Let’s All Be Free

Play "Magolor Phase 1" from Return to Dreamland! Also, credit to Sarstar98 for thinking of the sword's name!

Following the craziest millisecond in Nebula's life was another millisecond that seemed to take forever. She and Skaios were traveling between dimensions, an event that usually takes an instant with the average 'splorp.' But Nebula's mind needed more time to process it. The moment her finger touched the button, a pink, liquidy strip of Space Chi slithered up and around her arm, then her body. There are too few occasions where I feel this way. Where I can feel all the hearts of the universe, beating.

A gold helmet encased her head, leaving her captain's hat on top. Pink feathers grew from the ears, and a pink visor over her eyes. First the Nexus, then Jirachi, and now you, Vistium Augrium. A pink star grew from the stomach, a pink cape along her back, depicting her Jolly Roger. Pink veins of Space Chi coursed from the star, down the gold-coated arms and legs. Why do I get pit against so many overpowered enemies? No wonder my chi is brittle.

Just as quickly as the armor formed, they reappeared at their destination, far above Hyrule's atmosphere. Skaios, his natural instinct kicking in, saw no need for questions, and desired only to unleash his pent-up emotions.

Title Match: Emperor of the Sky Gods, "Free Born" SKAIOS

Each of Skaios' rapid kicks were bolts of godly lightning, Nebula blocking with the Vistium. Skaios zipped all around, kicking her head with a speed that would normally lop it off, but no doubt this armor was worth its weight. During one of his kicks, "YAH!" Skaios cried as Nebula sliced off his foot, the god going back and dealing an Air Slice, but Nebula sucked the air into Vistium's sub-space and released it back at Skaios, splicing him to pieces, but he quickly reformed. Skaios focused on Nebula's own breath and tried to inflate it like a balloon, but her armor seemed to block his chi slightly. Nebula stopped his attack by forming powerful black holes around him, ripping his body apart. The vortexes would scatter him to different parts of the cosmos, but he mustered his speed and reattached in a heartbeat.

Skaios willed explosions of lightning to go off around Nebula, the leader making portals around herself to suck them in while taking a few shocks, but she stabbed Vistium into a portal, warping it behind Skaios for a backstab. Skaios zipped at her with such speed that she flew a few light-years away, but Skaios kept after, going around to kick her back, but she opened a portal to catch herself and come out behind to slice him in half. Skaios reformed and formed a sea of clouds above them, and from those clouds came a jungle of tornadoes. "Ah yeah, Tornadus. That was a fun planet." Nebula recalled. The whirlwinds were playing tug-o-war over her, Nebula struggling to control herself.

"Ow!" she yelped when an Air Bullet hit her chest, but Skaios was nowhere around. "Ouch!" Her ear was shot; it was now obvious Skaios was targeting her extremely far beyond the tornadoes. However, her visor was equipped with a scanner that detected the powerful source of God Chi behind a distant tornado. Nebula warped a bit closer and slashed, her sword cutting through space itself and ripping Skaios to pieces. She aggressively swung the blade to cut up the tornadoes—in the next second, she was flying. Apparently, she was kicked, but it happened so fast, she felt no pain. Stars whipped by as light-years became a blur—she gasped, realizing she was about to hit Aquaria, so she made a Block to stop herself.

Her visor briefly caught Skaios those same light-years away, but he shifted position, Nebula skimming around to find him, until the young god came from the left and kicked. Nebula Blocked herself again, but Skaios already retreated a hundred light-years, Nebula searching. She dodged, sensing his kick just in time, then landed a slash before Skaios flew off. Now 200 light-years away, Skaios was flying circles around Nebula while keeping that same distance. This prevented Nebula from catching him in her visor, and so Skaios was able to grab her from behind. He kept flying, pushing her as they whirled around Galaxia at impossible speed.

Nebula saw Flora zoom by, Secco, and Kateenia, but panicked when Skaios planned to land them in the sun. Nebula opened a portal just in front, warping them to the Great Clock. She was smashed against the clock, but now that they were stationary, if only for a second, she stabbed Vistium through space and stabbed Skaios' back. Skaios endured and pinned Nebula against the clock with strong wind, backing up with the sword severing him, but unloaded a storm of slashes in the hopes of carving her up. Nebula warped behind, grabbed Skaios, and warped back to Galaxia's sun, and bashed the god straight down into it.

She flew away and, as expected, Skaios burst out of the searing flames, charging like an angry comet. Nebula cut rifts at him, Skaios dodging, but Nebula tricked and caught him in a portal, sending him within Glacia's atmosphere, and she would follow. Nebula opened several portals around Skaios, connecting to blizzarding areas as his flames were rapidly cooled by frigid winds. Skaios escaped, his anger heating the very atmosphere around them as the snows below turned into steam, and he rapidly willed that steam to fly around Nebula. She warped behind, but Skaios dodged and kicked her to the ground, then he chilled the steam to turn it back into snow and bury her.

Nebula expanded a Block to push the snow off, giving her room to recover, but Skaios pierced through the snow and giant Block to smash her into the ground. This left a small crater, but Nebula managed to grab Skaios, roll over, and shove him in. She formed a Gravity Field around the god, compressing him and drawing in the surrounding earth to crush him. She then stabbed through that earth, feeling the god-flesh impale. "Now that I think of it, airbenders are weak to earth, too."

Skaios blasted out and up—Nebula had already formed 10 layers of Blocks, in which he could only puncture a few before she exploded them. Skaios blew the smoke away, but saw that his opponent had disappeared. He looked around quickly—"YAAAH!" he was sliced in half by a minimized Nebula, who quickly resized and warped them both to an asteroid field. Nebula trapped Skaios in another Gravity Field, and it immediately sucked in all the asteroids in the belt. Skaios was buried under thousands of asteroids, and Nebula warped outside, watching as a makeshift planet was formed. There was a moment of peace, but Nebula couldn't waste time to admire her work. Rather, she began to will a black hole to grow within that planet, compressing and sucking everything into a singularity.

Yet despite the incredible gravity, Skaios' airbending proved to be powerful still, blowing all that debris apart and blasting free of the vortex. "NYAAAARRRRGH!" His hat and bandanna blew off as a tornado grew from his head, his Wind Wings becoming lightning like those of a Birkan. He began zipping around Nebula in an orbital fashion, with thousands of miles of radius, conjuring a planet of his own in no time at all. Consisting only of lightning, this planet dealt Nebula a terrible electrocution, though it would have been far worse if she hadn't released her own burst of Space Lightning.

When the planet vanished, there was still a single bolt zipping around and striking her. Realizing it was Skaios, Nebula became a bolt herself, matching his speed as they struck each other, and each impact ruptured space a little at a time. Fragments of space fell off like glass, exposing a complex hyperspace. Skaios flew into a hyperspace, Nebula following as their clash was endless. The hyperspace zoomed them all around the universe and some interconnecting ones, and each blow would break open a random gap in space. They exited in another region of space as Nebula was suddenly sucked into a powerful vacuum. The wind tunnel snaked around the galaxy, bringing Nebula to the Avatar Realms and crashing her somewhere in the Earth Kingdom.

The wind was still pressing her to the planet, but that wasn't the most horrifying thing: Skaios was willing all the oxygen in the world to flow into her lungs! She opened a portal in her lungs to release it back into the world, praying no innocents had died from suffocation. According to her visor, Skaios was still a few light-years away. She aimed Vistium that direction and stretched its dimensions through various portals, eventually stabbing the god and breaking his control. Nebula removed the excess oxygen from her lungs and restored breath to the planet. But then Skaios came blasting down like a meteor, crashing with such force that a burning shockwave threatened to eclipse the continent, had Nebula not opened some portals to suck the flames in.

The god zipped elsewhere, his head tornado growing to mountainous size. Millions were screaming upon Skaios' return, Nebula horrified to see countless buildings, land chunks, people, and animals trapped in his cyclone. "Eh, Visitium, it doesn't count if I warp people to safety, right?" Her visor displayed the message, NO IT DOESN'T! STOP THAT CRAZY SHIT! It locked onto all the millions of people as Nebula warped them to a sub-dimension. The debris had already launched, Nebula forming a powerful Block in defense. With time to compose, she warped above the atmosphere, saw the top of the tornado, and dove directly down through the center. Her spatial sword split the tornado like a banana, all the way through the god it spawned from.

Nebula warped them back to space, Skaios reforming as he formed a planetary Oxygen Bubble and dramatically increased its temperature. Her throat drying, Nebula warped out of the bubble, but when Skaios had it pursue, she warped as far away as possible. Skaios searched for her, but saw a star spark into being and expand as it flew toward him. Skaios shot a shock bullet at this simple attack… but it took a while to reach. "!" It wasn't just a star, but an entire galaxy of stars Nebula created on a whim! Skaios flew sideways to dodge it, but Nebula swallowed the galaxy in a portal, spitting it out in Skaios' path without losing momentum. Skaios suffered the full blow of the Galaxy Starburst.

Such a tiny target would normally be obliterated, but the galaxy itself vanished once it did its part to injure the god. Skaios' tornado was slowing and his wings were sparking, trying to maintain a form. "Skaios, you went too far involving innocents in our battle!" Nebula lay a series of blows, not allowing him some needed recovery.

"I don't care, anymore! I'm sick of people not taking me seriously! I am a god and you WILL RESPECT ME!" Skaios bellowed a Hyper Beam, Nebula barely blocking with Vistium, some of the energy scattering while fragments of it managed to burn her. Skaios flew to a nearby planet, Superbia, and blew another beam at the planet, Nebula forming a portal to catch and return it to Skaios, who evaded and sucked it through a vacuum. It looped behind Nebula too fast to stop in time, pushing her to the planet. A city screamed as she was about to crash and potentially destroy everything they loved, but Nebula would forbid that by catching herself in a portal to be returned to Skaios.

The total momentum sent them rocketing for light-years, Skaios kicking her off, but then she stretched Vistium through him, and it entered a portal to stab him from the side, then one more to stab from the bottom. With a stroke of the blade, space was cut in five other directions, sucking Skaios' body parts in. She increased gravity in those sub-dimensions to squash him, but he reformed and zipped away. Flying light-years off, Nebula saw an enormous windy vortex sucking in another asteroid field. His body expanded to planet size, flying to Nebula before exploding like a supernova. She lashed her blade rapidly, cutting space in such a way that every corner of the explosion missed her.

Nebula hid in a rift, Skaios following, but he became lost and confused within the cluster of rifts. Nebula stabbed Vistium into one as it stabbed out from all others like fractals, and she bent and stretched their dimensions so they would puncture Skaios from all corners. The sword also ripped and sucked his body into its sub-space. Nebula warped back to above Hyrule, releasing his scattered body as it weakly reformed, having suffered too much damage from the powerful Space Chi. Nebula raised her blade and struck down forcefully, but Skaios zipped above and began to push her to the planet with the speed of a meteor. They would crash onto the Hylia's crow's nest in a second, but Nebula warped above and behind, completing her stab.

Skaios smirked; he had sent a tiny strip of air to push Nebula's finger onto the sword's button (opening the compartment as well). "HUH?!" she cried, suddenly reverting to her normal clothes. Skaios grabbed and slammed her into the nest, bombarding her with wind blasts until the Supreme Leader couldn't bring herself to stand.

"Huff…huff…huuuuuu!" Skaios sucked Vistium through the wound and left it within his stomach dimension. "RAAAAAAH!" His tornado had completely died away as a dark cloud grew from his head, flashing lightning. "Behold, Nextgen Pirates! Your captain was defeated! The 2nd Emperor felled by me, Skaios! If you still doubt my power, then I'll crush all the non-believers in my kingdom!"

"This ISN'T your kingdom, you phony god!" Evan retorted. Skaios grit his teeth and whipped around. Evan, Tani Doffy, Maria, and Louise had taken guard in front of Nebula. "You abducted us all from our homes! We're not your subjects, we were captives, but we're breaking free!"

"FREE?! I'VE ALREADY GIVEN YOU FREEDOM! Of course, the only 'freedom' you wretched kings can see are the oppression of your citizens, why would I expect any more?!"

"Did you ever stop to think we WANT to be 'oppressed' by our kings?!" Tani asked.

"WHAT?! Th-That…That's an insult to humanity!"

"Some of us LOVED our rulers, and our governments! It was hella better than all the chaos you caused!"

"Quit trying to reason with this Garbage God." Doffy remarked. "Ignorant children need to be disciplined."

"Grrrrr… there was a time when I was embarrassed to let people see my cloud." Skaios rose to the air as his black cloud swelled, threatening to erase them in a thundering explosion. "But those who laugh at me… laugh their last." (Play "Tidal Rush" from Splatoon 2!)

A GKND ship soared 20 meters from the tower. The Squid Sisters both wielded sniper rifles, locked directly onto the swollen target. "Well, Callie, 'guess Skaios finally got a swelled head."

"Wasn't it already swollen before, Marie?!"

"You're right. I don't see a difference. FIRE!" Twin beams of ink flew out, the green and magenta twisting around each other before soaking Skaios' cloud.

"WUUUUUHH…" The ink was seeped into his cloud, his very brain. Skaios' eye swelled from the horrible sensation, his head shrinking back down. The black, thundering cloud was soaked with the inky colors. "M-My head! My head! How…How could you possibly know?!"

"Oh, SKAIIIIIIOOOOOOS!" Kokichi's voice reached him from the deck of the flagship. "I knew your seeeeecreeeeeet! That cloud thing wasn't just embarrassing: if toxic materials, even ink or paint were to hit your cloud, it would pollute your chi paths and weaken your bending! I slipped that info to the squids just an hour ago!"

"Kokichi… damn you…DAMN YOOOOOU!"

Phase 2: Vengeful God

Skaios unleashed a Cyclone Roar directly at Nebula, but Tani pulled her aside with vines, while Doffy latched Skaios with strings and pulled the god over, tearing the god apart with his power, but upon reforming, Doffy was blown off the tower. Skaios flew high above the middle, and though his power was weakened, he had enough to conjure a cloud over the field and drill tornadoes all over it. Skaios hid in and switched between tornadoes as he shot air bullets, hitting Tani's knee, Evan's arm, and Louise's stomach. Forming an idea, Maria waited for Skaios to change whirlwinds and ran into his, letting herself be sucked up as she tossed her hat onto his bare head.

Miraculously, Maria flew into the god's body as if possessing him, and the tornadoes vanished as she sunk to the floor, but this "possession" lasted for only a second before Skaios kicked her out. It was still enough time for Doffy to catch him in strings and strangle, while Evan lay a flurry with his sword. Skaios' head swelled with anger, spewing the ink out like a sprinkler. "That's it! You damn squids are the first to go!" Skaios whooshed across the kingdom to Inkopolis, leaving a trail of whirlwinds. His head began to swell, intending to destroy Inkopolis with his storm.

The five heroes leapt in the first whirlwind and let it whisk them up, allowing their selves to glide along the windy trail. Evan took the front, his Haki sensing the air bullets and deflecting them. "Louise, Birdman, it's time for you to work together!" Maria yelled. "Soak your strings with Louise's paint and shoot them at Skaios!"

"I still get the money!" Doffy yelled, strings ready.

"Peck off!" Louise retorted, painting the strings as Doffy then launched them as bullets. Multiple ink-soaked strings hit Skaios' cloud, slowly shrinking it until the god was shuddering from the sensation.

Tani grabbed Evan in vines, whirled, and tossed her king to impale Skaios as they landed atop an Inkopolis skyscraper. The Inklings cheered for their heroes, Skaios kicking Evan off and making that rooftop into a whirlwind, so when the others landed, they were blown around. Tani stabbed her spear in the roof to remain steady, watching as Skaios was slicing the others as they blew by. She shot an arrow, but it too was sucked up in the wind. Luckily, Maria tossed her hat to possess said arrow, and since it remained airborne in this wind, she steered it straight into Skaios' eye. The wind stopped, so Tani yanked out her spear, leapt, and happily filled the puny god with holes.

"I feel like his airbending is weaker." Evan said. "Nebula must have really did a number on him." Skaios blew Tani off and conjured a giant Wind Shuriken, spinning and willing it to glide around the rooftop. It would move rapidly and randomly, but by using Quick Perception, Evan was able to jump onto it, learning the middle was solid enough to stand on. He held his sword out, performing an automatic spin attack. Skaios dodged Tani's vines, but was caught in Doffy's strings, the flamingo spinning as well and forcing Skaios into Evan's blade. Skaios' slits were stretched to the side by the spinning blade, but the god once again broke free and blew everyone down with a wind burst.

Skaios flew down to the city, his mouth a giant vacuum as it slurped up dozens of citizens. He returned, his cheeks puffed as he spat the Inklings at them like cannonballs. The group dodged them, with Louise assuring they could survive long falls with their squishy bodies. Skaios squeezed the ink out of his cloud and rocketed skyward. By his power, the island was encased in a tremendous tornado, making gravity irrelevant as all the debris and people were uplifted and whirling within. Tani caught her teammates with vines to keep them all together, and when they were flying to a building chunk, she repositioned herself so her feet would plant on the chunk.

A telephone pole flew by, so Doffy launched his strings to latch it, pulling the group along as they shifted in midair to dodge other debris. Coming to a broken piece of road, they twisted to land on their feet, rooting their selves to the road as it whirled up the cyclone. "Look! A Rainmaker!" Louise exclaimed as said weapon whooshed over the road, Doffy immediately latching some strings to catch it.

"I assume we can use it then." he figured. A spiraling path flew overhead, so Doffy latched up to that to pull them up. According to Louise, this spiral was part of a skate park, and it remained fairly stable as they ran up it, dodging rolling barrels. Once at the top, Skaios was in view, his head steadily swelling for another explosion. Tani made a slingshot of her strings to launch Doffy and the sisters up, and said flamingo whirled them around in his strings before tossing them higher. Maria held the Rainmaker, planting her feet to Louise's as they kicked off each other for a high, two-way jump.

"BOOYAH!" Maria fired the Rainmaker directly into Skaios' head. The incredible outpour of ink turned his brain into mush, shrinking the cloud and ending the tornado. Everything was falling to the city, Skaios included. Doffy hurdled Louise back to Maria, the sisters linking hands as they spun with rears aimed down. Their spinning and descent growing faster, they caught fire and crushed Skaios with their Twin Meteor Butt Pound! They collided with the rooftop they were just fighting on, pressing all the way through the building until it utterly collapsed.

The Inklings and heroes landed, avoiding the falling debris and surveying the rubble. It was suddenly blown off by Skaios, the Mario Sisters with it as they struggled to stand. The Inklings wouldn't let this chance slip, bombarding Skaios with all the goop in their arsenal. "GIVE HIM HELL, INKOPOLIS!" Pearl bellowed through the Squid Sisters' song. "The power of a god is nothing to the power of this melody!"

"SLURMYYYYYYYY!" The young god was buried under a cluster of ink, the Inklings and Octolings more joyous with each shot. All the ink fused into a hideous black, reflecting Skaios' rage as it was blown off in an instant.

"STOP MOCKING MEEEEE!" He flew up and conjured a swarm of shurikens to saw across the city, the citizens hurriedly evading, though some lost a few limbs. Skaios tried to vacuum some in, but Tani tossed Maria into said vacuum so she could go in. The inside of Skaios' stomach was a torrential hurricane with a black hole at the bottom. Maria landed on a small debris as she looked around, beaming when she spotted Vistium whirling above. She jumped up some small platforms before they fell, then between two close walls. She kept a constant Wall Jump as the walls flew around, having to either slide down or ascend to avoid debris that flew between them.

The walls split apart as Maria landed on a road piece, running full speed before long-jumping to another road. The road shifted vertically while another one fell down, Maria immediately entering Wall Jump mode to go up, eventually kicking to a street pole and climbing quickly. Another pole flew by, so she jumped to it, and repeated until the final pole would swing by the sword, the jumper grabbing it like a Power Star! "WHOA!" She was swept into a vacuum, for Skaios was now blasting his captured prey at the heroes, and Maria with them, presenting the recovered Vistium.

Skaios gasped and decided to flee, creating a wind tunnel. Tani linked them all with vines as Doffy formed a string-glider, letting the wind carry them. Skaios flew to the crow's nest, but Nebula and even Mandy were gone. "WHERE IS SHE?! Where's that little spacebending bitch?!" He whooshed into the ship, plowing through everything, soon to come out with another cyclone of debris, including Cleveland in his bathtub. He saw the five about to land on the deck, so he hurled the debris. "NOOOO!" Cleveland cried at his inevitable fate, but Doffy swung a kick to send his tub off course, falling to the sea.

They evaded the other projectiles and landed on the Hylia's deck. Skaios flew far away and lashed wind whips, which only Evan could fully evade with Haki, making his way over, but Skaios caught on and blew a powerful gust. They were all pressed against the back wall, a position in which Skaios planned to keep them, but the Squid Sisters' ship was floating a good distance behind the god so they could snipe him with more High-Tide Ink. His attack ceased, so Evan and Tani dashed forward for a combined stab!

Skaios blew them apart, but Doffy was charging, so Skaios blew him back as well—the flamingo had already hauled Maria overhead in his strings, the Mushroomian flying at Skaios and throwing her hat. She possessed him for only a second, giving Louise a chance to catch up and paint Lava Goop over his cloud. His moment of weakness was accompanied with more cuts from Doffy, Evan, and Tani, until his rage blew the group off. The god blew the goop out of him, drenching the group like a sprinkler.

Skaios flew down to the ocean to wash himself, afterwards evaporating a tremendous amount of seawater and sapping it into his cloud. His head grew more tremendous than ever, and it seemed his intent was to dwarf the Free Kingdom, looming above the flagship to eclipse the sky. "Pearl, we're gonna need the Princess Cannon!" Marina yelled.

"I thought you'd never ask!" Pearl whipped out a megaphone and began to breathe calmly, clearing the chi within her throat. During this, Doffy and Louise shot more Goop Strings at the swelling Skaios, halting his buildup just a tad, but it was too strong to stop entirely. Skaios sent small electric charges that would explode, the group evading to keep their attack consistent. Tornadoes were sent next, requiring more careful and further dodging. Wind Shurikens were sent at a rapid pace, preventing them from focusing their Goop Strings. They could only dodge and watch the cloud swell ever larger.

Fortunately, after a minute of preparation, Pearl took a deep breath and bellowed directly into the megaphone. "WOOOOOOOOOOOOMYYYYYYYYYYYY…" Such a beam of pink ink could destroy an entire city, Skaios' head dramatically shrinking, and the god was drowned in the Princess Cannon's final drops. He remained floating, though utterly mindless.

Jerome and Nebula warped onto the ship deck. "There you are!" Maria exclaimed.

"We were hiding on Evermore." Jerome answered. "Do you have the sword?"

"Aye!" Maria drew it from the Infi-Cube. She placed it in Nebula's hand, the weakened leader smiling as she pressed the button. She flashed back into her armor and regained her stamina, warping up to deal a mighty downward slash. Skaios blasted into the Hylia deck, creating a shockwave of wind. (End song.)

Because there was no immediate counterattack, Nebula returned to the deck and switched Vistium off. Skaios merely lay where he crashed, his body partially melted. He had been reduced to a sad mess, casting an unsettling quiet over the kingdom. The Hope Pirates had brought Nagisa onto the deck to observe the outcome. "C…Captain…" Kotoko was crying. "Why…Why did it have to end up like this… I can't stand it!"

"I can't either." Midna replied, looking upon her brother with pity. "But this is what happens when you choose a life like this. An unhappy kingdom will rebel. There's nothing he can do about it. Just… give up…"

"Ah, you guys are okay. Thank goodness." a familiar voice spoke.

"Y…Yuta-kun!" Kotoko's eyes brimmed with joy, the others almost as surprised to see him. His grin was exuberant at their reactions, though he had to raise his arms in safety when Kotoko hugged him.

"Oh, I get it." Jataro moaned. "You're here to rub it in our faces, aren't you?"

"No way! You guys are still my crew, just like Skaios is my captain. I wasn't just gonna relax on GKND while all this happened. …" Yuta faced the god in question with a somber look. "I think we all knew this was for the best. He was…He needed this."

Nebula could feel a fraction of stability within him. If she lay one more blow, the Firstborn may be "destroyed" and reform after an extended time. But if she let him be as is, he would heal a bit faster, and he may continue to be a threat. The problem is, they needed Skaios to put these islands back, not to mention they might eventually need him for another Firstborn Quest, and there was no telling how long it would take to regenerate. Perhaps now, the best choice was to detain-

A gust whooshed across the deck and snatched Skaios, taking shape: it was Vaati, holding his captain like a protective father. "V…Vaati…" Skaios gasped hoarsely. "I thought… you were gone…"

"I was managing the enemy pirates. I thought you would be able to handle yourself, but…"

"I…I'm sorry… I'm a worthless god… everyone hates me… Sasuke betrayed me. Yuta. Kokichi. The Raccoon Pirates. The Cloudcoil. They all hate me… I can't take it, anymore… I…I give-"

"You can't give up!" yelled Vaati. "Captain… it's true there is no hope for this kingdom… but you and I are still in this war. If we lose, we put ourselves under the rule of the enemy pirates. I promised Aranea that I would win, no matter what. Captain… lend me your power. I will crush this entire kingdom for the sake of destroying our enemies! Then we will go and destroy the other Emperors! Until my last breath, I will not stop fighting for freedom! Skaios, as your loyal crewman, give me one more chance!"

"V…Vaati…" A small, heartfelt smile appeared on his face. "Okay… one more… show me that you're worthy… of being this crew's new captain…" Skaios glowed and phased his body into Vaati's. (Play "Spicy Calamari Inkantation" from Splatoon 2!)

"WAAAAARRRRRRRHHHHHH!" A white aura spewed from his being, his cape becoming lightning, his eye white with black sclera, and his right mask falling off as his milky eye became blue and yellow like Skaios', pumping with life once again. The winged "F" appeared on his black chest, a skull belt around his waist, and his legs became sharp winds.

"They're conjoined?!" Masaru exclaimed.

"Impossible!" Midna gasped. "It's true that a god can 'possess' a mortal like any spirit, but if a Firstborn tried to do it, even with their own Guardian, it would rip them apart! How is Vaati able to withstand this?!"

"ARRRRRRGGGH… so it's true…" Vaati gasped. "Our shared blood… makes us compatible… Skaios… I will win this war… for your sake!"

"Uh, Nebula, time to glow it up again!" Tani ushered.

"I can't! Vaati's a mortal, so if I attack him, the sword'll vanish!"

"THEN IT'S OUR TURN!" Kokichi's dark expression exploded into being, startling them. "We'll have to force Skaios out of there while Vaati's trying to get used to him! Jerome, our elements can damage his Logia defense. Can you Haki users still fight?"

"I got plenty to spare!" Doffy smirked.

"Until my kingdom can live happily again," Evan vowed, "I will NEVER surrender!"

"Perfect!" Kokichi drew his guns. "Nebula, the second Skaios pops out, slice him down! Luckily, I got a few other tricks up my sleeve~"

"Aren't you a bad guy?" she asked.

"No, I'm on your side. In return, I want command of my own KND!" Kokichi faced Nebula with his dark, demonic smile.

"How 'bout I give you Bobopolis!!" she panicked.

Phase 3: White Lotus Commander, VAATI

Vaati flew beyond the railing and bellowed a Cyclone Roar that enveloped the whole deck, so the group hid behind Jerome as he formed a portal shield, banishing the wind elsewhere. When Vaati ceased, Kokichi bombarded him with Dark Bullets and Jerome with Starbursts. Vaati's arms became wind as he stretched them, his fists rapidly flying around the deck to punch them. Evan used Haki to see the fists in slow-motion and stabbed one. Tani launched a few arrows at Vaati, but he evaded, unaware that Doffy had strings attached to the arrows, keeping their Haki active as he brought them back up to stab the back of his head.

Jerome opened a portal for Kokichi to punch his dark-imbued hands in. A larger portal opened behind Vaati, the wind mage taking the giant fists before he was forced onto the deck. Doffy choked him with Haki strings, but Vaati blew him off and dealt quick air-punches to the others. Kokichi sprung up, using Haki to evade further gusts as he molded chi in his hands. He fired a charged Dark Laser, which Vaati dodged—"Psyche." Kokichi smirked, the laser doing an arch to hit him in the head. Tani ran from behind to stab her spear at his knees, the mage kicking her away, but Evan caught his friend, Tani smiling in thanks before jumping off him, spear aimed at Vaati's back, but the mage dodged and blew her off the ship, Doffy working to save her.

"By the way, Skaios, I posted your other secrets online!" Kokichi stated. "Like how sometimes, you sneak into Kotoko's room to snuggle with her."

"WHAT?!" Kotoko screamed. "No wonder I wake up in the middle of the night with shivers!"

"NO, HE'S LYING!" Vaati's body flashed from Skaios' embarrassment. "I don't do that!"

"Captain, please!" Vaati pled. Jerome took advantage of this weakness and threw a giant Starburst he had been charging, breaking the two apart. Nebula switched on her armor, then shot only a small Starburst at Skaios to prevent a wide outpour, but it was strong enough for sufficient damage. Skaios recovered and flew back into Vaati, who exploded with wind and blew the group off. Jerome formed portals beneath them to warp them back up, but then Vaati psychically grabbed their breath in attempt to draw it out. Kokichi's Dark Chi made him immune to breathbending, so he used the Fist of Infinite Deception to put their breath under house-arrest, preventing them from leaving their bodies.

Vaati struck with rapid kicks, to which Evan countered with Quick Perception, his sword matching Vaati's speed until he was able to stab a leg. Doffy pelted him with String Bullets, so then Vaati blasted skyward and shot down with a Haki Tornado Kick. Jerome opened a portal to catch his legs, warping them to kick into his own chest, Vaati hacking saliva out. He reeled back, but flipped upright, detaching and flying his legs around to stamp them aimlessly. They fell over as Vaati flew skyward, forming a thundercloud and aiming a lightning beam at Evermore. Luckily, the beam was blocked by an invisible barrier.

"I said no Sky Gods on Evermore!" Kokichi reminded. "Respect my authoritah!" Seeing this was pointless, Vaati redirected the lightning at Artemyra, but Jerome rapidly warped across the kingdom to intercept it, expanding a portal just large enough to suck in and redirect it. Meanwhile, Doffy had latched strings all the way up to Vaati's cloud and was pulling himself, Evan, and Tani up. While Vaati was preparing another thunder beam, Doffy got level and shot strings from his feet, latching them to Vaati's neck. Evan and Tani quickly grinded them, jumping Vaati's counter-punch and stabbing his head.

Doffy repositioned and latched Vaati with more strings, swinging to dodge his attacks. "Vaati, you have a statue of your daughter in your room!" Kokichi yelled. "And you shrink yourself to explore it, making sure all the details are exactly right!"

"YOUR LIES WON'T AFFECT ME!" Vaati bellowed, but this itself was a lie, for his body was flashing from lack of stability. Doffy forcefully waved his strings to slice him, the attack separating Vaati and Skaios. Nebula switched on her armor, warped up, and dealt a brief Starburst at Skaios, but despite the large, condensed force, the god was able to recover and fly back into Vaati, Nebula returning below to rest. He flew away as the storm clouds grew bigger, beginning to send Thunder Meteors down to the islands.

"If I can do nothing else, I can at least do this." Nebula said, keeping her armor active to catch the meteors in multiple portals and warp them into space. Jerome willed gravity for himself and Kokichi to "fall" toward Vaati, keeping up with their friends in the sky. A tornado surrounded the mage, so the five went above the clouds to see the whirlpool at the top. Thunder balls were thrown at them, Jerome countering with Starbursts. Once they were above the tornado, they dropped with Evan and Tani's weapons aimed. Vaati dodged this simple attack, but Jerome formed a massive Block to catch them all.

Vaati landed as well and raced around the block to confuse them, but Evan sensed his movement, turning Tani to face the right direction and yelling "Now!" to shoot Vaati when he charged. The mage ran outside the tornado, but Evan assured he hadn't left, the mage zipping in-and-out random parts. Tani readied her next bow, trusting her king to aim her appropriately. Vaati was charging, intent to attack this time, but Tani would not fire without her king's command. This is because Evan sensed an ulterior motive—indeed, a left turn! Evan ordered Tani to shoot close to Jerome, for that was Vaati's target, and the arrow struck his waist.

Doffy pulled Jerome aside as Vaati stumbled quickly, the mage shaping his hands like guns to shoot air bullets. Tani and Doffy suffered some, Evan used Haki to defend Jerome, bouncing the bullets with his sword. Kokichi excitedly mimicked Vaati and shot his own guns. The mage evaded and focused solely on him, both types of bullets stopping each other. "Enjoying this song, Skaios?" Kokichi asked. "I know you like to put on a Marie wig and pretend you're a squid~"

"How could you POSSIBLY-!" The fusion grew unstable again—Doffy wrapped strings around his neck, and Jerome warped onto Vaati, increasing gravity for them both. This resulted in their foothold disappearing, so Jerome and Vaati fell at a rapid pace, while Doffy held onto the clouds via other strings. The strings around Vaati grew tighter and choked him, so he compressed his body to a strip of wind to escape. He escaped from Jerome's increased gravity and flew down to the ocean. Jerome regrouped with his falling friends and warped them back to the Hylia.

Vaati was amassing the sea into a cyclone, bringing it up and curving it in a snake fashion. The cyclone was wider than the Hylia, which was exactly what he planned to drown, so Nebula opened a portal of equal size to catch and return the cyclone to the ocean. Vaati was trying to redirect the cyclone, Nebula shifting her portal as necessary. Since Vaati was hovering just over the horizontal part of the cyclone, Tani asked Jerome to warp herself and Evan down to the sea. He did so, and the two were slurped up into the rising water. Since Tani was the better swimmer, Evan held on and trusted her to dodge the obstacles within, but both had their weapons ready.

"And don't think I haven't seen you snooping around Artemyra, Skaios!" Kokichi resumed. "I found photos of you trying on their undergarments!"

"YOU PHOTOSHOPPED THOSE!" The fusion began flashing again. "I never took pictures of myself while I was-"

Just in time, Evan and Tani swum up to where Vaati was, sword and spear puncturing the mage and breaking him and Skaios apart. Jerome thought quickly and caught Vaati in a portal, which released inside a Block. Jerome mustered all that remained of his chi to explode the Block, and Doffy followed by pelting him with Haki strings. Being apart from Skaios this long allowed the stress to catch up to his muscles, so Vaati could only suffer the abuse as his consciousness faded.

Nebula, meanwhile, warped Skaios onto the deck, the child god frozen with fear as she positioned Vistium to stab. "It's a lie." Nebula smiled. "They deserve it more than me."

She had warped Evan and Tani back up as well. "AI-YAAAAAH!" Their weapons met in a cross through Skaios' heart. (End song.)

There was no attempt to retaliate from the punctured god. They left their weapons in for a few seconds before removing them. Skaios was still for about a minute, as if he were actually dead. However, his brain just needed that much time to process. His eye half-closed, and he frowned in dismay. "Thanks… Vaati. At least, at the very end… I still had your loyalty. I can die… happy… now…"

Then there was another gust of wind. It felt more calm than aggressive, yet they feared Skaios had more stamina left to spare. One look at the sky told them that was not the case. An enormous green snake with shiny, armored skin had appeared, looming over the crow's nest with eclipsing authority. It was Rayquaza, God of the Sky.

"It's a pity we gods have to keep relying on mortals to clean up our messes. But it's good to know some things don't change. Once again, the KND has done us a valuable service. And you, Skaios… I hope you finally learned your lesson. You'll have plenty of time to recover and repent on Spear Pillar."

Skaios had no more strength to argue or rebel. All he knew was he just wanted the pain to end. Maybe this was a blessing in disguise. Maybe… this was his fate. "NOOOOO!" Skaios' eye slightly opened in surprise when five people surrounded him: Masaru, Jataro, Kotoko, Nagisa, and Yuta.

"M…M…Maties…?" (Play "Far" from Umineko.)

"You can't have the captain!" Masaru bellowed. "None of this would've happened if you didn't try to lock him up!"

"Captain Skaios may have gone overboard with his freedom, but perhaps that is because you failed to teach him right." Nagisa stated.

"It's okay, Captain! We'll protect you until the end!" Kotoko bent down and hugged him.

"We're gonna die." Jataro figured.

"Kotoko… and you, too, Yuta… I thought you betrayed me…"

"I never wanted to betray you, Captain." Yuta replied. "But I…I just couldn't agree with the Free Kingdom because… it was too much. It was too stressful because nobody was happy! I was too afraid to tell you, but I didn't wanna upset you. So, I just pretended to be a traitor. But just look what it's doing to you, Captain. I can't stand to see you like this."

"He's right, Skaios." Kotoko said. "After all we did for this kingdom… these people just aren't happy. They were just afraid of us."

"They…They never liked me…"

"No. But we do." Nagisa assured. "Skaios… we don't want the Free Kingdom, anymore. We just wanna live happily. And we want you to be with us."

"But… why… I'm just a monster… If everyone else hates me, why don't…"

"Well, because… we're monsters, too." Jataro replied. "Killin' our parents and all those other bad grown-ups. Watchin' their heads snap off in the kart races, and the mutant animals ripping out their guts, and-"

"You're going off topic." Masaru said. "But like, we were never afraid of you, Captain. You've always been our friend ever since we started being pirates. We can still be pirates, even. Just… let's be the normal, small-time pirates."

"As touching as this is, children, this boy's power is far too dangerous to let him roam around, and little restraint." Rayquaza said.

"Couldn't you say the same about the other Firstborn?" Midna rose from Yuta's shadow. ("Wah! H-How long was she with me?!" he panicked.)

"Princess Midna? Ah, yes, your Guardian is here…"

"Rayquaza, isn't the entire point of the Firstborn for the gods to be closer to mortals and vice-versa? That's why we have Guardians and why you let us roam free. Yeah, Skaios made his share of mistakes, but… I still think he belongs with these kids. A child only learns with a balance of freedom and parental guidance. I don't know who Skaios' official Guardian is, but the Firstborn are meant to learn from mortals. I think he and these kids can learn together."

"Suppose you're right… how does Skaios plan to atone for all the innocents he's killed?"

"I…I guess I can't." Skaios sighed. "I was just a monster who only cared about doing what I want. But when I met these mates… I felt like I had a purpose. They wanted freedom just like me… so I thought I could make everyone happy with freedom. But I guess not everyone wants it. If I'm going to be locked away… I can at least give them what they do want."

There was a release of chi, and the air bubbles around the floating islands seemed to spin faster. There were screams as the islands ascended to the heavens and across space like shooting stars. "Where are you sending them?!" Yuta asked.

"Where do ya think? They're going back to their homeworlds, back to the very spots we stole them from. I figure some of them will fit kind of awkwardly, so I'm keeping the bubbles around them to keep them steady. But since the Overground were the only ones enjoying their freedom, I'll keep them here for now. Not that it's my problem, anymore. I…I give up."

Skaios turned to Vaati's unconscious form. "Vaati… I don't know if you're awake, but… if ya ever come to, you're the captain now. The remnants of the Sky Gods are under your care. I'm done being an Emperor. I'm done with this war."

"So, that is your decision. Very well… your fate is sealed." A white ball of light formed in Rayquaza's claw. It flew down to Skaios and entered his body with a mini burst. The group was confused as to what happened. "Imprisoning you is pointless in these circumstances. You've signed a contract of sorts, so I couldn't interfere. Besides, I surmise you 'Newborn' will be needed for some destiny or other… so, you'll have to be around for your Guardian to find you. Eventually, your chi will replenish, but if you ever harm another mortal with your bending, that spell I've cast will have you sucked right up to Spear Pillar, where you will receive a punishment most foul!"

"Uh… you're letting me go?"

"Mark my words, I do plan to have you punished some day, but that day isn't now. Your humiliation just now will suffice. But children… I hope you will raise him properly from now on." The dragon snaked up into the sky, vanishing in a portal of light.

"HYAAAAAY!" Kotoko cheered, the five squeezing him in a hug. "You get to stay with us!"

"I…I can?"

"It's time for the Hope Pirates to begin anew!" Masaru declared. "We'll sail the seas and bring joy wherever we can!"

"W-Wait, where's Monaca?" Skaios asked.

"Oh, uh…" Kotoko tried to think of an excuse. "The truth is, Captain, things were getting too crazy for her, so… she decided to run away. She told me in secret, but I have no idea where she went. It's her choice, so… I hope she'll do well on her own."

"Oh…oh well." Skaios sighed. "And, what about Mandy?"

"Mandy already left." Nagisa replied. "The KND undid her shackles, and they brought her to her pirates. All the Boogey ships left. Heh… I guess we really could've stopped the invasion just like that. She really had no interest in fighting us any more."

"Aye… neither do I." Skaios smiled. "So… where're we off to now, maties?"

"How about Mobius?" a strange voice replied.

"Hah, Mobius?" Skaios chortled. "I don't think that's the best… Wait, who said that?" (End song.)

The five whipped around, searching for the voice's owner. The happy air suddenly grew tense. They were not alone. "DWAAAAAAH!"

"CAPTAIN!" The Hopes cried when Skaios was snatched up in a mechanical hand, retracting to a flying ship.

"What?!" Midna gasped. "Where did that come from?!"

"Prepare for trouble, sorry we're late for the show."

"Make it double, we couldn't pass up a cameo." Two figures were shadowed on the ship.

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all peoples within our nation."

"To denounce the evils of pirate gods!"

"To extend our power and beat the odds!"

The spotlight shone on a woman, her scarlet hair stretched back. "Jessie!"

Following her was a blue-haired man, a rose in his teeth. "James."

Rockets ignited on the ship, carrying them to the heavens at great speed. "Team Rocket, temporarily serving the Kremling Krew!"

"Surrender or we'll make calamari out of you~"

"Meowth, it's true!" concluded their mascot cat. ("Wooooobbuffet!") ("Chiiiiime…")

"TEAM ROCKET!" screamed the veteran operatives.

"Excuse me?" Kokichi questioned.

"They're villains who always try to steal the Firstborn!" Jerome recalled. "Nebula, can't you warp Skaios back down?!"

"Can't Jerome, I'm dead." Nebula was passed out on the deck, muscles totally stiff.

"Ahahaha!" Jessie laughed. "Looks like our kiddies are tuckered out from playtime. It was a good effort, but when it comes to kidnapping Firstborn, we're the professionals."

"Once we bring Skaios to Kroctus, maybe he'll give me a position in the Krew!" Meowth said. "Of course, it wouldn't be nearly as cool as bein' Giovanni's top cat."

"Yes, fantasize all you want, Meowth." James replied. "I'm fine with appreciating an easy victory. Aren't we forgetting something, Jessie?"

"Ah, yes, our farewell cry." As their ship shrank into the stars, their voices were heard: "Looks like Team Rocket is grabbing-and-running off again!" ("Woooobbu-wooooo…") Twinkle.

". . . . . . . . . . . . . Fuck." This was the word on everybody's minds, but Louise was the only one who could say it. Beyond that, there was nothing but silence. It was a happy moment while it lasted, but this war was only halfway over.