in reminiscence. "It was merely on a whim that I wanted to conquer this world. I was slowing down and felt I needed a quick way to catch up. But then… something awakened inside me. No, it was something that has always been there. My… kindness. It wasn't just fear the Hyruleans felt from me… it was reliance. By taking this throne, I was entitled to serve my people as any ruler should. And by accepting that role, I feel stronger than ever. The reason I fight this Pirate War is for their sake. I will not let the other Four Emperors succeed."

"My mom would be proud of you, Aunt Mandy." Cheren smiled.

Mandy faced him directly. "You seem different too, Cheren. There's a… radiance about you. Something I can't quite see."

"I've been training nonstop for a month. I learned Armament and Observation Haki."

"Holy smokes!" Creeper said, using a Scouter to analyze him. "His Power Level is 7,042! But it's nothing to the queen's new Level of 23,848. …The cat guy's Level is 4,502, but eh."

"It's not that bad of a Level!" Evan yelled.

"I admit my Haki's not that impressive," Cheren blushed, "but at least it was enough to catch up. Actually, I think my Observation is a bit unique. I can sense the physical statuses of my operatives. I sense that… some of them are dead." He frowned somberly. "And others are imprisoned. But they were being rescued every day. I need to let them know how proud I am of their efforts. And I want to ask them… if they want me to lead them to the end of this battle."

"Which explains why you sent that death threat via the newspaper." Mandy said.

"Hey, that wasn't a death threat!" Cheren panicked in protest. "Besides, I wanted to ask you too, Mandy. Join us. We're both fighting for the people we care about, so we can easily work together."

"Didn't you hear me? I will not let the other Four Emperors succeed. That includes your captain, Nebula, and the Nextgen Pirates. In this contest, I have decided to win. For the people of Hyrule, I won't even let familial ties weigh me down. I've already made my point by imprisoning your operatives, and some have even died by my crew's hands. I refuse to hand Hyrule over to anyone… not even you."

"Mandy, you're one of the only family I have left! I don't want us to be enemies!"

"Then by all means, join my side and help me crush the Nextgen Pirates. I don't want to fight you either, but I won't surrender the crown to the KND. When I win this war, Hyrule will become the strongest world!"

"Sigh… Fine, Mandy. You wanna play this game fairly, then I will, too. We'll defeat you with the other Yonko!"

"But since you are my nephew, I'll be generous." Mandy opened her arms in a welcoming fashion. "The first hit is yours. Take me down right now. Make it snappy."

Cheren faced her suspiciously. No way she would just let herself take a direct attack, but he sensed that she intended to make no maneuvers. …No, Cheren did sense someone was about to move, but he decided to play along. He hardened his sword and lunged. "Haaaah-!"

When the Kokiri girl ran in his path, Cheren ceased. "Please don't hurt Queen Mandy! She made us a new playground!"

Cheren ran around her left, but a Rito man landed to guard the queen. "She helped my daughter learn to fly! How could you attack her?!"

Cheren ran around the back, only to spot a tiny Minish, who could've easily been stepped on. "I'll stop you, even if it costs me my life!"

Cheren rushed to her right for a strike, but Koko defended her. "Thanks to Lord Mandy, Koko's fame as a chef has grown greater!"

"GORO!" A Goron rolled by and grabbed Cheren, throwing him away. "Cheren!" Evan ran to his aid.

"Grrr…" Cheren pushed himself to his feet. "That's some loyalty… but even I wouldn't make my own operatives take a hit for me."

"Who said I'm making them do anything?" Mandy replied. "My citizens act of their own accord."

"No, I can feel chi leaking from your body! You're compelling them to protect you!"

"They've made the choice to serve me, and in my gratitude, I will serve them! Citizens, what is it that you want in return?"

"You don't have to get me anything, Queen Mandy." The Kokiri smiled.

"Um, c-can I have one of your hairs to show my friends?" the Minish asked.

"Can I eat some of the rocks in the castle basement?!" the Goron asked eagerly.

"Koko just wants to keep cooking for the world!" Koko beamed.

"How dare you take advantage of the queen's generosity!" the Rito yelled.

"I have no qualms about delivering such rewards. But first, let's see these rude guests out of my castle."

"Eh, excuse me, Your Majesty." Two Tallblins walked out, holding a black-haired boy by the arms. "We finished bandaging this prisoner, what shall we do with him?"

"Nnng, let me go, you pig heads!…" Dillon grunted.

"What the… DILLON?!" Cheren yelled.

The injured boy saw Cheren and gasped. "Cheren! Azula's theme park! That's where they're keeping-"

"SMAUG!" bellowed Mandy. (Play "Blooming Villain" from Persona 5!)

The castle rumbled when the tremendous dragon whooshed and landed in the throne room. Cheren and Evan screamed as the dragon snatched them in his right claw. "What shall I do with them, Your Majesty?"

"Do whatever you wish. But not in my castle; they've caused enough of a mess."

"Then to the field it is!" A hurricane brushed the chamber as Smaug flapped out, going to the field outside the castle. He forcefully threw the two on the ground before landing. "I must say, you two possess a most wondrous scent. I think I would like to tenderize you before I eat."

"Cheren, let's take him together!" Evan drew his sword.

"No, just get back." Cheren told him. "This shouldn't be much of a problem."

"B-B-But…"

"Let me show you what Earth's leader is capable of!" He winked.

Disappointment filled Evan. He had been so looking forward to battling alongside the great Cheren. But perhaps now he could see for himself why the KND revered him so much. "Alright. Give it your all!" Evan ran away to give them some space. But although he trusted Cheren's judgment, he still felt obliged to call the others, so he spoke into his wristwatch, "This is King Evan to all available operatives. Cheren is in battle with the dragon Smaug. I will protect him at all costs."

"Wait, did you say Smaug?" Ururu's voice asked. "Put me through to Cheren! I have to tell him something!"

Boss fight: Boogey Flame Division Demolisher, SMAUG

Smaug blew a stream of breath around Cheren, surrounding him in fire. Smaug's head loomed above as he intended to incinerate the inner circle, but Cheren dispersed some of the flames with an Ice Arrow and escaped. He used Haki to lock onto Smaug's eyes and shoot arrows, but the dragon simply blinked to block them. Smaug whipped around for a tail whack, which Cheren ducked; he sensed Smaug about to do it again, so he flipped backward to get out of range. The dragon crawled forth and blew fire along the ground toward him. The flames created an updraft, so Cheren jumped over the flames and opened his Pirate Sail to float up.

Smaug gnashed his fangs, his enormous mouth sure to swallow the tiny prey, but Cheren's Quick Perception kicked in: as time slowed in his vision, he grabbed his Hookshot and launched it at Smaug's uvula, pulling him straight into the mouth and past the bladed teeth. Smaug sealed him inside, but Cheren wasted no time in stabbing everywhere inside, causing Smaug to gag and spit him out forcefully. "BAH! Next time, I'll only take a small bite!" Cheren backed up as the dragon crawled, opening his mouth by a small margin as he gnashed at the boy again. Cheren dodged each bite, but given the narrow space between his teeth, the same trick wouldn't work again.

Instead, Cheren hardened his sword, and dodged just a foot away from Smaug's next gnash before stabbing between the teeth. The dragon felt just a mild toothache, flailing his head in attempt to shake him off, but in the split second his head flung upwards, Cheren pulled the sword free and let himself fly up onto Smaug's snout. He ran up to the right eye, Smaug closing it as Cheren tried to pierce the lid with his Haki sword. Smaug's skin was impervious, so the dragon shook him off to be rid of the tickle. "Nice try, boy! My armor is tenfold shields. Nothing can penetrate it!"

"OI, CHEREN!" The boy turned to Evan, hearing the Faunus's call. "I just informed other operatives of your situation; Sector JP has something to say to you!"

Cheren dodged a fireball and said to his watch, "Cheren to Sector JP, you have a message?"

"Cheren-kun, yes, this is Ururu! Listen, Smaug has a weak spot on the left side of his chest! I noticed it when we investigated him the first time!"

Curious, Cheren ran around Smaug's left, his Mirror Shield raised to block his flames, until he noticed one of his scales was missing, exposing soft skin. Cheren grabbed an arrow, imbued it with Haki, and loosed. "AAH!" Smaug cried as the spear punctured him. Knowing his weak spot was discovered, the dragon spun around and launched to the sky. "You were right, Ururu! Thanks! No way he's escaping now!" Cheren jumped in the cyclone generated from his flight and used the sail to parachute up. Smaug spat meteors down, Cheren maneuvering around them until he was level with the flying dragon.

Smaug flew away from him, giving himself enough distance to focus on the boy and channel his breath. Cheren saw his throat brimming orange until Smaug unleashed a devastating beam of fire. Cheren showed his back and, using Observation, positioned his Mirror Shield in the correct manner to absorb the flames. Seeing his attack do nothing, Smaug lunged to bite him—Cheren used Quick Perception, sheathed his sail, and stabbed his sword between his legs to stab between Smaug's teeth. He propped his feet on the sword and pulled it out as he jumped on Smaug's head, just in time for the flames to blast out of the shield into Smaug's eyes. The dragon merely closed his eyes, but this gave Cheren time to jump off the left: using Perception again, Cheren turned toward the weak spot and managed to shoot two Haki Arrows.

Smaug cried, covering the spot. The dragon flipped over and let his body fall toward Cheren, intending to crush him beneath his spikes. Cheren positioned himself to be caught between two rows of spikes, so that when he was smashed into the ground, though the tightness was unbearable, he was able to survive. Smaug flipped upright, brushing Cheren away with his wing. The dragon was surprised to see him okay, though bleeding slightly from the crush. Covering his weak spot, the dragon leapt in attempt to crush Cheren, but he bolted to Smaug's right and dodged. The dragon tried to grab him, but Cheren dodged, and in the dragon's desperate haste, he pushed himself up to crush him again. Cheren ran to his left this time, but when Smaug propped his left claw on the ground to push himself back up, Cheren scored a quick shot to the weak spot.

A furious Smaug smacked him away. Before he could recover, Smaug lunged and pinned Cheren under his claw. His mouth was open wide as fire surged inside, but since Cheren's arms were free, he was able to grab an Ice Arrow and shoot it up Smaug's throat, the flames dispersing as the dragon coughed. "Maybe I'll just squeeze the juices out of you!" Smaug lifted Cheren and tightened his grip, but the boy applied Haki to his arms and legs and pushed the claws apart.

"Hnnnn… I've been in tighter spots than this!"

Smaug snarled and dove his head to bite him, but in a swift motion, Cheren grabbed his Mirror Shield, applied Haki, and dealt a Shield Bash at the dragon's teeth, causing some to break off. Smaug lifted his head, kept the weak spot covered, and unleashed another deadly breath of fire. It was absorbed into the shield, as he expected, but Smaug spread fire around the area to blot Cheren's vision, then he would dive at Cheren with a quick gnash. Of course, Cheren also sensed this, but in Quick Perception, he shot his Hookshot up between Smaug's teeth and pulled himself in, breaking down the broken teeth.

Smaug realized this too late as Cheren released the shield's flames down his throat while also throwing a M.A.R.B.L.E. down. Smaug cried and spat him out when the tiny bomb burst against the arrow wounds from the inside. "I will NOT be defied by this wretched CHILD! I am Smaug, the great and powerful, destroyer of a thousand towns and forests! I'll incinerate you and EVERYONE on this planet until they BOW before my power!"

"DO IT, EVAN!" Cheren screamed.

"?!" Smaug's heart skipped a beat, the dragon whipping in the young king's direction. "Wait, I was supposed to do something?!" Evan panicked.

Smaug glared at him—"AAAAAH!" the Master Sword was forced into his weak spot, Cheren holding on to it. The dragon furiously shook to loosen the sword up, but Cheren hung on stubbornly.

"You know what your problem is, Smaug?! You're SLOW!" Cheren swung his body and twisted the sword. "You're OLD!" And again. "And you'll NEVER be as good as the KIDS NEXT DOOR!" Smaug decided to slam his fist into the boy—Cheren let go, causing Smaug to force the sword further into his flesh. (End song.)

"AAAAAAH! AAAAAHH! AAAAAAAHH!" Smaug flew to the heavens, frantically shaking, blasting fire everywhere in the hopes it would loosen the sacred blade. He roared and shook and ascended 100 meters, so that all within miles could gaze upon his glorious figure. The flames grew weaker, the roars grew softer, and his golden eyes finally faded to a dull color. "Arrrrroooooo…" The dragon was drawn right back to the planet, indenting the soil with his lifeless mass. Cheren, having imagined Zelda victory music playing, gripped the hilt of his sword and yanked it out of the tiny weak spot. He twirled and sheathed the blade in a stylish fashion.

That's when Fi came out, covered in dragon blood. "Master Cheren, I would like to confirm that, had Sector JP not been able to deliver this information, I was ready to present you with knowledge of his weakness. As it always has been, it is clear that your operatives are highly reliable. I would also like to request that you wash the sword as soon as possible."

"Hehehe. Sorry about that, Fi."

"That was incredible!" Evan yelled, running up to him. "I can't believe you took him down all by yourself!"

"Eh, I've fought stronger monsters than that. Still, not relying on power-ups is always a bonus. So, who were you again?"

"Have you not listened to ANYTHING I said?!" a flustered Evan yelled. "My name is Evan, King of Evermore, and I owe your operatives a debt for saving me from the Sky God Pirates!"

"You seem a bit young for a king."

"YOUNG?! I'm at least three years older than you!"

"I was age-locked for three years, kiddo." Cheren flicked his nose.

"That's not the point!" Evan stomped his feet like a pouting child. "I've been in loads of battles and worked hard to build my nation, so I don't appreciate you downsizing me!"

"Relax, Evan, I'm just teasing ya!" Cheren reached to put an arm around the taller boy, pulling him down. "If my operatives like ya, then we're buddies now, and thanks for trying to save me."

"Hehe, you're welcome." Evan blushed. "…Wait, but I DID save you!"

"Did you really?! HA HAAAA!" Cheren twisted his knuckle into Evan's gold hair.

"Uuuuuugh!"

"OI, BOYS!" The two looked to see Panini and Tani rushing their direction. "What's with the two of you leavin' your girlfriends to fight a bunch of pirates?!" Panini shouted.

"Wait, are you two a couple now?!" Tani asked. "For crike's sake, Evan, you shouldn't have proposed to me before you decided you were gay!"

"No, that's not it at all!" Evan argued, still arm-locked by Cheren. "We were just exchanging our greetings! Um, Cheren, you can let go now." He released him. "Anyway… your operatives were really worried about you. They were in such a mess without you. Nebula appointed me as temporary leader to get them back on track, but they had a hard time accepting me."

"Sigh… that's what I get for going on a month of training."

"We were able to find you after seeing that newspaper from Intergalactic News. We were waiting here in hiding until that prison transport arrived. Cheren, we need to show everyone you're okay. Let's call a GKND ship. The Anti-Fairies are busy chasing Skaios, so that gives us a chance to escape."

"Yeah… let's go." Cheren smiled. "Seeing everyone's faces again will be a relief. Though I hoped by now everyone would've seen my little message."

Nextgen Pirates H.Q.; current time

Emperor Nebula was holding an Intergalactic Newspaper, the front page displaying Cheren's beaming visage. Panini was in the background, smiling with her tongue poking out, and making rabbit ears with her fingers.

WE WILL CRUSH THE FOUR EMPERORS!

During a reporter's visit to Dragon Roost Island on Planet Hyrule, there was havoc as two 'Nextgen Pirates' fought their way up the mountain. They were identified as Cheren Uno and Panini Drilovsky from Earth. The news team was threatened by the duo into taking their picture and recording the following words: "Don't give up the fight, everyone! We will defeat the Four Emperors!" They were shortly arrested by Mandy's crewmen to be transported to…

"So, that's why he took this long to contact us." Nebula shook her head in disbelief. "Sigh, that boy is complicated sometimes…" With a smile, she looked up at the crowd of excited operatives.

"I'VE GOT HIM, EVERYONE!" Evan raised the Hero of Time like a rare treasure. "I've found CHEREN UNO!"

"AAAAAAHH!" Cheren cried when his loyal operatives mimicked their actions from before Field Day and dog-piled on him.

"You're finally back, Cous!" Anthony cheered.

"I would've gone crazy if something happened to you!" Melody stated.

"You need to quit disappearing on us!" Sunni said.

"What an honor it is to meet you, Sir!" Yuta beamed.

"Please stop!" Evan cried. "You're squishing me! Cheren, I'm becoming paper-thin!"

"BUTT POUND OF LOVE!" Maria Ground Pounded her leader and worsened the pain.

"MARIA, you'll break somebody's bones!" Cheadle yelled.

"That's enough, you guys!" Mocha casually brushed the crowd off, picking Cheren and Evan up in her fingers to set them upright. "Haha! That'll teach you not to leave us again~"

"Heheh! …" Cheren looked around in confusion. "We appear to be missing a few sectors."

"We'll fill you in on the details in a moment." Yuzu replied, slapping a ladle in her hand as she bore a starkly serious expression. "But first, we have an extremely important mission to take care of."

"W-W-W-What's that?" Evan stuttered.

"Everyone… it's time… FOR A LUNCH BREAK!"